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Current Affairs [PDF] - December 1-31, 2019
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Current Affairs [PDF] - December 16-31, 2019
Contents
......................... ....... .... ........ .. . ........................................................
News Headlines: December 16-31, 2019 .................................................................................................................................................. 3
Current Affairs – News Headlines: December 16, 2019 ............................................................................................................... 3
Current Affairs – News Headlines: December 18, 2019 .............................................................................................................. 4
Current Affairs – News Headlines: December 26, 2019 ............................................................................................................ 10
Current Affairs – News Headlines: December 28, 2019 ............................................................................................................. 11
Current Affairs – News Headlines: December 31, 2019 ............................................................................................................. 13
December 16, 2019 ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Ministry of Coal forms Sustainable Development Cell ................................................................................................................. 15
Lahore-Wagah shuttle train service resumes operation after 22 years ..................................................................................... 15
Jamaica’s Toni-Ann Singh crowned Miss World 2019 ................................................................................................................ 16
15 December: International Tea Day ............................................................................................................................................... 16
UN Climate Summit concludes ......................................................................................................................................................... 17
Gujarat becomes 7th state to receive President Colours ............................................................................................................. 17
What is Disha Act, the new law of Andhra Pradesh? .................................................................................................................. 18
Vijay Diwas celebrated across India .................................................................................................................................................. 18
ITBP becomes first among CAPF to launch a matrimonial site for its staff ........................................................................... 19
CII organizes “Steeling India-2019” ................................................................................................................................................. 19
Milk Price Rise in India ....................................................................................................................................................................... 20
India to Host International Geological Congress 2020 ............................................................................................................... 20
Facts Box: Accessible India Campaign ............................................................................................................................................ 20
December 17, 2019 ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 21
World Economic Forum Report: India slips to rank 112 in Gender Gap ................................................................................. 21
Air Marshal D Choudhury is the new Commandant of National Defence College .............................................................. 21
NPIC to export UPI, sets up subsidiary: RBI Governor ............................................................................................................... 22
DDA Portal 2 for registration of properties in unauthorised colonies launched ................................................................... 22
Lt General Manoj Mukund: The Next Army Chief ...................................................................................................................... 23
Sridhar Patra appointed CMD of NALCO ..................................................................................................................................... 23
Amitabha Bagchi wins 2019 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature ........................................................................................ 23
India secures loan from Germany to develop an energy-efficient housing programme ..................................................... 24
Brahmos missile test fire successful in Odisha’s Chandipur base .............................................................................................. 24
SC issues order on completion of “Smog Tower Project” within 3 months ......................................................................... 25
Geneva to host first Global Refugee Forum ................................................................................................................................... 25
Facts Box: ICMR Guidelines on Gene Therapy ............................................................................................................................ 26
December 18, 2019 ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 26
What is StrandHogg that affects Android OS? ............................................................................................................................. 26
UNSC meet on Kashmir cancelled ................................................................................................................................................... 27
MSME Minister launches ‘Khadi Rumal’ stitched by militancy affected women of J&K ..................................................... 27
CBI officer B. P. Raju wins India Cyber Cop of the Year 2019 award .................................................................................... 28
GoI flagship scheme, AMRUT extended by 2 years .................................................................................................................... 28
NITI Aayog: Plans to include eggs, chicken and fish in PDS supply ....................................................................................... 28
ADB issues $250 million loan to India to expand energy efficiency investments ................................................................. 29
International Astronomical Union names a star after Indian Woman Scientist ..................................................................... 29
ICC Annual Awards: Ellyse Perry Wins Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award .................................................................................... 30
CSIR and CNRS, France inks MoU for Promotion of Scientific and Technological Research .......................................... 30
First SEZ in Tripura to focus on agro-based food processing ................................................................................................... 31
© 2020 GKToday | All Rights Reserved | https://www.gktoday.in 2
GEM Samvaad: GEM launches National Outreach Programme ................................................................................................ 31

Sahitya Akademi awards announced ............................................................................................................................................... 32
What is Government Instant Messaging System? ......................................................................................................................... 32
December 18: International Migrants Day ..................................................................................................................................... 32
December 19, 2019 ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 33
Finance Minister chairs GST Council Meeting .............................................................................................................................. 33
US President Donald Trump impeached ........................................................................................................................................ 33
India-US 2+2 Dialogue held at Washington .................................................................................................................................. 34
Phase III of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana launched ....................................................................................................... 34
WHO launches first biosimilar medicine to treat Breast Cancer ............................................................................................... 35
Minorities Right Day celebrated in India on December 18 ........................................................................................................ 35
Braille Edition of Exam Warriors: Book written by PM Modi released .................................................................................... 35
Jalsathi: Odisha Govt. launches programme to ensure supply of safe drinking water ......................................................... 36
Infosys launches three block-chain powered distributed applications ...................................................................................... 36
Uttrakhand to host 11th Regional Quality Conclave ..................................................................................................................... 37
ICG organises 18th National Maritime Search and Rescue Board meeting ........................................................................... 37
Indian Naval chief on a four-day visit to Sri Lanka ...................................................................................................................... 38
India is world’s third largest producer of scientific articles: US Report ................................................................................... 38
Govt launches National Broadband Mission .................................................................................................................................. 39
December 20, 2019 .................................................................................................................................................................................... 40
Pinaka missile successfully test fired by DRDO ............................................................................................................................ 40
Apharan: Indian Navy’s largest anti-hijacking exercise ............................................................................................................... 40
In a first, GST Council fixes 28% uniform tax rate for lottery ................................................................................................. 40
Portugal sets up Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize ................................................................................................................... 41
NITI Aayog Draft Roadmap to stabilise population, family planning and birth rate ............................................................ 41
IIT-H fellow launches Vaccination On Wheels in collaboration with Gates Foundation ..................................................... 42
Railways Ministry signs MoU with University of Birmingham for establishing Centre of Excellence ............................... 42
India’s first ever fresh vegetable export to Dubai by Sea Route ................................................................................................ 43
PM Modi attends centenary celebrations of ASSOCHAM ......................................................................................................... 43
HDFC Bank becomes third Indian company to cross $100 bn M-cap .................................................................................. 44
Kerala sets 2024 deadline for Semi High-Speed Rail project ................................................................................................... 44
Pinaka missiles test fired for the second day in salvo mode ....................................................................................................... 45
Dunzo, Throttle get DGCA nod to test long-range drones ...................................................................................................... 45
5G trials to start in Jan-Mar quarter this fiscal: DoT .................................................................................................................. 46
December 21, 2019 ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 46
DBT and NII study: Transmission of chicken pox virus during pregnancy to child ............................................................ 46
Future Skills: Wipro, NASSCOM launch platform to train 10,000 engineering students .................................................. 46
India, Afghanistan and Iran met to discuss on Chabahar port .................................................................................................. 47
Afghanistan becomes first country to recognize Indian Pharmacopoeia ................................................................................ 47
Defence Ministry: 5th Edition of ARTECH to be held in New Delhi ...................................................................................... 48
India, ADB sign $490 Mn loan for PPP to upgrade Madhya Pradesh roads ........................................................................ 48
RBI to buy and sell Government Securities worth Rs 10,000 crores ...................................................................................... 49
GoI to organize more than 100 Hunar Haats in next 5 years .................................................................................................. 49
ETRSS: Ethiopia’s first satellite launched from China .................................................................................................................. 50
PM Modi holds Council of Ministers meet .................................................................................................................................... 50
Centre launches EChO Network to catalyze cross-disciplinary leadership in India ............................................................... 51
CBERS-4A: New China-Brazil earth resource satellite launched into space .......................................................................... 52
Scientists find World’s oldest Fossil forest ...................................................................................................................................... 52
December 22, 2019 ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 53
India-China discuss border issues in New Delhi ........................................................................................................................... 53
Plan to build new Parliament Building ............................................................................................................................................. 53
FSSAI delinks front of packet labelling from general labelling ................................................................................................. 54
3000 Global Leaders to meet at WEF’s 50th annual meet ........................................................................................................ 54
India-EU Summit: EU President calls on PM Modi ...................................................................................................................... 55
Space Force: Trump officially launches new US military service .............................................................................................. 55
Fact Box: Pat Cummins becomes most expensive overseas IPL player .................................................................................... 55
Mirabai Chanu bags Gold in 6th Qatar International Cup in Doha ........................................................................................ 56
WHO: India off-track to meet tobacco target ............................................................................................................................... 56
December 23, 2019 ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 57

India Celebrates National Farmers Day .......................................................................................................................................... 57
India Builds Girls’ Hostel for Nepal Armed Police Force School .............................................................................................. 57
Chilai-Kalan: 40-day period of extreme cold begins in Kashmir .............................................................................................. 58
Eight West African countries rename common currency to Eco .............................................................................................. 58
Assam Cabinet nod to make Assamese the state language ........................................................................................................ 59
Manuel Marrero Cruz appointed as Cuba’s first PM in more than 40 years ........................................................................ 59
Ebola emerges again in Congo ......................................................................................................................................................... 60
22 Dec: National Mathematics Day ............................................................................................................................................... 60
QCI Survey: More than 67% of toys fail to meet the standards ............................................................................................... 61
First Tripartite Agreement on Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Fund ...................................................................... 61
DRDO tests QRSAM (missile) successfully .................................................................................................................................... 61
Modernization of signaling systems in Indian Railways .............................................................................................................. 62
December 24, 2019 .................................................................................................................................................................................... 62
External Affairs Minister visits Iran .................................................................................................................................................. 62
Swachh Bharat Mission achieves its urban target ........................................................................................................................ 63
Nagpur Resolution adopted at regional conference organized by DARPG ............................................................................ 63
National Green Corps Ecoclub programme meets for the first time ...................................................................................... 64
DNA Analysis Centre inaugurated at CFSL, Chandigarh ........................................................................................................... 64
Oxygen Parlour opened at Nashik Railway Station to combat Air Pollution ......................................................................... 65
Senior diplomat Harsh Vardhan Shringla to be new Foreign Secretary ................................................................................. 65
IAF Chief to visit Egypt for bilateral talks ...................................................................................................................................... 66
Major Anoop Mishra awarded Army Design Bureau Excellence Award ............................................................................... 66
NASVI, FSSAI to jointly organise National Street Food Festival ............................................................................................. 67
SEBI signs pact with Kazakhstan’s AFSA for mutual co-operation ........................................................................................ 67
24 December: National Consumer Day ......................................................................................................................................... 68
December 25, 2019 .................................................................................................................................................................................... 68
NPL scientists develop ink to stop fake passports and currency notes ................................................................................... 68
Rohtang pass tunnel named after former PM Vajpayee ............................................................................................................. 69
Delhi cabinet approves new policy on pollution ........................................................................................................................... 69
India to get its First Chief of Defence Staff ................................................................................................................................... 69
India-Swiss Air Service Pact to be amended, Cabinet approves signing protocol ................................................................ 70
CSIR to develop new drugs for global market .............................................................................................................................. 71
PM Modi launches Atal Bhujal Yojana ............................................................................................................................................. 71
India-Brazil MoU on Bioenergy Cooperation gets Cabinet approval ....................................................................................... 72
Cabinet approves funds to update National Population Register .............................................................................................. 72
Cabinet approves transfer of Assam Gas Cracker Project to oil ministry ............................................................................... 73
NITI Aayog to launch SDG India Index & Dashboard 2019–20 ............................................................................................. 73
December 26, 2019 .................................................................................................................................................................................... 74
Government launched Good Governance Index .......................................................................................................................... 74
Free Wi-Fi services provided to all villages till 2020 ................................................................................................................... 74
120th birth anniversary of Shaheed Udham Singh being celebrated ....................................................................................... 74
Pakistan to import polio markers from India ................................................................................................................................ 75
Govt to launch Digital Radio by 2024 ............................................................................................................................................ 75
Sign boards in Chinese language put up at 5 ASI sites ............................................................................................................... 75
India’s first Transgender University to come up in UP ............................................................................................................... 76
NTPC to invest Rs. 50,000 cr to add 10GW Solar Energy Capacity by 2022 ..................................................................... 76
South India’s earliest Sanskrit Inscription found in A.P. ............................................................................................................. 77
Stamps released to commemorate contribution of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence .................................................... 77
Massive Locust Invasion in Gujarat ................................................................................................................................................. 78
December 27, 2019 .................................................................................................................................................................................... 78
Five Documents developed by UGC released ............................................................................................................................... 78
Second Edition of Eat Right Mela inaugurated ............................................................................................................................. 78
Foundation laid for India’s first Transit-Oriented Development Project ................................................................................. 79
Govt. makes Aadhaar mandatory for PMVKY subscribers ........................................................................................................ 79
India Japan hold 5th round of maritime dialogue ........................................................................................................................ 80
All new Railway recruits to be inducted through UPSC civil services exams ........................................................................ 80
BPCL’s LPG bottling plant inaugurated in Odisha ........................................................................................................................ 81
Facts Box: Illegal farming of Bt Brinjal ............................................................................................................................................ 81

National Tribal Dance Festival begins in Raipur ........................................................................................................................... 82
Losar Festival: Ladakhi New Year being celebrated ..................................................................................................................... 82
MiG 27 Retire: Last Squadron of fighter jet Decommissioned ................................................................................................. 83
December 28, 2019 .................................................................................................................................................................................... 83
CSIR develop new technology of Geranium Production ............................................................................................................ 83
First Trial run of Double Stack Train ............................................................................................................................................. 84
RBI directs large co-op banks to report all exposures above Rs.5 crore ................................................................................ 84
RBI Financial Stability Report: NPAs will increase ....................................................................................................................... 84
CSC e-Governance India restarts Aadhaar registration work ................................................................................................... 85
UN to draft new international treaty on cyber crime .................................................................................................................. 85
UN increases budget; includes funds for war crime probes ...................................................................................................... 86
December 29, 2019 .................................................................................................................................................................................... 86
Standing Committee on Economic Statistics Constituted .......................................................................................................... 86
GoM constituted to fast track revival plan of BSNL ................................................................................................................... 86
Long March-5: China successfully launches largest carrier rocket .......................................................................................... 87
AIR organises National Symposium of Poets 2020 ..................................................................................................................... 87
December 30, 2019 .................................................................................................................................................................................... 87
Finance Minister launches ‘eBkray’ auction platform for assets attached by banks ............................................................. 87
Koneru Humpy bags 2019 World Rapid Chess title .................................................................................................................... 88
World’s oldest rhino’ dies in Tanzania ............................................................................................................................................ 88
India State of Forest Report, 2019: Key Findings ........................................................................................................................ 89
NASA astronaut Christina Koch sets record for longest single spaceflight by woman ....................................................... 90
December 31, 2019 ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 90
Sustainable Development Goal Index Released ............................................................................................................................. 90
General Bipin Rawat appointed as CDS officer ............................................................................................................................. 91
Central Equipment Identify Register: Government launches web portal to trace stolen mobiles ...................................... 91
Multiple Choice Questions ......................................................................................................................................................................... 92
News Headlines: December 16-31, 2019

Current Affairs – News Headlines: December 16, 2019
India
ITBP becomes first among the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to launch a matrimonial site for
its staff
Former Union Minister and BJP leader ID Swami dies at 90 in Faridabad; was MoS for Home in PM
Vajpayee’s govt. in 1999
Former actress Gita Siddharth, known for roles in films such as ‘Garam Hawa’ and ‘Sholay’, dies
World
Pakistan: Lahore-Wagah shuttle train service resumes after a gap of 22 years
International Tea Day celebrated on December 15
Jamaica’s Toni-Ann Singh crowned Miss World 2019 in London
French actress Anna Karina dies at 79 in Paris
BWF World Tour Finals Badminton
Title winners at BWF World Tour Finals badminton in Guangzhou, China:
Japan’s Kento Momota: Men’s singles
China’s Chen Yufei: Women’s singles
Mohammad Ahsan & Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia: Men’s doubles
China’s Chen Qingchen & Jia Yifan: Women’s doubles
Zheng Siwei & Huang Yaqiong of China: Mixed doubles
Sports
India’s Lakshya Sen wins men’s singles title at Bangladesh International Challenger badminton in
Dhaka
Sri Lanka’s Mithun Perera wins ICC RCGC Open Golf Championship in Kolkata
United States beat International team to win Presidents Cup golf tournament in Melbourne
West Indies (291/2 in 47.5) beat India (287/8 in 50) by 8 wickets in first ODI at Chennai
Pakistan’s Abid Ali becomes 1st batsman to score hundreds on both Test and ODI debuts
India
Vice Chief Lt Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane set to become next chief of the Indian Army
Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force pay tributes at National War Memorial in New Delhi on Vijay
Diwas; India’s victory over Pakistan in Bangladesh liberation war of 1971
Amitabha Bagchi wins DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2019 for his novel ‘Half the Night is Gone’
Court annuls election of Samajwadi Party’s Mohammad Abdullah Azam Khan as MLA from Suar, UP in
2017 for being underage (below 25 years)
Delhi Development Authority (DDA) portal for registration of properties in unauthorised colonies in the
city launched
World
Bangladesh celebrates its 49th ‘Victory Day’ that marks its liberation from Pakistan; Indian Army
contingent participates in Dhaka parade for the first time
Global Refugee Forum to be held in Geneva on December 17-18 by UNHCR and the government of
Switzerland
Economy & Corporate
Wholesale price index (WPI) based inflation rises to 0.58% in November, was 0.16% in October
India secures USD 277 million loan from Germany to establish an energy-efficient housing
programme
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) tops Fortune India 500 list with a revenue of Rs 5.81 lakh crore in
2018-19 followed by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) with Rs 5.36 lakh crore
Sridhar Patra appointed new CMD of National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO)
Canada’s Brookfield Infrastructure Partners to acquire telecom tower assets of Reliance Jio
Sports
Alexandra Kosteniuk wins women’s FIDE Grand Prix chess tournament in Monaco; India’s Koneru
Humpy finishes runner-up
Tata Steel Kolkata 25K: Kenyan Leonard Barsoton (1:13:48) and Ethiopian Guteni Shone (1:22:09) win
the elite men and women’s titles
Two separate trials of supersonic cruise missile BrahMos conducted, one each from land and air
platforms near Balasore in Odisha
CBI officer B. P. Raju wins ‘India Cyber Cop of the Year 2019’ award given by NASSCOM-DSCI
Home Minister Amit Shah presides over the foundation stone laying ceremony of Bharat Vandana
Park in New Delhi
Economy & Corporate
TRAI extends six paise per minute IUC (interconnection usage charges) to other networks till Dec 31,
2020
Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launches National Broadband Mission; broadband access to
be provided to all villages by 2022
MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari launches sale of ‘Khadi Rumal’ (napkin), made by militancy-affected
families of Kashmir
Complaints to banking ombudsman rise by 19.75% to over 1.96 lakh during 2018-19: RBI
Smartphone maker realme launches its financial services platform ‘realme Paysa’
World
India ranks 112th (108th in previous ranking) among 153 countries WEF’s Global Gender Gap Report
2020; Iceland remains world’s most gender-neutral country
49 journalists murdered worldwide in 2019, lowest toll in 16 years: Reporters Without Borders
China launches its second aircraft carrier ‘Shandong’ in South China Sea
Pakistan’s former dictator General Pervez Musharraf sentenced to death in absentia in the high
treason case for subverting the Constitution in 2007
Bangladesh releases list of collaborators (known as Razakars) who helped Pakistan during the
Liberation War of 1971
Collins Dictionary names ‘climate strike’ as its word of the year, defining it as “a form of protest in
which people absent
Sports
Australia’s Ellyse Perry wins Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award for the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year
England cricketer Ben Stokes named BBC Sports Personality of the Year
2019 Sahitya Akademi Awards
Sahitya Akademi announced winners of 2019 Sahitya Akademi Awards in 23 languages
Winners in various categories are:
POETRY (7): Dr. Phukan Ch. Basumatary (Bodo), Dr. Nand Kishore Acharya (Hindi), Sri Nilba A.
Khandekar (Konkani), Sri Kumar Manish Arvind (Maithili), Sri V. Madhusoodanan Nair (Malayalam),
Smt. Anuradha Patil (Marathi) and Prof. Penna Madhusudan (Sanskrit)
NOVELS (4): Dr. Joysree Goswami Mahanta (Assamese), Sri L. Birmangol Singh (Beryl Thanga)
(Manipuri), Sri Cho. Dharman (Tamil) and Sri Bandi Narayana Swamy (Telugu)
SHORT STORIES (6): Sri Abdul Ahad Hajini (Kashmiri), Sri Tarun Kanti Mishra (Odia), Sri Kirpal Kazak
(Punjabi), Sri Ram sawroop Kisan (Rajasthani), Sri Kali Charan Hembram (Santali) and Sri Ishwar
Moorjani (Sindhi)
NON-FICTION (1): Dr. Shashi Tharoor (English)
AUTOBIOGRAPHY (1): Dr. Vijaya (Kannada)
BIOGRAPHY (1): Prof. Shafey Kidwai (Urdu)
ESSAYS (3): Dr. Chinmoy Guha (Bengali), Sri Om Sharma Jandriari (Dogri) and Sri Ratilal Borisagar
(Gujarati)
India
‘Manthan- Impeccable Academia” organised in New Delhi by Media and Entertainment Skills Council
(MESC) and HRD Ministry
Eminent actor Shriram Lagoo dies at the age of 92 in Pune
Urdu writer Mujtaba Hussain to return his Padma Shri (2007) award
Braille edition of ‘Exam Warriors’, a book authored by PM Modi, released
Odisha Govt. launches ‘Jalsathi’ programme to ensure supply of safe drinking water
JSPL Foundation announces 27 winners of its ‘Rashtriya Swayamsiddh Samman’
Economy & Corporate
GST council announces single rate of 28% on state-run and state-authorised lotteries
Import of gold and silver placed in ‘restricted’ category from the ‘free’ category: DGFT
ADB to provide USD 250 million loan to EESL (Energy Efficiency Services Ltd) to expand energy
efficiency investments in India
NHAI launches ‘FASTag Lagao Aage Bado, India Ko Aage Badao’ TV commercial featuring Akshay
Kumar
First Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Tripura set up at Paschim Jalefa, Sabroom, South Tripura
District
NCLAT orders reinstatement of Cyrus Mistry as Chairman of Tata Sons; was ousted in 2016
Patanjali Ayurved completes acquisition of bankrupt Ruchi Soya for Rs 4,350 crore; gets brands such
as Nutrela, Mahakosh and Ruchi Gold
Piaggio launches electric three-wheeler Ape E-City at Rs 1.97 lakh
Devesh Srivastava appointed new CMD of General Insurance Corporation of India
India-Us 2+2 Dialogue
The second India-US 2+2 dialogue was held on December 18, 2019 at the Foggy Bottom headquarters
of the State Department in Washington.
Participants included US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Secretary Mark Esper, External
Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
A wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues were discussed.
World
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visits Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana and Naval Station Norfolk in US
European Space Agency (ESA) launches Characterising ExOPlanets Satellite (CHEOPS) from Kourou,
French Guiana on a three-year mission to study planets in other solar systems.
India (1,35,788) was world’s third largest publisher of science and engineering articles after China
(5,28,263) and US (4,22,808) in 2018: US National Science Foundation (NSF)
International Migrants Day celebrated on December 18
Arabic Language Day celebrated on December 18
Noted American vibraphonist and percussionist Emil Richards dies at 87

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Peugeot announce merger deal
Tata Motors owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) acquires Bowler, a UK-based manufacturer of all-terrain
performance cars
Sports
India beat West Indies by 107 runs in second ODI at Visakhapatnam
Former West Indies batsman Basil Butcher (3104 runs in 44 Tests) passes away at the age of 86
India
PM Modi meets Portuguese counterpart Antonio Costa in New Delhi
Test-firing of indigenously-developed Pinaka guided missile system conducted by DRDO at Chandipur,
Odisha
IPS Officer Atul Karwal appointed Director of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy,
Hyderabad
Meghalaya Assembly adopts resolution to implement Inner Line Permit in the state
Madhya Pradesh: Assembly passes resolution to declare assets of MLAs and their dependents by
June 30, 2020
Economy & Corporate
Ministry of Railways signs MoU with University of Birmingham for establishment of Centre of
Excellence for Next Generation Transportation Systems
Yamaha Motor India launches scooters Fascino 125 and Ray ZR 125
Hyundai Motor India unveils compact sedan Aura
Tata Motors unveils electric SUV Nexon with a range of 300 km per charge
Virat Kohli tops Forbes India’s 2019 Celebrity 100 list
Zee Group launches 4 regional channels – Zee Punjabi, Zee Thirai (Tamil), Zee Picchar (Kannada) and
Zee Biskope (Bhojpuri)
World
Indian Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh meets Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne in
Colombo
US House of Representatives impeaches President Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstructing
the Congress
DRDO successfully flight tests two Pinaka missiles from ITR, Chandipur, Odisha
EChO Network launched in Delhi to boost research and awareness of Indian ecology and environment
‘Turbulence & Triumph: The Modi Years’, a book written by Rahul Agarwal & Bharathi S Pradhan,
released
Soldiers posted in remote locations can now use satellite phones to connect with families
Four sentenced to death for complicity in Jaipur serial blasts of May 13, 2008 that killed more than 80
people
CEC Sunil Arora releases booklet ‘Crossing the Barriers…I Got Inked’
Portuguese PM Antonio Costa announces the setting up of a Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize
Economy & Corporate
India’s foreign exchange reserves rise to US$ 454.49 billion in the week ended December 13
Fitch Ratings cuts its growth forecast for India to 4.6% for the 2019-20 fiscal from the previous
estimation of 5.6%
PM participates in inaugural session of the Hundred Years of ASSOCHAM in New Delhi
ADB to provide $490 million loan for public-private partnership (PPP) project to upgrade roads in MP
CARE Ratings Managing Director Rajesh Mokashi resigns
Hero MotoCorp’s XPulse 200 named 2020 Indian Motorcycle of the Year
CII organises 15th Annual Tourism Summit in New Delhi; theme: ‘Tourism: Creating Opportunities with
Economic Growth’
92nd Annual Convention of FICCI in New Delhi on December 20-21; theme: ‘India: Roadmap to a $5
trillion economy’
Wipro, NASSCOM launch ‘Future Skills’ platform for 10,000 students from engineering colleges in
India
World
Strasbourg (France)-based European Parliament (EP) calls for sanctions against Chinese officials
over treatment of Uighurs
Ethiopia’s first satellite ETRSS (Ethiopian Remote Sensing Satellite) launched from China
US re-designates Pakistan and China among 7 other countries of particular concern for violation of
religious freedom
US-India to set up annual Parliamentary Exchange to discuss issues of strategic importance
UN observes International Human Solidarity Day on December 20
Sports
Weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu wins gold in women’s 49kg at Qatar International Cup in Doha
Andhra Pradesh tops in organising the Fit India Week (Dec 2-7) with 13,839 schools taking part
followed by Karnataka (1967) and UP (1,504)
Abhinav Lohan wins Bengaluru Open Golf Championship
India
India-China boundary talks held in New Delhi between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Wang
Yi, State Councillor and Foreign Minister
Regional Conference on ‘Improving Public Service Delivery – Role of Governments’ in Nagpur on
December 21-22
‘R N Kao: Gentleman Spymaster’, book by Nitin Gokhale, released
Kolkata Police launches revamped Bondhu mobile phone app with a new feature of panic button
Maharashtra: Govt. announces Mahatma Jyotirao Phule farm loan waiver scheme for loans upto Rs
two lakh; cut-off date: September 30, 2019.
Eminent cinematographer Ramachandra Babu dies at 72 in Kozhikode (Kerala)
Renowned Hindustani classical vocalist Vidushi Savita Devi dies at 80
79th Conference of Presiding Officers of Legislative Bodies organised in Dehradun
Anti-hijacking ‘Exercise Apharan’ conducted by the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and Cochin Port
Trust in Kochi, Kerala
Greater Chennai Corporation launches www.madraswasteexchange.com to connect buyers and
sellers of waste
PM Modi congratulates Charles Michel on assumption of office of European Council President
World
US President Trump officially launches US military ‘Space Force’
Russia, China veto UNSC resolution extending Syria cross-border humanitarian aid for a year
Fazle Hasan Abed, the founder of NGO Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) and
winner of the 2015 World Food Prize, dies aged 83 in Dhaka
Sports
Gujarat Giants beat Punjab Panthers in final to win Big Bout Indian Boxing League in New Delhi
Mexico’s Julio Cesar Martinez defeats Nicaragua’s Cristofer Rosales to win World Boxing Council
flyweight title in Los Angeles
India
National Mathematics Day celebrated on December 22; birth anniversary of Srinivasa Ramanujan
(1887-1916).
Jammu & Kashmir: ‘Chilai-Kalan’, the 40-day period of extreme cold, begins
Nethanna Nestham scheme of providing Rs. 24,000 annual aid for handloom weavers for 5 years
launched in AP
Economy & Corporate
SBI withdraws charges levied on the issuance of Bank Realisation Certificate (e-BRC) for the export of
shipments
World
EAM S. Jaishankar meets his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif in Tehran; both countries agree to
accelerate work on the strategic Chabahar port project
Eight West African countries agree to change the name of their common currency to Eco from CFA
franc
Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo currently use CFA
France as their currency
Girls’ hostel building for Nepal Armed Police Force School in Kirtipur, Kathmandu, built with Indian
assistance, inaugurated
Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz appointed Cuba’s first Prime Minister since 1976
US imposes sanctions on companies building Nord Stream 2 pipeline under the Baltic Sea for
transporting Russian natural gas to Germany
New Zealand: Government’s buyback of guns following ban on assault weapons concludes
Sports
India (316/6 in 48.4) beat West Indies (315/5 in 50) by 4 wickets in 3rd ODI at Barabati Stadium,
Cuttack; win 3-match series 2-1
England’s Liverpool defeat Brazil’s Flamengo 1-0 in final played at Doha, Qatar to win lift Club World
Cup
England’s 1966 FIFA World Cup final goal scorer, Martin Peters dies at 76
India’s Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu (men’s) and Hana Ramadan (women’s) of Egypt win singles titles
in the third leg of the HCL-SRFI India Tour Squash Tournament in Mumbai
India
BJP’s Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das hands over his resignation to Governor Draupadi Murmu in Ranchi
after party’s defeat in Assembly polls
Jharkhand Assembly election results (78/81): AJSU Party: 2, BJP: 24, CPI-ML: 1, Independent: 1,
Congress: 16, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha: 29, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik): 3, NCP: 1, RJD: 1
Indian Ambassador to US Harsh Vardhan Shringla appointed next Foreign Secretary
QRSAM (Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile) system developed by DRDO successfully flight-tested
from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the Odisha coast
Bachan Singh, Delhi’s oldest voter who voted in 2019 Lok Sabha election, dies at 111
Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai inaugurates a State-of-the-Art DNA Analysis Centre at
Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Chandigarh

Home Minister Amit Shah delivers the 32nd Intelligence Bureau (IB) Centenary Endowment Lecture in
New Delhi
NASVI and FSSAI to jointly organise national street food festival in Delhi on December 25-29
NASVI: National Association of Street Vendors of India; FSSAI: Food Safety and Standards Authority
of India
Economy & Corporate
RBI caps lender’s exposure on a peer-to-peer lending (P2P) platform to all borrowers at Rs 50 lakh
SEBI signs pact with Kazakhstan’s Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA) for mutual co-
operation
Hiranandani Group MD Niranjan Hiranandani takes over as new President of Assocham
Ampere Vehicles launches electric scooter Reo Elite priced at Rs 45,099
World
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar meets Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran
Russian President Vladimir Putin opens 19-km long railway bridge connecting Russia to Crimea
Sports
Lazio beats Juventus 3-1 in Riyadh to win Italian Super Cup football tournament
India
Jharkhand Assembly election results (81/81): AJSU Party: 2, BJP: 25, CPI-ML: 1, Independent: 2,
Congress: 16, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha: 30, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik): 3, NCP: 1, RJD: 1
Jharkhand: Outgoing BJP Chief Minister Raghubar Das lost from Jamshedpur East constituency to
Independent Saryu Roy by a margin of 15,815 votes
Cabinet approves creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff in the rank of four star General
IAF’s last MiG 27 squadron to be decommissioned at the Jodhpur Air Base on December 27
Cabinet approves conduct of Census of India 2021 and updation of National Population Register
NITI Aayog to launch Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index & Dashboard 2019–20 on
December 30
India’s first long range CNG bus that can travel 1000 kms in a single fill launched by Indraprastha Gas
Limited (IGL)
8 km long strategic tunnel under Rohtang Pass in J&K to be named after former Prime Minister Atal
Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bhujal Yojana
Union Cabinet approves implementation of the Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL)
A Central Sector Scheme with a total outlay of Rs.6000 crore to be implemented over a period of 5
years (2020-21 to 2024-25).
Aims to improve ground water management through community participation in identified priority
areas in 7 States: Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, MP, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and UP.
Organisational Restructuring Of Railways
Union Cabinet approves transformational Organisational Restructuring of Indian Railways
Unification of the existing eight Group A services into a Central Service called Indian Railway
Management Service (IRMS)
Railway Board will be organised on functional lines and will be headed by Chairman Railway Board
(CRB) who will be CEO with 4 Members and some Independent Members
Economy & Corporate
Gross nonperforming asset (GNPA) ratio of the banking system declines from 11.2% in 2017-18 to
9.1% in 2018-19: RBI

Net NPAs of the banking system declined to 3.7 per cent in FY19 from 6 per cent in FY18: RBI
Total frauds at banks rise 74% to Rs 71,543 crore in 2018-19: RBI
RBI introduces semi-closed prepaid payment instrument (PPI) for purchase of goods and services up
to a limit of Rs 10,000
World
Russia is the only country in the world that has hypersonic weapons: President Vladimir Putin
Sports
‘Dreams of a Billion: India and the Olympic Games’, book by Boria Majumdar & Nalin Mehta, to release
in January 2020
India
PM launches Atal Jal Yojana aimed at improving groundwater level in 7 states: Maharashtra, Haryana,
Rajasthan, Gujarat, MP, UP and Karnataka.
Centre launches good governance index (GGI) to compare the state of governance in all states and
UTs
PM releases Operational Guidelines of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) which seeks to provide Functional
Household Tap Connection (FHTC) to every rural household by 2024
December 25, the birth anniversary former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, celebrated as Good Governance
Day
PM Modi unveils 25 feet tall bronze statue of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the Lok Bhawan in
Lucknow
PM Modi lays the foundation stone for the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical University in Lucknow
Indian Railways launches Him Darshan Express train between Kalka and Shimla stations
Renowned Hindi author Ganga Prasad Vimal dies at 80
World
Typhoon Phanfone pummels central Philippines
Solar Eclipse
A partial solar eclipse visible in parts of India along with several other countries
This was an annular solar eclipse that happens when the Moon covers the sun’s centre, leaving the
sun’s visible outer edges to form a ‘ring of fire’ or annulus – around the moon.
Good Governance Index
A good governance index (GGI) has been launched by the central government to assess the state of
governance in the country.
Tamil Nadu bagged the top position for Big States followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh
and Andhra Pradesh.
In the North-East and Hill category, Himachal Pradesh topped the ranking.
Among the Union Territories, Pondicherry got the first position.
Ugc Documents On Quality Mandate
Union HRD Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank launched five documents developed by University Grants
Commission, UGC covering the 5 verticals of Quality Mandate
These five documents cover evaluation reforms, eco-friendly & sustainable university campuses,
human values & professional ethics, faculty induction and academic research integrity.
Transit-Oriented Development Project
Union Home Minister Amit Shah laid the foundation stone for the country’s first transit-oriented
development (TOD) project in New Delhi

Under TOD, a state-of-the-art infrastructure zone, including the national capital’s tallest tower, will be
built in east Delhi
DRI Stamp
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman released a postage stamp on Directorate of Revenue
Intelligence (DRI)
DRI was formed on December 4, 1957 to function as an apex intelligence agency of the Central Board
of Indirect Taxes & Customs to counter the menace of smuggling.
PMVVY
makes Aadhaar mandatory for subscribers of the Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY), a
pension scheme for senior citizens.
The scheme, which envisages an assured rate of return of 8% annually, is being implemented through
LIC
Railways Recruitment
All new recruits in railways will be inducted through the UPSC civil services exams under five
specialities, Railway Board Chairman V K Yadav said
Four of them will be engineering specialities for ‘technical’ operations comprising of civil, mechanical,
telecom and electrical, and one ‘non-technical’ speciality which will recruit officers for accounts,
personnel and traffic.
Earlier the Cabinet approved the merger of its eight services into one — the Indian Railway
Management Service (IRMS).
World
Typhoon Phanfone kills 20 in Philippines
5th Round of India-Japan Maritime Affairs Dialogue held in Tokyo
Turkey’s Constitutional Court rules government’s ban on access to Wikipedia breaches free speech
Sports
Wisden Cricketers’ Almanac names five Cricketers of the Decade: Indian captain Virat Kohli, South
Africans Dale Steyn and AB de Villiers, Australia’s Steve Smith and Australia’s woman all-rounder
Ellyse Perry
India
MiG-27s decommissioned from the IAF at Jodhpur air base
Strategically important Rabung bridge inaugurated in Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Siang district
Former Supreme Court Judge Justice Dr S. Mohan dies at 89 in Chennai
CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd, a SPV under MEITY, restarts Aadhaar registration work
‘Politics of Opportunism’, a book written by Congress leader and former Union Minister R. P. N. Singh,
released
Economy & Corporate
Number of houses approved by the Centre under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) crosses 1
crore
India’s foreign exchange reserves rise to fresh lifetime high of USD 454.948 billion in the week to
December 20
SBI to allow ATM withdrawal above Rs 10,000 only after an OTP verification during 8 PM to 8 AM
from January
RBI directs large cooperative banks to report all exposures of Rs 5 crore and more to the Central
Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC)
GNPA (gross non-performing asset) ratio of banks may increase to 9.9% by September 2020: RBI’s
Financial Stability Report (FSR)
Alliance Air commences daily flight operations on Kalaburagi–Bengaluru–Mysuru routes under RCS-
UDAN
The 102nd annual conference of the Indian Economic Association being organised in Raipur from
December 27 to 29
Defence Minister launches the mobile app of the DefExpo 2020 scheduled in Lucknow (February 5-8,
2020)
BPCL LPG Bottling plant at Balangir, Odisha dedicated to the nation
World
China launches its largest carrier rocket Long March-5 carrying the Shijian-20 satellite
Russia’s first Avangard hypersonic missiles put into service
Tropical Cyclone Sarai touches Fiji
Sports
Former cricketers Krish Srikkanth and Anjum Chopra (women’s) selected for the 2019 CK Nayudu
Lifetime Award of BCCI
India
Ladakhi New Year Losar celebrated on December 28
Maharashtra: Farmers whose crop loan and restructured loan exceeds Rs two lakh will be ineligible
for the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Farmer Loan Waiver Scheme
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar unveils statue of former Union Minister Arun Jaitley in Patna on his birth
anniversary
Former Doordarshan Director-General Shiv Sharma dies in Gurugram at 85
Composer Ilaiyaraja wins 2019 Harivarasanam award given by the government of Kerala
Marathi litterateur Bhalchandra Nemade and Hindi writer Gynanranjan win ‘Akashdeep Sanman’
awards given by Amar Ujala media group
Economy & Corporate
Statistics ministry sets up 28 member Standing Committee on Statistics (SCES) chaired by former
Chief Statistician Pronab Sen to improve quality of data
World
Pakistan rolls out first batch of its indigenous dual-seat fighter jets JF-17 manufactured in
collaboration with China
UNGA approves resolution that will start the process of drafting a new international treaty to combat
cybercrime
UNGA adopts USD 3.07-billion operating budget for 2020; USD 2.9 billion in 2019
UNGA approves resolution extending the investigation into the mysterious 1961 death of secretary-
general Dag Hammarskjold
Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino wins Director of the Year Award at Palm Springs International Film
Festival for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
India
Retirement age for services chiefs of three armed forces can be extended to 65 years if they are
appointed as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS): Centre
49th border co-ordination conference between Director Generals of BSF and Border Guard
Bangladesh (BGB) held in New Delhi
Home Minister Amit Shah lays foundation stone of Directorate General Building of CRPF in New Delhi
Home Minister unveils new insignia – a ‘Garuda’, sword & shield – for the CRPF’s VIP security wing
that protects 59 high-risk dignitaries
Birth Centenary Celebrations of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Marri Channa Reddy
inaugurated in Hyderabad
ISRO is planning to launch satellite Aditya to study Sun: PM Modi
Central government’s citizen engagement platform, MyGov reaches one crore registered users after
five years
Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan lays foundation stone for the CSIR Innovation Centre for Next
Generation Energy Storage Solution in Chennai
Haryana CM inaugurates Atal Kisan Mazdoor canteen in Karnal where farmers and labourers will get
food for Rs 10
A 14-feet-tall bronze statue of late ex-PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee unveiled in Karnal by Haryana CM
80th session of Indian History Congress being held at Kannur, Kerala from December 28 to 30
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren sworn in as chief minister by Governor
Droupadi Murmu in Ranchi
Pejawar Math head Sri Vishwesha Theertha Swamiji passes away in Udupi (Karnataka) at 88
Ireland’s PM Leo Varadkar visits his ancestral village in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra
Economy & Corporate
RBI criticises credit rating agencies for inaccurate rating of low performing companies affecting
investors
SEBI penalises rating agencies ICRA, Care and India Ratings Rs. 25 lakhs each for their “lapses” in
ratings NCDs of IL&FS
Sports
World Rapid Chess Championship in Moscow: India’s Koneru Humpy and Norway’s Magnus Carlsen
win Women’s and Men’s titles respectively
Udayan Mane wins TATA Steel Tour Championship at the Golmuri Golf Course in Jamshedpur
Australian bowler Peter Siddle retires after taking 221 wickets in 67 Test matches
India State of Forest Report
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Prakash Javadekar releases the biennial ‘India
State of Forest Report (ISFR)’
The report is published by the Forest Survey of India (FSI).
The total forest and tree cover of the country is 80.73 million hectare which is 24.56% of the
geographical area of the country.
Compared to the assessment of 2017, there is an increase of 5,188 sq. km in the total forest and tree
cover.
The increase in the forest cover has been observed as 3,976 sq km and that in tree cover is 1,212 sq.
km.
Top state showing increase in forest cover is Karnataka (1,025 sq. km)
Area-wise Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover in the country
In terms of forest cover as percentage of total geographical area, the top state is Mizoram (85.41%)
SDG India Index
NITI Aayog released the second edition of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index
The index documents the progress made by states and union territories towards achieving the 2030
SDG targets
The Index has been developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation (MoSPI), UN in in India and Global Green Growth Institute
Kerala achieved the first rank in the composite SDG Index with a score of 70 followed by Himachal
Pradesh at 69
Children’s Science Congress
27th edition of the National Children’s Science Congress is being held in Thiruvananthapuram from
December 27 to 31, 2019
It is the flagship programme of National Council for Science and Technology Communication
(NCSTC) and Department of Science & Technology (DST)
Theme: ‘Science, Technology and Innovation for a Clean, Green and Healthy Nation’
India
IIT-Guwahati researchers develop new materials that can generate power from both stagnant and
flowing water
Ahmedabad-Mumbai Tejas Express, 2nd Tejas train after Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express, to be flagged
off on January 17
DoT launches Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) system to facilitate blocking and tracing of
stolen or lost mobile phones in Delhi
Tenure of Director of Special Protection Group (SPG), IPS Arun Kumar Sinha, extended from March
19, 2020 to July 30, 2021
J&K UT administration announces public holiday on October 26 (Accession Day)
Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat appointed India’s first Chief of Defence Staff
Sanjay Gupta, the editor-in-chief of ‘Jagran’, wins ‘Lokmanya Tilak National Journalism Award’ of the
Pune-based Kesari-Maratha Trust
Nagaland Assembly Speaker Vikho-o Yhoshu dies at 67 in Mumbai
Civil Aviation Security Projects
Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (I/C) for Civil Aviation, launched the Biometric enabled
Centralised Access Control System (CACS) and ‘e-BCAS (e-Bureau of Civil Aviation Security) Project
Training Module’
The objective behind launching these two projects is to enhance security and ease of doing business
at airports
e-GCA
Phase-1 services of the e-Governance (eGCA) project of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)
was launched by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in New Delhi
This has automated the issuance of Commercial Pilot License (CPL-A), Flight Radio Telephony
Operators License (FRTOL) and Instrument Rating
UCBS Exposure Limits
RBI releases draft circular on limits on exposure to single and group borrowers for urban cooperative
banks (UCBs)
Prudential exposure limits for UCBs for a single borrower and a group of connected borrowers will be
10% and 25% respectively of their tier-one capital.
UCBS Priority Sector Lending
RBI releases a draft circular on priority sector lending targets of UCBs
Target for loans and advances to the priority sector for UCBs will be increased to 75% of adjusted net
bank credit or credit equivalent amount of off-balance sheet exposure, whichever is higher, by March
31, 2023
Economy & Corporate

