DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: JANUARY 4, 2019

Dear Aspirants,

Daily Current Affairs (January 4, 2019) 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

Chandrababu Naidu launches ‘NCBN app’ to connect with commoners :

• Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu launched the Prana Raksha web application developed by the Chittoor police at Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh.
• The app has been designed to save the lives of road accident victims and reach out to women in distress.
• The Prana Raksha app, which works on the SoS and panic button features, would enable users to immediately contact the police.

Kerala State Cabinet approved Kerala Pravasi Welfare Act :

• The Kerala State Cabinet decided to recommend the Governor to promulgate an Ordinance amending the Kerala Pravasi Welfare Act.
• The Act aims at providing a regular income for Non-Resident Keralites (NoRKs) returning home.
• The amount collected through the scheme will be used to fund development activities taken up by Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) and other agencies.

Haryana government approves 11 projects to resurrect Saraswati river :

• Haryana Saraswati Heritage Development Board (HSHDB) met under the chairmanship of chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and approved 11 major projects, including the restoration of heritage sites, along the course of the river.
• These include the construction of Somb Saraswati barrage, Saraswati reservoir and Adi Badri dam on Somb river, a tributary of the Yamuna that originates in the Shivalik Hills.

Parliament passes RTE Act amendment to abolish no detention policy:

• The Indian Parliament on January 3, 2018 passed the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2018 that seeks to do away with the no-detention policy in schools.
• Under the current provisions of the Act, no student can be detained up to class VIII. The motion to pass the bill was accepted by voice vote in the upper house of the Parliament, the Rajya Sabha.
• The key aim behind the move is to rebuild the education system of the country, which is at present broken, as per the Union HRD Minister.

Rs 185 cr released since FY 2015-16 to enhance female literacy rate among Scheduled Tribes :

• The Centre has released around Rs 185 crore since financial year 2015-2016 to bridge the gap between literacy levels of tribal girls and the general female population.
• The scheme, being implemented through voluntary and non-governmental organisations, aims at reducing the dropout rate at the elementary level by creating the required ambience for the education of tribal girls.

Parliament passes National Council for Teacher Education (Amendment) Bill, 2018:

• The Indian Parliament passed the National Council for Teacher Education (Amendment) Bill, 2018, following the approval of the Rajya Sabha.
• The Bill seeks to amend the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) Act, 1993.The Bill was introduced by the Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar in Lok Sabha on December 18, 2017.
• The bill aims to grant retrospective recognition to Central and State institutions which had conducted teacher education courses without approval by the Council. This will ensure that the future of about 17 thousand students having degrees from such institutions is secured.

INTERNATIONAL

Arunima Sinha, First Female Amputee To Scale Mt Everest:

• Setting a first-of-its-kind record, Indian mountaineer 30-year-old Arunima Sinha became the first female amputee to climb Mount Vinson, the highest peak of Antarctica.
• She was also the world’s first woman amputee to climb Mount Everest .With this, Arunima has created a world record by becoming the first female amputee to climb 5 mountains of the world.

BANKING & ECONOMY

Sebi allows custodial services in commodity market, paves way for MF entry:

• Markets regulator Sebi has allowed custodial services in the commodity derivatives market which would enable participation of institutional investors, including mutual funds, in the segment.
• Under the new framework, existing custodians will be permitted to add commodities as an asset class and provide physical delivery of both the securities and commodities, Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi).

STATIC:Securities and Exchange Board of India.

Chairman- Ajay Tyagi

Headquarters- Mumbai.

PSU Syndicate Bank and SBI Life Insurance sign a bancassurance pact:

• Syndicate Bank and SBI Life Insurance signed a bancassurance pact aiming to offer a comprehensive financial planning solution to its customers.
• This was signed between Syndicate Bank MD & CEO, Mrutyunjay Mahapatra and MD and CEO of SBI Life, Sanjeev

STATIC: Syndicate Bank

Headquarters: Manipal, Karnataka

RBI Forms Expert Panel On MSMEs under Ex-SEBI Chief UK Sinha :

• The Reserve Bank set up an expert committee under former SEBI chairman U K Sinha to suggest long-term solutions for the economic and financial sustainability of the MSME sector.
• The eight-member committee will also examine the factors affecting the timely and adequate availability of finance to the sector.

