Daily Current affairs - February 1, 2018 for all competitive exams
Indian Coast Guard Day celebrated on February 1
every year.
- The interim
Indian Coast Guard, which came into existence on February
1, 1977, is an armed force of the Union under the Ministry of Defence, and
is responsible for the protection of national interests in maritime zones
comprising an area of 2.01 million sq. km and a coastline of over 7,500
km.
The fourth largest Coast Guard in the world, the Indian
Coast Guard has played a significant role in securing the Indian coasts and
enforcing the regulations within the Maritime Zones of India. True to its
motto “Vayam Rakshamah” meaning “We Protect”
|
Union budget 2018-19: Important Budget Highlights
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has presented the
Union Budget 2018 in both Hindi and English.
- The
government plans to construct 2 crore more toilets under the Swachh Bharat
Abhiyan over the next two years.
- Government
has announced the world’s largest government-funded healthcare programme
with Rs.5 lakh annual cover per family for 10 crore poor families.
- The
government has allotted Rs.1,48,528 crore for Indian Railways capital
expenditure in the Budget 2018, in the highest-ever fund allocation for
the Railways capital needs.
- The
President’s monthly salary will be increased to Rs.5
lakh from the earlier Rs.1.5 lakh.
- Government
announced Rs.56,619 crore for SC welfare and Rs.39,135 crore for ST
welfare. Every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000
tribal people will have an ‘Ekalavya’ model residential school by 2022.
- The
government has allocated Rs.14.3 lakh crore to be spent for rural
infrastructure.
- Customs
duty on mobile phones imported from outside India will be increased to 20
per cent from the current 15 per cent.
PM Modi launches Khelo India School Games
Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared
the inaugural Khelo India School Games open and said the event will highlight
the country’s sporting talent and its potential to the world.
- The
ceremony showcased the rich ‘Guru-Shishya’ tradition of the country in
grand style.
- Modi
said the Games will highlight India’s young sporting talent and showcase
India’s sports potential.
- Modi
urged the youth to take up to sports activities as it is an important tool
for the development of the nation.
FY16 GDP Growth Revised up to 8.2%, FY17
Unchanged at 7.1%- CSO
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) revised
the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate for 2015-16 to 8.2% from
the earlier estimates of 8% and kept the 2016-17 growth unchanged at
7.1%.
- The
real GDP or GDP at constant (2011-12) prices for the years 2016-17 and 2015-16
stand at Rs121.96 trillion and Rs113.86 trillion
respectively, according to the CSO statement.
- In
terms of real gross value added (GVA), it stated that the GVA at constant
(2011-12) basic prices grew 7.1% in 2016- 17, as against a growth of 8.1%
in 2015-16.
Government launched E-Marketplace
Government has
launched the advanced version of GeM – the Government E Marketplace portal. The
new version GeM would offer standardised and enriched catalogue management,
powerful search engine, demand aggregation, user rating and analytics.
- GeM
3.0 has undergone a digital transformation with superior technology and
ability to scale from the previous version. This will bring together many
sellers and service providers for products and services across the country
under one roof. This will also give a huge uplift for growth of MSME’s,
manufacturers & service providers.
Government
e-Marketplace (GeM) aims to transform the way in which procurement of goods
and services is done by the Government Ministries/Departments, PSUs,
autonomous bodies etc. DGS&D with technical support of NeGD (MeitY) has
developed GeM portal for procurement of both Products & Services.
|
Government to merge three general insurance companies
As part of divestment of public sector
entities, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stated that government will merge three
general insurance firms into one and subsequently list the entity on stock
exchanges.
- Three
public sector general insurance companies – National Insurance Co Ltd,
United India Insurance Co Ltd and Oriental India Insurance Company – will
be merged into a single insurance company and be subsequently listed.
- The
government has begun strategic disinvestment in 24 public sector units
(PSUs), including national carrier Air India.
- As
part of divestment of stake in its general insurance firms, the government
diluted stakes in New India Assurance Co Ltd and General Insurance
Corporation of India last year.
