Important National Events- 2018

1. Next Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (2019)

The next (15th) Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held in the holy city of Varanasi. The theme of the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is “Role of Indian Diaspora in building a New India”.

Note:

• Pravasi Bharatiya Divas or NRI Day is observed every year on Jan 9th. The day commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to Mumbai on 9 January 1915 
• In 2006, the concept of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) was launched during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention at Hyderabad 

2. First 'Health and Wellness Centre at Bijapur

• Prime Minister had inaugurated the first 'Health and Wellness Centre' under Ayushman Bharat, in the Aspirational district of Bijapur in Chhattisgarh 

3. Dam Safety Conference-2018

• First International Dam Safety Conference-2018 was held at Kerala 

4. First Apex Conference

• First Apex Conference for the CEOs of Smart Cities’ was held in Bhopal 

5. No Nobel Prize for Literature

• The Swedish Academy decides the Nobel Prize for Literature has said it will not announce an award this year, after it was engulfed in a scandal over sexual assault allegations 

6. GI tag for Gobindobhog rice:

• Gobindobhog rice, a specialty from Burdwan district of West Bengal, has got the geographical indication (GI) status. 

7. Varuna-Naval exercise between India & France:

• The Indian and French navies are conducting the third and last phase of the 2018 Varuna naval exercise, from 1st to 7th of May, in the vicinity of Reunion Island, a French administrative department in the India Ocean 

8. GOBAR Dhan scheme launched in Haryana:

• Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation, has launched the GOBAR (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources) – DHAN scheme at the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) Auditorium, Karnal 

9. Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs:

• The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) has been rechristened as Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs. With the enactment of Finance Act, 2018, CBEC is renamed as Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). 
• This change was necessitated due to the enactment of Goods and Services Tax (GST) which has consolidated multiple indirect taxes into one tax 

10. Rank of India in Defence Spending @ Fifth:

• India entered the club of the world’s five biggest military spenders in 2017 as the government enhanced the operational capability of its armed forces in the face of tensions with China and Pakistan 
• India was in the fifth spot, after the US, China, Saudi Arabia and Russia, and they together accounted for 60% of global military spending, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a report 

11. India’s the first organised census of Indus Dolphins:

• For the conservation of Indus dolphins - one of the world's rarest mammals - the Punjab government along with WWF-India are conducting the first organised census on their population 

12. Vibrant North East 2018

• 4th edition of ‘Vibrant North East 2018’ was held in Guwahati 

13. Gujarat Formation Day:

• Gujarat celebrates its formation Day on May 1st 
• Please note that Gujarat formed on 1 May 1960 

14. International Worker’s Day:

• International Worker’s Day is celebrated on May 1st 
• Theme- Uniting Workers for Social and Economic Advancement 

15. Kunlong- largest amphibious aircraft

• The AVIC AG600, code named Kunlong also known as TA-600, is the largest amphibious aircraft currently flying. 
• It is designed by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). The aircraft made its first flight in Zhuhai, Guangdong on 24 December 2017. 
• The AG600 is one of China's three state-approved "big plane projects". 

16. National Science Day:

• Every year Feb 28th is celebrated as National Science Day. 
• The day is celebrated to mark the discovery of Raman effect by CV Raman on 28th Feb 1928 
• Theme of 2018 National Science Day: Science & Technology for a sustainable future 

17. Inclusive Internet Index:

Inclusive Internet Index is a comprehensive index released by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) commissioned by Facebook.

• India is ranked 47th out of 86 countries when it comes to inclusive Internet and connectivity for all. 
• India ranked 12th out of 23 countries in Asia when it comes to connectivity. 

18. Committee for Commemoration of 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in 2019:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will head a government committee formed to coordinate year-long celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary from October 2, 2019 
• The committee includes the chief ministers of all the states, representatives from across the political spectrum, Gandhians, thinkers, and eminent persons from all walks of life, the ministry 
• The Ministry of Culture will be nodal ministry for celebrations 

19. Zero Discrimination Day:

Every year March 1 is observed as Zero Discrimination Day. The day is celebrated to promote the idea that everyone has a right to live with dignity.

