2017: Point-Wise Current-Affairs/GS Articles

Ministry gave green signal to 240-kilometre broad-gauge railway line which will connect Diglipur in North Andaman Island with Port Blair, capital of Andamans located in South Andaman Island. Railway project will boost scope of tourism in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Mexican and Turkish authorities have agreed to step up negotiations regarding bilateral free trade agreement. Two governments have held seven rounds of talks and will meet again in coming weeks. Agreement in wake of protectionist threats from US President Donald Trump.

Ministry of AYUSH has constituted a 16-member committee under chairmanship of H. R. Nagendra, to prepare a Yoga Protocol for Diabetes Control. Yoga is a part of adjuvant therapy. In addition to this Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy (CCRYN) has opened 08 OPDs i

India and Italy signed an agreement recently. It is for improving safety standards in railways. FS Group a Government Company of Italy managing Italian railway sector has signed a MoU for technical cooperation in rail sector with Indian railways.

Pankaj Advani clinched his 29^th Indian National Snooker Championship title. Advani won Indian National Snooker Championship with a 6 - 0 win over Pandurangaiah of Railways in a one-sided final. He became only Indian men’s cueist to be holder of all national billiards and snooker

It takes an average of 261 days for a parliamentary law to be enforced. It is a source from report by Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy. After receiving presidential assent, implementation of law requires two more steps. Half of laws analyzed entered into force within six months.

Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and their UAE counter parts will take part in a joint exercise and sharing of operational expertise. Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Samudra Pavak has arrived on a goodwill visit to Dubai. Then ICGS has anchored itself at Port Rashid.

The Billiards and Snooker Federation of India (BSFI) declares that India will be home to World Billiards Championships for next four years. Last year, prestigious tournament was held in Bengaluru.

As India, The Right to Information (RTI) Act came into force in Sri Lanka too. Legislation aimed at restoring transparency and good governance in country that has been plagued by corruption and misrule. Act marks culmination of a movement of over 20 years to ensure transparency i

World Cancer Day is an international day marked on February 4. It is to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. Primary goal is to significantly reduce illness and death caused by cancer by 2020.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has appointed Sanjeev Sanyal, as principal economic adviser in department of economic affairs in finance ministry. He has been appointed in a pay scale of Rs. 67, 000 - 79, 000 for a period of three years.

Indian Navy has launched an Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence and Surveillance System (IUHDSS) in Mumbai. It is to enhance security of valuable naval assets against asymmetric threats. It is third IUHDSS to be installed in India.

Shri Anand Kumar Gupta has taken over charge as executive Director, NTPC. He will be responsible for activities relating to Commercial, International and Domestic Business development and Consultancy business of NTPC. He has no inter-se relationship with any of the Directors of t

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned Rs. 157crore loan to Haryana government. It is to implementation of a project for augmentation of drinking water supply scheme in 84 villages of districts Palwal and Faridabad.

USD 201.50 million financing agreement has been signed between India and World Bank. It is to improve quality of technical education in India. Agreement is for ’Third Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme′ (TEQIP III) in India.

Tesla unveiled the world’s largest battery storage facility. It is situated in California desert and constitutes a significant chunk of global battery storage capacity. Battery storage has been a far more expensive means of meeting demand surges than natural gas, recently.

iPhone maker Apple Inc will commence smartphone production at its upcoming factory in Bengaluru. It is assumed to start by end of April or early May. state IT minister thanked Apple for choosing Karnataka to build its first manufacturing plant.

Vijay Pandurang Bhatkar, has been appointed the new Vice-Chancellor of Nalanda University. He is a technocrat, who is considered father of Indian Supercomputer. He will hold office for a three-year period from date of his appointment.

World Wetlands Day (WWD) is celebrated every year on 2 February. Marking the date in 1971 when the Convention on Wetlands, known as the Ramsar Convention. It was adopted in Iranian city of Ramsar, drawing attention to importance of wetlands.

BAE Systems has appointed Nik Khanna as the Managing Director of its India operations with effect from 1^st February 2017. Khanna joined the company from Raytheon whereas country president had led business development, marketing and strategy in India for last four years.

Union cabinet approved the amendments in Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, to modify the list of SC in Odhisha. Cabinet, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, also approved amending Constitution (Pondicherry) Scheduled Castes Order, 1964, to change name of union territory from

US House of Representatives has introduced legislation which doubles minimum salary of H-1B visa holders. This can stop firms replacing American employees with foreign workers, including Indians. Bill aims to make it difficult to replace US employees with foreign workers.

Irish Parliament passed historic in favour of dropping coal, oil and gas investments. It became be world’s first country to fully divest public money from fossil fuels. Bill will force Ireland Strategic Investment Fund to sell its investment in fossil fuel industries over next fi

The North Eastern Council (NEC) and Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). It is to harness hidden potential of Cane and Bamboo of North Eastern Region.

Atomic clocks on first satellite IRNSS-1A of NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), has developed a technical snag. It is indigenously built satellite-based positioning system.

Highlights

• One of three crucial rubidium timek

The 31^st edition of Surajkund International Crafts Mela starts from February 1^st having tight security. The carnival will last for 15-day. It is inaugurated by Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar. Over 20 countries are participating in event with Egypt as a partner country

Reliance Defence and Engineering has signed a contract with Ministry of Defence. Contract is to design and construction of 14 fast patrol vessels (FPVs) for Indian coast guard, for an amount of Rs. 916 crore. The company has emerged winner through a competitive bidding process un

UN children’s agency launched an appeal for USD 3.3 billion to help 48 million children caught up in crises worldwide amid fears of a funding cut from top donor United States. United States is by far top donor to UNICEF, followed by Germany, Britain and European Commission.

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MoSDE) has instituted National Entrepreneurship Awards” to encourage a culture of entrepreneurship across country. The Awards system has been created through a partnership between MSDE and a number of reputed institutions ac

Income Tax Department (ITD) has initiated Operation Clean Money (Swachh Dhan Abhiyan). Some of whose income profiles did not match amounts deposited. 18 lakh account holders will be asked to explain the source of their funds.