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We bring you the Latest General Knowledge, Current Affairs daily news, Events, General awareness Today  8th February 2017 Section in FREE PDF (English & Hindi), a section which outlines the latest news, Events headlines which are hardly covered elsewhere. This will help you with the Latest General Knowledge, Current Affairs 8th February 2017 asked in various competitive examinations of Banking (IBPS, RRB, SBI, PO, Clerk & other banks) & Government (SSC CGL, CHSL, JE, MTS, Railways, UPSC etc) Sector examination.

SPORTS

 Mohit Ahlawat scores first 300 in T20 at Any Level 

21-year-old Mohit Ahlawat became the first batsman in the world to score a 300 in a T20 match on Tuesday. 

●    While the match had no official status and was only a local match played in Delhi, Ahlawat’s knock was one was filled with superlatives and his triple century came in 72 balls.
●    The Delhi wicketkeeper-batsman smashed a whopping 39 sixes and 14 boundaries on his way to the total. 
●    No player has ever crossed the 200-run-mark in international or domestic T20 matches. In professional cricket, the highest individual score in T20 cricket belongs to Chris Gayle, who made 175 runs in just 66 balls for Royal Challengers Bangalore. 
●    The highest individual in international cricket is 156 that Aaron Finch smashed in 63 balls for Australia against England. 

BUSINESS

Ratan Tata launches 'Moonshot Wheels'

Tata Group patriarch Ratan Tata today launched Team Indus Foundation's 'Moonshot Wheels' - a bus which will traverse the country with an aim to inspire the next generation about India's first private moon mission.

●    Team Indus Foundation is the CSR arm of Team Indus, the only Indian team competing for the Google Lunar XPRIZE of USD 25 million that requires privately funded teams to land their spacecraft on the surface of the moon, travel 500 metres and broadcast high-definition video, images and data back to Earth.
●    Moonshot Wheels is a bus which will traverse nine states, 12,500 kms in 12 months, across India impacting 36,000+ students in government schools, the foundation officials said.
●    This programme is curated and administered by Team Indus Foundation with on ground implementation by Agastya International Foundation, which has been dedicated to bring STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) alive for children.

NATIONAL NEWS

 Over 19 lakh covered in Measles Rubella Drive 

A total of 9,00,546 children were vaccinated on Monday, the first day of the mass Measles Rubella (MR) vaccination drive across the State.

●       On Tuesday, over 10 lakh students are estimated to have received the vaccine, said Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine K. Kulandaisamy.
●    While the campaign has been by and large smooth, some hiccups were reported in Chennai with some parents not bringing in their children.
●    Though most schools have been cooperative, some have expressed reservations, Dr. Kolandaisamy said.
●    Day one’s target was slightly lower than expected as there were local holidays in Tiruvannamalai and Tiruchi districts, he said.
●    Both days saw anxious parents and panicky students in some districts including Tiruvallur, Sivaganga, Krishnagiri, Virudhunagar, Ariyalur, Tirunelveli and Vellore, but health officials reassured all those who had come, said Dr. Kolandaisamy

NATIONAL NEWS

West Bengal Advocate General Jayanta Mitra Resigns

West Bengal’s Advocate-General Jayanta Mitra today resigned following difference of opinion with the state government.

●    He tendered his resignation to Governor K.N. Tripathi.
●    Mitra said that he did his job properly during his two-year tenure but was forced to quit because of a “difference of opinion with the state government on certain issues”. 
●    Mitra had earlier resigned from his post on May 19 last year but was reinstated in June. 
●    An economics graduate from Presidency College, had Mitra studied law in London and became a barrister in 1963.

NATIONAL NEWS

National Marine Police Training Institute to be set up

With the Union ministry of home affairs keen on setting up the National Institute of Coastal Policing at Dwarka, Gujarat, the internal security division of the state government is now gearing up to use the land reserved for this in Udupi district to set up the State Marine Policing Training Centre.

●    The UPA government had initially planned to set up the institute at Palghar, Maharashtra which the current NDA government shifted to Dwarka.
●    The home ministry intended to set up the institute under the coastal security scheme phase II. 
●    The state government set aside 24.9 acres at Airody village in Kota hobli, Udupi taluk for it. 
●    This included 19.54 acres in Survey No. 120; 2.26 acres in Survey No. 72 and 3.1 acres in Survey No. 112/1A1A. 
●    Accordingly, the land was reserved for the coastal security police subject to certain conditions and made available for public purposes.
 

SPORTS

 Genzebe Dibaba runs fastest ever women's 2000 metres

Ethiopia's Genzebe Dibaba ran the fastest ever women's 2,000 metres at the indoor Miting Internacional de Catalunya meeting in Sabadell, Spain on Tuesday.

●    Her time of five minutes 23.75 seconds sliced almost seven seconds off the previous indoor world record of 5:30.53 set by Romania's Gabriela Szabo in 1998.
●    The IAAF, athletics' world governing body, said although the 2,000m is not an official indoor world record event, Dibaba's performance was "an outright world record" as it was faster than the outdoor mark of 5:25.36 set by Ireland's Sonia O'Sullivan.
●    The 25-year-old Dibaba, a three-time world indoor champion, now owns the fastest recorded times indoors for the 1500m, mile, 2,000m, 3,000m, two miles and 5,000m as well as the outdoor 1500m world record. 

GLOBAL NEWS

17th International Counter Terrorism Seminar held today

The Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore inaugurated the 17th International Seminar on Counter Terrorism, being organised by National Security Guard, in Manesar, Haryana today.

●    Speaking on the occasion, Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said that terrorism is a global threat and the footprint of terrorism does not restrict to any border. 
●    He said that there should be proper coordination between the agencies within the country, as well as between the countries, because terrorists take advantage of element of surprise if we live in isolation The Minister said that now the focus should be more on Improvised Explosive Devices (IED).
●    The Minister said that the outcome of the seminar should be shared among the different agencies, to develop intelligence and also use the knowledge for safety and security. He said that there should be collaboration in intelligence, strategy and technology. He appreciated the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Defence for keeping pace with other countries in terms of modernising the forces.
●    The Minister unveiled the NSG annual magazine ‘The Bombshell’, which contains details of various IED explosions that occurred in various parts of the world in 2016.
●    Earlier, Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore also inaugurated the Niranjan Auditorium, in memory of Lt Col. Niranjan Kumar, who laid down his life during the Pathankot attack in 2016.
●    During the day, two sessions were held to discuss on the manifestation of IED threats in the last decade and the global cooperation to mitigate IED menace.
●    The Minister of State for External Affairs Shri M. J. Akbar will deliver the keynote address on the second day of 17th International NSG Seminar at Manekshaw Centre, 

NATIONAL NEWS

Shri Piyush Goyal to launch TAMRA Portal and Mobile Application

With an objective to enhance transparency and accountability as a part of the Ease of Doing Business in the Mining sector, Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Shri Piyush Goyal will launch TAMRA (Transparency, Auction Monitoring and Resource Augmentation) portal and Mobile Application here on 10th February, 2017. 

●    Ministers of Mining and senior officers from 12 mineral rich States would also be connected through videoconferencing.
●    In context of Prime Minister , Shri Narendra Modi’s Ease of Doing Business initiative, which advocates facilitating overall business activity in India, the Ministry of Mines has developed the TAMRA Portal and Mobile Application which is a step to speed up mining activity in India and facilitate all the stakeholders to track the status of the statutory clearances associated with mining blocks for getting mines to reach till operationalisation for the same. 
●    TAMRA will be an interactive platform for all the stakeholders to compress the timelines for statutory and other clearances as it would help minimize the gestation period for commencing production. 

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We bring you the Latest General Knowledge, Current Affairs daily news, Events, General awareness Today  7th February 2017 Section in FREE PDF (English & Hindi), a section which outlines the latest news, Events headlines which are hardly covered elsewhere. This will help you with the Latest General Knowledge, Current Affairs  asked in various competitive examinations of Banking (IBPS, RRB, SBI, PO, Clerk & other banks) & Government (SSC CGL, CHSL, JE, MTS, Railways, UPSC etc) Sector examination.

