Important Current Affairs 19th July 2017

Current Affairs 19th July 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Environment Ministry Approves Projects for Climate Change Adaptation in Three States 

The Environment Ministry today approved three projects for climate change adaptation in three states. 
●    The National Steering Committee on Climate Change (NSCCC), under the Chairmanship of Secretary MoEF&CC, Shri Ajay Narayan Jha, approved the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) submitted by Governments of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Sikkim for funding under the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC).
●    Current projects address a range of climate change vulnerabilities in the States which are not addressed under the ongoing schemes of the Central and State Governments. 
●    In Rajasthan, the project builds on work carried out under Phase I of the Mukhya Mantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan to enhance the adaptive capacity of villages by making them self-reliant in terms of water requirement. 
●    The project in Gujarat seeks to enhance the adaptive capacity of natural resource dependent communities to climate change in targeted villages of Kachchh district. 
●    In Sikkim, the project aims to address the issue of water security which are directly identified as climate resilience building interventions under the SAPCC.

Allotment of temporary COCO Outlets to SC, ST & Women Beneficiaries 

The allotment letters of temporary COCO outlets to SC, ST & Women beneficiaries was presented by Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri. Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Minister for Tribal Affairs, Shri. Jual Oram & Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri. Dharmendra Pradhan at a ceremony held at Constitution Club of India, New Delhi today.
●    This initiative undertaken by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is part of a slew of initiatives to take forward the vision of our Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri. Narendra Modi of creating an inclusive India of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's dream. 
●    This initiative aims at making a positive difference in the lives of the poor, marginalized and lesser privileged sections of the society as envisioned by Dr B.R. Ambedkar.
●    The amendment to the scheme of divestment approved by Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, last year, envisages allotment of temporary COCOs to pending SC, ST Letters of Intent Holders (LoI) and Widows and unmarried women, who are above 40 years of age without earning parents

 Haryana to launch Saksham Haryana Campaign

The Haryana government has decided to launch an intensive campaign to increase the quality of education and employability of youth in the state. 
●    The campaign will run as a mass movement called ‘Saksham Haryana’ and to support and facilitate this, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has set up a 'Pratibha Vikas Prakosht' in his office. 
●    This decision was taken at a meeting held under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister with the Departments of Education and Skill Development and Industrial Training here today. 
●    The Prakosht will work in close coordination with Department of Higher Education, School Education, Technical Education and Skills and Industrial Training. 
●    The objective is to achieve 80 per cent grade level competencies in schools and provide two lakh jobs to the youth of the state over the next two years. 
●    The chief minister said the Prakosth would work in mission mode taking end-to-end view on students’ learning during all three stages of a student right from primary or school education to skill development and higher education. 
●    It will be executed at mass level involving political leadership and state machinery. 

Current Affairs 19th July 2017: INTERNATIONAL RELATION

India did agreement with Russia for 200 Kamov helicopters

India has made a billion dollar deal for Kamov helicopters. Under this deal, India will get 200 Kamov helicopters, most of which will be built in India. 
●    Viktor Nikolayevich Kladov, a senior official of Russian Defense Products Company Group Rostake Corp. and its International Cooperation and Regional Policy Department, said that the joint venture was registered in India in May.
●    The price of Kamov light-utility choppers to be built in India is coming out to be almost 2.5 times the cost of the 60 such helicopters that would be built in Russia and supplied to the Indian Army and Air Force, for operations in high altitude areas such as Siachen and Ladakh.
●    The issue over price and transfer of technology are slowing the deal which the armed forces require urgently to be completed to replace their vintage fleet of Cheetah and Chetak choppers for critical operations.
●    Under a Indo-Russian governmental agreement, India is buying 200 Kamov 226 T helicopters of which 60 would be built in Russia and supplied directly to the forces while the remaining 140 would be manufactured in a joint venture between Kamov and HAL along with a private sector partner.

Pakistan court lifts ban on airing of Indian teleplays

A Pakistani court today lifted a ban imposed by the country's media watchdog on airing of Indian teleplays calling it "unreasonable" restrictions. 
●    The Lahore High Court declared the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority's (Pemra) ban on airing Indian teleplays null and void after the federal government told the court that it has no objections on Pakistani private TV channels telecasting Indian TV shows.
●    Although Pemra's ban on the airing of Indian films on television channels was lifted in February, permission to air teleplays or television dramas was not granted. 
●    The petitioner's counsel Asma Jehangir argued in court today that a ban on Indian teleplays appeared strange while Indian films were being openly aired.
●    LHC Chief Justice Mansoor Ali Shah said the Indian content with objectionable or anti-Pakistan content could be censored but there was no need for a complete ban. 

Current Affairs 19th July 2017: AWARDS 

President of India Presents ‘Pranab Mukherjee Award for Academic Excellence’ 

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presented the ‘Pranab Mukherjee Award for Academic Excellence’ to Shri Aman Aggarwal for scoring the highest aggregate in Class XII CBSE Examination, 2017 among the students of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Sarvodaya Vidyalaya located in the President’s Estate today (July 19, 2017) at Rashtrapati Bhavan.  
●    On the occasion, Both the ‘Omita Paul Award for Academic Excellence’ for scoring highest aggregate marks amongst girls in Class XII CBSE Examination, 2017 as well as the ‘Kunjannamma Mathew Award’ for Academic Excellence’ for scoring highest marks in Mathematics amongst the girls in Class XII CBSE Examination, 2017 were presented to Kumari Muskan Sharma by Smt. Omita Paul, Secretary to the President and Dr. Thomas Mathew, Additional Secretary to the President respectively. 
●    Speaking on the occasion, the President congratulated the award winners and urged them to strive for excellence in every walk of life.  Referring to a poem by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, the President said that students must always remember that service is joy.  
●    The President stated that he cherished the occasions when he had taken a class of young students of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Sarvodaya Vidyalaya on Teachers’ Day during the last two years.  
●    Children are the future of the nation and when he looked at their bright faces and gleaming eyes he felt confident that they will take the country in the right direction in future.  
●    He said that they would get a chance to serve this great country in various walks of life.   
●    Though a vast and diverse country, India has an underlying unity.  He said that he was sure that the children would meet the expectations of their parents, friends and neighbours.

Current Affairs 19th July 2017: WORLD NEWS 

US Navy tests world’s first Laser Weapons System

The United States Navy has successfully tested the world’s first-ever active Laser Weapons System (LaWS), which is now deployed, all ready for any sort of attack on the Persian Gulf.
●    The LaWS has been deployed aboard the USS Ponce amphibious transport ship. 
●    In the test, the system was able to destroy a drone in flight and moving targets in the Persian Gulf. 
●    With its addition, USS Ponce becomes the first ship in the world to be deployed with such an advanced weapons system.
●    The weapon is capable of moving at the speed of light, around 50,000 times faster than an incoming intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
●    It operates in an invisible part of the electromagnetic spectrum so the beam is not visible.
●    The weapon is also completely silent and remarkably precise, which could help limit collateral damage during wartime.

Important Current Affairs 18th July 2017

Current Affairs 18th July 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

MoU Signed Between Department of Defence Production and GSL 

Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), a miniratna Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the financial year 2017-18, here today. 
●    The annual MoU was signed between Secretary (Defence Production) Shri Ashok Kumar Gupta on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), GSL Rear Adm (Retd) Shekhar Mital.
●    This year’s MoU target for ‘Revenue from Operations’ has been set at     ₹ 1150 crore, which is 43 percent higher than the financial year 2016-17 target of ₹ 800 crore. 
●    Notably in financial year 2016-17, the Shipyard achieved historical high VoP of ₹ 1030 crore and PBT of ₹ 177 crore. GSL was adjudged as ‘Best Performing Shipyard’ by MoD. 
●    Target for PAT to Networth ratio has been set at 13.30 percent.
●    Export target has been set at 28 percent of ‘Revenue from Operations’, which is highest among DPSU Shipyards.

Karnataka government appoints panel to design its own state flag

The Congress-led Siddaramaiah government in Karnataka has constituted a nine-member committee to study the possibility of designing its own ‘state flag’.
●    The panel headed by Principal Secretary, Department of Kannada and Culture is expected to prepare a design for a separate state flag and soon submit a report looking into the legal sanctity of the same to the state government.
●    If the move does get legal sanction then it would make Karnataka the only second state in the country to officially have its own flag after Jammu & Kashmir, which enjoys special status under Article 370 of the Constitution.
●    The committee was constituted following representations from Karnataka Vidyavardhaka Sangha president Patil Puttappa and activist Bheemappa Gundappa Gadada from Belagavi.
●    The social activists urged the government to design a separate flag for the state and accord statutory standing for it.
●    Under the constitutional powers of a state, there is no law prohibiting a state from having its own flag.

