We are here for you to provide the important current affairs January 18 2018 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
Maharashtra cabinet approves 1% quota for orphans in govt jobs
On January 17, 2018, Maharashtra State Cabinet approved one per cent reservation for orphans in government jobs under general category.
Reservation for orphans – Maharashtra:
i. Maharashtra State Women and Child Welfare Minister Pankaja Munde stated that this decision will help to rehabilitate orphan children and secure their future.
ii. She said that as caste of orphans is not known, they cannot be included in a specific category and thus 1% reservation has been provided in General Category.
iii. As soon as the orphans step out of the orphanage, they have to face a number of difficulties. Through reservation, some of them will be able to get a government job and get other facilities related to the job.
Quick Facts about Maharashtra:Â
♦ Capital – Mumbai (summer), Nagpur (winter)
♦ Current Governor – C. Vidyasagar Rao
♦ Current Chief Minister – Devendra Fadnavis
♦ Important National Park – Sanjay Gandhi National Park
Centre plans setting up of Cyber Warrior Police Force (CWPF) to tackle internet-related crimes
The government has planned to form a Cyber Warrior Police Force (CWPF) to combat cyber-crimes like cyber threats, child pornography, online stalking etc.
Cyber Warrior Police Force (CWPF):
i. The CWPF would function under the National Information Security Policy and Guidelines wing of the Cyber and Information Security (CIS) division of the Union home ministry.
ii. The CWPF will be developed on the lines of Central Armed Police Force. The jurisdiction of CWPF has not yet been decided.
iii. The Union home ministry had already instructed all the states and Union territories to form state and district cyber-crime coordination cells. The state cyber security cells will act as foundation for the centralised CWPF.
About Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI):
Headquarters – New Delhi
Director – Alok Verma
Motto – Industry, Impartiality, Integrity
14th Meeting of Special Committee for Inter-Linking of Rivers held in New Delhi
14th meeting of the Special Committee for Inter-linking of Rivers was held on January 17, 2018 in New Delhi.
Highlights of 14th meeting of the Special Committee for Inter-linking of Rivers (ILR):
i. The meeting was attended by Nitin Gadkari – Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Arjun Ram Meghwal – Union Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Dharam Pal Singh – Irrigation Minister of UP, T Harish Rao – Irrigation Minister of Telangana and senior officials from the centre and state governments.
ii. Main topics that were taken up during the meeting included the status of clearance of Ken-Betwa Link Project, Damanganga-Pinjal and Par-Tapi-Narmada Link Projects.
iii. Other topics on which discussions were held included Surplus Water in River Basin for Interlinking of Rivers, Restructuring of National Water Development Agency and Status of Intra-State link proposals.
Facts about Special Committee on ILR:
Formed in – September 2014
First Meeting held in – October 2014
India International Garment Fair (IIGF) held in New Delhi
On January 17, 2018, Minister of State for Textiles, Ajay Tamta inaugurated 60th edition of India International Garment Fair (IIGF) at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
Highlights of 60th edition of India International Garment Fair (IIGF):
i. The International Garment Fair, which started in 1988 is a B2BÂ (business-to-business) fair for conducting quality business. Business worth US $200 million was conducted in the previous edition of this fair.
ii. It is being organized by Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), in association with International Garment Fair Association and four major Garment Exporters’ Associations, viz. Garment Exporters Association (GEA), Apparel Exporters & Manufacturers Association (AEMA),Garment Exporters of Rajasthan (GEAR) and The Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI).
iii. 294 garment exporters from 11 states including Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, are participating in this 3-day event.
iv. International buyers from 95 countries including Spain, Brazil, Japan, UK, Uruguay, Hong Kong and US will also participate in this fair.
Jammu & Kashmir assembly passes grants of horticulture department
On 17th January 2018, Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly passed grants of horticulture department for 2018-19, for Rs 528.33 crore.
Jammu & Kashmir – grants of horticulture department:
i. The grants of horticulture was passed thorough voice vote. 21 members were involved in the discussion.
ii. Jammu and Kashmir Horticulture Minister Syed Basharat Ahmad Bukhari said the horticulture sector is a key source of employment opportunities in Jammu & Kashmir.
iii. He said that, horticulture sector contributes 8 % to the GDP of Jammu & Kashmir. Jammu & Kashmir contributes to 70 % of total apple production, 92 % of walnut production, 91 % of almond production in India.
Some of the union ministers of India:
Minister of Home Affairs – Rajnath Singh
Minister of External Affairs – Sushma Swaraj
Minister of Information and Broadcasting – Smriti Irani
Minister of Railways – Piyush Goyal
AP government, NITI Aayog sign MoU to develop an online dashboard
On 18th January 2018, Andhra Pradesh Government signed a MoU with NITI Aayog to create an online dashboard for the 115 most backward districts of India, in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh.
