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1. Ashok Gehlot named Rajasthan's CM, Sachin Pilot to be Deputy CM
Senior Congress
leader Ashok Gehlot will be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan,
Congress announced. He has served as the state's Chief Minister twice, won from
Sardarpura seat by defeating BJP candidate Shambhu Singh by a margin of over
40,000 votes. State Congress President Sachin Pilot has been selected as the
state's Deputy Chief Minister.
2. UN honoured Indian startup 'HelpUsGreen'
Uttar Pradesh based startup HelpUsGreen has been
honored by UN for its works to clean River Ganga by recycling tonnes of floral
waste. UN presented the award to the 14 other countries along with India at the
Nations Climate Action award ceremony during the UN Climate Change Conference
in Katowice. According to UN the startup flower cycled 11060 metric tonnes of
temple waste by the women working with the startup.
3. EU parliament approves 'world's largest' free trade deal with Japan
EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement will remove
duties on almost all agricultural and industrial products as well as open up
the service sector and procurement. It also moves to eliminate non-tariff
barriers to trade. The deal will create an open trading zone covering 635
million people and almost one-third of the world's total GDP. Japan's
Parliament has already approved the agreement. EU businesses export €58 billion
($66 billion) in goods and €28 billion in services to Japan every year.
4. ISRO to launch GSAT-7A Communication Satellite on December 19
India will launch its latest communication satellite,
GSAT-7A from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota onboard the
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV-F11 on December 19. The 2,250 kg
GSAT-7A is the 35th Indian Communication satellite built by ISRO. GSAT-7A can
be used by the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army.
5. Thane police begins anti drug drive from today
The Thane city police are to begin a week-long drive
from 14th December 2018 to create awareness among college students of the
harmful effects of taking drugs. The campaign will be held in 10 colleges in
Zone 1 and Zone 2 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. NGOs have joined hands with the police
to conduct the drive, which will end on December 21.
6. Theresa May to step down as British Prime Minister before 2022
May's statement came after she won a vote of no
confidence triggered by MPs of her own party over her Brexit plan. She secured
victory by 200 votes to 117 after telling lawmakers at a private meeting that
she would hand over power to another Conservative leader before the next
election.
7. Justice Tarun Agarwala appointed Securities Appellate Tribunal presiding officer
Justice Tarun Agarwala retired Chief Justice of the
Meghalaya High Court appointed as the presiding officer in the Securities
Appellate Tribunal, Mumbai. Justice Agarwala will remain presiding officer for
a period of five years or till the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier. The
Securities Appellate Tribunal is a statutory body established under the
provisions of Section 15K of the Securities and Exchange Board of India(SEBI)
Act, 1992, to hear and dispose of appeals against orders passed by the SEBI or
by an adjudicating officer under the Act. Justice Agarwala graduated from
Allahabad University with a law degree.
8. 'CID' creator BP Singh appointed as new FTII President
Creator of Indian TV show 'CID' Brijendra Pal Singh has
been appointed as the new president of the Film and Television Institute of
India (FTII) Society and Chairman of Governing Council. Singh will replace
former FTII President Anupam Kher, who was appointed in 2017. Singh was
previously Vice Chairman of FTII.
9. Rs 2,012 crore spent on PM Narendra Modi's foreign trips since 2014
The government has spent more than ₹2,012 crore on chartered flights, maintenance of
aircraft and secure hotline facilities for PM Narendra Modi's foreign
visits since 2014. Out of the ₹2,012 crore, ₹1,583 crore was spent on PM's aircraft
maintenance. The details of PM's foreign travel expenditure were shared in the
Parliament by Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh.
10. NASAs Juno mission to cross halfway to Jupiter next week
NASA’s Juno mission is to mark the halfway point in
next week in data collection by completing the 16th science pass of Jupiter.
