Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs December 2019
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ISRO‟S SECOND SPACEPORT AT KULASEKARAPATTINAM (TN): The ISRO has commenced land acquisition for its second launchpad in Kulasekarapattinam, a town in the Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) district of Tamil Nadu.
ISRO‟S SPACEPORT ISRO‘s first and only spaceport, the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), is located in Sriharikota, about 100 km north of Chennai, in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The organisation launches its PSLV and GSLV rockets from here. The SDSC, setup in 1971, currently has two active launchpads. Its first launchpad was decommissioned once the Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle programme ended in 1994. The first of the two active pads mostly services the PSLV and the second, the GSLV, and which ISRO is currently modifying to accommodate crewed vehicle missions as part of its upcoming human spaceflight project, Gaganyaan. The second spaceport at Kulasekarapattinam is expected to provide an important advantage to ISRO‘s upcoming Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), a smaller counterpart of the PSLV.
KAVALAN - SOS MOBILE APP: The Kavalan – SOS app was launched as part of the Tamil Nadu State Police Master Control Room initiative. People of Tamil Nadu can use to seek police assistance instantly in emergency situations such as physical emergencies, eve teasing, kidnapping or natural disasters such as floods, earthquake, etc. People residing in Tamil Nadu, especially, Women & elderly people can use the Kavalan – SOS app whenever they feel vulnerable or threatened.
TAMIL NADU GOT 13 AWARDS FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT: The Tamil Nadu rural development department received 13 awards from the Centre for effective implementation of rural development schemes. The state received awards in the category of state, district, panchayat union and village panchayats in programmes like MGNREGA, National Rurban Mission and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana. 04224204182,9884267599, NVN layout, Gandhipuram, Coimbatore Page 1
Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs December 2019
The rural development department received 31 national awards this fiscal. The local body elections in Tamil Nadu was held on 27th and 30th December.
LOCAL SELF GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS These elections are conducted by Tamil Nadu State Election Commission under M.Palanisamy. Last election was on October, 2011. At present, out of 37 districts, only elections for rural local bodies in 27 districts was held. Elections will not be held for rural local bodies in the nine districts of Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Vellore, Tirupattur, Ranipet, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Tirunelveli and Tenkasi. The rural voters in the state will elect four members. It was a direct Election for Village Panchayat Ward Members, Village Panchayat President, Panchayat Union Ward Members and District Panchayat Ward Members. Urban local bodies include 15 Municipal corporations, 148 Municipalities and 561 Town panchayats. Rural local bodies include 12,524 Village Panchayats, 388 Panchayat Unions, and 33 District Councils of India/District Panchayats.
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
OPERATION „CLEAN ART‟ TO CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL TRADE IN MONGOOSE HAIR: Recently, there has been a widespread crackdown on factories making paint brushes with mongoose hair across the country. It was the first pan India operation to crackdown on the smuggling of mongoose hair in the country. It was conceived by Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) with the singular aim of ensuring that the mongoose hair brush trade should be closed down across the country.
KEY POINTS. Brushes made of mongoose hair are preferred because they are superior and hold colour better. Mongoose is listed in Schedule II Part 2 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and any smuggling or possession of its body part is a non-bailable offence.
IUCN RED LIST STATUS- LEAST CONCERNED. All six species are listed on CITES Appendix III with a zero quota for commercial trade. There are six species of mongoose found in India- Indian grey mongoose, Small Indian mongoose, Ruddy mongoose, Crab-eating mongoose, Stripe-necked mongoose and Brown mongoose. The Indian grey mongoose is the most commonly found species and also the most hunted.
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Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs December 2019
NATIONAL STARTUP AWARDS 2020: The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has announced institution of the first ever National Startup Awards. The National Startup Awards seek to recognize outstanding startups and ecosystem enablers that are building innovative solutions and scalable enterprises, with high potential of employment generation or wealth creation, demonstrating measurable social impact. The awards for startups will be given in 35 areas, classified into 12 broad sectors like agriculture, education, enterprise technology, energy, finance, food, health, Industry 4.0, space, security, tourism, and urban services. In addition, there are three special awards for startups from educational institutions, making impact in rural areas and women entrepreneurs. A cash prize of Rs 5 lakh each will be awarded to the winning startup in each area. A cash prize of Rs 15 lakh each will be awarded to one winning Incubator and one winning Accelerator as well. The applications for the awards are open till 31st December 2019.
INDIA MAKES ENTIRE HAJJ 2020 PROCESS DIGITAL: The first country to make the entire process for Haj pilgrims completely digital is India. A bilateral agreement was signed between our Minority Affairs Minister Mr. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and the Saudi Haj and Umrah Minister Mr. Mohammad Saleh bin Taher Benten. With this agreement, India has become the first country to make the entire process for pilgrims going on Haj completely digital. This will be implemented from the next Haj trip from 2020. It is for the first time when digital pre-tagging has been arranged by the airlines so that Haj pilgrims will get all kinds of information in India itself. Available facilities: An online application, e-visa, Haj mobile app, ―e-MASIHA‖ health facility, ―e- luggage pre-tagging‖.
E-MASIHA: Health status and medical history of visiting pilgrims is being stored at online ―e-MASIHA‖ (Medical Assistance System for Indian Hajis Abroad). E-MASIHA would retrieve pilgrims‘ health information to apply appropriate treatment whenever he or she visits Indian medical facilities during Haj.
INAS 314 - “RAPTORS”: Indian Naval Air Squadron 314, the sixth Dornier aircraft squadron was commissioned at Naval Air Enclave- Porbandar on Gujarat coast. The INAS 314 derives its name Raptors from the Bird of Prey family. The insignia of the squadron depicts a Raptor bird searching over the vast blue expanse of the sea.
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Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs December 2019
Raptors are large birds of prey known for excellent sensory capabilities, powerful and sharp talons and strong wings symbolizing the capabilities of the aircraft and envisaged roles of the squadron. This squadron will operate the Dornier aircraft, a multi-role SRMR aircraft, with twin turboprop engine manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautical Limited, Kanpur. Navy is procuring 12 new Dornier aircraft from HAL with state-of-the-art sensors and equipment including glass cockpit, advanced surveillance radar, optical sensors and networking features.
YUWAAH YOUTH SKILLING INITIATIVE: The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) launched the ‗YuWaah‘ Generation Unlimited in India on November 1, 2019.
KEY POINTS Generation Unlimited (GenU), called YuWaah in India, is a global multisector and multi-stakeholder alliance created to meet the need of expanded education, skill development and employment opportunities for young people aged 10-24. It brings together partners from government, multilateral organizations, civil society, the private sector and young people from around the world. The target age group of YuWaah includes adolescent girls and boys and its key mission is to promote access to foundational, transferable and 21st-century skills for youth inside and outside formal education systems. YuWaah intends to create platforms to guide youth to market opportunities (career guidance, mentorship, internships, apprenticeships) and facilitate the integration of career guidance in school education.
ALL INDIA POLICE SCIENCE CONGRESS ORGANISED IN LUCKNOW: The 47th All India Police Science Congress (AIPSC) was organised from 28-29 November 2019, at Police Headquarters in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The chief guest for event was former cop and current Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi. Top officials from police, security and investigation agencies from every Indian state participated in 47th All India Police Science Congress. More than 120 teams participated from all states and Union Territories (UTs). Apart from police, central agencies such as CBI, CRPF and BSF also participated. The event was organised by Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D). Uttar Pradesh is hosting this annual event after 22 years. The Congress focused on challenges in policing, and 5 other related topics which are need of the hour.
INDIA CORRUPTION SURVEY 2019: As per the India Corruption Survey 2019, Rajasthan and Bihar fared the worst in country with 78% and 75% of respondents admitting to paying bribes, while Telangana topped the list in south India.
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Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs December 2019
Tamil Nadu ranks seventh in most corrupt state‘s list. Around 62% of citizens admitted to paying bribes to get their work done. According to the list, Kerala is one of the least corrupt states, where only 10% of people admitted to paying a bribe to get their work done and all of them gave bribes several times (directly/ indirectly). Besides Kerala, Goa, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, Haryana and Delhi are least corrupt states. The survey was carried out between October 2018 and November 2019 and was conducted by Local Circles, a social media firm and the Transparency International India. It had a total of 1.9 lakh responses from nearly 81,000 unique respondents in 248 districts across 20 Indian states. As compared to 2018, India‘s overall ranking in Corruption Perception Index has risen 3 places to 78 out of 180 countries. While an average of 56% of respondents admitted to paying bribes in 2018, the number has come down to 51% in 2019.
INTENSIFIED MISSION INDRA DHANUSH 2.0 : Government has launched its flagship scheme ‗Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0‘ to focus on full immunization coverage of 272 districts spread over 27 states and 652 blocks of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar among hard-to-reach and tribal populations. The Mission Indradhanush 2.0 will be carried out between December 2019 and March 2020. Objective: To prevent 8 diseases under mission as well as to escalate efforts to achieve goal of attaining 90% national immunization coverage across India. The Intensified Mission Indradhanush immunization drive/ activity will consist of 4 rounds of immunization over 7 working days, excluding Sundays, RI days and holidays. It will cover vaccines for measles, tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, Hepatitis B, tuberculosis (Tb), meningitis and poliomyelitis. In selected areas, vaccines for Japanese encephalitis (JE) and Hemophilus influenza will also be provided.
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE GRID (NATGRID) The ambitious National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) project will be operational by December 31, 2020.
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Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs December 2019
ABOUT NATGRID: It is an ambitious counter terrorism programme. It will utilise technologies like Big Data and analytics to study and analyse the huge amounts of data from various intelligence and enforcement agencies to help track suspected terrorists and prevent terrorist attacks. It will connect, in different phases, data providing organisations and users besides developing a legal structure through which information can be accessed by the law enforcement agencies. NATGRID is a post Mumbai 26/11 attack measure.
WHO CAN ACCESS THE DATA? The database would be accessible to authorised persons from 10 agencies on a case-to-case basis, and only for professional investigations into suspected cases of terrorism. Intelligence Bureau (IB) Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW) Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Enforcement Directorate (ED) Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) Directorate General of Central Excise and Intelligence (DGCEI) Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)
POLITICAL PARTIES REGISTRATION TRACKING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (PPRTMS): The Election Commission of India has launched a ―Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System (PPRTMS)‖. The salient feature in the PPRTMS is that the applicant, who is applying for a political party registration from 1st January, 2020 will be able to track the progress of his/her application and will get status updates through SMS and e-mail. Registration of political parties is governed by the provisions of Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. An association seeking registration under the above mentioned Section has to submit an application to the Commission within a period of 30 days following the date of its formation.
DEVELOPMENT OF PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TRIBAL GROUPS: Ministry of Tribal Affairs has implemented the scheme of ―Development of PVTGs‖ which covers 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) for their comprehensive socio-economic development.
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Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs December 2019
Under the scheme, State Governments submits Conservation-cum-Development (CCD) plans on the basis of their requirement. 100% grants-in-aid are made available to States as per the provisions of the scheme. Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) In India, tribal population makes up for 8.6% of the total population. PVTGs are more vulnerable among the tribal groups. Due to this factor, more developed and assertive tribal groups take a major chunk of the tribal development funds because of which PVTGs need more funds directed for their development. In 1973, the Dhebar Commission created Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs) as a separate category, who are less developed among the tribal groups. In 2006, the Government of India renamed the PTGs as PVTG. Among the 75 listed PVTG‘s the highest number are found in Odisha.
EXERCISE HAND-IN-HAND: 8th India-China joint training exercise 'HAND-IN-HAND 2019' with the theme of ‗Counter Terrorism‘ under United Nations mandate is scheduled to be conduct at Umroi, Meghalaya from 7th to 20th December 2019. The aim of the exercise is to practice joint planning and conduct of counter terrorist operations in semi urban terrain. Two tactical exercises scheduled during training are on: (1) counter terrorism scenario; (2) Humanitarian and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations. In 2018, the exercise was held in Chengdu, China. The exercise didn‘t take place in 2017 due to the 72-days long standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam.
SURYA KIRAN - XIV: The joint military exercise ‗SURYA KIRAN – XIV‘ between India and Nepal will be conducted in Nepal from 3rd- 16th December 2019. The exercise will comprise of 300 soldiers from both Indian and Nepal Army who would be sharing their experience in conduct of various counter insurgency and counter terrorism operations as also various humanitarian assistance missions by both the Armies. The exercise is an annual event which is conducted alternatively in Nepal and India. The 13th (previous) edition of the exercise was conducted in Uttarakhand, India.
EXERCISE INDRA 2019: Exercise INDRA 2019, a joint, tri services exercise between India and Russia will be conducted in India from 10th-19th December 2019 simultaneously at Babina (near Jhansi), Pune, and Goa. The two countries will be able to imbibe the best practices from each other, jointly evolve and drills to defeat the menace of terror under the United Nations mandate.
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Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs December 2019
The INDRA series of exercise began in 2003. It was conducted as a single service exercise alternately between the two countries. However, the first joint Tri Services Exercise was conducted in 2017. Exercise INDRA 2018, a joint military exercise between Indian and Russia on combating insurgency under the aegis of the United Nations (UN) was conducted at Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh.
COUNTRY'S FIRST AQUALAB TO BE SET UP IN DEHRADUN: The aquatic life forms found in the 2525-km-long Ganga river would be preserved in the country‘s first ‗Ganga Centralised Aqualabs‘ at Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in Dehradun. The aqualab, first of its kind for any river in the country, will maintain genes of each species found in the river alongside crafting baseline data of the river which is undergoing tremendous changes owing to rampant water extraction, almost 90% from it. Not just Ganga, but also its tributaries such as Gomti, Betwa and Kosi will be scientifically studied and their biological components will be preserved at the lab
WORLD MALARIA REPORT, 2019: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released the World Malaria Report, 2019. The report provides a comprehensive update on global and regional malaria data and trends including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, elimination and surveillance. According to the report, 228 million cases of malaria are observed worldwide, down from 251 million cases in 2010. Highest Burden: India along with 19 countries in sub-Saharan Africa carried almost 85% of the global malaria burden. Nigeria had the highest burden of all malaria cases, at 24%. Though India has observed the largest absolute reductions among the countries that share 85% of the malaria burden.
NATIONAL ANALYSIS: Incidence rate: India reported 2.6 million fewer cases in 2018 compared to 2017. Thus the overall incidence of malaria in the country has reduced. However, 7 states (Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Gujarat, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh) account for about 90% of the burden of malaria cases in India. Deaths: Overall number of deaths due to malaria in India have reduced.
GLOBAL ANALYSIS: Incidence rate: It has declined globally between 2010 and 2018, from 71 to 57 cases per 1000 population. Deaths: The number of deaths due to malaria has decreased globally. (405,000 deaths in 2018 from 416,000 deaths in 2017). The highest number of cases were reported from African region, followed by South-East Asia.
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Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs December 2019
PM MODI LAUNCHED FIT INDIA SCHOOL GRADING SYSTEM IN SCHOOLS ACROSS INDIA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Fit India School grading system in schools across the country. The grading will be in 3 categories. During the launch PM Modi also appealed all schools to enroll in Fit India raking system to make it a mass movement and spread awareness. Ranking system: Schools can declare themselves as fit by visiting the Fit India portal and the rankings will be assigned after survey. Fit India School rankings are divided into 3 categories- o Fit India Schools, which is the first level of ranking o Fit India School three star (3 star) o Fit India School five star (5 star).
