Daily Current affairs - May 15th and 16th, 2018 for all competitive exams
The International Day of Families is
observed on the 15th of May every year.
- In 1993, the General Assembly of United Nations
decided that 15 May of every year should be observed as The International
Day of Families.
- This day provides an opportunity to promote
awareness of issues relating to families and to increase the knowledge of
the social, economic and demographic processes affecting families.
- This year, the theme for the event is ‘Families and
inclusive societies’.
National Dengue Day
National Dengue Day is observed on May
16 in order to create awareness regarding the viral disease.
- National Dengue day is aimed towards spreading
awareness about Dengue fever, make people understand the condition and how
to take preventive steps.
- The campaign was initiated by the Ministry of Health
and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India on 16th of May, 2016.
Government of India (GoI) has declared
May 16 as National Dengue Day to mark the toll the deadly disease has been
taking in terms of lives and to reaffirm nationwide efforts to tackle the
scourge by using both education and medical intervention.
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President Kovind
inaugurates global exhibition on services- 2018
President Ram Nath Kovind has
inaugurated the 4th edition of Global Exhibition on services in
Mumbai.
- He has also released the logo for Services and
launched the portal.
- 25 Indian states and around 100
countries are expected to participate in Global Exhibition on
Services, this year, with 625 exhibitors and 500 overseas delegates.
Govt. starts enrolment in
green skills courses
In its bid to create over five lakh job
opportunities by 2021 through green skills, the government has launched
GSPD-ENVIS mobile app to begin enrolments in 30 expert courses under its Green
Skill Development Programme (GSPD).
- GSDP is a recent initiative under the ENVIS scheme
for skilling the youth in the country. It is an initiative for skill
development in the environment and forest region by the Ministry of
Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to develop India’s
youth into employable and/or self-employment, making use of the widespread
network and experience of ENVIS Hubs/RPs.
Green skills are those skills required
to adapt processes, services and products to climate change and the
environmental rules and necessities related to it. They embrace the
information, abilities, values and attitudes required to live in, develop and
support a sustainable and resource-efficient society. India is the second
most populous country in the world is bestowed with a large working
population.
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National wind-solar hybrid
policy
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has
issued National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy.
- The objective of the policy is to provide a
framework for promotion of large grid connected wind-solar PV hybrid
system for efficient utilization of transmission infrastructure and land.
It also aims at reducing the variability in renewable power generation and
achieving better grid stability.
Highlights of the policy:
On technology front the Policy
provides for integration of both the energy sources i.e. wind and solar at AC
as well as DC level. The Policy also provides for flexibility in share of
wind and solar components in hybrid project, subject to the condition that,
rated power capacity of one resource be at least 25 per cent of the rated
power capacity of other resource for it to be recognised hybrid project.
The Policy seeks to promote new hybrid
projects as well as hybridisation of existing wind/solar projects. The
existing wind/solar projects can be hybridised with higher transmission
capacity than the sanctioned one, subject to availability of margin in the
existing transmission capacity.
The Policy provides for procurement of
power from a hybrid project on tariff based transparent bidding process for
which Government entities may invite bids. Policy also permits use of battery
storage in the hybrid project for optimising the output and further reduces
the variability. It mandates the regulatory authorities to formulate
necessary standards and regulations for wind-solar hybrid systems.
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4 states ink MoUs with
centre on Health protection mission
The Centre has signed MoU with four
States – Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Union
Territory of Chandigarh for implementing Ayushman Bharat.
- It will subsume the on-going centrally sponsored
schemes -Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) and the Senior
Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS).
- The scheme has the benefit cover of Rs. 5 lakh per
family per year. To ensure that nobody is left out (especially women,
children and elderly) there will be no cap on family size and age in the
scheme. The benefit cover will also include pre and post-hospitalisation
expenses.
- The target beneficiaries of the proposed scheme will
be more than 10 crore families belonging to poor and vulnerable population
based on SECC database. Benefits of the scheme are portable across the
country and a beneficiary covered under the scheme will be allowed to take
cashless benefits from any public/private empanelled hospitals across the
country.
Aadhaar not mandatory for
getting pension
Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra
Singh said that the Aadhaar card is not mandatory for central government
employees to get their pension,.
- In 30th meeting of the Standing Committee of
Voluntary Agencies here recently, he said the Aadhaar was an additional
facility to enable the use of technology for submission of life
certificate without the need for visiting banks.
