Important Current Affairs 24th June 2017

Important Current Affairs 24th June 2017

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Current Affairs 24th June 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Indore Becomes First City in India to Install a ‘Robocop’ for Traffic Management

A pilot project comprising a 14-foot gigantic robot that will manage traffic was revealed in Indore on Monday.
●    Apart from rotating on its axis and having mobile arms that can produce hand signals, the robot has an inbuilt public address system and a Wi-Fi enabled camera that will be able to take snaps of traffic violators and generate e-challan.
●    This is probably the first time in the country that a robot has replaced humans in traffic management.
●    “It was a successful experiment, and the robot will stay there and manage traffic every day. We also have plans to put up such robots in other squares in Indore,” Hari Narayan Chari, Indore deputy inspector general of police (DIG) .
●    Already earning the ‘Robocop’ moniker, the robot is installed on a five foot pedestal at the busy MR 9 intersection in the city and has been attracting a lot of attention for its futuristic appearance.

DHL to invest $100 million in India to meet GST challenges

Global logistics group DHL, with plans to invest $ 100 million in India, is working with its customers to prepare for the Goods and Services Tax (GST) rolling out in the country from next month.
●    Well ahead of the curve, DHL is planning to invest over $100 million in its supply chain operations in India in the next three to four years to meet the expected increasing demand following the GST implementation.
●    “We are working together on how to create new solutions for the Indian market especially focusing on GST for likely immediate challenges,” said Scott Allison, President of Life Sciences & Healthcare sector, DHL Customer Solutions and Innovation.
●    “Ahead of the GST implementation, we want to help our customers to be as prepared as they possibly can be for the GST,” he said at an interview during the 17th DHL Global Life Sciences and Healthcare Conference held in Singapore from 20-22 June.

Passports to be issued in both Hindi and English

Announcing big changes in Indian passport rules, Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on Friday said the newly introduced passports will be available in both languages, Hindi and English. 
●    The move seems to be intended towards making the passport more convenient for the users. Earlier, passports used to be issued in English language.
●    Swaraj further announced the applicants below the age of 8 and senior citizens will have to pay 10 per cent less fee for new passports. 
●    On the fiftieth anniversary of Passports Act, Swaraj said, "We have brought improvement in passport rules, services & focused on doorstep delivery."
●    Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that married women need to change their names even after their marriage to an Indian Passport. 
●    He further said that it is entirely up the discretion of women to use their father/mother/guardian's name for renewing their passport.

Three more UP cities included in Smart City Mission

With the inclusion of Allahabad, Aligarh and Jhansi in the Smart City Mission on Friday, the number of "Smart Cities" from Uttar Pradesh reached seven. 
●    State capital Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur and Agra were already on the list.
●    Allahabad, Aligarh and Jhansi found their way into the list of 30 names released by Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu under the third round of the Smart City Mission.
●    Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath thanked the Central government, in particular, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Naidu, for selecting three new cities from the State.
●    Mr. Adityanath said he would make sincere efforts to get the remaining five contenders from UP —Meerut, Rae Bareli, Ghaziabad, Saharanpur and Rampur — included in the list.
●    The Chief Minister gave his assurance that the State government would work with all urgency and sincerity to complete the development work of these Smart Cities, a government spokesperson said.

Penalty upto Rs 10,000 to 5 year jail term under GST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government had decided to roll outthe Goods and Service Tax (GST) from July 1. 
●    Which means from the first day of the next month, the country will be under the new game-changer tax policy.
●    Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government had decided to roll outthe Goods and Service Tax (GST) from July 1.
●    Which means from the first day of the next month, the country will be under the new game-changer tax policy. 
●    According to a report by Bhaskar, if anyone who gets involved in tax evasion or fraud under GST, will have to face certain consequences, which can even mean going behind the bars. 
●    The government is going to implement laws in relation to GST and even though Centre says the intention is not to harass anyone, laws have to be obeyed. 
●    And these entail norms according to which people will be punished if they indulge in illegality. So, forewarned is forearmed, here’s what you should not to do under GST to avoid punishment.
●    People will be punished under GST law if they are found evading tax or being involved in any other fraud related to tax.

Indian Navy’s first indigenously built floating dock launched

On June 20, 2017, the Indian Navy’s first indigenously built floating dock was launched at the Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (L&T) shipyard in Kattupalli. 
●    This is a milestone in India’s quest for self-reliance in ship building.
●    According to IANS, Yard 55000 was launched by Anjali Deshpande, the wife of Vice Admiral DM Deshpande, Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition. 
●    The launch was held at L&T’s shipyard.
●    The indigenous-built dock was testimony to the capabilities available in India for realising the ‘Make in India’ vision.
●    The floating dock built is 185 metres long and 40 metres wide. 
●    It will enable the docking of all kinds of vessels including submarines and Indian naval ships of up to 8,000 tonnes displacement with draughts of up to seven metres. 

Current Affairs 24th June 2017: INTERNATIONAL RELATION

US Approves Sale Of 22 Guardian Unmanned Drones To India

Just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets President Donald Trump for the first time in Washington, the US has cleared the sale of 22 unmanned Guardian drones to India, news agency Press Trust of India reported on Thursday.
●    The report added that the deal has been approved by the US State Department and has been communicated to the Indian government and the manufacturer of the drone, California-based General Atomics.
●    Securing agreement on the purchase of the 22 unarmed drones - reportedly worth more than $2 billion - was seen in Delhi as a key test of defence ties that flourished under former President Barack Obama but drifted under Mr Trump, who has courted India's rival China as he seeks Beijing's help to contain North Korea's nuclear programme.
●    PM Modi's two-day visit to Washington begins on Sunday. 
●    Mr Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in April and has also had face-time with the leaders of nations including Japan, Britain and Vietnam since taking office in January, prompting anxiety in Delhi that India is no longer a priority in Washington.
 

Current Affairs 24th June 2017: DAYS & DATES

International Widows’ Day observed globally

The International Widows’ Day was observed globally on 23 June 2017. 
●    The day is an opportunity for action towards achieving full rights and recognition for widows, who have been living with an invisible status for too long invisible.
●    The lack of reliable data remains one of the main obstacles to developing the policies and programmes to address the poverty, violence and discrimination faced by widows. 
●    Hence, there is a need for more research and statistics separated by marital status, sex and age, in order to help reveal the incidence of widow abuse and illustrate the situation of widows.
●    Governments need to take action to uphold their commitments to ensure the rights of widows as enshrined in international law, including the Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and the Convention on the rights of the child.