Important Current Affairs 6th September 2017

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Current Affairs 6th September 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Shri Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary Assumes Charge as Minister of State in Ministry of Mines

Shri Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary assumed the charge as Minister of State in the Ministry of Mines in New Delhi today. 
●    The Secretary Mines, Shri Arun Kumar along with the senior officers of the mines ministry welcomed the newly appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Mines and Ministry of Coal, Shri Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary in his office in Shastri Bhawan. 
●    Shri Chaudhary was Minister of State in Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) earlier and he has served as Minister of State in Ministry of Home Affairs.
●    After taking charge, Shri Chaudhary held meeting with the senior officers of the Ministry of Mines and discussed the progress in the ministry. 
●    He represents the Banaskantha constituency of Gujarat and is a four-time member of the Lok Sabha from Bharatiya Janata Party.

German cable-maker Leoni expands Pune facility

German cable manufacturer Leoni has invested an additional €10 million (about ₹76 crore) for the expansion of its existing manufacturing facility at Chakan near Pune.
●    The company’s total investment at the facility, which was commissioned in 2013, stands at €20 million.
●    Leoni Cable Solutions India is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nuremberg, Germany-headquartered Leoni Group. 
●    Now, the combined production area has increased to more than 20,000 sq m and manufacturing capacity to 80,000 km per year of electron beam cross-linked cables.

Telangana government to spend over Rs 20,000 crore on Hyderabad

The global city dream of Hyderabad is gradually taking shape, with the State government initiating a number of infrastructure development projects for which an investment of Rs.20,000 crore will be made over the next few years.
●    With Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao taking up the mission of transforming Hyderabad into the most liveable city in the country, the next few years will witness massive investments in development of roads, augmentation of infrastructure related to drinking water supply, including new reservoirs, and one lakh houses under the two-bedroom housing scheme. 
●    Some of the projects have already taken off in various locations in the capital.
●    Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development K. T. Rama Rao, who held a detailed review meeting on these works here on Wednesday, has already met bank officials to raise funds for such mega projects.
●    According to officials, with the condition of the city roads coming in for much criticism, investment worth Rs.6,700 crore is being made specifically aimed at augmenting road infrastructure. 
●    The government is spending close to Rs.1,500 crore through the Hyderabad Road Development Corporation, with the laying of 300 kilometres of white top roads already on.

4 PSU banks cut lending rates by up to 0.45%

Four public sector lenders, including Indian Bank and Vijaya Bank, today cut their benchmark lending rates by up to 0.45 per cent.
●    Punjab & Sind Bank reduced the overnight marginal cost of funds based lending rate (MCLR) by 0.45 per cent to 8.15 per cent from 8.60 per cent.
●    It reduced the one-month MCLR by 0.40 per cent to 8.20 per cent, while one-year lending will be cheaper by 0.15 per cent to 8.55 per cent.
●    Chennai-based Indian Bank reduced the MCLR across all segments by 0.15 per cent.
●    Vijaya Bank tweaked interest rates in two segments, including for one-year tenor which will become cheaper by 0.15 per cent to 8.50 per cent.
●    IDBI Bank also reduced MCLR by 5-10 bps across various tenors.
●    With the reduction in benchmark rates, home, car and other loans linked to MCLR would become cheaper.

GST collection tops Rs 94,000 crore

As many as six lakh more businesses have filed returns and paid taxes in last one week, taking maiden revenue collections from GST to about Rs 94,700 crore.
●    Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had last week stated that 38.38 lakh businesses had filed their returns and paid Rs 92,283 crore in taxes for the month of July - the first month of implementation of independent India's biggest tax reform, the GST.
●    A top official said since then the number of returns filed has gone up to 44 lakh and over Rs 2,500 crore more has come in as taxes.
●    The collections so far are from 74 per cent of the total taxpayer base and more people are likely to come in when the final returns are filed in GSTR 1, 2 and 3.
●    Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia at an event here said 11 lakh businesses have not yet completed registration for the Goods and Services Tax.
●    The GST, which unifies more than a dozen central and state levies like excise duty, service tax and VAT, kicked in from July 1 and requires all taxpayers to register on the new tax platform, GST Network.

Delhi Court stops Patanjali soap advertisement

The Delhi and Bombay high courts have ordered Patanjali Ayurved to stop airing its latest television commercial for soaps, which allegedly disparaged some rival brands, including Reckitt Benckiser’s Dettol and Hindustan Unilever’s Pears and Lifebuoy. 
●    The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued an ad interim injunction restraining the Baba Ramdev-owned company from airing the controversial advertisement while hearing a petition filed by Reckitt Benckiser, maker of Dettol soap. 
●    A day earlier, Hindustan Unilever had got an injunction from the Bombay High Court to stop airing the ad. 
●    The Patanjali commercial allegedly took at dig at popular soap brands of HUL and Reckitt Benckiser by showing soaps similar to brands such as Dettol, Pears and Lifebuoy, and referring to them as ‘Dhitol’, ‘Tears’ and ‘Lifejoy’, while urging consumers to shun “chemical-based” soaps used by movie stars.

Current Affairs 6th September 2017: GLOBAL NEWS

UJALA scheme launched in Melaka, Malaysia 

Energy Efficiency Services Limited ( EESL) , under Ministry of Power, Government of India has launched UJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable Lighting for All) Scheme in the State of Melaka, Malaysia today . 
●    The Scheme was launched by Chief Minister of Melaka Datuk Seri Utama Ir. Hj. Idris Bin Hj. Haron. In due course of time, the successful Indian model of UJALA scheme has become a sought-after example for the different nations of the world and will now be implemented in Melaka to extend programme benefits to people of the region.
●    Under this scheme, each household in Melaka will get 10 high quality 9-watt LED bulbs at a cost of only RM 10, which is a special price and is almost half of what in being offered in the market. 
●    The distribution of these LED bulb will take place from 28 numbers of Japerun in the region. 
●    These Japerun are a unique community welfare and engagement centers, which are situated across the Melakan State. 
●    Under the extensive and ever-expanding idea of UJALA, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) plans to distribute about 1 million 9W LED bulbs, which will replace 18W CFLs. 
●    The initiative will have the logistical assistance and facilitation support from Green Growth Asia, which is a not for profit organization. 
●    The price of each bulb will be way lesser than global average price of the LED bulbs, which still swings between 3-5 USD. 
●    Notably, each bulb that is being provided by EESL under the UJALA scheme in Melaka comes with a 3-year free replacement warranty against any technical defects. 
●    These bulbs sent from India will be of leading brands and manufacturers like Osram, Philips along with other companies of repute.
 

Important Current Affairs 5th September 2017

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Current Affairs 5th September 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Task Force to be Set up for Speedy Implementation of Various Projects 

Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari has said that he will soon set up a task force for speedy implementation of various ongoing programme of the Ministry. 
●    Speaking to media persons after taking charge of the new Ministry Shri Gadkari said various other Ministries like Drinking Water and Sanitation, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj and Urban Development have to work together to fulfill the responsibilities entrusted upon us by the Prime Minister. 
●    He said all programmes and projects of the Ministry will be executed within a definite time frame. 
●    Shri Gadkari said he will work for a corruption free and transparent system in the Ministry with the help of everyone. 
●    He said most of the programmes of the Ministry have taken a sound shape and about to take off within no time.
●    Speaking on the occasion Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Sushri Uma Bharti said, “Namami Gange programme ki pahli ahuti maine dali aur iski poorn ahuti Gadkari ji dalenge”.  
●    She expressed the hope that Shri Nitin Gadkari will be able to execute her unfulfilled task with great dedication.

Ministry of DoNER to organise “North East Calling” on 09th-10th September 

The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Government of India is organising an event “North East Calling” under its Destination North East series of this year. 
●    The purpose of the event is to promote the art, culture, heritage, cuisine, handicrafts, business and tourism of North East India. 
●    The event will showcase all activities and products of North-East and it coincides with the 16th Anniversary of Ministry of DoNER.
●    In the run-up of to the event, a variety of contests with North East as the theme are open to the public with attractive prizes. 
●    These contests include Photography and Caption Contest, video contest, Choreography Contest for Colleges on the theme “Connect NE”, Quiz Competition for schools and colleges, Best North-Eastern attire in the crowd, Home Chef Contest. 
●    Winners of these contests will be given awards during the Cultural evening on the closing day of the event.

