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MPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF SEPTEMBER 12^th, 2018

                         IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF SEPTEMBER 12^th , 2018

1. 1st Ever Bus Services Between Bihar And Nepal Flagged Off 

i. For the first time, bus services between Bihar and Nepal have started. The bus service was flagged off from Patna by the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. 

ii. Four buses will ply from Bodhgaya to Kathmandu. Similarly, four buses will ply from Patna to Janakpur. The Kathmandu bound bus will go via Patna, Raxaul and Beerganj. The Janakpur bound bus will go via Muzaffarpur and Sitamarhi. 

2. NITI Aayog, Intel And TIFR To Set Up Model International Center For ICTAI 

i. NITI Aayog, Intel and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) are collaborating to set up a Model International Center for Transformative Artificial Intelligence (ICTAI). 

ii. The initiative is part of NITI Aayog’s National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence discussion paper that focuses on establishing ICTAI through private sector collaboration.
iii. The collaboration aims to bring together fundamental and applied research, innovation and technology development to solve important problems. 

3. Indo-US Joint Exercise 'Yudh Abhyas 2018' To Start in Uttarakhand 

i. As part of the ongoing Indo-US defence cooperation, a joint military training Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2018 is scheduled to be conducted in the foothills of Himalayas at Chaubattia in Uttarakhand from 16 September to 29 September 2018.  

ii. This will be the 14th edition of the joint military exercise hosted alternately by both countries. 

4. APSARA, Uranium Reactor Becomes Operational at BARC 

i. 'Apsara', the first research reactor in Asia became operational in Trombay campus of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in August 1956.  After providing more than five decades of dedicated service to the researchers, the reactor was shut down in 2009. 

ii. Nearly sixty-two years after Apsara came into existence, a swimming pool type research reactor “Apsara-upgraded”, of higher capacity was born at Trombay. The reactor, made indigenously, uses plate type dispersion fuel elements made of Low Enriched Uranium (LEU).  

5. Indian Railways Launches Web Portal 'Rail Sahyog' 

i. The Minister of Railways and Coal, Piyush Goyal launched a web portal 'www.railsahyog.in'. 

ii. The web portal will provide a platform for the Corporates and PSUs to contribute to the creation of amenities at/near Railway Stations through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds. 

6. Haryana Signs MoU With Indian Oil For Ethanol Plant

i. The Haryana government signed an MoU with Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to set up an ethanol plant in Panipat with an outlay of over Rs 900 crore. 

ii. The initiative with a proposed capacity of 100 kilolitres of ethanol per day will manage crop residue and prevent straw burning before the upcoming paddy season. The pact will be valid for one year. 

7. 2-Day Regional Conference On Good Governance Begins In Bhopal 

i. The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DAR & PG), Government of India in association with Government of Madhya Pradesh is organizing a Regional Conference on Good Governance with Focus on Aspirational Districts, in Bhopal.
ii. Delegates from 12 States and 2 UTs participated in the Conference. There were 5 Technical sessions in the 2-day conference. The themes include: ICT Enabled Education, Agriculture, Public Service and Grievance Management and Good Governance initiatives. 

8. Important Cabinet Approvals: 12th September 2018 

i. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the following set of approvals. The important Cabinet Approvals are given as follows-

ii. The Cabinet has approved- 
1.Transfer of land of M/s. Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers (RCF) to Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA)
2. MoU between India and Brunei Darussalam on Cooperation in the operation of Telemetry Tracking and Telecommand station for satellite and launch vehicles, and for cooperation in the field of Space Research, Science and Applications.
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9. Andhra Launches e-Rythu To Boost Cashless Farm Ecosystem 

i. The government of Andhra Pradesh launched a mobile platform, e-Rythu (e-farmer in Telugu) which will enable small-scale farmers to market their produce at reasonable prices. 

ii. e-Rythu was launched by chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. The platform has been developed by Mastercard Labs for Financial Inclusion in Nairobi, Kenya, and has been customized for India use by the Labs team based at Pune.

10.  Russia Launches Biggest War Games 'Vostok-2018' Since Cold War 

i. Russia has launched its biggest military exercise since the Cold War named "Vostok-2018", involving about 300,000 service personnel, in eastern Siberia. China is sending 3,200 troops to take part in "Vostok-2018". 

ii. The last Russian exercise of similar scale was in 1981, during the Cold War, but Vostok-2018 involves more troops. A key aim is to practise the rapid deployment of thousands of troops, as well as aircraft and vehicles, from western Russia to eastern regions, across thousands of miles. 

11. HDFC Life Elevates Vibha Padalkar As MD and CEO 

i. HDFC Life appointed Vibha Padalkar as its new managing director and CEO for a period of three years. The position had fallen vacant after Amitabh Chaudhry resigned to head Axis Bank. 

ii. The terms of appointment are subject to approval by the shareholders and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). Prior to her elevation, Padalkar was the chief financial officer (CFO) and executive director at the insurer.