Daily Current affairs - January 22, 2018 for all competitive exams
Prime Minister Narendra Modi left
for Davos, Switzerland to attend the 48th annual meeting of the World
Economic Forum.
He will lead the largest-ever Indian delegation
comprising Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh
Prabhu among others.
- The theme of the WEF Annual Meeting this year
is 'Creating a shared future in a fractured world'.
- WEF 2018 will also see the largest ever proportion of
women leaders including all co-chairs being women this time.
The World
Economic Forum (WEF) is a Swiss nonprofit foundation, based
in Cologny, Geneva, Switzerland. Recognized by the Swiss
authorities as an international body
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Centre to declare 2018 as ‘national year of millets’
Union
government deciding to declare 2018 as the ‘national year of millets’. This
decision has been taken following a request by Karnataka, which is the
country’s leader in the millet sector.
- Dedicating a year for millets will
not only increase awareness about its health benefits, but also result in
higher demand for these drought-resistant varieties, resulting in
remunerative prices for poor and marginal farmers.
Millet is a
common term to categorize small-seeded grasses that are often termed
nutri-cereals or dryland-cereals, and includes sorghum, pearl millet, ragi,
small millet, foxtail millet, proso millet, barnyard millet, kodo millet and
other millets.
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India to have automated ocean pollution system
from April
India is all set to have its own automated ocean
pollution observation system this year which will help keep a tab on ocean
pollution levels.
- According to SSC Shenoi, director, Indian National
Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), the system will
become functional by April this year.
- The cost of the project is estimated to be
at Rs. 100 crores.
Smart Star-Rating for Garbage Free Cities
Ministry of
Housing and Urban Affairs has launched the ‘Protocol for Star Rating of
Garbage-Free Cities’ in Goa.
- The star-rating initiative,
developed by the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban will be rating cities on a
7-star rating system based on multiple cleanliness indicators for solid
waste management.
- These include Door to Door
Collection, bulk generator compliance, source segregation, sweeping,
scientific processing of waste, scientific land filling, plastic waste
management, construction and demolition management, dump remediation &
citizen grievance redressal system etc.
Cities can be rated as 1,
2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 star based on their compliance with the protocol conditions
specified for each of the rating. Further city should be ODF(Open Defecation
Free) before it could be given rating of 3 star or above.
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‘Jiyo Parsi’ scheme to reverse the declining trend
of Parsi population
Over 130
babies were born since the government launched the ‘Jiyo Parsi’ scheme in 2013
to address the Parsi community’s declining population, says a foundation
associated with implementation of the initiative.
- The Parzor Foundation is
implementing the scheme along with the Union minority affairs ministry.
- The population of Parsis plunged
from 1.14 lakh in 1941 to 57,264 in 2011. The sharp decline in the birth
rate in the community — located mainly in Maharashtra’s Mumbai and parts
of Gujarat – is attributed to socio-psychological reasons. These include
Parsis having late or non-marriages, its members marrying with people
outside the community and also many couples not willing to have babies.
Jiyo Parsi
is a Government of India supported scheme to arrest the decline in population
of the Parsi Zoroastrian Community in India. The Jiyo Parsi Scheme comprises
of three components: Advocacy Component, Health of the Community Component
and Medical Component.
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Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Inaugurates
World War II Memorial Museum at Jairampur
In Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu
inaugurated the World War II Memorial Museum in Jairampur in Changlang
District.
- The war memorial has the collection of the remnants of
World War 2, personal belongings of the soldiers and other persons
involved.
- The museum also showcases traditional items from local
Tangsa community. The memorial is a cemetery site where about 833 graves
including mass graves have been discovered.
- The museum is built through funding from Union Ministry
of Culture for Rs 2.25 crores and executed by state PWD.
Telangana, Tokyo Body Sign MoU for Municipal
Waste Incineration
The Telangana government had signed a
Memorandum of Understanding with the Clean Authority of Tokyo in
connection with municipal solid waste incineration in Hyderabad.
- The two bodies exchanged knowledge in municipal solid
waste incineration facilities and make an effort to realize human resource
exchanges in view of technical cooperation in the future.
