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Current Affairs Today – 7th December 2019
IMPORTANT DAYS AND THEMES
Armed Forces Flag Day observed on 7 December
- Armed Forces Flag Day is observed on 7th of December every year across the country to honour the martyrs and Armed Forces personnel, who safeguard the motherland.
- The day provides an opportunity to express gratitude to the nation towards forces guarding the borders and their families.
- The day reminds that the welfare of the soldiers and their families is the responsibility of the entire nation.
International Civil Aviation Day observed on 7 December
- The United Nations General Assembly officially recognized 7 December as International Civil Aviation Day globally.
- International Civil Aviation Day was established in 1994 as part of ICAO’s.
- In 1996, pursuant to an ICAO initiative and with the assistance of the Canadian Government. The theme of this year Civil Aviation Day is “75 Years of Connecting the World”.
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ICAO: The International Civil Aviation Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It changes the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth.
- Headquarters: Montreal, Canada
- Head: Fang Liu
- Founder: Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation
- Founded: 1944
- Parent organization: United Nations Economic and Social Council
- Formation: 4 April 1947
BANKING CURRENT AFFAIRS
NEFT transactions to be made 24×7 from December 16
- The Reserve Bank of India announced round-the-clock transactions will be allowed 24×7 facility under the National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) system on all days including weekends and holidays from December 16.
- These transactions after the usual banking hours are set to be automated initiated using ‘Straight through Processing (STP)’ modes by the banks.
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RBI: The Reserve Bank of India is India’s central banking institution, which controls the issuance and supply of the Indian rupee.
- Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata
- Headquarters: Mumbai
- Governor: Shaktikanta Das
- Deputy Governors: B P Kanungo, M K Jain, N S Vishwanathan
NEFT: National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) is an electronic funds transfer system maintained by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Started in November 2005, the setup was established and maintained by Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT).
RBI released Guidelines for on tap Licensing of SFBs
- Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released Guidelines for ‘on tap’ Licensing of Small Finance Banks (SFBs) in the Private Sector after making few changes.
- The previous guidelines were released on 27 November 2014.
Major changes from the earlier Guidelines on Small Finance Banks are:
♦ The new guidelines stated that the minimum paid-up voting equity capital or net worth requirement should be Rs.200 crore
♦ As per the new guidelines, licensing window will be open on-tap
♦ For Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks (UCBs), which want to transit into Small Finance Banks (SFBs), the initial requirement shall be Rs.100 crore. It should be increased to Rs.200 crore within five years from the date of commencement of business.
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RBI: The Reserve Bank of India is India’s central banking institution, which controls the issuance and supply of the Indian rupee.
- Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata
- Headquarters: Mumbai
- Governor: Shaktikanta Das
- Deputy Governors: B P Kanungo, M K Jain, N S Vishwanathan
Kerala Bank was launched by CM Vijayan
- The Kerala Bank, the biggest in the State, was launched by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on 6 December 2019. Under this, 13 district co-operative banks (DCBs) of Kerala were amalgamated with Kerala State Co-operative Bank to form the Kerala Bank.
- he move aimed to transform the banking sector of the state.
- It was initiated by the Kerala State government to form a state cooperative bank.
- It will provide unlimited opportunities for the state.
- It will facilitate transactions in other countries with a considerable population of Keralites.
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Kerala:
- Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
- Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan
- Governor: Arif Mohammed Khan
- Festivals: Onam, Vishu, Thrissur Pooram, Nehru Trophy Boat Race
- National Parks: Anamudi Shola National Park, Eravikulam National Park, Mathikettan Shola National Park, Pambadum Shola National Park, Periyar National Park,Silent Valley National Park
- Wildlife Sanctuaries: Aralam WLS, Chimmony WLS, Idukki WLS, Periyar WLS, Wayanad WLS, Peppara WLS, Neyyar WLS, Kurinjimala WLS, Malabar WLS etc
NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS
Ripu Daman Bevli as “Plogging Ambassador of India” on 50th Fit India Plogging Run
- Ripu Daman Bevli was appointed as Plogging Ambassador of India by Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) on the 50th Fit India Plogging Run held in Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
- The minister also launched the Plogging Ambassador Mission to nominate Indians who have been running and cleaning their cities, towns or districts as Plogging Ambassadors of their region.
