Daily Current Affairs 30 April 2018

Hello and welcome to exampundit. Here are the Daily Current Affairs 30 April 2018. These are important for the upcoming SBI Clerk, SBI PO & Dena Bank Examination

Daily Current Affairs 30 April 2018
Daily Current Affairs 30 April 2018 – Featured

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Finance and Banking

Google ranked as most trusted Internet brand in India: Report

  • Online search engine Google is the most trusted Internet brand in India, followed by Facebook, a report said on Wednesday.
  • “With 1.2 trillion searches per year, it (Google) has become the first port of call for all things on the Internet,” the TRA Brand Trust Report 2018 said here.
  • It further said: “Facebook, ranked second in the list, has been steadily climbing the trust ladder over the years (ranked seventh in 2015, fourth in 2016 and third in 2017 BTR reports).”
  • The survey, however, was carried out during November 2017-January 2018 and did not take into account the recent reports of data breach and privacy involving Facebook, said N. Chandramouli, CEO, TRA Advisory.
  • He further said the impact of privacy concerns are likely to affect Facebook’s ranking in the next survey.

Govt. Launches Pilot Scheme Procurement Of Aggregate Power Of 2500 MW For Three Years

  • The Government kicks off a Pilot Scheme for Procurement of Aggregate Power of 2500 MW on competitive basis for 3 (three) years under medium term i.e. from generators with commissioned projects but without Power Purchase Agreement. The Ministry of Power had recently issued the model bid documents, model PAPP and PPSA on 6th April, 2018. The Guidelines for the said scheme were issued on 10th April, 2018.
  • PFC Consulting Limited (A wholly owned subsidiary of PFC Ltd) has been appointed as Nodal Agency and PTC India Limited as the Aggregator.
  • PTC India would sign three-year (mid-term) Agreement for Procurement of Power with successful bidders and Power Supply Agreement with the Discoms.
  • Under the scheme a single entity can be allotted maximum capacity of 600 MW. The Scheme assures a minimum off-take of 55 per cent of contracted capacity. The Tariff will be fixed for three years without any escalation.

Odisha inks MoU for milk plant with NDDB

  • The Odisha State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation (OMFED) on Saturday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) for setting up a five lakh litre per day capacity modernised dairy plant.
  • The MoU was signed in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at a function organised at Jaydev Bhawan here to celebrate World Veterinary Day. Addressing the function, the Chief Minister said, “Livestock sector plays a significant role in improving the livelihood, food security and safety of people. Contribution of livestock inspectors towards providing livestock treatment services is praiseworthy.” The Chief Minister handed over appointment letters to 87 livestock inspectors on the occasion.
  • The dairy plant will be established on 51 acres of land at Arilo village under Baranga tehsil in Cuttack district with an investment of `244.34 crore funded by Odisha Government and NABARD. The project shall be commissioned within 33 months and executed by NDDB on a turnkey basis.Agriculture Minister Pradip Maharathy, MP Prasanna Patsani, MLA Priyadarshi Mishra, Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi and other government officials were present.

India and Nepal agree to review bilateral trade treaty by July 2018

  • India and Nepal in last week of April 2018 agreed to review their bilateral trade treaty by July 2018. The decision was taken during a meeting of India-Nepal Inter-Government Committee (IGC) on Trade, Transit and Cooperation to Control Unauthorised Trade in Kathmandu.
  • Both countries agreed to initiate a comprehensive review of the treaty by July 2018. The treaty was last revised in 2009.
  • Both the sides also discussed amendments to the bilateral Treaty of Transit signed in 1999 to further facilitate movement of Nepal’s trade with third countries.
  • The two countries also agreed on synchronising development of border trade infrastructure to ensure timely utilization of investment in border infrastructure, as most of the bilateral trade takes place through land customs stations across the border between India and Nepal.

India

Google ties up with CBSE for results, exam-related info

  • Tech giant Google said on Monday it has collaborated with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to allow students check their results on its platform.
  • “Starting today with the JEE Main exam results, the CBSE is enabling students to look up exam results directly on the Google Search page,” Google said in a statement. “This will help students quickly, securely, and seamlessly locate their exam score on their smartphone or desktop.”
  • The statement said Google had worked closely with CBSE to “ensure that the data is handled securely and used solely for the purpose of showing the results on Google, and only for the duration that this feature is live”.
  • Besides, Google has also introduced additional features making it easier for students to see information like test dates, registration dates, important links, and other key information right within Google Search when they search for exams like GATE, SSC CGL, CAT and others.

