Dear SH Aspirants,
INDIAN AFFAIRS
Government announces 4
new schemes to promote young scientists
On January 24, 2018, Central Government
launched four new schemes to promote young scientists and researchers in India.
All the schemes focus on empowering, recognising and motivating youth.
i. Teacher Associateship for Research Excellence (TARE) Scheme will connect
the educators to leading public funded institutions like Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT), Indian Institute of Science (IISc) or national institutions
like Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)to
pursue research.
ii. Overseas Visiting Doctoral Fellowship scheme, support
will be offered to 100 PhD scholars for training at foreign
universities/laboratories up to 12 months during their doctoral research.
iii. Distinguished Investigator Award scheme, 100
fellowships will be offered to principal investigators of Science and
Engineering Research Board/Department of Science and Technology projects.
iv. Augmenting Writing Skills for Articulating Research (AWSAR) scheme aims
to encourage science writing.
International Conference on ‘Inclusion of Persons with
Disabilities in the Election Process’ in New Delhi
On January 24, 2018, Election Commission
of India (ECI) hosted a one-day International Conference on ‘Inclusion of
Persons with Disabilities in the Election Process’ in New Delhi.
ighlights of International Conference on ‘Inclusion of
Persons with Disabilities in the Election Process’:
i. The Conference was organized under the
VoICE.NET platform, a common knowledge/resource sharing network
for 25 Election Management Bodies and International Organisations.
ii. It was attended by representatives from five Election
Management Bodies (EMBs) viz. Australia, Guinea, Bhutan, Moldova & Zambia
and Heads of two International Organisations viz. International Institute for
Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) and International Foundation of
Electoral Systems (IFES).
iii. During the conference, representatives from EMBs and
international organisations shared their experiences, initiatives and best
practices for electoral engagement, enrolment and active participation of
Persons with Disabilities in ballot exercise.
iv. On the sidelines of the Conference, ECI
signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for cooperation in the field of
election management with Central Election Commission of Moldova, with National
Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) of Guinea and also with International
Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.
India, Vietnam sign MoUs on I&B, space cooperation
On January 24, 2018, India and Vietnam
signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate in the areas of
Information & Broadcasting (I&B) and space.
Details about India-Vietnam MoU:
i. MoU documents were exchanged in presence of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and his Vietnam counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc in New
Delhi.
ii. Under the MoU, India and Vietnam will strive to
enhance cooperation in the field of Information and Broadcasting based on
principles of equality and in accordance with their national laws and
regulations.
iii. In area of space cooperation, India and
Vietnam have agreed on the implementation arrangement between Vietnam’s
National Remote Sensing Department and Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) for the establishment of tracking and data reception station and data
processing facility in Vietnam. This arrangement will be set up
under the ASEAN-India Space Cooperation.
Quick Facts about Vietnam:
♦ Capital – Hanoi
♦ Currency – Vietnamese Dong
♦ Current President – Tran Dai Quang
♦ Important Rivers – Red River, Perfume
River
Government to increase number of ‘AMRIT’ pharmacy stores 4
times
Union Health Minister, J P Nadda has stated
that his ministry is working to increase the number of AMRIT pharmacy stores by
four times (from the existing 111 outlets) by the end of 2018.
About AMRIT Pharmacy stores:
i. Since November 2015, Union Ministry for Health & Family Welfare
has opened several Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment
(AMRIT) pharmacy stores across India with an aim to reduce
the expenditure incurred by patients on treatment of cancer and heart diseases.
ii. According to Mr. Nadda, AMRIT stores have benefited
over 52 lakh patients as medicine buyers have saved over Rs 267 crore by buying
drugs from these stores.
iii. In order to help more patients, Health Ministry is
working for opening more such stores. Mr. Nadda has stated that the goal is to
have one AMRIT store in every district of India.
On 24th January 2018, External
Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj inaugurated the Bharat-ASEAN
Maitri Park in Delhi.
