Important Current Affairs 29th July 2017

Current Affairs 29th July 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi launches “Jiyo Parsi Publicity Phase-2” in Mumbai

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Minority Affairs & Parliamentary Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today said here that the NDA Government has been working with commitment to “inclusive growth” and “Antyodaya” to ensure prosperity, security and dignity of the last person of the society.
●    Addressing a large number of people from Parsi community and renowned personalities from various fields at the launch of “Jiyo Parsi Publicity Phase-2” at Mumbai, Shri Naqvi said that Parsi community has immense contribution in nation building and Parsi community has been a “role model” for other communities for its culture and traditions. 
●    The Parsi community has given so many great people who have been “architects of nation building”.
●    Shri Naqvi said that even though the Parsi community is a very small minority community in India, there is no doubt that the Parsi community is one of the most liberal, aware towards education and an example of “peace and harmony”.

Supreme Court ordered to establish family welfare court in every district

The Apex Court has issued a new set of guidelines with the objective of curtailing the misuse of Section 498A of Indian Penal Code. Section 498A was introduced to protect wives from cruelty at the hands of their husbands or his relatives.
●    A two- judge bench comprising of Justice A.K. Goel and UU Lalit has issued the following guidelines-
●    In every district one or more Family Welfare Committees be constituted by the District Legal Services Authorities preferably comprising of three members. The constitution and working of such committees may be reviewed from time to time and at least once in a year by the District and Sessions Judge of the district who is also the Chairman of the District Legal Services Authority.
●    The Committees may be constituted out of para legal volunteers/social workers/retired persons/wives of working officers/other citizens who may be found suitable and willing.
●    The Committee members will not be called as witnesses.
●    Every complaint under Section 498A received by the police or the Magistrate be referred to and looked into by such committee. Such committee may have interaction with the parties personally or by means of telephone or any other mode of communication including electronic communication.
●    Report of such committee be given to the Authority by whom the complaint is referred to it latest within one month from the date of receipt of complaint.
●    The committee may give its brief report about the factual aspects and its opinion in the matter.

Cabinet approves new wage code bill

The Union Cabinet on 26 July 2017 approved the new wage code bill that will ensure a minimum wage across all sectors by integrating four labour related laws.
●    The new Labour Code on Wages Bill will be consolidating the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the Payment of Wages Act, 1936, the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965 and the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976. 
●    The bill was approved by the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
●    The proposed legislation is expected to benefit over 4 Cr employees across the country.
●    The new bill seeks to empower the Centre to set a minimum wage across all sectors in the country, which would have to be maintained by the states as well.
●    However, states will be able to provide for a higher minimum wage in their jurisdiction in place of the amount fixed by the central government.
 

Current Affairs 29th July 2017: GLOBAL NEWS

US to start installing chip in human body

Three Square Market — a developer of software used in vending machines — is offering all of its employees the option to get a microchip implanted between the thumb and forefinger. 
●    It’s quick, painless and the company will even pick up the $300 fee.  There’s no GPS tracking capability yet.
●    The company is expecting 50 of its employees to voluntarily sign up for the implants.
●    The RFID (Radio Frequency ID) chips would allow those employees who volunteer to participate in the program to open doors, pay for purchases, share business cards, store medical information, pay for stuff at other RFID terminals and login to their computers … all with a wave of the hand.
●    The program is also meant to be a real-life opportunity for Westby’s company to test and expand the technology for its own products. 
●    “We see this as another payment and identification option that not only can be used in our markets but our other self-checkout and self-service applications that we are now deploying, which include convenience stores and fitness centers,” another company executive said.
●    Three Square Market claims it will be the first company in the United States to implant chips in its employees.

Current Affairs 29th July 2017: SPORTS

Adam Peaty sets two 50m breaststroke world records in one extraordinary day

Adam Peaty surprised even himself after improving his own 50 metres breaststroke world record by almost half a second in one day at the world championships in Budapest on Tuesday.
●    The Olympic champion won 100m breaststroke gold on Monday’s second day and vowed there would be “something special” over one length on Tuesday. 
●    But even the 22-year-old did not expect what happened – a 0.47sec improvement on the world record of 26.42sec he set in winning the 50m title in Kazan, Russia in 2015.
●    Peaty clocked 26.10 in the morning heat, 0.44 ahead of his nearest rival, and improved his mark to 25.95 in the evening semi-final, 0.73sec clear of the field.
 

Current Affairs 29th July 2017: OBITUARY

N Dharam Singh, former Chief Minister of Karnataka, passes away

N. Dharam Singh, former Chief Minister of Karnataka, passed away on 27 July 2017 Bengaluru following a heart attack. He was 80.
●    Singh had served as the 17th Chief Minister of Karnataka. 
●    He headed the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government from May 2004 to February 2006.
●    Born on 25 December 1936, Dharam Singh Narayan Singh was an Indian politician.
●    He was a Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly for seven consecutive terms and a Member of Parliament representing Bidar in the 14th Lok Sabha.
●    He began his long innings in politics as an Independent Corporator in the Kalaburagi district City Municipal Council by contesting against his own brother.

Current Affairs 29th July 2017: DAYS AND DATES

International Tiger Day 2017 observed

The 2017 International Tiger Day was observed on 29 July 2017. The day is held annually on 29th July to give worldwide attention to the reservation of tigers.
●    In 2017, the International Tiger Day would be celebrated with the slogan Fresh Ecology For Tigers’ Protection.
●    The goal of the day is to promote a global system for protecting the natural habitats of tigers and to raise public awareness and support for tiger conservation issues.
●    The day was founded in 2010 at the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit, with the aim to double the big cat population by 2022.
●    The seventh annual Global Tiger Day was celebrated in various ways around the world. Local events have been organized in Bangladesh, Nepal, and India as well as non-tiger-range countries such as England and the United States.
●    The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) continued its promotion of the "Double Tigers" campaign through investing in rangers.

Important Current Affairs 28th July 2017

Current Affairs 28th July 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Ministry of Health releases Operational Guidelines for Planning and Implementation of Family Participatory Care 

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recently released Operational Guidelines for Planning and Implementation of Family Participatory Care (FPC) for improving newborn health. 
●    The guidelines will serve as a guiding document for those intending to introduce FPC in their facility as an integral part of facility based newborn care.
●    The document also provides details of infrastructure, training, role of health care providers and steps in the operationalization of FPC in the newborn care unit. 
●    The operational guidelines of FPC are for all stakeholders involved in the process of planning and delivering newborn care. 
●    The guidelines also addresses various aspects of attitudes, infrastructural modifications and practice that will help in establishing FPC at Special Newborn Care Units (SNCU) such as sensitization of State and District Managers on FPC, prioritization of SNCUs for initiating FPC, making required infrastructural enhancement in SNCU, creating family participatory care environment in SNCU, ensuring availability of supplies for parents-attendants, training of SNCU staff for SNCU, role of healthcare providers for FPC implementation and institutional support for FPC.

