CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR IBPS RRB & PO 21st AUGUST 2017
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CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR IBPS RRB & PO 21st AUGUST 2017
NATIONAL
JP Nadda to launch 15 medical outlets of AMRUT Deendayal in Assam, UP & Punjab:
Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda will launch 15 medical outlets of AMRUT Deendayal in Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab through Video Conference from Shimla.
Mr Nadda will also inaugurate one outlet of AMRUT Deendayal at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) Shimla. Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment, AMRUT Deendayal Pharmacy is the flagship programme of Government of India.
The purpose of AMRUT Deendayal programme is to provide different kind of medicines and equipment’s on cheap rates to the patients. The discount up to 60 percent on MRP is provided to the patients. The flagship programme was launched in November 2015 and 84 outlets have been opened in 18 states.
Assam
- Capital: Dispur
- Chief Minister: Sarbananda Sonowal
- Governor: Banwarilal Purohit
Punjab
- Capital: Chandigarh
- Governor: P. Singh Badnore
- Chief Minister: Captain Amarinder Singh
Uttar Pradesh
- Capital: Lucknow
- Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath
- Governor: Shri Ram Naik
Assam govt proposes project to improve rural road connectivity:
The Assam government has proposed ambitious project to improve rural road connectivity. Managing Director of Assam State Transport Corporation A P Tiwari said that government is mulling to start Chief Minister’s Lok Parivahan Yojna.
Apart from this, 140 uncovered routes of the state will be covered. He also said that a slew of measures are being initiated to make the corporation a profit making body. Mr. Tiwari said that commercial complexes will be constructed at PPP mode. He further said that super deluxe buses including Mercedes will run in Guwahati by October this year.
IOC to invest Rs 52,000 cr in Paradip refinery post pact with Odisha govt:
State-owned Indian Oil Corp (IOC) will invest about Rs 52,000 crore in expanding Paradip refinery and setting up petrochemical complex after the Odisha government agreed to restore part of tax incentives, a top source said.
The state government has agreed to give Rs 700 crore per annum of an interest-free loan for 15 years to make up for the withdrawn incentive of 11-year deferment on payment of sales tax on Paradip refinery products sold in the state.
Odisha
- Capital: Bhubaneswar
- Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik
- Governor: C. Jamir
Union government to double Metro network in 18 months, add 4 new cities on map:
In a major fillip to urban transport, the Union government is all set to double the metro rail network over the next 18 months, adding three new cities to the metro map. The biggest gainers would be cities in BJP-ruled states, viz. Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Nagpur. Lucknow Metro would be the first off the block as it has received safety clearance and would be inaugurated within this month.
Election-bound Gujarat would get its first 6.3 km stretch in the capital city Ahmedabad next month. These two stretches would be followed by 28.4 km stretch in Delhi and 28 km in Hyderabad in September.
Defence Ministry approves delegation of powers to Border Roads Organisation:
The Ministry of Defence has decided to delegate administrative and financial powers to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to avoid delays on account of references between the Chief Engineer, HQ DGBR and the Ministry.
The Defence Ministry intends to bring transformational changes in the organisation in order to improve the pace of execution of works and to achieve desired outcomes according to the requirement of the armed forces. A chief engineer of the BRO can accord administrative approval up to Rs. 50 crore, ADGBR up to Rs. 75 crore and DGBR up to Rs. 100 crore.
PM reviews progress of Soil Health Cards and PMFBY:
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, reviewed the progress of two key schemes related to the agriculture sector – Soil Health Cards; and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
The Prime Minister was informed that 16 States/UTs have completed the first cycle of Soil Health Cards distribution, and the remaining States are likely to complete the same within weeks.
On Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, the Prime Minister was informed that in the Kharif season of 2016, and Rabi season of 2016-17, claims of over Rs. 7700 crore have already been paid, and over 90 lakh farmers have been benefited.
National Workshop on Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights:
The Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM), a professional body under the aegis of the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, is organizing a three-day workshop on Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) from 22nd – 24th August, 2017, in New Delhi.
Shri Rajnath Singh, Union Minister of Home Affairs, will be the Chief Guest in presence of Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State (I/C), Commerce & Industry, and Shri Kiren Rijijiu, Minister of State, Home Affairs at the inauguration of the workshop.
Shri Piyush Goyal addresses the 8th World Renewable Energy Technology Congress:
Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, Renewable Energy and Mines, Shri Piyush Goyal, addressed a distinguished gathering of delegates attended 8th World Renewable Energy Technology Congress in New Delhi. The Minister also gave away Energy and Environment Foundation Global Excellence awards 2017 during the inaugural session of the conference.
The annual conference is visualized and planned in the backdrop of India’s vision on achieving “Energy Independence and Power for all by 2022“. It focusses on new Green Technologies to ensure clean, reliable and affordable Renewable Energy supplies.
