11th MARCH CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. List of Agreements signed during Visit of President of France to India

• Agreement between India and France on the Prevention of Illicit Consumption and Reduction of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Chemical Precursors and Related Offences
• India-France Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement
• Agreement between India and France to facilitate Mutual Recognition of Academic Qualifications
• Memorandum of Understanding between Ministry of Railways and SNCF Motilities, France on technical cooperation in the field of Railways
• Letter of Intent between India and France for creation of a permanent Indo-French Railways Forum
• Agreement between India and France regarding the provision of reciprocal logistics support between their Armed Forces
• Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and France on cooperation in the field of Environment
• Agreement between India and France on cooperation in the field of Sustainable Urban Development
• Agreement between India and France regarding the exchange and reciprocal protection of classified or protected information
• Implementing Arrangement between Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Central National D’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) for pre-formulation studies of a Maritime Awareness Mission
• Industrial Way Forward Agreement between Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd, and EDF, France
• Bilateral Arrangement between India and France on cooperation in the matter of Hydrography and Maritime Cartography
• Credit Facility Agreement between India and France of Euros 100 million for funding of the Smart City Projects through a Challenge Process
• Memorandum of Understanding between National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), Ministry of New & Renewable Energy and the National Solar Energy Institute (INES), France

2. PM inaugurates two-day National Legislators Conference

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated a two-day National Legislators Conference on ‘We For Development’at the Central Hall of Parliament House.

• The motive of the conference is to bring MPs and MLAs on a single platform where ideas and plans for development can be exchanged.
• Role of public representatives in development and optimum use of resources will be the subjects on agenda for discussions. 

3. ‘WINGS INDIA 2018’ Event Gets Underway

The four-day biennial event ‘WINGS INDIA 2018 ‘, jointly organized by Ministry of Civil Aviation and Airport Authority of India and FICCI got underway in Hyderabad.

• The theme of the four-day biennial event this year is ‘India-Global Aviation Hub’.
• WINGS INDIA 2018 is a platform for interactions, forging alliances, investments and air connectivity between the States and the global aviation players & stakeholders.

4. Start-up incubator for women 'We-Hub' launched in Telangana

A start-up incubator was launched by the Telangana government on the occasion of International Women’s Day to exclusively promote entrepreneurship among women. 

• The facility, named We-Hub, is the country’s first state-led incubator exclusively for women entrepreneurs.
• We-Hub is an entrepreneurial platform for aspiring women from rural and urban backgrounds helping them achieve being independent and overcome the societal barriers.

5. ISA-ADB, NDB, GCF, AfDB and AIIB joint declarations of Financial partnership

 

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the African Development Bank (AfDb), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the Green climate fund (GCF), and the New Development Bank (NDB) signed Joint financial partnership Declarations.

• The International Energy Agency (IEA) also signed a Joint partnership Declaration with the ISA.
• The objective of the agreements is to deepen their cooperation in support of Renewable Energy.

6. IREDA & EIB sign Loan Agreement for Renewable Energy Financing in India

European Investment Bank (EIB) and Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) Ltd. have signed a loan agreement for a second line of credit (LoC) of Euro 150 million on non-sovereign basis.

• The line of credit is for tenure of 15 years including a grace period of 3 years, and it will be used for financing Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency projects in India.
• More than 1.1 million households are expected to benefit from clean energy produced with these funds.

7. Suresh Prabhu gets additional charge of civil aviation ministry

 

Commerce and Industries minister Suresh Prabhu was given additional charge of the Civil Aviation Ministry, a day after the resignation of TDP's Ashok Gajapathi Raju.

• Raju and another Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP Y S Chowdary had resigned from the council of ministers.

8. Australia beat England 2-1 to lift 27th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup

Australia outplayed England 2-1 in the final to lift the 27th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia.

• Both sides were using the tournament as preparation for the Commonwealth Games, which take place from 5-14 April on Australia's Gold Coast.