Insurance Company
|
Oriental Insurance
|
National Insurance
|
United India Insurance
|
Headquarters
|
New Delhi
|
Kolkata
|
Chennai
|
Tagline
|
Prithivi, Agni, Jal, Akash, Sabhi Suraksha Hamare Pass.
|
Trusted Since 1906, Thoda simple Socho
|
Rest Assured with us
|
MD and CEO
|
A V Girija Kumar
|
K. Sanath Kumar
|
Nagaraja Sarma
|
Medaram Jatara has begun in Medaram, Telangana
The four-day
‘Sammakka – Saralamma Jatara’ at Medaram in Telangana has begun. Considered the
biggest tribal festival across South Asia, the Jatara witnesses a huge number
of devotees thronging the village to take the blessings of Goddess
Sammaka-Saralamma.
- Sammakka-Sarakka
Jatara held by forest dwelling Koya tribe of Telangana and surrounding
States, is the biggest Tribal festival in Asia which is attended by one
crore people on an average.
- The
event is held bi-annually to honour the twin goddesses Sammakka and her
daughter Sarakka.
Medaram is a
remote place in the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary, a part of Dandakaranya,
the largest surviving forest belt in the Deccan.
|
Maharashtra Government
to give sanitary pads to 7L girls for Rs. 5 per pack
The Maharashtra government has announced a
scheme under which a packet of sanitary pads will be made available to seven
lakh girls from government schools in rural parts for 5.
- Named
‘Asmita’, the scheme will cover girls aged between 11 and 19 and nearly
1.75 crore rural women, who will receive two types of packets for 24 and
29 each.
Uttar Pradesh to provide employment to kin of martyrs
The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet approved a scheme
aimed at providing employment to the family members of the security personnel
who were martyred after April 1, 2017.
- One
dependant from each martyr’s family aged above 18 years will be provided
employment in the state government at the earliest.
Floating island to come up on Neknampur Lake
A floating
island of 2,500 sq.ft with about 3,500 wetland plants will be introduced on the
Neknampur Lake in Hyderabad on the eve of World Wetland Day on February 2nd.
- It
will be introduced by Dhruvansh, a voluntary organisation working for
protection of water bodies.
- The
‘island platform’ has been designed using styrofoam, bamboo, gunny bags,
coir and so on and could bear the weight of four persons, according to
Madhulika Choudhary of the body.
Maharashtra government approves new wildlife sanctuary at
Ghodazari
The Maharashtra government has approved
Ghodazari in Chandrapur district as a new wildlife sanctuary in the state.
- The
decision was taken at the 13th meeting of the Maharashtra State Board for
Wildlife, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
- The
sanctuary, in the North East of Tadoba, will include 159 sq km of
Brahmapuri forest. “This will not only save the forest, but will also
improve tourism in nearly 40 villages in the area.
World Bank Commits $100 million to Boost Tamil
Nadu's Rural Economy
The government and World Bank signed
a $100 million (about Rs 6,400 crore) loan agreement to promote rural
economy in selected blocks of Tamil Nadu across 26 districts, benefiting
over 4 lakh people.
- The
funding aimed at promoting rural enterprises, facilitate their access to
finance and create employment opportunities for youth particularly women.
Port mobile number for just Rs. 4
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
slashing the mobile number portability (MNP) charge by 80% from the Rs. 19 now
to Rs.4.
This follows a reduction in per port transaction
charge (also from Rs. 19 to Rs. 4).
- The
per port transaction charge is paid by the telecom operator, where the
subscriber is willing to port his number, to the MNP service provider.
- The
charge of Rs. 19 was determined based on estimated financial data and
other information submitted by two MNP service providers in 2009.
EU announces funding package of 42.5 million euros to help build
Palestinian state
The European Union (EU) has announced a new
funding package of 42 (point) 5 million euros to help the Palestinians build
their new state.
- The
announcement came as Brussels urged the US to not go it alone in an effort
to make peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
Hong Kong approves the ban on local ivory
trading by 2021
Hong Kong lawmakers gave final approval on
January 31 to a government proposal banning local ivory trading in the
Chinese territory by 2021.
- Lawmakers
overwhelmingly supported the measure, voting 49-4 to amend the existing
law to outlaw sales of ivory in Hong Kong.
- A
ban on ivory sales with heavier penalties in Hong Kong shows a clear
commitment towards the future of African elephants.
Ministry of Electronics and IT successfully tested LiFi technology
In a recent
pilot project, the ministry of electronics and IT successfully tested a
technology called LiFi (Light Fidelity), which uses LED bulbs and light
spectrum to transmit data at speeds as high as 10 GB per second over a 1-km
radius. Indications are strong that it will be soon launched in India on a
commercial basis.
