Important Daily Current Affairs Updates – 2nd November 2017
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STATE
Maharashtra Govt Adds 18m to Shivaji statue, to be World’s Tallest at 210m
The 210-metre-high statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has received environmental clearance, making it the world’s tallest statue, once built. the Maharashtra government plans to build it in the sea off the Mumbai coast. The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) approved the government’s application to increase the height from the earlier proposed 192 metres. Currently, the Spring Temple Buddha statue, which stands at 208 metres in China, is the world’s tallest statue.
Useful Info
State – Maharashtra
Capital – Mumbai
CM – Devendra Fadnavis
Governor – Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao
Delhi to Host 9th Global Green Film Fest
The ninth edition of CMS Vatavaran – an international film festival on environment and wildlife – has begun in New Delhi. It will showcase 113 films, including four from Kashmir, one of the most ecologically sensitive zones facing the threat of global warming. The theme of the fest is “Conservation 4 Water”. The festival aims to create awareness and sensitize people through films and discussions regarding water conservation and the inter-connectedness of climate change and water.
Useful Info
The event is supported and partnered by Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, National Geographic, UNESCO, UNDP and WWF.
NATIONAL
Gender Vulnerability Index: Goa Safest, Bihar Least Safe
Goa is safest for girls, and Bihar least safe, according to a newly-formed Gender Vulnerability Index (GVI) by NGO Plan India. National Capital Delhi ranks only better than Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The GVI attempts to “generate a normative consensus” on the status of girls and women in India and takes into account four core dimensions: Education, health and survival, poverty, protection. The GVI has analyzed the situation of girls and women in the country on the four dimensions and developed a multidimensional composite index with over 170 indicators.
Useful Info
Top Three Safest States-
- Goa (Safest),
- Kerala,
- Mizoram
Least Safe States-
- Bihar (Least Safe),
- Uttar Pradesh,
- Delhi
President of India Inaugurates 21st World Congress of Mental Health
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the 21st World Congress of Mental Health being organized by the World Federation for Mental Health in partnership with Caring Foundation and other institutions in New Delhi. The World Congress of Mental Health is taking place in India for the first time.
Useful Info
Present President of India – Ram Nath Kovind
Present Vice President of India – Venkaiah Naidu
INTERNATIONAL
India Slips 21 Slots on WEF Gender Gap index
India slipped 21 places on the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap index to 108, behind neighbours China and Bangladesh, primarily due to less participation of women in the economy and low wages, according to the WEF Global Gender Gap Report 2017. India’s latest ranking is 10 notches lower than its reading in 2006 when the WEF started measuring the gender gap. According to the Report, India has closed 67 percent of its gender gap. Bangladesh ranked 47th while China was placed at 100th.
Useful Info
Top 5 Countries in the List are-
- Iceland,
- Norway,
- Finland,
- Rwanda and,
- Sweden
The World Economic forum Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
Klaus Schwab is the Founder and Executive Chairman of WEF.
Mukesh Ambani Becomes Asia’s Richest Person: Forbes
Chairman of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Mukesh Ambani overtook China’s Hui Ka Yan to become Asia’s richest person with a total wealth of $42.1 billion, according to Forbes’ real time billionaire’s list. Ambani’s personal wealth rose by $466 million. On the other hand, wealth of China Evergrande Group’s Chairman Hui Ka Yan slumped by $1.28 billion to $40.6 billion. Globally, Ambani stood at the 14th spot on Forbes’ real time billionaire’s list, which is based on the value of person’s stock holding and assets on a real time basis.
BANKING & ECONOMY
AIIB Grants Rs13,000 cr Loan to Andhra Pradesh
China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)Â approved USD 2 million loan (Rs. 13,000 crores) for five projects in Andhra Pradesh.
The five projects include two roads and buildings department, one each for rural safe drinking water department, municipal and urban development department and Panchayat Raj department.
Useful Info
AIIB – Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Headquarters of AIIB – Beijing, China
Present president of the AIIB – Jin Liqun
SBI Cuts Benchmark Lending Rate by 0.05% Across Maturities
The country’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI)Â slashed benchmark lending rate by 0.05 per cent across maturities. The reduction in the marginal cost of funds based lending rate (MCLR) came after a gap of almost 10 months. The bank had last cut the rate on January 1, 2017. The move by the SBI will trigger rate cut by other lenders. With the reduction, the MCLR for one year has come down to 7.95 percent from 8 percent, SBI website said. The new rate would be effective November 1, 2017.
