Daily Current Affairs, 16th April 2018

1)  Himachal Pradesh Celebrates Its 71st Foundation Day

•Himachal Pradesh celebrated its 71st foundation day with much fanfare and gaiety. Several cultural events were organized across the state. It may be recalled that the hill state came into existence after the merger of 30 odd princely states in 1948.

•The main event was held at Ridge Maidan in Shimla, where Chief Minister Jairam Thakur reviewed the ceremonial Parade presented by police, home guards and NCC cadets.

2)  PM Modi Leaves On 5-Day Visit To Sweden & UK

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi left on a five-day visit to Sweden and the UK. The visit to the two nations aims at enhancing bilateral cooperation in key areas like trade, investments and Science & technology.

•On the first leg of his visit, the Prime Minister will attend the first-ever India-Nordic Summit at Stockholm, which will be co-hosted by India and Sweden. In London, Mr Modi will take part in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting being hosted by the UK.

3)  UN Launches Road Safety Trust Fund

•United Nations’ Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed announced the launch of the ‘UN Road Safety Trust Fund’ to stimulate action that can save lives and prevent injuries and sufferings associated with road accidents. As per the UN data over 1.3 million drivers, passengers and pedestrians die each year on the roads.

•The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the development arm of the UN in Europe, is designated as the Secretariat for the Trust Fund. A contribution of USD 1500 to the fund could help save one life and prevent 10 serious injuries. 

4)  Government Raises NABARD's Authorised Capital To Rs 300 Billion

•As part of the drive to double the income of farmers by 2022, the government has raised the authorised capital of NABARD by six times from 50 billion to Rs 300 billion to help it increase its lending to the rural economy.

•A bill in this regard was approved by Parliament earlier this year. The increase in authorised capital will enable Nabard to respond to commitments it has undertaken, particularly in respect of the Long Term Irrigation Fund and on-lending to cooperative banks.

5)  Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Launched In Telangana

•Launching the ‘Gram Swaraj Abhiyan’ in Telangana, the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan stated the number of LPG distribution points in the State will be increased to 1,000 from the existing 707 for quicker and efficient delivery of gas cylinders.

•Mr Pradhan promised to create 20 lakh ‘happy homes’ in the State through free LPG gas connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)-- the scheme providing free cooking gas connections to below the poverty line families.

6)  CII Pegs India's GDP Growth At 7.3-7.7% For 2018-19

•The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has announced that it expects India's gross domestic product (GDP) to grow at 7.3-7.7% during the 2018-19 financial year.

•This is based on strengthening demand in the rural economy, including agriculture and non-farm activities, as well as better global growth climate.

7)  Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting Begins In London

•The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM 2018) has begun in London, the UK. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part in the event on 19th and 20th of April.

•The theme of the summit is 'Towards a Common Future'. The biennial event has brought together delegates from 53 Commonwealth nations. The summit will focus on addressing common challenges across the Commonwealth for a more prosperous, secure and sustainable future.

8)  CWG 2018: Complete List Of All The Medals Won By India

India finished third in the medals tally at the Commonwealth Games 2018, courtesy 66 medals including 26 gold, 20 silver and 20 bronze medals. Australia with 198 medals (80 Gold, 59 Silver and 59 Bronze) topped the chart and England with 136 Medals (45 Gold, 45 Silver and 46 Bronze) stood second.

Gold Medals (26)

