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Memorandum of Understanding	Science & Technology Events
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National Current Affairs | Access the Latest Happenings across India

1. Arunachal Pradesh has been officially declared as second Open Defecation Free (ODF) state in the northeast after Sikkim.

 Arunachal has attained the feat much before the national deadline of October 2, 2019 in its 21 districts.

 It is overall the fifth state to be declared as an ODF state after Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Haryana.

2. In the Positive Peace Index 2017 ranking released by the Institute of Economics and Peace, India has been ranked 90th among 163 countries.

 The top three countries in the Positive Peace index are Sweden, Switzerland and Finland respectively.

 Despite the unrest in the last one year, there is an atmosphere of peace in 93rd countries

3. Under Bharat Net Project, the government plans to connect all Gram Panchayats with high-speed internet through Wi-Fi or other broadband technology by March 2019.

 Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha informed the Parliament that government has approved INR 4,066 crore for providing internet connectivity to people at approximately 2,50,000 Gram Panchayats in the country.

4. The Minister of Women & Child Development, Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi has inaugurated an online portal ‘NARI’ in New Delhi for the empowerment of women.

 The portal will provide women citizens with easy access to information on government schemes and initiatives for women.

 The NARI portal summarizes over 350 government schemes and other important information for the benefit of women, with more being added every day.

5. The entire Nagaland has been declared as a disturbed area for six more months, till June- end, under the controversial AFSPA.

 Various organizations have been demanded the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the northeast which gives sweeping powers to the security forces.

 AFSPA empowers security forces to conduct operations anywhere and arrest anyone without any prior notice.

6. The UP government has released ‘Uttar Pradesh Electronics Manufacturing Policy’ under which Noida, Greater Noida and the Yamuna Expressway region has been declared as an Electronics Manufacturing Zone.

 The aim of this policy is to ensure that the state gets the status of a favorite investment destination.

 The target of the policy is to attract investments worth INR 20,000 crore in the ESDM sector and 3 lakh jobs by 2022.

 

 

7. Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das has launched “Saubhagya Yojana”, a programme that would provide electricity to all the 29,376 villages in the state.

 The government has provided electricity to 13 lakh households in three years.

 By December 2018, the target is to provide electricity to the rest 17.64 lakh households.

8. The Government is implementing a scheme, the Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS) that provides grant-in-aid to non-governmental organizations for various projects relating to rehabilitation of persons with disabilities.

 The objective of the scheme is to enable persons with disabilities to reach and maintain their optimal, physical, sensory, intellectual, psychiatric or social functional levels.

9. Kolkata is planning to open its first floating market for the public which is named ‘the floating market of Patuli’.

 The market is 500 meters long and 60 meters wide which includes over 200 shops.

 The was developed by the Kolkata Metropolitan Development authority along with municipal cooperation by transforming a water body in Patuli.

10. A committee, Committee on National Security and Central Police Personnel Welfare has been constituted for recommending the names of IPS officers to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet for an appointment at the level of Director General.

 

 

11. Tamil Nadu has emerged as the leader in the country in terms of Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education.

 The All India Survey on Higher Education report (2106-2017), released by Minister of HRD Prakash Javadekar, saw the State lead with a GER of 46.9%.

 Among Union Territories, Chandigarh recorded 56.1%. GER for higher education is calculated with reference to the age group 18-23.

12. The New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) will be held in the Capital during January 6-14 at Pragati Maidan. It has emerged as one of the most significant events in the publishing world.

 The fair is going to be organized by National Book Trust, India which promotes titles, trade, co-publication titles and the habit of reading.

 The fair serves as a meeting point for readers and publishers, which had started in 1972.

 Considering the ramifications of climate change and in a bid to promote the same, this year the theme of the event is Environment & Climate Change.

The European Union will be the guest of honour for this year.

13. Arunachal Pradesh would become the second state in the country to get Film and Television Institute, being set up by the union government as part of tapping the potential of the North Eastern region.

 The first Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) was set up in Pune.

 It is an autonomous institute operating under the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

 It was established in 1960. Anupam Kher is its present Chairman.

14. Telangana Government has inaugurated country’s first National Park for people with special needs.

 Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K.T. Rama Rao inaugurated the park, which has speech therapist, physiotherapist, vocational training instructors for the differently-abled children.

15. The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi has approved the establishment of new AIIMS in Bilaspur (Himachal Pradesh) under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) which costs INR 1351 crore.

 Under this scheme, AIIMS has been established in Bhubaneshwar, Bhopal, Raipur, Jodhpur, Rishikesh and Patna while work of AIIMS Rae Bareli is in progress.

International Current Affairs | Know What’s happening around the World

1. The ‘whistled language’ also known as ‘Bird Language’, spoken in Turkish village Kuskoy has entered the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

 It was once widespread across Black Sea region with over 400 words and phrases which is around 500 years old.

 It is used to communicate in the rugged terrain where it could otherwise be hard to communicate at a distance.

