Daily Current Affairs 19th January, 2018

Daily Current Affairs 19 January 2018 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Govt launches 100 accessible websites for Divyangs

Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot has launched 100 accessible websites for Divyangs. These 100 government websites are now divyang friendly.

• The divyang-friendly websites, especially for visually impaired, use features such as screen readers and screen magnifiers, which can relay website content to the user in audio format. Mr Gehlot said 900 such websites will be launched in a phased manner.

Govt launches Cyber Surakshit Bharat Yojna to strengthen cyber security

Union Government has launched the Cyber Surakshit Bharat Yojna to strengthen cyber security. It will be operated on the three principles of awareness, education and enablement.

• The Government has launched this initiative with a primary objective to keep the country data safe and protected. He said, the initiative is the first public-private partnership of its kind and will leverage the expertise of the IT industry in cyber security.

Odisha launches e-platform for hassle-free health services

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched an online platform, Odisha e-Hospital Management Information System (OeHMIS), to provide efficient and hassle-free health services to the public.

• Under this system, patients can be registered online and can view and download their individual Electronic Health Records at their doorstep through a web portal or mobile app.

Maitre-2 bus services to connect India and Bangladesh

Maitre-2 a second passenger bus to Kolkata via Dhaka is started from Agartala, Tripura, to give a boost to the trans-border relationship between India and Bangladesh.

• The bus service is expected to improve the relationship between India and Bangladesh through people-to-people connectivity.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

World’s largest underwater cave found in Mexico

Underwater archaeologists and divers in Mexico have announced that they found a passage connecting two underwater caves, creating what they say is the world’s largest flooded cave.

• The combined cave will be known as the Sac Actun system, taking on the name of the longer section.
• The cave stretches across 216 miles.

BANKING & FINANCE

Axis Bank partners NGO Srijan to mentor IIM graduates

Axis Bank is partnering with NGO Srijan through an initiative called Buddha Fellowship Programme to help nurture talent for the development sector. The bank is mentoring 15 graduates from the Indian Institutes of Management at Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Shillong, who have been taken on board by Srijan as campus hires.

Axis Securities takes membership on MCX platform

Axis Securities, a subsidiary of Axis Bank has became the first bank-sponsored broking entity to take membership of commodity derivatives exchange, Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed banks to provide broking services in commodities derivatives.

• The participation of such entities backed by financial institutions in the commodity derivatives market is expected to provide great impetus for the overall development of the commodities market.

AU Small Finance Bank inks MoU with LIC to offer PMJJBY scheme

Banking finance company AU Small Finance Bank has signed an MoU with LIC to offer Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY).

• Under the MoU, LIC will give a life cover of ₹2 lakh in case of death to the customer at a nominal premium of ₹330 per annum.

Govt cuts additional borrowing target from Rs 50,000 crore to Rs 20,000 crore for this fiscal

The government will borrow only Rs 20,000 crore extra in the last quarter of the current fiscal against Rs 50,000 crore announced in December, indicating an improvement in government finances that should calm fiscal worries.

• The Central Board of Direct Taxes said that provisional net direct tax collection as on January 15, 2018 showed a growth of 18.7% at Rs 6.89 lakh crore over the corresponding period last year.

SPORTS

FIFA rankings: India surges 3 places to occupy 102nd spot

The Indian men’s football team have climbed three spots to be placed 102nd in the latest Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) rankings.

India, which are ranked 14th among Asian countries, have earned 13 points over the past month for a total of 333 points.

• World Champions Germany remained standing at the top spot followed by Brazil, Portugal, Argentina and Belgium.

OBITUARY

Cartoonist Chandi Lahiri passes away

Eminent cartoonist Chandi Lahiri has passed away following respiratory complications. Starting his a career as a journalist, he entertained the readers for more than five decades with his cartoons published in various English and Bengali newspapers and magazines. He is also called the creator of ‘pocket cartoons’ in Bengal.

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