Smriti Irani replaces Venkaiah Naidu as Information and Broadcasting Minister

Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani on 18 July 2017 was given additional charge of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
●    The decision was taken following Venkaiah Naidu’s resignation from the post to contest for the Vice-President election as the candidate of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
●    On the other hand, Union Minister of Mines Narendra Singh Tomar has been handed over the charge of the Urban Development Ministry, which was also held by Naidu.
●    Naidu had resigned as the Union Minister on the night of 16 July 2017 after he was named by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as its vice presidential candidate against Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the opposition's nominee.

Israel to train Madhya Pradesh farmers in flowers, oranges farming

Israel will soon set up two agriculture excellence centres in Madhya Pradesh in collaboration with the Union government to impart training to farmers growing flowers and oranges, consul general of Israel David Akov, announced on Monday.
●    "A total of 26 agriculture excellence centres are being set up in nine states of the country, while 15 such centres in states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Haryana and Gujarat are already operational, 11 more will be developed soon," said Akov while addressing a press conference in the city.
●    In Madhya Pradesh, the two centres will come up at Shyampur in Sehore and Dheripal in Shajapur. 
●    At Sehore, the centre will train farmers in cultivation of flowers, whereas in Shajapur, techniques of growing oranges will be taught.

Current Affairs 18th July 2017: OBITUARY

Martin Landau, the actor who won Oscar for ‘Ed Wood,’ is no more

Martin Landau, the Oscar-winning actor who appeared in films like Alfred Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest” as well as in the television series of the “Mission: Impossible” in the 1960s, has died. He died on 15 July 2017. He was 89.
●    He died at UCLA Medical Center due to unexpected complications during a short hospitalisation. His death was confirmed by his publicist.
●    He won his Academy Award (Oscars) for his poignant portrayal of washed-up Bela Lugosi in 1994’s Tim Burton’s Ed Wood.
●    Born on 20 June 1928, was an American film and television actor.
●    He began his career as a newspaperman at age of 17 at the New York Daily News as a staff cartoonist and illustrator.
●    At that time, he was studying at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.

Current Affairs 18th July 2017: SPORTS

Kazan and Budapest to host 2022, 2024 FINA Short Course World Swimming Championships

The International Swimming Federation (FINA) on 17 July 2017 announced that the Russian city of Kazan and Hungarian city Budapest have been chosen to host the 2022, 2024 Short Course Swimming Championships respectively.
●    FINA took the decision about the host cities for both events in a meeting at Budapest, the venue of the 2017 World Aquatics Championships.
●    Besides the Russian and Hungarian metropolis, Hong Kong and Taipei City were the two other candidates.
●    On the other hand, the Chinese city of Hangzhou is set to host the Short Course Swimming Championships in 2018, while Abu Dhabi will be the venue in 2020.
●    The International Swimming Federation is the international federation recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administering international competition in water sports.
●    It is one of several international federations, which administer a given sport/discipline for the IOC and/or international community.
 

Current Affairs 18th July 2017: PERSONS

Lilly Singh appointed UNICEF’s Global Goodwill Ambassador
 

UNICEF today appointed Indian-origin Canadian YouTube star Lilly Singh as its newest Global Goodwill Ambassador at a special event here.
●    Lilly was in the capital to support UNICEF’s Youth4Change initiative, a programme for youth that brings them together to support their peers and communities in taking action on issues such as health, hygiene, child labour and gender equality.
●    “I’m honoured to join UNICEF as a Goodwill Ambassador and to use my voice to support its mission of reaching every child. It’s time to stand for what your kids want and not society,” Lilly said.
●    The YouTuber, famous as ‘Superwoman’, said she would come up with few videos in Hindi and would try to put Hindi subtitles in her English videos to increase the reach of her vlogs and channel.
●    As the UNICEF ambassador Lilly, who has 11.9 around million subscribers on the video sharing website, will use her channel to showcase the organisation’s work and urge millions of her followers to work for children’s rights.

Important Current Affairs 17th July 2017

Current Affairs 17th July 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

MoU Signed between Department of Defence Production and BEL 

Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a Navratna Schedule ‘A’ Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the financial year 2017-18 with the Ministry. 
●    The annual MoU was signed between Secretary (Defence Production) Shri Ashok Kumar Gupta on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and Chairman and Managing Director, BEL Shri MV Gowtama. 
●    The revenue from operations has been targeted at Rs. 9000 crore. 
●    The Operating Profit to Revenue from Operations target has been set at 14 percent and PAT to Average Networth has been set at 15 percent. 
●    Turnover from exports and increase in indigenous content are given additional focus during the year, along with other parameters like CAPEX investment and Monitoring of CAPEX projects, Reduction in Trade Receivables, and HR related parameters.

Minister of Railways Inaugurates Sindhudurg leg of the Science Express today 

The IX Phase of the prestigious Science Express exhibition train  which is on a Nationwide tour since 17 February 2017 reached Sindhudurg in Maharashtra today i.e. 17 July 2017. 
●    This phase of train is being referred as ‘Science Express Climate Action Special (SECAS)’ highlighting  the global challenge of climate change. 
●    Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu Inaugurated this Sindhudurg leg of Science Express today i.e. 17 July, 2017 through Video Conferencing from Delhi. 
●    SECAS is focusing on Climate Change and Science & Technology. 
●    The exhibition conveys message about Climate Change and is also a good opportunity to generate dialogue and discussion. 
●    This exhibition train will be available for public viewing at Roha Railway Station on 18th July and after that at Mumbai CST from 19 to 22 July 2017, then the train will move forward to next destinations as per its itinerary.

Short Film Competition on Divyangjan Sashaktikaran-2017 

The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Govt of India is organising  ‘Short Film Competition on Divyangjan Sashaktikaran-2017’ in association with Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Govt. of India.
●    The competition is being organised in order to create awareness on Accessible India Campaign and to promote various schemes of DEPwD among common masses. 
●    The Department invites entries from common citizens. 
●    The participants may submit their entries shot with any electronic devices in HD format only.    
●    The last date of submission of application is August 8, 2017. 
●    The  applications are invited in three categories viz ‘Short Documentaries’ of  up to  30 minutes duration, ‘Short Films’ of upto 5 minutes duration and ‘TV Spots’ (Television Commercials) of up to 50 seconds.

Indian railways launches Rail SAARTHI app

The Railways today launched an integrated mobile application to cater to various passenger requirements, including ticket booking, inquiry, on-board cleaning and ordering meal on a single platform. The app — Rail SAARTHI — was launched by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu. 
●    Currently there are multiple mobile app by the Railways. 
●    To use different services, users need to search and download each application separately.
●    In order to provide better customer experience, there was a need for an integrated application which could give a single window interface for these services, Prabhu said after launching the app. 
●    The Rail SAARTHI (synergised advanced application rail travel help and information) such as safety for women, complaint facility and suggestion for improvement, he said. One can also book air ticket through the app and give feedback.
●    Prabhu also announced a quota facility for differently- abled people in 3AC coach and extending the advance booking period for foreigners to 365 days from present 120 days. 
●    Now a lower berth in a 3AC coach will be reserved for physically-challenged people and the middle for the individual accompanying them.

Current Affairs 17th July 2017: OBITUARY 

Former Sikkim CM Nar Bahadur Bhandari passes away

Nar Bahadur Bhandari, the former chief minister of Sikkim who served the state from 1979 to 1994, died at a Delhi hospital on 16 July 2017. He was 77.
●    He is survived by his wife Dil Kumari Bhandari, a former member of parliament (Lok Sabha) from Sikkim, two daughters and a son.
●    Born on 5 October 1940 at Malbasey in Sikkim, Bhandari was serving a government school as a teacher before joining the active politics.
●    He became the Chief Minister of Sikkim for the first time in 1979 on a Sikkim Janata Parishad ticket, a party founded by him in 1977.
●    In 1984, he dissolved the Sikkim Janata Parishad and formed a new party known as Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP). 
●    In 1885 and 1989, he became Chief Minister of the state on the ticket of SSP. 
●    He remained the President of SSP until his death.