1st all-woman Post office
Passport seva kendra starts operations
In a first, a Post
Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) run by an all-woman team
has started operations in Phagwara, Punjab.
- The seva kendra was inaugurated
by Union Minister Vijay Sampla in the local head Post Office.
- It was 192nd POPSK in the country, but the
first one to be operated by an all-woman team.
IIM-Ahmedabad launches
Bharat inclusive initiative
IIM-Ahmedabad’s Centre for Innovation,
Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) has launched a Bharat Inclusion
Initiative to build knowledge and foster innovation and entrepreneurial
activity across areas such as financial inclusion, livelihood, education and
health.
- The Bharat Inclusion Initiative aims to provide a
continuum of solutions to inclusion-focused tech entrepreneurs across the
pre-incubation, seed and scale-up stage and help them jump to the next
orbit.
- It is a $25 million initiative that will look to
mentor and invest in start-ups in the early stage and seed segment over
the next three-four years.
- The fund will look at start-ups in areas such as
financial inclusion, livelihood, education, agriculture, and health.
- The initiative received an initial pledge of $12.5
million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Michael and Susan
Dell Foundation, and Omidyar Network.
Indian army officers, Mt.
Bhagirathi 2 recently flagged off
Indian Army Women Officers’
Mountaineering Expedition to Mt. Bhagirathi-II (6512 metres) consisting of nine
women officers, was recently flagged off.
- Mt. Bhagirathi-II is located in the Garhwal
Himalayas in Gangotri National Park, Uttarakhnad. The peak rises right
above the Gangotri glacier which sets new challenges for the climbers. The
summit is challenging owing to its technical requirements, vertical
ascents, inclement and unpredictable weather conditions.
India released grant of
NRs 18.07 crore to Nepal for river training
India has
released grant of Nepalese Rupees 18.07 crore for river training
and construction of embankments along Lalbakeya, Bagmati and Kamla rivers
in Nepal.
- Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh
Puri handed over a cheque of the grant to Dr Sanjay
Sharma, Secretary Ministry of Energy, Irrigation & Water
Resources, Nepal in Kathmandu.
- The river training and embankment work in the
Lalbakeya, Bagmati and Kamla rivers in Nepal aimed at flood control
and water resources management, which benefit several million people
inhabiting in the watershed of these rivers in India and Nepal.
ADNOC shipped 1st Strategic
Petroleum Reserve at Mangalore
Abu Dhabi National Oil
Company (ADNOC) has shipped the first oil cargo for India’s strategic petroleum
reserve at Mangalore.
- Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL) had
then signed an agreement with ADNOC which allows the firm to store 5.86
million barrels of crude in the strategic facility at Mangalore at its own
cost.
- India can use the entire available crude oil stored
by ADNOC in the Mangalore facility during an emergency situation. The
Agreement with ISPRL also allows ADNOC to sell part of the crude oil to
Indian refineries on commercial basis while adhering to mutually agreed
minimum crude storage which is for the exclusive use of the Indian
government.
About SPR programme:
To ensure energy security,
the Government of India had decided to set up 5 million metric tons (MMT) of
strategic crude oil storages at three locations namely, Visakhapatnam,
Mangalore and Padur (near Udupi). These strategic storages would be in
addition to the existing storages of crude oil and petroleum products with
the oil companies and would serve as a cushion during any external supply disruptions.
In the 2017-18 budget, it
was announced that two more such caverns will be set up Chandikhole in Jajpur
district of Odisha and Bikaner in Rajasthan as part of the second phase.
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WHO launches ‘REPLACE’ to
eliminate trans fat in foods by 2023
World Health Organization
has launched a comprehensive plan to eliminate industrially-produced artificial
trans fats from the global food supply by 2023.
- WHO calls on governments to use
the ‘REPLACE’ action package to eliminate industrially-produced
trans-fatty acids from the food supply.
- Elimination of trans fats is key to protecting the
health and saving lives. The global health body estimates that every year,
trans fat intake leads to over 5,00,000 deaths worldwidefrom
cardiovascular diseases.
DoT approves Bharti Airtel
and Telenor India merger
The telecom department has
approved the merger of Norwegian telecom major’s India arm – Telenor India –
with India’s leading carrier Bharti Airtel.
- The telecom department has transferred all licenses
belonging to Telenor India, and its liabilities to Bharti Airtel as well.
- The Competition Commission of India, Securities
& Exchange Board of India, the stock exchanges and National Company
Law Tribunal have already approved the acquisition.
