JHARKHAND

• Solar charkhas to revolutionise cottage industries in state

• Replacing the age-old hand driven charkhas (spinning wheels), khadi gramodyog board jharkhand has introduced the concept of solar charkhas to revolutionize the cottage industries here in jharkhand.

• With the introduction of solar charkhas here, ranchi has entered into an elite club after varanasi, rajasthan, bihar and lucknow that had implemented the concept of solar charkhas a while ago to boost employment.

• The spinning wheels will be provided to the women at a minimum margin cost. Beneficial from several aspects for the weavers, manually a spinning wheel can make about 30 hanks per day while the solar charkas can generate around 80 hanks daily doubling the amount earned by the weavers on daily basis. 

   

  INTERNATIONAL

   

  • Youthquake’ named word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries

   

  • Oxford Dictionaries has crowned “youthquake” as its word of 2017 in a nod to the unexpected level of youth engagement in this summer’s election in the United Kingdom.

   

  • An amalgamation of “youth” and “earthquake”, the noun is defined as “a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people.”

   

  ·        Official Emblems for Beijing 2022 Winter Games Unveiled

   

  • The emblems of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Gameshave been named “Winter Dream” and “Flight,”
  • The emblem launching ceremony was held at the National Aquatic Center, which staged the swimming events during the Beijing 2008 Games.
  • In 2022, this venue will be transformed into an ice rink for curling games.

   

  NATIONAL 

   

  ·        Nation Celebrates Vijay Diwas on 16 December

   

  • TheVijay Diwas daymarks the glorious victory over Pakistan in 1971 during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, in alliance with Bangladesh Mukti Bahini.
  • On 16th December in 1971, the chief of the Pakistani forces, General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, along with 93,000 troops, surrendered to the allied forces consists of Indian Army.
  • The anniversary of Vijay Divas is observed across India by paying tributes to the martyrs who laid down their lives for the nation.

   

   

   

  • No MDR charges on debit card payments up to Rs 2000
  • The merchant discount rate (MDR) charges on transactions up to Rs 2,000 made through debit cards, BHIM UPI or Aadhaar-enabled payment systems will be borne by the government to promote digital transactions.

   

  • The merchant discount rate (MDR) will be borne by the government for two years with effect from January 1, 2018 by reimbursing the same to the banks.

   

  • The move will have an impact of Rs 2,512 crore on the exchequer.

  Gk bit – MDR (merchant discount rate)

  • It is a charge to a merchant by a bank for accepting payment from their customers in credit and debit cards every time a card is used for payments (like swiping) in their stores. The merchant discount rate is expressed in percentage of the transaction amount.

   

  • For the time being, the objective of the RBI is to encourage maximum cashless transaction. Aiming this objective, the RBI has brought a policy of setting upper limit for MDR by banks. Here, the Reserve Bank had rationalized the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) for debit cards with effect from September 2012.

   

  • Since then, the MDR for debit card transaction has been capped at 0.75% for transaction values upto Rs.2000 (Which, now has been changed) and at 1% for transaction values above Rs.2000.

   

  ·        Third World Telugu Conference Begins in Hyderabad

   

  • The third World Telugu Conferencebegan in Hyderabad amidst much fanfare.
  • The main aim of the Conference is to promote Telugu and its literature besides helping the present generation learn more about Telugu language and its rich culture and heritage.
  • Telangana Government has put in place elaborate arrangements for the 5-day event for which about eight thousand Telugu speaking delegates from 40 countries all over the globe will be taking part.
  • Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu had formally inaugurated the Conference.

   

  ·        Meghalaya launches Indias first social audit law

   

  • Meghalaya became the first state in the country to operationalize The Meghalaya Community Participation and Public Services Social Audit Act, 2017, a law that makes a social audit of government programmes and schemes a part of government practice.
  • It was launched by Chief Minister Mukul Sangma at a national convention in Shillong.
  • The law makes social audits part of the system as earlier it was civil society initiative rather than government-mandated.