27 December 2018 - Daily Current Affairs


27 December 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

27 December 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

1. Andhra Pradesh gets its own High Court in Capital Amaravati

  • President Ram Nath Kovind on 26 December 2018, issued orders for the creation of a separate high court for Andhra Pradesh.
  • The new high court will start functioning from 1 January 2019 from Amaravati.
  • With the creation of the new high court, the country will have 25 high courts.
  • According to the notification issued by the Law Ministry, Justice Ramesh Ranganathan, who is at present the Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court, will head the new high court.
  • It will have 15 other judges besides the chief justice.
Source: DD News

2. Three islands in Andaman and Nicobar to be renamed after Netaji Subash Chandra Bose

  • The Centre has decided to rename three islands of Andaman.
  • According to reports, the three islands - Ross Island, Neil Island and Havelock Island will be renamed Netaji Subash Chandra Bose island, Shaheed dweep, and Swaraj dweep, respectively.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to make the announcement during his visit to Port Blair on 30 December.
  • 30 December 2018 marks the 75th anniversary of Netaji's visit to the islands.
Note:
  • After the Japanese captured the Andaman Island during the time of the Second World War, Netaji had hoisted the flag at Port Blair on December 30, 1943.
  • This was because he believed that Port Blair was the first territory to be freed from British rule.
  • Bose had reportedly suggested back then that the Andaman and Nicobar Islands be renamed as Shahid and Swaraj Dweep.
Source: First post

3. India’s largest cancer institute in Haryana’s Jhajjar to open in January 2019

  • Union Health Minister JP Nadda said that the largest cancer hospital in India, the National Cancer Institute in Haryana’s Jhajjar district, would be opened to public by the third week of January.
  • The institute, being considered as a landmark in the field of cancer research in the country, shall lessen the deficit of tertiary cancer care in the northern region.
  • The institute will have 710 beds, out of which 200 beds will be dedicated for translational research on India-specific cancers.
  • The National Cancer Institute would operate under AIIMS.
Source: The Hindu Business line

4. Bhutanese PM to begin 3-day India visit today

  • Prime Minister of Bhutan Dr. Lotay Tshering will arrive today in New Delhi on a three-day official visit to India.
  • The visit of the Bhutanese Prime Minister is taking place during the Golden jubilee year of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries.
  • Foreign Secretary Vijay K Gokhale will call on the visiting dignitary on Thursday.
  • During his visit, Bhutanese PM will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Source: DD News

5. India Takes Over Iran's Strategic Chabahar Port

  • Indian firm India Ports Global Limited took over the operations of the Shaheed Behesti Port at Chabahar on the southeastern coast of Iran, being jointly developed by India, Iran and Afghanistan.
  • The company opened its office following the first meeting of the follow-up committee for implementation of the trilateral Chabahar Agreement between India, Afghanistan and Iran.
  • "It was agreed to allow cargo movement at Chabahar using TIR Convention provisions."
  • The Convention on International Transport of Goods Under Cover of TIR Carnets (TIR Convention) is a multilateral treaty aimed at simplifying and harmonising the administrative formalities of international road transport.
  • TIR stands for "Transports Internationaux Routiers" or 'International Road Transports.'
  • According to the ministry statement, during meeting, it was decided to hold an event to promote and popularise the potential of Chabahar on February 26, 2019.
Note:
  • India is investing $500 million to develop the Chabahar port and a road link from there to Afghanistan to give access to that country, bypassing Pakistan.
  • The port is also a key link in the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a 7,200-km-long multi-modal network of ship, rail and road routes to move freight between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.
Source: Business standard

Sports

6. Former Australia captain Ponting inducted into ICC Hall of Fame

  • Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting was formally inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame on 26 Dec 2018.
  • Ponting was named in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame along with former India captain Rahul Dravid and England woman wicketkeeper-batter Claire Taylor during the ICC Annual Conference in Dublin in July.
Note:
  • Ponting is a three-time ICC Cricket World Cup winner including two times as captain.
  • He is the 25th Australia cricketer to be formally inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
  • The 44-year-old Ponting retired from international cricket in 2012 after scoring 13,378 runs in 168 Tests.
  • He scored 41 centuries, 13,704 runs in 375 ODIs with 30 centuries and 401 runs in 17 T20s with two half-centuries.
  • Ponting was named the ICC Player of the Year in 2006 and 2007 while also being named the ICC Test Player of the Year in 2006.
Source: DD News

7CA Kuttappa takes over as India's chief boxing coach

  • Dronacharya awardee C A Kuttappa has taken over as India's chief boxing coach.
  • The 39-year-old Kuttappa is credited with shaping some of the country's most successful boxers such as Vijender Singh, M Suranjoy Singh and Shiva Thapa, among others.
  • He replaced veteran coach SR Singh.
Source: DD News

