Current Affairs JAN 17

NATIONAL

India successfully launches high power communication satellite GSAT-30

India's high power communication satellite GSAT-30 was successfully launched onboard Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said the GSAT-30 is aimed at providing high-quality television, telecommunications and broadcasting services.
The 3,357-kg GSAT-30 derives its heritage from ISRO's earlier INSAT/GSAT satellite series, and is equipped with 12 C and 12 Ku band transponders.
GSAT-30 will serve as replacement to the aging INSAT-4A spacecraft services with enhanced coverage.

Rajnath Singh dedicates 51st K9 Vajra-T guns to nation

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh dedicated to the nation the 51st K9 Vajra self-propelled Howitzer gun made by L&T at Hazira in Gujarat.
The gun weighs 50 tonnes and can fire 47-kilogram bombs at targets up to a distance of 43 kilometres.
It can also turn around at zero radius.
L&T’s Armoured Systems Complex (ASC) has a state of the art complex to manufacture and integrate advanced armoured platforms.
L&T’s Armoured System Complex at Hazira in Surat had been dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January Last year.

India to host SCO Heads of Govt meeting

India will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting later this year.
The meeting is held annually at the Prime Minister's level and it discusses the SCO's programme and multilateral economic and trade co-operation.
All eight members and four observer states and other international dialogue partners will be invited for the meeting.
SCO member states are Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Observer states are Afghanistan, Iran, Mongolia and Belarus

First edition of Krishi Manthan begins in Ahmedabad

In Gujarat, the first edition of Krishi Manthan- the largest Food, Agri-business and Rural Development Summit of Asia organized by Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad began.
More than 1,500 delegates including students and academicians are participating in the two-day event organized by the Food and Agribusiness Committee of IIMA.
The students along with working professionals from Food, Agriculture and allied sectors are getting benefited from the workshops during this summit.

Bru refugees from Mizoram to settle down in Tripura

The Union Government signed an agreement with stakeholders from the State of Tripura, Mizoram and members of the Bru community bringing an end to the 22-year old Bru refugee crisis.
This agreement was signed in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah, Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga and others in New Delhi.
As per the agreement, over 30 thousand Bru refugees will be settled in Tripura.
The Centre has sanctioned a 600-crore rupee package for the rehabilitation of the people from this community.
Bru refugees will get a 40 x 30 feet plot along with a fixed deposit of four lakh rupees, cash assistance of five thousand rupees per month for two years and free ration.
The Bru tribals from Mizoram have been living as refugees in Tripura since 1997.

Arunachal to start red-listing of orchids

Arunachal has become the first state in the country to initiate the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) ‘red listing’ at the state level after it inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the IUCN.
As per the MoU, the state government will collaborate with the IUCN in carrying out red-list assessment of the orchids in the state.
The IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity.
The project will be spread across 12 months, during which workshops on red list assessment will be conducted by experts from the IUCN.

BUSINESS

World Bank and Government of India Sign $88 million loan agreement for the implementation of Assam Inland Water Transport Project

The Government of India, the Government of Assam and the World Bank signed a loan agreement of $88 million here to help modernize Assam’s passenger ferry sector that runs on its rivers including the mighty Brahmaputra.
A majority of Assam’s more than 361 ferry routes cross the Brahmaputra or serve its islands, providing a crucial means of transport to thousands of commuters in both the urban and rural areas of the Brahmaputra Valley.
The Assam Inland Water Transport Project (AIWTP) will help Assam improve the passenger ferry infrastructure and its services and strengthen the capacity of the institutions running the inland water transport.
The Assam Inland Water Transport Project will help develop a modern, efficient and safe river transport system for the large volume of passengers and cargo carried by the vessels.
Assam has the largest network of navigable waterways in India.

UN lowers India's growth forecast for FY20 to 5.7%

United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2020 has lowered its GDP growth estimate for India to 5.7 per cent in the current fiscal (from 7.6 per cent forecast in WESP 2019) and lowered its forecast for the next fiscal to 6.6 per cent (from 7.4 percent earlier).
It has also forecast a growth rate of 6.3 percent for the fiscal beginning in 2021.
According to the UN study, one in five countries will see per capita income stagnate or decline this year, but listed India among few countr

APPOINTMENTS

Harish Salve appointed Queen's Counsel for courts of England & Wales

Senior Advocate Harish Salve has been appointed the Queen's Counsel for the courts of England and Wales.
This was announced by the United Kingdom's Ministry of Justice Department.
The title of Queen's Counsel is usually awarded to lawyers possessing demonstrated skill and expertise in the conduct of advocacy.
Advocate Salve served as a Solicitor General for India until 2002.
He is known for representing India before the International Court of Justice in the Kulbhushan Jadhav extradition case.

SPORTS

MS Dhoni dropped from BCCI's central contracts list

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was dropped from the Board of Control for Cricket in India's list of centrally-contracted players.
The BCCI announced the central contracts for the period of October 2019 to September 2020.
The 38-year-old player was in the 'A' category, which fetches a player five crore rupees as annual retainership, until last year.
Skipper Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and top pacer Jasprit Bumrah were retained in the highest A bracket of seven crore rupees.
Veteran Cricketer Mithali Raj was demoted to Grade 'B' from 'A' while Radha Yadav and Taniya Bhatia were elevated to the middle bracket.
T20 skipper Harmanpreet Kaur retained her 'A' category contract alongside Smriti Mandhana and Poonam Yadav.

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