NATIONAL NEWS
Telangana tops in eLearning training for field staff
For the second successive year, Telangana has been ranked first in e-learning training programme of Department of Personal and Training (DoPT) of the Government India. During the financial year 2018-19, Dr MCR HRD Institute enrolled over 20,000 field staff in different districts of the State to impart training on 12 soft skill modules and three domain-specific modules on RTI, office procedures, finance and accounts, apart from sustainable development goals.
- On the request of the Government of India, Dr MCR HRD Institute is mentoring other States such as Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, J&K, Odisha, Uttarakhand, and Gujarat to train the trainers for e-Learning training programme and develop modules in regional languages in order to spread the Comprehensive Online Modified Modules on Induction Training (COMMIT) Programme as a national mission.
Facebook News Feed Will Show 'Why Am I Seeing This Post' to Users
Facebook has introduced a new feature titled "Why am I seeing this post?" to help users understand and control the kind of posts surfacing on their News Feed from friends, Pages and Groups. This means we'll be able to tap on posts and ads in News Feed, get context on why they're appearing and take action to further personalise what we see.
- Following scandals surrounding the social networking giant on misusing user-information for ad targeting, this feature comes as Facebook's first step to explain to users exactly how the News Feed gets personalised on the platform.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Australia concluded 7-nation Indian Ocean military exercises from Sri Lanka
Australia concluded a seven-nation Indian Ocean military exercise in Sri Lanka where China has invested in strategic ports and loaned huge amounts to build other infrastructure. Some 1,000 Australian security personnel in four naval ships and a military aircraft participated in the biggest joint exercise yet with their Sri Lankan counterparts, Canberra's top envoy in Colombo.
- The joint exercise came as concerns grew over Beijing's influence on Sri Lanka's economy and Chinese control over two key ports.
BANKING & FINANCE
Kotak Mahindra Bank first lender to charge for UPI use
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which runs the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) network, has slashed usage fees for small transactions to expand the system’s adoption among banks and payment service providers (PSPs).
- For UPI transactions up to Rs. 1,000, the charge has been cut to 10 paise from 25 paise. The charge for transactions above Rs. 1,000 has been retained at 50 paise.
- Private sector Kotak Mahindra Bank recently became the first lender to inform its customers that UPI transactions of more than 30 in a month will incur charges. For transactions up to Rs. 1,000, the cost will be Rs. 2.5 per transaction and Rs. 5 for those above Rs. 1,000.
- Extra info.:
KMB Headquarters: Mumbai
NPCI HQ: Mumbai
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
HCL completes acquisition of Strong-Bridge Envision
IT major HCL Technologies said that its acquisition of US-based Strong-Bridge Envision has been completed. HCL had recently agreed to acquire the Seattle-based company to enhance its digital transformation consulting capabilities. The deal was worth 45 million dollars.
- Strong-Bridge Envision is now part of its global digital and analytics business called HCL Mode 2 services.
Reliance Mutual Fund launches Voice-Based Financial Transactions
Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management (RNAM) joined hands with Google to enable the customers of Reliance Mutual Fund to carry out voice-based financial transactions. RNAM becomes the first company in India, to provide a conversational interface that would help customers regarding funds transactions.
- RNAM is a joint venture between Anil Ambani-led Reliance Capital and Japan’s Nippon Life Insurance Co Ltd.
Google India Head Rajan Anandan resigns
Google’s India and South East Asia President Rajan Anandan has resigned after an eight-year stint at the American tech giant. Anandan, also an investor in multiple startups, is slated to join venture fund Sequoia Capital as a Managing Director. He will work with Google till the end of this month.
- Vikas Agnihotri will take on the interim responsibility. He is currently serving as Google’s Country Director for Sales.
SPORTS
Lewis Hamilton grabs Bahrain Grand Prix 2019
Five times world champion Lewis Hamilton took a lucky Bahrain Grand Prix win for Mercedes after engine trouble in the dying stages denied Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc a first Formula One victory.
- Hamilton's win was the 74th of his career but first this season. He is now 17 wins short of Michael Schumacher's all-time record of 91.
APPOINTMENTS
Google's Anandan joins Sequoia Capital India as MD
Rajan Anandan, Google's Vice President for South East Asia and India, has quit the company and joined Sequoia Capital India as a Managing Director.
- Anandan will continue at Google till the end of April and Vikas Agnihotri, Country Director, Sales will take on the responsibility in the interim for Google India.
- Extra info.:
Sequoia Capital Headquarters: Menlo Park, California, U.S.
OBITUARIES
Noted Tamil Director J. Mahendran passes away
Noted Tamil filmmaker Mahendran, who made his directorial debut with Rajinikanth's Mullum Malarum in 1978 passed away at a private hospital in Chennai.
- Director Mahendran is known for churning out several iconic films such as Uthiripookkal, Nenjathai Killadhe, Johnny and Kaali as well.
IMPORTANT DAYS
Earth Hour 2019
Individuals, businesses and cities in 188 countries and territories worldwide joined Earth Hour 2019 to speak up for nature and inspire urgent action for the environment. As Earth Hour rolled around the globe, thousands of landmarks switched off their lights in solidarity for our planet.
- Individuals pledged their support for the planet, challenging world leaders to push the preservation of nature up the global agenda. The theme for Earth Hour 2019 is “Change the Way We Live”.
World Autism Awareness Day
World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognized day on 2 April every year, encouraging Member States of the United Nations to take measures to raise awareness about people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) throughout the world.
- The theme of this year is: "Assistive Technologies, Active Participation."
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