Daily Current Affairs 16 October 2019 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.
NATIONAL NEWS
West Bengal govt to set up Kanyashree University in West Bengal to ’empower girls’
Aiming to empower girls, the West Bengal government has taken the initiative to set up a Kanyashree University in Nadia district and Kanyashree colleges across the state. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had laid the foundation stone of the new university at Krishnagar in Nadia district in January. The Kanyashree university would be only for women.
- The main objective of the scheme is to ensure that girls study in schools and delay their marriages until the age of 18 years.
Govt launches Food Safety Mitra Scheme
Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan launched Food Safety Mitra Scheme, Eat Right Jacket and Eat Right Jhola. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has introduced the scheme of Food Safety Mitra (FSM) through which it plans to engage motivated individuals with the food safety ecosystem at ground level.
- A Food Safety Mitra Scheme is an individual professional certified by FSSAI who assists in compliances related to FSS Act, Rules & Regulations with three avatars- Digital Mitra, Trainer Mitra and Hygiene Mitra depending upon their respective roles and responsibilities.
Indian Railways to become net zero carbon emitter by 2030
Indian Railways has announced that it will become a net-zero carbon emitter by 2030. The move will be a part of India’s strategy to combat climate change.
CBIC launches programme to strengthen Make in India
Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has launched a revamped and streamlined programme to attract investments into India and strengthen Make in India through manufacture and other operations under the bond scheme, of Customs Act, 1962.
- The Section enables conduct of manufacture and other operations in a customs bonded warehouse.
41st DRDO Directors Conference held in New Delhi
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 41st DRDO Directors Conference in New Delhi. The discussion included efforts taken by DRDO to ensure technological advancement of the Indian forces to safeguard the country.
India ranked 102 in Global Hunger Index 2019
India has slipped to 102 position in the Global Hunger Index 2019 of 117 countries, slipping from its 2018 position of 95.
- Seventeen countries, including Belarus, Ukraine, Turkey, Cuba and Kuwait, shared the top rank with GHI scores of less than five, the website of the Global Hunger Index that tracks hunger and malnutrition said.
- The report, prepared jointly by Irish aid agency Concern Worldwide and German organisation Welt Hunger Hilfe termed the level of hunger in India “serious”.
Mumbai 12th richest city in the world, NYC on top with 65 billionaires
New York City, one with the highest number of wealthiest people in the world, has 65 billionaires and over 380,000 millionaires, a report by New World Wealth has said. Mumbai is the only Indian city to feature in the top 20 list.
- Delhi is on 22nd position and second Indian city after Mumbai on the wealth intelligence firm’s ‘The Wealthiest Cities Worldwide in 2019’ list.
BANKING & FINANCE
RBI’s unified depts for regulation and supervision to be operationalised from November 1
The Reserve Bank of India has decided to operationalise ‘unified departments for supervision and regulation’ with effect from November 1, 2019, in a bid to strengthen its oversight of commercial banks, urban co-operative banks (UCBs) and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs).
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
IMF downgrades India’s GDP growth projection to 6.1 per cent in 2019
As against India’s real growth rate of 6.8 per cent in 2018, the IMF in its latest World Economic Outlook projected India’s growth rate at 6.1 per cent in 2019 and noted that the Indian economy is expected to pick up the next year at 7.0 per cent in 2020.
IMF downgrades World’s GDP growth projection
IMF has downgraded global growth in 2019 to 3%, the slowest since the global financial crisis. Globally, rising trade barriers, heightened uncertainty around trade and geopolitics, idiosyncratic factors that have strained several emerging markets and structural factors such as advanced economies’ ageing population and low productivity growth were the causes behind a “synchronized slowdown” the IMF said in its 2019 World Economic Outlook (WEO) Global Manufacturing Downturn, Rising Trade Barriers report
SPORTS
Smriti Mandhana loses No 1 spot in ODI rankings
Injured India opener Smriti Mandhana lost her top-spot in the International One-day International rankings after being toppled by New Zealand’s Amy Satterthwaite in the batting charts.
- Mandhana, who has 755 points, slipped to the second spot after she missed India’s recently concluded ODI series against South Africa due to injury.
Valtteri Bottas wins Japanese GP 2019
Valtteri Bottas won the Japanese Grand Prix with teammate Lewis Hamilton third behind Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. With the win, Mercedes have secured a Formula 1 record sixth straight World Championship double.
APPOINTMENTS
J.P.S. Chawla assumes charge as new Controller General of Accounts
Government of India has appointed J. P. S. Chawla, (1985-batch Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) Officer) as the new Controller General of Accounts (CGA), Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure. He will replace Girraj Prasad Gupta.
Anoop Kumar Mendiratta appointed as new Law Secretary
Anoop Kumar Mendiratta has been appointed as the new Law Secretary (Secretary, Legal Affairs) in the Union Law Ministry. He will serve in the position till 30 March 2023, or until he attains the age of 60.
AWARDS
Mumbai’s Flora Fountain and three others win UNESCO heritage awards
Mumbai’s iconic 155-year-old Flora Fountain and two other heritage landmarks in the country’s financial capital are among the four sites that have been chosen from India for the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
The four winners from India, include
- one from Ahmedabad — Award of Distinction for Vikram Sarabhai Library, Indian Institute of Management (IIM);
- and three from Mumbai — Award of Merit for Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue and Our Lady of Glory Church; while Honourable Mention for Flora Fountain.
IMPORTANT DAYS
World Food Day
World Food Day is celebrated every year around the world on 16 October in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 1945. This day generates awareness globally for those who suffer from hunger and to ensure the need for food security and nutritious diets for all. The main focus of this day is that food is a basic and fundamental human right.
- This year’s theme is “Our Actions Are Our Future”.
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