We are here for you to provide the important current affairs of September 2 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
Karnataka launches unified health scheme ‘Arogya Bhagya’
Karnataka government will merge the existing seven health schemes to launch a unified health scheme- ‘Arogya Bhagya’. It will cover all 1.4 crore households of the state.
Key Points:
i.The main theme of the ‘Arogya Bhagya’ scheme is ”Treatment Firstand Payment Next”.
ii.All the health facilities will be provided through Aadhaar linked Universal Health Card.
iii.Universal Health Coverage scheme would help the card holder to get treatment in all the enroll private hospitals besides government hospitals to get treatment without paying any cash.
iv.The State Cabinet had given administrative sanction for the unified schemes and it will come to effect from 1stof November.
v.The facilities would be provided by categorising the beneficiaries into two groups—A and B.
vi.Category A will be a priority category, which will include farmers, deprived households, labourers from the unorganised sector, pourakarmikas, all SC/ST people, members of cooperative societies, government employees, media persons and elected representatives.The rest will fall under Category B.
viii.Those in rural areas would need to contribute Rs300 per person and those in urban areas Rs 700 per person.
x.The State Government will be spending Rs 867 crore for the unified scheme in the first year.
India gets its first Indigenous sniper rifle from West Bengal
India’s first indigenous sniper rifle was launched at the rifle factory in West Bengal.
Key Points:
i.Its total cost is Rs 2.5 lakh and weighing 6.7 Kg.
ii.The rifle has a shooting range of 800 meters. The factory has received orders from the CRPF and police forces of Haryana and Rajasthan.
iii.These rifles are a must for urban police, for VIP protection, hostage situations and terror attacks.
iv.They will no longer need to import the preferred German machine, Heckler & Koch, referred to as H&N.
v.The biggest advantage of an indigenous sniper that no one will ever run short of ammunition and spares.
vi.The research and development for the sniper was done at Ishapore itself for over a year or so.
vii.According to an Ishapore official it even won a gold medal in a shooting competition.
About West Bengal National Park
Sunderbans NP
Buxa Tiger Reserve
Gorumara NP
Sports Ministry approves constitution of 13- Empowered Steering Committee(ESC)
On September 1,2017,Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has approved the constitution of an Empowered Steering Committee (ESC) on the basis of the recommendations of the interim report of the8-member Task Force headed by AbinavBindra.It will increase India’s medal prospects in forthcoming Olympic games including 2020 Tokyo Olympic games.
Terms of Reference of the Empowered Steering Committee (ESC) : –
(i) The committee will review the core probable list of each High Priority and Priority disciplines for Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Olympic Games and make recommendations with respect to additions or deletions.
(ii) Review the Annual Calendar for Training and Competitions (ACTCs) approved by the Government in consultation with the National Sports Federation (NSF) concerned and make specific recommendations with respect to any additional or supplementary requirements.
(iii)Recommend specific plans / packages for TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) beneficiaries selected by the TOPS committee…..Click here to view more details
Government plans to create Farmer Zone
With an aim to improve the condition of small and marginal farmers, the Union Ministry of Science and Technology is planning to create Farmer Zone which is a collective open source data platform for smart agriculture using biological research.
It was announced by Department of Biotechnology (DBT) at recently convened Smart Agriculture Conclave in New Delhi on 30&31st of august ,2017.It was organised by Department of Biotechnology in partnership with UK’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Research Councils UK (RCUK) India.
About Farmer Zone: –
i.Farm Zone is a concept that integrates Science, Technology& innovation and the farm ecosystem. It could be used to make effective decision making in the field of agriculture.
ii.This platform will serve all the needs of a farmer including climate change, weather predictions, soil, water and seed requirements.
iii.It will connect with farmers and scientists, government officials, economists and representatives from global companies who work in big-data platform and e-commerce platform to bring about technology-based localised agri-solutions.
iv.This platform will collect relevant quality data related to agriculture in the cloud and also develop sites to link with farmers and evolve PPP based enterprises for data delivery.
