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Friday, October 12, 2018

Daily Current Affairs, 12th October 2018

18:54






1) President Kovind Inaugurate 13th Annual Convention Of CIC
•President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the 13th Annual Convention of the Central Information Commission in New Delhi. The Convention deliberated on three specific subjects – Data privacy and Right to Information, Amendment in the RTI Act and Implementation of the RTI Act. 

 •All the present and former Chief Information Commissioners, Information Commissioners of the Central Information Commission, State Information Commission, RTI activists and NGOs associated with the implementation of the RTI Act attended the Convention.

2) First India-Israel Innovation Centre Opens In Bengaluru
•The country’s first India-Israel Innovation Centre (IIIC), an entrepreneurial technology hub, was launched in Bengaluru. The IIIC is a significant step towards facilitating penetration of Israeli companies in India and aims to forge local partnerships and joint ventures between companies from the two countries.

 •It will provide an ecosystem to support entrepreneurship, partnership with vendors, mentoring and non-formal community development that will assist the growth of the companies in different verticals and covers business, technology, investors and customers.

3) NITI Aayog's AIM & IBM India Design Industry-Tailored Student Internship Programme
•NITI Aayog and IBM announced a first-of-its-kind internship programme for students selected by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).

 •The internship will see 38 students receive a two-week paid internship, and 14 teachers from Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) across the length and breadth of the country including from states such as Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar and others, to come together and ideate, collaborate and innovate. 

4) Malaysian Government Abolishes Capital Punishment
•In Malaysia, the cabinet decided to abolish the death penalty. Communications and multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo stated that the government decided to scrap capital punishment following strong domestic opposition to the practice.

 •Capital punishment in Malaysia is currently mandatory for murder, kidnapping, possession of firearms and drug trafficking, among other crimes. 

5) Central University Of Jammu Signs MoU With ISRO
•The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) signed an MoU with the Central University of Jammu (CUJ) in Jammu for setting up of the Satish Dhawan Center for Space Science in the University. 

 •Another MoU was signed between CUJ and the Central Scientific Instruments Organization (CSIR-CSIO) to create awareness about space research. This is the first of its kind institute coming up in Jammu and Kashmir and the building is proposed in an area of about 1,150 sq. m. 

6) Delhi, Moscow Sign Twin-City Agreement
•Delhi government signed a twin-city agreement with the government of Moscow for cooperation in various fields like environment, culture and education, for the next 3 years.

 •The agreement was signed by Minister of the Moscow City government and head of its international relations Sergey Cheremin and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. 

7) SBI Signs MoU With Nepal's NBI For Human Resource Development
•State Bank of India has signed an MoU with Kathmandu-based National Banking Institute (NBI) for the development of human resources of the latter. Under the MoU, the strategic training unit of SBI will impart education, training and development to facilitate transformation of NBI's HR department. 

•SBI signed the three-year MoU with NBI to establish a mutually beneficial strategic alliance for development of NBI's human resources by imparting education, training and research. 

8) World Bank’s Human Capital Index: Singapore Tops, India Ranks 115th
•The World Bank released the Human Capital Index (HCI) as part of the World Development Report 2019.Broader theme of the World Development Report (WDR) this year is “The Changing Nature of Work”. As part of this report, the World Bank has launched a Human Capital Project (HCP). The HCI has been constructed for 157 countries. The HCI for India has been estimated at 0.44. The Index was released at the World Bank-IMF Annual Meetings in Bali, Indonesia.

•Singapore topped the poll after it was highly rated for its universal health care system, education exams results and life expectancy figures. It is followed by South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Finland. India was ranked at the 115th position lower than Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Bangladesh. 
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The HINDU Notes – 12th October 2018

13:44





📰 The great Indian abdication
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THE HINDU NEWSPAPER IMPORTANT ARTICLES 12.10.2018

08:38
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SSC Notice Regarding SSC GD 2018 Examination

06:47





Click Here to Download SSC Notice Regarding SSC GD 2018 Examination
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Thursday, October 11, 2018

Daily Current Affairs, 11th October 2018

16:48





1) International Day Of The Girl Child: 11 October
•Since 2012, 11 October has been marked as the International Day of the Girl. The theme for International Day of the Girl Child 2018 is 'With Her: A Skilled Girl Force'. 

