Daily Current affairs - December 13th, 2017 for all competitive exams
Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate a world conference on the Vedas at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) on December 15.
- The three-day ‘Vishwa Ved Sammelan’ will have in-depth discussions on de-mystifying various myths and fallacies surrounding the Vedas and Manu Smriti.
- Swami Agnivesh said Fifty-one couples having interfaith and intercaste marriages will be felicitated during the event.
Centre to give Rs. 500 to TB patients every month
About 35 lakh identified Tuberculosis patients across the country will soon get Rs. 500 every month from the Centre as social support.
- Government will start providing the cash benefit for social support that will cover loss of wages, travel and mainly nutrition soon.
- Deputy Director General (TB) and Head of the Central TB Division - Sunil D. Khaparde.
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body.
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UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture
The Second UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture is being held in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
- It will bring together, for the second time, Ministers of Tourism and Ministers of Culture as well as private sector stakeholders and experts with the objective of building and strengthening partnerships between the Tourism and Culture sectors and enhance their role in the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
- The conference aims to address a wide range of topics, including governance models, tourism development and protection of cultural heritage, culture and tourism in urban development and creativity, and exploring cultural landscape in tourism as a vehicle for sustainable development in destinations worldwide.
This Conference is a sequel to the First UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture, held in Siem Reap, Cambodia in February 2015 and will provide the platform to reflect upon the Siem Reap Declaration that pledged to explore the synergies of the tourism and culture sectors to work in harmony for sustainable development.
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FAME India scheme
Original equipment manufacturers will have to seek approval from the Department of Heavy Industry before accepting any proposal to supply electric buses for availing incentives under the FAME India scheme. The move is aimed at facilitating the smooth roll out and management of demand incentives for electric buses under the scheme.
- With an aim to promote eco-friendly vehicles, the government had launched the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME-India) scheme in 2015.
The FAME India Scheme is aimed at incentivising all vehicle segments, including two-wheelers, three wheeler auto, passenger four-wheeler vehicle, light commercial vehicles and buses. The scheme covers hybrid and electric technologies like a strong hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles.
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A.P. CM launches Chandranna Village Malls
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu remotely launched the Chandranna Village Mall in Guntur and Vijayawada as a pilot project in the State .
- The existing Fair Price Shops (FPS) will function as Chandranna Village Malls. In the first phase, the government is proposing to develop 6,500 malls across the State. There are about 28,000 FPS outlets in the State. The idea of mall is to take facilities available at the malls in urban areas to the doorstep of villagers.
- The government is proposing selling 500 types of commodities of various brands in these malls at 4% to 35% less than the Maximum Retail Price (MRP). The dealer will get 40% of the discount offered by the companies, while consumer enjoys a benefit of 60%.
- The government chalked out plans to launch the malls in partnership with Reliance Retail and Future Group. The State government would bear 25% of the establishment cost while another 25% would be provided as loan to the dealers under the Centre’s Mudra Yojana. Products manufactured by women self-help groups and Girijan Cooperative Corporation would also be sold at the proposed malls along with the agriculture produce procured directly from farmers.
Telangana develops app to provide jobs to technicians, workers
The Telangana government has announced to launch a mobile application ‘Urban Genie’ which will enable citizens in urban areas across the state to find certified technicians and workers.
- The service will be available in over 70 municipal towns and cities.
- Job seeking technicians can also register themselves with the app, following which the government will provide training.
New bridges inaugurated in eastern Arunachal Pradesh
Two crucial bridges in eastern Arunachal Pradesh have been dedicated to the nation. The bridges have been built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
- Injupani Bridge: It is a 140-metre long-bridge on Roing-Koronu-Paya road, which is a part of Trans Arunachal Highway. The completion of the Injupani Bridge will provide an uninterrupted access between Roing & Tezu, both important district HQs in Arunachal Pradesh.
- Deopani/Eze Bridge: It is 300-metre long pre-stressed concrete balanced cantilever bridge over the Eze river at Roing in Arunachal Pradesh. The completion of the Eze bridge has come as a boon for the people of the area, especially those of Dibang Valley district, as the district remained cut off from the rest of the country during the monsoons each year.
BRO Functioning under the control of the Ministry of Defence since 2015, the BRO is engaged in road construction to provide connectivity to difficult and inaccessible regions in the border areas of the country.
Rajasthan becomes first in country to offer e-mail IDs in Hindi
Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to offer free e-mail address in Hindi to its residents.
- The facility —name@rajasthan.bharat (in Devanagari script) — will lead to millions of new users who are not comfortable with English e-mail ids.