Sushma Swaraj inaugurates
Bharat-ASEAN Maitri Park:
i. The Bharat-ASEAN Maitri Park was inaugurated a day
before the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit.
ii. The ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit will enhance
India-ASEAN cooperation in areas such as counter-terrorism, security and
connectivity.
iii. ASEAN consists of the following countries: Thailand,
Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia,
Laos and Brunei.
Some of the important national parks in India:
♦ Anamudi Shola National Park – Kerala
♦ Anshi National Park – Karnataka
♦ Balphakram National Park – Meghalaya
♦ Bandhavgarh National Park – Madhya
Pradesh
Centre sanctions setting up of second IIIT in Karnataka
On 24th January 2018, the
Central Government sanctioned the establishment of Indian Institute of
Information Technology (IIIT) at Raichur, Karnataka.
Centre sanctions setting up of IIIT in Karnataka:
i. Prakash Javadekar, Union Human Resource Development Minister, said that, the
required funds for IIIT-Raichur will be allocated in the 2018 Budget.
ii. Karnataka has been ordered to allocate alternative
infrastructure for the institute for the academic year 2018-19 until it finds a
land for the construction of a permanent campus.
iii. This IIIT will be set up on a public-private
partnership mode. This is the second IIIT in Karnataka. The first one is in
Dharwad.
Some stadiums in Karnataka:
♦ Ajjarakadu Mahatma Gandhi District Stadium
– Udupi
♦ D.R. Bendre Cricket Stadium – Hubli
♦ Dr. Ambedkar Stadium – Bijapur
Maharashtra bans sale of tobacco at shops selling FMCG items
On 24th January 2018,
Maharashtra government announced that, it has banned the sale of tobacco at
stores that sell Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) items.
Maharashtra bans sale of tobacco at shops selling FMCG
items:
i. The ban has been implemented to prevent youngsters
getting addicted to tobacco products.
ii. The Central government had insisted state governments
to ban the sale of tobacco at shops which sell chocolates, chips and other
edible items
iii. Maharashtra has become the first state to implement
this ban. It had issued a notification regarding this ban on 9th January
2018.
iv. Shops found out selling both tobacco and FMCG products will be
punished. Also, their licence will be cancelled, with up to six months
imprisonment, and fine.
About Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
(FSSAI):
♦ Headquarters – New Delhi
♦ Chairperson – Ashish Bahuguna
♦ CEO – Pawan Kumar Agarwal
NHIDCL signs MoU with IL&FS for construction of Zojila
tunnel
National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL)
under the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has signed a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) with IL&FS Transportation Networks Ltd
for construction of the 14.150 km long Zojila Tunnel in Jammu
& Kashmir.
Details pertaining to construction of Zojila tunnel:
i. The main objective of the project is to
provide all whether connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil and Leh region
in Jammu & Kashmir. Currently connectivity with Leh region is
only limited to 6 months in a year owing to snow and avalanches.
ii. The total capital cost of the project is Rs 6808.69 crore,
which includes the cost towards land acquisition, resettlement and
rehabilitation.
iii. This 2-lane, bi-directional Zojila Tunnel will have
all modern technical safety arrangements such as CCTV monitoring, cut and cross
ventilation system, and uninterrupted power supply.
iv. On completion, it will become India’s longest road
tunnel and the longest bi-directional tunnel in Asia.
INTERNATIONAL
AFFAIRS
UK government announces
dedicated unit to combat fake news
The UK government has announced the
formation of a dedicated national security unit to counter fake news and
disinformation.
UK government – Dedicated unit to combat fake news:
i. The dedicated national security unit to counter fake
news and disinformation will be led by the UK Cabinet Office.
ii. The unit will flag fake information on social media.
This announcement was made at a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC).
