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Union Cabinet approves installation of telecom towers in cantonments and military areas
The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for revision of policy of Ministry of Defence for providing Defence land to Communication Operators for construction of Shared Communication Towers and allied Infrastructure. The Decision in this regard was taken based on experience in implementing policy and guidelines issued by Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for the issue of clearance for installation of Mobile Towers. The revised policy will cover allotment of Defence land on lease and grant of permission in Defence areas and Cantonments to Access Service Licensees and Companies registered with DoT as IP-I (Infrastructure Providers – Category-I for setting up shared communication towers and allied infrastructure.
Directorate General of Quality Assurance celebrates its Diamond Jubilee
The Diamond Jubilee of Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) observed on 28 September 2017 as it completed 60 years of its existence. To commemorate the occasion, Minister of State (MoS) for Defence, Dr Subhash Bhamare released the ‘First Day Cover’ of DGQA. He also launched portal for e-registration of vendors. The main aim is to provide Quality Assurance (QA) cover for an entire range of Arms, Ammunitions, Equipment, and Stores supplied to Armed Forces.
CARA launches monthly Jan Sampark Program to facilitate adoption
The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) launched monthly Jan Sampark program to enable public to interact with its officials to obtain information related to child adoption. The first of its kind programme under it was held recently in New Delhi. Nearly 150 Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs), adoptive parents and representatives of agencies participated in the session.
INS TARASA commissioned into Indian Navy
INS Tarasa (T94), the fourth and last ship in series of Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) was commissioned into Indian Navy at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai. It is an improved variant of Car Nicobar-class high-speed offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) built indigenously by Kolkata (West Bengal) based Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE), for the Indian Navy. INS Tarasa has been named after the picturesque island in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago in Bay of Bengal. It is powered by the latest 4,000-series MTU engines and has displacement capacity of 315 tonnes.
Rajnath Singh unveils ‘PENCIL’ Portal on Child Labour Elimination
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has launched a web portal called ‘PENCIL’ for effective implementation of the National Child Labour Project, (NCLP) in the National Conference on Child Labour organized by Ministry of Labour & Employment. PENCIL (Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour) – an electronic platform for no child labour in the country is being developed by the Labour Ministry. PENCIL portal has five components – Child Tracking System, Complaint Corner, State Government, National Child Labour Project and Convergence.
Government launches Divyang Sarathi Mobile Application
The Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment has launched Divyang Sarathi-The accessible and comprehensive mobile application for easy dissemination of information to ‘Divyangjans’. The mobile app aims to empower Divyangjans by providing them easier and convenient access to information pertaining to schemes, scholarships, statutes, institutional support systems, jobs and other crucial information.
PM Narendra Modi launches ‘Saubhagya’ scheme
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the ‘Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana-Saubhagya’ in New Delhi to mark the birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. Listed on the agenda of the Cabinet meeting held, the scheme is expected to cover all rural families after expected electrification of all villages by the end of 2017. The Yojana mainly aims to provide last mile power connectivity to all rural and urban households.
Sports Ministry recommends P.V. Sindhu for Padma Bhushan Award
Olympic silver medallist shuttler P.V. Sindhu recommended for the prestigious Padma Bhushan, country’s third highest civilian award, by the Sports Ministry. She is two-time bronze medallist at World Championship. She was awarded India’s fourth highest civilian honor, the Padma Shri.
India third in nuclear power installations: study
According to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2017, India is third in the world in the number of nuclear reactors being installed, at 6, while China is leading at 20. The number of nuclear reactor units under construction is, however, declining globally for the fourth year in a row, from 68 reactors at the end of 2013 to 53 by mid-2017. In India itself, five out of the six reactors under construction is behind schedule.
Govt launches Pradhan Mantri LPG Panchayat
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas launched country-wide Pradhan Mantri LPG Panchayat scheme to distribute LPG connections among rural areas where conventional fuel is used for domestic purposes. The scheme was launched by Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan at Mota Ishanpur village in Gandhinagar district in Gujarat. It is backup scheme to existing Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana.
