AIIB to invest $200 mn in NIIF to boost infra projects

  • The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will invest $200 million in India’s National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF).
  • Economic Affairs Secretary, Subhash Chandra Garg, said that the AIIB will invest $100 million in the NIIF’s fund of funds now, followed by $100 million in the future.
  • There will be a leverage of 10-12 times on the original investment, which can result in up to $2.4 billion flowing into infrastructure projects in the country.

Chennai’s R Praggnanandhaa becomes second youngest Chess Grandmaster

  • India’s R Praggnanandhaa has become the country’s youngest, and the world’s second youngest, Chess Grandmaster at the age of 12 years, 10 months and 13 days.
  • He has reached the final round of the ongoing Grendine Open in Italy.
  • He was paired with Grand Master Prujjsers Roland in the final round, which gave him Grandmaster status.
  • Ukraine’s Sergey Karjakin hold the world record for the youngest GM, having achieved the feat in 2002 at the age of 12 years and seven months.
  • In 2016, Praggnanandhaa became the youngest International Master at the age of 10 years, 10 months and 19 days.

Indian Army contingent in UN peacekeeping mission awarded medal for selfless service and sacrifice

  • The Indian Army contingent, which was part of the UN’s peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, has been awarded a medal for its selfless service and sacrifice.
  • The 7 Garhwal Rifles Infantry Battalion Group was awarded the United Nations Medal.
  • During the mission, the Indian Battalion carried out numerous operational tasks with utmost professionalism and dedication to the UN mandate.
  • India is a leading contributor to the United Nations Peacekeeping missions, contributing more than 6,000 troops in 14 missions across the world.

Sandeep Sejwal wins gold in Singapore National Swimming Championships

  • Indian swimmer Sandeep Sejwal clinched the gold in the men’s 50-metre breaststroke event at the Singapore National Swimming Championships.
  • Sandeep broke the Singapore meet 50m record with a timing of 27.59 seconds to grab the title. He bettered his own time of 27.68 seconds in the semi-final by 0.09 seconds.
  • The 29-year-old also won a silver medal in the men’s 100m breaststroke, with a time of 1:02 minutes.
  • In related news, 26-year-old Virdhawal beat Olympic champion Joseph Schooling to clinch gold in men’s 100m freestyle event.

Gujarat launches ‘Suryashakti Kisan Yojana’ for farmers to generate solar power

  • The Gujarat government has launched a solar power scheme for farmers, called the Suryashakti Kisan Yojana (SKY).
  • The scheme will enable farmers to generate electricity for their own consumption, and also to sell any surplus power to the grid and earn from it.
  • Under the scheme, farmers who have an existing electricity connection will be given solar panels depending on their load requirements.
  • The government will provide a 60% subsidy on the cost; farmers will have to pay 5% of the cost, and the remaining 35% will be provide as a loan with 4.5-6% interest.

India considering making 24 degrees Celsius default setting for air conditioners

  • The government will consider whether it should make 24 degrees Celsius the mandatory default setting for air conditioners within a few months.
  • Power minister RK Singh launched a campaign to promote energy efficiency in the area of air-conditioning.
  • The campaign is expected to result in substantial energy savings and reduce greenhouse gas emission.
  • In related news, some countries such as Japan have regulations in place to keep air conditioning temperatures at 28 degrees Celsius.

First satellite designed to remove space junk, RemoveDEBRIS, begins test flight

  • The first satellite which has been built to clear up all the space junk surrounding the earth has been launched from the International Space Station (ISS) on a test flight.
  • The satellite, named RemoveDEBRIS, has different technology to capture and remove the space debris. It will test a harpoon and a net for removing space junk.
  • Over the next two months, the satellite will be tested and checked.
  • RemoveDEBRIS weighs 100kg, and is the largest payload deployed from the ISS.

More on Current Affairs

To stay up to date with current affairs and to test your general knowledge, check out our latest Current Affairs quiz.