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Scientists have developed the fastest man-made rotor in the world

Scientists have developed the fastest man-made rotor in the world, which will help them study quantum mechanics. At more than 60 billion revolutions per minute, this machine is more than 100,000 times faster than a high-speed dental drill. Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics which describes nature at the smallest scales of energy levels of atoms and subatomic particles.

Federal Bank gets RBI nod

Federal Bank has received the regulatory nod to open offices in Bahrain, Kuwait and Singapore, but is awaiting local clearances before it starts operations. Federal bank already has representative offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The bank will be focusing more on the unsecured lending segment, where its book stands at Rs 380 crore at present.

Manu-Sumeeth Retain Lagos International title

The senior national badminton champions Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy won the men’s doubles title at Lagos International Badminton. The defending champions retained the title after thrashing their Indian counterpart S. Vaibhav and Prakash Raj 21-12, 22-12 in the final match. In women’s singles, Sree Krishina Priya had to settle for a silver medal.

BRO completes strategic road in Bhutan

BRO completes strategic road in Bhutan
Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has completed construction of a strategically key road in Bhutan. The road will connect Bhutan’s border town of Phuen-tshog-ling with its capital city of Thimphu. The new road is expected to reduce the travel time between Southern Bhutanese city of Phun-tsho-ling to Thimphu by one hour and reduce the journey by around 19.5 km of steep uphill driving.

Mohd Anas breaks own national record in 400m

Mohd Anas breaks own national record in 400m
Indian sprinter Muhammed Anas broke his own national record to win the 400 metres race at the Cena Noveho Mesta meet in Czech Republic. Anas set a time of 45.24 seconds to break his own record of 45.31 seconds which he had set during the Commonwealth Games 2018 in Gold Coast. He is the third Indian track athlete to qualify for the event at the Olympics, after Milkha Singh & K. M. Binu.

New cell to resolve child custody disputes

New cell to resolve child custody disputes
A mediation cell would be set up under the apex child rights body, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), to resolve child custody disputes arising from cases of transnational marital discord. The Ministry of Women and Child Development has in-principle decided to establish a Mediation Cell under the NCPCR chairperson.

CPPIB to step up investments in India

CPPIB to step up investments in India
Canada’s biggest public pension scheme, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) views India as its main focus for investment in Asia. CPPIB manages Canada’s national pension fund, has invested nearly C$7 billion ($5.30 billion) in India. CPPIB currently owns shares in some leading fast moving consumer goods companies like ITC Ltd., Hindustan Unilever Ltd. & Britannia Industries Ltd.

CM Raman Singh launches online pension system

Chhattisgarh CM Dr. Raman Singh launched an online portal and mobile app called ‘Aabhaar-Aapki Seva ka’ for the pensioners of the state. Through this app and the website, 80,000 pensioners of the state will get all the information related to pension and payment online. The beneficiaries will be provided updates via SMS regarding the status of their pension account.

67th National Garment Fair 2018 in Mumbai

The Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI) organized “India’s Largest Apparel Trade Show – The 67th National Garment Fair” from 16th July to 19th July 2018 at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai. A Memorandum of Understanding between Govt of Gujarat & CMAI was signed to promote Gujarat as a destination for investments. The Fair was inaugurated by Kishore Biyani, CEO of Future Group.

Govt sets up committee to strengthen NCC, NSS

The govt has decided to form a committee under former education secretary Anil Swarup, seeking suggestions to strengthen National Cadet Corp & National Service Scheme. The Committee will deal with issues like expansion, strengthening training infrastructure & reducing manpower deficiency. The Committee will also submit recommendations for building “synergy” between these 2 institutions.

WR renames Elphinstone station as Prabhadevi

Western Railway renamed Elphinstone Road Station to Prabhadevi on Mumbai’s suburban section. The station, named after Lord Elphinstone, the Governor of Bombay from 1853 to 1860, is renamed after the local deity ‘Prabhadevi’. Elphinstone is the station where 23 people were killed and over 39 injured in a stampede at the railway station’s foot over bridge on September 29, 2017.

Govt sets up committee to strengthen NCC, NSS

The govt has decided to form a committee under former education secretary Anil Swarup, seeking suggestions to strengthen National Cadet Corp & National Service Scheme. The Committee will deal with issues like expansion, strengthening training infrastructure & reducing manpower deficiency. The Committee will also submit recommendations for building “synergy” between these 2 institutions.

