Daily Current affairs - February 14&15, 2018 for all competitive exams
Every year 14th February is celebrated as No-Uniform Day
- Also
known as Mufti Day this is one of the most common and popular school
fundraisers. Pupils pay either a set
fee or make a donation to leave blazers, ties and sweatshirts at home.
- Theme:
The love
President inaugurates ‘Agricon 2018’ and
‘Agriexpo 2018’
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind,
inaugurated the international conference ‘Agricon 2018’ and ‘Agriexpo 2018’ at
Chandrasekhar Azad University of Agriculture & Technology (CSAUT), Kanpur
on February 14, 2018.
- The
President emphasised the need to see grain production, dairy farming,
animal husbandry and fisheries, poultry, horticulture and sericulture as
part of a composite approach to modern agriculture.
- There
is also need to encourage the food processing industry to give farmers a
better price and a better deal for their produce.
Government Extends Anti-Narcotics Scheme for 3
more years
The government has extended the anti-narcotics
scheme for 3 more years to combat illicit trafficking in drugs and psychotropic
substance.
- The
purpose of the scheme is to assist states and Union Territories, which are
contributing in controlling the inter-state and cross-border drug
trafficking.
The scheme was first launched on 24th October 2004 for a
period of five years and later extended twice in subsequent years.
According to the latest assessments, there are approximately 40 lakh drug
addicts in the country.
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Ministry working on Atal Bhoojal Yojana for water conservation
The water
resources ministry is working on an Rs 6,000 crore worth ‘Atal Bhoojal Yojana’
for water conservation.
The scheme is
aimed at efficient management of available water resources and strengthening of
recharge mechanism through community participation. The emphasis of the scheme
will be on recharge of ground water sources and efficient use of water by
involving people at the local level.
- Funding: Rs 6,000 crore has been earmarked for this ambitious
plan. Half of the total cost of this central scheme will be supported by
the World Bank as loan while the remaining half (Rs 3,000 crore) will be
funded by the government through budgetary support.
- Implementation: The government plans to give 50% of the money to
states, including gram panchayats, as incentives for achieving targets in
groundwater management. That’s a first-ever move to encourage community
participation and behavioural changes. The remaining 50% of the funds will
be given to states for strengthening institutional arrangements such as
providing a strong database and scientific approach to help them
accomplish sustainable management of groundwater.
Ground water
in India provides for about 60% of the country’s irrigation needs, 85% of
rural drinking water requirements and 50% of urban water needs.
Over-exploitation and contamination have left many blocks across the country
in a critical stage.
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Centre selects Karnataka’s Hampi as ‘Iconic
Tourism’ among 10 site
The Centre announced that Karnataka’s Hampi
monuments will be among the ten destinations selected as ‘Iconic Tourism’
sites.
- Hampi
was declared as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations for its
architectural splendour.
- In
his Union Budget speech, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said that the
sites will be provided support for holistic infrastructure and skill
development.
- Other
selected sites include the Taj Mahal, Konark Sun Temple, and Ajanta and
Ellora caves.
Centre plans to merge small savings, PPF laws
In a bid to consolidate the legislations
pertaining to small savings schemes, the government is proposing a merger of
the various laws into a Government Savings Promotion Act.
- The
government gives highest priority to the interest of small savers,
especially savings for the benefit of the girl child, senior citizens and
regular savers who form the backbone of our country’s savings
architecture.
- In
order to remove existing ambiguities due to multiple Acts and rules for
small saving schemes. The government has proposed merger of Government
Savings Certificates Act, 1959 and Public Provident Fund Act, 1968 with
the Government Savings Banks Act, 1873.”
- All
existing protections have been retained while consolidating PPF Act under
the proposed Government Savings Promotion Act.
With a single act, relevant provisions of the Government
Savings Certificates (NSC) Act, 1959 and the Public Provident Fund Act, 1968
would stand subsumed in the new amended Act without compromising on any of
the functional provision of the existing Act.
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All villages to be linked by roads in 2019
As part of the ‘Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna’
the center going to efforts to connect all villages through a road network by
next year.
- Earlier,
the target to compete these works was 2022 but it has been advanced to
2019.
- The
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was launched by the Central
government to provide connectivity to unconnected habitations as part of a
poverty reduction strategy. This Centrally Sponsored Scheme was
introduced in 2000 by the then-prime minister of India Atal Behari
Vajpayee.