About National Security Council (United Kingdom):
♦ Chairperson – Theresa May (Prime
Minister)
♦ Deputy Chair – David Lidington (Minister
for the Cabinet Office)
BANKING &
FINANCE
Government unveils
details of recapitalisation plan for public sector banks
On January 24, 2018, Government provided
details about the recapitalisation plan for Public Sector Banks (PSBs) that was
announced in October 2017
Information related to PSB recapitalisation plan:
In a bid to revise growth of PSBs, Government
will infuse Rs. 88139 crore capital in 20 public sector banks (PSBs) before
March 31, 2018.
i. Out of this amount, 80000 crore will be
raised through recapitalisation bonds and Rs. 8139 crore will come in the form
of budgetary support.
ii. IDBI
Bank will get the highest infusion – Rs 10610 crore.
iii. These bonds would be issued in six tranches, will have
a maturity period of 10-15 years and would be priced at 8%.
Top 5 recipients under PSB recapitalisation plan:
|
Bank
|
Amount
|
|
IDBI Bank
|
Rs. 10610 crore
|
|
Bank of India
|
Rs. 9232 crore
|
|
State Bank of India
|
Rs. 8800 crore
|
|
UCO Bank
|
Rs. 6507 crore
|
|
Punjab National Bank
|
Rs. 5473 crore
|
BUSINESS
UDAN-2: 325 more routes
awarded; IndiGo, Jet Airways join with chopper operators
On January 24, 2018, Central Government
awarded 325 more routes to airlines as well as helicopter operators under its
regional connectivity scheme, UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik).
Information about second round of bidding under UDAN:
i. In awarding routes under second round of
bidding, emphasis was laid on flight services to hilly and remote
areas, including Kargil.
ii. After flight services start on these
routes, a total of 56 new airports and helipads will be connected to 36
existing aerodromes.These routes have been awarded to 15 airlines
and helicopter operators.
APPOINTMENTS
& RESIGNS
Hemant Kumar Sharma
appointed as Jammu’s New Divisional Commissioner
Hemant Kumar Sharma has been appointed as
the Divisional Commissioner of Jammu.
Hemant Kumar Sharma – Divisional Commissioner of
Jammu:
i.Hemant
Kumar Sharma was Commissioner/Secretary to Government in Jammu & Kashmir
Transport department. He also held additional charge of the post of
administrative secretary, science and technology department.
ii.He
is now appointed as Divisional Commissioner, Jammu. This post had been vacant
after Mandeep Kumar Bhandari, who occupied this post went on central
deputation.
iii.Hemant
Kumar Sharma is an IAS officer of the 2002 batch. M Raju, secretary to the
government, Public Health Engineering, Irrigation and Flood Control department,
has been given the additional charge of the posts of administrative secretary,
transport and science and technology department.
Some wildlife sanctuaries of Jammu & Kashmir:
♦ Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary – Leh
District
♦ Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary – Shopian
district
V Narayanan appointed as
Director of ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre
Dr V Narayanan has taken charge as
Director of ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, at Valiamala, Kerala.
V Narayanan – Director of ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion
Systems Centre:
i.Dr
V Narayanan is a senior scientist at ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation). He
replaces S Somanath as Director of ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre.
ii.Recently
S Somanath was appointed as Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. Dr V
Narayanan is an expert in rocket propulsion.
iii.He
joined ISRO in 1984. He has published various technical papers in national and
international journals.
iv.He
has worked as Project Director for C25 Cryogenic Project. He had an important
role in the launch of GSLV Mk III vehicle.
About International Astronautical Federation:
♦ Purpose – Space advocacy
♦ Location – Paris, France
♦ Formation – 1951
Harman International
names Priyanka Chopra as global brand ambassador
Harman International has named actress
Priyanka Chopra as the global brand ambassador for its JBL and Harman Kardon
audio brands.
Priyanka Chopra – global brand ambassador for JBL and
Harman Kardon audio brands:
i.
Priyanka Chopra will be involved in various marketing
initiatives, such as social media and brand awareness events for JBL and Harman
Kardon.
ii.
ii. Harman International
is a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics. AR Rahman is also one of
the brand ambassadors for Harman International.About Harman
International Industries, Inc:
♦ President & CEO – Dinesh Paliwal
♦ Headquarters – Stamford, Connecticut,
U.S.
