Current Affairs

Fast Track 2020

MISSION DU LLB. 2020

Odisha Disaster Preparedness Day

29th October 2019 was observed as Odisha Disaster Preparedness Day and National Day for
Disaster Reduction on ‘Empowering Community for Disaster Resilience’ in reminiscence of
destruction brought by Super Cyclone 1999. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated an
awareness rally and photo & painting exhibition on Disaster Response equipment, unveiled the
Annual Newsletter of OSDMA ‘The Response’ and applauded volunteers, agencies and institutions
for their praiseworthy works in the field of Disaster Management for year 2019 on this occasion.

National Symposium for eliminating Lymphatic Filariasis

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare organized National Symposium on ‘United to Eliminate
Lymphatic Filariasis’ theme on October 30, 2019. Health and Family Welfare minister Dr Harsh
Vardhan conducted the inaugural ceremony and inked the “Call to Action to eliminate Lymphatic
Filariasis by 2021”. It is alarming to learn that more than 1.5 billion people are affected globally
with this Lymphatic Filariasis (Hathipaon) and Visceral Leishmaniasis (Kala-Azar) which are
categorized under Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD). Indian government is planning to begin the
use of Triple Drug therapy to weed it out in a phased manner from November 2019. Besides this,
programmes for prevention of this disease through Mass Drug Administration using combination
of 2 anti-filarial drugs namely DEC and Albendazole as well as Morbidity management and
Disability Prevention services are on wheels.

India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council

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On October 29, 2019 during the third Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, King Salman bin
Abdul Aziz Al Saud and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inked a bilateral “Strategic
Partnership Council” pact as well as agreements in areas of defence, civil aviation, infrastructure,
non-renewable energy sector, preventing narcotics trafficking etc. The proposed Strategic
Partnership Council will involve multiple sections from NITI Aayog, External Affairs Ministry and
counterpart organizations from Saudi Arabia. The Joint Statement also included India's
condemnation of the recent drone attacks on Aramco petroleum processing facilities at Abqaiq and
Khurais in eastern Saudi Arabia. Both the nations condemned terrorism in all forms.

Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde: The 47th CJ of India

On 18th November 2019, 63 year old Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde will take oath as the 47th Chief
Justice of India. President Ram Nath Kovind appointed him on this post under Article 124 of the

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Constitution of India. He will replace incumbent Ranjan Gogoi. He will serve the post for a total of
17 months and will be demitting office on 23 April 2021. He was Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh
High Court in October 2012 and was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court in April 2013.

Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Parv

On 31st October 2019, Kendra Vidhyalaya Sangathan under Ministry of HRD will organize a four
day Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Parv. Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh
Pokhriyal Nishank will inaugurate it to showcase the spirit of “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat”. It will
promote communication and artistic skills of students through various competitions in which
students will prepare their own projects and will display vivid customs, dress, agriculture,
economy, climate and topography. They will organize exhibitions on themes like Fit India, Swachh
Bharat, Ban on Single use plastic, etc. The event is for the purpose of helping children overcome
linguistic and geographical barriers.

National Corporate Social Responsibility Awards

In October 2019, President Kovind presented the National Corporate Social Responsibility Awards
(NCSRA) to selected companies for their outstanding contribution in CSR in New Delhi. In 2019
edition of NCRSA, 19 companies from a total of 528 entries were selected. These awards are the
highest recognition given by Government of India in the domain of CSR, encouraging companies
to spend amount on recognising impact, usage of technology, innovation, gender and environment
issues, scalability, replicability and sustainability of CSR activities.

World’s largest Face Recognition system to track criminals

Government of India has invited proposals from IT companies worldwide to install world’s largest
facial recognition system in India to track criminals. National Crime Record Bureau will receive
the proposals and will select a robust system to identify criminals, missing children, unidentified
dead bodies, etc. to create National Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS). For avoiding
misuse of the technology, the requisite system is ought have a strong regulatory framework for
facial recognition as well as security wall to protect the collected data .

Sri Sathya Sai Sanathana Samskruti Project in Japan

On 24th October 2019, President Kovind laid foundation stone for Sri Sathya Sai Sanathana
Samskruti Project ’Sai no Sato’ in Japan. It will be developed as a temple on the lines of
Akshardham and Swaminarayan Temple for promotion of Indian traditional culture and help in
searching for inner peace and happiness, seeking to bring communities and cultures together.
President described the place as an excellent ambience for contemplation of self and society,
individual and community and remove the distance between “us and them”.

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National Panchayat Awards 2019
On 23rd October 2019, during a function in New Delhi, Minister of Panchayati Raj Narendra Singh
Tomar bestowed 246 national panchayat awards to Panchayats and States in various categories for
their best performance at different levels, including the delivery of services. Among these, 195
awards were presented under Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar category,
20 Gram Panchayats in Nanaji Deshmukh Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar category, 3
Gram Panchayats in Gram Panchayat Development Plan Award category, 22 Gram Panchayats in
Child-Friendly Gram Panchayats Award and 6 states were awarded under e-Panchayat Puraskar
category. Tomar also launched an App called ‘Gram Manchitra’ which will be a Geo-Spatial based
decision support system for panchayats.

First national protocol for snow leopard in India

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched the first national protocol to
enumerate the snow leopard population in the country on the occasion of International Snow
Leopard Day i.e. October 23, 2019 at the inaugural session of the 4th steering committee meeting
of the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program in Delhi. The day was meant to
encourage protection and conservation of the snow leopards and preservation of the beautiful
wildlife of the Himalayas. India has 400 to 700 snow leopards across Himachal Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh which are facing threat
of poaching. Snow leopards play an important role in their ecosystem as top predators.

No Government jobs for people with more than 2 kids

In October 2019, the government of Assam decided that no Government jobs will be provided to
persons with more than 2 children after 1 January 2021. In September 2017, the Assam government
had approved the “Population and Women Empowerment Policy of Assam” that advocated this
decision. According to 2011 census Indian population is 121.08 crores while population of Assam
is 3.09 crores. It is worth knowing that the Population Density of Assam is 398 per sq km which is
even greater than that of most populous country of the world, China. The graph of annual
population growth of the state shows an increase of one million per year.

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)

In October 2019, Delhi government gave nod to implementation of ambitious Central scheme
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) that promises small and marginal eligible
farmers an income support of Rs.6,000 a year in three instalments directly into their bank accounts.
Further, the Delhi Government has now sent names of 11,000 farmers, who will be the beneficiaries
of the scheme, having combined land holding/ownership of upto 2 hectares.
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Punjab adopted New Kiln technology
According to October 2019 latest report, Punjab government succeeded in cutting emissions by
70% after adoption of a new kiln technology in the state. According to the Department of Science
and Technology (DST), the districts of Punjab like Barnala and Sangpur have seen 100%
conversion while around 800 to 900 kilns in Punjab are yet to convert to the new technology. In
the new kiln technology, the bricks are arranged in zig-zag pattern to permit hot air to cover long
path unlike traditional kilns. This improved the heat transfer due to zig-zag pattern makes the
operation more efficient and reduces coal consumption by 20%. Fans are also employed to regulate
air. Flashback says, following orders from National Green Tribunal (NGT ) and Central Pollution
Control Board (CPCB), the Punjab Government had ordered the closure of traditional kilns in
March 2019 to curb the toxicity of the National Capital Region.

The First StartUp Summit

In October 2019, to bring the key stakeholders and startups of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and
Internet of Things (IoT) together, the first StartUp Summit was held in New Delhi. Ravi Shankar
Prasad, the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology (MeiTY) launched a series of new
initiatives that included MeitY Startup Hub to facilitate the vision of the Ministry regarding
technology, startups, innovation and creation of intellectual properties. The Minister declared
“Reform, Perform and Transform”as the main focus areas of the Government of India. The summit
concentrated on progress of the Transformation Technology schemes like Digital India, make in
India, Startup India and Smart Cities and the Digital Initiatives like eNam, Digital payments and
eVisas etc.

The Beginning of CCRT e-portal & YouTube Channel

In October 2019, Prahlad Singh Patel, Union Minister of State for Culture, introduced an e-portal
and a YouTube channel of Rashtriya Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) at a
‘Digital Bharat-Digital Sanskriti’ program at CCRT headquarters in New Delhi. It has been done
to take India to a newer digital pinnacle and promote Indian culture. Besides this, the Minister also
released a book titled ‘Dewas Ki Sanskritik Parampara’ authored by Jeevan Singh Thakur and
published by CCRT. CCRT has also begun publication of books from the series- ‘Untold Tales of
India’s Cities, in order to explore and comprehend unknown aspects of lesser-known places in India
and their rural and semi-urban culture. In addition to these, CCRT has also produced a documentary
film called ‘Rahas’, based on Rasalila in Chhattisgarh with the objective of learning different
regional cultures for better insight of Indian traditions.

Book 'Bridgital Nation'

On 20th October 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a book titled 'Bridgital Nation'
authored by Chairman, Tata Sons, N Chandrasekaran and Roopa Purushothaman in benign
presence of noted industrialist and philanthropist Ratan Tata in New Delhi. The book is about
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positivity, creativity and constructive mindset that devises solutions of the problems. And
technology is the bridge between aspiration and achievement as it leads to transparency and
targeted delivery. It is the technological intervention that has reformed and transformed governance
in India in the last five years.

K Parasaran became the Most Eminent Senior Citizen Awardee

On 20th October 2019, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu conferred the Most Eminent Senior
Citizen Award upon legal luminary and former Attorney General K Parasaran for his exceptional
contribution to the field of law and justice as well as his extraordinary personality on the occasion
of the Elder’s Day celebration of an organization working for the welfare of the elderly, Age Care
India. Throughout his distinguished career, he had handled a wide array of cases.

Col. Chewang Rinchen Setu of Ladakh

On 21st October 2019, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated Col. Chewang Rinchen Setu
that has been constructed at a height of 14,650 feet in the forward area of Ladakh region. Built by
the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), it is a strategically important road Durbuk Shyok Daulat
Beg Oldie in sub sector north in eastern Ladakh. BRO employed micro pile technology during the
foundation of the bridge to meet the technological challenges in this 1400 feet span remote area of
Ladakh. Named after Colonel Chewang Rinchan, who was one of the highly decorated officers in
the Indian Army from Ladakh who had been honored with the Maha Vir Chakra award twice, the
bridge consists of 6900 cubic meters of concrete and 1984 metric tons of steel.

NITI Aayog’s India Innovation Index 2019

Policy think tank of Indian government, National Institution for Transforming India (NITI)
Aayog’s Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar and CEO Amitabh Kant released India Innovation Index (III)
2019. In this index that has been developed on the lines of Global Innovation Index (GII),
Karnataka emerged as the Most Innovative State followed by Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Telangana,
Haryana, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh to complete the top ten
list. And among Union Territories Delhi, Chandigarh and Goa have topped the list. The index
intended to analyse innovation at State/UT level and promote competitiveness among them.

NCERT is about to revise its 14-year-old curriculum

In October 2019, the National Council of Educational Research and Training revealed its plan of
revising the 14-year-old National Curriculum Framework in accordance with a new National
Education Policy. The Council will pretty soon form a new committee to frame the curriculum.
The National Curriculum Framework has been revised four times viz. in 1975, 1988, 2000 and
2005. This proposed revision will be the fifth framework. The Council has started survey on the
primary education in Shillong, Bhopal, Rajasthan, Mysore blocks. The existing education policy
was framed in 1986 which underwent revision in 1992. Former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan and
his team framed a new education policy draft that advocates only essential core material in each
subject. They emphasized on discovery-based, engaging and enjoyable style of learning.
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Maharashtra Board Introduced 25% MCQ for 12h Board
The registration process for 12th board exams are in process which will conclude on October 23,
2019. This board exam will take place in February-March next year and will have some changes
in the exam pattern. As per the revised evaluation scheme, at least 25% questions in the HSC exam
question paper will be objective and multiple-choice type. The final evaluation for class 12 students
will be for 600 marks instead of 650 marks. There will be practical component for all subjects.
Same goes for class 10th . For Maharashtra Board class 10 students, component of internal
assessment has been re-introduced. The theory examination will be of 80 marks and 20 marks will
be of internal assessment. Among those 20 marks of internal assessment, 5 marks have been
assigned to listening skills of a student and 5 marks for oratory skills of the student.

IIT Bombay Innovator Launched Diabetic Foot Screening Device

In October 2019, during the Medical Device Innovation Camp, conducted by Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT) Bombay Padma Vibhushan Dr. Anil Kakodkar launched an innovative and
affordable device to semi-automatically screen patients with diabetic foot neuropathy condition.
Innovator Nishant Kathpal demonstrated and explained the device, "Unlike other devices to check
for diabetic neuropathy, our device is based on a relatively novel concept of tissue stiffness. It
makes patient screening faster and more reliable, leading to more effective treatment and care.”

The BRICS Culture Ministers’ meeting & India

In October 2019, Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (Independent charge) Prahlad
Singh Patel took part in BRICS Culture Ministers’ meeting held in Curitiba, Brazil and reaffirmed
India’s commitment to contribute towards strengthening bonds between member countries. India
proposed to add literature as another field of cooperation between countries to enhance cooperation
in the field of literary works. It also propagated ideas on Letter of Intention (LoI) on Creative
Economy in BRICS Countries to touch a milestone in the BRICS cultural cooperation.

The Second phase of LOTUS-HR

In October 2019, Minister of Science and Technology, Harsh Vardhan and the Dutch Royal couple,
Netherlands’ King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima launched the second phase of an Indo-
Dutch project called Local Treatment of Urban Sewage Streams for Healthy Reuse( LOTUS-HR)
at Barapullah drain in New Delhi. LOTUS-HR is a water treatment laboratory that is meant to treat
dirty water of Barapullah Drain before it deposits into Yamuna. This project was started in 2017 at
the Sun Dial Park in New Delhi as part of collaboration between the governments of India and the
Netherlands. This innovative pilot scale modular plant will treat 10,000 litre sewage water per day
and will also display a self-sustaining model for end user.

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The Beginning of Ganges Dolphin census
October 2019 propelled the annual Ganges river Dolphin census along the 250 km stretch of Upper
Ganga between the Hastinapur Wildlife sanctuary and Narora Ramsar site including the upstream
of Bijnor Ganga Barrage. The World Wide Fund in collaboration with Uttar Pradesh Forest
Department have organized this census. This year they have employed a tandem boat survey
method which is said to be more accurate in comparison to previous year’s direct counting. In this
officials are using two boats that move in tandem to count the dolphins. They are spotted when
they come on surface and make strange sound while breathing. In 2015, the count was 22 and that
has so far remained stable.

Conclusion of Rozgar Mela

The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under Ministry of Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship conducted Skill India Rozgar Mela in October 2019 in Bikaner in which more
than 100 corporate took part and 2000 youths were shortlisted in the event. This was one of the
largest job fairs organized by the NSDC in which the aspirants had opportunities to register with
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) which is meant to increase productivity and align
training and certifications according to the requirement of the country and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal
Kendra Yojana (PMKKY). In the last 18 months over 1088 Rozgar Melas have been organized by
the NSDC.

Three month rural stint for PG Medical students

In October 2019, the Board of Governors (BoG) of Medical Council of India made 3-month rural
stint in a district hospital mandatory for all Postgraduate medical students before they get their
degrees. The resolution which was adopted in this context reads: “Considering the importance of
medical education, the CCHFW resolves to take steps to increase the availability of doctors and
specialists in the country to improve access to quality and affordable health care. The CCHFW
further resolves for adoption and smooth implementation of District Residency Programme as may
be provided for by MCI through regulations.” Besides this, states like Gujarat and Maharashtra had
made one-year rural posting mandatory for UG medical students which has been challenged in
court.

A New eel-loach species ‘Pangio Bhujia’

In October 2019, Scientists from Kerala have discovered a new species of eel-loach named ‘Pangio
bhujia’ in Kozhikode district of state. It is a unique species of miniature subterranean fish. It is
approximately 3 centimetres long pinkish-red in colour and stays in purest waters of deep
subterranean aquifers. It lacks dorsal fin, which has never been encountered in genus Pangio to
which this new species belongs to. It is also unique among order Cypriniformes (an order of ray-
finned fish, including the carps, minnows, loaches, and relatives) and is highly unusual even among
bony fishes generally.
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Anita Pai : The New Chief Operating Officer of Yes Bank
In October 2019, former ICICI Chief General Manager, Anita Pai got appointed as the Chief
Operating Officer of Yes Bank, which is the 4th-largest Private Sector Bank in India. In this
capacity she will look into the information technology functions. Prior to this, she looked into ATM
Business, Branch banking Service and Phone Banking at ICICI. While former head of marketing
at Kotak Life, Jasneet Bachal got appointed as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of the Yes Bank
to head brand, retail, corporate marketing and corporate communications. The duo will report
directly to Chief Executive Ravneet Gill.

Chandi Prasad Bhatt became Indira Gandhi Awardee

On October 31, 2019, renowned environmentalist and social activist Chandi Prasad Bhatt will be
honored with the 31st Indira Gandhi award for national integration for the years 2017 and 2018. 85
year old Bhatt belongs to Uttarakhand, and had founded the Dasholi Gram Swarajya Sangh
(DGSS) in Gopeshwar in year1964, which later became a parent organisation for the Chipko
Movement, in which he was one of the pioneers. Prior to this, his efforts were well acknowledged
with the Ramon Magsaysay Award (1982) for community leadership, the Padma Bhushan (2005)
as well as the Gandhi Peace Prize.

Venkaiah Naidu received the highest Civilian Honour of Comoros

In October 2019, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu became the proud recipient of the highest Civilian
Honour of Comoros, ‘Order of the Green Crescent’. The President of the Union of Comoros Azali
Assoumani honored him on his first-ever high-level visit to Comoros in Moroni, the capital city of
Comoros. He thanked the government of Comoros receiving the honor on behalf of 1.3 billion
Indians as a symbol of India-Comoros friendship.

The Sahyatri mobile app of Railways

In October 2019, Union Minister of State (MoS) in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Nityanand
Rai launched the Indian Railways’ Sahyatri mobile app and a website
www.railways.delhipolice.gov.in for the passengers to register their complaints online at the
NDMC (New Delhi Municipal Council) Convention Centre on Sansad Marg, New Delhi. It will
enable Railway police to address the complaints of passengers from across India, provide
information on several issues and help in crime detection by integrating the criminal database
online. The app will also help railway passengers locate the jurisdiction of a police station and the
details of GRP officials by geo-tagging with Google Maps

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National Health Mission is in news
In October 2019, 14 states were penalized for not performing in various health parameters under
the National Health Mission (NHM). In the Health system Strengthening Conditionality Report of
states 2018 – 19 report, the states were evaluated on the basis of Immunization status, Health and
Wellness Centers (HWC), Provisioning of mental health services at the district headquarters,
Screening of 30 people around the HWC for non – communicable diseases, Performance of district
hospitals and Rating PHC – Primary Health Center. Punjab, Haryana, Kerala, Assam were the top
performers, while Uttarakhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Nagar Haveli, Mizoram, J&K, Himachal
Pradesh appeared as the worst performers.

Discovery of ‘plastic-eating’ bacteria

As per the journal, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Advances publication of October 2019,
researchers of Shiv Nadar University in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh have discovered two ‘plastic-
eating’ bacterial strains namely ‘Exiguobacterium sibiricum strain DR11’ and ‘Exiguobacterium
undae strain DR14’ from the wetlands of Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Because of its high
molecular weight and long chain polymer structure, Polystyrene which is a key component in
Single-Use Plastic (SUP) items like disposable cups, cutlery, toys, packaging materials etc is quite
resistant to degradation but the discovered strains were found to have great potential to decompose
this synthetic aromatic hydrocarbon polymer. This discovery is bound to mitigate the
environmental pollution caused by plastics and to eliminate SUP by 2022, which is the Central
Government’s goal.

Appearance of Kanyashree University in West Bengal

Mamata Banerjee government chose International Day of the Girl Child i.e. 11th October 2019 to
announce the plan of establishment of Kanyashree University in Nadia district and Kanyashree
colleges across the state. Before this, the West Bengal government had started a Kanyashree
scheme to empower girls in year 2013 to ensure that girls study in schools and delay their marriages
until the age of 18 years and this scheme was well acknowledged by the United Nations for Public
Service in 2017. The scheme has been allocated a budget of Rs 7,000 crore since its launch.

Mukesh Ambani once again topped Forbes India Rich List 2019
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL)Chairman Mukesh Ambani with a wealth worth $51.4 billion topped
in the recently released Forbes India Rich List 2019 for the 12th consecutive time. He added $4.1
billion to his net worth as Jio, which is a three-year-old telecom unit of his Reliance Industries and
became one of India's biggest mobile carriers with 340 million subscribers. Infrastructure tycoon
Gautam Adani stood second as he jumped 8 spots on the list with a net worth of $15.7 billion.
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Ashok Leyland owners Hinduja brothers secured the third spot with a net worth of $15.6 billion,
Shapoorji Pallonji Group's Pallonji Mistry grabbed the fourth spot with a $15 billion net worth and
Kotak Mahindra Bank's Uday Kotak held the fifth rank with $14.8 billion net worth.

Dutee Chand broke national record

Indian Star sprinter Dutee Chand broke her own national record, clocking 11.22 seconds in the
women's 100m semifinals on her way to the gold medal at the 59th National Open Athletics
Championships on 11th October 2019. The 23-year-old surpassed her previous timing of 11.26s
which she had set at the Asian Championships in April 2019. At that time she had equalled Rachita
Mistry's 11.26-second effort at the Asian Championship. Dutee later clocked 11.25 seconds in the
final to claim the gold, leaving Archana Suseendran and Himashree Roy in the wake.

India received the first tranche of Swiss account of Indian citizens

In October 2019, India has got the first details of accounts of Indian citizens in Swiss banks under
the new regular system of automatic exchange of information (AEOI). The Federal Tax
Administration (FTA) of Switzerland has exchanged details of financial accounts including
resident’s country, name, address and financial institution with tax identification number, balance
in the account and capital income under 75 global standards of AEOI to 75 countries. It conveyed
India details about the accounts which are currently active. Apart from this, it has also shared
information about the accounts that have been closed in 2018. The next tranche of information
between India and Switzerland is expected in September next year.

The BS-VI emission norms

In October 2019,Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar announced that India will be
adopting the Bharat Stage Six (BS-VI)emission norms by April 2022 which is expected to bring
transformation in fuels. It is worth knowing that the Government has spent Rs 60,000 crore on
switching from BS-IV fuel to BS-VI fuel to tackle the alarming pollution levels. In April 2019, the
Supreme Court of India had given verdict that no Bharat Stage IV vehicle shall be sold across the
country with effect from April 1, 2020. Instead, the Bharat Stage VI (or BS-VI) emission norm will
come into force from April 1, 2020 across the country.

Justice Ajay Lamba: The New CJ of Gauhati High Court

In October 2019, Justice Ajay Lamba took oath as Chief Justice of Guwahati High Court. Governor
Professor Jagdish Mukhi at the Raj Bhawan administered his oath in Gauhati in the presence of
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Secretary Alok Kumar, Director General of Police
Kuladhar Saikia, senior officials of the state government, high court judges and members of the
legal fraternity. Prior to this, he was a judge of the Allahabad High Court.

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The 2019 Nobel Prize in Medicine
On 7th October 2019, professor of medicine at Harvard University William Kaelin Jr; the director
of clinical research at the Francis Crick Institute in London Sir Peter Ratcliffe and the director of
the Vascular Research Program at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering, Gregg
Semenza together received the 2019 Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovering how cells sense and
adapt to oxygen availability. They had identified molecular machinery that regulates the activity of
genes in response to varying oxygen levels. They added a valuable insight into how oxygen levels
affect cellular metabolism and physiological function. Prior to this, all knew about the importance
of oxygen but how cells adapt to changes in levels of oxygen was still a mystery.

The 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (RSAS) has split the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics
between James Peebles of Princeton University, United States of America (USA) “for theoretical
discoveries in physical cosmology” (after the Big Bang theory) and the other half jointly to Michel
Mayor from the University of Geneva, Switzerland and Didier Queloz, University of Geneva,
Switzerland, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom (UK) “for the discovery of an exoplanet
orbiting a solar-type star”. The three scientists have contributed to the understanding of the
evolution of the universe and earth's place in the cosmos.

The 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino will share the 2019 Nobel Prize
in Chemistry for their pivotal role in making lithium ion batteries. Akira Yoshino is a Japanese
chemist, who invented the lithium ion batteries. Goodenough is an American professor, who
doubled the lithium battery’s potential, creating the right conditions for a vastly more powerful and
useful battery. Goodenough is also the first person to get a Nobel at an age of 97. The previous
record-holder was Arthur Ashkin, who had won the Physics Nobel in 2018 at 96. And M Stanley
Whittingham is an British–American chemist currently serving as a professor at Binghamton
University, New York, who has eliminated pure lithium from the battery.

Saturn : The planet with maximum moons

The International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center announced ‘Saturn’ as the new
‘Moon King’ on October 7, 2019. Under the guidance of an astronomer at the Carnegie Institution
for Science in Washington, D.C., Scott Sheppard the team has discovered 20 new moons of Saturn.
They employed the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii and found that three of the newfound moons are
prograde, orbiting in the same direction that Saturn rotates, while 17 are retrograde, traveling in the
opposite direction. Each is between 2 and 5 kilometers wide. With this, the figure of moons of
Saturn has reached 82. With this, Saturn has surpassed Jupiter, the previous record holder of having
maximum number of moons i.e. 79.
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7th October 2019 : The First World Cotton Day
Globe observed the very first World Cotton Day on 7th October 2019. The World Trade
Organization (WTO) in Geneva hosted the event for the day to celebrate the advantages of cotton,
ranging from its qualities as a natural fibre to the benefits people obtain from its production,
transformation, trade and consumption.The event highlighted the challenges faced by the world’s
cotton economies, as cotton is significant for the least developed, developing and developed
economies worldwide. This event was proposed by four countries viz. Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad
and Mali to underline the significance of cotton as a global commodity. From India, Union Textiles
Minister, Smriti Irani is participating in a plenary session organized from 7th to 11th October 2019.
The event involves a cotton exhibition organized by the Handloom Export Promotion Council
(HEPC), Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), TEXPROCIL and India’s NIFT.

Inauguration of National e-Assessment Centre

In October 2019, Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey inaugurated National E-Assessment
Centre in Delhi and Regional E-Assessment Centers in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad,
Pune, Bangalore, Delhi and Hyderabad.The centres are meant to implement the faceless assessment
system for Income Tax Return. This is to eliminate the interface between Assessing Officer and
Assessee to ensure greater transparency and accountability in the system.

The Beginning Of ‘Mahatma Gandhi hNational Fellowship’

In October 2019, IIM Bangalore has signed a contract with the Ministry of Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship to start a new programme ‘Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship’ (MGNF). An
independent public interest-oriented policy think-tank, IIMB’s Centre of Public Policy (CPP) will
deliver this two-year Fellowship programme on pilot basis in Gujarat, Karnataka, Meghalaya,
Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Eligible Fellows in the age group of 21-30 years with a
graduate degree from a recognised university will be enrolled for this programme. It will identify
and train a group of young, committed and dynamic individuals, who will leverage the IIMB
ecosystem in management, entrepreneurship and public policy and work with the district
administration in strengthening the process of skilling to create a vibrant local district economy.

The 2019 Goa Maritime Conclave

In October 2019, Naval War College (NWC) of Goa organized Goa Maritime Conclave (GMC) on
“Common Maritime Priorities in IOR and need for Regional Maritime Strategy” theme. The
National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Kumar Doval inaugurated this conclave which had three sub
themes like “Opportunities and Challenges in IOR”; “Imperatives and Priorities for Forging a
Common Agenda in the IOR”and “Regional Constructs and Strategies in the IOR”. On this
occasion the 31st edition of the Naval War College Journal was also released.

14
Conclusion of Wildlife week
On 8th October 2019, the Wildlife Week which was organized on “Life Below Water: For People
And Planet” theme for preservation of underwater fauna and flora got concluded. Organized by
National Board of Wildlife, the week witnessed Central and State Governments, environmentalists
and activists accelerating the awareness of conservation of wildlife via seminars, processions to
manifest the responsibility of protection of flora and fauna as well as birdwatch events at
Bengaluru-Jakkur Lake in Bengaluru and at Yamuna River Front, Delhi.

A compulsory pre-exam for CS Executive & Professional students

For the students of CS Executive and Professional programme enrolled under the new syllabus of
Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI), the deadline for clearing the pre-exam for
December 2019 session has got extended. Earlier the deadline for clearing the pre-exam was
October 10 that has now been extended till October 31. The ICSI CS December 2019 exams, for
Executive and Professional courses, will be held from December 20 to December 30.

The Changed name of New Delhi- Lohian Khas New Delhi Intercity Express
In October 2019, Railways renamed New Delhi- Lohian Khas New Delhi Intercity Express as
‘Sarbat Da Bhala Express’ as a tribute to Guru Nanak Dev on the occasion of the 550th birth
anniversary celebrations (November 12, 2019). It has been done on request of Union Food
Processing Industries minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal. Equipped with 2 Air Conditioner (AC) Chair
Car coaches, 6 Second class sitting coaches, 7 General Coaches, it runs from Delhi to Lohian Khas
in Jalandhar, Punjab via holy city Sultanpur Lodhi. The Railway Ministry granted Rs. 22 crore to
upgrade Sultanpur Lodhi railway station and launch 14 new trains.

