G.K Current affairs 07 January 2019

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This post contains important current affairs (National, International, Business and Sports) of 07 January 2019. Very useful to prepare for the General Knowledge section of various competitive and recruitment exams.

    ic: Daily Current Affairs - Business

    • Airports Authority of India (AAI) signed MoU with Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER) for joint research programs in the field of Communication Navigation and Surveillance (CNS). The MOU, on the one hand, will provide for the transfer of skill by SAMEER experts in the areas of Radio Frequency, Millimetre Wave and Antenna-related solutions to AAI domain experts, while on the other hand, it will pave way for exposure for the SAMEER researchers to the challenging Aviation field. 
    • Vijay Mallya became the first tycoon to be charged under a new anti-fraud law, with a court in Mumbai naming him as an offender under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018. The anti-corruption court was hearing an application by the Enforcement Directorate, seeking a direction to declare Mr. Mallya a fugitive economic offender.
    • National Green Tribunal imposed a fine of 100 crore rupees on Meghalaya government for its failure to curb illegal coal mining in the state. The amount of the fine has to be deposited with the Central Pollution Control Board within two months. The action comes after a high-level committee submitted an adverse report to a bench headed by NGT chairperson AK Goel. The report stated that the majority of the mines in the state are operating without a lease or license. Senior advocate Raj Panjawani is assisting the tribunal as an amicus curiae in the matter. He said, during the hearing, Meghalaya government admitted that a large number of mines are operating illegally. 
    • The government has amalgamated three Regional Rural Banks - Punjab Gramin Bank, Malwa Gramin Bank and Sutlej Gramin Bank - into a single RRB. The sponsor banks of the RRBs are National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), the Government of Punjab and Punjab National Bank, State Bank of India and Punjab and Sind Bank.

    ic: Daily Current Affairs - National

    • The Union Cabinet approved a 10% reservation for 'economically backward' upper castes in government jobs. Ahead of the General Elections this year, the government has announced reservation in jobs for those belonging to the upper castes and earning less than Rs 8 lakh per year. A bill to amend Article 15 and 16 of the constitution will be moved in Parliament to this effect. 
    • Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman Dr. K Sivan stated that the Union Government has allocated 10,900 crore rupees for the development of 40 satellite launch vehicles in the next 4 years. Dr. Sivan also stated that Chandrayan Mission will be launched within three months. It will land in one part of the Moon which is still unexplored. He also said that the human spaceflight Gaganyaan is planned to be launched by 2022, the 75th anniversary of Independence. 
    • Karnataka MP Pratap Simha on Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and requested him to review the existing recruitment policy of Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) In an official communication Simha urged Jaitley to reinstate the provision of Local language' which was dropped in 2015 notification of the Central recruitment agency IBPS. Referring to the language barriers in the banking sector, the Mysuru-Kodagu MP observed that officers from other states who are not well-versed with Kannada are facing trouble in daily business. Simha wrote that notification of 2012-14 which demands the knowledge of local language should be reinstated to resolve the problems faced by local job aspirants. 
    • Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated six road projects, claiming that these roads won't have potholes for the next 150-200 years. While at the event, he also emphasized on the use of bio-fuel, electricity and ethanol as an alternatives to the conventional fossil fuel. 
    • Veteran journalist Dinu Randive was conferred with the lifetime achievement award for his lifelong contributions in journalism, who started his journalistic career in 1956. He also participated in the freedom struggle, the Sanyukta Maharashtra movement and the Goa liberation movement. 
    • Home Minister Rajnath Singh presented Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism awards in 18 categories across print, broadcast, and purely-digital for outstanding work done in 2017. The Express Group instituted the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2005 as part of the centenary year celebrations of its founder, Ramnath Goenka. The awards aim to celebrate excellence in journalism, recognize courage and commitment and showcase the outstanding contributions of journalists from across the country.  
    • The government had notified a High-Level committee for implementation of Clause 6 of Assam Accord. Retired IAS officer M.P. Bezbaruah is chairman of the 9-member Committee. The committee will examine the effectiveness of actions since 1985 to implement Clause 6 of the Assam Accord. The clause envisaged that appropriate constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, should be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the people of Assam.
    • Secunderabad Railway Station, in Hyderabad, became the first railway station of South Central Railway (SCR) zone to hoist a huge tricolor flag on a 100-foot tall pole. This was done according to the Railway Board's order to hoist the national flag at 75 A1 category railway stations. The flag would be guarded by the Railway Protection Force (RPF). Furthermore according to the order, SCR has taken the initiative to hoist the National Flag at 4 other 'A1' category Railway Stations - Kacheguda, Hyderabad, Vijaywada and Tirupati.   
    • Centre has appointed Sudhir Bhargava as the new Chief Information Commissioner (CIC). Four new members have also been appointed to CIC, taking its strength to seven. Four vacancies still remain. Mr. Bhargava, a former Secretary to the Social Justice Ministry, has been a Commissioner since June 2015. He will be the ninth chief of the CIC. The CIC is the highest appeal body under the Right to Information Act. It has been functioning with just three members since the former chief and several members completed their tenure last month.
    • The Lok Sabha passed a Bill to amend the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018. The amendment will allow individuals to offer voluntarily biometric ID as a means of identity verification for obtaining services such as opening a bank account and getting a mobile phone connection. The Bill also gives a minor the option to opt out of the 12-digit identity scheme on attaining the age of 18. It provides for stiff penalties for violation of norms set for the use of Aadhaar and bans service providers from storing core biometric information and Aadhaar number of individuals who voluntarily offer it as a means of authentication. 
    • Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced interest-free loans of up to Rs. 3 lakh for women self-help groups (WSHGs) in the state. There are around six lakh WSHGs in Odisha. He stated the initiative will benefit about 70 lakh women. The chief minister also distributed financial assistance of Rs. 3,000 each to six lakh WSHGs as part of the state government's efforts to digitally empower women. During the convention, Mr. Patnaik launched a scheme to distribute Rs. 15,000 seed money per group to three lakh new self-help groups. The chief minister announced incentives of Rs. 500 per month for Anganwadi workers and Rs. 200 for helpers.

