Daily updates 6 December 2019

State News

1. India's 1st HAM project in "Sewerage Sector" inaugurated in Haridwar

• Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated the 14 MLD sewage treatment plant (STP) in Sarai village near Haridwar in the presence of Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.
• The Sarai STP is “the first-ever project in the country on a hybrid annuity PPP model (HAM)".
• 34 STPs are being built in Uttarakhand at a cost of Rs 1,144 crore, besides crematoria and ghats on the Ganga. Of these, 23 have been completed.
• Once all the STPs become operational, there will be “considerable improvement in the water quality of Ganga,”.

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

• Capital of Uttarakhand: Dehradun; Governor: Baby Rani Maurya.

2. Avantee mega Food Park inaugurated in MP’s Dewas

• The Union Minister for food processing inaugurated Avantee mega Food Park in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh.
• This first food park of central India is spread over 51 acres and has been constructed at a cost of about 150 crore rupees.
• About 5 thousand local people will get employment from this Mega Food Park. Processing of soybean, gram, wheat and other grains and vegetables will be done in the park.
• Warehouses will also be opened in Indore, Ujjain, Dhar and Agar in the next phases.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Union Minister for food processing: Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

Agreements

3. CPPIB to invest $600 mn via National Investment and Infrastructure Fund

• The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) of India and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) have agreed for CPPIB to invest up to $600 million through the NIIF Master Fund.
• The agreement includes a commitment of $150 million in the NIIF Master Fund and co-investment rights of up to $450 million in future opportunities to invest alongside the NIIF Master Fund.
• The NIIF Master Fund invests equity capital in core infrastructure sectors in India, with a focus on transportation, energy and urban infrastructure.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• National Investment and Infrastructure Fund of India MD and CEO: Sujoy Bose.

4. BlackBuck partners with IDFC Bank, Yes Bank to offer free FASTags to truckers

• The Online trucking platform BlackBuck has partnered with private lenders IDFC Bank and Yes Bank to provide FASTags to truck owners free of cost.
• Truck owners can order FASTags on BlackBuck's Boss App, a digital services platform exclusively for truck fleet owners, and it will be delivered at their doorstep free of cost until December 31, 2019.
• The initiative is expected to help over 3 million trucks in India become FASTag compliant.

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

• IDFC Bank MD & CEO: V. Vaidyanathan; IDFC Tagline: Always You First.
• Yes Bank MD & CEO: Ravneet Gill; Yes Bank Tagline: Experience our Expertise.

Awards

5. "Shilpa Shetty 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.
• The app was awarded in the category of ‘Personal Growth’.

Defence

6. Exercise INDRA 2019

• Exercise INDRA 2019 a joint, tri-services exercise between India and Russia will be conducted in India from 10-19 December 2019 simultaneously at Babina (near Jhansi), Pune, and Goa.
• The contingents of both countries will share expertise and their professional experience.
• The esprit-de-corps and goodwill shall be the key areas during the exercise which will facilitate the further strengthening of bonds between the defence forces of India and Russia.
• The INDRA series of exercise began in 2003 and the First joint Tri-Services Exercise was conducted in 2017, It will be a historic occasion for two of the world's greatest Armed Forces to join hands and successfully conduct an exercise of this magnitude with professionalism, to imbibe the best practices from each other, jointly evolve and drills to defeat the scourge of terror under the United Nation mandate.

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

• Vladimir Putin is President of Russia.
• Moscow is the capital city of Russia.
• The Russian ruble is the currency Russia.

Summit and Conferences

7. NATO Summit 2019 in Watford, United Kingdom

• The United Kingdom(UK) hosted two days organised 2019 NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Summit in London.
• The year 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the summit. It was attended by NATO leaders and chaired by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
• The purpose of the summit was to make the heads of state and heads of government of NATO member countries to evaluate and provide strategic direction for Alliance activities.

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

• Member countries of NATO: 29; Founded:  4 April 1949.
• Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.

