100% household electrification achieved by 9 Indian states under

 Eight Indian States have achieved 100% electrification under Saubhagya scheme eDrishti software launched to help Railways Minister keep track of punctuality of trains

 Indian Railways unveiled ‘eDrishti’ software that will help Union Railway Minister to keep track of punctuality of trains

ISRO successfully launches earth observation satellite HysIS and 30 foreign satellites into orbit

 Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched country’s first advance earth observation satellite Hyper Spectral Imaging Satellite

1st ever Indo-Indonesian business forum as part of Indo-Pacific strategies held in Andaman

 The forum was held as part of policies of Delhi and Jakarta to extend their strategic partnership

Maharashtra approves 16% Maratha quota; 68% seats now reserved

 Maharashtra assembly unanimously approved 16% reservation for the Maratha community in jobs and educational institutes.  Maharashtra stands Second Position after Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu tops the tally with 69 percent

First -ASEAN InnoTech Summit held in New Delhi

 The first India-ASEAN InnoTech Summit was held in New Delhi.

International Day for the Abolition of Slavery is celebrated on December 2

 The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery is observed on December 2 every year with an objective to raise awareness about slavery

AbhinavBindra becomes first Indian to get highest shooting honour called Blue Cross

 Olympic Gold Medallist AbhinavBindra won the highest honour in Shooting fraternity i.e. Blue Cross

Sunil Arora takes over as new Chief Election Commissioner of India  Sunil Arora assumed charge as 23rd Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India

December 3 celebrated as International Day of Persons with Disabilities

 The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed every year on December 3 to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development

India’s first engine-less train, Train 18 becomes country’s fastest train

 India’s first indigenously designed locomotive-less (engine less) train known as Train 18, breached the 180 kmph speed limit during test run

GautamGambhir announces retirement from cricket

 Indian cricketer GautamGambhir has announced his retirement from all formats of cricket

Qatar to leave OPEC from January 2019

 Qatar has announced its withdrawal from Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) from January 2019 and focus more on the production of natural gas.

SpaceX successfully launches 64 small satellites using reusable Falcon 9 rocket

 SpaceX has successfully launched 64 small satellites into low Earth orbit from reusable and Falcon 9 rocket

India’s heaviest satellite, GSAT-11 launched from French

 Indian Space Research and Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched India’s heaviest and most-advanced communication satellite GSAT-11 into space

Navy Day 2018 – December 04

 India celebrated its 47th Navy Day.

Annual International Volunteer Day celebrated on December 5

 December 5 is celebrated as International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development Pawan Singh is the first Indian to be elected in ISSF’s judges committee

 He is elected as one of the 7 members of the Judges Committee of the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF

Book: “”Architecture of Justice: A Pictorial Walk-through of the Supreme Courts and High Courts of India”” released by Chief Justice of India (CJI) RanjanGogoi”

 Chief Justice of India RanjanGogoi released a book authored by Vinay Thakur and Amogh Thakur.

Prime Minister Shri ’s took part in 13th G20 Summit in

 The theme of the 2018 edition of the Summit was: “Building Consensus for Fair and Sustainable Development”.  India will host the G-20 summit in 2022.

2018 Ballon d’Or: Luka Modric won the award

midfielder Luka Modric became the winner of the 2018 Ballon d’Or.  2018 FIFA World Cup held in won by beating Croatia in the finals.

India to retain top position in remittances with $80 billion according to World Bank

 India is followed by ($67 billion), and the ($34 billion each) and ($26 billion).

Ajay Narayan Jha takes over as Finance Secretary

 Ajay Narayan Jha, has been appointed as the new finance secretary  He has succeeded HasmukhAdhia

Navy Day 2018 – December 04

 India celebrated its 47th Navy Day.  Chief of Indian Navy: Admiral Sunil Lamba  Admiral : Sir Charles Pizey

Yasir Shah becomes fastest bowler to take 200 Test wickets after Breaking 82 year old Record

 Pakistan’s leg-spinner Yasir Shah became the fastest cricketer to take 200 Test wickets in just 33 Tests, India to retain top position in remittances with $80 billion according to World Bank

 India retains its position as the world’s top recipient of remittances this year India is followed by China ($67 billion), Mexico and the Philippines ($34 billion each) and Egypt ($26 billion).

