CURRENT AFFAIRS11th to 15TH JULY 2017 --- SBI PO/IBPS PO/CLERKS/SSC/IAS
11th July 2017
Vice President nominee selected
Former West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi will be the joint opposition’s nominee for the post of vice president. Congress President Sonia Gandhi, announcing the nomination, said that the 18 parties unanimously decided to field him as their Vice Presidential candidate. BJP-led NDA is yet to finalise its candidate for the post of Vice President.
Mangesh Tendulkar Passes away
Renowned cartoonist Mangesh Tendulkar died after brief illness at a private hospital in Pune. Brother of late famous playwright Vijay Tendulkar, Tendulkar played an active life and expressed his straightforward views about various civic issues. He was conferred with the president’s medal in 1980, Marathi Natya Parishad Award in 1993 and Pulotsav award in 2003 among several other honours.
Vaccine shows gonorrhoea protection
A vaccine has for the first time been shown to protect against the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhoea. Research, conducted in New Zealand, found that the gonorrhea rate among teens and young adults there who had received a meningitis B vaccine during an emergency campaign in the early 2000s was significantly lower than the rate seen in people of the same age who weren’t vaccinated.
Abu Dhabi top choice for Indians
Indians see Abu Dhabi as the top city, followed by Mumbai, Singapore, Delhi and London, according to the 2017 edition of the Ipsos Top Cities Index. Globally Delhi is ranked in 40th position followed by Mumbai in 41st position out of 60 global cities. People in 26 countries worldwide were asked which, from a list of 60 global cities, they felt were best to live in, do business in, and visit.
Health ministry signs MoU with WB
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has signed a MoU with Govt of West Bengal to set up a state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence in Transfusion Medicine at Kolkata. It intends to strengthen blood transfusion services in the State & surrounding region. It is a part of the Metro Blood Bank project under which centres of excellence in transfusion medicine in the 4 metro cities would be set up.
NGT bans use of nylon & synthetic manja
National Green Tribunal has banned use of ‘Chinese’ kite strings, made of nylon or any synthetic material. Ban also includes cotton ‘manja’ coated with glass. They have been banned as they poses threat to life and environment. State govts have been directed to prohibit “manufacturing, sale, storage, purchase and use” of synthetic ‘manja’ or nylon threads used for flying kites.
Stay on New Cattle Slaughter Rules
Supreme Court has stayed the central government’s new rules banning the sale of cattle for slaughter. SC said that an earlier stay by the Madras High Court would be implemented nationwide, as “livelihoods cannot be subjected to uncertainties”. The apex court ordered a 3 month stay on the rules. Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, on 30 May, stayed the cattle trade rules for four weeks.
Free contraceptive injections for women
Maharashtra has become the first state in the country to provide women an injectable contraceptive for free. The state’s public health department launched a programme called Antara to offer women an injection of Medroxyprogesterone acetate, a birth-control hormone. The injection is supposed to be used within a week from the day a woman’s menstrual cycle starts.
Committee for separate state flag
Karnataka Government has constituted a 9 member committee to study the possibility of designing a separate state flag and providing it a statutory standing. The committee was constituted following representation of social activists from the state urged the government to design a separate flag for Kannada ‘naadu’ and give statutory standing for it. J&K is the only state to have separate flag
Mallya quits as India’s representative
Vijay Mallya has quit as Indian motorsport body’s top representative in the world body FIA after intervention from the sports ministry. He resigned ahead of the last meeting of FIA’s World Motor Sport Council in June following ministry’s directive to Federation of Motor Sports Club of India. Mallya was also removed as FMSCI honorary chairman as a result of his mounting troubles.
India finishes fifth in u-18 rugby
The Indian girls U-18 rugby team finished fifth in rugby sevens (7-a-side) event at the Paris World Games 2017. Seven teams took part in the event, held as part of France’s bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. The 12-member team won two of the five matches it played. India in its first match defeated the United Arab Emirates with a completely one-sided score of 50-0.
Danfoss India wins Golden Peacock Award
Climate and energy efficiency solutions company Danfoss India has been conferred with the ‘Golden Peacock Award’ for Environment Management. The award was presented here during the 19th World Congress on Environment Management’ in the presence of Supreme Court Justice Kurien Joseph. The company has been recognised for its LEED Platinum rated constructed manufacturing facility in Chennai.