Current Affairs 17th July 2017: SPORTS

Roger Federer lifts record 8th Wimbledon title beating Marin Cilic in Men's singles

Roger Federer on 16 July 2017 won a record eighth Wimbledon title with a straight-sets victory over Marin Cilic. 
●    With this win, 36-year old Federer also became the tournament’s oldest champion.
●    In the finals played in Wimbledon, London, Federer defeated Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-1, 6-4.
●    Federer is Wimbledon's oldest men's winner of the modern era, succeeding Arthur Ashe, who was almost 32 when he won in 1976.
●    This was his 19th Grand Slam title. This was Swiss superstar's 11th Wimbledon final and 29th title at the majors. 
●    With this victory, Federer also became the first player since Bjorn Borg in 1976 to win Wimbledon without dropping a set in the entire tournament.

Garbine Muguruza beats Venus Williams to clinch Wimbledon Women’s Singles title

Spanish Garbine Muguruza on 15 July 2017 defeated Venus Williams 7-5 6-0 grab the Wimbledon Women’s Singles title.
●    Muguruza is the second Spanish woman to claim the world’s most important title, joining her current coach Conchita Martinez, who won the title in 1994, on the honour roll.
●    In addition, Muguruza is the only woman in history to have beaten both Serena and Venus Williams in a grand slam final.
●    Garbine Muguruza beats Venus Williams to clinch Wimbledon Women’s Singles title
●    Born on 8 October 1993, Garbine Muguruza is a Venezuelan-born Spanish professional tennis player.
●    She turned professional in 2012.
●    She has won four singles titles, including two majors: the 2016 French Open, and the 2017 Wimbledon Championships.

Current Affairs 17th July 2017: GLOBAL NEWS

MATUNGA IS NOW FIRST ALL-WOMEN STATION

In about a week from now, the Central Railway will hand over Matunga station to women staffers. 

●    Matunga will become the first railway station in the city – and the first station on Central Railway --to be operated by an all-women staff.
●    The station will have over 30 women staffers, including 11 booking clerks, 7 ticket collectors, 2 chief booking supervisors, 5 Railway Police Force personnel, 5 pointspersons, 2 announcers, and a station manager.
●    The man behind the move is DK Sharma, general manager, Central Railway. “It is about empowering women,” said Sharma. “Some of our passenger reservation centres and even ticketing systems for suburban trains are entirely handled excellently by women, so it was decided that an entire station should be handed over to them.”
●    Several women staffers have already been posted at Matunga station, said Sachin Bhalode, senior divisional security commissioner of the Mumbai Division at Central Railways.
●    According to Sharma, if the experiment worked well, they would also deploying all-women crew at other stations on the network.
●    This is not the first time that Central Railway is taking the lead in empowering women. 
●    As far back as 1992, its staffer Mamta Kulkarni became the city’s first woman station master. Kulkarni was posted in Kurla.

Important Current Affairs 16th July 2017

Current Affairs 16th July 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Raipur Airport Ranked First in Customer Satisfaction Index Survey

Raipur’s Swami Vivekananda Airport was once again ranked first in Customer Satisfaction among 49 airports in the country. 
●    Raipur Airport achieved 4.84 score on a five point scale index in the latest CSI survey conducted by an independent agency for the period of January-June 2017,  followed by Udaipur, Amritsar and Dehradun airports which have scored 4.75, 4.74 and 4.73 respectively.
●    Airport Authority of India makes continuous efforts to improve the services and passenger facilities at its airports, and this has placed it amongst the best service providers in the world. 
●    Customer Satisfaction is one of the key performance objectives of AAI which is evaluated through Customer Satisfaction Survey conducted by an independent agency commissioned by AAI.  
●    The survey covers a wide range of parameters like transportation, parking, passenger facilities and cleanliness etc. The integrated terminal building of Raipur was inaugurated in 2012. 
●    High level maintenance of infrastructure and passenger facilities, the green ambience, state-of -the- art technology and courteous staff ensuring passenger satisfaction has resulted in Raipur getting this recognition for the third consecutive time in the past two years.

India builds military road to China border

On the near-vertical slopes of the eastern Himalayas, workers are blasting and cutting treacherous rock faces to build a top-priority military asset: a 34-mile road to the country’s disputed border with China.
●    Far away in the capital New Delhi-a six-day journey by foot, road, rail and air-Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office is monitoring their progress as he doubles down on a billion-dollar infrastructure plan in this contested region to strengthen India’s hand against its powerful neighbor.
●    India is accelerating work on strategic roads to be able to move troops and supplies to the border faster and deploy sophisticated weapons if armed conflict breaks out. 
●    China already has extensive infrastructure on its side. “It’s not business as usual,” a senior official overseeing the project said. “We have shifted gear.”
 

Current Affairs 16th July 2017: BANKING

SBI waives charge on IMPS fund transfer of up to Rs 1,000

Country’s largest bank SBI has waived charges for fund transfer of up to ₹1,000 through its IMPS (Immediate Payment Service) to promote small transactions.
●    State Bank of India had been charging ₹5 along with the applicable service tax for IMPS fund transfer of up to ₹1,000. 
●    IMPS is an instant interbank electronic fund transfer service through mobile phones as well as internet banking.
●    “In order to promote small ticket size transactions, SBI has waived off IMPS charges for transfer up to ₹ 1,000,” the bank said while informing about the revised IMPS transfer charges under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime.
●    For IMPS, charge will be ₹5 along GST for fund transfer in the range of ₹1,000 to ₹1 lakh. 
●    The charge will go up to ₹15 for transactions of ₹1-2 lakh. GST at the rate of 18 per cent is applicable on all financial transactions.

Current Affairs 16th July 2017: GLOBAL NEWS

Biggest iceberg broken off in Antarctica

One of the largest icebergs ever recorded has broken free of Antarctica. 
●    A crack in an Antarctica’s Larsen C ice shelf is responsible for calving the colossal new iceberg, which is roughly the area of Delaware state and the volume of Lake Michigan.
●    Researchers noticed the distinctive rift in Antarctica’s ice in 2010, which has grown rapidly since 2016. 
●    The iceberg calved between July 10 and July 12, researchers said.
●    “Breaking news! The iceberg has fully detached from Larsen C – more details to follow soon,” Martin O’Leary a glaciologist at Swansea University, wrote in a tweet early Wednesday morning for Project MIDAS.
●    A NASA Earth-observing satellite called MODIS was among the first to photograph the colossal ice block freed of Antarctica’s grasp. 
●    It appears the iceberg has largely stayed intact.

Current Affairs 16th July 2017: SPORTS

Mathews steps down as Sri Lanka captain

Angelo Mathews has stepped down as Sri Lanka captain in all three formats, following his side’s 3-2 ODI series loss to Zimbabwe. 
●    Mathews, who called the defeat “one of the lowest points” of his career and said in its aftermath that he would discuss his captaincy future with the SLC selectors, conveyed his decision to the selectors on Tuesday.
●    Mathews has led Sri Lanka in 34 Tests, 98 ODIs and 12 T20Is, having taken the reins at the age of 25, in 2013. 
●    Though Sri Lanka have been modest in limited-overs cricket through the latter half of his tenure, they have, on his watch, tasted rare success in the Test format. 
●    In 2014, Mathews had personally played a pivotal role in the Test series triumph in England. 
●    Last year, Sri Lanka had also whitewashed Australia – a side they had won only one Test against previously.
●    There have also been significant lows under Mathews, however. Sri Lanka’s campaigns in the 2015 World Cup, the 2016 World T20 and the 2017 Champions Trophy were disappointing, and even in the Test format, they suffered two 0-2 whitewashes in New Zealand, and a 0-3 result in South Africa. 
●    All told, Mathews has 13 Test victories to his name as captain, against 15 losses. On the batting front, Mathews had an outstanding 2014, in which he scored 1,317 runs at an average of 87.8, but his form had since fallen away, though his average as captain still remains 50.94. 

Current Affairs 16th July 2017: SPACE SCIENCE

NASA's Juno Mission reveals Jupiter's deep secrets

The first science results from Nasa's Juno Mission were revealed on 25 May 2017 by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
●    Juno captured the images which portray Jupiter, the largest planet in the Solar System, as a complex, gigantic, turbulent world with Earth-sized polar cyclones, plunging storm systems that travel deep into the heart of the gas giant.
●    The images show that both of Jupiter's poles are covered in Earth-sized swirling storms that are densely clustered and rubbing together.
●    Another finding came from Juno’s Microwave Radiometer (MWR) data which indicates that Jupiter’s iconic belts and zones are mysterious as the belt near the equator is penetrating all the way down, while the belts and zones at other latitudes seem to evolve to other structures.

