Current Affairs Today May 5 2018

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 INDIAN AFFAIRS

National Conference of 244 selected Districts under Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)
i. The Ministry of Women and Child Development Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi organized A Day long National Conference on Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) held in New Delhi in which 244 Districts are selected under this scheme.
ii. Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi Addressed the gathering & highlighted that,the goals of BBBP can be achieved when various stakeholders involve in it.She also Suggested Several Initiatives to the Newly Selected Districts by which they can get tremendous Success & improve the Sex Ratio at Birth and initiatives to encourage girl child education…………………………………………………………….. Click here to Read More

Dr. Mahesh Sharma to inaugurate an extensive exhibition on Indian Civilisation at National Museum, New Delhi
On May 5,2018 An Exhibition called ‘India and the World: A History in Nine Stories’ will be inaugurated at the National Museum auditorium, New Delhi by Dr. Mahesh Sharma ,Minister of State for Culture(I/c) and Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change. This effort made by the British Museum, London; National Museum, New Delhi; and ChhatrapatiShivaji  Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), Mumbai  with support of the Culture Ministry.
i.The exhibition evaluates the development of Indian civilization in a sequel order through delicate artifact from India and abroad.
ii. ‘India and the World: A History in Nine Stories’deeps into two million years of history.  This exhibition will be a part of memorial of 70 years of India’s independence and a year of major cultural exchange between India and the UK (UK/India 2017).
Highlights of the ‘India and the World: A History in Nine Stories’
i. This exhibition covers 200 objects and works of art from the collections of the British Museum, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), National Museum,and also around 20 museums and private collections across India.
ii. It will starts with Indus Valley civilization and coming down to the present, the artifacts range from stone sculptures, terracotta, coins, tools, inscriptions and manuscripts to textiles, jewellery, Mughal miniatures and contemporary paintings, demonstrating the common threads of human history.
iii.The exhibition is spread over nine sections, each representing a pivotal moment in history: Shared Beginnings (1,700,000 years ago to 2000 BC), First Cities (3000-1000 BC), Empire (600 BC – AD 200), State and Faith (AD 100-750), Picturing the Divine (AD 200-1500), Indian Ocean Traders (AD 200-1650), Court Cultures (AD 1500-1800), Quest for Freedom (1800-Present), and Time Unbound.
iv. It is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Tata Trusts, the Getty Foundation and the Newton Bhabha Fund.  It will run for two months till June 30 and is available for public viewing on all days from 10 am to 6 pm, except on Mondays and public holidays.

Gadkari to lay foundation stone of highway projects in Telangana
i. On May 5, 2018 Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will lay foundation stone of four national highway projects costing Rs 1,523 crore in Telangana. The ceremony to be held in Hyderabad  and it will be attended by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao.
ii. It includes six laning of Aramgarh-Shamsabad section of NH 44 between Hyderabad and Bangalore, rehabilitation and upgradation of NH 765D from Hyderabad outer ring road to Medak, construction of 4-lane flyover at Amberpet-X Roads, and construction of 6-lane elevated corridor from Uppal to Narapally on the Hyderabad-Bhopalpatnam section of NH 163.
About Telengana
♦ Capital – Hyderabad
♦ Governor  – E. S. L. Narasimhan
♦ Chief minister  –  K. Chandrashekar Rao

First organized census of Indus Dolphins begins in Punjab
i.  Indus dolphin is one of the world’s rarest mammals found only in India and Pakistan. The first organized census on Indus dolphins are conducting by the Punjab government along with WWF-India.
ii. The Indus dolphins are restricted to only a 185 km stretch between Talwara and Harike Barrage in India’s Beas River in Punjab.
iii. The five day exercise has been conducted to estimate the population of Indus Dolphin by Department of Forests and Wildlife Preservation, Punjab and WWF-India are currently working in two teams.
iv. The population of the Indus dolphin, platanista gangetica minor, numbers are estimated to be around 1,800 across Pakistan in the Indus river. In India, a tiny population survives in this small stretch of the Beas river.
Facts about Indus Dolphin
♦ Indus Dolphin is blind species that communicates through echo like bats do, Indus dolphins are one of the seven freshwater dolphins found across the world.

