10th JULY CURRENT AFFAIRS IN ENGLISH

1. ISCF and ISCI Program Launched

Sh. Hardeep S Puri, MoS(I/C), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has stated that Smart cities fellowship and internship program will provide the youth an opportunity to experience the aspects of Urban planning and governance.

• Announcing the launch of the Smart cities digital payment award, Sh. Puri said that it is intended to promote ‘Digital India’ and ease of living for India’s urban residents by promoting digital payments and encouraging Smart Cities to adopt innovative digital payments initiatives.
• Sh. Puri launched several new initiatives under AMRUT and the Smart Cities Mission.
• These include the India Smart Cities Fellowship (ISCF) Program, India Smart Cities Internship (ISCI) Program and The Smart Cities Digital Payments Awards 2018 and the ‘CITIIS’ challenge under the Smart Cities Mission and the Local Area Plan (LAP)/Town Planning Scheme (TPS) to be implemented in 25 cities on pilot basis under AMRUT.
• The India Smart Cities Fellowship Program is designed to provide valuable experience to the youth interested in smart cities specifically

2. PM, Korean President, inaugurate mobile manufacturing facility in Noida

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, and the President of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Moon Jae-in, today jointly inaugurated a large mobile manufacturing facility of Samsung India Electronics Pvt. Ltd, at Noida.

• Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister described the occasion as a special one, in the journey to make India a global manufacturing hub.
• He said the investment of about Rs. 5000 crore, would not only strengthen Samsung’s business links with India, but is also significant in the context of the relationship between India and Korea.

3. Government declares 6 educational ‘Institutions of Eminence

The Government has shortlisted Six Institutions of Eminence (IoEs)  including 3 from Public Sector and 3 from Private Sector.

• An Empowered Expert Committee (EEC) in its report recommended selection of 6 institutions (3 from public sector and 3 from private sector) as Institutions of Eminence.

The details of these Institutions are as under:

• Public Sector: (i) Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka; (ii) Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Maharashtra; and (iii) Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
• Private Sector: (i) Jio Institute (Reliance Foundation), Pune under Green Field Category; (ii) Birla Institute of Technology & Sciences, Pilani, Rajasthan; and (iii) Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka.

4. Indian Railways Introduces First Double Stack Dwarf Container Service

Under the guidance of Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Finance, Corporate Affairs, Railways and Coal, in order to capture the lost traffic through new delivery model for domestic cargo, Indian Railways has introduced Double Stack Dwarf Container Services.

• This freight train was flagged off on 7th July, 2018 from Western Railway’s Rajkot railway station on its maiden commercial run. 
• This train was booked from the Reliance Rail Siding at Kanalus to Rewari in the state of Haryana; it was loaded with 82 containers Polypropylene Granules.
• Due to this Double Stacked Dwarf Container service, Indian Railways has received increased revenue of Rs. 18.50 lakhs.

5. HM chairs the 67th Plenary Session of the North Eastern Council in Shillong

 

The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh has asked the North-Eastern states to expedite work on long pending projects of the North Eastern Council (NEC) and ensure maximum utilisation of funds.

• Addressing the 67th Plenary Session of the NEC in Shillong today, he said NEC and the eight North-Eastern States would have to ensure that all the ongoing projects were completed in a time bound manner.
• HM urged the states for effective implementation of the recently approved financial package of Rs 4,500 crore by the Centre and directed them to focus on specific areas and better convergence of the govt. sponsored schemes.

6. First ever ‘India Tourism Mart’ to be hosted in New Delhi

The Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism, Shri. K. J. Alphons announced that the Tourism Ministry in partnership with the  Federation of Associations in  Indian  Tourism and  Hospitality  (FAITH)  and with the support of State /UT Governments  will organize  the  ‘first ever’ India  Tourism  Mart (ITM)  from  16th  to  18th September, 2018  at  Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

• The objective  of  the event  is  to  create  an annual Global  Tourism  Mart  for  India  in line with  major  international  travel  marts  being  held  in  countries   across  the world.
• The Mart  will   provide  a  platform  for  all stakeholders  in the  tourism  and hospitality industries  to  interact  and   transact  business  opportunities. 

7. ADB accords approval for lining project of the Son canal in Shahabad – Bhojpur region

 

Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy Shri R.K Singh took a meeting with the officials from ADB and Finance Ministry to review the progress of  lining project of the Son canal in Shahabad – Bhojpur region of Bihar.