Important Current Affairs 15th July 2017

Current Affairs 15th July 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

President of India distributes free LPG connections under PMUY at Jangipur

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee distributed free LPG connections to 11 women under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) at Jangipur in Murshidabad district of West Bengal today (July 15, 2017) in the presence of Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan. 
●    With this, the Central Government has distributed 2.5 crore LPG connections under PMUY among the poor and marginalized households across the country since its launch. 
●    The PMUY was launched by Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi on May 1, 2016.
●    Shri Abhijit Mukherjee, MP (Lok Sabha) and Shri Ranjan Mahapatra, Executive Director, Indian Oil, Kolkata were also present on the occasion.

Union Ministers Vijay Goel and Babul Supriyo Flag off 8th Slum Daud in Delhi 

Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports shri Vijay Goel here today flagged off the 8th Slum Yuva Daud with shri Babul Supriyo, MoS Heavy Industries and Public Enterprise, shri Ramesh Bidhuri MP and Basketball players Divya, Prashanti, Akanksha and Pratima (prominently known as Singh Sisters). 
●    Today’s run started from Qutub Minar and ended at Govt. Boys & Girls School playground, Mehrauli. 
●    More than 3000 youth from Delhi slums participated and cheered by Babul Supriyo with songs before the run. 
●    Addressing the participants shri Goel said that this is not just any other run but we are running for a better tomorrow, a New India where each youngster utilizes his/her skills for nation building. 
●    Shri Babul Supriyo gave a thumbs up to the Sports Ministry’s initiative of Slum Yuva Daud and called it “innovative step” to tap young talent.

J P Nadda launches the National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination (2017-22) 

Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare launched the National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination (2017-22) at a function, here today. 
●    The Strategic Plan gives year wise elimination targets in various parts of the country depending upon the endemicity of malaria in the next 5 years. 
●    Speaking at the launch, Shri Nadda said that the government would like to eliminate malaria by 2027 and urged the states for active cooperation. 
●    He further stated that the programme has to be owned by the states. Dr.Jagdish Prasad, DGHS, Shri R.K.Vats, Additional Secretary & Director General and Acting WHO Representative to India Dr. Suchaxaya Prakin were also present at the launch function. 
●    Recalling the launch of the National Framework for Malaria Elimination (NFME) last year, Shri Nadda stated that NFME outlined India’s commitment for eliminating malaria by 2030. 

India tops global index of countries with the most confidence in their government

The latest edition of the OECD's Government at a Glance report states that 73 per cent Indians have faith in the Narendra Modi led NDA coalition, the highest in the world.
●    India is followed by the Canadian government headed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which has the confidence of 62 per cent citizens. 
●    Turkey, which witnessed a failed coup attempt in 2016, is in third place with 58 per cent of the populace placing its trust in the Erdogan government. 
●    Russia and Germany rounded off the top 5, with confidence levels at 58 per cent and 55 per cent respectively.
●    On the other hand, the United States government led by President Donald Trump secured only 30 per cent of the peoples' confidence. In the United Kingdom, which is in the midst of a bitter 'Brexit' following a divisive referendum last year, trust in the Theresa May government stands at 41 per cent, the report collated by the OECD said.
●    The recent impeachment of President Park Geun-hye over a corruption scandal has reduced confidence in the South Korean government to 25 per cent.

Govt empowers Army to procure weapons systems:

In a major decision, the government has empowered the Army directly to procure critical weapons systems and military platforms to maintain combat readiness for short duration "intense wars", a top government official said on Wednesday.
●    The move, aimed at filling the "voids" in the Army's combat readiness, comes amid nearly a month-long standoff between the armies of India and China in the Dokalam area as well as heightened Indo-Pak tension along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.
●    According to the decision by the government, the Vice Chief of Army has been given the "full" financial powers to procure ammunitions and spares for 10 types of weapons systems and equipment after an internal review found that optimum level of "war stores" were not being maintained, the official, who is privy to the development, said.
●    The official spoke on the condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media.
●    The official said the financial power vested, depending on the budgetary support available, to buy the complete range of weapons system may translate into Rs 40,000 crore.

India tops list of countries plagued by spam calls: Truecaller

In India, telcos and telemarketing accounted for a major chunk of the spam calls at 54 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively.
●    Troubled by spam calls from banks offering loans or rival operators doling out more data coaxing you to switch? You are not alone. 
●    India tops the list of countries most affected by spam calls, says a report. According to phone directory app Truecaller, India is ahead of countries like the US, Brazil, Chile and South Africa with an average user receiving over 22 spam calls a month. 
●    Compared to this, customers in the US and Brazil get about 20 spam calls a month, while in Kenya the average is about seven calls, Truecaller said in a report.
●    “On a deeper dive, we found that there are common categories that tie all these spam calls together. 
●    These would be operator, debt collection, bank, political, health, spam, telemarketing, financial service, scam and insurance,” it added. In India, telcos and telemarketing accounted for a major chunk of the spam calls at 54 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively.”
●    Many of these operators are seeking to provide special offers for free data, or unlimited calls.

Current Affairs 15th July 2017: Space Science

Saraswati, a supercluster of galaxies, discovered by Indian scientists

Discovery of a previously unknown supercluster of galaxies, Saraswati, was reported by a team of Indian scientists. Saraswati, the supercluster of 43 galaxies, is located in the direction of constellation Pisces.
●    This supercluster is one of the largest known structures in the nearby universe and is located some four billion light-years away from our planet, the Earth. It may contain the mass equivalent to over 20 million billion suns.
●    The Saraswati supercluster was estimated to have a mass of 2 x 1016 (twenty thousand trillion) suns. It has the capacity of containing thousands of suns along with billion of stars, planets, gases, dark matter and other bodies. 
●    Saraswati is estimated to be stretched over 650 million light years in distance.
●    The discovery is rare because just four or five such superclusters in the entire universe are known till date like ‘Shapley Concentration’ or the ‘Sloan Great Wall’. Superclusters, a group of clusters of galaxies, are the largest structures of stars, planets and other heavenly bodies in the universe.

Current Affairs 15th July 2017: Days & Dates

World Youth Skills Day 2017 observed globally

The World Youth Skills Day (WYSD) was on 15 July 2017 observed globally. 
●    The day is observed to create more awareness about training and the development of skills for the youth of today, in hopes of creating a better opportunity for them when it comes to employment.
●    This year, the United Nations along with WorldSkills.org organised campaigns #SkillsForAll and #WYSD to raise awareness about the importance of youth developing skills.
●    #SkillsForAll campaign was aimed at creating awareness that everyone should have the opportunity to discover and develop their talents. 
●    Through skills individuals, communities, and countries can create a more prosperous future.

Important Current Affairs 14th July 2017

Current Affairs 14th July 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Environment Minister to Dedicate NCSCM to the Nation

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is embarking on a new National Coastal Mission. 
●    With this objective in view, Environment Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan will dedicate the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) to the nation at Chennai, tomorrow. 
●    The Minister will inaugurate the new building of the Centre and research infrastructure at Anna University campus in Chennai. 
●    He pointed out that the research undertaken by NCSCM will be used directly for arriving at policy decisions and for capacity building of coastal communities and other stakeholders. 
●    In a statement on the eve of his departure for Chennai, the Minister said that the focus of the Government in coastal states is sustainable livelihood, development of coastal communities through various R&D and policy initiatives. 
●    He also added that six research divisions have been established at NCSCM that will combine geospatial sciences with cutting-edge research on conservation, pollution, climate change and community interface – both in mainland and islands of the country. 
●    He also added that the NCSCM’s core strength is the multi-disciplinary nature of coastal system research for the well-being of coastal communities and promoting sustainable development based on scientific principles.

Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu inducts First DEMU Train with Solar powered Coaches into service of the Nation

Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu today (14 July 2017) dedicated to the nation the first 1600 HP DEMU train with Solar Powered Coaches with a unique facility of Battery Bank here today. 
●    The entire electrical need of the coaches for Lighting, Fans and Information Display System will be met from the Solar Energy produced from the solar panels fitted in the roofs of coaches. 
●    While this train has been manufactured by the Coach Factory of Indian Railways namely Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, its Solar panels and Solar systems have been developed and fitted by Indian Railways Organisation of Alternative Fuel (IROAF) Delhi. 
●    This first rake has been commissioned and based at Shakurbasti DEMU shed in Delhi of Northern Railway. 
●    Twenty-four more coaches will be fitted with this system within the next 6 months. 
●    The first rake will be put in the commercial service over the suburban railway system of Delhi division of Northern Railway.

