1

Current Affairs – May 30, 2018

S.No Topic Page Number

1 Important Days 2

2 World News 3 - 4

3 National News 5 – 6

4 State News 7

5 Banking & Economy 8 - 9

6 Sports News 10

7 Awards & Honours 11 -12

8 Appointments & Resignation 13

9 Science & Techonology 14

10 Obtiuaries 15

2

Important Days

Goa celebrates its Statehood Day today

On 30 May 2018, Goa Statehood Day was celebrated throughout the state.

Goa attained statehood on 30 May 1987 and became the 25 state of India. Earlier it was

a Union Territory along with Daman and Diu.

Daman and Diu separated from Goa and still remain as a union territory. This is the 31

Goa Statehood Day.

3

World News

International conference on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) –

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) linkage in Geneva on June 7 and 8 for protection of

traditional knowledge

On May 30, 2018, India is organizing an International Conference on Trade –Related

Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

linkage in Geneva on June 7 and 8.

To talk with the World Trade Organization (WTO) on issues related to prevention of theft

of traditional knowledge of Ayurveda and Naturopathy.

The conference will be participated by various nations like Brazil, China, Indonesia, Peru,

Philippines and New Zealand.

The fields for the issue will be: Ayurveda, Naturopathy and Yoga and traditional

knowledge of healing properties of Neem and Turmeric.

The CBD is a multi lateral agreement on sustainable development and fair sharing of

benefits.

It will give global protection to the knowledge and country of origin like India from theft.

Trade in Ayush Industry is about $ 1.2 billion.

The world trade in herbal products is at $ 120 billionand is piquing to $ 7 trillion by 2050.

India releases Rs 33.10 Cr to Nepal for 2 road Projects

India has released Rs 33.10 Crore to Nepal for 2 road packages of Birgunj-Thori Road

implemented under Postal Highway Projects in Nepal with the grant assistance from

Indian Government.

On 29 May 2018, Deputy Chief of Mission in the Indian Embassy, Dr. Ajay Kumar gave a

Cheque to Secretary, Ministry for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Nepal,

Madhusudan Adhikari in Kathmandu.

The funds has been released for 25% of tendered cost (including 10% mobilization

advance) of the Postal Highway Projects.

The Indian Government has provided 117.63 Crore rupees to the Nepal Government so

far, for implementation of 14 packages of the Postal Highway Projects.

4

Digital Health initiative of India commended and adopted by WHO in the 71 World Health

Assembly

On May 29, 2018, the 71 World Health Assesmbly the decision making body of World

Health Organization (WHO) has adopted India’s Digital Health Initiative.

The Assembly was held at Geneva, Switzerland.

The resolution will establish a global strategy on digital health and prioritize areas where

WHO will work together with its member countries.

It is for countries achieving health related SDG (sustainable development goals ) and and

implementing WHO’s13 General Program of work.

Mainstreaming digital interventions in health like big data and analysis, AI, machine

learning etc.

India will host a Global Digital Health Summit with the support of WHO later.

5

National News

The New User Interface of Next Generation e-Ticketing System launched by Ministry of

Railways.

On May 30, 2018, The Minister of Railways Mr. Piyush Goyal launched new User interface

of its Next Generation eTicketing system.

To view and enquire about train timings, check availability of seats without logging in.

New filters for serch based on Class wise, train wise, destination wise, departure /arrival

time wise and quota wise for trains.

Addition of ‘My Transaction’ feature to view their booked tickets based on journey date ,

booking date etc.

Addition of ‘Waitlist Prediction’ has been made for ease of the passangers.

Facility for the user to find out the availability up to the entire advanced reservation

period (presently, 120 days) .

Cancellations printing of tickets and request for additional SMS.

Using the ‘Vikalp’ service passengers can select alternative train.

PRAAPTI App and Web portal launched by Minister of State (I/C) for Power, Shri R.K. Singh to

bring transparency in electricity payments to Generators by Discoms.

On May 29, 2018, The Minister of State (I/C) for Power Mr. R. K. Singh launched the

PRAAPTI app and web portal.

This was done to bring transparency in electricity payments to generators.

It is a web portal and an App named PRAAPTI: Payment Ratification and Analysis in Power

procurement for bringing Transparency in Invoicing of Generators). The website is:

www.praapti.in.