The 10th India Social Entrepreneur of the Year Awards

In October 2019, Shanti Raghavan & Dipesh Sutariya of EnAble India, an NGO that works towards
economic independence and dignity of people with disability were honoured with Social
Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2019. The duo worked for building an ecosystem of skilling,
employment and entrepreneurship for persons with disabilities (PwDs). Jubilant Bhartia
Foundation and Schwab Foundation instituted this award for Social Entrepreneurship in year 2010
for acknowledging promising social entrepreneurs who implement sustainable solutions.

Death of HL Trivedi
Padma Shri Awardee and renowned kidney transplant surgeon Dr Hargovind Laxmishanker
Trivedi died at the age of 87. He was honored with Padma Shri in year 2015 for his valuable
contribution to society as a nephrologist. Dialysis centres in all district hospitals of Gujarat and

15
more than 5,000 successful kidney transplants were his credentials. He achieved pioneering feats
in reconstructive surgery of the kidney using laparoscopic techniques. His research papers
published in 2017, conveyed that the most cost-effective treatment for end-stage renal disease
patients was living donor kidney transplantation as compared to deceased donor kidney transplant
and long-term dialysis. He was a pioneer in stem cell research also and under his leadership IKDRC
witnessed techniques used to generate blood cells from stem cells in kidney transplant recipients.
He founded the “Hamilton Organ Procurement Program” (HOPE) in 1974, which was the first of
its kind in the world.

CAC witnessed resignations

In October 2019, Kapil Dev and Anshuman Gaekwad also tabled their resignations after Shantha
Rangaswamy resigned from BCCI's 3-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC). The three
members resigned from the CAC after facing a conflict of interest notice by the BCCI ethics officer
Justice (Retd) DK Jain. The notice was issued on a complaint by Sanjeev Gupta, who pointed out
that they were a part of the committee despite being directors of players’ association. Vinod Rai,
the Chief of Committee of Administrators (CoA) finally clarified the three members of the
committee- Kapil Dev, Shantha Rangaswamy and Anshuman Gaekwad were not conflicted in their
understanding. The CAC was only appointed for selecting the head coaches and it doesn’t exist
anymore as it was just a one-time committee.

Stipend for trade apprentices

On 30th September 2019, Minister of Skills Development and Entrepreneurship, Dr. Mahendra
Nath Pandey at State Ministers’ Conference on Skill Development in New Delhi announced a
minimum stipend in the range of five thousand to nine thousand rupees per month from now
onwards for trade apprentices. It will be given on the basis of their qualification. Besides this,
employers having four or more workers will be eligible to engage apprentices. Along with this a
new structure of Kaushal Vikas Mitra from State to village level will be erected.

Discovery of an ‘Ancient River’ in UP

On 2nd October 2019, a team of researchers and experts of Union Jal Shakti Ministry reported
discovery of a dried-up river during the geophysical survey in the Kaushambi and Prayagraj region
in Uttar Pradesh. It has been found about 26 km south of the current Ganga-Yamuna confluence at
Prayagraj and is said to be an important link between the rivers. The remnant (Palaeochannel) of
the inactive river is about 4 km wide and 45km long under a 15-meter-thick layer of the soil that
could be a potential groundwater recharge source. It is likely to present a new aspect to understand
the present day scenario of Ganga-Yamuna Rivers to map North-West India’s rivers with a new
perspective.

16
Bindra’s new book “The Tech Whisperer”
In October 2019, digital transformation expert Jaspreet Bindra launched his new book “The Tech
Whisperer”. Published by Penguin India that features a chapter on AI (Artificial Intelligence).The
book describes and simplifies the most revolutionary technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI),
blockchain, Internet of things, virtual reality, etc. and illustrates how companies can employ these
to drive their digital transformation. The author has referred to James Barrat’s book “Our Final
Invention” which speculates that “AI will be the final invention by humankind.

National Law University in J&K

On 2nd October 2019, the governor of Jammu and Kashmir Satya Pal Malik gave nod to the Jammu
and Kashmir National Law University Bill 2019 for establishing a National Law University in the
J&K, which will help in disseminating knowledge about law and legal processes and promoting
legal awareness to achieve political, social and economic justice. Jammu and Kashmir National
Law University Act enactment will bring J&K at par with other states where such universities have
already been established. Flashback says a conference of law ministers in India in the year 1995
had adopted a resolution to erect a law school in each state modelled on the National Law School
of India University in Bengaluru, Karnataka with the objective of improving the quality of
professional legal education and many states have enacted laws to set up such universities since
then.

Kalli Purie received ‘India’s most powerful women in media’ award

In September 2019, Indian journalist Kallie Puri got honoured with the global honour “India’s Most
Powerful Women in Media” award at the prestigious Confluence Excellence Awards at the British
Parliament. She began working with the India Today Group from year 1996 as a marketing
executive and reporter for their flagship magazine, India Today and is now the Vice-Chairperson
of the India Today Group. She earned her graduation in Politics, Philosophy & Economics from
Oxford University in England. She has a rich experience of leading a wide range of media verticals
like Aaj Tak, India Today Television, Aaj Tak HD, Tez, a digital newspaper, apps and Dilli Aaj
Tak. In March 2017, she was adjudged as the 5th most powerful woman at the sixth edition of
Impact Magazine’s Awards and has recently received 'Outstanding Media & Entertainment Award'
at the annual 21st Century Icon Awards in London.

'Panditjasraj': A Planet with a name of Indian artist

In September 2019, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has named a minor planet 2006
VP32 (300128) after Indian classical singer Pandit Jasraj. Discovered in year 2006, it traverses the
cosmos between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The classical music legend Pandit Jasraj is the
17
pioneer of Indian classical singing. He belongs to Mewati Gharana of music and is famous for
singing khayals with some addition of thumri in it. With this, he joined the galaxy of immortal
composers like Mozart, Beethoven and Tenor Luciano Pavarotti. He was acknowledged with
Padma Vibhushan (2000), Padma Bhushan (1990), Padma Shri (1975), Lata Mangeshkar Award
and many more.

1st October 2019 : The 94th Raising Day of MNS

The Military Nursing Service (MNS) is celebrating its 94th Raising Day today. The nursing officers
took the Florence Nightingale Pledge to re-dedicate themselves to high quality, selfless nursing
care to their patients. It is worth knowing that MNS is the only all women corps in the Armed
Forces that came into existence on March 28, 1888 with the arrival of the first batch of 10 qualified
British Nurses in Bombay, to organize nursing in Military hospitals in India.

KS Dhatwalia: PIB's new Principal DG

In September 2019, Senior Indian Information Service officer, KS Dhatwalia got appointed as the
Principal Director General of Press Information Bureau (PIB). He has taken place of Sitanshu Kar,
and has become the 28th Principal Spokesperson of the government. He will continue to hold the
additional charge of Director General, Indian Institute of Mass Communication. The appointee has
vast experience of working in various Media Units of the Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting.

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World Cities Day
Globe celebrated October 31, 2019 as World Cities Day (WCD) on ‘Changing the world:
Innovations and better life for future generations’ theme. Discussions regarding how urbanization
can be used to achieve sustainable development and implementation of the New Urban Agenda
were done at length. The New Urban Agenda about construction, management and habitation of
cities was adopted in Quito, Ecuador at the UN Conference popularly known as Habitat Conference
on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development in 2016. Instituted in 2013, the day is meant to
encourage the international community’s interest in global urbanization.

MIT removed CO2 from air!

According to the latest publication of journal, Energy and Environmental Science, scientists of
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States have developed a new technology to
capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from a stream of air at any concentration level at room temperature
and normal air pressure in contrast to traditional methods that require high concentration of air for
the same. This development will lead to a reduction of atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) levels.
Researchers used specialized battery with a stack of electrodes coated with a compound called poly
anthraquinone compounded with carbon nanotubes that absorbs CO2 from air passing over its
surface as it was being charged up, and then released gas as it was being discharged. The study
highlighted electrodes’ natural affinity for CO2 as they readily reacted with its molecules in
airstream/feed gas. The technology took advantage of ‘binary nature of the adsorbent’s affinity to
carbon dioxide’

The Second International Solar Alliance Assembly

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is hosting the second assembly of International Solar
Alliance (ISA) in New Delhi. Around 400 delegates from 81 nations are participating in this
ongoing two day event which began on October 30, 2019 to reduce the cost of solar installations in
developing nations. The assembly is being co-chaired by French Deputy Minister Brune Poirson
along with Union Minister of State for New and Renewable energy Raj Kumar Singh. Indian
government has allotted 5 acres of land to ISA. In addition to this, it has also released a sum of Rs
160 crore for building infrastructure.

19
World’s top 10 best-performing chief executives
Harvard Business Review (HBR) has put out ‘The Best-Performing CEOs in World, 2019′ that
features 100 CEOs from across the globe. American technology company NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen
Huang topped the list. This time three Indian-origin CEOs viz. Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen (6th
spot), MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga (7th) and Microsoft chief Satya Nadella (9th spot) managed
positions in the top ten. Besides them, India-born CEO of DBS Bank Piyush Gupta (89th spot),
Apple CEO Tim Cook (62nd spot), Nike CEO Mark Parker (20th), JP Morgan Chase chief Jamie
Dimon (23rd spot), Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson (37th spot), Disney CEO Robert Iger
( 55th) and SoftBank head Masayoshi Son (96th rank) were also placed in the list.The 2019 list has
also given place to four female CEOs.

Development of Renewable energy storage device

According to publication of the journal Nature Communications of October 2019, the scientists
from Queen Mary institute of London in the United Kingdom reported development of a new
dielectric capacitor, a device that stores energy (like battery). They pressed and folded a polymer
film capacitor and could store 30 times more energy than best-performing commercially available
dielectric capacitor. The dielectric capacitors in general have ultrahigh power density that fares
well with the technologies that require accumulating energy over a period of time and then releases
it very quickly like motor drives and even space vehicle power systems. Before this latest
development, such capacitors struggled with limitation of storing low amounts of energy but this
new innovation promises a significant impact on the field of pulse power applications and has a
potential of a step-change in field of dielectric capacitors.

Discovery of Stable form of Plutonium

In October 2019, a team of scientists led by Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden Rossendorf came across
accidental discovery of a new compound of Plutonium in France. They were working to create
plutonium dioxide nanoparticles using different precursors as the unstable radioactive dangerous
plutonium used in nuclear applications are tricky to transport, store and dispose. And in this
process, they happened to study a peculiar behavior of plutonium which showed stability in its
pentavalent state. Thus, the team confirmed its stability using Pu M4 edge technology. It is worth
knowing here that Plutonium waste does not dissolve in water so when dumped underground, it
contaminates water table to a radius of 10 km.

Discovery of world’s oldest known natural pearl

In October 2019, Abu Dhabi archaeologists working at a Neolithic site on Marawah Island came
across the oldest known natural pearl ‘Abu Dhabi Pearl’ in the world off the coast of Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates. They found it in layers of soil and have been radiocarbon dated to 5,800-
5,600 BCE of the Neolithic period. It is an evidence that pearls and oysters were being used in the
20
UAE nearly 8,000 years ago. Before this Abu Dhabi Pearl discovery, the earliest known pearl in
the UAE was discovered in Neolithic site of Umm Al Qaiwain at a Neolithic cemetery close to
Jebel Buhais, in UAE’s another province Sharjah.

WFP’s campaign ‘Feed Our Future’

In October 2019, United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in collaboration with India’s
largest in-cinema advertising platform, UFO Moviez and the Global Cinema Advertising
Association, SAWA has launched its cinema ad campaign ‘Feed Our Future’ against hunger and
malnutrition in India. Showbox Music TV Channel, LF (Living Foodz TV Channel) and Red FM
93.5 are supporting it to drive the message of zero hunger deeper into the hearts & minds of India.
It will connect with audiences to highlight urgent attention for addressing critical issues of hunger
and malnutrition prevalent in the nation.

The 2019 Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit

The 18th edition of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit will take place from October 25 and
October 26, 2019 in Baku, Azerbaijan. It will be preceded by Ministerial meetings and senior
official meetings. Founded during the collapse of the colonial system and independence struggles
of Asia, Africa and Latin American countries,the movement is about the attainment of
independence for many countries. India and Nepal are founding members of NAM and Nepal has
been an active participant since its inception. The principles of non-alignment form one of the basic
tenets of Nepal’s foreign policy.

Interpol’s General Assembly in 2022

The 91st Interpol General Assembly in 2022 will be hosted in India as part of celebrations of the
75th anniversary of Indian Independence. Prior to this, India hosted this meeting in year 1977. In
the ongoing 88th Interpol General Assembly in Santiago, the director of Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI), Rishi Kumar Shukla, is representing the country along with Delhi police
commissioner Amulya Patnaik and Madhya Pradesh police chief V K Singh at the general
assembly. The annual meetings of Interpol General Assembly are meant to take all major decisions
affecting general policy, working methods, the resources needed for international cooperation and
finances.

Ceasefire in Afghanistan
After the collapse of the United States and Taliban talks in the wake of September 2019 incident
of Taliban attack that killed a US soldier followed by US President Donald Trump’s declaration
of talks with insurgents ‘dead’, European Union have called for a ceasefire in Afghanistan to push
anew for a truce (an agreement to end the fighting) as a guarantee of goodwill and good preparation
for normalisation of these relationships. The US has a big number of American troops in

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Afghanistan as part of US-led coalition and European Union is urging the US to reduce its force in
Afghanistan without influencing counterterrorism fight against Al-Qaida and Islamic State group
for accomplishment of peace agreement.

Great Britain clinched Sultan of Johor Cup 2019

In October 2019, Great Britain defeated India by 2-1 in the final to win the ninth edition of men’s
Sultan of Johor Cup hockey tournament held at Johor Bahru in Malaysia. In this international men’s
under–21 field hockey tournament, India’s Shilanand Lakra has been one of the standout
performers and remained the highest scorer of the tournament. Overall, Great Britain is currently
the most successful team after having won the tournament three times (2015, 2018 2019), followed
by India (2013 and 2014).

Joko Widodo walked in the Presidency of Indonesia

On 20th October 2019, Indonesia's President Joko Widodo took oath for his second and final five-
year term amid a string of fresh challenges of security, corruption and economic slowdown.
Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, claimed victory with 55.5% of the vote in the April
presidential election. The president is planning to push two bills to replace laws that have hampered
job creation and has warned to sack underperforming civil servants in his second innings. Besides
him, 76-year-old Vice President Maruf Amin also took oath replacing Widodo's Vice President in
his first term, Jusuf Kalla.

State emergency in Santiago

On 19th October 2019, President Sebastian Pinera of Chile has declared state emergency in
Santiago for 15 days in the wake of violent protests over an increase in the price of metro tickets.
The subway system has been shut after witnessing attacks on stations which is said to be the worst
violence the city has seen in years. The violence led to torturing of 16 buses and total destruction
of a dozen metro stations. The newly appointed head of national defence, Major General Javier
Iturriaga del Campo informed that the military will patrol major trouble spots in the city of seven
million but will not impose a curfew at present.

Demise of Renowned painter Kalidas Karmakar

18th October 2019 witnessed death of noted painter Kalidas Karmakar of Bangladesh at the age of
73 in Dhaka. The deceased Kalidas was a prolific painter, who employed new mediums and styles
for his art work while maintaining his signature style. He named his work alluvial art implying the
art of the delta land which gave expression to the precarious nature of the alluvial land and its
people, their struggles and hopes. He had also experimented with performance art that combined
artist's body as an object of art along with his paintings. He was acknowledged with Shilpakala
Padak in 2016 and the Ekushey Padak in 2018 by the Government of Bangladesh for his
contribution to fine arts.
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The EX-EASTERN BRIDGE-V Exercise
On 17th October 2019, the Air forces of India and Oman began their joint exercise ‘EX-EASTERN
BRIDGE-V’at Masirah Air Force Base in Oman. IAF contingent comprising of MiG-29 UPG
(upgrade) combat aircraft along with C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft is participating with
Oman’s RAFO comprised of Eurofighter Typhoon, F-16 and Hawk 200 combat aircraft. It is worth
knowing that this is for the first time, MiG-29 fighter aircraft is participating in an international
exercise outside India. The bilateral exercise is meant to increase interoperability during mutual
operations between two Air Forces and it will provide a chance to learn from each other’s best
practices. The IAF participation in exercise will also promote professional interaction, exchange of
operational knowledge and experience.

The US imposed $7.5-billion tariffs on EU goods

In October 2019, the US has imposed tariffs of 7.5-billion dollars on European goods. Airbus,
French wine and Scottish whiskies are among its high-profile targets. The US did so ignoring pleas
from European officials for a last-minute reprieve and French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire
warning of retaliation. Washington is indulged in a trade war with China and it could risk
destabilising the global economy further. Civilian aircraft from Britain, France, Germany and Spain
are in line of fire.

Indo- Japanese ‘Dharma Guardian-2019’

On 19th October 2019, India and Japan will start the second edition of joint military drill at the
Eastern Command’s Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School at Vairengte in the North-
East, which will continue till 2nd November, 2019. Indian and Japanese Ground Self Defence
Forces (JGSDF) comprising 25 soldiers each will undergo platoon-level joint training on counter
terrorism operations in jungle and urban scenario. This exercise is crucial and significant in terms
of security challenges in wake of global terrorism. The first edition of the exercise which was held
in 2018, was also focussed on training and equipping the contingents to undertake counter
insurgency in urban and semi-urban terrain. Insurgency is a prevalent situation in the North-
Eastern states of India where hilly and difficult terrain with thick forest, poses a challenge for the
Army.

Lionel Messi claimed the sixth Golden Shoe award

In October 2019, the Argentina superstar, Lionel Messi has been bestowed the European Golden
Shoe for the sixth time for scoring the most league goals across Europe's top divisions. He scored
36 goals in 34 La Liga appearances in 2018-19. Besides this, he scored three in the Copa del Rey
and 12 more in the Champions League. His efforts helped Barca in successfully defending the La
Liga title as he claimed the Golden Shoe for the third successive season. With the six Golden Shoes
in his name, Messi has surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won the award four times.

23
The RCEP Meeting
Thailand hosted the 2019 October Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership meeting in
Xinhua. The trade ministers of 16 nations attended this and discussed on economic affairs in the
region. India posed a tough stand on market access, e – commerce and investment. Before agreeing
on the proposed RCEP free trade pact, India needs to sort out issues on investment, e – commerce,
taxation, MSME and policies framed by local bodies. Currently, there is strong opposition against
RCEP in India by domestic constituencies viz. dairy cooperatives (Amul), farmer organizations,
industrial sectors and civil society organizations as they fear that the Indian market will get flooded
by cheap Chinese goods and farm items, especially from New Zealand and Australia.

World Bank report on South Asian Economy

In October 2019, World Bank released ‘South Asia Economic Focus, Making (De)Centralization
Work’ report. In which Bhutan emerged as the fastest growing economy followed by Bangladesh
in South Asia. The overall growth in South Asia is shows slow down in this fiscal in line with a
global downward trend. Growth in South Asia in October 2019 has dropped to 5.9% in 2019, down
1.1% points from April 2019 estimates. According to a report in India, growth is expected to drop
to 6% this fiscal year and is then expected to gradually recover to 6.9% in fiscal year 2021 and to
7.2% in 2022.

Dubai will host 2019 First Global DXB Challenge

Dubai will be hosting the 2019 first Global DXB Challenge on ‘Ocean Opportunities’ theme from
24th to 27th October 2019 at the Festival Arena in Dubai, UAE. The challenge is about addressing
the world’s most critical environmental issues via employment of robotics. It will be a large
gathering for creative young minds in the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence.The event is
meant to encourage and empower youth with a passion for science, technology, mathematics,
engineering, and develop their skills and equip them with the tools necessary to contribute to
shaping the future. A team of five girls in the age group of 14 and 18 from different schools in
Mumbai will represent India in a robotics competition.

The Ongoing FATF Plenary meet

The international terror financing watchdog, Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is conducting a
six day meet in Paris from October 13 and October 18, 2019. 205 countries and jurisdictions across
the globe including delegates from IMF, UN, World Bank and other leading organizations are
participating in this event to focus on financial flows that are linked to terrorism and crime. This
inter-governmental body established in 1989 to fight money laundering, terrorist financing and
other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system has put South Korea and
Iran in the blacklist category, while the Bahamas, Botswana, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Pakistan,
Panama, Sri Lanka, Syria, Trianidad and Tobago, Tunisia and Yemen are in Grey list. The status
of Pakistan is still under question as it was added to the Grey list category in 2012 and later was
24
removed from the list in 2015. However, in 2018 Pakistan was again pushed in the grey list
category. This year it is likely to occupy Dark Grey list which is in between Black and Grey
categories as Pakistan’s performance was found to be inadequate and managed to pass in only 6
criteria out of the 27.

World Standards Day

The members of the International Electro technical Commission (IEC), the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
celebrated the World Standards Day on October 14, 2019 to pay tribute to the experts worldwide
who develop voluntary technical agreements that are published as International Standards. They
celebrated the achievements of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), International
Engineering Task Force (IETF), International Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), ISO,
IEC and ITU. In India, the World Standard Day was celebrated by the Bureau of Indian Standards
(BIS) on ‘Video Standards create a global stage’ theme. It holds significance as mobile phones, IT
and other electronic devices boosted video production and is estimated that by 2020, 80% of
internet traffic will be consumed by video streaming data. This day was instituted in year 1946 and
is meant to set standardization at international level.

International Day of Rural Women

Globe celebrated 15th October 2019 as International Day of Rural Women on ‘Rural Women and
girls building climate resilience’ theme. This day was instituted in 2007 to recognize the role of
rural women in food security, agriculture, land and resource management, nutrition and domestic
care work. It should be noted that the three main sustainable goals viz. ending poverty and hunger,
empowering women and girls, ensuring food security can be achieved only by improving the role
of rural women in every aspect of global development.

The Second India-China Informal Summit

In October 2019, the second informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the
President of the People’s Republic of China Mr Xi Jinping was held in Mahabalipuram,Tamil
Nadu. In this India has relaxed e-visa rules for Chinese nationals, who will be able to apply for e-
Tourist visa (e-TV) with 5-year validity and multiple entries costing USD(United States Dollar)
80. Besides this, the duo agreed to set up a new mechanism for trade and investment related issues.
In the matter of trade deficit,China agreed to take severe action on reducing the trade deficit which
is of $53 billion and welcomed investment in sectors like information technology and
pharmaceuticals from India as it would enhance job creation in both sides. In addition to these, the
two nations agreed for mutual cooperation in areas like defence and security, reduction of terrorism
by strengthening the framework against terror financing, training and supporting the terrorist
groups etc. They designated year 2020 as the ‘Year of India-China Cultural and People to People
Exchanges’.
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UNICEF : the first UN organisation to employ cryptocurrency
In October 2019, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) became the
first United Nations’ organisation to transact in cryptocurrency. The organization is all set to
receive and disburse donations in cryptocurrency through the newly launched UNICEF
Cryptocurrency Fund and will be carrying out transactions on Ether and Bitcoin platforms. The
Ethereum Foundation will be the first donor to contribute through the French National Committee
in the UNICEF Cryptocurrency Fund.

US astronaut received Russsian honor

In October 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin honored US astronaut Nick Hague, who
survived a botched space launch last year, with prestigious state courage award. A Russian Soyuz
rocket bound for the International Space Station began malfunctioning due to damaged sensor just
two minutes after liftoff on October 11, 2018, that forced its two-men crew of Hague and Russian
cosmonaut Alexei Ovchinin to make an emergency landing. The duo landed unscathed in the
Kazakh. Hague has recently returned to Earth, having successfully made it to the International
Space Station in a repeat launch in March this year.

The 2019 Nobel Prize of Economics

In October 2019, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences conferred the prestigious 2019 Nobel
Prize for Economics upon cofounder of Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), Indian-
American Abhijit Banerjee, his French-American wife, Esther Duflo, and Michael Kremer of
United States for their ‘experimental approach to alleviating global poverty’. Their work will help
in eradication of poverty. The trio’s experimental research methods have so far benefited more
than 5 million Indian children, who are part of remedial tutoring programmes in schools. With this,
Esther Duflo has become the second woman to win the prize after Elinor Ostrom (2009) of US.
She is also the youngest-ever to win this prize. It should be noted that unlike other prizes, the Nobel
prize for Economics, was not created by the prize founder but by Riksbanken, the Swedish central
bank in 1968.

Demise of Alexei Leonov, the first space walker

In October 2019, Russia's Alexei Leonov, the first man to conduct a spacewalk in 1965 passed
away at the age of 85. The ‘cosmonaut No 11’ was trained together with Yury Gagarin, the first
human who went to outer space in 1961 and was selected to perform the first spacewalk amid the
cold war between Soviet Union and the United States, who locked horns in a frantic race to conquer
space. Leonov in year 1965 scripted history when he left a spacecraft during the Voskhod 2 mission
for a spacewalk that lasted 12 minutes and nine seconds. He was honored twice with the country's
top honour, as the Hero of the Soviet Union. After 10 years in 1975, Leonov commanded the Soyuz
19 in the first joint space mission between the Soviet Union and the United States.

26
Indian-American Congressman introduced bipartisan resolution
In October 2019, Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi introduced a bipartisan
resolution in the US House of Representatives. Bipartisan refers to any bill, act, resolution, or other
political act in which both of the two major political parties agree about all or many parts of a
political choice. Bipartisanship involves finding a common ground. Krishnamoorthi did so to
commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's dedication to public service. This resolution was cosponsored by
a bipartisan group of 14 other lawmakers viz. George Holding, Brad Sherman, Joe Wilson, Gerry
Connolly, Peter King, Ami Bera, Ro Khanna, Frank Pallone, Brenda Lawrence, Pete Olson,
Pramila Jayapal, TJ Cox, David Price, and Ted Yoho. The resolution emphasises the influence of
Gandhi's teachings on civil rights leaders around the world including Dr Martin Luther King.

The First Satellite Servicing Spacecraft MEV-1

In October 2019, first satellite-servicing spacecraft with name “MEV-1” ( Mission Extension
Vehicle-1) was launched on Russian Proton rocket from Russia’s Baikonur
Cosmodrome(launching site for spacecraft) in Kazakhstan. Developed by American global
aerospace and defense technology company Northrop Grumman, the spacecraft is meant to track
down and connect to any satellite in space that’s running low on fuel and replenish its supply. The
robotic Mission Extension Vehicle-1 has a 15-year design life and it is docked with a typical 2,000-
kg [4,400 lbs.] supply.

The first ever India International Cooperatives Trade Fair

On 13th October 2019, the first ever India International Cooperatives Trade Fair wrapped in New
Delhi. The three day Fair that began on 11th October acted as a major platform to promote export
of products of cooperatives which will enhance rural and farm prosperity. Organisations from 36
nations as well as 150 Indian cooperatives participated in the Fair. The event was on purpose of
addressing the challenges being faced by Cooperatives, like delivery and available markets.

The 218th birth anniversary of Belgian physicist

Google celebrated the 218th birth anniversary of Belgian physicist Joseph Antoine Ferdinand
Plateau on 14th October 2019 with a special doodle which was created by animator-filmmaker
Olivia Hu. Born on October 14, 1801 in Brussels, Plateau invented the ‘phenakistoscope’ the first
animation device that used the persistence of vision principle to create an illusion of motion in
1832. He used counter-rotating disks with repeating drawn images in small increments of motion
on one and regularly spaced slits in the other. The two disks one with small equidistant radial
windows, through which the viewer could look, and another containing a sequence of images, when
rotated at the correct speed, the synchronization of the windows and the images created an animated
effect. The projection of stroboscopic photographs, creating the illusion of motion, finally led to
the development of cinema.

27
India-Bangladesh Navy Bilateral Drill
The navies of India and Bangladesh started their first ever bilateral exercise at Visakhapatnam from
October 12 which will continue till October 16, 2019. The exercise will include air familiarisation
of Bangladesh Navy aircrew and a 10-day training exercise between Indian Navy Marine
Commandos and BN SWADS. Prior to this, a two-day Indian Navy (IN) and the Bangladesh Navy
(BN) Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) was held in northern part of the Bay of Bengal that saw
participation of INS Ranvijay, a guided-missile destroyer and INS Kuthar, an indigenously built
missile Corvette as well as BNS Ali Haider, a Type 053 frigate and BNS Shadinota, a Type 056
stealth guided missile corvette.

The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize – 2019

On 11th October 2019, the 100th Nobel Prize for peace has been awarded to the Ethiopian Prime
Minister Abhiy Ahmed Ali for his efforts towards peace and international cooperation. He was
rewarded for his initiatives to resolve border conflict with Eritrea. Apart from this, he also initiated
many reforms in Ethiopia. He dedicated his first 100 days of power in lifting the state of emergency
in the nation. He granted amnesty to thousands of political prisoners, legalized outlawed opposition
groups, discontinued media censorship as well as increased the influence of women in Ethiopian
political and community life.

The Socialists are all set to rule Portugal

In October 2019, Portugal's center-left Socialists won the general election with 36.6% of the vote.
With 226 seats in the 230-seat parliament awarded in the official count, the Socialists claimed 106
seats, compared to the 77 seats for the second-place Social Democratic Party. However, the
Socialists still needs 10 seats for claiming majority in parliament.They have the option of taking
power as a minority government or pursue alliances with other left-of-centre parties to pass
legislation. In their last term they sought alliance with the Portuguese Communist Party and the
radical Left Bloc.The Socialist leader and incumbent prime minister, Antonio Costa preparing to
govern for another four years has promised to continue efforts to improve debt-heavy Portugal’s
public finances.

