Daily Current Affairs with Quiz : 9 August 2017

Kerala, Haryana top sanitation survey

• The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation  released the findings of the survey of 1.4 lakh rural households, undertaken by the Quality Council of India (QCI) between May and June this year.
• The survey, covering 4626 villages across all States and Union territories, claimed that 62.45% of the households had access to a toilet.
• The survey also pointed that 91.29% of the people who had access to a toilet also used it, indicating a change in sanitation behaviour.
• Northeastern States of Sikkim, Manipur and Nagaland were top performers with 95% rural households covered by toilets. And so were the Himalayan States of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand with over 90% toilet coverage of the rural houses.
• Interestingly, BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and NDA-ruled Bihar were among the worst performers in terms of rural sanitation. In Bihar, only 30% of the rural household had access to toilets while Uttar Pradesh was marginally better at 37% . Another BJP-ruled State, Jharkhand, too scored the same as U.P.

Coconut regains `tree status in Goa as Assembly passes bill

• The Goa Legislative Assembly passed a bill which reclassifies coconut as a `tree, ensuring legal protection for it.
• Goa Forward Party, a partner in the Manohar Parrikar-led government, had promised to reclassify coconut.
• The previous Laxmikant Parsekar-led government had changed classification of coconut tree to a `palm.
• However, the decision kicked up a controversy as green activists claimed that it would make it easy to cut down coconut trees indiscriminately in the coastal state as it would require no formal permission.
• The Assembly, on the last day of Monsoon session today, passed the Goa, Daman and Diu (Preservation of) Trees Act, 1984 to regulate felling of coconut trees and reclassify it as tree.

NITI Aayog selects 3 States for transformative change in Health & Education sectors

• In a major push to competitive, cooperative federalism, NITI Aayog, today, announces partnership with three States each to radically transform their Health and Education sectors.
• NITI Aayog has selected Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and Karnataka to improve healthcare delivery and key outcomes in these States. In Education, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Jharkhand have been selected for support to better learning outcomes.
• The six States have been chosen after a rigorous competitive process based on comprehensive metrics to determine potential for impact and likelihood of success.
• States were called to, first, express intent of collaborating with NITI Aayog to better their Health and Education indices. States then made presentations for each sector which was assessed by a committee comprised of senior members of NITI Aayog and Health and Education ministries.
• The States highlighted the initiatives undertaken by them thus far, their willingness to accelerate improvement and justified why they should be selected for the institutional support being offered by NITI Aayog.
• This three-way partnership between NITI, State Governments and a knowledge partner for each of the sectors is part of the Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital (SATH) initiative of NITI Aayog.

Indian American appointed US county’s Deputy Comptroller for Minority Affairs

• Indian American Dilip Chauhan has been appointed to a key position of Deputy Comptroller for Minority Affairs in New York’s Nassau county.
• Chauhan has been active in numerous community and business organisations in the New York area and had joined the Comptroller’s office in 2015 as Director for Community Affairs, South and East Asia. He served as senior advisor to the Comptroller since early 2017,
• The Comptroller’s Office has been a driving force in advocating for increased business opportunities for Minority and Women Owned Enterprises (MWBEs) and veterans to meet the county’s aspirational goals

Ravindra Jadeja becomes top-ranked Test all rounder for first time

• Ravindra Jadeja was already the top ranked Test bowler in the ICC Test rankings but now he is also World No 1 in all rounders after eclipsing Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh in the latest rankings announced on Tuesday
• R Ashwin has been removed from his second spot in ICC Test rankings for bowlers with Jimmy Anderson’s seven wickets propelling him to World No 2.

Real Madrid beat Manchester United to win European Super Cup

• Real Madrid beat Manchester United 2-1 on Tuesday to lift the European Super Cup for the fourth time as they became the first team to retain the trophy since AC Milan in 1990.
• The UEFA Super Cup is an annual football match organised by UEFA and contested by the reigning champions of the two main European club competitions, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.
• The UEFA Super Cup is an annual football match organised by UEFA and contested by the reigning champions of the two main European club competitions, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.

Kotak Bank launches debit card offer for zero balance account

• Private sector Kotak Mahindra Bank will offer debit card at a special price of Rs 99 for the first year for customers who will open account under its zero balance account scheme till September 15.
• The usual annual fee for debit card procured by 811 account holders (zero balance) is Rs 299.
• The name 811, inspired by November 8, 2016, decision of demonetisation, allows customers to open a zero balance account using the bank’s mobile application.
• To mark the 70th anniversary of country’s independence, the special edition debit card will be available to customers who open an 811 account from August 8, 2017 to September 15, 2017

Amit Kumar Saroha wins silver in World Para Athletics Championship

• India’s Amit Kumar Saroha clinched a silver in men’s club throw F51 competition in World Para Athletics Championships
• Saroha’s best throw of 30.25m, which came in his third attempt, fetched him a silver medal. In the process, the para-athlete from Haryana set a new Asian record in this event.
• Serbia’s Zeljko Dimitrijevic retained his title with a world record throw of 31.99m.
• The 32-year-old Saroha had also won a silver in this event in the last edition of the biennial championships in Doha in 2015. He also had won a gold medal in this event in the 2014 Incheon Asian Para Games.