Latest Current Affairs – January 24 & 25 2019
1. Piyush Goyal gets additional charge of ministry of finance, corporate affairs
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal was given the additional charge of the Finance and Corporate Affairs ministries in view of the indisposition of Arun Jaitley, who is currently undergoing treatment abroad. According to a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique, the President, as advised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, directed that during the period of Jaitley’s indisposition, the portfolios of the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Corporate Affairs, held by him, be temporarily assigned to Goyal, in addition to his existing portfolios
2. Yes Bank names Ravneet Singh Gill as new MD & CEO
Yes Bank said that it got the RBI’s approval to name Ravneet Singh Gill as its new managing director and chief executive officer. Gill of Deutsche Bank India will succeed Rana Kapoor. In early January, Yes bank informed stock exchanges that it has shortlisted the names of potential candidates to succeed Kapoor, who is to demit office by month-end. The bank, however, did not disclose the names of the shortlisted candidates for the top post. The Reserve Bank of India has asked the private sector lender to find replacement of Kapoor, who will continue as the MD and CEO till January 31.
3. Lakshmi Vilas Bank reappoints Parthasarathi Mukherjee as its MD for two more years
Private sector lender Lakshmi Vilas Bank has reappointed Parthasarathi Mukherjee as its managing director for two more years. Mukherjee’s extended term will begin January 25. The bank’s board took the decision on the reappointment .
The reappointed has received the final approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The lender is going through a critical phase as its growth experienced a decline due to lack of capital. Potential investors in the lender are delaying their decisions on funding as the bank
4. January 24: National Girl Child Day
National girl child day is celebrated every year on 24th of January as a national observance day for the girl child. This celebration was started to offer more supports and new opportunities to the girls in the country. The day in 2019 was celebrated with theme of “Empowering Girls for a Brighter Tomorrow”.
Many programmes were organised for the occasion including awareness campaign on save girl child, child sex ratios and creating a healthy and safe environment for a girl child. Haryana was awarded for its good performance for the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ initiative of the national government. The award was presented on 24th January at an event in New Delhi organised on the occasion of National Girl Child Day. Rajasthan was also included in the award for its improved performance for the same.
Andhra Pradesh celebrated a weeklong event on the occasion of National Girl Child Day. The event included awareness programs, self-defence training, drawing and painting competitions for children, child literacy etc.
5. South African Johan Botha retires from all forms of cricket
Former South Africa all-rounder Johan Botha has announced his immediate retirement from all forms of cricket. The 36-year-old Botha, who received his Australian citizenship in 2016, failed to take a wicket during nine-wicket loss to the Sydney Sixers. He had played all 10 matches for the first-place Hurricanes this season.
6. IAFTX 2019 to be held in Pune in March
With the aim to synergise humanitarian mine action and joint peace operations, the Indian Africa Field Training Exercise (IAFTX) will be held in Pune from March 18 to 27 . The field training exercise would be conducted at Aundh Military Station and College of Military Engineering .
The final planning conference to work out the modalities for IAFTX 2019 is being conducted in Pune. Delegates from Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, South Africa, Tanzania, Namibia, Mozambique, Uganda, Niger and Zambia are attending the conference.
7. National Voters’ Day: January 25
The country will celebrate the 9th National Voters’ Day on 25th January 2019 at more than 6 lakh locations covering around 10 lakh Polling Stations across the country. New Voters shall be felicitated and handed over their EPIC (Elector Photo Identity Card) in the NVD function.
The theme of 9th edition of the National Voters’ Day (NVD 2019) is, “No voter to be left behind.” My Vote Matters, a Quarterly Magazine is being launched on the occasion and the first copy shall be presented by the Commission to the Hon’ble President. The National Awards for the Best Electoral Practices shall be conferred to Officers for outstanding performance in the conduct of elections. In addition, awards are also being given to CSOs and Media Houses who have made outstanding contribution in the field of voter awareness and outreach.
8. Eminent Hindi author Krishna Sobti passes away at 93
Eminent Hindi writer, Krishna Sobti passed away in New Delhi at the age of 93. A Jnanpith Award winner Sobti’s was a voice in contemporary Hindi prose that was very hard to ignore. Her works deal closely with issues of female identity and sexuality.
Born in 1925, Sobti was known for writing about issues of female identity and sexuality. She received prestigious awards like Sahitya Akademi, Jnanpith awards and was also offered Padma Bhushan, which she had declined.
9. ISRO successfully launches PSLV-C44 with Microsat-R, Kalamsat onboard
India successfully launched the 46th mission of its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from the Sriharikota spaceport, near Chennai, carrying Microsat-R and Kalamsat to Sun Synchronous Polar Orbit. PSLV-C44 is the first mission of PSLV-DL and is a new variant of the PSLV.
