Important Current Affairs 8th September 2017

Important Current Affairs 8th September 2017

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Current Affairs 8th September 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurates the new HQs building of Bureau of Police Research and Development 

The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the new HQs building of Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), Ministry of Home Affairs here today. 
●    While inaugurating the building, Shri Rajnath Singh appreciated the efforts of BPR&D and the NBCC for timely completion of the project. 
●    He appreciated the ambiance and positive environment and hoped that it would motivate the staff working here to perform better. 
●    He agreed that the pay structure of certain ranks of deputationists is anomalous and requires to be corrected. 
●    The Union Home Minister also agreed that MHA will consider the request of BPR&D for incentive of 30% like other training institutions so that more officers would join the organization willingly. 
●    The Union Home Minister also awarded the Union Home Minister’s Medal for best Police Trainer to Shri Sulkhan Singh, DGP, UP. 
●    He also gave away Police Medals to the officials of the BPR&D, namely, Dr. Nirmal Kumar Azad, Inspector General, NPM, Shri Sanjay Sharma, PSO (W), Dr. S. Karthikeyan, Assistant Director, R&CA, Shri Ranveer Singh Gahlot, Dy. SP, CDTS Jaipur and Shri Sudhakar Deshmukh, Assistant, CDTS Hyderabad. 

CGWB enters into MoA with IIS Bangalore 

Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), Ministry of Water Resources, RD & GR has entered into an Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore for ‘Development of ground water flow models and preparation of aquifer management plans for parts of Karnataka’.
●    This mathematical model being developed as a part of the aquifer mapping and management programme will render better understanding of existing groundwater scenarios, predicting response of groundwater system to various stress conditions expected to arise in the future and developing effective management plans incorporating different demand and supply side interventions. 
●    The study will cover an area of 48000 sqr. kms comprising Chikballapur and Kolar Districts and parts of Bagalkot, Bangalore Rural, Belgaum, Bellary, Chitradurga, Davanagere, Gadag, Gulbarga and Yadgir districts.
●    The study has to be completed within a year and IISc will present an inception report and a final comprehensive report. 
●    The inception report has to be submitted within two months of the signing of the agreement. 
●    The inception report will include detailed work plan and timelines specific to the study area keeping in view the objectives, scope, methodology, timeline and deliverables outlined in the Agreement.

Forensic audit imposed on Hit Kit

SEBI has ordered a forensic audit of Hit Kit Global Solutions Ltd (HKGSL), which figures among 331 suspected shell companies under regulatory scanner, even as trading curbs imposed on the firm have been removed.
●    Earlier this week, SEBI had ordered forensic audit of two Kavit Industries and GV Films, while revoking trading curbs on their shares. 
●    In an interim order dated September 7, SEBI said there are inconsistencies between HKGSL’s books of accounts and its submissions before the regulator.
●    In an interim order dated September 7, Sebi said there are inconsistencies between HKGSL's books of accounts and its submissions before the regulator.
●    The regulator also noted that it would be appropriate that the restrictions imposed on promoters and directors of the company be removed and trading in securities of HKGSL be reverted to the status as it stood prior to issuance of letter dated August 7 by Sebi.

GST Council to meet in Hyderabad 

The 21st meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, composed of states' finance ministers and headed by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, is slated to be held in Hyderabad on Saturday.
●    Following the council's previous meeting here last month, Jaitley had appealed to the Indian industry to pass on to customers the benefits of the novel input credit system introduced in the new pan-India indirect tax regime that is available to suppliers of goods and services in the country. 
●    Under the GST, goods and services providers will get the benefit of input tax credit for the goods used, effectively making the real incidence of taxation lower than the headline taxation rate. 
●    The council also announced that anti-profiteering screening committees would be set up to give effect to the National Anti-Profiteering Authority, set up under the GST law. 
●    Among other decisions, the council also decided to implement the GST provision on e-way bills requiring goods more than Rs 50,000 in value to be pre-registered online before they could be moved. 

