Current Affairs Daily Updates: 25th May 2017

  /  
Mentor for Bank Exams
Current Affairs Daily Updates: 25th May 2017
APPOINTMENTS
PV Sindhu Elected Member of Badminton World Federation Athletes Commission
  • Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu became one of the members of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
  • Before Sindhu, Saina Nehwal was formal to a post to the commission.
  • Apart from Sindhu, Kirsty Gilmour of Scotland was placed third overall with 103 votes and Lithuania's Akvile Stapusaityte (25 votes) was the third woman elected to the Commission.
Sanjay Mitra takes over as Defence Secretary
  • Sanjay Mitra took charge as New Defence Secretary by the appointment committee of the cabinet.
  • He replaces G. Mohan Kumar.
  • Mitra, a 1982 batch IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
EDII and ITC won Porter Prize 2017
  • Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Gujarat and Indian Tobacco Company (ITC) Limited won thePorter Prize 2017.
  • ITC won the prize for Excellence in Corporate Governance and Integration and for its contribution in the category Creating Shared Value.
  • EDII cleared a three-stage comprehensive evaluation process and emerged as a winner in the category of education and training.
  • Porter Prize is named after Michael E. Porter, an economist, researcher, author, advisor, and teacher.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
BSNL launches satellite phone service using Inmarsat
  • State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) started satellite phone service through International Maritime Satellite Organisation (INMARSAT) which will be initially offered to government agencies and later opened for others citizen in phased manner.
  • BSNL and Inmarsat opened a new Indian GSPS gateway to enable satellite phone services through Inmarsat’s fourth-generation constellation.
  • The service will cover areas where no networks are present and are provided by INMARSAT which has 14 satellites.
  • Currently, satellite phones in India are provided by Tata Communications, which inherited the license from Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) (now Tata Communications Limited).
Union Cabinet approves MoU between Spain and India on cooperation in the field of Organ Transplant Services
  • The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Transplant Organization, Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality, Spain and the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India on cooperation in the field of Organ Transplant Services.
  • The MoU would facilitate bilateral cooperation in the field of organ and tissue procurement and transplantation and better understanding between the two countries.
BOOKS AND AUTHORS
Kiren Rijiju unveils world's first philosophical novel on God
  • Young Indian IAS officer, Haulianlal Guite, who hails from country's most remote areas of Manipur state has recently published a book titled "Confessions of a dying mind: the blind faith of atheism" in New Delhi.
  • The book was unveiled by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju in presence of David Syiemlieth, Chairman, UPSC.
  • The book billed as "the world's first philosophical novel for God", whose author is arguably the first Indian civil servant to write on philosophy since John Stuart Mill published On Liberty way back in 1858.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Lenin Moreno sworn in as Ecuador President
  • Lenin Moreno elected as President of Ecuador in Ecuador Presidential Elections 2017.
  • Engineer Jorge Glas will continue as Vice President.
  • Earlier, Moreno served as United Nations (UN)Special Envoy on Disability and Accessibility.
Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' Resigns as Nepal Prime Minister
  • Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal'Prachanda' resigned his post.
  • Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba to become the next Prime Minister of Nepal.
  • He was elected as the 39th Prime Minister of Nepal.
Mumbai and Kota among World’s most Crowded cities - World Economic Forum
  • World Economic Forum refers UN-Habitat data named two Indian cities-Mumbai and Kota among the world’s most crowded cities.
  • Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh has a population density of 44,500 people per square kilometer.
  • Mumbai has a population density of 31,700 people per square kilometer.
  • Kota in Rajasthan with 12,100 people per square kilometer has been ranked seventh in the list.
  • Medellin in Columbia with a population density of 19,700 people per square kilometer has been ranked third followed by Manila.
  • UN-Habitat, also known as United Nations Human Settlements Program is a UN agency for sustainable urban development and human settlements.
Japan to build war museum in Manipur
  • Japan is going to build a war museum at the hillock at Maiba Lokpa in Bishnupur district, Manipur, where a Japanese camp was located during World War II.
  • The Japanese ambassador to India, Kenji Hiramatsu, said about 70,000 Japanese soldiers had died in battles from March to June 1944 in Imphal and Kohima.