Shri R K Singh takes over as new Power & New Renewable Energy Minister 

Shri Raj Kumar Singh took over as new Union Minister of State (IC) in Ministries of Power & New & Renewable Energy here today. 
●    Shri Piyush Goyal, New Railways Minister & former Power Minister was present to hand over the charge to Shri Singh .
●    Speaking to media after assuming his office , Shri Singh said that there is lot of dynamism in the both Power & Renewable Energy Ministries which will be continued. 
●    Shri Singh said, that he would meet all standards of performance set by the his predecessor and new Railway Minister Shri Piyush Goyal in the Ministries of Power and Renewable energy . 
●    The Country is now energy surplus and that the vision of the Ministries has been defined by his predecessor , Shri Singh added . 
●    He assured Shri Goyal that the good work started by him will be completed and the Prime Minister's vision will be realised.
●    On the occasion, Shri Goyal said he has inherited the finest team of officers in the Government of India because everybody in the Ministries and PSUs related to it , is charged and emotional.

Rao Inderjit Singh Takes Over As Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers 

Shri Rao Inderjit Singh took over as the Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers here today. 
●    Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Shri Rao Inderjit Singh said that he will strive forward to implement the dream of the Prime Minister.
●    Shri Rao Inderjit Singh was born on 11 Feb 1950. 
●    He now represents Gurgaon (Haryana) Parliamentary constituency in Lok Sabha. Shri Rao Inderjit Singh is also the Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Planning. 
●    He was a Member, Haryana Vidhan Sabha, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Food and Civil Supplies, Govt. of Haryana, Cabinet Minister, Environment & Forests and Medical & Technical Education, Government of Haryana, Member, Standing Committee on Science and Technology; Environment and Forests, He was also elected to 12th, 14th, 15th & 16th Lok Sabha. 
●    He was also Union Minister of State, External Affairs, Defence Production , He was also Chairman, Standing Committee on Information Technology, He was Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Planning; Statistics and Programme Implementation; and Union Minister of State, Ministry of Defence.

Health Ministry launches two new contraceptives 

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched two new contraceptives, an injectable contraceptive MPA under the ‘Antara’ programme and a contraceptive pill, ‘Chhaya’, in the public health system to expand the basket of contraceptive choices to meet the emerging needs of couples. 
●    The contraceptives, which are available for free in Medical Colleges and District Hospitals at present, have so far been launched in 10 states that includes Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Haryana, West Bengal, Odisha, Delhi and Goa. 
●    The contraceptives are safe and highly effective, the ‘Antara’ injectable being effective for three months and the ‘Chayya’ pill for one week, and will help meet the changing needs of couples and help women plan and space their pregnancies. 
●    Training of healthcare practitioners from all the states has been completed as well, with a pool of state and district level doctors and staff nurses being trained to support the roll-out.
●    To help improve the supply and distribution of contraceptives, the Ministry had recently launched a new software, Family Planning Logistics Management Information System (FP-LMIS), designed to provide robust information on the demand and distribution of contraceptives to health facilities and ASHAs.

Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar takes over as the Minister of State (IC) for Labour & Employment 

Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar took over as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour and Employment here today. 
●    Interacting with the media on the occasion, Shri Gangwar said that we will work as per the need of the nation. 
●    We will take along all and consult all stakeholders on policy issues. 
●    He is 7th time Lok Sabha member from Bareilly constituency since 1989 till date (except 2009-14). 
●    Shri Gangwar has vast experience in governance in various ministries like Finance, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Parliamentary Affairs, Science & Technology, Labour & Employment, Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Textiles and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation. 
●    He has been Member of various Parliamentary Committees.
●    Shri Gangwar was born on 1st November 1948 in Bareilly. 
●    He completed his B.Sc from Agra University and LLB Degree from Rohilkhand University. 

Shri Alphons Kannanthanam Assumes Charge of Office of Minister Of State (I/C) for Tourism 

Shri Alphons Kannanthanam assumes charge the office of Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism here today.  
●    He is a retired IAS officer of 1979 batch (Kerala cadre). He was in Time Magazine’s list of 100 Young Global Leaders. 
●    He pioneered the literacy movement in India by making Kottayam the first 100% literate town in India in 1989.
●    He worked in the Indian Administration Service until 2006, when he was elected a Member of the Legislative Assembly, from Kanjirappally in Kottayam District of Kerala. 
●    He came into prominence when he served as the District Collector of Kottayam in 1988. 
●    He drove the literacy movement in the State and helped to make Kottayam town as the first 100% literate town in India in 1989.
●    Shri Alphon’s life is nothing short of a miracle. 
●    Having passed his high school with 42% from a non-electrified village Malayalam medium school, he became one of the toppers of the 1979 batch of the IAS. 
●    For 27 years he was the voice of the helpless citizens running pitched battles against the corrupt system. 
●    He was rated to be one of the most competent officers in the history of the civil service.  

Important Current Affairs 4th September 2017

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Current Affairs 4th September 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi takes over as Union Minister of Minority Affairs 

Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi took over as Union Minister of Minority Affairs here today. 
●    Speaking on the occasion, Shri Naqvi said that “3E”- Education, Employment and Empowerment is our focus during last three year and Ministry of Minority Affairs will ensure socio-economic-educational progress of all the Minorities. 
●    The Minister emphasized that the Government is committed to empowerment of Minorities with dignity.
●    Shri Naqvi said that all the schemes of Minority Affairs have been implemented effectively on ground level. 
●    He said that our commitment is “inclusive growth and atmosphere of trust”.

Shri Sudarshan Bhagat Takes Over As Minister of State for Tribal Affairs 

Shri Sudarshan Bhagat took over as the Minister of State for Tribal Affairs here today. Before this charge he was Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare . 
●    Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that he would strive hard for the enlightenment of Tribal people and to make the dream of the Prime Minister come true.
●    Shri Bhagat was born on 20th Oct 1969. He now represents Lohardaga (Jharkhand) Parliamentary constituency in Lok Sabha. 
●    Shri Bhagat was the member of 15th Lok Sabha (2009-2014). 
●    Shri Bhagat was a member of Jharkhand Legislative Assembly from 2000-2005. 
●    Shri Bhagat was Minister of State for Human Resources (2000-2003) and C.M Secretariat (Independent Charge) (2003-2004) in Government of Jharkhand. 
●    Shri Bhagat served as Cabinet Minister of Welfare (2004-2005) Government of Jharkhand. 
●    Shri Bhagat has also been member of various Parliamentary committees.

Minister of Mines Shri Narendra Singh Tomar Takes Over Charge of Mining Sector 

Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, the Minister of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Mines, assumed charge of his Mines Ministry in the presence of outgoing minister Shri Piyush Goyal, now the Minister of Railways and Coal in New Delhi today. 
●    The Secretary Mines, Shri Arun Kumar and senior officers of the mines ministry welcomed the Minister and discussed the ongoing work in the mining sector for the new minister to take over from hereon from Shri Goyal. 
●    Shri Tomar who was also holding the mines portfolio in his earlier stint as Mines Minister from May 2014 to July 2016 said that there will be no gaps in the working of the ministry and he will continue with better speed the work done by his predecessor.
●    Speaking to the media on the occasion, Shri Tomar said that a lot has been done so far but there is always more scope for doing better and fast work in the mining sector as contribution of the mineral sector towards Growth of the GDP is significant and has to be improved further in collaboration with the States. 
●    He said, with the Amendment in the MMDR Act in 2015, the Auctions of mines so far has led to an additional revenue of over Rs. 1,22,000 Crores accruing to the States during the lifespan of the mines in 50 years. 
●    In addition, the amount collected in the DMF funds in the Districts affected by the mining activities is over Rs. 1000 crores till now, which will be spent in the development of these very districts and the people of these districts. 
●    He said, Mining sector is a priority area for the Modi Government and the use of latest technology will bring further transparency and better monitoring in the mining sector. 
●    He will have a review meeting with the senior officers of the ministry in a couple of days, to get ahead with the roadmap in association with the States for a better speed in the auctioning and sustainable development and working of mines.

