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Indian Affairs
Government plans ‘lab on boat’ for analysing Brahmaputra river
On 20th September 2017, the Department of Biotechnology announced ‘lab on boat’ project for biological analysis of the Bramhaputra river.
Lab on boat:
i. The Department of Biotechnology has announced 3 projects for the North East India.
ii. The projects would have mobile laboratories on boat, on the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries. They would also provide access to the local research institutions.
iii. This is the first time the Ministry of Science and Technology is dedicating boats for the research of a river.
iv. Bramhaputra Biodiversity Biology Boat (B4) project:
· This project is focused on the Brahmaputra river’s biodiversity and biology.
· Currently Rs.50 crore has been allocated for the B4 project.
· The first laboratory under B4 project will cover Pasighat, Dibrugarh, Neemati, Tejpur and Guwahati regions in Assam.
· Project B4 would start by the end of 2017.
VASTRA 2017: An International Textile and Apparel Fair 2017
On 21st – 24th September 2017, VASTRA 2017 – International Textile and Apparel Fair was held at the Jaipur Exhibition & Convention Centre in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
VASTRA 2017:
i. This is the 6th edition of VASTRA.
ii. VASTRA was started in 2012.
iii. The fair was organised by Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation Ltd. (RIICO) and co-organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
iv. The fair exhibits the finest and latest textile products ranging from fibre to fashion, services and technology.
v. Main focus of the fair is to create business opportunities.
vi. This is the best opportunity for business persons to enter into joint ventures.
vii. VASTRA 2017, has retail sales apart from business forums. The first three days of the fair is dedicated for business opportunities. The last day is allocated for retail sales. So that, merchants can directly meet customers.
About Rajasthan:
i. Capital – Jaipur
ii. Chief Minister – Ms.Vasundhra Raje
iii. Governor – Mr.Kalyan Singh
Mazagon Dock Ltd delivered 1st Scorpene-class submarine INS Kalvari to Indian Navy
On 21st September 2017, Mazagon Dock Ltd delivered INS Kalvari, the first scorpene-class submarine to Indian Navy, in Mumbai.
INS Kalvari:
i. INS Kalvari, is the first of the six Scorpene-class submarines.
ii. This was handed over to Indian Navy by Mazagon Dock Ltd.
iii. This would be commissioned soon.
iv. The submarine was designed by French naval defence and energy company DCNS.
v. It was built by Mazagon Dock Limited.
vi. INS Kalvari has advanced features like advanced acoustic silencing techniques, low radiated noise levels, hydro-dynamically optimised shape and the ability to launch a crippling attack on the enemy using precision-guided weapons.
vii. Kalvari is the name of a Tiger Shark found in the Indian Ocean.
viii. The 2nd Scorpene submarine, Khanderi, was launched in January 2017. It is undergoing sea trials now.
ix. The 3rd Scorpene submarine, Karanj, would be launched by the end of 2017.
About Mazagon Dock:
i. Type – Public Sector Undertaking
ii. Industry – Ship Building
iii. Headquarters – Mumbai
Himachal Pradesh becomes first in the world to operate electric buses at an altitude of 13 thousand feet
On 21st September 2017, the Himachal Pradesh government started electric bus service for the first time, in Rohtang Pass.
Electric bus service for Rohtang Pass:
i. Himachal Pradesh Transport Minister Mr.G.S.Bali and Kullu Deputy Commissioner Mr.Yunus started the bus service on 21st September 2017.
ii. The bus service is between Manali and Rohtang.
iii. There would 10 electric buses in service.
iv. Himachal Pradesh is the first state in India to start this initiative.
v. Also, Himachal Pradesh is the first state in the world to operate electric buses at a height of 13,000 feet.
vi. This has been done in a move to cut carbon emission which causes melting of glaciers in the Himalayas.
vii. The glaciers have been melting at a fast rate of 19-20 meters per year.
viii. The state government was forced to introduce zero-emission transportation as the National Green Tribunal (NGT) restricted entry of vehicles to Rohtang Pass.
ix. The entry of vehicles was restricted to 1,000 vehicles per day, including diesel and petrol vehicles.
x. This restriction is exempted for electric and CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) vehicles.