BLUE FLAG PROGRAMME: The MoEFCC has embarked upon a programme for ‗Blue Flag‘ Certification for select beaches in the country.
BEACHES IDENTIFIED IN INDIA: 13 pilot beaches have been identified for the certification. These include Ghoghala Beach (Diu), Shivrajpur beach (Gujarat), Bhogave (Maharashtra), Padubidri and Kasarkod (Karnagaka), Kappad beach (Kerala) etc. Chandrabhaga beach of Odisha‘s Konark coast was the first to complete the tag certification process will be the first in Asia to get the Blue Flag certification.
BLUE FLAG PROGRAMME: The Blue Flag Programme for beaches and marinas is run by the international, non-governmental, non- profit organisation FEE (the Foundation for Environmental Education). There are nearly 33 criteria that must be met to qualify for a Blue Flag certification, such as the water meeting certain quality standards, having waste disposal facilities, being disabled- friendly, have first aid equipment, and no access to pets in the main areas of the beach. Some criteria are voluntary and some compulsory.
WOMEN HELP DESKS IN POLICE STATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY : Ministry of Home Affairs has sanctioned a sum Rs. 100 crores from Nirbhaya Fund for setting up/strengthening of Women Help Desks in Police Stations. This scheme would be implemented by the States and Union Territories. Women Help Desks would focus on making the Police Stations more women friendly and approachable, as they would be the first and single point of contact for any woman walking into a police station. Essentially, lady police officers would be deployed at these help desks.
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Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs December 2019
Experts like lawyers, psychologists and NGOs would also be part of the desk and will facilitate legal aid, counselling, shelter, rehabilitation and training etc.
METEOR MISSILES: India has requested France to expedite the delivery of ten Meteor missiles. They will be used to counter the threat faced from American origin AMRAAM missiles, in possession of Pakistan. Meteor is a Beyond visual range air to air missile that is possibly the best in its class. It can take out enemy aircraft at range of over 100 km.
NMCG OF JAL SHAKTI MINISTRY ORGANISES THE 4TH INDIA WATER IMPACT SUMMIT: The ‗India Water Impact Summit‘ is an annual event where problems and solutions for the biggest water related issues in the country are discussed. The 4th India Water Impact Summit was held from December 5th to 7th, 2019 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. It was jointly organised by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) of Ministry of Jal Shakti and Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (cGanga) led by IIT-Kanpur. The theme for this year‘s summit was: ‗Valuing Water – Transforming Ganga‗.
DURING THE SUMMIT, THE JAL SHAKTI MINISTRY ALSO RELEASED THE FOLLOWING REPORTS: ‗Ambassadors‘ Meet‘ ‗River Restoration and Conservation – A Concise Manual and Guide‘ Documents on ‗Ganga Hubs‘.
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Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs December 2019
NDMA HEAT WAVE 2020 WORKSHOP: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), in collaboration with the Government of Karnataka, is conducting a two-day national workshop on preparedness, mitigation and management of heat wave in Bengaluru. The workshop has been conducted well in advance of the heat wave season to manage the hot weather conditions for the year 2020. Heat wave has emerged as a major severe-weather event around the globe in recent years. Climate change is driving temperatures higher as well as increasing the frequency and severity of heat waves. India too is experiencing increased instances of heat waves every year – 23 States were affected by heat waves in 2019, up from 19 states in 2018.
SHRI KIREN RIJIJU ANNOUNCED RIPU DAMAN BEVLI AS PLOGGING AMBASSADOR OF INDIA: During the event, Minister of State(I/C) for Youth Affairs & Sports, Shri Kiren Rijiju felicitated Ripu Daman Bevli, popularly known as the Plogman of India and named him the Plogging Ambassador of India. The minister also launched the nation-wide Plogging Ambassador Mission under which, Indians who have been running and cleaning their cities, towns or districts, will be nominated as Plogging Ambassadors of their region. Plog Run is a unique way of picking up garbage while jogging and was added to the Fit India Movement as a unique way of combining cleanliness and fitness. Bevli, who started plogging in 2017, started the Fit India Plogging Run with the aim to make India litter- free. Belvi and his team have cleaned up 50 cities and covered over 1000km in about 2 months, collecting 2.7 tonnes of garbage.
NATIONAL PUBLIC PROCUREMENT CONCLAVE HELD IN NEW DELHI: Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal inaugurated the 3rd edition of National Public Procurement Conclave (NPPC) in New Delhi. The two-day conclave was organized by Government e-Marketplace (GeM) in association with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). NPCC will be held from 5-6 December 2019. NPCC brings together a host of Buyers, Sellers and stalwarts of industry with massive opportunities in Public Procurement sector.
CHILD RIGHTS AND YOU REPORT ON CRIME AGAINST CHILDREN IN INDIA: The Child Rights and You recently released a report ―How Vulnerable are Children in India to crime?‖ The report was based on the analysis of National Crime Records Bureau for 2016-17. The report says that the states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh topped the list of states for crimes against children. There were over 19,000 cases in both the states.
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Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs December 2019
The highest increase in crimes between the years 2016 and 2017 was seen in Jharkhand. The Child labor in the country saw a substantial increase of 126%. The report says that in 2016 child labor was 204 and it increased to 462 in 2017. As far as Child Marriage is concerned there was an increase of 21.17%. The numbers were based on the cases registered under Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006. The highest increase in crimes between the years 2016 and 2017 was seen in Jharkhand.
NATIONAL MARITIME HERITAGE MUSEUM: India and Portugal will cooperate in the setting up of a National Maritime Heritage Museum at the ancient Indian site of Lothal in Gujarat. The museum will display the India‘s heritage of inland waterways and trade through water route. Lothal was chosen because it has lots of archaeological remains, showcasing the trade route through water. It was a major maritime activities center of Harappans. Lothal displays engineering standards used in creating an artificial dock that shows high standards of scientific and engineering skills, far more advanced than anywhere else in the world in the 3rd millennium BC. The Government of India has allocated grant for building the maritime museum and the foundation stone for the project was laid by the Prime Minister in March, 2019.
NATIONAL ORGANIC FESTIVAL OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS: Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) and Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to organise ‗National Organic Festival of Women Entrepreneurs‘. The event will be planned and organized through National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM), Sonepat, Haryana.
OBJECTIVE: To encourage Indian women entrepreneurs and farmers to connect with buyers as well as empower Indian women through financial inclusion. To promote organic food produce in India.
SPECIAL PROTECTION GROUP (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2019: Recently, the Parliament has passed the Special Protection Group (Amendment) Bill, 2019. The SPG Bill will amend the SPG Act of 1988. The proposed amendments in the Special Protection Group (SPG) Bill aims to reduce the financial burden of VIP security on the state exchequer. The reduction of SPG coverage will also help to eliminate the notion of a status symbol attached to it.
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AMENDMENTS REDUCED SPG COVERAGE: The protection to be offered only to the Prime Minister, former Prime Ministers and their immediate family members that will reside with him at his official residence. Currently, the security cover is provided to the Prime Minister, former Prime Ministers and their immediate family members.
TIME PERIOD: The security will be provided only for a period of five years to the former Prime Ministers and their immediate family after they leave the office. However, the immediate family members need to be residing with the former Prime Minister at the allotted residence.
WITHDRAWAL: When the proximate security is withdrawn from a former Prime Minister such proximate security will also stand withdrawn from members of his immediate family.
SPECIAL PROTECTION GROUP The SPG was raised in 1985 to provide security cover to the Prime Minister, former Prime Ministers and their immediate family members. The SPG comprises of the personnel from the CRPF, Border Security Force and other Central and State forces.
CENTRE STOPS - ONLINE SALE OF MEDICINES: Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has directed all states and Union territories to prohibit the sale of medicines through unlicensed online platforms as per the Delhi High Court order. In its Zaheer Ahmed case (2018), the Delhi High Court had said that online sale of medicines should be prohibited until draft rules to regulate e-pharmacies are finalized and put in place. Online sale of prescription medicines is a relatively recent phenomenon in India and laws are yet to be framed to regulate the industry. Under the D&C Act, 1940 and D&C Rules, 1945 sale of spurious drugs is a punishable offence and State Licensing Authorities are empowered to take action in this regard.
PROHIBITION OF ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES BILL, 2019: Parliament has passed the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Bill, 2019, with the Rajya Sabha approving it. The Lok Sabha has already passed the bill.
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SALIENT FEATURES OF BILL: Any production, import, export, transport, sale (including online sale) or advertisement (including online advertisement) of e-cigarettes shall be a cognizable offence punishable with an imprisonment of up to one year or fine up to Rs. 1 lakh or both for the first offence. For a subsequent offence, there will be imprisonment of up to 3 years and fine up to Rs. 5 lakh. Storage of electronic-cigarettes shall also be punishable with an imprisonment up to 6 months or fine up to Rs 50,000 or both. The Sub-Inspector of Police has been designated as the Authorized Officer to take action under the Ordinance. The Central or State Governments may also designate any other equivalent officer(s) as Authorized Officer for enforcement of the provisions of the Ordinance.
SANTHALI USED IN RAJYA SABHA FOR THE FIRST TIME: On December 6, 2019, MP Sarojni Hembram from Odisha for the first time spoke in a tribal language called Santhali. She raised the matter of public importance during the zero hour. Also, Srimati Sarojini demanded Bharat Ratna for Pundit Raghunath Murmu, the Santhali scholar who introduced Ol Chiki script for the language in 1925. Santhali language was included in the Schedule 8 of the constitution through the 92nd Constitutional Amendment act, 2003. Along with the language, 3 other languages were included namely Maithili, Bodo, Dori. SANTAL TRIBES The Santals are the third largest tribal group in India. They are called Horhopon ko (Sons of Man), Hor Ko or Manjhi.
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX: India was ranked 129 out of 189 countries on the 2019 Human Development Index (HDI) improving from the 130th position in 2018. HDI is part of the Human Development Report that is published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The other indices that form the part of the 2019 Report are:
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o Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI), o Gender Development Index (GDI), o Gender Inequality Index (GII) and o Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). o The focus of the 2019 Report is on ‗Inequality in Human Development‘.
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX HDI emphasizes that people and their capabilities should be the ultimate criteria for assessing the development of a country, not economic growth alone.
HDI MEASURES AVERAGE ACHIEVEMENT OF A COUNTRY IN THREE BASIC DIMENSIONS OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: A long and healthy life, Access to knowledge, and A decent standard of living.
TOP PERFORMERS IN 2019 Norway, Switzerland, Ireland occupied the top three positions in that order. Germany is placed fourth along with Hong Kong, and Australia secured the fifth rank on the global ranking.
INDIA‟S PERFORMANCE India‘s HDI value increased by 50% (from 0.431 to 0.647), which places it above the average for other South Asian countries (0.642).
PASHU KISAN CREDIT CARDS: The First Pashu Kisan credit cards in India were distributed to 101 animal farmers in Bhiwani in Haryana. Haryana Government has set a target to issue 10 lakh Pashu Kisan Credit cards by March 2021. Under the Scheme, banks give Rs 40783 for a cow and Rs 60249 for a buffalo. The credit amount for goat and sheep each is Rs 4063. In the case of a pig, it is Rs 16337 per pig. For Hens, it is Rs 720 per layer and Rs 161 per broiler hen. Haryana is the first state to implement this scheme. As many as 101 livestock owners have been handed over cards and can use these to pay for animal feed, etc. They can repay within a stipulated period The card is along lines of the Kisan credit card scheme and will allot credit according to the animal you own.
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DIGITAL EXHIBITION ON HISTORY OF CONSTITUTION OF INDIA BEING HELD IN NEW DELHI: The ‗Digital Exhibition on History of Constitution of India‘, was held in New Delhi for two days from 9- 10 December 2019. It has been organised by Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, in collaboration with Parliament Museum and Archives of Lok Sabha Secretariat and Bureau of Outreach and Communication (BOC). Importance of 9th December: It is an important day from historical point of view, as the first sitting of Constituent Assembly was held on this day in 1946. The current year 2019, marks 70th Year of adoption of Constitution. The Constitution of India was adopted on 26th November, 1949, and the Members appended their signatures to it on 24 January 1950.
CULTURE MINISTRY LAUNCHED A PORTAL TO SHOWCASE INDIAN CULTURE: Union Minister of State (M/s) for Culture and Tourism (IC) Prahlad Singh Patel, launched the Indian Culture web portal, http://www.indian culture.gov.in, which brings together all the cultural resources of the country on one platform. The main aim of the portal is to promote awareness among the citizens of India about the diverse heritage of the country. One of the unique features of portal is the stories, based on original archival documents narrated in an interesting, easy to read and understand format. The web portal was proposed by the Ministry of Culture and was developed by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay and the data were organized by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).
DEFEXPO 2020 The 11th edition of the biennial flagship event DefExpo 2020 will be held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The theme of the DefExpo 2020 is ‗India – The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub‘ and ‗Digital Transformation of Defence‘.
INDIA SKILLS REPORT : India Skills Report 2019-20 has been released. The 7th edition of the India Skills Report 2020 for the year 2019-20 was launched. It is a joint initiative by PeopleStrong, a Global Talent Assessment Company, in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) along with partners like UNDP, AICTE, and AIU.
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KEY FINDINGS: About 46.21 per cent students were found employable or ready to take up jobs in 2019, compared with 33 per cent in 2014, and 47.38 per cent in 2018. Female employability witnessed an upward trend at 47 per cent this year from 38 per cent in 2017 and 46 per cent in 2018. Most employable candidates as per the courses were MBA Students at 54 per cent as against 40 per cent in the last two years. A decline in employability was seen in BTech, Engineering. MCA graduates, Technical & Computer- related courses.
PERFORMANCE OF STATES: Top three states in terms of employability: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. Top two employable cities: Mumbai and Hyderabad. States that registered a dip in ranking were West Bengal and Haryana, which could not make it to the top ten list.
THE DADRA AND NAGAR HAVELI AND DAMAN AND DIU (MERGER OF UNION TERRITORIES) BILL, 2019: Recently, a Bill to merge the Union Territories (UTs) of Daman and Diu (D&D) and Dadra and Nagar Haveli (DNH) has been introduced in the Lok Sabha. It seeks to provide better delivery of services to the citizens of both Union Territories by improving efficiency and reducing paperwork. Both UTs have two separate constitutional and administrative bodies which lead to a lot of duplicacy, inefficiency and wasteful expenditure. The merger will help in achieving the government‘s goal to have Minimum Government, Maximum Governance. Both of them have small population and limited geographical area so the merger will not be challenging and the services of officers will be used efficiently. The move comes after the landmark decision of bifurcating the State of Jammu and Kashmir into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
DAMAN AND DIU AND DADRA AND NAGAR HAVELI These two UTs are located in the western region of India. Daman and Diu are two widely separated districts situated on the southern side of Gujarat. Daman is an enclave on Gujarat‘s southern coast and Diu encompasses an island off the southern coast of Gujarat‘s Kathiawar Peninsula. It is in close proximity of the UT of DNH. Dadra and Nagar Haveli consists of two separate parts. Dadra is surrounded by the state of Gujarat and Nagar Haveli lies on the borders of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Both were colonised by the Portuguese and were liberated in December 1961.
