IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MAY 18, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MAY 18, 2017

Cabinet Minister inaugurates 15th National Meeting for Persons with Disabilities

i. Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment inaugurated the “15th National Meeting of the State Commissioners for Persons with Disabilities (PwD)” to review Implementation of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of rights and Full Participation) Act-1995. 

ii. The two-day meeting has been organized by the Office of the Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities under Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
CCEA approves new coal linkage policy 2017

i. Cabinet approve signing of Fuel Supply Agreement (FSA)

with Letter of Assurance (LoA) holders of Thermal Power Plants(TPPs), and Introduces a new more transparent coal allocation policy for Power Sector, 2017-SHAKTI (Scheme for Harnessing and Allocating Koyala (Coal) Transparently in India).
ii. The approved framework ensures that all projects with linkages are supplied coal as per their entitlement. This will ensure the rights of coal supplies for FSA holders and signing of FSA with LoA holders.

Cabinet approves agreement between India and Tajikistan 

i. Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing and ratifying, an agreement between India and Tajikistan on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters. ii. The agreement will help in the availability of relevant information for the prevention and investigation of Customs offenses. 
iii. The Cabinet also gave its approval for the Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting.

Cabinet approves construction of 10 units of India’s indigenous Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors

i. In a significant decision to fast-track India’s domestic nuclear power program, and give a push to country’s nuclear industry, the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for construction of 10 units of India’s indigenous Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR). 

ii. The total installed capacity of the Plants will be 7000 MW. The 10 PHWR project will result in a significant augmentation of nuclear power generation capacity.  It would be one of the flagship “Make in India” projects in this sector. 

J&K to host 14th GST Council meet in Srinagar

i. The Jammu and Kashmir government is hosting the 14th Goods & Services Tax (GST) Council meeting in the summer capital Srinagar beginning today (18th May 2017). ii. The State administration is gearing up for the meeting of the GST Council headed by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
 iii. The GST is a value added tax and is proposed to be a comprehensive indirect tax levied on the manufacture, sale, and consumption of goods as well as services by the Central and State governments. J&K is among 8 States which are yet to ratify the GST.

Naidu announces 24x7 DD channel for Jharkhand

i. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu announced a round-the-clock Doordarshan channel for Jharkhand.  

ii. Jharkhand has been given the most film-friendly award by the National Film Awards. 
iii.The Union Minister stated in order to set up a film city in the state, assistance will be taken from the National Film Development Corporation and the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute in Kolkata.

Paytm get final nod to launch Payment Bank

i. Digital payment and commerce company Paytm has received the final nod from the Reserve Bank of India and is set to launch Paytm Payments Bank on May 23, 2017. ii. Paytm is the third company from the 11 other applicants to launch payments bank after Airtel and IndiaPost. Mumbai-based Finopay Tech is also likely to launch its operations by next month (June).

Shri Bandaru Dattatreya launches EPFOs Citizens Charter 2017 & e-court management system 

i. The Minister of State for Labour & Employment(IC), Shri Bandaru Dattatreya launched EPFOs Citizens Charter 2017 and e-court management system in Bangalore. ii. The citizens charter has been launched with the vision of social security coverage to all employees as well as implementation of policies for benefit of all stakeholders with adequate support level of social security. 
iii. EPFO e-court Management System has been launched with the vision of transparent and electronic case management system which will cater to aspirations of all stakeholders the employers, the employees, litigants and CBT.  
iv. Also, Retirement fund manager EPFO has reduced the stipulated period for settlement of various claims such PF withdrawal, pension and insurance to 10 days from 20 at present.

M S Boje Gowda takes over as Coffee Board Chairman

i. M S Boje Gowda, a third generation planter from the country's key coffee growing region of Chikmagalur, took over as the Coffee Board Chairman after a gap of almost 70 years. 
ii. Gowda became the first grower to assume 
Country's first ornamental fish park to come up at Chennai

i. India's first Aquatic Rainbow Technology Park, an ultra modern exclusive facility for ornamental fish equipped with multi-species hatchery and live feed culture units, will become operational at Chennai in coming three months. 
ii. The facility was being developed by Fisheries College and Research Institute (FCRI), Ponneri in Tamil Nadu the second largest exporter of ornamental fish after West Bengal. 

Indian teen has developed world's smallest satellite for NASA

i. The US’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will launch the world’s smallest satellite named 'KalamSat', it will be the first time ever that it would be piloting an experiment by an Indian student.
 ii. Developed by Rifath Sharook, an 18-year-old boy, from Tamil Nadu’s Pallapatti town, KalamSat weighs only 64 grams. ‘KalamSat’, named after India's nuclear scientist and former President, APJ Abdul Kalam, will be launched from a Nasa facility in Wallops Island. 

Mukesh Ambani tops Forbes list of 'Global Game Changers' for bringing internet to masses

i. Forbes magazine has named Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani as the topmost among its "Global Game Changers" who are transforming their industries and changing the lives of billions around the world. 

ii. The American magazine referred to the Ambani-led Reliance Jio mobile network's efforts to spread internet penetration in India. 

Union environment minister Anil Madhav Dave dies

i. Union environment minister Anil Madhav Dave has passed away. He was 60. He was born in Barnagar in Madhya Pradesh. 
ii. He was a Rajya Sabha MP representing Madhya Pradesh, Anil Dave took charge as Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Independent Charge) on July 06, 2016 following a reshuffle in the Narendra Modi Cabinet.
Actress Reema Lagoo passes away

i. Veteran actress Reema Lagoo, known for her performance in movies like “Hum Aapke Hain Koun” and “Kal Ho Na Ho”, died due to a cardiac arrest in Mumbai. She was 59. 
ii. Her acting career spanned over four decades and she was last seen on the television show “Naamkaran”, aired on Star Plus.

Mohammad Anas Breaks 400m National Record; Qualifies For World C’ships
i. Kerala quartermiler Mohammad Anas smashed the national record in men's 400m race on route to winning a gold medal at the third leg of the Indian Grand Prix Athletics Meet in New Delhi. 
ii. He also qualified for the World Championships to be held in London in August.