Latest Current Affairs – August 04 & 05 2018
1. 10,000 jobs to be created under ‘Modicare’ scheme
At least 10,000 new jobs will be created with the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Mission, popularly known as Modicare, an official said. Around one lakh Ayushman Mitras will be deployed at both private and government hospitals under the scheme. The scheme aims to provide a cover of ?5 lakh per family annually to 10 crore poor families.
2. UP’s Mughalsarai junction named Deen Dayal Upadhyaya junction
Uttar Pradesh’s iconic Mughalsarai junction was officially named after RSS ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyaya. BJP President Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal were present at the renaming ceremony of the station. Notably, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya was found dead in mysterious circumstances near the Mughalsarai station in February 1968.
3. India’s Chandrayaan-2 Moon mission launch delayed for 2nd time
The launch of India’s second Moon mission Chandrayaan-2 has been delayed for the second time from October to January next year, according to reports. The mission’s launch was first planned in April and was pushed to October. The delay in launch comes after ISRO faced two setbacks this year, losing communication with GSAT-6A satellite and failing PSLV-C39 mission.
4. Delhi pips Gujarat to top investment potential index
Delhi has replaced Gujarat to top the State Investment Potential Index list of 21 states and Union Territories, prepared by economic think tank NCAER. Tamil Nadu moved up four spots to 2nd while Gujarat fell two spots to rank at 3rd. Assam, Jharkhand and Bihar are ranked among the least favourable states for investment.
5. Uttarakhand 1st state to give ID cards to gau rakshaks: Reports
Uttarakhand will become the first state to give identity cards to gau rakshaks (cow protectors), reports quoting officials said. The initiative is aimed at differentiating people who protect cows from those who resort to violence in the name of cow vigilantism. Officials said “genuine gau rakshaks” from six of the total 13 districts in Uttarakhand have been identified.
6. Sindhu wins silver at World C’ships for 2nd straight year
World number three PV Sindhu has won the silver medal at the Badminton World Championships for the second straight year. The 23-year-old shuttler lost 19-21, 10-21 to 2016 Olympics champion Carolina Marin in the final. Sindhu has now won four medals (2 silver and 2 bronze) out of India’s eight in the history of Badminton World Championships.
7. Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill gets President’s nod
President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday gave his assent to the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2018, which will prevent offenders from evading legal process and fleeing the country. A fugitive economic offender is one against whom an arrest warrant is issued for economic offences of ?100 crore and above. Further, the offender should have left India to avoid criminal prosecution.
8. Banks collect ?5,000 cr as minimum balance penalty in FY18
Three private lenders and 21 public sector banks (PSBs) collected ?5,000 crore from depositors in the financial year 2017-18 as penalties for not maintaining required minimum balance in accounts. Among PSBs, SBI emerged as the highest collector with ?2,433 crore in penalties, almost half of the total collection. HDFC Bank was the highest collector among private banks with ?590 crore.
9. Russia appoints actor Steven Seagal as special envoy to US
The Russian Foreign Ministry has appointed Hollywood actor Steven Seagal as its special representative for Russian-US humanitarian ties. Adding that he was very grateful for the opportunity, Seagal said, “I’ve always had a very strong desire to do all I can to help improve Russian-American relations.” Russian President Vladimir Putin had handed a Russian passport to Seagal in 2016.
10. India becomes 3rd Asian nation to get STA-1 status from US
India has become the third Asian nation after Japan and South Korea, and 37th overall, to get the Strategic Trade Authorization-1 status from the US. It paves way for high-technology product sales to New Delhi, particularly in civil space and defence sectors. The US made an exception of India, which is yet to become a member of Nuclear Suppliers Group.
11. Chief Justice Gita Mittal is appointed as new Chief Justice of J&K HC
Chief Justice Gita Mittal has been appointed as the Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court (HC). She is the acting Chief Justice of Delhi HC. She is the first woman Chief Justice of J&K HC. Justice B.D. Ahmed, the State’s last Chief Justice, was retired on March 15, 2018.
Patna High Court Chief Justice Rajendra Menon has been appointed as the Chief Justice Delhi HC.
12. Mallya tops the List of India’s 28 Fugitive Economic Offenders
Vijay Mallya (promoter of defunct Kingfisher Airlines) allegedly defrauded banks of about Rs 7,500 crore, according to the list the Finance Ministry submitted in the Lok Sabha.
Mehul Choksi, promoter of Gitanjali Jewels (₹7,080 crore) and his nephew Nirav Modi (₹6,498 crore) took the second and third spots.
The list also includes Sterling Biotech promoters Chetan Sandesara, Nitin Sandesara and Diptiben Sandesara, who allegedly defrauded banks of ₹5,383 crore.
13. India elected president of Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development
India got elected against Iran during voting which took place at the 44th annual gathering of Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) in Colombo.
The period of India as President is two years.
14. Vijay Thakur Singh appointed as Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs
Ms. Vijay Thakur Singh is currently India’s envoy to Ireland and will take over as Secretary (EAST) from October 1 after superannuation of Preeti Saran on September 30. She is a 1985 batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service.
15. Telangana government asked ICRISAT to study the Mission Kakatiya project
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Catchment Area Development Authority of Telangana Irrigation Department at the State Secretariat.
Upon this, Telangana government has asked the ICRISAT to conduct a research on the impact of Mission Kakatiya programme.
The research would be conducted for 2 two years covering various aspects like the impact of de-siltation on water availability for irrigation, changes in cropping pattern and recharge of groundwater. It would also incorporate economic valuation in terms of nutrients applied.
