1 December: World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day was observed on 1 December 2019, to raise public awareness about Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a pandemic disease caused due to infection of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) which affects the human immune system. The day also provides an opportunity for people to unite in fight against HIV and to show support for those living with HIV.
The theme for year 2019 is “Communities Make the Difference.”
World AIDS Day is being celebrated every year since 1988 and is one of the eight official global public health campaigns marked by World Health Organization (WHO).
Aditya Birla Finance becomes first company to list commercial papers on stock exchanges
Aditya Birla Finance Ltd (ABFL), the Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) arm of Aditya Birla Capital, has now become the first company to list its commercial papers (CPs) on stock exchanges. The move comes after stock exchanges- the BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) and NSE (National Stock Exchange), came out with a framework for listing of commercial papers (CPs), in a bid to broaden investors’ participation in such securities.
Commercial paper is an unsecured money market instrument which is issued in form of promissory notes that enables highly rated corporate borrowers to diversify their sources of short-term borrowings. It also provides an additional instrument to investors. CPs can be issued for maturities between a minimum of 7 days and a max of up to 1 year from date of issue.
Australian Steve Smith becomes fastest Cricketer to reach 7,000 Test runs
Steve Smith became the fastest cricketer to score 7,000 Test runs, shattering a record that had stood since 1946, while moving past Donald Bradman to become Australia’s 11th highest scorer. The 30-year-old took a single off Muhammad Musa during the second Test against Pakistan in Adelaide to reach the milestone and take possession of a record held for 73 years by English great Wally Hammond.
Hammond reached the mark in 131 innings, while Smith, who played his first Test nine years ago, made the grade in his 126th. India’s Virender Sehwag is the third fastest in 134 innings.
BSF Celebrated its Raising Day on 1st December
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended greetings to Border Security Force (BSF) personnel on the organization’s 55th raising. The BSF was raised in 1965 with the specific purpose of manning Indian borders as the ‘First Line of Defence’ against infiltration, smuggling, and military assault.
David Warner hits triple century against Pakistan
Australian opener David Warner hit a rare triple century during the second Test against Pakistan in Adelaide.
Warner finished unbeaten on 335 when Australian captain Tim Paine declared at 589-3 on day two against Pakistan.
This was Warner’s biggest innings ever in the day-night test cricket format. With this, he joined an elite group of 10 players to reach the milestone.
Warner passed Sir Donald Bradman and Mark Taylor’s mark of 334. Former opening batsman Matthew Hayden has the highest Test score by an Australian with his 380 not out against Zimbabwe in 2003.
West Indies great Brian Lara is the current world record holder with his unbeaten 400 against England in 2004.
DHFL becomes 1st financial services firm to be taken to NCLT
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has referred Dewan Housing Finance Corp. Ltd (DHFL) to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for insolvency proceedings, making it the first financial services player to go NCLT for a possible debt resolution. DHFL has a debt of Rrs.83,873 crore. As per the statutory inspection of DHFL conducted by the National Housing Bank, the DHFL showed a serious deterioration in its finances. It had public deposits of Rs.6,188 crore as on 6 July 2019, down from Rs.10,166.72 crore as on 31 March 2018.
R. Subramaniakumar, the RBI-appointed administrator for DHFL, will take over lender’s affairs once his appointment is approved by National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
DPIIT invites applications for first ever National Startup Awards 2020
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry has announced institution of first ever National Startup Awards. The award was launched by Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry and Railways. The applications for the awards are open till 31 December 2019.
The Awards seek to recognize as well as reward exceptional startups and ecosystem enablers that are building innovative products/ solutions and scalable enterprises demonstrating measurable social impact, with high potential of wealth creation and employment generation.
First India-Japan 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting held in New Delhi
India and Japan held their first ever Foreign and Defence Ministerial Dialogue (2+2) in New Delhi. During the meet the two sides discussed about boosting defence and security ties besides other issues of mutual interest.
This India-Japan ministerial meeting comes ahead of annual summit of two prime ministers scheduled to be held in Guwahati, Assam in December 2019. India has a similar ‘ministerial level 2+2’ dialogue with the USA as well.
Hallmarking to be mandatory for gold jewellery and artefacts
Hallmarking of gold jewellery and artefacts will be made mandatory across the country from January 15, 2021. The step aims to ensure the purity of the precious metal. The decision will make it compulsory for all the jewellers to register with the Bureau of Indian Standards and sell only hallmarked gold jewellery and artefacts. A notification in this regard will be issued on January 15 2020 and the decision will come into effect after a year.
