Current Affairs Current Affairs:`04^(th)` May 2017

Swachh Survekshan 2017: Indore is the cleanest city

i. The 'Swachh Survekshan 2017' survey results were recently announced by Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu. The total 434 cities of India were surveyed. Indore in Madhya Pradesh is India’s cleanest city while Gonda in Uttar Pradesh is the dirtiest.

ii. Gujarat has the maximum of 12 cities among the top 50 clean cities, closely followed by Madhya Pradesh with 11 and Andhra Pradesh with eight. Uttar Pradesh accounted for half of the bottom 50 cities in the cleanliness ranking.

Top 10 clean cities of India in 2017 are:

1. Indore (MP)

2. Bhopal (MP)

3. Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)

4. Surat (Gujarat)

5. Mysuru (Karnataka)

6. Tiruchirapally (Tamil Nadu)

7. New Delhi Municipal Council (New Delhi)

8. Navi Mumbai (Mumbai)

9 . Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh)

10. Vadodara (Gujarat).

Top 5 Dirtiest cities of India (with Rank) in 2017 are:

1. Gonda (UP)- 434,

2 . Bhusawal (Maharashtra)- 433,

3. Bagaha (Bihar)- 432,

4. Hardoi (UP)- 431,

5. Katihar (Bihar)- 430

India to get world's highest railway bridge across Chenab river in J&K

i. Around two years from now, the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir will be spanned by the world’s highest railway bridge that is expected to be 35 metres taller than Paris’ Eiffel Tower.

ii. The massive arch-shaped structure, being constructed at a cost of around Rs. 1,100 crores, will rise 359 m above the river bed.

iii. The 1.315-km- long “engineering marvel” will connect Bakkal (Katra) and Kauri (Srinagar). The bridge forms a crucial link in the 111-km stretch between Katra and Banihal, which is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project.

Cabinet approved Vijayawada Airport as International Airport

i. Union Cabinet approved Vijayawada Airport as International Airport recently.

ii. The decision has been taken as per the provisions of Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act 2014. There will be cargo handling facilities at the airport, which will encourage agricultural exports which will be a boon to farmers.

Gadkari inaugurates The Highway Saga, SRISHTI exhibitions

i. Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has inaugurated two exhibitions namely 'The Highway Saga: Past Present and Future' and 'Safe Road and Inter-State Highways Transforming India (SRISHTI)’ at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

ii. The exhibitions are part of the three-day India Integrated Transport and Logistics Summit (IITLS) being organized by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways from 3rd to 5th of May, 2017.

iii. The Highway Saga is an exhibition depicting the evolution of road transport in India and the pavilion on road safety SRISHTI is a fun and interactive pavilion that seeks to enhance one's awareness of road safety issues.

India expected to achieve 7.1% growth this year: UN report

i. As per the UN report, India is expected to achieve 7.1 percent growth this year.

ii. The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) launched its annual flagship report 'The Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2017'. iii. The report said India's growth would edge up to 7.5 percent for 2018.

Chhattisgarh auctions India’s most expensive limestone block

i. Chhattisgarh successfully auctioned its third limestone block, Kesla-II to Dalmia Cement with the highest bid received 96.15% of IBM (Indian Bureau of Mines) prices which are 20 times more than the reserve price.

ii. Kesla-II block is situated in the Tilda Tehsil of Raipur district of Chhattisgarh and covers over 357 hectares of area with an average grade of 43% CaO.

iii. In terms of percent of IBM prices, this deal has broken the national record held by Rajasthan at 67.94 percent of IBM prices for its limestone block of Nagaur District.

AIIB grants $160 mn for Andhra Pradesh power project

i. China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has recently approved USD 160 million loan for a power project in Andhra Pradesh, the first credit from the bank for an Indian project.

ii. The AIIB, in which India is the second largest shareholder after China, has approved the project with the objective to strengthen the power transmission and distribution system in Andhra Prade

Braj Bihari Kumar appointed as the chairman of ICSSR

i. Braj Bihari Kumar, the editor of quarterly journals Dialogue and Chintan Srijan, has been appointed as the chairman of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR).

ii. He has succeeded famous economist S K Thorat.

iii. The HRD Ministry took the decision finalizing his name for the top post for a period of three years.