Tihar Jail, largest jail in India got its first open air gymnasium
Open-air gyms for prisoners has now been set up in jail number 1 of Tihar in west Delhi, which is the largest and the most populated prison in India with over 14,400 inmates. This gym is mostly used by elderly prisoners facing problems, like obesity or arthritis.
PM Narendra Modi releases Postage Stamp on Lord Ram in Varanasi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a postage stamp on different aspects of Lord Ram’s life at the historic Tulsi Manas Mandir Varanasi. The Tulsi Manas temple holds great historical and cultural importance in Hinduism as it is believed that Hindu epic Ramcharitmanas was originally written by poet-saint Goswami Tulsidas in Varanasi.
Govt launches campaign to Sensitise Women about Cancer
Minister of State Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel launched a nationwide health campaign to sensitise women about the early screening and the preventive care for cancer. Themed ‘Nurturing the Nurturer’, the campaign was launched by FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) in partnership with the Apollo Hospitals group.
INS Kalavari: India’s first home built submarine handed over to Indian Navy
India’s first indigenously built INS Kalavari submarine was handed over to Indian Navy by state-owned Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai, Maharashtra. This is Indian Navy’s first new conventional submarine in two decades. Its induction will be landmark milestone in India’s bid to build its underwater warfare capabilities with an eye on China and Pakistan. INS Kalavari is first of six Scorpion class submarines built in India under Project-75 by Mazagon Docks Limited with technology transfer from France’s DCNS (Direction des Constructions Navales Services), a naval shipbuilder.
‘Newton’ India’s Official Entry for Oscars 2018
‘Newton’ will be India’s official entry for the Best Foreign Film category at the Oscars 2018, according to the Film Federation of India. The movie directed by Amit Masurkar movie, starring Rajkummar Rao, tells the story of a polling officer Newton Kumar who is bent on conducting free and fair elections in the conflict ridden jungles of Chhattisgarh.
India third among countries that faced most natural disasters
According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres India ranked third among the countries that have faced the most natural disasters in the last half century. United States, followed by China, India, the Philippines and Indonesia, have experienced the most disasters since 1995 – more than 1,600, or once every five days. Climate change was among the seven global threats that listed needing immediate global action.
Govt to introduce ‘Food Street’ global food fair in New Delhi
With an aim to attract investment in the food processing sector under the Make in India initiative, the government has decided to introduce a curated food experience zone ‘Food Street’ at the global food fair in November in New Delhi. Chef Sanjeev Kapoor will be the brand ambassador of the event at the World Food India 2017 that will be held between 3 November and 5 November 2017. The experiential platform will bring together culinary practices, flavours, fragrances from cuisines across the world.
India joins quantum computing race
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) is planning to fund project to develop quantum computers in order to tap into the next big advance in computing technology. In India, Physics departments at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and Harish Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad, so far have only forayed into theoretical aspects of quantum computing. Experts from across country are expected to gather in Allahabad for a workshop to develop such computer.
6th international Textile and Apparel Fair, ‘VASTRA’ inaugurated
The sixth edition of the 4-day international textile and apparel fair “Vastra’ was inaugurated at Jaipur Exhibition and Convention Centre (JECC) in Sitapura. It was inaugurated by Union Textiles & Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Zubin Irani and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. Over 250 exhibitors from 13 states will showcase their products. Around 300 overseas buyers from more than 50 countries and 200 representatives from around 100 Indian buying houses/ agents are slated to attend the event.
Zero Hunger Programme to be launched in October
India’s ambitious Zero Hunger Programme through interventions in farm sector will be launched on occasion of World Food Day (October 16) with focus on agriculture, nutrition and health in a symbiotic manner. The Programme will be initiated by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The programme consists of organisations of a farming system for nutrition, setting up genetic gardens for biofortified plants and initiation of ‘Zero Hunger training. The program will be launched in three districts namely Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh), Koraput (Odisha) and Thane (Maharashtra).