8. Piyush Goyal inaugurates 3rd edition of National Public Procurement Conclave

• Commerce and Industry Minister inaugurated the 3rd edition of National Public Procurement Conclave in New Delhi.
• The conclave has been organized by Government e-Marketplace, GeM in association with Confederation of Indian Industry.
• GeM epitomizes the speed, skill and scale which is essential in an e-marketplace platform.
• GeM rests on the three pillars of openness, fairness and inclusiveness and is a symbol of a truly transparent e-marketplace.

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

• Union Commerce and Industry Minister: Piyush Goyal.

Banking

9. 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.
• Existing payments banks (PBs), which are controlled by residents and have completed five years of operations, are also eligible for conversion into small finance banks after complying with all legal and regulatory requirements of various authorities and if they conform to these guidelines.
• 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.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

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

Economy

10. 1st time India’s forex reserves cross $450 billion

• The country’s foreign exchange reserves crossed the $450-billion mark for the first time ever on the back of strong inflows which enabled the central bank to buy dollars from the market, thus checking any sharp appreciation of the rupee.
• India’s foreign exchange reserves were at $451.7 billion on December 3, 2019, an increase of $38.8 billion over end-March 2019.
• The Reserve Bank has always maintained that it intervenes in the foreign exchange market to curb volatility and does not target a particular level of the exchange rate.

Business

11. HDFC ERGO launches my:health Woman Suraksha policy

• HDFC ERGO general insurance company, India’s third-largest non-life insurance provider in the private sector, has launched “my: health Woman Suraksha policy”, a comprehensive medical insurance scheme specially designed for women.
• The my:health Woman Suraksha 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.
• The benefits include fitness discount at renewals, specially designed preventive health check-ups after every renewal and wellness services like health coaching, nutrition and weight management services, discounts at pharmacies, etc.
• It also provides counselling on stress management, pregnancy care, work-life balance, etc which is much needed by today's new age women.
• This policy is offered to women between 18-65 years of age and offers a sum insured ranging from Rs. 1 lakh to 1 crore.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• HDFC ERGO MD & CEO: Ritesh Kumar; Founded: 2002.
• HDFC ERGOHeadquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Books and author

12. IIT researchers to create ‘Gandhipedia’

• The National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) and IIT (Indian Institutes of Technology) Gandhinagar and Kharagpur, have joined hands to develop Gandhipedia, an online repository of books, letters and speeches written by Mahatma Gandhi, to commemorate his 150th birth anniversary.
• The entire project will be done with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
• In the first phase, over 40 books written by Mahatma Gandhi will be digitised and indexed and their portions which are to be completed by March 2020, and the remaining four phases will be worked on till March 2024.
• The books will be used to reconstruct the social network of the Mahatma, including those who had influenced him and people whom he had inspired.
• The aim of Gandhipedia is to reconstruct and remember the inspiring works of Mahatma Gandhi.

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

• National Council of Science Museums Director-General: A. D. Choudhury.
• Founded: 4 April 1978; Headquarters: Kolkata, India.
• Parent Organization: Ministry of Culture.

13. ‘Borderman’ yearly magazine released by Nityanand Rai

• The yearly magazine called ‘Borderman’ was released by Nityanand Rai, Minister of State for Home Affairs on the occasion of 55th raising day of BSF (Border Security Force) organized by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• The 55th raising day of BSF (Border Security Force) was celebrated on the 1st of December 2019.

Miscellaneous

14. Roger Federer’s face to go on Swiss coin

• Tennis legend Roger Federer will become the first living person in Switzerland to have a coin minted in his honour.
• The Federal Mint, Swissmint, has created a 20-franc silver coin bearing Federer’s image.
• It’s the first time in its history that Swissmint has created a commemorative coin to honour a living person.

15. Nation pays homage to Dr BR Ambedkar on his 64th Mahaparinirvan Diwas

• The nation is paying homage to Bharat Ratna Dr BR Ambedkar on his 64th Mahaparinirvan Diwas (death anniversary) on 6 December.
• He was popularly known as Babasaheb Ambedkar and everyone knows that he was one of the architects of the Indian Constitution.
• He was a very well-known political leader, eminent jurist, Buddhist activist, philosopher, anthropologist, historian, orator, writer, economist, scholar and editor, too.
• He is a leader who dedicated his life to eradicating social inequality in India.