Dr. Satya Pal Singh takes charge as the Minister of State for Human Resource Development

Dr. Satya Pal Singh took over as the Minister of State for Human Resource Development in New Delhi today. 
●    He represents Baghpat (Uttar Pradesh) Parliamentary constituency in Lok Sabha.
●    Shri Satya Pal Singh is the member of 16th Lok Sabha (2014-2019). 
●    He is also a Member, Joint Parliamentary Committee on Security of Parliament House Complex; Member, Standing Committee on Home Affairs; Member, Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament and Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water and Sanitation.
●    Shri Singh an IPS officer, 1980 batch has handled various responsible positions very efficiently. 
●    He was Police Commissioner Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur and Additional D.G.P., Law & Order and Establishment, Maharashtra State. 
●    He took VRS from government job and joined the mainstream politics in 2014.

Shri Piyush Goyal takes charge as Minister of Railways 

Shri Piyush Goyal took over as the New Minister of Railways in Rail Bhavan today i.e.04th September, 2017. He is also Minister of Coal. 
●    Prior to this, he was Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Ministries of Power; Coal; New and Renewable Energy & Mines. 
●    Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, Minister of Commerce and Industry & former Minister of Railways was specially present to hand over the charge to Shri Piyush Goyal.
●    On this occasion, Shri Manoj Sinha, Minister of State for Railways & Minister of Communication (I/C) & Shri Rajen Gohain, Minister of State for Railways were specially present to grace the occasion. 
●    Shri Ashwani Lohani, Chairman, Railway Board & other Board Members were also present.
●    Speaking on the occasion, Minister of Railways Shri Piyush Goyal said, “Huge Investments in Railways have been made in past three years which will definitely lead to the Development in Railways. 
●    Indian Railways shall continue on the roadmap of  Development.” He also profusely appreciated the efforts put in by his predecessor, Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu.

First batch of 1000 E-rickshaws ‘SmartE’ flagged off in Gurugram Today 

Shri Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation flagged off a fleet of first batch of 1000 E-rickshaws from Huda City Centre metro station in Gurugram today. 
●    Speaking on this occasion Shri Gadkari said that the E-rickshaw fleet will not only provide cost effective and pollution free substitute in transport system of Gurugram, but will also generate employment opportunities for marginalised youth. 
●    He further said that public transport on electricity is the necessity of the country and his ministry is committed to providing it soon.
●    The E rickshaw fleet is being operated by Treasure Vase Ventures Private Limited in partnership of Delhi Metro, under the SmartE brand name. 
●    SmartE will provide the last mile transport connectivity in the area.
●    The E Rickshaws have been manufactured in India and are fitted with GPS and tracking system. 
●    SmartE has established strategic partnerships with the Haryana government (HSIIDC) and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to launch 1000 vehicles in Gurugram and Faridabad in 2017.  
●    The E-rickshaws SmartE will provide meaningful self-employment for over 1,00,000 marginalised youths, in next 4-5 years.

Ashwini Kumar Choubey takes oath as MoS for Health and Family Welfare

Prominent Brahmin face from Bihar, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, was appointed the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare in Sunday's cabinet reshuffle.
●    According to health ministry officials, he will be entrusted with the responsibilities which his predecessor Faggan Singh Kulaste dealt with during his tenure.
●    Ashwini Kumar Choubey taking oath as MoS for Health and Family Welfare . 
●    Elected to the Bihar Legislative Assembly for five consecutive terms, Choubey, 64, coined the slogan "Ghar-ghar me ho shouchalaya ka nirman, tabhi hoga ladli bitiya ka kanyadaan" and helped in constructing 11,000 toilets for Mahadalit families.
●    Choubey represents Bihar's Buxar in the Lok Sabha and was a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Estimates, Standing Committee on Energy and Consultative Committee on Health and Family Welfare. 
●    He is also a member of Central Silk Board.

Dr Jitendra Singh awards certificates to ministries for meritorious performance in handling Public Grievances on PG Portal 

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports, MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh awarded the Certificates of Appreciation to the Ministries/Departments based on their performance in the Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS), here today.
●    Speaking on the occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh complemented the award winning departments/ministries. 
●    He congratulated the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) for winning the certificate for four consecutive quarters. 
●    He said that other departments should also learn from the mechanism developed by CBDT for grievance disposal. 
●    Due to such mechanisms, the system can be sustained, he added. 
●    He also appreciated other ministries for working in the direction of disposal of grievances. 
●    He said that DARPG has also conducted a study to analyse the grievances received. 
●    The Department has also released the Grievance Study Analysis of 20 Ministries recently. 
●    He said that DARPG is also taking inputs and suggesting new reforms.

Important Current Affairs 3rd September 2017

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Current Affairs 3rd September 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Lucknow Metro to be launched on 5th September

In the first phase, five trains will run between Transport Nagar and Charbagh stations. 
●    The service will be thrown open for the public from September 6.
●    Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will flag off the Lucknow Metro’s inaugural run on September 5, an official spokesman of the state government said on Tuesday. 
●    The Home Minister is the Lok Sabha MP from the state capital. 
●    Amid conflicting reports of the date of inauguration, Principal Secretary (Information) Awanish Kumar Awasthi told IANS that the programme has been fixed for September 5, Teachers Day, and added that some Central Ministers will also grace the occasion.
●    In the first phase, five trains will run between Transport Nagar and Charbagh stations. The service will be thrown open for the public from September 6.
●    Officials of the Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) said the trains will run from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. The safety audit has already been completed.

Cabinet Reshuffle

Nirmala Sitharaman will be the country's new Defence Minister while Piyush Goyal will be the new Railways Minister after a cabinet reshuffle on Sunday that saw nine new ministers take oath. 
●    Ms Sitharaman and Mr Goyal too took oath after being promoted to cabinet rank along with Dharmendra Pradhan and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. 
●    Nirmala Sitharaman is the first woman Defence Minister; Indira Gandhi held the department twice when she was Prime Minister.
●    Ms Sitharaman, 58, will now be part of the top 5 or the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), which also includes the Prime Minister, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Finance Minster Arun Jaitley.  
●    Arun Jaitley sheds Defence and will retain the Finance Ministry. 
●    He will, however, attend an international meeting of Defence Ministers in Japan, for which he left on Sunday night.
●    Apart from Railways, Piyush Goyal retains the ministry of Coal. 
●    Suresh Prabhu, who exits as Rail Minister, will be the new Commerce Minister, the department that was held by Ms Sitharaman. 
●    Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi continues in his departments as a Cabinet minister.

Madhya Pradesh government will make pilgrimage to the elderly every year in the Chief Minister's pilgrimage project

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on Sunday that two lakh elderly people from the state would be taken on pilgrimages annually under a government-run scheme.
●    “Two lakh elderly people would be taken for pilgrimages annually,” Chouhan said at a function organised to mark the fifth anniversary of ‘Mukhyamantri Tirth Darshan Yojana’, a state-sponsored scheme.
●    Chouhan said pilgrimages are aimed at bringing happiness and spiritual bliss in the lives of elderly people.
●    “Sacred places are the essence of faiths and visit to them sanctify mind and soul,” Chouhan added.
●    As per the figures with the state government, nearly 5,03,000 elderly people - belonging to different religions were taken for pilgrimage by special trains in the last five years.
●    Under the ‘Mukhyamantri Tirth Darshan Yojana’, the senior citizens above 60 years of age can visit any of the 15 most famous pilgrimage places on the government expenses once in lifetime.
●    The pilgrimage places include Badrinath, Kedarnath, Puri (Jagannath), Dwaraka, Haridwar, Amaranth, Vaishno Devi, Kashi, Tirupati, Ajmer Shareef, Gaya, Shirdi, Rameshwaram, Amritsar (Sikh) and Sammed Shikhar (Jain) etc.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to take charge of Water Resources ministry

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is all set to take charge of the Water Resources ministry
●    Sacked AAP leader Kapil Mishra had handled the portfolio before his ouster. 
●    It was then given to Rajendra Pal Gautam, a new minister.
●    A letter about the reshuffle will be sent to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal in the next two or three days.
●    The Health, Electricity, and Water departments together constituted the Aam Aadmi Party's major focus during its second stint in power. 
●    Kejriwal and his party feel that while the first two have been performing satisfactorily, they haven't been able to sort out Water Resources as well as they wanted to.
●    Recent deaths of sewage workers have brought the focus back on the sector. 
●    when Kejriwal met voters in Bawana, the only complaint was about water and sewage, sources said.