Govt ropes in Flipkart for sale of products made by women self-help groups under DAY-NULM
(Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission)
Last date for mandatory linking of PAN with Aadhaar extended till March 31, 2020
World
Fred Graham, pioneering legal affairs US journalist, dies at 88 in Washington
Sports
2 Indians — Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah — in Wisden’s T20 International team of the decade.
December 16, 2019
Ministry of Coal forms Sustainable Development Cell
On December 15, 2019, the Coal Ministry announced that it is to establish “Sustainable Development Cell”
(SDC) to promote environment friendly and sustainable coal mining. The main objective of the cell is to
address environmental concerns that arise during closure of mines. The cell will mentor, advise, plan and
monitor mitigation measures to provide better environment to the people residing near the mines.
Highlights
The cell will act as a nodal point to minimize the adverse impacts of mining. It will also formulate future
policy framework focusing in environmental mitigation measures. The SDC will focus on sustainable mine
tourism, mine water management, air quality and sustainable overburden management. The cell will also set
up Mine Closure Fund.
Tasks of the cell
In India 2,550 square kilometres of land is under coal mines. The cell will help the mines locate land areas
where afforestation can be done. It will advise the mines on air quality, noise management and emission.
The cell will also suggest reuse and recycle of overburdened dumps in sustainable manner. It will help the
mines to manage tourism and frame policies.
Mine Closure
The guidelines for mine closure was issued by the Ministry of Coal in 2012 and the idea was mooted in
2009. According to the guidelines, the mining authority will have to work on two plans namely concurrent
mine closure plan and final mine closure plan. Under concurrent mine closure plan, there are activities that
are to be done continuously during the entire period of mining operations. Under the final mine closure plan,
the activities will start towards the end of the mine life.
Mine Closure Guidelines
The guidelines make it mandatory for the authority to mention the reason of closure such as lack of
demand, exhaustion of minerals, uneconomic operations, etc. The authority should also include water
quality management, air quality management, top soil management, management of coal rejects from
washery, disposal of mining machinery, existing infrastructural facilities.
Lahore-Wagah shuttle train service resumes operation after 22 years
The shuttle train service between Lahore and Wagah railway station resumed operation on 15 December
2019 after a gap of 22 years. The train would complete three round trips daily as well as will provide the
travelling facility to over 1,000 passengers in three trips. The train service was operational between Wagah
to Lahore since the partition of India in 1947 till 1997 but was closed due to certain operational and security
reasons.
Key Highllights
The shuttle train service would provide hassle-free commute to hundreds of visitors intending to visit Jallo
Park, a Wildlife park in Lahore or witness flag hoisting and lowering ceremony at Wagah. The fare has been
fixed at Pakistani Rupee (PKR) 30.
The step is Pakistan’s governments effort to revive the connection of Lahore metropolitan city with its
suburbs through rail routes. Lahore-Wagah is a first step that would be followed by another train from
Lahore to Raiwind in coming days.
Jamaica’s Toni-Ann Singh crowned Miss World 2019
Jamaica’s Toni-Ann Singh was crowned as Miss World 2019 at a beauty pageant held in London, UK. She
won the coveted Miss World title for the year 2019 after beating her contenders, Ophely Mezino from France
and Suman Rao from India. She received her crown from Mexico’s Vanessa Ponce de Leon, the winner of
Miss World 2018. The event was hosted by British television personality Piers Morgan, who was also the
head judge of the event.
Key Highlights
France’s Ophely Mezino was adjudged first runners-up. India was represented at the annual beauty pageant
by Suman Rao India. She was declared second runners-up (3rd) while.
Suman Rao, who is from Rajasthan, had earlier won Femina Miss India World 2019 title in June. She is a
Chartered Accountant student hailing from Rajasthan, was crowned Miss India World 2019 in June this year.
India had won the last Miss World title was in 2017, when Manushi Chillar represented the country. This
2017 win had come in 17 years after Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra had bagged the title in year 2000.
About Toni-Ann Singh
The 23-year-old Toni-Ann Singh is born to Indo-Caribbean father Bradshaw Singh and African-Caribbean
mother Jahrine Bailey. She is a student of women’s studies and psychology at US’s Florida State University
and aspires to be a medical doctor. She has previously served as the president of Caribbean students
association at the university. She is the fourth Jamaican woman to win the coveted beauty pageant. The
Caribbean island nation has previously won Miss World titles in 1963, 1976 and 1993 (when Lisa Hanna had
represented).
15 December: International Tea Day
International Tea Day is observed every year on 16 December since 2005. The day is celebrated in tea
producing nations such as India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, Kenya, Uganda,
Tanzania, Malawi and Malaysia.
About International Tea Day
Objective: To draw global attention of governments and citizens to impact of global tea trade on workers
and growers as well as requests for price supports and fair trade.
Background: International Tea Day celebrations and related Global Tea Conferences are jointly organized by
trade union movements. The first International Tea Day was celebrated in New Delhi in 2005, with later
celebrations being organized in Sri Lanka in 2006 and 2008.
May 21: Now International Tea Day
In October 2015, Indian government moved a proposal at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Intergovernmental Group (IGG) on Tea expanding the observance of International Tea Day through UN FAO.
Thereby, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has now accepted India’s proposal and designated
May 21 as International Tea Day. The month of May was selected as it’s the quality tea manufacturing
season in most tea producing countries.
UNGA has invited all Members and observers of UN, organisations of UN system, other international/
regional organisations and other relevant stakeholders, including civil society, private sector and academia,
to observe International Tea Day in an appropriate manner, so as to ensure rural development and
sustainable livelihoods.
Significance: This move could provide much-needed push to create awareness for tea consumption. Also
as per UNGA, the observance of an International Tea Day will not only promote and foster collective actions
to implement activities in favour of sustainable production and consumption of tea but will also raise
awareness of its importance in fighting hunger and poverty.
What FAO IGG on Tea?
It is a forum for intergovernmental consultation and exchange on trends in tea’s trade/ prices/ production/
consumption, including regular appraisal of global market situation. ICG under FAO auspices, considers
changes in national policies and examines their international effects in relation to current and prospective
market situation.
UN Climate Summit concludes
The longest climate talks in the history of United Nations that was held in Madrid, Spain, ended on
December 15, 2019. The climate summit ended without crucial agreement on carbon market rules of the
Paris Agreement.
Highlights
The key issues that was aimed to get resolved at the summit was the regulation of carbon market. Carbon
market puts prices on carbon dioxide emission. However, no conclusion was reached and the issue is to be
taken at the next summit to be held at Glasgow in 2020. The summit failed to reach an agreement on the
implementation of Article 6 of Paris Agreement.
The United Nations Environment Programme released its Emission Gap Report at the summit. Also, the
report of Global Carbon Project was tabled at the summit.
The Presidency of the summit, Chile (though summit was held at Madrid, Spain), launched the Climate
Ambition Alliance.
Article 6 of Paris Agreement
The article 6 aims at promoting approaches to implement the NDC (Nationally Determined Contributions)
through voluntary international cooperation. It also establishes a trading system where in the countries with
low emission are allowed to sell their exceeding allowance to countries with larger emissions.
Issue
Last year at the COP24, countries US, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Russia refused to welcome the IPCC 1.5C
report. This year majority of the members are not willing to reduce their emissions at the pace suggested by
the conference. According to World Resources Institute NDC tracker, only 80 countries have so far
submitted proposals to enhance their NDCs. These countries are primarily small and developing. They
represent only 10.5% of the world population.
Gujarat becomes 7th state to receive President Colours
The Gujarat police was presented the ‘President’s Colours’ by Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu at a
ceremony held in Karai Police Academy in Gandhi Nagar on 15 December 2019. Gujarat now becomes the
seventh state to receive the prestigious President’s Colours, also called as Nishaan, an emblem which all
police officers of Gujarat would wear on left-hand sleeve of their uniform. A new logo of Gujarat Police was
also unveiled and the force was also awarded a specially designed flag and an emblem.
Why was Gujarat Police Force Honored?
The presentation of Presidents Colors was recognition of tireless, longstanding and meritorious service,
gallantry and dedication of the Gujarat Police to the nation. Moreover, the officials and personnel of Gujarat
Police are equipped with modern technology, skills and training to improve its efficiency in maintaining law
and order and peace.
Gujarat police was raised on 1 May 1960, when the state was formed. President’s Colours is a decoration in
recognition of Gujarat police’s glorious track record, gallant deeds and achievements in past 59 years. With
a sanctioned strength of more than 1.06 lakh personnel, Gujarat police is 8th largest police force in country.
Background
In early 2019, the Gujarat police had prepared a proposal about decoration and sent it to Union Home
Ministry for approval. Later, a committee of seven DGP rank officers evaluated Gujarat’s police proposal
and unanimously held that it is eligible to get this symbol of excellence. Subsequently, in March 2019
President granted his approval to present the President’s Colours to the Gujarat police.
What is Disha Act, the new law of Andhra Pradesh?
The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly has recently passed the Andhra Pradesh Disha Bill, 2019 (now,
Andhra Pradesh Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2019). Disha is the name given to the veterinarian who
was raped and murdered in Hyderabad on 27 November and sparked an outrage across country.
Recently, Delhi Commission of Women Chief Swati Maliwal has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra
Modi demanding immediate implementation of Disha Bill in entire country.
Key features of AP Disha Act 2019
It envisages the completion of investigation in 7 days and trial in 14 working days, where there is adequate
conclusive evidence, and reducing total judgment time to 21 days from existing 4 months. The Act also
prescribes, death penalty for rape crimes where there is adequate conclusive evidence, and this provision is
given by amending Section 376 of Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860.
In cases of harassment of women through social/digital media, the Act states 2 years’ imprisonment for
first conviction and 4 years for second as well as subsequent convictions. For this purpose, a new Section
354 E will be added in IPC, 1860.
It also prescribes life imprisonment for other sexual offences against children and for this purpose includes
Section 354 F and 354 G in IPC.
The Andhra Pradesh government will now establish, operate and maintain a register in electronic form, to be
called ‘Women & Children Offenders Registry’. This registry will be made public and will also be available to
country’s law enforcement agencies.
The state government will also establish exclusive special courts in each district to ensure speedy trial.
These courts will exclusively deal with cases of offences against women and children including rape, sexual
harassment, acid attackssocial media harassment of women, stalking, voyeurism and all cases under
Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. Moreover, the government will also appoint
a special public prosecutor for each exclusive special court.
The government will constitute special police teams at district level to be called District Special Police
Team. It will be headed by DSP for investigation of offences related to women and children.
Vijay Diwas celebrated across India
On December 16, 2019, India commemorated its victory over Pakistan in the war of 1971. India fought
against Pakistan helping Bangladesh obtain its freedom and won the war. On the very same day,
Bangladesh celebrates its independence.
Highlights
In order to commemorate India’s victory and to pay tribute to the soldiers who fought in the war, the three
army chiefs reached war memorial in Delhi. They paid tribute to the brave soldiers who lost their lives in the
war. PM Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other senior leaders paid tribute to the soldiers as
well. It was on this day, Pakistan army surrendered with 93,000 soldiers.
1971 war
India and Pakistan confronted each other with their military forces over freedom of Bangladesh for 13 days
between 3rd December, 1971 and 16 December, 1971. The armies clashed with one another in the eastern
and western fronts. The war ended on December 16, 1971 after the armies signed Instrument of Surrender,
announcing Bangladesh a new nation.
NRC and the war

Government of India seals the date of NRC of Assam as 24th March, 1971. This is because, the war officially
started on this particular date. On 24 March, 1971, Pakistan Army opened fired in Rangpur, Chittagong and
Syedpur, killing more than 1000 people. After this the surge of immigrants from Bangladesh into Assam and
other near by states increased. Therefore, the date of NRC is sealed to 24 March, 1971.
ITBP becomes first among CAPF to launch a matrimonial site for its staff
In a first of its kind move, the border guarding paramilitary force of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has
started a dedicated matrimonial site for its staff. This is the first -ever dedicated and well-managed
matrimony portal among Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). A link for the unique portal was launched on
9 December on the official website of ITBP. The website will be managed by ITBP and only the staff will be
able to access it.
Key Highlights
Need: As per Home Ministry’s data, there are about 2.5 lakh bachelors in all the CAPFs that have a
combined strength of about 10 lakh personnel. ITBP has about 25,000 unmarried men and 1,000 women in
its various ranks at present.
ITBP’s in-house matrimonial portal initiative has been developed for unmarried, widowed and separated
personnel (both men and women) in combat and other ranks to help them find a suitable soulmate within
their service. It is also a secure way of sharing personal information.
Thus, keeping in view their duties and engagements after joining the service, finding suitable matches
becomes an uphill task for serving personnel. Moreover, due to tough service, the ITBP personnel are unable
to get enough time to find a suitable match and therefore to fill this gap ITBP started the website.
The portal has significant privacy guards for registered personnel as without having ‘Unmarried’ status
service record, no one can register here. This means, only unmarried personnel can register. Moreover, the
eligible candidate cannot add or delete any data except that they will have the choice to allow or disallow
display of personal mobile number and email.
About Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)
This mountain warfare-trained force was raised on 24 October 1962 for reorganizing frontier intelligence
and security set up along Indo-Tibetan border. It was primarily tasked to guard Line of Actual Control (LAC)
with China but now it is also deployed for rendering a variety of internal security duties in country including
anti-Naxal operations. At present, ITBP has 56 service battalions, 4 specialist battalions, 17 training centres
and 7 logistics establishments with a total strength of about 90,000 personnel.
NOTE: Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) under Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) comprises of
forces like CRPF, BSF, CISF, SSB and ITBP apart from the NSG and NDRF.
CII organizes “Steeling India-2019”
On December 16, 2019, the Confederation of Indian Industry organized “Steeling India 2019” conference, a
drive to increase metal intensity in key sectors. Union Minister for Steel, Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri
Dharmendra Pradhan participated in the conference.
Highlights
The session focused on key industries namely automobile, infrastructure, railway, water, irrigation and
housing. It discussed the strategies to promote steel intensive structures and to augment steel
consumption. Steel producers, consumers and policy advisors attended the conference. The conference
developed a road map to increase steel intensity in key sectors. It also brought in strategies to mitigate
supply chain issues in the steel sector.
Significance
CII organized the conference with the objective of augmenting steel production. The conference will help
India pave ways to achieve its target of 300 MT of production by 2030 (according to National Steel Policy).
The World Steel Association predicts steel demand in India to reach 103 MT (Million Tonnes) in 2019.
Experts believe that in coming days, rural market is to play a crucial role in steel sector. This is mainly
because demand for fast-moving consumer goods like two-wheelers, mobile phones, etc. in rural markets
are increasing at faster rate.
Milk Price Rise in India
On December 14, 2019, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (Amul) and Mother Dairy (owned by
National Diary Development Board) increased MRP (Maximum Retail Prices) of their pouched milk by Rs 2
per litre.
Why the price rise?
The two main reasons behind the price hike is partly structural and partly weather related. The months
between October and March are said to flush season of milk. It is during this period the production by
animals go up because of better fodder and water availability. In 2019, the flush of milk has been delayed
due to excess rains between September and November. The excess rains logged the open field where the
animals graze.
Earlier price rises
In the current year, this is the second time two such major dairy producers have revised milk rates. Earlier in
2014, GoI increased prices of milk and its products all over the country. However, it was insignificant as the
increase was very little.
In the past five years, the overall rise of milk price has been Rs 8 per litre. Prior to these increases, in 2010,
the price of milk in NCR region hiked by Rs 18 per litre.
India to Host International Geological Congress 2020
India is set to host the 36th International Geological Congress (IGC) in New Delhi during the first week of
March 2020. The theme for next year conference is ‘Geosciences: The Basic Science for a Sustainable
Development’.
About International Geological Congress (IGC)
It is popularly described as ‘Olympics of Geosciences’. The IGCs are a prestigious global geoscientific
events held once in four years and participated by nearly 5000-6000 geoscientists from all across the world.
IGC 2020: The 36th IGC is expected to provide a platform for international cooperation in all major field of
geosciences including launching of collaborative programs, provision of investment opportunities in
environmental management, mineral exploration, mining and related enterprises. It would also help in
dealing with problems of sustainability, energy crisis, water crisis, climate change, environmental issues
and resource management.
Geological Survey of India is the nodal agency for organizing the IGC 2020. The event is being funded by
Union Ministry of Mines (MoM) and Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) with support of the Indian
National Science Academy (INSA) and National Science Academies of Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and
Pakistan.
India and IGC: India is the only Asian country to host the IGC event twice. India had earlier hosted the event
for the first time in 1964, which was 22nd IGC. The event was inaugurated by then President of India Dr.
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. The IGC is making a comeback to India after 56 long years much to the
enthusiasm of the entire geoscientific community.
Facts Box: Accessible India Campaign
Recently GoI extended the deadline for Accessible India Campaign to March 2020. The main objective of the
campaign is to make public spaces friendly for persons with disabilities.
About the campaign

The campaign is also called Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan. The scheme was launched by Union Ministry of
Social Justice and Empowerment. The initiative is in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities to which India signed in 2007. The scheme was also launched under Persons
with Disabilities Act, 1995. Under the act, the scheme comes under the jurisdiction of sections 44, 45 and
46 that provides equal opportunities and protection of rights in transport sector to those who are physically
challenged.
Targets of the campaign
The campaign aims at making at least 50% of government owned buildings as disabled-friendly. It was
aimed at doing in three phases. In phase 1, the campaign focused on making international airports disabled-
friendly by 2016. In phase 2, it aimed at making 25% of public transport vehicles disabled-friendly by 2017.
In phase 3, it aimed at making 50% of government buildings disabled-friendly.
December 17, 2019
World Economic Forum Report: India slips to rank 112 in Gender Gap
On December 17, the World Economic Forum released its report according to which India ranked 112th in
terms of gender gap. The report said that the India was ranked in bottom-five in terms of survival and
economic participation.
Highlights: India
India was in 108th position in 2018. Its performance weakened in the year 2019 according to the report.
India’s performance was lagging in three out of four metrics used for ranking the countries. India slipped to
150th rank in health and survival, 149th in economic participation, 112th in educational attainment. India
improved to 18th place in terms of political empowerment.
The report also said that opportunities for women in India is very low. India was ranked below countries like
Bangladesh (50th), Indonesia (85th), Brazil (92nd), Nepal (101st), Sri Lanka (102nd), China (106th).
The World Economic Forum published its first report in 2006. Since then performance of India has
deteriorated. In 2006, India was ranked at 98th place. Opportunities for women in the country is 35.4%. Sex
ratio of India was low as compared to other countries (91 girls for every 100 boys).
Highlights: World
Iceland was the topmost gender-neutral country. Next to Iceland, other Nordic Countries like Norway,
Finland and Sweden were the top performers. At the top 10, countries like Nicaragua (5th), New Zealand
(6th), Ireland (7th), Spain (8th), Rwanda (9th) and Germany (10th). United States continued to decline falling
to 53rd place
Though there are several hinderance for the situation to get improved, role model effect will start to have
impact in terms of leadership. For instance, eight out of top 10 countries had high political empowerment
with greater participation from women.
Air Marshal D Choudhury is the new Commandant of National Defence College
Air Marshal D Choudhury took charge as new Commandant of National Defence College. He took over the
charge from Vice Admiral Srikant. Prior to this appointment Air Marshal Choudhury was senior Air Staff
Officer at Headquarters of Western Air Command in New Delhi.
About Air Marshal D Choudhury
He is an alumnus of National Defence Academy (NDA). He was commissioned into fighter stream of India
Air Force (IAF) on 22 December 1983. He is an alumnus of Royal College of Defence studies, UK, Post
Graduate in Strategy and International Security from King’s College London as well as holds an M.Phil
degree in Defence and Strategic Studies.
He has a vast operational flying experience on all variants of MiG-21, MiG-27, MiG-29 and Su-30 aircrafts.
He is an Instrument Rating Examiner and Fighter Combat Leader. He has commanded a frontline fighter
Squadron and two frontline fighter bases apart from heading prestigious Tactics and Air Combat
Development Establishment and Composite Battle Response and Analysis (COBRA) Group.
About National Defence College (NDC)
Established on 27 April 1960, NDC is a premier Institution under Union Ministry of Defence. It is the highest
seat of Strategic Education of Nation. It’s annual Course of 47 weeks duration on ‘National Security and
Strategic Studies’ is therefore in great demand both nationally and internationally. It presently has an Alumni
strength of about 4000 including Four Heads of State, numerous Chiefs of Armed Forces in India and
abroad, substantial number of high ranking military and civilian officers, statesmen and public servants.
NPIC to export UPI, sets up subsidiary: RBI Governor
The Unified Payment Interface was introduced in India in 2016. Based on its performance, Google has
recommended similar service called FedNow to the US Federal Reserve Board. With its growing popularity,
the RBI on December 16, 2019 announced that NPCI will set up a subsidiary to export UPI. India is already
extending the app to other countries. Recently, PM Modi launched the service in Singapore during his visit
to the country.
About the Subsidiary
The subsidiary will take the technology to foreign markets. It will also stream line various business
propositions the service will bring upon exporting its service. There are currently 140 member banks using
UPI. It is India’s fastest growing payment transfer. In November 2019, there were 1 billion transactions.
However, the leading UPI players in India includes Google Pay (35% of market share), Walmart’s PhonePE
and Paytm (16%)
UPI performance
UPI is gaining its popularity globally as transactions in UPI happen in real time. The process is simple and
easy. Also, the transaction requires minimal details. The UPI was developed by National Payments
Corporation of India. It set up subsidiary to help other governments and central banks to implement similar
fund transfer
Why so popular?
The reason that countries like UAE, Singapore are welcoming UPI is that it gives flexibility to build on it. The
user interface of the service remains the same whether it is used by a bank or third part tech firm or any
other financial organization.
DDA Portal 2 for registration of properties in unauthorised colonies launched
Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri formally launched DDA Portal 2 in New Delhi. Now,
the residents of 1,731 unauthorised colonies can register their details and upload their documents for
verification in the given portal to apply for ownership rights. About 8,268 citizens have already registered on
Portal 2 ever since it became operational a fortnight ago. Government notified that out of 1,731
unauthorised colonies, 1,500 have already been demarcated and maps of more than 1,100 have been
uploaded on the portal.
This comes after the cabinet, on 23 October 2019, approved ownership rights to more than 40 lakh
residents of 1,731 unauthorised colonies in Delhi, however, at present, the properties in these colonies are
not registered. Later, Parliament also passed National Capital Territory of Delhi (Recognition of Property
Rights of Residents in Unauthorised Colonies) Bill, 2019 which aims to provide legal status to unauthorised
colonies in Delhi. The bill is now pending before President for his assent.
Background
In November 2019, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced that residents
of unauthorised colonies in colony will be able to apply for ownership rights starting December 16. He had
also launched a DDA portal to define and delineate boundaries of unauthorised colonies and seek
suggestions and feedback from residents’ welfare associations (RWA) of these colonies within 15 days
from date of uploading of maps and boundaries on the portal.
Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is the nodal agency for implementation of regularisation process. It has
also established more than 50 helpdesks at various locations including, Dwarka, Karkardooma, Vasant Kunj,
Azadpur and Mundka, to address the queries of residents and facilitate all necessary assistance to
applicants.
Lt General Manoj Mukund: The Next Army Chief
Lt General Manoj Mukund Naravane is set to become the next chief of the Indian army. The three-year
tenure of the current Army Chief Bipin Rawat ends on December 31 as he retires. However, GoI is yet to
announce the name of the first Chief of Defence Staff as announced by PM Modi in his Independence Day
address. The CDS is considered as one of the biggest reforms of Indian military as he will be the head of all
three services and will possess nuclear arsenal powers.
About Lt General Navarne
Lt Gen Navarne is the current Vice Chief of the Army. He is nw heading the Eastern Command of the army
that guards India’s 4,000 km border with China. He has also commanded infantry brigades in the eastern
front and Rashtriya Rifles Battalion in J&K. He was a special appointee to give orders to the Sikh Light
Infantry Regiment in 1980.
Medals and Honors
The General has benn honored with “Sena Medal” for effectively commanding his J&K battalion. He was
also awarded with “Vishisht Seva Medal” for his services in leading the Assam Rifles in Nagaland. He is also
the recipient of “Ati Vishisht Seva Medal” for commanding prestigious strike corps.
Sridhar Patra appointed CMD of NALCO
The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appointed
Sridhar Patra as the new chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) of National Aluminium Company Limited
(NALCO). He has been appointed as CMD of NALCO till the date of his superannuation, i.e. on 31 October
2024 r until further orders, whichever is earlier. At present he is the Director (Finance) in NALCO.
About National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO)
NALCO was established on 7 January, 1981, with its registered office at Bhubaneswar, Odisha. It is one of
the largest integrated Bauxite-Alumina-Aluminium- Power Complex in India. It is a Navratna group ‘A’ Central
Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) under Union Ministry of Mines. At present, Union Government holds 52%
equity of NALCO. As per the report of Wood Mackenzie, NALCO achieved the distinction of being the
‘lowest cost producer of bauxite’ in world for the year 2018, globally.
Amitabha Bagchi wins 2019 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature
Author Amitabha Bagchi has won DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2019, for his novel ‘Half the Night is
Gone’. It is Bagchi’s third novel. A major part of Half The Night Is Gone, is based in old-forgotten world of
scheming zamindars, dubious morals and a man lamenting lost opportunities. His attention to detail
ensures the readers are transported to that time, smelling the grime and listening to creaking sound made
by rusted doors.
Key Highlights
The winner for this year’s DSC Prize was announced at the IME Nepal Literature Festival in Nepal. Author
Amitabha Bagchi was handed over the prize by Nepal’s Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali. This year’s
international jury panel was chaired by Harish Trivedi.
One of the major takeaways from this years award was the fact that among 90 entries received, 37 were by
first-time authors. At the same time, there was also a significant presence of women writers, with 42 novels
penned by them and 6 women involved as translators.

