Current Affairs Today 19th December 2019-Download in PDF

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Current Affairs Today – 19th December 2019

BUSINESS CURRENT AFFAIRS

Infosys launches blockchain-powered distributed applications

• Infosys has announced the launch of three blockchain-powered distributed applications.
• The applications will be dedicated to government services, insurance, and supply chain management domains.
• The applications are equipped with predictive return on investment (ROI) analytics for business investments that can be tailored to meet numerous industry-specific needs.

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Infosys: Infosys Limited is an Indian multinational corporation that provides business consulting, information technology and outsourcing services. It has its headquarters in Bangalore, Karnataka, India.

• CEO: Salil Parekh
• Headquarters: Bengaluru

NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

Govt approves Rs 436 cr outlay for skilling 4 lakh persons

• The government announced Rs 436 crore outlay for skilling 4 lakh professionals in futuristic areas such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and cybersecurity over the next 3 years.
• The ”Future Skills PRIME” programme will be jointly rolled out by the information technology ministry and industry body Nasscom and will seek to position the initiative as India stack for digital talent.
• The programme will increase employability.

GST Council fixes 28% uniform tax rate for lottery

• The Goods and Services Tax or GST Council has fixed a uniform tax rate of 28% on both state-run and private lottery.
• It also decided to rationalise the GST rate on woven and non-woven bags to 18%.
• It was for the first time that the GST Council resorted to voting to decide on an issue as it fixed a uniform tax rate on both state and private lotteries.

50% concession for ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ participants

• Indian Railways has decided to grant 50% concession for the youth participating in the “Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat” programme.
• The concession will be given in basic fares of Second and Sleeper Class to youths with emoluments of not more than 5000 rupees per month for traveling from one State to another State to take part in the programme.
• The concession has been granted as a special case and it is admissible only in the normal train services and not for booking of Special Trains or Coaches.

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Indian Railways is India’s national railway system operated by the Ministry of Railways. It manages the fourth largest railway network in the world by size, with a route length of 67,368-kilometre and total track length of 121,407-kilometre as of March 2017.

• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Founded: 16 April 1853, India

Chennai Corporation launches India’s first waste exchange platform

• Chennai Corporation, Tamil Nadu launched India’s first waste exchange platform namely “Madras Waste Exchange” (www.madraswasteexchange.com) to buy and sell municipal solid waste online.
• It will run on a pilot basis for the first three months. Based on the response from public and waste recyclers, more features will be added to the website.
• The Madras Waste Exchange, which is both a web portal and an application, has been conceptualised by the Smart City Mission, with support from the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

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Tamilnadu

• Capital: Chennai
• Chief Minister: Edappadi K.Palanisamy
• Governor: Banwarilal Purohit
• Chief Justice of Madras High Court: Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani
• National Park: GuindyNP,Gulf of Mannar Marine NP,Indira Gandhi (Annamalai) NP,   Mudumalai NP,Mukurthi NP.

Harsh Vardhan inaugurated CGHS Wellness Centre at Vikaspuri

• Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the new Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) Wellness Centre at Vikaspuri, New Delhi.
• CGHS services have been planned to be extended to 100 cities.
• Currently, the scheme is operational across 72 Cities through 329 Allopathic Wellness Centres and 86 AYUSH Centres.
• CGHS service serves 12.09 lakh primary cardholders and 35.72 lakh beneficiaries.
• Among the total benefits, around 17 lakh beneficiaries belong to Delhi and NCR.

STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS

Odisha Govt. launches ‘Jalsathi’ programme

• Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has launched the ‘Jalsathi’ programme to ensure supply of safe drinking water to all households in the state.
• The Odisha CM also launched the ‘JalSathi’ App on the occasion.
• The Water Corporation of Odisha (WATCO) signed a memorandum of understanding with the women federations in Bhubaneswar for the implementation of the programme.
• The JalSathi initiative aims to ensure the supply of clean drinking water to consumers through piped water connections.

