Current Affairs

 Coal India and NLC India (NLCIL), formerly Neyveli Lignite Corporation, will jointly set up 5000 MW of power generation capacity of which 3000 MW would be solar powered while the rest 2000 MW would be coal-fuelled. CIL and NCIL  signed an MoU for setting up a 50:50 joint venture company that would undertake the projects. Coal India has been tasked to become a net zero emission energy company by the ministry of coal, a move which requires it to generate 3,000 MW of solar power. The MoU also extends for setting up of 2,000 MW of thermal power generation across CIL’s subsidiaries. 
Source- The Economic Times

 State-run IDBI Bank has announced that Rakesh Sharma has taken charge as the managing director and chief executive officer of the bank. He has replaced B Sriram. Mr Sharma has been appointed for the period of six months. He retired from Canara Bank as the MD and CEO after serving for a period of three years. 
Source- The Financial Express

 PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) has announced that Mahesh Y Reddy has taken over as its Secretary General with immediate effect. He holds 28 years of experience in national level trade, infrastructure and industry bodies in various capacities, the chamber said in a statement. Earlier, Reddy served as Director General of Infrastructure Industry and Logistics Federation of India for eight years. 
Source- Business-Standard

 The government has appointed 58-year-old Pravin Srivastava, a senior officer with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), as the Chief Statistician of India (CSI). Srivastava’s tenure will be till August 31, 2020. His appointment would take effect from the date of assumption of charge by him. 
Source- Business-Standard

 Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta has been appointed as the new Solicitor General of India. The senior lawyer will assume the office of the Solicitor General till June 30, 2020. Presently, Mehta is serving as the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) of India. The post had been lying vacant since October 2017 when the then Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar had resigned. Solicitor General is the second highest ranking law officer of the government after the Attorney General.
Source- The Economic Times

UK-based charity ‘Oxfam International’s report named ‘Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index was released in which India ranked 147th among 157 countries analysed and was labeled as “a very worrying situation” with respect to the rising inequality in the country.  Out of 157 countries measured, Denmark topped the list based on its high and progressive taxation, high social spending and good protection of workers. Ranking at 11th, Japan became the topper among the Asian countries. Among the BRICS nations, China was ranked 81st on the list, Brazil 39th and Russia 50th.
The Top 3 Countries include: 
  • 1. Denmark,
  • 2. Germany,
  • 3. Finland. 
  • Source- The Quint

     The Centre has reconstituted Supreme Court-empowered Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority or the EPCA, which is tasked with taking various measures to tackle air pollution in the National Capital Region. Former secretary Bhure Lal continues to be the chairman, while the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) DG Sunita Narain is one of the members.  The other members of the 20-member re-constituted authority include Ajay Mathur, who is the Director General of The Energy Research Institute (TERI), Arunabha Ghosh, the Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Energy Environment and Water, Navroz K. Dubash, the Senior Fellow for the Centre for Policy Research. 
    Source- NDTV News

     On the occasion of 86th anniversary, the Indian Air Force has launched an innovativemobile health App named ‘MedWatch’ in keeping with the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Digital India, Ayushman Bharat and Mission Indradhanush’.  The app is conceived by the doctors of IAF and developed in-house by Directorate of Information Technology (DIT) with ZERO financial outlay. ‘MedWatch’ is the first mobile health app in the three Armed Services and was launched by Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa. 
    Source- Press Information Bureau (PIB)

    The Goa International Film Festival that will be held in November 2018 will have Jharkhand as a partner state. The decision was taken in meeting between Secretary of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Mr. Amit Khare and Chief Secretary of Jharkhand, Sudhir Tripathy at Ranchi.    This will allow Jharkhand to showcase its culture and favourable filmmaking incentives announced by the state government. It was decided to open the community radio station at every district of Jharkhand.
    Source- News On AIR

     Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, J P Nadda inaugurated ‘2nd World Conference on Access to Medical Products: Achieving the SDGs 2030’ in New Delhi. At the function, Shri J P Nadda released the Position Paper and launched the Information Sharing Platform Gateway for South-East Asia Regulatory Network (SEARN) developed by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, which will promote regulatory and health collaboration among the countries of the South-East Asia Region.
    Source- The Daily Pioneer


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