Daily Current affairs - July 26th, 2017 for all competitive exams
The country celebrated
the 18th Anniversary of ‘Kargil Vijay Diwas’. On the occasion, Defence
Minister Arun Jaitley and three Chiefs of Services
laid floral tribute at Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate.
- Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated on 26 July,
commemorates India’s emphatic victory against Pakistan and honors the war
heroes.
- On this day in 1999, the Indian Army
successfully took control of posts at a treacherous high altitude and
glaciated terrain across the Himalayas in the Ladakh region of Jammu and
Kashmir, after fighting for 60 days.
Ram Nath Kovind takes over as
country’s 14th President
Mr. Ram Nath
Kovind took over as the 14th President of India. He administered the oath
of office by the Chief Justice of India Justice J S Khehar at a
special function in the Central Hall of Parliament.
- The stage was shared by President and
President-elect, Speaker, Vice President and Chief Justice of India. After
the oath of new President, a 21-gun salute was honored followed by the
acceptance speech of Mr. Kovind.
HC judge wants Vande Mataram
sung in T.N.
Madras High Court judge
ordered Vande Mataram to be played and sung in all schools, colleges,
universities and other educational institutions in Tamil Nadu at least once a
week — preferably on Monday or Friday.
- Justice M.V. Muralidaran also directed that the song
be played and sung in all government offices and institutions, private
companies, factories and industries at least once a month.
Amendment to NMC Bill
A four member Committee headed by Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, which was
constituted to examine all options for reforms in the Medical Council of India
(MCI) and suggest a way forward, has framed a draft “National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill” which provides for constitution of NMC in place of MCI.
- The draft Bill has been relooked by a Group of
Ministers (GoM) constituted for the purpose. The GoM has approved the
draft Bill with some modifications.
- The National Medical Commission Bill, 2016 was
introduced by the NITI Aayog. It extends to the whole country. It aims to create
world class educational system.
- The bill seeks to repeal Indian Medical Council Act
1956 and be replaced by a body called National Medical Commission.
Reliance Defence launches
first two naval patrol vessels Shachi and Shruti
Reliance Infrastructure
subsidiary Reliance Defence and Engineering Limited (RDEL) announced
the launch of its first two Naval Offshore Patrol Vessels (NOPVs) at
their shipyard in Pipavav, Gujarat.
- The two NOPVs, 'Shachi' and 'Shruti' are
among five ships being constructed by RDEL under the P-21 project of the
Indian Navy.
- It is the first private shipyard in India to obtain
defence production licence and sign a contract for defence ships in 2011.
Nai Roshni Scheme
NITI Aayog had conducted an evaluation study on ‘Nai Roshni’- the scheme
for Leadership Development of Minority Women in 2015-16.
- The main objective of the study was to assess the
impact of the scheme on minority women and to identify policy/ programme
impediments in implementation of the scheme.
- The scheme aims to empower and instill
confidence among minority women by providing knowledge, tools and
techniques for interacting with Government systems, Banks and
other institutions at all levels.
Himachal offers DSP post to
woman cricketer
The Himachal Pradesh government
offered the post of Deputy Superintendent of Police to cricketer Sushma Verma
for her stellar performance in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017.
- Ms. Verma is the first-ever cricketer from the hill
State to have represented India in an international series.
- Two days ago, the Punjab government had offered the
same position to batswoman Harmanpreet Kaur for an impressive show in the
tournament.
AAI and Uttarakhand Govt ink
MoU on aviation development
Airports Authority of India
(AAI), has signed an MoU with Government of
Uttarakhand and joined hands with Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development
Authority (UCADA).
- The MoU was signed by S. Ramaswamy, Chief Secretary,
Government of Uttarakhand and Anil Gupta, General Manager (Business
Development), AAI.
- The scope of the MoU is to identify relevant factors
influencing the development of civil aviation infrastructure in
Uttarakhand, assessing the commercial potential of various airports of the
State, and identifying technical considerations for airport operations in
the State.
Karnan’s petition sent to new
President
Former Calcutta High Court
judge C.S. Karnan’s petition to the new President, Ram Nath Kovind, seeking
remission of his six-month prison sentence has been both e-mailed and sent by
post to the Rashtrapati Bhavan by his legal team.
- Justice Karnan is currently serving the prison
sentence awarded to him by the Supreme Court for contempt of court at the
Presidency Jail in Kolkata.
- It is the first petition submitted physically and
electronically to the new President.
BRICS Youth Forum opens in
Beijing
The 2017 BRICS Youth
Forum opened in Beijing, China to discuss the development of the youth in
the countries of the grouping. The theme of three-day forum is
'Enhance BRICS Partnership, Promote Youth Development'.
- It gathered 50 youth representatives working as
civil servants, scholars, entrepreneurs, artists and journalists
from the BRICS countries.
- The five BRICS countries first came up with the idea
of establishing a dialogue mechanism for BRICS youth in 2014 during a
meeting between BRICS leaders in South Africa.
