Important Current Affairs 24th July 2017

Important Current Affairs 24th July 2017

Current Affairs 24th July 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Dr Jitendra Singh lays foundation stone of Barak Hostel at JNU campus 

The Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (I/C), Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh laid the foundation stone of Barak Hostel in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus here today. 
●    During the occasion, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that it has been a long wait for today’s event to take place. 
●    He highlighted that JNU has more than 8,000 students, out of which there are more students from Northeast than any other State outside NE region. 
●    He said that last year, the Foundation Stone of a Hostel exclusively for Northeast girl students was also laid in Bangalore University. 
●    Dr. Jitendra Singh said that the focus of the Government is to bring rest of India closer to North East India. 
●    He said that the Ministry of DoNER has created “Venture Capital Fund” for the young Start-Ups and entrepreneurs, who decide to initiate an enterprise in NE region. 
●    He said that this initiative is in addition to all the incentives available for Northeast. 
●    He also emphasized upon the literacy rate of Northeast region and said that the State of Mizoram has a high literacy rate, next to Kerala.

Airport Authority of India signs MoU with Govt. of Uttarakhand for development for aviation sector in the State

Going ahead with its commitment towards the responsibility of creating, upgrading, maintaining and managing civil aviation infrastructure in the country, Airports Authority of India (AAI) signed an MoU with Government of Uttarakhand last week and joined hands with Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) to develop the civil aviation sector in the state. 
●    The scope of the MoU is to identify relevant factors influencing the development of civil aviation infrastructure in Uttarakhand, assessing commercial potential of various airports of the state, identifying technical considerations for airport operations in the state, evaluating site related technical and engineering parameters for development of projects, making estimate of the capital outlay for the future projects and development of master plan for existing and future civil aviation infrastructure in the state. 
●    AAI will also assist UCADA in obtaining necessary clearances for airport operations starting with the upgraded airport at Pithoragarh and later at Chiniyalisaur. 
●    The MoU was signed by Shri. S. Ramaswamy, Chief Secretary, Government of Uttarakhand and Shri. Anil Gupta, General Manager (Business Development). Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Secretary, GoUK said that the Government of Uttarakhand is determined to fulfill the long pending requirement of operational airports within the state. 
●    These airports would also be part of the Regional Connectivity Scheme and will boost tourism and air connectivity for the local public.

Lok Sabha Amends Free, Compulsory Education Bill

The Lok Sabha on Friday gave its approval to a bill amending the law on free and compulsory education to extend the deadline for teachers to acquire the prescribed minimum qualifications for appointment. 
●    Replying to a brief debate on the The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2017, Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javedakar said that some states have adopted innovative ways to tackle with the problem of proxy teachers.
●    He said one of the ways was of putting up photographs of teachers in the school and another was a technology application that registers attendance when students and teachers are in 50 feet radius of the school.
●    Responding to points raised by members, he said learning outcomes were important and the government was planning to bring a bill to boost academic performances.

UP Government announces to launch all-women 'Pink' AC buses with CCTV cameras

The Uttar Pradesh (UP) Government on 24 July 2017 announced to launch 'Pink' air-conditioned buses installed with CCTV cameras exclusively for women. 
●    The staff, including the conductor in these buses, will be women only. The 'Pink' buses will have panic buttons installed for emergencies.
●    A presentation in this regard was made before the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development on 21 July 2017 by the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) authorities.
●    Following this, the Union Ministry sanctioned funds for the 50 buses from its 'Nirbhaya Fund' for the 'Pink' buses in UP. 
●    The ministry permitted the state government to buy the buses and install CCTV cameras in the other 12500 buses owned by the UPSRTC.
●    The Union Government created the Rs 1000 crore Nirbhaya Fund in 2013 after the 2012 gangrape case, in which a girl named Nirbhaya was brutally raped. 
●    These funds were created to support gender sensitisation and to ensure safety of women.

India to host Global Conference on Cyber Space 2017

Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology and Law & Justice in July 2017 announced that the 5th Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS), one of the world’s largest conferences on Cyber Space and related issues, will be hosted by India.
●    The Conference will take place on 23 and 24 November 2017 in New Delhi.
●    The 5th Global Conference on Cyber Space will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.
●    It is the first time ever that the Global Conference on Cyber Space is taking place outside Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations.
 

Current Affairs 24th July 2017: APPOINTMENTS

Gopal Baglay appointed as Joint Secretary in PMO

Gopal Baglay, the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, was on 21 July 2017 appointed as the Joint Secretary to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). 
●    His appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) for a period of three years.
●    Baglay succeeds Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who is now appointed as India's Ambassador to France.
●    Baglay's appointment as the Joint Secretary came less than five months after he took charge as Head of the ministry's external publicity division. 
●    He is likely to be succeeded by Raveesh Kumar, Consul General of India in Frankfurt.
●    Baglay is a 1992 batch Indian Foreign Service officer.
●    He has handled media at the embassy in Kathmandu as a counsellor from 2008 to 2010.
●    Baglay has served as Deputy High Commissioner to Islamabad from 2011 to 2014.
 

Current Affairs 24th July 2017: SPORTS

England beats India by 9 runs to lift ICC Women's World Cup 2017

●    The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup is the oldest and most prestigious international women's cricket tournament.
●    It is currently organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
●    Until 2005, it was administered by a separate body, the International Women's Cricket Council (IWCC).
●    The first World Cup was held in England in 1973, two years before the inaugural men's tournament.
●    The eleven World Cups played to date have been held in five different countries, with India and England having hosted the event three times.
 

Current Affairs 24th July 2017: OBITUARY

Senior Congress Leader Shivajirao Giridhar Patil passes away

Shivajirao Girdhar Patil, senior Congress leader, freedom fighter and former Maharashtra Minister passed away at a private hospital in Mumbai on 22 July 2017. He was 92.
●    The father of late National Award winning actress Smita Patil, he began his social activism at an early age when he took part in the Indian independence movement. 
●    Patil like his daughter had always displayed a staunch commitment to social causes across sectors with unwavering resolve and contribution in the fields of education and agriculture through the cooperative sector.
●    He was married to Vidyatai Patil, a social worker, who passed away in March 2015 after 77 years of marriage. He is survived by two daughters, Anita Deshmukh and Manya Seth and actor grandson, Prateik Babbar, the son of Smita who had died during childbirth in December 1986.
●    Senior Congress Leader and Freedom Fighter Shivajirao Giridhar Patil passes away 
●    He served as an active politician since a very young age and had been associated with several political parties including CPI, Congress, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party.
●    He began his career as a radical and a freedom fighter and was attracted to the Communist movement as a teenager.