Current affairs : January 23, 2017 for all competitive exams
Nation pays homage to Netaji
Subhash Chandra Bose on his 120th birth anniversary today (23 january 2017).
- It was on this day in 1897, Netaji was born in
Cuttack, Odisha. A number of functions have been organised in different
parts of the country to mark the occasion.
100% FDI under consideration
in food processing sector
Minister of State for Food
Processing Industries Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti stated 100% Foreign Direct
Investment in food processing sector is being actively considered by the Union
Government.
Indian model to
predict impact of climate change
Scientists at the Indian
Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, are likely to unveil in
December a computerised model that can forecast the impact of climate change on
the Indian monsoon until 2100.
- This model is significant because it is the first
time India will be submitting a home-grown assessment to the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a body convened by the
United Nations, and hugely influential to policymakers and governments on
the risks posed by climate change.
- A test version of the model is already available on
websites of research groups affiliated to the IPCC.
Ministry moots
zero-rate under GST for renewables
The Ministry of Power has
recommended that renewable energy should be given a zero-rate tax status under
the Goods and Services Tax, according to a presentation made by it to the GST
Council, predicting several adverse effects to the
economy if there is any increase in power tariffs due to the new tax regime.
- The Power Ministry’s recommendation was for the GST
Council to choose one of two options: either give renewable energy (RE)
supply a zero-rate status, or give RE deemed export status.
TRAI to
suggest Aadhaar eKYC for outstation users buying SIM
Telecom regulator TRAI is
likely to recommend to the Department of Telecom (DoT) that Aadhaar-based eKYC
be allowed even for outstation customers who want to get a mobile connection in
a particular service area.
- The regulator may suggest that the existing mobile
subscribers in the country should be encouraged to go in for Aadhaar-based
electronic Know Your Customer verification, for which telecom service
providers could offer incentives such as free data or talk time.
- The facilitation of Aadhaar-driven eKYC for the existing customer base would ensure proper verification of subscribers and address the security concerns pertaining to fake or bogus mobile connections, according to sources.
After jallikattu, it is kambala’s turn
With an Ordinance promulgated to lift the ban on jallikattu in Tamil Nadu,
the demand for lifting the ban on kambala — buffalo racing — is gaining
momentum in coastal Karnataka.
- Netizens on various social media sites have,
meanwhile, started campaigns in support of the traditional practice.
- Kambala is an annual Buffalo Race held traditionally
under the auspices of local land lords and households or Patel of village,
in coastal Karnataka, India. The Kambala season generally starts in
November and lasts until March.
Kerala CM inaugurates
‘Jyothirmaya’
Kerala Chief Minister
Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the 4 lakh square feet latest IT building,
ii.‘Jyothirmaya’ at the Infopark.
- Dedicating the 9-storeyed building, constructed over
six acres of land 80,000 job opportunities will be created when the
buildings constructed during second phase of development at Infopark
become fully operational.
- ‘Jyothirmaya’, constructed as part of the second phase of development at Infopark, will generate 4,000 job opportunities in the field of IT sector.
A sunspot with centre twice the size of Earth
A new view of the dark, contorted centre of a sunspot that is nearly twice
the diameter of the Earth, along with other invisible details of our Sun, has
been unveiled by scientists. The results are an important expansion of the
range of observations that can be used to probe the physics of our nearest
star.
The Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) antennas had been
carefully designed so they could image the Sun without being damaged by the
intense heat of the focused light.
Japan threatens to drag India to WTO on steel
Japan is threatening to take India to the WTO over restrictions that nearly
halved its steel exports to the South Asian nation over the past year, a step
that could trigger more trade spats as global tensions over steel and other
commodities run high.
- India imposed duties of up to 20% on some hot-rolled
flat steel products in September 2015, and set a floor price in February
2016 for steel product imports to deter countries such as China, Japan and
South Korea from undercutting local mills.
- Tokyo says India’s actions are inconsistent with WTO
rules and contributed to the plunge in its steel exports to India, which
dropped to 11th-largest on Japan’s buyer list in 2016 through November,
down from sixth-largest in 2015.
Turkey’s constitutional reform
The Turkish parliament has approved a constitutional reform bill that
includes strengthening the powers of the presidency, a move that paves the way
for a referendum this year that could see President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in
office until 2029.
- The constitutional reform bill was approved overnight
with 339 votes in the 550-member assembly, parliament said on its official
Twitter account on Saturday. The legislation needed at least 330 deputies
to support it in order to go to a public vote.
China commissions 31st stealth warship:
China has commissioned its 31st stealth warship. The CNS Ezhou with a hull
number of 513 was delivered to the East Sea Fleet in a naval base in East
China’s Fujian province.
- With a maximum speed of 52 km/h, the ship features
good manoeuvrability, a high-level of automation and stealth capability,
and is capable of hitting aircraft, ships and submarines.
- The ship will perform coastal patrol, fishery
escort, anti-submarine and anti-ship operations.
- It is the second ship that has been commissioned to
the PLA Navy since the start of 2017, following the CNS Kaiyangxing, a
Type—815A class electronic reconnaissance ship, which now belongs to the
North Sea Fleet.
Mauritius
PM Anerood Jugnauth to step down
Mauritius Prime Minister
Anerood Jugnauth announced on Saturday he would be stepping down to make way
for his son Pravind, a move that could spark turmoil in the Indian Ocean
island.
- In 2014, Mr. Jugnauth was elected to his sixth term
as Prime Minister, 22 years after first being voted in. He also served as
President from 2003 to 2012.
Curbs on outsourcing may hit U.S. economy: Nasscom
India’s IT industry has warned about the adverse impact that curbs on
outsourcing will have on the U.S. economy, which lacks high-skilled workers.
- According to December 2015 projections by the U.S.
Labour Department, employment of computer and information technology
occupations will grow 12% from 2014 to 2024 (faster than the average for
all other occupations).
- However, due to shortfalls in college graduates in
science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), entering the STEM
workforce, there could be 2.4 million unfilled STEM jobs in the U.S. by 2018
— with more than half of these vacancies in computer and IT-related
skills.
Urdu poet, lyricist Naqsh
Lyallpuri dies at 88
Renowned Urdu poet Naqsh
Lyallpuri died at his residence on the morning according to his family.
- He was aged 88.Born in Llallpur in the part of
Punjab now in Pakistan, Lyallpuri came to Mumbai in the late 1940s to make
a career in Hindi cinema.
Saina Nehwal wins Malaysian
Masters Grand Prix Gold tournament
India's ace shuttler Saina
Nehwal has won the Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold title at Sarawak in
Malaysia.
- Saina, the top seed in the tournament, defeated Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand in straight games 22-20, 22-20.
Ex-BCCI president Anurag
Thakur to head Himachal Olympic Association
Ex-BCCI president Anurag
Thakur unanimously elected head of the Himachal Pradesh Olympic Association
(HPOA) for a four-year term.
- Anurag Thakur, who had to step down as BCCI
President owing to the Supreme Court ruling on Lodha Committee reforms.
Sunish wins ITF Juniors title
Dhruv Sunish finally got the
taste of ITF Juniors title when he won the boys singles crown downing
Kazakhstan's Dostanbek Tashbulatov at the Dakshin Kalikata Sansad clay courts
- The under-18 India number two, who had lost in the finals of the Chandigarh Grade 3 ITF Juniors in the first week of 2017 and 2 ITF Juniors in 2016, played flawless to drub the Kazakh 6-2 6-3.
