Current Affairs 20th December 2018

Updated : 20-Dec-2018

Current Affairs 20th December 2018 - Important Points

• National Cancer Institute opened in Jhajjar, Haryana on - 18th December 2018
• India ranked 108th in - WEF’s Gender Gap Index
• Asma Jahangir posthumously awarded with  - 2018  UN Human Rights Prize
• Capital First merges with IDFC Bank to create - IDFC First Bank
• Shiksha Setu’ Mobile App launched by -Haryana Government
• Setting up of Eklavya Model Residential Schools approved by - CCEA
• Minorities Rights Day celebrated on -18th December 2018
• Transport Ministry asks states to accept vehicle documents, driving licence in electronic format on - 18th December 2018

Current Affairs 20th December 2018 - Details

National Cancer Institute opened in Jhajjar, Haryana on - 18th December 2018

India’s largest Cancer Institute, National Cancer Institute- NCI, has inaugurated on December 18th, 2018 in Jhajjar, Haryana for public. The National Cancer Institute will be officially inaugurated in January 2019.
The NCI has been founded under a project of Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Dr.G.K. Rath, head of Institute Rotary Cancer hospital at AIIMS in Delhi, will be the head of the National Cancer
Institute.
National Cancer Institute

• The National Cancer Institute is constructed at a cost of Rupees 2,035 crore. Currently, National Cancer Institute has a total 710 beds out of which 200 beds have been devoted for the treatment of cancer patients based on research procedures.
• The National Cancer Institute will work as the nodal institution for all cancer-related events in India.
• It will be connected to regional cancer centres and other cancer institutes of India.
• The National Cancer Institute will be the chief institute for cancer treatment & investigations. It is
  intended to conduct basic & applied research in areas including molecular biology, genomics, proteomics, cancer epidemiology, radiation biology, cancer injections and many more.
• It will effort towards evolving new cancer control approaches, which include new models of prevention, early diagnosis & therapy, for the developing countries.
• Development of HR in various divisions of cancer management is another area where National Cancer Institute will put efforts. 
• National Cancer Institute will also have the amenities for training & capacity building in cancer
  treatment.
• The National Cancer Institute will have apparatus with advanced & latest technology to learn more about cancer and it will contribute other regional cancer centres in research activities.

India ranked 108th in - WEF’s Gender Gap Index

India has come at 108th place in the freshly released Gender Gap Index 2018 by World Economic Forum. India was positioned at the similar position in 2017 rankings as well.
The Global Gender Gap Report is issued yearly by the World Economic Forum since 2006. The Global
Gender Gap Index is an index that calculates gender equality across 4 key pillars including economic
opportunity, political empowerment, educational attainment and health & survival.
Iceland has been positioned as number One in the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Index for the
10th successive year. It has been gifted to close about 85.8% of its overall gender gap. Similarly, Norway
with 83.5% came at the 2nd position, Sweden with 82.2% at the 3rd, &  Finland with 82.1% clinched the 4th position in the rankings.
Other nations in Top 10 are Nicaragua-5th, Rwanda-6th, New Zealand-7th, the Philippines-8th, Ireland-
9th and Namibia with 10 th positions.
India in the Gender Gap Index 2018

• India has enhanced in wage equality for same work sub-index of the Gender Gap Index 2018. It has been talented to completely close the tertiary education gender gap for the very 1st time.
• India has been positioned 142 in the economic opportunity and participation sub-index out of total 149 nations.
• As per World Economic Forum report, India requires to get extra females into senior as well as professional roles to make extra improvement in the rankings.
• India extended the gap in health & survival sub-index. It continues to position 3rd-lowest in this sub-index in the world. It has made the minimum improvement in this parameter in the last ten years.
• India has closed 66% of its Gender Gap and is a little ahead of the South-Asian area. South Asian region was ranked 2nd-lowest in the index having closed only 65% of its gender gap.

