1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 15th edition of the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit (HTLS) in New Delhi on November 30, 2017. The 2-day summit is based on the theme 'The Irreversible Rise of India' to bring up 'revolutionary ideas' to accelerate India's growth and rise on the international stage. The list of dignitaries attended the summit includes Former US President Barack Obama, Afghanistan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Chattishgarh Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh and many others.
2. The French film on AIDS "120 Beats Per Minute", directed by Robin Campillo, has won the prestigious Golden Peacock award for best film at the 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2017), while the film's actor Nahuel Perez Biscayart won the Silver Peacock in the best actor male category in Panaji, Goa. Apart from this, Amitabh Bachchan was felicitated with the Indian Film Personality of the Year Award 2017 and the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan.
3. The 7th edition of 'Kathakar – International Storytellers Festival' has inaugurated by Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju in New Delhi on December 1, 2017. Kathakar is the only oral storytelling festival in India and is a part of Ghummakkad Narain- the Travelling Literature Festival which was started under the aegis of UNESCO in 2010. The Festival is an attempt not only to preserve the art form but also create new audiences for the same. This year festival will be hosted in Delhi, Gurugram, Noida and Mumbai.
4. The 14-day long Combined Military exercise 'Ajeya Warrior- 2017' between India and the United Kingdom (UK) has started in the Mahajan Field Firing Range near Bikaner of Rajasthan on December 1, 2017. The purpose of this exercise is to increase mutual cooperation and coordination between the two countries. Both armies will learn and share from each other's experiences. The 20 Rajputana Rifles unit of the Indian Army and the first battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment of the UK Army are participating in the exercise, which is third joint military exercise between the two countries. The first exercise of this series was held in Belgium in 2013 and the second maneuvers were held in the UK in 2015.
5. Saraswati Tripathy (89), the prominent Gandhian and freedom fighter, has passed away in Jajapur district of Odisha on November 30, 2017. She was the wife of late freedom fighter Brundaban Tripathy. She had met Mahatma Gandhi at Beraboi Ashram in Puri district and joined the freedom struggle. She was supervising the activities at Thakar Bapa Ashram at Balipadia village in Jajapur district till her last breath.
6. President Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated the 18th Hornbill festival 2017 and the 54th Statehood Day celebrations of Nagaland at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama on December 1, 2017. The 10-day Hornbill fest is the perfect showcase of rich Naga culture and traditions, preserved over the years in the form of music, dance and food. It is also called the 'Festival of Festivals'. The festival is named after the Indian hornbill, the large and colourful forest bird which is displayed in the folklore of most of the state's tribes. The highlights of festival includes the traditional Naga Morungs exhibition and the sale of arts and crafts, food stalls, herbal medicine stalls, flower shows and sales, cultural medley – songs and dances, fashion shows, the Miss Nagaland beauty contest, traditional archery, Naga wrestling, indigenous games, and musical concert.
7. Snehlata Shrivastava, a 1982 batch IAS officer from the Madhya Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as new Secretary-General of Lok Sabha. She succeeded Anoop Mishra on December 1 and her tenure will end on November 30, 2018. With this, she has become the first woman Secretary-General of Lok Sabha. Snehlata's appointment was approved by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. Prior to this post, she was working as Secretary Law in Central government. Ms Shrivastava has 35 years of rich and varied administrative experience.
8. The World AIDS Day (WAD) is observed every year all over the world on December 1 to raise the public awareness about Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). It is a pandemic disease caused due to the infection of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Under the 2017 theme "Right to health", the World Health Organization (WHO) will highlight the need for the 36.7 million people living with HIV and those who are vulnerable and affected by the epidemic, to reach the goal of universal health coverage.
9. The Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary (AWS) is situated at Kamrup district in Guwahati, Assam and is spread over an area of 78.64 square kilometers. It consists of Amchang Reserve Forest, South Amchang Reserve Forest and Khanapara Reserve Forest. The sanctuary represents one of the rich and ecologically diverse habitat for the wide variety of animals and plant species. Hollockgibbon, Chinese pangolin, Flying squirrel, Assamese Macaque, Capped languor, Slow loris, Leopard, Elephant, Sambar, Barking Deer, Gaur etc., are the principal animals found in the wildlife sanctuary.
10. Indian actor Parvathy Thiruvoth Kottuvatta has won the Best Actor Female Award at the 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2017) for her role in Malayalam film "Take Off". The movie, directed by Mahesh Narayan, is based on the ordeal of Indian nurses in the city of Tikrit, Iraq, in 2014. It also won the Special Jury Award which included a Silver Peacock, a certificate and cash prize of Rs 15 lakh. Beside this, Marathi film "Kshitiz A Horizon" (directed by Manouj Kadaamh) won the ICFT Unesco Gandhi Medal 2017. The Prestigious Silver Peacock Award for the Best Debut Film of a Director goes to Director Kiro Russo for the film "Dark Skull". The theme of IFFI 2017 was "Celebrating the Future of Cinema" and Canada was the focus country.
11. Jenny Kim, a South Korean beauty pageant titleholder, has been crowned Miss Supranational 2017 in Krynica-Zdroj, Poland on December 1, 2017. She was crowned by the very beautiful Miss Supranational 2016 "Srinidhi Ramesh Shetty" of India. Altogether 65 contestants from across the globe participated at the prestigious pageant with Jenny Kim emerging victorious.
12. Suresh Prabhu, the Union Minister of Industry and Commerce, was the chief guest for the Shared Value Summit 2017 in New Delhi on December 1. The summit was organised by Shared Value Initiative India, Institute for Competitiveness (India), and SoulAce & India Council on Competitiveness in association with BusinessLine. The theme of the summit was "Equity and Empowerment". The purpose of the summit is to encourage businesses to adopt the practice of shared value by imbibing the spirit of inclusivity in their business models. The summit aims to provide a platform to identify and address the barriers that exist to equality and empowerment in the Indian society.
13. Uhuru Kenyatta has been sworn-in for a second and final five-year term for the post of President of Republic of Kenya, a month after winning a bitterly disputed election rerun marked by delays and boycott. Several heads of states and tens of thousands of his supporters attended the inauguration at a stadium in the capital, Nairobi, on 28th November 2017. Kenyatta won 98% of the votes cast in October's poll, which was boycotted by the main opposition leader, Raila Odinga, who alleged the poll wouldn't be free and fair.
14. 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 and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. The annual observance of the day was proclaimed in 1992 by a United Nations General Assembly resolution. The 2017 theme is "Transformation towards sustainable and resilient society for all".
15. Japan will host a ministerial meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on December 15, which will be focused on finding peaceful ways to pressure North Korea to halt its nuclear and ballistic missile tests and de-nuclearise the Korean peninsula. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to brief the council. This year's meeting has the backing of nine members – the United States, France, Britain, Italy, Japan, Senegal, Sweden, Ukraine and Uruguay.
16. The Telangana State Government will set up the world's first IT Campus for differently-abled persons. On the occasion of the World Disability Day (WDD), the state Government has signed an agreement with Vindhya E-Infomedia Private Limited to set up the Information and Technology (IT) campus to focus on creating employment opportunities for persons with disabilities on December 3, 2017. The proposed campus will be set up in an area of 10 acres near the IT park developed by the state Government near the Hyderabad international airport. The campus will have all the amenities like Training, Residential facility and Delivery centers that will cater to various clients both domestic and International. The campus is expected to create two thousand jobs in next 5 years by providing apt training.
17. Salil S Parekh has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) of Infosys, with effective from January 2, 2018. Parekh joins Infosys from Capgemini, where he was a member of the Group Executive Board. He has Master of Engineering degrees in Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University, and a Bachelor of Technology degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay.
18. Wrestler Sushil Kumar and Boxer M C Mary C. Kom have submitted their resignation as National Sports Observers. As both the top athletes are still active in their respective fields, wrestling(Men) and Boxing (Women). This decision came after Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore made it clear that active sportspersons will not be considered for the position. Both are among 12 national observers appointed in March 2017. The list also includes Olympic-gold-medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra, double Olympic-medallist Sushil Kumar and former Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Akhil Kumar, among others. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has recently accepted their resignations as National Sports observers.
19. The 2017 Konark dance festival has started on December 1, 2017 in backdrop of the Sun temple in Konark, Odisha. It is one of the biggest dance festivals held in India. The 5-day dance festival opened near the world famous Sun Temple of Konark with Odissi recital by the dancers of Nupur Dance Academy of Bhubaneswar under the tutelage of Niranjan Rout and group. To attract more foreign tourists to the festival, Odisha Tourism included performances of two foreign dance groups from Malaysia, who will perform classical Indian dance during the festival. Coinciding with the dance festival, International Sand Art Festival has started at Chandrabhaga beach in Konark. Eight international sand sculptors and 62 national artists were being exhibited their works in the festival.
20. India was re-elected to the Council of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) under Category B at an assembly of the organisation at its headquarters in London on December 1, 2017. Indian High Commissioner to the UK, YK Sinha represented India at the assembly where India secured the second-highest 144 number of votes from member-countries, just after Germany's 146. India has been one of the earliest members of the IMO, having ratified its convention and joined it as a member-state in the year 1959. India has been elected to the Council of the IMO ever since it started functioning, except for a two-year hiatus during 1983-1984. The IMO Council plays a crucial role in deciding various important matters within the mandate of the IMO, in relation to the global shipping industry and its work strategy and budget.
21. The first International exhibition and Conference on AYUSH and Wellness sector- AROGYA 2017 has started in New Delhi on December 4, 2017. The 4-day event inaugurated by Ayush Minister Shripad Yesso Naik with theme "Enhancing the global potential of Ayush". The purpose of the event is to showcase the strength and scientific validation of Indian System of Medicine in the global context. It will also facilitate International promotion, development and recognition of Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy. The fair will give a boost to AYUSH Products in International Market. Over 200 Ayush and wellness delegates from over 50 countries are attending the conference. AYUSH is the acronym of the medical systems that are being practiced in India such as Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy.
22. Deepika Kumari from India has won bronze medal at the Indoor Archery World Cup Stage 2 that concluded in Bangkok, Thailand on December 3, 2017. She defeated 13th seeded Sayana Tsyrempilova of Russia 7-3 in the women's recurve bronze play-off.
23. The Indian Navy Day (IND) is observed every year on 4th December every year to remember the courage and determination that Indian Navy had shown during the 1971 war. During the India-Pakistan war of 1971, the Indian Navy played a significant role in the bombing of the Karachi harbor and sank Pakistan Naval Ship PNS Ghazi. The Navy Day celebrations not only display the nation's technological progress but also the maritime achievements of India. The Indian Navy plays a great role in securing the marine borders of the country as well as enhancing the international relations of the country through foreign port callings, joint exercises, humanitarian missions and calamity relief.
24. South Korea and the United States launched their largest-ever joint aerial drill exercise "Vigilant Ace-2017" on December 4 and will run till Dec 8, 2017. Around 12,000 US service members, including from the Marines and Navy, are joining South Korean troops. The joint exercise is designed to enhance readiness and operational capability and to ensure peace and security on the Korean peninsula, the US military had said before the drills began. The exercise comes after a week after North Korea said it had tested its most advanced missile as part of a weapons programme that has raised global tensions.
25. Mumbai batsman Prithvi Shaw will lead a 16-member Indian team in ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2018. The 16-team event will be held in New Zealand from 13th January to 3rd February 2018. The 16-team event will be held in New Zealand from 13th January to 3rd February 2018. India has won the Under-19 World Cup title thrice in 2000, 2008 and 2012. They made the final of the 2016 edition in Bangladesh but lost to West Indies by five wickets. As part of India's preparation for the coveted tournament, a camp will be held in Bengaluru starting on December 8, 2017.
26. India's first Madame Tussauds wax museum has officially opened in New Delhi with 50 life-like figures spanning across history, sports, music, films, and politics, for the public at the iconic Regal building in central Delhi. The 50 life-like wax figures include multiple national and international celebrities such as Sachin Tendulkar, Mary Kom, Milkha Singh, Lionel Messi, Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit Nene, as well as political leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, PM Narendra Modi. This is the 23rd Madame Tussauds attraction globally. It will be open for all seven days with tickets priced at Rs 960 for adults and Rs 760 for children. The timing is 10am to 7.30pm.
27. The International conference on climate change has inaugurated by Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari to draw attention towards the adverse effects of global warming in the Hindu Kush mountain range. The conference 'Resilient Hindu Kush Himalaya: Developing Solutions towards a Sustainable Future for Asia' is organized by Nepal's Ministry for Environment in collaboration with International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). The 4-day conference is attended by more than 300 experts from different countries of Asia including India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Myanmar. V K Saraswat, member of India's Neeti foundation is leading the Indian delegation in the conference. The Hindu Kush Himalaya, a mountain range that spans from Afghanistan to Myanmar sources 10 major river systems in Asia that provide water, ecosystem services and livelihoods to more than 210 million people. The region holds and distributes water for more than 1.3 billion people living in downstream river basins.
28. The World Telugu Conference (WTC) will be held at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad, Telangana from December 15 with focus on how the Telugu language is preserved, protected, enriched in the Telangana region. The conference will provide the data related to Telugu Conferences (Telugu Maha Sabhalu) and eminent Telugu Personalities across the Globe. President Ram Nath Kovind will be the chief guest of the 5-day event and the Telangana Sahitya Akademi will be the nodal agency for the conference.
29. The Andhra Pradesh assembly has unanimously passed the Kapu reservation bill to provide 5% quota to Kapu community under the Backward Castes (BC) 'F' Category in education and employment in the state. The bill will be sent to Centre for its approval and to include the Kapu reservation in Schedule 9 so that it will become legitimate. Though, Kapu quota if issued, will take the total quota in the state to 55%, which is more than 50% limit restricted by the Supreme Court. The state already has 29% reservation for Backward Castes under A, B, C, D and E categories. Apart from this, 15% and 6% reservations exist for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), respectively.
30. The Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary (RWS) is located in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh and is spread over an area of 6.14 square kilometers. It is home to a varied set of faunal and avifaunal species such as foxes, jackals, bonnet macaques, jungle cats, sloth bears and black bucks. It also houses 132 bird species with the Alganur reservoir near the sanctuary frequented annually by migratory species.
31. The 6th International Tourism Mart 2017 has started in Guwahati, Assam on December 5. The three day program has been organized by Ministry of Tourism in association with all North Eastern states. Panel discussions, workshops, business to business meetings, cultural programs are being organized. Senior officials from Railway, Civil Aviation, DoNER, Road Transport ministry will share their views for the betterment of the tourism sector of North East including Assam.
32. The Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh has been included in the National Capital Region (NCR). With this, the total number of districts in the NCR goes to 23. The decision to include Shamli in the NCR was taken at the 37th meeting of the National Capital Region Planning Board held in New Delhi on December 4, 2017. Besides Delhi, there are at present 22 districts- 13 of Haryana, 7 of Uttar Pradesh and two of Rajasthan in the NCR. Cities in the NCR get funds at attractive interest rates from NCRPB for infrastructure development. The meeting was chaired by Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. The meeting also decided that the forests should be identified as per the order of the Supreme Court and the 'Aravallis' are to be delineated in the entire NCR, as per the earlier decisions of the Board.
33. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved debt financing and partial risk guarantee of $583 million to develop Reliance Power's 750MW LNG based combined cycle power plant and LNG terminal project in Bangladesh. ADB's financing package includes loans and partial risk guarantees for the power generation facility, as well as for the LNG terminal. The total project cost is approximately $1 billion.