Online dashboard for the 115 most backward districts of India:
i. NITI Aayog Vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu were present when the MoU was signed.
ii. The backward districts were selected based on education, health, nutrition, rural road connectivity, rural household electrification, access to potable water, individual toilets, etc.
iii. Jharkhand has the highest number of the listed backward districts. It is followed by Bihar and Chhattisgarh.
About NITI Aayog:
Chairman – Narendra Modi
CEO – Amitabh Kant
Director – Dinesh Arora
Madhya Pradesh becomes first state to achieve complete door-to-door garbage
Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in India to completely implement door-to-door garbage collection in all areas under urban bodies.
Madhya Pradesh – complete door-to-door garbage:
i. Maya Singh, Urban Development and Housing Minister, said that measures like solid waste management at landfill sites and processing through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode are implemented in urban areas.
ii. She instructed the respective officials to submit weekly reports on the progress of work done in solid waste management centres. She said that, garbage collection should be carried out on holidays also.
Some wildlife sanctuaries of Madhya Pradesh:
Bori Wildlife Sanctuary – Hoshangabad district
Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary – Mandsaur and Nimach districts
Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary – Gwalior district
Karera Wildlife Sanctuary – Shivpuri district
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
International Solar Alliance Forum at WFES held in Abu Dhabi
International Solar Alliance (ISA) hosted a two-day event, ‘International Solar Alliance Forum’ during 17–18th January, 2018 at the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) 2018 in Abu Dhabi, UAE
i. Indian Government’s plans to set up $ 350 million solar development fund for financing solar projects.
ii. YES Bank announced that it will mobilise USD 1 billion till 2023 and USD 5 billion till 2030 towards financing solar energy projects in India..………………………….Click here to Read more
BANKING & FINANCE
India Ratings projects economic growth at 7.1% for 2018–19
India Ratings and Research has projected that India’s economic growth will improve to 7.1 per cent in 2018-19 as compared to 6.5 per cent in 2017-18.
Indian Economy Growth projection by India Ratings and Research:
i. As per India Ratings and Research, improvement in economic growth in 2018-19 will come on back of robust consumption demand and low commodity prices.
ii. The agency believes that during 2018-19, there will be a gradual pick up in growth momentum owing to proceedings under Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) and structural reforms like Goods and Services Tax (GST).
iii. In 2018-19, retail and wholesale inflation is expected at 4.6 per cent and 4.4 per cent, respectively while fiscal deficit in will be at 3.2 per cent.
iv. India Ratings & Research (Ind-Ra) is a 100 per cent owned subsidiary of Fitch Group.
HDFC Bank m-cap crosses Rs 5 lakh cr mark
On January 18, 2018, HDFC Bank’s market capitalisation crossed Rs 5 lakh crore mark.
Market Valuation of HDFC Bank:
i. Market value of a company’s outstanding shares is referred to as market capitalisation (m-cap). It is calculated by multiplying the current market value of company’s share with total outstanding shares.
ii. HDFC Bank has become the third company to cross Rs. 5 lakh crore m-cap after Reliance Industries Ltd. and Tata Consultancy Services.
iii. During January 18, 2018 afternoon trade, HDFC Bank’s m-cap stood at Rs 502859.55 crore. It is also the first bank to achieve this milestone.
Quick Facts about HDFC Bank:
♦ Founded in – 1994
♦ Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
♦ Current MD – Aditya Puri
♦ Tagline – ‘We Undertand Your World’
AWARD & RECOGNITIONS
President of India presents Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards for 2016
On January 17, 2018, President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, presented the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Fellowships (Akademi Ratna) and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) for the year 2016 at a function held in New Delhi
i. Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Fellowships and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards are highest Indian recognition given to performing artists as well as teachers and scholars of performing arts.
ii. Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar was first awarded in 1952.………………………Click here to Read more
Kashmiri publishing house enters Limca Book of Records
Gulshan Books, a Kashmiri publishing house, has secured a place in the Limca Book of Records 2018 for a huge collection of 80,000 books.
Gulshan Books – Limca Book of Records:
i. Gulshan Books is present at the Nehru Park in Jammu and Kashmir. It is the only bookshop-library on a lake.
ii. It has a huge variety of books. Owner of the publishing house, Sheikh Ajaz, said that they have a large collection of books by local authors and books based on Kashmir that came out in the past 80-90 years.
About Limca Book of Records:
♦ Publisher – Coca-Cola India
♦ Language – English, Hindi, Malayalam
♦ Editor – Vijaya Ghose
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
India test-fires Agni-V nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile
On January 18, 2018, India successfully test-fired Agni-V, a surface to surface nuclear-capable ballistic missile from Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast.