This is for transparency in power purchase between Generators and Discoms.

It will collect data regarding the payments and invoicing for long term PPAs from the

generators and will help the stakeholders in getting monthly wise data that is legitimate

against Discoms.

It will help consumers to evaluate DIscoms performance in terms of payment.

It will help in making assessments for DIscoms against ‘Ease of Making Payments’to

generation companies.

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‘The Pankha’ an exhibition cum sale event launched by Union Tribal Affairs Minister, Shri Jual

Oram

On 29 May 2018, Union Tribal Affairs Minister, Jual Oram launched ‘the PANKHA’ (Hand-

fans), an exhibition cum sale event, at Tribes India, New Delhi.

The Pankha has been created by TRIFED through its artisans from various parts of India.

TRIFED has collaborated with Jatin Das Centre for Arts (JDCA) to offer marketing support

to the tribal artisans who are related to this craft.

The Pankhas are a range of exotic hand fans. Inspiration for this event has been drawn

from Artist Jatin Das and his collection of 10000 handmade Pankhas.

The Pankhas are kept on display at Indira Gandhi Naitonal Auditorium (IGNA), New Delhi

from 26 May 2018 to 24 June 2018.

TRIFED and the J.D.Centre for Arts (JDCA) have tied up to promote the Pankhas

throughout India.

7

State News

Ministry of Women and Child Development signs pact with Government of Uttar Pradesh to

manage Homes for widows in Varanasi

On May 29,2018, Ministry of Women and Child Development signed an MOU with

Government of Uttar Pradesh.

The ministry of Women and Child Development has constructed shelter homes for

widows with a maximum capacity of 1000people in it.

The MOU will be valid for a period of2 years and can be further renewed .

The Home shall be run by the Uttar Pradesh government or any institution under the

supervision of the state government.

The MOU states that the state government will be liable for all the activities of the Home

and shall perform periodical probes for security and monitoring for performances of the

staff.

Widows will be provided their individual Aadhar Cards and medical/ generic facilities.

Kerala to Reduce Price of Petrol and Diesel by Rs. 1 from Friday

Kerala government has decided to reduce the prices of petrol and diesel by Re 1 in Kerala

with effect from 1 June 2018.

Kerala has become the first state to announce a reduction in fuel prices. Kerala Chief

Minister Pinarayi Vijayan made the announcement on 30 May 2018.

Pinarayi Vijayan said that, this will create a loss of Rs. 509 crore for the Kerala state

government.

On 30 May 2018, there was a reduction in the prices of petrol and diesel after 16

consecutive days. But the reduction was only one paisa per litre.

Bihar Cabinet approves Fisheries College at Kishanganj

On 29 May 2018, Bihar Cabinet approved the setting up of a Fisheries College at

Kishanganj at a cost of Rs 40.31 crore.

The cabinet meeting was chaired by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. It approved the

creation of academic and administrative posts other than development of infrastructure

of the College at a cost of Rs 40.31 crore in 2018- 19 financial year.

It also approved creation of 88 new posts in Transplant and Nephrology departments of

Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) for starting the kidney transplant facility

there.

8

Banking & Economy

SBI hikes interest rates of Term Deposits

On May 30, 2018, State Bank of India hiked its fixed deposit rates for selected tenures.

The range of hike starts from 0.05 (5bps) to 0.25 (25 basis points).

The newest interest rate will come into effect from May 28.

SBI will offer 6.65 % for 1 to 2 year term deposists from 6.4%.

Term deposits with 2-3 years with fetch 6.65% from 6.60% form earlier.

For Senior citizens the term deposits of 1-2 years will be fetching 7.15%from 6.9%.

FDs of 2-3 years will be getting interest rate of 7.15%.

These rates are for the amount less than 1 crore.

For bulk amounts of between 1 crore and 10 crore, 1-2 year deposits will get 7 % and for

senior citizens it is 7.5% . The rates are same for amount greater than 10 crore.

India’s GDP forecast declined to 7.3% from 7.5%: Moody’s

On May 30,2018, according to Moody’s investor service report India’s GDP forecast has

gone down to 7.3% from 7.5% for 2018. This cut is because of higher oil prices.

The forecast for 2019 is constant at 7.5%.

With higher rural consumption and supported by minimum support price and normal

monsoon the economy is moving forward.