Retail inflation surges to
4.58%, WPI at 4-month high in April
A statement issued by the
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation revealed that an increase
in fruit and vegetable prices, coupled with egg prices, has pushed CPI to 4.58
percent in April, from 4.28 percent in March.
- The Consumer Food Price Index, however, was a tad
lower at 2.8 percent in April, from 2.81 percent in March. The latest
number has put a break on the slide in CPI since January this year.
RBI bars Allahabad Bank
from giving fresh loans
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
barred state-run Allahabad Bank from extending fresh loans, under it’s prompt
corrective action (PCA) framework, after the lender fell short of minimum
capital adequacy ratio (CAR) requirement.
- The bank’s CAR was 8.69% as on March 31, 2018
against the regulatory minimum requirement of 9%.
Allahabad Bank
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Capital
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Kolkata
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Tagline
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A Tradition of Trust
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MD & CEO
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Usha Ananthasubramanian
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YES Bank Launches Agenda
25×25
YES Bank and YES Global
Institute have launched Agenda 25×25, which pledges to create a
synergetic startup environment for budding women entrepreneurs in India.
- The effort would ensure that by 2025 at least 25% of
all entrepreneurs in India are women.
- The bank made the announcement at the YES Bank
– YES Global Institute Annual Startup Conclave hosted in partnership
with NITI Aayog, Invest India, Startup India and Atal Innovation
Mission.
YES Bank
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Capital
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Mumbai
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Tagline
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Experience our Expertise
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MD & CEO
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Rana Kapoor
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India 3rd largest solar
market in World: Mercom report
India emerged as the third
largest solar market in the world in 2017 behind China and the US,
according to the report of Mercom Communications India.
- India has grown at a Compound annual growth rate
(CAGR) of approximately 170% since 2010.
- As per the report, India set a new record
with 9.6 GW of solar installations in 2017, which was more than
double the 4.3 GW installed in 2016. The robust growth boosted the
country's total solar installed capacity to 19.6 GW as of December 2017.
Smriti Irani chairs
meeting of stakeholders on ‘Samarth’- scheme in Delhi
A meeting of stakeholders
on 'Samarth' – Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile
Sector under the Skill India Mission was held in New Delhi to familiarize
the stakeholders about the scheme and its guidelines.
- The meeting was chaired by Union Minister of
Textiles, Smriti Zubin Irani.
- The broad objective of the new scheme is to skill
the youth for gainful and sustainable employment in the textile sector
covering the entire value chain of textiles, excluding spinning and
weaving.
- The scheme targets to train 10 lakh persons (9 lakh
in organised and 1 lakh in traditional sector) over a period of
3 years (2017-20), with an outlay of Rs. 1300 crore.
2-day regional conference
on “Physical and social infrastructure for regional development” held in
Guwahati
The Governor of Assam, Prof.
Jagdish Mukhi inaugurated the two-day Seminar being organized by
the Ministry of Finance on the theme of “Physical and Social
Infrastructure for Regional Development” in Guwahati, Assam.
- The Seminar is organized in collaboration with
the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Research and
Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) and
the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries
(FICCI).
CIPAM-DIPP organizes a
conference on National IPR policy
The Cell for IPR Promotion
and Management (CIPAM), a professional body under the aegis of
the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), Ministry
of Commerce & Industry, had organized a conference on successful completion
of two years of the National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
Policy adopted by the Government of India in May 2016 in New Delhi.
- Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Commerce and Industry and
Civil Aviation, launched the IP Mascot at the event. In this context, an
anti-piracy video featuring Mr Amitabh Bachchan was also launched at the
event.
- The National IPR Policy is a vision document that
aims to create and exploit synergies between all forms of intellectual
property (IP), concerned statutes and agencies.
BIMSTEC working group on
Customs cooperation held in New Delhi
The first meeting of the BIMSTEC Working
Group on Customs Cooperation held in New Delhi, India.
- Delegates from all the BIMSTEC Member States, i.e.,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand attended
the meeting.
- The meeting reviewed the progress in matters of
BIMSTEC customs cooperation and finalized the draft text of the Agreement
on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters for BIMSTEC Free
Trade Area for submission to the 21st Meeting of the BIMSTEC Trade
Negotiating Committee.
Nepal to host 2018 BIMSTEC
summit
Nepal will host the 2018 Bay of Bengal
Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)
summit.
- It was announced by Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma
Oli during his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in
Kathmandu (capital city ).
