Current Affairs Weekly – February 2017 First Week (1st – 7th)

Current Affairs Weekly – February 2017 First Week (1st – 7th)

APPOINTMENTS

• Chad's Moussa Faki Mahamat was elected as the Chairman of the African Union (AU) Commission.
• Rupak Kumar Dutta was appointed as the Director General of Police (DGP) of Karnataka.
• Rex Tillerson, the former chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ExxonMobil has been sworn in as the 69th US Secretary of State under the new President Donald Trump’s government.
• Former Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma took charge as the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
• Nik Khanna was appointed as the Managing Director (MD) of BAE Systems’ India operations with effect from 1 February 2017.
• Sanjeev Sanyal has been appointed as the Principal Economic Adviser in Finance Ministry
• Leading stock exchange National Stock Exchange (NSE) on 03rd February 2017 has selected IDFC chief Vikram Limaye as its new CEO and Managing Director, two months after the sudden exit of Chitra Ramkrishna from the top post.
• Anushka Sharma appointed as the new ambassador of the Swachh Bharat Campaign.
• Anand Kumar Gupta has taken over the charge as director commercial at NTPC.
• Leading professional services firm KPMG India has appointed the former US government official Arun M Kumar as the Chairman and CEO to lead KPMG India operations.
• Anand Kumar Gupta (56) has been appointed the new Director (Commercial) of National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC).
• Top Indian diplomat, Achamkulangare Gopinathan has been re-appointed by the UN General Assembly to the Joint Inspection Unit for a five-year term beginning January 1, 2018.
• The Prasar Bharati member (Finance) Rajiv Singh has taken over as the acting chief executive officer (CEO) of the public service broadcaster of India “Prasar Bharati”. He succeeded Mr. Suresh Panda.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

• The ‘Winners of Excellence’ under the state category of the eGovernance Awards for the year 2017 are Rajasthan and Telangana.
• The First ever National Entrepreneurship Awards 2016 was presented by the Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh at Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi. The awards were given in 11 different categories.
• Among the Indian B-Schools, Indian School of Business (ISB) stood first with a global ranking of 27 which is up by 2 positions compared to last year’s ranking. The top position was secured by INSEAD for the second consecutive year.
• Gurgaon based airline, SpiceJet made record by winning awards in three prime categories at the Asia One Awards held in Singapore.
• In the latest Global 500 rankings of most valuable and powerful brands across the globe, Sundar Pichai’s Google has surpassed Apple to achieve the top position.
• Budget carrier SpiceJet has bagged three awards at the Asia One Awards held recently in Singapore.
• England Test captain Alastair Cook has been honoured with Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE).
• Renowned Indian-origin British sculptor Anish Kapoor was honored with the prestigious $1 million 2017 Genesis Prizeon February 6, 2017 by Israel for his utmost contribution for Jewish community.
• Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who led his side to victory against England in all three formats of the game recently, has featured in the latest cover star of the bible of cricket - Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.
• The Arunachal Pradesh government has introduced ‘Arunachal Civil Service Awards’ for excellence in public administration in the state. It is an effort to encourage good governance and to recognize the extraordinary services rendered by the government employees in the state.

BANKING AFFAIRS

• Lakshmi Vilas Bank has tied up with Fisdom, a Bangalore-based fin-tech startup, to launch financial planning and wealth management services based on robo-advisory platform.
• National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) on February 2, 2017 sanctioned a loan amount of Rs. 157 crore to the Government of Haryana to undertake drinking water project.
• In a bid to discourage cash transactions, the country’s second-largest private sector lender HDFC Bank has decided to steeply increase the fees for savings account holders on a slew of activities involving cash.
• Corporation bank has signed an agreement with Religare Health Insurance Co Ltd to market its products and services through the distribution network of the bank across India. Corporation Bank holds around 5 per cent stake in Religare Health Insurance.
• The Ujjivan Small Finance Bank officially started its operation on February 6, 2017 with 5 pilot branches in Bengaluru. Samit Ghosh is the MD and CEO of the Ujjivan Small Finance Bank.
• India’s third largest private bank, Axis Bank has tied up with Earthport Plc, a cross-border payment network, to enable faster outbound cross-border payments for its customers through Earthport’s state-of-the-art global payments network.
• Public sector lender Bank of Maharashtra has partnered with insurance company Cigna TTK Health to market the insurer’s products in the bank’s branches across the entire country.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

