We are here for you to provide the important current affairs of August 10 2017 which have unique updates of all daily events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, India Today, Indian Express, Business Standard, all Government official websites. Our complete current affairs helps you to get more marks in Banking, insurance, UPSC, SSC, CLAT, Railway and all other competitive Exams.
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INDIAN AFFAIRS
Recent Approvals by Central government – August 9 2017
On August 10, 2017, Union Government announced that it has set up institutional mechanisms including a task force, an inter-ministerial synergy group and a steering committee to realise the full potential of textile sector.
i. National Mission for Clean Ganga has approved ten projects in Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh to the tune of about Rs 2,033 crore.
ii. The Medium-term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) Statement was laid in Parliament.
iii. The MTEF is a vertical expansion of the aggregates of the expenditure projections in the fiscal framework presented along with the Annual Financial Statement and Demands for Grants.
iv. Union Government and the State Government of Uttar Pradesh signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for opening 1000 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) Kendras in the State.
National Cyber Coordination Centre made operational: Government
On August 9, 2017, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology PP Chaudhary said first phase of National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC), set up to scan the country’s web traffic to detect cyber security threats, has been made operational now
About National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC):
i. NCCC, a multi-stakeholder body, will be implemented by Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) at Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
ii. It derives necessary powers as per provisions of section 69B of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Rules notified there under
iii. NCCC will scan internet traffic coming into the country at metadata level to detect real-time cyber threat and alert various organisations as well as internet service providers for timely action.
NGT bans use of non-biodegradable plastic bags in Delhi
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a temporary ban on use of non-biodegradable plastic bags which are less than 50 microns in Delhi.
Key Points:
i. A bench is headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar.
ii. He has also announced an environment compensation of Rs 5,000 on anyone found in possession of such banned plastic.
iii. The tribunal has also directed the Delhi government to seize the entire stock of plastic within one week.
iv. The AAP-ruled city government and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee has to file an affidavit by a senior most officer.
v. They will also direct how waste management in the city were being implemented, particularly in respect to plastics.
vi. The green panel in 2016 banned the use of disposable plastic in Delhi and NCR with effect from 1st January 2017 and directed the city government to take steps to reduce dumped waste.
vii. The bench had directed the city government to strictly enforce its ban order in the city and sought a status report on the issue.
viii. It had also said an environment compensation of Rs 10,000 would be imposed on vegetable vendors and slaughter houses for throwing garbage in public places.
UP Government launches Namami Gange Jagriti Yatra
The Uttar Pradesh Government has launched a new awareness drive called Namami Gange Jagriti Yatra announced on 10th of August 2017.
Key Points:
i. The drive will mainly focus on cleanliness along the banks of Ganga river and maintain hygiene.
ii. The campaign was flagged off in the state capital Lucknow by CM Adityanath.
iii. The main objective is to make the river and the banks much more cleaner in the 
future.
iv. The drive has been organised by Uttar Pradesh Homeguard volunteers and will help in spreading awareness in about 25 districts situated on the banks of river Ganga in the state.
v. The drive will be covering a total area of around 1,025 kms.
vi. It will pass through 108 blocks of 25 districts of UP from Bijnore to Ballia alongside the Ganga river.
vii. More than one lakh Homeguard volunteers will be organise public gatherings and other awareness programmes in the districts under the Namami Gange Project.
viii. It will urge people to refrain from practices and other things that pollute the Ganga River.
No renewal of Insurance for vehicles without PUC : SC
The Supreme Court has issued a set of directions including that insurance companies will not renew insurance of a vehicle unless the owner provides pollution under control (PUC) certificate. It has been announced on 10th of August 2017.
Key Points:
i. A bench is headed by Justice Madan B Loku.
ii. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will ensure that all fuel refilling centres in the National Capital Region (NCR) have PUC centres.
iii. The apex court granted four weeks time to the Centre to ensure that there are functional PUC centres in NCR to ensure that vehicles plying have PUC certificate.
iv. The court has considered the suggestions given by Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA).
v. The bench was hearing a PIL filed by environmentalist M C Mehta way back in 1985 dealing with various aspects of pollution.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Delhi India’s largest, Asia’s fastest growing city
According to Asian Cities & Regions Outlook 2016 by Oxford Economics, Delhi will have the fastest growth among all Asian cities with the economy growing almost 50 percent larger in 2021 than it was at the end of last year.
i. As per the study from Oxford Economics which ranked Asia’s 30 largest cities, Indian cities are set to expand the most across the region, with growth speeding up from the past 5 years.
ii. The study outlined that there will be a slight slowdown across the region amid moderating import demand from China, with growth expected to average 4.2 percent per year over the five years to 2021, down from 4.5 percent in 2012-2016.
