Local jobs up to 75 pc reserved for people in Andhra PPP projects

     24-07-2019 CURRENT AFFAIRS

NATIONAL NEWS

Local jobs up to 75 pc reserved for people in Andhra PPP projects

• Andhra Pradesh has become the first state in the country to offer 75 per cent reservation to locals in private jobs. Andhra Pradesh Assembly passed the Andhra Pradesh Employment of Local Candidates in Industries/Factories Act, 2019, under which privates’ jobs across factories, industrial units, joint ventures, private projects will be reserved for local Andhra people.
• Fulfilling his poll promise, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy said his government, for the first time in the history of the Telugu state, had provided over a lakh permanent jobs to the locals.

FACTS

Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh-Y S Jagmohan Reddy

Governor of Andhra Pradesh- Biswabhusan Haricharan

Income Tax Department to celebrate Aaykar Diwas 2019

• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and all field offices will be observing and celebrating the 159th Income Tax Day i.e. AaykarDiwas on 24th July, 2019.
• It was on 24th July, 1860 that Income Tax was introduced for the first time in India by Sir James Wilson to compensate for the losses incurred by the British regime during the first war of independence against British Rule.
• This is why 24th July is observed as the Income Tax Day.
• The department will also launch a “Kardaata e-SahyogAbhiyaan” which will endeavour to assist and support taxpayers and other stakeholders in enabling them to e-file their returns and discharge other tax related obligations.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

NASA prepares to send “first woman and next man” on Moon in 2024

• As NASA marked the 50th anniversary of the historic first Moon landing, the U.S. space agency is preparing to take its next giant leap with the ambitious Artemis programme that could see the “first woman and the next man” walk on the lunar surface.
• Artemis is named after the twin sister of Apollo who is also the Goddess of the Moon and the hunt.
• The programme to return astronauts to the lunar surface is planned to launch by 2024- Space agency.

IMF lowers India’s growth outlook for FY20 on weaker demand

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) further cut its annual growth forecast for India, as it expects weaker domestic demand to limit an economic recovery.
• The economy is now expected to expand 7% in the year ending 31 March 2020, 0.3 percentage point slower than IMF’s April projection.
• In April, the Fund cut India’s growth outlook by 0.2 percentage point to 7.3%. Economic growth is expected to accelerate to 7.2% in the following year.

FACTS

MD of IMF-David Lipton

Head Quarter-Washington DC, USA.

DEFENCE

Indian Navy commissions fifth Dornier Aircraft Squadron

• The Indian Navy commissioned its new Dornier Aircraft Squadron in Chennai, aimed at better surveillance.
• The new air squadron was scheduled by Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of the Naval Staff at the Naval Air Enclave, Meenambakkam,
• The fifth Dornier squadron will help India track of the growing Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean Region.
• The need was felt to create an operational air base at Chennai to enable better surveillance in the region.

APPOINTMENT

New Governors appointed to 6 Indian States

• President Ram Nath Kovind has transferred 2 Governors and made 4 new appointments across 6 states.

Boris Johnson announced as Britain’s next prime minister

• Boris Johnson has been named the new British prime minister and his tenure, set to begin will have a huge impact across global markets and the geopolitical landscape.
• The former foreign secretary and mayor of London has swept to victory in the Conservative Party leadership contest and will now seek the approval of the queen on Wednesday to form a government.

Ehsan Mani appointed chairperson of powerful ICC committee

• Pakistan Cricket Board's chairman Ehsan Mani has been appointed as the head of the ICC's influential Finance & Commercial Affairs committee.
• The appointment was carried out during the International Cricket Council's annual conference last week.
• The PCB announced that another PCB official, Salman Naseer, who is its general counsel and barrister, has been included on the ICC's Safeguarding panel.
• The PCB said both appointments were made by ICC chairman Shashank Manohar.

Mark Esper confirmed as US defence secretary

• Mark Esper was confirmed as US defence secretary, ending a seven-month period in which, the Pentagon had no permanent chief.
• The Senate confirmed Mr Esper, a military veteran who has been acting defence secretary since June, by a vote of 90-8 as was widely expected.
• The 55-year old former Raytheon executive and secretary of the army takes over as permanent head of the Pentagon from Jim Mattis, who resigned in December due to differences with President Donald Trump over his policies and approach.

Dejan Papic appointed India's table tennis coach

• Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI)has been appointed Canada’s Dejan Papik as the chief coach of India’s table tennis team. Papik accepted the one-year contract which was offered to him by the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
• The Indian team has been playing without a coach since the Asian Games in Jakarta last year. Without a coach, the Indian team suffered a lot of defeats in several important tournaments.
• However, in the recently concluded Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship, India won the gold medal in all the categories.

AWARD

Mohun Bagan Ratna for Keshav Dutt, Prasun Banerjee

• Two-time Olympic gold medal winning hockey playerKeshav Dutt and former Indiafootball captain Prasun Banerjee will get this year’s Mohun Bagan Ratna Award.
• Dutt, 93, who played as a half-back, was part of the National hockey team that won gold medals – in 1948 (London) and 1952 (Helsinki) – after India’s Independence.
• The 64-year-old Banerjee, who is the younger brother of iconic footballer P.K. Banerjee, was a prominent midfielder of his times. He played in three Asian Games in 1974, 1978 and 1982. He was part of an Asian All-Star XI team.
• This is the first time that the club is conferring the award on a sportsperson from other discipline.
• The Best Football Player for the season 2018-19 will be given to Arijit Bagui.
• Mohammed Shami would also be felicitated for his noteworthy performance during the recently concluded ICC World Cup.
• Footballer Ashok Chatterjee will get the Lifetime Achievement Award.
• The awards will be given away on Mohun Bagan Day on July 29.
• The club will give life membership to distinguished personalities such as Chuni Goswami, Dr. Vece Paes, Sourav Ganguly, Prasenjit Chatterjee and Deb Shankar Halder.

OBITUARY

Australian tennis player Peter McNamara passes away

• Australian tennis player and three-time Grand Slam doubles champion PeterMcNamara passed away in Germany.
• McNamara, 64, was suffering from prostate cancer.
• He played in doubles events with Paul McNamee, also from Australia, and they were dubbed as "Super Macs". The duo won the Wimbledon doubles title in 1980 and 1982. They also won the Australian Open title in 1979.

IMPORTANT DAYS

23 July: National Broadcasting Day

• National broadcasting Day is observed every year on 23 July across India. It is on 23 July in 1927, the 1st ever radio broadcast in country went onthe air from Bombay Station under a private company called the Indian Broadcasting Company (IBC). Thereby since 1927 radio has been an important partin people’s life in India.