Govt increases import duty on sugar
Government has increased import duty on sugar to 50% from 40%, to restrict cheap inward shipments and maintain domestic prices. Food Ministry had proposed increase in import duty on the grounds that fall in local prices will affect millers’ capacity to pay cane dues to growers. In April this year, govt had allowed import of 5 lakh tonnes of raw sugar at zero duty to boost domestic supply.
Meeting of SAARC Minister of Law & Order
8th meeting of the SAARC Ministers of Law and Order has started in Colombo. The 3 day meeting will focus on the issue of tackling terrorism apart from discussing liberalization of visa, illegal trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and small arms. Indian side is being led by a senior official in Ministry of Home affairs. Last meeting of SAARC Ministers was held in Pakistan.
World Population Day
World Population day is an annual event, observed on July 11 every year, which seeks to raise awareness of global population issues. Theme this year is Family Planning- Empowering People, Developing Nations. On this occasion, Health Minister JP Nadda launched 2nd phase of family planning campaign & logistic management information system. Around 83 million people are being added every year.
Teresa’s sari an Intellectual Property
Famous blue-bordered sari of Mother Teresa has been recognised as an Intellectual Property of the Missionaries of Charity. According to Trademarks Registry, intellectual rights to the piece of clothing was granted on Sept 4, 2016, the day she was canonised. It is the 1st time that a uniform has been made intellectual property. It took 3 years for the missionary to have the sari trademarked.
Aaykar Setu launched
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has launched Aaykar Setu. It is an e-initiative for Income tax Department to directly communicate with the taxpayers and aimed at providing information on useful tax services. It compiles various tax tools, live chat facility, dynamic updated and important links to various processes within the Department in a single module.
Govt saves over Rs 57,000 cr
Govt has saved more than Rs. 57,000 cr with its Direct Benefit Transfer scheme under which subsidies are given directly to beneficiaries. DBT programme is a major reform initiative to check graft in welfare funds and is aimed at transferring benefits of various central govt-run social welfare schemes to bank accounts of beneficiaries. Till March, 2017, there were 140 schemes under the DBT.
2nd state to accept online RTI apps
Delhi has became the second state to launch e-RTI portal that will enable citizens to file online Right to Information. Portal will enable citizens to file RTI and seek information related to 172 departments of the Delhi govt including the office of the chief minister and his ministers. Maharashtra is the first state to launch the online RTI platform. The Portal has been designed by NIC.
India to import crude oil from US
India will import crude oil from US for the first time after Indian Oil Corp bought a cargo that will be delivered in October. India is the latest Asian country to buy US crude after South Korea, Japan, China, Thailand. IOC bought 1.6 million barrels of US Mars crude, a heavy, high-sulphur grade, & 4,00,000 barrels of Western Canadian Select. India is the world’s third-largest oil importer.
12th July 2017
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot
NASA’s solar-powered Juno spacecraft has successfully completed the closest flyby of Jupiter’s iconic Great Red Spot. It is a massive storm that has been raging on giant planet for over 350 years. Great Red Spot is a 16,00 km wide storm that has been monitored since 1830 & has possibly existed for more than 350 years. Raw images from spacecraft’s latest flyby will be posted in coming days.
MoU between India & Palestine
Union Cabinet has give its ex-post facto approval for signing a MoU b/w India& Palestine on cooperation in the field of Health & Medicine. It will cover capacity building of health staff,prevention & control of communicable diseases ,rehabilitation & drugs, pharmaceuticals& medical equipments. Cabinet was apprised of MoU b/w India& Palestine on Cooperation in the field of IT & Electronics
Highest run-scorer in women’s ODIs
Indian women’s cricket team captain Mithali Raj became the highest run-scorer in women’s ODI cricket. She achieved the feat against Australia in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 match at Bristol. She surpassed Charlotte Edwards to become the highest run-getter also became the first cricketer to score 6000 runs in ODI. Earlier, she achieved the feat of scoring 7 consecutive fifties in ODIs.
New Head coach of Team India
Ravi Shastri has been named as Team India’s head coach till 2019 World Cup. He will replace Anil Kumble. He was selected ahead of Virender Sehwag & Tom Moody who were also interviewed for the post. He who was also the team director of the Indian team from Aug 2014 to April 2016. Zaheer Khan was appointed the bowling coach while Rahul Dravid was named batting consultant for overseas tours.
Access to physical education
Saudi Arabia will soon grant girls in public schools access to physical education. Education Ministry will introduce the physical education classes gradually and in accordance with (Islamic) Shariah regulations. The decision to allow girls to play sports in public schools is significant in Saudi Arabia because women taking part in exercise is still seen as a taboo.
