Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 28 August 2015

Current Affairs for IAS Exams – 28 August 2015

:: National ::

A to Z about Smart City

The Centre on Thursday declared the names of 98 cities selected for the 'Smart City Project'. This is a flagship project which was announced by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi after his government was sworn into power last year.
PM Modi's Union Cabinet announced the approval of Rs 48,000 crore that will be allocated to the Smart cities Project.
The Union Development Ministry said that they will provide Rs 100 crore per city per year over the next five years.
While Uttar Pradesh has maximum of 13 cities, followed by 12 by Tamil Nadu and 10 by Maharashtra to be developed as Smart Cities, Madhya Pradesh has seven cities in the project.
Karnataka and Gujarat have six cities each while Bihar and Andhra Pradesh has three each and rest of the states have two and one cities respectively in the project.
All Union Territories, including Delhi have found place in the list.

Here are some pointers about what is a 'Smart City':

What is a 'Smart City'?

Smart City is nothing but a vision of a city that will be equipped with basic infrastructure.
The urban planners ideally aim at developing the entire urban eco-system which will comprise of institutional, physical, social and economic infrastructure.

Objective of a 'Smart City'

The main objective of a smart city is to promote the already existing cities and to provide the citizens core infrastructure and a decent quality of life with clean and sustainable environment.

What are the core elements of a 'Smart City'?

The smart city project will provide the citizens with these core elements which will in turn benefit the society:

1. It will provide the citizens with adequate water.
2. Electricity supply will be assured to the citizens.
3. Proper Solid waste management and sanitation will be provided.
4. Public transport will be provided to the citizens which will help in efficient urban mobility.
5. This project will also provide affordable housing for the citizens especially for the poor.
6. Information Technology connectivity and digitization will be given a push.
7. This project will also ensure that the citizens enjoy good governance especially e-Governance.
8. Sustainable environment is also an essential part of the smart city project.
9. Safety and security of citizens especially women, children and the elderly will be given priority.
10. Health and educational aspects will also be kept in mind.

Purpose of a 'Smart City'

According to the Smart City Mission, this project will drive economic growth and improve the quality of life of people and enable development of local areas.
It will help harness technology which will lead to smart outcomes. The government aims to redevelop slums and convert them into better planned ones which will in turn improve the livelihood of the entire city.
To accommodate expanding population of the country, new areas will also be developed around the already existing cities.
A smart city will be the one which will be able to use technology, information and data to improve infrastructure and services.
It will also focus on employment and that the poor and the disadvantaged have some source of income.

NITI Aayog Unveils Second Version of Energy Tool (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: International ::

Greece's New Prime Minister Names Caretaker Cabinet

Greece's new prime minister, a top judge who is the country's first female premier, named the members of her caretaker government Friday as the country heads to early elections next month, the third time Greeks will go to the polls this year.
The appointments come a day after Supreme Court head Vassiliki Thanou was sworn into office.
The 65-year-old was appointed after outgoing prime minister Alexis Tsipras resigned last week, barely seven months into his four-year mandate, following a rebellion by members of his radical-left Syriza party who objected to his agreement with the conditions of Greece's third international bailout.
The finance ministry post went to Giorgos Houliarakis, an academic who had been on Greece's negotiating team during talks with creditors.
Popular Greek pop singer Alkistis Protopsalti was named tourism minister. The new cabinet was to be sworn in later Friday.
Elections are widely expected to be set for Sept. 20. Tsipras has said he needs a stronger mandate to implement the tough austerity measures accompanying the three-year, 86 billion euro bailout, but an opinion poll published in the left-leaning Efimerida ton Syntakton newspaper Friday found small support for his move.
Sixty-four percent said Tsipras' decision to call the snap poll was wrong, compared to 24 percent who considered it correct. The remainder took no position or did not reply.

Facebook cross billion users accessing the site on a single day

The biggest social networking platform Facebook has just gotten even bigger. Company CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook had one billion people logged on to the site on a single day, marking the first time in company history to reach this milestone.
According to a Facebook post by the CEO, “On Monday, 1 in 7 people on Earth used Facebook to connect with their friends and family.” He stated that the company uses average numbers but this instance was different! “This was the first time we reached this milestone, and it’s just the beginning of connecting the whole world,” he added.
Facebook has also released a special video to commemorate the milestone.
The CEO went to say how proud he was of their community and the progress which has been made. He states, “A more open and connected world is a better world.
It brings stronger relationships with those you love, a stronger economy with more opportunities, and a stronger society that reflects all of our values.”

RBI likely to cut interest rates in September policy meet (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: Sports ::

Novak Djokovic in a new role as global goodwill ambassador

Top-ranked tennis star Novak Djokovic has a new title — goodwill ambassador for the UN children's agency, UNICEF.
The world No. 1 men's player has worked on children's issues for UNICEF in his native Serbia since 2011. UNICEF has now appointed him a global goodwill ambassador.
UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Yoka Brandt said Wednesday Djokovic's new job recognized his work in Serbia to improve the lives, particularly of marginalized children, and to promote early childhood education.
Djokovic grew up in Serbia during the Balkan wars and became a top tennis player there. He has gone on to win nine tennis majors and is considered one of the sport's all-time greatest players. He is a favorite to win New York's U.S. Open, which begins next week.
Djokovic said he is honored to be a UNICEF goodwill ambassador "and to continue to help defend and uphold children's rights."