67th National Garment Fair 2018 in Mumbai

The Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI) organized “India’s Largest Apparel Trade Show – The 67th National Garment Fair” from 16th July to 19th July 2018 at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai. A Memorandum of Understanding between Govt of Gujarat & CMAI was signed to promote Gujarat as a destination for investments. The Fair was inaugurated by Kishore Biyani, CEO of Future Group.

FASTags compulsory to obtain national permit

Vehicle tracking systems and FASTags for electronic toll collection will be made mandatory for all commercial vehicles obtaining the national permit. The proposed amendment also provides that driving license and pollution control certificates can be carried in physical or digital form. It also provides that no fitness certification at the time of registration for new transport vehicles.

Govt to deliver 11 Crore Ayushman Cards

The government will be printing and delivering 11 crore Ayushman Bharat ‘family cards’ by organizing public contact programme called ‘Ayushman Pakhwaras’. The CEO of Ayushman Bharat- National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM) is Indu Bhushan. The scheme was announced by Union Minister Arun Jaitley in his budget 2018 and is expected to be the world’s largest health coverage scheme.

FASTags compulsory to obtain national permit

Vehicle tracking systems and FASTags for electronic toll collection will be made mandatory for all commercial vehicles obtaining the national permit. The proposed amendment also provides that driving license and pollution control certificates can be carried in physical or digital form. It also provides that no fitness certification at the time of registration for new transport vehicles.

National database for gun licence holders

From April 2019, names of all arms licence holders, new or old, will be included in a national database and they will be issued a unique identification number (UIN). The move is aimed at keeping a tab on authorised private gun holders. Every licensing and renewing authority will have to enter the data in the National Database of Arms Licences system, which will generate a UIN.

2nd National Tourism Conclave in Rajasthan

The 2nd National Tourism Conclave was organised in Jaipur on 13th July 2018. The conclave was headed by Managing Director of Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation Haulianlal Guite. Steps such as improving intra-air connectivity to increase domestic and international tourist footfall in the state were discussed. Also, more projects such as “Night Tourism” were also encouraged.

Gyan Vani an educational FM radio in Pune

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has started its own FM radio network Gyan Vani with the help of All India Radio (AIR). In this programmes like primary and secondary education, adult education, technical and vocational education, higher education is been broadcasted at 105.6 MHz. The educational channel is being broadcasted in English, Hindi and other regional languages.

NGT to hear pleas via videoconference

In a bid to tackle vacancies at the regional Benches of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the green panel is set to start hearing matters of the other Benches via videoconferencing. The NGT has been functioning with less than one-third of its sanctioned strength of 20 judicial and expert members. It is only an interim arrangement till all the members are available.

4th National Conclave on Mines & Minerals

The Ministry of Mines organized the 4th National Conclave on Mines & Minerals on 13th July 2018 at Indore. CM of MP, Shri Shivraj Singh was the chief guest of the conclave. Also, an app of NALCO – NAMASYA was launched by the Ministers. For the first time, the conclave had an exhibition in which States put up stalls to showcase their more than 100 mineral blocks which were in the auction.

Canada to command of new NATO training Centre

Canada has announced that it will assume command of a new NATO training and capacity building mission in Iraq. Canadian troops will be deployed in the Baghdad region to help Iraq build a more effective national security structure and improve training of security forces. Canada is part of the US-led coalition fighting the ISIS is contributing air power & helping in training Iraqi forces.

Aadhaar must for health mission cover

The government has mandated the use of Aadhaar card for administering its massive Ayushman Bharat, or National Health Mission, that assures a ?5 lakh health cover to 10 crore families. While possessing an Aadhaar card isn’t mandatory to avail services, a proof of enrolment, or request for enrolment, is mandatory. The Ayushman Bharat is scheduled to roll out in August 2018.

Jeremy Hunt named UK foreign secretary

Jeremy Hunt will replace Boris Johnson as the U.K. foreign secretary following Johnson’s resignation. Hunt had served as health minister for more than 5 and half years, the longest term in the history of the State-funded National Health Service.

Section 144 to be used in animal emergencies

The National Board of Wildlife has recommended that states use Section 144, which prohibits the assembly of four or more people, during wildlife emergencies. The provision will be used to “prevent people from gathering in large numbers, which aggravates wildlife emergency situations”. The Centre is expected to issue advisories to the state governments regarding the recommendation.

