Daily Gk 24th June 2017

Current affairs for IBPS RRB,RBI,DENA BANK,SSC CGL,UPSC,AFCAT

National

External Affairs Ministry Celebrates the Completion of 50 Years of the Passport Act 1967 as Passport Seva Divas

• The Ministry of External affairs celebrated the completion of 50 years of the Passport Act 1967 as the 5th Passport Seva Divas and a Conference of the Regional Passport Officers in New Delhi on 22nd and 23rd June 2017.
• It was on 24th June, 1967 that the Passport Act came into effect.
• The External Affairs Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Minister of State for Communications (Independent Charge) Shri Manoj Sinha as well as Ministers of State for External Affairs, Gen V K Singh and Shri M J Akbar addressed the officers and released a Special Commemorative Stamp on this special event.

Quality of life in 116 major cities to be assessed; City Liveability Index launched

·         In yet another major initiative, the Ministry of Urban Development launched the ‘City Liveability Index’ for measuring the quality of life in 116 major cities including smart cities, capital cities and cities with a population of above one million each.

·         The Index, a Common Minimum Reference Framework to enable the cities knows where they stand in terms of quality of life and the interventions required to improve the same was launched by the Minister of Urban Development Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu at a National Workshop on Urban Transformation.

·         The Ministry of Urban Development disbursed Rs.500 cr as incentive to 16 States that performed well in implementing urban reforms during 2016-17. Progress in respect of reforms like e-governance, Audit of accounts, Tax revision policies and extent of tax revenue collection, Energy and Water Audit, Establishing State Level Financial Intermediaries for resource mobilization, Credit Rating etc., was taken into account.

·         Andhra Pradesh topped the list scoring 96.06% marks. Others who received the incentive fund in order of merit were; Odisha (95.38%), Jharkhand (91.98%), Chattisgarh (91.37%), Madhya Pradesh (90.20%), Telangana (86.92%), Rajasthan (84.62%), Punjab (77.02%), Kerala (75.73%), Goa (75.38*), Mizoram (75.00%), Gujarat (73.80%), Chandigarh (72.73%), Uttar Pradesh (70.67%) and Maharashtra (70.52). Marks scored by these States was considered for deciding the quantum of incentive with high scorers getting more.

Central government announced another list of 30 cities for development as smart cities

• Central government announced another list of 30 cities for development as smart cities taking the total cities picked up so far to 90 under Smart City Mission launched on June 25, 2015.
• Announcing the new batch of smart cities at a National Workshop on Urban Transformation, Minister of Urban Development and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu said that 45 cities contested for 40 available smart city slots but only 30 were selected to ensure feasible and workable plans that match the aspirations of the citizens as directed by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi while launching the mission.
• Shri Naidu informed that the 30 cities announced proposed a total investment of Rs.57,393 cr under respective smart city plans. This includes Rs.46,879 cr for ensuring core infrastructure in the areas identified by citizens for area based development and Rs.10,514 cr for technology based solutions for improving governance , service delivery and utilization of infrastructure. With this the total investment approved under the smart city plans of 90 cities has gone up to Rs.1,91,155 cr.
• The Minister said that 20 cities will be contesting for the remaining 10 slots under smart city mission.

Cyber crimes against children can now be reported at the POCSO e-Box

·         Child victims of cyber crimes can now lodge their complaints at National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)’s POCSO e-box. Considering the growing menace of cyber crimes targeting children, NCPCR has now enhanced the scope of POCSO e-box to handle cyber bullying, cyber stalking, morphing of images and child pornography.

·         Child victims themselves or their friends, parents, relatives or guardians can report cyber crimes by pressing the e-box button available at the Commission’s website, www.ncpcr.gov.in They can also register their complaints on email id: pocsoebox-ncpcr@gov.in or mobile no.: 9868235077.

·         Child abuse is finding new forms and channels through mobile and digital technologies. In India about 134 million children have access to mobile phones and the number is growing very fast with even faster access to internet. While this provides opportunities for accessing useful material for learning purposes, lack of digital literacy and online safety measures expose children to hazards of cyber crime.

·         POCSO e-box is an easy and direct medium for reporting of child sexual abuse under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

·         Developed by NCPCR, POCSO e-box was launched by Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi last year.

International

Arab states demand Qatar closes Al Jazeera, cuts back ties to Iran

·         Four Arab states boycotting Qatar over alleged support for terrorism have sent Doha a list of 13 demands including closing Al Jazeera television and reducing ties to their regional adversary Iran, an official of one of the four countries said.

·         The demands aimed at ending the worst Gulf Arab crisis in years appear designed to quash a two decade-old foreign policy in which Qatar has punched well above its weight, striding the stage as a peace broker, often in conflicts in Muslim lands.

·         Doha's independent-minded approach, including a dovish line on Iran and support for Islamist groups, in particular the Muslim Brotherhood, has incensed some of its neighbours who see political Islamism as a threat to their dynastic rule.

·         The list, compiled by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain, which cut economic, diplomatic and travel ties to Doha on June 5, also demands the closing of a Turkish military base in Qatar, the official told Reuters.

28 killed in twin blasts in Pakistan

·         Bombs killed nearly 30 people in Pakistan, with a suicide car bomber killing at least 13 in the southwestern city of Quetta, and two blasts later killing at least 15 in the northwest town of Parachinar, officials said.

·         Seven police officers were killed in the first attack, in Quetta, which happened when police stopped the car to search it at a checkpoint.

·         Abdul Razzaq Cheema, director general of police in Balochistan province, of which Quetta is capital, told Reuters the bomber had detonated a car packed with explosives.

·         At least 13 bodies were taken to hospital, along with 19 wounded people, said Wasim Baig, a spokesman for the Civil Hospital in Quetta. Nine security officials were among the wounded, said Fareed Sumalan, a doctor at the hospital.

