14 August 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

14 August 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

1. Rajnath Singh inaugurates NDMC Smart City Projects

• The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has rolled out the Smart City projects to help New Delhi emerge as a world-class city.
• The projects are undertaken by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).
• The various projects inaugurated by Rajnath Singh include Smart Poles, Solar Tree, Ideation Centre, 50 LED interactive screens, Ambedkar Vatika and various other things.
• He also launched MTNL’s hi-speed Broadband on Optical Fiber & Hi-Speed Wi-Fi in Connaught Place.

2. Jammu, Agartala to get Space Research Technology Centres

• According to the Union Minister of Dr. Jitendra Singh, Jammu will be the first city in North India to get a full-fledged Space Technology Research Centre devoted to research, academics and post-graduation study.
• The Centre will function under the aegis of the Central University Jammu.
• The other town selected for opening a Space Technology Research Centre is in the Northeast in Tripura, where it would function under the aegis of National Institute of Technology (NIT) Agartala.

Note:

• It will offer a new opening and an opportunity for scholars and youngsters who have the aptitude for Space science, to explore a new career and research option.

3. Special Metro train to spread the message of patriotism

• The Delhi Metro has put service a six-coach special train fully wrapped with photographs of freedom fighters and other Indian icons to spread the message of patriotism.
• The Metro train will run between Samaypur Badli and HUDA City Centre (Yellow Line) for the next two months.
• The Metro train will carry pictures of Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Subhash Chandra Bose, BR Ambedkar, Lata Mangeshkar, APJ Abdul Kalam (former President), shahnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan and Kapil Dev (cricket icon).

4. IRDA constitutes a working group to norms for insurance surveyors

• The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA) constituted the 7-member working group to the norms for insurance surveyors.
• The working group will submit its report with recommendations within six weeks.
• The working group has been formed to address areas pertaining to licensing, renewal and others in the context of the existing regulatory framework for Surveyors and Loss Assessors.
• The working group has been asked to make the holistic analysis of the existing regulatory framework in view of the requirements of the industry.
• The group will study the Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association of the Indian Institute of Insurance Surveyors and Loss Assessors and make recommendations to bring about alignment with the Surveyor Regulations.

5. Civil Aviation Ministry approves a proposal for setting up water aerodromes

• The Union Civil Aviation Minister ‘Suresh Prabhu’ has approved a proposal for setting up water aerodromes in the country.
• A water aerodrome is an area of open water that can be used by seaplanes or amphibious planes for landing and taking off.
• In June 2018, the approval comes after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued regulations, prescribing procedures and the requirement for licensing of water aerodromes.

Note:

• The Airports Authority of India has already identified the sites in Chilika Lake (Odisha), Sardar Sarovar Dam & Sabarmati River Front (Gujarat), Assam, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh where water aerodrome would be developed.
• Water Aerodrome have connected terminal building on land where the plane can choose to dock like a ship.

6. Manjula Chellur appointed as new chairperson of Appellate Tribunal for Electricity

• Justice Manjula Chellur has been appointed as the new chairperson of Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (ATE) for a period of 3 years.
• Earlier, Chellur was the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court.
• Chellur was the first woman Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court.

Note:

• In April 2004, Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (ATE) has been established by Union Ministry of Power by the virtue of Section 110 of The Electricity Act, 2003.

7. Retail inflation falls to 4.17 percent in July

• According to the data released by the ministry of program implementation and statistics, Retail inflation slowed to 4.17% in July (in June 4.92%).
• The inflation came down in July due to cheaper food.
• Food inflation in July stood at a provisional 1.37% (in July 2.91%), the statement from the Central Statistics Office noted.
• Retail inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), had come in at 2.36% in July, 2017.

8. Rajasthan's Jodhpur, Marwar cleanliest among major railway stations

• In the latest round of cleanliness assessment study released by Railway ministry, Rajasthan's Jodhpur (A1 category) and Marwar railway stations (A category) have emerged the cleanliest among the major stations in the country.
• A1 and A category stations contribute 80% of the passenger revenue.
• The stations are categorized based on revenue generated and footfalls.
• The survey was conducted by the Quality Council of India (QCI).
• None of the major stations in the metros found a place in the top ten list save for Anand Vihar in New Delhi which came in at fifth position.

Rank	A1 category stations	A category stations	Zonal Railway rankings
1	Jodhpur	Marwar	North Western Railway
2	Jaipur	Phulera	South Central Railway
3	Tirupati	Warangal	East Coast Railway
4	Vijayawada	Udaipur	South East Central Railway
5	Anand Vihar Terminal	Jaisalmer	Western Railway

9. Ease of Living Index 2018 released: Pune tops & Rampur at Bottom

• The Hardeep Singh Puri (Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs) has announced the top 10 cities rankings (in total 111 cities) on Ease of Living Index 2018.
• Pune emerged as the top-ranked city in the Ease of Living Index.
• Navi Mumbai has surfaced as the second preferred spot in terms of 'liveability'.
• All the cities have been ranked on the basis of four parameters viz. institutional, social, economic and physical.

Note:

• The Ease of Living Index is a government initiative to assess cities' 'liveability' with regards to global and national benchmarks and encourage them towards urban planning and management.

Top 3 cities in the list are:

1. Pune
2. Navi Mumbai.
3. Greater Mumbai.

Obituaries

10. Chhattisgarh Governor Balramji Das Tandon passes away

• Governor of Chhattisgarh Balram Das Tandon (90-year) passed away in Raipur.
• Tandon was a founding member of the Jan Sangh in 1951.
• He served as secretary of Punjab Jan Sangh from 1951 to 1957, and as president of the Punjab BJP from 1995-97.

Sports

11. Rafael Nadal beats Stefanos Tsitsipas to claim Rogers Cup in Toronto

• Spanish professional tennis player ‘Rafael Nadal’ (17-time Grand Slam champion) clinched his fourth Canadian Masters 1000 title at the Rogers Cup in Toronto.
• He defeated Greek teenager Stefanos Tsitsipas.
• Now, Nadal clinched his 80th ATP World Tour title and fifth victory of the year.

Note:

• The events alternate from year to year between the cities of Montreal and Toronto.