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Important Current Affairs 8th August 2018

Important Current Affairs 8th August 2018

Current Affairs 8th August 2018: NATIONAL NEWS

Launch of integration & availability of TRAI Mobile Apps on UMANG platform

•    TRAI has now integrated its Mobile Apps namely DND 2.0 & MyCall with UMANG Platform.
•    Chairperson, TRAI launched integration and availability of following TRAI apps in a function held at TRAI, New Delhi on 7th August 2018. Certain key features of these applications are:
(a) TRAI MyCall App
TRAI MyCall is an intuitive and user friendly application for Crowdsourced Voice Call Quality Monitoring. The Application helps Mobile phone users to rate their experience about voice call quality in real time and help TRAI gather consumer experience data along with Network data.
(b) DND 2.0 App
DND (Do Not Disturb) Services App enables smart phone users to register their mobile number under DND and report spam messages or calls to avoid Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC)/Telemarketing Calls/SMS.

UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance)
•    UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) is developed by National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
•    UMANG provides a single platform for all Indian Citizens to access pan India e-Gov services ranging from Central to Local Government bodies and other citizen centric services.


Implementation of scholarship to young artists (SYA) Scheme under the scheme of Scholarship & Fellowship for promotion of Art and Culture
 

•    Ministry of Culture is implementing a scheme component of scholarship to young artists (SYA) under the scheme of Scholarship & Fellowship for promotion of Art and Culture. 
•    This scheme is for young artists in the age group of 18 to 25 years for undergoing advanced training in different cultural fields. 
•    Under this scheme an amount of Rs. 5,000/- p.m. is given to the selected young artists for 02 years. The amount of scholarship under this Scheme is not released State-wise but directly into the bank account of beneficiaries.
 

 Implementation of a Scheme namely “Scheme for Pension and Medical Aid to Artistes” (SPMAA)
 

•    Ministry of Culture is also implementing a Scheme namely “Scheme for Pension and Medical Aid to Artistes” (SPMAA) under which maximum financial assistance of Rs.4000/- (Rupees Four Thousand Only) in the form of monthly pension is provided to old and poor artists including performing artists.
•    An amount of 50.7 Crores allocated and about 9,540 artists benefited under the Scheme for Pension and Medical Aid to Artistes in the last 3 years.

Important:

Minister of State (independent charge) for Culture and Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate change is Dr. Mahesh Sharma.
 


Approval of Rs 11,698 cr additional expenditure by Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha has passed the Supplementary Demands for Grants - First Batch of 2018-19 in which Government had sought additional expenditure of 11,698 crore rupees. 

It involves net cash outgo of 5,951 crore rupees and additional expenditure of 5,745 crore rupees. 

Important Figures:

•    Of the cash spends of 5,951 crore, as much as 1,792 crore will go to the Agriculture Ministry, 

•    1,500 crore rupees to the Textiles Ministry for meeting additional expenditure,

•    Equity infusion of 980 crore in state-owned Air India and 600 crore rupees for meeting additional expenditure towards payment of arrears of revised Time Related Continuity Allowance to Gramin Dak Sewaks

•    Besides 1,058 crore rupees is being allocated to Defence Ministry towards salary and allowances in respect of employees of Border Roads Organisation.

•    The Petroleum Ministry has been allocated 1,708 crore rupees as grants for creation of capital assets under various schemes.


Maharashtra Government's special assistance for OBC community


•    Maharashtra Government has announced a special assistance of 500 crore rupees for OBC community to help them develop employment opportunities for the youth.

•    The state government has recommended to the Centre that the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, be conferred posthumously on 19th-century social reformer Jyotiba Phule and his wife Savitribai Phule, a pioneer of women’s education.


•    OBCs constitute 52 percent of the state’s population and they enjoy 17 percent reservation.


ACMA demands to bring auto component sector under uniform 18% GST slab

•    The Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) demanded on 6th August demanded that the industry should be brought under a uniform 18 per cent GST rate.

•    According to the ACMA President Nirmal Minda "A benign rate of 18 per cent will not only ensure better compliance, but will also ensure a larger tax base,"


 Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA)
•    The Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) is the apex body representing the interest of the Indian Auto Component Industry. 

•    Its membership of over 780 manufacturers contributes more than eighty five per cent of the auto component industry's turnovers in the organised sector. 


Kaziranga National Park not covered under the ‘Adopt a Heritage’ scheme

No sites have been adopted by any private institute in Assam under the ‘Adopt a Heritage’ scheme. Any monument/heritage site/natural site for whose inclusion, the concerned asset owner (ASI, State Government etc) agrees can be considered under the Adopt a Heritage Scheme. Kaziranga National Park is not covered under the scheme yet.


Adopt a Heritage – Salient Feature of Project Guidelines
•    ‘Adopt a Heritage’ project focusses on providing basic public conveniences and amenities which include cleanliness, drinking water, ease of access for differently abled and senior citizens, standardized signage, illumination and advanced amenities such as surveillance system, night viewing facilities, tourism facilitation centre etc.
•    It aims to involve public sector companies, private sector companies and corporate citizens/individuals to take up the responsibility for making our heritage and tourism more sustainable through development, operation and maintenance of world-class tourist infrastructure and amenities at ASI/State heritage sites and other important tourist sites in India.