- The
idea is to connect difficult terrains of the country that can’t be reached
by fiber but have access to electricity. The technology can be used to
connect hospitals where regular internet signals interfere with certain
equipment as well as to provide underwater connectivity.
Li-Fi, or
light fidelity, invented by German physicist and professor Harald Haas, is a
wireless technology that makes use of visible light in place of radio waves
to transmit data at terabits per second speeds—more than 100 times the speed
of Wi-Fi.
|
Super Blue Blood Moon on January 31
Large parts of
the globe experienced a rare ‘Super Blue Blood Moon’ on January 31st,
2018. A super moon, a blue moon and a total lunar eclipse took place at the
same time.
- A
‘Super Moon’ is simply a moon that is closer to the Earth than normal. As
a result, it appears bigger and brighter in the sky.
- A
‘Blue Moon’ is also simple and means the second full moon in a calendar
month.
- A
‘Blood Moon’ happens when sunlight passes through the atmosphere above the
Earth, casting a dark colour across the surface of the moon.
SpaceX rocket launches Luxembourg’s
communications satellite for NATO
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off
from Florida carrying into orbit a Luxembourg-made communications satellite.
- It
is designed in part to expand NATO’s surveillance reach and its capability
to deter cyber-attacks on alliance members.
- It
marked the second rocket launch this year for billionaire entrepreneur
Elon Musk and his privately-owned Space Exploration Technologies.
- The
so-called GovSat-1 satellite will provide, among other things,
greater cyber protection for Luxembourg’s European Union partners and NATO
allies.
INS Karanj launched in Mumbai
The Indian Navy’s third state-of-the-art
Scorpene class submarine, INS Karanj, was launched by Reena Lanba, wife of
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba in Mumbai.
- The
new submarine is named after the earlier Kalvari class INS Karanj, which
was decommissioned in 2003.
- Six
Scorpene class submarines are being built under Project 75 by the Mazagon
Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDSL), Mumbai, under a $3.75 billion technology
transfer signed in October 2005 with the Naval Group of France.
Google
installs 150 ‘Google Station’ Wi-Fi hotspots in Pune
Google, in partnership with Larsen & Toubro,
announced that the company has installed 150 “Google Station” hotspots in
Pune.
- The
development is part of the Pune Smart City Development Corporation
Limited’s “Smart City” project.
- This
is the first time that the company is deploying “Google Station” a
localised captive portal that enables the connection to public Wi-Fi
outside of the railways.
State Bank of India to offer credit cards to farmer
State Bank of India is planning to sell credit
cards to farmers on easier terms.
The country’s largest lender has tied up with
its credit card issuing subsidiary SBI Card to make it happen.
- This
is perhaps the first time that a bank is offering credit card product to
farmers, who are the backbone of India’s agrarian economy, to purchase
goods on credit.
- Till
now, small farmers have access to bank credit by way of Kisan Credit
Cards, which are typically linked with bank accounts and offer cash credit
facility to account holders.
State Bank of India
|
|
Headquarters
|
Mumbai
|
Tagline
|
With you all the way ,Pure banking nothing else, The nation’s
bank on us
|
Chairman
|
Rajnish Kumar
|
7th India Energy Congress 2018 inaugurated by Power and New
& Renewable Energy minister RK Singh
Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister R K
Singh inaugurated the 7th India Energy Congress 2018 organised by World Energy
Council India in New Delhi
- India’s
per capita power consumption of 1,200 units is likely to go up by three to
four times by 2030 as it aspires to become a developed country with GDP
growth rate averaging 8.5 percent and the country is also committed to
environmental protection.
Theme 2018
|
Energy 4.0: Energy Transition Towards 2030
|
India slipped to 42nd rank in Democracy Index
The Economist
Intelligence Unit has released 2017 Democracy Index report. The report shows
that democracy is in decline across the world.
It is the
worst performance since 2010-’11 in the aftermath of the global financial
crisis
- The
index ranks 165 independent states and two territories on the basis of
five categories: electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, the
functioning of government, political participation and political culture.
The list has been divided into four broad categories — full democracy,
flawed democracy, hybrid regime and authoritarian regime.
- Top
and bottom countries: Norway, Iceland and Sweden are the top three on the
list while Chad, Syria and North Korea bring up the bottom.
