Daily Current affairs - February 16, 2018 for all competitive exams
The Prime
Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, held a Town Hall session with students on
subjects related to examinations.
- He
took questions from students at the event venue in Talkatora Stadium in
New Delhi.
- PM
Modi has often addressed the concerns of students on his radio show ‘Mann
ki Baat’. It was during one of the episodes of his radio show that the PM
decided to make a compilation of his thoughts on the matter of exams and
the stress students go through, he coupled it with relatable anecdotes.
He authored the book
‘Exam warriors’ for students with the aim to get them through the stress of
appearing for exams with a smile.
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PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate conference at
World Sustainable Development Summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will
formally inaugurate the World Sustainable Development Summit 2018 in New
Delhi’s Vigyan Bhawan.
- Organised
by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), the three-day summit will
see participation from over 41 countries.
- Union
Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr Harsh Vardhan will
also attend the event.
The
World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS), TERI's flagship event, has been
conceptualized as a single platform to accelerate action towards sustainable
development and especially climate change. The WSDS series seeks to bring
together the finest minds and leading thinkers of the world to focus
attention on the challenge of sustainable development and has emerged as a
landmark event addressing issues pertinent to the future of humanity.
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Govt. drops the idea of an India EV policy
The government
has decided against formulating an electric vehicle (EV) policy in an apparent
U-turn from its position so far, providing a breather to many carmakers that
are unprepared for an abrupt shift to the clean-fuel technology.
- The
existing FAME (incentive) scheme may continue for another two years.
- The
government’s decision to have an EV policy had created uncertainty in the
automobile industry for the past year, although several companies had
outlined their strategies for EVs or lobbied the government to drop the
idea.
FAME India – Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid
and Electric vehicles in India – is a part of the National Electric Mobility
Mission Plan launched in 2015. The scheme envisages Rs 795 crore support in
the first two fiscals. It is being administered by the Heavy Industries Ministry.
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
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Prasar Bharati differ with Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
Public
broadcaster Prasar Bharati (PB) has turned down a resolution moved by the Union
ministry of information and broadcasting (I&B) to appoint a serving IAS
officer to its board, and deferred its proposal to bring in professionals to
head the news service units of Doordarshan and All India Radio.
- The
board refused to appoint a serving IAS officer as member (personnel) on
grounds that the appointment would go against the norms laid down in The
Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act, 1990.
- The
broadcaster concluded that accepting the resolutions moved by the ministry
would “amount to infringing Prasar Bharati’s autonomy”.
As per the
PB Act of 1990 the Prasar Bharati Board consists of a chairman, a CEO, two
whole-time members for finance and personnel, six part-time members, heads of
Doordarshan and All India Radio and one representative of the I&B
ministry. There is no provision to have a serving bureaucrat on the board.
The PB Act states that the President of India will appoint
the Board members decided by a selection committee which is headed by the
Vice President of India and includes the Chairman of the Press Council of
India and a nominee of the President. The ministry does not have a direct
role in appointment of the chairman and whole-time members of the Board.
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Prasar
Bharati is a statutory autonomous body established under the Prasar Bharati
Act and came into existence in November 1997. It is the Public Service
Broadcaster of the country. The objectives of public service broadcasting are
achieved in terms of Prasar Bharati Act through All India Radio and
Doordarshan.
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Smart museums to give ‘virtual’ tours and 3D view of rare artifacts
Centre for
Development for Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune, has developed software named
“Jatan” and “Darshak” that are set to revolutionise museum experience.
- Jatan
is the objective of the software is to make a
digital imprint of all the objects preserved in museums. It will help
researchers, curators and also people interested in the field.
- Darshak is a mobile-based application. It is
aimed at improving the museum visit experience among the
differently-abled. It allows real-time museum visitors gather all details
about objects or artifacts simply by scanning a QR code placed near the
object.
Centre for
Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) is the premier R&D organization
of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for
carrying out R&D in IT, Electronics and associated areas.
