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Indian Affairs
Jharkhand Government launches Shaheed Gram Vikas Yojana
On September 17,2017 Jharkhand Government launched the “Shaheed Gram Vikas Yojana” at Ulihatu Village ,Khunti district of Jharkhand. BJP President Amit Shah along with Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das launched the initiative.
The scheme aims at developing the villages of freedom fighters in the state . Ulihatu Village is the birth place of freedom fighter and Jharkhand’s tribal icon, Birsa Munda.
Benefits of Shaheed Gram vikas yojana:-
i. villages of many tribal freedom fighters will be developed and their habitants will be provided basic amenities. Amit shah gave away gas connections, solar lamps to some of the beneficiaries.
ii.136 pucca houses will be built. Development in this area was sluggish due to left wing extremism.
Tripura is first state to set up district family welfare committees
On September 18,2017 ,Tripura became the first state in the country to set up family welfare district committees to deal with the issue of fake and biased complaints by women against their husbands, in-laws and husband’s relatives.
These committees have been formed as per the directives if supreme court. State Governor Tathagata Roy in the presence of Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and other high dignitaries formally launched the family welfare committees in all eight districts in Tripura.
The working mechanism of these committees:-
i. The family welfare district committees may comprise para-legal volunteers or social workers or retired officers or even the wives of serving officers,
ii. The panel members will not be called as witnesses if the police or magistrate decide to investigate a particular case.
iii. After filing of complaint by a woman against her husband, in-laws and husband’s relatives, the district family welfare committees would scrutinise the complaint, try to mitigate and mediate between the two sides to settle the dispute
iv. After the district family welfare committees have submitted their report, the police officials would start appropriate legal action. The police action will follow if the case is genuine.
International Yoga Festival starts in Kashmir
On Sep 18 ,2017 Jammu and Kashmir governor N N Vohra inaugurated the second International Yoga Festival and International Yoga Sports Championship 2017 in which about 300 people from various parts of India, Vietnam, Taiwan, Canada, Bulgaria, USA and Nepal are participating.
The festival is being organized by the Yoga Society of Kashmir at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre.
Importance of yoga:-
Yoga is enormously beneficial for the growth of a healthy mind and body, Vohra emphasized that learning to practise yoga, especially from a young age helps in developing the required mental and physical discipline which enables the practitioner to lead a wholesome, stress free and balanced life.
Infosys Foundation signs pact with Visakha jilla samithi for water supply systems Visakhapatnam tribal villages
On September 19,2017 Infosys Foundation has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Visakha Jilla Nava Nirman Samithi (VJNNS) an NGO to construct 100 gravity fed water supply systems in the tribal villages of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
About the Project :-
i. The endowment of Rs. 5.92 crore will be used to promote good sanitation practices and create efficient water management systems in all the villages.
ii. It aims at making potable drinking water available to remote tribal villages in the districts of Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam.
iii. It will help 100 tribal villages and 40,000 beneficiaries using pipelines.
iv. This will not only help enhance health but also aid in reducing water-borne diseases.
v. Under this project, local communities will also be taught to manage a “village development fund.”
International Affairs
China issues stamp commemorating world’s largest radio telescope
China has issued a commemorative stamp in honour of the world’s largest radio telescope located in Guizhou province on 18th of Sept. 2017.
Key Points:
i.According to the Xinhua news agency the State Post Bureau (SPB) has issued a set of five stamps.
ii.It includes one commemorating the Five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope priced at 1.2 yuan.
iii.The other four stamps include:
(a) China’s quantum science experimental satellite “Mozi”.
(b) The research vessel Tansuo-1
(c) A national grain production project around the Bohai Sea
(d) The Sunway TaihuLight supercomputer
iv.The total investment is of 1.2 billion yuan and the telescope is single-dish with a diametre of half a kilometre.
v.The telescope is designed to probe space for the faintest signs of life and is sensitive to any electromagnetic interference.
vi.It was built in the Dawodang depression, a natural karst basin in Pingtang county in Guizhou.
About China:
Capital: Beijing
President: Xi Jinping
Currency: Renminbi
India Japan US Trilateral Foreign Ministerial Meeting held in New York
The Foreign Ministerial meeting among India Foreign Minister, US Secretary of State Tillerson and Japanese FM Kono held in New York.
