Daily Current Affairs, 15th May 2018

1) International Day Of Families: 15 May

•The International Day of Families is observed on the 15th of May every year. In 1993, the General Assembly of United Nations decided that 15 May of every year should be observed as The International Day of Families. 

•This day provides an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase the knowledge of the social, economic and demographic processes affecting families. This year (2018), the themefor the event is ‘Families and inclusive societies’.

2) President Kovind Inaugurates Global Exhibition On Services- 2018

•President Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated the 4th edition of Global Exhibition on services in Mumbai. He has also released the logo for Services and launched the portal.

•25 Indian states and around 100 countries are expected to participate in Global Exhibition on Services, this year, with 625 exhibitors and 500 overseas delegates.

3) IIM-Ahmedabad Launches Bharat Inclusive Initiative

•IIM-Ahmedabad’s Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) has launched a Bharat Inclusion Initiative to build knowledge and foster innovation and entrepreneurial activity across areas such as financial inclusion, livelihood, education and health. CIIE at IIM Ahmedabad helps entrepreneurs turn ideas into viable businesses.

•The initiative will aim at channelizing approximately $25 million over the next 3-4 years towards backing game-changing start-ups, leveraging the ongoing digital transformation in India, to create access to services that were hitherto inaccessible for a large segment of Indians.

4) 4 States Ink MoUs With Centre On Health Protection Mission

•The states of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Uttarakhand agreed to implement the ambitious national health protection mission, which aims to provide an annual coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family. The four states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh inked MoUs with the Union Health Ministry for the implementation of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Swasthya Suraksha Mission.

•Union Health Minister J P Nadda presided over the MoU signing ceremony at a regional workshop for northern states in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.

5) WHO Launches 'REPLACE' To Eliminate Trans Fat In Foods By 2023

•The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a comprehensive plan to eliminate industrially-produced artificial trans fats from the global food supply by 2023. WHO calls on governments to use the 'REPLACE' action package to eliminate industrially-produced trans-fatty acids from the food supply.

•Elimination of trans fats is key to protecting the health and saving lives. The global health body estimates that every year, trans fat intake leads to over 5,00,000 deaths worldwide from cardiovascular diseases. 

6) Retail Inflation Surges To 4.58%, WPI At 4-Month High In April

•The first month of the current financial year has brought some bad news on the inflation front with both retail (Consumer Price Index or CPI) and producer (Wholesale Price Index or WPI) inflation showing a surge raising the possibility of a policy rate hike by the Reserve Bank in the near future.

•A statement issued by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation revealed that an increase in fruit and vegetable prices, coupled with egg prices, has pushed CPI to 4.58 percent in April, from 4.28 percent in March. The Consumer Food Price Index, however, was a tad lower at 2.8 percent in April, from 2.81 percent in March. The latest number has put a break on the slide in CPI since January this year.