Current affair of 3rd August 2019

1. Madhya Pradesh- second state to unveil antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

Madhya Pradesh, India's second largest state will roll out its action plan on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) containment with emphasis on treatment of hospital effluents and restricting the use of antibiotics in livestock and poultry.

Key highlights:

1. MP-SAPCAR focuses on a ‘One Health’ approach.
2. AMR is considered to be a public health threat according to the World Health Organisation(WHO).  The AMR turns out to be a threat ,when antibiotics are misused in animals humans and aquaculture.
3. The AMR is expected to cause 10million deaths of people by 2050 causing global economic losses if not controlled in a timely bound manner.
4. MP-SAPCAR in partnership with Mongabay-India, pivots on priorities such as reducing the infections through effective Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), optimising the use of antimicrobial agents in health, animals and food and promoting investments for AMR activities, research and innovations for AMR containment.

2. “Tools and Weapons: The Promise and The Peril of the Digital Age” co-authored by Microsoft President Brad Smith & Carol Ann Browne set to launch on Sep 11, 2019

Microsoft President Brad Smith will provide a behind-the-scene look at the multinational technology company and tell some of the biggest stories to hit the tech industry in the past decade in his new book coming out next month.  

Key highlights:

1. The book co-authored by Microsoft President Brad Smith & Carol Ann Browne, a director of communications at Microsoft, titled “Tools and Weapons: The Promise and The Peril of the Digital Age” will be released on September 11, 2019. 
2. It is published by Hachette Publishers. The foreword is written by Bill Gates. The book depicts the biggest stories of Microsoft.
3. These include privacy, cybercrime and cyberwar, social media, the moral conundrums of AI, big tech's relationship to inequality and the challenges for democracy, far and near.

3. Four footballers slapped with life bans for match-fixing in Asian Football Cup tournaments 

Four football players have been banned for life by AFC (Asian Football Confederation, the governing body of association football in Asia and Australia )for match-fixing at the AFC Cup in the year of 2017 and 2018. The four players include Kursanbek Sheratov, Vladimir Verevkin and Iliaz Alimov (all Kyrgyzstan ), Abduaziz Mahkamov(Tajikistan).

Key highlights:

1. Kursanbek Sheratov was found guilty of supporting betting activity & fixing in connection with a match involving his club Dordoi FC(Football Club) at 2017.
2. Iliaz Alimov and Abduaziz Mahkamov were found guilty of fix matches involving their club FC Alay in 2017 and 2018 season of the AFC Cup.
3. Abduaziz Mahkamov was also conspired to fix matches involving FC Alay in 2017 and 2018.
4. Turkmenistan forward Muhadov Suleyman was banned for four years for a doping violation at Asian Cup 2019 held in UAE (United Arab Emirates).
5. Earlier, 6 people including a former referee and members of Indonesia’s national soccer association, were given jail sentences in connection with a 2018 game in the nation’s third-tier league.

4. Ministries of Earth Sciences and Agriculture launched a mobile app called “Meghdoot” to help farmers

The Ministries of Earth Sciences and Agriculture have launched a mobile application that will provide location, and crop and livestock-specific weather-based agro advisories to farmers in local languages. To begin with, the service would be available for 150 districts in different parts of the country. It will be extended to rest of the country in a phased manner over the next one year.

Key highlights:

1. The app will provide forecast relating to temperature, rainfall, humidity, and wind speed and direction, which play critical roles in agricultural operations. It also gives advisories to farmers on how to take care of the crops and livestock. 
2. Information given by the app is in the form of images, maps, and pictures. The app is available on Google Play Store & it also been integrated with WhatsApp and Facebook to help farmers share advisories with them.
3. The app would be available for 150 districts in different parts of the country & It will be extended to other parts of the country in a phased manner.

5. Pashmina testing centre to be set up by BIS in Leh

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Director General Ms. Surina Rajan said that BIS would set up a Pashmina testing centre in Leh, in partnership with the lab of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh.

Key highlights:

1. Director General Ms. Surina Rajan announced that a Testing centre for Pashmina, a famous wool variety in the Jammu and Kashmir region, will be set up by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in partnership with the lab of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, Jammu and Kashmir.
2. Motorbike expedition was flagged by the Hill Council CEC (Chief Executive Counsellor) Gyal P Wangyal, and BIS Director General(DG)surina Rajan under the team “Drive for Pashmina”.
3. The locals will be trained by the BIS with the cooperation of Leh Hill Council to save time and money in marking of the standards.