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Odisha:

• Capital: Bhubaneswar
• Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik
• Governor: Ganeshi Lal
• National Park: Bhitarkanika NP, Simlipal NP

Centre to set up first-ever SEZ in Tripura

• Centre is to set up the first-ever Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Tripura.
• The announcement was made by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on 16 December 2019.
• The first SEZ for Tripura is being set up at Paschim Jalefa, Sabroom, South Tripura District.
• It is located 130 km away from Agartala.
• The Sector-Specific Economic Zone will be for Agro-Based Food Processing.
• The estimated cost for the project is around Rs.1550 Crore.
• The SEZ will be developed by the Tripura Industrial Development Corporation (TIDC) Ltd.
• The SEZ is expected to generate 12,000 skilled jobs.
• The SEZ will have Rubber based industries, textile and Apparel Industries, bamboo and Agri-food Processing Industries.
• It is expected to attract private investment considering the proximity of the Chittagong Port and construction of the bridge across the Feni River in South Tripura.
• A 100% Income Tax exemption of the SEZ will be provided on export income for SEZ units under Section 10AA of the Income Tax (IT) Act for the first 5 years.

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Tripura:

• Capital: Agartala
• Chief Minister: Biplab Kumar Deb
• Governor: Ramesh Bais

CM Gehlot inaugurated first Janta clinic in Jaipur

• Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot inaugurated the first Janta clinic at Valmiki Basti in Malviya Nagar, Jaipur on 18 December 2019.
• The chief minister had announced Janta clinics during the state budget.
• Janta clinic will provide free primary health care to poor people living in city slums.
• In the first phase, 12 Janta clinics are to be opened where people will get free medicines as well as free medical examination in some cases.

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Rajasthan

• Capital:Jaipur
• Chief Minister:Ashok Gehlot
• Governor:Kalraj Mishra

SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES

“Environmental Sustainability and Economic Development” Summit held in Delhi

• Summit on “Environmental Sustainability and Economic Development” was held in Delhi.
• Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change addressed the summit with the concerns about the depleting ozone layer and the emission of Cfcs and Hfcs.
• He stated that there is the need of the hour to call upon a meeting to control the minimum temperatures and to keep a check on the emissions.

National conference on ‘Uniformed Women in Prison Administration’ begins

• Union Minister of State for Home affairs inaugurate a National Conference on ‘Uniformed Women in Prisons Administration’ begins in Central Academy for Police Training in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
• In this Conference, uniformed women officers and staff of all the states from Jail Wardens up to Director Inspector Generals level, members of non-governmental organizations, representatives of academic institutions and officers of other government departments are taking part in the conference.
• At present, there are more than 900 uniformed women government servants working in the state jail department.

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Madhya Pradesh:

• Capital: Bhopal
• Chief Minister: Kamal Nath
• Governor: Lalji Tandon
• National Park: Bandhavgarh NP, Fossil NP, Kanha NP, Madhav NP, Panna NP, Pench NP, Sanjay NP, Satpura NP

Dehradun hosts Conference of Presiding Officers of Legislative Bodies

• Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla inaugurated the 79th Conference of Presiding Officers of Legislative Bodies.
• The conference was held in Dehradun.
• The presiding officers of all state legislatures participated in the conference.
• Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla has also conferred the guard of honour during the conference.

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Uttarakhand

• Capital: Dehradun
• Chief Minister: Trivendra Singh Rawat
• Governor: Baby Rani Maurya

The 2nd Indo-US ministerial 2 plus 2 dialogue was held in Washington

• The 2nd Indo-US ministerial 2+2 dialogue was held in Washington DC on 18 December 2019. The Indian side was represented by Minister of external affairs S Jaishankar and defence minister Rajnath Singh and the American side was Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
• India and the United States have agreed to increase defence trade and deepen bilateral cooperation.
• The Ministers of the two countries agreed to intensify the coordination with countries like Japan for a peaceful Indo-Pacific region.
• They also agreed to put up a decisive fight against terrorism.
• The second 2+2 India US ministerial dialogue in Washington has prepared a pathway to take the bilateral relationship between the two countries in 2020 to a new level.