OBITUARY

Subhas Chandra Bose's Driver Passes Away 

Colonel Nizamuddin, the driver of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, passed away at the age of 117 in his native Azamgarh district. 

●    Nizamuddin, who had been with Netaji between 1943 and 1945, breathed his last on Monday.
●    He is survived by his wife Ajbul Nisha, three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolence over the death of Nizamuddin.
●    Nizamuddin hails from Dhakwa village in Mubarakpur area in Azamgarh. 
●    He lives there with his wife Ajbul Nisha and youngest son Sheikh Akram. His two other sons, Akhtar Ali and An
●    war Ali, are employed in Saudi Arabia and Bombay, respectively. 
●    His two daughters are married.

BUSINESS

Cyrus Mistry Voted Out as Director of Tata Sons

Cyrus Mistry, the ousted chairman of Tata Sons, was removed as a director of the company by a majority vote of shareholders on Monday, thus stripping him of the only position he had held on to in the group after his resignation from the boards of various group entities.
The extraordinary general meeting (EGM) of Tata Sons held at the company headquarters had but one agenda: Mistry's removal as director. Tata trusts and group companies which hold the controlling stake as well as sections of the Tata clan voted in favour of the resolution.
However, a few members of the family abstained. Mistry himself stayed away but, through a proxy, voted against the resolution. 
Ratan Tata's brother Jimmy Tata, Piloo Minocher Tata (wife of a grandnephew of group founder Jamsetji Tata) and her children Jimmy M Tata and Vera Farhad Choksey  were among those who abstained.

BANKING AWARENESS

Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Launched 

Ujjivan Small Finance Bank on Monday launched the official operation of its services with five pilot branches, aiming to become a leading mass market retail bank over the next five years by catering to the unserved and under-served customers. 

●    Ujjivan Financial Services, a non-banking financial company which is the holding company of the small finance bank, was among the 10 entities that received license from RBI late last year to commence small finance banking operations. 
●    Representational image. Reuters "With a customer base of 35 lakh people, we are now focusing on the under-served. 
●    In the last two years, we have done a lot of market research. There is a huge gap in market potential. 
●    Ujjivan Small Finance Bank will offer interest rates on fixed deposit and recurring deposit in the range of 5.5-8 percent, which is higher than the average rate of interest offered by most banks, the bank said in a statement. 

SPORTS

ICC Votes to Move Away from Big 3 System

The most significant ICC board meeting in three years gets underway on Thursday - significant because the aim of most members will be to sign off on the undoing of the Big Three resolutions that were approved in February 2014, in Singapore.

●    The ides of February is not quite right, but it is clearly a tumultuous month in recent ICC history: it was last February that a formal decision was taken by the board, under the ICC chairmanship of Shashank Manohar, to begin a comprehensive review of the changes wrought by the Big Three.
●    Now February again the results of that review, in the shape of a report put together by a five-man steering committee, will be the weekend's focal point at ICC HQ in Dubai. 
●    And those members in favour of its recommendations are keen to push them through at this meeting, with the hope of finalising them at the Annual General Meeting in June this year.
●    An irony in the identity of the authors of the report has not gone unnoticed: Giles Clarke, the ECB president, and Cricket Australia (CA) chairman David Peever represent two of the Big Three boards behind the changes expected to be reversed.

SPACE SCIENCE

Japan's Mission to Clean Up Space Junk Fails

An experimental Japanese mission to clear ‘space junk’ or rubbish from the Earth’s orbit has ended in failure, officials said on Monday, in an embarrassment for Tokyo.
 

●    Over 100 million pieces of garbage are thought to be whizzing around the planet, including cast-off equipment from old satellites and bits of rocket, which experts say could pose risks for future space exploration.
●    The hope was that the clutter, built up after more than five decades of human space exploration, would eventually enter the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up harmlessly before it had a chance to crash into the planet.
●    The 700-metre-long tether was made from thin wires of stainless steel and aluminium. 
●    It was due to be extended out from a cargo ship launched in December carrying supplies for astronauts at the International Space Station.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

India and Austria Sign Protocol amending India-Austria Double Taxation Avoidance Convention 

India and Austria signed a Protocol amending the existing Convention between the two countries for Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income here today. 

•    The Protocol was  signed by Shri  Sushil Chandra, Chairman CBDT on behalf of India and Mr. Georg Zehetner, Charge d’ Affaires, Embassy of Austria on behalf of Austria.
•    The Protocol will broaden the scope of the existing framework of exchange of tax related information which will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance between the two countries and will also enable mutual assistance in collection of taxes.

NATIONAL NEWS

WLPGA 2017 Asia LPG Summit begins from 7th Feb in New Delhi

The Government of India’s recent groundbreaking initiatives to increase access to LPG, have ensured LPG access to over 800 million people in the country.

●    Today, India is the world’s second biggest consumer of LPG in the domestic sector with annual consumption exceeding 18 million tonnes and growing at more than 10% per annum.
●    To showcase and share these innovative initiatives, the Indian LPG Industry, in association with the World LPG Association, is organising the WLPGA Asia LPG Summit & the Indian LPG Summit: ‘Emerging Trends’ on 7th– 8th February 2017.
●    The keynote and inaugural address for the event, will be delivered by Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Honorable Minister of State (I/C), Government of India, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.
●    The three days will comprise a series of events including WLPGA internal meetings and both summits. 

SPORTS

Alastair Cook Steps Down as England Test Captain

Alastair Cook on 6 Februray 2017 resigned as the captain of the England test cricket team. Cook submitted his resignation to England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Colin Graves.

●    However, Cook has stated his willingness to continue playing on as a batsman in the longest format of the game.
●    A left-handed opening batsman, Cook started his international career with a test match against India in March 2006.
●    He played his first one day international (ODI) against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford, England in June 2006.
●    So far, Alastair Cook played 140 matches and scored 11,057 runs from 253 innings. His test career includes 53 half-centuries, 30 centuries and 3 double centuries.
●    So far, he scored 3204 runs in 92 ODIs. The score includes 19 half-centuries and 5 centuries.

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We bring you the Latest General Knowledge and Current Affairs daily news, Events, General awareness Today  6th February 2017 Section in FREE PDF (English & Hindi), a section which outlines the latest news, Events headlines which are hardly covered elsewhere. This will help you with the Latest General Knowledge and Current Affairs today asked in various competitive examinations of Banking (IBPS, RRB, SBI, PO, Clerk & other banks) & Government (SSC CGL, CHSL, JE, MTS, Railways, UPSC etc) Sector examination.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

 India and UAE Coast Guards to take part in joint exercise

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and their UAE counterparts will take part in a joint exercise and sharing of operational expertise from today.
●    The Indian Ambassador to UAE Navdeep Suri visited the ship yesterday and was briefed on board by DIG Satish Kumar, captain of the ship.
●    Samudra Pavak, the third of the Pollution Control Vessel series of the Indian Coast Guard, was indigenously designed and commissioned in January 2016.
●    ICGS Samudra Pavak has been extensively deployed along the northwest maritime frontier to safeguard the maritime interests of India.
●    The ship has been tasked with EEZ surveillance, search and rescue, pollution response and such other duties as enshrined in the Coast Guard charter.

