This page contains "18th August 2018" current affairs analysis from different newspapers and magazines like The Hindu, Indian express, PIB and Yojna.
Quality and relevance are two key features considered while writing the content, all the topics are based on the pattern of previously asked questions in exams like UPSC CSE, IAS, State PCS, SSC, Banks PO and likewise competitive exams.
NCMC, Disaster management sub-committee and supervisory panel should monitor Mullaperiyar dam : SC
It is an extremely grave situation in Kerala, where in the wake of the devastating floods across the state 324 people have died and 310,000 people are displaced so far.
Mullaperiyar dam water level to go down
Amid growing fears that the number of deaths could escalate rapidly with countless people still marooned, SC asked the disaster management sub-committee, the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) and the supervisory panel monitoring the Mullaperiyar dam to explore ways to reduce the water level in the reservoir to 139 feet.
It is also advisable that water is released with utmost precautions by giving advance warning to the people living in the downstream areas, Tamil Nadu should comply with any instruction to bring down the level of the dam.
Why such a move is needed ?
The water level in the dam is at dangerously high level and continues to be a threat to the people in an already submerged Kerala.
Mullaperiyar dam is currently under a supervisory panel while to avert any grave tragedy the control of the dam should be transferred to National Executive Committee under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
The problem with Mullaperiyar dam
The real problem is a contract in thinking between authorities from TN, Kerela and Experts monitoring the situation 24x7, one side of argument suggests to reduce the water level to avert any disaster from dam breakdown while other set of arguments suggests that releasing the water would cause even more havoc.
Way ahead
As SC suggested, the release of water from the dam should be done in phased manner while keeping the people from adjoining ares alert about the move. All high level authorities and experts should consider every aspect before reaching to an conclusion.
Centre, Kerala and Tamil Nadu governments should resolve the issue with the help of experts to resolve the calamity and rescue and rehabilitate people caught in the floods.
18th Asian Games held in Palembang, Jakarta Indonesia
The biggest multi-sport event after the Olympics, 18th Asian Games started in Palembang, Jakarta Indonesia. India is expected to do well in badminton that has bring more than half gold for the country.
Asian Games
Asian Games also called Asiad are second largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games, asian games are organised every four years, where athletes from all over Asia participates in a continental multi-sport event.
Asian Games were started in 1978 in New Delhi, Asian Games Federation (AGF) regulated the very first version of these games. Due to breakup of Asian Games Federation (AGF), the responsibility of organising these games was transferred to Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), from 1982.
Athletes from around 65 nations participated in these games, while the games are hosted by nine nations so far. All 45 members affiliated to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) are eligible to take part in the Games.
Asian Games were started when a number of Asian countries became independent after World War II, these countries looked at the games as a news tool for strengthening mutual understanding to avoid violence in the region.
UPI 2.0 with overdraft facility
In a bid to enhance Unified Payments Interface (UPI) functionalities and services for customers the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched UPI 2.0.
Whats is Unified Payments Interface (UPI) ?
UPI is a system launched by NPCI in April 2016, that enables the user to integrate multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application (of any participating bank).
UPI also provides various banking features and services like "seamless fund routing" and "merchant payments" using one application from and to any of the linked bank account.
UPI is currently used by large number of banks, merchants, third-party players and consumers, its highly scalable architecture built on an open source platform proved to be a key to India's transformation to a digital payment economy.
New features added to UPI 2.0
UPI 2.0 comes with various new features including, linking of overdraft account to UPI, creation of one-time mandates and pre-authorisation of transactions for payment at a later date, and checking the invoice sent by merchant prior to making payment.
In the latest version of the system, the customers can now add their overdraft accounts to UPI along with current and savings accounts. New version also allows the consumers to pre-authorise a transaction and pay at a later date.
In a bid to help customers to view and verify the credentials and check whether it has come from the right merchant or not, UPI 2.0 enables the user to check the invoice sent by merchant prior to making payment.
An additional security is also provided in UPI 2.0 with respect to quick response (QR) code, it notifies the user with information to ascertain whether the merchant is verified UPI merchant or not while scanning the merchant's QR code.
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