NATIONAL NEWS
India to be guest country at Paris Book Fair 2020
In a bid to strengthen Indo-French ties, India has been designated as the guest of honour at the Paris Book Fair in 2020, while France will be the guest country at the New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) in 2022. The announcement was made by the nodal agency - National Book Trust (NBT).
- The designation of India as the guest country was declared in the joint statement signed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron during the latter's visit to India in March 2018.
Small savings schemes: Govt keeps interest rates unchanged for Apr-June qtr
The government has kept the interest rates on small savings schemes, including NSC and PPF, unchanged for the April-June quarter. Public Provident Fund (PPF) and National Savings Certificate (NSC) will continue to carry an annual interest rate of 8 per cent, while Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) will give a yield of 7.7 per cent and mature in 112 months.
- The interest rate for the five-year Senior Citizens Savings Scheme has been retained at 8.7 per cent. The interest on the senior citizens' scheme is paid quarterly. Interest on savings deposits has been retained at 4 per cent annually.
- The girl child savings scheme Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana account will offer 8.5 per cent rate during the first quarter of the next fiscal.
- Term deposits of 1-5 years will fetch interest rate in the range of 7-7.8 per cent, to be paid quarterly, while the five-year recurring deposit is pegged at 7.3 per cent.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
GAIL, BHEL tie up for development of solar power projects
Maharatna public sector units GAIL India Ltd and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) have inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the development of solar power projects.
- The MoU is aimed at building a closer strategic partnership between the two state-owned companies for jointly pursuing commercial solar power projects through participation in tariff and viability gap funding based competitive bidding process.
- India has set a target to achieve 100 GW of solar power by 2022 so that all citizens can have round-the-clock access to uninterrupted electricity.
Five varieties of Indian coffee get GI certification
5 varieties of Indian coffee have been awarded Geographical Indication (GI), a move that will enhance their visibility globally and allow growers to get the right value. While Coorg Arabica coffee is grown specifically in Kodagu district of Karnataka, Wayanaad Robusta coffee is from Wayanad district in east Kerala, Chikmagalur Arabica coffee from Chikmagalur district in Deccan plateau of Karnataka, Araku Valley Arabica coffee from hilly tracks of Visakhapatnam district in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha region, and Bababudangiris Arabica coffee from central portion of Chikmagalur district.
- The Monsooned Malabar Robusta Coffee, a unique specialty coffee from India, was given GI certification earlier
SPORTS
Manu Bhaker, Saurabh Chaudhary clinch gold at Asian Airgun C'ship
Young pistol shooters Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary picked up their second gold medals each as India continued their domination at the 12th Asian Airgun Championships in Taoyuan, Taipei.
- Manu won the 10m Air Pistol women's event on day three of competitions, while Saurabh bagged a team gold in the men's event. Abhishek Verma also won individual silver in the men's 10m Air Pistol.
Indonesia to host Asean School Games 2019 in July
Students from Southeast Asian countries and regions will compete at the 2019 Asean School Games in July in Indonesia's Semarang city. Students will take part in athletics, badminton, basketball, swimming, lawn tennis, table tennis, volleyball, sepak takraw and Indonesia's traditional martial art of Pencak Silat.
- The 2019 Asean School Games is scheduled to be held from July 17 to 25.
- Extra info.:
Indonesia Capital: Jakarta
Currency: Indonesian rupiah
APPOINTMENTS
Mistry appointed AICC poll observer for Maharashtra
Senior Congress leader Madhusudan Mistry was appointed as All India Congress Committee (AICC)'s election observer for Maharashtra for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The Congress had also appointed Mistry as the head of party's screening committee for the Karnataka Assembly elections last year.
- In 2014, Mistry was nominated by the Congress to the Rajya sabha from Gujarat.
OBITUARIES
Prafulla Rajguru, veteran journalist, passes away
Veteran journalist and academician Prafulla Rajguru passed away at a hospital in Jorhat (Assam). He was 82. Rajguru had retired as the head of the department of English from DCB Girls College in Jorhat in 1997.
- Rajguru authored four books and was a member of several social organizations like the Asom Sahitya Sabha.
IMPORTANT DAYS
World Piano day
A travelling piano placed in a transparent cargo van, voyaged through New York City, making stops at various locations, and inviting people to play it as a special way to mark the annual World Piano Day on 30 March.
- In 2015, German pianist, Nils Frahm declared the 88th day of a year as the World Piano Day, as modern standard pianos have 88 keys.
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