DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 24 JAN 2018

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 24 JAN 2018

(DAILY NEWS INDIA)

SHARED BY: WWW.DAILYGK.IN

1.      INDIA TO HOST 16TH INTERNATIONAL ENERGY FORUM MEET

i. The 16th International Energy Forum Ministerial meeting will be held in New Delhi in April 2018.

ii. According to the Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan, the meeting will be hosted by Government of India in New Delhi and co-hosted by the Government of China and South Korea.

2.      RAPID REPORTING SYSTEM FOR SAG LAUNCHED ON NATIONAL GIRL CHILD DAY

i. Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Mr Rakesh Srivastava launched the Phase -1 i.e. the beneficiary module of the Rapid Reporting System for the Scheme for Adolescent Girls on the occasion of National Girl Child Day (24th January).

ii. It is a web-based online monitoring for the Scheme for Adolescent Girls in New Delhi. The URL for the portal is 'sag-rrs.nic.in.' Presently, MWCD is implementing the Scheme for Adolescent Girls in selected 508 districts across the country.

3.      GOI, UTTARAKHAND, AND WORLD BANK SIGN $120 MILLION LOAN AGREEMENT FOR WATER SUPPLY IN UTTARAKHAND

i. The Government of India, the Government of Uttarakhand and the World Bank Board signed a $120 million Loan Agreement which will help increase access to improved water supply services in peri-urban areas in the State of Uttarakhand.

ii. The $120 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and has a 5-year grace period.

4.      WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM SUMMIT IN SWITZERLAND CONCLUDES

i. PM Narendra Modi returned home after concluding his visit to Davos, Switzerland. During the visit, the Prime Minister delivered a keynote address at the plenary session of the 48th annual meeting of World Economic Forum.

ii. He became the 1st Indian prime minister in two decades to join the world’s top business leaders in the Swiss resort town of Davos.

iii. Mr Modi outlined climate change, terrorism and protectionism as three global threats. He also met his Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau. The Prime Minister also held a meeting with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands. At the end, Mr Modi interacted with top global CEOs at the International Business Council event.

5.      7TH ASIA STEEL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN BHUBANESWAR

i. The 7^th Asia Steel International Conference will be held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha in February 2018. The announcement was made by Tata Steel, in association with the Indian Institute of Metals.

ii. This major conference is held every three years and provides a platform for the exchange of knowledge on various aspects of the global steel industry.

6.      IOB, NHB TIE UP FOR RURAL HOUSING PUSH

i. Indian Overseas Bank has signed an MoU with National Housing Bank for the Rural Housing Interest Subsidy Scheme of the Ministry of Rural Development. The aim of the RHISS is to provide subsidy for housing loans taken by those living in rural areas for construction and modifications of their dwelling units.

ii. The interest subsidy under the scheme is 3% for a loan amount of Rs2 lakh for 20-year tenure.  Indian Overseas Bank has become one of the first public sector banks to implement the scheme.

7.      NIIF MAKES ITS 1ST INVESTMENT, PARTNERED WITH DP WORLD

i. The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund has made its First investment. NIIF has partnered with DP World to create an investment platform for ports, terminals, transportation and logistics businesses in India.

ii. The first close of the NIIF Master Fund took place in October 2017 with contributions from a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and four Domestic Institutional Investors, viz., HDFC Group, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Life and Axis Bank.

8.      RIL BECOMES INDIA’S 1ST FIRM TO CROSS RS6-LAKH CR MARKET CAPITALIZATION

i. Reliance Industries become the first Indian company to cross the Rs6-lakh cr mark in market capitalisation as its shares touched a 52-week high of Rs 974.5.

ii. RIL is owned 40% by its chairman Mukesh Ambani, making him the richest Indian with the personal wealth of $40.7 billion and the 20th richest globally, according to Bloomberg’s billionaire index.

9.      S SOMANATH TAKES CHARGE AS VIKRAM SARABHAI SPACE CENTRE'S DIRECTOR

i. ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre director S Somanath has taken charge as the new director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. It is ISRO's lead centre for launch vehicles.

ii. He has replaced K Sivan who has joined ISRO as Chairman.

10.  URSULA K. LE GUIN, BEST-SELLING SCIENCE FICTION AUTHOR PASSES AWAY

i. Ursula K. Le Guin, the award-winning science fiction and fantasy writer who explored feminist themes and was best known for her Earthsea books, has passed away at the age of 88.

ii. Le Guin won an honorary National Book Award in 2014. Le Guin’s first novel was Roncannon’s World in 1966. Her book, 'The Left Hand of Darkness' won the Hugo and Nebula awards top science fiction prizes.

11.  LIFTER RAKHI HALDER CREATES NEW NATIONAL RECORD

i. Lifter Rakhi Halder created a new national record in clean and jerk to a gold medal in the 63kg women’s category in the 33rd Women Senior National Weightlifting Championships, in Mangaluru, Karnataka.

ii. Rakhi lifted 128kgs in the clean and jerk for a total of 230kgs to create a new national record, bettering Karnam Malleswari’s feat (127kg) created in Athens in 1999.

12.  UTTAR PRADESH DIWAS- 24 JANUARY

i. Uttar Pradesh Diwas is observed on 24th of January. The Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu was the chief guest of the event (named Lucknow Utsav) organized in Lucknow.

ii. The objectives of the Uttar Pradesh Utsav is to present and promote the rich cultural heritage, literary, artistic and craftsmanship.

OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS BASED ON TODAY’S NEWS

Q1. INDIA AND WORLD BANK SIGNED USD 120 MILLION PACT FOR IMPROVED WATER SUPPLY IN WHICH STATE?

a)  Madhya Pradesh

b)  Delhi

c)  Rajasthan

d)  Uttarakhand

Q2. WHO HAS TAKEN CHARGE AS THE NEW DIRECTOR OF VIKRAM SARABHAI SPACE CENTRE?

a)  M.Y.S. Prasad

b)  S Somanath

c)  Y S Reddy

d)  K. Sivan

Q3. WHAT IS THE THEME OF THE 48TH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM-2018?

a)  Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World

b)  Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution

c)  Together create a United World

d)  Responsive and Responsible Leadership

Q4. WHO HAS CREATED A NATIONAL RECORD IN THE 63KG WOMEN’S CATEGORY AT THE 33RD WOMEN SENIOR NATIONAL WEIGHTLIFTING CHAMPIONSHIPS?

a)  S Thasana Chanu

b)  Amandeep Kaur

c)  Rakhi Halder

d)  Karnam Malleswari

Q5. THE 2018 NATIONAL GIRL CHILD DAY IS CELEBRATED ON WHICH DATE IN INDIA?

a)  January 25

b)  January 24

c)  January 22

d)  January 23

ANSWERS: 

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