Current Affairs December 6 2019

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 6 December 2019, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2019 events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.

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INDIAN AFFAIRS

11th “INDRA 2019”:Tri-service exercise between India & Russia to be held in Babina(UP),Pune & Goa11th “INDRA 2019” which is a joint tri-services exercise between India and Russia is to be held from December 10-19 2019, simultaneously at Babina (near Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh(UP)), Pune and Goa.  Both the nation’s armed forces will jointly evolve drills to defeat the scourge of terror under the United Nations(UN) mandate. Esprit-de-corps and goodwill will be the key areas during the exercise which will facilitate the further strengthening of bonds between the defence forces of India and Russia.
Key Points:
i.The INDRA series exercise began in 2003 while its 1st joint Tri Services Exercise was conducted in 2017.
ii.Participation: The 10day long exercise will have fighter and transport aircraft as well as ships of respective Army, Air Force and Navy from the Indian side….Click here to Read More

Home Ministry sanctioned Rs 100 crore to set up women help desks in police stations
The Home Ministry has sanctioned Rs 100 crores from the Nirbhaya Fund for setting up women help desks in police stations in all states and Union Territories (UT) across the country. The women help desks will be focused on making police stations more women-friendly and approachable. Women police officers will be deployed at the help desks which would be the first and single point of contact for any woman walking into a police station.
Key Points:
i.The officials of women help desk would be trained to be sensitive towards women and these help desks would consist of an enlisted panel of experts like lawyers, psychologists and NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisation) to facilitate legal aid, counselling, shelter, rehabilitation and training….Click here to Read More

Rajya Sabha instituted panel headed by Jairam Ramesh to study issues related to online pornographic content
On December 5, 2019, the Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President of India Shri Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu announced a 14-member panel coordinated by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh to study the issues related to pornographic content on the internet and social media platforms. The panel will prepare a report regarding it within 1 month.
Key Points:
i.The informal group was constituted during the zero hour (time immediately following the question hour in the Lok sabha has come to be known as Zero Hour).
ii.Members of the panel: some of the members of the panel include Tiruchi Siva, Jaya Bachchan, Amar Patnaik, Vandana Chavan, Roopa Ganguly, Kahkashan Parveen, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Sanjay Singh, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and Amee Yajnik .
iii.Pornography: Pornography (often abbreviated porn) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal.

India extends Line of Credits for water supply and solar projects in Guinea 
On 5th December 2019, India has extended Line of Credits (LOC’s) for one water supply and two Solar projects in Guinea as the latter’s efforts towards solar projects committed towards the International Solar Alliance (ISA).  S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister, India and Mamadi Toure, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Guinea were both present during the exchange of the agreements in New Delhi. Mamadi Toure was on 3 days visit to India. The agreement was open for signature on 15th November 2016 during the Conference of the Parties (COP 22) held at Marrakech, Morocco.
Key Points:
i.Other countries that have signed the agreement include France, Australia, The United Arab Emirates, The United Kingdom (UK) and Japan. The LOC’s signed in the agreement were USD (United States Dollar) 170 million for strengthening of drinking water supply of Grand Conakry and USD 20.22 million for two solar projects. The total value of LOC’s extended by India for projects in Guinea was USD 190 million.
ii.ISA is a group of 121 solar resource-rich countries with headquarters in Gurugram, India. It aims to deploy over 1,000 gigawatts of solar energy and mobilise more than USD 1,000 billion into solar power by 2030, according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
About Guinea:
Capital- Conakry
President- Alpha Conde
Prime Minister (PM)- Ibrahima Kassory Fofana
Currency- Guinean franc

Heat Wave 2020: 4th Workshop on management of Heat Wave begun in Bengaluru, Karnataka
On December 5, 2019, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), in collaboration with Karnataka govt. has organised a two-day national workshop “Heat Wave 2020” on preparedness, mitigation and management of Heat Wave in Bengaluru city of Karnataka. The workshop has been conducted well in advance of the heat wave season to manage the hot weather conditions for the year 2020. Climate change led to rise of average summer temperature by 0.5°C in the past five years.
This is the 4th annual workshop in a series that NDMA has been conducting since 2017.
Key Points:
i.Workshop: A range of topics from impact of climate change to emerging technologies, and from lessons learnt from the past to inter-agency coordination have been discussed in subsequent technical sessions….Click here to Read More