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Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship Programme
Department of
Biotechnology had recently organized a conclave meeting to celebrate the
achievements and revisit the journey of the Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship
Programme over the years.
- The
8th Conclave was organized by National Institute of Plant Genome Research
(NIPGR).
The
Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship was conceived in the year 2006-07 with the
idea of encouraging scientists (Indian Nationals) working outside the country
and would like to return to the home country to pursue their research
interests in Modern Biology, Biotechnology, Life Sciences and other related
areas. The principal aim of the scheme is to improve the country’s human
resource capacity in life sciences, modern biology and biotechnology research
– both in terms of development, translation and diffusion by means of
attracting young scientists settled abroad.
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Odisha govt. rejects Centre’s paddy offer
The Odisha government rejected the Centre’s offer
to relax the quality norm for procuring paddy from districts affected by
unseasonal rains, saying it will “adversely affect” the farmers.
- The
Central government has reduced the minimum support price (MSP) for
discoloured paddy from Rs. 1,550 to Rs. 1,410 per quintal
- The
Centre has also relaxed the fair average quality (FAQ) specifications for
paddy procurement in 15 districts affected by unseasonal rains
FAQ is used to describe food products that are of good
enough quality to be sold. FAQ norms for paddy is laid out by the Centre
every year before the start of the procurement season.
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Paschim Lehar maritime exercise held in Western coast
‘Paschim
Lehar’, a tri-service maritime exercise, is being held off India’s western
coast.
- The
objective of the exercise is to build interoperability. This exercise
includes participation of a large number of ships, submarines and aircraft
from the Western Naval Command of the Indian Navy.
- Units
from Eastern Naval Command, Indian Army, Indian Air Force and the Coast
Guard are also participating to build interoperability.
MoU Signed between Botanical Survey of India
and Natural History Museum, UK
Botanical
Survey of India (BSI) and Natural History Museum (NHM), UK signed a Memorandum
of Understanding for cooperation in the field of genetic/taxonomic studies,
research and training, conservation in India, including species and habitat
conservation assessments, etc
- The
MoU will pave the way for BSI staff to work in Natural History Museum,
London and vice-versa and they will share fairly and equitably the
benefits that may arise from the collection, study and conservation of the
plant materials such as seeds, herbarium specimens and tissue samples and
exchange associated data and images. N
- HM
will help BSI in capacity building in areas of systematic botany and
long-term conservation of plant genetic resources in India.
Venezuela, Libya Lose UN Vote for third time in 3 Years
Venezuela and
Libya have been suspended from voting in the U.N. General Assembly for the
third time in three years because of millions of dollars in unpaid dues to the
world body.
- Venezuela
must pay a minimum of USD 25,200,296 to restore its voting rights and
Libya must pay at least USD 6,594,842.
- Venezuela
is mired in an economic and political crisis and Libya has two rival
governments, each backed by an array of militias.
India Pharma 2018 and India Medical Device 2018
India’s
biggest Annual Conference on Pharma Industry and Medical Devices – India Pharma
2018 and India Medical Device 2018 – has begun at Bengaluru.
- The
event is being organized by Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), Ministry
of Chemicals and Fertilizers, in collaboration with Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
- Theme
of the event: Themed around ‘Affordable, Quality Healthcare’.
Delhi hosts India’s first radio festival
India’s first
radio festival was recently held in Delhi.
- The
festival was organised by the International Association of Women in Radio
and Television, in collaboration with UNESCO.
- The
event touched on the 2018’s theme of World Radio Day – sports and radio –
and traced the journey of creativity, music and social changes on the
radio.
IAWRT is a
global organization formed by professional women working in electronic and
allied media with a mission to strengthen initiatives towards ensuring
women’s views and values are integral part of programming and to advance the
impact of women in media.
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India’s Biggest Global Pharma Conference Begins in Bengaluru
India’s biggest Global Conference on Pharma
Industry and Medical Devices began in Bengaluru.
