DAILY CURRENT
AFFAIRS: 21 FEB 2018
(DAILY NEWS INDIA)
SHARED BY: WWW.DAILYGK.IN
1. WORLD CONGRESS ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND NASSCOM INDIA
LEADERSHIP FORUM HELD CONCURRENTLY
IN HYDERABAD
i. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the 22nd edition of the World Congress
on Information Technology in Hyderabad through a video conference. The WCIT is
held for the first time in India.
ii. The 26th edition of Nasscom India Leadership Forum was also held in
the same venue later on. Nasscom is the host of the WCIT. Telangana is the
state partner for both the events.
2. PM NARENDRA MODI INAUGURATES UP INVESTORS SUMMIT IN LUCKNOW
i. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the 2-Day long UP Investors Summit in
Lucknow. The mega event has been organised by the Uttar Pradesh government. It
is aimed at showcasing investment opportunities and potential across various
sectors in Uttar Pradesh.
ii. According to the UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, 900 MoUs have
already been finalised ahead of the Summit. Representatives from Mauritius,
Japan, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Finland, Thailand and Slovakia will
also participate in the event.
3. GOVERNMENT CLEARS PRIVATE COMMERCIAL MINING IN COAL
i. In a major reform in the coal sector since its nationalisation in
1973, the government has allowed private companies to mine the fossil fuel for
commercial use. This move ended the monopoly of state-owned Coal India Ltd.
ii. The decision was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
under the Chairmanship of PM Narendra Modi. Currently, the private sector is
allowed coal mining for captive use only.
4. MAHARASHTRA GOVERNMENT TO LAUNCH ASMITA YOJANA TO PROVIDE CHEAP
SANITARY PADS
i. Maharashtra government will roll out 'Asmita Yojana' on the
International Women’s Day (March 8, 2018) to provide cheap (subsidised)
sanitary pads to school girls and women.
ii. Under the scheme, schoolgirls studying in Zilla Parishad schools
will get sanitary napkin packet at Rs 5 while rural women can avail it at the
subsidised rate of Rs.24 and Rs.29.
5. HARYANA GOVERNMENT LAUNCHED 4 SUBSIDIZED FOOD CANTEENS UNDER
'ANTYODAYA AAHAAR YOJNA'
i. Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar launched 4 food canteens at Faridabad,
Gurugram, Hisar, and Yamunanagar via video-conferencing from Chandigarh.
ii. These have been set up under the ‘Antyodaya Aahaar Yojana’ to
provide healthy, nutritious and hygienic food at only Rs 10 per meal to all
poor and needy.
6. DELHI GOVERNMENT TO LAUNCH 'MISSION BUNIYAAD' TO FIX LEARNING
CRISIS IN DELHI SCHOOLS
i. The Delhi government announced the launch of "Mission
Buniyaad" for improving learning skills of children studying in state and
municipal-run schools. The announcement was made by Deputy CM Manish Sisodia.
ii. Under the programme which will run from April to June for Class 3 to
5 in Municipal Corporation of Delhi schools and for Class 6 to 8 in
government's schools, children will undergo a reading level assessment based on
which they will be enrolled in specialised "Mission Buniyaad"
classes.
7. CENTRE CONSTITUTES COMMITTEE TO STUDY BRAHMAPUTRA AND FLOOD
CONTROL MEASURES IN ASSAM
i. The Centre has constituted a committee headed by the Vice Chairman of
the NITI Aayog Mr Rajiv Kumar to study the Brahmaputra and flood control
measures in Assam and neighbouring states.
ii. According to the Assam Water Resource minister, Keshab Mahanta,
measures are being taken by the Water Resource department to repair the damaged
river embankment due to flood.
8. R.K. SINGH INAUGURATES ‘INTERNATIONAL R&D CONCLAVE’ IN NEW
DELHI
i. Union Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New & Renewable
Energy, R.K. Singh inaugurated the ‘International R&D Conclave’ in New
Delhi. It is a 2-day conference on Emerging Opportunities and Challenges of
R&D in Indian Power Sector.
ii. It has been organized by Central Electricity Authority. The
conference was stressed upon the need of a dedicated R&D department in CEA
to coordinate the research in the power sector.
9. KERALA MAKES VACCINATION COMPULSORY FOR SCHOOL ADMISSIONS
i. Kerala government has made vaccination compulsory for school
admissions from next academic year onwards. Parents will have to show details
of shots given to children at the time of enrolment in schools.
ii. The health minister of Kerala KK Shailaja has released the new
health policy draft. The move comes in the wake of stiff opposition from
certain communities against the vaccination drive.
10. NEWBORN MORTALITY RATE: INDIA 12TH WORST AMONG LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES
i. India has been ranked 12th-worst among 52 low-middle income countries
based on the number of children dying within the first month of their birth,
which is 25.4 per 1,000 live births.
ii. Pakistan is the worst with 45.6 newborn deaths per 1,000 live births,
according to the United Nations Children's Fund.
iii. Japan, with an NMR of 0.9 deaths per 1,000 live births, has been
ranked the world's safest country in which to be born followed by Iceland (1)
and Singapore (1.1).
