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

SBI Clerk 2018- Notification 8301 Vacancies: Recruitment

Dear Aspirants,

SBI Clerk Notification 2018: SBI Clerk (Junior Associates – Customer Support and Sales) is one of the most sought-after jobs in India. With 8301 vacancies. 

overview of the exam:

Organisation	State Bank Of India
Name of the Post	Clerk (Junior Associates)
No of Vacancies	8301
Starting Date to Apply Online	19-01-2018
Last Date to Apply Online	10-02-2018
Stages	Three (Preliminary, Main, and Test of Opted Local Language)
Official website	SBI

SBI Clerk Notification 2018 | Vacancy Details

The total number of vacancies as per the official SBI Clerk Notification 2018 is 8301. The designation will be Junior Associate (Customer Support & Sales) in clerical cadre in State Bank of India.

SBI Clerk Notification | Salary Details

Pay Scale	Rs. 11765-655/3-13730-815/3-16175-980/4-20095-1145/7-28110-2120/1-30230-1310/1-31540
Emoluments	Rs. 23600/- per month inclusive of D.A
Benefits	Provident Fund, New Pension Scheme, Gratuity Fund, Medical leave.

NEW PATTERN ENGLISH FOR IBPS/SBI CLERK/PO EXAMS

Dear Aspirants,

Dear Students, As we've all seen the drastic change in the pattern of Questions asked in English Section. IBPS is surprising all of us by asking CAT Exam pattern Questions.

Directions (1-15): Mark the out-of-context sentence for your answer.

Q1. A. It came as something of a surprise when scientists determined that human beings share almost 99 percent of their genetic material with chimpanzees.

B. Prehuman bipeds predated stone tools, which appeared approximately 2.5 million year ago.

C. Despite all the is held in common, however, the differences are crucial and allow humans to be allotted their won genus and species, Homo sapiens.

D. This led one scientific journalist to refer to humans as “the third chimpanzee.”

(a) Only A

(b) Only B

(c) Only C

(d) Only D

(e) None of the above

 

Q2. A. This is the country where the leader of the ruling party, the speaker of the lower house of parliament, at least three chief ministers, and a number of sports and business icons are women.

B. It is also a country where a generation of newly empowered young women are going out to work in large number than ever before.

C. It’s early days yet, but one hopes these are the first stirrings of change.

D. Trust Law, a news service run by Thomson Reuters, has ranked India as the worst G20 country in which to be a woman.

(a) Only A

(b) Only B

(c) Only C

(d) Only D

(e) None of the above

Q3. A. For no apparent reason you cannot help yourself from humming or singing a tune by Lady Gaga or Coldplay, or horror upon horrors, the latest American Idol reject.

B. Songs that get stuck in your head and go round and round, sometimes for days, sometimes for months.

C. Some people call them earworms.

D. It there was nothing unique about them they would be swamped by all the other memories that sound similar too.

(a) Only A

(b) Only B

(c) Only C

(d) Only D

(e) None of the above

Q4. A. Nasa could design another rover, equipped with all sorts of life-hunting instrumentation, only to find it is taking the wrong measurements with the wrong detectors.

B. The reason scientists favour a sample return mission is that they do not know exactly what they are looking for.

C. Lunar rocks and soil were sealed in bags and only opened in airtight laboratories.

D. Martian life, for example, could come in many different guises and using equipment designed to detect life on Earth, may not pick it up on Mars.

(a) Only A

(b) Only B

(c) Only C

(d) Only D

(e) None of the above

Q5. A. I am particularly optimistic about the potential for technological innovation to improve the lives of the poorest people in the world.

B. Companies are then willing to make the investments required to build new systems, and customers are able to accept the transition costs of adopting new behaviours.

C. But I believe that a realistic appraisal of the human condition compels an optimistic worldview.

D. Usually, “optimism” and “realism” are used to describe two different outlooks on life.

(a) Only A

(b) Only B

(c) Only C

(d) Only D

(e) None of the above

Q6. A. New technologies of various kinds, together with globalization, are powerfully affecting the range of employment options for individuals in advanced and developing countries alike – and at various levels of education.

B. From recent research, we have learned a number of interesting things about how the evolution of economic structure affects employment.

C. How, then, should policymakers confront the new and difficult challenges for employment especially in developed economies?

D. Technological innovations are not only reducing the number of routine jobs, but also causing changes in global supply chains and networks that result in the relocation of routine jobs – and, increasingly, non-routine jobs at multiple skill levels – in the tradable sector of many economies.

(a) Only A

(b) Only B

(c) Only C

(d) Only D

(e) None of the above

Daily Current Affairs: 7th January 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.

1. Bengaluru most well read city in India: Survey

Bengaluru has emerged as the most well read city in India, while Mumbai and Delhi stands at second and third position, respectively, according to a survey conducted by Amazon India’s Annual Reading Trends Reports for 2017.

• Among books, ‘Indian Polity (5th Edition)’ ranked as the top selling book on Amazon India across the country while ‘Sita – Warrior of Mithila’ emerged as the highest selling fiction book of 2017.     

2. Govt to set up FTII in Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh would get its first Film and Television Institute, being set up by the union government as part of tapping the potential of the North Eastern region, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said.

• This would be the second such one in the country.

Points to Remember

• The first Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) was set up in Pune, an autonomous institute operating under the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
• It was established in 1960. Anupam Kher is its present Chairman.

