Daily Current Affairs, 30th August 2018

1) 4th BIMSTEC Summit 2018 Starts In Kathmandu

•The 4th BIMSTEC Summit began in Kathmandu, Nepal. The two-day Summit will be held with the main focus on countering terrorism, enhancing regional connectivity and boosting trade. 

•The theme of the summit is 'Towards a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable Bay of Bengal region'. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold bilateral talks with leaders of BIMSTEC countries on the sidelines of the summit. 

2) ISRO To Outsource Production Of PSLVs And SSLVs To Private Industries

•The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will outsource the production of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLVs) and Small Satellite Launch Vehicles (SSLVs) to private Industries. The Indian Space agency Chairman K Sivan informed that private industries will play a major role in capacity building. 

•The ISRO will launch Gaganyaan, India’s first manned mission to outer space in 2020. As per the announcement, the Indian Air Force will identify six persons who can be trained to be astronauts. The assistance of the country’s first astronaut Rakesh Sharma and that of foreign space agencies will be sought for the training of astronauts. 

3) Cabinet Approves Earth Sciences Ministry’s Umbrella Scheme ‘O-SMART’

•The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its approval for implementation of an umbrella scheme ‘Ocean Services, Technology, Observations, Resources Modelling and Science (O-SMART)’. The scheme encompasses a total of 16 sub-projects addressing ocean development activities such as Services, Technology, Resources, Observations and Science. 

•The CCEA approved the scheme for implementation during the period from 2017-18 to 2019-20 at an overall cost of Rs 1623 crore. The scheme covers a total of 16 sub-projects, which address ocean development activities such as services, technology, resources, observations and science. 

4) Google Unveils New Platform Named 'Navlekha' For Indian Publishers

•Google announced Project Navlekha at its 4th edition of Google for India Event held in New Delhi. Project Navlekha has been launched to enable Indian publishers of regional languages to publish their content online, without facing the trouble of selling printed copies. 

•The official website of Navlekha can be easily interpreted by users. Users can also obtain help from experts to set up their publication website. 

5) MoU Signed Between Department Of Biotechnology And International Energy Agency

•The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, and the International Energy Agency (IEA) signed an MoU on Enhancing Innovation for Clean Energy Transition. 

•The MoU seeks to deepen co-operation in support of clean energy innovations to accelerate the research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) of clean energy technologies in India and will help support the generation of data for policymaking and improve knowledge of good policy practices for innovation in India and around the world. 

6) India’s Economic Growth Rate To Grow At 7.4% In 2018-19: RBI

•The Reserve Bank of India has released its annual report in Mumbai. It was mentioned in the report that due to the evolving economic conditions, real GDP growth for 2018-19 is expected to increase to 7.4% from 6.7% in the previous year.

•The RBI stated that its monetary policy will continue to be guided by the objective of achieving medium-term target for retail inflation of 4%. 

7) Asian Games 2018: Swapna Barman, 1st Indian Heptathlete To Win Gold In Asian Games

•Swapna Barman created history by becoming the first Indian heptathlete to win an Asian Games gold in Indonesia, a feat she achieved despite a toothache. 

•The 21-year-old Barman logged 6026 points from the seven events competed for two days. En route to the title, she won the high jump (1003 points) and javelin throw (872 points) events and finished second-best in shot put (707 points) and long jump (865 points). 

8) Asian Games 2018: Arpinder Singh Wins Gold In Triple Jump

•Arpinder Singh ended India's 48-year long wait for a gold in triple jump at the Asian Games with an effort of 16.77m. India's last Asian Games gold medal in men's triple jump had come in 1970 from Mohinder Singh Gill. 

•Arpinder, who has been without a medal in multi-sporting events since winning a bronze in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, produced his best jump of 16.77m in his third attempt.