Current Affairs Daily Digest – July 20 2018

Latest Current Affairs – July 20 2018

Latest Current Affairs


1. India moving towards $5 trillion economy: PM in Lok Sabha

During his speech in the Lok Sabha on the no-confidence motion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India is moving towards becoming a $5 trillion economy. “Our Government has opened bank accounts for the poor….Women are leading a smoke-free life due to Ujjwala Yojana. Toilets have been constructed across India at a record pace,” the PM added.

2. RS passes bill on 7-yr jail term for bribing public servants

The Rajya Sabha passed the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013 which prescribes that anyone who is caught bribing government officials can be sentenced to a jail term of up to seven years. The bill also prescribes immunity for someone who declares, within a fortnight of bribing the official, that he/she was bullied into giving the bribe.

3. Fakhar Zaman becomes 1st Pakistani to slam double ton in ODI history

Opener Fakhar Zaman has become the first Pakistani and overall sixth batsman to smash a double hundred in men’s ODI cricket history, achieving the feat against Zimbabwe. Zaman reached the 200-run mark off 148 balls, becoming the fourth fastest batsman to reach the milestone. The left-handed batsman scored 210* off 156 balls in the innings.

4. Trump invites Russian President Putin to US

US President Donald Trump has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to Washington this autumn, the White House has said. Trump and Putin met earlier this week in Helsinki, Finland for their first bilateral talks. Trump had said that he looked forward to his second meeting with Putin to work on several issues, including Ukraine and the Middle East.

5. India and US to hold first ‘2+2 dialogue’ on September 6

The inaugural ‘Two-plus-Two Dialogue’ between India and the US will be held on September 6 in New Delhi. Last month, the US had postponed the much-awaited dialogue due to “unavoidable reasons”. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary James Mattis would travel to India for the dialogue.

The dialogue was announced last year during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House. After June last year, the two countries have tried to schedule the dialogue many times with several dates having been considered.

6. 4th BIMSTEC Summit to be held in Kathmandu on 30-31 August

4th BIMSTEC Summit will be held in Kathmandu from 30 to 31 August. Nepal’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali has said that connectivity and poverty alleviation will be top priority of the summit.

The Bay of Bengal Initiatives for Multi-Sectoral, Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional economic bloc comprising seven member states lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal constituting a contiguous regional unity.

The group was formed in 1997 and it brings together Bangladesh, Bhutan India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. Nepal is the current chair of BIMSTEC.

7. India fastest growing economy in Asia; on track to meet FY18 target: ADB

Led by India, South Asia will continue to be the fastest growing economic area despite new trade tensions in Asia and Pacific region, Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in a new report.

Growth in Asia and the Pacific’s developing economies for 2018 and 2019 will remain solid as it continues apace across the region, despite rising tensions between the US and its trading partners, said a supplement to the Asian Development Outlook (ADO).

8. Virat Kohli held No.1 spot in the ICC ODI player rankings

In the International Cricket Council (ICC) ODI player rankings for batsmen, India skipper Virat Kohli tops the chart by touching a career-high 911 points. England Test skipper Joe Root is at the No.2 spot, with 818 ratings points. Indian Bowler Jasprit Bumrah ranked No:1 in bowling with 775 points. Kuldeep Yadav broke into the top-10 of the bowlers’ chart at sixth.

9. Repco Micro Finance Ltd received NABARD 2018 award

Repco Micro Finance Ltd got his Award for its service to self-help group (SHG) linkage in Tamil Nadu for the fiscal year 2017-18. As of now, this company has disbursed loans amounting to ₹2,500 crore to over 10 lakh beneficiaries through 50,000 SHGs.

10. Udaipur ranked 3rd among World’s 15 Best Cities

The heritage city of Udaipur has been ranked third among a list of 15 best cities in the world by Travel + Leisure. The first two cities on the list are San Miguel de Allende and Oaxaca, both in Mexico. Rajasthan’s Udaipur city is also known as “City of Lakes” and the “Venice of the East”.

11. Karnataka Bank launched DigiLocker facility

Karnataka Bank launched DigiLocker facility for its customers as part of its digital initiative. The facility is being given by integrating bank’s MoneyClick internet banking channel. DigiLocker is a key initiative to store the digital documents, by National E-Governance Division under Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Salient features of the facility are:

♦The customer can login to the bank’s internet banking account and click on access DigiLocker where they will be redirected to DigiLocker page where one can access their account.

♦Customers can access their digital documents anytime, anywhere and share it online.

Digital Locker makes it easier to validate the authenticity of documents as they are issued directly by the registered issuer.

12. Lupin Limited gets USFDA approval for generic erectile dysfunction drug

Lupin Limited, a transnational pharmaceutical company has received a tentative approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), U.S. health regulator, for the marketing of its Tadalafil tablets which is indicated to treat erectile dysfunction and prostate gland enlargement.

Tadalafil tablets have strengths of 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg, in the U.S., Lupin said. The product is a generic version of Eli Lilly and the company’s Cialis tablets.

13. India and Ghana signed two Memorandum of Understanding

India and Ghana signed two agreements in an effort to enhance the bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar announced that two MOUs on Cultural Exchange Programme and on cooperation between Bureau of Indian Standards and Ghana Standards Authority.

About Ghana

♦ Captial: Accra

♦ Currency: Ghanaian cedi.

14. Chattisgarh launches Abhar Aapki Sewa Ka app for pensioners

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh announced a Chhattisgarh Online Pension Management System (OPMS). It is an E-payment to e-procurement to provide internet to every village has been done. It is under e-governance, fulfilling the dream of Digital India plan of India and Digital Chhattisgarh.

It has launched an app called “Abhar aapki sewa ka”. This application, 80,000 pensioners of the state will now get all the information related to pension and payment online.

15. Arman Ali takes charge of national disabled people’s organisation NCPEDP

The National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) announced the appointment of Arman Ali as its executive director. He would assume charge from October 1. Disability rights activist Javed Abidi, who was the director of the NCPEDP, passed away on March 4 after succumbing to chest infection. He was 53.

Ali is the executive director of Shishu Sarothi, the Centre for Rehabilitation and Training for Multiple Disability since 2009. Under his leadership Shishu Sarothi grew from a small 28 member team to 90 member team and made a major impact for the cause of disability.

16. Parliament passes State Banks (Repeal and Amendment) Bill, 2017

Parliament has approved the bill to merge six subsidiary banks with the State Bank of India (SBI) with the Rajya Sabha clearing the State Banks (Repeal and Amendment) Bill, 2017. The bill repeals the State Bank of India (Subsidiary Banks) Act, 1959, and State Bank of Hyderabad Act, 1956 besides amending the State Bank of India (SBI) Act, 1955. The State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Patiala and State Bank of Travancore were constituted under the State Bank of India (Subsidiary Banks) Act, 1959. The Union Cabinet granted its approval in February 2017, which allowed the SBI to acquire these subsidiaries.


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