Daily Current Affairs 17 August 2019: We have collected the latest current affairs for 17 August 2019 that are important for all competitive exams like Bank, SSC, IBPS, SBI exams. The GK current affairs will help you score more in these competitive exams. Improve your general knowledge with our daily online current affairs. You can also read the daily current affairs on our mobile app.

Current Affairs 17 August 2019

Rajnath Singh approves a Committee to review Defence Procurement Procedure

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has approved setting up of a Committee to review the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016 and Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) 2009.
The committee will be headed by Director General (Acquisition). Shri Apurva Chandra is the present Director General (Acquisition).
The Committee will revise and align the procedures with the aim of ensuring seamless flow from asset acquisition to life cycle support.

28th Ministerial meeting of BASIC countries held in Brazil

The BASIC countries held its 28^th Ministerial meeting on Climate Change from 14^th to 16^th August in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Shri Prakash Javadekar represented India.
The BASIC countries include Brazil, South Africa, India and China.
This was a preparatory meeting in view of United Nations Framework for Climate Change (UNFCC) Conference of Parties (COP-25) to be held in Santiago, Chile in December 2019.

India launches Rupay Card in Bhutan; 10 MoUs signed

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on his visit to Bhutan. There along with PM of Bhutan, Lotay Tshering, our PM Modi has signed 10 MoUs including one power purchase agreement and also launched RuPay Card in Bhutan.
The launch of RuPay Card in Bhutan will take in two phases. In Phase one- Indian Banks will issue Rupay Card to Indian Travellers traveling to Bhutan. In Phase two- banks of Bhutan will be empowered to issue RuPay cards to Bhutanese citizens to use in India.
Bhutan is the second country after Singapore, where RuPay card has been launched.
Click Here to View the List of MoUs Signed

Government launches San-Sadhan Hackathon for affordable toilet solutions for Divyang

Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), under Swachh Bharat Mission has launched the San-Sadhan Hackathon with an aim to have functional, accessible and well-maintained toilets for the disabled.
Under San-Sadhan Hackathon, startups, student innovators, technology enthusiasts, academicians and industry experts have been invited by the Central government to create composite and affordable toilet solutions for Divyang or physically challenged people.
The last date to apply for participating in Hackathon is August 28.

Tamil Nadu’s Vellore District Trifurcated Into New Districts ‘Ranipet & Tirupattur’; Total Districts in State Rise to 37

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami has announced that Vellore district of the state will be trifurcated into three.
Two other new districts will be carved out from Vellore namely Ranipet and Tirupattur, while Vellore will continue to function as a separate district.
The state government has also announced that K V Kuppam in Vellore district will be upgraded into a new taluk.
After the completion of the formation of the 2 new districts, Tamil Nadu will have a total of 37 districts.
The state will also celebrate November 1 as Tamil Nadu Day. It was formed on November 1, 1956.

Manipur CM launches “School Fagadaba” Scheme

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has launched a scheme named “School Fagadaba” to improve the infrastructure of government schools in the state.
The objective of the “School Fagadaba” Scheme is to ensure better infrastructure, quality education and overall improvement of government schools to make them model schools.

9-Days National Tribal Festival “Aadi Mahotsav” Begins at Leh-Ladakh

The Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Shri Satya Pal Malik inaugurated the Aadi Mahotsav (National Tribal Festival) on August 17, 2019 at Polo Ground, Leh-Ladakh.
The 9 days long festival will conclude on August 25, 2019.
It is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India & Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED).
TRIFED is the basically the ‘Service provider’ & ‘Market Developer’ of the festival.
The theme of the festival is – A celebration of the spirit of Tribal Craft, Culture and Commerce”.
Around 160 Tribal artisans from more than 20 states across the country will be participating and showcasing their masterpieces.
For the first time in Adi Mahotsav, Tribal artisans will showcase electronic and digital skills with cashless transactions using Point of Sale (POS) machines of State Bank of India.