MUN Regional Conference begins in Nepal
A Model United Nations Regional Conference is being held at Kathmandu. It is organised by the US Embassy in partnership with the Youth Thinker’s Society. Youths from 12 South and Central Asian countries including India are participating in 5 day conference. Aim of the MUN is to provide a platform to young minds to channelise energy and resources for a more prosperous and peaceful world.
NATO countries begin military drills
NATO countries have begun their major military drills in southern Bulgaria. 25,000 military personnel from 22 NATO allied & partner countries are participating in The Saber Guardian 17 exercise. It aims to increase interoperability of participating countries and demonstrate readiness to act in support of security and stability. It is being led by U.S. Army Europe and will run till July 20.
Malala Day
Malala Day is being celebrated today across the world commemorating Malala Yousafzai’s 20th birthday. July 12th has been declared as Malala Day by UN as it commemorates not only her birthday, but also the day when she delivered a powerful speech at UN to call for worldwide access to education. She is is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate.
SBI waives charge on IMPS fund transfer
SBI has waived charges for fund transfer of up to ₹1,000 through its Immediate Payment Service to promote small transactions. SBI had been charging ₹5 along with service tax for fund transfer of up to ₹1,000. Charge will be ₹5 along GST for fund transfer in range of 1,000 to 1 lakh. IMPS is an instant interbank electronic fund transfer service through mobile phones and internet banking.
Twitter names Ned Segal as new CFO
Twitter has named former Goldman Sachs investment banker Ned Segal as its new chief financial officer. Segal takes over Anthony Noto, who has been doing double duty as both COO and CFO since November. The move comes as Twitter is trying to renew interest in its service. Segal had been working at Goldman Sachs for nearly 17 years before serving as CFO for RPX.
Tsotsobe has been banned for 8 year
Former SA bowler Lonwabo Tsotsobe has been banned for 8 year for match-fixing. He was charged in April with contriving to fix or improperly influence matches in domestic Twenty20 Series. Tsotsobe admitted 1 charge of contriving to fix a match & 9 separate charges of failing to co-operate properly with various investigations. Total 7 players have been banned for being a part of this scandal.
HAL signs MoU with Defence Ministry
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has signed a MoU for 2017-18 with Ministry of Defence. MoU outlines targets on various performance parameters of the company during 2017-18. HAL has also laid specific emphasis on capacity building, modernization & solar plants aiming to achieve capital expenditure of 1300 cr. HAL’s thrust is on Make-in-India projects such as HTT-40, Light Combat Helicopter etc
President inaugurates ‘Ashiana Annexe’
President Mukherjee inaugurated Ashiana Annexe in Dehradun. It comprises of 12 low cost dwelling units constructed to accommodate officers & staff of Rashtrapati Bhavan. The units have been constructed using Habitech-NivaraTantra – Onsite Sanitation Integrated Community Housing Technology Innovations. Innovations comprise unique blocks “compacted intermeshing” which are made from local soil
First Iron ore mine with solar plant
Tata Steels Noamundi mine has become India’s 1st iron-ore mine to have solar plant for reducing carbon footprint. The project, executed by Tata Power Solar will help in reducing carbon emission by about 3,000 tonnes per annum.It is an open cast iron-ore mine of Tata Steel located in Jharkhand. It is Set up at a cost of Rs 35 cr & has a potential of 4.5 MW solar power generation.
Mathews steps down as Sri Lanka captain
Angelo Mathews has stepped down as Sri Lanka captain in all three formats. This comes after his team’s shocking ODI series defeat to Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe ranked 11th in the world had never beaten Sri Lanka before this series. Mathews led the Sri Lankan side in 34 Tests, 98 ODIs and 12 T20Is. Mathews took over in 2013 when Mahela Jayawardene handed over the reigns.
China moves to block internet VPNs
Chinese govt has ordered China’s 3 telecommunications companies to completely block access to virtual private networks by February 2018. VPNs provide a secure encrypted connection which China’s govt says allows users to circumvent censorship restrictions. China operates largest internet censorship regime in the world, blocking access to thousands of websites including Google, FB, Twitter.
World Petroleum Congress
The 22nd World Petroleum Congress, the largest gathering for the oil and gas industry, began in Istanbul. World Petroleum Congress is organized every 3 years by London-based World Petroleum Council and includes 65 member countries from around the world. Theme for this year was “Bridges to our Energy Future”. Workshops, technical forums and thematic panels will be held during the congress.