India’s fastest train to slow down on extended
run
According to senior railways officials, India’s
fastest train, Gatimaan Express, which runs at a speed of 160 kmph, will slow
down to 130 kmph after it is extended to Gwalior and Jhansi.
- Railway
Ministry officials say the Railway Board has taken a decision to extend
the route of Gatimaan Express — which runs between Delhi and Agra at a
speed of 160 kmph to Gwalior and then to Jhansi. On the new stretch, the
train will run at a speed of 130 kmph and not at its original speed.
Railways introduce refurbished Mumbai-Delhi
Rajdhani train
Western Railway’s premier Rajdhani Express
got refurbished coaches under the ministry’s “Operation Swarn”, a project to
improve the aesthetics and comfort levels of passenger trains.
- The
moves come weeks after the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Shatabdi Express got
coaches, christened ‘Anubhuti’, with aircraft-like interiors.
- Mukul
Jain, Divisional Railway Manager of WR’s Mumbai division released a
special brochure depicting the special features of the newly refurbished
Rajdhani Express.
From March 1, no reservation charts on train
coaches
From March 1, no reservation charts on train coaches
From March 1, no reservation charts on train coaches
- The
Railway Ministry believes that this move will contribute to reducing use
of both paper and expenditure.
- The
practice will be in place for six months on experimental basis, after
which the Ministry will decide on continuing it.
The first such experiment was done in the Bengaluru
Division (SBC) of South Western Railway (SWR) in November 2016, which saved
paper worth Rs. 21 lakh a year.
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Centre studying plea to ban PFI
Kerala has asked for a ban on the Popular Front
of India (PFI), a Muslim organisation that is mainly operating out of the
State, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju has said.
- The
issue was discussed at the annual DGP meet held in Madhya Pradesh’s
Tekanpur in January, where Kerala police chief Lokanath Behera gave a
detailed presentation on the PFI’s growth and activities in the State.
The Popular Front of India is an extremist and militant
Islamic fundamentalist organisation in India formed as a successor to
National Development Front (NDF) in 2006. It acquired a multi-state dimension
by merging with the National Development Front, Manitha Neethi Pasarai,
Karnataka Forum for Dignity and other organisations.
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Radio Umang: India's 1st Online Radio Station
Launched
India's 1st Online Radio Station 'Radio
Umang' was launched recently in India.
Listeners can tune in to this online radio
station through web streaming or download the app.
- With
24 hours programming, it has found listeners in Hindi speaking regions of
India and in over 60 countries worldwide.
- Radio
Umang plans to have multiple avenues of revenue, programmatic audio visual
ads being primary one besides traditional advertising model.
Special promotion board for Navy officer
The Armed Forces Tribunal has instructed the Navy
to constitute a special promotion board for S.S. Luthra, a nuclear submarine
engineer, whose allegation that nepotism scuttled his career were upheld by the
Supreme Court.
- The
tribunal order came when the Navy and Vice-Admiral P.K. Chaterjee (retd.),
who is accused of undermining the careers of highly skilled nuclear
engineers, returned to it after the Supreme Court refused to entertain
their appeal.
Commander Luthra was one of the 11 nuclear submarine
engineers of the Navy trained in Russia to operate and maintain nuclear
reactors. However, he and several others were denied promotion allegedly to
favour Captain Agashe, son-in-law of Vice-Admiral Chaterjee, who was in the
same promotion batch as Commander Luthra.
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Rajasthan govt. signed with NDB for Indira Gandhi Canal
Rajasthan
Government has signed a new loan agreement with the New Development Bank for
restructuring of Indira Gandhi Canal.
- The
restructuring and repairing of Indira Gandhi Canal and its distributaries
will help solve the problems of loss of water and water-locking in the
agricultural fields.
- It
will also ensure the supply of irrigation water to the farmers at the
tail-ends of the Indira Gandhi Canal Project.
The Indira
Gandhi Canal is one of the largest canal projects in India. It starts from
the Harike Barrage at Harike, a few kilometers below the confluence of the
Satluj and Beas rivers in the Indian state of Punjab and terminates in
irrigation facilities in the Thar Desert in the north west of Rajasthan
state. Previously known as the Rajasthan Canal.
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West Bengal becomes first State to opt Out of
‘Modicare’
Claiming that the Bengal government had already
enrolled 50 lakh people under its own Swasthya Sathi
programme, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced the decision to
opt out of Centre’s ‘Modicare’ scheme.