The Space agency said that by December 21, at 11:49:48 a.m. EST the spacecraft
will be 5,053 kilometres above Jupiter’s cloud tops and hurtling by at a
healthy clip of 207,287 kilometres per hour. NASA’s Juno spacecraft was
launched on August 5, 2011, from Cape Canaveral. Juno is a NASA space probe
orbiting Jupiter since July 4, 2016. Currently, Juno is in a highly-elliptical
53-day orbit around Jupiter. Each orbit includes a close passage over the
planet’s cloud deck where it flies a ground track that extends from Jupiter’s
north pole to its south pole. It will provide coverage of the planet every
11.25 degrees of longitude, providing a more detailed picture of what makes the
whole of Jupiter tick. The depth of Jupiter’s zonal winds, the generation of
its magnetic field, and the structure and evolution of its interior are areas
that will be probed.
11. Pricol to joint venture with Israel based Pointer Telocation
Pricol Limited, an automotive components manufacturer,
announced that it has planned to enter into a joint venture (JV) with
Israel-based Pointer Telocation. The JV is for manufacture and marketing of
advanced telematics and IoT solutions in India and South East Asia. The initial
focus will be on commercial vehicles. The Pointer will have 51% interest in the
venture and Pricol 49%. Pricol is one of the leading telematics hardware
suppliers to OEMs in India and had an installed base of more than one lakh
vehicles.
12. ITA signs MoU with CTMA to promote tea globally
Indian Tea Association (ITA) signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) with China Tea Marketing Association (CTMA). It aims at
promoting green and black tea consumption in major tea markets in Europe, the
U.S., Russia, and West Asia. The MoU covers the areas of trade promotion,
intellectual property protection, and technology exchange. China imported 30
million kg of black tea annually amid its rising popularity in the country
where green tea had earlier held sway. Indian exports stood at about 8.7 million
kg in 2017 with the market being dominated by Sri Lanka and Kenya. An export of
15 million kg was being targeted next year. China was the world’s third largest
exporter, mainly of green tea.
13. Statue of Mahatma Gandhi removed in Ghana, Accra
A statue of Mahatma Gandhi has been removed from one of
the most prestigious universities of Ghana, West Africa. This move is after
the complaints citing that “he was racist against black Africans”. The statue
of the global peace icon at the University of Ghana in Accra was unveiled by
India's former president Pranab Mukherjee two years ago. It remained as a
symbol of close ties between the two nations. The lecturers of the University
began a petition calling for its removal, citing passages written by Mahatma
Gandhi claiming that Indians were “infinitely superior” to black Africans. The
University authorities refused to comment while an official at the Foreign
Affairs Ministry called it an internal decision by the university.
14. Russia Emerges As Worlds No. 2 Arms Producer: SIPRI Report
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
announced that Russia has emerged as the world’s second-largest arms producer
after the United States. Russia surpassed Britain which had held that
spot since 2002 and remains Western Europe’s No. 1 arms maker. SIPRI announced
in its annual report on the world’s 100 biggest armaments groups that the
combined arms sales of Russian companies amounted to $37.7 billion in 2017, an
8.5 percent rise from a year earlier.
15. Migratory birds at Chilika faces flu threat
The migratory birds at the Chilika lake, Odisha
are facing a threat to their lives due to the detection of avian influenza
virus. Some crows and chickens were found dead inside poultry farms in
Krushnaprasad block last week. When sent for testing to the National Institute
of High-Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal, it was found that the birds were
tested positive for H5N1 virus. The State government has planned for a massive
culling operation inside private poultry farms in the affected villages. The
Puri district administration would cull birds within one km radius of the place
where the carcasses were found. Besides, officers of the animal husbandry
department have been asked to intensify surveillance in 10 km-radius area. It
should be noted that around seven lakh migratory birds have arrived at the
Chilika lake this year.
16. SAIL Hockey Academy Wins Aga Khan Gold Cup Tournament
Steel Authority of India’s Hockey Academy beat Army XI
Danapur to clinch the 115th All India Aga Khan Gold Cup hockey tournament held
at Major Dhyan Chand hockey stadium in New Delhi. Jay Prakash Patel scored the
match-winning goal for the SAIL Hockey Academy (SHA) in the final match.
17. India, Russia plans to boost the joint production in defence
India and Russia have agreed to simplify export clearances
to take forward joint manufacturing in the defence. This decision was made
during the 18th meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on
Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman and her Russian counterpart General Sergei Shoigu on 13th December
2018. India is planning for joint production under Make in India. This includes
allowing Indian companies, both Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSU) and
private sector, to manufacture spares for Russian systems in India. So far,
four military-industry conferences have been held between Russian manufactures
and Indian companies to take the process forward, in this regard.