Asma Jahangir posthumously awarded with  - 2018  UN Human Rights Prize

Late human rights activist, Asma Jahangir was awarded with the United Nations Human Rights Prize 2018, posthumously, on December 18th, 2018. 
Her daughter Munizae Jahangir collected the award on her behalf at the award function organised at the United Nations HQ in New York, as part of activities to celebrate Human Rights Day.
Asma Jahangir decreased on February 11th, 2018 due to cardiac arrest. She was known for her frank nature and unrelenting pursuit for human rights.
More about Asma Jahangir

• Asma Jahangir will be recalled for her services towards forming a democratic and more inclusive Pakistan.
• She was the 1st female to serve as the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association in Pakistan. 
• She was the originator of a home-grown human rights initiative in Pakistan, and co-founded & worked as Chairperson of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.
• During her occupancy at the United Nations Human Rights office, Jahangir worked various roles including as an professional in the Investigation on Sri Lanka; an associate of International Fact-Finding Mission on Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory; and a trustee of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund.
• She was also a long-lasting prominent associate of the United Nations Human Rights Council, where she worked as Special Rapporteur on arbitrary executions & Special Rapporteur on the freedom of religion.
• Jahangir had also secure various international prizes in recognition of her work including the Martin Ennals Award in 1995, and the UNESCO or Bilbao Award for the Promotion of Culture of Human rights.
  Other Winners
  Earlier in October 2018, Asma Jahangir was declared as 1 of the 4 winners of this prestigious award. Other winners were females’ rights activist of Tanzania Rebeca Gyumi; activist for the rights of native Brazilian communities Joenia Wapichana & Ireland's human rights organisation ‘Front Line Defenders’.

Shiksha Setu’ Mobile App launched by -Haryana Government

Government of Haryana has started a mobile application known as “Shiksha Setu” with an objective to assist the students of the state. The “Shiksha Setu” mobile application will assist in bringing transparency in the Education Department & in the college’s administration in the state. Also, it will enhance the connectivity among students, parents, teachers & administration via this mobile application.
About Shikha Setu Mobile Application

• This mobile application will have all the data concerned attendance, fee, online admission & scholarships in all the Haryana government colleges.
• The specifications of lecturers of government colleges & officers of the Directorate can be retrieved via the mobile application.
• The application will deliver the students with instant data about assignments & updates of significant notices, circulars & other programs.
• There will be a provision of online fee-payment via the mobile application. The college administration will be able to check details about overall fee collected & pending fee payments.
• The students can check the status of seats/course in every college in the state along with the details of scholarship, eligibility conditions & details of applying for the same can be checked.

Capital First merges with IDFC Bank to create - IDFC First Bank

The IDFC Bank has amalgamated completely with the Non-Banking Financial Company Capital First on
December 18th, 2018 into a new entity to be known as ‘IDFC First Bank’. The union between IDFC Bank & Capital First was declared on 13 January 2018. The new IDFC First bank will have a loan asset book of Rupees 1.03 lakh crore.
The founder & chairman of Capital First Ltd, V Vaidyanathan, has been designated as the MD & CEO of
the newly shaped IDFC First bank.
More about Non-Banking Financial Company

• A Non-Banking Financial Company is a financial institution that does not have a banking license but
  provides banking facilities.
• Operations of Non-Banking Financial Companies are controlled under a nation’s banking regulations but it is established under the Companies Act, 1956.
• The RBI controls the Non-Banking Financial Companies under Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
• Non-Banking Financial Companies can provide loans & credit amenities, offer savings & investments products & can offer money transfer services to the users.
• However, Non-Banking Financial Companies, unlike Banks, cannot accept demand deposits from users.
• Non-Banking Financial Companies also are not a part of the nation’s payment & settlement system.
• Therefore, they cannot offer cheque facility to their subscribers.

