IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF SEPTEMBER 1st, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF SEPTEMBER 1st, 2017

1. Swiss President on 3-Day Visit to India

i. President of Swiss Confederation Doris Leuthard is on the three-day visit to India. A number of agreements are expected to be signed in several areas after the talks.

ii. India and Switzerland enjoy robust economic ties, with Switzerland being seventh largest trading partner and eleventh largest foreign investor for India.

2. Arunachal Pradesh and J&K are Fastest Growing Economies

i. Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh were the fastest expanding State economies in 2015-16, according to a new series of gross State domestic product data with 2011-12 as the base year published by the Central Statistics Office.

ii. The two States also reported the fastest rise in per capita income in the same year. Arunachal Pradesh’s gross State domestic product (GSDP) expanded 16.5 per cent and that of Jammu and Kashmir 14.7 per cent at constant 2011-12 prices.

iii. Top 5 Largest state Economies are-

1. Maharashtra
2. Tamil Nadu
3. Gujarat
4. Uttar Pradesh
5. Karnataka

3. CSIR Ranked 9th Public Research Institution of the World

i. India's largest autonomous public organization Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has been ranked ninth in the world. The institute has been ranked ninth amongst a total of 1,207 government institutions, according to the Scimago Institutions ranking World Report 2017.

ii. It is the only Indian organization which has found place amongst the Top 100 Global Institutions. The ranking (Government Institutions) was topped by the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

4. Ministry of Railways Signs two MoUs with Switzerland

i. India and Switzerland signed two MoUs in the field of Railways. The two MoUs were signed between Ministry of Railways and Swiss Confederation after high-level talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Doris Leuthard, President of Swiss Confederation during her visit to New Delhi.

ii. First MoU

The MoU was signed between Ministry of Railways and Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, and Communications of the Swiss Confederation for technical cooperation in Rail Sector. The MoU aims at cooperation in the following areas:

1. Traction Rolling stock
2. EMU and Train sets
3. Traction Propulsion Equipment
4. Tilting Trains

iii. Second MoU

The second MoU was signed between Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich. The MoU aims to help the Konkan Railway in establishing the George Fernandes Institute of Tunnel Technology (GFITT) at Goa, especially for assimilation and dissemination of knowledge in the field of tunneling.

5. SEBI bans Orion Capital, Orion Broking from Markets for 10 years

i. Markets regulator SEBI barred Orion Capital as well as Orion Broking and their partners from the securities markets for 10 years for failing to redress several investor grievances pertaining to non- settlement of funds due to the clients.

ii. The nature of investor complaints received against both the firms are predominantly on non-settlement of the funds and securities and balances due to their clients. The claim amount is more than Rs 6 crore against Orion Capital and over Rs 4 crore against Orion Broking.

6. Konkani Writer Mahabaleshwar Sail Receives 2016 Saraswati Samman

i. Prominent Konkani writer Mahabaleshwar Sail was presented with the Saraswati Samman 2016 for his novel 'Hawthan'. The novel 'Hawthan', published in 2009, captures cultural lives of traditional potter community in Goa.

ii. He was awarded the Sahitya Akadami Award in Konkani language for his short story collection ‘Taranga’ in 1993. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 15 lakh, a citation and a plaque of goddess Saraswati.

7. Reliance Foundation Awarded Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar

i. The Reliance Foundation was rewarded with the prestigious Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Award at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Chairperson of the foundation, Nita Ambani collected the award from President Ram Nath Kovind.

ii. For its contribution to the promotion of sports, the award went to Reliance Foundation. Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) also received the Rashtriya Khel Protsahana Purushkar for its ‘Identification and Nurturing of Budding and Young Talent’ (IDCO) program.

8. Rajiv Mehrishi is New CAG of India

i. The outgoing Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi was appointed Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).

ii. Mr. Mehrishi completed his two-year stint as Home Secretary and handed over the charge to Rajiv Gauba.

9. Sunil Arora Appointed Election Commissioner

i. Former bureaucrat Sunil Arora was appointed Election Commissioner by the law Ministry. Mr. Arora’s appointment will be with effect from the day he assumes charge.

ii. After Nasim Zaidi retired as Chief Election Commissioner in July, there was a vacancy in the poll panel. While Achal Kumar Joti is the Chief Election Commissioner of India, Om Prakash Rawat is the other Election Commissioner.

10. Rajiv Kumar Takes Charge as Niti Aayog Vice-Chairman

i. Economist Rajiv Kumar took over as the vice-chairman of government think tank NITI Aayog. Mr. Kumar replaced Arvind Panagariya, an Indian-American economist who left the think tank to return to academia.

ii. Mr. Kumar was a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR). He was a member of the National Security Advisory Board between 2006 and 2008.