- The
total score of 89 countries fell when compared to their ranking in 2016.
India was one of the countries whose score declined the most. It fell ten
places in the rankings from 32 to 42 as its score deteriorated by 0.58
points to 7.23 (on a scale of 0 to 10). In the ‘media freedom ranking’,
India ranked 49 out of 167 countries that the index covered.
The report has classified India as a flawed
democracy and attributed the dip in India’s rankings to lack of freedom of
speech and free media.
India 6th wealthiest country with total wealth of $8,230 billion
India has been ranked sixth in the list of
wealthiest countries with total wealth of $8,230 billion, while the United
States topped the chart.
- According
to a report by New World Wealth, the US is the wealthiest country with
total wealth of $64,584 billion, followed by China ($24,803 billion) and
Japan ($19,522 billion).
- Total
wealth refers to the private wealth held by all the individuals living in
each country/city. It includes all their assets (property, cash, equities,
business interests) less any liabilities.
- Others
in the list include United Kingdom (4th, $9,919 billion), Germany (5th,
$9,660 billion), France (7th, $6,649 billion), Canada (8th, $6,393
billion), Australia (9th, $6,142 billion) and Italy (10th, $4,276
billion).
French honour for Soumitra Chatterjee
Veteran actor received the coveted Legion of Honour, the highest civilian award in France, cleared his throat and spoke for a little over two minutes.
Veteran actor received the coveted Legion of Honour, the highest civilian award in France, cleared his throat and spoke for a little over two minutes.
- Chevalier
de la Légion d’honneur or the Knight of the Legion of Honour, the award
instituted in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, was handed over to him by the
French Ambassador
- French
Ambassador in India Alexandre Ziegler
Swaraj to begin Nepal visit
External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj will hold talks with Nepal’s top leadership during her two-day
visit to Kathmandu starting February 1.
- Swaraj
will be the first senior Indian minister to visit Nepal after the
conclusion of elections to local bodies, provincial assemblies and federal
Parliament.
- Nepal’s
Left alliance is preparing to form a new government which is expected to
be headed by CPN-UML chief and former prime minister K P Oli.
- Swaraj
will meet Oli, who through a letter congratulated Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on the 69th Republic Day of India.
Dinesh Srivastava is new NFC chief
Distinguished scientist Dinesh Srivastava has
taken over as Chief Executive of the Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) consequent on
the retirement of G. Kalyanakrishnan on superannuation
- In
this capacity, Mr. Srivastava will also be Chairman of the NFC Board.
- Mr.
Srivastava has contributed exclusively in the development of advanced
structural materials of extreme strategic value for nuclear energy program
with the central target of his work being on self-reliant development of
critical nuclear components for the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).
Lt. Gen Anil Chauhan Takes Charge as DGMO of
Indian Army
Lt. Gen Anil Chauhan took charge as
the new Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of
the Indian Army. He succeeds Lt General A K Bhatt.
- Lt Gen Chauhan has held several important posts in the
Army and is known for his expertise in counter-insurgency operations in
Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast.
Surendra Kumar new Chief Electoral Officer of Odisha
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has
appointed senior IAS officer Surendra Kumar as the new Chief Electoral Officer
(CEO) of Odisha.
- Kumar will replace D N Gupta. The Odisha government has
been informed about the appointment of Kumar as the CEO in a gazette
notification.
- Kumar, a 1993 batch IAS officer is currently serving as
the principal secretary in ST and SC Welfare Department with additional
charge as the Principal Secretary of Information & Public Relations
(I&PR) Department of Odisha government.
World’s Oldest Man Passes Away at 113
The world's oldest man Francisco Nunez
Olivera has died just over a month after celebrating his 113th
birthday.
- He passed away in Spain where he had lived throughout
his life. He was born on December 13, 1904.
Sharath Kamal lifts National Men’s singles title for 8th time
Sharath Kamal has lifted the National men’s
singles title for the eighth time, equalling the feat of Kamlesh Mehta.
- In the final at the Senior Table Tennis Nationals in
Ranchi, he defeated top-seed Anthony Amalraj 4-1. The winner received two
lakh rupees as prize money.
- Suthirta Mukherjee from West Bengal emerged the new
women champion, beating Hyderabad Nationals winner Manika Batra 4-3.
- Her maiden effort fetched 1.5 lakh rupees, while Manika
received 50 percent less in prize money.
