Point-Wise Current-Affairs & GS (Includes Important PIB Updates) 2018 with Maps & Data- IAS, SSC etc

Scientists traced the origins to zero considered as greatest breakthroughs in the history of mathematics to an ancient Indian text- Bakhshali manuscript. Bakhshali manuscript was housed in the UK since 1902.

• Bakhshal

The Cassini space probe was deliberately disposed of via a controlled fall into Saturn’s atmosphere on September 15, 2017, ending its nearly two-decade-long mission. Method of disposal chosen to prevent biological contamination of Saturn’s moons now thought to offer potentially h

Dr. Kirpal Singh Chugh, widely regarded as the “father of nephrology in India” and Padma Shri (2000), the country’s fourth highest civilian award, passed away at 85. He belonged to Patti in Tarn Taran.

Stanislav Petrov a Soviet military officer credited with helping prevent US-Russia nuclear war died at the age of 77: Petrov dismissed a warning about US nuclear strike as a false alarm. The probe later proved that Petrov was right and prevented the war.

In September 2017, moon will shortly block Venus, then Mars and then Mercury in the sky in an event called a lunar occultation. Occultation occurs when moon passes in front of a celestial object.

Scientists from US developed the world’s first plant-based Zika vaccine claimed to be more effective, safer, and cheaper by using proteins derived from Tobacco plant. The plant-based Zika vaccine works against DIII, a part of a Zika viral protein playing a key role in infecting p

Data collected by NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite found that monster El Nino of 2014 - 16 caused over 3 billion tonnes of carbon release into the atmosphere, taking carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration to record levels.

Even after government taking several initiatives to eradicate illiteracy in India, 70 - 80 lakh students are still out of school. Now government is undertaking School Chalo Abhiyan from next year to enroll these 70 - 80 lakh students in the country:

India has its first virology laboratory to develop homoeopathy drugs against diseases such as H1N1 (swine flu), dengue, chikungunya at Kolkata’s Dr. Anjali Chatterjee Regional Research Institute for Homoeopathy (RRIH)

The range of possibilities presented by the forecast models more than a week before Hurricane Irma spread from Mexico to Canada- those were quite inaccurate. Irma was designated a tropical storm but later strengthened into a large Category 3 hurricane, with winds of 115 mph.

The Fourth Session of the India-Tanzania Joint Trade Committee meeting was held in New Delhi, on 29^th September 2017. Following are important points of the meeting: India and Tanzania enjoy close and cordial relations due to shared history of struggle against colonialism.

First Hybrid clone species 205 was developed for sub-tropical climate and it was launched in 1918 for commercial farming: Shri Radha Mohan Singh. Sugarcane revolution started with launch of variety 205 and now ICAR- Sugarcane Breeding Institute has released variety 0238.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) aimed at providing financial services to the poor: Opening bank accounts for the poor. Giving them electronic means of payment (via RUPAY cards)

• Placing them in a position to avail cred

NITI Aayog launched Ease of Doing Business report based on an Enterprise Survey of 3, 500 manufacturing firms across India. Survey assesses the business regulations and enabling environment across India from firms’ perspective.

Indian scientists discovered Nasikabatrachus bhupathi, a new species of frog in Western Ghats with snout-shaped nose, just like a pig. It has been named after the Indian herpetologist S. Bhupathy.

India is hosting the next steering committee meeting of 1, 814 km long Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline as decided by sixth joint India-Turkmenistan Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) meeting on trade, economic, scientific, and technological cooperation

The United States named Pakistan based Kashmiri terrorist outfit Hizbul Mujahideen as a “Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) ” paving way for a series of US sanctions dealing blow to Pakistan projecting the militant group as a voice of Kashmiri people and validates India’s posit

Researchers from Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) - Bombay and Indore jointly developed a biosensor to detect kidney disorders in less than eight minutes measuring both the pH and urea concentration with a single drop of urine.

Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) inaugurated Ocean Forecasting System for Indian Ocean countries Comoros, Madagascar, and Mozambique at the third Meeting of Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Asia and Africa (RIMES) at Port Mor

The Indian Commodity Exchange (ICEX) has launched world’s first diamond futures contracts providing exporters with means to contain their losses. ICEX received approval from market regulator Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for trading in diamond futures contracts.