Daily Current affairs - April 11th, 2018 for all competitive exams
The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said
that democracy is the ideal system of governance and Shri Atal ji has succeeded
in preserving it.
- He
was addressing the gathering after releasing the Books on former Prime
Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, ‘Sarvapriya Atalji’, ‘Jannayak
Atalji’ and ‘Atal Jeevan Gatha’.
- The
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Statistics & Programme
Implementation, Shri Vijay Goel and other dignitaries were present on the
occasion.
India to grow 7.3% this financial year, 7.6% in Next says ADB
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has said, India’s economic
growth is set to raise to 7.3 per cent this fiscal and further to 7.6 percent
in the next financial year, on back of GST and banking reforms.
- In
its Asian Development Outlook (ADO), 2018, ADB said, Indian economy grew
6.6 percent in the last fiscal as it battled the lingering effects of
demonetisation in 2016, businesses adjusting to GST in 2017, and a subdued
agriculture.
President 3-Nation Visit: Signs 4 agreements
with Zambia
President Ram Nath Kovind has asked Indian Diaspora in
Zambia to become the partner in India’s growth and asked them to take advantage
of Overseas Citizen of India, OCI programme.
- Four
MOUs were signed between the two countries which include the
establishment of Entrepreneurship Development Institute in Zambia,
taxation, visa exemption on diplomatic passports and judicial cooperation.
This is the first time in three decades that a President of India is
undertaking a state visit to Zambia.
Internal e-waybills from April 15
The Union government announced that it would be rolling out
the e-waybill system for intra-State transport of goods in Andhra Pradesh,
Gujarat, Kerala, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh on April 15.
- The
countrywide e-waybill system for the inter-State movement of goods was
rolled out on April 1.
- The
GST Council had said it would roll out the system for the intra-State
movement of goods in four phases. The April 15 roll-out will mark the
first of these phases.
Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and
Kerala have taken the lead over other States and have emerged as the top
States in terms of number of e-waybills being generated, the Goods and
Services Tax Network said. “These five States together have accounted for 61%
of all the e-waybills generated in the country till April 8,
2018.” While the rules are largely similar for the inter- and
intra-State movement of goods, there are relaxations available if the journey
is of shorter distances.
|
FSSAI introduces Project Dhoop
In order to
address rising incidence of Vitamin ‘D’ Deficiencies (VDD), particularly
amongst the young people, FSSAI has launched a unique initiative, ‘Project
Dhoop’ in association with NCERT, NDMC and North MCD Schools.
- Project
Dhoop urges schools to shift their morning assembly to noon time, mainly
between 11am and 1pm to ensure maximum absorption of Vitamin D in students
through natural sunlight.
Vitamin D
deficiency occurs due to overuse of sunscreen, wearing clothes that cover
most of the skin, working all day in an air-conditioned atmosphere, and other
factors. Also, the school uniforms needs to be designed in a way that at
least face and arms are exposed to sunlight, which would be equivalent to 18
per cent of body surface, and the exposure has to be at least for 30-40
minutes.
|
The Food
Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been established under
Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 which consolidates various acts &
orders that have hitherto handled food related issues in various Ministries
and Departments. It was created for laying down science based standards for
articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution,
sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human
consumption. Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India is
the Administrative Ministry for the implementation of FSSAI.
|
New norms for global projects
The Central Vigilance Commission has drawn up a new set of
guidelines for projects funded by international agencies such as the World
Bank, IMF and Asian Development Bank.
- The
new guidelines will put an end to existing practice of government
departments and agencies adhering to the guidelines of foreign donors,
while ignoring Indian government rules, in concluding contracts for
projects funded by them.
- The
new guidelines also draw a distinction between grants-in-aid and loans.
- The
decision could open up a debate on whether Indian guidelines that insist
on the lowest financial tender to be selected, even if quality questions
remain, is better than standards followed by the international agencies.
“You cannot always insist on L1
National commission for Safai Karamcharis
A new website a mobile app has been
launched for the ‘National Commission for Safai Karamcharis’.
- The
Mobile App will help the Commission in addressing the
grievances/complaints of petitioners in an efficient manner.
National
Commission for Safai Karamcharis is an
Indian statutory body was established through National
Commission for Safai Karamcharis Act, 1993. It aims to promote and safeguard
the interests and rights of Safai Karamcharis.
The National
Commission for Safai Karamcharis seeks to study, evaluate and monitor the
implementation of various schemes for Safai Karamcharis as an autonomous
organisation and also to provide redressal of their grievances.
|
Haryana Government launches Water ATM policy for urban areas
Haryana State Government has come up with Water ATM Policy to
provide clean drinking water to people at public places.
- Distance
between two water ATMs within a city would be 400 metres, which could be
adjusted according to convenience of people.
