Current Affairs - June 10, 2018 Current Affairs

India and China have decided to set up a new "people to people mechanism" to build on the momentum in bilateral ties from the Wuhan Summit. The decision to step up people to people contacts was announced by Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale. It will be headed on the Indian side by the External Affairs Minister and on the Chinese side by the State Council and Foreign Minster.

India's first indigenous, long-range artillery gun 'Dhanush' has cleared its final test and is ready to be inducted into the Indian Army. Earlier this month, fifty rounds of shells each were fired from six Dhanush guns, which are reportedly called 'desi Bofors'. The gun also passed the tests in cold, humid, and hot conditions.

Eight States and four Union Territories have signed MoUs with the Union Health Ministry to implement the government's ambitious national health protection mission - Ayushman Bharat. Ayushman Bharat aims to provide a cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family annually to 10 crore vulnerable families. The scheme will be available at the point of service in public and private empanelled hospitals.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the revision in the wage structure and allowances of Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) of the Department of Posts. The revision in the wage structure would entail an estimated expenditure of Rs 1257.75 crore (Non-recurring expenditure - Rs 860.95 crore and Recurring expenditure of Rs.396.80 crore) during 2018-19. The Time-Related Continuity Allowance (TRCA) structure and slabs have been rationalized. The total GDSs have been brought under two categories viz. Branch Postmasters (BPMs) and other than Branch Postmasters namely Assistant Branch Postmaster (ABPMs).

The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to do away with semester system in undergraduate (UG) courses and revert to annual examination system. HP Govt had set up a review committee headed by former vice-chancellor to review RUSA (Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan) and it has recommended reverting back to annual examination system. The RUSA was introduced in the state in 2013.

Madhu Seth is Counsellor in the High Commission of India, London, at present. She has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Cuba. She will take up the new assignment.

Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal announced setting up of a committee to give recommendations on formation of an Asset Reconstruction Company. The committe will give recommendations in two weeks for faster resolution of stressed accounts. The committee will be formed under Sunil Mehta, non-executive chairman of Punjab National Bank.

Varanasi's Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport will become India's first airport to have an automated smart facial recognition system at its entry, security and boarding points. The initiative, which is part of the DigiYatra scheme, will ensure quicker entry into airports by facilitating automated check-ins. It will be functional within the next 4 months as per Airport Director AK Rai.

Virat Kohli's statue was crafted using more than 200 measurements and photographs obtained during the sitting session. Virat Kohli's statue features him in a dynamic pose, with the Indian cricket team jersey. Wax statues of other sport legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, and Lionel Messi are also present in Madame Tussauds.

India and Pakistan will take part in a joint military exercise for the first time, courtesy the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. The exercise, which is aimed at countering terrorism and will be conducted in Ural region of Russia. Member states of the SCO will participate in the joint military drill 'Peace Mission 2018' to promote mutual trust, cooperation and coordination against terrorist.

Rudrendra Tandon is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officer of 1994 batch. He is currently Joint Secretary at Headquarters. He has been appointed as next Ambassador of India to ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Indonesia was elected a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for a two-year term. Maldives and Indonesia had contested for a seat in the UNSC. Indonesia won the seat after securing 144 votes against 46 for the Maldives. The other newly elected non-permanent members of UNSC are Germany, Belgium, Dominican Republic and South Africa.

India and China signed two bilateral agreements following the meeting between the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit. The agreements include continuing to share Brahmaputra water data during flood season and exporting non-Basmati rice to China. The two countries have set a trade target of 100 billion dollars by 2020. During the hour-long meeting between Mr Modi and Mr Xi, both countries agreed on several initiatives to take forward the spirit of Wuhan Informal Summit.

The government has constituted a group, headed by Bharat Forge Chairman Baba Kalyani, to study the special economic zones (SEZ) policy of India. The SEZ Policy was implemented from 1st April 2000. The Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 was passed by Parliament in May, 2005. It received Presidential assent on 23rd June 2005 and the Special Economic Zone Act was enacted. The group that has been formed will evaluate the SEZ policy. It will suggest measures to cater to the needs of exporters according to the current economic condition.

Indian and Denmark signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the field of Sustainable and Smart Urban Development. The MoU will create employment in the areas of integrated solid waste management including waste to energy, sustainable transport systems, water and sanitation management, energy efficiency, resource mobilization. The objective of this MoU is to promote bilateral cooperation in the field of sustainable and smart urban development on the basis of reciprocity and mutual benefit through the exchange of knowledge, institutional cooperation, research and development and commercial relations on related issues.