Current Affairs Update 19 July 2018
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Government Raises Fair & Remunerative Price of Sugarcane by Rs 20 per quintal to Rs 275
- The government has decided to increase the fair and remunerative price (FRP) of sugarcane by Rs 20 per quintal to Rs 275 per quintal for the forthcoming 2018-19 sugar season, beginning October.
- The FRP is the minimum guaranteed price that the sugar mills pay to cane growers/farmers for their sugarcane crop. The states, however, have the freedom to fix a higher price.
- The FRP is Rs 255 per quintal for the 2017-18 season.
Centre Sanctions Rs 300 cr for Effective Solid Waste Management in Delhi
- The Centre has sanctioned financial assistance of Rs 300 crore to the three municipal corporations of Delhi for effective solid waste management and dust control.
- As per the plan, the ministry approved various proposals such as setting up of six bio-methionine plant, 20 accelerated composter, procurement of six supper sucker machines, 14 suction-cum-jetting machines, 272 auto mounted licker pickers, 40 fix compactors, 121 water sprinkler tankers to control road dust, greening on roads (164 acres) and 24 mechanical road sweepers for internal roads, procurement of 25 electric garbage vehicles, 10 tractors with water tankers among others.
- The three municipal corporation of Delhi includes:
- Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)
- New Delhi Municipal Council and
- Delhi Cantonment Board.
2nd ASEAN-India Workshop on Blue Economy Held in New Delhi
- The second ASEAN-India Workshop on Blue Economy took place in New Delhi on July 18 attracting over 60 delegates, including government officials, scholars, and researchers from ASEAN and India.
- According to the World Bank, the blue economy is the “sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem.”
- India said its cooperation with ASEAN in the maritime domain will be a “key facilitator” for the growth and development of the Indo-Pacific region.
- The event was co-hosted by the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, the Indian Ministry of External Relations, with the support of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RISDC), and the National Maritime Foundation of India.
10th edition of Delhi Dialogue begins in New Delhi
- The 10th edition of the Delhi Dialogue started in New Delhi to be held from July 19-20, 2018.
- The theme this year is ‘Strengthening India-ASEAN Maritime Co-operation’.
- DD X has been organised in partnership with the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS).
- Delhi Dialogue is a premier annual event to discuss politico-security, the economic and socio-cultural engagement between India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
NMCG Organises “Ganga Vriksharopan Abhiyan” in Five Major Ganga Basin States
- The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has organised “Ganga Vriksharopan Abhiyan” from 9th July to 15th July 2018 in five main stem Ganga basin states namely Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. The week is being observed as ‘Shubharambh Saptah.
- State Forest Departments of these 5 states have been made the nodal agencies for the smooth and effective execution of the campaign.
- The campaign has been initiated as part of the Forest Interventions in Ganga (FIG) component of Namami Gange programme.
- It aims to bring greater awareness among people and other stakeholders regarding the importance of afforestation for the task of Ganga Rejuvenation.
Samagra Shiksha Scheme to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels of school education
- Samagra Shiksha Scheme was launched by Ministry of HRD on May 24, 2018. It has been formulated by Department of School Education and Literacy of MHRD. The Scheme is a paradigm shift in the conceptual design of school education by treating ‘school’ holistically as a continuum from pre-school, primary, upper primary, secondary and senior secondary levels.
- It will be implemented throughout the country with effect from the year 2018-19.
- This programme subsumes the three erstwhile Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE).
- An allocation of Rs 75,000 crore over the period 1st April, 2018 to 31st March, 2020 has been approved which is a 20% increase over the current allocations. It sees school education holistically without segmenting it into various levels of education.
- The main emphasis of the Scheme is on improving quality of school education and the strategy for all interventions would be to enhance the Learning Outcomes at all levels of schooling.
Online Pension Management System ‘Aabhaar-Aapki Sevahon Ka’ launched in Chhattisgarh
- Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Dr. Raman Singh launched an online portal and mobile app called ‘Aabhaar-Aapki seva ka’ by the online pension management system for the pensioners of the state.
- Through this app and the website, 80,000 pensioners of the state will now get all the information related to pension and payment online.