Cabinet led by PM Modi appointed Krishnamurthy Subramanian as new Chief Economic Advisor

 Krishnamurthy Subramanian is elected as Chief Economic Advisor for a period of 3 years.  He would replace Arvind Subramanian

INDRA NAVY is bilateral exercise between Indian Navy and Russian Federation Navy exercises held in Visakhapatnam

 10th Edition of the bilateral exercise INDRA NAVY

Kannur international Airport inaugurated in Kerala

 Kerala Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan and Union Civil Aviation Minister jointly inaugurated the Kannur International Airport Ltd (KIAL).  KIAL is the fourth international airport in the state.

Mexico’s Vanessa Poncede Leon wins 2018 crown at grand event held in China’s

 Mexico‘s de Leon won the coveted crown  The 26-year-old Vanessa was crowned by ManushiChhillar of India.

December 10 celebrated as International Day of Human Rights

 December 10 celebrated annually as International Day of Human Rights; UDHR turned 70 in 2018. The Campaign of the 2018 Human Rights Day is: #StandUp4HumanRights.

Jamal Khashoggi named Time magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’

 Journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was murdered at his country’s consulate in October was named Time Magazine’s “Person of the year”

Shaktikanta Das took charge as 25th Governor of the RBI  Shaktikanta Das, former Economics Affairs Secretary appointed as 25th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a period of three years.  He succeeded Urjit Patel.

AkademikLomonosov: World’s first floating nuclear plant installed in Russia

 The life span of the project is 40 years, with the possibility of being extended up to 50

India celebrated Vijay Diwas on 16th December 2018

 47th Vijay Diwas observed on 16th December 2018 to celebrate victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war  At the end of the 1971 war, the Pakistani Army unilaterally and unconditionally surrendered resulting in the independence of East Pakistan, which became .

Jammu and Kashmir passes the law on Sexual Exploitation

 State assembly of Jammu and Kashmir has passed law to ban sexual extortion of woman in offices and became the first state in the country to amend law on sextortion  Indian Penal code is not applicable to Jammu and Kashmir

Indian National Congress formed government in Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections

 Senior congress leader Kamal Nath was selected to be Chief Minister of the state  The current strength of Madhya Pradesh Assembly is 231 members (230 elected and 1 nominated). To form a government, a party or coalition needs 115 seats.

Indian National Congress formed government in Rajasthan

 Ashok Gehlot was selected to be Chief Minister of the state  The current strength of Rajasthan Assembly is 200 members. To form a government, a party or coalition needs 101 seats in the house.

Mizo National Front formed government in Mizoram

 Pu Zoramthanga has been sworn in as the Mizoram’s new chief minister of Mizoram  Mizo National Front (MNF) won 26 seats out of 40 seats in the 2018 elections

NRTI in Vadodara became India’s first Railway University

 Union Railways Minister has dedicated India’s first railway university to the Nation in Vadodara  The chairman of Railways Board Sh. Ashok Lohani has been named the Vice Chancellor of the University

Indian National Congress formed government in Chhatisgarh Assembly elections

 Bhupesh Baghel will be the new chief minister of Chhattisgarh state  Indian National Congress won 68 seats out of 90 seats winning the majority to form the government. To form a government, a party or coalition needs 46 seats.

Ranil Wickremesinghe sworn-in as Prime Minister of

 Mahindra Rajapaksa resigned on 15th October 2018 after he failed to prove majority in the Sri Lankan Parliament  Ranil Wickremesinghe has been sworn in as the Prime minister for the fifth time which is a record in Sri Lanka

Amitav Ghosh selected for prestigious Jnanpith Award 2018

 Renowned English writer Amitav Ghosh conferred with Jnanpith Award 2018. He has been selected for English Language  Shadow Lines, The Glass Palace, The Hunger Tide, River of smoke, Flood of Fire are some of the greatest novels of Amitav Ghosh

PV Sindhu wins BWF World Tour Title

 PV Sindhu created history as she became the first Indian to win the BWF World Tour Final  BWF World Tour Finals is an annual badminton competition that takes place at the end of every year

