General Studies & Current Affairs for Bank, SSC, CLAT, Civil Services and other Competitive Exams

National News 1. Government Launches Pilot Scheme for Procurement of Aggregate Power of 2500 MW i. The Indian government  has laun...

Current Affairs 1st May 2018


National News

1. Government Launches Pilot Scheme for Procurement of Aggregate Power of 2500 MW

i. The Indian government has launched a Pilot Scheme for procurement of aggregate power of 2500 MW on the competitive basis for three years under medium term from commissioned power plants without power purchase agreements.
ii. The main purpose of the scheme is to revive commissioned power plants which are unable to sell electricity in the absence of valid power purchase agreements.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
·                     Raj Kumar Singh is the Minister of State (I/C) of the Ministry of Power.

2. Swachh Bharat Mission Launches GOBAR-DHAN Scheme

i. Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation, Uma Bharti, launched the GOBAR (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources) - DHAN scheme at the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) Auditorium, Karnal, Haryana.
ii. The scheme aims to positively impact village cleanliness and generate wealth and energy from cattle and organic waste.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
·                     Kaptan Singh Solanki is the present governor of Haryana.
·                     Chief Minister of Haryana is Manohar Lal Khattar.

3. 9th India-Japan Energy Dialogue Held in New Delhi

i. The 9th India Japan Energy Dialogue was held in New Delhi. Minister of State(IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, R.K Singh, and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Hiroshige Seko signed a Joint Statement at the conclusion of the meeting.
ii. Both the countries agreed to work together for energy security, energy access and climate change issues. They also agreed to initiate the discussion on Electric Vehicles (EVs) and commit to work together in promoting well-functioning energy markets.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
·                     Japan Capital- Tokyo, Currency- Japanese yen, Prime Minister- Shinzo Abe.
·                     Japan is the third largest economy in the world.
Ranks and Reports

4. India Joint 6th in List of Doping Violations in WADA Report

i. India is ranked joint-sixth in the list of doping violations with 69 cases, same as that of Russia, according to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report for samples collected in 2016. India improved its position to sixth after being joint-third for three consecutive years from 2013 to 2015.
ii. Italy topped the rankings of drug cases in 2016, followed by France (86), United States (76), Australia (75), Belgium (73).

5. ACI Projects India as 2nd Fastest Growing Country for Air Passenger Traffic

i. India has been projected to be the second fastest growing country in the world for air passenger traffic. As per the Airports Council International (ACI), by 2022 passenger traffic in emerging economies like India will surpass advanced economies.
ii. The ACI, a global trade body representing airports across the globe, has put Vietnam at the top position with an 8.5% growth rate, followed by India at 7.5% and Iran at 7.3%.

6. Shooter Shahzar Rizvi Becomes World No.1 in 10m Air Pistol

i. Indian shooter Shahzar Rizvi became the world number one shooter in the 10-metre air pistol category after having won a silver medal at the recently concluded shooting World Cup in South Korea. Russia’s Artem Chernousov is on top spot and Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsuda on second.
ii. The other Indian shooter in the world top-10 rankings is Jitu Rai, who is placed sixth. Among the women, Manu Bhaker was the only Indian in the top-10 of the women’s 10m air pistol rankings at the fourth spot.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
·                     Olegario Vazquez Rana of Mexico is the President of International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF).
·                     ISSF was first established in 1907.
International News

7. International Labour Day: 01 May

i. International Labour Day is also known as International Worker's Day, Labour Day and May Day. It is celebrated across the world on 1st May to promote and encourage the international labour associations.
ii. The theme of International Labour Day 2018 is “Uniting Workers for Social and Economic Advancement”.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
·                     1 May was chosen to be International Workers' Day to commemorate the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago. 
·                     On this day in  1886, labour unions went on a strike in the USA and demanded that workers should not be forced to work more than eight hours a day.
8. International Buddhist Conference Concluded in Lumbini, Nepal

i. The International Buddhist Conference 2018 concluded in Lumbini, Nepal, the birthplace of Gautama Buddha. The concluding speech was given by the Prime Minister of Nepal, KP Oli.
ii. Participants from more than 20 countries including India attended the 2-day conference. It was organised as part of 2562nd Buddha Jayanti celebrations.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
·                     Nepal Capital- Kathmandu, Currency- Nepalese rupee, President- Bidhya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister- Khadga Prasad Oli.

9. In a First, India-Pakistan to Participate in SCO Counter-Terror Exercise

i. India and Pakistan will be part of a multi-nation counter-terror exercise in Russia under the framework of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in September 2018.
ii. This is the first time the two neighbouring countries will be coming together for counter-terrorism exercise, even though soldiers of India and Pakistan work together under the umbrella of United Nations Peacekeeping Forces.
iii. The military drill will be held in the Ural mountains of Russia and almost all SCO member countries China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and the new members India and Pakistan will be part of it.

Appointments/Resignations

10. Hockey India Appoints Harendra Singh as Chief Coach of Men's Team

i. Hockey India has appointed Harendra Singh as coach of India's men's team, while Sjoerd Marijne will take over as chief coach of women's side.
ii. The decision to change coaches comes on the backdrop of men’s hockey team having a disappointing run at the recently-concluded Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.

11. WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum Quits Facebook

 Jan Koum 
i. WhatsApp Co-founder and CEO Jan Koum has announced his resignation from the parent company Facebook. This comes shortly after a report claimed Koum would leave due to disagreements over data privacy and weakening encryption.
ii. Koum will also step down from Facebook's Board of Directors, a position he took up when WhatsApp was bought for $19 billion by Facebook in 2014.
Sports

12. India’s CA Bhavani Devi Wins Silver at Satellite Fencing Championship

i. India's CA Bhavani Devi won a silver medal in the sabre event of the Tournoi World Cup Satellite Fencing Championship in Reykjavik, Iceland.
ii. The Tamil Nadu fencer went down to USA's Alexis Browne in the final. Bhavani Devi had won a gold medal at the Reykjavik tournament in 2017 to become the first Indian to do so in an international fencing event.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
·                     Iceland Capital- Reykjavik, Currency- Icelandic króna.