SPORTS

Cameroon Wins the African Cup of Nations

Cameroon rose again after years of underachievement to win the African Cup of Nations title on Sunday with a fabulous goal in the 89th minute of the final for a 2-1 come-from-behind victory against mighty Egypt.
●    As the final whistle got nearer, substitute Vincent Aboubakar controlled the ball just outside the area, clipped it over a defender, and then shot past the goalkeeper to clinch Cameroon's fifth African title and first since 2002.
●    Egypt's 44-year-old 'keeper, Essam el-Hadary, watched the tournament-winning shot slid past him right at the end to deny the Egyptians a record-extending eighth title, and el-Hadary a fifth triumph an incredible 19 years after his first.
●    Aboubakar, the halftime super sub, completed the rally. Cameroon, already c
●    As he approached the enclosure, he stretched out both his arms and pointed to where Cameroon great Samuel Eto'o, one of the African Cup winners in 2002, stood celebrating the goal as a spectator.

NATIONAL NEWS

Foundation Stone Laid for First Training Centre for Para-athletes 

The Union Minister for Sports, Vijay Goel laid the foundation stone of the boundary wall of the first-ever Centre of Excellence for differently-abled sportsmen on 5 February 2017 in Sector-25 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
●    The government has allotted an estimated amount of Rs 50 Cr for the project. The centre is proposed to provide world class facilities.
●    The centre will be built on 7.5 acres of land belonging to the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
●    It will also have an air-conditioned hostel with 100 beds and 20 suites for foreign guests and an open land for warm-up exercises.
●    A lot of facilities at the centre are expected to be fully functional within the next one year.
●    The centre will also hold educational programmes, seminars and workshops throughout the year with the help of the International Paralympic Committee.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Indian Teen Discovers Cheapest Way to make Seawater Drinkable

An Indian-American student has found a cheaper and easier method to turn salt water into drinkable fresh water and his research has caught the attention of major technology firms and universities.
●    Isolating drinkable water from the ocean in a cost effective way is a problem that has stumped scientists for years.
●    By experimenting with a highly absorbent polymer, the teen discovered a cost effective way to remove salt from ocean water and turn it into fresh water.
●    It is a breakthrough that is estimated to impact millions of lives if ever implemented on a mass scale.
●    Scientists across the country are taking note. He won a USD 10,000 award from the US Agency for International Global Development at Intels International Science Fair and second place at MITs TechCon Conference where he won more money to continue his research.
●    Karamchedu was also named one of 300 Regeneron Science Talent Search Semifinalists. 

BUSINESS

Tata out of World's Top 100 Brands

The spat between Tata Sons and its former chairman Cyrus P. Mistry seems to have pushed Tata out of the top 100 brands in the world ranked by Brand Finance, a consulting firm.
●    According to Brand Finance’s 2017 report, the Tata group has slipped out of the top 100 for the first time since 2007, the first year for which this data is available. 
●    In 2017, it is ranked 103 compared with 82 in the previous year.
●    Tata, however, continues to be the most valuable brand in India ahead of Airtel, LIC, Infosys and State Bank of India, which all find a place in the global top 500. 
●    Reliance Industries, Indian Oil, HCL Technologies and Larsen & Toubro are also part of the global 500. 
●    Google was the top brand globally, followed by Apple and amazon.com.
●    In 2016, it had slipped to rank 89 from 68 the previous year. Its brand value has also been coming down for the past couple of years.
●    While the report on Brand Finance’s website didn’t disclose the brand value of Tata in 2017, last year the brand was valued at $13.7 billion. 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Indian LIGO to be Operational by 2024

The LIGO India project is likely to be commissioned in 2024 and its activities would require Indian universities churning out young researchers trained in the science to take up the mantle of exploration of the universe, an official of the international collaboration.
●    International Collaboration Coming to India to Help Explore the Universe’ at the Presidency University here, Raab said the proposed India-based observatory will “refine the physics” of gravitational waves detection and exploration of the universe.
●    India is poised to set up world’s third advanced LIGO. 
●    The project operates three gravitational-wave (GW) detectors. 
●    Two are at Hanford in the state of Washington, north-western US, and one is at Livingston in Louisiana, south-eastern US.
●    The proposed LIGO-India project aims to move one Advanced LIGO detector from Hanford to India.
●    LIGO India will be set up as a joint scientific collaboration between LIGO laboratories of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the US, and three lead Indian institutions, namely, the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Gandhinagar, and Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Indore.

DISCOVERY

New Bucktoothed Ghost Shark Species Discovered

Researchers recently announced that they discovered a new species of ghost shark in the Jan. 31 issue of the journal  Zootaxa. 
●    Ghost sharks–which aren’t actually sharks–are extraordinarily rare sightings. 
●    They’d never been filmed alive in their natural habitat. 
●    The new species is the second largest ever discovered, and it’s the 50th species of ghost shark so far.
●    Also known as chimaeras or rat fish, ghost sharks have been around since before the dinosaurs, and are a distant relative of rays and regular sharks. 
●    Researchers put the new species into the Hydrolagus genus, which basically means water rabbit. 
●    That’s because it’s got an interesting set of teeth that can only be described as buckteeth. 

NATIONAL NEWS

Tripartite MoU for Implementation of Tourism Projects In Jammu & Kashmir

A Tripartite Memorandum of  Understanding (MoU) for implementation of Tourism projects in Jammu and Kashmir was signed among Ministry of Tourism, M/s  NPCC & NBCC and Government of Jammu and Kashmir here today.

●    The MoU was signed in the presence of Shri Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, M/o Tourism and the signatories for the MoU included :
●    Shri. Suman Billa, Joint Secretary , Ministry of Tourism ;
●    Shri. Shamim Ahmad Wani, Managing Director, J&K Cable Car Corporation ;
●    Shri.  K K Sharma, Executive Director, M/s NPCC ; and
●    Shri.  Alok Rastogi, Chief General Manager (BD), M/s NBCC
●    The Ministry of Tourism under the new initiative - Development of Tourism in the State– New Projects has sanctioned following projects to M/s NPCC and NBCC in the State of J&K for implementation in September 2017.
●    Integrated Development of Tourist facilities at Gulmarg – Baramulla – Kupwara – Leh  to M/s NBCC for Rs. 96.92 Crore
●    Integrated Development of Tourist facilities at Mantalai – Sudhmahadev – Patnitop in Jammu & Kashmir to M/s NPCC for Rs.  97.82 Crore

On This Day

 On February 9, 1952, Princess Elizabeth of England became the Queen. After a long illness, King George VI of Great Britain and Northern Ireland passed away in his sleep at the royal estate at Sandringham. Princess Elizabeth, the oldest of the king’s two daughters and next in line to succeed him, was in Kenya at the time of her father’s death; she was crowned Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953, at age 27.

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We bring you the Latest General Knowledge and Current Affairs daily news, Events, General awareness Today  5th February 2017 Section in FREE PDF (English & Hindi), a section which outlines the latest news, Events headlines which are hardly covered elsewhere. This will help you with the Latest General Knowledge and Current Affairs today asked in various competitive examinations of Banking (IBPS, RRB, SBI, PO, Clerk & other banks) & Government (SSC CGL, CHSL, JE, MTS, Railways, UPSC etc) Sector examination.

NATIONAL NEWS

UD Ministry approves Atal Mission Plans of 6 more States for next 3 financial years 

Ministry of Urban Development has approved in one go investments in six States for improving basic urban infrastructure over the next three financial years i.e 2017-20 under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).
●    A total investment of Rs.2,863 cr has been cleared in 42 mission cities in these six States with a central assistance of Rs.1,432 cr for providing water taps to all urban households besides increasing water supply to the normative 135 litres per head per day, improving sewerage and drainage networks, promoting non-motorised transport and development of parks and green spaces.
●    Details of investments to be made over the next three fiscals are : Karnatata –Rs.2,070 cr  with a central assistance of Rs.955 cr, Jharkhand-Rs.555 cr in 7 cities with central assistance of Rs.262 cr, Himachal Pradesh-Rs.115 cr with central assistance of Rs.103 cr, Arunachal Pradesh-Rs.53 cr with central assistance of Rs.47 cr, Nagaland-Rs.45 cr with central assistance of Rs.41 cr and Puducherry- Rs.24 cr with central government funding the whole project expenditure.