Banking & Financial Awareness


8. RBI launches survey to capture retail payment habits in 6 cities

  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will capture payment habits of individuals in six cities, including four metropolitan towns.
  • For the purpose, the central bank has launched a ‘Survey on Retail Payment Habits of Individuals (SRPHi)’.
  • The survey will cover a sample of 6,000 individuals from various socio-economic backgrounds across six cities -- Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Guwahati.
  • “The survey seeks qualitative responses from individuals on their payment habits,” it said.
  • The findings may provide some idea about awareness and usage habits of digital payment products, it added.
  • The central bank further said Sigma Research & Consulting Pvt Ltd has been engaged to conduct the fieldwork of the survey on behalf of the RBI.
Source: DD News

9. Bimal Jalan to head expert panel on Economic Capital Framework

  • The Reserve Bank of India has formed an expert committee under former governor Bimal Jalan to decide the appropriate level of reserves that the regulator should hold.
  • The six-member panel has former deputy RBI governor Rakesh Mohan as its vice chairman and comprises economic affairs secretary Subhash Chandra Garg, RBI central board members Bharat Doshi and Sudhir Mankad and deputy governor NS Vishwanathan.
  • It will review “the need and justification of various provisions, reserves and buffers” that RBI has maintained for contingency purposes and suggest an adequate level of risk provisioning.
  • The panel will submit its report within a period of 90 days from the date of its first meeting.
  • RBI transfers the surplus to the government after keeping all provisions and contingency buffers, according to its statutory mandate under Section 47 of the RBI Act. 
Source: The Economic Times

Science & Defense

10. China successfully tests Russia's S-400 missile air defence system

  • China has successfully tested the advanced S-400 air defence system imported from Russia for which India also signed-up recently despite concerns over threat of sanctions from the US.
  • S-400 is known as Russia's most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system.
  • China was the first foreign buyer to seal a government-to-government deal with Russia in 2014 to procure the lethal missile system.
Note:
  • India signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy the same system in October this year despite concerns over threat of sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) instituted by the US Congress on arms purchases from Russia .
  • India wants the long-range missile systems to tighten its air defence mechanism, particularly along the 3488 km-long Sino-India border.
Source: The Economic Times

Obituaries

11. Padma Shri awardee Sulagitti Narasamma passes away at 98

  • Renowned social worker and Padma Shri awardee Sulagitti Narasamma passed away in Bengaluru.
  • She had helped deliver more than 15,000 babies in Krishnapura, a remote village in Pavagada taluk in Karnataka. She was 98.
  • Narasamma had been conferred with the Padma Shri by President Ram Nath Kovind on March 20, 2018.
  • Sulagitti Narasamma, born in 1920, hailed from a community that was at the time referred to as ‘untouchable’.
  • She is best known for extending free of cost midwife services to women. It is believed that she learned the art from her grandmother.
  • Narasamma was conferred an honorary doctorate by the Tumkur University in 2014.
Source: The Economic Times

Honours & Awards

12. Manju Mehta gets 'Tansen Samman'

  • Noted sitar player Manju Mehta has been conferred with the 'Tansen Samman' for 2018 by the Madhya Pradesh government for her contribution in the field of music.
  • Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar presented the award to Mehta, 74, at the inaugural ceremony of the Tansen Music Festival held on Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
  • Meanwhile, the 'Raja Mansingh Tomar Honour' was given to the Sankat Mochan Pratishthan in Varanasi for 2017 and the Natrang Pratishthan of New Delhi for 2018.
  • The award is given to institutions for nurturing good music.
Note:
  • The Tansen Music Festival is organised every year by the MP culture department in the memory of Tansen, one of the greatest artists in Indian history.
  • It is being held in Gwalior since the past 94 years.
Source: PTI

13. Rafi Award conferred to Laxmikant and singer Usha Timothy

  • The Mohammed Rafi Award has been bestowed upon late music composer Laxmikant Shantaram Kudalkar and playback singer Usha Timothy.
  • The award was instituted by an NGO headed by Mumbai BJP Chief Ashish Shelar.
  • Kudalkar, of the Laxmikant-Pyarelal duo, was given the Mohammed Rafi Lifetime Achievement Award consisting of 1 lakh rupees and a trophy. The award was received by his daughter.
  • Timothy was honoured with the award and 51,000 rupees at a programme held in suburban Bandra.
Source: DD News

Arts & Culture

14. Tamil Nadu: Tribal community Baduga celebrates annual Heddaiyamman festival

  • The tribal Baduga community in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu celebrated their annual Heddaiyamman festival on 26th Dec 2018.
  • People observe 48 days fast and walk in religious processions, holding up a holy shaft which symbolizes the miracle of the traditional Badaga goddess.
  • The Badagas are an indigenous tribal group in the Nilgiris and occupy more than 400 remote hill villages in the district.
Source: DD News

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