Daily updates 30 November 2019

National News

1. Central Govt extends deadline for FASTags to 15th December

i. The Transport Ministry has extended the 01st December deadline for 100% electronic toll collection across National Highways in the country by two weeks (15th December). This comes as the government wants to allow a 15 days’ breather for vehicle owners to switch to FASTags.
ii. FASTag is a sticker that has to be put at the front windshield of your vehicle. This sticker becomes the radio frequency identity of your car which is automatically read by the sensors placed at the toll plazas.

Important Takeaways for LIC Assistant Mains and IBPS SO Prelims:

• Nitin Jairam Gadkari is the current Minister for Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in the Government of India.
• The total expenditure on the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for 2019-20 is estimated at Rs 83,016 crore.

Banking/Economy/Finance News

2. RBI Imposes Rs 1.50 crore penalty on Corporation Bank

i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of ₹1.50 crore on Corporation Bank for non-compliance with certain provisions of directions issued by RBI. The penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers vested in the RBI under the provisions of Section 47 A (1) (c) read with Section 46 (4) (i) and 51 (1) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. This action is based on the deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers.

Important Takeaways for IBPS Clerk Mains and IBPS SO Prelims:

• PV Bharathi is Chief Executive Officer of Corporation Bank.
• Corporation Bank headquartered in Mangalore.

3. India's GDP growth further dips to 4.5% in July-Sept

i. India's GDP growth hit an over six-year low of 4.5 percent in July-September 2019, dragged mainly by deceleration in manufacturing output and subdued farm sector activity. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth was recorded at 7 percent in the corresponding quarter of FY 2018-19. In the previous quarter of the ongoing fiscal, the economic growth was 5 percent.

ii. This GDP growth data for the September 2019 quarter is the lowest since January-March of 2012-13, when it was registered at 4.3 per cent.

4. Aditya Birla Finance becomes first NBFC to list commercial paper on bourses

i. Non-bank lender Aditya Birla Finance became the first company to list its commercial papers borrowing of Rs 100 crore on the bourses. The Kumarmangalam Birla-led company listed its CPs on NSE with a value date of November 28, 2019 and maturity date on February 7, 2020 on BSE and NSE, both the bourses.
ii. ABFL is a diversified non-banking finance company (NBFC) with a long-term credit rating of AAA (Stable) from both Icra as well as India Ratings.

5. HR Khan Appointed as chairman of MFI panel

i. Former deputy governor of RBI, HR Khan has been appointed as the first chairman of the steering committee of the Code for Responsible Lending (CRL) in micro-credit. The CRL is a self-regulatory step for the micro-credit industry making diverse entities like banks, NBFC-MFIs and NBFCs adhere to standards of customer protection.
ii. CRL was launched in September by MFIN and Sa-Dhan, an RBI-recognised association of MFIs, along with Finance Industry Development Council, an association of NBFCs.

Sports

6. Australian Steve Smith becomes fastest Cricketer to reach 7,000 Test runs

i. Steve Smith became the fastest crickter to score 7,000 Test runs, shattering a record that had stood since 1946, while moving past Donald Bradman to become Australia’s 11th highest scorer. The 30-year-old took a single off Muhammad Musa during the second Test against Pakistan in Adelaide to reach the milestone and take possession of a record held for 73 years by English great Wally Hammond.
ii. Hammond reached the mark in 131 innings, while Smith, who played his first Test nine years ago, made the grade in his 126th. India’s Virender Sehwag is the third fastest in 134 innings.

Obituries

7. Former PM of Japan, Yasuhiro Nakasone Passed Away

i. Yasuhiro Nakasone, one of Japan’s longest-reigning Prime Ministers and known for his friendship with Ronald Reagan, has passed away at the age of 101. Nakasone, Prime Minister from 1982 to 1987, shared the world stage with Reagan and Margaret Thatcher while battling with bureaucrats over domestic reforms.
ii. In 1983, he became the first Japanese premier to officially visit South Korea, mending fences with a country that Japan had brutally colonised from 1910 to 1945.

Important Takeaways for IBPS Clerk Mains and IBPS SO Prelims:

• Shinzo Abe is the current Prime Minister of Japan.
• The Yen is the official currency of Japan.

