9th August 2018 Current Affairs

Contents

Khangchendzonga becomes 11th biosphere reserve from India to be included in World Network of Biosphere Reserves

The Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve has become the 11th Biosphere Reserve from India that has been included in the UNESCO designated World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR).
The decision was taken at the 30th Session of International Coordinating Council (ICC) of Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme of UNESCO held at Palembang, Indonesia.
Sikkim’s Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve is one of the highest ecosystems in the world, reaching elevations of 1, 220 metres above sea level.
It has sub-tropic to Arctic ecolines as well as natural forests in different biomes, supporting an immensely rich diversity of forest types and habitats.
The core zone – Khangchendzonga National Park – was designated a World Heritage Site in 2016 under the ‘mixed’ category.

S Gopakumar has been appointed as Whole Time Director on the Board of United India Insurance, the public sector non-life insurance company.
Gopakumar has taken charge as Director and General Manager of the company.
Prior to this, Gopakumar served as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of GIC Housing Finance Ltd.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) constituted a committee for monitoring the Ganga rejuvenation project.
The project aims at cleaning up the Ganga River from Haridwar to Unnao in Uttar Pradesh.
The committee will be headed by a former Allahabad High Court judge.

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar flagged off the Goa Tourism Development Corporation’s app-based taxi service, dubbed GoaMiles, in Panaji.
The app attempts to ensure that commuters are not cheated, and at the same time make sure that earnings of taxi drivers increase by two to three times.
The GoaMiles service is aimed at bringing about transparency in fares for customers.

The Rajya Sabha has elected NDA candidate Harivansh Narayan Singh as the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson.
Singh went up against joint opposition candidate B K Hariprasad.
Harivansh Singh received 125 votes, while Hariprasad received 105 votes.