11. GOVERNMENT
SETS UP THE “NITI FORUM FOR NORTHEAST”
i. The Union Government has issued order setting up the ‘Niti Forum for
North-East’. The forum will be co-chaired by the Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog Mr
Rajiv Kumar and Minister of State (I/C), Ministry of Development of
Northeastern Region, Dr Jitendra Singh.
ii. The NITI Forum for Northeast is tasked to identify various
constraints on the way of accelerated, inclusive and sustainable economic
growth in the North East Region of the country. The forum will have its
Secretariat in the Ministry of DoNER.
12. JAIPUR'S
GANDHINAGAR RAILWAY STATION BECOMES FULLY WOMEN OPERATED
STATION
i. The Gandhi Nagar railway station in Jaipur, Rajasthan became railway
station to be fully-managed by women. Gandhi Nagar is an important railway
station in Jaipur situated on the Jaipur-Delhi rail route. The station has the
footfall of more than 7,000 passengers every day.
ii. There are 40 women staff at the station beside women personnel of
the railway protection force have been deployed at the station.
13. NITI
AAYOG BUDGET ALLOCATION INCREASED BY MORE THAN 20%
i. According to the Minister of State (I/C) for Planning Shri Rao
Inderjit Singh, allocations for the Ministry of Planning, which is embodied by
the NITI Aayog, have increased by more than 20% over last year i.e. to Rs
339.65 cr in 2018-19 from Rs 279.79 cr in 2017-18.
14. UP
INVESTORS SUMMIT 2018: IMPORTANT HIGHLIGHTS OF DAY 1
i. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the 2-day ‘UP Investors Summit’ in
Lucknow. It is the first such event by the Yogi Adityanath government. The
summit is aimed at showcasing investment opportunities and potential across
various sectors in Uttar Pradesh.
ii. It was emphasised that Uttar Pradesh government should compete with
Maharashtra to become the 1st Indian state with a trillion-dollar economy.
Highlights of Day 1- 1. Uttar Pradesh has signed 1,045 pacts worth Rs 4.28
trillion on the 1st day of the UP investors’ summit.
2. PM Modi announced Rs20,000 cr defence corridor for Bundelkhand.
3. Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani promised investment of
another Rs10,000 cr through Jio in the next three years.
4. The Aditya Birla Group will invest Rs 25,000 cr in Uttar Pradesh over
the next 5 years.
5. Adani Group will invest Rs 35,000 cr in UP over the next five years
in various sectors.
15. COBRA
GOLD MILITARY EXERCISE HELD IN THAILAND
i. US Marines in Thailand for the Cobra Gold training exercise took part
in one of the wildest parts of the drills - drinking cobra blood. This was the
37th edition of the exercise.
ii. This year, seven countries are participating in Cobra Gold - the US,
Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. Part of the
drill involves jungle survival.
16. WORLD DAY
OF SOCIAL JUSTICE- 20 FEBRUARY
i. The World Day of Social Justice is observed globally on 20th
February.
ii. The theme for WDSJ 2018 is "Workers
on the Move: the Quest for Social Justice".
OBJECTIVE
QUESTIONS BASED ON TODAY’S NEWS
Q1. IN WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING CITY, PM NARENDRA MODI INAUGURATED
THE 22ND EDITION OF THE WORLD CONGRESS ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY THROUGH A VIDEO CONFERENCE?
a) Bengaluru
b) Mysore
c) New Delhi
d) Chennai
Q2. "MISSION BUNIYAAD" FOR IMPROVING LEARNING SKILLS
OF CHILDREN STUDYING MUNICIPAL-RUN SCHOOLS WILL BE LAUNCHED IN?
a) New Delhi
b) Goa
c) Lakshadweep
d) Uttarakhand
Q3. WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING PERSON HAS INAUGURATED THE 2-DAY LONG
UP INVESTORS SUMMIT IN LUCKNOW?
a) M Venkaiah Naidu
b) Ram Nath Kovind
c) Ram Naik
d) Narendra Modi
Q4. ACCORDING TO THE REPORT PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND, WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING COUNTRY IS THE WORST IN NEWBORN MORTALITY RATE AMONG
52 LOW-MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES?
a) Pakistan
b) Afghanistan
c) Somalia
d) South Sudan
Q5. WHAT IS THE THEME FOR WORLD DAY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE 2018?
a) Preventing conflict and
sustaining peace through decent work
b) Workers on the Move: the Quest
for Social Justice
c) Rights of Workers- To be
preserved
d) A Just Transition –
environmentally sustainable economies and societies
ANSWERS:
1 - C 2 - A 3
- D 4 - A 5 - B