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
India’s First Underwater Rail Tunnel Completed in Kolkata
  • The two organizations Afcons Transtonnelstroy and Kolkata Metro Railway Corporation Limited (KMCRL) implemented the India’s first underwater tunnel under the Hooghly river to link Howrah and Kolkata.
  • The length of Kolkata’s East-West Metro is 16.6 km long. Out of which a length of 502 meters is under the Hooghly river.
  • The East-West Metro will have 12 stations, six will be underground stations.
Union Ministry launched Swachh Bharat App Launched in National Museum
  • Swachh Bharat App launched in National Museum under Ministry of culture by the Minister of State for culture & Tourism Dr. Mahesh Sharma.
  • The app will enable visitors to report garbage on the premises of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) monuments across the country.
  • Around 30 galleries in the National Museum equipped with a device that will make use of the intranet to connect to the app.
Union Minister Shri Manoj Sinha launches various schemes in India
  • The Minister of State for Communications (IC), Shri Manoj Sinha today launches Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited(BSNL)’s satellite phone service that will be offered to government agencies in phase one and later opened for others in phased manner.
  • He launched Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Telecom Skill Excellence Award Scheme and Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Sanchar Kaushal Vikas Pratisthan Scheme.
  • Around 10,000 people will be imparted training under the scheme of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Sanchar Kaushal Vikas Pratisthan.
  • The minister also launched Mobile satellite Communication on the occasion.
External Affairs Minister Inaugurates Integration of eSanad with CBSE’s Academic Repository
  • External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Human Resource Department Minister Prakash Javadekar and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad jointly inaugurated the integration of E-Sanad with Central Board Secondary Education's (CBSE) digital repository ‘Parinam Manjusha’ in New Delhi.
  • E Sanad is an e-service for online verification and attestation of documents of Indian citizens.
  • The e-service has been integrated with Non- Tax Receipt Portal (NTRP) for enabling cashless payment.
Govt approves abolition of Foreign Investment Promotion Board
  • The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval to the phasing out of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB).
  • The proposal entails abolishing the FIPB and allowing administrative Ministries/Departments to process applications for FDI requiring government approval.
  • Henceforth, the work relating to processing of applications for FDI and approval of the Government thereon under the extant FDI Policy and FEMA, shall now be handled by the concerned Ministries/Departments in consultation with the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion(DIPP), Ministry of Commerce, which will also issue the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for processing of applications and decision of the Government under the extant FDI policy.
  • In addition, Foreign Investors will find India more attractive destination and this will result in more inflow of FDI. The move will provide ease of doing business and will help in promoting the principle of Maximum Governance and Minimum Government.
  • Currently around 91-95% of FDI inflow happens through the automatic route, adding that there are only 11 sectors (including defence and retail) needing government approval.
  • The FIPB was initially set up under the Prime Minister's Office following the economic liberalisation in the early 1990s.
  • It shifted under the DIPP in 1996, and then in 2003 to the department of economic affairs in the finance ministry.
Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports to Initiate “Adopt A Slum” Campaign in Delhi
  • Minister of (Independent Charge), Youth Affairs & Sports, Shri Vijay Goel announced “Adopt a Slum” - a new campaign to mark completion of three years of the Government.
  • Minister said that the idea is to initiate developmental work in these slums and help the slum-dwellers in resolving various issues.
  • A slum Yuva Daud/Marathon will mark the beginning of this campaign on May 26. 
  • Shri Goel further said that Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, along with Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan, under the aegis of the Ministry, will initiate “Adopt a Slum” campaign and groups like NSS, public schools, rotary clubs, will pool in with efforts and manpower.
  • Shri Goel also stated that he has adopted Indira slum of Timarpur area under the campaign.
In Maharashtra, 'Good Morning' Squads To Monitor And Prevent Open Defecation
  • The Maharashtra government has decided to form 'good morning' squads to monitor and prevent open defecation in villages and districts across the state.
  • These squads will comprise representatives of local bodies, self-help groups, NGOs, students and social workers working in the area of sanitation and cleanliness.
  • A government resolution issued said these squads have been asked to keep an eye on the areas where this practice is prevalent and to ensure that locals have access to toilets there.