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In 1987, when Goa got statehood, Daman and Diu were made a separate Union Territory from the previous Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu.
GANDHI ENCYCLOPEDIA Ministry of Culture has approved ‗Gandhi Encyclopedia‘ for the for promotion of appropriate Gandhian philosophy. The project is to be implemented by National Council of Science Museums, Kolkata.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF SCIENCE MUSEUMS (NCM): It is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Culture. It was established in 1978 and is headquartered in Kolkata.
NAVARMS-19: The 4th edition of International Seminar cum Exhibition on Naval Weapon Systems ‗NAVARMS-19‘ is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on 12-13 Dec 2019. This year‘s theme is ―Make in India - Fight Category: Opportunities and Imperatives‖.
KEY POINTS Indian Navy in association with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has been conducting 'NAVARMS' since 2007. NAVARMS is the only international seminar and exhibition on Naval Weapon Systems conducted in the country to invite all the stakeholders in life cycle management of Naval Weapons and provide a common platform to share their views and concerns.
OBJECTIVES: Bring harmony amongst all the important stakeholders. Synergise and orient towards broader prospects. Provide an opportunity for the exchange of ideas. Create awareness. Identify emerging prospects for Indian/International defence industry in the domain of Naval Weapon Systems.
CITIZENSHIP (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2019: Recently, the Parliament passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 which received the President‘s assent to become an Act. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 seeks to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955. The Citizenship Act,1955 provides various ways in which citizenship may be acquired. It provides for citizenship by birth, descent, registration, naturalisation and by incorporation of the territory into India.
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In addition, it regulates the registration of Overseas Citizen of India Cardholders (OCIs) and their rights. An OCI is entitled to some benefits such as a multiple-entry, multipurpose lifelong visa to visit India.
KEY PROVISIONS OF THE AMENDMENT ACT The Bill amends the Act to provide that the Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, who entered India on or before December 31, 2014, will not be treated as illegal migrants. In order to get this benefit, they must have also been exempted from the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 by the central government. The 1920 Act mandates foreigners to carry passport, while the1946 Act regulates the entry and departure of foreigners in India. The Bill creates an exception for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, with regard to this qualification. For these groups of persons, the 11 years‘ requirement will be reduced to five years. These provisions on citizenship for illegal migrants will not apply to the tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura, included in the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution. These tribal areas include Karbi Anglong (in Assam), Garo Hills (in Meghalaya), Chakma District (in Mizoram), and Tripura Tribal Areas District.
CANCELLATION OF REGISTRATION OF OCIS: The Act provides that the central government may cancel the registration of OCIs on certain grounds. These include: if the OCI has registered through fraud, or if, within five years of registration, the OCI has been sentenced to imprisonment for two years or more, or if it becomes necessary in the interest of sovereignty and security of India.
DELHI HOSTED INDIAN OCEAN DIALOGUE: Union Ministry of External Affairs will be hosting 6th Indian Ocean Dialogue (IOD) and Delhi Dialogue XI at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in New Delhi on 13 December 2019. Theme for 2019 Indian Ocean Dialogue is- ‗Indo-Pacific: Re-imagining the Indian Ocean through an Expanded Geography‘. The 6th IOD which takes place on 13 December, is being organized with assistance of the Indian Council for World Affairs (ICWA). The IOD is Indian Ocean Rim Association‘s (IORA‘s) premier 1.5 track forum for dialogue between academia and officials on strategic issues of interest and concerns facing the Association. Theme for 2019 Delhi Dialogue is ‗Advancing Partnership in Indo-Pacific‘.
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NAGALAND EXTENDED ILP IN DIMAPUR: Recently, the Nagaland government has extended the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system to the district of Dimapur. This step was taken to exempt the entire district from the purview of the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB). So far, Dimapur was the only place in Nagaland which was not under the ILP system because the district is a commercial hub and has a mixed population (often referred to as ‗Mini India‘). Recently Manipur has also been brought under the purview of ILP System. Thus, the entire northeast India has been exempted from CAB except for Sikkim and non-tribal areas in Assam and Tripura. The extension of ILP to Dimapur has been issued under section 2 of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873 by the governor of Nagaland. The extension of the ILP regime makes it mandatory for ―every non-indigenous person‖ who entered the district after November 21, 1979, to obtain an ILP within 90 days.
DRUG PRICES CONTROL ORDER: National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has allowed an increase in the maximum retail prices of 21 drugs currently under price control by as much as 50%. The decision has been taken to ensure that the life saving essential drugs must remain available to the general public at all times. This is to avoid a situation where these drugs become unavailable in the market and the public is forced to switch to costly alternatives. This is the first time the NPPA — which is known to slash prices of essential and life-saving medicines — is increasing prices in public interest. National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), was established on 29th August 1997 as an independent body (Under ministry of chemical and fertilizer) of experts as per the decision taken by the Cabinet committee in September 1994 while reviewing Drug Policy.
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103RD LCU AMPHIBIOUS SHIP / LCU L-57 The Warship builder GRSE (Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers) delivered 103rd LCU amphibious ship LCU L-57 to Indian Navy. It was the 7th in the series of 8th such vessels being made by GRSE for the Navy. The LCU Mk-IV Class of ships are a further improved version of the Mk-III LCU Vessels, in line with the central Government‘s ‗Make in India‘ initiative.
ABOUT GRSE: Founded – 1884. Headquarters – Kolkata, West Bengal. In1960, it was acquired by the Government of India from Macneill & Barry Limited.
ACCESSIBLE INDIA CAMPAIGN: The deadline for the government‘s Accessible India Campaign (AIC) has been extended to March 2020 due to slow progress. AIC is the nationwide flagship campaign of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The aim of the Campaign is to make a barrier-free and conducive environment for Divyangjans (Persons with Disabilities - PwDs) all over the country. Campaign Launched by the Prime Minister of India on International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3rd December 2015.
BACKGROUND Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 categorically provided for non-discrimination in transport and in the built environment. It needs to be noted that the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 replaced the PwD Act, 1995.
NIRBHAYA FUND – STATUS According to Government data, the States and Union Territories have utilised less than 20% of the budget allocated to them under the Nirbhaya Fund by the Central government between 2015 and 2018. Tamil Nadu used only 3 % (the fund allocated was Rs 190.68 crore and utilisation Rs 6 crore). The fund is created by Ministry of Finance in 2013 with a corpus of Rs 1000 crore. It is aimed at enhancing the safety and security for women in the country. It is being monitored by Empowered Committee of Officers under Secretary of Women and Child Development Ministry.
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BREAST MILK BANKS: Breast Milk Banks are established under ―National Guidelines on Establishment of Lactation Management Centres in Public Health Facilities‖ by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Under the guidelines, Breast Milk Banks follow a structural hierarchy, which can be simplified as Comprehensive Lactation Management Centre It is established for the purpose of collecting, screening, processing, storing and distributing donor human milk at Government Medical Colleges or District Hospitals with high delivery load and availability of newborn treatment units.
LACTATION MANAGEMENT UNIT: It has a collection and storage facility of mother‘s own milk in District Hospital/Sub-district Hospital with at least 12 beds.
LACTATION SUPPORT UNITS: These are established at all delivery points to provide breastfeeding support, lactation counselling and Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) support to mothers.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CELL FOR COAL MINING: The Ministry of Coal has decided to establish a ‗Sustainable Development Cell (SDC)‘ in order to promote environmentally sustainable coal mining in the country. The Cell envisages to provide a better environment to people working and residing in the vicinity of Mines.
ROLE OF THE SDC It will advise, mentor, plan and monitor the mitigation measures taken by the coal companies for maximising the utilisation of available resources in a sustainable way, minimising the adverse impact of mining and mitigating it for further ecosystem services and will act as nodal point at Ministry of Coal level in this matter. It will also monitor the effective utilisation of the Mine Closure Fund and environment budgets of different coal companies. The SDC will focus on land amelioration and afforestation, air quality, emission and noise management, mine water management, sustainable overburden management, sustainable mine tourism, planning and monitoring.
GOVERNMENT INSTANT MESSAGING SYSTEM (GIMS): Government Instant Messaging System (GIMS) is a prototype of an Indian equivalent of popular messaging platforms, such as WhatsApp and Telegram for secure internal use.
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GIMS seeks to replace existing platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal which are being used by a majority of government departments and organisations. It will be used by employees of Central and state government departments and organisations for secure intra and inter organisation communications. It employs end-to-end encryption for one-to-one messaging. The server hosting GIMS is installed within the country and the information stored would be in the government-based cloud — NIC-operated data centres that are only meant for use by the government and its departments. GIMS Portal will administer and monitor the working of an app. Besides, one-to-one messaging and group messaging, it also provides for documents and media sharing in keeping with the hierarchies in the government system. GIMS is designed and developed by the Kerala unit of National Informatics Centre (NIC).
CII HAS ORGANIZED “STEELING INDIA-2019”: On December 16, 2019, the Confederation of Indian Industry organized ―Steeling India 2019‖ conference, a drive to increase metal intensity in key sectors. The session focused on key industries namely automobile, infrastructure, railway, water, irrigation and housing. It discussed the strategies to promote steel intensive structures and to augment steel consumption. Steel producers, consumers and policy advisors attended the conference. The conference developed a road map to increase steel intensity in key sectors. It also brought in strategies to mitigate supply chain issues in the steel sector.
ARMS (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2019: The Arms (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was passed by the both houses of parliament. The Bill seeks to amend the Arms Act, 1959. License for acquiring firearms: Under the Act, a license must be obtained to acquire, possess, or carry any firearm. The Bill reduces the number of permitted firearms from three to one. The Bill also increases the duration of the validity of a firearm license from three years to five years. Ban on firearms: The Bill prohibits procuring un-licensed firearms, and the conversion of one category of firearms to another without a license. It also allows members of rifle clubs or associations to use any firearm for target practice instead of only point 22 bore rifles or air rifles. Increase in punishment: The Bill increases the punishment to imprisonment between seven and 14 years for carrying of prohibited ammunition without a license. New offences: The Bill adds following news offences – Forcefully taking a firearm from police or armed forces: This is punishable with imprisonment between 10 years and life imprisonment
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Celebratory gunfire which endangers safety of others: This is punishable with imprisonment of up to two years, or fine of up to one lakh rupees, or both. Tracking of firearms: The central government may make rules to track firearms and ammunition from manufacturer to purchaser to detect, investigate, and analyse illicit manufacturing and trafficking.
THE CONSTITUTION (126TH AMENDMENT) BILL, 2019 This bill was introduced in Lok Sabha by the Minister of Law and Justice, Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad. It was unanimously passed by both houses. The reservation given to SCs, STs and the Anglo-Indian community for the past 70 years is to end on January 25, 2020 The 126th Constitution Amendment Bill seeks to extend by 10 yearsreservation to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Lok Sabha and the Assemblies The reservation has been included in Article 334 and therefore the bill seeks to amend the article. Article 334 lays down that the provisions for reservation of seats and special representation of Anglo- Indians, SC and ST will cease after 40 years. The clause was included in 1949. After 40 years, it is being amended with an extension of 10 years. A similar reservation for the Anglo-Indian community in Lok Sabha and state assemblies is not being extended, as per the provisions of the bill. According to Law Minster, there are only 296 members of the Anglo-Indian community in India.
THE 37TH NATIONAL SYMPOSIUM OF HEADS OF POLICE TRAINING INSTITUTIONS: The 37th National Symposium of Heads of Police Training Institutions was organized by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) in New Delhi. The theme of the symposium was ‗Optimal Utilization of Resources - Through Sharing and Networking.
PHASE III OF PRADHAN MANTRI GRAM SADAK YOJANA LAUNCHED: On December 18, 2019, Union Minister of Rural Development, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar launched the third phase of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. The third phase aims at consolidation of 1,25,000 km of connectivity that primarily aiming at rural links connecting Gramin Agricultural Markets. The funding pattern is set between the centre and state as 60:40. In the north-eastern states it is set as 90:10. Under the scheme, so far 53,491 rural road works have been completed under the scheme. This connects 97.27% of feasible habitations and adds up to 6 lakh kilometres of roads across the country.
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PRADHAN MANTRI GRAM SADAK YOJANA The scheme was launched in 2000. It was completely funded by the central government. In 2015, under the recommendation of the 14th finance commission, the project was funded by both centre and state in the ratio 60:40. GST Council: Votes for first time to tax all lotteries at 28%: GST Council broke its tradition of taking decision by consensus and for first time voted for a proposal to tax all lotteries at a uniform rate at 28% (21-7 in favour). The GST Council is a constitutional body established under Article 279A of Indian Constitution The GST Council is chaired by the Union Finance Minister. Its other members are the Union State Minister of Revenue or Finance and Ministers in-charge of Finance or Taxation of all the States.
VOTING RIGHTS Centre: One third of total votes cast States: Two-thirds of the total votes cast (Each state, big or small, will have equal vote) For any proposal to be cleared by the council, it has to get 75 per cent of the vote.
AMRUT EXTENDED BY 2 YEARS: On December 18, 2019, the Government of India extended the deadline of its flagship scheme AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) by two more years. The mission was launched in 2015 by PM Modi promising 139 lakh water connections and 145 lakh sewer connections by March 2020. The expenditure of the mission was estimated as Rs 77,640 crores.
AMRUT SCHEME After its launch, Rajasthan was the first state to submit its State Annual Action Plan (SAAP). The plan is submitted by the state governments to the centre. With the help of the plan the centre formulates city level estimation of budget required to avail water supply, draining system, sewerages, digital and internet facilities, industrial and transport facilities, etc.
INDO – US 2+2 DIALOGUE: India and the US have recently concluded second 2+2 ministerial dialogue in Washington. Several landmark agreements in both defence and Civilian sectors were signed.
INDUSTRIAL SECURITY ANNEX (ISA) ISA to the General Security Of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) will provide a framework for exchange and protection of classified military information between the U.S. and Indian defence industries. Peacekeeping for Indo-Pacific
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Cooperation in capacity-building of UN peacekeepers from Indo-Pacific countries, based on demands from the countries concerned.
TIGER TRIUMPH EXERCISE To hold the India-U.S. joint tri-services ‗Tiger Triumph‘ on an annual basis. The first edition was held in November 2019 as a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise. Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) The CDRI was launched at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York, USA in September 2019. It is headquartered in New Delhi, India. The US is now part of it.
WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Ministry of Jal Shakti and the U.S. Geological Survey to promote technical cooperation in water resources management and water technology.
SPACE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS (SSA) Cooperation for exchange of information including space debris and space traffic management. It ensures navigational safety of our space assets. Young Innovators Internship Programme (YIIP) Create internship opportunities in key areas of science and economy. New opportunities for young entrepreneurs.