• During the meeting ADB representatives informed that ADB had accorded approval for this project.
• Shri RK Singh asked the ADB and Finance Ministry officials to fix a timeframe for the completion of the project.
• It was agreed during the meeting that Finance Ministry will give permission to appoint consultants by 17th July, 2018 and ADB consultants will start their work by the end of July.
• It may be noted that the estimated cost of this project is USD 503 million (Rs 3272.49 crore) out of which USD 352 million is being provided by ADB.

8. Actor Kavi Kumar Azad passes away at 46

Actor Kavi Kumar Azaad, known for playing the character of Dr Hansraaj Hathi on popular sitcom “Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma”, passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest.

• Azaad replaced actor Nirmal Soni as Dr Hathi, who played the role for a year since the show's inception, in 2009.

7th JULY CURRENT AFFAIRS IN ENGLISH

1. UNESCO to set up Gaming University in Andhra Pradesh

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) will be setting up a 'Design University for Gaming' in Visakhapatnam.

• UNESCO delegation entered into an agreement with Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board (APEDB) for the establishment of 'Gaming Digital Learning Hub'.
• The UNESCO delegation asked the Chief Minister for an allocation of 100 acres of land in Visakhapatnam.

2. Railways approves digital Aadhaar and Driving Licence from Digital Locker as proof of identity

The issue regarding accepting Aadhaar and Driving Licence as valid proof of identity when presented from digital locker account of the passenger has been examined by Ministry of Railways and it has been decided that while undertaking journey in a train, if a passenger shows the Aadhaar/Driving Licence from the ‘Issued Documents’ section by logging into his/her DigiLocker account, the same should be considered as valid proof of identity.

• It is, however, clarified that the documents uploaded by the user himself/herself (i.e. the documents in ‘Uploaded Documents’ section) will not be considered as a valid proof of identity.

3. First meeting of e-Commerce Task Force held

Commerce Secretary, Rita Teaotia, chaired the first meeting of the Task Force on e-commerce in New Delhi.

• The meeting deliberated upon the suggestions emerging from the sub-group meetings held during 20th – 22nd June, 2018.
• The suggestions were on wide ranging issues such as cross border data flows, taxation, trade facilitation and logistics, consumer confidence, IPR and future tech, FDI and competition issues.
• The sub-groups saw participation from various ministries and departments, high level representatives from the industry bodies, e-commerce companies, telecommunication and IT companies and independent experts.

4. Union Home Minister chairs MHA Consultative Committee meeting

The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh said that the Government was committed to strengthen and smoothen the twin processes of Immigration and Visa for the Indian citizens and foreigners.

• He was addressing the Parliamentary Consultative Committee meeting on Immigration Visa Foreigners’ Registration & Tracking (IVFRT) at Kochi in Kerala.
• On November 27, 2014 the Government launched e-Tourist Visa scheme in 44 countries. This e-Visa facility has now been extended to 165 countries.

5. Civil aviation research centre to come up in Hyderabad

A Rs 250-crore Civil Aviation Research Organisation (CARO) will come up within 18 months at Begumpet in Hyderabad.

• Laying the foundation stone for the CARO project to be implemented under the Airports Authority of India, Union Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said the focus of the centre will be on pursuing inter-disciplinary solutions to improve the civil aviation sector.
• The Minister said, “The country’s civil aviation sector is growing at a hectic pace of over 20 per cent and we expect this growth momentum to continue.

6. HDFC Bank most valuable bank in the emerging market outside China

HDFC Bank has gone past Russia's Sberbank to become the most valuable bank in the emerging market outside China.

• HDFC Bank’s current market capitalisation is $78.4 billion against Sberbank's $74.4 billion.
• There are four lenders from India that now rank among the world's 500 most valuable companies.
• HDFC Bank is followed by Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), Kotak Mahindra Bank and State Bank of India.

7. RIL becomes India's largest tax payer in private sector

Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani said that Reliance is India's largest payer of Goods and Services Tax (GST), Excise and Customs Duty, and Income Tax in the private sector.

• Speaking at the Reliance Industries' 41st Annual General Meeting, Mukesh Ambani highlighted that Jio's subscribers grew from 124 million at the end of last year to 210 million at the end of FY18.

