Hello and welcome to exampundit. Here are the Important Current Affairs Update of 4, 5 and 6 February, 2017. These are very important for the upcoming Syndicate Bank PGDBF, SBI PO Mains and other insurance and bank exams.
Current Affairs at a Glance - 4 to 6 February, 2017
NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant on 2 February 2017 launched the India Innovation Index in New Delhi. It is India’s first online innovation index portal. It will capture data on innovation from all Indian states and regularly update it in real time.
The Secunderabad and Vijayawada railway stations are among 23 stations to be taken up under the Station Redevelopment Plan of the Indian Railways.
The Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal launched the Chief Minister Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana (CMSGUY) in Guwahati, Assam on 5 February 2017. The Yojana has been launched with the aim of bringing a paradigm shift towards holistic development of villages in Assam.
The International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation was observed across the world on 6 February 2017. The theme for the 2017 International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation is “Building a solid and interactive bridge between Africa and the world to accelerate ending FGM by 2030.”
The World Wetlands Day was observed globally on 2 February 2017 with the theme 'Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction'.
World Cancer Day (WCD) 2017 was observed across the world on 4 February 2017. The theme for the World Cancer Day 2016-2018 is ‘We can. I can.’
The Union Minister for Sports, Vijay Goel laid the foundation stone of the boundary wall of the first-ever Centre of Excellence for differently-abled sportsmen on 5 February 2017 in Sector-25 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Financial and Industry:
NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant launches India Innovation Index
NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant on 2 February 2017 launched the India Innovation Index in New Delhi. It is India’s first online innovation index portal. It will capture data on innovation from all Indian states and regularly update it in real time.
Features of India Innovation Index
The primary objective of the India Innovation Index is to rank Indian states as per their innovation prowess and provide impetus to them to build their respective innovation ecosystems.
It is a joint initiative of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
Multilateral agencies such as the World Economic Forum, the World Intellectual Property Organization, Cornell University, OECD, UNIDO, ILO, UNESCO and ITU will help the NITI Aayog in developing the index.
The India Innovation Index Framework is based on the best practices followed during the preparing of Global Innovation Index (GII).
India-centric parameters will be added to the framework so that it will reflect the Indian innovation ecosystem.
23 railway stations to be brought under Redevelopment Project
The Secunderabad and Vijayawada railway stations are among 23 stations to be taken up under the Station Redevelopment Plan of the Indian Railways.
The project, considered to be amongst the largest to be taken up, is the brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu is set to launch the project in New Delhi on February 8.
The Station Redevelopment Project is being taken up under the Swiss Challenge method, which involves inviting a proposal online and permitting rival bidders to beat that proposal with a more attractive one.
In the first phase, 23 railway stations have been selected for the project which aims to make best use of the assets of the stations. Of over 8,000 stations in the system, over 400 have been selected for the redevelopment programme based on the revenue generated by them.
The project envisages an infrastructure revamp at the stations including the platforms and the circulating areas, to be undertaken by the chosen developer.
Commercial establishments including hotels, multiplexes and shopping malls are proposed to be built on the land earmarked by the Railways for use by the developer. The developer will hold the rights for commercial exploitation of the land for a period of 45 years, while ownership of the land would remain with the Railways.
Non-financial – India and States:
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launches CMSGUY in Guwahati
The Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal launched the Chief Minister Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana (CMSGUY) in Guwahati, Assam on 5 February 2017.
The Yojana has been launched with the aim of bringing a paradigm shift towards holistic development of villages in Assam.
Key Highlights
The scheme is a mega mission with financial expenditure amounting to about Rs 30,000 Cr.
It aims to bring a revolutionary change by doubling farm income in the state.
It will be implemented in all of the state’s villages.
The scheme is expected to conclude by 2021-22.
According to the Situation Assessment Survey taken between 2002-03 and 2012-13, the farm income in Assam was recorded to have shown only 0.88 percent increase as against the national average of 5.2 per cent. In the view of this, the Assam government decided to launch the CMSGUY to stimulate rural productivity by making huge investments in the rural areas for their complete transformation within a short span of just 5 years.
Appointments & Resignations:
Arun M Kumar appointed as Chairman and CEO of KPMG India
Arun M Kumar was on 5 February 2017 appointed as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KPMG India. Kumar will serve the office for five years. His appointment was approved by the KPMG India Board and was ratified by the India partners.
He succeeds Richard Rekhy, who resigned in November 2016 following a large scale exodus of key people from the advisory team.
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick quits Trump’s Economic Advisory Council
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Uber Technologies Inc. Travis Kalanick in February 2017 quit the US President Donald Trump’s Economic Advisory Council.
The exact reasons for this development are not known. However, it has been speculated that Travis Kalanick was forced to resign from the prestigious council due to pressure from Uber’s customers.
The USA President Donald J Trump announced the formation of the Economic Advisory Council in August 2016 during the election campaign for the presidency. The council assists Trump in implementing his economic agenda.
Days:
International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation 2017 observed
The International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation was observed across the world on 6 February 2017.
The theme for the 2017 International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation is “Building a solid and interactive bridge between Africa and the world to accelerate ending FGM by 2030.”
The female genital mutilation reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes. The practice also violates women’s rights to health, security and physical integrity, their right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and their right to life when the procedure results in death.
World Wetlands Day 2017 observed globally
The World Wetlands Day was observed globally on 2 February 2017 with the theme 'Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction'.
The theme 'Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction' is aimed at raising the awareness of healthy wetlands in reducing the impacts of extreme events such as floods, droughts and cyclones on communities.
In September 2016, Ramsar Convention and UNESCO together prepared the report titled 'Managing MIDAs-Harmonizing the Management of Multi-Internationally Designated Areas: Ramsar Sites, World Heritage sites, Biosphere Reserves and UNESCO Global Geoparks'. The report was aimed at supporting the integrated management of wetlands.
World Cancer Day 2017 observed globally
World Cancer Day (WCD) 2017 was observed across the world on 4 February 2017. The theme for the World Cancer Day 2016-2018 is ‘We can. I can.’
The theme throws light on how everyone, as a collective or as individuals, can do their part to reduce the global burden of cancer.
It also aims at saving millions of preventable deaths each year. Currently, 8.2 million people die from cancer worldwide every year, out of which, 4 million people die prematurely (aged 30 to 69 years).
Sports:
Vijay Goel lays foundation stone for first–ever training centre for differently-abled sportsmen
The Union Minister for Sports, Vijay Goel laid the foundation stone of the boundary wall of the first-ever Centre of Excellence for differently-abled sportsmen on 5 February 2017 in Sector-25 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
The government has allotted an estimated amount of Rs 50 Cr for the project. The centre is proposed to provide world class facilities.
The centre will be built on 7.5 acres of land belonging to the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
It will have dedicated tracks and a 64 m long, fully air conditioned indoor hall that will house a swimming pool as well as other training facilities for the athletes.
It will also have an air-conditioned hostel with 100 beds and 20 suites for foreign guests and an open land for warm-up exercises.
The centre will train the para athletes for various international competitions including Olympics, Asian Games and Common Wealth Games.
Click here to Download PDF
Sponsored
Regards
Team ExamPundit