CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR IBPS PO & RRB: 28TH AUGUST 2017

NATIONAL

Agriculture Minister addresses gathering at Sankalp Se Siddhi program in Varanasi:

Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh addressed a gathering at the Sankalp Se Siddhi program in Varanasi. The programme was organized by ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Kanpur, Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Faizabad and Krishi Vigyan Kendra Varanasi.

Mr Singh said the impact of Sankalp Se Siddhi campaign, which was launched on the 75th anniversary of Quit India Movement, can be seen across the country. On the occasion, the Minister asked the people to make a pledge to construct a New India and double farmers’ income by the year 2022.

He also address the 56th All India Wheat and Barley Research Workers’ Meet at the Banaras Hindu University, the Minister said that all the centers of All India Wheat and Barley Reform Project are making efforts to deal with Biotic and Abiotic factors to make wheat rich in nutrition by 2050. This integrated program is eco-friendly, economically beneficial and homogeneous and has led to increase in average yield per hectare from 0.91 tonnes in 1964-65 to 3.22 tonnes in 2016-17.

Uttar Pradesh

• Capital: Lucknow
• Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath
• Governor: Shri Ram Naik
• Narendra Modi constituency: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

 DRDO, IAI to produce MRSAM missile system by 2020 for Indian Army:

          Indian Army will finally get an advanced Medium-Range Surface To Air Missile (MRSAM) system by 2020 which will be able to shoot down ballistic missiles, fighter jets and attack helicopters from a range of around 70 km. The missile system will be produced by premier defence research organisation DRDO in collaboration with the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

The MRSAM system will be capable of shooting down enemy ballistic missiles, aircraft, helicopters, drones, surveillance aircraft and AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control Systems) aircraft, the official said on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media. The current version of MRSAM is operational with the Indian Air Force and the Navy.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has signed a Rs 17,000 crore deal with the IAI for the ambitious project. The MR-SAM, a land-based version of the long-range surface-to-air missile (LRSAM) for the Navy, will have a strike range of up 70 km. The deal envisages 40 firing units and around 200 missiles.

Arun Jaitley launches BEML’s ultra modern metro manufacturing facility:

          Defence Minister Arun Jaitley launched BEML’s third Line Ultra Modern Metro Manufacturing Facility to enhance the production of metro cars for the forthcoming metro projects in India. He inaugurated the indigenously designed and developed biggest ever diesel excavator BE1800D and crawler dozer BD475-1 and T-72 hull, meant for fitting into tanks, at Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) unit of Bharath Earth Movers Limited.

BEML had secured a Rs. 1,421-crore contract from Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) for supply of metro cars. The contract is scheduled to be completed by December, 2018.

 Air Force Chief inaugurates 56th annual aerospace conference:

Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa inaugurated the 56th annual three-day conference of Indian Society of Aerospace Medicine at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine in Bengaluru. IAM provides support to the Indian Aviation Industry.

Karnataka

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

Nungthaang Tampak becomes North East’s first 100 % computer literate village:

Nungthaang Tampak village has emerged as the ‘100 percent computer literate‘ not only in the state but in the entire North East. The training program was organised by Mangaal Rural, an NGO working for rural development.

The computer course, which is affiliated to All India Society for Electronic and Computer Technology (AISECT), was organised by Mangal Rural as a part of the Digital India program. The Nungthang Tampak has become India’s second 100 percent computer literate village in India. Kerala’s Chamravattom village is the country’s first 100 percent computer literate village.

Manipur

• Capital: Imphal
• Chief Minister: Biren Singh
• Governor: Najma Heptulla

 INTERNATIONAL

Sushma Swaraj to attend Indian Ocean meet in Sri Lanka:

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj will participate in the two-day Indian Ocean Conference (ICO) to be held in Colombo. The Sri Lankan Prime Minister and President are among key speakers in the event on the theme of “peace, progress and prosperity”. This will be second ICO conference. The first was held in Singapore in 2016 in partnership with think tanks from Singapore, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The conference will be inaugurated by Seychelles vice-president Vincent Meriton, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Singapore foreign affairs minister Vivian Balakrishnan besides Ms Swaraj, while Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena will deliver the valedictory address.

