SH- Current Affairs Update 04th, Feb 2018

Dear SH Aspirants,

International

World Cancer Day: 4 February

World Cancer Day is an international day marked on February 4 to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment.

• 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.
• The theme for the World Cancer Day 2016-2018 is 'We can. I can.'

National

International Conference on 'Demetrios Galanos and His Legacy’

The International Conference on 'Demetrios Galanos and His Legacy’ was inaugurated at IGNCA in New Delhi.

• Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) is organizing the 8-days International Conference.
• The 8-day long convention is being held in Delhi and Varanasi, in addition to organizing the exhibition and folk music of Greece.

Venkaiah Naidu to Inaugurate First International Kala Mela

The Vice President of India Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate the First International Kala Mela in New Delhi on February 4.

• The Minister of State for Culture (Independent Charge) and Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Mahesh Sharma will also grace the occasion.
• Lalit Kala Akademi, the premier institution for the promotion of Art and Culture is organizing it at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi (IGNCA).

Environment Ministry launches ‘Green Good Deeds’ campaign

Environment Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has appealed to the teaching community to join the “Green Good Deeds” campaign, launched by his Ministry to sensitise the people about climate change and global warming.

• The Minister reminded the teachers of their “Green Social Responsibility similar to corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

SH- Current Affairs Update 03rd, Feb 2018

Dear Aspirants, 

INTERNATIONAL

India joins Ashgabat agreement

India has joined the Ashgabat agreement which envisages setting up of an international transport and transit corridor linking central Asia with the Persian Gulf to significantly ramp up trade and investment.

• Turkmenistan, as depository State of Ashgabat Agreement, informed on February 1 that all the four founding members have consented to the Accession of India.
• Turkmenistan, Iran, Oman and Uzbekistan signed the agreement on April 25, 2011.
• In October 2016, Pakistan had formally joined the project. Kazakhstan is also a part to this agreement.

NATIONAL

PM to address the inaugural session of Advantage Assam - Global Investors Summit

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, will address the inaugural session of Advantage Assam - Global Investors Summit 2018, in Guwahati on February 3, 2018.

• The two-day Summit will be the largest ever investment promotion and facilitation initiative by the Government of Assam.
• The Summit aims at highlighting the geo-strategic advantages offered to investors by Assam.

Yogi Adityanath inaugurates Surajkund Mela in Haryana

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the Surajkund Mela on 2 February, in the presence of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

• The 17-day-long event, which is in its 32nd edition, showcases India’s rich cultural diversity, crafts and handiworks.
• The Mela this year has the culture of Uttar Pradesh as its theme and focuses upon child rights violations across India.
• All of India’s states and 20 countries are participating in the festival.
• Surajkund is located in Faridabad in Haryana.

Centre sanctions Rs 1,500 cr for organic farming in Uttarakhand

The Centre has sanctioned Rs 1,500 crore for three years to promote organic farming in Uttarakhand.

• The amount was sanctioned by Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh when Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat met him in New Delhi.
• The Union minister also cleared a proposal worth Rs 2,600 crore for the co-operative sector in the state. Of which, Rs 200 crore is meant for the reorganisation of sugar mills.

SH- Current Affairs Update 02nd, Feb 2018

Dear SH Aspirants,

NATIONAL

Union Budget 2018: Key takeaways and sector-wise highlights

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley delivered the current government's fifth and last full financial budget (Budget 2018 for the fiscal year 2018-19) amid subdued economic growth, challenging fiscal situation and farm distress. 