About Union Ministry of Science and Technology:-
Formed – May 1971
Headquarters – New Delhi
Minister – Dr. Harsh Vardhan
Assam for first time extends AFSPA orders on its own.
On September 1,2017,Assam Government has extended term of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958 and declared entire state a Disturbed Area for six more months under section 3 of AFSPA act.This is for first time state government has extended AFSPA and Disturbed Area provision on its own. In the past, AFSPA provisions in state were always extended by the centre.
i.A notification issued by the state home department said that while the law and order situation had continued to be a matter of concern due to violent incidents carried out by the underground groups, as many as 16 incidents involving these groups had taken place between May and July. These incidents had resulted in deaths of two civilians, one security personnel and four militants. The whole state was in unrest.
Why AFSPA act in Assam ?
Assam has remained a “disturbed area” under provisions of the AFSPA for nearly 27 years, with the Centre invoking the AFSPA on November 27, 1990, following incidents of violence by the ULFA(United Liberation Front of Asom),including the killing of industrialistsSurrendra Paul, younger brother of Lord Swarj Paul in May 1990.
About AFSPA act : –
At present, the AFSA has been enforced in 6 states ….Click here to view for complete detail
Ahmedabad’s Walled City gets India’s First World Heritage City Certificate
Ahmedabad was formally accorded the status of India’s first World Heritage City by UNESCO announced on 1st of Sept 2017.
Key Points:
i.UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova handed over the certificate declaring Ahmedabad as a World Heritage City to Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in Gandhinagar.
ii.Rupani appealed the citizens of Ahmedabad to maintain the pride and glory of the newly crowned World Heritage City.
iii.The city was previously known for trade and commerce across the globe and now it has bagged one more tag of World Heritage City and gained recognition globally.
iv.The walled city of Ahmedabad, believed to be founded by Ahmed Shah some 600 years ago, has 26 ASI-protected structures, several places that capture the essence of community living and numerous sites associated with Mahatma Gandhi who lived here from 1915 to 1930.
v.In 1984, the first study for conserving heritage structures was carried out in the city. A heritage cell was also set up by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).
vi.Ahmedabad was selected out of 250 cities in the race for the coveted status.
vii.On July 8, India secured the nomination for Ahmedabad on UNESCO’s World Heritage list during the 41st Session of World Heritage Committee.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
World’s biggest and powerful X-ray laser gun unveiled in Germany
The world’s largest and powerful X-ray laser- European X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) presented in Hamburg, Germany.
Key Points:
i.The XEFL is series of 3.4-kilometer tunnels up to 38 meters underground near the city of Hamburg.
ii.It took 8 years to build 1.5-billion-euro ($1.7 billion) facility.
iii.The wavelength of the X-rays is about 0.05 nanometers, comparable to the radius of a hydrogen atom.
iv.It has the capacity to generate extremely intense laser flashes, at a rate of 27,000 per second generated by Self-Amplified Spontaneous Emission (SASE).
v.XFEL is the world’s third major X-ray laser facility projects in Japan.
vi.At XFEL, scientists will be able to collect data at a far quicker rate and miss less of the action between shots.
About Germany
Capital: Berlin
President: Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Chancellor: Angela Merkel
World’s tallest sandcastle built in Germany
On September 1 ,2017, An international team of sand artists has built the world’s tallest sandcastle in Duisburg, in the Ruhr region, Germanyafter the city’s attempt failed last year.
It was 54.5ft (16.68 meters) high and its theme is tourism.It is the new Guinness World Record for tallest sandcastle. It was carved by Lucas Brueggemann. The previous record holder was built 14.8m tall in Puri, on India’s east coast by the Sudarsan Sand Institute.
About Germany
Capital – Berlin
Official language – German
Currency – Euro (€) (EUR)
Tourism in Germany
Germany is the seventh most visited country in the world. Berlin has become the third most visited city destination in Europe.
i.Germany’s most-visited landmarks are Neuschwanstein Castle, Cologne Cathedral, Berlin Bundestag, Hofbräuhaus Munich, Heidelberg Castle, Dresden Zwinger, Fernsehturm Berlin and Aachen Cathedral. The Europa-Park near Freiburg is Europe’s second most popular theme park resort.
ii.Lake Obersee in Bavaria, Baltic Sea coast (Scharbeutz) also included in tourists place of Germany.
