1. Non-subsidised LPG rate cut by Rs. 5; ATF to cost more
(i) Price of non-subsidised LPG was on Friday cut by Rs. 5 per cylinder even as jet fuel (ATF) rates were marginally raised in step with global trend.
(ii) The price of non-subsidised or market-priced domestic cooking gas (LPG) was cut by Rs. 5 to Rs. 616 per 14.2-kg cylinder in Delhi, state-owned fuel retailers said.
(iii) The reduction comes on the back of two successive hikes – Rs. 5 on March 1 and Rs 11 on April 1. Households are entitled to 12 cylinders of 14.2-kg each at subsidised rate of Rs. 417 in Delhi.
(iv) Any requirement beyond this has to be bought at the market price, which is now Rs. 616 in Delhi.
(v) State-owned fuel retailers, Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp (HPCL) revise jet fuel and non-subsidised LPG prices on the first of every month based on average imported cost and rupee-dollar exchange rate.
(i) Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president N. Peethambara Kurup on Thursday said freedom fighter T.R. Krishnaswamy Iyer was an eminent political activist who built up the Congress movement in Malabar despite heavy odds.
(ii) Inaugurating the year-long 125th birth anniversary celebrations of Krishnaswamy Iyer at a function here, Mr. Kurup said fond memories of him would help the party overcome its present crisis and win back the clout it once enjoyed in Palakkad.
3. Goodbye Internet Explorer; Hello Edge
(i) Wrapped under secretive ‘Project Spartan’ so far, Microsoft has unveiled future looking Edge as its new web browser, which would eventually replace the existing Internet Explorer.
(ii) Edge, Microsoft officials argued, is lighter and faster than Internet Explorer and comes with new features like a built—in notation tool, a distraction—free reading mode, and website information from Cortana, a personal voice—assistant app for Windows.
(iii) “Microsoft Edge is the browser built for Windows 10, and it will be available on the widest range of Windows 10 devices,” Joe Belfiore, Corporate vice president, operating systems group at Microsoft yesterday said at Build 2015, a conference of developers.
4. New India targets a premium of Rs.18,000 cr
(i) New India Assurance on Thursday reported a net profit of Rs.1,431 crore for 2014-15 against Rs.1,089 crore in the previous fiscal, an increase of 31 per cent.
(ii) The global business touched Rs 16,050 crore growing at 12.20 per cent, while its Indian business at Rs 13,209 crore, showed a growth rate of 14.46 per cent.
(iii) “In India, New India outgrew the market by touching a growth rate of 14.5 per cent, while the market grew at 10.65 per cent,” said G. Srinivasan, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, said at a press conference.
(iv) New India increased its footprints in global business, by opening a representative office in Myanmar.
5. Online medicines sale: FDA orders FIR against Snapdeal CEO
(i) Maharashtra’s Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) on Friday said it has ordered filing of FIR against e-commerce major Snapdeal.com’s CEO Kunal Bahl and directors of the company in a case related to alleged online sale of medicines, including prescription drugs.
(iii) A licensed retailer can sell drugs, and that too on the basis of prescription of a doctor, Mr. Kamble said, adding such type of online sale of drugs is not allowed as self medication can be harmful.
6. PNB first bank to roll out Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme
(i) The Punjab National Bank has started opening Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme accounts, the first bank to do so after the scheme was formally launched in January this year.
(ii) According to a statement from the bank, the scheme is available at 1,604 PNBBSE -0.19 % branches across India.
(iii) Almost seven weeks ago, on 11 March, the RBI had sent a circular to the heads of 28 commercial banks spelling out the operational guidelines of the Sukanya scheme. But except for PNB, no other bank has rolled out the scheme till now.
(iv) Meanwhile, the Sukanya scheme has emerged as the hottest selling investment in post offices. More than two lakh Sukanya accounts have been opened in Post Offices since the scheme was launched.
(v) According to India Post, some 8,000-9,000 new accounts are opened every week in Mumbai alone.
