TNPSC Current Affairs Today (English) Date: 17.05.2017

TNPSC Master publishes relevant fact based Current Affairs almost daily basis. In this current affairs helps you and useful for General Awareness part of TNPSC, UPSC, SSC IBPS Banking and other State Public Service Commission examination. This section is updated almost daily events, Innovation, Achievement, Awards and New Appointments etc.

TNPSC Current Affairs Today (English) Date: 17.05.2017: 

• Cabinet approves Maternity Benefit programme roll-out from Jan 1 this year
• India boosts nuclear power generation as cabinet approves 10 atomic plants
• Government also gave its approval for setting up of third Indian Agricultural Research Institute
• Cabinet also approved Biopharma Mission for accelerating discovery research
• India and Australia on cooperation in combating international terrorism and transnational organized crime
• Dattatreya to participate in G20 Labour Ministers' meet at Germany
• Vishakhapatnam adjudged cleanest railway station
• Minister Suresh Prabhu launches Swachh Rail Portal
• IIEST creates India's first smart grid project
• Arunachal mountaineer Anshu Jamsenpa scales Mount Everest for fourth time
• Raneh waterfall near Khajuraho awarded Best Holiday Award

Cabinet approves Maternity Benefit programme roll-out from Jan 1 this year

• Union Cabinet today gave its ex-post facto approval to Pan-India implementation of Maternity Benefit Programme. The programme now has been extended to all districts of the country from 1st of January this year. It is applicable only to the first born baby. 

India boosts nuclear power generation as cabinet approves 10 atomic plants

• Cabinet has approved building of ten units of indigenous Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors for India in a boost to domestic nuclear industry. India has current installed nuclear power capacity of 6780 MW from 22 operational plants. Another 6700 MWs of nuclear power is expected to come onstream by 2021-22 through projects presently under construction.

Government also gave its approval for setting up of third Indian Agricultural Research Institute

• Government also gave its approval for setting up of third Indian Agricultural Research Institute to be set up in Assam. It will be set up on 587 acre of land. IARI Assam will be a post graduate institution. Integrated multi disciplinary research would be undertaken. It will help in holistic and sustainable development of the agriculture sector.

Cabinet also approved Biopharma Mission for accelerating discovery research

• Cabinet also approved Biopharma Mission for accelerating discovery research. Besides, government approved introduction of Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites Remains (Amendment) Bill, 2017 in Parliament. It has also approved a restructuring plan for Hindustan Organic Chemicals Ltd

India and Australia on cooperation in combating international terrorism and transnational organized crime

• Cabinet gave its ex post facto approved Memorandum of Understanding between India and Australia on cooperation in combating international terrorism and transnational organized crime. Mutual cooperation would facilitate the institutional interactions between the two countries. It would also strengthen relationship between India and Australia for building peace and stability in the region. 

Dattatreya to participate in G20 Labour Ministers' meet at Germany

• Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatraya will participate in the two-day G20 Labour and Employment Ministers' Meet to be held in Germany from tomorrow (18.05.2017). He will be leading the Indian delegation to the G20 Ministers' Meet at Bad Neuenahr, Germany, which is the Chair for the G20 Labour and Employment Ministers' for the year 2017.
• A G20 Labour and Employment Ministerial Declaration is likely to be adopted at the end of the meeting, which will be presented to the Summit scheduled on 7th-8th July at Hamburg, Germany. 

Vishakhapatnam adjudged cleanest railway station

• Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh has been adjudged as the cleanest railway station in category A1 followed by Secunderabad in Telangana and Jammu Tawi. This was revealed by Third Party Audit Report on Station Cleanliness released by Railway Ministry in New Delhi today. Beas station in Punjab has been declared as is the Cleanest Station in A Category Stations followed Khammam station in Telangana and Ahmednagar station in Maharashtra. 

Minister Suresh Prabhu launches Swachh Rail Portal

• Union Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu today launched Swachh Rail Portal that will showcase ranking of stations and trains in terms of cleanliness. The portal will also be leveraged to seek passengers' feedback on cleanliness on a continual basis, he said.

IIEST creates India's first smart grid project

• The Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) has successfully created the country's first smart grid project, which will generate power from renewable sources of energy.

Arunachal mountaineer Anshu Jamsenpa scales Mount Everest for fourth time

• Anshu Jamsenpa, a native of Bomdila in Arunachal Pradesh, conquered Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak on Tuesday morning for the fourth time, setting a new record. Managing Director at Dream Himalaya Adventure, Dawa S Lama said that Anshu, along with Furi Sherpa scaled the world’s highest peak successfully. 

Raneh waterfall near Khajuraho awarded Best Holiday Award

• The picturesque Raneh waterfall near Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh has been awarded the Best Holiday Award-2017. The award was given to Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation by the country's well-known Travel and Information Portal Holiday IQ. 

Courtesy: AIR News