Key Points:
i.The Ministers emphasized the need for ensuring freedom of navigation, respect for international law and peaceful resolution of disputes.
ii.They also exchanged views on maritime security, connectivity and proliferation issues.
iii.The three Ministers directed their senior officials to explore practical steps to enhance cooperation.
iv.Swaraj will also participate in a high-level meeting on UN reforms, hosted and chaired by US President Donald Trump.
v.India is among the 120 countries which have supported the reform efforts of the UN Secretary General.
vi.It brings the importance of basing them on universally recognized international norms, wise financing and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity was highlighted.
About New York
New York is one of the 50 states of the United States of America. It was one of the first thirteen states.
It is well known for having the city of the same name, “New York City”, in the southeastern part of the state.
New York is in the northeastern United States, bordered by Lake Ontario and Canada on the north.
IDF, US Army inaugurates first American military base in Israel
The US Army and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) inaugurated a permanent base In Israel.
i. This is the first time that a permanent American base has been opened in the Middle Eastern country.
ii. The base represents the long-standing partnership, the strategic commitment between the armies and the militaries of the United States of America and Israel.
iii. Several dozen American soldiers will be stationed at the base in Israel’s south.
Banking & Finance
SEBI allows REITs, InvITs to issue bonds
On 18th September 2017, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) allowed Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) to raise funds by issuing debt securities, in Mumbai.
Amendments made by SEBI:
i. InvITs and REITs enable investors to invest on infrastructure projects and real estate properties respectively.
ii. Earlier, these trusts were allowed to raise funds only through equity.
iii. Now they are allowed to raise funds by issuing debt securities.
iv. SEBI has also allowed single-asset REITs. Previously, the trust needed at least two projects under it, with one of the projects limited to 60 % of the value of assets.
v. SEBI has also allowed strategic investors to participate in REITS, similar to InvITs.
vi. These have been done in a move to attract investors.
vii. Since the introduction of REIT in 2014, no real estate company has launched a REIT.
viii. Only 2 InvITs have been listed publicly so far.
About SEBI:
i. Full form – Securities and Exchange Board of India
ii. Headquarters – Mumbai
iii. Chairman – Mr.Ajay Tyagi
Business
IFC to invest Rs 320 cr in Mahindra Lifespace industrial parks
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has announced to invest USD 50 million (about Rs 320 crore) in realty firm Mahindra Lifespace Developers industrial park projects.
Key Points:
i.Mahindra Lifespace and IFC announced a partnership for the development of multiple industrial parks across Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
ii.Development of these parks will attract private investments and provide a boost to several flagship initiatives of the Government of India and create jobs.
iii.Industrial parks or special economic zones are globally recognised as engines for economic growth and development.
iv.The company is developing two integrated business cities, under Mahindra World City brand, in Chennai and Jaipur.
Some more Points:
i.Mahindra Lifespace Developers Ltd is the real estate and infrastructure development arm of the Mahindra Group while IFC is a member of the World Bank group.
ii.Sustainable industrial ecosystems are key enablers for attracting investment in manufacturing.
Appointments & Resigns
Economist Mercedes Araoz sworn in as Peru’s new Prime Minister
On 18th September 2017, Vice President Ms.Mercedes Araoz was appointed as new Prime Minister of Peru by President Mr. Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, in Lima.
Cabinet Reshuffled:
i. President of Peru, Mr.Pedro Pablo Kuczynski reshuffled the cabinet after the Congress passed a no-confidence vote on the existing Prime Minister Mr. Fernando Zavala on 15th Sepetember 2017.
ii. This was a consequence of a dispute regarding teachers strike and the government’s education policies that stressed gender equality in the school curriculum.
iii. Ms.Mercedes Araoz who was serving as Vice President was appointed as the new Prime Minister.
iv. Ms.Mercedes Araoz took oath as the new Prime Minister on 18th September 2017, in the presence of President Mr.Pedro Pablo Kuczynski at a ceremony in the Government Palace, in Lima.
v. During the ceremony, 5 new ministers also took oath and 13 new appointments were announced.