NITI Aayog proposes ‘National Health Stack’

NITI Aayog has unveiled the blueprint of National Health Stack, a shared digital healthcare infrastructure. It is in line with implementation of Centre’s Ayushman Bharat & other public healthcare programmes in the country. It will allow policymakers to build their projections around upcoming outcomes, experiment with new services as well as fill the existing gaps in the healthcare industry.

National Testing Agency to conduct NEET, JEE

Newly formed National Testing Agency would now conduct the national-level examinations — NET, NEET, JEE (Mains) that were organised by Central Board of Secondary Education. The National Eligibility Test (NET) would be conducted in December & JEE (Mains) twice a year, in January and April. NTA would also conduct National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Common Management Admission Test (CMAT).

Justice Goel as new chairperson of NGT

Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel has been appointed as the chairperson of National Green Tribunal (NGT) for a five-year tenure. NGT is a statutory body established under National Green Tribunal Act 2010 for effective expeditious disposal of cases related to environmental protection. Earlier Justice Swatanter Kumar was the Chairperson of NGT (2012-19 Dec.2017), Since then the post was vacant.

NPPA fixed prices of 58 drugs

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) fixed the prices of 58 drugs formulations used for the treatment of Cardiac conditions, Hepatitis C etc. NPPA implements and enforces the provisions of Drug Prices Control Order (DPPO) and this move has been taken under DPPO order 2013. NPPA is also entrusted with the task of recovering of amount overcharged by the manufacturer from consumers.

New post in Safai Karamchari’s Commission

The Union Cabinet has approved the creation of one post each of Vice-Chairperson and member in the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis. It is intended to optimize the functioning of the Commission and fulfilling objectives of welfare and development. It is mandated to work towards the elimination of inequalities and to ensure rehabilitation for Safai Karamcharis and Manual Scavengers.

Centre approved WIPO treaties

The Union Cabinet approved the WIPO Copyright Treaty and WIPO Performers and Phonograms Treaty, 1996. It extends coverage of copyright to the internet and digital environment. The approval is a step towards the objective laid in the National Intellectual Property Rights Policy. It will enable creative right-holders enjoy the fruit of their labour, through international copyright system.

DEPwD to Organize workshop for PwDs”

Dept. of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) is organizing a “National Workshop on Skill Development for Persons with Disabilities”. The workshop is being organized with a view to provide a platform to all stakeholders ranging from training partners to the policy makers as well as employers. The Workshop will dwell upon all the issues involved in the skill development for PwDs.

Interpol issues Red Notice against Nirav Modi

The Interpol has issued a Red Notice against Nirav Modi on the request of the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI of India. Red Notice not only restricts a fugitive’s movement in 190 member countries of the Interpol but also empowers agencies to detain the person for deportation or extradition to the requesting country. Mr. Modi is involved in the ` 13,578-crore Punjab National Bank fraud.

Anjolie Ela Menon conferred the Kalidas Award

Noted artist Anjolie Ela Menon has received the National Kalidas Samman for visual arts from the Madhya Pradesh government. The award was conferred in recognition of her insightful and sensitive portrayal of the identity and spirit of women through her meaningful paintings in a variety of media. Menon is India’s most accomplished artists and is the recipient of the Padma Shri.

Rabies is India’s most fatal infection

According to data from National Health Profile 2018, Rabies is the only disease that had a 100% death rate in India in 2017. The vaccine-preventable viral disease spreads to people through bites or scratches of animals, mostly infected dogs. There were 4,370 rabies deaths in India in 2016, which accounted for 1 in 3 of the world’s 13,340 rabies deaths.

Dutee Chand sets new national record in 100m

Dutee Chand broke her 100m national record at 58th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships at Guwahati. The 22-year-old Dutee, representing Odisha, ran 11.29 sec in the semifinal race to better her national record of 11.30sec and later clinched the gold in 11.32sec. She has already qualified the 2018 Asian games which will be held in Jakarta and Palembang.