BANKING & FINANCE
PNB introduces Biometric attendance register
Punjab National Bank (PNB) has introduced a biometric attendance register in the place of the existing system of signing attendance in the attendance register.
Key Points:
i. The new system of marking attendance will be implemented in branches/offices with immediate effect, the circular issued on 3rd August.
ii. The biometric attendance device will capture the attendance along with the time of marking the attendance.
iii. In separate circulars rules with regard to marking of attendance after the prescribed time and leaving the office before the prescribed time have already been made available.
iv.Every employee shall, immediately on arrival and also while leaving the branch/office, mark his/her attendance in the biometric attendance device.
v. In exceptional cases, but in no case more than three occasions in a month, an employee may be permitted a grace margin of up to 15 minutes, that is, within 15 minutes of the prescribed time.
vi. After the grace margin in a month is exhausted, the employee will be considered late and marked absent.
vii. Reporting and exit timings will be uploaded in the HR system automatically.
About PNB
♦ Tagline: The Name you can bank upon
♦ HQ: New Delhi
♦ MD&CEO: Sunil Mehta
SEBI launches online registration for custodians of securities
Markets regulator SEBI has introduced an online registration mechanism for custodians of securities to make it convenient for them to do business on 10th of August 2017.
Key Points:
i. The new system would help custodian of securities to complete registration and other regulatory filings with SEBI much faster and in a cost-effective manner.
ii. Custodian of securities holds shares and other assets in electronic or physical form.
iii. The Securities and Exchange Board of India mentioned that the new system has been made operational with immediate effect.
iv. All applicants desirous of seeking registration as a custodian of securities are now required to submit their applications online only, through SEBI intermediary portal.
v. The custodian of securities seeking approval as Designated Depository 
Participant (DDP) in terms of SEBI (FPI) regulations shall also apply through this portal.
vi. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his budget speech for 2017 announced that the process of registration of financial market intermediaries will be made fully online by SEBI.
About SEBI
♦ Formed: 12th April 1988
♦ HQ: Mumbai Maharashtra
♦ Chairman: Ajay tyagi
BUSINESS
Google, NSDC launch programme to improve Mobile Developer Ecosystem
On August 8, 2017, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Google India launched Android Skill Development Programme to impart mobile app development training on the Android and Web platform and improve the quality of mobile app development ecosystem in India.
i. Under the initiative, NSDC would introduce a specific course to create applications for the mobile platform that can be used on smart phones and tablets running on the Android operating system.
ii. The 100-hour duration course is designed to be delivered by NSDC’s partner agencies, outside the formal education system.
SoftBank Vision makes big investment in Flipkart
Softbank fund invests in Flipkart, becomes one of its largest shareholders
Flipkart Group (Flipkart), India’s leading e-commerce marketplace, has announced an investment – a mix of primary and secondary capital – from SoftBank Vision Fund (Vision Fund), the world’s largest technology-focused investment fund.
Key Points:
i. SoftBank Vision Fund is the $100-billion technology-focused fund floated by Masayoshi Son.
ii. This is the biggest ever private investment in an Indian technology company, 
and will make the Vision Fund one of the largest shareholders in Flipkart.
iii. Flipkart claims that with the investment from SoftBank Vision Fund, it will have $4 billion of cash on balance sheet
iv. The investment was partly used to buy shares of an existing investor Tiger Global and additional capital in the company.
v. Flipkart will utilise its $4-billion war chest to take on global rival Amazon, which has significantly stepped up its investment in India ($750 million) that was disclosed during the start of 2017.
Commerce Ministry to wind up Directorate General of Supplies and Disposal
The commerce ministry has started the process of shutting down over 100-year-old government procurement arm – Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D)- in this fiscal year.
Key Points:
i. The public procurement of goods and services is being managed by the ministry’s e-market platform (GeM) since last year.
ii. Currently, the directorate has four regional offices including Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.
iii. It has 12 Purchase Directorates (Commodity-wise) and there are 20 offices /sub centres and the staff strength is over 1,200.
iv. DGS&D has its origin in the India Stores Department, which was established in 1860 in London for purchase of imported stores.
v. Before closing, the ministry has to decide upon the issues concerning manpower, land and office spaces of the directorate, which are present all over the country.
vi .In 2016, GeM was launched by the ministry to bring greater transparency and efficiency in public procurement.
vii. The GeM portal has eliminated human interface in vendor registration, order placement and payment processing to a great extent.
viii .The central and state governments procure goods and services worth over Rs 5 lakh crore annually.
ix. Currently, over 20,000 sellers are registered on this portal for selling over 50,000 products.
Facebook launches Youtube competitor called ‘Watch’
Facebook has launched Youtube competitor called ‘Watch’ on 10th of August 2017.
