Current Affairs - February 3, 2018 Current Affairs

B A Chopade has been appointed the new vice-chancellor of Banaras Hindu University (BHU). He is at present the vice-chancellor of Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University. President Ram Nath Kovind, who is the Visitor to the university, approved Chopade's appointment recently. The post was lying vacant after Girish Chandra Tripathi went on leave following the ruckus on campus in September 2017. Chopade will take charge from BHU Registrar Neeraj Tripathi, who had been holding the additional charge of the top post since October 2017.

The five-time World Champion MC Mary Kom claimed the gold medal in the India Open International Boxing tournament at Thyagraj Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. She defeated Josie Gabuco from the Philippines in a split 4-1 decision to grab the gold in the women's 48kg weight category. The 12th seeded boxer had earlier booked her place in the finals after defeating Mongolian Altansetseg Lutsaikhan in the semi-final clash. Pinki Rani also fetched gold for India after defeating Mongolia's Jargalan Ochirbat in the final of fly (48-51 kg) category.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now come up with a special gift for the youngsters, especially the students in the country. He has penned a book for all the students that will help them deal with the stress and anxiety they face during the examination season. It is Titled 'Exam Warriors', the book is a first-of-its-kind initiative by a serving Prime Minister, according to reports.

India's leading squash player, Saurav Ghosal jumped five places to No. 14 to become the highest ranked Indian in the latest Professional Squash Association (PSA) rankings. Ghosal beat Joshna Chinappa who slipped three places to No. 17 while Dipika Pallikal Karthik remained on 20. Former Indian national champion Harinder Pal Sandhu was placed at 49th.

Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) and Joint Stock Company United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), Russia have signed an MoU to collaborate and engage in Design, Development and Execution of contemporary, State-of-Art vessels for Inland and Coastal Waterways. The MoU will give a push to the Government's Make-in-India programme, as also its plans to develop eco-friendly and economic transportation along India's inland waterways and coastal shipping routes under SAGARMALA.

Shabnam Asthana was awarded the 'Times Power Women of the Year 2017'- Pune for Global PR. The Times Group celebrated the invaluable contribution of women by introducing The Times Power Woman 2017 (Pune) awards. These awards focused on the women of Pune and the prestigious list included 34 select women with power, supremacy, command, and control. The award was conferred on her by Dilip Kamble, Minister of State for Social Justice and Special Assistance in the Government of Maharashtra.

mCURA, a Health-tech startup, launched 'Smart OPD', India's first integrated mobility platform that reduces waiting time in counters and provides e-prescriptions. 'Smart OPD' helps patients to escape long queues at admission and billing counters, labs, pharmacies and hospitals. Labs, pharmacy, doctors and patients are integrated through the mobile platform. By carrying the 'Smart OPD' card, patients can experience fast and smooth movement in the hospitals. Patients can avail Near-field communication (NFC) based "Tap and Pay" card (registration plus cash card) at the registration counter. They will be instructed to download the patient app. This app contains medical records, medical bills, payment transactions, etc.

Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe, has been named the Vice Chairman of US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) Board. Shantanu Narayen is an Indian-American. USISPF was formed to improve trade ties between India and the US. Now the USISPF Board has 31 board members. Other members who have joined the USISPF Board recently are: Ajay Singh, chairman and managing director of Spice Jet Limited and John Kern, senior vice president of Supply Chain Operations at Cisco.

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) named Vikram Singh Sisodia as the Chef-de-Mission for Commonwealth Games (CWG) that will be held in Gold Coast, Australia from April 4 to 15, 2018. Vikram Singh Sisodia is currently the joint secretary of Indian Olympic Association (IOA). He is also the president of Chhattisgarh State Tennis Association. IOA has also appointed three team managers: Namdev Shirgaonkar, Modern Pentathlon Federation of India General Secretary; Ajay Naarang, Asian Sailing Federation official and V A Shiyad, Andaman and Nicobar Olympic Association Secretary General.

United Arab Emirates opens world's longest zip line. The world's longest zip line, measuring 2.83 kilometres in length opened in Ras Al Khaimah, the smallest state of United Arab Emirates. This 2.83km zip line allows thrill seekers to jump from the peak of Jebel Jais, UAE's highest mountain. It created a Guinness World Record for world's longest zip line.

Lt. Gen Anil Chauhan, who has vast experience in counter-insurgency operations, has taken charge as the new Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the Indian Army. As DGMO, Lt Gen Chouhan will oversee various operations of the Indian Army including along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir. He succeeded Lt General A K Bhatt, who has taken charge of the 47th Corps Commander of Srinagar-based 15 Corps (also called the Chinar Corps) of the Indian Army.

The first two-day Global Investment Summit has been organized in Assam. The summit emphasizes on promoting investments in the state and the North East. The conference was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Businessmen like Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani are taking part in the Summit. Investor's from Bhutan, Bangladesh, Germany, and Japan as well as ASEAN countries will attend the summit.

India will have the world's largest healthcare programme for half a billion of its poorest citizens. The plan was soon dubbed "NaMoCare" by BJP president Amit Shah and "ModiCare" by many online. The government's new national health protection scheme will cover 10 crore poor and vulnerable families. Each family would be entitled to up to Rs. 5 lakh every year.

The 2nd edition of the Nobel Prize Series - India 2018 was inaugurated in Panaji, Goa on February 1, 2018. The theme of Nobel Prize Series - India 2018 is "Science Impacts Lives". The event is jointly organized by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, India along with the Government of Goa and Nobel Media AB. The purpose of the 2-day programme is to stimulate engagement in science, literature and peace through interactions with Nobel laureates. Such interactions include lectures, round table discussions and meetings between Nobel laureates and experts, teachers and students. The 1st edition of Nobel Prize Series-India was held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat in January 2017.

Four major rivers, including Jhelum and Chenab, in Jammu and Kashmir have been declared "national waterways". It paved the way for inland navigation on them to boost water transport and tourism. The Union government has declared four rivers namely Chenab, Indus, Jhelum and Ravi as national waterways, which would be developed in a phased manner.

The 32nd Surajkund International Crafts Mela 2018 has started at Faridabad, Haryana on February 2, 2018. The Mela is organized by the Surajkund Mela Authority and Haryana Tourism in collaboration with Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture and External Affairs. This year, Uttar Pradesh is the theme state and Kyrgyzstan is the Partner Nation. The 17-day cultural extravaganza will see a spectacular showcase of regional and international crafts, handlooms, traditions along with some mouth-watering multi-cuisine food for the visitors. Representing the ethos of rural India, the Mela celebrates the unique diversity of Indian traditions and culture.