Apart from Bagchi’s, 6 other books were shortlisted, these included:
The Far Field- by Madhuri Vijay (which also won JCB Prize for Literature)
The City and the Sea- by Raj Kamal Jha
There’s Gunpowder in the Air- by Manoranjan Byapari (Translated by Arunava Sinha)
The Empty Room- by Sadia Abbas
99 Nights in Logar- by Jamil Jan Kochi
About DSC Prize for South Asian Literature
It is a prestigious international literary prize. It is awarded annually to writers of any ethnicity or nationality
writing about South Asia themes such as culture, history, people or politics. It defines ‘South Asia’ as
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Maldives, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. It is given for an
original full-length novel written in English/ translated into English. The DSC Prize is worth US $25,000 and
is awarded for novels published in year preceding judging of prize.
The awards are in its ninth edition. This year the award received 90 entries and the submissions came from
22 publishers, pointing to an increased interest and variety in South Asian writing. The entries served as a
timely marker of trends in South Asian fiction writing.
India secures loan from Germany to develop an energy-efficient housing programme
India has secured a US $277 million (about Rs.1,900 crore) loan from Germany to establish an energy-
efficient housing programme in the country. The loan agreement was signed between State Bank of India
(SBI) and Germany’s KfW Development Bank for US $277 million to establish an energy-efficient housing
programme in India.
About SBI-KfW agreement for Energy-Efficient Housing Programme
The programme shall be part of Indo-German Development Co-operation, guided by 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development (SDG). The financial cooperation pact was signed between Government of India
and Government of Germany in October 2019.
Under SBI-KfW programme:- Both homebuyers and builders will be financed for purchasing or developing
energy-efficient residential projects that achieve at least 25% energy savings in comparison to standard
reference buildings. Therefore, this programme will contribute to India’s policy framework towards energy
conservation in residential building sector as well as reduction in GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions.
Financing of Programme
In addition to US $277 million loan, the KfW will also extend a grant of 1.5 million euros (about Rs.12 crore)
as a technical assistance package. This technical assistance funds shall be used for supporting SBI in
preparation, implementation and monitoring of programme.
Furthermore, an investment grant of 10 million euro (about Rs.791 crore) has also been provided, so as to
incentivise builders towards developing housing projects that achieve significantly higher levels of energy
savings vis-a-vis standard reference buildings (i.e. at least 40% savings). The arrangement of loan and grant
facilities will be facilitated by SBI Capital Markets Ltd., which is SBI’s investment banking subsidiary.
Brahmos missile test fire successful in Odisha’s Chandipur base
The DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization) test fired the supersonic Cruise missile
Brahmos successfully from Odisha’s Chandipur on December 17, 2019. The medium range missile is
capable of being launched from warships, submarines, land or fighter jets.
Highlights
The missile was test fired from the autonomous launcher of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur. The
missile is operational with Indian Navy, Army and Air Force. The missile has gained its importance in
modern warfare for its anti-ship capabilities and land-attack capabilities.
Brahmos Missile
Brahmos is a joint venture between DRDO of India and NPOM of Russia. It features Indian propulsion
system, power supply, airframe and power supply. The rest of the technology was transferred to India. After
India entered into MTCR (Missile Technology Control Regime) India extended the range of BRAHMOS
missile to 600 km. It is also one of the fastest cruise missiles that operates at the speed of 2.8 Mach, which
is three times the speed of sound.
Recent Brahmos tests
The GoI in 2019 has tested Brahmos in more than three scenarios. In May 2019, DRDO test fired Brahmos
by launching it in the air from Su-30MKI aircraft. Later the eastern command unit test-fired Brahmos from
Car Nicobar islands. In August 2019, the Defence Acquisition Council cleared the next generation maritime
mobile coastal batteries (NGMMCB) to be fitted with surface-to-surface supersonic Brahmos missiles. The
NGMMCB was developed by joint venture of India and Russia, the Brahmos Aerospace Private Limited. In
September 2019, DRDO conducted the Brahmos full range test of 290 km in Chandipur, Odisha.
Philippines to sign Brahmos deal with India in 2020
On December 16, 2019, Philippines confirmed that signing contract with India for medium range Brahmos
Cruise Missiles. The agreement will be signed in 2020. When PM Modi visited Philippines, he signed 4
agreements on defence cooperation. Philippines is interested in acquiring the missile as it will strengthen
its coastal defence operations.
SC issues order on completion of “Smog Tower Project” within 3 months
On December 16, 2019, the Supreme Court of India ordered the Centre and the Delhi Governments to hasten
the pilot project of setting up smog towers at Connaught place.
Smog Towers
Smog Towers are air purification structures that are designed to work as air purifiers. They are fitted with
multiple air purifiers. These purifiers cleanses air as it passes through them. It is a successful project and
China has fitted two smog towers in the city of Beijing and Xi’an. The tower is being developed in Delhi by
Kurin systems called the “Kurin Cleaners”
About the towers
The purifiers will be 20-feet wide and 40-feet tall. They will have the capacity to clean 32 million cubic
metres of air in a day. A single tower will cover 3-km radius and is said have impacts on 75,000 lives of
Delhiites.
The Kurin cleaner will remove PM 10 and PM 2.5 upto 99.99%. It will run on solar energy. As many as 48
fans will be fitted to these towers to maintain air flow. The towers will also be attached with solar heating
and cooling techniques.
Geneva to host first Global Refugee Forum
The first ever Global Refugee Forum is being held in Geneva, Switzerland from 17-18 December 2019. It is
being jointly hosted by United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) along with Government of Switzerland. At
GRF the international community will showcase and exchange good practices at national, regional or global
levels.
About Global Refugee Forum 2019
Objective: To give impetus to efforts to achieve compact’s objectives and translate international solidarity
into concrete action.
Six Thematic Areas on which First Global Refugee Forum will focus: Arrangements for burden and
responsibility-sharing, Solutions, Energy and Infrastructure, Protection Capacity, Jobs and Livelihoods and
Education.
A successful GRF will see more states and other actors joining the response to refugee situation as donors,
hosts and partners. GRF also hopes to enlist the ‘missing middle’- that is, those states that could either
contribute more or host more refugees.
Participants: GRF will be convened at the ministerial level and participants will gather to address current
refugee situation. It will be a high-level gathering of states and other stakeholders including UN member
states, together with private businesses, nonprofits and nongovernmental organisations (including Jesuit
Refugee Service (JRS)). High-level delegations from co-host Switzerland and from co-convening countries
Germany, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Turkey and Pakistan as well as UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres are
scheduled to attend forum.
Background
This first ever Global Refugee Forum meeting practical implementation of the 2018 Global Compact on
Refugees (GCR)– which is a framework that represents political will and ambition of international
community as a whole for strengthened cooperation and solidarity with refugees as well as affected host
countries. United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) affirmed the Global Compact on Refugees in New York
in December 2018. GCR seeks to improve world’s response to refugee situations by ensuring that refugees
and nations hosting them receive the support they need.
Four objectives of GCR:
Share responsibilities more equitably
Enhance refugee self-reliance
Expand access to third-country solutions (i.e., permanent resettlement or other opportunities such as
scholarships or work permits)
Support conditions in countries of origin for safe, voluntary, dignified repatriation
Facts Box: ICMR Guidelines on Gene Therapy
The Indian Council on Medical Research has issued guidelines on Gene Therapy. The aim of the guideline is
to enable the stakeholders comply with the R&D of Gene Therapeutic Products being produced and tested
inside the country.
Overview of the guidelines
The guide includes scientific and ethical considerations that are allowed in gene therapy. It explains the
responsibilities of investigators, sponsors, institutions. It also lists the considerations like quality
assurance, manufacturing and control, etc. The guidelines give clear overview about rules to be followed
during clinical trials.
The guide also explains on the principles to hold while signing international collaboration and procurement
of Genetic Therapeutic Products (GTP). The GTP are entities that deliver nucleic acid by various means for
therapeutic benefit to patients.
Significance
In the past three years the cell therapy products in the country have increased. Their approvals have so far
been provided by EU and US regulators hired by GoI. This paved way for the industry to develop. These
therapies are mainly used to treat rare diseases. India is home to 70 million patients suffering from these
rare diseases.
Also, the market for treating these rare diseases is expected to grow in the country. It is predicted that the
revenue from these industries is to reach 250 billion USD by 2024 and is expected to grow by 11.3%.
December 18, 2019
What is StrandHogg that affects Android OS?
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sent an alert to all States warning them about the
vulnerability of Android operating system to a bug called ‘StrandHogg’, which allows real-time malware
applications to pose as genuine applications and are able to access user data of all kind. The information
was shared by Threat Analytical Unit, Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (ICCCC) so as to take steps to
create awareness among public on vulnerability of Android to ‘StrandHogg’.
About StrandHog
While all versions of Android (including Android 10) are vulnerable to this bug, but it may not be apparent to
affected users that malware applications are already on board their device.
How does it affect? This malware can then potentially listen to users conversations, make calls, record
conversations, access photo album, read or send messages, as well as get login credentials to various
accounts. Such malware can also access private images, files, contact details, call logs, and location
information.
Warning signs? Pop-up notifications in phone, asking for permission to send notifications, messages etc.,
are one of the main entry points for ‘StrandHogg’ to launch the attack. An app in which user is already
logged in asking him/her to login again is another anomaly pointing to possibilities of a cyberattack. Once
such requests are approved by users, the malware would instantly access mobile phone/ tablet for specific
purposes. It can then activate microphone, allowing a hacker in a remote location to listen to live
conversations and even camera could be switched on to capture visuals.
UNSC meet on Kashmir cancelled
The United Nations Security Council meet was sought by China on December 17, 2019. The meeting was
sought after India decided to end special status of Jammu and Kashmir by abrogating Article 370. However,
the meeting was cancelled with the French supporting India. All over the world Pakistan is supported only by
China, Turkey and Malaysia over the Kashmir issue.
Highlights
China insisted reviving India-Pakistan issue in the United Nations where the issue has been dormant since
1971. India believes that China is bringing up the issue ahead of India-china special representatives meet in
Agra and India-US 2+2 defence talks that are to be held in December 2019.
In August 2019, the UNSC held a closed-door meeting to discuss India-Pakistan issues. However, no final
statement was released at the end of the meeting.
United Nations Security Council
The UNSC is the most powerful organization of the United Nations whose responsibility is to maintain peace
and security. India is not a permanent member of the UNSC. As a member of G4, India is seeking permanent
representation. All the G4 countries are seeking permanent membership. It includes Brazil, Germany, India
and Japan. Unlike G7, where the primary focus is economy, at G4 the common denominator is to get
permanent membership seat at the security council.
MSME Minister launches ‘Khadi Rumal’ stitched by militancy affected women of J&K
Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Nitin Gadkari launched the sale of ‘Khadi
Rumal’ stitched by militancy affected women of Nagrota town of Jammu and Kashmir. The aim is to provide
employment to the women in the terrorist affected areas as well as create employment opportunities for
militancy affected families of J&K.
Key Highlights
Iin 2016, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) started a napkin stitching centre at Nagrota for
the families of militancy-affected areas in Valley, with a view that if people living in rural areas are provided
job opportunities then they would not need leave their homes in search of jobs.
In the initial phase a ‘Rumal’ costs Rs.50, and the plan is to do production of 5 crores such Rumals.
Currently, the turnover of village industries in India is Rs.75000 crore and by March 2020, the aim is to
increase this turover by Rs.1,00,000 crore.
At the event, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) also signed an agreement with Paytm to
facilitate the sale of 2 crore pieces of Rumals through their portal. MSME Ministry also annnouced 50%
increase in remuneration of women workers to Rs 3 per piece from Rs 2 per piece presently.
CBI officer B. P. Raju wins India Cyber Cop of the Year 2019 award
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officer B P Raju was awarded the ‘India Cyber Cop of the Year 2019’
during the Annual Information Security Summit held at Gurgaon, Haryana. He won the award for
investigating and cracking a fraud case in an online entrance exam conducted by an engineering college in
Rajasthan.
Key Highlights
The award was conferred by NASSCOM-DSCI (Data Security Council of India).
The investigation team headed by B P Raju, arrested 9 accused persons and collected incriminating
evidence from digital devices, which revealed modus operandi adapted by accused and the investigation
was also completed within the stipulated time period.
About Data Security Council of India (DSCI)
It is a premier industry body on data protection in India. This not-for-profit body was setup by NASSCOM
(National Association of Software and Services Companies) in 2008. To further its objectives, DSCI engages
with governments, regulators, industry sectors, government agencies, industry associations, and think tanks
for policy advocacy.
GoI flagship scheme, AMRUT extended by 2 years
On December 18, 2019, the Government of India extended the deadline of its flagship scheme AMRUT (Atal
Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) by two more years. The mission was launched in
2015 by PM Modi promising 139 lakh water connections and 145 lakh sewer connections by March 2020.
The expenditure of the mission was estimated as Rs 77,640 crores.
Highlights
According to Data Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, in the last five years 2,316 projects have been
completed so far at an expense of Rs 7,195 crore. The ministry also says that 46% of water connection and
28.3% of sewer connections have been achieved between June 2015 and December 2019. GoI has so far
implemented the mission, prioritizing water connections to households.
AMRUT scheme
After its launch, Rajasthan was the first state to submit its State Annual Action Plan (SAAP). The plan is
submitted by the state governments to the centre. With the help of the plan the centre formulates city level
estimation of budget required to avail water supply, draining system, sewerages, digital and internet
facilities, industrial and transport facilities, etc.
The SAAP was submitted by West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh (for Amaravati project that was closed recently),
Haryana, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana.
NITI Aayog: Plans to include eggs, chicken and fish in PDS supply
The GoI think tank Niti Aayog on December 18, 2019, announced that it is considering options to include
fish, chicken and eggs in the PDS (Public Distribution System). The move is expected to be included in Niti
Aayog’s 15-year Vision Document to be published in 2020 and be effective from April 1, 2020.
Highlights
The aim of the move is to include one or more of nutritious food items under the food subsidy programme.
This will widen the list of food items along with coarse grains, rice, wheat and pulses. The think tank
believes that supply oils, spices and sugar under PDS is unhealthy.
Significance
According to the UN, 195 million Indians are undernourished. India constitutes one-fourth of global hunger
burden. However, India being self sufficient in food grains, is also a net export of certain food categories.
Hence, the problem lies in lack of nutritious food. Hence, NITI Aayog is coming up with subsidy regime for
protein rich food.
NITI Aayog Vision Document
Under the direction of PMO (Prime Minister Office), NITI Aayog has already begun drafting a vision
document 2035. The document will include ways to increase rural income, making India a preferred
manufacturing destination and an export hub, boost Industry 4.0, ways to address unemployment and
underemployment in the country, etc.
ADB issues $250 million loan to India to expand energy efficiency investments
Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a US $250 million loan agreement with Government of India to
provide loan to public sector company Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) so as to expand energy
efficiency investments in India that will benefit agricultural, institutional and residential consumers.
Earlier, in 2016, ADB had approved a US $200 million loan to EESL for demand side energy efficiency sector
project that focused on efficient lighting and appliances.
Key Highlights
In addition to US $250 million loan, a US $46 million financing will be provided from Clean Technology Fund
(CTF) that will be administered by ADB. Moreover, besides the loan amount, a technical assistance of US $2
million will be provided to support EESL in implementing project.
The project includes identifying new business opportunities, a gender action plan, mobilising private sector
participation in energy efficiency services, and transferring knowledge about successful models. EESL, an
energy service company of Centre government will also explore business models to generate greater public
demand for e-vehicles for supporting India’s current push for electric vehicles.
About Asian Development Bank (ADB)
It is s a regional development bank that was established in 1966. It is headquartered in Manila, Philippines
and is owned by 68 members- 49 from the region. It is committed towards achieving inclusive, resilient,
prosperous and sustainable Asia and Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. In
2018, ADB made commitments of new loans and grants amounting to $21.6 billion.
International Astronomical Union names a star after Indian Woman Scientist
On December 17, 2019, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) named a white yellow star in Sextans
Constellation as “Bhibha” and its planet as “Santamasa”
Highlights
The star has been named Bhibha honoring Indian Woman Scientist Bhibha Choudhury who discovered
subatomic particle pi-meson. Bhibha means a bright beam of light in Bengali. The name Santamasa in
Sanskrit means clouded. The name is appropriate as the planet’s atmosphere is clouded.
The IAU that celebrated its 100th birth anniversary on July 28, 2019, allowed every country to give a famous
name to selected pair of exoplanet and its host star.
Bhibha star
Bhibha is an ageing star that is 6.2 billion years old and Santamsa is its only planet. The mass of the planet
is expected to be 1.5 times as that of Jupiter and is very hot. Santamasa completed its revolution around its
star in just about 2.1375 days.
Significantly, the 2019 nobel prize in Physics was awarded to the discovery of an exoplanet that is orbiting
a star similar to that of the sun.
Pi Meson
In particle physics, pi meson or pion is a subatomic particle. They are unstable and existing with positive,
negative and neutral charges. It means that they are present in proton, neutron and electron of an atom.
ICC Annual Awards: Ellyse Perry Wins Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry as the winner of
Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year. The 29-year-old has also been named
as ICC Women’s ODI Player of Year.
About Ellyse Perry
The Australian star Ellyse Perry won Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award for the 2nd time in three years. She
became the first-ever winner of the award in 2017. She has been the standout performer in 2019 across
formats, with three hundreds, including one in Ashes Test. She also became 1st player to complete 1,000
runs and 100 wickets in T20I cricket. She currently averages 73.50 from 12 ODIs in 2019, where she has
also taken 21 wickets, including a national record 7/22.
2019 Winners
Ellyse Perry (Australia)- Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year
Ellyse Perry (Australia)- ICC Women’s ODI Player of the Year
Alyssa Healy (Australia, wicketkeeper-bat) – ICC Women’s T20I Player of the Year. She was named as T20I
Cricketer of the Year for the second year running.
Chanida Sutthiruang (Thailand) – ICC Women’s Emerging Player of the Year. She helped her country qualify
for their first-ever ICC World Cup.
Indian Players: Indian opener Smriti Mandhana was named in both ODI and T20 teams of this year. Along
with Smiriti, Shikha Pandey, Jhulan Goswami and Poonam Yadav were also named in ODI team of the year
and all-rounder Deepti Sharma in T20 side.
Australian Meg Lanning was chosen as captain of both ODI and T20 team.
CSIR and CNRS, France inks MoU for Promotion of Scientific and Technological Research
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between India’s Council of Scientific & Industrial
Research (CSIR), and France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) to establish a framework for
cooperation between two institutes towards promotion and support of scientific and technological
research.
Highlights of MoU
The MoU was signed with a view of potentially beneficial and synergistic cooperation possibilities between
CSIR and CNRS for translating science into technology. Both CSIR and CNRS may explore strengthening
their cooperation towards fostering joint innovation and transfer of technologies applicable to India and
France as well as to other nations.
The cooperation between two could include promoting technology transfer, sharing good practices and
enhancing industry-academia cooperation. Broad research areas of mutual interest include environment and
climate change studies; health research; biotechnology (including plant and marine biotechnology); material
science and technology; engineering science and technology; and water research.
Background: Just like India and France have been natural partners, the CSIR and CNRS have had
longstanding relations starting from 1975. The CSIR labs- CSIR-IICT (Indian Institute of Chemical
Technology) and CSIR-NCL (National Chemical Laboratory) are currently implementing joint programmes
with CNRS, which have generated several joint publications, patents and Ph.Ds. MoU is expected to boost
cooperation even further between CSIR and CNRS and will contribute towards many critical areas like
health, water, energy and climate change, etc. as well as contribute towards addressing the global
challenges.
About National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), France
It is Europe’s largest fundamental research organization. Founded in 1939, CNRS is an interdisciplinary
public research organisation under the administrative supervision of French Ministry of Higher Education
and Research. With 22 Nobel Laureates and 12 Field medal recipients, CNRS ranks among the leading
global research institutions for its excellent research and innovation achievements. CNRS carries out
research in different areas and performs fundamental research on applied objectives with French
companies in France and also abroad. It has thus set up 4 such co-funded centers with industry partnership
in Japan, Singapore and Chin to address local needs.
About Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), India
It is the largest publically funded multi-disciplinary industrial Research & Development organization in India.
It was set up in 1942 as an autonomous body and is now under the administrative supervision of Union
Ministry of Science and Technology. The R&D institutes of CSIR conduct research in a wide spectrum of
science and technology. CSIR India caters to technological needs of Indian as well as foreign industries
based in India as well as abroad.
First SEZ in Tripura to focus on agro-based food processing
The Government of India approved the first SEZ (Special Economic Zone) at Sabroom, Tripura in October
2019. Recently, it was announced that the SEZ will primarily focus on agro-based food processing. Union
Government is expected to invest around Rs 1550 crore in the project.
Highlights
The SEZ is to be developed by the Tripura Industrial Development Corporation. The SEZ will focus on rubber
based industries like threads, tyres, bamboo industries, textile and apparel industries and agri-food
processing industries.
According to SEZ rules minimum of 25 hectares of land is required to set up a new SEZ in the North Eastern
States. However, at present only 16.35 hectares have been acquired from the state government and
additional 10.99 hectares of land contiguous to the existing land is waiting for approval.
Significance
The SEZ is expected to generate 12,000 skiled jobs. The zone will attract more private investments as its
location is nearer to Chittagong Port. Also, the access to the zone will increase after the construction of
bridge across Feni river in South Tripura.
GoI also announced that 100% income tax exemption will be provided on export income for the first 5 years
on SEZ units. The exemption is being given under Section 10AA of Income Tax Act. For the next 5 years,
50% exemption is to be provided.
GEM Samvaad: GEM launches National Outreach Programme
Government e-commerce portal GeM has launched a national outreach programme called ‘GeM Samvaad’,
to bring on-board more local sellers. The outreach programme will take place from 19 Dec 2019 to 17 Feb
2020 and will cover all States and Union Territories (UTs) of the country. It was launched by Commerce
Secretary Anup Wadhawan in New Delhi.
GeM Samvaad outreach programme will involve local sellers and stakeholders across the country to
facilitate on-boarding of local sellers on marketplace while catering to specific requirements as well as
procurement needs of buyers. Through GeM Samvaad marketplace is also looking forward to receive
feedback from users which would be used for making improvements and advancements in system.
About Government e Marketplace (GeM)
It is the national public procurement portal that offers end to end solutions for all procurement needs of
Central and State Government Departments, autonomous institutions, Public Sector Units (PSUs) and local
bodies. GeM was launched on 9 August 2016 and since its commencement, it has transformed public
procurement in India by leveraging technology and making procurement contactless, paperless, and
cashless.
It just three years, GeM has over 15 lakh products and nearly 20,000 services, over 3 lakh registered sellers
and service providers, over 40,000 Government buyer organizations and has processed more than 28 lakh
orders worth Rs.40,000 crores in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) out of which 50% has been transacted by
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
Sahitya Akademi awards announced
On December 18, 2019, Sahitya Akademi announced its awardees for this year. It announced seven books of
poetry, six short stories, four novels, three non-fiction books and three essays.
Highlights
Sashi Tharoor, the former external affairs minister has won the award for his book “An Era of Darkness”.
The other awardees include Chinmoy Guha, a Bengali Professor who has won for his essay “Ghumer Darja
Thele”, tamil writer Dharman for his novel “Sool”. The awards are to be presented on February 25, 2020. The
winners will be honored with a copper plaque and prize money of Rs 1 lakh.
A Santhali Novel “Marom” written by Shyam Besra also won the award. It is to be noted Santhali language
was used in Rajya Sabha for the first time in the recent winter session of Parliament.
Sahitya Akademi
The academy was constituted by Government of India through a resolution passed in 1952. According to its
constitution the academy is run by three authorities namely a general council, finance committee and an
executive board.
The proposal of forming the academy was put forth in 1944 to the British Government by the Royal Asiatic
Society of Bengal. The academy till date holds the largest library of multi-lingual books in India.
What is Government Instant Messaging System?
The Centre Government is testing a prototype of an Indian equivalent of popular messaging application
platforms, such as WhatsApp and Telegram, for secure internal use. This secure messaging app is
codenamed as ‘Government Instant Messaging System (GIMS)’. It is being packaged for employees of
Central government as well as state government departments and organisations for intra and inter
organisation communications.
Currently the platform is in pilot testing stage across some states, (like Odisha) and is learnt to have been
released to Indian Navy to be tried out on trial basis. In addition to this, a GIMS Portal is also being
simultaneously developed for administration and monitoring of platform.
About Government Instant Messaging System (GIMS)
Objective: To develop a secure Indian alternative without security concerns attached with apps hosted
abroad or those owned by foreign entities like WhatsApp, Telegram etc.
Key Features:
GIMS is designed and developed by Kerala unit of National Informatics Centre (NIC). As the platform has
been developed in India, it is being touted as a safer bet.
Unlike these popular messaging application, GIMS employs end-to-end encryption for one-to-one messaging.
Besides one-to-one messaging and group messaging, GIMS has a specific provision for documents and
media sharing in keeping with the hierarchies in government system.
Servers Based in India: The server hosting GIMS is installed within India and the information stored would
be in government-based cloud – NIC (National Informatics Centre) -operated data centres that are only
meant for captive use by government and its departments.
December 18: International Migrants Day
The International Migrants Day is observed by the United Nations since 1990 in order to protect the rights of
the migrants. The day was adopted after the organization passed a resolution at the International
Convention on the Protection of the rights of all migrant workers. According to the UN, one-seventh of the
world population which is 1 billion are migrants.
The day gained wider importance after international organizations like International Organization for
Migration joined to mark the day in 1997. This year’s International Migrants Day theme is
Theme: Social Cohesion, Celebrating the integration of migrants into communities around the world
International Conference of Migration
The International Conference of Migration was held in Bangkok by the International Labour Organization.
Along with ILO the conference was also hosted by Chula Global Network, Institute of Asian Studies, etc. The
conference was the continuation of the last year conference with the same theme
Theme: Migration and SDGs: ASEAN and Beyond-A path way to 2030 agenda
It aims to integrate institutes and organizations working on migration issues. It also aims at setting up a
clear message that migration is a major issue among ASEAN countries and also globally and cannot be
ignored
UN Global Compact on Migration
The United Nations Global compact on Migration is an inter-governmental pact and not a treaty. It is non-
abiding under international law. It aims for safe, orderly and regular migration. It was signed in 19
December 2018. The compact makes it important for the states to frame their national migration policy. It
also gives clauses that the countries should abide in order to protect the rights of the migrants.
December 19, 2019
Finance Minister chairs GST Council Meeting
On December 18, 2019, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman chaired the GST Council Meeting in New Delhi.
The meeting was held to address the backdrop of falling collections for the current fiscal.
Highlights
For the first time, the council has used voting process and has voted to tax lotteries under the highest slab
of 28%. The Council did not tamper with the rates. It also rationalized the rates of woven and non-woven
bags to 18%. In the last meeting it was fixed at 12%. It has also waived late fee for those who have filed
their taxes after July1 ,2017. The state of Uttar Pradesh and UT of J&K were the highest GST collectors so
far in the year.
The changes are to be effective from January 1, 2020.
1 Lakh Crore set as monthly target
The Finance Ministry has set a monthly target of Rs 1.1 lakh crore collection of GST for the remaining four
months. The ministry has planned field visits and drives to increase tax collection. At the beginning of the
financial year GoI had set a target of Rs 13.35 lakh crore of direct tax collection. So far, it has reached 45%
of the set target.
US President Donald Trump impeached
On December 18, 2019, Donald Trump became the third President to be impeached by the US House. He
was accused of enlisting foreign government to investigate political rival before 2020 election.
Highlights
The House called for voting process alleging that the President pressurized Ukraine to announce
investigations against his political rival Joe Biden ahead of 2020 elections.
The Democrats had majority in the house to impeach the President. It is necessary to prove the charges at
the senate as well, where a voting process with two-third majority is essential for conviction.
Impeachment in American History
So far only two American presidents have been impeached. In 1998, President Bill Clinton was impeached
on charges of sexual relationship with his intern. However, the senate acquitted him. Before him, in 1868,
President Andrew Johnson was impeached. He was acquitted by one vote in the Senate.
In 1974, President Nixon resigned over water gate corruption charges. The judiciary committee approved
the articles of impeachment before the house could even pass them.
Impeachment in the US
Article 2 of the US constitution lists the procedure of impeachment of US president. Impeachment does not
remove the president from power. It is an accusation, when proved the Senate should decide whether to
convict the president of the charges contained.
The impeachment process in the US begins with an investigation by House Committee. When the committee
finds out enough evidences to prove the accusation of the president, it enters the house. The house votes
and if the majority agrees, the proceedings is taken to the senate. The trial at the senate is overseen by the
Chief Justice of Supreme Court. If two-thirds of the senators find the president guilty, he is removed and the
vice president takes over.
India-US 2+2 Dialogue held at Washington
On December 18, 2019 India and United States held security dialogue in Washington. This was their second
2+2 dialogue.
Highlights
The countries signed industrial security agreement allowing defense technology transfer. The US secretary
Mike Pompeo and defence secretary Mark Esper hosted the meeting for Indian external affairs minister Shri
Jai Shankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The countries signed agreements on space exploration and defence cooperation. Three agreements under
Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) were signed that will help in co-developing critical
technologies. They also discussed on the efforts put in by the countries together for a free, open and
prosperous Indo-Pacific with ASEAN at the centre.
The leaders also reached MoU on water resources. The agreement will be signed between India’s Ministry
of Jal Shakti and US Geological Survey on quality assessment and management of water.
The countries signed Industrial Security Annex that will enhance technology transfer and information
exchange
Industrial Security Annex
The Industrial Security Annex is a part of General Security of Military Information Agreement. The ISA will
provide a framework to pursue and co-develop linkages in defence manufacturing. It will also add value to
Make in India initiative. It will also help in developing manufacturing corridors that have been launched in
Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
The first 2+2 dialogue was held in New Delhi in September 2018.
Phase III of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana launched
On December 18, 2019, Union Minister of Rural Development, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri
Narendra Singh Tomar launched the third phase of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.
Highlights
The third phase aims at consolidation of 1,25,000 km of connectivity that primarily aiming at rural links
connecting Gramin Agricultural Markets. The funding pattern is set between the centre and state as 60:40.
In the north-eastern states it is set as 90:10. Under the scheme, so far 53,491 rural road works have been
completed under the scheme. This connects 97.27% of feasible habitations and adds up to 6 lakh
kilometres of roads across the country.
The scheme has used waste plastic and cold mix technology to build major portion of roads. These green
technologies have been used on 36,063 kilometres of road constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram
Sadak Yojana.
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana
The scheme was launched in 2000. It was completely funded by the central government. In 2015, under the
recommendation of the 14th finance commission, the project was funded by both centre and state in the
ratio 60:40.
WHO launches first biosimilar medicine to treat Breast Cancer
On December 18, 2019, the World Health Organization launched its first biosimilar medicine to treat breast
cancer. The WHO intends to make the expensive, life-saving treatment affordable for women all over the
world.
Highlights
WHO launched a biosimilar medicine “Trastuzumab” in order to treat breast cancers. It is an antibody that
shows high efficacy in curing early stages of breast cancers. It was included in the WHO Essential
Medicines List in 2015.
Significance
In women, breast cancers are the most common form of cancers. Around 2.1 million women are affected by
breast cancers (2018 UN data). Treatment of breast cancer using “Trastuzumab” is an essential treatment
for about 20% of breast cancers. WHO also estimates that by 2040 the number of diagnosed breast cancers
will reach 3.1 million.
Essential Medicines of WHO
The Essential Medicines according to the WHO, are the medicines that satisfy priority health care needs. It
was launched in 1977 and updated once in two years. The list includes medicines for both adult and
children. The current list was published in April 2019.
Biosimilar medicines
Biosimilar medicines are produced from biological sources like cells and not from synthesized chemicals.
They are important to treat cancers and other non-communicable diseases. They are less expensive and
give same effectiveness as that of generic medicines. The trastizumab is already in use in several markets.
But this is the first time, WHO is approving the medicine.
Minorities Right Day celebrated in India on December 18
The Minorities Rights Day was celebrated by the National Commission for Minorities in India in order to
focus religious harmony and better understanding of the minority communities in the country.
On December 18, 1992, the United Nations adopted the Individual’s rights belonging to religious, linguistic
and religious minorities. The organization also stated that it is the responsibility of the state to improve
minority conditions and create awareness about their linguistic, national, cultural and religious identity.
Highlights
The Minority Day Programme was organized by the National Commission for minorities in New Delhi. The
Union Ministry of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi addresses the programme. At the programme the
ministry announced that more than 8 lakh people belonging to minority community have so far benefitted
from the GoI schemes such as Nai Manzil, Gharib Nawaz Employment Scheme, Nai Raushni, Seekho aur
Kamao, etc.
Miss Irmim Shamim, the first Gujjar woman of J&K to qualify medical studies at AIIMS was also felicitated
at the programme
National commission for Minorities
The commission was established under the National Commission for Minorities act, 1992. The act notifies 5
religious communities namely Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Zoroastrians and Buddhists under the act. In
2014, Jains were added to the list. The major function of the commission is to protect the interests of the
minorities.
Braille Edition of Exam Warriors: Book written by PM Modi released
Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot released Braille Edition of ‘Exam
Warriors’, a book authored by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The release of Braille version of
‘Exam Warriors’ took place at a time when Exams of Secondary and Higher Secondary Standards are fast
approaching.
About Braille Edition of ‘Exam Warriors’
The Braille Edition of book will be available in Hindi and English. It has been printed by Braille Press of
‘Rajasthan Netraheen Kalyan Sangh’ in Jaipur.
The book contains a detailed-deion of animated picture as well as various yoga asanas which will let
students imagine pictorial graphics with ease. With this Braille edition, millions of visually-impaired
students of country who face mental stress will be able to derive motivation and mental strength during
examinations. The book will also boost confidence level of these students and help them get success in
various competitive exams.
Jalsathi: Odisha Govt. launches programme to ensure supply of safe drinking water
Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik launched the ‘Jalsathi’ programme which will ensure supply of safe
drinking water to all households in the state. During the programme launch, he distributed water quality
testing kits and POS (point of sale) machines to women volunteers being called as- ‘Jalasathis’.
About ‘Jalsathi’ programme
Implementation: A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Water Corporation of Odisha
(WATCO) and women federations in Bhubaneswar (Odisha Capital) for implementation of ‘Jalsathi’
programme.
Coverage: Initially, the ‘Jalasathi’ programme will be implemented in as many as 8 wards of Bhubaneswar
Municipal Corporation (BMC) under the 5T initiative of Housing and Urban Development. The programme
will be implemented in remaining wards of Bhubaneswar and other urban areas of state in next phases. The
initiative will benefit abot 70 lakh people in urban areas.
Under ‘Jalsathi’ programme, about 5,000 women will be engaged for supplying safe drinking water. Earlier,
the state government had also engaged women self-help groups (SHGs) under ‘Mission Shakti‘, for
collection of power dues, paddy procurement, mid-day meal preparation activities. Therefore, the inclusion
of woman volunteers from Mission Shakti for piped water supply where they will serve people as ‘Jalasathis’
will further boost their economic empowerment.
Jalasathis: The ‘Jalasathis’ will act as links between consumers and Public Health Engineering Organisation
(PHEO) or Water Corporation of Odisha (WATCO). They will be responsible for water quality testing,
collection of water charges, facilitating new water connections, regularising connections, facilitating
complaints redressal, reassessment of demands, meter reading, bill generation and bill delivery.
Infosys launches three block-chain powered distributed applications
Infosys announced the launch of three blockchain-powered distributed applications for government
services, supply chain management and insurance domains. These applications are equipped with
predictive return on investment (ROI) analytics for business investments that can be tailored to meet
numerous industry-specific needs.
Key Highlights
These comprehensive applications are designed as ready-to-subscribe business networks, thus, they would
ensure quick deployment, interoperability across disparate systems of value chain stakeholders as well as a
wide variety of use cases involving other digital technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), Analytics
among others.
Why are applications Block-chain powered? Enterprises using such applications can capitalize on
blockchain’s benefits of trust, transparency and immutability to develop an inter-organisational conduit for
strengthening their core business processes across multiple value chain partners having disparate
Information Technology (IT) systems.

What is Block-chain Technology?
Block-chain Technology is a decentralized, distributed ledger that records the source of a digital asset,
while, Block-chain is a new data structure which is secure and cryptography-based across a network. This
technology supports cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum and transfer of any data or digital asset. A
blockchain consists of three important concepts- blocks, nodes and miners.
Uttrakhand to host 11th Regional Quality Conclave
The 11th Regional Quality Conclave (RQC) is being organized on 20 December 2019 at Rudrapur, district
Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand. The is being organized by Quality Council of India (QCI) along with PHD
Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI). Through this Conclave the Quality Council of India (QCI)
hopes to reach out to industries in the hilly regions of the country.
About 11th Regional Quality Conclave
Theme of Conclave ‘Rudrapur RQC’: ‘Advance Manufacturing with Quality, Innovation & Technology
Interventions.’
Conclave Objective:
To create awareness about significance of quality culture in businesses.
To deliberate on how organizations could continuously innovate, improve and share technological
advancement such as Industry 4.0 and predictive maintenance.
At the conclave sessions will be held on- Adding Value in Manufacturing and Supply Chain with Digital
Transformation, Up skilling for Industry 4.0, Leadership and Engagement Strategies for Sustaining
Innovation and Quality Culture and Mapping Organization’s Route to Quality,
Participants: Over 150 participants from top organizations from Uttarakhand region are expected to
participate. Experts in fields of Advance manufacturing, Industry 4.0 and creating Quality culture,
Leadership and Engagement Strategies will participate in Conclave to lead discussions and lay down
roadmap for the future steps to be taken for the 4.0 engineering revolution in India.
District Udham Singh Nagar and Rudrapur are major industrial and educational hubs of Himalayan state of
Uttarakhand. Currently, many infrastructure industries, motor vehicle companies and Fast-Moving Consumer
Goods (FMCG) industries have their units in Rudrapur.
ICG organises 18th National Maritime Search and Rescue Board meeting
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) organised 18th National Maritime Search and Rescue Board (NMSARB)
meeting in New Delhi. The annual meeting was held to discuss policy issues, formulate guidelines &
procedures as well as assess the efficacy of National Search and Rescue Plan (NSRP).
Key Highlights
Deliberations were held on various maritime safety issues and identifying areas of improvement of Search
and Rescue services. The meet also reiterated the need to focus on sustainable maritime safety in Area of
Responsibility (AOR).
Participants: The apex-level meeting was chaired by Director General Indian Coast Guard and Chairman
NMSARB K Natarajan. It was attended by 48 Board members from various ministries, agencies, all Coastal
States & Union Territories (UTs). Meeting included three new permanent members to meet- Ministry of
Shipping, Department of Animal husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries and Indian National Centre for Ocean
Information Services (INCOIS). For the first time, three strong components of the M-SAR (Maritime Search
and Rescue) – Secretary (Ministry of Shipping), Secretary (Ministry of Civil Aviation) and Secretary
(Department of Fisheries) participated in annual meeting.
Awards Conferred–
MV Asia Emerald III was awarded the SAR Award for Merchant Vessel for the year 2018-19. It saved 6 lives
from a distressed fishing boat.

Anand A Ambhire from Maharashtra was awarded SAR Award for Fisherman for saving 11 lives from a
sinking fishing boat.
Indian Coast Guard Ships (ICGS) Sujoy and ICGS Vikram were jointly awarded SAR Award for Government
Owned SAR Unit for saving 46 lives from ROSV Sagar Sampada off New Mangalore.
Indian Coast Guard and SAR operations
Indian Coast Guard is India’s nodal agency for Maritime Search and Rescue. since inception in 1978, it has
rescued 9,672 lives by coordinating 3,180 search and rescue missions, which inter alia includes 2,479 air
sorties and 3,540 ship deployments. ICG thus saves one precious life every second day and only in 2019,
ICG also escorted over 6,000 fishing boats to safe locations during passage of three severe cyclonic
storms. In 2019 alone, ICG took 300 SAR missions involving rescue of close to 1,000 lives at sea which
includes 27 MEDEVAC (Medical evacuation) operations and some of rescue operations were conducted at
the fringes of 4.6 million sq km vast Indian Search and Rescue Region (ISRR).
ICG has established three Maritime Rescue Coordination centers at Chennai, Mumbai and Andaman &
Nicobar Islands and developed voluntary ship reporting system INDSAR (Indian Ship Reporting System) to
divert ship nearest to site of incident for immediate Search & Rescue (SAR) assistance.
Indian Naval chief on a four-day visit to Sri Lanka
The Chief of Naval Forces Admiral Karabir Singh is to visit Sri Lanka between December 19 and December
22, 2019. The visit is aimed to strengthen bilateral maritime relations between the countries
Highlights
The admiral will hold bilateral talks with the vice-admiral De Silva and other senior government officials. He
will also attend the passing out parade of the 60th intake of midshipmen. The parade is to be held in
Trinconmalee port. India is helping Sri Lanka build the port in Triconmalee. Japan also has its role in
building the port. This potentially increases India’s outreach in the Indian Ocean. China already has its
presence in the region with its 99-year leased Hambantota.
Significance
It is essential for India to keep its presence in the Indian Ocean region bold and secured. The region holds
good amount of traffic. Around 9.84 billion tons of goods pass through the region annually. This includes
one-third of world’s bulk cargo traffic and two-third of oil shipment. Therefore, it is essential for India to
secure the region countering piracy and terrorism. India along with Japan, Australia and US has signed the
Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) in 2007 to counter Chinese presence in the waters of Indian Ocean.
Quad was also revived recently at the India-US 2+2 dialogue held in Washington on December 18,2019.
India is world’s third largest producer of scientific articles: US Report
According to a latest report by US National Science Foundation (NSF), India has emerged as the world’s
third largest publisher of science and engineering articles. As per the statistics compiled in report, China has
topped the list followed by US.
Key Highlights of Report
China tops the list as it accounts for 20.67% of all global publications in scientific articles. In China, about
5,28,263 scientific articles were published in 2018. As per the report, China’s rate of research output has
grown almost twice as fast as world’s annual average for last 10 years, while the output of US and European
Union (EU) has grown at less than half world’s annual growth rate.
United States: follows China at second spot with about 4,22,808 global publications in science and
engineering articles in 2018.
India: emerged as world’s third largest publisher of science and engineering articles after China (5,28,263)
and US (4,22,808) in 2018, with about 1,35,788 science and engineering articles were published in country.
Even though India has a long way to go as compared to US and China in terms of number of scientific article
publications, its emergence as third largest publisher is mainly due to a phenomenal double-digit growth
rate in last one decade from 2008 to 2018.
Top Ten: Other countries which made it to top 10 list are Germany (1,04,396), Japan (98,793), United
Kingdom (97,681), Russia (81,579), Italy (71,240), South Korea (66,376) and France (66,352).
Global Output: Both China and India have increased their share of the growing world output. China produced
5% of global output in 2000 and grew to 21% in 2018, while India’s share rose from 2% to 5%t during this
period.
Even though research papers from US and European Union (EU) continue to have the most impact, but,
China has shown a rapid increase in producing impactful publications, as measured by references to journal
articles and conference papers.
As measured by journal articles and conference papers, the Specialisation in scientific fields differs among
countries. It shows that US, EU and Japan are more specialised in health sciences while China and India
more specialised in engineering.
Govt launches National Broadband Mission
Centre Government launched the National Broadband Mission (NBM) to provide broadband access to all
villages by 2022. It was launched by Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in New Delhi. NBM is part of
government’s National Digital Communications Policy, 2018.
About National Broadband Mission
Objective of NBM:
To fast track growth of digital communications infrastructure, bridge digital divide and to provide
affordable and universal access of broadband for all
To provide broadband access to all villages by 2022
Salient Features of NBM:
Ambitious project will involve laying down around 30 Lakhs kilometre route Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) as
well as increase tower density from 0.42 to 1.0 tower per thousand of population by 2024.
Facilitate universal and equitable access to broadband services and significantly improve quality of services
for mobile and internet for across country and especially in rural and remote areas.
Develop innovative implementation models for Right of Way (RoW) and to work with States and Union
Territories for having consistent policies pertaining to expansion of digital infrastructure including for RoW
approvals required for laying of OFC
Develop a Broadband Readiness Index (BRI) for measuring the availability of digital communications
infrastructure and conducive policy ecosystem within a States and Union Territory
Creating a digital fiber map of Digital Communications network and infrastructure, including OFC and
Towers, across the country
Addressing policy and regulatory changes required for accelerating expansion and creation of digital
infrastructure and services
Working with all stakeholders including concerned Ministries, Departments, government agencies, and
Ministry of Finance, for enabling investments for Mission.
Fund: The NAM envisages an investment of Rs.7 lakh crore in next 4 years from both government and
industry to connect the country digitally at a faster pace. 10% of funds will come from Universal Service
Obligation Fund (USOF) and the balance to come from industry in form of towers and other assets.
Benefit: Besides securing universal broadband access for implementation of broadband initiatives, the
mission will also fast-track digital connectivity across the country. Providing internet connectivity to 1 lakh
villages will also push Indian economy to 5 trillion-dollar milestone.
December 20, 2019

Pinaka missile successfully test fired by DRDO
The Pinaka missile was successfully test fired from Odisha coast on December 19, 2019 from the
Integrated Test Range at Chandipur.
Highlights
The Pinaka missile is a modified version of Pinaka Mk-II rocket. The rocket was added with integrated
navigation, control and guidance system in order to improve the end accuracy. The missile navigation will
be aided by the IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System).
The flight of the missile was tracked by several tracking systems namely radars, telemetry, Electro-Optical
Targeting System. The systems confirmed high performance of the missile.
Previously, Pinaka was test fired at Pokhran, Rajasthan in March 2019.
Pinaka missile
The Pinaka is an artillery missile. It is capable of striking an enemy territory till 75 km of range with high
precision. Pinaka was used for the first time in Kargil war. Till 2014, around 5,000 Pinaka missiles were
being produced annually.
The manufacturing of Pinaka missiles began with the help of Russian technology transfer. The plan was
formulated in 1983 and manufacturing began in 1994.
Apharan: Indian Navy’s largest anti-hijacking exercise
On Decebmer 18, 2019, the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard at Cochin port conducted large scale anti-
hijacking exercise. The exercise was called Apharan.
Highlights
Multiple agencies participated in the exercise. It included 12 ships and helicopters of Cochin Port trust,
Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard. This is the first time an anti-hijacking exercise is being conducted at a
large scale in India and in the port of Cochin.
During the exercise, insertion of Marine Commandos (MarCos) into the hijacked vessel through boarding
operations and slithering into the deck from a Sea King helicopter were demonstrated.
Significance
The exercise acted as a platform for the stakeholders to identify gaps and self-assess the preparedness of
their respective organizations. It also helped to formulate an integrate crisis management for the port of
Kochi or Cochin.
Currently, hijacking of merchant vessels is one of the challenging scenarios of the Indian Navy. Piracy
returned in 21st century after Somalian pirates began to hijack commercial ships and demand large
ransoms. The Indian Navy began its anti-piracy operations in Gulf of Aden since 2008. It escorts Indian-
flagged ships and also ships from other countries.
It is also important for India to strengthen its anti-piracy skills as terrorists make their way onto the Indian
shores via inflatable speed boats. In 2008, 10 terrorists involved in Mumbai terror attack made their way
through sea.
In a first, GST Council fixes 28% uniform tax rate for lottery
In a first, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting resorted to voting to decide on an issue, as all
the earlier decisions by GST Council had been taken through consensus. The controversial issue of GST rate
for lotteries was decided on basis of voting, with the GST Council headed by Finance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman fixing a uniform tax rate of 28% on both state and private lotteries with effect from 1 March
2020. The voting move was taken on insistence of Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac’s proposal.
GST Rate for Lottery
Currently, there are dual rates for lotteries, with 12% tax on state-run lotteries and 28% on state-authorised,
or private, lotteries. Voting happened twice on the issue, with first time being on whether there should be a
uniform or dual rate. 17 states voted in favour of single rate and 7 for a dual rate. Then there was voting on
whether there should be an 18% or 28% rate for lotteries and all voted for 28%.
Others:
Besides lotteries, the GST Council decided to exempt upfront amount payable for long-term lease of
industrial or financial infrastructure plots by an entity in which Centre/ State governments have at least
20% ownership. This exemption is currently available to those where governments have at least 50% stake.
This move would promote setting up of industrial and financial parks.
The GST Council also decided to block input tax credit (ITC) for fake invoices in certain cases and further
restrict credit for invoices not uploaded in relevant forms to 10% from current 20% of eligible credit. Also, to
check the menace of fake invoices, suitable action will be taken for blocking fraudulently availed ITC in
certain cases. The decision to block ITC in cases of fake invoices indicated that focus on revenue
augmentation measures could lead to several anti-evasion measures in the coming months.
Portugal sets up Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa announced the setting up of a Gandhi Citizenship Education
Prize in order to help promote Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals. The announcement was made while he was
addressing the second meeting of National Committee for Commemoration Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th Birth
Anniversary chaired by President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Portuguese PM is the only foreign Prime Minister to be a part of the committee. The committee includes
President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union
Cabinet, Chief Ministers, Gandhians etc.
About Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize
Every year, the Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize would be inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s different
thoughts and quotes. The first edition of this prize will be dedicated to animal welfare as Mahatma Gandhi
said that the greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated. Portuguese PM
reiterated that Mahatma Gandhi’s message of tolerance and love was revolutionary in his time, and in many
parts of the world it is still revolutionary today.
NITI Aayog Draft Roadmap to stabilise population, family planning and birth rate
NITI Aayog is currently working on a draft roadmap that aims at creating a vision for the country to help
stabilize population, birth rate and family planning. In order to achieve this, on December 20, 2019, NITI
Aayog along with Population Foundation of India organized a consultative meeting with senior officials,
subject matter experts. The meeting discussed ways and means to strengthen India’s family planning
programmes and population policy. It will also contribute to NITI Aayog’s working paper on India’s vision on
attaining population stabilization.
Highlights
The draft will help address key gaps in family planning programmes in the country. It will also help address
regional disparities focusing on inter-departmental convergence, adolescents, youths. The think tank is to
provide suggestions on budgetary allocations for family planning. It will align with the unmet needs of
India’s young people and address their socio-cultural barriers.
The meeting also discussed making population stabilization and family planning a national priority. In order
to achieve this the think tank is looking ways to foster multisectoral participation and integration.
Significance
India is the second most populous country in the world with population size of 1.37 billion. Currently, the
country is at a situation where birth rates are falling but the population is continuing to grow. This is mainly
because more than 30% of population is young and in reproductive age group. Therefore, a roadmap is
required to stabilize the population growth.