- BIMSTEC is the sub-regional group of seven countries
in South Asia and South East Asia lying in the littoral and adjacent areas
of the Bay of Bengal constituting a contiguous regional unity.
- BIMSTEC countries are India, Nepal, Bangladesh,
Bhutan, Sri Lanka from South Asia and Myanmar, Thailand from South East
Asia.
Changes in Cabinet
Ministers
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given
independent charge of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) to
Rajyavardhan Rathore, who was the Minister of State at the ministry. Rathore
will replace Smriti Irani.
- Irani will, however, continue to hold the Textile
Ministry.
- Modi has assigned the vital Ministry of Finance to
Railways Minister Piyush Goyal, who will be at the helm of the Ministry of
Finance till Arun Jaitley fully recovers after his successful kidney transplant
surgery.
Ambika Sharma to head
USIBC India office
The U.S India Business Council named
Ambika Sharma as its head for India.
- Ms. Sharma was Director General for International at
the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
- As Director General of FICCI, Sharma is the highest
ranked female executive of an Indian industry body, the USIBC said in a
statement.
The U.S.-India Business Council is the
premier business advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening the
economic and commercial relationship between the United States and India. The
Council's primary mission is to serve as the direct link between business and
government leaders.
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MS Dhoni is Netmeds brand
ambassador
Online pharmacy Netmeds announced that
cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni is its brand ambassador.
- Dhoni, who has an "incredibly strong appeal
across all sectors and all demographics", will feature in nationwide
marketing campaigns for it.
Rohatgi joins Lokpal
selection panel
Former Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi
has been appointed “eminent jurist” in the high-profile Lokpal selection committee
led by the Prime Minister, which will shortlist candidates for appointment as
the anti-corruption ombudsman.
- Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal informed a Bench led
by Justice Ranjan Gogoi about the appointment.
Anindita Honoured With
Jayadev Rashtriya Yuva Puraskar Award
US-based Kathak dancer
Anindita Anaam was honoured with the prestigious 'Shri
Jayadev Rastriya Yuva Pratibha Puraskar 2018' for outstanding
contribution to the field of art.
- The award was presented to the Kathak exponent
during the 'Jayadev International Dance Festival' in Bhubaneswar,
Odisha.
Sulabh International
founder awarded Nikkei Asia Prize
The founder of Sulabh International, Dr
Bindeshwar Pathak, has been honoured with the Nikkei Asia Prize in Japan for
his contribution to Asia’s development.
- Pathak is among the three (Mr. Ma Jun and Professor
Nguyen Thanh Liem) who have been
conferred with the award.
- He has been described as “an Indian social reformer
tackling two of his country’s biggest challenges — poor hygiene and
discrimination”.
Nikkei Asia Prize is an award which
recognizes the achievements of people and organizations that have improved
the lives of people throughout Asia. The awards were created and presented by
Nikkei Inc, one of the largest media corporations in Japan. Launched in 1996,
the program honors people in Asia who have made significant contributions in
one of the three areas: regional growth; science, technology and innovation;
and culture
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Mark Tully to get Red ink
award
Senior journalist Mark
Tully will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at
the annual Red Ink Awards in Mumbai.
- Tully worked with the BBC for three decades and was
the broadcaster’s Chief of Bureau for Delhi for 20 years.
- Tully was a front-running reporter for all major
news breaks in South Asia like the Indo-Pakistan wars, the Bhopal gas
tragedy, Operation Blue Star, assassination of Indira Gandhi and anti-Sikh
riots.
- Faye D’Souza, the Executive Editor of Mirror
Now, will also be given the Journalist of the Year Award at the
function.
Shashank Manohar to serve
2nd term as ICC chairman
Former BCCI President
Shashank Manohar will serve a second two-year term as the
independent chairman of the International Cricket Council after he
was elected unopposed by the governing body's Board.
- Mr Manohar became the first
independent ICC Chairman in 2016.
- According to the election process, ICC Directors
were each allowed to nominate one candidate, who had to be either a
present or a past ICC Director.
India wins U-16
Four-nation Football tournament in Serbia
Indian Under-16 National
Team was crowned champions of the Four-Nation Tournament held
in Serbia after the Indian Colts defeated Tajikistan.
- In what was a stellar start for the Indian U-16s
against Tajikistan, the young colts took the lead as early as the 5th
minute when Gibson lobbed the ball over the opposing custodian.