Here are the key highlights from the Union Budget 2018:

Economic Health

• Economy firmly on course to achieve high growth of 8%
• GDP growth at 6.3% in the second quarter of 2017-18 signals turnaround of the economy
• Growth in the second half likely to remain between 7.2% to 7.5%  

Agriculture and Rural Economy

• MSP for all unannounced Kharif crops increased to 150%
• Institutional credit for agri-sector increased to Rs.10 lakh crore in 2017-18
• Fisheries, aquaculture and animal husbandry corpus at Rs.10,000 crore
• New scheme Operation Greens with an outlay of Rs 500 Crore
• Govt to develop and upgrade existing 22,000 rural haats
• Agri-Market Infrastructure Fund with a corpus of Rs.2000 crore
• Allocation for Ministry of Food Processing doubled to Rs.1400 crore
• Loans to Self Help Groups (SHG) of women to increase to Rs.75,000 crore by March 2019.
• Increased allocation of National Rural Livelihood Mission to Rs 5750 crore
• Under Ujjwala Scheme distribution of free LPG connections will be given to 8 crore poor women
• Housing for All by 2022 - more than one crore houses to be built by 2019 in rural areas

Education, Health, and Social Protection

• Estimated budgetary expenditure on health, education and social protection at Rs.1.38 lakh crore
• Ekalavya Model Residential School to be set up for tribal children
• Investments for research & infra in premier educational institutions at Rs.1 lakh crore in next 4 years
• Allocation on National Social Assistance Programme at Rs. 9975 crore
• NHPS to cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries)
• NHPS to provide coverage up to 5 lakh rupees per family per year for hospitalisation
• Rs 1200 crore for the National Health Policy, 2017 - additional Rs.600 crore for TB patients
• 24 new Government Medical Colleges and Hospitals

SH- Current Affairs Update February, 2018

1^st February 2018

2^nd February 2018

3^rd February 2018

4^th February 2018

5^th February 2018

6^th February 2018

Static GK Awareness- SSC/SBI Clerk/Railways

BOUNDARIES BETWEEN COUNTRIES

1. Line of Actual Control: India & China on the Northern Border
2. Line of Control: India and Pakistan
3. Durand Line: Afghanistan and Pakistan
4. Radcliffe Line: India and Pakistan (its includes Bangladesh Line)
5. Blue Line: Israel & Lebanon
6. Purple Line: Israel and Syria
7. Green Line: Israel and its neighbours
8. (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria)
9. Mason-Dixon Line: Maryland and Pennsylvania/Delaware in Colonia America
10. Curzon Line: Poland & Russia
11. Military Demarcation Line (MDL) or
12. Armistice Line: North Korea and South Korea
13. McMohan Line:Northe east India &Tibet
14. Maginot Line:France& Germany
15. Mannerheim line: Russia & Finland
16. Order Neisse Line: Germany & Poland
17. (aftermath of World War II)

SH- Current Affairs Update 29th, Jan 2018

Dear SH Aspirants,

Study Daily Current Affairs and stay updated as well as prepare for General Awareness section of bank exams. It's time to gear up your preparations for IBPS/RBI/SBI/SSC and with the daily dose of current affairs, you can easily prepare G.A and score well.

Indian Affairs

Economic Survey 2018:

FM Jaitley tables Economic Survey in Parliament.

Economic Survey sees FY19 GDP growing 7-7.5% vs 6.75% in FY18.

India and Cambodia Ink 4 Agreements:

India and Cambodia signed four agreements in the field of cultural exchange, an exchange line of credit of $26.9 million, memorandum of understanding to cooperate in legal matter and an agreement on prevention of human trafficking.

The documents were exchanged in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Cambodian PM Hun Sen following delegation-level talks between the two countries. New Delhi has agreed to set up a centre of IT excellence in Cambodia.

Important: Cambodian Capital- Phnom Penh

Currency- Cambodian riel.

Himachal CM Launches 'Shakti' App for Women's Safety:

The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Jai Ram Thakur launched the ‘Shakti’ app for women’s safety in the state. The app was developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) of the Himachal Pradesh government.

It would be available in both Hindi and English languages and would not require internet connectivity. The main objective of the launch of the app and the helpline is to fight crimes against women in the state.

