Daily Current affairs - August 14th, 2017 for all competitive exams
To take forward the
initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a New India movement
from 2017-2022, a Sankalp Se Siddhi (Attainment through
Resolve) Program was organized at Coimbatore.
- Minister of State for Culture and Tourism
(Independent Charge), Dr. Mahesh Sharma graced the occasion. The New India
Movement 2017-2022 envisages an India free of Poverty, Corruption,
Terrorism, Communalism, Casteism and Un-cleanliness.
‘Gaj Yatra’ to mark World Elephant Day 2017
‘Gaj Yatra’, a nationwide campaign to protect elephants, was launched on
the occasion of World Elephant Day. The campaign is planned to cover 12
elephant range states. The elephant is part of India’s animal heritage and the
Government celebrates this day to spread awareness about the conservation of
the species.
- The 15 months campaign will be led by the
Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). The campaign aims to
create awareness about elephant corridors to encourage free movement in
their habitat.
- World Elephant Day is an annual global event
celebrated across the world on August 12, dedicated to the preservation
and protection of elephants.
India's First Online Course on
Infusion Therapy Launched
Infusion Nurses Society
(INS), a global authority in infusion therapy launched India's first
online course on Infusion Therapy for nurses. Under this, it aims to train
over 3,000 nurses in the vital medical procedure.
- As per the INS, due to the reach and ease of the
digital platform, the course will enable members to access the various
infusion therapy modules and presentations through its website.
GIS-enabled portal maps land-related information
The Centre has brought out an online database of more than half a million
hectares of land assisting industry. The Geographic Information System-enabled
database also has details of close to 3,000 industrial parks/clusters, as well
as area-wise availability of agricultural/horticultural crops, and mineral
production.
- The database is being developed by the Department of
Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP)and the National e-Governance
Division in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology as well
as the BISAG – an institute for space applications
and geo-informatics under the Gujarat Government.
- The exercise is to eliminate the information
asymmetry that is currently adversely affecting the country’s industrial
policy-making and investments in the manufacturing sector.
- Geographic Information Systems is a
computer-based tool that analyzes, stores, manipulates and visualizes
geographic information, usually in a map.
Authorised joint secretary can order suspension of
telecom services
The Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency and Public
Safety) Rules, 2017 have been notified by the government.
- The government often suspends telecom services in
disturbed areas with an aim to maintain law and order. However, no
comprehensive guidelines were in place to deal with such situations. This
had created confusion among the law enforcing agencies.
- It authorises Union and state home secretary to
order suspension of telecom services in a given area in
case of emergency.
- Under unavoidable circumstances, where obtaining of
prior direction is not feasible, such order may be issued by an officer,
not below the rank of a joint secretary to the Government of India, who
has been duly authorised by the Union home secretary or the state home
secretary.
Maharashtra Government
Launches 'Namo Yuva Rojgar Kendra'
Maharashtra Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis launched Namo Yuva Rojgar Kendra an initiative
providing job opportunities to unemployed youth in Mumbai. There are various
schemes like farmers weekly market, farmers mobile market and mother’s Tiffin,
under this Yuva Rojgar Kendra.
- These products will be made available with the help
of mobile vans all over Mumbai and the information about the location of
the vans is made available through an app. This app was also launched by
the Chief Minister.
Odisha Government and Facebook
Launches 'SheMeansBusiness' Program
Chief minister Naveen
Patnaik launched 'She Means Business' program of Facebook for
women entrepreneurs in Odisha.
- Under the scheme 25, 000 women entrepreneurs and
self-help group (SHG) members will be given training on digital marketing
skills within next one year.
- Facebook will also make a database of entrepreneurs
in the state and will monitor their growth, turnover and profit
after one year.
UN Declares Somalia Free of
Polio
The World Health
Organisation (WHO) declared Somalia free of polio. The UN health
agency announced that it had not recorded any case of polio disease in Somalia
in the last three years.
- The declaration by WHO keeps Somalia outside the
last group of countries which still record cases of polio in the
world. Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan are the remaining
countries where polio is still being recorded.
Indian Coast Guard ship ‘Shaurya’ commissioned in Goa
Indian Coast Guard ship “Shaurya”, the fifth in the series of
six 105-metre offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), was recently commissioned in Goa.
- The OPV, which draws 2,350 tonne and is propelled by
9100 kilowatt diesel engine, has been designed and built indigenously by
Goa Shipyard Ltd and is fitted with state-of-the-art navigation and
communication equipment, sensors and machineries.