8. BHEL to partner Ukraine's Zorya for overhaul of warship turbines

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) is setting up a joint venture (JV) in India with the Ukrainian manufacturer, Zorya Mashproekt, to overhaul turbines in India.

• The navy will soon have 34 warships driven by Zorya turbines, with four turbines per vessel, adding up to 136 in-service turbines.
• There will also be a stock of six-eight spare turbines. A turbine is overhauled after running 30,000 hours.

21th JUNE CURRENT AFFAIRS IN ENGLISH

1. World Music Day: 21 June

World Music Day is an annual music celebration that takes place on 21 June.

• On Music Day the citizens of a city or country are allowed and urged to play music outside in their neighborhoods or in public spaces and parks.
• The first all-day musical celebration was originated by the France.

2. International Day of Yoga: 21 June

International Day of Yoga, or commonly and unofficially referred to as Yoga Day, is celebrated annually on 21 June since its inception in 2015.

• An international day for yoga was declared unanimously by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
• Yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual practice originated in India.
• The theme for Yoga Day 2018 is "Yoga for Peace."

3. CEA Arvind Subramanian resigned

Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) Arvind Subramanian has submitted his resignation and expressed his desire to return to the United States due to family commitments, Union Minister Arun Jaitley announced.

• Mr. Subramanian started his term as CEA on October 16, 2014 for a term of three years.
• On the completion of three years, he was asked to continue for a year more, which would have taken his term to October 2018.

4. 19th all India Conference of Directors of Finger Prints Bureaux

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Hansraj Gangaram Ahir will inaugurate the 19th all India Conference of Directors of Finger Prints Bureaux in Hyderabad.

• During the two-day conference, participants will deliberate on latest Automatic Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS).
• In the conference issues related to administration, standard operating procedures for uniform functioning of bureaus would also be deliberated.

5. Shillong gets selected as the 100th Smart City

Shillong, the capital city of Meghalaya has been selected as 100th Smart City after evaluating the proposal submitted by it.

• Till now, 99 smart cities had been selected in four rounds of competition and with today’s announcement, selection of 100 cities has been completed under the Smart Cities Mission.
• Previously, 20 cities were selected in January 2016, 13 cities in May 2016, 27 cities in September 2016, 30 cities in June 2017 and 9 cities in January 2018. 
• With the selection of Shillong, the total proposed investment in the finally selected 100 cities under the Smart Cities Mission would be Rs.2,05,018 crores.

6. KVIC adopts Jagatpur village in Delhi for Swachhata Abhiyaan

The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has adopted Jagatpur village in Delhi for its Swachhata Abhiyaan.

• The sanitation drive by KVIC began with a plantation drive and ended with cleanliness drive along the bank of the Yamuna river.

7. RK Singh inaugurates solar plant at Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib

India is making rapid strides in the field of renewable energy and we will overshoot the target of 175 GW renewable energy by 2022.” said Shri R.K Singh, Minister of State(IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy.

• He was speaking as the Chief Guest at the inauguration of 1500 kWP capacity solar plant developed by Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) at the Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib.
• Lauding this noble initiative by DSGMC, Shri Singh said that this would inspire other institutions to go green and become environment conscious.
• He said that 20 cities in India are ranked among the most polluted in the world and there is an urgent need to reduce fossil fuel use so that we leave a better world for our children.
• The Minister reiterated the Government’s commitment to bring electricity to every household by 31st December, 2018.

8. PM’s Award for Outstanding Contribution for Promotion and Development of Yoga

 

Shri Vishwas Mandalik, Nasik and The Yoga Institute, Mumbai are the recipients of the Prime Minister's Award for outstanding contribution for promotion and development of Yoga for the year 2018.

• The selection was done from among 186 nominations received under different categories.
• On the occasion of the 2nd International Day of Yoga celebrations at Chandigarh on 21st June, 2016, the Hon’ble Prime Minister had announced the institution of awards for the promotion and development of Yoga.
• The award for 2017 was won by Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, Pune.

9. India Smart Cities Awards

Nine awards in three categories, i.e., Project Award, Innovative Idea Award and City Award have been announced under the India Smart Cities Awards, which was launched on June 25, 2017 by Hon’ble Housing and Urban Affairs Minister.