Agni-V Missile Testing:
i. Agni-V is an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) having a strike range of 5000-km.
ii. It incorporates latest technologies in terms of navigation , warhead and engine
iii. Agni-V is 17-metre tall and two-metre wide. It is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead of about 1.5 tonnes.
iv. This was the first user associate test of Agni-V. Its last developmental trial test was conducted on December 26, 2016.
Chkfake launches app to check fake currency notes worldwide
On 17th January 2018, Chkfake Brand Protection Solutions launched ‘Chkfake’ – a global app to check authenticity of currency notes of all major currencies worldwide.
Chkfake:
i. Chkfake is an online platform that can be used to check authenticity of currency notes. The Chkfake app is now available for iOS and Android systems.
ii. It can be downloaded free of cost. It can be accessed at any time from any location.
iii .Using this app, both new notes and old designs of Indian Rupees can be verified for authenticity.
iv .It can also be used to train stakeholders, customers, enforcement authorities, employees and people dealing with cash to check authenticity of currency notes.
About Chkfake:
♦ Founders – Tanmay Jaswal, Julius Amrit
♦ Co-founders – Sanjay DeshPande, Mohit Mohan
SPORTS
Virat Kohli named ICC cricketer, ODI cricketer of the year, winner of Garfield Sobers Trophy
Virat Kohli has won the Sir Garfield Sobers Cricketer of the year, ICC Cricketer of the Year 2017 and ICC ODI cricketer of the year 2017 awards for his accomplishments in 2017.
Virat Kohli – ICC cricketer, ODI cricketer of the year, Garfield Sobers Trophy:
i.This is the second time Virat Kohli has won the best cricketer of the year award. He had won the best ODI cricketer by ICC (International Cricket Council) five years back.
ii.The qualification period was from 21 September 2016 to the end of 2017. During this period, Virat Kohli scored 2,203 Test runs and 1,818 ODI runs and 299 T20I runs.
iii.Also, Indian leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal won the ICC T20I performance of the year award.
About International Cricket Council (ICC):
♦ Headquarters – Dubai, United Arab Emirates
♦ Chairman – Shashank Manohar
♦ President – Zaheer Abbas
♦ CEO – David Richardson
OBITUARY
Devdas actress Ava Mukherjee passes away at 88
On 15th January 2018, actress Ava Mukherjee passed away in Mumbai.
Death of Ava Mukherjee:
i.Ava Mukherjee was 88 years old. Cause of her death is not known.
ii.She began her career with the Bengali film ‘Ram Dhakka’ in 1966. She also worked as a copywriter, translator and writer.
iii.Her important films are Devdas, Detective Naani, Darna Zaroori Hain, and The Firm Land. She had also worked in TV commercials.
Some stadiums in Mumbai:
♦ Brabourne Stadium
♦ Wankhede Stadium
♦ Kalina Stadium
Renowned Khasi author Leslie Harding Pde passes away
On 16th January 2018, Leslie Harding Pde, renowned Khasi author, died following a short period of illness, at a hospital in Shillong, Meghalaya.
Death of Leslie Harding Pde:
i.Leslie Harding Pde was 79 years old. He was a playwright, writer, translator and humourist.
ii.He had written over 20 books. He also translated the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharat and the Upanishads into Khasi language. He was the founder member of Seng Biria U Khasi Humourists’ Society.
Some national parks of Meghalaya:
♦ Nokrek National Park
♦ Balphakram National Park
Veteran Akali leader Manjit Singh Calcutta passes away
On 17th January 2018, Manjit Singh Calcutta, Akali leader and former chief secretary of the SGPC (Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee) passed away in Amritsar, Punjab.
Death of Manjit Singh Calcutta:
i.Manjit Singh Calcutta was 79 years old. He had been ill for a short while. He is survived by his wife, son and two daughters.
ii.He entered politics in 1955. He graduated in law from the University College of Law of Calcutta in 1966.
iii.In 1997, he became an MLA from Amritsar (South) assembly constituency and became the minister of higher education.
Some temples of Punjab:
♦ Devi Talab Mandir – Jalandhar
♦ Durgiana Temple – Amritsar
♦ Mukteshwar Mahadev Temple – Pathankot
Kannada actor Kashinath passes away
On 18th January 2018, Kannada film actor Kashinath died at Shankara Cancer Hospital in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Death of Kashinath:
i.Kashinath was a director and actor in the Kannada film industry. He had been suffering from cancer.
ii.He is survived by his wife and two children. He had worked in more than 40 films. He was also a music director and producer. He hailed from Kundapur in Udupi district, Karnataka.
About dams in Karnataka:
♦ Almatti Dam – Krishna River
♦ Basava Sagar Dam – Krishna River
♦ Bhadra Dam – Bhadra River
