31st July 2014 - Daily Current Affairs updates

31st July 2014 - Daily Current Affairs updates


National Affairs

• 'Upanyas Samrat' Munshi Premchand's  134th birth anniversary today.
• In its first step towards restructuring MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Gurantee Act), the government has announced that the material-labor expenditure ratio in the scheme would be changed from 60:40% to 49:51%. The government is also planning to monitor the work under the scheme through the use of space technology and provide wages to laborers directly through e-governance tools such as electronic fund management system.
• A new audio-visual museum chronicling the history and treasure troves of the highest office of the country will be opened for the public from tomorrow (1st August 2014)  in Rashtrapati Bhavan.
• The Delhi High Court today directed the city government to stop e-rickshaws from plying on the roads of the national capital "as of now".

International Affairs

• Drug-resistant malaria parasites are now firmly established in border regions in four Southeast Asian countries, imperilling global efforts to control the disease.
• The G7 powers (Britain, France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan & US) condemned Russia's actions to destabilize Ukraine and warned of tougher sanctions if it fails to de-escalate tensions in the region. 
• The president of Sierra Leone declared a public health emergency as the Ebola crisis blamed for nearly 700 deaths deepened across West Africa, vowing to quarantine sick patients at home and conduct house-to-house searches for others who may have been exposed.
•  External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry today co-chaired fifth Indo-US Strategic Dialogue during which the two sides discussed "transformative initiatives" in key areas of security and energy

New Appointments

1. General Dalbir Singh Suhag today took charge as India's new army chief, succeeding General Bikram Singh, who has retired.
2. The Supreme Court today appointed a one-member commission headed by its ex-judge S B Sinha to inquire into 2006 Meerut fire tragedy in which around 60 people died and directed the Uttar Pradesh govt to pay an interim compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the family members of the deceased.

People in News

• Deputy National security Advisor Nehchal Sandhu today resigned and his resignation was accepted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Sports

• Commonwealth Games 2014
• Sakshi Malik wins silver medal in women's 58 kg wrestling
• Satyawart Kadian wins silver medal in 97 kg men’s Wrestling
• Navjot Kaur wins Bronze medal in 69 kg women’s Wrestling