Important Current Affairs 17th October 2017

Important Current Affairs 17th October 2017

Current Affairs 17th October 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

PM dedicates All India Institute of Ayurveda to the nation

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today dedicated the All India Institute of Ayurveda, in New Delhi, to the nation. 
●    Speaking on this occasion, the Prime Minister congratulated the gathering on the celebration of Dhanvantari Jayanti as Ayurveda Divas. 
●    He complimented the Ministry of AYUSH for the establishment of the All India Institute of Ayurveda. 
●    The Prime Minister asserted that nations cannot progress unless they value and cherish their history and heritage. 
●    Those nations who leave their heritage behind, are destined to lose their identity, he added. 
●    The Prime Minister said that when India was not independent, its knowledge, and its traditions such as Yoga and Ayurveda were belittled. 
●    Attempts were even made to reduce the faith that Indians had on them, he added. 

Government makes Revised Quality Standards for Caustic Soda mandatory 

Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Ananth Kumar today announced that Government will make revised quality standards for Caustic Soda mandatory for both domestic manufacturers as well as for imports.
●    This step has been taken to give a boost to the domestic industry, under Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Make in India’. 
●    The revised quality standards, compliant with Bureau of India Standards (BIS) specifications, would necessitate the industry to produce caustic soda using the modern and more energy efficient membrane based technology. 
●    Mandating compliance to revised BIS specifications will allow superior grade caustic soda to be produced and imported in the country which would be beneficial to human health and environment. 
●    Disclosing this in a meeting with Alkali Manufacturers’ Association of India, the Minister assured the industry of Government of India’s continued support for growth of the Alkali Industry in India, on lines which are congenial to health and environment. 

Cabinet approves SANKALP & STRIVE Schemes to boost Skill India Mission 

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved two new World Bank supported schemes of Rs. 6,655 crore - Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) and Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE). 
●    SANKALP is Rs 4,455 crore Centrally sponsored scheme including Rs. 3,300 crore loan support from World Bank whereas STRIVE is a Rs. 2,200 crore - central sector scheme, with half of the scheme outlay as World bank loan assistance. 
●    SANKALP and STRIVE are outcome focused schemes marking shift in government's implementation strategy in vocational education and training from inputs to results. 
●    There has been a long felt need for a national architecture for promoting convergence, ensuring effective governance and regulation of skill training and catalysing industry efforts in vocational training space. 
●    The two schemes shall address this need by setting up national bodies for accreditation & certification which shall regulate accreditation and certification in both long and short term Vocational Education and Training (VET). 

Current Affairs 17th October 2017: ENVIRONMENT

El Nino contributes to new high in CO2 levels

The amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) in our world is likely to top 410 parts per million (ppm) this year. 
●    The CO2 measured at the Mauna Loa Baseline Atmospheric Observatory in Hawaii hit 405.1 ppm in 2016 - an increase of 3 ppm over the previous year, marking five consecutive years of an unprecedented rate of growth, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
●    CO2 is the most prominent, abundant and measurable greenhouse gas, responsible for keeping the world warm enough for life. 
●    It is also capable of making the atmosphere too warm when its concentration becomes too great.
●    The increased burning of fossil fuels since the industrial revolution has driven up the amount of CO2 held in the atmosphere to unprecedented levels. 
●    However, a new NASA study provides space-based evidence that Earth's tropical regions where the source of the largest annual increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration in at least 2,000 years.
●    The 2015-16 El Nino - one of the largest on record - caused abnormal, but expected, heat and drought in the tropical regions of South America, Africa and Indonesia. 

Current Affairs 17th October 2017: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Bangladesh Navy Ship Somudra Avijan on a goodwill visit to Vishakhapatnam 

Bangladesh Naval Ship Somudra Avijan arrived Vishakhapatnam on a four-day goodwill visit to the Eastern Naval Command on 16 October 17. 
●    Prior to the arrival, the ship carried out Passage Exercise which included naval manoeuvres in the Bay of Bengal prior to entering into the port. 
●    The Bangladesh Navy ship was accorded a warm reception by officials from the ENC and Eastern Fleet with the Indian Naval Band in attendance on arrival.
●    BNS Somudra Avijan, commanded by Commander M Moniruzzaman (TAS), Psc, BN is a part of Cadet Training Squadron with 60 cadets embarked aboard sea training. 
●    During the stay in Vizag, a variety of activities including professional, cross deck visit, sports fixture and social interactions have been scheduled for the crew. 
●    The commanding officer will also call-on Vice Admiral HCS Bisht, PVSM AVSM ADC, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief ENC.

IIT Roorkee part of Indo-US consortium on smart energy system

IIT-Roorkee today said it has become a part of an Indo-US consortium working on a project for smart energy distribution system, Smart Grids.
●    The USD 75 million 5-year project, named US-India Collaboration for Smart Distribution System with Storage (UI- ASSIST), is part of the Indo-US Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Center (JCERDC).
●    It will work towards addressing issues related to the adoption and deployment of smart grids including storage in the distribution network, IIT Roorkee said in a statement.
●    One of the most important aspects of this project is to bridge the gap between smart grid, storage and renewable energy research in order to facilitate its subsequent adoption, it said.
●    Under this mega project, IIT Roorkee has been awarded a grant of over Rs 4.17 crore.
●    The group will conduct research and deploy new smart grid and energy storage technologies which will help in modernising grids, make them smarter and increase their resilience and reliability.

Current Affairs 17th October 2017: RANKING AND REPORTS

Forbe's Richest list 2017 
The Forbes list of 400 richest Americans shows that the billionaire-in-chief's fortune fell by $600 million to $3.1 billion. 
●    As a result he dropped to #248 on the list, after coming in at #156 last year.
●    The magazine attributed his decline in wealth to "a tough New York real estate market, particularly for retail locations; a costly lawsuit and an expensive presidential campaign." 
●    Trump reached a $25 million settlement in a suit that claims that his Trump University real estate seminars defrauded students.
●    But overall the richest Americans are richer than they were a year ago. 
●    In fact it now takes a record $2 billion to make the cut of the richest 400 Americans. 
●    The magazine estimates there are 169 billionaires who were too "poor" to make the cut, including Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg.
●    Bill Gates tops the list for the 24th straight year with a net worth estimated at $89 billion. 
●    Amazon (AMZN, Tech30) founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, worth $81.5 billion, held on to the No. 2 spot he first claimed in 2016. 
●    Warren Buffett, remains No. 3 with a fortune worth $78 billion.

Google Viewed as Most Authentic Brand in India, Amazon Globally: Survey

Indian consumers regard Google as the most authentic brand, even though Amazon tops the list globally, reveal results of a new survey on Tuesday.
●    In India, Google is followed by Microsoft, Amazon, Maruti Suzuki, and Apple.
●    "Consumers today want to buy from companies that engage with them in a genuine way. 
●    Our research shows a link between brands that behave and communicate authentically and their ability to attract and keep customers - and, ultimately, build stronger businesses," said Donna Imperato, CEO of global communications agency Cohn & Wolfe.
●    Globally, Apple takes the second spot after Amazon in the authenticity race, according to the results revealed by Cohn & Wolfe.
●    The global authenticity index puts Microsoft, Google and PayPal at third, fourth and fifth places respectively - all technology brands, said the 2017 "Authentic Brands Study".
●    According to the findings, 67 percent of consumers in India report increased purchase interest in a brand they perceive as authentic.