„2+2‟ DIALOGUE It is a format of dialogue where the defense and foreign ministers or secretaries meet with their counterparts from another country. 2+2 Ministerial is the highest-level institutional mechanism between the two countries. India holds such talks with Australia, at the foreign secretary and defense secretary level but with Japan and the US at the ministerial level. With the US this was the second 2+2 meeting (Washington), first was held in New Delhi in September 2018. US holds such ministerial dialogues with Australia and Japan also.
ICG ORGANISED 18TH NATIONAL MARITIME SEARCH AND RESCUE BOARD MEETING: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) organised 18th National Maritime Search and Rescue Board (NMSARB) meeting in New Delhi.
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The annual meeting was held to discuss policy issues, formulate guidelines & procedures as well as assess the efficacy of National Search and Rescue Plan (NSRP). The apex-level meeting was chaired by Director General Indian Coast Guard and Chairman NMSARB K Natarajan. It was attended by 48 Board members from various ministries, agencies, all Coastal States & Union Territories (UTs). Indian Coast Guard, under the Ministry of Defence, is India‘s nodal agency for Maritime Search and Rescue.
SWACHCHH SAMUNDRA NW-2019: The Indian Coast Guard conducted a 2-day regional level pollution response exercise named ‗Swachchh Samundra NW-2019‗ at sea off Vadinar in Gulf of Kutch. The aim of the exercise was to create a response mechanism by taking actions for oil pollution incidents.
SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES India has emerged as the world's third largest publisher of science and engineering articles, according to a latest US report. China accounts for 20.67 per cent of all global publications in scientific articles. China is at the top position. China is followed by the US at 16.54 per cent. It was as per the statistics compiled by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) India now accounts for 5.31 per cent of the total world publications in science and engineering.
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR NEXT GENERATION TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS: The National Rail Transport Institute (NRTI) has signed an MoU with the University of Birmingham to set up its first Centre of Excellence for Next Generation Transportation Systems. This Centre will be involved in promoting development of the Rail and Transportation sector in India which include training programmes for in-service professionals and undertaking joint research projects in areas such as signalling, communication, asset maintenance etc. Indian Railways is a founding partner of this centre.
EChO NETWORK EChO Network is a collaborative effort of the Government of India, industry and academia. Krishnasamy VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Govt of India launched a national program called ―EChO Network‖ in New Delhi. EChO Network is a national program to provide a template for cross-disciplinary leadership related to ecology and environment.
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NAGPUR RESOLUTION FOR EMPOWERING CITIZENS: Recently, the ‗Nagpur Resolution- A Holistic Approach for Empowering Citizens‘ was adopted during the session on ‗Improving Public Service Delivery – Role of Governments‘, in Nagpur, Maharashtra. The conference was organised by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Government of India, in collaboration with the Government of Maharashtra and the Maharashtra State Commission for Right to Public Services. The emphasis of the government is on Minimum Government, Maximum Governance to promote transparency, citizen centricity and participation. For good governance, Shillong Declaration and Jammu Resolution have been adopted earlier. DARPG organised the conference in Jammu after the formation of J&K and Ladakh as Union Territories.
NATIONAL WORKSHOP ON ACCESSIBLE ELECTIONS 2019 Election Commission of India has organized National Workshop on Accessible Elections 2019 in New Delhi. Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora has released a booklet named, ‗Crossing the Barriers – I Got Inked‘ during the workshop. It also witnessed the release of ―Accessibility Report 2019‖. It is a document underscored the work is done so far, recent initiatives, and recommendations from all States/UTs (Union Territories) and various stakeholders.
GOOD GOVERNANCE INDEX: Latest edition of the ‗Good Governance Index‘ has been launched on the occasion of ‗Good Governance Day‘.
BACKGROUND: Good Governance Day is observed on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee (25th December). It was observed for the first time in 2014.
GOOD GOVERNANCE INDEX (GGI): It is a tool to assess the status of governance and the impact of various interventions taken up by the State Government and UTs. The states and UTs are divided into three groups — big states, north-east and hill states, and Union territories.
KEY FINDINGS OF THE FIRST GGI REPORT: Top performers among the big states: Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. The bottom six states are Odisha, Bihar, Goa, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.
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Among the North-East & Hill States: Top 3 states are Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Tripura. The bottom 3 states are Meghalaya, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. Pondicherry leads among the UTs followed closely by Chandigarh with Delhi bagging the third spot. Lakshadweep is at the bottom among the UTs.
SECTOR-WISE RANKING: In the environment sector: The top three states are West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The bottom 3 states are Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Goa. Judicial and public security ranking: West Bengal is at the bottom two in the judicial and public security ranking. Tamil Nadu tops the chart here. Economic governance: Karnataka is at the top under the economic governance category. Health: Kerala is at the top in the public health sector. Public Infrastructure and Utilities: Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh have topped their respective categories Social Welfare and Development Sector: Chhattisgarh has topped among big states Tamilnadu at a glance Environment (3) Human resource development (5) Economic governance (5) Social welfare and development (7) Agriculture and allied sectors (9) Commerce and industries (14).
NATIONAL POPULATION REGISTER: The National Population Register (NPR) updation exercise will be undertaken alongside Census 2021. It will be conducted by the Office of the Registrar General of India (RGI) under the Home Ministry. Only Assam will not be included, because it recently completed National Register of Citizens (NRC). The NPR database would contain demographic as well as biometric details. As per the provisions of the NPR, a Resident Identity Card (RIC) will be issued to individuals over the age of 18. It aims to create a comprehensive identity database of every usual resident in the country. It is being prepared at the local (Village/sub-Town), sub-District, District, State and National level under provisions of the Citizenship Act 1955 and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.
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ATAL BHUJAL YOJANA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY) in New Delhi. The Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY) is a central sector scheme worth Rs.6,000 crore for sustainable management of groundwater with community participation. It envisages people's participation through the formation of ‗Water User Associations‘, water budgeting, preparation & implementation of Gram-panchayat-wise water security plans, etc. It is being implemented by the Ministry of Jal Shakti (earlier known as Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation). The scheme is being funded by the Government of India and the World Bank on 50:50 basis. The identified over-exploited and water-stressed areas for the implementation of the scheme are Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The States have been selected according to the degree of groundwater exploitation and degradation, established legal and regulatory instruments, institutional readiness, and experience in implementing initiatives related to groundwater management. The implementation period for plan is from 2020 to 2025.
BURDEN OF MENTAL DISORDERS ACROSS THE STATES OF INDIA: GLOBAL BURDEN OF DISEASE STUDY 1990-2017‟ It has been conducted by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI). Prevalence of depressive disorders was highest in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and Telangana in the high Socio- demographic index (SDI) State group and Andhra Pradesh in the middle SDI State group. One in every seven Indians were affected by mental disorders of varying severity in 2017. The higher prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders in southern States could be related to the higher levels of modernisation and urbanisation in these States.
DOLPHIN‟S NOSE: JOINT OPERATION TO CRACKDOWN ON ESPIONAGE RACKET: In a joint operation with the Naval Intelligence and Central Intelligence Agencies, the Andhra Pradesh police have arrested seven navy personnel who have been allegedly involved in espionage. The Eastern Naval Command headquarters is based in Visakhapatnam and aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya is based in Karwar.
INDIA‟S FIRST TRANSGENDER UNIVERSITY TO COME UP IN UP: India‘s first university for transgender community will be opened in Fazilnagar block of Kushinagar district in Uttar Pradesh. It is the first of its kind University in country, where transgender community members will be able to get education. The university is being built by Akhil Bhartiya Kinnar Siksha Seva Trust (All-India transgender education service trust).
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The university will facilitate its members to study right from class 1 to Post Graduate (PG) and even do research and get PhD degree. Members of the transgender community will get education and will be able to give a new direction to the country. From 15 January 2020, two children who are brought up by community members will get admission and from February and March 2020 other classes will start.
UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION The Union Cabinet has given its approval to the ratification of the Tenth Additional Protocol to the Constitution of the Universal Postal Union (UPU). UPU also oversees the Telematics and Express Mail Service (EMS) cooperatives. Established by the Treaty of Bern of 1874. It is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN). Headquarters are located in Bern, Switzerland.
CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF: The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has approved the creation of a chief of defence staff (CDS). He will be the single-point military adviser to the government as suggested by the Kargil Review Committee in 1999. CDS oversees and coordinates the working of the three Services. He will be a Four-star General. Not eligible to hold any Government office after demitting the office of CDS. No private employment without prior approval for a period of five years after demitting the office of CDS. CDS oversees and coordinates the working of the three Services.
FOUR STAR RANK The four-star rank of an officer in India is given to 5 officers. It includes Admiral of Indian Navy, Air Chief Marshal of Indian Air Force, General of Indian Army and Director of Intelligence Bureau. Composition of Cabinet Committee on Security. o Prime Minister as its Head o Minister of Defence o Minister of Home Affairs o Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs o Minister of External Affairs
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GOVERNMENT TO LAUNCH DIGITAL RADIO BY 2024: Central government is planning to revamp All India Radio officially known as Akashvani by introducing Digital Radio in India by 2024. This announcement was made by Union Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Prakash Javadekar at the annual Akashvani Awards function held in New Delhi.
ALL INDIA RADIO It is officially known since 1956 as Akashvani, is the national public radio broadcaster of India and is a division of Prasar Bharati. It was founded on 1930.
DIGITAL VILLAGE GURUWARA In another big step towards Digital India plan, the central government will provide free WiFi till March 2020 to all villages connected through the BharatNet broadband service.
KEY POINTS: At present there are around 48,000 villages connected through the BharatNet project have WiFi access. The Ministry has already connected one lakh 30 thousand gram panchayats through Bharatnet. The target is to take this to 2.5 lakh gram panchayats. It will provide WiFi free in all villages connected through BharatNet till March 2020. The target of the government is to convert at least 15% of villages to the digital village in the next four years.
ABOUT BHARATNET PROJECT: This initiative was launched in the year 2011. It is being implemented by the Ministry of Telecommunications. Under the initiative, 100 Mbps speed internet were to be provided to the estimated Gram Panchayats. The aim is to increase their speed to around 2 to 20 Mbps in the future to all households in rural areas. The project is a National Optical Fibre Network project. This is seen as a major initiative in order to succeed Digital India.
MANUAL SCAVENGING DATA As per the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, as many as 282 people have died while cleaning sewers and septic tanks in the country between 2016 and November 2019. Among the States, Tamil Nadu has recorded 40 deaths, the highest in number, in these four years. This is followed by Haryana with 31 deaths, and Gujarat and Delhi with 30 deaths each. The Parliament had enacted the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 which came in force from December 6, 2013.
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FIRST TRIAL RUN OF DOUBLE STACK TRAIN: On December 28, 2019, a trial run of the first freight train was conducted in the western dedicated freight corridor. The train was flagged off by Dedicated Freight Corporation India Limited (DFCIL). The train will be operated in the Rewari-Madar Section in Haryana and Rajasthan states. DFCIL is currently running freight trains at speed of 75 kilometre per hour. The speed is to be increased to 100 kilometre per hour. The double stack train is currently run only in countries such as China, Brazil, Australia, Canada, USA, Russia, South Africa, Sweden and Norway. The 1,504-km western freight corridor begins at Dadri in Uttar Pradesh and stretches till the country‘s largest container port — Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, near Mumbai Passing through Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The corridor was funded byJapan International Cooperation Agency.
EAT RIGHT MELA The Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the 2nd edition of Eat Right Mela in New Delhi. The Union Minister launched ‗The PURPLE Book‘ a handbook on diets for diseases He also launched NetSCoFAN (Network for Scientific Co-operation for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition). Eat Right India movement was launched by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in 2018 under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
INDIA‟S FIRST TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT PROJECT: Union Home Minister Amit Shah laid the foundation stone for country‘s first transit-oriented development (TOD) project in New Delhi. Under the TOD project a state-of-the-art infrastructure zone, including national capital‘s tallest tower, will be built in east Delhi. The project- ‗East Delhi Hub‘ at Karkardooma (in New Delhi), spreading over 30 ha, will come up in next 3.5 years. The hub will be developed around existing two Delhi Metro stations at Karkardooma (on Blue and Pink Lines). Besides a 48-storey signature tower that will come up in first phase of project, the hub will also include a massive open landscaped green area.
STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC STATISTICS CONSTITUTED: On December 28, 2019, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation constituted standing committee on statistics. The objective of the committee is to improve data of the government. The committee will be headed by Chief Statistician Pronab Sen. There are around 28 members forming the committee. The committee is being formed over the criticism of ―political interference‖ in statistical data.
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The committee will subsume in it the four standing committees on o Labour force statistics, o Industrial statistics, o Services sector, Unincorporated sector enterprises
HORNBILL FESTIVAL: The 20th Edition of Hornbill Festival began at Naga Heritage Kisama in Nagaland this evening. Venue: It is held at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama which is about 12 km from Kohima in Nagaland. Duration: It is annually held from 1 - 10 December. Background: The first festival was held in 2000. Organizers: It is organized by the State Tourism and Art & Culture Departments of the Government of Nagaland. Objective: To encourage inter-tribal interaction and to promote cultural heritage of Nagaland.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF FESTIVAL: Festival highlights include the traditional Naga Morungs exhibition and the sale of arts and crafts, food stalls, song and dance shows, indigenous games etc. One of the major highlights of this festival is the Hornbill International Rock Festival where local and international rock bands perform.
30TH EDITION OF KONARK FESTIVAL & INTERNATIONAL SAND ART FESTIVAL: The 5-day Konark Sun Temple annual festival and international sand art festival program is being held from 1 to 5 Dec at Chandrabhaga Beach in Odisha. It is a remarkable cultural event held by the Orissa Tourism Department. It showcases the best of India‘s traditional and classical dance forms, besides offering interesting insights into the rich cultural heritage of the country. The theme of the festival is based on eco-tourism, women empowerment, and no to plastic and heritage.
ASSAM GOVT. SETS UP ANTI DEPREDATION SQUADS TO AVOID HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICTS: The state government of Assam has set up 15 Anti-Depredation Squads of Forest department to deal with human-wildlife conflicts in state. The squads would help Forest Department to reduce casualties in conflict situations. These squads will be stationed in 15 major human-wildlife conflict districts of Assam to deal with problem and ensure the safety of both humans and animals. They will be equipped with all logistics required for mitigating conflict and will have 12 bore pump action guns and rubber bullet ammunition.
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MADHUAPP: ODISHA GOVT. LAUNCHES SMART LEARNING MOBILE APPLICATION: Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha has launched a smart learning phone application ‗MadhuApp‘ for school children. This app is aims to help school students in learning their lessons via videos and tutorials. The app is named after ‗Utkala‘ Gouraba‘ Madhusudan Das, the first graduate and advocate of Odisha.
DARJEELING GREEN TEA & WHITE TEA RECEIVE GI TAG: Two tea varieties of Darjeeling were registered under ―Geographical Indication of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999‖. It includes Green Tea and White Tea of Darjeeling. India enacted the GI of Goods act, 2009 as a member of WTO and as a signatory of TRIPS agreement.
