Current Affairs Update – 18 – 19 December, 2016

Hello and welcome to exampundit . Here are the important Current Affairs of 16 and 17 December, 2016. These are important for the upcoming IPPB PO Mains, NIACL AO Mains, IBPS Clerk Mains and RBI Assistant Mains 2016-17.

Current Affairs at a Glance – 18 – 19 December, 2016

  1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
    19 December 2016 unveiled first ever Indian Institute of Skills at Kanpur in Uttar
    Pradesh
    . On this occasion, Modi also launched Kaushal Pradarshini to portray major skill development initiatives of
    the Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
  2. State Bank MobiCash Mobile Wallet was launched on 18 December 2016. MobiCash
    is a product of State Bank of India (SBI) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL)
    .
  3. Lanura, a village in Budgam
    district of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), became the first village in the state to go
    cashless
    .
  4. Government is planning to start soon a toll free number 1955 for taking feedback of telecom subscribers on
    call drops
    .
  5. To help kids imbibe technical skills at an early age, Disney has launched its ‘Hour of Code’ campaign in
    India
    . Under the campaign, the entertainment firm will teach computer
    programming to school children through its free online tutorial featuring
    characters from its film Moana.
  6. Swasthya Raksha Programme: The
    programme was launched by the AYUSH Ministry to promote health and health
    education in rural villages.
  7. Indian cricketer Karun Nair on 19 December 2016 scored triple century in
    first innings of the fifth and final test-match against England. The match is
    being played at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. With this, Nair became the
    second Indian batsmen to score triple century in tests
    . Earlier,
    Virendra Sehwag scored two triple centuries in test matches.
  8. As India gears up to host its
    first ever major FIFA tournament, Bank of Baroda has come on board as the first national
    supporter for the Under 17 FIFA World Cup
    to be held in the second
    half of 2017.
  9. Atletico de Kolkata on 18 December 2016 was crowned the Indian Super League champions for the second time in
    three seasons
    .
  10. India on 18 December 2016 defeated Belgium 2-1 in the final to lift
    the 2016 Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup
    . The final was played at the Major
    Dhyan Chand Stadium in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
  11. Puerto Rico’s Stephanie Del Valle was
    crowned
    Miss
    World 2016 at the 66th edition of the event

    held at MGM National Harbor, Maryland in the United States of America on
    18 December 2016.
  12. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
    (UNESCO)
    on 13 December 2016 accorded
    the World Heritage Site Status to the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro
    .

Finance/Banking/Industry –
PM Narendra Modi unveiled first ever Indian Institute of Skills in
Kanpur

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
    19 December 2016 unveiled first ever Indian Institute of Skills at Kanpur in
    Uttar Pradesh.
  • On this occasion, Modi also
    launched Kaushal Pradarshini to portray major skill development initiatives of
    the Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).

About Indian Institute of
Skills
  • The institute at Kanpur is the
    country’s first ever Indian Institute of Skills.
  • The primary objective of the
    institute is to empower India’s youth to be more employable and
    self-sustainable.
  • The institute has been
    conceptualised by the Prime Minister during his visit to Singapore’s Institute
    of Technical Education.
  • The institute is inspired by the
    Singapore model of training and would adopt various best practices from the
    country.
  • The plan is to set up six such
    institutes across the country in coming years.

About Kaushal Pradarshini
  • It is a skill exhibition for the
    youth of Uttar Pradesh.
  • The exhibition showcases
    state-of-the-art vocational training practices across different sectors.
  • It will remain open for public
    view at the Railway Grounds in Kanpur between 19 December 2016 and 22 December
    2016.

State Bank of India launched State Bank MobiCash

  • State Bank MobiCash Mobile Wallet
    was launched on 18 December 2016. MobiCash is a product of State Bank of India
    (SBI) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL).
  • It was jointly inaugurated by
    Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Arun Jaitley and Minister of State
    for Communications (Independent charge) and Minster of State for Railways Manoj
    Sinha.
  • While introducing the MobiCash
    Mobile Wallet service, Finance Minister appreciated the broader vision of SBI
    and BSNL to bring a Wallet both for smart and feature phones.