Useful Info
Headquarters of SBI – Mumbai
Present Chairman of SBI – Rajnish Kumar
APPOINTMENT
Neelamani N. Raju Appointed Karnataka’s First Woman Police Chief
Neelmani N. Raju has been appointed as Karnataka’s first woman Director General and Inspector General of Police. She will take over from Rupak Kumar Dutta, who is retiring from service.
Useful Info
State – Karnataka
Capital – Bengaluru
CM – Siddaramaiah
Governor – Vajubhai Vala
Ajay Bisaria Named India’s Next High Commissioner to Pakistan
India has appointed Ajay Bisaria as the next high commissioner to Pakistan. He is currently ambassador to Poland. Bisaria takes over from Gautam Bambawale, who was last month appointed India’s ambassador to China. Bisaria was in charge of the Eurasia desk that looks after India’s ties with Russia and the Central Asian republics, prior to his appointment as India’s ambassador to Poland.
Useful Info
Country – Pakistan
Capital – Islamabad
Currency – Pakistani Rupee
AGREEMENT
Indiana, Karnataka in Pact for Sister-State Ties
Indiana, a State in the US, and Karnataka have signed an agreement to establish sister-state ties for cooperation in economic, educational and cultural fields. The two states will focus on workforce development, academic co-operation, information and communications technologies, advanced manufacturing, and materials. The agreement was signed between Indiana Governor Eric J Holcomb and Priyank Khage, Karnataka Minister for IT, BT and Tourism.
Useful Info
Country – United States of America
Capital – Washington D.C
Currency – US Dollar
Assam Signs MoUs with Singapore for Skilling State’s Youth
Assam government has MoUs and Terms of Reference (ToR) with Singapore for skilling youth of the state. The MoU and ToR for North East Skills Centre (NESC) were signed between Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship Department, of Assam government and ITE Education Service, Singapore. An MoU for Guwahati City Greening was inked between the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority and Singapore Corporation Enterprise.
Useful Info
State – Assam
Capital – Dispur
CM – Sarbananda Sonowal
Governor – Jagdish Mukhi
AWARD
K Satchidanandan Selected for Ezhuthachan Puraskaram
Noted Malayalam Poet and literary critic, K Satchidanandan, has been selected for Ezhuthachan Puraskaram 2017. This is Kerala government’s highest literary honour. The award is for his contributions to Malayalam literature and poetry. This award has been Instituted in the name of Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam language, the award carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh and a citation.
Useful Info
Satchidanandan’ s literary career began with the publication of ‘Kurukshetram’, a collection of essays on poetry (1970) and ‘Anchusooryan’, a collection of poems (1971).
DEFENCE
Indian Air Force Contingent in Israel to Participate in ‘Ex Blue Flag-17’
A 45 member contingent of the Indian Air Force had left for Israel to participate in exercise ‘Blue Flag-17’. Blue Flag is a bi-annual multilateral exercise which aims to strengthen military cooperation amongst participating nations. Indian Air Force is participating with the C-130J special operations aircraft along with Garud commandos. The exercise is being conducted at Uvda Air Force Base in Israel.
Useful Info
The team consists of personnel from various combat elements of the IAF and is led by Gp Capt Maluk Singh VSM.
This is the first time the Indian Air Force is operating with Israeli AF in a multilateral exercise setting.
Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa is the 25th Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force.
Joint Indo-Russia Tri-Services Exercise Indra-2017 Successfully Conducted
The Joint Indo-Russia Tri-Services Exercise INDRA-2017 was successfully conducted at Vladivostok in Russia. The name of the exercise INDRA has been derived from INDia and RussiA. Exercise INDRA-2017 is the first Joint Tri-Services Exercise between Russia and India. This is also the first time that Russia has hosted a Tri-Services Exercise on its soil. The theme of Exercise INDRA-2017 was ‘Preparation and Conduct of Operations by a Joint Force for Suppression of International Terror Activity at the request of a host country under UN mandate’.
Useful Info
Country – Russia
Capital – Moscow
Currency – Russian Ruble
Present President of Russia – Vladimir Putin
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