- This
makes West Bengal the first state to withdraw from the ambitious
programme.
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had announced
the NHPS on February 1, making it the biggest global plan to
provide quality health cover to a population larger than the combined
citizenry of the US, UK, Germany and France.
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Meghalaya governor inaugurates India, Bangladesh
‘Friendship Gate’
Meghalaya Governor Ganga Prasad inaugurated the “Friendship Gate”
constructed with an aim to have a Wagah-like beating retreat ceremony for the
Indian and Bangladesh border guards.
- The
Friendship Gate has been constructed near Integrated Check post, 90 km
South of capital Shillong on the border with Bangladesh.
SC may hear plea to take up two-child policy
norm
The Supreme Court may hear a plea to direct the
Centre to give a “serious thought” to the rise in population and adopt the
two-child policy norm in family planning.
- The
PIL petition filed by activist Anupam Bajpai said couples who followed the
policy should be rewarded with incentives, while those who violated the
“norm” should be punished by withdrawal of government “facilities and
concessions”.
- The
petition asked the court to direct the Centre to “motivate the people of
this country” to follow the norm.
The rapid population growth and economic development in the
country are degrading the environment through the uncontrolled growth of
urbanisation and industrialisation, expansion and intensification of
agriculture and destruction of the natural habitat.
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Iran President to address people in Hyderabad
mosque
Hyderabad is set to witness a historic event, the
first in 325 years, when the President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, visits the
grand Makkah Masjid here to address the weekly congregation.
- This
is perhaps the first time that a head of state will address the Friday
congregation (Jumu’ah) at the historic mosque.
- This
is also the first time that the Iranian President will arrive directly in
Hyderabad instead of the national capital, New Delhi.
- Though
Dr Rouhani is the second Iranian President to visit Hyderabad, he is the
first Iranian head of state who will address the Jumu’ah congregation.
India overtakes the UK in defence spending says
report
India has overtaken the United Kingdom in defence
spending and broken into the top five but faces considerable lag in comparison to
China.
- The
annual report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)
sees China and Russia challenging the global dominance of the United
States and its allies.
India has the fifth largest defence budget in the
world, at $52.5 billion in 2017.
It is overtaking the UK whose defence budget fell from
$52.5 billion in 2016 to $50.7 billion in 2017.
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Israeli police name Tata in case against
Netanyahu
The name of Ratan Tata figures in the Israeli
police recommendations seeking to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on
graft charges, according to an Israeli media report
- In
the so-called Case 1000, in which Mr. Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are
suspected of receiving illicit gifts from billionaire benefactors,
Israeli-born Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and Australian resort owner
James Packer, the Indian Industrialist is also said to be a part of a
project that Mr. Netanyahu tried to push forward to help Mr. Milchan.
According to the police, the most glaring example of
Netanyahu working against Israel’s interests to benefit Milchan was his
efforts (to) promote a free trade zone on the Israel-Jordan border, a project
the Hollywood producer sought to promote as part of his partnership with
Indian industrialist Ratan Naval Tata
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Tanzania withdraws from UN refugee programme
Tanzania has
decided to withdraw from UN refugee programme for reasons of security and lack
of funds. Tanzania has long been considered a safe haven for refugees,
particularly from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- The
New York Declaration lays out a vision for a more predictable and more
comprehensive response to these crises, known as the Comprehensive Refugee
Response Framework, or CRRF.
- It
calls for greater support to refugees and the countries that host them.
The New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants is a milestone for
global solidarity and refugee protection at a time of unprecedented
displacement across the world.
Adopted by
all 193 Member States of the United Nations in September 2016, it contains
historic and wide-ranging commitments that reaffirm the commitment by Member
States to respect the human rights of refugees and migrants and to support
the countries that welcome them.
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Myanmar
signs a ceasefire with two rebel groups amid decades of conflict
Two ethnic armed groups in Myanmar signed a
ceasefire with the government as leader Aung San Suu Kyi seeks to revive a
stuttering peace process to end decades of conflict.
- New
Mon State Party and the Lahu Democratic Union signed the National
Ceasefire Agreement.
- They
signed the agreement after meeting Suu Kyi and the military’s
commander-in-chief senior general Min Aung Hlaing.