(vi) Given that the scheme offers 9.2 per cent returns and the maturity amount is tax free, the Sukanya scheme is a better alternative to the all-time favourite PPF.
7. 20 IAF jets crashed in last 3 fiscals year
(i) Indian Air Force has lost 20 fighter aircraft in crashes in the last three financial years, resulting in an estimated loss of Rs. 574.42 crore to the exchequer, Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
(ii) The maximum number of crashes took place during the just-concluded 2014-15 fiscal, when IAF lost eight aircraft, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in a written reply.
(iii) Every accident/incident is thoroughly investigated by a court of inquiry to ascertain the cause and the recommendations are implemented. The main reasons for these accidents were human error and technical defects,” the Minister said.
8. FDI jumped about 63 per cent to USD 3.28 billion in February
(i) Foreign direct investment (FDI) in India jumped about 63 per cent to USD 3.28 billion (about Rs. 20,820 crore) in February, 2015.
(i) In February 2014, the country had received FDI of USD 2.01 billion.
(iii) During the April-February period of 2014-15, the foreign fund inflows have grown by 39 per cent, year-on-year, to USD 28.81 billion, according to the data of Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).
(iv) The inflows were at USD 20.76 billion during the same period a year ago.
(v) Healthy inflow of foreign investments into the country helped India’s balance of payments (BoP) situation.
(vi) India is estimated to require around USD 1 trillion investment over five years to overhaul its infrastructure sector, including ports, airports and highways to boost growth.
(vii) Government has relaxed FDI norms in various sectors, including insurance, railways and medical devices, to boost FDI in the country.
9. Black money: 121 cases against HSBC account holders
(i) The Income Tax department has slapped 121 cases for prosecution of those entities whose names have appeared in the HSBC Geneva bank list even as undisclosed income to the tune of Rs. 4,800 crore has been brought under tax net in these cases at the end of the last fiscal.
(i) Sources said the cases have been filed in courts in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Goa before the closure of the just concluded financial year 2014-15 on March 31.
(iii) A report in this regard has also been sent to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on black money which is now compiling all the figures and data to present an action taken report before the Supreme Court on or before May 12.
10. Nadia first 'open defecation-free' district in India
(i) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday declared Nadia as the first Open Defecation Free (ODF) district in the country.
(ii) “I feel proud to declare Nadia to be the first ODF district in the country. I congratulate Nadia district for achieving this feat and convey my thanks to World Bank and the UNICEF,” Ms. Banerjee said while speaking at the programme here.
(iii) Thanking UNICEF and the World Bank for helping the district achieve this feat, Ms. Banerjee declared April 30 as the “Nirmal Bangla Diwas” to be observed in the years to come.
(iv) UNICEF India representative David Mcloughlin congratulated the people of the district for achieving the goal and said, “It’s a commendable job done by you people.
(v) It shows that ODF is absolutely achievable. Your achievement will inspire others to make their places ODF.”
11. AP may raise retirement age of medical college faculty to 65: Minister
(i) In an effort to reduce the shortage of faculty in medical colleges, Andhra Pradesh Government, taking a cue from its Gujarat counterpart, proposes to increase the retirement age of professors in government medical colleges to 65 years, State Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas said on Thursday.
(ii) The Gujarat model of medical education is worth emulating. The proposal, is in the interest of medical students and patients, will be put before the State Cabinet soon'', said the Minister who slept in the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences(RIMS) here on Wednesday night and interacted with patients to know first-hand their woes.
12. Uber’s SOS button to alert local police control room
(i) Taxi hailing app Uber on Thursday said it has upgraded its ‘SOS button’, which when pressed will now send a real-time alert to the local police control room directly to respond to the emergency.
(ii) The US-based firm had introduced the SOS button in February 2015, following concerns of safety after a woman was allegedly raped in New Delhi by a driver working for the firm.
(iii) Earlier, using the SOS button, users could dial 100 as well as share their trip details and real-time location with up to five friends and family members.
(iv) Now, the police will also receive details like GPS location, rider and driver information like name, photo and vehicle number.
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