Daily Current Affairs Update August-11 2017

1. Union Government and the State Government of Uttar Pradesh signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for opening 1000 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) Kendras in the State.

2. According to Asian Cities & Regions Outlook 2016 by Oxford Economics, Delhi will have the fastest growth among all Asian cities with the economy growing almost 50 percent larger in 2021 than it was at the end of last year.

3. Punjab National Bank (PNB) (Tagline: The Name you can bank upon HQ: New Delhi, MD&CEO: Sunil Mehta) has introduced a biometric attendance register in the place of the existing system of signing attendance in the attendance register.

4. The commerce ministry has started the process of shutting down over 100-year-old government procurement arm – Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D)- in this fiscal year.

5. World Bio-Fuel Day – August 10 2017
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas celebrated the World Biofuel Day 2017 on 10thof August 2017 to create awareness about non fossil-fuels such as biodiesel, ethanol, biogas, etc

6. The Lok Sabha passed a bill that approved merger of associate banks with the SBI with the government. The Lok Sabha passed the bill to repeal the SBI (Subsidiary Banks) Act 1959, State Bank of Hyderabad Act 1956 and to further amend the State Bank of India Act, 1955, following the merger of five associates with the parent SBI.

7. Acc. to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), it will pay Rs 30,659 crore dividend to the government for the year ended June 30, less than half of what it paid in 2016. The central bank had in the previous year paid Rs 65,876 crore dividend to the government.

8. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stated that India and the United States will co-host the Global Entrepreneurship Summit at Hyderabad from November 28, 2017. President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka will lead the American delegation.

9. Davinder Singh Kang has become the first Indian to qualify for the final round of the javelin throw World Championships while his compatriot Neeraj Chopra crashed out in the qualification round

10. BitBay launches cryptocurrency trading platform in India

11. Indian shooter Kynan Chenai won a bronze in men’s trap event, his first international medal at the senior level, at the 7th Asian Championship Shotgun at Astana, Kazakhstan.

12. The Law Ministry has approved a revised Cabinet proposal on the creation of the Financial Data Management Centre (FDMC) that would subsequently collect raw data directly.

13. Engineers from US have designed and tested a micropropulsion system that uses liquid water as the propellant for orbital maneuvering of tiny satellites called CubeSats.

14. China has demonstrated a world first by sending data over long distances using satellites which is potentially unhackable, laying the basis for next generation encryption based on so-called quantum cryptography.

15. Bangladesh will soon open a new diplomatic station in Chennai. The main focus of the new diplomatic station in Chennai will be to address the needs of Bangladeshi citizens who visit India for medical and educational purposes. We are opening 17 new diplomatic missions across the world, including the new one in Chennai.

16. IDFC Alternatives Ltd’s India Infrastructure Fund II has raised long-term project finance of Rs250 crore by selling non-convertible debentures to infrastructure debt funds and financial institutions

17. ASSOCHAM, which has instituted skilling India awards to recognize contributions by individuals and organizations in successfully integrating developmental initiatives, processes and operations to meet growing skilling needs of the country, has conferred the “Best Skilling Award” on National Centre for Excellence of RSETIs (NACER)

18. Recently, Yemen has seen the largest outbreak of Cholera disease ever recorded in any country in a single year

19. Recently, the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) government has finally agreed to allow Punjab to restart Shahpur Kandi dam project.

# The construction was taken up in 1999 but later halted in 2014 due to dispute between Punjab and J&K.

It is a gravity dam that is proposed to be constructed across Ravi River in Gurdaspur district in Punjab.

20. Real Madrid defeated Manchester United, the winners of the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League, to grab the 2017 UEFA Super Cup. 

21. The newly-established Constitutional Assembly of Venezuela announced itself superior to all other governmental institutions, including the opposition-controlled congress.

22. NASA's Curiosity Rover captures images of clouds on Mars.

23. Noted poet and writer Vijay Nambisan on 10 August 2017 passed away following a prolonged illness. He was 54.

24. The Supreme Court of India has issued a list of directions in an attempt to curb pollution that includes no renewal of vehicle insurance unless the owners produce pollution under control certificates

25. The Government of India has decided to launch a new sub-scheme named “Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana (AGEY)” as part of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).

26. E - Shakti is a pilot project of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).

# The objective of this project is digitisation of Self Help Groups (SHGs).

27. State-run Canara Bank launched two new digital services for online payments.

Bharat QR (Quick Response) is for payment settlement at merchant locations and Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) is an integrated bill payment system for net banking customers,”

28. According to Brazilian scientists’ research, the common Culex mosquito is able to transmit the harmful Zika virus.

29. Nidhi Razdan, a well-known television journalist, has made an attempt to bring to the fore our understanding of India, in the latest book titled Left, Right and Centre: The Idea of India.

30. The Hindu Playwright Award 2017 went to Gerish Khemani and Akshat Nigam for their play ‘In Search of Dariya Sagar’

31. Vinay Dube has joined as the CEO of Jet Airways after receipt of all requisite govt & regulatory approvals.

32. Tata Motors & Volkswagen group firm Skoda have decided not to pursue a proposed long-term partnership due to feasibility issues.

33. Cab-hailing firm Ola has raised over Rs231 crore from Tekne Private Ventures through issue of preference shares.

34.To improve road safety, govt of Telangana in association with WRI India Ross Centre & ISB launched Smart Streets Lab programme.