Tejas carries out successful test firing of BVR missile

  • In a major milestone, indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas has successfully fired an air-to-air beyond visual (BVR) range missile, demonstrating its overall capability as an effective combat jet, and inched closer to receive final operational clearance.
  • Defence Ministry officials said the test firing of the missile from a Tejas jet was carried out yesterday off the Goa coast and it met all operational requirements.
  • Earlier, Tejas was given clearance for deployment of armaments and other missiles.
  • The Indian Air Force (IAF) had ordered 40 Tejas Mark-1 version and a request for proposal (RFP) was issued to HAL by the IAF in December for procurement of another batch of 83 Tejas at a cost of around Rs 50,000 crore.
  • Officials said the successful launch of the BVR missile will expedite issuance of the Final Operational Clearance (FOC) to the aircraft developed by state-run aerospace company Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Dalmia Bharat Group adopts Red Fort under Adopt a Heritage Scheme

  • Dalmia Bharat Group has become the first corporate house to adopt a historical monument in India.
  • The private entity has adopted the Red Fort under the central government’s Adopt a Heritage Scheme.
  • The Adopt a Heritage Scheme was launched in September 2017 to allow public and private sector corporations to adopt most of India’s top heritage sites.

Ayushman Bharat Diwas being celebrated as part of Gram Swaraj Abhiyan

  • As part of Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, Ayushman Bharat Diwas was celebrated across the country on April 30, 2018.
  • During the event, information regarding Ayushman Bharat Scheme is being provided to people during health camps organised in rural areas.
  • The Ayushman Bharat programme seeks to provide easily available and affordable medical facilities in the remote parts of the country. The Scheme has the benefits cover of 5 lakh rupees per family per year.

Delhi’s Lt Governor inaugurates Centre for Sight Institute at Dwarka

  • Delhi’s Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Monday inaugurated the Centre for Sight Institute at Dwarka here which is said to be the country’s largest state-of-the-art single specialty private eye hospital designed to cater to North India.
  • Set up by noted ophthalmologist Mahipal Sachdeva, the six-floor hospital is spread over an area of 90,000 square feet, and has 20 consultation chambers, 17 examination centres and nine state-of-the-art and technologically advanced modular operation theatres.
  • It will have a 24×7 days eye casualty.
  • Among those present at the event were Union Minister of State (Independent) for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Puri , Delhi’s Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash, the Centre’s CEO Alka Sachdeva, reputed medical practitioners and former bureaucrats.

In a first, India and Pakistan will jointly take part in SCO war games

  • In a first, India and Pakistan will jointly take part in ‘Peace Mission-2018’, a multi-nation counter-terror war game, under the aegis of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Russia in August 2018.
  • Peace Mission-2018 will also see the participation of China, Russia and other SCO countries. The exercise will be held in the Chelyabinsk region of Russia from August 22 to August 29, 2018.
  • Though, troops from India and Pakistan have worked together in UN missions and operations, Indian soldiers have never actively participated in a multilateral exercise that included Pakistan in the past.
  • India’s participation in the exercise was confirmed by Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
  • Peace Mission-2018 will be conducted under the framework of the SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), which is headquartered in Tashkent (Uzbekistan).

All villages in India are now electrified: PM Narendra Modi

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 29, 2018 announced that April 28 will be remembered as a historic day in the development journey of India as on this day, every single village of India was electrified.
  • The achievement came several days before the deadline set by PM Modi, which was May 10, 2018, for achieving the electrification of all un-electrified villages.
  • Leisang, a village in central Manipur’s Senapati district, was the last one to receive electricity on April 29, 2018 under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY).
  • Out of 18,452 villages that were without electricity in 2015, 17,181 have been electrified. The others are either uninhabited or classified as grazing reserves.
  • Despite such momentous achievement, almost 32 million homes are still not electrified as the government considers a village electrified, if it has basic electrical infrastructure; and 10 percent of its households and public places including schools, local administrative offices and health centres have power.

PHDCCI, Indian Yoga Association sign MoU to promote cultural tourism in Krishna Circuit

  • The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) and Indian Yoga Association (IYA) have signed MoU to facilitate interaction and cooperation between two organisations to promote wellness, spiritual and cultural tourism in Krishna Circuit.
  • Government is trying to promote Krishna circuit as major tourist attraction under Swadesh Darshan Scheme.
  • It is named after Lord Krishna and is centered on him.

Awards & Honors

Gujarati poet Sitanshu Yashaschandra chosen for 2017 Saraswati Samman

  • Renowned Gujarati poet Sitanshu Yashaschandra was on April 28, 2018 chosen for the 2017 Saraswati Samman for his collection of verses (poetry) titled ‘Vakhar’, published in 2009. The collection ‘Vakhar’ engages with larger and more immediate human conditions.
  • Yashaschandra was selected for this 27th edition of the award by a high level Chayan Parishad Selection Committee, presided over by former secretary general of Lok Sabha Subhash C Kashyap.
  • He has also authored 10 books of plays and three books of criticism.
  • Yashaschandra has also been the recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award, Kabir Samman and Padma Shri award among others.

