20 July 2017 Current Affairs
UIDAI launches mAadhaar app with biometric check
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has launched new app for Android called mAadhaar. The mobile Aadhaar app lets users carry their Aadhaar information such as name, date of birth, gender, address as well as the photos linking to their Aadhaar card on their smartphones, making it easily accessible when needed. The app is currently only available for Android devices and is available via the Play Store. There is no information on an iOS Aadhaar app so far. For added security, the mAadhaar app also comes with biometric locking/unlocking that should keep users’ personal information safe. There is only a Time-based One-Time Password system (TOTP) that can be used to create a temporary password, which can be used in place of a traditional SMS-based OTP. Users will also see their updated profile after they have successfully filed an update request. They can also share QR codes and password protected eKYC data to retrieve information. UIDAI has noted that the app is currently in beta, and some of the features will be made available in the future via updates.
Advani receives Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions in Lok Sabha
Veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions as a parliamentarian in the Lok Sabha. JD-U leader Sharad Yadav also received the Lifetime Achievement Award as a Rajya Sabha representative from Vice President Hamid Ansari at a function organized by the Lokmat Media Group to honor distinguished Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members. The awardess were selected by a jury headed by former Lok Sabha Speaker Shivraj Patil. The criteria for choosing the awardees included whether the parliamentarians followed the rules of procedures of the house. The jury also considered if these parliamentarians spoke only about their constituencies, their states or the nation as a whole. They also considered if parliamentarians took into account the situation developing across the world in terms of economic situation, international relations, cultural relations, war and peace and science & technology.
UAE Minister tops most powerful Arab women: Forbes
Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, the UAE Minister of State for Tolerance has topped a poll of the most powerful Arab women in government for 2017, according to Forbes Middle East. Ms. Qasimi was followed by two women from Egypt – Sahar Nasr, the country’s minister of investment and international cooperation and Ghada Wali, the minister of social solidarity. Forbes has also released a list of the top 100 most powerful Arab business women for 2017, and the UAE represents the highest number of women, with 18, followed by Egypt, with 16. Saudi Arabia’s Lubna Olayan, who runs Saudi conglomerate the Olayan Group, tops the businesswoman list. The rankings were compiled by taking into account scope of the role or ministry, years of experience and company revenues, or GDP in the case of government.
Australia joins International Solar Alliance led by India & France
Australia became the 35th country to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA), an initiative launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2015 in Paris. It is co-led by India and France. The aim of ISA is to support developing countries to boost their solar production capacity. India on its part through the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) is contributing $1 million to the ISA fund. The larger aim of ISA is to mobilize over $ 1000 billion by 2030 towards promoting solar power on all fronts generation and storage. The solar alliance, whose head office is in India, has grown stronger in the past two years with more countries joining the group and signing the agreement.
Odisha CM dedicates longest bridge to nation, names it after Netaji
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik dedicated to the nation the state’s longest bridge and named it after Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. The 2.88 km bridge connects Barang on the outskirts of capital city Bhubaneswar with Judicial Academy Chhak in Cuttack. It reduces the distance between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar by almost 12 kms. Although the construction work of the bridge started after Mr. Patnaik laid the foundation in February 2011, the completion missed the deadline by over three years.
Department of Defence Production signs MoU with GSL
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Department of Defence Production and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), a miniratna Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) for the financial year 2017-18. The annual MoU was signed between Secretary (Defence Production) Shri Ashok Kumar Gupta on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and Chairman and Managing Director, GSL Rear Adm (Retd) Shekhar Mital. This year’s MoU target for ‘Revenue from Operations’ has been set at Rs1150 crore, which is 43 percent higher than the financial year 2016-17 target of Rs800 crore. Notably, in the financial year 2016-17, the Shipyard achieved historical high VoP of Rs1030 crore and PBT of Rs177 crore. GSL was adjudged as ‘Best Performing Shipyard’ by MoD.
Telangana launches ‘Janahitha’ for speedy redressal of public grievances
The Telangana government launched a special portal called “Janahitha” to receive complaints from the public. The programme was inaugurated in Suryapet district on a pilot basis by Telangana Energy Minister G Jagadish Reddy. The portal, which has been developed by Telangana’s IT department is a single window for all grievances and their redressal management. It is aimed at facilitating the public to submit their complaints online and get speedy redressal.
Indonesia bans Islamic organization Hizb-ut-Tahrir
Indonesia has banned Islamic organization Hizb-ut Tahrir Indonesia under a contraversial presidential decree. The step has been taken to safeguard the existence of the Island nation’s pluralist state ideology Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution. The legal status of Hizb ut-Tahrir, which compaigns for the country to adopt Islamic law and become a caliphate, was revoked to protect Indonesia’s unity. On the other hand, the Islamic organization condemned the ban and said it “will not remain silent”, vowing to challenge the decision in court.
Cabinet Approvals on 19th July 2017
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved following agreements and MoUs on different fields.
The Cabinet has approved:
- MOC in respect of tax matters between India and BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa.
- MoU between India and Netherlands on cooperation in space technology.
- IRDAI’s admission as a signatory to International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS), Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MMoU).
- Central Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2017.
- Integrated Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2017.
- Revision of Indian Community Welfare Fund guidelines.
- Cadre Review of Indian Defence Accounts Service, IDAS.
Google introduces recruiting app ‘Hire’ for business
Google launched ‘Hire, a recruiting app for small and medium sized businesses that integrates seamlessly with G Suite. The launch of Hire app is seen an apparent move to compete with Microsoft-owned LinkedIn. Hire makes it easy to identify talent, build strong candidate relationships and efficiently manage the interview process end-to-end. It integrates seamlessly with G Suite apps like Gmail and Google Calender that are being used by over three million businesses to drive recruiting efforts.
Ram Nath Kovind elected 14th President of India
BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee Ram Nath Kovind has been declared by the Secretary General of Lok Sabha Anoop Mishra as elected President of India. Mr. Kovind got 7,02,044 votes while his opponent, the joint Opposition candidate Meira Kumar, got 3,67,314 out of a total of 10,69,358. Succeeding Pranab Mukherjee, Kovind will be sworn in as the 14th president of India on July 25. Kovind will be the seventh youngest person to be anointed to the coveted post. He is also the second Dalit after KR Narayanan to adorn the coveted post. He is the first President from Uttar Pradesh. In India, President is elected by electoral college. It comprises all members of Parliament and legislative assemblies of all states, as well as of the Union Territories.
ADB projects 7.4% growth for India in 2017
According, to Asian Development Bank supplement report India is expected to achieve the projected growth rate of 7.4 per cent in 2017 and further up to 7.6 per cent next year on strong consumption demand, with South Asia leading the growth chart in Asia and the Pacific. According to the report, South Asia will be the fastest growing of all sub-regions in Asia and the Pacific, with growth on track to meet original projections of 7 per cent in 2017 and 7.2 per cent in 2018.