20.07.17 HPPCS Current Affairs

Andhra Pradesh

  • Rare flying snake spotted in capital.

 

  • An Ornate Flying Snake, something that has never been seen in either Telangana or Andhra Pradesh till now, was spotted in Goshamahal. “On July 14, we received a distress call on our helpline from a shopkeeper in Goshamahal reporting a small snake near the entrance of his plywood shop. Responding to the call, our closest member visited the site expecting a Rat Snake or a Spectacled Cobra, which are the common snakes in that region.

 

  • Ornate Flying Snake is one of the three species of Flying Snakes found in India.

 

  • As the name suggests, these snakes are capable of gliding in air by flattening their body, at times, almost twice their normal width. They appear to exhibit this behaviour to avoid predators.

 

  • Hyderabad: Fasting for world peace.

 

  • 1008 Jains from different parts of the country as well as from twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad have embarked on a difficult task of fasting for 8 days under the guidance of Jain Monk Praveen Rishiji Upadhyaya. The fasting started in city and will go on till July 24th. It will conclude with a massive function where all 1008 people including 17 leprosy patients from different religions from Chennai will take part.

 

  • The Fasting commenced without much hungama with 200 Jains going on for it at a Jains meeting .Rest of the 1008 is fasting from their houses located in various cities and towns in India. They all will come to city for the concluding function.

 

  • Out of the total, five hundred are from twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad and rest are from different parts of the country.

INTERNATIONAL

  • Australia joins International Solar Alliance
  • Australia became the 35th country to join the International Solar Alliance, an initiative launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2015 in Paris.
  • It is co-led by India and France.
  • The aim was to support developing countries to boost their solar production capacity.
  • The solar alliance, whose head office is in India, has grown stronger in the past two years with more countries joining the group and signing the agreement.

 

NATIONAL

  • Cabinet approves selling 51% stake in HPCL to ONGC

 

  • The Cabinet has given an in-principle approval to sell the government’s entire 51.11 per cent stake in Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd to Oil and Natural Gas Corp in a bid to create a state-run integrated oil major that can compete with private and foreign players.

 

  • ONGC chairman Dinesh Sarraf said the shareholders of both companies would gain from the deal.

 

  • The combined market value of ONGC and HPCL would be $42 billion.

 

  • Environment Ministry approves Projects in 3 States under NAFCC

  • The Union Environment Ministry approved three projects for climate change adaptation in three states viz. Rajasthan, Gujarat and Sikkim for funding under the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC).

  • Sikkim: The investment aims to address the issue of water security which are directly identified as climate resilience building interventions under the SAPCC.

 

  • Rajasthan: It aims to bolster water security in villages under the Mukhya Mantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan. It aims to enhance the adaptive capacity of villages by making them self-reliant in terms of water requirement.

 

  • Gujarat: The project seeks enhance the adaptive capacity of natural resource dependent communities to climate change in  targeted villages of Kachchh district.

 

  • Google launches job applicant management tool ‘Hire’

 

  • Google officially released a new tool named ‘Hire’ to help small and medium sized businesses recruit talent.

 

  • The service is built on G Suite and will allow employers to track candidates’ contact information, resume details and calendar invites.

 

 

  • It will allow business partners to share feedback within the candidate’s profile.

 

  • UIDAI launches mAadhaar app for Aadhaar data on phone

  • The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has launched ‘mAadhaar’, a new mobile application for syncing Aadhaar data on mobile phones. The app allows users to carry their unique Aadhaar information including name, date of birth, gender, address, and the linked photograph, on their smartphones. The app also allows users to lock or unlock biometrics data.

  • The application allows users to have their Aadhaar profile on their mobile as a quick and convenient identification proof. It also lets users lock/unlock their biometric data that’s linked to Aadhaar via the app to secure their personal data. It also allows viewing and sharing updated Aadhaar profile via QR (Quick Response) code and sharing eKYC (electronic Know Your Customer) details with service providers such as telecommunications companies.

  • TR Zeliang sworn in as 19th Chief Minister of Nagaland

  • Senior Naga People’s Front (NPF) legislator TR Zeliang (65) was sworn in as the 19th chief minister of Nagaland. He was administered oath to office and secrecy by Governor P.B. Acharya. Earlier Governor had dismissed the Shurhozelie Liezietsu government under Clause (I) of Article 164 of the Constitution after he failed to prove majority on the floor of the Assembly.

 

Prior to it, Zeliang had staked claim to form government in Nagaland with a majority support of 47 members in the 60 member Legislative Assembly. TR Zeliang will now have to prove his majority on the floor of the House. This is his second stint as chief minister in a little more than three years.

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