Niti Aayog clears six proposals for high-tech public transport

Mass rapid transportation technologies such as hyperloop, metrino and pod taxis could soon be a reality in India after Niti Aayog cleared half-a-dozen proposals of the transport ministry exploring options to improve public transport. 
●    Following the go-ahead, the transport ministry has formed a six member committee, headed by a former top official of Railways, to study safety parameters associated with these technologies and global practices. 
●    A senior government official at Niti Aayog told ET, the think tank approved the proposals of the transport ministry with a condition that the ministry conducts trial run of all these technologies and puts in place safety measures before starting commercially operation.

No immediate arrest under dowry harassment law: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on 27 July 2017 ruled that the police cannot arrest the accused without conducting a preliminary inquiry under dowry harassment cases.
●    With this, the court puts an end to immediate arrests in dowry harassment cases, under Section 498A of Indian Penal Code (IPC).
●    The ruling was made by a bench of Justices A K Goel and UU Lalit.
●    The court held that arrests in dowry harassment cases, where the maximum punishment is up to 7 years in jail, cannot be made on a belief that the accused may have committed the offence.
●    There has to be adequate material to show that the arrest was necessary to prevent the accused from committing any further offence.
●    However, the bench made it clear that its directions will not extend to cases of tangible injury or death.
●    The court directed states to set up a Family Welfare Committees (FWC) comprising 3 members in every district across the country to keep an eye on the uprightness of each complaint.

Current Affairs 28th July 2017: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) in respect of tax matters identifying areas of cooperation signed by the BRICS Heads of Revenue at the Meeting held at Hangzhou,China

India's GST reform has been hailed by the BRICS countries in a meeting of Revenue Heads in China recently. 
●    In the meeting of the BRICS Heads of Revenue and Tax Experts held at Hangzhou, China from the 25th to 27th of July, 2017, India's GST reforms were appreciated and hailed by the BRICS countries. 
●    The Indian delegation was led by Dr. Hasmukh Adhia, Revenue Secretary of India. 
●    The leaders and representatives from BRICS countries were inquisitive about GST Reforms introduced in India and appreciated efforts of India in bringing about this major reform. 
●    During the Press Conference held after the meeting, the media also enquired about the GST reforms introduced in India. The salient features and advantages of the reform were explained to the media. 
●    During this meeting, the BRICS Heads of Revenue and Tax Experts deliberated upon contemporary International Tax issues. A joint communiqué was issued at the end of the meeting. 
●    A Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) in respect of tax matters identifying areas of cooperation, namely, coordination in International Forums, Capacity building, Experience sharing and regular interaction was also signed by the BRICS Heads of Revenue.
 

Current Affairs 28th July 2017: GLOBAL NEWS

Nawaz Sharif Resigns as Pakistan Prime Minister

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday resigned from his post, his office said, hours after the country’s Supreme Court disqualified him over corruption claims against his family.
●    The Supreme Court said Sharif is not fit to hold office and ordered a criminal investigation into him and his family. The court also disqualified finance minister Ishaq Dar.
●    The prime minister’s office said in a statement that Sharif has “stepped down” despite having “serious reservations” about the judicial process.
●    Pakistan’s top court on Friday disqualified Sharif from office after a damning corruption probe into his family wealth, cutting short his third stint in power.
●    The Supreme Court dismissed Sharif after an investigative panel alleged his family could not account for its vast wealth. Domestic media reported a criminal investigation would also be launched against the premier and his family.

Current Affairs 28th July 2017: OBITUARY

Bollywood Actor Inder Kumar died

Bollywood actor Inder Kumar, who starred in Salman Khan's film 'Wanted', died due to a massive heart attack on Friday, July 28.
●    According to family sources, the actor suffered a heart attack at around 12:30 am while he was at his residence in Four Bungalows, Andheri.
●    Inder worked in several films and starred alongside Salman in 'Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye', 'Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge' and 'Wanted'. 
●    He had also appeared in Ekta Kapoor's long-running TV soap 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' as Mihir Virani. 
●    Currently, he was working on a film titled, "Phati Padi Hai Yaar".
●    Actress Raveena Tandon, who worked with Inder in 1996 film 'Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi', took to Twitter to condole his death.
 

Current Affairs 28th July 2017: APPOINTMENT

Google CEO Sundar Pichai appointed to the board of parent Alphabet

Google CEO Sundar Pichai just got appointed as a board member of Google’s parent company, Alphabet. According to Alphabet’s announcement, Pichai’s appointment to its Board of Directors was effective from July 19. 
●    Chennai-born Pichai joined Google in 2004 and after a major restructuring in 2015; he was elevated to the position of Google’s CEO.
●    Commenting on Pichai’s arrival, Larry Page, CEO of Alphabet and co-founder of Google said, “Sundar has been doing a great job as Google’s CEO, driving strong growth, partnerships, and tremendous product innovation. 
●    I really enjoy working with him and I’m excited that he is joining the Alphabet board.
●    Pichai’s journey in Google which began in 2004 started with helping lead the development of key consumer products. 
●    He then led various departments in Google like product, engineering and research efforts for its products and platforms. 
●    In 2015, Google’s co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin created a new company, Alphabet which serves as the parent company of Google and others like Calico, DeepMind, Google Fiber and CapitalG. As Recode reports, Pichai would be the 13th member of Alphabet’s Board of Directors. 
●    He is also the second to join from Google, the first being Diane Greene who heads the search giant’s cloud division.

Current Affairs 28th July 2017: DAYS AND DATES

World Hepatitis Day 2017 observed globally

The World Hepatitis Day was observed globally on 28 July 2017 with the theme "Eliminate Hepatitis" to mobilize intensified action towards the health targets in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
●    This year's theme is aimed at achieving elimination of hepatitis, greater awareness, increased diagnosis including universal vaccination, blood and injection safety, harm reduction and treatment.
●    The Day aims to bring the world together under a single theme to raise awareness of the global burden of viral hepatitis and to influence real change.
●    11 countries carry almost 50 per cent of the global burden of chronic hepatitis- Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Uganda, Vietnam.
●    17 countries have high prevalence and account for 70 per cent of the global burden of Hepatitis - Cambodia, Cameroon, Colombia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Nepal, Peru, Philippines, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe.

Important Current Affairs 27th July 2017

Current Affairs 27th July 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Ministry of Earth Sciences Celebrates its 11th Foundation Day 

Union Minister for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Environment, Forests & Climate Change Dr. Harshvardhan inaugurated the 11th Foundation Day of Ministry of Earth Sciences in New Delhi today. 
●    Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Harshvardhan said that the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is mandated to provide the nation with the best possible services in forecasting the monsoons and other weather/climate parameters, ocean state, earthquakes, tsunamis and other phenomena related to earth systems, for the Public Safety and socio-economic benefits. 
●    The Ministry also deals with science and technology for exploration and exploitation of ocean resources (living and non-living), and play nodal role for Antarctic/Arctic/Himalayas and Southern Ocean research. 

Harshvardhan launches “Sagar Vani” - An Integrated Information Dissemination System

Minister of Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Dr. Harshvardhan launched an app “Sagar Vani” on the occasion of Foundation Day of Ministry of Earth Sciences in New Delhi today. 
●    ESSO-Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) under Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) provides ocean information services for the benefit of various user communities in the country. 
●    The services are more fruitfully utilized when the advisories reaches the end user in timely manner and in user readable format. 
●    Now-a-days ICT facilities in the country are accessible to large population of the country and that plays a major role in effective dissemination of information to the end user. 
●    ESSO-INCOIS has adopted the state-of-the-art technologies and tools available in the country for the timely dissemination of Ocean Information and Advisory Services that includes Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) advisories, Ocean State Forecast (OSF), High Wave Alerts and Tsunami early warnings.