NATIONAL NEWS

President Opens Rashtrapati Bhavan’s Annual ‘Udyanotsav’

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee opened the annual ‘Udyanotsav’ of the Rashtrapati Bhavan today (February 04, 2017). 
●    The Mughal Gardens will remain open for general public from tomorrow to March 12, 2017 (except on Mondays which are maintenance days) between 0930 hrs to 1600 hrs. Members of the public will also be able to visit the Spiritual Garden, Herbal Garden, Bonsai Garden and Musical Garden. During this period, there will be no online booking for visiting the Gardens. 
●    Entry and exit for the general public will be from Gate No. 35 of the President’s Estate, close to where North Avenue meets Rashtrapati Bhavan. Visitors are requested not to bring any water bottles, briefcases, handbags/ladies purses, cameras, radios/transistors, boxes, umbrellas, eatables etc. Such articles, if any, will have to be deposited at the entry point. However, arrangements of drinking water, toilets, first aid / medical facility; rest rooms for senior citizens, women and children will be provided for public visiting the Gardens. 
●    The Mughal Gardens will be open exclusively on March 10, 2017 to special category of visitors viz farmers, differently abled persons, defence/para-military forces and Delhi Police personnel from 0930 hrs. to 1600 hrs. Entry and exit will be through Gate No. 35. 
●    The Tactile Garden will be open for visually impaired people on March 10, 2017 from 1100 hrs. to 1600 hrs. Entry and exit will be from Gate No. 12, situated on Church Road

NATIONAL NEWS

Health Ministry launches single vaccine for dual protection against measles and rubella as part of Universal Immunization Programme 

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched Measles Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign in the country at a function in Bengaluru, here today. The campaign against these two diseases will start from five States/UTs (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Goa and Lakshadweep) covering nearly 3.6 crore target children. 
●    Following the campaign, Measles-Rubella vaccine will be introduced in routine immunization, replacing the currently given two doses of measles vaccine, at 9-12 months and 16-24 months of age. 
●    The initiative was launched in the presence Shri Sadananda Gowda, Union Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Shri Ananth Kumar, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Chemicals and Fertilizers, Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Sharanaprakash Rudrappa Patil, Minister of Medical Education, Karnataka, Sh. K.R. Ramesh Kumar, State Health Minister, Karnataka and Shri Ramesh Arvind, celebrity actor, Karnataka. The dignitaries also launched the communication material on the occasion to raise the awareness about the initiative. 
●    Speaking at the launch, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste stated that the Government is committed to eradicating Measles and Rubella from the country. 
●    This shall be taken up in a mission mode and rolled out in partnership with States , NGOs and development partners such as WHO, UNICEF, Gates Foundation, Lions Club, IPA, IMA, etc. In the nationwide campaign, the Ministry will reach out to and cover 41 cr children in the age group of 9 months – 15 years,. He urged parents, caregivers, community leaders, teachers, anganwaadi workers and other frontline health workers to become the active part of this campaign. 

BANKING AWARENESS

HDFC Bank increases cash transaction fees on savings accounts

In a bid to discourage cash transactions, country’s second largest private sector lender HDFC Bank has decided to steeply increase the fees for savings account holders on a slew of activities involving cash.
●    The move assumes significance as the government post demonetisation has been encouraging people to shift to a cash-less or less-cash regime and use digital mode for transactions.
●    HDFC Bank has decided to steeply raise the charges on certain transactions, capping cash component in others and also introducing charges on certain transactions from 1 March.
●    The city-headquartered bank has capped the third-party transactions at Rs25,000 a day, reduced the number of free cash transactions at branches to four from five earlier and also raised the fee for non-free transactions by a steep 50% to Rs150, it said on its website.

ECONOMY

RBI announces to issue new Rs 100 notes

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will soon issue new Rs 100 denomination banknotes. 
●    The new banknotes will have a similar design as that of the Rs 100 banknotes issued previously in Mahatma Gandhi Series-2005. 
●    All the banknotes in the denomination of Rs 100 previously issued by the RBI will continue to be legal tender. 
●    Short-supply of Rs 100 notes and near absence of new Rs 500 notes in the market resulted in the general public reluctantly accepting Rs 2,000 note as merchants were not able to provide change for this higher denomination currency. 
●    The RBI notified that foreign institutional investors /foreign portfolios investors can now invest up to 36 percent of the paid-up capital of Cera Sanitaryware Ltd under the Portfolio Investment Scheme. 

BUSINESS

Tata Motors launches new sub-brand TAMO

In a bid to regain the lost ground in passenger vehicles segment, homegrown auto major Tata Motors on Thursday launched a sub-brand TAMO with an aim to introduce new technology equipped vehicles faster to the market.
●    Under the TAMO sub-brand, the company will launch vehicles that are low in volumes requiring low investment.
●    It is also looking at a different buying experience for TAMO vehicles, although for the time being it has not confirmed if it would set up a separate retail chain as market leader Maruti Suzuki has done with Nexa.
●    TAMO will be a ring-fenced agile and flexible vertical that would serve as an incubating environment towards new technologies, business models and partnerships.
●    This will be a lean operating model with volume, low investment and faster to the market.

APPOINTMENT

Ashok Amritraj Appointed UN in India Goodwill Ambassador 

Award-winning Hollywood film producer and Wimbledon tennis player, Ashok Amritraj has been appointed the United Nations in India Goodwill Ambassador for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 
●    Chairman and CEO of the Hyde Park Entertainment Group, Mr. Amritraj is the first Ambassador for the UN in India.
●    An internationally-renowned iconic filmmaker, Ashok Amritraj has made over 100 films during the span of his 30-year extraordinary career garnering global acclaim as well as worldwide revenues in excess of $2 billion. 
●    In September 2015, at the UN General Assembly, 193 countries adopted arguably the most ambitious global agenda of our times, The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development - a plan of action for people, planet, prosperity and peace. 
●    India played an important role in shaping the global agenda and is critical to its success.
●    UN Goodwill Ambassadors aim to generate momentum and commitment to achieve the SDGs by 2030 and to foster engagement of new stakeholders in the implementation of these Goals.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

CEO Travis Kalanick resigns from Trump's board

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick will step down from President Donald Trump's economic advisory council, he told Uber employees in an email Thursday. 
●    Criticism against the company reached a fever pitch last weekend, when thousands of users contacted Uber to delete their accounts as a campaign to #DeleteUber spread across social media. 
●    The outcry ignited when Uber tweeted that it would not apply surge pricing at John F. Kennedy International Airport while New York City taxi drivers were striking at the airport. 
●    The surge pricing announcement, coupled with Kalanick's role on Trump's advisory council, caused many Uber users — or former users — to associate the company with Trump. 
●    Kalanick was one of several business leaders on the advisory council, along with Tesla founder Elon Musk who, at time of writing, remained part of it. 

On This Day

On February 5, 1989, the last Soviet troops left Kabul. This was the close of the nearly decade-long Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan. Less than two weeks later, all Soviet troops departed Afghanistan entirely. Soviet armed forces had entered Afghanistan in December 1979 to support that nation’s pro-Soviet communist government in its battles with Muslim rebels. Almost immediately, the Soviet Union found itself mired in a rapidly escalating conflict. Soviet troops were fighting a bloody, costly, and ultimately frustrating battle to end the Afghan resistance. By 1988, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev decided that the Soviet troops would shortly begin their withdrawal. In the midst of tremendous internal political and economic instability at the time, and Gorbachev’s action in regards to Afghanistan was yet another indication that Soviet power was on the wane. In less than three years, Gorbachev had resigned and the Soviet Union had ceased to exist. For Afghanistan, the Soviet withdrawal did not end the death and destruction. The Afghan rebels, who had been armed to the teeth by U.S. aid, simply turned their attention to political and religious rivals within the country. Civil war continued to wrack the nation.  

