Daily Current affairs - February 23, 2018 for all competitive exams
An
Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) has
been set up for the North Eastern Region (NER).
- This
was decided after a meeting between Secretaries of DoNER and AYUSH.
- The
IMC is to create synergy in various programmes of the Union Government to
enable medicinal and aromatic plants sector become vibrant and develop the
resources to its potential.
The IMC will
comprise members from various Ministries, Departments and several
organisations in the relevant fields. The Ministry of Development of
North-East Region (MDoNER) will be the coordinator for the IMC of MAPs.
The Committee will review the existing mechanism or
institutional arrangements for management and development of MAPs resources
of NER.
|
Electoral bonds will start from March 1
The first sale
of electoral bonds will start from March 1 for a period of 10 days at four main
branches of State Bank of India in Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi.
- The
bonds will be issued in multiples of Rs.1,000, Rs.10,000, Rs.1
lakh, Rs.10 lakh and Rs.1 crore and will be available at specified
branches of State Bank of India.
- They can be bought by the donor with a KYC-compliant
account. Donors can donate the bonds to their party of choice which can
then be cashed in via the party’s verified account within 15 days.
An electoral
bond is designed to be a bearer instrument like a Promissory Note — in
effect, it will be similar to a bank note that is payable to the bearer on
demand and free of interest. It can be purchased by any citizen of India or a
body incorporated in India. The electoral bonds will not bear the name of the
donor.
|
DoT’s plan to spur synergy among 7 PSUs
The government
has unveiled a ‘strategic plan’ to enable seven state-owned companies under the
Department of Telecom (DoT) to work closely.
- The
action plan covers MTNL, BSNL, Indian Telephone Industries (ITI), Centre
for Development of Telematics (CDOT), Telecommunications Consultants India
Ltd. (TCIL), Testing and Certification of Telecom Equipments (TEC) and
BharatNet (BBNL).
The strategic
plan entails effective utilisation of human resources, optimum use of vacant
space and promoting ‘Make in India’, among other things. Under the plan, the
government has identified specific areas where teams will work on including
manpower, settlement of legal issues and utilisation of vacant space.
The plan
aims at promoting greater operational synergy among the PSUs, including
pooling in of resources and effective utilisation of human resources as well
as land and buildings.
|
UP Cabinet approves ‘one district, one product’ scheme
The Uttar
Pradesh Cabinet has approved ‘one district, one product’ scheme to promote
products indigenous to every district.
- ODOP
is aimed at giving a major push to traditional industries synonymous with
the respective districts of the state. Under this, one product indigenous
to every district would be showcased at the three-day UP Diwas
event.
- This
will boost economic development of the state, and also help in generation
of five lakh new jobs annually.
ODOP is
basically a Japanese business development concept, which gained prominence in
1979. It is aimed at promoting a competitive and staple product from a
specific area to push sales and improve the standard of living of the local
population. Over time, it has been replicated in other Asian countries as
well.
|
Uttar Pradesh becomes 1st Indian state to clear projects
digitally
Uttar Pradesh (UP) has become
the first state in India where
business and investment projects can now be cleared digitally, without any human interface.
- This
has become possible with launch of ‘Nivesh Mitra’, a digital platform which will serve as
a single-window clearance system.
- This Mitra was launched by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi during the inauguration session
of the UP Investors’ Summit in
Lucknow.
Nivesh Mitra replaces Udyog Bandhu. Under Udyog Bandhu processes were eased
significantly but one would still need to go through at least one government
officer.
|
NER’s 1st Regional Centre for Agriculture with
Israeli Collaboration to be Inaugurated in Mizoram
Israeli Ambassador to India, Mr Daniel
Carmon has stated that a Centre for Agriculture, with the collaboration of
Israeli expertise, is going to be inaugurated in Mizoram in March 2018.
- This
will be the first such centre in the North East region (NER) of
India that is being established with Israeli collaboration. It has
been set up at a cost of Rs 8-10 crore.
Cannot annul marriage between adults: SC
Courts cannot annul marriages between two
consenting adults or resort to a “roving enquiry” on whether the married
relationship between a man and a woman is based on consent, the Supreme Court
said
- A
Bench, led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, defined the limits of the court’s
jurisdiction in the Hadiya case. Ms. Hadiya, a 26-year-old homoeopathy
student, had converted to Islam and then married a Muslim.
The Kerala High Court had annulled Ms. Hadiya’s marriage to
Shafin Jahan.
|
Biometric data in State hubs destroyed: UIDAI
A statement was made in the Supreme Court on the
instructions of the UIDAI chief that all biometrics stored in State Resident
Data Hubs have been “destroyed”.
- Appearing
before a Constitution Bench, led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, senior
advocate Rakesh Dwivedi made the statement on behalf of the UIDAI’s top
officer, who was present in the courtroom.
- Mr.
Dwivedi submitted that biometrics were now stored in the Aadhaar central
database or the Central ID Repository.
Mr. Dwivedi said the Aadhaar Act of 2016 does not allow
biometrics to be stored with State-level authorities. This is a precaution to
prevent leakages
|
Asian Development Bank and India Sign $84
Million Loan for Water Supply in Bihar
The Government of India and Asian Development
Bank (ADB) signed a $84 million loan for improvement and
expansion of water supply in Bhagalpur and Gaya towns in Bihar.