About Ms.Mercedes Araoz:
i. Age – 56
ii. Occupation – Economist, Professor, Politician
iii. Current position – Prime Minister of Peru
Akshay Kumar appointed as Brand Ambassador of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in Uttarakhand
On 18th September 2017, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Mr.Trivendra Singh Rawat announced the appointment of Bollywood actor Mr.Akshay Kumar as the brand ambassador of the Swachh Bharat Mission in Uttarakhand.
Akshay Kumar as Brand Ambassador:
i. Mr.Akshay Kumar had produced and acted a film named ‘Toilet: Ek Prem Katha’ recently. It stressed the need to eradicate open defecation and the need for toilet in every household.
ii. This movie was made tax-free in Uttar Pradesh. Mr.Akshay Kumar was also appointed as the brand ambassador for the cleanliness campaign in Uttar Pradesh in August 2017.
iii. Now, he has been made as the brand ambassador of Swachh Bharat Mission in Uttarakhand.
About Mr.Akshay Kumar:
i. Age – 50
ii. Occupation – Actor, Producer, Presenter
iii. Awards – National Film Award (2017), Padma Shri (2009) etc.
Raquel Dodge became first woman General Prosecutor of Brazil
On 18th September 2017, Ms.Raquel Dodge became the first woman General Prosecutor of Brazil, in Brasilia.
1st woman General Prosecutor of Brazil:
i. Ms.Raquel Dodge has replaced Mr.Rodrigo Janot as the first woman General Prosecutor of Brazil.
ii. Mr.Rodrigo Janot held the position for four years.
iii. Ms.Raquel Dodge sworn-in as the General Prosecutor at a ceremony in Brasilia in the presence of President Mr.Michel Temer and Supreme Court President Ms.Carmen Lucia.
iv. She is held with the responsibility of investigating the Petrobras corruption ring, in which more than 100 politicians have been accused.
v. Also, previous General Prosecutor Mr.Rodrigo Janot has lodged three charges of corruption against President Mr.Michel Tremor.
About Brazil:
i. Capital – Brasilia
ii. Currency – Real
iii. Official language – Portuguese
iv. President – Mr.Michel Temer
India-born Sriram Krishnan appointed as Senior Director of Twitter
Twitter a Micro-blogging website has appointed Indian-born Sriram Krishnan as Senior Director of Productannounced on 19th Sept. 2017.
Key Points:
i.Krishnan has previously worked with Facebook and Snapchat.
ii.In Facebook he worked in building the company’s ad network, Audience Network while at Snapchat he helped build out the company’s ads API.
iii.At Twitter he would be responsible for core features inside the Twitter app, including timeline, direct messaging and search.
iv.Krishnan left Facebook in February 2016 to help lead advertising efforts at Snapchat’s parent company Snap. He quit Snap in February.
About Twitter
Twitter is an online news and social networking service where users post and interact with messages, “tweets”, restricted to 140 characters.
Registered users can post tweets, but those who are unregistered can only read them.
Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams and launched in July 2006.
Awards & Recognition
Pune NGO “Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP)” for women farmers wins UN Equator Prize
On 18th September 2017, Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP), a Pune-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) working for women farmers, won 2017 UN Equator Prize.
SSP wins 2017 UN Equator Prize:
i. On 18th September 2017, women farmers Ms.Godavari Dange and Ms.Kamal Kumbhar from Osmanabad district, received the 2017 UN Equator Prize, on behalf of SSP, at the UN General Assembly meeting in New York.
ii. SSP is the only Indian organisation among the 15 winners of this year.
iii. The award honours SSP’s efforts to empower more than 20,000 women farmers from a very poor region named Marathwada, in Maharashtra.
iv. SSP has promoted climate-resilient agro-ecological farming that solves issues like food security, income security and natural resource management.
v. Women farmers were also trained in usage of biofertilisers and biopesticides, locally available seeds, and food crops that are water-efficient.
vi. In 2016, SSP won UNFCCC’s Momentum for Change Lighthouse Activity Award.
About Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP):
i. Purpose – Women Empowerment
ii. Location – Pune
iii. Chairperson – Mr.Adolph Furtado
iv. Secretary – Ms.Prema Gopalan
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust wins “Rajbhasha Kirti Award” for 11th consecutive time
On September 18,2017 Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) was awarded the “Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar” for the 11th consecutive time . It won in the category of ‘B’ region for autonomous bodies and boards, for its excellent implementation of the Official Language.