NITI Aayog to Collaborate with IBM to develop Precision Agriculture using Artificial Intelligence
On May 4,the Government’s Policy Think-Tank NITI Aayog & a World’s Leading Information Technology Company IBM had Signed a Statement of Intent(SOI),in the Presence of NITI Aayog CEO Shri.Amitabh Kant and MD,IBM India Shri Karan Bajwa.
Objective of this Collaborations:
The Objective of the Collaborations is to Introduce technology to provide perspective to farmers to improve the Productivity of Crops,Soil Yields,Improving the Farmers Incomes.And the Project is Implemented by Using Artificial Intelligence by which Farmers get to know about the Climate Change,Crop Monitoring and Early Warning on Pest & Disease Outbreak.
Implementation of the Scheme:
The First Phase of the Project is Implemented in 10 Aspirational Districts across the States of Assam,bihar,Jhaarkhand,Madhya Pradesh,Maharastra,Rajasthan & Uttar Pradesh.
About NITI Aayog:
♦ ChairPerson:Shri.Narendra Modi.
♦ CEO:Shri.Amitabh Kant.
♦ Founded:1st Jan,2015.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Secretary, DEA meets president of ADB, Mr. Takehiko Nakao; attends 12th informal meeting of SAARC finance Ministers
On May 5, 2018 Shri Subhash Chandra Garg, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance met President of Asian Development Bank (ADB), Mr. Takehiko Nakao during a tour to Manila to attend the 51^st Annual Meeting of Asian Development Bank (ADB).
i. He requested him to support India’s endeavor and to expand ADB’s sovereign and non-sovereign operations in India by providing financial assistance worth $ 4 billion a year.
ii. Government of India had approved the proposal of ADB to acquire additional resources through INR bonds in the offshore markets.
iii. He also attended the 12^th informal meeting of SAARC Finance Ministers and highlighted the ongoing reforms in India .He has highlighted the need for increased private sector operations by ADB in India.
About South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of nations in South Asia. Its member states include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
♦ Establishment‎: ‎8 December 1985
♦ Headquarters‎: ‎Kathmandu

BANKING & FINANCE

Signing of Legal Agreements between Govt. of India and World Bank on National Biopharma Mission
To develop an innovative biopharmaceutical and medical devices industry in India, Government of India and the World Bank signed an agreement. The aim is to make India a hub for design and development of novel, affordable and effective biopharmaceutical products.
i. The agreement has signed at a cost of USD 250 million for five years with 50 per cent funding through the World Bank Loan.
ii. The agreement for the Project was signed by Sameer Kumar Khare, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the Government of India; Mohd. Aslam, Managing Director, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC); and Hisham Abdo, Acting Country Director, World Bank India, on behalf of the World Bank.
iii. It will also encourage to develop promote industry-academia interface and enable start-ups and small and medium enterprises to build innovation research capacities for developing affordable healthcare products.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

India tops list of fastest growing economies for coming decade: Harvard study
The Centre for International Development at Harvard University Predicted the Fastest growing economies in the world for the Upcoming Decade.The Growth projections are based on some of the economic Complexity.India Topped the list with the Projection of 7.9 Per cent which is far high than China (4.9 Per cent),U.S.(3 Per cent),France (3.5 Per cent).Uganda is in Second Position with predicted growth of 7.5 percent.
Top Fastest Growing Countries are:
1.India(1^st Place)
2.Uganda(2^nd Place)
3.Tanzania(4^th Place)
4.Kenya(10^th Place)
Reason Behind India’s Growth:
India Topped the list because it made tremendous growth in Various Sectors Namely,Chemicals,Vehicles & Certain Electronics Sectors.And the Report also Stated that India ranks the best in Complexity Opportunity Index(COI),which measures the redeployment of the related products that depends on the Capabilities.
The Countries which has Low growth Prospects:
1.Bangladesh,
2.Venezuela,
3.Angola
The Countries which has fast growth Prospects are:
1.Philippines
2.Vietnam
3.Indonesia
4.Thailand

ADB projects India’s growth at 7.3% in 2018 at the 51st ADB Annual Meeting
51^st Asian Development Bank( ADB) Annual Meeting was Presided by ADB President Takehiko Nakao.While Adressing the Ceremony of the 51^st Meeting,Nakao Said that India’s growth is Projected to be 7.3 Percent in Fiscal Year 2018 & 7.6 Per cent in the next Fiscal,which is far higher than its 6.6 Percent in FiscalYear 2017.
Reason Behind India’s Growth:
ADB’s Chief Economist Yasuyuki Sawada said that the India’s Growth in 2017 is low because the Introduction of Demonetisation.And he Further Continues that the growth Projection of India is high from the Previous year is because of the Implementation of GST,Foreign Direct Investment also helps in India’s growth & the Most Important Factor which boost the growth is the Governments Initiative of Ease of Doing Business.
Growth of Other Countries:
1.China-6.6 Percent
2.Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN)-5.2 Percent
About ADB:
♦ HeadQuarters:Mandaluyong,Philippines,
♦ President:Takehiko Nakao
♦ Founded In:19^th December 1966
♦ Motto:fighting Poverty in Asia and the Pacific.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Jnanpith laureate M T Vasudevan Nair bags ONV Literary Prize
Jnanpith laureate M T Vasudevan Nair has bagged this year’s annual ONV Literary Prize, for his contributions to Malayalam literature.
Jnanpith laureate M T Vasudevan Nair bags ONV Literary Prize:
i. The ONV Literary Prize  has been instituted in memory of late poet O N V Kurup. The award consists of a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh, citation and a plaque.
ii. It is presented by the ONV Cultural Academy. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan would give away the award to M T Vasudevan, who is also known as M T, at a ceremony on 27^th May 2018.
iii. Also, Anuja Akathoot’s poetry collection, ‘Amma Urangunnilla’ has been selected for the young writer award.
Some important National Parks in Kerala:
♦ Eravikulam National Park
♦ Periyar National Park

