ENGLISH Current Affairs 19 jan 2018

~~~~~~~~~~~ *ENGLISH Current Affairs 19 jan 2018* ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
✅✅ *Delhi CM launches Girl Child Week* 👇👇
The Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal on 18 January 2018 inaugurated the girl child week, a week-long programme to celebrate the girl child and to create awareness about gender equality, ahead of the National Girl Child Day that is celebrated on 24 January.
The event has been organised by NGO Alliance Defending Freedom India. Speaking at the launch event, Kejriwal stated that girls are an integral pillar of society and no nation can hope to progress and aspire for a future of prosperity, joy and fulfilment with discrimination against the women in society.
The Chief Minister further stated that the law is committed to protecting the life of the unborn girl child in the state and that the government reiterates its commitment to ensuring strict implementation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act by ensuring regular inspections and decoy operations to catch the violators and also warn the unscrupulous doctors and clinics.
The PCPNDT Act of 1994, which bans prenatal sex determination, was enacted to stop female foeticide and arrest the declining sex ratio in the country.
Under the week-long campaign, awareness programmes will be held regarding the importance of girl child in the society.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
✅✅ *WhatsApp Business' launched, coming to India soon* 👇
Leading messenger application Whatsapp on 18 January 2018 launched ‘Whatsapp Business’, a free-to-download Android app for small businesses to help the businesses communicate better with their customers globally including in India
The new app will make it easier for companies to connect with customers and more convenient for its 1.3 billion users to chat with businesses that matter to them. It will help customers with useful information such as a business description, email or store addresses and website.
According to the Facebook-owned app, people all around the world use Whatsapp to connect with small businesses they care about from online clothing companies in India to auto parts stores in Brazil.
Currently, ‘Whatsapp Business’ is free to download on Google Play in Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Britain and the US. The app will be rolled out in other countries including India, in the coming weeks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
✅ *India jumps three places in latest FIFA rankings* 👇
India has jumped three places to be placed at the 102nd position in the first FIFA rankings of the year 2018, which were released on 18 January 2018.

India, which is placed just a position above Qatar, which is at 103rd rank, is ranked 14 among the Asian nations. The three-place jump in the rankings list is all due courtesy to the Indian football team’s performance in the year 2017. The team remained unbeaten the whole year, winning 7 of their total 9 matches, while the remaining two ended in draws.
Overall, India accumulated 13 points in the last one month to take its total tally to 333 points. India also qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
The top 14 spots on the FIFA rankings list, however, remained unchanged with reigning World Champions Germany retaining its top spot, followed by Brazil, Portugal, Argentina and Belgium. Iran is the top-ranked Asian team at the 34th position.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

✅ *Maharashtra Government approves Rs 4000 Cr project to promote climate-resilient agriculture*👇
The state government of Maharashtra has approved a Rs 4000 crore project aimed at promoting climate-resilient agriculture.
A government resolution issued recently informs that the project, named Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjivani Yojna, will be implemented in 5,142 villages across 15 districts.
The main objectives of the project will be to improve soil quality, develop food grain varieties that can sustain climate variations and effect necessary changes in the crop pattern as per the availability of water in a particular region.
The scheme would cover both small and medium scale farmers, who are more vulnerable to the impact of climate change. While the World Bank would fund about 70 percent of the project’s cost, the state will bear the remaining 30 per cent of the cost over six years. The project will be rolled out in the upcoming financial year.