DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: FEBRUARY 8, 2018
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: FEBRUARY 8, 2018
NATIONAL
RBI: 6th Bi-monthly Monetary Policy
- The Reserve Bank of India kept the the repo rates unchanged at 6 percent.
- The reverse repo rate under the LAF remains at 5.75 percent, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at 6.25 percent.
- GVA growth for 2017-18 is projected at 6.6%. GVA growth for 2018-19 is projected at 7.2% overall with risks evenly balanced.
Google and NCERT Join Hands to Teach Students Digital Safety
- Google and NCERT signed a pact to integrate a course on ‘Digital Citizenship and Safety’ in information and communication technology curriculum.
- It was signed on the occasion of Safer Internet Day, Feb 6.
- It will be used to train students across 1.4 million schools in India where they will learn how to become good and responsible digital citizens.
- The National Council of Educational Research and Training is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India headquartered in New Delhi.
Nuclear-Capable Prithvi-II Missile Successfully Test-Fire
- India has successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile as part of a user trial by the Army from a test range in Odisha.
- ike range of 350 km was launched from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur.
- Prithvi-II is capable of carrying 500-1,000 kilogram of warheads and is thrusted by liquid propulsion twin engines.
Cabinet approves PMRF scheme
- The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved implementation of ‘Prime Minister’s Research Fellows (PMRF)’ scheme.
- It has been laid at a total cost of Rs 1650 crore for a period of seven years beginning 2018-19.
- The scheme has been announced in the Budget Speech 2018-19.
Haryana launches ‘Gobardhan Yojana’
- The Haryana government has launched the ‘Gobardhan Yojana’ .
- It is to provide for the sale of organic manure and cow urine with an aim to benefit farmers.
- A provision of Rs 11 crore has been made to provide benefits of various projects under this scheme.
- He also distributed cheques of the ‘Fasal Bima Yojana’ to farmers at the event.
Haryana
Capital: Chandigarh
Chief Minister: Manohar Lal Khattar
Governor:Kaptan Singh Solanki
INTERNATIONAL
Forbes: Cryptocurrency Rich List
- Forbes has released the first ever Cryptocurrency rich list 2018.
- It is a compilation of the 20 wealthiest people in crypto.There are now nearly 1,500 crypto-assets in existence, valued at an aggregate of $550 billion.
The Forbes’ Crypto Rich List:
1.Chris Larsen Cofounder, Ripple $7.5 billion – $8.billion
2.Joseph Lubin Cofounder, Ethereum and Founder, Consensys $1 billion – $5 billion
3.Changpeng Zhao CEO, Binance, $1.1 billion – $2 billion
India and Australia signs MOU for Secondment Programme
- The Union Cabinet approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for a Secondment Programme between India and Australia.
- It aims at better understanding of current economic policy issues between the two countries.
- The MoU will be signed between India’s Department of Economic Affairs and Australia’s Treasury for three months.
Dubai retains rank as world’s busiest international airport
Dubai International Airport has held on to its No 1 ranking as the world’s busiest airport for international travel, after seeing some 88.2 million passengers in 2017.- Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths says he expects the airport to see 90.3 million passengers in 2018.
- It first surpassed London Heathrow, previously the world’s busiest airport for international traffic, back in 2014 – and has kept the title ever since.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
RBI to Link Base Rate with MCLR
- The Reserve Bank will link the base rate for loans given by banks to the MCLR starting April 1, 2018 i.e. from the new financial year.
- It has been decided to harmonize the methodology of determining benchmark rates by linking base rate to MCLR as it is more sensitive to policy rate signals.
- The Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rates (MCLR) system was introduced on April 1, 2016 to tackle the problems of the Base Rate regime.
RBI
Headquarters: Mumbai
Governor: Dr Urjit Patel
SPORTS
Cricket: Jhulan Goswami 1st Woman to Take 200 ODI Wickets
- India’s veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami became the first female cricketer to take 200 ODI wickets.
- Goswami achieved the feat during the second ODI between India and South Africa.
- She was also adjudged ICC Women Cricketer of the Year in 2007.
OBITUARY
John Mahoney Passed Away
- Actor John Mahoney passed away in Chicago, the USA.
- He was well-known for playing the title character in the “Frasier” show.
- His other famous works are “The American President,” “Moonstruck,” “In the Line of Fire,” and “Say Anything”.