Ministry of Railways announces Awards for beautification of Station premises
Ministry of Railways has announced Awards for beautification of Station premises across the country.
Awards for beautification of Station premises:
i. In an aim to promote cleanliness and creativity, the Ministry of Railways had invited nominations from all Zonal Railways for stations where beautification has been done with contribution from local artists.
ii. 62 entries were received from 11 Zonal Railways. An evaluation committee comprising Executive Director (Station development), Chief Commercial Manager (systems) of South Central Railway, Executive director (Tourism) and an official from the Northeast Frontier Railway reviewed the nominations.
iii. The awardees are as follows:

• First Prize– Balharshah and Chandrapur stations (Nagpur Division) of Central Railway. Both the stations have been awarded with Rs 10 Lakhs prize money.
• Second Prize– Madhubani Railway station under Samastipur Division of East Central Railway in Bihar and Madurai Railway Station (Southern Railway). Rs 5 lakh prize money has been awarded to both the stations.
• Third Prize– Kota Station (West Central Railway), Gandhidham Station (Western Railway) & Secunderabad Station (South Central Railway). These stations have been awarded Rs 3 lakh prize money.

About Indian Railways:
♦ Minister of Railways – Piyush Goyal
♦ Ministers of State for Railways – Manoj Sinha, Rajen Gohain

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Dakota DC-3 VP 905 aircraft joins IAF again
On 4^th May 2018, Dakota DC-3 VP 905 aircraft joined the Indian Air Force again, in an induction ceremony at Hindan air force station, Uttar Pradesh, over four decades after the aircraft fleet was phased out.
Dakota DC-3 VP 905 aircraft joins IAF again:
i. The Dakota DC-3 VP 905 was formally inducted into the IAF. At the ceremony a key was received by the Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal B S Dhanoa from Air Commodore (retd) M K Chandrasekhar.
ii. M K Chandrasekhar’s son and Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar bought the aircraft from scrap and restored it in the UK.
iii. Dakota was accepted by the Chief of Air Staff from the Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar on 13 February 2018.
iv. The restored Dakota has been renamed as ‘Parashuram’. It will join the ‘Vintage Fly’ of one each of Tiger Moth and Howard developed at Hindan air force station.
v. The aircraft started from the UK on 17^th April 2018 to India with the crew of IAF and Reflight Airworks.
vi. It covered a total distance of 9,750 km during its ferry en-route halts in France, Italy, Greece, Jordan, Bahrain and Oman. It reached India on 25^th April 2018 at Jamnagar air force station.
vii. The Dakota was also known as the Gooney Bird. It was the first major transport aircraft inducted in the Indian Air Force. It was in operations from 1947 to 1971.
viii. After 1971 Dakota was replaced by Avro HS-748. Dakotas were phased out and some of them were given to the BSF. BSF (Border Security Force) utilised them till 1978.
About Indian Air Force (IAF):
♦ Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) – Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa
♦ Headquarters – New Delhi

NASA launches InSight spacecraft to Mars to study Red Planet’s quakes
On 5^th May 2018, NASA launched InSight spacecraft aboard an Atlas V rocket to study “Marsquakes”, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, United States.

InSight:
i. InSight has been designed to stay on the surface of Mars and listen to “Marsquakes”. The project costs $993 million.
ii. The US spent $813.8 million on the spacecraft and rocket launch. France and Germany spent $180 million on the instruments.
iii. A pair of mini-spacecraft named Mars Cube One, or MarCO are also launching on the rocket. It cost NASA $18.5 million.
iv. The MarCO are briefcase-sized satellites. They will fly on their own path to Mars behind InSight. They will test tiny new deep space communications equipment.
v. InSight aims to explore interior conditions on Mars, inform efforts to send human explorers to Mars, find out how rocky planets like Earth formed, etc.
vi. InSight is expected to settle on Mars on 26^th November 2018. InSight is the short form for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport.
vii. InSight features a seismometer called the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure. It has been developed by the French Space Agency.
viii. After the lander settles down on the surface of Mars, a robotic arm will place the seismometer on the ground. The lander weighs 794 pound. It has been built by Lockheed Martin Corp.
ix.  Another major instrument is a self-hammering probe. It will monitor the flow of heat on Mars’ subsurface.
x. This is named the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package. It was developed by the German Space Agency along with Polish Space Agency.
xi. The probe will bore down 10 to 16 feet into the subsurface to measure heat from the interior. This will be 15 times deeper than any previous Mars mission.
xii. The solar and battery-powered lander has been designed to operate for 26 Earth months that is one year on Mars. It is expected to observe nearly 100 quakes in that period.
About NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration):
♦ Headquarters – Washington, D.C., U.S.
♦ Administrator – Jim Bridenstine