Brunei welcomed Indian-origin Singaporean judge

In October 2019, Indian-origin Singaporean judge, Justice Kannan Ramesh got appointed as a
judicial commissioner or part time judge of the Supreme Court of Brunei for a period of two-years.
In this post, he will spend up to a month in Brunei each year to read, hear and write judgments
mainly on commercial cases and certain civil ones. However, he will continue to be a full-time
judge of the Supreme Court of Singapore. He was appointed as judicial commissioner of Singapore
Supreme Court in May 2015.

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Olga Tokarczuk & Peter Handke : Nobel Prize awardees in Literature
In October 2019, The Swedish Academy’s Nobel Committee announced two Nobel Prizes for
literature. The 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature will be given to Polish author Olga Tokarczuk “for
a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a
form of life” and the 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature will be given to Austrian author Peter Handke
“for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has explored the periphery and the specificity
of human experience.”It is worth registering here that this is for the first time in 118-year history
that 2 literature prizes are given in the same year. And Ms. Tokarczuk is the 15th woman to win
the Nobel Prize for literature in more than a century.

The Fourth Environmental Enforcement Award 2019

On November 13, 2019, 1996-batch Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Ramesh Pandey will be
honored with the prestigious Asia Environmental Enforcement Award 2019 by the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) in Bangkok,
Thailand for battling trans-boundary environmental crime. He launched M-Stripes (Monitoring
System for Tigers Intensive Protection & Ecological Status), a novel software-based patrolling in
Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, UP on the request of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to
avoid poaching. Currently, he is working as a Chief Conservator Forests in Lucknow and Secretary
of Uttar Pradesh (UP) State Bio-diversity Board (SBB).

The 50th IFFI

From 20th to 28th November 2019 Goa will host the Golden Jubilee edition of International Film
Festival of India (IFFI) 2019. Russia will be the partner country. In this, films with audio deion
will be screened for the first time for the visually impaired.The event will showcase over 200 best
films from 76 countries as well as 26 feature films and 15 non-feature films in the Indian Panorama
section. Gujarati period drama “Hellaro” directed by Abhishek Shan will be the opening film of
feature section and “Nooreh”, a Kashmiri language tale directed by Ashish Pandey will be the
opening non-feature film. 12 prominent films in different languages that have completed 50 years
in 2019, will also be shown.The Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2019 winner Amitabh Bachchan will be
honoured on the occasion.

Demise of Buddhist leader Satyapriya Mohathero

October 2019 saw death of the second highest Buddhist leader of Bangladesh and head of Sima
Bihar of Ramu in Cox's Bazar, Satyapriya Mohathero passed away at the age of 89 in Dhaka. His
Ramu monastery had sheltered a large number of people during the Liberation War of Bangladesh
1971 in the face of Pakistani atrocities. Born in 1930, he became a monk in 1950 and President of
the Bangladesh Sangharaja of Bhikkhu Mahasabha in 2006.

29
Mauritius parliament got dissolved
In October 2019, Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth of Mauritius announced dissolution of
the parliament and commencement of general elections on 7th November 2019. The 57 year old
Jugnauth, who is also the Finance Minister of the nation will seek another term as leader of the
Mouvement Socialiste Militant (MSM). He has been working as Prime Minister since 2017 when
he took over from his father, Anerood Jugnauth. It is worth knowing that Mauritius is a popular
tourist destination and one of Africa's most stable nations that holds elections every five years and
the last one was in 2014.

Demise of Farook Khan

October 2019 witnessed the death of an Indian-origin journalist, Farook Khan in South Africa. The
77 year old died of cancer. He belonged to Maharashtra and had begun the Miss India South Africa
Pageant as part of the Miss India Worldwide Pageant which has seen hundreds of young women
from the diaspora find new avenues for their careers. He had hosted the international Miss India
Worldwide four times in South Africa and offered to host again in 2021 to celebrate its 30th
anniversary. He had been a journalist for 60 years, who earned fame for his investigative reporting
during apartheid.

The Syria - India MoU

In October 2019, India and Syria entered into a contract to upgrade the existing India-Syria Center
for Excellence in Information and Technology (IT) to the Next Generation Center for Excellence
in Information and Technology (NexGen-ISCEIT) in Damascus.This centre was meant to provide
the latest software and tools for ( IT) training which later came on halt because of the terrorist war
on Syria. T. S. Tirumurti, Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs and
Dr. Riad K Abbas, Ambassador of Syrian Arab Republic to India were the signatories of this
contract.

5th October : World Teachers Day

UNESCO and the International Labor Organization instituted 5th October as the World Teachers
Day in the year 1966 to improve the situation of teachers across the globe. The two organizations
pleaded proper guidelines for the status of teachers' rights, responsibilities, their initial preparation,
further education, recruitment, employment and teaching via the policy of education personnel,
education personnel recruitment, initial training of education personnel, employment, and working
conditions of teachers. “Young Teachers: The Future of the Profession” was the theme for this year
that underlined the challenges of the 21st century of ‘teaching in diversity’ and ‘diversity in
teaching.’ The role of young teachers in the changing climate of education and schooling, the need
to draw in and retain a new generation of dedicated educators were discussed at length on the
occasion.
30
The Retirement Of Claudio Marchisio
In October 2019, Italian former professional footballer & Juventus midfielder, 33 year old Claudio
Marchisio announced his retirement from football after suffering persistent knee injuries. The
popular ‘little prince’, had joined Juventus at the age of just seven & played almost 400 matches.
Marchisio won 55 caps for Italy and participated at Union of European Football Associations
(UEFA) Euro 2012, winning a runners-up medal, and at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, where
he won a third-place medal. In 2006, he played his first professional game for Juve.

The World of Health Policies

In October 2019, The National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC) got redesignated as the
World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Priority Medical Devices and Health
Technology Policy. Established under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) of Government
of India to serve as an apex body for technical assistance, it will continue to assist in policy and
strategy development in the provision and mobilization of technical assistance to improve health
outcomes. Besides this, Rajasthan became the first Indian state to launch ‘Policy on
Pneumoconiosis Detection, Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation’. A standing committee under
the chairmanship of Rajasthan’s chief secretary, D B Gupta will monitor and periodically review
progress of implementation of the policy. In January 2015, Rajasthan was the first Indian state to
notify Pneumoconiosis as an epidemic characterized by inflammation, coughing, and fibrosis due
to inhalation of dust.

The World Space Week

Like every year, globe is celebrating the World Space Week from 4th of October to 10th Of October
2019 on “ The Moon: Gateway to the Stars” theme . The United Nations (UN) General Assembly
instituted this week via adoption of the resolution (A/RES/54/68) to commemorate the launch of
the first artificial satellite, Sputnik I on October 4, 1957, and its entry into force, on 10th October
1967, based on the Treaty on Principles governing the activities of use of outer space including the
moon and other celestial bodies in exploration. Around 25 UN entities and the World Bank Group
routinely employ space applications in making important and essential contributions to the work of
the United Nations, like implementation of world conferences and those of the Third United
Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III).

The Beginning of Bada Dashain in Nepal

The greatest and longest hindu festival of Nepal called Bada Dashain formally began on September
29, 2019. The first day of this Dashain marks the beginning of Navaratri festival also. During this
festival seeds of maize, wheat, barley, etc are sowed in a “Ghada” (earthen pot) and kept in houses
or temples as part of the vedic tradition and then the sprouts are taken on 10th day which is observed
as vijayadashami. This festival is celebrated in some parts of India, by the Buddhist, Hindus and
Kirats of Nepal and the ethnic Nepali speaking Indian Gorkhas of Darjeeling hills, Sikkim, Assam
and other North-Eastern states of India as well as among the Lhotshampa of Bhutan and the
Burmese Gurkhas of Myanmar.

31
Venezuela called for an investigation against USA
In September 2019, Venezuela called for an investigation of possible violations by the United
States. The Executive Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez reported to the UN General Assembly about
the US government’s support to the criminal building of a parallel government amid the efforts of
paramilitary and criminal gangs to destabilise Venezuela. The US government had propped up
National Congress politician Juan Guaido, falsely claiming that he was the legitimate ruler of
Venezuela. Rodriguez further pointed out that 32 nations suffered economic aggression from the
United States and its allies and one-third of humanity was suffering the consequences of that
punishment.

The discovery of ‘Goldschmidtite’ inside a diamond

In September 2019, Nicole Meyer, a graduate from the University of Alberta’s Diamond
Exploration Research and Training School (DERTS), Canada and the lead author of the research,
discovered a new mineral named ‘Goldschmidtite’ (K,REE,Sr)(Nb,Cr)O3 inside a diamond from
a mine- Koffiefontein pipe in South Africa run by De Beers. It has been named goldschmidtite in
honor of Victor Moritz Goldschmidt, who was the founder of modern geochemistry. The new
mineral contains high concentrations of niobium, potassium and the rare earth elements lanthanum
and cerium and the rest of the mantle consist of other elements, like magnesium and iron. This
mineral was formed about 170 kilometers beneath Earth’s surface, at temperatures reaching nearly
1,200 Celsius. It is worth registering here that this is the second new mineral discovered by DERTS
after Nixonite (Na2Ti6O13), which was discovered by Garrett Harris.

Munir Akram : Pakistan’s new UN envoy

On 1st October 2019, Pakistan sacked Maleeha Lodhi and appointed Munir Akram as UN envoy.
He has been made the Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations in New York.
He is an experienced hand who served on this post from 2002 to 2008. He was dismissed by the
then president Asif Ali Zardari because of his disagreement in presenting the case of assassination
of Benazir Bhutto to the United Nations. Akram had entertained controversy after he was accused
of domestic violence by his partner, Marijana Mihic, in December 2002. Besides him, Khalil
Ahmad Hashmi has been made Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN in Geneva;
Muhammad Aejaz ( Hungary Ambassador) ; Syed Sajjad Haider ( Kuwait Ambassador); Imran
Ahmad Siddiqui ( Dhaka High Commissioner); Ahsan KK Wagan (Ambassador of Oman) ; Major
General Muhammad Saad Khattak (Sri Lankan High Commissioner) ; Abdul Hamid (Consul
General in Toronto) and Abrar Hussain Hashmi (Consul General in Houston) are the names of
other appointees.

32
The unique initiative of the Sports Ministry
In October 2019, Union Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS) took first-of-its-kind decision
of providing access to government’s playfields and sporting infrastructure to national and state
federations, leagues and clubs and to all sports persons free of cost from 1st November 2019. The
free of cost sporting facilities will also be accessible to coaches training athletes who are not part
of camps organised in Sports Authority of India (SAI) centers. From 1st November onwards,
Training sessions can be booked by a coach online and the coach can charge a reasonable training
fee from his/her trainees. All this will contribute to the accomplishment of Fit India Movement.

Government is ready to relax VIP clause in National Sports Code

In October 2019, Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju proclaimed that the government is very much
open to relaxing the clause in the proposed National Sports Code which prohibits intervention of
Ministers, MPs and MLAs in the sports administration in the country. Addressing on behalf of
government he elaborated that no profession can be singled out with regard to the governance of
the sport, as it is not the profession but suitability of a person which matters in running the sports
federation. The government will fit a Sports Code which is acceptable to all and is in the best
interest of the sport.

The 2019 Indian Sports Honours

The list of winners of Indian Sports Honours, which is an initiative of Sanjiv Goenka, Chairman,
RP-SG Group and India cricket team captain Virat Kohli were announced on 11th October 2019.
Under Jury Honours, Sandeep Chaudhary (Differently Abled Sportsman of the Year); Rakshita
Raju (Differently Abled Sportswoman of the Year); Saurabh Chaudhary (Emerging Sportsman of
the Year) ; Manu Bhaker (Emerging Sportswoman of the Year); Pulella Gopichand Sportsman of
the Year (Individual, Coach of the Year) were the winners. Besides them, 92 year old Milkha Singh,
best known as the 'Flying Sikh' and most remembered for finishing fourth in the 400m final in the
1960 Rome Olympic Games, was presented the lifetime achievement award. While 23-year-old
Mandhana, who was ruled out due to a fracture in her right toe against the ongoing ODI series
against South Africa, received sportswoman of the year award in the team category. Mandhana has
so far played 50 ODIs and 62 T20s, scoring 1,951 and 1,344 runs respectively. Besides these, under
Popular Choice Honours, Breakthrough Performance of the Year (Male) went to Jasprit Bumrah;
Jemimah Rodrigues won Breakthrough Performance of the Year (Female) ; Sunil Chhetri won
Spirit of Sport Honour; Dipa Karmakar Club of the Year won Comeback of the Year and Whistle
Podu Army CSK Fan Club won Chennai Super Kings Fan Club of the Year.

33
The Latest Sports Records
In October 2019, Surender Singh created three world records at the ongoing World Powerlifting
Championship in Berlin, Germany. He won a gold medal in 110 kg category, Classic Raw and the
Best Lifter Award in Classic Raw and Single Ply. Apart from this, in cricket, Rohit Sharma
established the record of hitting most number of sixes in a single test. He scored 13 sixes in India’s
first test against South Africa. He also became the sixth Indian to score a century in both the innings
during India’s opening test against South Africa at Visakhapatnam. Rohit posted a 176 runs in the
first innings and 127 runs in the second innings of the first Test match against South Africa in
Visakhapatnam. This was his first test as an opener. Besides him, India’s premier off-spinner
Ravichandran Ashwin became the joint fastest to take 350 wickets, matching Sri Lankan great
Muttiah Muralitharan’s feat in his 66th Test.

Papua New Guinea is in for ICC T20 World Cup

Papua New Guinea’s men’s team had never before played at a major International Cricket Council
tournament, in any format of the game, but surprisingly they managed to secure a qualification for
the 2020 Twenty20 World Cup in thrilling fashion in October 2019. History was made at a
qualifying tournament after the Barramundis first defeated Kenya by 45 runs at the Dubai
International Stadium. Norman Vanua made 54 runs off 48-balls and led his team to 118 run score
off 19.3 overs. In reply Kenya got wrapped up at 73 from 18.4 overs. Then PNG witnessed the
Netherlands beating Scotland by four wickets yet the Netherlands failed to topple PNG in the group
on net run rate. That made way for PNG, who topped their qualifying pool heading into the final
day of group stage matches in the UAE, booked their berth at October’s tournament in Australia.
Besides them, Ireland also booked their place at next year’s tournament.

The Korea Open 2019

From September 24 to 29, 2019, the 19th edition of Badminton Super 500 tournament, Korea Open
2019 took place at Incheon International Airport Skydome in Incheon, South Korea. US$400,000
was the total prize money for this tournament. Kento Momota (Japan, Men’s Singles); He Bingjiao
(China,Women’s Singles); Fajar Alfian & Muhammad Rian Ardianto (Indonesia, Men’s Doubles);
Kim So-yeong & Kong Hee-yong (South Korea, Women’s Doubles); Dechapol Puavaranukroh &
Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Thailand, Mixed Doubles) emerged as the winners of this tournament.

Manchester United : The first team to score 2,000 Premier League goals
On 27th October 2019, Manchester United became the first team to score 2,000 goals in the Premier
League when 22-year-old midfielder, Scott McTominay fired a low strike beyond Tim Krul to put
the Red Devils 1-0 up at Carrow Road. Arsenal stands second on the all-time list with 1,860 goals
followed by Liverpool (1,795) and Chelsea (1,793) at third and fourth spots respectively. It is worth
knowing here that Mark Hughes scored United's first Premier League goal in a 2-1 defeat to
Sheffield United on August 15, 1992.
34
The 7th Military World Games
The 7th edition of Military World Games (also known as the Olympic Games for military) 2019
have begun from 18th October and will continue upto 27th October 2019 in the capital of Hubei
Province, Wuhan, China. Chinese President Xi Jinping did the inaugural ceremony of this top
multi-sport event for military personnel from across the globe. Besides, being the first international
military multi-sport event taking place in China, it is also the largest ever military sports event
going on in China. Over 10,000 athletes from more than 140 countries are participating in 329
events in 27 disciplines.

Delhi is in news
On 3rd October 2019, Delhi government announced the opening of a 'Sports University' under the
aegis of Delhi Sports University (DSU) Bill on a 90-acre land in the Mundka area of the national
capital. The proposed university will grant graduate, postgraduate and doctorate degrees in the
subjects of sports to dispel the fear of employment uncertainty for sports persons as a graduate
degree is compulsory for job. Further, sportsperson with such degree could also appear in the civil
services examination. Apart from this, Delhi-NCR students created Guinness Book world records
in two categories. The first record was in the category of 'environmental sustainability lessons to
the largest number of students(approximately 5,000 children) at one place. The second record was
of 'the largest number of assembly and lighting of solar lamps' established by 5,000 students.

Vaibhav Gehlot : The new president of Rajasthan Cricket Association

In October 2019, Vaibhav Gehlot, son of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, was chosen as
the president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association. He succeeded in the election with 25-6 margin
of votes. Mahendra Sharma got elected as new secretary and Amin Pathan became new Vice
President. And Mahendra Nahar and KK Neemawat got appointed as new joint secretaries of
Rajasthan Cricket Association.

The new cricket records

In October 2019, Ravindra Jadeja became the second fastest Indian to take 200 wickets in Test
cricket after dismissing Dean Elgar during the Day 3 of India’s first test against South Africa in
Visakhapatnam. This was Jadeja’s 44th test and now he is behind R Ashwin, who did this feat in
his 37th test match. Jadeja has also become the fastest left-arm bowler to take 200 wickets and is
now ahead of Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath (47), Australia's Mitchell Johnson (49) and Mitchell
Starc (50) and Pakistan’s Wasim Akram who took 51 matches to reach the milestone. Apart from
this, female Indian cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur became the first Indian to play 100 T20
International matches. The Indian captain for the shortest format of the game achieved this
milestone in the T20I against South Africa in Surat on 4th October 2019. With this, she has joined

35
the row of Pakistan’s Bismah Maroof and West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor who also accomplished
100 appearances in this format. Overall, Harmanpreet has registered two additional appearances in
T20Is than MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, who have played the highest number of matches for India
in men’s cricket.

Big Cheers to India!

India registered the biggest victory over South Africa in the longest format of cricket and has
created a new world record on 13th October 2019. India sealed the three-match Test series against
South Africa after winning the second test in Pune by an innings and 137 runs. With this, India
extended their winning streak in the longest format at home, and thus established a world record.
This came as India’s 11th consecutive Test series win at home which is the most by any side. Under
Virat Kohli, India has won nine series, while the remaining two series wins were under former
skipper MS Dhoni. Prior to this, Australia held this record with 10 straight series wins in their own
backyard. This was also a red letter day for Virat Kohli, who scored a record-breaking double
hundred, which was his career best score in the test format. He amassed 254 runs from 336 balls
with the help of 33 fours, in a marathon innings and became the Indian batsman with the most
number of double tons (7) to his name, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag who
both had scored six double tons.

36
 Current Affairs
Fast Track 2020
MISSION DU LLB. 2020

National Organic Festival of Women Entrepreneurs

Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) and Union Ministry of Women and Child
Development (MoWCD) cracked a deal to organise ‘National Organic Festival of Women
Entrepreneurs’ annually via an academic institution, National Institute of Food Technology
Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM), Sonepat, Haryana. The proposed festival will
encourage Indian women entrepreneurs, connect farmers with buyers, empower Indian women via
financial inclusion as well as promote organic food production in India.

NDTV won International Press Institute India award

India’s private news channel NDTV was presented International Press Institute India award for
excellence in journalism by the India chapter of the Vienna-based International Press Institute for its
‘expose of the conspiracy to scuttle’ the Kathua rape and murder case probe. The jury of eminent
editors headed by Soli Sorabjee, former Attorney General of India unanimously selected NDTV for
the prestigious award. This annual award was instituted by IPI India in 2003 to acknowledge the best
work done by an Indian media organization/ journalist in print, TV, radio and internet mediums.

H R Khan will preside Microfinance panel

Former RBI deputy governor H R Khan has been appointed as the first chairman of steering committee
panel on Code for Responsible Lending (CRL) in Micro-Credit. P Satish of Sa-Dhan, Sonia
2
Krishnankutty of L&T Finance, Harsh Shrivastava of MFIN and Srinivas Bonam of IndusInd Bank
etc. are other members of this panel. Launched in September 2019, CRL is a self-regulatory step for
micro-credit industry making diverse entities such as banks, Non-Banking Financial Company – Micro
Finance Institution (NBFC-MFI) and NBFCs, adhere to standards of customer protection. It was
envisaged to get guided and supervised by a steering committee having representations from banks,
Small Finance Banks (SFBs), NBFC-MFIs, NBFCs and industry associations under an eminent
independent chair.

Malayalam poet Akkitham : The 55th Jnanpith Awardee

Noted Malayalam poetry writer, Akkitham Achuthan Namboodri was chosen for the 55th Jnanpith
Award. Under the chairmanship of noted Odia writer Pratibha Rai, other members of Jury viz. Shamim

3
Hanafi, Suranjan Das, Madhav Kaushik and Dr. Purushottam Bilimalale chose him for the prestigious
award. Most of his poetry works have a unique prophetic character. He has written 55 books so far out
of which 45 are poetry collections. Irupdam Nootandidae is his most popular poetry book.
“Veeravadam", "Balidarshanam", "Nimisha Kshetram", "Amrita Khatika", "Akkhitam Kavitakhaka",
"Epic of Twentieth Century” and ''Antimkalam” are his other famous works. He received a cash prize
worth Rs 11 lakh, a statue of Vagdevi, a citation and a memento.

Special Protection Group (Amendment) Bill

Lok Sabha gave nod to the Special Protection Group (Amendment) Bill, 2019. It is about providing
security to Prime Minister, and members of his immediate family residing with him at his official
residence. Besides this, it also advocates provision of security to former prime ministers, and their
immediate family members residing with them at the residence allotted to them for a period of five
years. So far as per original Act, SPG cover was only for the security of the Prime Minister. Recently
the security cover has been changed to Z Plus security with CRPF and Ambulance for Gandhi family
after a proper professional threat assessment.

Merger of Union Territories Bill, 2019

Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (Merger of Union Territories) Bill, 2019 got approval of
Lok Sabha. The bill aims at better delivery of services to citizens of both the Union Territories by
improving efficiency and reduction in paperwork and administrative expenditure as well as
establishing uniformity in policy and schemes. It is worth mentioning here that Dadra and Nagar
Haveli with one district and Daman and Diu with two districts are located in the western region. The
combined population of the two UTs is 5 lakh 80 thousand. The proposed merger will lead to ease of
administrative functioning and with this, the number of total union territories of the country will
become eight.

Bill on unauthorised colonies got green signal from Lok Sabha

National Capital Territory of Delhi (Recognition of Property Rights of Residents in Unauthorised
Colonies) Bill, 2019 succeeded in obtaining Lok Sabha’s consent. The bill will fetch ownership rights
to nearly 40 lakh people living in unauthorised colonies in Delhi. It will make way for registration of
properties and will provide relief to the residents of 1731 unauthorised colonies in the city from
registration charges and stamp duty. The bill is a boon for those who are possessing properties on the
basis of Power of Attorney, Agreement to Sale and possession letter as it carries provisions for
recognising the property rights in unauthorised colonies by securing the rights of ownership or transfer
or mortgage in favour of such residents.
4
Uddhav Thackeray: The New CM of Maharashtra
Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray will take oath as the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra at 6:40
pm today. Uddhav Thackeray is son of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray. He has never
contested an election previously and has never been a member of the state assembly. Therefore, he
will have to seek election to the Maharashtra Assembly or the Legislative Council within six months
of his taking oath. He is Editor-in-Chief of Saamana (Marathi newspaper) and President of Shiv Sena.
In 2002, Uddhav had led the Shiv Sena to a massive victory in the Brihanmumbai Municipal
Corporation elections. The Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress leaders submitted letters of support from 166
MLAs to the Governor. The last Shiv Sena member to hold the CM post was Narayan Rane in 1999,
while Manohar Joshi was the first from Shiv Sena to become the Chief Minister of Maharashtra in
1995.

The National Institute of Design (Amendment) Bill

In November 2019, the National Institute of Design (Amendment) Bill seeking to amend the National
Institute of Design Act, 2014 that declares National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad as an institution
of national importance got approval of both houses of the parliament and has proceeded to take
autograph of President Ram Nath Kovind. The bill also requests to declare 4 National Institutes of
Design (NID) located at Kurukshetra (Haryana), Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh), Bhopal (Madhya
Pradesh) and Jorhat (Assam) as institutions of national importance. With this, the four institutes will
have the standards at par with the institute in Ahmedabad and will impart quality education in the field
of design and will be able to grant degrees/diplomas. Currently, these institutes are registered as
Societies under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.

Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019

In November 2019, Parliament has passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2019.
The Bill defines a transgender as- ‘a person whose gender does not match the gender assigned at birth’
and provides recognition of identity of Transgender Persons and to confer upon them right to self-
perceived gender identity. Once the bill turns into a law then every transgender person will have a
right of residing with parents and immediate family members and be included in his household. It will
cease all sorts of discrimination against a transgender person including unfair treatment/ denial of
service in fields of employment, educational institutions, enjoyment of goods, healthcare services,
other facilities, opportunities available to public, right to reside/ movement among others. In addition
to this, a grievance redressal mechanism has also been established for addressing the issues related to
transgender under which National Council for Transgender Persons (NCTP) will advise, monitor and
evaluate measures for the protection of their rights.
5
Cartosat 3 launch: The latest success story of ISRO
On November 27, 2019, ISRO launched a high-resolution (panchromatic resolution of 0.25m) earth
observation satellite, Cartosat-3 satellite, which will be useful for weather mapping and army defence
along with 13 commercial nanosatellites from the US into Sun Synchronous orbit aboard the Polar
Satellite Launch Vehicle(PSLV)-C47 launch vehicle from a launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space
Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. This was the 21st flight of India’s PSLV in 'XL' configuration
and 74th launch vehicle mission overall from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The 1,625 kg Cartosat-
3 satellite is a third-generation satellite equipped with agile and advanced features like adaptive optics,
acousto optical devices and in-orbit focusing using MEMs. It will take place of the IRS series.

Cabinet approved Patent Prosecution Highway programme

Union Cabinet presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the proposal for adoption of
Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) programme by Indian Patent Office (IPO) under Controller
General of Patents, Designs & TradeMarks, India (CGPDTM), Union Ministry of Commerce and
Industries with patent offices of various other interest countries or regions. It will be launched between
Indian Patent Office (IPO) and the Japan Patent Office (JPO) on a pilot basis for a period of three
years only. The proposed programme is set of initiatives for offering accelerated patent prosecution
procedures. It is meant to reduce time to dispose patent applications; lessen pendency of patent
applications; improvise quality of search and examination of patent applications and provide an
opportunity for Indian inventors including Start ups, MSMEs to get accelerated examination of their
patent applications in Japan.

Cabinet passed Recycling of Ships bill, 2019

The Union Cabinet gave nod to the proposal for enactment of Recycling of Ships bill, 2019 as well as
approved the Hong Kong International Convention for safe and environmentally sound recycling of
ships. The convention is meant to ascertain that the ships after reaching the end of their operational
lives do not pose any threats to human and environment as the ships sent for scrapping may contain
environmentally hazardous substances like hydrocarbons, asbestos, ozone depleting substances and
others. The bill also advocates framing of international standards and laying down statutory
mechanisms to enforce such standards for regulation of recycling of ships. It restricts and prohibits the
use of hazardous materials from the ships brought for recycling. However, this is not applied to war
ships and non-commercial ships. Further, the ship recycling facilities need to get authorized.

The Distribution of 13th Asia Pacific Screen Awards

The 13th edition of Asia Pacific’s highest accolade in film, Asia Pacific Screen Awards were presented
in Brisbane, Australia. Films from around 70 countries that best reflected cultural origins and diversity
6
of Asia Pacific were acknowledged in this event. The names of winners include ‘Parasite’, directed by
South Korea’s Bong Joon-Ho(Best Feature Film category); Max Eigenmann in ‘Verdict’(Best
Performance by an Actress) and Manoj Bajpayee in ‘Bhonsle’ (Best Performance by an Actor). The
First edition of the awards was conducted in 2007, since then UNESCO, FIAPF (International
Federation of Film Producers Associations) and Brisbane City Council, Australia present these awards
annually.

The Latest CRY Report

The Child Rights and You (CRY) released a report “How Vulnerable are Children in India to
crime?”on the analysis of National Crime Records Bureau for 2016-17. Madhya Pradesh and Uttar
Pradesh topped the list of states for crimes against children. There were more than 19,000 cases in
both the states. The highest increase in crimes was observed between the years 2016 and 2017 in
Jharkhand. There has been a substantial increase in child labour of around 126%. In 2016 child labor
was 204, which increased to 462 in 2017. Besides this, Child Marriage has also increased by 21.17%.
The percentage reflects the cases registered under Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006.
CRY suggests a robust increase in financial investments in child protection to curb the crime. Further,
the report stressed on capacity building among officials working in child protection systems.

CBDT’S new Web Portal for exchange of information on Income Tax

Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) inaugurated the Web Portal for Exchange of Information on
Income Tax which will aggregate all relevant Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) related
information under single roof. The portal will lead to convenient access by the public, financial
institutions as well as departmental officers at large. It will act as a repository of policy and technical
circulars, guidance, notifications issued by the CBDT. It will cater domestic financial institutions,
foreign financial institutions and tax authorities’ need of obtaining information regarding Indian laws,
rules and procedures related to AEOI under Common Reporting Standard (CRS).