Primary objectives of this Scheme:
 

•    To develop basic and advanced tourism infrastructure.
•    To promote cultural and heritage value of the country to generate livelihoods of local communities of respective heritage site/monument/tourist site.
•    To develop sustainable tourism infrastructure and ensuring proper Operations and Maintenance therein and thus increase the attractiveness of the tourist destinations.


Viability Gap Scheme for Revenue Generating Tourism Projects
 

•    The Ministry under the scheme of 'Viability Gap Scheme for Revenue Generating Tourism Projects' promotes Public Private Partnership (PPP) in tourism infrastructure development in case of Revenue Generating Tourism Projects which include Tourist Trains, Inter-Island/ Intra-Island/ Inland Waterway Ferries, Sea Cruise Vessels, Convention Centre’s, Rope-ways/Cable Cars/Funicular Rail, Theme Parks, Amusement Parks, Ski-Cable, Heli-Tourism, Spas. 
•    At present there is no project where PPP model is used to develop tourism under this Scheme.
Important Fact:
•    The scheme of Assistance to Large Revenue Generating Projects, now renamed as 'Viability Gap Scheme for Revenue Generating Tourism Projects.
•    The Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism is Shri. K. J. Alphons.

Revised MoA signed for Funding of Central Share of 99 Prioritized Irrigation Projects
 

A revised Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) has been signed amongst Govt. of India (through MoWR, RD & GR), NABARD and National Water Development Agency (NWDA) for funding of central share of 99 prioritized irrigation projects under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) through Long Term Irrigation Fund (LTIF).

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)

During 2015-16 PMKSY was launched by the Central Government with an overarching vision to ensure access to some means of protective irrigation for all agricultural farms in the country, and to produce ‘per drop more crop’, thus bringing much desired rural prosperity.
 


SC and the ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act passed by Lok Sabha
 

The Lok Sabha unanimously passed a Bill to reverse the effects of a Supreme Court order concerning certain safeguards against arrests under the SC/ST law.
All you need to know about the SC and the ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act
On March 20, the Supreme Court bench of Justices AK Goel and UU Lalit ruled that the arrest of an accused under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act should be made after preliminary enquiry. The bench found that the Act had been misused in a vast number of cases and had "diluted" IPC Section 498A (relating to domestic violence) citing gross misuse by complainants. 
                             
Key points related to SC/ST Act 1989:

•    The Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is popularly known as POA. The SC/ST Act was enacted on September 9, 1989. 

•    The SC/ST Act lists 22 offences relating to various patterns or behaviors cause criminal offences and breaking the self-respect and esteem of the scheduled castes and tribes community. This includes denial of economic, democratic and social rights, discrimination, exploitation and abuse of the legal process.

•    According to the SC/ST Act, the protection is provided from social disabilities such as denial of access to certain places and to use customary passage, personal atrocities like forceful drinking or eating of inedible food, sexual exploitation, injury etc, and atrocities affecting properties, malicious prosecution, political disabilities and economic exploitation.

•    In each district, for speedy trial, this SC/ST Act provides a special court to try offences.

Current Affairs 8th August 2018: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

3rd India-Nepal Coordination meeting 
 
The 3rd India-Nepal Coordination meeting will be held in New Delhi on 8th August 2018.


Objective:
Several important matters like security scenario along the border, coordination meetings at field level, sharing of information about crimes and criminals, training of armed police personnel and mutual visits by officers of two countries will be discussed. 
Important:

•    Inspector General of Nepal Armed Police Force is Shailendra Khanal 
•    Home Secretary of India is Rajiv Gauba.
 


Andaman rule for Restricted Area Permit eased for tourism

•    The Union home ministry has excluded 29 inhabited islands in Andaman and Nicobar from Restricted Area Permit (RAP) with an aim to boost tourism.
•    Foreigners are not allowed to enter most of the hundreds of Andaman &Nicobar islands and they are required to obtain a RAP to visit the islands.

What is Restricted Area Permit (RAP)?

In addition, the Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order 1968 states that a Restricted Area Permit (RAP) is required for non-Indians to visit certain areas in India. As of 2009, RAP is required for all visits to the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and parts of the state of Sikkim.

Trekking Expedition of Indian Army and Royal Bhutan Army 

A joint Cycling cum Trekking Expedition of Indian Army and Royal Bhutan Army was conducted to commemorate “Fifty years of Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between India and Bhutan”. 

•    The expedition began on 31 July from Haa Dzong in Bhutan and was flagged-in at Thimpu on 07 August 2018. 

•    A total of seventeen personnel of both armies participated in the expedition which covered a total of 384 kms of distance across challenging mountainous terrain in both India and Bhutan.

Important point:

•    India and Bhutan celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations this year 2018.

•    Tshering Tobgay is the 7th and current Prime Minister of Bhutan.

Current Affairs 8th August 2018:  SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Earth heading towards the threat of irreversible 'hothouse' state

According to a study our planet is at the risk of entering an irreversible 'hothouse' condition - where the global temperatures will rise by four to five degrees and sea levels may surge by up to 60 metres higher than today - even if targets under the Paris climate deal are met.

Key points from the study:

•    According to the researchers, keeping global warming to within 1.5-2 degrees Celsius may be more difficult than previously assessed. 

•    Human emissions of greenhouse gas are not the sole determinant of temperature on Earth.

•    This study suggests that human-induced global warming of two degrees Celsius may trigger other Earth system processes, often called "feedbacks," that can drive further warming - even if we stop emitting greenhouse gases," .

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