Govt to link 22,000 rural markets to e-NAM

Centre has announced that 22,000 rural markets would be linked to Electronic National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) by 2020 as part of its drive to double the income of farmers. These rural markets will be upgraded to Gramin Agricultural Markets & linked with e-NAM to enable farmers to sell directly to potential buyers. e-NAM is an electronic unified national market for agricultural commodities

National Centre at AIIMS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today laid the foundation stone for the National Centre for AIIMS in New Delhi. The Multi-Speciality healthcare will have 200 general ward beds. Mr Modi also inaugurated the 555 bed Super Speciality Block in Safdarjung Hospital. Mr Modi inaugurated the Connection Motorable Tunnel between AIIMS, Ansari Nagar and Trauma Centre.

National Statistics Day on 29th June

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu will attend the closing ceremony of the 125th birth anniversary of Professor P. C. Mahalanobis on Statistics Day on 29th June. The theme of 2018 is – Quality Assurance in Official Statistics. The objective of the celebration is to create public awareness about statistics in socio-economic planning, to acknowledge the contribution of Prof. Mahalanobis.

Fourth National Consultation of Ministers

The fourth National Consultation Meeting of Ministers of States & UTs, in-charge of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs is being held on 29th June 2018 in New Delhi. The meeting will be chaired by Shri Ram Vilas Paswan, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs. The consultation will be on measures for improving consumer protection and welfare including Public Distribution System etc.

NIIF to roll out $2 billion fund

The National Infrastructure and Investment Fund (NIIF) unveiled a $2-billion long-term fund to finance megaprojects. The NIIF already has 2 operational funds – the NIIF master fund that invests directly in companies & a fund of funds that invests in funds that are managed by 3rd parties. The 3rd fund would cater to India’s long-term infra needs. NIIF’s MD and CEO is Sujoy Bose.

41 lakh new jobs created in 8months: CSO

Central Statistics Office (CSO) released the employment-related statistics in the formal sector for eight months beginning from September 2017. The year witnessed new payrolls of over 6.8 Lakhs were recorded by Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). The estimated total number of new National Pension Scheme subscribers during the same period is over 5 lakhs.

Ministry of Health signs MoU with IGNOU

Health Ministry has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) to scale-up short-term healthcare courses and produce over 14 lakh trained manpower by 2025. The signing of MoU is under the existing framework of ‘Skills for Life, Save a Life’ initiative. The ministry will provide for financial assistance to IGNOU for initiating programmes.

MSME Day to be celebrated on 27th June 2018

The Ministry of Micro Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), will organize a National Conclave (UdyamSangam) on 27th June 2018 on the occasion of UN MSME Day. President Kovind will inaugurate the Conclave in Vigyan Bhawan. The MSME Ministry will disburse subsidy of Rs. 550 crores to artisans. The UN declared 27th June as MSME Day, recognizing the importance of MSME in the country’s economy.

Technip FMC wins special recognition from GCNI

TechnipFMC has received a special recognition award for their flagship community development initiative in India, ‘Seed of Hope’, at the 13th National Convention 2018 for developing Suva village in Dahej, Gujarat. The convention was held by Global Compact Network India on June 8 at Shangri-La, Bengaluru. The theme of the convention is Sustainable Development Goals: Blueprint for action.

Seminar on Conservation of Tribes

National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) is organizing a Seminar on Conservation of Tribes of Andaman & Nicobar Islands in New Delhi. This Seminar is being organized by Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) and Directors of 18 Tribal Research Institutes. NCST, a Constitutional body set up under Article 338(A) of the Constitution protects the interests of Scheduled Tribes.

Sejwal won gold at Singapore Championships

Indian swimmer Sandeep Sejwal put up an impressive performance to clinch the gold medal in men’s 50m breaststroke event at the Singapore National Swimming Championships in Singapore. Sandeep broke the Singapore meet record with a timing of 27:59 sec to win the gold. He bettered his own time of 27.68 seconds in the semi-final by 0.09 sec. The SCNS was organized between 20 to 23rd June 2018.

World’s 1st Manta ray nursery discovered

Researchers have identified the first recognized giant manta ray nursery in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico. National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration has recognised them as endangered species and is working on providing a natural habitat. Manta rays live in deep tropical and subtropical waters, making the study of the sea creatures quite difficult.

5th National Standards Conclave

The 5th National Standards Conclave was held in New Delhi. It was organised by Department of commerce and Confederation of Indian Industry(CII). The theme of conclave was Implementing the Indian National Strategy for Standardization. 2 reports were released by the Commerce Minister, Suresh Prabhu Indian National Strategy for Standardization(INSS)and CII-ASL Study on TBT/SPS Notifications.

