International Affairs
10th India-European Union Counter Terrorism Dialogue held in India
- 10th India-European Union Counter Terrorism Dialogue was held at New Delhi on August 30, 2017. The Indian delegation was led by Mahaveer Singhvi, Joint Secretary for Counter Terrorism at the Ministry of External Affairs of India, while the European Union side was led by Pawel Herczynski, Director for Security Policy of European External Action Service (EEAS).
Fourth Session of the India-Tanzania Joint Trade Committee (JTC)
- The Fourth Session of the India-Tanzania Joint Trade Committee meeting was held in New Delhi, on 29th September, 2017. The Indian delegation was led by Hon’ble Minister for State for Commerce and Industry (Independent Charge) Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman. The Tanzanian delegation was led by the Hon’ble, Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment Mr. Charles John Mwijage.
Indian Police contingent wins 321 medals in World Police & Fire Games held in the US
- A 101-member Indian Police contingent has returned with a record breaking haul of 321 medals from the World Police & Fire Games held in USA earlier this month. The contingent bagged 151 Gold, 99 Silver and 71 Bronze medals in the seven events they participated in the Games held in Los Angeles, California, from August 7-16, 2017.
Cabinet approves MoU on "India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund"
- The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Israel on "India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F)". The MoU was concluded in July, 2017
India and Canada will jointly issue postage stamps with Diwali as theme
- Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently informed that India and Canada have mutually agreed to jointly issue a set of two Commemorative Postage Stamps on the theme Diwali. The joint stamps will be released on September 21, 2017
Nepal launched the world’s first climate-smart snow-leopard plan
- Nepal Government has launched the world’s first climate-smart snow-leopard management plan to safeguard this endangered species of snow leopard and its habitat. It was discussed in the 2017 International Snow Leopard Summit and Ecosystem Forum in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
World’s first IAEA Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) Bank has opened in Kazakhstan
- International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has launched the world’s first IAEA Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) bank at the Ulba Metallurgical Plant (UMP) in Oskemen, Kazakhstan. The $150 million facility will help ensure a steady supply of low enriched uranium for countries’ nuclear power programmes.
Sri Lanka to host the 2017 Indian Ocean Conference (IOC)
- The 2nd edition of Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) will be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on August 31, 2017 with theme “Peace, progress, and prosperity”. The 2-day conference is being co-hosted by the India Foundation.
Dhruv Garg an Indian-origin boy got top score in Mensa IQ
- Dhruv Garg, an Indian-origin boy from Wokingham in south east England, in the United Kingdom (UK) has got the highest possible score of 162 on a Mensa IQ test that placed him in the top 1% people in the world who achieved this feat.
2017 BRICS Summit to be held in Xiamen china from September 3-5, 2017
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Xiamen in China’s Fujian province to attend the 9th BRICS summit, which will be held from September 3-5, 2017.
Dr. R.K. Raghavan appointed as the new High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Cyprus
- Dr. R.K. Raghavan, a 1963 cadre IPS officer, has been appointed as the new High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Cyprus
National Affairs
President Presents National Sports and Adventure Awards
- The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind presented the National Sports & Adventure Awards at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan today (August 29, 2017). 14 young sports achievers also attended the ceremony. Four of them are gold medalists from the Asian School Championships for Athletics 2015, 1 gold medalist from the Asian School Championship for Swimming 2016 and 9 gold medalists from the Gymnasiade conducted by the International School Sport Federation in 2016.
GST Revenue Figures – July 2017
- The Goods and Services Tax (GST) tax was introduced on 1st of July, 2017. The last date for payment of GST for the month of July 2017 was 25th August, 2017. The last date for filing returns in cases, where the taxpayer wanted to avail transitional credit was 28th August, 2017 and, in all other cases, it was 25th August, 2017.
- If we exclude the taxpayers who have registered with the GSTN in August 2017 and the composition dealers, total number of tax payers who were required to file the returns for July 2017 is 59.57 lakhs, of which, as on 29th August, 2017 (10 a.m.), 38.38 lakh returns have been filed, which is 64.42% of the total number of returns, which are to be filed for the month of July 2017.
- The total revenue of GST paid under different heads upto 29th August, 2017 (10 a.m) is Rs.92,283 crore. The total CGST revenue is Rs.14,894 crore, SGST revenue is Rs.22,722 crore, IGST revenue is Rs.47,469 crore (of which IGST from imports is Rs.20,964 crore) and Cess is Rs.7,198 crore (of which Rs.599 crore is Compensation Cess from imports).
