25 January 2020 - Daily Current Affairs
1. National Voters' Day being celebrated today
- National Voters' Day (10th) is celebrated on 25th January every year since 2011.
- The theme for NVD-2020 is ‘Electoral Literacy for Stronger Democracy', with a focus on voter education and renewal of citizens’ faith in the electoral process.
- It is celebrated at over ten lakh locations across the country (polling stations, district & state headquarters), to mark the Foundation day of EC of India, established on 25th January 1950.
Important Dates
2. Himachal Pradesh celebrates 50th Statehood Day today
- Himachal Pradesh is celebrating its 50th Statehood Day.
- On 18 December 1970 the State of Himachal Pradesh Act was passed by Parliament and the new state came into being on 25 January 1971 making it the 18th state of India.
- S. Parmar became the state’s first chief minister.
- According to HP Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, State would scale new heights in the overall development and thus would contribute to the progress and prosperity of the nation.
International Affairs
3. India ranked 80th in the Corruption Perception Index
- India has been ranked at the 80th position (among 180 countries) and territories in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), prepared by Transparency International.
- With a score of 41 (India), India is at the 80th spot.
- The rank is also shared by China, Benin, Ghana and Morocco.
- Denmark and New Zealand have cornered the top spot, followed by Finland, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland in the top ten.
National & International Appointments
4. Katerina Sakellaropoulou becomes Greece 1st woman President
- Katerina Sakellaropoulou (63-years) has been elected Greece's first female president by parliament.
- She also managed to secure the backing of the main opposition party Syriza & the centre-left Movement for Change.
- She has received the support of 261 MPs in the 300-seat Parliament.
- Katerina will succeed President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, term expires in March.
- In 2018, she becomes the first woman to serve as president of the Council of State.
National Affairs
5. India's first e-waste clinic opens in Bhopal
- India's first e-waste clinic has been inaugurated by the Union Environment Secretary in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
- It would enable segregation, processing and disposal of waste from both household and commercial units.
- The e-waste clinic is jointly set up by the Central Pollution Control Board-CPCB and Bhopal Municipal Corporation-BMC.
- The e-waste clinic is being started on the basis of a three-month pilot project.
National Affairs
6. Cabinet approves closure of Hindustan Fluorocarbons Ltd
- The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved shutting down the operations of the plant and unit of Hindustan Fluorocarbons Limited (HFL) and closure of the company.
- HFL is a Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals.
- HFL has only one plant located at Rudraram, District Sangareddy in Telangana.
- The decision only means an official closure of the public sector unit.
National & International Appointments
7. CEC Sunil Arora assumes Chairmanship of FEMBoSA for 2020
- Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora has assumed Chairmanship of the Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA) for the year 2020.
- CEC of Bangladesh SA KM Nurul Huda (Outgoing Chair of FEMBo) handed over the Logo of FEMBoSA to Mr Arora at the 10th Annual Meeting in New Delhi.
- FEMBoSA was established at the 3rd Conference of Heads of Election Management Bodies of SAARC Countries held at New Delhi in May 2012.
State Affairs
8. Ministry proposes 6th Schedule Area status to Ladakh
- Union Tribal Affairs Ministry has proposed 6th Schedule Area status to Union Territory of Ladakh.
- Tribal Affairs Minister also assured that his ministry will take all necessary measures to preserve and enrich the rich legacy of Ladakh.
- Sixth Schedule (in Article 244 of the Indian Constitution) allows constitution of Autonomous District Councils in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura & Mizoram to safeguard the rights of tribal population.
Banking & Finance
9. ICICI Bank launches ‘Cardless Cash Withdrawal’ via ATM
- ICICI Bank has rolled out “Cardless Cash Withdrawal” service through ATM, used for cash withdrawal having a per day transaction limit of Rs 20,000.
- The service will enable the ICICI customers to withdraw cash from the ATM by putting a request on ICICI Internet Banking App “iMobile”.
- This service provides cash withdrawal facility from ATM without any use of Debit Card.
Banking & Finance
10. MSCB submits merger proposal with Rupee Bank to RBI
- The Maharashtra State Cooperative (MSC) Bank has submitted a joint proposal to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a merger with the Rupee Cooperative Bank.
- The mounting bad debt of the Rupee Bank had led RBI to put severe sanctions on the bank while superseding the erstwhile board of directors in 2013.
- The total deposit in the bank is around Rs 1,290.96 crore.
- The bank also has 304 employees who will be absorbed within the rolls of the MSC Bank.
