IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF
AUGUST 12th, 2018
1.
(12th
August) is International Youth Day.
a. The
first International Youth Day was observed on 12th August 2000 by United
Nations.
b. The
purpose of this day is to draw attention to a given set of cultural and legal
issues surrounding youth.
c. Theme
of International Youth Day 2018 : "Safe Spaces
for Youth"
2.
Today (12th August) is World Elephant
Day.
a. This is
an international annual event, dedicated to the preservation and protection of
the world's elephants.
3.
The Delhi Police today
inducted an All-female Special Weapons And Tactics
(SWAT) team, making it the 1st unit of its
kind in the country.
a. The 36
women, all from Northeastern states, underwent 15 months of training under
the National Security Guard (NSG).
b. The
unit will be deployed when PM Narendra Modi gives his Independence Day speech
at the Red Fort.
4.
Lok Sabha has passed Representation of
the People (Amendment) Bill, 2017 by voice vote to extend
the facility of ‘proxy voting’ to overseas Indians, on the lines of
service voters.
a. The
Bill seeks to amend Representation of People Act (RPA), 1950 and Representation
of People Act (RPA), 1951 to allow for proxy voting and make certain provisions
of these Acts gender-neutral.
5.
Parliament has passed the Insolvency
and Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment) Bill,2018.
a. The
Bill replaces ordinance promulgated in this regard and amends Insolvency
and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.
b. As per
the bill, home buyers will get due representation in the Committee of Creditors
that takes a call on resolution proposals, making them an integral part of the
decision making process.
6.
Union Cabinet has given approval for raising
of 4 additional battalions of National Disaster Response Force
(NDRF) to strengthen the India’s disaster response set up.
a. These
battalions will be placed in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh,
Uttarakhand and Delhi National Capital Region based on their disaster
vulnerability profile.
7.
The Union Cabinet also approved continuation
and revision of Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Post Matric
Scholarship for Other Backward Classes Students for studying in India
(PMS-OBC) till 2020.
a. PMS-OBC
is flagship scheme of Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, in
operation since 1998-99.
b. Aim of
this scheme : To provide financial assistance to OBC students studying at
post-matriculation or post-secondary stage to enable them to complete their
education.
8.
The National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) today successfully launched its Parker
Solar Probe, aimed to enter the Sun's corona (outer
atmosphere), where no spacecraft has gone before.
a. The
mission will probe why temperatures in corona reach a million ºC while Sun's
visible surface below it only reaches about 5,500ºC.
b. Important
Points to Note :
o
The Parker Solar Probe is the first NASA mission to
be named after a living individual, Dr Eugene Parker.
o
In 1958, the 91-year-old American solar physicist predicted the
existence of the solar wind, a stream of charged particles blasted from the
Sun.
o
He also theorised why the Sun's corona (outer atmosphere) is
hotter than its surface below.
9.
Union Cabinet has approved extension of term
of Commission to examine the issue of
Sub-categorization of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in
Central List till November 2018.
a. This is
third extension granted to commission for submission of its politically crucial
report on creating quotas within quotas.
b. The
five member Commission was constituted under article 340 of Constitution in
October, 2017 with approval of President.
c. Head of
this Committee : G. Rohini (former Chief Justice of Delhi High
Court Justice (Retd)).
10.
Pakistan and Russia have
signed contract on admission of service members of Pakistan in Russia’s Military
Training Institutes.
a. The
agreement was signed at conclusion of first meeting of Russia-Pakistan
Joint Military Consultative Committee (JMCC), the highest forum of defence
collaboration between both countries held in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
b. This
agreement is considered as sign of further strengthening defence ties between
Russia and Paksitan.
c. Note : This
will be for first time, Pakistani soldiers will undergo training at Russian
military institutes.
11.
India's 3rd largest private-sector bank, Axis
Bank became 1st bank in the country to introduce Iris
Scan Authentication feature for Aadhaar-based
transactions through its micro ATM tablets.
12.
The Lok Sabha has passed Arbitration
and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2018 to help India become hub for
domestic and global arbitration for settling commercial disputes.
a. It
seeks to amend Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 which
contains provisions to deal with domestic and international arbitration and
defines law for conducting conciliation proceedings.
13.
In it's recent report, the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected India’s GDP growth 7.3%
in the 2018-19 fiscal and 7.5% in 2019-2020 on strengthening of
investment and robust private consumption.
14.
Nobel Prize-winning author V S Naipaul (85),
who was born to parents of Indian descent, has passed away.
a. He was
known for novels like 'A House for Mr Biswas' and 'A Bend in the
River'.
15.
Justice Gita Mittal was
sworn in as the 1st woman Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir
High Court.
a. She
earlier served as a Delhi high court judge for 14 years, out of which 15 months
were as the acting Chief Justice.
b. She is
known for her judgments on child abuse, disability, gender rights, environment,
cleanliness.
16.
Rekha Sharma (54)
was appointed as Chairperson of the National Commission for
Women (NCW).
a. Prior
to this appointment, she was member of the Commission and was holding the
additional charge of chairperson after Lalitha Kumaramangalam had
demitted office in September 2017.
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