34. The World Soil Day (WSD) is observed every year on December 5 to communicate messages on the importance of soil quality for food security, healthy ecosystems and human well-being. The 2017 theme is "Caring for the Planet starts from the Ground". It is celebrated annually at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters in Rome, the regional offices and through national and local events.
35. India's largest floating solar power plant has become operational at the Banasura Sagar dam in Wayanad, Kerala on December 5, 2017. The solar power plant that floats on the surface of water has a capacity of 500 kilowatts (KW). It consists of 1,938 solar panels with a capacity of 260 watts, a 500 kilo volt ampere (KVA) transformer and 17 inverters. The unique feature of this plant is the anchoring mechanism used by the overwhelming technology to maintain the plant with the alteration of the water level. The total cost of the project is Rs. 9.25 crore.
36. The United States has pulled out from the UN Global Compact on Migration as it does not meet the policies and principles of the Donald Trump administration. The US has been a part of the non-binding New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants since it was unanimously adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2016. The declaration called for negotiations on a Global Compact for Migration, aimed at protecting the rights of refugees and migrants and helping them resettle. It also seeks to fight xenophobia, racism and discrimination towards refugees and migrants. Under Trump and his "America First" policies, the United States has withdrawn from several global commitments made under the administration of President Barack Obama, including the Paris climate deal. The US has also withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and UNESCO, the UN organisation which aims to improve education and preserve cultural heritage worldwide.
37. Rahul Singh, Founder & CEO of The Beer Café, has taken over as the new President of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) in New Delhi. The appointment was made unanimously after Riyaaz Amlani, CEO & MD, Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. Resigned from his duties due to health reasons. The NRAI represents independent & chain of Restaurant/Bars/Café owners and operators of India.
38. Anupriya Patel, MoS (Health & Family Welfare), has recently inaugurated the 22nd conference of Asian Harmonization Working Party (AHWP) at New Delhi. The 5-day conference is being conducted by Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) and National Drug Regulatory Authority (NDRA) of India in collaboration with Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. The key objective of the event is to develop and recommend approaches for the convergence and harmonization of medical device regulations in Asia and beyond and to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and expertise amongst regulators and the industry. The AHWP is a voluntary non-profit organization of the 30 national regulators of member countries and industry members with a goal to promote regulatory harmonization on medical device regulations in Asia and other regions in accordance with the guidance issued by International Medical Device Regulators Forums (IMDRF). It works in collaboration with related international organizations such as IMDRF, WHO, International Organization for Standardization (ISO), etc.
39. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro launched a crypto-currency "Petro" to advance issues of monetary sovereignty, make financial transactions and overcome the financial blockade. Beside this, Petro will also circumvent US-led financial sanctions. The digital currency will be backed by Venezuelan reserves of gold, oil, gas and diamonds.
40. The Jessore Sloth Bear Sanctuary is located in the Banaskantha district of Gujarat at the Gujarat-Rajasthan border and covers an area of about 180 square kilometres. It is home to grey jungle fowl, white-bellied minivet, Indian black ibis, etc. The sanctuary is principally for protection of the sloth bear, which is now categorized as "Vulnerable A2cd+4cd;C1 ver 3.1" on the IUCN Red List.
41. India has won the first-ever South Asian Regional Badminton Team Championship. In the title clash played in Guwahati on 6th December 2017, India defeated Nepal, 3-0. The Indian team, which came into the Final without losing a single match, continued their good run with Aryaman Tandon drawing first blood in the boys' singles competition. He defeated Dipesh Dhami 21-9, 21-15. Ashmita Chaliha continued the Indian juggernaut as she danced her way to a 21-9, 21-6 win over Rashila Maharjan in the Girls' singles event. In Boys' Doubles, the pair of Arintap Dasgupta and Krishna Prasad came back from a game behind to beat the duo of Dipesh Dhami and Nabin Shrestha 19-21, 21-14, 21-11 to seal the deal for India.
42. Adithyan, the noted South Indian music director, has passed away in Hyderabad on December 6, 2017. The musician is known for his numbers in films such as the super hit gangster flick Amaran, besides Seevalaperi Pandi, in the early 90s. He has scored music for many Telugu and Malayalam movies, the sources added. Adithyan also hosted a culinary show in a popular Tamil TV channel.
43. Uttar Pradesh has become the first State to endorse the Central government's draft bill that makes instant triple talaq a cognisable and non-bailable offence. The draft law, which provides for three-year imprisonment and a fine to a man trying to divorce his wife by uttering "talaq" three times, got the State government's approval at a Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow on December 5, 2017.
44. The Rajasthan government will soon introduce 'Guru-Shishya' programme in all districts, under which college students can raise discuss with their teachers the issues and problems related to their institutes. According to state Higher Education Minister Kiran Maheshwari, the programme will be held in one nodal college in each district where students selected on merit and elected members of students union would participate. It will soon begin from Jaipur.
45. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has kept the key interest rate "repo rate" unchanged at 6% and reverse repo at 5.75% in its fifth bi-monthly monetary policy review for the year 2017-18 on December 6, 2017, as it feared that inflation may top the central bank's medium-term target of 4%. It also maintained its neutral policy stance. Consequently, the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate remained at 6.25%. The central bank has raised inflation forecast to 4.3-4.7% in third and fourth quarters of current fiscal and kept the economic growth forecast "Gross Value Added (GVA)" unchanged at 6.7%.
46. The Madhya Pradesh Assembly has unanimously passed a Bill awarding death to those found guilty of raping girls aged 12 and below on December 4, 2017. With this, Madhya Pradesh has become the India's first State where those convicted of such rapes will face the gallows. The Capital punishment would be awarded to convicts under Section 376 (A), which is related to rape, and Section 376 (D, A), pertaining to gang rape. The Bill will now be sent to the President for his assent after which it will become a law.
47. The Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary (JWS) is located in Jambughoda Tehsil, in the South-Central part of Gujarat and covers an area of 542.08 square kilometres. It is a forest of teak, bamboo and other miscellaneous species. Flora here includes Sag, sadad, shisham, khair, mahuda, bamboos, timru, bor, dhav, bili and dudhalo. It is home to Indian leopard, hyena, wolf, jackal, four horned antelope, Blue bull, wild boar, etc.
48. Mohamad Al Jounde (16) from Syria has been honoured with the International Children's Peace Prize 2017 for his efforts to ensure the rights of Syrian refugee children. Al Jounde, a refugee of the Syrian civil war, set up a school together with his family in a Lebanese refugee camp that currently provides 200 children with education. The prize is an initiative of the KidsRights Foundation, an international children's aid and advocacy organisation based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is awarded annually to a child who has made a significant contribution to advocating children's rights and improving the situation of vulnerable children such as orphans, child labourers and children with HIV/AIDS.
49. Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh has launched the UNICEF-ICC's adolescent campaign "Power of Sports to Shape the Future of Adolescents" in Colombo, Sri Lanka to promote a UNICEF sports initiative for youngsters in South Asia.
50. Michael I (96), the former King of Romania, has passed away in Aubonne, Switzerland on December 5, 2017. He ruled Romania twice – first in the 1920s, when he was just five years old and then again from 1940 to 1947. He was one of the last people alive to have served as a head of state during World War Two. King Michael was known for ousting fascist ruler Antonescu and ending his country's alliance with the Nazis in 1944, switching sides to the Allies. However, in 1947 he was forced to abdicate by the country's communists, who ruled until the revolution of 1989. He went into exile until the 1990s when he returned to Romania after the fall of the country's communist leader, Nicolae Ceaucescu. After being diagnosed with cancer in 2016, he retired from public life.
51. India and Italy has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in Agriculture and Phytosanitary issues on December 6, 2017 that will replace the one signed in 2008. Notably, the MoU was signed between Indian Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh and Italian Minister for Agriculture H.E Maurizio Martina that will provide a good framework for cooperation in this field.
52. The Armed Forces Flag Day is observed every year in India on December 7 to remember the sacrifices and commemorate the honour to the soldiers, airmen and sailors. The day observed since 1949 and is dedicated towards collection of funds from people for the welfare of the Armed Forces personnel. It is the duty of every Indian to look after the wellbeing of those who have sacrificed their lives for the nation. Flag Day is an opportunity for every Indian citizen to contribute most generously to the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund.
53. The National Commission for Minorities has set up a 3-member committee to look into whether Hindus should get minority status in seven states and a Union Territory where they are not the dominant religious group. The panel, led by the commission's Vice Chairman George Kurien, has been given three months to submit its report. The commission's decision is based on a plea filed by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ashwini Upadhyaya, whose petition on the matter was rejected by the Supreme Court on November 10. The court had directed him to approach the minorities' commission. The states and the Union Territory named in the plea are Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Punjab.
54. The Kumbh Mela has been inscribed on the UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity' at its 12th session in Jeju, South Korea on December 7, 2017. This inscription is the third in two years for India following the inscriptions of yoga and Nouroz. The inscription of elements on the list helps countries which are a part of UNESCO's convention for safeguarding cultural heritage to mobilize international cooperation and assistance for ensuring that communities continue to practice and transmit such aspects of their heritage. According to UNESCO, Kumbh Mela (the festival of the sacred Pitcher) is the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth, during which participants bathe or take a dip in a sacred river. The festival is held at Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik every four years by rotation and is attended by millions of people irrespective of caste, creed or gender.
55. The Koderma Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) is located in Koderma district of Jharkhand and covers an area of 150.62 square kilometres. It is home to tiger, leopard, sloth bear, sambhar, cheetal, barking deer, nilgai, wild boar, giant squirrel, jackal, fox, hyaena, langur, porcupine etc. besides a variety of bird and reptile species. This wildlife sanctuary comprises hilly range of dry deciduous forests, traversed by plenty of rivulets. Besides shrubs and grasses, the important tree species here are Sal, Asan, Panjan, Kendu, Salai, Mahua, Piar, Sidha, Amla, Jamun, Bauhinia, Khair, Palas, Ber etc.
56. Time magazine has named 'The silence breakers' its Person of the Year for 2017 referring to those individuals, mostly women, who came forward this year to publicly expose patterns of sexual harassment and assault by powerful public figures in America. Those recognized by Time range from famous actresses who took on disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein to ordinary women who shared their stories of abuse using the hashtag #MeToo and its foreign language equivalents. One of the figures singled out by Time, Ashley Judd was the first actress to come forward on the record to make accusations against the 65-year-old Weinstein.
57. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the BR Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi on December 7, 2017 to encourage research and original thinking among the youth. The purpose of the centre is to promote the thoughts and teachings of Dr Ambedkar. It will be an important place for research on social and economic issues. The prime minister also unveiled two statues of the Dalit icon at the centre in Janpath.
58. The 46th Congress of the International Hockey Federation (FIH-2018) will be held in New Delhi from October 30 to November 3. The biennial event will run for four days and will comprise meetings, social events, networking opportunities and presentations. The Congress, which will have representations from the National Associations, will also chart out the future roadmap of the game, including the ongoing Hockey Revolution, FIH's 10-year strategy to drive hockey's status as a global sport. Beside this, India will also host the men's Hockey World Cup to be held in Bhubaneswar from November 28 to December 16, 2018.
59. Recently, Gurdeep Singh from India created three new senior national records in +105 Kilogram weight category in the just-concluded IWF World Weightlifting Championships at Anaheim in USA. Singh finished 13th overall with a total lift of 388kg (172 + 216) but created national records in snatch, clean and jerk, and the total lift. In snatch, he bettered his own earlier national record of 171kg by one kilogramme. In the total lift also, Gurdeep bettered the earlier national record of 384kg.
60. India and Cuba has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for enhanced cooperation in the health sector on December 6, 2017. The purpose of this MoU is to establish comprehensive inter-ministerial and inter-institutional cooperation between the two countries in the field of health by pooling technical, scientific, and financial and human resources with the ultimate goal of upgrading the quality and reach of human, material and infrastructural resources involved in health care, medical education & training, and research in both countries.
61. The first International Conference on Sports Medicine & Sports Sciences "SAICON 2017" was inaugurated by the Minister of State (I/C) Youth Affairs and Sports Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore in New Delhi on December 7, 2017. The SAICON 2017, which is organized by Sports Authority of India (SAI), will promote scientific temperament in the country and inspire students, researchers and educationists alike to take up sports science and research to the next level. The 3-day conference is being attended by about 1000 national and international delegates.
62. Kanchanmala Pande from Nagpur, the visually impaired swimmer, has scripted history by becoming the first Indian to win gold at the World Para Swimming Championship in Mexico on December 7, 2017. Pande, who works with Reserve Bank of India (RBI), stood first in the in 200 meters medley event in S-11 category. In the World Championships that started on 2nd December 2017, Pande was the lone female swimmer from India to have qualified for the event. She was qualified for this championship after she brought home silver at the IDM Berlin Para Swimming Championship in July 2017. With this, she was selected to represent India in the 100m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 100m breaststroke and 200m individual medley categories. Unfortunately, she missed a podium finish in the 100 metres freestyle and came 5th in the breaststroke and backstroke category.
63. Azar A.H.Khan has been appointed as the new Ambassador of India to Turkmenistan. Presently, he is Consul General in the Consulate General of India. He is expected to take up his assignment shortly.
64. Cristiano Ronaldo, the Real Madrid and Portugal superstar, has won the 2017 Ballon d'Or award for the year's best player in Paris, France. It is his record-equalling 5th Ballon d'Or award with his great Barcelona rival Lionel Messi. Ronaldo, who also won the FIFA Men's Player of the Year award in October 2017, added the 2017 Ballon d'Or to his previous wins in 2008, 2013, 2014 and 2016.
65. The Darrah National Park (DNP) is located in within the Kathiawar-Gir dry deciduous forests' ecoregion of Rajasthan and covers an area of 250 square kilometres. It is home to a number of species including the wild boar, deer, nilgai, cheetah and wolves. The park consists of three wildlife sanctuaries: Darrah Wildlife Sanctuary, Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary and Jawahar Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary. The River Chandrabhaga flows very close to the national park and there are a number of ancient temples, dating back to the 7th and 8th centuries that are situated along the banks of the river.
66. The Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) has signed a MoU with Rotary India for concerted efforts towards achieving immunization target. The MoU will provide support and accelerate the efforts under Polio Eradication Programme, Routine Immunization including Mission Indradhanush, Intensified Mission Indradhanush and Measles-Rubella. It will generate awareness through innovative approaches and involving private practitioners and local leaders to achieve immunization target.
67. United States has officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. With this, the United States will be the first country to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which is claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians. At present, Jerusalem is the seat of the modern Israeli government. It is the home of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, as well as the Israeli Supreme Court. It is the location of the official residence of the prime minister and the president. It is the headquarters of many government ministries. Other countries that have diplomatic relations with Israel keep their embassies in Tel Aviv.
68. Mamta Kalia, the renowned Hindi scholar and writer, has been chosen for the 27th edition of Vyas Samman-2017 for her novel "Dukkham Sukkham". According to the KK Birla Foundation, which instituted the award in 1991, Vyas Samman is given annually to an outstanding work of Hindi literature by an Indian citizen published in the last 10 years. The award includes a cash prize of Rs 3.50 lakh. "Dukkham Sukkham" is a saga of a lower middle-class family's three generations. The literary work focuses on the transition in relations and situations of our society.