Tawlhlohpuan & Mizo Puanchei from Mizoram and Tirur Betel Leaf from Kerala Gets GI Tag

Recently, 3 new products have been registered in the latest additions to the GI list by the Geographical Indication (GI) under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.
The newly listed products are Tawlhlohpuan and Mizo Puanchei from the state of Mizoram and Tirur Betel leaf from Kerala.
Tawlhlohpuan is a compactly woven, good quality fabric for weaving while Mizo Puanchei is a colourful Mizo shawl/textile.
Tirur betel vine is known for its mild stimulant action and medicinal properties.

Biennial Multilateral Naval Exercise ‘MILAN’ to be Held at Visakhapatnam in March 2020

The Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Naval Command (ENC), Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain has announced that the Indian Navy will organise the multilateral naval exercise MILAN at Visakhapatnam in March 2020.
Launched in 1995, the MILAN series of biennial exercises was organised at Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) till 2018.
However, because of the increased scope and complexity of the exercise, it is being conducted for the first time on the mainland at ENC.

India’s forex reserves at new life-time high of $430.57 bn: RBI data

As per Reserve Bank of India’s Data, India’s foreign exchange reserves surged by $1.620 billion to $430.572 billion in the week to August 9 on rise in foreign currency assets. This is the lifetime high of India’s foreign asset.
The country’s gold reserves surged by $1.591 billion to $26.754 billion.

Banks to identify at least one branch in a State for Gold Monetisation Scheme: RBI

The Reserve Bank of India has issued an amendment to the Gold Monetization Scheme, 2015. As per the amendment:
Banks have to identify at least one branch in a State/Union Territory where they have presence to accept the deposits under the Scheme.
All deposits under the scheme shall be made at the Collection and Purity Testing Centre (CPTC).

What is Gold Monetisation Scheme?

The Gold Monetisation Scheme intended to mobilise gold held by households and institutions of the country and facilitate its use for productive purposes, and in the long run, to reduce country’s reliance on the import of gold.
Eligible Banks: All Scheduled Commercial Banks excluding RRBs will be eligible to implement the Scheme.

Sebi imposes restrictions on mutual fund investments in short-term bank deposits

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has issued clarification pertaining to investment in Short Term Deposits (STDs) of scheduled commercial banks. SEBI has said that:
Trustees/Asset Management Companies (AMCs)/Mutual fund houses shall ensure that no funds of a scheme is parked in STD of a bank which has invested in that scheme.
Trustees/AMCs shall also ensure that the bank in which a scheme has STD do not invest in the said scheme until the scheme has STD with such bank.

Iqbal Chand Malhotra and Maroof Raza Pens Book Titled ‘Kashmir’s Untold Story: Declassified’

A new book titled ‘Kashmir’s Untold Story: Declassified’, which reveals amazing insights about the history of Jammu and Kashmir is soon to be released.
The book has been written by filmmaker Iqbal Chand Malhotra and defence analyst Maroof Raza. Published by Bloomsbury, the book will hit stands on September 18.
The book narrates the complete picture of the state from the time of its political and geographic influence under Maharaja Gulab Singh to the present-day and Government of India’s policy towards the state, right from 1889, when it first imposed central rule and dispossessed the rule of the then Maharaja, till date.

Liverpool Beat Chelsea to Win 2019 UEFA Super Cup

Liverpool surpassed Chelsea 5-4 on penalties to win the 2019 UEFA Super Cup held at Vodafone Park Stadium, Istanbul in Turkey on August 14, 2019.
The 44th edition of the annual football match was the first all-English UEFA Super Cup featuring 2019 Champions League winner Liverpool and 2019 Europa League winner Chelsea.
The UEFA Super Cup is organised by UEFA and contested by the winning champions of the two main European club competitions, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.

Veteran Doordarshan Anchor Neelum Sharma Passes Away

Veteran journalist and senior anchor at Doordarshan (DD) News, Neelum Sharma passed after suffering from cancer.
She was among the founding anchors of DD News and was associated with Doordarshan for over 2 decade since 1995.
Sharma was known was her programmes like ‘Tejaswini’ and ‘Badi Charcha’.
She was awarded the Nari Shakti Puruskar 2018 by President Ram Nath Kovind in March 2019.

Daily Current Affairs – 17 August 2019