Current Affairs 4th December 2018: Daily GK Update

Dear Aspirants,

The General Awareness Section of Banking Exams covers numerous sections in it like Banking Awareness, Static GK, and Current Affairs. But the most important thing that you might have noticed is that both the Banking Awareness and Static Awareness questions asked in the General Awareness Section are based on Current Affairs only. The questions on Static and Banking Awareness are related to the countries, events or anything that has been in news for a while. Here is the Daily GK Update to get you acquainted with the top events that made the headlines today!!

National News

1. ADB, Centre Sign $85 million Loan to Support Odisha Skill Development Project 

i. The Centre and Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed an 85 million dollar loan to improve skill development eco-system in Odisha. An advanced skill training center, the World Skill Center (WSC) will also be established in Bhubaneswar with the help of a loan.

ii. The Odisha Skill Development Project agreement was signed by Additional Secretary in the Finance Ministry Sameer Kumar Khare and Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission Kenichi Yokoyama in New Delhi.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For Canara Bank PO:

• Takeshi Watanabe was ADB’s first President.
• Headquarters of ADB is in Manila, Philippines.
• Takehiko Nakao is a Japanese civil servant who was elected the ninth president of the Asian Development Bank in 2013.

2. ‘PAiSA’ Launched Under Day-NULM

i. “PAiSA – Portal for Affordable Credit and Interest Subvention Access”, a centralized electronic platform for processing interest subvention on bank loans to beneficiaries under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) was launched by Sh. Durga Shankar Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

ii. The web platform has been designed and developed by Allahabad Bank which is the Nodal bank. All 35 states / UTs & all scheduled commercial banks, RRBs, and Cooperative Banks are expected to be on board the PAiSA portal soon.

3. ‘SHOUT’ Feature Introduced In The ‘112 India’ Mobile App

i. Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced a pan-India single-number emergency mobile app ‘112 India’ and stated that it will have a special women safety feature ‘SHOUT’ to get immediate assistance from police and volunteers. It is connected to the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS).

ii. Under the ERSS project, people will be able to receive immediate assistance from police, health and fire departments as well as from other agencies using a pan-India single emergency number 112.

4. Jammu & Kashmir Government Launches AB-PMJAY Scheme

i. Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik launched the ambitious “Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)” scheme which would benefit over 31 lakh residents in the state.

ii. The governor distributed golden cards among 10 eligible beneficiaries for availing the annual health cover facility, marking the launch of the scheme in the state.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS Clerk Mains Exam 2018:

• The AB-PMJAY is the world’s largest healthcare scheme which aims at providing portable coverage of Rs 5 lakh per entitled family annually.

5. Nagaland Becomes First North-Eastern State To Launch Single Emergency Number ‘112’

i. Nagaland became the first state in the Northeast and second in the country, after Himachal Pradesh, to launch a pan-India single-number (112) emergency mobile application which will have a special women safety feature for immediate assistance from police and volunteers.

ii. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh stated that a ‘SHOUT‘ feature has been made available exclusively for women in the ‘112 India’ mobile app which is connected to the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS). 

Static/Current Takeaways Important For Canara Bank PO:

• Nagaland CM: Neiphiu Rio, Governor: PB Acharya.

6. Bahrain and Maharashtra Government Signs MoU on Fintech

i. The Economic Development Board (EDB), the investment promotion arm of the Kingdom of Bahrain signed an MoU with the Maharashtra Government to provide a framework for Co-operation between the two authorities to promote FinTech in their respective markets.

ii. This MoU is in line with the EDB’s aims of exploring greater synergies between India and Bahrain in the financial technology space and will last for an initial period of three years.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS Clerk Mains Exam 2018:

• Bahrain Capital: Manama, Currency: Bahraini dinar.

International News

i. Qatar has announced its decision to leave the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) from January 2019 and focus more on the production of natural gas. The announcement was made by Qatar’s new energy minister, Saad al-Kaabi. 

ii. Qatar is the world’s largest exporter of LPG. Qatar also wants to raise its oil production from 4.8 

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS Clerk Mains Exam 2018:

• The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a permanent, intergovernmental Organization, created at the Baghdad Conference on September 10–14, 1960, by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.
• HE Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo is the Secretary General of OPEC.
• OPEC headquarters in Vienna, Capital of Austria. 

i. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) announced the appointment of Jon Ridgeon as its new CEO following approval by the IAAF Council on the first day of its 215th Council Meeting in Monaco. 

ii. Ridgeon will take up the new role in March 2019.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS Clerk Mains Exam 2018:

• International Association of Athletics Federations Headquarters in Monaco.

i. Private sector lender Yes Bank Ltd appointed former IRDAI chief T.S. Vijayan as an additional director (Independent) for five years with immediate effect. 

ii. Vijayan’s appointment would be subject to the approval of Yes Bank shareholders general meeting of the bank. Vijayan has also served as the Chairman of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC).