• Union finance Minister Arun Jaitley tabled the Economic Survey 2016-17 in Parliament budget session. The survey prepared by chief economic adviser in the finance ministry Arvind Subramanian. The survey projects the economy to grow in the range of 6.75% to 7.25% in fiscal year 2017-18.
• Based on the latest Economic Outlook Survey report released by FICCI, the India’s GDP is projected to grow 6.8 percent this fiscal which is 0.5 percent points less than FICCI’s previous estimate of 7.3 percent.
• Reliance Defence and Engineering Ltd (RDEL), a wholly owned arm of Reliance Infrastructure Ltd (RInfra), has signed a contract worth Rs. 916 crore with the Ministry of Defence to design and construct 14 Fast Patrol Vessels for the Indian Coast Guard.
• Cab-hailing firm Uber has launched two-wheeler aggregation service UberMOTO in Hyderabad. The firm, which has signed an agreement with the Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd recently, formally launched the services.
• UN children's agency UNICEF has launched an appeal for 3.3 billion US Dollar to help 48 million children caught up in crises worldwide amid fears of a funding cut from top donor the United States.
• Income Tax Department (ITD) lead by ‎Sushil Chandra has launched Operation Clean Money, to verify the cash deposited in the banks during November 9th to December 30th 2016.
• In budget speech, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced that cash transactions above Rs. 3 lakh will not be allowed. This comes after demonetisation and various other measures by the government to curb black money in the economy.
• HSBC has estimated the GDP growth rate of India at 7.1 percent for the year 2017-18 which is up from the 6.3 percent in the year 2016-17.
• Aiming to enhance quality and improve efficiency of the Engineering Education System, a Financing Agreement for IDA credit of USD 201.50 Million was signed with World Bank for the 'Third Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme' (TEQIP III).
• Tech giant Apple has reached an agreement with the Karnataka government to set up a manufacturing plant in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• The Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Bill, 2017 was introduced in the Lok Sabha by the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The Bill provides for holding, transfer and receiving of old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes.
• Alphabet Inc’s Google said it would sell its satellite imaging business, Terra Bella, to Planet Labs, a San Francisco-based private satellite operator founded by former NASA scientists.
• LIQVD ASIA, a digital marketing agency, launched India's First Ever Online Exhibition gateway - ExFirst.com in collaboration with iKarmik.com.
• Industry body ASSOCHAM has said that Reserve Bank of India should cut interest rate by 0(point) 5 – 0 (point)75 per cent in view of dismal credit growth as well as subdued demand.
• The Lok Sabha has passed the Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill, 2017 to enable employers to pay wages to workers through cheque or directly crediting to their accounts. The bill will replace the Ordinance promulgated by the President in December 2016 to amend the Payment of Wages Act, 1936.
• Uber launched a new service called UberHire in 9 Indian cities on 6 February 2017. The new category will allow customers to hire a taxi for an entire day, make multiple stops and cover several destinations at one go.

DEATHS

• E Ahamed, former Union Minister passed away after suffering from a heart attack. He was 78.
• Veteran journalist Devdutt passed away. He was 88. He was Gandhian since his early days and was present at Birla House in the lawn when Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948.
• Eminent theatre personality, artist, painter and writer Asim Basu passed away on 1 February 2017 following a prolonged illness at Bhubaneswar, Odisha. He was 82. He is survived by his son and two daughters.
• Former Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Joginder Singh passed away after a prolonged illness. He was 77.
• Renowned Urdu novelist and short story writer Bano Qudsia passed away on 4 February 2017 in Lahore, Pakistan. She was 88.
• Racharla Samrajyam, a veteran freedom fighter, passed away on 6 February 2017 following age-related illness at Vishakhapatnam. She was 98. She is survived by her only son Saranga Rao.

