10.11.17 (RPSC) Rajasthan Current Affairs

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RAJASTHAN

  • RU gets UGC ‘university with potential for excellence’ tag

 

  • The University Grants Commission (UGC) has extended the Universities with Potential for Excellence (UPE) tag for University of Rajasthan (RU) till March 2019

 

  • The tag will help the university, facing financial crunch, in getting grants from the commission.

 

  • RU, the state’s oldest and largest university, was selected by the UGC for the UPE scheme in the 12th plan period (2012-15). As of now, there are 15 universities in the country with the UPE tag. They include Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; Jadavpur University, Kolkata; and University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad.

 

  • The UPE scheme was initiated by UGC during its ninth plan period to provide substantial support to selected universities to help bring them at par with the world-class universities. Promoting credit-based modular system, academic programmes relevant to socio-economic needs of nation, and examination reforms were some of the other objectives of the scheme.

 

  • The extension of UPE tag will facilitate the release of Rs 25 crore grant to the university.

INTERNATIONAL

 

·       India Re-elected Member of UNESCO Executive Board

 

  • India re-elected as the member of the UNESCO’sexecutive board, its top decision-making body.
  • The election was held at the 39th sessionof the General Conference of the UNESCO in Paris, France.
  • The General Conference consists of the representatives of the States Members of the organization.

 

Each country has one vote, irrespective of its size or the extent of its contribution to the budget.

 

·       Uber joins forces with NASA to develop flying taxis

 

  • Uber unveiled a partnership with NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) to develop flying taxis priced competitively with standard Uber journeys.
  • The first demonstration flights are expected in 2020 and will move into commercial operations by 2023, with plenty of time for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
  • An Uber Air journey would take three times less time than the same journey by car.

 

NATIONAL 

 

  • Modi, Hasina, Mamata flag-off Kolkata-Khulna train service

 

  • A new passenger train service between Kolkata and Bangladesh’s southwestern industrial city of Khulna was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina and the West Bengal chief minister.

 

  • A fully air-conditioned weekly passenger train service ‘Bandhan Express’ will run every Thursday from both Kolkata and Khulna.

 

  • On the occasion, Modi said the ties of friendship between India and Bangladesh have further strengthened.

 

 

  • ‘Suno RBI Kya Kehta Hai’ campaign against fake offers soon

 

  • The Reserve Bank will soon launch an awareness campaign – Suno RBI Kya Kehta Hai – through SMSes to warn the public against falling prey to unsolicited and fictitious offers from fraudsters.

 

  • The drive comes amid rising instances of fraudsters trying to dupe gullible customers by promising them lucrative financial gains and prize money through e-mails and SMSes, and even through phone calls.

 

  • The cautionary messages will be sent from ‘RBISAY’ sender ID.

 

 

  • Union minister Alphons elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha

 

  • Union Minister of State for Tourism and BJP leader Alphons Kannanthanam was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan.

 

  • The seat fell vacant after M Venkaiah Naidu s election as the country’s vice president on August 5.

 

  • Secretary of the legislative assembly Prithvi Raj said Kannanthanam was elected unopposed as no other nomination was filed for the seat.

 

·       PayPal Launches Domestic Payments in India

 

  • American digital payments company PayPallaunched domestic operations in India.
  • At launch, Indian consumers will be able to make transactions at select online merchants.

 

  • Merchants offering PayPal will be able to process both local and global payments through the platform getting access to PayPal’s more than 200 million customers around the world and in India through a single integration.

 

 

·       IRDA makes linking of Aadhaar with insurance policy mandatory

 

  • Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA)announced that linking of Aadhaar number to insurance policies is now a mandatory requirement under Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules, 2017.
  • This norm of linking Aadhaar number to insurance policies will apply to new customers as well as existing policyholders.
  • Besides, it will apply not only to life insurance policies but also to general insurance policies.
  • Insurance industry experts believe that this norm will be helpful during claims settlement.

 

·       Dubai based Emirates NBD bank begins operations in India

 

  • United Arab Emirates (UAE’s) second largest bank, Emirates NBD started operations in India by opening a branch in Mumbai.
  • Plan to invest USD 100 million capital into its Indian operations over a period of time.
  • The Mumbai branch is Emirates NBD’s fifth international branch outside of its UAE.

    Emirates NBD’s Mumbai branch will offer a range of services to corporate, institutional clients and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

 

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