Daily Current affairs - September 18th, 2017 for all competitive exams
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated world’s second biggest dam
Sardar Sarovar, 56 years after its foundation stone was laid by former PM
Jawaharlal Nehru.
- Sardar Sarovar project is the second biggest dam in
the world after the Grand Coulee Dam in the United States.
- The Sardar Sarovar Dam has two power houses – river
bed power house and canal head powerhouse. The two powerhouses have the
installed capacity of 1,200 MW and 250 MW respectively.
- Sardar Sarovar Dam is also the most controversial
development project of the nation. Activists have been long demanding that
the filling of the reservoir with water be stopped immediately. They want
the dam gates to be open to reduce the water level.
GSTN reopens window for composition scheme
The GST Network (GSTN) has reopened the facility for small taxpayers with a
turnover of up to Rs 75 lakh to opt for composition scheme. Such small
taxpayers will have time till September 30 to opt for the scheme, which offers
easy compliance for business as returns are to be filed only quarterly.
- The composition scheme is an alternative method of
levy of tax designed for small taxpayers whose turnover is up to Rs 75
lakh — Rs 50 lakh in the case of eight north-eastern states and the hilly
state of Himachal Pradesh.
- The objective behind it
is to bring simplicity and reduce the compliance cost for small taxpayers.
Railways Cuts Down Sleeping
Hours for Passengers
According to a circular issued
by the railway board, the passengers in the reserved coaches can only
sleep between 10 pm and 6 am to allow others to sit in the seats for the
rest of the time.
- Until the circular was issued, the existing
permissible time for sleeping was between 9 pm and 6 am. The new provision
replaces paragraph 652 in the Indian Railways Commercial Manual, Volume I.
This provision is applicable to all reserved coaches with sleeping
accommodation.
Private member’s bill proposes MPs also declare assets
after term ends
A bill for parliamentarians to declare their assets at the end of their
tenure has been proposed. The Representation of The
People Act (Amendment) Bill, 2017, will be presented in the
Winter Session of Parliament this year. This bill aims to ensure accountability
and transparency.
- The bill proposes that Members of Parliament declare
their assets within 90 days after their tenure ends. This provision is to
be inserted as sub section 75B(1) in the ‘Representation of People
Act, 1951’.
- The proposed amendment in the parent act will help
in maintaining transparency and accountability of people’s representatives
at the apex level. It will also help in creating a positive atmosphere of
corruption-free status of MPs.
- The bill comes in the wake of Supreme Court
observations earlier this month on the issue, after it was irked over the
non-disclosure of action on jumps in politicians’ assets.
Indigenous Artillery Gun Sets
New World Record in Range
An indigenous artillery
gun, Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), being developed by
the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has set a new
world record in range by hitting targets at a distance of 48 km.
- During trial firings at Pokhran ranges, ATAGS
registered the longest ever distance of 48.074 km, surpassing the maximum
range of 35-40 km fired by any artillery gun system in this category.
INDO-USA Joint Exercise Yudh Abhyas – 2017
Exercise Yudh Abhyas – 2017, a joint military exercise between Indian and
US armies has commenced at Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington, USA.
- During the two week long exercise soldiers from both
countries will hone their tactical skills in counter insurgency and
counter terrorist operations under a joint brigade headquarter.
- Both sides will jointly train, plan and execute a
series of well-developed tactical drills for neutralization of likely
threats that may be encountered in UN peace keeping operations.
- Experts from both sides will hold detailed
discussions to share their experience and expertise on varied operational
topics.
India, Japan sign Open Sky
Agreement
India and Japan today
signed an agreement that will allow their airlines to operate the
unlimited number of flights between the two countries.
- The National Civil Aviation Policy, 2016, allows the
government to enter into an 'open sky' air services agreement on a
reciprocal basis with SAARC nations as well as countries beyond a
5,000-kilometre radius from New Delhi.
