16th February 2019 Current Affairs

1. Jaitley resumes charge as Finance Minister
   Union Minister Arun Jaitley resumed charge as finance minister after his return from the US. He attended the Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Pulwama terror attack. Arun Jaitley had stopped attending office last month and had gone to New York for medical treatment.
2. 5th India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Committee Meeting held in New Delhi
   The 5th India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Committee Meeting, co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Foreign Affairs Minister of Bangladesh Dr. Abdul Momen was held in New Delhi.
3. P C Mody Appointed as Chairman of CBDT
   Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has appointed senior IRS officer Pramod Chandra Mody as chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). He will succeed Sushil Chandra, who was recently appointed Election Commissioner.
4. India Signs Legal Agreements with The World Bank
   The Government of India, Government of Himachal Pradesh (GoHP) and the World Bank signed a $40 Million Loan Agreement to help bring clean and reliable drinking water to the citizens of the Greater Shimla area, who have been facing severe water shortages and water-borne epidemics over the last few years.
5. WPI Inflation Hits 10-Month Low
   The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industries has released the data on WPI Inflation. The data makes the observations of The WPI Inflation fell to a 10-month low of 2.76 percent in January owing to softening prices of fuel and some food items. The WPI inflation has stood at 3.8 percent in December 2018, and 3.02 percent in January 2019.
6. Govt panel proposes a national minimum wage of Rs 375 per day
   A government panel has recommended a national minimum wage of ₹375 per day or ₹9,750 per month plus an additional housing allowance of ₹1,430 per month for workers in cities. The minimum wage would be ‘irrespective of sectors, skills, occupations and rural-urban locations’. Currently, minimum wages are decided by respective state governments.
7. Governor of West Bengal, Keshari Nath Tripathi launches book dedicated to Swami Pragyananandji at the Kumbh Mela
   Famous industrialist and philanthropist Dinesh Shaara’s book, ‘Simplicity & Wisdom’ was launched at Parmarth Ashram in the ongoing Kumbh Mela. The book is dedicated to late eminent Vedanti Swami Pragananandji. The book was formally launched by Keshari Nath Tripathi, Governor of West Bengal, and Swami Chidanand Saraswati, Head of Parmarth Ashram.
8. NASA to Launch SPHEREx Mission to Investigate Universe
   NASA has announced a new space telescope mission dedicated to understanding the origins of life and the universe. It’s called the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer or SPHEREx, for short. The space agency is aiming for a 2023 launch.

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