About Himachal Pradesh:
i. Capital – Shimla
ii. Chief Minister – Mr.Virbhadra Singh
iii. Governor – Mr.Acharya Dev Vrat
Coast Guard commissions 2 high speed interceptor boats
On 20th September 2017, The Indian Coast Guard commissioned two high-speed interceptor boats fitted with 12.7 mm machine gun at the Dighi Port, in Mumbai.
High Speed Interceptor boats:
i. The high speed interceptor boats C-433 and C-434 boats were built by L&T Shipbuilding in Chennai.
ii. The length of the ships is 27.42 m.
iii. Their displacement is 136 tons.
iv. These vessels are propelled by water jet.
v. They have an endurance of 500 nautical miles at 20 knots.
vi. They can reach speed up to 45 knots.
vii. They are fitted with advanced navigational and communication equipments.
viii. They are armed with 12.7 mm machine gun.
ix. The vessels were designed for high-speed interception, close coast patrol, low intensity maritime operations, search and rescue and maritime surveillance.
x. These boats will improve security in the Maharashtra coast line.
xi. This will prevent illegal activities like smuggling and illegal fishing.
About Indian Coast Guard:
i. Motto – We Protect
ii. Headquarters – New Delhi
iii. Director General – Rajendra Singh
Government unveils PPP for cheap housing
On 21st September 2017, the Central Government announced a new Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Policy to improve affordable housing.
Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Policy:
i. Under the existing ‘Housing For All’ policy, buyers purchasing a low-end house from a private developer will be eligible for financial help.
ii. The ‘Housing For All’ policy has been moving in a very slow rate.
iii. The central government has announced a new Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Policy which will cater to all segments.
iv. There are 8 models in PPP.
v. Out of which, 6 models utilise government lands and 2 models utilise private lands.
vi. Eligible buyers can avail financial assistance of about ₹2.50 lakh per house as interest subsidy on bank loans, from the Central Government. If they do not procure loan, they can avail up to ₹1.50 lakh.
About Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs:
i. Headquarters – New Delhi
ii. Minister – Mr.Hardeep Singh Puri
NITI Aayog and IRF Geneva signs Statement of Intent in the field of Intelligent Transportation Systems
On 21st September 2017, The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) and the International Road Federation, Geneva (IRF Geneva) signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to cooperate in the field of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).
SoI for Intelligent Transport Systems:
i. The SoI was signed in order to create a national platform for preparing a National ITS Policy.
ii. The platform would comprise of Government of India stakeholders, Indian and foreign companies active in intelligent transport sector, and technical experts.
iii. The National ITS Policy covers:
· Traffic Management
· Parking Management
· Electronic Enforcement of Traffic Rules and Regulations
· Fleet Management and Monitoring
· Innovation in the field of ITS
· Education in the field of ITS
iv. This Policy would enable reduction of urban traffic congestion, improvement of parking in cities, road safety, security of passengers and goods traffic.
About Niti Aayog:
i. Headquarters – New Delhi
ii. Chairman – Mr.Narendra Modi
iii. Vice Chairman – Mr.Rajiv Kumar
iv. CEO – Mr.Amitabh Kant
First e-court of Jammu & Kashmir inaugurated in Srinagar
On 21st September 2017, Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Justice Badar Durrez inaugurated the first e-court of Jammu and Kashmir, in Srinagar.
First e-court of Jammu Kashmir:
i. The first paperless e-court of Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar will function from next week.
ii. It will use digitised case records.
iii. Through this, paper usage and space requirements would be reduced to a great extent.
iv. It will help advocates to know the status of cases easily.
v. The project took 4 months to complete.
vi. The e-court would provide an electronic case list (e-case list) to the judge to make digital notes on a computer that contains electronic case records.
vii. The case records and notes would be synchronised in the database.
viii. About 3.25 crore pages of existing records are in the process of digitization.
About Jammu & Kashmir:
i. Capital – Srinagar (summer), Jammu (winter)
ii. Chief Minister – Ms.Mehbooba Mufti
iii. Governor – Mr.Narinder Nath Vohra
Transgenders can avail government schemes in Andhra Pradesh; Andhra Pradesh to be declared ODF by March 2018
On 21st September 2017, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Mr.Chandrababu Naidu announced that the transgender community can avail government schemes. Also, Andhra Pradesh is to be declared ODF by March 2018.
