Latest Current Affairs – June 12 2018
1. Govt forms panel to look into jobs data calculation
The government has set up a committee headed by former Chief Statistician of India TCA Anant to bring in transparency in the jobs data calculation. The panel will look into the limitations of the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) and submit its report. The government said the survey effectively captures the employment size of only about 5% of the total workforce.
2. Trump, Kim sign agreement to completely denuclearise N Korea
US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have signed an agreement to completely denuclearise the east Asian nation in exchange for security guarantees from the US. “We are both very honoured to sign the document,” Trump said. The two leaders began the Singapore summit with a 40-minute one-on-one talk followed by bilateral discussions with their top aides.
Donald Trump became the first sitting US President to meet a North Korean leader after he shook hands with Kim Jong-un at the Capella Hotel on Singapore’s Sentosa island.
3. Railways launches ‘Menu on Rails’ app to check food rates
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal launched ‘Menu on Rails’ application for passengers that displays various food items served on different trains and stations and their rates. The menu has been divided into beverages, breakfast, meals, and à la carte categories and also caters to diabetic patients. The app will also display pre-booked meals for some trains.
4. Virat Kohli receives Polly Umrigar Trophy at annual BCCI awards
India captain Virat Kohli received the Polly Umrigar Award for being the best international cricketer for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons at the annual BCCI awards. Kohli had a brilliant 2016-17 season as he went on to score 1332 runs in 13 games with an average of 74.
Smriti Mandhana was named the international cricketer of the year 2017-18 in the women’s category while Harmanpreet Kaur received the player of the year for her phenomenal performances in the 2016-17 season.
5. Govt approves 33-pc increase in carpet area of houses under PMAY-U
The government has approved a 33-per cent increase in carpet area of houses eligible for interest subsidy under its affordable housing scheme Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) to attract more beneficiaries, the Housing and Urban Affairs (HUA) Ministry said.
The carpet area of a house has been enhanced to 160 sq m from 120 sq m for Middle Income Group-I (MIG-I), while it has been increased to 200 sq m from 150 sq m in case of MIG-II.
Under MIG-I, 4 per cent interest subsidy is available on loan up to Rs 9 lakh for people with an annual income between Rs 6-12 lakh, while 3 per cent interest subsidy is given on loan up to Rs 12 lakh to people with income between Rs 12-18 lakh per annum.
6. Around 2 lakh 50,000 gram panchayats to be provided broadband connectivity by March next year
Communication Minister Manoj Sinha expressed hope that all the 2 lakh 50,000-gram panchayats will be provided broadband connectivity by March next year. The scheme will make a significant improvement in the lives of rural people.
The telecom sector has witnessed revolutionary changes over the last four years. be a six-fold old increase in government spending on telecommunications infrastructure and service in the country from 9,900 crore rupees between 2009-2014 to 60,000 crores between 2014 to 2019.
7. Ronda Rousey To Be The First Female Hall Of Famer In UFC
American fighter Ronda Rousey will become the first female MMA fighter to be inducted into the Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Fame, the UFC announced. There would be no women in UFC without Ronda Rousey. Rousey had a 12-2 win-loss record, winning 11 of them within the first round of the fight.
8. June 12 – World Day against Child Labour
The World Day against Child Labour was observed across the world on June 12, 2018, with an aim to raise awareness against child labor.
The theme of World Day against Child Labour 2018 was ‘Generation Safe & Healthy’.
There are 541 million young workers (15-24 years old) globally. They account for more than 15 percent of the world’s labor force and suffer up to a 40 percent higher rate of non-fatal occupational injuries. Over 73 million children are in hazardous work and almost half of the 152 million children aged 5 to 17 are still into child labor.
9. India and Norway sign MoU to extend health cooperation
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to extend the cooperation within the health sector.
The cooperation will be extended through the Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI) for a period of three years starting from 2018 to 2020.
This cooperation between India and Norway is aligned with the development goals of Indian Government as outlined in its National Health Policy 2017 for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
It will focus on global health issues of common interest. It will enable cooperation in the areas related to maternal, newborn, child health and shall build on experiences from NIPI phase I and II.
10. EPIC planet: Indian PRL scientists discover new planet
In an epic Indian discovery, a team from the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, has spotted for the first time a distant planet six times bigger than Earth and revolving around a Sun-like star about 600 light years away. Both the planet and the star have been named EPIC.
EPIC 211945201b (or K2-236b) is the name given to the planet by the discovery team led by PRL’s Abhijit Chakraborty. The host star is named EPIC 211945201 or K2-236.
11. Nepal-Bharat Maitri Irrigation Project: India gives cheque to Nepal
India has extended a financial aid of Rs 99 million to Nepal for the construction of 2,700 shallow tube well irrigation systems in 12 districts of the country’s southern Terai region to boost agricultural productivity.
The assistance has been extended as part of the final payment for the Nepal-Bharat Maitri Irrigation Project, which was launched in January last year to boost growth to the Himalayan nation’s agricultural sector through enhanced facilities.
The project aimed at installing 2,700 shallow tube wells in Saptari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara, Parsa, Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Rupendehi, Kapilvastu, Dang, Kailali and Kanchanpur districts.
12. India to host first BIMSTEC military exercise
India will host the first military exercise of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) group focussing on counter-terrorism in September. As part of this, a conclave of the Army chiefs of all seven member-states is being planned. The exercise is scheduled to be held in Pune in the second week of September.
BIMSTEC was set up in 1997 and includes India, Bangladesh, Bhutan Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
The theme includes counter-terrorism in semi-urban terrain and cordon and search, and each side will bring in some 30 soldiers.
13. IRCTC inks MoU with CSC for delivery of rail tickets
Union Minister Piyush Goyal proposed to open extended banking counters across all 2.9 lakh common service centres (CSCs) that are operated by village level entrepreneurs to provide government services in rural areas. Under CSC, around 5,000 villages will also have access to Wi-Fi choupals. The platform aims to connect 2.5 lakh gram panchayats through optic fibre network. Two memorandums of understanding (MoU) were signed between CSC and IRCTC for reservation of rail tickets.
The CSC Wi-Fi Choupal is a government initiative that focusses on developing rural Wi-Fi infrastructure and to host suitable applications to provide various ICT services at an affordable cost.
14. Haryana to develop Madhogarh Fort
Haryana Minister Ram Bilas Sharma has said the Madhogarh Fort in Mahendragarh would be developed on the pattern of the Mughal Gardens in Pinjore. Sharma added that with the completion of the Madhogarh-Mahendragarh-Narnaul-Rewari Heritage Circuit, the pace of development would be accelerated in southern Haryana.
This circuit would not only benefit Mahendragarh and Rewari districts, but also the neighbouring districts of Bhiwani and Gurugram, by creating direct and indirect job opportunities for the youth especially.
