Current Affairs Update 01 July 2018

Current Affairs is an important part for many exams. Be prepared for this section with ByScoop which brings all the important Current Affairs in one place. 01 July 2018

Shimla to host State Power Ministers’ conference

• The bi-annual conference of state power ministers will be held in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.
• Scheduled to be held in Shimla, which is in the grip of a severe water shortage, the three-day conference is down to just one day this time.
• The agenda of the meeting shared by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Power, said the conference would deliberate on 100 per cent household electrification, prepaid metres in every household in next three years and charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

19,569 languages spoken as mother tongue in India: The Registrar General and Census Commissioner

• 19,569 languages or dialects are spoken in India as mother tongues, according to the latest analysis of a census released by Registrar General and Census Commissioner.
• There are 121 languages which are spoken by 10,000 or more people in India.
• However, 96.71 per cent population in the country have one of the 22 scheduled languages as their mother tongue.

Ravindra H Dholakia committee to upgrade the norms for computation of economic data at states and districts

• Government has set up a 13-member committee to upgrade the norms for computation of economic data at states and districts level in the backdrop of plans to revise the base year for National Accounts or GDP calculation. 
• The Committee for Sub-National Accounts will be headed by Ravindra H Dholakia, a retired professor of IIM Ahmedabad. 
• Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) will change the base year to 2017-18 for the calculation of GDP and IIP numbers from the existing 2011-12 with an aim to capture changes in the economy.

IT Dept launches e-PAN facility for Individuals

• The Income Tax department has launched an ‘instant’ Aadhaar-based PAN allotment service for individuals seeking to obtain the PAN number for the first time.
• A fresh PAN will be allotted on the basis of a one time password (OTP) sent over the “active mobile number” linked with the valid Aadhaar number of a person.
• The e-PAN facility is only for resident individuals and not for Hindu Undivided Family (HUF), firms, trusts and companies etc.
• PAN is a 10-digit alphanumeric number allotted by the I-T department to a person, firm or entity.

India 73rd country with most funds in Swiss Banks;UK on top

• India is ranked 73rd place in terms of money parked by its citizens and companies with Swiss banks. In 2016, India was ranked 88.
• The UK remains on the top as per the latest data from the Swiss National Bank (SNB).
• Pakistan is now placed one place higher than India at 72nd position.

9th Heads of Mission Conference held in New Delhi

• The 9th Heads of Mission Conference was held in New Delhi. 
• External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj inaugurated the 3-day Conference themed ‘Unprecedented Outreach:Unparalleled Outcomes’.

Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction 2018 to be held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

• A high level Ministerial delegation from India headed by Shri Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Home Affairs will be participating in the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction 2018 (AMCDRR 2018) to be held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from 03-06 July, 2018.
• Theme of the AMCDRR 2018: ‘Preventing Disaster Risk: Protecting Sustainable Development’.

9th meeting of EPG on Indo-Nepal relations concludes in Kathmandu

• The ninth and final meeting of Eminent Persons Group (EPG) on India-Nepal relations concluded in Kathmandu, Nepal.
• The Group is expected to submit a report to their respective governments soon. The EPG is a joint mechanism consisting experts and intellectuals from India and Nepal. 
• It was set up in February 2016 to make suggestions for updating all existing bilateral treaties and agreements between both the countries. 

Cities Mayors Forum “Global Silk Road” to be held in Kazakhstan

• The Cities Mayors Forum “Global Silk Road” will take place on 2-3 July, 2018 in Astana, Kazakhstan. Participants will discuss the program “Belt and Way”, which proposes the development of new mechanisms for regional economic partnership, stimulation of economic prosperity of the countries involved, strengthening of cultural exchanges and relations in all areas, as well as the promotion of peace and sustainable development.
• This global forum will be inaugurated by the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, and is being held to mark the fifth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and as part of the 20th anniversary of Astana becoming the capital of Kazakhstan.
• India will be represented at this ‘Global Silk Road’ forum by the Mayor of Pune, Tilak Mukta Shailesh.
• Special participant in the event will be the “Sophia Gynoid” developed by Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics. This robot has skills to adapt to human behavior and communicate with people. The “Sophia Gynoid” is the first robot in the world to be granted citizenship – by Saudi Arabia.

Sathyasri Sharmila becomes India’s first transgender lawyer

• Sathyasri Sharmila, became the first transgender lawyer of India. She enrolled her name in Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry (BCTNP).
• Sharmila said she chose this career as she wanted to serve her community. Sharmila, 36, is a resident of Ramanathapuram district in Tamil Nadu. 

Janardan Singh Gehlot was elected the president of the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF)

• Janardan Singh Gehlot was elected the president of the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) for the next four years, it was announced after the Annual General Congress (AGC) of the federation.

Anjolie Ela Menon conferred the National Kalidas Samman

• Noted artist Anjolie Ela Menon (78) on Saturday received in the Capital the National Kalidas Samman for visual arts from the Madhya Pradesh government.
• The award was conferred in recognition of her insightful and sensitive portrayal of the identity and spirit of women through her meaningful paintings in a variety of media.

Australia defeats India to win Hockey Champions Trophy

• World Champions Australia defeated India 3-1 to clinch their second consecutive Champions Trophy hockey title in Breda, Netherlands.
• Hosts Netherlands clinched the bronze medal defeating Olympic champions Argentina.
• This was the 37th and final edition of the tournament and from 2019 the tournament will be replaced by the Hockey Pro League (HPL).

Lee Chong Wei wins 12th Malaysia Open Badminton title

• Malaysian shuttler Lee Chong Wei defeated Japan’s Kento Momota to secure a historic 12th Malaysia Open title. 
• Women’s singles: Tai Tzu-ying defeated He Bingjiao