Government support for Trans-genders:
i. Mr. Chandrababu Naidu announced that, the trans-genders would be provided with housing, ration cards and a pension of 1000 rupees.
ii. The Chief Minister also said that employment opportunities must be created to make them a self-sustainable community.
Andhra Pradesh – ODF by 2018:
i. Mr.Chandrababu Naidu announced that Andhra Pradesh is to be declared ODF (Open Defecation Free) by March 2018.
ii. This announcement was made in a Collectors’ Conference in Vijaywada, as a part of the Swachhata Hi Seva Campaign on 21st September 2017.
About Andhra Pradesh:
i. Capital – Hyderabad (current), Amaravati (in 10 years)
ii. Chief Minister – Mr.N.Chandrababu Naidu
iii. Governor – Mr.E.S.L.Narasimhan
Govt launches campaign to sensitise women about cancer on the theme “Nurturing the Nurturer”
Union minister Anupriya Patel has launched a nationwide health campaign to sensitise women about the early screening and the preventive care for cancer. It has been launched on 21st of Sept. 2017.
Key Points:
i.The theme of the campaign is ‘Nurturing the Nurturer’ and the campaign was launched by FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) in partnership with the Apollo Hospitals group.
ii.The breast and cervical cancers among women were a “matter of concern”. Both these type of cancer account for nearly 32% of all cancers.
iii.The early detection and proper medication can play a key role in treatment.
iv.NGOs and Private players should play their role in creating awareness about preventive care.
v.The government is planning to set up 27 cancer centres in near future.
vi.The centres will be in addition to already functioning and upgraded in various medical colleges and districts since the government floated the scheme.
About Anupriya Patel
Anupriya Patel constituency is in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh is an Indian politician, based in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
She is currently the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
Bollywood movie ‘Newton’ becomes India’s official entry for Oscars 2018
Bollywood film ‘Newton’ becomes India’s official entry in the Foreign Language Film category at the 2018 Oscars.
Key Points:
i.Newton’ has been selected as India’s official entry to the Oscars. It was unanimously chosen from 26 entries this year.
ii.Rajkummar Rao, who played the lead role in ‘Newton’. It also stars Pankaj Tripathi, Raghubir Yadav and Anjali Patil.
iii.The film is a political satire revolving around an honest election officer’s attempt to conduct a free and fair poll in a conflict-hit area of Chhattisgarh.
iv.”Newton” is Masurkar’s second directorial venture after the 2014 indie “Sulemani Keeda”.
v.Newton ‘director’ is Amit Masurkar.
India to host World Congress on Adolescent Health on October
India will host the World Congress on Adolescent Health on October. It is the biggest global event in adolescent health this year announced on 21st Sept. 2017.
Key Points:
i.It will be held from October 27-29 and held once in every four years.
ii.The 11th World Congress on Adolescent Health, theme is Investing in Adolescent Health the Future is Now.
iii.The event is being organised with the support of the Ministry of Health and MAMTA Health Institute for Mother and Child is hosting the World Congress with an association of partners.
iv.The areas of global adolescent health which include leading causes of death among adolescents, together with road traffic injuries and self-harm, interpersonal violence, communicable diseases and teenage pregnancy.
v.The World Congress is anticipating around 800 international and national delegates including adolescent health experts from across the globe, representatives from ministry of health, national and global representatives of UN organizations and national and international NGO among others.
International Affairs
Exercise Panda-Kangaroo 2017: Chinese, Australian conducted 1st joint drills in China
As per the defence ministry the small training maneuvers “Exercise Panda-Kangaroo 2017” were the first joint drills between China and Australia held in China.
Key Points:
i.Chinese and Australian soldiers have ended a series of military exercises in the mountainous terrain of southwestern China.
ii.According to the official Xinhua news agency ten soldiers from each country’s army participated in the exercise, which lasted 10 days.
iii.The training in Yunnan province included mountainous marches, moving through natural obstacles and field survival.
About Australia
Capital: Canberra
PM: Malcolm Turnbull
Currency: Australian Dollar
Turkey hosts NATO naval exercise” Dynamic Monarch”
Turkey was holding naval exercises with NATO members at a time of crisis in relations with several alliance states and controversy over Ankara’s plan to purchase weapons from Russia.
