DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 15 AUG 2017

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 15 AUG 2017
(DAILY NEWS INDIA)
SHARED BY: WWW.DAILYGK.IN

1. FIRST TRI-SERVICE “INDRA” EXERCISE TO BE CONDUCTED BY INDIA AND RUSSIA IN OCT 2017
i. India and Russia will hold a major bilateral military exercise in October 2017 involving their armies, navies and the air forces for the 1st time to further ramp up defense ties. The exercise ‘Indra’, which will be held in Russia in October 2017, will primarily focus on achieving coordination between forces of the two countries in a tri- services integrated theater command scenario.
ii. Russia has been a long-standing defense partner of India and both the countries are now eyeing to further deepen the ties.
iii. During PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia in June 2017, both countries had decided to upgrade and intensify defence cooperation through joint manufacture, co-production and co-development of key military hardware and equipment.
iv. A vision document issued at the time of PM Modi’s visit to Russia stated that both the countries have decided to work towards a qualitatively higher level of military-to-military cooperation.


2. INDIA’S FIRST RAILWAYS DISASTER MANAGEMENT CENTRE IN BENGALURU
i. India’s 1st railways disaster management village is expected to come up near Bengaluru by December 2018, where situations like trains falling into rivers and coaches catching fire will be replicated and mock rescue operations will be carried out in real time.
ii. The Railways Ministry has earmarked the 3.32-sqkm village of Hejjala, with a population of 3,483 people for this purpose. This Disaster Management Institute and Safety Village will be set up at a cost of Rs 44.42 cr.
iii. The village, about 25 km from Bengaluru, will also have a virtual reality centre for analysis of railway accidents….Click here to view more details

3. IMMSAREX: INDIA, CHINA TO JOIN INDIAN OCEAN EXERCISE IN NOVEMBER
i. Despite growing tensions with China, the Indian Navy would join the Chinese Navy in the maiden International Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise to be chaired by Bangladesh at the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium in November 2017.
ii. International Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise will be held in Bay of Bengal. In addition, Bangladesh is also scheduling an “extraordinary conclave of Chiefs,” a meeting of chiefs of Navy before it hands over the Chair to Iran next year.

4. FETE DE PUDUCHERRY’ FESTIVAL CELEBRATED IN PUDUCHERRY
i. A 3-day annual cultural festival named ‘Fete de Puducherry’ organized by the Government of India begins in Puducherry.
ii. The festival is held in association with the South Zone Cultural Centre (Tamil Nadu) every year to bring to focus the multi-faceted cultural features of various states. Artists from 11 states and the union territory of Puducherry will take part in ‘Fete de Puducherry.
iii. The festival holding started since 1985 as part of celebrating Independence Day and also Liberation Day of Puducherry. The fete is celebrated annually on the occasion of liberation day and the Independence Day of Pondicherry and India respectively.

5. IIP OUTPUT CONTRACTS 0.1% IN JUNE 2017
i. India’s Factory output fell to a 4-year low and contracted by 0.1% in June 2017 with poor performance of manufacturing and mining sectors.
ii. Since June 2013 this is the lowest growth when the Index of Industrial Production contracted by 1%. In June 2016, it had grown 8%.
iii. Manufacturing sector shows negative growth of 0.4% in June from previous May 2017 as 1.2%. Mining output signs positive by 0.4% in June. Electricity generation showed slow as 2.1% from May 2017 growth recorded 8.28 %.
iv. Consumer durables output slow down by 2.1% in June 2017 from May 2017. Consumer non-durables production rose by 4.9%. Capital goods output is a barometer of investment. It reduced by 6.8% in June 2017.

6. SANTOSH SHARMA WAS APPOINTED AS CHAIRMAN AND MD OF HINDUSTAN COPPER LIMITED
i. Santosh Sharma was appointed as Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Copper Limited.He is at present Director (Operations) in the HCL.
ii. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment to the post for a period of five years, an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training.
iii. Emandi Sankara Rao has been appointed as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of IFCI Ltd. He is at present working as Director and Chief Executive Officer of IIFCL Asset Management Company Ltd.
iv. Rao has been appointed to the post for a period of three years. The ACC has also approved appointment of Debasis Jana as CMD of Andrew Yule and Co. Ltd, Kolkata. He is working as Director (Planning) in the same company.

7. PAKISTAN HOISTS ‘LARGEST’ NATIONAL FLAG TO MARK 70TH INDEPENDENCE DAY
i. Pakistan on 14th of August celebrated its Independence Day. Pakistan hoisted a 400-feet high national flag, the largest in its history at the Attari-Wagah border to mark its 70th Independence Day.
ii. Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa hoisted the flag at the border after midnight. The flag is said to be the highest in South Asia and the 8th highest in the world.


OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS BASED ON TODAY’S NEWS

Q1. WITH WHICH COUNTRY, INDIA WILL HOLD A MAJOR TRI-SERVICE MILITARY EXERCISE ‘INDRA’ IN OCTOBER 2017 INVOLVING ARMIES, NAVIES AND THE AIR FORCES?
a)  France
b)  UK
c)  Russia
d)  US
Q2. THE INDIAN NAVY WOULD JOIN THE CHINESE NAVY IN THE MAIDEN INTERNATIONAL MARITIME SEARCH AND RESCUE EXERCISE TO BE CHAIRED BY ______AT THE INDIAN OCEAN NAVAL SYMPOSIUM IN NOVEMBER 2017?
a)  Bangladesh
b)  Myanmar
c)  Sri Lanka
d)  Thailand
Q3. SANTOSH SHARMA HAS BEEN APPOINTED AS CHAIRMAN AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF WHICH PUBLIC SECTOR ENTERPRISE?
a)  Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited
b)  Steel Authority of India Ltd.
c)  Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited
d)  Hindustan Copper Limited
Q4. PAKISTAN HOISTED THE LARGEST FLAG IN ITS HISTORY IN WHICH CITY TO MARK THE COUNTRY’S 70TH INDEPENDENCE DAY?
a)  Karachi
b)  Lahore
c)  Peshawar
d)  Islamabad
Q5. INDIA’S 1ST RAILWAYS DISASTER MANAGEMENT VILLAGE IS EXPECTED TO COME UP BY DECEMBER 2018 NEAR?
a)  Bengaluru
b)  Bhopal
c)  Vizag
d)  Rajkot

ANSWERS

1 - C    2 - A    3 - D    4 - B    5 - A