 •The day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls' empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights. 

2) Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘TITLI’ Hits West-Central Bay Of Bengal
•The Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘TITLI’ over the west-central Bay of Bengal moved northwards with a speed of about 14 kmph over Westcentral Bay of Bengal near latitude 16.5°N and longitude 85.8°E, about 320 km south-southeast of Gopalpur (Odisha) and 270 km southeast of Kalingapatnam (Andhra Pradesh). It is very likely to intensify further into a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm. 
3) Sushma Swaraj Participates In 17th CHG Meeting Of SCO In Tajikistan
•External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj participated in the 17th Council of Heads of Government, CHG, meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to be held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. This was the second CHG meeting since India became a full member of SCO in June 2017. 

 •Last year, CHG meeting was held in Sochi, Russia and was also attended by EAM. The SCO CHG meeting is a forum that enables India to engage with SCO member countries and Observer states of Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia. It is the first major meeting since Kyrgyzstan took over as chair of the Organisation. 

4) Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman In France On 3-Day Visit
•Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has left for Paris on a three-day visit to France. Ms Sitharaman will hold wide-ranging talks with her French counterpart Florence Parly on ways to deepen strategic cooperation between the two countries and also deliberate on major regional and global issues of mutual interests. 

 •During the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, the two countries decided to expand strategic ties and deepen counter-terror cooperation. The two sides also inked a strategic pact providing for the use of each other’s military facilities including opening naval bases to warships. 

5) Cabinet Approves Merger Of NCVT And NSDA To Establish NCVET
•The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the merger of the existing regulatory institutions in the skills space - National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) and the National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) into the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET). 

 •NCVET will regulate the functioning of entities engaged in vocational education and training, both long-term and short-term and establish minimum standards for the functioning of such entities. The primary functions of NCVET will include -

 1.recognition and regulation of awarding bodies, assessment bodies and skill related information providers; 
2.approval of qualifications developed by awarding bodies and Sector Skill Councils (SSCs); 
3.indirect regulation of vocational training institutes through awarding bodies and assessment agencies; 
4.research and information dissemination; 
5.grievance redressal.

6) Indus Towers Wins Deming Prize For 2018
•Indus Towers, world's largest telecom tower company (outside China), won the Deming Prize for 2018, being the first Indian company in the service sector and the fifth in the world to achieve this. The Deming Prize was bestowed on Indus Towers for distinctive performance improvements through the application of Total Quality Management (TQM) practices. 

 •Indus Towers is only the 29th Indian company to win this coveted award, with other notable names including Tata Steel, Ashok Leyland, Mahindra and Mahindra, and NBC Bearings, etc.

7) Tushar Mehta Appointed Solicitor General Of India
•Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta has been appointed as the new Solicitor General of India. The senior lawyer will assume the office of the Solicitor General till June 30, 2020. Presently, Mehta is serving as the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) of India.

•The post had been lying vacant since October 2017 when the then Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar had resigned. Solicitor General is the second highest ranking law officer of the government after the Attorney General.

8) Pravin Srivastava Appointed India's 3rd Chief Statistician
•The government has appointed 58-year-old Pravin Srivastava, a senior officer with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), as the Chief Statistician of India (CSI). Srivastava’s tenure will be till August 31, 2020. His appointment would take effect from the date of assumption of charge by him. 

9) Veena Sendre Crowned India's 1st Miss Trans Queen
•Veena Sendre from Chhattisgarh has been chosen as India's first 'Miss Trans Queen'. Veena defeated Namita Ammu of Tamil Nadu to claim the title at the national-level beauty contest organised in Mumbai. Sendre, a former Miss Chhattisgarh, belongs to Mandir Hasaud village in Raipur. 