International Standard Sports City
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced to set up an international standard sports city. Kalinga International Sport City will be set up in Bhubaneswar, making eligible to bid for most international competitions including Commonwealth and Asian games. Odisha will also have satellite stadia with world class infrastructure in Cuttack, Sambalpur, Berhampur and Rourkela.
India to Become Largest Milk Producer
According to UN and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development India will become the largest producer of milk in the world by the 2026. India is also expected to triple its total milk production over the first quarter of the 21st century. Milk production in India will grow by 49% in 2026. India is also expected to record the biggest increase in wheat production globally.
Axis Bank, IIC pact to boost trade
Axis Bank has announced collaboration with Inter- American Investment Corporation that it will help traders boost relations b/w India, Latin America & Caribbean. Axis is the first Indian Bank to be a part of such a facility. Axis Bank will participate in Trade Finance Facilitation Programme as a confirming bank. It aims to foster bilateral trade relations by allowing ease of transactions.
13th July 2017
SBI reduces NEFT, RTGS charges
State Bank of India has reduced charges for National Electronic Funds Transfer and Real Time Gross Settlement transactions upto 75%. Reduced charges will be applicable on the transactions done through internet banking and mobile banking. Charges have been reduced to promote use of internet banking and mobile banking for doing NEFT and RTGS transactions.
India’s top 10 ‘most influential’ brands
According to a new study by global research firm Ipsos, Google is the most influential brand in India followed by Microsoft & Facebook at 2nd and 3rd position respectively. Patanjali & Jio have entered the top 10 ranking at 4th and 9th place respectively. Flipkart dropped 3 spots and stood at 10th place while Amazon climbed to take the 6th place. SBI is the only financial brand in top 10.
SC exempts AP, Andaman and Nicobar
Supreme Court has exempted Arunachal Pradesh & Andaman and Nicobar Islands from its order banning sale of liquor within 500m of state & national highways. They were exempted on the grounds of unique topographical constraints. 50% of the state revenue for Arunachal Pradesh came from the sale of liquor. SC had earlier allowed exemption from this ban to Sikkim & Meghalaya on similar grounds.
India to Host 8th Theatre Olympics
India will host Theatre Olympics in 2018, 1st since event’s inception in 1993. Running from 17 Feb to 8 April, event will see over 500 plays & 700 ambiance performances by artistes from across the globe. It will simultaneously be held in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai & 10 other cities. National School of Drama will organise the event in coordination with Union Culture Ministry.
Google buys Indian startup Halli Labs
Google has acquired Halli Labs, a 4 month old start-up out of Bengaluru. Halli Labs focuses on artificial intelligence & machine learning-based solutions to address what it describes as old problems. Halli Labs was started in April 2017 by Pankaj Gupta. Halli will be joining Google’s Next Billion Users team to help get more technology & information into more people’s hands around the world.
Delhi Police to get ‘super cop’ belts
Delhi police will be the 1st state police who will get ‘super cop belt’. It is a specially designed belt used by Police in UK, USA, Russia and para-military forces like CRPF, CISF, NSG. These belt will help cops to keep things like Gun, Security Batten, Wireless Set Pouch & ammunition pouch. Delhi Police has flouted a tender for 10,000 belts for its officers performing ground duties.
China to downsize army
China will downsize its 2.3 million-strong military to under 1 million as a part structural reform in the military. Reform is based on China’s strategic goals and security requirements. People’s Liberation Army will increase numbers of other services, including navy and missile forces. This is the first time that active People’s Liberation Army personnel would be reduced to below 1 million.
Overseas navy base in Djibouti
Chinese troops are headed to Djibouti to set up China’s first overseas military base. China says the support base will be used for peacekeeping and humanitarian aid in Africa and West Asia. It will also be used for military co-operation, naval exercises and rescue missions. China began construction of a logistics base in Djibouti last year. This will be China’s first overseas naval base.
High speed rail training centre
India’s 1st high-speed rail training centre will be soon setup at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. While India’s 1st bullet train is proposed to hit the track in 2023, the training centre would begin its operations by 2020. It will provide for advanced training modules on cutting edge technologies. It will provide training to around 4000 engineers & will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 600 crore.
Center for research on rice varieties
Union Cabinet has approved setting up International Rice Research Institute, South Asia Regional Center in Varanasi. A Memorandum of Agreement will soon be signed for setting up Center b/w country’s agriculture ministry and the IRRI, Philippines. The Center will help in utilizing the rich biodiversity of India to develop special rice varieties. Center will be commissioned within 6 months.