Pune District court became the first Court in India to get facility of e-payment

 Pune District court became the first court in India to allow e-payments of court fee, judicial deposits, fines and penalties  Chief justice of Bombay High Court RK Menon officially inaugurated the E-payment system

Belgium wins Hockey World Cup 2018 Title

Hockey team won their first ever Word cup title after they defeated  Hockey World Cup 2018 was held at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. India came at sixth place in the Hockey World Cup 2018 from Philippines wins 2018 Title

 Catriona Elisa Gray from the Philippines was crowned as the  India was represented by Nehal Chudasama in the beauty pageant

2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference that took place in Katowice,

 The participating nations agreed on the rules to implement the Paris Agreement that will come into effect in 2020.

‘Justice’ selected as the Merriam-Webster 2018 Word of the Year

'Toxic' was declared Oxford Dictionary's Word of the Year 2018

Nomophobia is the Cambridge Dictionary's word of the year for 2018,

Lok Sabha passes Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016

has passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016, which seeks to empower the transgender community in the country by providing them a separate identity  Every transgender person in the country must obtain an identity certificate which will be used as the proof of recognition of identity

18th December celebrated as International Migrants Day 2018

 The theme of International Migrants Day 2018 is “Migration with Dignity”

Madhavi Divan appointed as the new Additional Solicitor General

 Union government has appointed advocate Madhavi Goradia Divan as the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) in the .

Pandit Arun Bhaduri a famous classical singer passed away

 Pandit Arun Bhaduri was a hindustani Classical Music and Semi-Classical Music Vocalist

Kaiga Atomic Power Station creates world record for continuous operation for 941 days

 Kaiga Atomic Power Station is a nuclear power generating station located at Kaiga in Karnataka, India India’s largest Cancer Institute, National Cancer Institute (NCI), has opened on in Jhajjar, Haryana

India ranked 108th in WEF’s Gender Gap Index

 India has come at 108th position in the recently released Gender Gap Index 2018 by World Economic Forum. India was ranked at the same position in 2017  has been ranked as number 1 in the WEF’s Gender Gap Index for the 10th consecutive year

‘Shiksha Setu’ Mobile App launched by Haryana Government

 This mobile app will contain all the information related to attendance, fee, online admission and scholarships in all the Haryana government colleges

CCEA approves setting up of Eklavya Model Residential Schools

 Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given its approval for the revamped Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) scheme  Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) will be set up in every block where Scheduled Tribes population is more than 50% and has at least 20,000 tribal people

State of Goa celebrated its 57th Liberation Day on 19th December

 Goa celebrated the 57th Liberation Day on December 19, 1961 to mark getting independence from the 450-years of Portuguese rule  Operation Vijay was completed by the Indian Forces liberating Territories of Goa, Daman and Diu and the Anjadiv Island and from the Portuguese rule

Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016 passed by Lok Sabha

 The bill protects the rights of the surrogate mother and the child born from surrogacy and promotes ethical surrogacy  The couple who intend for surrogacy should be aged between 23 to 50 years and married for at least 5 years

Jammu & Kashmir came under President Rule

 The decision came after the Governor rule completed its six month.  In the case of Jammu and Kashmir, which has a separate Constitution, six months of Governor’s rule is mandatory before President’s rule.

Harsh Vardhan Shringla appointed as India’s Ambassador to US Lok Sabha passed the Consumer Protection Bill, 2018

 The Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions will be set up at District, State and National levels  The Bill seeks to establish a central consumer protection authority (CCPA) which will be tasked with promoting, protecting and enforcing consumer rights

DIPP announces States’ Startup Ranking 2018

 Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry released the first ever States’ Startup Ranking 2018  Gujarat is the best-performing state in the country for the Startups

NITI Aayog releases Sustainable Development Goals Index

 NITI Aayog has released a first-of-its-kind Sustainable Development Goals index  Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu have been ranked on top 3 positions and are on track to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

InSight lander places its first instrument on Mars

 InSight placed seismometer that will listen for quakes and wobbles  SEIS will also provide accurate 3D models of the interior of Mars