IIT-H fellow launches Vaccination On Wheels in collaboration with Gates Foundation
Jigneh Patel, a fellow at Center for Healthcare Entrepreneurship (CfHE) at Indian Institutes of Technology
(IIT) Hyderabad has launched a ‘Vaccination on Wheels Clinic’ in Pune city’s PCMC area, Maharashtra. The
one of its kind service has been started in collaboration with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He had
received a grant for the service under the Foundation’s ‘Grand Challenges Explorations’. He then founded
Jivika Healthcare to provide this vaccination service.
About ‘Vaccination On Wheels’ service
Called ‘VaccineOnWheels.com’, it will offer only vaccination services. As the service has adopted
Vaccination On Wheels (VOW) concept, this clinic will go to schools, colleges and corporates to conduct
vaccination camps at their doorsteps. It is a unique, unconventional, creative, low-cost and high on
convenience model that has been designed with idea of reaching the bottom of the pyramid.
The VOW service will work hand-in-hand with government to make vaccines available to the lowest strata of
society.
Through VOW, awareness camps are also being conducted with the help of group discussions and animated
videos designed in Marathi and Hindi languages. The clinic is motivating mothers to avail free vaccination
from government.
Services Provided: There are many additional features which makes it a unique vaccination service, which
includes– providing low-cost vaccination service to low-income groups; raising awareness about
government’s immunization programme; selling only those vaccines which are not provided through
government; getting children fully immunized as per World Health Organization (WHO) and Indian Academy
of Pediatrics (IAP) standards for children who are taking vaccination from government centres; the service
also boasts of cold chain maintenance as per WHO guidelines.
About Grand Challenges Explorations
It is a US $100 million initiative funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). It supports innovative
thinkers worldwide to explore ideas that can break the mould in how we solve persistent global health and
development challenges. Jignesh Patel’s project was one of approximately 50 Grand Challenges
Explorations for which grants were announced by BMGF.
Railways Ministry signs MoU with University of Birmingham for establishing Centre of Excellence
National Rail Transport Institute (NRTI) signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with University of
Birmingham in Rail Bhawan, New Delhi to set up its first Centre of Excellence for Next Generation
Transportation Systems. NRTI is a deemed to be university under Union Ministry of Railways.
Key Highlights
Indian Railways is a founding partner of this Centre of Excellence and would provide professional expertise,
proprietary data, spare equipment and other available resources directly or through its Centralised Training
Institutes (CTIs) and research organisations. As it develops in the future, the Centre would also invite
partnerships from other industry and academic organisations.
Function: The Centre would be involved in promoting development of Rail and Transportation sector in
India. It includes offering post-graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral programmes, customized training
programmes for in-service professionals, undertaking joint research projects in areas like asset
maintenance, traction and safety, signalling, communication as well as developing benchmarks, standards
and certifications for specialized skills. It will also be involved in organising knowledge events, conferences,
workshops to disseminate trends, global best practices, latest research and developments in transportation
sector, accessible to industry and academia.
Significance: Establishment of this centre is another step towards building India’s capacity in transportation
sector, which would prepare country’s youth for participating in building and operation of national projects
like modernizing Indian Railways Signalling Systems (IRSS), High-Speed Railways, rolling stock and
operations.
About National Rail Transport Institute (NRTI)
It has been operational since 2018 and was set up as a deemed to be university. It aims to develop
interdisciplinary Centres of Excellence which would be collaborative constructs to promote research and
education to transportation sector. The strategy by NRTE is focussed upon sourcing best expertise globally
from leading global institutions via institutional partnerships for collaborating on developing curriculum,
research projects as well as executive education programs.
About University of Birmingham
It is home to Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE), which is the largest university-
based centre for railway research and education in Europe. BCRRE is involved in developing world-leading
new technologies alongside higher education programmes, Aerodynamics and International Benchmarking,
research and innovations in Climate Change, Railway Control and Operations Simulation and Power Systems
and Energy Use. University of Birmingham has more than 150 academics, researchers and professional
services staff, delivering world-class research, education and leadership to global rail industry.
India’s first ever fresh vegetable export to Dubai by Sea Route
On December 20, 2019, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority
(APEDA) sent its first trial shipment of fresh vegetables from Varanasi to Dubai by sea route. APEDA is the
organization under Ministry of Commerce and Industry that promotes export of agricultural and processed
food products from India.
Highlights
APEDA sent 14 Metric Tons (1 container) of fresh vegetables from Varanasi. The vegetables were
processed and packed by laboratories in Varanasi to keep them fresh. The entire process till shipment from
procurement was monitored by a committee under the chairmanship of commissioner of Varanasi.
The APEDA has identified 5 potential districts of UP namely Mirzapur, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Jaunpur and
SantRavidas Nagar to set up export hubs.
Buyer Seller Meet
In order to set up the Export hub, APEDA also organized Buyer Seller Meet in Varanasi and the programme
was attended by 100 farmers from regions of Kolakata, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Uttar Pradesh. The meet
also acted as a platform for the Farmer Produce Organizations (FPO) to meet the progressive farmers and
exporters. This paved way to understand the potential of the region, infrastructure required to convince
farmers in export-oriented crops and also learn about the quality of fruits and vegetables cultivated in the
region.
At the meet, the Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Exporters Association signed four agreements with 4 FPOs from
the region.
India’s Fruits and Vegetables
According to National Horticulture Database, India ranks second in fruits and vegetables production in the
world next to China. India produces 90.2 million tons of fruits and 169.1 tons of vegetables (2015-16)
annually.
PM Modi attends centenary celebrations of ASSOCHAM
On December 20, 2019, PM Modi addressed the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry in New
Delhi. The event was organized to commemorate 100 years of ASSOCHAM. The event was organized under
the theme
Theme: New India Aspiring for 5 trillion USD
ASSOCHAM
The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) is the apex trade association of
India. The goal of the organization is to promote domestic and international trade. It is one of the oldest
organizations in the country that was established in 1921. The organization is located in Kolkata, Bengaluru
and Ahmedabad.
The GoI authorizes and has given the power for ASSOCHAM to issue certificates of origin, recommend
business visa and certify commercial invoices.
Highlights of PM Modi’s address at the event
In order to achieve the target of 5 trillion USD economy, it is essential to increase digital transactions of
GST and also increase Aadhar linked payments to DBT.
Other Top economies in the world
While India is aspiring to become a 5 trillion USD economy, there are several countries in the world who
have already achieved the target. According to IMF’s World Economic Outlook Database, 2019, China tops
the list as 25.27 trillion USD economy, followed by US (20.49 trillion USD), Japan, Germany, UK, India (2.72
trillion USD).
HDFC Bank becomes third Indian company to cross $100 bn M-cap
HDFC Bank Ltd has crossed the $100 billion market capitalization (M-Cap) in intraday trading, thus
becoming only the third company in India to achieve this milestone. However, it closed below $100 billion
mark at $99.5 billion. HDFC is one of India’s largest private-sector lenders.
Key Highlights
HDFC is now in league of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), which has a market value of $140.74 billion, and
Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (TCS) that has a market capitalization of $114.60 billion.
HDFC Bank now ranks 110th in the list of world’s most valued firms. However, it ranks 26th among most
valued banks and financial companies around the world that have a market capitalization of more than $100
billion.
The surge in HDFC Bank’s share price comes after most analysts remain bullish on stock. Investors
continued to buy stock in hope that lender would report consistent earnings performance, stable asset
quality, steady 20% profit growth and healthy advances growth.
With its capital well above regulatory requirements as well as higher retail focus, financial analysts expect
HDFC Bank to deliver strong credit growth going forward. Also higher focus on digitization and productivity
along with cost rationalization is likely to result in better profitability growth.
Kerala sets 2024 deadline for Semi High-Speed Rail project
The Thiruvananthapuram–Kasargode Semi High Speed Rail Corridor (SHSR), a proposed high-speed rail
corridor in India that would connect Thiruvananthapuram with Kasaragod in Kerala is expected to be
completed by 2024. Recently, centre had also given in-principle approval to the Rs.56,000 crore
Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod SHSR corridor project. The order was issued by Union Ministry of Railways.
About Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod Semi-High Speed Rail (SHSR) corridor project
This 532km double-line project is a joint venture of Government of Kerala and Union Ministry of Railways.
SHSR named as Silver Line, is envisaged to cut travel time between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod
from 12 hours to 4 hours and is expected to fast-track the economy of Kerala. SHSR covering a length of
532km beginning from capital city of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram and ending at Kasaragod will have stops
in 10 districts in state, barring Wayanad, Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Palakkad.
Kerala Rail Development Corporation (KRDCL) is the implementing agency for the project. It has submitted
proposal to Railways Ministry for building 3rd and 4th lines between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod.
The state cabinet had approved SHSR project after a year-long feasibility study, conducted by KRDCL.
SHSR is being seen as a game-changer in Kerala’s infrastructure and economic development and will be
implemented with minimum land acquisition. Trains on track, which passes through 11 of the 14 districts,
will run at 200 km per hour.
Pinaka missiles test fired for the second day in salvo mode
The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) test fired Pinaka missile system successfully
for the second day on December 20, 2019 at Chandipur, Odisha. The first trial that was conducted on Dec
19, 2019, was also done at the Integrated Test range, Chandipur, Odisha.
Highlights
DRDO conducted the test firings of the Pinaka missile systems in salvo mode. The test was conducted at
20-km range and highest accuracy was achieved. The same trial was conducted for the second day as well
in order to test the proximity initiation and also to test salvo launch. During this test trial, two missiles were
fired at 60 seconds interval.
Salvo mode
Salvo is simultaneous discharge of firearms. This is a tactic used to cripple an enemy and prevent them
from fighting back.
What is Pinaka?
Pinaka is a multi-barrel Rocket launcher (MBRL) system. It is capable of deploying 72 rockets in 44
seconds. Also, the rockets can be fired in different directions as well. Through technology transfer, Indian
Army awarded contracts of manufacturing batteries of the Pinaka MBRL to TATA and L&T to produce 40
batteries each in 2006. In 2015, the Defence Acquisition Council cleared direct purchase of additional
regiments of indigenous Pinaka multiple-launch rocket system. This was done to upgrade 26 Ilyushin
transport aircraft bought from Russia.
Dunzo, Throttle get DGCA nod to test long-range drones
Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA), India’s civil aviation authority has given approval to the
applications of Google-backed hyperlocal delivery startup Dunzo and Bengaluru-based drone maker Throttle
Aerospace Systems to test long-range and autonomous drone use. The long range drones can significantly
enhance logistic services in Indian hinterland and may become a significant multiplier to the economy.
Although DGCA is still in process of approving BVLOS experiments, but these two companies have been
selected and are awaiting signed letters.
Key Highlights
The approvals are a part of the DGCA’s experimental programme, called beyond visual line of sight
(BVLOS) drone operations, which was notified in May 2019. The BVLOS Experiment Assessment and
Monitoring (BEAM) Committee will be responsible for overseeing the evidence collected on use of drones
and their safety aspects as well as submitting findings before Centre Government frames laws for long-
range and autonomous drone use.
The two companies- Dunzo and Throttle Aerospace are likely to begin experimental drone flights from mid-
to late February 2020 and have identified airspaces outside of Bengaluru. The test flights are meant to
evaluate safety and robustness of the solutions. As per the programme requirements, both companies will
have to each clock 100 hours of drone flights before submitting the proof of concept to DGCA.
Throttle Aerospace: It is looking to build drone based delivery solutions which can be scaled up in size and
complexity. One of goal of company is to build a drone-based organ transport solution which could cut
down the time of transporting organs from a few hours to a few minutes.
Dunzo: It is looking at drone deliveries to stand out among its bigger rivals like food delivery app Swiggy,
Zomato which has expanded its services to include doorstep deliveries of items like groceries, medicines
and flowers.
5G trials to start in Jan-Mar quarter this fiscal: DoT
The 5G (the fifth generation of wireless technology) trials are expected to begin in the last quarter of current
fiscal (2019-2020). The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has received 12 applications for 5G trials
and it has neither approved nor rejected any applicant’s proposal so far. However, it is still unknown that
whether the government has taken a decision on Huawei’s participation.
Key Highlights
Any proposal on 5G is required to address twin considerations, with first being the adoption of new
technology, and second the imperatives of national security. The 5G technology has phenomenal potential
of speed and futuristic applications but it is yet to evolve and major global players are themselves in
process of evaluating ecosystem and use cases for 5G.
NOTE: 5G should not be linked to general spectrum auctions – which is expected to take place in March-
April 2020. Also, a Financial/ Fiscal Year in India is from 1st April to succeeding 31st March.
December 21, 2019
DBT and NII study: Transmission of chicken pox virus during pregnancy to child
The study of DBT and NII have found that women having chickenpox infection may transmit their infection
to babies during their pregnancy. This stimulates babies’ immunity and protects them. A person being
infected by the virus and treated gains immunity lifelong. This immunity is transferred to babies during
pregnancy. Also, if a mother was vaccinated in her childhood, she is said to be immune to the disease.
Research says that this immunity is transferred to the child as well.
Highlights of the study
The researchers of National Institute of Immunology (NII) and Department of Biotechnology (DBT) found
that the transfer of viral DNA from mother to child during their pregnancy is long lasting. Currently, it is
understood that mothers transfer several antibodies to babies that lasts for 12 to 15 months. However, the
new study says that this scenario is different in case of chickenpox. The study also showed that
reactivation of chickenpox can be induced by stress of pregnancy.
Chicken Pox
It is a highly contagious disease caused by Varicella Zoster Virus. According to WHO, around 140 million
people are affected by the disease all over the world annually. In developed countries, incidence of the
disease is 16 cases per 1000 people. Out of these, 90% of the cases are reported in children.
Future Skills: Wipro, NASSCOM launch platform to train 10,000 engineering students
Information Technology firm Wipro has partnered with IT body NASSCOM (National Association of Software
and Services Companies) to launch a skilling platform called ‘Future Skills’ for new age technologies such
as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) that will reach 10,000 students from over 20
engineering colleges in India.
About ‘Future Skills’ Platform
The initiative is a part of Wipro’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, TalentNext which aims
to enhance quality of engineering education by preparing faculty and academic leaders to train students.
Future Skills is a new age platform built to bridge industry-academia skill gap as well as help students keep
pace with emerging technologies like- AI, IoT, Big Data, Cloud Computing and Cybersecurity – to make them
future-ready. It will create a talent pool of students, certified by Wipro and NASSCOM.
The platform enables learning the skills required in emerging technologies and more importantly, it helps
individuals develop an aptitude for learning. It allows content and people to come together as well as allows
curation and learning at one’s own pace.
NASSCOM aims to add 90 million working professionals to industry by 2030, and the partnership with Wipro
will ensure they possess the right skills to be employed.
India, Afghanistan and Iran met to discuss on Chabahar port
On December 20, 2019, India, Afghanistan and Iran met at New Delhi to discuss the issues in the
implementation of Chabahar port in Iran. The port is considered as a gateway of opportunities with Central
Asian Nations by all the three countries.
Highlights
The work of the Chabahar port is being conducted by the Port Global Ltd Company and the progress of the
project was welcomed by all three countries. It was also agreed to include Mormugoa and New Mangalore
ports of India under the Chabahar Agreement. It was also decided that a study will be conducted by Freight
Forwarder Association in India to streamline the cargo transit in the country. The professionals of the meet
also agree to finalize a protocol to harmonize transit of goods, consular matters and customs and till then
the TIR convention is to be used.
Port Exports
The meeting also high lightened that the port has handled 5 lakh tons of cargo in 2019. It includes exports
from Afghanistan from the port that began in February 2019.
The first meeting of the committee was held in October 2018. The third meeting is to be held in the first
half of 2020.
Afghanistan becomes first country to recognize Indian Pharmacopoeia
The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has become the first country to recognize Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP)
pursuant to the efforts of Department of Commerce and Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The
formal recognistion came from Afghanistan’s National Department of Regulation of Medicines and Health
Products of Ministry of Public Health.
It will also be used based on requirement as reputable pharmacopoeia in laboratory of medicines and health
products quality. With this, a new beginning has been made and Afghanistan has become the first country
to recognize IP pursuant to the efforts of Department of Commerce and Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare.
What is Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP)?
It is an officially recognized book of standards as per Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules 1945
thereunder. IP specifies the standards of drugs manufactured and marketed in India in terms of their
identity, strength and purity. The 2nd Schedule of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, designates IP as an official
book of standards for drugs imported and manufactured for sale, stock and exhibition for sale and
distribution in India. The standards prescribed in IP are authoritative in nature and are enforced by
regulatory authorities for quality control of medicines in India.

The quality, efficacy and safety of the medicines are important from healthcare perspective. In order to
ensure the quality, efficacy and safety of medicinal products, the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC)
provides the legal and scientific standards in the form of Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP).
IPC’s Mission: To promote public and animal health in India by bringing out officially and authoritative
accepted standards for quality of drugs including active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), excipients and
dosage forms, used by patients, health professionals and consumers. This is achieved by developing
standards for medicines and supporting their implementation. In addition to this, IPC also develops IP
Reference Substances (IPRS) that act as fingerprint for identification of an article under test as well as its
purity as prescribed in IP monographs.
Defence Ministry: 5th Edition of ARTECH to be held in New Delhi
Ministry of Defence is to hold ARTECH seminar in New Delhi on 23rd December, 2019. ARTEC is Army
Technology Seminar that is being held since 2016.
Highlights
The fifth edition of ARTEC is to be organized by the Indian Army under Ministry of Defence on “Technologies
for Non-contact Warfare”. Speakers from diverse industries, subject matter experts, think tanks have been
invited to address at the seminar.
The seminar was launched as a part of “Make in India” campaign. It is a flagship event of the Indian Army
that focuses on harvesting indigenous capabilities of Defence sector.
Significance
According to Ministry of Defence, of all the three services, Indian army is least technology-intensive and
more manpower intensive. The testing procedures of army are rigorous. It has only claimed handful of
successful collaborations like Dhanush. There are systems like Battlefield Management System, Future
Infantry Combat Vehicle and Tactical Communications system that are yet to receive a prototype. They are
essential to execute military operations. BMS acts like Google map in providing information about the
soldiers and their unit securely.
These seminars will help address the gaps in developing these systems.
BMS and its issue
Battlefield Management Systems is a system that integrates information to enhance command and control
of a unit. The estimated amount to build the system was Rs 25 billion USD. In 2007, Rs 3.5 billion USD was
sanctioned. However, the project was still lagging in developing technologies of BMS as compared to other
countries. In 2018, due to lack of funds and lack of competitiveness, GoI shut down the project and is now
planning to import the technology. This is because other countries are far ahead and relying on old
practices will put India behind.
India, ADB sign $490 Mn loan for PPP to upgrade Madhya Pradesh roads
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Government of India has signed a $490 million loan for public-
private partnership (PPP) project for upgradation of about 1,600 km of state highways and major district
roads (MDRs) from single-lane to two-lane widths, with road safety features and all-weather standards in
state of Madhya Pradesh. An additional $286 million investment will be mobilised via private sector
participation under PPP modality.
The state highways and major district roads provide a crucial link between rural roads and national
highways, therefore, the upgradation of these roads under project will improve rural and peri-urban
connectivity in state as well as improve access to markets and better services.
Key Highlights
The project continues ADB’s engagement with Madhya Pradesh’s road sector since 2002. Since 2002, ADB
has provided state government with 5 loans to develop its road network, improving about 7,300 km of roads
or about 11% of total network. This new project will further open a new partnership by introducing PPP via
hybrid-annuity model (HAM), thereby leveraging government financing and improving sustainability of
capital investments.
The project will also develop an e-maintenance system, which can record defects or required maintenance,
along with a training program to develop capacity on contract implementation and project finance in
Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation (MPRDC).
What is Hybrid-Annuity Model (HAM)?
It is a mix of engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) model and build-operate-transfer (BOT) model.
This passes the responsibility of implementation, design, operation and maintenance obligations to private
sector, while attracting some private sector financing. Under this model, government will release 60% of
total project cost during construction, to be paid to concessionaire in portions linked to completion
milestones. The remaining 40% is arranged by concessionaire in form of equity and commercial debt. Once
the project is completed, government will repay concessionaire’s financial investment over a period of 10
years.
RBI to buy and sell Government Securities worth Rs 10,000 crores
On December 23, 2019, the Reserve Bank of India will buy and sell government securities of Rs 10,000
crores under a special Open Market Operation. Such moves are implemented by the federal bank in order to
bring down the interest rates of long-term securities. This time RBI has named its move as “Operation
Twist”.
There are different types of Government Securities issued by the Federal Bank.
Operation Twist
The buying of long-term bonds and selling of short-term bonds by RBI is called operation twist. When the
long-term bonds are bought by RBI, their demand increases. This lowers long term yields. This way the yield
curve gets twisted and hence the name “Operation Twist”. This has significant effect on the long term
interest rated that govern the investment and growth in the economy.
Operation Twist is generally used by Central Banks when long term interest rates remain high in spite of
lowering interest rates.
United States implemented the operation twice, in 1961 and 2011.
What is Open Market Operation?
It is a tool used by the RBI to smoothen liquidity conditions in the country. The main objective of OPO is to
regulate money flow in the country. RBI operates the OMO through commercial banks and does not deal
with the public directly.
Key Features of Government Securities
The Government Securities can be issued only by Governments at the Centre and State and also by Semi-
Governmental authorities. The semi-Governmental Authorities are those authorized by the GoI.
When the RBI wants to increase money supply in the economy, it purchases government securities. It sells
government securities when the need to suck out liquidity occurs.
Legislation of Government Securities
A Legal framework for issuance of government securities was provided by the Public Debt Act, 1944. It was
replaced by the Government Securities Act, 2006. It oversees government securities and defines purpose of
securities which is predominantly raising loans.
GoI to organize more than 100 Hunar Haats in next 5 years
The Ministry of Minority Affairs will organize more than 100 Hunar Haat in the next five years. The move
aims to increase employment opportunities to craftsmen, artisans and culinary experts and also to increase
their market exposure.

Highlights
The Ministry will organize Hunar Haats in Chennai, Delhi, Kolakata, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Patna, Dehradun
and Indore. The ministry has also sanctioned to set up more than 100 Hunar hubs in different parts of the
country.
The Ministry in its report said that more than 65,000 artisans and craftsmen have been employed through
Hunar Haats in the last 2 years.
Significance
Indian Handicrafts have great recognition in international market. US and EU are the major destinations that
account to 65% of export of Indian handicrafts. China is a new buyer. Other countries where Indian crafts
have great market includes Israel, Uruguay, Columbia and chile. In 2019, India exported 128 billion rupees
worth handicrafts. Last year, it stood at 118 billion rupees. The increase is 9%.
Government measures
The GoI has taken several steps to develop the handicraft sector. Government set up Indian Institute of
Carpet at Bhadohi. It also reduced interest rates to MUDRA loans provided to handicrafts and artisans. The
custom duties and exercises that were paid for importing inputs of handicrafts were refunded through Duty
Drawback Channel.
ETRSS: Ethiopia’s first satellite launched from China
Ethiopia launched its first satellite, ‘Ethiopian Remote Sensing Satellite’ (ETRSS) from China. ERSS is a
remote-sensing microsatellite, that was launched in order to help African country’s research into climate
change. It was sent into space together with 8 other satellites by a Long March-4B carrier rocket from
Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (TSLC) in Shanxi Province of north China.
About Ethiopian Remote Sensing Satellite (ETRSS)
This wide-range multispectral remote-sensing microsatellite weighs about 65 kg and has a design life of 2
years. It can obtain remote-sensing data for agriculture, forestry, water conservation, as well as disaster
prevention and mitigation. The satellite was donated to Ethiopia by China and this microsatellite program
has helped establish strong collaboration between Ethiopia and China.
The satellite was designed by Chinese and Ethiopian engineers and Chinese government paid about $6m of
more than $7m manufacturing costs.
Application: The satellite data will be used for monitoring and analysis of agriculture, environment, drought,
natural disasters, mineral exploration, weather forecasts and climate change.
NOTE: This launch makes Ethiopia the 11th African country to put a satellite into space and Egypt was the
first in 1998.
PM Modi holds Council of Ministers meet
On December 21, 2019, PM Modi chaired a meeting of his council of ministers. The works of the ministers
in the past 6 months were reviewed by the PM at the meet.
Highlights
The progress card of ministers and their works were evaluated by the PM. The ministers also presented
their plans for the next four and half years. The priorities of the Government of India to achieve “Mission
2022” were listed and the ministers were asked to produce a report on the progress of works every three
months.
The priority schemes are Jal Jeevan Mission under which tap water is to be provided to all the households
by 2022, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, etc
Mission 2022
Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, GoI has planned to provide “Housing for all” by 2022. The GoI has also
set to double farmers income by 2022. In order to achieve this GoI had launched several initiatives that
include
Encouraging Contract Farming
Upgrading Gramin Haats to work as centres of direct purchase of agricultural commodities from
farmers
E-NAM to provide electronic online trading for agricultural products. Farmers can directly sell their
products here.
Soil Health Cards were distributed to rationalize the use of fertilizers
Kisan Credit Cards were distributed
Under National Solar Mission launched in 2010, the government has set a target to achieve grid tariff parity
by 2022.
Legislation on Council of Ministers
Articles 75 and Article 74 of the constitution deal with the Council of Ministers.
Centre launches EChO Network to catalyze cross-disciplinary leadership in India
Government of India launched EChO Network, a national program to provide a template for cross-
disciplinary leadership in India. The network specifically focuses on increasing research, knowledge, and
awareness of Indian ecology and the environment. It was launched in New Delhi by Prof. K Vijay Raghavan,
Principal Scientific Adviser to Centre. Currently, no such network is present anywhere in world, thereby,
EChO Network establishes a new platform to change how science is embedded in our modern society.
About EChO Network
Founding Partners of EChO Network: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Centre for Cellular and Molecular
Platforms (C-CAMP), Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), India Climate Collaborative (ICC), RoundGlass and
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE).
Objective: To bring together leaders and individuals working hard to make a positive difference for Indian
ecosystem and to share knowledge and synergize their efforts under umbrella of science.
India has recently undertaken many national-level efforts for promoting ecological and environmental
research on subcontinent, however, there still remains a lacuna of trained scientists with interdisciplinary
skills and collaborative mindset. Therefore, this network will inspire an entirely new approach to Indian
education and exploration necessary for the post-technological world.
EChO Network would develop a national network to catalyse a new generation of Indians who can
synthesize interdisciplinary concepts with strong technological expertise and knowledge as well as tackle
real-world problems in agriculture, medicine, technology and ecology.
The Network will identify gaps in knowledge regarding selected topics in human and environmental
ecosystems, with help of regular interactive sessions with citizens, industry, academia, and the government.
The program will also train postdoctoral leaders in research and outreach on selected topics, while also
incorporating current public and private efforts into a national network.
Eventually, EChO Network intends to create an international distributed institute comprising of individuals
housed within government, academic sectors, private, and, industry, thus combining their expertise and
resources collectively to tackle large scale problems.
CBERS-4A: New China-Brazil earth resource satellite launched into space

The China-Brazil Earth Resource Satellite-4A (CBERS-4A), a new satellite jointly developed by China and
Brazil as part of a bilateral programme, was recently sent into space, thus further pushes forward the
aerospace cooperation between two countries. It was launched on a Long March-4B carrier from Taiyuan
Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi Province of China. The same rocket also put into orbits another 8
satellites, including a wide-range multispectral remote-sensing microsatellite donated to Ethiopia (which is
also Ethiopia’s first satellite).
About China-Brazil Earth Resource Satellite-4A (CBERS-4A)
CBERS-4A is equipped with 3 optical payloads:- a wide-range panchromatic multispectral camera developed
by China, and a wide-field imager and a multispectral camera developed by Brazil. It will obtain global
optical remote-sensing data and will also support Brazilian government’s to monitor Amazon rainforest and
changes in country’s environment.
It will also be used in fields such as earth resource monitoring, agriculture, environmental protection,
meteorology, surveying and mapping, and serve Brazil and more developing countries. It can also provide
services for African, Latin American and Asian countries.
The satellite was jointly developed by China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) and National Institute for
Space Research (NISR) of Brazil, while the carrier rocket was developed by Shanghai Academy of
Spaceflight Technology.
Background: CBERS-4A will replace CBERS-4 (which was launched in 2014), to improve the resolution of
remote-sensing data. The satellite is 6th satellite under earth resource satellite cooperation program
between two countries that began in 1988. The satellites designed under program are for Earth observation
from orbit for non-military use and first such earth research satellite was launched from China in 1999.
NOTE: The China and Brazil bilateral programme is also seen as a template for broader cooperation among
both countries as well as Russia, India and South Africa (i.e. BRICS nation overall). Currently, only South
Africa in BRICS bloc does not have satellites of its own.
Scientists find World’s oldest Fossil forest
Scientists have discovered the remnants of world’s oldest fossil forest- an extensive network of trees
around 386 million years old in a sandstone quarry in United States (US). According to the researchers from
Binghamton University, and New York State Museum in U.S., the fossil forest in Cairo would have spread
from New York all the way into Pennsylvania and beyond. The finding were published in journal Current
Biology.
About World’s oldest Fossil forest
The researchers team, mapped over 3,000 square metres of forest at abandoned quarry in the foothills of
Catskill Mountains in Hudson Valley, New York. The forest is nearly 2 or 3 million years older than what was
until now believed to be world’s oldest forest at Gilboa (or Gilboa Fossil Forest, also located in New York
State). As per the researchers, the Cairo forest is older than the one at Gilboa because fossils were lower
down in sequence of rocks that occur in the Catskill mountains.
Key Findings:
The findings throw a new light on evolution of trees and transformative role they played in shaping the world
we live in.
The forest is being assumed to have been looked like a fairly open forest with small to moderate sized
coniferous-looking trees with individual and clumped tree-fern like plants of possibly smaller size growing
between them.
The research shows that the forest was home to at least two types of trees:- (1) Cladoxylopsids, a primitive
tree-fern-like plants, lacked flat green leaves, and grew in vast numbers at Gilboa; while (2) Archaeopteris,
had a conifer-like woody trunk and frond-like branches which had green flattened leaves.
A single example of a third type of tree was also uncovered, which remained unidentified but could possibly
have been a lycopod. All these trees reproduced using only spores rather than seeds.
Researchers also reported an extensive network of roots which was more than 11 metres in length in some
places and belonged to Archaeopteris trees. It is these long-lived woody roots that transformed
interactions of plants and soils and were pivotal to co-evolution of forests and atmosphere.
December 22, 2019
India-China discuss border issues in New Delhi
On December 21, 2019, Indian and Chinese representatives met in New Delhi for the 22nd time to discuss the
border issued between the countries. This is the first meeting of the representatives since the second
informal summit between PM Modi and President Xi Jingping that was held at Chennai in October 2019.
Highlights
India and China agreed to intensify their efforts in order to achieve reasonable solution to boundary
problems. Also, the countries recognized the importance of Confidence Building Measures in order to
promote communication between the border personnel.
Significance
The India-china border dispute is in Aksai region in the western end and at the McMahon Line one the
eastern side. The countries held 21st round of talks at Chengdu in China in 2018. The Special
Representatives talks are given utmost importance by both the countries as it involves highest officials. It is
also important the forum discusses common issues of the countries along with border issues.
Plan to build new Parliament Building
On December 21, 2019, GoI announced that the 9.5-acre plot opposite to Parliament building is to be used
for the construction of new Parliament building. This officially confirms that the plan to build a new
Parliamentary building is on. There were concerns and objections regarding the plan in the earlier stages.
The Government of India is planning to build a new Parliament House. Under the plan, a new Central
Secretariat will be built for all ministries that are spread over many buildings across Delhi.
Highlights
In September 2019, the Central Public Works Department set massive project by issuing request for
redevelopment of parliamentary building and for the development of new secretariat. The project will cost
Rs 12,450 crores. The deadline of the project completion is fixed as March 2022 (75 th year of
Independence). The new building will have lifespan of 150 to 200 years.
Background
The Parliament House was built by the British between 1911 and 1931. After 1947, government of
independent India added buildings like Krishi Bhavan, Shastri Bhavan and Nirman Bhavan. These buildings
are not earth quake proof and do have modern facilities and space that are in need today.
History
The Parliament Architecture was designed by British Architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker in
1912. The structure includes hybrid architectural style namely Hindu, Roman and Saracenic.
FSSAI delinks front of packet labelling from general labelling
On December 18, 2019, the FSSAI (Food Safety Standards Association of India) announced that the front of
packet labeling will be delinked from its general labeling regulation. The move is being implemented in
order to make the consumers aware of food products that are high in fat, salt and sugar content.
Highlights
The authority has decided that the front of the pack and the general labeling regulations must be de-linked.
The authority will soon provide threshold limit of sugar, salt and fat in food products. The Front of Packet
Labeling helps to identify the green (vegetarian foods ) and red (non-vegetarian foods). It also includes
pictorial representation of nutrients, food group nutrients and summary indicators, etc. This can at times be
misleading as consumers fail to give a detailed read about the product.
Front of Pack Labelling
FoPL is a policy tool that help consumers to make healthier food choices. It was included for the first time
in draft Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display Regulations), 2019. It aims at creating
awareness to consumers about products that are high in sugar, fat and salt content. There are two aspects
of FoPL namely threshold limit and the way the limit is depicted on packets of processed food.
Why the delinking?
Delinking is breaking the connection or cutting off. On December 17, the Centre for Science and
Environment released a report based on its study on packaged food. The Centre tested 33 foods, 19 fast
foods, four different types of wrapped sandwiches, fried chicken, pizza, etc. The results showed high
content of salt and fat in the food items. The thresholds that the companies follow were not up to Indian
Standards. Therefore, FSSAI has delinked the FoPL standards from labelling regulations and will set new
threshold.
3000 Global Leaders to meet at WEF’s 50th annual meet
On December 22, 2019, the World Economic Forum said that around 3,000 world leaders will meet at its 50th
annual meeting to discuss on actions that are required to make “cohesive and sustainable world”.
Highlights
The meet is to be attended by the global leaders from all over the world. It includes US President Trump,
Russian President Putin and other leaders of top polluters. However, China, one of the top 5 polluters of the
world is to skip the event. The leaders of countries who are to attend the meeting include Iraq, Norway,
Afghanistan, Switzerland. The event is expected to have huge expectations as the UN Global Climate
Summit failed to meet the required climate actions. Though the WEF meet does not focus on climate, it will
make key decisions considering climate change as one of the factors.
India at the event
From India union ministers Piyush Goyal and Mansukh Mandaivya are to attend the meeting along with 100
CEOs. Along with the ministers, the chief ministers of three states will also attend the meeting. The theme
of the event is
Theme: Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World
About the event

The event is to be held in Davos between January 21, 2020 and January 24, 2020. The leaders believe that it
is essential and critical to develop “Davos Manifesto 2020”. The manifesto will aim to make the
governments and companies reconsider or reimagine their steps of progress. The WEF was formed in 1971
for the very same purpose. A Universal ESG Scorecard is to be published at the WEF International Business
Council meet.
India-EU Summit: EU President calls on PM Modi
On December 21, 2019, the EU President called on PM Modi to discuss regarding an early India-EU summit
2020. It is expected that the leaders will discuss on making progress on the issues related to Bilateral Trade
and Investment Agreement (BTIA), Europol, counter-terrorism, Euroatom, climate change, etc. The summit is
to be held in Brussels.
What is BTIA?
The BTIA is a free trade agreement that was initiated between India and EU in the year 2007. Even after
years of negotiations the countries are yet to resolve the deadlock that prevails in and around the issues of
fulfilling BTIA.
Obstacles of BTIA
The countries have their own concerns in signing the agreement. India is concerned that it has not been
given “data secure” status by the EU. Also, the visa rules of UK have discriminated against Indian technical
professionals. In 2016, India cancelled several bilateral agreements signed earlier with the EU claiming that
they were outdated.
EU wants India to reduce tax on liquor, automobiles. However, in the interest of promoting domestic
automobile industry, India is unable to fulfill the demand. EU also wants India to liberalize legal services and
accountancy. It also wants India to sign pacts that will allow investors to avail Investor-State Dispute
Settlement mechanism at the WTO.
Space Force: Trump officially launches new US military service
Describing space as the world’s newest war-fighting domain, US President Donald Trump officially launched
US military ‘Space Force’ at an army base near Washington. Trump highlighted that the Space Force will
help to deter aggression and control ultimate high ground.
What is Space Force?
It is United States’ first new military service in more than 70 years, since Air Force was spun off from US
Army in 1947. While Space Force is not designed or intended to put combat troops in space, it will be the
provider of forces and will build on work of US Space Command (SpaceCom). SpaceCom was created in
August 2019 as the overseer of US military’s space operations.
Space Force would comprise around 16,000 Air Force and civilian personnel and will be funded by an initial
US $40million for its first year. Instead of being its own military department, like US Navy, US Army and US
Air Force, the Space Force will be administered by Secretary of Air Force.
What will the Space Force actually do?
It is not intended to put troops into orbit, but will protect US assets like hundreds of satellites used for
communication and surveillance. This space mission comes as US military chiefs see China and Russia
making advancements in military final frontier. The space mission is part of a broader vision of achieving
American dominance in space as amid grave threats to US national security.
Fact Box: Pat Cummins becomes most expensive overseas IPL player
The Australian pacer Pat Cummins, with a base price of Rs.2 crore, became the most expensive overseas
player in Indian Premier League (IPL) as he was sold to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a whopping
Rs.15.50 crore($2.2 million).
Key Highlights
Kolkata Night Riders shelled out Rs.15.5 crore, nearly 43% of their purse, for the New South Welshman at
the auction for IPL 2020, the 12th edition of Indian Premier League tournament.
The 26-year-old is currently the number one ranked Test bowler in the world. He has previously played for
Delhi Capitals or Delhi Daredevils (as they were known then) in 2017 edition and Kolkata Knight Riders in the
2014 edition.
Prior to Cummins becoming the most expensive overseas buy in IPL, Ben Stokes was the player a team had
spent most money on and that was when he was picked up for 2.16 million in 2017 by Rising Pune
Supergiant (RPS). Overall, Cummins is third on list of most expensive IPL players ever bought with Yuvraj
Singh occupying the first rank ande Gautam Gambhir occupying second rank, having also been bought by
KKR.
Mirabai Chanu bags Gold in 6th Qatar International Cup in Doha
Saikhom Mirabai Chanu (24), the Former world champion weightlifter won the women’s 49kg category gold
medal to open India’s account at 6th Qatar International Cup being held in Doha. Chanu lifted 83kg in snatch
and 111kg in clean and jerk to finish on top of podium. However, her performance was way below her
personal best of 201 kg which she lifted during this year’s World Championships in Thailand.
The French duo of Anais Michel (172kg) and Manon Lorentz (165kg) took won the silver and bronze medals
respectively.
Key Highlights
Chanu who is also a 2018 Commonwealth Games (CWG) gold-medallist managed to register only one clean
lift in both snatch and clean and jerk categories, as she manged to lift only 83kg in her 2nd attempt in
snatch event but then failed to clear 87kg in her final try. She then lifted 111kg in the clean and jerk section
in her first attempt but was unable to heave 115kg and 116kg in her final two attempts.
The 24-year-old form Manipur, bagged gold with an effort of 194kg in Olympic qualifying event, with the
points which will come in handy when final rankings for 2020 Tokyo Olympics cut are done.
Condition: To qualify for 2020 Tokyo Olympics, a weightlifter must compete in at least 1 event in each of
the three periods of 6 months (i.e. form November 2018- April 2020), at least 6 events overall and in at least
1 gold and another silver level event.
Other Winner: India’s Jeremy Lalrinnunga won the silver medal in the men’s 67kg category, with a total lift of
306kg (140kg in snatch and 166kg in clean and jerk).
About Qatar 6th International Cup- Weight Lifting
Qatar is hosting the 6th Edition of Weight Lifting International Cup at a glittering tournament slated to start
on 19 December 2019 and will conclude on the 24 December 2019.
History: The Qatar Cup tournament is held under supervision and organization of International Weightlifting
Federation (IWF) and also Qatar Weightlifting Federation (QWF). The tournament has been held from 2015
onwards with editions in 2016 and 2018.
WHO: India off-track to meet tobacco target
The World Health Organization on December 19, 2019, released its report on Global Tobacco use trends.
According to the report, number of males using tobacco has declined globally for the first time. The report
says that the anti-smoking campaigns all over the world is the main reason for the number of tobacco users
to reduce.
Highlights: World
Globally the number of tobacco users have declined by 60 million people. In 2000, the overall tobacco users
were 1.397 billion and it has come down to 1.337 billion in 2018. The report says despite the reduction in
numbers, the global target set by governments to reduce the use of tobacco by 30% by 2025 remains off
track. So far only 32 countries are on track to reach the target.

