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Daily Current affairs - August 2nd, 2018 for all competitive exams


Union Cabinet clears bill to restore the provisions of SC/ST Act
The cabinet has given its nod to introduce a Bill to restore the original provisions of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, which the Supreme Court had struck down in a March ruling.
  • The Amendment Bill seeks to insert three new clauses after Section 18 of the original Act:
  • The first stipulates that for the purposes of the Act, “preliminary enquiry shall not be required for registration of a First Information Report against any person.”
  • The second stipulates that the arrest of a person accused of having committed an offence under the Act would not require any approval.
  • The third says that the provisions of Section 438 of the Code of Criminal Procedure — which deals with anticipatory bail — shall not apply to a case under this Act, “notwithstanding any judgment or order of any Court.”
On March 20, the Supreme Court issued a slew of guidelines to protect people against arbitrary arrests under the Act, directing that public servants could be arrested only with the written permission of their appointing authority, while in the case of private employees, the Senior Superintendent of Police concerned should allow it. A preliminary inquiry should be conducted before the FIR was registered to check if the case fell within the ambit of the Act, and whether it was frivolous or motivated, the court ruled.
The Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is popularly known as POA, the SC/ST Act, the Prevention of Atrocities Act, or simply the Atrocities Act. The SC/ST Act was enacted on September 9, 1989. The rules for the Act were notified on March 31, 1995.
The SC/ST Act lists 22 offences relating to various patterns or behaviours inflicting criminal offences and breaking the self-respect and esteem of the scheduled castes and tribes community. This includes denial of economic, democratic and social rights, discrimination, exploitation and abuse of the legal process.
The prime objective of the SC/ST Act is to deliver justice to marginalised through proactive efforts, giving them a life of dignity, self-esteem and a life without fear, violence or suppression from the dominant castes.


Ministry of Culture launched Seva Bhoj Yojna
Union Ministry of Culture has launched- ‘Seva Bhoj Yojna’– a scheme to reimburse central share of CGST and IGST on food, prasad, langar or bhandara offered by religious and charitable institutions.
  • The ‘Seva Bhoj Yojna’ has a total outlay of Rs 325.00 crore for financial years 2018-19 and 2019-20.
  • The scheme seeks to reimburse the central government’s share of Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) and Integrated Goods and Service Tax (IGST) on purchase of raw items such as ghee, edible oil, atta, maida, rava, flour, rice pulses, sugar and jaggery, which go into preparation of food/prasad/langar/bhandara offered free of cost by religious institutions.
  • The main objective of the scheme is to lessen the financial burden of such charitable religious institutions, which provide free of cost without any discrimination to the general public and devotees.


Union cabinet approved 1st extention of Concessional Financing Scheme (CFS)
Union Cabinet has approved the first extension of Concessional Financing Scheme(CFS) to support Indian Entities bidding for strategically important infrastructure projects abroad. Under the CFS, the Govt. of India has been supporting Indian Entities bidding for strategically important infrastructure projects abroad since 2015-16.
  • Under the Scheme, MEA selects the specific projects keeping in view strategic interest of India and sends the same to Department of Economic Affairs (DEA).
  • The strategic importance of a project to deserve financing under this Scheme, is decided, on a case to case basis, by a Committee chaired by Secretary, DEA.
  • Once approved by the Committee, DEA issues a formal letter to EXIM Bank conveying approval for financing of the project under CFS.
  • The Scheme is presently being operated through the Export-Import Bank of India, which raises resources from the market to provide concessional finance.
  • Government of India (GoI) provides counter guarantee and interest equalization support of 2% to the EXIM Bank.
  • Under the Scheme, EXIM Bank extends credit at a rate not exceeding LIBOR (avg. of six months) + 100 bps. The repayment of the loan is guaranteed by the foreign govt.


