Current Affairs 30 January 2018

1. Acid attack victims to get quota in central government jobs People with autism, mental illnesses, intellectual disability and vi...

1. Acid attack victims to get quota in central government jobs

People with autism, mental illnesses, intellectual disability and victims of acid attacks will now get quota in central government jobs.

• In case of direct recruitment, four per cent of the total number of vacancies, up from the existing three per cent, in groups A, B and C shall be reserved for people with benchmark disabilities.
• Benchmark disability means a person with not less than forty per cent of a specified disability.

2. 3-day international bird festival at Dudhwa National Park

A three-day international bird festival will be held at the Dudhwa National Park in Uttar Pradesh from February 9 with nearly 200 leading ornithologists expected to attend.

• Eminent documentary maker Mike Pandey would act as the brand ambassador of the festival.
• During the three-day event, the bird experts would visit various parts of Dudhwa to gather information about the 450 bird species existing there.

3. Over Rs 5 lakh crore allocated for Bharatmala project

President Ram Nath Kovind said that Rs 5,35,000 crore have been allocated for the Bharatmala Project aimed at boosting road connectivity in the country.

• About 53,000 km of national highways have been identified to increase efficiency of the national corridor.
• Bharatmala is an umbrella programme of the Centre that seeks to improve efficiency of road traffic movement in the country by bridging critical infrastructure gaps.

4. International spice conference in Jaipur from Feb 4-7

The third edition of international spice conference will be held at Jaipur from February 4 to 7.

• Over 750 delegates from various countries, including representatives of international spice associations, policy makers, and farmers, are expected to participate in the four-day meet.
• The central theme of the 2018 conference would be 'Managing Disruptions through Transformation and Collaboration'.

5. Highlights of Economic Survey 2018

The Economic Survey, which sets the stage for Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's annual budget on February 1, was by Arvind Subramanian.

• The survey was prepared by the finance ministry's Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian. 

Growth

• 2018/19 Growth seen at 7 Percent to 7.5 Percent.
• 2017/18 GDP growth seen at 6.75 Percent. 
• 2017/18 industry growth seen at 4.4 Percent.
• 2017/18 farm sector growth seen at 2.1 Percent.
• Economic management will be challenging in the coming year.
• Biggest source of upside to growth to be from exports.
• Cyclical conditions may lead to lower tax and non-tax revenues in 2017/18.
• Private investment poised to rebound.

FISCAL DEFICIT

• Target for fiscal consolidation specially in a pre-election year can carry a high risk of credibility.
• Current account deficit for 2017/18 expected to average 1.5-2 pct of GDP.

INFLATION, POLICY RATES

• Persistently high oil prices remain a key risk, to affect inflation.
• If inflation doesn't deviate from current levels policy rates can be expected to remain stable.
• Average CPI inflation seen at 3.7 pct in 2017/18.

Points to Remember

• The Department of Economic Affairs, Finance Ministry of India presents the Economic Survey in the parliament every year, just before the Union Budget.
• It is prepared under the guidance of the Chief Economic Adviser, Finance Ministry.
• It is the ministry's view on the annual economic development of the country.

6. Finland re-elects President Sauli Niinisto for 2nd term

Finland has re-elected its popular and pragmatic president Sauli Niinisto, who is credited for maintaining a balanced relationship with the nation's powerful neighbour Russia.

• Niinisto, 69, avoided the need for a second-round of voting and won outright, a first since Finland introduced a two-round presidential election by popular vote in 1994.
• Niinisto's main rival Pekka Haavisto of the Green party won just 12 percent of the votes.

Points to Remember

• Finland, officially the Republic of Finland is a sovereign state in Northern Europe.
• Helsinki is its Capital and largest city. Euro is the currency of Finland.
• Juha Sipila is the prime minister of Finland.

7. Najma, Azad among 5 to be conferred outstanding Parliamentarian Awards

 

Indian Parliamentary Group (IPG) has decided to confer Outstanding Parliamentary Awards to five Parliamentarians which includes senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and Manipur Governor and former Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla.

• The Parliamentarians who have been chosen for the award include three MPs from Lok Sabha and two from Rajya Sabha.
• The awards are being given for the years starting from 2013 till 2017.

Here is the year wise list:

• Bhartruhari Mahatab: 2017
• Dinesh Trivedi: 2016
• Ghulam Nabi Azad: 2015
• Hukumdev Narayan Yadav: 2014
• Najma Heptulla: 2013

8. Documentary based on Kailash Satyarthi wins top honour

The documentary film Kailash, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, has won the US Grand Jury Prize at the festival.

• The Derek Doneen-directed documentary is based on Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist Kailash Satyarthi.
• Satyarthi's crusade against child slavery has helped rescue thousands of children.
• He also heads the organisation Bachpan Bachao Aandolan in India.

9. Asha Bhosle To Get Yash Chopra Memorial Award

Bollywood playback doyenne Asha Bhosle will be given the 'Yash Chopra Memorial Award'.

• She will be the fifth winner of the award.
• Previous recipients are Asha Bhosale's elder sister and Bollywood playback singer Lata Mangeshkar, and actors Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, and Shah Rukh Khan.
• Evergreen Asha Bhosle has been giving playback in Hindi films for nearly seven decades, earning her an entry into the Guinness World Records for recording over 11,000 songs in 20 different languages.

10. Chhattisgarh's first governor D N Sahay passes away

Former governor of Chhattisgarh and Tripura Dinesh Nandan Sahay has died after prolonged illness. He was 82.

• Born in 1936, Sahay began his career with the Indian Police Service and rose to the position of the DGP of Bihar.
• He became the first Governor of Chhattisgarh after the state was carved out of Madhya Pradesh in 2000.
• In 2003, Sahay took over as the Governor of Tripura and held the post till 2009