DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 2 DEC 2017

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 2 DEC 2017

(DAILY NEWS INDIA)

SHARED BY: WWW.DAILYGK.IN

1.      CABINET APPROVALS ON DECEMBER 1, 2017

i. Cabinet approves MoU between India and Italy for cooperation in Agriculture and Phytosanitary issues. Cabinet approves investment cooperation and facilitation treaty between India and Brazil.

ii. Cabinet approves transfer of landed assets owned by Hindustan Vegetable Oils Corporation Ltd. to Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

iii.  Union Cabinet approved setting up of National Nutrition Mission with a three year financial outlay of Rs.9046.17 crore commencing from 2017-18

2.      INDIAN COAST GUARD CONDUCTS MARINE OIL POLLUTION RESPONSE EXERCISE “CLEAN SEA-2017”

i. Indian Coast Guard conducted regional level Marine Oil Pollution Response Exercise titled ‘Clean Sea – 2017’ at sea off Port Blair, Andaman Nicobar Islands.

ii. Objective of this exercise was to ascertain preparedness of the ICG in responding to a major oil spill in accordance with provisions of National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan. Particiopation of one ICG Pollution Control Vessel and Indian Coast Guard Dornier/Chetak aircraft aircraft were the key highlights of this exercise.

iii. The exercise was conducted under observation of Coast Guard Regional Commander, KR Suresh. ICG has been entrusted with the responsibility to protect marine environment in the maritime zones of India and is also the coordinating authority for response to oil spills in Indian waters.

3.      PM MODI INAUGURATED HT LEADERSHIP SUMMIT IN NEW DELHI

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2017 in New Delhi.

ii. The theme of this summit is “The Irreversible Rise of India”. During the summit, eminent world leaders like former US President Barack Obama and Afghanistan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah shared their perspectives on India’s rise in the world.

iii. Other speakers at the summit included, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Bollywood Actor Salman Khan and Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani.

iv.  HT Leadership Summit is being held annually since last 14 years and has served as a platform for revolutionary ideas.

4.      INDO – UK JOINT ARMY EXERCISE AJEYA WARRIOR 2017 BEGINS IN BIKANER

i. Joint Indo-United Kingdom army training exercise ‘Ajeya Warrior 2017’ begun at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges, Bikaner, Rajasthan. Ajeya Warrior 2017′ will be the third joint military exercise between India and UK. 1st exercise was conducted in 2013 in Belgaum, Karnataka and 2nd exercise was conducted in 2015 in UK.

ii. Approximately 120 army personnel from India and UK are participating in ‘Ajeya Warrior 2017’ exercise. Objective of this exercise is to build and promote bilateral army to army coordination and enhance interoperability. The exercise also involves skill and experience sharing activities.

5.      INDIA, SINGAPORE SIGN AGREEMENT ON ENHANCING NAVAL COOPERATION

i. India and Singapore sign agreement on enhancing naval cooperation. The agreement will enhance security of sea lanes between the two countries. The Singapore Defence minister Ng Eng Hen was in India and signed the agreement with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

ii. A Navy to Navy agreement was also signed between the two nations that will allow temporary deployments and logistic support in each other's bases.

6.      IMF APPROVES NEW USD 88 BILLION CREDIT LINE FOR MEXICO

i. The International Monetary Fund has approved a new USD 88 billion credit line for Mexico, replacing the existing line.

ii. The two-year flexible credit line boosts Mexico’s ability to immediately deal with a potential need for liquidity, without having to request an IMF loan.

7.      GOVT FIXES SOVEREIGN GOLD BONDS RATE AT RS 2,952/GRAM

i. The government has fixed 2,952 rupees per gram as price of new series of sovereign gold bonds. The government, in consultation with the Reserve Bank, has decided to offer a discount of Rs 50 per gram to investors applying online and making payments digitally.

ii. The issue price will be Rs 2,902 a gram for investors applying online and the payment through digital mode.

iii. About Sovereign Gold Bond- Sovereign Gold Bonds are Government securities denominated in multiples of gram(s) of gold. They are substitute for investment in physical gold. To buy the bond, investor has to pay the issue price in cash to an authorised SEBI Broker. These Bonds are issued by the Reserve Bank of India on behalf of the Government of India and are traded on stock exchange.