33rd Int’l Book Fair in Mexico: India, 1st Asian Guest of Honour; MoS HRD inaugurated India Pavilion
On December 1, 2019 the Minister of State(MoS) for Human Resource and Development(HRD) Shri Sanjay Dhotre inaugurated the India Pavilion at the 33rd International Book Fair 2019 in Guadalajara, Mexico. India is the “guest of honour” for the 2019 book fair and is also the first Asia country to have received this honour. In Mexico, this book fair called “Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara” in Spanish is the biggest book fair in the Spanish-speaking world and will be held till December 8, 2019.
Theme of India Pavilion at the fair: Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy “Let Our Lives Be Open Books” was the theme of the India pavilion in the fair….Click here to Read More

Central India’s 1^st  ‘Avantee mega food park’ inaugurated in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh On December 5, 2019, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the Union Minister for Food Processing has inaugurated Central India’s 1^st  Avantee mega Food Park spread over 51 acres in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh (MP).It was built with a cost of about 150 crore rupees.
Gram, wheat, soybean and other grains and vegetables will be Processed in this park. Warehouses will also be opened in Agar, Indore, Dhar, Ujjain and in the next phases.
Key Points:
i.It will help in increasing the income of the 5,000 farmers, growers, processors, consumers & also ahead in providing a large number of jobs to around 5,000 youth of the region.
ii.Farmers are compelled to bring their produce to specific market yards at low rates due to excess production. By storing their produce in the Food Park in cold storage, they will be able to earn more by selling the produce at the right time
iii.Minister of State for Food Processing Rameshwar Teli and Dewas MP Mahendra Singh were present during the inauguration.
About Madhya Pradesh:
Capital– Bhopal
Chief minister– Kamal Nath
Governor– Lalji Tandon
National Parks– Bandhavgarh National Park , Kanha National Park ,Madhav National Park ,Panna National Park ,Pench (Priyadarshini) National Park ,Sanjay National Park.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

IAF chief RKS Bhadauria participated in PACS 2019 held in Hawaii, US
On December 4, 2019 Pacific Air Force Chiefs Conference (PACS-2019) was held at the American military base in Pearl Harbour in Hawaii, United States(US). Air chiefs of the Air forces of various countries participated in the conference. Representing India, Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria participated in the conference.
Theme: The theme of the conference for the year 2019 is ‘Collaborative approach towards Regional Security‘.
Key Points:
i.Various issues related to regional security, domain awareness, multi-domain awareness, interoperability, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) were discussed during the meeting.
ii.This cooperation has been expected to strengthen the existing cooperation between the air forces of the participating countries.
About United States(US):
President- Donald Trump
Capital- Washington D.C.
Currency- US Dollar.

BANKING & FINANCE

RBI issues final guidelines for on-tap licence to small finance banks(SFB)
On December 5, 2019, India’s central Bank, the Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has released the final guidelines on the facility to apply ‘on- tap’ for licenses to Small Finance Banks (SFBs).
i.Under the decree, the minimum paid-up voting equity capital  limit has been doubled to Rs 200 crore from Rs 100 crore.
ii.The payment banks which have completed 5 years of operations, are eligible to become SFBs if they meet the regulatory requirements.
ii.Scheduled bank status will be provided to SFBs immediately upon commencement of operations….Click here to Read More

RBI increases aggregate lending limits imposed on peer-to-peer (P2P) lenders to Rs 50 lakh from 10 lakh 
On December 5, 2019, India’s Central Bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has taken a big step to promote the peer-2-peer (P2P) sector by increasing the total loan limit among such lenders by five times to Rs 50 lakh. Right now the aggregate limit is 10 lakh rupees for all borrowers and lenders on all P2P platforms. Apart from this, a single borrower can only take up to a maximum of Rs 50,000 from a lender on all NBFC (Non-Banking Financial Company)-P2P platforms.
Key Points:
i.This move will benefit both the lender and the loan seeker. The lender benefits in such a way that they earn more interest on that amount by giving loans instead of putting money in savings instruments. The advantage of borrowers is that they get loans from financial institutions at low-interest rates.
ii.RBI also decided to remove the current requirement of escrow accounts (an account where funds are held in trust whilst two / more parties complete a transaction ) to be operated by bank promoted trustee for transfer of funds having to be necessarily opened with the concerned bank.
About P2P lending:
It is a method of crowdfunding & is used to take loans. Here individual borrowers are connected to lenders through digital platforms, and the platform just plays the role of a marketplace. With its help, the availability of loans is ensured to those who are unable to take loans due to non-fulfillment of conditions from financial institutions like banks etc.
Over 15 companies have registered with the RBI as NBFC-P2P lending platforms.
About RBI:
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Formation– 1 April 1935
Governor– Shaktikanta Das
Deputy Governors– 4 (BP Kanungo, N S Vishwanathan, Mahesh Kumar Jain, 1 is yet to be appointed)

