19 December 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

19 December 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

1. Portuguese PM Antonio Costa arrives in New Delhi on 2-day visit to India

• Prime Minister of Portugal Antonio Costa arrived in New Delhi on a two-day visit to India.
• He will attend the second meeting of the Organizing Committee on the celebrations for the 150th Birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
• The Organizing Committee meeting will be presided over by President Ram Nath Kovind.
• Portugal views India as a vibrant pluralistic democracy, a major world economy and an ancient civilization with which it has close, historical and cultural ties.

Note:

• Portugal is a southern European country on the Iberian Peninsula, bordering Spain.
• In 2018-19, bilateral trade stood at a total value of 876.09 million dollars.
• Indian exports stood at 743.27 million dollars and Portuguese exports at 132.83 million dollars.

Source: AIR News

2. Amitabha Bagchi wins 2019 DSC Prize

• The IME Nepal Literature Festival (8th edition) at Pokhara, concluded with the announcement of the winner of DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2019.
• The USD 25,000 award went to Amitabha Bagchi for his 2018 novel, Half the Night is Gone.
• The DSC Prize, instituted in 2010, awards fiction from the South Asian region, which includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as well as from the diaspora.

Source: The Hindu

Important Days

3. Goa celebrating 58th Liberation day today

• Today, Goa is celebrating its 58th Liberation Day.
• The state was liberated on this day (19th December) in 1961 from Portuguese control after almost 450 years of colonial rule.
• Goa is a state in India within the coastal region known as the Konkan in Western India, bounded by Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the east and south, with the Arabian Sea forming its Western coast.
• It is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population.

State Affairs

4. Concept of 3 capitals to be considered in Andhra Pradesh

• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy indicated that the State could have three capitals following the decentralisation concept.
• The Chief Minister said the existing Capital Amaravati could become the "Legislative Capital", the Port city Visakhapatnam the "Executive Capital" and the Kurnool the "Judiciary Capital".
• Meanwhile, he also added that a final call would be taken only after the Expert Committee constituted to look into the issue submitted its report.

Source: India Today

5. Odisha Govt. launches ‘Jalsathi’ programme

• Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has launched the ‘Jalsathi’ programme and ‘JalSathi’ App to ensure supply of safe drinking water to all households in the state.
• The Water Corporation of Odisha (WATCO) signed a memorandum of understanding with the women federations in Bhubaneswar for the implementation of the programme.
• The objective of the JalSathi initiative is to ensure the supply of clean drinking water to consumers through piped water connections.

Source: Indian Express

6. Thawarchand Gehlot launches Braille version of ‘Exam Warriors’

• Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot (Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment) has released the Braille Edition of the book "Exam Warriors" in New Delhi. (authored by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi).
• The braille version (English and Hindi) has been printed by Rajasthan Netraheen Kalyan Sangh in Jaipur.
• The book contains a detailed design of the animated picture and various yoga asanas which will let students imagine the pictorial graphics with ease.
• The book will surely benefit visually impaired students who face mental stress during examinations.
• It will boost the confidence level of these students and help them get success in various competitive exams.

Source: PIB

Banking & Finance

7. RBI waives NEFT, RTGS transfer charges for savings account holders

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has waived NEFT, RTGS transfer charges for savings account holders.
• In an order, RBI instructed banks to make all online payments done through RTGS and NEFT free of cost for savings account holders.
• The new rule will be effective from 1^st January 2020.

8. GST Council fixes 28% uniform tax rate for lottery

• The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council headed by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman fixed a uniform tax rate of 28% on both state-run and private lottery.
• It also decided to rationalise the GST rate on woven and non-woven bags to 18%.
• It was for the first time that the GST Council resorted to voting to decide on an issue as it fixed a uniform tax rate on both state and private lotteries.
• The GST Council also decided to exempt upfront amount payable for long term lease of industrial and financial infrastructure plots by an entity having 20% or more ownership of Central or State Government.

Note:

• GST is an Indirect Tax which has replaced many Indirect Taxes in India. The Goods and Service Tax Act was passed in the Parliament on 29th March 2017.
• The Act came into effect on 1st July 2017; Goods & Services Tax Law in India is a comprehensive, multi-stage, destination-based tax that is levied on every value addition.

Source: Times of India

National Affairs

9. India’s gender gap widens, slips 4 places in WEF survey

• India has slipped four places to rank 112th globally in terms of gender gap amid widening disparity in terms of women’s health and survival and economic participation.
• Iceland remains the world’s most gender-neutral country, India has moved down the ladder from its 108th position last year on the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Report.
• It ranks below countries like China (106th), Sri Lanka (102nd), Nepal (101st), Brazil (92nd), Indonesia (85th) and Bangladesh (50th).
• Yemen is ranked the worst (153rd), while Iraq (152^nd) and Pakistan (151).

Source: Hindu Business Line

10. SSB starts laser fencing along Indo-Nepal border

• Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has started laser fencing along the Indo-Nepal border.
• The objective of the laser fencing is to prevent third-party nationals from entering without permission.
• The SSB is deployed to guard the 2450-km-long border with Nepal and Bhutan.
• According to K Rajesh Chandra (SSB Director General), cases of unauthorized entry of Third-Party Nationals have increased this year as compared to previous years.

Source: AIR News

Sports

11. England Cricketer Laura Marsh announces retirement

• England off-spinner Laura Marsh (33-years) has announced her retirement after a 13-year career that saw her win three World Cups.
• She has represented England in 103 ODI’s, 67 T20’s and 9 Tests and has taken 217 wickets in her career. She is also England’s 3rd highest wicket-taker in ODI cricket.
• Laura Marsh was awarded a full central contract by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in February 2019.

Source: BBC.Com

12. Kuldeep Yadav becomes the first Indian cricketer to claim two ODI hat trick

• India's left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav (25-years) has become India's first bowler to claim two international hat-tricks in the second one-day against West Indies.
• Kuldeep Yadav sent back Shai Hope (78-runs), Jason Holder (11-runs) and Alzarri Joseph (0) on the final three deliveries of his eighth over in Visakhapatnam against West Indies.
• He claimed his first against Australia at Kolkata's Eden Gardens in 2017.
• Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka), Wasim Akram (Pakistan), Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka), Saqlain Mushtaq (Pakistan) and Trent Boult (New Zealand) to pick up more than one hat-trick in ODIs.
• The only bowler to have taken three ODI hat-tricks is Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga.

Note:

• A hat-trick in cricket is when a bowler takes three wickets on consecutive deliveries, dismissing three different batsmen.

Source: Times of India