Current Affairs 3rd September 2017: SPACE SCIENCE

Nasa’s Curiosity rover marks 5 years of Mars exploration

Nasa’s Curiosity rover which found evidence that ancient Mars had the right conditions to support microbial life has marked five years of exploring the red planet.
●    Curiosity, which landed near Mount Sharp five years ago, is examining clues on that mountain about long-ago lakes on Mars.
●    On 5 August 2012, the mission team at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, exalted at radio confirmation and first images from Curiosity after the rover’s touchdown using a new “sky crane” landing method.
●    Transmissions at the speed of light took nearly 14 minutes to travel from Mars to Earth, which that day were about 248 million kilometres apart, Nasa said. 
●    Those first images included a view of Mount Sharp.
●    The mission accomplished its main goal in less than a year, before reaching the mountain. 

Current Affairs 3rd September 2017: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Cooperation needed for peace : Modi at BRICS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said trade and economy are the foundations of the co-operation among BRICS countries.
●    Modi was addressing the plenary session of the BRICS summit in Xiamen. 
●    The PM will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, trade and terror are likely to be on the agenda. 
●    The meeting attains significance as the first exchange between the two leaders after the month-long Doklam standoff.  
●    PM Modi is likely to meet Jinping on the sidelines of the event. 
●    This comes after India and China reportedly withdrew their forces at Doklam following a standoff. 
●    Meanwhile, Jinping yesterday underscored that the BRICS must uphold the value of diplomacy to resolve “hotspot issues” as the leaders of the grouping, including PM Modi, arrived here for the Summit, which has started this morning. 
●    Last year the the BRICS Summit was held in Goa.

North Korea tested hydrogen bomb

North Korea on Sunday claimed to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb designed to be placed on a intercontinental ballistic missile — prompting a barrage of responses from President Donald Trump and for his defense secretary to say they're not looking to the "total annihilation" of the country.
●    In response, South Korea conducted a live-fire exercise targeting the North’s nuclear test site that included surface-to-surface and long-range air-to-ground missiles, a South Korean military official told NBC News.
●    This is the sixth time that North Korea has conducted a nuclear test, and the underground explosion seems likely to ratchet up already high tensions between the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, and President Donald Trump.
 

Important Current Affairs 2nd September 2017

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Current Affairs 2nd September 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Late fee waived for all tax-payers who could not file the GSTR 3B for the month of 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.  
●    Payment of GST is complete only when amount of tax payable is debited from electronic cash / credit ledger.
●    Now late fee for all taxpayers who could not file GSTR 3B for the month of July 2017 has been waived, but not the interest on late payment of Tax liability.
●    GSTR 1 is to be filed by all taxpayers by 5th of September 2017 and GSTR 2 and GSTR 3 to be filed by all taxpayers by 10th and 15th of September 2017 respectively.
●    Taxpayers who have committed errors in GSTR 3B will be able to put the correct details in GSTR 1-2-3. 
●    However, interest will be leviable from all taxpayers who have not discharged their complete Tax liability for July 2017 by 25-08-2017.

Swachhta Pakhwada Celebration at Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology 

Swachhta Pakhwada was observed in the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) from 1st to 15th August, 2017 with great enthusiasm and active participation of the officers/staff members of MeitY and its offices. 
●    Day-wise Action plan was prepared for implementation which consisted of both motivational and physical activities. 
●    Shri P.P. Chaudhary, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology and Law and Justice, administered a pledge to all the officers and staff on 01.08.2017 and delivered an inaugural message highlighting the importance of cleanliness in our day to day functioning and urged all to maintain a clean/green environment to realize the Swachh Bharat vision of our Prime Minister. 
●    As part of Government of India’s initiative for giving a fillip to renewable energy programme, Shri Chaudhary also inaugurated the 200 KW Rooftop Solar Power Plant, recently installed in the Electronics Niketan building of MeitY.

Sanjaya Baru Takes Over As Secretary General Of FICCI

Dr. Sanjaya Baru on Friday took over as the new Secretary General of the apex industry body Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
●    Dr. Baru brings with him rich experience of political and economic analyses, having been Editor of India's major financial newspapers, The Economic Times, Financial Express and Business Standard.
●    Earlier, Dr. Baru was associated as a professor of Economics at University of Hyderabad, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (Delhi) and Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (Singapore).
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He has been Media Advisor to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (2004-08) and Director for Geo-economics and Strategy, International Institute of Strategic Studies, London (2011-16).
●    Also he has been an active member, National Security Advisory Board of India (1999-2001), India-ASEAN Eminent Persons Group (2010) and the Indian National Defence University Committee (2002-2004).

Infosys seeks shareholder nod to appoint Pravin Rao as Managing Director

India’s second-largest software services firm Infosys has sought shareholder approval to the appointment of U.B. Pravin Rao as its Managing Director. 
●    He will continue to hold the position of interim-CEO and MD for a maximum of five years, or until a new CEO and Managing Director(MD) is appointed, Infosys said in its postal ballot.
●    Rao, who is the Chief Operating Officer at Infosys, had been named interim-CEO and MD on August 18, when the then chief Vishal Sikka had resigned against the backdrop of a spate of allegations hurled by co-founder N.R Narayana Murthy.
●    “U.B. Pravin Rao will hold the position of Interim CEO and MD of the company for a term not exceeding five years or until a new CEO and MD is appointed or if his employment as Interim CEO and MD is terminated earlier by either party giving 90 days’ notice to the other party in this regard,” Infosys said.

 Uranium mine gets India's underground dark matter laboratory

An underground dark matter laboratory for conducting experiments in fundamental physics involving rare event searches was today inaugurated in the oldest uranium mine at Jaduguda in Jharkhand.
●    Dr Sekhar Basu, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), inaugurated the facility at a depth of 555 metre in the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) mine at Jadugoda, 30 km from here.
●    Speaking to reporters later at Jadugora mine premises, Basu said, "We knew of an estimated five per cent of the possible 30 per cent matters existing in the universe and this new facility will help us to research about the unknown matters."
●    The laboratory has been set up by the UCIL and Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP), Kolkata by utilizing the available infrastructure and underground facilities of the Jaduguda mine.

Kerala rolls out Rs 300 crore eTender for high tech schools

Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education, formerly IT@School Project of the state general education department, has rolled out an Information and Communication Technology eTender for state schools, at an estimated cost of Rs 300 crore. 
●    The eTender for 60,250 Laptops and 43,750 Multimedia Projectors was published in the state’s eTender portal (etenders.kerala.gov.in ) making it the largest of its kind in the southern state, according to an official release.
●    KITE is the first SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) to get funded from Kerala Infrastructure And Investment Fund Board (KIIFB ) established by the state government to support projects worth Rs 50000 crore in five years. 
●    The eTenders published by KITE is for the ICT equipment to be provided under ‘Hi-Tech School project’, said K Anvar Sadath, Vice Chairman and Executive Director, KITE.
●    As many as 4775 government and government-aided schools, to be covered under this programme, include 2685 high schools, 1701 higher secondary schools and 389 vocational higher secondary schools.
●    With the implementation of the programme, each classroom would be equipped with laptop, multimedia projector, whiteboard and sound system.

Australia keen to support India's smart cities program

A 35-member business delegation from Australia, which is on a visit to India, today said here that it is keen to build long-term partnerships with the state governments and the private sector companies here in various sectors, including infrastructure and water.
●    The delegation, which was in the megapolis, held discussions with the officials of the state urban development department, Chief Secretary Sumit Mallick and private sector firms to explore business opportunities in Smart Cities project of Maharashtra.
●    "We are here to build relationships with the state governments here as well as the private sector companies, which are involved in Smart Cities projects to explore the possibilities of Australian involvement and participation in various such projects," Australian Trade Commissioner Grayson Perry told reporters here today.
●    He said the Australian companies, with their vast experience in sectors like infrastructure, smart cities, infrastructure, water and waste management among others, can assist Indian companies and the government in its various programs.

Gopal Singh is new CMD of Coal India

Gopal Singh, CMD, Central Coalfields Ltd, has been given additional charge as the CMD of Coal India Ltd (CIL) till the time a regular appointment is made for the post.
●    Central Coalfields is one of the subsidiaries of the largest coal producer of the world.
●    Singh succeeds Sutirtha Bhattacharya, who retired on Thursday.
●    In a filing on the stock exchange, Coal India said Sutirtha Bhattacharya, CMD, CIL, on attaining superannuation has relinquished the charge of CMD with effect from 31 August 2017.
●    The filing further said the ministry of coal, in its letter dated 1 September 2017, has entrusted the additional charge of CMD, CIL to Gopal Singh, with immediate effect and until a regular appointment is made. He has taken charge with effect from 1 September 2017, it added.

