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Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 5 May 2015

::National:

PM joins Chinese social media platform Weibo

The Prime Minister is an avid and active user of social media for several years now. He has used diverse social media platforms to reach out to people across India and the world. From sharing updates on working of the government, policy deliberations, his own thoughts, greetings and replies to well-wishers, the Prime Minister's social media outreach has been lauded all over the world. He has also been using info-graphics and videos to share the various efforts of the Indian government in the past one year.
The Prime Minister’s Office also maintains a strong presence on social media. This is in sync with his vision of a digital India, where technology plays a pivotal role in Governance and policy making.

Jharkhand and NTPC sign MoA for taking up Patratu Thermal Power Station

A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) has been signed between State Govt. of Jharkhand and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Ltd., in Ranchi for taking up Patratu Thermal Power Station (PTPS) through a Joint Venture Company to be promoted by NTPC and Jharkhand Bidyut Vitaran Nigam Ltd. (JBVNL) with 74:26 equity participation.

This MoA will be a great step towards:

(A) Performance improvement of existing station from 15% PLF to 82% to give more power to Jharkhand immediately.
(B) Build an efficient Super Critical project of 4000 MW in 2 phases.
(C) Provide cheap and affordable 27X7 power supply to every household and adequate power for farmers in Jharkhand.
(D) Enable rapid industrialization which will provide massive employment to youth of Jharkhand in new industry.
(E) Govt. of Jharkhand will become a partner in this project without investing any additional capital.

BHEL commissioned 195-MW thermal unit in Bihar

State-owned electrical equipment maker Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) has commissioned a 195-MW thermal unit in Muzzafarpur district in Bihar.
The commissioned thermal unit is the first of the two 195-MW units to be commissioned by BHEL at the thermal power plant of Kanti Bijlee Utpadan Nigam (KBUNL).
KBUNL is a joint venture (JV) of NTPC and Bihar State Power Generation Company (BSPGCL).
In this plant, BHEL was leading supplier of main plant equipment to NTPC and its JVs and has 72 per cent share in their installed capacity.

::Science & Technology:

Union Government inaugurates 47th Science Centre and Planetarium in Puducherry

The Union inaugurated the first ever Science Centre and Planetarium in the Union Territory of Puducherry. The Science Centre and Planetarium has been set up by the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) of Ministry of Culture.
The Science Centre Puducherry is the 47th Science Centre in the country which has been opened to the public and the 48th Science Centre in Dehradun shall be opened shortly. The Council is currently in the process of developing 21 more science centres in different parts of the country. The NCSM also runs 23 Mobile exhibition units for operating in rural areas. Over 13.5 million visitors visit these centers annually and 2.5 million rural children benefit from its mobile science exhibition units.

::Economy:

Finance Ministry makes PAN card mandatory for central excise registration

Permanent Account Number (PAN) has been made mandatory for private firms seeking central excise registration.
The registration will now be given within two days of filing online applications, as per the new simplified rules formed by the Finance Ministry "to improve the ease in doing business in manufacturing".
Applicants seeking registration shall mandatorily quote PAN of the proprietor or the legal entity being registered in the application form, a Finance Ministry order said.

::Newsmaker:

Mukesh Khanna becomes chairperson of CFSI

Veteran actor Mukesh Khanna, has been appointed as the new chairperson of the Children Film Society of India (CFSI).
CFSI started functioning in 1955 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting with Pandit Hriday Nath Kunzru as President. CFSI's maiden production Jaldeep won the first prize for best Children's Film at the 1957 Venice Film Festival. Since then CFSI has continued to produce, exhibit and distribute quality content for children: from feature films, shorts, animations to television episodes and documentaries.