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APPOINTMENT

Sanjeev Sanyal Appointed Principal Economic Adviser in Finance Ministry

Government on Friday appointed noted economist Sanjeev Sanyal as Principal Economic Adviser in the Ministry of Finance.

●    He has been appointed in a pay scale of Rs 67,000-79,000 for a period of three years.
●    In 2007, Sanyal was awarded the Eisenhower Fellowship for his work on urban issues and was also honoured by the Singapore government at the World Cities Summit 2014.
●    He attended Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi and St. John's College, Oxford, where he was Rhodes Scholar.
●    Sanjeev Sanyal is an Indian economist, bestselling writer, environmentalist, and urban theorist. 
●    He is widely regarded as one of Asia's leading economists and was Deutsche Bank's Global Strategist and a Managing Director till 2015.

ECONOMY

RBI Allows Use of Statutory Reserves

In a step aimed at preventing loss-making banks from defaulting on coupon payments on bonds, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to allow them to use their statutory reserves to pay coupons on Basel-III Additional Tier-I (AT1) instruments. 
●    Analysts said there was a possibility of defaults by some banks on interest payment if they are not allowed to use statutory reserves to pay interest on AT1 bonds. 
●    While AT1 bond is a combination of debt and equity, interest on these bonds — raised to boost their capital adequacy ratio — is paid provided banks have adequate profit to service them.
●    Indian banks were previously required to make coupon payments on AT1 instruments from either their profits or from revenue reserves. 
●    But the RBI’s push for banks to recognise problem loans has led to a deterioration in profitability and depletion of distributable reserves over the last two years.
●    By allowing banks to also make AT1 payments from statutory reserves, into which Indian banks place 25 per cent of their profits, the RBI has reduced a potential trigger for skipped payments. 
●    Crisil said public sector banks have issued Rs 31,000 crore of AT1 bonds, of which Rs 21,500 crore worth of bonds were issued in the current fiscal.

NATIONAL NEWS

 NITI Ayog Launches India Innovation Index

To make India an innovation-driven economy, NITI Aayog, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) together launched a mega initiative “India Innovation Index” that will rank states on Innovations through country’s first online innovation index portal that will capture data on innovation from all Indian states on innovation and regularly update it in real time.
●    The India Innovation Index Framework will be structured based on the best practices followed in Global Innovation Index (GII) indicators and additionally by adding India-centric parameters those truly reflect the Indian innovation ecosystem. 
●    This initiative will be the point of reference for all international agencies to collect India’s up to date data points for global indices and analytic.
●    Inaugurating the portal, Mr Amitabh Kant, CEO NITI Aayog said, “This portal will be a first-of-its-kind online platform where Global Innovation Index indicators and India–centric data from various states will be coalesced and disseminated and updated periodically. 
●    This will be a one-stop data warehouse and will track progress on each indicator at the National level and the State level on real-time basis. 

NATIONAL NEWS

Rare Leaf Nosed Bat Sighted After 37 Years

With an extinction record of 37 years, an specie of the bats aboriginal to the Thar desert, has been re-sighted by a group of zoological researchers.Identified as Hipposideros Fulvus, the bat has been found roosting in ancient caves at Daijar near Jodhpur.
●    The colony was found during a routine sighting survey in these caves in October, 2015 at the onset of winter and its 
presence was reconfirmed in three successive surveys, the last being on in March 2016.
●    Dookia said that there are 25 species of bats are reported in Rajasthan, of which 17 are found in the Thar desert. 
●    Of these 17 species, five species - Greater False Vampire Bat (Megaderma lyra), Fulvous Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros fulvus), Indian Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros lankadiva), Dormer's Pipistrelle Bat (Scotozous dormer) and Egyptian Free-tailed Bat (Tadiarida aegyptiaca) - were not reported since 1979 in the Thar.

NATIONAL NEWS

 Swachh Dhan Abhiyaan Started

Launching the “Swachh dhan abhiyan” on Tuesday, the government said it had identified 18 lakh persons who deposited amounts of Rs 5 lakh or more between November 9 and December 30 but whose income profiles did not match the amounts deposited.
●    Following up on their efforts to unearth unaccounted money, the IT authorities are scrutinising these accounts and have asked taxpayers to revert to their queries in 10 days.
●    In a demonetisation exercise, the government had on November 8 announced that currency notes with denominations of R1,000 and R500 would no longer be legal tender and had asked people to deposit these notes in their bank accounts, allowing for some portion to be exchanged across the counter.
●    The tax department has compared cash deposits made during the demonetisation period with taxpayers’ income profiles to cull out suspicious cases.
●    Chandra said more than 1 crore accounts had seen deposits of more than R2 lakh in the last 50 days in 2016. Of these, the accounts of 70 lakh individuals were linked to their permanent account numbers (PAN).

GLOBAL NEWS

China Successfully Tests DF-5C Missiles

China has tested a new version of a missile that can carry up to 10 nuclear warheads, signalling a major shift in its nuclear capability as Beijing gears up for a possible military showdown with the US under Donald Trump Presidency. 
●    The flight test of the DF-5C missile was carried out last month using 10 multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, or MIRVs. 
●    The test of the inert warheads was monitored closely by US intelligence agencies, said two officials familiar with reports of the missile test.
●    The Dongfeng-5C missile, carrying 10 dummy warheads, was launched from the Taiyuan Space Launch Centre in Shanxi province, and flew to a desert in western China. 
●    The missile is a new variant of the DF-5, an intercontinental ballistic missile that first went into service in the early 1980’s.

INTERATIONAL RELATIONS

India and Norway Jointly to Accelerate Research for Epidemics

India and Norway have founded a Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to accelerate life-saving research and development for epidemics.
●    In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Health Faggan Singh Kulaste said the WHO had published a document 'An R&D blueprint for action to prevent epidemics- funding and coordination models for preparedness and response' and asked member countries, including India, to develop a research and development blueprint during epidemics
●    With an objective to tackle disease outbreaks due to epidemic-prone diseases, the government has launched Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme which is implemented in all states and UTs
●    Besides a network of viral research and diagnostic laboratories has been set up across the country to deal with epidemic of diseases of viral origin.

NATIONAL NEWS

19th Edition of Bharat Rang Mahotsav Commences

The 19th Bharat Rang Mahotsav will pay special attention on the different genres of Indian theatre.
The performances will be held at Abhimanch, Open Air Theatre, Bahumukh and Sammukh at the National School of Drama Campus. 
●    The performances will also be held at LTG Auditorium, Kamani Auditorium and Shri Centre for Performing Arts at Mandi House.
●    The festival will see performances from artists belonging to 12 foreign countries including England, Russia, Israel, Turkey, Italy, Tajikistan, Romania, Afghanistan and others.
●    The theatre festival will see 94 theatre performances and 15 foreign productions. It will also include 10 traditional folk theatre performances.
●    Bharat Rang Mahotsav is the annual theatre festival of National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi.
●    The festival was established in 1999.
●    The festival was originally founded to showcase works of Indian theatre practitioners. Gradually, the festival grew over the years to attract international performers as well.

Current Affairs February 2017

It gives us immense pleasure to bring you the latest of 'Current Affairs' of February 2017 which will help out the candidates appearing for various competitive examinations.

In this section we try to cover national and international current affairs February 2017 on regular basis. Kindly check the links given below and keep a track of the current affairs February 2017.  We have covered here date-wise Current affairs February 2017, FREE Current Affairs February 2017 PDF in Hindi and English.

Find here Date-Wise Current Affairs Updates of February 2017:

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ECONOMY

BSE Scripts History - Gets its Share Listed on NSE 

Shares of BSE Ltd, Asia’s oldest stock exchange, saw a stellar listing as they jumped nearly 33% on debut on Friday.

