Daily Current affairs - February 3&4, 2018 for all competitive exams
February 4 - World Cancer Day
World Cancer Day is an international
day marked on February 4 to raise
awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection,
and treatment.
- This
day is dedicated to spread awareness about one of the deadliest diseases
in the world, Cancer.
- Theme
of World Cancer Day 2016-18: 'We can. I can'
World Cancer Day was founded by the Union for
International Cancer Control (UICC) to support the goals of
the World Cancer Declaration, written in 2008. The primary goal of the
World Cancer Day is to significantly reduce illness and death caused by
cancer by 2020.
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PM Modi Inaugurates Global Investment Summit in
Assam
The first two-day Global Investment
Summit has been organized in Assam.
- The
summit emphasises on promoting investments in the state and the North
East. The conference was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi.
- Businessmen
like Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani are taking part in the Summit.
Investor's from Bhutan, Bangladesh, Germany and Japan as well as
ASEAN countries will attend the summit.
Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahaabhiyan or KUSUM scheme
As part of
Union Budget 2018-19, the government has announced Kisan Urja Suraksha evam
Utthaan Mahaabhiyan or KUSUM scheme.
- It
is an Rs.1.4 lakh-crore scheme for promoting decentralised solar
power production of up to 28,250 MW to help farmers.
- It
would provide extra income to farmers, by giving them an option to sell
additional power to the grid through solar power projects set up on
their barren lands. It would help in de-dieselising the sector as also the
DISCOMS.
- The
components of the scheme include building 10,000 MW solar plants on barren
lands and providing sops to DISCOMS to purchase the electricity produced,
‘solarising’ existing pumps of 7250 MW as well as government tube wells
with a capacity of 8250 MW and distributing 17.5 lakh solar pumps.
Task force set up to study AI application in military
The Department
of Defence Production has constituted a task force headed by Tata Sons Chairman
N Chandrasekaran to study use of artificial intelligence.
- Experts
believe that future progress of artificial intelligence (AI) has potential
to have transformative impact on national security.
- It
is also seen that AI is essentially a dual use technology. While it can
fuel technology driven economic growth, it also has potential to provide
military superiority.
Environment Ministry: Dust mitigation plan must for firms
The
Environment Ministry has made it mandatory for companies seeking environment
clearance to ensure that they put in place a dust mitigation plan.
- The
requirements, specified in a gazette notification on January 25, say that
roads leading to or at construction sites must be paved and
black-topped.
- There
could be no soil excavation without adequate dust mitigation measures in
place. No loose soil, sand, construction waste could be left
uncovered.
- A
water sprinkling system was mandatory, and the measures taken should be
prominently displayed at the construction site. Moreover, the grinding and
cutting of building materials in open area were prohibited and no
uncovered vehicles carrying construction material and waste would be
permitted.
The
standards were developed by the Central Pollution Control Board as part of
the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), and will now empower the
organisation to fine companies and agencies for not complying with norms.
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IWAI pact with World bank for Jal Marg Vikas Project
Inland
Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has inked pact with the World Bank for Jal
Marg Vikas Project to enhance navigation on National Waterway-1.
- The
Jal Marg Vikas Project seeks to facilitate plying of vessels with capacity
of 1,500-2,000 tonnes in the Haldia- Varanasi stretch of the River Ganga.
- The
major works being taken up under JMVP are development of fairway,
Multi-Modal Terminals, strengthening of river navigation system,
conservancy works, modern River Information System (RIS), Digital Global
Positioning System (DGPS), night navigation facilities, modern methods of
channel marking etc.
NW 1:
Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system from Allahabad to Haldia was declared
as National Waterway No.1. States covered under NW-1: States: Uttar Pradesh,
Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal.
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Uttar Pradesh inaugurated 1st ever
Butterfly Park
To preserve the ecosystem, the Uttar
Pradesh government has inaugurated the state's 1st ever Butterfly
Park in Kanpur.
- A
total of 100 species of flowers have been planted in order to attract the
butterflies. By now, more than 50 species of butterflies have already been
observed in the park.
Fifth International Biennial Conference of
Indian Heritage Network opened up to signify cultural heritage in Odisha
Fifth International Biennial Conference of Indian
Heritage Network (IHCN) was opened up in Odisha signifying socio-cultural
heritage surrounding art and craft of India which will go on for three days.
