Latest Current Affairs – January 31 2019
1. PM inaugurates state-of-the-art Hospital in Surat
The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated state-of-the-art super speciality Rasilaben Sevantilal Shah Venus hospital in Surat. He expressed happiness that this hospital will also serve the people under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme. Ayushman Bharat Scheme will create an entirely new ecosystem which helps to create healthier India. The scheme will boost set up of new hospitals in tier 2-3 cities, which also increases job opportunities in the healthcare sector.
2. National Salt Satyagraha Memorial in Dandi, Gujarat dedicated to the nation by PM
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dedicated the National Salt Satyagraha Memorial at Dandi in Navsari district, Gujarat to the nation on Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary. At the memorial site, he also unveiled statues of Mahatma Gandhi and 80 Satyagrahis who had marched with him during the historic Dandi Salt March in 1930 to make salt from sea water against the British law. The memorial also has 24-narrative murals depicting various events and stories from the historic 1930 Salt March. Solar trees are installed to meet the energy requirements of the memorial complex.
3. Air India resumes its services from New Delhi to Najaf in Iraq
Air India is resuming its services from New Delhi to the holy city of Najaf in Iraq after 25 years. Indian Ambassador to Iraq Dr Pradeep Rajpurohit said, the services will commence from the 14th of next month, and it is initially being planned for twice a week. Najaf is a city some 160 kilometres from Baghdad.
It is an important pilgrimage place considered sacred by Shia Muslims.
4. FDI rose 18% in FY18 to Rs 28.25 lakh crore: RBI
Foreign direct investment (FDI) during the previous fiscal grew 18 per cent to Rs 28.25 lakh crore. FDI increased by Rs 4,33,300 crore, including revaluation of past investments, during 2017-18 to reach Rs 28,24,600 crore in March 2018 at market value, according to RBI data on ‘Census on Foreign Liabilities and Assets of Indian Direct Investment Companies, 2017-18’. The RBI said as many as 23,065 companies responded to the latest round of the census, of which, 20,732 firms had FDI or ODI in their balance sheet in March 2018.
5. All Research Fellows Also Entitled to HRA as per Central Government Norms
With effect from January 1, 2019, Central Government has enhanced the fellowship of Ph.D students and other research personnel enrolled in any area of science and technology, including Physical and Chemical Sciences, Engineering, Mathematical Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Life Sciences, Pharmacy etc.
The hike in fellowship will directly benefit over 60,000 Research Fellows and also provide a template to the States to consider increase in their fellowship rates. Fellowship of the Junior Research Fellows in the first two years of Ph.D programme is increased from the current rate of Rs.25,000/- to Rs.31,000/- per month. Similarly, in the remaining tenure of Ph.D, Senior Research Fellow will get Rs. 35,000/- per month instead of the present Rs.28,000/- per month.
Further, there is substantial 30-35% enhancement in the financial rewards for the scientists involved in the R&D projects as Research Associates.The top bracket of Research Associateship is fixed at Rs.54,000/-. All the research fellows are also entitled to HRA as per Central Government norms.
6. AIIB to provide local currency financing in India, Pakistan
China-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), in which India is the second largest shareholder, plans to launch local currency financing in India and some other Asian nations later this year to reduce cross-border investment risks caused by exchange-rate fluctuations. The first group of countries to have this new service could include India, Indonesia and Pakistan.
7. Tamil Nadu bags Swasth Bharat Yatra award for ‘best performance’
Tamil Nadu has bagged the Best State Award for its active participation in the Swasth Bharat Yatra, a pan-India cyclothon aimed at promoting the concept of ‘eating right for a healthy life’. Madurai and Sivakasi won the awards for the best performing districts, while the State also bagged 17 awards in various other categories.
Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar received the award from Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey on Tuesday. Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan was present on the occasion.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India had organised the Swasth Bharat Yatra, a key element of the ‘Eat Right India Movement’, to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi from October 2018 to January 2019. The objective was to promote the message of ‘Eat Healthy’ to prevent non-communicable diseases, ‘Eat Safe’ to prevent food-borne diseases and ‘Eat Fortified’ to prevent micro-nutrient deficiencies.
8. Italy, UN, launch Africa Centre for Climate and Sustainable Development
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has opened a new centre here set up by the government in partnership with the UN to fight climate change and boost sustainable development in Africa. The new centre is located near the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in central Rome. It will help develop and scale-up innovative solutions for sustainable development, implement the goals of the UN’s 2030 Agenda and the landmark 2015 Paris Climate Agreement to end reliance on fossil fuels and cap global warming.
