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1. Pranab K Das is new Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs Chairman
Senior bureaucrat Pranab Kumar Das has been
appointed as Chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs
(CBIC), the apex policy-making body for indirect taxes. He will succeed S.
Ramesh, who superannuates on December. The CBIC is headed by the Chairman and
consists of six members, who overlook various areas such as customs, central
excise, service tax, Goods and Services Tax (GST), administration and budget,
among other.
2. Four public sector banks may come out of PCA
Four public sector banks that were under the Prompt
Corrective Action (PCA) framework of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), may come out
of the restrictions following an improved performance. The 4 banks are Bank of
Maharashtra, Corporation Bank, Allahabad Bank and Bank of India. This follows a
review of the performance of all 11 banks that are under the PCA framework, as
decided during the November board meeting of the RBI. The board of financial
supervision of the RBI has reviewed the banks’ half-yearly performance. RBI may
provide some relaxations to the risk thresholds in order to help the banks come
out of the PCA. With 11 out of 21 public sector banks under the PCA framework,
credit flow to the productive sectors of the economy has been impacted.
Estimates suggest that these 11 banks have 17% share in the loan market.
3. Japanese scientists detected the evidence of water in 17 asteroids
For the first time, Japanese scientists have
detected evidence of water in 17 asteroids using data from the infrared
satellite AKARI. Researchers from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
and University of Tokyo found that water is retained in asteroids as hydrated
minerals, which were produced by chemical reactions of water and anhydrous
rocks that occurred inside the asteroids. The observations by the researchers
detected absorption, which were attributed to hydrated minerals for 17 C-type
asteroids. C-type asteroids, which appear dark at visible wavelengths, were
believed to be rich in water and organic material, but the present observations
with AKARI are the first to directly confirm the presence of hydrated minerals
in these asteroids.
4. Study says flowers originated 50 million years earlier than thought
Researchers have identified a fossil plant
species that shows flowers bloomed in the Early Jurassic, more than 174 million
years ago. Before now, angiosperms (flowering plants) were thought to have a
history of no more than 130 million years. Researchers named
the fossil plant species Nanjinganthus dendrostyla. The
discovery of the novel flower species throws widely accepted theories of plant
evolution into question, by suggesting that they existed around 50 million
years earlier.
5. Pakistani activist Asma Jahangir wins UN Human Rights Prize for 2018
Late Pakistan lawyer and human rights activist Asma
Jahangir was announced as one of the four winners of the UN Human Rights Prize
for 2018. Her daughter Munizae Jahangir received the prestigious award on
behalf of her mother. Other winners included: ♦ Women’s rights activist in
Tanzania - Rebeca Gyumi; ♦ Activist for the rights of indigenous Brazilian
communities - Joenia Wapichana and ♦ Ireland’s human rights organisation Front
Line Defenders. United Nations Human Rights Prize, an award given every five
years since 1968. President of the UN General Assembly - María Fernanda
Espinosa.
6. NASAs first flight to the moon marks its 50th anniversary
NASA’s first flight to the moon to mark its 50th
anniversary. On December 21, 1968, three men, commander Frank Borman, Jim
Lovell, and Bill Anders, flew to the moon in Apollo 8 for the first time in
human history. To this day, the mission is considered NASA’s boldest and
perhaps most dangerous undertaking ever. NASA whipped it together in four
months, in order to beat the Soviets to the moon. A photo taken by Anders of
the Earth rising above the lunar landscape remains the most iconic space
snapshot.
7. Belgium Prime Minister Charles Michel resigns
He has resigned amid pressure on his government over
his support for the UN global pact on migration. Michel, 42, took office in
October 2014 after forming a right-wing coalition, becoming at 38 the country's
youngest prime minister since 1841.
8. Capital First merges with IDFC Bank to create IDFC First Bank
Private sector IDFC Bank and Non-Banking Financial
Company (NBFC) Capital First have announced completion of their merger to
create IDFC First Bank. Capital First Founder and Chairman V Vaidyanathan has
been appointed Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the
merged entity. IDFC Bank Founder, MD and CEO Rajiv Lall will serve as Part-Time
Chairman of IDFC First Bank. It will serve 7.2 million customers through its
203 bank branches, 129 ATMs, 454 rural business correspondent centres across
the country's urban and rural geographies.
9. BORI launched an e library of 1000 rare books in Pune
The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI)
launched an e-library of ancient religious and historical works. BORI houses
one of South Asia’s largest and most invaluable agglomeration of rare
manuscripts. Nearly 1,000 rare books and manuscripts in Sanskrit and its
related languages are presently available for readers worldwide to savor in
this first phase of digitization. Three fully-automated Zeutschel
high-resolution German scanners were specially procured by the institute at a
cost of Rs.15 lakh each.
10. PM Modi releases book on renowned cartoonist R.K. Laxman
Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a book
"Timeless Laxman", based on the life and times of legendary
cartoonist, the late R.K. Laxman. The book has been penned by cartoonist's daughter-in-law
Usha Srinivas Laxman. He passed away in January 2015 in Pune aged 93.
