Current Affairs 7 January 2018

1. Bengaluru most well read city in India: Survey Bengaluru has emerged as the most well read city in India, while Mumbai and Delhi ...

1. Bengaluru most well read city in India: Survey

Bengaluru has emerged as the most well read city in India, while Mumbai and Delhi stands at second and third position, respectively, according to a survey conducted by Amazon India’s Annual Reading Trends Reports for 2017.

• Among books, ‘Indian Polity (5th Edition)’ ranked as the top selling book on Amazon India across the country while ‘Sita – Warrior of Mithila’ emerged as the highest selling fiction book of 2017.     

2. Govt to set up FTII in Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh would get its first Film and Television Institute, being set up by the union government as part of tapping the potential of the North Eastern region, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said.

• This would be the second such one in the country.

Points to Remember

• The first Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) was set up in Pune, an autonomous institute operating under the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
• It was established in 1960. Anupam Kher is its present Chairman.

3. 18th All India Whips Conference to start from Jan 8

Deliberations on paperless parliament and state legislatures by rolling out e-Sansad and e-Vidhan are on the agenda of 18th All India Whips Conference to be held in Udaipur.

• Union Parliamentary Affairs minister Ananth Kumar is slated to inaugurate the conference to be held on January 8 and 9.
• It will be attended by whips of various political parties from different states.

4. India's first National Park for differently abled people inaugurated in Hyderabad

Telangana government has inaugurated country's first National Park for people with special needs.

• Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K.T. Rama Rao inaugurated the park, which has speech therapist, physiotherapist, vocational training instructors for the differently-abled children.

5. Yes Bank, Nearby Tech bring cardless-pinless ATM service

Fintech startup Nearby Technologies has tied up with Yes Bank to provide Aadhaar- enabled cardless and pinless ATM service by which customers can deposit or withdraw money at retailers' place.

• Using the PayNEARBY mobile application on a smart phone, a retailer can become an Aadhaar ATM/Aadhaar Bank branch for cash withdrawals and deposits by a customer
• Yes Bank and Nearby worked closely with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to launch this service.

6. Paytm Payments Bank, IndusInd tie-up for fixed deposit facility

Paytm Payments Bank has partnered Induslnd Bank to introduce a facility to create a fixed deposit when the customer balance exceeds Rs1 lakh at the end of day.

• Paytm Payments Bank customers can redeem their deposits instantly, anytime without paying any pre-closure or miscellaneous charges and can earn up to 6.85% annual interest.
• Additionally, if a customer becomes a senior citizen before the maturity period, the account will be auto renewed under the senior citizen scheme.

7. Diplomat T S Tirumurti Appointed Economic Relations Secretary

India's High Commissioner to Kuala Lumpur T S Tirumurti was appointed the Secretary (Economic Relations) in the External Affairs Ministry.

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment to the post, in place of Vijay Keshav Gokhale, who was recently named as the Foreign Secretary.

8. Roger Federer & Belinda Bencic win Hopman Cup for Switzerland

Switzerland's Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic beat Germany's Alexander Zverev and Angelique Kerber to win the Hopman Cup for the first time since 2001.

• Federer went a set down to Zverev in the opener, but the 19-time Grand Slam champion recovered to win 6-7 (4-7) 6-0 6-2 and give Switzerland a 1-0 lead.
• Federer was joined by Martina Hingis when Switzerland last won the trophy in Perth 17 years ago.