Daily updates 29 November 2019

National

1. Rajnath to inaugurate 3rd edition of Military Literature Festival

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the 3-day-long Military Literature Festival (MLF) on 13 December 2019 at Chandigarh.
• The event would present an international level forum to foster and preserve the exchange of knowledge related to military literature and associated works.
• The 10 books of noted defence and literary authors would also be released on occasion.
• This year, the event would commemorate Indian participation in the Burma Campaign in World War II, the 75th anniversary of which falls next year.

2. India to host 2023 Men's Hockey World Cup

• India wins bid to host 2023 Men's Hockey World Cup Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar and Biju Patnaik Hockey Stadium in Rourkela to be the venues for the tournament.
• The state capital is also one of the venues for the 2020 FIFA Women's U-17 World Cup.
• Bhubaneswar has hosted some big international sporting events, including the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships, 2017 FIH Hockey World League Final, FIH Men's Series Finals in 2019 and the recently-concluded FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Odisha CM: Naveen Patnaik; Governor: Ganeshi Lal.

International

3. EU Parliament declares climate emergency

• The European Union’s legislature has declared a climate emergency, in a symbolic move aimed at increasing pressure on the incoming European Commission to take a stronger stance on climate change.
• The parliament voted 429/225 with 19 abstentions to call the increasing environmental challenges linked to climate change an emergency.
• The climate declaration was passed in Strasbourg during a European Parliament debate on the upcoming United Nations' COP25 climate summit.
• The summit kicks off on 2nd December in Madrid. EU lawmakers urged the European Commission to fully ensure all relevant legislative and budgetary proposals are fully aligned with the 1.5-degrees-Celsius target limit on global warming.
• The resolution calls on the EU to cut emissions by 55 per cent by 2030 to become climate neutral by 2050.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• European Union Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.
• European Parliament president: David-Maria Sassoli.

Appointments

4. Tata Comm board appoints A S Lakshminarayanan as MD and CEO

• The Board of Tata Communications (Tata Comm) appointed Amur Swaminathan Lakshminarayanan as the managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of the telecom company for a term of five years with effect from 26 November 2019.
• Prior to joining Tata Comm, Lakshminarayanan was the president and CEO of TCS, Japan where he was in charge of accelerating the company’s market opportunity and developing the brand in the region.

5. Uddhav Thackeray takes oath as Maharashtra CM

• Shiv Sena Chief and Maha Vikas Aghadi nominee Uddhav Thackeray took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
• He is the 19th Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
• He was named as the leader of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance called the 'Maha Vikas Aghadi'.
• Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari administered the oath to Thackeray at Shivaji Park, Dadar in Central Mumbai.
• He is the first Thackeray family member to become Maharashtra's CM.
• The alliance is yet to decide the candidate for the Deputy CM post.

Awards

6. ‘Particles’ wins the Golden Peacock Award at IFFI 2019

• ‘Particles’ directed by Blaise Harrison and produced by Estelle Fialon has won the coveted Golden Peacock Award at the 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which concluded in Goa on November 28, 2019.
• The Golden Peacock Award carries a cash prize of Rs 40 lakhs to be shared equally between the Director and the Producer, Trophy and the citation.
• ‘Particles’ is an “ambitious yet modest film about the mysteries of being a teenager,”.

Economy

7. Moody’s expects Centre’s fiscal deficit to rise to 3.7%

• Global rating agency Moody’s expects the Centre’s fiscal deficit to touch 3.7% of the GDP.
• The Centre has targeted to keep the deficit at 3.3 per cent for the current fiscal (2019-20), but it has already reached 92.6 per cent of the Budget estimate in first six months of the current fiscal.
• For all the state governments, the fiscal deficit estimated to be around 3 %.
• A fiscal deficit is a shortfall in a government’s income compared with its spending.
• It is calculated as a percentage of GDP, or simply as total dollars spent in excess of income.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Moody's founder: John Moody.
• Headquarters: New York City, United States; Moody's founded: 1909.

Defence

8. Indian Army successfully test-fired 2 Spike LR missile in MP

• The Indian Army has successfully test-fired 2 Spike long-range anti-tank missiles at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh.
• Spike is a 4th-generation missile which can engage any target with precision at ranges up to 4 km. India became the 33rd country to have the Spike missile as part of its inventory.
• The missile has the ability to fire, observe and update, providing substantial flexibility to the firer to pinpoint the impact point.
• It also has the ability to switch to a different target mid-flight.
• The firer has the option of firing from a low or high trajectory.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• The motto of Indian Army: “Service Before Self”.
• Headquarters: New Delhi.
• Commander-in-Chief: President Ram Nath Kovind.

