Current Affairs - January 31, 2018 Current Affairs

Dr Vinod Paul, Member of NITI Aayog, has been conferred the IhsanDogramaci Family Health Foundation Prize by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Dr Vinod Paul has become the first Indian to receive this award. He has been conferred this award for his contributions to the family health sector. The award will be presented to Dr Vinod Paul at the World Health Assembly in May 2018, in Geneva, Switzerland. Dr Vinod Paul has been recognized by WHO as a reputed researcher, clinician, educator and public health advocate in the newborn health sector. His book on paediatrics is considered the standard textbook for medical students in India and various foreign countries. He has played an important role in developing national child health guidelines and programmes in India.

The Indian Navy launched 'Karanj,' the third Scorpene class submarine. The submarine, constructed by shipbuilder Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) in Mumbai. The first of the six Scorpene-class submarines, Kalvari, was commissioned into the Indian Navy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month. He had called its induction a big step in the country's defense preparedness. On the occasion, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had called submarine building a sophisticated and exacting craft, which only a handful of countries possess in their industrial capacity.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has formed a committee to study the scope and definition of horticulture in Government of India and other states. The committee is headed by the chief secretary of Jammu Kashmir Bharat Bhushan Vyas. Members of the committee are: administrative secretary finance, administrative secretary planning and monitoring, administrative secretary horticulture. The committee will study the scope and definition of horticulture in Government of India and other states.

Private sector Axis Bank launched the fourth edition of 'Evolve' in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. It is an annual multi-city knowledge series for Bank's small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) customers. The current edition of 'evolve' is titled as "Transform your Family Business into your dream company". It will empower the SMEs to understand the winning strategies and best practices that have helped some of the leading family businesses in India grow into the reputable enterprise. This edition will span across 30 cities.

Vikram Singh Sisodia, the joint secretary of Indian Olympic Association (IOA), has been appointed the Chef-de-Mission for the 21st Commonwealth Games 2018, which is scheduled to be held in Gold Coast, Australia from April 4 to 15. Sisodia is also currently the president of Chhattisgarh State Tennis Association.

Google introduced a new app named "Bulletin" that allows anybody to submit stories for and about their communities. This is a free, lightweight app for telling a story by capturing photos, video clips and text right from your phone, published straight to the web. The app is made for contributing hyperlocal stories about your community. The application has been launched as a limited pilot project and is available in Nashville, Tennessee, and Oakland, California.

Malayalam actor Mohanlal and athlete P. T. Usha were awarded honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by Kerala Governor and Calicut University Chancellor P. Sathasivam, in Kozhikode, Kerala. It was announced four years earlier that, Mohanlal and P. T. Usha will be awarded honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt). Mohanlal is one of the top actors of the Malayalam film industry. P. T. Usha became the youngest Indian sprinter to participate in 1980 Moscow Olympics, when she was 16 years old. She now works for the Indian Railways. She also owns an institute named P. T. Usha School of Athletics.

The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeITY) has launched "Stree Swabhiman" initiative. The aim of the initiative is to create a sustainable model for providing adolescent girls and women an access to affordable sanitary products by leveraging Common Services Centres (CSCs). Under the 'Stree Swabhiman' project, sanitary napkin micro manufacturing units are being set up at CSCs across India, particularly those operated by women entrepreneurs. The initiative is driven by awareness and personalised outreach by women entrepreneurs who produce and market sanitary napkins themselves.

Sharath Kamal beat top-seeded Anthony Amalraj to win the men singles title for the eighth time, equalling the feat of Kamlesh Mehta in the 79th edition of the 11Even Sports Senior Nationals in Ranchi, Jharkhand. Suthirta Mukherjee from West Bengal emerged the new women champion, beating Hyderabad Nationals winner Manika Batra.

Environment Minister Harshvardhan launched a 2.8 PetaFlop capacity high-performance computer system 'Mihir' in Noida. The system will be able to predict weather and climate accurately. This will be helpful in addressing the various issues of agriculture operations and fishing in the country. The system will help the department in predicting severe climate-related calamities and warnings for fishermen. With the launch of the system, India has joined the elite 30 member group of countries which have this advanced technology.

Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi automakers alliance has overtaken Volkwagen as the world's biggest seller of light vehicles in 2017. During 2017, Nissan Motor Co's sales hit a record high of 5.82 million, Renault reported sales of 3.76 million and Mitsubishi's sales came in at 1.03 million. Together, the alliance posted a record breaking total of 10.61 million light vehicles sales in 2017. Volkswagen, the top seller of 2016, which also includes the Audi, Skoda, Seat and Porsche brands posted sales of 10.53 million light vehicles in 2017.

19th India International Watch and Clock Fair "Samaya Bharati 2018" was held in Mumbai, Maharashtra from January 25, 2018 to January 28, 2018. The fair was inaugurated by Amruta Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Vice President of Axis Bank. It was organised by India's leading watch and clock magazine "Trade Post" under the auspices of Watch Trade Federation. A range of watches, time pieces, clocks, and watch accessories were showcased at this fair. The fair served as a platform for manufacturers, retailers, exporters, importers, as well as individual watch lovers across India and from abroad, to meet, discuss, and explore new opportunities.

The National Handloom Expo (NHE) has been inaugurated by Assam Handloom and Textile Minister Ranjit Dutta at Guwahati, Assam on January 29, 2018. The event is sponsored by Development Commissioner of Handloom, Govt of India and organized by ARTFED. Total 130 stalls have been set up. 12 states are participating in the event, which will continue till 11 February.

Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic arm of IT company Infosys, announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation for a grant to create a child-friendly village for improving children's health, providing education and creating a non-violent environment. Kailash Satyarthi, the winner of Nobel Peace Prize 2014, is leading a global movement to end child slavery and exploitative child labour.

India ranked sixth in the list of wealthiest countries with the total wealth of 8,230 billion US dollars. The list was topped by the United States of America, according to a report by New World Wealth. He was the best-performing wealth market globally in 2017 as its total wealth swelled from 6,584 billion dollars in 2016 to 8,230 billion dollars in 2017, registering a 25% growth.

Jai Ram Thakur, the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, has launched the 'Shakti' app to ensure safety and protection of women in the state. The app was developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) of the Himachal Pradesh government. It would be available in both Hindi and English languages and would not require internet connectivity. The app, once triggered, would automatically send a message to the nearest police control room and start recording audio and video after 20 seconds. The state government has also launched the 'GUDDIYA' helpline number 1515 and the 'Hoshiyar Singh' helpline number 1090. The app and the helpline were part of an initiative to fight crimes against women in the state. The 'Hoshiyar Singh' helpline would be monitored by the CM's office in a 24x7 basis, and the government would use information gathered on this helpline to come down heavily on the drug, forest and mining mafias.