Current Affairs Weekly Updates – JULY Week III

In Current Affairs 2017
July 24, 2017

[mks_col] [mks_one_third][mks_button size=”small” title=”Download Current Affairs PDFs” style=”squared” url=”https://www.daytodaygk.com/category/current-affairs/current-affairs-pdf/” target=”_blank” bg_color=”#dd3030″ txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=”” nofollow=”0″][/mks_one_third] [mks_one_third][mks_button size=”small” title=”Current Affairs Online Tests” style=”squared” url=”https://www.daytodaygk.com/category/online-test/” target=”_blank” bg_color=”#dd3030″ txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=”” nofollow=”0″][/mks_one_third] [mks_one_third][mks_button size=”small” title=”Current Affairs Quizzes Everyday” style=”squared” url=”https://www.daytodaygk.com/category/current-affairs-quiz/” target=”_blank” bg_color=”#dd3030″ txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=”” nofollow=”0″][/mks_one_third] [/mks_col]

AWARDS AND HONOURS

NAME OF THE AWARD	AWARD WINNER	KEY POINTS TO NOTE
WPC Excellence Award	Indian Oil Company	World Petroleum Congress in Istanbul
Most Admired Leaders	Divyanka Tripathi & Terence Lewis	In the field of entertainment by Herald Global
Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions in Lok Sabha	Veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani	For his contributions as a parliamentarian

APPOINTMENTS

NAME	DEPT/FIELD
Justice Gopal Prasad Parajuli	Chief Justice of Nepal
TR Zeliang	Nagaland CM
Gopal Baglay	Joint Secretary in Prime Minister’s Office
Ram Nath Kovind Ji	14^th President of India
Sanjay Kothari	Secretary to President
Shanmugh Natarajan	MD for Adobe Systems in India.
Brenda Hale	UK Supreme Court’s first female President
Ambika Soni (step down)	Congress’ General Secretary
Lord Davies	Chair Of The UK, India Business Council

INDIAN AFFAIRS

The spectacular Dal Lake here hosted first ever ‘Culture of Cruise’, a weekly cultural programme organised by the Jammu and Kashmir government aimed to bring artists from various fields on one stage.
As part of a Cabinet reshuffle during the ongoing monsoon session, Textile Minister Smriti Irani has been handed additional charge of Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), a miniratna Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the financial year 2017-18.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Secretary (Defence Production) Shri Ashok Kumar Gupta on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE) Rear Adm (Retd) VK Saxena.
‘Hamari Shala Kaisi Ho’ and ‘Shala Siddhi Karyakram’ are being implemented by the School Education department in Government schools in Madhya Pradesh.
The Maharashtra government approved a revised policy of the ‘Majhi Kanya Bhagyashree’ scheme, according to which families who have a yearly income of up to Rs 7.5 lakh will be benefited.
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has launched the mAadhaar app, a digital tool that allows holders of Aadhaar numbers to carry them in their smartphones.
The government cleared the second phase of BharatNet, its ambitious programme to bring broadband connectivity to all 2.5 lakh gram Panchayats in the country.
The Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) launched ‘Udyogaratham’, a digital technology-based employment van, in association with the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and TM.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has formally launched a pension scheme for senior citizens with an assured return rate of eight per cent, favouring efficiency with social security.
The Jharkhand government has set up a helpline for farmers that would become operational from 22.07.2017. The move comes in the wake of around half-a-dozen suicides by farmers in less than two months in the state.
A state government-backed football, grassroots development programme will be launched with an exhibition match between the north-eastern players and their rest of India counterparts at the floodlit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
The Centre and the Government of Haryana joined hands to revive the long lost River Saraswati and provide water to the drought-prone areas of India.
India’s National Trade Facilitation Action Plan (NTFAP), which aims to reduce cargo release time for exports and imports as part of measures intended to boost trade, has been described by the World Customs Organisation (WCO) as a ‘best practice’ that other nations can adopt.
The President of India has inaugurated the “Bicentenary celebration of the heroic Paika Rebellion of Odisha, a valiant uprising of Paikas against the British rule” organised by the Ministry of Culture.
India has presented its national review report on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to the UN, underscoring that as the fastest growing major economy it is “uniquely placed” to deliver on its commitments.
Union Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs & Sports Vijay Goel flagged off the 11th Slum Yuva Daud. Daud started from Vijay Chowk and ended at Major Dhyanchand National Stadium.
Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju inaugurated the Research Institution of World Ancient, Traditional, Culture & Heritage (RIWATCH) Museum at Roing in Arunachal Pradesh.
At a time when the country witnesses raging debate over intolerance, Kerala is getting ready to host a literary festival with tolerance as the core theme.
Uber has launched a nationwide campaign called “Decongest India”, starting with New Delhi, to curb congestion and pollution.