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USA (Capital/Currency):Washington, D.C./United States Dollar

• President: Donald Trump

The 11th RQC is to be held at Rudrapur

• The 11th Regional Quality Conclave (RQC) was held on 20th December 2019 at, Rudrapur, District Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand.
• The Conclave will be inaugurated by Madan Kaushik, Minister of Urban Development Government of Uttarakhand.
• The RQC is organized by the Quality Council of India (QCI) along with PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI).
• The theme of the Rudrapur RQC is “Advance Manufacturing with Quality, Innovation & Technology Interventions.”
• The Conclave aims to create awareness about the significance of quality culture in businesses.

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Uttarakhand

• Capital: Dehradun
• Chief Minister: Trivendra Singh Rawat
• Governor: Baby Rani Maurya

The 3rd edition of Conference on Wagon Development was held

• Ministry of Railways organized the third edition of the Conference on Wagon Development for New Commodities on 19 December 2019.
• The objective of the conference is to provide innovative solutions for transportation challenges in the steel, automobile, cement, food-grain, and other special commodities segments.
• The major themes of the conference were Steel, Bulk Fly ash, transportation of Automobiles and Special Commodities.

RANKS AND INDICES

HDFC Bank crosses $100 billion market capitalisation

• HDFC Bank has become the 3rd Indian firm to cross $100 billion mark in market capitalisation. HDFC Bank has joined the league of Reliance Industries Ltd, which has a market cap of $140.74 billion, and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) that has a market cap of $114.60 billion.
• With this achievement, HDFC Bank is now ranked 110th in the list of world’s most valued companies.
• Among the world’s most valued banks and financial companies which have a market cap of over $100 billion, HDFC Bank is ranked at 26th position.

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HDFC:HDFC Bank Ltd. is an Indian banking and financial services company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

• CEO: Aditya Puri
• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Founded: August 1994, India

India became the world’s 3rd largest publisher of science and engineering articles

• The US National Science Foundation (NSF) reported that India has become the world’s third-largest publisher of science and engineering articles.
• It has published over 1.35 lakh scientific papers.
• China topped the report as the world’s largest publisher.

Top 05 countries in the list are:

1) China with 5,28,263 science and engineering articles

2) The US with 4,22,808 science and engineering articles

3) India with 2,555,959 science and engineering articles

4) Germany with 1,04,396 science and engineering articles

5) Japan with 98,793 science and engineering articles

AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED

Apple, Amazon & Google partners for ‘Connected Home over IP’

• “Amazon.com Inc”, “Apple Inc” and Alphabet Inc’s “Google” have announced a partnership to lay the groundwork for better compatibility among their smart home products.
• Zigbee Alliance, whose members include IKEA and NXP Semiconductors among others, will also contribute to the project, titled ‘Connected Home over IP’.
• The partnership aims to make it easier for device manufacturers to build products that are compatible with smart home and voice services such as Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant.

GeM signs MoU with BoM, UCO Bank to provide a number of services

• The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) signed two memorandum of understandings (MoU) with Bank of Maharashtra and UCO Bank.
• The MoU aimed to provide a number of services.
• The MoU will facilitate the transfer of funds through GeM Pool Accounts (GPA).
• The Banks will also provide advice on the Performance Bank Guarantees (e-PBG) and Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) to the registered users on the GeM portal.

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BOM:Bank of Maharashtra is a major public sector bank in India. The government of India holds 87.74% of the total shares. The bank has 15 million customers across the length and breadth of the country served through 1897 branches as of 5 April 2016.

