13-14 May 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

13-14 May 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

13-14 May 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

1. Iconic singer Lata Mangeshkar honored with Swara Mauli award

  • Legendary singer ‘Lata Mangeshkar’ (88-years) honored with the ‘Swara Mauli title’ by Shrimad Jagatguru Shankaracharya Vidyanarsimha Bharati Swami at her residence (Prabhu Kunj) at Pedder Road in south Mumbai.
  • Her sisters Asha Bhosle, Usha Mangeshkar and brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar were also present at the occasion.
  • Earlier in 1984, the State Government of Madhya Pradesh instituted the 'Lata Mangeshkar Award' in honor of Lata Mangeshkar.
  • Mangeshkar was awarded the 'Bharat Ratna' in 2001.

2. Prof Muhammad Yunus conferred KISS Humanitarian Award 2018

  • Nobel laureate and economist Muhammad Yunus has been honored with the 11th Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) Humanitarian Award 2018 at a function held in Bhubaneswar.
  • Yunus was co-awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 along with Grameen Bank (the microcredit organization) he created to provide loans to the poor in Bangladesh.
  • His model of microcredit popularised by Grameen Bank has been successfully replicated in over 100 countries providing the lifeline to millions of poor, mainly women.
Note:
  •  KISS Humanitarian Award is an international award (instituted in 2008) given to someone who has made exceptional contribution to the society in various fields relating to social issues.

Science & Defence

3. Army finalizes Rs 15,000 crore ammunition production project

  • Army has finalized a mega 15,000 crore rupees project under which a range of ammunition for its critical weapons and tanks will be produced indigenously.
  • Initially, ammunition for a range of rockets, air defense system, artillery guns, infantry combat vehicles, grenade launchers and various other field weapons would be produced under strict timelines.
  • The immediate aim of the project is to create an inventory of all major weapons to enable the forces to fight a 30-day war while the long-term objective is to cut dependence on imports.
  • Army has set a specific target for the next 10 years in terms of the volume of ammunition to be produced.
  • The implementation of the project is being monitored by the top brass of the Army and the Defence Ministry.

4. Army Chief to begin the 4-day crucial visit to Sri Lanka today

  • The Chief of the Army Staff ‘General Bipin Rawat’ is on four days official visit to Sri Lanka.
  • Gen Rawat will hold talks with top political and military leadership of Sri Lanka and explore new areas of military-to-military cooperation between the two countries.
  • The visit assumes significance in light of India’s persistent efforts to strengthen the existing bonds of friendship and military cooperation based on mutual interests and understanding.
  • General Rawat will also inaugurate a communication laboratory at School of Signals, Kandy (established by the Indian Army) to train the personnel of Sri Lanka Army Signal Corps.

Obituaries 

5. Renowned storyteller Ankit Chadha passes away

  • Renowned storyteller Ankit Chadha (30-years) passed away in a tragic accident occurred at Uksan Lake near Kamshet (60 kilometers away) from Pune.
  • He was known for his unique style of storytelling in Urdu.
  • Over the past few years, he had performed at various national and international stages, including universities like Harvard, Yale ,and Toronto.

6.  Pak hockey legend Mansoor Ahmed passes away

  • Pakistan's World Cup-winning hockey goalkeeper Mansoor Ahmed (49-year) passed away at a city hospital in Karachi due to heart complications.
  • The hockey legend (known as the 1994 World Cup hero for Pakistan) had been suffering from heart ailment for the past three years.
  • Mansoor represented Pakistan in some 338 internationals had a major heart surgery in 2016 and since early this year was battling for his life.

7. Noted lyricist, poet & politician Balkavi Bairagi passes away

  • Noted Hindi film lyricist ‘Nandram Das Bairagi’ (87-year) passed away in his sleep.
  • He wrote several Hindi poems, among which, "Jhar gaye paat, bisar gayi tehni" is considered a gem by many Hindi poets.
  • Mr. Bairagi was a Lok Sabha member between 1984 and 1989 and also a former Rajya Sabha MP.

Banking & Finance

8. Fino payments bank launched a digital suite

  • Fino Payments bank has launched the digital service suite to expand its footprint in the exciting space of digital banking and payments.
  • In September 2017, Fino launched its mobile banking app BPay.
  • Fino Payments Bank’s digital stack takes forward the ethos of providing simple and convenient banking.
Fino Payment’s Bank suite of digital products:
  •  Unified Payments Interface (UPI), BHIM app, game changer in P2P and merchant payments. Customers can access UPI, create a virtual identity and make P2P payments through the bank’s BPay mobile banking app.
  • Net Banking: For those not so mobile savvy but comfortable to do banking on web or online.
  • Digi Savings Account: online account opening with only Aadhaar number and PAN card
  • FasTag: make digital payments at national highway toll plazas.

National Affairs

9. Frozen Semen Station being set up in Maranga, Purnea

  • The Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Radha Mohan Singh has laid the foundation stone of the frozen semen station in Maranga, Purnea.
  • The frozen semen station is being set up at a cost of Rs 64 crore under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission with 100% contribution from the Central Government.
  • The frozen semen station (in Purnea) will be the first state-of-the-art semen production center of the country.
  • In December 2014, the Rashtriya Gokul Mission was initiated with an aim to conserve and develop indigenous breeds.

10. Madhya Pradesh to be declared ODF by October this year

  • According to the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the state will be declared as open defecation free (ODF) by Gandhi Jayanti (2nd Oct) this year.
  • The State will become ODF one year before the national timeline of the 150thbirth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi (2nd October,2019).
Note:
  • The Swachh Bharat Mission was initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 2nd October 2014, with a resolution to achieve Open Defecation Free (ODF) India by 2 October 2019.

11. UNDP to set up skill development centre in Hyderabad

  • The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has announced to set up a skill development center for clients of 'Bharosa,' an integrated support center for distressed women and children in Hyderabad.
  • The objective of the initiative to empower vulnerable and marginalized women by imparting skills training.
  • Bharosa is an initiative of Hyderabad City Police (launched in 2016) to support women and children who are victims of violence.
Note:
  • UNDP is United Nations’ global development network for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience, and resources to help people build a better life.

Sports

12. India U-16 defeat Tajikistan 4-2 to win four-nation tournament in Serbia

  • Indian colts have won against Tajikistan 4-2 and emerged as champions in the four-nation Under-16 Tournament held in Serbia.
  • They defeated Jordan 2-1 before beating Tajikistan in the final.
  • India finished their campaign unbeaten in three matches, accumulating seven points out a maximum of nine.

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