Setting up of Eklavya Model Residential Schools approved by - CCEA

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs- CCEA, has issued its sanction for the revamped Eklavya
Model Residential Schools scheme. Under this, Eklavya Model Residential Schools will be formed in every block where STs population is above 50 percent & has minimum 20,000 tribal population.
A budget of Rupees 2242 crore during 2018-19 & 2019-20 has been sanctioned by the CCEA for rolling
out this scheme.
The Eklavya Model Residential Schools will be operated by an Autonomous Society, on the basis of
Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti. This society will be under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
462 fresh Eklavya Model Residential Schools will be formed as 102 Eklavya Model Residential Schools
are already running in the nation. The fresh scheme intends to advance the construction quality &
provide better amenities for the students. For this, the construction cost support of Eklavya Model
Residential Schools has been increased from the current Rupees 12 crore to Rupees 20 crore.
More about Eklavya Model Residential Schools

• Ekalavya Model Residential School is a central government plan for forming model residential schools for Scheduled Tribes all over India.
• The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs runs the Eklavya Model Residential Schools plan in the nation.
• Postage Stamp on Rajkumar Shukla, associated with the Champaran Satyagraha, released The Department of Post has released a Commemorative Postage Stamp on Rajkumar Shukla in New
  Delhi on December 18th, 2018.
• The stamp was issued as a honour to the contribution made by Rajkumar Shukla in the launch of Champaran Satyagraha in the year 1917.
  More about Rajkumar Shukla
• Raj Kumar Shukla was born on August 23rd, 1875 in Satwaria village of Champaran, Bihar.
• He a well-known Indigo cultivator of Champaran & as he was a money lender also.
• He rose to recognition for his close association with Gandhiji during the Champaran Satyagraha
  movement.
• Raj Kumar Shukla influenced Mahatma Gandhi to visit Champaran, which was a turning point in India’s struggle for independence.
• Earlier too, the Department of Posts had issued a postage stamp in the year 2000 to celebrate the 125th birthday of Pandit Raj Kumar Shukla.
• The total number of such stamps issued this year has reached 43 with the release of this postage stamp.

Minorities Rights Day celebrated on -18th December 2018

India celebrated Minorities Rights Day on 18 December 2018. Every year on 18th December, this day is
celebrated to encourage the rights of Minority communities in India. Also, the awareness creation about
the Minority Rights is the aim of celebrating this day as Minorities Rights Day.
Every state in India, on this day, emphases on the matters concerning minorities and their safety in the
state. Various seminars, campaigns & programmes are conducted on Minorities Rights Day.
The UN, on 18 December 1992, propagated the “Declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to
National/Ethnic, Religious & Linguistic Minorities” to dishearten the nations to discriminate amongst
people around the world on the basis of religion, language, nationality/ethnicity.

Minorities in India

• The minorities in India consist Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Parsis & Jains which constitute
  about 19 percent of the total population in India.
• Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland & Lakshadweep are the only states where any reported minority is in majority.
• The Ministry of Minority Affairs, which was recognised in 2006, is the top body in the Union government to carry out various welfare, regulatory & developmental seminars for the minority population.
• A National Commission for Minorities has also been formed under the National Commission for
  Minorities Act, 1992.

Transport Ministry asks states to accept vehicle documents, driving licence in electronic format on - 18th December 2018

The Union Road Transport & Highways Ministry on December 18th, 2018 enquired states to ease acceptance of driving licence & other documents including vehicle registration certificates in electronic set-up by enforcement agencies.
The Ministry informed that the vehicle owners can also present their documents including DLs, Registration Certificates & insurance certificates via mobile apps like Digilocker and mParivahan app.
Important Highlights

• The vehicle owners have been approved to show their important documents including the certificate of registration, insurance, fitness & permit, DL, the certificate for pollution under check & any other relevant documents in electronic format.
• With this, the vehicle owners may now, not be needed to carry the above stated papers in hard formats.
• People can produce the documents/data either via the Digilocker app or the mParivahan app.
• They can download and show particulars relating to the DL or the Registration Certificate via the mParivahan app on mobile via internet connectivity.
• The decision would enable the enforcement agencies including traffic & transport departments to
  instantaneously access the details from the eChallan app, which has information for online verification of vehicle & its licence status.
• The offline confirmation of mParivahan QR Code is also available on the app. The enforcement agencies can utilise regular android mobile apps for this. 
• The enforcement agencies can also carry out fully challenging operation like tagging of the DL or the RC for impounding/suspension.