A daily current affairs digest for IAS, IPS, Civil Services, IBPS, SBI, other banks, Insurance, SSC, Railways and various other competitive exams aspirants. Also helpful for AIIMS, State Services, and various government/ PSU exams.
123rd Constitutional Amendment Bill 2017 Passed by Lok Sabha
- Lok Sabha has passed Constitutional amendment bill to grant National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) a Constitutional status like NCSC and NCST.
- Currently, NCSC looks after complaints and welfare of the backward class too along with SC and Anglo-Indian, but with this Bill, all the power will be transferred to NCBC. The NCBC will have five members appointed by President.
- New Articles 338 B talks about composition, powers, mandate, and functions of NCBC, while Article 342 A talks about President's authority to specify backward classes for states and UTs in consultation with Governors.
- NCBC will have powers of a civil court while investigating or inquiring into any complaints
Successful test fire of Supersonic Interceptor Missile
- DRDO successfully tested indigenous supersonic endo-atmospheric interceptor missile from Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha.
- The missile is 7.5 m long capable of intercepting incoming targets at an altitude of 15 to 25 km developed.
- It is a part of multilayer Ballistic Missile Interceptor Advanced Air Defence (AAD) System being built indigenously to destroy incoming hostile ballistic missiles.
- DRDO's double layer Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system is expected to provide shield by 2022.
- Currently, only the USA, Russia, and Israel are having this technology.
Kadaknath Chicken gets GI Tag
- Kadaknath Chicken Meat from Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh got Geographical Indicator (GI) Tag.
- The Tag provided by Geographical Indicator registry (HQ - Chennai) and Intellectual Property of India (under DIPP, Ministry of Commerce and Industry).
- The tag denotes that the product comes from a particular geographical area, and often enhances its commercial value.
- Kadaknath is a unique variety of chicken having black flesh, bone, blood and most of the body parts; it is considered to have some medicinal properties; it contains 25-27% protein (normal chicken 18%), high iron, less fat, and less cholesterol.
- Mainly produced in MP and Chhattisgarh.
Andhra Pradesh launches Unemployment Allowance Scheme
- Andhra Pradesh Government has unveiled Mukhyamantri Yuva Nestam Scheme for 12 lakh unemployed youth of age 25 to 35 years in the state.
- The scheme is aimed at providing Rs. 1000 per month into the bank accounts of these youth.
- Applicants must not have any provident fund account to avail this scheme.
- The scheme was launched by IT minister Nara Lokesh (s/o Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu).
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, 5 crore target achieved
- The government has announced the target achievement of giving 5 crores free LPG connection eight months ahead of the deadline.
- The Yojana was launched in May 2016, with the aim to provide clean-cooking fuel to poor households, who are otherwise vulnerable to various health hazards associated with indoor air pollution and bringing in qualitative changes in living standards.
- Beneficiaries of PMUY are identified through Socio-Economic Caste Based Census 2011 data; and also among SC/ST households, beneficiaries of Antyodaya Anna Yojana, PMAY (Gramin), Forest Dwellers, Most Backward Classes, Resident of Islands/River Islands and Tea Garden & Ex-tea Garden Tribes.
- 65 percent of beneficiaries are from six states, viz. UP, West Bengal, Bihar, MP, Rajasthan, Odisha.
- Now revised the target to 8 crores by 31st March 2019
India to head Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development
- India is elected as President of Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development for 2 years during 44th Annual Gathering held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
- Established in 1977, AIBD consist of broadcasters from 26 full member countries, represented by 34 organizations and 67 Affiliate Members (organizations) and over 50 partners in Asia, Pacific, Europe, Africa, Arab States and North America
- Director General of All India Radio (AIR) F. Sheheryar was also re-elected as chair of the executive board of AIBD while Sri Lanka was elected as vice-chair.
NASA names Sunita Williams to fly on first Commercial Spaceships
- Sunita Williams and 8 other astronauts named by NASA for its first commercial human spaceflight programme.
- The astronauts will fly on spacecraft developed by SpaceX (Dragon) and Boeing (CST-100 Starliner) as part of the US space agency's Commercial Crew programme to send humans to the International Space Station (ISS) on private US spacecraft in 2019.
- The 8 active NASA astronauts and one former astronaut will launch on Boeing CST-100. Starliner and SpaceX Dragon capsules to the International Space Station beginning in 2019.
- This will be the first crewed mission of NASA since the end of the space shuttle programme in 2011
Indira Banerjee to become third sitting Judge of SC
- Name of the Chief Justice of Madras High Court Justice Indira Banerjee has been cleared by the Law Ministry be appointed as Supreme Court Judge.
- 60 years old Justice Banerjee is the eighth woman to be ever elevated to the Supreme Court. And for the first time in history, Supreme Court will have three women Judges.
- The Central Government has also approved the elevation of Uttarkhand High Court Chief Justice K.M. Joseph to the Supreme Court, seven months after the SC Collegium’s recommendation.
National Sports University Bill 2017 Passed in Lok Sabha
- Lok Sabha has passed National Sports University Bill in Lok Sabha to set up India's first Sports University in Manipur. The Bill will replace the Ordinance promulgated by President earlier this year.
- This university is expected to bridge the gap that exists in the sports environment of the country in various areas such as sports science, sports technology, high-performance training.
US cuts Pakistan's Security Aid to $150 million
- The United States Congress has slashed the security-oriented financial aid to Pakistan by approving a $716.3 billion defense authorization bill.
- The security aid was earlier around $1 billion to $750 million per year. Not favoring any changes in the policy, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2019 increased the military expenditure after which the move came into being.
- As per the recent NDAA, the security aid to Pakistan has been cut down to $150 million.
Iran joins ASEAN treaty
- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ratified Iran's membership in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC).
- This indicated the significance of interaction with Iran as an important and influential country in regional and international equations, the report said.
Apple became a trillion dollar company
- Apple became the Trillion-dollar public company, as a rise in its share price pushed it past the landmark valuation.
- Earlier, PetroChina, an oil and gas company, topped $1 trillion for a short time on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2007.
- The company, which nearly went bankrupt in the 1990s, hits a market capitalization that's bigger than the GDPs of all but 15 countries.
- The company hit a $1trillion market capitalisation 42 years after Apple was founded and 117 years after US Steel became the first company to be valued at $1bn in 1901.
- Apple was co-founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne and Steve Wozniak.
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