Current Affairs 6, July -2017 : 5th Meeting of BRICS Education Ministers held in Beijing, China

NATIONAL

PM Narendra Modi adopts wrestler’s village Kakrahia:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will adopt Kakrahia, a village known for its wrestlers and wrestling arenas under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana.

    This will be the third village to be adopted by the Prime Minister in his Lok Sabha constituency of Varanasi. In the previous two years, Modi adopted Jayapur and Nagpur as his first and second villages.


UDAY covers 97% of discom debt:

The 26 states and 1 UT which have joined the UDAY scheme account for total outstanding debt of Rs 3.82 lakh crore. Hence, about 97% of the total outstanding debt of all State discoms has been covered under UDAY (Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana). So far, 86% of the restructurable debt has been revamped under the scheme.


India has become the 11th country to join the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) initiative in US:

The United States of America has started rolling out for Indian citizens its Global Entry programme which allows for expedited clearance of pre-approved, low-risk travellers.

Navtej Sarna, Indian Ambassador to the US, became the first Indian national to enroll in the programme. With this initiative, India has become the 11th country whose citizens are eligible to enroll in the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) initiative.

USA

  • Capital, Currency & President:
  • Washington D.C,
  • US Dollar & Donald Trump

Law commission recommended marriage should be registered compulsory:

Law Commission submitted its report titled “Compulsory Registration of Marriages” to Law Ministry. Also, suggest that linking Aadhar number to marriage registration certificate will help prevent fraudulent marriages. Law Commission recommended to the Modi government to make marriage registration compulsory within 30 days of the wedding with no exemption to any religious community.

The commission that was headed by retired SC justice B S Chauhan submitted a report to the Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.


Karnataka ‘Elevate 100’ scheme for start-ups:

    The Karnataka government has launched the ‘Elevate 100’ scheme to identify and nurture innovative start-ups.

    The aim is to identify 100 most innovative start-ups in the state to elevate them to the next level of success, said Priyank Kharge, Minister for IT and BT.

Karnataka

  • Capital: Bengaluru
  • Chief Minister: Siddaramaiah
  • Governor: Vajubhai Vala

Punjab to abolish transport union:

    `The Punjab Cabinet approved the Punjab Goods Carriages (Regulation and Prevention of Cartelisation Rules), 2017, which bars goods carriage operators from forming cartels or unions in the State.

    Punjab cabinet approved the much-awaited new Transport Policy which besides doing away with the system of DTOs, will provide for registration of personal vehicles by SDMs, with driving licences to be issued on 32 Automated Driving Test Tracks itself by Assistant Transport Officers.

Punjab

  • Capital: Chandigarh
  • Governor: V. P. Singh Badnore
  • Chief Minister: Captain Amarinder Singh

Govt sets up target of constructing 57,000 km of roads under PMGSY this fiscal:

    The government has set a target of constructing 57 thousand kilometers of roads under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) during 2017-18.

    According to the Rural Development Ministry, the roads will be constructed at an average rate of 156 kilometers per day. It will provide connectivity to 16,600 eligible habitations.


Finance Minister to address GST-Delhi Sambodhan at Talkatora Stadium:

    Finance Minister will address a GST-Delhi Sambodhan at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi. Delhi BJP will organise this camps as necessary to solve the problems and remove misconceptions related to GST of the trader organisations and the common people.


Jammu & Kashmir Assembly passes resolution to implement GST in the state:

    The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly adopted the Goods and Services Tax (GST) resolution during a special session.

    The resolution moved by state Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu, was adopted through a presidential order calling on the Centre to safeguard the special status and exclusive taxation powers of the state. With this, all the states have implemented the Goods and Services Tax.

Jammu and Kashmir

    • Capital: Srinagar
    • Chief Minister: Mehbooba Mufti
    • Governor: Narinder Nath Vohra

Youth centres to be set up in Haryana in RSS icon Upadhyay’s name:

As part of its celebrations of the birth centenary of RSS ideologue Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay, the Haryana government has decided that youth centres would be established in his name in all districts of the state at a cost of about Rs 3 crore each.