Around 43 million children (of age 13-15) are using tobacco in 2018. The number of women using tobacco
was 244 million. Of all the regions of the world, South East Asian region has the highest use of tobacco. The
only region on track to achieve the target is the Americas.
Highlights: India
According to the report, India is off track to achieve the target of 30% reduction by 2025 as compared to
2010 level. Along with India 163 countries are off the track.
However, the consumption rate in India is going down by 21.6% as compared to 2010. The current users of
smokeless form of tobacco in India is estimated to be 257,020,000.
December 23, 2019
India Celebrates National Farmers Day
India celebrates National Farmers Day on 23rd December to commemorate the birth anniversary of the 5th
Prime Minister of India, Choudhary Charan Singh. He was a farmer’s leader and he had introduced many
policies to improve the lives of the Indian farmers. The day is being observed since 2001.
Highlights
Kisan Diwas is being celebrated in several parts of the country in order to promote importance of farmers in
the society. It also aims at establishing the fact that overall social and economic development of the
country depends on the farmers. The day is widely celebrated in states such as UP, Haryana, Punjab and
MP.
Awareness programmes, seminars, lectures are conducted across the country to create awareness about
farmers contribution to the society.
Choudhary Charan Singh
Choudhary Charan Singh served as the Prime Minister of India between 28 July 1979 and 14 January 1980.
He is often referred to as the ‘champion of India’s peasants.
Choudhary Charan Singh was born on 23 December 1902 in a rural peasant Jat family. He entered into
politics during the Independence Movement motivated by Gandhiji and he served as a member of
Legislative Assembly of the United Provinces elected in 1937.
Mr Choudhary was responsible for several land reforms in the state of Uttar Pradesh. He also worked hard
to pass the “Zamindari Abolition bill, 1952”
In the post-independence period, he was one of three principal leaders of Congress from Uttar Pradesh. He
defected from the Congress in 1967 and became the first non-Congress chief minister of UP. He became
Prime Minister in the year 1979.
According to him, caste-ism was the root to slavery. He has written several books like India’s Poverty,
Abolition of Zamindari and Legend Proprietorship. The NABARD-National Bank of Agriculture and Rural
Development was established during his reign.
He died in 1987. His memorial in New Delhi is named as Kisan Ghat.
India Builds Girls’ Hostel for Nepal Armed Police Force School
The Government of India has constructed Girls’ Hostel for Nepal Armed Police Force (APF) School in
Kirtipur, Kathmandu. The hostel building built with Indian assistance was formally handed over to the school
by by Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India, Dr. Ajay Kumar. The project was implemented by Nepal
Armed Police Force (APF). The project compliments effort of Government of Nepal in augmenting
infrastructure in the field of education.
About Nepal Armed Police Force (APF) School
It is an academic institution created under APF Welfare Service Centre of Nepal Armed Police Force. The
school was founded in 2005 and it has over 21% of girls students. The new infrastructure constructed with
Indian government’s grant assistance of 40.42 million Nepali Rupees is a two storied girls hostel. It
comprises 32 rooms including warden room, dormitory, bathroom, sanitation facilities for girls on each floor
and furniture. This newly built infrastructure is expected to boost learning environment of students.
Chilai-Kalan: 40-day period of extreme cold begins in Kashmir
The traditional 40-day period of harshest winter in Kashmir known in the local parlance as ‘Chillai-Kalan’
began on 21 December 2019, with the upper reaches of valley receiving snowfall. Chillai-Kalan period which
is known for sub-zero temperatures, frozen lakes and river, will end on 31 January 2020.
About ‘Chillai-Kalan’
These 40 days are when the chances of snowfall are highest and the maximum temperature drops
considerably. During Chillai-Kalan, the weather in Kashmir valley continues to remain dry and cold with
minimum temperatures hovering below freezing point and the snow during this 40-day period freezes and
lasts longer.
Even after Chillai-Kalan ends, the cold wave, however, continues even after that. Therefore Chillai-Kalan is
followed by a 20-day-long period called ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) that occurs between January 31 and
February 19 and a 10-day-long period ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold) which is from February 20 to March 2.
Eight West African countries rename common currency to Eco
The eight West African nations have agreed to change the name of their common currency from ‘CFA franc’
to ‘Eco’, after they jointly severed the CFA franc’s links to former colonial ruler France. The announcement
was made during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Ivory Coast, who hailed the decision as a
historic reform. Even though the deal took six months in making, common currency Eco will see the light of
day in 2020.
Key highlights
The 8 West African countries namely- Ivory Coast, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Niger, Senegal, Togo and
Guinea-Bissau currently use CFA France as their currency. All these countries, except Guinea-Bissau, are
former French colonies.
The CFA franc was initially pegged to French franc and has been linked to euro for about two decades. The
common currency Eco will see the light of day in 2020. However, the Ivory Coast President announced the
three major changes, which included- (1) a change of name of the currency; (2) stopping holding 50% of
reserves in French Treasury; (3) withdrawal of French governance in any aspect related to the currency.
About CFA franc
It is the name of two currencies- ‘the West African CFA franc’, which is used in 8 West African countries, and
‘Central African CFA franc’, which is used in 6 Central African countries. Both currencies are guaranteed by
French treasury and was created in 1945. The currency was seen by many as a sign of French interference
in its former African colonies even after countries became independent.
NOTE: Ivory Coast is the world’s top cocoa producer as well as France’s former main colony in West Africa.
Assam Cabinet nod to make Assamese the state language

On December 23, 2019, the Assam Cabinet nodded to make Assamese language the state language of
Assam. This will exclude BTAD (Bodoland Territorial Administrative Districts), Barak Valley and Hill districts
of Assam.
Highlights
The cabinet has also suggested that Assamese will be made compulsory in all schools of Assam. The move
comes in the wake of rising insecurities among Assamese population in the state. After the passing of
Citizenship Amendment Bill, there has been an increased wave of insecurity in the Brahmaputra Valley.
In order make the move successful, the Central Government will now have to amend Article 345. If amended
the article will remove fears of people fighting for their rights to culture and language in the region.
Current Scenario
Currently Assamese and Bodo are the official languages in Assam. However, certain districts of Assam in
Barak valley use Bengali as official language
Article 345
Article 345 says that subject to provisions of Article 346 and 347, the state legislature might adopt one or
more languages to be used as official languages.
Article 346 states that the states are authorized to decide on the language of communications
amongst them and with the centre. However, such a language should have been authorized by the
centre
Article 347 provides special provisions to language spoken to a section of a population. The
President if satisfied shall assent on usage of the language.
The factor of amendment comes in as the Assam Government intends to exclude a section of the state
which is against the current constitutional provisions.
Manuel Marrero Cruz appointed as Cuba’s first PM in more than 40 years
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has appointed Manuel Marrero Cruz as the country’s first prime minister
in more than four decades (40 years). Marrero Cruz who was named prime minister for a five-year term, has
served as Cuban tourism minister for 16 years. He is an architect by trade and has helped boost Cuba’s
economy by making tourism one of the engines of growth.
Key Highlights
History: The post of prime minister was scrapped in 1976 by the then-revolutionary leader and Cuba’s last
prime minister Fidel Castro. In December 1976, Fidel Castro took the title of president of the State Council,
which replaced the posts of president and prime minister. This makes Marrero Cruz first appointed Prime
Minister of Cuba since 1976.
New Constitution: In February 2019, Cuban voters approved a new constitution to replace 1976 Soviet-era
charter enacted under Fidel Castro. The Prime Minister’s post was reinstated under the rules of this newly
passed constitution for communist-run island. However, under the new constitution, the Communist Party
still remains the only political party allowed in Cuba, as well as it remains the guiding force for all
government policy.
Apart from Prime Minister, Deputy prime minister and other members of the Council of Ministers were also
appointed. Diaz-Canel remains head of state and Raul Castro remains the first secretary of Communists and
the real power remains in the hand of the two. The prime minister will manage day-to-day operations but will
still report to president.
However, Critics highlights that any such changes are purely cosmetic as the Cuban Communist Party and
military remain the only two real decision-making institutions in country.
Ebola emerges again in Congo
Health officials in Eastern Congo recently documented the first relapse of current Ebola epidemic. The
Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has so far infected more than 3,300 people and
killed more than 2,200 since the middle of 2018, making it the second-worst on record.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), this recent relapse happened in Aloya district where a
motorcycle taxi operator is said to have come into contact with 33 people is potentially the cause of 11 new
confirmed Ebola cases in past week.
What is Ebola?
Ebola is a rare but deadly virus which was first identified in 1976 by researchers sent to investigate an
ailment that was killing victims in a remote part of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The researchers
team named the condition after the local Ebola river.
Ebola causes Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), a rare and deadly disease in people and nonhuman primates.
Ebola is triggered by a virus- probably picked up from an infected bat or non-human primate – that causes
blood vessels to leak and can end in organ failure and death. Ebola has killed more than 11,000 people
between 2013 and 2016.
22 Dec: National Mathematics Day
National Mathematics Day is being celebrated today to commemorate the birth anniversary of Srinivasa
Ramanujan. Ramanujan is remembered for his contributions to number theory, mathematical analysis,
infinite series and continued fractions. This year, was his 132nd birth anniversary.
About Srinivasa Ramanujan
He was born on 22 December 1887 in Tamil Nadu’s Erode district. In his short life (he died at the age of 32,
on 26 April 1920), Ramanujan had a wealth of ideas that have transformed and reshaped 20th century
mathematics.
Without any formal training in pure mathematics he contributed to number theory, infinite series, and
mathematical analysis. His ideas continue to shape mathematics of the 21st century. He also discovered
his own theorems and compiled as many as 3900 mathematical results and equations independently.
Ramanujan’s Prime and Theta discoveries had inspired further research on this mathematical subject. He is
also know for the Hardy-Ramanujan number- ‘1729’, which is the smallest number which can be
represented as sum of two different cubes in two different ways. He discovered the number along with
British Mathematician G.H. Hardy.
Background
In 2012, Union Government headed by the then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, declared 22nd
December as ‘National Mathematics Day’ to celebrate 125th birth anniversary of Srinivasa Ramanujan.
Government also declared, the year 2012 as National Mathematics Year.
QCI Survey: More than 67% of toys fail to meet the standards
The Quality Council of India (QCI) recently released its survey on imported toys. According to the report,
66.9% of the toys failed the test.
Highlights
The QCI conducted the testing on toys that were available in the Delhi markets and in the National Capital
Region. Around 121 varieties were procured and submitted to NABL (National Accreditation Board for
Testing and calibration Laboratories).
Of the tested varieties, 30% of the plastic toys failed to meet the tests of permissible level of phthalate,
heavy metals, etc. Around 80% of the toys failed to meet the physical and mechanical safety properties.
In the soft toys, 45% failed on phthalate test and 75% failed on tests conducted on mechanical properties.
Of the toys sold in Delhi markets, 85% are from China, followed by Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Germany.
Quality Council of India
The QCI was set up in 1997 to establish and promote quality standards across social and economic
sectors. The services offered by QCI include quality assessment, accreditation services, quality promotion,
etc. It is associated with CII (Confederation of India Industry), ASSOCHAM (where PM Modi addressed its
100th year celebrations).
The Council is governed by 38-members. The chairperson of the council is appointed by the PM of India. It
functions through 5 main accreditation boards namely NABCB (National Accreditation Board for
Certification Bodies), NABET (National Accreditation Board for Education and Training), NBQP (National
Board for Quality Promotion), NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers)
and NABL.
First Tripartite Agreement on Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Fund
On December 23, 2019, the department of fisheries (GoI), NABARD and Tamil Nadu Government signed an
agreement to implement Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Fund (FIDF). The tripartite agreement set
a total of Rs 7522 crores to address the infrastructure requirement of fisheries sector.
Highlights
The fund includes setting up of berth facilities for safe landing for number of fishing vessels. It will also be
used to increase fish production, stimulate fisheries related economic activities, and to boost economic
activities in the region. The projects are to be implemented in the southern coasts of Tamil Nadu. The
funding will also be used to augment deep sea fishing, cage culture and promote exports in the future.
Role of NABARD
NABARD provides concessional financing to fisheries infrastructure facilities through state governments
under FIDF. It is the Nodal Loaning Entity of the fisheries department. It also supports fisheries under Rural
Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF)
Fisheries in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is the home of 10 lakh fisher families. The state is ideal for brackish water fisheries, marine
fisheries and inland fisheries. Tamil Nadu ranks fourth in total fish production in the country.
India ranks second in the world fish production. The fisheries sector in the country contributes to 1% of GDP
of the country.
DRDO tests QRSAM (missile) successfully
On December 23, 2019, the Defence Research Development Organization (DRDO) test fired the Quick
Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) successfully. The test was conducted at the Integrated Test
Range, Chandipur, Odisha.
Highlights
The missile was tested in its deployment mode. It intercepted a target in mid-air meeting the mission’s
objectives successfully. The entire launch was monitored by Range radar systems, ground telemetry
systems and electro optical tracking system.
The weapon system of the missile that was tested has active array battery surveillance radar, automated
command and control system, active array battery multifunction radar. The system is mounted with 2 radars
that provide 360-degree coverage.
The missile was also designed with single stage propulsion, a navigation system with 2-way data link that
were developed by DRDO.
QRSAM
The QRSAM is a missile developed by DRDO along with Bharat Electronics Limited for the Indian army. In
2007, the proposal of QRSAM was launched as a replacement for Osa-AK and Kvadrat missile systems. The
first testing of QRSAM was conducted in 2017.
Previously, the QRSAM missile testing was conducted in August 2019.
Modernization of signaling systems in Indian Railways
On December 23, 2019, Ministry of Railways announced that Indian Railways is set to receive modern
signaling systems. According to the ministry, it is one of the most ambitious projects of Indian Railways.
This is because the project improves safety, line capacity allowing trains to run at higher speeds.
Highlights
The plan will be implemented after approval from NITI Aayog, CCEA (Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs) and Extended Board of Railways. The cost of implementation of the programme is estimated to be
Rs 77,912 crores and has been included in Works Programme.
The work includes Automatic Train Protection System, Electronic Interlocking System, Remote Diagnostic
and Predictive Maintenance System, Centralized Traffic Control System and Train Management System.
The modernization work is to be implemented in 640 routes. RailTel will be the nodal agency to implement
the project on behalf of Indian Railways.
Modernization
The Automatic Train Protection system includes systems that check speed of train, automatic stops, and
activates emergency brakes. The Centralised Traffic Control System controls rail interlockings. In this
system, all the signal locations are integrated at a single location. This increases the efficiency of operation
of railway within an operating territory.
December 24, 2019
External Affairs Minister visits Iran
External Affairs Minister was on a two-day visit to Iran between December 22-23, 2019. During his visit he
chaired the 19th Joint Commission Meeting with his Iranian Counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Highlights
The leaders at the Joint Commission Meeting agreed to Strengthen and accelerate Chabahar project. The
visit comes after US has provided narrow exemption to India from sanctions. US had earlier imposed
sanctions on Iran for its accumulation of nuclear weapons. India has been exempted as the project intends
towards development of Afghanistan.
The Minister also met Iranian President. The President expressed satisfaction in operationalization of
Shahid Beheshti port as well.
Shahid Beheshti port
Chabahar is the only port of Iran. It consists of two separate ports namely Shahid Kalantari and Shahid
Beheshti. India and Iran agreed to develop Shahid Kalantari port in 2003. However, it was dropped following
sanctions on Iran. The project was again taken up in 2016. Under the agreement, India will construct 600-
meter-long container handling facility at the port. India has already begun its operation at the port in 2016.
Other Discussions
India and Iran also agreed to celebrate their 70th anniversary of bilateral treaty of friendship in 2020. The
countries will promote people-to-people contact, organize cultural festivals, youth exchanges and also
exchanges between Parliamentarians
Background
India and Iran signed the “Chabahar Project” in 2017. It is an 85 million USD project that aims to develop
Chabahar port in south-eastern Iran. The Chabahar port is an alternate route for trade between India and
Afghanistan. The land route through Pakistan from India to Afghanistan is not accessible.
The project is also seen as a counter to Chinese Gwadar port in Pakistan.
Swachh Bharat Mission achieves its urban target
On December 23, 2019, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs announced that urban areas of 35 states have
been declared Open Defecation Free. It includes 4,167 cities. The target has been achieved through third
party verification.
Highlights
According to the ministry, the target has been achieved by constructing 65.81 lakh househols toilets as
against the target of 59 lakhs. In order to achieve the target, the ministry had launched ODF+ and ODF++
protocols. The ministry also launched Water+ protocol to make sure that no untreated waste water is
discharged into water bodies.
How was the target achieved?
The Ministry partnered with Google and mapped all the public toilets for ease of access to citizens. Today
around 2,300 cities have more than 57,000 public toilets mapped on google maps.
With Star Rating Protocol the ministry streamlines solid waste management in cities. With door to door
garbage collection and garbage processing and waste recycling methods, today more than 57 cities have
been rated as 3-star cities and 4-cities (Indore, Ambikapur, Mysuru and Navi Mumbai) have been rated 5-star
cities.
Plastic management in the cities were also streamlined complying with Plastic Management rules.
The ministry is currently working with 46 cement plants where the plastic wastes can be sent directly for
recycling and reusage.
Operating ministries
The Swachh Bharat Mission for urban areas is being implemented by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
The mission for rural areas is being implemented by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. The rural
areas of India were declared Open Defecation Free on October 2, 2019. PM Modi declared rural India ODF
during his address at 150th birth anniversary celebration of Mahatma Gandhi.
Nagpur Resolution adopted at regional conference organized by DARPG
On December 22, 2019, “Nagpur Resolution” was adopted during a Valedictory session of a regional
conference organized by DARPG (Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances). The
conference was on “Improving Public Service Delivery” and was attended by officials from the Ministries of
MSME, Road transport, north east development and officials from prime minister office.
Features of Resolution
The Conference resolved to empower citizens. The other key points of the resolution include
To provide better services to the citizens through policy interventions, implementation of enactments,
timely updation of citizen charters, etc.
To adopt bottom-to-top approach. This will help reduce the timelines of grievance redressal.
To focus on dynamic policy, work towards long-term engagements and ensure timely publication of
good governance index.
Takeaways
The resolution pointed out certain factors as Ingredients of Good Governance. The resolution focused on
corruption-free transparent approach, fast decision making and positive approaches. These highlights were
projected as the key for good governance. It also focused on importance of team spirit, public audit of
public servants.
The resolution also said that civil servants are the most important stakeholders. According to the
resolution, it is important to adopt a development-oriented approach including last man in the queue to
achieve job satisfaction.
The resolution focused on “Minimum Government and Maximum Governance”
Initiatives
The GoI has launched certain initiatives to achieve “Minimum Government and Maximum Governance”. It
includes
Launching of portals, discontinuation of interviews for junior level posts, self-attestations
In order to achieve transparency and efficiency, Fastag system had been launched by the Ministry of
Road Transport and highways.
The PM Excellence Awards are now awarded based on implementation of priority programmes
Grievance Redressal System has been launched where the complaints lodged have gone from 1.5
lakhs (at the time of launch) to 16 lakhs in 2019.
National Green Corps Ecoclub programme meets for the first time
On December 23, 2019, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) organized an
annual meeting of state nodal agencies implementing the Ecoclub programme for the first time. The event
was organized in collaboration with GEER foundation, Gujarat.
Highlights
Senior officers of the Ecoclub programme from 22 states and union territories participated in the
programme. Around 200 students from the state of Gujarat also participated in the programme. Ecoclub
awards were awarded to school students at national level. Two books were released at the event namely
“Glimpses of Ecoclubs” and a handbook on International Environment Conventions and Programmes.
National Green Corps
The programme was launched by the MoEFCC covering 1,20,000 schools in India. The programme mainly
covered the School Eco clubs in different states. They are titled NGC students similar to NCC. These
students participate in activities related to energy conservation, water conservation, biodiversity
conservation, waste management, resource management and land use planning.
Significance
The NGC is the largest programme in the world. The programme targets that the children participating in the
programme will grow up and take care of the environment. The NGC cadets are given pride places at
celebrations of national days when they participate in their NGC uniform. Also, when NGC cadets take up
environmental activities they attract huge public attention.
DNA Analysis Centre inaugurated at CFSL, Chandigarh
Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, inaugurated a State-of-the-Art DNA Analysis Centre
at Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Chandigarh. All States and Union Territories (UTs) will be
utilizing this facility and will in future set up similar facilities in their respective States for quick disposal of
forensic cases referred to them.
About DNA Analysis Centre
This new Advanced Forensic DNA Analysis Lab has been established under Nirbhaya Fund scheme. It has
been set up with an allocation of Rs.99.76 crores and has a capacity of examining 2000 cases per year.
Directorate of Forensic Science services (DFSS) under Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has ensured that this
Centre is fully equipped with modern DNA Profiling tools and equipment.
The Centre will provide State-of-the-art facility for-
Sexual Assault and Homicide Unit
Paternity Unit
Human Identification Unit and
Mitochondrial DNA Unit.
A specialised training in collection of forensic evidence is also being undertaken by Bureau of Police
Research and Development (BPRD) and more than 6000 personnel have been trained.
Need: DNA Analysis has become critical in ensuring efficiency and timeliness in completion of criminal
investigation and better convictions. Forensic DNA Profiling is a very sensitive and reproducible technique,
which has become one of the most valuable tools in modern criminal investigation. Irious applications
include- paternity and maternity disputes, human identification in mass disasters, identification of victim
and suspect in rape and murder cases, identification of deceased, immigration, child swapping in hospitals
and organ transplantation.
About Central Forensic Science Laboratories (CFSLs)
CFSLs are a premier institution in the field of forensic science services in the country. The Directorate of
Forensic Science Services (DFSS) has set up Central Forensic Science Laboratories (CFSLs) all across
country. These are situated at- Pune (Maharashtra) Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Chandigarh, Guwahati
(Assam), Kolkata (West Bengal) and Hyderabad (Telangana).
CFSL role is to assist States/UTs in undertaking forensic examination of evidence. However, CFSLs
predominant role is to undertake Research & Development (R&D) activities with a view to develop new
forensic techniques, adopt latest developments in basic sciences for forensic analysis and disseminate this
information to other Forensic Science Laboratories.
Oxygen Parlour opened at Nashik Railway Station to combat Air Pollution
In a unique initiative to battle rising air pollution in cities, Indian Railways has opened an ‘Oxygen Parlour’ at
Nashik railway station in Maharashtra. The initiative seeks to provide an experience of breathing clean air to
the commuters.
About ‘Oxygen Parlour’
It has been set up by Indian Railways in collaboration with Airo Guard, a one of the leading consultancies in
field of plant nurseries based in Nashik. The objective behind setting up Parloue is to expand this initiative
to every railway station as well as every home.
There are nearly 1500 plants in Oxygen Parlour, so, these plants can directly and effectively bring down the
pollution in the air at the railway station and allow the people to breathe cleaner air.
Concept: The concept of Oxygen Parlour is based on recommendation of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA). In 1989, NASA had conducted a study in which they identified some plants
that better absorb the 5 most harmful pollutants from air. It is these plants which have been mostly planted
in the Parlour as they can clean the air in an area of 10X10 feet around them.
Senior diplomat Harsh Vardhan Shringla to be new Foreign Secretary
The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Harsh Vardhan Shringla,
currently serving as India’s ambassador to United States (US), as the next foreign secretary. He is likely to
take over will take over as next Foreign Secretary soon after Republic Day, 2020 i.e. on 29 January for a two-
year tenure.
HV Shringla will take over the charge from incumbent, Vijay Gokhale, an expert on China and East Asia, who
succeeded S. Jaishankar as foreign secretary in January 2018. S. Jaishankar was later appointed as
External Affairs Minister by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2019.

About Harsh Vardhan Shringla
He is an alumnus of St Stephen’s College and Mayo College, Ajmer. He is a 1984-batch Indian Foreign
Service (IFS) officer and also the topper of 1984 batch of civil services. When he takes over as next foreign
secretary, he will supersede three other officers- Ruchi Ghanshyam (1982), current high commissioner to
the UK; Amita Nair (1983) India’s ambassador to Chile; and Rajeev Chander (1983) Indian PR in Geneva.
Service: Before taking over the charge as ambassador to US, he has served as ambassador to Thailand
(from 2014 to 2016) and high commissioner to Bangladesh. He has also served at UNESCO in France, UN in
New York besides Israel, South Africa and Vietnam. He has also served in Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)
and held the position of joint secretary in charge of Sri Lanka, Maldives Bangladesh, Myanmar division, so
would have a deeper understanding of the neighbourhood, which is of primary concern to government.
IAF Chief to visit Egypt for bilateral talks
The Indian Air Force Chief RKS Bhaduria will embark a four-day visit to Egypt starting on December 24,
2019. The aim of the visit is to strengthen long-standing relations between India and Egypt.
Highlights
During his visit, the chief has scheduled to visit operational and training establishments of the Egyptian Air
Force. Also, he will interact with senior officials of the Egyptian armed forces.
India-Egypt
India is the fourth largest trading partner of Egypt following US, Italy and Saudi Arabia. The trade between
the countries have been tradition. India imported 1.29 billion USD worth goods (2017-18 and exported 2.39
billion USD worth goods.
Why is Defence ties with Egypt important?
Egypt controls the Suez Canal. It has been insisting India to invest in the expansion programme of Suez
Canal Economic Zone. China and US have already invested their share and India has positive plans towards
the investment of the expansion.
Also, the investments of India in the country has been growing in the recent years. In 2018, Indian
investments in the country amounted to 3 billion USD and is increasing. Therefore, it becomes essential for
India to establish good defence relations with the country for the security of the traded goods and their
transport through the canal.
India-Egypt Exercises
As of 2019, Egypt has not participated in individual military exercises with India. However, it has
participated in joint military exercises along with other African nations.
India hosted defence exercise for 17 African called AFINDEX-19 that was held at Pune. The African
countries that participated in the exercise include Egypt, Niger, Ghana, Uganda, etc. Apart from this, India
also hosted IAFTX (India Africa Field Training Exercise) in March 2019.
Therefore, it is important for India to strengthen its defence ties with Egypt to increase its presence in the
African Continent
Major Anoop Mishra awarded Army Design Bureau Excellence Award
Indian Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat felicitated Major Anoop Mishra with prestigious Army Design Bureau
(ADB) Excellence Award for indigenously developing ‘Sarvatra Kavach’, a bulletproof jacket that can
provide protection against various ammunition including that from sniper steel bullets. Maj. Anoop is
presently posted as Instructor at College of Military Engineering, Pune and was among the four awardees
felicitated by Gen. Rawat.
About Army Technology Seminar (ARTECH)
The awards were conferred at Army Technology Seminar (ARTECH) held on 23 December 2019 at
Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi. It was organized by Army Design Bureau (ADB), Indian Army jointly with
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM). ARTECH was
based on theme: ‘Technologies for Non – Contact Warfare’.
About Sarvatra Kawach
Background: In 2014, Army Major Anoop Mishra was hit by a bullet while serving in Kashmir valley. Luckily,
the bullet hit his armour plate and he was saved but following the deep trauma which he went through, he
decided to work on developing an armour that can withstand hits from all kinds of ammunition which further
led to making of ‘Sarvatra Kawach’.
The suit was named ‘Sarvatra Kawach’, as it provides protection from neck to ankle and upper arms. The
project was sanctioned in June 2017, however, initially the design and development of a Level IIIA soft body
armour suit was sanctioned but it was subsequently revised to include a Level IV hard armour panel inserts.
About Army Design Bureau (ADB)
The ADB was set up to work together with industry and academia and develop indigenous solutions for the
Indian Army. ADB is also responsible for spearheading Make in India initiative. Its role is to be the facilitator
for Research & Development (R&D) efforts and initiation of Procurements of Weapons and Equipment
required by Indian Army.
NASVI, FSSAI to jointly organise National Street Food Festival
The National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) and food regulator FSSAI (Food Safety and
Standards Authority of India) are jointly organising National Street Food Festival (NSFF) at Jawahar Lal
Nehru Stadium in New Delhi during 25-29 December 2019. This year is the 11th edition of National Street
Food Festival. Ever since its inception in 2009, this festival, has helped mainstream various street vending
communities.
About National Street Food Festival (NSFF)
Theme of 2019’s festival– ‘Healthier Diets’. The idea is to focus various initiatives of FSSAI around healthy
eating through gamification (in an interactive manner through games and quizzes). A footfall of around
75,000 people are expected to visit the festival.
During NSSF, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan will launch ‘Network for Scientific Co-operation for
Food Safety and Applied Nutrition’ (NetSCoFAN) on 26 December. It is a network of research and academic
institutions working in the area of food and nutrition
Food Safety pavilion at festival will focus on demonstration of rapid food testing kits/devices. Also, the
FSSAI will be organising its second edition of ‘National Eat Right Mela’ to promote healthy foods. Through
this mela, FSSAI seeks to give a unique and distinct identify to country’s local and street food. FSSAI will
also be offering a platform to packaged food industry to showcase innovation in terms of newer areas such
as healthier food variants, reformulation of food products and sustainable & enhanced packaging solutions.
About National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI)
It is a national federation of street vendor organizations comprising of a coalition of Community Based
Organizations (CBOs), Trade Unions, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and professionals. NASVI
works for protection of livelihood rights of thousands of street vendors across India. NASVI began as a
Network in 1998 and was registered in 2003 under Societies Registration Act of 1860. The main objective
behind establishing NASVI was to bring together the street vendor organizations in India
SEBI signs pact with Kazakhstan’s AFSA for mutual co-operation
Markets regulator SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) has signed a bilateral memorandum of
understanding (MoU) with Kazakhstan-based Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA) for mutual co-
operation and technical assistance. The MoU was signed by SEBI Chairman Ajay Tyagi and the acting chief
executive officer (CEO) of AFSA Mukhtar Bubeyev.
Key Highlights
The objective of pact is to strengthen cross border co-operation in area of securities regulation. Besides
facilitating mutual assistance, this co-operation will further contribute towards efficient performance of
supervisory functions, as well as enable effective enforcement of laws and regulations governing the
securities markets.
SEBI has signed bilateral MoUs with securities regulators of a number of jurisdictions. It is also a signatory
to multilateral MoU of International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), an association of
national securities regulatory commissions that regulate world’s securities and futures markets.
About Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
It is responsible for regulating Securities market in India. It was first established in 1988 as a non-statutory
body for regulating securities market and was given Statutory Powers on 30 January 1992 through
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Act, 1992.
24 December: National Consumer Day
Every year 24 December is observed as National Consumer Day, to highlight the importance of consumer
movement as well as the need to make every consumer more aware of their rights and responsibilities.
Theme of National Consumer Day 2019 is- ‘Alternate Consumer Grievance/Dispute Redressal’.
About National Consumer Day
Why 24 December? It was on this day, the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 had received the assent of the
president and was enacted. The enactment of this Act is considered as a historic milestone in India’s
consumer movement.
Objective: To provide consumers with effective safeguards against different types of exploitation like
defective goods, deficiency in services and unfair trade practices.
Key Highlights
In 2019, Parliament gave the nod to replace decades old Consumer Protection Act, 1986 by passing
landmark Consumer Protection Bill, 2019, which aims to protect rights of consumers by establishing
authorities for effective and timely administration/ settlement of consumers dispute.
Upon receiving Presidential assent, the bill became the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 which entails
setting up of a Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to promote, protect and enforce rights of
consumers as a class. CCPA is responsible for making interventions for preventing consumer detriment
arising from unfair trade practices as well as it can also initiate class action, including enforcing return,
recall and refund of products.
December 25, 2019
NPL scientists develop ink to stop fake passports and currency notes
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and National Physical Laboratory (NPL) developed
an ink to combat the problem of fake printing of passports and counterfeiting of currency notes. The ink has
a new security feature o protecting itself against duplicity
Key facts of the discovery
The ink was produced based on single excitable dual emissive luminescent pigment. It was developed
based on the concept of fluorescence and phosphorescence phenomena. Currently, the currency notes
display only one color with the emission of wavelength. However, in the ink developed by the scientists
features changes in pigment color after the notes are printed.
In ambient light the ink shows white color. When the ink is exposed to UV light, it turns red and when the UV
source is switched OFF it turns green.
Why the new ink?
According to the annual report of RBI (2018-19), the risk of duplication of Rs 500 and Rs 2000 notes are
higher. The report says that recently launched 500 rupees notes are accounted to 121% of duplication and
Rs 2000 notes are accounted to 21.9% duplication.
Fluorescence and Phosphorescence
Both in phosphorescence and fluorescence the radiation is electromagnetic and is spontaneous.
In case of fluorescence, the radiation stops after the source is switched off. On the other hand, in
phosphorescence, the glow continues for few hours.
Rohtang pass tunnel named after former PM Vajpayee
On 24 December, 2019, the Union cabinet chaired by PM Modi decided that the strategic tunnel that was
constructed under Rohtang Pass will be named after him. This is because the tunnel construction was
started in June 2000, during his tenure.
About the tunnel
The tunnel is the world’s longest tunnel (8.8 km) at an altitude of 3,000 metres. The tunnel reduces the
distance between Leh and Manali by 46 kilometres. This helps in saving crores of rupees on fuel usage. It is
built under Pir Pinjal range.
It is a single tube tunnel and is 10.5-metre-wide with fire proof emergency provisions. The geological and
weather challenges were overcome by the Border Road Organization. It includes the Seri Nalah fault zone.
Rohtang Pass
The pass connects Kulu valley and Lahaul and Spiti valleys of Himachal Pradesh. The three rivers in the
region of the pass are chenab, Beas and Chandra rivers. The Beas river emerges from underground and
flows southwards, Chandra river flows in the eastern Himalayas and Chenab river flows westward.
Delhi cabinet approves new policy on pollution
On December 24, 2019, CM of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal introduced a new policy to make Delhi the capital of
Electric vehicles. Under the policy, the government has planned to provide subsidies to electric vehicles.
Highlights
The goal of the policy is to ensure that 25% of new vehicles registered are electric by 2024. Along with
electric vehicles, the government also has planned to construct 250 charging stations. It also includes 20%
of the parking enabled for electric vehicles. The policy has been drafted after feedback from UNEP (United
Nations Environment Programme) experts, International Transport Council. The draft of the policy was
already made public in November 2018.
The policy is important as the vehicles have been major cause of pollution emitting 80% of carbon
monoxide, 40% of PM 2.5 and 80% of nitrogen oxides.
Why Electric Vehicles as a solution?
Electric Vehicles are constantly being promoted all over the world as they do not emit pollution. Also, the
central government has reduced GST rates for electric vehicles. These vehicles will help India achieve the
target of reducing green house gas emissions by 33% by 2030 as compared to 2005 levels.
India to get its First Chief of Defence Staff
The Cabinet Committee On Security (CCS) chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the
creation of a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) post that will function as a single point of contact for different
branches of armed forces. CCS also approved the report of a high-level committee headed by National
Security Advisor Ajit Doval, which finalised responsibilities and framework for operation of CDS.
In the present structure, the Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee (CSC) is Chief of Army Staff (CoAS)
Bipin Rawat. However, he does not function in capacity of a CDS.
About Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)
A CDS would be a four-star general- from either of the Indian Armed Forces- the Army, the Air Force or the
Navy and will be payable to a salary equal to a service chief. The CDS post will have a fixed term, that is yet
to be determined. [All five permanent members (P-5 nations) of United Nations Security Council (UNSC)-
have equivalent posts].
Role of CDS: Chief of Defence Staff, described as ‘first among equals’ among service chiefs, will be tasked
with trimming weapons procurement procedures and integrating operation of Indian armed forces- Army, Air
Force, Navy. CDA will act as a military adviser to Government of India and will also head Department of
Military Affairs. CDS would also be a single-point military advisor whose advice would be binding on service
chiefs of Army, Air Force, Navy and who would have authority to direct them, along with authority to create
theatre commands as and when needed.
Background
To further sharpen coordination between forces and to make forces even more effective, the Chief of
Defence Staff – CDS position was announced by PM Modi during his Independence Day speech on 15
August 2019 year. The concept was also strongly backed by late Manohar Parrikar, who was Defence
Minister for two years during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first term. However, a CDS to oversee military
was first recommended by the Kargil Review Committee– a committee set up after Kargil War (1999), to
examine lapses in security after war, in which Pakistani soldiers infiltrated into India, occupied key positions
in Kargil mountains and triggered the war.
Other Committees: Government’s approval to CDS post that will strengthen India’s collective defence
capabilities, also comes after considering-
Naresh Chandra Committee Report– ‘Report of Task Force on National Security’
General Shekatkar Committee Report– ‘Committee of Experts on Enhancing Capability and Rebalance
Defence Expenditure’, chalked out a strategy for higher defence management.
India-Swiss Air Service Pact to be amended, Cabinet approves signing protocol
Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the signing of Protocol to amend the
Agreement between Swiss Federal Council, the highest executive authority of Swiss Confederation and
Government of India related to air services, as well as to exchange diplomatic notes with Switzerland for
bringing amendments in air services agreement into force. The protocol will allow more number of airlines
to start flight operations between two countries.
The Air Services Agreement decides the number of airlines that can fly between both countries. It also
notifies number of destinations in each country to which flight operations can be conducted by other
country’s airline.
Key Highlights of Amendments
Under the amendments, multiple airlines would be allowed to conduct operations between India and
Switzerland. As of now, only two airlines are permitted.
As per the amendments, the ‘designated airlines’ of each country would be free to decide reasonable tariff
without resorting to anti-competitive and predatory behaviour. Also, the designated airline(s) may use
aircraft leased from other company or airline(s), but lessor not to exercise the rights it doesn’t have.
However, before a country’s airline can operate international flights, a bilateral air services agreement has
to be negotiated for deciding how many total flights/ seats can be allowed from one nation to another, each
week.
Significance
Amendments in Air Services Agreement between India and Switzerland will bring it in tune with
developments in civil aviation sector and will also provide enabling environment for enhanced as well as
seamless connectivity. It will also provide commercial opportunities to carriers of both sides ensuring
greater safety and security.
CSIR to develop new drugs for global market

