Current Affairs Current Affairs February 2019

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Seoul on a two-day visit to South Korea. Mr Modi will hold bilateral talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and receive the Seoul Peace Prize in recognition of his dedication to international cooperation, global growth and human development. Besides summit meeting with President Moon Jae-in, Prime Minister Modi will also have a number of engagements with the Korean leadership, businesses and Indian Community. PM will address the India-Korea Business Symposium and will also launch India-Korea Startup Hub.
Source- Press Information Bureau (PIB)

  The government has approved recapitalization of Rs 48,239 crore in 12 public sector banks in this fiscal to help them maintain regulatory capital requirements and finance growth plans. The government will infuse over nine thousand crore rupees in Corporation Bank andsix thousand 896 crore rupees in Allahabad Bank. Besides, four thousand 638 crore rupees will be provided Bank of India and 205 crore rupees to Bank of Maharashtra. These banks have recently come out of the regulatory supervisory framework PCA of the RBI. Punjab National Bank will get over 5,900 crore rupees, Union Bank of India 4,112 crore rupees, Andhra Bank 3,256 crore and Syndicate Bank will get over 1,600 crore rupees. The government will also pump in 12,535 crore rupees in Central Bank of India, United Bank, UCO Bank and Indian Overseas Bank.
SOurce- AIR WOrld Service

  The Supreme Court appointed a retired judge of the court Justice D.K. Jain as the first ombudsman under the new BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) Constitution approved by the court in a judgment. Bringing a quietus to the quibbling between the Committee of Administrators (CoA) which runs the BCCI and the State bodies that form the Board, a Bench of Justices S.A. Bobde and A.M. Sapre decided to take things into their own hands on the advice of amicus curiae and senior advocate P.S. Narasimha.
Source- The Hindu

  ‘KALIA Chhatra Bruti’ scholarship for the children of farmers benefited under the KALIA scheme was launched by the Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneshwar,Odisha. It aims at providing financial assistance for technical and professional education to farmers’ children by creating a provision for the State government to bear all expenses involved in various levels of education. The scholarship shall be sent directly to the bank accounts of students who require it via. DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer).
Source: Business Standard

  A regional conference on ‘Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS)’ was organised in Kolkata, West Bengal. DDRS is a scheme implemented by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. DDRS was established in 1999 by the Government of India. It is a central government scheme. Under this scheme, monetary help is provided to around 600 NGOs which work in the field of education and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities.
Source: Press Information Bureau

  The 4th India-ASEAN Expo and Summit started in New Delhi. This is a flagship event of Department of Commerce, being organized with FICCI to carry forward the momentum and to further strengthen India-ASEAN relations under the Act-East Policy. The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises of Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia, Lao PDR, Indonesia, Cambodia and Brunei. India’s relationship with ASEAN is a key pillar of our foreign policy and the foundation of our Act-East Policy.
Source- Press Information Bureau (PIB)

  World Corporate Social Responsibility Congress (World CSR Congress 2019) promotes Entrepreneurship, Social Responsibility, Sustainability and Social Development. The 8th World CSR Congress was held in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The theme of the year 2019 is ‘Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)’ to focus on corporate strategies, innovation, and strategic alliances. Dr. Soumitro Chakraborty won ‘CEO of the year’ award.
Source- World CSR Congress

 Heeralal Samariya, Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment inaugurated the three days Conference on the VISION ZERO and its relevance to Occupational Safety and Health was held in Mumbai. The Conference has been organized by Directorate General Factory Advice and Labour Institutes (DGFASLI), Ministry of Labour and Employment, German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV), Germany.
Source- Press Information Bureau (PIB)

  An MoU was signed between Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada for next 10 years inNew Delhi. Both institutions shall explore opportunities for future collaborations in the field of forestry science through their respective organizations. The MoU will help in exchange of students, researchers, and faculty, developing research projects, livelihood opportunities and augment income of the forest-based communities and also assist the industries to optimize the utilization of forest-based resources with access of technology to different stakeholders by the respective organizations.
Source- Press Information Bureau (PIB)

  Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation has hiked interest rate on employees’ provident fund to 8.65% from 8.55% for the 2018-19 fiscal year. The announcement was made by Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar. The proposal would now go to the Finance Ministry for approval, Gangwar said after the CBT meeting. The Central Board of Trustees (CBT) headed by Labour Minister is the apex decision making body of the EPFO which finalises rate of interest on PF deposits for a financial year.
Do You Know?
Earlier Rates:
  • The EPFO had provided a five-year low rate of interest of 8.55% to its subscribers for 2017-18.
  • The body had kept the interest rate at 8.65% in 2016-17 and 8.8% 2015-16.
  • It provided 8.75% interest for 2013-14 as well as 2014-15.
  • The rate of interest was 8.5% in 2012-13.
  • Source- The Quint


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