Daily Current Affairs 11 December 2019 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.
NATIONAL NEWS
Massive campaign launched by Ministry of Defence against single use plastic
Ministry of Defence is organising a massive plogging programme at more than 400 locations throughout the country as part of the activities of Swachhta Pakhwada.
- The aim of this massive exercise is to raise awareness amongst the community, collect plastic waste and make the surroundings clean. The slogan for this event is ‘Plastic Se Raksha – Swachhata Hi Suraksha’.
Sushil Modi replaces FM Nirmala Sitharaman as head of GoM on IGST
Deputy chief minister of Bihar Sushil Modi has replaced Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as the head of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on the Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST).
- Inadvertently Sitharaman was mentioned as the chairperson of the ministerial panel set up to discuss issues relating to IGST after she met on December 4 with finance ministers of Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and deputy chief ministers of Delhi and Puducherry.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses Ekal Vidyalaya Sangathan
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed Ekal Vidyalaya Sangathan, Gujarat through Video Message. PM congratulated Ekal Vidyalaya Sangathan for spearheading the ‘Ekal School Abhiyan’ which aims to promote the education among rural and tribal children.
- Reminding the audience that the day coincides with the ‘Punya Tithi’ of “Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Switzerland partner country for BioAsia 2020, to seek closer ties with India’s life science industries
Switzerland will be the partner country for BioAsia 2020 scheduled to be held in Telangana from February 17-19, 2020.
The theme of the 17th edition of BioAsia is ‘Today For Tomorrow’.
Global arms industry rankings: Sales up 4.6 per cent worldwide and US companies dominate the Top 5
The new data from SIPRI’s Arms Industry Database shows that sales of arms and military services by companies listed in the Top 100 have increased by 47 per cent since 2002 (the year from which comparable data is first available).
- For the first time since 2002, the top five spots in the ranking are held exclusively by arms companies based in the United States: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and General Dynamics. These five companies alone accounted for $148 billion and 35 per cent of total Top 100 arms sales in 2018
NASA to launch rover ‘MARS 2020’ next year
The rover mission is scheduled to launch in July 2020 as NASA’s next step in exploration of the Red Planet. It will not only seek signs of ancient habitable conditions – and past microbial life — but the rover also will collect rock and soil samples and store them in a cache on the planet’s surface.
- NASA has chosen Jezero Crater as the landing site for its upcoming Mars 2020 rover mission after a five year search.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
ADB trims India’s GDP growth forecast to 5.1 pc in current fiscal
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) trimmed its forecast for India’s economic growth in 2019-20 to 5.1 per cent saying consumption was affected by slow job growth and rural distress aggravated by poor harvest.
- In September, ADB forecast India’s GDP to grow 6.5 per cent in 2019-20 and 7.2 per cent in the year thereafter.
SPORTS
NADA names Suniel Shetty as brand ambassador
Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty was appointed as the brand ambassador of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). NADA along with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) recently conducted anti-doping awareness workshops for all footballers.
Wasim Jaffer becomes first Indian to play 150 Ranji matches
Veteran opener Wasim Jaffer became the first player in Indian cricket to feature in 150 Ranji matches. Overall, Jaffer has played 253 first-class games, scoring 19,147 runs at an average of 51.19. He has scored 57 hundreds and 88 fifties with 314 being his highest score
APPOINTMENTS
V. Viswanathan appointed Additional Director of Dhanlaxmi Bank
V Viswanathan has been appointed as Additional Director on the Board of Dhanlaxmi Bank with effect from December 09, 2019.
- Priorly, Viswanathan served as the Chief General Manager (Retail Banking) of State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH).
PUMA signs Sunil Chhetri as brand ambassador for three years
Indian men’s football team captain Sunil Chhetri has signed a three-year deal as brand ambassador with PUMA.
- With this deal, Chhetri has now joined the list of global players like France’s Antoine Griezmann, Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku, Uruguay’s Luis Suarez and Argentina’s Sergio Aguero among others.
AWARDS
Odisha awarded ‘World Habitat Award’ for Jaga Mission
Odisha government has won the ‘World Habitat Award’, global recognition for its ambitious initiative — Jaga Mission
- Jaga Mission is a slum land titling project, benefiting a million urban-poor living in the slums.
Onida chairman Gulu Mirchandani bags CEAMA Lifetime Achievement Award
Gulu Mirchandani, founder chairman of Mirc Electronics Ltd. (Onida) has been conferred with ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by CEAMA (Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association) in New Delhi
- Mr. Mirchandani, a veteran of Indian white goods industry was bestowed with this award for his “immense” contribution to the consumer electronics industry
OBITUARIES
George Laurer, inventor of the barcode passes away
George J. Laurer, whose invention of the Universal Product Code at IBM transformed retail and other industries around the world, passed away in USA. He was 94.
- The marking, composed of unique black bars and a 12-digit number, allowed retailers to identify products and their prices as they are scanned, usually at checkout.
Swedish Singer Marie Fredriksson passes away at 61
Swedish pop-singer Marie Fredriksson passed away at the age of 61 following a prolonged ailment.
BOOKS
Abanindranath Tagore’s book tracing Buddha’s journey now in English
A book by Rabindranath Tagore’s nephew Abanindranath which parallelly examines the journey of the Buddha through various stages of his life as well as that of a young village lad has been translated into English.
Published by Niyogi Books, the novel has been translated into English by Urbi Bhaduri.
IMPORTANT DAYS
International Mountain Day
International Mountain Day is observed on December 11 every year. International Mountain Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2003 to promote sustainable development in mountains.
- The theme of the International Mountain Day this year is ‘Mountains Matter for Youth’.
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