22nd December celebrated as National Mathematics Day

 India celebrated 22nd December 2018 as the National Mathematics Day honouring the 131st birth anniversary of famous Indian Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan  Ramanujan compiled nearly 3,900 results, mostly identities and equations, on his own without any assistance

Union Government announced Sardar Patel award for National Integration

 PM Narendra Modi has announced the setting up of Sardar Patel Award for National Integration

National Farmer Day celebrated on December 23

 Birth anniversary of Choudhary

India’s first music museum to be set up in Thiruvaiyaru

Bharat Ratna International Schools for students in Rural Areas  Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched the ‘ Atal Bihari Vajpayee International Schools’ for students in rural areas on the occasion of 94th birth anniversary of late PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Andaman Island to be renamed as Netaji S.C.Bose Island

 The Ross, Neil and Havelock Islands are to be named as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island, Shaheed Dweep, and Swaraj Dweep, respectively  30th December marks the 75th anniversary of the Netaji’s visit to the Andaman Islands

Lok Sabha Passes Triple Talaq Bill

 The Lok Sabha has passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, famously referred to as Triple Talaq Bill  Declaration of Triple Talaq would be a cognizable offence, attracting up to three years’ imprisonment with a fine

India’s Fiscal Deficit is at around 115% of FY19 Target

 India’s fiscal deficit in the first eight months of FY2018-19 rose to Rs 7.17 lakh crore, hitting around 115% of the budgeted target of 18-19  The target of Rs 6.24 lakh crore set by the government for the financial year 2018-19

Union government has launched Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskaar annual awards

 Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskaar annual awards has been instituted to recognise the excellent work done by individuals and institutions in the country in the field of Disaster management.  For the individual, the person shall receive a certificate and a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh and institution will get 51 lakh

Union Cabinet approved budget for Gaganyaan project

 Union Cabinet has approved a budget of Rs 10000cr for Gaganyaan mission  The mission aims to carry three human beings for a maximum period of seven days in space

Odisha launched Khushi Scheme

 Scheme is aimed to provide good menstrual hygiene care to women of the state  Government will provide free sanitary napkins to 17 lakh girls studying in Classes 6 to 12 in government and government-aided schools CCEA approves setting up of Eklavya Model Residential Schools

 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) will be set up in every block where Scheduled Tribes population is more than 50% and has at least 20,000 tribal people

Capital First merges with IDFC Bank to create IDFC First Bank

 The IDFC Bank has merged completely with the non-banking financial company Capital First into a new entity to be called as IDFC First Bank  NBFC is a financial institution that does not have a banking license but provides banking services

Minorities Rights Day observed on 18th December in India

 This day is observed to promote the rights of Minority communities in India  Minorities in India constitute about 19% of the total population

Postal Stamp dedicated to Nabin Chandra Das, inventor of Rosogolla launched in West Bengal

 Bagbazar O Rosogolla Utsob, a three-day Rosogolla Utsav is being held at Bagbazar, Kolkata

One District, One Product scheme launched by Uttar Pradesh Government

 One District, One Product scheme launched to encourage indigenous and specialized products and crafts of the state

Prime Minister also released a book, titled “Timeless Laxman”, based on the famous cartoonist, RK Laxman

MoRD Signs MoU with Maruti Suzuki India Ltd for Training Rural Youth for Skill Development Under Deendayal upadhyaya grameen kaushalya yojana (DDUGKY)

 Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) signed a MoU with Maruti Suzuki India Ltd for training rural youth for skill development  Narendra Singh Tomar is the Union Minister for Rural Development (MoRD):

Pakistan activist Asma Jahangir honoured with UN Human rights award for 2018  United Nations Human Rights Prize for 2018,was posthumously awarded to Pakistan’s iconic human rights activist and lawyer Asma Jahangir

Pranab Kumar Das is appointed as new CBIC chairman

 Appointments Committee of the Cabinet had approved the appointment of Pranab Kumar Das as the new Chairman of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC)

The book ‘Changing India’ written by former Prime Minister was released

 It is a set of 5 volumes having a compilation of speeches and writings detailing Mr Singh’s life as an economist.

