DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 18 OCT 2017

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 18 OCT 2017

(DAILY NEWS INDIA)

SHARED BY: WWW.DAILYGK.IN

1.      PM MODI INAUGURATES FIRST EVER ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF AYURVEDA

i. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the All India Institute of Ayurveda in Delhi on the occasion of ‘National Ayurveda Day’. AIIA has been set up as an apex institute under the Ministry of AYUSH and  has been modelled along the lines of All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

ii. AIIA has been set up on 10.015 acres of land at a cost of Rs. 157 cr. The institute will serve as a platform to establish synergy between traditional wisdom of Ayurveda and modern diagnostic tools and technology.

iii. AIIA holds the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers accreditation.

2.      INDIA INTERNATIONAL CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL TO BE HELD IN SHILLONG

i. 2nd edition of India International Cherry Blossom Festival will be held in Shillong, Meghalaya. This festival is being organised by Meghalaya State Government in association with the Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development, Imphal, and the Indian Council of Cultural Relations.

ii. Cherry Blossom trees bloom for a very short period every year. During this time, the stretch over which the trees are planted bears a pinkish white shade due to the blooming of flowers.

iii. Tradition of celebrating Cherry Blossom festival started in Japan and currently 27 nations celebrate this festival, mostly during the March-June period, depending on the time when cherry blossom trees bloom in that particular country.

iv. In this year’s Cherry Blossom festival in Shillong, there will be several events including guided night walks under illuminated cherry blossoms, musical performances, a beauty pageant and stalls showcasing the local wine, arts and craft of the region.

3.      MINISTRY OF WCD LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN ON ‘WOMEN FOR WOMEN’: #IAMTHATWOMAN

i. In a bid to end gender bias in women against women, Union Ministry of Women and Child Development has started an online campaign #IamThatWoman.

ii. This campain aims to highlight various aspects of women standing ‘by’ and ‘for’ women. Through this campaign, Ministry of WCD has urged people to come out of the notion of women harming other women.

iii. Minister for Women and Child Development, Maneka Gandhi has stated that, through this campaign, her ministry wants to draw attention towards enormous contributions made by women for women.

iv. Every woman who considers that some other has helped/contributed to her well being, is urged to share a post/photo using the hash tag #IamThat Woman.

4.      GOOGLE VIEWED AS MOST AUTHENTIC BRAND IN INDIA: “AUTHENTIC BRANDS STUDY 2017”

i. A new survey named “Authentic Brands Study” stated that, Indian consumers regard Google as the most authentic brand. In India, Google is considered as the most authentic brand, stated by “Authentic Brands Study 2017” survey conducted by Cohn & Wolfe. It is followed by Microsoft, Amazon.com, Maruti Suzuki and Apple.

ii. Globally, Amazon occupies the 1st place and Apple the 2nd, as the most authentic brands, according to the Cohn & Wolfe survey. According to the survey, 67 % of consumers in India report increased purchase interest in a brand they consider as authentic.

iii. Cohn & Wolfe’s Authentic Brands Study series examines the role of authenticity in business, the attributes associated with an authentic brand and the impact of authenticity on consumer etc.

5.      SWRAJ PAUL HONOURED LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO MANUFACTURING, EDUCATION

i. Swraj Lord Paul, a famous NRI industrialist and Chairman of “The Caparo Group” a leading UK-based manufacturer of steel products, has been honoured with the Life Time Achievement Award at the 2nd British Asian Achievers Awards which was organised by Jagatwani a Hindi weekly.

ii. Lord Paul’s daughter Anjli received the award as he was on a business trip to US. He is also a Philanthropist, Labour politician and the chancellor of the University of Westminster.

iii. He was honoured for his outstanding contributions in the fields of manufacturing industry, education and philanthropy. Paul was the first person from Indian origin to hold the post of Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords, from 2008 to 2010.

vi. In the field of education, Lord Paul was Chancellor of Thames valley University in 1998. He is the Chancellor of Wolverhampton University and is the longest serving University Chancellor in the UK. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 1983

6.      INDIAN-ORIGIN TEENAGER AKSHAY RUPARELIA BECOMES ONE OF UK’S YOUNGEST MILLIONAIRES

i. Indian-origin teenager Akshay Ruparelia has become one of UK’s youngest millionaires, after his online real estate agency business reached the value of 12 million pounds.

ii. Akshay Ruparelia, a 19 year old Indian-origin teenager had started online real estate agency, “doorsteps.co.uk” a year ago. This online real estate agency sells houses to buyers for just 99 pounds as service charge. This is very less compared to other real estate firms that charge 800 pounds to 1,000 pounds. Ruparelia juggled his school work with his real estate business.

iii. This week “doorsteps.co.uk” became the 18th biggest estate agency in the UK just 16 months after the website was launched. Ruparelia has already sold 100 million pounds worth of properties.

7.      VOLTAS APPOINTS PRADEEP BAKSHI AS MD, CEO

i. Voltas announced the elevation of Chief Operating Officer Pradeep Bakshi as the managing director and chief executive officer of the company. He is a consumer durables expert. He has been with Voltas for the most of his professional life for around 30 years.

ii. Under Bhakshi, Voltas has given foreign brands such as LG, Samsung and Whirlpool a tough competition in air conditioners. Bakshi suceeds  Sanjay Johri as the MD and CEO. This elevation would be effective from 2018.

iii. Also, Anil George who is currently executive director for finance and corporate affairs, would be elevated as the deputy managing director.

8.      INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ERADICATION OF POVERTY: OCTOBER 17

i. International Day for the Eradication of Poverty was observed all over the world. International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2017 marks the 25th anniversary of the declaration by the UN General Assembly to celebrate 17th October as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

ii. This day was chosen because on 17th October 1987, over a hundred thousand people gathered at the Trocadero in Paris, where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948, to honour the victims of extreme poverty, violence and hunger.

iii. Theme for International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2017 is: ‘Answering the Call of October 17 to end poverty: A path toward peaceful and inclusive societies’.

OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS BASED ON TODAY’S NEWS

Q1. WHICH STATE GOVERNMENT ORGANISED INDIA INTERNATIONAL CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL WHICH WILL BE HELD IN NOVEMBER 2017?

a)  Meghalaya

b)  Manipur

c)  Tripura

d)  Sikkim

Q2.  PM INNAUGRATED FIRST ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF AYURVEDA (AIIA) IN WHICH CITY ON THE OCCASION OF ‘NATIONAL AYURVEDA DAY’?

a)  Chennai

b)  Agartala

c)  Srinagar

d)  Delhi

Q3. ACCORDING TO “AUTHENTIC BRANDS STUDY 2017” WHICH BRAND IS VIEWED AS MOST AUTHENTIC BRAND IN INDIA?

a)  Apple

b)  Samsung

c)  Google

d)  Flipkart

Q4. NAME THE INDIAN-ORIGIN TEENAGER WHO HAS BECOME ONE OF UK’S YOUNGEST MILLIONAIRES, AFTER HIS ONLINE REAL ESTATE AGENCY BUSINESS REACHED THE VALUE OF 12 MILLION POUNDS?

a)  Binny Bansal

b)  Akshay Ruparelia

c)  Ankit Bhati

d)  Kunal Bahl

Q5. WHERE WAS THE THIRD EDITION OF THE INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE FESTIVAL 2017 MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES, AND VIJNANA BHARATI HELD?

a)  Chennai

b)  Mumbai

c)  Pune  

d)  Bangalore

ANSWERS: 

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