Current Affairs Update 17 December 2018
Current Affairs is an important part for many exams. Be prepared for this section with ByScoop which brings all the important Current Affairs in one place. 17 December 2018
Madhya Pradesh CM announces Farm Loan Waiver of Rs 2 lakh for Short Term Loans
- Kamal Nath, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh has announced to write off short-term crop loan of eligible farmers up to the limit of Rs two lakh, as on March 31, 2018, from nationalised and cooperative banks.
- The decision was taken on the same day on which he took oath as the CM of the state.
Sebi caps total expense ratio, makes investing in mutual funds less pricey
- Market Regulator SEBI has issued new norms to cap total expenses for investment in mutual funds at 2.25%.
- Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has rationalized the total expense ratio (TER), the fee that fund houses charge investors every year to manage their money.
- TER for closed-ended equity schemes capped at 1.25%
- TER for closed-ended other than equity scheme capped at 1%.
- TER for open-ended equity schemes capped at 2.25%
- TER for open-ended other than equity scheme capped at 2%.
- The new fee structure will come into effect from April 1, 2019. The concept of TER was introduced in 1996 had not been changed since.
Star Screen Awards 2018: Complete List of Winners
- The Star Screen Awards, is an annual awards ceremony held in India honoring professional excellence in the Bollywood Film Industry.
- The Star Screen Awards 2018 took place on December 16 in Mumbai.
- Best Actor- Ranveer Singh for Padmaavat
- Best Actress- Alia Bhatt for Raazi
- Best Film- Stree
- Best Director- Sriram Raghavan for Andhadhun
- Click Here for Complete List of Winners
Catriona Gray from Philippines Crowned Miss Universe 2018
- Catriona Gray from Philippines was crowned as the Miss Universe 2018 on December 17, 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand, beating 93 other candidates from different countries.
- The 24-year-old Filipina-Australian beauty was crowned by Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters of South Africa.
- 1st Runner Up — Tamaryn Green (South Africa )
- 2nd Runner Up — Sthefany Gutiérrez (Venezuela)
- 22 years old Nehal Chudasama from Mumbai, India failed to make it to the Top 20 shortlist.
- Contestants from 94 countries and territories participated in this year’s pageant, surpassing the previous record of 92 contestants in 2017
Yami Gautam named Goodwill Leader For World Wildlife Fund India Campaign
- Actress Yami Gautam has been named the goodwill leader of Super Sniffers campaign initiated by World Wildlife Fund India (WWF) along with TRAFFIC India.
- As part of the campaign, a band of specially trained dogs, who with their handlers and the forest department, will combat wildlife crime by helping collect concrete evidence against wildlife poachers and smugglers.
Kamal Nath Takeover as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh
- Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath has been sworn-in as the 18th Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh on December 17, 2018. He was administered the oath by Governor Anandiben Patel.
- Nath, a nine-term MP from Chhindwara, is one of the longest serving and senior most members of Lok Sabha.
- He is also the chief of Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC).
- The Congress emerged as the single largest party by bagging 114 seats in the 230-member Assembly in the recently concluded state polls. It also secured the support of one SP legislator, two BSP and four independent MLAs to cross the majority mark of 116.
Ashok Gehlot takes oath as Rajasthan Chief Minister
- Veteran Congress leader Ashok Gehlot took the oath as the 12th Chief Minister of Rajasthan on December 17 at the historic Albert Hall in state capital Jaipur.
- He is serving his third term as the Chief Minister since 1998. (1998 – 2003 and 2008 – 2013 )
- Sachin Pilot took oath as the deputy chief minister
- The Congress wrested power from the BJP in the recently-concluded assembly elections, winning 99 seats of 200, one short of a majority. The BJP won 73.
Bhupesh Baghel Sworn in as Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh
- Senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel was sworn in as the 3rd Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh on December 17, 2018 at the Balbir Singh Juneja Indoor Stadium in Raipur.
- He was administered oath of office by Governor Anandiben Patel.
- The Congress swept Chhattisgarh in the recently held Assembly elections, winning 68 out of 90 seats to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party, which had been in power for 15 years.
Sandip Somany takes over as new Ficci President
- Sandip Somany has been elected as the president of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) for 2018-19. He is the Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Hindustan Sanitaryware & Industries Limited (HSIL) Limited.
- Uday Shankar, currently the Chairman and CEO of Star India and President of 21st Century Fox Asia-Pacific (Only Asia) was elected as the Vice President
- They were elected in a recently concluded FICCI’s annual general meeting.
Ramphal Pawar appointed as the Director of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)
- Shri Ramphal Pawar (IPS) has been appointed as the Director of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
- An IPS Officer from the West BengaL Cadre, Mr. Powar was Joint Secretary in NATGRID.
Winners of BWF World Tour Finals 2018
The 2018 BWF World Tour Finals, officially the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2018 Guangzhou, was the final tournament of the 2018 BWF World Tour. It was held from 12 to 16 December 2018 at the Tianhe Gymnasium in Tianhe, Guangzhou, China, and had a total prize of $1,500,000.
List of Winners
| Event | Winner | Runner Up |
| Men’s Single | Shi Yuqi (China) | Kento Momota (Japan) |
| Women’s Single | P. V. Sindhu | Nozomi Okuhara (Japan) |
| Men’s Double | Li Junhui Liu Yuchen (China) |
Hiroyuki Endo Yuta Watanabe (Japan) |
| Women’s Double | Misaki Matsutomo Ayaka Takahashi (Japan) |
Lee So-hee Shin Seung-chan (South Korea) |
| Mixed Double | Zheng Siwei Huang Yaqiong (China) |
Wang Yilü Huang Dongping (China) |
Joshna Chinappa, Mahesh Mangaonkar wins singles of National Squash Championships
- Joshna Chinappa and Mahesh Mangaonkar clinched the women’s and men’s singles titles respectively at the National Squash Championships in New Delhi.
- This was the 16th national titles for Joshna Chinappa equalling the record of Bhuvaneswari Kumari. While for Mahesh it was his first title.
Djokovic, Halep Named 2018 ITF World Champions
- Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep has been named as the 2018 ITF world champions by the governing body of global tennis, International Tennis Federation (ITF).
- World No 1 Djokovic receives the honour from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for the sixth time, while it is the first year that Romania’s top-ranked Halep has been recognised.
- The 2018 ITF World Championships was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina from July 31st – August 5th, 2018. The Winners include:
- Men’s Single – Novak Djokovic (6) (Serbia)
- Women’s Single – Simona Halep (Romania)
- Men’s Double – Mike Bryan (12) & Jack Sock (USA)
- Women’s Double – Barbora Krejcíkova & Katerina Siniakova (Czech Republic)
Renowned classical singer Pandit Arun Bhaduri passes away
- Renowned classical singer Pandit Arun Bhaduri passed away at 75.
- He was from West Bengal and considered to be one of the masters of Bengali songs and Bhajans.