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS Clerk Mains Exam 2018:

• Yes Bank’s independent director R. Chandrashekhar and chairman Ashok Chawla has already stepped down.

10. Pawan Singh First Indian To Be Elected In ISSF’s Judges Committee

i. Pawan Singh has become the first Indian to be elected one of seven member’s of the Judges Committee of the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF). Mr. Singh also holds the post of the Joint Secretary General of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).

ii. Mr. Singh got elected onto the seven members’ Judges Committee for which 22 candidates from all over the world were in the fray. Members of the administrative council of ISSF voted to select the committee during the elections held at Munich. 

11. AN Jha Appointed New Finance Secretary

i. Ajay Narayan Jha, the Secretary of Department of Expenditure, has been appointed as new Finance Secretary to succeed Hasmukh Adhia who retired on November 30.

ii. Fifty-nine-year-old Jha is a 1982-batch IAS officer of Manipur Tripura cadre. An alumnus of St Stephens College, he passed with first class in Graduation and Post Graduation in History.

i. Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric won Ballon d’Or 2018 in Paris. In the process, he broke the decade-long duopoly over the award held by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. 

ii. The 33-year old Croatian was awarded the FIFA’s World Cup 2018 MVP, UEFA’s Player of the Year 2018, Best FIFA Footballer of the Year and the number one player by International Federation of Football History and Statistics.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS Clerk Mains Exam 2018: 

• The 19-year-old Mbappe (the youngest player to score in a World Cup final) won the Raymond Kopa Trophy awarded to the best young player.
• Ada Hegerberg became the first women to win Ballon d’Or.
• The last player to win the award outside of Ronaldo and Messi was Brazilian great Kaka in 2007.

13. Delhi Minister Imran Hussain Gets PETA ‘Hero to Animals’ Award

i. Delhi Minister of Food Supplies, Environment and Forest and Elections Imran Hussain was awarded by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)-India for banning the Chinese Manjha, or the glass-coated kite strings, across Delhi.

ii. The award, named ‘Hero to Animals,’ was also given to three other individuals and companies that have pushed animal rights forward. Other winners of Hero to Animals Award 2018

• Purvi Doshi received a Compassionate Designer Award.
• Corkiza received an Innovative Fashion Award.
• Nutriva received an Innovation in Food Award.

Banking News

14. ECB Launched TIPS Instant Payment System 

i. The European Central Bank launched a new system aimed at letting banks settle payments instantly across Europe, helping them to compete with PayPal and other global tech giants.

ii. Developed in just over a year, the ECB’s TARGET Instant Payment Settlement (TIPS) system will let people and companies in Europe transfer euros to each other within seconds and regardless of the opening hours of their local bank. 

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS Clerk Mains Exam 2018: 

• The ECB’s President is Mario Draghi and the Vice-President is Luis de Guindos.

Important Days

i. 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.

ii. 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

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS Clerk Mains Exam 2018:

• Admiral Sunil Lanba is the present Chief of Naval Staff.

Sports News

16. Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik Win Gold At Wrestling Nationals

i. Indian star wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik successfully emerged champions in the 57 kg and 62 kg title respectively in the Tata Motors Senior Women’s National Championship.

ii. Vinesh Phogat bagged her sixth National title. She had earlier won five Nationals in a row from 2012 to 2016. The event was hosted by Uttar Pradesh.

17. Ullas Narayan Wins India’s 1st International Medal in Ultra Running

i. Ullas Narayan became the first ever Indian individual medal winner in an international ultra running event by clinching a bronze in the 2018 International Association of Ultra Running (IAU) 24 Hour Asia & Oceania Championships in Taipei.
ii. Japan won the team event gold with a distance of 756 km and Australia (684 km) got the silver.

Current Affairs 2018 

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Banking Current Affairs

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