Daily Current Affairs Update July-1 2017 to July-3 2017

1. Mumbai’s Vikrikar Bhavan renamed as GST Bhavan
Mumbai’s ‘Vikrikar Bhavan’ was renamed as ‘GST Bhavan’ on 2nd of July 2017 after the Goods and Services Tax regime was rolled out.

‘Vikrikar Bhavan’ is the headquarters of Maharashtra government’s erstwhile Sales Tax department.

2. Telangana to have separate Agriculture Budget from next year

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, has decided to present a separate agriculture budget for the state from next year.

3. Odisha CM Naveen inaugurates Computerisation of PACS and Rupay KCC

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has inaugurated computerisation of PACS (Primary Agricultural Cooperative Socities)and launched RuPay Kisan Credit cards in the state on 1st of July 2017.

Odisha is the first state to implement an integrated Core Banking Solution Project.

By converting the PACS as One Stop Shops the government is keen to address all requirements of the farmers.

4.Punjab National Bank (PNB-HQ: New Delhi) will block all the Maestro debit cards from 31st of July 2017 if the card holders will fail to replace it with a more secure EMV chip based card by the end of this month.

5. Karnataka Bank (HQ: Mangaluru Karnataka)has launched the ‘KBL-Image Debit Card’ on 2nd of July 2017.

Karnataka Bank has enabled its cardholders to personalise the card with the image of his/her choice. The customers will have the option of selecting an image either from  the bank’s gallery of images or any image of his/her choice to be printed on the debit card.

6.Writer Preeti Shenoy bags Indian of the Year award

On June 30, 2017, writer Preeti Shenoy was awarded Indian of the Year Award by Brands Academy in New Delhi. Brands Academy is one of the most reputed branding companies in India to recognise the achievements of personalities who have contributed towards building up the reputation of the country.

7.Mahesh Muralidhar Bhagwat, an IPS Officer from Telangana has been conferred with the 2017 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report Heroes Award by the US state department. Mr. Bhagwat, the current Rachakonda Police Commissioner is the third IPS officer to get the honour.

8. Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Jyoti will take charge as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India after current CEC Nasim Zaidi retires on July 6, 2017. Nasim Zaidi had taken over as the 20th CEC of India on April 19, 2015.

9.Hong Kong’s first female leader Carrie Lam sworn in as country marks 20 years since British handover
China’s President Xi Jinping has inaugurated the new Hong Kong administration led by Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, the first woman to lead the city.

10.NASA is developing the first-ever mission that will deflect a near-Earth asteroid. It help in testing the systems that will allow mankind to protect the planet from potential cosmic body impacts in the future.

According to the US space agency the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) is being designed and would be built and managed by the John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory – is moving from concept development to preliminary design phase.

11.Scientists have developed the world’s sharpest laser with record-breaking precision. It can help in making the optical atomic clocks more precise as well as test Einstein’s theory of relativity. 

Researchers, including those from the Physikalisch- Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Germany have now developed a laser with a linewidth of only 10 miliHertz (mHz) – closer to the ideal laser than ever before. 

12.Australia’s Jeff Horn stunned Pacquiuao to claim a unanimous 12-round decision and win the WBO world welterweight title in front of 50,000 fans at Lang Park on 2nd July 2017.

13.On June 30, 2017, M S Dhoni became the first Indian batsman to hit more than 200 sixes in One Day International (ODI) cricket.

14.World Sports Journalists Day is a global professional observance which is held on 2nd of July.

It was established by the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) in 1994.

15.Raghubar Das, the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, has recently inaugurated the India’s largest fresh water aquarium “Ranchi Machchli Ghar” at Bhagwan Birsa Munda Biodiversity Park in Ranchi .The aquarium is spread over in 36,000 sq feet area and it has 58 fish tank, where 120 species of 1500 fishes have been displayed.

About Jharkhand
♦ Capital: Ranchi
♦ CM: Raghubar Das
♦ Governor: Draupadi Murmu

16. Rail Land Development Authority has joined hands with National Building Construction Corporation(NBCC) for redevelopment of 10 railway stations across the country on global standards.

NBCC has now been given 10 stations in first phase for redevelopment and more stations would be given to them in subsequent phases.The stations are Tirupati, Sarai Rohilla (Delhi), Nellore, Puducherry, Madgaon, Lucknow, Gomtinagar, Kota, Thane (New), and Ernakulam. 

17.Mizoram celebrates  31st anniversary of the  Mizo Peace accord on 30th of June. Mizo peace accord is signed between the Union government and the Mizo National Front (MNF).