Vice President released Commemorative Coin on MS Subbulakshmi
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has released a commemorative Coin on Bharat Ratna Dr MS Subbulakshmi on the occasion of the Birth Centenary Commemoration of M.S. Subbulakshmi. M.S. Subbulakshmi was a legendary and iconic figure who said that what defines India is this rich heritage of music and its unifying role in bringing people together. Subbulakshmi was not only a singer but was an encyclopedia of singing. She was the first musician to be awarded Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian honour and first Indian musician to have performed at the United Nations General Assembly on 50th anniversary celebrations of the United Nations.
Union Government to launch mobile app for retiring govt staff
Union Government will launch a mobile application for central government employees to help them to monitor the progress of their pension settlement cases. Retired employees will also be able to assess their superannuation funds and record complaints through the pension calculator. Minister of State for Public Grievances and Pensions Dr. Jitendra Singh will launch the app in New Delhi. He will also inaugurate the first Pension Adalat.
BCCI nominates MS Dhoni for Padma Bhushan award
The Indian cricket board nominated Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the country’s third highest civilian award the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to the game. Two World titles (2011 50-over World Cup and 2007 World T20), nearly 10,000 runs, 90 Test matches. There is no one better than him, who could have been nominated, a senior condition of anonymity. The BCCI not sent any other nominations for the Padma awards this year. The 36-year-old has scored 9737 runs in 302 ODIs besides 4876 runs in 90 Test matches. He has also played 78 T20 Internationals, notching up 1212 runs.
Railways cuts down Sleeping Hours for passengers
According to a circular issued by the railway board, the passengers in the reserved coaches can only sleep between 10 pm and 6 am to allow others to sit in the seats for the rest of the time. Until the circular was issued, the existing permissible time for sleeping was between 9 pm and 6 am. The new provision replaces paragraph 652 in the Indian Railways Commercial Manual, Volume I. This provision is applicable to all reserved coaches with sleeping accommodation.
Modi inaugurates Sardar Sarovar Dam, Called ‘Gujarat’s Lifeline’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Sardar Sarovar Dam – the world’s second biggest – on the river Narmada in Gujarat. The 1.2-km-long dam, which is 163 metres deep, will irrigate over 18 lakh hectares in the state, according to officials; the water from Narmada will flow into over 9,000 villages through a canal network, Sardar Sarovar Nigam Limited (SSNL). After inaugurating the dam, PM Modi will head to Sadhu Bet, an island in the river Narmada where a 182-metre-tall statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel – called the ‘Statue of Unity’.
President launches Swachhata Hi Campaign
President Ram Nath Kovind launched the nation-wide ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ (Cleanliness is Service) campaign. The fortnight long campaign will conclude on Gandhi Jayanti on October 2, 2017. The campaign is an initiative under Swachch Bharat Mission and it was launched from Ishwari Ganj village, Kanpur. He administered nation-wide Swachhta Hi Seva pledge initiating parallel action in all the two lakh 50 thousand plus Gram Panchayats and cities in India. It is being coordianted by the Ministry of Drinking water and sanitation and will focus on mass mobilisation and reinforce ‘jan andolan’ for sanitation to contribute to Mahatma Gnadhi’s dream of a clean India.
Nation-wide Hackathon #OpenGovDataHack launched
Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad launched a nation-wide hackathon #OpenGovDataHack. As part of the Startup Eco-system Development program, NIC and IAMAI have collaborated to conduct Nation wide Hackathon #OpenGovDataHack across seven states of India. It aims to Support & Showcase potentially great Ideas./ Talent from Inner India. It is to enable them making their ideas developed into Apps/ Infographics primarily by use of Open Government Data around the themes of Drinking Water & Sanitation, Transport, Education, Crime and Health.
Chennai-Vladivostok sea route: India’s effort to counter China’s OBOR
India is planning to launch major connectivity initiative, connecting Chennai with key Russian port Vladivostok via sea route with an aim to harness natural resources from Northeast Asia and Western Pacific region. The Chennai-Vladivostok sea route will enable to transfer cargo between Chennai and Vladivostok in 24 days in comparison to over 40 days currently taken to transport goods from India to Far East Russia via Europe.
PM Narendra Modi, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe lay foundation stone for bullet train
Foundation stone of India’s first high-speed rail project (bullet train) project was jointly laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe at Sabarmati Station ground in Ahmedabad. The 508km-long Mumbai to Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) Project will be built at cost of Rs 1.10 lakh crore. It is expected to be completed by 2022. (It was recently advanced by year from earlier deadline of 2023).