Secretagogin: Blood Sugar level Regulating Protein

Researchers of Hyderabad based Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Centre for
Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) have identified a protein ‘Secretagogin’ that regulates blood
sugar level. The protein plays a vital role in increasing insulin action in obesity-induced diabetes. The
discovery will give insight about the processes regulating insulin synthesis, secretion, signalling and
maturation in diabetes as per the latest issue of the journal iScience. It is a calcium-binding protein
encoded by SCGN gene found in cytoplasm of human cells. SCGN is likely to become a diagnostic
marker equipped with potential in diabetes management.
7
The Global Bio-India Summit
India’s first largest biotechnology conference, Global Bio-India Summit took place in New Delhi. The
Department of BioTechnology under Ministry of Science and Technology along with BIRAC
(Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council) and CII had organized it to give opportunity
to the international forum for the exhibition of the bio technological advances in the country. The
Minister of S&T, Earth Sciences and Health and Family Welfare used the occasion for the presentation
of “Private Investment in Biotechnology” report at the summit. The report stressed on need of
establishment of a single window system for approvals in the field of biotechnology and
encouragement of industry-academia linkages in order to achieve the 5 trillion USD target by 2025.
The sector has a potential of contributing 22% of 12 billion USD of Indian trade by 2025.

The prominence of Special Non-Resident Rupee accounts ‘SNRR’

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has permitted persons residing outside India to open a non-interest
bearing ‘Special Non-resident Rupee’ (SNRR) accounts for external commercial borrowing (ECB),
trade credit and trade (export/ import) Invoicing, in domestic currency. This will popularise cross-
border transactions in Indian rupee (INR). Besides this, the RBI, in consultation with government has
decided to rationalise certain other provisions for SNRR Account like removing the restriction on
tenure of SNRR account (which is currently 7 years). RBI also modified the regulations regarding re-
export of unsold rough diamonds from special notified zone of Customs without export declaration
form (EDF) formality. Only after getting satisfied with the bona-fides of the transaction , the Banks
will allow such import.

J&K gained highest road length in country

Under aegis of Union Ministry of Rural Development, centrally-sponsored scheme Pradhan Mantri
Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Jammu and Kashmir achieved the highest road length in India during
the current fiscal year. So far, this important accomplishment covers completion of around 11,400
kilometres of different road projects covering 1,838 habitations against the total sanctioned length of
19,700 kilometres against sanctioned 2,214 habitations. This yojana was implemented in J&K by
Public Works (Roads and Buildings) Department of the Union Territory.

Floor Tests for Maharashtra CM

The governor gave the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis time till November 30, 2019
to prove his majority, while the Supreme Court ordered for a floor test to be conducted in the
Maharashtra Assembly on November 27, 2019. Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has been asked to
appoint a temporary Speaker immediately. The upcoming trust vote is expected to be a thriller with

8
both the BJP and the rival Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)-Congress alliance claiming a
majority. The order of governor ran contradictory to Supreme Court’s orders that were passed in the
last two decades.The Apex Court in its previous verdict pronounced that the floor tests should follow
within 24 to 48 hours of swearing-in to avoid risks of horse trading and corruption. While Fadnavis
took oath on 23rd November 2019. This concept of floor test was introduced under Article 164 of the
constitution via SC’s judgement in 1994 in SR Bommai case.

CIC Annual Report tabled in Lok Sabha

The Central Information Commission tabled its annual report for the year 2018-19 in Lok Sabha that
states that in the year 2018-19, around 13.70 lakh applications were received by the Central Public
Authorities of the commission which are 11% more than the previous year 2017-18. Among the
received applications, the commission has processed only 4.7% and has disposed off around 17,188
second appeals and complaint cases. It is worth knowing that the highest number of applications were
rejected by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs i.e. 26.5%. It was followed by the Ministry of Home Affairs
that rejected 16.41%.

Cabinet approved Industrial Relations Code, 2019

The Union Cabinet gave nod to the introduction of Industrial Relations Code, 2019, which is the third
code under labor reforms. In this new code around forty-four laws are being amalgamated into four
codes viz. wage rates, social security, industrial relations and industrial security and labor welfare. The
code is meant to simplify and rationalize the Trade Union Act, 1926, Industrial Disputes Act, 1947,
Industrial Employment Act, 1946 and permits the companies to hire fixed-term contract workers.
Besides this, the code proposes constitution of a two-member tribunal to speed up the disposal of
cases.

The Poonch Link up Day

Indian Army celebrated the Poonch Link-up Day on November 23, 2019 as a mark of tribute to the
soldiers who sacrificed their lives in Operation Easy to defend Poonch that Pakistan was trying to
invade in 1948. Line of Control surrounds the Poonch district on all three sides. In 1947-48 war, the
district was divided between India and Pakistan. This war of 1947 was also called the First Kashmir
War and it was the first of the four wars fought between India and Pakistan. It is worth knowing here
that Pakistan after a few weeks of its independence had introduced the Lashkar tribals with the
intention of capturing Kashmir. Then ruler of Kashmir of that time, Maharaja Hari Singh had requested
India to help him and as a result India retaliated and won the war.
9
India for Humanity-Jaipur Foot Event
Indian Embassy and Jaipur Foot USA together organized India for Humanity-Jaipur Foot event at
United States Capitol building in commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
The event was meant to ensure physical, socio-economic rehabilitation of differently-abled across the
globe by helping them regain their mobility and dignity to become self-respecting and productive
members of society. MEA collaborated with well known charitable organisation Bhagwan Mahaveer
Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS), which is said to be the parent body of Jaipur Foot. BMVSS with
support of government of India fitted total of 5152 limbs via 78 camps in 33 nations worldwide. Union
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) started this event in October 2018 to honour Mahatma Gandhi
for his service to humanity.

India’s first fixed income Exchange Traded Fund

Union Government announced its plan of introducing the country's first fixed income Exchange
Traded Fund (ETF) comprising debt securities of large central public sector enterprises (PSUs) by
mid-December 2019. The proposed ETF with a size of a size of Rs 15,000 crore to Rs 20,000 crore
will have only AAA-rated papers of the PSU companies. It will be launched to improve liquidity in
the corporate bond market, smoothen borrowing plans of the participating state-owned companies and
enhance investor base by providing new options to investors to own securities of government-owned
PSUs along with facility of overnight liquidity.

National Intelligence Grid operations

Lok Sabha announced that the ambitious National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) project will kick
start by December 31,2020. It is a counter terrorism programme linking databases of core security
agencies of India via utilization of technologies like Big Data to study. It will lead to analysis of bulk
amounts of data regarding credit card transactions, bank account details, tax details, visa, immigration
records and air travel from various intelligence and enforcement agencies. This was proposed for the
first time after the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008. In this four phased programme, the first two phases
were approved in 2011, while the third and fourth phases required amendments of various laws that
led to delay. Unlike NCTC and NIA, the NATGRID will simply act as an instrument of the security
agencies.

National Institute of Sowa Rigpa

Cabinet permitted set up of National Institute of Sowa Rigpa (Tibetan system of medicine) at Leh,
Ladakh. It will serve as an autonomous National Institute under Union Ministry of AYUSH providing
interdisciplinary education and research programmes in Sowa-Rigpa system of traditional medicine in
co-ordination with premier national and international Institutes and will facilitate integration of
10
different systems of medicine. It is expected to fetch a valid and useful synergy between traditional
wisdom of Sowa-Rigpa system of medicine and modern science, tools and technology. Yuthog Yonten
Gonpo was the father of Sowa Rigpa, who had composed rGyud-bZhi (four tantra) the fundamental
text book of this medicine based on indigenous medicine of Tibet enriched with Ayurveda, Chinese
and Greek Medicine. Currently, the system is prevalent in Nepal, Bhutan, China, Mongolia, Russia
and India (Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Darjeeling , Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh).

MLA stripped off Indian Citizenship

It happened with MLA Chennamaneni Ramesh from Vemulawada in north Telangana. The Ministry
of Home Affairs (MHA) has cancelled his Indian Citizenship on the ground of misrepresentation of
facts at the time of applying for citizenship in 2008. The son of freedom fighter parents, has been a
citizen of Germany since 1993, and applied for Indian citizenship on March 31, 2008 and was granted
the same on February 4, 2009. Since then, he has been politically active, starting his political career
with the TDP in 2009, he moved to the TRS in 2010 because of Telangana agitation. He won all
elections that he had contested. Congress leader from Karimnagar Adi Srinivas objected this grant of
citizenship to Ramesh pointing that Ramesh had retained his German citizenship, and had travelled to
Germany in the year preceding the date of his application for Indian citizenship, which was in violation
of The Citizenship Act, 1955 that advocates that applicant should reside in India for one year
immediately before making an application for Indian citizenship. However this clause in the Act was
added after 2009.

The 2019 Indira Gandhi Peace Prize

International jury chaired by former President Pranab Mukherjee chose noted naturalist and
broadcaster Sir David Attenborough for the 2019 Indira Gandhi Peace Prize (Rs. 25 lakh) for revealing
wonders of the natural world to people via BBC. He created commendable awareness about the
preservation and protection of biodiversity of the planet for sustainable and harmonious life. He had
also advocated for stopping what he has called: ‘a plague on earth’. Prior to this, he has also received
accolades from Royal Geographical Society, the Michael Faraday Prize, UNESCO’s Kalinga Prize,
the Descartes Prize and Fellowship of the Royal Society, as well as many Emmy and BAFTA awards.

Installation of ‘Third Umpire’

Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has installed the first of its kind, ‘Third Umpire’ high-end
Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) Machines in India for quick detection
of dengue, tuberculosis (TB) and swine flu. With this, Kolkata has become the first City in India to do
so. When medical reports and blood tests reveal contradictory results then these machines serve as a
‘third umpire’ to give accurate DNA report on blood tests in order to find the exact cause of illness.
11
Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh
Government kick started a repository of diverse crops, Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh for better
nutritional outcomes across 128 agro-climatic zones. It is meant to reduce malnutrition via a multi-
sectoral results-based framework, including agriculture, among women and children across the nation.
Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Zubin Irani emphasized on the need for convergence
between agriculture and nutrition to solve the problem of malnutrition. She praised the government’s
commendable effort in addressing the challenges of availability of drinking water and sanitation via
toilet construction and menstrual hygiene providing health security to women and children.

Book “Savarkar: Echoes from a Forgotten Past”

The Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu released a book titled “Savarkar: Echoes from a Forgotten
Past,1883-1924” at an event in New Delhi. Bengaluru based Historian and author Vikram Sampath
has penned it and Viking Penguin publishers has published it. It is about the life of freedom fighter
and philosopher Vinayak Damodar Savarkar , popularly known as Veer Savarkar. He was the first
leader to term the 1857 rebellion as the first war of independence. This fact was mentioned in
Savarkar’s book ‘The History of the War of Indian Independence’, which was released in 1909.

The report of committee on Companies Act, 2013

Company Law Committee that was formed by the Ministry of Finance and Corporate Affairs in
September 2019 has submitted its report on Companies Act, 2013 to Finance Ministry. This committee
was on purpose of decriminalizing the Companies Act, 2013 to provide Ease of Living for Corporate
in the country. The committee in this report has recommended amendments to 46 penal provisions
associated with the law. The amendments are either to eliminate criminality or to permit rectification
through alternate methods or to award punishment in terms of fine. In other words, it has suggested
lenient punishments for law abiding corporate. It has also stressed on wider consultations regarding
permitting appeals in NCLT against the orders of Regional Directors; reviewing provisions on
disqualification of directors; reviewing provisions that debars audit firms. Although India is an
agricultural Economy, yet majority of the contribution towards its GDP is from the service sector.

Special Winter Grade Fuel for Ladakh

Indian Oil Corporation introduced special winter grade diesel that will remain unfrozen even at -33
degree Celsius to provide continuous and year-round access to the snow-covered regions. Panipat
Refinery produced and certified it as per BIS specification of BS-VI grade. This will lead to continuous
road connectivity to the region and will drive government’s plan of Rs 50,000 crore investment in the
territory in areas of education, power, tourism and solar. Diesel Fuel is prone to waxing below its
Cloud Point that refers to the temperature below which the fuel particles begin to cloud together and
form solidified waxes.
12
Rejoice National Ayush Awards
Ayush Minister Shripad Yesso Naik bestowed Rejoice National Ayush Awards to health sector entities
for their vital contribution in providing health services via various programmes. The awards were
started by promoter of mankind's health services, Rejoice Health Foundation that makes special efforts
for care of specially abled-children through the application of AYUSH system. The Foundation is
likely to get the government's support for the cause. The award function witnessed presence of
Chairman, Parliamentary Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment, Rama Devi as well as 200
delegates, including doctors from AYUSH stream, dignitaries as well as representative of various
universities and associations.

Know freshness of milk in just 13 minutes!

IIT Guwahati reported development of a paper-based sensor to make assessment of freshness of milk
by simple and instantaneous method in home kitchens. By using a simple filter paper that can detect
the presence of metalloprotein Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) can reveal the freshness and quality of
milk. Raw milk entertains this compound in large quantities while pasteurization (heat treatment for
partial sterilization) destroys it. Filter paper loaded with anti-ALP elements can capture the presence
of ALP in the milk. The paper turns blue-green color if milk carries ALP compounds. Detecting ALP
compounds can help in detection of inadequate pasteurization in milk. The method can be used to
check the quality of milk at the point of milk collection itself in just 13 minutes. The accuracy of the
method is 91% to 100% and so far researchers succeeded in detecting 0.87 units of ALP per milliliter
of milk.

Rafale review petitions were turned down

The Supreme Court dismissed all review petitions filed against its December 14, 2018 verdict in which
it had denied to order an independent probe to look into the corruption allegations in the central
government's Rafale deal saying that it was satisfied with the procurement process and the review
petitions lacked merit. The petitioners of review petitions, Prashant Bhushan, Yashwant Sinha and
Arun Shourie had filed the review petitions based on certain leaked documents by the media and
argued that the government had concealed some material information from the court regarding its
Rafale deal with France's Dassault Aviation.

ISRO is looking forward to Chandrayaan-3

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) decided to start work on next moon mission
‘Chandrayaan-3’ by November 2020. ISRO has constituted various committees for Chandrayaan-3
that have conducted several high-level meetings since October 2019. ISRO is planning to employ
Chandrayaan-2’s orbiter which will remain functional for the upcoming seven years along with a new
13
lander and rover in Chandrayaan-3 mission. The committees have carefully planned the place of
landing, correct navigation, sensors and engineering etc. for this third mission. ISRO is trying its best
to set precise navigations so that spacecraft will take less time to land on the Moon. In the latest
development, Chandrayaan-2's Orbiter has sent an image of the Moon having a 3D view of the crater
that looks like a lava tube captured by the terrain mapping camera of Chandrayaan-2 from a distance
of 100 km.

Sabarimala case now under the lens of 7 judge bench

As restrictions on women in religious places is not limited to Sabarimala alone and is prevalent in
other religions as well, so the Supreme Court of India has turned the review petitions of this case
towards a larger seven judge bench. This bench will give verdict regarding Sabarimala case, entry of
women in mosques and practice of female genital mutilation in the Dawoodi Bohra community. In
September 2018, the court lifted the ban that prevented women and girls in the age group of 10 and 50
from entering the famous Ayyappa shrine in Kerala. It had condemned this centuries-old Hindu
religious practice as illegal and unconstitutional.

Karnataka MLA Disqualification case

The Apex Court of India upheld the disqualification of the MLAs by the speaker. Further the Court
maintained the decision of the speaker that the MLAs cannot contest in further elections till the end of
the tenure of the 15th Karnataka Assembly which includes the by polls to be held in December, 2019.
Flashback reveals that in 2018, in the assembly elections of the 224 seats, BJP had won 104, INC won
80 and JD won 37. The Janata Dal-Indian National Congress coalition formed the government after
2018 elections. Then in July 2019, after BJP swept the parliamentary elections (coalition hardly won
only 2 seats), 17 MLAs of the coalition submitted resignations to the speaker using the constitutional
power under Article 190. Then these MLAs were disqualified by the speaker to contest elections based
on anti-defection law. In July 2019 a petition was filed by MLAs challenging their disqualification by
the then speaker of the Karnataka Assembly.

New inclusions in Bhavantar Bharpayee Yojna

In Bhavantar Bharpayee Yojna review meeting that was chaired by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar
Lal Khattar more crops were included under this scheme. Launched in January 2018, Bhavantar
Bharpayee Yojna provides the vegetable growing farmers compensation for selling their crop at a price
lower than that fixed by the government. The beneficiaries of the scheme registered on ‘Meri Fasal
Mera Byora (MFMB)’ portal, if get a price lower than the price fixed by the government for their crop
on its sale in the mandis, the difference is paid as incentive to the farmers directly into their bank

14
accounts. Initially it was for sale of potato, onion, tomato and cauliflower. Now carrots, peas, kinnow,
guava, capsicum and brinjal have also been included in the list.

“IndAIR”: India’s First air pollution web repository

National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) of Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research (CSIR) launched India’s first interactive online repository called IndAIR or
‘Indian Air quality Studies Interactive Repository’ that documents air quality studies undertaken in
the past 60 years. Equipped with 1,215 research papers, 170 reports and case studies, more than 100
cases and 2000 laws dating back to the year 1905, IndAIR will provide information regarding
innovative research & analysis in the field of air pollution in India. NEERI has been created and funded
by the Government of India.

Public Service Broadcasting Day

12th November 2019 was celebrated as Public Service Broadcasting Day to commemorate the first
and the last visit of Mahatma Gandhi, to the studio of All India Radio, Delhi in 1947. He used the
medium to address the displaced people who had temporarily settled at Kurukshetra in Haryana after
partition. Conceptualised by Suhas Borker, Convenor, Jan Prasar, this day was instituted in the year
2000. Prasar Bharati carries out the public service broadcasting, deepens democratic traditions and
provides opportunities to diverse communities and cultures.

President’s rule Vs Shiv Sena

On 13th November 2019 Shiv Sena of Maharashtra assembly filed a plea in the Apex Court
challenging Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's decision to deny their demand for 72
hours to submit letters of support and form the government claiming that the Shiv Sena had "in-
principle support" from the NCP and the Congress. The governor rejects the allegation saying that he
closed the door for the state assembly on the pretext of their failure in utilizing their allotted time
window to submit list of majority MLAs. The governor had given BJP, the single largest party with
105 seats 48 hours to prove majority with a possible alliance followed by the Shiv Sena (56 seats,
allotted time 24 hours),the NCP (54 seats, allotted time 24 hours), while Congress with the least
number of seats i.e. 44 was out of this question. In the 288-member House, 145 seats are required for
claiming majority. BJP failed to establish the requisite majority and Shiv Sena although left no stone
unturned yet failed to form alliance. As no single party or coalition party came forward to form the
government, the stalemate led to the implementation of President’s rule on 12th November 2019 for
upcoming 6 months under Article 356(1). Further Shiv Sena is likely to challenge the imposition of
15
President's Rule. Prior to this, amid the political turmoil, the 18th CM of Maharashtra, Devendra
Fadnavis also resigned on November 8, 2019 from his duty as his tenure that started on October 31,
2014 had come to an end. He served as a CM for 5 years and 1 week.

Sambhar Salt Water Lake became death bed of migratory birds

In November 2019, thousands of migratory birds of 15 species including Pied Avocet, Northern
Shoveller, Kentish Plover, Brahminy Duck and Tufted Duck were found dead near Sambhar lake in
Rajasthan. According to the researchers of National Institute of Higher Security Animal Diseases,
Bhopal, the birds have died at different times which implies that there could be poisoning or an avian
disease. Every year more than a lakh of migratory birds visit the largest inland saltwater lake in India,
Sambhar Lake in Jaipur, Rajasthan. However, the recent development activities in the region,
especially extension of salt pan operations have reduced the number of migratory birds coming to the
lake. The probe is still in process to learn the precise reason behind the massive death incidents.

National Education Day

Like every year, the country celebrated National Education Day on 11th November to commemorate
the birth anniversary of Maulana Abdul Azad, the first Education Minister of India. He was the founder
of University Grants Commission (UGC), Lalit Kala Academy, Sangeet Natak Academy and Sahitya
Academy. In 1912, he started a weekly Urudu newspaper called the “Al-Hilal”. Establishments of the
premier institutes of the country like IITs, IIScs, etc. are also his credentials. He was an independence
activist, one of the senior leaders of the Indian National Congress and proud recipient of Bharat Ratna.
This day was celebrated for the first time in year 2008 to increase the literacy rate of the country.

Spider was given cricketer’s name

A junior researcher of Gujarat Ecological Education & Research (GEER) Foundation, Dhruv Prajapati,
recently discovered two new species of spiders of Indo Marengo genus and Marengo genus of Asian
jumping spiders. He has named the Marengo genus species spider as Marengo sachintendulkar after
Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and other as Indomarengo Chavarapatera after Saint Kuriakose
Elias Chavara who conducted campaigns for creating awareness about education in Kerala. Both of
the species of spiders are flat-bodied and have been included in World Spider Catalogue also. The
researcher had documented around 78 unique species of spiders found on the varsity’s campus alone.

The upcoming 2G Ethanol Plant of Panipat

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (EFoCC) has permitted the Indian Oil
Corporation to establish a new 2G Ethanol plant at Panipat worth Rs 766 crore.The Ethanol that will

16
be produced in the plant will be exclusively used for transportation fuels and will double farmers
income. It is worth knowing here that India began the use of Ethanol as a fuel (E5) in 2003 having
combination of 5% Ethanol and 95% diesel. In 2006, India started E10 biofuel having 10% Ethanol
and 90% Diesel. Indian Government has set a target of 22.5% production of Ethanol. In November
2019 firms like IOCL, HPCL and BPCL announced investment of 586 million USD to achieve this
target. Future will witness establishment of around 7 ethanol producing units across the country. India
is planning to launch E15 while globe is witnessing E100 stage. This is just the beginning and there is
a long-long way to go for India.

Demise of the 10th CEC, TN Seshan

Former Chief Election Commissioner TN Seshan died of heart attack on 10th November 2019. The
1955 batch retired IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre served as Chief Election Commissioner between
1990 and 1996. He served around 18 cabinet secretaries and had won Asia’s Nobel Prize or Ramon
Magsaysay Award for his services in 1986. Several electoral reforms viz. Introduction of Election
Commission’s constitutional powers that keep the politicians under check; Appointment of two
additional Election Commissioners; Declaration of bribing voters, distributing alcohol during
elections, approaching voters to appeal on caste or community basis, using official machinery for
campaigning, using worship places for campaigning, using loudspeakers and high-volume music as
offensive acts; Implementation of strict Code of Conduct including capping of election expenditure of
the candidate and issuance of voter IDs are his credentials.

The Def Connect event

Ministry of Defence (MoD) organized the “Def Connect” event on November 11, 2019 to display the
achievements of iDEX-Innovations for Defence Excellence. On this occasion, iDEX portal and the
DISC-Defense India Startup Challenge has been launched in which over 350 startups have
participated. iDEX initiative is meant to bring together various stakeholders like MoD selected
startups, nodal agencies of Indian Navy and Indian Air Force, Industrial Associations, DRDO, Defense
PSUs, etc. and to create an ecosystem that will encourage technology development in the Defense
sector. It is a precursor to the upcoming DefExpo 2020 that will take place in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
in 2020.

The most awaited Ayodhya Verdict

On 9th November 2019, the Supreme Court of India solved 134 year old Ayodhya Ram Janma
Bhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case. Amid tight security arrangements and imposition of Section

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144 in UP, Delhi and other states, 5 judge bench of justice Ashok Bhushan, justice S A Bobde, justice
D Y Chandrachud and justice S Abdul Nazeer headed by the Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi
pronounced the verdict. The Apex Court ordered for the construction of Ram Temple in the disputed
5-acre land as well as directed the center to allot 5-acre land to the Sunni Waqf Board for the
construction of a mosque in Ayodhya. In this case the Hindu side established their arguments that they
possessed the outer courtyard while the Muslim side failed to prove the possession. Flashback says, it
was in 1885 Mahanth Raghubar Das was the first man to file the first suit for construction of Ram
Temple in Ayodhya. In 1949 Idols of Lord Ram were found inside Babri Masjid and in 1992 Babri
Masjid was demolished by the right-wing activists. In 2010, the Allahabad High Court divided the
disputed land among three litigants namely Nirmohi Akhara, Sunni Waqf Board and Ram Lalla.

Cheers for Deepak Chahar

On 10th November 2019, India defeated Bangladesh in third T20 match by 30 runs and won the series
with 2-1at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. India batted first and India scored 174 runs with the loss of 5
wickets in stipulated 20 overs. Chasing the target, Bangladesh was all out for 144 in 19.2 overs. This
was a red letter day for Pacer Deepak Chahar who took 6 wickets for just 7 runs, including a hat-trick,
from 3.2 oversand achieved the best ever figures in the history of T20 internationals. With this, the
27-year-old Chahar became the first Indian bowler to claim hat-trick in the shortest format of the game
surpassing the previous record held by Sri Lanka's Ajantha Mendis who had taken 6 wickets giving
just 8 runs against Zimbabwe in 2012.

The Catastrophe of Cyclone 'Bulbul'

4 lakh 65 thousand people have got affected by the Cyclone 'Bulbul' in nine coastal districts of Odisha
and West Bengal. The cyclone claimed ten lives and damaged more than 60 thousands houses as well
as standing crop. The cyclone without any distinction of boundaries claimed 8 lives in Bangladesh as
well according to the Disaster Management Ministry in Dhaka. The cyclone damaged thatched houses
and disrupted electric power supply. The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority informed that
river transport services will be resumed pretty soon on all routes across Bangladesh.

NSIF awards
Indian IT industry body’s social arm, and Bangalore based software firm Mphasis announced the
winners of the 11th edition of NASSCOM Social Innovation Forum (NSIF) award. Seven
organisations viz. Meraki Foundation (Education category, upskilling low income parents towards
holistic learning of their wards so as to act early to unleash a child’s potential); Inali Foundation

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(Accessibility for developing an ‘affordable’ myoelectric prosthetic arm) ; Pune-based startup,
PadCare Labs Pvt. Ltd.( Healthcare for developing ‘Sanicure’, a smokeless sanitary napkin disposal
system); MHS City Lab (developed ‘NEEV’ a digital tool for affordable low-income housing); Watsan
Envirotech Pvt. Ltd. (Environment award) ; Himachal Pradesh-based tourism start-up, NotOnMap
(creating livelihood for culturally hidden communities) and Bombay Bijlee (providing households
platform to buy necessary home appliance on “ Pay As You Go” model). The NSIF is an ecosystem
of more than 2,200 social innovations that has awarded over 90 social innovation projects, and has
given more than Rs.1.5 crore in catalytic grants.

NMCG organized ‘Ganga Utsav’ in New Delhi

On 4th November 2019 i.e. 11th anniversary of Ganga being declared as national river (4th November
2008), the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) in coordination with Union Jal Shakti Ministry
organized the ‘Ganga Utsav’ in Major Dhyanchand stadium in New Delhi. Many students participated
in the event and learned methods to save the river and got an opportunity to interact with Director-
General of NMCG Rajiv Ranjan Mishra regarding conservation of river waters. ‘Ganga Utsav’ is
meant to create awareness and gather public participation in efforts to clean River Ganga and its
tributaries.

Global Climate Emergency

As per latest publication of journal BioScience’s “World Scientists” report, 11,258 scientists in 153
countries signed the Global Climate Emergency. Among them 69 are from India. Based on the
scientific analysis of over 40 years of publicly available data, the scientists presented a list of measures
called “Vital Signs” that represent climate change trends viz. extreme weather events, ocean heat
content, ocean acidity, etc. and methods to mitigate the threat. Replacing fossil fuels; Restoring and
protecting ecosystems; Cutting pollutants like methane and soot; Eating less meat; Converting the
economy to carbon-free and Stabilizing population growth were the key objectives of the report.

The Freedom on Net 2019 report

International watchdog, the Freedom House released Freedom of Net report 2019 titled “The Crisis of
Social Media” stating an overall decline in global internet freedom status between July 2018 and May
2019. Iceland topped this ranking with an overall score of 95. It emerged as the world’s best protector
of internet freedom as it showed no civil or criminal cases registered against the users for online
expression. On the other hand, with an overall score of 10, China was adjudged as the worst abuser of

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internet freedom for the fourth consecutive year and was tagged “not free”. India acquired “partly free”
status with an overall score of 55. Pakistan, with a score of 26, for the ninth consecutive year
exhibited“not free” status. Malaysia and Armenia showed positive trends and Ethiopia recorded the
highest improvement in terms of internet freedom, while USA had an overall score of 77.

The Largest Astrophysics Assembly

On 6th November 2019, during the first day of the fifth edition of largest science festival in the world,
‘India International Science Festival (IISF) 2019’, Kolkata students created Guinness World Records
for largest astrophysics lesson (45 minutes) and assembly of spectroscopes at Kolkata, West Bengal .
More than 1,598 students participated in this session, which was dedicated to Meghnad Saha and
Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman. The Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics that
organized this event received a memento for the same. Spectroscopes are used by Astronomers to learn
details about temperature, chemical composition, etc. of celestial objects which are located hundreds
or millions of light years away from the Earth. A small personal model of advanced spectroscopes can
be made by using a cardboard box with a very narrow window to channel light into spectroscope. Then
by using a piece of a Compact Disc that light can be split by a process called diffraction.

BIMSTEC Ports Conclave

The Ministry of shipping hosted the first ever two day BIMSTEC Ports’ Conclave at Visakhapatnam
on 7th November 2019. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic
Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an international organization that includes South East Asian and South
Asian countries. The ongoing conclave is paving way for India’s maritime security measures and its
interests in the Indo-Pacific region. Emergent roles of ports in the global supply chain; Safe and Secure
ports; Port Services-Delivering Value; Port led Industrial Development and Tourism Development and
Green Port Operations are the areas of focus of this conclave.

