- Women & Child
Development Ministry approved projects worth over Rs 2,900 crore under the
Nirbhaya fund for eight major cities to make them safer for women. These cities are Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata,
Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad & Lucknow.
- Union Cabinet approved
the establishment of National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA). NFRA
will act as an independent regulator for the auditing profession which was
one of the key changes brought in by the Companies Act 2013. The Cabinet
also gave nod to the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill - 2018 to deal with
those escaping overseas to avoid getting caught.
- French President Emmanuel
Macron arrived in New Delhi on a four-day visit to India. The visit aims
at strengthening the bilateral economic, political & strategic
dimension of engagement between the two countries. During the visit, India & France
will sign agreements in different fields tomorrow. PM Narendra Modi &
Emmanuel Macron will co-chair the Founding Conference of the International
Solar Alliance.
- India & the Asian
Development Bank (ADB) signed a $120 million loan agreement for completion
of works for double-tracking & electrification of railways tracks
along high-density corridors to improve the operational efficiency of
Indian railways.
- India & the European
Union (EU) have signed an agreement that will enable them to share earth
observation data from each other’s satellites. The pact was inked in
Bengaluru.
- India &
Hong Kong signed a double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) that seeks
to improve transparency in tax matters & help curb tax evasion &
avoidance.
- Ministry of
Communications launched the Cool EMS Service between India & Japan.
Cool EMS service is one-way service from Japan to India which allows
customers in India to import Japanese food items for personal use which is
allowed under Indian regulations.
8.
India received its first LNG cargo from US
under a long-term supply deal when a ship carrying supercooled natural gas
arrived at Dabhol in Maharashtra. GAIL India has contracted 3.5 million tonnes
per annum of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from US energy firm Cheniere Energy's
Sabine Pass liquefaction facility in Louisiana.
- The meeting of Permanent
Indus Commission (PIC) between India & Pakistan held in New Delhi. PIC
is mandated to establish & maintain cooperative arrangements for
implementation of the treaty & to promote cooperation between the two
sides in developing the Indus water systems.
- The first Mega Food Park
in the state of Maharashtra Satara Mega Food Park Pvt. Ltd. at Village
Degaon, District Satara was inaugurated by Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union
Minister of Food Processing Industries. This is the 10th Mega Food Park
being operationalized in the country.
- Karnataka govt.
inaugurated the first phase of a 2,000 megawatts (MW) solar park in the
drought-prone district, Tumkur. The first phase of the Rs. 16,500 crores
park called “Shakti Sthala” will generate 600MW, while the balance 1,400MW
is expected to be commissioned by the end of 2018. The solar project is
the largest in the world, is spread over 13,000 acres & five villages.
It is part of the “Karnataka Solar Policy 2014-2021”.
- Haryana’s first cyber
police station, equipped with a digital forensic laboratory, was
inaugurated in Gurugram. It will have a dedicated team of 35 specially
trained cops, including two inspectors.
- Diu become the first
Union Territory in India to run 100 percent on solar power generated
energy. Diu has managed to generate surplus solar power for its residents,
reducing their electricity costs, in a span of just three years.
- The government of
Telangana launched Women Entrepreneurship Hub (WE-Hub), India's first
stateled incubator for women entrepreneurs. Deepthi Ravula is heading the
incubator as its Chief Executive Officer.
- Telangana IT &
Industries Minister K T Rama Rao inaugurated the biennial event on Civil
Aviation & Aerospace titled 'Wings India 2018' at the Begumpet
Airport.
- Karnataka government
unveiled the State flag (nada dhwaja ) for the state. If approved by the
Centre, Karnataka will be the second State to have a flag after Jammu
& Kashmir. The yellow-white-red flag has the State emblem at the
centre.
- Rajasthan assembly has
passed an amendment bill awarding death penalty for convicts involved in
the rape of girls below 12 years of age. State Home Minister Gulab Chand
Kataria introduced 'The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill, 2018' in
the assembly, which was passed in the House by a voice vote following a
debate. The new amendment added sections 376-AA & 376-DD to the Indian
Penal Code, 1860.
- Lok Sabha has passed
gratuity amendment bill. The
19.
Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2017
aims at increasing the upper ceiling of the gratuity from the present 10 lakh
rupees to 20 lakh rupees for employees in the private sector & in Public
Sector Undertakings at par with Central Government employees.
- The Institute of
Bio-resources & Sustainable Laboratory (IBSD), Imphal, set up a
floating laboratory in northeast India's largest freshwater lake, Loktak
to constantly monitor its water quality & eventually improve it.
- PM Narendra Modi has
launched a number of schemes for the poor in Varanasi & emphasized on
harnessing solar energy for cooking. PM Modi laid the foundation stone of
various development projects worth over Rs. 800 crores in Varanasi.
- Telangana government is
setting up an Rs. 100-crore Apparel Super Hub in Sircilla. It signed a
memorandum of understanding with Kay Ventures to roll out the project.
- PM Narendra Modi laid
the foundation stone of the Navi Mumbai International Airport site in
Panvel, nearly 21 years after it was mooted. The first phase the Rs
16,700-crore project is expected to be completed by 2019. This is the
country’s largest greenfield airport.
- Union Minister for
Chemicals & Fertilizers & Parliamentary Affairs, Mr. Ananthkumar
announced that the Government of India has approved the setting up of a
Plastic Park in Deoghar District, Jharkhand.
- Union Minister of Road
Transport & Highways, Shipping & Water Resources, River Development
& Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari inaugurated Mormugao Port Trust
& Drishti Marine’s ambitious inland ferry services in Goa.
- Punjab government
decided to impose a permanent ban on hookah bars in the state instead of
issuing temporary orders against them every two months.
- Chandigarh has become
the 1st city in North India to install Automatic Speed Gun Cameras with
digital displays for traffic management.
- The North-eastern state
Meghalaya, is home to the longest sandstone cave in the world at 24,583m,
with dinosaur fossils from 66-76 million years ago. The sandstone cave
named Krem Puri was first discovered in 2016. It is 6,000m longer than the
current listed sandstone cave in the world, Cueva El Samán, (18,200m) in
Venezuela.
- A Rs. 5 crores insect museum
with the state-of-the-art amenities was unveiled by Tamil Nadu CM K
Palaniswamy at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. The museum,
established at a 6,691 sqft area, is fully dedicated to insects & is
first of its kind in the country.
- In Rajasthan, Union
Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurated
the first mega food park of the state at Roopangarh village near Ajmer.