11. India's largest Cancer hospital 'National Cancer Institute' opened in Haryana
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) at Haryana’s
Jhajjar area, opened its OPD (out-patient department) services around five
years after its foundation stone was laid by the then prime minister Manmohan
Singh in 2014. The hospital is expected to be fully operational by December
2020. The 710-bed hospital is being built at a cost of Rs 2, 035 crore. NCI is
being headed by Dr G K Rath who is also the chief of Institute Rotary Cancer
hospital at AIIMS.
12. Global Gender Gap Report 2018: Iceland tops; India ranks 108th
This year, the Gender Gap Index as released by World
Economic Forum (WEF), was topped by Iceland with a score of 0.858, holding the
top spot in the index for the 10th consecutive year. Norway ranked at 2nd,
Sweden at 3rd, and Finland at 4th. India was ranked 108th in the Global Gender
Gap Index 2018, same as it was ranked in 2017. Among other South Asian
countries, India fetched fourth place with top 3 being Bangladesh (48th), Sri
Lanka (100th) and Nepal (105th).
13. Lok Sabha passed the Surrogacy Regulation Bill
The Lok Sabha passed the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill
2016. The Bill aimed at banning commercial surrogacy to protect women from
exploitation. It also proposed to allow only altruistic surrogacy by infertile
Indian couples from a "close relative" only. The Surrogacy Bill was
approved by the Cabinet in August 2016. It was introduced in the Lok Sabha in
November 2016 and was later referred to a parliamentary standing committee on
health and family welfare in January 2017. The Bill stated: ♦ Singles,
homosexuals and live-in couples cannot apply for surrogacy ♦ The couples who
already have children will also not be allowed to opt for surrogacy ♦ It
entitles only Indian citizens to avail of surrogacy, whereas foreigners, NRls
and PIOs are not allowed to commission surrogacy in the country ♦ Women within
the age group of 23 years to 50 years and men aged between 26 and 55 years will
be eligible to go in for surrogacy. The child, thus born, will be deemed to be
the legal offspring of the intended couple ♦ A woman can be a surrogate only
once in her lifetime
14. President rule has been imposed in Jammu and Kashmir from today
President’s rule is imposed in Jammu and Kashmir
from 20th December as the Governor’s rule expired in the state on 19th December
2018, after six months. The Centre is learnt to have recommended President’s
rule after a report by Governor Satya Pal Malik. Now, President Ram Nath Kovind
will have to issue a proclamation declaring that the powers of the legislature
of the state shall be exercisable by or under the authority of Parliament. In
case the elections are not declared, President’s rule can be extended by
another six months.
15. NPCIL's Kaiga Unit-1 creates world record for continuous operation
A 220-MW unit of Nuclear Power Corporation of
India's (NPCIL) Kaiga Atomic Power Station has created a world record for
continuous operation for 941 days. The previous world record of 940 days held
by Heysham 2 Unit-8 of the United Kingdom. Kaiga Atomic Energy Station is the
third greatest nuclear electricity plant in India. Tarapur (1400 MW) of
Maharashtra is the biggest and Rawatbhata (1180 MW) of Rajatshan is the 2nd
most significant energy plant in India. It provides electric power to
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
16. Ridleys gathered for mating in Berhampur, Odisha
As part of their annual mating season, thousands of
olive ridleys have assembled near the Rushikulya rookery on the Odisha
coast. The forest department has stepped up its patrol in the area to safeguard
the turtles. Olive ridley sea turtle: ♦ Species: Lepidochelys olivacea ♦ The
olive ridley sea turtle, also known as the Pacific ridley sea turtle, is the
smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world ♦ This species
of sea turtle is found in warm and tropical waters, primarily in the Pacific
and Indian Oceans ♦ They can also be found in the warm waters of the Atlantic
Ocean ♦ These turtles, along with the related Kemps ridley turtle, are best
known for their unique mass nesting called arribada, where thousands of females
come together on the same beach to lay eggs ♦ It falls under Vulnerable
Category in the IUCN Red list
17. IPL 2019 Auction: 16-Year-Old Prayas Becomes Youngest Ever Crorepati in History
Royal Challengers Bangalore roped in the youngster
Prayas Ray Barman for Rs 1.5 Cr from a base price Rs 20 lakh. Bengal's
16-year-old leg-spinner Prayas Barman made his professional cricket debut for
Bengal in September, taking 11 wickets in nine Vijay Hazare Trophy matches at
an economy rate of 4.45.
18. ISRO launched GSAT 7A to enhance the communication infrastructure of IAF
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
launched GSLV-F11 which carried communication satellite GSAT-7A. The satellite
is meant to enhance the communication infrastructure of the Indian Air Force
(IAF). In its Mk-II version, the GSLV with the indigenous cryogenic stage
carried on board its heaviest satellite that weighed 2,250 kg, from the second
launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR, Sriharikota. It will be a
major booster and force multiplier for the IAF. In network-centric warfare,
such type of systems will help achieve full network centricity. From that perspective,
it’s a major value addition to the IAF.
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