Current
Affairs Daily Updates: 18 September 2017
Dear Aspirants,
Welcome to Mentor
for Bank Exams. Current Affairs 18 September 2017 happenings of day are
covered here. All types of current affairs like National, International, Economic, Science and
Technology are covered in detail in this date wise current affairs section.
Aspirants who are preparing for various government sector jobs like SBI, IBPS,
SSC and UPSC exams can make use of this.
APPOINTMENTS
Y C Modi
appointed as Director General of National Investigation Agency
- Senior Indian Police Service
(IPS) officer Y C Modi was appointed the new Director General of National
Investigation Agency (NIA).
- The order regarding the
appointment was issued by the Union Ministry for Home Affairs. Modi will
replace Sharad Kumar, who is will retire on 30 October 2017.
- Modi is an IPS officer of the
1979 batch of the Haryana cadre. He had also been part of a Supreme
Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) that probed 2002 Gujarat
riots case.
- He has also served as the
Additional Director General of Police in Shillong, and Additional Director
in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Infosys
Senior VP Sanjay Rajagopalan Quits
- Infosys Senior Vice President
Sanjay Rajagopalan has resigned from his post. The decision has come a
month after Vishal Sikka stepped down as the company’s MD and CEO. He was
employed with Infosys from August 2014 to September 2017.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
President’s
Medal for Former DIG D Roopa
- Former DIG D Roopa, who
highlighted in a report alleged irregularities at the central jail in
Karnataka, including preferential treatment to AIADMK leader V K Sasikala,
was conferred the President’s Medal.
- The award was presented to Roopa
for her meritorious service by Governor Vajubhai Vala at a ceremony at Raj
Bhavan in the presence of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
S S
Rajamouli receives ANR award
- Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu
has given the film-maker S S Rajamouli with the prestigious A Nageswara
Rao (ANR) National Award for his contribution to the Telugu film industry.
- The award was given annually to
recognize people for their lifetime achievements and contributions to the
Indian film industry.
- Earlier, in 2016, Rajamouli was
honoured India's fourth highest civilian Honour Padma Shri, for his
contributions towards the field of Art.
BANKING AFFAIRS
Airtel
Payments Bank launches UPI enabled digital payments in India
- Airtel Payments Bank become the
first payments bank in India to integrate the Unified Payments Interface
(UPI) on its digital platform.
- It adds to customer choice and
convenience for making secure digital payments to online/offline merchants
and making instant money transfers to any bank account in India.
- For UPI-based payments and
transfers, the customers are not required to furnish their bank details to
enable transactions and can create easy to remember IDs, ensuring optimal
data security.
- Customers can also link their
Airtel Payments Bank savings accounts to any of their UPI handles on
popular apps such as BHIM or UPI of other banks.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
GSTN
reopens window for composition scheme
- The GST Network has reopened the
facility for small taxpayers with a turnover of up to 75 lakh rupees to
opt for composition scheme (till 30th September 2017).
- Earlier, Taxpayers were given
time till 16th August to opt for composition scheme.
- But, only 10.86 lakh taxpayers,
out of total 85 lakh registered businesses opted for the scheme.
- The window will be open for
those taxpayers who have migrated from the earlier excise, service tax or
VAT regime as well as for new registered taxpayers.
Google launches
mobile wallet and payments app 'Tez' in India
- Google launched a mobile wallet
and payments app 'Tez' in India that will let users link their phones to
their bank accounts to pay for goods in physical stores and online.
- It is available for both Android
and iOS users, the app also allows person-to-person money transfers.
- Google linking up with several
major banks in the country by way of UPI (Unified Payments Interface) a
payment standard and system backed by the government in its push to bring
more integrated banking services into a very fragmented market.
- The Supported banks include
Axis, HDFC Bank, ICICI and State Bank of India and others that support
UPI.
- Online payment partners include
large food chains like Dominos, transport services like RedBus, and Jet
Airways and to help address one of the many ways that the Indian market is
fragmented, the app has support for English, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati,
Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu.
DEATHS
Marshal of
Indian Air Force Arjan Singh passes away
- India's oldest, five-star ranked
Air Force Officer (IAF) ‘Arjan Singh’ (98-year) passed after suffering a
heart attack.
- Singh served as the IAF's Chief
of Staff during the 1965 India-Pakistan war.
- He was the only officer of the
IAF to be given a distinction equal to that of a Field Marshal.
- After his retirement, Mr. Singh
served the nation as an ambassador to Switzerland (in 1971), as High
Commissioner to Kenya (in 1974) and became the Lt. Governor of Delhi (in
1989).
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Peruvian
President appoints former Economy Minister as new PM
- Peruvian President Pedro Pablo
Kuczynski has appointed a former Economy Minister Mercedes Araoz (56-year)
as his new Prime Minister.
- Araoz replaced Fernando Zavala.
- She served as Minister of
Foreign Trade and Tourism from 2006 to July 2009, after which she was
appointed Peru's finance minister.
