DAILY GK 8 AUG 2019
1. PARLIAMENT
PASSED THE CONSUMER PROTECTION BILL, 2019
✔The
Rajya Sabha has passed the Consumer Protection Bill, 2019. The bill will lead
to setting up of a Central Consumer Protection Authority to promote, protect
and enforce the rights of consumers as a class.
✔The
Bill seeks to strengthen the rights of consumers and provides a mechanism for
redressal of complaints regarding defects in goods and deficiency in services.
The bill will replace the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
2. LOK
SABHA PASSED THE TRANSGENDER PERSONS (PROTECTION OF RIGHTS) BILL, 2019
✔Lok
Sabha passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019 by a
voice vote. It was introduced in the Lok Sabha on July 19, 2019 by the Minister
for Social Justice and Empowerment, Mr. Thaawarchand Gehlot.
✔The
Bill defines a transgender person as one whose gender does not match the gender
assigned at birth and according to 2011 Census, there are more than 4.80 lakh
transgenders in India.
✔The
Bill prohibits any kind of discrimination against a transgender person.
3. THIRD
BI-MONTHLY MONETARY POLICY OF RBI 2019-20
✔The
Reserve Bank of India announced its third Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Rates for
2019-20 in Mumbai. The 3-day policy review meeting by the six members of
Monetary Policy Committee was headed by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das.
✔All
members of the MPC unanimously voted to reduce the policy repo rate by 35 basis
points (bps) under the liquidity adjustment facility to 5.40 % from 5.75% for
the 4th consecutive time.
✔The
RBI’s MPC cut its Gross Domestic Product growth forecast to 6.9 percent from 7
percent for FY20 due to a slowdown in consumption and Investmnet, which is
causing dampening effect on growth.
4. NEW
INSURANCE PLAN “JEEVAN AMAR” LAUNCHED BY LIC
✔Jeevan
Amar is a non-linked, non-participating life term insurance plan offering great
flexibility to policyholders in comparison to other insurance plans by the Life
Insurance Corporation of India. It is available for sale offline.
✔The
policyholder cannot claim the money on maturity but will be obtained as a death
claim in case of demise of the person. Policyholders can choose from two death
cover options. They are level sum assured and increasing sum assured.
✔The
death benefit will remain the same in the first five years and will increase by
10% of basic sum assured every year for the next 15 years or till the end of
the policy term for increasing sum assured.
✔People
of ages 18-65 years are eligible. The maximum maturity age is 80 yrs offering
policy terms from 10 years to a maximum of 40 years. The insurance premium can
be paid only once for a limited premium paid regularly. Low premium rates are
offered to women.
5. INDIA’S
GDP TO GROW AT 6.2% IN FY 2019-20: NCAER
✔As
per the National Council of Applied Economic Research, an economic think-tank,
India’s GDP growth will be 6.2% in FY 2019-20, down from 6.8% in 2018-19. The
decline in estimation was due to flat growth in the agriculture sector as it
depends largely on the south-west monsoon.
✔The
Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation is projected at 2.6%.
✔The
growth rates in exports and imports, in dollar terms, are estimated at 4.4% and
3.3% respectively.
6. INDIA
TOPS THE TEST RANKINGS RELEASED BY ICC
✔The
list was topped by India followed by
New Zealand (2nd) and South Africa (3rd) respectively.
- ICC
Test batsmen rankings: Virat Kohli
(India) topped
the list followed by Kane Williamson ( New Zealand), Steve Smith (
Australia) and Cheteshwar Pujara (India).
- ICC
Test bowler rankings: Pat Cummins topped the list followed by Kagiso
Rabada, James Anderson and Vernon Philander.
- ICC
test all-rounder rankings: Jason
Holder (West Indies) topped
the list followed by Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh), Ravindra Jadeja( India)
and Ben Stokes (England).
7. FORMER
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER AND BJP STALWART, SUSHMA SWARAJ PASSED AWAY
✔Former
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj passed away.
✔She
was the 1st full time woman external affairs minister of India.
✔She
was also the youngest cabinet minister at 25 when she joined the Haryana
government in 1977 and the first woman chief minister of Delhi.
8. VETERAN
BOLLYWOOD FILMMAKER J. OM PRAKASH PASSED AWAY AGED 92
✔Veteran
director J Om Prakash passed away. Prakash was best known for his collaboration
with two of Bollywood biggest superstars, late Rajesh Khanna and Jeetendra.
✔He
also produced box office hits like Ayee Milan Ki Bela, Aaye Din Bahar Ke, Aya
Sawan Jhoom Ke, Aas Paas and Aandhi.
9. NATION
CELEBRATES NATIONAL HANDLOOM DAY ON AUGUST 7
✔India
celebrates National Handloom Day every year on 7th August. The day is
celebrated to honour the handloom weavers in the country and also highlight
India’s handloom industry.
✔Bhubaneswar
has been chosen as the venue for the
celebrations of the day for its rich tradition of Handlooms. The prime
objective of holding the National Handloom Day in Bhubaneswar is to empower
women and girls.
✔National
Handloom Day seeks to focus on the contribution of handloom to the socio
economic development of the country and also increase the income of weavers.
10. RAJASTHAN
GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES NEW HIGHER EDUCATION MODEL NAMED RACE
✔Minister
of State for Higher Education Bhanwar Singh Bhati inaugurated the new higher
education model, titled Resource Assistance for Colleges with Excellence (RACE)
in Rajasthan.
✔This
model has been launched for distribution of faculties and movable assets among
the government colleges at the district level to rationalise the availability
of resources. The model will create a pool for sharing of facilities which will
benefit the colleges lacking infrastructure.
