Daily Current Affairs 11th June, 2018

Daily Current Affairs 11 June 2018 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

V K Singh flags off 1st batch of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra

Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh flagged off the 1st batch of three month-long Kailash Mansarovar Yatra-2018 in New Delhi.

• The Yatra will continue till the 8th of September. There are two routes for the Yatra, one through Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand which involves some trekking also.
• The other route is through Nathu La Pass in Sikkim, which is motorable and suitable for senior citizens who unable to undertake arduous trekking.
• This year 3,734 applications were received. After draw of lots, around 1500 were selected for the Yatra

India is the second highest sender of foreign students in US

According to a statement by US consul general Craig in Kolkata, Craig Hall, India is the second highest sender of foreign students in the US, next only to China.

• United States is the top destination for foreign students worldwide and the number of Indian students in the US has more than doubled in the last 10 years.

Ravi Shankar Prasad launches 5000 Wi-Fi Choupals in Villages 

Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched 5000 Wi-Fi Choupals in villages in partnership with CSC which will provide 60,000 wifi hotspots in rural areas.

• The aim is to transform rural Internet connectivity through BharatNet. Every ministry and government department is exploring opportunities to utilise the reach of CSCs in rural areas.

• CSC SPV has entered into an agreement with IRCTC for delivery of services through CSC centres. Now, CSC centres will be able to work as IRCTC agents. They would also be able to book general tickets.
• The Minister proposed to open extended banking counters across all 2.9 lakh common service centres (CSCs) that are operated by village level entrepreneurs to provide government services in rural areas.
• IndusInd Bank is supporting CSC SPV for the digital literacy of 3 lakh candidates through CSR fund. The candidates are also certified under PMGDISHA.

East coast Railways, Waltair Division launches ‘SUBHADRA VAHINI’ Programme for Security and protection of Women

With the inspiration of ‘Beti Bacho-Beti padao’ programme being initiated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, East coast Railways, Waltair Division has launched ‘SUBHADRA VAHINI’ programme for the security and protection of Women.

• The programme was formally launched at Visakhapatnam Railway Station by Waltair Division, Divisional Railway Manager, Mukul Saran Mathur.
• A 32 member- women team consisting of RPF police and TC women employees will monitor the security of the women passengers in Trains and Railway stations in the division.
• Women can complain on 24 hours toll-free helpline 182 for the grievance related to security of women.

PM Modi to dedicate to nation modernised, expanded plant of SAIL at Bhilai

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation the modernised and expanded plant of state-run steel maker Steel Authrity of India Ltd, SAIL at Bhilai on June 14, 2018.

• This would be the third plant of SAIL which the Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation. In 2015, he had dedicated Rourkela and IISCO steel plants.
• Bhilai is SAIL’s largest plant and major producer and supplier of rails for Indian Railways including 260 metre long rails.

India gives Cheque to Nepal for Nepal-Bharat Maitri Irrigation Project

Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri handed over a Cheque of 99.2 million Nepali rupees to the Secretary, Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Nepal, Dr. Sanjay Sharma in Kathmandu.

• The cheque was given towards final payment for Nepal-Bharat Maitri Irrigation Project for installation of 2700 Shallow Tube Well Irrigation Systems in 12 districts of Nepal.
• With this payment, the Government of India has released a total of 227.6 million Nepali rupees to the Government of Nepal for implementing this project.
• It would ensure all season irrigation facility to about 8,100 hectares of farm land and augment productivity of wheat, rice, seasonal fruits, vegetables and other crops and uplift the socio-economic status of farming families covered under the project.

2nd India-US colloquium on Earth Observations & Sciences for Society, Economy inaugurated

The second India-US colloquium on Earth Observations and Sciences for Society and Economy was inaugurated at the CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (CSIR-NIO), Dona Paula, Goa on June 11.

• The 3 days colloquium is being organised by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, CSIR-NIO and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
• The two countries would improve ocean and atmosphere observations that contribute to the economic well-being of both nations through better weather, climate, and ocean prediction, as well as fisheries management.

Grand Finale of the First Hardware edition of Smart India Hackathon 2018 to be held from June 18-22, 2018

The Ministry of  HRD along with AICTE, Persistent Systems, i4C and IIT Kharagpur is all set to host the Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon 2018 – Hardware edition from Jun 18-22, 2018.

• The Hardware edition is the sub-edition of SIH2018.
• The Smart India Hackathon 2018 is in line with the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
• SIH2018 – Hardware edition is the first of its kind innovative initiative by Ministry of HRD to provide national platform to young technical minds of India to showcase their disruptive innovations and creative products.

Thematic Seminar on ‘Private Sector Participation and Innovation in Resource Mobilization’ Held in Mumbai

One day thematic Seminar on “Private Sector Participation and Innovation in Resource Mobilisation” was held in Mumbai by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India in collaboration with Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) as knowledge partner in partnership with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI).