Important Current Affairs 1st September 2017

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Current Affairs 1st September 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

National Integration Tour Organised by Indian Army for Students from LEH 

As part of the Indian Army’s ongoing outreach programme to foster the spirit of National Integration across the entire swathe of the country, a tour comprising of 20 school students from Biamah in Leh district of J&K is being organised from 25 August to 05 September 17. 
●    The participants interacted with Lt General Sarath Chand, Vice Chief of Army Staff today. 
●    He shared his experiences while serving in these areas with the students and motivated them to work hard and contribute actively in the Nation Building process. 
●    He also exhorted them to join the Indian Armed Forces and serve the cause of the Nation. 
●    The tour was flagged off from Leh on 25th of August and during the course of their tour the participants have already visited various cultural and historical places in Chandigarh and Delhi. 
●    These National Integration Tours are educational and motivational tours for youth of J&K and North Eastern States, with an aim to provide an insight into the rich heritage of the country as well as various developmental and industry initiatives that are underway. 
●    This initiative will expose them to various career options and enable them to interact with renowned personalities.

Shri Rajiv Kumar, IAS(JH:84) assumes office as the New Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance 

Shri Rajiv Kumar, IAS(JH:84) today assumed office as the new Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance. 
●    Shri Rajiv Kumar was Special Secretary and Establishment Officer, Ministry of Personnel Public Grievances & Pension, D/o Personnel & Training in his immediate preceding posting. 
●    Shri Rajiv Kumar has widespread administrative experience in more than 30 years of service during which he held various important assignments including the Administrative postings in his home State of Jharkhand. 
●    Shri Kumar has also worked in the Central Government in various capacities. He was posted as Joint Secretary and then Additional Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance from 19.03.2012 to 12.03.2015. 
●    Later he took over as Establishment Officer & Additional/Special Secretary, Ministry of Personnel Public Grievances & Pension, D/o Personnel & Training from 12.03.2015 till 30.08.2017.

Swacch Vidyalaya Puraskar 2017 

In his Independence Day address to the nation on 15th August, 2014 Hon’ble Prime Minister called upon that all schools in the country should have toilets with separate toilets for girls. 
●    The Department has taken new initiative for furtherance of Swachh Vidyalaya Campaign and instituted Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar in 2016-17 to recognize, inspire and celebrate excellence in water, sanitation and hygiene practices in schools. 
●    Swachhta in schools plays a significant role in determining the health of children, attendance, dropout rate, and learning outcomes. 
●    For the first time, government schools have been ranked on the basis of Swachhta on various criteria viz. Water, Sanitation, Hand washing with soap, Operations and Maintenance, Behaviour Change and Capacity Building.
●    35 States and UTs participated in this Puraskar, at District and State levels, in an online mode. 
●    Thereafter, these were evaluated and awarded at district and state levels. 
●    Out of 643 schools shortlisted by the states, 172 schools have been selected for the National awards for Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar 2016-17.

Smt Sumitra Mahajan Inaugurates Exhibition-cum-Seminar 

Smt Sumitra Mahajan, The Speaker, Loksabha inaugurated Exhibition-cum-Seminar ‘New India – We Resolve to Make’ here today. 
●    Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was present on this occasion. 
●    Shri Rajiv Yadav, Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs was also present on this occasion.
●    Speaking on the occasion, Smt Sumitra Mahajan, The Speaker, Loksabha said that this programme is not just an exhibition, it is like a Sankalp. 
●    India got independence just in 5 years of starting Quit India Movement due to its Sankalp. 
●    Every freedom fighter fought for Independence in a different method. 
●    In Loksabha, all parties have made a Sankalp to make a New India in next 5 years. 
●    She also said that Exhibition is for children who is our future of India to know that our India’s rich traditions and to make a New India in a better way.
●    Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs said that very few people who participated in August Kranti Andolan are alive today. 
●    In this context, it is very important to make our children know about how we have got our Independence. 

Dedicated FASTag lane operationalized at every toll plaza from today 

NHAI achieved the first milestone in Electronic Toll Collection when it operationalised one dedicated FASTag lane at all toll plazas from today. 
●    Now FASTag enabled vehicles can cruise through the dedicated FASTag lane without stopping at toll plazas on National Highways.
●    The FASTag is an RFID tag available both online and offline through banks and Common Service Centres. 
●    Two mobile applications were launched by NHAI on 17th August, 2017,for ease of obtaining FASTags, which have received tremendous response. 
●    Thousands of road users have downloaded the applications and purchased FASTags in less than two weeks. 
●    The penetration of FASTag has increased to 18 % as on 31st August, 2017.
●    The Government of India has mandated that new vehicles being sold with effect from 1st October, 2017 will be affixed with active FASTag. 
●    The “FASTag Partner App” will facilitate more than 6000 dealers in the country to access a single platform and activate the FASTag at the time of delivery of vehicle.

Youth Sports Centre to come up at Alipur, Delhi

Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Vijay Goel has announced that a new Youth Sports Centre to be built at Alipur, Delhi. 
●    Announcing this here today he said there is an aspiration amongst the youth of rural Delhi to have a State of the Art Youth Sports Centre at par with best facilities in the city since no such facility exists in rural Delhi. 
●    He said, the project has been envisioned so that maximum rural youth can avail the facility for their overall development and promotion of sports in rural areas of the capital. 
●    Shri Goel said the proposed Centre will come up on the NYKS land adjacent to Swami Shraddhanand College of Delhi University. 
●    NYKS has a land measuring about 11 acre out of which 8 acre will be utilized for the Sports Centre. 
●    Shri Goel said the complex will have State of the art sports facilities such as football ground, an Athletic track, as well as volley ball, kabaddi and kho-kho facilities besides a multipurpose indoor hall for training players in Boxing & wrestling. 
●    A modern gym will also be developed. SAI will create SAI training centre at this complex in the next three years.

Current Affairs 1st September 2017: SPORTS

World Boxing Championships 2017: Gaurav Bidhuri won bronze

Wild card Gaurav Bidhuri became only the fourth Indian boxer ever to secure himself a medal at the World Championships after defeating Tunisia's Bilel Mhamdi to enter the semifinals of the mega-event.
●    Gaurav prevailed in a split decision in the bantamweight (56kg) quarterfinal contest to make the last-four stage, becoming only the second from the country to do so in his debut world championship. 
●    The only other Indian to have achieved the feat was Vikas Krishan, in the 2011 edition.
●    Besides Vikas, Vijender Singh (2009) and Shiva Thapa (2015) have been the country's other medallists at the marquee event of the sport. 
●    But they have all settled for bronze medals and it remains to be seen if Gaurav can better them on that.
●    But there was slight disappointment as well for the contingent when Amit Phangal (49kg), another impressive Indian debutant in the event, bowed out in the quarterfinal stage.

India women's team rises to 56 in FIFA rankings

Indian women's football team jumped four places to be ranked 56th in the recently-released FIFA rankings. 
●    India are now placed 13th in Asia, sandwiched between Iran and Hong Kong.
●    "Development of women's football is one of our priorities and it's heartening to see the women's team rise in FIFA rankings. 
●    Congratulations," AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said.
●    National coach Maymol Rocky said, "We've seen successes as well as have faced quite a few tough competitions of late. 
●    The rise in FIFA Rankings reflects our hard work which is being put in by the team relentlessly."

Important Current Affairs 31st August 2017

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Current Affairs 31st August 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Smt 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 today.
●    Speaking on the occasion Smt Harsimrat Kaur Badal said that it is a historic & auspicious occasion for Tamil Nadu and Chettikulam Village in particular. 
●    She also congratulated Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT), Thanjavur for their initiatives to help double farmers' income by 2022. 
●    She also said that farmers in Perambalur District are producing 70000 tons of shallots per year in a cultivation area of 8000 hectares, in spite of the increasing difficulty in cultivation due to increase in prices of inputs, unpredictable weather, disease outbreak and not getting adequate prices in the market. 
●    This Central Processing Center for Shallots in Perambalur will ensure that no shallots are getting wasted, increase farmers' income and also ensure availability of shallots to consumers. 
●    This Onion processing technology should be taken to all parts of India.

