DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: FEBRUARY 17, 2018

NATIONAL

Government Inks $100 million Loan Agreement with ND

• The New Development Bank (NDB) has signed a loan agreement of USD 100 million with the government of India.
• The loan agreement is for financing of Rajasthan Water Sector Restructuring Project for the desert areas.The loan is the first tranche of the USD 345 million by the NDB under the multi tranche financing facility for this project.
• The objective of this project is to rehabilitate the 678 km long Indira Gandhi Canal system built during 1958-63.
  

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Prime Minister Inaugurates World Sustainable Development Summit 2018

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally inaugurated the World Sustainable Development Summit 2018 in New Delhi’s Vigyan Bhawan.
• It was organised by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
• Theme of the forum is ‘Partnerships for a Resilient Planet’.

TERI Director-General: Dr Ajay Mathur

Chandrayaan-2 will be launched in April: Jitendra Singh

• Chandrayaan-2, the lunar mission under which the ISRO attempts first time to land a rover on the moon’s south pole. It will be launched in April.
• It costs nearly Rs 800 crore and it will be made to land near the yet-unexplored south pole.
• In Chandrayaan-1 mission,  ISRO has spotted water on the moon.

ISRO

Headquarters: Bengaluru

Chairman: K Sivan

Mumbai to have India’s first artificial intelligence centre

• In a first in the country, the State government will be setting up an institute for artificial intelligence (AI) in Mumbai.
• The London-headquartered professional services firm EY (Ernst & Young) will implement the centre.
• Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will unveil the plan for the institute during the Magnetic Maharashtra Summit, and at the Global Economic Conference in Canada.
  

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Assam govt introduces Yoga Council Bill in Assembly

• The Assam government introduced a Bill in the state Assembly to set up a yoga council for regulating the teaching and practice of yoga.
• On behalf of the Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary introduced ‘The Assam Yoga Council Bill, 2018’.
• The proposed council will aim at assuring quality of service and avoid misinterpretation.

Assam

Capital: Dispur

Chief Minister: Sarbananda Sonowal

Governor: Jagdish Mukhi

INTERNATIONAL

Canadian PM to Arrive on a 7-day Visit to India

• The Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is on a seven-day visit to India.
• It is to further strengthen strategic ties with a focus on defence and counter-terrorism.
• It also aims to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries in key areas of mutual interest including trade and investment, energy, science and innovation, higher education, infrastructure development, skill development and space.

Canada

Capital: Ottawa

Currency: Canadian dollar

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Central Vigilance Commission summons PNB management

• India’s Punjab National Bank (PNB) has detected fraudulent transactions worth over Rs 11,300 crore at its Mumbai branch. The amount is nearly 1/3rd of the bank’s total market capitalisation of Rs 36,000 crore.
• The state-owned lender has suspended 10 of its officers and lodged a complaint against celebrity jewellery designer Nirav Modi for committing fraudulent transactions.
• The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has summoned the PNB management and Finance Ministry officials.
  

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APPOINTMENTS

K.P. Sharma Oli Appointed as Nepal’s New PM

• Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli from the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) has been sworn in as the prime minister of Nepal for the second time.
• President Bidhya Devi Bhandari appointed Oli as the country’s 41st prime minister.
• KP Oli succeeded the Nepali Congress Party’s Sher Bahadur Deuba, who resigned recently.
  

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AWARDS AND HONOURS

Indian Engineer Awarded Sci-Tech Oscar Award

• Vikas Sathaye, a Pune-born person has been honoured with the Scientific and Engineering Academy Award at the Oscars Scientific and Technical Awards 2018.
• It was held at Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, California.
• Sathaye and his team received the award for his contribution in “Shotover K1 Camera System” during his stint at Shotover Camera Systems in Queenstown, New Zealand.
  

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Sanjiv Bajaj: EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2017

• Sanjiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj Finserv was named the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2017.
• Dr. E Sreedharan was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for transforming the face of public transportation in India.
• EY India chairman: Rajiv Memani
  

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SPORTS

Roger Federer becomes oldest No. 1 in tennis history

• The 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer has become the oldest world number one in Tennis history.
• The 36-year old Roger Federer replaced Rafael Nadal at the top of the standings after recording win over Dutch Robin Haase in the quarter-finals of the Rotterdam Open at the Netherlands.
  

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  FEBRUARY 17 CURRENT AFFAIRS QUIZ WITH ANSWERS