01 February 2017 - Daily Current Affairs
Banking & Finance
1. Union budget 2018-19 presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
- Today, the union finance minister Arun Jaitley has presented the union budget for 2018-19 in Lok Sabha.
- According to the Arun Jaitley, this year’s budget will consolidate the gains and focus on strengthening agriculture and rural economy, provision of good health care to the economically less privileged taking care of senior citizens, infrastructure creation and providing of more resources to improve quality of education.
Note: for more information click on Union Budget 2018-19
2. ADB and Centre sign 250 mn dollar loan agreement for construction of roads in five state
- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the union Govt. have signed a 250 million USD loan to finance the construction of over 6,200 kilometers all-weather rural roads in 5 States (Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal), under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
- The ADB-funded investment program will provide continued assistance to the PMGSY and support the Government’s long-term goal for rural development.
- The program is aimed at improving rural connectivity, facilitating safer and more efficient access to livelihood and socio-economic opportunities for rural communities through improvements to about 12000 kilometers Rural Roads across the 5 States.
3. India & World Bank sign USD 100 million loan agreement to Tamil Nadu
- India & World Bank sign USD 100 million loan agreement for Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project to boost the rural economy of Tamil Nadu.
- The Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project will create an enabling environment for producer organizations and enterprises to promote businesses across select value chains.
- The Project will be operational in 120 blocks across 3994 villages in 26 Districts of Tamil Nadu.
National Affairs
4. 4 Major rivers in J&K declared national waterways: JK govt
- The union govt. has declared four major rivers (including Jehlum & Chenab) in Jammu and Kashmir as ‘national waterways’, paving the way for inland navigation on them to boost water transport and tourism.
- The national waterways will be developed in a phased manner.
- The state government was examining the feasibility-cum-detailed project report of Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) prepared for inland navigation and construction of terminals across these waterways.
5. Maharashtra govt approves proposal to provide sanitary napkins to women
- The Maharashtra government has approved a proposal to provide sanitary napkins to women in rural areas at a subsidized rate of Rs 5 to promote hygiene among menstruating girls and women.
- The decision would be effectively implemented from International Women's Day, which falls on March 8.
- The use of sanitary pads (among girls and women) stands at around 17% due to high costs.
- The SHGs would disseminate information on personal hygiene, health, and education to rural women, thus creating employment opportunities for them.
6. New e-way bill system comes into force to bring uniformity across
- Today, A new e-way bill system has come into effect to bring uniformity across the states for smooth inter-state movement of goods.
- Now, every transporter will have to carry a system-generated bill to move goods from one place to another.
- The e-way bill system has been introduced to bring uniformity across the states for seamless inter-state movement of goods.
- Under the Goods and Services Tax, interstate transportation of goods beyond 10 kilometers with a value of 50,000 rupees and above, will mandatorily require the e-way bill.
- The GST Council has decided to implement the e-way bill mechanism throughout the country from 1st of February 2018.
7. Power Minister R K Singh inaugurates 7th India Energy Congress 2018
- Mr. R K Singh (Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister) has inaugurated the 7th India Energy Congress 2018.
- The Energy congress organized by World Energy Council India with theme Energy 4.0: Energy Transition Towards 2030, in New Delhi.
- India’s per capita power consumption of 1,200 units is likely to go up by three to four times by 2030 as it aspires to become a developed country with GDP growth rate averaging 8.5% and the country is also committed to environmental protection.
- The central and state governments are adding huge power generation capacities with thrust on clean renewable energy.
8. Maharashtra: EMU manufacturing factory to come up at Latur
- An EMU (Electric Multiple Units) manufacturing factory for Mumbai suburban railways and Metro coaches will be set up in Latur in Marathwada region of Maharashtra.
- The decision was taken at a meeting between Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai.
- It will provide a big boost to economic activities in Marathwada and provide huge employment opportunities.
9. EU announces funding package of 42.5 mn euros to help build Palestinian state
- The European Union (EU) has announced a new funding package of 42.5 million euros to help the Palestinians build their new state.
- Any framework for negotiations must be multilateral and must involve all players, all partners that are essential to this process.
- Palestine is a de jure sovereign state in the Middle East claiming the West Bank (bordering Israel and Jordan) and Gaza Strip (bordering Israel and Egypt) with East Jerusalem as the designated capital.
10. Anu Kumar wins first gold in Khelo India School Games
- Anu Kumar (Uttarakhand) grabbed the first gold medal of the Khelo India School Games in 1500 meters (4 minutes and 4 seconds) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi.
- In the girl category, C Chanthini (Kerala) won the gold medal in 1500-metres run.
- Abhishek Singh (Uttar Pradesh) won the Shot Put with an excellent throw of 18.73 metres while Praveen of Tamil Nadu won the triple jump in his sixth attempt with 15.22 metres.
- Haryana girl Pooja excelled in the Shot Put and won the gold with a best of 13.88 metres.
