IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF AUGUST 30 AND 31st, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF AUGUST 30 and 31st, 2017

1. PM Modi to Attend 9th BRICS Summit in China

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the 9th BRICS Summit, Xiamen in China’s Fujian province during 3rd to 5th of September. Subsequently, the Prime Minister will pay a State visit to Myanmar from September 5th to 7th.

ii. This will be Prime Minister Modi’s first bilateral State visit to Myanmar.

2. First Synergy Conference on Defence Pension

i. The Defence Accounts Department (DAD) organized its first Synergy Conference on Defence Pensions in New Delhi. The objective of the conference was to obtain feedback from the pensioners that would help the department to serve them better with constantly improving systems and procedures.

ii. The panel formed to interact with the pensioners was headed by Addl. CGDA Shri Upendra Sah.

3. Shri Rajnath Singh Inaugurates "YUVA – A Skill Development Program"
i. The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the YUVA – a skill development program. It is an initiative by Delhi Police under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.

ii.  Delhi Police has tied up with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for providing mass job linked skill training for the selected youth.

4. Fourth Session of the India-Tanzania Joint Trade Committee

i. The Fourth Session of the India-Tanzania Joint Trade Committee (JTC) meeting was held in New Delhi. The Indian delegation was led by Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman and Tanzanian delegation was led by the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment Mr. Charles John Mwijage.

ii. With an investment of US $ 2.2 billion, Tanzania is among the top 5 investment destinations for India. 

5. BSE Board Approved Another 5-year Term for Ashish Chauhan as CEO

i. Top stock exchange BSE's board has approved another five-year term for its chief Ashish Chauhan. Chauhan has joined BSE as deputy chief executive officer (CEO) in 2009. He was made MD and CEO for a period of five years with effect from November 2, 2012.

ii. Mr. Chauhan will be BSE's Managing Director and CEO  until November 1, 2022.

6. Indian Hotels Company Appoints Puneet Chhatwal as MD and CEO

i. Tata group hospitality firm Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL) has appointed Duetsche Hospitality chief executive Puneet Chhatwal as its Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

ii. He will take over from incumbent Rakesh Sarna, who is stepping down on 30 September. Before he joined IHCL, Sarna was the group president - Americas of Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

7. Sri Lankan Selection Committee Headed By Sanath Jayasuriya Resigns

i. The Sanath Jayasuriya-led Sri Lankan cricket selection panel has stepped down in the wake of the country’s horrible performance against India.

ii. Sri Lanka suffered 3-0 defeat in the Test series and have already lost the five-match ODI series against Virat Kohli’s Indian cricket team. Sri Lanka Cricket vice-president Mohan de Silva has confirmed that Sanath Jayasuriya’s panel has indeed stepped down.

8. ICEX Launches World’s First Diamond Futures Contracts

i. The Indian Commodity Exchange (ICEX) launched the world's first diamond futures contracts to provide exporters with a hedging tool. India is a global diamond polishing hub where 14 out of every 15 rough diamonds in the world are polished.

ii. At the launch, the first diamond contract for delivery in November was traded at Rs 3,279/cent. With over 103 registered members so far, ICEX has launched 1 ct diamond futures contract for delivery in November.

9. IAEA Opens Atomic Fuel Reserve in Kazakhstan

i. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) decided to open the Low Enriched Uranium Bank in Kazakhstan. The IAEA opened the bank to ensure the supply of nuclear fuel in the event of disruption due to political or market problems.

ii. The reserve opened will store 90 tons of Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU), the essential ingredient needed to make the fuel for light-water nuclear reactors, which generate electricity.

10. YouTube Changes its Logo for the First Time

i. Google-owned YouTube has refreshed its iconic logo and introduced some major design changes to its desktop and mobile apps.

ii. Unlike minor tweaks, this is the biggest change the YouTube logo has received over the years. The logo ditches the red color inside the "Tube" part of the name and places the now familiar play icon to the left side of the YouTube name.

11. Canara HSBC Oriental Life Launched ‘PoS’ product

i. Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance Company (CHOICE) has come up with a ‘Point-of-Sale’ product targeted at the mass-market segment. The product- ‘PoS - Easy Bima Plan’ is the first PoS product for the company and is a pure term insurance plan.

ii. While this product has initially been launched through a regional rural bank of Canara Bank, it would be available in the bank branches of Canara Bank and Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) in the next two months.

12. Freyr Energy Ties up With Axis Bank

i. Solar energy services company Freyr Energy has tied up with Axis Bank to offer term loans ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 50 lakh for tenures up to five years, for solar rooftop installations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

ii. The loans will be given to MSMEs and self-employed individuals to install Freyr rooftop solar plants for industrial and commercial purposes.

13. NITI Aayog Announced Winners of the Women Transforming India Awards 2017

i. NITI Aayog, in partnership with MyGov and the United Nations, announced the winners of the Women Transforming India Awards, 2017. Launched on International Women’s Day on 8 March, the contest aimed to gather lesser-own stories of women leading change.
ii. Honourable Minister for Textiles and Information and Broadcasting, Smriti Irani has awarded top 12 winners, honoring their courage and role in transforming societies.

