Current Affairs - April 13, 2018 Current Affairs

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has decided to scrap the quota system in government services after thousands of students marched across the country in protest against a controversial policy of setting aside jobs for special groups. The students began the protests against discriminatory quotas for government jobs, leaving scores of people injured at the Dhaka University.

Gujarat is to set up India's largest 5,000MW solar park in Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR). It will be established on 11,000 hectares of land along the Gulf of Khambhat in the Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR). The construction of this solar park will attract an investment of Rs 25,000 crore and provide employment for more than 20,000 people. Gujarat Power Corporation Ltd (GPCL), Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL) and Gujarat Electric Transmission Corporation (GETCO) along with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and the Central Transmission Unit (CTU) are involved in implementing the project. Gujarat state government has also planned to set up a 200MW wind park in DSIR. It would attract additional investment of Rs 1,400 crore.

Shooter Shreyasi Singh won the gold medal in women's double trap event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast. The bronze medal went to Scotland. She had won a Bronze medal at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon in the double trap team event. She won the silver medal in double trap event at the 2017 Commonwealth Shooting Championships.

The 2018 Asia Cup, that was earlier scheduled to be held in India, has now been moved out to the United Arab Emirates. The decision was taken following a meeting of the executive board of the Asian Cricket Council held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and the winner of Asia Cup qualifier will compete in the 50-overs format event.

Enveloping Assam's 'agri-business' by focusing on farmers income, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal directed to make farmers interests a priority. He advocated priority outlining and creation of adequate amenities for the farmers under the Assam Agri-business and Rural Transformation Project (APART). Reviewing APART, an agriculture department project, in a meeting in Guwahati, CM Sonowal asked the implementing agency to take into account the interests and priorities of the farmers.

The Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) launched the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System-1L, the eighth such satellite to be a part of a constellation. It was launched from the first launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. IRNSS-1L is expected to replace IRNSS-1A, the first of the seven navigation satellites that were rendered ineffective after its three rubidium atomic clocks failed. The seven satellites are part of the NavIC navigation satellite constellation.

Tejaswini Sawant has won silver medal in the finals of the women's 50m rifle prone at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. This is the sixth CWG medal for Tejaswini, following two golds in 2006 and a pair of silvers and a bronze in 2010. Anjum Moudgil, the other Indian to reach the women's 50m rifle prone finals, finished 16th.

Wrestler Bajrang Punia won his first Commonwealth Games gold medal, defeating Wales' Kane Charig by technical superiority in the men's freestyle 65 kg final in Gold Coast, Australia. This is India's fifth medal in wrestling in this edition, with Rahul Aware and Sushil Kumar registering gold wins earlier. Bajrang had won a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

SBI has set up 60 digital branches, called 'sbiINTOUCH', across the country. SBI has set up these branches in partnership with Dimension Data, a global technology integrator and managed services provider. The digital branches aim to help SBI expand its reach with increasing profitability. It will offer services like instant loan approvals, assistance in choosing investment portfolios.

The Cabinet approved the MoU between India and the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland on the return of Illegal Migrants. The MoU will facilitate the visa-free agreement for holders of diplomatic passports as well as liberalisation of UK visa regime for those who are travelling to the UK legally It will ensure the return of persons who have no lawful basis to be in the territory.

In the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, Indian wrestlers bagged 2 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze medal on the opening day of their competitions on April 12, 2018. Rahul Aware has won India's first wrestling gold medal by defeating Canada's Steven Takahashi in the men's freestyle 57 kg wrestling final by 15-7. This was the first CWG medal of his career after he was forced to miss the Glasgow games due to injury. Beside him, veteran Olympian Sushil Kumar clinched gold in the 74 kg category after winning his match by technical superiority against South Africa's Botha Johannes. In the Women's 53 kg category, Babita Kumari Phogat claimed the Silver after she lost to Canada's Diana Weicker, 2-5 in the final. Kiran clinched the Bronze in the 76 kg division following a stunning 10-0 win over Katouskia Pariadhaven of Mauritius.

Dr. Renu Swaroop, the renowned scientist, has been appointed the Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT). Swaroop, currently senior adviser in the same department, has been appointed to the post for a period of two years or until she attains 60 years of age. She succeeded Prof K Vijay Raghavan. After his retirement as DBT Secretary, Prof Raghavan has been appointed as the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India (GoI).

International Day of Human Space Flight & World Aviation and Cosmonautics Day was celebrated on April 12th in various places of the world. On 12th April 1961 Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union, performed the first manned flight to the space on a "Vostok-1" spaceship. Russia and some other former USSR countries celebrate 12th April as Cosmonautics Day since 1962.

India and Zambia signed four agreements as a part of Indian President Ram Nath Kovind's visit to three African countries. The four agreements on: 1. double taxation avoidance; 2. judicial cooperation; 3. mutual visa waivers for officials and diplomats; 4. the Entrepreneurship Development Institute that India will build in Zambia. This is the first visit to Zambia by an Indian president since 1989. Ram Nath Kovind also addressed the Zambia-India Business Forum. India has also offered Zambia medicines and medical equipment worth USD 3 million and has presented USD 100,000 for the Mahatma Gandhi School in Lusaka.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has installed the Massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology lab at the Bharti School of Telecommunication Technology and Management campus, which is likely to reduce effects of exposure and radiation compared to the 3G/4G systems. This will be the first-of-its-kind 5G radio laboratory in India that will be inaugurated on April 13, 2018. This 5G base station prototype will be used for developing a complete 5G base station, which can possibly lead to the manufacturing of 5G base stations in India with support/collaboration from the industry. It will also be instrumental in generating skilled manpower.

India's Sachin Chaudhary bagged a bronze medal in the Men's Heavyweight Para Powerlifting at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Nigeria got the gold medal and the silver medal was won by Malaysia. India's medals tally currently stands at 11 gold, 4 silver and 6 bronze for a third position on the table.

Shooter Ankur Mittal won a bronze medal in the men's double trap finals at the ongoing 21st Commonwealth Games. Ankur won the silver medal in the World Championships in Moscow 2017 and he also won silver and gold medal in the ISSF World Cup. India's tally at the Games has now increased to a total of 24, including 12 gold, four silver and eight bronze.