These ‘Yuva Vikas Kendras’ would offer facilities such as library, Wi-Fi and skill development centres for the physical and cognitive development of the youth.

Haryana

    • Haryana Capital: Chandigarh
    • Governor: Kaptan Singh Solanki

INTERNATIONAL

SpaceX’s Dragon returns with first Chinese experiment from ISS:

SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS), bringing back the first Chinese experiment ever to visit the orbiting laboratory.

The unmanned spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 8:12am EDT (5:42pm IST) – about five hours after leaving the space station. It wrapped up SpaceX’s 11th contracted cargo re-supply mission for the US space agency NASA.

SpaceX’s Dragon is the first re-flight of a commercial spacecraft to and from the Space Station.


5th Meeting of BRICS Education Ministers held in Beijing, China:

    Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Education was held on 5th July, at Beijing, China. The Indian delegation was led by Shri Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Human Resource Development, India. Delegation of all the five BRICS countries participated in the two-day deliberations.

BEIJING DECLARATION ON EDUCATION

    Following is the text of BEIJING DECLARATION ON EDUCATION adopted in the 5th Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Education in Beijing, China, on July 5th, 2017.

China

  • Currency: Renminbi
  • Capital: Beijing
  • Prime minister: Li Keqiang
  • President: Xi Jinping

India, Israel to set up $40 mn research fund:

 

    India and Israel announced a strategic partnership between the two countries after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, and signed seven agreements in the fields of water, agriculture, space, including a $40 million joint fund for research and development in innovation.

    And addressing the Indian community at a large gathering in Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India will soon start an air service from Delhi and Mumbai to Israel. India will also set up a cultural centre in Israel to give a boost to people to people contact between the two countries.

Israel

    • Currency: Israeli new shekel
    • Capital: Jerusalem
    • Israeli Prime Minister: Benjamin Netanyahu

Indian Cultural Centre to be set up in Israel:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that an Indian Cultural Centre would be set up in Israel.

Appreciating the contribution of the Jewish community in India and Jews of Indian origin in Israel in bringing the two societies closer, Prime Minister Modi announced the opening of an Indian Cultural Centre in Israel.


Annette Bening to Head Venice Film Festival Jury:

Four-time Oscar nominee Annette Bening will preside over the jury of the upcoming 74th Venice Film Festival in Italy, ending an 11-year succession of male jury chiefs on the Lido.


Pak successfully test fires short-range ballistic missile Nasr:

    Pakistan successfully test fired short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile ‘Nasr’.

    ‘Nasr’ is a high-precision weapon system with the ability to be deployed quickly, the army.

    Pakistan Army has conducted a series of training launches and tests during the current week for validation of new technical parameters of ‘Nasr’ with enhanced range from 60-70 kilometres and flight manoeuvrability.

Pakistan

  • Currency: Rupee
  • Capital: Islamabad
  • Prime Minister: Nawaz Sharif
  • Pakistan Army Chief General: Qamar Javed Bajwa

Banking & Business

Axis Bank introduced super bikes loans to fund 95% of costs:

    Axis Bank has launched super bike loan. Under this loan, the bank will fund bikes with an engine displacement of over 500 cc with 95% of the cost.

Axis Bank

    • Headquarters: Mumbai
    • CEO: Shikha Sharma
    • Tagline: Badhti ka naam Zindagi

Nokia, China’s Xiaomi signed patent deal:

Nokia has entered into a wide-ranging patent licensing and purchase deal with Xiaomi.

The deal covers following areas:

  1. Nokia and Xiaomi have inked a cross licensing deal covering cellular standard essential patents.
  2. Xiaomi has acquired unspecified patents from Nokia.
  3. Nokia will provide network equipment to Xiaomi and will collaborate on building IP transport solutions.
  • Chairman and CEO of Xiaomi: Lei Jun
  • President & CEO of Nokia: Gregory Lee

EPFO adds banks to network:

    The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) signed an agreement with four private banks and Bank of Baroda for collection of provident fund dues from employers and payments to its subscribers.