Australia, East Timor agree on maritime boundary
Australia and East Timor have agreed on key elements of a maritime boundary and revenue sharing from anatural gas field beneath the seabed between the two countries announced on 2nd Sep 2017.
Key Points:
i.Australia and Timor-Leste have resolved their bitter and long-running dispute over maritime boundaries in the Timor Sea. It is being described as a “landmark day” in the relationship between the two nations.
ii.The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague has announced the parties reached an agreement over the disputed territory, which contains large oil and gas deposits worth an estimated $40 billion.
iii.An agreement, which supports the national interest of both our nations, further strengthens the long-standing and deep ties between our Governments and people of Australia and East Timor.
iv.The deal will be finalised in October. Until then, the details will remain confidential.
About East Timor
Capital: Dili
President: Francisco Guterres
PM: Rui Maria de Araujo
Currency: US Dollar
BANKING & FINANCE
Fincare Small Finance Bank starts banking operations with 25 branches
On September 1,2017,Fincare Small Finance Bank (previously known as Disha MicrofinLimited) started its banking operations with about 25 operational branches across Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.The bank was given final small finance bank (SFB) licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in May this year.
i.Fincare CEO Rajeev Yadav informed that the bank started its operations with 25 branches, out of which nearly 50 per cent are located in Gujarat. Currently, Fincare has Gross NPA of about 7-8 per cent, while the Net NPA is around 5-6 per cent.
ii.In order to get a small finance banklicense, Disha Microfin had acquired the business of Future Financial Services in October 2016. Currently, as per the RBI norms, promoters and management hold 20 per cent in Fincare, while the remaining 80 per cent is with
iii.Private Equity funds.The bank aims to be digitally driven, rural and semi-urban bank, focusing on the priority sectors and retail segments of micro and small enterprises.
iv.Fincare has laid ambitious plan to have 10 million customers with a deposit base of Rs. 14,000 crore and assets of Rs. 20,000 crores by 2022.
BUSINESS
Swedish defence giant Saab, Adani join hands for defence manufacturing
Swedish defence giant Saab and Indian conglomerate Adani group has announced a collaboration in defence manufacturing announced on 1st sept 2017.
Key Points:
i.The project would encompass design, development and production of Gripen jets for India in line with the Make in India initiative.
ii.The collaboration would include projects, programmes and sharing of technologies of national importance with India.
iii.The collaboration will combine the technical and product excellence of Saab, along with the industrial engineering, system integration and mega project execution capabilities of Adani with the intention to manufacture defence systems locally in India.
iv.It requires a billion of dollars of investment and mainly viewing a contract for single- engine fighter jets for the Indian Air Force.
v.Under the country’s recently unveiled “strategic partnership” model the partnership is aimed at producing single engine fighter jets and other defence products for India
vi.The government is set to acquire a fleet of single-engine fighters for the IAF and US defence firm Lockheed Martin will be a major competitor for Saab for the deal.
Appointments and Resigns
Rajiv Kumar assumes charge as DFS Secretary
Rajiv Kumar has appointed as the new Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance on 1st sept. 2017.
Key Points:
i.Kumar was posted as Joint Secretary and then Additional Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance from March 19th, 2012 to March 12th, 2015.
ii.Later he took over as Establishment Officer and Additional or Special Secretary, Ministry of Personnel Public Grievances and Pension, D/o Personnel and Training from March 12, 2015 till August 30, 2017.
iii.He also worked in the Central Government in various capacities.
iv.In his previous post he was Special Secretary and Establishment Officer, Ministry of Personnel Public Grievances and Pension, D/o Personnel and Training in his immediate preceding posting.
v.He has an administrative experience in more than 30 years of service.
vi.Kumar has held various important assignments including the Administrative postings in his home State of Jharkhand.