Panel to oversee progress in UN’s SDG

·         The Centre will soon set up a high-level committee headed by Chief Statistician of India to oversee the country's progress towards UN’s Sustainable Development Goals aimed at ending poverty, fighting inequalities and tackling climate change.

·         A dashboard is also being developed with technical support from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to “strengthen the mechanism” for monitoring progress on these global goals, India said in its Voluntary National Review Report submitted to the UN Forum on Sustainable Development.

·         Data collected by private agencies may be considered for monitoring the SDGs, particularly since a number of the goals are not directly linked to the Centre’s provision of public services.

·         The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has already developed a list of draft national indicators to measure progress of SDGs. These draft indicators have been put out in public domain. Based on the inputs received, national-level indicators will be finalised.

Economy

Tatas offer 51% in Mundra for Rs.1

·         After selling its Scunthorpe steel unit in U.K. for one pound last year, the Tata Group’s power unit, Tata Power, has now offered to sell a majority 51% stake in its debt-laden 4,000 megawatt (MW) Mundra Ultra Mega Power Project (UMPP) for just Rs.1.

·         Mundra UMPP, operated by Tata Power subsidiary Coastal Gujarat Power Limited (CGPL), has run up accumulated losses of Rs.6,457 crore against a paid-up equity of Rs.6,083 crore.

·         CGPL CEO Krishna Kumar Sharma has approached the Centre and the distribution companies of five States including the Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd. offering to part with 51% stake for just Rs.1, provided the discoms agree to buy all the power generated at higher rates.

·         The five States that have inked a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Tata Power’s Mundra plant include Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

·         CGPL with its 49% stake plans to operate the project as a contractor and provide all necessary support to the plant.

Premji to get Carnegie Medal for philanthropy

·         Wipro Chairman Azim Premji is among the recepients of this year’s Carnegie Medal, considered the most prestigious prize in philanthropy, for his efforts to reform India’s public school system.

·         Mr. Premji, 70, who founded the Azim Premji Foundation, is among the nine recipients recognised “for their outstanding and innovative leadership in philanthropy”.

·         The recipients of the medal include Mei Hing Chak, founder of the Heung Kong Charitable Foundation in China, Julian Robertson of the Robertson Foundation in the U.S. and American entrepreneur Jeff Skoll who founded the Skoll Foundation. H.F. Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest, Shelby White, James D. Wolfensohn and Kristine Tompkins are the other honorees.

·         The Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy was established in 2001 and is awarded every two years. The recepients will be honoured in a ceremony to be held in October.

Science & Technology

Five percent of world population recently used drugs

·         A new U.N. report says about five percent of the world’s population used drugs at least once in recent years and nearly 30 million people could be dependent on narcotics to the point of needing treatment.

·         The annual report by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime released also says the United States accounts for about 25% of drug-related deaths annually. It says death rates there continue to rise, reaching more than 52,000 in 2015.

·         The world’s population is estimated at over seven billion people.

·         The new report says that of the almost 12 million people worldwide injecting drugs, 1.6 million are living with HIV and 6.1 million with hepatitis C.

India’s fertility rate more than halves over 40 years

·         In seven years Indians will cross the 1.44 billion mark and the nation will go on to have a bigger population than China, according to a U.N. report.

·         The World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision report released on June 21, 2017 recorded two other dramatic facts: The fertility rate of Indians has more than halved over the last 40 years to 2.3 and Indians have added almost a decade to their life expectancy in the past 25 year which is now nearly 69 years.

·         “In roughly seven years, the population of India is expected to surpass that of China,” the report said, calling it a notable finding. “In 2024, both countries are expected to have roughly 1.44 billion,” which will be an increase from 1.34 billion people in India now and 1.41 in China, the report said. “Thereafter, India’s population is projected to continue growing for several decades to around 1.5 billion in 2030, and approaching 1.66 billion in 2050, while the population of China is expected to remain stable until the 2030s, after which it will begin a slow decline.”

·         The total fertility rate for India, measured as the number of children born to a woman, has fallen from 4.97 during 1975-80 to 2.3 for the current period of 2015-20. By 2025-30 it was expected to go down to 2.1 and slide to 1.86 during 2045-50 and 1.78 during 2095-2100, the report projected. A fertility rate of about 2.2 is generally considered the replacement level, the rate at which the population would hold steady, and when the rate dips below this number, the population would decline.

·         During 1990-1995 life expectancy for Indians was 59.2 years and during the current period of 2015-20, it has reached 68.9 years.

·         The current world population of 7.6 billion is projected to hit 8.6 billion by 2030, 9.8 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion at the turn of the century.

PSLV-C38 Successfully Launches 31 Satellites in a Single Flight

• ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C38 successfully launched the 712 kg Cartosat-2 Series Satellite along with 30 co-passenger satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota. This is the thirty ninth consecutively successful mission of PSLV.
• The total number of Indian satellites launched by PSLV now stands at 48.
• After separation, the two solar arrays of Cartosat-2 series satellite were deployed automatically and ISRO's Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) at Bangalore took over the control of the satellite. In the coming days, the satellite will be brought to its final operational configuration following which it will begin to provide various remote sensing services using its panchromatic (black and white) and multispectral (colour) cameras.

Sports

Srikanth beats Sai Praneeth to reach Australian Open semis

·         Kidambi Srikanth continued his fine run as he got the better of countryman Sai Praneeth in an all-Indian quarterfinal match at the Australian Open Super Series.

·         Srikanth made it to the semi-finals with a 25-23, 21-17 win in a match that lasted for 43 minutes. This was his third quarter-final in the last five tournaments that he has participated in.
Source Internet
Powered By SAHIL