By addressing the repair in impaired assets of banks and corporates through the

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code the economy will be improving.

The GST may weigh down the growth too.

NMDC, NLC and an Australian firm to develop R&D facility in Tamil Nadu

On May 30, 2018, National Mineral Development Corporation and NLC ltd. (formerly

knows as Neyveli Lignite Corporation) signed a pact with Environment Clean Technologies

Ltd. Of Australia in Canberra.

This pact would help Australia and India work together in developing low emission iron

and steel process through integrated Coldry – Mamtorplant that will be built in India.

Developing innovations in iron and steel making and making a special purpose vehicle

(SPV) for steel manufacturing unit.

The project has two phases: Commencing a R&D phase that has a fund of AUD 35 million

by Indian partners and commercial expansion of the for the steel making facility with

capacity of 5 lakh tonne per annum. The amount for this fund is: AUD 300 million.

9

Facebook to offer digital literacy programme for women

On May 30, 2018, Social Media platform Facebook joined hands with National

Commission for Women (NCW) to launch digital literacy programme in collaboration with

Cyber Peace Foundation (CPF).

This will provide training on responsible and right usage of Internet, social media and

email.

The training will be given to 60000 women in universities across major cities in Haryana,

Delhi-NCR, Manipur, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu .The training will

be conducted in local languages.

The aim of the programme is to raise awareness and equal participation of women in the

digital sphere.

FB set to launch WhatsApp Pay with 4 major banks in India

On May 30, 2018, Facebook will be launching Whatsapp Pay, a payment service for its

whatsapp platform.

It will be partnering with HDFC, AXIS, ICICI and SBI banks.

A pilot version of Whatsapp Pay has started in February with 1 million users in India.

More than 200 million Indians use Whatspp and that is about 60% of US population.

The active usage is estimated to be 20 times more than Paytm’s.

Infosys acquires US-based Wongdoody

On 30 May 2018, Infosys said that, it has acquired US-based Wongdoody.

In April 2018, Infosys said that, it will acquire WongDoody Holding Company for a total

consideration of up to $75 million.

WongDoody Holding Company is a US-based digital creative and consumer insights

agency.

It has clients in telecommunications, consumer electronics, healthcare and consumer

packaged goods industries.

This acquisition, will help Infosys to improve its digital experience services with services

like strategy, design and user experience.

10

Sports News

Vikas Gowda, India’s only CWG gold medallist discus thrower, retires

On 30 May 2018, the Athletics Federation of India announced the retirement of discus

thrower Vikas Gowda.

Vikas Gowda has retired from the game after competing at the highest level for over 15

years.

He became the first and only Indian male to win Commonwealth Games medals in discus

throw.

He is 34 years old. He was born in Mysore. His family moved to Maryland, USA when he

was 5 years old.

He owns the national record of 66.28m (achieved in 2012). He won silver medal in the

2010 Commonwealth Games and a gold medal in the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth

Games.

11

Awards & Honours

First Indian to receive Linnean Medal

Indian botanist Kamaljit Bawa received the Linnean Medal in Botany from Linnean

Society of London. Bawa is the 1st Indian to win the award ever since it was constituted

in 1888 He was recognised for his pioneering research on evolution of tropical plants,

tropical deforestation & non-timber forest products.

Linnean Medal is awarded to a biologist every year by the Linnean Society of London.

Indian Botanist Kamaljit Bawa first Indian to receive Linnean Medal for Botany

On May 30,2018, Indian Botanist Mr. Kamaljit Bawa was awarded the Linnean Medal in

Botany from Linnean Society of London. HE is the first Indian to receive this award.

He is the president of Bengaluru based non-profit Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology

and the Environment (ATREE)

ATREE has been ranked 2 in Asia and 18 globally among the world’s environmental think

tanks.

Mr. Bawa has constituted an open access peer reviewed magazine called Conservation

and Society.

The Linnean Medal was first constituted in 1888 and acts as a good recognition in the field

of conservation and sustainability

Microsoft becomes third most valuable firm globally after Apple and Amazon

On May 30,2018, Microsoft becomes third most valuable firm globally surpassing

Alphabet.

Microsoft had a market cap of $753 billion.

It ranks after Apple and Amazon.

Apple’s M-cap is $ 924 billion and Amazon has a m-cap of $783 billion.

