17th June 2015 - Important Current Affairs updates

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International Affairs

• Today (17th June) is World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.
• • The purpose of this day is to highlight ways to prevent desertification and recover from drought. 
  • Theme of 2015 : Attainment of food security for all through sustainable food systems
• Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is on a Nine Day visit to United States of America (USA).
• • He will hold meetings with Foreign Institutional Investors (FII), Management of  New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and select top CEOs of US financial companies.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged to add more than 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles to Russia's nuclear arsenal in 2015, sending a clear warning message to Nato amid escalating tensions.
• The US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has said that the use of Partially Hydrogenated Oils (PHOs), the primary dietary source of artificial transfat in processed foods, must stop in three years.
• • The organization gave 3 years for Food manufacturers to remove PHOs from products.

National Affairs

• 
• The Government today approved hike of Rs 50 per quintal to 1,410 in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of paddy for the current season. 
• • Important Points to Note : 
  • • MSP is the rate at which government buys the grain from farmers. 
    • Paddy is the main crop grown in the kharif (summer) season. 
    • An increased MSP will encourage farmer for greater sowing of paddy.
• The government today approved Bureau of Indian Standards Bill 2015, a new bill to replace the 29 year-old Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act with an aim to bring in more products under the mandatory standard regime and end the 'inspector raj'. 
• • To ensure quality products to consumers, the new bill proposes to bring in more items under the mandatory system. 
  • At present, only products and systems come under the ambit of standards, the bill proposes to "include services, besides articles and processes under the standardisation regime".
  • Note : Currently, 92 items are under mandatory standards.
• Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, today launched the Narendra Modi Mobile App. 
• • The application provides updates on the day-to-day activities of Narendra Modi. 
  • It presents an opportunity to receive messages and emails directly from Shri Narendra Modi.
• UPSC today told the Delhi High Court that it cannot include transgenders as a third gender for applying for civil services exam as the category was not yet clearly defined by the Supreme Court.
• State-run BSNL will set up 40,000 wi-fi hotspots across the country, entailing an investment of about Rs 6,000 crore.
• • This project will come in lines with new digital architecture which is part of Union Government’s flagship Digital India Programme. 
  • Telecom Minister : Ravi Shankar Prasad
• In a first-of-its-kind action, the Election Commission today suspended the recognition of the PA Sangma-led National People’s Party– a recognised state party in Meghalaya—for its “failure” to file the election expenditure statement for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today gave its approval for the continuation and strengthening of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and setting up new ones with an outlay of Rs.3,900 crore. 
• • The scheme envisages continuation of 642 existing KVKs and establishing 109 new KVKs during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2012-17) to carry out a wide range of mandated activities.
  • The scheme includes initiation of new components, namely information and communication technology (ICT) in agriculture, Farmer FIRST programme, creation of farm innovation fund, disaster management fund and technology information units, an official release said on Wednesday. It also includes mini-seed processing facilities, micro nutrient analysis facilities, solar panels, vKVK (voice KVK) and KVK net and specialised KVKs.
• Government today launched its 'Housing for All by 2022' mission and approved a substantial increase in interest relief on loan for the urban poor to promote affordable homes.
• • The Union Cabinet accepted the recommendations of an Inter-Ministerial Committee to increase interest subvention to 6.50 per cent on housing loans to beneficiaries belonging to economic weaker section (EWS) including slum- dwellers and low income groups (LIGs).
  • The Cabinet's decision benefits urban poor by an amount of Rs 2.30 lakh each and as a result this the monthly EMI would come down to Rs 2,852 per month.

People in News

• CBI has registered an FIR against former Union Textile Minister Shankarsinh Vaghela and six others including the then Chairman-cum-Managing Director of National Textile Corporation Ramachandran Pillai for sale of prime property in Mumbai allegedly at "throwaway prices" to a private company.

Deaths

• Renowned architect and urban planner Charles Correa (84) passed away.
• • He was the Chief Architect for Navi Mumbai from 1970-75 and was involved in extensive urban planning of the city. 
  • He was appointed Chairman of the National Commission on Urbanization in 1985 by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
  • Some of his notable contributions include, the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Museum at the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Kanchanjunga Apartment tower in Mumbai, the Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur, MIT'S Brain and Cognitive Sciences Centre in Boston, and most recently, the Champalimad Centre for the Unknown in Lisbon. 
  • Awards :
  • • Charles Correa was bestowed with Goa's highest civilian honour, the Gomant Vibhushan.
    • He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1972
    • Honored with second highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan in 2006
    • He also received the 1984 Royal Gold Medal for architecture, by the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Science & Technology

• Researchers of Columbia University School of Engineering have created the world's thinnest light bulb using graphene, an atomically thin and perfectly crystalline form of carbon, as a filament.

Sports

• The three-match ODI cricket series between ‎India‬ and Bangladesh‬ will start tomorrow with the first match to be played at Mirpur. 
• Prolific striker Sunil Chhetri became the first Indian footballer to score 50 international goals during his team’s 2018 World Cup qualifying match against Guam.  

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