National Centre for Seismology launches ‘India Quake’ – An App for Earthquake Parameter Dissemination

Union Minister of Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Dr. Harshvardhan launched an app “India Quake” on the occasion of Foundation Day of Ministry of Earth Sciences in New Delhi today. 
●    National Centre for Seismology (NCS) operates national seismological network with 84 stations. 
●    These stations are connected to NCS headquarter through VSAT for real time data communication. In the event of an earthquake NCS locates them using data from its network and disseminate earthquake parameters to all the concerned government department and other stake holders through SMS, email and fax. 
●    However this causes some delay in dissemination and also restricts the number of recipients. 
●    To overcome this, a Mobile App has been developed by the NCS for automatic dissemination of earthquake parameter (location, time and magnitude) after the occurrence of earthquakes. 
●    The App will make information dissemination faster with no restrictions on the number of recipients. 
●    Any citizen can download this App and get the real time earthquake location information on his/her mobile. 
●    Other than scientific and administrative benefits of the App, it will help in reducing panic amongst people during an earthquake. 

Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme for Jammu & Kashmir

The Special Scholarship Scheme for Jammu & Kashmir is being implemented since 2011. 
●    The scheme aims to encourage the youth from Jammu & Kashmir to pursue higher education in educational institutions outside the state.
●    The Government has taken several initiatives to ensure that the benefits of the scheme is availed by all deserving students.
●    As a result of various initiatives, including creation of ten supernumerary quota in Engineering Colleges, more number of students are taking admission in professional courses.
●    The scheme envisages to provide 5000 fresh scholarships every year (4500 for General, 250 for Engineering and 250 for Medical studies).  
●    There is a provision of inter-changeability of slots, subject to shortfall in the number of General degree courses and in the process, allocating a higher number of students for certain professional courses.

Vijay Goel and Rajyavardhan Rathore inaugurate newly created 10-mts Rifle and Pistol Mini Range at Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range, Tughlakabad, New Delhi

Union Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Vijay Goel and Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore(Retd.) here today inaugurated 10-meter Rifle and Pistol Shooting Range at Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range, Tughlakabad, New Delhi.
●    Speaking on the occasion Shri Vijay Goel said that more utilization of stadiums and other infrastructure for the promotion of sports is aim of his ministry. 
●    He said, the newly created 10 M Mini range is primarily for the purpose to train the basics of shooting to the new comers of any age who want to pursue competitive shooting sports. 
●    He said now after introduction of this new manual electronic 05 point target system, they will be able to attain the bench mark level and thereafter can be shifted to computerized electronic target system meant for elite shooting training/competitions as per ISSF norms.
●    The Minister said this will not only increase the number of trainees manifold but also make the shooting event popular among the aspiring shooters. 
●    This new introductory training at to Mini Range will open the gate for grass root shooters who want to achieve excellence in competitive sports.
●    Col. Rathore congratulating Sports minister said it is a great initiative to popularize the game of shooting. He said this will help youngsters to take up shooting and boost India’s Olympic prospects.

Bandaru Dattatreya attends the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers’ Meet in China

Indian delegation led by Shri Bandaru Dattatreya, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour & Employment participated in the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers’ Meet, held on 26-27th, July, 2017 at Chonqging, China. China is the chair for the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers’ Meet for the year 2017. 
●    The delegation included M Sathiyavathy, Secretary (Labour and Employment), Manish Gupta, Joint Secretary, Anuja Bapat, Director and Prof Sasikumar, Sr. Fellow, VVGNLI.
●    The meeting concluded with the adoption of the BRICS Labour and Employment Ministerial Declaration by the BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers on 27th July 2017 in Chongqing, China. 
●    The Declaration covered a variety of areas that are of critical importance to all BRICS countries including India and called upon strengthening collaboration and cooperation on these through appropriate institutionalisation . 
●    These areas consisted of : “Governance in the Future of Work”, “Skills for development in BRICS”, “Universal and sustainable social security systems”, “BRICS Network of Labour Research Institutions”, “BRICS Social Security Cooperation Framework” and “BRICS entrepreneurship research”.

Current Affairs 27th July 2017: GLOBAL NEWS

Bolivian President declares ‘Total Independence’ from World Bank and IMF

Bolivia declares Total Independence from World Bank and IMFBolivia’s President Eva Morales in July 2017 declared that his nation has achieved “total independence” from the IMF and the World Bank.
●    President Morales declared the news on his official twitter account.
●    The socialist leader published his comments following a meeting with his peers at a gathering in Argentina of the Mercosur, a sub-regional economic bloc.
●    "A day like today in 1944 ended Bretton Woods Economic Conference (USA), in which the IMF and WB were established. These organizations dictated the economic fate of Bolivia and the world. Today we can say that we have total independence of them."
●    On the other hand, President Morales accused world powers of intervening in oil rich nations such as Libya, Iraq, and Venezuela to “appropriate resources”. “As Mercosur countries or organizations of America, we can be complicit in a U.S. intervention in Venezuela,” he tweeted.
●    The President’s comments came as Bolivia begins its process of becoming a full member of the Mercosur, also called the Southern Common Market, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Current Affairs 27th July 2017: PERSON

Amazon's Jeff Bezos briefly overtakes Gates to become world’s richest person

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon became the world’s richest man on 27 July 2017, dethroning Microsoft founder Bill Gates from the position briefly.
●    With a jump in the share price of the US tech giant, Bezos's net worth topped $90.5 billion on the morning of 27 July, ahead of Bill Gates’ estimated worth of $90 billion, according to Forbes and Bloomberg.
●    However, a dip in Amazon's stock price in the afternoon made him slip back to $88.8 billion, behind Gates whose net worth is estimated to be $89.8 billion.
●    Gates has been the world’s richest person since 2013 on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
●    The vast majority of the Bezos’ fortune is tied up in Amazon stock, of which he owns nearly 17%.
●    Amazon, which started off initially as an online retailer, has now entered into various other fields including cloud computing, online video, computer hardware and artificial intelligence.
●    Bezos’ stake alone in the diversified tech firm is worth $83 billion.
●    Such a high value of the stake also means that his net worth value could fall as quickly as it rises, should Amazon's stock decline or Microsoft's value rise.
●    Overall, in the past four months, Amazon shares have risen by almost 24 percent, adding some $17 billion to the net worth of the 53-year-old Bezos.
●    According to Forbes, Gates has been the richest person in the magazine's annual rankings in March for the past four years and for 18 of the last 22 years.
●    Mexican telecom magnate Carlos Slim is the only person to have overtaken Gates for the period of 4 years from 2010 to 2013.