69. The 7th International Ground Water Conference (IGWC-2017) will be hosted by India in New Delhi with a theme of "Ground water Vision 2030- Water Security, Challenges and Climate Change Adaptation" from December 11 to 13, 2017. The conference has been organized by the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee and Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) under the aegis of Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation. The delegates from 15 countries are expected to participate in the conference and 250 research papers will be presented, including 32 Keynote papers. The Conference is expected to take stock of present status and challenges of Groundwater management in the country under the changing water use and climatic scenarios.
70. The Taj Mahal, a mausoleum crafted in ivory-white marble, has been named 2nd best UNESCO world heritage site in the world, according to a new survey by travel portal TripAdvisor. The 'monument of love' was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. It is rated after Cambodia's Angkor Wat. Other popular heritage sites on the survey include the Great Wall of China built by Xu Da of Northern Qi Dynasty in 1368 AD and South America's Incan citadel Machu Picchu in Peru.
71. The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry (MoHUA ) has signed an agreement with German firm GIZ for technical cooperation in the implementation of transport projects in Coimbatore, Bhubaneshwar and Kochi. The agreement has been signed by the ministry's officer on special duty Mukund Kumar Sinha, and GIZ Country Director Wolfgang Hanning in the presence of Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. As per agreement, an amount of around Rs 29 crore through GIZ is envisaged for this purpose over a period of three years. The main objective of the agreement is to improve planning and implementation of sustainable urban transport.
72. Italian coach Raffaele Bergamasco has been appointed Performance Director for senior women's boxing. He is behind India's best ever medal haul at the recently-concluded AIBA Women's Youth Boxing Championship 2017. India enjoyed a gold rush at the World Women's Youth Boxing Championships 2017 in Guwahati with the country's pugilists grabbing five top positions to finish overall champions for the first time.
73. India has become the 42nd participating State of Wassenaar Arrangement after completing the internal procedures in Vienna on December 8, 2017. The membership will facilitate high-technology tie-ups for country's defence and space programmes. This membership is the second diplomatic success for India for the membership of export control regimes after it joined the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in 2016. India's entry into the export control regime would enhance its credentials in the field of non-proliferation despite not being a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The Wassenaar Arrangement is an elite club of countries which subscribe to arms export controls, similar to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the MTCR.
74. The Satpura National Park (SNP) is located in the Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh and covers an area of 524 square kilometres. It has a very rich in biodiversity and is home to leopard, sambar, chital, Indian muntjac, nilgai, four-horned antelope, Chinkara, wild boar, bear, black buck, fox, porcupine, flying squirrel, mouse deer, Indian giant squirrel, etc. The flora consists of mainly sal, teak, tendu, Phyllanthus emblica, mahua, bel, bamboo, and grasses and medicinal plants.
75. Kacheguda railway station in Hyderabad has become the India's first Energy-Efficient 'A1 Category' Railway Station. It is operated by the South Central Railway (SCR) zone of Indian Railways. The station achieved the feat by replacing 1,312 conventional lights with Light-Emitting Diode (LED). It also replaced 370 ceiling fans with fans that run on Brushless DC Electrical motors, and installed 12 energy efficient inverter-type air conditioners. All these measures will save about 1.76 lakh units and Rs14.08 lakh per annum with reduction of the connected load by 46.18 kW for Railways. The station was built in 1916 during the reign of the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan.
76. The World Human Rights Day (WHRD) is observed every year on December 10 to commemorate the day in 1948 when the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris. It establishes the equal dignity and worth of every person. This year, in 2017, the Human Rights Day kicks off a year-long campaign to mark the upcoming 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The 2017 theme is 'Let's stand up for equality, justice and human dignity'.
77. The ASEAN India Connectivity Summit (AICS) will held in New Delhi from December 11, 2017. The theme of the two-day Summit is "Powering Digital and Physical Linkages for Asia in the 21st Century". The purpose of the AICS is to accelerate existing connectivity prospects, identify issues of concern, evolve suitable policy recommendations and develop strategies to enhance economic, industrial and trade relations between ASEAN and India. Its focus areas are Infrastructure, Roadways, Shipping, Digital, Finance, Energy and Aviation. In addition, the AICS will be bringing together, policymakers, senior officials from the Government, investors, industry leaders, representatives of trade associations and entrepreneurs on the same platform.
78. The two-day Aadivasi Mahotsav has started in Raipur, Chhattisgarh on December 10, 2017 to display the rich and diverse tribal traditions of the central state. It was inaugurated by Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram and Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh. Tribal culture, literature and food festivals, tribal Olympiad and hackathon will be held during the event. The festival has been organised in the memory of 1857 revolutionary from the region, Shaheed Veernarayan Singh on his martyrdom day.
79. India's first mobile food testing laboratory, which will enable on-the-spot food safety tests to be conducted in Goa, has officially launched by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on December 10, 2017. This is the first ever 'Food Safety on Wheel' mobile laboratory in the country. The vehicle is equipped to conduct on-the-spot tests to check the food quality. It will also check the hygiene level of water and the results can be received within 15 minutes. The mobile lab will do away with need to get the food samples to the FDA laboratory near Panaji for tests. It will cut the delays. The mobile laboratory costs Rs 45 lakh and it has been fully funded by the Centre.
80. India is hosting the 'Bodhi Parva: BIMSTEC Festival of Buddhist Heritage' in New Delhi from December 8 to 10, 2017 as part of celebrations of 20th anniversary of BIMSTEC. The purpose of the fest is to emphasize and raise awareness of BIMSTEC's rich and common heritage. It was inaugurated by Dr. Mahesh Sharma, the union minister of state for Culture (Independent Charge).
81. Mehuli Ghosh and Tushar Mane became the first Indian shooters to secure the women's and men's quota places for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) by winning a gold and bronze each at the 10th Asian Championship 10M Rifle/Pistol at Wako City, Japan on December 9, 2017. Ghosh struck gold to bag one out of three quota places up for grabs in women's 10m Air Rifle Youth, while Mane settled for a bronze medal to secure one out of four quota places available in the men's 10m Air Rifle Youth. Apart from booking two quota places at YOG, India bagged a total of three gold and three bronze to add to their five medals won on the first day of the competitions.
82. Lalji Singh (70), the eminent scientist and the father of DNA fingerprinting in India, has passed away in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on December 10, 2017. He was the founder of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) & also served as its director. Singh also found various institutes and laboratories that included laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES), Genome Foundation that aims to diagnose and treat genetic disorders affecting the underprivileged people, especially in rural India.
83. Alappuzha, the coastal town of Kerala, has been recognised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as one of the five models across the world for fighting the pollution menace. It has been reconized for its decentralised waste management system. Alappuzha, often called "the Venice of East", has been listed in the UNEP environment report entitled, 'Solid approach to waste: how five cities are beating pollution' alongside cities like Osaka in Japan, Ljubljana in Slovenia, Penang in Malaysia and Cajica in Colombia.
84. Giriraj Singh, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for MSME, has launched a Public Procurement Portal 'MSME Sambandh' in New Delhi on December 8, 2017. The purpose of the portal is to monitor the implementation of the Public Procurement from MSEs by Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs). The procurement policy mandates the Central government departments/CPSEs to procure an overall 20% of their total annual purchases from MSEs.
85. The UN Women in collaboration with Facebook launched 'We The Women' event in Mumbai, Maharashtra on December 9, 2017 to empower and recognize the magnificent contribution of women in our society. It was a two-day participatory, open-to-all forum for women offering a 'Break Free' 48 hours to bring together diverse viewpoints, challenges, concerns and a celebration of everything that women have achieved. It's annual space giving women a platform to voice their unfettered expressions, forging bonds, great conversation and a wide community of friends.
86. India has been declared free from infective trachoma, a contagious bacterial infection of the eye common among children. It causes inflamed granulation on the inner surface of the lids. Recently, the Union Health Minister J P Nadda released the National Trachoma Survey Report (2014-17) in New Delhi. The survey results indicate that active Trachoma is no longer a public health problem in the country. Trachoma is common in children till nine years of age. It is caused by the bacterial agent chlamydia trachomatis and usually spread due to flies, poor hygiene, crowded places, lack of water, and environmental factors such as humidity.
87. The 11th Ministerial conference of the 164-member World Trade Organization (WTO) has started in Buenos Aires, Argentina on December 10, 2017. At the meeting, India is represented by Union Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu who will be pushing for a permanent solution to the public food stock-holding issue which is crucial for operating the food security programme. In it, he will not only have to safeguard the interests of Indian farmers, but will also have to put his foot down on blocking introduction of new issues such as e-commerce. During the course of the 4-day deliberations, the developing nations will resist the efforts by the developed nations to formally set aside the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) and place new issues including e-commerce on the negotiating table.
88. The Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary (PKWLS) is located in the Sheopur district of north western Madhya Pradesh and covers an area of 900 square kilometres. Its ecoregion is that of Kathiawar-Gir dry deciduous forests.The park is home to many species of wild animals, including Indian wolves, monkeys, Indian leopards and nilgai. The researchers at Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has confirmed that the sanctuary is the most promising location to re-establish a free ranging population of Asiatic lions and certified it ready to receive its first batch of trans-located lions from Gir Wildlife Sanctuary where they are highly overpopulated.
89. The Union Government has sanctioned Rs. 75 crore for setting up a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) bottling plant in Meghalaya. Meghalaya is the only state in the region which has no bottling plant. The new bottling plant will be constructed at an existing site located in Shillong. A memorandum of understanding was inked between the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the state government in the presence of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma in Shillong on December 09, 2017.
90. Indian national hockey team has reclaimed the bronze medal at the Hockey World League (HWL-2017) tournament by defeating Germany in the final by 2-1 at Bhubaneswar, Odisha on December 11, 2017. Indian players took the lead in 21st minute through SV Sunil. Germany equalized through its reserve custodian Mark Appel in the 36th minute. A penalty corner conversion by Harmanpreet Singh in the 54th minute sealed the win and the third place for the Indians. India had also won the bronze in the last edition of the tournament in Raipur in 2015.
91. Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker booked their men's and women's quota places for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) by winning a gold and a silver each at the 10th Asian Championship 10M Rifle/Pistol at Wako City, Japan on December 11, 2017. Chaudhary won both the individual as well as the Team gold in the men's 10m Air Pistol Youth event, while Bhaker clinched a silver in the women's 10m Air Pistol Youth. Earlier, Mehuli Ghosh and Tushar Mane became the first Indian shooters to secure the women's and men's quota places for the 2018 YOG by winning a gold and bronze each in the tournament. In all, India added four medals to their kitty on the final day of the competition to finish with a total haul of 21 medals over four days, including six gold, eight silver and seven bronze, besides four Youth Olympic Games (YOG) quotas.
92. Pistol aces Jitu Rai and Heena Sidhu bagged a bronze each to continue India's medal charge at the 10th Asian Championship 10m Rifle/Pistol in Wako City, Japan on December 10, 2017. Jitu won an individual bronze in the men's 10m Air Pistol, which also helped the Indian team comprising Shahzar Rizvi and Omkar Singh besides Jitu, to bag the Team gold in the event.Heena claimed an individual bronze in the women's 10m Air Pistol. Her effort, along with teammates Shri Nivetha Paramantham and Harveen Srao, helped the Team clinch a silver. India added another individual bronze through Anmol Jain in the junior men's 10m Air Pistol as well as the Team silver in the event, with combined efforts of Anmol, Gaurav Rana and Abhishek Arya.
93. Sukharanjan Sengupta (85), the veteran journalist, has passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal on December 9, 2017. He had worked for Bengali dailies 'Jugantar' and 'Ananda Bazar Patrika' in his long career spanning over six decades. Sengupta extensively covered the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1970-71. He came to the limelight after managing to sneak into Marichjhapi, a reserved island in the Sundarbans, on the eve of a state crackdown on migrant settlers in 1979 and filing reports about the state-sponsored cruelty. Despite age, Sengupta never gave up on his journalism and continued to freelance for several Bengali newspapers even years after his official retirement. He has authored several books, mostly in Bengali.
94. Ravi Shankar Prasad, the Union Minister of Law & Justice and Electronics & Information Technology, has launched the first NIC-CERT in New Delhi to prevent and predict cyber attacks on government utilities. The NIC-CERT is a setup of National Informatics Centre. It has been setup with an objective of creating a comprehensive framework that integrates world class security components and inbuilt threat intelligence for detection, prevention and incident response. Using the tools, the team will correlate events that would help in generating a canvas of the attack surface and identify the vulnerabilities and possible exploits.
95. The 54th meeting of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) programming committee has started at the Kathmandu-based SAARC Secretariat in Nepal on December 11, 2017. The 2-day meeting will discuss about budget issues of the Secretariat, SAARC five regional centers and four specialized bodies. The representatives of all 8 member countries are participating in it. The SAARC is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of nations in South Asia. Its member states include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
96. President Ramnath Kovind would be the chief guest at the valedictory function of the World Telugu Conference (WTC), which will be organized at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad by the Telangana government from December 15 to 19, 2017. According to official release, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu will be the chief guest for the inaugural session of the Conference and the Telangana Sahitya Akademi will be the nodal agency for the conference. The conference will focus on how the Telugu language is preserved, protected, enriched in the Telangana region. It will provide the data related to Telugu Conferences (Telugu Maha Sabhalu) and eminent Telugu Personalities across the Globe.
97. JP Nadda, the Union Health Minister, has launched new initiatives including "LaQshya-A Labour Room Quality Improvement Initiative" and "m-health: Safe delivery application" at a function in New Delhi to observe Universal Health Coverage Day (UHCD-2017) on December 11, 2017. The Laqshya initiative is expected to improve the quality of care that is being provided to the pregnant mother in the Labour Room and Maternity Operation Theatres, thereby preventing the undesirable adverse outcomes associated with childbirth. The goal of this initiative is to reduce preventable maternal and newborn mortality, morbidity and stillbirths associated with the care around delivery in Labour room. The Safe Delivery Application is an m-Health tool that can be used for health workers who manage normal and complicated deliveries in the peripheral areas. It can play a pivotal role in training, post-training reinforcement, mentoring and demonstration.
98. The Madhav National Park (MNP) is located in Shivpuri District of Gwalior region in northwest Madhya Pradesh and covers an area of 354 square kilometres. The park has a varied terrain of forested hills and flat grasslands around the lake and is thus rich in biodiversity. The principal tree species found in the park are khair (Acacia catechu), salai (Boswellia serrata), kerdhai, dhawda, tendu (Diospyros melanoxylon) and palash (Butea monosperma). The park is home to many species of wild animals, including chinkara, chital, nilgai, sambar, chausingha or four-horned antelope, blackbuck, sloth bear, Indian leopard and the common langur.
99. The Universal Health Coverage Day (UHCD) is observed annually on December 12 to promote the human right to health. The day is the anniversary of the first unanimous United Nations resolution calling for all nations to provide for their citizens affordable, quality health care and is promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO).
100. The Australian hockey team has defeated Rio Olympics champions Argentina 2-1 in the final of the Hockey World League Final to win gold at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha on December 11, 2017. Goals from Blake Govers and Jeremy Hayward helped the defending champions to beat Argentina hockey team. Earlier in the day, India reclaimed the bronze medal in the tournament. In the third-fourth place classification match, they defeated Germany 2-1. Indian took the lead in the 21st minute through SV Sunil. Germany equalised through its reserve custodian Mark Appel in the 36th minute. A penalty corner conversion by Harmanpreet Singh in the 54th minute sealed the win and the third place for the Indians. India had also won the bronze in the last edition of the tournament in Raipur in 2015.