• Theme of 2018 Zero Discrimination Day is What if …” 
• This year’s Zero Discrimination Day campaign invites people to ask themselves “What if …” and to reflect upon their own actions. 

20. Business Summit

• India- South Africa Business Summit was held in Johannesburg 

21. Wings India-2018:

• Wings India-2018 was held in Hyderabad 
• The Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, won the award for Green and Sustainable Airport, while Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai, was named the Best Domestic Airport. 
• Spicejet was awarded the ‘Best Domestic Airline’ at Wings India being organised by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in the city. 
• Vistara Airlines was named the Most Passenger-Friendly Airline and Telangana was adjudged the Best State with Dedicated Outlook for This Sector. 
• The awards instituted by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry were given away in 14 categories to spotlight and motivate the sector to improve its performance. 

22. APSTAR-6C:

• China launched a new communication satellite “APSTAR-6C” at the southwestern Xichang Satellite Launch Center. 
• The satellite was sent into orbit by the Long March-3B carrier rocket. 
• This was the 273rd mission of the Long March rocket series 

23. Mallikarjun Kharge as chairman of PAC:

Mallikarjun Kharge has been re-appointed as the Chairman of the 22-member Public Accounts Committee (PAC)

Note:

• Public Accounts Committee was established in 1921 under the Government of India Act 1919 provisions 
• Public Accounts Committee has 22 members of which 15 are from Lok Sabha while 7 from Rajya Sabha 

24. Ghodazari Wildlife Sanctuary:

• The Maharashtra government has approved Ghodazari in Chandrapur district as a new wildlife sanctuary in the state. The decision was taken at the 13th meeting of the Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis 

25. Key points from Draft new telecom policy:

The policy aims to attract $100 billion investment in the telecom sector and create 40 lakh jobs by 2022

• It aims to Provide Universal broadband coverage at 50Mbps to every citizen. 
• It aims to Provide 1Gbps connectivity to all Gram Panchayats of India by 2020 and 10Gbps by 2022 

26. National Workshop

• National Workshop on Data Requirements for Disaster Risk Reduction was held in New Delhi 

27. Agalega island:

• In Mauritius, India signed an MoU for the “improvement in sea and air transportation facilities” at Agalega island 

28. World Press Freedom Day:

• The World Press Freedom Day was observed across the world on May 3. The day marks the anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration, a statement of press freedom principles put together by African newspaper journalists 
• The theme of 2018 World Press Freedom Day - ‘Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and The Rule of Law’ 

29. World Press Freedom Prize:

• The 2018 Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize awarded to jailed Egyptian photographer Mahmoud Abu Zeid, popularly known as Shawkan 
• The UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, created in 1997, honours a person, organization or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defence and/or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, especially when this has been achieved in the face of danger 

30. FDI Confidence Index:

• Rank of India in FDI confidence Index-11t 
• Overall, India remains among the top investment destinations due to its market size and rapid economic growth. 
• US topped the list, followed by Canada, while Germany dropped to the third place 

31. Mahila e-Haat

• It is launched by Ministry of Women and Child Development 
• It is a unique online platform where participants can display their products 
• It is an initiative for women across the country as a part of ‘Digital India’ and ‘Stand Up India’ initiatives 

32. pan-India expansion Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8th March inaugurated the pan-India expansion of flagship programme--Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao. 
• Giving a fillip to the Government's initiative to save and educate the girl child, the programme expanded from the existing 161 districts to 640 districts all over the country. 

33. Star Khel Mahakumbh

• A sports initiative named 'Star Khel Mahakumbh' was launched at Himachal Pradesh 

34. Group of Ministers:

Two Groups of Ministers Constituted to consider the issues relating to “Incentivizing digital payments in the GST regime” and “Imposition of Cess on Sugar under GST”

• The first GoM shall consider the issues relating to “Incentivizing digital payments in the GST regime”. Sushil Kumar Modi, Deputy Chief Minister, Bihar is convenor 
• The Second GoM shall consider issues relating to “Imposition of Cess on Sugar under GST”. Himanta Biswa Sarma, Finance Minister of Assam is convener 