●    This happened after it's Rs1,234.4-crore initial public offering (IPO) was subscribed more than 51 times last week
●    The shares of BSE, the country’s first stock exchange to go public, closed at Rs1,070.55 .
●    The shares opened at Rs 1,085 and hit a high and low of Rs 1,200 and Rs1,065.10, respectively.
●    Separately, the market capitalization of shares listed on BSE hit a record high of Rs114.97 trillion on Thursday
●    Existing shareholders of the exchange sold 15.42 million shares through an offer for sale. 
●    The issue represented 28.26% of BSE’s pre-share sale capital.

NATIONAL NEWS

Alibaba to Hold 40% stake in PayTM's e-comm entity

Alibaba will hold a substantial stake in Paytm's newly spun off online marketplace business, setting the stage for a three-way battle between Amazon, Flipkart and the Chinese online behemoth in the country's hyper competitive e-commerce market.

●    The Jack Ma-led company will hold almost 40% in Paytm E-commerce, according to regulatory filings sourced from business research platform Toffler.
●    The shareholding is through Alibaba.com Singapore and AliPay Singapore, while venture fund SAIF Partners and Paytm's founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma will own 30% and 20%, respectively. 
●    Alibaba.com Singapore and AliPay Singapore have picked up 3,89,955 shares in Paytm Ecommerce at Rs 10 per share, show the filings, made on February 1. 
●    Alibaba, Alipay and SAIF are the largest investors in Paytm's parent One97 Communications as well, and the ecommerce entity's shareholding is mirroring that post the business being hived off. 
●    Paytm's parent One97 recently approved the separation of its payments and commerce businesses in two entities.

NATIONAL NEWS

 Environment Ministry to start awareness campaign to protect wetlands 

The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) under the Environment Ministry has decided to organise two events to spread public awareness about conservation of wetlands which includes a radio-outreach and awareness generation campaign.

●    The World Wetland day 2017, with the theme Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction has been celebrated in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh government at Bhoj Wetlands Bhopal, which is one of the 26 Ramsar sites that India has designated under the Ramsar Convention.
●    World Wetlands Day is celebrated on February 2 each year to mark the day the Convention on Wetlands was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and India is a party to the convention since 1982 and committed to the Ramsar approach of wise use of wetlands.
●    The ministry has also asked all the state governments to celebrate the World Wetlands Day in their respective states in a befitting manner.
●    In partnership with a prominent radio station with a multi-city presence, NBA will run information snippets on wetlands, their role in disaster management and ways to protect them over the period of two weeks spread over a month from February 1 to March 2.

SPORTS

Lakshya Sen achieves No. 1 Rank in BWF World Junior Rankings

Lakshya Sen from Uttarakhand on Thursday achieved the World No. 1 ranking in the latest BWF World junior ranking.

●    The 15-year-old prodigy, who won the bronze medal at Junior Asian Championships and clinched the All India Senior Ranking Tournament at Arunachal Pradesh last year, jumped one place to reach the numero uno status.
●    Sen, hails from Almora district in Uttarakhand.
●    He has been training under 1980 All England champion Prakash Padukone at his Badminton Academy in Bangalore since he was 10.
●    In men’s singles, Sameer Verma jumped 10 spots to be placed at 25th position.     

INTERATIONAL NEWS

Kuwait Bans Visa for 5 Muslim Majority Countries

Kuwait has suspended the issuance of visas for nationals of Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. 

●    After US President Donald Trump's executive order banning seven Muslim-majority countries last Friday, the Kuwaiti government has told would-be migrants from the five banned nations to not apply for visas, as it is worried about the possible migration of radical Islamic terrorists. 
●    Under the executive order signed by Trump, refugees from all over the world will be denied US entry for 120 days while all immigration from so-called "countries with terrorism concerns" will be suspended for 90 days. 
●    The countries included in the US ban are Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. 
●    Kuwait was the only nation to prohibit the entry of Syrian nationals prior to Trump's executive action. 
●    Kuwait City previously issued a suspension of visas for all Syrians in 2011.

NATIONAL NEWS

Chennai's oil spill spreads over 32 km - Marine life hugely affected 

The oil spill from two ships that collided near the Ennore Port, north of Chennai, on Saturday, spread along the city's shoreline further down up to the famed Marina Beach.  

●    On Monday morning, the local fishermen found not just thick black oil along the beach, but a number of turtles that were washed ashore dead.
●    The accidental collision of two oil tanker ships took place in the wee hours of Saturday near the Ennore Port. 
●    The effects could be noticed only on Sunday when a large quantum of thick and dark oil was washed ashore near Ernavur. 
●    Coast Guard was carrying out the operations to remove the oil.
●    On Sunday morning it had spread further down till Marina Beach.

NATIONAL NEWS

Apple to make iPhones from Bengaluru

Apple will soon have `Made in India' iPhones, and they will come out of a factory in Bengaluru. 

●    The Karnataka government on Thursday issued a release welcoming Apple's proposal "to commence initial manufacturing operations" in the state.
●    The release, signed by state IT minister Priyank Kharge, said Apple's intentions to manufacture in Bengaluru "will foster cutting edge technology ecosystem and supply chain development in the state, which are critical for India to compete globally." Though it did not provide a timeline, production is expected to begin in June.
●    India will be only the third country globally to assemble iPhones, an indication of how important the country has become for one of the world's most valued companies.

NATIONAL NEWS

Mt Everest to be Re-measured by Survey of India

The Survey of India is planning to remeasure the height of Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak.

●    The project is being undertaken to determine whether the peak as per the doubts of some sections of the scientific community has indeed shrunk following the devastating earthquake that hit Nepal two years ago.
●    Some scientists have expressed doubts regarding the current height of the towering peak. 
●    They feel that it has shrunk post the Nepal earthquake.
●    Officially Mount Everest currently stands at a height of 8,848 metres (29,028 feet) above the sea level.

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We bring you the Latest (GK)General Knowledge and Current Affairs news, General awareness Today  2nd February 2017 Section in FREE PDF (English & Hindi), a section which outlines the latest news, Events headlines which are hardly covered elsewhere. This will help you with the Latest General Knowledge and Current Affairs today asked in various competitive examinations of Banking & Government Sector examination.

NATIONAL NEWS

CBSE to alter Class X Assessment

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued a remodelled assessment structure for Class X board exams, according to which students will be tested on the entire syllabus for the theory exams next year.
●    Last December, the CBSE had made an announcement that board exams would be made compulsory while doing away with the school-based exam option.
●    Now, the students will also have to score 33 per cent in both theory exams and internal assessment to pass.
●    As per the new structure, the theory exam will carry 80 marks and internal assessment 20 marks. Presently, there is a 60:40 division.
●    For theory exams, students will be tested on the entire syllabus. For internal assessment, schools will have to conduct three periodic written tests, instead of four assessments and the best two will be taken for final submission. 
●    The board has included discipline as a grade subject.

SPORTS

West Indian Cricketer Andre Russell Banned for a Year

West Indian all-rounder Andre Russell has been banned from all cricket for a year over a doping code violation.
●    The 28-year-old did not file his whereabouts on three occasions in 2015 as required, which constitutes a failed drugs test under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) guidelines.
●    His punishment was handed down by the Jamaican Anti-Doping Commission on Tuesday.
●    Under WADA's whereabouts rules, elite athletes must supply details of where they will be for one hour each day to facilitate drug tests.
●    Russell played the first five games of the Big Bash League this year for Thunder before withdrawing due to injury and being replaced by international teammate Carlos Brathwaite.

DISCOVERY

'Lost Continent' discovered under Mauritius

Scientists have confirmed the existence of a “lost continent” under the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius that was left over by the breakup of the supercontinent, Gondwana, which started about 200 million years ago.
●    The piece of crust, which was subsequently covered by young lava during volcanic eruptions on the island, seems to be a tiny piece of ancient continent, which broke off from the island of Madagascar, when Africa, India, Australia and Antarctica split up and formed the Indian Ocean.
●    By studying the mineral, zircon, found in rocks spewed up by lava during volcanic eruptions, Prof. Ashwal and his colleagues have found that remnants of this mineral were far too old to belong on the island of Mauritius.
●    Zircons are minerals that occur mainly in granites from the continents. 
●    They contain trace amounts of uranium, thorium and lead, and due to the fact that they survive geological process very well, they contain a rich record of geological processes and can be dated extremely accurately.
●    This is not the first time that zircons that are billions of years old have been found on the island. 