7,400 Indians sought asylum in the US in 2017

At least 7,400 Indians sought asylum in the US last year, the UN refugee agency said. The UNHCR revealed in its annual Global Trends report that the US received the largest number of asylum requests, while the highest number of claims were filed by Afghan nationals. Wars, persecution and other violence led to the displacement of 68.5 million people globally.

Nepal, Bhutan spend more than India on health

India spends 1% of its gross domestic product on public health. According to the National Health Profile 2018 report, there is one allopathic doctor for 11,082 people in the country’s villages. Low-income nations like Bhutan and Nepal spend 2.5% and 1.1% of its GDP respectively on public health. India aims to increase its public health expenditure to 2.5% of the GDP by 2025.

Govt. to set up 5th data centre in India

The govt will set up the country’s biggest data centre in Bhopal with a capacity to host 5 lakh servers. The data centre will be set up by the National Informatics Centre and will be 5th National Data Centre (NDC) after Bhubaneswar, Delhi, Hyderabad & Pune. These NDC host government websites, services and applications. The government also expanded BPO scheme to 1 lakh seats from 48,000 seats

3-day national yoga olympiad-2018

A 3-day National Yoga Olympiad was inaugurated at the National Council of Educational Research and Training in CIET in New Delhi. This is the third consecutive year of National Yoga Olympiad of NCERT and this year about 500 students from 26 States and 4 RIEs are participating. Two books – Joy of Theatre and Sangeet — training packages were released on the occasion.

Muthoot Fincorp, NSDC to train 10,000 youth

Muthoot Fincorp Limited announced its partnership with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). Under the scheme, Muthoot Fincorp targets to train over 10,000 people over the next three years and make them job ready under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana. NSDC has approved a target of 3,000 candidates in the first year and 3,500 each in the subsequent two years.

Bellandur largest septic tank of Bengaluru

A committee appointed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has said that the Bellandur lake in Bengaluru has become the “largest septic tank of the city”. The report states that the lake’s water-holding capacity has shrunk due to the dumping of garbage and construction waste, among other things. Agara and Varthur were the other waterbodies inspected by the panel.

Three Solar Power Projects dedicated to nation

Shri Piyush Goyal inaugurated NLCIL’s three 100 MW Solar Power Projects for commercial operation and dedicated these projects to the Nation. The Solar Power projects are situated at Thoppalaakkarai and Sethupuram in Virudhunagar District and Sellaiya Sezhiyanallur in Tirunelveli District. The power produced from these units will be given to TANGEDCO at a cost of ` 4.41/- per unit.

National Tribal Museum to be built

A National Tribal Museum along with a National Level Tribal Research Institute is proposed to be set up at Delhi by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. The Minister of Tribal Affairs Shri Jual Oram said that the Museum will showcase the rich tribal culture and heritage using state-of-the-art technologies. The proposal to set up the Museum and TRI has already been sent to the Niti Ayog.

Cabinet approves Bill for dam safety

The Union Cabinet has approved a proposal for enactment of a new Dam Safety Bill, 2018. The Bill seeks to establish a national regulatory body for dam safety and create a database of the existing dams. India has more than 5,200 large dams and another 450 are under construction.

GST funds to be split b/w centre-state

Centre and the ‘concerned state’ will equally share the amount deposited by erring businesses in the consumer welfare fund. These funds are deposited in the national anti-profiteering authority set up as part of the GST anti-profiteering rules to penalise erring businesses. In case the customer is not identifiable, the money has to be deposited in the consumer welfare fund.

States sign MoU with govt on NHIS

Twenty states have signed memorandums of understanding with the Centre to implement the National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS). The NHPS will cost the exchequer Rs 120 billion. The Union government has said it will provide 60 per cent of the funds, and the state governments are expected to pool in the remaining 40 per cent.

Flood preparedness exercise in UP

The National Disaster Management Authority conducted a table-top exercise at the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The exercise was held in the run-up to a State-level mock exercise on flood preparedness to be held in 23 flood-prone districts of Uttar Pradesh tomorrow. The exercise is being held in collaboration with State Disaster Management Authority.

India to get its 1st police museum in Delhi

India will get its first national police museum in Lutyens Delhi, a senior official said. The museum, which will depict the history of central and state police forces, will come up as an underground facility in the premises of the National Police Memorial. It will be inaugurated on Police Commemoration Day, which is held on October 21.

