DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: DECEMBER 20, 2018 -

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: DECEMBER 20, 2018

Daily Current Affairs (December 20, 2018) like many other sections is inevitable and this also helps to score in the Banking awareness , Static GK and Financial Awareness sections. Remember, Banking Awareness and Static Awareness Questions are asked from the General Awareness section. This will also help you to ride your preparations for the forthcoming exams.

NATIONAL

Assam govt announces 3 schemes for farmer’s welfare:

Assam government has announced three schemes for the welfare of farmers. The schemes are the Assam Farmers’ Credit Subsidy Scheme (AFCSS), Assam Farmers’ Interest Relief Scheme (AFIRS) and Assam Farmers’ Incentive Scheme (AFIS).
Under AFCSS, whatever amount of loan the farmers took from banks and whatever amount they repaid, 25 per cent of the money will be reimbursed by the state government.
On AFIRS, the Minister said currently three per cent of the seven per cent interest against farm loan is paid by the Central government and the remaining four per cent is required to be paid by farmers.
Giving relief to the farmers, the state government has decided to pay the remaining four per cent loan.

Assam

Capital: Dispur
Chief minister: Sarbananda Sonowal
Governor: Jagdish Mukhi

Assam govt announces 3 schemes for farmer’s welfare:

In Rajasthan, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has announced that short term crop loans from cooperative banks and loans of up to two lakh rupees from nationalised and other banks will be waived. As per Gehlot, the scheme will apply to farmers in debt till November 30.

Rajasthan

Capitals: Jaipur, Jodhpur (Judiciary)
Chief minister: Ashok Gehlot
Governor: Kalyan Singh

High Level Meeting Between Indian and Indonesia Coast Guard:

Director General Indian Coast Guard (DG ICG) Shri G Rajendra Singh is hosting a seven-member delegation of the Indonesia Coast Guard (BAKAMLA) led by Chief of BAKAMLA Vice Admiral A.Taufiqoerrochman in India. High Level Meeting between Indian and Indonesia Coast Guard was held in New Delhi.
India and Indonesia have established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and there is considerable emphasis from both sides to enhance bilateral defence cooperation including maritime security cooperation. During the 6thIndia-Indonesia Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) meeting, held in New Delhi, both sides had agreed that Chief of BAKAMLA will visit India for a High-Level Meeting (HLM).

Three-day Conference on Soft Power in New Delhi inaugurated by Vice President:

Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has inaugurated a three-day conference on Soft Power in New Delhi. The Center for Soft Power is the first center in India that is dedicated to the study of Indian soft power. It was established in collaboration with India Foundation.
Soft power has been defined as the ability of nations to shape the preferences and influence the behaviour of other nations through appeal and attraction as opposed to coercion. It consists of three major categories – a nation’s culture, its political values and its foreign policy.

Shri Manoj Sinha released a commemorative Postage stamp on Rajkumar Shukla:

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Communications and Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha released a Commemorative Postage Stamp on Rajkumar Shukla at New Delhi in the presence of Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal, MP (West Champaran) and Sh. Satish Chandra Dubey, MP (Valmikinagar).

India’s largest cancer Institute launched in Jhajjar, Haryana:

India’s largest cancer institute, the “National Cancer Institute (NCI)” was launched at Jhajjar in Haryana. The 710-bed hospital opened its OPD services around five years after its foundation stone was laid by the then prime minister Manmohan Singh in 2014.
The hospital is expected to be fully operational by December 2020. The aim was to strengthen research and also bring down the patient load at All India Institute of Medical Sciences’ (AIIMS) cancer centre.

Haryana

Capital: Chandigarh
Chief minister: Manohar Lal Khattar
Governor: Satyadev Narayan Arya

Odisha CM announces Rs 10 crore for building Odiya Cultural Centre in Surat:

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced financial aid of Rs 10 crore for establishment of Odiya Cultural Centre in Gujarat’s Surat for their social celebrations.