10) Rakesh Sharma Takes Charge As MD & CEO Of IDBI Bank
•State-run IDBI Bank has announced that Rakesh Sharma has taken charge as the managing director and chief executive officer of the bank. He has replaced B Sriram. 

 •Mr Sharma has been appointed for the period of six months. He retired from Canara Bank as the MD and CEO after serving for a period of three years. 

11) Oxfam World Inequality Index 2018: India Ranks 147th, Denmark Tops
•UK-based charity ‘Oxfam International’s report named ‘Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index was released in which India ranked 147th among 157 countries analysed and was labeled as “a very worrying situation” with respect to the rising inequality in the country. 

 •Out of 157 countries measured, Denmark topped the list based on its high and progressive taxation, high social spending and good protection of workers. Ranking at 11th, Japan became the topper among the Asian countries. Among the BRICS nations, China was ranked 81st on the list, Brazil 39th and Russia 50th.

 •The Top 3 Countries include: 
1. Denmark,
2. Germany,
3. Finland. 

12) IOC Picks Senegal As 1st African Host For Youth Olympics
•The International Olympics Committee (IOC) has picked its first African host of any Olympics, formally awarding the 2022 Youth Games to Senegal. 

 •Senegal President Macky Sall was present to see IOC members confirm the executive board's preference from four candidates. Senegal will host the youth games in three places: Dakar; a new city of Diamniadio, close to the capital; and the coastal resort of Saly. 
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The HINDU Notes – 11th October 2018

14:10





📰 How was decision on Rafale made, asks SC
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UPSC OPTIONAL Papers Mains 2018

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THE HINDU NEWSPAPER IMPORTANT ARTICLES 11.10.2018

08:52
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Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Daily Current Affairs, 10th October 2018

20:30






1) World Mental Health Day: 10 October
•World Mental Health Day is celebrated on 10 October every year. The theme for 2018 WMH day is 'Young People and Mental Health in a Changing World'. World Mental Health Day was observed for the first time on 10 October 1992. 

 •The goal of World Mental Health Day is to increase awareness about mental health and the importance of mental health in the overall health of a person. It was started as an annual activity of the World Federation for Mental Health. 

2) Nitin Gadkari Laid Foundation Stone For Rs1,224 Crore Highway Projects In UP
•Union Minister Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone for Rs 1,224 crore highway projects in Uttar Pradesh. Besides, the highway projects, Gadkari also laid the foundation stone for the development of National Waterway 40 (river Ghaghra). This project undertakes development work of 354 km stretch of Ghagra river under the Sagarmala Programme of Ministry of Shipping. 

 •The projects include widening and improvement of Ramjanaki Marg (NH-227A) from Ayodhya Cantt to Rampur (55 km) at a cost of Rs 315 crore, and 35 km from Rampur to Sikriganj at a cost of Rs 250 crore. 

3) Mobile Health App ‘MedWatch’ Launched By Indian Air Force
•On the occasion of 86th anniversary, the Indian Air Force has launched an innovative mobile health App named ‘MedWatch’ in keeping with the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Digital India, Ayushman Bharat and Mission Indradhanush’. 

 •The app is conceived by the doctors of IAF and developed in-house by Directorate of Information Technology (DIT) with ZERO financial outlay. ‘MedWatch’ is the first mobile health app in the three Armed Services and was launched by Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa. 

4) Clear Sky 2018: Ukraine Launches Air Exercises With NATO Countries
•Ukraine began a series of large-scale air force exercises with the United States and other NATO countries. The "Clear Sky 2018" war games are being held in western Ukraine. 

 •Some 700 troops are taking part, half of them from NATO member countries including the United States, Britain, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania. The aim is to enhance regional capabilities to secure air sovereignty and promote peace and security through cooperation. 