- Plog run is a unique way of picking up garbage while jogging, it was added to the Fit India Movement as an initiative to combine fitness with cleanliness like combining the Fit India Movement and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
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- Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports: Kiren Rijiju
GoI launched National Clean Air Programme
- The Central Government launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) as a long-term, time-bound, national-level strategy to tackle the air pollution problem across the country in a comprehensive manner.
- The government is targeting to achieve 20 per cent to 30 per cent reduction in Particulate Matter PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations by 2024 keeping 2017 as the base year for the comparison of concentration.
- Under NCAP, 102 non-attainment cities have been identified based on ambient air quality data for the period 2011 – 2015 and WHO report 2014 – 2018.
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NCAP: The Centre has launched a programme to reduce particulate matter (PM) pollution by 20-30% in at least 102 cities by 2024. The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which was formally unveiled on Thursday, is envisaged as a scheme to provide the States and the Centre with a framework to combat air pollution.
Mahuamilan railway station became the 5,500th station to get the free WiFi facility
- Jharkhand’s Mahuamilan railway station has become the 5,500th station to get the facility free WiFi provided by the Railways has provided across the country.
- Midnapore Railway station of South Eastern Railway zone was the 5000th station in the country to have public Wi-Fi.
- Indian Railway of the Ministry of Railways is providing free Wi-Fi service to passengers under RailWire.
- The Railways WiFi free service began the service of providing free WiFi at its stations from January 2016 from Mumbai Central station.
STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS
Telangana CM releases book on Kaleswaram project
- Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao has released a book in Telugu on ‘Kaleswaram Project — Telangana’s chariot of Progress’ authored by Officer on Special Duty, Irrigation to the Chief Minister, Sridhar Rao Deshpande.
- The author explained in detail the efforts of Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao right from the conception of project and research done by using Google earth software and data of water flow from Central Water Commission in his book.
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Telangana
- Capital: Hyderabad
- Chief Minister: K. Chandrashekar Rao
- Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan
Assam govt sets up Anti-Depredation squads
- The Assam government has set up 15 Anti-Depredation Squads of the Forest department to deal with human-wildlife conflicts in the state.
- The anti-depredation squads will be stationed in 15 major human-wildlife conflict districts of the state to deal with the problem and ensure the safety of both humans and animals.
- The Forest Department has engaged specially trained 50 front line staff to handle conflict situations with 100 more staff to be trained in the coming days.
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Assam:
- Capital: Dispur
- Chief Minister: Sarbananda Sonowal
- Governor: Jagdish Mukhi
- National Park: Dibru-Saikhowa NP, Kaziranga NP, Manas NP, Nameri NP, Rajiv Gandhi Orang NP
J&K govt approves Leave Travel Concession in favour of its employees
- Jammu and Kashmir Government has approved the Leave Travel Concession (LTC) in favour of its employees.
- The move is to benefit more than 3.5 lakh, regular government employees.
- The rules as per the notification shall be deemed to have come into force from the date of 31st of October 2019 and had been entitled as Jammu & Kashmir Civil Services (Leave Travel Concession) Rules, 2019.
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Jammu & Kashmir:
- Capitals- Jammu (Winter), Srinagar (Summer)
- Lt Governor- Girish Chandra Murmu
- National Parks: City Forest (Salim Ali) National Park, Dachigam National Park, Hemis National Park, Kishtwar National Park
- Wildlife Sanctuaries: Baltal-Thajwas WLS, Changthang Cold Desert WLS, Gulmarg WLS, Jasrota WLS, Karakoram (Nubra Shyok) WLS etc
First Pashu Kisan credit cards were launched in Haryana
- The First Pashu Kisan credit cards in India were distributed to 101 animal farmers in Bhiwani, Haryana on 6 December at the Animal Farmers Credit Card Scheme launching ceremony.
- The State government has set a target to issue 10 lakh Pashu Kisan Credit cards by March 2021. The State aims to double the income of farmers in the state.
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Haryana:
- Capital: Chandigarh
- Chief Minister: Manohar Lal Khattar
- Governor: Satyadev Narayan Arya
- National Park: Sultanpur National Park, Kalesar National Park
SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES
Fourth India Water Impact Summit was held in New Delhi
- The 4th India Water Impact Summit was held from 5-7 December 2019 at the Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
- The Summit was organized by the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (cGanga) led by IIT Kanpur.
