DAILY CURRENT
AFFAIRS: 10 AUG 2017
(DAILY NEWS INDIA)
1. GOVERNMENT TO EXPAND LOGISTICS DATA
BANK PROJECT TO SOUTH INDIA
i.
Government will soon expand operation of Logistics Data Bank project to India’s
southern region. So far, it had covered only the western logistics corridor.
ii.
Logistics Data Bank project was unveiled in July 2016 at the Jawaharlal Nehru
Port, Mumbai with an aim to bring efficiency in the current Logistics &
Supply Chain environment through use of information technology that would be
helpful for tracking and viewing the movement of containers across the port.
iii. The LDB
is being implemented through a Special Purpose Vehicle called Delhi Mumbai
Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Logistics Data Services Ltd. — that
is jointly (50:50) owned by the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Trust and
Japanese IT services major NEC Corporation.
2. DHAKA TO OPEN DIPLOMATIC STATION IN
CHENNAI
i.
Bangladesh will open a new diplomatic station in Chennai. It is likely to focus
on medical tourism and educational centres that drew thousands of Bangladesh
citizens to India every year.
ii. The main
focus will be to address the needs of Bangladeshi citizens who visit India for
medical and educational purposes. Medical treatment will include
super-specialty treatment of kidney, eye and neurological issues available in
southern India which draws Bangladeshi citizens to India in large numbers.
iii. The
country is going to open 17 new diplomatic missions across the world, including
the new one in Chennai. Bangladesh emerged as the largest overseas user of
India’s health services sector during 2015-16.
iv. Reports
suggest that out of the 4,60,000 foreign patients treated in Indian hospitals,
nearly 165,000 were from Bangladesh. During the April visit of PM Sheikh
Hasina, both sides also concluded an agreement to help family members of the
veterans of the 1971 war get medical treatment in Indian hospitals.
3. INDIA RATIFIES 2ND COMMITMENT
PERIOD OF KYOTO PROTOCOL
i. India has
ratified the 2nd commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol that commits countries
to contain the emission of greenhouse gases, reaffirming its stand on climate
action.
ii. India’s
Permanent Mission to the Unmentioned that India deposited its Instrument of
Acceptance of the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol under the UN Convention
on Climate Change. India has submitted instrument of acceptance of Doha
Amendment to Kyoto Protocol.
iii. India
has become the 80th country to accept the amendment relating to the 2nd
commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, the international emissions reduction
treaty.
4. INDIA RANKS 43RD IN GLOBAL
RETIREMENT INDEX
i. India
ranked 43rd position in 2017 Global Retirement Index. It is published by French
asset management company Natixis Global.
ii. The
index ranks total 43 countries on the basis of 4 factors: a)The material means
to live comfortably in retirement. b) Access to quality health services. c)
Access to quality financial services to help preserve savings value and
maximize income. d) Clean and safe environment.
iii. The top
three countries in 2017 GRI are Norway, Iceland and Switzerland. The 43
countries include members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and
Development, International Monetary Fund advanced economies and the BRIC
countries (Brazil, India, Russia and China).
iv. The
purpose of the index is to provide a global benchmark for retirees and future
retirees so that they can evaluate and compare the suitability of various
nations, and plan their retirement according to their expectations and needs
5. VIJAYA BANK OPENS SELF-EMPLOYMENT
TRAINING INSTITUTE IN INDORE
i. Vijaya
Bank has disbursed loan sanction letters to beneficiaries who were trained at
the Vijaya Bank Self Employment Training Institute in Bhenslay Village, Indore,
Madhya Pradesh.
ii. VIBSETI
trains youth for starting their own enterprises. Kishore Sansi, Managing Director and CEO,
Vijaya Bank, inaugurated the new premises recently.
iii. The
bank has sponsored 3 VIBSETIs at Mandya and Haveri in Karnataka and Indore in
Madhya Pradesh, where free residential training is provided to low-income
groups/rural youth.
iv. So far,
more than 50,000 candidates have been trained, 70% of whom have set up their
own micro enterprises.