101. Ram Naik, the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, has officially launched the new multi-coloured logo for the Allahabad Kumbh Mela 2019 in Lucknow on December 12, 2017. The logo consists of temples, seers, a kalash (pitcher) and a 'Swastika'. . All official documents, government advertisements and hoardings would carry the logo to remind people about the event. A website to facilitate tourists was also launched. Naik has also launched the Kumbh's tagline "Chalo Kumbh Chalo-Chalo, Kumbh Chalo", Uttar Pradesh Tourism's slogan "UP Nahin Dekha to India Nahin Dekha" and a one-stop travel solution portal. Recently, Kumbh Mela was recognised by the UNESCO as an "intangible cultural heritage of humanity" on December 7, 2017. The festival is held at Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik every four years by rotation and is attended by millions of people irrespective of caste, creed or gender.
102. According to 'World Economic Situation and Prospects 2018' report, India's GDP growth is projected to accelerate from 6.7% in 2017 to 7.2% in 2018 and 7.4% in 2019 on the back of strong private consumption, public investment and the ongoing structural reforms. The report, which was unveiled by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), stated that overall, economic outlook for South Asia is seen largely favourable and steady for the short term, notwithstanding significant medium-term challenges. On India, the UN DESA report has projected a positive outlook despite the slowdown early this year and the lingering effects of demonetisation.
103. Gurdev Singh Gill, the former captain of Indian football team, has felicitated by the Union Sports Minister Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore for his contribution to the sport on December 12, 2017. Col. Rathore presented him a shawl, memento and a cheque of Rs. Five Lakh on the occasion. The felicitation ceremony was organised as Gurdev Singh Gill was away in Canada when Prime Minister Narendra Modi felicitated the captains of Indian football teams that played in the Asian Games. Felicitation of Indian Captains by the Prime Minister was organised during the FIFA U – 17 World Cup in New Delhi on October 6, 2017. An Arjuna awardee, Gill had captained the Indian team at the 1978 Bangkok Asian Games.
104. Uma Shankar has been appointed as the new Executive Director of Reserve Bank of India (RBI). She has been elevated after Meena Hemchandra the executive director in charge of the central bank's supervision department retired at the end of November. Currently, RBI has 11 EDs and each of them supervises the 34 departments headed by CGMs at the central bank. Prior to this post, Shankar was the chief general manager in charge of RBI's financial inclusion & development department.
105. The Bandhavgarh National Park (BNP) is located in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh and covers an area of 105 square kilometres. The park has one of the highest density of Bengal tigers known in the world, and is home to some famous named tigers which are large in size and are beautiful.
106. The Rajasthan government has decided to recognize political prisoners held in jails during emergency 1975-77 as 'Loktantra Sainani'. The state Cabinet has decided to change the name of Rajasthan Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) and Defence of India Rules (DIR) 2008 to the Rajasthan Loktantra Sainani samman Nidhi 2008. So far, only those persons who were detained under MISA and DIR and kept in any of Rajasthan jails were given the per month pension of Rs. 12,000 and a monthly allowance of Rs. 1200. After the cabinet decision, citizen of Rajasthan who were held in any jail in the country during emergency period will also be eligible for this pension. At the same time, such people will not need to produce the certificate of the respective Jail Superintendent or Superintendent of Police for getting pension. Now only self certification has to be given. The government will direct all the district collectors to invite such Loktantra Sainanis to the programs on Republic Day and Independence Day to be organized at district level.
107. The 90th edition of Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has started in New Delhi, which was addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 13, 2017. It was the Mr Modi's first address to an AGM of a national business association after becoming the Prime Minister. It was his first major interaction with India Inc since the launch of GST. The theme of this year's AGM is, 'Indian Business in a New India'. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia are also scheduled to address different sessions of the AGM. Finance Ministers of Bihar, West Bengal, Kerala and Jammu and Kashmir will speak on GST at a special session during the AGM.
108. The Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate supply of sand for highways construction work on December 13, 2017. The concessionaires working on highways projects have been facing a shortage of sand at many sites. The MoU aims to fill this gap by facilitating the availability of sand for these concessionaires. As per the MoU, business intermediaries will ship and store this sand at various ports in India and market it in India. NHAI will facilitate the process by displaying the availability of sand at various stockyards at the ports. The headquarters of the DCI is located at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
109. The Bihar government has launched "Safe City Surveillance" scheme for checking crime against women at public places across the state. Patna will be the first district to be covered under this scheme, and an amount of Rs 110.68 crore has been sanctioned for the purpose. The scheme will bring all major public places under the watch of close-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and improve the overall crime control in the state. It is especially being launched for checking crime against women, such as eve-teasing and molestation, harassment, snatching incidents and roadside scuffles etc. It will also help in keeping a track of miscreants.
110. The Andhra Pradesh government has recently got approval from the Government of India (GoI) to set up India's first-of-its-kind Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (EMC). The EMC, coming up at an estimated cost of Rs 104 crore, will generate more than 50,000 jobs, directly or indirectly. The GoI through Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeiTY) announced in the year 2012 about setting up of Green Field EMC in India with grant-in-aid for establishing such clusters. The EMC is basically designed and developed for providing facilities and amenities and congenial eco system for manufacturing of mobiles and allied products.
111. OBOPAY, the global mobile payment solutions company, has recently secured a license for Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate a semi-closed loop wallet in India. Using the PPI license, OBOPAY will solve various payment related problems for their partner clients – bringing efficiency and transparency to the payments process, improving reporting, and reducing turnaround times for funds transfers. The PPI license can be implemented in a variety of industry segments. The license will enable the customers to do everything a prepaid payment instrument does: P2P, cash-in, bill payments, mobile recharge, and shopping. The headquarters of OBOPAY is located at California, United States.
112. The 2nd UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture: Fostering Sustainable Development was held in Muscat, Oman from December 11 to 12, 2017. This conference was hosted by the Government of the Sultanate of Oman. It was conducted within the framework of International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development (IY2017) to build and strengthen partnerships between the Tourism and Culture sectors. The conference discussed the synergies and strategies for the sustainable development of cultural tourism that generate resources for the conservation of cultural heritage while creating socio-economic benefits for the communities.
113. Neeraj Vora (54), the Bollywood actor, writer and director, has passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra on December 14, 2017. He was known for films such as "Satya", "Phir Hera Pheri" and "Daud". As a writer, Vora began working in late 80's on TV shows, including superstar Shah Rukh Khan-starrer "Circus", while his first professional acting assignment was filmmaker Ketan Mehta's "Holi", which also starred Aamir Khan and was shot as a part of a student project. His last film as an actor was Anil Kapoor-starrer "Welcome Back" in 2015.
114. The National Energy Conservation Day (NECD) is celebrated every year in India by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under Ministry of Power, on December 14 with an aim to demonstrate 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. On the 27th edition of NECD-2017, the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, will give away National Energy Conservation Awards to industries that have demonstrated measurable reductions in their energy use as part of the National Energy Conservation Awards Programme.
115. India has been ranked 100th out of 149 countries at the 11th edition of Legatum Prosperity Index (LPI-2017). The index offers an insight into how prosperity is forming and changing across the world. It is the world's leading global measure of economic and social well-being that studies 104 indicators under these categories: Economic Quality, Business Environment, Governance, Personal Freedom, Social Capital, Safety and Security, Education, Health and Natural Environment. The list is topped by Norway, followed by New Zealand, Finland, Switzerland and Sweden.
116. The Kanha Tiger Reserve (KTR) is one of the tiger reserves of India and the largest national park of Madhya Pradesh. It covers an area of 940 square kilometres. It is home to over 1000 species of flowering plants. The KTR has species of tigers, leopards, wild dogs, wild cats, foxes and jackals. Other commonly seen animals in the park include the spotted deer, sambar, barking deer and the four-horned antelope. It has around 300 species of birds and the most commonly seen birds are the black ibis, bee-eaters, cattle egret, blossom-headed parakeets, pond heron, drongos, common teal, crested serpent eagle, grey hornbill, Indian roller, etc.
117. The Karnataka government will soon launch a digital platform "Seva Sindhu" to address the issues of the common citizens in order to strengthen the ecosystem for government services. For this, the state cabinet has ratified the proposal of "Seva Sindhu. The interactive platform would provide all useful information about local events, employment opportunities, and others. The portal will provide services like income, domicile, caste, birth, death certificates, ration card, approval of social welfare schemes and other administrative work.
118. Buddhist monk Dhammapiya from Tripura has been elected as the new secretary general of the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) in New Delhi. The IBC is a global Buddhist forum for preservation and development of heritage sites of the religion in India and other parts of the world.
119. Rajasthan has become the India's first state to offer free e-mail address in Hindi to its residents. The facility —name@rajasthan.bharat (in Devanagari script) — will lead to millions of new users who are not comfortable with English e-mail ids. The purpose of the initiative is to ensure maximum participation of people towards e-governance and that maximum facilities are available in the vernacular language. The first e-mail ID that was created was that of the chief minister, Vasundhara@rajasthan.bharat (in Devnagari). All the government personnel in the state will soon have an email id in Hindi too.
120. Nakul Chopra, currently President of AAAI and Senior Advisor at Publicis Communications, has been elected as the new Chairman of Television ratings agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India. He will succeed Sudhanshu Vats, chief executive officer (CEO) at Viacom 18 Media Pvt. Chopra will be the 3rd chairman of the agency and has been on the board of BARC since September 2016. The BARC India is a joint industry body formed to design, commission, supervise and own country's television audience measurement system.
121. The 3rd edition of World Telugu Conference (WTC-2017) has formally inaugurated by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu in Hyderabad, Telangana on December 15. The aim of the 5-day Conference is to promote Telugu and its literature besides helping the present generation learn more about Telugu language and its rich culture and heritage. The Telangana Sahitya Akademi is the nodal agency for the conference and approx 50 thousand participants are expected to witness the literary-cultural event. President Ram Nath Kovind will be the chief guest at the valedictory function of the conference on December 19, 2017.
122. The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) of NITI Aayog has launched the Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL)'s Community Day in New Delhi on 15th December 2017. The day marked the Community Drive Initiative in which 25 young Mentors engaged with more than 200 students who are not enrolled in the formal education system. Amitabh Kant, the CEO of NITI Aayog, has launched the initiative in which these mentors will visit four locations in New Delhi to conduct brief sessions with children from various NGOs, on how innovations can help resolve the problems in the communities. The Atal Tinkering Lab Community Drive Initiative is aimed at maximizing the impact of Atal Tinkering Labs by extending innovation to children in the community who do not have access to formal educational institutions. The purpose of this initiative is to provide these children with the same educational tools as the students in Atal Tinkering Labs to enable them to become problem solvers. The NGOs participating in these interactions include organizations working with disabled children, street and working children, and girls from the weaker sections of society.
123. The 4th India-Australia-Japan Trilateral Dialogue was hosted by Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the Foreign Secretary of India, with Secretary of Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia Frances Adamson and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Shinsuke J. Sugiyama, in New Delhi on December 13, 2017. The three sides highlighted the growing convergence of their respective countries' interests in the Indo-Pacific region and underscored their shared commitment to peace, democracy, economic growth and a rules-based order in the region. They underscored their support for ASEAN centrality in the political and security architecture of the Indo-Pacific region. They also renewed their resolve to fight the scourge of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stressed the need for enhanced cooperation on counter-terrorism.
124. Jitesh Singh Deo from Lucknow has won the title of Peter England Mr India 2017 at the Bandra Fort in Mumbai, Maharashtra on December 14, 2017. Now, he will represent India in Mr World for 2020. Following him, Indian footballer Prathamesh Maulingkar won the title of Peter England Mr. India Supranational 2017 and will compete at Mr. Supranational 2018. Abhi Khajuria and Pavan Rao won the titles of Peter England Mr. India 1st Runner-Up and Peter England Mr. India 2nd Runner-Up, respectively.
125. Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu has inaugurated the World conference on Vedas " Vishwa Ved Sammelan" at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) in New Delhi on December 15, 2017. The 3-day conference will have in-depth discussions on the universal message of the ancient scriptures to bring world peace, ensure human rights and work towards the Sustainable Development Goals. It will also have in-depth discussions on de-mystifying various myths and fallacies surrounding the Vedas and Manu Smriti. The valedictory function of the conference on the 17th December will be attended by former president Pranab Mukherjee.
126. Norway has become the first country in the world to shut down national broadcasts of its Frequency Modulation (FM) network by completing its transition to digital radio. The transition, which began on January 2017, allows for better sound quality and more channels and functions at an eighth of the cost of FM radio. The digital switchover means that only the country's local radio stations continue to use FM frequencies. Other countries, including Switzerland, Britain and Denmark, are due to follow suit in the coming years.
127. The Government of India (GoI) has signed a $250 million loan agreement with the World Bank for Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) Project on December 13, 2017. The purpose of the project is to enhance institutional mechanisms for skills development and increase access to quality and market-relevant training for the workforce. The Key result areas for the project include Institutional Strengthening at the National and State Levels for Planning, Delivering, and Monitoring High-Quality Market-Relevant Training; Improved Quality and Market Relevance of Skills Development Programs; Improved access to and completion of skills training for female trainees and other disadvantaged groups; and Expanding skills training through private-public partnerships (PPPs). The closing date for the project is 31st March, 2023.
128. India will host the 3rd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) at Mumbai in June 25-26, 2018. The theme of the meeting will be 'Mobilizing Finance for Infrastructure: Innovation and Collaboration. For this, the MoU was signed by joint secretary (multilateral institutions division) in the Ministry of Finance Sameer Kumar Khare on behalf of the government of India and AIIB's vice- president and corporate secretary Danny Alexander. The AIIB is a multilateral development bank with a mission to improve social and economic outcomes in Asia and beyond. It's headquarters is located in Beijing, China.
129. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will formally dedicate the Tuirial Hydro Electric Power Project (HEPP) in Mizoram to the nation on December 16, 2017. On this occasion, the Prime Minister will also launch 'MyDoNER App' and will distribute cheques to start-up entrepreneurs in Aizawl. The 60MW Tuirial HEPP has been constructed as a Central Sector Project and implemented by North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), under the administrative control of the Union power ministry. The project has been built at a cost of Rs 1,302 crore. It is the biggest power project in Mizoram and will feed the entire energy to be generated to the state, which will help it achieve the Centre's ambitious and flagship Mission '24×7 Affordable Clean Power for All'. The State's current demand of electricity is 87 MW and this is being met by the mini power projects and availability of its share of power from central sector projects.
130. The Rajbari National Park (RNP) is located in the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary of Tripura,and covers an area of about 31.63 square kilometres.
131. The Beijing 2022 Organising Committee (BOCOG) has recently launched the official emblems for the 2022 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games at a ceremony held at the National Aquatic Center in the Chinese capital on December 15, 2017. The emblems for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have been named "Winter Dream" and "Flight," respectively. The emblems combine traditional and modern elements of Chinese culture, as well as features embodying the passion and vitality of winter sports. The chief designer of the two emblems is Lin Cunzhen, deputy dean of China Central Academy of Fine Arts' Design School.
132. The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared Gabon a "polio-free country" because of lack of new reported or suspected cases in the central African country. Polio is a highly-infectious viral disease which mainly affects young children and can result in permanent paralysis. There is no cure and it can only be prevented through immunization. The cases of polio have decreased by 99% since 1988, when polio was endemic in 125 countries and 350,000 cases were recorded worldwide. Now the disease is endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the WHO recorded four cases this year—two in each country. Last year, there were 37 cases globally.
