Latest Current Affairs – February 06 2018
1. CSE ranked top environment policy think tanks in India
The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has been ranked the top environment policy think tanks in India while it has secured the 16th position in global rankings, climbing up two positions from the last year.
The rank was given by The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) of the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania.
TTCSP conducts a research on the role policy institutes play in governments and civil societies around the world.
2. A.K Prasad Assumes Charge as the New Financial Commissioner, Railway Board
A.K.Prasad has been appointed as new Financial Commissioner (Railways), Railway Board and ex-officio Secretary to Government of India vice B.N.Mohapatra, who superannuated on 31st January, 2018.
A.K.Prasad has since assumed charge as the new Financial Commissioner (Railways), with effect from 1st February 2018. Prasad is an officer of Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) of 1981 batch. He has done his Masters in Economics from Delhi School of Economics in the year 1980.
3. Dr. Himadri Das joins as New Director of MDI, Gurugram
Dr. Himadri Das has joined as the Director, MDI Gurugram. He took over from Prof. C. P. Shrimali, Acting Director, MDI.
Before MDI, Dr. Das was the Director of Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurgaon for five years and prior to that he was at the International Management Institute, Delhi for eleven years in a variety of leadership roles out of which five years were as the Dean (Academic Programs).
MDI, Gurugram
Management Development Institute is a business school in India. It was established in 1973 by Industrial Finance Corporation of India and is located in Gurgaon, a commercial hub near the Indian capital of New Delhi.
4. Launch of Startup India Ranking Framework
Three new tools for States and Union Territories for ranking of startups in the country was launched by Union Minister of Commerce and Industry at a function in New Delhi.
The tools are: the State and Union Territory Startup Ranking Framework, the Compendium of Good Practices for Promoting Startups in India and the Startup India Kit.
These will act as catalysts to help the Startup India initiative to drive India’s economic growth.
- The key objective of the Startup States and UTs Ranking Framework is to encourage States and UTs to take proactive steps towards strengthening the Startup ecosystems at the local level.
- The Ranking Framework will measure the impact of each step initiated at the local level for building a strong Startup ecosystem.
- The Ranking Framework will also enable contnuous learning through the dissemination of good practices.
5. MP govt launches app to spread awareness against pollution
The Madhya Pradesh government has launched a mobile application to spread awareness against pollution in the western part of the state. The mobile app “pollution metre” was available on ‘Google Play Store’.
It has been developed with the help of a private firm and the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board. With the help of the app, anybody can check the status of air, water and noise pollution in their respective areas.
6. National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change
“The National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC) is a Central Sector Scheme which was set up in the year 2015-16. The overall aim of NAFCC is to support concrete adaptation activities which mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.
The activities under this scheme are implemented in a project mode. The projects related to adaptation in sectors such as agriculture, animal husbandry, water, forestry, tourism etc. are eligible for funding under NAFCC. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is the National Implementing Entity (NIE).
7. IIT alumnus launches accelerator to help IIT startups in US
An Indian Institute of Technology Madras alumnus has launched a non-profit accelerator at the Bay Area in San Francisco, America.
The initiative is to provide mentorship, incubation and other necessary support to the budding entrepreneurs and to connect the IIT alumni at the Silicon Valley in America.
Called ‘IIT Startups,’ the accelerator has been founded by Monishi Sanyal, a B Tech graduate from IIT Madras and the Governor s Gold medal Recipient in 1970.
8. Aditya Birla group launches chatbot built by Gupshup for LIVA
Gupshup, the leading bot platform, in collaboration with Aditya Birla Group’s eco-friendly fashion brand LIVA has developed a chatbot called the LIVA Fluid Fashion Assistant for Facebook and LIVA’s website.
The virtual assistant will act as a fashion portal with the latest information about fashion and celebrity style trends. It will also address queries of interested buyers, assist them in exploring the LIVA product range and get in touch with the LIVA sales team.
9. MoUs signed by BIS
BIS has signed MoUs with National Standards Bodies (NSBs) of 23 countries. The objective of the MoUs is to facilitate closer cooperation between the bodies with the common aim of strengthening core activities of standardization and conformity assessment which helps the national economy by providing safe, reliable and quality goods, minimizing health hazards to consumers, protecting the environment, promoting exports and imports etc.
10. President of India to inaugurate the Mahamastakabhisheka Mahotsav 2018
The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind to inaugurate the Mahamastakabhisheka Mahotsav 2018 of Gommateshwara Bhagwan Sri Bahubali Swami at Shravanabelagola on February 7, 2018.
The Mahamastakabhisheka Mahotsav is celebrated once every 12 years. It has been celebrated for about a 1,000 years.
11. India successfully test-fires nuclear-capable Agni-1 missile
India successfully test-fired indigenously developed short-range nuclear-capable Agni-I ballistic missile from Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha. It was 18th version of Agni-I, which could achieve all parameters within the stipulated time period. The missile was inducted into service in 2004.
The Agni 1 missile, which has a strike range of over 700 km, was launched from a mobile launcher at Pad 4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at the Dr Abdul Kalam Island, formerly known as Wheeler Island.
12. Sweden commits record $370m of aid to UN World Food Programme
World Food Programme has signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement committing an unprecedented $370 million dollars to WFP over the next four years, hailing the Scandinavian nation as a global leader in aid. The contribution for the period 2018-2021 is the biggest ever made by a donor within a WFP Strategic Partnership Agreement
13. Google to introduce ‘digital citizenship’ lessons in Indian classrooms
To commemorate Safer Internet Day 2018 and reiterate its commitment to make the web a safer place for everyone, tech giant Google announced its collaboration with NCERT to integrate a course on digital citizenship and safety in the information and communication technology (ICT) curriculum.
Students from class I to class XII across 1.4 million schools in India will now learn how to become good and responsible digital citizens, through structured classroom modules on the social, ethical and legal aspects of internet safety.
14. SpaceX to Launch ‘World’s Most Powerful Rocket’ Falcon Heavy
SpaceX is set to launch “World’s most powerful rocket” called Falcon Heavy from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The Falcon Heavy rocket aims for touching red planet Mars and moon, someday. During the launch, David Bowie’s hit “Space Oddity” would play in the vehicle.
Falcon Heavy, the ‘World’s Most Powerful Rocket’, has three first-stage boosters which are strapped together with 27 engines.
15. Chhattisgarh, Hockey Him, Gangpur win in women’s national
Chhattisgarh, Hockey Him and Hockey Gangpur-Odisha scored emphatic wins over their respective rivals on day five of the eighth Hockey India Senior Women National Championship 2018 (A Division). Chhattisgarh Hockey registered a comfortable 5-1 win over The Mumbai Hockey Association Ltd in their Pool A match, while Hockey Him beat Hockey Bhopal 4-0 in Pool B.
16. Odisha Congress leader Frida Topno passes away
Odisha Congress leader Frida Topno breathed her last in Bhubaneswar. The Congress leader was 92-years-old at the time of her death.
Frida Topno served as a member of Lok Sabha from Sundergarh in Odisha in 1991(10th Lok Sabha) and in 1996 (11th Lok Sabha). She was also elected to the Rajya Sabha for the term 1998-2002 from Odisha.