Daily updates 5 December 2019

National News

1. RBI keeps the repo rate unchanged at 5.15% in 5th Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy

• In its 5th Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Committee meeting, the Reserve Bank of India has decided to keep the policy repo rate unchanged to 5.15%.
• The MPC has also decided to maintain the accommodative stance of monetary policy to revive growth, while ensuring that inflation remains within the target.
• The main decisions taken in the 5th Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Committee meeting are:
• The repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) left unchanged to 5.15%.
• The reverse repo rate under the LAF stands same i.e. 4.90%.
• The marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate also remains same i.e. 5.40%.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For LIC Assistant Mains:

• Governor of RBI: Shaktikant Das; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.

2. Fit India School Rating System launched as part of Fit India Campaign

• Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports Kiren Rijiju has jointly launched the Fit India School Rating System.
• The "Fit India School Rating System" has been launched as part of the Fit India Campaign.
• The Fit India school rating system as per certain parameters is expected to enhance the image of the schools.
• Fit India program is an innovative initiative launched by the Prime Minister to increase the awareness among the masses and to encourage people to adopt healthy lifestyle.

State News

3. Odisha launches 'Madhu' app to help school students

• Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has launched 'Madhu' app. It is an e-learning mobile phone application which will help school students to understand their subjects in a better and most efficient way.
• The app is named after 'Utkal Gourab' Madhusudan Das. The app is developed by Ganjam district administration for school students.
• Through this app, the students will be able access the video explanation of the topics they were taught in their classroom.

Awards

4. Mumbai Central gets first 'Eat Right Station' certification from FSSAI

• The Mumbai Central station of Railways was conferred with the 'Eat Right Station' certification with four stars rating by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), as a part of 'Eat Right India' movement launched last year.
• The Mumbai Central Railway Station is the country's first "Eat Right Station."
• Mumbai Central station has been judged on the basis of compliance of food safety and hygiene, availability of healthy diet, food handling at preparation, transhipment and retail/serving point, food waste management, promotion of local and seasonal food and creating awareness on food safety and healthy diet.
• The focus of the movement is on improving the health and well-being of people by ensuring they eat healthily.
• 'Eat Right India' movement is built on two broad pillars of 'Eat Healthy' and 'Eat Safe'.
• It aims to engage, excite and enable citizens to improve their health and well-being.

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

• FSSAI founded: August 2011.
• FSSAI Act: Food and Standards Act, 2006.
• FSSAI Headquarters: New Delhi.
• FSSAI Chairperson: Rita Teaotia.
• FSSAI Chief Executive Officer: Shri Pawan Kumar Agarwal.

5. ET Lifetime of Public Service Award for Former FM (Late) Arun Jaitley

• Arun Jaitley former Finance Minister of India was bestowed with the Economic Times (ET) Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service 2019.
• The award was received by Arun Jaitley’s spouse Sangeeta Jaitley.
• Arun Jaitley was the former Finance Minister of India, he was also the Minister of Corporate Affairs from May 2014 to May 2019, Minister of Defence from March 2017 to September 2017, Minister of Information and Broadcasting from November 2014 to July 2016, Minister of Law and Justice from July 2003 to May 2004 and Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting from October 1999 to September 2000.

6. 'Joker' fame Joaquin Phoenix named 2019 ‘Person of the Year’ by PETA

• 'Joker' fame Joaquin Rafael Phoenix, American actor from California, United States (US) has been bestowed with the PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) ‘Person of the Year’ Award 2019.
• Joaquin Phoenix has been a vegan since the age of three and has been a supporter of PETA for a long time.
• He has recently appeared in an advertisement of PETA titled “We are all animals”, which was displayed in the Times Square and Sunset billboards to promote the prohibition of travelling wild-animal circuses.

7. New Zealand wins MCC’s Spirit of Cricket award

• The New Zealand cricket team has been awarded the Christopher Martin-Jenkins Spirit of Cricket award.
• The team has been awarded for its exemplary show of sportsmanship during the final match of the ICC World Cup at Lord’s in July 2019, which it lost under controversial circumstances.
• Martin-Jenkins was the former MCC president and BBC Test Match Special commentator.