ENVIRONMENT

BNHS Proposes Thane Creek as Ramasar site

Thane Creek features as one of the two sites that the Bombay Natural History Society has recommended to the state government as potential Ramsar sites on February 1, a day before World Wetland Day.
●    Hatnur Dam in Jalgaon is the second recommendation that the body made.
●    Ramsar sites are wetlands considered to be of international importance. 
●    The Ramsar convention, an international body, forms the basis for identification of such wetlands. 
●    The international treaty came into effect in 1971 after identifying the first such wetland at the Ramsar city of Iran. 
●    The Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands.
●    In 2013, the state forest department had identified five prominent wetlands - Jaikwadi Bird Sanctuary (Aurangabad), Ujni Reservoir (Pune), Sewri Creek or Mahul-Sewri Mudflats (Mumbai), Nandur Madhmeshwar Bird Sanctuary (Nashik), and Lonar Lake Sanctuary (Buldhana) – as proposed Ramsar sites for the state government. 
●    The BNHS proposal adds an additional two sites to this list, taking the total to seven. However, Maharashtra does not have a Ramsar site yet. 

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

India and Italy Sign an MOU for Technical Cooperation in Rail Sector Especially on Safety Related Subjects

Ministry of Railways and Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane Group (FS Group) a Government Company of Italy managing the Italian railway sector have signed an MoU for technical cooperation in rail sector especially in the areas safety in train operations. On behalf of Ministry of Railways the agreement has been signed by Shri Vinod Kumar, Executive Director/Safety(coordination), Railway Board whereas it has been signed by Shri Renato Mazzoncini, CEO of FS Group, Italy.
●    The cooperation areas identified in this MoU includes safety audit of Indian Railways and measures required for enhancing safety in train operation, Assessment and certification of advanced technology based safety products and systems to Safety Integrity Level (SIL4), Training and competency development with focus of safety, Modern trends in Maintenance and diagnostic etc.
●    The MoU comes in the backdrop of emphasis given by Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu Minister of Railways, Govt. of India on safety in railway operation. He has directed Railway Board to collaborate with the international experts on this subject and identify the best practices in this field.
●    Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane Group (FS Group) is a fully owned company of the Italian Government working in the Railway Sector and is under Ministry of Treasure, Itlay. The Group, with its technical and managerial railway expertise, widely recognized at international level, is one of the most advanced worldwide player in many field, such as design and realization of High Speed and Conventional Lines, Safety Systems, Certification, Training and Operation and Maintenance.

ECONOMY

India Signs Financing Agreement with World Bank for US$ 201.50 Million for TEQIP III

 A Financing Agreement for IDA credit of US$201.50 million (equivalent) for the “Third Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP III)” was signed with the World Bank here yesterday. 
●    The Financing Agreement was signed by Mr. Raj Kumar (Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs) on behalf of Government of India and Mr. Junaid Kamal Ahmad, Country Director, World Bank (India) on behalf of the World Bank.
●    The objective of the Program is to enhance quality and equity in participating Engineering Education Institutes and improve the efficiency of the Engineering Education System in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, 8 North Eastern States and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. 
●    The Project has two main components, (i) Improving quality and equity in engineering institutes in those states; and (ii) System-level initiatives to strengthen sector governance and performance. The project has been designed as a disbursement linked one, that is, the World Bank loan will be disbursed on achievement of specific outcomes.

NATIONAL NEWS

Health Ministry Notifies Medical Devices Rules, 2017

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has notified Medical Devices Rules, 2017 on 31.01.2017. The new Rules have been framed in conformity with Global Harmonisation Task Force (GHTF) framework and conform to best international practices.  Only 15 categories of medical devices are, at present, regulated as drugs and to that extent, the current regulatory practices in India were not fully geared to meet the requirements of medical devices sector in the country.  The new Rules seek to remove regulatory bottlenecks to make in India, facilitate ease of doing business while ensuring availability of better medical devices for patient care and safety.
●    Medical devices will, under the new Rules, be classified as per GHTF practice, based on associated risks, into Class A (low risk), Class B (low moderate risk), Class C (moderate high risk) and Class D (high risk). The manufacturers of medical devices will be required to meet risk proportionate regulatory requirements that have been specified in the Rules and are based on best international practices. 
●    The new rules have many other unique features. It will be for the first time that there will be no requirement of periodic renewal of licences. Accordingly, manufacturing and import licences will remain valid till these are suspended or cancelled or surrendered.  
●    Further, the entire process starting from submission of application to grant of permission/licence will be processed through online electronic platform. Timelines have been defined for most activities at the regulators end. 
●    The issuance of licences for Class A medical devices on the basis of self-certification coupled with a system of checks and balances for ensuring compliance is a departure from the inspection based regulatory regime. Risk based audit of manufacturing units will be carried out to assess conformance with standards and quality parameters. These Rules envisage creation of a robust eco-system for all stakeholders including innovators, manufacturers, providers, consumers, buyers and regulators.

NATIONAL NEWS

Shares of Railway PSEs - IRCTC, IRFC and IRCON to be listed 

While presenting the General Budget 2017-18 in Lok Sabha here today, the Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley has said that the shares of Railway Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs) like IRCTC, IRFC and IRCON will be listed in stock exchanges. The Government will encourage strengthening the CPSEs through consolidation, mergers and acquisitions and soon create an integrated public sector ‘oil major’, he added.
●    Stating that the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) has proved an overwhelming success in extending funds for the deprived sections, Shri Jaitley doubled the budget target under the scheme to Rs. 2.44 lakh crores.
●    Easing the stressed legacy accounts of banks, Shri Jaitley earmarked Rs. 10,000 crores for recapitalisation of Banks in 2017-18 and assured need based additional allocation.
●    Stating that the disinvestment policy announced in the last budget will continue, Shri Jaitley further said that the Government will put in place a revised mechanism and procedure to ensure time bound listing of identified CPSEs on stock exchanges. This will foster greater public accountability and unlock the true value of these companies, he added.
●    Shri Jaitley said the CPSEs will be integrated across the value chain of an industry through consolidation, mergers and acquisitions. By these methods it will give them capacity to bear higher risks, avail economies of scale, take higher investment decisions and create more value for the stakeholders, he added. Possibilities of such restructuring are visible in the oil and gas sector. The Government proposes to create an integrated public sector ‘oil major’ which will be able to match the performance of international and domestic private sector oil and gas companies.
●    Shri Jaitley said that the focus on resolution of stressed legacy accounts of Banks will continue and the legal framework has been strengthened to facilitate resolution, through the enactment of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and the amendments to the SARFAESI and Debt Recovery Tribunal Acts. In line with the ‘Indradhanush’ roadmap, an amount of Rs. 10,000 crore is provided for recapitalisation of Banks in 2017-18 and additional allocation will be provided, as may be required, he added.
●    Shri Jaitley said that the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana has contributed significantly to funding the unfunded and the underfunded. He further said that the last year target of Rs.1.22 lakh crores was exceeded and for 2017-18, he proposes to double the lending target of 2015-16 and set it at Rs. 2.44 lakh crores. Priority will be given to Dalits, Tribals, Backward Classes, Minorities and Women, he added.

●    Shri Jaitley said that the Stand Up India scheme was launched by the Government in April 2016 to support Dalit, Tribal and Women entrepreneurs to set up green field enterprises and become job creators. Over 16,000 new enterprises have come up through this scheme in activities, as diverse as food processing, garments, diagnostic centres, etc, he added. 