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) signed
an agreement to develop new drugs and repurposing of drugs for India and for global markets. The team
research work is also joined by Cipla.
What is Drug Repurposing?
Drug repurposing is identifying new uses of approved or investigational drugs. It is used to treat common
and rare diseases. The main advantage of using repurposing drugs is its reduced development cost,
shortened development timings and increased use of de-risked compounds.
Cipla association with the institutes
The association of Cipla with the institutes has its origin in 1942. Cipla has also worked with the institutes
in formulating the famous drugs called chandonium iodide in 1995. The drug is used against neuro
muscular blockers. The drug was a huge hit in Indian and global markets. The gugulipid drug used for
treating hypolipidemic was also developed under such venture.
CSIR
The CSIR having a pan-India presence is known for its research and development in S&T areas. It includes
oceanography, space physics, drugs, biotechnology, etc. CSIR is currently implementing a mission “New
CSIR for New India” to be completed by 2022. The vision of the mission is to enable innovation-driven
industry and catalyze inclusive economic development.
The institute holds 84th rank among 4851 institutions in the world according to the Scimago institutions
ranking world report.
PM Modi launches Atal Bhujal Yojana
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY), a scheme for sustainable management
of ground water resources, in New Delhi. The scheme was launched on the occasion of 95th birth
anniversary former Prime Minister Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee. On the occasion, the 8.8-kilometre long
Strategic Tunnel under Rohtang Pass was also named after late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY): Key Features
Objective: Since, groundwater contributes nearly 65% of India’s total irrigated area, with ABY, the Central
Government seeks to promote Panchayat led ground water management and behavioural change with
primary focus on demand side management. The scheme will also help in supplying water to every house
hold by 2024.
Nodal Agency: Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal
Shakti.
Implementation: The scheme will be implemented in identified areas covering 8,350 villages in 78 districts
of 7 states- Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. The
implementation period for plan is over a period of five years from 2020 to 2025.
Two major components of Atal Jal Yojana:
(1) Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building Component- for strengthening institutional
arrangements for sustainable ground water management in States. It envisages active participation of
communities in various activities such as-
Water budgeting- water management tool that assists communities for the proper management of
water resources, by estimating the amount of water a landscape will require.
Monitoring and disseminating ground water data
Formation of Water User Associations
Preparation/ implementation of gram panchayat-wise water security plans
Information, Education and communication (IEC) activities, relating to sustainable ground water
management.
(2) Incentive Component for incentivising the States– for achievements in improved groundwater
management practices such as implementation of management interventions through convergence of
ongoing schemes, adopting demand side management practices among others.
Funding: Union Cabinet had recently approved Rs.6,000 crore rupees for Atal Bhujal Yojana. Out of total
outlay of Rs.6000 crore, 50% shall be in form of World Bank loan (will be repaid by Government of India) and
remaining 50% shall be through Central Assistance from regular budgetary support. The entire funding
component including World Bank’s loan and Central Assistance shall be passed on to States as Grants.
India-Brazil MoU on Bioenergy Cooperation gets Cabinet approval
Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Republic
of India and Federative Republic of Brazil on Bioenergy Cooperation.
Background
In 2016, during the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of Brazil in India, the two
sides agreed to cooperate on research and development (R&D) of renewable energies, and in field of 2nd-
generation biofuels. Therefore, in this regard, an MoU was also signed between two sides to provides a
framework to cooperate as well as to promote investment in biofuel, bioelectricity and biogas supply-chains
including industrial conversion, feedstock, distribution and end use sectors.
India-Brazil Energy Demand
Brazil is one of the most important trading partners of India in entire Latin America and Caribbean (LAC)
region. Both countries are also major consumers of energy in world. Brazil is currently world’s 2nd largest
producer and consumer of biofuels. Moreover, biofuels and bioelectricity accounts for 18% of Brazil’s
energy mix. India having strong focus in area of bio-fuels, has set a target to achieve 20% blending of
ethanol in petrol and 5% blending of biodiesel in diesel by 2030. For this purpose India has also announced
new policy on Biofuels in 2018.
Cabinet approves funds to update National Population Register
Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given in principal approval to clear budgetary
allocation of Rs.8,754.23 crore for conducting Census of India, 2021, a Decennial Census (recurring every
10 years) exercise along with Rs.3,941.35 crore for updating National Population Register (NPR) across the
country (barring Assam),which is a list of ‘usual residents’ of India. Both the exercises will be conducted
simultaneously through door-to-door enumeration, with commencing from April 2020 to September 2020.
About National Population Register (NPR)
The NPR exercise aims to create a comprehensive identity database by collecting biometric and
demographic details of every “usual resident” of India. It is mandatory for every usual resident of country to
register in NPR. A ‘usual resident’ is defined as a person who has resided in an area for past 6 months or
more, or a person who intends to reside in that area for next 6 months or more.
The NPR was last updated in 2010 and 2015. The data for National Population Register was collected in
2010 along with house-listing phase of 2011 Census of India.
Registrar General and Census Commissioner: It is responsible for arranging, conducting and analysing
results of demographic surveys of India including Census of India as well as Linguistic Survey of country. It
functions under Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
Key Highlights
In 2015, the National Population Register data was updated by conducting door-to-door surveys and the
digitisation of updated information had also been completed. It has now been decided that NPR will be
updated along with house-listing phase of Census 2021 from April 2020 to September 2020 in all
States/Union Territories, except Assam. A gazette notification to this effect was issued in August 2019.
Preparation of National Population Register: NPR will be prepared at National, State, District, Sub-District
and local (Village or Sub-Town) level under provisions of Citizenship Act 1955 and Citizenship (Registration
of Citizens and issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.
Cabinet approves transfer of Assam Gas Cracker Project to oil ministry
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved
the transfer of administrative control of Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL), the Central
Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) implementing Assam Gas Cracker Project (AGCP) from Department of
Chemicals & Petrochemicals (under Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers) to Union Ministry of
Petroleum & Natural Gas (MOP&NG).
Other CCCEA Approval
CCEA also approved feedstock subsidy to BCPL for 15 years of plant operation for maintaining minimum
Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 10% (after tax). To bring IRR to 10%, BCPL has estimated feedstock subsidy
of approximately Rs.4600 crore for project for 15 years of plant operation. Therefore, BCPL will submit
proposal on yearly basis from next financial year (2020-2021) onwards and administrative Ministry/
Department will devise a mechanism to examine proposal in consultation with Union Ministry of Finance.
Union Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas will have to make firm arrangements through concerned PSUs for
supply of committed quantity and quality of feedstock to AGC project as envisaged in earlier CCEA approval
of 2006.
About Assam Gas Cracker Project (AGCP)
The project came as part of historic Assam Accord signed on 15 August 1985, with a view to bring
socioeconomic development of region, thus it is seen as a part of implementation of Assam accord. It and
involves setting up of facilities for manufacture of 2 lakh tonnes of ethylene annually using gas as
feedstock. It is the first petrochemical project in the northeastern region of country. The 1st phase of long-
delayed project was commissioned in late 2015.
The Rs.9,285-crore project is the first petrochemical project in the northeastern region of country and would
give impetus to development of region as well as will improve the socio economic conditions of people of
Assam through increased employment.
Background: The project was approved by CCEA on April 2006 and subsequently, a joint venture, BCPL was
incorporated on January 2007. On 9 April 2007, then prime minister Manmohan Singh, laid the foundation
stone of project at Lepetkata, 15 km from Dibrugarh. The project was supposed to be completed by April
2012, but, the target declines were delayed- first to December 2013, than to January 2014 and to June 2015,
thus the project was finally being commissioned in November 2015.
NITI Aayog to launch SDG India Index & Dashboard 2019–20
NITI Aayog, the policy think tank of Government will launch the second edition of Sustainable Development
Goals (SDG) India Index and Dashboard 2019–20 on 30 December 2019 at NITI Aayog, New Delhi. The first
edition of SDG India Index was launched in December 2018. It was the first tool developed by any large
country to monitor progress towards achieving SDGs at sub-national level.
NITI Aayog has the mandate of overseeing adoption as well as monitoring of SDGs in India, at the national
and sub-national level.
About SDG India Index and Dashboard 2019–20
The SDG India Index and Dashboard 2019 documents the progress made by India’s States and Union
Territories (UTs) towards implementing the 2030 SDG targets. Besides indicating where the States and UTs
currently are on SDG implementation, the Index and Dashboard also charts distance to be travelled to reach
SDG targets.
It has been developed by Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) in
collaboration with United Nations in India, and Global Green Growth Institute.
Index and Dashboard 2019 covers 16 out of 17 SDGs and a qualitative assessment on Goal 17. This marks an
improvement over 2018 Index, which covered only 13 goals. On the basis of progress made, the Index ranks
all States and UTs on 100 indicators drawn from MoSPI’s National Indicator Framework, comprising of 306
indicators.
December 26, 2019
Government launched Good Governance Index
On December 25, 2019, Government of India launched Good Governance Index. Tamil Nadu topped in Good
Governance Index.
Highlights of the report
The States and Union Territories were divided into 3 groups namely Big states, North East and hill states
and union territories.
Tamil Nadu topped in Good Governance Index in the “Big States” category. It was followed by Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. The report also said that among the big states the poor
performers were Odisha, Bihar, Goa and Uttar Pradesh. Jharkhand was ranked the last in good governance
index.
In the North East and hill states category, Himachal Pradesh ranked first. It was followed by Uttarakhand,
Tripura, Mizoram and Sikkim. The bad performers of the category include Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur,
Meghalaya, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
Agricultural ranking
In Agricultural and allied ranking, the best performing states were Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Daman
and Diu. In order to frame agricultural rating parameters such as food grain production, milk and meat
production, horticulture produce and crop insurance were considered.
Commerce and Industries
Under the category of commerce and industries, Delhi, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand were the top performers.
Free Wi-Fi services provided to all villages till 2020
On December 25, 2019, Union Minister of Communication and IT Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated
“Digital Village Guruwara”. During the launch, it was announced that the Government has planned to offer
free Wi-Fi services to all villages till March 2020.
Highlights
The Government of India has so far connected 1,30,000-gram panchayats through Bharatnet. More than
50,000 Gram Panchayat are yet to be connected. The government is working under the current target that at
least 15% of villages are to be digitalized in next four years. The free Wi-Fi services are being announced
under Bharatnet project.
The GoI in June 2018 announced that all gram panchayats will receive broadband connectivity by 2020.
However, the connectivity has been made free now.
Bharatnet Project
The initiative was launched in 2011. Under the initiative, 100 Mbps speed internet were to be provided to
around 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats. The aim is to increase their speed to around 2 to 20 Mbps in the future to
all households in rural areas.
The project is a National Optical Fibre Network project. It is seen as a major initiative in order to succeed
Digital India. It is being implemented by the Ministry of Telecommunications.
120th birth anniversary of Shaheed Udham Singh being celebrated
Nation is paying homage to great revolutionary, Shaheed Udham Singh, a well-known freedom fighter from
Punjab on his 120th birth anniversary being celebrated on 26 December 2019. He was born on this day in
1899 in Sangrur district of Punjab. He belonged to Ghadar party and was best known for avenging the
Jallianwala Bagh massacre by assassinating Michael O’ Dwyer.
About Shaheed Udham Singh
He was present in Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar on the fateful Baisakhi festival (festival of harvest) on 13 April
1919, where about 20,000 unarmed men, women and children gathered and General Dyer arrived with his
troops, sealed the only exit to park and opened fire without any warning on unarmed crowd. Many people
lost their lives in horrific massacre.
He made his way to England arrived there in 1933 to execute Michael O’Dwyer, who was then governor of
Punjab responsible for brutal Jallianwala Bagh massacre. He opened fire at Michael O’Dwyer in Caxton Hall
in London, killing him on spot in March 1940. Udham Singh was then hanged four months later at
Pentonville Prison and his mortal remains were handed over to India in 1974.
Pakistan to import polio markers from India
The Pakistan Government decided to import Polio markers from India recently. The Government had
suspended the trade with New Delhi for months after abrogation of Article 370.
Highlights
There are three countries in the world where Polio is still endemic. It includes Pakistan, Nigeria and
Afghanistan. As of December 2019, there have been 111 documented cases of wild polio virus in Pakistan.
In 2014, Pakistan had the highest number of polio cases in the world. The country has recently decided to
import polio markers from India. The cabinet has provided one-time permission for the import.
The polio markers are used to mark the fingers of the children after they are vaccinated with vaccines that
are approved by the WHO.
Polio
The disease is caused by Poliovirus. In 1995, India launched Global Polio Eradication initiative of WHO that
aims at 100% coverage. With the programme successfully implemented, India has completely eradicated
Polio. The last case of Polio was reported in 2011 in India.
Govt to launch Digital Radio by 2024
Centre government is planning to revamp ‘All India Radio’ officially known as ‘Akashvani’ by introducing
Digital Radio in India by 2024, when the country will be technologically-equipped for it. The announcement in
this regard was made by Union Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Prakash Javadekar at the 2019
Akashvani Annual Awards in New Delhi.
Significance
All India Radio is an institution which is a part of people’s lives in form of music, news or entertainment and
with AIR news commanding huge credibility, as being one of the largest news gathering and dissemination
apparatus in world, there is a needs for AIR to stay ahead of competition from private players. Therefore,
once Digital Radio is launch by 2024, there will be more clarity as the audio of digital radio will be more
clear, and with digital radio having higher reach Akashvani will be heard for longer range. There will also be
four times more stations.
About All India Radio (AIR)
AIR was established in 1936 and is officially known as Akashvani since 1956. It is the national public radio
broadcaster of India and is a division of Prasar Bharati, which is India’s largest public broadcasting agency.
AIR is sister service of Prasar Bharati’s Doordarshan elevision Network.
Sign boards in Chinese language put up at 5 ASI sites
Union Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel informed that sign boards in Chinese language have been put
up at five Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) protected Archaeological Sites located in Uttar Pradesh (UP).
ASI Sites Include- (1) Sarnath, (2) the Buddhist relics at Chaukhandi Stupa, (3) Kushinagar and the
Mahaparinirvana Temple, (4) Piparahwa and (5) Shravasti.

Key Highlights
Tourism Ministry had earlier instructed ASI that sign boards of foreign languages will be installed at all
iconic archaeological sites, keeping in mind the convenience of foreign travellers.
Objective of this initiative is to increase the footfall of both both foreign as well as domestic tourists under
Prime Minister’s Vision 2020.
Progress: In this series of effort by Tourism Ministry, the work of installing sign boards in Sinhali language
has been completed in November 2019 in view of the large number of Sri Lankan tourists visiting Sanchi.
Condition: Sign boards of foreign languages will be installed where over 1 lakh tourists from a particular
country visit those places every year. A total of 5 such foreign country languages can be included in it.
Way Ahead: In order to increase number of domestic tourists, Tourism Ministry is considering various
cultural fairs and other events through which people of India will get to know country in a better way.
About Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
It is an Indian government agency that was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham who was also the
first Director-General of ASI. It is attached to Union Ministry of Culture. It is responsible for archaeological
research as well as conservation & preservation of cultural monuments in India.
India’s first Transgender University to come up in UP
India’s first university for transgender community will be opened in Fazilnagar block of Kushinagar district
in Uttar Pradesh. It is the first of its kind University in country, where transgender community members will
be able to get education.
Key Highlights
The university is being built by Akhil Bhartiya Kinnar Siksha Seva Trust (All-India transgender education
service trust). The university will facilitate its members to study right from class 1 to Post Graduate (PG)
and even do research and get PhD degree.
Members of the transgender community will get education and will be able to give a new direction to the
country. From 15 January 2020, two children who are brought up by community members will get admission
and from February and March 2020 other classes will start.
NTPC to invest Rs. 50,000 cr to add 10GW Solar Energy Capacity by 2022
State-owned power giant NTPC Ltd. is planning to add 10 GW (gigawatt) of solar energy generation capacity
by 2022. The project would entail an investment of around Rs.50,000 crore which will be funded mainly by
green bonds. NTPC’s plans to add 10GW solar energy capacity assumes significance in view of country’s
ambitious target of having 175GW of clean energy by 2022.
Key Highlights
For borrowing option, the company would mainly rely on Green Bonds which are offered for pure clean
energy projects. It wants to raise money through domestic as well as overseas green bonds.
Currently, NTPC has installed renewable energy capacity of 920 MW (Megawatt), which includes mainly
solar energy. It has also formulated a long-term plan to become a 130GW company by 2032 with 30% non-
fossil fuel or renewable energy capacity. NTPC will be completing tendering of 2,300 MW of solar energy
capacity by end of this fiscal year (2019-2020), and thereafter it has planned to add 4GW each in 2020-21
and 2021-22.
Way Forward
As NTPC intends to sell electricity to industrial and commercial consumers as well as at energy exchanges,
it will be setting up solar energy projects without any long-term (for 25 years) power purchase agreements
(PPA). Central Electricity Regulatory Authority (CERC), the power sector regulator has already approved
real-time power market, which is expected to kick in by 1 April 2020.
NTPC would also set up some of its solar energy projects under scheme where it gets viability gap funding
(VGF) to keep the tariff below Rs.3/unit level.
About NTPC Limited
It was formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited. It is an Indian Public Sector
Undertaking (PSU), engaged in business of electricity generation and allied activities. It was founded in
1975 and was incorporated under Companies Act 1956.
South India’s earliest Sanskrit Inscription found in A.P.
The Epigraphy Branch of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has discovered the earliest Sanskrit
inscription to have been discovered in South India as on date. This significant finding is also the earliest
epigraphic evidence for ‘Saptamatrika’ cult so far. The discovery was made in Chebrolu village in Guntur
district of Andhra Pradesh. The inscription came to light when some local villagers informed ASI authorities
about a pillar with some engravings when they were restoring and repairing local Bheemeshwara temple. ASI
called for conservation and preservation of pillar given its historical importance.
Key Findings
What is Saptamatrikas? They are a group of seven female deities worshipped in Hinduism as personifying
the energy of their respective consorts. There are references of Saptamatrika worship in early Kadamba
copper plates as well as early Chalukyas and Eastern Chalukya copper plates. But this new discovery
predates them by almost 200 years.
The Inscription found: It is in Sanskrit and in Brahmi characters and was issued by Satavahana king Vijaya
in 207 A.D. The inscription records construction of a prasada (temple), a mandapa (a pavilion for public
rituals) and consecration of images on southern side of temple by a person named Kartika for merit of king
at temple of Bhagavathi (Goddess) Saktimatruka (Saptamatrika) at Tambrape (which is the ancient name of
Chebrolou). All the available records when verified, proved that Chebrolu inscription of Satavahana king
Vijaya issued in his 5th regnal year (207 A.D.) is also the earliest datable Sanskrit inscription from South
India so far. Until now the Nagarjunakonda inscription of Ikshavaku king Ehavala Chantamula issued in his
11th regnal year (4th century A.D.) was considered the earliest Sanskrit inscription in South India.
The place also yielded another inscription which is in Prakrit language and of Brahmi characters and
belongs to 1st century A.D. This is thus the earliest epigraphic reference to Mutts and records gift of a
cloister mandapa and chaitya to bhavatho (Lord) of the Gadasa Mutt by a person hailing from Tabaava.
Stamps released to commemorate contribution of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence
On December 26, 2019, Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitaraman released postage stamps to
commemorate the services of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in order to protect the nation.
Significance
DRI plays an immense role to counter smuggling and preserve cultural heritage and environment of the
country. It is essential for DRI to keep pace with technologies such as data analytics to fight against
contraband items such as gold and narcotics. Contraband are goods that are against the law to trade or to
import or export.
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence
DRI is the chief anti-smuggling intelligence agency in the country. The agency works in securing smuggling
of contraband such as narcotics, gold, firearms. It also works towards proliferation of commercial frauds,
black money and trade-based money laundering.
It enforces provision of around 50 statutes. It includes arms act, NDPS act, WMD act, etc.
The agency was established in 1957 in order to function as the apex of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and
Customs to counter smuggling.
Massive Locust Invasion in Gujarat

The farmlands in Gujarat border are in great threat from locust invasion. The insects were flying from
Pakistan Sindh province and spread in the villages of Gujarat and Rajasthan. The locusts emerged from
Sudan and Eritrea in the coast of Red Sea.
The invasion of the locust was alerted from UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The trajectory of
the swarms was tracked and the invasion was also predicted by Locust Warning Organization (LWO) in
Jodhpur. However, precautionary measures were not taken.
FAO
The FAO operates the DLIS (Desert Locust Information Service) headquartered in Rome, Italy. It monitors
desert locusts all over the world. It maintains historical locust archives dating back to 1930s. Also, it
provides training and prepares publications on various aspects all over the world. The service provides
information about the locust situation and gives timely warnings to countries that are at risks of invasion.
According to FAO, an average swarm destroys crops that can feed 2,500 people per year.
India’s measures
Indian Government in 1939 established Locust Warning Organization (LWO). It operates under ICAR (Indian
Council of Agricultural Research). The headquarters of the organization is located in Jodhpur. The LWO
monitors 2 lakh square kilometres of desert area in parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana.
December 27, 2019
Five Documents developed by UGC released
On December 26, 2019, the Union Human Resource Development Ministry released five documents that
were developed by UGC covering five verticals of quality mandate. The documents covered eco-friendly and
sustainable university campuses, evaluation reforms, human values and professional ethics, academic
research integrity and faculty induction.
Highlights
The document provides new guidelines for values and ethics in higher education. The guidelines are being
launched at a time when the student involvement in political issues has come under scrutiny.
Significance
The documents will help improve the quality of institutions of higher education in the country. The
implementation of evaluation reforms in higher educational institutions will help achieve high learning
outcomes. The documents are released to support administration in making right and timely decision.
Second Edition of Eat Right Mela inaugurated
On December 27, 2019, Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the second edition of eat right mela in
New Delhi. The mela is an effort to encourage citizens on having a healthy diet and reduce the disease
burden in the country. The theme of the event is
Theme: Healthier Diets
The event was organized by the FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) along with National
Association of Street Vendors of India.
The first Eat Right Mela was launched in New Delhi in December, 2018.
Highlights
The Mela will stress upon the importance of healthy diet and also will help avoiding wrong choices of food.
It aims at providing complete food experience exhibiting healthy diets and showcasing innovations. The
mela is also joined by Incredible India and Fit India. The other pavilion to be showed in the mela is FSAN
(Food Safety and Applied Nutrition).
At the event the minister launched “The Purple Book” that provides guidelines for hospitals. The book
focuses on conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer.
Eat Right Movement

The mela is a part of the Eat Right Movement. The movement is aligned with Ayushman Bharat, POSHAN
Abhiyaan, Swachh Bharat Mission and Anemia Mukt Bharat. It was launched by the FSSAI (Food Safety and
Standards Authority of India). The movement is significant as there is a need to increase awareness on
preventive health for all. It also aims to reduce increasing burden of non-communicable diseases like
hypertension, diabetes, widespread deficiencies in vitamins and minerals.
Foundation laid for India’s first Transit-Oriented Development Project
Union Home Minister Amit Shah laid the foundation stone for country’s first transit-oriented development
(TOD) project in New Delhi. Under the TOD project a state-of-the-art infrastructure zone, including national
capital’s tallest tower, will be built in east Delhi.
About Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Project
The project- ‘East Delhi Hub’ at Karkardooma (in New Delhi), spreading over 30 ha, will come up in next 3.5
years. The hub will be developed around existing two Delhi Metro stations at Karkardooma (on Blue and
Pink Lines). Besides a 48-storey signature tower that will come up in first phase of project, the hub will also
include a massive open landscaped green area.
This project will be country’s first TOD project. It is being implemented by Union Ministry of Housing an
Urban Affairs (MHUA).
Project’s first phase will be implemented by National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC). NBCC
has been chosen by DDA which owns the land. The project will have mixed-land use, 70% residential, 20%
commercial and 10% for civic amenities, besides housing facilities for people belonging to economically
weaker section (EWS). About 4,526 residential units would be built, and 1,108 in first phase, besides 2,088
units for EWS (522 in phase-I).
The East Delhi Hub project was approved by Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in December 2014, with an
aim to promote use of public transport over private vehicles. This implies that the project is taking off after
much delay.
Features: The hub has been designed with complete sustainability model. One of the most unique part of
this TOD project is that- inside it there will be a central massive green lung of about 10 acres, and it will also
have vertical gardens and water-harvesting facilities. This is significant as east Delhi does not have such a
huge recreational space. There will be a huge plaza near metro stations and skywalks to take people
directly to destinations without stepping onto streets. The 48-storey signature tower (about 161 m) will
become Delhi’s tallest tower. There will also be schools, dispensaries, gymnasia, cultural centres as well as
library inside the hub.
Govt. makes Aadhaar mandatory for PMVKY subscribers
Centre government has made Aadhaar (the unique 12-digit biometric identity number) mandatory for
subscribers of Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) which is a pension scheme for senior
citizens. Finance Ministry notified that an individual eligible for receiving benefit under PMVVY scheme
shall now be required to furnish proof of possession of Aadhaar number or else undergo Aadhaar
authentication.
Key Highlights
Union Ministry of Finance, has issued the notification under Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and
Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016. It further reads that any individual desirous of availing
benefit under PMVVY scheme who does not possess Aadhaar number or has not yet been enrolled for
Aadhaar, shall be required to apply for Aadhaar enrolment before registering for scheme.
In cases where scheme beneficiaries Aadhaar authentication fails due to poor biometrics- the Department
of Financial Services (under Finance Ministry) through its implementing agency will make provisions to help
beneficiaries get Aadhaar number.

In cases where biometric or Aadhaar OTP (one-time password) authentication is not possible, benefit under
PMVVY scheme may be given on basis of physical Aadhaar letter whose authenticity may be verified
through unique quick response (QR) code printed on Aadhaar letter.
About Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY)
It is a pension scheme for senior citizens aged 60 or above. The scheme envisages an assured rate of
return of 8% annually for 10 years. It is s being implemented through Life Insurance Corporation of India
(LIC). PMVVY was announced in Union Budgets of 2017-18 and 2018-19, and in Budget 2018-19, the
maximum limit under PMVVY was doubled to Rs.15 lakh per senior citizen. PMVVY is available for
subscription till March 2020.
India Japan hold 5th round of maritime dialogue
On December 26, 2019, India and Japan held the 5th round of maritime affairs Dialogue in Tokyo. The
countries agreed to deepen their maritime cooperation during the dialogue. Alongside, the countries also
held their 8th round of bilateral consultations on disarmament and non-proliferation. The countries agreed to
deepen their mutual interests in maritime affairs.
India-Japan Defence relations
The first round of India-Japan Maritime dialogue was held in New Delhi in 2013.
The countries have signed Acquisition and Cross Serving Agreement that allows access to each
other’s military bases. Through this ageement, India is now able to access Japan base in Djibouti and
Japanese Navy are able to access Indian Naval base in Andaman and Nicobar islands.
The countries also hold JIMEX (Japan-India Maritime Exercise), that is conducted annually.
India and Japan also hold 2+2 defence dialogue. Apart from the US, Japan is the only country with
which India holds such defence dialogue. The first such dialogue with Japan was held in New Delhi in
November 2019.
Significance
India and Japan have convergent interests in maritime security. The countries depend on sea-borne trade to
sustain their economies. Therefore, it is essential to work together on the security of trade. Regarding the
disputes in South-China Sea both the countries have affirmed that a peaceful means of unilateral action is
required in the region.
All new Railway recruits to be inducted through UPSC civil services exams
The Railway board has now decided that all new recruits in railways will be inducted through UPSC (Union
Public Service Commission) Civil Services Exams under five specialities. The decision comes days after the
Union Cabinet approved big ticket reforms in the railways by merging its eight cadres and departments
services into one single entity- the Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS). This decision to merge
services was to ensure that officers put railways first instead of their service which had become the case
under present system.
Key Highlights of Changes
Now just like UPC aspirants, the candidates aspiring to get into Indian Railways will have to appear for their
UPSC prelims after which they will indicate their preference for IRMS under 5 specialties– four of them will
be engineering specialities (including that of stores (department)) for ‘technical’ operations comprising of
civil, mechanical, electrical and telecom, and one ‘non-technical’ speciality (or non-engineering) that will be
recruiting officers for personnel, traffic and accounts. For non-engineering specialisations, anyone can
come from humanities side will be utilised for manning accounts, traffic and personnel service. All of them
will be promoted at the same time.
Moreover, the Chairman of Railway Board, who will also be CEO of national transporter, will be an officer of
Indian Railway Service and not from any other service. Also, officers from Indian Railways who have
experience of 35 yrs will only be posted as Chairman/CEO. The Chairman shall be cadre controlling officer
responsible for Human Resources (HR) with assistance from DG (HR).
Railway Board Composition: With new changes, the Chairman along with 4 members responsible for
infrastructure, operations & business development, finance and rolling stock respectively will form Railway
Board. The Board will also have some independent non-executive members. They will be highly
distinguished professionals with 30 years of experience including at top levels in finance, economics,
management and industry fields and thus will help Railway Board in setting a strategic direction. These
independent members will be available during Board meetings but not involved with day to day running of
railways.
Three apex level posts shall be surrendered from Railway Board and all its remaining posts shall be open to
all officers regardless of service to which they belonged. The railways assured that it will try to ‘pull up’
those officers who are lagging behind instead of ‘pulling down’ those who are ahead in their careers.
BPCL’s LPG bottling plant inaugurated in Odisha
The Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has set up the new state-of-the-art LPG Bottling Plant at
Village Barkani in Bolangir district of Odisha. The LPG bottling plant with an annual capacity of filling 42
lakh cylinders has been developed by state-run BPCL.
About BPCL’s LPG Bottling Plant
The LPG bottling plant has been established at an expenditure of Rs. 103 crore rupees and has capacity of
manufacturing 42 lakh cylinders annually. It will benefit residents of 14 western Odisha districts.
LPG consumers in Odisha have grown up from 20 lakh 22 thousand in 2014 to 88 lakh 1 thousand in 2019,
which is an increase of customer base by 335.71% during the five year period. BPCL which has 21 lakh, 59
thousand customers, in Odisha who consume about 78 lakh cylinders in a year, estimated that this
consumption is expected to increase to 105 lakh cylinders by end of 2020.
About Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL)
It is a Maharatna oil and gas company, that function under the control of Government of India. The PSU
(public sector undertaking) was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. BPCL
operates India’s two large refineries located in Kochi and Mumbai. It India’s 2nd largest downstream oil
company and is ranked 275th on Fortune list of world’s biggest corporations as of 2019.
Way Ahead
Odisha will soon have seven LPG bottling plants with two more plants coming up at Bhubaneswar and
Rayagada. While current bottling capacity of existing 4 plants is 2 crore 80 lakh cylinders annually, the
bottling capacity will increase to 4 crore 6 lakh cylinders annually once all 7 plants start production.
Facts Box: Illegal farming of Bt Brinjal
Two laboratories confirmed illegal Bt brinjal cultivation in Haryana recently. The samples have also been
sent by the Haryana Government to National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR).
Bt Brinjal
In India, Brinjal is grown in around 550,000 hectares. India is the second largest producer of Brinjal after
China. However, the most common problem faced in brinjal cultivation is attack from pests and insects. In
order to avoid this problem, cry1Ac gene that possess insecticidal protein was injected into brinjal crop. The
genes were sourced from soil bacterium. These genetically modified brinjals called Bt Brinjals were
approved by Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) in 2009. But was turned down by the then
Environment Ministry in 2010.
Commercial cultivation of Bt brinjal is in use in countries like Bangladesh.
Reasons to use Brinjal

The Bt Brinjal will bring down the use of pesticides and the costs will go down. Also, use of Bt Brinjal will
increase the yield. This in turn will increase the earnings of farmers improving food security of the country.
Why was it turned down by the ministry?
The impact on human health with the use of Bt Brinjal is not clear. Also, approving Bt Brinjal will open the
gates for other Genetically modified food crops, especially mustard.
National Tribal Dance Festival begins in Raipur
The 2019 edition of National Tribal Dance Festival has begun in Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh. The
three-day dance fest will be held from 27-29 December 2019. The festival was inaugurated by Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi and the inaugural function was presided over by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh
Baghel.
Key Highlights
This is for the first time that National Tribal Dance Festival is being organized in Chhattisgarh. Over 1300
participants from 25 states & Union Territories (UT) of India are participating in this national event. The
artists from 6 countries including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Belarus, Maldives, Thailand and Uganda will also
perform at the event.
The folk dance teams will be presenting their respective folk art cultures. During these three days, 29 tribal
troupes will present over 43 styles of four different dance forms.
The festival will showcase traditional tribal dances performed on weddings, crop harvesting, festivals, as
well as on other occasions. This’s unique festival is is an important step towards showcasing & protecting
India’s rich tribal cultural heritage.
About National Tribal Dance Festival
It is an annual festival celebrated by aborigines and tribal of India. The festival is used to mark and
celebrate the dances of Adivasi and tribal people in India as well as their indigenous tribal dance culture.
This Tribal Dance Festival is held annually during the month of December and is organised by Union Ministry
of Tribal Affairs, in collaboration with respective state government where the fest will be held.
Losar Festival: Ladakhi New Year being celebrated
Union Territory of Ladakh is celebrating Losar Festival on 27 December 2019, to mark the Ladakhi or
Tibetan New Year. Until 2018, Losar gathering use to have ‘UT Status for Ladakh’ as a resolution for New
Year. This year, it will be joyous Losar festival celebrations in newly born Union Territory Ladakh. Losar
festival, which has its origin in 15th century, is also observed in all Himalayan states of country but in
different times.
About Losar Festival
People of various parts of Ladakh region, annually celebrate Losar Festival on 1st Day of Eleventh Month of
Tibetan Calendar correlating to a date in Gregorian calendar. The celebrations continue for 3-9 days in
different parts of Ladakh.
The festival is regarded as the most important socio-religious event of Ladakh. It is also one of the major
attractions for tourists in winter season, as the festival coupled with several ritual performances and
traditional events.
Losar Festival Celebrations: It includes making symbolic meals and offerings to God and Goddess. The
houses are decorated with good luck signs for prosperous New Year and bounty of crops. People keep
Dough Models of Sun, Moon, Goats, Sheep,Ibex and Antelope in kitchen shelves for good omen. To mark the
beginning of New Year, prayer flags will be hoisted at important religious places in the UT.
Ladakh Buddhist Association in collaboration with Union Territory Administration is also organizing a grand
celebration at Chokanga Vihara in Leh, which will be attended by Lieutenant Governor R K Mathur as chief
guest.
MiG 27 Retire: Last Squadron of fighter jet Decommissioned
The MiG-27, which is known to NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) as the ‘Flogger’ and to Indian Air
Force (IAF) as ‘Bahadur’, flew its last sortie in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. After this flight, IAF bid adieu to its
squadron of seven aircraft as all were decommissioned. The last MiG-27 unit to operate the jet, Number 29
Squadron, bid farewell to jet in Jodhpur Air Base where the aircraft participated in a flypast.
About MiG-27
The ace attacker was commissioned into Indian Air Force in 1985 and remained an integral part of Indian
Air Force’s combat strength since then. The lethal aircraft, for their role during the 1999 Kargil War, earned
the nickname ‘Bahadur’ from IAF pilots.
The swing-wing fighter has been the backbone of IAF’s ground-attack fleet for several decades. The
upgraded variant of this last swing-wing fighter fleet has been pride of IAF strike fleet since 2006. All other
variants, like MiG-23 BN and MiG-23 MF and pure MiG-27 have already retired from IAF.
This fleet earned its glory in historic Kargil conflict between India and Pakistan, when it delivered rockets
and bombs with accuracy on enemy positions. It actively participated in ‘Operation Parakram’.
Reason for Decommissioning: For 35 years, MiG-27, a curiously designed fighter-bomber has been at
forefront of IAF’s attack fleet. However, while MiG-27 had been backbone of IAF for the past three decades,
the jets were also infamous for routine accidents throughout their career with Indian Air Force. In three
decades plus of operations, at least a squadron’s strength (18 aircraft) are thought to have been lost with
several fatal injuries to pilots. Two MiG-27s have been lost in crashes this year alone.
The Number 29 Squadron
The Squadron was raised on 10 March 1958, at Air Force Station Halwara with Ouragan (Toofani) aircraft.
Over the years, Squadron has been equipped with numerous types of fighters like MiG-21 Type 77, MiG-21
Type 96, MiG-27 ML and MiG-27 upgrade. It is the only unit in IAF operating MiG-27 upgrades. The upgraded
version has also participated in numerous national and international exercises, because because of its
survivability.
As all seven aircraft of this squadron were decommissioned on 27 December 2019 from Jodhpur Air Base,
the squadron itself is supposed to be ‘number-plated’ in March 2020 whereby it will cease to operate for the
moment.
December 28, 2019
CSIR develop new technology of Geranium Production
CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) has developed a new low-cost technology to produce
Geranium saplings. Geranium acts as an anti-inflammatory and anti-septic agent. It has several medicinal
values. The development has been made under Aroma Mission.
About the Technology
The geranium cultivation is being done in aerated glass house currently. With the help of the new
technology, geranium can be cultivated at farms just like every other crop.
Also, the other major problem of Geranium cultivation is availability of saplings. The saplings become
expensive as the crop gets ruined in rainy season. With the new technology, the saplings can easily be
obtained as they are being cultivated in open farms.
Geranium
The plant is originally from South Africa and is predominantly used in manufacturing essential oils.
November is the best suitable sowing season of Geranium. In India, the plant is cultivated in Himachal
Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and North Easter Regions.
Aroma Mission
The mission was launched to boost cultivation of aromatic crops and medicinal plants. It includes
rosemary, lavender and lemon grass. It aims to help farmers fight climate change in rural areas. Under the
mission the crops are to be promoted in unproductive and waste lands. It also includes lands that are
affected by drought, salinity, water scarcity and floods.
First Trial run of Double Stack Train
On December 28, 2019, a trial run of the first freight train was conducted in the western dedicated freight
corridor. The train was flagged off by Dedicated Freight Corporation India Limited (DFCIL).
Highlights
The train will be operated in the Rewari-Madar Section in Haryana and Rajasthan states. DFCIL is currently
running freight trains at speed of 75 kilometre per hour. The speed is to be increased to 100 kilometre per
hour.
The double stack train is currently run only in countries such as China, Brazil, Australia, Canada, USA,
Russia, South Africa, Sweden and Norway.
Recently railways have been taking several steps towards modernization. Recently, there has been changes
in the administration of railways as well.
Unification of existing Railway services
The Union Government has planned for the unification of eight services of Indian Railways from junior level
to HAG+. The move was made on 27th December, 2019. Other administrative decisions are also being
implemented based on the recommendations made by Prakash Tandon Committee (1994).
RBI directs large co-op banks to report all exposures above Rs.5 crore
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has directed large cooperative banks to report all aggregate exposures of Rs.5
crores and more to Central Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC). The move is aimed at early
recognition of financial distress.
Key Highlights
Earlier in its bi-monthly monetary policy review in December 2019, the RBI had announced to bring Primary
(Urban) Co-operative Banks (UCBs) having total assets of Rs.500 crore and above under CRILC reporting
framework maintained by the Reserve Bank.
The Aggregate exposure will include all fund-based and non-fund based exposure (such as partial credit
enhancement) including investment exposure on borrower. To start with, UCBs will be required to submit
CRILC report on quarterly basis with effect from 31 December 2019.
The central bank has created a CRILC of commercial banks, certain Non-Banking Financial Companies
(NBFCs) and All India Financial Institutions (AIFIs) with multiple objectives, which, among others, include
strengthening offsite supervision as well as early recognition of financial distress.
RBI Financial Stability Report: NPAs will increase
On December 27, 2019, RBI released Financial Stability Report. The report is biennial and reflects the
collective assessment of the Sub-committee of Financial Stability and Development Council. The report said
that the non-performing asset ratio of banks is increasing. It was 9.9% in September 2019 and may rise to
9.9% in September 2020.
Highlights of the report
The Provision Coverage Ratio of banks increased to 61.5% in September 2019 from 60.5% in March 2019. It
is the ratio that gives an indication about the provisions made against bad loans. When the PCR is higher,
the unexposed part of bad loans is lower. Therefore, higher PCR is good for an economy.
The report also stated that capital to risk weighted assets ratio (CRAR) improved to 15.1% in September
2019 from 14.3% in March 2019.
The credit losses have jumped by 7.33% as compared to June 2019.