- Spots
for installation of water ATMs will be identified by the municipalities.
Installation would be done mostly at public places such as bus-stands,
parks, railway stations, parking areas and markets.
- Post
installation, functioning of Water ATMs would be looked after by the
municipality itself or by an agency.
World’s largest solar park to come up in
Gujarat
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay
Rupani approved setting up a 5000 MW capacity solar park at
the Dholera Special Investment Region.
- The
proposed solar power generation project would be set up in 11,000 hectares
of land with an investment of Rs 25,000 crore.
- The
project will contribute significantly to achieving Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s target of producing 175 gigawatts of electricity.
India and Vietnam maritime security and counter-terrorism
cooperation
Vice Foreign Minister of Vietnam, Dang Dinh Quy met Union
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi and held discussions on
India-Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership and on ways to further boost
ties.
- India,
Vietnam discuss ways to boost ties. It is to be noted that in 2016, India
and Vietnam formally upgraded their relationship status (from Strategic
Partnership) to “comprehensive strategic partnership.
- India-Vietnam
comprehensive strategic partnership focuses on bilateral trade and Defence
cooperation.
During 2018, so far, there have been two high-level visits
to India from the Vietnamese side. Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc
was one of the chief guests for the Republic Day Parade on January 26, 2018,
while Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang also paid a visit to India in March
2018.
|
Vietnam
|
|
Capital
|
Hanoi
|
Currency
|
Dong
|
Prime Minister
|
Tran Dai Quang
|
Iran agrees to take OVL’s Farzad-B gas
Iran has agreed to take the gas produced from Farzad-B field,
discovered by ONGC Videsh Ltd. in the Persian Gulf, but differences remain over
returns on investments made by the Indian firm.
- Iran
previously conditioned granting rights to develop the Farzad-B fields to
OVL on Indian firms buying all of the gas produced at the imported-LNG
equivalent rate.
- This
proposition, which involved an investment of $11 billion in first
developing the field and then setting up a facility to convert it into
liquid gas (LNG) for shipping to India, was considered very expensive
Google Home, Home mini launched in India
Google Home and Home Mini Bluetooth speakers have been
launched in India.
Google Assistant-powered speakers will be available on
Flipkart and in 750 retail stores in India.
- Google
Home is priced at Rs 9,999 and Home Mini at Rs 4,499 in India. They were
launched at Google’s I/O 2016 conference.
- This
is the first time Google has launched its speakers in India.
Uber
buys electric bicycle rental company Jump Bikes
Uber Technologies Inc. is leaping into the
bike-rental industry with the purchase of Jump Bikes.
- The
ride-hailing giant agreed to pay more than $100 million in cash and stock
to buy the electric-bicycle provider.
- Jump
and Uber struck a partnership that integrated Jump’s $2-a-ride service
into Uber’s mobile application earlier this year.
J&K Bank launches special financing scheme ‘Add on Working
Capital GST’ for industrial units
Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) Bank has launched ‘Add on
Working Capital GST’, a special financing scheme to help the state industry
cope with the delay in reimbursement of Goods and Services Tax (GST) under
special tax relief.
- This
scheme was launched by J&K Finance Minister Syed Altaf Bukhari in the
presence of Minister for Industry and Commerce Chander Parkash Ganga.
- By
ensuring healthy cash flow, this scheme will provide relief to industrial
units in J&K that are facing stressed liquidity position due to Goods
and Services Tax regime.
- Under
this scheme, revolving credit facility will be extended at most
competitive rate of 9 per cent and that too with minimum documentation.
SBI Launches UK Subsidiary with 225mn Pounds Capital
The SBI has announced the launch of its UK subsidiary, SBI
(UK) Limited, with an initial capital commitment of 225 million pounds from its
parent entity.
- India’s
largest state-owned bank, which celebrated the new subsidiary with a
special event in London, becomes the first foreign bank in the UK to ring
fence its retail division from its wholesale business.
BJP richest national party,
with Rs. 1,034 Crore declared income.
With the declared income of
over Rs. 1,000 crores, BJP is the richest among the seven national
political parties in India.
- The
party made an income of Rs. 1,034 crores during 2016-17, which
is about two-thirds the earnings of the national seven parties.
- The
Congress is a distant second, with a declared income
of Rs. 225.36 crore, the report says.
India
has seven recognised national parties - Congress, BJP, BSP, CPI, CPI-M, NCP
and All India Trinamool Congress.
|
Andhra CM Naidu inaugurates ‘Happy Cities Summit 2018’ in
Amravati
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and
Founder of Isha Foundation Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev has inaugurated a three-day
long ‘Happy Cities Summit 2018’ in Amravati.
- Around
1,000 delegates from India and abroad will take part in the Summit.
- This
is first of its kind program in India.