India's 1st Garbage Festival Organised in
Chhattisgarh
The Raipur Municipal Corporation in
Chhattisgarh organised the three-day 'Kachra Mahotsav 2018'.
- It is India's first Garbage Festival.
- The festival aimed to increase awareness, use the waste
generated in the city creatively, and to showcase multiple techniques for
reusing things that are labelled as garbage.
International Conference on Wild Silk Moths
begins in Assam
In Assam, the eighth edition of the
International Conference on Wild Silk Moths began in Guwahati.
- The Centre has taken the slew of measures for the
development of silk and textile sector.
- 110 districts of North East are silk producers and
hoped that the conference would help in increasing income of the people of
the region who are involved with silk industry.
India is holding the event for the second
time with an aim to explore latest research and development. The conference
is being organized by the Central Silk Board and International Society for
Wild Silk Moths
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India, Japan to introduce AI, robotics in
defence sector
India and Japan will work together to
introduce artificial intelligence and robotics in the defence sector.
- After the nuclear agreement was ratified by the
Japanese parliament late 2017, India and Japan would be setting up a joint
task force for commercial agreements.
- In 2018, Japan’s is aiming for a “free and open
Indo-Pacific”, a theme Sonora expounded on at the recent Raisina Dialogue.
Italy launches portal to report fake news ahead
of elections
The Italian government has launched an online
portal for citizens to report what they consider fake news.
- Users will be required to provide a link to the
misinformation they are reporting and any social networks they find it on.
- This comes in the wake of concerns that fake news could
influence public opinion ahead of the country’s general elections.
Italy
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Capital
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Rome
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Currency
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Italyian Lira
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Prime Minister
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Paolo Gentiloni
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Malta's Valletta Becomes Europe's Capital of
Culture
Valletta, the capital of Malta, was
officially named European Capital of Culture 2018.
- Valletta will share the title with Leeuwarden, a city
in the Netherlands.
- Notably, the 'European Capitals of Culture' initiative
aims to highlight the diversity of European culture and to increase the
citizens' sense of belonging to a common cultural area.
Saudi Arabia coalition announces $1.5 billion
in aid for Yemen
Saudi Arabia has announced USD 1.5
billion in new aid for Yemen, where nearly three years of conflict has
devastated the local economy.
- The expansion of ports will be supported with up to USD
40 million from the Saudi-led coalition.
- Additionally, the kingdom said it will make a donation
of up to USD 2 billion in fuel for the transportation of humanitarian aid.
Saudi Arabia
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Capital
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Riyadh
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Currency
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Saudi riyal
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King
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Salman
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Coast Guard patrol vessel Vijaya
The second
offshore patrol vessel (OPV), named Vijaya, built by the Larsen and Toubro
Shipyard has been launched.
- The indigenously built vessel ‘Vijaya’, equipped with
state-of art radar, navigational and communication system, will be
utilised for day and night patrol and surveillance, anti-terrorist,
anti-smuggling operations and coastal security.
Mercedes unveils India’s first, locally made BS-VI car
German auto
major Mercedes-Benz has unveiled India’s BS-VI-compliant S-Class produced at
its Pune facility.
- The government has given deadline of April 2020 for
switching to new emission BS VI norms.
Introduced in the year 2000, the Bharat norms are emission
control standards put in place by the government to keep a check on air
pollution. Based on the European regulations (Euro norms), these standards
set specifications/limits for the release of air pollutants from equipment
using internal combustion engines, including vehicles. Typically, the higher
the stage, the more stringent the norms.
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Paytm introduces business application
Digital payments platform Paytm has unveiled an
application called ‘Paytm for Business’ to enable small and medium businesses
to accept digital payments.
- The application, available on Android Play Store, would
enable merchants to sign up quickly and get a Paytm QR code to start
accepting digital payments.
- The move follows recent announcement by instant
messaging service Whatsapp to introduce a separate app that small
businesses can use to connect with their customers.