The climbing unemployment

Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) released data on existing unemployment in India. It
informed that India’s unemployment rate in October 2019 climbed to a 3 year high of 8.5% which is
the highest recorded level since August 2016, and up from 7.2% in September 2019. In October 2019,
urban unemployment rate stood at 8.9%, while rural unemployment reached 8.3%. Tripura & Haryana
states suffered the highest unemployment levels of over 20% while Tamil Nadu recorded lowest
unemployment with 1.1%. Seeing the apparent unemployment, Punjab launched ‘job helpline’ 76260-
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76260 for the unemployed youth of the state under ‘Ghar Ghar Rozgar’ programme and became the
first state in the country to do so. For this a 110-seat call center of Punjab Job Helpline has also been
created for the data to be prepared.

Rising Himachal Global Investors’ Meet 2019

On 7th November 2019, the state government of Himachal Pradesh started a two day flagship business
event called Rising Himachal Global Investors’ Meet 2019. Diplomats, leaders from senior policy
makers, corporate sector development agencies and investors from all over the world are participating
in this event. Investment opportunities and policy & regulatory environment in agri-business and post-
harvest technology; housing and urban development; manufacturing and pharmaceuticals ; civil
aviation, hydro and renewable energy ; wellness, tourism and hospitality ; healthcare and AYUSH;
IT-ITeS and electronics as well as education and skill development are areas of focus of this event.

Publication of ‘Modern English Poetry’

In November 2019, Sahitya Akademi published a new anthology called ‘Modern English Poetry’. The
anthology documents the contemporary poetry scene in India and the broader Indian diasporas. Edited
by renowned poet, translator, and editor Sudeep Sen, it contains pieces by 70 young poets who are in
their 40s or less. It is similar to previously published Harper Collins Book of English Poetry (2012)
which was edited by Sen. Both these books documented the last 70 years of Indian English Poetry
with the representation of 150 of the best present day poets. It is worth knowing that Indian poets
began to write poetry in English in 1820 and year 2020 will mark the second centenary of Indian
English poetry.

Aditya Mishra: The New Chairman of LPAI

On 4th November 2019, 1989 batch IPS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre Aditya Mishra has been
appointed as the Chairman of Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) for a period of five years. The
Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) chaired by PM Narendra Modi has approved this
appointment on the recommendations of a search-cum-selection panel. Aditya Mishra is currently
serving as ADG, CBCID, Uttar Pradesh Police. LPAI is a statutory body established by Land Ports
Authority of India Act, 2010 on 1 March 2012 that develops, sanitises, upgrades, maintains and
manages facilities for cross-border movement of passengers as well as goods at designated points
along India’s international borders.

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Chennai-Kanyakumari industrial corridor
On 4th November 2019, Asian Development Bank (ADB) sanctioned a $451 million (Rs 3,200 crore)
loan to strengthen power connectivity between the southern and northern parts of the Chennai–
Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor (CKIC) in Tamil Nadu, that encompasses 32 districts of 23 state and
70 % of the state population. The project will get completed by the end of 2024. For this, the state
government will provide $202.5 million out of the total cost of the project $653.5 million.

The Beginning of eCAPA 2019

4th November 2019 witnessed inauguration of India’s first-ever Arts Exposition for talents with
intellectual challenges called ‘eCAPA 2019 – Art from the Heart’ in New Delhi. It is a unique
nationwide platform cum social venture for artists struggling with Down Syndrome, Autism, Mental
Retardation, Seizure Disorder and Dyslexia. This exposition will continue till 14 November 2019 at
STIR Gallery, Chattarpur Farms in which the divyang artists will be presenting their varied skills in
areas such as doodles, drawings, paintings, dance and music and will get an opportunity to meet
mentors and eminent masters of different crafts.

The Red Atlas Action Plan Map

On 4th November 2019, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the ‘Red Atlas Action Plan
Map’ atlas and the ‘Coastal Flood Warning System App (CFLOWS-Chennai)’ for flood mitigation in
Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Prepared by the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, both the atlas and the app
are about flood mitigation, preparedness, operations and management aspects. The first of its kind
ready reckoner map also presents a manual on corporation wards that are expected to be affected due
to flooding, and the areas that may need evacuation in Chennai by taking into account all historical
datasets. And the CFLOWS is an integrated system that involves coupling models of regional weather
forecasts, storm surges and captures about 796 flood scenarios. Pretty soon such initiatives to tackle
urban flooding are likely to be replicated in other Indian cities including Mumbai, Maharashtra.

India swam away from RCEP agreement

In the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) summit that took place on 4th
November 2019 in Bangkok, India has decided not to join the RCEP deal on pretext of failure of
negotiations regarding New Delhi's outstanding issues and concerns. Finding the RCEP deal lacking
in reflection of the complete basic spirit and the agreed guiding principles and saying that India stands
for greater regional integration as well as for more free trade and adherence to a rule-based
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international order, Prime Minister Modi took this decision in the interest of the nation. Later, the
Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Vijay Thakur Singh also backed the PM’s decision
by saying that India's core issues would not be compromised and the RCEP agreement with China and
ASEAN countries fails to reflect its original intent, and the outcome is not balanced.

The upcoming Aadi Mahotsav

16th November 2019 will kick start National Tribal festival, Aadi Mahotsav in New Delhi . It will be
a celebration of the spirit of tribal culture, craft, cuisine and commerce. Over one thousand tribal
artisans from 27 states will participate in this event to feature exhibition-cum-sale of tribal handicrafts,
art, paintings, fabric, jewellery and much more via two hundred stalls.

1st November : State Formation Day of seven states

Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh
celebrated their formation day on November 1, 2019. Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu were
formed on November 1, 1956. Kerala is a combination of three independent provinces namely
Malabar, Travancore and Cochin and it got its name from its first ruler Keralian Thamboran. MP is
the second largest state of India in terms of area and is the sixth largest populous state. Tamil Nadu
was formed on the basis of the Linguistic Reorganization of States in 1956. But Odisha was the first
state to be formed on linguistic basis. A movement led by the Akali Dal in 1950s resulted in the
formation of Punjabi-majority Punjab state, Union Territory of Chandigarh and Haryanvi-Hindi
majority Haryana state. Haryana was carved out of Punjab in 1966 and it led the Green Revolution
movement in terms of crop output. The state of Chattisgarh, which is currently the 10th largest state
in India was carved out of Madhya Pradesh on November 1, 2000.

OCI will be eligible for NPS

Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) permitted the Overseas Citizens of
India (OCI) to enroll in the National Pension System (NPS) till age of 65 years at par with Non
Resident Indians (NRIs) to promote and develop NPS and increase pension coverage in the country.
NPS subscriber can contribute regularly in a pension account during his/her working life, withdraw a
part of corpus in a lump sum and use remaining corpus to buy an annuity to ensure a regular income
after retirement. In Union Budget 2019, the tax exemption limit under section 10(12A) of the IT Act,
for lump sum withdrawal on exit/maturity from NPS was raised from 40% to 60%. The remaining
40% of corpus is already tax-exempt as it is mandatorily used for annuity buying.

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Beginning of ‘Aarambh’
Indian government introduced the first ever foundation civil service course ‘Aarambh’ for civil
servants at the Statue of Unity, Kevadia, Gujarat. Around 500 newly recruited bureaucrats will attend
the six-day training. Home Minister Amit Shah and other top functionaries along with the World Bank
president David Malpass graced the launch ceremony with their presence. In addition to this, “Nurture
the Future” program was also launched under which the civil servants will be divided into teams to
visit villages in Kevadia to provide career and professional guidance.

Conclusion of Vigilance Awareness Week

Vigilance Awareness Week that started from 28th October, 2019 ended on 2nd November, 2019. The
theme of this week was ‘Integrity-a way of life’ to fight against corruption. Under this, the officers
and staff of offices were motivated and sensitized to remain vigilant and transparent in their work via
campaign, activities like public interaction for redressal of grievances, debates among students,
surprise inspections, poster competitions, essay writing, quiz, painting competitions. In addition to
these, workshops for employees and other stakeholders on preventive vigilance measures were also
conducted; human chains in villages and towns were organized; banners and posters were displayed
in key locations at places with public interface (Railway station, petrol pumps, etc.) as well as
awareness programs in Gram Sabhas and Gram Panchayats were also carried out.

Two operational commands for ITBP

Recently government gave nod to establishment of two operational commands at Chandigarh and
Guwahati for Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) that guards Line of Actual Control (LAC) with
China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved a full cadre review for the ITBP for creation of more
than 3,000 new posts. The new commands will be in existence by 2020 and will help in effective
domination and control of LAC that is marred by harsh weather and high-altitude locations. This cadre
review exercise of ITBP has been conducted after 18 years, as the last review was carried out in 2001.

Indian Railway launched one touch ATVM

The Indian Railways introduced the “one touch Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVM)” at 42
suburban stations in recent past . It aimed at saving time of the passengers. Under this system a
passenger can obtain ticket in two steps which was earlier possible in 6 steps. This machine also
provides platform tickets. Under Linux software, the machine operates on a smart card that when
placed on a slot asks the user to select the route and destination and then machine confirms the details
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and ticket is printed. The menu options are available in three languages and after issuance of the ticket,
money is deducted from the card.

‘Tamanna’ for Class 9, 10 students

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and National Council of Educational Research
and Training (NCERT) have recently introduced an online aptitude test dubbed as ‘Tamanna’ (Try
And Measure Aptitude And Natural Abilities) to assist students in making the right career choices.
Tamanna will provide information about the weaknesses and strengths of students which will further
help them in choosing apt subjects in Class 11 and 12. It should be noted that this test should be taken
voluntarily by interested students and must not be used to impose any subject, courses of study and/or
vocations etc. on students. According to CBSE circular, the registration process for the same will
begin from 29 January 2020 on CBSE’s official website – cbse.nic.in. Registered students will be able
to take this test on any working day, by using school’s log-in id.

The New Lieutenant Governors of the newly made UTs

Radha Krishna Mathur and Girish Chandra Murmu have been appointed as the first Lieutenant
Governors of the new Union Territories of Ladakh and J&K respectively. Chief Justice of Jammu and
Kashmir High Court Gita Mittal administered their oaths. Retired 1977 batch IAS officer of Tripura
cadre, Mathur had earlier served in capacities of Chief Information Commissioner(CIC) of India,
Union Defence Secretary, Union Defence Production Secretary, Union Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises (MSME) Secretary and Chief Secretary of Tripura. Girish Chandra Murmu is a 1985 batch
IAS officer of Gujarat cadre and has served as principal secretary to Narendra Modi during his tenure
as Chief Minister of Gujarat. Murmu has now presided over the last Governor of Jammu and Kashmir
(position now abolished), Satya Pal Malik who has now moved to Goa for serving the remainder of
his tenure as the governor.

The first ever Indian Brain Atlas

According to the latest publication of a peer-reviewed journal, Neurology India, scientists of
International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT-H), Hyderabad, have created the first-ever
Indian Brain Atlas ‘IBA 100’ as a standard for neuroscience studies, diagnosis and treatment for
Indian-specific population. Further, they are planning to prepare atlases for different age groups viz.
20-30, 30-40, 40-50 and 50-60, to study age related effects on brain anatomy. The earliest known brain
atlas, ‘Talairach and Tournoux atlas’, was created manually by drawing post-mortem brain sections of
a 60-year-old French woman. In 1993, Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) and International
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Consortium for Brain Mapping (ICBM) prepared the first digital human brain atlas. Recently, MNI
and ICBM released other brain atlases using Caucasian (European origin) brains. Recent research
suggests differences in MRI scans of Indian and Caucasian brains as Indian brains are smaller in
comparison to the latter. Therefore Caucasian MRI scans if used as standard scans can lead to
misdiagnosis for Indian population and it eventually led to the necessity of ‘IBA 100’.

Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development

On 1st November 2019, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash
Javadekar gave nod to the proposal of New Regional Centre of the GB Pant Institute of Himalayan
Environment and Development at Ladakh. The proposed institute will promote alternative and
innovative livelihoods for climate change vulnerable cold-desert communities; strengthen and devise
solutions and approaches for addressing water scarcity; facilitate conservation of important cold desert
habitats and biodiversity and foster climate smart communities in the Himalayan landscape

Bamboo Tech Parks of J&K and Ladakh

In November 2019, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Council (NEC) announced the
establishment of new Bamboo Technology parks in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Union
Territories. The nodal agency, Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre (CBTC) under the Ministry of
NEC will implement this project. The project will replicate the North Eastern Region’s existing model
of bamboo cultivation, harvesting and utilization in Jammu, Leh and Srinagar regions. The model will
be in agreement with the National Bamboo Mission.

Leeladhar Jagoori received Vyas Samman 2018

Noted Hindi poet Leeladhar Jagoori received the 28th Vyas Samman for the year 2018 for his poetry
collection ‘Jitne Log Utne Prem’, at a function held in New Delhi on 31st October 2019. Renowned
author and scholar Govind Mishra presented this prestigious award to him. This poetry collection is
his 12th anthology of poetry which presents a new world of experience, ever-changing sounds of
experiments and progress. He was well applauded for his language and narrative. Vyas Samman was
instituted in 1991 to acknowledge outstanding contributions to Hindi literature. It is sponsored by K
K Birla Foundation and consists of a prize money of Rs. 4 lakh along with a citation and plaque.

The 14th National Health Profile

On October 30, 2019, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan released the
14th National Health Profile (NHP) 2019. Prepared by the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence
(CBHI), the report speaks about the needs and issues of the population via the Socio-Economic
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Indicators like Education, Employment, Housing, Amenities, sanitation and drinking water,
Demographic indicator like Population and vital statistics as well as Health Status Indicators like
Prevalence of communicable and non-communicable diseases. It reports that Life Expectancy in India
has increased from 49.7 years in 1970-75 to 68.7 years in 2012-16. Delhi has the highest population
Density i.e.11,320 people per square km and Arunachal Pradesh has the lowest population Density of
17 people per square km among other statistics.

NPCIL system had malware infection

In October 2019, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) isolated the malware which was reported by
Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) on 4 September 2019 in state-run Nuclear
Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) system at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP),
Tamil Nadu. Although malare was present yet it did not affect the plant system. According to the
DAE specialists’ investigation, the infected PC was used for administrative purposes. Kudankulam is
one of the leading operational nuclear plants of India.

Nagaland introduced Ex-gratia Scheme for Students

The state government of Nagaland introduced an ex-gratia scheme for students studying outside
Nagaland, called ‘Nagaland Government Ex-gratia Scheme for Students Studying outside Nagaland’
(NGESSO) on October 31, 2019. In this scheme the state government will provide a financial
assistance of Rs.5 lakhs as one-time payment to parents/families of students in case of unfortunate
death of any student pursuing secular, technical, professional, diploma as well as theology courses
outside the state. The scheme is meant for Naga students belonging to any recognized scheduled tribes
(ST) and indigenous inhabitants of state. And the nominee can claim ex-gratia amount within a period
of 2 months after the death of the students by presenting the required documents.

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UNDP launched Accelerator Lab in New Delhi
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with NITI Aayog’s Atal
Innovation Mission (AIM) has introduced the India chapter of its new initiative, Accelerator Lab in
New Delhi to address issues like air pollution, sustainable water management and client-resilient
livelihoods. This Indian lab will be among 60 global ones that will find, test and try to scale up
innovative solutions helpful in fighting both climate change as well as social inequity.

The Fragmented Bashir regime

Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok led government of Sudan ordered absolute dissolution of the party
of ousted President Omar al-Bashir and confiscation of all its properties in welfare of public via issuing
a law titled "Dismantling of the regime of 30th June 1989". Bashir and his Islamist National Congress
Party had reigned Sudan since June 30, 1989 before a nationwide protest movement that spelled his
exile earlier this year. The step was taken in response to rally of thousands of Sudanese last month in
various cities, urging the new authorities to dissolve the former ruling party.

International Conference on “Landslides Risk Reduction and Resilience"

On 29th November 2019, Minister of State for Home Affairs, G Kishan Reddy performed the inaugural
ceremony of 1st International Conference on “Landslides Risk Reduction and Resilience" in New
Delhi for developing technology to address disasters like landslides and develop infrastructure to
quickly respond to minimise the damage.The landslides often cause big havoc on communities, live
stock, environment leading to great loss of lives. The conference focussed on finding long term
solutions to natural disasters.

Global Exhibition on Services-2019

Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry in association with Services Export Promotion Council

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(SEPC) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) inaugurated the 5th edition of the annual Global
Exhibition on Services (GES) 2019 in Bengaluru, Karnataka to promote greater exchange of trade in

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services between India and industry and governments from across the globe. India tried its best to tap
the potential for services exports and increase FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) inflow. More than 400
exhibitors and over 3000 delegates including 400 overseas delegates from 74 countries participated in
this event. Uttar Pradesh acted as the partnering state to promote the tourism sector.

America approved Hong Kong pro-democracy bill

On 27th November 2019, US President Donald Trump signed Hong Kong pro-democracy bill. As per
the bill, the President of America will consider annually the preferred business status given to Hong
Kong and if the freedom in Hong Kong is found crushed, then the prestigious status from the US will
be withdrawn. Along with this, the US also gave nod to another bill that bans the export of crowd
control devices like tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets etc. to Hong Kong police supporting
protesters in Hong Kong.

A new light on evolution of snakes

According to the latest publication in the journal Science Advances, a 95-million-year-old skull fossil
of an ancient snake with rear limbs, Najash rionegrina was discovered in Rio Negro Province of
Argentina that adds a new insight into the evolution of snakes specifically in terms of skull for
ingesting large preys. Najash was a terrestrial snake living in a desert. A long standing hypothesis is
that the most primitive living snake, Scolecophidia (small, worm-like, small-mouthed burrowing)
evolved from a blind, burrowing lizard ancestor and the rod-like bone located behind the eye of modern
snakes called the jugal was thought to be the equivalent of the postorbital bone of their lizard ancestors.
The idea followed that the jugal was lost through snake evolution. However, the fossil of Najash with
sharp teeth, some of the mobile skull joints as well as with the bone below the orbit resembling shape,
position and connections as the L-shaped jugal of more typical lizards, demonstrates that it is the
postorbital bone that has been lost and not the jugal.

Malaysia laments over Sumatran Rhinos

End of November spelled the end of the last surviving Sumatran Rhino ‘Iman’ in Borneo Rhino
Sanctuary of Malaysia. Iman, which was the smallest of the five extinct rhino species in the world was
captured in 2014 from Danum Valley in Malaysia and now it died of cancer. With this, Sumatran rhino
have become extinct in Malaysia. However, Indonesia, still accommodates 80 Sumatran Rhinos. Black
Rhinos, White Rhinos, Greater one-horned Rhinos and Javan Rhinos are the other extinct species of
rhino.
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ETVAX: Potential Diarrhea vaccine
Researchers of University of Gothenburg of Sweden along with Scandinavian Biopharma, Stockholm
came in news for developing potential Diarrhea vaccine, ‘ETVAX’ which seems to be safe and
effective in an early-stage clinical trial of the disease. The publication in Science journal, The Lancet
reveals that ETVAX has inactivated E. coli bacteria expressing high levels of protective antigens as
well as ETEC-based B subunit protein LCTBA. The vaccine will reduce diarrhea deaths among
children with age group half year (6 months) to 5 years of age.

NDv2: World’s largest GPU-accelerated cloud-based supercomputer

American technology company, NVIDIA unveiled the World’s Largest GPU-accelerated cloud-based
supercomputer named ‘NDv2’ on an open, flexible, enterprise-grade cloud computing platform,
Microsoft Azure. NDv2 will handle Artificial intelligence (AI) and its High Performance Computing
(HPC) application. It will permit customers for the first time to rent a whole AI supercomputer on
demand from their desk, and match the competencies of large-scale. It is economic in comparison to
traditional CPU based computing and employs 800 NVIDIA V100 Tensor Core Graphics Processing
Units (GPUs) interconnected on a single Mellanox InfiniBand backend network for its operation.

Microsoft launched K-12 Education Transformation Framework

Software giant Microsoft introduced its “K-12 Education Transformation Framework” to facilitate
comprehensive digital transformation of schools across India. Based on four pillars viz. leadership and
policy, modern teaching and learning, intelligent environments and technology blueprint, it is meant
to provide education leaders, government decision makers, teachers and most importantly learners,
tools to achieve ambitious change that many schools seek and thoughtfully integrate technology in
powerful and productive ways. This framework model is currently functioning in more than 50
countries to help plan their learning strategies.

The Earth’s Most Uninhabitable Place

According to the latest publication of journal, ‘Nature Ecology and Evolution’, researchers discovered
an aquatic environment on Earth with complete absence of any form of life. The hot, saline, hyperacid
ponds of Dallol Geothermal Field in Ethiopia, East Africa, lack all forms of microbial life. These
magnesium-rich brine lakes will lead to a better comprehension of limits of habitability. It is said to
be a terrestrial analogue of early Mars that extends over a volcanic crater full of salt, constantly
releasing toxic gases with water boiling in the middle of intense hydrothermal activity. It has one of
the most torrid environments on the earth with daily temperatures in winter exceeding over 45 degrees
Celsius or 113 Fahrenheit. The landscape has huge hyper saline and hyper acid pools, with pH zero
(very acidic) to fourteen (very alkaline) even hitting the negative mark. Besides this, It is also one of
the lowest land points, lying 125 m or 410 ft below mean sea level (MSL).
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The upcoming 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties of India & China
External Affairs Ministry of India announced year-long activities starting from 2020 for the
demonstration of historic link between civilisations as well as growing bilateral relations of India &
China. The duo will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic ties. The
activities will be about exchange in fields like legislatures, businesses, academics, cultural and youth
organisations, defence forces, martial arts, traditional sports, entrepreneurship, joint post-earthquake
search and rescue exercise, tea promotion ; cooperative projects regarding ancient maritime links ;
establishment of sister-state relations between Tamil Nadu and Fujian Province of China.

Tuvalu & Taiwan are holding hands

The small South Pacific nation of Tuvalu came in news for refusing China’s offer of building artificial
islands that would help it deal with rising sea levels. Discerning this as an attempt of reducing Taiwan's
influence in the region, Tuvalu Foreign Minister Simon Kofe chose Taiwan over China and reassured
his country's support for Taiwan. China is said to have increased its efforts to expand its influence in
the Pacific by luring island nations with the promise of financial aid and airplanes. China is posing a
threat to the United States and its allies.

Discovery of new strain of HIV virus

According to the latest publication of Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes(JAIDS),
researchers from an American medical devices and health care company, Abbott Laboratories along
with University of Missouri, Kansas City (America) have recently discovered a new subtype of human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) named ‘HIV-1 Group M, subtype L’. This was the first time in the past
19 years after new strains classifying guidelines were established in 2000, a new subtype of “Group
M” virus has been discovered. The first two samples of the latest subtype of Group M viruses,
responsible for the global pandemic were traced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the
Sub-Saharan Africa in the 1980s and 1990s, and the third was found in 2001.

CT-TTX: The Counter Terrorism Table Top Exercise

The National Investigation Agency of India hosted the first counter terrorism exercise, CT-TTX for
India, Japan, US and Australia. It was aimed at validating and assessing the counter terrorism
mechanisms and giving opportunities to explore areas of enhanced cooperation and sharing their best
practices against emerging terrorism threats. It was meant to enhance the cooperation between the
countries in terms of counter terrorism. Flashback says, this dialogue between the four countries was
initiated in 2007 by the Japanese President Shinzo Abe and the first ministerial level negotiations of
the grouping was conducted in September 2019.
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5th India – Europe 29 Business Forum
Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in New Delhi hosted the 5th edition of India-Europe 29 Business Forum
from 20 to 21 November 2019. Organized by industry body Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
and Union Ministry of External Affairs, the event witnessed the presence of 400 delegates from 29
European countries who focused on Smart Cities, IT & ITES, Renewable Energy, Pharma and
Artificial Intelligence (AI). The forum is said to be India’s largest European Platform. Europe 29
region involves Austria, Serbia, Albania, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia,
Moldova, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Malta, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Estonia, Hungary, Romania,
Finland, Greece, Cyprus, Montenegro, Iceland, Sweden, Latvia, Czech Republic Slovak Republic,
Slovenia, Switzerland and Turkey.

World Customs Organization RCP meeting of Asia Pacific

Three day long World Customs Organization (WCO) Asia Pacific Regional Contact Points (RCP)
meeting was held in Puducherry, India. International Organizations like UNCTAD, Global Alliance
on Trade Facilitation (GATF) took part in this to present the best practices that are involved in customs
procedures and discussed matters related to security, enforcement, facilitation and capacity building
in the Asia Pacific Region that accounts to 37% of the world’s GDP. India had hosted this event earlier
also in Jaipur and Cochin. WCO is an inter-governmental Organization that sets up principles and
standards especially for cross border procedures and customs.

The Beginning of Google Stadia

Google’s new cloud-based game streaming service, Google Stadia has been launched with 22 launch
titles viz. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Tomb Raider, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Shadow of the Tomb
Raider, Mortal Kombat 11, Samurai Shodown, Final Fantasy XV, Attack on Titan: Final Battle 2, Red
Dead Redemption 2, Football Manager 2020, NBA 2K20, Destiny 2: The Collection, Wolfenstein:
Youngblood, Just Dance 2020, Kine, Grid 2019, Thumper, Rage 2, Trials Rising, Gylt, Metro Exodus
and Farming Simulator 2019 in 14 countries worldwide. It can be accessed through Chrome browser
and is presently available in its Pro tier with 4K resolution with HDR quality, 60 fps and 5.1 surround
sound, priced at $10.

World COPD Day

On the third Wednesday of November i.e. 20th November 2019, World Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Day on ‘All Together to End COPD’ theme was observed. The disease is
often confused with Asthma. Severe breathlessness and predisposes to exacerbations are symptoms of

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this disease caused by pollution and smoking. It is alarming to learn that 12% of the world's smokers
are from India and the prevalence of the disease has increased by 29.2% between 1990 and 2016. The
WHO (World Health Organization) and Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease
(GOLD) had instituted this day in 1997.

World Energy Outlook 2019

International Energy Agency of Paris released a report on World Energy Outlook, which informs that
currently the world uses 495 GW of installed solar power and the installed solar power in the world
will increase by 3,142 GW by 2040. Presently, the energy demand in the world is growing at a rate of
2% per year. Oil demand is likely to slow down after 2025. In African states, the gas and renewable
sources will power the future energy. However, the coal demand in these countries are touching sky.
The report also speaks about three climate scenarios viz. the Current Policy Scenario, Stated Policy
Scenario and Sustainable Development Scenario along with the allied energy demands.

Commemorative stamp on Al Quds

Emirates Post, in association with Arab Postal Authorities, has issued a unified commemorative stamp
entitled ‘Al Quds - Capital of Palestine’, featuring of the Al Aqsa Mosque, the flag of Palestine along
with a white dove symbolising peace to support Al Quds’ cause and protect its Arabian heritage. It
serves as a reminder of the emotional and cultural significance of the city. The decision of this
commemorative stamp was taken during a meeting in March 2018 in Muscat, Oman.

Closure of 25 factories in Bangladesh

The High Court in Bangladesh has ordered shutters down for 25 factories and two private hospitals
along the banks of river Buriganga in Dhaka. These factories and hospitals were functioning without
environmental clearance. The High Court has ordered the Department of Environment to execute its
order within 15 days. Buriganga is one of the most polluted rivers in the world, often referred as the
largest sewer in the world with waste water from around 7,000 industrial units in the surrounding
areas. Its connection with the sewage lines is under question.

Mysuru hosted International Conference on Yoga

The 5th edition of the two-day International Conference on Yoga was organized by the Union Ministry
of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) at
Mysuru, Karnataka on ‘Yoga for Heart Care’ theme. It was meant to focus on research in yoga with
experts discussing and sharing their thoughts on the subject. Over 700 national and international

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delegates participated in the conference that witnessed more than 10 technical sessions involving 50
resource persons and experts. Technical sessions were conducted on sub-themes like ‘Yoga for heart
care; emerging trends and researches’, ‘Yoga for coronary artery disease’, ‘Role of Yoga in the
management of Hypertension’ and ‘Role of Yoga in preventive cardiology’. Special need for
promotion of yoga as a sport in India as well as abroad was felt at the event. The International Yoga
Day 2020 event will be held in Mysuru.

Pakistan came in news for WHO approved Typhoid Vaccine

Pakistan became the first nation to introduce WHO approved typhoid vaccine. The vaccine will be
introduced in southern Sindh province via a four-week campaign to solve 10,000 cases of Typhoid
that were documented since 2017. Flashback reveals that ailment claimed 70% lives in that year.
United Nations Children's Fund (UNCF) is funding Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV), which was
recommended by WHO in year 2018 for infants and children of more than 6 months of age in typhoid-
endemic countries. TCV was found to have an edge over other earlier vaccines regarding long-lasting
protection within fewer dosages. Geneva based Gavi Vaccine alliance, World Bank, WHO and Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation are supporting Pakistan in this mission. Typhoid is caused because of
unsafe water and sanitation systems and inadequate drinking water.

European Investment Bank will stop Fossil Fuel Funding

The European Investment Bank informed about its decision of stopping funds for oil and coal projects
by the end of 2021. The bank has been funding these projects since 2013 and has so far funded 13.4
billion Euros for fossil fuel projects. The bank wishes to adhere to the new norms which state that the
energy projects applying for funding must prove that they can produce 1 Kilowatt hour of energy
emitting less than 250 grams of carbon dioxide. Although gas-based energy projects, that are common
among the EU member states, have been kept away from this, yet the upcoming gas projects need to
be in line with “new technologies” that include carbon capture, combining heat and power generation,
mixing in renewable gases with fossil fuels, etc. With this, EU eyes to become the first carbon-neutral
continent by 2050.