India rejects OIC move on vigilantism
India has strongly rejected the resolutions of the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) that had expressed concern about the recent attacks on people
by cow-vigilante groups. India has termed the resolutions adopted at the OIC’s
latest foreign ministers’ meeting as “factually incorrect”.
- The OIC noted that incidents of violence against the
Muslim community were being committed by extremist Hindu groups and said
it viewed such incidents “with grave concern”.
- Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is an
international organization founded in 1969, consisting of 57 member
states.
World's first floating wind
farm emerges off coast of Scotland
The world’s first floating
windfarm has taken to the seas in a sign that a technology once confined
to research and development drawing boards is finally ready to unlock expanses
of ocean for generating renewable power in Scotland.
- The £200 million Hywind project is unusual not just
because of the pioneering technology involved, which uses a 78-metre-tall
underwater ballast and three mooring lines that will be attached to the
seabed to keep the turbines upright. It will bring power to 20,000
homes.
China’s Tencent backs Byju’s
Online education provider
Byju’s said that it had raised a new round of funding from Tencent, the Chinese
Internet company.
- The company said nine million students were
currently learning through its app, which was unveiled in 2015. It had
more than 4,50,000 annual paid subscribers.
UN selects Dubai as data hub
for MENASA region
The UN has selected
Dubai as the data hub for the Middle East North Africa and South Asia
(MENASA) region for the city’s integrated initiatives to mine and manage
its data.
- The designation will be part of a portfolio of local
and regional data portals, analytics and reports to engage stakeholders
and help accelerate progress. It will also serve as a dedicated platform
for city-to- city learning and ‘solutions transfer’ across metropolitan,
national and global contexts.
Sri Lanka clears revised deal for Hambantota port
Sri Lanka’s Cabinet has cleared a revised deal for the Chinese-built port in
Hambantota. The modified agreement is believed to be more profitable to Sri
Lanka and also addresses security concerns raised by other countries.
- As per the deal, while the Chinese would manage port
operations, no naval ship, including Chinese ones, can call at Hambantota
without Sri Lanka’s permission.
Human antibodies produced in lab for first time
In a first, scientists have produced human antibodies in the laboratory
using a technique that could usher the rapid development of new vaccines to
treat a wide range of infectious diseases.
- Antibodies are produced by the body’s B cells to
fight off infections by bacteria, viruses, and other invasive pathogens.
When an individual B cell recognises a specific pathogen-derived “antigen”
molecule, it can proliferate and develop into plasma cells that secrete
large amounts of antibody capable of binding to the antigen and fending
off the infection.
National Anti-profiteering Authority
The GST Council has formed a Selection Committee under the Chairmanship of
Cabinet Secretary to identify and recommend eligible persons for appointment as
the Chairman and Members of the National Anti-profiteering Authority under GST.
- The National Anti-profiteering Authority is
tasked with ensuring the full benefits of a reduction in tax on
supply of goods or services flow to the consumers.
In a first, Nifty breaches the
10,000-mark
Rising from its base value
of 1,000 in November 1995, the 50-share Nifty of the National Stock Exchange
(NSE) breached the 10,000-mark for the first time on July 25.
- As per data from the National Securities Depository
Ltd, foreign investors have put in nearly Rs. 56,000 crore in Indian
equities in the current calendar year.
- Market participants, though betting big on the
long-term India growth story and market outlook, have a cautious undertone
due to lack of near-term positive triggers and high valuations.
Yatra acquires Air Travel
Bureau to expand corporate travel business
Yatra Online Inc, India’s
second-largest online travel operator, has acquired corporate travel services
provider Air Travel Bureau (ATB).
- ATB is India’s ‘largest corporate travel services
provider’ with gross bookings of Rs 1,500 crore and a client base of 400 companies in the country.
SIDBI starts merchant banking
operations to help MSMEs tap market
Small Industries Development
Bank of India (SIDBI) has started full-fledged merchant banking operations
to benefit the expanding number of growth-oriented micro, small and medium
enterprises (MSMEs), especially those with a strong technology and innovation
quotient.
- The initiative is aimed at enhancing the access of
MSMEs to the capital markets, including the SME Trading Platform and
Institutional Trading Platform.
Scientist Yash Pal passes away
Eminent Indian scientist
Professor Yash Pal, noted for his contribution to the study of cosmic rays as
well as for being an institution-builder, died.
- The former University Grants Commission chairman,
who started his career at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
(TIFR), had been awarded India’s second highest civilian honour, the Padma
Vibhushan.
India to host maiden men's
World Boxing Championship in 2021
The International
Boxing Association (AIBA) has announced that India will host their
first Men’s World Championship in 2021. The announcement was made after a
two-day executive committee meeting that was held in Moscow.
- The AIBA Men’s World Championships 2019 will be held in Russia city of Sochi. The 2018 Women’s World Championships will also be held in New Delhi.