IGCAR nuclear scientist U. Kamachi Mudali appointed Heavy Water Board chief
Nuclear scientist U Kamachi Mudali was appointed the chief executive of the Heavy Water Boardannounced on 31st of Aug 2017. It is one of the industrial units under the Department of Atomic Energy.
Key Points:
i.The appointment was announced by the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR).
ii.Mudali assumed the charge of the board on 1st Sep 2017.
iii.Before, being appointed to the post he served as the Group Director of the IGCAR at kalppakkam.
iv.He has done M.Tech from the IIT Bombay. He has studied for applied science degrees at Coimbatore Institute of Technology and PSG college of technology.
v.He was specialised in advanced materials, corrosion, coating technology, and reprocessing research and development at IGCAR.
Anita Karwal replaces RK Chaturvedi as CBSE chairperson
IAS officer Anita Karwal was appointed as the new Chairperson of Central Board of Secondary Education, CBSE announced on 1st of sept. 2017.
Key Points:
i.She is currently serving as additional secretary in HRD Ministry.
ii.She was the Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer during the Lok Sabha election in 2014.
iii.She has replaced Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi, who has been appointed as Director General of the National Skill Development Agency.
iv.Chaturvedi was appointed as Chairman of CBSE in July 2016.
v.He was a 1987 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh and was appointed for a period of five years.
vi.His one-year session was marked by a series of controversies like Errors in the evaluation of Class XII board exam papers and the practice of inflating marks.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
India is the most corrupt country in Asia
On September 2 ,2017, Forbes an American bi-weekly business magazine published a report statingthat India remains the most corrupt country in the Asia Pacific region. The report was based on a study by Transparency International.
i.Transparency International, a Berlin based NGO working against corruption, spoke to nearly 22,000 people across 16 countries in the Asia-Pacific to understand the levels of corruption in the region. While India remains the most corrupt country in this region, with 69 per cent bribery rates, Japan came out as the least corrupt nation, with a 0.2 per cent bribery rate, the report said.
Highlights : –
India: 69% bribery rate
In five of the six public services—schools, hospitals, ID documents, police, and utility services—more than half the respondents have had to pay a bribe.The report also showed how poor sections of the society are more affected by the menace of corruption.The study showed that people in India are speaking up against corruption now, as according to the report, 63 per cent Indians felt most empowered to fight against corruption.
……..Click here to view more details
Reliance Foundation awarded Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar
The Reliance Foundation was awarded with the prestigious Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Award at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Key Points:
i.Chairperson of the foundation, Nita Ambani collected the award from President Ram Nath Kovind in New Delhi.
ii.She is also the first Indian woman to become a member of the International Olympic Committee.
iii.She is the owner of the Indian Premier League franchise Mumbai Indians.
iv.The award has been given for the immense contribution to the promotion of sports.
v.Reliance Foundation helps in spreading sportsmanship among the youth of the country.
vi.It celebrates 29th August as Sports Day annually in rural areas across 12 states in India to commemorate the birth anniversary of hockey legend, Dhayan Chand.
vii.The Sports Day is designed to promote community connection through active participation in various games and activities organised during the event.
viii.The foundation, which is affiliated to Reliance Industries Ltd, focuses on using sports as a medium to encourage learning among the youth in rural areas.
ix.This initiative is a medium to enhance community partnership and promote traditional rural sports.
Hyderabad airport bags energy efficiency award
Hyderabad International Airport Ltd has bagged the National Award for ‘Excellence’ in Energy Management at a conference hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
Key Points:
i.The event focused on recognizing companies that are engaged in energy efficiency initiatives and displaying commitment towards energy conservation.
ii.It also deployed eco-friendly vehicles such as electricity powered buggys, ground handler vehicles, trolley movers, and have even commissioned e-cars.
iii.During the event, airport developer GMR made a presentation highlighting the energy savings of around 14.8 million units (MU) over the last three years.
iv.Under this it also showed a drastic decline in Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions after adopting various energy saving measures at the airport.
