Daily Current affairs - February 12, 2018 for all competitive exams
National Productivity Council is observing
National Productivity Day on 12th February (3rd week of
February), and National Productivity Week till 18th February.
- It
is the 60th Anniversary of the National Productivity Council and is being
celebrated as Diamond Jubilee Year.
- The
theme for the National Productivity Week is – Industry 4.0 Leapfrog
Opportunity for India.
Govt plans anti-human trafficking unit under
NIA
The Centre is planning to set up a dedicated
anti-human trafficking wing under a central investigation agency like
the National Investigation Agency.
- Functioning
under the ministry of home affairs, Rs 324 crore is proposed to be
allocated from the Nirbhaya Fund by the women and child development
ministry.
- The
planned anti-trafficking wing will give a boost to efforts of
investigators when the proposed Trafficking of Persons Bill, 2017, becomes
a reality.
Govt. plans SOS buttons to get installed on
trains to tackle emergencies
The centre for railway information system (CRIS)
will install SOS buttons, which will be operated by the motorman of the train.
- SOS
refers to a distress signal, sent out during emergencies, which
immediately directs the person towards the concerned authorities for help.
- The
motorman can press the button in cases of accidents, following which, the
control room will get alert of the situation immediately.
- The
SOS button will be installed alongside software, Real Time Information
System (RTIS), which will facilitate the sharing of information about the
train in real time.
Rajnath Singh inaugurates first of its kind
spoken Sanskrit centre
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has
launched the Centre for learning Sanskrit language in Gujarat University,
Ahmedabad.
The centre will offer a six-month
course for people on how to speak the language.
- The
coordinator of the course, Atul Unagar stated it was possibly
the first such course launched in India.
Nitin gadkari releases India’s 1st ever highway
capacity manual
The Minister of Road Transport &
Highways Mr. Nitin Gadkari released India’s first ever Highway Capacity
Manual (HCM) in New Delhi.
- The manual is also known as Indo-HCM and it
has been developed by CSIR – CRRI on the basis of an extensive,
country-wide study of the traffic characteristics on different categories
of roads like a single lane, two-lane, multi-lane urban roads, and the
associated intersections on these roads.
Separate debt office at Centre
NITI Aayog
Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar has made a strong case for setting up an independent
debt management office, saying better servicing of loans could lead to
substantial reduction in India’s interest payments.
- At present, government debt is managed by the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI). However, for better management of India’s debt servicing
obligations, an independent debt management office must be set up.
Interest payment is such a large part of the revenue expenditure that
better management of debt servicing could substantially reduce interest
payment.
- A separate agency, which assigns specific
responsibilities and is accountable on its own, will lead to a more
transparent and efficient system. This is also seen as a necessary step
towards deepening of the bond market.
PM Modi 3 Nation Visit- India and Palestine
sign 6 MoUs
India and Palestine have signed six
Memorandums of Understanding (MoU)s worth USD 40 million. This
was welcomed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
- During the term of this Government, the President
of India made the first ever visit to Palestine in 2015.
1. Setting
up of India-Palestine Super-specialty hospital at Beit Sahour in Bethelhem
Governorate at a cost of US$ 30
million
2. Construction
of India Palestine Centre for Empowring women, "Turathi” at a cost of US$ 5 million
3. Setting
up of new National Printing Press at Ramallah at a cost of US$ 5 million
4. Construction
of school in Muthalth Al Shuhada Village at a cost of US$ 1 million
5. Construction
of school in Tamoon village in Tubas Governorate in Palestine at a cost of US$ 1.1 million
6. Assistance
of US$ 0.25 million for
construction of additional floor to Jawahar Lal Nehru for Boys at Abu Dees
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PM Modi 3 Nation Visit- India, Oman Sign 8 MoUs
India and Oman have signed eight MoUs in
different areas during PM Narendra Modi’s maiden visit to the Gulf
nation. The fields in which the agreements were inked include defence,
health and tourism.
- An MoU on legal and judicial co-operation in civil
and commercial matters was also signed. The agreements were inked after Mr
Modi held delegation-level talks with the Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin
Said al Said in Muscat.
