Daily Current affairs - July 11th, 2017 for all competitive exams
The Day was first marked on
11 July 1990 in more than 90 countries. Since then, a number
of a number of UNFPA country offices and other organizations and
institutions commemorate World Population Day, in partnership with governments
and civil society.
- By resolution 45/216 of December 1990, the
United Nations General Assembly decided to continue observing World
Population Day to enhance awareness of population issues, including their
relations to the environment and development.
- 2017 Theme: Family
Planning: Empowering People, Developing Nations
MoHUA is the new name for urban development & housing
ministry:
The government has merged the urban development and housing and urban
poverty alleviation ministries.
- Now this will be known as Ministry of Housing and
Urban Affairs (MoHUA). The merger would help ensure cohesiveness in
formulating policies related to urban issues and cut the flab in
bureaucracy.
- With this merger, the government now has 51
ministries.
Malabar 2017:
Navies of India, US and the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force have begun
Malabar naval exercise 2017, aimed at achieving deeper military ties between
the three nations. It is the 21st edition of the Malabar exercise.
- It is the fourth consecutive year Japan’s Maritime
Self-Defence Force (MSDF) has taken part in the Malabar Exercise,
conducted annually by the US and India in the Bay of Bengal since 1992.
Aaykar Setu app launched by CBDT:
It is an app launched by the CBDT that allows entities track TDS, pay taxes
and apply for permanent account number (PAN).
- It will also help people link their 12-digit
biometric identifier Aadhaar with PAN card.
- ‘Aaykar Setu’ literally means taxpayer’s bridge.
India to join new global foreign exchange committee
India will soon get a seat on the Global Foreign Exchange Committee (GFXC), a newly-constituted forum of
central bankers and experts working towards promotion of a robust and
transparent forex market.
- The newly expanded and formalised GFXC, which will
meet regularly, replaces a similar but more informal organisation of eight
foreign exchange committees — namely those from Australia, Canada, Euro
area, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, UK and the US.
- The GFXC will also now include representatives from
existing, or soon to be established, foreign exchange committees or
similar structures in Brazil, China, India, Korea, Mexico, South Africa,
Sweden and Switzerland.
- The Global Foreign Exchange Committee (GFXC) was
established in May 2017 as a forum bringing together central banks and
private sector participants with the aim to promote a robust, liquid,
open, and appropriately transparent foreign exchange market
Committee formed to study legalities for separate State
flag
The Karnataka State government has constituted a nine-member committee
headed by Principal Secretary, Department of Kannada and Culture, to study and
submit a report to the government on the possibility of “designing a separate
flag for Karnataka and providing it a statutory standing.”
- Recently, some activists had urged the government to
design a separate flag for Kannada ‘naadu’ and accord statutory standing
for that.
- This being the Constitutional position, there is no
prohibition in the Constitution for the State to have its own flag.
However, the manner in which the State flag is hoisted should not
dishonour the national flag.
Kerala proposes ‘stray dog
zoos’
The Kerala government is
planning “stray dog zoos” to keep them off the streets in the State.
- The State government informed a Supreme Court Bench
led by Justice Dipak Misra that it had asked all district panchayats to
keep aside two to three acres and notify them as ‘stray dog zoos’.
Berhampur celebrates annual
Kandhei Jatra
Kandhei Jatra , a
unique annual toy fair, was celebrated at Khaspa Street in Berhampur in Odisha
State.
- The festival is observed every year on full moon
night of the Hindu month of Shravan, which is also celebrated as Guru
Purnima.
Ministry forms panel for
cruise tourism
The Shipping Ministry has
set up a committee to examine cruise tourism reforms.
- The committee will consider a single window system
for cruise requirements, dedicated approach road for cruise terminals,
reducing security layer for passengers and other measures.
Japan’s men-only island gets
UNESCO heritage tag
A men-only island in Japan
where women are banned and male visitors must bathe naked in the sea before
visiting its shrine, has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.
- The tiny landmass of Okinoshima is permanently
manned by a Shinto priest who prays to the island’s goddess, in a
tradition that has been kept up for centuries.
- UNESCO’s heritage committee considered 33 sites for
the prestigious status at its annual gathering in Poland.
- it also accepted Taputapuatea, a portion of the
“Polynesian Triangle” in the South Pacific thought to be the last part of
the globe settled by humans, to the list.
- It also added Britain’s Lake District — muse for
artists from William Wordsworth to Beatrix Potter — and the Valongo wharf
in Rio de Janeiro where slaves from Africa first arrived in Brazil.
No GST on gifts to employees
up to Rs. 50,000 and on perks in contract
According to the Finance
Ministry statement, Gifts from employers to employees worth up to Rs. 50,000 will
not attract GST, nor will perquisites enjoyed by employees as part of the
employment contract.
- This means that GST will have to paid only in
exceptional situations where gifts are given on voluntary basis, such as
Diwali gifts to employees and that too if the value is more than Rs.
50,000.
IROAF wins Golden Peacock Award for Eco Innovation for
the year 2017:
Indian Railways Organization for Alternate Fuel (IROAF) has won the Golden Peacock Award for
Eco Innovation for the year 2017 for Eco-Innovation for substitution of
fossil fuels (Diesel) by environment friendly CNG in DEMU passenger train
services. Use of CNG in Train Sets for passenger transportation has been done
for the first time in the world.
- Golden Peacock Awards,
instituted by the Institute Of Directors (IOD), India in 1991, are now
regarded as a benchmark of Corporate Excellence worldwide.
- IROAF is
a unique organization in the Government space which was established by
Ministry of Railways to explore new environment friendly fuels/ renewable
energy and eco- friendly technologies like substitution of diesel with
CNG/LNG in train sets, replacing acetylene/LPG by CNG/LNG for metal
cutting in Railway Workshops, proliferating and promoting use of
Bio-Diesel in Railway Locomotives etc.
Naresh Chandra passes away
Naresh Chandra (82), former
Cabinet Secretary, died in Goa due to Cardiac arrest.
- Mr. Chandra, a bachelor, had served as the Cabinet
Secretary from 1990 to 1992 and had been the Indian Ambassador to the U.S.
from 1996 to 2001.
World's 'oldest' hippo dies at Philippine zoo
Bertha, believed to be
the world's oldest hippopotamus, has died.
- A seven-year-old Bertha arrived at the zoo in the Philippines' capital the year it opened in 1959. The zoo has lost the records of where she came from.