Maharashtra most vulnerable state

Maharashtra has been ranked the most vulnerable state in the draft National Disaster Risk Index, followed by West Bengal & Uttar Pradesh. States like Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh that are prone to natural calamities have been ranked relatively lower. Few factors taken into consideration were exposure of population, agriculture and livestock, environmental risk & economic vulnerabilities.

India win 2018 Intercontinental Cup

The Indian national team lifted the 2018 Intercontinental football Cup by defeating Kenya 2-0. Both the goals were scored by India skipper Sunil Chhetri. Organised by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the quadrangular tournament also featured New Zealand and Chinese Taipei.

PSBs suffered losses of over ` 87,000 cr

The combined losses posted by public sector banks (PSBs) in financial year 2017-18 were over Rs. 87,357 crore. Scam-hit Punjab National Bank (PNB) topped the list with a hit of nearly Rs. 12,283 crore followed by IDBI Bank. Out of 21 state-run banks, only two — Indian Bank and Vijaya Bank — posted profits during the year under review.

NSE IFSC issues ‘omnibus’ trade framework

NSE IFSC, a subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange, has put in place a framework for ‘omnibus’ trade. It will help overseas investors escape direct registration process and go through authorised brokers. The move will also help in smooth transition of liquidity from Singapore Exchange (SGX) to Indian offshore exchange at Gujarat International Finance Tech (GIFT) City.

Govt to showcase mineral blocks

The mines ministry in July will showcase mineral blocks to be auctioned in the current financial year to attract potential investors. The minister of mines has decided to organise 4th National Conclave on Mines and Minerals for showcasing blocks which will be auctioned by the states. The Centre has asked the states to give representations for showcasing blocks that would be auctioned.

Committee to set up Asset Reconstruction Comp

Finance Minister Piyush Goyal announced setting up of a committee to give recommendations on formation of an Asset Reconstruction Company. The committe will give recommendations in two weeks for faster resolution of stressed accounts. The committee will be formed under Sunil Mehta, non-executive chairman of Punjab National Bank.

First tropical storm of east Pacific

7 : The first named tropical storm of the east Pacific hurricane season formed off the coast of Mexico. “Aletta”, the storm is expected to build to hurricane strength early, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph) and was moving west at 8 mph (13 kph).

Fitch downgrades PNB on credit profile

Fitch Ratings has downgraded the Viability Rating (VR) of Punjab National Bank to ‘b’ from ‘bb-’ and maintained negative ratings. The two-notch downgrade is a reflection of the significant deterioration in its standalone credit profile. Fitch said the deterioration in its core capitalisation was caused by a sharp increase in its non-performing loans (NPLs).

Flower named after Modi

An orchid at National Orchid Garden in Singapore was named ‘Dendrobium Narendra Modi’. Now three flowers are named after PM Narendra Modi. Last year, a fast-growing Israeli Chrysanthemum was named ‘MODI’ during the PM Modi’s visit to the nation. An orchid grown in Sikkim was named ‘Cymbidium Namo’ in 2016 by the state CM Pawan Chamling.

Ordinance for sports university approved

2 : President Ram Nath Kovind has given his assent to an ordinance to set up the country’s first national sports university in Manipur. The Union Cabinet had approved an ordinance on 23rd May in this regard. The University, first of its kind, will promote sports education in the areas of sports sciences, sports technology, sports management and sports coaching.

Facebook to offer digital literacy programme

Facebook has partnered with National Commission for Women (NCW) to launch a digital literacy programme in collaboration with the Cyber Peace Foundation (CPF). As part of the digital literacy programme pilot, awareness training will be conducted for 60,000 women. The training will be conducted in local languages.

Ajit Doval is the National Security Adviser

R K Agrawal appointed NCDRC president. Justice R K Agrawal has been appointed as the next President of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. Justice Agrawal will take over from Justice DK Jain who retires on May 31, 2018. The NCDRC, which deals with consumer rights and addresses their disputes and grievances, is a quasi-judicial commission set up in 1988 under the Consumer Protection Act of 1986.

Pankaj Saran appointed Deputy NSA

India’s envoy to Russia Pankaj Saran has been appointed as the Deputy National Security Advisor. He served twice in the Prime Minister’s Office – First as Deputy Secretary during 1995 and 1999, and then as the Joint Secretary between 2007 and 2012. He had held various positions in India & abroad including country’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh.

