• National

Upendra Kushwaha resigns from Union Council of ministers

• Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha (Minister of State for HRD in Government of India) resigned from the Union council of ministers.
• He has sent his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he is quitting the BJP-led NDA alliance.
• He is a Member of Parliament from Karakat Loksabha in Rohtas district, Bihar.

• National

Govt contribution to NPS raised to 14 per cent

• According to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, The Central Government contribution will be raised to 14 per cent in NPS (existing 10%).
• The tax exemption limit for lump sum withdrawal on exit has been enhanced to 60%.
• Now, the entire withdrawal will be exempted from income tax.
• Freedom of choice will be provided for selection of Pension Funds and pattern of investment to central government employees.
• Government employee contribution under Tier-II of NPS will be covered under Section 80 C for deduction up to 1.50 lakh rupees for the purpose of income tax.

• Economy and Business

RBI imposes ₹1 cr fine on Indian Bank

• The Reserve Bank of India imposed a fine of Rs 1 crore on Indian Bank for violating cybersecurity norms on 11 December 2018.
• This penalty has been imposed in the exercise of powers vested in RBI under the provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
• RBI said that this action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance.

• Sports

Ranji Trophy: Ajay Rohera creates a world record for highest first-class debut score

• Madhya Pradesh opener Ajay Rohera (21-year) etched his name in the record books by slamming the highest first-class score on debut.
• He remained unbeaten on 267 against Hyderabad in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group-B Cricket in Indore.
• Earlier, the record was held by former Mumbai stalwart Amol Mazumdar, who had hit 260 versus Haryana at Faridabad in 1994.

• Sports

SAIL Hockey Academy won ‘Aga Khan Gold Cup’

• Steel Authority of India’s Hockey Academy won the 115th All India ‘Aga Khan Gold Cup’ hockey tournament 2018 in Delhi on 10 December 2018.
• They defeated the Army XI Danapur in the final match.
• SAIL’s Hockey Academy is run SAIL’s Rourkela Steel Plant.
• Aga Khan Gold Cup is one of the oldest hockey tournaments in the country.

• Awards

India’s Prathamesh Maulingkar wins Mister Supranational 2018

• Goa’s Prathamesh Maulingkar (27-years) has become the first Asian/Indian to win Mister Supranational title at Krynica-Zdroj, Poland.
• He defeated 37 contestants from all over the world in the final round to win the coveted title.
• Mister Supranational (Poland) was adjudged first runner-up, Mister Supranational (Brazil) was adjudged second runner-up.

• Awards

Best Woman Parliamentarian Award for Kanimozhi

• DMK MP Kanimozhi has been selected for the ‘Best Woman Parliamentarian Award’ (Rajya Sabha) set up by Lokmat newspaper for 2018.
• A jury of eminent personalities headed by Murali Manohar Joshi selected her for the award.
• The award will be presented to her by Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu on 13 December 2018.

• Appointments

Ex-SBI chief is ‘SWIFT India’ chairman

• SWIFT India appointed ex-SBI chief Arundhati Bhattacharya as the new chairman of its board on 10 December 2018.
• SWIFT India is a joint venture of top Indian public and private sector banks and SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication).
• SWIFT India was created to deliver high quality domestic financial messaging services to the Indian financial community.

• Important Days

11th December: International Mountain Day

• The International Mountain Day is being observed every year on 11th December.
• The theme for 2018 IMD is ‘Mountains Matter’.
• International Mountain Day was established by the UN General Assembly in 2003 to encourage sustainable development in mountains.

• Defence

India successfully test-fires Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile Agni-5

• The indigenously built Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile Agni-5 has been test-fired successfully from Abdul Kalam island under Chandipur Interim Test Range.
• Previously the test of Agni 4 was unsuccessful.
• The length of Agni-5 is 17 meters length and 2 meters diameter, the missile can hit the target from of 5 thousand kilometres distance.
• The first test was conducted in 2012 from ITR Chandipur in Balasore district.

• States

Lepa Rada becomes 24th district of Arunachal

• Lepa Rada has become 24th district of Arunachal Pradesh on 10 December 2018.
• Shi Yomi became 23rd district of Arunachal Pradesh on 9 December 2018
• Lepa Rada is carved out of the Lower Siang district, comprising four administrative circles.
• The state assembly had on 29 August 2018 passed a bill for creation of three new districts – Pakke-Kesang, Lepa Rada and Shi Yomi.