1. Agreement
on Legal and Judicial Cooperation in Civil and Commercial matter
2. Agreement
on mutual visa exemption for holders of diplomatic, Special, service and
official passports
3. MoU
on Cooperation in the field of health
4. MoU
on Cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.
5. MoU
on Cooperation between Foreign Service Institute, Ministry of External
Affairs, India and Oman Diplomatic Institute.
6. MoU
on Academic and Scholarly cooperation sectors between National Defence
College Sultanate of Oman and the Institute for Defence Studies and the
Analyses.
7. MoU
in the field of Tourism cooperation between India and Oman.
8. Annexure
to the MoU on Military Cooperation.
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PM Modi 3 Nation Visit- India-UAE Ink 5
Agreements
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Crown Prince
Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed al Nahyan held bilateral talks at the
Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi, the UAE.
- PM Modi also laid the foundation stone of the
first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi. The two sides inked 5
agreements related to energy & railway sectors, manpower and financial
services.
The 5 MoUs signed between the two nation are as follows-
1. MoU
between a consortium led by ONGC and Abu Dhabi national oil
company for acquisition of 10% stake in offshore concession was inked.
2. MoU
aiming to institutionalize employment of Indian workers in UAE to safeguard
their interests was also signed.
3. MoU
aiming at technical cooperation in rail sector between Ministry of
railways and Federal transport authority and maritime of UAE signed.
4. In the
area of financial services, MoU between BSE and Abu Dhabi Securities
exchange was also inked.
5. MoU between
Government of Jammu and Kashmir and DP World was also signed to
establish multi-modal logistics park and hub in Jammu comprising warehouses
and specialized storage solutions.
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PM Modi 3 Nation Visit- ONGC Videsh, Partners
Acquire 10% Stake in Abu Dhabi Oilfield
ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) Videsh
Ltd and its partners have acquired a 10% in a large offshore
oilfield Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.’s (ADNOC) in Abu Dhabi for $600
million. It is the first time any Indian company has set foot in oil-rich
Emirate.
- The current production of this field is
about 400,000 barrels of oil per day (20 million tonnes per
annum) and Indian consortium’s annual share shall be about 2 million
tonnes.
- The contract for the concession was signed in Abu Dhabi
in presence of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed
al-Nahyan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Education impact bond for India
Britain’s
Prince Charles has launched a new 10-million-dollar Development Impact Bond
(DIB) to help improve education for over 200,000 children in India.
The DIB, the
largest bond of its type in South Asia, is the latest fund raising initiative
by the British Asian Trust (BAT), set up by the royal 10 years ago to fight
poverty in South Asia.
- This will be the largest bond of its type in the
region. It is intended to improve literacy and numeracy learning levels
for primary school students from marginalised communities in the country.
- The new bond has been launched by the trust with the
support of the UK government’s Department for International Development
(DfID), Comic Relief, the Mittal Foundation and the UBS Optimus
Foundation.
India Health Fund
The India
Health Fund (IHF), an initiative by Tata Trusts, in collaboration with the
Global Fund has come forward to financially support innovations and
technologies designed to combat tuberculosis and malaria.
- The IHF aims to support individuals and organisations
with already germinated innovative strategies, services, products, such
that they become sustainable and scalable solutions in addressing TB and
malaria.
The India
Health Fund is a lead initiative of Tata Trusts, with technical support from
the Global Fund. It is a pioneering vehicle by Tata Trusts, designed to not
only influence philanthropic capital within India, but also serve as a
trusted mechanism to generate significant impact in addressing key health
challenges in the country – starting with malaria and tuberculosis.
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Telangana govt. to make Telugu compulsory
The Telangana government has decided to make
Telugu a compulsory language from 2018-19 for classes I to XII in all schools
under different managements, including those offering Central syllabus, but
whether to implement it by an ordinance which will be replaced by legislation
later or issue an executive order like over three decades ago, is the question
before it.
- The Law Department has advised the government that
there is no need of an ordinance though States like Karnataka had taken
that route and enacted a legislation making Kannada compulsory language in
schools. A mere government order is sufficient for the purpose
- The government had constituted a committee headed by
Potti Sriramulu Telugu University Vice-Chancellor S.V. Satyanarayana to
study the feasibility of implementation of the decision prior to World
Telugu Conference in November.
