Supreme Court Allows Live Streaming Of Cases of Constitutional importance

The Supreme Court agreed to live-streaming and video recording of court proceedings, saying “sunlight is the best disinfectant”. The Supreme Court allowed live streaming of cases of Constitutional importance that take place in the Court of the Chief Justice of India.
The bench said that they want to implement the concept of ‘open court’ in a bid to decongest the court. As per the court the public had a “right to know” what happens inside the courtroom. The decision came on the back of a clutch of petitions filed by senior lawyer Indira Jaisingh, law student Snehil Tripathi and NGO Centre For Accountability and Systemic Change. 
Source- The Economic Times

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018- 
  • Current Chief Justice of India (CJI)- Dipak Mishra, Next CJI– Ranjan Gogoi 

Japan Landed Rovers On Asteroid In Historic Mission

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) landed a pair of rovers on an asteroid, marking the world’s first moving, robotic observation of an asteroid surface. The two rovers Hayabusa2 managed to land on the asteroid are expected to take advantage of the low gravity and jump around the surface, reaching heights of up to 15 meters. 
The small compact MINERVA-II1(MIcro Nano Experimental Robot Vehicle for Asteroid, the second generation) rovers separated from the Hayabusa2 spacecraft. The MINERVA-II 1 consists of two rovers, Rover-1A and Rover-1B. The Hayabusa2 probe was launched in December 2014 to explore the surface of the asteroid known as Ryugu. If all goes well, the Hayabusa2 will return to earth with soil and rock samples in 2020, 
Source- The Hindu

UN Declared Nelson Mandela Decade Of Peace 2019-2028

Unanimously adopting a political declaration at the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit, nearly 100 Heads of State and Government, Ministers, Member States and representatives of civil society  committed to redoubling efforts to build a just, peaceful, prosperous, inclusive and fair world, as they paid tribute to the late South African President’s (1994-99) celebrated qualities and service to humanity.
Recognizing the period from 2019 to 2028 as the Nelson Mandela Decade of Peace, the Declaration saluted Mr Mandela for his humility, forgiveness and compassion, acknowledging as well his contribution to the struggle for democracy and the promotion of a culture of peace throughout the world.
Source- UN News
Static/Current Takeaways Important for RRB PO/ Clerk Mains 2018- 
  • Nelson Mandela International Day- July 18
  • UN Headquarters– New York, USA

Finland Topped In ‘Human Capital’ Score, India Ranked 158th

India ranks 158th in the world for its investments in education and health care, according to the first-ever scientific study ranking countries for their levels of human capital. The nation is placed behind Sudan (ranked 157th) and ahead of Namibia (ranked 159th) in the list. 
The study, published in journal The Lancet, says that India is ranked at 158 out of 195 countries, an improvement from its position of 162 in 1990. The U.S. is ranked 27th, while China is at 44th and Pakistan at 164th.
Source- The Hindu
Static/Current Takeaways Important for IBPS PO 2018- 
  • Finland topped the list, followed by Iceland and Denmark.

Finance Ministry Launched Mobile App “Jan Dhan Darshak"

Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance and National Informatics Centre  (NIC) have jointly developed a mobile app called Jan Dhan Darshak as a part of financial inclusion (FI) initiative. This app will act as a guide for the common people in locating a financial service touch point at a given location in the country.

While over 5 lakh FI touch points (Bank branches, ATMs, Post Offices) have been mapped on this App, approx. 1.35 lakh Bank Mitras would be on-boarded by 01.12.2018. Phone number of bank branches are available in the app, with the facility of call button for integrated dialling. 

Source-PIB
Static/Current Takeaways Important for IBPS PO 2018- 
  • The NIC was established in 1976.
  • Present Director General of NIC– Neeta Verma

DAC approves procurement of one thousand engines for T-72 tanks

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved procurement of 1,000 engines for fitment in T-72 tanks of the Army at an approximate cost of over 2,300 crore rupees. According to the Defence Ministry, the engines will enhance mobility, agility and acceleration of T-72 tanks making them more versatile and effective in the battlefield.
Post-transfer of technology, most of these engines will be manufactured by Ordnance Factories Board. The DAC has also approved several amendments to Defence Procurement Procedure 2016, the manual governing the defence procurements.
Source-News on AIR
Static/Current Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018- 
  • DAC was set up in 2001.
  • DAC Chairperson- Union Defence Minister (Current Chairperson– Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman)


Government Recorded More Than Rs. 12,000 crore business on GeM

The National Mission on Government e Marketplace (GeM), was launched by the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Suresh Prabhu, on 5th of September 2018. This was followed by the launch of the Mission in 19 States and Union Territories. GeM has recorded till date more than 8 lakh transactions worth over Rs.12,239 crore.
The Government of India decided to launch a six week long National Mission on GeM from 6th Sept. to 17th Oct 2018 in order to increase awareness, accelerate the use of GeM and to further augment the proven benefits of procurement through GeM for all government departments and organisations.
Source-PIB

Google appoints Keith Enright as its Chief Privacy Officer

Technology giant Google has appointed its privacy lawyer, Keith Enright, as Chief Privacy Officer as the company proposed policies for potential federal regulation of data. In his new role, Enright will be in charge of crafting Google’s strategy on privacy issues. Before Google, Enright worked as the Chief Privacy Officer at Macy’s and was also a senior consultant at IBM.
Source- Bloomberg

Dr. Harsh Vardhan Inaugurated Air Pollution Control Device ”WAYU” in Delhi

Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences and Environment, Forest and Climate change, Dr Harsh Vardhan inaugurated air pollution control device WAYU(Wind Augmentation PurifYing Unit) for traffic junctions at ITO intersection and Mukarba Chowk in Delhi. 
WAYU is developed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) as a part of Technology Development Project being funded by Department of Science and Technology. This device can purify the air in an area of 500 square meters. 54 more such devices will be installed by 15th October in Delhi
Source-PIB
Static/Current Takeaways Important for IBPS PO Exam 2018- 
  • Prime Minister of India is the chairman of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.
  • CSIR-NEERI Director- Dr Raksh Kumar

FDI in Telecom Sector Jumped Five Times In Three Years

FDI in the telecom sector has jumped nearly five times in the last three years – from USD 1.3 Billion in 2015-16 to USD 6.2 Billion in 2017-18. According to Union Minister of Communications Shri Manoj Sinha, the draft National Digital Communications Policy, 2018 aims to attract investment of USD 100 billion or about Rs.6.5 lakh crore in the Digital Communications Sector.
India has also announced plans to launch commercial 5G networks by the year 2020 and this provides a big opportunity for investing in the newer emerging technologies like 5G, AI, IoT, Data analytics etc. Shri Sinha also released a publication titled “Telecom Sector Growth & FDI: A Way Ahead”.
Source-PIB
Static/Current Takeaways Important for IBPS PO Exam 2018-
  • Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chairman– Ram Sewak Sharma
  • TRAI headquarters– New Delhi, Establishment year– 1997