Daily Current affairs - July 8th, 2017 for all competitive exams
NSG has organised the first International Aviation Security seminar.
National Security Guard (NSG) has organised the seminar, with the aim of
bringing all major stakeholders under one roof and facilitate them sharing
views/opinion, discussions, brain storming with the matters concerning Aviation
Security.
- It is a security force of India constituted “for
combating terrorist activities with a view to protect States against
internal disturbances“.
- It was set up in 1984 as a Federal Contingency
Deployment Force to tackle all facets of terrorism in the country.
- It is under the authority Ministry of Home Affairs.
Scheme for IPR Awareness – Creative India; Innovative
India
Taking forward the National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy 2016,
a ‘Scheme for IPR Awareness – Creative India; Innovative India’ has been
launched by Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM) under the aegis of
the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.
- The Scheme aims at raising IPR awareness amongst
students, youth, authors, artists, budding inventors and professionals to inspire
them to create, innovate and protect their creations and inventions across
India including Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 cities as well as rural areas in
the next 3 years.
SC stays HC verdict on Ganga status
The Supreme Court has stayed the Uttarakhand High Court order according the
status of “living human entity” to Ganga and Yamuna rivers.
- The order came on a plea by the Uttarakhand
government against the March 20 ruling of the high court. The petition
said the high court verdict raised several legal questions and
administrative issues.
GST finally comes into force
in J&K
Jammu and Kashmir, the only
State to miss the Goods and Services Tax (GST) rollout bus on July 1, will join
the new tax regime from tonight as the State Assembly passed a Bill in this regard
on Friday amid Opposition boycott.
- The Assembly passed the Bill to adopt the
presidential order that “offers safeguards to its special status”.
First Maize Based Mega Food Park in Kapurthala, Punjab
The foundation stone for First Maize based Mega Food Park was recently laid
in Kapurthala, Punjab. Kapurthala has been declared
as a Dark Zone district where slow
desertification is happening because of overexploitation of water due to cash
crops.
- Establishment of this Mega Food Park will result in
the development of this Dark Zone which includes Job opportunities,
Environmental Conservation.
- Maize is an amazing cereal and is an alternate to
Jhona (paddy) and Kanak (wheat). Maize is rich in protein, provides
nutritional requirements that India needs and Maize consumes much lesser
water and could contain the problem of further water depletion.
Goa to host science and art
fete in November
Following the success of its
first science-meets-art festival, The Story of Light, in Goa in 2015, its
organisers are back this November with ‘The Story of Space’ festival.
- The event will be held at various venues across the
city from November 10 to19.
- The Story Of Space 2017 is an interdisciplinary,
informal learning festival that will explore ‘space’ and its connection
with science, philosophy, art and culture. It proposes to engage artists,
scientists, educators, and philosophers to create informal learning
experiences for all ages. Admission is free.
National ST Commission to take action on video films of
Jaravas on YouTube
Taking suo-moto cognizance of objectionable video films and pictures of
protected Jarava and other tribal communities of Andaman Islands on YouTube
social media platform, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribe (NCST) has
initiated action on it.
- The commission has decided to take up the matter
with Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Chief
Secretary of A&N Island for removal of these objectionable video films
from YouTube and initiate action on those who uploaded these video clips
on social media platform.
UNESCO puts Hebron on endangered heritage list, outraging
Israel:
The U.N. cultural agency has declared the old city in the West Bank town of
Hebron as a Palestinian world heritage site, a decision that outraged Israeli
officials who say the move negated the deep Jewish ties to the biblical town
and its ancient shrine.
- The move was the latest chapter in Israel’s
contentious relationship with UNESCO, an agency it accuses of being an
anti-Israeli tool that makes decisions out of political considerations.
- Hebron is part of the West Bank, a territory
captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. The international community
considers it to be occupied.
G20 Summit
12th G20 Summit was recently held at the German city of Hamburg.
The theme chosen for this year’s
G20 Summit is “Shaping an Inter-connected
World”.
- Issues like free and open trade, migration,
sustainable development and global stability came up during the
discussions.
- The ‘Group of Twenty’ is made up of 19 countries and
the European Union. The countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada,
China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia,
Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK and the US.
- The G20, with its ministerial-level beginnings in
1999, first met for a summit in 2008 in Washington to discuss ways to
achieve balanced and sustainable world economic growth.
SEBI to move against non-compliant firms
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has initiated action
against non-compliant “Exclusively Listed Companies (ELCs) on Dissemination
Board (DB),” and its directors and promoters.
- These are companies which were earlier listed on
regional stock exchanges (RSEs) that have been de-recognised by the
regulator. Such companies were allowed to be part of the national
exchanges through a dissemination board but were directed to submit a plan
of action for listing or providing an exit option to shareholders.
Centre eases pre-merger filing norms
In a move that is likely to boost mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the
country, the Centre has done away with the thirty-day time period to submit
before the Competition Commission of India (CCI) an application for pre-merger
clearance.
- As per the latest notification, every person or
enterprise who is a party to a combination is exempted from giving notice
within thirty days. This new provision (exemption from the 30-day time
period) will be valid for five years starting June 29, 2017.
- The notification means that parties can make a CCI
application at any time in course of an acquisition but cannot effect or
close an acquisition before obtaining the CCI’s approval.
RBI considering setting up a Public Credit Registry
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) may consider setting up a Public Credit
Registry (PCR), which will be an extensive database of credit information for
India that is accessible to all stakeholders.
- Generally, a PCR is managed by a public authority
like the central bank or the banking supervisor, and reporting of loan
details to the PCR by lenders and/or borrowers is mandated by law.
- A PCR, if put in place will help in credit assessment and pricing by banks; risk-based, dynamic and countercyclical provisioning at banks; supervision and early intervention by regulators; understanding if transmission of monetary policy is working.
Tokio Marine raises stake in
JV to 49%
Japan’s Tokio Marine Asia
raised its stake in a 17-year old general insurance joint venture with India’s
fertiliser co-operative IFFCO from 26% to 49% at a cost of Rs. 2,530 crore, in
a transaction approved by the IFFCO board
- The deal that values Iffco-Tokio General Insurance Company at around Rs. 11,000 crore, indicates the Japanese company’s commitment to the Indian market, said Arthur Lee, the Asia chief executive of Tokio Marine.
