30th August 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

sponsored links

International Affairs

• US Secretary of State John Kerry is on a 3-day visit to New Delhi.
• During this visit, he will co-chair the 2nd India-US Strategic and Commercial Dilogue along with US commerce secretary Penny Pritzker, Indian External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and Commerce and Industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
• Important Note : This is the first time the S&CD will be held in India. 
• In New Delhi, Pritzker will also co-chair the second US-India CEO Forum alongside Jeff Zients, the Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy.
  

National Affairs

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the 1st phase of SAUNI-Saurastra Narmada Avataran Irrigation yojana today at Sanodara of Jamnagar district of Gujarat.
• Under the project, nearly 10 dams and reservoirs of Rajkot, Jamnagar and Morbi will be filled up with the water of Narmada river.
• The 12,000 crore rupees project will fill up nearly 115 dams of Saurashtra region which faces shortage of water for irrigation and drinking purposes.
• The Indian government is going to launch ‘AsliTarakki (Real development)’ campaign in the five cities of the National Capital Region to promote awareness about the need for sanitation. 
• As many as 450 select youth with communication skills and leadership qualities will be engaged in the campaign as lead motivators.
• The urban development ministry has certified 10 towns - five each in Maharashtra and Telangana - as Open Defecation Free (ODF). 
• The 10 towns are the first to be certified as the ministry begins the process of third party verification under Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban).
• Towns from Maharashtra :
• Kagal, 
• Panchgani, 
• Vengurla, 
• Murgud 
• Panhala
• Towns from Telangana :
• Siddipet,
• Shadnaga, 
• Suryapet, 
• Achampet 
• Huzurnagar

MOUs & Agreements

• India and the United States have signed Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) that will enable both countries to use each other’s bases for repair and replenishment of defence supplies. 
• The agreement was signed after Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar met his US counterpart, Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter in Washington, D.C. 

Awards & Honors

• Eminent Dogri language Poetess and novelist Padma Sachdev was awarded the prestigious Saraswati Samman for the year 2015. 
• She was bestowed with this prestigious award for her autobiography ‘Chitt-Chete’ (published in 2007) written in Dogri language.  
• Other awards won by Padma Sachdev
• Krutitava Smagra Samman, 2015 by Bharatiya Bhasha Parishad, West Bengal
• Padma Shri Award. 2001
• Sahitya Akademi Award 1971
• Kabir Samman for poetry. 2007-08

Committees in News

• The Committee on Border Protection has submitted its report to the Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
• This committee was appointed in April, this year for strengthening border protection and addressing the issue of gaps and vulnerability in border fencing along Indo-Pakistan Border. 
• The committee has made a detailed study on threat perception, field visits and made a detailed recommendations pertaining to strengthening of border protection on Indo-Pakistan Border.
• The Committee was headed by : Madhukar Gupta (former Home Secretary)

Deaths

• Noted painter, writer and art historian Dr. Dinanath Pathy (74) passed away.
• A former secretary of the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi and Bhubaneswar, Pathy was one of the pioneers of the art movement in Odisha.
• He dedicated his life to promotion of Odia art all over the world though his art work, poetry and teaching.

Business & Economy

• Doha Bank, one of the prominent banks in Qatar, is formally inaugurated its first branch in Kerala.
• The branch offers all banking products to corporate and retail customers.

Sports

• Indian wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt's bronze medal from the London Olympics 2012 has upgraded to Silver after the silver medallist from the 2012 Games, deceased Besik Kudukhov of Russia, has been stripped off his medal for using banned substance.
• Important Note : Yogeshwar now becomes the second Indian wrestler to win an Olympic silver medal. The first was Sushil Kumar in the same edition in the 66kg category.
• Western Railway won the overall team championship in the 82nd All India Railway athletic Championship held at Tiruchirapalli Tamil Nadu. 
• Central railway stood second and Southern Railway third in the overall team category.

Read more Daily Current Affairs updates from here

sponsored links