Appointments

Prakash Apte appointed part-time Chairman, Kotak Mahindra Bank

  • Kotak Mahindra Bank on Monday announced the appointment of Prakash Apte as part-time chairman of the Bank for a period up to December 31, 2020, subject to regulatory approvals.
  • The announcement follows the retirement of incumbent part-time chairman Dr. Shankar Acharya, who will step down from his role on July 19, after serving as the director of the Bank since May, 2003, and part-time chairman since July 2006.
  • Apte is a non-executive Independent Director of the Bank since March 2011 and also Independent Director on the Board of Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance Company Limited. Prior to that, Apte served as the Managing Director of Syngenta India Ltd (SIL), a subsidiary of the Syngenta Group, a research-based global agribusiness firm.

Rajiv Bakshi appointed CMO of Intex Technologies

  • Intex Technologies, an Indian mobile and consumer electronics companies, announced the appointment of Rajiv Bakshi as its Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).
  • An alumnus of the Harvard Business School, Rajiv has spearheaded brand development, business transformation, consumer acquisition and digital strategy to drive long term growth and profitability. Prior to Intex, Rajiv had a 13-year stint at Discovery Networks India and South Asia region, as the vice president and head of marketing and products.
  • As the CMO, he will envision Intex’s go-to market strategy for the entire range of mobile and consumer durables, spread across over 25 product verticals including feature and smartphones, LED TVs, ACs, washing machines, speakers, headphones and accessories.

Sajid Javid replaces Amber Rudd as Home Secretary of UK

  • Pakistani-origin MP Sajid Javid was appointed Britain’s new Home Secretary to replace Amber Rudd, who resigned after admitting that she had “inadvertently misled” Parliament over the existence of deportation targets for immigrants.
  • Javid was promoted from his Cabinet post of Communities, Local Government and Housing minister.
  • Javid , a former investment banker, is the Conservative party MP for Bromsgrove and has previously held business and culture portfolios in the UK government.

Days & Observances

International Jazz Day observed on 30 April

International Dance Day observed on 29 April

  • As 2018 marked the 70th Anniversary of ITI, 5 Message Authors were selected for the 2018 event, one from each of the 5 UNESCO Regions.
  • The 5 authors were; Georgette GEBARA (Lebanon, Arab Countries), Salia SANOU (Burkina Faso, Africa), Marianela BOAN (Cuba, The Americas), Willy TSAO (China, Asia-Pacific) and Ohad NAHARIN (Israel, Europe).

World Immunization Week 2018: Protected Together, #VaccinesWork

  • This year’s World Immunization Week campaign, celebrated from April 24 to 30, aims to highlight that protecting entire communities with vaccines protects everyone and so the theme of this year’s campaign is “Protected Together, #VaccinesWork”.
  • Immunization is one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions. Studies show that every US$ 1 spent on childhood immunization returns US$ 44 in economic and social benefits.

World

Special 301 Report released: USTR again places India on Priority Watch List

  • The Office of United States (US) Trade Representative (USTR) placed India on ‘Priority Watch List’ in its annual Special 301 Report on the state of intellectual property protection.
  • In 2018 Special 301 Report, the USTR has placed 12 countries on its Priority Watch List.
  • Other countries on list are Algeria, Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Indonesia, Kuwait, Russia, Ukraine, and Venezuela.
  • Special 301 Report identifies US trading partners that do not adequately or effectively protect and enforce IP rights or deny market access to its innovators.

International Buddhist Conference held in Lumbini, Nepal

  • International Buddhist Conference was held in Lumbini, Nepal on April 29-30, 2018 to commemorate 2562nd Buddha Jayanti.
  • The theme of the conference was ‘Lumbini Nepal: The birthplace of Lord Buddha and the fountain of Buddhism and world peace’.
  • Lumbini is birth place of Gautama Buddha, founder of Buddhist religion.

Obituaries

World’s oldest person, born in the 19th century, dies at 117 years

  • Japan is known for the longevity of its people and has been home to several citizens recognised as the world’s oldest persons. Rightly so — it has 68,000 people aged 100 or older. One such woman who was 117 years old and was widely known to be the oldest living woman — along with being the last born one of the 19th century — was Nabi Tajima.
  • Tajima passed away on April 21, 2018, in the hospital she was in since January. Although weak, the only reason she died was due to her advanced age.
  • Tajima was born on August 4, 1900, and was the last known person born in the 19th century, reports said.
  • AP reported that the US-based Gerontology Research Group says another Japanese woman, Chiyo Miyako of Tokyo, now holds Tajima’s title on its records as she is due to turn 117 next week.

 

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