Current Affairs Today July 24 2018

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 INDIAN AFFAIRS

Lok Sabha passes Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2017
On 23^rd July 2018, the Lok Sabha passed the Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2017, which aims to reduce delays in resolution of cheque bouncing cases.

Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2017:
i. The Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2017, aims to amend the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.
ii. Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2017 has the provision to allow a court trying an offence related to cheque bouncing, to direct the drawer to pay interim compensation to the complainant.
iii. Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla said that, 16 lakh cheque bouncing cases are waiting in the subordinate courts and 35 thousand cases in the higher judiciary.
iii. He said that, interim compensation will be paid under several circumstances, including where the drawer pleads not guilty of the accusation.
iv. He added that, the interim compensation will not exceed 20 % of the cheque amount.
v. It will have to be paid by the drawer within 60 days of the trial court’s order to pay such a compensation.
vi. If the court is satisfied, it can grant an extension of further 30 days. But it will not be extended beyond that.
vii. If the drawer of the cheque is acquitted in the case, the complainant has to repay the drawer the interim compensation with interest. The repayment has to be made within 60 days from the date of the court order.
viii. The Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2017, will come to Act after it is passed by both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Now it is waiting for clearance from Rajya Sabha.
Some important dams in India:
♦ Kallada (Parappar) (Id) Dam – Kallada River, Kerala
♦ Madupetty (Eb) Dam – Palar River, Kerala
♦ Parbati II Dam – Parbati River, Himachal Pradesh

Lok Sabha passes National Council for Teacher Education (Amendment) Bill, 2017
On 23^rd July 2018, the Lok Sabha passed the National Council for Teacher Education (Amendment) Bill 2017 to grant retrospective recognition to Central/State institutions that are conducting teacher education courses without NCTE approval.
National Council for Teacher Education (Amendment) Bill, 2017:
i. This has been done as a one-time measure so that, the future of students studying in these institutions is not affected.
ii. All institutions running teacher education courses, like B.Ed and D.El.Ed have should obtain recognition from NCTE (National Council for Teacher Education) under section 14 of the NCTE Act.
iii. The NCTE Act, 1993, came into act in 1995. It applies to all parts of India, except Jammu and Kashmir.
iv. This one-time measure introduced by the bill will apply to 20 public institutions that are running teacher education courses without the UGC approval.
v. This information was provided by Minister of Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar.
vi. He said that, to make sure that institutes providing B.Ed courses maintain quality, they have been asked to submit affidavits recording the facilities they offer.
vii. Out of the 18,600 institutes, 8,700 institutes have submitted affidavits. He said that, show-cause notices were issued to 10,000 institutes, of which 3,700 submitted affidavits.
viii. Overall around 12,000 institutes have submitted affidavits. He added that, there will be an induction programme for new recruits to enhance the quality of teachers.
Some important lakes in India:
♦ Chapanala Lake – Assam
♦ Haflong Lake – Assam
♦ Son Beel Lake – Assam

A four-member committee headed by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba to curb mob violence
On July 24, 2018, The Government set up a four-member committee headed by Home Secretary Shri Rajiv Gauba.
Objective:
To suggest measures and legal framework to effectively deal with incidents of mob violence
Key Points:
i. The other members of the committee are : secretaries of the justice, legal affairs, legislative, and social justice and empowerment departments.
ii. The committee will submit its recommendations to the Group of Ministers (GoM) committee of the government within four weeks.
Apart from this, another high level committee of Group of Ministers (GoM) has been constituted
i. It will be headed by Home Minister Singh Shri Rajnath Singh.
ii. The members of this committee are: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot.
iii. The GoM will submit its recommendations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Background:
The move came after the recent Supreme Court direction to the central government on the issue of mob violence and lynching.

‘#Childline1098’ Contest- ‘Spot the Logo and Suggest a Tagline’ launched by Ministry of Women and Child Development
On July 24, 2018, To mark World Day against Trafficking in Persons on July 30, The Ministry of Women and Child Development launched a contest named – “ #Childline1098”.

