Daily Current Affairs 6th December, 2019

Daily Current Affairs 6 December 2019 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

PM Modi announces unique contest for students under PPC 2020 to reduce exam stress

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that a unique contest for the students of Class IX to XII will be held in January 2020 under the Pariksha pe Charcha (PPC) 2020 programme, to reduce exam stress. The winners will get to attend PPC 2020 early next year

• The themes given for the PPC 2020 are ‘Gratitude is Great’, ‘Your future depends on your aspirations’, ‘Examining Exams’, ‘Our duties, you take’ and ‘Balance is Beneficial’.

Cabinet approves launch of Bharat Bond Exchange Traded Fund

The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi approved the launch of Bharat Bond Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) which will be the first corporate bond ETF in the country.

• ETFs invest in a basket of securities representing an index, security or commodity and are traded on the stock exchange like any listed security.
• It will provide additional money for Central Public Sector Units (CPSUs), Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) and other government organisations

India signs LOCs in water supply, solar projects with Guinea

India extended Line of Credits for one water supply and two solar projects in Guinea. The development of the solar projects reflected Guinea’s commitment to the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

• The agreements were exchanged in the presence of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Guinean counterpart Mamadi Toure.

India achieved 28% reduction in malaria cases in 2018 : WHO report

According to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) World Malaria Report 2019, says India was one of the two high burden countries(India & Uganda) that achieved a 28 per cent reduction in malaria cases in 2018. WHO reiterated accelerated efforts by member countries to achieve zero malaria by 2030.

• India’s progress means the country no longer has the world’s 4th highest malaria burden, though it still is the only non-African country among the top 11 countries with the most malaria globally.

Election Commission to implement ‘Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System’

Election Commission of India has reviewed the system and process of registration of political parties. The new guidelines will be effective from 1st January, 2020.

• Accordingly the “Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System” (PPRTMS) will be implemented through an online portal.

Indian Ministry of Railways partners with UK for energy sustainability

The Indian Ministry of Railways has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Department for International Development (DFID) in the UK to achieve energy efficiency and self-sufficiency for Indian Railways.

• The MoU covers energy planning according to governmental policies, which include moving towards 100% greener electricity sources. It also aims to promote energy-efficient practises, fuel efficiency and other sustainable energy initiatives.

WEF partners with Punjab government to design pilot on Electric Vehicles ecosystem

Punjab Government has partnered with the World Economic Forum (WEF) to design a Public-Private pilot on shared, clean and electric mobility. It is a part of collaboration to be formulated at the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos in January 2020.

• Punjab is also set to get India’s first Auto Shredding Plant, with capacity to handle two lakh cars per annum in an 8- hour shift.

Punjab CM announces free police help to drop women safely home at night

Due to growing concerns over safety of women, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh announced free police help to drop women safely home if they are stranded outside between 9 pm and 6 am.

• The state-wide facility will be available on DIAL 100, 112 and 181, through which the woman caller will be connected immediately to the Police Control Room (PCR).

Avantee mega Food Park inaugurated in MP’s Dewas

In Madhya Pradesh, Union Minister for food processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurated Avantee mega Food Park in Dewas. This first food park of central India is spread over 51 acres and has been constructed at a cost of about 150 crore rupees.

India ranks 5th in Global Climate Risk Index

India is the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change, according to a report released by Environment think tank, Germanwatch. In the Climate Risk Index 2020, India’s rank has worsened from the 14th spot in 2017 to 5th in 2018 in the global vulnerability ladder.

• India has also recorded the highest number of fatalities due to climate change and the second highest monetary losses from its impact in 2018.
• Japan is the worst-hit country in 2018.

India ranks 73rd in UN index assessing e-commerce readiness

India has ranked 73rd out of 152 countries in a business-to-consumer E-commerce index 2019 released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, which is slightly improving its position from 80 in 2018 and 83 in 2017.

• The top three countries with highest readiness for electronic commerce, Netherlands followed by Switzerland and Singapore. European nations hold eight of the top 10 spots on the index, which ranks 152 countries on their readiness to engage in online commerce. The only non-European countries on the top 10 list are Singapore (3) and Australia (10).

