Daily Current Affairs : October 13, 2017
Daily Current Affairs : October 13, 2017
NATIONAL
Maharashtra Launched Web Portal with Information on New Government Schemes:
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis launched ‘MahaLabharthi‘, web portal that will help people get information about all the government schemes that they are eligible for. The government is now working to connect the web portal with other websites, to allow people to apply for the welfare schemes.
The web portal, https://www.mahalabharthi.in, works based on personal, educational and professional information provided by a person while registering on it.
Maharashtra
- Capital: Mumbai
- Chief Minister: Devendra Fadnavis
- Governor: C. Vidyasagar Rao
Smriti Irani inaugurates 44th Indian Handicrafts and Gifts-Delhi Fair:
Textiles Minister Smriti Irani inaugurated the 44th edition of Indian Handicrafts and Gifts (IHGF)-Delhi Fair at India Expo Centre and Mart on the outskirts of Delhi in Greater Noida.
Government to commemorate 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi from 2 Oct 2019 to 2 Oct 2020:
Government of India will commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the Nation, during the period from 2nd October 2019 to 2nd October 2020. It has been decided to celebrate the event at both national and international levels, to propagate the message of the Mahatma. A National Committee (NC) headed by Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has been constituted for this purpose.
Himachal Pradesh implements Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS):
Himachal Pradesh government implemented the Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS) to provide easy access to curative health care services by way of additional cover. The scheme would provide top-up coverage of Rs 30,000 per senior citizen to all existing Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY) smart card holders. This would be in addition to the basic coverage of Rs 30,000 in Trust and Society mode.
Himachal Pradesh
- Capital: Shimla
- Chief Minister: Virbhadra Singh
- Governor: Acharya Dev Vrat
Bengaluru airport to be the first Aadhaar-enabled airport in the country by December 2018:
The Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) has given push to its plan to make Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) the country’s first airport to have complete Aadhaar-enabled entry and biometric boarding system.
According to the Request for Proposal (RFP) issued by BIAL, the airport is expected to be completely Aadhaar-enabled by December 2018, and the initiative is in line with its endeavours to become a Smart Airport—a digitized, seamlessly connected and intuitive one.
- Capital: Bengaluru
- Chief Minister: Siddaramaiah
- Governor: Vajubhai Vala
Gujarat becomes first state to slash VAT on petrol, diesel:
The Gujarat government announced 4 per cent cut in the value-added tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel, bringing down their prices by Rs 2.93 and Rs 2.72 respectively.
Gujarat
- Capital: Gandhinagar
- Chief Minister: Vijay Rupani
- Governor: Om Prakash Kohli
INTERNATIONAL
US Israel quit UNESCO:
The U.S.& Israel announced its withdrawal from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), accusing it of “continuing anti-Israel bias.”
UNESCO is the first UN agency to have admitted Palestine as a full member in 2011. As required by law, the U.S. has stopped funding UNESCO since then. The U.S. withdrawal will take effect on December 31, 2018. Until then, it will remain a full member.
USA
- President of the United States: Donald Trump
- Currency: United States Dollar
- Capital: Washington, D.C.
Israel
- Currency: Israeli new shekel
- Capital: Jerusalem
BANKING & BUSINESS
Retail inflation remains at 3.28% in September:
Retail inflation came in at 3.28 per cent in September, unchanged from August, despite softening of vegetable and cereal prices, according to government data. In year-on-year comparison, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or retail inflation figures were at 4.39 per cent in September 2016.
ICICI Bank commits Rs 10 cr for welfare of armed forces:
Country’s largest private sector lender ICICI Bank committed a financial assistance of Rs 10 crore to the Indian Armed Forces.
The fund will be utilised towards welfare activities and betterment of the families of ex-servicemen who have lost their lives guarding the nation, ICICI Bank Managing Director and CEO Chanda Kochhar said.
Standard Chartered Bank opens new GBS centre in Bengaluru:
Standard Chartered Bank said it has officially opened its new Global Business Services (GBS) centre here in Bengaluru with an aim to attract the best minds available locally to redefine banking for the world.
APPOINTMENTS
Nisha Desai Biswal Appointed as President of USIBC:
Nisha Desai Biswal, former Indian-American assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia has been appointed as the new president of US India Business Council (USIBC).
As Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs in the US Department of State from 2013 to 2017, Biswal oversaw the US-India strategic partnership during a period of unprecedented cooperation, including launching the US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue.
Vinay Mohan Kwatra appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Principality of Monaco:
Shri Vinay Mohan Kwatra, (IFS: 1988), presently Ambassador of India to France, has been concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of India to the Principality of Monaco, with residence in Paris.
AWARDS
National Award for Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak:
President Ram Nath Kovind gave away the National award for senior citizen with Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in Public Administration, Academics and Management for 2017 to Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak.
T D Radhakrishnan selected for Vayalar award:
Noted Novelist T D Radhakrishnan’s ‘Sugandhi Enna Andal Devanayaki’ has been selected for this year’s prestigious Vayalar award.
The award, given for the best literary work in Malayalam, was instituted in 1977 by the VayalarRamavarma Memorial Trust in memory of Vayalar.
SPORTS
India’s Anupama Ramachandran wins World Open U-16 Snooker C’ship:
India’s Anupama Ramachandran has clinched the the World Open Under-16 Snooker Championship title at St. Petersburg in Russia.
Russia
- Russian President: Vladimir Putin.
- Currency: Russian ruble
- Capital: Moscow
HISTORIC EVENT OF THE DAY
International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction: October 13TH
The International Day for Disaster Reduction was started in 1989, after a call by the United Nations General Assembly for a day to promote a global culture of risk-awareness and disaster reduction. Held every 13 October, the day celebrates how people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of reining in the risks that they face.
The 2017 edition continues under the “Sendai Seven” campaign, centred on the seven targets of the Sendai Framework. This year’s focus is Target B: Reducing the number of affected people by disasters by 2030.