18. International Cricket Council ropes in Royal Stag as official sponsor for next five years
International Cricket Council (ICC) signed a contract
with Pernod Ricard India Pvt Ltd, the makers of whiskey brand Royal Stag for a
five-year global partnership as an official sponsor. The size of Royal Stag’s
sponsorship deal is estimated to be $5-6 million per year. The partnership
which will last until 2023 would allow Royal Stag a comprehensive presence
across broadcast, digital and on-ground activations of all ICC global
tournaments, including the 2019 World Cup, T20 World Cup, World Test
Championship and U19 World Cup and Women’s World Cup.
19. Shri Bharat Bhushan Vyas takes Oath of Office and Secrecy as Member, UPSC
Shri Bharat Bhushan Vyas, IAS officer from Jammu and
Kashmir cadre of 1986 batch was administered the Oath of Office and Secrecy as
Member, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) by Shri Arvind Saxena, Chairman,
UPSC. Born in 1957, Shri Bharat Bhushan Vyas served in State & Centre in
various capacities, retired as Chief Secretary.
20. Reserve Bank of India grants 40 branch licenses to Bandhan Bank
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed Bandhan Bank to
open as many as 40 new branches, by the end of December releasing the
restriction that RBI has put on the Bandhan bank’s branch opening spree three
months back. The RBI barred the bank from opening new branches in September
after the private-sector lender failed to bring down main shareholders stake to
below 40 % as mandated in the licensing norms for universal banks. Bandhan
Financial Services (BFSL) the promoter of Bandhan Bank, currently holds 82.28 %
stake in the bank.
21. Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(I/C), Giriraj Singh inaugurated a Multi-Disciplinary Training Centre (MTDC) in New Delhi
Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises (I/C), Giriraj Singh inaugurated a Multi-Disciplinary Training
Centre (MTDC) of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) at Gandhi
Darshan, Rajghat in New Delhi. Samadhan is an industrial training institute set
up on PPP mode with the MSME Ministry, to provide comprehensive industry and
business related guidance and quality knowledge to entrepreneurs, industries,
corporate and institutions.
22. National Energy Conservation Day: 14th December
National
energy conservation day is celebrated every year
by the people all over India on 14th of December. The Energy Conservation Act in India
was executed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in the year 2001. The
Bureau of Energy Efficiency is a constitutional body which comes under
Government of India and helps in the development of policies and strategies in
order to reduce the energy use.
23. Global Debt Hits All-Time High Of USD 184 Trillion: IMF
The
International Monetary Fund has announced that
that global debt has reached an all-time high of 184 trillion US dollars with the United States, China and
Japan accounting for more than half of it. According to the IMF report, the
amount in nominal terms, is the equivalent of 225% of the world GDP in 2017. On
average, the world’s debt now exceeds 86,000 dollars per person, which is more
than two and half times the average income per-capita. Since the beginning of
the millennium, China’s share in global debt has gone up from less than 3% to
over 15%.
24. India and ADB Sign $60 Million Loan Agreement For Assam
The
Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government
of India signed a $60 Million Loan Agreement in
New Delhi to continue financing riverbank protection works, renovation of flood
embankments, and community-based flood risk management activities in critically
flood-prone areas along the Brahmaputra River in Assam. The Tranche 2 loan is
part of the $120 million multi-tranche financing facility
(MFF) for the Assam Integrated Flood and Riverbank Erosion Risk
Management Investment Program approved by the ADB Board in October 2010.
25. Government Sets Up GoM Headed By Arun Jaitley On Stressed Power Assets
The government has constituted a Group
of Ministers (GoM) headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to vet the recommendations of a
high-level panel on stressed power projects. The panel, headed by Cabinet
Secretary P K Sinha, had submitted its report in November 2018. The other
members of the GOM are Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Commerce Minister
Suresh Prabhu, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal
and Power Minister R K Singh.
26. Yes Bank Names Brahm Dutt As Interim Chairman
Yes
Bank Ltd has named one of its independent
directors Brahm Dutt as the bank’s part-time non-executive
independent chairman after former Finance Secretary Ashok
Chawla resigned from the position. Brahm Dutt is a former bureaucrat and is one
of the oldest members of Yes Bank’s board.