Deputy Chairman of JNPT, Shri Neeraj Bansal accepted the award from President of India, Shri Ramnath Kovind. The award was presented at a ceremony at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on the occasion of Hindi Divas celebration on September 14, 2017.
S S Rajamouli receives ANR award
SS Rajamouli has received the ANR National Award from Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu on 17th of Sept. 2017.
Key Points:
i.He has received the award for his contribution to the Telugu film industry in Hyderabad.
ii.Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao was also present at the function.
About SS Rajamouli
S. Rajamouli is an Indian film director and screenwriter, known for his works primarily in Telugu cinema.
He was born on 10th Oct 1973
Notable work: Magadheera
Eega
Baahubali: The Beginning
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion
Awards: Padma Shri (2016)
Science & Technology
HP unveils secure, enhanced POS system ‘ElitePOS’
On 19th September 2017, HP Inc India launched its new, all-in-one point-of-sale (POS) system HP ElitePOS at the “India Retail Forum 2017″ event, in Mumbai.
Elite POS:
i. Elite POS is priced at Rs.59,999.
ii. It will be available with all HP authorised sellers from October 2017.
iii. It runs on Windows 10 OS (Operation System). It has fast DDR4 memory and 7th-Gen Intel Core processors with ‘vPro’ technology.
iv. It has hardware and integrated software security features like ‘HP Sure Start Gen3’, ‘HP BIOSphere Gen3’, fingerprint login and a bolt-to-counter configuration.
v. It has a modular design that enables interactive signage, employee attendance and self-service applications like customer check-in apart from the normal payment services.
vi. It will help merchants improve their customer service by analysing customer buying behaviour.
About HP Inc:
i. Headquarters – California, US
ii. Chairman – Chip Bergh
iii. President & CEO – Dion Weisler
Sports
Ana Carrasco of Spain becomes 1st female biker to win a World Championship race
On 17th September 2017, Ana Carrasco of Spain became the first female to win an individual World Championship motorbike race, in Portugal.
1st female biker to win World Championship race:
i. Ana Carrasco won the 1st place in the Supersport 300 World Championship’s round 10 in Portugal.
ii. She has become the first female to win an Individual Championship motorbike race.
iii. She rode a Kawasaki Ninja 300 in the race.
iv. She finished 0.053 seconds ahead of Alfonso Coppola from Italy, who finished in the second position.
v. Ana Carrasco made her debut in the world motorbike championship in 2013.
About Ana Carrasco:
i. Age – 20
ii. Nationality – Spain
iii. Current team – ETG Racing
British cyclist Mark Beaumont sets world record by cycling around the world in 79 days
On 18th September 2017, British cyclist Mark Beaumont set a new world record by cycling around the world in 79 days, in Paris.
Circumnavigated the world in 79 days:
i. Mark Beaumont travelled around the world in 79 days. He beat the previous record of 123 days.
ii. He has finished it one day ahead of his schedule.
iii. He has cycled 18,000 miles (29,000 km) in total with an average of 240 miles per day.
iv. Beaumont started his journey on 2nd July 2017 from Paris.
v. Beaumont flew over only the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He covered the rest of the distance cycling.
vi. He ate 9000 calories every day.
vii. He cycled for 16 hours a day and slept for 5 hours daily.
viii. He has created 2 Guinness World Records – round-the-world record & the farthest distance cycled in a single month.
ix. He had a team of a mechanic, nutritionist, physiotherapist and manager.
x. He took the trip to raise money for Orkidstudio, an innovative architecture firm.
About Mark Beaumont:
i. Nationality – Scottish
ii. Age – 34
iii. Occupation – Cyclist, Adventurer, Broadcaster, Documentary Maker, Author
Obituary
Ex-Karnataka minister Qamarul Islam passes away
Veteran Congress lawmaker and former Karnataka Minister Qamarul Islam had passed away on 18th of Sept. 2017. He was 69.
Key Points:
i.He was a six-term legislator and a one-term Lok Sabha member from Kalaburgi in the state’s northern region.
ii.He was appointed in-charge of the party’s affairs in Kerala in July.
iii.He joined the Congress in 1980. He was also a minister in the S.M. Krishna government from 1999 to 2004.