Key Points:
i.The NATO exercises, focused on submarine rescue operations and called “Dynamic Monarch”.
ii.It will take place in Turkish waters in the Mediterranean Sea off the resort city of Marmaris.
iii.The naval exercises involved 1,000 personnel and nine countries including France, Britain and the United States.
iv.As per the NATO Turkey is essential for the security of Europe and It has NATO’s second largest army and makes an important contribution to the alliance.
v.It aimed at demonstrating multinational submarine rescue cooperation and interoperability.
About Turkey
Capital: Ankara
President: Recep Tayyip Erdogan
PM: Binali Yildirim
Currency: Turkish Lira
Banking & Finance
Indian economy to grow 6.7% in 2017-18 – OECD
On 21st September 2017, OECD, a Paris based think tank, announced that Indian economy is expected to grow at a lower than expected rate of 6.7 % in 2017-2018.
Lower growth rate in 2017-2018:
i. OECD has said that Indian economy is expected to grow at a lower than expected rate of 6.7% in this fiscal year 2017-2018.
ii. The reasons are mapped to demonetisation and the goods and services tax (GST) implementation.
iii. Also, it has mentioned reduction in business investments as a reason.
iv. However, OECD said that GST is expected to increase investments, productivity and growth in the long run.
v. OECD also said that there could be further cuts in interest rates in India if inflation remains around or lower than 4%.
vi. OECD has estimated growth rate for India in 2018-2019 as 7.2%.
About OECD:
i. Full form – Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
ii. Headquarters – Paris, France
iii. Secretary General – Jose Angel Gurria
SEBI allows unified license for stock and commodity broking
On 21st September 2017, SEBI announced the grant of a unified license for brokers and clearing members to operate in both commodity derivative and equity markets.
Unified license:
i. Now, SEBI allows brokers of stock and commodity exchanges to do both the businesses under a single entity.
ii. A one-time certificate of registration as stock broker/clearing member would be provided by SEBI.
iii. This was an important demand raised by brokers, after commodity derivatives regulations were brought under SEBI, from the Forward Markets Commission.
iv. In July 2017, an amendment was made in the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Rules and SEBI (Amendment) Regulations in this regard.
v. Now, business in commodity, currency and equity derivatives have all come under a single unit.
About SEBI:
i. Full form – Securities and Exchange Board of India
ii. Headquarters – Mumbai
iii. Chairman – Mr. Ajay Tyagi
NABARD sanctions Rs.119 crore loan for Haryana
On 22nd September 2017, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) sanctioned a loan of Rs.119 crore for Haryana.
NABARD sanctions loan for Haryana:
i. NABARD has sanctioned a loan of Rs.119 crore to construct seven bridges and improvement of one rural road project in five districts of Haryana.
ii. Construction of seven bridges and one road would be done in Ambala, Panchkula, Sonepat, Yamunanagar and Panipat districts of Haryana.
iii. This has been allocated a RIDF (Rural Infrastructure Development Fund) loan of Rs.28.25 crore.
iv. Loan was also allocated for construction of 167 government veterinary hospitals and dispensaries in all districts and one drinking water supply project in Rewari district.
v. Drinking water supply project in Rewari district involves RIDF loan of Rs.37.71 crore.
vi. Through this 14 villages of Rewari district will get safe drinking water.
vii. Construction of 167 government veterinary hospitals has been allocated RIDF loan of Rs.53.29 crore.
About NABARD:
i. Full form – National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
ii. Headquarters – Mumbai
iii. Chairman – Dr.Harsh Kumar Bhanwala
Business
World trade likely to grow at 3.6% in 2017: WTO
On 21st September 2017, the revised estimates of World Trade Organisation (WTO) stated that the world trade in goods is estimated to grow at a rate of 3.6 % in 2017.
Growth of world trade:
i. Growth in world trade for 2017 was earlier predicted as 2.4 % by WTO.
ii. Now it has been revised to 3.6 %.
iii. The reasons for the improved growth rate are stated as Asian trade flows and recovery of import demand in North America.
iv. WTO added that, the predicted increase in growth rate might be affected by unforeseen risk factors like natural disasters.
v. However, this increased growth rate wouldn’t sustain in 2018. The growth rate in 2018 is estimated to be around 3.2 %.
