CURRENT AFFAIRS 09/12/2017

CURRENT  AFFAIRS  09/12/2017

1. India Declared Free from Trachoma, an Infection of Eye

i. India has been declared free from infectious Trachoma which is a contagious bacterial infection of the eye. It causes inflamed granulation on the inner surface of the lids.

ii. Health Minister J P Nadda released the National Trachoma Survey Report (2014-17) in New Delhi. The Survey results indicate that active Trachoma is no longer a public health problem in the country.

2. Suresh Prabhu in Argentina to Attend 11th Ministerial Conference of WTO

i. Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu is in Buenos Aires, Argentina to attend the 11th Ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO). 

ii. Trade in Services remains an area of key interest to India and other developing countries.

3. India to Achieve ‘Electricity for all’ by Early 2020s: IEA

i. Half a billion people have gained access to electricity in India since 2000, almost doubling the country’s electrification rate, according to the World Energy Access report released by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

ii. This “remarkable” growth puts India on course to achieving access to electricity for all in the early 2020s, the report added.

4. Giriraj Singh Launches Public Procurement Portal for MSEs - MSME Sambandh

i. A Public Procurement Portal ‘MSME Sambandh’ was launched by Shri Giriraj Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for MSME in New Delhi.

ii. The objective of the portal is to monitor the implementation of the Public Procurement from MSEs by Central Public Sector Enterprises.

5. India's GDP Growth to Rise to 7.5 pc in 2018: Morgan Stanley

The Indian economy is expected to witness cyclical growth recovery, with real GDP growth likely to accelerate from 6.4 percent this year to 7.5 percent in 2018 and further to 7.7 percent in 2019, says a report of Morgan Stanley.

According to global financial services major Morgan Stanley, corporate return expectations and balance sheet fundamentals are improving, and a strengthening financial system should be able to meet investment credit demand.

6. Sarvesh Tiwari Appointed as President Para Sports Foundation

i. On the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, a renowned communication expert, Sarvesh Kumar Tiwari, was appointed as the President of Para-Sports Foundation (PSF), India.

ii. The announcement was made at the National Award for Divyangjan 2017 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Para Sports Foundation is a non-profit organization working towards the social welfare of persons with disabilities. 

7.  Mahesh Sharma Inaugurates ‘Bodhi Parva: BIMSTEC Festival of Buddhist Heritage’

i. Minister of State for Culture (Independent Charge) Dr. Mahesh Sharma has inaugurated the three days ‘Bodhi Parva: BIMSTEC Festival of Buddhist Heritage’ in New Delhi.

ii. India is hosting the the Parva from 8 to 10 December as part of celebrations of 20th anniversary of BIMSTEC.

8. FIFA Lifts Kuwait Football Ban

i. The international football federation, FIFA, has lifted a two-year suspension against Kuwait’s football association that has prevented the country from participating in international tournaments.

ii. FIFA president Gianna Infantino confirmed the move in a video posted on the Instagram account of Kuwait’s minister of trade and industry and acting minister of youth affairs Khaled Al-Roudhan.