Daily Current Affairs,14th July 2018

1) Sushma Swaraj Embarks 2-Day Visit To Manama

•External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj embarked on a two-day visit to Manama, to co-chair the second High Joint Commission meeting with her Bahraini counterpart.

•During the visit, Mrs Swaraj will inaugurate the new Chancery building complex and address the Indian community. She will also hold meetings with the political leadership.

2) Odisha Government Constitutes Heritage Cabinet

•The Odisha Government constituted Heritage Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to preserve the history and culture of Odisha. Its aim is to spread and preserve history and culture of Odisha and enrich Odia language further. The Cabinet comprises eight members, including the Chief Minister. 

•The other members are Ministers of Finance, Odia Language, Literature and Culture and Tourism, Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts, SC/ST Development, Higher Education, School and Mass Education and Electronics and Information. 

3) Ministry Of Mines Organized 4th National Conclave On Mines & Minerals

•The Ministry of Mines organized the 4th National Conclave on Mines & Minerals at Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chauhan was the chief guest of the conclave. 

•For the first time, the conclave had an exhibition in which States put up stalls to showcase their more than 100 mineral blocks which have been prepared to be put up on auctions during 2018-19.

4) Ministry Of Drinking Water And Sanitation Launches 'Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2018'

•The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation launches the Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2018 (SSG 2018) in the Delhi. An independent survey agency will conduct the survey in all districts and the results will be announced in the form of a ranking of all districts and states on the basis of quantitative and qualitative sanitation (Swachhata) parameters. 

•The top-performing states and districts will be awarded on 2nd October 2018. The objective of SSG 2018 is to undertake a ranking of states and districts on the basis of their performance attained on key quantitative and qualitative SBM-G parameters. 

5) Integrated Indian Visa Application Centre Inaugurated In Bangladesh

•A new integrated state-of-the-art integrated Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) was jointly inaugurated byHome Minister Rajnath Singh and his Bangladeshi counterpart Asaduzzaman Khan at Dhaka's Jamuna Future Park.

•After a few months, only one IVAC will be functional for all categories of visa applications without prior appointment. Rajnath Singh is presently in Bangladesh on a three-day visit. He also inaugurated the Bangladesh-India Friendship building in Bangladesh Police Academy in Sardah. 

6) Haryana Top State In Per Capita Revenue Collection Under GST

•Haryana has topped other states in per capita revenue collection under GST and is also the fourth highest generator of e-way bills in the country. The Finance Minister of Haryana Capt. Abhimanyu claimed Haryana has widened the tax base by 82.22% and logged 19% hike in revenue collections.

•About 1.12 crore e-way bills were generated in Haryana between April 1, 2018 and June 30, 2018, catapulting the state to the position of 4th highest generator of e-way bills in the country. The compliance percentage of assessees in the state is 5-7% higher than the national average and revenue collection under commercial taxes has registered double-digit growth.

7) ASI Lifts Ban On Photography At Protected Monuments

•The Archaeological Survey of India decided to allow photography within the premises of all centrally protected monuments/sites.

•However, the 3 monuments/sites in which the photography would not be permitted are Ajanta Caves and Leh Palace having paintings, and Mausoleum of Taj Mahal, Agra.