India’s first advanced Homoeopathy Virology lab inaugurated in Kolkata
India’s first state of art virology laboratory was inaugurated at Dr. Anjali Chatterjee Regional Research Institute for Homoeopathy in Kolkata, West Bengal. The lab will play important in developing new drugs and technologies in Homoeopathy to combat emerging challenges of viral diseases.
RBI to Introduce Rs 100 Coin to Mark MG Ramachandran’s Birth Centenary
As per the notification of Finance Ministry, the Reserve Bank of India will introduce 100 rupees coin to mark the birth centenary (hundredth anniversary) of AIADMK founder Late Dr. M G Ramachandran. On the obverse, the face of the coin will bear Lion Capitol of Ashoka Pillar in the center with Satyamev Jayate inscribed below on it in Devanagari script. It will also bear the rupee symbol and denominational value of 100. On the reverse side, the portrait of Dr. MG Ramachandran will be in the center. The standard weight of the coin will be 35 grams.
National Pension Scheme Upper age limit raised to 65
The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) announced that the upper age limit for joining the National Pension Scheme (NPS) had been raised to 65 years, from the current 60. NPS is currently open for people between 18 and 60, and the Board has approved raising the age limit for joining to 65.
Venkaiah Naidu laid foundation of Country’s First ‘Green-Field’ Smart City
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu laid the foundation stone for Ranchi Smart City coming up on the Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) land. According to the Urban Development Minister CP Singh, this would be the country’s first ‘green-field’ smart city. The smart city is coming up on 656 acres of HEC land which would be fully wi-fi, carbon free, garbage free locality with modernized housing, traffic management system, education hub and equipped with facilities like round the clock power and water supplies.
All Women-crew “Navika Sagar Parikrama” flagged off
Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman flagged off Indian Naval Sailing Vessel Tarini (INSV Tarini) with an all women crew from INS Mandovi boat pool, Goa. This is the first-ever Indian circumnavigation of the globe by an all-women crew. With aim to empower women and also to discard the societal attitudes and mindset towards women in India, the expedition is titled ‘Navika Sagar Parikrama’. The crew is expected to return to Goa in April 2018, on completion of the voyage. During the voyage, the crew would monitor and report marine pollution on the high seas, as also interact extensively with local PIOs during various port halts to promote Ocean sailing.
Nestle sets up First Food Safety Institute in India
The new FSSAI CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal inaugurated the Nestle Food Safety Institute in Manesar, Gurugram. It will provide guidance and training on food safety. The FSSAI has been working with Nestle India for setting up the institute at Manesar. While this is the first such institute in India, Nestle already runs a similar Institute each in China and Lausanne, Switzerland.
Johnson & Johnson India introduces paternity leave
Johnson & Johnson India has announced that new and adoptive fathers would be entitled to eight weeks of paid leave during the first year of birth or adoption. For new mothers, the company has been offering up to 26 weeks of maternity leave for the past six years.
Indian Army to induct women in military police
The Indian Army has finalised plan to induct women in military police. The plan is seen as major step towards breaking gender barriers in force. Under this plan 800 women will be inducted initially with yearly intake of 52. The decision to induct women in Corps of Military Police will help in investigating allegations of gender specific crimes. Currently, women are allowed in select areas such as medical, educational, legal, signals and engineering wings of Indian Army.
NITI Aayog launches the National Nutrition Strategy
To make sure that malnutrition (Kuposhan) bids a goodbye to India, NITI Aayog has launched the National Nutrition Strategy aimed at Kuposhan Mukt Bharat. Under the strategy, the problem of malnutrition will be eradicated in a phased manner. The strategy intends at bringing nutrition to the center-stage of the National Development Agenda. The strategy was launched jointly by the leader of the Green Revolution, Cr. M S Swaminathan, Padma Shri H Sudharshan and Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog Dr. Rajiv Kumar and Member Dr. Vinod Paul in New Delhi.