8.      CBDT SIGNS TWO INDIAN ADVANCE PRICING AGREEMENTS

i. The Central Board of Direct Taxes has entered into 2 Bilateral Advance Pricing Agreements. These Agreements are the first ever Bilateral APAs with The Netherlands.

ii. With the signing of these Agreements, the total number of APAs entered into by the CBDT has gone up to 186. This includes 171 Unilateral APAs and 15 Bilateral APAs. These two APAs pertain to the Electronics and Technology sectors of the economy.

9.      CABINET APPROVES SETTING UP OF NATIONAL NUTRITION MISSION

i. The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Shri Narendra Modi has approved setting up of National Nutrition Mission with a three year budget of Rs.9046.17 cr commencing from 2017-18.

ii. The program through the targets will strive to reduce the level of stunting, under-nutrition, anemia and low birth weight babies. More than 10 crore people will be benefited by this program. This will be funded by Government Budgetary Support (50%) and 50% by IBRD or other MDB.

10.  DIA MIRZA APPOINTED AS UN ENVIRONMENT GOODWILL AMBASSADOR FOR INDIA

i. Former Miss Asia Pacific Dia Mirza was appointed as UN Environment’s Goodwill Ambassador for India. A long-standing supporter of environmental conservation, Dia will take up the role to add more weight to her work on raising awareness of and seeking solutions to environmental issues.

ii. As a Goodwill Ambassador, Dia will work with the United Nations to further spread the message on priority areas including clean air, clean seas, wildlife protection and climate change.

11.  SHARED VALUE SUMMIT HELD IN NEW DELHI

i. The Minister of Industry and Commerce, Suresh Prabhu was the chief guest for the Shared Value Summit 2017. The summit was held in New Delhi. The theme for this summit was “Equity and Empowerment”.

ii. Mr Prabhu will unveil the Inclusive Business List and Emerging Social Enterprise List for the year 2017.

12.  MARKET REGULATOR SEBI ENHANCES GOVERNANCE FOR MUTUAL FUNDS

i. In a bid to strengthen the governance structure for mutual funds, Securities and Exchange Board of India has introduced a framework for the tenure of independent trustees as well as directors. Norms to enhance governance for Mutual Funds: An independent trustee and independent director of mutual fund, Asset management company will hold office for a maximum of two terms. Each term should not exceed a period of five consecutive years.

ii. Such individuals will be eligible for re-appointment only after a cooling-off period of three years, during which, such individuals should not be associated with the concerned mutual fund, asset Management Company in any manner. Existing independent trustees and independent directors have been permitted to hold office for a maximum of 10 years.

iii. Mutual fund should not appoint an auditor for more than two terms of maximum five consecutive years. Such auditor may be re-appointed after a cooling-off period of five years.

13.  WORLD AIDS DAY: 1 DECEMBER

i. World AIDS day is celebrated every year all over the world on December 1st to raise the public awareness about Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome, AIDS. The theme for World AIDS day 2017 is 'Right to health'.

ii. It is a pandemic disease caused due to the infection of Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS BASED ON TODAY’S NEWS

Q1. WITH WHICH COUNTRY, INDIA HAD SIGNED MOU FOR COOPERATION IN AGRICULTURE AND PHYTOSANITARY ISSUES?

a)  Russia

b)  Iran

c)  China

d)  Italy

Q2. WHICH STATE INAUGURATED HINDUSTAN TIMES LEADERSHIP SUMMIT 2017?

a)  Uttarkhand

b)  Gujarat

c)  New Delhi

d)  Odisha

Q3. WHAT IS THE THEME OF WORLD AIDS DAY 2017?

a)  Remove the AIDS

b)  Right to Health

c)  Awareness to people

d)  Right to Life

Q4. IN WHICH STATE, THE JOINT INDO-UNITED KINGDOM ARMY TRAINING EXERCISE ‘AJEYA WARRIOR 2017’ WAS HELD AT?

a)  Rajasthan

b)  Gujarat

c)  Sikkim

d)  Jharkhand

Q5. IN WHICH STATE, THE INDIAN COAST GUARD CONDUCTED REGIONAL LEVEL MARINE OIL POLLUTION RESPONSE EXERCISE TITLED ‘CLEAN SEA – 2017’?

a)  Odisha Coast

b)  Pondicherry

c)  Andaman Nicobar

d)  Tamil Nadu

ANSWERS: 

1 - D    2 - C    3 - B    4 - A    5 - C