Current Affairs December 16, 2017

Dear SH Aspirants,
Study Daily Current Affairs and stay updated as well as prepare for General Awareness section of bank exams. It's time to gear up your preparations for IBPS/RBI/SBI/SSC and with the daily dose of current affairs, you can easily prepare G.A and score well.

 11th WTO Ministerial Conference held in Argentina

The Eleventh World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference (MC11) was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

• The biggest takeaway from the conference was the commitment from members to secure a deal on fisheries subsidies.
• Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu had led the Indian delegation in the conference.

Points to Remember

• The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates international trade.
• The WTO officially commenced on 1 January 1995 under the Marrakesh Agreement, signed by 123 nations on 15 April 1994, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).
• WTO has 164 member countries. The WTO's current Director-General is Roberto Azevedo.

 Vice-President of India inaugurates the World Conference on Vedas

The Vice-President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that the Vedas preach world peace, universal brotherhood and welfare of all.

• Inaugurating the World Conference on Vedas, “Vishwa Ved Sammelan”, in New Delhi, he said the Vedas have great relevance to humanity.
• The Yajurveda mentions that the knowledge of Vedas is meant for the well-being of the entire humanity.
• The Vedas do not refer to any caste or community, he added.

Cabinet approves continuation of NLCPR scheme for North East till March 2020

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the continuation of the existing Non Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) scheme with funding pattern of 90:10 till March, 2020 with an outlay of Rs.5300.00 crore. It would enable completion of ongoing projects.

• The Union Cabinet also approved the introduction of new Central Sector Scheme of “North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme” (NESIDS) from 2017-18 with 100% funding from the Central Government to fill up the gaps in creation of infrastructure in specified sectors till March, 2020.
• The assets to be created under the new scheme of NESIDS will not only strengthen health care and education facilities in the region but will also encourage tourism thereby the employment opportunities for local youth.
• The scheme will act as a catalyst in overall development of the region in the years to come.

Society for Nuclear Medicine International Conference (SNMICON)

Raksha Rajya Mantri Dr. Subash Bhamre inaugurated a four day 49th Annual Conference of the Society of Nuclear Medicine – India SNMICON, in New Delhi.

• Dr. Bhamre said that advances in medical science have led to significant improvements in our quality of life.
• Increase in life expectancy, cure of hitherto incurable diseases and the ability to understand the human body can all be attributed to these advancements.

Cabinet approves Agreement with UNESCO

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the establishment of International Training Centre for Operational Oceanography, as a Category-2 Centre (C2C) of UNESCO, in Hyderabad.

• The purpose of this Agreement is to establish a training centre towards development of capacity for the countries on the Indian Ocean Rim (IOR), African countries bordering the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, small island countries under the framework of UNESCO.

No MDR charges on debit card payments up to Rs 2000

The merchant discount rate (MDR) charges on transactions up to Rs 2,000 made through debit cards, BHIM UPI or Aadhaar-enabled payment systems will be borne by the government to promote digital transactions.

• The merchant discount rate (MDR) will be borne by the government for two years with effect from January 1, 2018 by reimbursing the same to the banks.
• The move will have an impact of Rs 2,512 crore on the exchequer.

Bengali poet Joy Goswami to get 31st Moortidevi Award

Eminent Bengali poet Joy Goswami will be given the 31st Moortidevi Award for the year 2017, a selection board meeting announced.

• The committee, headed by poet and scholar Satya Vrat Shastri, unanimously decided to confer the award upon Goswami for his poetry collection titled 'Du Dondo Phowara Matro'.
• It is the first time the award will be given to a Bengali poet.
• The award consists of a Saraswati Statue, a Citation Plaque and cash award of Rupees 4 lac.

Ramdev Dhurandhar receives Shrilal Shukla Smriti IFFCO Sahitya Samman

Noted litterateur Ramdev Dhurandhar has been selected for this year's 'Shrilal Shukla Smriti IFFCO Sahitya Samman' presented by Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO).

• The selection committee headed by Shri Devi Prasad Tripathi selected Ramdev Dhurandhar for the award, keeping his extensive literary contribution in mind.

'Youthquake' named word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries

Oxford Dictionaries has crowned “youthquake” as its word of 2017 in a nod to the unexpected level of youth engagement in this summer's election in the United Kingdom.

• An amalgamation of “youth” and “earthquake”, the noun is defined as “a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people.”

Roger Federer named BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year

Roger Federer has been voted the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year for a record fourth time.

• Federer previously won the award, which is voted for by the public, in 2004, 2006 and 2007.
• Muhammad Ali and Usain Bolt have each won it three times.