WTO Panel rejected India’s claims on Steel issues with the US

The World Trade Organization panel rejected several claims of India against US on steel duties. As
per India’s complaint the United States is breaching international trade rules in 14 areas and among
them, Washington’s imposition of tariffs on nearly 300% imports including steel, carbon-quality steel
was prominent one. Later in the year 2014, the global body ruled that the duties imposed by the US

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were a breach of global trade rules. It is worth knowing that India’s steel exports to the US has declined
by 49% in year 2018. The export of steel from India that was 372 million USD in year 2012 dropped
to 221 million USD.

Rezwana Choudhury Bannya became ICCR Alumni awardee

High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das bestowed the ICCR distinguished
alumni award to noted Rabindra Sangeet exponent from Bangladesh Rezwana Choudhury Bannya in
Dhaka during a musical function organised by the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC). The awardee
is known for her distinctive style of singing and has set up a musical school 'Shurer Dhara' in
Bangladesh to promote the Guru-Shishya tradition as practised in Shantiniketan. Prior to this, she has
received 'Independence Award' which is the highest civilian award of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh topped business bribery risk index

Trace Bribery Matrix released annual ranking of business bribery risk for 200 countries. Bangladesh
topped the list at 178th spot among South Asian countries when evaluated under four parameters viz.
business interaction with the government, anti-bribery deterrence, transparency and civil society
oversight. The country was found to have a high degree of government interaction in business, a high
expectation of bribes and a high regulatory burden which contributes in high bribery risk for business
in this country. While Bhutan (52nd rank) has the lowest risk of bribery on the index in South Asia.
Overall Somalia, South Sudan, North Korea, Yemen and Venezuela emerged with the highest risk of
bribe demands and in contrast New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland received the
lowest bribery risk.

IUCN’s 7th Regional Conservation Forum

Over 500 delegates from different countries, corporate sector and NGOs participated in the 7th edition
of Regional Conservation Forum of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) held at
Islamabad, Pakistan. The forum learned about the rapid melting of Himalayan Glacier that is causing
food and water shortages to 800 million people in South Asia and South-East Asia including China.
36% Glaciers in the regions of Himalayas and Hindukush (the third pole of the earth with a huge mass
of ice) are on the verge of disappearance by 2100. The Himalayan and the Mekong basin are at greater
risks. The foreseen disaster is likely to increase the risks of outburst floods adding to the expansion of
unstable proglacial lakes.

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The First Dhaka Global Dialogue
Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the first edition of three day long Dhaka
Global Dialogue on 11th November 2019. New Delhi based Observer Research Foundation (ORF)
and Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) were the organizers of this
event. Over 150 delegates including policy makers, law makers, scholars, strategic experts, industry
leaders and professionals of various fields from 50 nations discussed some key imperatives in the
context to the Indo-pacific region. The event provided a platform for countries in this region for
accomplishment of environmentally sustainable peace and prosperity specifically in the maritime
domain.

The Second edition of Paris Peace Forum held in France

An international event on global governance issues and multilateralism, Paris Peace Forum was carried
out from 11 to 13 November 2019 at la Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris, France. It aimed at finding
solutions to global challenges ranging from economic inequalities, climate change and terrorism to
disinformation, migration and cyber security. The forum featured more than 100 projects from the
worldwide, that have been implemented as specific solutions to governance challenges. External
Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar represented India and recommended coordinated action by nations,
bilaterally or multilaterally and build ‘national capacities’ to prevent the forces of terrorism and
extremism from building presence in the digital domain.

The Beginning of India International Trade Fair

The 39th edition of India International Trade Fair began in New Delhi on “Ease of Doing Business”
theme on November 14, 2019. Around 25,000 delegates from government agencies, non-government
institutions and private sector enterprises from Vietnam, UK, Turkey, Tunisia, Thailand, Nepal,
Myanmar, Iran, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Egypt, China, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Australia and Bahrain are
participating in this fair. The fair is giving preferences to Bihar and Jharkhand this year and offering
equal opportunities to large corporations, MSME, artisans and self-help groups to promote their
products.

The International Lavi Fair

Himachal Pradesh Governor Bandaru Dattatreya inaugurated four day long International Lavi Fair in
Rampur district of Shimla, Himachal Pradesh on 11th November 2019. It is a 400 years old fair that
commemorates the treaty which was signed between Raja Kehari Singh of Rampur Bushahr state and
Tibet for promotion of trade between India and Tibet . Sale and purchase of Chamurthi horses (Tibet
originated ‘ship of the cold desert’) along with woollens, dry fruits and other traditional crafts and
products are the main attractions of this fair. In addition to this, the governor also inaugurated
‘Kinnauri market’ and an exhibition organised by several government departments.
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The 9th BRICS Trade Ministers Meet
On 13th November 2019, the 9th edition of BRICS Trade Ministers Meet was held in Brasilia, Brazil.
Union Minister Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal represented India in this event. The meet
stressed on development of digital infrastructure, digital skills and institutions in developing and less
developed countries as well as advancing trade and investment cooperation between BRICS nations.
It concentrated on challenges sprouting from growing protectionism and rising trade tensions
manifested in unilateral measures. It underlined the growing trend of non-tariff barriers (NTBs) that
refuse market access leading to economic uncertainty as well as raising the cost of doing trade for
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) of developing countries.

International Treaty of Plant Genetic Resources

In November 2019, the eighth edition of the International Treaty of Plant Genetic Resources for Food
and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) was held in Rome, Italy. Around 146 nations along with international
organizations like FAO, UN participated in the session. This treaty popularly known as the “Seed
Treaty” is an international agreement to ensure food security by exchange of world’s plant genetic
resources for food and agriculture for conservation and sustainable use of seed varieties. The purpose
of this treaty is to provide a broad integrated global system for an easy access of genetic materials to
scientists, farmers and plant breeders; helping farmers on crop selection that can adapt to unpredictable
environmental changes and human needs.The treaty had a list of 64 crop species on catalogue and their
facilitated access.

X Ray burst from outer space

Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) telescope of NASA detected a sudden spike of
X Rays caused by a massive thermo nuclear flash on the surface of a Pulsar. Pulsar is a neutron star
that spins rapidly and becomes a host to many X-Ray emitting hotspot. As the object spins it produces
regular pulses of high-energy radiation and when it runs out of fuel its compact core is left that later
collapses under its own weight and explodes. In this process, Hydrogen gas forms a disk which when
becomes denser, ionizes the gas. This leads to trapping of more and more energy inwards causing the
explosion. The explosion leads to energy release in 20 seconds as that released by the sun in 10 days.
The finding illustrates that like other astronomical bodies, the sun emits X Rays as well.

World Science Day

Globe observed World Science Day for Peace and Development on 10th November 2019 on ‘Open
science, leaving no one behind’ theme. On this occasion, Russian chemical company, PhosAgro,
IUPAC/ UNESCO conferred grants upon young scientists to get them involved in green chemistry.
This day was instituted by UNESCO in 2001 to strengthen public awareness about the role of science

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for peaceful and sustainable societies, renew national and international commitment for use of science
for the benefit of societies, encourage national as well as international solidarity for shared science
between countries and highlight challenges faced by science and raising support for scientific
endeavour.

Dengue can get transmitted sexually as well !!!

World learned the first instance of vector transmitted disease becoming a sexually transmitted disease.
Spanish health authorities confirmed transmission of a vector transmitted disease, dengue via sexual
contact in case of a 41-year old man from Madrid. The homosexual victim received the disease from
his male partner who had acquired it via a mosquito in dengue prevalent areas of Cuba. So far in
general knowledge Dengue was thought to be transmitted by the bite of Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes
carrying Dengue virus.

Wildlife biologist K. Ullas Karanth: George Schaller Lifetime Awardee

In November 2019, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), New York bestowed the George Schaller
Lifetime Award in Wildlife Conservation Science to Wildlife biologist K. Ullas Karanth for his
contribution to the field of conservation. With this, Ullas has become the first recipient of WCS’s
award. This award has been instituted in name of globally acclaimed, one of the greatest wildlife
scientists and conservationists Dr. George Schaller, who saved wildlife and wild places. The recipient
Ullas is currently the Director of Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bengaluru, Karnataka. And his research
has been pioneering and groundbreaking regarding the ecology of tigers, predator-prey population
ecology, sympatric predators and other large mammals, and mitigation of human-wildlife conflicts.

The 19th IORA ministerial meet in UAE

Ministers from 22 nations participated in the 19th Indian Ocean Rim Association COM (Council of
Ministers) meeting on ‘Promoting a shared destiny and path to prosperity in Indian ocean’ theme took
place in Abu Dhabi, UAE on 7th November 2019. For the period of 2019-2021, UAE will hold the
chairmanship assisted by Bangladesh. For 2017-19 Republic of South Africa presided over this
meeting. The platform is on purpose of linking the world’s most dynamic regions of south, west and
south east Asia, Africa and Oceania through seas. Recently, India contributed 1 million USD to IORA
Special Fund and became the largest contributor. In 2015, India had hosted the first Indian Ocean
Dialogue.

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International Conference on Soil and Water Resources Management
In November 2019, International Conference on ‘Soil and Water Resources Management for Climate
Smart Agriculture and Global Food and Livelihood Security’ was conducted at National Agricultural
Science Centre (NASC) Complex in New Delhi. Soil Conservation Society of India (SCSI) in
association with World Association of Soil and Water Conservation (WASWAC), China and
International Soil Conservation Organization (ISCO), U.S.A. organized this event to address issues
and challenges of soil and water conservation. Around 400 delegates from across the globe participated
in this event. Besides this, three books viz. ‘Special Issue of Indian Farming by the Indian Council of
Agricultural Research’, ‘7 Years of International Conference’ and ‘Abstract Book of the Conference’
were also released. Soil Conservation Society of India (SCSI) Awards – 2019 were also presented on
this occasion.

The 10th Asian Conference of Emergency Medicine

On 7th November 2019, the 10th Asian Conference of Emergency Medicine began in New Delhi. Vice
President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated this biennial conference in India for the first time which is
being organized by Asian Society for Emergency Medicine (ASEM) and Society for Emergency
Medicine India (SEMI). The Conference will continue till 10th November 2019. More than 2000
emergency medicine experts from 32 nations are participating in the conference to address issues like
investment in providing timely and high-quality Emergency Health Services (EHS) in India; inclusion
of Emergency medicine and trauma care in curriculum of Undergraduate courses and train them to
deal with various emergencies like accidents, heart attacks, natural calamities, and others; Developing
programs and manuals to train citizens in emergency first aid procedures like Cardiopulmonary
Resuscitation (CPR) etc. It is about providing an affordable emergency care for all sections of the
society, bridging gaps in healthcare and creating a positive impact on society.

Voyager 2 reached the interstellar space

In November 2019, NASA’s Solar System Explorer, Voyager 2 came out of heliosphere, entered
interstellar space and is now at 11 billion miles from the Earth. In the interstellar space, spacecraft
detects plasma or solar wind flowing out from the sun and enveloping the planets in the solar system.
Scientists have detected no density, pressure, temperature in this interstellar space. Voyager 2 will be
the first spacecraft to study four planets like Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn and Uranus. Discovery of 14th
moon of Jupiter, 5 moons of Neptune and identification of “Great Dark Spot” at Neptune are so far
the credentials of this first human-made object that flew by Neptune.

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Matildas cracked a landmark pay deal
Australia women's football team, Matildas struck a historic deal with Football Federation Australia
that became a landmark for gender equality in sports. Football Federation Australia under a new
centralized contract system announced an amount of payment for Matildas stars such as Sam Kerr and
Ellie Carpenter equivalent to the amount given to big Socceroos like Aaron Mooy and Mat Ryan. In
addition to this, Matildas will also be offered business class flights to international fixtures and
tournaments, like the men. Currently, The Matildas are ranked 8th in the world while Australia's men's
team, the Socceroos hold the 44th rank.

Global Climate Emergency

As per latest publication of journal BioScience’s “World Scientists” report, 11,258 scientists in 153
countries signed the Global Climate Emergency. Among them 69 are from India. Based on the
scientific analysis of over 40 years of publicly available data, the scientists presented a list of measures
called “Vital Signs” that represent climate change trends viz. extreme weather events, ocean heat
content, ocean acidity, etc. and methods to mitigate the threat. Replacing fossil fuels; Restoring and
protecting ecosystems; Cutting pollutants like methane and soot; Eating less meat; Converting the
economy to carbon-free and Stabilizing population growth were the key objectives of the report.

The Freedom on Net 2019 report

International watchdog, the Freedom House released Freedom of Net report 2019 titled “The Crisis of
Social Media” stating an overall decline in global internet freedom status between July 2018 and May
2019. Iceland topped this ranking with an overall score of 95. It emerged as the world’s best protector
of internet freedom as it showed no civil or criminal cases registered against the users for online
expression. On the other hand, with an overall score of 10, China was adjudged as the worst abuser of
internet freedom for the fourth consecutive year and was tagged “not free”. India acquired “partly free”
status with an overall score of 55. Pakistan, with a score of 26, for the ninth consecutive year
exhibited“not free” status. Malaysia and Armenia showed positive trends and Ethiopia recorded the
highest improvement in terms of internet freedom, while USA had an overall score of 77.

The Largest Astrophysics Assembly

On 6th November 2019, during the first day of the fifth edition of largest science festival in the world,
‘India International Science Festival (IISF) 2019’, Kolkata students created Guinness World Records
for largest astrophysics lesson (45 minutes) and assembly of spectroscopes at Kolkata, West Bengal .
More than 1,598 students participated in this session, which was dedicated to Meghnad Saha and
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Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman. The Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics that
organized this event received a memento for the same. Spectroscopes are used by Astronomers to learn
details about temperature, chemical composition, etc. of celestial objects which are located hundreds
or millions of light years away from the Earth. A small personal model of advanced spectroscopes can
be made by using a cardboard box with a very narrow window to channel light into spectroscope. Then
by using a piece of a Compact Disc that light can be split by a process called diffraction.

Sara Dawnjanovic became ‘Miss Asia Global 2019’

On 4th November 2019 in the 5th Edition of ‘Miss Asia Global Title 2019’ Sara Dawnjanovic of
Serbia got crowned by Miss Asia Global 2018, Assem Yessengeldiyeva at Gokulam Convention
Centre in Kochi, Kerala. Among other celebrated beauties were Nguyen Thi Yen Trang from Vietnam,
who won ‘Miss Asia 2019’ Title; Samiksha Singh from India won the sub-title of ‘Miss Beautiful
Face’ Title; Leeseul Kim from Korea and Jeanyeer Ozbot from the Philippines were adjudged as the
‘Miss Asia Global first’ and ‘Miss Asia Global second’ runner ups.The Next ‘Miss Asia Global Title
2020’ will take place in Malaysia.

Appointment of seven new governors in Nepal

Nepal's President Bidya Devi Bhandari has appointed new governors in all seven provinces of the
country on 5th November 2019 on recommendation of the government as per Article 163 (2) of the
Constitution. Somnath Adhikari ‘Pyasi’ (Province 1), Tilak Pariyar (Province 2), Bishnu Prasad Prasai
(Province 3), Amik Sherchan (Gandaki Province), Dharmanath Yadav (Province 5), Govinda Kalauni
(Karnali Province) and Sharmila Kumari Panta (Sudur Paschim Province) are the new appointees.

The 30th anniversary of the Berlin Wall fall

Germany started a week of festivities marking three decades since the fall of the Berlin Wall on 4th
November 2019. This wall was erected in 1961 to stop migration from the eastern, communist part of
divided Germany to the more prosperous West. The border installations were around 163 kilometres.
In this around 100 km was covered by an actual wall, with another 50 or more kilometres made up of
heavy wire mesh. Mines were sown in the ground or strung along fencing. The first pieces of the wall
were pulled down on 11th November 1989. This epochal event led to reunification and brought down
the Iron Curtain dividing a communist East from a capitalist West. However, currently the country is
again facing waves of cold war that existed three decades ago as the euphoric optimism for liberal
democracy and freedom has begun to fade.

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Maulana Fazlur Vs Imran
Pakistan's firebrand cleric-cum-politician Maulana Fazlur Rehman is bent upon sacking prime minister
Imran Khan from his post. The leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl has threatened to lockdown the
entire Pakistan after the deadline set by him for the resignation of prime minister Imran Khan ended
on 3rd November 2019. He organized a grand protest rally in the capital Islamabad at the end of two-
day deadline. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakhtunkhwa
Milli Awami Party, Qaumi Watan Party, National Party and Awami National Party have supported
Rehman caravan, dubbed as the ‘Azadi' March in Islamabad for achievement of this objective. Prime
Minister Khan has condemned this demand as protestors’ efforts to get a deal for the release of PML-
N and PPP top leaders who are in jails for corruption allegations.

Seven governors of Nepal got relieved

On 3rd November 2019, President Bidya Devi Bhandari relieved seven Governors from the posts as
per the constitutional provisions on the recommendation of cabinet. Govinda Bahadur Tumhang
(Governor of Province 1), Ratneswor Kayastha (Province 2), Anuradha Koirala (Province 3), Baburam
Kunwar (Province 4), Umakant Jha (Province 5), Durga Keshar Khanal (Province 6), Ratneshwor
Malla (Province 7) were appointed in January 2018 under Sher Bahadur Deuba government after the
first-ever provincial elections in the Himalayan nation following adoption of federalism after the
promulgation of new constitution in September 2015.

WhatsApp has put Israeli company on fire

In November 2019, WhatsApp, a chat app owned by Facebook confirmed involvement of Israeli
company NSO’s servers in carrying out hacking of more than 1400 high-profile WhatsApp users.
WhatsApp decided to sue NSO on pretext of creating technology that can hack into the phones of
WhatsApp users as well as providing requisite tools to sophisticated hackers or government officials
to gain access to a WhatsApp user's phone simply by making a video call. Moreover, it was revealed
that even if the users did not pick up the WhatsApp video call, the hackers succeeded in infecting the
targeted phone to gain almost complete access to it. However, NSO denied the allegations and said
that it did not condone misuse of its technology and worked only with governments and legitimate
customers.

The Fifth Biennial Inter-Governmental Consultations

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have co-chaired the
fifth Biennial Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) in New Delhi on 1st November 2019. They

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discussed bilateral issues regarding agriculture economic partnership, trade and investment, science,
education, technology, people to people contact and cultural exchanges, cooperation in traditional
sectors viz. transport, skill development and energy, as well as exploration of possibilities for
cooperation in newer areas like green urban mobility and artificial intelligence (AI). Currently,
Germany is India’s largest trading partner in Europe and there are more than 1,700 German companies
active in India and over 600 Indo-German joint ventures. In addition to this, Germany is the seventh
largest foreign direct investor (FDI) in India that has invested in the insurance sector, transportation,
automobiles, metallurgical industries, electrical equipment, chemicals, construction activity and
trading.

Syrian Constitution is in making

It was 31st October 2019 when 150 Syrian constitutional committee delegates met for the first time
with Opposition delegates for the purpose of ending eight-and-a-half-year civil war and redrafting of
Syrian constitution in premises of United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. However, it is still unclear
that an entirely new constitution will be formed or the pre written constitution of the year 2012 will be
reformed. This historic move is the first step towards beginning for a political process that will lead to
UN-supervised elections under UN resolution 2254. This move was proposed by Russia and is being
overseen by UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen.

Introduction of RuPay card

In October 2019, India inked an agreement with the Saudi Arabia to introduce the RuPay card in the
country. This Memorandum of Understanding is a step that will benefit not only 2.6 million Indians
in Gulf Kingdom but also pilgrims visiting Haj and Umrah. With this, Suadi Arabia has become the
fourth nation to initiate India’s digital payment system. Prior to this, India had already launched RuPay
card in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Bhutan and Singapore. Rupay card is a first-of-its-
kind Indian domestic Debit and Credit Card payment network that RBI was launched in 2012 to fulfil
its vision to have a domestic, open and multilateral system of payments and it is being accepted at
ATMs, POS devices as well as e-commerce websites.

44
Rohit Sharma : The First Indian male cricketer to play 100 T20I
On 7th November 2019, during the second match against Bangladesh at the Saurashtra Cricket
Association Stadium, Stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma became the first Indian man and the second in
world cricket to complete 100 T-20 Internationals. Currently, Shoaib Malik with 111 games from
Pakistan is the only player to have played more than 100 T20 Internationals. Rohit is the top-scorer in
this format with 2452 runs followed by regular skipper Virat Kohli at second spot in the list with an
aggregate of 2450 runs. Rohit has so far scored the runs at a strike-rate of 136.67 with four centuries
and 17 half-centuries.

Deepak Kumar secured India's 10th Olympic quota in shooting

On 6th November 2019, Deepak Kumar secured India's 10th Tokyo Olympic quota. The Jakarta Asian
Games silver medalist earned a bronze medal in the men's 10 metres air rifle, shot 227.8 in the eight-
man final to finish third on the podium and added the 10th quota of India for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
He is the second Indian shooter to earn an Olympic quota in the men's 10 metres air rifle event after
Divyansh Singh Panwar, who secured it in April.

IFFI 2019 winners

The 50th edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) got concluded in Goa. And the name of
the winners include the French-Swiss film ‘Particles’ directed by Blaise Harrison that won the Golden
Peacock Award in Best Film category; Lijo Jose Pellissery for his Malayalam film ‘Jallikattu’ won
‘Best Director Award’; Seu Jorge for Marighella (Best Actor (Male)); Usha Jadhav for Marathi crime
film, Mai Ghatt: Crime No. 103/2005 (Best Actor (Female)); Pema Tseden for his Tibetan film
‘Balloon’ (IFFI 2019 Special Jury Award); Italian film ‘Rwanda’ (ICFT –UNESCO Gandhi Medal);
Amin Sidi Boumediene for ‘Abou Leila’ & Marius Olteanu for ‘Monsters’(Best Debut Feature Film
of a Director); Abhishek Shah’s Hellaro won a special mention for its”‘incredible music, colour and

45
choreography”; Bahattar Hoorain directed by Sanjay P. Singh Chauhan won Special mention under
ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi medal. Besides these, veteran actor Prem Chopra, legendary music composer
Ilaiyaraaja, actor Aravind Swamy, Manipuri filmmaker Haobam Paban Kumar, Assamese filmmaker
Manju Borah and Kathak dancer Birju Maharaj were also honored at the end of the event.

46
Syed Modi International Badminton updates
Indian shuttlers Kidambi Srikanth & Sourabh Verma reached the quarterfinals of the men's singles
contest at the ongoing Syed Modi International Badminton tournament in Lucknow and Srikanth will
lock horns with seventh seed Son Wan Ho of Korea while Sourabh will clash with Thailand's Kunlavut
Vitidsarn. On the other hand, young Lakshya Sen bowed out of the tournament. In women's singles,
Shruti Mundada and Rituparna Das also reached the quarterfinals with straight game wins. Young
women's pair of Simran Singhi and Ritika Thaker also succeeded in reaching the final eight. While,
Kuhoo Garg and Anoushka Parikh also advanced to the next round.

Tennis veteran Rafael Nadal topped ATP ranking 2019

Spanish professional tennis player, Rafael Nadal Parera (33) emerged as the topper in November 2019
ATP ranking. Exactly after one year he has again become the number one player in the world with
9585 points and has displaced Novak Djokovic who has slipped to number two (8945 points). Roger
Federer of Switzerland with 6,190 points has followed them at the third spot. This is the 8th time
Nadal has climbed the apex. It should be noted that Nadal is the second aging player to hold the number
one position in the ATP rankings since 1973. Federer was number one in 2018 at the age of 36. In
women’s ranking, Australian tennis player Ashleigh Bartyholds topped with 7851 points followed by
Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic in second place with 5940 points and Naomi Osaka of Japan
grabbed the third rank with 5496 points.

Emblem for FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup

On November 3, 2019, Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and Local Organising
Committee(LOC) disclosed the official emblem of FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the year 2020
at the launch event in gateway of India, Mumbai, Maharashtra. Emblem features bright blue waves
rising from the base and reaching up along the form of the trophy towards a crown forming the shape
of Paisley or Boteh motif commonly used in Kashmiri Pashmina shawl and carpets. The droplet of the
design forming a ball made from a marigold flower indicates a symbol of growth and development.
Bandhani textiles, an Indian tie-dye technique dating back thousands of years served as a source of
inspiration for the color and style of this emblem. The stem of the marigold’s symbol has been derived
from traditional Warli paintings with Bandhani patterns.

47
48
 Current Affairs
Fast Track 2020
MISSION DU LLB. 2020

The Massive Locust Invasion in Gujarat

The farmlands in the Gujarat border got alarmed from locust invasion. The locusts from Sudan and
Eritrea on the coast of the Red Sea have entered the villages of Gujarat and Rajasthan via Pakistan
Sindh province. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) had alerted this trajectory of
locusts through its Desert Locust Information Service. This was also tracked and predicted by Locust
Warning Organization (LWO) in Jodhpur. But no precautionary measures were taken. According to
FAO, an average swarm destroys crops that can feed 2,500 people per year.

Atal Bhujal Yojana

In December 2019 the Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs (CCEA) approved ‘Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL)’ in New Delhi. It is a central sector
scheme with an outlay of Rs 6000 crores meant to improve groundwater management. It will be
implemented for a 5-year period (2020-21 till 2024-2025 via community participation in identified
priority areas in 7 States viz. Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan,
and Uttar Pradesh.

Railway recruitment now via UPSC civil services exams

The Railway board made an announcement regarding its new recruitment which will be done from
now onwards through Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Exams. Prior to this,
the Union Cabinet had given nod to the big-ticket reforms in the railways by merging its eight cadres

2
and department services into one single entity- the ‘Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS)’.
Now just like UPC aspirants, the Indian Railways aspirants will have to appear for their UPSC prelims
after which they will be able to indicate their preference for IRMS under 5 specialties. Among them,
four will be engineering specialties (including that of stores (department)) for ‘technical’ operations
comprising of civil, mechanical, electrical and telecom, and one ‘non-technical’ specialty (or non-
engineering) that will be recruiting officers for personnel, traffic, and accounts. For non-engineering
specializations, anyone from humanities can apply for handling accounts, traffic and personnel service.
All of them will be promoted at the same time. Further, the Chairman of Railway Board, who will also
be CEO of the national transporter, will be an officer of the Indian Railway Service and not from any
other service. And officers from Indian Railways who have experience of 35 yrs will only be posted
as Chairman/CEO and the Chairman shall be cadre controlling officer responsible for Human
Resources (HR) with assistance from DG (HR).

3
India’s first Transit-Oriented Development Project
Union Home Minister Amit Shah laid the foundation stone for the country's first transit-oriented
development (TOD) project at Karkardooma in New Delhi. The proposed project will be a state-of-
the-art infrastructure zone, ‘East Delhi Hub’ with a central massive green lung of about 10 acres as
well as national capital’s tallest tower- a 48-story signature tower in east Delhi. Union Ministry of
Housing and Urban Affairs (MHUA) and National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) will
complete it in the next 3.5 years.

Addition of 1 lakh senior division NCC seats

Secretary Ajay Kumar of Defence Ministry broke the news of the approval of an additional one lakh
senior division NCC seats on a self-financing basis. Approximately 100 to 150 schools and colleges
will be benefited from this decision. The scheme will be implemented in 2020-21 as a pilot project.
The distribution of additional one lakh cadets to all 17 state directorates will be conducted by the
headquarters of the Director-General of the National Cadet Corps.

India's first long-distance CNG bus

Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated India's first long-distance CNG
bus equipped with CNG cylinders at a function in New Delhi that can travel around one thousand
kilometers in a single fill. This first long-range interstate CNG bus will ply from Delhi to Dehradun
and pretty soon more such buses will run from Delhi to Jaipur, Chandigarh, and Agra. The largest
CNG distribution company in the country, Indraprastha Gas Limited has executed this project which
is said to be a revolutionary step in reducing vehicular pollution.

The New Appointments

Managing Director of Hiranandani Groups, Niranjan Hiranandani has got appointed as the new
President of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham). He succeeded
Welspun Group Chairman Balkrishan Goenka. Assocham is looking forward to facing the economic
challenges and is preparing to achieve the target of a $5 trillion economy. Besides him, Chief General
Manager of Department of Banking Operations and Development (DBoD) of the Reserve Bank of
India, Ravi Mohan is the newly appointed chairman of Evangelical Social Action Forum (ESAF)
Small Finance Bank (SFB). He has taken place of R Prabha. ESAF began its operations as an NGO
(Non-Governmental Organization) in 1992. Besides them, Indian Foreign Service officer of 1984-
batch, Harsh Vardhan Shringla has been appointed as the 33rd Foreign Secretary of India. The Senior
Diplomat and Indian ambassador to the United States (US) will replace Vijay Gokhale whose two-
year term is ending on January 29, 2020.

4
Hemant Soren: The Next Jharkhand CM
Jharkhand, Grand Alliance leader Hemant Soren will take oath as the Chief Minister on the 29th of
December 2019. Governor Draupadi Murmu had invited Soren to form the government after he was
formally elected as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislature party leader. Soren had contested
the Jharkhand Assembly election 2019 from two Assembly constituencies viz. Barhait and Dumka and
won both of them. The JMM, Congress and RJD Alliance that gained a majority in the recently
concluded Assembly polls. It had won 47 seats in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly and snatched
power from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which managed to win 25 Assembly constituencies in the
2019-Jharkhand polls. The Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) won 3 constituencies, while the
Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)
won just 1-1 seat each in the Jharkhand Assembly election polls. BJP leader and former Jharkhand
Chief Minister Raghubar Das tendered his resignation to the Governor.

