24 August 2017 Current Affairs
Supreme Court declares Right to Privacy as Fundamental Right
The Supreme Court of India pronounced that individual privacy is a fundamental right protected by the Constitution. A nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar ruled that the right to privacy is intrinsic to life and liberty, thus coming under Article 21, and comes under the various fundamental freedoms in PART III of the Indian Constitution. All the nine judges arrive at the same conclusion, though through different but concurring judgments, that right to privacy is intrinsic to right to life and liberty. With this now India has total seven fundamental rights.
‘Food ATM’ installed for poor and needy in Kolkata
‘Food ATM’, a 320-litre refrigerator laden with leftovers, is ensuring that the poor and needy in the city do not go hungry, thanks to an initiative by a restaurateur. Asif Ahmed, the co-owner of Sanjha Chulha restaurant chain, started the ‘Food ATM’ with the support of three organisations (Rotary, Round Table, JITO) in front of one of his outlets in Park Circus to help curb food wastage and feed the needy. The refrigerator is topped with a placard saying “the amount of food India wastes annually is enough to feed entire Egypt for a year”.
SAMPADA renamed as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minster Narendra Modi has approved the renaming of SAMPADA (Scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters) as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY). The new Central Sector Scheme PMKSY was approved for the period of 2016-20 coterminous with the 14th Finance Commission cycle.
England’s record goalscorer Wayne Rooney retires
Wayne Rooney, hailed from England retired from international football to prioritize ending his career on a high with boyhood club Everton. The 31-year-old was England captain and is the all-time record goalscorer. Rooney’s England career spanned 14 years.
Australia beats Iran to clinch 2017 FIBA Asia Cup
Australia was crowned the FIBA asia Cup 2017 basketball champions. The team defeated Iran 79-56 in the final to grab the title. On the other hand, South Korea clinched the third place with a win over New Zealand 80-71.
Odisha Govt launches rooftop solar project
Odisha Government has launched a grid-connected rooftop solar programme through net-metering system at the State Secretariat in capital city of Bhubaneswar. The programme aims at harnessing renewable solar capacity through people’s participation to further strengthen the grid and reduce power losses and benefit the public. It will also help state to targets in addressing the climate change action plan. The programme is being implemented by Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA).
Nepal launches Climate-Smart Snow Leopard plan
Nepal has launched its climate-smart snow leopard landscape management plan. The plan aims to safeguard them endangered species of snow leopard and its habitat. The plan is the first climate-smart landscape management plan for snow leopard conservation in the world. The conservation plan was launched ahead of the International Snow Leopard Summit and Ecosystem Forum that addresses key current and emerging threats to the snow leopards, including climate change.
Union Govt names Rajiv Bansal as CMD of Air India
The Union Government has named Rajiv Bansal, additional secretary and financial advisor in the Petroleum Ministry, as interime CMD of Air India Ltd. The decision came after the previous Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani was appointed as the Chairman of the Railway Board. Bansal is a 1988 batch IAS officer.
Ajay Vipin Nanavati is New Syndicate Bank Chairman
Ajay Vipin Nanavati was appointed as the chairman of Syndicate Bank. The appointments committee of the cabinet has approved his appointment as non-official director/non-executive chairman of Syndicate Bank for three years. In 2015, the government had bifurcated the posts of chairman and managing directors in public sector banks. While the chairman became responsible for overall policy directions, the managing director and chief executive officer became the executive head, accountable for day-to-day functioning of the bank.
Andhra Pradesh First to Implement Bharat QR Digital Payments
Andhra Pradesh’s Eastern Power Distribution Company Ltd (EPDCL) and the Southern Power Distribution Corporation of AP Ltd. (SPDCL) have become the first state-owned distribution companies in India to accept payments through Bharat QR. As part of the ‘Vizag less–cash city’ initiative underway between Visa and the Andhra Pradesh government, the state has witnessed a slew of initiatives aimed at increasing the rate of digital payment adoption across the masses.
Two RRBs Record Over Rs 150-cr Profit in FY17: RBI
Of the 56 regional rural banks (RRBs), Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank and Andhra Pragathi Grameena Bank recorded net profit of more than Rs 150 crore during 2016-17. These are among the 49 RRBs that recorded a profit in 2016-17. According to the Reserve Bank of India’s ‘Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India’, 45 of the 56 RRBs earned profits without carrying any accumulated losses during 2015-16.