The first
‘Happy Cities Summit: Amaravati 2018’ is a unique event bringing the best of
minds in urban innovation across the world. While the Government of Andhra
Pradesh is hosting it, the event partners are Dalberg, Confederation of
Indian Industries, and Centre for Liveable Cities (Singapore).
The Happy
Cities Summit: Amaravati 2018 will be centered on the foundational principles
of happy cities: ‘Citizen-centric governance’, ‘Liveable Communities’, ‘Clean
& Healthy Environment’, and ‘Vibrant Economies’.
Objective of
the summit is to evolve a framework for thinking about and measuring ‘city
happiness’ as well as a declaration and set of principles for guiding policy
and action in the development of ‘happy cities’, especially relevant for
cities in the developing world.
|
10th DefExpo India Begins in Tamil Nadu
The tenth edition of a biennial exhibition of weapons and
military hardware - DefExpo India- 2018 has begun at
Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu.
- The
four-day long defence expo was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
- Indigenously
developed military helicopters, aircraft, missiles and rockets,
capabilities to manufacture submarines, frigates and corvettes would be
showcased at the event.
Conference of Lieutenant Governors and Administrators of UTs to
be held at Megapode Resort, Port Blair
A conference of Lieutenant Governors and Administrators of
Union Territories will be held at Megapode Resort, Port Blair in Andaman and
Nicobar Islands.
- The
Governor of Punjab and Administrator of Chandigarh, VP Singh, Lt. Governor
of Puducherry, Dr Kiran Bedi, Lt. Governor, Andaman & Nicobar Islands,
Admiral (Retd.) DK Joshi and representatives from Delhi, Lakshadweep,
Daman & Diu are attending the conference.
Logo, Website of 11th World Hindi Conference was released
released
Education Minister of Mauritius, Leela Devi Dookhun Luchoomun
released the logo and website of 11th World Hindi Conference in New Delhi.
- 11th
World Hindi Conference is scheduled to be held in Mauritius from 18th to
20th August 2018.
- Education
Minister of Mauritius stated that a sub-committee has been formed which
will keep collecting information and will update the newly released
website.
World Hindi Conference is a world conference on Hindi
language, which brings together Hindi scholars, writers and laureates from
different parts of the world. 1st World Hindi Conference was held in January
1975 in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
|
Trump’s top homeland security adviser resigns
White House adviser on homeland security Tom
Bossert on Tuesday became the latest top official to leave the Trump
administration.
- President
Trump thanks him for his patriotic service and wishes him well.
- Bossert’s
departure came just a day after John Bolton took charge as President
Donald Trump’s third national security adviser.
AIIMS professor Balram Bhargava appointed Director General of
ICMR
Balram Bhargava was appointed the Director General of Indian
Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Secretary of the Department of Health
Research.
- Balram
Bharagava is currently Professor/Senior Consultant Cardiologist at All
India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
- He
has been appointed the DG of ICMR for a 3 year term or until 60 years of
age, as per an order issued by the Personnel Ministry. Also, scientist
Renu Swaroop has been appointed the Secretary of the Department of
Biotechnology.
Ban Ki-moon elected BFA Chairman
Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has
been elected chairman of 'Boao Forum for Asia' (BFA).
- He has replaced former
Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.
- Founded
in 2001, the BFA is a non-governmental and non-profit international
organisation committed to promoting regional economic integration and
bringing Asian countries closer to their development goals.
Rishad Premji appointed Nasscom chairman
Rishad Premji, Board member of Wipro
Ltd. has been appointed as the Chairman of the National Association
of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) for 2018-19.
- He
succeeds Raman Roy, Chairman and Managing Director, who served as
Chairman of NASSCOM for the year 2017-18.
- NASSCOM
also appointed Keshav Murugesh as the Vice Chairman for 2018-19.
Manu Bhaker will be the brand ambassador of Haryana’s Measles
and Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign
Indian shooter Manu Bhaker has been named the brand
ambassador of Haryana’s Measles and Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign.
- This
campaign will be launched by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on
25th April 2017.
- Vaccination
for around 85 lakh children aged between nine months and 15 years will be
done in this campaign.
IPS officer Rajesh Ranjan takes the appointment
as DG CISF
Senior IPS officer Rajesh Ranjan takes
the appointment as Director General of Central Industrial Security Force.
- Ranjan,
a 1984 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Bihar cadre, is at
present Special Director General, Border Security Force.
- He
will be as the chief of the CISF till November 30, 2020.
Presence of Pakistan prompts Asia Cup shift from India to UAE
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) today shifted the 50-over
Asia Cup from India to United Arab Emirates as the BCCI could not procure
permission from the central government to host Pakistan.
- The tournament will now be held from September 13 to 28 in Dubai and Abu Dhabi after all the member nations of ACC agreed unanimously for the change during a meeting at its Kuala Lumpur headquarters.
