12 September 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

12 September 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

1. Piyush Goyal launches a web portal ‘Rail Sahyog’

• The Union Railways Minister Shri Piyush Goyal launched a web portal railsahyog.in.
• The web portal will provide a platform for the Corporates and PSUs to contribute to the creation of amenities at/near Railway Stations through Corporate Social Responsibility funds.
• This portal will not only be beneficial for passengers but also for a neighbourhood of Railway vicinity.

2. First ever Bihar-Nepal bus service launched

• The Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar flagged off the first bus service between Bihar and Nepal
• The service will link Bodh Gaya & Patna (in Bihar) to Kathmandu & Janakpur (in Nepal).
• The bus service was commissioned following an agreement between India and Nepal.
• Bus services from Kathmandu to Bodhgaya will be started by the Government of Nepal on the 13th of Sept.

3. India's first railway university starts operations in Vadodara

• The National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI) has started operations this week.
• A total of 103 students formed the first batch of this unique institute.
• This year it has started with two UG courses.

4. India-born student Rajalakshmi Nandakumar to get 2018 ‘Young Scholar’ award

• An Indian-born women scholar in the US ‘Rajalakshmi Nandakumar’ has been chosen for the 2018 ‘Young Scholar’ award for her work to help detect potentially life-threatening health issues using smartphones.
• She has been selected for the 2018 Marconi society Paul Baran Young Scholar award.
• She has created a technology that turns an ordinary smartphone into an active sonar system capable of detecting physiological activities.

5. NITI Aayog, Intel and TIFR collaborate for Model International Center for Transformative AI

• NITI Aayog, Intel, and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) are collaborating to set up a Model International Center for Transformative Artificial Intelligence (ICTAI) towards developing and deploying AI-led application-based research projects.
• The initiative is part of NITI Aayog’s National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence discussion paper that focuses on establishing ICTAI through private sector collaboration.
• The objective of the center to experiment, discover and establish best practices in the domains of ICTAI governance, fundamental research, physical infrastructure, compute and service infrastructure needs, and talent acquisition.
• The ICTAI will work towards developing and deploying artificial intelligence, based research projects in critical domains such as healthcare, agriculture, smart cities and mobility.

6. Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar announces sharp reduction in power tariff

• Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has announced a sharp reduction in electricity tariff in the state.
• Under the revised tariff, consumers using up to 50 units per month will pay 2 rupees per unit.
• Those who use up to 200 units will pay 2.50 rupees per unit (earlier Rs. 4.69 per unit) from next month.
• Those consuming up to 500 units will pay 4.68 rupees per (earlier 5.55 rupees per unit).
• The subsidy will cost the state government 677 crore rupees per annum.
• The reduced tariff would benefit 41 lakh and 53 thousand domestic consumers in Haryana.

7. 1st regional workshop on RERA inaugurated by Hardeep Puri in Pune

• The union Hardeep Singh Puri has inaugurated the first regional workshop on RERA (Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act) in Pune.
• It was launched in 2016 is aimed at consumer protection, by creating an online system for information sharing in the real estate sector.
• It allows states to set up the Regulatory Authority and the Appellate.

8. Apsara-U research reactor becomes operational at BARC

• According to the Department of Atomic Energy, Apsara is now operational as 'Apsara-U' on Trombay campus of Maharashtra.
• Apsara is the first research reactor in Asia that worked nearly five decades before shutting down in 2009.
• The reactor can also be used for research and production of radioisotopes for medical application and would also be extensively used for research in nuclear physics, material science and radiation shielding.
• This development helped the Indian scientists and engineers to build complex facilities for healthcare, science education and research.

Note:

• Apsara is a light water swimming pool-type reactor with a maximum power output of one megawatt thermal (MWT) and is utilized for various experiments, including neutron activation analysis, radiation damage studies, forensic research, neutron radiography, and shielding experiments.

International Affairs

9. INDO-US joint military exercise Yudh Abhyas 2018

• The two-week long, joint military training Exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas 2018’ (14th edition) is scheduled to be conducted in the foothills of Himalayas at Chaubattia in Uttarakhand. (16 - 29 September 2018).
• The joint exercise Yudh Abhyas 2018 will simulate a scenario where both nations will work together in counter insurgency and counter terrorism environment in mountainous terrain under United Nation charter.
• It will witness participation of about 350 personnel of the US Army and similar strength of the Indian Army.
• The exercise curriculum is progressively planned where the participants are initially made to get familiar with each other’s organizational structure, weapons, equipment, confidence training and tactical drills.

10. Dubai to host India-UAE Partnership Summit

• The Two-day 2^nd India-UAE Partnership Summit (IUPS) will be held in Dubai (30^th from October).
• The India-UAE Partnership Summit is being organised by the Business Leaders Forum (BLF) in partnership with the consulate.
• According to the Consul General of India in Dubai, Vipul, the second edition of the IUPS is being organised by the BLF this year in partnership with the consulate.

Sports

11. Asiad gold medallist Amit Panghal nominated for Arjuna award

• Indian boxer Amit Panghal (Asian Games gold medal-winner) has been nominated for this year's Arjuna awards by the Boxing Federation of India.
• Amit joined Sonia Lather and Gaurav Bidhuri in the list of boxing nominees for the second highest sporting honour after the Khel Ratna.
• Amit claimed the light flyweight (49kg) category gold after defeating reigning Olympic champion Hasanboy Dusmatov of Uzbekistan in the Asiad final.
• The National Sports Awards ceremony held on (every year on 29^th August) to commemorate the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, will be organised on (25^th September 2018).
• The change in schedule was done because of the clash of dates with the Asian Games, which concluded on September 2 in Jakarta.