Shri Rajiv Gauba takes over as Union Home Secretary 

Shri 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.
●    Prior to this, Shri Gauba was Secretary in the Ministry of Urban Development. 
●    He has wide-ranging experience in senior positions in the Central and State Governments and in international organisations. Hailing from Punjab, the 1959 born Shri Gauba is a Physics graduate.
●    He has worked as Chief Secretary, Jharkhand. 
●    Earlier, Shri Gauba served in the Central Government in the Ministries of Home, Defence, Environment and Forests and Department of Electronics and Information Technology.

Ministry of Railways Signs two Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with Swiss Confederation (Switzerland) 

Two MoUs have been signed in the course of the visit of President of the Swiss Confederation, Mrs. Doris Leuthard to India on today i.e.31.8.2017 between Ministry of Railways and Swiss Confederation.
●    The first MoU is between Ministry of Railways and Federal Department of the Environment, Transport and Communications of the Swiss Confederation for technical cooperation in Rail Sector.  
●    This was signed in the presence of Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and President of the Swiss Confederation, Mrs. Doris Leuthard by Shri Ashwani Lohani, Chairman Railway Board and Dr. Andreas Baum, Swiss Ambassador to India.
●    The MoU is a follow up on bilateral cooperation in Rail sector discussed in the meeting held between Minister of Railways Mr. Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu and Swiss Ambassador in July 2016.

Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi gives National Level Awards to Anganwadi Workers 

The Minister of Women & Child Development, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi gave away National Level Awards to anganwadi workers to recognize their exemplary voluntary service in the field of child development and related areas under the ICDS Scheme, at New Delhi today. 
●    The Awards for the year 2016-17 were given to 51 awardees today. These awards are given annually.
●    Speaking on the occasion, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi congratulated the awardees and urged them to keep up their dedication to the cause of child development, community mobilization and awareness generation while delivering the ICDS Services. 
●    The functionaries anganwadi workers and anganwadi helpers play a pivotal role in child development since the responsibility of taking care of small children has been given to these frontline workers across the country under the ICDS, the Minister explained.

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.
●    The Food and Nutrition Board of Ministry of Women & Child Development, through its 43 Community Food and Nutrition Extension Units (CFNEUs) located in 30 States/UTs, will coordinate with concerned Department of the State/UT Governments, National Institutions, NGOs and organize State/UT Level Workshops, Orientation Training of Fields Functionaries, Awareness Generation Camps, Community meetings during the week on the specified theme.

Workshop on implementation of Emergency Action Plan for Dams held 

With the purpose of increasing awareness about dam safety measures in the country and finalisation of Emergency Action Plan (EAP) a stakeholders consultation Workshop was organised by Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department in collaboration with Central Water Commission was held recently at Krishnagiri dam site, district Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu. 
●    Over 150 delegates representing the stakeholders involved with relief and rescue operations and representatives from National Disaster Management Authority, State Disaster Management Authority, India Meteorological Department, State Health, Fire, Police, Revenue and Road Departments and Railways participated in the Workshop.
●    Shri NK Mathur, Member, Central Water Commission presided over the Workshop and highlighted the need for the preparation of EAP for each dam and involvement of all agencies in ensuring effective relief and rescue operations. 
●    The brief backgrounds of few of the national as well as international dam disasters were also discussed, along with step by step process for evolving a sound and bankable EAP document.

GST collection for first month exceeds estimates: FM Arun Jaitley

The goods and services tax (GST), launched on 1 July, has got off to a good start, with collections exceeding the revenue target for the first month.
●    And this is when a third of the tax payers are yet to submit their returns and tender their tax dues. 
●    The government is cautiously optimistic that GST revenues will stay on course for the remaining eight months of 2017-18.
●    Addressing a press conference, finance minister Arun Jaitley disclosed that in July, Rs92,283 crore had been received as GST receipts from 3.9 million tax payers, compared with the target of Rs91,000 crore.
●    Not only does this put to rest fears, at least for the time being, that the transition to GST could lead to revenue losses, it is also a shot in the arm for the Union and state governments which had backed the reform initiative.

Current Affairs 31st August 2017: SPACE SCIENCE

Nasa plans to make oxygen on Mars

Nasa is planning to make oxygen from the atmosphere on Mars when its next robot arrives on the mysterious red planet in 2020.
●    Scientists will send microbial life - possibly algae or bacteria - on the 2020 Rover mission in a bid to create air fit for human consumption.
●    They aim to feed the microorganisms in Martian soil in the hope that they will pump out oxygen as a byproduct.
●    If the experiment is successful it will mark a major step towards making Mars habitable for human colonies in the future.
●    Mars's atmosphere contains just 0.13% oxygen, compared with 21% on Earth.
●    Nasa Acting Chief Administrator Robert Lightfoot told Futurism: "Mars 2020, has an experiment where we are going to try and actually generate oxygen out of the atmosphere on Mars, clearly that’s for human capability down the road."
 

Important Current Affairs 30th August 2017

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Current Affairs 30th August 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Cabinet approves promulgation of the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Ordinance, 2017

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval to the proposal of the Finance Ministry to promulgate an ordinance to suitably amend the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Act, 2017.
●    The approval would allow to increase the maximum rate at which the Compensation Cess can be levied from 15% to 25% on:
●    motor vehicles for transport of not more than thirteen persons, including the driver [falling under sub-headings 870210, 8702 20, 8702 30 or 8702 90]; and
●    motor vehicles falling under headings 8703.
●    The GST Council, in its meeting held in August 2017, taking into consideration the fact that post introduction of GST, the total incidence on motor vehicles [GST+ Compensation Cess] has come down vis-a-vis pre-GST total tax, incidence, and had recommended increase in the maximum rate at which Compensation Cess can be levied on motor vehicles falling under headings 8702 and 8703 from 15% to 25%.

C-DOT celebrates its 34th Foundation Day 

The Minister of Communications Shri Manoj Sinha has called upon C-DOT, Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) to innovate and develop Telecom products at reasonable costs for exporting to SAARC countries and other developing regions of the world. 
●    In a message on the occasion for 34th Foundation Day celebrations of C-DOT, he said that the premier Telecom R&D center of the Government of India, can develop products having far reaching impact in the areas of Agriculture, Education and Health care. 
●    The Minister said that in an era of M2M communications, Internet of Things, 5G, Cognitive learning and hyper speed networks, C-DOT has to play an important role in developing state of the art telecom infrastructure at affordable rate for the common man. 
●    Referring to the launch of C-DOT’s latest innovation, “WiDHWAN”, Shri Sinha said that, it has been exclusively designed to cater to the recurring call drop issues in no-signal and low-signal network scenarios in places such as offices and homes. 
●    He also congratulated C-DOT for regularly organizing lecture series on its foundation day, attracting national and international talents from the fields of IT and Engineering to brainstorm on the future challenges facing the sector.

CPWD goes digital 

The Government’s construction major, Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has undergone a major digital transformation enabling payments worth Rs.20,000 cr per year electronically. This has been done by networking all the 400 field offices of CPWD across the country through a special integrated portal ensuring digital payments from this month. 
●    With this, CPWD has become the first organization of a civil ministry to become digital at the field level.
●    CPWD executes over 25,000 project works across the country involving annual payments of over Rs.20,000 cr every year by it’s 400 field offices including in remote, hilly and North-Eastern parts. 
●    The new digital payment mode covers over six lakh transactions. The Office of Chief Controller of Accounts (CCA) of the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has evolved this special Public Financial Management (PFMS) Portal for CPWD.
●    During a demonstration of this online payment system to Shri Duga Shanker Mishra, Secretary (HUA), Shri Shyam Dubey, CCA explained that it enables real time monitoring of expenditure in respect of each of the 25,000 projects across the country. 
●    Since fund release is linked to progress of works, digital payments also ensures efficient utilization of funds, he said.

