03 July 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

03 July 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

03 July 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

1. Anjolie Ela Menon awarded Kalidas Samman for visual arts

  • The Madhya Pradesh Government has conferred prestigious National Kalidas Samman to the noted artist ‘Anjolie Ela Menon’ (78-years) for her contribution to visual arts.
  • Menon is India’s most accomplished artists and recipient of the Padma Shri.
  • The award was conferred in recognition of her insightful and sensitive portrayal of the identity and spirit of women through her meaningful paintings in a variety of media.
Note:
  • The Kalidas Samman is a prestigious arts award presented annually (from 1980) by the Madhya Pradesh government.
  • From 1986-87 onwards, the awards were presented in all four fields (Classical Music, Classical Dance, Theatre and Plastic Arts) every year.

National Appointment

2. Vijay Srinivas appointed Director & GM of United India Insurance

  • The United India Insurance Company has appointed K B Vijay Srinivas as its Director and General Manager (GM).
  • Earlier, he was serving National Insurance Company Ltd as its Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and General Manager (GM).
  • Srinivas has also contributed articles in journals of insurance, tax and other subjects.

Science

3. Scientists identify the gene that strengthens human immunity system

  • The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia identified the gene that plays a critical role in regulating the body's immune response to infection including cancer and diabetes.
  • The identification could lead to the development of new treatments for a variety of diseases including cancer, diabetes and inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis.
  • The yet unnamed gene (referred to as C6 or f106) has existed for more than 500 million years, preserved and passed down from simple organisms all the way to humans.

National Affairs

4. AMC & steering panels to be set up for faster resolution of NPAs

  • According to the Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal, Independent asset management companies (AMCs) and steering committees will be set up for faster resolution of the non-performing assets (NPAs), or bad loans, of state-run banks.
  • The union Govt has accepted the NPAs resolution plan put forward by a committee headed by the Punjab National Bank Chairman Sunil Mehta.
  • The panel has recommended the creation of an AMC under the framework of an alternative investment fund (AIF) to deal with NPA cases of more than Rs. 500 crores.
  • There are about 200 such accounts with a total exposure of about Rs. 3.1 lakh crore.
Note:
  • Sunil Mehta panel presented project 'Sashakt' and recommended a five-pronged strategy to deal with stressed assets.
  • A nonperforming asset (NPA) refers to a classification for loans or advances that are in default or are in arrears on scheduled payments of principal or interest.

5. EC organises 2-day National Consultation on Accessible Elections

  • The Chief Election Commissioner ‘O P Rawat’ has inaugurated a two-days National consultation on Accessible Elections in New Delhi.
  • The event is a part of the ECI’s pursuit of its mission to leave no voter behind, with a special focus on Persons with Disabilities.
  • A dedicated portal for the ECI’s Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation initiative has been launched.
  • The best practices on ‘Accessible Elections’ that were practised in six states during their last Assembly Elections will be shared in the meeting.

6. India’s manufacturing growth jumps to the six-month high in June

  • India’s manufacturing conditions improved in June at the strongest pace in 2018 so far, amid the sharpest gains in output and new orders.
  • The Nikkei India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 53.1 in June this year (earlier, 51.2 in May).
  • This is the 11th consecutive month that the manufacturing PMI remained above the 50-point mark.
Note:
  • Purchasing Managers' Indexes (PMI) are economic indicators derived from monthly surveys of private sector companies.
  • The data for the index are collected through a survey of 400 purchasing managers in the manufacturing sector on five different fields (new orders from customers, speed of supplier deliveries, inventories, order backlogs and employment level).

7. Jharkhand to set up country's first Khadi Mall

  • Jharkhand Chief Minister ‘Raghubar Das’ has announced the first 'Khadi Mall' of the country will be opened in the state.
  • The mall would come up in the Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) campus area which is also giving way for the Ranchi Smart City.
  • The artisans would be provided technological aid for value addition in their products, while rural, urban and tourism 'haats' will provide the markets for their goods.

8. UNESCO declares Colombia's Chiribiquete park world heritage site

  • The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has placed Colombia's Chiribiquete national park on its list of world heritage sites.
  • The park is the country’s largest and has one of the highest rates of plant diversity in the northern Amazon.
  • It is also famous for its table-top rock formations known as tepuis, which rise out of the forest.
Note:
  • Chiribiquete was first declared a national park in 1989, located on one of the world's oldest rock formations, the Guiana Shield.

9. Mumbai's Victorian and Art Deco Ensembles inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site

  • Mumbai’s Victorian and Art Deco Ensembles have been declared as the UNESCO World Heritage Site during the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO at Manama in Bahrain.
  • Mumbai has the second largest collection of Art Deco buildings (after Miami) and a wide range of Gothic structures, ranging from the majestic Central Railway headquarters (Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, earlier called Victoria Terminus) to the municipal corporation headquarters and the high court.
  • Earlier, UNESCO’s Paris-based technical adviser had recommended the prestigious tag for the enclave.
  • Now, India has overall 37 World Heritage Inscriptions with 29 Cultural, 07 Natural and 01 Mixed sites.

10. Former naval staff Admiral JG Nadkarni passes away

  • Former chief of naval staff Admiral JG Nadkarni (86-years) passed away at a naval hospital in Mumbai
  • Nadkarni was the Navy chief from December 1987 to November 1990.

Sports

11. ICC to impose minimum six Tests or 12 ODIs ban on ball tampering offenders

  • The International Cricket Council (ICC) will impose a ban of minimum six Tests or 12 ODIs (earlier 1 Test and 2 ODIs) on ball tampering offenders.
  • Now, Ball tampering has been upgraded as a Level 3 offence as per ICC's new code of conduct
  • The ball tampering incident involving Steve Smith and David Warner has forced ICC to upgrade it as Level 3 offence which will carry 12 suspension points.

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