Important Current Affairs 26th July 2017

Current Affairs 26th July 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Cabinet approves revision of cost of Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the proposal of Department of Rural Development for revision of cost of Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 (SECC 2011). It provides for:
●    Revising the cost of SECC 2011 to Rs. 4893.60 crore from the approved estimated expenditure of Rs.3,543.29 crore within the indicative cost of Rs.4,000 crore as approved by the Government. 
●    Approval of time and cost overrun and consequential revision in the upper limit of cost per record to the consortium of Central Public Sector Undertakings. 
●    The SECC -2011 project has been concluded on 31.3.2016. The cost has already been committed and the project has met all its milestones.

Cabinet approves revision of guidelines of Sovereign Gold Bonds Scheme

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given approval for revision of guidelines of Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGB) Scheme with a view to achieve its intended objectives. 
●    Two sets of changes have been made in the scheme: 
●    Specific changes have been made in the attributes of the scheme to make it more attractive, mobilise finances as per the target and reduce the economic strains caused by imports of gold and reduce the Current Account Deficit (CAD). 
●    Flexibility has been given to Ministry of Finance to design and introduce variants of SGBs with different interest rates and risk protection / pay-offs that would offer investment alternatives to different category of investors. 
●    Ministry of Finance (the issuer) has been delegated this power to amend / add to the features of the Scheme with approval of the Finance Minister to reduce the time lag between finalizing the attributes of a particular tranche and its notification. 
●    Such flexibility will be effective in addressing the elements of competition with new products of investment, to deal with very dynamic and sometimes volatile market, macro-economic and other conditions such as gold price.

Inauguration of CBRN Workshop by the COAS

The 5th Workshop on Medical Management of CBRN Casualties for Medical Officer is being held under the aegis of HQ Integrated Defence Staff (Medical) from 25 Jul 2017 to 28 Jul 2017. 
●    Gen Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Army Staff, was the Chief Guest at the inaugural session.
●    The Chief of Army Staff, highlighted the need to work towards equipping and training doctors and paramedical staff in the Armed Forces to deal with all types of CBRN emergencies. 
●    The Chief of the Army Staff congratulated the organizers and expressed confidence that the endeavor in conducting this workshop will greatly impact the medical preparedness in tackling CBRN emergencies in future.
●    Lt Gen MK Unni, DGAFMS & Sr Col Comdt highlighted the heightened threat perception of CBRN weapons by rogue states and terrorist outfits in the currently prevailing international security environment.  
●    The use of such agents is likely to result in thousands of causalities, thereby overwhelming local health and medical resources and AFMS should be prepared to tackle this challenge.

Gadkari announces Rs 200 crore assistance to Assam for repair of rain ravaged National Highways

The Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari has announced a financial assistance of Rs. 200 crore as the first instalment for the immediate repairs of National Highways damaged due to the heavy rains in Assam. 
●    The announcement was made after the Assam Chief Minister Shri Sarbananda Sonowal called on Shri Gadkari for a review of the situation in Assam where heavy rains have led to National Highways being damaged. 
●    Meanwhile, an expert team of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials has been despatched for on the spot assessment of the damage. 
●    If needed, further financial assistance will be provided based on the NHAI team's report. The NHAI team is expected to submit its report within a week.
●    Another Rs 400 crore has been sanctioned for dredging work in Brahmaputra river. 
●    The work will start from September using six dredgers. 
●    Dredging will increase the depth of the river and prevent it from flooding. 
●    A total of seven bridges are to be built on Brahmaputra river during the next five years for better road connectivity with the NE region. 
●    Work on two bridges is underway. DPR for three more bridges is to be prepared by the state govt.

PM Modi gives Rs 500 cr immediate relief to flood-hit Gujarat

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi rushed to Gujarat on Tuesday evening to take stock of the situation arising after heavy rains and flooding of rivers in the districts of North Gujarat. 
●    After visiting the worst-affected district of Banaskantha, Prime Minister Modi announced immediate Central assistance of Rs 500 crore to the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF).
●    The Prime Minister announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased, and Rs 50,000 to those seriously injured in the floods. 
●    According to State government data, at least 61 lives have been lost in the rain-related incidents so far in the state.
●    On his arrival at the Ahmedabad Airport, the Prime Minister chaired a high-level meeting to review flood relief and rescue operations. 
●    The meeting was attended by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel besides senior minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama and former chief minister Anandiben Patel.

Current Affairs 26th July 2017: GLOBAL NEWS

Sri Lanka clears revised deal for Hambantota port

Sri Lanka’s Cabinet on Tuesday cleared a revised deal for the Chinese-built port in Hambantota, the government said. 
●    The modified agreement, the government added, was more profitable to Sri Lanka and also addressed security concerns raised by other countries.
●    Speaking to reporters here, Ports Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said the Cabinet gave final approval to sell 70% stake in the southern port to the state-run China Merchants Port Holdings for $1.12 billion. 
●    “Some [diplomatic] missions here were worried that the port would be used as a military naval base. As per the revised agreement Sri Lanka will manage the port security,” he said.
●    While the Chinese would manage port operations, “no naval ship, including Chinese ones, can call at Hambantota without our permission”, Mr. Samarasinghe said.

Codex Alimentarius Commission meeting in Geneva adopts three Codex standards for spices 

In a major recognition of India’s efforts to benchmark global spices trade, the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) has adopted three Codex standards for black, white and green pepper, cumin and thyme, paving the way for universal agreement on identifying quality spices in various countries. 
●    The member-countries of CAC, the international food standards-setting body which met in Geneva for its 40th session during July 17-22, unanimously approved the adoption of Codex standards for the three spices, which would facilitate evolving a common standardization process for their global trade and availability.
●    The Codex standards were adopted in the wake of India conducting three sessions of Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) at Kochi (2014), Goa (2015) and Chennai (2017). 
●    The Chennai session succeeded in achieving this consensus. Subsequently, these drafts were placed before the CAC, and it was adopted by consensus with an overwhelming support from the member-countries.

Important Current Affairs 25th July 2017

Current Affairs 25th July 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Union Finance Minister, releases a Case Study on the Birth of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in India – “The GST Saga: A Story of Extraordinary National Ambition” 

A Case Study on the birth of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in India – “The GST Saga: A Story of Extraordinary National Ambition” was released here today by the Union Finance Minister, Shri Arun Jaitley in his office in North Block in the national  capital. 
●    In view of the successful roll-out of the GST on 1 July 2017, it was felt that there was a need for the public to know of the story of how GST evolved, its timeline, the different stakeholders involved and how it eventually culminated in its inauguration in the Central Hall of the Parliament of India on the midnight of 30th June,2017 and 1st July, 2017 by the President and Prime Minister of India. 
●    This case study accordingly captures the entire journey of GST right from its ideation in the Kelkar Task Force Report in 2003. 
●    Other salient features such as the dates on which the SGST Laws were enacted in the 31 States, peculiarity of the Indian GST model, how the fitment of rates was done and the IT backbone of GST have also been addressed in the case study, thus, making it a concise yet comprehensive repository of the GST story.