CABINET APPROVALS

Cabinet approves MOC in respect of tax matters between India and BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa
Cabinet approves Cadre Review of Indian Defence Accounts Service, IDAS
Cabinet apprised of MoU between India and
Cabinet approves IRDAI’s admission as a signatory to the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS), Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MMoU)
Cabinet approves Central Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2017
Cabinet approves Integrated Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2017
Cabinet approves revision of Indian Community Welfare Fund guidelines

BANKING AND FINANCE

The latest World Bank report about the economic health of the member countries clearly says that while India is among the fastest growing economies – big and small, China is not doing as well.
State Bank of India, the country’s largest commercial bank, has launched SBI Realty — a one-stop integrated website www.sbirealty.in for home buyers.
Loans under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) Scheme have been extended by banks, Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and Micro Finance Institutions.
State Bank of India (SBI) has informed that they have created a wholly owned subsidiary “SBI Infra Management Solutions Pvt. Ltd.” for providing real estate services to them.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has informed that they have set up an Enforcement Department (EFD). EFD would serve as a centralised department to speed up regulatory compliance.
State Bank of India (SBI), the Carlyle Group and GE have announced that they have signed definitive agreements, whereby SBI and Carlyle Group will acquire GE Capital’s entire stake in SBI Card, the second-largest credit card franchise in India.
Karnataka Bank, in association with its PNB MetLife, has launched Met Loan and Life Suraksha (MLLS), a single premium plan covering the loan liability of a customer.

FOREIGN RELATIONS

India has contributed an additional million dollars to a UN partnership fund launched to support sustainable development projects across the developing world.
India and Sri Lanka have signed an MoU to develop a village in Anuradhapura District at a cost of 30 crores Sri Lankan rupees.
A landmark civil nuclear cooperation deal between India and Japan that provides for collaboration between their industries in the field came into force, eight months after it was sealed.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

The Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping (CUNPK) is conducting jointly with the US, the second edition of United Nations Peacekeeping Course for African Partners (UNPCAP-02) in New Delhi from 17 July to 04 Aug 2017.
Singapore Airlines has been rated the world’s best airline in a survey by the Travel and Leisure magazine.
Britain’s first woman Sikh MP Preet Kaur Gill has been elected to an influential cross-party panel in the UK Parliament that examines the workings of the Home Office.
The Minister of State for Tolerance has topped a poll of the most powerful Arab women in government this year, according to Forbes Middle East.
Russia and Hungary will host two future editions of the world championships in short-course swimming.
Iran and Iraq signed an agreement to step up military cooperation and the fight against “terrorism and extremism”, Iranian media reported, an accord which is likely to raise concerns in Washington.
Apple has been named as the world’s most profitable company, reaping in nearly $45.7 billion in profit in the last financial year.

SPORTS

WINNER	TITLE	SPORT/ VENUE
Dameet Singh	IAFF World U-18 Championships (Sliver)	Held in Nairobi, Kenya
Harinder Pal Sandhu	Victorian Open squash title	Victorian Open squash, a PSA Tour event, in Melbourne.
Pretty (bronze) Tulika Maan (bronze) Pinky Balhara (Bronze)	Asian junior C’ship	Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Amit Saroha (Silver)	World Para Athletics C’ship	─
Indian Team (Gold and Bronze)	Global robotics Olympiad	Heald in Washington
Neel Joshi and Ananya Dabke	Dutch Open Junior Squash Championships	Heald in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Manudev	National Masters snooker title	─
Vishnu Vardhan and Toshihide Matsui	President’s Cup	Astana.

OBITUARY

NAME OF THE PERSON	FIELD
Martin Landau	Oscar Winning Actor
Barbara Weldens	French singer

IMPORTANT DAYS

DATE OBSERVED	DAY OBSERVED	Theme / Purpose
July 17	International Justice Day	An effort to recognize the emerging system of international criminal justice
July 18	International Nelson Mandela Day	The day Nelson Mandela was born
July 22	Pi Approximation Day Casual Pi Day	The day is dedicated to the mathematical constant pi (π)