General Studies & Current Affairs for Bank, SSC, CLAT, Civil Services and other Competitive Exams

National News 1. PM Jan Dhan Yojana To Be Open-Ended Scheme With More Incentives  i.  The Government has decided to make the  Pra...

Current Affairs 6th Sep 2018


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.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018- 
·                     PMJDY was launched in August 2014.
·                     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. 

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.
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 

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.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018- 
·                     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. 

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018- 
·                     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.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018- 
·                     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. 

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018- 
·                     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’.