A major focus on boosting the agricultural sectors and promoting rural development in Africa was needed to ensure a better future for the continent’s youth who, can be the drivers of development, said FAO Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva at the ceremony.
9. Israel Aerospace enters follow-up missile deals with India for $93 million
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) forged $93 million worth of follow-up agreements with India to provide naval surface-to-air missile systems. The contracts were made with the Indian Navy and Cochin Shipyard Limited.
IAI said it will provide complementary systems for the air defence system and that the contracts involve follow up orders for a range of maintenance and other services for various sub-systems of IAI’s advanced Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile Air Defense System.
10. PK Purwar selected for BSNL CMD post
The Department of Personal & Training, Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) selected Pravin Kumar Purwar for the post of Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), who will take office from July He will replace Anupam Shrivastava, who has been the CMD of the State-run firm since January 2015. Purwar was amongst the nine applicants who had applied for the post.
Purwar, who is a 1990 batch officer of the Indian P&T Accounts and Finance Service, has been the CMD of MTNL since 2016. He worked in various positions both at field level and the corporate office in the Department of Telecommunications and BSNL. He has done his Master’s in Commerce from Allahabad University and is a qualified Chartered Accountant.
11. LT Gen Rajeev Chopra takes over as DG NCC
Lt Gen Rajeev Chopra assumed the appointment of Director General of NCC (DGNCC). Commissioned in the Madras Regiment in December 1980, Lt Gen Chopra is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.
Lt Gen Rajeev Chopra has commanded an infantry battalion in Operation Rhino (Assam). He has commanded a Brigade in Eastern Command and was Inspector General of HQ IGAR (South) in the insurgency-torn state of Manipur.
12. Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar takes charge as Western Naval Command chief
Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar took over as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command. Vice Admiral Kumar succeeds Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, who retired upon superannuation, after a career spanning nearly four decades in the Indian Navy. An alumnus of Sainik School Kazhakootam and the National Defence Academy, Vice Admiral Kumar was commissioned in the Indian Navy on July 1, 1981. As a specialist in Missiles and Gunnery, the Flag Officer has served onboard frontline warships of the Indian Navy and abroad.
13. Yes Bank appoints Ajai Kumar as interim MD and CEO
Yes Bank has appointed Ajai Kumar as the interim Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) as Rana Kapoor demits office on January 31. Kumar has been the non-executive and non-independent director of the bank since January 2016. He will hold the position of interim MD and CEO until Ravneet Gill assumes office as the MD and CEO on March 1, 2019. The board of Yes Bank had requested Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a senior board director to temporarily hold the office of ‘Board Director on Interim Special Duty’.
14. Srikrishna committee indicts Chanda Kochhar
The Justice B.N. Srikrishna Committee that probed allegations against Chanda Kochhar, the former CEO and MD of ICICI Bank, has found that she violated the bank’s code of conduct in dealing with conflict of interest and fiduciary duties in the case of loans to Videocon that had routed a part of the money to a company owned by her husband Deepak.
Following receipt of the enquiry report, the bank’s Board of Directors decided to treat her ‘separation’ as a ‘termination for cause’ under the bank’s policies that will include revocation of all her existing and future entitlements such as unpaid amounts, bonuses, increments and stock options.
15. RBI removes BoI, BoM, OBC from Prompt Corrective Action framework
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) removed three state-owned banks from its weak-bank watch list, a move that will lift lending restrictions on them.
“It has been decided that Bank of India (BoI) and Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) which meet the regulatory norms including Capital Conservation Buffer (CCB) and have Net NPAs (non-performing assets) of less than 6 per cent as per third quarter results, are taken out of the PCA (prompt corrective action) framework subject to certain conditions and continuous monitoring,” the RBI said.
16. Maharashtra Government launched Special Scheme to Curb infant deaths
A special scheme is launched by the Maharashtra government with an aim to curb infant deaths. Child Development Minister Pankaja Munde launched the scheme by distributing baby care kits to the children born in Primary health center and Government Hospitals. The government allocated Rs.20 crore for the scheme.
The baby care kit contains a blanket, a small mattress, a towel, a thermometer, baby oil, shampoo, toys, nail cutter, gloves, socks, among other items. The kit costs around Rs.2000. The scheme is applicable only for the first child of the parents. It will be beneficial around 4 lakh women across Maharashtra.