- Rajasthan is the first, and currently the only state, to have a vernacular e-mail
- The first e-mail id that was created was that of the chief minister, Vasundhara@rajasthan.bharat (in Devnagari). All the government personnel in the state will soon have an email id in Hindi too.
Tripura government introduces child care leave for women employees
The Tripura Government has introduced Child Care Leave (CCL) for women employees with minor children for 730 days in their entire service life.
- Such employees enjoying the CCL for children’s sickness or examinations would be paid leave salary equal to the pay drawn immediately before proceeding on the CCL.
- “The Child Care Leave will be granted to women employees of the state government, who have children below 18 years for a maximum period of 730 days in the entire service life,”.
- The Supreme Court passed an order in 2014 that a woman employee of the central government could get uninterrupted leave for two years for child care, which would include needs like examination and sickness.
Plea on ‘Vande Mataram’ dismissed
The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea to provide equal statutory protection to ‘Vande Mataram’ as the national anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’.
- The special leave petition had challenged a Delhi High Court order dismissing a petition filed by Gautam Morarka that the song ‘Vande Mataram’ should get the same statutory recognition, respect and dignity as the national anthem.
Special courts to try politicians
In a decision intended to end the inordinate delay in the prosecution of politicians in criminal cases, the Centre has decided to set up special courts to deal exclusively with cases against 1,581 MPs and MLAs with the aim of disposing of them in a year. this decision has been conveyed by the centre to the Supreme Court.
- Initially, 12 courts would be constituted. Two special courts would handle cases against 228 MPs and the other 10 would be set up in 10 states — Andhra, Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, MP, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, UP and Bengal—where the number of MLAs booked for criminal acts is more than 65. Disposing of 1,581criminal cases involving political persons within a time frame of one year as directed by the SC is the aim as well as the objective of the scheme.
- There are several high-profile cases against leaders from almost all political parties—regional and national where investigations have dragged on for years and those facing trial have evaded prison.
NGO withdraws plea against former CJI
The Supreme Court allowed the NGO, Common Cause, to withdraw its petition alleging the possession of disproportionate assets against former Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan.
- The petition have been pending for over four years.
- A Bench led by Justice Arun Mishra said the prayer in the petition to remove Justice Balakrishnan as NHRC Chairperson was infructuous because he had already retired from the post.
India and Australia hold first meet on strategic and defence ties
Australia and India reviewed all aspects of bilateral ties with a focus on strategic and defence relations during their first ‘2+2 dialogue.
- India already has a ‘2+2 dialogue’ with Japan, it has also agreed to start a two-by-two ministerial dialogue to enhance “peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific region.
- It said India and Australia share warm bilateral relations based on shared democratic values and pluralism.
IMT highway
India is planning to hold talks with ASEAN countries to extend the India-Myanmar-Thailand highway up to Vietnam. As per proposals from India, the highway could be extended to Vietnam via Laos and Cambodia.
- This connectivity can generate an estimated $70 billion annually in incremental GDP and $20 million in incremental aggregate employment by 2025. Connecting India with the South eastern countries through a network of road will create jobs, market for crops grown in hilly regions of the Northeast which will also help growers in getting better price for their produce.
The India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway is a highway under construction under India’s Look East policy that will connect Moreh, India with Mae Sot, Thailand via Myanmar. The road is expected to boost trade and commerce in the ASEAN–India Free Trade Area, as well as with the rest of Southeast Asia. It is important to note that the project already missed its first deadline in 2015 and India has consistently faced difficulty in implementing its projects in Myanmar.
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World Bank to stop funding oil, gas projects after 2019
The World Bank announced that it will stop financing upstream oil and gas projects after 2019.
- The move is aimed at helping nations meet their targets of curbing greenhouse gas emissions as part of the 2015 Paris climate agreement.
- The decision was reached at a climate summit held to raise funds to finance a shift towards clean energy.
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to countries of the world for capital programs. It comprises two institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), and the International Development Association (IDA). The World Bank is a component of the World Bank Group.
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Russia shuts its embassy in Yemen, evacuates diplomats
Russia has temporarily shut its embassy in Yemen and evacuated all of its diplomats.
- Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement that the ambassador and other diplomats will fulfil their duties in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
- Zakharova said the decision to close the embassy was related to the security situation in the country.
China marks the 80th anniversary of Nanjing Massacre
China today marked the 80th anniversary of the Nanjing massacre by Japanese troops.
- According to China some 300,000 civilians and soldiers were killed after the invading Japanese military entered Nanjing, then the capital city, on December 13, 1937.