35. Asia Media Summit

• Asia Media Summit-2018 was held in India 

36. First founding conference of ISA:

• First founding conference of the International Solar Alliance was held in New Delhi 
• India and France have co-chaired the first founding conference of the International Solar Alliance 
• In this meeting, PM Modi listed out ten action points to bring about a worldwide solar revolution 

37. Rooppur atomic plant:

• India, Russia, Bangladesh sign pact for Rooppur atomic plant 
• The Rooppur project is the first initiative under an Indo-Russian deal to undertake atomic energy projects in third countries and it will also be the first time Indian firms will take part in such a project abroad 

38. ‘Mission Buniyaad’ scheme launched by New Delhi government:

• Under the scheme, the government will work towards ensuring that all children of Classes III to IX are able to read, write and do basic maths in the next three months. 
• The mission was launched after the National Achievement Survey (NAS) found that majority of students between Class III and Class V in municipal corporation schools did not perform well in science, mathematics and languages. 

39. J&K govt sets up a council for promotion of Urdu

• The Jammu & Kashmir government today constituted the first ever State Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (SCPUL) in a bid to promote the official language of the state 

40. Maharastra government is planning to introduce hyperloop train between Mumbai and Pune. For this purpose, it signed MOU with Virgin group

• Note that, Gatimaan Express is India's first semi-high speed train that runs between Delhi and Jhansi. It operates at a maximum speed of 160 km/h (99 mph) and is currently the fastest train in India 

41. Shakti stala solar park-World’s largest solar park

• Shakti stala solar park which is located in Pavagada region in Tumkur district is the world’s largest solar park. 
• The park set to generate 100 Gw of solar power by 2020 

42. Launch of ‘SUVIDHA:

• Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs, Ananthkumar announced the launch of ‘Suvidha’, the 100% Oxo-biodegradable Sanitary Napkin, under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP). 
• The affordable sanitary napkin will be available for Rs. 2.50 per padat over 3200 Janaushadhi Kendras across India and would ensure ‘Swachhta, Swasthya and Suvidha’ for the underprivileged Women of India. 
• This step was taken by the Department of Pharmaceuticals 
• SUVIDHA napkins would be physically available at all Janaushadhi Kendras in the country by May 28, 2018 – World Menstrual Hygiene Day 

43. Navika Sagar Parikrama expedition:

• This is the first ever Indian Circumnavigation of the globe by an all-women crew 
• INSV Tarini is the name of Sailing vessel of Navika Sagar Parikrama expedition 
• The expedition started in 2017 from Goa 

44. Assam-India’s state with highest Maternal Mortality rate:

• Assam has the highest number of women dying from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications among all other states in the country 
• Assam is at the bottom of the list with regard to maternal mortality rate (MMR) with a figure of 300 against the national average of 167 

Note:

• Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) is defined as the death of a woman from any cause related or aggravated by pregnancy while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy. It is calculated as the number of maternal deaths per 1 lakh live births during a given period. 
• Current Infant Mortality rate in India-3 
• Infant mortality rate (IMR) is the number of deaths per 1,000 live births of children under one year of age. 

45. Commonwealth Parliamentary Association's conference at Bihar

• In 2018 Commonwealth day is celebrated on March-12th 

56. Bio Asia-Summit-2018

• The 15th edition of BioAsia, the flagship life sciences and pharmaceuticals conference of Telangana, was held in Hyderabad 
• Ireland, the Netherlands and South Africa will be the international partners while Gujarat, Assam and Rajasthan are State partners. 
• Theme- RIGHT TIME, RIGHT NOW 

47. 2018 World Sustainable Development Summit held in New Delhi:

• The World Sustainable Development Summit 2018 (WSDS 2018) is organized by the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in New Delhi.
• The theme of the Summit this year is ‘Partnerships for a Resilient Planet’ 

Note:

• The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is a research institute based in New Delhi. It was formed in 1974 

48. Baal Aadhar:

• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has come up with a coloured Aadhaar card for children aged below five years. The Aadhaar will require a mandatory biometric update when a child becomes five years old 