Shipping Ministry appointed committee suggests ways to upgrade port hospitals under PPP 

The Ministry of Shipping had constituted a committee to study how the existing healthcare infrastructure at major ports can be upgraded under PPP mode  to provide world class health services,  along with affordable medical and paramedical education. 
●    Presenting  its report to Shri Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Shipping and Road Transport and Highways in New Delhi today, the committee has indicated possible alternatives by which port hospitals can be upgraded under PPP mode so that their healthcare facilities are augmented.
●    The report has also indicated the feasibility of starting of medical college and postgraduate specialty courses attached to port hospitals. 
●    According to the report, the hospitals at Mumbai Port which has more than 200 beds can be taken up for this, while hospitals at Cochin, Chennai, Vishakhapatnam and Kolkata ports can be considered for upgradation into tertiary care facilities, with a particular super specialty being assigned to a specific port hospital, which then becomes the super specialty center for all referral purposes by the other port hospitals. 
●    As such, Port Trust Hospital, Chennai could be availed for development of tertiary care facilities in the domain of cardiovascular thoracic surgery, Port Trust Hospital Cochin for nephrology, Port Trust Hospital Kolkata for neurology and neurosurgery and Port Trust Hospital Vishakhapatnam for gastroenterology and surgical gastroenterology respectively.

RINL Signs MoU with CCI for setting up Cement Plant 

Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited, the corporate entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and Cement Corporation of India (CCI), a PSU under Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Vishakhapatnam today to set up 2 mtpa Fly Ash and Blast Furnace Slag based Cement Plant in a Joint Venture in two phases of one million tonne capacity each. 
●    RINL generates a large quantity of BF slag and fly ash, prime raw material for the Cement Plant. 
●    Sri Manoj Misra, Chairman cum Managing Director representing CCI and Sri P.C. Mohapatra, Director (Projects) representing RINL signed the MoU in the presence of Sri P Madhusudan CMD,RINL. 
●    The JV Project cost is approximately Rs.150 Cr. RINL is offering around 35 acres of land for the proposed plant in its premises. 
●    The project is proposed to be completed in 15 months from the date of placement of order. 

Ministry of Water Resources to Sign MoU with Ministry of Skill Development for the success of Namami Gange

Union Ministry for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation will sign an MoU with Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship for the success of Namami Gange programme in New Delhi tomorrow.
●    The MoU intends to develop skilled manpower for laying sewerage pipeline, plumbing works, construction of toilets, civil masonry works, waste collection and its disposal activities. 
●    It will also develop skills for preparing products from pious waste materials like flowers, leaves, coconuts, hair and associate plastic bags and plastic bottles etc. and their proper packaging and promotion of such products. 
●    The MoU will also help in developing skills for operation and maintenance of pumps and STPs.
●    As per the MoU the Ministry of Water Resource, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation   shall develop the market for reuse/recycle of treated wastewater to be released from STP/ETPs for various non-potable purposes. 
●    It will also ensure necessary coordination and support from the state governments and state level implementing agencies for various activities to be undertaken by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship as part of Namami Gange programme. 
●    The Ministry will also mobilize resources for creation of Pradhan Mantri Namami Gange Kaushal Kendras in 60 districts covered under Namami Gange Mission.

Current Affairs 14th July 2017: INTERNATIONAL RELATION

European Union & India establish an Investment Facilitation Mechanism 

European Union (EU) and India today announced the establishment of an Investment Facilitation Mechanism (IFM) for EU Investments in India. 
●    The mechanism will allow for a close coordination between the European Union and the Government of India with an aim to promote and facilitate EU investment in India.
●    This agreement builds on the Joint Statement of the 13th EU-India Summit held in Brussels in March 2016, where the EU had welcomed India's readiness to establish such a mechanism and leaders from both sides had reaffirmed their shared commitment to oppose protectionism and to work in favour of a fair, transparent and rule-based trade and investment environment.
●    As part of the IFM, the EU Delegation to India and the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, agreed to hold regular high level meetings to assess and facilitate "ease of doing business" for EU investors in India. 
●    This will include identifying and putting in place solutions to procedural impediments faced by EU companies and investors in establishing or running their operations in India.
 

Current Affairs 14th July 2017: SPACE SCIENCE

Scientists have just discovered the smallest star in the universe

Scientists have discovered the smallest known star in the universe – slightly larger than Saturn in size – which may possibly have Earth-sized planets with liquid water in its orbit. 
●    Researchers from University of Cambridge in the UK identified the star located about six hundred light years away, called EBLM J0555-57Ab as it passed in front of its much larger companion.
●    The star is likely as small as stars can possibly become, as it has just enough mass to enable the fusion of hydrogen nuclei into helium, researchers said. 
●    If it were any smaller, the pressure at the centre of the star would no longer be sufficient to enable this process to take place, they said. 
●    With a size just a sliver larger than that of Saturn, the gravitational pull at its stellar surface is about 300 times stronger than what humans feel on Earth.
●    The discovery is also the best possible candidates for detecting Earth-sized planets which can have liquid water on their surfaces, such as TRAPPIST-1, an ultracool dwarf surrounded by seven temperate Earth-sized worlds, researchers said.
 

Current Affairs 14th July 2017: OBITUARY

Liu Xiaobo, Nobel laureate and political prisoner, died

China is facing a barrage of international criticism for its treatment of the Nobel laureate and democracy campaigner Liu Xiaobo, who died at the age of 61 on Thursday.
●    Liu, who championed non-violent resistance as a way of overcoming “forceful tyranny”, had been serving an 11-year jail sentence for demanding an end to one-party rule when he was diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer in May.
●    He died of multiple organ failure while under guard at a hospital in north-east China, making him the first Nobel peace prize winner to die in custody since German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, the 1935 recipient, who died under surveillance after years confined to Nazi concentration camps
●    News of Liu’s death sparked an immediate outpouring of international mourning and condemnation. 
●    His peaceful activism and biting criticism of one-party rule meant he had spent almost a quarter of his life behind bars.
 

Important Current Affairs 13th July 2017

Current Affairs 13th July 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

DIPP to set up India’s first TISC in Punjab

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, signed an Institutional agreement with the Punjab State Council of Science and Technology in New Delhi today to establish India’s first Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) at Patent Information Centre, Punjab, under the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) TISC program.
●    The objective of the TISC is to stimulate a dynamic, vibrant and balanced Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) system in India to foster creativity and innovation, thereby promoting entrepreneurship and enhancing social, economic and cultural development by establishing a network of TISCs in India.
●    WIPO’s Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) program provides innovators in developing countries with access to locally based, high quality technology information and related services, helping them to exploit their innovative potential and to create, protect, and manage their Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs).

Medical officers in paramilitary forces to retire at 65 instead of 60 years

The retirement age of medical officers working in central armed police forces like the CRPF and BSF has been enhanced from 60 to 65 years, an official statement said on Wednesday.
●    The decision was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here.
●    The cabinet has given its ex-post facto approval for enhancement of the age of superannuation in respect of general duty medical officers of central armed police forces and Assam Rifles from 60 to 65 years, an official statement said.
●    The retirement age of specialist medical officers of central armed police forces and Assam Rifles has also been enhanced from 60 to 65 years.
●    The move will help in retention of officers in specialist and general duty medical cadre and thereby help in better patient care, proper academic activities in medical colleges as also in effective implementation of national health programmes for delivery of health care services, the statement said.
The central police forces are: Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF-India), National Security Guards (NSG) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).

Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu Inaugurates Indian Railways Round Table Conference on New Alternatives in Wagon Design: Reaching out to Customers

Minister of State for Railways & Minister of State for Communications (Independent Charge) Shri Manoj Sinha and Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain were specially present to grace the occasion. 
●    Member Rolling Stock Railway Board Shri Ravindra Gupta, other Railway Board Members and senior officials were also be present on the occasion.
●    Speaking on the occasion, Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said Indian Railways is trying to get back its modal share in freight segment.  
●    Indian Railways new Freight policy has rationalised tariffs. Indian Railways is trying to work on partnership with its freight customers. 
●    The new alternative wagon design is another step towards it. New Wagon Design as per the need of customers is a win win situation for both, customers & railways. 
●    Customers can modify / alter the wagons as per the need & railways freight share can increase substantially. 
●    Commodity basket of Indian Railways has also been diversified. It is our effort to capture the unexplored segment of agriculture & fisheries to increase freight traffic.