6. AMAZON LAUNCHES VIRTUAL CUSTOMER
SERVICE IN INDIA
i. Amazon
has announced the launch of Virtual Customer Service model. It is an initiative
launched to create cost efficient employment prospects for skilled candidates
seeking more flexible work opportunities.
ii. VCS has
currently been launched in Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Pune and Noida. It is opening
up comfortable channels of employment to people and VCS is an opportunity for
those who are unable to come to office every day due to personal reasons but
are passionate about their work.
iii. This
initiative will help many people resume their career and find an earning with
the comfort of being at home. Amazon also aims to provide and enhance a
proficient support experience to customers.
iv. The
virtual customer service would help reduce customer’s effort, make it simpler
to detect and quickly resolve the problems. It also helps in their needs and
educating them on relevant products, programmes and services offered by Amazon.
7. GUJARAT FIRST STATE TO IMPLEMENT
COAL UTILISATION BETWEEN POWER UNITS
i. The
Gujarat government has issued a tender for power developers to receive cheap
coal. It is marked for the state in return for selling coal-based power at less
than Rs 2.82 a unit.
ii. Through
this auction, Gujarat will transfer the coal allocated to power generating
stations. It is owned by Gujarat State Electricity Corporation to more
fuel-efficient private power plants.
iii. The aim
is to reduce the cost of fuel for financially ailing distribution companies and
ensure effective distribution of domestic coal. Under the new policy, the coal
requirement of a state would be clubbed and assigned to the respective state or
state-nominated agencies.
iv. The
reverse auction would be held in September for procuring 1,000 megawatt of
power. The successful power plant would be selling electricity to the state
from 1st of October to 30th June 2018.
v. GSECL has
allocation from the Korba coalfield in Chhattisgarh and Korea Rewa coalfield in
Madhya Pradesh. The policy also allowed coal swaps from inefficient plants to
efficient ones, and from those situated away from coal mines to the pit-head,
to minimize cost of coal transportation.
8. JUSTICE DIPAK MISRA APPOINTED AS
45TH CHEIF JUSTICE OF INDIA
i. Union Government
appointed Justice Dipak Misra as the 45th Chief Justice of India. He will be
replacing incumbent Justice J S Khehar, who is set to retire on August 27.
ii. Justice
Misra will have tenure of about 14 months till October 2, 2018. It is to be
noted that Justice Misra will be the 3rd person from Odisha to be appointed the
Chief Justice of India, after Justices Ranganath Misra and G B Pattanaik.
9. KYNAN CHENAI WON BRONZE AT 7TH
ASIAN SHORTGUN CHAMPIONSHIP
i. Trap
shooter and Olympian Kynan Chenai won the bronze medal in the Men’s Trap, at
the ongoing 7th Asian Championship Shotgun, being held at Astana, Kazakhstan.
ii. Kynan
1st shot 116 out of 125 to qualify for the 6-man final round in third position
and then held on to it till the end of the finals.
iii.
Abdulrahman Al Faihan of Kuwait won Gold medal and Talal Al Rashidi also of
Kuwait won Silver Medal. Other Indian shooters, Zoravar Singh Sandhu ended in
17th place while Birendeep Sodhi finished 36th.
iv. In the
team section, India finished on 7th place. Kuwait won gold, Lebabnon won silver
while the UAE won bronze.
10. 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF QUIT INDIA
MOVEMENT
i. The
nation is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement. A number
of events are being planned at organisational and local levels to mark the
occasion.
ii. This
year’s theme is “Sankalp se Siddhi- the attainment through resolve”. PM Modi
termed the month of August as a month of revolution as the non-cooperation
movement was launched on 1st of August 1920, Quit-India movement on 9th August
1942 and on 15th August 1947 India became independent.
iii. The
National Archives of India is organizing a special exhibition in New Delhi to
mark the 75th year of Quit India Movement and Azad Hind Fauz.
iv. The two
big events of the Indian history will be displayed through thousands of
declassified files and documents. PM Narendra Modi has also taken oath to
create a “New India of our dreams” by 2022 by eliminating poverty, terrorism,
dirt, corruption, casteism, and communalism.