Definition of State Bank
MobiCash Mobile Wallet
  • State Bank MobiCash will be the
    Mobile Wallet Service of the State Bank of India and includes the service over
    the Application/USSD/SMS.
  • In this case, bank means State
    Bank of India or any of its successors or assignees, while, wallet means a
    mobile-based prepaid wallet registered with the Bank.
  • Wallet Holder means the holder of
    State Bank MobiCash. This wallet service can be accessed with the help of 6
    digits Mobile Personal Identification Number (MPIN).
  • These mobile wallets will be
    governed by RBI and Bank’s policy. The product will be available to applicants
    having a valid Mobile number, identity proof and address proof.
  • Limits for the daily and monthly
    transaction under the MobiCash Wallet will be dependent on KYC norms.

Facilities offered under State
Bank MobiCash includes fund transfer, mobile recharge (BSNL Pre-paid), bill
payment (BSNL landline and Post-paid), balance enquiry and mini statement.
Lanura becomes first village to go cashless in J&K

  • Lanura, a village in Budgam
    district of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), became the first village in the state
    to go cashless.
  • As per reports, at least one
    member of every household in the village has been trained to use the Electronic
    Payment System (EPS) and so far, 150 people were trained for the purpose.
  • An official spokesperson said,
    the feat was achieved due to the efforts of the National Informatics Centre
    (NIC) and the CSC e-Governance Services India Limited under the objective of
    Digital Financial Inclusion. The government has been pushing for digital
    transactions since the demonetisation move that was announced on 8 November
    2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
  • Lanura village is located some 30
    kilometres away from Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. The
    village falls in Panchayat Bugroo-B in block Khansahab of the district.

India, Tajikistan signed 4 agreements to boost bilateral relations
  • India and Tajikistan on 17
    December 2016 signed 4 agreements to boost bilateral relations. The agreements/Memorandums
    of Understanding (MoUs) were signed in New Delhi during the State visit of
    Tajikistan president Emomali Rahmon.

Details related to the
agreements/MoUs
  1. A Memorandum of Understanding
    was signed between the Committee of television and radio of Tajikistan and the
    Prasar Bharati for cooperation on broadcasting in exchange of audio visual
    programs. Prasar Bharati is the public
    service broadcaster of the country that manages All India Radio and
    Doordarshan.
  2. A protocol was signed that seeks
    to amend the agreement between Tajikistan and India for the avoidance of double
    taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income.
  3. A MoU was signed between the
    Financial Intelligence Unit of India and the Financial Monitoring Department of
    Tajikistan concerning cooperation in the exchange of financial intelligence to
    deal with crimes related to money laundering and financing of terrorism.
  4.  An agreement was signed to
    initiate bilateral investment treaty between both the countries. The treaty
    will improve ease of doing business environment in India.

India –
Govt to launch toll free number ‘1955’ for taking feedback on call
drops

  • Government is planning to start
    soon a toll free number 1955 for taking feedback of telecom subscribers on call
    drops.
  • Provisioning of this number will
    be mandatory for telecom operators and should be accessible for local and STD
    calling.
  • As per a letter by the Department
    of Telecom to operators in last week of November the ‘1955’ number “is for
    the outbound calls to the subscribers, the IVRS system will have to present a
    pre-defined CLI (caller line identification) to the subscribers, through short
    code ‘1955’.”
  • State-run telecom firm MTNL has
    been directed to configure this short code. Telecom operators have been
    directed not to charge any integration, maintenance, operational fee from MTNL.
  • Official sources said that
    Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha will launch the service but did not disclose any
    further details.

Centre to set up single tribunal to decide inter-state water disputes
  • The Union government has taken
    the call of setting up a single committee to hear all the inter-state river
    water disputes.
  • The step would merge all existing
    tribunals into one single body and by doing this, the centre hopes to fasten
    the process of water dispute resolution. Apart from this central body, the
    government has also proposed to create some benches to look into disputes as
    and when required. These benches will not be permanent like the Tribunal and
    will be dissolved once the dispute is solved.

Key Highlights
  • The government has proposed the
    creation of one permanent Tribunal. It will be chaired by a retired judge of
    the Supreme Court.
  • In comparison to earlier
    tribunals that took very long to deliver the final verdict, this tribunal will
    be expected to deliver its verdict within three years.
  • Apart from this, the government
    has also proposed to set up a Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) comprising
    experts and policy makers.

Disney launches Hour of Code campaign to teach computer programming to
school kids

  • To help kids imbibe technical
    skills at an early age, Disney has launched its ‘Hour of Code’ campaign in
    India. Under the campaign, the entertainment firm will teach computer
    programming to school children through its free online tutorial featuring
    characters from its film Moana.
  • Presently, Disney is teaching
    coding to school students in different states of India like Rajasthan, Gujarat
    and Maharashtra.
  • Disney came to India with this
    campaign in its third global edition. Facts of the campaign
  • It will teach the basics of
    coding to students aged 8 years and above
  • It is being taken in over 700
    private and Public schools of these three states.
  • The programme that aims to reach
    out to a million students in India is being carried under the partnership with
    Next Education.

