CURRENT AFFAIRS SEPTEMBER 17 by exampreparationdaily

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar flags off ‘Jaldoot’ bus for water conservation initiative in Pune

The union minister for environment, forest and climate change Shri Prakash Javadekar flagged off a bus named “Jaldoot” in Pune, Maharashtra.

• It showcases the importance of water conservation.
• This bus which is redesigned to create “Jaldoot: Travelling Exhibition on Jalshakti Abhiyan”, would travel to 8 districts of Maharashtra for 2 months.

Trilateral Exercise “SITMEX” Commences at Port Blair

A maiden trilateral exercise SITMEX, involving Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), Royal Thailand Navy (RTN) and Indian Navy (IN) started at Port Blair.

• The exercise aims to bolster the maritime inter-relationships among Singapore Thailand and India, and contribute significantly to enhance the overall maritime security in the region.
• This would also strengthen the mutual confidence amongst three navies in terms of interoperability and development of a common understanding of procedures.

Indo-Thailand Joint Exercise 'Maitree' in Umroi

Opening Ceremony of Indo-Thailand Joint Exercise Maitree was conducted at Joint Training Node, Umroi.

• Indian Army and Royal Thailand Army contingents put up a brilliant march past demonstration &  weapons and equipment were displayed for the RTA Contingent.
• The exercise will culminate with a 48 hours joint exercise which will showcase the planning and execution of joint skills of soldiers while conducting any counter-terrorism operation.

India to fund 1000 PhD fellowships for ASEAN students at IITs

India formally launched an initiative to fund 1,000 scholars from south-east Asian countries to pursue PhD at its 23 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

• The move will help internationalize its premier technology campuses and boost academic ties with East Asian neighbours.
• The move comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to enhance academic ties with the East Asian nations in 2018.

R Ramamoorthy appointed the chairman and managing director of Cognizant India

Cognizant has appointed Ramkumar Ramamoorthy as the chairman and managing director of Cognizant India

• Ramamoorthy, who has been with the company for more than 21 years, played a leading role in developing many of the company's India-based portfolios.
• He also spearheaded the company's CSR initiatives through his work at the Cognizant Foundation and Cognizant Outreach.

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina receives Dr Kalam Smriti International Excellence Award

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh conferred the Dr Kalam Smriti International Excellence Award 2019 in Dhaka.

• The award has been instituted in the memory of former President Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
• The award citation lauded Prime Minister Hasina for her vision of a peaceful and prosperous South Asia, free of tension, conflicts and terrorism.
• It acknowledged her contribution to fostering cooperation between India and Bangladesh.
• The award is given every year to honour statesmen or leaders who have shown excellence in respective fields to achieve the best for their countries.

Agnes Kharshiing Gets Hrant Dink Award in Istanbul

Meghalaya’s Right to Information (RTI) activist Agnes Kharshiing was awarded the 11th International Hrant Dink Award at the Lutfi Kirdar International Convention and Exhibition Centre, in Istanbul.

• Kharshiing, who was assaulted by a group of 40 people for complaining against illegal mining and transport of coal in the East Jaintia Hills district.
• The Hrant Dink Award is an annual award presented by the Hrant Dink Foundation on the birth anniversary of Hrant Dink, a Turkish journalist.

Neena Gupta wins two awards at Boston Film Festival

Bollywood actor Neena Gupta registered a double victory at Indian International Film Festival of Boston.

• The 'Badhaai Ho' actor won Best Actress award while her film 'The Last Color' emerged victorious in Best Feature Film category.
• The directorial debut of world-renowned chef Vikas Khanna 'The Last Color' deals with taboo surrounding widows in Vrindavan and Varanasi in India.
• The film's first look was unveiled at the Cannes Film Festival and has since travelled around the world to various film festivals including New York Indian Film Festival 2019 and Indie Meme Film Festival among others.