NGT declares 100m area from edge of Ganga as No-development Zone

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on 13 July 2017 passed a few directions to rejuvenate the Ganga river and declared 100 metres from the edge of the Ganga river between Haridwar and Unnao as “No-Development Zone”.
●    The directions were passed by a NGT bench headed by NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar.
●    It declared ‘No-Development Zone’ along an area of 100 metres from the edge of the river and directed that this zone must be turned into green belts.
●    The environment compensation of Rs 50000 will be imposed on anyone who dumps waste in the Ganga river.

Current Affairs 13th July 2017: SPACE SCIENCE

ISRO develops ship borne transportable antenna terminal

Space agency ISRO’s Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network ‘ISTRAC’ has designed and developed a Ship Borne Transportable (SBT) Antenna Terminal to meet the launch vehicle telemetry tracking and command requirements. 
●    The 4.6 meter Ship Borne Antenna System has been built indigenously, fulfilling all specifications and has established in-house capability for meeting future requirements, the space agency said. 
●    It has also improved the operational reliability due to in-house know-how of the system engineering, besides reducing the cost considerably, it added.
●    The city-based ISTRAC provides tracking support for all satellite and launch vehicle missions of ISRO and also provides space operations support for Deep Space Missions.
 

Current Affairs 13th July 2017: INTERNATIONAL RELATION

India grants Rupees 3.2 crore aid to Philippines to fight ISIS

India in July 2017 granted USD 500000 to the Philippines for the rehabilitation and relief efforts in war-torn Marawi City.
●    India announced the “immediate assistance” on 11 July 2017 on the Facebook account of its embassy in Manila.
●    It is the first time that India is sending financial aid to another country affected by terrorism.
●    As per the embassy, Sushma Swaraj offered the assistance to the Philippines during her conversation with Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano on 6 July 2017.
●    India’s assistance is a part of the Union Government’s Act East policy and comes at a time when the Philippines is getting ready to host India-Asean foreign ministers meeting in Manila in August 2017.
●    The Philippines is the only Southeast Asian nation where ISIS has established its presence.

Current Affairs 13th July 2017: SPORTS

Mithali Raj becomes first player to score 6000 runs in women’s ODI cricket

India captain Mithali Raj scripted history on 12 July 2017 as she became the only female cricketer to surpass the 6000 run mark in One-Day Internationals (ODI).
●    Mithali overtook Charlotte Edwards (5992) after scoring her 34th run against Australia in Bristol. The 34-year-old reached the landmark in her 183rd ODI, taking 164 innings - 16 less than Edwards.
●    Born on 3 December 1982, Mithali Raj is the captain of the Indian Women's cricket team in Test's and ODI.
●    She is the first player to score 7 consecutive 50s in ODIs.
●    She has played both Test and ODI cricket for India's women's cricket team.
●    She made her ODI debut in 1999 against Ireland at Milton Keynes and scored unbeaten 114 runs.
●    She made her Test debut in the 2001-02 season against South Africa at Lucknow

Current Affairs 13th July 2017: GLOBAL NEWS

Former Brazil president Lula da Silva gets nearly 10 years in jail for graft

Brazil’s former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison for graft in a stark fall from grace for the iconic leftist leader.
●    Lula, who ruled Brazil from 2003-2010, was convicted and handed a 9.5-year prison term on Wednesday for accepting a luxury seaside apartment and $1.1 million, the latest twist in a giant corruption probe engulfing Latin America’s largest economy.
●    But anti-corruption judge Sergio Moro said the 71-year-old Lula would remain free pending an appeal -- something his lawyers immediately said they would lodge.
●    The conviction nevertheless landed a heavy blow on the prospect of Lula making a political comeback in presidential elections due in October next year.
●    The verdict also sent a dramatic message to much of Brazil’s political class that they, too, risked falling afoul of the anti-graft drive.
●    Even the current president, Michel Temer, has been charged with taking bribes and several of his ministers have resigned after corruption claims were made.

Important Current Affairs 12th July 2017

Current Affairs 12th July 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Cabinet approves establishment of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), South Asia Regional Center (ISARC) at campus of National Seed Research and Training Center (NSRTC) in Varanasi

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the establishment of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), South Asia Regional Center (ISARC) at campus of National Seed Research and Training Center (NSRTC) in Varanasi. 
●    Under the proposal, a Centre of Excellence in Rice Value Addition (CERVA) will be set up in Varanasi. 
●    This will include a modern and sophisticated laboratory with capacity to determine quality and status of heavy metals in grain and straw. 
●    The Centre will also undertake capacity building exercises for stakeholders across the rice value chain. 
●    This Center will be the first international Center in the eastern India and it will play a major role in harnessing and sustaining rice production in the region. 
●    It is expected to be a boon for food production and skill development in the eastern India and similar ecologies in other South Asian and African countries. 

Cabinet approves Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) between India and Germany on cooperation in the field of Health

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval for signing a Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) between India and Germany on cooperation in the field of Health. 
●    The JDI was signed on 1st June, 2017.
●    The JDI covers the following areas of cooperation.
●    postgraduate education;
●    training of medical personnel;
●    pharmaceuticals & pharmacoeconomics; and
●    health economics.
●    A Working Group will be set up to further elaborate the details of cooperation and to oversee the implementation of this JDI.

Cabinet approves Development of Four Laning of Solapur-Bijapur Section of New NH-52 in Maharashtra and Karnataka 

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for 4 Laning of Solapur-Bijapur Section of New NH-52 (formerly NH-13) in Maharashtra and Karnataka. 
●    The development of 4 Laning of about 110 km. is estimated to cost approximately Rs.1889 crore including the cost of land acquisition and pre-construction activity.
●    At present, the existing road is two- lane and passes through congested towns of Solapur, Takli and Nandani in Maharashtra and Zalki, Horti and Bijapur in Karnataka. 
●    It connects Southern India with Northern India and its development will serve as an alternative route to North South Corridor of the National Highways Development Programme. 
●    The development to four- lane of this road with bypasses at Solapur, Bijapur and construction of six flyovers would greatly reduce travel time and Vehicle Operating Costs as well as help in expediting the improvement of infrastructure in Maharashtra and Karnataka states. 
●    This road is part of the high-density traffic corridor Banglore-Chitradurga-Bijapur-Solapur-Aurangabad-Dhule-indore-Gwalior.

Cabinet approves SASEC Road Connectivity Investment Program - Tranche 2

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for upgradation and widening of 65 kms of Imphal-Moreh Section of NH-39 in Manipur at a cost of Rs. 1630.29 crores.
●    Manipur being a landlocked state with almost 90% of the area under difficult terrain presently has only road transport as a means of mass transport system within the state. 
●    Hence development of the road infrastructure is of paramount importance to improve connectivity and progress of the State and to ensure that the administrative set up reaches the isolated and remote habitats. 
●    The project will improve connectivity between Imphal with the eastern part of the state. 
●    Based on the existing and projected traffic requirements the NH-39 will be widened to 4 lane between Lilong village and Wanging village, while the stretch between Wanting village to Khang Khang will be upgraded to 2 lane with paved shoulder.

MOU signed between Department of Defence Production and MIDHANI 

Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI), a miniratna, Schedule ‘B’ Defence Public Sector Undertaking under the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the financial year 2017-18 with the Ministry. 
●    The annual MoU was signed by Secretary (Defence Production) Shri Ashok Kumar Gupta on behalf of the Ministry and Chairman and Managing Director, MIDHANI Dr. D K Likhi.
●    The MoU outlines targets and various performance parameters for the company. 
●    The revenue from operations as per the MoU has been targeted at ₹ 780 crore which is significant improvement over the previous years.
India to host Theatre Olympics ‘The Biggest Theatre Celebration of the World

Dr Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (Independent charge) for Culture and Tourism has announced here today that 8th edition of the greatest carnival of Theatre in the World will take place in India for the first time ever from February 17 – April 08, 2018 simultaneously in various cities across the country. 
●    Addressing a Press Conference here today in the presence of Shri Ratan Thiyam, Chairperson, NSD Society & Prof. Waman Kendre, Director, National School of Drama, the Minister said that there will be 500 plays & 700 ambience performances from across the world and Allied activities like exhibitions, seminars, symposia, interactive discussions and workshops with well-known academicians, authors, actors, designers and directors will be held. 
●    He said that the Leading luminaries of world theatre will take part.
●    In a development that puts India firmly among the top nations in the world theatre map, the country is all set to host the next edition of the prestigious Theatre Olympics. 
●    Established in 1993, the Theatre Olympics is the foremost international theatre festival, presenting the finest productions of well-known theatre practitioners from around the world.
●    The Theatre Olympics, being held in India for the first time, is being organised by National School of Drama, under the aegis of Ministry of Culture. 
●    The country’s tryst with the biggest celebration of theatre in the world will take place from February 17 till April 08, 2018 and will be held in 15 cities across India.