Science and Technology

9. ISRO transfer space-grade Li-Ion cell technology to BHEL

• ISRO has transferred its indigenous technology to produce space-grade Li-Ion cells to Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).
• In March 2018, BHEL signed the Technology Transfer Agreement with ISRO for acquiring the Li-Ion Cell production technology.
• This production facility is primarily targeting to meet Li-Ion Cell requirements for ISRO and other strategic sectors.
• BHEL can also produce and sell Li-Ion cells for meeting other national/commercial applications by suitably modifying the space-grade cell which can lead to cost reduction.
• BHEL is in the process of establishing the Li-Ion production facility near Bangalore in Karnataka.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Chairman & MD of BHEL: Nalin Shinghal.
• Founded in: 1964; Headquarters: New Delhi, India.

Summits and Conferences

10. G K Reddy inaugurates 1st Intl. Conf on “Landslides Risk Reduction and Resilience"

• Minister of State for Home Affairs, inaugurated the 1st International Conference on “Landslides Risk Reduction and Resilience" in New Delhi.
• The Conference called for developing technology to anticipate disasters like landslides and develop infrastructure to quickly respond to minimise the damage.
• The landslides have attracted global attention as they may cause huge havoc on communities, livestock, environment leading to huge loss of lives.
• This conference will go a long way in finding long term solutions to natural disasters.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Minister of State for Home Affairs: G Kishan Reddy.

Books and Authors

11. MHRD launches 3 books for children namely Kumbh, Garam Pahad and Dilli ki Bulbul

• Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched 3 books which are a collection of stories for Children namelyKumbh, Garam Pahad and Dilli ki Bulbul (Sindhi edition) in New Delhi.
• Authored by a popular writer of children’s books and travelogues Dr Anita Bhatnagar Jain.
• She is an officer of Indian Administrative Services (1985 batch).
• The three books are a collection of stories for children and have brought out environmental issues and topics like socio-cultural unity& cultural heritage in a very simple and interesting manner.

Obituaries

12. Renowned cartoonist Sudhir Dar passes away

• Renowned cartoonist Sudhir Dar whose works graced several newspapers in a career spanning 58 years, passed away.
• He began his career with The Statesman in 1961 after which he moved to Hindustan Times.
• His cartoons have also appeared in The Independent, The Pioneer, Delhi Times, New York Times, Washington Post and Saturday Review among others.

13. Tamil actor & theatre artist Bala Singh passes away

• Veteran Tamil actor and theatre artist Bala Singh passed away.
• Bala, an alumnus of National School of Drama(NSD) started his career as a theatre artist.
• He rose to fame in actor Nasser’s Avatharam(1995), where he played the role of a villain. It was also his debut film.

14. World-renowned rock climber Brad Gobright passes away in Mexico fall

• A world-renowned rock climber, US national Brad Gobright, fell to his death while climbing a sheer rock face in northern Mexico.
• He was known for his gravity-defying solo ascents with no ropes.

Important Days

15. International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People: 29 November

• In 1977, the General Assembly called for the annual observance of 29 November as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
• On that day, in 1947, the Assembly adopted the resolution on the partition of Palestine.
• This date, which was chosen because of its meaning and significance to the Palestinian people, is based on the call by the United Nations General Assembly for an annual observance of the resolution on the partition of Palestine.
• The International Day of Solidarity traditionally provides an opportunity for the international community to focus its attention on the fact that the question of Palestine remains unresolved and that the Palestinian people have yet to attain their inalienable rights as defined by the General Assembly, namely, the right to self-determination without external interference, the right to national independence and sovereignty, and the right to return to their homes and property, from which they have been displaced.

Daily updates 28 November 2019

National

1. HRD Ministry launches Kartavya Portal

• Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister launched the kartavya.ugc.ac.in portal for holding monthly essay competitions for students.
• The portal was launched as part of year-long ‘Nagrik Kartavya Paalan Abhiyan’ being observed throughout the country.
• The portal will be used primarily for holding monthly essay competitions for students as well as other activities including quizzes, poster making, debates pertaining to Nagrik Kartavya Paalan Abhiyan.
• The Department of Higher Education under HRD Ministry will be holding 11 rounds of National Essay Competitions during the year.
• The topics of the essay will be based on one Fundamental Duty every month.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister: Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.

