National News
1. HRD Ministry Launches 2nd Edition of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan
i. The Ministry of Human
Resource Development, HRD launched the
second edition of the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan under which
students from 750 higher educational institutions from across the country will
adopt villages and visit them to get acquainted with the lifestyle of
people there and the problems faced by them.
ii. The minister advised the students to involve local village people at every stage of problem identification and solving issues relating to health, cleanliness, waste management, plantation, financial inclusion, women and child development.
ii. The minister advised the students to involve local village people at every stage of problem identification and solving issues relating to health, cleanliness, waste management, plantation, financial inclusion, women and child development.
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Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
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Prakash Javadekar is the
Present HRD Minister of India.
2. Indo-Malaysian
Joint Military Exercise 'Harimau Shakti' Held
i. As part of ongoing Indo-Malaysian defence
cooperation, a joint training exercise Harimau Shakti will
be conducted in the dense forests of Sengai Perdik, Hulu Langat, Malaysia.
ii. The exercise is aimed at bolstering cooperation & coordination between armed forces of both the nations and to share the expertise of both the contingents in the conduct of counter insurgency operations in jungle terrain.
ii. The exercise is aimed at bolstering cooperation & coordination between armed forces of both the nations and to share the expertise of both the contingents in the conduct of counter insurgency operations in jungle terrain.
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Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
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Malaysian Capital- Kuala Lumpur, Currency- Malaysian
ringgit.
3. Coastal Security
Exercise 'Sagar Kavach' Held in Kerala
Exercise ‘Sagar Kavach’ is being conducted to strengthen and assess the
loopholes in the coastal security mechanism along Kerala shores.
ii. Along with Coastal Police and Marine Enforcement wing, Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy is also participating in Exercise ‘Sagar Kavach’.
ii. Along with Coastal Police and Marine Enforcement wing, Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy is also participating in Exercise ‘Sagar Kavach’.
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Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
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Admiral Sunil Lanba is
the present chief of Navy Staff.
4. Government to
Tie Up with US and Finland to Jointly Develop New Pollution-Forecast System
i. The Ministry of Earth
Sciences (MoES) is tying up
with the US and Finland to
develop new pollution-forecast system that will help anticipate
particulate matter (PM) levels at least two days in advance and at greater
resolution.
ii. The new system will jointly develop with expertise from Finnish Meteorological Institute and US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
ii. The new system will jointly develop with expertise from Finnish Meteorological Institute and US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
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Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
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Dr Harsh Vardhan is the
present Minister of Earth Sciences.
5. 48th Foundation Day of HUDCO Celebrated
i. The Minister of
Housing & Urban Development Hardeep Singh inaugurated
the 48th Foundation Day of Housing and Urban Development Corporation
(HUDCO).
ii. HUDCO is playing an important role in taking financial inclusion forward in the country, as it is taking care of the housing finance needs of the economically deprived sections.
ii. HUDCO is playing an important role in taking financial inclusion forward in the country, as it is taking care of the housing finance needs of the economically deprived sections.
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Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
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HUDCO was founded on
25th April 1970.
6.
CSIR and DoT Enter into MoU for Establishing Nationwide Time Stamping
i. An MoU on technical knowledge sharing for establishing
a nationwide Time Stamping & Time Synchronization network and traceability
of Time signal to UTC NPL Time was signed between Council of
Scientific and Industrial Research -National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL) and
Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications.
ii. The Nationwide, Time Stamping & Time
Synchronization network consisting of 22 numbers of Time Synchronization
Centers (TSC’s) will be set up by DoT with technical assistance from CSIR-NPL.
Static/Current Takeaways
Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
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Manoj Sinha is the
Minister of State (I/C) of the Ministry of Communications.
International News
7. PM Modi Embarks On 3-Day Visit to China
i. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi left on a three-day visit to
China. Mr Modi will hold talks with Chinese President Xi
Jinping during an informal summit in Wuhan city.
ii. It is expected that the meeting between Mr Modi and Mr Xi will be a milestone in India-China relations. This will be Mr Modi’s fourth visit to China after he came to power in 2014.
ii. It is expected that the meeting between Mr Modi and Mr Xi will be a milestone in India-China relations. This will be Mr Modi’s fourth visit to China after he came to power in 2014.
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Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
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China Capital- Beijing, Currency- Renminbi, President- Xi
Jinping.
8. Mario Abdo
Benitez Elected New President of Paraguay
Mario Abdo Benitez |
i. Mario Abdo
Benitez won the presidential election conducted in Paraguay.
He belongs to the ruling Colorado Party. He had secured 46.5% of the votes,
with 96% of 21,000.
ii. Efrain Alegre of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party came
second with 42.7% of the votes. Mario Abdo Benitez’s 5-year term begins on 15th
August 2018.
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Paraguay Capital- Asuncion, Currency- Guarani.
Ranks and Reports
9. World Press Freedom
Index Report: India Ranks 138th, Norway Tops
i. According to the 2018
World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters
Without Borders (RSF), India has ranked 138th (falling 2
positions down from 136th in 2017). The list has been topped by Norway.
North Korea was at the bottom-most position (180th) in
the list.
ii. The Top 3 countries in World Press Freedom Index Report are:
ii. The Top 3 countries in World Press Freedom Index Report are:
1. Norway
2. Sweden
3. The Netherlands.
10. Microsoft is India's
Most Attractive Employer: Randstad Survey
i. Technology giant
Microsoft India has been declared the
most attractive employer brand, followed by e-commerce giant Amazon India. The
winners were named by HR service provider Randstad's Employer Brand
Research (REBR) 2018.
ii. Sector-wise, Tata Consultancy Services is most favoured in IT, while Larsen & Toubro tops Infrastructure & Construction and Hindustan Unilever emerges the winner in FMCG.
ii. Sector-wise, Tata Consultancy Services is most favoured in IT, while Larsen & Toubro tops Infrastructure & Construction and Hindustan Unilever emerges the winner in FMCG.
Banking/Economy News
11.
NSE Launches e-Gsec Platform for Bringing Retail Participation in Government
Securities
i. National Stock
Exchange of India (NSE) has announced the
launch of its "e - Gsec" platform for facilitating
the non-competitive bidding in Government of India Dated Securities
(G-Sec) and Treasury Bills (T-Bills).
ii. This will allow retail investors to invest in Government
Securities and hold them in existing demat accounts. The
non-competitive bidding facility was introduced by the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) to encourage retail participation in the primary market
for Government Securities.
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Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
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NSE began operations
in 1994 and is ranked as the largest stock exchange in India
in terms of total and average daily turnover for equity shares every year since
1995, based on annual reports of SEBI.
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Mr. Ashok Chawla is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of NSE
and Mr. Vikram Limaye is the Managing Director and CEO of
NSE.
12. Rs 10,012 cr Aid
Given to UP in 2017-18: NABARD
i. According to the
Development bank NABARD, it has provided an
assistance of Rs 10,012 crore to Uttar Pradesh during 2017-18
to facilitate overall development with special focus on agricultural credit.
ii. This has been achieved through commercial banks, RRBs and
cooperatives, infrastructure development through dedicated funds, strengthening
of rural financial institutions, women empowerment through Self Help Groups,
micro-finance and several other new initiatives.
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Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
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NABARD came into existence on 12 July 1982.
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Chairman of
NABARD- Harsh Kumar Bhanwala, Headquarters
in- Mumbai.