Daily GK Updates - 18th May, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Cabinet approved setting up of NIMHR at Bhopal : Union Cabinet has approved setting up of a National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation at Bhopal.The main objectives of NIMHR are to provide rehabilitation services to people with mental illness and advanced research in mental health rehabilitation.Cabinet approved setting up of NIMHR under the aegis of Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.

2. Digitisation of dying languages : Centre and State Governments are working along with start-ups to provide regional language-related products and services.Languages like Ol Chiki script of Santali which is also one of the 22 official languages of India and Gondi language are gaining popularity due to this measure.The not-for-profit organisation ‘Indic Project’ has developed open source tools for language digitisation.

3. Anindita got Jayadev Rashtriya Yuva Puraskar : US-based Kathak dancer Anindita Anaam was honoured with the prestigious ‘Shri Jayadev Rashtriya Yuva Pratibha Puraskar 2018’ for outstanding contribution to the field of art.The award was presented to the Kathak exponent during the ‘Jayadev International Dance Festival’.The festival is organised under the aegis of Odisha’s culture department and National Culture Mission

4. Yudhvir Malik got extra charge of NHAI chief : Yudhvir Singh Malik, the Secretary of Ministry of Road, Transport, and Highways, has been given additional charge of the post of NHAI chairman.Deepak Kumar, the chairman of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), was sent back to his cadre state Bihar before completion of his tenure.Kumar, a 1984 IAS officer of Bihar cadre, had taken over as the NHAI chief on June 28 last year.

5. Development of ‘Freight Village’ in Haryana : Cabinet approved the development of trunk infrastructure components for the integrated multi-modal logistics hub known as ‘Freight Village’.They will be built at Nangal Chaudhary in Haryana under the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project.Freight villages are logistics centers, where the cargoes from different transport modes can be reloaded, compiled and prepared for transportation.

6. Approval for central university in Andhra : The Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of a central university in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar said.A provision of ₹450 crore has been approved for the first phase of establishing the university.Andhra Pradesh had been left with no central university following its division into two states in 2014

7. Uttarakhand Cabinet held meeting in a boat : The Uttarakhand Cabinet organised a meeting in a boat named Marina on the Tehri Reservoir.Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat was present for the cabinet meeting.Notably, a cabinet meeting was held outside the capital of the state for the first time ever.Famous Tehri Dam is located on the river Bhagirathi.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India to attend SCO Culture Ministers’ meet : The Minister of State for Culture Dr. Mahesh Sharma will be attending Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Cultural Ministers Meeting at Sanya in China.It is the first time that India would be attending the SCO Culture Ministers’ Meeting.The meeting will showcase India’s initiatives to actively pursue cultural cooperation with other countries including SCO countries.

2. BRO built a road from India’s border to China : The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has created history by establishing a road link to India’s border with China beyond Limeking and along the Tama Chung Chung-Taksing Axis recently.The road from Limeking now connects TCC to Taksing, covering a distance of approximately 80 kilometers.BRO develops and maintains road networks in India’s border areas. It comes under the Ministry of Defence.

3. Cyclone Sagar formed over Gulf of Aden : A cyclonic storm named Sagar has formed in the Gulf of Aden.Cyclone Sagar is the first cyclonic storm of the season in Indian waters.Gulf of Aden is located in the Arabian Sea and is surrounded by Yemen, Djibouti and Somalia.Fishermen have been advised to not venture into Gulf of Aden and adjoining areas of Arabian Sea.

4. World Hypertension Day observed : World Hypertension Day was observed all over the world yesterday on May 17th, 2018.The objective of observing this day is increasing high blood pressure awareness in all populations around the world.The World Hypertension Day was first inaugurated in the year 2005 and has become an annual event ever since.The theme for this year is ‘Know Your Numbers’.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE :

1.RBI issues guidelines on NSFR : The RBI issued detailed Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) guidelines to ensure that banks maintain a stable funding profile in relation to the composition of their assets and off-balance sheet activities.The guidelines on NSFR are in line with global norms prescribed by the Basel Committee.The NSFR would be applicable for Indian banks at the solo as well as consolidated level.

BUSINESS/ECONOMY :

1.Cabinet okays defence spectrum budget hike : The Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure approved increasing the budget for laying of ‘alternative communication network’ for defence services.The alternative communications network is being set up in lieu of airwaves vacated by the Defence Ministry for civilian use.The project is being implemented by state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).

2. Coal linkage rationalisation for IPPs : The government has issued the guidelines to allow power producers to swap coal supply assurances against lowering tariffs.The one-time process will be available only to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) having coal linkages through the allotment route.Coal India, South Eastern Coalfields, and the Central Electricity Authority will jointly undertake this exercise.

SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY :

1.Frog Species found in Karnataka : The latest addition to India’s frog fauna is the narrow-mouthed frog named Microhyla kodial found in Mangaluru.The species has been named after the city of Mangaluru which is called kodial in the Konkani language.The greyish-brown frog is just 2 cm long.

DEFENCE :

1.China’s first privately developed rocket : China has launched its first privately developed rocket from a launchpad in northwestern China on 17 May.The launch of the “Chongqing Liangjiang Star” rocket marks the first launch of a non-state Chinese rocket.The rocket was launched by OneSpace Technology and it uses energy-saving technology, such as wireless communications.