VINTAGE

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF JULY 23^rd, 2018

                           IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF JULY 23^rd, 2018

1.   (23rd July) is National Broadcasting Day.

a.   On this day in 1927, India got its first radio station.

b.   Note : The first station of the Indian Broadcasting Company (IBC) was inaugurated at Bombay by the British Viceroy of India Lord Irwin on 23rd July 1927.

c.   Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting - Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore

2.  Nation remembered freedom fighters Chandra Shekhar Azad and Lokmanya Tilak, on their birth anniversaries today.

a.   Indian nationalist leader Bal Gangadhar Tilak's 160th birth anniversary. 

                                i.    Popularly called 'Lokmanya', meaning 'accepted by the people', Tilak was born onJuly 23, 1856 in Maharashtra. 

                              ii.    The pioneer of the Swadeshi Movement, he is also widely known for his quote 'Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it'.

b.   Indian revolutionary Chandra Shekhar Azad, popularly known as 'Azad', was born on this day (23rd July) in the year 1906.

                                i.    He fought for the Indian independence struggle till the age of 24 years, before shooting himself to keep his pledge of never being caught alive.

3.  Kerala has been rated as the best-governed state in India for the third consecutive time in the Public Affairs Index 2018 released by Bengaluru-based think tank Public Affairs Centre (PAC). 

a.   While Tamil Nadu was rated second on the index, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar were ranked the lowest. 

b.   Top 5 in Public Affairs Index 2018 :

                                i.    Kerala 

                              ii.    Tamil Nadu

                            iii.    Telangana

                            iv.    Karnataka 

                              v.    Gujarat

4.  Ministry of Home Affairs sponsored Student Police Cadet (SPC) Programme was launched nationally in Gurugram, Haryana. 

a.   Aim of Student Police Cadet (SPC) Programme : To build bridge between Police and larger community through school students by inculcating values and ethics in them through classes in school and outside.

5.  The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has initiated process of introducing QR code (Quick Response code) in their textbooks. 

a.   This move is aimed at helping students understand chapters better by watching film or reading additional content on laptops and digital boards.

6.  In a bid to strengthen expertise and capabilities of the employees of North-Eastern Railways, the Indian Railways today inaugurated Regional Rail Training Institute (RRTI) at Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh. 

a.   RRTI will provide modern training facilities to the railway employees and would enhance their efficiency. 

7.  Ministry of Earth Sciences has unveiled state-of-the-art Air Quality and Weather Forecast System– SAFAR at Chandni Chowk in Delhi. 

a.   SAFAR - System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research

b.   It is first of its kind and most advanced system in India.  

c.   This will measure and display the area’s air quality index (AQI) along with 72-hour advance weather parameters - temperature, rainfall, humidity, wind speed and wind direction - round the clock.

   8.  Google is working on a new operating system (OS) titled 'Fuchsia' which will replace Android. 

   9.  Indian e-commerce payment system and digital wallet company, Paytm is going to launch its services in Japan. 

a.   The platform will launch the service in collaboration with Japanese multinational conglomerate SoftBank.

b.   Note : Last year, Paytm launched its services in Canada.

10. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has decided to block transactions made within the same account using different UPI IDs, effective August 1.

a.   The ban is aimed at stopping customers from making multiple and unnecessary transaction to get cashbacks.

   11.              Indian men's football team captain Sunil Chhetri was today named as the 2017 All India Football Federation (AIFF) Player of the Year. 

a.   He had recently become the second Indian footballer after former captain Bhaichung Bhutia to play 100 matches for the national team.

   12.              A book titled "The Dhoni Touch" was recently released.

a.   This book has been authored by Bharat Sundaresan.

b.   This book presents the different shades of Indian Cricketer M. S. Dhoni over a decade.

   13.              Four-time world champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) won the German Grand Prix 2018. 

14. Germany's Mesut Özil announced his retirement from international football today over "disrespect and racism". 

15. Ukrain's Oleksandr Usyk beat Russian rival Murat Gassiev by a unanimous decision to become the first man to hold all four world cruiserweight titles. 

a.   With the win Usyk also claimed the inaugural World Boxing Super Series Ali Trophy. 

16. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has cleared 734 athletes for the scholarship under the Khelo India Talent Development Scheme. 

a.   Through this programme, the athletes will get training at government-accredited residential academies.

b.   They will be provided with annual stipend of Rs. 1,20,000 on quarterly basis to meet their out of pocket expenses, treatment of injuries and other expenses.