Appointments

2. Bipin Rawat to be first Chief of Defence Staff

• General Bipin Rawat to be first Chief of Defence Staff. He will end his tenure as the Army Chief in December 2019.
• He will take over as the first Chief of Defence Staff – a four-star position being created as part of a defence management overhaul.
• He will get a term of 2 years as the CDS.
• He took over as the 27th Chief of Army Staff on 31 December 2016 after General Dalbir Singh retired.

Awards

3. Royal Aeronautical Society honour for DRDO chief G Satheesh Reddy

• Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) London has conferred the Honorary Fellowship of the Society for the year 2019 to G Satheesh Reddy,Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO.
• He is the first Indian recipient of this prestigious award in over 100 years.
• The Society’s highest award is bestowed in recognition of Reddy’s pioneering technological contributions over the past three decades which has enabled the country to realise frontline military systems and world-class missile technologies.
• This fellowship is considered as Nobel Prize in the aerospace.
• It is the world’s highest distinctions for aerospace achievement awarded for only most exceptional contributions to the aerospace profession.
• The first Honorary Fellowship was awarded in the year 1917.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• DRDO formed: 1958, Headquarters: New Delhi.

Banking

4. Reserve Bank flags rising bad assets from Mudra loans

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has expressed concern over rising bad loans from Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY).
• This scheme was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April 2015, which offers faster credit, with ticket sizes starting from ₹50,000 and going up to ₹10 lakh, to small businesses.
• According to RBI, the percentage of MUDRA loans were at 2.52% in 2017-18, It has now raised to 2.89% in 2018-19.
• It also says that the number of loans being sanctioned under the scheme has increased greatly.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• RBI 25th Governor: Shaktikant Das, Headquarters: Mumbai, Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.

Defence

5. India & Japan holds Mine Countermeasure Exercise(MINEX) 2019

• A maiden bilateral exercise between the Indian Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) have conducted Mine Countermeasure Exercise (MINEX) 2019 at Kochi, Kerala.
• Officials of the Indian Navy and from the warships Bungo and Takashima of JMSDF’s Minesweeper (a naval ship that is deployed in removing naval mines) Division 3, commanded by Captain Seiji Ikubu took part in the exercise.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Capital of Japan: Tokyo.
• Currency of Japan: Japanese yen.
• Prime Minister of Japan: Shinzo Abe.

Economy

6. ADB approves 2nd tranche of USD 150 mn for West Bengal

• The Asian Development Bank has approved the 2nd tranche of USD 150 million (about Rs 1,065 crore) for West Bengal to boost capital investment and infrastructure in the state.
• The board of ADB approved a loan of $ 300 million (about Rs 2,130 crore) to continue a comprehensive series of fiscal reforms in West Bengal to revive financial health of public sector enterprises, the introduction of medium-term expenditure frameworks in two departments, and implementation of an integrated tax monitoring system, among others.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Asian Development Bank Headquarters: Manila, Philippines; President: Takehiko Nakao.

Summits and Conferences

7. 8th WATEC Israel 2019

• Union Minister of Jal Shakti, represented India at the 8 WATEC (Water Technology and Environment Control) Conference 2019.
• The theme of the conference is “Water Stewardship and Innovation–driving global leadership in the responsible planning management, and protection of water”.
• The conference held at David Intercontinental in Tel Aviv, Israel.
• The conference, organized by Kenes Exhibitions, aimed to get updates on technologies related to water and environmental management.
• Several countries participated in the conference & showcased their new-age technologies and solutions.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Union Minister of Jal Shakti: Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

8. DEFCOM India 2019

• The DEFCOM INDIA 2019 seminar commenced at Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi.
• The theme for the seminar is, “Communications: A Decisive Catalyst for Jointness”.
• The seminar is devoted to the seminal theme of leveraging communications for achieving jointness between the three services.
• DEFCOM 2019  witnessed active participation from the armed forces, industry, research and development organisations and the academia.
• It provided an excellent opportunity for the industry to understand the requirements of the Armed Forces.
• The DEFCOM exhibition showcased cutting edge communication solutions from the industry and gave officers from the three services an opportunity to gain insights on technology and industry capabilities.