Foundation Day of Ministry of Earth Sciences

The Foundation Day of Ministry of Earth Sciences is celebrated on 27th July every year.  The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is mandated to provide the nation with the best possible services in forecasting the monsoons and other weather/climate parameters, ocean state, earthquakes, tsunamis and other phenomena related to earth systems, for the Public Safety and socio-economic benefits. 
●    The Ministry also deals with science and technology for exploration and exploitation of ocean resources (living and non-living), and play nodal role for Antarctic/Arctic/Himalayas and Southern Ocean research.
●    This year too, the Foundation Day is being celebrated on 27th July 2017 at the Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi.  
●    The Union Minister of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsha Vardhan and the Minister of State of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Shri Y. S. Chowdary will be the Chief Guest and Guest of Honour respectively. 
●    The foundation day lecture will be given by Dr. Michael McPhaden an eminent scientist from USA.
●    In order to provide due recognition and platform to major scientific contributions made by eminent scientists/engineers in various fields of Earth System Science and also considering the need to encourage young researchers for coming into the mainstream of Earth System Science, the ESSO has instituted the Lifetime Excellence Award and National Earth System Sciences Awards.

First Two NOPVs Shachi and Shruti Launched by RDEL at Pipavav, Gujarat

Reliance Defence and Engineering Limited (RDEL) today launched the first two Naval Offshore Patrol Vessels (NOPVs) at their shipyard in Pipavav, Gujarat. 
●    The ships are part of a five ship project being constructed for the Indian Navy. The two NOPVs, Shachi and Shruti were launched by Smt. Preeti Luthra, wife of Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC; the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command at the RDEL Shipyard Pipavav, Gujarat.
●    The primary role of NOPVs is to undertake surveillance of the country’s vast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) besides operational tasks such as anti-piracy patrols, fleet support operations, maritime security of offshore assets, coastal security operations, and protection of shipping lanes. 
●    The NOPVs would increase the ocean surveillance and patrolling capabilities of the Indian Navy.
●    The NOPVs being constructed at RDEL are patrol ships and are armed with 76mm Super Rapid Gun Mount (SRGM) system along with two 30mm AK-630M guns which provide medium range and short range offensive and defensive capabilities. 
●    The armament is remotely controlled through an electronic Fire Control System. The ships are fitted with diesel engine driven propulsion systems and can deliver speeds up to 25 knots. 
●    All ship operations are controlled by an intelligent Integrated Platform Management System which has interfaces for all operational activities onboard the ship.

Madhya Pradesh Government constitutes Food Commission

The state government of Madhya Pradesh on 21 July 2017 appointed a four-member food commission headed by IAS (retd.) Rajkishore Swain. 
●    The commission was appointed in accordance with the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013.
●    The commission will be responsible for monitoring implementation of the provisions of the National Food Security Act 2013 in the state. It will be responsible for monitoring
●    Distribution of the food grains under Public Distribution System (PDS).
●    Implementation of the Midday Meal Scheme and Integrated Child Development Services scheme in the state.
●    For distribution of food items that are provided under maternity entitlements to women.

Union Government launches mobile app Aarambh for road maintenance

The Union Government on 24 July 2017 introduced a mobile app Aarambh for road maintenance.
●    The app was launched by Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Panchayati Raj, Rural Development, Drinking Water & Sanitation, and Deborah Greenfield, Deputy Director General (Policy) of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
●    In addition, Tomar and Greenfield also launched a Concept Note and Guidance Note for Mobilizing Funds for Maintenance of Rural Road. 
●    The Concept Note outlines innovative ways, which can be adopted by the State Governments for mobilizing additional funds for road maintenance and presents some international best practices worldwide.

Rajya Sabha passes Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Bill, 2017

The Rajya Sabha on 24 July 2017 passed the Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Bill, 2017. 
●    The Bill was presented by the Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Mansukh L Mandaviya.
●    The Bill repeals laws such as the Admiralty Court Act, 1861 and the Colonial Courts of Admiralty Act, 1890.
●    The bill was earlier passed by the Lok Sabha in March 2017.
●    The Bill provides for prioritization of maritime claims and maritime liens while providing protection to owners, charterers, operators, crew members and seafarers at the same time.
●    The Bill seeks to consolidate the laws relating to admiralty jurisdiction, legal proceedings in connection with vessels, their arrest, detention, sale and other related matters.
●    While earlier only the High Courts of Bombay, Calcutta and Madras could take up maritime cases, the Bill extends the power to the High Courts of all the coastal states like Karnataka, Kerala, Hyderabad, Orissa and Gujarat.

Current Affairs 25th July 2017: SPORTS

India finishes 7th in Youth Commonwealth Games with 11 medals

The Indian contingent finished an impressive seventh in the recently-concluded 6th Youth Commonwealth Games at the Bahamas with a total tally of 11 medals including four gold, one silver and six bronze medals.
●    Speaking on the occasion, Rajeev Mehta, Secretary General, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) stated, "I would like to congratulate all our young medal winners for their wonderful performance in the Commonwealth Youth Games. 
●    They have done a wonderful job, in making our country proud. 
●    I am sure such performances will boost their morale for future events and I wish them success in future".
●    The six-day event was kick-started on 18 July with India grabbing four medals in Judo.
●    While Soni picked up India’s first gold medal by beating Australia’s Uros Nikolic in the 73kg category event, Ashish followed it up with a bronze medal in the 60kg category after defeating England’s Harry Zane-Prosser.
 

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.

Important Current Affairs 23rd July 2017

Current Affairs 23rd July 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

PPAs signed for first Wind Auction totalling 1050 MW 

Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Shri Piyush Goyal presided over the signing of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for purchase of 1050 MW of wind power under Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)’s first Wind Auction Scheme here today.
●    The PPAs were signed between PTC India Ltd., the trading company, and the successful wind power developers.
●    As per the PPAs signed, Mytrah Energy, Inox Wind and Ostro Kutch Wind Pvt. Ltd. would supply wind power of capacity 250 MW each. 
●    Further, Green Infra would supply 249.9 MW and Adani Green Energy 50 MW from their wind power projects through inter-state transmission system at a tariff of Rs. 3.46 per kWh discovered through the open and transparent competitive bidding process. 
●    PTC India has tied-up this wind power for sale to DISCOMS of a number of States. Under this, Uttar Pradesh would get 449.9 MW, Bihar 200 MW, Jharkhand 200 MW, Delhi 100 MW, Assam 50 MW and Odisha 50MW for meeting their Non-Solar Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO).
 

Committee for research on benefits from cow

On July 16, 2017, the Central Government set up a 19-member panel to carry out scientifically validated research on cow-derivatives .
●    The panel consists 19 members including three members from the RSS and the VHP and will be headed by Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan.
●    This committee will select projects that will help in the scientific validation of panchagavya i.e. cow dung, urine, milk, curd and ghee in different areas like nutrition, health and agriculture.
●    Vijay Bhatkar, chairman of the science unit of RSS- Vigyan Bharti and Vice Chancellor of Nalanda University is the co-chairman of this committee.
●    Former director of CSIR R.A. Mashelkar, IIT-Delhi Director, Pro. V.Ramgopal Rao, General Secretary of Vigyan Bharti A. Jayakumar and Sunil Man Singh will be other members of the committee.
●    Apart from this, the secretaries of science and technology, biotechnology and energy ministry have been included in the committee.
●    The term of this committee will be 3 years.