3. 18th All India Whips Conference to start from Jan 8

Deliberations on paperless parliament and state legislatures by rolling out e-Sansad and e-Vidhan are on the agenda of 18th All India Whips Conference to be held in Udaipur.

• Union Parliamentary Affairs minister Ananth Kumar is slated to inaugurate the conference to be held on January 8 and 9.
• It will be attended by whips of various political parties from different states.

Daily Current Affairs: 6th January 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.

1. US puts Pakistan on Special Watch List

The US has placed Pakistan on a ‘Special Watch List’ for “severe violations” of religious freedom.

• It is the only country to be put under the newly-formed list.
• The Special Watch List is for countries that engage in or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom but may not rise to the level of the CPC.

2. Tamil Nadu leads the nation in higher education enrolment

Tamil Nadu has emerged as the leader in the country in terms of Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education.

• The All India Survey on Higher Education report (2106-2017), released by Minister of Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar , saw the State lead with a GER of 46.9%.
• Among Union Territories, Chandigarh recorded 56.1%.
• GER for higher education is calculated with reference to the age group 18-23.

3. Mamata Banerjee launches West Bengal govt’s official emblem  

The West Bengal government has launched its official emblem in a programme at Nabanna, two days after getting the approval from the central government.

• The official emblem is conceptualised and designed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
• Terming the occasion as historic, she said the state emblem – the “Biswa Bangla” logo with Ashoka Pillar of the national emblem – would be used in all the official works and documents of the Bengal government from now on.

Daily Current Affairs: 5th January 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.

1. World Braille Day: 4 January

World Braille Day is annually celebrated on January 4, the birthday of Braille inventor, Louis Braille.

• The day recognizes the contributions of Louis Braille in helping blind and visually impaired people to read and write.
• Braille is a code that uses bumps and indentation on a surface to represent letters, which can be recognized by touch.
• Louis Braille, a French man who was blinded in an accident at a very young age, invented it.

2. Iceland Becomes First Country to Enforce Equal Pay Laws

Iceland has become the first country in the world to legalize equal pay, charting a new history.

• Under the new law, companies and government agencies that employ at least 25 people will be fined if they can’t prove they pay men and women equally.
• Iceland has been ranked by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as No. 1 in gender equality for the past nine years.

3. Govt launches Swachh Survekshan 2018

The government has announced the launch of cleanliness survey for this year as part of Swachh Bharat Mission.

• The Swachh Survekshan 2018 will rank 500 cities on national level which have more than 1 lakh population, while 3,541 cities with less than 1 lakh population will have State and Regional ranking.
• The 2017 edition was conducted in January-February 2017 covering 434 Urban Local Bodies. Indore emerged as the cleanest city in the country in that survey.

Daily Current Affairs: 4th January 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.

1. India Cancels $500 Million Deal For Israeli Anti-Tank Missiles

India has cancelled a $ 500 million deal to buy 1,600 Spike anti-tank guided missiles from Israel, the state-owned defense contractor Rafael Advanced Defense Systems announced.

• Spike is a man-portable “fire and forget' missile that can hit moving targets such as a tank.
• India had opted for the Israel's Spike over the Javelin missiles offered by Washington in 2014.

2. Indian Railways to install GPS devices on 2,700 electric locomotives

In a bid to provide real time train information, the government plans to install GPS devices on over 2,700 electric locomotives by December 2018, Parliament was told.

• “Railway Ministry in collaboration with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is implementing Real-Time Train Information System (RTIS) which involves tracking of train by placing GPS/GAGAN (GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation System) based devices on locomotives,” Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.
• “In Phase one, the RTIS project will cover about 2,700 electric locomotives in which the GPS device will be installed.
• This phase is planned to be completed by December 2018,” he said.

3. Government approves Rs 6,809-crore Zojila Pass tunnel project in J&K  

The Union Cabinet has approved the construction of Asia's longest bi-directional Zojila Pass tunnel at an estimated cost of Rs 6,089 crore, which will reduce the travel time between Srinagar and Leh to 15 minutes from the current 3.5 hours.

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its go-ahead to the 14.2-km long tunnel project in Jammu and Kashmir to provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil and Leh, which remains cut-off from the rest of India during winters due to heavy snowfall.

Daily Current Affairs: 3rd January 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.

1. Jharkhand CM launches programme

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das has launched "Saubhagya Yojana", a programme that would provide electricity to all the 29,376 villages in the state.

•    Launching the "Saubhagya Yojana" here, Das said only 38 lakh households out of 68 lakh households in the state could get electricity in 67 years.

•    However, this government has provided electricity to 13 lakh households in just three years.

•    By December 2018, the target is to provide electricity to the rest 17.64 lakh households.

2. Joint Schemes for SC, OBC, Safai Karamcharis and Disabled Persons

The Government is implementing a Scheme, namely the Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS) that provides grant-in-aid to non-governmental organizations for various projects relating to rehabilitation of persons with disabilities. 

•    The objective of the scheme is to enable persons with disabilities to reach and maintain their optimal, physical, sensory, intellectual, psychiatric or social functional levels.

3. UP theme state for Surajkund crafts mela

The Haryana tourism department has disclosed that Uttar Pradesh would be the theme state for the 32nd Surajkund International Crafts Mela, which would be organized at Surajkund, Faridabad from February 2 to 15.

•    Apart from all other states, about 24 countries would also participate in it.

•    The fair organized by the Haryana Tourism and Surajkund Fair Authority in collaboration with the Union ministries of tourism, textiles, culture and external affairs, exhibited handicrafts, handloom variety and prosperity of India at global level.