IMPORTANT DAYS OBSERVED

• The World Wetlands Day (WWD) is observed every year on February 2 to commemorate the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971 in Iran. The 2017 theme is “Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction”.
• World Cancer Day (WCD) 2017 was observed across the world on 4 February 2017. The theme for the World Cancer Day 2016-2018 is ‘We can. I can.’
• The International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation was observed across the world on 6 February 2017. The theme for the 2017 International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation is “Building a solid and interactive bridge between Africa and the world to accelerate ending FGM by 2030.”

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

• Ireland has become the first country in the world to divest coal, oil and gas investments from Ireland Strategic Investment Fund.
• Chinese scientists from Northwest A&F University have produced world’s first live cows with increased resistance to bovine tuberculosis (TB).
• Kuwait has suspended the process of issuing visas for travellers belonging to five major Muslim countries including Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Afghanistan in order to prevent the entry of radical Islamic terrorists.
• India has been invited as a Guest Country at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) which will be held in the city of St. Petersburg, Russia from June 1 to 3, 2017 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the forum as a Guest of Honour.
• India and Sri Lanka has signed an MoU for the construction of a multi-ethnic tri-lingual school in a north central district of the island nation.
• India and Norway have founded a Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to accelerate life-saving research and development for epidemics.
• The historic Right to Information (RTI) Act has come into force in Sri Lanka. The act marks the culmination of a movement of over 20 years to ensure transparency in governance and easy availability of information.
• A mobile app developed by Alibaba helped Chinese authorities recover 611 missing children last year.
• In an effort to strengthen the bilateral relations between India and UAE, the Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Samudra Pavak made a goodwill visit at the Mina Al Rashid (Dubai Port) from February 4 to 7, 2017.

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

• Meghalaya’s first ever Apparel and Garment Making Centre was inaugurated jointly by Union Textiles Minister Smriti Zubin Irani and Chief Minister of Meghalaya Dr. Mukul Sangma near Ampati in South West Garo Hills.
• The Union Finance Ministry has agreed to contribute partially to a new dedicated railway safety fund named as ‘Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh’ in the upcoming Union Budget 2017-18.
• The 31st Surajkund International Crafts Mela is held in Faridabad, Haryana. This year Jharkhand has been chosen as the theme state and the partner nation will be Egypt.
• The Union Cabinet had approved the amendments in the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 to modify the list of SC in Odisha.
• The 19th Bharat Rang Mahotsav or International Theatre Festival of India commenced on 1 February 2017 in New Delhi. The 21-day festival will conclude on 21 February 2017.
• Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting M Venkaiah Naidu was inaugurated the Digital Radio or All Round Table Conference in New Delhi on January 31, 2017
• The Indian Policy Think Tank, NITI Aayog together with Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has launched a first of its kind online portal, India Innovation Index in India to rank the states on the basis of innovation. The portal was inaugurated by Mr Amitabh Kant, CEO NITI Aayog in New Delhi.
• The Union Ministry of Railways has signed an MoU with an Italian Firm Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane Group (FS Group) for technical cooperation in rail sectorwith focus on safety operations.
• The three-day Visakha Utsav was inaugurated by M. Venkaiah Naidu, the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Urban Development, in Visakhapatnam.
• One of the India’s international border, 3,323-km-long India-Pakistan border runs through four states, Jammu and Kashmir , Rajasthan, Punjab and Gujarat .will have smart fencing soon said by Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju.
• The Union Ministry of Railways has signed an MoU with an Italian Firm Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane Group (FS Group) for technical cooperation in rail sector with focus on safety operations.
• AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala was elected as legislature party leader by MLAs during a party meeting.
• The Ministry of AYUSH has constituted a 16-member committee under the chairmanship of Dr. H.R. Nagendra, Chancellor, S-Vyasa University, to prepare a Yoga Protocol for Diabetes Control.
• The Bihar government has introduced the transgender as a third category to opt for and appear in the Board exams conducted by the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB).
• Afzal Amanullah committee has been formed by the government to look into the matter of how to improve the Haj Poilcy of India and also deal with the issue of reducing and abolishing the subsidy to the pilgrims.
• The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRB) will soon set up a department – National Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct examinations for higher and secondary education.
• The Telangana government has launched India's first social innovation centre The ‘Kakatiya Hub For Social Innovation’ in Nizamabad, Telangana. Telangana IT Secretary Jayesh Ranjan made this announcement at the one-day Development Dialogue, an international social entrepreneurship ecosystem conference hosted by Kakatiya Sandbox.
• The Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal launched the Chief Minister Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana (CMSGUY) in Guwahati, Assam.
• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu inaugurates the State’s first Smart Police Station at Nagarampalem in Guntur city in Amaravati.
• The Nagaland Cabinet has decided to submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister to issue an ordinance to exempt the state from the provision of Part IX A of the Constitution related to municipalities and ULBs, and their composition.
• Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today said the state would give two per cent reservation to sports persons in government jobs and nutritious food to them.
• The Railway Ministry is set to develop the first ever railway line in Andaman and Nicobar Island that currently has no rail network.
• The Union Ministry of Tourism, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Government and two PSUs NPCC & NBCC on 6 February 2017 signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for implementation of tourism projects In Jammu & Kashmir.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AFFAIRS

