14 July 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

14 July 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

1. TCA Raghavan appointed as Director General of Indian Council of World Affairs

• The Vice President of India and the President of ICWA, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has appointed Dr. T.C.A. Raghavan (IFS: 1982) as the Director General, ex officio Member-Secretary of the Council (ICWA).
• The decision was taken in the meetings of the Governing Body and Governing Council of the Indian Council of World Affairs held.
• Earlier, Dr. T.C.A. Raghavan has served as India’s High Commissioner to Islamabad and Singapore.

Note:

• Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) was established in 1943 by a group of Indian intellectuals as a think tank.
• It was established as a non-official, non-political and non-profit organisation under Registration of Societies Act 1860.

2. United Nations Secretary-General Appoints High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation

• United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced the launch of a High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation.
• Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Jack Ma, Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group, have been appointed as the co-chairs of the panel which will work on the issue of digital cooperation.
• The panel will contribute to the broader public debate on the importance of cooperative and interdisciplinary approaches to ensure a safe and inclusive digital future that will work on human rights norms. The panel’s aim is to identify policy, research and information gaps, and make proposals to strengthen international cooperation in the digital space.

Note: United Nations Secretary-General - António Guterres

National Affairs

3. Madhya Pradesh CM inaugurated NTPC's solar plant

• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has inaugurated National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) 250 MW Solar Power Plant in Mandsaur.
• This project has been set up mainly on non- land and the generation of electricity has been achieved without affecting the natural eco-system with zero carbon emission at an investment of about Rs 1,500 crore.
• This is one of the biggest solar plant developed using domestically manufactured Solar cells and modules under the Make in India initiative.

4. Mukesh Ambani dethrones Alibaba's Jack Ma, Becomes Asia's Richest Person.

• Billionaire Mukesh Ambani has overtaken Alibaba’s Jack Ma to become Asia's richest person as Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) is positioned to disrupt the e-commerce space in India.
• According to a report by Bloomberg, Mukesh Ambani was estimated to be worth $44.3 billion with Reliance Industries whereas Jack Ma’s wealth stood at $44 billion.
• Reliance has doubled its petrochemical capacity and is also gaining from the profits from Reliance Jio.

5. Centre plans to build port in Andhra Pradesh

• Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari informed about the centre’s plans to build a port at Vadarevu in Andhra Pradesh's Prakasam district.
• 3,000 acres of land will be allocated for the proposed port at Vadarevu.
• Nitin Gadkari shared the idea of forming a special purpose vehicle with the state government to build the new port. The Visakhapatnam Port is saturated and a new port is needed for the industrial development in the region.

6. India surpasses France to become the world's 6th largest economy

• India surpasses France to become world's sixth-largest economy in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
• According to World Bank figures for 2017, India's gross domestic product (GDP) amounted to $2.597 trillion at the end of last year, whereas France clocked $2.582 trillion.
• According to the report, manufacturing and consumer spending were the key features for the Indian economy.
• According to the International Monetary Fund, India is projected to generate growth of 7.4 per cent this year and 7.8 per cent in 2019, whereas the world's expected average growth of 3.9 per cent.

Note: The first place is taken by U.S.A.

 Sports

7. Mohammad Kaif announces retirement from all forms of cricket

• Indian Cricketer Mohammad Kaif announced his retirement from all forms of the game.
• Mohammad Kaif (37-year-old) bid adieu to the game, almost 12 years after he last played for the Indian team.
• Mohammad Kaif played 13 Tests and 125 ODIs for India and will be remembered for his match-winning knock of 87 at the Lord's during the epic Natwest Trophy final in 2002.
• He won the Ranji Trophy for Uttar Pradesh.

8. India Men's hockey team to get monthly allowance under Target Olympic Podium Scheme

• The Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) of the Sports Ministry approved a monthly allowance of 50 thousand rupees for each of the 18 members of the men's hockey team under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).
• The monthly allowance under TOPS has been started by the ministry in year 2017 but the hockey team is getting the pocket allowance for the first time.
• The decision to include hockey was taken after India's performance improved under new coach Harendra Singh as they finished runners up in the Champions Trophy in the Netherlands.
• The women's team could be included in the TOPS after reviewing its performance in the upcoming World Cup and the following Asian Games.

Note:

• Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme was formulated by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports within the overall ambit of National Sports Development Fund (NSDF).
• The aim of the scheme is to identify and support potential medal prospects for 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games.

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 Thought of the Day

 "When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable."

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