Hello and welcome to exampundit. Here are the important Daily Current Affairs 13 August 2018. These are important for the upcoming IBPS PO, NIACL Assistant, RBI Grade B and IBPS RRB 2018 Exams.
Daily Current Affairs 13 August 2018
Index
Ease of Living Index 2018 released: Pune tops; Delhi at 65
- The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri on August 13, 2018 announced the Top 10 cities rankings on Ease of Living Index 2018.
- Among the top 116 cities of the country, Kolkata was the only city which refused to participate in the survey.
- Pune emerged as the top-ranked city in the Ease of Living Index.
- Maharashtra’s Pune, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai rounded the top three of Ease of Living Index 2018, while Thane was ranked at the 6th spot.
- The national capital New Delhi was placed at a 65th spot.
- Tamil Nadu’s Chennai was ranked at the 14th place.
- The bottom 3 cities in the list are Rampur, Kohima and Patna.
SBI ranked as India’s most patriotic brand in survey; Tata Motors, Patanjali follows
- Country’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) is considered to be the most patriotic brand, according to a survey, followed by Tata Motors, Patanjali, Reliance Jio and BSNL.
- Around 16 per cent respondents ranked SBI to be the most patriotic brand overall, followed by Tata Motors and Patanjali with 8 per cent each, and Reliance Jio and BSNL with 6 per cent each, the survey conducted by UK-based online market research and data analytics firm YouGov said.
- In terms of sectors, the financial sector topped the chart of the most patriotic brands with two leading names – SBI and Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) – followed by auto, consumer goods, food and telecom sectors.
- The survey, which covered 152 brands across 11 categories, is based on data collected online by YouGov Omnibus among 1,193 respondents in the country between August 2 and August 8 using its panel of an online representation of India.
India and states
Forest department, ISRO to ink MoU for faster fire alerts
- In the aftermath of Kurangani forest fire in March, which claimed more than 20 lives, State forest department will enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) to get faster fire alerts.
- The MoU is likely to be formalised in a few days. The agreement will reduce the time-lag in communication during emergencies such as forest fires. A top forest official told Express that terms and conditions have been finalised and signed by RK Upadhyay, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and sent to NRSC to complete the agreement.
- Currently, NRSC sends information on forest fires plotted on satellite-based maps to Forest Survey of India (FSI), which will decode it and send it to the forest department via e-mail and SMSs.
Nagaland CM launches electronic window for better monitoring
- With a view to ensure proper monitoring of all government schemes in a transparent manner, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio today launched “CM Dashboard”, an electronic window.
- The CM Dashboard (www.nl.cmdashboard.nic.in) is an electronic window which gives a comprehensive view of various e-Governance projects and schemes running in the state.
- It provides information about some important measurable parameters or progress called KPIS (Key Performance Indicator).
- The system will enable the Chief Minister to assess the performance of the projects on the click of a button and take immediate actionable decisions with regard to the projects or schemes.
Civil Aviation Ministry approves proposal for setting up water aerodromes
- Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu on August 11, 2018 approved a proposal for setting up water aerodromes in the country.
- The approval comes after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued regulations in June 2018, prescribing procedures and requirement for licensing of water aerodromes.
- Under the proposal, water aerodrome would be set up near locations of tourist and religious importance.
- An entity seeking to set up a water aerodrome has to take approvals from various authorities, including the Ministries of Defence, Home, Environment and Forests, and Shipping.
- Initially, a provisional license shall be issued for a period of six months during which, the implementation of the water aerodrome operation will be monitored.
- A water aerodrome is an area of open water that can be used by seaplanes or amphibious planes for landing and taking-off.
Chandrayaan-2 to be launched in January-March window in 2019
- India’s second moon mission Chandrayaan-2 will now be launched in the January-March window in 2019 instead of later in 2018.
- The main reason for postponing the launch is a change in design, which will enable the spacecraft to land on the lunar surface.
- ISRO scientists noticed during experiments that after the moon lander was ejected, the satellite would shake. So they decided that the design modification was required for landing and mass has to be increased.
Free sex change operations: Kerala
- The Kerala government will foot the bill for transgenders willing to undergo sex change operations, CM Pinarayi Vijayan has announced.