2. Iceland has become the first country in the world to legalize equal pay for men and women, charting a new history.

 Under the new law, companies and government agencies that employ at least 25 people will be fined if they can’t prove that they pay men and women equally.

 Iceland has been ranked by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as No. 1 in gender equality for the past nine years.

3. The US has placed Pakistan on a ‘Special Watch List’ for severe violations of religious freedom.

 It is the only country to be put on the newly-formed list.

 The Special Watch List is for countries that engage in or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom but may not rise to the level of the CPC.

4. UN Security Council added six more countries to its team and now it has 15 members.

 The new members of the council are Egypt, Italy, Japan, Senegal, Ukraine and Uruguay while the permanent members are Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

5. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates becomes first countries of Gulf Cooperation council (GCC) to introduce value-added tax (VAT), which has long prided itself on its tax-free.

 The 6 member of GCC, apart from above two countries are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar which also committed to introduc VAT.

 The rate for VAT is set at 5% on the majority of goods and services including petrol and diesel, food, clothes, utility bills and hotel rooms.

6. India and Pakistan have exchanged the list of nuclear weapons and facilities under the agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against the Nuclear installation between the two countries.

 The agreement came into forces on 27^th January 1991 states that the two countries inform each other about the nuclear installation and facilities on the first January of every calendar year.

 It is the 27^th consecutive exchange between the two countries. The first exchange had taken place on 1^st January 1992.

 

7. India has removed Pakistan from SAARC member countries list with which it will be connecting its state-of-art National Knowledge Network (NKN) for sharing a scientific database and remote access to advanced facilities.

 Six South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Shri Lanka.

 

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) | Get the Best Information Out of Top Agreements

1. Allahabad Bank has signed an agreement with National e-Governance Services Limited (NeSL) for utilizing the letter’s Information Utility Services Envisaged under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.

 NeSL is a government-owned first utility entity registered by Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India under IBBI (IU) Regulations, 2017.

2. Punjab National Bank comes ahead to sign a MoU with Principal Financial Group to sell its stake in the mutual fund joint venture for an undisclosed amount.

 Punjab National Bank had 21.38% stake in Principal PNB AMC.

 The deal will give Principle full ownership of the Principle -PNB asset management company and Principal Trustee Company in India.

3. The Union Cabinet of India has approved the signing and implementation of the MoU between Ministry of Road Transport & Highways and ‘Transport for London’ to improve Public Transport in India.

 It will go a long way in strengthening ties and promoting bilateral relations between India and United Kingdom.

 The MoU will help to improve the overall public transport system in the country, improve passenger services and promote the use of high capacity buses in India.

 

 

4. The Nabard and SBI Bank have jointly signed a MoU with NGOs from West Bengal for the financing of 2,500 Joint Liability Groups (JLGs), or informal credit group of farmers.

 The agreement was with five NGOs for promotion of JLGs in Purulia, Paschim Medinipur, Purba Medinipur, Burdwan and North 24 Parganas districts of the state.

 JLGs are credit groups of small and marginal farmers who do not have proper title to their farmland.

 

 

5. Fintech startup Nearby Technologies has tied up with Yes Bank to provide Aadhaar- enabled cardless and pinless ATM service by which customers can deposit or withdraw money at retailers’ place.

 Using the Pay NEARBY mobile application on a smartphone, a retailer can become an Aadhaar ATM/Aadhaar Bank branch for cash withdrawals and deposits by a customer

 Yes Bank and Nearby worked closely with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to launch this service.

 

6. The Union Cabinet has approved Agreement between India and Myanmar on Land Border Crossing. It is an enabling arrangement for movement of people across the border of both counties.

 The agreement is expected to provide connectivity and enhance interaction of people of North Eastern States of India with the people of Myanmar.

 

 

7. Three Ministries viz. Ministry of Railways, Ministry of HRD and Ministry of Science & Technology have signed MoU for joint funding of Technology Mission for Indian Railways (TMIR).

 The MoU aims to facilitate co-financing of TMIR by investment sharing identified railway projects for applied research.

Banking Awareness & Economics Current Affairs | Understand the Top Trends in India

1. Kolkata-based Bandhan Bank filed draft papers with the SEBI for its IPO to raise an estimated amount of over INR 2500 crore.

 It is assumed as the biggest banking sector IPO till date. The equity shares are proposed to be listed on the BSE and NSE.

2. According to an HSBC report, India’s GDP growth rate is expected to accelerate to 7.0% in 2018-19 from 6.5% in this fiscal.

 India’s growth rate is expected to improve further to 7.6% by 2019-20 as key sectors would revive from disruptions related to the implementation of GST and demonetization.

3. The Andhra Pradesh Grameena Vikas Bank (APGVB) has operationalized its first desktop ATM at Kasibugga in Mandi Bazar of Warangal.

 The mini-ATM will facilitate customers to withdraw small amounts.

 At the same time regular bank account holders can withdraw money and do other banking activities.

4. Paytm Payments Bank has partnered Induslnd Bank to introduce a facility to create a fixed deposit when the customer balance exceeds INR 1 lakh at the end of the day.

