Today’s Current Affairs 13th – August- 2018 – MyProgressCard

National News

1. Ease of Living Index 2018 released by MoS Housing and Urban Affairs

• Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister for housing and urban affairs released the ‘Ease of Living Index 2018’ in order to assess the livability conditions with respect to global and national benchmarks.
• The survey was carried out in 111 cities in India.
• It has been based on four parameters — governance, social institutions, economic and physical infrastructure.
• Pune has topped the list followed by Navi Mumbai and greater Mumbai.

2. 2 new Space Research Technology Centers to come up in Jammu and Agartala

• The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr.Jitendra Singh announced that Jammu will be the first city in North India to get a full-fledged Space Technology Research Centre.
• It will be devoted to research, academics and post-graduation study and will be under Central University Jammu.
• Another Space Technology Research Centre will be set up in Agartala, Tripura in the Northeast.

3. Justice Manjula Chellur appointed as APTEL Chairperson: Power Ministry

• Justice Manjula Chellur has been newly appointed the Chairperson of Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) by the power ministry.
• Prior to this, she was Chief Justice of Bombay High Court.
• She was the first woman Chief Justice of Kolkata High Court.
• She also served as the Chief Justice of Kerala High Court and was the first female judge of the Karnataka High Court.

4. Chandrayaan-2 Lander to be named ‘Vikram’ after the father of Indian space programme

• ISRO has put forth a proposal to the space commission to name the lander of Chandrayaan-2 Vikram, after Vikram Sarabhai, the father of Indian space programme.
• The space commission has given its nod.

5. Centre unlocks 66000 crore green fund

• The Centre has unlocked more than 66,000 crore rupees to increase the country’s forest-cover.
• The fund is an accumulated amount of money which user agencies have been depositing as compensation for diverting forest land for non-forest purposes.
• As per the rules about 80% of the total money will be used by the states for plantation and other green projects.

6. Nepal-India Literature Festival 2018 begins

• Nepal – India Literature Festival 2018 has begun in Birgunj, Nepal.
• On this occasion, eminent writers from both the countries were also felicitated.
• Around 250 participants from India and Nepal are attending the two day festival.
• The event is being organised by Nepal India Co-operation Forum.

Banking News

7. SBI ranked as India’s most patriotic brand: Survey by UK based YouGov

• The survey conducted by UK-based online market research and data analytics firm YouGov announced SBI to be the most patriotic brand.
• The survey covered 152 brands across 11 categories, is based on data collected online between August 2 and August 8 from 1,193 respondents in the country.
• In terms of sectors, the financial sector topped the chart followed by auto, consumer goods, food and telecom sectors.

Sports News

8. Viraj Madappa becomes youngest Indian golfer to win on Asian tour

• Golf player Viraj Madappa, 20,  has become the youngest Indian to win the Asian Tour
• He won his first title on the Asian Tour at Take Solutions Masters in Bengaluru.
• He scored a total of 16-under 268 at the Asian Tour event.
• Earlier this record was held by Gaganjeet Bhullar, who won the Indonesia Invitational, when he was 21 years and three months old.

9. Rafael Nadal wins fourth Rogers Cup

• Rafael Nadal won his 80th Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour title.
• Nadal beat Stefanos Tsitsipas for his fourth Rogers Cup crown and fifth victory of the year.
• He also won the Rogers Cup in Toronto in 2008 and in Montreal in 2005 and 2013.

Obituaries

10. Communist veteran Somnath Chatterjee passes away

• Former Speaker of the Lok Sabha and 10 time MP, Somnath Chatterjee died following multiple organ failure, in Kolkata.
• Somnath Chatterjee was 89 years old. He was a barrister by profession.
• He was the first and the last communist leader to be elected as Speaker of the Lok Sabha. He held that position from 2004 to 2009.

Expected GK Questions from the above Current Affairs

1. Which city has topped the ‘Ease of Living Index 2018’ released by Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri?

A. Indore                                                                    C. Bhopal
B. Pune                                                                      D. Hyderabad

2. Which will be the first city in North India to get a full-fledged Space Technology Research Centre?

A. Jammu                                                                 C. Lucknow
B. Guwahati                                                              D. Kanpur

3. Who was appointed the Chairperson of Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL)?

A. Justice Apoorva Reddy                                       C. Justice Majid Khan
B. Justice Manish Sharma                                      D. Justice Manjula Chellur

4. The lander on the Chandrayaan-2 mission, which is scheduled to be launched in 2019, will be named as _____?

A. Dhanush                                                                C. Samarth
B. Vikram                                                                   D. Raman

5. Central Government approved more than _____ to increase the country’s forest cover?

A. Rs.10,050 crore                                                    C. Rs.66,000 crore
B. Rs.23,000 crore                                                    D. Rs.45,000 crore

6. Where was the two-day Nepal-India Literature Festival 2018 inaugurated?

A. New Delhi, India                                                 C. Kathmandu, Nepal
B. Birgunj, Nepal                                                    D. Mumbai, India

7. Which entity has been ranked as India’s most patriotic brand, according to a survey conducted by YouGov, a UK-based online market research and data analytics firm?

A. Amul                                                                        C. State Bank of India
B. Tata Motors                                                            D. Reliance Jio

8. Name the Indian golfer who has become the youngest Indian to win on the Asian Tour, as he won his first title on the Asian Tour at Take Solutions Masters in Bengaluru?

A. Gaganjeet Bhullar                                                C. Viraj Madappa
B. Sathya Paul                                                           D. Ahish Kumar

9. Which tennis player won the Toronto Masters title 2018?

A. Dominic Thiem                                                    C. Rafael Nadal
B. Roger Federer                                                      D. Novac Djokovic

10. Somnath Chatterjee died following multiple organ failure, in Kolkata. He was a former ____?

A. Chief Justice of India                                         C. Speaker of the Lok Sabha
B. Governor of Bengal                                             D. Presisent of BCCI