5) BPCL To Set Up Country's 1st Biofuel Plant In Odisha
•Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) will complete commissioning of its second generation (2G) ethanol bio-refinery at Baulsingha village in Bargarh district of Odisha by 2020. 

 •The proposed plant will see an investment of Rs 1000 crore, the foundation stone of which was laid. This is the first biofuel plant in the country where ethanol will be produced from rice straw. The refinery will have a capacity to produce three core litres of fuel grade ethanol per year by utilizing around two lakh tonnes of rice straw. Ethanol will be blended with petrol and used as fuel. 

6) UNICEF, NASSCOM Sign MoU To Strengthen Child Rights
•UNICEF and NASSCOM Foundation have signed an agreement to strengthen child rights through "meaningful business interventions. With this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the two organisations will work collaboratively on two key areas including national sensitisation on child online protection and encouraging innovations for child rights' in the country. 

7) Government Reconstitutes Top Court-Powered Pollution Control Panel
•The Centre has reconstituted Supreme Court-empowered Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority or the EPCA, which is tasked with taking various measures to tackle air pollution in the National Capital Region. Former secretary Bhure Lal continues to be the chairman, while the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) DG Sunita Narain is one of the members. 

 •The other members of the 20-member re-constituted authority include Ajay Mathur, who is the Director General of The Energy Research Institute (TERI), Arunabha Ghosh, the Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Energy Environment and Water, Navroz K. Dubash, the Senior Fellow for the Centre for Policy Research. 

8) Jharkhand To Become Partner State At Goa International Film Festival
•The Goa International Film Festival that will be held in November 2018 will have Jharkhand as a partner state. The decision was taken in meeting between Secretary of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Mr. Amit Khare and Chief Secretary of Jharkhand, Sudhir Tripathy at Ranchi. 

 •This will allow Jharkhand to showcase its culture and favourable filmmaking incentives announced by the state government. It was decided to open the community radio station at every district of Jharkhand.

9) J P Nadda Inaugurates 2nd World Conference On Access To Medical Products
•Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, J P Nadda inaugurated ‘2nd World Conference on Access to Medical Products: Achieving the SDGs 2030’ in New Delhi. 

 •At the function, Shri J P Nadda released the Position Paper and launched the Information Sharing Platform Gateway for South-East Asia Regulatory Network (SEARN) developed by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, which will promote regulatory and health collaboration among the countries of the South-East Asia Region. 

10) Japanese Passport Named World's Most Powerful, India 81st
•Japan's passport has been named the most powerful in the world, overtaking Singapore, according to the Henley Passport Index 2018. 

 •Japan has recently gained visa-free access to Myanmar, Japanese citizens now have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 190 destinations around the world. The Indian passport has secured the 81st rank with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 60 destinations. 

 •Top 3 on Henley Passport Index Power Ranking 2018: 
1. Japan
2. Singapore
3. Germany, France, South Korea.

11) Nikki Haley Resigns As US Ambassador To United Nations
•Indian-American Nikki Haley has resigned as the US Ambassador to the United Nations. US President Donald Trump has accepted her resignation. She would be leaving his administration at the end of the year. 

 •Haley was appointed to the UN post in November 2016. Before she was named by Trump to her UN post, Haley was governor of South Carolina, the first woman to hold the post. She was re-elected in 2014.

12) Youth Olympic Games 2018: Manu Bhaker, 1st Indian Woman To Win Gold At YOG
•Sixteen-year-old shooter Manu Bhaker has become the first-ever Indian woman to win gold at Youth Olympics. 

 •Bhaker achieved the feat after winning the women's 10m Air Pistol event with a score of 236.5 at 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Argentina's Buenos Aires. Weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga became the first-ever Indian to bag Youth Olympics gold. 
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The HINDU Notes – 10th October 2018

11:39





📰 India and Russia: Salvaging a strategic partnership
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