Srilanka

• Currency: Sri Lankan rupee
• Capitals: Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
• Prime minister: Ranil Wickremesinghe

Jaitley hands over long-range surface-to-air missile to Navy:

Defence Minister Arun Jaitley handed over the Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM) jointly developed by India and Israel, to the Indian Navy, at Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL). LRSAM is an advanced combat suit for missile defence against air targets and missiles, and has full capabilities of air and surface surveillance, threat alert and fire control. Public sector BDL is the missile production agency for the three armed forces.

On a day of hectic activity, the minister also dedicated a first-of-i-s kind 50-tonne Rocket Motor Static Test Facility. The ₹48-crore facility for SAM (surface-to-air missile) will support the design and vendor development activities needed for production of missiles.

Jaitley also inaugurated the ASTRA Manufacturing Unit at the BDL’s Bhanur unit. The ASTRA weapon system is an indigenously developed air-to-air Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile developed by the DRDO. Comprising a launcher and a missile, it is designed as a BVR missile with a range of 110 km in head-on mode and 20 km in tail-chase mode.

Israel

• Currency: Israeli new shekel
• Capital: Jerusalem

Work on $16.5bn Carmichael coal plant in Australia to begin in Oct: Adani

Adani Group plans to start work on its $16.5 billion Carmichael coal project in Australia in October, chairman Gautam Adani said, buoyed by the dismissal of appeals filed against the project by Australian activists. Adani, who ranked 250 in the Forbes World’s Billionaire List 2017 with a net worth of $5.8 billion, linked the controversies to the Carmichael project.

Australia

• Capital: Canberra
• Currency: Australian dollar
• Prime minister: Malcolm Turnbull

 India’s Afghan role focused on economy, not security: US official

A senior Trump administration official has said New Delhi’s role in the war-torn Afghanistan is focused around economic and democratic development and not on security issues, asserting that nobody has talked about asking India to send troops to that country.

President Donald Trump reached out to India in his Afghan and South Asia policy speech last week seeking an enhanced role for New Delhi, especially in the economic field, to bring peace and stability in the war-torn Afghanistan.

Afghanistan

• Currency: Afghan afghani
• Capital: Kabul

 Tuvalu Island Is the Least-visited Country in the World:

          Tuvalu Island Is the Least-visited Country in the World has also become a compelling place to study the effects of climate change. Sea levels have been rising sharply, and the U.N. listed it as one of the islands the most likely to disappear into the ocean in the 21st century.

 Taiwan launches first homegrown satellite:

 Taiwan has launched Formosat-5, the first homegrown observation satellite, from an air base in the US, the island nation’s National Space Organisation (NSO) announced.

The octagonal satellite – 2 metres high and 1.2 metres in diameter – cost some 3 billion Taiwanese dollars ($100 million) and made contact with a station in Norway at 4.13 a.m.

The satellite is equipped with Complementary Metal-oxide-semiconductor sensors to observe the Earth. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen called the launch a great leap that demonstrates Taiwan’s technological progress.

Taiwan

• Currency: New Taiwan dollar
• Capital: Taipei

BANKING & BUSINESS

Govt notifies Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act:

The government has notified the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act. The Act authorises the Reserve Bank of India, RBI to issue directions to banks to initiate insolvency resolution process to recover bad loans.

The banking sector is saddled with non-performing assets, NPAs of over 8 lakh crore rupees, of which, 6 lakh crore rupees are with public sector banks. The government in May had promulgated an ordinance authorising the RBI to issue directions to banks to initiate insolvency resolution process under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.

The RBI had identified 12 accounts each having more than five thousand crore of outstanding loans and accounting for 25 per cent of total NPAs of banks for immediate referral for resolution under the bankruptcy law. The loan defaulters identified by the RBI include, Essar Steel, Bhushan Steel, ABG Shipyard, Electrosteel and Alok Industries. The bulk of the NPAs are in various sectors including power, steel, road infrastructure and textiles.

 Seven Indian companies among world’s top 200 green energy firms:

Seven Indian companies have made it to the latest Clean200 list, featuring the world’s largest publicly traded companies making significant revenue from clean energy.

The Carbon Clean200 report, compiled by non-profit organisation As You Sow and Corporate Knights, was topped by Munich-headquartered Siemens AG, while Greater China had the most representation on the list with 68 companies in the top 200.

