Date: 3/15/2019

English मराठी


15-Mar-2019 EXPORTS GROW UP BY 2.44 PER CENT IN FEBRUARY AS TRADE DEFICIT NARROWS Read More Good news on Economy front; Exports grow up by 2.44 per cent to USD 26.67 billion in February as trade deficit narrows. The country's exports grew by 2.44 per cent year-on-year to USD 26.67 billion in February on account of higher shipments in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, engineering and electronics, according to data from the commerce ministry. Imports declined by 5.4 per cent to USD 36.26 billion in the last month, narrowing the trade deficit to USD 9.6 billion. The gap between imports and exports was USD 12.3 billion in February 2018. Gold imports also fell sharply by about 11 per cent to USD 2.58 billion in February as against USD 2.89 billion in the corresponding month last fiscal. During the April-February period of the current fiscal year, exports grew 8.85 per cent to USD 298.47 billion, while imports rose by 9.75 per cent to USD 464 billion. The trade deficit has widened to USD 165.52 billion during the 11 months of the current fiscal from USD 148.55 billion compared to the year-ago period.
15-Mar-2019 RAGHU KARNAD’S ‘INDIAN STORY’ WINS WINDHAM-CAMPBELL PRIZE Read More Journalist and writer Raghu Karnad became the second Indian to win the Windham-Campbell Prize; after Jerry Pinto who won the prize in 2016 for his novel 'Em And the Big Hoom'. Karnad won the prestigious award for his debut book 'The Farthest Field: An Indian Story of the Second World War' in the non-fiction category on early Thursday (IST) in a ceremony which was held in London. The Indian author is one of the eight winners who have been chosen across four categories this year. Each of the eight winners won $165,000 as prize money to support their writing. In terms of the award money, Windham-Campbell Prize is one of the richest literary awards worldwide. Two winners were announced this year in each of the four categories for the prize, namely- fiction, non-fiction, drama and poetry. 'This year’s Windham-Campbell Prize recipients in ﬁction are Danielle McLaughlin (Ireland) and David Chariandy (Canada) in nonﬁction the winners include Raghu Karnad (India) and Rebecca Solnit (United States); in poetry Ishion Hutchinson (Jamaica) and Kwame Dawes (Ghana/Jamaica/United States) are the winners and in drama the winners include, Young Jean Lee (United States) and Patricia Cornelius (Australia),' reads a statement on the prize's official website. The Windham-Campbell Prize was established in 2013 by writer Donald Windham to honour his late partner Sandy Campbell. It is now co-presented by the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University.
15-Mar-2019 BL CHANGEMAKERS 2019: AWARD WINNERS Read More It is that time of the year again, to celebrate people who, with their ideas, have made our society a better place. The second edition of the BusinessLine Changemaker Awards will be held in New Delhi on March 15. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be the guest of honour. Singh is a changemaker in his own right, having rescued the economy from a major crisis in 1991 and set it up for a rapid phase of growth that catapulted it to become the fastest growing in the world. He will give away the awards across six categories: Changemaker — Social Transformatiom, Changemaker — Digital Transformation, Changemaker — Financial Transformation, Young Changemaker, Iconic Changemaker, and Changemaker of the Year. The awards, instituted last year by BusinessLine to commemorate its 25th year of publication, saw an overwhelming response from individuals, corporates, and government and social organisations. The nomination window for the 2019 edition opened on September 15, 2018, and over 560 nominations were received. These were subjected to layers of scrutiny with the help of knowledge partners Ashoka: Innovators for the Public and Deloitte India. The short-list that emerged was evaluated against various criteria and narrowed to five nominees in each category.
15-Mar-2019 3 ASTRONAUTS ON SOYUZ CRAFT SUCCESSFULLY REACH ISS Read More A Russian cosmonaut and two US astronauts arrived on 15th march at the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, five months after the failed launch of a rocket carrying two of the passengers. NASA astronaut Nick Hague and his Russian colleague Alexey Ovchinin, who both survived a dramatically aborted Soyuz launch last year, were joined on the smoothly-executed trip by NASA astronaut Christina Koch. The rocket blasted off without incident from Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and docked at the ISS less than six hours later, more than 400 kilometers (249 miles) above the Earth at 01:01 GMT, a few minutes ahead of schedule. During a live broadcast via high-definition cameras aboard the ISS, the mission commander Ovchinin reported that the mooring mechanism was engaged. A NASA commentator then confirmed the “capture.” The liftoff was closely watched after the two men’s space journey was cut short in October when a technical problem with their Soyuz rocket triggered a launch abort two minutes into the flight.
15-Mar-2019 SBI LAUNCHES CARDLESS ATM WITHDRAWALS Read More State Bank of India on Friday launched ‘YONO Cash’ for cardless withdrawal of cash at over 16,500 SBI ATMs across the country. With this facility, customers can initiate the cash withdrawal process on the YONO app and set a six-digit YONO Cash pin for the transaction. They will also get a six digit reference number for the transaction on their registered mobile number via SMS. The cash withdrawal has to be completed within the next 30 minutes at the nearest ATMs using both PIN and the reference number received. “The initiative will also address their concern of using debit card at the ATMs for cash withdrawals by eliminating possible risk associated with it,” Rajnish Kumar, Chairman, SBI said. “This feature on YONO is designed to help its users withdraw cash without a physical debit card. Through YONO, our endeavour is to create a digital universe by integrating the entire transactions ecosystem under one platform in the next two years,” Mr. Kumar added.
15-Mar-2019 GI TAG FOR COORG ARABICA COFFEE, FOUR OTHERS Read More The Geographical Indications Registry has granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag to Coorg Arabica Coffee, Wayanad Robusta Coffee, Chikmagalur Arabica Coffee, Araku Valley Arabica Coffee and Bababudangiris Arabica Coffee. A GI tag is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation by virtue of their geographical association. The tag conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness which is essentially attributable to the geographical origin of the product. The owner of the GI tag has exclusive rights over the product.The GI was granted on March 1. According to the GI application, Coorg Arabica Coffee is grown specifically in Kodagu district in Karnataka. “Coffee cultivation is an integral part of the lives of the people of Kodagu district and forms the backbone of the economy of the district till today the district has a unique biotic and abiotic conditions which provides uniqueness to the Coffee grown in it. The terrain provided for coffee by the broader landscape provides it a unique aroma and flavour notes to the coffee when roasted,” it said. As per the GI application for Wayanad Robusta Coffee, the flora of Wayanad is characteristic of the Western Ghats and the plantation crops grown in the cool climate.