Current Affairs Updates - 30 January 2018

Current Affairs Updates - 30 January 2018

We, the Achieversrule team brings to you all the sorted news which are likely to be asked in the upcoming exams of Bank, SSC and Railway. Today's Current Affairs Updates is very important and have been selected from all the news. Aspirants please go through the Oneliners and the Notedown Points along with CA Quizes.

First in India & World

Marking the 69th Republic Day celebrations, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) have launched the first ever 'Khadi Haat' in the country.

• The Khadi Haat was inaugurated on January 25 by Union Minister of State Giriraj Singh in Connaught Place here in presence of New Delhi Lok Sabha MP Meenakshi Lekhi, KVIC Chairman V K Saxena, NDMC Chairman Naresh Kumar and noted fashion designer Ritu Beri among others.

Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries Babul Supriyo and Minister for Industry of Madhya Pradesh Rajendra Shukla inaugurated the Asia’s biggest auto testing track in Pithampur of Dhar district .

• Union Minister of State Supriyo further mentioned that the State Government has provided 4,000 acre land to NATRiP and the National Auto Testing Track has been developed on 3,000 acre land.   Automobile units can be established by the industrialists on the remaining one thousand acre land.

Banking, Economic & Financial Affairs

Rating agency Crisil revised upwards the outlook on 18 state-run banks to ‘stable’ from ‘negative’ and also reaffirmed their ratings following the Rs 88,139-crore capital infusion by government. 

• The agency said the move will strengthen the balance sheets of these banks apart from improving their core capital. It also expects an improvement in the overall performance of these lenders with the uptick in credit demand.

Rankings & Indexes

According to the survey by GoBankingRates, India is ranked second only to South Africa as the cheapest country to live or retire among 112 countries.

• The survey by GoBankingRates ranked nations on the bases of four key affordability metrics provided by online pricing database Numbeo. The metrics are: Local purchasing power index, rent index, Groceries index, and Consumer price index.

According to recent report published by World Steel Association (WSA), India has overtaken US to become the world’s third largest steel producer in 2017.

• India’s crude steel production has grown by 6.2% to 101.4 million tonnes (MT) in 2017 compared to 95.5 MT in the previous year. 

National Affairs

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has allocated around Rs 3400 crore for the upgradation of airports in the North East region.

• The AAI has allocated Rs 1720 crore for Assam, Rs 525 crore for Tripura, Rs 800 crore for Manipur, Rs 42 crore for Nagaland, Rs 211 crore for Arunachal Pradesh and Rs 60 crore for Mizoram, Mahapatra told reporters here. 

Defence & Railway News

For the first time, armies of India and Vietnam began a six day-long military exercise 'VINBAX' in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, reflecting growing defence ties between the two countries. 

• It is the first military exercise between the two countries, a senior army official said here. The exercise, christened 'VINBAX' will continue for six days. 
• India and Vietnam have been exploring ways to strengthen defence cooperation. 

Schemes / Programme

Himachal Pradesh Government has launched Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) project to promote organic farming.

• The project aims to increase agriculture produce and the income of farmers by the year 2022. 

Summit /Conference / Events

A three-day international bird festival will be held at the Dudhwa National Park, Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh in February 2018.

• The purpose of the international bird festival is to promote eco-tourism in Dudhwa and to give it a distinct international identity besides highlighting its traditional Tharu arts, culture, and heritage.

Journalists and social activists celebrated 238th anniversary of India’s first newspaper the Hicky’s Bengal Gazette. 

• 29 January is also celebrated Hicky’s Day to pay tributes to the fighter-journalist James Augustus Hicky who is considered as founder of journalism in India. 

Awards & Honours: Miscellaneous

Asha Bhosle To Get Yash Chopra Memorial Award

• She will be the fifth winner of the award. Previous recipients are Asha Bhosale's elder sister and Bollywood playback singer Lata Mangeshkar, and actors Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, and Shah Rukh Khan.

The Indian Parliamentary Group (IPG) announced that BJD MP Bhartruhari Mahatab will be conferred the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award for 2017.

• TMC’s Lok Sabha MP Dinesh Trivedi would get the award for 2016 and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad would get it for 2015, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said in a statement.