Odisha

Capital: Bhubaneswar
Chief minister: Naveen Patnaik
Governor: Ganeshi Lal

INTERNATIONAL

India, S Korea to raise bilateral trade to 50 billion dollars by 2030:

India and South Korea have agreed to raise the quantum of the bilateral trade to 50 billion dollars by the year 2030. And to upgrade the bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, CEPA, and implementation of trade facilitation measures already agreed upon will help us move towards this target.
India and South Korea also explored new avenues of Korean investment in India’s infrastructure modernization. This was done during the meeting between Foreign Affairs Minister of Korea Ms. Kang Kyung-wha and External Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Three-day 7th round of India – South Korea CEPA negotiations held in South Korea:

The 7th round of India – South Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations were held in Seoul, South Korea.
South Korea imports around 15 lac tonnes of raw sugar annually and the Indian sugar industry is making efforts to export raw sugar from India during 2018-19 sugar season.

BANKING & BUSINESS

PSU Banks recover Rs 2.33 lakh cr worth of bad loans during 4 years:

Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla informed Parliament that Public Sector Banks (PSBs) have recovered 2.33 lakh crore rupees worth of bad loans during the four years from financial year 2014-15 to fiscal 2017-18.
Country’s largest lender SBI, stood on a gross bad loan of 2.02 lakh crore rupees as on September 30, 2018, showed the data furnished by the Minister which was sourced from the Reserve Bank.
Among the rest of the 20 PSBs, Punjab National Bank had grossed NPAs to the tune of 80,993 crore rupees by end of second quarter of the current fiscal, IDBI Bank 50,690 crore rupees, Bank of India 50,338 crore rupees, Union Bank of India 48,575 crores.
Bank of Baroda also had NPAs to the tune of 46,454 crores, Canara Bank 41,907 crores, Central Bank of India 37,411 crores, Indian Overseas Bank 35,607 crores and UCO Bank 28,822 crores.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

PK Das to take over as Chairman of CBIC from January 1, 2019:

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Pranab Kumar Das as the Chairman of CBIC from January 1, 2019. Das will take over from current Chairman S Ramesh, who retires on December 31.
About CBIC: The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) is the apex indirect tax policy-making body under the Finance Ministry.

SEBI gets first full-time chief vigilance officer:

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), which has been in existence for over three decades, will now have its first full-time Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO).
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) recently cleared the name of Arti Chhabra Srivastava, a 1990-batch Indian Ordinance Factory Services officer, as SEBI CVO. The appointment was duly approved by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).

Interim CBI Chief M Nageswara Rao Promoted As Additional Director:

M Nageswara Rao, who is holding the post of interim CBI director, was promoted to the rank of an additional director by the government.
A 1986-batch IPS officer from the Odisha cadre, Mr Rao’s name was cleared by the Appointments Committee of the union cabinet.

Ashok Kumar appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Djibouti:

Shri Ashok Kumar (IFS:1998), presently Joint Secretary in the Ministry has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Djibouti.

Mohinder Pratap Singh appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Mongolia:

Shri Mohinder Pratap Singh, presently Director at Headquarters has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Mongolia.

Belgium Prime Minister Charles Michel resigns over migration spat:

Belgium Prime Minister Charles Michel resigns over migration spat. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel has resigned amid pressure on his Government after the biggest party in his coalition quit over his support for the UN global compact on migration.

Kabaddi Player Anup Kumar announces his retirement:

Renowned Kabaddi Player, Anup Kumar announced his retirement from Kabaddi, ending a 15-year iconic career.
The 35-year-old had led India to a memorable Kabaddi World Cup title triumph in 2016. A sports veteran, Arjuna awardee Anup began his international career in 2006 at the South Asian Games in Sri Lanka.

AWARDS & HONOURS

Pakistan activist Asma Jahangir honoured wins UN Human Rights Prize for 2018:

Late Pakistan lawyer and human rights activist Asma Jahangir has been awarded the UN Human Rights Prize for 2018. Her daughter Munizae Jahangir received the prestigious award on behalf of her mother.
Other winners included women’s rights activist in Tanzania, Rebeca Gyumi; activist for the rights of indigenous Brazilian communities Joenia Wapichana and Ireland’s human rights organisation Front Line Defenders.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

The book ‘Changing India’ written by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was released:

A set of five volumes, “Changing India” details Mr Singh’s life as an economist as well as his 10-year period at the helm of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance regime.
Published by Oxford University Press, the book is being described as a definitive expression of the former prime minister’s perspectives on a wide range of economic, social and political issues as they evolved under his long and eventful career.