www.gradeup.co w 1 www.gradeup.co Current Affairs GK Tornado for IBPS Clerk Mains 2018 Exam Dear readers, This GK Tornado is a complete docket of important Current Affairs news and events that occurred in last 8 months (1 May 2018 – 31st December 2018). Tornado is important and relevant for all competitive exams like Banking, Insurance, SSC and UPSC Exams. Schemes launched by Union/State Govt. December 1. Odisha CM announces Rs10,000 cr KALIA Scheme for Note: Farmers • Under AFCSS, whatever amount of loan the farmers • Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik announced a took from banks and whatever amount they repaid, Rs10,000 crore scheme for the overall 25% of the money will be reimbursed by the state development of farmers. government. • Named Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and • On AFIRS, the Minister Stated that currently 3% of Income Augmentation (KALIA), the scheme will the 7% interest against farm loan is paid by the provide farmers with ₹10,000 a year at the rate Central government and the remaining 4% is of Rs5,000 each for Kharif and Rabi season. required to be paid by farmers. The state • Additionally, crop loans of up to Rs50,000 will be government has decided to pay the remaining 4% interest-free under the scheme. loan. 2. Assam Govt announces 3 Schemes for Farmer’s • About AFIS, Mr. Sarma stated that the government is Welfare focusing on bringing back the defaulting farmers into • Assam government has announced three the banking system. schemes for the welfare of farmers. 3. Atal Ayushman Uttarakhand Yojana launched in • The schemes are the Uttarakhand • Assam Farmers’ Credit Subsidy Scheme (AFCSS), • Atal Ayushman Uttarakhand Yojana' has been • Assam Farmers’ Interest Relief Scheme (AFIRS) launched in Uttarakhand. and • Assam Farmers’ Incentive Scheme (AFIS). 2 www.gradeup.co • Under the scheme, each household in the state • Under this free pilgrimage scheme, a Delhi will be able to avail medical treatment of up to resident above 60 years will be eligible to take 5 lakh rupees annually. free pilgrimage along with his or her spouse. • The scheme will benefit 23 lakh households and • 1100 senior citizens from each Assembly cover 1,350 critical diseases. Launching the Constituency would now undertake free Yojna in Dehradun yesterday, Chief Minister pilgrimage every year, the expenses for which Trivendra Singh Rawat distributed scheme- will be borne by the government. related golden cards to beneficiaries. 6. Jammu & Kashmir Govt. launches AB-PMJAY • All the households have been included under the Scheme scheme. • Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik 4. SC introduced Witness Protection Scheme, 2018 in launched the ambitious “Ayushman Bharat- India Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB- • The Supreme Court (SC) introduced a witness PMJAY)” scheme which would benefit over 31 protection regime in the country noting that lakh residents in the state. one of the main reasons for witnesses turning • The governor distributed golden cards among hostile is that they are not given security by 10 eligible beneficiaries for availing the annual the State. health cover facility, marking the launch of the • It also announced that the Witness Protection scheme in the state. Scheme, 2018 will come into effect 7. Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana immediately across all States. • Minister of State for the Women and Child • This scheme is aimed at enabling a witness to Development Ministry Virendra Kumar depose fearlessly and truthfully, would be the informed in the Lok Sabha that - law of the land till Parliament enacted suitable Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and legislation. Madhya Pradesh were the top three • The Witness Protection Scheme 2018 was performing states under the maternity benefit framed by the Central government based on programme Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana the inputs received from 18 States/Union Yojana. Territories, 5 States Legal Services Authorities • Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana is a and open sources including civil society, three conditional cash transfer scheme for pregnant High Courts and police personnel, as well. and lactating women of 19 years of age or 5. Delhi Govt. launches Free Pilgrimage Scheme for above. Senior Citizens • The scheme is launched by the Ministry of • Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched Women and Child Development Government the 'Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana' which of India. offers free travel packages for senior citizens • The programme, which became applicable from Delhi to five religious circuits. from January 1, 2017 provides a cash incentive 3 www.gradeup.co of Rs 5,000 in three instalments to pregnant • The scheme was launched by the Ministry of women and lactating mothers for the first child Tourism in 2014-15. through Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT). • PRASAD stands for -Pilgrimage Rejuvenation 8. PRASAD Scheme of Ministry of Tourism and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation • The Centre has included Gangotri and Drive. Yamunotri in Uttrarakhand, Amarkantak in • Under the scheme ‘Prasad’, the Ministry of Madhya Pradesh and Parasnath in Jharkhand Tourism provides Central Financial Assistance under a central scheme to develop pilgrimage (CFA) to State Governments/Union Territory and heritage destinations in the country. Administrations for development and • With the new additions, the number of sites beautification of the identified pilgrimage under the PRASAD scheme has now become destinations. 