19 September 2017 Current Affairs
International Yoga Festival starts in Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir governor N N Vohra inaugurated the second International Yoga Festival and International Yoga Sports Championship 2017 in which about 300 people from across the world are participating. The festival is being organized by the Yoga Society of Kashmir at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre. About 300 participants from various parts of India, Vietnam, Taiwan, Canada, Bulgaria, USA, and Nepal are participating in the festival.
Book titled “India: Priorities for the Future” by Bimal Jalan
Book title “India: Priorities for the Future” authored by Bimal Jalan is a formadable analysis of the last four decades of India’s economic journey. The book illuminates the nation’s transition from a strictly regulated, slow-growth state enterprise to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.
China opens dual-use highway to Nepal through Tibet
China opened a dual-use highway in Tibet to the Nepal border which could be used for civilian and defense purposes in China. The highway is 40.4 km long and 25 m wide. It has 4 double lanes. It is classified a first-tier highway. It connects Xigaze airport and Xigaze city center in Tibet. The road helps to ease the congestions and export economy of China.
Japan releases postage stamps on Indian Yoga experts
Japanese postal department released postage stamps on Yoga Expert Mr.Bishnu Charan Ghosh and his family members, in Kolkata. The country released postage stamps on Indian Yoga experts Mr.Bishnu Charan Ghosh, his son Mr.Biswanath Ghosh, daughter Ms.Karuna Ghosh and Karuna’s father in law Mr.Asutosh Ghosh. These stamps were officially displayed in Kolkata by the Japanese Consul General in Kolkata, Masayuki Taga. He is a Bengali bodybuilder and a Yoga expert.
Centre decides to form inter-ministerial committee to monitor schools
The Union Government has decided to form an inter-ministerial committee to monitor implementation of safety measures in its schools across the country. The committee was formed in the wake of the brutal killing of a student in Gurugram and rape of a girl by a school peon in the national capital, Delhi. The decision was taken during a meeting between Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar and Women & Child Development (WCD) Minister Maneka Gandhi in New Delhi. The WCD minister also informed that a committee of six secretaries will be constituted to monitor the implementation and progress of the guidelines.
Asian Indoor Games: Purnima Wins Gold in Pentathlon
India won its first athletics gold, through Purnima Hembram in women’s pentathlon, in the fifth Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games at Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. India also got two silvers, through Sanjivani Jadhav in women’s 3000m and Tejinder Singh Toor in men’s shot put, and a bronze through Kerala’s V. Neena in women’s long jump.
Cyclist Mark Beaumont Breaks the World Record
Mark Beaumont broke the world record for cycling around the world – by 44 days. The 34-year-old, from Perthshire, arrived in Paris one day ahead of schedule having cycled the 18,000-mile route in 79 days. He set a new world record of 194 days in 2008. He was on his bike for more than 16 hours a day and only slept for five hours each night.
Special canteen for labours in Chhattisgarh and Meals at just Rs.5
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh launched the ‘Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Shram Anna Sahayata Yojna’ under which nutritious meal will be provided to laborers at price of Rupees five. As many as 60 such food centers will be set up in 27 districts of the states which will provide food to nearly 60,000 laborers on a daily basis. The programme aims to reach 7000 laborers across 27 districts in Chhattisgarh. The government has also registered 21 lakh workers from the organized and the unorganized sectors.
13th Inter-Governmental Commission Meeting in Kazakhstan
Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan is in Astana, Kazakhstan to co-chair the 13th Meeting of Inter-Governmental Commission (IGC) with Kazakhstan. Mr Kanat Bozumbayev, Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan will co-chair the meeting from Kazakhstan side. The IGC meeting aims to follow up on the agenda set between India and Kazakhstan during the two visits of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to Kazakhstan.
Tripura becomes first state to set up District Family Welfare committees
Tripura has became the first state in India to set up family welfare district committees. State Governor Tathagata Roy formally launched the family welfare committees in all eight districts in Tripura at a function in Tripura High Court. The committees have been set to deal with the issue of fake and biased complaints by women against their husbands, in-laws and husband’s relatives. The decision to set up the committees came following an order of the Supreme Court to form such committees in all states.
Raquel Dodge became first woman General Prosecutor of Brazil
Raquel Dodge was appointed the first woman General Prosecutor of Brazil. She took over the position, replacing Rodrigo Janot, who held the position for four years. Raquel Dodge was sworn in as the new prosecutor general in the presence of President Michel Temer and Superme Court President Carmen Lucia.
Jharkhand Government launches Shaheed Gram Vikas Yojana
Jharkhand Government has launched Shaheed Gram Vikas Yojana aimed at developing villages of freedom fighters in the state. It was launched from Ulihatu Village, birth place of freedom fighter Birsa Munda. Under this scheme, villages of many tribal freedom fighters will be developed and their habitants will be provided basic amenities. These villages had remained inaccessible for long time after Independence because of Left-wing extremism. Now they will be provided with 136 pucca houses.
Rajni Kant Mishra appointed new DG of SSB
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has appointed senior IPS officer Rajni Kant Mishra (58) as new Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). He will succeed Archana Ramasundaram, who holds distinction of being first woman IPS officer to head a para-military force in the country. Mr. Mishra is a 1984 batch IPS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre. He is native of Bihar and had joined Border Security Force (BSF) as Inspector General in 2012. He was elevated to Additional Director General of the BSF in November 2014. He was recently elevated to Special Director General rank in the BSF.
JNPT wins “Rajbhasha Kirti Award” for 11th consecutive time
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) won the “Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar” for the year 2016-17 in the category of ‘B’ region for autonomous bodies and boards, for its excellent implementation of the Official Language. Ram Nath Kovind gave away the award at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on the occasion of Hindi Divas celebration. This is the 11th consecutive year that JNPT has won this award.
India-US-Japan trilateral talks held in New York
Foreign ministers of India, US and Japan held a trilateral meeting in New York on the sidelines of the 72nd annual session of the UN General Assembly. The mmeting was held to give momentum to their cooperation amid China flexing its muscles in the region. The three ministers, namely Sushma Swaraj (India), Rex Tillerson (US) and Taro Kono (Japan), emphasised on the need for ensuring freedom of navigation, respect for international law and peaceful resolution of disputes. The decision to hold the trilateral meeting was taken at the first India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue. the first India-US-Japan trilateral meeting was held in December 2011.
India wins four medals at Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games
India won its first athletics gold through Purnima Hembram in women’s pentathlon in the fifth Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games at Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. The one gold two silver and one bronze through track and field athletes on the third day of fifth Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, in Ashgabat. India is now at a 11th spot in the medals tally, which is led by hosts Turkmenistan (26 gold, 21 silver, 12 bronze). It is being represented by 203 athletes in 15 sports disciplines in the Games and it is second biggest multi-sporting event of the continent after the Asiad.