- The
theme of the conference is ‘Driving NextGen Pharmaceuticals.
- Union
Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers Ananth Kumar inaugurated the
three-day event.
- The
event is being organised by the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP),
Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, along with Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).
Sanjiv Bajaj is EY Entrepreneur of the Year
2017
Sanjiv Bajaj, MD of Bajaj Finserv is the new EY
Entrepreneur of the Year 2017.
- Bajaj Finserv emerged
as the country’s leading name in financial services with solutions across
lending, life and general insurance and wealth advisory.
- EY
also named nine other Category Winners for the Entrepreneur of the Year
Programme.
India’s Aadhaar and Umang app win award in
Dubai
India’s Umang App was named winner of the Best
M-Government Service award in the Accessible Government category while Aadhar
won the best emerging technology award at the recently concluded World
Government Summit 2018 in Dubai, where India had the status of ‘Guest of
Honour’ country.
- The
Summit acknowledged technology pioneers for providing global solutions to
global challenges. The mobile application Umang App provides users a
unified platform that combines government departments and services,
facilitating transactions for citizens. The award acknowledged Government
of India’s efforts to provide convenient services to its citizens.
The
World Government Summit is an annual event held in Dubai,UAE.
It
brings together leaders in government for a global dialogue about
governmental process and policies with a focus on the issues of futurism,
technology and innovation, as well as other topics.
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Archaeologist Aravind Jamkhedkar to head ICHR
Archaeologist and historian Aravind P. Jamkhedkar
will be the next Chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR).
- He
will replace Prof. K. Sudershan Rao, whose term as ICHR chief was mired in
controversy.
- The
post fell vacant after Prof. Rao’s retirement. Jamkhedkar is at present
Chancellor of Deccan College, Pune.
The Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) is an
autonomous body of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, which had been
established by an Administrative Order of the then Ministry of Education. The
body, over many years, has provided financial assistance to the historians
and direction to the research scholars in their multifarious topics of
historical research through established historians and scholars of the
country.
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Haruhiko Kuroda Reappointed as Bank of Japan
Chief
Japan's government has reappointed Bank of Japan
Governor Haruhiko Kuroda for another term and chose an advocate of bolder
monetary easing as one of his deputies, a sign the central bank will be in no
rush to dial back its massive stimulus program.
- The
government also submitted to parliament its nomination of Masazumi
Wakatabe, a professor at Waseda University and an advocate of aggressive
monetary easing, as deputy governor.
KP Oli takes over as Nepal’s
Prime Minister
The Communist Party of Nepal or CPN-UML Chairman
K P Oli Thursday took over as Nepal’s Prime Minister with the support of the
Maoists.
- President
Bidhya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to Oli
along with two ministers, Lalbabu Pandit and Tham Maya Thapa.
- Oli
will be the prime minister for first three years and Maoist chief Pushpa
Kamal Dahal for the remaining two.
Ethiopia's Prime Minister Resigns To Smooth
Path For Political Reform
Ethiopia's Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn
suddenly resigned in what he described as a bid to smooth reforms, following
years of violent unrest that threatened the ruling party's hold on Africa's
second most populous nation.
- The
resignation has unprecedented in Ethiopia's history - followed a wave of
strikes this week in towns near the capital and demonstrations
successfully demanding the release of more opposition leaders.
Cyril Ramaphosa Sworn in as New President Of
South Africa
Cyril Ramaphosa, head of the ruling African
National Congress (ANC) has been sworn in as South Africa's new President. He
was elected as the new president of South Africa by the ruling party
politicians after the resignation of Jacob Zuma.
- The
country's 400-member parliament, dominated by the ruling African National
Congress Party (ANC), elected Ramaphosa to finish his predecessor's
term, which ends with elections in 2019.
- The
ANC has finished first in every national vote since the end of
white-minority rule in 1994.
