CURRENT AFFAIRS : SEPTEMBER 27, 2017
NATIONAL
Rajnath Singh launches portal ‘PENCIL’ to eliminate child labour:
In an endeavour to combat the menace of child labour, trafficking and sexual abuse Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh launched portal namely ‘PENCIL’ (Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour). Singh along with Minister of State for Labour and Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi launched ‘PENCIL’. Singh at the event also assured that the Centre will soon pass the anti-trafficking bill.
PENCIL web portal stands for Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour an electronic platform for no child labour that has been developed by the Labour Ministry. This web portal has been was launched during the National Conference on Child Labour in New Delhi.
Dr. Harshvardhan launches Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhayay Vigyan Gram Sankul Pariyojana:
The Minister of Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Dr. Harshvardhan launched “Pt Deen Dayal Upadhayay Vigyan Gram Sankul Pariyojana” which will experiment and endeavour to formulate and implement appropriate S&T Interventions for Sustainable Development through cluster approach in Uttarakhand.
Uttarakhand
- Capital: Dehradun
- Chief Minister: Trivendra Singh Rawat
- Governor: Krishna Kant Paul
Andhra CM Naidu declares 2017 as e-pragati year:
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu declared the year of 2017 as e-pragati year.
Naidu said that all districts must come under the purview of the flagship programme that will help the government make real-time governance.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated the Andhra Pradesh Sports Policy 2017.
On “Parishkara Vedika“, a call center that has been set up to hear and redress the grievances of the public, Naidu said any complaints would be resolved quickly.
Andhra Pradesh
- Capital: Amaravati
- Chief Minister: Chandrababu Naidu
- Governor: E. S. L. Narasimhan
Govt launches campaign to sensitise women about cancer:
Union minister Anupriya Patel launched a nationwide health campaign to sensitise women about the early screening and the preventive care for cancer.
Themed ‘Nurturing the Nurturer’, the campaign was launched by FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) in partnership with the Apollo Hospitals group.
Shri Ram Vilas Paswan launches “Electronic Negotiable Warehouse Receipt (e-NWR) System”:
Shri Ram Vilas Paswan, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution today launched the Web Portal of Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA) & “Electronic Negotiable Warehouse Receipt (e-NWR) System” in New Delhi.
Isro’s Mars Orbiter Mission completes 3 years in orbit:
India’s low-cost Mars Orbiter Mission completed its three year mission.
Kandla Port renamed as Deendayal Port:
The Ministry of Shipping has rename Kandla Port Trust as Deendayal Port Trust with effect from 25th of September, 2017. Kandla Port, located on the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat, is one of the twelve major ports in the country. As per the Ministry’s notification, the Central Government, in exercise of powers conferred on it under Indian Ports Act, 1908, made the amendment to replace Kandla” with Deendayal”.
Gujarat
- Capital: Gandhinagar
- Chief Minister: Vijay Rupani
- Governor: Om Prakash Kohli
INTERNATIONAL
Arun Jaitley to inaugurate India-Afghan trade show:
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley along with Chief Executive of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah inaugurated an India-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Show ‘Passage to Prosperity’. The three-day event, sponsored by the US, will focus on better regional integration by strengthening economic ties between Afghanistan and India.
The show will feature Afghan entities from the economic growth, agriculture, health, education, gender and energy sectors seeking trade and investment opportunities with India, along with CEOs from major Indian and US companies. Consumer goods from Afghanistan like carpets, gemstones, marble, saffron, dried fruits and nuts will also be on display
Afghanistan
- Currency: Afghan afghani
- Capital: Kabul
BANKING & BUSINESS
ADB lowers India growth forecast for FY18:
Asian Development Bank has downgraded India’s growth projection to seven per cent for the current fiscal year, while lowering its forecast for the next financial year as well.
“India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth is downgraded to seven per cent in financial year 2017-18, a 0.4 percentage point drop from the April forecast. In financial year 2018-19, the forecast is adjusted down to 7.4 per cent, from 7.6 per cent,” ADB said in its Asian Development Outlook 2017 update.
Nooyi, Kochhar, Shikha on Fortune’s most powerful women in business list:
Two Indians — Chanda Kochhar and Shikha Sharma — have made it to the rankings of most powerful women in business outside the United States drawn up by the Fortune magazine while Indra Nooyi featured in the top three on the US edition list.
The Most Powerful Women in Business outside the US list, which was topped by Banco Santander group executive chairman Ana Botin, placed ICICI Bank’s Kochhar at the fifth spot while Axis Bank’s Sharma has been ranked 21st.
US Most Powerful Women Business list:
- Mary Barra
- Indra Nooyi
- Marillyn Hewson
APPOINTMENTS
Lourenco sworn in as Angola’s new president:
Joao Lourenco was sworn in as Angola’s new president, taking over from the longtime leader Jose Eduardo dos Santos.
Lourenco will be Angola’s first head of state to be constitutionally limited to serving two five-year terms.
Angola
- Currency: Angolan kwanza
- Capital: Luanda
AWARDS
Indian start-up Kheyti wins prestigious award in Israel:
An Indian startup has won a prestigious award and a cash prize of $42,000 in Israel for developing an affordable modular greenhouse that aims to give farmers a steady and dependable income. Kheyti, a Hyderabad-based start-up, was chosen among the ten finalists in the prestigious Mass Challenge Israel contest that saw participation from over 500 companies in 40 different countries.
Israel
- Currency: Israeli new shekel
- Capital: Jerusalem
BOOKS & AUTHORS
The Shershah of Kargil- The biography of Captain Vikram Batra authored by Deepak Surana:
The book titled “The Shershah of Kargil” is a biography of Kargil war hero Late Captain Vikram Batra, who was posthumously awarded Param veer Chakra (PVC) – the highest gallantry award of India. The book written by Deepak Surana is an inspiring story of the young captain Vikram Batra, which takes you through the various dimensions of Captain Batra’s life.
SPORTS
Lakshmanan wins 5,000m gold at National Open Athletics:
Asian champion Govindan Lakshmanan cruised to victory in the men’s 5000 metre race on the opening day of the 57th National Open Athletics Championships at the Nehru Stadium.
Lakshmanan, fresh from winning a gold in the 3,000m event at the Asian Indoor Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
Turkmenistan
- Currency: Turkmenistan manat
- Capital: Ashgabat
Guwahati to Host South Asian Boxing Championships in December:
The Boxing Federation of India has included the prestigious South Asian Championship to be held in Guwahati Dec. 6-10.
This is the first time India will host the South Asian Boxing Championship, which will see a potential blockbuster clash against arch-rival Pakistan along with other South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation nations, including Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, among others.
The South Asian Championship will be followed by the India International Open tournament here in the third week of January. The tournament will see participation from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, among other top boxing nations. The announcements were made after the fifth executive committee meeting of the federation chaired by President Ajay Singh.
Anand wins, Harika draws in third round of IOM International Chess:
Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand notched up a win over German International Master Lubbe Nikolas but Harika Dronavalli played out a draw against Swedish Grand Master Nils Grandelius in the third round of the Isle of Man International Tournament.
HISTORIC EVENT OF THE DAY
World Tourism Day-September 27th:
The World Tourism Day celebration was started by the United Nations World Tourism Organization in the 1980 which is celebrated every year on September 27. According to United Nation’s specialised agency, UNWTO, this year’s World Tourism Day will focus on ‘sustainable tourism – a tool for development’.