♦ Founded – 1980
AWARDS &
RECOGNITION
Rachel Morrison becomes
first female cinematographer to nominate for Oscar 2018
Rachel Morrison has become the first female cinematographer to be
nominated for Oscar awards.
Rachel Morrison – first female cinematographer to
nominate for Oscar 2018:
i. Rachel Morrison has been nominated for Oscar awards
2018 in the category of cinematographers for her work in the movie
Mudbound.
ii. Rachel Morrison will compete against Roger Deakins, a
British cinematographer. The Oscar awards will be broadcasted on 4th March
2018. Jimmy Kimmel will host the Oscar 2018 event.
About Oscars:
♦ Also known as the Academy Awards
♦ Awarded for – Excellence in cinematic
achievements
♦ Presented by – Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences
♦ Country – United States
SCIENCE &
TECHNOLOGY
Upgraded SARAS prototype
1N aircraft successfully flight tested in Bengaluru
The new upgraded version of SARAS
aircraft developed by National Aeronautics Laboratories (NAL) completed
a successful first flight on January 24, 2018.
Details about new upgraded version of SARAS aircraft:
i. On January 24, 2018, the 14-seater SARAS
PT1N flew in the skies for nearly 40 minutes.
ii. A team of 40 young scientists and engineers at NAL had
been working on this aircraft for the past nine months.
iii. Earlier, Saras programme suffered a setback owing to
an accident in March 2009.
iv. Although the new upgraded version that has been
tested, has 14-seat capacity, the final product which will be taken care of by
Indian Air Force would accommodate 19 people.
v. NAL Director Jitendra Jadhav has stated that manufacturing
of two Limited Series Prototypes would cost Rs 400 crore to Rs 500 crore.
OBITUARY
Ursula K. Le Guin,
best-selling science fiction author passes away
On 22nd January 2018, Ursula K. Le Guin, science
fiction author, passed away following several weeks of illness, at her
residence in Portland, Oregon, United States.
Death of Ursula K. Le Guin:
i. Ursula K. Le Guin is an award-winning science fiction
and fantasy writer. She was 88 years old. She was well known for her Earthsea
books.
ii. She had won various awards like honorary National Book
Award in 2014, Newbery Medal etc. In 2017, she was inducted into the American
Academy of Arts and Letters.
About American Academy of Arts and Letters:
♦ Goal – to foster, assist, and sustain
excellence in American literature, music, and art
♦ Location – Washington Heights,
Manhattan, US
IMPORTANT DAYS
8th National Voters’ Day
– January 25
On 25th January 2018, 8th National Voters’ Day was
observed all over India.
National Voters’ Day:
i. The theme for National
Voters’ Day 2018 was: ‘Accessible Elections’. This
day is celebrated to encourage more voters to take part in the polling process.
ii. 25 January is the foundation day of the Election Commission of
India. The
Election Commission of India came into action in 1950.
iii. Hence 25 January is celebrated every year as National
Voters’ Day. The first National Voters’ Day was celebrated on 25th January
2011.
About Election Commission of India:
♦ Chief Election Commissioner of India –
Om Prakash Rawat
♦ Election Commissioners of India – Sunil
Arora, Ashok Lavasa
Himachal Pradesh
celebrates 48th Statehood Day
On 25th January 2018,
Himachal Pradesh celebrated its 48th Statehood Day.
Himachal Pradesh – 48th Statehood Day:
i.On 25th January 1971, Himachal Pradesh was named the
18th state of India. This day is celebrated every year as
Himachal Pradesh Statehood Day.
ii.A
function was held at Aani, Kullu district, in Himachal Pradesh. Himachal
Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur participated in the event.
iii.At
the event, he announced that, the civil hospital at Anni with the 50 beds will
be improved to a 100 bed hospital. He also stated that the Sarahan-Bathad road
will be upgraded to a major district road.
Some wildlife sanctuaries in Himachal Pradesh:
♦ Kalatop Khajjiar Sanctuary – Chamba
district
♦ Kanwar Sanctuary – Kullu district
♦ Majthal Sanctuary – Solan District
No comments:
Post a Comment