Daily Current Affairs 23rd February, 2018

Daily Current Affairs 23 February 2018 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Green signal for ₹60,000-cr National Urban Housing Fund

The Union Cabinet approved setting up of a ₹60,000-crore National Urban Housing Fund (NUHF) to facilitate the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) Mission and to ensure that every poor living in the urban areas has a home by 2022.

• The NUHF will be set up in the Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Uttar Pradesh becomes 1st Indian state to clear projects digitally

UP has become the first state in the country where projects can now be cleared digitally, without any human interface. The digital platform, a single-window system called Nivesh Mitra, was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the inauguration session of the UP Investors’ Summit. Nivesh Mitra will now allow investors to apply for project clearances online.

Parivartan Scheme Launched in Haryana

The Haryana government launched Parivartan, a scheme designed to address 10 issues, including cleanliness and pollution, in 46 developmental blocks of the state. 

• The important issues include facilitation of financing, making agriculture profitable and sustainable, improving health services, and implementing Swachh Bharat.

Indian Navy successfully test fires nuclear-capable ballistic missile ‘Dhanush’

India successfully test-fired the nuclear-capable ‘Dhanush’ ballistic missile with a strike range of 350 kms from a naval ship off Odisha coast.

• The surface-to-surface missile, a naval variant of the indigenously-developed ‘Prithvi’ missile, was test-fired from the ship positioned near Paradip in the Bay of Bengal
• ‘Dhanush’ missile is capable of carrying a payload of 500 kg and hitting both land and sea-based targets.

BANKING & FINANCE

Asian Development Bank and India Sign $84 Million Loan for Water Supply in Bihar

 The Government of India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $84 million loan for improvement and expansion of water supply in Bhagalpur and Gaya towns in Bihar.

• The tranche 2 loan is part of the $200 million multi-tranche financing facility (MFF) for the Bihar Urban Development Investment Program that was approved by ADB in 2012.

ECONOMY/BUSINESS

India at 81st rank in global corruption perception index

India has been ranked 81st in the global corruption perception index for 2017, released by Transparency International, which named the country among the “worst offenders” in terms of graft and press freedom in the Asia Pacific region.

• In the latest ranking New Zealand and Denmark were placed the highest, with scores of 89 and 88, respectively.

Paytm Launches Two Insurance Companies

Digital payments startup Paytm has launched two insurance companies, Paytm Life Insurance and Paytm General Insurance.

• Paytm Founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, CFO Madhur Deora, and Shankar Prasad Nath are the three signatory stakeholders in both the companies.

OBITUARIES

Renowned violinist MS Anantharaman passes away

Noted violinist M.S. Anantharaman, an exponent of Parur style of violin playing has passed away.

Kunwar Bai, the 106-year-old icon for Swachh Bharat campaign, passes away

Kunwar Bai, a 106-year-old woman from Chhattisgarh who was chosen as a mascot for the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’, has passed away. 

• Kunwar Bai shot to fame in 2016 when the story of how she sold her goats to build a toilet at home got nationwide publicity.

Former Indore mayor Suresh Seth passes away at 87

Senior Congress leader and former Indore Mayor, Suresh Seth has passed away. Seth, known for his charismatic and robust personality, was also called as a ‘Lion of Indore’ – he aggressively took up people’s issues and cut across party lines to deliver benefit to the common man.

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