Swasthya Raksha Programme launched by AYUSH Ministry to promote health
in villages

  • Swasthya Raksha Programme: The
    programme was launched by the AYUSH Ministry to promote health and health
    education in rural villages.
  • The Swasthya Raksha Programme was
    in news on 16 December 2016 as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for
    AYUSH Shripad Yasso Naik provided information about the programme in the Lok
    Sabha.
  • It was launched by the Union
    Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy
    (AYUSH) in October 2015.
  • The purpose of the programme is
    to promote health and health education in villages
  • The Central Council for Research
    in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), the Central Council for Research in Unani
    Medicine (CCRUM), the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) and
    the Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS) are implementing the programme.

Sports –
Karun Nair became second Indian to score triple century in Tests

  • Indian cricketer Karun Nair on 19
    December 2016 scored triple century in first innings of the fifth and final
    test-match against England. The match is being played at MA Chidambaram Stadium
    in Chennai.
  • With this, Nair became the second
    Indian batsmen to score triple century in tests. Earlier, Virendra Sehwag
    scored two triple centuries in test matches.
  • Karun Nair’s unbeaten 303 helped
    India to reach 759/7 score. This score also helped India to lead England by 282
    runs.
  • In the first innings of the match
    England scored 477 runs.

Bank of Baroda backs Under-17 FIFA World Cup

  • As India gears up to host its
    first ever major FIFA tournament, Bank of Baroda has come on board as the first
    national supporter for the Under 17 FIFA World Cup to be held in the second
    half of 2017.
  • The Local Organising Committee
    (LOC) that comprises of members from the All India Football Federation and FIFA
    is looking at five more national supporters for the World Cup by the time the
    tournament rolls out.
  • While the financial details of
    the deal are not disclosed, Bank of Baroda has earmarked Rs 80 to 90 crore this
    fiscal on brand building and promotional activities, which includes sports
    sponsorships. The bank recently got Olympic medallist PV Sindhu on board as a
    brand ambassador as well.

Atletico de Kolkata crowned 2016 Indian Super League champions

  • Atletico de Kolkata on 18
    December 2016 was crowned the Indian Super League champions for the second time
    in three seasons.
  • The team defeated the Kerala
    Blasters in a penalty shootout, 4–3, during the final. The match had ended 1–1
    after 90 minutes and extra time.
  • The marquee player for the 2016
    season was Portugal international forward Helder Postiga. Spanish midfielder
    Borja Fernández served as the captain of the team.

Vijender Singh defeats Francis Cheka to retain WBO Asia Pacific Super
Middleweight title

  • India’s Vijender Singh on 17
    December 2016 knocked out Tanzania’s Francis Cheka at the Thyagaraj Stadium,
    New Delhi, to defend his WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title.
  • Singh took less than 10 minutes
    to knock Cheka out in the third round itself to retain the title.
  • The Haryana boxer had won the
    title in July 2016 by defeating WBC European champion Kerry Hope.
  • On the other hand, the Indian
    boxers dominated the undercard fights as well. In the first fight of the
    evening, Rajesh Kumar defeated Mubaraka Sseguya of Uganda in the Lightweight
    category. In the same category, Kuldeep Dhanda outpunched Egy Rozten of
    Indonesia. Deepak Tanwar emerged victorious in the Welterweight division by
    defeating Indonesian Sutriyono Bara Boys by technical knockout. In the Cruiserweight
    division, Dharmender Grewal overpowered Ugandan Abasi Kyobe by unanimous
    decision.

India defeats Belgium to win 2016 Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup

  • India on 18 December 2016
    defeated Belgium 2-1 in the final to lift the 2016 Men’s Hockey Junior World
    Cup. The final was played at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in Lucknow, Uttar
    Pradesh.
  • The third place in the tournament
    went to Germany, who was defeated by Belgium in the semi-final.
  • Also, it was the first time that
    a host nation has won the Cup in 11 editions of the tournament.
  • Top scorer in the tournament:
    England’s Edward Horler (8 goals)
  • Best player in the tournament:
    Spain’s Enrique Gonzalez de Castejon
  • Best goalkeeper in the
    tournament: Belgium’s Loic Van Doren  

