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CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE
Jammu and Kashmir government grants Divisional Status to Ladakh region
- Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik granted Ladakh a divisional status, thus creating three administrative units of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh in the State.
- The J&K government has approved the creation of a separate administrative and revenue division for Ladakh. It will comprise Leh and Kargil districts, with headquarters at Leh
- Earlier, Ladakh was a part of the Kashmir division
- Kashmir valley geographically the smallest division at 15,948 sq. km, Jammu division at 26,293 sq. km and Ladakh, the biggest division, at 86,909 sq. km
| USEFUL INFO |
| Jammu and Kashmir Capital | Jammu (Winter), Kashmir (Summer) |
| Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister | – (President Rule) |
| Jammu and Kashmir Governor | Satya Pal Malik |
3-day Krishi Kumbh to begins at Motihari in Bihar
- Bihar Governor Lalji Tandon and Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh jointly inaugurated the Krishi Kumbh in Bihar. This is the largest Krishi Kumbh of Eastern India.
- Over fifteen thousand farmers across different states and about two hundred agricultural scientists are participating in the Kumbh. There will be 14 technical sessions during three day Krishi Kumbh.
- The objective of Krishi Kumbh is to promote modern techniques and diversification in agriculture that could help in doubling farmer’s income.
- This Kumbh will be meeting point for policymakers, government, media, industries and other stakeholders to share knowledge discuss problems and presenting solutions for geometric progression growth of the agriculture in India.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Bihar Capital | Patna |
| Bihar Chief Minister | Nitish Kumar |
| Bihar Governor | Lalji Tandon |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL
International Paralympics Committee lifts Russia’s doping ban
- The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) lifts the ban on Russian Para athletes by March 15, under certain conditions.
- Russia has been barred from international competitions since August 2016
- Russia had met 69 of its 70 reinstatement criteria
| SEFUL INFO |
| Russia Capital | Moscow |
| Russia Currency | Russian Rouble |
| Russia President | Vladimir Putin |
| International Paralympic Committee Headquarters | Bonn, Germany | |
| International Paralympic Committee President | Andrew Parsons | |
| International Paralympic Committee CEO | Xavier Gonzalez | |
| | | |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE
RBI raised collateral-free farm loan limit to Rs 1.6 lakh
- RBI raised the limit of collateral-free agricultural loans to Rs. 1.6 lakh from the current Rs. 1 lakh with a view to help small and marginal farmers.
- RBI also set up an internal working group to review agriculture credit and arrive at a “workable solutions and policy initiatives”
- Currently, the banks are mandated to extend collateral-free agricultural loans up to Rs. 1 lakh. This limit was fixed in the year 2010.
| USEFUL INFO |
| RBI Headquarters | Mumbai |
| RBI Governor | Shaktikant Das |
| RBI Deputy Governor | BP Kanungo, N S Vishwanathan, Viral Acharya and Mahesh Kumar Jain |
RBI imposed fine of Rs. 1 crore on State Bank of India
- Reserve Bank of India has slapped Rs 1 crore penalty on the country’s largest lender for not monitoring the end use of funds in respect of one of its borrowers
- The Banking Regulation Act, 1949 confers power on Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under Section 47(A) to impose penalties if there has been any default or contravention.
| USEFUL INFO |
| State Bank of India Headquarters | Mumbai |
| State Bank of India Tagline | The Banker to every Indian |
| State Bank of India Chairperson | Rajnish Kumar |
SBI reduced home loan interest rate by 5 basis points
- Country’s largest lender State Bank of India announced a cut in interest rates by 5 basis points on its home loans up to Rs 30 lakh.