Union health ministry reconsider the ban on oxytocin from September 1
Union Health Ministry’s ban on the retail sale and private manufacture of oxytocin will kick off from September 1.
  • Oxytocin has also been dubbed the hug hormone, cuddle chemical, moral molecule, and the bliss hormone due to its effects on behaviour, including its role in love and in female reproductive biological functions in reproduction.
  • Oxytocin is a hormone that is made in the brain, in the hypothalamus. It is transported to, and secreted by, the pituitary gland, which is located at the base of the brain. It acts both as a hormone and as a brain neurotransmitter.
  • The drug, a synthetic version of a human hormone, is a life-saver for women. Doctors use it to induce labour in pregnant women and to stem postpartum bleeding. So critical is its role in maternal health that the World Health Organization recommends it as the drug of choice in postpartum haemorrhage.


Union Cabinet approved policy to permit exploration and exploitation of unconventional hydrocarbons such as Shale oil/gas, Coal Bed Methane
Union Cabinet has approved the policy to permit exploration and exploitation of unconventional hydrocarbons such as Shale oil/gas, Coal Bed Methane (CBM) etc.
  • It will be carried out under the existing Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs), CBM contracts and Nomination fields to encourage the existing Contractors in the licensed/leased area to unlock the potential of unconventional hydrocarbons in the existing acreages.
  • With the approval of this policy, there will be complete shift from ‘One hydrocarbon Resource Type’ to ‘Uniform Licensing Policy’ which is presently applicable in Hydrocarbon Exploration & Licensing Policy (HELP) and Discovered Small Field (DSF) Policy.
  • This policy will enable the realization of prospective hydrocarbon reserves in the existing Contract Areas which otherwise would remain unexplored and unexploited.
Shale gas is a natural gas formed from being trapped within shale formations. It is unconventional source of methane, like coal-bed gas (in coal seams) and tight gas (trapped in rock formations). It is colourless, odourless gas, lighter than air. It is cheaper than natural gas, releases 50% less CO2, hence better source for generating electricity. It also provides feedstock for petrochemicals industry, which is turned into fertilizer, plastics and other useful stuff.


India’s first in-phone tourism guide and mobile application “Go whats That” launched by Dharmendra Pradhan
India’s first in-phone tourism guide and mobile application “Go whats That” has launched by Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, at Rock Garden in Chandigarh on July 28, 2018.
  • This is first of its kind app where tourist can scan QR code at a heritage site to download the history & details of that place in multiple languages.
  • Initially, 1,100 tags have been placed at different tourist spots, which will give accurate information on each artifact.


Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports celebrating Swachhta Pakhwada from 1st to 15th August
Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports are celebrating Swachhta Pakhwada from 1st to 15th August, 2018 under the Swachh Bharat Mission Programme of Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation. On this occasion, Department of Sports has taken two major initiatives.
  • First initiative will be for making all five SAI Stadia namely Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex, Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range and Dr. SPM Swimming Pool Complex as “Plastic Free Zone”.
  • Second initiative will be for giving Swachhta Rank to these Stadia on the implementation of Swachhta activities carried out during the Swachhta Pakhwada


India unveils geographical indication logo, tagline
India has unveiled a tagline and a tricolour logo for geographical indication (GI) certified products. From now on, the GI-registered goods will sport the logo and the tagline to make them more attractive.
  • Tagline: “Invaluable Treasures of Incredible India”.
  • A total of 320 products have been conferred the GI status in India so far.
  • Karnataka comes first with 38 GI products, followed by Maharashtra which has 32 products. Tamil Nadu comes third with 25 GI products.
A GI is primarily an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory. Typically, such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness, which is essentially attributable to the place of its origin.


IWAI launches dedicated portal FOCAL for cargo owners and shippers
The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has launched a dedicated portal to connect cargo owners and shippers with real-time data on the availability of vessels.
  • The portal has been named as the Forum of Cargo Owners and Logistics Operators (FOCAL) and it will facilitate responses from the logistics operators against the requirement raised by cargo owners and vice-versa.
Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) was created by Government of India on 27 October 1986 for development and regulation of Inland waterways for shipping and navigation. The Authority primarily undertakes projects for development and maintenance of Inland Waterway Terminal infrastructure on National Waterways through grant received from Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways. The head office is at Noida. The Authority also has its regional offices at Patna, Kolkata, Guwahati and Kochi and sub-offices at Allahabad, Varanasi, Bhagalpur, Farrakka and Kollam.


