12th JULY CURRENT AFFAIRS IN ENGLISH

1. Nepal to host BIMSTEC Summit on Aug 31

Nepal is set to hold a two-day Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit, starting from August 31, in Kathmandu.

• Nepal, the host nation and the current chair of the BIMSTEC, has made preparations to discuss over the trans-border crimes, terrorism, natural calamities, extremism, and illegal trade of arms, ammunition and drugs.

2. 6th meeting of BRICS Education Ministers at Cape Town

Union Minister of State for HRD, Dr Satya Pal Singh attended the 6th meeting of BRICS Education Ministers at Cape Town, South Africa.

• In this meeting of BRICS, India was allotted the key theme of ‘Digitization in Education’.
• He apprised to all present about the India’s initiatives like SWAYAM, SWAYAM PRABHA, National Digital Library, National Academic Depository, E-Yantra, Virtual Labs, Operation Digital Board, E- Pathshala, Diksha, and Geographic information System (GIS).

3. Ministry of Water Resources Launches “Jal Bachao, Video Banao, Puruskar Pao” Contest

In an attempt to engage with the people of India on the important issues of water conservation and water management, the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has launched a video contest titled “Jal Bachao, Video Banao, Puruskar Pao”.

• The Ministry has joined hands with MyGov portal of the Government of India to run the contest.
• The fortnightly contest which was launched through MyGov, will last till 4thNovember 2018.
• Three winners will be chosen every fortnight.

4. PM to inaugurate new ASI Headquarters in New Delhi

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, will inaugurate the new Headquarters building of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), at Tilak Marg in New Delhi on July 12, 2018.

• The new Headquarters building has been equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, including energy efficient lighting and rainwater harvesting.
• It shall include a Central Archaeological Library with a collection of about 1.5 lakh books and journals.

5. 5 – day Capacity Development programme for Media Officials from Bhutan

On a special request from Election Commission of Bhutan, India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) is organizing a 5 -day Capacity Development programme for Media Officials from Bhutan from July 9-13, 2018 at New Delhi.  

• The participants include media journalists and media officials from Election Management Body of Bhutan.
• The program is aimed to hold interactive discussionson media in elections.
• Hon’ble Chief Election Commissioner of India Shri O. P. Rawat inaugurated the programme.

6. Madhya Pradesh Leg of Startup India Yatra begins on July 16th, 2018

The Startup India Yatra van will travel to 10 cities of Madhya Pradesh, starting from the capital Bhopal, to spread awareness about Startup India and Madhya Pradesh Startup Policy.

• The vehicle, with experts on board, will provide an opportunity for entrepreneurial talents to pitch an idea and get incubated, scaling it from idea to enterprise.
• The van is expected to travel to nearly 25 colleges, and one-day boot camps will be conducted in all the destinations.
• TheYatra will begin on July 16th, 2018, covering 10 districts and 15 institutions over a span of 30 days.
• Startup India Yatraaims to scout grass root level entrepreneurs in the smaller towns of India, providing a platform for budding entrepreneurs to realize their Startup dream.

7. Plenary session of the 3rd Intergovernmental Group of Experts (IGE)

Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Ram Vilas Paswan led the Indian Delegation and delivered a speech at the opening/plenary session of the 3rd Intergovernmental Group of Experts (IGE) convened by the UNCTAD. 

• Shri Paswan highlighted the key achievements of the Government of India, especially in the area of Consumer Protection.
• The two day conference in Geneva on Consumer Issues concluded on 10th of July, 2018.

8. 16th Workshop On Greenhouse Gas Inventories in Asia

Inaugurating the 16th Workshop on Greenhouse Gas Inventories in Asia (WGIA16) in New Delhi, Dr. Harsh Vardhan stressed that while efforts of experts are necessary, there is also a need for an active involvement of people in the fight against climate change.

• He said that India is committed to achieve 175 GW of installed capacity of renewable energy generation by 2022.
• He also referred to the decision to leapfrog from Bharat Stage IV (Euro IV) to Bharat Stage VI (Euro VI) standards for vehicular emissions by 2020.  

9. India pips France to become world’s 6th largest economy

ndia has now become world’s sixth-largest economy, pushing past France, according to the updated World Bank figures for 2017.

• France has been pushed to seventh spot in the list, AFP reported.
• When compared with $2.582 trillion for France, India’s GDP stood at $2.597 trillion at 2017 end.
• The US remains the world’s largest economy followed by China, Japan, Germany and Britain.