‘Zero transaction charge’

 

    This is the first time that the EPFO has tied up with private banks – namely, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank. Earlier, only State Bank of India was authorised to collect contributions from employers and make payment to employees. The move will help the EPFO save about 300 crore annually as the five banks have agreed to zero transaction charges.

The agreement signed by Union minister of Labour: Bandaru Dattatreya


HDFC has Rs 909 crore exposure in an insolvent account:

Housing Development Finance Corp (HDFC) said it has exposure of Rs 909 crore in one of the 12 accounts referred by the Reserve Bank of India for resolution under the insolvency and bankruptcy code.

HDFC Bank

  • Headquarter: Mumbai
  • CEO: Aditya Puri

Indian Bank revises interest rates in FCNR (B) deposits:

Public sector Indian Bank has revised its interest rates on foreign currency non-resident banking deposits (FCNR (B)), with immediate effect.

 

  • Revised interest rates have been fixed at 2.43% for deposits of one year and above, but less than two years from the existing 2.36%.

 

  • Interest rates were revised to 2.59 percent for deposits of two years and above but less than three years from the existing 2.50 percent.
  • For deposits of three years and above, but less than four years, interest rates were revised to 2.76 percent from existing 2.70 per cent.
  • For deposits of four years and above, but less than five years, the interest rates were revised to 2.86 percent from current 2.82 per cent.
  • Interest rates were fixed at 2.96 percent for deposits of upto five years only from existing 2.89 per cent, it added.
  • Indian bank CEO: Mr. Kishor Kharat
  • Indian bank Headquarters: Chennai

Tata Power completes construction of 187 mw Hydropower Project in Georgia:

    Tata Power Company, through its joint venture company Adjaristsqali Georgia LLC has completed the construction of its 187 mw Shuakhevi Hydro Power Project in Georgia.

Georgia

    • Capital: Tbilisi
    • Currency: Georgian lari

 

 


India likely to clock GDP growth of 6.9 % in this fiscal:

According to a report by BMI Research, India’s growth is expected to recover in the coming quarters and the country is expected to clock a real GDP growth of 6.9 % in this financial year.


Science & Technology

The world’s most detailed scan of the brain’s internal wiring produced:

The world’s most detailed scan of the brain’s internal wiring has been produced by scientists at Cardiff University, UK. The scanning was done in Cardiff, Nottingham, Cambridge and Stockport, as well as London England and London Ontario.


APPOINTMENTS

Pradeep Kumar Rawat appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Indonesia:

     Shri Pradeep Kumar Rawat, presently Joint Secretary in the Ministry has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Indonesia.


Somesh Goyal appointed new DGP of Himachal Pradesh:

    Himachal Pradesh government appointed Somesh Goyal, a 1984-batch IPS officer, as the new director general of police (DGP), after Sanjay Kumar was relieved to take charge as Director General of National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF).

Himachal Pradesh

    • Capital: Shimla
    • Chief Minister: Virbhadra Singh
    • Governor: Acharya Dev Vrat

 

 


SPORTS

Snooker: India clinches Asian championship

    India’s leading cueist Pankaj Advani teamed up with Laxman Rawat to demolish Pakistan in the final of the Asian Team Snooker championship at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.


 Shiv Kapur qualifies for British Open:

India’s Shiv Kapur earned a ticket to his third British Open after winning one of the five final qualifying events held in England.

The top three players from each of the five final qualifying events made it to this year’s British Open, which will be held at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club from July 20 to 23.


OBITUARY

Former Prince Drummer John Blackwell Jr. Passed away:

South Carolina-born musician John Blackwell is best known for his work as a drummer for Prince had died. He was 43.


Babu Jagjivan Ram remembered:

    The former Deputy Prime Minister, Babu Jagjivan Ram, was remembered across Mandya and Chamarajanagar districts on his 31st death anniversary.

    B.R. Poornima, Additional Deputy Commissioner, and other officials paid tribute to Mr. Babu Jagjivan Ram at Cauvery Park in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Mandya.