DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: FEBRUARY 18, 2018

NATIONAL

Central govt. to set up 562 more Ekalavya schools

  • Tribal affairs minister Mr.Oram has announced that Govt. will setup 562 schools for tribal children.
  • He also added that “Every block with at least 20 thousand tribal persons, will have an Ekalavya School”.
  • The Tribal Affairs Ministry has been allocated an amount of six thousand crore rupees for new financial year. In 2017-18, it received over 5329 crores rupees
  • Ekalavya Model Residential School (EMRS) is a Government of India scheme for model residential school for Indian tribals across India.

MoU Signed between Botanical Survey of India and Natural History Museum, UK

  • Botanical Survey of India (BSI) and Natural History Museum (NHM), UK signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the field of genetic/taxonomic studies, research and training, conservation in India.
  • The MoU was signed by Director, BSI Dr Paramjit Singh and Head of the Algae, Fungi and Plants Division, NHM, Dr Sandra Knapp, in the presence of Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Dr Harsh Vardhan.

     

INTERNATIONAL

India and Iran sign several MoUs

The pacts were signed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Iran President Hassan Rouhani at New Delhi.

The MoU signed are,

  • Avoidance of double taxation
  • Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to taxes on Income, exemption from Visa requirement for holders of Diplomatic Passports
  • Lease Contract for Shahid Beheshti Port- Phase 1 of Chabahar for 18 months
  • Cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine
  • Establishment of an Expert Group on Trade Remedy Measures to promote cooperation in areas of mutual interest
  • Cooperation in the field of Agriculture and Allied Sectors
  • Cooperation in the field of Health and Medicine
  • Postal Cooperation.

Three Day Munich Security Conference held at Germany

  • The Munich Security Conference, in its 54th edition, began in Munich, Germany, amidst strict security measures for more than 4,000 security personnel.
  • Three day conference held from 16th feb to 18th feb 2018.
  • The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterich, began the session.

APPOINTMENTS 

ICHR has appointed Arvind Jamkhedhar as chairman

  • Archaeologist and historian Arvind P. Jamkhedkar will be the next Chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR).
  • He will replace Prof. K. Sudershan Rao, whose term as ICHR chief was mired in controversy. The post fell vacant after Prof. Rao’s retirement.

SPORTS

Badminton coach Pullela Gopichand initiated the country’s largest ‘train the trainers’ programme

  • Gopichand launched ‘train the trainers’ programme inducting 1500 Physical Education (PE) teachers from across Gujarat for advanced training.
  • As per the plan, Gopichand and his band of experts will first select around 150 PE teachers out of the 1500 to become master trainers.
  • Former All-England champion Gopichand and India’s lone Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra have been appointed to oversee the programme and will serve as mentors.

OBITUARY

Long serving Former Dutch PM passed away

  • Ruud Lubbers, the youngest and longest-serving prime minister of the Netherlands, died at the age of 78 in Rotterdam.
  • Mr Lubbers had the longest tenure of any prime minister in the country’s history, and guided the Netherlands through economic turmoil to prosperity while helping shape the foundations of the European Union.

 

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