DRAJ BRIDGE FOR ALL-WEATHER CONNECTIVITY INAUGURATED IN J&K‟S RAJOURI: Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Girish Chandra Murmu, inaugurated Draj Bridge in Rajouri, J&K. It is an important bridge for the military as well as for socio-economic development of J&K‘s Rajouri District as a whole. This bridge will facilitate all-weather and speedy movement of Army troops and locals.
ABOUT DRAJ BRIDGE It is a 72-metre-long Multi Cell Box Type Load Class 70 bridge. The bridge spans over Draj nallah and connects Draj Area with Tehsil Kotranka area under District Rajouri and is constructed to bear heavy load up to 70 tons. The upgradation of existing causeway with National Highway specifications was essential as it is on important line of communication.
PAIKA MEMORIAL IN ODISHA President Ram Nath Kovind recently laid the foundation of a memorial dedicated to the 1817 Paika Rebellion. Paika memorial is to mark 200 years of the Paika Rebellion. It will come up at Barunei Hill in Odisha‘s Khurda district.
ABOUT PAIKA REBELLION Paikas under the leadership of Baxi Jagabandhu, the hereditary chief of the militia army of the Gajapati King of Khurda (a kingdom near Puri), rose in rebellion in March 1817. It was an uprising against colonial rule that predates the rebellion of the sepoys in 1857.
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DISHA BILL, 2019: The AP Legislative Assembly has passed the Andhra Pradesh Disha Act, 2019 (Andhra Pradesh Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2019). It aims to reduce the judgment period to 21 days from existing judgement period of 4 months. It provides exclusive punishment of death penalty for rape crimes. It provides life imprisonment for sexual offences against children under the POCSO Act, 2012. It Introduces women and children offender‘s registry to public – First state in India.
MILITARY LITERATURE FESTIVAL ORGANISED IN CHANDIGARH: The third edition of coveted Military Literature Festival (MLF) is being held from 13 to 15 December at UT Lake Club, Chandigarh. The military literature extravaganza was inaugurated by Punjab Governor and UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore. The festival would bring together the finest men from battle grounds and literary fields to discuss watershed of information on defence issues. The Fest was led by Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh with discussions in various aspects of military and sharing his experiences of serving country in armed forces.
GUJARAT POLICE HONOURED WITH PRESIDENT‟S COLOURS: The Gujarat police was presented the ‗President‘s Colours‘ by Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu at a ceremony held in Karai Police Academy in Gandhi Nagar on 15 December 2019. The presentation of Presidents Colors was recognition of tireless, longstanding and meritorious service, gallantry and dedication of the Gujarat Police to the nation. It is the highest honour bestowed upon a police force in recognition of their invaluable contribution to society. President‘s Colours also called as ‗Nishaan‘.
TRIPURA‟S FIRST SEZ IN SABROOM: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has notified the setting up of the first ever Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Tripura on December 16, 2019. The estimated investment in the project will be around 1550 Crore. The developer of the SEZ will be Tripura Industrial Development Corporation (TIDC) Ltd. The SEZ is estimated to generate 12,000 skilled jobs. Rubber based industries, textile and Apparel Industries, bamboo and Agri-food Processing Industries will be set-up in the SEZ.
UTTRAKHAND HOSTED 11TH REGIONAL QUALITY CONCLAVE: The 11th Regional Quality Conclave (RQC) organized on 20 December 2019 at Rudrapur, district Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand.
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ABOUT 11TH REGIONAL QUALITY CONCLAVE Theme of Conclave ‗Rudrapur RQC‘: ‗Advance Manufacturing with Quality, Innovation & Technology Interventions.‘
CONCLAVE OBJECTIVE: To create awareness about significance of quality culture in businesses. To deliberate on how organizations could continuously innovate, improve and share technological advancement such as Industry 4.0 and predictive maintenance. National Tribal Dance Festival to be held in Raipur from December 27 Chhattisgarh held its first National Tribal Dance Festival in Raipur between Dec 27 to 29. All the states and neighbouring countries are being invited to this festival. Around 2,500 dancers performed at the event. The festival showcased traditional tribal dances performed on weddings, crop harvesting, festivals, and on other occasions.
LOSAR FESTIVAL The Union Territory of Ladakh celebrated Losar Festival to mark the Ladakhi or Tibetan New Year. Losar festival, which has its origin in 15th century, is also observed in all Himalayan states of country but in different times.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
INDIA HOSTED THE WORLD CUSTOMS ORGANIZATION (WCO) ASIA PACIFIC REGIONAL CONTACT POINTS (RCP): India hosted the World Customs Organization (WCO) Asia Pacific Regional Contact Points (RCP) at Puducherry. The conference is being held for the fourth time in India. Previously it was held in Jaipur and Cochin. The World Customs Organization is an inter-governmental Organization that is involved in setting up principles and standards especially for cross border procedures and customs. The headquarters of WCO is located in Brussels.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON “LANDSLIDES RISK REDUCTION AND RESILIENCE: The National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) organized the 1st International Conference on ―Landslides Risk Reduction and Resilience" on 28th November, 2019 in New Delhi. The aim was to bring together all stakeholders including relevant ministries, universities, as well as experts to discuss/debate/disseminate practically useful knowledge, experiences, information and innovations for landslides risk reduction and resilience at national and international levels.
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NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT NIDM comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs and is located in New Delhi. Under the Disaster Management Act 2005, NIDM has been assigned nodal responsibilities for human resource development, capacity building, training, research, documentation and policy advocacy in the field of disaster management.
SAUDI ARABIA BECOMES FIRST ARAB NATION TO HEAD G20: Recently, Saudi Arabia became the first Arab nation to take over the G20 Presidency on December 1, 2019. It has taken over from Japan and it will host the G20 Summit in its capital, Riyadh on November 21 and 22, 2020. The theme of Summit- "Realising Opportunities of the 21st Century for All". The three key aims of the G20 Presidency, 2020 are: o Empowering People by creating the conditions in which all people mainly women and youth can live, work and thrive. o Safeguarding the Planet by fostering collective efforts to protect our global common-pool resources. o Shaping New Frontiers by adopting long-term and bold strategies to share the benefits of innovation and technological advancement. The G20 is an informal group of 19 countries and the European Union, with representatives of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The G20 membership comprises a mix of the world‘s largest advanced and emerging economies, representing about two-thirds of the world‘s population, 85% of global gross domestic product, 80% of global investment and over 75% of global trade.
HEADQUARTER The G20 operates as a forum and not as an organisation. Therefore, it does not have any permanent secretariat or management and administrative structure.
RARE BUDDHA STATUE AT PAKISTAN The Islamabad Museum has put on display a rare statue of Buddha‘s head after retrieving it from its reserves. The artefact was excavated in the 1960s and it was last displayed in a museum in 1997.
POWER OF SIBERIA: Recently China and Russia have inaugurated cross border gas pipeline named ―Power of Siberia‖. It is the first cross-border gas pipeline between Russia and China.
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Under this pipeline project, Russia will deliver 1 trillion cubic meters of natural gas to China over the next 30 years. The pipeline will pass through the deltas of the Yangtze and Amur rivers of China. The new pipeline is an emblem of closer energy integration in Eurasia, with Russia and China as the key partners.
GLOBAL MIGRATION FILM FESTIVAL (GMFF): This year the Global Migration Film Festival (GMFF) is being organised across many cities in the world including Dhaka between 28 November to 18 December. The Global Migration Film Festival (GMFF) was launched by the International Organisation of Migrants (IOM) in 2016. GMFF features films and documentaries that capture the promise and challenges of migration, and the unique contributions that migrants make to their new communities.
INSTEX BARTER MECHANISM: Six Countries - Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have recently joined INSTEX.
KEY POINTS A trade mechanism ‗Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX)‘ was established by France, Germany and the United Kingdom in January 2019 to allow European entities to maintain trade with Iran. The mechanism has been designed to circumvent U.S. sanctions against trade with Iran by avoiding the use of the dollar. The United States imposed sanctions, after it withdrew from Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in 2018. This Paris-based mechanism functions as a clearing house allowing Iran to continue to sell oil and import other products or services in exchange. The mechanism represents continuing commitment of France, Germany and the UK to the JCPOA. It has been seen that the system has not yet enabled any transactions.
PACIFIC AIR CHIEFS SYMPOSIUM 2019 (PACS 2019) Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria, the Chief of Air Staff represented India at the PACS 2019.The theme for this year‘s symposium is ‗A Collaborative Approach to Regional Security‘. The meet was hosted by the USA at Joint Base Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
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PM MODI AND PRESIDENT OF MALDIVES JOINTLY INAUGURATE FOUR KEY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN MALDIVES: The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the President of Maldives, Ibrahim Mohammed Saleh jointly inaugurated four important development projects in the Maldives through video conference. These four projects include – Three Fish Processing plants, Launch of RuPay card in the Maldives, Lighting up of Male with LED lights and Fast Interceptor Craft given to the Maldives.
2019 NATO SUMMIT The United Kingdom hosted 2019 NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Summit in London. The year 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the summit. It was attended by NATO leaders and chaired by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The 2018 NATO summit was held in Brussels, Belgium.
ABOUT NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION: It is an intergovernmental military alliance. Established by Washington treaty . Treaty that was signed on 4 April 1949. Headquarters — Brussels, Belgium. Headquarters of Allied Command Operations — Mons, Belgium. Significance: It constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its independent member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party.
GLOBAL DIPLOMACY INDEX 2019: The 2019 Global Diplomacy Index was released by Sydney-based Lowy Institute. The index gives the latest statistics and marking about how the world‘s diplomatic networks are expanding and, in certain cases, shrinking. The index ranked 61 countries across the world.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT China now has more diplomatic posts across the world than the US, a marker of its growing international clout and ambition. China overtook the US in 2019 with 276 embassies and consulates worldwide, which is three more than the US. China‘s expansion in worldwide diplomatic presence has come partly at the expense of Taiwan, a self- governing democracy. The next three spots are occupied by France, Japan, and Russia. India is 12th among the 61 countries. India has 123 embassies and high commissions and 54 consulates globally. Taiwan saw the biggest drop in diplomatic posts, down from 22 embassies in 2016 to 15 this year.
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MALAYSIA RECORDS FIRST POLIO CASE IN 27 YEARS: Malaysia has reported the first case of Polio in 27 years, when a three-month-old Malaysian infant boy was diagnosed with polio. The last polio case in Asia-Pacific country occurred in 1992, and in 2000, after which the country was declared polio-free.
ABOUT POLIO OR POLIOMYELITIS It is a potentially deadly infectious disease caused by poliovirus. It can cause paralysis by invading a person‘s brain and spinal cord. So far, the disease has no cure and can only be prevented through vaccination. There are 3 serotypes of wild poliovirus: type 1, type 2, and type 3. Each type has slightly different capsid protein.
INDIA & AUSTRALIA HOLD THIRD 2+2 DIALOGUE IN NEW DELHI: The third India-Australia Secretary-level 2+2 dialogue was held on 9 December 2019 in New Delhi. The Indian side was led by Defense Secretary Ajay Kumar and Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale, while its counterpart delegation was led by Australia‘s Defense Secretary Greg Moriarty and Foreign Secretary Frances Adamson. Currently, apart from Australia, India has a 2+2 ministerial mechanism with the US and Japan.
PORTS OF CALL - BETWEEN INDIA AND BANGLADESH: The Minister of State for Shipping has informed that under the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWT&T) between India and Bangladesh. Mongla and Chattogram (Both in Bangladesh) have been declared as Ports of Call under ―Coastal Shipping Agreement‖ between India & Bangladesh. Port of call means an intermediate stop for a ship on its scheduled journey for cargo operation or taking on supplies or fuel. Under the PIWT&T between India and Bangladesh, there are 6 existing Ports of Call in the two countries on Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) route.
39TH GCC SUMMIT: 39th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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GCC summit took place amid a rift between member states due to the blockade of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since June 2017, the war in Yemen, diplomatic crisis over Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's assassination.
GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL The GCC is a political and economic alliance of countries in the Arabian Peninsula. It was established in 1981 to foster socioeconomic, security, and cultural cooperation. Members of GCC: United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait.
WORLD‟S NEW NATION: BOUGAINVILLE GAINS INDEPENDENCE FROM PAPUA NEW GUINEA: On December 11, 2019, the South Pacific Archipelago of Bougainville voted to become independent of Papua New Guinea. Around 98% of 1,81,067 voters voted to get independent from Papua New Guinea. It is the largest island of the Solomon Islands Archipelago. The island has the world‘s largest copper deposits. The most widely spoken language in the country is Halia. The Panguna mine (also known as the Bougainville Copper Mine) holds some of the world‘s largest reserves of copper. The most widely spoken language in the country is Halia.
UK ELECTIONS 2019 : British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservatives party has won an outright majority in the House of Commons (Lower House) in the British Parliament (365 out of 650). The labour party under Jeremy Corbyn suffered major losses since the 1935 general election (202 out of 650). Arecord 15 Indian-origin politicians entered the UK's House of Commons (UK's lower house). It was UK's third general election since 2015 - and the first to be held in December for almost 100 years.
UNESCO- MGIEP ORGANIZED THE TECH 2019 IN VISHAKHAPATNAM : UNESCO-Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), Andhra Pradesh govt and Ministry of Human Resources Development have jointly organized the 3rd edition of Transforming Education Conference for Humanity (TECH) 2019 at Visakhapatnam. Purpose – To discuss the importance of sports and digital education in establishing a peaceful and sustainable society. The discussions will be held on three themes – Transformative Pedagogies for Social and Emotional Learning (SEL); Reimagining Learning Spaces for Planetary Citizenship & Data, Learning & Education – Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Vizag declaration on ‗Guidelines for Digital Learning‘ was also focused on this event.
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UN CLIMATE SUMMIT CONCLUDES: The longest climate talks in the history of United Nations that was held in Madrid, Spain, ended on December 15, 2019. The climate summit ended without crucial agreement on carbon market rules of the Paris Agreement. The key issues that was aimed to get resolved at the summit was the regulation of carbon market. Carbon market puts prices on carbon dioxide emission. However, no conclusion was reached and the issue is to be taken at the next summit to be held at Glasgow in 2020. The summit failed to reach an agreement on the implementation of Article 6 of Paris Agreement. The United Nations Environment Programme released o Emission Gap Report at the summit o It warns that the Earth‘s average temperature may rise by 3.2 degrees Celsius by 2100. o The report of Global Carbon Project (GCP) GCP established in 2001 seeks to quantify global carbon emissions and their causes. The Presidency of the summit, Chile (though summit was held at Madrid, Spain), launched the Climate Ambition Alliance (CAA). The CAA will focus on Nationally Determined Contributions in order to achieve Net Zero by 2050.
GLOBAL GENDER GAP INDEX 2020: WEF: India has been ranked 112th among 153 countries in the annual Global Gender Gap Index for 2020, published by the World Economic Forum (WEF). The WEF published its first gender gap index in 2006.