9. 47th All India Police Science Congress begins in Lucknow

• The 47th All India Police Science Congress (AIPSC) begins in Lucknow. The event will be inaugurated by Puducherry Lieutenant Governor and retired IPS officer Kiran Bedi.
• Uttar Pradesh Police in association with the Home Ministry and the Bureau of Police Research and Development is organising the event at the police headquarters in Lucknow.
• The last time Lucknow was the host for AIPSC was in 1997.
• During 6 sessions of the event, police officers, academicians, researchers, judicial and scientific experts will present their papers.

Subjects selected for the congress include:

1. Reforms in Policing: Challenges at field level and required measures.
2. Forensic sciences: Resources up-gradation and effective use in the investigation.
3. Safety of women and children - fresh initiatives and dividends.
4. Role of social media in countering radicalisation and terrorism.
5. Inculcating right kind of attitudes in police officers - training and beyond and use of CCTNS (Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems).
6. Interoperable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) in the advancement of criminal justice.

10. NuGen Mobility Summit 2019

• The International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) is organizing a NuGen Mobility Summit, 2019 in Gurugram, Haryana.
• NuGen is a platform to showcase the capabilities and explore the new generation technologies.
• The objective of the Summit is to share new ideas, learnings, global experiences, innovations and future technology trends for faster adoption, assimilation and development of advanced automotive technologies for a smarter and greener future.
• Ethanol, Methanol, Bio-diesel and Bio-CNG will support the future technology to be utilized in the auto sector.
• ICAT will also demonstrate world-class testing facilities and capabilities in its state of the art test laboratories.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) Director: Dinesh Tyagi.
• ICAT headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana.

Sports

11. Abhishek-Jyothi wins compound mixed pair gold at Asian Archery C'ships

• Abhishek Verma and Jyothi Surekha Vennam claimed the gold in compound mixed pair event at the 21st Asian Archery Championships, which ended in Bangkok, Thailand.
• The Indians defeated Chinese Taipei opponents Yi-Hsuan Chen and Chieh-Luh Chen 158-151 in the final clash.
• India picked up seven medals including one gold, two silver and four bronze meddles in the event.

Obituaries

12. Australian writer & broadcaster Clive James passes away

• Australian writer and broadcaster, Clive James passed away.
• He was born in 1939, he moved to England in 1961 and rose to prominence as a literary critic and TV columnist.
• He went on to deliver wry commentary on international programming in such shows as Clive James On Television.

Miscellaneous

13. Logo, motto introduced for Lokpal

• Lokpal Chairman Justice (retired) Pinaki Chandra Ghose launched the new logo and motto for the apex anti-corruption ombudsman.
• A new motto, “Ma Gridhah Kasyasvidhanam (Do not be greedy for anyone’s wealth)”, was also adopted.
• Earlier, an open competition was conducted, inviting entries for the logo and the motto.
• A total of 2,236 entries for the logo and 4,705 entries for the motto were received.
• A logo designed by Prashant Mishra, a resident of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, was finally selected.
• The logo symbolises how Lokpal protects and cares for the people of India by establishing justice as per law.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Headquarters of Lokpal: New Delhi, India.

14. Indian Women's Association donates two electric vehicles in Nepal

• Indian Women's Association (IWA) has donated two electric vehicles to Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) in Nepal.
• President of IWA, Namrita Puri handed over vehicles to Dr Pradip Dhakal, Member-Secretary of PADT in Kathmandu.
• These eco-friendly vehicles will be very helpful for the pilgrims visiting holy Pashupati temple especially for elderly and differently-abled people, women and children.
• The vehicles will also create employment opportunity for women. Handing over of e-vehicles will be another milestone in strengthening age-old cultural and religious ties between India and Nepal and bringing people of the two countries closer.

15. Madhya Pradesh's Devi Ahilya University gets A-plus grade from NAAC

• The Indore-based Devi Ahilya University becoming Madhya Pradesh's first varsity to be accorded A-plus grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).
• The Centre of higher learning now became entitled to several other facilities.
• It may introduce courses recognised by the University Grants Commission without the latter's permission besides commencing open distance-learning courses.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Director of NAAC: S. C. Sharma.

• NAAC Headquarters location: Bengaluru; Founded: 1994.