21 July 2018 - Daily Current Affairs
1. J P Nadda addresses 8th BRICS Health Ministers’ meeting at Durban
- The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Shri J P Nadda addressed the 8th BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting at Durban (South Africa) to highlights the achievements of India in the health sector.
- According to Shri J P Nadda, to improve healthcare, there is a need for increasing the accessibility of affordable, quality, effective and safe drugs, vaccines and diagnostics for TB patients.
- The union government has announced the ambitious programme called 'Ayushman Bharat' which is to be rolled out across India next month.
2. PM Modi launches emergency ambulance service for Sri Lanka
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the country-wide Emergency Ambulance service for Sri Lanka through video conferencing (inaugural function held in Jaffna,Sri Lanka) from New Delhi.
- The service was introduced in two provinces of Sri Lanka with grant assistance from India and will be expanded to the remaining seven provinces.
- India has given a grant of 22.8 million US dollars first phase (7.6 million) and for the country-wide expansion (15.2 million).
- This is the largest Indian grant project in Sri Lanka after Indian housing project.
3. ASEAN-India trade likely to touch 100 billion by 2020
- According to Union Urban Development and Housing Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, ASEAN-India trade is likely to touch USD 100 billion by 2020.
- The economic partnership between India and ASEAN is deepening by the day and is in a dynamic phase.
- The bilateral trade between ASEAN and India has crossed USD 80-billion mark.
- It constitutes the highest volume of trade in goods that ASEAN and India have witnessed since the signing of the FTA in 2010.
- If this double-digit trade growth continues, ASEAN-India trade is likely to touch USD 100 billion by 2020.
4. Union Home Minister launches student police cadet programme
- The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has launched the national Student Police Cadet (SPC) programme at Tau Devi Lal Stadium.
- The programme seeks to build a bridge between the Police and the larger community through school students by inculcating values and ethics in them through classes in school and outside.
- Students will study the law and Constitution, communication skills, disaster management, and health and hygiene.
5. Cochin Port signs work order for state-of-the-art Cruise Terminal
- A new Cruise Terminal having facilities to handle 5000 tourists will come up at Ernakulum Wharf of Cochin Port (in February 2020).
- Cochin Port Trust has issued work order to the contractor for commencing the construction of the new Cruise Terminal.
- The estimated cost of construction of the terminal is Rs 25.72cr.
6. Five oil PSUs sign JV pact for N-E Natural Gas Pipeline Grid
- The five central oil PSUs (IOCL, ONGC, GAIL, OIL, and NRL) have signed an agreement for executing the North - East Natural Gas Pipeline Grid.
- As per the agreement, Joint venture company will develop, build, operate, and maintain the Natural Gas Pipeline Grid connecting Guwahati to the other major North -Eastern cities and major load centres and integrate with gas producing fields in the region.
- The project will connect the state capitals of all the eight North Eastern states (Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh) with an expenditure of 6000 crore rupees.
Obituaries
7. Veteran Chhattisgarh politician Ramchandra Singhdeo passes away
- Former Finance Minister of Chhattisgarh Ramchandra Singhdeo (88-years) passed away in Raipur.
- He was the first Finance Minister in the cabinet of the then Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh ‘Ajit Jogi’.
- Singhdeo was born in Baikunthpur in the Koriya district of Chhattisgarh.
International Affairs
8. Myanmar joins International Solar Alliance
- Myanmar has joined the India-initiated International Solar Alliance (ISA), becoming the 68th member of the grouping that is aiming at the optimum utilization of solar energy.
- Kyaw Tin (Minister for International Cooperation of Myanmar) handed over the ISA Framework Agreement to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during a bilateral meeting on Delhi Dialogue 2018.
- India is a key development aid partner for Myanmar and is implementing the number of infrastructure projects in that country.
9. 4th BIMSTEC summit to be held in Kathmandu
- The fourth BIMSTEC Summit will be held in Kathmandu, Nepal (30 to 31 August 2018).
- The main focus of the summit will be to increase connectivity between the BIMSTEC nations including roads, airways and transmission lines.
- The First Meeting of the BIMSTEC Working Group on Customs Cooperation was held in New Delhi, India (on 10-11 May 2018).
Note:
- The BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiatives for Multi-Sectoral, Technical and Economic Cooperation) is a regional economic bloc comprising seven-member states lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal constituting a contiguous regional unity.
- In 1997, the group was formed to bring together Bangladesh, Bhutan India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand.
Sports
10. Alisson Becker becomes World's most expensive Goalkeeper
- Brazil’s Alisson Becker (25-year) has become the world's most expensive goalkeeper while transferring clubs from Italy's Roma to England's Liverpool for a world record USD 84 million.
- He surpasses Ederson Moraes (USD 61.4 million, Manchester City).
11. IOC adds seven medal events to 2022 Beijing Winter Games
- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has added seven medal events to the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.
- The next Winter Olympics will now include: women’s monobob, Big Air freestyle skiing for men and women, plus mixed team events in short track speed skating, ski jumping, ski aerials and snowboardcross.
Note:
- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is a Swiss private non-governmental organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland,
- It is the authority responsible for the modern Olympic Games.