THE GLOBAL GENDER GAP INDEX BENCHMARKS 153 COUNTRIES ON THEIR PROGRESS TOWARDS GENDER PARITY IN FOUR DIMENSIONS: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival and Political Empowerment The Index aims to serve as a compass to track progress on relative gaps between women and men on health, education, economy and politics. Through this annual yardstick, the stakeholders within each country are able to set priorities relevant in each specific economic, political and cultural context. Over the Index, the highest possible score is 1 (equality) and the lowest possible score is 0 (inequality). Iceland has been the frontrunner on the Global Gender Gap Index for 11 years in a row. It has closed almost 88% of its gender gap, followed by Nordic neighbours Norway, Finland and Sweden. Yemen is ranked the worst (153rd), while Iraq is 152nd and Pakistan 151st.
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INDIA- SPECIFIC FINDINGS India has slipped to the 112th spot from its 108th position in the last edition. India was ranked relatively higher at 98th place in 2006 Report. India has been ranked below countries like China (106th), Sri Lanka (102nd), Nepal (101st), Brazil (92nd), Indonesia (85th) and Bangladesh (50th). Performance on Four Indicators: India has improved to 18th place on political empowerment but it has slipped to 150th on health and survival, to 149th in terms of economic participation and opportunity and to 112th place for educational attainment.
GLOBAL REFUGEE FORUM: Recently, the Global Refugee Forum meeting was held in Geneva, Switzerland. It was the first ever meeting of global refugee forum.
KEY POINTS Global Refugee Forum is a part of UNHCR and is guided by the Global Compacton Refugee. UNHCR was created in 1950, headquartered at Geneva, Switzerland. The compact emerged from the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants in 2016. Eight West African countries rename common currency to Eco: The eight West African nations have agreed to change the name of their common currency from ‗CFA franc‘ to ‗Eco‘, after they jointly severed the CFA franc‘s links to former colonial ruler France. The 8 West African countries namely- Ivory Coast, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Niger, Senegal, Togo and Guinea-Bissau currently use CFA France as their currency.
UNITED STATES-MEXICO-CANADA AGREEMENT (USMCA): The House of Representatives has passed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement — the replacement for NAFTA, or the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement. The new deal includes stronger labor and environmental provisions. American labor groups have backed the new trade deal.
ABOUT UNITED STATES-MEXICO-CANADA AGREEMENT (USMCA): It‘s basically NAFTA 2.0, with major changes on cars and new policies on labor and environmental standards, intellectual property protections, and some digital trade provisions.
THE CHANGES INCLUDE: Country of origin rules: Automobiles must have 75% of their components manufactured in Mexico, the US, or Canada to qualify for zero tariffs (up from 62.5 percent under NAFTA). Labor provisions: 40 to 45 percent of automobile parts have to be made by workers who earn at least $16 an hour by 2023.
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US farmers get more access to the Canadian dairy market: The US got Canada to open up its dairy market to US farmers, which was a big issue for Trump. It also includes new provisions to deal with the digital economy, including prohibiting duties on things like music and e-books, and protections for internet companies so they‘re not liable for content their users produce. Sunset clause: The agreement puts in a 16-year ―sunset‖ clause — meaning the terms of the agreement expire, or ―sunset,‖ after a set period of time.
SPACE FORCE BY USA: Recently, the US President signed the National Defense Authorization Act, 2020 directing the establishment of the U.S. Space Force (USSF) as the sixth branch of the armed forces. The establishment of USSF comes after the launch of a new Pentagon Command named Spacecom earlier in September, 2019.
KEY POINTS The USSF will be the sixth formal force of the U.S. military, after the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard and will be headquartered at the Pentagon. It will comprise of about 16,000 air force and civilian personnel.
OBJECTIVES: Maintaining and enhancing the competitive edge of the Department of Defense (DOD) in space. Developing military space professionals, acquiring military space systems, maturing the military doctrine for space power and organizing space forces, etc. Effectively organizing the defence for US interests in space, especially related to satellites used for navigation and communication.
WHO REPORT ON GLOBAL TOBACCO EPIDEMIC 2019: Recently, the World Health Organization has released a report which projected a powerful shift in the global tobacco epidemic. The shift is reflected in the decline in the overall global tobacco use and the number of people consuming it. Number of males using tobacco: It rose from 1.050 billion in 2000 to 1.093 billion in 2018, however, the report projects a decline in the number of males using tobacco. The number has stopped growing and is projected to decline by more than 1 million (or 1.091 billion) male users by 2020 and 5 million (or 1.087 billion) less by 2025, compared to 2018 levels. Global tobacco use: It declined from 1.397 billion in 2000 to 1.337 billion in 2018.
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IN INDIAN CONTEXT In India, the prevalence of tobacco use (male and female combined) in 2000 was 44% and it is expected to reduce almost by half to 22.3% by 2025. Globally, the prevalence was 33.3% in 2000, and is projected to reach 20.9% in 2025. Current tobacco use rates in India in 2018 for people aged 15 years and older were higher than global rates among both males and females. However, the rates of tobacco smoking were lower than global rates.
EU GREEN DEAL: In the background of the failure of the global community to reach any agreement in the recently concluded COP 25, the European Union (EU) has come up with a climate action plan known as the European Green Deal. The European Union is the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world after China and the United States.
MAJOR DECISIONS UNDER GREEN DEAL: Achieving Climate Neutrality To become ―climate neutral‖ by 2050 and to achieve this, a law will be brought which will be binding on all member countries. The EU is now the first major emitter to agree to the 2050 climate neutrality target laid down in the Paris Agreement. Climate neutrality is achieved when a country‘s emissions are balanced by absorptions and removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. It is also expressed as a state of net-zero emissions. Absorption can be increased by creating more carbon sinks like forests, while removal involves technologies like carbon capture and storage.
HYPERSONIC WEAPONS: RUSSIA BECOMES THE FIRST COUNTRY TO DEPLOY IT: President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is the only country in the world that has hypersonic weapons- weapons that travel faster than Mach5 (~6174kmph) and have the capability to manoeuvre during the entire flight. The first unit equipped with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle is set to go on duty by Dec 2019, while that the air-launched Kinzhal hypersonic missiles already have entered service. Avangardhas an intercontinental range and can fly in the atmosphere at a speed 20 times the speed of sound. Its ability to change both its course and its altitude en route to a target makes it immune to interception by the the enemy.
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UN‟S NEW INTERNATIONAL TREATY ON CYBER CRIME: The United Nations on December 27, 2019, approved a new resolution in order to draft an international treaty to combat cyber crime. Under the new draft, an expert committee will be established. It includes all regions of the world and will meet in August 2020. The Russian drafted resolution was approved by 193 member countries. The United States suggests that the world should expand the accord on existing 2001 Budapest Convention.
BUDAPEST CONVENTION The Budapest Convention was the first ever treaty on cyber crime that addressed internet and computer crimes. It was drawn by Council of Europe. Countries like India and Brazil have not adopted the convention on the grounds that they did not participate in its drafting.
UN INCREASES BUDGET; INCLUDES FUNDS FOR WAR CRIME PROBES: The United Nations has adopted 3.07 billion USD budget on December 27, 2019. The organization for the first time included investigation of war crimes in Myanmar and Syria in its fund allocation. The budget proposal for the year 2020 is slightly greater than that of 2019. In 2019, UN budget was 2.9 billion USD. The increase in the budget is mainly due to inflation, additional missions and exchange rate adjustments. This year the investigation of crimes in Syria, Myanmar has been made as compulsory contributions to the member countries for the first time.
INTERNATIONAL FACTS: External Affairs Minister Jaishankar co-chaired the 19th Joint Commission Meeting 2019 in Tehran, Iran. Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani appeared to have won a second term as per the preliminary election result. Manuel Marrero Cruz has been appointed as the country‘s first prime minister by the Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel in more than four decades (40 years). Donald Trump became the third President to be impeached by the US House. Abu Dhabi has been selected as the World‘s leading Sports Tourism Destination for seventh time in a row. Switzerland will be the country partner at the 17th edition of BioAsia 2020 scheduled to be held from February, 2020 in Hyderabad, Telangana. The Global Migration Film Festival (GMFF) was organised in Dhaka
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ECONOMY MICRO-FINANCE PANEL: Former deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India, H R Khan has been appointed as the first chairman of the steering committee of the Code for Responsible Lending (CRL) in micro-credit. The CRL is a self-regulatory step for the micro-credit industry making diverse entities like banks, NBFC- MFIs and NBFCs adhere to standards of customer protection. It was launched in Sept by MFIN and , an RBI-recognised association of MFIs.
T. L. ALAMELU COMMITTEE IRDAI constitutes 10 member Working Group under T. L. Alamelu to look the issues of General Insurance Industry. The insurance regulator, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has constituted a Working Group to make recommendations for loss prevention and loss minimization.
ABOUT IRDAI Founded – 1999 Headquarters – Hyderabad, Telangana Chairman – Subhash Chandra Khuntia
TRACE BRIBERY MATRIX: India has been placed in a better position than neighbouring China in this year‘s Trace Bribery Matrix. TRACE is a US based organisation which provides ranking to various countries in terms of the risk of bribery companies face in doing business in those countries. The Trace Bribery Matrix evaluates 200 countries countries under four parameters which are (1) business interaction with the government, (2) anti-bribery deterrence, (3) transparency and (4) civil society oversight.
KEY FINDINGS: With a total risk score of 48, India is ranked higher than neighbouring China whose score is 59. Among the BRICS nations, South Africa is ahead of other countries with a score of 42. Bangladesh has the highest business bribery risk among South Asian courtiers. Bangladesh has been placed at 178 position among 200 countries. Overall, Somalia, South Sudan, North Korea, Yemen and Venezuela presented the highest risk of bribe demands. New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland presented the lowest bribery risk.
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BHARAT BOND EXCHANGE TRADED FUND: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister of India, has approved the Government‘s plan to create and launch India‘s first corporate bond Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) — Bharat Bond ETF. The Fund will provide additional source of money for Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs) Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), Central Public Financial Institutions (CPFIs) and other Government organizations to meet their borrowing requirements, apart from bank financing. Exchange Traded Fund: An Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) is a basket of securities that trade on an exchange, just like a stock
THE FIFTEENTH FINANCE COMMISSION SUBMITS ITS REPORT FOR 2020-21: The Finance Commission headed by N K Singh submitted its report for the financial year 2020-21 to President Ram Nath Kovind.
ECONOMY SURVEY OF INDIA - OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is the Parisbased inter-governmental economic organisation. The 2019 edition of OECD Economic Surveys: India report has projected India's gross domestic product (GDP) to grow at 5.8 percent for the financial year 2019-20. For 2020, the survey projects India's GDP growth to be 6.2 percent and 6.4 percent in 2021.
GUIDELINES FOR LICENCING OF SMALL FINANCE BANKS: Recently, the Reserve Bank of India has released final Guidelines for ‗on tap‘ Licencing for Small Finance Banks (SFBs). RBI had issued in-principle approval to ten applicants for SFB in 2015. It was mentioned that after gaining experience in dealing with these banks, RBI would grant ‗on-tap‘ licensing.
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An ―on-tap‖ facility would mean the RBI will accept applications and grant licences for banks throughout the year.
GUIDELINES FOR „ON-TAP‟ LICENCING Capital requirement: The minimum paid-up voting equity capital / net worth requirement shall be Rs.200 crores. Scheduled bank status to SFBs: SFBs will be given scheduled bank status immediately upon commencement of operations. Also, SFBs will have general permission to open banking outlets from the date of commencement of operations. Payments Banks conversion to SFBs: The payment banks can apply for conversion into SFB after 5 years of operations if they are otherwise eligible as per these guidelines.
SMALL FINANCE BANK The small finance bank will primarily undertake basic banking activities of acceptance of deposits and lending to unserved and underserved sections including small business units, small and marginal farmers, micro and small industries and unorganised sector entities.
ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES FOR SETTING UP SFB ARE: Resident individuals/professionals with 10 years of experience in banking and finance. The companies and societies owned and controlled by residents. Existing Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs), Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs), Local Area Banks (LABs) and payment banks that are owned and controlled by residents.
NATIONAL ELECTRONIC FUND TRANSFER (NEFT): The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has operationalised round-the-clock (24 X 7) availability of the National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT).
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The RBI has also asked banks not to levy any charges from savings bank account holders for funds transfers done through NEFT system which are initiated online (internet banking and/ or mobile apps of the banks). The NEFT system, introduced in 2005, has seen exponential growth in recent years reflecting its popularity as well as increasing customer acceptance. Despite such growth, many banks continued to levy the maximum permissible charges to their customers. The setup was established and maintained by Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT).
INDIA RANKS 73RD IN UN INDEX ASSESSING E-COMMERCE READINESS India has ranked 73rd out of 152 countries in a business-to-consumer E-commerce index that measures an economy's preparedness to support online shopping. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development's Business-to-Consumer (B2C) E-commerce Index 2019 has been topped by the Netherlands for the second consecutive year. European nations hold 8 of the top 10 spots, which ranks nations on their readiness to engage in online commerce. This E-commerce Index 2019 has been topped by the Netherlands for the second consecutive year.
7TH ECONOMIC CENSUS: The 7th Economic Census was launched in the National Capital Territory of Delhi. It is being carried out by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MoSPI) in collaboration with Common Service Centre (CSC), a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) under Ministry of Electronics and IT. It was held in 1978 for the first time and this is the 7th Census which will provide disaggregated information on various operational and structural aspects of all establishments in the country. The census will provide valuable insights into geographical spread/clusters of economic activities, ownership pattern; persons engaged etc. of the establishments engaged in economic activity. It is conducted every five years and very crucial for framing of policies and planning for the government and other organisations. For the first time, an IT-based digital platform is being used for data capture, validation, report generation and dissemination will be used. So far 6 censuses have been conducted in the years 1977, 1980, 1990, 1998, 2005, 2013.
HDFC BANK: HDFC Bank has become India's third listed entity to enter a list of companies with market cap of $100 billion (Rs 7 lakh crore) and above. The other two companies that have achieved the $100 billion m-cap milestone are Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), that has a market cap of $140.74 billion (Rs 10 lakh crores) and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) with $114.60 billion market cap (Rs 8 lakh crores).
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100 YEARS OF ASSOCHAM : Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) has completed 100 years of its existence. The industry body held an event based on the theme of ‗New India Aspiring for a $5-trillion economy. Formation Assocham: Assocham initiated its endeavour of value creation for the Indian industry in 1920. It has more than 200 chambers and trade associations and around 4,50,000 members from all over India. The organization is located in Kolkata, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad.
OPERATION TWIST: The Reserve Bank of India has announced that it will carry out US-style 'Operation Twist' to bring down interest rates.
KEY POINTS RBI will conduct simultaneous purchase and sale of government securities under Open Market Operations (OMO) for Rs.10,000 crore each. It will purchase the longer-term maturities (i.e government bonds maturing in 2029), and simultaneously sell the shorter duration ones (i.e. short-term bonds maturing in 2020). The eligible participants can bid or submit offers in electronic format on RBI‘s Core Banking Solution (E- Kuber).
„OPERATION TWIST‟ ‗Operation Twist‘ is when the central bank uses the proceeds from the sale of short-term securities to buy long-term government debt papers, leading to easing of interest rates on the long term papers. Operation Twist first appeared in 1961 as a way to strengthen the U.S. dollar and stimulate cash flow into the economy. In June 2012, Operation Twist was so effective that the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury dropped to a 200-year low.