IREDA
- CMD: S. Popli
ISA
- Deputy General,: Shri Upendra Tripathy
INTERNATIONAL
NASA launches satellite to help astronauts talk to Earth:
NASA has launched the latest in a series of satellites aimed at ensuring astronauts at the International Space Station can communicate with Earth.
The $408 million Boeing-made Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-M) soared into space atop an Atlas V rocket that launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
US-South Korea set for divisive military drills:
The annual ten day “Ulchi Freedom Guardian” joint military exercise between the US and South Korea is routine. It begins, just days after dictator Kim Jong-un shelved plans to land four ballistic missiles in the waters around the American Pacific Territory Of Guam.
South Korea
- Currency: South Korean won
- Capital: Seoul
- President: MOON Jae-in
USA
- President of the United States: Donald Trump
- Currency: United States Dollar
- Capital: Washington, D.C.
BANKING & BUSINESS
Regional rural banks’ mergers get exemption from CCI:
The mergers of regional rural banks that are ordered by the government are now exempt from seeking CCI approval, according to a notification a move that will lead to faster closure of such transactions. The exemption has been granted for a period of five years.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) keeps a tab on unfair business practices across sectors. Mergers and acquisitions beyond a certain threshold compulsorily require clearance from the fair trade watchdog.
Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) set up under the RRB Act, 1976 provide credit and other facilities to small farmers, agricultural labourers and artisans, among others, in the rural areas. The provisions of Section 5 and 6 of the Competition Act would not be applicable for five years on such transactions.
Govt extends BHIM cash back scheme for merchants till March:
The government has extended till March a cash back scheme that offers incentives of up to Rs.1,000 to merchants for accepting payments through the Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) application.
The BHIM cash back scheme for merchants will be operational till 31 March 2018, a note by ministry of electronics and information technology (IT) said.
About BHIM:
The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 14 April for a period of six months for promoting cashless payments through the BHIM app. Under the scheme, a merchant can get cash back of Rs 50 for 20-50 transaction, Rs 2 for every transaction there after till Rs 950.
The monthly limit of BHIM cash back scheme is Rs.1,000. The condition for availing benefit is that at least 20 transactions should have been accepted by the merchant during the month from unique users of the BHIM with each amounting to minimum of Rs. 25.
The app user can make transaction by using UPI address, ISFC code and bank account of the recipient and by scanning QR code that can be generated in the app itself.
Axis Bank to waive 12 EMIs on regular home loan repayment:
With competition getting hotter in the affordable housing finance sector, private lender Axis Bank will waive 12 equated monthly installments (EMIs) on regular repayments of loans of up to Rs. 30 lakh under the new scheme Shubh Aarambh Home Loans.
The lender has introduced Shubh Aarambh Home Loans, in which 12 EMIs are waived — four EMIs each after the fourth, eighth and 12th year — from the date of the first disbursement. The waiver will be in the form of reduction in tenure.
Axis Bank
- Headquarters: Mumbai
- Chairman: Shikha Sharma
AWARD
12-year-old Indian-origin TV star crowned Child Genius in UK:
A 12-year-old Rahul Doshi Indian-origin boy has been crowned as the UK’s ‘Child Genius’ in a popular television quiz competition.
He won the Channel 4 show ‘Child Genius’ by beating his nine-year-old opponent – Ronan – 10-4 in the programmes finale. The schoolboy from north London clinched the title by answering a question on 19th Century artists William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais.
UK
- Currency: Pound sterling
- Capital: London
- Prime minister: Theresa May
AWARD
‘Durga of Indian football’ Oinam Bembem Devi wins Arjuna Award:
Oinam Bembem Devi, the flag bearer of Indian women’s football over the past two decades was named the winner of the prestigious Arjuna Award. Bembem becomes the second Indian woman footballer to win the award, the first being Shanti Mullick in 1983.
Bembem, nicknamed the ‘Durga of Indian Football,’ who had made her international debut in 1995, bowed out on a high after winning the SAF Games Gold Medal in Shillong in February 2015.
SPORT
Ghosh-Sathiyan settle for silver at Bulgaria Open:
The Indian pair of Soumyajit Ghosh and G Sathiyan came close to toppling the top-seeded Japanese duo of Jin Uda and Maharu Yoshimura, only to end with a silver in the men’s doubles at the Bulgaria Open in Panagyurishte.
OBITUARY
US comedian Jerry Lewis passes away in Las Vegas:
Jerry Lewis, one of Hollywood’s most successful comedians died in Las Vegas. One of the most popular comic actors of the 1950s and ’60s, Lewis perfected the role of the quirky clown but also won acclaim as a writer, actor and philanthropist in a career spanning six decades. He became the highest-paid actor in Hollywood, chalking up hits such as The Bell Boy, Cinderella and The Nutty Professor.
