DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: SEPTEMBER 19, 2018
Want to Become a Bank, Central / State Govt Officer in 2020?
Join the Most awarded Coaching Institute & Get your Dream Job
Now Prepare for Bank, SSC Exams from Home. Join Online Coure @ lowest fee
Lifetime validity Bank Exam Coaching | Bank PO / Clerk Coaching | Bank SO Exam Coaching | All-in-One SSC Exam Coaching | RRB Railway Exam Coaching | TNPSC Exam Coaching | KPSC Exam Coaching
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: SEPTEMBER 19, 2018
Daily Current Affairs (September 19, 2018) like many other sections is inevitable and this also helps to score in the Banking awareness , Static GK and Financial Awareness sections. Remember, Banking Awareness and Static Awareness Questions are asked from the General Awareness section. This will also help you to ride your preparations for the forthcoming exams.
NATIONAL
Union Home Secretary launches ‘e-Sahaj’ portal for grant of Security Clearance
The online ‘e-Sahaj’ portal was launched to facilitate individuals and private companies in seeking security clearance for setting up businesses in certain sensitive sectors.
The portal was launched by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and it will strike a healthy balance between meeting the imperatives of national security and facilitating ease of doing business and promoting investment in the country.
The Home Ministry is the nodal authority for granting security clearances in certain sensitive sectors before licence, permit, permission, contract etc is issued to companies, bidders, individuals by the administrative ministry.
The objective of national security clearance is to evaluate potential security threats, including economic threats, and provide risk assessment before clearing investment and project proposals in key sectors.
India-Bangladesh pipeline project Flagged off
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, unveiled e-plaques for the ceremony of the two projects, oil pipeline and a key railway project.
The 130-kilometre pipeline will connect Siliguri in West Bengal in India and Parbatipur in Dinajpur district of Bangladesh. The 346 crore rupees project will be completed in 30 months time.
The capacity of the pipeline will be one million metric tons per annum. The project will replace the existing practice of sending diesel by rail covering a distance of 510 kilometres.
Bangladesh
India, Malta signed three MoUs in Maritime Cooperation, Tourism and Training
India and Malta has signed three Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) relating to tourism, maritime cooperation and exchanges between the Foreign Service Institute of India and the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies, University of Malta.
It was signed after the talks between Vice President, Venkaiah Naidu and President of Malta, Ms. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca.
In addition, India has offered Malta to take advantage of its highly skilled professionals in the field of Information and Technology (IT), financial services, health, pharmaceutical, transport, freight and tourism.
Malta
Capital: Valletta
Currency: Euro
DAC Approves Procurement of Equipment Worth Rs 9,100 Crores
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has accorded approval for the procurement of equipment for the Defence Forces valued at over Rs 9,100 crore.
Sitharaman approved the procurement of two regiments of Akash missile systems under ‘Buy (Indian)’ category from Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).
The missile to be procured is an upgraded version of the previously inducted Akash missiles and will include seeker technology, possess 360 degree coverage and will be of compact configuration with reduced signature.
The DAC has also accorded approval for progressing design and development of Individual Under Water Breathing Apparatus (IUWBA) for T-90 tanks.
India’s first ‘smart fence’ pilot project inaugurated along Indo-Pak border
The Union home minister Rajnath Singh has launched two smart fencing pilot projects along the 198-km-long India-Pakistan international border in Jammu and Kashmir.
The project would be implemented along the vulnerable 2,026-km stretch of the border based upon feedback of the smart fences at two — 5.3 km and 5.5 km – stretches in the state’s Samba sector.
The Israeli technology has inspired the project, which involves integration of surveillance equipments and day and night vision cameras.
PM launches development projects worth over Rs 550 cr in Varanasi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched various development projects worth over Rs 500 crore in his Lok Sabha constituency, Varanasi.
The projects inaugurated include Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) for Puraani Kashi and Atal Incubation Centre at Banaras Hindu University (BHU).
Ministry of Culture releases National Museum Research Bulletin
The Culture Ministry has revived the National Museum Research Bulletin, a comprehensive anthology of the museum’s contents after a gap of 16 years.
The Minister of State for Culture Mahesh Sharma released two important publications of the National Museum Sindhu Ghati Sabhyata: Ek Parichay (Hindi) and the National Museum Research Bulletin Number 10: Special issue.
Sindhu Ghati Sabhyata : Ek Parichay is a Hindi version of ‘An Introduction To Indus Valley Civilization’ which among the bestsellers at the National Museum.
Delhi airport gets top honour at ASQ Awards 2017
The national capital’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has bagged the title of Best Airport to handle over 40 million passengers per annum (MPPA) by the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards 2017.
The Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), a GMR-led consortium which operates and manages the IGIA made the announcement.
According to the statement, the Delhi airport is now the seventh busiest airport in Asia and among the top 20 busiest airports across the world.
ASQ is a worldwide programme to survey passengers at the airport on their day of travel.
INTERNATIONAL
Germany rolls out world’s first hydrogen-powered train
Germany has rolled out the world’s first hydrogen-powered train, signalling the start of a push to challenge the might of polluting diesel trains with costlier but more eco-friendly technology.
