Daily Current Affairs, 24th January 2018

1)  India to Host 16th International Energy Forum Meet

•The 16th International Energy Forum (IEF) Ministerial meeting will be held in New Delhi in April 2018. According to the Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan, the meeting will be hosted by Government of India in New Delhi and co-hosted by the Government of China and South Korea.

•Representatives from 92 countries will be participating in the conference, including 72 member countries of IEF and 20 guest countries. 

2)  World Economic Forum Summit in Switzerland Concludes

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned home after concluding his visit to Davos, Switzerland. During the visit, the Prime Minister delivered a keynote address at the plenary session of the 48th annual meeting of World Economic Forum. He became the first Indian prime minister in two decades to join the world’s top business leaders in the Swiss resort town of Davos.

•Mr Modi outlined climate change, terrorism and protectionism as three global threats. He also met his Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau. Both leaders discussed issues of mutual interest and reiterated their commitment to stand firm in combating terrorism. The Prime Minister also held a meeting with Queen Maxima of the Netherlandsand discussed steps to deepen the bilateral relationship. At the end, Mr Modi interacted with top global CEOs at the International Business Council event.

3)  Rapid Reporting System for SAG Launched on National Girl Child Day

•Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), Mr Rakesh Srivastava launched the Phase -1 i.e. the beneficiary module of the Rapid Reporting System (RSS) for the Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG) on the occasion of National Girl Child Day (24th January). 

•It is a web-based online monitoring for the Scheme for Adolescent Girls in New Delhi. The URL for the portal is 'sag-rrs.nic.in.' Presently, MWCD is implementing the Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG) in selected 508 districts across the country.

4)  7th Asia Steel International Conference to be Held in Bhubaneswar

•The 7th Asia Steel International Conference will be held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha in February 2018. The announcement was made by Tata Steel, in association with the Indian Institute of Metals.

•This major conference is held every three years and provides a platform for the exchange of knowledge on various aspects of the global steel industry. Around 70 keynote speakers from different countries will address the conference.

5)  GoI, Uttarakhand, and World Bank Sign $120 million Loan Agreement for Water Supply in Uttarakhand

•The Government of India, the Government of Uttarakhand and the World Bank Board signed a $120 million Loan Agreement which will help increase access to improved water supply services in peri-urban areas in the State of Uttarakhand.

•The Uttarakhand Water Supply Program for Peri-Urban Areas will help the State increase water supply coverage as well as ensure sustainable water supply service delivery in peri-urban areas. The $120 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and has a 5-year grace period.

6)  Lifter Rakhi Halder Creates New National Record

•Lifter Rakhi Halder created a new national record in clean and jerk to a gold medal in the 63kg women’s category in the 33rd Women Senior National Weightlifting Championships, in Mangaluru, Karnataka. 

•Rakhi lifted 128kgs in the clean and jerk for a total of 230kgs to create a new national record, bettering Karnam Malleswari’s feat (127kg) created in Athens in 1999.