Defence

8. Exercise Hand-in-Hand 2019

• The 8th India-China joint training exercise 'HAND-IN-HAND 2019' with the theme counter-terrorism under United Nations mandate is scheduled to be conducted at Umroi, Meghalaya from 07 to 20 December 2019.
• The Chinese contingent from the Tibet Military command comprising of 130 personal and the Indian Contingent of similar strength will participate in the 14-day long training exercise.
• The aim of the exercise is to practice joint planning and conduct of counter-terrorist operations in semi-urban terrain.

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

• China Capital: Beijing; Currency: Renminbi.

Schemes and Committees

9. Chief of the air Staff participates in Pacific Air Chiefs’ Symposium 2019

• Chief of the Air Staff of India is participating in the Pacific Air Chiefs’ Symposium 2019 (PACS 2019) at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
• The theme for this year’s symposium is ‘A Collaborative Approach to Regional Security’.
• The conference will bring together Air Chiefs from across the Indo-Pacific region who will provide perspectives on common challenges faced and on shared mutual interests while focusing on relevant topics like ‘Regional Security’, ‘Domain Awareness’, ‘Multi-Domain Awareness’, Ínteroperability’ and ‘HADR’. The symposium will also entail discourse and discussions on the combined effort required to maintain peace and security within the region.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Chief of the Air Staff: Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria.

Banking

10. Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank signs MoU for bancassurance

• Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) and Canara, HSBC, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Life Insurance Company Ltd. signed an MoU for bancassurance (for selling life insurance products through the branches of KVGB).
• As per the pact, KVGB will market wide range insurance products of the Canara HSBC through its 636 branches in 9 districts of Karnataka.

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

• Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank founded: September 12, 2005.
• Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank Headquarters: Dharwad, Karnataka.
• Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank Chairman: Puttaganti Gopi Krishna.
• Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank Sponsored by: Syndicate Bank.

Important Days

11. International Volunteer Day: 5 December

• The International Volunteer Day (IVD) is observed across the world on 5 December every year.
• This year theme is " Volunteer for an inclusive future".
• This year’s theme highlighting Sustainable Development Goal 10 (SDG 10) and the pursuit of equality including inclusion through volunteerism.

12. World Soil Day: 5 December

• World Soil Day is celebrated annually on the 5th of December at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters in Rome, Italy.
• This year, by addressing the increasing challenges of soil management, the FAO campaign "Stop soil erosion, Save our future" aims to raise awareness of the importance of sustaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being.
• By encouraging people around the world to engage in proactively improving soil health, the campaign also aims to raise the profile of healthy soil.
• The International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), in 2002, adopted a resolution proposing the 5th of December as World Soil Day to celebrate the importance of soil as a critical component of the natural system and as a vital contributor to human well-being.

Miscellaneous

13. VP Naidu launches new Rotavirus vaccine: ROTAVAC-5D

• Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu launched the new Rotavirus vaccine: ROTAVAC-5D designed and developed by Bharat Biotech in New Delhi.
• ROTAVAC is an example of a true social innovation that was realized through a partnership between scientists from India and the USA.
• India is firmly committed to ending morbidity and mortality in children caused due to diarrhoea by 2022.
• The first generation, Rotavirus vaccine, ROTAVAC developed under a Public-Private Partnership with the Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India, has put India on the global map for setting new standards in pharmaceutical Research and Development.

14. India’s first maritime museum coming up at Lothal in Gujarat

• Government of India (GoI) & Portugal has decided to cooperate in the setting up of an India’s 1st National Maritime Heritage Museum at the ancient Indian site of Lothal in Gujarat with the aim to boost the underwater or marine archaeology.
• The Museum will showcase salvaged material from shipwreck sites in the Indian Ocean waters.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Gujarat CM: Vijay Rupani; Governor: Acharya Dev Vrat; Capital: Gandhinagar.