The Beginning of Digital Radio in 2024

During the annual Akashvani awards function in New Delhi, Information and Broadcasting Minister
Prakash Javadekar broke the information that the NDA government is planning to launch Digital Radio
in 2024. According to him, the audio of digital radio will be more clear and its reach will be higher.
Besides this, he conferred the annual Akashvani awards, which were instituted in 1974 to promote
professional excellence and precipitate the best from the staff working at various radio stations and
installations. On this occasion, Prasar Bharati Chairman Dr. A Surya Prakash applauded the huge
credibility of this medium. It should be noted that Akashvani has one of the largest news gathering
and dissemination apparatuses in the world.

Creation Of Chief Of Defence Staff post

The Cabinet allowed the creation of the post of Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) which was earlier
announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of his Independence Day address this
year. This post of Chief of Defence Staff will be the rank of 4-Star General with salary equivalent to
Service Chiefs and will head the Department of Military Affairs, which will be created under the aegis
of Ministry of Defence and will function as its Secretary. In addition to this, the Cabinet also gave a
nod to ex-post-facto for official amendments to the Arms (Amendment) Bill, 2019, that was moved
and passed by the Lok Sabha on the 9th of December 2019. It is indeed a historic decision for bringing
in reforms in the higher defense management in the country.

Assamese gained the stature of the state language

On December 23, 2019, the Assam Cabinet approved the Assamese language as the state language of
Assam. However, BTAD i.e. Bodoland Territorial Administrative Districts, Barak Valley and Hill

5
districts of Assam will continue to use Bengali as their official language. This has been done in the
wake of rising insecurities among the Assamese population in the state at the advent of the Citizenship
Amendment Bill, which has increased the wave of insecurity in the Brahmaputra Valley. The Central
Government has plans of amending Articles in the constitution regarding this issue. Article 345 says
that subject to the provisions of Article 346 and 347, the state legislature might adopt one or more
languages to be used as official languages. Article 346 advocates that the states are authorized to decide
on the language of communication amongst them and with the centre provided such a language should
have been authorized by the centre. While Article 347 lays special provisions to the language spoken
to a section of a population and the President if satisfied shall assent on the usage of the language.

National Mathematics Day

22nd December 2019 was celebrated as National Mathematics Day to commemorate the 132nd birth
anniversary of Srinivasa Ramanujan, who was born on 22nd December 1887, transformed and
reshaped 20th-century mathematics via his contributions to number theory, mathematical analysis,
infinite series, and continued fractions. In addition to this, he also discovered his own theorems and
compiled as many as 3900 mathematical results and equations independently. His Prime and Theta
discoveries had inspired further research on this mathematical subject. He along with British
Mathematician G.H. Hardy had discovered the popular Hardy-Ramanujan number- ‘1729’, which is
the smallest number which can be represented as the sum of two different cubes in two different ways.
This day was instituted in the year 2012 by Union Government headed by the then Prime Minister Dr.
Manmohan Singh.

The 66th National Film Awards

On 23rd December 2019, Venkaiah Naidu presented national film awards. In the 66th edition of the
awards, Akshay Kumar-starrer Hindi Movie ‘Padman’ has been named the Best Film On Social Issues
and ‘Badhaai Ho’, starring Ayushmann Khurrana, got the Best Popular Film award. Veteran actor
Surekha Sikri was presented with the best supporting actress award for ‘Badhaai Ho’. Ayushmann
Khurrana and Vicky Kaushal were adjudged as the Best Actors for their roles in ‘Andhadhun’ and
‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’, while Aditya Dhar was felicitated with the Best Director award for his
debut film ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’. Keerthy Suresh welcomed the Best Actress award for Telugu
film ‘Mahanati’. Singer-lyricist Swanand Kirkire bagged the best-supporting actor award for Marathi
film ‘Chumbak’.‘Padmaavat’ received the award for Best Choreography for the song ‘Ghoomar’,
Sanjay Leela Bhansali was adjudged as the Best Music Director and Arijit Singh got selected as the
Best Male Playback Singer on the song ‘Vinte Dil in Padmavaat’. Bindhu Malini became the Best
Female Playback Singer for her Song Maayavi Manave in Kannada movie ‘Nathicharami’.Marathi
movie ‘Paani’ has won the Best Film on Environment Conservation and Preservation award; Gujarati

6
movie ‘Hellaro’ received the Best Feature Film award; Kannada film ‘Ondalla Eradalla’ received
Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. ‘Son-Rise and the Secret Life of
Frogs’ directed by Vibha Bakshi were chosen for the Best Non-Feature Film award. ‘Uttarakhand’
received the Most Film Friendly State award.

Kuldeep Singh Sengar received life imprisonment

Recently Judge Dharmesh Sharma of Tis Hazari Court of Delhi spelled life imprisonment as well as a
fine of rupees 25 lakhs for BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in Unnao rape and abduction case. In
addition to this, he will have to give Rs 10 lakh as compensation to the victim. The exiled public
servant had victimized a minor woman in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh in 2017. The guilty have been
convicted under Section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code, read with Section 5 (aggravated
penetrative sexual assault of a child) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO),
as the victim had been a minor at the time of the offense.The court also censured CBI for delaying the
charge sheet and for its ‘patriarchal’ approach. According to the POCSO Act, there should be female
officers in CBI to record the statement of victims in such cases, but in stark contrast, the victim was
called multiple times to CBI’s office instead of (them) going to her residence and important
information concerning witnesses’ statement was selectively leaked as an attempt to cloud over the
matter.

Drones will destroy hidden Marijuana plants

In December 2019, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)
decided to employ drones for destruction of marijuana (or Cannabis, psychoactive drug) plantations
after their detection by satellites. The drones will spray chemicals in states of Himachal Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West
Bengal, Rajasthan and Haryana. It will be done under the modus operandi, which was also adopted by
the United States. In 2018, 24,000 cases have been reported containing 414 tons of plants.

The 18th National Maritime Search and Rescue Board meeting

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) organised the 18th edition of National Maritime Search and Rescue
Board (NMSARB) meeting in New Delhi in which policy issues, guidelines & procedures were
discussed at length and the evaluation of the efficacy of National Search and Rescue Plan (NSRP) was
done. It focussed on various maritime safety issues and identified areas of improvement of Search and
Rescue services. On this occasion, Merchant Vessel Asia Emerald III, Anand A Ambhire from
Maharashtra, Indian Coast Guard Ships (ICGS) Sujoy and ICGS Vikram were awarded SAR Awards
for their courageous rescue operations.

7
The 11th Regional Quality Conclave
Quality Council of India (QCI) along with PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI)
organized the 11th Regional Quality Conclave (RQC) ‘Rudrapur RQC: Advance Manufacturing with
Quality, Innovation & Technology Interventions’ on theme at Rudrapur, district Udham Singh Nagar,
Uttarakhand on 20th December 2019. This Conclave paved way for the Quality Council of India
(QCI) to reach out to industries in the hilly regions of the country. The conclave permitted sessions
on- Adding Value in Manufacturing and Supply Chain with Digital Transformation, Upskilling for
Industry 4.0, Leadership and Engagement Strategies for Sustaining Innovation and Quality Culture
and Mapping Organization’s Route to Quality.

Additional charge for R.N Ravi

Governor of Nagaland, R.N Ravi has been given additional charge of state of Meghalaya in December
2019. Ravi has been a former intelligence official, specialized in the Northeast, who was appointed as
the Governor of Nagaland in 2019 after an agreement between the Government of India and the
National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isaak-Muivah) in 2014. He has succeeded Tathagata Roy,
who was governor of Meghalaya. It is worth recollecting here that Roy had some differences with the
Meghalaya Government regarding ordinance of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in which the
state cabinet sought mandatory registration of outsiders entering the state.

Deepak Punia: ‘Junior Freestyle Wrestler of the Year‘

United World Wrestling (UWW) adjudged Deepak Punia as the 2019 UWW’s ‘Junior Freestyle
Wrestler of the Year’. The chosen one is the first Indian wrestler in 18 years to win a junior world title
in 86 Kg freestyle category at the Junior World Championships held in Tallinn, Estonia in August
2019. Besides this, he is also the first Indian wrestler and the second from the country to get honoured
by an international federation. Before him, Late Yashvir Singh was the first Indian to get recognition
from International Amateur Wrestling Federation (FILA ) as ‘Coach of the Year’ in 2010.

BP Raju became the 2019 ‘India Cyber Cop of the Year’

Deputy superintendent of Central Bureau of Investigation officer was presented the 2019 ‘India Cyber
Cop of the Year’ award by the National Association of Software and Services Companies
(NASSCOM) - Data Security Council of India(DSCI) in the Annual Information Security Summit
(AISS) held at Gurugram on 17th December 2019. He was honored for solving a fraud case in an
online entrance exam conducted by an engineering college in Rajasthan. This award was conferred
upon him by Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
(MeitY).
8
RIL acquires 51.78% stake in Asteria aerospace
RIL’s wholly-owned subsidiary unit, Reliance Strategic Business Ventures Ltd (RSBVL) purchased a
51.78% stake in Asteria aerospace for Rs 23.12 crore in December 2019. This equity share capital will
boost RSBVL’s initiatives in the emerging technology sector. Reliance Strategic Business Ventures
Ltd has a plan of investing Rs 125 crore more in Asteria if it succeeds in achieving the agreed target.
Besides this, Reliance Strategic Business Ventures Ltd also acquired an 85 % stake in a homegrown
start-up NowFloats Technologies for Rs 141.63 crore.

Chhattisgarh topped in “Digital States of India – A Comparative Analysis”

Research and consulting organization, Coeus Age Consulting has released a report titled “Digital
States of India – A Comparative Analysis” in which it has mapped all the States and Union Territories
of India on their policy and infrastructure readiness and mission mode project’s performance.
Chhattisgarh topped the list followed by Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh
in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th place respectively. Haryana was found to have made the biggest leap in
the ranking moving from 10th place in 2017 to 3rd place in 2019.

ICMR laid Guidelines on Gene Therapy

The Indian Council on Medical Research has issued guidelines on Gene Therapy to enable the
stakeholders to comply with the R&D of Gene Therapeutic Products being produced and tested inside
the country. Framed on scientific and ethical considerations, the guidelines explain the responsibilities
of investigators, sponsors, and institutions. It also covers considerations like quality assurance,
manufacturing, and control, etc. The guidelines give clear instructions for clinical trials. It speaks about
principles regarding the signing of international collaboration and procurement of Genetic Therapeutic
Products (GTP) that deliver nucleic acid by various means for therapeutic benefit to patients. The
therapies are mainly used to treat rare diseases and India has around 70 million patients suffering from
rare diseases.

Sridhar Patra : The New CMD of NALCO

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
appointed Sridhar Patra as the new chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) of one of the largest
integrated Bauxite-Alumina-Aluminium- Power Complex in India, National Aluminium Company
Limited (NALCO). He will be on the post till the date of his superannuation, i.e. on 31st October 2024
or until further orders, whichever is earlier. Currently, he is serving in the capacity of the Director
(Finance) in NALCO.
9
Smriti Mandhana is in news
India’s opener Smriti Mandhana has been named in both the International Cricket Council's ODI and
T20 teams of the year, capping off a memorable season. She has Jhulan Goswami, Poonam Yadav and
Shikha Pandey for the company in the ODI team of the year and all-rounder Deepti Sharma in the T20
side. So far she has played 51 ODIs and 66 T20Is for the country, besides a couple of Test matches
and has a combined tally of 3476 runs in T20Is and ODIs.

The demise of Shreeram Lagoo

92-year old Veteran actor Shreeram Lagoo died of age-related ailments in Pune on 17th December
2019. The deceased played an important role in the growth of the theatre movement in Maharashtra in
the post-Independence era. He gained popularity via Marathi plays like “Natsamrat” and “Himalayachi
Saoli”, and Marathi film like “Pinjra” as well as Hindi films like “Ek Din Achanak”, “Gharonda” and
“Lawaris” etc. Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar has paid his tribute to all-
time great artist Shreeram Lagoo.

ITBP launched a matrimonial site for its staff

In December 2019, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) introduced a dedicated matrimonial site for its
staff. With this first of its kind move, the border guarding paramilitary force of Indo-Tibetan Border
Police (ITBP) became the first one to do so among Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). This website
will be managed by ITBP and only the staff will be able to access it. As conveyed by the Home
Ministry, there are about 2.5 lakh bachelors in all the CAPFs that have a combined strength of about
10 lakh personnel, while ITBP has 25,000 bachelors and 1,000 spinsters in its various ranks at present.
The portal has been developed for unmarried, widowed and separated personnel of both genders in
combat and other ranks to help them find a suitable soulmate within their service

Gujarat : The 7th Recipient Of President Colours

Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu conferred ‘President’s Colours’ upon the Gujarat police at a
ceremony held in Karai Police Academy in Gandhi Nagar on 15 December 2019. With this, Gujarat
became the seventh state to receive the prestigious President’s Colours or an emblem ‘Nishaan’. All
police officers of Gujarat will wear this emblem on the left-hand sleeve of their uniform. In addition
to this, a specially designed flag was also bestowed to the police of this state. On this occasion, a new
logo of the Gujarat Police was also unveiled. They received this honor in recognition of their tireless,
longstanding and meritorious service, gallantry and dedication to the nation. The recipients are well
equipped with modern technology, skills, and training to improve their efficiency in maintaining law
and order and peace. The Gujarat Police is the 8th largest police force in the country.

10
Steeling India-2019
The Confederation of Indian Industry organized the “Steeling India 2019” conference on 16th
December 2019, which is meant to increase metal intensity in key sectors like automobile,
infrastructure, railway, water, irrigation, and housing. It aimed at the promotion of steel-intensive
structures and the augmentation of steel consumption. Steel producers, consumers and policy advisors
attended the conference. The conference framed a road map and brought in strategies to mitigate
supply chain issues in the steel sector. It paved the way for India’s target of 300 MT of production by
2030 (according to National Steel Policy). According to the World Steel Association prediction, steel
demand in India is likely to reach 103 MT (Million Tonnes) this year.

Parliament passes Recycling of Ships Bill; Lok Sabha clears the Arms (Amendment) Bill
On Monday, the Parliament passed the Recycling of Ships Bill, 2019, with the Rajya Sabha’s approval.
The bill restricts the use of hazardous materials on ships and defines ship recycling as dismantling it
at a facility to recover the components and materials for reuse and taking care of the so-produced
hazardous material. On the other hand, the Lok Sabha passed the Arms (Amendment) Bill, 2019 on
the same day. This bill seeks to reduce the number of licensed arms per person and to increase the
quantum of penalties for violation of the law. It is worth noting that the menace caused by celebratory
firing will also be punishable now.

Death penalty for rapists: Andhra Pradesh cabinet clears bill

The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet clears the Bill Proposing Death Penalty For Rapists. The Bill mandates
that from the day of an FIR being filed, the entire trial should not take more than 21 days. The “Andhra
Pradesh Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2019”, will now be called “Andhra Pradesh Disha Act,
2019”. The A.P. Cabinet also gave its nod for the introduction of the Special Courts for Specified
Offences against Women and Children Bill, 2019, for dealing with offences including rape and gang-
rape, acid attacks, stalking, voyeurism, sexual harassment and cases under the Protection of Children
from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Once the Bill is passed by the State Assembly, Andhra Pradesh
will be the first state in India to have capital punishment for rape cases.

The Sixth Indian Ocean Dialogue

External Affairs Ministry will be hosting the 6th Indian Ocean Dialogue and Delhi Dialogue XI at the
Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in New Delhi on the 13th and 14th of December 2019. The Indian Ocean
Dialogue will take place on 13th December on the "Indo-Pacific: Re-imagining the Indian Ocean
through an Expanded Geography” theme. While the Delhi Dialogue XI will begin on Friday evening
on the "Advancing Partnership in Indo-Pacific” theme. According to the Ministry, the themes will
build on the growing recognition of the Indo-Pacific concept in strategic and academic circles within
the region and beyond.
11
The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019
The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019, which won the approval of Lok Sabha on 9th December 2019,
succeeded in winning Rajya Sabha’s approval on 11th December 2019. 125 members supported the
legislation while 105 opposed it. The bill seeks amendment in the Citizenship Act, 1955 to make illegal
migrants of six communities viz. Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan eligible for Indian citizenship. Home Minister Amit Shah
assured Muslims that it is not against the Muslims and they will continue to enjoy the rights of the
citizens of the country. He also drove the fear of the people from the North-Eastern States away,
assuring that the bill will not affect their interests. He further added that the legislation will fetch a
new light into the lives of the people who were facing religious persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan,
and Bangladesh.

‘Must See Monuments’ in India

The Minister of State for Culture and Tourism, Prahlad Patel, broke a piece of information regarding
the 138 ‘Must See Monuments’ identified by the Archaeological Survey of India. This information is
accessible on the ‘Must See’ portal of ASI. It features outstanding Indian monuments and
archaeological sites, under the protection of ASI, which includes those that feature on the World
Heritage List of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The
listed areas present a unique testimony to civilization in the past, as they showcase exceptionality in
terms of arts and architecture, planning and design and exemplary engineering skills.

Maharashtra has the highest employable talent

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Association of Indian University (AIU) together
released an ‘India Skills Report 2019'. It is about the employability of citizens in the country across
the states. Maharashtra topped the list with the highest employable talent followed by Tamil Nadu and
Uttar Pradesh in the second and third places respectively. The report also ranked the cities based on
the availability of employment of which Mumbai, Hyderabad and Pune emerged as the most
employable cities in the country. And profession-wise MBA holders replaced engineers at the top slot
with an employability score of 54% this year. The MBA category was followed by pharmacy,
commerce and arts candidates at second, third and fourth places respectively.

National Energy Conservation Week

Several government enterprises and public sector undertakings are all set to celebrate National Energy
Conservation Week from Energy Conservation Day, 14th December to 20th December 2019.
Numerous energy conservation message-oriented activities are in queue. The Energy Conservation

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Day is celebrated annually since 1991. It is an initiative of Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) to
demonstrate achievements of government in saving energy and conservation. On this day, the
Petroleum Conservation Research Association creates public awareness in saving fossil fuels. Besides
this, National Energy Conservation awards are distributed to industries that exhibit key role in
conserving energy.

ISRO is in action
The Indian Space Research Organization is ready to launch ‘Duchifat 3’, a satellite constructed by
three youngsters Alon Abramovich, Meitav Assulin and Shmuel Aviv Levi from Sha’ar HaNegev
High school of Israel on PSLV C48 from Sriharikota on 11th December 2019. With a dimension of
10x10x30 cm and 2.3 kg in weight , the remote sensing and photo satellite is meant for ecological
research of Earth regarding air pollution, water source pollution, forest monitoring, and helping
agriculturists from space. Along with this, ISRO will also introduce India’s RISAT-2BR1, that is a
spy satellite to strengthen Indian military’s Earth surveillance. It will also launch other foreign
satellites viz. Italy’s search and rescue Tyvak-0092, Japan’s QPS-SAR – a radar imaging earth
observation satellite and USA’s multi-mission Lemur-4 satellites and earth imaging 1HOPSAT,
technology demonstration Tyvak-0129, which are international customer satellites under a
commercial arrangement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) under Department of Space.

The impressive medal tally of India at South Asian Games

India in its South Asian Games campaign has so far earned 214 medals that includes 110 gold, 69
silver and 35 bronze in Nepal. The prominent ones came via athletics, where India clinched 49 medals
viz. 23 gold, 20 silver and 6 bronze. Two gold and five silver medals came via table tennis category
and so on. These South Asian games were held in different cities of Nepal namely Kathmandu,
Pokhara and Janakpur. And Cricket has also been included this time after 8 years. Around 2,715
athletes participated in the event that featured Black bucks as its mascot. In India, hunting of
Blackbucks is a crime under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Space Technology Cells in premier institutions

The Indian Space Research Organization announced the establishment of five Space Technology Cells
at the premier institutes viz. IISc, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Bombay, IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur for research
activities. The Technology cells will give space to professors and scholars associated with the
institutes. So far among IITs, IIT-Roorke is carrying a joint programme on “Thin Membrane-based
technology to develop parachutes for fighter aircraft”with DRDO and ISRO. The upcoming Space
Technology Cells will concentrate on the development of propulsion systems’ design and
optimization, rocket and satellite technology, aerodynamics and heat transfer related problems.

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Rajya Sabha echoed with Santhali
MP Sarojni Hembram from Odisha spoke about matters of public importance in a tribal language
called Santhali and it became the first occasion when Rajya Sabha heard a tribal language during zero
hour session. The MP also demanded Bharat Ratna for Pandit Raghunath Murmu, the Santhali scholar
who launched Ol Chiki script for the language in year 1925. This language is prevalent in West Bengal,
Jharkhand, Assam, Odisha as well as in Nepal and Bangladesh. Schedule 8 of the Indian Constitution
through the 92nd Constitutional Amendment act, 2003 registered the official entry of the language.
Santal Tribe, classified under Scheduled Tribes is the third largest tribal group in India.

GST Stakeholder Feedback Diwas

7th December 2019 was observed as GST (Goods and Services Tax) Stakeholder Feedback Diwas by
the central and state authorities in response to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s direction
of obtaining on-the-spot response and suggestions concerning the new system for filing GST Returns
which will be introduced from the next fiscal year. The new return form will be made mandatory from
1st April 2020 across the country. Around 7,500 trade associations/stakeholders, large number of
taxpayers, all prominent chambers of commerce and industry, compliance managers and tax
practitioners participated in this event. They were encouraged to upload GST returns (ANX-1 and 2)
and give feedback regarding ease of compliance, deficiencies, improvements and uploading.

Army Forces Flag Day

Nation celebrated the annual Armed Forces Flag Day on 7th December 2019 for fund collection from
people of India for the welfare of Indian Armed Forces viz. rehabilitation of battle casualties,
resettlement and welfare of ex-servicemen and their families and welfare of serving personnel and
their families. All the three forces of the India arranged carnivals, shows and dramas to display their
roles in ensuring national security. They distributed car flags, small flags in deep blue, red and light
blue colors that represent the three services to donors. This day was observed for the first time in 1949.

Artificial Intelligence entered CBSE curriculum

The Ministry of Human Resource and Development has introduced the subject of Artificial
Intelligence in classes VIII, IX and X in CBSE schools on 6th December 2019. Today Artificial
Intelligence is blooming to execute tasks like visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making
and translating languages by naturally imbibing into human intelligence. Further the subject is
minimizing error. The CBSE has collaborated with many organizations like Microsoft, Intel, IBM to
prepare the module of Artificial Intelligence and has already trained around 1000 teachers for hands-
on knowledge on tools like Flipgrid, OneNote, Outlook, Minecraft, etc. They have also been imparted
projects on digital story-telling, tools to create BOTs and concepts around artificial intelligence.

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The Sarai Sewage Treatment Plant of Uttarakhand
Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra
Singh Rawat inaugurated a Sewage Treatment Plant in Haridwar district of Uttarakhand in the benign
presence of Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia on 5th December 2019. It is the first
Sewage Treatment Plant that got completed under Hybrid Annuity (HAM) Based Public Private
Partnership Model (PPPM). Unique feature of this HAM project is that the plant will also be
maintained and operated for a period of 15 years by the same developer. The 14 million litres per day
Sarai Sewage Treatment Plant has been constructed at expenditure of Rs.41.40 crore under Central
government’s Namami Gange Programme and it is based on advanced aerobic biological process,
Sequential Batch Reactor (SBR) process with capacity of removing nutrients during treatment and is
a 100% eco-friendly project. The plant promises the highest standards of output parameters.

The Fourth India Water Impact Summit

On the theme of ‘Financing of High Impact projects in the water sector’, Union Minister of Jal Shakti
inaugurated the fourth water impact summit in New Delhi. It was about addressing the biggest
problems associated with water via integrated management of water resources in rural and urban
areas. It drew attention towards study of usage of water and its impact as India holds only about 4%
of global fresh water but is home to 18% of world population. In order to control the impact of human
activities on water and to reduce water scarcity, the Indian government is running initiatives like
Environment Flow and Urban River Management Plan, Ganga River Basin Management Plan, Jal
Jeevan Mission, National Mission for Clean Ganga, etc. The summit also held the second Water
Finance Forum which was meant to fetch global financial investors and institutions together.

Head on Generation technology now in Indian Railways

The Indian Railways has recently introduced an environment friendly and energy efficient solution in
passenger trains to tackle noise and air pollution problem. The technology changes the locomotives
and coaches and makes them suitable for Head On Generation. The Railways has developed and
improvised converters that can replace diesel generators. Big noise making fume emitting power
generators will be replaced by silent generators. The technology draws power from overhead electric
supply and minimizes noise level and reduces emission of carbon dioxide as well as diesel
consumption. In India this technology was launched in the year 1996 after India signed an agreement
with Germany and Germany transferred the technology to the Indian Coach Factories. Rajdhani,
Samprak Kranti, Duronto, Shatabdi and Hamsafar are few trains in which the technology was first
implemented.

15
The Third Edition Of National Public Procurement Conclave
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal inaugurated the third edition of two-day National
Public Procurement Conclave in New Delhi on 5th December 2019. Government e-Marketplace in
association with Confederation of Indian Industry organized this event. The ongoing conclave aims at
creating a road map for the future of GeM to unify all government procurement, across all Ministries
and Departments. It further anticipates an actionable agenda to facilitate work contracts in the form of
tenders to be made available on the GeM portal in future. GeM is a perfect example of openness,
fairness and inclusiveness and is a symbol of a truly transparent e-marketplace.

A New Book ‘The Legacy of Militancy in Punjab’

Civil rights activist Inderjit Singh Jaijee and journalist Dona Suri released a new book titled, ‘The
Legacy of Militancy in Punjab’ that speaks about how Punjab’s militancy (from1984 to 1994) affected
judiciary by delaying trials, how the popular culture has been influenced and response of youth towards
conditions in the northern state. Published by SAGE, it showcases the developments in post-militancy
Punjab regarding politics, govt policies, and functioning of police and courts along with other things.
It elaborates on Khalistan movement that sought to create a separate country called Khalistān for Sikh
community of the country.

Regulations on Debt ETFs and index funds

Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India laid norms for debt exchange-traded funds
(ETFs) and index funds, as a part of the government’s efforts to enhance depth in the bond market and
draw retail investors to debt products. The norms are in line with the former finance minister Arun
Jaitley 2018-19 budget speech and will not be applicable to debt ETFs, tracking debt indices having
constituents as government securities, treasury bills and tri-party repo. According to the norms, Index
created for debt ETF should have a minimum of eight companies. Any single issuer can have
maximum 15% weight in the index. All the constituents of the index are required to possess investment
grade as well as a defined credit rating and defined maturity among other regulations.

DAC’s approval for procurement of weapons

Recently Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh agreed on
the procurement of weapons and equipment worth Rs. 22,800 crore. Among the weapons and
equipments, comes Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) India aircraft, Long Range
Maritime Reconnaissance (LRMR) Anti-Submarine Warfare P8I aircraft, Twin Engine Heavy
Helicopters (TEHH) and Thermal imaging night sights for assault rifles. Some of these will be
developed in India to strengthen and promote ‘Make in India’ initiative.

16
‘Ek Bharat Shreshta Bharat’ Conference
Minister of State (MoS) for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated
a two-day Regional Conference on ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ to address ‘Jal Shakti and Disaster
Management’ in Jammu. The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances
(DARPG) in association with Governments of Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Jammu &
Kashmir were the organizers of this event. The conference became witness of technical sessions on
Water Warriors Discussion, Rejuvenation of Rivers- Cauvery and Jhelum, Reducing Water
Consumption in Agriculture, disaster management like Urban Flooding, Management of Floods,
Forecasting & Early Warning, Emergency Responses and NDRF (National Disaster Response Force
) Rescue Operations-2014 Srinagar Floods and 2015 Chennai Floods along with the release of the
Special issue of e-Magazine’ Minimum Government Maximum Governance’. It also initiated the
integration of Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS ) Portal of
Government of India and Awaaz-e-Awam Portal of Jammu & Kashmir.

The Ongoing Pension Week

Labour Ministry is celebrating Pension Week from 30th Nov 2019 to 6th Dec 2019 to increase 1 crore
enrolments under Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM-SYM) & 50 lakh under National
Pension Scheme for traders and self-employees (NPS-Traders) by March 2020. PM-SYM is the
scheme is for unorganized workers like street vendors, mid-day meal workers, head loaders, brick kiln
workers, cobblers, domestic workers, etc. with monthly income not more than Rs.15,000 in the age
group of 18-40 years and they should not be a member of any organized sectors like New Pension
Scheme (NPS), Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) scheme or Employees’ Provident
Fund Organization (EPFO) and he/she should be an Income Tax (IT) payer. While, the NPS-Traders
scheme is meant for old age protection and social security of retail traders/ shopkeepers and self-
employed persons whose annual turnover is not more than Rs. 1.5 crore.

Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi won the trust vote

On 30th November 2019, Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi won the trust vote in Maharashtra
Assembly. Ashok Chavan of Congress proposed the trust vote while NCP's Nawab Malik and Shiv
Sena's Sunil Prabhu seconded it. In this session a total of 169 MLAs voted in favour of the confidence
motion while four members abstained which included two from the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul
Muslimeen, one from CPI(M) and a member of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. As 105 BJP MLAs
were absent on the occasion so zero votes were cast against the motion. In context to walkout of BJP,

17
former Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis expressed dissatisfaction regarding the
appointment of NCP leader Dilip Walse Patil as pro-tem Speaker and condemned the Assembly
session as illegal and unconstitutional. He also underlined violation of the Constitution as ‘Vande
Mataram’ was not played to signal the start of proceedings and stated that the oath-taking ceremony
of Uddhav Thackeray and his six ministers was also not as per the rules.