The seven companies on the list released earlier this month are Suzlon Energy (Rank 55), Bharat Heavy Electricals (Rank 85), Tata Chemicals (Rank 144), Exide Industries (Rank 155), IDFC Ltd (167), Thermax Ltd (Rank 169), and Havells India (Rank 200).

The Clean200 are listed by their estimated green revenues in US dollars and only include companies with over $1 billion of market capitalisation (at Q3 2017-end) and those that earn more than 10 percent of total revenues from New Energy sources.

 IRDAI launches central database of insurance sales persons:

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has launched a Central Database of all Insurance Sales Persons in the country.

Named `Envoy’, the database will ensure that all licensed insurance sales persons working for insurers and intermediaries including entities such as insurance agents, broker qualified persons, specified persons of corporate agents, authorised verifiers of web aggregators, point of sales persons (POS) etc do not work with multiple insurers and intermediaries in the same business category.

 BharatQR, SMSPay or even UPI, HDFC Bank launches all-in-one PoS machine:

          HDFC Bank announced a software upgrade to create a single point-of-sale (PoS) machine which will accept payments through Unified Payments Interface (UPI), BharatQR, SMS Pay and the bank’s mobile wallet, in addition to the traditional mode of swiping cards. The bank plans to carry out a software upgrade of its existing base of 4 lakh PoS machines to create what it calls a DigiPoS at no cost to merchants.

HDFC

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• CEO: Aditya Puri

 APPOINTMENTS

Dipak Misra sworn in as chief justice of India:

Justice Dipak Misra was sworn in as the 45th chief justice of India. He was administered the oath of office by President Ram Nath Kovind at a brief ceremony in the Darbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhawan. Misra (64), who takes over from JS Khehar, began his career on February 14, 1977, when he was enrolled as an advocate.

 Uber board picks Expedia’s Dara Khosrowshahi as its new CEO:

Uber Technologies Inc chose Dara Khosrowshahi, the chief executive of travel company Expedia Inc, as its chief executive, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter, handing him the challenge of leading the ride-services company out of a nearly year-long crisis. He would also have to contend with the legacy of Travis Kalanick, Uber’s pugnacious co-founder, who was ousted as CEO in June.

 AWARDS

Kendrick Lamar tops VMA winners in Los Angeles:

Rapper Kendrick Lamar has taken six prizes at the MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles. He won best video of the year for Humble, as well as best hip-hop artist, after opening the awards ceremony with a live performance.

Scientists who proved Einstein wrong to get Bell Prize:

A trio of scientists Bell who defied Albert Einstein by proving that quantum particles, when correlated in pairs, interact with each other regardless of their distance, will be honoured with the John Stewart Bell Prize from the University of Toronto

 SPORTS

PV Sindhu wins silver at World Badminton Championships 2017:

Rio Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu has made India proud yet again. The young badminton star has secured a silver medal at the World Badminton Championships. Sindhu was playing against Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara.

Lionel Messi becomes the first player to score 350 La Liga goals:

Messi has been La Liga’s all-time leading scorer for a few years now — the previous record was held by Telmo Zarra, with 251 career goals. Messi became the first player in La Liga history to reach the 350 goal mark.

 India lift SAFF Under-15 football Championship title:

India have lifted the SAFF Under-15 football Championship title. At Kathmandu, Lalrokima and Vikram struck in the second half to guide India edge past hosts Nepal in the final. The India team, which had players from AIFF’s Regional Academy, trailed by a goal at the interval but Lalrokima and Vikram’s timely strikes saved the day for India.

Nepal

• Prime minister: Sher Bahadur Deuba
• Currency: Nepalese rupee
• Capital: Kathmandu

Lewis Hamilton wins Belgian Grand Prix in his 200th Formula One race to close title gap:

Lewis Hamilton says selecting the wrong power mode actually helped him stay ahead of 2017 Formula 1 world championship rival Sebastian Vettel at the Belgian Grand Prix.

OBITUARY

Tobe Hooper, ‘Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ director, dies at 74:

Tobe Hooper, the horror-movie pioneer whose low-budget sensation “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” took a buzz saw to audiences with its brutally frightful vision, has died. He was 74.

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