About Hyderabad Tourism
Mecca Masjid – A symbolic mosque, Mecca Masjid was built 400 years ago during the reign of Sultan Muhammad Qutub Shah, the 6th Qutub Shahi Sultan of Hyderabad.
Charminar – a major landmark of Hyderabad with four graceful minarets located in the old city. It was built by Muhammed Quli Qutb Shah as a memorial for plague victims.
Golconda Fort – Golconda Fort is one of the most magnificent fortress complexes in India. Seated on a hill on one side and spiraling fort on the other, its location and internal design made it one of the strongest forts in India.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Applying for LDR and Accident claim documents made online in Tamilnadu
Tamil Nadu Police has launched of new online services. Under the online services petitioners seeking documents to file accident claims can now download all necessary documents via the Internet on payment of a minimum charge.
Key Points:
i.The online services has launched in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu.
ii.The petitioners could download 15 documents needed for filing the Motor Accident Claim Petition in court for compensation.
iii.Payment could be made through net banking. To ensure safety, the petitioner would get a one-time password (OTP) to their registered mobile phone for downloading the documents.
iv.Copy of the documents would also be sent to their e-mail address.
v.The online service saved considerable time and money for the petitioner and also eliminated inordinate delay in getting documents.
vi.They could download each document on payment of Rs. 10 from the State police portal http://eservices.tnpolice.go.in
vii.The petitioner could also download Lost Documents Report (LDR) online.
viii.The petitioner could lodge a complaint about missing original documents such as passport, vehicle registration certificate, driving licence and identity card online.
ix.A receipt would be issued after the complaint had been lodged. Then the LDR could be downloaded.
x.A copy of the LDR would be sent to the applicant’s registered email.
IMPORTANT DAYS
World Coconut Day – 2nd September 2017
World Coconut Day is all about coconut. Coconut day is celebrated on 2nd of Sep. It is celebrated by theCoconut Development Board.
Key Points:
i.World Coconut Day has been observed to make people understand that this crop is a vital source in reduction of poverty.
ii.The main function will be held at Vijayawada, with the theme ‘Coconut for Family Nutrition, Health and Wellness.’
iii.The Coconut Day has been declared by the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community (APCC) headquartered at Jakarta, Indonesia. Theme for this year, ‘coconut, the diet of the whole family, the basis of health and happiness prosperity.’
iv.The APCC is an inter-governmental organisation of 18- member countries mandated to promote, coordinate, and harmonise coconut developmental activities of the Asian Pacific region.
v.All major coconut-growing countries, including India, are members of the APCC.
vi.Coconut is described as ‘Tree of life’ or ‘Heavenly tree’ or ‘Tree of abundance’, because of its unique property by providing food, nutrition, drink, health, aesthetic sense, building material and other useful household material.
National Nutrition Week: 1 to 7th September
National Nutrition Week has been observed throughout the country from 1st to 7th September. National Nutrition week is used to make the people get every knowledge about the nutrition and its importance for human body.
Key Points:
i.The theme of the National Nutrition Week for 2017 is “Optimal Infant & Young Child Feeding Practices: Better Child Health”.
ii.Large numbers of State, district and village level activities are being organized during this week.
iii.The basic objective of this annual event is to boost awareness generation on the importance of nutrition for health which has an impact on development, productivity, economic growth and ultimately National development.
iv.The Food and Nutrition Board of Ministry of Women & Child Development, through its 43 Community Food and Nutrition Extension Units (CFNEUs) located in 30 States/UTs, will coordinate with concerned Department of the State/UT Governments during the week on the specified theme.
v.One-day workshops will be held to sensitize and for capacity building of State and Districts Level officers on importance of nutrition for better health.
vi.Awareness generation on weight management and its importance through Body Mass Index will be held for adolescent boys and girls.
vii.There will be large number of activities like quiz competition on nutrition and competition on preparation of nutritious recipes.
viii.Awareness programmes will be held at village level through puppet shows, skits, dance & drama, films, slide shows, AV Spots, nutrition rallies.