- The
tranche 2 loan is part of the $200 million multi-tranche financing
facility (MFF) for the Bihar Urban Development Investment Program
that was approved by ADB in 2012.
- The
loan will have a 25-year term, including a grace period of 5 years, an
annual interest rate determined in accordance with ADB’s lending facility
based on the London interbank offered rate (LIBOR), and a
commitment charge of 0.15% per year.
Asian
Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19
December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in
Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines.
|
Pakistan added to FATF grey-list
Financial
Action Task Force (FATF) has added Pakistan’s name to the grey-list of
terror-financing watch list. This was decided in a recently held meeting in
Paris. Pakistan was previously on the list for three years until 2015.
- Pakistani
analysts say being put on the FATF watchlist could deal a blow to
Pakistan’s economy, making it harder for foreign investors and companies
to do business in the country.
- It
would be counterproductive to put Pakistan on the watch list as it would
hurt its capability to fight terrorism. Also, being put back on the grey
list would heighten Pakistan’s risk profile and some financial
institutions would be wary of transacting with Pakistani banks and
counterparties.
The
Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental body established
in 1989 on the initiative of the G7. It is a “policy-making body” which
works to generate the necessary political will to bring about national
legislative and regulatory reforms in various areas.
|
Nawaz Sharif slams SC decision
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
criticised the Supreme Court’s decision to disqualify him as the leader of the
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz
Mr. Sharif was disqualified as an MP in July last
year, following a Supreme court-ordered probe into the Panama Papers
revelations on his family’s offshore assets.
- On
Wednesday, the court ruled that he could not continue as the leader of the
PML-N. The Supreme Court also declared
null and void all decisions taken by Mr. Sharif as the party head after
his disqualification as MP.
Super critical carbon di oxide Brayton test loop facility
Indian
scientists have developed a super critical carbon di oxide Brayton test loop
facility that would help generate clean energy from future power plants
including solar thermal.
- This
next generation technology loop was developed indigenously by Indian Institute
of Science, Bangalore.
- The
facility is part of the Indo-US consortium — Solar Energy Research
Institute for India and the United States (SERIIUS).
The term
“supercritical” describes the state of carbon dioxide above its critical
temperature of 31°C and critical pressure of 73 atmospheres making it twice
as dense as steam.
|
Twitter cracks down on automated ‘bot’ accounts
Twitter has announced a crackdown on accounts
powered by software “bots” which can artificially amplify a person or cause and
which have been accused of manipulating the social network during the 2016 U.S.
election.
- The
microblogging platform said the move was intended to rid the service of
spam-spewing automated accounts, and not aimed at people using the service
according to the rules.
Paytm launches Two insurance companies
Digital payments startup Paytm has launched
two insurance companies, Paytm Life Insurance and Paytm General Insurance.
- Paytm
Founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, CFO Madhur Deora, and Shankar Prasad Nath
are the three signatory stakeholders in both the companies.
Paytm is run by One97 Communications Ltd.
|
Scientists discover the secret to the ancient
Roman gate to hell
A new study at a ‘gate to hell’ in the ancient
city of Hierapolis has revealed that these ‘miracles’ may have a simple
scientific explanation.
- Over
2,000 years ago, Romans living in Hierapolis would stage elaborate
sacrifices at what they thought was the ‘gate to hell.’
- Researchers
from the University of Duisburg-Essen have analysed the gate to hell in
Hierapolis, which is built into a small cave-like grotto.
Walmart to launch new online home shopping
experience
Walmart is launching a new online home
shopping experience in the coming weeks that will let shoppers discover items
based on their style.
- The
overhauled website will take a launch later this year and will mirror how
people shop for different items.
- Walmart
says it expects its e-commerce business to ramp up this year and sees
e-commerce rising 40 percent this year, the same pace as last year.
RBS hires ‘digital human’ Cora on probation
NatWest, a
bank in UK, has developed a new “digital human” prototype called Cora to have
conversations with customers and help them out with banking queries.
- The
digital teller answers simple questions on getting a mortgage or what to
do if a customer loses their card.
- The
AI-driven personality can answer more than 200 banking queries.
Ivanka Trump will attend Olympics finale
U.S. President Donald Trump’s daughter and
adviser Ivanka Trump may come face to face with a top North Korean general, as
both are set to attend the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics in South
Korea
- Ms.
Ivanka will be leading a high-profile American delegation to the closing
ceremony of the Winter Olympics, being held in Pyeongchang
Renowned Violinist MS Anantharaman Passes Away
Noted violinist M.S. Anantharaman, an
exponent of Parur style of violin playing had passed away.
- He
was 94 and was proficient in Carnatic music.
Mary Kom
assured of third successive international boxing medal
Five-time world champion MC Mary Kom (48kg)
assured herself of a third successive international medal.
- By
advancing to the semifinals of the 69th Strandja Memorial Boxing
Tournament for men and women.
- The
35-year-old defeated old nemesis Steluta Duta of Romania in her
quarterfinal contest.