Dehradun to host main event on yoga day

Dehradun will be the venue for this year’s national programme on the International Yoga Day on June 21 2018. The main International Yoga Day event was held at Lucknow in 2017. International Day of Yoga is celebrated annually on 21 June since 2015.An international day for yoga was declared by the United Nations General Assembly.

NIC launched fourth data centre in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar has become the fourth National data centre of National Informatics Centre (NIC) after Delhi, Hyderabad and Pune. The new cloud-enabled National Data Centre aims to offer round-the-clock operations with secure hosting for various e-governance applications of Central and State Governments. Almost all Indian-government websites are developed and managed by NIC.

RBI appoints Sudha as its first CFO

National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) executive Sudha Balakrishnan has been appointed as the first chief financial officer (CFO) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Balakrishnan, a chartered accountant, was until recently a vice-president at the NSDL, India’s first and largest depository. She will be the 12th executive director at RBI, and will serve a three-year term.

Yes Bank empanelled as ‘Settlement Bank’

Yes Bank has received approval from National Stock Exchange to be empanelled as Settlement Bank for National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC), a wholly owned subsidiary of NSE. NSCC is responsible for clearing and settlement of all trades executed on NSE. The Bank is already an empanelled Clearing Bank for BSE, NCDEX & MCX.

First national sports university in Manipur

The Union Cabinet has approved an ordinance to set up the country’s first national sports university in Manipur. The varsity will be spread over 325 acres in Imphal West district with a cost of Rs 524 crore. The proposal to set up the national sports university in Manipur was initially announced by PM Modi, while Rs 100 crore funds for it were allocated in the 2014-15 budget.

NABARD sanctions Solar street lighting system

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development has sanctioned LED Solar Street Lighting system for Arunachal Pradesh under its Rural Infrastructure Development Fund with a grant of Rs 87.83 lakh. It would be implemented in 4 districts of the state Tirap, Longding, Namsai & Tawang. The scheme was launched by Chief Minister Pema Khandu in presence of NABARD Chairman Harsh Kumar Bhanwala.

Pawan Singh named RTS Jury chief

India’s former shooter & national coach Pawan Singh has been appointed as the Chairman of Result Timing Score Jury by the International Shooting Sports Federation for the ISSF World Cup in Munich. With this appointment, Singh became the first Indian to chair the RTS Jury at a senior World Cup. He would be responsible to resolve any score related issue and provide an accurate result on time.

First person to be put on no-fly list

Birju Salla, who created a hijack scare onboard a Jet Airways flight in 2017, has become the 1st person to be put on the “National No Fly List”. He has been banned from flying under highest level of onboard unruly behaviour that entails grounding from 2 years to lifetime. A person put on the no-fly list can’t fly by any flight of that airline, international or domestic, for grounded period.

National registry of crimes against women

National Crime Records Bureau is in the process of creating a national registry of crimes against women. The move comes against the backdrop of an around 3% increase in crimes against women and a 12% rise in incidents of rape in 2016 as compared to 2015. Majority of cases categorised as crimes against women were reported under “cruelty by husband or his relatives”.

Convention on Rejuvenation of Krishna River

Experts in water conservation from across the country will deliberate on ways to rejuvenate the Krishna river at the maiden national convention of the Indian Water Council (IWC) May 22. The Indian Water Council was formed in April 2018 in Rajasthan. The ‘National Convention on Rejuvenation of the Krishna River’, is the IWC’s first event.

NMCG asks DDA to expedite “Asita”

National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) inspected the Yamuna River Front Development (RFD) project being implemented by Delhi Development Authority. Yamuna RFD project aims to restore, revive and rejuvenate the river’s floodplains and make them accessible to the people of Delhi. A special focus of the project is on reviving the river’s biodiversity. Asita generally means River Yamuna.

Para-National Games under Khelo India Scheme

The inaugural National Para Games, on the lines of National Games for able-bodied athletes, will be held under the Khelo India Scheme in June-July in Bengaluru. The Paralympic Committee of India will be responsible for the technical conduct of the Games. All the funding will be done by the Sports Ministry under the Khelo India Scheme.

