Current Affairs 8 January 2018

1. International kite festival begins in Gujarat The international kite festival was inaugurated by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupan...

1. International kite festival begins in Gujarat

The international kite festival was inaugurated by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani at Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad.

• Governor O P Kohli was also present on the occasion.
• Kite enthusiasts from across India and also foreign countries are participating in the week-long festival that is being celebrated across cities in Gujarat.
• The state government-sponsored festival will culminate on January 14, which is celebrated as Uttarayan (Makar Sankranti).

2. Nearly 8,500 stations to get Wi-Fi facility at Rs 7-bn cost: Railways

 

All railway stations, nearly 8,500 across the country, including those in rural and remote areas - will be equipped with Wi-Fi facilities at an estimated cost of Rs 7 billion.

• As part of the government's ambitious Digital India initiative, the national transporter has currently commissioned Wi-Fi services at 216 major stations enabling about seven million rail passengers to log on to the free Internet facility.
• According to the the plan finalised at a recent meeting, while 1,200 stations have been identified for this facility to primarily cater to rail passengers, about 7,300 stations have been earmarked to not only serve passengers but also local people in rural and remote areas.

3. Himachal CM announces 24X7 helpline for women

In a significant decision after taking over as Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Jai Ram Thakur has announced setting up of a 24×7  helpline, called Gudiya, for women.

• Thakur, who was at Press Club Shimla, said three special crime cells would be set up, one each at Mandi, Shimla and Kangra, as part of this initiative. 
• Officers of these cells will be entrusted with the task to report cases of crime against women without any delay.
• Gudiya is a nickname given to the 16-year-old Kotkhai victim of rape and murder during the rule of the previous Congress government.

4. BSF Launches 'Operation Alert" Along 200 Km Border

 

The Border Security Force (BSF) has launched "Operation Alert" along the over 200 kilometer long International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir to curb the increasing movement of infiltrating terrorists from across the border.

• "There are inputs that there is movement of militants and accordingly, we have declared 'Operation Alert' on the border," Inspector General of BSF Jammu Frontier, Ram Awatar told.

5. TIHCL gets RBI nod to operate as NBFC

Telangana Industrial Health Clinic Ltd (TIHCL), a State government initiative, has got RBI clearance to register and function as a non-banking finance company (NBFC).

• It will be the first State promoted and co-financing NBFC, according to B Yerram Raju, TIHCL’s advisor and director.
• TIHCL was floated in 2017 with a corpus of ₹100 crore, which included contributions from the State and Central governments, financial institutions, industrial units and high networth individuals.

6. FM Arun Jaitley -chaired panel to look into old port projects

The government has formed a ministerial committee headed by finance minister Arun Jaitley to decide what to do with old, pre-existing projects in ports, which have become unviable.

• Around 10 old projects, under the shipping ministry, have been stuck in non-profitability because operating under the contract conditions which existed a decade or so ago have kept them in a state of unviability for years.
• The government wants to address this legal tangle.
• The combined value of the projects is an estimated Rs 20,000 crore, shipping ministry officials said.

7. Khelo India logo launched

The Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore has launched the simple yet vibrant Khelo India logo at the Nehru Stadium.

• Khelo India School Games will be staged from January 31.
• The three-stroke Khelo India logo was designed by Ogilvy India, and offers flexibility in adapting to numerous pictorial forms.

8. Former WTO, Goldman Sachs chief Peter Sutherland dies at 71

Former World Trade Organisation director general and Goldman Sachs international chairman Peter Sutherland died at the age of 71.

• Sutherland, who also served as Ireland's European Union commissioner and as attorney general during the 1980s, had been ill for some time.

9. Bollywood actor Shrivallabh Vyas passes away

Bollywood actor Shrivallabh Vyas of 'Lagaan' and 'Sarfarosh' fame passed away at the age of 60 in Jaipur.

• Owing to financial crisis, he had apparently shifted to Jaipur.
• The late actor has done films like 'Sarfarosh', 'Lagaan', 'Abhay', 'Aan : Men at Work', 'Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero' and 'Sankat City'.