Highlights: Sector wise
The report stated that only 4 banks had Gross Non-Performing Asset ratio (GNPA) higher than 20%. On the
other hand, around 24 banks had GNPA ratio under 5%. The GNPA measure was used to measure asset
quality of agricultural and industrial sectors
The report said that asset quality of agriculture deteriorated to 10.1% in September 2019 as compared to 8%
in March 2019. In case of industrial sector, GNPA declined to 3.79%.
Frauds
The frauds reported by the banks touched an all time high of around Rs 1.13 lakhs in the FY19. The number
of cases that accounted to the fraud was 4,412. The frauds reported between 2001-18 accounted to 90% of
the frauds registered in 2019 alone!
CSC e-Governance India restarts Aadhaar registration work
CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) under Union Ministry of Electronics
and Information Technology (Meity) restarted Aadhaar registration and other related works which it plans to
expand across the country next week. Aadhaar is now being used as primary identity document.
Key Highlights
The Common Service Centres (CSC) SPV has signed an agreement with Aadhaar custodian, Unique
Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), to roll out Aadhaar enrollment, make corrections and changes in
profile of unique ID holders within its premises.
CSC SPV have restarted Aadhaar registration work from its headquarters in Okhla, New Delhi. However,
soon, this facility will be started in CSCs in 27 state capitals and gradually this facility will be started in all
district headquarters across India.
Background
Since its inception the Aadhaar-based authentication services have been used nearly to 37,000 crore times
and at present UIDAI receives about 3 crore authentication requests every day. However, earlier around two
years back, the Aadhaar enrolment work at CSCs in rural areas was stopped following complaints of data
leakage and non-compliance with security standards set by UIDAI.
Currently, there are around 3.6 lakh CSCs in country that provide government services online to people in
rural areas and small towns. The restart of this unique ID registration work coincides with Aadhaar project
crossing 125-crore mark, which means that more than 1.25 billion Indians have 12-digit unique identity
number.
UN to draft new international treaty on cyber crime
The United Nations on December 27, 2019, approved a new resolution in order to draft an international
treaty to combat cyber crime.
Highlights
Under the new draft, an expert committee will be established. It includes all regions of the world and will
meet in August 2020. The Russian drafted resolution was approved by 193 member countries.
The United States suggests that the world should expand the accord on existing 2001 Budapest Convention.
Budapest Convention
The Budapest Convention was the first ever treaty on cyber crime that addressed internet and computer
crimes. It was drawn by Council of Europe. At present, it is the only treaty of cyber crime under the United
Nations. Countries like India and Brazil have not adopted the convention on the grounds that they did not
participate in its drafting.
Council of Europe
It is an international organization that aims to uphold human rights in Europe. IT was founded in 1949.
There are around 47 member states associated with the organization. It is totally independent of European
Union though it has adopted its flag and partly adopted its flag.
UN increases budget; includes funds for war crime probes
The United Nations has adopted 3.07 billion USD budget on December 27, 2019. The organization for the
first time included investigation of war crimes in Myanmar and Syria in its fund allocation
Highlights
The budget proposal for the year 2020 is slightly greater than that of 2019. In 2019, UN budget was 2.9
billion USD. The increase in the budget is mainly due to inflation, additional missions and exchange rate
adjustments.
This year the investigation of crimes in Syria, Myanmar has been made as compulsory contributions to the
member countries for the first time.
It is to be noted that United Nations faced severe Financial crisis in October 2019. However, it recovered
itself after the major contributors like US, China paid their dues.
Expenditure of the UN
The United Nations has categorized its spending in to 5 general groups namely. The top most preference is
given to humanitarian assistance (34%). The other categories include development assistance (24%),
peacekeeping operations (19%), knowledge-creation operations (16%) and technical cooperation (7%).
December 29, 2019
Standing Committee on Economic Statistics Constituted
On December 28, 2019, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation constituted standing
committee on statistics. The objective of the committee is to improve data of the government. The
committee will be headed by Chief Statistician Pronab Sen.
Highlights
The committee is set to meet on January 6, 2020. There are around 28 members forming the committee.
The committee is being formed over the criticism of “political interference” in statistical data.
Consumer Expenditure Survey
Earlier GoI decided not to release Consumer Expenditure Survey results of 2017-18 complaining data
quality issues. The MoSPI had then announced that the survey will be conducted in 2020-21 after
incorporating data quality refinements.
Swachh Bharat Mission
Also with regard to the Swachh Bharat Mission, NSO reported that rural India is yet to become open
defecation free. To the contrary, on October 2, 2019, GoI announced that rural India has become open
defecation free.
Several such above circumstances have forced GoI to form the committee.
GoM constituted to fast track revival plan of BSNL
On December 27, 2019, GoI constituted a 7-member group of ministers to fast track the implementation of
revival plan of BSNL and MTNL. The revival plan includes allocation of 4G spectrum and asset
monetization. Earlier, GoI approved the revival plan of merging BSNL and MTNL.
Highlights
The seven-member group of ministers include Defence Minister Raj Nath Singh, Telecom Minister Ravi
Shankar Prasad, Finance minister Nirmala Sitaraman, Home Minister Amit Shah, Oil Minister Dharmendra
Pradhan and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal.
The crucial elements of the revival plan include workforce, business viability, monetization, issue of bonds
and 4G spectrum allotment. GoI allocated Rs 69,000 crores for reviving BSNL and MTNL. Both the entities
have been reporting losses over a decade.
Group of ministers
Group of ministers are appointed by the GoI under Transaction of Business Rules, 1961. According to para 6
(4) of the rules, Ad hoc committees of ministers including GoM sha;; be appointed by standing committee of
cabinet, cabinet or by the PM. The GoM do not have decision making powers. They investigate and report to
the cabinet. On the other hand, Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) can make decisions. They are also
formed by GoI.
In 2014, EGoM was dissolved and the changes are still under process.
Long March-5: China successfully launches largest carrier rocket
China has successfully launched its largest carrier rocket, Long March-5, carrying the Shijian-20 satellite,
from Wenchang Space Launch Center (WSLC) in south China’s Hainan Province. China’s most powerful
rocket is a critical ingredient in nation’s ambitious space programme.
About Long March-5
The rocket which is also known as CZ-5 is China’s heaviest and most advanced communications satellite. It
can carry a maximum payload of 25 tonnes into low Earth orbit (LEO) and 14 tonnes into geosynchronous
orbit. The successful launch is a major step forward for China’s planned mission to Mars in 2020.
It blasted off with more than 1,000 tonnes of thrust. The mission was declared a complete success by
Chinese space authorities after lift-off when Shijian-20 satellite it carried entered its designated orbit. This
is China’s third attempt to launch rocket and first attempt was made in 2016. However, during first attempt,
the rocket failed to reach speed required for early phase of flight. The second attempt also failed.
About Shijian-20 satellite
It is a new technology test and verification satellite. The satellite will lay foundation for development of
highly sensitive space probes. Shijian-20 weighs more than 8 tonnes and will carry out orbit experiments for
a series of key technologies. It is China’s heaviest and most advanced communications satellite in
geosynchronous orbit. It is made by ‘China Academy of Space Technology (CAST)’ under China Aerospace
Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
AIR organises National Symposium of Poets 2020
All India Radio (AIR) organized the National Symposium of Poets 2020 on 27 December 2019. This edition
of poet symposium was attended by select poets from all corners of country, who gave their presentations
and captivated the hearts of people.
About National Symposium of Poets
Such National symposium is organised continuously every year since 1956. The symposium is organized
every year and broadcast on eve of Republic Day and at all the centers of AIR at 10:00 PM. The poets of all
22 languages recognized in tenth schedule of constitution participate in symposium.
About All India Radio
Founded in 1936, it is a division of Prasar Bharati (India’s largest public broadcasting agency). AIR is
National Radio Broadcaster of India. Since 1956 Is officially known as Akashvani. AIR is sister service of
Prasar Bharati’s Doordarshan, an Indian television broadcaster. AIR Motto – ‘Bahujan Hitaya: Bahujan
Sukhaya’. It broadcasts programmes in 23 languages and 179 dialects.
December 30, 2019
Finance Minister launches ‘eBkray’ auction platform for assets attached by banks
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has launched eBkray or eBक्रय, an common e-auction platform
to enable online auction of attached assets transparently and cleanly for the improved realization of value
by banks. The e-auction platform is now linked on Indian Banks Auctions Mortgaged Properties
Information (IBAPI) portal and guidelines have been made available.
About eBkray platform

Objective of Portal: To enhance user experience through seamless access to information by search based
on type and location of property put up for e-auction by banks in India.
It will provide navigational links to all Public Sector Banks (PSBs) e-auction sites, property search feature
and will present single-window access to information on properties up for e-auction, comparison of similar
properties, as well as contains videos and photographs of uploaded properties.
The platform will help buyer to easily navigate to bank e-auction site after a notified property is selected. It
also helps user to search property using State-wise, District-wise and bank-wise details.
Indian Banks Auctions Mortgaged Properties Information (IBAPI) portal
It is an initiative of Indian Banks Association (IBA) under policy of Department of Financial Services (DFS),
Union Ministry of Finance, to provide details of mortgaged properties to be auctioned online by banks,
starting with PSBs. Buyers can use the IBAPI portal to search and get properties details and participate in
auction process. Currently, 21 banks are onboard on this portal.
Koneru Humpy bags 2019 World Rapid Chess title
Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy claimed the 2019 Women’s World Rapid Chess Champion tiltle. The
winner of Women’s World Rapid Championship was decided in a playoff that ended with Humpy beating
China’s Lei Tingjie in a dramatic final in Moscow, Russia.
Key Highlights
Humpy, who is India’s best-ever women’s chess player, was crowned world women’s rapid champion at the
same venue where Norwegian grandmaster and also classical chess champion Magnus Carlsen won men’s
title in space of a few minutes.
This is a significant win for Humpy, who had taken a two-year sabbatical from 2016 to 2018 after she
became a mother. She is now more at ease in classical format and was clearly trying to take her skills in
rapid format to a new level.
About World Rapid Chess Championship
It is a chess tournament held since 1987, to determine world champion in chess played under rapid time
controls. Prior to 2012, the FIDE (international organization that acts as the governing body of international
chess competition) gave such recognition to a limited number of tournaments, however, since 2012, FIDE
has held an annual joint rapid and blitz chess tournament and called it as Word Rapid & Blitz Chess
Championships. It also holds Women’s Word Rapid & Blitz Chess Championship.
World’s oldest rhino’ dies in Tanzania
Fausta, a female black rhino, who was believed to be the world’s oldest rhino has died at the age of 57 in a
Tanzanian conservation area. Fausta died of natural causes in captivity in Ngorongoro Crater, which lies in
Ngorongoro Conservation Area of Tanzania.
Key Highlights
The records kept by Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority showed that Fausta lived (longer) than any
rhino in world. She survived free-ranging in Ngorongoro, for more than 54 years before being kept in a
sanctuary for last 3 years of its life in 2016. Hher health deteriorated from 2016 after hyena attacks, thus
she was taken into refuge.
Fausta was first located in 1965 at the age of between 3 and 4 years’ old by a scientist. However, Fausta
survived 57 years without bearing calves.
Average Rhino Life: As per Ngorongoro authority, Rhinos’ life expectancy is around 40 years in wild but they
can live an extra decade in captivity.
About Black rhinoceros
They are also called as ‘hook-lipped rhinoceros’. This species of rhinoceros although is referred to as
‘black’, but its colors vary from brown to grey. They are smaller of two African species (other being the
white rhinoceros’ species), and are found around south and east Africa, including Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia,
South Africa and Zimbabwe.
IUCN Status: Critically endangered; (although South-western black rhinoceros is classified as vulnerable).
According to charity ‘Save The Rhino’, Black rhinos who are now decimated by poaching, now numbers only
around 5,500.
India State of Forest Report, 2019: Key Findings
On 30th December 2019, the Union Environment Forest and Climate Change Minister Prakash Javadekar has
released State of Forests Report, 2019. India State of Forest Report is released every two years and it
provides comprehensive information about the forest cover, forest vegetation density, tree cover, progress
of plantation outside the designated forests etc. for India as well as States.
The key findings of the ISFR 2019 are as follows:
The total forest cover of the country is 7,12,249 sq km which is 21.67% of the geographical area of
the country. The tree cover of the country is estimated as 95,027 sq km which is 2.89% of the
geographical area.
The total Forest and Tree cover of the country is 8,07,276 sq km which is 24.56% of the geographical
area of the country.
The current assessment shows an increase of 3,976 sq km (0.56%) of forest cover, 1,212 sq km
(1.29%) of tree cover and 5,188 sq km (0.65%) of forest and tree cover put together, at the national
level as compared to the previous assessment i.e. ISFR 2017.
Forest cover within the RFA/GW has shown a slight decrease of 330 sq km (0.05%) whereas there is
an increase of 4,306 sq km of forest cover outside the RFA/GW as compared to previous assessment
of 2017.
The top five States in terms of increase in forest cover are Karnataka (1,025 sq km), Andhra Pradesh
(990 sq km), Kerala (823 sq km), Jammu & Kashmir (371 sq km) and Himachal Pradesh (334 sq km).
Forest cover in the hill districts of the country is 2,84,006 sq km, which is 40.30% of the total
geographical area of these districts. The current assessment shows an increase of 544 sq km
(0.19%) in 140 hill districts of the country.
The total forest cover in the tribal districts is 4,22,351 sq km, which is 37.54% of the geographical
area of these districts. The current assessment shows a decrease of 741 sq km of forest cover within
the RFA/GW in the tribal districts and an increase of 1,922 sq km outside.
Total forest cover in the North Eastern region is 1,70,541 sq km, which is 65.05% of its geographical
area. The current assessment shows a decrease of forest cover to the extent of 765 sq km (0.45%) in
the region. Except Assam and Tripura, all the States in the region show decrease in forest cover.
Mangrove cover in the country has increased by 54 sq km (1.10%) as compared to the previous
assessment.
The total growing stock of wood in the country is estimated 5,915.76 million cum comprising
4,273.47 million cum inside forest areas and 1,642.29 million cum outside recorded forest areas
(TOF). The average growing stock per hectare in forest has been estimated as 55.69 cum.
Total bamboo bearing area of the country is estimated as 1,60,037 sq km. There is an increase of
3,229 sq km in bamboo bearing area as compared to the estimate of ISFR 2017.
In the present assessment, total carbon stock in forest is estimated as 7,124.6 million tonnes. There
is an increase of 42.6 million tonnes in the carbon stock of the country as compared to the last
assessment of 2017. The annual increase is 21.3 million tonnes, which is 78.1 million tonnes CO2 eq.
Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) represents the largest pool of carbon stock in forests, which has been
estimated 4,004 million tonnes. The SOC contributes 56% to the total forest carbon stock of the
country.
There are 62,466 wetlands covering 3.83% of the area within the RFA/GW of the country. The total
number of wetlands located within the RFA/GW is 8.13%. Amongst the States, Gujarat has largest
area of wetlands within RFA in the country followed by West Bengal.
Dependence of fuelwood on forests is highest in the State of Maharashtra, whereas, for fodder, small
timber and bamboo, dependence is highest in Madhya Pradesh. It has been assessed that the annual
removal of the small timber by the people living in forest fringe villages is nearly 7% of the average
annual yield of forests in the country.
The information on area affected by five major invasive species in States/UTs based on analysis of
NFI data has been given in the present ISFR.
Fire prone forest areas of different severity classes have been mapped in the grids of 5km x 5km
based on the frequency of forest fires. The analysis reveals that 21.40% of the forest cover of the
country is highly to extremely fire prone.
NASA astronaut Christina Koch sets record for longest single spaceflight by woman
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Astronaut Christina Koch has created a record for
longest single spaceflight by a woman, after surpassing the earlier record of 288 days in space with about
two months left in her mission. Christina, who is onboard the International Space Station (ISS) since 14
March 2019, would have spent over 300 days in space by the time she arrives back on Earth in February
2020.
About Christina Koch
She is an electrical engineer from Livingston, Montana. She arrived at International Space Station on 24
March 2019. She broke the record set in 2016-2017, by Peggy Whitson, a former space station commander.
The 40-year-old Christina is expected to spend a total of 328 days (or nearly 11 months), onboard the space
station before returning to Earth. NASA Missions are typically 6 months, but the US Space Agency
announced in April 2019 that it was extending her mission until February 2020.
Koch’s extended mission will help NASA learn about effects of long spaceflights. As per NASA officials, this
data is needed to support future deep space exploration missions to Moon and Mars.
Other Records
The US record for longest space flight is 340 days, which was set by Scott Kelly in 2015-2016. However,
the world record is 15 months set in 1990s by a Russian cosmonaut aboard the former Mir space station
(that operated from 1986 to 2001).
Before breaking the endurance record for a woman in space, Koch has set another milestone as part of first
all-female spacewalking team in October 2019. It was her fourth spacewalk.
December 31, 2019
Sustainable Development Goal Index Released
On December 30, 2019, NITI Aayog released Sustainable Development Goals Index 2019-20. According to
the report, the overall composite score of India improved from 60 in 2018 to 57 in 2019. India succeeded in
the areas of power and industry, water and sanitation, nutrition and gender equality. The index covered 16
out of 17 SDGs.
Highlights
Kerala ranked first in composite SDG index with score of 70. Kerala was followed by Himachal Pradesh,
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. The biggest improvement was seen in states such as Uttar
Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim. The score of UP improved from 29 in 2018 to 23 in 2019. Also, the rank of
Odisha improved from 23 in 2018 to 15 in 2019.
The least performing states were Bihar, Jharkhand and Arunachal Pradesh.
In terms of poverty reduction, states such as Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya and
Sikkim performed well.
Categories
The states were classified under 4 categories based on their scores. The states with scores between 0 and
49 were categorized ‘Aspirant’, between 50 and 64 were ‘Performers’, between 65 and 99 were ‘Front
Runner’ and with a score of 100 were categorized ‘Achiever’.
The states Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Bihar that were in Aspirant category moved to performers in 2019.
The states that were in performer category in 2018 and moved to front runner include Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka, Telangana, Sikkim and Goa.
General Bipin Rawat appointed as CDS officer
On December 31, 2019, General Bipin Rawat was appointed as the Chief of Defence Staff. He recently
retired as Chief of Army Staff and was succeeded by General Manoj Mukund.
Highlights
Recently, the Union Cabinet approved the post of Chief of Defence Staff in the rank of four star general. The
salaries and perks of the CDS is equivalent to service chief. The CDS will also head the Department of
Military affairs which is to be created with in the Ministry of Defence. He will act as the military advisor to
the Government of India. The post was created in order to bring in reforms in military focusing on minimal
use of resources with maximum output.
Chief of Defence Staff
The other countries that hold Chief of Defence Staff in the world includes Italy, France, China, Spain, UK,
Canada and Japan. The history of creation of such as post goes back to 1940s. The idea of creation of such
a post was mooted by Lord Mountbatten. However, officially the suggestion came in after Kargil war in
1999.
The Chief of Staff Committee was created to finalise the powers of CDS.
Four-star mark
The four-star rank of an officer in India is given to 5 officers. It includes Admiral of Indian Navy, Air Chief
Marshal of Indian Air Force, General of Indian Army and Director of Intelligence Bureau. Now, the rank is
given to CDS officer as well.
Central Equipment Identify Register: Government launches web portal to trace stolen mobiles
The Government of India on December 30, 2019, launched “Central Equipment Identify Register” portal to
block and trace mobile phones. The web portal will operate under Department of Telecom.
Highlights
The CEIR portal has been established in order to address theft, security and other concerns. The portal will
also hold database of IMEI numbers of blacklisted handsets. When a phone is listed in blacklist, the
wireless carriers will not allow the phone to connect to a network. It will facilitate request of blocking lost or
stolen mobile phones of the citizens.
CEIR
The CEIR has powers to block the usage of the phone. On the other hand, the predecessor technologies of
CEIR were able to block the sim cards alone. The CEIR also has powers to access the GSMA database.
GSMA is Global system of Mobile Communications. The database of GSMA holds manufacturer and model
numbers.
IMEI
IMEI is the International Mobile Equipment Identity is a unique number that can be found in batteries of
phones. Australia was the first country to adopt IMEI. Other countries that have adopted IMEI include US,
UK, India.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which nation has recently gained independence from Papua New Guinea?
[A] Kiriwina
[B] Manus
[C] Buka
[D] Bougainville
Answer: Bougainville
On December 11, 2019, the South Pacific Archipelago of Bougainville voted to become independent of
Papua New Guinea. Around 98% of 1,81,067 voters voted to get independent from Papua New Guinea.It
is the largest island of the Solomon Islands Archipelago. The island has the world’s largest copper
deposits. The most widely spoken language in the country is Halia.
2. Which city organized the Symposium on Scope of Science of Ayurveda in Global Health?
[A] Dehradun
[B] Haridwar
[C] New Delhi
[D] Panchkula
Answer: New Delhi
Government organized a Symposium on Scope of Science of Ayurveda in Global Health on 11
December,2019 at New Delhi. It was organized by the Ministry of AYUSH in coordination with the
Ministry of External Affairs. It is in line with the Ministry of AYUSH’s commitment to promote Ayurveda
and Traditional systems of Medicine globally. The symposium aimed to sensitize all the Ambassadors
and High Commissioners and impart them with the information about advanced research and recent
developments in Ayurveda. It is expected that these personalities play a vital role in exploring the
possibilities to establish age-old Ayurveda a Traditional Medical System in different countries.
3. The Legislative Assembly of which state has passed Disha Bill, 2019 recently?
[A] Andhra Pradesh
[B] Goa
[C] Maharashtra
[D] West Bengal
Answer: Andhra Pradesh
On 14 December, 2019, the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly has passed the Andhra Pradesh Disha
Bill, 2019 (Andhra Pradesh Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2019). The bill provides for awarding death
sentence for offences of rape and gangrape and expediting trials of such cases to within 21 days. Major
provisions include completion of investigation in seven days and trial in 14 working days, where there is
adequate conclusive evidence, and reducing the total judgment time to 21 days from the existing four
months. The AP Disha Act also prescribes life imprisonment for other sexual offences against children
and includes Section 354 F and 354 G in IPC.
4. International Universal Health Coverage Day is observed on which date?
[A] December 9
[B] December 10
[C] December 11
[D] December 12
Answer: December 12
Universal Health Coverage Day is celebrated annually on December 12 and is promoted by the World
Health Organization.December 12,2019 is the anniversary of the first unanimous United Nations
resolution calling for all nations to provide for their citizens affordable, quality health care.UHC is
promoted as an instrument to help advance the more broadly conceived human right to health, which is
based upon a number of international agreements, or widely affirmed international documents.Universal
health coverage has been included in the new Sustainable Development Goals for 2015-2030, adopted
by the United Nations. In many nations, inclusive healthcare is very rudimentary and does not include
heroic interventions or long-term care.
5. Recently established trust “InvIT Trust” belongs to which Indian authority?
[A] DRDO
[B] ISRO
[C] NHAI
[D] CSIR
Answer: NHAI
Union Cabinet approved the proposal of Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), which
authorizes National Highways Authority of India(NHAI) to set up Infrastructure Investment Trust(s)
(InvIT) as per InvIT Guidelines issued by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). This will
enable NHAI to monetize completed National Highways that have a toll collection track record of at least
1 year and the NHAI reserves the right to levy toll on identified highway.
6. George Laurer,who recently passed away was the inventor of which service?
[A] Telegram
[B] Bar Code
[C] Twitter
[D] Email
Answer: Bar Code
George Laurer, the US engineer who helped develop the barcode, has passed away at the age of 94.Mr.
Laurer has been recognized as the co-inventor of the Universal Product Code (UPC) or barcode. It is
found on millions of products, services, and other items for identification. When he was working as an
electrical engineer with IBM, he developed UPC or barcode. He developed a scanner that could digitally
read codes. He used stripes to print the codes.
7. Which country has become the sixth largest oil supplier of India?
[A] UAE
[B] Kuwait
[C] USA
[D] Iran
Answer: USA
United States has surpassed Kuwait to become India’s sixth-largest oil supplier. India began to import
crude oil from the US in 2017 as a move to diversify India’s import basket beyond the Organization of the
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) nations. Note that, currently Iraq is top supplier of crude oil for
India, while Qatar is top supplier of natural gas to India.
8. Which state government is to set up a virtual police station?
[A] Odisha
[B] Bihar
[C] Madhya Pradesh
[D] Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh is to set up a virtual police station (VPS) in the Andhra University (AU). It will be the first
of its kind. It will help the students to report violence or any other crime online. The plan to establish
VPS was initially proposed by AU vice-chancellor Prasad Reddy in August 2019.
9. Peter Handke, who received the Nobel Literature prize,belongs to which country?
[A] Australia
[B] Serbia
[C] Austria
[D] USA
Answer: Austria
Author Peter Handke was conferred the Nobel Literature Prize. He received the 9 million-kronor
($948,000) award from King Carl XVI Gustaf at a ceremony in Stockholm. Peter Handke, 76, is an
Austrian author and playwright. He was recognized for his influential work that with linguistic ingenuity
has explored the periphery and the specificity of human experience. He has been a controversial figure
as he supported the Serbs during the 1990s Yugoslav war. He was charged in 2001 with the Bosnian
Genocide.
10. The 37th National Symposium of Heads of Police Training Institutions is being held in which Indian city?
[A] Saharanpur
[B] Pune
[C] Hyderabad
[D] New Delhi
Answer: New Delhi
The 37th National Symposium of Heads of Police Training Institutions is being held at BPR&D
Headquarters, New Delhi. The two-day symposium is held from 12-13 December 2019. The symposium
is organized by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), Ministry of Home Affairs.
The theme of the two-day Symposium is Optimal Utilization of Resources – Through Sharing and
Networking.
11. Which country is to host the 36th International Geological Congress?
[A] Russia
[B] USA
[C] India
[D] Japan
Answer: India
India is to host the 36th International Geological Congress (IGC) in New Delhi during the first week of
March 2020. It is popularly described as the Olympics of Geosciences. The theme of the event is
Geosciences: The Basic Science for a Sustainable Development. The IGCs are global geoscientific
events held once in four years.The event aims to provide a platform for international cooperation in all
major fields of geosciences including the provision of investment opportunities in mining, launching of
collaborative programs, mineral exploration and environmental management and related enterprises
12. Which company has won the Space Oscars awards at Copernicus Masters competition?
[A] Urthecast
[B] Spatial AI
[C] Blue Sky analytics
[D] PCI Geomatics

Answer: Blue Sky analytics
Blue Sky Analytics won the Space Oscars awards on the international competition Copernicus Masters.
The awards were presented in a ceremony during the European Space Week held at Helsinki, Finland.
Blue Sky Analytics became the has become the first Indian Startup to win the Space Oscars award
presented by the European Space Agency.
13. Who has recently created history by scoring centuries on debut in both ODI and Test cricket?
[A] Marnus Labuschagne
[B] Abid Ali
[C] Dhananjaya de Silva
[D] Mohammad Hasnain
Answer: Abid Ali
Pakistan opener Abid Ali has become the only male player in cricket history to score a hundred on both
his ODI and Test debuts when he reached three figures on the final day of the Rawalpindi Test against
Sri Lanka. Former England women’s player Enid Bakewell who played 12 Tests between 1968 and 1979
was the first cricketer (male/female) to start both their ODI and Test careers with a century.
14. Who has been recently crowned Miss World Asia 2019?
[A] Suman Rao
[B] Anukreethy Vas
[C] Shreya Shanker
[D] Shivani Jadhav
Answer: Suman Rao
Jamaica’s Toni-Ann Singh was crowned Miss World at an annual beauty pageant held at the 69th annual
beauty pageant held in ExceL London, UK on 14 December. She was crowned by the 2018 winner
Vanessa Ponce de Leon of Mexico. She became the fourth Jamaican woman to win Miss World.
India’s Suman Rao became the second runners-up. She was crowned as Miss World Asia.
15. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued a draft notification on December 15, 2019, to
regulate the registration of which type of vehicles?
[A] Petrol Vehicle
[B] Vintage Vehicle
[C] Diesel Vehicle
[D] Luxury Vehicle
Answer: Vintage Vehicle
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued a draft notification on December 15, 2019, to
regulate the registration of old vintage vehicles. The ministry has planned to provide a special number
plate with letters VA to signify the vintage vehicles.
16. Which paramilitary force has launched the first ever matrimonial site for its staff?
[A] CISF
[B] BSF
[C] NSG
[D] ITBP
Answer: ITBP
In a first of its kind move, the border guarding paramilitary force of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)
has started a dedicated matrimonial site for its staff. This is the first -ever dedicated and well-managed
matrimony portal among Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). A link for the unique portal was launched
on 9 December on the official website of ITBP. The website will be managed by ITBP and only the staff
will be able to access it.
17. Police of which state has recently received the President Colours Award -2019?
[A] Andhra Pradesh
[B] Haryana
[C] Gujarat
[D] Rajasthan
Answer: Gujarat
The Gujarat police was presented the ‘President’s Colours’ by Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu at a
ceremony held in Karai Police Academy in Gandhi Nagar on 15 December 2019. Gujarat now becomes
the seventh state to receive the prestigious President’s Colours, also called as Nishaan, an emblem
which all police officers of Gujarat would wear on left-hand sleeve of their uniform. A new logo of
Gujarat Police was also unveiled and the force was also awarded a specially designed flag and an
emblem.
18. Which Union Territory unveiled a start up policy of the Industries Department?
[A] Chandigarh
[B] Delhi
[C] Puducherry
[D] Lakshadweep
Answer: Puducherry
The Union Territory Puducherry unveiled a startup policy of the Industries Department. It was announced
by Puducherry Industries Minister Shajahan. The policy lays emphasis to provide financial grants,
monthly stipend, fiscal incentives to interested entrepreneurs and bring new business ventures to the
Union Territory.The policy creates a corpus fund of Rs.10 crore to support the setting up of startup
incubators and to develop co-working spaces. It will provide a grant of Rs.3 lakh to the projects
recommended by incubators that are established by the government or private sector as a startup grant.
19. Which site has been selected for sample collection on asteroid Bennu?
[A] Nightingale
[B] Ceres
[C] Itokawa
[D] Hygiea
Answer: Nightingale
NASA has finally selected a sample collection site on asteroid Bennu after the arrival of OSIRIS-REx
spacecraft in December 2018. The OSIRIS-Rex mission team has selected the site designated
Nightingale, which is located in a crater high in Bennu’s northern hemisphere. The team has also
selected site Osprey of Bennu as a backup sample collection site.Site Nightingale is located in a
northern crater 460 feet wide of the asteroid. As per the observation, Nightingale’s regolith or rocky
surface material is dark, and images show that the crater is relatively smooth.
20. Which famous massage has been recently added to prestigious heritage list of UNESCO?
[A] Swedish massage
[B] Hot Stone massage
[C] Aroma Therapy massage
[D] Nuad Thai massage
Answer: Nuad Thai massage

Thailand’s famous 2000-year-old massage, Nuad Thai was added to UNESCO’s (United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) prestigious heritage list. Nuad Thai is an intense form
of massage in which the body is pulled and rotated well with the help of the thumb, elbow, knees and
feet. Thai massage originated in India and brought it to Thailand about 2,500 years ago by doctors and
monks who carried its secrets for generations.
21. Recently, the Indian troops serving with the UNMISS received the UN Medal for their dedication and
sacrifice. The UNMISS is in service to which country?
[A] Morocco
[B] South Sudan
[C] Sudan
[D] Syria
Answer: South Sudan
Around 850 Indian peacekeepers who are serving in South Sudan were awarded with the prestigious UN
medal for their service and contribution to promote peace in the strife-torn nation. India is among the
largest contributors to the UN peacekeeping operations.
22. Five US tech giants are currently facing lawsuits over the death of child labourers in cobalt mines in
which country?
[A] Democratic Republic of Congo
[B] Uganda
[C] Angola
[D] Sierra Leone
Answer: Democratic Republic of Congo
Apple, Microsoft and Google’s parent Alphabet are among the tech giants who were named in a case
that is currently looking into the death of child labourers in cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of
Congo. Democratic Republic of Congo is the largest producer of Cobalt, a rare metal and a vital raw
material for batteries used in mobile phones and electric vehicles.
23. Which neighbouring country of India was recently criticised for providing special permits for the royal
family of Qatar to hunt vulnerable species Houbara Bustards?
[A] Nepal
[B] China
[C] Sri Lanka
[D] Pakistan
Answer: Pakistan
International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed houbara bustard as “vulnerable”
species. IUCN states that these species are currently at a high risk of extinction. These birds are
constantly under threat due to hunting and trapping. Current estimates state that there are about 50,000
to 10,000 left.
24. Which joint military exercise was recently concluded by Nepal and India?
[A] Yudh Abhyas
[B] Sampriti
[C] Hand in Hand
[D] Surya Kiran
Answer: Surya Kiran
Surya Kiran is an annual bilateral military exercise between India and Nepal. It is conducted in
alternative basis. This year it was held in Salijhandi of Rupendehi district of Nepal. Its aim is to conduct
battalion-level combined training to increase interoperability in jungle warfare and counter-terrorist
operations in mountainous terrain, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, medical and environmental
conservation.
25. In December, the MSME ministry launched which of these products produced by women of militancy
affected areas of J&K?
[A] Khadi Rumal
[B] Kashmiri Rug
[C] Papier mache crafts
[D] Pashmina shawls
Answer: Khadi Rumal
In December, the ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) launched ‘Khadi Rumal’ from
the militancy affected areas of Jammu and Kashmir. These are handkerchiefs made of khadi cloth and
stitched by the women of the affected region. This is an effort to create employment in the region.
26. The Ilisu Dam, which has been in the news recently, is in which country?
[A] Pakistan
[B] Bhutan
[C] Turkey
[D] Bangladesh
Answer: Turkey
Ilisu Dam is in Turkey. It is one of the Southeastern Anatolia Project which involves 22 dams. The Ilisu
Dam is located on the Tigris River. The dam is meant for water storage, flood control and also
hydroelectricity generation. It is a concrete face rock filled dam.
27. The scientists at the IIT-H developed a ‘memristor’ for detecting Bovine Serum Albumin. Which of the
following is not a feature of this ‘memristor’?
[A] SET switching
[B] RESET switching
[C] Metal electrodes
[D] None of the above
Answer: None of the above
The scientists at the IIT Hyderabad had developed a memristor sensor for detecting the bovine serum
albumin, which is analogous to the human serum albumin. The memristor or ‘Resistive Random Access
Memory’ device is capable of changing its resistance state with voltage (called SET and RESERT
switching). It is made up of metal electrodes and uses titanium dioxide as the active material.
28. Pakistani judiciary recently announced the death sentence for former president Pervez Musharraf. In
which year, Musharraf had seized power in a military coup in Pakistan?
[A] 1996
[B] 1999
[C] 2000
[D] 2002
Answer: 1999
The judiciary of Pakistan recently handed the death sentence to Pervez Musharraf in December. The
penalty was handed by a special court against the former military dictator for high treason. Musharraf
was a 4 star general of the Pakistani Army and the 10th president of the country. Musharraf seized power
in a military coup in 1999 and ruled Pakistan as President until 2008.
29. The Centre is planning to initiate ‘Saksham Anganwadi’ scheme through which of its ministries?
[A] Ministry of health and family welfare
[B] Ministry of science and technology
[C] Ministry of women and child development
[D] Ministry of human resource development
Answer: Ministry of women and child development
The ministry of women and child development is planning to implement the ‘Saksham Anganwadi’
scheme. Through this program, 2.5 lakh anganwadis are to be upgraded over the next 5 years. The
scheme will introduce upgraded facilities like smart teaching, smart learning, crèche facilities, etc.
30. Which sportsman was recently named “BBC Sports Personality of the year 2019”?
[A] Lewis Hamilton
[B] Ben Stokes
[C] Jos Buttler
[D] Eoin Morgan
Answer: Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes, the famous all rounder of the England Cricket team has won the coveted ” BBC Sports
Personality of the year 2019″. He played a crucial role in the World Cup finals match against New
Zealand. This is one among the BBC’s annual sporting awards, that honours sportspersons and teams
selected through public voting. The England Cricket team won the Best Team of the year award.
31. India and the US are going to hold 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in Washington. India holds similar dialogue
format with which other country?
[A] Japan
[B] Australia
[C] Russia
[D] New Zealand
Answer: Japan
Japan and the US are the only two countries with which India is currently holding 2+2 Ministerial
dialogue. It is held between the countries’ foreign and defence ministers. This year, Japan and India held
its first ever 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.
32. What is the name of the trilateral naval exercise held between India, the US and Japan?
[A] Milan
[B] Malabar
[C] SIMBEX
[D] INDRA
Answer: Malabar
India, Japan and the US are part of the trilateral naval exercise Malabar. Initiated in 1992, it was
originally a bilateral exercise between the US and India. Japan became a permanent member in 2015. It
includes diverse activities, ranging from fighter combat operations from aircraft carriers through
Maritime Interdiction Operations Exercises.
33. India’s Supreme Court has decided to examine the constitutional validity of the Citizenship Amendment
Act. Which part of the constitution deal with citizenship in India?
[A] Part I
[B] Part II
[C] Part III
[D] Part IV
Answer: Part II
Article 5 to 11 (Part II) of the Indian constitution deals with the citizenship in India. The legislation
related to this is the Citizenship Act, 1955. It has been amended many times and the most recent of it is
in 2019 to provide path to citizenship to certain religious minorities from several Muslim countries.
34. The US has recently rejected China and Russia’s call to ease sanctions on North Korea. Which country
supported North Korea during the Korean War?
[A] China
[B] USSR
[C] Vietnam
[D] Cambodia
Answer: China
Korean War (1950-53) took place when North Korean military invaded South Korea. The UN force led by
the US intervened to defend the south and rapidly advanced into North Korea. Chinese forces intervened
on behalf of North Korea. No peace treaty was signed but an armistice in 1953 led to the restoration of
the original boundary of the two nations.
35. The Odisha Cabinet has approved SAMRIDHI. What is it?
[A] Agriculture policy
[B] Healthcare policy
[C] Education policy
[D] Trade policy
Answer: Agriculture policy
Agriculture Policy 2020, SAMRIDHI was approved by the Odisha Cabinet recently. It is based on 8
components – Science and Technology, Adaptation to Climate Change, (Markets) Domestic and Global,
Physical and financial, Resource use efficiency and higher productivity and Creating appropriate
Infrastructure.
36. Lok Sabha speaker emphasised on the implementation of e-cabinet. Which is the first North East State
to implement e-cabinet solution?
[A] Assam
[B] Sikkim
[C] Tripura
[D] Arunachal Pradesh
Answer: Arunachal Pradesh
In 2017, Arunachal Pradesh became the first North East state to implement e-cabinet solution. The
solution allows the ministers to prepare, conduct and review the cabinet meetings without the use of
papers. It gives remote access to the Ministers to view and circulate Cabinet notes in advance for the
proper analysis and feedback. It has also reduced the time consumed during the cabinet meeting.
37. Where is the Bharat Vandana Park being constructed?
[A] New Delhi
[B] Gujarat
[C] Rajasthan
[D] Uttar Pradesh
Answer: New Delhi

The foundation stone for the Bharat Vandana Park was recently laid at Dwarka in New Delhi. The park is
to serve as a major tourist attraction upon completion. It is to be developed at the cost of 550 crore INR.
38. Where is the Incirlik Air Base located?
[A] USA
[B] Greenland
[C] Turkey
[D] Syria
Answer: Turkey
The Incirlik Air Base is located in Turkey. Turkey is planning to close down this strategically important
air base. The United States air force makes use of this base to launch air raids on Islamic State/ IS
forces in Syria.
39. The Global Refugee Forum meeting was organised by which institution?
[A] Amnesty International
[B] Euro Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor
[C] Centre for Economic and Social Rights
[D] UNHCR
Answer: UNHCR
The first ever Global Refugee Forum meeting was recently organised by the United Nations in Geneva,
Switzerland in December. The UNHCR organised the meeting a year after the adoption of the Global
Compact on Refugees by the United Nations General Assembly.
40. The Abraham Koshy Committee was constituted for which organisation?
[A] RBI
[B] SEBI
[C] IRDAI
[D] TRAI
Answer: SEBI
The Abraham Koshy Committee is an eight member panel that serves as an advisory body for the SEBI/
Securities and Exchange Board of India. It was recently revamped to look into the issues of investor
education and protection. It is headed by Abraham Koshy who is a former professor of IIM Ahmedabad.
41. The Jalasathi program was launched by which state government?
[A] Telangana
[B] Andhra Pradesh
[C] Odisha
[D] Tamil Nadu
Answer: Odisha
The Jalasathi program was recently launched by the Odisha state government for providing access to
safe drinking water supply to all households. A dedicated app was also launched along with it. Point of
Sale machines and kits for testing water quality were distributed to women volunteers called
‘Jalasathis’.
42. What is Andhra Pradesh’s OCTOPUS?
[A] Science research institute
[B] Water management authority
[C] Anti-encroachment drive
[D] Counter-terrorism unit

Answer: Counter-terrorism unit
OCTOPUS is a counter-terrorism force of Andhra Pradesh. OCTOPUS or Organisation for Counter-
Terrorist Operations is an elite unit and was recently assigned as a security cover for the state’s Chief
Minister. It was formed for the first time in 2007.
43. Which state is in talks to develop 3 decentralized capitals instead of one?
[A] Telangana
[B] Nagaland
[C] Andhra Pradesh
[D] Odisha
The state government of Andhra Pradesh is in talks to develop 3 decentralised capitals instead of one.
The state is in talks to develop Amaravati as the legislative capital, Visakhapatnam as the executive
capital and Kurnool as the judicial capital.
44. The upcoming 2020 Raisinia Dialogue is to deal with what topic?
[A] Infrastructure Development
[B] Geopolitics
[C] Climate Change
[D] Wildlife conservation
Answer: Geopolitics
The Raisinia Dialogue is a flagship platform of India in geoeconomics and geopolitics. The ministry of
external affairs organises this event annually in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation
(ORF). The 2020 edition is to be conducted from January 14th to 16th in New Delhi.
45. The Mukhyamantri Suposhan Abhiyan is a scheme of which state?
[A] Chhattisgarh
[B] Jharkhand
[C] West Bengal
[D] Odisha
Answer: Chhattisgarh
The Suposhan Abhiyan is a scheme of the Chhattisgarh state government. The state recently conducted
information dissemination drives in local languages under this scheme to create awareness about the
various government initiatives to the forest dwellers and tribal people of the region.
46. The Ludhiana Tiger Safari, which is to receive new Bengal Tigers, is in which state?
[A] Punjab
[B] Chhattisgarh
[C] Gujarat
[D] West Bengal
Answer: Punjab
The Ludhiana Tiger Safari is in Punjab. It is the one such facility in the state. The safari is to welcome 2
new tigers from Chhattisgarh. Three of its tigresses had passed in 2013 and its remaining two tigers are
of failing health.
47. The INDRA 2019 bilateral exercise involves which arms of the armed forces?
[A] Army
[B] Air Force
[C] Navy
[D] All of the above
Answer: All of the above
The INDRA 2019 is a tri-service defence exercise between India and Russia. The exercise involves the
army, navy and the air force of both the countries. The second edition of the exercise concluded recently
in Pune, Goa and Babina. The exercise focuses on counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency.
48. Which of the pairs of host star and exoplanet were named after gemstones in Malay language?
[A] Wadirum and Petra
[B] Bibha and Santamasa
[C] Baiduri and Intan
[D] Nakambe and Mouhoun
Answer: Baiduri and Intan
The host star and exoplanet, HD 20868 and HD 20868b, were named as Baiduri and Intan by the
International Astronomical Union recently. The names are derived from terms for gemstones in Malay
language. It was suggested by Malaysia. They are in the constellation Fornax (the Furnace).
49. Which recently named star is in the constellation Eridanus (the River constellation)?
[A] Baiduri
[B] Nakambe
[C] Bran
[D] Wadirum
Answer: Nakambe
The star Nakambe is in the constellation Eridanus (the River). The star was named by the International
Astronomical Union based on the suggestions of Burkina Faso. The star is named after a major river in
the African nation. The name was arrived at through the ‘NameexoWorlds’ contest.
50. The recently conducted exercise ‘Apharan’ involves which arm of the armed forces?
[A] Indian Army
[B] Indian Navy
[C] Indian Air Force
[D] CRPF
Answer: Indian Navy
The exercise ‘Apharan’ was conducted at Port of Kochi. It saw the participation of Indian navy and coast
guard. It is an anti- hijacking exercise of the Southern Naval Command. The Cochin Port Trust was also
involved in the exercise.
51. Which country recently became the first to recognize the Indian Pharmacopoeia?
[A] Afghanistan
[B] Iraq
[C] Saudi Arabia
[D] Qatar
Answer: Afghanistan
The National Department of Regulation of Medicines and Health Products of the Ministry of Public
Health of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan recently recognised the official book of standards under
India’s Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940. The book specifies the standards with respect to identity,
strength and purity of the drugs manufactured and marketed in India.
52. What aspect does the recently launched EChO Network deal with?
[A] Indian ecology and environment

[B] Indian foreign policy
[C] Indian military technology
[D] India’s satellite network
Answer: Indian ecology and environment
The EChO network was recently launched by the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India,
Dr. Vijay Raghavan. The EChO network is to improve ‘cross- disciplinary leadership’ for research and
creation of knowledge and awareness about Indian ecology and environment.
53. What is Pinaka which was recently tested in Chandipur of Odisha?
[A] Cruise Missile
[B] IED
[C] Minesweeper
[D] Artillery Missile
Answer: Artillery Missile
Pinaka missile system is an indigenously developed artillery missile system. It was tested by the
Defence Research and development Organisation (DRDO) at Chandipur Integrated Test Range in Odisha.
The missile has a range of 75 km when striking with high precision.
54. What is Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft that is being tested?
[A] Solar space probe
[B] Mars space probe
[C] Astronaut capsule
[D] Jupiter space probe
Answer: Astronaut capsule
The Starliner spacecraft of Boeing is an astronaut capsule. It is being developed as a part of NASA’s
commercial crew program. The capsule is intended for transferring astronauts to the International
Space Station. It is capable of carrying 7 astronauts.
55. The Kuril Island is being disputed between which two countries?
[A] Japan and South Korea
[B] Japan and Russia
[C] Russia and Ukraine
[D] Russia and USA
Answer: Japan and Russia
The Kuril Islands is a disputed territory between Japan and Russia. It is an archipelago with a population
of about 20,000 people. It is located north of Hokkaido and is referred to as Northern Territories by
Japan. The two states recently conducted meeting for ways to resolve the conflict.
56. Which surface rover recently broke the record for lunar longevity?
[A] Lunokhod 1
[B] Viper
[C] Pragyan
[D] Yutu 2
Answer: Yutu 2
The lunar rover Yutu 2 had recently broken the record for the longest operation on the moon’s surface. It
is a part of the Chinese mission to moon called Chang’e 4. It has been functioning on the far side of the
moon for over 11 months now.
57. The bite strength of a Purussaurus was recently calculated. What is a Purussaurus?
[A] a flying reptile
[B] an ancient shark
[C] a caiman
[D] an ancient snake
Answer: a caiman
The Purussaurus is an extinct species of caiman (same family as alligators) that lived during the
Miocene epoch. Scientists calculated the bite strength of these reptiles to be twice that of
Tyrannosaurus Rex. The Purussaurus brasiliensis grew to lengths of over 12m.
58. RBI’s Operation Twist is meant for tackling which issue?
[A] Stagflation
[B] Hardening in long tenor bond yields
[C] Liquidity crunch in NBFC
[D] Low transfer of rate cuts
Answer: Hardening in long tenor bond yields
Reserve Bank of India had launched the Operation Twist to deal with the problem of hardening in long
tenor bond yields. As a part of the operation, the RBI is to involve in open market operations which
involves simultaneous buying and selling of government bonds.
59. The ‘Cricket 4 Good’ is a partnership program of ICC with which international body?
[A] Olympic committee
[B] UNESCO
[C] UNICEF
[D] WADA
Answer: UNICEF
Cricket 4 Good is an outreach program implemented as a collaboration between International cricket
Council (ICC) and United Nations Children’s Fund. The ICC recently announced the extension of its
partnership with UNICEF for the 2020 Women’s T20 world cup.
60. The Kambala sport, which is to get its own museum, involves the use of which animal?
[A] Dogs
[B] Camels
[C] Horses
[D] Buffaloes
Answer: Buffaloes
The Kambala is a traditional sport of Karnataka. It is a slush track buffalo race. The players of this sport
are called jockeys. A museum for this sport is to come up in Dakshina Kannada district. A research
centre is also being planned in the area.
61. The ‘Nine Dash Line’, which is to be contested at the UN, is in which water body?
[A] South China Sea
[B] North Atlantic Ocean
[C] East Philippine sea
[D] Arctic Ocean
Answer: South China Sea
The Nine Dash Line is a demarcation line in the South China Sea. It is used by China to claim sovereignty
over major part of the South China Sea. Malaysia is to contest its claims at the United Nations with
reference to the concept of ‘Exclusive Economic Zone’ rights.