27. World’s 1st Floating Nuclear Plant Operational In Russia
Akademik
Lomonosov, the world’s first “floating” nuclear
power plant (FNPP) for installation in remote areas, has been
started and brought to 10% of its capacity, Russian state-run atomic
energy corporation Rosatom announced. An FNPP is basically a mobile,
low-capacity reactor unit operable in remote areas isolated from the main power
distribution system, or in places hard to access by land. They are designed to
maintain both uninterruptible power and plentiful desalinated water supply in
remote areas.
28. 39th Gulf Cooperation Council Summit Held In Riyadh
The
39th Gulf Cooperation Council Summit was inaugurated by
the King
Salman of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh. It was announced at the
conclusion of the summit that the 40th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
summit will be held
in the United Arab Emirates. The presidency of GCC shifts among the six members
based on the Arabic alphabet. Although the 39th summit was held in Riyadh upon
a request from Oman, Oman will be the president for the next 12 months.
29. Brijendra Pal Singh Appointed New FTII Chairman
Producer-director
Brijendra Pal Singh was appointed as the new
president of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and chairman of the institute’s
governing council by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Mr Singh,
best known as the producer-director of popular TV series ‘CID’, is currently
the vice-chairman of the FTII governing council. He
succeeds veteran actor Anupam Kher, who had stepped down as the
chairman citing “international commitments”.
30. India-Saudi Arabia Sign Bilateral Annual Haj 2019 Agreement
India
and Saudi Arabia signed the bilateral
annual Haj 2019 agreement at Jeddah. The agreement was signed
by the Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Haj and Umrah Minister of Saudi
Arabia, Dr. Mohammad
Saleh bin Taher Benten. The agreement is a part of strengthened
bilateral relations of the two countries. Both India and Saudi Arabia share
strong cultural, historical, economic and political relations.
31. National Medical Devices Promotion Council To Be Set Up Under DIPP
To give a fillip to the medical device sector, which is
a sunrise sector, Union Minister of Commerce and
Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, announced setting
up of a National Medical Devices Promotion Council under the Department
of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in the Ministry of
Commerce & Industry. The Council will be headed by
Secretary, DIPP.
The Medical Devices Industry (MDI) plays a critical role in the healthcare
ecosystem and is indispensable to achieve the goal of health for all citizens
of the country. The announcement was made at the occasion of the 4th
WHO Global Forum on Medical Devices, at Andhra Pradesh Medtech
Zone, in Vishakhapatnam.
32. MAHE Partners With NIAID TB Portals Program of NIH, USA
Manipal
Academy of Higher Education (MAHE)
has
partnered with the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health
(NIH), the USA, to become a member of the NIAID TB Portals program. Dr. Mahadev
Rao, Professor and Head, Department of Pharmacy Practice initiated this program
in Manipal and represents India in the Program’s Steering committee. The
NIAID TB Portals Program is a multi-national collaboration for tuberculosis
(TB) data sharing and analysis to advance TB research.
33. Lokmat Parliamentary Awards Announced: Complete List of Winners
Eight
parliamentarians were honoured by Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu for their contribution in strengthening parliamentary
democracy. Naidu, while conferring the Lokmat
Parliamentary Award, urged political parties to evolve a code of conduct
for its members and not disrupt Parliament proceedings.
Here is the complete list of winners of Lokmat
Parliamentary Awards 2018:
Sl. No.
|
Category
|
Winner
|
1.
|
Lifetime
achievement award
|
Rajya Sabha MP Sharad Pawar
|
Murli Manohar Joshi
|
||
2.
|
Best
Parliamentarian Award
|
Ghulam Nabi Azad
|
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey
|
||
3.
|
Best debut woman
parliamentarian (Lok Sabha)
|
Hema Malini
|
4.
|
Best woman
parliamentarian
|
Lok Sabha MP Rama Devi
|
5.
|
Best woman
parliamentarian in the Rajya Sabha
|
DMK leader Kanimozhi
|
6.
|
Best debut woman
parliamentarian (Rajya Sabha)
|
Chhaya Verma
|
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