IndAS from April 1, 2018
Banks and
non-banking financial companies are due to switch to Indian Accounting
Standards (IndAS) from 1 April 2018. However, the government and the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) may postpone the implementation of new accounting standards
for banks because of the legislative changes and additional capital
requirements the process would entail.
- Banks and non-banking financial companies currently
follow Indian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) standards.
Other corporate entities started complying with IndAS with effect from 1
April 2016.
Ind AS or Indian Accounting Standards govern the accounting
and recording of financial transactions as well as the presentation of
statements such as profit and loss account and balance sheet of a company.
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India Ranks 62nd on WEF’s Inclusive Development
Index
India was ranked at the 62nd place among
emerging economies on an Inclusive Development Index of World
Economic Forum (WEF).
- In the report, China is on 26th position and
Pakistan is on 47th.
- Norway remains the world’s most inclusive advanced
economy, while Lithuania again tops the list of emerging
economies, according to the report. India was ranked 60th among 79
developing economies in last year survey.
The index is
based on 12 performance indicators and countries are ranked on IDI scores
based on a scale of 1-7.
It has three
pillars :
· Growth and Development,
· Inclusion and Intergenerational Equity, and
· Sustainability
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India to become the fastest growing large
economy in 2018, says Report
India will overtake China to be the fastest
growing large economy in 2018 and the country’s equity market will become the
fifth largest in the world, says a report.
- According to a Sanctum Wealth Management report,
India will become the fastest growing large economy in the world,
eclipsing China.
- The report says at a time when developed economies are
cheering 2-3% growth; India is focused on breaching 7.5%.
Om Prakash Rawat Appointed New Chief Election
Commissioner
Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat was
appointed as the next chief election commissioner (CEC) of
India. Mr Rawat is the 22nd CEC of
India. He succeeded Achal Kumar Joti.
- The government also appointed former finance
secretary Ashok Lawasa as an Election Commissioner. Sunil
Arora is the other Election Commissioner.
- Mr Rawat will take over the office from 23rd January
2018 onwards.
Music museum to get tambura of MS
On the Republic Day, the Centre for Indian Music
Experience (IME) will receive three new memorabilia that will resonate with
music lovers and admirers of Carnatic singer M.S. Subbulakshmi.
- Her grandson V. Shrinivasan will be handing over a sari
and tambura that belonged to Subbulakshmi, along with a special letter of
appreciation she had received from Mahatma Gandhi in 1944, to IME on
January 26.
- Mahatma Gandhi’s letter to Subbulakshmi is a special
memento as it bears his signature in Tamil. In the letter, the Mahatma has
thanked her for her contribution towards the Kasturba Memorial Fund.
Priyanka Chopra will announce Oscar nominations
Priyanka Chopra, who made waves when she appeared
for two consecutive Academy Awards, has now gone beyond the red carpet
appearances and will be announcing the Oscar nominations for this year.
- Apart from Priyanka, Rosario Dawson, Rebel Willson,
Michelle Yeoh and Michelle Rodriguez will introduce this year’s Oscar
nominations.
- Last year, Priyanka had presented the award for Best
Film Editing at the Oscars.
Harmanpreet inks bat endorsement deal with CEAT
Harmanpreet Kaur, who guided India to the final
of the ICC World Cup 2017, became the first woman cricketer from the country to
sign a bat endorsement deal with CEAT.
- Harmanpreet, who signed a two-year deal with CEAT,
joins the likes of Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Ishan Kishan.
- She will now be seen playing with a bat prominently
displaying CEAT insignia in all formats of the game.
Martina Hingis appointed Switzerland Fed Cup
team coach
Former World Number 1 Martina Hingis, who
retired from tennis in November, will join the Swiss Fed Cup team as their
coach for the World Group first round tie against Czech Republic in Prague this
February.
- Hingis, who made 19 appearances for the Swiss national
team between 1995 and 2017, will join team captain Heinz Günthardt, who
has chosen Timea Bacsinszky, Belinda Bencic, Viktorija Golubic and Jil
Teichmann as the four players to represent the Swiss Tennis Federation
team.