The Mizo Accord was signed on 30th June 1986 help in an era of peace after 20 years of violence and disturbance in the state

About Mizoram
♦ Capital: Aizwal
♦ CM: PU Lalthanhawla
♦  Governor: Lt General Nirbhay Sharma

18.Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime officially came into force from July 1, 2017. Government launched the Goods and Services Tax (GST) at a special midnight meeting in Central Hall of Parliament.

As per an order issued by Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), July 1 will be known as ‘GST Day’ and will be celebrated in all offices of CBEC just as Central Excise Day and International Customs Day.

19. As per Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Financial Stability Report 2017, released on June 30, 2017, reform initiatives like goods and services (GST) and continuing political stability will push the economic growth scale to 7.3% in terms of gross value added (GVA) in 2017-18.

20.India has contributed USD 500,000 to the UN Peacebuilding Fund, expressing hope that more funding by nations will boost efforts by the world body to build and sustain peace.

In October 2006, UN Secretary-General established a Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) for post-conflict peace building initiatives following a request from the General Assembly and the Security Council.

India has been a member of the Peacebuilding Commission since its inception in and has so far contributed USD 5 million to the Peacebuilding Fund. 

21. The government has lowered interest rate on small saving schemes like PPF, Kisan Vikas Patra and Sukanya Samriddhi by 0.1% for the July- September quarter.

Investments in the public provident fund (PPF) scheme will fetch lower annual rate of 7.8%.

Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) investments will yield 7.5% and mature in 115 months.

The one for girl child savings, Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme, will offer 8.3% annually, from 8.4% at present.

22.On June 30, 2017, Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan launched National Biopharmaceutical Mission. This programme has been named Innovate in India (i3).

It is a $250 million dollar initiative that includes a $125 million loan from the World Bank.

23. Former India defender Subrata Bhattacharya will get the ‘Mohun Bagan Ratna’ for this year. It was announced on 30th of June 2017.

Balwant Singh will also bag the best footballer of the year.

24.Senior lawyer in the Supreme Court of India and constitutional expert K.K. Venugopal has been appointed as a new 15th Attorney General.

25.The Uttar Pradesh government named Rajiv Kumar as the new Chief Secretary of the state on 29th of June 2017.

About UP
♦ Capital: Lucknow
♦ CM: Yogi Adityanath
♦ Governor: Ram Naik

26.Reliance Jio Infocomm has launched the Asia-Africa-Europe (AAE-1) submarine cable system 

It is the longest 100Gbps technology based submarine system, will stretch over 25,000 km from Marseille, France to Hong Kong, with 21 cable landings across Asia and Europe

27.Simone Veil an iconic European feminist politician, dies at 89. 

Simone Veil  was the French politician, women’s rights champion and Holocaust survivor.

28.Noted Odia actor Minaketan Das, well-known in Odisha’s film and television industry for his negative roles, passed away on June 30, 2017 after a prolonged illness.

29.Each year, first Saturday of July is observed as International Day of Cooperatives to increase awareness on cooperatives, as well as strengthen and extend partnerships between the international cooperative movement and other supporting organizations including governments.

2017 slogan of the International Day of Co-operatives is “Co-operatives ensure no one is left behind“

30.National Doctor’s Day is celebrated to commemorate the contributions of the gods on earth.India observes doctor’s day on 1st of July in honour of former West Bengal Chief Minister, Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, who was also a physician.

31. National Multi Commodity Exchange (NMCE), India’s first demutualised online national multi-commodities exchange will merge with Indian Commodity Exchange (ICEX). 

The merged entity will create India’s third biggest commodity exchange. The largest commodity exchange by volume is the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) followed by National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX)

32.India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed quick reaction surface-to-air short range missile (QR-SAM). The sophisticated missile was test fired from a truck-mounted canister launcher from launch complex-3 at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur.

The QR-SAM has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and other establishments. It has been designed to be a quick reaction missile. It is an all-weather weapon system capable of tracking and firing. The missile has a strike range of 25 to 30 km and can engage multiple targets.

33.The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the end of the most recent outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a viral hemorrhagic fever of humans and other primates caused by ebola viruses. It was first identified in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a village near the Ebola River, from which it takes its name

34.The Assam government is going to raise a new Special Rhino Protection Force (SRPF) for better protection of the one-horned rhinos in Assam.

35.Four-time FIFA World Cup winner Germany won maiden FIFA Confederation Cup Football title by defeating Copa America Champion Chile by 1-0 goals in the final match held at St Petersburg, Russia.

36.Two Indian-Americans, Adobe Chief Shantanu Narayen (54) and former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy (39) have been chosen for prestigious Great Immigrants: The Pride of America Award 2017.

37 Senior IPS officer R K Pachnanda took charge as the new Director General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). He will be the 29th Chief of the ITBP.

 With this appointment, Pachnanda became the only IPS officer who has served in all the major central paramilitary forces and agencies – CRPF, CISF, BSF, NDRF, SPG, CBI and now the ITBP.

