Oriental Bank launches mobile wallet ‘Batuaa’

Oriental Bank launches mobile wallet ‘Batuaa’

i. On the occasion of the 75th Foundation Day, Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) has come up with several digital offerings including launch of mobile wallet ‘Oriental Batuaa’.

ii. Besides introducing a new version of mobile banking, OBC has also launched two new cards.While the Oriental Premium card is a RuPay based Platinum international debit card with airport lounge access, the other card-Oriental Prepaid Card is a RuPay card for individuals and corporates. 

iii. Besides it has also launched two MSME schemes The two MSME schemes that have been launched are ‘Oriental Sanjeevani’ and ‘Oriental Budget Hotels and Restaurants’.Oriental Sanjeevani is a specialised scheme for doctors for setting up new hospitals and clinics. The other scheme is for individuals, proprietors, companies etc for setting up new hotels, restaurants, lodges, motels etc.

Karnataka Bank inks pact with Daimler India
i. Karnataka Bank Ltd has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt Ltd (DICV) for extending finance to customers for the purchase of commercial vehicles manufactured by the company. 

ii. DICV has nominated Karnataka Bank as a preferred financier for the purchase of commercial vehicles manufactured by the company.
ICAI’s Accounting Research Foundation signs pact with Railways
i. The CA Institute’s Accounting Research Foundation (ARF) has signed an agreement with Indian Railways for the national rollout of accrual accounting in Railways. 

ii. According to the agreement accrual accounting will be introduced at 17 Railway zones and 8 production units across the country.
IRB InvIT Fund gets SEBI approval to launch IPO
i. IRB InvIT Fund, an investment trust sponsored by IRB Infrastructure Developers, has received markets regulator SEBI’s approval to raise Rs. 4,300 crore through initial public offering.

ii. However, the Securities and Exchange Board of India has asked for clarification from India Grid Trust and Reliance Infra InvIT Fund regarding their proposed IPOs

Srinagar Airport Gets Its First Foreign Airline Service
i. AirAsia became the first foreign airline to begin its operations from Srinagar international airport in Jammu and Kashmir.
ii. Srinagar has The Sheikh-ul-Alam International Airport since last five years, but no  Air Asiaforeign airlines had yet operated services from there.The flight operation by AirAsia is expected to give a boost to tourism in the valley.

 Microsoft, Flipkart announce strategic cloud partnership
i. Information technology giant Microsoft announced a strategic partnership with Flipkart, wherein as a first step, the online retailer will adopt Microsoft Azure as its exclusive public cloud platform.

ii. The strategic partnership was aimed at providing consumers in the country the best online shopping service.Microsoft chief executive officer (CEO) Satya Nadella and Flipkart Group CEO Binny Bansal announced the partnership at an event in Bengaluru.

Ranganathan, Mehta appointed Non-Official Director in IOB, PNB
i. T C A Ranganathan and Sunil Mehta were appointed as Non-Official Directors in Indian Overseas Bank and Punjab National Bank by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet. Both appointed for a period of three years. 

ii. It is announced by Personnel Ministry. Prior to this,  T C A Ranganathan has worked as the CMD of Exim Bank while Mehta is currently Chairman & Managing Director at SPM Capital Advisors Pvt Ltd.

Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl penned by Ram Kamal Mukherjee

i. An actor turned politician Hema Malini’s journey from an actor and filmmaker to a politician being chronicled as an authorised biography titled ‘Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl‘ .

ii. The biography is written by author-columnist Ram Kamal Mukherjee.
India to Host Next Davis Cup tie in Bangalore in April, 2017

i. Bangalore has been chosen to host the next Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Zone group-1 tie against Uzbekistan from April 7 to 9, 2017.
ii. As per the announcement made by the All India Tennis Association (AITA) the tie clash will be held on the hard courts of Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) in Bangalore.

Akhil and Jitender Kumar Signs Deal to Turn Professional Boxers

i. Following the path of Indian boxing sensation Vijender Singh, Olympic quarterfinalists boxers Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar are also stepping up to enter professional boxing.

ii. The former Melbourne Commonwealth Games gold medalist boxer Akhil Kumar and Asian medallist Jitender Kumar signed a multi-year deal with IOS Boxing Promotions confirming turning professional boxers.

Afghan players Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan create IPL history

i. Afghanistan cricket broke a new barrier when Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan became the first from the war-torn nation to be picked in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction.

ii. Both Nabi and Khan players were bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad, for Rs. 30 lakh and Rs. 4 crore respectively. Five cricketers from Afghanistan were included in the auction for the first time.

 Shahid Afridi retires from international cricket

i. Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has announced his retirement from international cricket, but stated that he wants to play in his country’s domestic league for two more years.

ii. The flamboyant allrounder, who played the last of his 27 tests in 2010 and retired from one-day internationals in 2015, quit as Pakistan’s 20-overs captain after the team’s poor World Twenty20 campaign in India last year.

Bharat QR code launched to push less-cash economy

Bharat QR code the world's first inter-operable payment acceptance solution, was launched as part of efforts to move towards less-cash economy at an insignificant cost, according to RBI.

Payment networks such as MasterCard and Visa have joined hands with National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) to launch Bharat QR, a common Quick Response(QR) code that would enable seamless digital payments without card swiping machines.

This is billed as the next big digital payment solution after the recent initial success of Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM), a mobile-based App launched in end December 2016 to promote digital payments. Built under the direction of the Reserve Bank of India in September 2016, Bharat QR is a revolutionary step as it provides an inter-operable solution.

This Bharat QR code is expected to be convenient for those who are into mobile banking and do not want to use debit or credit cards for small ticket payments. Bharat QR code is seen as a better alternative to physical Point-of-Sale (PoS) machines which involves capital costs.

International Mother Language Day: 21 February

UNESCO celebrates International Mother Language Day (IMLD) on February 21, 2017 under the theme 'Towards Sustainable Futures through Multilingual Education'.

To foster sustainable development, learners must have access to education in their mother tongue and in other languages.
It is through the mastery of the first language or mother tongue that the basic skills of reading, writing and numeracy are acquired. Local languages, especially minority and indigenous, transmit cultures, values and traditional knowledge, thus playing an important role in promoting sustainable futures.  

DO WHATEVER THE SITUATION DEMANDS YOU TO DO..SOMETIMES BEING SILENT DOES THE WORK
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