Daily Current affairs - April 20th, 2017 for all competitive exams
The Union
Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister has given Ex-post facto approval for
introduction of the following bills in the Parliament:
Constitution
(One Hundred and Twenty-third Amendment) Bill 2017.
National
Commission for Backward Classes (Repeal) Bill, 2017.
The
Constitution Amendment Bill is for:
Constitution
of a Commission under Article 338B for
socially and educationally backward classes by name of National Commission for
Backward Classes.
- Insertion of Clause (26C) under Article 366 with modified definition viz. “socially and educationally backward classes” means such backward classes as are so deemed under Article 342A for the purpose, this Constitution.
NCBC repeal
Bill is for:
Repeal of the
National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993 along with Savings Clause
for namely the National Commission for Backward Classes (Repeal) Bill, 2017.
- Dissolution
of the National Commission for Backward Classes with effect from such date
as the Central Government may appoint in this behalf and the National
Commission for Backward Classes constituted under sub-section (1) of
Section 3 of the said Act shall stand dissolved.
The
Government decides to do away with beacons for all categories of vehicles
With a view to
strengthening healthy democratic values in the country, the Central Government
has decided to do away with beacons of all kinds atop all categories of
vehicles in the country. States are also being stripped of their power to
specify persons whose vehicles can use blue flashing lights.
- Beacons
on vehicles are perceived symbols of VIP Culture, and the government
believes they have no place in a democratic country.
- Beacons,
however, will be allowed on vehicles concerned with emergency and relief services,
ambulance, fire service etc.
Cabinet
approves permission to avail external assistance by State Government entities
from bilateral agencies
The Union
Cabinet has approved the policy guidelines to allow
financially sound State Government entities to borrow directly from bilateral ODA (Official development
Assistance) partners for implementation of vital infrastructure projects.
- The
guidelines will facilitate the State Government entities to directly
borrow from the external bilateral funding agencies subject to fulfilment
of certain conditions and all repayments of loans and interests to the
funding agencies will be directly remitted by the concerned borrower.
- The
concerned State Government will furnish guarantee for the Loan. The
Government of India will provide counter guarantee for the loan.
Madhya Pradesh government, DMRC inked pact to
supply power from Rewa project
Madhya Pradesh government has signed a
power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
(DMRC) to supply 24 per cent of electricity generated from the
Rewa ultra mega solar project to be set up in the state.
- The
rest of the power will be supplied to the state.
India,
China to resume stalled dialogue on corridor with Myanmar, Bangladesh
The stalled
consultation process for the BCIM (Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar) Economic
Corridor is set to resume, with officials and scholars from the four countries
shortly meeting in Kolkata after a gap of more than two-and-half years.
- The
last meeting of the Joint Study Group (JSG), which has government
sanction, was held at Cox’s Bazaar in Bangladesh in December 2014.
- The
idea of creating a corridor of regional integrity was first floated in
1999 but there has been little progress in implementing the grand plan.
China to host BRICS Film Festival in June, 2017
The 2017 BRICS Film Festival will be
held in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province from June 23 to 27, 2017.
- There
will be 30 films from BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and
South Africa) screened during the festival.
- The
first BRICS Film Festival was held in New Delhi, India, in September
2016.
Aryabhata:
Looking back at first Indian ‘space baby’
India’s first
satellite – Aryabhata – was launched successfully by a Russian rocket on 19th April 42 years ago in 1975,
taking the country on an exciting space odyssey as far as the Moon and the
Mars.
- Aryabhata
is the first Indian spacecraft that was also built in the
country. Named after the 5th century astronomer, the experimental
spacecraft did not last its design life of six months in space. But this
kick-started the Indian capability to build satellites solidly on track.
A
frog’s mucus could treat flu
Researchers
have found that skin mucus secreted by a colourful, tennis ball-sized frog
species- Hydrophylax bahuvistara, found in Kerala can be used to develop an
anti-viral drug that can treat various strains of flu.
- The
secretion from frog contains peptide, or chain of amino acids. The
researchers have named the newly identified peptide “urumin” after the urumi, a sword with a flexible blade that snaps
and bends like a whip.
- Urumin is not toxic to mammals, but “appears to only disrupt the integrity of flu virus”.
World economy to grow at 3.5 per cent in 2017: IMF
The International Monetary Fund
(IMF) projected a marginally higher than expected growth for the world
economy at 3.5 per cent in 2017.
- IMF projected the world economy to grow at a pace of 3.5 percent in 2017, up from 3.1 percent in 2016, and 3.6 per cent in 2018.
RBI caps bank exposure to REITs, InvITs at 10%
The RBI permitted banks to invest up
to 10% of the unit capital of a Real Estate Investment Trust
(REITs) or Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs).
- The banks’ exposure to REITs/InvITs will be within the overall ceiling of 20% of the net worth permitted for direct investments in shares, convertible bonds/ debentures, units of equity-oriented mutual funds and Venture Capital Funds (VCFs).
First Made in India industrial robot- BRABO
TAL Manufacturing Solutions, a wholly owned
subsidiary of Tata Motors has launched India’s first industrial-articulated
robot and it goes by the name “BRABO”.
- The robot is indigenously developed for Micro, Small and
Medium Enterprises (MSME) in India.
- This is the first time that an industrial robot has been conceptualized, designed and manufactured in India.
One
Part Woman bags Sahitya Akademi award:
The English
translation of writer Perumal Murugan’s novel Mathorubhagan (One Part Woman)
has won the Sahitya Akademi’s award for translation in English. The translation
was done by Aniruddhan Vasudevan.
- The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the major Indian languages (24 languages, including the 22 listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, along with English and Rajasthani) recognised by the Sahitya Akademi.
Sagar Baheti, the first visually impaired Indian
runner to complete Boston Marathon
Bangalore-based Sagar Baheti has become
the first visually impaired Indian runner to complete the historic Boston
Marathon, the world's oldest and the hardest marathon to qualify for.
- Baheti completed the approximately 42.16 km distance in just over four hours.
Video
gaming to be featured at 2022 Asian Games:
Competitive
video games will become a medal sport for the first time ever at the 2022 Asian
Games.
- They
will appear as a demonstration event at the 2018 edition of the next Asian
Games, to be held in Indonesia, as part of the run-up to esports’ official
inclusion as a medal sport in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
- Asian Games is a multi-sport competition, touted as second only to the Olympics in terms of size. It is held every four years.
