23 February 2017 - Daily Current Affairs

23 February 2017 - Daily Current Affairs

India ranks 81st in Global Corruption Perception Index

• In the latest ranking released by Transparency International, India has been ranked 81st in the global corruption perception index for 2017.
• The index ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption.
• In the 2016 India was in the 79th place among 176 countries.
• The index uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.
• New Zealand (89) and Denmark (88) were placed highest respectively.
• Syria, Sudan, and Somalia were ranked lowest with scores of 14, 12 and 9, respectively.

Note:

• Transparency International is an international non-governmental organization which is based in Berlin, Germany, and was founded in 1993.
• Its non-profit purpose is to take action to combat global corruption and prevent criminal activities arising from corruption.
• It publishes the Global Corruption Barometer and the Corruption Perceptions Index.

Parivartan Scheme launched in Haryana

• The Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has launched ‘Parivartan’ scheme in 46 developmental blocks of the state.
• The scheme has been designed to address 10 issues include facilitation of financing, making agriculture profitable and sustainable, improving health services, implementing Swachh Bharat, decongesting market areas, engaging the youth, checking air pollution, ensuring availability of identity-related services, effective policing, and ensuring road order and conduct.
• Each of 46 top most IAS, IPS and IFS officers have been allocated one block in which they will undertake works in 10 selected common fields and one field of their choice.

India signs MoU with Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

• The Government of India (GoI) and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), to usher the “programme based research support” in addressing current and future global and local developmental challenges.
• Since 1972, IDRC has funded 551 research activities worth CA$159 million in India through institutions, researchers, and NGOs.
• During the last five years (2012-17), 96 research projects worth CA$ 51 million were funded by the IDRC in India.

Telangana, Taiwan sign MoU for better technology partnership

• Telangana state govt has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Taoyuan City of Taiwan for better technology partnership in the state, at the World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) 2018 in Hyderabad.
• Taoyuan is one of the fastest growing cities with respect to entrepreneurship, innovation, and the Internet of things(IoT).
• The state will go forward by using the technology in various sectors including health, education, and agriculture.

Note: The World Congress on Information Technology hosted by the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM).

Defence

India & Indonesia joint military drill “Garuda Shakti” begins in Bandung

• The Indian and Indonesian armies began the sixth edition of their annual military exercises in the West Java province of the archipelago country
• The exercises will include experience sharing in counter-terrorism operations, close quarter combat, and other areas of special operations, an official statement said.

Banking & Finance

First sale of Electoral Bonds to commence from 1st March

• According to the Ministry of Finance, the first sale of Electoral Bonds will commence from the 1st of next month for a period of ten days.
• State Bank of India (SBI) has been authorized to issue and encash Electoral Bonds initially at its four authorized branches.
• Electoral Bond will be valid for 15 days from the date of issue and no payment shall be made to any payee Political Party if the Bond is deposited after the expiry of the validity period.

Note:

• As per provisions of the Scheme, Electoral Bonds may be purchased by a person, who is a citizen of India or incorporated or established in India. A person being an individual can buy Electoral Bonds, either singly or jointly with other individuals.
• The Bond shall be encashed by an eligible political party (not less than one percent of the votes polled in the last General Election) only through a bank account with the authorized bank.

Science

New shark species discovered in the Atlantic Ocean

• The scientists have identified a new shark species ‘Hexanchus vitulus’, the Atlantic sixgill in the Atlantic Ocean.
• The new species is different from its counterparts residing in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
• The new species have unique, saw-like lower teeth and reside at extreme depth ocean, sometimes thousands of feet below the surface.
• The sixgills in the Atlantic Ocean were found to be very different from the ones in the Indian and Pacific Oceans on a molecular level.

International Appointments

Australian deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce to resign

• Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce (National Party leader) will resign as Deputy Prime Minister but will remain in parliament.
• Now, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's Liberals will elect a new leader, who will also become Deputy Prime Minister under the terms of the coalition agreement.

Arts and Culture

Festival of Arunachal started with celebration of the 32nd Statehood Day concludes

• The three-day ‘Festival of Arunachal’, started with the celebration of the 32nd Statehood Day of the state, concluded.
• During the festival various tribes of the state and from outside showcased their cultural and traditional identity.
• Various artists, like Singer Lucky Ali, Hans Raj Hans, comedian Raju Srivastava etc performed during the festival.

Note: ‘Festival of Arunachal’ was aimed at showcasing the symbol of multi-dimensional cultural identity, communal harmony and propagating the spirit of national integration.