Manipur gets first woman Chief Justice
Justice
Abhilasha Kumari, Judge of the High Court of Gujarat was recently sworn in as
the Chief Justice of the High Court of Manipur.
- She is the first woman Chief Justice of the High Court
of Manipur.
World’s tallest hotel set to open in Dubai
Gulf metropolis Dubai, on its never-ending quest
to break records, announced the opening of the “world’s new tallest hotel”.
- The gleaming gold 75-storey Gevora Hotel stands 356
metres, or nearly a quarter of a mile, tall.
- The new record-holder is within view of its
predecessor, Dubai’s JW Mariott Marquis just one meter shorter.
- Dubai is also home to the world’s tallest building, the
Burj Khalifa, which pierces the city skyline at 828 metres (half a mile)
high.
Three new eel species found in Bay of Bengal
Scientists
have discovered three new species of eel along the northern Bay of Bengal coast
in the past few months.
- Eels are found mostly at the bottom of rivers and seas.
Across the world about 1,000 species of eels have been identified. In
India, the number is around 125.
- Dark brown with white dots on the dorsal side,
Gymnothorax pseudotile was discovered at the Digha coast of the Bay of Bengal.
The other two species, Gymnothorax visakhaensis (uniformly brown) and
Enchelycore propinqua (reddish brown body mottled with irregular creamy
white spots), were discovered from the Visakhapatnam coast of the Bay of
Bengal. Enchelycore propinqua is the smallest of them measuring less than
a foot.
IPPB to enable Digital Payments in Post Offices
by April 2018
India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) Expansion
Programme continues to make brisk progress and a nation-wide roll-out is
scheduled beginning April 2018.
- Once the proposed expansion is completed, IPPB will be
providing the largest financial inclusion network in the country, covering
both urban as well as rural hinterland with ability to provide digital
payment services at the doorstep with the help of Postmen and Gramin Dak
Sewaks (GDS).
IPPB will also enable more than 17 crore active
account-holders of Post Office Savings Bank to make interoperable digital payments
including the benefit of NEFT, RTGS, UPI and bill payment services.
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Mumbai 12th Richest City Globally, New York
Tops: New World Wealth Report
Mumbai, India's financial capital is the 12th
richest city in the world with a total wealth of $950 billion,
according to a report by New World Wealth.
- The list was topped by New York as the
richest city in the world.
- Total wealth refers to the private wealth held by all
the individuals living in each city. It includes all their assets
(property, cash, equities and business interests) less any liabilities.
The top 3 richest cities in the list are-
1. New York ($3 trillion)
2. London ($2.7 trillion)
3. Tokyo ($2.5 trillion)
Hindi writer Krishna Sobti gets Jananpith Award
Renowned Hindi writer Krishna Sobti has been
conferred upon the Jananpith Award for her contribution to Hindi Literature.
- Noted Poet Ashok Bajpai received the award from Jananpith
Award Committee Chairman Justice Bijendra Jain on behalf of Krishna Sobti.
Rohan More Becomes 1st Asian to Swim Across
Ocean Seven
Pune-based swimmer, Rohan More became the first
Asian as well as the first Indian to swim across the Ocean Seven.
- He is the youngest to complete it. He swam across
the Cook Strait between North and South Islands of New Zealand in 8 hours
and 37 minutes.
- With this, More becomes only the ninth person in
the world to complete it. He has received the Tenzing Norgay Award
from the Indian Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The award was
presented by President Ram Nath Kovind.
Virat Kohli becomes 5th highest run-getter in
ODIs from India
Virat Kohli is on a record-breaking
spree with the run-machine becoming the fifth highest run-getter from India in
one-day internationals.
- He went past former India captain Mohammad
Azharuddin [9378] in the list of the top run scorers in ODIs.
- The 29-year-old also went past explosive West Indian
batsman Chris Gayle who currently has 9420 runs in 275 matches.
- Overall, he’s now the 16th highest run-getter in the
format in a list that is led by legendary Sachin Tendulkar who
scored 18426 runs across 463 ODIs.