Eliminating malaria by 2027
India has advanced its target of eliminating malaria by 3 years to 2027. Earlier the target was 2030. Health Ministry has launched a 5 year plan which will focus at district level to strengthen the strategy to eliminate the disease. Long Lasting Insecticidal nets are being used in controlling malaria from past 3 years. So far 40 million LLI nets have been distributed.
Education qualification for polls
Rajasthan has become India’s 1st State to lay down the minimum educational qualifications for contesting elections to village cooperative societies & other cooperative bodies. State Cooperative Societies Rules, 2003, were amended for the purpose. It will benefit around 10,000 cooperative and agricultural credit societies. Educational qualifications will range from Class V to Class VIII.
DHFL Insurance appoints Sinha as MD
DHFL General Insurance has appointed Vijay Sinha as managing director and chief executive effective from June 1. Prior to this, Sinha has worked at organisations like Life Insurance Corporation of India, Tata AIA Life Insurance Company and Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company. DHFL General Insurance is a general insurance venture promoted by Wadhawan Global Capital.
Malta legalises same-sex marriage
Malta has voted to legalise same-sex marriage, despite opposition from the Catholic Church. Maltese parliament agreed to amend country’s marriage act, replacing words like husband and wife with the gender-neutral alternative spouse. Only one lawmaker out of 67 in the Maltese parliament voted against the legislation. Malta is the 24th country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.
‘No-Development Zone’ near river Ganga
National Green Tribunal has declared 100m from the edge of River Ganga as a ‘No-Development Zone’ in the stretch b/w Haridwar in Uttarakhand & Unnao in Uttar Pradesh. An environment compensation of Rs.50,000 will be imposed on anyone who dumps waste in Ganga. NGT has also directed UP and Uttarakhand govts to formulate guidelines for religious activities on ghats of Ganga or its tributaries.
Ex-Brazil Prez sentenced to 9 years
Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been convicted of corruption charges& sentenced to 9 & a half years in prison. He was found guilty of accepting an apartment as a bribe in a corruption scandal linked to state oil company Petrobras. He served 8 years as president until 2011, has expressed interest in running again in next year’s elections for left-wing Workers’ Party.
Free insurance scheme for legislators
Maharashtra govt has decided to give free medical insurance cover of up to Rs10 lakh to all sitting and former legislators and their families. The govt will have to set aside Rs 9.96 crore a year to pay the insurance premiums of 335 sitting legislators and 837 former legislators. Legislators were earlier covered by the government’s medical reimbursement scheme.
Smallest star in the universe
Astronomers from University of Cambridge have discovered the smallest star in the universe. Located around 600 light years away in the Milky Way galaxy, the star is called EBLM J0555-57Ab and is about the size of Saturn. According to astronomers, star has just enough mass for hydrogen fusion process. Star is probably colder than many of the gas giant exoplanets that have been identified.
P Chandra Sekharan passes away
Renowned forensic expert and Padma Bhushan awardee Prof Dr P Chandra Sekharan passed away. He served over 30 years as director of Department of Forensic Sciences, Govt of Tamil Nadu. He played a key role in numerous sensational cases including the assassination case of former PM Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. He was author of many books including “The first human bomb,” based on Rajiv Gandhi case.
Book on Modi ‘The Making of Legend’
BJP President Amit Shah and RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat released a coffee table book on PM Modi’s life in New Delhi. The book – Making of A Legend, has been compiled by Sulabh International Founder Bindeshwar Pathak. Amit Shah outlined the achievements of PM Modi when he was the CM of Gujarat for 12 years. He also highlighted other achievements of Modi govt & also outlined future plans of it.
14th July 2017
Planning to migrate to other countries
According to a report by the UN migration agency, India has the second highest number of adults planning to migrate to other countries. Most popular destinations for those planning to migrate is US followed by UK, Saudi Arabia, France, Canada and Germany. Half of those planning to migrate live in 20 countries, led by Nigeria and followed by India, Congo, Sudan, Bangladesh and China.
No GST on sale of old jewellery
Govt. has clarified that sale of old jewellery & old vehicles by individuals will not attract any GST as the sale is not for furthering any business. Tax will apply if an unregistered business sells gold ornaments to registered supplier. This comes in wake of Revenue Secretary’s comments in which he said that purchase of old gold jewellery by a jeweller from a consumer will attract 3% GST.