- It may be mentioned that IGST will be allocated between the CGST and the SGST to the extent that the same is used for payment of CGST/SGST. This exercise will be done based on the cross-utilisation report to be received from the GSTN. Exact revenue figures of the Central and the State Governments respectively will be known after this exercise is complete before the end of this month.
- Out of total 72.33 lakh taxpayers, 58.53 lakh taxpayers have completely migrated to the GSTN and 13.80 lakh taxpayers are yet to complete their procedural formalities to migrate to the GSTN. The number of new taxpayers who have registered with the GSTN upto 29th August, 2017 (10 a.m.) is 18.83 lakhs.
Rajnath Singh inaugurates YUVA – a skill development programme in Delhi
- YUVA is Delhi Police initiative under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana
- The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated (29.08.2017) the YUVA – a skill development programme and an initiative by Delhi Police under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana in Delhi
- The ‘YUVA’ initiative by Delhi Police aims to connect with youth by upgrading their skill as per their competencies. It will help them to get a gainful employment under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna under the Ministry of Skill Development.
3-day “Wellness India 2017 Expo” in New Dalhi
- 3-day “Wellness India 2017 Expo” started in New Dalhi (29.08.2017) The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has said that “wellness” is not mere absence of disease, but a much more wholesome concept or state of existence, which may sometimes not thrive despite the absence of disease or, on the contrary, may sometimes survive despite the presence of disease.
Smart Agriculture Conclave on 30th-31st August, 2017
- Keeping in line with the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India for “the need for effective decision making in agriculture that integrates science, technology, innovation and the farm ecosystem by asking for an ‘Evergreen Revolution’ the need is to modernise all aspects of agriculture to this purpose by bringing to bear quality analysis of the ecosystem, well-thought decisions and an efficient use of cutting-edge science technology to the very complex Indian farm environment”, Department of Bio-Technology(DBT), Ministry of Science & Technology, New Deihi is holding a ‘Smart Agriculture Conclave’ on 30th - 31st August, 2017.
Union Cabinet approves equivalence of posts in PSUs, Banks, Insurance Institutions can get the benefit of OBC reservations
- Union Cabinet approves equivalence of posts in Central Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), Banks, Insurance Institutions with Posts in Government so that the children of those serving in lower categories in PSUs and other institutions can get the benefit of OBC reservations
- The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval to the norms for establishing equivalence of posts in Government and posts in PSUs, PSBs etc. for claiming benefit of OBC reservations. This addresses an issue pending for nearly 24 years.
Harsimrat Kaur Badal launches Common Food Processing Incubation Center for Shallots, Perambalur
- Smt Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Minister for Food Processing Industries launched Common Food Processing Incubation Center for Shallots (Small Onions) in Chettikulam village in Perambalur District of Tamil Nadu through video conferencing from here 31.08.2017.
Rajiv Gauba takes over as Union Home Secretary
- Rajiv Gauba, IAS (Jharkhand cadre-1982 batch) today took over as Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- Shri Gauba joined the Ministry of Home Affairs as Officer on Special Duty on June 27, 2017 and took charge as the Union Home Secretary upon the superannuation of Shri Rajiv Mehrishi.
National Nutrition Week to be observed from 1st to 7th September
- The National Nutrition Week will be observed throughout the country from 1st to 7th September. The theme of the National Nutrition Week for 2017 is "Optimal Infant & Young Child Feeding Practices: Better Child Health". The basic objective of this annual event is to intensify awareness generation on the importance of nutrition for health which has an impact on development, productivity, economic growth and ultimately National development.
Sunil Arora appointed as the new Election Commissioner (EC)
- Sunil Arora, a 1980 batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, has been appointed as the new Election Commissioner (EC). The appointment will take effect from the date he assumes the charge.
Kerala government has launched a new ‘E-Waste Disposal’ scheme in schools
- Kerala government has recently launched a new ‘E-Waste Disposal’ scheme in its state schools with an aim to process the electronic waste in the IT labs, offices and stores.
ISRO's PSLV C39 Rocket launched navigation satellite IRNSS-1H into orbit-the mission failed
- Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched its navigation satellite IRNSS-1H into the orbit by the rocket PSLV C39 from the Satish Dhavan Space Centre at Sriharikotta, Andhra Pradesh on August 31, 2017. Though, the IRNSS-1H mission was failed as heat shield did not open up for the deployment of the satellite. The IRNSS-1H was a part of the indigenous navigation system called ‘NavIC,’ that was initially planned to have a constellation of seven satellites.
Justice Dipak Misra sworn-in as the new Chief Justice of India (CJI)
- Justice Dipak Misra has been sworn-in as the new Chief Justice of India (CJI) and will have tenure of nearly 13 months. He succeeded Chief Justice J S Khehar.