OPEN MARKET OPERATIONS Open Market Operations (OMO) is one of the quantitative (to regulate or control the total volume of money) monetary policy tools which is employed by the central bank of a country to control the money supply in the economy.
NEW PPI FOR DIGITAL TRANSACTIONS In order to boost small value digital transactions, the RBI, has launched a semi closed prepaid payment instrument (PPI) for the transaction of goods and services up to a limit of Rs 10,000. This direction has made under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
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RBI RELEASES REPORT ON „TREND AND PROGRESS OF BANKING IN INDIA 2018-19: On December 24, 2019, India‘s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released the report on ―Trend and Progress of Banking in India 2018-19. It records the performance of the banking sector, including co-operative banks, and non-banking financial institutions during 2018 - 19 & 2019 - 20 till now. Gross NPAs of SCBs declined to 9.1 % in 2019 from 11.2 % in 2018. Bank fraud rise 74% to Rs 71,543 crore in 2018-19 During the financial year (FY) 2017-18
FINANCIAL STABILITY REPORT: The Reserve Bank of India released it‘s 18th Financial Stability Report (FSR). FSR is a biannual publication. The FSRs are periodic exercise for reviewing the nature, magnitude and implications of risks that may have a bearing on the macroeconomic environment, financial institutions, markets and infrastructure.
FINDINGS India‘s financial system remains stable, and the banking sector shows signs of improvement, even though the global economic environment and the emerging trends in financial sector pose challenges. The reasons for these positive signs include credit growth of banks coupled with improvement in the asset quality of the banks. Credit growth of scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) has improved between March 2018 and September 2018, driven largely by private sector banks (PVBs).
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IIT-GUWAHATI SCIENTISTS DEVELOP PAPER BASED SENSOR TO CHECK MILK QUALITY AT HOME: Indian Institute of Technology,Guwahati researchers have developed a paper-based sensor that can make an assessment of the freshness of milk by a simple and instantaneous method. The quality and freshness of milk are decided by the invasion and presence of microbes in the milk. The researchers have used simple filter paper, chemically modified it, and loaded it with a recognition element anti-ALP, which captures the ALP present in the milk.
BRAHMOS MISSILE TEST FIRE SUCCESSFUL : Indian Navy test-fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, from the Navy‘s stealth destroyer INS Kochi. The supersonic missile successfully hit a decommissioned target ship in Arabian Sea.
BRAHMOS MISSILE Brahmos is a joint venture between DRDO of India and NPOM of Russia. It features Indian propulsion system, power supply, airframe and power supply.
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BrahMos is the world‘s fastest cruise missile and has a strike-range of over 290 km.
JUPITER'S MOON EUROPA: Scientists at Nasa have detected water vapour for the first time above the surface of Europa. The study, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, measured the vapour by peering at Europa through W M Keck Observatory in Hawaii, US.
ABOUT EUROPA Moon of Jupiter 6th closest moon of Jupiter Smallest of Jupiter‘s 4 Galilean satellites Discovered in 1610 by Galileo Galilei Slightly smaller than Earth‘s Moon
INDIA CONDUCTED SUCCESSFUL TRIAL OF INDIGENOUSLY MADE PRITHVI-2 MISSILE: India has successfully conducted another night trial of its indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi- 2 missile from a mobile launcher of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha coast.
ABOUT PRITHVI-2 MISSILE It is surface-to-surface tactical missile with a strike range of 350 km. It is India‘s first missile indigenously developed by DRDO under prestigious Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP). It is capable of carrying 500 to 1,000 kg of warheads, both conventional as well as nuclear. The state-of-the-art missile is powered by liquid propulsion twin engines. It uses an advanced inertial guidance system with maneuvering orbit to hit its target. It was inducted into armour of the defence forces in 2003.
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SWEDISH TECHNOLOGY TO REDUCE STUBBLE BURNING: The pollution from stubble burning in winter is a major factor for the sharp decline in air quality in Delhi. To overcome this issue, India is testing Swedish technology — torrefaction that can convert rice stubble into ‗bio-coal‘. The government has funded a pilot project at the National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute in Mohali (Punjab) with a Swedish company to evaluate the feasibility of the technology.
TORREFACTION TECHNOLOGY - STUBBLE TO BIO-COAL Torrefaction is a thermal process to convert biomass into a coal-like material, which has better fuel characteristics than the original biomass. The process involves heating up straw, grass, sawmill residue and wood biomass to 250 degrees celsius - 350 degrees celsius. This changes the elements of the biomass into ‗coal-like‘ pellets. These pellets can be used for combustion along with coal for industrial applications like steel and cement production.
HERA MISSION The European Space Agency (ESA) has approved the budget of Hera, the European component of the mission to slam a spacecraft into an asteroid. Due to launch in 2024, Hera would travel to a binary asteroid system – the Didymos pair of near-Earth asteroids. The mission will launch to asteroid 65803 Didymos, a binary pair made up of one large body and a smaller object that orbits around it, in 2023. Aptly nicknamed Didymoon. However, Hera mission won‘t be the first to reach Didymos. NASA plans to launch the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) between 2020 and 2021, which will target Didymoon as part of its planetary defence programme.
CSIR NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE TEST GOT US FDA CERTIFICATION: The CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad on December 3, 2019, announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) cleared the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Test facility at the centre. The inspection was conducted between August 21, 2019 and August 22, 2019 with regard to Current Good Manufacturing Practices and was certified ―No Action Initiated‖.
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WHAT IS NMR? The NMR spectroscopy is an important technique for structural characterization of pharmaceutical and other chemical molecules. The technique is used in quality control and reserach for determining the content and purity of a sample as well as its molecular structure.
50TH PSLV LAUNCH: Recently, India‘s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C48) marked its 50th launch by injecting India‘s advanced radar imaging earth observation satellite RISAT-2BR1. PSLV-C48 also injected 9 other customer satellites from Japan, Italy, Israel and the U.S.A. into their intended orbits. This was 75th launch vehicle mission from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
RISAT-2BR1 The 628 kg RISAT-2BR1, is placed into a 576-km orbit at an inclination of 37 degrees. It is the second satellite in the RISAT-2B series and along with the CARTOSAT-3, it is the part of 'spy' satellites. These satellites will keep a check on infiltration by allowing round-the-clock surveillance across the border. It has a life of five years. RISAT-2BR1 is expected to bolster the country‘s border monitoring measures besides aiding in disaster management, agriculture and tracking forest cover. It is equipped with a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) that can take pictures of the earth both during the day and night, irrespective of the cloud conditions.
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IBM - GLOBAL HIGH-RESOLUTION ATMOSPHERIC FORECASTING SYSTEM: International technology company IBM plans to make a high-resolution weather forecast model, named IBM GRAF (Global High-Resolution Atmospheric Forecasting System), that will rely on user-generated data to improve the accuracy of forecasts available in India. It will generate forecasts at a resolution of 3 kilometres. This is a significantly higher resolution than the 12-kilometre models used by the India Meteorological Department to generate forecasts. Weather forecasts will be available to individuals for free download and can be used by farmers. The forecast system will also be used to provide custom forecasts for energy companies, consumer brands, insurance businesses and satellite imagery analysts. For its forecasts, IBM will rely on a global network of sensors — automatic weather station, data buoys and barometric pressure data from cell phones of users who will download the application. It will run on supercomputer and generate forecasts over desired time-frames — three days, weekly or fortnightly.
2I/BORISOV: According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the second interstellar object has been officially detected in our solar system. In 2I/Borisov, I stands for "interstellar", and 2 for being the second interstellar object ever discovered, after 'Oumuamua, which was detected in October 2017. The name Borisov honors its discoverer, Crimean amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov. Significance: 2I/Borisov is the first observed interstellar comet and second observed interstellar Object, after ʻOumuamua. Journey: The comet is currently inbound towards the Sun, and will reach its closest approach (perihelion) on December 8 at a distance of 300 million kilometres (190 million miles) - about twice the average distance of Earth from the Sun. Features: It's between 2 and 16 kilometres in diameter. its chemical composition is similar to the Solar System's long-period comets that originate in the distant Oort Cloud, rather than the short-period comets that come from closer in.
SUISO FRONTIER: JAPAN LAUNCHES WORLD‟S 1ST LIQUID HYDROGEN TRANSPORT SHIP: Japan has launched the world‘s 1st ocean-going liquid hydrogen carrier ‗Suiso Frontier‘, a small step toward tapping the carbon-free energy potential of the lightest element. It is a partnership between Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Iwatani Corporation, Shell Japan and J-Power. It is designed to carry liquid hydrogen at minus 253 ° C produced in south coast of Australia to unload in Kobe, Japan.
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WHO LAUNCHES FIRST BIOSIMILAR MEDICINE TO TREAT BREAST CANCER: On December 18, 2019, the World Health Organization launched its first biosimilar medicine to treat breast cancer. The WHO intends to make the expensive, life-saving treatment affordable for women all over the world. WHO launched a biosimilar medicine ―Trastuzumab‖ in order to treat breast cancers. It is an antibody that shows high efficacy in curing early stages of breast cancers. It was included in the WHO Essential Medicines List in 2015. In women, breast cancers are the most common form of cancers. Around 2.1 million women are affected by breast cancers (2018 UN data). Treatment of breast cancer using ―Trastuzumab‖ is an essential treatment for about 20% of breast cancers. WHO also estimates that by 2040 the number of diagnosed breast cancers will reach 3.1 million.
BHIBHA” AND “SANTAMASA”: International Astronomical Union names a star after Indian Woman Scientist. On December 17, 2019, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) named a white yellow star in Sextans Constellation as ―Bhibha‖ and its planet as ―Santamasa‖ The star has been named Bhibha honoring Indian Woman Scientist Bhibha Choudhury who discovered subatomic particle pi-meson. Bhibha means a bright beam of light in Bengali. The name Santamasa in Sanskrit means clouded. The name is appropriate as the planet‘s atmosphere is clouded. The IAU that celebrated its 100th birth anniversary on July 28, 2019, allowed every country to give a famous name to selected pair of exoplanet and its host star.
BHIBHA STAR Bhibha is an ageing star that is 6.2 billion years old and Santamsa is its only planet. The mass of the planet is expected to be 1.5 times as that of Jupiter and is very hot. Santamasa completed its revolution around its star in just about 2.1375 days.
PINAKA ROCKET An upgraded version of Pinaka MK III rocket was successfully test-fired from Chandipur in Odisha. It is modified as a missile by integrating with the navigation, control and guidance system to improve the end accuracy and enhance the range. Pinaka is an artillery missile system capable of striking into an enemy territory up to a range of 75 km with high precision. The navigation system of the missile is also aided by the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) also called as NAVIC.
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CHARACTERISING EXOPLANETS SATELLITE (CHEOPS) It is intended to look for habitable exoplanets. It is the first mission dedicated to searching for exoplanetary transits. It was successfully launched by a Soyuz rocket.
DUNZO, THROTTLE GET DGCA NOD TO TEST LONG-RANGE DRONE India‘s civil aviation authority has selected the applications of Google-backed hyperlocal delivery startup Dunzo and Bengaluru-based drone maker Throttle Aerospace Systems to test long-range and autonomous drone use. The approvals are a part of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation‘s experimental programme, called beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations, which was notified in May. The long-range drones can significantly enhance logistic services in Indian hinterland and may become a significant multiplier to the economy.
ETRSS: ETHIOPIA‟S FIRST SATELLITE LAUNCHED FROM CHINA: Ethiopia launched its first satellite, ‗Ethiopian Remote Sensing Satellite‘ (ETRSS) from China. ERSS is a remote-sensing microsatellite, that was launched in order to help African country‘s research into climate change. It was sent into space together with 8 other satellites by a Long March-4B carrier rocket from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (TSLC) in Shanxi Province of north China.
ABOUT ETHIOPIAN REMOTE SENSING SATELLITE (ETRSS) This wide-range multispectral remote-sensing microsatellite weighs about 65 kg and has a design life of 2 years. It can obtain remote-sensing data for agriculture, forestry, water conservation, as well as disaster prevention and mitigation.
STUDY FINDS MECHANISM FOR MOTHER-CHILD TRANSMISSION OF IMMUNITY TO CHICKENPOX Women who been infected by chickenpox may transmit the DNA of the disease-causing virus to their babies during pregnancy, stimulating their immunity against the infection and protecting them, DBT & NII study found. This mother-to-child transfer of viral DNA may be responsible for the long-lasting protection against chickenpox infection seen during childhood. The study was published in journal Viral Immunology. A person being infected by the virus and treated gains immunity lifelong.
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DECOMMISSION OF MIG-27: The last of Indian Air Force‘s (IAF) MiG-27 was decommissioned at Jodhpur Air base, South West Air Command (SWAC) and entered the pages of history. The Russian origin aircraft was inducted in IAF in 1985 the IAF has flown 165 MiG-27 fighters and has been the backbone of ground attack fleet for the past four decades. Why it has been decommissioned? Every aircraft has a life and though it had been upgraded it has completed its operational life cycle. There have been several technical issues reported by the pilots. IAF has been gradually retiring the Russian MiG variants of fighters from service including the MiG-23 BN & MiG-23 MF and the pure MiG 27 have already retired earlier. The MiG-29 UPG will be operated by the IAF and the Indian Navy will operate two squadrons of the MiG-29K/KUB off its aircraft carriers.
DNA ANALYSIS CENTRE INAUGURATED AT CFSL, CHANDIGARH: Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, inaugurated a State-of-the-Art DNA Analysis Centre at Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Chandigarh. All States and Union Territories (UTs) will be utilizing this facility and will in future set up similar facilities in their respective States for quick disposal of forensic cases referred to them. This new Advanced Forensic DNA Analysis Lab has been established under Nirbhaya Fund scheme. It has been set up with an allocation of Rs.99.76 crores and has a capacity of examining 2000 cases per year.
CBERS-4A: NEW CHINA-BRAZIL EARTH RESOURCE SATELLITE LAUNCHED INTO SPACE: The China-Brazil Earth Resource Satellite-4A (CBERS-4A), a new satellite jointly developed by China and Brazil as part of a bilateral programme, was recently sent into space. It was launched on a Long March-4B carrier from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi Province of China.
ABOUT CHINA-BRAZIL EARTH RESOURCE SATELLITE-4A (CBERS-4A) CBERS-4A is equipped with 3 optical payloads:- a wide-range panchromatic multispectral camera developed by China, and a wide-field imager and a multispectral camera developed by Brazil. It will obtain global optical remote-sensing data and will also support Brazilian government‘s to monitor Amazon rainforest and changes in country‘s environment.
INK TO STOP FAKE PASSPORTS AND CURRENCY NOTES The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and National Physical Laboratory (NPL) developed an ink to combat the problem of fake printing of passports and counterfeiting of currency notes. It was developed based on the concept of fluorescence and phosphorescence phenomena. Both in phosphorescence and fluorescence the radiation is electromagnetic and is spontaneous.
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In case of fluorescence, the radiation stops after the source is switched off. On the other hand, in phosphorescence, the glow continues for few hours.
ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE: On 26th December, the annular solar eclipse was visible in places such as UAE ,India, Australia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore. Total Solar Eclipse - The entire central portion of the sun is blocked out by the moon. Partial Solar Eclipse - Only part of the sun's surface is blocked out. Annular Solar Eclipse- The sun is covered in such a way that only a small ring-like sliver of light is seen from the sun's disc. This ring is known as the ring of fire. An annular eclipse happens when the moon is farthest from Earth .
CSIR DEVELOPED NEW TECHNOLOGY OF GERANIUM PRODUCTION: CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) has developed a new low-cost technology to produce Geranium saplings. Geranium acts as an anti-inflammatory and anti-septic agent. It has several medicinal values. The development has been made under Aroma Mission. It includes rosemary, lavender and lemon grass Geranium acts as an anti-inflammatory and anti-septic agent. The Geranium plant is originally from South Africa and is predominantly used in manufacturing essential oils.
SPORTS NEWS FICCI INDIA SPORTS AWARDS 2019: The coveted FICCI India Sports Awards 2019 were presented to the winners on 11 December 2019 at New Delhi.
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Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs December 2019
The awards are an attempt by FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry) to acknowledge and recognize contribution of sports persons and various stakeholders who deliver excellent results during the year. Sports Person of the Year: Female- Rani Rampal, women‘s hockey team captain; Male: Saurabh Chaudhary, ace pistol shooter Best National Sports Federation: National Rifle Association of India Best Company Promoting Sports (Public Sector): Railway Sports Promotion Board.
TOP 5 WISDEN CRICKETERS OF THE DECADE: A UK based cricket magazine; ―The Cricketer‖ has released a list of the 50 best-performing cricketers of the last decade. In this list, India's Virat Kohli is at the first place. Other names in this list are Steve Smith, AB de Villiers, Australian women's cricketer Alice Parry and Dale Steyn. Steyn became the only specialist bowler to be named as one of the five Wisden cricketers of the decade.
13TH SOUTH ASIAN GAMES – SUMMARY: 13th South Asian Games concluded in Nepal at 10 December 2019. India finished on top with 312 medals comprising 174 gold, 93 silver and 45 bronze. Host Nepal remained second and Sri Lanka got third place. summary On the final day of Games, India clinched 10 gold, 2 silver and one bronze. Indian boxers continued their outstanding performance and won 6 gold, one silver and one bronze . The first such game was hosted by Kathmandu, Nepal in 1984.
MEDAL TALLY:
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Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs December 2019
HARMEET DESAI WINS MEN‟S SINGLES TITLE AT ITTF CHALLENGE TABLE TENNIS TOURNAMENT: Indian paddler Harmeet Desai won men‘s singles title at International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Challenge Indonesia Open 2019 Table Tennis tournament held at Batam, Indonesia. He defeated compatriot Amalraj Anthony. This was Harmeet‘s first title on foreign soil and overall second International title of the year, after he had won Commonwealth championship in July 2019 held in Cuttack, Odisha.
LIONEL MESSI CLAIMS RECORD SIXTH MEN'S BALLON D'OR AWARD: Lionel Messi claimed a record sixth men's Ballon d'Or award on Dec 2, beating Liverpool's four leading nominees to claim soccer's most prestigious individual trophy. He beats Virgil van Dijk, the runner-up, and third-placed Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal, who has won the Ballon d'Or award five times. Megan Rapinoe won the women's Ballon d'Or after leading US to a record-extending fourth World Cup title. The 34-year-old midfielder, the standout player at June-July tournament, succeeded Norway‘s Ada Hegerberg. Both awards were organised by the magazine called France Football.
SPIRIT OF CRICKET AWARD The New Zealand cricket team has been awarded the Christopher Martin-Jenkins Spirit of Cricket award. The team has been awarded for its exemplary show of sportsmanship during the final match of the ICC World Cup at Lord‘s in July 2019.
MIRABAI CHANU WON GOLD IN 6TH QATAR INTERNATIONAL CUP IN DOHA: The 6th edition of Qatar Weightlifting International Cup 2019, a qualification event for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 (Host city- Tokyo, Japan) , held in Radisson Blu Hotel in Doha, Qatar from December 19 -24,2019. The event, hosted by the Qatar Weightlifting Federation (QWF) under the aegis International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), saw over 150 lifters representing 44 countries. Indian weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu (25) form Manipur has won gold in the women‘s 49 kg category in 6th Qatar International Cup in Doha. Chanu lifted a total weight of 194 kg. Indian weightlifter ,Jeremy Lalrinnunga (17) from Aizawl, Mizoram,has won the silver medal in men‘s 67 kg weight categoryat the event.
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Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs December 2019
KONERU HUMPY WON 2019 WORLD RAPID CHESS TITLE: Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy claimed the 2019 Women‘s World Rapid Chess Champion tiltle. The winner of Women‘s World Rapid Championship was decided in a playoff that ended with Humpy beating China‘s Lei Tingjie in a dramatic final in Moscow, Russia. Humpy, who is India‘s best-ever women‘s chess player, was crowned world women‘s rapid champion at the same venue where Norwegian grandmaster and also classical chess champion Magnus Carlsen won men‘s title. World Rapid Chess Championship is a chess tournament held since 1987.
FIFA‟S TEAM OF THE YEAR For the second year in a row, Belgium was announced as the FIFA‘s Team of the Year as it reached the top of the world rankings for the year 2019. Belgium was followed by France, Brazil, England and Uruguay in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th spots respectively.
IMPORTANT DAYS WORLD AIDS DAY - DECEMBER 1: The World AIDS Day is observed on 1st December every year all over the world. Founded in 1988, World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day. The main motto behind celebrating the day is to raise public awareness about AIDS. Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), is a pandemic disease caused due to the infection of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which causes damage to the immune system. The theme for the year 2019 is ‗Communities make the difference‘.
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Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs December 2019
BSF CELEBRATED 55TH RAISING DAY ON DECEMBER 1 Border Security Force, the sentinels of Indian borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh celebrated its 55th Raising Day on 1st Dec. PM Modi greeted the BSF personnel and Home Affairs Minister Nityanand Rai graced the event.
NATIONAL POLLUTION CONTROL DAY - DECEMBER 2: Every year 2 December is observed as National Pollution Control Day to commemorate the people who lost their lives in the unfortunate incident of Bhopal Gas Tragedy that occurred on this day in 1984. The day shows how impactful air pollution is. As per National Health Portal of India (NHPI), every year about 7 million people globally die due to air pollution.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES (IDPWD) 2019 - DECEMBER 3: The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is being observed by the United Nations since 1992. Theme for 2019 : Promoting participation of persons with disabilities and leadership The initiatives will focus on achieving the SDG 17 that pledges ―leave no one behind‖.
INDIAN NAVY DAY – DECEMBER 4: The December 4th Indian Navy day is a commemoration of the Operation Trident and celebrates bravery of the navy. The operation was a counter-attack by Indian Navy on the Karachi harbour during the Indo-Pakistan war in 1971. India used anti-ship missiles for the first time during this operation and destroyed the Pakistani destroyer ship PNS Khaibar.
WORLD SOIL DAY – DECEMBER 5: World Soil Day (WSD) is held annually on 5 December to highlight the importance of healthy soil and to advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources. The theme for WSD 2019 is ‗Stop Soil Erosion, Save Our Future‘. It was recommended by the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) in 2002.
INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION DAY - DECEMBER 7: International Civil Aviation Day - 7 Dec International Civil Aviation Day is celebrated on Dec 7 to raise awareness about the importance of the role played by the organisation of the International Civil Aviation in air transport. International Civil Aviation Day was established in 1994 as part of ICAO‘s. The organization is a United Nations body responsible for developing international standards for aviation safety. The theme of this year Civil Aviation Day is ‗75 Years of Connecting the World‘.
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Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs December 2019
ARMED FORCES FLAG DAY - DECEMBER 7 Every Year India dedicates December 7 to the Armed Forces Flag Day. The day is dedicated towards fund collection from people of India for the welfare of Indian Armed Forces. The day is being observed annually since 1949.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF COMMEMORATION AND DIGNITY OF THE VICTIMS OF THE CRIME OF GENOCIDE AND OF THE PREVENTION OF THIS CRIME – DECEMBER 09: United Nations General Assembly established this day. The 9th of December is the anniversary of the adoption of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
INTERNATIONAL ANTI-CORRUPTION DAY - 9 DECEMBER: The International Anti-Corruption Day is observed on 9th December every year. The United Nations General Assembly on 31st October, 2003, adopted the United Nations Convention against Corruption, and designated December 9 as International Anti-Corruption Day. Theme for 2018-2019 is ―Together We Are United Against Corruption‖.
INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY - DECEMBER 10: International Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10th December. The day marks the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1948. The theme for 2019 is ―Youth Standing up for Human Rights‖. United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) was established in 2006 and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
INTERNATIONAL MOUNTAIN DAY – DECEMBER 11 This day is celebrated since 2003. The theme of this year is ―Mountains Matter for Youth‖. It aims to raise awareness and focus on the importance of Mountains‘ inhabitants, ecosystem and the environment.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF NEUTRALITY – DECEMBER 12 International Day of Neutrality is a UN observance held on Dec 12 each year. It was officially declared by a UN General Assembly resolution adopted in Feb 2017 and first observed on Dec 12 of the same year. The day aimed to promote the use of preventive diplomacy. The UN conducts aimed to enhance public awareness of the value of neutrality in international relations. When a country is neutral, it means they are not taking a side in times of war or conflict.
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Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs December 2019
INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE DAY - DECEMBER 12: The day was adopted on December 12, 2017 at the UN General Assembly (UNGA). The theme for the UHC Day 2019 campaign is: ―Keep the promise.‖
NATIONAL ENERGY CONSERVATION DAY - DECEMBER 14: The National Energy Conservation Day is organized every year on 14th December by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). It aims to showcase India‘s achievements in energy efficiency and conservation while working for its ambition of holistic development as part of the nation‘s overall effort towards climate change mitigation. BEE is observing National Energy Conservation Week from 9th to 14th December 2019 in order to drive mass awareness about the importance of energy efficiency and conservation.
VIJAY DIWAS – DECEMBER 16: The nation celebrated 16 December as Vijay Diwas to commemorate India‘s victory over Pakistan in 1971 war. The Indo-Pakistan war of 1971 which began on December 3 lasted for 13 days and officially ended on December 16, after which Pakistan surrendered to India. The end of the war also resulted in subsequent secession of East Pakistan into Bangladesh.
INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS DAY – DECEMBER 18: The United Nations (UN) International Migrants Day is annually held on December 18 to recognize the efforts, contributions, and rights of migrants worldwide. International Migrants Day 2019 is being celebrated on December 18 with the theme #WeTogether. This date was chosen because it was on 18 December 1990 that the UN adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.
GOA LIBERATION DAY – DECEMBER 19, 2019: Goa Liberation Day is observed on 19th December every year in India. The occasion marks the day Indian armed forces freed Goa in 1961 from, 450 years of Portuguese rule. The Portuguese colonised several parts of India in 1510 but by the end of the 19th century Portuguese colonies in India were limited to Goa, Daman, Diu, Dadra, Nagar Haveli and Anjediva Island. After the failure of diplomatic efforts with Portuguese, military operation code-named ‗Operation Vijay‘ was conducted by Indian Navy, Airforce and Army and Goa was liberated on 19th December, 1961.
NATIONAL MATHEMATICS DAY - DECEMBER 22: National Mathematics Day is celebrated on 22 Dec every year to mark the birth anniversary of legendary Indian mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan and his contributions in the field of mathematics. Govt had also declared 2012 as the National Mathematics year.
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Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs December 2019
The main objective behind the celebration is to raise awareness among people about the importance of mathematics for the development of humanity.
KISAN DIWAS - DECEMBER 23: The 'Kisan Diwas' or National Farmers Day is observed across the country on 23rd December to celebrate the birth anniversary of Chaudhary Charan Singh, the former Prime Minister of India. It is celebrated to promote awareness among the citizens to understand the importance of the contributions of the farmers to the society and overall economic and social development of a country. Government also aims to encourage the farmers across the country by organizing various activities like debates and seminars on agriculture. Being a proponent of rural and agricultural development he made continuous efforts for keeping agriculture at the centre of planning for India.
NATIONAL CONSUMERS RIGHT DAY – DECEMBER 24 This is the day when the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 had received the assent of the President. The theme of 2019 is ―alternate consumer grievance/dispute redressal‖.
GOOD GOVERNANCE DAY – DECEMBER 25: The Good Governance Day is observed on 25th December to mark the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born on 25 December 1924. He is a three-time Prime Minister of India. He was conferred with the country's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna in 2015 and second-highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan in 1994.
OTHER IMPORTANT DAYS: World Computer Literacy Day - December 2
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Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs December 2019
International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development - December 5 Pension Week - 30th November - 6th December International Day for the Abolition of Slavery - December 2 UNICEF – creation day – December 11 International Universal Health Coverage Day - December 12 International Tea Day – December 15
NEWS BITS World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) executive committee has banned Russia from Olympics (2020 - Tokyo & 2022 - Beijing), world championships events for 4 years. UNESCO has recognised the ―Nuad‖ Thai massage of Thailand as a part of its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. UNESCO has removed the ‗Carnival of Aalst‘ of Belgium from its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List. The second edition of ―Digital States of India – A Comparative Analysis‖ released by research and consulting organization Coeus Age Consulting. Global Alliance on Health and Pollution released a report named ―2019 Pollution and Health Metrics: Global, Regional and Country Analysis‖. Sanna Marin (34) was chosen as the prime minister of Finland.Marin is the world's youngest serving prime minister. The New Zealand livestock industry has begun a ―global first‖ genetic program ―Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) Genetics‖. It has launched a new ―methane research breeding value‖. The Global Migration Film Festival (GMFF) was organised in Dhaka. The Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the 2nd edition of Eat Right Mela in New Delhi. Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan unveiled India‘s first long-distance CNG bus fitted with CNG cylinders in New Delhi. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), in collaboration with Karnataka government has organised a national workshop ―Heat Wave 2020‖ on preparedness, mitigation and management of Heat Wave in Bengaluru city of Karnataka. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to advance a loan of US $206 million to develop water supply and sewerage infrastructure in Tiruchi, Ambur, Tiruppur, and Vellore and other cities in Tamil Nadu. 16th edition of Forbes 2019 list ‗The World's 100 Most Powerful Women‘ has been topped by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. World Design Organization (WDO) will be launching its new global programme ‗World Design Protopolis‘ in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
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Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs December 2019
The Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard conducted large scale anti-hijacking exercise called Apharan at Cochin port. Venkaiah Naidu released a book titled ‗Turbulence and Triumph: The Modi Years‘ in New Delhi. The book is jointly authored by Rahul Agarwal and Bharathi S Pradhan. The 25th edition of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) or COP25 has conducted in Madrid, Spain. NASA has launched a seasonal campaign, part of a five-year programme called SnowEx, initiated in 2016-17. Illegal Bt brinjal cultivation in Haryana have been confirmed recently.The samples have also been sent by the Haryana Government to National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR).India is the second largest producer of Brinjal after China.
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