17 November 2017 Current Affairs
INS Sarvekshak reaches Dar-Es-Salaam to conduct Joint Hydrographic Survey
INS Sarvekshak, a hydrographic survey ship of southern Naval Command, arrived Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania for conducting Joint Hydrographic Survey along with the Tanzanian Navy. The Joint Hydrographic Survey is being conducted with an aim to boost bilateral relations with friendly foreign countries and navies in the Indian ocean region.
France named as host of 2023 Rugby World Cup
France will host the 2023 Rugby World Cup to stage one of the world’s best attended and lucrative sporting events. The country beat strong bids by South Africa and Ireland, but the award represents a repudiation of the sport’s leadership which have transformed the quadrennial tournament into a multi-million-pound enterprise.
Nagaland becomes first North East state to launch PoS for electricity bill payments
Nagaland became the first among the North Eastern states to launch Point of Sale (PoS) for electricity bill payment. The PoS facility was formally launched by State Chief Secretary, Pankaj Kumar, at Kohima Electrical Subdivision-1 in Kohima on 16th November 2017. The Chief Engineer of Power Department, Khose Sale informed that PoS services will be extended to other major cities and districts of Nagaland.
Legendary Hindi Poet Kunwar Narayan passes away
Eminent Hindi poet and Jnanpith awardee Kunwar Narayan passed away in New Delhi. He was 90. Born on 9 September 1927 in Uttar Pradesh’s Faizabad, Kunwar Narayan was known for his poetry, stories, and critiques. His first poetry collection was “Chakravyuh”.
Karnataka launches project to install WiFi facilities in gram panchayats
Karnataka State Government unveiled an ambitious project to install Wi-Fi facility in all gram panchayats across the state. During this year itself, Wi-Fi facility will be installed in 2500 gram panchayats. The main objective of this project is to bridge the digital divide. Through this project, each and every entrepreneur from the cities and towns across Karnataka, will be provides an opportunity to benefit from the enabling eco-system. This project is a part of Karnataka State Government’s efforts to strengthen the Information Technology sector in the state.
4th Global Conference on Sustained Eradication of Child Labour held in Argentina
Since 1997, countries around the world have shared knowledge on policies and good practices, and have committed to eliminate child labour in a series of global conferences held in Oslo (1997), The Hague (2010) and Brasilia (2013). The IV Global Conference on the Sustained Eradication of Child Labour was organized by the Government of Argentina and was held in Buenos Aires.
Moody’s upgrades India’s Sovereign rating for first time in 14 years
The International rating agency Moody’s Investors Service upgraded India’s local and foreign currency issuer ratings to Baa2 from Baa3 and changed the outlook on the rating to stable from positive. Moody’s has revised the sovereign rating of India a notch above investment grade after a long gap of 14 years. Moody’s has also upgraded India’s local currency senior unsecured rating to Baa2 from Baa3 and its short-term local currency rating to P-2 from P-3.
1st WHO Global Ministerial Conference on Ending TB
Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, reaffirmed India’s commitment to eliminating TB by 2025 at 1st WHO Global Ministerial Conference on Ending TB in Sustainable Development Era’ at Moscow, Russia. The National Strategic Plan for TB elimination in India has essentially four pillars to address the major challenges for TB control, namely- “Detect, Treat, Build and Prevent”. The top thematic priorities of this conference based on the SDGs and the UNGA high level health themes include Universal Health Coverage, Increased and Sustainable Financing and Scientific Research and Innovation.
India Disease Burden Initiative Report
As per ‘India State-level Disease Burden Initiative Report’, child and maternal malnutrition were responsible for 15 % of the total disease burden in 2016 across India. Analysis of disease burden for each Indian state from 1990 to 2016 has been presented. It is jointly prepared by the ICMR, the Public Health Foundation of India and Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
RBL Bank opens all women branch in Chennai
Private sector RBL Bank has set up an all women branch in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The branch at R A Puram, would be managed by eight women and offer all products and services across liability and assets. The women branch is a testament to the bank’s efforts in encouraging gender equality.
Maharashtra bans Plastic Bottles at Government Offices, Hotels
The Maharashtra government, in a bid to become plastic-free state from March 2018, has banned packaged water bottles in Mantralaya and other government offices. The regulation will soon be imposed on restaurants.
Bihar govt to set up “State Ayush Society”
The Bihar government gave its nod for setting up a “State Ayush Society” to give a boost to alternative medicine in the state. The Society will be set up as part of the Centre’s “National Ayush Mission” and registered under the Society Registration Act.