- The theme of the 2019 summit is Valuing Water | Transforming Ganga. The theme focuses on the Financing of High Impact Projects in the water sector.
- The 2019 Summit focused on integrated water resources management in urban and rural settings.
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Delhi:
- Chief Minister: Arvind Kejriwal
- Governor: Anil Baijal
RANKS AND INDICES
Aberdeen in A&N Islands declare best police station in country
- Aberdeen Police station in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands ranks 1st in the list of the best-performing police stations in the country while dealing with a property offence, a crime against women and weaker sections.
- Home Ministry released the list of ten best-performing Police stations in the country.
- Balasinor police station in Gujarat secured the 2nd rank while and Ajk Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh got the 3rd position.
AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED
IEPFA signs MOU with Bank of Baroda for Investor Awareness
- Investor Education & Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) works under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Bank of Baroda (BoB) to spread customer awareness and investor education and reaching out to investors and stakeholders.
- As per the agreement, 9,456 BoB branches will exhibit IEPFA posters on investor protection & 3,115 ATMs (Automated Teller Machine) and Cash Recyclers supported by self-service channels will feature digital banners on IEPFA.
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BOB: Bank of Baroda is an Indian Multinational, public sector Banking and Financial Services Company. It is the third largest public sector bank in India with a business mix of close to US$225 billion.
- Headquarters: Alkapuri, Vadodara
- CEO: P. S. Jayakumar
India-Bangladesh ties transcend strategic partnership
- The ties between India and Bangladesh for transcend strategic partnership.
- The multidimensional relationship between the two countries covers not only traditional areas like trade, commerce, security and border management but also new areas such as IT, space and nuclear science among others.
- India is a committed development partner of Bangladesh with a credit line worth 8 billion US dollars of which 80% is earmarked for infrastructure and connectivity sector.
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Bangladesh (Capital/Currency): Dhaka/Taka
- Prime Minister: Sheikh Hasina
AWARDS
National Florence Nightingale awards 2019
- President of India conferred 36 awardees with the National Florence Nightingale Awards 2019 at an event in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
- The award was given to Late Lini Sajeesh from Kozhikode, Kerala, who died while on duty caring for a Nipah (NiV) virus-infected patient in Kerala.
- The award was received by her spouse Sajeesh. Other 35 awardees were Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), Lady Health Visitors (LHVs), and nurses from different states and Union Territories (UT).
- The Nurses were awarded for their enthusiasm and compassion towards their work in community health centres and hospitals and also their involvement in national health programmes like eradication of polio, malaria and HIV/AIDS.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the year 2020 as the Year of Nurse and Midwife.
- The year 2020 also marks the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, after whom the awards have been named.
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WHO: The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. It was established on 7 April 1948, and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group.
- Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
- Head: Tedros Adhanom
- Founded: 7 April 1948
Ripu Daman Bevli is appointed as the Plogging Ambassador of India
- Ripu Daman Bevli has been appointed as the Plogging Ambassador of India.
- The appointment was announced by the Union Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs & Sports, Shri Kiren Rijiju on the Fit India Plogging Run.
- Ripu Daman Bevli is India’s first plogger.
- His mission is to Run to make Litter Free India which is in line Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat campaign.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
ISRO to set up space technology cells in Indian premier engineering and science colleges
- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced the setting up of five Space Technology Cells (STCs) at India’s premier engineering and science colleges.
- The Indian Space Agency aims to build new applications, conduct space research, and high-end technology.
- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced the setting up of five Space Technology Cells (STCs) at India’s premier engineering and science colleges. The Indian Space Agency aims to build new applications, conduct space research, and high-end technology.
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ISRO: The Indian Space Research Organisation is the space agency of the Government of India.
- Founded: 15 August 1969
- Headquarters: Bengaluru
- Founder: Vikram Sarabhai
- Director: Kailasavadivoo Sivan
- Subsidiary: Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
OBITUARIES
Bob Willis Former England cricket captain passes away
- Former England captain Bob Willis passed away.
- He captained England in 18 Tests and 29 one-day internationals before his retirement from all forms of cricket in 1984.
- The fast bowler took 325 wickets in 90 Tests from 1971 to 1984, claiming a career-best 8-43 to help England to a famous win over Australia at Headingley in the 1981 Ashes.
