SBI Mutual Fund appoints Ashwani Bhatia as Chief Electoral officer
She takes over from Anuradha Rao after she returned to State Bank of India (SBI) as Deputy Managing Director. Prior to joining SBI Mutual Fund, Bhatia was in charge of revamping the credit structure and processes of the bank.
India ranks 19th in ‘Theft Rankings’ regarding Nuclear Materials Security
Nuclear Security Index (NSI) published a report on theft rankings of ‘weapon-usable’ nuclear materials, in which India holds a score of 46 out of 100. It is followed by Pakistan on the 20th position with 44 points. Australia and Switzerland are on the first position with a score of 94 each, followed by Canada with 89, Germany and Japan with 88 out of a total of 100. The report noted that except in North Korea, all the other countries had shown improvement in minimizing and eliminating the world’s deadliest materials.
India successfully carried out first ever mid-air refuelling of Tejas combat jet
A Russian-built IL-78 MKI tanker transferred fuel to a Tejas MK I aircraft. The Indian Air Force (IAF) currently operates nine Tejas fighters built to an Initial Operating Clearance (IOC) standard. These jets are being flown by No. 45 Squadron, the Flying Daggers, based at Sulur Air Force Station in Tamil Nadu.
Facebook to open its 1st ever Asian data centre in Singapore
Facebook will invest over $1 billion to build its first Asian data centre in Singapore, which is expected to open in 2022. The new site is at Tanjong Kling, located in the western part of Singapore, and in an area formerly known as Data Centre Park. Facebook runs 15 other data centres worldwide, mostly in the US and European markets such as Ireland and Sweden.
Delhi Metro is second-most unaffordable in world
A study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has found that after the fare hike last year, Delhi metro has become the second-most unaffodable transport network in the world after Hanoi in Vietnam. The affordability is defined as the percentage of commuters’ total income spent on travel. Last year, the Metro fares almost doubled after two hikes in May and October. The maximum fares escalated from Rs 30 to Rs 50 and then to Rs 60.
Piyush Goyal along with CM Yogi launched official website and app for Kumbh Mela 2019
This app will help pilgrims and tourists to attend the Kumbh which will be held on the banks of Sangam on 15th January 2019. The website is: www.kumbh.gov.in . It will provide details about location, trains, accessibility, weather, and accommodations.
First 2-day India Idea Summit held in Mumbai by USIBC
The theme of the conference is ‘US and India connecting our future’ . This is the first time that US India Business Council (USIBC) is holding its annual general body meeting in India. About USIBC: The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) was formed in 1975. USIBC currently has twelve Executive Committees, covering every major business sector, namely Aerospace & Defense Digital Economy/IT Energy, Environment & Enterprise Financial Services Food & Agriculture Infrastructure Legal/Professional Services Media & Entertainment Life Sciences Real Estate Retail Trade Tax
Cabinet doubles Jan Dhan accounts overdraft cap to Rs 10,000
The government has doubled the overdraft cap from ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), which provides a bank account to every individual. The age limit for availing overdraft has been increased from 60 to 65 years. About PMJDY: The Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana was launched by the Narendra Modi-led government in August 2014. It was the first big mission launched by the Modi government after it assumed office in May 2014. It first aimed to provide at least one bank account for every household, along with an overdraft facility of ₹5,000, a RuPay debit card and a personal accident insurance of ₹1 lakh.
Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore rewards Govindan Lakshamanan with Rs 10 lakh
India registered its best-ever medal haul in the history of the Asian Games. The Cash rewards of Rs 40 lakh were given to gold medallists while silver and bronze winners got Rs 20 and Rs 10 lakh each. India returned home with 69 medals from the Jakarta and Palembang games.
India, US agree to work together on India’s NSG membership
India’s bid for entry into the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is being opposed by China citing that New Delhi is not a signatory to the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Both India and US were committed to the full implementation of the civil nuclear energy partnership and collaboration between Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Westinghouse Electric Company for the establishment of six nuclear power plants in India. The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is an elite club of countries that deals with the trade in nuclear technology and fissile materials.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate India’s first ever Global Mobility Summit
The main focus of the two-day summit, being organized by the NITI Aayog, is to make Indian cities pollution free. The summit will deliberate on 5 themes electrification & alternative fuels, reinventing public transport, goods transport & logistics, and data analytics and mobility.
Continuation of Centrally Sponsored Umbrella Scheme of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats for 2017-20 approved by Cabinet
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the continuation of the Centrally Sponsored Umbrella Scheme of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (CSS-IDWH)beyond the 12th Plan period from 2017-18 to 2019-20. The Scheme consists of Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger (CSS-PT), Development of Wildlife Habitats (CSS-DWH) and Project Elephant (CSS-PE).
Google launches new search engine for scientists
Google launched a new search engine called ‘Dataset Search’, which works in multiple languages, to help scientists, data journalists and others find data required for their work. The new search engine will work like Google Scholar, the company’s popular search engine for academic studies and reports.
Union Government launches National Mission on Government e Marketplace (GeM)
National Mission on Government e Marketplace (GeM) will be launched on 5th September 2018 to accelerate the adoption and use of GeM by major central Ministries, State Governments and their agencies. The main aim of the National Mission is to promote inclusiveness, transparency and efficiency in public procurement and achieve cashless, contactless and paperless transaction.
Gujarati Author And Journalist Bhagwati Kumar Sharma Passes Away
The best novels include ‘Aarti ane Angara’ published in 1957, ‘Man Nahi Mane’ in 1962, ‘Rikta’ in 1968, ‘Vyaktamadhya’ in 1970, ‘Samaydvip’ in 1974 and ‘Urdhvamool’ in 1981. He received Ranjitram Suvarna Chandraka in 1984 and Sahitya Academy award in 1988 for his novel ‘Assoryalok’.
Home Minister inaugurated Defence & Homeland Security Expo And Conference
It is organized by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in association with Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in New Delhi. The expo is being organized for the first time to make leading policymakers and luminaries from diverse defence segments take part with a special focus on MSMEs in defence production and procurement.