Red Fort at MMC is to be remodelled into Museum
Red Fort, which is at the east of Madras Medical College (MMC) Chennai, is planned to be remodelled into a museum.
  • The building was constructed in 1897, the red brick structure has been classified as a Grade I heritage building by the Justice E. Padmanabhan Committee on heritage structures. The building is of Indo-Saracenic style. 


India, Germany sign pact on financial and technical cooperation 
India and Germany have signed an agreement on financial and technical cooperation focusing on sustainable urban development and renewable energy. 
  • The government-to-government Umbrella Agreement on Financial Cooperation and Technical Co-operation 2017 is worth about 5,000 thousand crore rupees. 
  • The agreement under the Indo-German Bilateral Development Cooperation was signed between Joint Secretary in the Finance Ministry, Sameer Kumar Khare, and German Ambassador to India, Martin Ney, in New Delhi. 


NDA Act 2019 passed, capping US aid to Pakistan to $150million 
The United States Congress has passed the National Defense Authorisation Act-2019 (NDAA-19) which capped its security-related aid to Pakistan to $150 million, significantly below the historic level of more than $ 1 billion to $750 million per year. 
  • This year’s defence legislation removes certain conditions like action against Haqqani network or Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) as was the case in the past few years for disbursement of US aid to Pakistan. 


France’s Parliament signed into Law, Asylum and Immigration bill 
France’s Parliament has signed into law a controversial asylum and immigration bill.
  • The bill is designed to accelerate asylum procedures by cutting the maximum processing time from the current 120 days to 90 days after entering France. 
  • The text was adopted on a final reading by 100 votes in favour to 25 against with 11 abstentions.
  • The Senate had rejected the bill, but the Lower House passed the text as President Emmanuel Macron’s La Republique En Marche party holds a large majority, even if the law has exposed divisions within his own camp.


World’s first intertidal art gallery opens in Maldives
An intertidal art gallery, filled with around 30 sculptures acting as a habitat for coral and other marine species, was opened in the Maldives
  • The gallery, called the Coralarium, is located at the Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi resort. At a depth of 3 m in the lagoon, it features semi-submerged exhibits that disappear and reappear as the tide goes in and out.


Airtel globally launches ‘Bandwith on Demand’ for business
Telecom major Bharti Airtel launched its “Bandwith on Demand” platform globally to enable businesses manage bandwidth requirements on a real-time basis.
  • The platform offers quick activation to access, configure and monitor bandwidth requirements and gives full control to the users to provision bandwidth whenever and wherever they need it.


BSE launches AI chatbot ‘Ask Motabhai’

BSE has introduced a chatbot named Ask Motabhai.
  • It is built using ShepHertz Applied AI Services on Microsoft’s Artificial Intelligence platform.
  • The chatbot helps provide customized, on-demand information to investors from BSE’s information base.


2-day Indo-US Military cooperation meeting begins in New Delhi 
A two-day Indo-US Military Cooperation Meeting began in New Delhi as a prelude to 2 plus 2 Dialogue between the two countries scheduled in September 2018.
  • The meeting was co-chaired by Lt Gen Satish Dua, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) and Lt Gen Bryan Fenton, Deputy Commander, Indo-Pacific Command. 
  • External Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman would meet their US counterparts in 2 plus 2 meeting in September in New Delhi.
  • A first such initiative between the two countries that will focus on strengthening defence and strategic ties. 


Nationwide ‘State Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index’ released
Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE), has released the ‘State Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index’, which assessses state policies and programmes aimed at improving energy efficiency across various sectors.
  • It has 63 indicators across Building, Industry, Municipality, Transport, Agriculture and DISCOM with 4 cross-cutting indicators.
  • The Index examines states’ policies and regulations, financing mechanisms, institutional capacity, adoption of energy efficiency measures and energy savings achieved.
  • States are categorised based on their efforts and achievements towards energy efficiency implementation, as ‘Front Runner’, ‘Achiever’, ‘Contender’ and ‘Aspirant’.
  • The ‘Front Runner’ states in the inaugural edition of the Index are: Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, and Rajasthan based on available data.


