The Daily Brief – 31st August, 2016

By Praveen Dwivedi -
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  • The Union Cabinet has given its approval to create a Project Development Fund (PDF) for catalysing Indian economic presence in the CLMV countries, i.e., Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. The creation of the Project Development Fund will give India an advantageous position in securing regional value chains on a long term basis.
  • The Union Cabinet has apprised a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) and that of the UK (CERT-UK). The MoU intends to promote closer cooperation between India and UK for the exchange of knowledge and experience in detection, resolution and prevention of security-related incidents.
  • Gujarat became the first state in the country to distribute two crore LED bulbs under the Centre’s UJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All) scheme. The state reached the milestone in just 96 days, and over 42 lakh households have already benefited from the scheme. The UJALA scheme was launched as part of the Union Government’s efforts to spread the message of energy efficiency in the country.
  • The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has decided to appoint Olympic silver medallist P. V. Sindhu as its honorary commandant and brand ambassador. The announcement was made by the Director General of the CRPF, Durga Prasad. She will be given honorary Commandant rank in the CRPF which is equivalent to the position of a Superintendent of Police.
  • The Madhukar Gupta Committee on border protection has submitted its report to the Union Ministry Home Affairs. The Committee, headed by former Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta, was constituted to suggest recommendations for strengthening border protection and addressing the issue of gaps and vulnerability in border fencing along the India-Pakistan Border.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the first phase of the SAUNI (Saurastra Narmada Avataran Irrigation) Yojana at Sanodara of Jamnagar district of Gujarat. SAUNI Yojana is multipurpose project that aims to solve the water problems of the parched Saurashtra region of Gujarat.
  • According to the 2015 report released by the National Crime Records Bureau, communal riots decreased in the year 2-14-15, however, big increases were seen in other categories like agrarian riots, sectarian riots, student riots and caste conflicts. Recorded incidents of agrarian riots saw a 327 per cent increase. Further, Bangalore has topped the list for cyber crimes, registering the highest number of cyber crimes under the IT Act.
  • The Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Amar Chitra Katha to publish and distribute a special edition of a comic book focussing on the Swacch Bharat Mission. The book would comprise a series of inspirational stories from the mission, cleanliness rankings of cities, the public figures and ambassadors, and environmental impact.
  • The Goa government has signed an MoU with Google India to promote digital literacy and drive a digital transformation across the State. Google has created a curriculum in consultation with experts, and has also developed and shared modules for integration in the existing curriculum. As part of the programme, it has initiated teacher training and will soon expand to cover 460 schools, teaching over 80,000 students on how to stay safe online.
  • Well-known Marathi litterateur V.G. Kanitkar has passed away. His non-fiction historical books on European history popularised the subject for Marathi audiences.
  • The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has ended its last major association with R.K. Pachauri, who has been facing sexual harassment charges. Former Finance Secretary Ashok Chawla has replaced him as the Chancellor of the university.
  • The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and 14 other State open universities will henceforth be able to conduct regular Ph.D. programmes and award degrees in non-technical courses, under the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) 2016 regulations. The announcement was made by Union HRD Minister, Prakash Javadekar. 
Aishwaryaa Dhanush
  • UN Women announced the appointment of Aishwaryaa Rajinikanth Dhanush as UN Women’s Advocate for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in India. Film director, classical dancer and writer, Aishwaryaa will help raise awareness of UN Women’s core messages of gender equality and women’s empowerment across India.
  • The Taliban have appointed Mullah Ibrahim Sadar as their new military chief.

Today’s Quiz

  1. Which of these countries is not part of the CMLV group?





2. Who has been appointed as UN Women's Advocate for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in India?





3. Which state recently became the first in India to implement the centre's UJALA scheme?





4. Who is currently serving as the Director General of the CRPF?





5. Who has the CRPF appointed as its honorary commandant and brand ambassador?





6. Which city topped the list for cyber crimes according to the 2015 report of the National Crime Records Bureau?





7. The Ministry of Urban Development recently entered into an agreement with which publishing house to produce a comic on the Swacch Bharat Mission?





8. Which state government signed an MoU with Google India to promote digital literacy?





9. Who has replaced R.K. Pachauri as the Chancellor of TERI?





10. Who has been appointed as the Taliban's new military chief?









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