First copy of book “President’s Lady”
President Pranab Mukherjee received the first copy of a book on his late wife, Suvra Mukherjee. The book, ‘President’s Lady’ (Pranaber Preyosi), was released by vice president Hamid Ansari on a day that marked President’s wedding anniversary. The book has been written by Sangeeta Ghosh. Late Suvra Mukherjee was essentially a private person with a strong interest in music and paintings.
PETN explosives found in UP Assembly
Highly explosive PETN was found in Uttar Pradesh Assembly. Explosive powder Pentaerythritol tetranitrate was kept in a plastic bag near the seat of leader of the opposition, Ram Govind Chaudhary. It is one of the most powerful explosives and is hard to detect since it is non-metallic. 150 gm of PETN was found, 500 gm of PETN is enough to blow the whole UP Assembly
$1 million to UN partnership fund
India has contributed an additional million dollars to UN partnership fund launched to support sustainable development projects. The Fund was set up last month as a partnership b/w India & UNOSSC. India had made an initial contribution of a million dollars when the fund was created. Fund will support Southern-owned and transformational sustainable development projects across the world.
Indian Railways launches DEMU train
Indian Railways launched its 1st solar-powered diesel electrical multiple unit train from Safdarjung station in Delhi. It will run from Sarai Rohilla in Delhi to Farukh Nagar in Haryana. Total of 16 solar panels are fitted in 6 coaches and has a power back-up & can run on battery for at least 72 hours. This is the 1st time in the world that solar panels are being used as grid in railways.
73% Indians have trust in Modi’s govt
According to findings of OECD’s Govt at a Glance report 2017, India is at 3rd position on “Trust in government” chart with 73% people having faith in Modi govt. Switzerland with 80% leads the index followed by Indonesia and India. Greece is at the bottom of the table with 13% of people’s confidence. 30% people have faith in US govt while UK’s govt enjoys a confidence of 41% people.
New wing to provide intelligence inputs
Union Govt has set up Directorate General of Analytics and Risk Management, a new wing to provide intelligence inputs taking action against tax evaders. DGARM will be under Central Board of Excise and Customs to use internal & external sources for detailed data mining to generate actionable inputs. It will function as an apex body of CBEC for data analytics and risk management.
India ranks 116 on SDG index
India is ranked 116th out of 157 nations on a sustainable development goal index with a score of 58.1. India is behind Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan & China. Sweden topped the list followed by Denmark & Finland. SDG index is a global index that assesses performance of countries towards achieving the ambitious sustainable development goals. It ranks countries on their performance across 17 SDGs
President dedicates BML Munjal Uni
President Pranab Mukherjee dedicated BML Munjal University to the nation, calling it ‘one of the finest private universities in the country’. President commended the University for its efforts towards research and innovation and hands-on and cross-disciplinary learning. Founded by Hero Group and mentored by Imperial College London, the University has been approved by UGC.
India overtakes US
India has overtaken US to become Facebook’s largest country audience with 241 million active users, compared to 240 million in US. Active users in India are up 27% in past 6 months alone, compared to growth of 12% in US over the same period. Figures indicate that no. of active users in India is growing more than twice as fast as in US. More than half of India’s FB users were below age of 25.
Brand ambassador of Indoor cricket team
Former Indian batsman Sandeep Patil has been named as the brand ambassador of the Indian Indoor Cricket Team. He will be the face of the team in the lead-up to the 10th edition of World Indoor Cricket Federation World Cup to be held in Dubai. Patil played 29 Tests and 45 ODI for India from 1980-1986. Tournament will be held in partnership with Cricket Australia and Emirates Cricket Board.
Law against social boycott
Maharashtra has become the 1st state in the country to bring a law making social boycott a crime. Maharashtra legislature passed the law unanimously in 2016. The law proposes action against extra-judicial bodies like jat & community panchayats, and prescribes a maximum punishment of 3 years in jail. Movement initiated by late Narendra Dabholkar, gained momentum after he was shot dead.
MoU to set up AIIMS in Gorakhpur
Uttar Pradesh government has signed an MoU with the Centre for setting up of an AIIMS hospital in Gorakhpur. The hospital will have 750 free beds and the project will cost 1,750 crore rupees. The foundation of the AIIMS at Gorakhpur was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year. The OPD of the new AIIMS will start by September, 2018 and trauma centres will be established by 2020.
New supercluster of galaxies
Indian scientists have discovered an extremely large supercluster of galaxies, which is as big as 20 million billion suns. A team of astronomers from IUCAA and IISER, Pune and members of 2 other Indian universities have discovered this supercluster of galaxies. IUCAA team of astronomers has named it Saraswati. It is one of the largest known structures in the neighbourhood of the universe.