- International
Biennial Conference of Indian Heritage Network was inaugurated by Chief
Minister Naveen Patnaik.
- The
outcome of the dialogue series is to arrive at policy-level
recommendations to address the issues relevant to Odisha and also to raise
awareness and be a platform for advocacy.
Maharashtra government decided to setup
Transgender welfare board
The Maharashtra government has decided
to set up a Transgender Welfare Board to protect their Constitutional
and human rights.
- This
will make Maharashtra the first Indian state to have such a
board.
Maharashtra launched 4 new schemes in
agriculture and allied sectors
The Maharashtra government launched four schemes
to promote entrepreneurship in agriculture and allied sectors.
- The
schemes aims to impart training to 2.5 lakh youths across rural
Maharashtra.From group farming to self help groups, all segments have been
considered under the new project.
- Annasaheb
Patil Arthik Backward Development Corporation (APABDC) is the nodal
body for the four schemes.
- Loans
will be provided along with interest subsidy. The second would be for
group farming, the third for group projects related to agro-industries,
small and medium scale entrepreneurs and the fourth relates to skill
development training in agriculture.
- Beneficiaries
would be in the age group of 18 to 41 years depending on category.
SC referred Jallikattu to Constitution Bench
The Supreme
Court has referred to a Constitution Bench to decide whether the people of
Tamil Nadu can preserve jallikattu as their cultural heritage under
Article 29 (1) of the Constitution and demand its protection.
- The
decision came based on petitions filed by activists to strike down the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act of 2017 and
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Conduct of Jallikattu) Rules of
2017. Activists contended that the amended laws had opened the gates for
the conduct of the popular bull-taming sport in the name of culture and
tradition despite a 2014 ban by the Supreme Court.
- It
is for the first time the Supreme Court is considering the question of
granting constitutional protection to jallikattu as a collective cultural
right under Article 29 (1). Article 29(1) is a fundamental right
guaranteed under Part III of the Constitution to protect the educational
and cultural rights of citizens.
Though
commonly used to protect the interests of minorities, Article 29(1) mandates
that “any section of the citizens residing in the territory of India or any
part thereof having a distinct language, script or culture of its own shall
have the right to conserve the same”.
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Centre opens gates wider for Tibetans going
abroad
In a move aimed at discouraging Tibetans from
applying for Indian passports, the Centre has eased the regulations for Tibetan
refugees who wish to travel and study abroad.
- Travel
regulations are also being simplified for relatives of Tibetans living in
foreign countries to help them make visits.
- According
to the Home Ministry, there are approximately 1.10 lakh Tibetan refugees
who live either in 45 settlements spread in different parts of the country
or in places outside.
- Tibetans
who wish to travel abroad are issued an Identity Certificate (IC) in place
of a passport and a Registration Certificate (RC) to allow their stay in
India.
In 2017, the Delhi High Court ruled that Tibetans born in
India between 1950 and 1987 were eligible for Indian passports. The court
ruling came on a petition filed by a journalist, Lobsang Wangyal. Following
this, the Regional Passport Office in Himachal Pradesh received a large
number of applications from Tibetans for Indian passports.
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CRISIL, SIDBI Launch India’s First MSE
Sentiment Index
The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate
Affairs Mr Arun Jaitley launched CriSidEx, India’s first sentiment index
for micro and small enterprises ( MSEs) developed jointly by CRISIL &
SIDBI.
- CriSidEx
is a composite index based on a diffusion index of 8 parameters and measures
MSE business sentiment on a scale of 0 (extremely negative ) to 200 (
extremely positive).
- CriSidEx
will have 2 indices, one for the ‘survey quarter’ and another
for the ‘next quarter’ once a trend emerges after few rounds of
the survey, providing independent time series data.
12th Tirupati Book Festival begins
The much awaited annual event - ‘12th Tirupati
Book Festival’, organised for nine-days by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (BVB) -
Tirupati Kendra, began on a grand note with procession of holy scriptures from
Mahati auditorium to its venue at S.V. High School grounds.
- As
a part of the tradition followed every year by the organisers, the
scriptures such Srimad Bhagavatham, Ramayanam, was taken in a palanquin
till the venue, indicating the commencement of the book festival.