Two bright blue Coradia iLint trains, built by French TGV-maker Alstom began running a 62 mile (100km) route between the towns and cities of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervoerde and Buxtehude in northern Germany – a stretch normally plied by diesel trains.
Hydrogen trains are equipped with fuel cells that produce electricity through a combination of hydrogen and oxygen, a process that leaves steam and water as the only emissions. Excess energy is stored in ion lithium batteries on board the train.
The Coradia iLint trains can run for about 600 miles (1,000km) on a single tank of hydrogen, similar to the range of diesel trains.
Germany
7th UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism held in Seoul
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is organizing the 7th UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism: A 2030 Vision for Urban Tourism in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
It was organised jointly with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea, the Korea Tourism Organization and the Seoul Tourism Organization.
The Summit provides a unique platform to discuss the key issues shaping the future of urban tourism in the context of the 2030 Urban Agenda.
UNWTO
Headquarters: Madrid, Spain
BANKING AND ECONOMY
IPPB ties up with Bajaj Allianz to offer life insurance products
The newly-launched India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has tied up with Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance to sell the insurance products through IPPB network. IPPB customers will get access to all the insurance products and services offered by Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance.
Under this arrangement, IPPB will be the corporate agent for the life insurance company. According to insurance regulations, banks can sell products of three life, non-life and standalone health insurers each.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) on September 1, in a bid to push India’s rural population into the formal financial system. IPPB will have 650 branches and 3,250 access points across the country.
IPPB
MD & CEO: Suresh Sethi
Headquarters: New Delhi, India
APPOINTMENTS
Varun and Anushka signed as ambassadors of Skill India Campaign
The Bollywood stars Varun Dhawan and Anushka Sharma have been signed on to promote and endorse the Skill India Mission, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The actors will next be seen in “Sui Dhaaga – Made in India”, a Yash Raj Films project, which salutes India’s entrepreneurs and skilled workforce, including homegrown artisans, craftspeople and weavers.
Skill India is a campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi on 15 July 2015 which aim to train over 40 crore people in India in different skills by 2022.
It includes various initiatives of the government like “National Skill Development Mission“, “National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, 2015“, “Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)” and the “Skill Loan scheme“.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
INSV Tarini Crew Bestowed With Tenzing Norgay Award
All-women crew of INSV Tarini has bagged the prestigious Tenzing Norgay National Adventure award for beating the odds in water with their enduring skills and sailing across the world for eight long months.
The award is the highest national recognition for outstanding achievements in the field of adventure on land, sea and air. The INSV Tarini team was led by Lt. Commander Vartika Joshi.
The women Navy officers had spent as many as 194 days at sea as part of a mission under the Navika Sagar Parikrama project. The crew was also bestowed with Nav Sena Medal on the occasion of 72nd Independence Day.
They also set a record by becoming the first-ever all-women crew to complete circumnavigation.
Dr. Raghupati Singhania conferred with civilian honour of Mexico
The Chairman and MD, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd., Dr. Raghupati Singhania has been conferred with ‘Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle’, the highest honour accorded to non-nationals by the Government of Mexico.
Melba Pría, Ambassador of Mexico to India presented the award to Dr. Singhania on behalf of the President of Mexico on the eve of 128th National Day of Mexico.
The top honor is in recognition of Dr. Singhania’s exemplary leadership, his noteworthy services towards humanity and his efforts to strengthen bilateral ties between India and Mexico.
RANKING
2018 UN E-Government Survey
In a 2018 ranking of countries on e-government development, Denmark, Australia, and Republic of Korea came out on top of a group of 40 countries, scoring very high on an index (the E-Government Development Index—EGDI), which measures countries’ use of information and communications technologies to deliver public services.
The Index captures the scope and quality of online services, status of telecommunication infrastructure and existing human capacity.
The ranking was launched by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
BOOKS AND AUTHORS
Sundeep Misra to write a book on sprinter Dutee Chand, Story So Far
The incredible story of Dutee Chand, who rose from abject poverty to become one of India’s biggest sprinting stars, will be brought alive in the form of a book titled as, “Story so far”.
The announcement was made by publisher Westland, which was acquired by Amazon in 2017. The book is written by journalist, author and filmmaker Sundeep Misra, who has previously authored a biography of hockey legend Dhanraj Pillay.
With two silver medals at the 2018 Asian Games, Dutee is one of the top sprinters of the sub-continent. The book, Story Do Far will be released in the year 2019.
OBITUARY
Former Odisha Minister Dolagobinda Pradhan Passes Away
The veteran freedom fighter and former Odisha Minister Dolagobinda Pradhan has passed away.
Pradhan, who was elected to the state Assembly twice from Cuttack Sadar constituency in 1980 and 1990, was a minister from 1989 to 1990.
Independent India’s first woman IAS officer Anna Malhotra passed away
India’s first woman IAS officer post-Independence, Anna Rajam Malhotra has passed away.
Malhotra joined the civil services in 1951 and opted for the Madras cadre. She then served in the Madras state under Chief Minister C Rajagopalachari.
In 1989, she was honoured with the Padma Bhushan award. In the post retirement, Malhotra was serving as a director of Hotel Leela Venture Ltd.
1 comment
thanks