38.The Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Textiles India 2017, India’s first ever mega textiles trade fair at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

39.The Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pension has launched a new training programme Comprehensive Online Modified Modules on Induction Training (COMMIT) for State Government officials.

40.Anti-hunger activist Ankit Kawatra has been awarded the Queen’s Young Leaders Award for 2017 by Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremony in the Buckingham Palace

41. The Hyderabad-based astrologer and numerologist TS Vineeth Bhatt has been conferred with the ‘Best astrologer of the world’ award at the Russian-Indian economic dialogue round-table meet held in Moscow.

42Godrej Group Chairman Adi Godrej and Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveries have been awarded the 2017 Global Leadership Awards of the US-India Business Council (USIBC) at the USIBC 42nd Anniversary Leadership Summit in Washington DC for their role in integrating India in the global supply chain.

43.The 41st session of UNESCO World Heritage Committee has started in Krakow, Poland from July 2 to 12, 2017.

44.Sabita Chowdhury (72), the well-known singer, has passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal on June 29,

45.Shivraj Singh Chouhan (the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh) and Rajeev Pratap Rudy (the Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship) has laid the foundation stone of the India’s biggest Global Skill Park in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on July 3, 2017.

46.India’s tallest Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower has installed at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi. The new 101.9m ATC tower has built at a cost of Rs 350 and is likely to start operations by December 2017.

47.Madhya Pradesh sets new record by planting 6 Cr saplings in 12 hours.

48.Google rolled out a new doodle commemorating the 140th anniversary of the world’s oldest tennis tournament, Wimbledon Championship on 3 July 2017.

49.Czech tennis player Karolina Pliskova on 1 July 2017 defeated Danish Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets to win the Eastbourne International Women’s Singles title.

50.Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic on 1 July 2017 defeated France's Gael Monfils to clinch the Eastbourne International Men’s Singles title

51.He on part of Union Government on 2 June 2017 busted certain common misconceptions/ myths about GST - Revenue Secretary Dr. Hasmukh Adhia

52. This country has passed the controversial law that mandates a fine of €50 million on social media websites like Facebook and Twitter if they fail to remove hate speech within 24 hours – Germany

53.This country’s president, who took office 17 years ago, is being depicted on the currency for the first time – Syria

54. Mobile application of Union health Ministry that won the prestigious GSMA Asia Mobile Award 2017 - eVIN

55.Building recognised as the world’s second highest ranking Green Building under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification - SIERRA ODC building

56.Over 90% Indian customers still prefer branch over online banking was claimed in - Oracle JD Power India 'Retail Banking Study’

57.On 27 June 2017, several organizations across the world, especially in the Europe, reported ransomware infecting their systems, modifying their master boot records and encrypting the files. Even in India, operations at one of three terminals at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Mumbai were disrupted by the global ransomware attack

The ransomware, which was identified as a new strain of the existing Petya, is spreading rapidly, affecting organizations, businesses, and end users

58.The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has announced exemption of fees for its transgender students of all programmes. Vice Chancellor Ravindra Kumar announced the initiative during the 22nd Prof G Ram Reddy Lecture.

59. FINO Payments Bank has commenced operations as a payments bank with effect from 30th June 2017 according to the Reserve Bank of India. FINO PayTech Ltd, Navi Mumbai, was one of the 11 applicants which were issued the in-principle approval for setting up a payments bank. 

60.The Serbian parliament voted in Ana Brnabic, an openly gay woman,  as the country's prime minister in a landmark move for the patriarchal conservative country and the entire Balkans region

61.The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released a photo book titled "President Pranab Mukherjee - A Statesman", at an event in Rashtrapati Bhawan. He presented the first copy of the book to the President. 

62.Rajkiran Rai G has been assumed charge as Managing Director & CEO of Union Bank of India. Prior to his elevation as MD & CEO of Union Bank of India,

Melwyn Rego has been assumed charge as Managing Director & CEO of Syndicate Bank

63.US President Donald Trump has nominated Krishna R. Urs to be the ambassador to Peru,

• Lima is the capital of Peru.
• Pedro Pablo Kuczynski is present president of Peru.

64.Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd has entered into a technology collaboration agreement with Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd (KHI) of Japan for manufacturing of stainless steel coaches and bogies for metros. The agreement covers establishing design, engineering and manufacturing facilities at BHEL using Japanese technology. It will also entitle BHEL for all technological advances and upgrades. Mr Atul Sobti is Chairman and Managing Director of BHEL

65.Election Commission (EC) has launched the nation wide month long special drive from 01st July 2017 for maximisation of registration of eligible electors with the focus on left out eligible young citizens in the age group of 18-19. During the drive, the EC will remove names of registered dead electors, if any, from electoral rolls