Daily Current Affairs, 06th and 7th January 2019

1) Cabinet Approves 10% Job Quota For ‘Economically Weaker’ Upper Castes

•The Union Cabinet approved a 10% reservation for ‘economically backward’ upper castes in government jobs.

•Ahead of the General Elections this year, the government has announced reservation in jobs for those belonging to the upper castes and earning less than Rs 8 lakh per year. A bill to amend Article 15 and 16 of the constitution will be moved in Parliament to this effect. 

2) Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik Announces Interest Free Loans For Women SHGs

•Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced interest-free loans of up to Rs. 3 lakh for women self-help groups (WSHGs) in the state. There are around six lakh WSHGs in Odisha. He stated the initiative will benefit about 70 lakh women. The chief minister also distributed financial assistance of Rs. 3,000 each to six lakh WSHGs as part of the state government’s efforts to digitally empower women.

•During the convention, Mr. Patnaik launched a scheme to distribute Rs. 15,000 seed money per group to three lakh new self-help groups. The chief minister announced incentives of Rs. 500 per month for Anganwadi workers and Rs. 200 for helpers.

3) Govt Allocates Rs 10,900 Cr For Development Of 40 Satellite Launch Vehicles

•Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman Dr. K Sivan stated that the Union Government has allocated 10,900 crore rupees for the development of 40 satellite launch vehicles in the next 4 years.

•Dr. Sivan also stated that Chandrayan Mission will be launched within three months. It will land in one part of the Moon which is still unexplored. He also said that the human spaceflight Gaganyaan is planned to be launched by 2022, the 75th anniversary of Independence.

4) High-level Committee Headed By MP Bezbaruah Notified on Assam Accord

•The government had notified a High-Level committee for implementation of Clause 6 of Assam Accord. Retired IAS officer M.P. Bezbaruah is chairman of the 9-member Committee. The committee will examine the effectiveness of actions since 1985 to implement Clause 6 of the Assam Accord.




•The clause envisaged that appropriate constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, should be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the people of Assam.

5) Govt will soon make linking Aadhaar mandatory with driving licences

•Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said, the government will soon make it mandatory for linking Aadhaar with driving licences. The minister for Law, Electronics and Information Technology said, they are soon going to bring a law which will make it mandatory. Mr Prasad was delivering his presidential address at the ongoing 106th Indian Science Congress in Jalandhar yesterday. 

•Explaining the need for the linkage, the Minister said that at present, the guilty person who causes an accident flees the scene and gets a duplicate licence which helps him go scot-free. However, with the Aadhaar linkage, one can change his/her name but cannot change his/her biometrics, neither iris nor fingerprints. 

6) Norwegian PM Erna Solberg In India On 3-Day Visit

•Prime Minister of Norway Erna Solberg has arrived in New Delhi on a three-day state visit to India. She was accompanied by senior officials from her government and a large business delegation. She will participate in the Indo-Norwegian Business Conference.

•The Norwegian Prime Minister will deliver the Inaugural address at the Raisina Dialogue.The visit of PM of Norway will provide an opportunity to review the progress in bilateral cooperation between the two countries. 

7) Government Amalgamates 3 RRBs Into A Single Bank

•The government has amalgamated three Regional Rural Banks – Punjab Gramin Bank, Malwa Gramin Bank and Sutlej Gramin Bank – into a single RRB. 

•The sponsor banks of the RRBs are National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), the Government of Punjab and Punjab National Bank, State Bank of India and Punjab and Sind Bank. 

8) Hopman Cup: Roger Federer & Belinda Bencic Retain Title For Switzerland

•Switzerland’s Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic secured victory over Germany’s Angelique Kerber and Alexander Zverev to win the Hopman Cup for the second year in a row.

•In a rerun of 2018 final, Federer beat Zverev to give the Swiss an early 1-0 lead. Wimbledon champion Kerber then overcame Bencic to level the tie. However, the Swiss claimed a tight win in the mixed doubles to claim their fourth Hopman Cup title.