Key Points:
i. Shows are made up of episodes — live or recorded — and follow a theme or storyline.
ii. To help and keep up with the shows one follow, Watch has a ‘Watchlist’ so the latest episodes of the shows would be available.
iii. Facebook has also signed a deal with Major League Baseball to broadcast one live game per week.
iv. The shows available include “Nas Daily”, “Gabby Bernstein” and “Kitchen Little.
v. “Nas Daily” publishes a daily show where he makes videos together with his fans from around the world.
vi. Gabby Bernstein, a New York Times bestselling author, uses a combination of recorded and live episodes to connect with her fans and answer questions in real time.
vii. Tastemade’s “Kitchen Little” is a funny show about kids who watch a how-to video of a recipe, then instruct professional chefs on how to make it.
viii. In the first phase “Watch’’ will be introduced to a limited group of people in the US and plan to bring the experience to more people soon.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
ISRO to develop full-fledged Hyperspectral Imaging Earth observation satellite
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch a full-fledged niche Earth observation (EO) satellite called the Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite or HySIS using a critical chip called optical imaging detector array it has developed.
i. Hyperspectral or hyspex imaging is considered to be an EO trend that is being experimented globall An EO expert called it equivalent to ‘CATSCAN’ of Earth from space.
ii. ISRO first tried it out in an 83-kg IMS-1 experimental satellite in May 2008. The same year, a hyperspectral camera was put on Chandrayaan-1 and used to map lunar mineral resources.
NCERT launches web portal to supply Textbooks online
Upendra Kushwaha, Minister of State, Ministry of Human Resource Development has launched the NCERT’s Web portal for supply of textbooks to schools and individuals in New Delhi on 9th of Aug 2017.
Key Points:
i. The portal will ensure better distribution of textbooks across the country.
ii. According to the ministry, the portal will also be opened to the individual buyers very soon.
iii. It will also address the apprehensions, on the part of schools and parents, regarding unavailability of National Council of Educational Research And Training (NCERT) textbooks.
iv. The schools will be able to log on to the portal, by entering their respective Boards’ affiliation numbers and other details, till 8th September 2017 for placing their orders for the session 2018-19.
v. The Web Portal can be accessed at www.ncertbooks.ncert.gov.in.
vi.At the time of placing the orders, the schools are not required to make the payment; the payment can be made just before the supply.
vii. The schools will also have the option of directly procuring textbooks either from their nearest NCERT vendors or from the Regional Production-cum-Distribution Centres (RPDCs) of the NCERT’s.
viii. Buyers can place their orders by login in onto the portal, and books will be delivered at their doorsteps with nominal postal charges.
ix. The portal will also enable the buyers to track the status of their respective orders placed with NCERT.
x. The textbooks will also continue to be sold at the Retail Sales Counters located at the NCERT’s headquarters in Delhi.
xi. The NCERT textbooks can also be downloaded, free of cost, from the NCERT’s website www.ncert.nic.in.
xii. Anyone can access the digital versions of NCERT’s textbook by logging onto ‘epathshala’ or through mobile applications.
xiii. NCERT also gives copyrights to different States/Union Territories for printing of its textbooks.
xiv. Fifteen States and UTs have been given copyright for the session 2017-18.
ENVIRONMENT
Vizag’s Rayichapalu declared one of the rarest fish in world
Vizag’s Rayichapalu is declared one of the rarest fish in the world by researchers from the Marine Living Resources Department of Andhra University.
Key Notes:
i. The tiny, colourful fish, called ‘Ranguchapulu’ or ‘Rayichapalu’ by the fisherfolk, will have the scientific name ‘Pseudathias Vizagensis’, after the city where it was first discovered.
ii. For four years, the researchers have been working to name the fish one of the rarest in 
the world.
iii. Ranguchapulu is a colourful fish which is around 97mm in length and lives near the reefs.
iv. The fish can be found all along the east coast, at a depth of 80-120 metres, and can also be seen at harbour fisheries catchments.
v. Scientists also say that Vizagensis is only the fifth fish in this size category.
vi. The researchers explain that this fish has a unique colour pattern with spectacular diamond shaped bands.
vii. Species observation reveals that it has one ‘conical tooth’ at the front of its jaw, with twenty or twenty two slender teeth.
viii. This special specimen will be conserved at the Andhra University’s Marine Resources Museum.
SPORTS
At 15, shooter Shapath Bhardwaj is youngest to figure in govt’s Olympic scheme
India shooter Shapath Bhardwaj, aged 15, has become the country’s youngest athlete to figure in the government’s Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme.
