Current Affairs Update 21 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. 21 December 2018
NITI Aayog Releases SDG India Index 2018: A Baseline Report
- The NITI Aayog released the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index: Baseline Report 2018 on 21 December 2018 documenting the progress made by India’s States and Union Territories towards implementing the 2030 SDG targets.
- The SDG India Index has been developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Global Green Growth Institute and United Nations in India.
- The Classification Criteria based on SDG India Index Score is as follows:
- Aspirant: 0-49
- Performer: 50-64
- Front Runner: 65-99
- Achiever: 100
Overall Results
| Particular | State | Union Territory |
| SDG India Index Score Range | 42-69 | 57-68 |
| Top Performer/s | Himachal Pradesh & Kerala | Chandigarh |
| Aspirant | Uttar Pradesh | Dadra & Nagar Haveli |
The full SDG India Index report can be accessed here: http://niti.gov.in/content/sdg-india-index-baseline-report-2018
iGOT online training programme for govt employees launched
- Dr Jitendra Singh launched the iGOT (Integrated Government Online Training Programme) for online training and certification of government employees.
- It has been developed by Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions. It will augment the existing training mechanism with online module-based training coupled with certification.
Government Authorizes 10 Central Agencies To Monitor, Decrypt Any Computer Data
- The Central government has issued a latest notification on December 20 authorizing 10 central agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt all the data contained in any computer system.
- The order has been passed by the ‘cyber and information security’ division of the Ministry of Home Affairs under the authority of Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba.
- These 10 central probe and snoop agencies are now empowered under the Information Technology Act to ensure that computer interception and analysis is done as per the law.
- The Section 69 of the IT Act 2000 deals with the “power to issue directions for interception or monitoring or decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource”.
- Name of 10 agencies
- Intelligence Bureau,
- Narcotics Control Bureau,
- Enforcement Directorate,
- Central Board of Direct Taxes,
- Directorate of Revenue Intelligence,
- Central Bureau of Investigation,
- National Investigation Agency,
- Research and Analysis Wing,
- Directorate of Signal Intelligence (in service areas of J-K, North East and Assam)
- Delhi Police
Govt Plans to Set up Panel to look into Tax Issues faced by Startups
- The government of India has decided to set up an expert committee to look into all the taxation issues being faced by startups and angel investors.
- The committee of experts will comprise of members from IITs, IIMs to look into granting of tax exemptions to startups and related matters and will soon be set up by DIPP.
- The decision in this regard was taken at a high-level meeting of Department of Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) Secretary Ramesh Abhishek, and Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Chairman Sushil Chandra on December 20 in New Delhi.
Logistics Development Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. Bibek Debroy Submits its Report
- The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) had constituted a Logistics Development Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. Bibek Debroy, Chairman EAC-PM.
- The committee was responsible to assess key challenges in logistics development and associated commerce and suggest policy reforms for ease of doing trade in India.
- The Committee has submitted its report to the Government for consideration to uplift India’s share in global trade and make India one of the simplest places for doing business in the near term.
Government Launches Asiatic Lion Conservation Project worth Rs 97.84 Crore
- The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has launched the “Asiatic Lion Conservation Project”. The project aim to protect and conserve the world’s last ranging free population of Asiatic Lion and its associated ecosystem.
- The total budget of the project for 3 years is about Rs. 97.84 crore.
- It will be funded from the Centrally Sponsored Scheme- Development of Wildlife Habitat (CSS-DWH) with the contributing ratio being 60:40 of Central and State share.
Odisha Govt announces Rs 101.8 billion KALIA scheme for farmers
- Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik has launched a Rs 101.8 billion scheme for farmers titled Krushak Assistance for Livelihoods & Income Augmentation (KALIA).
- The scheme will benefit both farmers and share croppers and will have an expenditure of Rs 101.8 billion over three years till 2020-21.
- Under the scheme an assistance of Rs 10,000 will be provided per family for Kharif and Rabi seasons. The assistance is meant for five cropping seasons spanning three years from 2018-19 to 2021-22.
- KALIA scheme also has a life insurance cover of Rs 200,000 with an additional personal accident cover of the same amount for both cultivators and landless agricultural labourers.
- Besides, the scheme offers interest free crop loans of up to Rs 50,000.
Finance Mininstry’s Alternative Mechanism gives nod for BoB, Dena, Vijaya Bank merger
- Bank of Baroda has informed that the ‘Alternative Mechanism’ of the finance ministry has accorded in-principle approval for its merger with Dena and Vijaya Bank.
- Bank of Baroda is the transferee bank, while Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank are the transferor banks in the amalgamation process.
- The ‘Alternative Mechanism’ (AM) was formed by GOI in October 2017 to oversee merger proposals of public sector banks (PSBs). It is headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
- The merged entity will have a combined business of Rs 14.82 lakh crore, making it the third largest bank after SBI and ICICI Bank.
- The net NPA ratio will be at 5.71 per cent which is better than public sector bank (PSB) average (12.13 per cent).
BCCI Ropes WV Raman As Head Coach Of India Women’s Cricket Team
- The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has appointed WV Raman as the head coach of India women’s cricket team.
- 53 year old Raman will replace Ramesh Powar, who served on an interim basis.
- His selection was based on recommendations of the ad-hoc committee comprising Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy.
Noted Tamil writer Prabhanjan passed away
- Tamil writer and Sahitya Akademi Award winner S. Vaidyalingam passed away at the age of 83.
- He was popularly known as Prabhanjan or Prapanchan.