Daily Current Affairs Capsule 1st January

2019

1. Pakistan to issue Panda Bonds to raise capital in China

The government of Pakistan has decided to launch Panda Bonds to raise loans from Chinese capital markets. Launching of Panda Bonds is part of Pakistan’s plans to move towards giving the Chinese currency, a status at par with that enjoyed by the US dollar.

 The interest rates and the size of the bonds would be decided at a later stage.  Panda bonds are Chinese renminbi-denominated bonds from a non-Chinese issuer, sold in the People’s Republic of China. The first two Panda bonds were issued in October 2005 on the by the International Finance Corporation and the Asian Development Bank on the same day.

2. to achieve 100 per cent electrification before 2019 Republic Day

India is likely to achieve 100 per cent household electrification before 2019 Republic Day. India has already provided electricity access to 2.39 crore out of the targeted 2.49 crore households under the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana, Saubhagya scheme.

 India has achieved the hundred per cent electrification of the households in 25 states by December 2018. About 10.48 lakh households are left to be electrified in 4 states of Assam, Rajasthan, Meghalaya and Chhattisgarh.  The centre had launched the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana, Saubhagya scheme to provide electricity to all households by December 2018. 3. Women’s wall for Gender Equality made in

On 1st January, around 30 lakh women stood shoulder to shoulder to form Vanitha Mathil, “women’s wall” that ran across the length of Kerala. The wall stretched from in the north to in the south for about 620 Kms.

 The event was organised by the with the support of several political, religious and social groups. The participants at the Women’s Wall resolved to uphold the values of Kerala’s renaissance, ensure gender justice, and counter moves to turn the state into a lunatic asylum.  The event was also a counterdemonstration against the agitations preventing women of menstruating age from entering the shrine in violation of the Supreme Court’s ruling.

4. Justice T B N Radhakrishnan sworn in as Chief Justice of Telangana HC

The Telangana High Court has come into being with justices taking oath. Justice T B N Radhakrishnan was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan administered oath of office to him.

 The Supreme Court had directed the Centre to bifurcate the existing high court in Hyderabad and by a Central notification, the bifurcation process has been completed a few days ago facilitating the two high courts to function in their respective states.  As per the notification, 12 judges, over 360 district and civil judges have been allotted to the new Telangana state. Andhra Pradesh High Court got over 500 district and civil judges as the two high courts began functioning as separate entities onwards.

5. RBI launches SRPHi

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched Survey on Retail Payment Habits of Individuals (SRPHi). The Survey will capture payment habits of individuals in cities of Delhi, , Kolkata, , Bengaluru and Guwahati.

 Sigma Research & Consulting Pvt Ltd has been engaged by RBI to conduct the fieldwork of the survey. Around 6000 individuals from various socio-economic backgrounds across six cities would be covered under the survey. The survey seeks qualitative responses from individuals on their payment habits. The findings of the survey will provide insights into awareness and usage habits of digital payment products.

6. Bollywood actor Kader Khan passes

Kader Khan was an Afghan-born Indian-Canadian film actor, screenwriter, comedian, and director. As an actor, he appeared in over 300 films after his debut film in the 1973 film Daag, starring Rajesh Khanna, in which he acted as a prosecuting attorney.

 Born on 22 October, 1937 , the actor made his debut in 1973 with Rajesh Khanna's 'Daag', and went on to act in over 300 films. He also wrote dialogues for over 250 movies. As a screenwriter, Khan frequently collaborated with Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra.  Khan went from playing the role of a villain in films like 'Farz Aur Kanoon', 'Jeeo Aur Jeene Do', 'Naya Kadam' and 'Qaidi' to winning hearts with his comic timing in 'Hum', 'Bol Radha Bol', 'Aunty No. 1', among others.