Railway initiated Rail cloud project

Indian Railway has started a strategic IT initiative, christened IR-OneICT, for enterprise wide digital single platform with an aim to improve customer satisfaction, improve revenue and effective, efficient and safe operations. 
●    To achieve the goal of single digital platform for IR a few foundational projects need to be implemented first, establishment of RainCloud is one such project.  
●    Cloud Computing is the emerging technology for faster and on demand commensurate deployment of Server resources which result in reduced cost. Accordingly, RailCloud Phase-I has been sanctioned at the cost of Rs. 53.55 Cr under PH-17, DF(3) in FY 17-18. Potential benefits to Railways after implementation of RailCloud are:
●     Faster and on-demand deployment of application- RailCloud will pave the way for swifter deployment of application (within 24 hrs as compared to conventional time running into weeks and months). At the same time the cloud hardware and environment will be available for rigorous testing of the new applications.
●    Optimum use of Servers and storage- The technology enables maximising the usage of the available server and storage resulting in accommodation of bigger data and more applications within same server space.
●    Utilization of existing infrastructure as part of Cloud- The existing resources available with railway will be subsumed in RailCloud thereby ensuring that expenditure is minimized in acquiring new resources.
 

Current Affairs 12th July 2017: APPOINTMENT

Subhash Chandra Garg, IAS (RJ:83) assumes office as the New Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance. 

Shri Subhash Chandra Garg, IAS (RJ:1983) today assumed office as the new Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance. Shri Garg was Executive Director, World Bank, Washington D.C. in his immediate preceding posting. 
●    Shri Garg has widespread administrative experience in more than 30 years of service during which he held various important assignments including the Administrative postings in his home State of Rajasthan. 
●    Shri Garg has also worked in the Central Government in various capacities. He was posted as Director, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance from May, 2000 to September, 2003. 
●    Later he took over as Joint Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance and continued to hold that position till May, 2005.
●    He has also worked in the Cabinet Secretariat where he held the position of Joint Secretary/Additional Secretary from February, 2012 to December, 2013.
 

Important Current Affairs 11th July 2017

Current Affairs 11th July 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

2-day Conference on Crowd Management begins in Kerala 

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) jointly with the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) is organising a two-day national-level conference on ‘Crowd Management’ at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, starting today. 
●    The conference aims to strengthen the capacity of all the stakeholders to organise safe mass gathering events. 
●    Shri E. Chandrasekharan, Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management, Government of Kerala, inaugurated the conference and stressed upon the need to understand risks related to crowded assemblies and to develop specific guidelines for planning and inter-agency coordination. 
●    Speaking on the occasion, Shri R. K. Jain, Member, NDMA, said that crowd disasters are essentially man-made and can be prevented with holistic planning and efficient execution. 
●    He further underlined the need to improve preparedness and capacity of all stakeholders.

Minister of Railways Inaugurates Madgaon leg of the Science Express today 

The IX Phase of the prestigious Science Express exhibition train  which is on a Nationwide tour since 17 February 2017 reached Madgaon in Goa today i.e. 11 July 2017. 
●    This phase of train is being referred as ‘Science Express Climate Action Special (SECAS)’ highlighting  the global challenge of climate change.  Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu Inaugurated this Madgaon leg of Science Express today through Video Conferencing from Delhi. 
●    SECAS is focusing on Climate Change and Science & Technology. The exhibition conveys message about Climate Change and is also a good opportunity to generate dialogue and discussion. 
●    This exhibition train will be available for public viewing at Madgaon from 11 to 13 July 2017, then the train will move forward to next destinations as per its itinerary.
●    Science Express is a flagship programme of the Dept. of Science & Technology (DST), Govt. of India. It is an innovative mobile science exhibition mounted on a 16 coach AC train, traveling across India since October 2007. 
●    Since then, it has made eight tours of the country, traveling about 1,53,000 km and exhibiting at 495 locations. Over its 1712 exhibition days, Science Express received an overwhelming response and 1.64 crore visitors. 
●    Science Express has become the largest, the longest running and the most visited mobile science exhibition and has twelve entries in the Limca Book of Records.

J P Nadda launches new family planning initiatives on World Population Day 

“Mission Parivar Vikas will focus on 146 high fertility districts in 7 states with high TFR. Under this, specific targeted initiatives shall be taken for population stabilisation through better services delivery”. 
●    This was stated by Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare at a function organised by Jansankhya Sthirita Kosh (JSK) to mark the World Population Day, here today. 
●    Smt. Anupriya Patel, Minister of State (HFW) also graced the occasion. 
●    Shri Nadda stated that Mission Parivar Vikas is a new initiative conceived by the Ministry with a strategic focus on improving access through provision of services, promotional schemes, commodity security, capacity building, enabling environment and intensive monitoring. 
●    Shri Nadda congratulated the team for undertaking micro-planning for these districts and developing need-based programmes to address TFR. 
●    The Health Minister also advised the officials to undertake half yearly review of the programme and correlate the achievements with time to gauge whether the programme is moving in the right direction or not. 
●    He stated that “We have enhanced the basket of contraceptive choices to meet the changing needs of people and have taken steps to ensure quality assured services and commodities are delivered to the last-mile consumers in both rural and urban areas.” 

MRP, other details must for items sold online from 2018

To protect online consumers, the government has made it mandatory for e-commerce companies from January 2018 to print not only the maximum retail price (MRP) on goods but also information like expiry date and customer care details.
●    An amendment in this regard has been made to the legal metrology (packaged commodities) rules, 2011 by the consumer affairs ministry in June. 
●    A six-month deadline has been given to the companies to comply with the new rule.
●    “Consumers deserve the same protection online as offline. At present, only MRP is printed on the goods sold online. We have asked the companies to declare additional details on the label,” a senior official in the consumer affairs ministry said.
●    Along with MRP, the companies have to declare manufacturing date, expiry date, net quantity, country of origin and consumer care details on the label, he said.
●    Enough time has been given to the companies for complying with the new norms. 
●    From January 2018, it is must that goods sold via e-commerce platform should have all these declarations else the companies will face stringent action, the official said.

India to become largest milk producer in 2026: Report

India, projected to be the most populous country over the next decade, will be the world's largest milk producer by 2026 and will account for the biggest increase in wheat production globally, according to a report by the UN and OECD.
●    The OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2017-2026 said the world's population will increase from 7.3 to 8.2 billion over the course of the next decade with India and Sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 56 per cent of total population growth.
●    India's population will grow from 1.3 billion to 1.5 billion, an increase of almost 150 million. 
●    India will overtake China and is projected to be the most populous country in the world by 2026.

Union Government launches new tax payer service module Aaykar Setu

Arun Jaitley, the Union Finance Minister, on 10 July 2017 launched Aaykar Setu, a new tax payer service module.
●    The module was launched in a mobile responsive android version along with the desktop version to enhance mobile access experience.
●    Union Government launches new tax payer service module Aaykar Setu
●    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.
●    The new tax payer service module compiles various tax tools, live chat facility, dynamic updates and important links to various processes within the Income Tax Department in a single module.
 

Current Affairs 11th July 2017: OBITUARY

 
Veteran Actress Sumita Sanyal Dies At 71

Veteran actress Sumita Sanyal died on Sunday, June 9, 
. She was 71. 
●    The actress died of heart failure in her south Kolkata residence at around 10:30 on Sunday morning.
●    The actress' family revealed that she was suffering from old-age related medical issues. 
●    Apart from her brilliant contribution to Bengali cinema, she is best known for co-starring with with Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna in 1970 movie Anand. 
●     Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee mourning her death on Twitter, saying: "Saddened at the passing of veteran actress Sumita Sanyal. My condolences to her family, friends and fans." 
●    Actor Prosenjit Chatterjee also condoled Ms Sanyal's death, writing: "Saddened to hear about the demise of the veteran actress Sumita Sanyal. May her soul rest in peace." Sunita Sanyal was born on October 9, 1945.
 

