Current Affairs: 20/12/ 2017

Current Affairs: 20/12/ 2017

1. All About Zee Cine Awards 2018

i. Zee Cine Awards 2018 took place recently, marking the presence of almost all the big stars from Bollywood. The complete winner's list is out that includes Varun Dhawan, Sridevi, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, and Golmaal Again team grabbing the highest recognition.

ii. Below is the complete list of winners of Zee Cine Awards 2018:

1. Best actor male- Varun Dhawan for Badrinath Ki Dulhania.
2. Best actor female- Sridevi for Mom.
3. Best director- Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari for Bareilly Ki Barfi.
4. Best film- Golmaal Again.
5. Extraordinary franchisee award- Baahubali.
6. Global icon award- Priyanka Chopra.
7. Best script award- Nitesh Tiwari for Bareilly Ki Barfi.
8. Best music director- Amit Trivedi for Secret Superstar.
9. Best male playback Singer- Akhil Sachdeva for Humsafar.
10. Best action director- Sham Kaushal for Kaabil.

2. PM Announces Relief Package for Cyclone Ockhi Affected States

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ockhi affected Lakshwadeep, Tamil Nadu and Kerala to take stock of the situation, meets affected people. He announced the relief package of Rs 325 crore for all 3 states and ex-gratia assistance of Rs. 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased.

ii. PM had also visited Lakshadweep. He is the first Prime Minister to visit the Union Territory in 25 years.

3. Assam Signs MoU with Isha Foundation to Save Rivers

i. The Assam government has signed an MoU with Isha Foundation to conserve and rejuvenate the rivers of Assam.

ii. Assam became the sixth state in the country to sign MoU with non-profit making and spiritual organization, the Isha foundation. The agreement was signed by Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal.

4. Kiren Rijiju Inaugurates Training of Trainers Program for Sendai Framework

i. The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju, inaugurated the first national-level training of trainers program to sensitize various Central Ministries and Departments on the utilization of Sendai Monitor for developing action plans for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in New Delhi.

ii. The three-day programme was organized by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction-Global Education and Training Institute (UNISDR-GETI).

5. Centre Gives ‘Green’ Nod for Kaleshwaram Project in Telangana

i. The Telangana state government’s prestigious Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) has finally got the Green Nod from central government.

ii. The expert appraisal committee (EAC) of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest recommended the “proposal for grant of environmental clearance” in its meeting held in Delhi.

Salient features of the Project-

1. Total catchment area of the project: 36,35,437 hectares,
2. Project likely to  generate 1,480 lakh cubic metres muck,
3. Compensatory afforestation will be taken up in 5,333.817 hectares.

6. Andhra Pradesh Government Signs Agreements With Alphabet X

i. The government of Andhra Pradesh has entered into an agreement with the moonshot factory of Alphabet (earlier Google) X to bring the breakthrough Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC) technology in order to provide internet through the government Fibergrid project.

ii. This association with X labs to implement FSOC in AP is first of its kind in the world to provide wireless internet connection at a higher speed of up to 20Gbps and to a distance of up to 20kms.

7. Skill Development Ministry and Maruti Suzuki Sign MoU to Impart Skill Training'

i. The Skill Development Ministry and Maruti Suzuki have signed an agreement to impart training to youth and enhance their employment potential.

ii. As part of the agreement with the Directorate General of Training, DGT, Maruti Suzuki will ensure that not less than 80 percent of trainees are placed with Maruti Suzuki or its business partners.

8. India, Myanmar Ink MoU for Development of Rakhine State

i. India and Myanmar signed MoU on Rakhine State Development Programme and on Government to Government agreement on long-term socio-economic development of the state.

ii. This MoU is the first G to G agreement signed by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement of Myanmar. Under this MoU, Government of India proposes to take up, among others, a project to build prefabricated housing in Rakhine State so as to meet the immediate needs of returning people.

9. Delhi Ranks 7th in Most Expensive Office Locations List: Report

i. Delhi has emerged as one of the most expensive premium office locations in the world. Ranked 7th in the list, rent of Delhi’s premium office location is higher than San Francisco and Dubai, according to the latest report by JLL India, a real estate services firm.

ii. Mumbai is at 16th position in the list. The top spot is again taken by Hong Kong and there is the huge margin between the rent rates between Hong Kong and London (West), which is second in the list. New York was at the third position.

10. World Bank Provides Loans of $125 Million for STRIVE Project

i. The World Bank has committed $125 million (around Rs800 crore) loan to India for the STRIVE project for skill development.

ii. The objective of the operation (Skills Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement) is to improve access to quality and market-driven vocational training as well as apprenticeships. The financing agreement was signed between the World Bank and the Finance Ministry.

11. In a First, France Passes Law to Ban all Oil and Gas Production by 2040

i. France's parliament has approved a law banning all exploration and production of oil and natural gas by 2040 within the country and its overseas territories.

ii. Under that law that passed a final vote, existing drilling permits will not be renewed and no new exploration licenses will be granted. The French government claims the ban is a world first.

12. Shree Saini from Washington Crowned Miss India USA 2017

i. Washington resident Shree Saini has been crowned Miss India USA 2017. While Prachi Singh from Connecticut was declared the first runner-up at the pageant, which was held at the Royal Alberts Palace in Edison, New Jersey. 

ii. Shree Saini is an anti-bullying activist. At the beauty pageant, cancer surgeon Kavita Malhotra Pattani from Florida was declared Mrs India USA 2017. Swapna Mannam, 17, from New Jersey was crowned with Miss Teen India USA 2017.

13. Messi Beats Ronaldo To La Liga Best Player Award

i. Lionel Messi, the star forward of Barcelona, has received La Liga’s top scorer and best player awards for the 2016-2017 football season.

ii. The Argentine beat rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who guided Real Madrid to their first title since 2012 in the recent campaign. Messi scored 37 goals in league action last season to earn his fourth Pichichi award for most goals in La Liga.

14. RBI Places Bank of India Under PCA

i. The Reserve Bank of India has placed Bank of India under the Prompt Corrective Action Framework, consequent to the onsite inspection under the Risk-Based Supervision Model carried out for the year ended March 2017.

ii. This is the first time that the central bank has invoked PCA for a large bank of the size of BoI. 

15. CCI Clears IndusInd Bank-Bharat Financial Merger

i. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the scheme of amalgamation between IndusInd Bank and Bharat Financial Inclusion.

ii. According to a filing with the stock exchanges, CCI had considered the proposed combination and approved the same. The scheme remains subject to the receipt of approval from the RBI and regulatory approval, including approval of the stock exchanges, SEBI, and the National Company Law Tribunal.

16. AU Small Finance Bank Joins Hands with Sahaj e-Village

i. AU Small Finance Bank has announced signing an MoU with Sahaj e-Village for extending its banking service in remote areas through Business Correspondent Agent (BC) model.

ii. With this MoU, AU Bank will be able to further foster its mission of financial inclusion and greater customer outreach. As per the agreement, the BCs will act as an intermediary between the Bank and the customers in the interior locations where the Bank does not have a presence.

17. YES Bank, EIB to Co-finance $400 mn for Clean Power Projects

i. YES Bank and the European Investment Bank will co-finance $400-million funding for renewable power generation in the country. 

ii. Of the $400-million, the EIB will fund $200 million, while the rest will be supported by YES Bank, the project promoters, and other financial institutions. The EIB loan of $200 million has a tenor of 15 years.