About WTO:
i. Full form – World Trade Organisation
ii. Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland
iii. Director-General – Mr.Roberto Azevedo
Appointments & Resigns
Jaideep Mazumdar declared as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Palau
Jaideep Mazumdar presently Ambassador of India to the Republic of the Philippines has appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Palau.
Key Points:
i.It was announced on 20th Sept. 2017. He is expected to take up his assignment shortly.
About Republic of Palau
Capital: Ngerulmud
President: Tommy Remengesau
Vice-President: Raynold Oilouch
Currency: US Dollar
Umesh Chand Asawa elected to IBA management committee
Umesh Chand Asawa has been elected to member of the managing committee of the Indian Banks Association (IBA), Mumbai. He is currently the Managing Director & CEO, A.P. Mahesh Co-operative Urban Bank Ltd.
Key Points:
Asawa has been working with the Mahesh Bank for more than three decades and had served in various capacities.
About Indian Banks Association
i.Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) was formed on 26 September 1946 as a representative body of management of banking in India operating in India – an association of Indian banks and financial institutions based in Mumbai.
ii.Indian Banks’ Association is managed by a managing committee, and the current managing committee consists of one chairman, 3 deputy chairmen, 1 honorary secretary and 26 members.
Balraj Joshi appointed as new NHPC chairman
Balraj Joshi is appointed the Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of NHPC Ltd. announced on 22nd of Sept. 2017.
Key Points:
i.As per the order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) he will serve till December 31, 2019.
ii.iAt present Balraj Joshi is Technical Director in the organisation.
iii.P Alli Rani has been appointed the CMD of Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) Ltd.
iv.Rani has been appointed to the post for a period of five years. She is at present Director (Finance) in Container Corporation of India Limited.
About NHPC
i.NHPC Limited (erstwhile National Hydroelectric Power Corporation) is an Indian Hydropower generation company that was incorporated in the year 1975 with an authorised capital of Rs. 2000 million.
ii.Its main objective is to plan, promote and organize an integrated and efficient development of hydroelectric power in all aspects.
HQ: Faridabad India
Science & Technology
University of Manchester in UK created World’s first ‘molecular robot’
Scientists at The University of Manchester have created the world’s first ‘molecular robot’. This robot iscapable of performing basic tasks including building other molecules.
Key Points:
i.The robots operate by carrying out chemical reactions in special solutions which can then be controlled and programmed by scientists to perform the basic tasks.
ii.In the future such robots could be used for medical purposes, advanced manufacturing processes and even building molecular factories and assembly lines.
iii.The tiny robots, which are a millionth of a millimetre in size can be programmed to move and build molecular cargo, using a tiny robotic arm.
iv.Each individual robot is capable of manipulating a single molecule and is made up of just 150 carbons, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen atoms.
v.The robot responds to a series of simple commands that are programmed with chemical inputs by a scientist.
Environment
Octlantis – Underwater ‘city’ built by Octopuses discovered
On 19th September 2017, scientists have discovered an underwater city built by octopuses and named it as ‘Octlantis’, in Australia.
Octlantis:
i. This underwater city built by octopuses was found near the Australian coast.
ii. Octlantis was found near the area where octopuses were found gathering for fights in 2009.
iii. It houses 15 octopuses.
iv. Octlantis contains dens made from seashells and sand.
v. The dens are 18×4 meters in size.
vi. They were found at a depth of 10-15 meters below the sea level.
vii. The octopuses gather and communicate in that area.
viii. The discovery was made by a research team from Alaska Pacific University.
About Australia:
i. Capital – Canberra
ii. Currency – Australian dollar
iii. National language – English
iv. Prime Minister – Mr.Malcolm Turnbull
Obituary
Liliane Bettencourt, world’s richest woman passed away at 94.
Liliane Bettencourt, the L’Oréal heiress and the world’s richest woman, had passed away at the age of 94 on 21st of Sept. 2017.
Key Points:
i.Mrs Bettencourt was ranked the richest woman in the world with a total worth of $39.5 billionby Forbes magazine in 2016, making her the world’s 14th richest person.
ii.She was born in Paris and was the only child of Louise Madelaine Berthe and Eugene Schueller, who founded L’Oreal.
iii.She joined the family business when she was just 15.
iv.L’Oréal chairman and C.E.O. is Jean-Paul Agon.