16. World’s 1st Hindi-Speaking Robot Rashmi
Ranchi-based software developer Ranjit Srivastava is developing the world’s first Hindi-speaking humanoid robot called Rashmi. The robot will speak Bhojpuri, Marathi, and English, and is equipped with facial expressions and recognition systems.
17. Mauritius’ SBM gets Reserve Bank of India approval for Subsidiary
State Bank of Mauritius (SBM) is the first foreign lender to receive such a license after local incorporation was introduced in 2013.
SBM started in India since 1994 and currently operated through four branches, in Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Ramachandrapuram.
18. Kerala government made e-way bill mandatory
Kerala government has made e-way bill mandatory for inter-State goods movements as it concerns at the loss of revenue over Rs. 400 crore. To implement it, the government has planned to set up 190 inspection squads.
The collection of tax has increased the revenue income to Rs. 4,661 crore being collected in June as against the Rs. 2,760 crore in May. It registered a 52% growth rate over in the State.
19. NHAI to ink MoU with SBI for Rs 25,000 Crore loan
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is getting an unsecured loan of Rs 25,000 crore from State Bank of India (SBI) for 10 years with 3 years of moratorium on repayments. This is SBI’s highest long-term unsecured loan to any entity and also the largest ever loan sanctioned to NHAI.
The total sanctioned amount is to be disbursed to NHAI within March 31, 2019.
20. AAI to joint venture with Sri Lanka in Mattala airport project
India’s Airport Authority of India (AAI) joint ventures with the Airport & Aviation Services in Sri Lanka to run the loss-making Mattala airport, located in Sri Lanka’s Southern Province. So far, three rounds of official negotiations were completed.
After detailed negotiations, the two governments have agreed that India, with a 70% stake in the joint venture, will contribute $225 million to revamp and run the airport, while the Sri Lankan side will invest the balance. India will operate the airport on a 40-year lease. Once the technical aspects of the joint venture are prepared, the draft agreement will be presented for Cabinet clearance.
21. Bharti Airtel plans to provide optical fibre network in Tamil Nadu
Bharti Airtel plans to provide optical fibre network in Tamil Nadu. Being the telecommunications provider, it aims to improve network connectivity in the State.
Currently, Tamil Nadu has a fibre network for 14,000 km. With Bharti Airtel’s plan for a rollout of 3,000 km of fresh optic fibre, it would touch 17,000 km in 2021. The company has planned to invest Rs. 24,000 crore to Rs. 26,000 crore pan-India in mobile network sites, capacities, fibre rollout and digitalisation among others.
Also, Bharti Airtel is planning to open 12,000 new mobile sites across the State to add to network capacity and take high-speed data services deeper into rural areas.
22. Logo And tagline For Geographical Indications Launched
Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu launched a logo and tagline for Geographical Indications (GI) to increase awareness about intellectual property rights (IPRs) in the country.
The slogan for the GI tag is- ‘Invaluable Treasures of Incredible India’.
A GI product is primarily an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product (handicraft and industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory.
23. Vaibhav Suri won the Biel Masters Chess title
Grandmaster Vaibhav Suri beat Prtihu Gupta and won the Biel Masters Chess title at Switzerland and made his second Grandmaster-norm in the premier nine-round competition.
Suri seeded 19th in the field where 70 Grandmasters and participants from 31 countries were participating.
Suri won five games and drew the rest to tally seven points. Germany’s Dennis Wagner won the second spot at 6.5 points. Ukraine’s Pavel Eljanov won the third spot.
24. Karnataka Government launches Swachhameva Jayate
In order to achieve the status of Open Defecation Free (ODF), Karnataka launched “Swachhameva Jayate” a rural cleanliness and sanitation campaign.
This campaign will aim to boost the Swachh Survkekshan Grameen in all the districts with the help of school children.
Since the inception of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the government of Karnataka has constructed a total of 22 lakh toilets in 29,736 villages. The state needs another five lakh toilets in its rural areas before October 2 to achieve ODF status.
25. Andhra Pradesh government launched ‘Mukhya Mantri Yuva Nestham’
Under the scheme, an allowance of Rs 1000 per month will be provided to unemployed youth in the state. About 12 lakh youths in the age group of 22-35 years will get the benefit of the scheme.
26. FICCI FLO launches WOW mobile app for women’s wellness
FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), the women’s wing of Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has launched WOW (Wellness of Women) mobile application aimed at creating awareness on preventive healthcare for women across the country.
It is powered by ‘Ask Apollo’ of the Chennai-based Apollo Hospitals Group.
This platform allows users to talk to doctors through video conferencing or connect with them via voice or email. Users can also upload clinical information such as reports, images, and scans so that experts can provide an opinion.
27. Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat emerges most-attractive state for investors in Investment Potential Index
Delhi emerged the most-attractive state for investors on the top position on the National Council for Applied and Economic Research (NCAER)’s 2018 State Investment Potential Index. Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh retained their first and second positions.
28. UNICEF warns of another cholera outbreak in Yemen
World Health Organization (WHO) warned Yemen may be on the verge of another cholera epidemic, which could be deadlier than previous ones because of widespread malnutrition in the war-torn country.
Since April 2017 to February 2018, more than 1,060,000 suspected cases of cholera and 2300 deaths have been reported in Yemen.
29. Himachal Pradesh launches Shaur Nahin mobile application
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur launched ‘horn not ok’ awareness campaign and ‘shaur nahin’ (no noise) mobile application.
The main aim is to spread awareness of unnecessary blowing horn as it creates unnecessary noise pollution.
The app will enable the general public to report cases of noise pollution. It has settings for two types of users general public and officers both of whom have a one-time password (OTP).