• The city award is being given to Surat for showing great momentum in implementation of projects especially in the categories of urban environment, transport and mobility and sustainable integrated development.
• The Innovative Idea award is being given to a project/idea particularly remarkable for its innovative, bottom-up and transformative approach towards achievement of sustainable integrated development. Joint winners in this category are Bhopal for their Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) and Ahmedabad for Safe and Secure Ahmedabad (SASA) Project.
• The Project awards are being given to most innovative and successful projects in seven categories that have been completed by April 1, 2018.

The Projects selected are

• PMC Care from Pune under ‘Governance’ category,
• Smart Place Making from Pune under ‘Built Environment’,
• Smart Class rooms from NDMC and Jabalpur, Smart Campus from Visakhapatnam, Lighthouse from Pune under ‘Social Aspects’ category,
• B Nest Incubation Centre from Bhopal and Conservation of Rajasthan School of Arts from Jaipur under ‘Culture and Economy’ category,
• Public Bike Sharing from Bhopal, Pune, Coimbatore and Waste to Energy Plant in Jabalpur under ‘Urban environment’ category,
• Integrated Transit Management System (TMS) from Ahmedabad and Surat under ‘Transport and Mobility’ category and
• Smart Water Management through SCADA from Ahmedabad under ‘Water and Sanitation’ category.

10. Vice President receives the Book ‘Vedvigyan Alok’

The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has received the book "Vedvigyan Alok" (Maharishi Aitareya Mahidas Praneet - Aitareya Brahmina ki Vaigyanik Vyakhya) authored by Acharya Agnivarat Naishthik.

• The book is divided into four broad volumes.
• The Book Vedvigyan Alok is the scriptural verse in Vedas' prose.

10th JUNE CURRENT AFFAIRS IN HINDI

1. जी 7 शिखर सम्मेलन 2018 कनाडा में आयोजित

44वां जी 7 शिखर सम्मेलन 8-9, 2018 कनाडा के क्यूबेक, ला मालबाई में आयोजित किया गया। यह 1981 से छठी बार था कि कनाडा ने बैठक की मेजबानी की है।

• संयुक्त राज्य अमेरिका के सदस्यों के संबंधों में उल्लेखनीय गिरावट के कारण शिखर सम्मेलन में काफी ध्यान दिया गया।
• इसके कारण, शिखर सम्मेलन को फ्रांस और मीडिया के कुछ सदस्यों द्वारा "जी 6 + 1" भी कहा गया।

स्मरणीय बिंदु

• इससे पहले इसे जी 8 के रूप में जाना जाता था, लेकिन मार्च 2014 में, जी 7 ने घोषणा की कि जी 8 के संदर्भ में रूस के साथ एक सार्थक चर्चा संभव नहीं है। तब से, जी 7 प्रक्रिया के तहत बैठकें जारी रही हैं।
• जी 7 कनाडा, फ्रांस, जर्मनी, इटली, जापान, यूनाइटेड किंगडम और संयुक्त राज्य अमेरिका का एक समूह है।

2. 2018 फोर्ब्स 'ग्लोबल 2000' सूची में 58 भारतीय कंपनियां

पिछले साल की तरह इस बार भी अठावन भारतीय कंपनियां 2018 फोर्ब्स ग्लोबल 2000 की दुनिया की सबसे बड़ी सार्वजनिक क्षेत्र की कंपनियों की सूची में शामिल हैं।

• मुकेश अंबानी के नेतृत्व वाली तेल व दूरसंचार समूह, रिलायंस इंडस्ट्रीज लिमिटेड (आरआईएल) 83वें स्थान पर हैं, जिसने सूची में सबसे मूल्यवान भारतीय कंपनी के रूप में अपना शीर्ष स्थान बरकरार रखा हैं।
• एचडीएफसी बैंक, देश का सबसे बड़ा फाइनेंसर, भारतीय कंपनियों के बीच दूसरा स्थान रहा, जो 202वीं रैंक पर रहा।
• कुल मिलाकर, इंडस्ट्रियल एंड कॉमर्शियल बैंक ऑफ चाइना लगातार छठे वर्ष के लिए पहले स्थान पर है।

