Current Affairs - June 7, 2018 Current Affairs

On 6th to 9th June 2018, the closing ceremony of the 31st edition of the India - Indonesia Coordinated Patrol (IND-INDO CORPAT) is held in Belawan, Indonesia. INS Kulish, a Kora class Missile Corvette commanded by Commander Deepak Bali and one Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft of the Andaman and Nicobar Command reached Belawan on 6th June 2018 for the closing ceremony. During the stay in harbour, activities like official calls, formal reception on board ship, sporting fixture, ship open to visitors and professional interaction between naval personnel of both the countries have been planned.

The IBSA Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held in Pretoria, South Africa on June 4, 2018. The External Affairs Minister of the Republic of India, Sushma Swaraj chaired the IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) ministerial meet and hold talks on how to deepen coordination among the three countries on major global issues. On this occasion, Ministers adopted and jointly released the IBSA Declaration on South-South Cooperation, to contribute to greater understanding of development cooperation as a common endeavor of the Global South.

Raksha Mantri Nirmala Sitharaman flagged-in the expedition team to Mt. Everest conducted successfully by National Institute for Mountaineering & Allied Sports (NIMAS), Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh in New Delhi. Sitharaman congratulated the team led by Director and Team Leader Col Sarfraz Singh for their remarkable achievement. It is for the first time that any National Institute expedition team has put eight members on the top of Mt.Everest in their maiden attempt. The expedition started from South Ridge of Mt Everest from Nepal side on 02 April 2018 from Lukla to Everest Base camp via Namche. The team scaled Mt.Lobuche in Nepal on 20 April 2018 as part of acclimatization and final conditioning training.

The World Bank has approved Rs.6000 crore for Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY), a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation. The scheme is to be implemented over a period of five years from 2018-19 to 2022-23, with World Bank assistance. The ABHY has been formulated by the Ministry to address the criticality of ground water resources in a major part of the country. The scheme proposal has already been recommended by the Expenditure Finance Committee and the Ministry will be seeking Cabinet approval for the project shortly. The purpose of the scheme is to improve ground water management in priority areas in the country through community participation. The priority areas identified under the scheme fall in Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Researchers at IISc Bangalore have developed a 'LifeBox' that can extend the preservation time of organs, specifically the heart, and allows for increased travel time and distances. Researchers said that transport of organs using drones could cut down the transportation time by at least 50% compared to green corridors. The technology was used to transport a payload for 10 km.

India has registered a significant decline in Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) recording a 22-percent reduction in such deaths since 2013. According to the Sample Registration System bulletin, the MMR has declined from 167 in 2011-2013 to 130 in 2014-2016. According to Health Ministry, every day 30 more pregnant women are now being saved in India as compared to 2013.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated a web portal named Continuous Medical Education (CME) to offer information and suggestions related to exact treatment received by patients for various health issues.

Omar Razzaz, a Harvard-educated former senior World Bank official, has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of Jordan by King Abdullah II. He succeeded Hani Mulki, who recently resigned as a result of widespread protests against his government's austerity program. Prior to this post, Razzaz served as education minister in the outgoing Mulki government.

The eleventh edition of Geo-Intelligence Asia 2018 was held at Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi on June 4-5, 2018. The annual event was organized by GeoSpatial Media and Communication in collaboration with Directorate General of Information System as Knowledge Partners and Military Survey as co-organisers. The seminar brought together military, security officials including BSF and police forces, government and industry together to assess the latest technology solutions and discuss and deliberate on the critical role of geospatial technology for safety and security. The seminar included an exhibition comprising stalls of various technological firms dealing with geospatial technologies.

The Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Early Childhood Development (ECD) and Third Asia- Pacific Regional Policy Forum on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) have started in Kathmandu, Nepal on June 5, 2018. The 3 day event is hosted by the Government of Nepal (Ministry of Education, Science and Technology). Policy markers, government officials, development professional, researchers and representatives from various organisations working in early childhood development, care and education from 40 countries including India are participating in the conference.

Bank of Baroda increased its Marginal Cost-Based Lending Rate (MCLR) by 5 basis points. This would come into effect from June 7,2018. Other banks that have recently raised their MCLR rates are : SBI by 10 basis points, Punjab National Bank by 5-10 basis points, Union Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank.

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry and Prasar Bharati, which runs Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR), have inked an MoU required for the release of financial allocation. The MoU was signed in the last week of May. Autonomous bodies getting grants-in-aid from the government are required to sign a MoU with the ministry concerned for the release of the financial allocations.

On the occasion of World Environment Day, the Haryana government has banned single-use water bottles in all government offices in the state. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that a five-point programme would be implemented for maintaining ecological balance in Haryana. It will include plantation of 20 lakh saplings and using LED bulbs.

The Election Commission of India launched it's online RTI Portal. The portal - rti.eci.nic.in will facilitate applicants seeking information under the Right to Information Act. The portal also facilitates online reply to applications and also for making first appeal and reply thereto.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development conducted a day-long National Consultation on Child Protection in New Delhi. The objective of this event is to obtain information and expertise from all related stakeholders on crime against children. Secretary in Women and Child Development Ministry, Rakesh Srivastva said that, various measures have been taken to ensure that children grow in a violence free environment.

Saudi Arabia has temporarily banned processed and frozen fruit and vegetable imports from Kerala amid concerns over Nipah virus outbreak. On May 29, the United Arab Emirates also banned imports from Kerala and had earlier asked its citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to Kerala.

IDFC Bank received RBI's approval for merger of Capital First, Capital First Home Finance and Capital First Securities with the company. IDFC Bank received RBI's approval for merger of Capital First, Capital First Home Finance and Capital First Securities with the company. IDFC Bank received RBI's approval for merger of Capital First, Capital First Home Finance and Capital First Securities with the company.