Daily Current Affairs Update August-9 2017

1. The 15th meeting of the Foreign Ministers of BIMSTEC countries will be held in Kathmandu, Nepal from August 10-11, 2017. From India, the Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will represent India in the meeting.

2. Prabhat Kumar, the IFS officer of 1991 batch, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Kazakhstan.

3. The Chimmini Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) is located along the Western Ghats in Mukundapuram taluk of Thrissur District of Kerala

4. The Pampadum Shola National Park (PSNP) is the smallest national park located in the Idukki district of Kerala

5. The 8th edition of Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES)-2017 will be hosted by India and is scheduled to be held on November 28, 2017

6. Narendra Singh Tomar, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, has recently launched a Swachh Survekshan (Gramin)-2017 in New Delhi

7. The FIBA Asia Cup, which is known as the Asia’s biggest basketball tournament, has started in Beirut, Lebanon from August 8-20, 2017.

8. India has ratified the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol (or Doha Amendment) that commits countries to contain the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs). In this regard, India deposited its Instrument of Acceptance of the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol.

9.India was ranked last at 43rd position in 2017 Global Retirement Index (GRI) published by French asset management company Natixis Global. 
#Top three countries in 2017 GRI are Norway, Switzerland and Iceland

10. The Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has released Swachh Survekshan Gramin 2017, third party survey report to assess the progress Swachh Bharat Mission in rural India.

The survey covered 4626 villages across all States and Union territories.

11. The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Google India have launched Android Skill Development programme to improve mobile developer ecosystem in the country.

The NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog has announced partnership with three states each to radically transform their Health and Education sectors under its Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital (SATH) initiative

#The shortlisted states for transforming their health sector are Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Karnataka. Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Odisha were selected for transforming their education sector.

12. August 9,-75th anniversary of Quit India Movement

The 75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement was observed across the country. This year’s theme was “Sankalp se Siddhi- the attainment through resolve”.

13. Citizens of 80 countries including India can now enter Qatar without visa.

14. Former West Bengal Minister Gyan Singh Sohanpal dies. 

#Fondly called 'Chacha' by all, Sohanpal began his political life by joining the Congress during the 1942 Quit India movement.

15. Former Union minister and BJP MP from Ajmer Sanwar Lal Jat died on 9 August 2017 in New Delhi. He was 62

16. Indian-American Dilip Chauhan was appointed as the Deputy Comptroller for Minority Affairs of Nassau County, New York.

17. Nagasaki Day: 9th August

The atomic age began with the US dropping the first atomic bomb dubbed “Little Boy” on August 6, 1945, on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, after its July 16 pre-dawn birth in successful testing at Alamogordo, New Mexico

Three days later, on August 9, 1945, the second bomb—“Fat Man”—was dropped on Nagasaki,

18. The country's largest private sector lender, ICICI Bank, launched instant credit cards enabling its savings account customers to get a credit card instantly, in a completely digital and paperless manner.There is a credit limit of up to Rs 4 lakh based on pre-checked bureau scores.

19. Private sector lender IDFC Bank has partnered with digital payments company Zeta, to launch ‘IDFC Bank Benefits’. It is a payment solution for corporates that digitizes employee spends and claims, making the process simple, real-time and paperless.