Daily updates 4 December 2019

National News

1. Vice Prez M Venkaiah Naidu launches Bharatiya POSHAN Anthem

• Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu launched the ‘Bharatiya Poshan Anthem’ in New Delhi.
• The aims towards taking the message of making India malnutrition free to all corners of the country.
• The anthem was conceptualised by Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) and has been penned by noted lyricist Prasoon Joshi and sung by Shankar Mahadevan.

2. EC to implement Political Parties RTMS

• The Election Commission of India will implement the political parties Registration Tracking Management System (RTMS).
• It will be implemented through an online portal to facilitate tracking of the status of the application by applicants.
• The Commission said, the applicant who is applying for party registration from 1st January 2020 onwards will be able to track the progress of his or her application and will get status through SMS and email.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Sunil Arora is the Chief Election Commissioner of India.

International News

3. Pritivirajsing Roopun elected as new President of Mauritius by parliament

• The National Assembly of Republic of Mauritius has unanimously elected Prithvirajsing Roopun, as new President of the island nation, a largely ceremonial post.
• He was former arts and culture minister of the country. In Mauritius, Prime Minister is head of government and holds most political power while the president is head of state but has no executive role and is considered guardian of the constitution.

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

• The Prime Minister of Mauritius: Pravind Kumar Jugnauth.

State News

4. UP govt announces 25% subsidy & full stamp duty waiver for defence industry

• Uttar Pradesh government has decided to provide 25 per cent subsidy and 100 per cent stamp duty waiver for setting up the defence industry in the state.
• The state government will also provide all facilities including power, road and fencing of land to the companies that will set up defence industries.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• UP Present CM: Yogi Adityanath, Governor: Anandiben Patel.

Appointments

5. Masatsugu Asakawa elected ADB President

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) board has unanimously elected Masatsugu Asakawa as its new president.
• He is currently a special advisor to Japan's Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, will assume office as ADB's 10th President on January 17, 2020.
• He will succeed Takehiko Nakao, who will leave office on January 16, 2020.
• He served as a Visiting Professor at the University of Tokyo from 2012 to 2015 and at Saitama University from 2006 to 2009.

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

• ADB established: 1966, ADB is owned by 68 members.

6. Sundar Pichai promoted as Alphabet Inc. CEO

• Sundar Pichai promoted as Alphabet Inc. CEO after Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin have announced that they are stepping down from the leadership role of the parent company Alphabet.
• Google CEO Indian-American Sundar Pichai will be assuming the role of Alphabet Inc CEO, making him one of the most powerful corporate leaders of the world.
• Alphabet and Google no longer need two CEOs and a President and Sundar Pichai will be the CEO of both Google and Alphabet.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Google established: 4 September 1998.
• Headquarters: Mountain View, California, United States.

Agreements

7. ADB provides $206m loan to finance Tamil Nadu Urban Investment Programme

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to advance a loan of US $206 million to develop water supply and sewerage infrastructure in Tiruchi and other cities in Tamil Nadu.
• It will also strengthen the capacities of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) for improved service delivery.
• The project initiatives are also expected to help the state develop the requisite ecosystem for economic growth.
• The project will target cities namely Ambur, Tiruchirappalli, Tiruppur, and Vellore for developing sewage collection and treatment and drainage systems.
• Improvement to water supply systems would be targeted in the cities of Madurai and Tiruppur.

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

• Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission: Kenichi Yokoyama.

8. Walmart launches credit card in partnership with HDFC Bank

• Walmart India, in partnership with HDFC Bank, launched a co-branded credit card exclusively for members of its Best Price Modern Wholesale "B2B Cash & Carry" stores, offering "free credit up to 50 days.
• The card is being supported by Diners Club International which has acceptance of its own membership card in 185 countries.

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

• Headquarters of Walmart India: Gurgaon, Haryana.
• President and CEO of Walmart India: Krish Iyer.

Awards

9. Lionel Messi wins Ballon d’Or for 6th time

• Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d'Or award for the world's best player for a record 6th time.
• It is the 32-year-old Argentine's first Ballon d'Or since 2015 and comes after he scored 54 times for club and country in 2018-19, in which Barca won La Liga.
• Virgil van Dijk was second-one of four Liverpool players in the top seven, including Sadio Mane in fourth.
• Juventus and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won the award five times, was third in the voting.nce.

