Daily Current affairs - August 29th, 2017 for all competitive exams
The National Sports day is celebrated
on 29th August every year to mark the birthday of
legendary hockey player Major Dhyan Chand. To celebrate the day
various programs are being conducted through the country.
- On this occasion, President Ram Nath
Kovind will give away the Sports Awards.
A total of 29 players have been selected to receive the honors from President.
- The President will confer Rajiv Gandhi
Khel Ratna Award, Arjuna Award and Dronacharya Award at Rashtrapati
Bhawan, New Delhi.
Justice Dipak Misra takes oath as 45th CJI
Justice Dipak Misra took the oath of office as the 45th Chief Justice of
India on August 29.
- He has a tenure of just under 14 months,
till October 2, 2018.
- President Ram Nath Kovind administered
the oath to Justice Misra at a brief ceremony held in the Darbar Hall of
the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Consolidated FDI policy
charter released
The government has brought out the
latest edition of its consolidated FDI policy document, which is a compilation
of the changes made in the past one year in a single document.
- It is an initiative aimed at ensuring
greater ease of doing business in India and an investor-friendly climate
to foreign investors so that the country attracts more FDI.
- For the first time, the document has
included start-ups. As per the norms, start-ups can raise up to 100% of
funds from Foreign Venture Capital Investors. Start-ups can issue equity
or equity-linked instruments or debt instruments to FVCIs against receipt
of foreign remittance.
Centre set to roll out new treatment for encephalitis
Centre is looking to introduce a new drug, traditionally used for acne, to
deal with the seasonal outbreaks of acute encephalitis.
- In 2008, researchers at the National
Brain Research Centre (NBRC), Manesar found that minocycline — an
antibiotic typically used to treat severe acne — surprisingly seemed to
cure rats infected with the JE virus.
- Centre looked into this issue, Weeks
after several children died of encephalitis-related complications at the
Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College, Gorakhpur.
NITI Aayog launches Ease of
Doing Business Report
NITI Aayog has launched the Ease of
Doing Business report based on an Enterprise Survey of 3,500
manufacturing firms across Indian states and union territories. The
Enterprise Survey was conducted in recognition of the importance of monitoring
the business environment in India.
- The survey has been conducted, along
with the IDFC Institute, to assess the business regulations and enabling
environment across India from firms’ perspective.
- The World Bank’s ‘Ease of Doing
Business’ survey, which ranked India at 130, is confined to just two
cities of Delhi and Mumbai whereas the NITI-IDFC Survey covers 3,276
manufacturing enterprises spread across India, including 141 earlystage
firms and covering 23 manufacturing sectors.
- The report comes in the backdrop of the
fact that India needs to create an environment that fosters globally
competitive firms, capable of driving and sustaining economic growth.
Judicial commission to probe cow deaths in Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh government has set up a judicial commission to probe the
reasons and make recommendations about improving the condition of ‘gaushalas’
(cow shelters).
- The one-member panel headed by retired
District and Sessions Judge A. K. Samantray will probe the sudden death of
scores of cows in Durg and Bemetara district.
- The probe will broadly focus on how many
cattle died and reasons for it, whether these could have been averted, fix
responsibility, and suggest measures for improvement of management of cow
shelters.
Gobindobhog rice gets
geographical indication status
Gobindobhog rice, a speciality from
Burdwan district of West Bengal, has got the geographical indication (GI)
status.
- As a result of getting the GI tag, as
the certification is also called, rice from other regions or rice of other
varieties cannot be branded as ‘Gobindobhog’. Hence, the marketability of
the rice would be strengthened, for the local, national and international
markets.
- Gobindobhog is a rice cultivar from West
Bengal. It is a short grain, white, aromatic, sticky rice having a sweet
buttery flavor.
Doklam standoff ends as India, China step back
After weeks of diplomatic negotiations, India and China agreed to disengage
from the standoff on the Doklam plateau, disputed between China and Bhutan,
with a formula that saw China promise to make “necessary adjustments” to their
troop deployments, after Indian troops withdrew back to their posts in Sikkim.
- The agreement comes a week before Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China to attend the BRICS summit from
September 3 to 5.
India, Germany Sign Pact to Improve Grid Integration of Renewable Energy
India and Germany signed an agreement on technical cooperation under
the Indo-German Energy Programme – Green Energy Corridors (IGEN-GEC).
- The main objective of this program
component is to improve the sector framework and conditions for grid
integration of renewable energy.
Atomic fuel reserve in
Kazakhstan to ensure supply
Kazakhstan is all set to open the world’s
first Low Enriched Uranium Bank in Oskemen. The International
Atomic Energy Agency launched the project in 2010.
- The bank will hold 90 tons of
uranium—enough to power a large reactor for three years—and member states
that withdraw from the bank will cover the cost of restocking.
- To ensure transport, the IAEA signed an
agreement with Russia in 2015 to allow the material to travel through the
country.
Uber picks Expedia’s Dara Khosrowshahi as new CEO
Uber Technologies Inc. chose Dara Khosrowshahi, the chief executive of
travel company Expedia Inc., as its chief executive.
- In Mr. Khosrowshahi, Uber’s board has
picked an executive with a track record of driving growth while also
delivering profits — precisely what the unprofitable Uber needs to satisfy
investors.
- He has also proven capable of making
Expedia the leader in another industry full of change and competition —
online travel.
Olympian Footballer Ahmed Khan Passes Away
India's two-time Olympic footballer and East Bengal legend Ahmed
Khan passed away at the age of 90.
- Khan, who played in the 1948 and 1952
Olympics, was one of the most famous of the legendary quintet of forwards
called the "Five Pandavas" who played for East Bengal in an
India that had just become an independent nation.
Indian U-15 Football Team Wins SAFF Championships
The Indian U-15 football team completed a brilliant comeback win over
Nepal to win the SAFF U-15 Championships in Kathmandu, Nepal.
- India beat Nepal by 2-1 in the final and the match took place at ANFA Complex, Lalitpur in Nepal.