Key Points:
i. To invite people to share images of the Childline 1098 logo that they can spot and send it with a tagline.
ii. This is a part of the steps taken to address trafficking and sexual abuse of children.
Other steps taken by the MCD for this are:
i. Ministry signed an MoU with the Ministry of Railways to rescue and rehabilitate runaway, abandoned, kidnapped and trafficked children via Railways.
ii. Popularised it through the National Council Of Education Research and Training (NCERT) publications and screening of educational films.
iii. Dreafting and approval of Draft Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection & Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018, in February 2018.
About CHILDLINE:
♦ CHILDLINE is India’s first 24-hour, free, emergency phone service for children in need of aid and assistance. The number is ‘1098’.
♦ At present, it is operational at 450 locations.

3 states UP, Jharkhand and Maharashtra launched Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2018
On July 24, 2018, 3 states namely, UP, Jharkhand and Maharashtra launched the Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2018 (SSG 2018) announced by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation on July 13th, 2018.
Key Points:
i. In UP, it was launched by Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow .
ii. In Jharkhand , it was launched by Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Shri Raghubar Das.
iii. In Maharashtra, it was launched by Cabinet Minister, Water Supply and Sanitation Department, Government of Maharashtra Shri Babanrao Lonikar.
iv. In Maharashtra, one million Varkaris gathered at Pandharpur on the occasion of Aashadhi Ekadashi to participate in this launch.
v. The objective of SSG 2018 is to undertake a ranking of States and Districts on the basis of their performance on SBM-G parameters.
About Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2018 (SSG-18):
i. An independent survey agency will conduct the survey in all districts from 1st to 31st August 2018, and the results will be announced in the form of a ranking of all districts and States.
ii. The top performing States and Districts are expected to be awarded on 2nd October 2018.
iii. As a part of this survey:

• 6980 villages in 698 districts across India will be covered.
• 34,000 public places namely schools, anganwadis, public health centres, haat/bazaars/religious places in these 6980 villages will be visited .
• Feedback of 50 lakh citizens will be collected through direct on online feedback.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik set up a committee headed by Finance Minister S B Behera for Odia film industry
On July 24, 2018, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik set up ministerial committee headed by Finance Minister Sashi Bhusan Behera to draft policies for development of Odia film industry, known as Ollywood.

Key Points:
i. Other members of the committee include: Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Prafulla Samal and Industries Minister Ananta Das.
ii. Principal Secretary, Industries Department, Sanjeev Chopra will be Convener of the committee.
iii. It would suggest the steps to be taken to revive the film industry and also for renovation of the Kalinga Studio, located on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.
iv. It has been asked to submit its report within a month.
Background:
i. According to the Eastern India Motion Pictures Association (EIMPA) estimates, only seven were hits from 37-odd films released in 2013. Around 34 Odia films were released in 2017.
ii. The industry had incurred total loss to be around Rs 10 crore.
Odisha:
♦ Capital: Bhubaneswar.
♦ Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik.
♦ Governor: Ganeshi Lal.
Nicknames:

Rs 1,754.14 crore sanctioned by Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh under the National Dairy Plan (NDP) to enhance productivity of milch animals
On July 24, 2018, Union Agriculture Minister Shri Radha Mohan Singh announced that the government has sanctioned Rs 1,754.14 crore under National Dairy Plan (NDP).
Objective:
To enhance productivity of milch animals.
Key Points:
i. 530 sub-projects have been approved by 169 state and district level cooperatives, producer companies and livestock development boards of 18 states.
ii. This comprises 62 sub-projects for animal breeding, 167 sub-projects for animal nutrition and 231 sub-projects for Village Based Milk Procurement Systems (VBMPS)
Achievements under the plan as stated by the Agriculture Minister:

• 378.98 million high-quality semen doses produced.
• Inclusion of 29.94 lakh milch animals in 32,578 villages under the nutrition balancing programme.
• 2,593 bulk milk coolers and 21,711 automated milk collection unit has been installed.
• Enrollment of 13.24 lakh additional farmersof 39,956 villages under the VBMPS.

National Diary Plan:
♦ The Government of India has approved National Dairy Plan Phase- I (NDP-I) with an outlay of Rs. 2,242 Crore for implementation during 2011-12 to 2018-19 as a Central Sector Scheme.
♦ The Scheme is implemented through National Dairy Development Board.
♦ NDP-I is being implemented in the 18 major milk producing States constituting 90% of the milk production.
♦ Launch Year: 2011

‘Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage and Diverse Cultural Traditions of India’ Scheme
A Scheme named ‘Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage and Diverse Cultural Traditions of India’ is implemented by the Ministry of Culture.

Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage and Diverse Cultural Traditions of India:
i. Objective of the scheme: reinvigorating and revitalizing several institutions, groups, individuals, identified non-MoC institutions, non-government organisations, researchers and scholars in order to help them involve in activities or projects for strengthening, protecting, preserving and promoting the rich intangible cultural heritage of India.
ii. The Scheme is implemented through: Sangeet Natak Akademi. It is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Culture.
iii. Various proposals related to safeguarding of intangible cultural heritages received from Madhya Pradesh have been approved under the scheme.
iv. On 24^th July 2018, Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Ministry of state (independent charge) for Culture and Minister of State for Environmnet, Forest and Climate change provided this information.
Some important museums in India:
♦ Teen Murti Bhavan – New Delhi
♦ Sanskriti Kendra Museum – Delhi
♦ Shankar’s International Dolls Museum – Delhi

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Michael Ondaatje named in Man Booker Prize long list
On July 24, 2018, Canadian author Michael Ondaatje has again made the Man Booker Prize list with his latest novel “Warlight”.

i. “Warlight” tells the story of two orphans in London in the immediate aftermath of World War II.
Key Points:
i. 13 books has been announced chosen from 171 submissions this year which is  the highest number of titles in the award’s 50 years history.
ii. This year’s Man Booker Prize includes six U.K. writers, three from the United States, and two each from Canada and Ireland.
iii. It includes four debut novels and one from American novelist Rachel Kushner.
iv. The list will be pared to six finalists in September and the winner will be announced on Oct. 16 at a black-tie dinner at London’s Guildhall.
v. To mark Man Booker’s 50^th anniversary, a special award to Ondaatje’s “The English Patient,” which won the Booker in 1992, was named winner of the Golden Man Booker winner on July 8.
About Man Booker’s Prize:
♦ The prize was originally open to British, Irish and Commonwealth writers. Americans have been eligible since 2014.
♦ The winner receives 50,000 pounds (USD 65,000).

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

Rishi Srivastava appointed as CEO & MD of TATA AIA
On July 24, 2018, Tata AIA Life announced the appointment of Rishi Srivastava as the new Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director starting August 1, 2018.
i. He will replace current Chief Executive Officer Naveen Tahilyani who will be the Chief Executive Officer, Group Partnership Distribution, AIA Group, Hong Kong.
ii. Srivastava is currently Chief of Proprietary Channels, Product, Marketing & Corporate Communication at Tata AIA.
iii. He was previously Chief Agency Officer at ICICI Prudential then General Manager at ICICI Bank and then as Director of the Agency business in Jakarta to AXA.
iv. He joined Tata AIA in 2016.
TATA AIA:
♦ Headquarters: Mumbai.
♦ Founded: 2000.

Justice Tahira Safdar to be first woman chief justice of any court in Pakistan
On 23^rd July 2018, Justice Tahira Safdar was made the Chief Justice of the Balochistan high court, Pakistan, by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar. This makes her the first woman chief justice of any court in Pakistan.

Justice Tahira Safdar – first woman chief justice of any court in Pakistan:
i. Justice Tahira Safdar will take charge as Chief Justice of the Balochistan high court  following the retirement of incumbent Mohammad Noor Muskanzai. Mohammad Noor Muskanzai superannuates on 31^st August 2018.
ii. Justice Tahira Safdar is 61 years old. She belongs to Quetta. In 1982, she became the first woman civil judge in Balochistan.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

13^th launch of SpaceX Falcon 9 Sets New Record of launching heaviest satellite ever
SpaceX conducted their 13th launch of the year with a Falcon 9 rocket launching the Telstar 19V communications satellite for Canada’s Telesat.
i. It has set a record as the heaviest payload that a Falcon 9 has ever carried to a GTO.
ii. The satellite weights over 7000 kg.
iii. Telstar 19 VANTAGE will offer coverage across the Americas and the Atlantic.
iv. The satellite has been produced by Space Systems Loral (SSL).
v. The goal is to provide high-throughput broadcast and internet services from Brazil to the northernmost regions of Canada.
SpaceX:
♦ Headquarters: California , USA.
♦ CEO: Elon Musk.