133. The Gita Research Institute will soon be set up by the Uttar Pradesh government in Mathura for research on Gayan (singing), Vadan (the art of music) and Nratya (dance) of the Krishna age. It is a research institute for the study of the 'Bhagavad Gita'.
134. The Lakh Bahosi Sanctuary (LBS) is a bird sanctuary spread over two jheels near the villages of Lakh and Bahosi in Kannauj district, Uttar Pradesh and is spread over 3 square kilometres. The sanctuary is home to various migratory birds from November to March. Jackal, blue bull, mongoose, fishing cat and monkeys may also be spotted here. The best time to visit is December to February.
135. Meghalaya has become the India's first state to operationalise a law that makes social audit of government programmes and schemes a part of government practice. Chief Minister Mukul Sangma launched 'The Meghalaya Community Participation and Public Services Social Audit Act, 2017', at a national convention in Shillong on December 15, 2017. The event was attended by more than 200 people from state departments, citizens from audited villages and eminent citizens associated with social audits. The legislation — applicable to 11 departments and 21 schemes — was passed on April 4, and was followed by pilot social audits for 26 schemes in 18 villages of the northeastern state.
136. R Hemalatha has been appointed as the new Director of National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad. She has served as secretary of the Nutrition Society of India, is a fellow of the National Academy of Medical Sciences and a fellow of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences. The NIN is an Indian Public health, Biotechnology and Translational research, which houses the best testing facilities for food and toxicology and has international collaborations.
137. The Vijay Diwas is commemorated every year on December 16 to mark India's victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war, which had led to the creation of Bangladesh. On 16 December 1971, nearly 93,000 Pakistani Forces under the command of Lieutenant General AAK Niazi raised white flags and surrendered to the Indian Army at Dhaka, in the presence of the tri-service Commanders of Indian Armed Forces. It was on this day in 1971, that a declaration of cease-fire was brought into force, ending the Indo-Pak War and resulting in the birth of the sovereign country of Bangladesh.
138. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has recently approved the establishment of International Training Centre for Operational Oceanography, as a Category-2 Centre (C2C) of UNESCO, in Hyderabad. The purpose of this Agreement is to establish a training centre towards development of capacity for the countries on the Indian Ocean Rim (IOR), African countries bordering the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, small island countries under the framework of UNESCO. The operational oceanography is an activity of conducting systematic oceanographic studies towards providing information services to various sectors viz. fisherman, disaster management, shipping, ports, coastal states, navy, coast guard, environment, offshore industries for conducting their day-to- day operations.
139. The 8th edition of bilateral military exercise "EKUVERIN 2017" has started between India and Maldives from December 15 in Belagavi, Karnataka. It is a 14-day joint military training between the Indian Army and the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), which is held alternatively in India and Maldives since 2009. 'Ekuverin' means 'friends' in the Maldivian language. The focus of the exercise is to acquaint both armies with each other's operating procedures in the backdrop of a counter-insurgency or counter-terrorist operations in an urban or semi-urban environment under the United Nations (UN) Charter, with an overall aim to enhance interoperability between the two armies. The 7th edition of the exercise was held at Kadhdhoo, Lammu Atoll, Maldives in December, 2016.
140. The headquarters of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is located in New Delhi. It is in news because the first national-level Training of Trainers programme for Sendai Framework will be organise by NDMA in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction-Global Education and Training Institute (UNISDR-GETI) from December 18-20, 2017. The 3-day programme will sensitise various Central Ministries and Departments on utilisation of Sendai Monitor for developing action plans for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR), 2015-2030, is the first major agreement of the post-2015 development agenda and identifies targets and priority actions towards reducing disaster risks and implementing development that is both resilient and sustainable. India, being a signatory to the SFDRR, is committed to work towards achieving the targets enshrined in the Framework.
141. India and Morocco has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for enhanced cooperation in the health sector in New Delhi on December 14, 2017. Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare J P Nadda and Dr. Abdelkader Amara, Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Morocco signed the MoU in the presence of senior officers from the Union Health Ministry and a high level delegation from Morocco. The main areas of cooperation include the following: Non-communicable diseases, including child cardiovascular diseases and cancer; Drug Regulation and Pharmaceutical quality control; Communicable Diseases; Maternal, child and neonatal health; Hospital twinning for exchange of good practices and Training in administration and management of health services and Hospitals.
142. Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Oil minister, has inaugurated Eastern India's first compressed natural gas (CNG) stations for scooters at Chandrasekharpur and Patia area in Bhubaneswar, Odisha to supply CNG to vehicles. He also launched CNG-run scooters and auto-rickshaws. The service is an initiative under City Gas Distribution (CGD) project implemented by the GAIL (India) Limited, a government-owned natural gas transmission company.
143. The United Nations (UN) International Migrants Day is observed every year on December 18 to recognize the efforts, contributions, and rights of workers and members of their families worldwide. The 2017 theme is "Safe Migration in a World on the Move"
144. According to recently released UN World Migration Report (2018), published by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), India has largest diaspora in the world with more than 15.6 million people from India living overseas. Of the international migrants (people living outside the country of their birth) which was estimated at 243 million in 2015, the Indian diaspora constitutes nearly 6%.The report stated that the global migrant population rose by 10% in 2015 compared with the figure recorded in 2010, which means of the 7.3 billion global population in the given year, one of every 30 people was a migrant. The report also said that nearly half of all migrants worldwide in 2015 were born in Asia, mainly from India, China and other South Asian countries. Mexico ranked second in terms of diaspora population followed by Russia, China, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
145. The Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR) is a national institute established by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to carry out basic strategic and applied research on major pulse crops. It is situated in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The Institute develops appropriate production and protection technologies, production and supply of breeder seeds of improved varieties, demonstration and transfer of technologies and strategic coordination of pulse research through wide network of testing centers across the country.
146. The Andhra Pradesh government has signed an agreement with Alphabet InC.'s X to bring the Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC) technology in the state. The purpose of the FSOC is to provide internet through the government Fiber grid project. By using FSOC technology, the state will be able to use better bandwidth data to every house hold including houses in the tribal belt. This association with X labs to implement FSOC in AP is first of its kind in the world to provide wireless internet connection at a higher speed of up to 20Gbps and to a distance of up to 20kms. This significant partnership will offer a major boost to the state's digital infrastructure and help overcome hindrances in terms of connecting isolated and difficult terrain, forest areas, river crossings, railway crossings, etc.
147. Olympic silver medalist P V Sindhu has won silver medal at the 2017 women's singles Dubai World Badminton Super Series tournament. She suffered a heart-wrenching defeat against World No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi of Japan to finish as runner-up at the final of Super Series on December 17, 2017. Sindhu had won two super series titles at India Open and Korea Open, besides reaching the finals at Hong Kong Open and World Championship this year.
148. Sushil Kumar, the double Olympic medalist, has defeated New Zealand's Akash Khullar via a pinfall in the final of the 74kg freestyle category to clinch a gold medal at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships at Johannesburg in South Africa on December 17, 2017. It was Sushil's first medal in international wrestling since his gold medal in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. It was double celebration for India as, Parveen Rana also won a bronze medal in the same category.
149. Billionaire conservative Sebastian Pinera has won the 2017 presidential election of Chile on December 17, 2017. With 98.44% of the ballots counted, Pinera had won 54.57% in the run-off vote, to 45.43% for senator Guillier, a wider than expected margin in a race that pollsters had predicted would be tight. Pinera has pledged support and stable funding for Chile's state-run miner Codelco , and has promised to slash red tape which had bogged down projects under Bachelet.
150. The Gautam Budha Wildlife Sanctuary (GBWS) is a wildlife sanctuary located in Gaya district of Bihar state and Koderma district of Jharkhand state in east-central India. The sanctuary covers an area of 259 square kilometres. It is home to tigers, leopards, wolves, sloth bears, chitals, chinkaras, and many species of birds.
151. Sir Mohamed Muktar Jama "Mo" Farah, who is Britain's most successful-ever distance runner, has won the 2017 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award. Farah, a four-time Olympic champion, has won his third successive world 10,000m gold medal in London in August 2017. He is the first athlete to win ten global outdoor long-distance titles on the track and the first Briton to win outdoor titles in four World Championships (both consecutively and outright). With this award, he became the first long-distance runner to win the Sports Personality award since Paula Radcliffe in 2002.
152. Eminent Bengali poet Joy Goswami has been chosen for the 31st Moortidevi Award for the year 2017 for his poetry collection titled "Du Dondo Phowara Matro". It is an autobiographical account of the poet's life featuring his close ones including a pet cat. The work also echoes secret trysts, chance loves and more of the fantastical quotidian which makes up the poets consciousness. The award consists of a Saraswati Statue, a Citation Plaque and cash award of Rupees 4 lakh. It is firsttime that award is goven to Bengali poet.
153. The Samsung India has signed pact with UNESCO MGIEP (Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development) to launch 360 video and virtual reality (VR) content of two magnificent Indian heritage sites – the Sun Temple in Konark, Odisha and Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The project will provide experiential educational content to students across the country. The immersive content will also be available to students at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), where Samsung Smart Classes have been set up in over 500 schools since 2013. The content on Indian heritage sites will be available freely across all social media channels in both 360 and VR formats. VR content will also be provided to the Union Ministry of Tourism and State Tourism Boards to be used for tourism promotion in India and across the world. There are 36 UNESCO heritage sites in India at present.
154. The Union government has engaged private lender ICICI Bank to enable online payments at 470 mandis integrated with national portal of electronic National Agriculture Market (e-NAM). At present, e-NAM participants are doing payments through traditional ways via bank branches, debit cards and net banking. Now, ICICI Bank will enable BHIM (Bharat Interface for Money) and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) on the e-NAM portal for making cashless payments. The effort is to provide seamless experience for making online payment of trade and services undertaken on the e-NAM platform. At present, 470 mandis across 14 states are live and 90 commodities are being traded on e-NAM platform, which was launched in April 2016. The target is to connect 585 mandis with e-NAM by March 2018. The e-NAM model aims at revolutionising agri markets by ensuring better price discovery, bringing in transparency and competition to enable farmers to get improved remuneration for their produce moving towards 'One Nation, One Market'.
155. To promote digital transactions, the union cabinet has recently decided to bear the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) applicable on digital payments via debit cards, etc., up to Rs 2,000. The MDR applicable on transactions made through debit cards, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Aadhaar-Enabled Payments System (AEPS) up to and including a value of Rs 2,000 will be borne by the government for a period of two years with effect from 1 January, 2018. MDR is the charge paid by a merchant to a bank for accepting payment from customers via credit or debit cards. It is expressed as a percentage of the transaction amount.
156. G. Satheesh Reddy, the scientific adviser to Raksha Mantri and Director General of Missiles and Strategic Systems, has been conferred with the prestigious National Design Award. He has bagged this award for his significant national contribution towards indigenous design and development of diversified missile systems, guided weapons, avionics technologies and for his sustained efforts leading to the advancement of aerospace technologies and industries in India.He is known for being a navigation expert and is the only scientist from India holding the distinction of being inducted as Fellow of Royal Institute of Navigation, London and Royal Aeronautical Society, UK.
157. The 56th Liberation Day of Goa was celebrated with great pomp & show in Panaji on December 19, 2017. Several programmes and events have been organised to mark the occasion. The state was liberated on this day in 1961 from Portuguese control after almost 450 years of colonial rule. The armed action "code name – Operation Vijay" was carried out by the Indian Armed Forces in December 1961. The operation involved air, sea and land strikes for over 36 hours, and was a decisive victory for the Republic of India that ended 451 years of rule of Portugal over its remaining exclaves in India. The engagement lasted two days resulting in twenty-two Indians and thirty Portuguese killed in the fighting. The brief conflict drew a mixture of worldwide praise and condemnation.
158. The Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has signed an agreement with Maruti Suzuki Ltd to impart training to youth and enhance their employment potential. The Flexi MoU was signed by Vijay Kumar Dev, Director General, DGT (MSDE) and Mukesh Kumar Gupta, Vice President (Maruti Suzuki India Limited) in New Delhi on Dec 18, 2017. As part of the agreement, Maruti Suzuki in consultation with Directorate General of Training (DGT) will develop specific training modules as per need of the automobile industry. The company shall conduct courses at pan-India locations leveraging the facilities and services available at ITIs, regional training centers, training centers of training partners, vendors and dealers associated with Maruti Suzuki. The courses include Manufacturing, Automotive Service & Repair, Automotive Body Repair and Automotive Paint Repair.
159. The festival of Losar has started in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir on December 19, 2017 to mark the Tibetan New Year. The celebrations will continue for 3 to 9 days in different parts of Ladakh. The fest is regarded as the most important socio-religious event in Ladakh. Because of several ancient ritual performances and traditional events during the celebrations, it has now turned into one of major events for visitors in winter. It is celebrated by making symbolic meals and offerings. Houses are decorated with good luck signs. Prayer flags are hoisted in important religious places to welcome the new year. Thus, Losar Festival is an important festival in winter months.
160. India will host a meeting of WTO member countries in February 2018 to muster support for food security and other issues. This was stated by Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu while speaking at an event organised by Apparel Export Promotion Council, AEPC in New Delhi on December 18, 2017. He further stated that the government is trying to call a meeting of almost 30 to 40 countries in Delhi to help multi-lateral process. India has been keenly pushing agriculture issues at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It has also been raising its voice against bringing new issues, especially those which are not directly linked to trade, on the negotiating table.
161. The Assam government has become the 6th state in the country to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Isha Foundation to conserve and rejuvenate the rivers of Assam. Isha Foundation is a non-profit making and spiritual organisation—the Isha foundation. Its founder Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev's nationwide 'Rally for Rivers' campaign is an initiative for revitalizing India's rivers.
162. India has recently signed a financing agreement of $125 million with the World Bank (WB) in New Delhi for the Skills Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement Operation (STRIVE) Project. The purpose of the project is to improve access to quality and market-driven vocational training provided in it is and apprenticeships. The result areas for the project include Improved Performance of Industrial Training Institutes; Increased Capacities of State Governments to Support Industrial Training Institutes and Apprenticeship Training; Improved Teaching and Learning; and Improved and Broadened Apprenticeship Training. The closing date for the project is 30th November, 2022.
163. The Joda East Iron Mine (JEIM) of Tata Steel has been honored with the prestigious Golden Peacock Innovation Management Award for the year 2017 for driving innovation in mines. The award was given at Institute of Directors India's 2nd Global Convention held at Singapore. The award provides not only worldwide recognition and prestige, but a competitive advantage in driving business. The JEIM is one of the fully mechanised captive iron mines of Tata Steel. It is rated five star category mines by the Government for doing sustainable mining. Some of the innovations implemented in JEIM include digitisation in excavation of iron ore, use of iron waste for sustainable mining.
164. Recently, Indian junior boxers had clinched total 11 Medals (six gold, four silver and a bronze medal) at the fifth International Sven Lange Memorial Tournament, to finish as overall champions in the German city of Schwerin. Bhavesh Kattamani (52kg) picked up the best boxer trophy along with his gold medal. In the three-day tournament, the other gold-medallists for India were Vijeydeep (63kg), Akshay (60kg), Ish Pannu (70kg), Lakshay Chahar (80kg) and Vinit (75kg). The performance of these boxers also earned them the 'Best Team' of the tournament award.