CBI files corruption case against ex-CMD Bharat Coking Coal Ltd and L&T

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday filed a corruption, cheating and criminal conspiracy case against former Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) - T K Lahiry, other senior officials of the Public Sector Undertaking and construction/engineering giant Larsen and Toubro (L&T) Limited for alleged irregularities in Rs 383.92 crore contract for supply of 100 tipper trucks used in the mining.
●    CBI in its FIR stated that the contract, given to L&T in 2012-13, at an exorbitant rate along with exorbitant cost of maintenance caused a pecuniary loss of Rs 97.04 crore to the government exchequer.
●    The agency has named former CMD Lahiry, Ashok Sarkar and Dinesh Chandra jha (ex-Directors technical project in BCCL), A N Sahay, SK Panigrahi, Barain Sinha, G Upreti, AK Gangopadhyay (all former GMs in the PSU), posted at Dhanbad at that time, apart from L&T in its FIR.

PNB, BSNL Join Hands For Mobile Wallet Speedpay Roll Out

Punjab National Bank and state-run firm BSNL today teamed up to roll out open mobile wallet Speedpay across 10 states in the country.
●    PNB's Speedway wallet will operate like any other mobile wallet for paying bills, charging phone besides its users will be able to deposit and withdraw money from authorised retail outlets.
●    Also, Speedway users will be able to operate Internet banking services from the application.
●    "India is now second largest market in the world with 120 crore mobile users. Congratulating BSNL, Punjab National Bank and the technology partners in helping India moving towards less cash economy," Telecom minister Manoj Sinha said at an event to mark the agreement signing ceremony between BSNL and PNB.
●    Under the agreement, BSNL will expand Speedpay services in Punjab, Chandigarh(UT), Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand.
●    A senior BSNL officer said that retailers and agents associated with the telecom firm and PNB will be brought into the loop for providing Speedpay services.

Current Affairs 8th September 2017: APPOINTMENT

Hockey Coach Appointed

The Joint Committee Meeting of SAI and HI held at SAI, here on 7th September 2017 appointed Shri Harendra Singh, Dronacharya Awardee, Hockey Coach as High Performance Specialist Coach for Indian Senior Women Hockey Team. 
●    This decision has been taken jointly by SAI and Hockey India on the basis of recent and past performance of Shri Harendra Singh, wherein under his coaching the junior men team won the Junior Men World Cup in 2016 at Lucknow. 
●    He was also the Chief Coach of the Senior Men Hockey team from 2008 to 2009 and National coach from 2009 to 2010. He is a Level III certified Coach. 
●    Mr Harendra Singh will take over the new responsibility shortly.
●    It has also been decided in the meeting that, the present Chief Coach of India senior women Hockey Team, Mr. Waltherus Norbertus Maria Marijne will take over as Chief Coach of Indian Senior Men Hockey Team on his return from the ongoing Europe tour. 
●    Mr. Marijne has accepted the offer of Chief Coach of the senior Indian Men Hockey Team.
 

Current Affairs 8th September 2017: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Exercise Yudh Abhyas – 2017 

As part of the ongoing Indo-US defence cooperation, a joint military training, Exercise Yudh Abhyas - 2017 is being conducted at Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington, USA from 14 to 27 September 17. 
●    Exercise Yudh Abhyas is one of the largest joint running military training and defence corporation endeavors between India and USA. 
●    This will be the 13th edition of the joint exercise hosted alternately between the two countries.
●    Exercise Yudh Abhyas will provide an opportunity to the armed forces of both countries to train in an integrated manner at Battalion level with joint planning at Brigade level. 
●    Multiple scenarios will be rehearsed during the joint exercise with a view to understand each-other’s organisational structure and battle procedures which would result in a higher degree of jointmanship that would further facilitate interoperability between the armed forces of both countries to meet any unforeseen contingency across the globe. 
●    The exercise is also an ideal platform to learn from each-other’s experiences of planning and execution of operations.