On This Day

On 2 February 1933, Adolf Hitler 2 days after becoming the Chancellor of Germany dissolved the Reichstag (Parliament). Also on this day Communist Meetings/Demonstrations were banned from this day. In 1923, Hitler had attempted a coup in Munich to seize power. The coup failed and he was imprisoned. After his release in 1924, Hitler gained popular support by attacking the Treaty of Versailles and promoting Pan-Germanism, anti-Semitism, and anti-communism with charismatic oratory and Nazi propaganda. By 1933 the Nazi Party was the largest elected party in the German Reichstag, which led to Hitler's appointment as Chancellor on 30 January 1933.

The Finance Minister Mr. Arun Jaitley successfully presented the Union Budget for 2017-18. We will describe the key features and important highlights that were discussed in the budget.

Also, we will brief about what are the impacts of financial budget on different sectors and economy. The Demonetization has driven major decisions in the current budget. The prime focus was on middle class family and students.

The PDF file will give you the important highlights and what to expect from the Union Budget session 2017-18.

Dear Readers,

We bring you the Latest (GK)General Knowledge and Current Affairs, General awareness Today  1st February 2017 Section in FREE PDF (English & Hindi), a section which outlines the latest news, Events headlines which are hardly covered elsewhere. This will help you with the Latest GK and Current Affairs  asked in various competitive examinations of Banking & Government Sector like IBPS, SBI (RRB, PO and Clerk), SSC, Railways, LAW (CLAT) entrance exams, UPSC -IAS etc. and will help you score good marks in the competitive examination. We recommend all our readers to go through the Gk & Current Affairs section and boost your general awareness, Gk, Current Affairs before the examination.

NATIONAL NEWS

Former Union Minister E Ahamed Passes Away

E Ahamed, former Union Minister passed away in the early hours of 1 February 2017 after suffering from a heart attack. He was 78.
●    The veteran leader had collapsed during President Pranab Mukherjee’s address to the joint sitting of the Parliamen.
●    He was born on 29 April 1938.
●    He had graduated from Brennen College in Tellicherry in Kerala and had a law degree from the Government Law College in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
●    He had served as the Minister of State for External Affairs under the Manmohan Singh government during the period 2004-14.
●    He represented the Malappuram Lok Sabha constituency of Kerala.
●    He was also the National President of the Indian Union Muslim League.

ECONOMY

Economic Survey 2016 published

The Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 31 January 2017 presented the Economic Survey 2017 in the Parliament. 
●    The survey observed that the Indian Economy has sustained a macro-economic environment of relatively low inflation, fiscal discipline and moderate current account deficit coupled with broadly stable rupee-dollar exchange rate.
●    Macro economy: As per the advance estimates released by the Central Statistics Office, the growth rate of GDP at constant market prices for the year 2016-17 is placed at 7.1 per cent, as against 7.6 per cent in 2015-16.
●    This estimate is based mainly on information for the first seven to eight months of the financial year. 
●    For 2017-18, it is expected that the growth would return to normal as the new currency notes in required quantities come back into circulation and as follow-up actions to demonetisation are taken.

ENVIRONMENT

February 2 : World Wetlands Day

The 2 February each year is World Wetlands Day, marking the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971.
●    Established to raise awareness about the value of wetlands for humanity and the planet, WWD was celebrated for the first time in 1997 and has grown remarkably since then. 
●    Each year a theme is selected to focus attention and help raise public awareness about the value of wetlands.
●    The theme for the world wetland day 2017 is “Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction”.
●    Since 1997 the Ramsar website has posted reports from about 100 countries of their WWD activities 
●    These materials are available to freely download in the three languages of the Convention English, French and Spanish on the World Wetlands Day website .
●    All the materials are also available in their design files for event organizers to customize and adapt them to their local languages and contexts. 
●    A few print copies are available to countries upon request to the Secretariat.

ECONOMY

CSO Revises GDP Growth for 2015-16 to 7.9%

Government has marginally revised upwards GDP growth for 2015-16 to 7.9 per cent from the earlier estimate of 7.6 per cent after factoring in latest data on agriculture and industrial production.
●    Real GDP or GDP at constant (2011-12) prices for 2015-16 and 2014-15 stands at Rs. 113.58 lakh crore and Rs. 105.23 lakh crore, respectively, showing growth of 7.9 per cent during 2015-16 and 7.2 per cent during 2014-15.
●    The figure for 2014-15 has remained unchanged at 7.2 per cent in the second revision of the national accounts for the fiscal.
Last year, CSO has estimated GDP growth rate for 2015-16 and 2014-15 at 7.6 per cent and 7.2 per cent, respectively.

GLOBAL NEWS

Trump fires US Attorney General

Mr. Boente, who has been a prosecutor with the Justice Department for 31 years, had no hesitation about accepting the acting attorney general’s job given his “seniority and loyalty” to the department, Mr. Stueve said in a telephone interview on Monday night.
●    As acting attorney general, Ms. Yates was the only person at the Justice Department authorized to sign applications for foreign surveillance warrants. 
●    Ms. Yates’s decision had effectively overruled a finding by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, which had already approved the executive order “with respect to form and legality.”
●    Ms. Yates said her determination in deciding not to defend the order was broader, however, and included questions not only about the order’s lawfulness, but also whether it was a “wise or just” policy. 
●    She also alluded to unspecified statements the White House had made before signing the order, which she factored into her review.

NATIONAL NEWS

Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh to be aided by Finance Ministry

The Union Finance Ministry has agreed to contribute partially to a new dedicated railway safety fund named as ‘Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh’. 
●    The proposed safety fund will be utilised for track improvement, bridge rehabilitation, rolling stock replacement, human resource development, improved inspection system and safety work at level crossing, among other things. 

●    The Finance Ministry is likely to grant a fresh infusion of only Rs. 5,000 crore in the upcoming financial year out of the initial proposed corpus of Rs. 20,000 crore. 
●    Railways may now be asked to fund the remaining Rs. 5,000 crore for the initial corpus from its own resources.
●    For this Indian Railway’s may either have to bring back a cess on rail tickets to finance its share of Rail Safety Fund or look to fund it from non-budgetary resources.

ENVIRONMENT

BHNS launches Climate Change Programme in Central Himalayas

The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has launched climate change programme to assess the status, distribution and conservation of finches and pheasants in the Central Himalayas. 
●    The first study will be funded by Oracle and facilitated by CAF-India. 
●    Currently, there are nearly 50 species of pheasants and 62 species of finches in the Indian subcontinent.
●    Several of these species are listed under the ‘Globally Threatened’ category created by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
●    Shrinking habitat as a result of climate change and several biotic factors along with poaching and trapping have pushed both these groups to almost extinction.
●    While species that are capable of adapting to the change will survive, those that are habitat specialist and sensitive to temperature will suffer.

NATIONAL NEWS

 Karnataka Govt. to Amend Law for Conducting Kambala

 The Karnataka government has decided to bring an amendment to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, for conducting kambala and bull-cart race, traditional sports of the State. 
●    The government has decided against promulgating an ordinance since the legislature would meet from February 6 for five days. 
●    The State would follow the model of the Tamil Nadu government and bring changes to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. 
●    The Bill passed by the legislature would require an assent from the President.
●    Earlier in the day, hundreds of people marched with 300 he-buffaloes at Moodbidri town in Dakshina Kannada district demanding lifting of the ban on kambala.
●    About 150 pairs of kambala buffaloes were brought from Kasaragod, Kerala, in the south, and Baindoor, Udupi district, in the north. 

On This Day

On 1 February 1968, the World Trade Conference Unctad II was held in New Delhi. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body. UNCTAD is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment, and development issues. The first UNCTAD conference took place in Geneva in 1964, the second in New Delhi in 1968. The Fourteenth was recently held in Nairobi (Kenya) in 2016. Currently, UNCTAD has 194 member states and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.