Chinese Nobel Peace laureate passes away
Chinese activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo has died at the age of 61. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison in December 2009 for “subversion”. He was recently moved from prison to a hospital in Shenyang to be treated for late-stage liver cancer. Chinese govt had refused to let him seek treatment overseas despite Liu’s wishes and international pressure.
Tata Sons appoints Chief Digital Officer
Tata Sons has appointed Aarthi Subramanian to a newly-created post of Chief Digital Officer. Subramanian will continue to serve on TCS’ board as a non-executive director and will report to Tata Sons’ Executive Chairman N. Chandrasekaran. Subramanian has over 26 years of experience in the global technology sector and has worked in diverse roles in India, Sweden, US and Canada.
Iran Air appoints first female CEO
Iran has appointed a female CEO to lead its national airline, Iran Air, for the first time since its inception in the 1940s. Iran’s Transport minister appointed Farzaneh Sharafbani as the CEO of Iran Air. Farzaneh Sharafbani holds a PhD in aerospace engineering and has previously served on the board of Iran Air. Iran is in the process of revamping its ageing passenger fleet.
India’s first TISC in Punjab
Department of Industrial Policy& Promotion has signed an agreement with Punjab State Council of Science & Technology to establish India’s 1st Technology& Innovation Support Center. Objective of TISC is to stimulate a dynamic & balanced Intellectual Property Rights system in India to foster creativity. Establishing TISC in India will give host institutions an access to global network.
Government empowers Army
Govt. has given Army vice-chief Sarath Chand full financial powers to procure critical ammunition and spares to maintain an optimum level to fight a short intense war. The procurement of critical ammunition will be done for most of 46 types of ammunition the Army uses. The Army faces severe shortage in ammunition, mainly for artillery guns, tanks, air defence and certain infantry weapons.
15th July 2017
ICICI Lombard files for IPO
ICICI Lombard General Insurance, the non-life insurance joint venture of ICICI Bank and Fairfax Financial Holdings has filed the draft red herring prospectus for its IPO. It is the first non-life insurance company to file for a public offering. The IPO will see ICICI Bank and Fairfax sell around 86.24 million shares. It is the second insurance company from the ICICI group to go public.
India crosses 1.2 billion mark
According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, the telecom subscriber base crossed 1.2 billion mark in May. Reliance Jio continued to lead the growth momentum with net addition of 4.7 million new customers followed by Bharti Airtel, BSNL and Vodafone. The landline user base declined to 24.16 million at the end of May, as compared to April’s 24.30 million users.
Limaye to take over as NSE CEO
Vikram Limaye will take charge as Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of National Stock Exchange of India. Limaye had been relieved by Supreme Court of his responsibilities on the committee of administrators of the Board of Control for Cricket in India with immediate effect. He was shortlisted as the chief executive of NSE after Chitra Ramkrishna resigned as chief executive officer.
Bill on defence co-operation with India
US House of Representatives has passed a $621.5 billion defence policy bill that proposes to advance defence cooperation with India. The National Defense Authorisation Act, 2018, was passed with 344 to 81 vote. Following the passage of the NDAA, the Secretary of Defence and Secretary of State will have 180 days to develop a strategy for advancing defence cooperation between the 2 countries.
Railways Launches ‘SAARTHI’ App
Railways has launched an integrated mobile application to cater to various passenger requirements, including ticket booking, inquiry and ordering meal on a single platform. The app, called as Rail SAARTHI has been developed by CRIS and was unveiled by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu. The app will cater to passenger needs like booking porter, retiring room, ordering food besides train tickets.
Tougher conditions for defence funding
US House of Representatives has voted for 3 legislative amendments to impose tougher conditions for reimbursement of defence funding to Pakistan. Pakistan will now have to show satisfactory progress in fight against terrorism. Defence secretary will also need to certify that Pakistan is demonstrating commitment to preventing the Haqqani network from using North Waziristan as a safe haven.
Indira Gandhi’s name dropped
Indira Gandhi’s name has been removed from a centre built by Somerville college in the University of Oxford in 2013. The Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development was named Indira Gandhi Centre for Sustainable Development at its launch during Manmohan Singh’s govt. The MoU to set up the centre was signed in May 2013 after then minister for HRD MM Pallam Raju visited the college.