41 in 25 states. November 1. Ministry of HRD launches faculty development domestic and one-week foreign training for programmes - LEAP & ARPIT second level academic functionaries in public • A unique initiative of online professional funded higher education institutions. development of 15 lakh higher education • LEAP programme will be offered by 15 NIRF faculty using the MOOCs platform SWAYAM, top ranked Indian Institutions namely, IIT Annual Refresher Programme in Teaching Roorkee, IIT Kanpur, NIT Trichy, Indian (ARPIT) was launched on 13th Nov. Institute of Science Education and Research • The ministry of human resource development (IISER) Kolkata, Jawaharlal Nehru University, also launched Leadership for Academicians University of Delhi, IIT Bombay and TISS Programme (LEAP) which will be Mumbai, among others. implemented through 15 top institutions like IITs, TISS, DU, JNU and IISERs and also include a week training in a foreign campus of the likes Objective of LEAP of Harvard University, Oxford University, • The objective is to prepare second tier Purdue University and NTU Singapore, among academic heads who are potentially likely to others. assume leadership roles in the future. About ARPIT programme About LEAP programme • ARPIT is a 40-hour module with 20 hours of • LEAP is a three-week flagship leadership video content offered in a highly flexible development training programme (two-weeks 4 www.gradeup.co format and can be done at one’s own pace and • Over 3.4 lakh beneficiaries have been treated time. under the scheme since its launch until • There are built-in assessment exercises and November 24, according to the National Health activities as part of the academic progression Agency. in the course. • Tamil Nadu ranked second at 54,273 hospital • At the end of the course, they will be a terminal and Chattisgarh third at 53,180. assessment which can be either online or a written examination. 4. Health Ministry launches Integrated Disease • All faculties who have successfully completed Surveillance Programme (IDSP) the online refresher course will be certified. • Ms. Preeti Sudan, Union Health Secretary did 2. Eight States achieve 100% household soft-launch of the Integrated Disease electrification under Saubhagya scheme Surveillance Programme (IDSP) segment of the • 8 States which achieved 100% household Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) electrification under Pradhan Mantri Sahaj in seven states. Bijli Har Ghar Yojana - Saubhagya scheme are • The path-breaking initiative will provide near- Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Bihar, Jammu and real-time data to policymakers for detecting Kashmir, Mizoram, Sikkim, Telangana and outbreaks, reducing the morbidity and West Bengal. mortality and lessening disease burden in the • With this, total 15 States in India have 100 per populations and better health systems. cent household electrification. 5. Gau Samridhi Scheme launched by Kerala govt. • Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Rs • Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan 16320-Crore ‘Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har launched the ‘Cow Samridhi Plus Scheme’ to Ghar Yojana'- Saubhagya on September 25, provide insurance coverage to dairy farmers in 2017 to mark the birth anniversary of Pandit the state. Deendayal Upadhyaya. • The government subsidized scheme, as • The scheme aims to achieve the goal of proposed, will give insurance coverage to dairy universal household electrification in the farmers at low premium rates. country by March 31, 2019. 6. Yuva Sahakar Scheme launched by Agriculture 3. Gujarat tops in implementing Ayushman Bharat Ministry • Gujarat has emerged as the top performer of • Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ the Centre’s ambitious health financing Welfare, Radha Mohan Singh launched the scheme - Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri ‘Yuva Sahakar-Cooperative Enterprise Support Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), which was and Innovation Scheme. launched on September 23, promises health • Aim - The schemes aim for attracting youth to coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family to over 10 cooperative business ventures. crore poor families. 5 www.gradeup.co • The scheme