Daily Current Affairs – 20/11/2017

[Kingmakers IAS Academy]

National News

1. Maharashtra Government Launches a new Initiative to control ‘Childhood Obesity’:

The new initiative to fight against childhood obesity was launched by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Over 6,000 children will get benefits in Pune by making them aware about their Body Mass Index (BMI).A BMI dialer will be given to the schools through which children will be able to know their BMI.
2. National Anti-Profiteering authority by Union Government:

The Union Cabinet approved setting up of National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA).
It has a Chairman and Technical Members of National Anti-profiteering Authority (NAA) under GST regime.
The NAA is tasked to ensure, benefits of reduction in tax on supply of goods or services flow to consumers.
3.Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in Hyderabad: Amitabh Kant:

NITI ayog CEO, Amitabh Kant also added,Ivanka Trumpwill lead US team for summit on women entrepreneurs in India.
It will be attended by 1,500 entrepreneurs from 170 countries and co-hosted by India and the US for the first time.The Summit will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Theme:’Women First, Prosperity for All’
4. Rae Bareli to get the ‘Smart City’ tag:

Rae Bareli, constituency of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, will get Smart City tag.
The Smart City Mission: It was launched by the Modi government in June 2015 with the aim of transforming 100 Indian cities by 2019-20.
The GOI provides Rs 500 crore to each city over a period of five years for implementing various projects.
5. Maharashtra Bans Plastic Bottles at Government Offices, Hotels:

The Maharashtra government, in a bid to become plastic-free state from March 2018, has banned packaged water bottles in Mantralaya and other government offices.
Plastic bottles of mineral water have also been banned at hotels and the regulation will soon be imposed on restaurants.
International News

1. First WHO Global Ministerial Conference in Russia:

The WHO Global Ministerial Conference “Ending TB in the Sustainable Development Era:
A Multisectoral Response” held in Moscow, Russia.
A Ministerial Declaration signed at the Conference by the countries,with a target to end TB by 2030.
2. World Toilet Day: 19 November:

World Toilet Day (WTD) is an official United Nations international observance day, celebrated on 19 November, to raise awareness of the global sanitation crisis.
This is done through public communications, campaigns, reports and events. Worldwide, 4.5 billion people live without safely managed sanitation.
3. India’s Manushi Chhillar Wins Miss World 2017:

India’s Manushi Chhillar won the Miss World beauty pageant for the year 2017.
The win comes 17 years after Priyanka Chopra brought home the coveted title in the year 2000.
Stephanie Hill, who is Miss England was the first runner up and Miss Mexico Andrea Meza was second runner up.
Theme for the year 2017 is ‘Wastewater.’
Economic News

1. RBL Bank opens all women branch in Chennai:

Private sector RBL Bank has set up an all women branch in Chennai.
The branch at R A Puram, would be managed by eight women and offer all products and services across liability and assets.
2. Reliance Capital arm, YES Bank in bancassurance pact:

Reliance General Insurance, a subsidiary of Reliance Capital, has signed a comprehensive bancassurance-corporate agency agreement with YES Bank.
YES Bank with its network of 1,040 branches across all 29 States and seven Union Territories will enable Reliance General Insurance to reach a large base of retail and MSME clients.
This is the first partnership signed by YES Bank since the open-architecture norms under the corporate agency regulations were introduced by the IRDAI in April 2016.
3. Moody’s ups ratings of SBI, HDFC Bank, Exim India, IRFC:

Moody’s Investors Service upped the long-term ratings of four Indian financial institutions including SBI and HDFC Bank by a notch to Baa2 following the upgrade of the country’s sovereign rating to the same level.
The four institutions with revised rating are Export- Import Bank of India (EXIM India), HDFC Bank, Indian Railway Finance Corporation Limited (IRFC) and State Bank of India (SBI), Moody’s said in a statement.
In the case of HDFC Bank, the rating agency has also upgraded the bank’s baseline credit assessment (BCA) and adjusted it to Baa2 from Baa3.
4. PNB, ACE tie-up for farm machinery financing:

Punjab National Bank (PNB) and Action Construction Equipment Ltd (ACE) have tied up for augmenting tractors/agricultural implements financing to the farmers across the country through PNB’s branch network.
This tie-up will enable PNB to facilitate the availability of quality farm machinery equipment to its farmer base at an interest rate of 9.2 percent per annum.
For ACE, the tie-up will enable to tap into PNB’s branch network and customer base and thus further strengthen its presence in India.
5. Reliance General Insurance ties up with Yes Bank:

Reliance General Insurance, a subsidiary of Reliance Capital, inks a bancassurance agreement with YES Bank.
This is the first partnership signed by YES Bank since the open-architecture norms under the corporate agency regulations were introduced by the IRDAI in April 2016.
6. Yes Bank Ties up with ICDK for Fintech Collaboration:

Private sector lender Yes Bank signed an MoU with Innovation Centre Denmark India (ICDK India), a partnership between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science.
The tie up is to bring Fintech innovations and startups from Denmark to India and to expand both the markets.
7. Ericsson ties up with Airtel for for next step,5G:

Multinational networking and telecommunications company Ericsson headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden partnered with India’s largest telecom operator Bharti Airtel for deploying 5G technology in the country.
Apart from Ericsson, Airtel has similar partnership with Nokia for 5G technology standard and management of connected devices.

[Author]

Posts