Apps contributed Rs 1.4 lakh cr to GDP
According to a study conducted by ICRIER along with the Broadband India Forum, Internet-based applications have contributed Rs 1.4 lakh crore to the country’s GDP in 2015-16. Companies covered in the study include Makemytrip, PayTM, Urbanclap, Netflix etc. The contribution is estimated to grow to nearly 16% of the country’s GDP by 2020, the figure can grow to Rs 18 lakh crore by 2020.
BCCI retains IMG as IPL service provider
BCCI has renewed a 5 year deal with International Management Group as the service provider of IPL. IMG was the service provider for IPL over the last 10 years. The renewed deal will see BCCI pay IMG close to 40% more of the previous one for services to be rendered over next 5 years. Other bidders in race for the contract were Rhiti Sports, Wizcraft and a company with logistical expertise.
YES Bank gets $150 mn from OPIC
YES Bank has received another round of $150 million funding from US govt and Wells Fargo to fund SME lending. This is the third round of funding with the objective to increase lending to small and medium enterprises in India. Under the agreement, OPIC will provide $ 75 million in financing and up to $ 75 million in syndicated financing jointly arranged by Wells Fargo Bank to Yes Bank.
CSK and RR are back into the IPL
Board of Control for Cricket in India has welcomed the IPL franchises- Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals back into the League. Both the franchises have completed 2 year suspension imposed by Supreme Court appointed justice (Retd.) Lodha Committee and will now participate in next year’s IPL. The 2 teams were found guilty of being involved in betting activities during 2013 IPL season.
UNICEF’s Global Goodwill Ambassador
UNICEF has appointed Indian-origin Canadian YouTube Lilly Singh as its newest Global Goodwill Ambassador. Lilly who has around 11.9 million subscribers on YouTube, will use her channel to showcase the organisation’s work and urge millions of her followers to work for children’s rights. She has also started a new initiative on social media #GirlLove – which aims to end girl-on-girl hate.
Sundar Singh Gurjar wins gold
Sundar Singh Gurjar has opened India’s account at World Para Athletics Championships by clinching gold in the men’s javelin throw event. In the F46 category, Sundar recorded his personal best effort of 60.36m and took the top honour. He was disqualified last year at Rio Paralympics after he had missed his announcement call by a minute because of failure to understand the accent.
World Youth Skills Day
World Youth Skills Day is observed every year on July 15. It was established by the UN General Assembly on November 11, 2014. Theme of this year’s World Youth Skills Day is “Skills for the Future of Work”. The day is observed to create awareness about training and development of skills for the youth of today.
Customer Satisfaction Index Survey
Raipur’s Swami Vivekananda Airport has been ranked first in Customer Satisfaction among 49 airports in the country. Raipur Airport achieved 4.84 score on a 5 point scale index followed by Udaipur, Amritsar and Dehradun airports which have scored 4.75, 4.74 and 4.73 respectively. Survey covers a wide range of parameters like transportation, parking, passenger facilities and cleanliness etc.
MD& CEO of Oriental Bank
The Centre has appointed Mukesh Kumar Jain as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Oriental Bank of Commerce. He has been appointed to the post of MD and CEO for a period of 3 years. Prior to this appointment, he was an Executive Director at Punjab& Sind Bank. He comes in the place of Animesh Chauhan, who has superannuated.
Russia launches 73 satellites
Russian space agency Roscosmos successfully launched an imaging satellite and 72 micro-satellites into the orbit. For the first time in the world, such a complex and large mission has been developed and implemented. The 72 small satellites include those made by Japan, Germany and Canada along with 62 nanosatellites known as CubeSats, developed by the United States.
BMW opens R&D centre in China
German luxury carmaker BMW has opened a new research and development centre in China. The new R&D centre covering an area of over 40,000 square metres, is by far the BMW group’s largest auto R&D hub outside Germany. Centre will focus on new energy technology to establish a complete R&D and production chain in China. China has become the largest single market for BMW automotive vehicles.
EU, India set up fund for investments
European Union and India has announced establishment of an Investment Facilitation Mechanism for EU investments in India. It will allow for a close coordination b/w EU and Govt of India with an aim to promote and facilitate EU investment in India. EU Delegation to India and DIPP will hold regular high level meetings to assess and facilitate ease of doing business for EU investors in India.
TCS to close its Lucknow operations
Tata Consultancy Services has decided to close its operations in Lucknow after 33 years & shift to Noida. According to a report, lease of the building that houses TCS office is set to expire next year and company is reluctant to renew the contract. At least 2000 employees are likely to be affected. TCS has said it would ensure employees are accommodated in Noida or centres across India.
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