• The main thrust of the Seminar was to address the critical dimensions of Infrastructure Projects Funding and underline the need for financial support, from Private Sector players.

Shri Piyush Goyal launches “Rail Madad” and ‘Menu on Rails’ Apps

In line with digital initiatives of Hon’ble PM, Indian Railways has for the first time completely digitized the Complaint management system.

• Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways & Coal has launched a new App “Rail Madad” – An App to expedite &  streamline passenger grievance redressal.
• Rail MADAD (Mobile Application for Desired Assistance During travel) registers a complaint with minimum inputs from passenger(option of photo also available), issues unique ID instantly and relays the complaint online to relevant field officials for immediate action. The  action taken on complaint is also relayed to passenger through SMS, thus fast tracking the entire process of redressal of complaints through digitisation.
• The Minister also launched a new App ‘Menu on Rails’, a Mobile Application developed by IRCTC for creating awareness to the Railway Passengers for the items served to them on their Rail Journey.

IMD to Forecast Floods Using New System

India Meteorological Department, IMD will use flash flood guidance system for the first time in the country to forecast floods. Currently, the Central Water Commission issues flood warnings.

• The national weather agency is preparing to launch the service using Flash Flood Guidance System from the next month.
• A new system and soil study data will enable the India Meteorological Department to forecast floods and guide the disaster management agencies on prevention techniques.

Northern Railways to Monitor Cleanliness of Trains using WhatsApp Groups

The Northern Railways will now monitor cleanliness of its trains using WhatsApp groups supervised by senior officials.

• Every department will have separate WhatsApp groups, in which status report of cleanliness will be uploaded on a daily basis. including photographs.
• WhatsApp groups have been created for train and pantry cleanliness, bed rolls and functionality of air conditioners in trains.

11th World Hindi Conference To be Held in Mauritius

The 11^th World Hindi Conference (WHC) is being organized from 18-20 August 2018 in Mauritius by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India in association with the Government of Mauritius.

• The main theme of the Conference is “Hindi Vishwa Aur Bharatiy Sanskriti”.
• The venue of the Conference is “Swami Vivekanand International Convention Centre”, Pailles Mauritius.
• The first World Hindi Conference was held in 1975 in Nagpur, India. Since then, ten such Conferences have been held in different parts of the world.

India to have its 1st police museum in Delhi

The central government has decided to set up India first national police museum in Lutyens’ Delhi.

• The museum – depicting the history, artefacts, uniforms and gear of central and state policeforces – will come up as an underground facility in the premises of the national police memorial in Chanakyapuri area of the national capital.
• The museum is expected to be inaugurated on October 21 (Police Commemoration Day).

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

44th G7 Summit Concludes in Canada

The 44th G7 summit was held on June 8–9, 2018, in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada. This was the sixth time since 1981 that Canada has hosted the meetings.

• The 44th G7 summit was the first summit for Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.
• The 45th G7 summit will be held in Summer 2019 in Biarritz, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.
• The G7 is a group seven countries that is the largest advanced economies in the world. The countries include United States, United Kingdom Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan.

BANKING NEWS

World Bank forecasts 7.3 per cent growth for India in FY2018-2019

The World Bank has forecast a growth rate of 7.3 percent for India for 2018-19 and 7.5 percent for the next two years, making it the fastest growing country among major emerging economies.

• In its June 2018 edition of the Global Economic Prospect report, World Bank said that India’s economy is robust, resilient and has potential to deliver sustained growth.

SPORTS NEWS

India beat Kenya to lift Intercontinental Cup football title

India won the title of Intercontinental Cup Football Tournament after 2-0 victory in the final against Kenya at the Mumbai Football Arena.

• Skipper Sunil Chhetri scored in the eighth and 29th minutes to hand India a convincing victory.
• With this he also equalled Argentina’s Lionel Messi’s tally of 64 international goals, making him the joint-second active international goalscorer behind Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (81 goals).

Nadal Beat Austrian Dominic Thie to claim 11th French Open singles title 

Rafael Nadal claimed an 11th French Open title in Men’s singles final in Paris after defeating Austrian Dominic Thiem in straight sets 6-4 6-3 6-2.

• The 32-year-old world number one now has 17 Grand Slam titles, just three behind great rival Roger Federer.

Vettel claims 50th win at Canadian GP

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel claimed the 50th win of his career by dominating the Canadian Grand Prix ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen.

• The victory led German to retake the lead in the Formula One world championship from Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton by a single point.
• Vettel now has 121 points after seven season races with Hamilton on 120 and Bottas 86.
• It was the German’s third win of the season and second in Canada, the first coming in 2013 with Red Bull.

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