- China in 2014 formally made the anniversary a National Day of Remembrance, effectively raising its profile.
SpaceX to launch first reused rocket for NASA on Friday
SpaceX company now aims to launch its first recycled rocket for NASA.
- The unmanned Falcon rocket originally flew in June. The Dragon capsule made a space station shipment in 2015.
- This will be the first launch in more than a year from this Florida pad, the scene of a rocket explosion in 2016.
ADB lowers India’s GDP forecast for FY18 to 6.7%
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has lowered India’s GDP forecast for the current fiscal by 0.3 per cent to 6.7 per cent, attributing it to tepid growth in the first half, demonetisation and transitory challenges of tax sector reforms.
- It has also revised downwards the gross domestic product (GDP) outlook for next fiscal beginning from March 2018 to 7.3 per cent from 7.4 per cent mainly due to rising global crude oil prices and soft growth in private sector investment.
- India, the largest economy South Asia, rebounded to 6.3 per cent growth in the second quarter of this fiscal from 5.7 per cent in the first quarter, reversing five consecutive quarters of deceleration.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines.
President: Takehiko Natao
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Retail inflation hits 15-month high of 4.88%
India’s retail inflation measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) stood at 4.88% in November, its highest level in 15 months
- This is higher than the Reserve Bank of India’s medium-term target of 4%.
- Further, the rate of retail food inflation during November stood at 4.42% on a year-on-year basis, against 1.90% the previous month, government data showed.
Sharad Yadav moves Delhi HC
Former JD(U) president Sharad Yadav approached the Delhi High Court, challenging his disqualification from the Rajya Sabha. He argued that the authorities did not give him a chance to make out his case before passing the order.
- Mr. Yadav, along with Ali Anwar, was disqualified on December 4 .
- The JD(U) had sought their disqualification, arguing that they had attended a rally of Opposition parties in Patna in violation of its directive.
Sikh-American nominated as New Jersey attorney general
Gurbir S Grewal, a Democratic county prosecutor in New Jersey state, is set to make history as the first Indian American Sikh to hold the position of attorney general in the United States.
- Grewal was appointed prosecutor of Bergen County by the out-going governor Chris Christie, a Republican, twice.
- He was an assistant US attorney before in New Jersey.
Merriam-Webster's word of the year for 2017
Online dictionary Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2017 is “feminism”.
- This year, the number of look-ups for feminism increased 70% over 2016 on Merriam-Webster.com and spiked several times after key events.
KC Rekha is India’s only licensed fisherwoman
Forty five-year-old KC Rekha is the first and only Indian woman to hold a licence to venture into the sea for fishing.
- A native of Kerala, she has also been felicitated by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) earlier this year.
India becomes 1st ever team to register 100 300+ ODI totals
India has become the first-ever team to register 300+ totals 100 times in ODIs, after posting 392/4 against Sri Lanka in Mohali.
- This was also the 25th instance of India scoring 350+ in an ODI innings, second-most by a team after South Africa (26).
- India were driven by Captain Rohit Sharma’s 208*, his record third ODI double hundred.
Rohit Sharma is the first batsman to hit three ODI doubles hundreds
Rohit Sharma became the first-ever player in ODI history to hit three double hundreds, slamming his third in the Mohali ODI against Sri Lanka.
- Rohit hit his first double hundred in 2013, before making the highest-ever ODI score (264) against Sri Lanka in 2014.
- Rohit has scored a century in every ODI series he has played this year.
- He is the only cricketer to scored three double centuries in ODIs and two of them have come against the same opponent — Sri Lanka.
India men’s hockey team ends year on 6th, women 10th on latest ranking
The Indian men’s and women’s hockey teams remained static at sixth and 10th positions in the latest rankings released by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
- The Indian men’s team was at the sixth spot since the beginning of this year and maintained its position throughout 2017.
- India’s third place finish at the recently-concluded Men’s Hockey World League Final in Bhubaneswar though helped them reduce the gap with fifth place Germany significantly, they failed to topple them.
- Meanwhile, the Indian women’s team, who started the year at the 12th spot, jumped up two places to 10th. Their Asia Cup win last month helped them gain two positions, leapfrogging Spain and Japan.
BCCI appoints Tufan Ghosh as the chief operating officer for NCA
The BCCI appoints Tufan Ghosh as the chief operating officer of the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
- He is one of the top professionals in the healthcare and hospitality industry, Ghosh comes with more than 29 years of experience.
- He was the CEO, Columbia Asia in 2005 and looked after operations right from the time the group’s first hospital came into existence.
