Daily Current Affairs, 14th June 2018

1) President Ram Nath Kovind To Launch Solar Charkha Mission

•President Ram Nath Kovind will launch Solar Charkha Mission which will entail a subsidy of 550 crore rupees in the initial two years for 50 clusters. According to the Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Giriraj Singh, the scheme is aimed at linking five crore women and self-help groups to the initiative.

•15 new technology centres will be set up and out of these, ten will be made operational this year. These centres will provide technological support to small industries.

2) Integrated Command And Control Centre Of Naya Raipur Smart City Inaugurated

•The Integrated Command and Control Centre of the Naya Raipur Smart City was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Integrated Command & Control Centre of Naya Raipurbecomes the 10th Smart City Centre to be operational in the country.

•Under the ambitious Smart City Mission, ICCC in 9 cities had already become operational viz. Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Pune, Nagpur, Rajkot, Visakhapatnam, Bhopal and Kakinada. Naya Raipur is one of the 3 Smart Cities of Chhattisgarh selected under the Smart Cities Mission. The other two cities are Raipur and Bilaspur.

3) India, US Agree To Hold Comprehensive Talks To Address Trade & Economic Issues

•India and the US have agreed to hold comprehensive talks to address trade and economic issues. The decision in this regard was taken during a series of meetings, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu had with US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. Mr Suresh Prabhu was on a two-day visit to the US.

4) Maharashtra Government, Quebec Province Sign Pact To Increase Economic Cooperation

•The Maharashtra government and Canada’s Quebec province have signed a pact to increase the economic cooperation, especially in areas of information technology, biotechnology, artificial intelligence and welfare of the tribal community. 

•Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was on a week-long tour to the US and Canada, signed MoU to this effect with Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard. They also discussed ways to increase collaboration over knowledge-sharing on ports.

5) Raksha Mantri Inaugurates 1st BEL Representative Office In Vietnam

•Raksha Mantri, Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the first Representative Office of Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in Hanoi, Vietnam. Smt Sitharaman handed over the symbolic key of the Representative Office of BEL at Vietnam (VIRO) to Chairman & Managing Director, BEL Mr Gowtama MV during the Vietnam-India Defence Industry Business Meeting.

•The Representative Office will aim to promote BEL’s exports in areas such as Weapon Systems, Radar Systems, Naval Systems, Military Communication Systems, Electronic Warfare Systems, Combat Management System and Coastal Surveillance System.

6) Inflation Rises To 14-Month High Of 4.43% In May

•Inflation based on wholesale prices shot up to a 14-month high of 4.43% in May on increasing prices of petrol and diesel as well as vegetables. The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation stood at 3.18%in April and 2.26% in May 2017.

•According to government data released, inflation in food articles was at 1.60% in May 2018, as against 0.87% in the preceding month. Inflation in vegetables climbed to 2.51% in May, while in the previous month it was (-)0.89%. Inflation in ‘fuel and power’ basket rose sharply to 11.22% in May from 7.85% in April as prices of domestic fuel increased in line with rising global crude oil rates.

7) Sulabh Founder Honoured With Japan's Nikkei Asia Prize

•Noted social reformer and founder of Sulabh International, Bindeshwar Pathak was honoured with Japan’s prestigious Nikkei Asia Prize. The award was given under Culture and Community category for his significant work in tackling poor hygiene and discrimination.

•Launched in 1996, the award honours people in Asia who have made significant contributions in one of the three areas of regional growth; science, technology & innovation and culture & community.

8) United States, Mexico And Canada Win Right To Host 2026 World Cup

•The United States, Mexico and Canada won the right to host the 2026 World Cup after easily beating Morocco in a vote by FIFA member nations in Moscow.

•The North American bid received 134 of the 203 votes, while Morocco polled 65 in the ballot at a FIFA Congress held in Moscow. Football’s showpiece event will return to the North American continent for the first time since 1994 when the United States hosted the tournament.