Gold hallmarking is a purity certification of the precious metal. It is voluntary in nature at present. The BIS is already running a hallmarking scheme for gold jewellery since April 2000. The Bureau of Indian Standards has formulated standards for hallmarking gold jewellery in 3 grades: 14 carat, 18 carat and 22 carat.
HR Khan Appointed as chairman of MFI panel
Former deputy governor of RBI, HR Khan has been appointed as the first chairman of the steering committee of the Code for Responsible Lending (CRL) in micro-credit. The CRL is a self-regulatory step for the micro-credit industry making diverse entities like banks, NBFC-MFIs and NBFCs adhere to standards of customer protection.
CRL was launched in September by MFIN and Sa-Dhan, an RBI-recognised association of MFIs, along with the Finance Industry Development Council, an association of NBFCs.
India Corruption Survey 2019
As per the India Corruption Survey 2019, Rajasthan and Bihar fared the worst in country with 78% and 75% of respondents admitting to paying bribes, while Telangana topped the list in south India.
As compared to 2018, India’s overall ranking in Corruption Perception Index has risen 3 places to 78 out of 180 countries. While an average of 56% of respondents admitted to paying bribes in 2018, the number has come down to 51% in 2019.
According to the list, Kerala is one of the least corrupt states, where only 10% of people admitted to paying a bribe to get their work done and all of them gave bribes several times (directly/ indirectly). Besides Kerala, Goa, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, Haryana and Delhi are least corrupt states.
Malayalam poet Akkitham wins 55th Jnanpith Award
Eminent Malayalam poet Akkitham has been chosen for 55th Jnanpith Award for the year 2019. The announcement in this regard was made by Jnanpith Selection Board chaired by novelist, scholar and Jnanpith laureate Pratibha Ray.
Jnanpith Award Instituted in 1961, the Jnanpith Award is India’s highest literary honour. With this award, the Bhartiya Jnanpith trust recognises Indian litterateurs who write in one of 22 Indian languages listed in Schedule VIII of Indian Constitution.
Mitra Shakti: India Sri Lanka Joint Military Exercise
The seventh Indo-Sri Lanka joint military exercise was held at Aundh military station. The main objective of the exercise is to build and promote positive relations between the countries.
The exercise aims at enhancing the interoperability of the armies when deployed as a part of the United Nations peace keeping force. During the exercise the armies will exchange their skills on counter insurgency, counter terrorism operation in rural and urban environment.
The Mitra Shakti exercise was started in 2013 and is conducted annually as a part of military diplomacy and interaction between the armies of India and Sri Lanka.
Nagaland celebrates Statehood Day on 1st December
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the people of Nagaland on its 57th Statehood Day. Nagaland, a mountainous state in northeast India bordering Myanmar, became the 16th state of the country on 01st December 1963.
RBI Imposes Rs 1.50 crore penalty on Corporation Bank
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs. 1.50 crore on Corporation Bank for non-compliance with certain provisions of directions issued by RBI. The penalty has been imposed in the exercise of powers vested in the RBI under the provisions of Section 47 A (1) (c) read with Section 46 (4) (i) and 51 (1) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. This action is based on the deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers.
Sourabh Verma enters final of Syed Modi International Championships
India’s Sourabh Verma entered the final of the Syed Modi International Badminton tournament at Lucknow.
He beat Heo Kwang Hee of Korea 21-17, 16-21, 21-18 in a semi-final match. However, former national champion Rituparna Das bowed out of the tournament ending India’s bid in women’s singles.
She lost to Thailand’s Phittayaporn Chaiwan 22-24, 15-21 in a 39-minute women’s singles semifinal match.
UKIBC sets up Aerospace and Defence Industry Group
The UK India Business Council (UKIBC) announced the establishment of Aerospace and Defence Industry Group to boost bilateral cooperation in the areas. The initiative demonstrates close ties between Indian and United Kingdom’s aerospace and defence industry as well as recognises that UK-India relationship is at a critical turning point.
In 2019, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between UK and India on ‘Defence Technology Industrial Capability Cooperation’, which highlighted UK government’s approach towards enhancing cooperation with India. The collaboration besides advancing India’s defence acquisition process will also foster long-term hardware and technology transfers.
UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2019
United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Emissions Gap Report-2019 warns that the Earth’s average temperature may rise by 3.2 degrees Celsius by 2021. Moreover, despite all scientific warnings and political commitments emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) couldn’t decrease globally.
The report was released prior to United Nations Climate Conference (COP-25) to be held in Spain from 2 December 2019. It states that GHG emissions have increased by 1.5% since last decade and that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have reached an all-time high figure of 55.3 gigatons.
As per UNEP Emissions Gap Report China, United States of America (USA), European Union (28) and India are among the top four greenhouse gas emitters.