IEPFA inks MoU with Bank of Baroda (BoB) for investor awareness
On December 5, 2019, Investor Education & Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) works under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Bank of Baroda (BoB), Indian Multinational, public sector Bank (psb) to spread customer awareness and investor education and reaching out to investors and stakeholders.
Key Points:
i.As per the agreement, 9,456 BoB branches will exhibit IEPFA posters on investor protection & 3,115 ATMs (Automated Teller Machine) and Cash Recyclers supported by self-service channels will feature digital banners on IEPFA.
ii.In addition, there will be cooperation on digital platforms and social media accounts as BoB’s digital platforms will showcase IEPFA short films/videos for customer awareness and fraud prevention & BoB website/ mobile app will publish IEPFA messages on customer awareness and protection.
iii.The MoU was signed by Shri Navneet Chouhan, General Manager, IEPF Authority and by Shri O.P. Kaul, GM & CC, BoB in the presence of Shri Injeti Srinivas, Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs & other BoB officials.
About BoB:
Founded– 20 July 1908
Headquarters– Vadodara, Gujarat
Non-Executive Chairman– Hasmukh Adhia
Tagline– India’s International Bank.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Mastercard joins hands with Thailand Tourism Authority (TAT) to tap more tourists from India
On December 5, 2019, Mastercard, an American multinational financial services corporation has partnered with Thailand Tourism Authority (TAT) to tap more tourists from India & enable digital payments for a more experiential visit for them.
Key Points:
i.As per Mastercard data, there is 20% increase in the amount of spends done by Indians via cashless transactions in Thailand & TAT witnessed a growth of nearly 25% in arrivals from India, taking the total to 1.60 million in 2018-19. Airports of Mumbai & Delhi account for more than 50 % of departures to Thailand.
ii.Bangkok (Thailand’s capital) has ranked No.1 in Mastercard’s Global Destination Cities Index 2019 as the world’s best travel destination. Cardholders spent more than 88% in Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket and Krabi cities.
iii.Mastercard ties-up with Thailand’s Central Group, whose businesses include shopping malls, brand management, hospitality, etc to enable a more effortless customized experience through digital payments, and targeted discounts for Mastercard cardholders.
About Mastercard:
Founded– 1966 (as Interbank Card Association) &1979 (as Mastercard)
Headquarters– New York, U.S.
President and CEO– Ajaypal Singh Banga
About Thailand Tourism Authority (TAT):
Formation– May 4, 1979
Headquarters– Ratchathewi, Bangkok
Governor– Yuthasak Supasorn

India’s forex reserves crossed $450 billion for the first time
On December 6, 2019 the Indian foreign exchange (forex) reserve for the first time crossed $450-billion mark. This was mainly due to strong inflows which enabled the central bank to buy dollars from the market. The forex reserves were at $451.7billion on December 3, 2019, which is an increase of $38.8 billion compared to that of March 2019.
Key Points:
i.At $451.7 billion, the country’s import cover is now over 11 months.
ii.The total reserves had risen by $347 million to $448.596 billion in the week to November 27, 2019.
iii.Forex reserves: Foreign exchange reserves are assets held in reserve by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in foreign currencies. These reserves are used to back liabilities and influence monetary policy.
About Reserve Bank of India(RBI):
Established- 1 April 1935.
Headquarters- Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Governor- Shaktikanta Das(25th governor), Deputy Governors– 4 (BP Kanungo, N S Vishwanathan, Mahesh Kumar Jain, 1 is yet to be appointed)
Act- Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS    