165. India's top-ranked junior shuttler Aakarshi Kashyap from Bhilai won U-17 and U-19 singles titles at Badminton junior Nationals in Guwahati, Assam on December 18, 2017. In Under-17 category, shei defeated Malvika Bansod in the final. In Under 19 category final, Kashyap beaten Vaidehi Choudhari by 22-20, 21-11.
166. Project 'Mausam' is the initiative of Ministry of Culture to be implemented by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as the nodal agency with research support of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and National Museum as associate bodies. This project aims to explore the multi-faceted Indian Ocean 'world' – collating archaeological and historical research in order to document the diversity of cultural, commercial and religious interactions in the Indian Ocean. The main purpose of the project is to inscribe places and sites identified under Project Mausam as trans-national nomination for inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Till date, 39 countries have been identified under Project Mausam viz. Bahrain, Bangladesh, Iran, Pakistan, Somalia, Turkey, Vietnam, Yemen, UAE, Thailand, South Africa, etc.
167. The Adichunchanagiri Wildlife Sanctuary (AWS) is located in Mandya district of Karnataka and covers an area of over 0.88 square kilometres. This was created mainly for the conservation of peacocks. It also houses nearly 250 species of birds
168. The Southern Command of Indian Army are conducting a major army exercise 'Hamesha Vijayee-2017' in the deserts of Rajasthan from December 16 to 22, 2017 to evaluate the capability of the armed forces to strike deep into enemy territory in an integrated air-land battle. The exercise being conducted in battle like conditions, aims at fine tuning surveillance and destruction mechanisms to support precision strikes and manoeuvres by network enabled forces. The Southern Command undertakes such exercises at regular intervals to ensure a high degree of battle readiness as well as validation of operational plans using modern weapons and equipment.
169. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) ) has signed an agreement with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on December 20, 2017 to execute the Swami Samarth Nagar-Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Metro VI corridor. As per the agreement, DMRC will invite bids and assign contracts for execution of civil work and for procurement of systems and services required for the project. The entire 14.5-kilometer long Metro-6 corridor, costing about 5,490-crore rupees will have 13 stations. The project will provide rail based access to areas such as Lokhandwala, SEEPZ and IIT – Bombay. This Metro corridor is expected to carry 6.5 lakh commuters daily in 2021.
170. Justice Umesh Dattatraya Salvi has been appointed acting chairperson of National Green Tribunal (NGT) following the superannuation of Justice Swatanter Kumar. He will hold the post till a new Chairperson is appointed or till his superannuation, whichever is earlier. During Justice Kumar tenure as NGT chief, he passed several landmark orders and judgements. These include the ban on 10- year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles, the slew of directions for rejuvenation of the Ganga and Yamuna, the demolition of illegal hotels in Himachal Pradesh and the ban on plastic items in Delhi, Haridwar and Punjab. His recent order capping the number of pilgrims at Vaishno Devi to 50,000 per day and his direction to maintain silence at Amarnath invited ire from various quarters.
171. India's Raghu Prasad and Javed Shaikh have recently named in the panel of umpires for the 2018 Hockey World Cup to be held in Bhubaneswar. On December 21, 2017, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced that 25 officials representing 19 countries from all five continents will officiate at this prestigious event taking place at the Kalinga Stadium from November 28 to December 16, 2018. As was the case with the Vitality Hockey Women's World Cup London 2018 appointments, both men and women will undertake officiating roles at this event, further enhancing FIH's drive to enhance gender parity across all areas of the sport.
172. The 17th Indian Science Communication Congress (ISCC-2017) has started at Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi on December 21. It is organized by the CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR) in collaboration with Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Indian Science Writers' Association (ISWA), Society for Information Science (SIS), Vigyan Bharati (VIBHA) and Indian Science Communication Society (ISCOS). The purpose of the 2-day ISCC-2017 to engage in narratives around India's scientific wisdom, assess the current status of communicating India's scientific wisdom and deliberate the ways and means of communicating India's scientific wisdom to the global audience. The Focal Theme of the ISCC-2017 is "Communicating India's Scientific Wisdom: Changing Paradigms".
173. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently approved the Ministry of Railways' trans-formative initiative to set up India's first-ever National Rail and Transport University (NRTU) in Vadodara to skill its human resources and build capability. This innovative idea, inspired by the Prime Minister, will be a catalyst for transformation of rail and transport sector towards New India. The University will be set up as a Deemed to Be University under de novo category as per the UGC [Institutions Deemed to be Universities] Regulations, 2016. Government is working towards completing all approvals by April 2018 and to launch the first academic program in July 2018. A not-for-profit Company under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013 will be created by the Ministry of Railways which shall be the Managing Company of the proposed university.
174. Delhi has been ranked 7th in most expensive office locations list in the world, according to latest JLL India Report 2017. According to a study by JLL, Delhi's rents are more expensive than San Francisco, Dubai and Washington DC whereas Mumbai at 16th position scores higher than Los Angeles, Singapore and Paris. The findings reveal that the most expensive premium office rent in the world is in Hong Kong, followed by London, New York, Beijing and Tokyo.
175. Priyanka Chopra has won the Global icon award at the Zee Cine Awards 2018 on December 19 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The excerpts of the awards are as follows: Sridevi and Varun Dhawan won the trophies of Best Actor (Female) for Mom and Best Actor (Male) for Badrinath Ki Dulhania , respectively. The Best Film award was conferred to Rohit Shetty directorial comedy 'Golmaal Again' and Extraordinary Legend Award was goes to Amitabh Bachchan.
176. The parliament of France has recently approved a law banning all exploration and production of oil and natural gas by 2040 within the country and its overseas territories. Under that law, existing drilling permits will not be renewed and no new exploration licenses will be granted. The French government claims the ban is a world first. However, it is largely symbolic since oil and gas produced in France accounts for just 1% of domestic consumption. The rest is imported. The ban is part of a larger plan to wean the French economy from fossil fuels and to fulfill France's commitments under the Paris climate agreement to curb global warming.
177. The Expert Appraisal Committee of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has recently accorded environmental clearance for the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) in Telangana. Excerpts of KLIS project are as follows: The project envisages construction of a barrage across River Godavari near Madigadda village in Karimnagar district of Telangana. Apart from Medigadda barrage, two more barrages between Medigadda and Sripada Yellampally are proposed to be constructed. However, the Centre has put some conditions before granting the clearance. The conditions are: As the submergence area is very large (about 13,706 hectares), micro-climatic change conditions in the project area during construction/post-construction period to be reported at regular intervals. Preference shall also be given to plant local indigenous species. The project is estimated to cost about Rs 80,499.7 crore and proposed to be completed in 3 years.
178. India and Myanmar has signed a MoU on restoration of normalcy and development of the Rakhine State, from where thousands of Rohingya Muslims recently fled to Bangladesh following incidents of violence against the community. The MoU is intended to help the Government of Myanmar to achieve its objective of restoration of normalcy in Rakhine State and enable the return of displaced Muslim Rohingyas. Under this MoU, the Government of India (GoI) proposes to take up a project to build prefabricated housing in Rakhine State so as to meet the immediate needs of returning people. This is the first Government to Government (G to G) pact inked by Myanmar with a cooperation partner focused on socio-economic development and livelihood initiatives in the Rakhine State. In addition to the Rakhine State project proposals, a number of ongoing friendship projects were reviewed. Issues regarding the operation and maintenance of Sittwe port and the road from Paletwa- Zorinpui were reviewed. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar is on an official visit to Myanmar.
179. The National Rice Research Institute (NRRI) is located near Bidyadharpur village on the Cuttack-Paradip Road, Odisha. It is one of the premier national research institutes under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The purpose of the NRRI is to improve the income and quality of life of rice farmers in India. The scientists at NRRI have many research results to their credit in various disciplines of rice research, including: Biochemistry, Blue green algae, Entomology, Food technology, Plant breeding and genetics, Physiology, etc.
180. Shree Saini, who is a student at the University of Washington, has been crowned Miss India USA 2017 at the Royal Alberts Palace in Edison, New Jersey. While Prachi Singh from Connecticut was declared the first runner-up & North Carolina's Fareena became the second runner-up at the pageant. Shree Saini is an anti-bullying activist. At the beauty pageant, cancer surgeon Kavita Malhotra Pattani from Florida was declared Mrs India USA 2017. Swapna Mannam (17) from New Jersey was crowned with Miss Teen India USA 2017.
181. On December 21, 2017, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the women's ODI and T20I teams of the year with England's Heather Knight named as captain of the 50-over side and Stafanie Taylor of the West Indies appointed skipper of the 20-over side. The teams were selected taking into consideration player performances from September 21, 2016 to date. In it, India's left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht is the lone cricketer to feature in both the ODI and T20 Teams of the year announced by the ICC. Bisht is ranked 14th in ODIs and 12th in T20Is, and took 34 wickets in 19 matches and 11 wickets in seven T20Is in the period under consideration. Indian captain Mithali Raj has been named in the ICC Women's ODI Cricket Team of the Year. Besides the duo, Harmanpreet Kaur has found out a place in the ICC Women's T20I Team of the Year.
182. Mamang Dai, Itanagar-based author and journalist, has won the 2017 Sahitya Akademi Award in English language for her 2014 novel "The Black Hill". The novel gives innate descriptions of the life of the tribal people of north east India from the yester years, interweaving their lives with fiction and history. It is the story of Gimur, a girl from the Abor tribe who runs away with Kajinsha of the Mishmee tribe. Their tale of love is painted with the mid-19th century Northeast India as the background. It had also brought in missionaries, one of them being Father Nicolas Krick, a Jesuit priest who wanted to carry his mission to Tibet. 'The Black Hill' is a richly imagined story descriptively created around two recorded historical events – this French priest's mysterious disappearance and the execution of Kajinsha for his murder. The award in the form of a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque, a shawl and a cheque of Rs 1 lakh will be presented to the author at a special function on February 2018.
183. In a move aimed at combating black money stashed abroad, India has signed an agreement with Switzerland that would allow automatic sharing of tax-related information from 1 January, 2018. The agreement was signed by CBDT chairman Sushil Chandra and Swiss ambassador to India Andreas Baum at the North Block in New Delhi on December 21, 2017. With this pact, it will now be possible for India to receive the financial information of accounts held by Indian residents in Switzerland for 2018 and subsequent years on an automatic basis from September 2019 onwards.
184. Manoj Sinha, the union minister of communications, has launched project "DARPAN – The Digital Advancement of Rural Post Office for A New India" in New Delhi on December 21, 2017. The project has an outlay of Rs 1400 crore and intends to provide a low power technology solution to each Branch Postmaster (BPM). This will enable each of approximately 1.29 lakhs branch post offices to improve service delivery. DARPAN offers core banking services to the account holders. The project will improve the quality of service, add value to services and achieve financial inclusion of un-banked rural population. It is targeted to complete the project by March 2018.
185. Ramesh Kuntal Megh has been conferred with the 2017 Sahitya Akademi Award for Hindi literature for his book of literary criticism "Vishw Mithak Sarit Sagar". The award in the form of a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque, a shawl and a cheque of Rs 1 lakh will be presented to the author at a special function on February12, 2018.
186. The 2017 bilateral naval exercise "Naseem-Al-Bahr" (or known as Sea Breeze) has started between Indian Navy and Oman Navy at Said Bin Sultan Naval Base, Wudam on December 17, 2017. The Indian Navy deployed a submarine, P8I long-range maritime aircraft, two naval ships – INS Trikand and INS Teg – for the bilateral exercise. This exercise was the 11th edition and has been a biennial feature since 1993. India has an ancient maritime tradition and maritime interaction with Oman dates back to over 4000 years B.C. The bilateral relation between India and Oman were formally established with signing of a 1953 Indo-Oman Treaty of friendship, Navigation and Commerce, a first between India and an Arab country. Since then, Naval exercises have contributed to strengthening of bilateral ties between India and Sultanate of Oman. The first exercise Indian Navy with Royal Navy of Oman was conducted in 1993 and this year marks 24 years of Indian Navy -Royal Navy of Oman bilateral exercises.
187. The Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has launched Students and MEA Engagement Programme (SAMEEP) to bring Indian foreign policy to students across the country. Under this, MEA officials will talk to students to help them better understand foreign policy. The main purpose of SAMEEP is to take Indian foreign policy and its global engagements to students across the country. Under this programme, all the ministry officers – under-secretary and above – will be asked to go to their hometowns, particularly their alma maters. They will be expected to interact with the students about the way the MEA works, basic elements of its policies, how diplomacy is conducted, and generally give students an idea of what a career in the MEA would look like. The officials will be provided a basic standardised presentation by the ministry, but will be free to add their own improvisations and experiences.The agenda of the programme is not only to make students interested and aware of India's place in the world and its global ambitions, but also to drive interest in diplomacy as a career option.
188. India's first and only design university "World University of Design (WUD)" has started at Sonipat, Haryana. The university, which is dedicated to education in the creative domain, is promoted by Om Parkash Bansal Educational and Social Welfare Trust of Mandi Gobindgarh, Punjab. The campus is situated on NH1 in Rajiv Gandhi Education City (NCR), Sonipat – the largest planned integrated city for education in India. The University has International Collaborations with foreign Universities like UWS University of West Scotland, VFS the Vancouver Film School, and IAAD the Italian University of Design. The WUD offers India's largest creative course catalogue – 23 specialized UG and PG programs in various design arenas such as design, fashion, communication, visual arts, design and retail management, and architecture. It follows a unique curriculum that encourages research, academic excellence, industry preparedness and social innovation. It has a 1000 capacity open-air theatre and several smaller venues to host and hold cultural performances.
189. The Birmingham city has been officially selected to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games on December 21, 2017. This will be the third Commonwealth Games to be hosted in England following London 1934 and Manchester 2002. The international multi-sports event are expected to take place between 27 July and 7 August 2022.The 2022 Commonwealth Games were originally given to Durban in 2015, but the South African city was stripped of the event this year because of financial difficulties.
190. The United Kingdom (UK) has topped the Forbes' rankings of best countries in the world for business in 2018. It is the first time this country has taken the top spot in the Forbes 12th annual survey after rising from 5th in 2016. The UK scored well on technology plus the size and education of the workforce although 'political risk' was seen as the weakest point. The list ranks 153 countries on 15 factors including property rights, innovation, taxes and red tape. New Zealand ranked second overall for the third straight year, followed by Sweden and Canada. India was ranked 62nd on the list.
191. The Union Government has formally launched 'Ganga Gram' project at Ganga Gram Swachata Sammelan in New Delhi on December 23, 2017. As part of its clean Ganga mission – Namami Gange, Ganga Gram project is an integrated approach for holistic development of villages situated on the banks of the holy river with active participation of villagers. In August 2017, the Union Government declared all 4,470 villages on the banks of the Ganges, located in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, Open Defecation-Free (ODF). Of these villages, the Centre and the state governments have identified 24 villages to be taken up under a pilot project to transform them into Ganga Grams. The project envisages solid and liquid waste management, renovation of ponds and water resources, water conservation, organic farming, horticulture and promotion of medicinal plants.