STPs to be constructed under Hybrid Annuity Model at Varanasi and Haridwar 

In the first-of-its-kind success, the creation and maintenance of sewage treatment infrastructure under Hybrid Annuity based PPP model has taken off, with NMCG awarding work to private sector for construction and maintenance of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) in two major cities in Ganga river basin - Varanasi and Haridwar. 
●    While the work to construct, operate and maintain a 50 MLD STP in Varanasi has been awarded to a consortium led by Indian infrastructure major - Essel Infra Projects Limited at an estimated cost of Rs 153.16 crore, HNB Engineers Private Ltd. has been awarded the work to develop, operate and maintain the total sewage treatment capacity of 82 MLD (68 MLD in Jagjeetpur + 14 MLD in Sarai) STPs in Haridwar at an estimated cost of Rs 171.53 crore. 
●    The awarded projects would ensure that no untreated sewage waste water goes into river Ganga.
●    Since the inception of Hybrid Annuity-PPP model, many national and international players have shown interest in NMCG projects. 
●    The consultative meetings and conferences with market players attracted large number of participants. 
●    More than 30 firms showed-up for pre-bid meetings of Varanasi and Haridwar projects.
●    The selection of firms was based on lowest bid project cost for developing and operating the treatment infrastructure for a period of 15 years.

CWC signed MoUS with NIT Calicut and NIT Rourkela to support capacity building in Dam Safety Areas 

Central Water Commission (CWC) has signed MoUs with NIT Calicut and NIT Rourkela to support dam rehabilitation efforts of various implementing agencies and CWC.
●    Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has taken on board selected premier academic and research institutes, for capacity building in the areas of dam safety through World Bank assisted Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP).
●    The scope includes strengthening the testing laboratories, enhancing analytical capabilities, exposure visits to best global institutions and on ground exposure to dam safety concerns to the faculty of these institutions. 
●    CWC had signed MoUs with IIT Madras and IISc Bangalore in January 2017 and Ministry is supporting these institutes for the procurement of specified equipment and software for enhancing their testing and modeling capabilities. 
●    DRIP is assisting rehabilitation of 225 dams in seven States which are experiencing different levels of distress. 
●    Owners of these dams require technical support for the investigation of dam conditions and supporting rehabilitation efforts. 
 

Current Affairs 30th August 2017: INTERNATIONAL RELATION

Cabinet approves MoU with Myanmar for the Conservation of Earthquake-Damaged Pagodas at Bagan 

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Myanmar for the conservation of earthquake-damaged pagodas at Bagan, Myanmar.
●    The MoU will be signed during the visit of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to Myanmar during 6-7 September 2017.
●    Implementation of the project will further strengthen India’s enduring ties in culture and religion with Myanmar. 
●    It will also generate immense goodwill for India among the people of Myanmar due to the religious significance as well as the touristic significance of the project. 
●    It will also contribute to India’s development partnership with Myanmar. 
●    Bagan is one of the premier tourist attractions of Myanmar. 
●    It will be an opportunity to showcase India’s expertise in the restoration and conservation of monuments not only to the people of Myanmar but also to the tourists from other countries.

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 Israel will make an contribution of four million US Dollars each for the Fund, both equivalent amount, annually for five years. 
●    The Innovation Fund will be governed by a joint Board which will consist of four members from each country.
●    The MoU envisages promotion of bilateral Industrial R&D and Innovation cooperation in the fields of science and technology by extending support to joint projects for innovative or technology-driven new or improved products, services or processes. 
●    Such projects will lead to affordable technological innovations in focus areas of mutual interest such as water, agriculture, energy and digital technologies. 
●    Institutional support in building up consortia including private industry, enterprises and R&D institutions from India and Israel will be enabled through these collaborative projects.

Cabinet approves MoU between India and Brazil for cooperation in the fields of Zebu Cattle Genomics and Assisted Reproductive Technologies

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was apprised of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and Brazil for cooperation in the fields of Zebu Cattle Genomics and Assisted Reproductive Technologies. The MoU was signed in October, 2016.
●    The MoU will strengthen the existing friendly relations between India and Brazil and promote development of Genomics and Assistant Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) in Cattle through joint activities to be implemented through mutually agreed procedures.
●    An implementation committee shall be created with an equal number of representatives of each party for the purpose of regularly determining the activities and developing work plans and subsequently their evaluation.
●    It will be done through joint projects in the fields of Productivity Improvement of cattle and buffaloes, for the purpose of broadening the existing knowledge base on sustainable dairy development and institutional strengthening.

Important Current Affairs 29th August 2017

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Current Affairs 29th August 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Shri Ashwani Lohani, Chairman, Railway Board pens down a letter for Indian Railwaymen across the country 

The Chairman Railway Board Shri Ashwani Lohani has called upon the railwaymen across the country to always be on guard to ensure the highest level of safety in train operations and instill a renewed sense of confidence in railway passengers. 
●    He emphasized that safety should always remain principle focused area.
●    In a letter sent to all railwaymen, Shri Lohani stressed the need to resolve to bring about an all-round improvement in the working of the railways so that we are able to satisfactorily meet the hopes,  expectations and aspirations of the vast multitude.
●    Referring to the committed workforce of Indian Railways, the Chairman Railway board said that the sincerity, dedication and professional capability of the railway employees, both officers and staff is indeed unparalleled. 
●    It is the men on the field who, regardless of their personal inconveniences and hardships, ensure that the wheels of the Nation keep moving surely and safely.  
●    This is what makes the Indian Railways the most visible symbol of dynamic delivery in our country.

Centre allows States/UTs to take control measures to ensure adequate availability of onion at reasonable prices

As part of its efforts to ensure that the prices of essential commodities are kept under control, Government has taken a decision to enable the States/UTs to impose control measures on traders/dealers of onion to ensure adequate availability of essential commodity at reasonable prices. 
●    On 25.08.2017, Government has notified this decision vide Order SO No. 2785 (E). States may now impose stock limits on onions and undertake various measures like de-hoarding operations, action against speculators and profiteers.
●    This has been necessitated due to the abnormal rise in prices of onions in recent weeks particularly from July end of this year onwards, though the production and supply of onions in the market is better than last year during the same period. 
●    As per all India average retail price, the prices have increased from Rs. 15 per kg to Rs. 28.94 per kg. In the Metros the rise has been even steeper, Rs. 31 per kg in Chennai, Rs. 38 per kg in Delhi, Rs. 40 per kg in Kolkata and Rs. 33 per kg in Mumbai.

Union Minister Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani inaugurates 92nd Foundation Course, LBSNAA

The 92nd Foundation Course at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie was inaugurated today, by Union Minister of Textiles and Information & Broadcasting, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani. 
●    Wishing the young officers all the best in their careers, Smt. Irani exhorted them to inculcate sensitivity to the underprivileged and to look upon themselves as custodian of citizens of India.  
●    She hoped that the Officer Trainees would work enthusiastically to bring development to the most backward parts of the country. She asked them to embrace technology through Digital India initiatives for better service delivery.  
●    The Minister expressed the hope that the best practices of the public sector and private sector are imbibed by the Officer Trainees, resulting in a better India.  
●    Smt. Irani administered the Oath of Allegiance to the Constitution of India, to the Officer Trainees. 
●    After the inaugural function, the Minister also interacted with the trainees over lunch, at the Officers’ Mess at the institute.

Uttar Pradesh gets 41,173 more houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana

Affordable housing in urban areas is gaining momentum in Uttar Pradesh with the State getting 41,173 more houses sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban). 
●    The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has sanctioned 2,17,900 more houses for six States including Uttar Pradesh taking the total houses sanctioned so far to 26,13,568 with a total investment of 1,39,621 cr. Central assistance of 40,597 cr has been approved for construction of these houses.
●    In the latest sanctions, Andhra Pradesh has got 1,20,894 more affordable houses followed by Uttar Pradesh-41,173, Assam-16,700, Gujarat-15,222, Jharkhand-14,017 and  Maharashtra-9,894.
●    Andhra Pradesh is far ahead of others in sanctions under PMAY(Urban) accounting for 20.71% of all the houses sanctioned so far.

Supreme Court judge Justice PC Pant demits office

Supreme Court judge Justice Prafulla Chandra Pant retired after a tenure of little over three years, bringing the vacancies in the apex court to six.
●    Justice Pant, who became a Supreme Court judge on August 13, 2014, was one of the few judges to have been elevated to the apex court from the lower judiciary.
●    With his retirement, the strength of the Supreme Court has come down to 25 judges from 31, including the Chief Justice of India. A Supreme Court judge retires at the age of 65 years.
●    During his tenure in the top court, Justice Pant became a part of various historical and path-breaking judgements.
●    He was a part of the bench which held a midnight hearing upholding the death sentence of Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon.
●    Justice Pant was also part of a bench which had upheld the constitutional validity of the criminal defamation law, saying that the Right to Life under Article 21 includes right to reputation.

