Latest Current Affairs February 2018
- Neelam Kapoor appointed director general of SAI
Senior bureaucrat Neelam Kapoor was today appointed director general of the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
Kapoor, a 1982 batch officer of the Indian Information Service (IIS), is at present the Principal Director General of the Directorate of Field Publicity.
Kapoor was the Principal Director General of the Press Information Bureau in the UPA government. As PIB chief, she was in-charge of information officers attached to every central government ministry.
- Haryana, UP Govts Sign Reciprocal Transport Agreement
Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have signed a Reciprocal Transport Agreement. The agreement, signed in the presence of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, will facilitate buses of both the states to operate over 1.16 lakh km daily in each other’s territories.
The agreement was signed during the inauguration ceremony of the 32nd Surajkund International Crafts Mela in Faridabad, adjoining Delhi.
- Kerala govt announces amnesty for vehicle tax evaders
The Kerala government has announced an amnesty scheme for those who had registered their vehicles in the Union Territory of Puducherry to evade tax in the home state.
The government would re-examine the legal proceedings against them under the special amnesty scheme which would be valid till April 30 this year.
- Kerala to Launch E-Network Of Ambulances Modelling Uber
Kerala will soon launch an e-network of ambulances on the lines of app-based global taxi operator Uber.
An app-based facility would be launched for people to seek the service of the nearest ambulance from the accident spot and rush the victim to appropriate hospitals. A state-wide e-network of ambulance services on the lines of uber taxi will be formulated.
- Kerala Govt Announces Amnesty For Vehicle Tax Evaders
The Kerala government has announced an amnesty scheme for those who had registered their vehicles in the Union Territory of Puducherry to evade tax in the home state.
The government would re-examine the legal proceedings against them under the special amnesty scheme which would be valid till April 30 this year
- IUIH to invest Rs 1,600 crore to set up medicity in Assam
Indo-UK Institute of Health will pump in Rs 1,600 crore to set up a medicity with a 1,000-bedded hospital in Assam, taking the total investment in India to Rs 19,200 crore.
The Indo-UK Institute of Health (IUIH) shall be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Assam government during the two day-long ‘Advantage Assam – Global Investors Summit 2018 beginning on 03 February 2018.
- Assam to host its first global investors summit
Assam will host its first global investors summit beginning on 03 February 2018 to showcase its manufacturing opportunities and geostrategic advantages to foreign and domestic investors.
The ‘Advantage Assam: Global Investors Summit 2018’, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aims at highlighting Assam’s geostrategic advantages and core competencies in different sectors along with the policy initiatives taken by the state government.
- Mehrauli Archaeological Park to get a museum
The state archaeology department has planned a major revamp of Mehrauli Archaeological Park (MAP) to put it on the tourist map.
The task to prepare a detailed concept was assigned to Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).
Prominent structures located at the site are tombs of Ghiyasuddin Balban, Jamali Kamali, Quli Khan and Adham Khan. Other attractions are Rajon Ki Baoli, Jamali Kamali Mosque and Metcalfe’s Folly.
- Telangana to set up clean authority on the lines of Tokyo
Telangana will soon set up a body to address issues of environment and it would function on the lines of a similar agency in Tokyo.
Clean Authority of Telangana’, to be set up on the lines of one existing in Tokyo, will address issues of environment.
Telangana will be the first state in India to be creating its own clean authority. We recently entered (into) an MoU in Tokyo.
- Govt makes PAN mandatory for transactions over ₹5 lakh
The Budget for 2018-19 has provided for making PAN mandatory for any entity entering into a financial transaction of Rs 2.5 lakh or more with effect from April 1.
The 10-digit Permanent Account Number (PAN) would be used as Unique Entity Number for non-individuals.
- India to have world’s largest govt-funded health programme
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced a few path-breaking healthcare initiatives and gave healthcare a significant push by giving major allocations to the sector.
FM Jaitley announced one of the world’s largest health protection programmes for the country, which will provide INR 5 lakh insurance cover per family per year for secondary & tertiary needs under the National Health Protection Scheme. This will benefit around 50 cr people in India.
- Infosys Co-founder launches startup incubator EduMentum
Infosys co-founder SD Shibulal has launched a startup incubator EduMentum. The incubator will work for early-stage startups in offline education transformation space. The platform has been launched in partnership with Shibulal’s Advaith Foundation and Mantra4Change.
EduMentum will offer $11.7K (INR 7.5 Lakh) per annum to the selected startups along with a series of workshops. It will also guide the incubated startups in networking in the ecosystem.
- SpaceX launches satellite into orbit on used Falcon 9 rocket
SpaceX has launched a Falcon 9 rocket loaded with a geocommunications satellite commissioned by the Government of Luxembourg. The satellite, created by Orbital STK and to be operated by SES, will support humanitarian and military operations for Luxembourg, among other communications functions.
SpaceX is also readying its Falcon Heavy for launch from Cape Canaveral, with a planned launch date of February 6. That’ll be a huge milestone for the company, regardless of whether the Heavy makes it all the way to orbit on its first try.
- Maha wins 3 medals in National School Chess Championship
Three students from Maharashtra have bagged medals at the recently concluded National School Chess Championship at Bhubaneswar in Odisha. Around 800 players were in the fray from across the country. All three medal winners from the state are from the South Mumbai Chess Academy.
- Brisbane Airport to be world’s 1st to accept cryptocurrency
Australia’s Brisbane Airport has announced that that it will soon allow travelers to pay with crypto coins at its terminal shopping areas.
To a deal struck with cryptocurrency travel firm TravelbyBit, which will equip the airport’s retail stores with technology to accept the likes of Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Dash and Steem.
- Punjab, Haryana Win In Khelo India Girls’ Hockey
Punjab and Haryana overpowered their respective rivals to chalk out their second successive victories in the girls hockey competition of the Khelo India School Games at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
- Saurav Ghosal becomes the highest-ranked Indian squash player
India’s leading squash player, Saurav Ghosal jumped five places to No 14 to become the highest ranked Indian in the latest Professional Squash Association (PSA) rankings released.
Ghosal beat Joshna Chinappa who slipped three places to No 17 while Dipika Pallikal Karthik remained on 20.
Former Indian national champion Harinder Pal Sandhu was placed at 49th, Mahesh Mangaonkar on 64, the spot that Ramit Tandon too achieved after rising 16 places and Vikram Malhotra on 68.
- India wins 7 golds at India Open Int’l Boxing Tournament
Not just Mary Kom, six other Indian boxers’ cliched gold medals in the India Open International Boxing Tournament.
Apart from the inimitable Mary Kom, Sanjeet, Manish Kaushik, Pwilao Basumatar, Lovlina
Borgohain and Pinki Rani and Manisha emerged victorious at the Thyagaraj Stadium.
Assam would be particularly proud of their ladies, with Pwilao and Lovlina emerging as the next generation of golden girls.