49. India’s first artificial intelligence centre at Mumbai:

• In a first in the country, the State government will be setting up an institute for artificial intelligence (AI) in Mumbai. 
• Maharashtra has already become the first state to unveil a FinTech Policy 

50. World Wildlife day-March 3rrd

• Every year March 3rd is celebrated as World Wildlife day to mark the signing of CITES-Convention of International Trade in Endangered species. 
• The theme of 2018 World Wildlife day is Big cats: Predators under Threat 

51. Task force set up to study AI application in the military:

• The Department of Defence Production on Friday constituted a task force headed by Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran to study the use of artificial intelligence, which it said has potential to provide military superiority apart from driving technology-driven economic growth 

52. Task Force on Artificial Intelligence for Economic Transformation:

• Commerce and industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman has constituted a task force on artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure “India’s economic transformation”. 
• The task force will be headed by V. Kamakoti, a professor in the department of computer science and engineering at Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. 

53. 21st National Conference on e-Governance: Hyderabad

• The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Government of India, along with the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India in association with Government of Telangana organized the 21stNational Conference on e-Governance on February 26- 27, 2018 in Hyderabad 
• The theme of the Conference this year is, ‘Technology for accelerating Development’ 

54. Jharkhand to set up 'Dada-Dadi' park in every city:

• Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das announced that "Dada-Dadi Park" for senior citizens would be established in every city of the state soon, 

55. First centre for spoken Sanskrit

• The first centre for spoken Sanskrit to come up in Ahmedabad (Gujarat University) 

56. India’s First radio festival was held in New Delhi:

• India's first radio festival was held in Delhi. The festival is being organised by the International of Women in Radio and Television, in collaboration with UNESCO. 
• The radio festival was held to mark World Radio Day 2018, which was on i.e. February 13 

Note:

• Norway has completed its transition to digital radio, becoming the first country in the world to shut down national broadcasts of its FM network 

57. 88th Mahamastakabhisheka:

• 88th Mahamastakabhisheka was held in Shravanabelagola in Karnataka 
• It was inaugurated by 14th president of India 
• It is one of the biggest festivals for the Jain community; it honours Lord Bahubali, a revered Jain icon. 

Note:

• Shravanabelagola is home to the 57 feet high gigantic idol of Lord Gommateshwara Bahubali that stands on the Vindyagiri Hill. It is believed to be the largest monolithic statue in the world. 

58. South Central Railway becomes 1st rail zone with 100% LED lighting at stations:

• South Central Railway (SCR) has become the first railway zone in the country to complete 100 per cent LED lighting at all the stations under its jurisdiction. 
• The SCR has been on the forefront of adopting energy conservation measures. It has attained the status of becoming the first zone in the Indian Railways to complete 100 per cent LED lighting in all the 733 stations under its jurisdiction, 

Note:

• Number of Railway zones in India-17 
• Kolkata Metro is the 17th zone of Indian Railways. 

59. Agricon 2018:

• President of India Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the international conference ‘Agricon 2018’ and ‘Agriexpo 2018’ at Chandrashekhar Azad University of Agriculture & Technology (CSAUT), Kanpur 

60. Indo-Bangla Friendship gate:

• Meghalaya Governor Ganga Prasad Tuesday inaugurated the "Friendship Gate" constructed with an aim to have a Wagah-like beating retreat ceremony for the Indian and Bangladesh border guards.
• The Friendship Gate has been constructed near Integrated Check post, 90 km south of capital Shilling on the border with Bangladesh. 

61. 'Run for New India' Marathon in Surat:

• With a mission to build a New India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the 'Run for New India' marathon in Surat, Gujarat. People across all-ages enthusiastically participated in the marathon. 

62. India became member of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development:

• India became 69th member of EBRD 
• EBRD was established in 1991 
• Headquarters of EBRD is located at London 

63. National Institutional Ranking Framework:

• The India Rankings 2018 were done under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) that considered 3,954 institutes across nine parameters. 
• Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore is India’s best university followed by Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University and Banaras Hindu University 

64. Mopin Festival:

• The Mopin Festival is an agricultural festival celebrated by the Galo tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, India in particular of the Galo group of tribes which resides in East Siang and West Siang districts.