DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: DECEMBER 28, 2018

Dear Aspirants,

Daily Current Affairs (December 29, 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

PM Modi lays foundation stone of medical college at Ghazipur

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation stone of a medical college at Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh today.

He also released a commemorative postal stamp on Maharaja Suheldev.

President of India Inaugurates the 12th Global Healthcare Summit in Mumbai

The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the 12th Global Healthcare Summit organized by the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin in Mumbai on 28^th December 2018.

Earlier in the day, the President addressed The Yoga Institute, Mumbai, which is celebrating its centenary.

• Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) – Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unnani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) – Mr. Shripad Yesso Naik
• Constituency: North Goa (Lok Sabha)

Postal Stamp dedicated to Nabin Chandra Das, inventor of Rosogolla launched in West Bengal

A postal stamp dedicated to Nabin Chandra Das, inventor of Rosogolla was launched on the inaugural day of the three-day festival, Bagbazar-O-Rosogolla.

The Geographical Indication Tag (GI Tag) for Rasgulla has been granted to West Bengal in the year 2017.

Union Cabinet Approves amendments to POCSO Act

The Union Cabinet has approved amendments to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. The amendments are proposed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

The government on Friday approved amendments to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, to bring punishments for sexual assaults on boys on a par with those against girls. These include the provision of death penalty when the child is under 12 years and when a penetrative sexual assault is committed by a relative.

• Minister of Women & Child Development : Maneka Gandhi
• Constituency of Maneka Gandhi – Member of Lok Sabha from Pilibhit (Lok Sabha constituency)

INTERNATIONAL

PM Narendra Modi announces Rs 4,500 crore assistance to Bhutan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced a Rs 4,500-crore financial assistance to Bhutan to help the country implement its 12th five-year plan after he held wide-ranging talks with his Bhutanese counterpart Lotay Tshering.

In the talks, the two sides focused on further ramping up the already close bilateral relationship, particularly in the areas of hydropower and trade.

The two sides are understood to have also deliberated on security cooperation. Bhutan is a strategically important neighbour for India and both the countries have robust military cooperation which was reflected during Doklam face-off.

“India will contribute Rs 4,500 crore in Bhutan’s 12th five-year plan,” Modi said. The new five-year plan of Bhutan began this year and will continue till 2022.

Bhutan 

• Capital : Thimpu
• Currency: Ngultrum

BANKING & ECONOMY

RBI to set up compliance portal to track cyber fraud

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) would set up a compliance and tracking system portal to tackle the proliferation of cyber-fraud and seeks to establish a better redressal mechanism for consumers.

With digital transactions gaining traction, RBI’s customer-protection measures are a bid to promote and improve confidence in the digital channel.

This will support the government’s objective of creating a ‘less-cash’ economy.

• RBI Headquarters: Mumbai
• RBI Governor: Shaktikanta Das

RBI upgrades Esaf Small Finance Bank as scheduled bank

• Kerala-based Esaf Small Finance Bank has received the Reserve Bank approval to operate as scheduled bank.
• This makes Esaf the fifth scheduled bank from Kerala after Federal Bank, South Indian Bank, Catholic Syrian Bank, and Dhanlaxmi Bank.
• Esaf MFI was one among the 10 applicants to receive approval from RBI to start banking operations in 2016 as a small finance bank.

ESAF Headquarters: Thrissur

ICICI Bank raises Rs 1,140 cr via bonds

Private sector lender ICICI Bank said it has raised Rs 1,140 crore by issuing Basel III compliant bonds on private placement basis.

“The Bank has allotted 11,400 Basel III compliant unsecured subordinated perpetual Additional Tier 1 bonds in the nature of debentures aggregating INR 11.40 billion on private placement basis,” ICICI Bank said in a regulatory filing.

• ICICI Headquarters: Mumbai
• ICICI Chairman: Girish Chandra Chaturvedi
• ICICI MD & CEO: Sandeep Bakshi

United Bank to receive Rs.2,159 crore from Government

The government will infuse Rs.2,159 crore capital through preferential allotment in State-run United Bank of India.

According to sources, government has decided to pump Rs 28,615 crore into seven public sector banks (PSBs) through recapitalisation bonds soon.

Out of these seven PSBs, Bank of India, is likely to get the highest amount of Rs 10,086 crore, followed by Oriental Bank of Commerce, which might get Rs 5,500 crore through recapitalisation bonds, sources added.

The government had earlier announced an infusion of Rs 65,000 crore in PSBs in 2018-19, of which Rs 23,000 crore has already been disbursed, while Rs 42,000 crore is remaining.

Union Bank of India

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Chairman: Rajkiran Rai G

Ranking 

Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar tops Aspirational Districts: NITI Aayog

• NITI Aayog released the Second Delta Ranking of the Aspirational Districts Programme.
• The rankings were released by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant.
• The rankings detail the incremental progress achieved by the districts during June to October this year across six key development sectors.
• Virudhunagar district in Tamil Nadu has shown the most improvement overall, followed by Nuapada district in Odisha, Siddarthnagar in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar’s Aurangabad and Koraput in Odisha.
• Nagaland’s Kiphire district, Jharkhand’s Giridih, Chatra in Jharkhand, Hailakandi in Assam, and Pakur in Jharkhand have shown least improvement.
• The Aspirational District Programme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January this year with the aim to rapidly transform the districts that have shown relatively lesser progress in key social areas.

SPORTS

Luka Modric named Balkan Player of the Year

Croatia captain Luka Modric was named Balkan Athlete of the Year on Thursday, becoming only the second soccer player to scoop the prize after Bulgaria’s former European Footballer of the Year Hristo Stoichkov in 1994.

Luka Modric – Awards @ 2018

• Ballon d’Or 2018 Winner
• FIFA World Cup 2018 – Golden Ball Winner
• UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award 2017 – 2018
• The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2018
• IFFHS World’s Best Playmaker: 2018

French Footballer Of The Year 2018 Announced

2018 French Footballer of the year award went to Kylian Mbappe, who also won the FIFA Young Player Award 2018 in the recently ended FIFA World Cup 2018.

Former Arsenal star Thierry Henry remains the player with the most awards after winning it on five occasions during his illustrious career.

• 2017 – N’Golo Kanté (Chelsea) 
• 2016 – Antoine Griezmann (Atletico De Mardrid)

Obituary