ENVIRONMENT

Largest dinosaur foot to date discovered; belongs to a Brachiosaur
On 24^th July 2018, scientists said that, they have discovered the largest dinosaur foot ever, which has a width of around 1 metre. It belongs to a Brachiosaur.
Largest dinosaur foot to date discovered:
i. Brachiosaur is among the biggest land animals on Earth. A study regarding this has been published in the journal PeerJ.
ii. It is based on fossils excavated in Wyoming, US. It states that, 150 million years ago brachiosaurs had inhabited North America.
iii. The foot was excavated in 1998. After examination, researchers identified that, the foot belongs to a Brachiosaur.
iv. Brachiosaur is a long-necked and long-tailed sauropod. This is the largest dinosaur foot discovered till now.
v. The study also says that, brachiosaurs inhabited a large area from eastern Utah to northwestern Wyoming.

SPORTS

Badminton Asia Junior Championship 2018 held in Jakarta, Indonesia
On 14^th to 22^nd July 2018, Badminton Asia Junior Championship 2018 was held in Jakarta, Indonesia.
i. The tournament was played in a mixed team format and individual format. From 14^th to 17^th July 2018. The individual events were played from 18^th to 22^nd July 2018.
Lakshaya Sen won gold medal:
i. On 22^nd July 2018, Indian badminton player Lakshaya Sen defeated Indonesia’s Kunlavut Vitidsaran 21-19, 21-18 in the finals and won gold medal in the Badminton Asia Junior Championship.
ii. Lakshaya Sen has won a gold medal for India at the Badminton Asia Junior Championship after a gap of 6 years. He is 16 years old.
About Badminton Association of India:
♦ President – Himanta Biswa Sarma
♦ Headquarters – New Delhi

India’s Mannu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy win Lagos International title (Badminton)
On 22^nd July 2018, India’s Mannu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy won the men’s doubles title at Lagos International Badminton in Lagos, Nigeria.
i. From 18^th to 21^st July 2018, Lagos International 2018 (International Challenge) was held in Lagos, Nigeria.
India’s Mannu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy win Lagos International title:
i. Defending champions Mannu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy retained the title by defeating another Indian pair S. Vaibhav and Prakash Raj 21-12, 22-12 in the finals.
ii. Also, Kuhoo Garg and Ria Mukherjee defeated Krishma Wadekar and V Harika 21-10 21-18 in the finals of women’s doubles event.
iv. In mixed doubles final, India’s Manu Attri and Manisha defeated Kuhoo Garg and Rohan Kapoor of India 21-17 22-20 and won gold medal.
v. Indian’s Sree Krishina Priya defeated Russia’s Ksenia Polikaprova in the finals of the women’s singles event and won silver medal.
vi. In men’s singles event, Israel’s Misha Zilberman defeated Malaysia’s Ramdam Misburn and won the title.
Tag lines of some banks:
♦ Union Bank of India – Good people to bank with
♦ United Bank of India – The Bank that begins with “U”
♦ Vijaya Bank – A Friend You Can Bank On

ICC Test ranking revealed for three Categories 
On July 24, 2018, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin ranked 3^rd and 5^th in the ICC Test rankings (Bowling).
i. Ravindra Jadeja had scored 866 points and Ravichandran Ashwin has scored 811 points.
The ICC Test rankings are as follows:
Bowlers:

Batting:

All Rounders:

ICC:
♦ Chairman: Shashank Manohar.
♦ Headquarters: Dubai, UAE.

Asian Cup for Cadets & Junior Judo Championships 2018
Venue:
Asian Cup for Cadets & Junior Judo Championships – 2018  held in Macau from 20^th to 22^nd July 2018
Participants:
The Championships have Participants of 30 Countries from 5 Continents
Indian Participants:
From India 29 Members Participated in the Asian Cup for Cadets & Junior Judo Championship 2018,In which there were (5 male +7 female players in Cadet and 7 male +6 female players in Junior category).They went along with 4 Coaches on 15th July and the team attended the training Camp from 16^th -19^th July.
Medal Won:
Indian Cadet and Junior Judo Teams have won 15 medals (4 Gold, 2 Silver and 9 Bronze medals) 

OBITUARY

Veteran Bengali actress Basabi Nandi passed away
On 23^rd July 2018, Bengali actress Basabi Nandi died due to cardiac arrest.
Death of Basabi Nandi:
i. Basabi Nandi was 82 years old. She was also a playback singer.
ii. In 1974, she received the Best Supporting Actress Award from Bengal Film Journalists Association.