Study Hour'ss

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.

1. Saudi Arabia, UAE introduce VAT in first for Gulf

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates introduced value-added tax, a first for the Gulf which has long prided itself on its tax-free.

The five percent sales tax applies to most goods and services and analysts project that the two governments could raise as much as $21 billion in 2018, equivalent to 2.0 percent of GDP.
The other four Gulf states, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar are also committed to introducing VAT but have delayed the move until early 2019.

2. Maneka Gandhi to inaugurated online portal ‘NARI’

In a big leap forward to empower women, the Minister of Women & Child Development, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi has inaugurated an online portal NARI in New Delhi.

Developed by the Ministry of Women & Child Development, the portal will provide women citizens with easy access to information on government schemes and initiatives for women.
Further to provide a platform for NGOs and Civil Societies to interact with the Ministry of Women & Child Development, e-Samvad portal has also been developed which was inaugurated by the WCD Minister.
The NARI portal summarizes over 350 government schemes and other important information for the benefit of women, with more being added everyday.
There are tips on good nutrition, suggestions for health check ups, information on major diseases, tips for job search and interview, investment and savings advice, information on crimes and against women and reporting procedures, contacts of legal aid cells, simplified adoption procedures and much more.

3. UP declares Noida, Yamuna E-way as electronics manufacturing zone

The Yogi Adityanath government has released its 'Uttar Pradesh Electronics Manufacturing Policy' under which Noida, Greater Noida and the Yamuna Expressway region has been declared as an electronics manufacturing zone.

A minister said the aim of this policy is to ensure that the state gets the status of a favourite investment destination.
The target of the policy is to attract investments worth Rs 20,000 crore in the ESDM sector and 3 lakh jobs by 2022.

1. Pakistan to set up $1.51 billion hydropower project in PoK

Pakistan has decided to set up a new hydropower project of over 700 megawatts in PoK through foreign financing at an estimated cost of USD 1.51 billion by 2022.

The Azad Pattan Hydropower Project (APHP) is a run of river scheme located on Jhelum River in the Sudhanoti district of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and about 90 kilometres from Islamabad.
The project would be completed by 2022 for which the authorities have sought an import tariff at Rs 8.05 per kilowatts.

2. India ranked 90th among 163 countries in the positive peace index

Despite the unrest in the last one year, there is an atmosphere of peace in 93rd countries.

In the ranking released by the Institute of Economics and Peace named Positive Peace Index 2017, India has been ranked 90th among 163 countries.
Sweden, Switzerland and Finland are the top three countries respectively In the index.

3. Centre releases Rs 24,500 crore to compensate states post GST

The revenue loss to states on account of GST implementation was Rs 24,500 crore between July-October and the Centre has released compensation to make up for it, Parliament was informed.

As per the details of GST compensation released to states as on November 30, Karnataka got maximum compensation from the Centre at Rs 3,271 crore, followed by Gujarat (Rs 2,282 crore) and Punjab (Rs 2,098 crore).
The other states that required hefty compensation include Rajasthan (Rs 1,911 crore), Bihar (Rs 1,746 crore), Uttar Pradesh (Rs 1,520 crore), West Bengal (Rs 1,008 crore) and Odisha (Rs 1,020 crore).