- An amount worth Rs 2 lakh will be reimbursed as hospital expenses, while those who have already undergone such surgeries can also apply for reimbursement.
- Earlier, Tamil Nadu had announced free sex change surgeries in government hospitals for transgenders.
Finance
Government unlocks green fund worth over Rs 66000 crore to increase country’s forest cover
- The Union Government has unlocked green funds worth over Rs 66,000 crore to increase the country’s forest cover.
- The fund is an accumulated amount of money, which user agencies have been depositing as compensation for diverting forest land for non-forest purposes, including industries and infrastructure, since the past 10 years.
- The government has finally notified the rules for utilisation of the money by states and Union Territories and for setting up of authorities to monitor its use for afforestation and conservation.
- The rules were framed two years after a law to this effect was enacted. However, they were notified on August 10, 2018.
- The rules specify that 80 per cent of the green fund will be utilised by the states for green activities listed under 13 permissible activities.
- The activities include plantation, assisted natural regeneration of forests, forest fire prevention, pest and disease control in forest, soil and moisture conservation works and improvement of wildlife habitat among others.
World
US to create Space Force by 2020
- The US Defence Department will create a Space Force as the sixth branch of the military by 2020, Vice President Mike Pence announced.
- Advancements in space technology made it clear that space is the new battlefield for the 21st Century, Pence said.
Pakistan releases 30 Indian prisoners as a goodwill gesture
- Pakistan on August 13, 2018 released 30 Indian prisoners as a goodwill gesture. The prisoners, including 27 fishermen, were handed over to Indian officials at Wagah border.
- The decision to release the prisoners was a humanitarian gesture to mark the nation’s Independence Day on August 14.
- According to a government report submitted before the country’s Supreme Court last month, over 470 Indians, including 418 fishermen, are in Pakistani jails.
Iran unveils new short-range ballistic missile
- Iran’s Defence Minister unveiled the next generation of Tehran’s Fateh Mobin short-range ballistic missile on August 13, 2018.
- The minister, Brigadier General Amir Hatami, described the new version of the Fateh Mobin as 100-percent domestically made, agile, stealth, tactical and precision-guided.
Appointments
Justice Manjula Chellur appointed Chairperson of Appellate Tribunal for Electricity
- Former Chief Justice of Bombay High Court, Justice Manjula Chellur was appointed as the Chairperson of the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) on August 13, 2018. She has been appointed for a period of 3 years or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
- The Tribunal’s judicial member Justice KN Patil and technical members SD Dubey, IJ Kapoor and BN Talukdar were present on the occasion. Tribunal Bar Association President MG Ramachandran was also present and he assured the bench full cooperation of the bar members in day to day business. A large number of advocates and other eminent guests were also present at the function.
Justice VK Tahilramani sworn-in as Chief Justice of Madras High Court
- Justice Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani was on August 12, 2018 sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court by Governor Banwarilal Purohit at a ceremony at the Raj Bhavan, Tamil Nadu.
- The swearing-in ceremony also saw the presence of Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Justice Indira Banerjee.
- Justice Tahilramani will be taking over from Acting Chief Justice Huluvadi G Ramesh, who was tasked to serve the High Court after the elevation of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee as the Supreme Court judge.
Days
International Youth Day observed
- International Youth Day was observed on 12 August, 2018.
- The theme of 2018 was “Safe Spaces for Youth”.
Obituaries
Somnath Chatterjee, former Lok Sabha Speaker, passes away
- Former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee passed away on August 13, 2018 morning after suffering a heart attack at a hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal. He was 89. He is survived by a son Pratap Chatterjee and two daughters Anuradha and Anushila.
- The 10-time parliamentarian was suffering from a kidney-related ailment; and had been in and out of hospital for the last two months. In July 2018, Chatterjee had suffered a hemorrhagic stroke.
- It was during Chatterjee’s term as the Speaker of the 14th Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009 that DD Lok Sabha was replaced by Lok Sabha TV, a move that was recognised for increasing transparency of Parliament.
- During his tenure as the Speaker, he discontinued the practice of paying for toiletries and tea from the national exchequer.
- He had made immense contributions towards West Bengal’s transition by stimulating private investment to increase employment opportunities and overall development in the state.
Click below to download the PDF of Today’s Current Affairs 13 August 2018
Regards
Team Exampundit
