1) Himachal launches mobile app 'Mera Hunar HP' for job-seeker
•Virbhadra Singh led Himachal Pradesh government has launched mobile app and website titled ‘MeraHunar HP’ or ‘My Talent’ to help skilled and semi-skilled workers find jobs.
•The mobile app will connect prospective employers with job aspirants as the latter’s resume will contain addresses and contact numbers.
•This initiative will foster the skill development scheme and be of great help to pass-outs of industrial training institutes also make available real time employment data of the state.
2) Paddleboarder makes world-first Atlantic crossing
•A South African man Chris Bertish has become the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean on a stand-up paddleboard after completing an epic 4,050-mile voyage alone at sea.
•Chris Bertish pulled into Antigua, in the Leeward islands of the Caribbean after departing from Agadir, Morocco, 93 days ago. Bertish, 42, a big-wave surfer as well as a sailor, who won the renowned Mavericks surf contest in northern California in 2010, had contended with sharks, storms and loneliness on the adventure.
•His journey was accomplished on a custom-built 20ft-long board, built for $120,000 (£99,000). The board was designed by a British boat designer and naval architect, Phil Morrison, and took six months to construct.
3) RBI Restricts Cash Loan Against Gold by NBFC to Rs 25,000
•Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs) cannot lend more than Rs 25,000 in cash against gold according to RBI.
•The earlier provision for NBFC was that high-value loans against the gold of Rs 1 lakh and above must only be disbursed by cheque.
•RBI reduced the amount to Rs 25,000 from the earlier Rs 1 lakh in line with the provisions of the Income Tax Act. The decision was taken in the backdrop of government’s focus on less cash economy and promoting digital payments.
4) Government releases draft rules for wallet companies
•In a bid to make transactions through e-wallets safer and strengthen the grievance redressal mechanism for consumers, a government has released a set of guidelines for wallet firms.
•The draft Information Technology (Security of Prepaid Payment Instruments) Rules 2017 which have been released for public consultation by the ministry of electronics and IT cover an entire spectrum such as protecting consumer information, especially financial data.
•The Rules mandate that each Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI) company or wallet firm will have a privacy policy posted on its website. It will also have to appoint a chief grievance officer, the contact details of whom will have to be prominently displayed on the website.
•The grievance officer will have to "act upon" any complaint within 36 hours and "close" it in a month's time.
5) India test-fires Brahmos missile
•India successfully test-fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, which is capable of carrying a warhead of 300 kg, from a test range along the Odisha coast.
•The cruise missile was test-fired from a mobile launcher from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
•The two-stage missile, one being solid and the second one ramjet liquid propellant, has already been inducted into the Army and Navy, while the Air Force version is in the final stage of trial.
6) President of India inaugurates the 12th CII-Exim bank conclave on India Africa Project Partnership
•President Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated the two-day 12th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership in New Delhi.
•The first conclave has held in 2005. The Conclave was organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with the EXIM Bank of India with the support of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India.
•The Objective is to discuss cooperation in Trade, Regional Integration & Infrastructure Development, Finance & Consultancy, Mining & Minerals, Agriculture & Agro-Processing, Power & Alternative Energy, Healthcare, Small & Medium Enterprises, Human Capital Development and People-to-People Contacts.