3. बैंक तनावग्रस्त संपत्तियों को का हल करने के लिए समर्पित तंत्र स्थापित करेंगे

भारत सरकार ने खराब ऋण के बोझ को हल करने में मदद के लिए पंजाब नेशनल बैंक के गैर-कार्यकारी अध्यक्ष सुनील मेहता की अध्यक्षता में एक संपत्ति पुनर्निर्माण कंपनी की स्थापना पर विचार करने के लिए एक समिति की स्थापना की है।

• समिति के अन्य सदस्यों में स्टेट बैंक ऑफ इंडिया के चेयरमैन रजनीश कुमार और बैंक ऑफ बड़ौदा के प्रबंध निदेशक पीएस जयकुमार शामिल हैं।

4. बंधन बैंक ने एच आर खान को अध्यक्ष के रूप में नियुक्त किया

बंधन बैंक ने कहा कि इसके बोर्ड ने आरबीआई के पूर्व गवर्नर एच आर खान को गैर-कार्यकारी अध्यक्ष के रूप में नियुक्त किया है।

• बैंक की निदेशक मंडल ने बैठक में हरुन रसीद खान को बैंक के गैर-कार्यकारी, अंशकालिक अध्यक्ष नियुक्त किया।
  खान की नियुक्ति 5 जून, 2018 से तीन साल की अवधि के लिए होगी।

5. यूएन सुरक्षा परिषद ने दो साल के लिए पांच सदस्यों का चुनाव किया

संयुक्त राष्ट्र महासभा ने 1 जनवरी, 2019 से सुरक्षा परिषद में दो साल की अवधि के लिए जर्मनी, बेल्जियम, दक्षिण अफ्रीका, डोमिनिकन गणराज्य और इंडोनेशिया का चुनाव करने के लिए वोट किया।

• नीदरलैंड, स्वीडन, इथियोपिया, बोलीविया और कज़ाकिस्तान में इस वर्ष के अंत में पांच सीट छोड़ने वाले पांच सदस्य हैं।

6. कामिला शमसी की "होम फायर" ने फिक्शन के लिए 2018 महिला पुरस्कार जीता

प्रसिद्ध ब्रिटिश पाकिस्तानी लेखिका कामिला शमसी की पुस्तक "होम फायर" ने फिक्शन, 2018 के लिए महिला पुरस्कार जीता है।

• पुस्तक, जो पिछले साल के मैन बुकर पुरस्कार की दौड़ में भी थी, सोफोकल्स के "एंटीगोन" का समकालीन पुनर्मूल्यांकन है।

7. हालेप ने ग्रैंड स्लैम खिताब जीतने के लिए स्टीफेंस को हराया

रोमानियाई सिमोना हैलेप ने अमेरिका की स्लोएन स्टीफेंस को 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 से हराकर फ्रेंच ओपन जीता, जो उनका पहला ग्रैंड स्लैम खिताब है।

• वर्जीनिया रूजिसि के बाद ग्रैंड स्लैम एकल ट्रॉफी जीतने वाली हालेप दूसरी रोमानियाई महिला बन गईं।
• यह हालेप का चौथा प्रमुख फाइनल था और अतीत में तीनों बार हार गई थी, जिसमें दो रोलैंड गैरोस भी शामिल थे।

8. पूर्व केंद्रीय मंत्री और कांग्रेस नेता एलपी शाही का 98 वर्ष की आयु में निधन

ऑल इंडिया इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ मेडिकल साइंसेज (एम्स) में वरिष्ठ कांग्रेस नेता और पूर्व केंद्रीय मंत्री एल पी शाही का निधन हो गया है। वह 98 वर्ष के थे।

• वह 1984 में मुजफ्फरपुर से सांसद बने और बाद में शिक्षा और संस्कृति मंत्री के रूप में कार्य किया।

9. लीजेंडरी ब्राजीलियाई टेनिस खिलाड़ी मारिया ब्यूनो का निधन

टेनिस की ब्राजीलियाई "क्वीन" मारिया ब्यूनो, जिन्होंने तीन विंबलडन और चार यूएस चैंपियनशिप एकल खिताब जीते, 78 साल की उम्र में साओ पाउलो में उनकी मृत्यु हो गई, जहां अस्पताल में उनका इलाज किया जा रहा था।

• अपनी स्टाइलिशनेस और खेलने के उनके रोमांचकारी तरीके के लिए जानी जाने वाली मारिया विंबलडन एकल खिताब जीतने वाली पहली दक्षिण अमेरिकी महिला थीं।