IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF
SEPTEMBER 23rd, 2018
IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF SEPTEMBER 23rd ,
2018
1.
The inaugural General Assembly of International Solar
Alliance (ISA) is going to be held on 2nd October 2018 in New
Delhi.
a. It will be
followed by ministerial level assembly of ISA following day which will be held
in Greater Noida.
b. About ISA :
c. The International
Solar Alliance (ISA) was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and then French President Francois Hollande at
the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Paris on November 30, 2015.
d. The idea was
to form a coalition of solar resource-rich countries to collaborate on
addressing the identified gaps in their energy requirements through a common
approach.
e. Towards this,
the ISA has set a target of 1 TW of solar energy by 2030, which current
French President Emmanuel Macron said would require $1 trillion to
achieve.
f. Its Framework
Agreement came into force in December 2017.
2.
China has postponed joint military talks with the US in
protest against a US decision to sanction a Chinese military agency and its
director for buying Russian fighter jets and a surface-to-air missile
system.
a. Adding that
the US had "no right to interfere", China said the Russia deal was a
normal act of cooperation between sovereign countries.
3.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched the ' Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan
Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)' scheme,
deemed as the world's largest government-funded healthcare programme covering
over 50 crore beneficiaries.
a. Describing it
as a "game-changer initiative to serve the poor", PM Modi said
the scheme is a step towards serving the poor people of the country.
4.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced that the government
is going to implement 115 sewage treatment projects in seven
states at an estimated cost of ₹17,876 crore as part
of the project for Ganga river rejuvenation.
5.
Tamil Nadu government has announced Scheme for protection of
exotic Neela kurinji (Strobilanthus kunthianus) plants that flower
only once in 12 years.
a. This scheme
comes following complaints that these rare and ecologically unique flowers are
being packaged and sold on the commercial basis.
6.
Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has launched India’s National
Database of Sexual Offenders (NDSO).
a. With this, India
became the 9th nation to maintain such thorough database.
b. NDSO is
initiative under National Mission for Safety of Women aimed at curbing crimes
against women and children.
7.
India’s biggest cyclotron facility named Cyclone-30 became
operational at Kolkata-based Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC),
which comes under Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).
8.
ISRO Chairman K Sivan announced
that India will get internet speeds of over 100 Gbpsbefore the end
of next year.
a. He added that
India's GSAT-19, launched in 2017, and the yet-to-be-launched GSAT-11, GSAT-29 and GSAT-20 will
together provide high bandwidth connectivity and bridge the digital
divide.
9.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is
setting up 3rd launch pad at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh to
undertake Gaganyaan manned space flight programme.
10. India has
contributed $1 million to United Nations (UN) Headquarters’
Solar Project, under which solar panels will be installed on roof of world
body’s headquarters at New York, US.
a. This
contribution makes India first responder to UN Secretary-General Antonio
Guterres’ call for climate action.
b. The
contribution will help reduce carbon footprint and promote sustainable energy.
11.
Filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi (64), known for films
like 'Rudaali', 'Chingaari', 'Ek Pal' and 'Daman:
a. Lajmi's film
'Rudaali' had won actress Dimple Kapadia her only National Award.
12.
State-owned India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) and
private life insurer Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Co Ltd (BALIC) have
entered into strategic partnership to provide life insurance solutions.
a. It will allow
IPPB customers across segments to access wide array of life insurance products
and services at doorstep.
b. Note : BALIC is
the first life insurer to partner with IPPB.
13. World Bank
board has approved ambitious 5-year Country Partnership Framework
(CPF) for India that is in line with Government of
India’s objectives of high, sustainable and inclusive growth.
a. The framework
is aimed at supporting India’s transition to higher middle-income country by
addressing some of its key development priorities resource efficient and
inclusive growth, job creation and building human capital.
b. The CPF
was preceded by systematic country diagnostic (SCD) that offered narrative
about India’s progress.
14. One of the
"Big Three credit rating agencies (other two are Moody's and Standard
& Poor's), Fitch Ratings in its Global Economic Outlook
has revised up India’s growth forecast for current fiscal year
(2018-19) to 7.8% from 7.4% projected earlier.
a. However it
has flagged tightening of financial conditions, weak bank balance sheets and
rising oil bill as headwinds to growth.
15.
National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) and London
Stock Exchange (LSE) have signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to
collaborate on creating dual listing route for masala bonds and foreign
currency bonds of Indian issuers.
a. Through
approval of single listing document, issuer can obtain dual listing on LSE’s
International Securities Market and NSE’s GIFT City.
b. It will serve
as potential precursor of further joint listings in future that could see
foreign currency bonds in India also being able to list in London.
16. Union Ministry
of Home Affairs (MHA) has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
with Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to set up
of state-of-the-art Integrated Control Room for Emergency Response
(ICR-ER).
a. ISRO will
render its technical expertise for setting up of proposed ICR-ER.
17.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has chosen veteran
scientist Dr VR Lalithambika to head its mission
to put an Indian in space by 2022.
a. The
56-year-old scientist has 30 years of experience in space missions with
ISRO.
b. She was also
a key member of the team responsible for launching 104 satellites in
one go in February 2017.
18. As part of
its efforts to curb fake news, WhatsApp has appointed Komal
Lahiri as the 'Grievance Officer for India'.
a. Lahiri holds
a role of Sr. Director, Global Customer Operations & Localization at
WhatsApp.
19. The
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi has appointed Anil Kumar Chaudhary as new
Chairman of Steel Authority of India Ltd
(SAIL).
a. He is going
to replace P K Singh, who had retired from the post in June 2018.
b. Prior to this
appointment, he was serving as Director (Finance) at SAIL.
c. Chaudhary
will be in office till his superannuation in December, 2020.
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