Current Affairs 17th October 2017

Current Affairs 17th October 2017 - Important Points

• Annapurna Rasoi Yojna to cover 191 urban areas expanded by - Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje
• Who has been appointed as CEO of Vistara ? - Leslie Thng
• International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2017 observed across the world on - 17th October 2017
• Futuristic military watch that can survive nuclear blast developed by - Scientists
•  UK's Youngest Millionaire - Indian-origin teenager Akshay Ruparelia

Current Affairs 17th October 2017 - Details

Annapurna Rasoi Yojna to cover 191 urban areas expanded by - Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje

The Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje opened up the expansion of Annapurna Rasoi Yojna in all the 191 urban areas of the state on 15th October 2017. She also flagged off 50 Annapurna vans at Ajmer on the occasion.
The scheme is aiming to provide quality food to the needy of all categories at affordable rates, was earlier being implemented in selected cities of the state.
The state government is now expanded it to cover all the urban areas.
The scheme will be implemented in all the urban areas of the state by 31st December 2017.
Important Highlights

• For the scheme, five hundred smart kitchen vans have been arranged.
• People can get breakfast for Rs 5 and lunch and dinner for Rs 8 each only in this scheme.
• The food menu contains around 50 dishes and that changes daily.
• The total estimated cost of implementation of the scheme would be around Rs 400 Crore.

More about Annapurna Rasoi Yojna

• It is an ambitious meal scheme, launched by the state government of Rajasthan in December 2016 with an aim to provide daily meal to the needy beneficiaries in the state at subsidised rates.
• The scheme was implemented in the state in several phases. In the first phase, the government set up Annapurna canteens in 12 districts of the state including Ajmer, Bikaner, Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur.
• Other than just being affordable, the food provided in the canteens is highly nutritious and is prepared in a proper hygienic manner.
• It is planned to be extended to all the remaining districts also.

Who has been appointed as CEO of Vistara ? - Leslie Thng

Leslie Thng was appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of full service carrier Vistara after receiving all the requisite approvals on 16th October 2017. Thng succeeds Phee Teik Yeoh, who will now be joining Singapore Airlines.

Before this appointment, Thng was working as the Chief Commercial Officer with Budget Aviation Holdings which is a Singapore Airlines Holding Company. His career was started with Singapore Airlines back in 1999 and held many senior positions. He also served as Chief Executive of Silk Air.

More about Vistara

• A joint venture between Tata group and Singapore Airlines, Vistara airlines started its commercial operations in January 2015.
• With a fleet of 16 aircraft Vistara hass and has ambitious expansion plans, which includes flying to overseas destinations also.
• TATA SIA Airlines Ltd operates with the brand name Vistara.

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2017 observed across the world on - 17th October 2017

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty was observed on 17th October 2017 with the theme ‘Answering the Call of October 17 to end poverty: A path toward peaceful and inclusive societies’.

More about International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

• The theme for this year’s commemoration is reminiscent of the importance of the values of solidarity, dignity and importance of voice to fight and end poverty everyplace.
• This year’s celebration also marks the 25th anniversary of the declaration of the day by the UN General Assembly, which had adopted the resolution on 22nd December 1992.
• It also marks the 30th anniversary of the ‘Call to Action’ by Father Joseph Wresinski—which inspired the observance of October 17 as the World Day to Overcome Extreme Poverty—and the recognition by the United Nations of the day as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
• These values are also evident in the United Nation's Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development that has set poverty eradication as the comprehensive objective and obligated all countries to end poverty in all forms.
  More about The Call to Action of October 17
• It was launched thirty years ago and recorded in the text on the Commemorative Stone at the Trocadero Human Rights Plaza in Paris.
• Founder of Call to Action, Father Joseph Wresinski stated that Wherever men and women are condemned to live in extreme poverty, human rights are violated.
• To come together to ensure that these rights be respected is their solemn duty.

More about International Movement ATD (All Together for Dignity) Fourth World

• Fr. Joseph Wresinski who is a priest in 1957 found the International Movement ATD Fourth World is a nonprofit organization.
• Its main aim is to eradicate poverty through a human-rights based approach.

Futuristic military watch that can survive nuclear blast developed by - Scientists

Scientists have developed a new military watch for the Russian army kit, capable to resist high impact and can even survive a nuclear explosion. Research experts of the Central Scientific - Research Institute for Precision Machine Engineering – a part of the Rostec State Corporation in Russia have developed the watch.

Important Details

• The mechanical watch with automatic movement ensures fast and accurate determination of time in severe climati & co-operating conditions, during routine and combat operations.
• It has been included in the new combat system for airborne forces, land forces, coastal troops of the Russian Navy, specially operations units.
• It is designed for the continuous time determination.
• It is capable of withstanding electromagnetic pulses and solar irradiation such as a nuclear blast.
  It also doesn't hinder any manoeuvres or acts.
• The watch weight with band does not exceed 100 gms.
• The device would have a service life of around 10 years.
• The Chief Designer of Life Support Systems for Tactical Gear at TsNIITochMash, Oleg Faustov stated that, if a soldier is exposed to electromagnetic emission of a nuclear bomb the watch will be continued to operate with no interruption.
• Furthermore, the soldiers would be able to determine time easily in any light environment or even under blackout conditions.

 UK's Youngest Millionaire - Indian-origin teenager Akshay Ruparelia

Indian-origin teenager Akshay Ruparelia became one of UK`s youngest millionaires at the age of 19 on 16th October 2017. During his school lunch breaks, Ruparelia made a fortune by selling houses through his online estate agency business. Ruparelia's school friends nicknamed him "Alan Sugar" after Baron Sugar who is the business tycoon.

Ruparelia's journey as UK's Youngest Millionaire

• With an initial investment of 7000 pounds( borrowed from his relatives), he started the firm.
• He hired a call center service to answer his company switchboard while he was in class and used to call clients right back after the school.
• Within few months, investors were buying shares in Ruparelia's firm "www.doorsteps.co.uk".
• The firm employs 12 people and is set to double in size with investors having already handed him 5 lakh pounds to get their hands on shares.
• The company has been valued at 12 million pounds and the teenager has sold 100 million pounds worth of homes more than a year.
• Ruparelia's company became the 18th biggest estate agency in the UK, just 16 months after making the website live.
• The firm is raising five million pounds with single share issue and is recruiting an expanding network of mothers all across the UK who work self-employed showing clients around properties.
• He charges 99 pounds as a commision to sell the property and comes up with a mission to put already existing high street agents out of business.