Daily GK Updates - 28th April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. POCSO Act to be made gender-neutral : The Centre has proposed to amend the POCSO Act and make it gender-neutral.In 2017, the govt. had instructed the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to look into the issue.As of right now, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POSCO) does not cover boys who suffer from sexual abuse.

2. Delhi govt to set up Rogi Kalyan Samiti : Delhi government has decided to set up ‘Rogi Kalyan Samitis’ in each constituency and ‘Jan Swasthaya Samitis’ in dispensaries and clinics.

These Assembly Rogi Kalyan Samitis will play advisory role and will assist health facilities, develop and customize strategies.‘Assembly Rogi Kalyan Samiti’ and ‘Jan Swasthaya Samiti’ will be provided Rs 3 lakh per annum as grand-in aid.

3. Saraswati Samman for Sitanshu : Eminent Gujarati poet Sitanshu Yashaschandra’s poetry collection “Vakhar” has been chosen for the Saraswati Samman for 2017.The selection for the award is made by a high level ‘Chayan Parishad’ (selection committee), presided over by former secretary general of Lok Sabha, Subhash C Kashyap.The Saraswati Samman is awarded annually by the K K Birla Foundation.

4. UNCCD workshop on land degradation : A four-day Asia Pacific Regional Workshop of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was held in New Delhi.The workshop was jointly held jointly hosted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and UNCCD Secretariat.Its objective was to discuss on how to build the capacity of the Asia-Pacific Region to monitor and report on land degradation

5. Rahul Bhatia as interim CEO of Indigo : InterGlobe Aviation Ltd.’s director Rahul Bhatia has taken over as the interim chief executive officer after its president and director Aditya Ghosh unexpectedly resigned.Indigo is jointly owned by Rahul Bhatia and Rakesh Gangwal.Indigo is the biggest airline in India and the biggest budget airline in Asia by market valuation.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. A historic event: North-South Korea meet : In a historic turn of events, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on April 27, 2018 stepped into South Korean border for a day of talks with the Southern President Moon Jae-in.Kim and Moon signed “Panmunjom Declaration,” named after the truce village in the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas.Both leaders also agreed to work jointly for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

2. Wuhan summit: India-China to collaborate : India and China have decided to launch together a launch joint economic project in war-torn Afghanistan.This would be the first ever Sino-Indian joint initiative in a third country.The two sides also decided give to momentum to economic partnership and joint global projects in health and disaster management

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Fitch retains India rating at ‘BBB-‘ : Global credit rating agency Fitch has affirmed India’s sovereign rating at ‘BBB-’ with ‘stable’ outlook.‘BBB-’ rating indicates lowest investment grade.The rating was assigned to the country 11 years ago. Fitch had last upgraded the rating from ‘BB+’ to ‘BBB-’ with stable outlook on August 1, 2006.Fitch has projected India’s growth at 7.3 percent in current the fiscal.

2. RBI eases rules for foreign investors : RBI has removed the restriction that limited foreign investors to only investing in government and corporate bonds with tenures of three years or more.This decision can bolster the domestic bond market.The move comes after weak investor interest in two recent auctions that led to a spike in sovereign debt yields.

DEFENCE:

1. Tejas fires air-to-air BVR missile : Indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft Tejas has successfully fired an air-to-air beyond visual range (BVR) missile.With this major milestone, Tejas has demonstrated its overall capability as an effective combat jet, and inched closer to receive final operational clearance.Nirmala Sitharaman complimented the DRDO and other agencies involved in making Tejas a world-class aircraft.

SPORTS:

1. Tennis: Ankita Raina included in TOPS : Tennis player Ankita Raina has been included in the government’s Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).She has displayed good form this season both in the Fed Cup and the professional circuit.Ankita recently broke into the top-200, reaching a career-best 197 in the WTA rankings, becoming the third Indian to do so.Before Ankita, Sania and Nirupama Vaidyanathan have made it to the top-200.

2. Archery World Cup-India shines : India has won bronze in the compound mixed team event at the Archery World Cup.Abhishek Verma and Jyothi Surekha Vennam combined to beat the Turkish team of Yesim Bostan and Demir Elmaagacli by a score of 154-148.This win is Verma’s seventh overall World Cup medal and India’s second bronze in compound archery at the World Cups since the start of 2017.