President Ram Nath Kovind conferred National Florence Nightingale awards 2019
On 5th December 2019, Ram Nath Kovind, President of India bestowed 36 awardees with the National Florence Nightingale Awards 2019 at an event in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The Nurses were awarded for their enthusiasm and compassion towards their work in community health centres and hospitals, and also their involvement in national health programmes like eradication of polio, malaria and HIV/AIDS.
Key Points:
i.The award was given to Late Lini Sajeesh from Kozhikode, Kerala, who died while on duty caring for a Nipah (NiV) virus-infected patient in Kerala. The award was received by her spouse Sajeesh.
ii.Other 35 awardees were Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), Lady Health Visitors (LHVs), and nurses from different states and Union Territories (UT)….Click here to Read More    

Priyanka Chopra tops the IMDb (Internet Movies Database) 2019 top 10 list of Indian Celebrities
On 5th December 2019, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Indian actress tops the list of IMDb (Internet Movies Database) 2019 top 10 Indian Celebrities. Priyanka Chopra was born in Jamshedpur, India. Other Indian celebrities in the top 10 list are Disha Patani and Hrithik Roshan taking the 2nd and 3rd places respectively. The IMDb’s top 10 list is taken from IMDbPro Starmeter rankings and is based on the number of viewers on the page of the celebrities, there are about 200 million monthly IMDb visitors.
Top 5 list of IMDB’s (Internet Movies Database) 2019 Top 10 Indian Celebrities:

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATION    

Hage Geingob, President of Namibia secures second termOn 1st December 2019, Hage Gottfried Geingob (78), Namibia’s third leader since the country freed itself from South Africa in 1990, has been named as President of Namibia for the second term with 56.3% votes. Hage Geingob was preceded by Hifikepunye Pohamba in the year 2015.
Key Points:
i.Hage Geingob is the current President of the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO), which is a long-time ruling party of Namibia. SWAPO has lost its two-third majority in this election.
ii.The other candidates in the election were Panduleni Itula who won 30% of the vote, McHenry Venaani of the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) won 5.3% vote and Landless People’s Movement (LPM) came third with 4.9 percent.
iii. 1.3 million people out of Namibia’s 2.45 million people took part in the Presidential elections. Also two politicians Bernhard Esau, Minister of fisheries and Sacky Shanghala, justice minister resigned and were arrested in a fishing corruption scandal.
About Namibia:
Capital- Windhoek
Vice President- Nangolo Mbumba
Prime Minister- Saara Kuugongelwa
Currency- Namibian dollar

Rajendran Chinna Veerappan reappointed as the MD and CEO of CSB BankOn 4th December 2019, Rajendran Chinna Veerappan was appointed as the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Catholic Syrian Bank (CSB) bank, Thrissur, Kerala by the Board of Directors of CSB bank in the Board meeting held on 2nd December 2019 for a three year term effective from 9th December 2019 to 8th December 2022.
Key Points:
i.Veerappan was in the Board of CSB bank since 2016 and his term of office was to end on December 8 while the Board decided to reappoint him as the MD and CEO.
ii.Veerappan previously served as the chief executive of the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) and has 40 years of experience in banking and finance. He has previously worked in Corporation Bank, Andhra Bank and Bank of Maharashtra.
About Kerala:
Capital- Thiruvananthapuram
Governor- Arif Mohammad Khan
Chief Minister- Pinarayi Vijayan

         SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

IIT Hyderabad partnered with 4 Japanese institutions for research in Earthquake Engineering
On December 5, 2019, the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT-H) will collaborate with 4 Japanese institutions for research purpose in areas which includes earthquake engineering, and doctoral programs. The Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) in this regard was signed by IIT-H director Budaraju Srinivasa Murty with the 4 institutions during his visit to Japan. The MoU will boost the Indo-Japanese research ties.
Key Points:
i.Japanese institutions: The institutions that have signed MoU with IIT-H are as follows:

• National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience(NIED)
• Shizuoka University on Doctoral Degree Sandwich Program (DDSP)
• Saitama University on academic exchange of faculty, students and implementation of cooperative Research Projects and
• National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) to strengthen Research collaboration.

ii.The institutions will provide joint research activities, faculty exchange, joint seminars, internship opportunities and other academic exchange programs.
About Japan:
Capital- Tokyo
Currency- Japanese yen
Prime Minister- Shinzō Abe
Emperor- Naruhito
Era name- Reiwa