Bangladesh appointed Syed Mahmud
Hossain as the new Chief Justice
Bangladesh has
appointed a chief justice Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain after the office was
vacant for about three months with a senior appellate judge performing the
duties of the head of the judiciary.
- Sinha’s
resignation came six weeks after he went on a leave in October, when the
president instructed Justice Md Abdul Wahhab Miah, the most senior judge
of the Appellate Division, to perform the chief justice’s functions.
Balekempa bags Rotterdam Festival honour
Balekempa (Bangle Sellar Kempa), a Kannada
film written and directed by Ere Gowda, bagged the prestigious International
Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) award at the 47th International Film
Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). The IFFR, which commenced on January 24, will
conclude February 4.
- Balekempa had
received the Work-in-Progress Lab-2017 Award at the National Film
Development Corporation Film Bazar at the International Film Festival of
India (IFFI) held in Goa.
- Incidentally, Balekempa is
the only Indian film in the competition at IFFR under the Bright Future
section.
Shabnam Asthana Wins Times Power Woman 2017
Award
Shabnam Asthana was awarded the 'Times
Power Women of the Year 2017'- Pune for Global PR. The Times Group
celebrated the invaluable contribution of women by introducing The Times Power
Woman 2017 (Pune) awards.
- The
award was conferred on her by Dilip Kamble, Minister of State for
Social Justice and Special Assistance in the Government of
Maharashtra.
Shyam Benegal Awarded V Shantaram Lifetime
Achievement Award
Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF)
committee has decided to bestow V. Shantaram lifetime achievement
Award to veteran film producer and director Shyam Benegal. The
award will be presented at concluding ceremony of MIFF in Mumbai.
- He
will be awarded a trophy, cash price of 10 lakh rupees, a certificate and
a shawl by Governor of Maharashtra C. Vidyasagar Rao.
John Hennessy Appointed Alphabet's New Board
Chairman
Alphabet has appointed John L. Hennessy as the
new board chairman of the company. Hennessy has been on the board since 2004
and Lead Independent Director since 2007. He has replaced Eric
Schmidt.
- Schmidt
will remain as a "technical advisor" to
Alphabet. Hennessy is a former president of Stanford University and
has had an extensive career in the tech industry.
Sony CFO Yoshida to replace CEO Hirai
Sony Corporation said on Friday that
CEO Kazuo Hirai will be replaced by the company’s CFO, Kenichiro
Yoshida, effective from April 1.
- Hirai,
who stepped in as CEO in 2012, will become chairman of the electronics and
entertainment company.
- During
Hirai’s six-year tenure, Sony has exited or cut back in areas such as PCs
and TVs, and capitalized on the spread of smartphones with its image sensors.
- Yoshida
is widely credited for being behind many of the changes, which have won
over investors.
- Sony
is forecasting record profit for the year through March.
Om Prakash bags bronze
Om Prakash Mitharwal won the bronze ahead of
compatriot Dharmendra Singh in the second air pistol match in the Intershoot
international air gun shooting championship.
- Joao
Costa of Portugal, who had a modest 571 in qualification, beat former
World champion Tomoyuki Matsuda to the gold.
Rahane is the 4th Indian to hit 5 straight 50+ ODI scores
Indian middle-order batsman Ajinkya Rahane
smashed 79(86) against South Africa in the first ODI and becoming the fourth
Indian to hit five consecutive 50+ scores in ODIs.
- India
captain Virat Kohli had achieved the feat twice (2012 and 2013), while
former batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid scored five consecutive
50+ scores in 1994 and 2004-05 respectively.
Saurav Ghosal Becomes the Highest-Ranked Indian
Squash Player
India’s leading squash player, Saurav
Ghosal jumped five places to No. 14 to become the highest
ranked Indian in the latest Professional Squash Association (PSA) rankings.
- Ghosal
beat Joshna Chinappa who slipped three places to No. 17
while Dipika Pallikal Karthik remained on 20. Former Indian
national champion Harinder Pal Sandhu was placed at 49th.
India Lifts U-19 World Cup 2018
India has defeated Australia to lift
the Under 19 World cup for the fourth time. The Men in Blue defeated
the three-time champions Australia at Bay Oval, New Zealand.
- The
Australian team had set the target of 217 runs and was chased down
easily by India. Manjot Kalra was the Hero of the
match with his brilliant century.
