Important Current Affairs of 11th July

NATIONAL:

Govt initiates proposal to establish first National Police University.

• Centre today said it has initiated a proposal to establish the first National Police University in the country.

It will be dedicated to imparting education in policing and internal security.

In a written reply in Lok Sabha the Minister of State for Home Affairs, G. Kishan Reddy said the university will conduct undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate academic programmes in specialized subjects.

He said Gujarat, Rajasthan and Jharkhand have set up dedicated universities for conducting courses in police services and internal security.

Prasar Bharati signs MoU with IIT Kanpur for research collaboration in newly emerging technologies.

• Prasar Bharati and Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur today signed a Memorandum of Understanding for research collaboration in newly emerging technologies and broadcasting-related areas in New Delhi.

• The move is likely to boost research activities in the broadcasting field. Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharati Shashi Shekhar Vempati and Director, IIT Kanpur Abhay Karandikar were present at this juncture.

• Direct to mobile broadcasting, Convergence of 5G, Artificial Intelligence Incubation Centre by Prasar Bharati and student internship for students of IIT, Kanpur at Prasar Bharati are among the main areas in the research collaboration.

• Speaking on the occasion, Mr Vempati said, this engagement with IIT, Kanpur on Research and Development and innovation are very important as it is the onus of the largest public broadcaster to actively look to the future, develop and shape the future with emerging technologies.

The MoU will be effective from today and remain in force for a period of five years. The institutes may extend the term in writing through mutual agreement.

AGREEMENTS AND MOU’S:

Homegrown VNL to build digital villages in Vietnam.

• VNL has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Vietnam, to provide solutions for advancing rural connectivity by creating Digital Villages in Vietnam’s underserved areas,” the Gurugram-based company in a statement said.

• The development comes on the back of India’s efforts to provide digital connectivity in CLMV countries namely Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

The Indian companies are eying the Southeast Asia region for their business expansion with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government sharing strategic ties for developmental initiatives with the countries.

BANKS AND ECONOMICS:

Oriental Bank of Commerce bank cuts MCLR rate upto 10 bps.

• Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) has reduced the marginal cost of funds-based lending rate (MCLR) by up to 10 basis points (bps) for various tenors. It is effective from 11 July 2019. MCLR for overnight has been reduced to 8.20% from 8.30% and one-month loan tenor has been reduced by 10 bps from 8.35% to 8.25%.

Similarly, MCLR has been decreased by 5 bps for:

1) three-month loan to 8.45%

2) six-month loan to 8.55%

3) one-year tenor loans to 8.65%.

Previosly, the MCLR for three-month, six-month and one-year tenor loans were at 8.50% , 8.60% and 8.70%, respectively.

RBI's announcement:

The move comes after the announcement of RBI's Governor Shaktikanta Das who said that RBI expects faster transmission of the three successive repo rate cuts totalling 75 basis points.

In June the RBI announced 25 bps repo rate cut in the Monetary Policy review. It is expected to reduce still, in the next meeting of the monetary policy committee which is scheduled for 5-9 August.

Other banks reduces MCLR:

The State Bank of India had lowered its MCLR by 5 basis points across all tenors on 9 July 2019.

In June RBI announced rate cut in Monetary Policy review. After the announcement, Bank of Maharashtra, Corporation Bank and IDBI Bank had reduced their MCLR by 5-10 bps in the month of May 2019.

MCLR:

MCLR is abbreviated as Marginal Cost of funds based Lending Rate

MCLR refers to the minimum interest rate of a bank below which it cannot lend, except in some cases allowed by the RBI. MCLR is the reference rate or an internal benchmark set by and for the bank.

Oriental Bank of Commerce:

Founded on: 19 February 1943

Headquarters: Gurugram, India

MD & CEO: Mukesh Kumar Jain

Total assets: ₹237,541.54 crore

The Bank has around 2700 branches and 2621 ATMs across India.  It is one of the promising public sector banks (PSBs) in India.

DAYS:

World Population Day 11 July.

• World Population Day, which seeks to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues, was established by the then-Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989, an outgrowth of the interest generated by the Day of Five Billion, which was observed on 11 July 1987.

• This year's World Population Day calls for global attention to the unfinished business of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development. Twenty-five years have passed since that landmark conference, where 179 governments recognized that reproductive health and gender equality are essential for achieving sustainable development.

• In November, UNFPA, together with the governments of Kenya and Denmark, will be convening a high-level conference in Nairobi to accelerate efforts to achieve these unmet goals. On World Population Day, advocates from around the world are calling on leaders, policymakers, grassroots organizers, institutions and others to help make reproductive health and rights a reality for all.

Why Do We Mark International Days?

• International days are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool.

AWARDS:

Smith Nephew's NAVIO Honored at the Economic Times Best Healthcare Brands 2019.

• NAVIO, a robotics-assisted surgery system from Smith & Nephew, a Global medical technology provider, has recently been felicitated at the prestigious 'The Economic Times Best Healthcare Brands 2019' at a glittering ceremony held in the capital of India recently. This coveted and one of the most prestigious awards in India honors brands which have shown robust growth by high customer satisfaction in the healthcare sector. The recognition was based of an extensive research carried out by the Economic Times, the business publication of the Times of India Group.

• NAVIO surgical system has been designed to aid Indian surgeons with implant alignment, ligament balancing and bone preparations which are the key factors for patient satisfaction. While conventional knee replacement surgery is highly successful, incidences of improperly installed replacement parts are not uncommon. To improve outcomes, Indian surgeons are now using the NAVIO robotic-assisted total knee replacement surgery and it has shown to be extremely effective for partial and total knee replacement surgery and resulting in improved functional outcomes for the patient. NAVIO enables the surgeon to fix only the damaged part of the knee to absolute perfection, saving all the other normal structures of the joint.

SPORTS:

Commonwealth C'ships: Rakhi Halder, Davinder Kaur win gold medals on second day.

• Rakhi Halder and Davinder Kaur won a gold medal each in the senior women's section as Indian weightlifters continued their impressive show on the second day of the Commonwealth Championships in Apia Samoa today.

India also won five other gold medals in the junior and youth sections.

The Commonwealth Championships are being held simultaneously together for the youth, junior and senior categories.

Kaur lifted a total of 184kg  to win the women's 59kg gold while Halder clinched the yellow metal with a combined effort of 214kg  in the  64kg category.

On the first day yesterday, India had clinched 8 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals. Former world champion Mirabai Chanu had clinched the gold in women's 49kg with a total lift of 191kg.