- Now the home loan rates up to Rs. 30 lakh stands at 8.70%
PSU Banks bad loans decline to Rs. 8, 64, 433 crore in April-Dec FY19
- Bad loans of public sector banks declined by more than Rs 31,000 crore to Rs 8,64,433 crore in the first nine months of the current fiscal as compared to end of March 2018
- Non Performing Assets (NPAs) or bad loans of the banks stood at Rs 8,95,601 crore at the end of previous fiscal
- NPAs declined as a result of the government’s 4Rs strategy of recognition, resolution, recapitalisation and reforms
CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION
Shri Sailesh Assumed Charge as Secretary of Ministry of Minority Affairs
- Shri Sailesh a 1985 batch IAS Assam-Meghalaya Cadre officer assumed the charge as Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs
| USEFUL INFO |
| Minister of Minority Affairs | Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi |
| Constituency | Jharkhand, Rajya Sabha |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS
PMAY (U) awards instituted for Implementation & Innovation
- To recognize the outstanding performance and to promote a healthy competition by States/UTs, Urban Local Bodies, Beneficiaries and Housing Finance Corporations (under CLSS), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has instituted the ‘PMAY (U) awards for Implementation and Innovation’under the Mission.
- The purpose of the PMAY (U) Awards is to identify and reward the “Top Performers” in different categories, to encourage others to compete and attain the goal of ‘Housing for All’ in a sustained manner.
- The PMAY (U) mission has achieved a significant milestone of approving 73 Lakh houses against a demand of about 1 Crore houses in urban areas.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMIT AND CONFERENCE
India to host 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the conservation of migratory species of wild animals (CMS)
- The 13thConference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the conservation of migratory species of wild animals (CMS) is going to be hosted by India during 15th to 22nd February, 2020 at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
- CMS an environmental treaty under the aegis of United Nations Environment Programme
- India has been a Party to the CMS since 1983. The Conference of Parties (COP) is the decision-making organ of this convention
- The Union Environment Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, inaugurated the Logo and Mascot (GIBI) along with website for the international event, in New Delhi
| Convention on Migratory Species Headquarters | Bonn, Germany |
| Convention on Migratory Species Executive Secretary | Xavier Gonzalez |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU
India and Bangladesh signed MOU for training 1800 Bangladesh civil servants
- India and Bangladesh have signed an MOU for training 1800 Bangladesh Civil Servants at the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) an institute under the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DAR&PG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Government of India, over the next 6 years.
- The MOU was signed between the NCGG and the Ministry of Public Administration, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh during the visit of the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh.
- The NCGG is planning to conduct 15 training programs in 2019 each of 2 weeks duration. The trainee officers will undergo training at the NCGG Mussoorie centre.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Bangladesh Capital | Dhaka |
| Bangladesh Currency | Taka |
| Bangladesh Prime Minister | Sheikh Hasina |
ICAI signs pact with Invest India to promote foreign investment
- The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has signed a pact with Invest India to promote foreign investments in the country and Indian investments abroad
- Invest India is a government agency that promotes and facilitates investment in the country
- The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by ICAI President Naveen N D Gupta and Invest India MD and CEO Deepak Bagla.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE
US approved sale of two missile defence systems for Air India One
- The Trump administrations approved purchase of the two systems known as Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCAM) and Self-Protection Suites (SPS) for an estimated cost of $190 million. that will enhance the security of planes flying the prime minister and the president
- The purpose of the LAIRCM programme is to protect large aircraft from man-portable missiles. Once installed, the LAIRCAM system increases crew-warning time, decreases false alarm rates and automatically counters advanced intermediate range missile systems
- SPS will facilitate a more robust capability into areas of increased missile threats
| USEFUL INFO |
| USA Capital | Washington DC |
| USA Currency | Dollar |
| USA President | Donald Trump |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES
Oscar-nominated British actor Albert Finney passed away
- British actor Albert Finney has passed away.
- He was a five-time Oscar nominee who began his career at the Royal Shakespeare Company before making his mark in film
- His big film break came as “angry young man” Arthur Seaton in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning.
- He got back-to-back nominations in 1984 and 1985 for The Dresser and Under the Volcano but never attended the ceremony itself, calling it “a waste of time”.
- He was the recipient of two Bafta Awards from 13 nominations and received a British Academy Fellowship in 2001.