17 September 2016 Current Affairs
Indian Railways launches cleanliness drive Swachhta Saptah
Indian Railways has launched Swachhta Saptah (Cleanliness Week) to mark the ‘Swachh Paryavaran Diwas’ (Clean Environment Day). The special nine-day (from 17 to 25 September 2016) long public cleanliness outreach programme was launched by Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu in New Delhi. The objective behind the initiative is to spread wider awareness on sanitation and cleanliness in rail premises and make hygiene a habit amongst the travelling public. It also marks out the Railway’s commitment by recounting the initiatives taken under the ‘Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat Mission’ Each day of the cleanliness drive will be earmarking specific focus area for spruce-up, the cleanliness programme has certain defined thrusts.
Odisha government to organise two-day national conference on labour
Odisha government, labour minister Prafulla Mallick at a press meet on Saturday announced that the state government in association with International Labour Organisation (ILO) will organize a two-day long national conference on labour in the city from September 20. Odisha will organize such an event for the first time and will discuss several issues related to organized and unorganized labourers of the country in four sessions of the conference.Union minister of state for labour and employment Bandaru Dattatreya and ministers and chairpersons of labour welfare boards of 29 states will attend the conference.
WB to confer Bangabibhushan award to Lata Mangeshkar
To honour her contributions to Bengali songs, West Bengal government will confer this year’s ‘Bangabibhushan’ to legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar. The award will be conferred to Mangeshkar after the Durga Puja. The Trinamool Congress government had started conferring Bangabibhushan to eminent personalities for their contribution to various fields since 2011. Danseuse Amala Shankar was the first person to receive of the award.
Indian Navy’s most Advanced Guided Missile Destroyer Mormugao launched
Indian Navy’s indigenously built most Advanced Guided Missile Stealth Destroyer ‘Mormugao’ was launched in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The bedecked ship was launched by Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba’s wife Reena at a function at Mazagaon Docks. It has been Christened ‘Mormugao’ after the Mormugao port of Goa, the home State of Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. The stealth vessel was built by government-run Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd and belongs to Visakhapatnam class of ships being constructed under Project 15B. Mormugao has a displacement of 7,300 tonne with maximum speed of over 30 knots. It is fitted also with the Barak-8 long-range missiles. The vessel has been fitted with multi-mission radar for surveillance along with medium range air and surface surveillance radar and other advanced electronic warfare and decoys.
Priyesha Deshmukh wins bronze in World Deaf Shooting Championships
Hearing-impaired Indian shooter Priyesha Deshmukh won the bronze medal in her first-ever international competition at the first World Deaf Shooting Championships. The Championships was held in Kazan, Russia from 7 September to 15 September 2016. Deshmukh won the bronze in the 10m air rifle category. The shooter won the medal after scoring 180.4 points. Ukraine’s Svitlana Yatsenko won the gold in the Championships while Serbia’s Gordana Mikovic clinched the silver.
Alka Sirohi appointed as UPSC chairman
President Pranab Mukherjee has appointed former IAS officer Alka Sirohi as chairman of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) as per Article 316 of Constitution. She will replace Deepak Gupta who demits office on 20th September 2016. She will be in office till completion of her term as member on January 3, 2017. She is a retired IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre. Prior to this appointment she was member of the UPSC. Before joining the UPSC as a member in January 2012, she was Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).