Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 18th January, 2017

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58th India International Garment Fair to begins in New Delhi

i.The 58th edition of India International Garment Fair, IIGF  begins in New Delhi.

ii. Organized by Apparel Export Promotion Council India, the event is one of the largest and most popular platforms in Asia, from which overseas garment buyers can source products and forge business relationships with India’s finest players in the apparel and fashion accessories domain. iii.Textiles Minister Smriti Zubin Irani will inaugurate the three-day long fair.

Timothy Gonsalves Committee Suggests 20 % Reservation for Girl Students in IITs

i.A committee formed by the IIT Joint Admission Board (JAB) has recently given its suggestion to create 20 percent reservation seats for the girl students in IITs out of the total number of seats available.

 ii.The committee headed by professor Timothy Gonsalves recommended the supernumerary seats to address the issue falling number of female students entering the institute.

 iii.However, the recommendation of the committee will get the final approval after the decision of the Joint Admission Board (JAB) who will decide whether the reservation will come in effect from 2017 or 2018.

iv. The decision will not affect the number of seats available for male candidates and only those candidates who have already qualified in JEE-Advanced will be considered. The decision will enable IITs to achieve the 1 lakh target by 2020.

India & Mauritius Sign MoU for Cooperation in the field of Cooperatives

i.India and Mauritius signed a MoU for cooperation in the field of cooperatives and related areas

ii.The MoU was signed between Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, and the Indian Ocean island country’s Business, Enterprise and Cooperatives Minister Soomilduth Bholah.

iii.The MoU will enable the two countries to collaborate in this vital sector and can significantly benefit thousands of Mauritians. India offered to exchange its expertise and technology with Mauritius in agro industry, fisheries and dairy sector.

India Ranks 60th in Inclusive Development Index 2017

i.India has been ranked at 60th position among 79 developing economies with a score of only 3.38 in the Inclusive Development Index (IDI) of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

ii.WEF released its ‘Inclusive Growth and Development Report 2017’ on January 16, 2017 in Davos, Switzerland.

iii. The list has been topped by Lithuania among the 79 developing countries.

India ranked 78th in global ‘Passport Index’

i.Indian passport has been ranked a lowly 78 in a global ranking of the world’s most powerful passports which was topped by Germany.

ii.Germany stands at the top with a visa-free score of 157, while Singapore overtakes South Korea and becomes the highest ranked Asian passport with a visa-free score of 156.

Manipur’s Karang is India’s first cashless island

i.Karang, a small lake island in Manipur, has become the country’s first cashless island

.ii.The Union ministry of electronics and information technology under its Digital India program announced Karang as the first cashless island in India.

iii. Confirming it, deputy commissioner M Harekrishna of Bishnupur district stated that island fulfilled the Centre’s necessary criteria.

iv.The Karang island is located in the middle of Loktak, the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India.

Petroleum Conservation Campaign ‘Saksham 2017’ Inaugurated in Nagaland

i.The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MOP & NG) inaugurated one month long oil and gas conservation campaign Saksham-2017 at a function in Unity College

,ii. Dimapur in Nagaland on January 16, 2017.The mass awareness campaign was inaugurated by chief guest Ramongo Lotha, secretary Food and Civil Supplies.

iii. The campaign would be conducted from January 16 to February 15, 2017.The main aim of such campaign is to spread the awareness on fuel conservation so as to minimize the wastage of petroleum products as the demand for it remains high.

Kolkata’s Sitalpati Gets place in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has registered Sitalpati or cool mat from the Cooch Behar district, West Bengal as an  Sitlapati intangible cultural heritage.

BSNL launches mobile TV service Ditto TV

i.State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL)  announced mobile TV service ‘Ditto TV’ and limited fixed mobile telephony, an app that virtually turns mobiles into cordless phone working in sync with landlines within home premises

ii.BSNL also launched limited fixed mobile telephony, an app that virtually turns mobiles into cordless phone working in sync with landline phones.

Karnataka allows sale of white kerosene in open market

i.The Karnataka government allowed to the sale of white kerosene in open market. 

ii.State Food and Civil Supplies Minister UT Khader stated that the government has issued an order this effect.

iii.Those interested in selling white kerosene in open market can approach the office of the Food and Civil Supplies in their districts.

Yes Bank Launches Business Accelerator Program Yes Fintech 

Private sector lender YES BANK in collaboration with T-Hub, Anthill and Lets Talk Payments launched a unique business accelerator program YES FINTECH to provide start-ups a platform for creating sustainable and market ready products as well as provide innovative banking solutions to the customers.

Yes Bank Launches India’s First Customisable Savings Account

i.YES Bank has launched a first of its kind unique Customizable Savings Account to enable the customers to design an account as per their convenience.

ii.Mumbai-based bank has become the first bank in India to launch such type of account that enables the customer to choose various features of a savings accounts that suits one’s own lifestyle.

World’s lightest watch unveiled in Geneva

i.The world’s ultralight high-performance mechanical watch RM 50-03 was inaugurated on January 16, 2017 at the 27th edition of the Salon International De La Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in Geneva. 
ii.The watch made up of graphene composite has been developed by the University ofLightest Watch of the World made Using Graphene Launched Manchester, UK in collaboration with the watchmaking brand Richard Mille and McLaren F1

 iii.The overall weight of the ultralight watch is 40 grams only and is extremely durable.

Antonio Tajani elected president of European Parliament

i.Antonio Tajani of the EPP Christian Democrat group has been elected president of the European Parliament.

ii.The battle among the two Italians was won by Tajani on a vote of 351-282 in the decisive final round, which only the top two candidates could enter.

N Chandrasekaran appointed as Tata Motors chairman

Tata Motors which owns Jaguar LandRover Automotive Plc, Ltd has finally appointed Natarajan Chandrasekaran, the Tata Sons chairman-designate and outgoing chief executive of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), as additional director and chairman of the board with immediate effect.

Renowned Actress Gita Sen Passes Away

i.Veteran actress Gita Sen who was the wife of renowned filmmaker Mrinal Sen passed away on January 16, 2017 in Kolkata of cerebral hemorrhage.

ii. She was 86. He is known for her excellent work in films like Chorus, Calcutta 71, Kharij, Akaler Sandhane, Ekdin Pratidin and Khandahar.

Former Chhatisgarh minister Tarun Prasad Chatterjee no more

i.Senior Congress leader and former state minister of  Chhattisgarh, Tarun Prasad Chatterjee passed away in Raipur.

ii.He was 68. Tarun was elected as member of Legislative Assembly for the first time from Raipur rural constituency in 1980, 1990, 1993 and 1998.

Eugene Cernan, the Last Human on the Moon Passed Away at 82

i.The commander of Apollo 17 and the last man who walk on the moon, Astronaut  Eugene Cernan, the Last Human on the Moon Passed Away at 82Eugene Cernan has passed away in Washington D.C, USA. 

ii.He was 82.Cernan was flied to space three times and to moon twice.

Tajikistan’s Amonatov Wins Delhi International Chess Tournament

i.Farrukh Amonatov of Tajikistan won the 15th edition of the Delhi International Chess tournament after settling for a draw with Grandmaster Diptayan Ghosh in the 10th and final round.

ii.Amonatov was awarded by Rs. 4 lakh, Diptayan received Rs. 3 lakh and Dzhumaev got Rs. 2 lakh prize money.