• The United Arab Emirates is planning to launch its first-ever mission to Mars in 2020, an unmanned orbiter called ‘Hope’ from Japan’s space centre.
• Scientists have confirmed the existence of a “lost continent” under the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. It is left over by the break-up of the super-continent Gondwana, which started about 200 million years ago.
• China has successfully tested a new version of a DF-5C missile that can carry up to 10 nuclear warheads in January 2017.
• NASA’s solar-powered Juno spacecraft completed closest flyby of Jupiter mysterious cloud tops for the fourth time.
• Indian Navy has launched an Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence and Surveillance System (IUHDSS) in Mumbai, Maharashtra to enhance the security of valuable naval assets against asymmetric threats.
• ISRO will launch 104 satellites through its workhorse rocket PSLV-C37 on February 15 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. Of these, only three are Indian.

SPORTS AFFAIRS

• Amit Mishra, after picking up his 201st T20 wicket in the Bengaluru T20I, became India's highest wicket taker in T20 cricket, overtaking Ravichandran Ashwin's record of 200 wickets.
• India's Lakshya Sen has become the World No 1 Junior Badminton player. He achieved the distinction in the latest rankings of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
• Indian cueist Pankaj Advani clinched his 29th Indian National Snooker Championship title at the PYC Hindu Gymkhana, Pune.
• Basketball Federation of India announced that India will host FIBA Women’s Asia Cup basketball tournament in July 2017 in Bengaluru.
• Sports Minister Vijay Goel laid the foundation stone of the India’s first Center of Excellence for Para Sports to help para athletes in showcasing their skills and talent further both at the national and international level in Gujarat.
• India will host the World Billiards Championship for the next four years, the Billiards and Snoooker Federation of India (BSFI) announced.
• Sharath Kamal, Madhurika Patkar Win Table Tennis Singles Titles. Madhurika Patkar won the women's singles crown for the first time, while veteran A. Sharath Kamal bagged his seventh national crown in the 78th 11Even Sports Table Tennis Senior National Championships.
• Russia will miss this summer's World Athletics Championships after governing body IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) voted to extend their suspension from international competition in Monaco.
• Sourabh Verma and Rituparna Das won the men’s singles and women’s singles titles respectively in the 81st Senior National Badminton Championships tournament in Patna, Bihar.