Top 6 Contestants-

1. Laxmi Agarwal- a champion of violence against women.
2. Safeena Husain- working for girls’ education in India’s most backward districts.
3. Kamal Kumbhar- enabling women like herself to realize their dreams of a brighter tomorrow.
4. Subasini Mistry- working for two decades to build a hospital for the needy.
5. Arunima Sinha- Is the first female amputee to scale the highest mountain in the world.
6. Jamuna Tudu- has conserved 50 hectares of forest land around her village in Jharkhand

iii. Other 6 runner ups are- Rajlakshmi Borthakur, Harshini Kanhekar, Sunita Kamble, Kiran Kanojia, Shima Modak and Kanika Tekriwal.

14. 10th India-European Union Counter Terrorism Dialogue

i. India and the European Union have agreed to strengthen cooperation between their security and intelligence agencies to combat the threat of terrorism and check terror financing.

ii. During the 10th India-European Union Counter Terrorism Dialogue in New Delhi, the two sides deliberated extensively on combating terror financing and challenges posed by radicalization.

15. ISRO All Set to Launch IRNSS-1H

i. The Indian Space Research Organisation is all set to launch PSLV-C39 carrying Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS-1H). The satellite will lift off from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, on board the rocket PSLV C39.

ii. The satellite IRNSS-1H is a part of the indigenous navigation system called ‘NavIC,’ that was initially planned to have a constellation of seven satellites. ISRO's most trusted work horse PSLV, in its forty-first flight (PSLV-C39), will carry and put the 1,425 kg IRNSS-1H into the required orbit.

16. Important Cabinet Approvals- 30th August

i. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given the following set of approvals. The full list of Cabinet Approvals is given as follows.

ii. Cabinet has approved-

1. MoU on "India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund"- India and Israel will make a contribution of four million US Dollars each for the Fund, both equivalent amount, annually for five years. The Innovation Fund will be governed by a joint Board which will consist of four members from each country.
2. Promulgation of the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Ordinance, 2017- The approval would allow to increase the maximum rate at which the Compensation Cess can be levied from 15% to 25% on motor vehicles for transport of not more than thirteen persons, including the driver.
3. MoU with Myanmar for the Conservation of Earthquake-Damaged Pagodas at Bagan.
4. MoU between India and Brazil for cooperation in the fields of Zebu Cattle Genomics and Assisted Reproductive Technologies.

17. Unicity Launched World’s First ever Genomeceuticals Range of Products in India

i. Unicity International, headquartered in Orem, Utah, United States has launched world's first ever Genomeceutical (gene controlling) range of products to India.

ii. DNA contains the biological code that defines every single protein in the body. DNA undergoes a process called transcription or gene expression that creates a "messenger" molecule, telling the body to make a specific protein.

18. R.K. Raghavan is New High Commissioner of India to Cyprus

i. According to the External Affairs Ministry, Former CBI Director R.K. Raghavan has been appointed High Commissioner to Cyprus. His specialization is cybersecurity.

ii. He had been CBI Director from January 1999 to April 2001. The Supreme Court appointed him head of the Anti-Ragging Monitoring Committee in 2006.

19. Rajiv Gauba Takes Over as Union Home Secretary

i. Mr. Rajiv Gauba took over as Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Home Affairs. Mr. Gauba joined the Ministry of Home Affairs as Officer on Special Duty on June 27, 2017 and took charge as the Union Home Secretary upon the superannuation of Shri Rajiv Mehrishi.

ii. Mr. Gauba also served in the International Monetary Fund representing the country for four years on the Board of IMF.

20. PV Sindhu, First Brand Ambassador for Bridgestone India

i. Badminton ace PV Sindhu, who recently won Silver at the World Championship, was appointed the first brand ambassador of tyre maker Bridgestone India.

ii. The shuttler has signed a three year deal with Bridgestone India, a subsidiary of Bridgestone which is one of the sponsors for the Olympics 2020 in Japan. The Padma Shri recipient became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic silver medal in the Olympic Games Rio 2016.

21. NTPC Signs Rs 3,000-cr Term Loan Agreement With ICICI Bank

i. State-owned NTPC has signed a term loan agreement for Rs. 3,000 crore with ICICI Bank for partially funding its capital expenditure.

ii. The loan which has a door-to-door tenure of 15 years will be utilized to part finance the capital expenditure of NTPC. NTPC had commissioned 3,845 MW capacity and added 2,190 MW to its commercial capacity during 2016-17.

22. Gobindobhog Rice Gets Geographical Indication Status

i. Gobindobhog rice, a speciality from Burdwan district of West Bengal, has got the geographical indication (GI) status.

ii. The state government had applied for GI status for Gobindobhog rice on August 24, 2015. The region of Burdwan (now divided into the districts of east and west Burdwan) is known as the rice bowl of Bengal.

22. Ujjivan SFB Received Scheduled Bank Status from RBI

i. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ujjivan Financial Services Ltd, has been given scheduled bank status by RBI.

ii. Currently, Ujjivan SFB has 65 full-fledged brick and mortar branches in eight states and two Union Territories. Ujjivan SFB commenced its operations as a Small Finance Bank with effect from February 1, 2017. 

11. Kuldip Kaura is new interim CEO of Vedanta Ltd

i. Metal and mining major Vedanta Ltd appointed Kuldip Kaura as its interim CEO. 

ii. Kaura succeeds Tom Albanese, who steps down as CEO. The company has a presence across India, South Africa, Namibia, Australia, and Ireland.