4th April 2015

»Malli Mastan Babu, one of India’s top mountaineers passed away. His dead body was found in the Andes Mountains between Argentina and Chile after  he went missing on 24th March, 2015 during an expedition to Cerro Tres Cruces Sur.

• Babu was regarded as the fastest “7 summiteer” that is fastest mountaineer to climb summits in all seven continents from India.
• He was the first Indian mountaineer to summit the tallest peak in Antarctica, Mt Vinson Massif. He was also the first person from Andhra Pradesh to scale the Mt Everest. 

>> Primes Minister Narendra Modi today asked the Health Minister JP Nadda to increase the size of Pictorial warnings on tobacco product packets to 65%.

• The issue has come about the pictorial warnings is because of the subordinate Legislative Committee of the Parliament.
• The Parliamentary panel on subordinate legislation examining the provisions of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, had urged the government to keep on hold its proposal to increase the size of pictorial warnings on tobacco packets from 40% to 85%

>> Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan launched the 'Give It Up' movement in Karnataka.

• The movement appeals rich people to voluntarily give up their subsidy amount given on Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders.
• The money surrendered under this movement will be utilised to give LPG connection to people in rural areas who are still using firewood for cooking

>> Union Government again has extended rolling out deadline for National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 by six months.

• It was announced by Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan in order to give more time to states to roll out NFSA.
• More than 6.1 crore tonnes of rice, wheat and coarse cereals are expected to be distributed to 81 crore people, covering 75% rural and 50% urban population, under the programme.
• The extension will help remaining states adopt and implement the law within next six months. It is third time, this deadline has been extended and the second deadline was to end on 4 April 2015.
•  So far only 11 states and Union Territories (UTs) have implemented NSFA which was passed by Parliament in September 2013.
• So far, eleven states — Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Chandigarh —have implemented the law.

Facts about National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013

• NSFA aims at providing legal entitlement to 5 kg of subsidised foodgrains to the identified person per month.
• Grains like wheat, rice and coarse grain will be distributed at the price of 3 Rs. 3, Rs. 2 and Rs. 1.
• Pregnant women and lactating mothers and children are entitled to get meals under the prescribed nutrition by MDM and ICDS.
• The age group would be 6 months to 14 years. NFSA 2013 will provide high nutrition food to the age group of 6 years.

Other Three Welfare Programmes:are

• Above poverty line, below poverty line,Antyodaya Anna Yojna

•   BPL:will get 35 kg of rice and wheat at Rs 5.75 and Rs 4.15 a kg, respectively.

  

           Antyodaya Anna Yojna :pay Rs 2 a kg for wheat and Rs 3 for rice. 

           APL : get rice at Rs 8 a kg and wheat for Rs 6.

>>West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi was today sworn in as Mizoram Governor at the Raj Bhavan in Aizwal

          Tripathi was appointed to take additional charge of Mizoram after state governor Aziz Quereshi was sacked by the Centre.

>>88th Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan (All India Marathi Sahitya Sammelan) on 3 April 2015 began in Ghumaan village in Gurdaspur district of Punjab.

 The three-day long sammelan is dedicated to Marathi Saint Bhagat Namdev (Sant Namdeo). The President of 88th Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan is Dr. Sadanand More.

 Sant Namdeo had composed his shlokas in Awadhi, Marathi and Punjabi. His 61 shabads were included in holy scripture of the Sikhs i.e. in Guru Granth Sahib.

>>Pedro Cateriano Bellido was appointed as Prime Minister of Peru by the President Ollanta Humala. He will replace Ana Jara, who had lost a confidence vote and was sacked by Peruvian Congress amid allegations of corruption.