Important:

Himachal Pradesh Governor-: Acharya Dev Vrat

SH- Current Affairs Update 28th, Jan 2018

Dear Aspirants, 

INDIAN AFFAIRS

Maharashtra to grade performance of its 7.5 lakh govt employees:

Maharashtra State Government’s General administration department under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has proposed a Performance-linked marking system for 7.5 lakh state government employees.

Overview of Maharashtra Government’s Performance-linked marking system for state government employees:

• The new 100-point performance marking system, will take into account subjective as well as objective evaluation of an employee’s performance during the year.
• Out of the 100 marks, 60 marks will be assigned for performance on objective parameters, such as speed of completing the given work, punctuality, attentiveness etc, while the remaining 40 marks will be given for subjective parameters such as quality of file notings, contribution in policy making, articulation of thought etc.
• Although the new system will not disincentivise the average or the poor performers, it has proposed public recognition and rewards for good performers (referred to as ‘Sukarmis’). Rewards may include cash rewards or additional perks.
• All state level and district level government offices will be asked to identify 5 per cent employees across cadres as the top performers.

Quick Facts about Maharashtra: 

• Capital – Mumbai (summer), Nagpur (winter)
• Current Governor – C. Vidyasagar Rao
• Current Chief Minister – Devendra Fadnavis
• Important National Park – Sanjay Gandhi National Park

President Ram Nath Kovind launches Pulse Polio programme for 2018:

On January 27, 2018, President Ram Nath Kovind launched the Pulse Polio programme for 2018 from Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, by administering polio drops to children below five years.

About Pulse Polio programme for 2018:

• President Kovind administered the drops on eve of National Immunisation Day, which was observed on Jaunuary 29, 2018. 
• Union Health Minister, J P Nadda, Ministers of State (Health) Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Ms. Anupriya Patel were also present at the occasion.
• Under Pulse Polio Programme for 2018, over 17 crore children below five years across India will be given polio drops.

Assam to introduce digital budget:

The Assam Assembly is to introduce digital budget in its upcoming session, instead of the conventional printed booklet.

SH- Current Affairs Update 27th, Jan 2018

Dear SH Aspirants,

Study Daily Current Affairs and stay updated as well as prepare for General Awareness section of bank exams. It's time to gear up your preparations for IBPS/RBI/SBI/SSC and with the daily dose of current affairs, you can easily prepare G.A and score well.

INDIAN AFFAIRS

India, Cambodia decide to boost defence ties, ink 4 pacts:

On January 27, 2018, India and Cambodia inked following four pacts, post comprehensive talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Visiting Cambodian Prime Minister, Samdech Hun Sen.

• India signed a pact for Cultural Exchange Programme with Cambodia for the year 2018-2022.
• Export-Import Bank of India will extend $36.92 million Line of Credit to finance the Stung Sva Hab Water Resource Development Project in Cambodia.

Jammu Kashmir Student Exchange Programme Maitreyi Yatra concludes:

Jammu & Kashmir Student Exchange programme ‘Maitreyi Yatra’ concluded on January 26, 2018 in New Delhi.

About ‘Maitreyi Yatra’:

• Student Exchange Programme is organized by Ministry of Human Resource development with an objective to acquaint the youth of Jammu & Kashmir with culture, language and development of different parts of India.
• Under Jammu & Kashmir Student Exchange programme ‘Maitreyi Yatra’, nearly 500 students of Jammu & Kashmir from Class IX to Class XII along with 50 supervisors visited Delhi on January 18, 2018. 
• During their stay, the students of Jammu & Kashmir were paired with ten governments and one private school. They also went for Delhi Darshan and visited Delhi University, IIT Delhi, Railway Museum, Rajghat, Red Fort and many other places of historical & cultural importance.
• Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar was the chief guest for the closing ceremony of ‘Maitreyi Yatra’.

21st India International Seafood Show Opens in Goa:

21st India International Seafood Show (IISS) opened in Margao, Goa on January 27, 2018. This event was inaugurated by Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.