Russia and
Iraq Restore Air Travel After 13-Year Freeze
- Russia and Iraq restored
commercial airline services for the first time since 2004, with an Iraqi
Airways plane leaving for Moscow from Baghdad.
- Russia suspended flights to Iraq
after the 2003 US-led invasion pushed the Arab country into war.
- It is a signal on the part of
the Iraqi authorities that Russian nationals can safely visit Iraq.
Union
Minister Sushma Swaraj in New York to Attend UNGA Session
- External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj to attend the annual UN General Assembly (UNGA) session.
- She will hold a high-level
meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Japanese Foreign
Minister Fumio Kishida.
- She has five other meetings with
Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and with foreign ministers
Khemaies Jhinaoui of Tunisia, Anders Samuelsen of Denmark, Edgars
Rinkevics of Latvia and Fernando Huanacuni Mamani of Bolivia.
- India is among the 120 countries
that have supported the reform efforts of the UN Secretary-General.
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Union Minister
Rajnath Singh launched full-fledged intelligence wing of Sashastra Seema Bal
(SSB)
- The Union Ministry of Home
Affairs launched full-fledged intelligence wing of Sashastra Seema Bal
(SSB).
- The intelligence wing will
gather actionable information in a bid to enhance operational efficiency.
- The paramilitary force guards
India's borders with Bhutan and Nepal which are often used by criminals
and Kashmiri militants returning from Pakistan.
- Around 650 field and staff
agents to gather actionable information and SSB’s intelligence wing
personnel will be deployed on India-Nepal and India-Bhutan where there are
no restrictions on movement of people on either side due to visa-free
regime.
Assam Skill
City to have 10,000 training seats may take 4-5 years to get functional
- The Assam State government to
launch well-equipped cities with the capacity of 10000 seats in the state.
- A Singapore based premier
institute will support the state government for further development.
- A temporary complex with 400
capacity is being set up in Guwahati.
- Around 30 thousand former
militants will be given skill development training and cease-fire camps
where they are residing now will be made production centers.
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi dedicates Sardar Sarovar Dam to nation
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi
dedicated to the nation the Sardar Sarovar Dam (on river Narmada) at
Kevadia in Narmada district of Gujarat.
- The project will irrigate
2,46,000 hectares of land in the strategically important desert districts
of Barmer and Jalore in Rajasthan and 37,500 hectares in the tribal hilly
tract of Maharashtra.
- Earlier, the Narmada Control
Authority has allowed closure of the dam’s sluice gates so that the water
rises to its full height of 138.68 meters (earlier 121.92 meters).
- The storage capacity also rose
to 4.73 million cubic meters, MCM (earlier,1.27 MCM).
Union
Government saved 65,000 crores through Direct Benefit Scheme (DBT)
- Union Human Resource Minister
Prakash Javadekar informed that Central government saved Rs 65,000 crore
through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in various public schemes.
- The Scores of welfare schemes
have been linked to DBT, under which the receivables are transferred
directly to the beneficiary's bank accounts.
- The government successfully
opened 30 crores Jan Dhan bank accounts and 118 crore Aadhar numbers have
been issued.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY / DEFENCE AFFAIRS
Iron Union
5: US and UAE Joint Military Exercise
- The US and UAE’s ground forces
had begun a joint military exercise in Abu Dhabi, as part of efforts to
consolidate their bilateral relations and exchange training and military
expertise.
- Code-named Iron Union 5, the
drill is an extension of a series of Iron Claw exercises.
- The exercise aims to upgrade and
boost the readiness of the UAE’s armed forces and to allow both armies to
promote their international co-operation in joint military operations.
India and
US armies begin 'Yudh Abhyas 2017' military exercise
- The 13th edition Yudh Abhyas
2017, a joint military training exercise between India and United States
held at Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington.
- Yudh Abhyas is annual bilateral
military exercise, alternately held by the two countries.
- Both sides jointly trained, planned
and executed series of well-developed tactical drills for neutralization
of likely threats that may be encountered.
SPORTS AFFAIRS
Lewis
Hamilton won Singapore Grand Prix
- Mercedes' British Formula One
driver Lewis Hamilton registered his 60th career won at the Singapore
Grand Prix.
- He defeated Ferrari's Sebastian
Vettel score and reached the top of the table with 28 points.
- Daniel Ricciardo won the second
place in the race.
PV Sindhu
wins Gold at Korea Open Superseries Competition
- PV Sindhu becomes the first
Indian to win Gold Medal at the Korea Open Superseries Competition.
- She defeated Japan's Nozomi
Okuhara in the women's singles final.
- She was second Indian female
shuttler to win Olympic medal after Saina Nehwal who had won a bronze
medal in 2012 London Olympics.
- It was overall her third super
series title of her career.
- She won 2016 China Super Series
Premier and India Super Series and Syed Modi Grand Prix.