      ic: Daily Current Affairs - International

      • China successfully tested its most powerful non-nuclear weapon, dubbed as the Mother of All Bombs. The bomb, whose strength is only second to that of a nuclear weapon, was dropped by a Chinese H-6K bomber. The bomb is five to six metres long (16 to 20 feet), but weighs less than the American version. In a short video published on the website of state arms manufacturer Norinco, the massive bomb drops on to a plain and produces a gigantic ball of fire and black smoke.  
      • The World Day of War Orphans was initiated by the French organisation, SOS Enfants en Detresses. Held on 6th January each year, this special day enables the International Community to recognise the plight of a particularly vulnerable group. The usual definition of an orphan is a child who has no surviving parent to care for him or her, having lost both parents, either as a result of bereavement or by being abandoned.
      • The government of India issued an 'Orange' alert for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands due Cyclonic storm 'Pabuk' on 6 January 2019. 'Pabuk' is now over the Andaman sea and its neighbourhood. An 'orange' weather warning means people should be prepared and there is an increased likelihood of bad or extreme weather which may disrupt road and air travel and threaten life and property.

      ic: Daily Current Affairs - Sports

      • Switzerland's Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic secured victory over Germany's Angelique Kerber and Alexander Zverev to win the Hopman Cup for the second year in a row. In a rerun of 2018 final, Federer beat Zverev to give the Swiss an early 1-0 lead. Wimbledon champion Kerber then overcame Bencic to level the tie. However, the Swiss claimed a tight win in the mixed doubles to claim their fourth Hopman Cup title. 
      • India won the four-match Test series against Australia 2-1 as the Sydney Test ended in a draw after the fifth day's play was washed out due to rain. This is the first time ever that India have won a Test series in Australia. Before this, India had played 11 Test series in Australia since 1947, losing eight and drawing three. Cheteshwar Pujara, who made 193 runs in the Sydney Test, was the Man of the Match and Series.

      This "Daily Current Affairs" course of Vidyaguide is trusted by thousands of students preparing for various aptitude and entrance exams that feature a General Knowledge section.

      Easily the most preferred preparation material for students and aspirants for the following:

      • MBA entrance exams like IIFT, TISS and SNAP which feature a General Knowledge Section. 
      • Banking exams such as IBPS Bank PO and Bank Clerk Exams, SBI PO Exams, RBI Competitive Exam, IBPS RRB and SO exams
      • UPSC Competitive Exams such as the CSAT exam
      • SSC Exams such as SSC CGL and SSC CHSL
      • L.I.C and other Insurance Exams
      • Railway Recruitment Exams

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