Workshop on countering online radicalisation

European Union and National Investigation Agency organised a workshop in New Delhi in which Indian & European experts discussed various aspects of online radicalisation. The officers from both sides deliberated upon the processes that lead to radicalisation and recruitment. This workshop is the clear reflection that the EU and India are joining hands in the fight against terrorism.

Cabinet approved setting up of NIMHR at Bhopal

Union Cabinet has approved setting up of a National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation at Bhopal. The main objectives of NIMHR are to provide rehabilitation services to people with mental illness and advanced research in mental health rehabilitation. Cabinet approved setting up of NIMHR under the aegis of Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.

Cabinet approves National Biofuel Policy

Cabinet has approved National Policy on Biofuels which allows doping of ethanol produced from damaged foodgrains, rotten potatoes, corn & sugar beet with petrol. The Policy categorizes biofuels as 1st Generation, which produces bio-ethanol from molasses & bio-diesel from non-edible oilseeds. 2nd Generation ethanol can be produced from municipal solid waste & 3rd Generation fuels like bio-CNG

Frozen Cattle Semen Station is being set up

Frozen Semen Station is being set up in Maranga, Purnea under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission with 100% contribution from the Central Government. Rashtriya Gokul Mission aims to conserve and develop indigenous breeds to increase milk productivity &was initiated in December 2014. Rashtriya Gokul Mission is a focused project under National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development

Action for removal of Allahabad Bank CEO

Govt has initiated action for removal of Allahabad Bank CEO Usha Anantha-subramanian & 2 executive directors of Punjab National Bank following CBI’s first charge sheet in the $2 billion fraud at PNB. The Allahabad Bank board has also been asked to divest Anantha-subramanian of all powers and initiate further action. Ananthasubramanian was the MD & CEO of Punjab National Bank from 2015 to 2017.

4 states ink MoUs with Centre on health

The states of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Uttarakhand agreed to implement the ambitious national health protection mission (NHPM). NHPM aims to provide an annual coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family. The scheme will target poor, deprived rural families and identified occupational categories of urban workers’ families. It will be cashless and paperless access to services.

Government unveiled Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has issued National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy. The objective of the policy is to provide a framework for the promotion of large grid-connected wind-solar PV hybrid system for efficient utilization of transmission infrastructure and land. It also aims at reducing the variability in renewable power generation and achieving better grid stability.

DNA data banks to be set up

DNA databanks will be set up at the national and state level to store profiles, according to a draft bill on DNA technology being finalised by the Law Ministry. The draft bill also states that all DNA data including DNA profiles, DNA samples, and records, will only be used for identification of the person. The Department of Biotechnology was consulted by the law panel to draft the bill.

ADNOC supplies first oil cargo vessel to India

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company has sent the 1st cargo vessel with 2 million barrels of crude oil for India’s strategic petroleum reserve. ADNOC will use part of the crude oil to supply its customers, while the rest will remain as strategic storage for Govt of India to be released in event of an emergency. This will be the 1st such investment by any foreign company in an Indian SPR facility.

Kerala & NTPC sign MoU for solar power

The Kerala State Electricity Board has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Thermal Power Corporation for increasing solar power generation in the state. The MoU also includes an agreement to set up a 15 MW solar power unit at the NTPC complex in Kayamkulam. The possibility of setting up solar plants at reservoirs, open space & top of buildings will also be explored.

19th National Technology Day

The country observed 19th National Technology Day on 11th May to commemorate the successful carrying out of the nuclear test at Pokhran in Rajasthan. On the same day, India performed successful test firing of the Trishul Missile and test flying the first indigenous aircraft ‘Hansa-3’. The country started observing the day as National Technology Day every year since 1999.

Loan agreement with WB for POSHAN Abhiyaan

India has signed a loan deal worth $200 million with World Bank for National Nutrition Mission (POSHAN Abhiyaan). The loan would help Government in achieving its goal of reducing stunting in children 0-6 years of age from 38.4% to 25% by 2022. POSHAN scheme launched by PM Modi on March 8, 2018, aims to ensure holistic development & adequate nutrition for pregnant women, mothers & children.

Sensitization Meeting of Stakeholders held

The ‘first sensitization meeting of stakeholders to make Delhi a model Accessible city’ was held in the national capital on May 7. The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities took this initiative to coordinate the meeting of all key stakeholders, sensitize them about the legal mandates. Delhi being the capital city of the country is proposed to be selected for this drive.

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