Department of Post has issued a Commemorative Postage Stamp on Rajkumar Shukla in New Delhi on 18th December 2018

 The stamp was released as a tribute to the contribution made by Rajkumar Shukla in the launch of Champaran Satyagraha in the year 1917

USA pulls out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty

of America has decided to cancel the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed between Russian and the USA in 1987

Lok Sabha passed the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016

 The bill has banned commercial surrogacy  Surrogacy is defined as an agreement between a couple who cannot conceive and a surrogate mother to carry their child  The bill is providing surrogacy to only Indian citizens. Thus, Foreigners, NRI and PIOs are not allowed

Strategy for New India@75: NITI Aayog Strategy Document to Make India $ 4 trillion Economy

 Drivers, Infrastructure, Inclusion and Governance are the key areas for development.

Harsh Vardhan Shringla appointed as India’s Ambassador to US

 He will be succeeding Navtej Sarna as the ambassador to the United States of America

‘Asiatic Lion Conservation Project’ launched by Government  “Asiatic Lion Conservation Project” has been launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change(MoEFCC). The total budget of the “Asiatic Lion Conservation Project” for 3 years stands at about Rs. 9784 lakh

WV Raman appointed as the new coach of Women’s Cricket Team of India

 W V Raman has played 11 Tests and 27 ODIs for India and is one of the most qualified coaches in the nation.

The winter solstice 2018 took place on December 21

 It is the time of the year when one of the Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt away from the Sun. Winter Solstice happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere

Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) inaugrated in Gurugram

 Defence Minister of India formally inaugurated the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) Indian at the Information Management andAnalysis Centre (IMAC) in Gurugram

Vedangi Kulkarni has become the fastest Asian Indian woman to cycle the Globe

 She has completed the 29,000 km distance required to qualify as bicycling across the globe.

Strategy for New India @ 75 has been unveiled by Health Sector

 The document makes important recommendations to improve the health sector scenario in the country.

India Celebrates National Farmers Day on 23rd December to commemorate the birth anniversary of the 5th PM of India Choudhary Charan Singh

 He served as the between 28 July 1979 and 14 January 1980. He is often referred to as the ‘champion of India’s peasants’.

PM Modi launches Paika Rebellion Chair in Utkal University

 The Paika Rebellion of 1817 in Odisha briefly shook the foundations of British rule in the eastern part of India

PM releases commemorative coin in honour of Atal Bihari Vajpayee  PM Modi released a commemorative coin worth Rs 100 in honour of former prime minister Vajpayeejion his birthday

1. V. Bharathi appointed as MD and CEO of Corporation Bank

 V. Bharathi is currently working as the Executive Director in the Canara Bank

24th December celebrated as National Consumers Day

 The theme of the 2018 National Consumers Day was “Timely Disposal of Consumer Complaints”

PM Modi inaugurates Bogibeel Bridge on 25th January

 PM Modi inaugurated the Bogibeel Bridge on the birth anniversary of the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.December 25 which is observed as “”

Sadaiv Atal dedicated to the Nation on the birth Anniversary of the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee

 To emphasise on the unity in diversity, stones from various parts of the country have been used in the construction of Samadhi near Rajghat in New Delhi

Child Care Institutes being run in Haryana renamed as ‘Jagannath Ashrams’

 Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on 25th December 2018 has announced the renaming of Child Care Institutes being run in the state as Jagannath Ashrams

India’s largest Cancer Institute to come up in Haryana’s Jhajjar

 Different facilities like surgical oncology, radiation oncology, medical oncology, anesthesia and palliative care and nuclear medicine would be available.

Eminent Sitar Player Manju Mehta conferred Tansen Samman, 2018

 Madhya Pradesh Government has conferred the annual Tansen Samman upon eminent Sitar Player Manju Mehta for her contribution in the field of Hindustan

Dwijing Festival begins at Chirang district of Assam

 An annual river festival, Dwijing Festival has begun on 27th December on the bank of River Aie at Chirang district of Assam Union Cabinet Approves amendments to POCSO Act

 Union Cabinet has approved amendments to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012  POSCO is a gender-neutral law protects both boys and girls under the age of 18