Ashish kumar Chauhan newly appointed chief of Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)
- Ashish kumar Chauhan has been re-appointed as the new Managing Director and CEO of Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) for the period of 5 years from November 2, 2017 to November 1, 2022.
Rajiv Mehrishi the new Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India
- Rajiv Mehrishi, the former home secretary, will be the new Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. He will replace the present incumbent Shashi Kant Sharma who completes his term on September 30, 2017.
RBI approved Spice Digital to process bill payments under BBPS
- The Spice Digital Limited (SDL) has received the final licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), to process bill payments as a Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU) in the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS). The headquarters of the Spice Digital in Noida.
National Sports Talent Search Portal Launched
- Vice President of India, Venkaiah Naidu officially launched the Sports Ministry’s much- awaited National Sports Talent Search Portal at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on August 28, 2017. The portal will provide a three step simple process for registration, profile creation and upload of achievements.
Dr. V. Kamakoti task force has been constituted by the Union Government on Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Nirmala Sitharaman, the Union Commerce and Industry Minister, has constituted a task force on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for India’s economic transformation. The 18-member panel, headed by Dr. V. Kamakoti of IIT Madras, will comprise of experts, academics, researchers and industry leaders.
Nungthang Tampak, which has become North-East (NE)’s first 100% computer literacy village in Manipur
- Nungthaang Tampak village in Manipur has become North-East (NE)’s first 100% computer literacy village. The training program was organised by Mangaal Rural, an NGO working for rural development, as a part of the Digital India program.
West Bengal Gobindobhog rice got Geographical Indication (GI) status
- Gobindobhog rice from Burdwan district of West Bengal has recently got the Geographical Indication (GI) status. As a result of getting the GI tag, rice from other regions or rice of other varieties cannot be branded as ‘Gobindobhog’.
Awards
Digambar Behera won the Biju Patnaik Award for Scientific Excellence 2016
- Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik conferred the Biju Patnaik Award for Scientific Excellence for the year 2016 to Prof Digambar Behera. Behera is senior professor and Head, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh.
Nitasha Biswas crowned as India’s first-ever Miss TransQueen 2017
- Kolkata's Nitasha Biswas has been crowned India’s first-ever Miss TransQueen 2017 in Gurugram, Haryana.Loiloi Haorongbam from Manipur became the first runner-up, while Ragasiya from Tamil Nadu was the second runner-up.
NITI Aayog announces winners of the Women Transforming India Awards 2017
- Honourable Minister for Textiles and Information and Broadcasting, Smriti Irani awards top 12 winners, honouring their courage and role in transforming societies.
- Celebrating the outstanding achievements of women in India, NITI Aayog, in partnership with MyGov and the United Nations, announces winners of the Women Transforming India Awards, 2017.
Top 6 Contestants
- Laxmi Agarwal
- Safeena Husain
- Kamal Kumbhar
- Subasini Mistry
- Arunima Sinha
- Jamuna Tudu
Runners-Up
- Rajlakshmi Borthakur
- Harshini Kanhekar
- Sunita Kamble
- Kiran Kanojia
- Shima Modak
- Kanika Tekriwal
Important Days
2017 National Sports Day (NSD) is celebrated on August 29
- National Sports Day (NSD) is celebrated every year on 29th August to mark the birthday of legendary hockey player Dhyan Chand. On this occasion, in 2017, President Ram Nath Kovind has confered Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, Arjuna Award and Dronacharya Award at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.
2017 International Day against Nuclear Tests (IDANT) is observed on August 29
- International Day against Nuclear Tests (IDANT) is observed every year on August 29 to raise public awareness about the effects of global nuclear weapon tests
Sports Affairs
Nozomi Okuhara won the 2017 women’s singles World Badminton championships (WBC)
- Japanese shuttler Nozomi Okuhara has won the 2017 women’s singles World Badminton championships (WBC) by defeating P V Sindhu in the final by 12-21, 21-17, 21-10 at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland. With this, Sindhu had to settle for silver in the championship.
Saina Nehwal won bronze in the 2017 women’s singles World Badminton championships
- Saina Nehwal from India has won bronze in the 2017 women’s singles World Badminton championships (WBC). In the first women’s singles semi-final at Glasgow, Nehwal lost to Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in three games 12-21, 21-17, 21-10.
India won the 2017 SAFF under-15 football Championship
- Indian football team has won the 2017 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) under-15 football Championship by defeating Nepal by 2-1 in the final at Kathmandu in Nepal on August 27.