ENVIRONMENT

‘Tapanuli Orangutan’, World’s rarest ape on the edge of extinction
Scientists have said that, Tapanuli Orangutan, the rarest ape species on Earth, is on the verge of extinction.
Tapanuli Orangutan:
i. Less than 800 members of the Tapanuli Orangutan species are alive. They are in danger due to mega-projects, deforestation, road building, and poaching. This was mentioned in a study published in the journal Current Biology.
ii. They would not survive unless immediate steps are taken to rescue them. This species was discovered in 2017 in Sumatra, Indonesia.
iii. A major threat to them is a planned $1.6 billion mega-dam project to be constructed by a Chinese state-owned corporation.
Some important lakes in India:
♦ Largest fresh water lakes in Asia & India – Wular Lake, Kashmir
♦ Largest artificial lake in Asia – Upper Lake, Madhya Pradesh
♦ Largest saline water lake in India – Chika Lake, Odisha

SPORTS

The IAAF Diamond League -Neeraj Chopra won 4th Place
On 4^th May 2018, India’s javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra finished fourth in the season-opening IAAF Diamond League, at the Qatar Sport Club, in Doha, Qatar.
IAAF Diamond League – Neeraj Chopra won 4th Place:
i. Neeraj Chopra made a throw of 87.43 metres and finished fourth. He has bettered his previous national record mark of 86.48 metres.
ii. Germany’s Thomas Rohler won gold medal with a throw of 91.78 metres. Germany’s Johannes Vetter secured the second spot with a throw of 91.56 metres.
iii. Germany’s Andreas Hoffman finished third with a throw of 90.08 metres. Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch came fifth with a throw of 86.67.
About International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF):
♦ President – Sebastian Coe
♦ Headquarters – Monaco

OBITUARY

Veteran animator ‘Dave Michener’ behind ‘Sleeping Beauty’ dies at 85
On 15^th February 2018, Dave Michener, popular animator, who had worked for many Walt Disney films, died due to a virus, at his residence in Los Angeles, United States.
Death Of Dave Michener:
i. Although Dave Michener died on 15^th February 2018, the news of his death was revealed recently by his wife.
ii. He was 85 years old. He had worked in various movies like ‘The Great Mouse Detective’ (1986), ‘The Fox and the Hound’ (1981), ‘The Rescuers’ (1977), ‘Oliver & Company’ (1988), and ‘Robin Hood’ (1973).
Nicknames of few Indian cities:
♦ Bhuvaneshwar (Orissa) – Temple City
♦ Cuttack (Orissa) – Silver City
♦ Yavatmal (Maharashtra) – Cotton City

IMPORTANT DAYS

Department of Science & Technology (DST) celebrates its foundation day
On 3^rd May 2018, Department of Science & Technology (DST) celebrated its foundation day.
Foundation Day of Department of Science & Technology (DST):
i. DST is one of the three departments of Ministry of Science & Technology. It was set up on 3^rd May 1971.
ii. Its objective is to explore and develop new areas of science and technology, to strengthen national Science & Technology capacity, cutting across institutions and disciplines.
iii .Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Dr. Harsh Vardhan, laid the foundation stone of New State of Art Building of DST on 3^rd May 2018 in New Delhi. 
iv. Dr Harsh Vardhan said that, construction of the new building is expected to be completed by 3^rd May 2021.
v. DST had entered into a MoU with IRCON Infrastructure & Services LTD for the new building.
vi. As a part of Swachh Bharat Mission, Swacchta Pakhwada is also observed in the Department of Science & Technology from 1st May 2018 to 15th May 2018.  
vii. DST organized a Round-Table Discussion on challenges for DST and expectations from stakeholders.
viii.Also activities like expert talks and stakeholders’ consultations on clean water, clean air, clean energy and waste management have been planned during the Swachhta Pakhwada.
ix. An Exhibition showcasing technologies developed with support from DST will be held from 7th May to 10th May 2018 on the Technology Bhawan Campus, and on 11th May 2018 at Vigyan Bhawan.
x. Child innovators will display their innovations and prototype models on 14th May 2018 at Technology Bhawan.
About IRCON Infrastructure & Services LTD:
♦ Chairman – Mr. M. K. Singh
♦ Functions under – Ministry of Railways