Union Government launches new taxpayer service module Aaykar Setu

●    Arun Jaitley, the Union Finance Minister, on 10 July 2017 launched Aaykar Setu, a new taxpayer service module.
●    The module was launched in a mobile responsive android version along with the desktop version to enhance mobile access experience.
●    While launching the Aaykar Setu, Arun Jaitley stated that this e-initiative would help in reducing physical interface between assesses and tax assessing authorities and thereby minimizing the chances of any tax harassment.   
●    The new step is an effort by the Income Tax Department (ITD) to directly communicate with the taxpayers, on a range of multiple informative and useful tax services aimed at providing tax information at their fingertips.

Union Government launches student-scientist connect programme JIGYASA

The Union Government on 6 July 2017 launched JIGYASA programme, a student- scientist connect programme. 
●    In this regard, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Union Ministry of Science & Technology and Union Ministry of Human Resource Development.
●    For the implementation of the programme, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) tied-up with Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS).
●    'JIGYASA' would inculcate the culture of inquisitiveness on one hand and scientific temper on the other, amongst the school students and their teachers. 
●    The Programme is expected to connect 1151 Kendriya Vidyalayas with 38 National Laboratories of CSIR targeting 100000 students and nearly 1000 teachers annually.
 

Current Affairs 23rd July 2017: SPORTS NEWS

For the first time India tops 2017 Asian Athletics Championships medal tally

With five gold, one silver and three bronze  medals on the final day of the 2017 Asian Athletics Championship, India finished on top of the medals tally, comfortably surpassing China and Kazakhstan.
●    China and Kazakhstan took the second and third spots respectively in the medal tally.
●    India showed its best performance ever in the Asian Athletics Championships, clinching a total of 29 medals, including 12 golds.
●    The 2017 Asian Athletics Championships was the 22nd edition of the Asian Athletics Championships.
●    It was held from 6 to 9 July 2017 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
●    Olly, the Olive Ridley sea turtle, an endangered species that travels to Odisha's Rushikulya and Gahirmatha beaches for its nesting, was the mascot for the championship.
 

Current Affairs 23rd July 2017: GLOBAL NEWS

Okinoshima, Japan’s men-only island, gains UNESCO World Heritage tag

Okinoshima Island, an ancient religious site in Japan where women are banned and male visitors need to take off their clothes and take a naked bath before visiting the shrine, was declared as a UNESCO world heritage site on 9 July 2017.
●    Okinoshima, which is a part of the city of Munakata, Fukuoka, Japan, is located in south-west Japan between the main island of Kyushu and the Korean Peninsula. 
●    Referred as the men-only island, the island is permanently manned by a Shinto priest who prays to the island’s goddess, in a tradition that has been kept up for centuries.
●    The island is considered sacred by the local Munakata Taisha and consists of a single employee of the shrine. 
●    The entire island is considered a Shinto Kami, and the island is off limits to women.
 

Current Affairs 23rd July 2017: OBITUARY

Former Indian Ambassador to the US Naresh Chandra passes away

Naresh Chandra, former Indian Ambassador to the United States, passed away on 9 July 2017 following a brief illness.
●    He was 82. 
●    Chandra served as the Indian Ambassador to the United States from 1996 to 2001.
●    Chandra was born in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh and obtained his graduation degree and M.Sc. (Math) degree from the Allahabad University.
●    He joined the Indian Administrative Service in May 1956 and till 1964, he served in different capacities in various districts of Rajasthan.
●    He was also an Adviser to the Governor of Jammu & Kashmir in 1986 for a period of 8 months.
●    Chandra had served as the Cabinet Secretary from 1990 to 1992.
 

Important Current Affairs 22nd July 2017

Current Affairs 22nd July 2017: SPORTS NEWS

Manpreet Kaur wins shot put gold at Asian Grand Prix Athletics Meet

Indian shot putter Manpreet Kaur on 24 April 2017 clinched a gold medal in the first leg of the Asian Grand Prix Athletics Meet in Jinhua, China.
●    Manpreet came up with a best throw of 18.86 metre, a national record. In 2015, she made a national record after throwing a shot put at the distance of 17.96 metre.
●    With the win, the shot putter also acquired the No 1 spot in the world rankings.
●    With the performance, Manpreet also qualified for the IAAF World Championships to be held in August 2017 in London, UK.
●    Bian Song of China finished a distant second with 17.96 metres.
 

Current Affairs 22nd July 2017: GLOBAL NEWS

French Senate approves controversial anti-terror bill

Lawmakers in France’s conservative-dominated Senate on 18 July 2017 approved controversial legislation to further strengthen France’s anti-terror laws by a majority vote.
●    The French senators passed the draft bill by a vote of 229 to 106.
●    The Bill will now be sent to the lower house of the National Assembly for a vote in October 2017.
●    The new security laws, a campaign pledge of President Emmanuel Macron, would replace a state of emergency imposed after November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris that killed 130 people.
●    Under the state of emergency measures, authorities have the power to place suspects under house arrest, order house searches, and ban public gatherings without the prior approval of a judge.
●    Under the proposed legislation, some of emergency state practices would become permanent law. 
●    It would turn warrantless property searches and house arrests into common police practice. 
●    However, the step has been criticised by rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, which have described it as draconian.
 

Current Affairs 22nd July 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Telangana government puts cap on weight of school bags

The Telangana government has imposed a cap on the weight of bags carried by schoolchildren in order to prevent any resulting physical effect and anxiety disorder in students.
●    The government issued an official order on 18 July 2017 detailing the allowed weight limit of school bags for students studying in the primary section to those in Class X. 
●    The order has been issued to all the school managements.
●    The maximum weight of a school bag with textbooks and notebooks should not exceed 1.5 kg for children in Class 1 and II and it should not go above 2-3 kg for children studying in Class III, IV and V.
●    The weight limit for students studying in Classes VI and VII is 4 kg, while for those in Classes VIII and IX it is 4.5 kg.
 

Current Affairs 22nd July 2017: APPOINTMENTS

Bharat Arun appointed as Team India’s new bowling coach

Bharat Arun was appointed as the new bowling coach of Team India by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on 18 July 2017.
●    The decision was announced during a press briefing held by the newly appointed Indian team coach Ravi Shastri after meeting the four-member BCCI panel.
●    Shastri also welcomed both Rahul Dravid and Zaheer Khan on board as batting and bowling consultants and said that the contracts of the duo will be finalised by the BCCI officials.
●    He, however, stated that while he is happy to have the services of the former Indian cricketing greats, he wants full-time assistant coaches according to his choice. 
●    He said that he needed someone like Arun to be around the team to see that Zaheer’s suggestions are being implemented.
 

Sanjay Kothari appointed as Secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind

Chairman of Public Enterprises Selection Board Sanjay Kothari was on 22 July 2017 appointed as the Secretary to 14th President-elect Ram Nath Kovind. 
●    Kothari, a 1978-batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre, retired in June 2016 as DoPT secretary. 
●    National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Kovind was on 20 July 2017 elected as the President of India, defeating his United Progressive Alliance (UPA) rival Meira Kumar in a straight fight.
●    Senior journalist Ashok Malik was named as Press Secretary to Kovind. Malik is at present Distinguished Fellow of the Observer Research Foundation.
●    Senior Gujarat-cadre forest service officer Bharat Lal will be the Joint Secretary to Kovind. 
●    Lal, a 1988-batch Indian Forest Service officer, is at present Resident Commissioner of Gujarat government in Delhi.
 

