Current Affairs December 31, 2017

NATIONAL

Nitish Kumar Lays Foundation for Rs 700 crore Projects

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has laid foundation stones for more than 100 projects worth Rs 700 crore in Nalanda district. It has been launched as part of his state-wide “Vikas Samiksha Yatra”.

At Chamera village in Ekangarsarai block, chief minister dedicated to the public 132 projects worth Rs 97.63 crore in addition to the 114, worth Rs 698.65 crore, for which foundation stones were laid.

Bihar

Capital: Patna

Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik

Governor: Satya Pal Malik

Leaders of all 10 ASEAN countries will come as chief guests on Republic Day: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Republic Day will be celebrated with leaders of all ten ASEAN countries coming to India as Chief Guests. This is unprecedented in India’s history.”

The year 2017 has been special for both ASEAN and India. ASEAN completed its 50 years of formation in 2017 and in 2017 25 years of India’s partnership with ASEAN were completed. 

 India leads in Global Milk Production

India has outpaced the global milk production with an annual growth rate of 5.53% compared with the 2.09% achieved globally, announced by Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said during the past 3 years.

Milk production, which was around 17-22 million tonnes in     the 1960s, has increased to 163.7 m tonnes in 2016-17. India has been the largest producer of milk in the world for the past 15 years.

Nitin Gadkari flags off Cargo Movement on Brahmaputra River in Assam

In a major boost to the inland waterway transport system in the northeast, Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari flagged off cargo movement on the Pandu-Dhubri route of the Brahmaputra river.

It is planned to build five bridges on the river to ease transportation. The bridges would connect Jorhat with Nematighat, Disangmukh with Tekeliphuta, Louit with Khablu, Numaligarh with Gohpur and North Guwahati with Guwahati.

Mr Gadkari also laid the foundation stone for a new scheme for protecting Majuli Island from flood and erosion. The Rs. 233.57 crore scheme was framed by the Brahmaputra Board after taking into account the recommendations of a high-level expert committee of the central government.

INTERNATIONAL   

China successfully tested its first Photovoltaic road

The first photovoltaic (solar) highway based on home-grown technology was successfully tested in Shandong province of China. The road has wireless charging systems for electric vehicles.

The photovoltaic highway is constructed using solar panels which transfer energy to electric vehicles passing on top of them.

China became the second country in the world to construct a photovoltaic highway. France had introduced world’s first photovoltaic road fitted with solar panels in 2016.

China Launches World’s Largest Human Genome Research Project

China has launched the world’s largest human genome research project to document the genetic makeup of one lakh people to help generate the precision medicines for the future.

The project would detect the genetic links between health and sickness and involve one person from different ethnic backgrounds and regions.

The project will collect the genetic data of Han ethnic majority people from all over the country and nine other ethnic minority groups with a population of more than five million.

China

Capital: Beijing

Currency: Renminbi    

President: Xi Jinping

BUSINESS

Allahabad Bank ties up with NeSL

Allahabad Bank ties up with state-run National e-Governance Services Limited (NeSL) for utilizing the latter’s Information Utility Services envisaged under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.

NeSL, owned by the government, is the first Information Utility entity registered by Insolvency and bankruptcy Board of India under IBBI (IU) Regulations, 2017.

Allahabad Bank

Headquarters: Kolkata

CEO: Usha Ananthasubramanian

Tagline: A Tradition of Trust

Bank of India gets Rs. 2,257 crore From Govt

The Bank of India bank has received capital infusion of Rs. 2,257 crore from the government. The bank has received infusion of Rs. 2,257 crore from the Government of India, in the form of Common Equity Tier-1 Capital, which is being kept as Share Application money and would be allotted after due procedure/ conditions for allotment.

The government had unveiled a Rs. 2.11 lakh crore two-year roadmap for strengthening NPA-hit public sector banks, which includes recapitalisation bonds, budgetary support and equity dilution.

Bank of India

Headquarters: Mumbai

CEO: Dinabandhu Mohapatra

Tagline: Relationship Beyond Banking

SPORTS

Commonwealth Games 2018: Sakshi Malik named in Indian women’s wrestling team

Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik was named in the Indian women’s wrestling team for next year’s Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia,. The selection trail was held in Lucknow.

Apart from Sakshi, who is in the 62kg category, other women grapplers who booked their berths for the 2018 Commonwealth Games are: Vinesh Phogat (50kg), Babita Kumari (54kg), Pooja Dhanda (57kg), Divya Karan (68 kg) and Kiran (76kg).

Apart from Sakshi (62kg), other women grapplers who booked their berths for the 2018 Commonwealth Games are Vinesh Phogat (50kg), Babita Kumari (54kg), Pooja Dhanda (57kg), The six freestyle wrestlers will also represent the country in the 2018 Senior Asian Wrestling Championship to be held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Viswanathan Anand bags bronze in World Blitz Chess Championship at Riyadh

Indian chess Grand master and five time World Champion Viswanathan Anand bagged a bronze in the World Blitz Chess Championship at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

World Champion Magnus Carlsen won the tournament scoring 16 points and followed by Sergey Karjakin with 14.5 points out of the maximum possible 21 points.