SPORTS

Ripu Daman Bevli appointed as Plogging Ambassador of India by Kiren RijijuOn 5th December 2019, Ripu Daman Bevli, also known as, ‘Plogman of India’ was appointed as Plogging Ambassador of India by Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) on the concluding day of 50th Fit India Plogging Run in Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The minister also launched the Plogging Ambassador Mission to nominate Indians who have been running and cleaning their cities, towns or districts as Plogging Ambassadors of their region.
Key Points:
i.Plog run is a unique way of picking up garbage while jogging, it was added to the Fit India Movement as an initiative to combine fitness with cleanliness like combining the Fit India Movement and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
ii.Daman Belvi started plog running in the year 2017 and he also started the Fit India Plogging Run as an initiative to make India litter-free. Belvi and his team have cleaned about 2.7 tonnes of garbage, over 1000km in 2 months covering 50 cities.
iii. The first Fit India Plogging run was started on 2nd October 2019, including 36 lakh people over 62,000 different locations. It was organized by the Sports Authority of India, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), National Service Scheme (NSS), NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations), Kendriya Vidyalaya and several other organizations.

Highlights of 63rd National Shooting Championship Competitions held in New Delhi
The 63rd edition of the National Shooting Championship Competitions (NSCC) in shotgun events organized by the National Rifle Association of India(NRAI) was held at Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Ranges in New Delhi from November 16-30, 2019.

• Indian shooter Angad Vir Singh Bajwa unofficially hit a world record score in the men’s skeet final at the 63rd National Shooting Championships. Ankit made clean score of 60, winning gold medal
• Mairaj Ahmad Khan also created an unofficial world record making a perfect score of 125. However, both Angad and Mairaj were credited with National records.
• Saniya Sheikh won third national title in Women’s skeet.
• Haryana’s Sangram Dahiya and Madhya Pradesh’s Varsha Varman won double trap titles in the men and women category respectively.
• Bihar’s Shreyashi Singh and Punjab’s Manavjit Singh Sandhu won a gold medal in Trap Men and Women event….Click here to Read More

OBITUARY

Bob Willis, former cricket captain of England dies at 70On 4th December 2019, Robert George Dylan Willis, former cricket captain of England dies at the age of 70 after a prolonged illness. Robert Willis was born in Sunderland, England and was the captain of the England cricket team from 1982 to 1984.
Key Points:
i.Bob Willis was well known for his memorable performance in the third Ashes test in 1981 against Australia, it was also known as ‘Botham’s Ashes’ for the remarkable performance of England in the test match.
ii.He finished his test match career with 325 wickets making him the fourth in all-time list of wicket-takers with James Anderson, Botham and Stuart Broad taking the 1st, 2nd and 3rd places respectively.
About England:
Capital- London
Monarch- Elizabeth II
Currency- Pound sterling

STATE NEWS

Telangana CM, K. Chandrashekar Rao releases book on Kaleshwaram project by Sridhar Rao Deshpande
On 5th December 2019, Kalvakuntla Chandrashekhar Rao, Chief Minister of Telangana released a book named “Kaleswaram project: Telangana Pragathi Ratham” (Kaleswaram project: The Telangana Development Chariot) at Pragati Bhavan. The book was authored by CM’s officer on special duty (OSD, Irrigation) Sridhar Rao Deshpande.
Key Points:
i.The book is about the details and History of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), it also states the efforts taken by Chandrasekhar Rao from the initiation to the execution of the project and the data of water flow from Central Water Commission (CWC). The Kaleswaram Project was completed in three years and has started supplying water to the farming community in the state.
ii.The event was also attended by Juluri Gowri Shankar, poet and writer and Kaleswaram, Engineer in chief and other members.
About Telangana:
Capital- Hyderabad
Governor- Tamilisai Soundararajan
Chief Minister- K. Chandrashekar Rao

Assam govt set up 15 Anti-depredation squads to tackle human-wildlife conflicts
On December 6, 2019, Assam Chief Minister (CM) Sarbananda Sonowal has launched the 15 Anti- Depredation Squad of the Forest Department. The Squads will be deployed in 15 major human-wildlife conflict districts to ensure the safety of both humans and wildlife.
Key Points:
i.Squads will have 12 Bore pump action guns and 15,000 rounds of rubber bullet ammunition. They will be equipped with all logistics required for mitigating the conflict.
ii.Forest Department will get connected with specially trained 50 frontline staff to handle human-wildlife conflict situations. 100 more staff will also be trained in the future.
About Assam:
Capital– Dispur
Governor– Jagdish Mukhi
National Parks– Dibru-Saikhowa National Park ,Kaziranga National Park , Manas National Park ,Nameri National Park ,Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park.

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