Current Affairs Daily Digest – August 24′ 2017

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  1. Rajiv Bansal appointed interim Air India CMD

Rajiv Bansal, the Additional Secretary and the Financial Advisor of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, has been appointed as the interim CMD of Air India. Rajiv Bansal, the Additional Secretary and the Financial Advisor of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, has been appointed as the interim CMD of Air India

  1. Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani named Railway Board Chairman

Ashwani Lohani, CMD of Air India, has been named the Chairman of the Railway Board following the resignation of A.K. Mital. Mr. Lohani, an Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineering (IRSME) cadre had served as DRM, Delhi Division; Director, National Rail Museum; and Chief Administrative Officer, Rail Alternate Fuel. He holds the Guinness Record for successfully running the ‘Fairy Queen Express’, the world’s oldest working steam locomotive.

  1. NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh kant to launch ‘Mentor India campaign’

NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant launch the Mentor India Campaign, a strategic nation building initiative to engage leaders who can nurture and guide studentsat more than 900Atal Tinkering Labs.

CEO NITI Aayog,Shri Amitabh Kantunveiled the online nationwide initiative in New Delhi. Mentor India is aimed at maximizing the impact of Atal Tinkering Labs, possibly the biggest disruption in formal education globally.

  1. Closure of loss-making bharat wagon approved

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the closure of loss-making Bharat Wagon and Engineering Company (BWEL), a Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Railways. The CCEA decision will stop the flow of financial support from public funds for carrying on the operations of BWEL Resulting in savings.

The Company was referred to BIFR (Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction) in December 2000 and was declared sick in the year 2002.

  1. 5% GST Applicable on selling of space for advertisement in print media

Union Government clarified that five percent Goods and Service Tax (GST) is applicable on selling of space for advertisement in print media if an agency buys space from the newspaper and sells the same to clients on its own account.

However, the GST rate will be 18 percent of the sale commission, if the agency works as an agent of the newspaper on a commission basis.

  1. Supreme Court rules right to privacy as fundamental right

The Supreme Court of India pronounced that individual privacy is a fundamental right protected by the Constitution.

A nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar ruled that the right to privacy is intrinsic to life and liberty, thus coming under Article 21, and comes to thevarious fundamental freedoms in PART III of the Indian Constitution.

With this now India has total seven fundamental rights. The Fundamental rights are Right to equality, Right to freedom, Right against exploitation, Right to freedom of religion, Cultural and Educational rights, and Right to constitutional remedies are the 6 fundamental rights of India.

  1. Karnataka ties up with Microsoft to develop India’s first farm price forecasting model

Karnataka Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with software giant Microsoft India to develop a unique price forecasting model. The proposed initiative is claimed to be the first-of-its-kind in the country.

The farm price forecasting model will use latest IT tools in a bid to help farmers, administrators, and other stakeholders to understand market behavior.

  1. Grid-connected rooftop solar projects launched: Odisha government

The potential to generate more than 5,000 MW of solarpower, the State Government has set a targetto tap 8 MW of the clean energy in the current financial year.

In a bid to popularise grid-connected rooftop solarpower plant, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched a web portal www.rtsodisha.gov.in, which will provide an opportunity to the stakeholders to interact with customers for timely delivery of services online.

The program is being implemented by Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency(OREDA).

  1. Cabinet renames Sampada scheme as PMSKY

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the renaming of the new Central Sector Scheme- SAMPADA (Scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters) as “Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY)”for the period of 2016-20 coterminous with the 14th Finance Commission cycle.

The new Central Sector Scheme- SAMPADA was approved in May 2017 with same allocation and period. The objective of PMKSY is to supplement agriculture, modernize processing and decrease Agri-Waste.

  1. Cabinet approves plans to merge some state-run banks

The government has decided to set up an Alternative Mechanism to oversee the proposals for consolidation of public sector banks (PSBs) with a view to creating fewer but stronger lenders.

The Alternative Mechanism will be decided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said after the Union Cabinet meeting. The Cabinet gave in-principle nod to the constitution of the mechanism which will clear proposals of banks for mergers and amalgamation.

  1. PM Modi, Priyanka feature in LinkedIn Power Profiles List of 2017

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and actress Priyanka Chopra have found a spot in the LinkedIn Power Profiles List of 2017.

Professional networking giant LinkedIn announced its fourth edition of Power Profiles, a list of the most viewed LinkedIn profiles of professionals in India. Other influencers are Kailash Satyarthi, Founder of Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, Global Chief People Officer and Priyanka, who are new entries in the list.

  1. Forbes’ highest paid actors: Shah Rukh Khan among world’s top 10

Forbes’ list of highest paid actors in the world is out now, and it’s a good news for Bollywood fans. While Mark Wahlberg has topped the list this year, three Indian actors find place in the top 10.  While Shah Rukh Khan is at number 8, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar follow at number 9 and 10 respectively.

According to Forbes, while SRK earned $38 million (Rs 243.50 cr), Salman made $37 million (Rs 237 cr) and Akshay took home $35.5 million (Rs 227.5 cr).

  1. India, Nepal ink 8 MoUs; Modi says committed to neighbour’s growth

India and Nepal have inked eight pacts, including on cooperation in countering drug trafficking. The pacts were signed after comprehensive talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba on strategic bilateral and regional issues.

  1. US sends first-ever shipment of its coal to Ukraine

T he US has sent the first-ever shipment of its coal to Ukraine under a deal between a US mining company and Ukrainian state-run thermal energy producer earlier this year. This shipment will boost both of our country’s economies by supporting jobs in the coal and transportation industries.

  1. Walmart and Google partner on voice-based shopping

Walmart and Google are announcing a new partnership that will enable voice shopping through Google Assistant, Google’s virtual assistant that lives on devices like its smart speaker, Google Home.

Specifically, consumers will now be able to take advantage of Walmart’s “Easy Reorder” feature through an integration with Google’s shopping service, Google Express.

This will allow consumers to shop from hundreds of thousands of Walmart products just by speaking, the companies explain.

  1. Wayne Rooney announces retirement from international football

England’s record goalscorer Wayne Rooney announced that he is retiring from international football with immediate effect after manager Gareth Southgate tried to recall him to the squad.

The 31-year-old — scorer of 53 goals in 119 appearances for his country, Rooney has looked rejuvenated and happy — scoring in both their Premier League matches so far — since he re-signed for the club that nurtured his talent as a teenager before he left for United.

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