04 December 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

1. Shri A. N. Jha appointed as Finance Secretary

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) Chaired by PM Narendra Modi has appointed Ajay Narayan Jha (1982-batch IAS officer of Manipur Tripura cadre) as the new Finance Secretary of India.
Mr Jha (59-years) will succeed current Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia.
Jha has BA (Honours) and MA in history from St. Stephen's College at University of Delhi, a postgraduate degree in executive development from John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Jha is a recipient of World Bank scholarship to pursue Masters in Economic Policy Management from McGill University in Canada.

Note:

The Finance Secretary plays a leadership role in the bureaucracy of the Finance Ministry, Government of India.

Important Dates

2. Navy Day is being celebrated today

The Indian Navy day is observed every year on 4th December to celebrate achievements and role of the naval force in the country.
The Indian Navy is commanded by the President of India as Commander-in-Chief. It is the marine branch of the Indian Armed Forces.
Sunil Lamba is the current Chief of the Naval Staff.

Note:

The Navy day is celebrated to honour the courageous attack on the Karachi harbour during the Indo-Pakistan war (on 4th December 1971) by the Indian Naval Missile boats as well as to reverence all the martyrs of that war.
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Bhosle (Maratha Emperor) of the 17th century is considered as “Father of the Indian Navy”.

Banking & Finance

3. World Bank unveils USD 200 bn in climate action investment for 2021-25

The World Bank has unveiled 200 billion US Dollars in climate action investment for 2021 to 2025.
The move coincides with a UN climate summit in Katowice.
The move represents a significantly ramped up ambition to tackle climate change and sends an important signal to the wider global community to do the same.
The breakdown of 200 billion dollars would comprise approximately 100 billion in direct finance from the World Bank.
If the emissions are not reduced, 100 million more people will be living in poverty by 2030.

4. The Centre and ADB sign 85 mn dollar loan to support Odisha skill development project

The Union Govt. and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a USD 85 million loan to improve skill development eco-system in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
The project will help over 1.5 lakh people learn skills in priority sectors, including manufacturing, construction and services for formal employment.
The Skill Centre will deliver eight training courses for 13 thousand students and provide training to five thousand teachers.

National Affairs

5. India's first locomotive-less Train 18, breaches 180 Kmph speed limit during the test run

India's first locomotive-less train ‘Train 18’ has breached the 180 kilometres per hour speed limit during a test run at Kota-Sawai Madhopur section in Rajasthan.
Train 18 is capable of touching 200 kilometres per hour provided the rest of the Indian Railways' system, such as tracks and signals, permit.
With 16 coaches, the train will have the same passenger carrying capacity as that of the Shatabdi Express.
It has aerodynamically designed driver cabins at both ends for quicker turn-around at destinations.
The train also sports an advanced regenerative braking system which saves power.
The fully air-conditioned train offers better passenger comfort and safety, as all equipment are fixed under the carriage so that more space is available on board.

6. Union Government puts imports of gold dore in the restricted category

Under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has put imports of gold dore in the restricted category.
Now, the importer needs a license to import this commodity.
It is a semi-pure alloy of gold and silver which is refined for further purification.
It usually created at the site of a mine and then transported to a refinery for further purification.
Refined gold bars are manufactured from gold dore bar.

Note:

India imports about 900 tonnes of the gold year making it the world’s second-biggest gold consumer after China.

7. Nagaland becomes first north-eastern state to launch single emergency number ‘112’

The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has launched the single emergency number ‘112’ under the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) for the state of Nagaland.
It will have a special women safety feature ‘SHOUT’ to get immediate assistance from police and volunteers.
The launch coincided with the state’s formation day and the inaugural day of the 2018 edition of the Hornbill Festival.

8. Jammu & Kashmir Government Launches AB-PMJAY Scheme

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik has launched the “Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)” scheme at Teacher’s Bhawan, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu.
It would benefit over 31 lakh residents in the state.
The governor Satya Pal Malik also distributed golden cards among 10 eligible beneficiaries for availing the annual health cover facility.

9. The second meeting of NITI Forum for North East held in Guwahati

Today, the second meeting of the newly constituted NITI Forum for North East held in Guwahati, Assam.
It mainly focusses on issues pertaining to five critical sectors, namely tourism, bamboo, dairy, fisheries and tea.
Besides, the members of the Forum, a number of experts from Government, Industry and Academia have also been invited to make the discussions more meaningful.
The meeting will be chaired by Vice Chairman NITI Aayog Dr Rajiv Kumar while DoNER Minister Dr Jitendra Singh will co-chair the meeting.

Note:

The NITI Forum for North East was constituted in February 2018 to periodically review the development status in the North Eastern Region.
It has been tasked to identify various constraints on the way of accelerated, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the region and to recommend suitable interventions.

International Affairs

10. Qatar to leave OPEC from January 2019

According to Qatar's new energy minister, Saad al-Kaabi, Qatar has decided to leave the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) from January 2019 (after nearly six decades) and focus more on the production of natural gas.
Qatar has plans to increase its annual exports of liquified natural gas (LPG) from 77 million tons of gas per year to 110 million tons.
Qatar is the world's largest exporter of LPG.
Qatar also wants to raise its oil production from 4.8 million barrels of oil equivalent a day to 6.5 million barrels.

Note:

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is an intergovernmental organization of 15 nations, founded in 1960 in Baghdad by the first five members (Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela), and headquartered since 1965 in Vienna, Austria.
As of September 2018, the 15 countries accounted for an estimated 44% of global oil production and 81.5% of the world's "proven" oil reserves.

Sports

11. Pawan Singh first Indian to be elected in ISSF's judge's committee

Pawan Singh (former coach of the Indian shooting team) has become the first Indian to be elected one of seven members of the Judges Committee of the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF).
The Judges Committee consists of a Chairman and seven members.
Mr Singh also holds the post of the Joint Secretary General of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).

Note:

Judges Committee is responsible for the uniform application of the shooting rules, provides guidelines for international judges, prepares and conducts courses for judges and jury members.

12. Maheshwari Chauhan retains women's skeet title

Rajasthan's Maheshwari Chauhan retained her women's skeet title at the 62nd National Shooting Championship Competitions (NSCC) for shotgun events in Jaipur.
Maheshwari overcame Ganemat 52-51 in the final to clinch the gold.
The bronze medal was won by Punjab's Simran Preet Kaur Johal.