- The features include 30mm CRN 91 Naval Gun,
integrated bridge system, integrated machinery control system, power
management system and high-power external fire fighting system.
India, China to join Indian Ocean exercise
Indian Navy will be joining the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy in a
maiden maritime search and rescue exercise to be chaired by Bangladesh at
the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium
(IONS) in November this year.
- Bangladesh, the current Chair, is scheduling a
maiden International Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise (IMMSAREX) in November in the Bay of Bengal to be
attended by ships and aircraft of the members and observers of the IONS.
- The IONS is a regional forum of Indian Ocean
littoral states, represented by their Navy chiefs, launched by India in
February 2008. It presently has 23 members and nine observers.
- It is a voluntary initiative that seeks to
increase maritime co-operation among navies of the littoral states of the
Indian Ocean Region by providing an open and inclusive
forum for discussion of regionally relevant maritime issues
India, Russia to hold mega war games in October
In the midst of evolving security situation in the region, India and Russia
will hold a mega war game in October involving their armies, navies and the air
forces for the first time to further ramp up military ties.
- The exercise Indra, which
will be held in Russia in October, will primarily focus on achieving
coordination between forces of the two countries in a tri-services integrated
theatre command scenario.
- It will be for the first time India will participate
in a tri-services exercise with a foreign country with such a large scale participation by the
Navy, the Army and the Air Force.
India-ASEAN Youth Summit
Begins in Bhopal
The India-ASEAN Youth
Summit begins in Bhopal. The event is being organised by Foreign Ministry,
Madhya Pradesh government and India Foundation. Minister of State for External
Affairs General VK Singh (in picture), and Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh
Chouhan inaugurated the five day Summit.
- The exercise will mark the 25th anniversary of
the ASEAN-India dialogue partnership in the ongoing year and
also the commemorative year’s theme of “Shared Values, Common
Destiny”.
Indian Oil Corp. buys shale
oil from U.S.
State-owned Indian Oil
Corporation (IOC) has bought the country’s first shale oil from the United
States and is looking to step up imports from America as part of its crude
diversification strategy.
- The public sector undertaking bought 1.9 million
barrels of U.S. crude in its second import tender seeking oil from the
Americas.
S. Aparna Appointed Executive
Director, World Bank
S. Aparna, an IAS officer
from Gujarat cadre has been appointed as Executive Director, World
Bank to represent the constituency of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri
Lanka for three years.
- A 1988-batch IAS, she is currently Principal
Secretary to Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. At the World Bank, she
will replace Subhash Garg, who was recently appointed Economic
Affairs Secretary, Ministry of Finance.
T J S George Bags First-Ever
Kesari Media Award
Veteran journalist T J
S George has been chosen for the first Kesari Media Award, instituted
by the Kesari Memorial Journalist Trust.
- The award comprises a purse of Rs 50,000, citation and
a statuette designed by renowned artist Bhatathiri.
Prasar Bharati Chief Vempati
given Additional Charge of Rajya Sabha
Shashi Shekhar
Vempati, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at public broadcaster Prasar
Bharati has been appointed as the chief of Rajya Sabha TV.
- Rajya Sabha TV is owned and operated by Rajya Sabha
and covers the proceedings of the upper house of the Parliament. Vempati
will replace Gurdeep Singh Sappal who has been serving as the CEO and
editor-in-chief of Rajya Sabha TV since 2011.
Shobha Sen passes away
One of the foremost theatre
personalities of Bengal, actor and director Shobha Sen, died.
- Sen was associated with the Leftist theatre movement
led by the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) since the early
1940s at both the State and national level. Her acting career spanned over
five decades.
Mairaj-Rashmmi Pair Bags Gold
at Asian Shotgun Championship
On the concluding day of
the 7th Asian Championship Shotgun in Astana, India bagged a gold medal in
the skeet mixed team event.
- The Indian duo of Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Rashmi
Rathore won over the Chinese pair of Liu Jiangchi and Gao Jianmei.
- India finished the championship with a total of
eight medals.
Legendary Sprinter Usain Bolt
Retires
The greatest sprinter of
modern times, Usain Bolt form Jamaica retired from the Athletics
world. But at farewell Race, he injured himself while running the last lap of
the men's 4x100m relay race in the World Athletics Championships in
London.
- Running the final race of his career, the 30-year-old Bolt, after taking the baton from his Jamaican teammate Yohan Blake, suffered cramps on his left hamstring.