62. The Nord Stream 2 is a gas pipeline project between which two countries?
[A] Russia and Turkey
[B] Germany and Turkey
[C] Russia and Germany
[D] Turkey and USA
Answer: Russia and Germany
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is a project between Russia and Germany. The US government recently
passed a legislation imposing sanctions on firms aiding the development of this gas connection. Russia
is already a major gas supplier to the EU accounting for 40%. The pipeline will increase in the gas
exports to the EU.
63. The International Criminal Court, which is seeking to look into war crimes in West Asia, was established
by which treaty?
[A] Geneva Convention
[B] Rome Statute
[C] Vienna Convention
[D] Kyoto Protocol
Answer: Rome Statute
The International Criminal Court was established by the Rome Statute at Hague in Netherlands. The ICC
is seeking to look into war crimes in the Gaza and West Bank region. However, Israel is not a signatory
to the Rome Statute and is hence claiming lack of jurisdiction of ICC.
64. Which pope abolished the ‘pontifical secrecy’ rule’s applicability to sexual abuse cases?
[A] Pope Francis
[B] Pope Benedict XBI
[C] Pope Pius XII
[D] Pope Paul VI
Answer: Pope Francis
The applicability of ‘pontifical secrecy’ to sexual abuse of minors was abolished by the current pope,
Pope Francis. Pontifical secrecy allows the Roman Catholic Church to keep certain matters in secrecy,
like communications between it and papal embassies. This is in accordance with the ‘Canon Law of the
Roman Catholic Church’.
65. The Apex court of which country recently became the first for holding the government responsible for
climate action?
[A] Netherlands
[B] Denmark
[C] Norway
[D] Finland
Answer: Netherlands
The highest court of Netherlands had recently held that the government must cut greenhouse gas
emission by 25% by the end of next year. It also upheld that the humans have the fundamental rights to
be protected against climate change., making Netherlands the first country to be held responsible by its
courts to take action against climate change.
66. The humanoid robot capable of mirroring human actions, T-HR3, was launched by which firm?
[A] Ford
[B] Volkswagen
[C] Toyota Motor Corp.
[D] Honda
Answer: Toyota Motor Corp.
Toyota Motor corp. has recently launched an upgraded version of its humanoid robot, T-HRS3. This
robot can be controlled remotely using headset and wiring on arms. This technology can be used for
surgery at a long distance, in case the surgeon cannot travel.
67. USA’s legislation DASKA provides for sanctions against which country?
[A] Russia
[B] China
[C] Iran
[D] Iraq
Answer: Russia
The Defending American Security from Kremlin Aggression Act (DASKA) was passed recently. It is
designed to strengthen the US’ ability to confront Russia in several fronts – reinstating the commitment
to NATO, improving cyber security and levying sanctions on Russian entities and individuals involved in
illicit and corrupt activities.
68. Harbin Ice Festival is celebrated by which country?
[A] China
[B] Japan
[C] Finland
[D] South Korea
Answer: China
Harbin ice festival is an annual winter festival that takes place with a theme in China. It is currently the
largest ice and snow festival in the world. Initially, the participants were mostly Chinese; however, it has
since become international festival.
69. The South Central Railway recently adorned the Hyderabad to New Delhi Express in the colours of which
company as a part of its vinyl wrapping advertisement?
[A] Singareni Collieries Company Limited
[B] Mahanadi Coal Mine Limited
[C] Tata Steel
[D] Eastern Coal Field
Answer: Singareni Collieries Company Limited
The South Central Railway, Hyderabad, has launched the first of its kind initiative to advertise the
government departments/PSUs. It had tied up with Singareni Collieries Company Limited, the
government-owned coal producing company, to vinyl wrap the Hydrabad-New Delhi Telangana Express.
70. Which port was recently brought under the Chabahar Agreement?
[A] Chennai
[B] Mormugoa
[C] Kolkata
[D] Vishakhapatnam
Answer: Mormugoa
India, Iran and Afghanistan have recently decided to open Mormugoa and New Mangalore Port in
addition to the JNPT, Mundra, Kandla and Cochin as part of the designated route under the Chabahar
agreement that connects India to strategically located Chabahar port.

71. Galapagos National Park, sometimes seen in news, is located in which country?
[A] Ecuador
[B] Honduras
[C] Papua New Guinea
[D] Brazil
Answer: Ecuador
The Galapagos National Park is in the South American country, Ecuador. It is located on the Galapagos
Island and is considered a World Heritage Site. The government recently announced a state of
emergency in the region in light of the oil spill.
72. Manuel Marrero Cruz is the Prime Minister of which country?
[A] Cuba
[B] Cambodia
[C] Chile
[D] Ecuador
Answer: Cuba
Manuel Marrero Cruz is the Prime Minister of Cuba. The country had appointed its first Prime Minister
after more than 4 decades. The last PM of the country was Fidel Castro after whom the office was
abolished in 1976.
73. The National Farmers Day is celebrated in honour of which Indian Prime Minister?
[A] Gulzarilal Nanda
[B] Morarji Desai
[C] Chandra Shekhar
[D] Charan Singh
Answer: Charan Singh
The National Farmers Day or Kisan Diwas is celebrated on 23rd of December in honor of ex-Prime
Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh. He was the 5th PM of India. He is noted for his championship of
peasants’ causes and his memorial is known as ‘Kisan Ghat’.
74. The Kirtipur Girls’ Hostel was constructed by the Indian Government for the armed police force of which
country?
[A] Nepal
[B] Bhutan
[C] Tibet
[D] Afghanistan
Answer: Nepal
The Girls’ Hostel at Kirtipur, Kathmandu was constructed and inaugurated recently by the government of
India. It is meant for use by the Nepal Armed Police Force School in Kirtipur. 21% of the school’s
strength is composed of girls. The school was established in 2005. India had contributed over 40 million
Nepali Rupee for the structure’s construction.
75. India’s National Mathematics Day is celebrated on 22 December each year. It is to commemorate which
person?
[A] Aryabhata
[B] C.R.Rao
[C] D.R.Kaprekar
[D] Srinivasa Ramanujan

Answer: Srinivasa Ramanujan
The Indian government had declared 22 December as the National Mathematics Day since 2012 to
commemorate Srinivasa Ramanujan. He is known for his works on mathematical analysis, infinite series,
continued fractions and number theory among others.
76. The Ethiopian Prime Minister, the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner, had recently called for peace in Horn
of Africa. What is it?
[A] Island
[B] Peninsula
[C] Plateau
[D] Subcontinent
Answer: Peninsula
Horn of Africa is a peninsula in Africa that extends hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea. It lies
along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. The countries that exist in this region are Djibouti, Eritrea,
Ethiopia and Somalia.
77. Acute Respiratory Infection, which is claiming the lives in Bangladesh, is caused by which organism?
[A] Bacteria
[B] Virus
[C] Fungus
[D] Achaea
Answer: Virus
Acute Respiratory Infection has claimed lives of 16 individuals in Bangladesh. It is a serious infection
that prevents normal breathing function. It usually begins as a viral infection in the nose, trachea or
lungs. If the infection is not treated, it can spread to the entire respiratory system.
78. Storm Elsa is affecting which part of the world?
[A] America
[B] East Asia
[C] Central Asia
[D] West Europe
Answer: West Europe
Storm Elsa and Storm Fabien have affected Spain and Portugal. According to the latest forecast, the
weather may still worsen. These severe storms have brought violent winds and torrential rains to a large
parts of the lberian peninsula.
79. What is Ursids that was recently mentioned in the news?
[A] Meteor Shower
[B] Comet
[C] Constellation
[D] Satellite
Answer: Meteor Shower
The Urside Meteor activity begins annually around December 17 and continues for a week until 25th or
26th . It is named for its radiant point, which is located near Beta Ursae Minoris in the constellation Ursa
Minor.
80. FDA has recently approved Ervedo. What is Ervebo?
[A] Ebola vaccine
[B] Measles vaccine

[C] Small pox vaccine
[D] Polio vaccine
Answer: Ebola vaccine
Food and Drug Administration became the first to approve Ervebo, an Ebola vaccine developed by
Merck. It protects against Zaire Ebola Virus, the species of virus that has been the most common cause
for Ebola outbreaks. Ebola Zaire is responsible for the current long-running outbreak in the Republic of
Congo.
81. The government had recently notified rules on microdot identifiers. Microdot technology is used for
what purpose?
[A] Vehicle ID
[B] Surveillance
[C] Navigation
[D] E-Banking
Answer: Vehicle ID
The government has recently notified the rules for the fixation of microdots on motor vehicles and their
parts. It can improve security, prevent theft and fake spare parts. It is a technology that involves the
spraying of microscopic dots on vehicles and their parts to provide them with unique identification.
82. Shahid Beheshti Port, sometimes seen in the news, is located in which country?
[A] Turkey
[B] UAE
[C] Oman
[D] Iran
Answer: Iran
The 19th session of the India-Iran Joint Commission was recently held in Tehran and both the countries
have expressed their satisfaction on the progress achieved in operationalizing the Shahid Beheshti Port,
Chabahar. Chabahar port serves as Iran’s only oceanic port consisting of two separate ports – Shahid
Kalantari port and Shahid Beheshti.
83. The newly inaugurated DNA analysis centre in Chandigarh was established under which fund?
[A] National Small Savings Fund
[B] Enterprise Fund
[C] Nirbhaya Fund
[D] Provident Fund
Answer: Nirbhaya Fund
DNA Analysis Centre in Chandigarh, which was recently inaugurated, was set up under the Nirbhaya Fund
Scheme. This centre will provide facility for Sexual Assault and Homicide Unit, Paternity Unit, Human
Identification Unit and Mitochondrial DNA unit. It will be well-equipped with modern DNA Profiling tools
and equipment. It has the capacity to examine 2000 cases per year.
84. The Kanal Istanbul project connects the Sea of Marmara with which sea?
[A] Red Sea
[B] Black Sea
[C] Arabian Sea
[D] Bohani Sea
Answer: Black Sea
The Kanal Istanbul is a project involving the creation of artificial sea-level waterway that connects Black
Sea and Sea of Marmara, the Aegean and Mediterranean seas. Announced in 2009, the Istanbul Mayor
has recently pulled out of the project owing to the problem of environment and corruption.
85. When is National Consumer Day observed?
[A] March 15
[B] December 24
[C] March 14
[D] December 25
Answer: December 24
The National Consumer Day is observed on 24th December each year. Its objective is to highlight the
importance of consumer movement and promote awareness about consumer rights and responsibilities.
This year’s theme is “Alternate consumer grievance redressal”. This was the day when the Consumer
Protection Act, 1986 was enacted.
86. What is thermal inversion which caused Iran to close down its schools recently?
[A] A type of heat wave
[B] Drought-like condition
[C] Hot air held close to the ground by cold air above
[D] Cooler air held close to the ground by the hot air above
Answer: Cooler air held close to the ground by the hot air above
In Iran, schools were closed for a week due to severe air pollution. Tehran was engulfed in thick toxic
smog and the situation was worsened due to the thermal inversion, a phenomenon that occurs when a
layer of warm air settles over a layer of cooler air that lies near the ground. The warm air holds down the
cool air and prevents the pollutants from dispersing.
87. Chillai Kalan, sometimes seen in the news, is related to which of the following?
[A] Avalanche-prone area in Kashmir
[B] Tourism spot in Jammu and Kashmir
[C] Sanctuary
[D] Harshest period of winter in Kashmir
Answer: Harshest period of winter in Kashmir
The Chillai Kalan is the 40-day harshest period of winter in Kashmir when there is high frequency of
snowfall and maximum temperature drop. It is followed by the Chillai-Khurd (small cold) that lasts for
20 day. Chillai Khurd is succeeded by the 10-day Chillai-Bachha (baby cold).
88. Which app was recently released by the president to improve access to blood banks?
[A] Red Cross App
[B] ed Cross App
Friends2Support
[C] MBlood
[D] LifeLine
Answer: Red Cross App
The President had recently released the mobile app of the Red Cross Society of India in Hyderabad. It
was developed by the Telangana Centre for Good Governance. It is accessible in all languages. The app
will ensure easier access to blood bank and Red Cross membership.
89. Which region of Africa was recently deemed as the most unequal on the continent by UNDP in terms of
income?
[A] North Africa
[B] West Africa
[C] East Africa
[D] South Africa
Answer: South Africa
As per the recently released Human Development Index by UN Development Program, Southern Africa is
the most unequal region. Inequality was at the highest in South Africa and Nigeria as most of the
national income comes from only 10% of the society.
90. Arak Nuclear Reactor, which is currently being redeveloped, is in which country?
[A] North Korea
[B] India
[C] Pakistan
[D] Iran
Answer: Iran
Iran has recently unveiled the redevelopment of part of its Arak heavy water reactor. Iran, as per the
2015 nuclear deal, had agreed to shut down the reactor at Arak, southwest of Tehran. The foreign
governments who are part of the nuclear deal (UK, France, China, Germany and Russia) feel that it can be
used to produce plutonium, which can be used in atom bombs.
91. When is “Good Governance Day” observed?
[A] December 24
[B] December 25
[C] December 26
[D] December 27
Answer: December 25
The Good Governance Day is observed on 25th December each year. It was initiated in 2014 to honor PM
Vajpayee. Its objective is to spread awareness to the public about the accountability of the government
and governance. Many events were conducted across the nation to mark this event.
92. Strategic tunnel under Rohtang Pass was recently named after which of the following individuals?
[A] Indira Gandhi
[B] Vallabhai Patel
[C] Moraji Desai
[D] Atal Bihari Vajapyee
Answer: Atal Bihari Vajapyee
The Government is going to name the strategic tunnel under the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh
after the former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The decision to construct this tunnel was taken during
Vajpayee’s tenure. The 8.8 km tunnel will be world’s longest above an altitude of 3,000 meters and it
reduces the distance between Leh and Manali.
93. Who is Madan Mohan Malviya, who was recently mentioned in the news?
[A] Freedom Fighter
[B] Nobel Peace Prize Winner
[C] Wartime Gallantry Winner
[D] Distinguished scientist
Answer: Freedom Fighter
He was born on December 25, 1861 in Allahabad (Prayagraj). He played a significant role in the Indian
freedom struggle. He is the founder of Banaras Hindu University. He is also known for his role in ending
Indian indenture system, especially in the Caribbean. Died in 1946, he was posthumously conferred with
Bharat Ratna in 2014.
94. What is Sire Directory that was recently launched by Madhya Pradesh Government?
[A] Matrimonial record of cattle
[B] Land ownership record
[C] Farmers’ portal
[D] Home ownership record
Answer: Matrimonial record of cattle
The Madhya Pradesh Animal Husbandry Department has compiled “matrimonial record” that contains
details about 200 bulls of 16 different breeds to help farmers choose the right “match” for their cow. It
was launched as “Sire Directory” and is also available in the website under ‘Pedigree Details 2019-20.
The details are categorised under three groups – General Information, Performance Traits and Testing
for Genetic Disorders.
95. Many civilians were recently killed in Burkina Faso due to terror strike in the military base and a village.
Where is Burkina Faso?
[A] North Africa
[B] Latin America
[C] West Asia
[D] West Africa
Answer: West Africa
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country located in the Western Africa. Many civilians, soldiers and 80
militants were killed in this incident. Majority of the civilians who died in this incident was women.
Burkina Faso, a predominantly Muslim country, was once relatively stable, had descended into serious
unrest since 2015.
96. Typhoon Phanfone had recently hit which of the following countries?
[A] Japan
[B] China
[C] USA
[D] Philippines
Answer: Philippines
Typhoon Phanfone had hit the Central Philippines on 25th December, disrupting the holiday of Asia’s
largest Catholic Nation. Though weaker, it has taken the similar path as that of the 2013 Super Typhoon
Haiyan, the country’s deadliest cyclone in record.
97. National Street Food Festival was organised by which of the following?
[A] FAO
[B] Department of Agriculture
[C] Department of Food and Public Distribution
[D] NASVI
Answer: NASVI
Recently, the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) and Food Safety and Standards
Authority of India (FSSAI) have jointly organised the National Street Food Festival. It was initiated in
2009 with an aim to bring the street vending communities to the mainstream. The theme of this year’s
event is “Healthier Diets”

98. As per the recently released report by Global Alliance on Health and Pollution, which country saw the
most deaths due to pollution?
[A] China
[B] India
[C] Indonesia
[D] Nigeria
Answer: India
As per the new report “2019 Pollution and Health Metrics: Global, Regional and Country Analysis”
released by the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GHAP), India saw the highest number of deaths
in 2017 due to pollution. In this list, India is followed by China and Nigeria. USA, the third most populous
nation is 7th in this list.
99. Where is Chaukhandi Stupa, an ASI protected site where Chinese sign boards were installed recently?
[A] Uttar Pradesh
[B] Madhya Pradesh
[C] Bihar
[D] Ladakh
Answer: Uttar Pradesh
The Chaukandi Stupa is in Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh. It is a monument of national importance as declared
by the Archaeological Survey of India. The ASI recently installed sign boards in Chinese at this stupa as
more than 1 lakh Chinese tourists visit this site.
100. The recently unveiled long distance CNG bus project was executed by which natural gas distribution?
[A] Indraprastha Gas Ltd
[B] Oil and Natural Gas Corporation
[C] Reliance Petroleum Ltd
[D] Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd
Answer: Indraprastha Gas Ltd
India’s first long distance bus powered by compressed natural gas was unveiled in Delhi. It can operate
for a distance of 1,000km. The CNG bus project was executed by Indraprastha Gas Ltd, one of the
largest CNG distributors in India.
101. Which state is going to observe 2020 as Susashan Sankalp Varsh?
[A] Uttar Pradesh
[B] Gujarat
[C] Haryana
[D] Madhya Pradesh
Answer: Haryana
Haryana is going to observe 2020 as good governance year. The state government had called for
suggestions on reforms from public. This announcement came during the Good Governance Day Event,
when many other measures were taken to motivate the government employees to work towards the
welfare of the population.
102. The followers of which religion are called the “Hynniew Trep”?
[A] Shinto
[B] Taoism
[C] Seng Khasi
[D] Confucianism
Answer: Seng Khasi
Seng Khasi was founded in Meghalaya on 23rd November 1899. The term “Seng” means beginning or
foundation and “Khasis” are the indigenous people in the area. The followers of this religion are called
“Hynniew Trep” (seven huts). Each year, the festival called Lympung is celebrated to commemorate the
founding of the religion.
103. Which government is going to conduct ‘Night Walk’ to promote women empowerment?
[A] Tamil Nadu
[B] Andhra Pradesh
[C] Karnataka
[D] Kerala
Answer: Kerala
The Kerala Women and Child Development Department is going to conduct Night Walk for women. This
is a part of the government’s effort to push towards women empowerment and spread awareness
among the public about the increasing violence against women. This event will be conducted from 11
AM to 1 AM at 100 locations across the state.
104. In which state, India’s first university for transgender community will be opened?
[A] Uttar Pradesh
[B] Kerala
[C] Gujarat
[D] Andhra Pradesh
Answer: Uttar Pradesh
India’s first university for transgender community will be established in Fazilnagar block of Kushinagar
district in Uttar Pradesh. It is being constructed by the Akhil Bharatiya Kinnar Siksha Seva Trust. This
university will provide education from Class 1 to Post Graduate and even PhD degree.
105. Pakistan, one among the three countries in the world with Polio endemic, is planning to import Polio
markers from India. Which are the other two countries:
[A] Afghanistan and Mongolia
[B] Nigeria and South Africa
[C] Afghanistan and Nigeria
[D] Nigeria and Kenya
Answer: Afghanistan and Nigeria
Pakistan, in response to the abrogation of Article 370, had suspended the import of polio markers from
India. Currently, there are only three countries in the world where Polio is still an endemic – Pakistan,
Nigeria and Afghanistan. Recently, Pakistan’s cabinet had decided to import polio markers, which is
used to mark the fingers of the children after they were given polio vaccination.
106. Which organisation gives forecast on general locust situation to the global community?
[A] FAO
[B] WWF
[C] IFAD
[D] WFP
Answer: FAO
Food and Agriculture organisation gives timely information on the general locust condition to the global
community and provide warning and forecasts to those countries that are likely to be in danger of locust
invasion. Northern parts of Gujarat is currently being invaded by swarms of locust leading to a
significant damage to the crops.
107. Which of the following is called the Falcon Capital of the World?
[A] Siberia
[B] Nagaland
[C] Meghalaya
[D] China
Answer: Nagaland
Amur Falcons is a small migratory raptor that breeds in Southeastern Siberia and Northern China and
migrates to Southern Africa through India during the winter months. The Doyang Lake in Nagaland is
where these birds stop during their migration each year. Therefore, Nagaland is called the “Falcon
Capital of the World”
108. Which of the following is the only ape found in India?
[A] Gorilla
[B] Chimpanzee
[C] Hoolock Gibbon
[D] Mandrill
Answer: Hoolock Gibbon
The tailess Hoolock Gibbon is the only ape found in India. It is native to eastern Bangladesh, Northeast
India and South West China. It is categorised into Western Hoolock Gibbon and Eastern Hoolock Gibbon.
Both these species are listed under the Indian (Wildlife) Protection Act of 1972.
109.
Which American firm is developing the Project Kuiper, which is to launch thousands of satellites into
space?
[A] SpaceX
[B] NASA
[C] Amazon
[D] Blue Origin
Answer: Amazon
Amazon is set to launch over 3,000 satellites into space as part of the Project Kuiper. It will form a
megaconstellation that will provide lost cost space internet to the public. The satellites are to operate
from the Low Earth Orbit.
110. The Tamil Nadu government recently observed the 15th anniversary of the 2004 tsunami. Where did this
tsunami originate?
[A] Java Island
[B] Sumatra Island
[C] Bali Island
[D] Sulawesi Island
Answer: Sumatra Island
2004 saw one of the biggest tsunami events in the Indian Ocean region. The tsunami started near the
Sumatran Island of Indonesia. The tsunami was triggered by an underwater earthquake. The tsunami is
also called the ‘Sumatra Andaman earthquake’.
111. Which fighter aircraft, that was recently retired, is also known as Bahadur?
[A] MiG 27
[B] Tejas
[C] Mirage 2000
[D] Gulfstream
Answer: MiG 27
The Indian Air Force recently retired the MiG 27 fleet. The fighter aircraft, developed by Soviet Union and
manufactured in India by HAL, is also known as Bahadur. It is noted for its role in the 1999 Kargil War.
112. Which tropical storm is also known by the name of Typhoon Ursula?
[A] Typhoon Kammuri
[B] Typhoon Phanfone
[C] Typhoon Nakri
[D] Typhoon Bualoi
Answer: Typhoon Phanfone
The Typhoon Phanfone raging in the Philippines region is locally known as Typhoon Ursula. It is a part of
the Pacific Typhoon Season. Several people were killed and thousands were evacuated in Philippines in
response to the tropical storm.
113. The centre is consulting with the states and UTs for the 2020 Shehri Samriridhi Ursav – which is used
to create awareness about which government initiative?
[A] DAY- NULM
[B] PMKVY
[C] PM KISAN
[D] National Rural Livelihood Mission
Answer: DAY- NULM
The Shehri Samridhi Utsav is organised by the government to create awareness about the DAY- NULM
(Deendayal Antyodaya Mission- National Urban Livelihood Mission). The event helps in linking target
groups like Self-Help Groups with various government schemes for their development.
114. The government recently made Aadhaar linking for Vaya Vandana Yojana mandatory. Who are the
beneficiaries under this Vaya Vandana Yojana?
[A] Widows of the armed personnel
[B] Senior citizens
[C] physically challenged persons
[D] Destitute women
Answer: Senior citizens
The Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vanjana Yojana is a pension scheme for senior citizens. It covers citizens of
age 60 years and above. The government recently made it mandatory for beneficiaries to provide
Aadhaar as identity proof under this scheme.
115. Who is the world’s longest serving president, recently in news when IMF asked him to declare his
assets before availing financial assistance?
[A] Teodoro Mbasogo
[B] Robert Mugabe
[C] Hun Sen
[D] Hassanal Bolkiah
Answer: Teodoro Mbasogo
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo is the longest serving president in the world. He is the president of
Equatorial Guinea. He came to power in 1979. The IMF had recently asked Mbasogo to provide
information about his assets to avail financial aid as the country’s economy has shrunk by almost a
third.
116. Mauritius accused UK of committing ‘Crimes against Humanity’ for refusing to allow people to return to
their homes. This accusation is in reference to which island?
[A] Bougainville
[B] Sri Lanka
[C] Chagos
[D] Kiribati
Answer: Chagos
The Chagos Islands are disputed between the United Kingdom and Mauritius. Despite the United Nations
calling for the handing over of the islands to the natives, UK has refused to do so. In response, the
Mauritian government has accused UK of committing crimes against humanity.
117. Japan recently announced a rare overseas mission to protect their merchant ships in which region?
[A] Strait of Hormuz
[B] Gulf of Oman
[C] Pacific Ocean
[D] South China Sea
Answer: Gulf of Oman
The Japanese government announced a rare overseas mission in the Gulf of Oman, Northern Arabian
Sea and the Gulf of Aden. This ‘investigation and research’ mission is to collect information about piracy
in the region. The mission is to involve the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force.
118. Which state/ UT celebrated the Losar Festival recently?
[A] Telangana
[B] Meghalaya
[C] Puducherry
[D] Ladakh
Answer: Ladakh
Losar is the New Year’s Day celebration observed in the Himalayan states. Ladakh celebrated the Losar
for the first time as a union territory. It is a 15 days long celebration based on Tibetan Buddhist
traditions. It is also celebrated in Bhutan, Nepal, etc.
119. Shirodhara, which was recently highlighted by the health ministry, is most associated with which
therapy?
[A] Ayurveda
[B] Rigpa
[C] Unani
[D] Traditional Chinese Medicine
Answer: Ayurveda
Shirodhara is a therapy in the Ayurvedic system of medicine. The term Shirodhara is derived from
Sanskrit terms for head (shiro) and flow (dhara). The therapy involves pouring liquids like oil, coconut
water, milk, water, buttermilk, etc. over the forehead.
120. The Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, near which an earthquake struck recently, is in which country?
[A] Iran
[B] Iraq
[C] Saudi Arabia
[D] Kuwait
Answer: Iran
The Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant is in Iran near its coastline. An earthquake of magnitude 5 recently
struck close to it. The plant was inaugurated in August of 2010 and is the first civilian reactor in the
Middle East region.
121. China had recently launched its heaviest satellite, Shijian-20, on which rocket?
[A] Long March 2E
[B] Long March 4C
[C] Long March 3B
[D] Long March 5
Answer: Long March 5
China had recently launched the heaviest and the most advanced communication satellite, Shijian-20, on
the country’s largest carrier rocket Long March 5. This powerful rocket can carry a maximum payload of
25 tonnes into the low Earth Orbit and 14 tonnes into the geosynchronous orbit.
122. Which archipelago did Tropical Cyclone Sarai recently hit?
[A] Indonesia
[B] Solomon Islands
[C] Fiji
[D] New Guinea
Answer: Fiji
The tropical cyclone Sarai had recently hit Fiji, a country in the South Pacific. It is an archipelago
consisting of more than 300 islands. On its present track, the cyclone is forecasted to pass adjacent to
Fiji’s main island Viti Levu and then may head towards Tonga, where the tropical cyclone warning centre
has been alerted.
123. Who had drafted the recent UNGA-approved draft for international treaty to combat cyber-crime?
[A] USA
[B] Russia
[C] France
[D] China
Answer: Russia
The United Nations General Assembly had recently approved a resolution that allows the initiation of the
process of drafting a new treaty to combat cyber-crime. This resolution was drafted by Russia and it
allows the establishment of expert committee representing all the regions in the world. It will provide for
a comprehensive international convention on countering the use of information and communication
technologies for the criminal purposes.
124. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank had recently announced a loan for irrigation and solar energy
projects in India. It is headquartered in which of the following countries?
[A] South Korea
[B] Singapore
[C] Japan
[D] China
Answer: China
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is a multilateral developmental bank, whose headquarters is
located in Beijing, China. It had recently approved a total loan of 210 million USD for solar energy and
irrigation projects in India. Of the 100 members, India is its second largest shareholder and the largest
recipient of loan and equity commitments.
125. Which state/UT had recently approved the Electric Vehicle Policy, 2019?
[A] Delhi
[B] Punjab
[C] Puducherry
[D] Sikkim
Answer: Delhi
The Delhi Cabinet had recently approved Electric Vehicle Policy, 2019 to counter the air pollution in the
national capital. As per the policy, the government seeks to make 25% of all new vehicles into electric
vehicles by 2024. Through this policy, the government will provide for public charging infrastructure and
subsidies for those who are buy EVs.
126. Da Chen, who had recently died, is well known for which of the following works?
[A] Colours of the Mountain
[B] Dream of the Red Chamber
[C] To Live
[D] Art of War
Answer: Colours of the Mountain
Da Chen, who had recently passed away, was famous for his work “Colours of the Mountain”. In this
book, he narrates the abuses he and his family suffered during China’s Cultural Revolution, launched by
Mao Zedong. This book was published in seven languages.
127. Him Darshan Express that was recently launched connects which of the following sites?
[A] Sikkim – Gangtok
[B] Kalka – Shimla
[C] Chandigarh – Shimla
[D] Srinagar – Shimla
Answer: Kalka – Shimla
On December 2019, for the first time, the Indian Railways had launched the “Him Darshan Express” that
consists of vistadome coaches. It travels between Kalka and Shimla. It consists of 6 AC vistadom
coaches and one AC coach with transparent ceiling and walls.
128. Which state’s urban bodies have not yet declared themselves Open Defecation Free?
[A] Bihar
[B] Uttar Pradesh
[C] Jharkhand
[D] West Bengal
Answer: West Bengal
On December 2019, the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs had announced that the Swachh
Bharat Mission-Urban has achieved the national target of becoming ODF. The urban areas of 35
states/UTs have become ODF. However, the urban local bodies in West Bengal have not yet declared
themselves as ODF.
129. The Mandu Festival is held in Madhya Pradesh. Who is organising this event?
[A] Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board
[B] Madhya Pradesh Tribal Affairs Department
[C] UNESCO
[D] Madhya Pradesh Department of Culture

Answer: Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board
The first edition of Mandu Festival haS begun in Mandu, Madhya Pradesh. It is organised by the Madhya
Pradesh Tourism Board. This festival is based on the idea of “Khojne Me Kho Jao”. It would involve the
celebration of historic heritage blended with the modern liveliness of the city culture.
130. Which bank had recently received the “Best Performing Bank Award”?
[A] SBI Bank
[B] ICICI Bank
[C] Jammu and Kashmir Bank
[D] Andhra Bank
Answer: Andhra Bank
The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj had
recently awarded the “Best Performing Bank Award” to the Andhra Bank for the financial year 2018-19. It
was awarded for setting up 14 Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) in Andhra Pradesh,
Telangana, Odisha and Kerala. The RSETIs function under the Andhra Bank Rural Development Trust.
131. Which of the following versions of fast chess that was in news recently, when Koneru Humpy won the
World Women’s Rapid Chess Championship had more time on the clock for the White than the Black?
[A] Blitz chess
[B] Armageddon chess
[C] Bullet chess
[D] Ultrabullet chess
Answer: Armageddon chess
In Armageddon chess, the White is given more time on the clock than the Black. This is a way to produce
decisive results- acting as a tie-breaker. Koneru Humpy became the 2 nd Indian chess player after
Vishwanathan Anand to win the Rapid Gold.
132. The Stolen Works of Art Database, which was in news recently, is maintained by which organisation?
[A] UNESCO
[B] WTO
[C] ASI
[D] INTERPOL
Answer: INTERPOL
The Stolen Works of Art (WoA) database is maintained by the Interpol. The Central Bureau of
Intelligence (CBI), which is the nodal agency for Interpol in India, recently alerted agencies like the ASI
about India turning into a prime target for art thefts.
133. Which state recorded the highest forest cover in the recently released India State of Forest Report
2019?
[A] Andhra Pradesh
[B] Madhya Pradesh
[C] Nagaland
[D] Meghalaya
Answer: Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh recently recorded the highest forest cover in terms of area. Other high forest covers
were recorded in Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra. The State of Forest report
is released biennially by the Forest Survey of India which is under the ministry of environment, forest and
climate change.
134. What is CAT IIIB system which has been in news recently with respect to the fog conditions in the
north?
[A] Instrument landing system
[B] Weather monitoring system
[C] System for classifying fog intensity
[D] Road safety system
Answer: Instrument landing system
The CAT III B system is an instrument landing system. It is used for safe landing of airplanes in times of
poor visibility. It enables precision landing when the visibility is at least 50 feet. Only CAT III B compliant
pilots were allowed to land at the Delhi airport sue to the fog.
135. Operation Inherent Resolve, which was in news recently, is being conducted by which country’s military
forces?
[A] France
[B] USA
[C] Canada
[D] Russia
Answer: USA
Operation Inherent Resolve is a military operation of the USA. It is a military intervention against the
activities of ISIL in Iraq, Syria and previously Libya. Recently, the USA undertook airstrikes against Iran-
backed militia, Kataib Hezbollah, in Syria and Iraq.
136. The atrial fibrillation technology, over which tech giant Apple was recently sued, is used to detect what
condition?
[A] Overheating of system
[B] Foreign body attack
[C] Irregular heartbeat
[D] Electrolyte imbalance
Answer: Irregular heartbeat
The atrial fibrillation technology is used to detect irregularities in the heartbeat. The Apple Watch
product makes use of this technology to monitor the functioning of the heart of the wearer. A New York
University doctor recently sued Apple for stealing the technology which was patented by him.
137. The protein Importin-11, that was recently identified by scientists, is linked with causing which type of
cancer?
[A] Blood Cancer
[B] Lung Cancer
[C] Prostate cancer
[D] Colorectal cancer
Answer: Colorectal cancer
Scientists recently identified the protein, Importin- 11, to be responsible for transferring beta-catenin
protein into nucleus of cells. This beta-catenin drives the proliferation of the bowel cancer cells. They
identified that the gene IPO11 to be responsible for coding for the Importin- 11 protein.
138. Who recently set the record for the longest spaceflight by a woman?
[A] Peggy Whitson
[B] Christina Koch
[C] Jessica Meir

[D] Sally Ride
Answer: Christina Koch
Christina Koch, a NASA astronaut has set the record for the longest spaceflight by a woman. She broke
the previous record set by astronaut Peggy Whitson who was in space for 288 days. Koch is expected to
be in space for a total of 328 days, especially to study the effects of long spaceflights.
139. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award, which was conferred recently, is the highest award in the country for
which field?
[A] Theatre
[B] Classical dances
[C] Cinema
[D] Classical music
Answer: Cinema
Dadasaheb Phalke award is the highest award conferred in the field of cinema in India. Recently, it was
awarded to Amitabh Bachchan. The award was instituted in honour of Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (also
known as the Father of Indian Cinema) in 1969.
140. All cases registered during the Pathalgadi Movement were withdrawn recently. Which state is the
movement associated with?
[A] Chhattisgarh
[B] Jharkhand
[C] Odisha
[D] West Bengal
Answer: Jharkhand
The state government of Jharkhand recently decided to withdraw all cases registered during the
Pathalgadi Movement. The term pathalgadi means ‘planting a stone order’. The members of the
movement refused to recognize the authority of the state and central governments. Instead, they
recognized only the gram panchayat.

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Current Aﬀairs [PDF] - December 16-31, 2019

Current Aﬀairs [PDF] - December 16-31, 2019

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Current Aﬀairs [PDF] - December 16-31, 2019

Current Aﬀairs [PDF] - December 16-31, 2019

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Current Aﬀairs [PDF] - December 16-31, 2019

ICC Annual Awards: Ellyse Perry Wins Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award

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Current Aﬀairs [PDF] - December 16-31, 2019