DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 16 SEP 2017

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 16 SEP 2017
(DAILY NEWS INDIA)
SHARED BY: WWW.DAILYGK.IN

1.      KARNATAKA CABINET CLEARS ELECTRIC VEHICLE & ENERGY STORAGE POLICY
i. Karnataka Cabinet has cleared Karnataka Electric Vehicle & Energy Storage Policy 2017 with a clear plan to make Bengaluru the electric vehicle capital of India.
ii. The policy main aim is to reduce pollution. The policy was formulated by the Major and Medium Industries Department after consulting the stakeholders, including vehicle manufacturing industries.
iii. The key objective of the Policy is to maintain the lead share of Karnataka as a preferred destination for attracting investments in manufacture of Electric Vehicle and to attract investments of Rs 31,000 cr and create 55,000 jobs.
iv. Amendments will be made to building by-laws for providing mandatory charging infrastructure in all high-rise buildings.
v. A special purpose vehicle will be created to set up charging centres across the Bengaluru city. ‘Karnataka Electric Mobility Research & Innovation Centre’ will be set up to extend the necessary support.


2.      USTDA SIGNS MOU WITH AAI TO DEVELOP KOLKATA, LUCKNOW AIRPORTS
i. The US Trade and Development Agency has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Airports Authority of India.
ii. The MoU has been signed to support a 20-year master plan aimed at expansion of operational capacities of the Kolkata and Lucknow international airports.
iii. Airports Authority of India has selected Cincinnati-based Landrum & Brown company to conduct the master planning. It will help in incorporating sustainable and environment-friendly ways to accommodate the anticipated increase in demand at two of the fastest growing airports in AAI’s network.
iv. Under the US-India Aviation Cooperation Programme, USTDA has supported a number of similar activities aimed at helping the India’s growing aviation market. This project will advance India’s priorities of expanding capacity at two of the busiest airports in the country.
v. India’s civil aviation sector is expected to be the 3rd largest national market by 2020 and, potentially, the largest by 2030.

3.      INDIA’S FIRST ADVANCED HOMOEOPATHY VIROLOGY LAB IN KOLKATA
i. India’s 1st State of art virology laboratory at Dr Anjali Chatterjee Regional Research Institute for Homoeopathy in Kolkata was inaugurated by Shripad Yesso Naik, Union Minister of State for AYUSH.
ii. The laboratory, established at a cost of Rs. 8 cr is the only one in India for conducting basic and fundamental research in Homoeopathy for viral diseases like influenza, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, chikungunya and swine flu.
4.      GLOBAL HUMAN CAPITAL INDEX: INDIA AT 103, NORWAY TOPS
i. India has been placed at a low 103 rank, the lowest among BRICS economies, on the World Economic Forum's Global Human Capital Index. The list has been topped by Norway.
ii. The list takes into account "the knowledge and skills people possess that enable them to create value in the global economic system" to measure the 'human capital' rank of a country.  India is ranked lower than its BRICS peers, with Russian Federation placed as high as 16th place, followed by China at 34th, Brazil at 77th and South Africa at 87th place. The report measures total 130 countries.
iii. Top 5 countries in the list are- Norway, Finland, Switzerland, United States and Denmark.

5.      WORLD BANK ALLOCATES $8 BILLION FOR CHINA’S SILK ROAD PROJECT
i. World Bank President Mr.Jim Yong Kim announced that World Bank has allocated $8 billion for infrastructure projects under China’s Silk Road initiative, Beijing.
ii. Mr.Jim Yong Kim announced this fund allotment in a round table conference in Beijing. In 2013, Chinese President Mr.Xi Jinping formulated this Silk Road initiative.
iii. The purpose of Silk Road initiative is to create an economic corridor connecting China with Asia, Europe and the rest of the world.
iv. The Silk Road project has two components – Silk Road Economic Belt (land-based connectivity) and Maritime Silk Road (ocean based connectivity).

6.      INDIA’S GDP GROWTH FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018 IS LIKELY AT 7.1%: NOMURA
i. A report by Japanese financial services company Nomura said that India’s GDP growth is expected to be around 7.1 % this fiscal year (2017 – 2018) and that would be followed by a pickup in industrial production.
ii. This has been predicted since firms would start restocking after Goods & Services Tax and festive season is also ahead. Before GST the demand for consumer products reduced heavily since people postponed purchases.
iii. Also, remonetisation would have a positive impact on the country’s industrial growth. It has also said that inflation would be higher owing to GST effect prices like food items, other consumer products etc.

7.      MAHENDRA PRATAP MALL APPOINTED AS CMD OF IRCTC
i. Mahendra  Pratap Mall has appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited.
ii. He is currently Director (Finance) in the same organisation. He will serve for a period of 5 years an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training.
8.      NAGARAJA SHARMA APPOINTED NEW CMD OF UNITED INDIA INSURANCE
i. The Union Government has appointed M Nagaraja Sharma as the Chairman and Managing director of United India Insurance.
ii. Sharma is currently the director and general manager of UII. The post of chairman and MD was vacant after the retirement of Milind Kharat a few months ago.

9.      GOA TO HOST 36TH NATIONAL GAMES
i. Goa’s Sports Minister Mr.Manohar Ajgaonkar said that Goa would host the 36th National Games, in Goa.
ii. The Indian Olympic Association has given the official rights to Goa to host the 36th National Games.
iii. The event would be held in November, 2017. Mr. Manohar Ajgaonkar said that improvement in infrastructure and other facilities would be done to provide a great experience in the National Games.
iv. Budget to setup infrastructure for the National Games has been estimated as Rs.400 cr by Goa Chief Minister Mr.Manohar Parrrikar. it might be further reduced to Rs.350 cr.

OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS BASED ON TODAY’S NEWS

Q1. WHICH ORGANIZATION HAS SIGNED MOU WITH AIRPORTS AUTHORITY OF INDIA TO DEVELOP KOLKATA, LUCKNOW AIRPORTS?
a)  U.S. Trade and Development Agency
b)  Afghan Trade and Development Agency
c)  Denmark Trade and Development Agency
d)  Japan Trade and Development Agency
Q2. WHICH COUNTRY RETAINS TOP IN 2017 GLOBAL FINANCIAL CENTRES INDEX?
a)  Norway
b)  London
c)  France
d)  Kenya
Q3. ACCORDING TO DBS INDIA’S GDP GROWTH LIKELY TO SLIP BELOW HOW MUCH % THIS FISCAL YEAR?
a)  8%
b)  7.5%
c)  7%
d)  7.2%
Q4. WHO HAS BEEN APPOINTED AS NEW CMD OF UNITED INDIA INSURANCE?
a)  Sunil Mehta
b)  Ankur Mittal
c)  Aaditya Puri
d)  Nagaraja Sharma

ANSWERS:            
1 - A    2 - B    3 - C    4 - D