Northeast Venture Fund for North east region
In a bid to make Northeast a favourite destination for young Startups, the
government has invited young start-ups to avail the benefits of Northeast
Venture Fund. With its vast unexplored avenues, those looking for livelihood
will soon find a potential enterprise in the Northeast, particularly in fruit,
food, handicraft and tourism industry.
- Northeast Venture Fund is the first dedicated
venture capital fund for North-Eastern region and the initiative
to set it up began in April this year.
- It has been set up by North Eastern Development
Finance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi), which already has the
mandate to encourage entrepreneurship in the region, primarily by offering
support to the first-generation entrepreneurs. In addition, the NEDFi also
performs the role of hand-holding and capacity building.
Russia, Iraq Restore Air Travel
After 13-Year Freeze
Russia and
Iraq restored scheduled commercial airline services for the first
time since 2004. This move has been hailed as a sign of stability
returning to the war-torn country.
- Russia suspended regular flights to Iraq in
2004 after the US-led invasion in 2003 plunged the Arab country into
war.
NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft Ends
20-year Journey
The National Aeronautics and
Space Administration’s (NASA) $3.9-billion Cassini spacecraft ended its
20-year-long ground-breaking journey with a fiery plunge into the Saturn’s
crushing atmosphere.
- Operators deliberately made Cassini dive into the
gas giant to ensure that the planet’s moons remain pristine for future
exploration. No spacecraft has ever ventured so close to the planet
before.
Airtel Payments Bank, First
Payment Bank to Integrate UPI on its Digital Platform
Sunil Mittal-driven Airtel
Payments Bank integrated the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) on its
digital platform, allowing customer choice and convenience to facilitate secure
digital payments.
- Airtel Payments Bank has become the first payments
bank in India to integrate the UPI on its digital platform. In
January 2017, Bharti Airtel launched Payments Bank in India to enable
transactions on digital platforms.
Amazon Ties up With Bank of
Baroda To Offer Micro-Loans To Sellers
Amazon has tied up with Bank
of Baroda for the loans, which can go up to Rs. 25 lakh.
- The Indian arm of the US e-commerce
giant, Amazon plans to provide unsecured micro-loans, as low as 1
lakh, at interest rates as low as 10.45-11 percent at a short span of 3-5
days.
Sushma Swaraj in New York to
Attend UNGA Session
External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj arrived in New York to represent India at the annual UN
General Assembly, UNGA, session.
- In the first move, Mrs. Swaraj would kick off her
official engagement with a trilateral meeting of foreign ministers of
India, US, and Japan to give momentum to their cooperation. India is among
the 120 countries that have supported the reform efforts of the UN
Secretary-General.
Only Marshal of IAF, hero of
1965, Arjan Singh Passed Away
THE sole Marshal of the
Indian Air Force, Arjan Singh, passed away at the Army’s Research and
Referral Hospital.
- Arjan Singh had the honor of leading the fly-past of more than a hundred IAF aircraft
over the Red Fort on India’s first Independence Day, August 15,
1947.
- In 2002, on the occasion of
Republic Day, he was granted the honorary rank of Marshal, the highest
military rank attainable, which before him only two Army chiefs, K M
Carriappa and Sam Manekshaw, had achieved.
‘Father of nephrology in
India’ Dr KS Chugh dies of cancer at 85
Dr. KS Chugh, the “father of
nephrology in India”, breathed his last at the Postgraduate Institute of
Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh. He was 85.
- He was a recipient of several national and
international awards, including the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest
civilian award, in 2000.
PV Sindhu wins gold
PV Sindhu becomes the first
Indian to win the Korea Open Super series with an outstanding win over
Nozomi Okuhara in the much-talked-about women's singles final in Seoul.
- Olympic silver medallist shuttler P V Sindhu beat world champion Nozomi Okuhara in a thrilling final to clinch the women's singles title at the Korea Open Super Series.
