www.gradeup.co 1 www.gradeup.co Current Affairs Year Book 2018 PDF Dear readers, This PDF is a complete docket of important Current Affairs news and events that occurred in the (1 January – 31 December 2018) year 2018. This file is important and relevant for all competitive exams like, Railway and other Govt. Exams. Schemes Launched by Union/State Govt. December 1. Odisha CM announces Rs10,000 cr KALIA Scheme for • On AFIRS, the Minister Stated that currently 3% of Farmers the 7% interest against farm loan is paid by the • Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik announced a Central government and the remaining 4% is Rs10,000 crore scheme for the overall required to be paid by farmers. The state development of farmers. government has decided to pay the remaining 4% • Named Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and loan. Income Augmentation (KALIA), the scheme will • About AFIS, Mr. Sarma stated that the government is provide farmers with ₹10,000 a year at the rate focusing on bringing back the defaulting farmers into of Rs5,000 each for Kharif and Rabi season. the banking system. • Additionally, crop loans of up to Rs50,000 will be 3. Atal Ayushman Uttarakhand Yojana launched in interest-free under the scheme. Uttarakhand 2. Assam Govt announces 3 Schemes for Farmer’s • Atal Ayushman Uttarakhand Yojana' has been Welfare launched in Uttarakhand. • Assam government has announced three • Under the scheme, each household in the state schemes for the welfare of farmers. will be able to avail medical treatment of up to • The schemes are the 5 lakh rupees annually. • Assam Farmers’ Credit Subsidy Scheme (AFCSS), • The scheme will benefit 23 lakh households and • Assam Farmers’ Interest Relief Scheme (AFIRS) cover 1,350 critical diseases. Launching the and Yojna in Dehradun yesterday, Chief Minister • Assam Farmers’ Incentive Scheme (AFIS). Trivendra Singh Rawat distributed scheme- Note: related golden cards to beneficiaries. • Under AFCSS, whatever amount of loan the farmers • All the households have been included under the took from banks and whatever amount they repaid, scheme. 25% of the money will be reimbursed by the state 4. SC introduced Witness Protection Scheme, 2018 in government. India 2 www.gradeup.co • The Supreme Court (SC) introduced a witness • The governor distributed golden cards among protection regime in the country noting that 10 eligible beneficiaries for availing the annual one of the main reasons for witnesses turning health cover facility, marking the launch of the hostile is that they are not given security by scheme in the state. the State. 7. Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana • It also announced that the Witness Protection • Minister of State for the Women and Child Scheme, 2018 will come into effect Development Ministry Virendra Kumar immediately across all States. informed in the Lok Sabha that - • This scheme is aimed at enabling a witness to Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and depose fearlessly and truthfully, would be the Madhya Pradesh were the top three law of the land till Parliament enacted suitable performing states under the maternity benefit legislation. programme Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana • The Witness Protection Scheme 2018 was Yojana. framed by the Central government based on • Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana is a the inputs received from 18 States/Union conditional cash transfer scheme for pregnant Territories, 5 States Legal Services Authorities and lactating women of 19 years of age or and open sources including civil society, three above. High Courts and police personnel, as well. • The scheme is launched by the Ministry of 5. Delhi Govt. launches Free Pilgrimage Scheme for Women and Child Development Government Senior Citizens of India. • Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched • The programme, which became applicable the 'Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana' which from January 1, 2017 provides a cash incentive offers free travel packages for senior citizens of Rs 5,000 in three instalments to pregnant from Delhi to five religious circuits. women and lactating mothers for the first child • Under this free pilgrimage scheme, a Delhi through Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT). resident above 60 years will be eligible to take 8. PRASAD Scheme of Ministry of Tourism free pilgrimage along with his or her spouse. • The Centre has included Gangotri and • 1100 senior citizens from each Assembly Yamunotri in Uttrarakhand, Amarkantak in Constituency would now undertake free Madhya Pradesh and Parasnath in Jharkhand pilgrimage every year, the expenses for which under a central scheme to develop pilgrimage will be borne by the government. and heritage destinations in the country. 