UK’s first woman Sikh MP Preet Kaur Gill elected to Home Affairs Select Committee

Britain’s first woman Sikh Member of Parliament in July 2017 was elected to an influential cross-party panel in the UK Parliament that examines the workings of the Home Office.
●    Preet Kaur Gill, who won the Edgbaston seat for the Labour party in the 8 June 2017 snap general election, was elected to the Home Affairs Select Committee in the UK Parliament. 
●    She will be one of 11 MPs on the cross-party home affairs committee.
●    Gill has also been chosen to lead the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for British Sikhs, which promotes the interests of Sikhs in Britain.
●    The Home Affairs Select Committee is a Committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

 

Current Affairs 22nd July 2017: OBITUARIES

Chester Bennington, lead singer of Linkin Park, dies

Chester Bennington, the lead singer of Linkin Park, passed away on 20 July 2017 in California, U.S. He was 41.
●    Bennington apparently hanged himself, which lead to his death.
●    Born on 20 March 1976, Chester Bennington was an American singer and songwriter.
●    He was best known as the frontman for the rock band Linkin Park.
●    He was also the lead singer for Dead by Sunrise and fronted Stone Temple Pilots from 2013 to 2015.
●    He first gained prominence as a vocalist following the release of Linkin Park's debut album, Hybrid Theory, in 2000.
●    In 2005, he formed his own band, Dead by Sunrise, as a side project. The band's debut album, Out of Ashes, was released on 13 October 2009.
●    He has been ranked in the Top 100 Heavy Metal Vocalists by Hit Parader.
 

Current Affairs 22nd July 2017: ECONOMY

Reliance to buy 25% stake in Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms

Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) on Thursday said that its board has approved to pick around 25 per cent stake in Balaji Telefilms by acquiring 2.52 crore shares for around ₹413 crore.
●    The company’s board has approved making investments in the equity shares of Balaji Telefilms Ltd for acquiring 2.52 crore equity shares constituting 24.92 per cent, Reliance Industries said in a BSE filing.
●    In a separate filing, Balaji Telefilms said its board today considered and approved an investment by RIL through a preferential issue of 2.52 crore equity shares at ₹164 each, aggregating to ₹413.28 crore.
●    The Mumbai-based media and entertainment firm said proceeds from the transaction would be utilised to further speed up content development initiatives, especially for its over-the-top content platform ALTBalaji, to help it compete with other global and India OTT service providers.
●    The decision is, however, subject to Balaji Telefilms shareholder and other approvals.
 

Important Current Affairs 21st July 2017

Current Affairs 21st July 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu Inaugurates Round Table Conference Ensuring Cyber Security on Indian Railways

Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu inaugurated Round Table Conference on “Ensuring Cyber Security on Indian Railways”. 
●    Chairman, Railway Board, Shri A. K. Mital and other Railway Board Members and senior officials were also present on the occasion.
●    Speaking on the occasion, Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said that Indian Railways is striding ahead on its mission of transformation. 
●    A lot of upgradation, modernisation & maintenance of Railways has been taken up in last three years & these processes involve use of technologies. 
●    Indian Railways has recently launched Rail Cloud Server, Rail Saarthi App, work for developing E.R.P. is also underway. With the exhaustive use of technologies, there are high chances of vulnerability.  
●    Indian Railways keeps conducting audits to ensure safety checks. Cyber Security is one of the top priorities. 
●    Therefore, idea of this roundtable is to bring all stakeholders on one platform to ensure that these discussions becomes effective results for cyber security.
●    During the discussions, ideas were exchanged on Cyber threats, Security incidents and Advanced solutions. 
●    The discussions helped in understanding the issues involved and create better awareness among all stakeholders. 
●    It also helped to provide effective solutions to deal with the Cyber Security threats to IT Systems on Indian Railways.

PPAs signed for first Wind Auction totalling 1050 MW 

Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Shri Piyush Goyal presided over the signing of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for purchase of 1050 MW of wind power under Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)’s first Wind Auction Scheme here today. 
●    The PPAs were signed between PTC India Ltd., the trading company, and the successful wind power developers.
●    As per the PPAs signed, Mytrah Energy, Inox Wind and Ostro Kutch Wind Pvt. Ltd. would supply wind power of capacity 250 MW each. 
●    Further, Green Infra would supply 249.9 MW and Adani Green Energy 50 MW from their wind power projects through inter-state transmission system at a tariff of Rs. 3.46 per kWh discovered through the open and transparent competitive bidding process. 
●    PTC India has tied-up this wind power for sale to DISCOMS of a number of States. 
●    Under this, Uttar Pradesh would get 449.9 MW, Bihar 200 MW, Jharkhand 200 MW, Delhi 100 MW, Assam 50 MW and Odisha 50MW for meeting their Non-Solar Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO).

Union Government launches Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 21 July 2017 formally launched the Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY). 
●    PMVVY is a pension scheme announced by the Union Government exclusively for the senior citizens aged 60 years and above. 
●    The scheme is available from 4 May 2017 to 3 May 2018.
●    The Scheme can be purchased offline as well as online through Life Insurance Corporation of India which has been given the sole privilege to operate this scheme.
●    The scheme provides an assured return of 8 per cent per annum and is payable monthly for 10 years.
●    The pension is payable at the end of each period during the policy term of 10 years, as per the frequency of monthly/ quarterly/ half-yearly/ yearly as chosen by the pensioner.
●    The scheme is exempted from Service Tax or GST.
●    In case of the survival of the pensioner till the end of the policy term of 10 years, the purchase price along with final pension instalment will be payable.

Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana for poors: Interest free loans on e-rickshaws, three-wheelers

The Union Ministry of Rural Development on 20 July 2017 announced that it will launch a new sub-scheme Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana (AGEY) under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
●    The Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana aims to provide an alternative source of livelihoods to members of Self Help Groups (SHGs) under DAY-NRLM by facilitating them to operate public transport services in backward rural areas.
●    The sub-scheme will provide safe, affordable and community monitored rural transport services like e-rickshaws, 3 and 4 wheeler motorised transport vehicles to connect remote villages with key services and amenities including access to markets, education and health for the overall economic development of the area.
●    The Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana will be implemented in 250 blocks in India on a pilot basis for a period of 3 years from 2017-18 to 2019-20.
●    The States have been informed about the number of blocks allocated to them to take up this sub-scheme in the pilot phases.
 

Current Affairs 21st July 2017: WORLD NEWS

Qatar issues decree to amend law on combating terrorism

Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, issued a decree on 20 July 2017, amending some provisions of a law on combating terrorism.
●    The decree establishes two national lists for individuals and terrorist entities and states out the requirements for being included on them.
●    The decree includes definitions for terms such as terrorist, crime, terrorist acts, terrorist entities, freezing of funds and financing of terrorism.
●    It also identifies procedures related to some terrorist activities.
●    The decree also states that individuals and entities accused of terrorist activities have the right to challenge the charges lodged against them before the court.
 

Current Affairs 21st July 2017: SPORTS NEWS

Harpreet's scored unbeaten 171. 