6. NHB infuses additional Rs 10,000 cr in NBFCs

The National Housing Bank (NHB) infused an additional Rs 10,000 crore in Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) for Housing Finance Companies (HFCs) as additional liquidity for individual housing loans for affordable housing. This is done to ease the flow of funds to the housing sector.

Key highlights:

1. It will be over and above the existing finance schemes of the housing sector regulator NHB.
2. The apex bank of the country, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched a slew of measures for banks to avail additional liquidity of Rs 1.34 lakh crore.
3. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Budget 2019-20 had announced that the Centre would provide one-time six months partial credit guarantee to public sector banks for the first loss of up to 10% to enable them purchase pooled assets of financially sound NBFCs amounting to Rs 1 lakh crore. 
4. It also received a proposal from the Reserve Bank on the draft modalities of the guarantee to operationalise the Budget announcement. The oversight mechanism for the scheme will be executed by the Department of Financial Services.

7. SBI’s Shanghai branch becomes the 1st Indian bank connected to CNAPS 

The State Bank of India's Shanghai branch is now connected to China's National Advance Payment System (CNAPS), becoming the first Indian Bank to operationalise it.

Key highlights:

1. SBI Shanghai allows offering a real-time transfer of local funds within China through the PBOC route.
2. CNAPS: The CNAPS, launched in 2008 allows PBOC, to provide real-time settlement services for all payments cleared in China, as well as in all clearing banks in offshore yuan(basic unit of the renminbi) centers, such as Hong Kong.
3. It is complemented by its international counterpart, the CIPS (China International Payments System / Cross-Border Inter-Bank Payment System), launched in 2015 with the aim of boosting global use of the yuan.
4. The Payment System also be used for cross border Renminbi (RMB) payments which are previously being made through local correspondent banks. This will offer SBI opportunity to do the business of Bankers Acceptance Drafts (BAD).
5. For the implementation of the CNAPS, SBI got approval from PBOC in December 2016 and it is now linked up to the PBOC live system after successful installation of hardware and software system.
6. This will facilitate India China trade relations and investments.

8. Rs.1.5 crore slapped on bank of India by RBI

Penalty of Rs.1.5 crore was fined on Bank of India over “non-compliance with RBI’s (Reserve Bank of India) direction on frauds” in Rotomac group companies.

Key highlights:

1. The penalty amount was ordered to be paid within 14 days of receipt of RBI’s order.
2. Further 7 more banks were imposed penalty for violating norms. They are Allahabad bank (Rs.2 crore), Bank of Maharashtra (Rs.2 crore), Indian Overseas Bank ( RS.1.5 crore), Oriental Bank of Commerce( Rs.1crore), Union Bank of India(Rs.1.4 crore), Bank of Baroda ( Rs.1.5 crore).
3. Corporation bank was fine Rs.1crore for non-compliance with RBI directions on cyber security.

9. India, US cooperate to promote Defence Industry and Startups

Indian and US officials have agreed to pursue a policy environment conducive to collaboration between the defence industry and start-ups in both countries. 

Key highlights:

1. The Indian side was led by Sanjay Mitra, defence secretary and the US was led by John Rood, undersecretary of defence for policy.
2. The top-level meet reviews and guides the progress made in various fields such as defence trade, technology, procurement, industry, R&D(Research & Development) and mil-to-mil engagement in past years.
3. The two sides recognised the benefit of enabling defence agreements & appreciated India’s designation as a Major Defence Partner of the US.
4. They strongly reassured the role of the DPG as an important part of the ministerial 2+2 meeting (between foreign & defence minister of India & U.S.A), helping translate the shared strategic vision of cooperation into reality.

10. Gujarat CM launches a cash incentive scheme called ‘Vhali Dikri Yojna’ for the welfare of the girl child

Gujarat Chief Minister(CM) Vijay Rupani has launched a flagship financial assistance scheme called ‘Vhali Dikri Yojna’ in Rajkot, Gujarat for the welfare of girl child in the state. The scheme launched in order to improve the child sex ratio in the state, which currently stands at 890 girl child per 1000 male child.

Key highlights:

1. The amount will be given by the state government under the ‘Vhali Dikri Yojna to the girl child in the following manner.
2. The State Government has allocated Rs. 133 crore for Vahli Dikri Yojana in its recent Gujarat Budget 2019-20.
3. The Yojana was launched in a function as a part of Seva Setu Mega Camp jointly organized by the district administration and Municipal Corporation.
4. Eligibilty for Gujarat Vahali Dikri Yojana:
5. i) Applicant must be a permanent resident of Gujarat state.
6. ii) The girls must belong to a poor family with an annual income of less than 2 years.
7. iii) In the case of more than 2 female students from a family will be not allowed to attain this benefit.