India successfully carries out night test-firing of Prithvi Ballistic missile

India has successfully carried out a night test-firing of the over 300 km strike-range Prithvi ballistic missile off the coast of Balasore by the Strategic Forces Command. The testing of the indigenously developed nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Prithvi-2 missile was a part of a user trial by the Army.

BANKING & FINANCE

RBI releases “Guidelines for ‘on tap’ Licensing of SFB in the Private Sector”

The Reserve Bank of India released guidelines for ‘on tap’ Licensing of Small Finance Banks in the Private Sector. Now payments banks willing to convert themselves into small finance banks (SFBs) can apply for such a licence only after 5 years of operations.

• The licensing window will be open on-tap. The minimum capital for setting up an SFB has been mandated at ₹200 crores, adding for primary (urban) co-operative banks (UCBs), which wish to become SFBs, the initial requirement of net worth will be ₹100 crores, which will have to be increased to ₹200 crores within five years from the date of commencement of business. SFBs will be given scheduled bank status immediately upon commencement of operations.

HDFC ERGO launches my:health Woman Suraksha – A special health insurance for women

India’s third-largest non-life insurance provider in the private sector, HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company has launched of my:health Woman Suraksha policy.

• The policy is specially designed to cover women against numerous illnesses and contingencies they may face during their lifetime, thereby providing financial aid in case of medical contingencies.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Flipkart, Punjab government sign two MoUs to create opportunities for MSMEs

Leading e-commerce marketplace Flipkart signed two memoranda of understanding with the government of Punjab to increase business and trade inclusion opportunities for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Punjab

• Through these MoUs, thousands of under-resourced sellers, artisans and weavers from Punjab will be onboarded to Flipkart through its Samarth initiative.

Wipro launches next-gen cybersecurity defence centre in Melbourne

IT services major Wipro Ltd has launched its next-generation cybersecurity defence centre to make substantial investments to upskill its employees and hire more local resources in Melbourne, Australia

• According to Wipro’s recently released State of Cybersecurity Report 2019 (in which 10 per cent of the global organisations surveyed were from Australia), 55 per cent of the respondents highlighted digital lockdowns due to ransomware attacks are their top cyber risk.

ADB, ACAMS partner to improve anti-money laundering capacities in developing Asia

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS) are partnering in the pilot rollout of an internationally accredited online training programme to boost anti-money laundering and know-your-client (AML/KYC) capacities of ADB’s Trade Finance Programme (TFP) partner banks.

S & P reaffirms India’s sovereign credit rating at BBB minus with stable outlook

The government said that ratings agency S&P Global has reaffirmed India’s sovereign rating at BBB- with stable outlook and it expects India’s economy to continue to outperform its peers along with strong growth over the next two years.

• S&P’s rating action follows Moody’s Investors Service’s lowering of India’s rating outlook to ‘negative’ from ‘stable’ recently.

APPOINTMENTS

Sundar Pichai named CEO of Alphabet

Google chief executive Sundar Pichai appointed as the CEO of Alphabet, the parent company of Google after Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin have announced that they are stepping down

AWARDS

Shilpa Shetty’s fitness app wins in 2019 Google Play Awards

Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty’s fitness app “Shilpa Shetty App” has been awarded Google Play’s Best Apps of 2019 in the ‘Personal Growth’ category.

Joaquin Phoenix named PETA Person of the Year

‘Joker’ star Joaquin Phoenix has been named 2019 Person of the Year by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for promoting welfare rights for animals in trouble.According to The Hollywood Reporter, Phoenix is vegan since the age of three and has been a longtime supporter of the animal rights organisation.

ET presents Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service 2019 to late Arun Jaitley

Former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was conferred posthumously the Lifetime Achievement award for Public Service at the Economic Times Award 2019.The award was received by his wife Mrs. Sangeeta Jaitley.

Odisha Jawan sets World Record With Gravity-Defying Stunts

Odia Jawan Sangram Keshari Jena has set a world record by displaying dare-devil stunts on moving motorcycle. Jena set the record by covering a distance of 128 km while standing backwards on a ladder atop a moving motorcycle at a show organised at Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Volunteer Day

The United Nations (UN) annually observes the International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development on December 5.

• 2019 International Volunteer Day is celebrated with the theme “Volunteer for an inclusive future”, highlighting SDG 10 and the pursuit of equality – including inclusion – through volunteerism.

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