National
News
1. PM
Jan Dhan Yojana To Be Open-Ended Scheme With More Incentives
i. The Government has decided to make
the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) an open-ended scheme and
added more incentives to encourage people to open bank accounts. The Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley stated that the overdraft facility has been
doubled from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 10,000 under the Yojana.
ii. The
age limit for availing overdraft facility under it has also been revised to 18
to 65 years from the earlier 18 to 60 years. The accidental insurance cover for
new RuPay Cardholders has been raised from Rs. one lakh to Rs. two lakh.
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Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018-
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PMJDY was launched
in August 2014.
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The first phase of the PMJDY scheme focused on opening
basic bank accounts and RuPay debit card with inbuilt accident insurance cover
of Rs. one lakh.
2. Homosexuality Not A Crime In India Anymore: SC
Abolishes Section 377
i. The Supreme Court abolished Section 377 of
the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the 1862 law which criminalised
homosexuality.
ii. The Delhi High Court had decriminalised homosexuality in 2009, but the decision was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2013. According to Section 377, consensual sexual acts are also considered unnatural and are punishable.
ii. The Delhi High Court had decriminalised homosexuality in 2009, but the decision was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2013. According to Section 377, consensual sexual acts are also considered unnatural and are punishable.
3. India-US
Hold Maiden 2+2 Talks In New Delhi
i. India and the US held
the first edition of the two-plus-two talks in New Delhi. The
meeting was aimed at further strengthening bilateral defence and
security collaboration as well as boosting their global strategic
partnership, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.
ii. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held talks with US Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo and Defence Secretary James Mattis.
ii. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held talks with US Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo and Defence Secretary James Mattis.
iii. Military Ties: According
to US Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo, both sides should
continue to ensure freedom of the seas and work towards peaceful resolutions of
territorial and maritime disputes, seen as an oblique reference to China’s
expansionist behaviour in the South China Sea.
iv. Nuclear Deal: A
raft of other important issues like US sanctions on import of Iranian
crude oil and India’s plan to buy a batch of S-400 air defence missile
systems from Russia were discussed. In May, the US withdrew from the
landmark Iran nuclear deal and re-imposed the sanctions that had been suspended
in return for curbs on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
4. India-US 2+2 Dialogue: India-US Sign COMCASA
i. India and US have signed the Communications
Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) that will facilitate
India to obtain critical defence technologies from the US, and access critical
communication network to ensure interoperability among the US and the Indian
armed forces.
5. Telangana Cabinet Passes Resolution to Dissolve Legislative Assembly
5. Telangana Cabinet Passes Resolution to Dissolve Legislative Assembly
i. The Telangana Cabinet passed
a resolution calling for the dissolution of the Telangana Legislative
Assembly. The state’s Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had convened
the meeting of his Council of Ministers to dissolve the Legislative Assembly
and seek fresh elections six months ahead of schedule.
ii. The
CM submitted a one-line resolution of the cabinet dissolving the assembly to
the state’s Governor ESL Narasimhan immediately after the meeting.
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Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018-
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Telangana CM- K
Chandrasekhar Rao, Governor- ESL Narasimhan.
6. Home Minister Inaugurates Defence & Homeland Security Expo and Conference
i. The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated
the 3-day Defence & Homeland Security Expo and Conference –
2018, organised by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in
association with Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in New
Delhi.
ii. The expo is being organised for the
first time to make leading policy makers and luminaries from diverse defence
segments take part with special focus on MSMEs in defence production
and procurement.
International
News
7. President
3-Nation Visit: India & Bulgaria Sign 5 MoUs
i. India and Bulgaria sign
five pacts on Investment, Tourism, Civil Nuclear
Cooperation, science and technology cooperation and Establishment of Hindi
Chair at Sofia University, after delegation-level talks between President
Ramnath Kovind and his counterpart Rumen Radev.
ii. The President also invited
Bulgaria to become key partner in Defence and IT sectors under Make in
India programme. A Programme of Cooperation is also signed to enhance
scientific cooperation. Mr Kovind was in Bulgaria on the
second leg of his 3-nation visit to Cyprus, Bulgaria, and the Czech
Republic.
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Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018-
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Bulgaria Capital: Sofia, Currency: Bulgarian lev.
Appointments
8. Dr
Poonam Singh Nominated For 2nd Term As Regional Director WHO South-East
Asia
i. India retained the top WHO position in South-East
Asia Region with Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh unanimously
re-elected as Regional Director for another five-year term
beginning February 2019.
ii. Dr Singh is the first woman to have been
elected to the position of Regional Director for WHO South-East Asia Region
after an illustrious career in the Indian civil service, World Bank and
WHO.
9. Indian Boxer Mary Kom Signed As Brand
Ambassador By BSNL
i. State-run telecom firm Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd
(BSNL) roped in Indian boxer MC Mary Kom as its brand
ambassador for two years. BSNL will run television commercials, print
advertisements and tariff plan endorsement with Kom.
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Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018-
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Director Anupam Shrivastava is the
present Chairman and Managing Director of BSNL
Obituaries
10. Gujarati Author and Journalist Bhagwati Kumar Sharma Passes Away
Bhagwati Kumar Sharma |
i. Bhagwati Kumar Sharma, noted Gujarati
language author and poet passed away in Surat at the age of 84 years.
ii. Some of his novels include ‘Aarti ane Angara’ published in 1957, ‘Man Nahi Mane’ in 1962, ‘Rikta’ in 1968, ‘Vyaktamadhya’ in 1970, ‘Samaydvip’ in 1974 and ‘Urdhvamool’ in 1981.
ii. Some of his novels include ‘Aarti ane Angara’ published in 1957, ‘Man Nahi Mane’ in 1962, ‘Rikta’ in 1968, ‘Vyaktamadhya’ in 1970, ‘Samaydvip’ in 1974 and ‘Urdhvamool’ in 1981.
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Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018-
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Sharma wrote novels, short stories, poetry, essays and
criticism and received Ranjitram Suvarna Chandraka in 1984 and
Sahitya Academy award in 1988 for his novel ‘Assoryalok’.