Key Points:
i. Shapath hails from Meerut and studying in class 10, is among 45 elite athletes, including Olympic medallists P V Sandhu, Sakshi Malik and Saina Nehwal, to be selected for the ambitious scheme.
ii. TOP Scheme Elite Athletes Identification Committee in the Ministery of Youth Affairs and Sports selected the athletes after evaluating their performance in relation to the international standard.
iii. The committee is chaired by ace shooter and Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra.
iv. The Sports Ministry has launched the TOPS with the aim of supporting medal prospects for Olympics.
v. The selected athletes will be provided financial assistance for their customised training at institutes having world class facilities and other necessary support.
vi. Shapath was also selected for India’s double trap team at the age of 14 after selection trails in Patiala in November 2016.
vii. He represented India along with his senior teammates Ankur Mittal and Sangram Dahya in the ISSF World Cup, Delhi in February 2017 and in ISSF World Cup in Mexico in April 2017 where he secured 10th and 12th ranks respectively.
viii. He participated in the ninth International Junior Shotgun Cup held in Finland in July and scored 137 out of 150 and won the gold medal.
ix. Shapath will now represent India in the forthcoming ISSF Junior World Cup in Italy and ISSF World Championship in Moscow.
OBITUARY
Acclaimed Bollywood actor Sitaram Panchal passed away
Bollywood actor Sitaram Panchal passed away on August 10, 2017, after a three-year long battle with kidney and lung cancer. He was 54.
i. Sitaram, who made his Bollywood debut in 1994 with Bandit Queen, was best known for his work in films like Peepli Live, Pan Singh Tomar, The Legend of Bhagat Singh and Slumdog Millionaire.
ii. He was bed ridden for almost a year, and had recently taken to his Facebook account asking for monetary help in order to afford proper treatment for kidney and lung cancer.
IMPORTANT DAYS
National Deworming Day to be held between Aug 10 & 23
The second round of National Deworming Day (NDD) is observed between 10th of August to 23rd August in 33 States and Union Territories to tackle worm Infections, targeting more than 11 crore children. The NDD program was launched in 2015.
Key Points:
i. According to the Health Ministry, the deworming programme can potentially improve the nutritional status of children.
ii. The ministry also confirmed that the deworming tablet, Albendazole, is a perfectly safe and efficacious drug.
iii. Under the NDD program, children aged between 1-19 are provided deworming tablets in schools and Anganwadi across the country.
iv. The Health Ministry stated that among the total number of children, at least 7.8 Cr were from private schools while the rest, 3.5 Cr, were out of school children.
v. The out of school children were covered through Anganwadi workers and ASHAs.
vi. The day is organised twice a year in the country except for Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh where it is carried out just once in a year.
vii. The first round of the programme this year was held in February during which, around 26 Cr children were covered.
viii. The estimates of the World Health Organisation (WHO) reveal that around 220 million children below 14 years in India stand the risk of getting soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) infections.
ix. In the first-ever round of NDD, in February 2015, approximately 8.9 Cr children were administered the deworming tablet across 11 states and Union territories, achieving almost 85 percent coverage.
x. Various health promotion activities related to water, sanitation and hygiene(WASH) were also organised in the schools and anganwadis.
World Bio-Fuel Day – August 10 2017
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas celebrated the World Biofuel Day 2017 on 10th of August 2017 to create awareness about non fossil-fuels such as biodiesel, ethanol, biogas, etc.
Key Points:
i. On this day in 1893, Sir Rudolph Diesel, the diesel engine inventor, for the first time successfully ran mechanical engine with peanut oil.
ii. The objective of “World Biofuel Day” is to sensitize youths (school and college going students), farmers and other stakeholders about the benefits of biofuel and seek their involvement in Biofuel programme run by the Government.
iii. These efforts should be taken up on a public campaign mode.
iv. The World BioFuel Day will be celebrated across 100 districts of the country in various states to create awareness about the bio fuel programme.
v. These awareness campaigns are scheduled to be held from 11th to 14th August 2017 in partnership with stakeholders of the Bioenergy sector.
vi. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas will be coming out with the BioFuel Policy soon.
vii. The policy will take into consideration various facets like Role of Government, Return on investment, Minimum Assurance etc.
viii. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas will be working towards more utilisation of biofuels.
ix. About $2 Billion is being invested by the Government Companies by way of R&D on Second Generation (2G) Biofuel Refineries across the country.
x. The Ministry mentioned that the potential for the bio fuel industry in India would be 
around Rs 1 Lakh Crore in the next 1 to 2 years.
xi. The importance of biofuels as cost effective and environment friendly substitutes to conventional fuels.
xii. It will also generate employment and boost the economy of rural areas, including the North East and the barren wastelands of the country.
xiii. Biofuel Policy will be a major milestone in the socio-economic development of the country.
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