 Paytm Payments Bank customers can redeem their deposits instantly, anytime without paying any pre-closure or miscellaneous charges and can earn up to 6.85% annual interest.

 Additionally, if a customer becomes a senior citizen before the maturity period, the account will be auto-renewed under the senior citizen scheme.

5. HDFC Bank joins Rajasthan Government to develop and strengthen startup companies in the state.

 HDFC Bank will provide end-to-end solutions like current accounts, credit cards, and other solutions to startups under its Smart Up programme.

Bills [Amendments & New] – See How Many New Bills have been passed in 2017

1. The parliament has passed the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Amendment) Bill, 2017 with the approval of Rajya Sabha.

 The Bill seeks to amend NABARD Act 1981. According to the Bill, authorized capital will be raised to 30000 Crore from 5000 Crore in future.

 The Act establishes NABARD for providing and regulating facilities like credit for agricultural and industrial development in the rural areas.

 

 

2. Parliament has passed Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2017 after it was passed by both the houses.

 The Bill amends Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016 and replaces Ordinance promulgated in November 2017 to pave way for tightening loopholes in existing code and make resolution process more efficient.

 

 

3. Lok Sabha has passed The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment) Bill, 2017 to allow the government to take up infrastructure projects within prohibited areas around protected monuments.

 The Bill amends the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958.

 The Bill amends provision related construction in ‘prohibited areas’ in the parent bill to permit construction of public works in ‘prohibited areas’ for public purposes.

4. The Lok Sabha passed High Court and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill, 2017 to hike the salaries of judges of the Supreme Court (SC) and High Courts (HCs).

 The Bill seeks to amend HC Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Act, 1954; and SC Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Act, 1958.  These Acts regulate salaries and conditions of service of judges of HCs and SC.

 

Science & Technology Current Events | Stay Advanced with Latest Inventions

1. Researchers at Spain’s Universidad de Alicante have developed an application that can find people in the areas which do not have mobile signals.

 The app generates Wi-Fi signals, which contain user’s location. A portable receiver device is also developed that can detect the signals to find the user.

2. Pakistan is going to set up a new hydropower project of over 700 megawatts in PoK with the help of foreign financing at an estimated cost of USD 1.51 billion by 2022.

 It is located on Jhelum River in the Sudhanoti district of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and about 90 kilometers from Islamabad, which is named as Azad Pattan Hydropower Project (APHP).

 The project would be completed by 2022 for which the authorities have sought an import tariff at INR 8.05 per kilowatts.

3. NASA plans to launch Parker Solar Probe to explore Sun’s outer atmosphere in 2018. It will be on the occasion of 60^th anniversary of NASA.

 It is NASA’s planned robotic spacecraft to probe outer corona of Sun. It will be protected by solar shadow-shield made of the reinforced carbon-carbon composite.

 The spacecraft is designed to endure harsh environment near Sun, by approaching within 8.5 solar radii (5.9 million kilometers) to ‘surface’ (photosphere) of Sun where incident solar intensity is approximately 520 times intensity at Earth orbit.

4. State-owned gas utility GAIL India Ltd. has commissioned the country’s second-largest rooftop solar power plant in Uttar Pradesh.

 It is opened in a petrochemical complex at pata in Uttar Pradesh of capacity 5.76 MWp.

 The first largest rooftop solar power plant was set up in Punjab.

5. According to a new research, a quarter of the Earth’s surface will become much drier if global temperature averages increase by 2 degrees Celsius.

 The study led by Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in Schenzhen China and UEA. The current temperature of the earth is nearly 1.5 degree Celsius.

6. The Pakistan Navy successfully test-fired the indigenously developed ‘Harba’ naval cruiser missile after launching it from a newly commissioned fast attack vessel.

 The missile is capable of hitting its target from surface to surface and ground assaults.

7. The US-based scientists have developed hairy skin from mice skin in laboratory conditions, which could lead to treatments for skin disorder and cancers.

 According to the researchers, the skin organoids sprouted hair follicles within 20 days.

8. A new species of frog is discovered by scientists named Mewa Singh’s night frog (Nyctibatrachus mewasinghi) in Kozhikode’s Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala in the Western Ghats.

 It is the latest contribution to spurt in amphibian discoveries across India.

 The new night frog species is light brown in colour with an off-white underside.

Sports Current Affairs | Read all the Major Achievements in Popular Tournaments

Awards and Honours | Fetch the List of Top Awardees in Distinct Fields

Appointments Latest GK Updates | Upgrade Your Knowledge Cart with the List of Top Influencers

Important Days & Dates | Mark them to Boost up your General Knowledge

Recent Deaths of Famous Personalities | Know who died today?

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List of Important Abbreviations asked in General Awareness | IBPS, SSC, RRB Exams

Fill up your knowledge cart with the Important Abbreviations that are asked in General Awareness & Current Affairs section of the competitive exams like – IBPS, SSC & RRB. Below, we are presenting you a list of Top Abbreviations that were used in this article. Please check it out –