CURRENT GK
1.For Gogoi, the card came from the chief :-
(I)Senior Army officers say the Chief of the Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat, himself decided to award Major Leetul Gogoi of 53 Rashtriya Rifles a Commendation Card “for saving lives” by using a Kashmiri man as a human shield against stone throwers.
(II)“The decision to give a commendation can originate either from the lower level or from the top.
(III)The Commanding Officer of a unit recommends an officer or soldier for commendation and the proposal goes up the chain of command to the Army Headquarters,” an officer says.
2.‘India has moved from brain drain to brain gain’ :-
(I)Over 1,000 Indian scientists working abroad have returned to India in the last two-three years, said Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences on Tuesday.
(II)“They feel that India is changing and they can fulfil their ambitions here.
(III)They are finding that opportunities in India are better. From brain drain, we now have a scenario of brain gain,” he said at a media interaction on the NDA government’s three years in power.
3.Manchester Arena blast: ICC to ensure robust safety and security plan for Champions Trophy 2017 :-
(I)In the wake of the recent Manchester terror attacks, The International Cricket Council (ICC) issued a statement saying that it will review the security system in place for the upcoming Champions Trophy and the ICC Women’s World Cup in the UK.
(II)In the statement released the ICC wrote, “We operate on advice from our Tournament Security Directorate — in conjunction with the ECB and relevant authorities — to ensure that we have a robust safety and security plan for both tournaments.”
(III)“We will continue to work with authorities over the coming hours and days and review our security in line with the threat levels,” the ICC stated.
4.White House proposes massive cuts in welfare :-
(I)The White House on Tuesday proposed massive cuts in the country’s welfare programmes, while seeking an increase in national security and defence spending, including a wall along the U.S border with Mexico.
(II)Congress is unlikely to approve the proposals made by the White House in a document titled “A New Foundation for American Greatness,” but they indicate the political priorities of the Donald Trump administration.
5.‘Insurance sector will adjust to GST rate’ :-
(I)Insurance and Regulatory Authority of India (Irdai) chairman T S Vijayan has said that though the newly introduced goods and services tax (GST) has raised the tax rate for the insurance sector to 18 per cent, the sector will adjust to it.
(II)The Irdai chairman said that the general insurance sector witnessed a growth of 32 per cent, while the life insurance segment saw a 26 per cent growth in FY17. He expressed confidence that the sector will continue to grow at the same pace even in FY18, trying to allay the apprehension of insurance companies.
6.India seeks consular access to ‘Indian’ man held in Islamabad :-
(I)India has sought from Pakistan consular access to a person, reportedly an Indian, who has been arrested here for not possessing travel and visa documents.
(II)Sheikh Nabi Ahmed, hailing from Jogeshwari East in Mumbai, was taken into custody on May 19 after he failed to produce any travel or visa documents, according to media reports.
(III)The Indian national was walking on a road when he was stopped at a check post here.
(IV)Police demanded to check his visa documents after he told them that he was an Indian.
7.SBI to issue one million e-toll tags in 2017-18 :-
(I)State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest lender, plans to issue one million electronic tolling tags or FASTag by March 2018, enabling motorists cashless drive-through at toll plazas on national highways.
(II)Electronic tolling tags enable automatic deduction of toll charges and lets one pass through the toll plaza without stopping for cash transaction.The National Highways Authority of India had rolled out cashless payment mechanism on toll plazas on national highways in April 2016.
8.Tata Motors Q4 net down 17%, Co sees 12% cut in managerial staff :-
(I)Tata Motors Ltd for the fourth quarter ended March 31, 2017 has reported lower consolidated net profit of ₹4336 crore as compared to ₹5211 crore in the same period last year, down 17%.
(II)Total income in the quarter came down to ₹78981 crore against ₹81080 crore in the same period last year.
(III)The for the financial year ended March 31, 2017 the company reported net profit of ₹7557 crore as compared to ₹11678 crore in the previous year, down 35%.
9.Chief Minister Palaniswami to meet Prime Minister today; expect fresh impetus to merger talks :-
(I)Just days after his bete noire, rebel leader O Panneerselvam, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister and de facto le¬¬ader of the ruling AIADMK faction, ‘Edappa¬di’ K Palaniswami left for Delhi to meet the PM on Wed¬n¬esday.
10.Mohinder keen to mentor Indian women’s team :-
(I)Mohinder Amarnath has literally been lost to Indian cricket after his stint as a National selector (2011-12) ended pre-maturely — one year to be precise.
(II)He was removed following instructions by a high-placed Board official because Amarnath raised valid arguments on some selections during the meetings.