RIL to invest in mobile making unit at Tripathi
Mukesh Ambani-led RIL has plans to manufacture
10 million mobile phones per annum in Andhra Pradesh.
- The
RIL is looking for 150 acres of land to start a cell phone manufacturing
unit near Tripathi in Chittoor district.
RBI Relaxes Priority Sector Lending Rule for
Banks
Reserve Bank of India has made banks'
priority sector norms lenient by saying that all loans to micro small
and medium enterprises (MSME) will henceforth qualify as priority sector
lending. This was a long time demand from banks.
- Till
date, loans up to Rs 10 crore per MSME borrower was considered for
priority sector calculation. The sub-target for bank lending to the
micro enterprises has been 7.50 percent of adjusted net bank credit
or credit equivalent amount of off-balance sheet exposure, whichever is higher. Foreign
banks will also have to follow 8% sub-target for lending to the small
and marginal farmers.
Citibank India bans use of its cards to buy cryptocurrencies
Citibank India has banned the use of its credit
and debit cards towards purchase or trading of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
- It
said the decision came following concerns expressed by the RBI regarding
potential risks associated with cryptocurrencies.
- The
government had said it will take all measures to eliminate use of
cryptocurrencies in illegitimate activities but did not declare them
illegal.
A digital currency in which encryption techniques are used
to regulate the generation of units of currency and verify the transfer of
funds, operating independently of a central bank
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PNB fraud amount of Rs.11, 360 crore is 8 times
its FY17 profit
The fraud amount of Rs.11,360 crore detected by
PNB at a Mumbai branch is equivalent to 8.5 times the bank’s FY17 net profit of
Rs.1,325 crore.
- The
amount is also 49 times its December quarter profit of Rs.230 crore. It is
also nearly one-third of the bank’s total market capitalization of
Rs.35,365 crore
Equitas Bank launches digital savings account
Equitas Small Finance Bank has introduced
‘selfeSavings’, an interactive digital savings account.
- This
account can be opened with the web-based interactive video form by using
Aadhaar number, PAN and other basic details.
- The
new selfeSavings account has no minimum balance requirement.
- It
pays an interest rate of 6 per cent per annum for balance below 10 lakh
and 6.5 per cent for 10 lakh and above.
Small
finance banks are a type of niche banks in India. Banks with a small finance
bank license can provide basic banking service of acceptance of deposits and
lending. The aim behind these to provide financial inclusion to sections of
the economy not being served by other banks, such as small business units,
small and marginal farmers, micro and small industries and unorganised sector
entities
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International Conference for Reconstruction of Iraq
The Kuwaiti
capital is hosting the second day of an international conference aimed at
raising funds for reconstructing Iraq. It will bring together a number of
economically powerful countries, as well as regional and international
organizations on contributions to rebuild Iraq after many years of war and
conflicts.
- The
conference will also touch on several developments and vital aspects
pertaining to Iraq, including the participation of the private sector in
the reconstruction process.
The World
Bank, as a major contributor to the event, will provide the required
investment guarantees for private companies and institutions to participate
in the development of Iraq.
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India-Russia Agriculture Business Summit Held
in New Delhi
India-Russia Agriculture Business Summit
2018 was held in New Delhi. The two countries discussed trade relations in
the agricultural sector.
- The
summit was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers
Welfare.
- Gajender
Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of State for
Agriculture and Sergey Beletskiy, Deputy Minister, Ministry of
Agriculture, Russia addressed the India-Russia Agriculture Business
Summit.
The Russian and Indian delegations will visit Central State
Farm (CSF) in Suratgarh, Rajasthan on 14.2.2018, which was set up in 1956
with assistance from erstwhile USSR.
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Narendra Modi to address global IT event in
Hyderabad on Feb 19
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver the
inaugural address at the World Congress on Information Technology 2018 (WCIT)
in Hyderabad from February 19.
- Telangana
principal secretary for IT and Industries Jayesh Ranjan has confirmed that
Modi will be delivering the inaugural address through a video link.
- This
is for the first time that the WICT is being held in the country.
India to host 8th Theatre Olympics
In an effort to put India firmly among the top
nations in the world theatre map, the country will play host to the 8th Theatre
Olympics, the greatest carnival of thespianism.
- The
51-day theatre extravaganza which will be inaugurated at Red Fort, will
see 450 shows including 65 shows by international artistes, 600 ambient
performances and 250 youth forum shows.