India to grow at 7.3% in 2018 and 7.6% in 2019: ADB
- India will continue to be the world’s fastest growing major economy, ahead of China, with 7.3 per cent growth rate in 2018-19 and 7.6 per cent in 2019-20 as per the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
- ADB said India is the fastest growing economy in the South Asia sub-region with its growth gaining momentum at 7.7 per cent in the last quarter ended March of 2017-18, the highest rate of growth since first quarter of 2016-17.
- South Asia, meanwhile, continues to be the fastest growing sub-region, led by India, whose economy is on track to meet fiscal year 2018 projected growth of 7.3 per cent and further accelerating to 7.6 per cent in 2019
SBI Organises Kisan Mela To Educate Farmers on Financial Literacy
- Country’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) organised nation-wide Kisan Mela at SBI’s rural and semi-urban branches on July 18 as an outreach programme for farmers and to impart them financial literacy.
- It is one-of-its-kind initiative of SBI to attract more farmer customers, resolve their grievances and educate them about their various rights and bank’s initiatives.
- Through the initiative SBI, which currently has close to 1.50 crore farmer customers, plans to connect with at least 10 lakh more farmers.
- SBI also plans to offer Kisan Credit Cards to farmers. The bank will also make farmers aware of the benefits of timely renewal of KCC account and usage of KCC Rupay Card for transactional convenience.
RBI to Issue New Rs 100 Note in Lavender Colour
- The Reserve Bank of India has announced to soon issue new Rs 100 notes which would be smaller in size than the existing ones.
- Besides, all Rs 100 banknotes issued earlier will also continue to be legal tender.
- Basic feature of the new Rs 100 banknote:
- The base colour of the note is Lavender.
- The new denomination has motif of ‘Rani ki vav’ – a stepwell located on the banks of Saraswati river in the town of Patan in Gujarat, depicting the country’s cultural heritage.
- The dimension of the new banknote will be 66 mm x 142 mm. The size of current Rs 100 notes is 157 mm x 73 mm.
- It will come with signature of RBI Governor Urjit R Patel.
- It also bears Swachh Bharat logo with slogan on the reverse.
- The existing Rs 100 note, which comes in green colour, carries an image of Mount Kanchenjunga, the third highest peak in the world.
Scheme of ‘Pension to Meritorious Sportspersons’
- Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore has said that government gives lifelong pension under the Scheme of ‘Pension to Meritorious Sportspersons’, sportspersons who have won medals for the country in the international competitions only and have retired from active sports.
- At present, 588 Sportspersons are getting pension. The rate of pension has been revised with effect from 1.4.2018.
| S. No. | Category of meritorious sportspersons | Rate of Pension(Rs./per month) |
| 1 | Medallists at the Olympic Games / Para Olympic Games | 20,000 |
| 2 | Gold medallists at the World Cup/World Championship* in Olympic and Asian Games disciplines | 16,000 |
| 3 | Silver and Bronze medallists at the World Cup in Olympic and Asian Games disciplines | 14,000 |
| 4 | Gold medallists of the Asian/ Commonwealth Games/Para Asian Games | 14,000 |
| 5 | Silver and Bronze medallists of the Asian/Commonwealth Games/ Para Asian Games | 12,000 |
7 new events included in 2022 Winter Olympics
- Seven new events will be included in the program for the 2022 Winter Olympics to be held in Beijing, China.
- The seven are freestyle skiing big air for men and women, monobob for women and four mixed team formats — a short-track relay, a ski jumping event, freestyle skiing aerials and a snowboard cross event.
Noted Activist Rajmata Satvashila Devi Bhosle Passes Away
- Noted activist from Konkan region in Maharashtra, Rajmata Satvashila Devi Bhosle of Sawantwadi Sansthan passed away at Sawantwadi due to prolonged illness. She was 83.
- She was the wife of the last King of the Sawantwadi Kingdom late Shivramraje Bhosle who was coronated before the merger of the princely state into Union of India.
Noted Lyricist Gopaldas Neeraj Passes Away at 93
- Noted Hindi poet and lyricist Gopaldas Neeraj passed away. He was 93 and was ailing from lung infection.