CURRENT AFFAIRS JULY 20, 2011

31 FDI proposals approved by the Government

Government approved 31 foreign direct investment (FDI) proposals worth Rs.

3,844.70 Crore

A total of 55 FDI proposals were taken up by the Foreign Investment

Promotion Board (FIPB)

Guidelines for Infrastructure Debt Fund soon to be issued by the

Government

Guidelines for Infrastructure Debt Fund (IDF) will soon be issued by the

Government

IDFs are required to improve country’s infrastructure sector chiefly via Foreign

Investment

RBI and SEBI to finalize the guidelines of IDFs

This will help accelerate investment by the US companies in India

India needs to spend $ 1 Trillion in the next five years to augment its

infrastructure sector

Women’s Football: Japan to meet US

Japan to meet the US in the 2011 Women’s Football World Cup final at Frankfurt

The Americans looking to become the first team to win three world cups, the

previous coming in 1999

In order to ward off accidents, the Railway Ministry to set up Safety &

Security Board

Railway Ministry to set up Safety and Security Board to ward off Rail accidents

The Safety and Security Board to work under the Railway Board

Experts from IIM and IIT to be included in the proposed board in order to suggest

ways and means on how to avoid accidents and to extend best possible security

to passengers

Comprehensive Survey on number of sex workers directed by Supreme

Court

The Supreme Court directed the Centre, States and Union Territories to carry out

an all-inclusive survey to determine the number of sex workers in the country who

are willing to rehabilitate

SC also directed the Centre and States to file affidavits within two weeks on

suggestions and recommendations for improving the lot of sex workers

A panel comprising senior advocates and NGOs to aid the court in monitoring the

rehabilitation work for the sex workers

The apex court passed the direction while dealing with a petition relating to the

plight of sex workers, in which the bench had appointed senior counsel Jayant

Bhushan as amicus curiae

Power sector scheduling to spend Rs. 600 Crore

Current Affairs: July 20, 2011

2011-07-20 17:07:13 GKToday

www.gktoday.in

The Inter-Ministerial Task Force on meliorating India’s power sector is scheduling

to spend close to Rs. 600 crore rupees on Smart Grid Technologies on energy

efficiency

The money will be spent on 15 pilot projects related to smart grid technologies

Objective: -

To improve overall efficiency in the power sector, especially in the transmission

and distribution segments, with the help of IT

Hash 10 World SIM National Billiards and Snooker Championship (Sub-

Junior Girls Title) to Varsha Sanjeev

Varsha Sanjeev of Karnataka won the Sub-Junior Girls title for the first time in the

Hash 10 world SIM National Billiards and Snooker Championship in Chennai

IMF calls on Europe to take immediate action to avert Euro-zone meltdown

International Monetary Fund called on Europe to take immediate action to prevent

a Euro-zone meltdown

The appeal comes two days prior to European Union leaders are due to meet in

Brussels for a summit on a second rescue of the financially gimped Greece

As per IMF, Europian leaders need to act quickly in order to evade an infection

that would damage not only the region but the global economy

Record food grain produced by India

A record food grain production in 2010-11 crop year on the support of a fine

monsoon and higher support prices for farmers

Wheat: 85.93 Million Tonnes

Pulses: 18.09 Million Tonnes

Country’s total food grain production estimated at ` 241.56 million tonnes in 2010-

11, as against 218.11 million tonnes in the year 2009-10

Atlantis – Last leg of its concluding voyage

U.S. space shuttle Atlantis on its way home after undocking from the ISS

(International Space Station)

Beginning the last leg of its final voyage and of the 30-year U.S. shuttle

programmme

Atlantis and its 4-member crew detached from the ISS early Tuesday July 19, 2011

over New Zealand after an 8-day visit to deliver a year’s worth of supplies to the

orbiting outpost and haul trash and used equipment back to Earth

The shuttle flew one lap around the space station before steering away for the last

time