Current Affairs – April 13 2018
1. China holds largest naval parade in its history
China has conducted its largest naval parade in history, with more than 10,000 personnel along with 48 vessels and 76 aircraft taking part in the country’s apparent show of force. It was the first naval parade held in the South China Sea. Despite rival claims by other southeast Asian states, China claims 90% of the South China Sea.
2. Vinod Khanna gets Dadasaheb Phalke Award posthumously
Late actor Vinod Khanna was conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the 65th National Awards. The award, considered to be India’s highest award in cinema, recognises outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema. Vinod Khanna passed away in April last year after prolonged illness.
3. India, Russia to lose Olympic spots due to doping
India will join Russia among the nations that will lose weightlifting spots at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics due to the number of doping violations registered against the nation’s athletes. The new rules state that the countries with 10-19 doping violations from 2008 to 2020, which includes India, will be limited to two men and two women at the Tokyo Olympics.
4. Bajrang wins his 1st CWG gold, India’s 17th at CWG 2018
Wrestler Bajrang Punia won his first Commonwealth Games gold medal, defeating Wales’ Kane Charig by technical superiority in the men’s freestyle 65 kg final in Gold Coast. This is India’s fifth medal in wrestling in this edition, with Rahul Aware and Sushil Kumar registering gold wins earlier. Bajrang had won a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
5. 15-yr-old shooter Anish becomes India’s youngest CWG gold medalist
Fifteen-year-old shooter Anish Bhanwala became India’s youngest gold medalist at the Commonwealth Games, winning the men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Finals with a record score at Gold Coast. India’s Neeraj Kumar stood fifth at the event. Anish, who is participating in his first Commonwealth Games, won gold at the ISSF Junior World Cup in Sydney earlier this year.
6. Tejaswini Sawant wins India’s 5th shooting gold at CWG 2018
Tejaswini Sawant won India its fifth shooting gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, winning the women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions Finals in Gold Coast. This was 37-year-old Tejaswini’s second medal at the 2018 edition, after winning silver at the women’s 50m Rifle Prone. India’s Anjum Moudgil won silver at the event, after having topped qualification.
7. India’s economy to grow 7.3% in 2018-19 and 7.6% in 2019-20: ADB Outlook
According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), India’s economic growth will pick up in 2018-19 to 7.3% on the back of improved rural consumption and a modest rise in private investment while the debilitating effects of demonetisation and goods and services tax (GST) implementation dissipate. However, the FY19 forecast is a tad lower than the 7.4% economic growth that it estimated for India in September last year. India’s growth is expected to pick up further to 7.6% in 2019-20.
8. PM Narendra Modi inaugurates 10th edition of Defence Expo
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the ‘Make in India’ pavilion addressing the 10th edition of DEFEXPO at the historic sight of Mahabalipuram in Tamilnadu. It is the biggest show of international land, naval and internal homeland security systems in Asia and brings about 40 nations and over 670 firms, including 154 foreign manufacturers across the globe to showcase the strength of their military hardware and weaponry in India.
India is the largest arms importer in the world and Indian defence industry is expected to order USD 300 billion worth of defence equipment, adding the necessary stealth and capability to the readiness against the all-around security threats.
9. AIIB approves $140 million loan to improve Rural Connectivity in Madhya Pradesh
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved a $140 million loan for enhancing rural connectivity in Madhya Pradesh which will benefit around 1.5 million rural residents through improved livelihood, education and mobility.
The project, co-financed with the World Bank, aims to improve the rural road connectivity and management for residents of about 5,640 villages who use the rural roads for daily activities.
10. NHAI signs agreement for its first International project under IMT Trilateral Highway
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has signed an agreement for up gradation of Yagyi Kalewa section of highway in Myanmar to two lanes with the earthen shoulder. This project is part of India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) Trilateral Highway and will be NHAI’s first international project.
The project aims to provide seamless vehicular movement for enhancing trade, business, health, education and tourism between Indian, Myanmar, and Thailand. It is being funded by Ministry of External Affairs, India and will be executed on Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode at a cost of Rs.1177 crores.
11. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal pledges to serve the farmers on priority under APART project
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has advocated priority profiling and creation of adequate amenities for the farmers under the Assam Agri-business and Rural Transformation Project (APART).
Reviewing APART, an agriculture department project, in a meeting here yesterday, Sonowal asked the implementing agency to take into account the interests and priorities of the farmers.
APART, a World Bank financed project, has been designed for five lakh beneficiaries in the state with an initial financial outlay of Rs 1700 crore for building agri-market, rural haat and warehouses among other things.
12. World’s Largest Solar Park To Come Up In Gujarat
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani approved setting up a 5,000 MW capacity solar park at the Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR), which would be the largest such entity in the world after its completion.
The proposed solar power generation project would be set up in 11,000 hectares of land with an investment of Rs 25,000 crore. The project will contribute significantly in achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s target of producing 175 gigawatt of electricity through renewable energy sources by 2022.
13. Boeing, HAL, Mahindra tie up to build F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet in India
Boeing India has signed MoU with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), and Mahindra Defence Systems (MDS) at the Defence Expo 2018 to manufacture Super Hornet fighter aircraft in India. The companies will manufacture F/A-18 Super Hornet for India’s armed forces. Under the MoU, an entirely new and modern production facility will be built that can be utilised for other programmes like India’s Advance Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme.
14. Government constitutes 13 member Task Force for fast-tracking implementation of UAV technology
The Government has decided to constitute a Task Force under the chairmanship of Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation for fast-tracking the roll-out of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology. The Task Force will develop a roadmap with implementable recommendations for Central as well as State Governments, Industry and Research Institutions.
The Task Force will consist of representatives from the Government, PSUs, industry and sectoral experts and submit report within 6 months of its constitution. The Headquarters of the Task Force will be at Ministry of Civil Aviation, New Delhi.
15. AIIB decides to invest USD 140M to improve Rural Connectivity in India
The Board of Directors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) approved USD 140 Million loan to improve rural connectivity in India. The project aims to improve the rural road connectivity and management for residents of about 5640 villages who use the rural roads for daily activities.
It will enhance the institutional capacity through implementing a rural road asset management system and strengthen the design and quality assurance capacity of the implementation agency. It will develop road safety management capacity with road accident data management system and a comprehensive road safety program. The Project will be co-financed by the World Bank.
16. NHAI signs agreement for its First International Project
The National Highways Authority of India signed an agreement for upgradation of Yagyi – Kalewa section of highway in Myanmar to two lanes with earthen shoulder. The project will be funded by the Union Ministry of External Affairs and will be executed on EPC mode at a cost of Rs 1177 crores. It will provide seamless vehicular movement for enhancing trade, business, health, education and tourism between Indian, Myanmar and Thailand. The project will be completed in three years.
17. President Ramnath Kovind lays foundation stone of Lusaka traffic Decongestion Project
President Ram Nath Kovind and his Zambian counterpart Edgar Chagwa Lungu on April 12, 2018 laid the foundation stone of Lusaka traffic Decongestion Project in Zambia. The cost of this 93 km road is USD 289 million, of which, India will be contributing USD 250 million.
This project is aimed at redesigning the major road network for Lusaka city with a view to reducing traffic jam, travel distance and saving fuel. The project will be completed in three years.
18. Dalit groups to observe 14 April as Protect Constitution Day
Indian Dalit organisations have announced to observe 14 April, the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar, as the Protect Constitution Day.
These groups have also demanded that the Union government should immediately bring an ordinance to restore the original Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. They also urged for the inclusion of the Act in the Ninth Schedule of the Indian Constitution to ensure that there can’t be any more revisions in the Act.
19. World’s first microfactory to help tackle e-waste hazard
Veena Sahajwalla, an Indian-origin scientist in Australia, launched the world’s first microfactory that can transform electronic waste items such as smartphones and laptops into valuable materials for re-use. The e-waste microfactory can help in reducing the rapidly growing problem of vast amounts of electronic waste causing environmental harm. It can also transform many types of consumer waste such as glass, plastic and timber into commercial materials and products.
