IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF SEPTEMBER 20th, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF SEPTEMBER 20th, 2017

1. India to Conduct the First ‘BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise- 2017’

i. The First ‘BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise- 2017’ (BIMSTEC DMEx-2017) will be conducted by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) as the lead agency from October 10-13, 2017 in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR.

ii. This Exercise will be a platform for sharing Best Practices on all aspects of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), strengthening regional response and coordination for Disaster Management among the BIMSTEC member countries. 

2. Cabinet Approves Merger of 17 Govt Presses into 5 Units

i. The Union Cabinet has given its approval for rationalization/merger and modernization of 17 Government of India Presses (GIPs)/Units into 5 Government of India Presses (GIPs) at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Minto Road, and Mayapuri, New Delhi; Nashik, Maharashtra and Temple Street, Kolkata, West Bengal.

ii. These 5 Presses will be redeveloped and modernized by monetization of their surplus land. Modernisation of the Presses will enable them to undertake important confidential, urgent and multi-color printing work of the Central Government Offices all over the country.

3. World's Biggest Wealth Fund Hits $1 Trillion Value For First Time

i. Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the largest in the world, reached the value of $1 trillion for the first time. This amount equals nearly $189,000 (157,000 euros) for each of the 5.3 million people living in Norway.
ii. The fund mainly invests not only in stocks but also in bonds and real estate. With stakes in nearly 9,000 companies, it owns 1.3 percent of the world's market capitalization, and 2.3 percent in Europe.

4. Akshay Kumar Appointed Uttarakhand Swachh Bharat Mission Brand Ambassador

i. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat announced the appointment of actor Akshay Kumar as the brand ambassador of the Swachh Bharat Mission in the state.

ii. Akshay was also appointed as the brand ambassador for the cleanliness campaign in Uttar Pradesh in August 2017 and his film "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha" was made tax-free in the state.

5. Three Indians Among World's '100 Greatest Living Business Minds'

i. Three Indian entrepreneurial legends, Ratan Tata, Lakshmi Mittal and Vinod Khosla have been included in Forbes’s special list of the world’s ‘100 Greatest Living Business Minds.

ii. Some of the notable honorees alongside Blank are- Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Ted Turner, Rupert Murdoch, Donald Trump and more.

6. India Appoints Ajay Bisaria New High Commissioner to Pakistan

i. India’s ambassador to Pakistan Gautam Bambawale will now head the Indian mission in China, while envoy to Poland Ajay Bisaria will replace him in Islamabad.

ii. The reshuffle was necessitated by appointment of India's ambassador to China Vijay Gokhale as Secretary (Economic Relations) in MEA. Gokhale played the lead role in defusing the Doklam crisis with Beijing.

7. Tata Steel, Thyssenkrupp Sign MoU for European Steel JV

i. Tata Steel and Thyssenkrupp of Germany have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in a deal that is poised to create one of Europe's largest steel companies. The two partners have been in merger talks for more than a year.

ii. They will form a 50:50 joint venture to create a powerful No. 2 in the European steel market. The merger will lead to substantial cost savings for both steel players. 

8. BCCI Nominates MS Dhoni for Padma Bhushan Award

i. The Indian cricket board, BCCI has nominated Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the country's third highest civilian award - the Padma Bhushan, for his contribution to the game.

ii. A senior BCCI official confirmed that the Board has only sent one name for the Padma awards this year and it was a unanimous decision to nominate India's most successful captain.