Current Affairs December 12, 2018
In this post, GKToday presents Current Affairs of December 12, 2018 in Short Notes form for preparation of IBPS, Banking, CLAT, SSC, Railway, UPSC, IAS/PCS, UPPSC, BPSC, MPPSC, RPSC, TNPSC, MPSC, KPSC and all other competitive examinations of India.
1. The Union Cabinet has recently raised the government's contribution to National Pension Scheme (NPS) to 14% of basic salary from the current 10%. However, minimum employee contribution will remain at 10%. The Cabinet also allowed government employees to commute 60% of the fund accumulated at the time of retirement, up from 40% at present. Also, employees will have the option to invest in either fixed income instruments or equities. As per the Cabinet decision, if the employee decides not to commute any portion of the accumulated fund in NPS at the time of retirement and transfers 100% to annuity scheme, then his pension would be more than 50% of his last drawn pay. The following changes will come into effect from the beginning of a financing year, meaning April 1, 2019.
2. After the approval of the Supreme Court and the Bombay High Court, a pilot project for e-payments service will be started at the Pune District Court complex in Shivajinagar on December 15 to bring transparency to cash transactions. The facility will be available into the nazar (clerical) offices in the court, and civil lawyers & litigants can pay court fees, various fines, penalties, judicial deposits, rent, maintenance, etc. The e-payment facility will be available on ‘pay.ecourt.gov.in/epay’ and will help end the serpentine queues on court premises to pay cash. Hence, this will be the first time such a facility is being started anywhere in the country. There will be no extra charge for payments up to Rs 2,000, while the Pune district court administration is also working to facilitate payments above Rs 2,000 at nil or minimal cost through PoS or online services.
3. The AdventureNext India 2018, the first-of-its-kind in India & Asia, was hosted by Madhya Pradesh Tourism at the new International Convention Centre (Minto Hall) in Bhopal on December 3-5. The event was organized by United states based Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA). The theme of the 2-day event was ‘Pulse of Tomorrow’. The international event was focused on adventure tourism by combining marketplace (chowk Bazar), meetings, networking opportunities, inspirational speakers and educational sessions together for national and international delegates. Over 200 delegates participated in the event.
4. The International Anti-Corruption Day is observed every year on December 9 to raise public awareness about corruption and how to fight it. The day is also observed in recognition of the United Nations Convention against corruption which was signed in Mexico in 2003.
5. Shi Yomi has become the 23rd district of Arunachal Pradesh, after it was formally inaugurated by Chief Minister Pema Khandu in presence of Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju. The district was carved out of the West Siang district with its headquarters at Tato. It has four administrative units namely Mechuka, Tato, Pidi and Manigong. Earlier, on 29th August 2018, the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly passed a bill for the creation of 3 new districts -- Pakke-Kesang, Lepa Rada and Shi Yomi. Soon, two other districts will be fromalyy inaugurated, which takes the total districts in the state to 25. The Pakke-Kessang district will be carved out of East Kameng district with five administrative units namely Pakke-Kessangn, Seijosa, Pijiriang, Passa Valley and Dissingn Passo with district headquarters at Lemmi. The other district Lepa Rada would be created by bifurcating the Lower Siang district with headquarters at Basar with four administrative units – Tirbin, Basar, Daring and Sago.
6. India is expected to retain its position as the world’s top recipient of remittances with $80 million in 2018, as per latest World Bank’s report ‘Migration and Development Brief’. India is followed by China ($67 billion), Mexico and the Philippines ($34 billion each) and Egypt ($26 billion). The bank estimates that officially recorded remittances to developing countries will increase by 10.8% to reach US$528 billion in 2018, , against a 7.8% growth in 2017. The Global remittances, which include flows to high-income countries, are projected to grow by 10.3% to $689 billion. For 2019, it is projected that remittances growth for the region will slow to 4.3% due to a moderation of growth in advanced economies, lower migration to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the benefits from the oil price spurt dissipating.
7. As per WHO’s Global Nutrition Report (GNR 2018) report for 2018, India is facing a major malnutrition crisis as it holds almost a third of the world's burden for stunting. With 46.6 million children who are stunted, India tops the list of countries followed by Nigeria and Pakistan. Stunting (or low height for age) is caused by long-term insufficient nutrient-intake and frequent infections. India also accounted for 25.5 million children who are wasted, followed by Nigeria and Indonesia. Wasting (or low weight for height) is a strong predictor of mortality among children under five. It is usually the result of acute significant food shortage and/or disease. As per report, globally 150.8 million children under five years are stunted and 50.5 million are wasted. India also figures among the set of countries that has more than a million overweight children.
8. On December 10, the Tamil Nadu government launched a 24-hour helpline ‘181’ for women facing domestic violence and sexual harassment at home or workplaces. Through this initiative, they can contact the toll-free helpline to get assistance ranging from police help, legal aid or medical services including ambulance. The service will be available round-the-clock on all days of the week. • Apart from offering authorities aid to victims of domestic violence, the helpline would assist ladies in receiving information on welfare schemes aimed at their advantage. The helpline initiative has been made at a expense of Rs 62.70 lakh.
9. The Steel Authority of India (SAIL)’s Hockey Academy (SHA) has clinched the 115th All India Aga Khan Gold Cup hockey tournament 2018 by defeating the Army XI Danapur in the final by 2-1 at Major Dhyan Chand Hockey Stadium in New Delhi. Aga Khan Gold Cup is one of the oldest hockey tournaments in the country.
10. The Intergovernmental Conference to Adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration was held in Marrakech, Morocco on 10th and 11th of December, 2018. It is the first-ever UN global agreement on a common approach to international migration in all its dimensions. The global compact is non-legally binding. It is grounded in values of state sovereignty, responsibility-sharing, non-discrimination, and human rights, and recognizes that a cooperative approach is needed to optimize the overall benefits of migration, while addressing its risks and challenges for individuals and communities in countries of origin, transit and destination.
