IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 29th JUNE 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 29th JUNE 2018

1. Ministry of Women and Child Development Organises POSHAN Abhiyaan TECH-THON

i. With an aim to integrate information technology for better roll out of its major social sector schemes, Ministry of Woman and Child Development organized a day-long Seminar on Technology Partnerships for Steering POSHAN Abhiyaan called 'TECH-THON'. 

ii. ICDS- Common Application Software has been specially designed to strengthen the Service Delivery System as well as the mechanism for Real-Time Monitoring for nutritional outcomes. 

2. National Statistics Day: 29 June

i. The National Statistics Day is observed across India on June 29 with an aim to create public awareness about the importance of statistics in socio-economic planning and policy formulation. The theme selected for the 2018 Statistics Day is ‘Quality Assurance in Official Statistics’. 
ii. The objective of the celebration of this Day is to acknowledge the contribution of Prof. PC Mahalanobis and to pay homage to him.
iii. On the occasion, Vice President of India released a commemorative coin of Rs 125 and circulation coin of Rs 5 denomination as a mark of respect/homage to Prof. Mahalanobis.

3. India Pledges $5 million For UN Palestinian Aid Agency

i. India has pledged USD 5 million in assistance to the UN agency working for the welfare of Palestinian refugees to help bolster its "severe funding crisis" following US' cut in its annual aid to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
ii. A total of 20 countries, including India, announced contributions to the 2018 budget of the UNRWA for Palestine Refugees in the Near East during a meeting.

4. Suresh Prabhu Launches Mobile App 'ReUnite'

i. Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu launched a mobile application called 'ReUnite' which helps to track and trace missing and abandoned children in India.
ii. The app is multiuser where parents and citizens can upload pictures of children, and provide detailed description like name, birthmark, address, report to the police station, search and identify missing kids.

5. Rajnath Singh Approves ‘Home Minister's Special Operation Medal’

i. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has approved the institution of "Home Minister's Special Operation Medal" for the police personnel of States and Union Territories, Central Police Organisations (CPOs), Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Security Organisations involved in Special Operations.
ii. Mr Singh has also instituted three more Medals, 

1. The Antarik Suraksha Medal, 

2. Asadharan Aashuchan Padak, and 

3. Utkrisht and Ati-Utkrisht Seva Medal 

iii. The HM’s Special Operation Medal and Asadharan Aashuchan Padak will be awarded on August 15 and the Antarik Suraksha Medal and Utkrisht and Ati-Utkrisht Seva Medal will be announced on January 26 every year.

6. Gujarat CM Announces Agriculture JWG With Israel

i. On the second day of his visit to Israel, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani met Israel's Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Uri Ariel and announced a joint working group  (JWG) between Gujarat and Israel in the fields of agriculture, horticulture and allied sectors.

ii. The objective of the meeting was strengthening the Indo-Israeli agricultural cooperation and extension of the Indo-Israel Agriculture Plan (IIAP) and also to explore the opportunities of using the hi-tech protective cultivation and precision farming methods of Israel.

7. Indian, Indonesian Navies Participate In Passage Exercise: PASSEX 2018

i. The navies of India and Indonesia participated in Passage Exercise (PASSEX).
ii. Indian Naval ships INS Shakti and INS Kamorta under the command of Rear Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, undertook Passage Exercise with Indonesian Naval Ship KRI Madidihang (855) on leaving the Port of Makassar, Indonesia.

8. SBI MD Sriram resigns amid IDBI stake sale buzz

i. SBI managing director B Sriram has resigned from the country’s largest lender after his appointment as chief executive of IDBI Bank.
ii. The government recently appointed Sriram as managing director and CEO of IDBI Bank for a temporary period of three months. 

9. Mumbai Based Swadhaar FinServe Acquired By RBL Bank 

i. RBL Bank has raised its stake in Swadhaar Finserve Pvt. Ltd to 100% from 60.48%. The bank has bought the stake it did not own from US-based non-profit Accion. Swadhaar FinServe started operations as a non-banking finance company in 2008.
ii. It subsequently converted into an NBFC-MFI. It became a business correspondent for RBL Bank in 2014 and transferred its microcredit portfolio to the bank. In November 2017, RBL Bank increased its stake in Swadhaar to 60.48%.

10. North Korea Named ‘Worst Human Trafficking Country’

i. The US State Department categorised North Korea as one of the “worst human trafficking nations” for the 16th straight year, citing the use of forced labour. According to the annual ‘2018 Trafficking in Persons Report’, North Korea has been included in the Tier 3 category, which is the lowest ranking, along with China, Russia and Iran.

ii. The '2018 Trafficking in Persons Report' placed India in Tier 2 category for making significant effort to comply with the US standards. However, India does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.

11. Cost Of Living Survey For Expats: Mumbai Costlier Than Washington and Melbourne

i. According to the Cost of Living Survey published by global personnel consultants Mercer, Mumbai continues to be the most expensive city in India to live in for expatriates, ahead of global peers Washington and Melbourne. 
ii. Hong Kong is ranked as the world's costliest city to live in for expatriates, followed by Tokyo, Zurich, Singapore, and Seoul.

12. Dutee Chand Sets New National Record In Women’s 100m

i. India sprinter Dutee Chand set a new national record in the women’s 100-metre race when she clocked 11.29 seconds at the 58th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships being held in Guwahati, Assam.
ii. The previous record of 11.30 seconds was also held by Dutee, which she achieved at the Indian Grand Prix in 2017. Dutee has qualified for the Asian Games in 100m and 200m by breaching the qualifying timings at the Inter-State Championships.

13. Rani Rampal Announced Captain of Indian Women’s Hockey Team

i. Forward Rani Rampal was named as the captain of India’s 18-member squad for the women’s hockey World Cup to be played in London in July 2018. Hockey India announced the 18-member Indian women’s team for the prestigious tournament.
ii. India has been placed in Pool B alongside hosts and world no. 2 England, world no. 7 USA and world no. 16 Ireland. Goalkeeper Savita has been named vice-captain.
14. NASA To Launch World's Lightest Satellite Designed By Chennai Students

i. The four first-year engineering students from Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science near Chennai, Tamil Nadu have developed the world’s lightest satellite which will be launched from a NASA facility in the US by August 2018.
ii. The students built the 4cm ‘cube’ satellite ‘Jaihind-1S’ with a 3D printed outer casing from polylactic acid (PLA) nylon material, making it lighter than a medium sized egg, at just 33.39 grams.