Indian women cricket team vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur with her unbeaten knock of 171 off 115-balls helped India to storm into finals of the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup of Cricket. 
●    To reach the finals of the world cup, India defeated the Australian women’s team by 36 runs at Derby in England on 20 July 2017.
●    Harmanpreet hammered 20 fours and seven towering sixes during her blistering knock at the strike rate of 148.69, which is next only to New Zealand’s Suzie Bates’ 160.00 (she scored 168 against Pakistan in 2009).
●    With this score, she also bettered her previous ODI best score of 107 runs. Harmanpreet’s blistering century of unbeaten 171 runs is the third highest individual score by any player in the world cup and fifth highest overall.

Important Current Affairs 20th July 2017

Current Affairs 20th July 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu Inaugurates International Technical Seminar on Global Trends in Track Technologies & fast paced construction organised by Institution of Permanent Way Engineers

Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu Inaugurated an International Technical Seminar of the Institution of Permanent Way Engineers (I.P.W.E)(India) today i.e. 20th July, at New Delhi. 
●    The topic of the seminar was Global Trends in Track Technologies and Fast Paced Construction. Chairman, Railway Board, Shri A. K. Mital, Member Engineering, Railway Board Shri Aditya Kumar Mital and other Railway Board Members and senior officials were also present on the occasion.
●    15 speakers including International experts spoke on systems of High Speed Rail viz. Japanese “Shinkansen”, SNCF (France) and Spain High Speed Rails(HSR) besides history of  track managements systems, track components, rail fasteners etc.  and technological standards adopted on HSR.  
●    The seminar was organised in four sessions viz. Global Trends in Track Technologies Session I & Session II, Fast Paced Construction Session III & IV. 
●    The Technical Session also covered Technologies for Fast Paced Construction, Project Delivery Methods in countries like Japan, Austria, USA besides the methods being adopted by track engineers in the on-going Dedicated Freight Corridor besides mechanised track laying machines. 
●    Shri Prabhu also released the Business Plan of Engineering Department of Indian Railway, a RDSO handbook on Construction of Earthquake resistant engineering besides launching Diploma in Engineering by IPWE in keeping with Skill Development Mission of Indian Railways.

Union Steel Minister launches dedicated E-Portal for online sales of steel products in North Easetrn Region 

Union Steel Minister Shri Birender Singh today launched a dedicated e-portal for online sales of steel products by RINL through MSTC Metal Mandi, in North Eastern Region of the country. 
●    Minister of State for Steel, Shri Vishnu Deo Sai, Secretary, Steel, Dr. Aruna Sharma, CMD, RINL, Shri P.Madhusudan and CMD, MSTC Shri B.B.Singh were among those present on the occasion. 
●    In his address Shri Birender Singh remarked that the E-Portal is an excellent example of synergy between ‘Digital India’ and ‘Make in India’ missions initiated by Hon’ble Prime Minister. 
●    He further added, “In February this year, when we set up a coordination committee for pooling of resources between PSUs, we had potential for projects like this in mind. 
●    I am happy that this project is being started and it should serve as an example for more such innovative and out-of-the-box projects. 
●    The Ministry had organized first regional conference for enhancing steel consumption in North-East. 
●    The region is being given top priority by our Government and lot of new projects are being started and executed there. 
●    Our steel companies must tap this market and serve their steel needs. Let us try to find out more such areas where our PSUs can work together for achieving economies of scale, reaching new markets and sharing of best practices.”

Ministry of Rural Development to launch Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana 

The Ministry of Rural Development will launch a new sub-scheme under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) which will be named as “Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana (AGEY)”. 
●    Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, the Minister of State for Rural Development Shri Ram Kripal Yadav said that the main objectives of AGEY are to provide an alternative source of livelihoods to members of Self Help Groups (SHGs) under DAY-NRLM by facilitating them to operate public transport services in backward rural areas. 
●    This will provide safe, affordable and community monitored rural transport services like e-rickshaws, 3 and 4 wheeler motorised transport vehicles to connect remote villages with key services and amenities including access to markets, education and health for the overall economic development of the area.
●    The Minister said that the sub-scheme will be implemented in 250 blocks in the country on a pilot basis for a period of 3 years from 2017-18 to 2019-20. 
●    The States have been informed about the number of blocks allocated to them to take up this sub-scheme in the pilot phases. 
●    One of the options proposed to be given under the sub-scheme is that the Community Based Organisation (CBO) will provide interest free loan from its own corpus to Self Help Group member for purchase of the vehicle.

Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership 

Project for setting up of the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership (GCNEP) in India was sanctioned during September, 2010 with a proposal for construction in phases. 
●    The construction activities of Phase-I buildings have been completed and the construction activities for the next phase is being taken up. 
●    The facility is operational in the buildings completed in Phase-I. 
●    Setting up of the facility is being done indigenously by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). 
●    This information was provided by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

Lok Sabha passes Indian Institutes of Information Technology Bill, 2017

The Lok Sabha passed the Indian Institute of Information Technology Public Private Partnership (IIIT-PPP) Bill, 2017 to allow 15 IIITs established on a PPP model to grant degrees and get statutory status.
●    The bill also seeks to grant institute of national importance status to IIITs on the lines of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and National Institutes of Technology (NITs).
●    The Union Government had initiated the opening of 20 IIITs with private partnership of which 15 are already operational. 
●    These engineering and tech schools were established at a cost of Rs. 128 crore each. 
●    The centre had contributed 50% of the amount, states 35% and private partners remaining 15% (i.e. 50:35:15 ratio). 
●    However, these institutes were not been eligible to grant degrees.

Ram Nath Kovind elected as 14th President of India with huge margin

NDA Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind on 20 July 2017 won the Presidential elections. 
●    With this, he becomes the 14th President (in person) of India. 
●    He won the presidential election by defeating the opposition candidate Meira Kumari by 1086 votes.
●    In an electoral college, Ram Nath Kovind secured 2930 votes valued 702044, while, Meira Kumari managed to get only 1844 votes valued 367340.
●    The victory of Ram Nath Kovind was announced by Lok Sabha Secretary General and Returning officer Anoop Mishra.
●    The counting of the votes for the Presidential election was done at the Parliament House complex.  The results were declared after 8-round counting of the votes.
●    President elect Ram Nath Kovind will be administered oath of office by Chief Justice of India on 25 July 2017 in a special function at the Central hall of Parliament.

UIDAI launches mAadhaar app for syncing Aadhaar data on mobile phone

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on 19 July 2017 launched the mAadhaar app for syncing Aadhaar data on the mobile phone, a move that will negate the need to carry the Aadhaar card in wallets.
●    At present, the mAadhaar app is only available on Android phones and can be downloaded on the Google Play Store.
●    Once you register in mAadhar app, your Aadhaar card profile including phone number, address and other details get stored on the app.
●    The app let users share their Aadhaar profile and data with third-party applications through NFC, QR codes, Barcodes or even through email.
●    In order to share details, there is a sharing of QR code and eKYC data by Aadhaar Number holder system.
●    Before downloading the Aadhaar app on Android phone, users need to make sure the mobile number on the smartphone is the same as the one linked to Aadhaar card.