CPN-UML formally names KP Sharma Oli as Nepal’s
next PM
The victorious CPN-UML party on Wednesday
formally named its chairman, KP Sharma Oli, as Nepal’s next prime minister.
- A
meeting of the party’s standing committee proposed Oli as the next premier
with the support of its leftist ally.
- Oli
will formally stake a claim at the President’s Office as soon as Prime
Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba puts in his papers after chairing a final
meeting of his cabinet.
Chandrashekhara Kambara Elected New President
of Sahitya Akademi
Kannada litterateur Chandrashekar Kambar has
been elected as president of the Sahitya Akademi in the election held
for the post.
- He
has replaced Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari. Hindi poet Madhav Koushik
has been elected as vice-president.
- This
is the second time election was held in the history of Sahitya Akademi,
after Ananthamurthy’s election to the post. Prof.
NITI
Aayog official appoints Dinesh Arora as PM’s healthcare programme director
Dinesh Arora, director (health) at a federal
policy think tank Niti Aayog, was appointed as director of the prime minister’s
flagship healthcare programme.
- The
41-year-old Arora, who is been working on the programme for more than a
month before it was announced in the budget.
- He
is a qualified doctor and has worked in public health in the past, heading
the National Rural Health Mission in Kerala from May 2006 to September
2009.
Ashok Das appointed Indian envoy to Brazil
Ashok Das, a 1987 batch Indian Foreign Service
(IFS) officer, was on Tuesday named India’s new Ambassador to Brazil.
- Das,
presently additional secretary in the external affairs ministry, is
expected to take up his assignment shortly.
- Das
earlier served as India’s Ambassador to Iceland. He has also served in the
Indian diplomatic missions in Portugal, Cambodia, US, Canada and
Bangladesh.
Jacob Zuma Resigns As South Africa's President
South Africa's embattled President Jacob Zuma has
resigned. He announced the decision in a televised address to the nation after
the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party threatened to eject him from
office via a parliamentary vote of no confidence today.
- The
75-year-old, who was the country's President for the last 9 years, has
been under increasing pressure to give way to Deputy President Cyril
Ramaphosa, ANC's new leader.
- Mr
Zuma's resignation followed weeks of intense public pressure to step down
amid long-standing corruption allegations.
Hello, Universe wins children’s book award
Erin Entrada Kelly’s Hello, Universe ,
a nuanced account of a diverse group of middle-school students and their
unexpected encounters, has won the John Newbery Medal for the outstanding
children’s book of 2017.
- The
Randolph Caldecott Medal for best illustration went to Matthew Cordell and
his near-wordless story of a girl and the wolf pup she saves, Wolf in
the Snow
- The
awards were announced on Monday by the American Library Association, which
has gathered in Denver for its annual mid-winter meeting.
- Both
the Newbery and Caldecott medals are more than 80 years old. Jacqueline
Woodson received the Laura Ingalls Wilder award for lifetime achievement.
Tata Steel wins ‘most ethical company’ award
Tata Steel has been recognized by Ethisphere
Institute, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical
business practices, as the World’s Most Ethical Company for the year 2018.
- The
company has received the award for the sixth time in the ‘Metals, Minerals
and Mining’ category.
- IT
company WIPRO has also won the award in a separate category.
Tamil Nadu Wins Senior Women's National Football
Championship For First Time
Tamil Nadu has won the Senior Women's National
Football Championship for the first time. Tamil Nadu, which was playing its
first-ever final, defeated Manipur, 2-1 at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack,
Odisha.
- Skipper
Indumathi and Indrani found the net for Tamil Nadu, while Ratanbala scored
Manipur's only goal.
Rohit Sharma becomes 2nd Indian to hit most
sixes
India opener Rohit Sharma slammed four sixes
against South Africa in the fifth ODI to take his sixes tally in international
cricket to 265, the second-most by an Indian player.
- Sharma
surpassed Sachin Tendulkar, who slammed 264 international sixes, and is only
behind MS Dhoni (338 sixes).
Virat Kohli’s Team India first to win an ODI
series in SA
After over 25 years of touring South Africa, an
Indian cricket team has managed to beat South Africa in an ODI series.
- Kohli
thus became the first Indian captain to win an ODI series in South Africa.
- India’s
long-awaited ODI series triumph on South African soil came after six
tours, dating back to 1992.
