12 April 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

12 April 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

National & international Appointments

Wipro's Rishad Premji appointed NASSCOM chairman

• The chief strategy officer and board member of Wipro Ltd ‘Rishad Premji’ (son of Wipro chairman Azim Premji) has been appointed as chairman of IT industry body Nasscom (National Association of Software and Service Companies) for 2018-19.
• He succeeds Raman Roy, chairman, and MD, Quatrro Global Services, served as chairman of Nasscom for 2017-18.
• Mr. Rishad holds an MBA from Harvard Business School (HBS) and a BA in Economics from Wesleyan University in the US.
• The NASSCOM is a trade association of Indian Information Technology (IT) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry established in 1988.

Note:

• NASSCOM is a global trade body with over 2000 members, of which over 250 are companies from China, EU, Japan, the U.S. and the UK.
• NASSCOM is headquartered in New Delhi, India, with regional offices in the cities of Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, and Thiruvananthapuram.

Balram Bhargava appointed new DG of ICMR

• Balram Bhargava has been appointed as the new Director General (DG) of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Secretary of the Department of Health Research (till 2021).
• He succeeds Soumya Swaminathan.
• Currently, Mr. Bhargava working as a senior consultant cardiologist at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS).

Note:

• The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination, and promotion of biomedical research.
• The ICMR is funded by the Government of India through the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Ban Ki-Moon elected BFA chairman

• Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been elected chairman of 'Boao Forum for Asia' (BFA).
• He replaced Yasuo Fukuda (former Japanese Prime Minister).
• Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong has been appointed BFA secretary-general.

Note:

• The BFA is a non-governmental and non-profit international organization committed to promoting regional economic integration and bringing Asian countries closer to their development goals.
• The Forum is committed to promoting regional economic integration and bringing Asian countries even closer to their development goals.

Science & Defence

4. ISRO launches navigation satellite IRNSS-1I from Sriharikota

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launches navigation satellite IRNSS1I by PSLV-C41 from the Sathish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota.
• The satellite IRNSS-1I (1,425-kg) is the replacement of IRNSS-1A satellite launched back in 2013 whose three atomic clocks onboard have stopped working over two years ago.
• It was the ninth of the satellite series of Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).
• IRNSS-1I carries two types of payloads - navigation payload and ranging payload.

Note:

• The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) with an operational name of NAVIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) is an autonomous regional satellite navigation system, that provides accurate real-time positioning and timing services.
• IRNSS satellites help not just inland navigation but also in marine and aerial navigation.

National Affairs

India & Morocco sign pact to promote mineral exploration

• India has signed a pact with Morocco on the evaluation of potential mineral resources & promoting exploration and mining through the participation of both public & private sector in New Delhi.
• The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed after the bilateral discussions between Mines Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and his counterpart Aziz Rabbah of Morocco.
• The focus of the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) is on the development of the geological infrastructure for Geoscience Maps and geochemical maps, strengthening geological research and evaluation of the potential of mineral resources.
• The specialized Training Institute of GSI (Geological Survey of India) can train the professionals of Morocco.

Andhra CM Naidu inaugurates 'Happy Cities Summit 2018' in Amaravati

• The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh ‘N. Chandrababu Naidu’ and Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev (Founder of Isha Foundation) has inaugurated a three-day long 'Happy Cities Summit 2018' in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh.
• The event partners are Dalberg, Confederation of Indian Industries, and Centre for Liveable Cities (Singapore).
• Around 1,000 delegates from India and abroad will take part in the Summit.
• The objective of the summit is to evolve a framework for thinking about and measuring ‘city happiness’.

India jumps 13 places in latest annual Index of Economic Freedom

• India has jumped 13 places in the latest annual Index of Economic Freedom released by a top American think-tank the Heritage Foundation.
• In 2017, India with a score of 52.6 points was ranked at 143 among 180 countries.
• In 2018, India's economic freedom score is 54.5 points, making its economy the130^th.
• China has jumped one spot and Pakistan is now at 131 positions.
• The report also mentioned that Corruption, underdeveloped infrastructure, a restrictive and burdensome regulatory environment, and poor financial and budget management continue to undermine overall development.

World's largest solar park to come up in Gujarat

• The Chief Minister of Gujarat Vijay Rupani has approved setting up a 5,000 MW capacity solar park at Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR).
• It would be the largest such entity in the world after its completion.
• The proposed solar power generation project would be set up in 11,000 hectares of land with an investment of Rs 25,000 crore.

Shooter Manu Bhaker to be a brand ambassador of MR campaign in Haryana

• India's teen shooting sensation Manu Bhaker (16-year)will be the brand ambassador of Haryana's Measles and Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign.
• The campaign will be launched by state's Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on 25th April.
• Vaccination of about 85 lakh children from nine months to 15 years of age would be carried out under this campaign.
• Under the campaign, immunization would be carried out in 22,626 government and private schools, 25,771 Anganwadi centres, construction sites, brick kilns, poultry farms, other high-risk zones and urban areas.

Note: Recently, Manu Bhaker (Class 12th student) from Jhajjar won women's 10m air pistol gold medal at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast.

Sports

Asia Cup 2018 shift from India to UAE

• The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has shifted the 50-over Asia Cup from India to United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• Earlier, The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) could not procure permission from the central government to host Pakistan.
• The tournament will now be held from September 13 to 28 in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
• The Asia Cup is a biennial event which is now held in both ODI and T20 formats.
• This time it will be a 50-over event as teams are now gearing up for next year's ODI World Cup in England.