192. The 2nd edition of the Iranshah Udvada Utsav, a cultural festival of Parsi community, has started in Gujarat on December 23, 2017. The festival is organized by Foundation for Development of Udvada along with Gujarat Tourism and the Udvada Samast Anjuman. The highlights of the festival include a screening of the new 'Jiyo Parsi' film, a discussion on the relevance of Zoroastrianism in modern times, and a performance in memory of Freddie Mercury. More than 2,000 Parsis from all across the world will participate in the festival. During the course of the festival, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Information & Broadcasting minister Smriti Irani and the industrialist Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry, who is the chief guest of the festival, will participate in various programmes. The festival was the brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
193. The 32nd Indian Engineering Congress (IEC-2017) was held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu from December 21 to 23, 2017. President Ram Nath Kovind gave valedictory address at the IEC-2017, which was organised by the Institution of Engineers. The congress offered great opportunity to young engineers to benefit from the experience of experts & veterans from industry, research institutions and institutions of higher academic excellence.
194. The Parvati Arga Bird Sanctuary (PABS) is located in in Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh and covers an area of 10.84 square kilometers. It is home to 212 species of angiosperms, belonging to 152 genera and 57 families, and three 3 species of pteridophytes, belonging to 3 genera and 3 families. The sanctuary harbours a number of birds including Sarus crane, Northern pintail, Bar-headed goose, Little grebe, Eurasian wigeon, Mallard, Red-crested pochard, etc.
195. Jatilshwar Mukhopadhyay (82), the acclaimed Bengali singer has passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal on December 21, 2017. Mukohpadhyay, who had learnt music under the guidance of doyens of Bengali light classical music Chinmoy Lahiri and Sudhin Dasgupta, carved his own individual style, which enriched Bengali music in the 70s-80s. Among his popular numbers were E kon sakal, Tomar Sange Dekha Na Hole, Aamar Swapan Kinte Paare and Bondhuya Amar Chokhe Jal Enechhe. The state government had conferred him with the Sangeet Samman award in 2012.
196. Lieutenant General B S Sahrawat has taken charge as new Director General (DG) of National Cadet Corps (NCC). He is a third generation army officer and is alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla & Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. The General Officer was commissioned in Dec 1980 in 13th Battalion (REZANG LA), the KUMAON Regiment. The Gen Officer has done all professional courses to include the prestigious NDC Course. He holds a Masters degree in Management Studies from Osmania University, Hyderabad and M. Phil from Madras University. He has been awarded the Sena Medal during the floods of Kosi River in Bihar in 2008.
197. M. Subbarayudu, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 1994 batch, has been appointed as the new Ambassador of India to the Republic of Peru. Presently, he is joint secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). He is expected to take up his assignment shortly.
198. The National Mathematics Day (NMD) is celebrated every year in India on December 22 to commemorate the birth anniversary of great mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan and to recognize his contribution to mathematics. It was in 2012 that then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh declared December 22 as National Mathematics Day. In 1917, Ramanujan was elected to be a member of the London Mathematical Society. In 1918 he also became a Fellow of the Royal Society, becoming the youngest person to achieve the feat. He passed away on April 6, 1920.
199. The 7th edition of the India International Coffee Festival (IICF) will be held in Bengaluru, Karnataka from January 16-19, 2018. It is being organised by the India Coffee Trust and State-run Coffee Board. The purpose of IICF 2018 is to promote the Indian coffees globally and is expected to attract over 100 companies, 600 delegates and some 10,000 visitors.
200. The National Farmer's Day (NFD), popularly known as Kisan Diwas, is celebrated every year in India on December 23 to acknowledge the role of farmers in India's socio-economic development and to mark the birth anniversary of 5th Prime Minister Late Chaudhary Charan Singh. He used to be referred to as the 'champions of India's peasants' for his strive for the betterment of farmer's lives in the country.
201. China's world's largest amphibious aircraft "AG600" has performed its maiden flight from the Jinwan Civil Aviation Airport at Zhuhai in Guangdong Province on December 24, 2017. It's the latest step in China's military modernization program. The 121-feet long AG600 aircraft plane, codenamed "Kunlong", has a 38.8-meter wingspan and 4 turboprop engines. It is around the size of a Boeing 737 and can carry 50 people. The aircraft has military applications but will also be used for firefighting and performing maritime rescues. It can use conventional airports and also land and take-off from the sea.
202. Jairam Thakur, the 5-time BJP MLA , has been sworn-in as the new Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh after he was elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party on Sunday. Thakur is a MLA from Seraj in Mandi district. In the recent 2017 election, the BJP ousted the Congress from power by winning 44 out of the 68 seats.
203. India's first-ever broad gauge air-conditioned AC EMU suburban train has flagged off from Borivali station on western railway in Mumbai, Maharashtra on December 25, 2017. The AC train was depart from Andheri Station at 14.10 hrs and reached Churchgate at 14.44 hrs. It is decided that on Weekends that is on Saturday and Sunday, the rake of AC train will not be operated for maintenance purpose. The services of AC local train will replace existing 12 Non AC services. RPF constables will be present in each coach to ensure proper security. Out of 12 services of AC Local train 8 will run fast and will only halt at major station like Mumbai Central, Dadar, Bandra, Andheri, Borivali, Bhayander and Vasai Road in both direction. Weekly, Fortnightly and monthly season ticket will be charged equivalent to 5, 7.5 and 10 single journey of AC EMU respectively. MUTP surcharges or any other charges if applicable will be levied separately as per applicable rate for the first class coach. Good and Services tax (GST) @5% shall be levied on the total fare as per the existing principle.
204. The Betla National Park (BNP) is located in the Chota Nagpur Plateau of the Latehar district of Jharkhand and covers an area of 226.33 square kilometers. It is home to sloth bear, panther, and wolf, jackal, hyena, etc. The park's rich bird life features the hornbill, peafowl, red jungle fowl, black partridge, white-necked stork, black ibis, swamp grey, quail, the pied hornbill, etc. The famous Kamaldah lake attracts several varieties of water birds including the common whistling and cotton teal, the knob-billed duck, snipe and geese.
205. The Karnataka government has launched the Bengaluru city logo on December 24, 2017 for branding the city as a tourism destination. With this, Bengaluru has become the first Indian city to get its own logo. The logo was designed by Nammur, a design start-up, which won a contest and received a prize money of Rs 5 lakh from the government. The logo of the city, which is derived out of its own name, highlights the letters b, e, and u of Bengaluru in red and the other letters in white. The logo 'Be U' highlights the cosmopolitan culture of the city and is expected to build the city's image on the global stage.
206. The annual meeting of World Economic Forum (WEF) 2018 will be held in Davos, Switzerland from January 22. In the 5-day event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the first Indian PM in 20 years to visit the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. It was in 1997 when the then Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda had attended the event. More than 100 Indian CEOs along with the hot shots of Indian business diaspora, like Mukesh Ambani, Chanda Kochhar and Uday Kotak is expected to be present at the forum. The WEF is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva.
207. India's first home-grown high purity gold reference standard – the Bharatiya Nirdeshak Dravya (BND-4201) – was launched at the India Government Mint (IGM), Mumbai on December 24, 2017. The BND-4201 is the reference material for gold of '9999' fineness (gold that is 99.99% pure) and will be beneficial to the consumers and public at large to ensure purity of gold. The high purity gold reference standard has been developed through collaboration between IGM, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre — National Centre for Compositional Characterisation of Materials (Hyderabad), and Council of Scientific & Industrial Research-National Physical Laboratory (New Delhi). The gold reference standard is indispensable in gold and jewellery hall marking. This will also be useful for Collection and Purity Testing Centres to certify the purity of gold deposits under the gold monetization scheme.
208. Saba Karim, the former wicketkeeper of India, has been appointed as the new General Manager (GM) of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He will be responsible for implementing operational plans, budgeting, monitoring the match playing conditions and administration of Domestic program. Karim will take on the role from January 1, 2018 and will report directly to BCCI CEO Rahul Johri. The General Manager's post has been lying vacant since the resignation of MV Sridhar in September 2017 over the issue of conflict of interest. Sridhar passed away on October 30.
209. The Good Governance Day (GGD) is celebrated every year in India on December 25 to mark the birthday anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The day was established in 2014 to honor Mr Vajpayee by fostering awareness among the people of accountability in government. On December 23, 2014, Mr Vajpayee, and Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya (posthumously) were announced as recipients of the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award.
210. Indian boxers have claimed three gold, a silver and a bronze medal at the 2017 Galym Zharylgapov Boxing Tournament in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. In the event that concluded on December 24, the country's Gold Medal winners were K Shyam Kumar in 49kg, Naman Tanwar in 91kg and Satish Kumar in the +91kg category. To add to it, the19-year-old Naman Tanwar was also adjudged the best boxer of the tournament. The silver medal came through national champion Manish Kaushik in 60kg, while Mandeep Jangra accounted for the Bronze in the 75 kg category after going down in the semifinals. The season-ending tournament featured five international and 15 local teams, adding up to 154 boxers in all.
211. The 2018 ASEAN-India Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held in Singapore on 6-7 January, 2018 to celebrate the 25 years of strategic partnership between India and ASEAN. The theme of the 2018 PBD Convention is "Ancient Route, New Journey: Diaspora in the Dynamic India-ASEAN Partnership". The 2-day event will feature discussions on a broad range of issues with outcomes that deepen diaspora's relations with India and their role in promoting closer ties between India and ASEAN; events to engage the diaspora youth; business, finance, technology events; and, a gala dinner with cultural show. In it, apart from India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Assam, N Chandrababu Naidu and Sarbananda Sonowal, will also attend the function. The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated every year to mark the contribution of overseas Indian community in the development of India.
212. Partha Mukhopadhyay (70), the veteran Bengali film actor , has passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal. He had portrayed a number of roles in Bengali classics like Atithi, Balika Badhu, Amar Prithivi, Baghbandir Khela, Agniswar and had made his mark as a character actor in 1970s and 1980s. He had the distinction of having acted in films helmed by renowned directors such as Tapan Sinha, Tarun Majumdar and Goutam Ghosh.
213. The Uttar Pradesh government has recently launched a free household power connection scheme 'Prakash hai to vikas hai' for the poor in the state to mark former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's birthday. Initially, the two village Lohban and Gausana of Mathura district have been covered for 100% electrification. Under this scheme, the state government has a target of covering 16 million by the end of 2018. Apart from this, the UP government has also introduced Kisan Uday Yojana, scheme for farmers in which existing 5 HP/7.5 HP submersible and coupling sets of farmers will be replaced free of cost. The scheme, which would cover 10 lakh farmers by 2022, would lead to 35% saving on power consumption.
214. The Government of India (GoI), the Government of Tamil Nadu and the World Bank (WB) has signed a $318 million loan agreement for the Tamil Nadu Irrigated Agriculture Modernization Project to promote climate resilient agriculture technologies, improve water management practices, and increase market opportunities for small and marginal farmers. About 500,000 farmers, of which majorities are small and marginal, are expected to benefit from improved and modernized tank irrigation systems.The project will rehabilitate and modernize about 4,800 irrigation tanks and 477 check dams, spread across 66 sub-basins, in delivering bulk water to irrigation systems. The $318 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a 5-year grace period and a maturity of 19 years.
215. The world's tallest and longest glass floor bridge has opened in Shijiazhuang, China to the public. The bridge stretches 488 meters long and two meters wide. It stands at 218 meters above the valley between two steep cliffs in Hongyagu Scenic Area in Pingshan County. It is made of 1,077 panes of transparent glass with each being four centimeters thick and weighs a total of 70 metric tons. The sky bridge is designed in a such a way that it swings a little when visitors walk to its center. As per reports, the bridge can support up to 2,000 people, however, only 500 people will be on it at one time.
216. India's first runway on 'Sea Bridge' will come up in Lakshadweep because the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has recently got a green nod to extend Lakshadweep's Agatti Airport. The task will be carried out by building an RCC platform on the beach and shallow area which will allow bigger ATRs to operate on the island. The entire project is likely to cost about Rs 1,500 crore. The move will allow ATR-72 aircraft to land comfortably.
217. The Uttar Pradesh government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with South Korea on December 23, 2017 to enhance cooperation in the field of tourism, skill development, culture and farming. For this, a delegation from Gimhae city of South Korea met chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow and discussed ways to improve cooperation between the two countries. Earlier, in year 2000, an agreement was signed to develop Ayodhya and Gimhae as sister cities, following which a memorial was constructed in Ayodhya which is visited by a large number of tourists from South Korea every year. The people in South Korea believe that 2,000 years ago, an Ayodhya princess had married Korean King Kim Suro. At present, their descendants are members of the 'Crock Clan'.
218. The Union Environment Ministry has launched a pilot project 'Blue Flag' for beach clean-up and development. The purpose of the project is to enhance standards of cleanliness, upkeep and basic amenities at beaches. Under the pilot programme, each of the coast of the state/UT was requested to identify/nominate a beach, which is to be funded through the ongoing Integrated Coastal Management Programme (ICMP). Till date, all the coastal States have nominated the pilot beaches in their receptive territories including Goa. Formal nominations are, however, awaited from the coastal UTs viz., Daman & Diu, Puducherry, Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar". This information was given by Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Mahesh Sharma, in reply to a written question in Lok Sabha on December 22, 2017. The 'Blue Flag' is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach, Marina or sustainable boating tourism operator, meets its stringent standards.
219. The book "The Way I See It: A Gauri Lankesh Reader" has been edited by writer and sociologist Chandan Gowda. The book containing selected writings by late journalist Gauri Lankesh was launched at the Mumbai Press Club on 22nd December 2017, three months after she was gunned down outside her home in Bengaluru by unidentified men. The six sections of the book comprise Lankesh's early reportage in various publications and selected articles she wrote for the Kannada language "Gauri Lankesh Patrike".
220. The National Sugar Institute (NSI) is located in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh and is involved in research, training and advisory services to the sugar and allied industry, and functions under the Department of Food and Public Distribution of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. The institute provides technical education and training in research in all branches of sugar chemistry, sugar technology, sugar engineering and allied fields. It also provides assistance to central and state governments in matters relating to sugar and allied industries.
221. Abhay, the senior IPS officer, has been appointed as the new Director General (DG) of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). On December 27, 2017, the appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment to the post till 18th of November 2019. Mr.Abhay is at present working in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The post was lying vacant after R R Bhatnagar took over as DG of CRPF in April 2017.
222. Jairam Thakur, the MLA from Seraj constituency in Mandi, has been sworn-in as the new Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. Governor Acharya Dev Vrat administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr Thakur and 11 other Ministers at the Ridge ground in Shimla on December 27, 2017. In the recent 2017 election, the BJP ousted the Congress from power by winning 44 out of the 68 seats.
223. As per recently released report " 2018 World Economic League Table", India will overtake the United Kingdom and France in 2018 to become the world's fifth-largest economy in terms of the United States dollar. The report was published by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), an economics consultancy based in Britain. The report also stated that Asian economies will dominate the list of the top ten largest economies over the next 15 years.
224. Dr Jitendra Singh , the Union Minister of State (I/C) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), has launched the electronic-Human Resource Management System (e-HRMS) in New Delhi for central government employees to apply for leave and access their service-related information. Through e-HRMS, employees will be able to not only see all their details with respect to service book, leave, GPF, salary, etc. but also apply for different kind of claims / reimbursements, loan / advances, leave, leave encashment, LTC advances, tour etc. on a single platform.