Awards & Honors –
Puerto Rico’s Stephanie Del Valle crowned Miss World 2016

  • Puerto Rico’s Stephanie Del Valle
    was crowned Miss World 2016 at the 66th edition of the event held at MGM
    National Harbor, Maryland in the United States of America on 18 December 2016.
  • The competition saw a total of
    117 contestants from countries across the globe. Stephanie Del Valle beat
    runner-ups Miss Dominican Republic Yaritza Reyes and Miss Indonesia Natasha
    Mannuela to grab the esteemed title. Other contestants who made it to the top
    five were Miss Philippines Catriona Elisa Gray and Miss Kenya Evelyn Njambi.
  • 19-year-old Dev Valle was crowned
    by Miss World 2015, Mireia Lalaguna Royo. With the win, she becomes the second
    Puerto Rican to hold the title since the start of the competition in 1951. The
    first Puerto Rican to win the title was Wilnelia Merced in 1975. Dev Valle
    hopes to use this victory to enter the entertainment industry.
  • Miss India Priyadarshini
    Chatterjee, fell out of the race after failing to qualify in the top 10.

UNESCO accorded World Heritage Site Status to Rio de Janeiro

  • The United Nations Educational,
    Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on 13 December 2016 accorded the
    World Heritage Site Status to the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro.
  • The city has been registered as
    Carioca Landscapes between Mountain and Sea on the UNESCO world heritage list.
  • The UNESCO announced World
    Heritage Status to Rio de Janeiro on 1 July 2012. Subsequently, the city
    administration was given four years time to report on their plans to protect
    landmark places such as Sugarloaf Mountain, Flamengo Park,  Copacabana beach, Botanical Garden and Tijuca
    forest, etc.
  • Upon reviewing these plans, the
    UNESCO authorities finally approved the World Heritage Status to the city.
  • It is also known as Marvelous
    City.

World –
UK became the 1st country to legally approve 3-parent technique
  • The Human Fertilisation and
    Embryology Authority (HFEA) of the United Kingdom (UK) on 15 December 2016
    approved the 3-parent technique.
  • A 3-parent baby contains
    Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from three parents. This technique allows parents
    with rare genetic mutations to have healthy babies by replacing a mother’s
    faulty mitochondrial DNA (mDNA) with another woman’s mDNA.
  • With the present approval, the UK
    has become the first country in the world to legally approve the controversial
    medical advancement.
  • Though Mexico became home to the
    first baby with this technique in September 2016 itself, the country has no
    explicit legal stance on this issue so far.

British Library to digitise 4000 Bengali books
  • In an interesting new project,
    British Library- the national library of the United Kingdom- is going to
    digitise 4000 early printed Bengali books, amounting to almost 800000 pages.
  • The project is being conducted as
    a part of the UK-India Year of Culture plans for 2017. It is also a part of a
    wider project titled ‘Two Centuries of Indian Print’, which is an international
    partnership headed by British library to digitise all unique reading material
    from its South Asian printed books collection.
  • The collection features books
    that are highly popular, covering almost 22 South Asian languages.

Fifth edition of India-Arab Partnership Conference concluded in Muscat
  • The fifth edition of the
    India-Arab Partnership Conference concluded on 15 December 2016 in Muscat,
    Oman. The two-day conference focused on devising strategies to boost economic
    partnership between India and Arab League.
  • The theme of the conference was –
    Partnership towards innovation and cooperation in Information Technology.
  • It was organised by the Oman
    Foreign Ministry and Arab League Secretariat in partnership with the Union
    Ministry of External Affairs of India.
  • The participants in the
    conference deliberated on means and ways to enhance the flow of investments,
    accelerate the investment projects of prioritized sectors and export promotion.

Obituaries –
Henry Heimlich, inventor of Heimlich manoeuvre, dies
  • Henry Judah Heimlich, inventor of
    life-saving Heimlich manoeuvre, passed away on 17 December 2016 in Cincinnati,
    Ohio, U.S. He was 96.
  • Heimlich had graduated from New
    Rochelle High School in 1937. He earned a BA degree from Cornell University in
    1941. He received his M.D. from the Weill Cornell Medical College in 1943.
  • Heimlich also invented the Micro
    Trach portable oxygen system for ambulatory patients. He was also the inventor
    of the Heimlich Chest Drain Valve, which drains blood and air out of the chest
    cavity. The valve’s design allows air and blood to drain from the chest cavity
    in order to allow a collapsed lung to re-expand.

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