Daily Current affairs - May 12th, 2017 for all competitive exams
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi was on the two-day visit to Sri Lanka which is a sign of
“strong relationship” between the two countries and brings to the fore the
shared heritage of Buddhism.
- During
his two-day visit, he will participate in the International Vesak Day
celebrations, the biggest festival of Buddhists, inaugurate a hospital
built with Indian assistance and address the Indian-origin Tamil
community, besides attending some other programs.
e-Krishi
Samvad lauched by Ministry Agriculture and Farmer’s welfare
e-Krishi
Samvad, an online interface, was recently launched by the government.
- e-Krishi
Samvad is internet-based interface and is a unique platform that will
provide direct and effective solutions to the problems faced by farmers
and stakeholders in the agriculture sector.
- The
platform is helpful to get information pertaining to welfare and
development of agricultural stakeholders.
India to replace Maitri station in Antarctica,
expand research activity
India has decided to replace the Maitri
research station in Antarctica with a new one in the next three to four
years.
- The
country is also drafting laws to safeguard its interest in Antarctica and
is poised to expand its research activity in the coldest continent with
the special ice-cutting facility will be procured for the purpose.
Govt.
regulator gives nod for GM mustard
India’s
central biotech regulator, Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) has
cleared the genetically modified (GM) Mustard for commercial cultivation and
recommended its approval to the environment ministry.
- The
fate of this transgenic variety of oil-seed will now be in the hands of
the MoS environment Anil Madhav Dave who may either accept it, reject it
or sit over the file till the Supreme Court takes its call on a pending
application on the matter.
- The
GM mustard, developed by a Delhi University institution, is only the
second food crop which got its clearance from the central regulator. The
GEAC had earlier in 2010 cleared the Bt Brinjal but the decision was not
accepted by then environment minister Jairam Ramesh. Currently, only Bt
Cotton – a non-food GM crop – is commercially cultivated in the country.
- A
GM or transgenic crop is a plant that has a novel combination of genetic
material obtained through the use of modern biotechnology.
Rail
Connectivity for Chardham Pilgrimage
Taking forward
the vision to link the Chardham pilgrimage centres through rail connectivity
and in keeping with its budgetary commitment, the Indian Railways is taking the
significant step to commence the Final Location survey for a single BG line
rail connectivity for the Chardham Pilgrimage.
- Rail
Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), a Public Sector Enterprise under Ministry of
Railways has been entrusted to
undertake the Final Location Survey for rail connectivity to Chardham and
Chardham Yatra (Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath & Kedarnath via
Dehradun & Karanprayag) in the State of Uttarakhand.
- Chardham,
is one of the unique cornerstones of Hindu pilgrimage which is intertwined
to mystical and spiritual aspirations of every devout Hindu.
Dalits,
Adivasis, Muslims worst off: report
The 2016
Indian Exclusion Report (IXR) was recently released by the Centre for Equity
Studies (CES).
- The
2016 Report reviews exclusion with respect to four public goods: pensions for the elderly, digital access, agricultural
land, and legal justice for undertrials. It also profiles four highly
vulnerable groups in terms of their access to these goods.
Bengaluru ranked 20th in world's most
affordable tech city Index
Bengaluru has been named the world’s
most affordable tech city in the new Savills Tech Cities Index
2017. The Indian technology hub is the most affordable out of 22 cities
that were graded on different parameters.
- Overall, Bengaluru ranks 20th among tech cities in the world while Austin topped the list, followed by San Francisco and New York. But when it comes to the cost of living index, Bengaluru tops the charts with a weekly residential rent for tech employees and household.
‘Spyder’
surface-to-air missile:
India recently
test fired a surface-to-air missile ‘Spyder’ from a test range in Odisha as
part of missile launch practice of a series of tests of the short-range quick
reaction.
- Spyder
(Surface-to-air PYthon and DERby) is an acquired missile system from
Israel which is a short-range, quick reaction surface-to-air missile to
neutralise enemy targets up to a distance of 15 km and at heights between
20-and-9,000 metres.
- Spyder
is however, shorter than India’s indigenously developed surface-to-air
‘Akash’ missile, which has a strike range of 25 km.
- Spyder
is an all-weather missile which has an automatic process of engaging an
aggressive aircraft or missile. Besides aircraft and UAVs, it can also
neutralise low-level cruise missiles.
China
tests ‘Lunar Palace’ as it eyes moon mission
China has
started its experimental tests of “Yuegong-1”, or “Lunar Palace”.
As part of
this experiment, four Chinese students have entered the 160-square-metre
(1,720-square-foot) cabin. They will live there for 200 days.
- The
volunteers will live in the sealed lab to simulate a long-term,
self-contained space mission with no input from the outside world.
- The
“Lunar Palace” has two plant cultivation modules and a living cabin: 42
square metres containing four bed cubicles, a common room, a bathroom, a
waste-treatment room and a room for raising animals.
- The Lunar Palace is the world’s third bioregenerative life-support base, and the first developed in China. It is the only such facility to involve animals and microorganisms as well as plants and humans.
Nitin Gadkari launches NHAI's Masala Bond in UK
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways
Nitin Gadkari launched the National Highways Authority of India
(NHAI) Masala Bond at the London Stock Exchange, UK.
- The
initially benchmarked issue of Rs. 1,500 crore was upsized to Rs. 3,000
crore at a price yielding 7.30 percent annually in view of the highly
positive response from the investor market.
- The
transaction marks the largest ever in the five-year issuance and the
largest inaugural transaction in Masala Bond market.
SBI revises service charges; to charge ATM
withdrawals at Rs. 25
State Bank of India (SBI) has announced another
revision in service charges with effect from June 1, 2017. All cash withdrawals
through ATM will now be charged at Rs. 25 per transaction. Only RuPay
classic card will be issued for free.
- State
Bank of India has clarified that the proposed hike in ATM withdrawal
charges will be applicable only to customers of its mobile wallet State
Bank Buddy.
LIC Housing Finance launches new home loan product
LIC Housing Finance launched a new
product `Griha Siddhi' which will offer loans for construction,
purchase of the house or flat and repairs or renovation to the existing
properties.
- Under
the new product, borrowers will be offered the interest rate
of 8.40% up to Rs 25 lakh and for loans up to Rs
1 crore the interest rate will be 8.50% per annum. For
women borrowers, the mortgage lender is offering a special interest rate
of 8.35% for loans up to Rs 25 lakh.
Chanda Kochhar receives Woodrow Wilson Award
ICICI Bank chief Chanda
Kochhar has become the first Indian woman to be conferred with
the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Award for Global Corporate
Citizenship.
- She
received the annual award which was instituted in 1998 by the prestigious
Wilson Center to felicitate individuals whose actions and accomplishments
either in their careers or through service.
Justice Mukul Mudgal elected head of FIFA
Governance Committee
Justice (Retd.) Mukul Mudgal was
elected as head of International Federation of Association
Football (FIFA’s) governance committee at the world football
governing body’s 67th Congress in Bahrain’s capital city of Manama.
