India wins six elections to UN economic, social council bodies

  • India won six elections to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc) bodies, and five of them were won unanimously.
  • In the Asia-Pacific group, for the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) Committee, India received the highest number of votes (46), followed by Pakistan with 43 and China with 39.
  • India will serve a four-year term on the panel starting January 2019.
  • This is a powerful position because the NGO committee scrutinises the NGOs applying for consultative status with Ecosoc and can recommend or block them.
  • India also made it to the executive boards of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS).

First meeting of National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges under POSHAN Abhiyaan held in New Delhi

  • The first meeting of National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges under POSHAN Abhiyaan was held in New Delhi.
  • The meeting was chaired by Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog.
  • The Council, which has been set up under POSHAN Abhiyaan, is the apex body when it comes to formulating overall policies, and to guiding and monitoring all nutrition-based schemes in the country.
  • The Council’s main responsibilities are to provide policy directions for India’s nutritional challenges, to coordinate and review convergence among ministries and to review programmes for nutrition on a quarterly basis.

HC: No Pavana water for Pune IPL games

  • The Bombay High Court has barred the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) from using Pavana dam water for IPL matches.
  • This comes after the CSK’s IPL matches were shifted from Chennai to the MCA’s International Stadium in Pune.
  • A PIL was filed by NGOs Loksatta Movement and Foundation for Democratic Reforms which claimed that lakhs of litres of water was being misused to maintain cricket pitches when the state was suffering from a severe drought.

Commercial license not needed to drive cabs, autos

  • The government has removed the requirement of a commercial licence for driving taxis, three-wheelers, e-rickshaws and two-wheelers (for food delivery).
  • Drivers can use their private licences to run the same.
  • However, a commercial driving licence will be needed for trucks, buses and other heavy commercial vehicles.
  • This could increase employment opportunities for lakhs of drivers.

HRD Ministry launches study in India programme

  • The Ministry of Human Resources Development has approved a ‘Study in India’ programme to encourage more foreign students to choose India as a destination for higher education.
  • The programme is expected to double India’s market share of global education exports.
  • The Central Government initiative is aimed at improving the global ranking of Indian educational institutes.
  • The programme will not affect the number of seats meant for Indian students in any educational institute.

Chandrayaan-2 launch postponed to October-November 2018

  • The launch of India’s second mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-2, has been pushed back. It is now expected to be launched in October or November this year.
  • The launch was initially scheduled for this month, and it has been postponed for additional tests.
  • The Chandrayaan-1 mission was launched in 2008.
  • Chandrayaan-2 will be ISRO’s first inter-planetary mission to land a rover on the moon.
  • Chandrayaan-2 will be equipped with a land-rover and a probe. The rover will be lowered to the surface of the moon to collect soil, water and other samples for research and analysis.
  • The total cost of the Chandrayaan-2 mission is expected to be about Rs. 800 crore, of which Rs. 200 crore is for launching and Rs. 600 crore is for the satellite.

UIDAI rolls out Updated QR code for offline Aadhaar verification

  • For extra security, the UIDAI has introduced an updated QR code for the Aadhaar card.
  • This QR code will contain non-sensitive details like name, address, photo, and date of birth.
  • The updated QR code can also be used for offline user verification without the 12-digit ID number.
  • This move will safeguard against tempering of documents.

Defence Planning Committee to be set up to formulate military and defence strategy

  • The government will set up a Defence Planning Committee for military and national security.
  • The DPC will define national defence and security policy by undertaking security risk assessment.
  • The role of the DPC is also to guide defence equipment acquisitions.
  • High ranking members of the DPC will include the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC); three service chiefs, the Defence, Expenditure and Foreign secretaries; and the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman of the Chief of the Staff Committee (CISC) who is the member secretary.

ATM cash crunch: SBI report says currency shortfall at Rs 70,000 crore

  • A report by the SBI estimates that India’s currency shortfall may be as high as Rs. 70,000 crore.
  • The currency with the public Rs. 17.5 lakh crore, and an earlier estimate of the requirement was given as Rs. 19.4 lakh crore.
  • According to Soumya Kanti Ghosh, chief economic advisor at SBI, higher demand for banknotes could be because bank notes are changing hands less frequently (slowdown in income velocity).

34 global technology firms sign Cybersecurity Tech Accord

  • The tech firms that signed the agreement included Microsoft, Facebook, HP, Nokia, Oracle, VMware, Dell, Symantec, Bitdefender and F-Secure.
  • The agreement has been created to help prevent them from helping governments to launch cyber attacks on innocent citizens and enterprises.
  • However, the agreement is not binding. This means that the companies have the option whether they want to adhere to only some or all of the principles.