Union Health Ministry launched two New Contraceptives Antara and Chhaya
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched two new contraceptives- an injectable contraceptive MPA under the ‘Antara’ program and a contraceptive pill ‘Chhaya’ in the public health system to expand the basket of contraceptive choices for couples. These contraceptives have been launched in 10 states including Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Haryana, West Bengal, Odisha and Goa. The ‘Antara’ injectable is effective for three months and the ‘Chayya’ pill is effective for one week.
Modi Cabinet reshuffled- 9 New Faces as Ministers
Nine new Ministers of state were inducted into the Union Council of Ministers. Four Ministers of state were elevated to the cabinet rank. They are Minister of State for Commerce and Industries Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State For Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines, Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. President Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath of office and secrecy to them at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The portfolios of the Ministers will be announced later.
Cabinet Ministers:
Nirmala Sitharaman: Former Minister of State for Commerce was given the portfolio of Defence Minister. Sitharaman is the first woman after Indira Gandhi to hold the portfolio of Defence Minister. Also, along with Sushma Swaraj, she is the only other woman in Narendra Modi’s cabinet.Piyush Goyal: He was given the portfolio of Railways Minister and he also retains the Ministry of Coal.Dharmendra Pradhan: He will continue to have charge of Petroleum and Natural Gas and will also be Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, which Rajiv Pratap Rudy gave up two days ago.Muqtar Abbas Naqvi: He will continue to handle the charge of Ministry of Minority Affairs but as a Cabinet Minister.Council of Ministers Reshuffled:Suresh Prabhu: Former Railways Minister will be handling the charge of Ministry of Commerce.Nitin Gadkari: Apart from Transport Ministry, he was given the charge of Ministry of Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation.Uma Bharti: She was moved away from the Water Resources Ministry and was given the charge of Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.Vijay Goel: He was moved from Sports Ministry and was given the charge of Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Statistics & Programme Implementation.Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore: He was given the charge of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
New Faces in the Council of Ministers:
Hardeep Puri: Former diplomat was given the charge of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs as Independent charge.RK Singh: Former Home Secretary and first time MP from Arrah in Bihar was given the charge of Ministry of Power and MNRE (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy) as independent charge.K J Alphons: Veteran bureaucrat, who led Kottayam to be first 100% literate town in India, was given the charge of Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeiTY).Gajendra Singh Shekhawat: Lok Sabha MP from Jodhpur (Rajasthan) is the new Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.Shiv Pratap Shukla: Lok Sabha MP from Buxar in Bihar, was given the charge Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.Satya Pal Singh: Former Mumbai Police Commissioner and first time MP from Baghpt (Uttar Pradesh) was given the charge of Development, and Minister of State in the Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.Virendra Kumar: Lok Sabha MP from Tikamgarh (Madhya Pradesh) was made Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development, and Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority affairs.Anant Kumar Hegde: Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada (Karnataka) was made Minister of State in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
Outgoing Ministers:
The six outgoing ministers from the Cabinet include Kalraj Mishra (MoS MSME), Rajiv Pratap Rudy (MoS Independent Charge of Skill Development), Bandaru Dattatreya (Labour), Faggan Singh Kulaste (MoS Health), Sanjiv Balyan (MoS Water Resources) and Mahendra Nath Pandey (MoS HRD). Pandey was recently named BJP chief of Uttar Pradesh.
Nirmala Sitharaman: India’s first full time woman Defence Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman (58) became first full time woman Defence Minister of India after she was promoted to the Union Cabinet. She takes charge of the crucial ministry from Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Ms Sitharaman is second woman to become Defence Minister of India. First was former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who was holding additional portfolio as Defence Minister from 1980-82.
CERT-In issues alert on spread of new malware Locky Ransomware
Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeiTY) issued an alert on spread of new malware “Locky Ransomware” that can lock computers and demand ransom for unlocking them. The alert, issued on Cyber Swachhta Kendra , is a new wave of spam mails is circulating with common subject lines to spread variants of Locky.
Read more: Current Affairs September 2017 Study Material | FreeJobAlert.com http://currentaffairs.freejobalert.com/september-2017-current-affairs-study-material/26153/#ixzz5UNrgvqSr
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