STATIC:

Headquarter: Mumbai

Governor: Shaktikanta Das

Bharti AXA Life uses WhatsApp to deliver policy, renewal premium :

• Private sector insurer Bharti AXA Life Insurance started delivering policies and renewal premium receipt to customers via instant messaging platform WhatsApp as a part of its alternative service option to the policy holders.
• Bharti AXA Life Insurance, a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and French Insurance major AXA is one of the first few insurers to provide the option of policy contract, renewal premium receipts and claim intimation through whatsapp.

STATIC:AXA Life Insurance

Chief Operating Officer: Ishita Mukherjee

MD & CEO: Vikas Seth

India cuts duty on refined, crude palm oil from ASEAN to 40 and 45 percent respectively:

• The ministry of finance announced that he government has cut import duties on crude and refined palm oil from Southeast Asian countries or ASEAN countries.
• This move was taken under the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement and Malaysia under the India-Malaysia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (IMCECA).
• The duty on crude palm oil from Malaysia, Indonesia and other members of the Association of South East Asian Nations was cut to 40 per cent from 44 per cent.

STATIC:ASEAN

Headquarters: Jakarta, Indonesia.

Seven Oil PSUs signed pact with IIT Bombay to set up centre of excellence:

• IIT Bombay and 7 public sector oil companies inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for setting up Centre of Excellence in Oil, Gas and Energy.
• The MoU was signed by heads of Indian Oil Corp (IOC),Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC),GAIL India Ltd,Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL),Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL),Oil India Ltd and Engineers India Ltd.
• This would link up energy industry and academics to help jointly address energy requirements with new and innovative, indigenous technology.

HDFC MF overtakes ICICI Prudential MF to become largest AMC :

• HDFC Mutual Fund has surpassed ICICI Prudential MF to regain top position after two years as the largest asset management company (AMC).
• While HDFC MF looks after assets worth Rs 3.35 lakh crore, ICICI Prudential MF manages Rs 3.08 lakh crore, according to AMFI data.
• In the October-December quarter, AUM under HDFC MF have risen by more than 9 per cent when compared to the previous quarter. In the same period, AUM plunged 0.6 per cent for ICICI Prudential MF.

STATIC:HDFC MF.

Headquarters : Mumbai.

Managing Director:Mr. Milind Barve

APPOINTMENTS:

Justice Asif Saeed Khosa appointed as the new Chief Justice of Pakistan:

• Justice Asif Saeed Khosa will take oath of his office a day after incumbent CJP Justice Saqib Nisar retires on January 17.
• Justice Khosa has been a senior Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan since 31 December 2016

Pentagon comptroller David Norquist named acting deputy defence secretary:

• Pentagon comptroller David Norquist was named acting deputy defence secretary.
• He has been the department’s chief financial officer and comptroller since May 2017.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Researchers develop brain ‘pacemaker’ to treat epileps:

• New York, Researchers have developed a device that works like a “pacemaker for the brain” to monitor the brain’s electrical activity and potentially deliver fine-tuned treatments to patients with diseases like epilepsy and Parkinson’s.
• The most important feature of the device is that it is both wireless and autonomous, which means when it learns to recognize the signs of tremor or seizures then it can adjust the stimulation parameters on its own to prevent the unwanted movements.

IIT Guwahati develops a paper sensor that can detect freshness of milk :

• Scientists at Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati have developed a simple paper kit that can test freshness of milk and tell how well it has been pasteurized.
• The team has prepared a kit by attaching probe discs onto a 2 cm square transparent cellulose acetate film. The probe is then covered with another cellulose acetate film.
• The kit is sided with smart phone app to ensure that milk is consumed before it turns too sour.

SPORTS

Virat Kohli beats Sachin Tendulkar to become the fastest 19000 international runs :

• 30 years old Indian cricket team captain, Virat Kohli beats Cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar’s to become the fastest batsman to score 19000 international runs on the 1^st day of 4^th Test Match in Sydney against Australia.
• Virat Kohli crossed 19000 runs mark in 399 innings whereas Sachin Tendulkar took 432 innings to score 19000 runs.

OBITUARIES

Bengali writer Dibyendu Palit passes away:

• Renowned Bengali writer and Sahitya Akademi awardee Dibyendu Palit died due to age-related ailments.
• Palit was conferred the Sahitya Akademi for his novel ‘Anubhab’ in 1998.