Current Affairs 11th July 2017: DAYS AND DATES

World Population Day 2017 observed

The World Population Day was observed on 11 July 2017 with the theme Family Planning: Empowering People, Developing Nations.
●    Around the world, some 225 million women who want to avoid pregnancy are not using safe and effective family planning methods, for reasons ranging from lack of access to information or services to lack of support from their partners or communities. 
●    Most of these women with an unmet demand for contraceptives live in 69 of the poorest countries on earth.
●    World Population Day is an annual event observed on 11 July every year.
●    The day seeks to raise awareness of global population issues.
●    The event was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989.
●    The day aims at increasing people's awareness on various population issues such as the importance of family planning, gender equality, poverty, maternal health and human rights.

Important Current Affairs 10th July 2017

Current Affairs 10th July 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

President of India inaugurates ‘Ashiana Annexe’ in Dehradun 

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the ‘Ashiana Annexe’ in Dehradun, Uttarakhand today (July 10, 2017) which comprises of twelve low cost dwelling units constructed to accommodate officers and staff of Rashtrapati Bhavan during Presidential visits to the Retreat at ‘Ashiana’. 
●    These dwelling units have been constructed using the Habitech-NivaraTantra - Onsite Sanitation Integrated Community Housing Technology Innovations developed at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT). 
●    The Technology innovations comprise unique blocks known as "compacted intermeshing" blocks which are made from local soil. The production of these blocks is on site and is an entirely green process. 
●    These blocks have novel cavities for horizontal and vertical reinforcement using steel bars which results in eliminating use of the conventional beams, columns and concrete lintel. 
●    The cavities also enable natural air curtain against temperature, noise pollution and water penetration.
●    Other salient features of these dwelling units are that they are disaster resilient, sustainable and cost effective. 
●    Scientific treatment of sanitation waste enables mitigation of disease risk and ensures health and wellbeing of residents and the community. 

India now has overall 36 World Heritage Inscriptions

It is under the dynamic and visionary leadership of the Prime Minister of India that India has been successful in securing the nomination of the “Historic City of Ahmadabad” on UNESCO’s World Heritage list on 8th July, 2017 during the 41st Session of World Heritage Committee. 
●    This makes the walled city of Ahmedabad the first city in India and the third in Asia to be inscribed to the World Heritage List. 
●    In the past 3 years alone, India has managed to put five built heritage sites on the world heritage list of UNESCO. 
●    India now has overall 36 World Heritage Inscriptions with 28 Cultural, 07 Natural and 01 Mixed site. 
●    While India stands second largest in number after China in terms of number of world heritage properties in ASPAC (Asia and Pacific) region, it is overall seventh in the world. 
●    Founded in 15th century, the walled city of Ahmadabad, on the eastern bank of the Sabarmati river, presents a rich architectural heritage. Within this complex are 28 ASI Centrally Protected Monuments. 
●    The urban structures of the historic city of Ahmedabad are distinctive due to their puras (neighbourhoods), pols (residential streets), and khadki (inner entrances to pols) largely made of timber.
National 

Ministry of Health signs MoU with Government of West Bengal to set up Centre of Excellence in Transfusion Medicine 

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Government of West Bengal to formalize its support to set up a state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence in Transfusion Medicine at Kolkata, here today. 
●    Government of India has approved this important initiative with an outlay of approximately Rs.200 Crores towards equipment, manpower and running costs. 
●    The land for this initiative will be provided free of cost by the State government. 
●    The move intends to strengthen the blood transfusion services in the State and the surrounding region. 
●    Shri R K Vats, Additional Secretary (Health) and Shri Anil Verma, Principal Secretary Health, Government of West Bengal signed the MoU on behalf of their respective Ministries. 
●    Metro Blood Bank Project is conceived to be a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to set up state-of-the-art Centres of Excellence in transfusion medicine in the four metro cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. 
●    These centres are high volume blood collection centres where there is state-of-the-art technology in transfusion medicine for component separation, processing of blood and quality systems. 

Ministry of Minority Affairs completely gone online/digital

The Minister of State for Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) & Parliamentary Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today said here that the Central Government is moving ahead for “transformation through transparency and efficiency”.
●    While inaugurating a workshop of Inspecting Authorities of Maulana Azad Education Foundation, Shri Naqvi said that under the NDA Government, transparency is the parameter of progress of poor and needy.
●    Shri Naqvi said that he himself is monitoring all the schemes of Ministry of Minority Affairs so that benefits of these schemes reach to the needy with complete transparency.
●    Shri Naqvi said that Ministry of Minority Affairs has completely gone online/digital. This digital system has not left any space for middlemen. 
●    It has ensured that fruits of development are reaching directly to every needy of the society. 
●    Various scholarships are being given directly into banks accounts of students. Be it welfare and developmental schemes or Haj affairs, our Ministry has ensured complete transparency.

The Ministry Of Shipping Draws Up Cruise Tourism Reforms 

The Ministry of Shipping, in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism, has announced reforms to the regulatory processes governing the cruise tourism industry in the country. 
●    The objective is to revolutionize this industry which has a high employment generation potential, by simplifying the rules and procedures pertaining to various aspects of cruise port operations like security, immigration, and customs. 
●    According to Special Secretary, Shipping, Shri  Alok Srivastava, the promotion of cruise tourism requires not just improvement in infrastructure but also uniformity, transparency and predictability in the procedures followed by multiple government  organizations . 
●    In other words, Ease of Doing Business is critical for the success of cruise tourism.”

Union Government proposes scheme to open residential schools for SC girls

Union Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot on 7 July 2017 said that the Union Government has proposed to introduce a scheme to open residential schools for scheduled caste girls in educationally backward districts.
●    The Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot informed about the proposed school while speaking at a regional conference of social welfare ministers from Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, and officials from Chandigarh.
●    He said the schools will have classes from VI to XII and 70 per cent of the seats will be reserved for SC girls and the remaining for those from BPL families in other categories.
●    The Minister said the Union Government is committed to ensuring the welfare of scheduled caste and tribes, OBCs and BPL families through the proper implementation of all centrally-sponsored social security and welfare schemes.
●    He urged the ministers and officials to prepare a report on the financial assistance being given under different schemes and by the national financial corporations within a month.
●    Besides, he also informed that the Rashtriya Vayoshree Yojana for senior citizens is also being implemented. Benefits of these schemes would be given on the first-come-first-serve basis, a Haryana government release said quoting him. The minister urged officers to send their suggestions and plans on these schemes at the earliest.

Current Affairs 10th July 2017: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Exercise Malabar Commences in Bay of Bengal/ North Indian Ocean 

Naval co-operation between India, US and Japan epitomises the strong and resilient relationship between the three democracies. 
●    The MALABAR series of exercises, initiated in 1992 between the Indian and US Navies, have steadily grown in scope, complexity and participation into a multifaceted exercise with the participation of Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF). 
●    The 21st edition of the exercise, MALABAR-17 will be conducted in the Bay of Bengal from 10 to 17 July 2017. The primary aim of this exercise is to increase interoperability amongst the three navies as well as develop common understanding and procedures for maritime security operations. 
●    The scope of MALABAR-17 includes wide-ranging professional interactions during the Harbour Phase at Chennai from 10 to 13 July 2017 and a diverse range of operational activities at sea during the Sea Phase from 14 to 17 July 17. 
●    The thrust of exercises at sea this year would be on Aircraft Carrier operations, Air Defence, Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Surface Warfare, Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS), Search and Rescue, Joint Manoeuvres and Tactical procedures. 
●    In addition, officials from the three countries will be flown onboard the ships at sea on 15 July 2017.

Current Affairs 10th July 2017: GLOBAL NEWS

Iraq announces victory over Islamic State in Mosul

Haider al-Abadi, Prime Minister of Iraq, on 8 July 2017 declared the full liberation of Mosul and reclaim the city after three years of ISIL control.

●    The success was achieved after nine months of bitter fighting to displace the extremist group from the city where it proclaimed its caliphate.
●    Abadi travelled to Mosul to formally reclaim the devastated city.
●    Mosul is a major city in northern Iraq.
●    The city stands on the west bank of the Tigris, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank.
●    It had been under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant since June 2014.
●    Since October 2016, the city has been a site of a military operation to dislodge and defeat militant forces.
●    The Battle of Mosul, a military offensive to retake the city begun in October 2016, is the largest deployment of Iraqi forces since the 2003 invasion by U.S. and coalition forces.