• Headquarters: Pune
• CEO: A. S. Rajeev
• Owner: Government of India

India signed USD250 mn loan with ADB to expand energy efficiency investments

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $250 million loan to Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL).
• The agreement aims to expand energy efficiency investments in India.
• The agreement is expected to benefit residential, agricultural, and institutional consumers.
• The Clean Technology Fund (CTF) will provide $46 million in financing. It will be administered by ADB.
• In 2016, EESL was offered a $200 million by ADB for Demand-Side Energy Efficiency Sector Project.
• The project focused on efficient lighting and appliances.

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ADB:The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The company also maintains 31 field offices around the world to promote social and economic development in Asia.

• Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines
• President: Takehiko Nakao
• Founded: 19 December 1966
• Membership: 68 countries
• Purpose: Economic development

SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS

Mandhana in ICC’s ODI and T20 team of the year

• India opener Smriti Mandhana was named in both the International Cricket Council’s ODI and T20 teams of the year.
• She has Jhulan Goswami, Poonam Yadav and Shikha Pandey for the company in the ODI team of the year and all-rounder Deepti Sharma in the T20 side.
• Mandhana has played 51 ODIs and 66 T20Is for India, besides a couple of Test matches.
• She has combined tally of 3476 runs in T20Is and ODIs.

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ICC: The International Cricket Council is the global governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from Australia, England, and South Africa. It was renamed as the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.

• Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Chairperson: Shashank Manohar
• CEO: Manu Sawhney
• Membership: 104 members
• Founded: 15 June 1909

DEFENCE CURRENT AFFAIRS

Anti-hijacking exercise conducted in Kochi port

• The Indian Navy, in collaboration with Indian Coast Guard, Cochin Port Trust, and all other concerned stakeholders, conducted a large-scale anti-hijacking exercise off the Port of Kochi.
• The Exercise code-named “Apharan” saw the participation of multiple agencies, including more than 12 ships and helicopters of the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, and Cochin Port Trust.

DRDO successfully test-fired the Upgraded version of Pinaka rocket

• An upgraded version of India’s indigenously developed Pinaka guided rocket system was successfully test-fired from Odisha coast on 19 December 2019.
• The rocket aims to boost the Army’s artillery power. It was fired from the Proof and Experimental Establishment firing test range at Chandipur.
• The multi-barrel rocket launch system was developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
• The weapon system was mounted on a Tatra truck.
• It is equipped with a guidance kit comprising an advanced navigation and control system.
• In March 2019, three successful trials of the Pinaka guided rocket system were conducted from the Pokhran test range in Rajasthan.

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DRDO:The Defence Research and Development Organisation is an agency of the Government of India, charged with the military’s research and development, headquartered in New Delhi, India.

• Headquarters location: New Delhi
• Motto: बलस्यमूलंविज्ञानम्; “Strength’s Origin is in Science” (Sanskrit)
• Founded: 1958
• Minister responsible: Rajnath Singh, Minister of Defence
• Chairman: Dr G. Satheesh Reddy

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Thawarchand Gehlot launches Braille version of ‘Exam Warriors’

• Social Justice and Empowerment Minister launched the Braille version of the book “Exam Warriors” written by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
• The braille version in English and Hindi has been printed by Rajasthan Netraheen Kalyan Sangh in Jaipur.
• The book contains a detailed-design of the animated picture and various yoga asanas which will let students imagine the pictorial graphics with ease.
• The book will surely benefit visually-impaired students who face mental stress during examinations.
• It will boost the confidence level of these students and help them get success in various competitive exams.

AWARDS

Sahitya Akademi announced 22 winners for the 2019 Sahitya Akademi Awards

• Sahitya Akademi has announced the winners of the 2019 Sahitya Akademi Awards in 23 languages on 18 December. Four of novels, seven books of poetry, six of short stories, three of essays and one each of non-fiction, biography, and autobiography won the award.
• For creative non-fiction, Dr. Shashi Tharoor in English was awarded
• For the autobiography, Dr. Vijaya in Kannada was awarded and for biography, Prof. Shafey Kidwai in Urdu won the award.

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