PM Modi to attend BRICS summit in China

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Xiamen in China to attend the BRICS summit which will be held from September 3-5, the ministry of external affairs said on Tuesday.
●    The announcement of Modi's visit comes a day after India and China ended their 73-day standoff in Dokalam by withdrawing their troops from the area.
●    "At the invitation of the President of People's Republic of China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Xiamen in China's Fujian province during September 3-5, 2017 to attend the 9th BRICS Summit," MEA said.
●    From China, the Prime Minister will travel to Myanmar for a state visit from September 5 to 7 at the invitation of Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw.
●    It will be Modi's first bilateral state visit to Myanmar.
●    "During the visit, Prime Minister will hold discussions with State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on matters of mutual interest and also call on President U Htin Kyaw. 
●    Apart from his engagements in the capital city of Nay Pyi Taw, he will visit Yangon and Bagan," MEA said.

Important Current Affairs 28th August 2017

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Current Affairs 28th August 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

First Synergy Conference on Defence Pension Organised by Defence Accounts Department

The Defence Accounts Department (DAD) organized its first Synergy Conference on Defence Pensions here, today. 
●    The conference was attended by all Defence Pensioners Associations and was open to all Defence Pensioners. 
●    Welcoming the panel and participants Additional Controller General of Defence Accounts (Addl. CGDA) Shri Prashant Sukul, emphasized the importance of stakeholder consultations by way of Synergy Conferences initiated by DAD. 
●    The objective of the conference was to obtain feedback from the pensioners that would help the department to serve them better with constantly improving systems and procedures. 
●    Digitization of pension data and implementation of a pension sipp were also discussed in detail. 
●    Joint CGDA (Pension) Shri Kanwaldeep Singh, gave a brief presentation on current status on important issues pertaining to pension. 
●    Many issues and suggestions were highlighted by the participants.

Government to hold Pan India Handloom and Handicraft Camps

The Ministry of Textiles proposes to organize Pan India camps in handlooms and handicrafts clusters, under the initiative “Hastkala Sahyog Shivir”. 
●    The camps will be organized during 7th October to 17th October, 2017. 
●    This initiative is dedicated to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Garib Kalyan Varsh, the birth centenary year of Pandit Deendayal Upadhayay.
●    The following services will be provided to the weavers and artisans in these camps:
●    Issuance of credit facilities through MUDRA scheme
●    Assistance for technological upgradation under Hathkargha Samvardhan Sahayata
●    Distribution of modern tool kits and equipments
●    Issuance of Yarn Pass Book
●    It is proposed to organize the camps in more than 200 handloom Block Level Clusters & Weavers’ Service Centres and more than 200 handicraft clusters in collaboration with State Governments.

Vice President Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu Launches Sports Talent Search Portal 

Ministry of Youth Affairs and sports has launched Sports Talent Search Portal to spot the best talent from among the young population of the country. 
●    The portal was launched by the Vice President of India Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu at a function at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi. 
●    Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Vijay Goel, Secretary Sports Shri Injeti Srinivas, Khel Ratna and Arjuna awardees sports persons and thousands of school children were present on the occasion to witness the path breaking initiative in the field of sports.  
●    School children presented a series of cultural performances on the occasion.
●    Speaking on the occasion Shri Venkaiah Naidu said that this kind of initiative will not only help in identifying the best talent, but will also provide a level playing field to all the applicants and create a competitive environment.

NMCG Awards Contracts for Three STPs on Hybrid Annuity Mode 

In a big push to Namami Gange programme, National Mission for Clean Ganga under Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has awarded for the first time contracts for three STPs under hybrid annuity model. 
●    Two STPs of 68 MLD and 14 MLD will be set up at Haridwar and one STP of 15 MLD at Varanasi. 
●    This Hybrid Annuity model is first of its kind in the country’s waste water management sector. 
●    The Central Government will completely fund the STPs construction ensuring that there is no shortage of resources for the project. 
●    The unique financial model will ensure the transparency and accountability of the running of sewage treatment infrastructure. 
●    The contractors will not only establish the sewage treatment plant but they will also operate and maintain it for a period of 15 years. Thereafter it will be handed over to the local bodies. 
●    This will ensure that no wastewater is dumped in the holy river. 
●    The payment of the operations and management of the projects and the worth of the cost will be provided to the agency over a period of 15 years ensuring that the project runs smoothly.

MNRE & GIZ Signs Agreement to Improve Framework Conditions for Grid Integration of Renewable Energies 

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH India on behalf of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany signed an agreement on technical cooperation under the “Indo-German Energy Programme – Green Energy Corridors (IGEN-GEC)” here today . 
●    The main objective of this programme component is to improve the sector framework and conditions for grid integration of renewable energies.
●    In the distinguished presence of  Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines Shri Piyush Goyal and the German Ambassador to India, H.E. Dr. Martin Ney, the agreement was signed by Dr. Wolfgang Hannig, Country Director, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH India and Mr. A.N. Sharan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
●    Dr. Ney added “When in July 2012 Power Grid Corporation of India submitted a comprehensive and well elaborated “Transmission Plan for Envisaged Renewable Capacity” to MNRE it paved the way for India’s ambitious goals to transform its power system by significantly increasing the share of renewable energies in the energy mix. 
●    Also in Germany’s “Energiewende” the evacuation and grid integration of renewable energy plays a pivotal role with major technological and fiscal challenges. 
●    Both the countries have very constructive dialogue under the Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF).
 

Current Affairs 28th August 2017: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Admiral Nizamuddin Ahmed Chief of Naval Staff Bangladesh Navy Visits India 

Admiral Nizamuddin Ahmed, Chief of Naval Staff of the Bangladesh Navy is on an official visit to India from 28 to 30 August 2017. 
●    The visit is aimed at consolidating bilateral naval relations between India and Bangladesh and to explore new avenues for naval cooperation. 
●    The Chief of Naval Staff, Bangladesh Navy will hold bilateral discussions with Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee and Chief of the Naval Staff and other senior officials of the Indian Navy on 28 August 2017. 
●    The Admiral is also scheduled to meet Chief of the Air Staff, and will also call on the Hon’ble Raksha Mantri, NSA and Defence Secretary as part of his official meetings in New Delhi. 
●    In addition to New Delhi, the Admiral is also scheduled to proceed to Visakhapatnam where he will be visiting various naval establishments, including INS Kalinga, INS Karna and INS Satavahana. 
 

Current Affairs 28th August 2017: APPOINTMENT

Dara Khosrowshahi becomes Uber CEO 

Uber’s board has chosen Dara Khosrowshahi, the head of Expedia, to be its new chief executive in a move that could cost the crisis-plagued Silicon Valley company about $160m to replace his unvested stock options.
●    The unanimous vote on Sunday came after months of infighting, leaks and divisions on Uber’s eight-strong board, which has struggled to unite after former chief executive Travis Kalanick was ousted by investors in June.
●    Mr Khosrowshahi has not publicly confirmed whether he will accept the job. But Expedia chairman Barry Diller said in a memo on Monday that he was “likely” to do so. Shares in Expedia dropped 4 per cent on the news.
●    The Expedia chief was one of three finalists for the role, along with Meg Whitman of Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Jeff Immelt of General Electric.
●    The deep divisions at the top of Uber have complicated the chief executive selection process, and dealing with the board will be a major challenge for the incoming CEO.
 

Current Affairs 28th August 2017: SPORTS

Lewis Hamilton won the title of Belgian Grand Prix

This was a weekend to reaffirm Hamilton’s stature as perhaps the finest British sportsman of his generation. 
●    While Andy Murray might reasonably take issue with that claim, the Scot spends his Sundays hitting a tennis ball, not hurling a delicately-tuned machine around the forested majesty of Spa, where a ride through the steepling Rivage generates G-forces more familiar to fighter pilots. 
●    “There are only three sports,” Ernest Hemingway once argued. “Bullfighting, motor racing and mountaineering. All the rest are merely games.”
●    As a personality, Hamilton continues to polarise, both by his esoteric fashion sense – he changed straight from his race overalls on Sunday into off-the-shoulder black dungarees bought on his latest trip to New York – and his mercurial mood swings. 
●    But in this chapter for Formula One, he is without peer. 
●    Just 24 hours after he had equalled Michael Schumacher’s 68 pole positions, he underlined his quicksilver racing instincts by thwarting Vettel despite carrying less pace and inferior tyres, as well as negotiating the controversial intervention of a safety car.