6. Jammu & Kashmir Govt. launches AB-PMJAY • With the new additions, the number of sites Scheme under the PRASAD scheme has now become • Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik 41 in 25 states. launched the ambitious “Ayushman Bharat- • The scheme was launched by the Ministry of Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB- Tourism in 2014-15. PMJAY)” scheme which would benefit over 31 lakh residents in the state. 3 www.gradeup.co • PRASAD stands for -Pilgrimage Rejuvenation (CFA) to State Governments/Union Territory and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Administrations for development and Drive. beautification of the identified pilgrimage • Under the scheme ‘Prasad’, the Ministry of destinations. Tourism provides Central Financial Assistance November 1. Ministry of HRD launches faculty development programmes - LEAP & ARPIT Objective of LEAP • A unique initiative of online professional • The objective is to prepare second tier academic development of 15 lakh higher education faculty heads who are potentially likely to assume using the MOOCs platform SWAYAM, Annual leadership roles in the future. Refresher Programme in Teaching (ARPIT) About ARPIT programme was launched on 13th Nov. • ARPIT is a 40-hour module with 20 hours of • The ministry of human resource development video content offered in a highly flexible format also launched Leadership for Academicians and can be done at one’s own pace and time. Programme (LEAP) which will be implemented • There are built-in assessment exercises and through 15 top institutions like IITs, TISS, DU, activities as part of the academic progression in JNU and IISERs and also include a week training the course. in a foreign campus of the likes of Harvard • At the end of the course, they will be a terminal University, Oxford University, Purdue University assessment which can be either online or a and NTU Singapore, among others. written examination. • All faculties who have successfully completed the About LEAP programme online refresher course will be certified. • LEAP is a three-week flagship leadership 2. Eight States achieve 100% household electrification development training programme (two-weeks under Saubhagya scheme domestic and one-week foreign training for • 8 States which achieved 100% household second level academic functionaries in public electrification under Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli funded higher education institutions. Har Ghar Yojana - Saubhagya scheme are Madhya • LEAP programme will be offered by 15 NIRF top Pradesh, Tripura, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, ranked Indian Institutions namely, IIT Roorkee, Mizoram, Sikkim, Telangana and West Bengal. IIT Kanpur, NIT Trichy, Indian Institute of • With this, total 15 States in India have 100 per Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata, cent household electrification. Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of Delhi, • Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Rs IIT Bombay and TISS Mumbai, among others. 16320-Crore ‘Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana'- Saubhagya on September 25, 2017 4 www.gradeup.co to mark the birth anniversary of Pandit 6. Yuva Sahakar Scheme launched by Agriculture Deendayal Upadhyaya. Ministry • The scheme aims to achieve the goal of universal • Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ household electrification in the country by March Welfare, Radha Mohan Singh launched the ‘Yuva 31, 2019. Sahakar-Cooperative Enterprise Support and Innovation Scheme. 3. Gujarat tops in implementing Ayushman Bharat • Aim - The schemes aim for attracting youth to • Gujarat has emerged as the top performer of the cooperative business ventures. Centre’s ambitious health financing scheme - • The scheme will be linked to Rs 1000 crore Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya ‘Cooperative Start-up and Innovation Fund Yojana (AB-PMJAY), which was launched on (CSIF)’ created by the National Cooperative September 23, promises health coverage of Rs 5 Development Corporation (NCDC). lakh per family to over 10 crore poor families. 7. CCEA approves ACROSS scheme • Over 3.4 lakh beneficiaries have been treated • Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired Cabinet under the scheme since its launch until Committee of Economic Affairs (CCEA) has November 24, according to the National Health approved continuation of nine sub-schemes of Agency. umbrella scheme “Atmosphere & Climate • Tamil Nadu ranked second at 54,273 hospital Research-Modelling Observing Systems & and Chattisgarh third at 53,180. Services (ACROSS)” during 2017-2020. • The scheme aims at improving skill of weather 4. Health Ministry launches Integrated Disease and climate forecast through sustained Surveillance Programme (IDSP) observations, intensive Research & • Ms. Preeti Sudan, Union Health Secretary did Development. soft-launch of the Integrated Disease • The scheme refers to the atmospheric science Surveillance Programme (IDSP) segment of the programs of the Ministry of Earth