225. Smartphone manufacturer Samsung has recently launched its 'Bill Payments' on its flagship payments service "Samsung Pay" in partnership with Axis Bank. The new feature launched by the company will enable users to pay their utility bills seamlessly via Samsung Pay's secure and convenient platform. With the introduction of 'Bill Payments', consumers will be able to pay their utility bills seamlessly via Samsung Pay. It will offer users a secure, hassle free, and instant payment option on-the-go. Consumers can view due amount, details of previous bills and location-based suggested billers while paying bills through Samsung Pay. One can also set 'reminders' for bill payments.
226. Ramendra Kumar, the renowned Indian author, an inspirational speaker and storyteller, has been felicitated by the Writers and Publishers of Sri Lanka in Colombo for his contribution to children's literature. His stories feature in Sri Lankan text books. Kumar is an award-winning writer with 32 books to his credit. His writings have been translated into 14 Indian and 13 foreign languages and have found a place in school text books and anthology also in India and abroad. His book "Dilemma and other stories" , translated into Sinhala, was also released at the felicitation ceremony. This is his fourth book in Sinhala. Since 2011, Ramendra's stories have been included in school text books brought out by the Sri Lanka government every year. The books are distributed to over 10,000 schools across the country.
227. The Simbalbara National Park (SNP) is located in the Paonta Valley of Sirmour District, Himachal Pradesh, along its border with Haryana and covers an area of about 27.88 square kilometres. The vegetation consists of dense Salforests with grassy glades. Goral, Sambhar and Chittal are the common animals found here. October and November are the best times to visit the park.
228. The 25th edition of National Children Science Congress (NCSC-2017) has inaugurated by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in Ahmedabad on December 27. The theme of the five-day Congress is 'Science and Innovation for Sustainable Development' with the special focus on persons with disabilities. 50 children and teachers from Asian nations will participate in the event this year. Apart from science exhibition, the event will witness various activities such as hands-on demonstrations, presentations by child scientists, poster session and cultural programmes. The NCSC is an ideal and innovative programme for children to inspire, empower and expand their minds to world. It is a flagship programme of department of Science & Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology.
229. President Ram Nath Kovind has formally inaugurated the 100th annual conference of Indian Economic Association (IEA) at Acharya Nagarjuna University (ANU) near Guntur in Andhra Pradesh on December 27. The focus of the 3-day conference will be on economic growth of the country and growth in agriculture, industry and service sectors. Approx 1,300 dignitaries are expected to attend the conference. Apart from this, President also inaugurated fibernet at the temporary Secretariat in Velagapudi.
230. The Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR) is an autonomous organization engaged in agricultural research related to spices in India. The institute has its headquarters in Kozhikode, Kerala and is a subsidiary of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR-New Delhi), under the Ministry of Agriculture.
231. Sumita Misra, a 1990 batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre, has been appointed joint secretary in the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) for five years. The PMEAC is mandated to analyse all critical issues, economic or otherwise, referred to it by the prime minister and advising him thereon.
232. Amardeep Singh Bhatia, a 1993 batch IAS officer of Nagaland cadre, will be the new director of Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO). The SFIO is a fraud investigating agency in India, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Bhatia is at present joint secretary in the ministry. The SFIO is involved in major fraud probes and is the co-ordinating agency with the Income Tax Department and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
233. Mukhmeet Singh Bhatia, a 1990 batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre, has been given charge for the post of Joint Secretary in Fifteenth Finance Commission under the Department of Economic Affairs for tenure of five years. Under the chairmanship of NK Singh, the 15th Finance Commission was constituted. Arvind Mehta will be the Secretary to the Commission. The panel, which is a statutory body under Article 280(1) of the Constitution, will prescribe the formula for devolution of taxes between the Centre and States for the five years commencing on April 1, 2020. It is expected to submit its report by October 30, 2019. The Finance Commission will also finalize its recommendations in a new setting — after the abolition of the Planning Commission and Plan and Non-Plan expenditure as well as the roll out of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
234. The Singhbhum Elephant Reserve (SER) is located in East and West Singhbhum and Saraikela-Kharsawan Districts of Jharkhand and covers an area of 13,440 square kilometres.
235. Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma has been named PETA's Person of the Year 2017 for her efforts to help protect dogs from fireworks. She was also against the use of horses to pull carriages in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was given by animal rights organisation People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
236. Robbie Malinga, the legendary South African musician, has passed away on December 25, 2017. He is known for his hit songs such as, 'Sobabili', 'Mthanda' and 'Baby Please'.
237. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has allowed Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL)-manufactured Dornier 228 to be used for civilian flights. Till now, the 19-seater aircraft has been used by defense forces and is the first plane to be made in the country for commercial flights. With a maximum cruise speed of 428 kmph, the non-pressurised plane has a range of 700 km and is also capable of night flying. Now, HAL can sell this plane to airlines in India and it can be used for regional flights under the Government of India (GoI)'s ambitious UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) scheme. The DGCA is the regulatory body for civil aviation under the Ministry of Civil Aviation and is headquartered at New Delhi.
238. Experienced shooter Anisa Sayyed from Haryana has won the women's 25m pistol gold with a new record at the 61st National Shooting Championship Competitions ( NSCC-2017) at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on December 27, 2017.
239. Veteran singer K S Chitra has been selected for the prestigious 2017 Harivarasanam award, instituted by the Kerala government. Chitra has been selected for the award in recognition of her contribution to propagate the spirit of secularism, equanimity and universal brotherhood. The award carrying a cash prize of Rs one lakh, citation and plaque would be presented to the veteran playback singer at a function at Sabarimala Sannidhanam on January 14, 2018.
240. Radha Mohan Singh, the Union Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister, has launched Livestock Disease Forewarning –Mobile Application (LDF-Mobile App) in New Delhi. It is developed by ICAR-National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), Bengaluru. This app will be beneficial for the consumers and stakeholders engaged in disease control programmes. Apart from early warning, the app will also provide information about clinical samples for the diagnosis in case of the epidemic so that immediate action in case of the epidemic. This app works on all kind of Android smartphones and takes up 2.5 MB space.
241. The Union Environment Ministry has launched a regional project on 'Climate Resilience Building among Farmers through Crop Residue Management' under National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC) on December 28, 2017. The project was approved at the meeting of the National Steering Committee on Climate Change (NSCCC) under the chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, C.K Mishra. The first phase of the project has been approved at a cost of approximately Rs. 100 Crore for the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The project not only aims to mitigate climate change impacts and enhance adaptive capacity, but will also counter the adverse environmental impacts that arise from burning.
242. The 78th session of the Indian History Congress (IHC) has started at the Jadavpur University campus in Kolkata, West Bengal on December 28, 2017. The 3-day IHC will have six sections this time – Ancient India, Medieval India, Modern India, Countries Other than India, Archaeology and Contemporary India. The aim of conducting Indian History Congress is for promotion and encouragement of the scientific study of Indian History, holding Congresses and publishing of the proceedings, bulletins, memoirs, journals and other works.
243. Pluto Exchange will launch the India's first bitcoin trading app for transacting in virtual currencies. The Pluto Exchange mobile app offers a solution to the coordination problem between payment processors, financial gateways and banks. Pluto Exchange will enable transactions using mobile numbers only. With this, by using a four-digit personal identification number (PIN), users can now buy, sell, store and spend bitcoins via a mobile number. The app would permit a range of transactions, including payments, remittances, business-to-business commerce, supply chain finance, asset management and trading.
244. The Bank of Baroda (BoB) has signed a MoU with POORTI Agri Services Pvt. Ltd to enable the farmers to purchase agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, seeds etc. provided by POORTI. This is a Platform for Online Ordering & Rural Transformation of India known as "POORTI". Poorti is a well-established company providing multi-party mobile commerce platform for easy ordering of fertilizers, pesticides, seeds by farmers with loans given by banks. It provides a source of earning to educated rural youth who can act as delivery agents.
245. India has signed a loan agreement worth $40 million with the World Bank (WB) for UP Pro-Poor Tourism Development Project on December 28, 2017. The purpose of the project is to increase tourism-related benefits for local communities in Uttar Pradesh. The total project cost is around $57.14 million, out of which $40 million will be financed by the World Bank, and the remaining amount will be funded out of the state budget. The programme duration is five years. The project is expected to have far-reaching social, economic and environmental benefits by targeting local communities and entrepreneurs near some of the main tourist and pilgrimage attractions in Uttar Pradesh, namely, Agra as well as Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana and Govardhan in the Braj region.
246. India has been ranked 5th on a list of countries with highest Non-performing Assets (NPA) levels and is on top spot among the BRICS nations, according to latest report by CARE Ratings. The NPA list is topped by Greece (36.4%) followed by Italy (16.4%), Portugal (15.5%) and Ireland (11.9%). All these countries, along with Spain, are commonly referred to as PIIGS, and have been victims of sovereign debt crises in recent years. Spain is ranked at 7th spot below India and Russia. At 9.85%, India's NPA ratio is 400 points higher than that of Spain's. The CARE ratings report was compiled in four categories, including low, very low, medium, and high level of NPAs. With NPA ratio of just 1%, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom were listed in the first category, while China, Germany, Japan, and the USA – with less than 2% of NPA – was listed in the second category. Growing economies like Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa and Turkey were listed in the third category.
247. On 29th December, Union Sports Minister Col Rajyavardhan Rathore has sanctioned ex-gratia assistance of Rs. 5 lakh to the family of Nitisha Negi, the teenage footballer who drowned in the sea at Glenelg beach in Adelaide, Australia, on September 10, 2017. The financial assistance was provided under the 'Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay National Welfare Fund for Sportspersons'. The main purpose of the scheme is to provide suitable assistance to outstanding sportspersons living in indigent circumstances/injured during the period of their training for competitions. Nitisha from Delhi had gone to Australia for the Pacific School Games, when she and four other teammates got into trouble. Four of the girls were rescued by lifesavers while Nitisha was found dead near a rocky breakwater.
248. Ex-football superstar George Weah has been elected as the new president of Liberia after beating Vice President Joseph Boakai in a runoff with 61.5% of the vote. Now, he will succeed Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first elected female president. George Weah is the only African footballer to have won both FIFA World Player of the Year and the prestigious Ballon D'Or for Europe's best player. He entered politics after his retirement from the game in 2002 and is currently a senator in Liberia's parliament.
249. Indian chess ace Viswanathan Anand has won the 2017 World Rapid Chess Championship by beating Russia's Vladimir Fedoseev 2-0 in a two-game tie-break in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 28, 2017. The Indian master remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and also beat World Champion Magnus Carlsen in the 9th round to settle some old debts – avenging 2013's World Championship loss to be precise. The 48-year-old Anand has thus claimed his first rapid world title since 2003.
250. The 25th edition of National Children Science Congress (NCSC-2017) has started at Science city in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on December 27. The five-day Children Science Congress has been organized by Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. The theme of the Congress is 'Science and Innovation for Sustainable Development' with the special focus on persons with disabilities. 900 young scientists from 30 states are participating in 25th National Children Science Congress. This year, 50 children and teachers from Asian nations have also participated in the event. Apart from science exhibition, various activities such as hands-on demonstrations, presentations by children scientists, poster session and cultural programmes have also been organized in the science congress. The NCSC is an ideal and innovative programme for children to inspire, empower and expand their minds to world.
251. In Shooting, ace Indian marksman Jitu Rai won the men's 50-metre pistol national title, setting a new record score of 233 at the 61st National Shooting Championships Competition (NSCC-2017) in Thiruvananthapuram. Rai also won the team gold in the event combining with Jai and Omprakash Mitherwal for a total of 1658, besting Team Air Force, who managed a total of 1626. Arjun Singh Cheema of Punjab won the junior men's 50-metre pistol event. A total of 4800 men and women shooters from across the country are participating in the Championship including 200 wildcard entries.
252. Sue Grafton (77), an American author of detective novels, has passed away in Santa Barbara, California on December 28, 2017. According to author's webpage, she started the alphabet novels in 1982. The mystery writer penned best-selling novels with alphabet-based titles, starting with "A Is for Alibi" and ending with "Y Is for Yesterday". Her last alphabet mystery was published last August. "Z Is for Zero" was tentatively scheduled to come out in 2019.
253. Israel has has officially confirmed withdrawal from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) over an anti-Israel bias. Audrey Azoulay, the UNESCO chief, stated that she had been officially notified that Israel would leave on December 31, 2018. Earlier in October 2017, the US formally notified the UNESCO that it would withdraw from the organization on December 31, 2018. The 195-member body is best known for producing a list of World Heritage sites that have become tourist favourites. UNESCO also runs science, educational and cultural programmes, including programmes to educate people about the Holocaust and promote intercultural dialogue.
254. The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) is a medical institution located in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It is the apex centre for mental health and neuroscience education in the country, and operates autonomously under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Recently, it is in news because President Ram Nath Kovind participated in the 22nd Annual Convocation of the NIMHANS and gave away degrees & awards to 150 post graduate students on December 30, 2017. The President also dedicates three projects at a cost of Rs 200 crore at NIMHANS.
255. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, the BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP from Maharashtra, has been appointed new President of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR). He will succeed Prof. Lokesh Chandra. Sahasrabuddhe is the vice-president of Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini which is South Asia's only training and research academy for elected representatives and voluntary social workers. ICCR was founded in 1950 by India's first Education Minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, who also served as its first President. The ICCR's main objectives are to actively participate in the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes pertaining to India's external cultural relations and to foster and strengthen cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and other countries.
256. The 74th anniversary of First Flag Hoisting Day has celebrated in Andaman and Nicobar Islands on December 30, 2017. Lieutenant Governor Admiral DK Joshi hoisted the National Flag at the main function held at the Gymkhana Ground in Port Blair. On the occasion, the Lieutenant Governor felicitated veteran Islanders who were members of Indian National Army and Indian Independence League. CK Bose, grandson of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose and Indresh Kumar, advisor to Forum for Awareness for National Security (FANS) and family members of veteran freedom fighter Veer Savarkar and others were present. A large number of FANS members attended the function. It was on this day, in 1943; Netaji Subash Chandra Bose had hoisted the National Tri-colour for the first time with the help of Japanese forces at the Gymkhana Ground in Port Blair and declared A & N Islands free from British Rule, four years before India's Independence.
257. Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has been named Globe Soccer's Best Player for the year 2017. He retained the title and won it 4th time overall. Ronaldo appeared by video link as he received the award from Italy's Alessandro del Piero in Dubai. Real Madrid was the named best club of the year and Zinedine Zidane was best coach. In other awards, Francesco Totti and Carles Puyol received player career awards, Marcello Lippi was handed a coaching career award, Spain's La Liga was best league of the year, and Jorge Mendes named best agent.
258. Viswanathan Anand, Indian chess Grand Master and five time World Champion, has won bronze in the 2017 World Blitz Chess Championship at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 30 following his gold winning performance in the Rapid section only a couple of days back. World Champion Magnus Carlsen won the tournament scoring 16 points and followed by Sergey Karjakin with 14.5 points out of the maximum possible 21 points.
259. Om Prakash Singh, the 1983 batch IPS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, will be the new Director General of Police of Uttar Pradesh. He will succeed incumbent Sulkhan Singh, whose tenure ends on December 31, 2017. Presently, OP Singh is the Director General of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). Till the new appointee takes charge, Anand Kumar, Additional Director General (Law and Order) will look after the day-to-day affairs.
260. The Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary (NWS) is located near Lailad village in the Ri Bhoi district of Meghalaya and covers an area of 29 square kilometres. The animals here include the Bengal tiger, the black bear, the leopard and many such species at the verge of extinction such as the necked hornbill and the brown hornbill bird.
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