21st India International Seafood Show (IISS):

·         IISS is a biennial event which serves as a common meeting point for various stakeholders of marine products sector such as producers, processing machinery manufacturers, processors,  and technical experts.

·         Focial theme of 21st IISS is ‘Safe & Sustainable Seafood from India’.

·         It has been jointly organised by the Marine Products Export Development Authority and the Seafood Export Association of India (SEAI). MPEDA is the nodal agency of the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

·         During the course of this three-day event, leaders and experts of marine products sector will deliberate on policies, market trends, technology and action plan to achieving an export target of US$ 10 billion by 2022.

SH- CURRENT AFFAIRS UPDATE JANUARY MONTH, 2018

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SH- Current Affairs Update 22nd, Jan 2018

Dear SH Aspirants,

Study Daily Current Affairs and stay updated as well as prepare for General Awareness section of bank exams. It's time to gear up your preparations for IBPS/RBI/SBI/SSC and with the daily dose of current affairs, you can easily prepare G.A and score well.

INDIAN AFFAIRS

Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban Launches Smart Star-Rating for Garbage Free Cities

On January 20, 2018, Minister of State (I/C) for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri along with the Chief Minister of Goa, Manohar Parrikar launched the ‘Protocol for Star Rating of Garbage-Free Cities’ in Goa.

Information about Protocol for Star Rating of Garbage-Free Cities:

i. This seven star-rating system has been developed by the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban.

ii. Under this system, cities will be assessed on multiple cleanliness indicators for solid waste management . Some of the indicators are door to door collection, source segregation, bulk generator compliance, sweeping, scientific processing of waste, scientific land filling, plastic waste management and dump remediation.

iii. Based on the assessment, cities can be rated as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 star in accordance with the protocol conditions specified for each of the rating.

iv. This is a SMART rating (Single metric, Measurable, Achievable, Rigorous verification, Targeted towards outcomes) system that provides stakeholders with a single metric to rate a city’s cleanliness.

President Ram Nath Kovind approves disqualification of 20 AAP MLAs for Holding Office of Profit

On 21^st January 2018, President Ram Nath Kovind approved disqualification of 20 MLAs of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for holding offices of profit.

Disqualification of 20 AAP MLAs:

i. Accepting recommendations of the Election Commission (EC) President Ram Nath Kovind has disqualified 20 members of the Delhi legislative assembly.

ii. The AAP MLAs were appointed as parliamentary secretaries. The Election Commission has stated that, being parliamentary secretaries, they held office of profit and they should be disqualified as MLAs of the Delhi Assembly.

iii. The members who have been disqualified are: Praveen Kumar, Sharad Kumar, Adarsh Shastri, Madan Lal, Charan Goel, Sarita Singh, Naresh Yadav, Jarnail Singh, Rajesh Gupta, Alka Lamba, Nitin Tyagi, Sanjeev Jha, Kailash Gehlot, Vijendera Garg, Rajesh Rishi, Anil Kumar Vajpayee, Somdutt, Sukhvir Singh, Avtar Singh Kalka and Manoj Kumar.

About Aam Aadmi Party (AAP):

♦ Headquarters – New Delhi

♦ Leader – Arvind Kejriwal

♦ Founded – 2012

India’s automated ocean pollution system to begin operation from April

S S C Shenoi, Director of Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has stated that India will soon have its own automated ocean pollution observation system.

Details about India’s automated ocean pollution system:

i. This new ocean data acquisition system (called automated moorings), which is expected to be functional in April 2018 will not only help in tracking ocean pollution levels but will also offer insights on how the marine system is changing.

ii. Estimated cost for setting up this system is Rs 100 crore.

iii. After being fully operational, this system will do away with the present practice of collecting water samples from sea and studying their pollution levels thereafter.

Quick Facts about INCOIS:

♦ Established in – 1999

♦ Located in – Hyderabad, Telangana

♦ Functions under – Union Ministry of Earth Sciences