HDFC Bank’s Aditya Puri figures in Barron’s top 30 global CEO list

Aditya Puri, managing director of HDFC has appeared in the top 30 global CEOs list

released by Barron’s.

Aditya Puri has featured in the top 30 global CEOs list by Barron’s for the fourth

consecutive year. He is the only Indian to feature in the list.

12

Kerala cartoonist Thomas Antony wins international award

Thomas Antony, a cartoonist from Kerala, has won an international award, in the best

caricature category, at the 13th edition of the World Press Cartoon awards.

At present, Thomas Antony, is working as Executive Artist of ‘Metro Vaartha’, a

Malayalam daily.

Thomas Antony is one among the nine winners at the 13th edition of the World Press

Cartoon awards. The awards are instituted by an organisation based in Lisbon, Portugal.

The awards honour the best works published in 2017 in newspapers and magazines

throughout the world.

Thomas Antony is the only cartoonist chosen from Asia for this prize. The awards will be

presented at an event in Portugal on 2 June 2018.

Yuvraj Singh Awarded ‘Most Inspiring Icon of the Year for Social Welfare’

Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh has been awarded the “most inspiring icon of the year for

Social Welfare” award by the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival (DPIFF).

Yuvraj Singh has been awarded for his remarkable contribution in the social welfare field.

He runs a foundation named ‘YouWeCan’. The foundation focuses on spreading cancer

awareness and educating the kids of cancer survivors.

He is currently not a part of the India cricket team. He played for Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in

the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018.

13

Appointments & Resignation

ICICI Bank has appointed M D Mallya, former Bank of Baroda boss as an additional independent

director of the bank

On 29 May 2018, the ICICI Bank board appointed former Bank of Baroda (BoB) chief M D

Mallya as an additional (independent) directorfor a period of 5 years.

M D Mallya’s appointment is subject to the approval of shareholders. His appointment

comes a month before the ICICI bank’s chairman M K Sharma completes his term.

Before joining BoB, M D Mallya was the chairman of Bank of Maharashtra. He is 65 years

old.

He joined Corporation Bank in August 1976. He also served as executive director of

Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC). He was also the chairman of the Indian Banks

Association.

Indian ambassador to Russia, Pankaj Saran appointed deputy NSA

The current ambassador to Russia Pankaj Saran was appointed deputy National Security

Advisor by the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) for a period of two years.

Saran, 1982 IFS, was appointed Indian ambassador to Russia in January last year.

Prior to his deputation in Moscow, he was the Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh

from March 2012 to December 2015.

14

Science & Techonology

Rare, isolated neutron star discovered

Scientists from NASA have discovered a special kind of neutron star outside the Milky Way

galaxy for the first time.

Neutron stars are highly dense cores of massive stars that collapse and go through a

supernova explosion.

The newly found neutron star was discovered through data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray

Observatory and the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in

Chile.

It is a rare variety having both low magnetic field and no stellar companion. The neutron

star is located within the remains of a supernova named 1E 0102.2-7219 (E0102) – in the

Small Magellanic Cloud, which is 200,000 light years away from Earth.

The observations of E0102 state that the supernova remnant is dominated by a large ring-

shaped structure in Xrays.

Researchers discover hidden mountain ranges, valleys under Antarctica

Researchers have found out mountain ranges and three vast, deep sub-glacial valleys

hidden under the Antarctica ice.

The discovery has been published in the journal Geophysical Research Letter. This is the

first finding observed from ice penetrating radar data collected in Antarctica as part of

the European Space Agency PolarGAP project.

Researchers from Northumbria University, UK, have mapped three huge, sub-glacial

valleys in West Antarctica, for the first time.

The largest valley is named the Foundation Trough. It is over 350 kilometres long and 35

kilometres wide.

The Patuxent Trough is over 300 kilometres long and over 15 kilometres wide. The Offset

Rift Basin is 150 kilometres long and 30 kilometres wide.

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Obituaries

Ex-Himachal Pradesh governor Urmila Singh passed away

On 29 May 2018, Urmila Singh, former Himachal Pradesh governor, died after a long term

illness at private hospital in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

Urmila Singh was 71 years old. She was made the governor of Himachal Pradesh in 2010.

Earlier, she had worked as chairman of the National Scheduled Tribes Commission (NCTC).

She had also served as a minister in Madhya Pradesh government. She was associated

with the Congress Party.