14 December 2018 - Daily Current Affairs


14 December 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

14 December 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

1. Brijendra Pal Singh nominated as new president of FTII

  • The Information and Broadcasting Ministry nominated Brijendra Pal Singh as the new president of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Society and Chairman of Governing Council.
  • Currently, Mr Singh is the Vice Chairman of the FTII Governing Council.
  • The position was vacant after actor Anupam Kher stepped down in October this year.
Note:
  • The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) is an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India.
  • It is situated on the premises of the erstwhile Prabhat Film Company in Pune.
  • FTII is a member of the International Liaison Centre of Schools of Cinema and Television (CILECT), an organisation of the world's leading schools of film and television.

2. CAG Rajiv Mehrishi appointed Vice-Chair of UN Panel of Auditors

  • Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has announced, Rajiv Mehrishi has become the Vice-Chair of the UN Panel of Auditors.
  • The United Nations Panel of Auditors consists of External Auditors of the United Nations and its agencies.
  • Currently, the panel is chaired by the Comptroller and Auditor General of the UK, Sir Amyas Morse.
  • The panel also elected the Comptroller and Auditor General of the UK as Chair of the Panel for another term (2019).
Note:
  • United Nations Panel of Auditors It was established by UN General Assembly Resolution 1438 (XIV) in 1959.
  • Its main objectives are to further coordination of audits for which its members are responsible and to exchange information on audit methods and findings.

Important Days

3. National Energy Conservation Day in India

  • The National energy conservation day is celebrated every year by the people all over India on 14th of December.
  • The objective of the day to aware people about the importance of energy as well as saving or conserving more energy by using less energy.
  • The Energy Conservation Act in India was executed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in the year 2001.
  • The Bureau of Energy Efficiency is a constitutional body which comes under Government of India and helps in the development of policies and strategies in order to reduce the energy use.

National Affairs

4. Ministry of Tourism formulates guidelines for approval, reapproval of OTA

  • The Ministry of Tourism has formulated the guidelines for approval and reapproval of Online Travel Aggregators (OTA) to ensure adequate safeguards against deficiency of service, alternate arrangements and punitive deterrence.
  • It is based on the inspection report and recommendations of a committee and approval of the chairman of The Hotel & Restaurant Approval & Classification Committee.
  • The Ministry will grant recognition as an approved OTA for five years,
  • The voluntary scheme is open to bona fide online travel aggregators to bring them on a common platform in the organized sector.
Note:
  • An OTA is an intermediary or an agent, selling travel products and services such as the airlines, car rental, cruise lines, Hotels or Accommodation, railways and vacation packages on behalf of suppliers using the internet as a medium.

5. Union Government & ADB sign USD 60 million loan pact for Assam

  • The Union Government and Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed USD 60 Million Dollar Loan Agreement to continue financing riverbank protection works, renovation of flood embankments, and community-based flood risk management activities in critically flood-prone areas along the Brahmaputra River in Assam.
  • The objective of the program is to increase the reliability and effectiveness of flood and riverbank erosion risk management systems in flood-prone areas of Assam.
  • The Project will continue to support the institutional capacity development of the autonomous body anchored to the Assam Water Resources Department.

6. Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle' inducted into Navy

  • The Indian Navy inducted the 'Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle' into service at the Western Naval Command in Mumbai.
  • Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba inducted the vehicle into the Navy.
  • The DSRV has the capability to rescue personnel from a distressed submarine up to a depth of 650 meters and it is the latest in terms of technology and capabilities.

7. ICAR has approved the registration of record 15 new breeds of livestock and poultry this year

  • Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has approved the registration of record 15 new breeds of livestock and poultry this year alone taking the total to 40 during 2014-18.
  • The 15 newly registered breeds include two cattle breeds -Ladakhi (J&K) and Konkan Kapila (Maharashtra & Goa); three buffalo breeds - Luit (Assam & Manipur), Bargur (Tamil Nadu), Chhattisgarhi (Chhattisgarh); one sheep breed – Panchali (Gujarat); six goat breeds – Kahmi (Gujarat), Rohilkhandi (UP), Assam Hill (Assam & Meghalaya), Bidri (Karnataka), Nandidurga (Karnataka), Bhakarwali (J&K); one pig breed – Ghurrah (UP); one donkey breed – Halari (Gujarat) and one chicken breed – Uttara (Uttarakhand).
  • India has about 15% of total cattle, 57% of total buffalo, 17% of goat, 7% of sheep and 4.5% of chicken of the world.

8. European Union opens India’s first Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence in New Delhi

  • European Union (EU) has established India’s first Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence (CoE) at Department of European Studies (DES) at Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) in New Delhi.
  • Jean Monnet Center of Excellence in India-EU Interdisciplinary Studies aims to strengthen and enhance the educational connect between India and EU.
  • Jean Monnet was a French political economist and diplomat.
  • He was an influential supporter of European unity and is considered as one of the founding fathers of the European Union.

9. Global debt hits all-time high of USD 184 trillion: IMF

  • According to The International Monetary Fund, global debt has reached an all-time high of 184 trillion US dollars with the United States, China and Japan accounting for more than half of it.
  • According to the IMF report, the amount in nominal terms is the equivalent of 225 per cent of the world GDP in 2017.
  • On average, the world's debt now exceeds 86,000 dollars per person, which is more than two and half times the average income per-capita. IMF said it is striking that the most indebted economies in the world are also the richer ones.  
  • Since the beginning of the millennium, China's share in global debt has gone up from less than three per cent to over 15 per cent.

10. Delhi HC bans the online sale of medicines across India

  • The Delhi High Court has ordered a ban on the sale of medicines online by e-pharmacists across the country.
  • The court directed both Central and state government to ensure immediate implementation of the order.
  • The order was passed by the Delhi High Court Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice VK Rao, acting on a PIL filed by Zaheer Ahmed (dermatologist).
  • Mr. Ahmed complained about the lack of regulation over the lakhs of medicines sold on the internet daily, saying that it puts patients and doctors at risk.

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