Deepak Parekh reappointed as HDFC director
HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh was reappointed as non-executive director on the board of Housing Development Finance Corp. Ltd (HDFC), though 22.64% of the shareholders voted against his continuation.
  • J.J. Irani and Keki Mistry too got reappointment as directors to HDFC’s board with more favourable votes.


Indian-Origin Mathematician Akshay Venkatesh wins prestigious fields medal 
Akshay Venkatesh, a renowned Indian-Australian mathematician, is one of four winners of mathematics’ prestigious Fields medal, known as the Nobel prize for math. New Delhi-born Venkatesh, 36, who is currently teaching at Stanford University, has won the Fields Medal for his profound contributions to an exceptionally broad range of subjects in mathematics.
  • The other three winners are: Caucher Birkar, a Cambridge University professor of Iranian Kurdish origin; Germany’s Peter Scholze, who teaches at the University of Bonn and Alessio Figalli, an Italian mathematician at ETH Zurich. 
The Fields medals are awarded every four years to the most promising mathematicians under the age of 40.  The prize was inaugurated in 1932 at the request of Canadian mathematician John Charles Fields, who ran the 1924 Mathematics Congress in Toronto. Each winner receives a 15,000 Canadian-dollar cash prize.


Five parliamentarians conferred Outstanding Parliamentarian Award
The Indian Parliamentary Group conferred Outstanding Parliamentarian Awards to five members of Parliament for their overall contribution. President Ram Nath Kovind conferred the awards.
The names were shortlisted by an award committee headed by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.
  • Outstanding Parliamentarian Awards 2013: Dr Najma Heptulla
  • Outstanding Parliamentarian Awards 2014: Hukmdev Narayan Yadav
  • Outstanding Parliamentarian Awards 2015: Ghulam Nabi Azad
  • Outstanding Parliamentarian Awards 2016: Dinesh Trivedi
  • Outstanding Parliamentarian Awards 2017: Bhartruhari Mahtab


Amul has been awarded the ‘Marketer of the Year’ award
Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (GCMMF), the marketers of the popular Amul brand of milk and dairy products, was awarded the ‘Marketer of the Year’ award by the International Advertising Association of India (IAAI).
  • The award was received by RS Sodhi, the Managing Director (MD) of GCMMF, on behalf of the 36 lakh milk famers and producers of Gujarat.


Malayalam ghazal singer and composer Umbayee, passes away aged 68
Noted ghazal singer and composer from Kerala, Umbayee, passed away on 1 August at a private hospital at nearby Aluva, where he had been undergoing treatment for some ailments.
  • He was an expert in playing tabla and harmonium.


Asian Athletics Championships 2019 to be held in Doha, Qatar
The 23rd Asian Athletics Championships will be held in Doha,Qatar from April 19 to April 24, 2019.
  • The biennial continental event which is usually held in July-August has been preponed by the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) due to the intensely hot and humid summers in Doha.


Lewis Hamilton wins 6th Hungarian Formula 1 Grand Prix 
Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes won the Hungarian Grand Prix for the 6th time, at the Hungaroring circuit, in Hungary. This is the 67th career victory for Lewis Hamilton. 
  • Daniel Ricciardo was named Driver of the Day by Formula One for finishing at fourth position after starting from the 12th position. Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari finished second in the race. 


World Junior Squash Championships 2018 concludes in Chennai 
World Junior Squash Championships 2018 was held in Chennai, India. A total of 171 players including 116 men and 55 women from 28 countries took part in the World Junior Squash Championship. Cyrus Poncha was the tournament director.
  • The individuals event for men and women are held every year since 2009. The team event is biennial.
  • Egypt national junior squash team defeated England 2-0 in the final and emerged as the 2018 World Junior Squash Champions. India finished in 11th position.

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