Daily Current Affairs, 11th September 2018

1) Health Ministry Implements HIV AIDS Act 2017

•The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has announced the implementation of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017. According to the law, every HIV infected or affected person below the age of 18 has the right to live in a shared household and enjoy its facilities.

•The act criminalises any kind of discrimination against people suffering from AIDS in terms of treatment, employment and workplace. Those violating the act could be jailed for up to two years or fined up to Rs1 lakh or both. It also prohibits an individual from publishing information or advocating feelings of hatred against them and those living with them. 

2) NRTI, India's 1st Railway Varsity Starts Operations In Vadodara

•The first of its kind university in the country in the transport sector, the National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI), started operations. Currently, it is functioning out of the National Academy of Indian Railways, Vadodara. 

•Funded by ministry of railways, with University of California, Berkeley and Cornell University as its international partners, the university started with two undergraduate courses - BSc Transportation Technology and BBA Transportation Managements- with 50 students each. 

3) 1st Edition Of BIMSTEC Military Exercise MILEX-18 Inaugurated In Pune

•BIMSTEC Military Exercise (MILEX-18), the first edition of Military Field Training Exercise for the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) nations, started at Aundh in Pune. 

•The aim of MILEX-18 is to practice the BIMSTEC Nations in planning and conduct of counter terrorist operations. Participating countries are Armies of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. Nepal is not taking part in MILEX-18, owing to its po

4) 1st Regional Workshop On RERA Inaugurated By Hardeep Puri In Pune

•Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri inauguratedthe first regional workshop on RERA (Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act)  in Pune. Mr Puri delivered the inaugural address at the “First Regional Workshop on RERA – a New Era of Transparency and Accountability in Real Estate – 2 years of implementation and way forward (Western Region)” in Pune. 

About Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) in Brief: 

•It was launched in 2016 is aimed at consumer protection, by creating an online system for information sharing in the real estate sector. It allows states to set up the Regulatory Authority and the Appellate. 

5) India, Bangladesh Jointly Inaugurate 3 Projects

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina, and Chief Ministers of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee and Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb jointly inaugurated three projects in Bangladesh via video conferencing.  These include: 
1. 500 MW additional power supply from India to Bangladesh, 
2. Akhaura – Agartala Rail Link, and 
3. Rehabilitation of the Kulaura-Shahbazpur section of Bangladesh Railways. 

•Akhaura-Agartala rail project is about 12 km long of which 5.5 km would be laid in India while 6.5 km would be in Bangladesh. The total cost of the project would be about 960 crore rupees. The Agartala-Akhaura rail project is part of India's $4.5 billion third line of credit extended to Bangladesh for its infrastructure and social sector development.

6) Justice Om Prakash Mishra Sworn In As New Chief Justice Of Nepal

•Justice Om Prakash Mishra has been sworn in as new Chief Justice of Nepal. The President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to Justice Mishra in Kathmandu. 

•Parliamentary Hearing Committee (PHC) unanimously endorsed his name for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Justice Mishra was appointed as a justice of the Supreme Court in 2014. 

7) India-Mongolia Joint Exercise 'Nomadic Elephant 2018' Starts In Mongolia

•The 12 days long Indo-Mongolia joint exercise Nomadic Elephant-2018, commenced at Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF) Five Hills Training Area, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia with a brief opening ceremony. 

•Exercise Nomadic Elephant is an annual, bilateral exercise since 2006 which is designed to strengthen the partnership between Indian Army and Mongolian Armed Forces. The exercise will see them improve their tactical and technical skills in joint counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist operations in the rural and urban scenario under United Nations mandate. 

8) Centre Sets Up Panel Of Secretaries To Look Into E-Commerce Issues

•With concerns being raised on some proposals of the draft e-commerce policy, the government has set up a group of secretaries to look into the issues. The group will be chaired by the secretary in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). 

•The other members of the group include secretaries of the ministry of electronics and information technology and department of commerce. Representatives of Niti Aayog and department of economic affairs are also members of the group. 

9) Forbes-Nominated Author Preeti Shenoy Pens New Book, 'The Rule Breakers'

•Best-selling author Preeti Shenoy announced the launch of her new book, 'The Rule Breakers'. The book claims to explore complex themes of women's equality, gender, and inclusion among others. 

•The novel set in the '90s is the story of Veda, who harbours big dreams, but finds herself trapped in an arranged marriage and realizes that her opinions in real life don't matter. 

10) Hima Das Appointed Sports Ambassador Of Assam

•India’s ace sprinter Hima Das was appointed as Sports Ambassador of Assam to inspire budding players of northeastern state to aim big and young generation to take up sports seriously. 

•Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has earlier confirmed that Indian Athlete Hima Das will be named as the first sports ambassador of the state. The announcement came after Hima Das recently became the first Indian woman to win gold at IAAF World U-20 Athletics Championships.