Lewis Hamilton won 2017 Formulae 1 Belgian Grand Prix tournament
- Lewis Hamilton, a British racing driver who races in Formula One for the Mercedes AMG Petronas team, has won the 2017 Belgian Grand Prix at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Stavelot, Belgium on August 27, 2017.
National Sports & Adventure Awards 2017
- President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind here today conferred National Sports & Adventure Awards 2017 in a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Vijay Goel among the dignitaries who were present on the occasion.
- President Shri Kovind also interacted with 14 Young Sports achievers who attended the award ceremony. Four of them were Gold medalists in Asian School Championships for Athletics 2015, 1 Gold medalist in Asian School Championship for Swimming 2016 and 9 were Gold medalists in Gymnasiade conducted by International School Sport Federation in 2016.
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 2017
Following sportspersons were conferred with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 2017.
S. N.
|
Name of Awardee
|
Discipline
|
1.
|
Shri Sardar Singh
|
Hockey
|
2.
|
Shri Devendra
|
Para-Athletics
|
Dronacharya Awards 2017
Following coaches were conferred with Dronacharya Awards for the year 2017.
S. N.
|
Name of Awardees
|
Discipline
|
Dr. R. Gandhi (Posthumously)
|
Athletics
| |
Shri G.S.S.V. Prasad
|
Badminton- Lifetime
| |
Shri Braja Bhusan Mohanty
|
Boxing-Lifetime
| |
Shri P.A. Raphael
|
Hockey-Lifetime
| |
Shri Sanjoy Chakraverthy
|
Shooting-Lifetime
| |
Shri Roshan Lal
|
Wrestling-Lifetime
|
The Award for Late Dr. R. Gandhi was received by his wife Dr. Sailaxmi Gandhi.
Arjuna Awards 2017
Following sportspersons were conferred with Arjuna Awards for the year 2017:
S. N.
|
Name of Awardees
|
Discipline
|
1.
|
Ms. Vennam Jyothi Surekha
|
Archery
|
2.
|
Ms. Khushbir Kaur
|
Athletics
|
3.
|
Shri Arokia Rajiv
|
Athletics
|
4.
|
Ms. Prashanti Singh
|
Basketball
|
5.
|
Sub. L. Debendro Singh
|
Boxing
|
6.
|
Shri Cheteshwar Pujara
|
Cricket
|
7.
|
Ms. Harmanpreet Kaur
|
Cricket
|
8.
|
Ms. Oinam Bembem Devi
|
Football
|
9.
|
Shri Shivsankar Prasad Chawrasia
|
Golf
|
10.
|
Shri S.V. Sunil
|
Hockey
|
11.
|
Shri Jasvir Singh
|
Kabaddi
|
12.
|
Shri P.N. Prakash
|
Shooting
|
13.
|
Shri A. Amalraj
|
Table Tennis
|
14.
|
Shri Saketh Sai Myneni
|
Tennis
|
15.
|
Shri Satyawart Kadian
|
Wrestling
|
16.
|
Shri Mariyappan T.
|
Para-Athletics
|
17.
|
Shri Varun Singh Bhati
|
Para-Athletics
|
Shri Cheteshwar Pujara selected for Arjuna Award in the discipline of Cricket is presently playing abroad and as such could not attend the Award Ceremony. He will be given award at some later date by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs & Sports.
Dhyan Chand Award 2017
Following persons were conferred with Dhyan Chand Awards for the year 2017:
S. N.
|
Name of Awardees
|
Discipline
|
1.
|
Shri Bhupender Singh
|
Athletics
|
2.
|
Shri Syed Shahid Hakim
|
Football
|
3.
|
Ms. Sumrai Tete
|
Hockey
|
Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2017
Following persons were conferred with Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards for the year 2017.
S. N.
|
Name of Awardees
|
Discipline
|
1.
|
Smt. Premlata Agrawal
|
Land Adventure
|
2.
|
Shri More Rohan Dattatrey
|
Water Adventure
|
3.
|
Shri Ashok Abbey
|
Life Time Achievement
|
4.
|
Shri Ved Prakash Sharma
|
Life Time Achievement
|
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2016-17
Punjabi University, Patiala was conferred with Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy for the year 2016-17.
S. N.
|
Name of Awardee
| |
1.
|
Punjabi University, Patiala
|
Winner
|
Rashtriya Khel Protsahana Purushkar, 2017
Following entities were conferred with Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskarar for the year 2017.
S. N.
|
Name of Awardees
|
Category
|
1.
|
Identification and Nurturing of Budding and Young Talent
|
Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS)
|
2.
|
Encourage to sports through corporate social responsibility
|
Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO)
|
3.
|
Sports for Development
|
The Golf Foundation
|
4.
|
Sports for Development
|
Reliance Foundation
|