S. No.	Winners	Sports Category
Weightlifting
1.	Chanu Saikhom MIRABAI	Women's 48kg
2.	Venkat Rahul RAGALA	Men's 85kg
3.	Sanjita Chanu KHUMUKCHAM	Women's 53kg
4.	Sathish Kumar SIVALINGAM	Men's 77kg
5.	Punam YADAV	Women's 69kg
Shooting
6.	Manu BHAKER	Women's 10m Air Pistol
7.	Jitu RAI	Men's 10m Air Pistol
8.	Anish BHANWALA	Men's 25m Rapid Fire Pistol
9.	Sanjeev RAJPUT	Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions
10.	Heena SIDHU	Women's 25m Pistol
11.	Tejaswini SAWANT	Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions
12.	Shreyasi SINGH	Women's Double Trap
Wrestling
13.	Kumar SUSHIL	Men's Freestyle 74 kg
14.	SUMIT	Men's Freestyle 125 kg
15.	Rahul AWARE	Men's Freestyle 57 kg
16.	BAJRANG	Men's Freestyle 65 kg
17.	Vinesh PHOGAT	Women's Freestyle 50 kg
Boxing
18.	Gaurav SOLANKI	Men's 52kg
19.	Vikas KRISHAN	Men's 75kg
20.	MC Mary KOM	Women's 45-48kg
Table-Tennis
21.	India	Men's Team
22.	Manika BATRA	Women's Singles
23.	India	Women's Team
Badminton
24.	Saina NEHWAL	Women's Singles
25.	India	Mixed Team Event
Athletics
26.	Neeraj CHOPRA	Men's Javelin Throw

Silver Medals (20)

S. No.	Winners	Sports Category
Weightlifting
1.	Pardeep SINGH	Men's 105kg
2.	GURURAJA	Men's 56kg
Shooting
3.	Heena SIDHU	Women's 10m Air Pistol
4.	Mehuli GHOSH	Women's 10m Air Rifle
5.	Anjum MOUDGIL	Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions
6.	Tejaswini SAWANT	Women's 50m Rifle Prone
Wrestling
7.	Mausam KHATRI	Men's Freestyle 97 kg
8.	Babita KUMARI	Women's Freestyle 53 kg
9.	Pooja DHANDA	Women's Freestyle 57 kg
Boxing
10.	Satish KUMAR	Men's +91kg
11.	AMIT	Men's 46-49kg
12.	Manish KAUSHIK	Men's 60kg
Table-Tennis
13.	ACHANTA Sharath/GNANASEKARAN Sathiyan	Men's Doubles
14.	BATRA Manika/DAS Mouma	Women's Doubles
Badminton
15.	Satwik RANKIREDDY/Chirag Chandrashekhar SHETTY	Men's Doubles
16.	Srikanth KIDAMBI	Men's Singles
17.	PV Sindhu	Women's Singles
Athletics
18.	Seema PUNIA	Women's Discus Throw
Squash
19.	CHINAPPA Joshna/PALLIKAL KARTHIK Dipika	Women's Doubles
20.	PALLIKAL KARTHIK Dipika/GHOSAL Saurav	Mixed Doubles

Bronze Medals (20)

S. No.	Winners	Sports Category
Weightlifting
1.	Deepak LATHER	Men's 69kg
2.	Vikas THAKUR	Men's 94kg
Shooting
3.	Om MITHARVAL	Men's 10m Air Pistol
4.	Ravi KUMAR	Men's 10m Air Rifle
5.	Om MITHARVAL	Men's 50m Pistol
6.	Ankur MITTAL	Men's Double Trap
7.	Apurvi CHANDELA	Women's 10m Air Rifle
Wrestling
8.	SOMVEER	Men's Freestyle 86 kg
9.	Sakshi MALIK	Women's Freestyle 62 kg
10.	Divya KAKRAN	Women's Freestyle 68 kg
11.	KIRAN	Women's Freestyle 76 kg
Boxing
12.	Hussamuddin MOHAMMED	Men's 56kg
13.	Manoj KUMAR	Men's 69kg
14.	Naman TANWAR	Men's 91kg
Table-Tennis
15.	DESAI Harmeet/SHETTY Sanil Shankar	Men's Doubles
16.	Sharath ACHANTA	Men's Singles
17.	GNANASEKARAN Sathiyan/BATRA Manika	Mixed Doubles
Badminton
18.	REDDY N. Sikki/PONNAPPA Ashwini	Women's Doubles
Athletics
19.	Navjeet DHILLON	Women's Discus Throw
Para Powerlifting
20.	Sachin CHAUDHARY	Men's Heavyweight