DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS  : JANUARY 22, 2018

NATIONAL

Inauguration of Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) at Karaikal by EAM:

          The Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) at Karaikal in the Union Territory (UT) of Puducherry was inaugurated by Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Hon’ble Minister for External Affairsat a function presided over by Shri V. Narayanaswamy, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Puducherry.

This POPSK will be under the administrative jurisdiction of the Passport Office at Chennai.The POPSK at Karaikal is the first POPSK to become operational in the UT of Puducherry.It is the 60th POPSK to have become functional since the launch of the scheme in January 2017.

Puducherry

  • Capital: Puducherry
  • Prime Minister: Narayanaswamy
  • Lieutenant Governor: Kiran Bedi

Telangana signs MoU with Clean Authority of Tokyo:

The government of Telangana and Clean Authority of Tokyohave signed a MoU in the field of municipalsolid waste incineration facilities. And to make an effort to realize human resource exchanges in view of technical cooperation in the future.The government of Telangana and ISE Foods Incalso signed a Letter of Intent in Tokyo.

Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, Industries & Commerce (I&C) and Yoshimi SATO, Vice President, Clean Authority of Tokyo, signed the MoU in the presence of Rama Rao and India’s ambassador in Japan, Sujan R.

Telangana

  • Capital: Hyderabad
  • Chief Minister: Chandrasekhar rao
  • Governor: S. L. Narasimhan(Additional charge)

Odisha government launches OeHMIS project:

          The state government launched Odisha e-Hospital Management Information System (OeHMIS) to provide a computerized platform for online recording of clinical parameters of patients and reporting of performance criteria of hospitals.According to the system, patients can be registered online and can view and download their individual electronic health records at their doorstep through web portal or mobile application.This system will be piloted at Capital Hospital at Bhubaneswar and SCB Medical College Hospital at Cuttack.

The project was launched by the state government with the technical support of Centre for Development of Advanced Computing(CDAC), Noida. As estimated cost of 14.16 crore has been allocated under the state budget for implementation of project. The government has set a target to complete the project within two years.

Odisha

  • Capital: Bhubaneswar
  • Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik
  • Governor: C. Jamir

Arunachal Pradesh: CM Khandu Inaugurates World War II Memorial Museum at Jairampur:

In Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khanduinaugurated the World War II Memorial Museumat Changlang District inJairampur.The war memorial has the collection of the remnants of world war 2, personal belongings of the soldiers and other persons involved.The museum also showcases traditional items from local Tangsa community.

The museum is built through funding from Union Ministry of Culture for Rs 2.25 crores and executed by state PWD.

Arunachal Pradesh

  • Capital: Itanagar
  • Chief Minister: Pema Khandu
  • Governor: B D Mishra

INTERNATIONAL

PM Modi to leave for Davos, Switzerland to attend 48th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum:

         Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave for Davos, Switzerland to attend the 48th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.During the visit, Mr Modi will also hold bilateral talks with the President of the Swiss Confederation, Alain Berset and the Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Lofven.Under the theme ‘Creating a shared future in a Fractured World’, the meeting aims to set an agenda to address political, economic and Social challenges of recent times. It will conclude on January 26th, 2018.

The annual meet of the World Economic Forum (WEF) takes place every year in January with an aim to improve the state of the world economy. WEF, is an international organization headquartered at Geneva, Switzerland formed in 1971 for public-private cooperation.

Switzerland

  • Capital: Bern
  • Currency: Franc

BANKING & BUSINESS

Paytm introduces business application:

          Digital payments platform Paytm has unveiled an application called ‘Paytm for Business’ to enable small and medium businesses to accept digital payments.The application, available on Android Play Store, would enable merchants to sign up quickly and get a Paytm QR code to start accepting digital payments, the company said.The application, available in 10 regional languages, would allow merchants to track payments, navigate past collections and trace settlements made to their bank accounts.


WEF ranks India at 62nd place on Inclusive Development Index:

 India was ranked at the 62nd place among emerging economies on an Inclusive Development Index, much below China’s 26th position and Pakistan’s 47th.

Norway remains the world’s most inclusive advanced economy, while Lithuania again tops the list of emerging economies, the World Economic Forum (WEF) said.


APPOINTMENTS

Om Prakash Rawat Appointed New Chief Election Commissioner:

Om Prakash Rawat has been appointed as the next Chief Election Commissioner, the law ministry said. Mr Rawat, who is currently an Election Commissioner, will succeed the outgoing Achal Kumar Joti. AndFormer Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasawas appointed as Election Commissioner to fill the vacancy created by Mr Rawat’s elevation.


Sudeep Lakhtakia appointed new NSG DG:

          IPS officer Sudeep Lakhtakia was appointed as the new director general of National Security Guard (NSG).

Lakhtakia is a 1984-batch IPS officer of Telangana cadre.He is currently serving as a special DG of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).He will take over incumbent SP Singh, who will retire from the post on January end.


AWARD

Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh gets Dr. Kalam Innovation in Governance Award:

         Recognising the contribution of Andhra Pradesh in the field of Panchayat Raj & Rural Development, Young cabinet Minister Nara Lokesh was conferred with the Dr. Kalam Innovation in Governance Award 2018. The award was given away by Rajya Sabha Secretary-General Desh Deepak Verma during the second edition of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Summit on innovation in governance in New Delhi.


Click here for previous current affairs quiz

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS : JANUARY 20, 2018

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS : JANUARY 21, 2018