The rocket took off from the first launch pad (FLP) of Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.The PSLV is a four-stage launch vehicle with alternating solid and liquid stages. The two-strap-on configuration is designated PSLV-DL. PSLV-C44’s fourth stage (PS4), which is an experimental orbital platform for carrying out technology demonstration, was moved to a higher circular orbit so as to establish an orbital platform for carrying out experiments.
10. Sultan of Pahang elected as new Malaysian king
Pahang’s Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah was elected as the new Malaysian king by members of the country’s royal families, following the unexpected abdication of the previous monarch. Sultan Abdullah, 59, will formally take over the throne on Jan 31 for a five-year term, the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal Syed Danial Syed Ahmad said. Perak’s Sultan Nazrin Shah has been elected deputy king.
11. NRL receives ‘Best Miniratna PSU’ award
Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) has been awarded the best miniratna PSU in strategic performance (financial category) at the Governance Now Sixth PSU awards. The award, comprising of a trophy, was presented to NRL MD S K Barua by Member of Parliament Manoj Tiwari and veteran actress and social activist Poonam Dhillon at an award function held in New Delhi recently.
The awards are given out in recognition of the efforts of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) who have played a key role in the countrys growth. They are evaluated by a two-phase rigorous process by data science agency M76 Analytics (IIT Bombay incubated) while the performances are measured using the Moody’s methodology.
12. Sahapedia announces 2nd edition of heritage walk festival
Sahapedia and UNESCO have announced the second edition of the India Heritage Walk Festival (IHWF), expanding their footprint to 37 cities, with a focus on heritage education and walks for people with special needs. The IHWF will kick off with a heritage walk in Ahmedabad on February 2, focusing on the religious history and co-existence of multiple faiths in the Gujarat city. A primary objective of the festival, which will conclude on February 28 with simultaneous walks in multiple cities, is to widen access to various aspects of India’s tangible and intangible heritage.
13. Kerala to launch NRI pension scheme
The Kerala government will soon launch a ‘Pravasi Dividend Pension Scheme’ to provide regular pension to Non Resident Keralites on a one-time payment of Rs 5 lakh. . My government is committed to the welfare of millions of Pravasi Malayalis. The one-time payment of Rs 5 lakh will be deposited with KIIFB (Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board) for financing infrastructure projects,” said Sathasivam. There are 2.1 million migrants from Kerala across the world whose estimated total annual remittances to the state has been found to be Rs 85,092 crore
14. IRDAI sets up a panel to identify systemically important insurers
Insurance regulator Irdai set up a panel to identity domestically systemically important insurers (SII) and put in place an enhanced regulatory framework for them. The committee headed by Pravin Kutumbe, Member-Finance & Investment, Irdai, has been asked to submit report in six months. As per the terms of reference, the panel has also to develop a paper on assessment methodology for SIIs in India and recommend enhanced supervision for them.
15. IndiGo appoints Ronojoy Dutta as new CEO
IndiGo owner InterGlobe Aviation appointed Ronojoy Dutta as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company with immediate effect. The company has also approved the appointment of Meleveetil Damodaran, the Independent Non-Executive Director, as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company with immediate effect.
Ronojoy Dutta will remain as the company CEO for the next five years. Ronojoy Dutta, 67, has done BS Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology and MBA from Harvard Business School. He was a co-founder and Managing Director of ACO Investment, renowned investment advisory firm in field of aviation and infrastructure.
16.BFW, Universal Robots to co-create robots for MSMEs
Bharat Fritz Werner Ltd (BFW), a Bengaluru-based machining solution provider, has partnered with Universal Robots, a Danish robot maker and a leader in collaborative robots, to co-create robots for MSME sector.
This aims to disrupt the traditional production set-up of MSME segment with top-notch automation solutions and will dramatically impact productivity, quality and working conditions.”
17. SBI Card and Etihad Guest tie-up to launch premium card for international travel
SBI Card and Etihad Guest, the loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, have joined hands to launch a travel specific Visa credit card for members and Indian travellers. This is the first international co-brand partnership of SBI Card, the country’s second largest credit card issuer. The card will be available in two variants, Etihad Guest SBI Card and Etihad Guest SBI Premier Card, will bring an unmatched value proposition to Etihad Guest members and international travellers from India.
18. Next level’ of food safety in India: FSSAI announces new packaging regulations
The Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) has announced new regulations prohibiting all food businesses in India from using ‘unsafe’ materials such as newspapers and recycled plastics to wrap food products.
The food businesses shall have to comply with these regulations by 1 July, 2019.
19. Cabinet approves MoC between India and Japan in the field of Food Processing Industry
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval to the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between India and Japan in the field of food processing sector. Bilateral cooperation in the field of food processing between India and Japan will be mutually beneficial to the food processing sector in both countries.
It will promote understanding of best practices in food processing in the two countries and will help in improving the food processing sector as well as improved market access, leading to equity and inclusiveness. The MoC will lead to betterment of the food processing sector in the country by introducing innovative techniques and processes. It will help in increasing food processing in the country by getting access to best practices and better markets.