Defence

10. India successfully test-fires indigenously developed nuke-capable Prithvi-II missile

• India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed surface-to-surface nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile off Odisha coast.
• The Strategic Forces Command of the Indian Army conducted the user trial of the 350 km range missile from a mobile launcher from launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur.
• The missile weighs about 4,600 kg, is capable of carrying 500 to 1000 kilograms of warheads and is thrust by liquid propulsion twin engines.
• The 9 meters tall, single-stage liquid-fueled Prithvi-II is the first missile to have been developed by the DRDO under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.
• This missile is developed under the joint collaboration of Defence Research and Development Organization and Bharat Dynamics Limited, the missile was first test-fired on 27 January 1996.

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

• DRDO Chairman: G Satheesh Reddy, Established: 1958, Headquarters: New Delhi.

Schemes and Committees

11. Govt launches 4th round of Regional Connectivity Scheme-UDAN

• The government has launched the 4th round of Regional Connectivity Scheme - UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) to further enhance the connectivity to remote and regional areas of the country.
• The focus in this round will be North East Region, Hilly States, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Islands.
• The scheme was launched in October 2016, which seeks to provide connectivity to un-served and under-served regions through the revival of existing airstrips and airports.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• UDAN scheme came under: Ministry of Civil Aviation.
• Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Civil Aviation: Hardeep Singh Puri.

Business

12. World Bank arm IFC invests $200 million in Mahindra Finance

• The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a unit of the World Bank Group, has anchored an investment round of $200million in Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Limited (MMFSL).
• Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Limited (MMFSL) is a Rural NBFC (Non-Banking Financial Company) with the objective to create a ‘pool’ specifically for financing micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in low-income states.
• IFC is investing $75 million from its own account and mobilizing another $125 million as parallel loans.
• At the same time, Mahindra Finance has committed to invest $225 million in this fund.
• At least $ 100 million of this would be for women-owned MSMEs & it will be supported by blended finance from the IFC-Goldman Sachs’ Women Entrepreneurs Opportunity Facility.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Formation of International Finance Corporation: July 20, 1956.
• Headquarters of International Finance Corporation: Washington, D.C., U.S.
• Membership of International Finance Corporation: 184 countries.
• CEO of International Finance Corporation: Philippe Le Houérou.

Obituries

13. Veteran journalist Bhaskar Menon passes away

• Baskar Menon, Veteran Journalist in the Press Trust of India (PTI) passes away.
• He was the Regional Manager in the south division of the PTI.
• He has also handled many crucial news like the assassination of former Prime Minister (PM) of India, Rajiv Gandhi in the year 1991.

Important Days

14. Indian Navy Day: 4 December

• Navy Day is being celebrated in India on 4th December.
• The day is celebrated in honour of the maritime force’s role during the war with Pakistan in 1971 when Indian warships attacked Karachi port and successfully hurt Pakistani operations in the western coast.
• The Day is also celebrated to highlight the role the Navy plays in securing the country’s marine borders during peacetime and carrying out humanitarian missions.
• As per the recent Data, since 2008, 70 Indian naval warships have been deployed, which safely escorted over 3440 ships with over 25,000 mariners on board.

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

• Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS): Admiral Karambir Singh.

Miscellaneous

15. 35th anniversary of Bhopal Gas Tragedy

• The 35th anniversary of Bhopal Gas Tragedy is being observed across the country.
• It is one of the world’s worst industrial disaster that claimed thousands of lives on the night of December 2, 1984.
• The disaster took place in a pesticide production plant, named the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL).
• The leak of 40 tonnes of deadly methyl isocyanate gas on the intervening night of December 2 and 3, 1984.
• The gas cloud killed 3,787 people in and around Bhopal, according to Madhya Pradesh government’s estimates.
• However, other reports suggest the actual death tally to be anywhere between 16,000 and 30,000, and the injury count close to 500,000.