Short films on environment were applauded

The Ministry of Environment distributed awards for a short film competition on environment on 1st
December 2019. Additional Secretary in the Environment Ministry, Ravi Agrawal bestowed the
awards to various school students and professionals for their documentaries and films in a ceremony
in New Delhi. Member of Parliament Suresh Prabhu, who chaired the Jury comprising film directors
Ramesh Sippy, Rahul Rawail and Manju Borah, selected the final awardees selected the final awardees
from 90 nominated films out of 345 received entries.

DHFL became the first financial services firm to be taken to NCLT

On November 30, 2019, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) referred Dewan Housing Finance Corp. Ltd
(DHFL) to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for insolvency proceedings and with this, it
has become the first financial services player to go NCLT for a possible debt resolution. DHFL has
recorded a debt of Rrs.83,873 crore. As per the statutory inspection of DHFL conducted by the
National Housing Bank, the DHFL revealed a serious deterioration in its finances. The firm recorded
public deposits of Rs.6,188 crore as on 6 July 2019, down from Rs.10,166.72 crore as on 31 March
2018.

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Obituary ohf World’s Oldest Female Black Rhino
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority of Tanzania broke the sad news of the demise of
World’s Oldest Female Black Rhino, named ‘Fausta’ at the age of 57. As per the authority, “Records
show that Fausta lived longer than any rhino in the world and survived in the Ngorongoro, free-
ranging, for more than 54 years before it was kept in a sanctuary for the last three years of its life in
2016.” The deceased rhino was first time located in the Ngorongoro crater in 1965 by a scientist from
the University of Dar es Salaam when she was just three or four years old. It has been observed that
in the wild, rhinos typically live till 37 to 43 years old, or up to 50 years in captivity.

The 19th Joint commission meeting of India & Iran

External Affairs Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar of India and his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif
of Iran co-chaired the 19th Joint Commission Meeting 2019 in in Tehran, Iran. The duo are looking
forward to celebrate the 70th anniversary of bilateral treaty of friendship in 2020 and will promote
exchanges between the Parliamentarians, organize cultural festivals, promote people-to-people contact
and youth exchanges. Besides this, both agreed to speed up the work on the strategic Chabahar project
of India, Iran and Afghanistan which was signed in May 2016. It is said to be a gateway to trade
opportunities with these three countries of Central Asian Nations.

UNGA’s latest resolution

The UN General Assembly approved a resolution censuring human rights abuses against Myanmar's
Rohingya Muslims and other minorities on 27th December 2019. The 193-member world body voted
134-9 in favor of the resolution, invoking Myanmar's government to take urgent measures to fight
incitement of hatred against the Rohingya and other minorities in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan states.
The problem persists with the Buddhist-majority of Myanmar that has long considered the Rohingya
to be Bengalis from Bangladesh even though their families have lived in the country for generations.
They have been denied citizenship, freedom of movement and other basic rights since 1982, which led
them stateless.

Amendment of India-Swiss Air Service Pact

In order to provide commercial opportunities to carriers of India and Switzerland, tune the air service
with developments in the civil aviation sector and create a conducive environment for enhanced as

19
well as seamless connectivity, the Union Cabinet presided by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
approved the signing of Protocol to amend the Agreement between Swiss Federal Council and
Government of India. The protocol will increase the number of Operational Airlines between the two
nations. Currently, there are only two airlines between the duo. According to the recommended
amendment, the ‘designated airlines’ of each country will be free to decide reasonable tariffs without
resorting to anti-competitive and predatory behavior. In addition to this, the designated airline(s) will
be able to use aircraft leased from other company or airline(s)

Samajwadi Party Nepal waved goodbye to Oli Government

In Nepal, the Samajwadi Party Nepal has left Oli government as the government failed to comply with
the two-point agreement with this party. Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli rejected Chairman of the
Party's Central Committee and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Law, Upendra Yadav's
constitution amendment proposal during a recent Cabinet meeting. Past reveals that Yadav had joined
Oli government in June 2018 after an agreement on the constitution amendment regarding unaddressed
issues related to citizenship. At that time, Prime Minister Oli had assured him that the constitution will
be amended keeping in view people’s aspirations and the country’s interest. However now, when Oli
showed that promises are meant to be broken, resignations of Upendra Yadav along with Minister for
Urban Development Mohamed Istiyak Rai chose to come on the table.

The decade witnessed its last solar eclipse

The new moon passed between the Sun and the Earth, appearing to cover part (a partial eclipse) or all
(a total eclipse) as viewed from different points of the Earth's surface. The solar eclipse began at 9:23
p.m. on December 25th as a partial solar eclipse, then reached its first "ring of fire" at 10:34 p.m.
which was visible in Saudi Arabia. The moon passed in front of the sun, that did not completely cover
the Sun's face. Instead, it left a brilliant ring, or annulus, rendering a "ring of fire" effect. This was the
last solar eclipse of 2019, indeed, of the decade. The 88-mile (142 km) visibility path of "ring of fire"
then moved across Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, India, Sri Lanka, Sumatra,
Singapore, Borneo, the Philippines and the U.S. territory of Guam.

Russia, the owner of hypersonic weapons

In December 2019, while unveiling a zircon missile during a meeting of senior military officials in
Moscow, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin highlighted the fact that Russia is the only country in
the world that has hypersonic weapons. The mentioned missile can fly from land to land 10 times
faster than the speed of sound; has a range of over 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) and is capable of
carrying a nuclear or conventional warhead. This the first time Russia has taken such a lead in
designing and constructing a new type of missile which will soon be a part of the army. Besides this,
20
the country owns an ‘Avangard’ missile which is a hypersonic glide vehicle that can deliver both
nuclear and conventional payloads as well as ‘Kinzhal’, another hypersonic glide vehicle, which is
currently serving the Russian Air Force. It is worth knowing that the United States and China are also
pursuing their own hypersonic weapons as the US Air Force has roped Lockheed Martin to make
missiles, while China has been testing hypersonic aircraft.

Iraq's parliament approved a new election law

Iraq's parliament gave nod to the new election law to give a better chance of winning seats to political
independents in parliament. The new law changed the country's 18 provinces into several electoral
districts, with one legislator elected per 100,000 people. This will prevent parties from running on
unified lists, which in the past have helped them easily sweep all the seats in a specific province. Under
this provision, the seats will now go to whoever gets the most votes in the electoral districts. It has
brought relief to hundreds of thousands of protesters who have taken to the streets in Baghdad and the
predominantly Shiite south since October 1. Iraq's 329-member parliament was elected in May 2018.

Pakistan celebrated its victory over Sri Lanka

23rd December 2019 became auspicious for Pakistan as its cricket team registered the first victory in
the Test format of the game on home ground after a decade. It scored a convincing 263-run win over
Sri Lanka in the second Test in Karachi and won the series by 1-0. Pakistan posted a daunting 476-run
target and wrapped the visitors at 212-7. The first Test of the series in Rawalpindi marked the return
of Test cricket in Pakistan, but it had ended in a draw on the pretext of bad weather.

Manuel Marrero became PM of Cuba

Ex Cuba Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero got appointed as the first Prime Minister of the country in
more than four decades. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has appointed him for a five-year term.
The new Prime Minister had been an architect by trade and has helped to shape Cuba’s economy by
making tourism as one of the growth engines for sixteen long years. Flashback reveals, the post of the
prime minister was abolished in 1976 by the then-revolutionary leader and Cuba’s last prime minister
Fidel Castro, who took the title of president of the State Council, which replaced the posts of president
and prime minister of the country in December 1976. In this way, Marrero Cruz has now become the
first appointed Prime Minister of Cuba since 1976. Besides him, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime
Minister and other members of the Council of Ministers were also appointed. The real power holders
Diaz-Canel and Raul Castro will continue as the head of state and the first secretary of Communists
respectively.

21
Eco, the new common currency
French President Emmanuel Macron broke a piece of information during his official visit to Ivory
Coast that the eight West African countries viz. Ivory Coast, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Niger,
Senegal, Togo and Guinea-Bissau that currently use common currency CFA Franc have agreed to
change its name ‘Eco’. Among them Guinea-Bissau, are former French colonies and the CFA franc’s
links to former colonial ruler France. The CFA franc was initially pegged to the French franc and has
been linked to euro for about twenty years. Besides this, Ivory Coast President announced the stop
holding of 50% of reserves in French Treasury and withdrawal of French governance in any aspect
related to the currency. Now the common currency Eco will see the daybreak of 2020.

Portugal announced Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize

Portuguese Prime Minister, Antonio Costa has aired announcement regarding the launch of an annual
Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize to perpetuate Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals during the second meeting
of the National Committee for Commemoration of the 150th Birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi at
Rashtrapati Bhavan recently. The inaugural edition of this prize will be dedicated to animal welfare as
well as Mahatma Gandhi was of the opinion that the greatness of a nation can be judged by the way
its animals are treated.

US imposed sanctions on two Iranian Judges

The United States of America imposed sanctions on two Iranian Judges viz. Revolutionary Court
judges, Justice Abdolghassem Salavati and Justice Mohammad Moghisseh. Justice Abdolghassem
Salavati had sentenced a recently freed American and had also barred more than 100 people for
political reasons. While Justice Mohammad Moghisseh is said to have presided over trials of artists
and over anti-regime social media postings. The sanctions declared all sorts of transactions with the
two judges a crime in the United States, with any assets they may have blocked. Further, the United
States has restricted visas for Iranian officials over last month's crackdown on protests that claimed
over 300 lives as reported by Amnesty International.

Sheikh Hasina addressed the 21st National Council of ruling Awami League
Recently the ruling Awami League President and Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina
inaugurated a two-day National Council of the party at the Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka where Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman had given his popular 7th March address in 1971 and where over 90 thousand troops
of Pakistan army surrendered before the Indian Army and Mukti Bahini, the liberation forces of
Bangladesh after being defeated on December 16, 1971. Sheikh Hasina promised to erect a hunger
and poverty-free Sonar Bangla as dreamt by Rahman. Thousands of Awami League workers from
across the country participated in the National Council of the party, which is the highest decision
making body of the party which elects the office bearers of the Awami League.
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Trump launched the new US military service
US President Donald Trump officially launched the US military ‘Space Force’ at an army base near
Washington for the world’s newest war-fighting domain. This Space Force comprised 16,000 Air
Force and civilian personnel in the United States’ first new military service in more than 70 years since
Air Force was spun off from US Army in 1947, which will help to deter aggression and control the
ultimate high ground. It is not meant to put combat troops in space but will be the provider of forces
for the protection of US assets like hundreds of satellites used for communication and surveillance. It
will build on the work of US Space Command (SpaceCom), which was created in August 2019 as the
overseer of the US military’s space operations. It will be administered by Secretary of the Air Force.

Pope Francis abolished "pontifical secret" used in clergy sex abuse cases
In December 2019 on the occasion of Pope Francis' 83rd birthday, the Pope has abolished the pontifical
secret used in clergy sexual abuse cases, after mounting criticism. The Church previously dealt with
sexual abuse cases in secrecy, to protect the privacy of victims and reputations of the accused. But
now to improve transparency and the ability of the police and other civil legal authorities to request
information from the Church, the rule of the pontifical secret has been dissolved. The Vatican officials
will still treat the information in abuse cases with security, integrity, and confidentiality while
complying with civil laws and assisting civil judicial authorities in investigating such cases. Besides
this, the Pope has also changed the Vatican's definition of child pornography, increasing the age of the
subject from 14 or under to 18 or under.

Ethiopia launched its first satellite

December 2019 brought Ethiopia in Space as the African country succeeded in launching its first
Ethiopian Remote Sensing Satellite (ETRSS-1) from a space station in China. This satellite is expected
to provide a fuller picture of the country's agriculture, forestry and mining resources and improve
responses to flooding and other disasters. This was a landmark achievement for the country's space
program that caps a banner year for the African space industry. This was the eighth launch of an
African satellite this year, which topped the earlier record of seven in 2017. This launch makes
Ethiopia the eleventh African country to send a satellite into space, while Egypt was the first in 1998.

The Sixth India-Maldives Joint Commission Meeting

Minister of External Affairs (MEA) Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Maldives Foreign Minister
Abdulla Shahid co-chaired the 6th Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) between India and Maldives in
New Delhi which took place after a gap of four years in December 2019. The two countries inked
agreements regarding Cooperation between the election commissions of India and Maldives,
Cooperation between their Financial Intelligence Units(FIU) and Instrument of Ratification (also
MoU) for the treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters of India and Maldives.
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18th December : World Arabic Language Day
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) observed the annual
World Arabic Language Day on December 18, 2019 on the “Arabic Language and Artificial
Intelligence (AI)” theme. The permanent delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Sultan
Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud Foundation celebrated this event at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France.
The day has been observed since 2012 to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity of the Arabic
language. On this date in 1973 the UN General Assembly (UNGA) had adopted Arabic as the 6th
official language of the organisation.

Commission of China’s first indigenously aircraft carrier.

China has deployed its first indigenously built aircraft carrier “Shandong” in December 2019. Named
after the Shandong province, from Sanya, a key establishment in the South China Sea, it is a second
aircraft carrier of China after Liaoning. ‘Shandong’ is bigger than ‘Liaoning’, which can carry 36
combat aircraft. Both are conventionally powered ships with ski jump-assisted short take-off-barrier-
arrested-recovery (STOBAR) launch systems. As far as India is concerned, it has an aircraft carrier
named ‘INS Vikramaditya’ in operation. Its second aircraft carrier ‘INS Vikrant’ is under construction
in Kochi (Kerala), which is expected to get into service in 2022.

Indian peacekeepers got rewarded with UN Medal

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) acknowledged around 850 Indian peacekeepers with the
prestigious UN medal for their outstanding contribution to building peace in conflict-affected South
Sudan. Presently 2,342 Indian troops and 25 police personnel are deployed with the UN Mission in
South Sudan out of which 323 of them are engineers and medical staff. India is among the largest
troops contributing countries to UN peacekeeping operations, that is serving the local communities
beyond their duties.

Conclusion of the Global Refugee Forum

The two-day first edition of the Global Refugee Forum concluded on 18th December 2019 in Geneva,
Switzerland. Hosted by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Government of
Switzerland, the forum focused on arrangements for burden and responsibility-sharing, solutions,
energy and infrastructure, protection capacity, jobs and livelihoods, and education. It was meant to
translate international solidarity into concrete action via encouraging the exchange of good practices
at national, regional or global levels. The forum was convened at the ministerial level in which UN
member states, private businesses, nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations (including Jesuit
Refugee Service (JRS)), high-level delegations from co-host Switzerland and from co-convening
countries like Germany, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Turkey, and Pakistan as well as UN Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres were the participants.
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‘Suiso frontier’: World’s first liquid hydrogen transport ship
In December 2019, a Japanese public multinational corporation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd
introduced the world’s very first ocean-going liquid hydrogen carrier ship, ‘Suiso Frontier’ at a
ceremony at Kobe Works yard, Japan. The 116 m long, 19 m wide, 4.5 m deep ship is meant to carry
liquid hydrogen at minus 253°C produced in the south coast of Australia to unload in Kobe, Japan. It
has gross tonnage 8,000 t. propulsion via Diesel engine electric power generation, and voyage speed
of 13 knots. it will get completed by late 2020.

Pakistani Cricketer Abid Ali scripted news headlines

On 15th December 2019, 32-year-old Pakistani cricket player Abid Ali scored a hundred in his maiden
Test appearance against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi stadium in Pakistan, while he also completed a
unique double, with his ton on ODI debut in March 2019 against Australia. With this, he became the
first and the only male player in cricket history to score hundreds on both test and ODI debut.
England’s woman cricketer Enid Bakewell has also achieved the feat in the past. She had played 12
Tests and 23 ODI matches between 1968 and 1979, was the first cricketer to start both ODI and Test
career with a century.

Donald Trump is facing Senate’s blaze

The House of Representatives accused President Donald Trump of obstruction of Congress and abuse
of power on 18th December 2019. With this, he has become the third president in history to be charged
with committing high crimes and misdemeanors and face removal by the Senate. All but two
Democrats supported the article on abuse of power, which charged Trump of corruptly using the levers
of government to seek election assistance from Ukraine in the form of investigations to discredit his
Democratic political rivals. Republicans were united in opposition. It passed this article with 230-197
votes. On the second charge, obstruction of Congress, a third Democrat joined Republicans in
opposition and the vote was 229-198. These votes have set the stage for a historic trial beginning early
next year which will decide on whether to acquit the 45th president or convict and remove him from
office.

Pervez Musharraf is in for capital punishment

18th December 2019 became a black-letter day for Pakistan's former dictator Pervez Musharraf. He
has been sentenced to death by a three-member bench of a special court, headed by the Peshawar High
Court Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth in a case of treason for overthrowing the Constitution.
However, his legal team can appeal the verdict of Special court in the Supreme Court. And in case if
the top court upholds the special court's verdict, then he’ll seek the mercy of President of Pakistan,
Arif Alvi, who possesses the constitutional authority under Article 45 to pardon a death row defendant.

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It is the first occasion in Pakistan's history that a military chief has been declared guilty of high treason.
Musharraf snatched power by ousting the then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif in a 1999 bloodless coup.
He was Pakistan's President from 2001 to 2008 and has been sentenced for suspending the Constitution
and imposing an extra-constitutional emergency in the year 2007.

Toni-Ann Singh became Miss world 2019

December 2019 became auspicious for the 23-year old Toni-Ann Singh of Jamaica, who got crowned
as Miss World 2019 by Miss World 2018-Vanessa Ponce of Mexico at the 69th Miss World
competition 2019 held at the ExCeL London international center in London, United Kingdom(UK).
Toni-Ann is the 4th Jamaican to win this most coveted title. Miss France, Ophely Mezino and Miss
India 2019, Suman Ratan Singh Rao turned out as the first and second runners up respectively in the
contest. India’s 21 years old Suman Rao (Rajasthan) became Miss World Asia.

International Tea Day

The world observed the annual International Tea Day on December 16, 2019. Tea producing countries
like India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, and
Malaysia have been observing this day since 2005. The day was meant to draw global attention of
governments and citizens towards the effect of global tea trade on workers and growers as well as to
make a request for price supports and fair trade. In this context, it is worth knowing that as May is the
quality tea manufacturing season in most tea producing countries so, 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 in the
month of May. And the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has now accepted India’s proposal
and designated May 21st as International Tea Day.

China has set its eyes on Bougainville

Recently China has begun to extend its political and economic presence in the new country
Bougainville, which is a chain of islands that achieved independence via a referendum of independence
from Papua Guinea. The peace agreement that was signed to end the nine-year conflict or the civil war
regarding employment and land acquisition on the island by copper mines (owned by Papua Guinea,
Australia, and other foreign countries) reached its end and so need of this referendum was felt. China’s
support to the island is drawing Pacific islands against Taiwan. Recently Taiwan lost two of its Pacific
allies. Australia, UK, and US are viewing this move of China as its attempt of bringing Bougainville
into its debt-trap diplomacy. China seems to be interested in Bougainville’s rich fisheries, copper, gold
and other resources.

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World Design Protopolis
During India’s largest design conclave, Kochi Design Week (KDW) at Bolgatty Island in Kerala, the
World Design Organization (WDO) announced its plan of introducing a new five-year global program
“World Design Protopolis” in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It is meant to implement holistic progress in
megacities worldwide and thus making them sustainable. The project will measure the progress of the
city, attract investments and solve problems so that the city becomes a better place for citizens. It has
selected Bengaluru as the first-ever city on the globe to implement this project, which is exclusively
meant for megacities.

USMCA trade deal signed by US, Mexico & Canada

Canada’s deputy prime minister, Chrystia Freelanda, Mexico’s chief negotiator, the deputy foreign
minister, Jesus Seade and the US trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, signed a fresh overhaul of a
quarter-century-old trade pact after months of negotiations. The pact was signed at the presidential
palace in Mexico City on December 10th 2019. The final approval is now awaited from the countries'
legislatures. Amongst others were Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, and Trump’s
son-in-law, Jared Kushner, at the event. It is worth noticing that the accord is meant to replace the
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), a deal that was in place since 1994.

Two articles of impeachment, accusing Trump of 'high crimes and misdemeanors', unveiled
On Tuesday, the House of Democratic Leaders called for President Trump’s removal from office,
contending that he “ignored and injured the interests of the nation” in two articles of impeachment
charging Trump "with committing high crimes and misdemeanors.” The first article revealed by the
committee chief Jerry Nadler accuses Trump of abuse of power and the second accuses him of
obstructing Congress. Democrats are expected to move swiftly to hold a committee and floor vote
before the holiday break. If one or more of the articles pass, the Senate would then hold a trial to
consider removing Trump.

Abiy Ahmed: The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize Winner

December 10th, 2019 became a red-letter day for the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, as he
became the “Nobel Peace Laureate” for the year 2019 for his outstanding efforts in achieving
international peace and cooperation at Oslo's City Hall, Norway. It is worth recalling here that July 9,
2018, spelled an end of a 20-year-old stalemate which was due to the 1998-2000 border conflict
between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Prior to this, a historic meeting was held between Ethiopian Prime
Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki in Eritrea's capital Asmara in which this
decision was taken. This was the 100th Nobel Peace Prize, which consisted of a diploma, a gold medal
and a cheque for nine million Swedish kronor (850,000 euros).

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Abu Dhabi: World’s Leading Sports Tourism Destination
In the 26th edition of the World Travel Awards (WTA), Abu Dhabi was selected as the World’s
Leading Sports Tourism Destination for the seventh consecutive time in Muscat, Oman. The year 2019
fetched many prestigious accolades to Abu Dhabi, including being selected as Best City Break at the
UK’s Selling Travel Agents’ Choice Awards and West Asia’s Leading Business Tourism Destination
at the West Asia edition of WTA. Its selection for the seventh consecutive time shows its level of
development and promotion of sport - facilities and events. In early 2019, the Department of Culture
and Tourism, Abu Dhabi did a 5-year partnership with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for
hosting annual premier fixtures under Abu Dhabi Showdown Week. It has been a premium destination
for sports tourism as it hosted some of the world’s top sporting events viz. FIFA Club World Cup 2017
and 2018, the first edition of UAE Tour, the UFC 242 showdown, the Special Olympics World Games
2019, the AFC Asian Cup 2019, and the Brazil vs South Korea international friendly match and many
more.

Cheers For World’s First Electronic Flight

On 10th December 2019, the first fully electronic flight in the world completed its test flight from
Vancouver, Canada to the nearby islands. The zero-emission electronic flight proved that all-electric
commercial aviation is possible. Designed by the company Harbor Air, the employed electrical aircraft
was a 6-seater seaplane that was retrofitted with an electric motor. This first flight lasted for 15
minutes. India is also running several campaigns to promote and incentivize the use of electric
vehicles.

The Beginning of Russia-Ukraine ceasefire round

In December 2019, during the Paris summit, Germany and France succeeded in persuading Russian
President Vladimir Putin and the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to restore peace by
implementing a cease-fire. Flashback reveals that, in 2014, Russia took possession of the Crimea
peninsula of Ukraine with the help of pro-Russian separatists. Located in the north of the Black Sea,
Crimea Peninsula is important in access to the Black Sea. Following this, Russia conducted several
military actions as well as seized three Ukrainian ships here in 2018. Now after this agreement on a
ceasefire round, the duo will exchange prisoners and by the end of March 2020, the conflicting
countries decided to disengage military forces in the other three additional regions of Ukraine. They
have also settled the issue of Russian gas exports through the Ukraine border.

The Third 2+2 Dialogue Between India & Australia

Defense Secretary Ajay Kumar and Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale of India and their counterparts
Australian Defense Secretary Greg Moriarty and Foreign Secretary Frances Adamson carried out the

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third 2+2 dialogue on behalf of India & Australia. They discussed at length issues related to bilateral
defense engagements, areas towards enhancing cooperation in the field of the defense industry and
defense technology as well as prevailing regional security concerns. Prior to this, a maiden India-Japan
2+2 ministerial dialogue was also held in New Delhi. Further India is looking forward to holding a
ministerial-level 2+2 dialogue with the US in Washington on 18th December 2019.

United States brought the curtain down on WTO appeal court

The Appeal Court of the World Trade Organization that acts as a trade dispute settlement body for the
members has been shut down by the United States on December 9, 2019. The United States of America
has completely blocked the seven-member body that was scraped down to a 3-member body in 2018.
This has been done on the pretext of excessive long time duration in settlement of conflicts; the
majority of registered disputes were found to have been resolved outside the WTO. Now without the
WTO's appellate body, the dispute settlement will go back to the pre-1995 GATT (General Agreement
on Tariffs and Trade) status quo.

Wozniacki announced her retirement

On 6th December 2019, former World No.1 Tennis Player, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark
announced her retirement at the age of 29. The upcoming Australian Open, the first Grand Slam
tournament of the year 2019 and WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) event in Auckland will be her
last tournament. Flashback reveals that beginning from the age of 15 in the year 2005, she succeeded
in achieving the top WTA rankings for 71 weeks that made her the world’s best player in October
2010. In her career she clinched 30 WTA titles including the 2017 Tour Finals in Singapore and
finished 11 straight seasons in the world top 20. The outgoing champion is currently at 37th rank.

Demise of Ron Leibman

Ron Leibman, winner of Tony Award (1993) for performance in the Broadway’s Angels in America
& an Emmy Award (1979) on the short-lived CBS show Kaz, died of pneumonia at the age of 82 on
7th December 2019. The deceased was best known for his role of Dr. Leonard Green, the father of
Jennifer Aniston’s Rachel Green, on TV’s Friends. In his 60 year long career he appeared in a variety
of dramas and comic roles and became recipient of Drama Desk Awards for his role in ‘We Bombed
in New Haven’ & ‘Transfers ‘ between 1969 and 1970.

The Diwali-Power of One Awardees

Four noted diplomats have been felicitated with the ‘Diwali – Power of One’ awards in New York,
United States for their exemplary contribution at the United Nations (UN), for a secure and peaceful

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world. Kairat Abdrakhmanov (Kazakhstan, Former Foreign Minister and Permanent Representative
of Kazakhstan to UN); Nicholas Emiliou (Cyprus, former Permanent Representative of Cyprus to UN);
Frantisek Ruzicka (Slovakia, Former Chef de Cabinet to President of 72nd Session of the UN General
Assembly (UNGA) and Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the UN) and Volodymyr Yelchenko
(Ukraine, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN) are the felicitated ones. Instituted in the
year 2017, the Diwali-Power of One Awards are also known as ‘Oscars of Diplomacy’.

Sanna Marin : World’s Youngest-Serving Prime Minister

In December 2019, the 34-year-old Sanna Marinof Social Democratic Party of Finland became the
country’s youngest prime minister ever after resignation of outgoing leader Antti Rinne. Sanna has
earlier served as Transport Minister of Finland. Sanna’s party has emerged as the largest in a five-
member governing coalition. With this new designation, she is now ahead in terms of Ukraine’s Prime
Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk, who is at present 35 years old. In India, Rajiv Gandhi was the youngest
person to become Prime Minister at the age of 40 years.

‘Climate Emergency’: Oxford’s Word of the Year 2019

‘Climate Emergency’ emerged as the 2019 Word of the Year in Oxford Dictionaries. It was selected
among ‘climate denial,’ ‘climate action,’ ‘eco-anxiety,’ ‘flight shame’ and ‘extinction’ and was a real
preoccupation of the English-speaking world in year 2019. According to the database, Oxford Corpus,
that contains hundreds of millions of words of written English, the use of the term ‘Climate
Emergency’ increased by a 100 times as much since 2018. Further, it was the most common compound
involving ‘emergency,’ occurring 3 times as often as the next most-common word , ‘health
emergency.’ Word of the Year reflects ethos or mood or preoccupations of passing year as well as its
lasting potential as a term of cultural importance.

India-Sweden agreements
In December 2019, India and Sweden inked a Polar Science Cooperation Agreement that seeks
cooperation among India as well as the countries located in both Arctic and Antarctic regions and
hence the name of the agreement is Polar Science. The agreement will help India to learn about
resource exploration in the polar region, maintain the pace, strengthen its defence forces and get access
to Russian bases in the Arctic. Besides this, India and Sweden joined hands to erect a healthcare
innovation centre in AIIMS Delhi and AIIMS Jodhpur, for research in non-communicable diseases
(NCDs) and help scale-up Indian start-ups in the sector. The year 2019 is Sweden-India Year of Health
marking 10 years of India-Sweden cooperation in healthcare. In 2018, the bilateral trade between India
and Sweden was of 3.37 billion USD.
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Saudi Aramco announced its biggest ever IPO
On 6th December 2019, Saudi Arabia’s oil company, Aramco announced a share price that will value
the company's initial public offering (IPO) at 25.6 billion dollar, making it the largest ever IPO of the
company. The proposed IPO has 3 billion shares, or 1.5% of the company, offered for 8.00 to 8.53
Dollar per share. The Saudi's state-owned crude oil company did so as part of the Arab nation’s plan
of diversifying its economy away from its dependence on oil as well as increase the country's sovereign
wealth fund for investment in other projects also. It is worth registering here that Aramco's IPO has
topped a record-breaking 25 billion dollar IPO in 2014 from Chinese internet giant Alibaba.

International Civil Aviation Day

Globe did annual observation of International Civil Aviation Day on 7th December 2019 on “75 years
of connecting the world” theme to generate and reinforce worldwide awareness about the significance
of international civil aviation in social and economic development. The day underlines the unique role
of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in helping member states to cooperate and
realize a truly global rapid transit network at the service of all mankind. On 7th December 1994,
participants from 54 nations had signed Convention on International Civil Aviation, ‘Chicago
Convention’ in Chicago, US. Since then, the international agreement has paved the way for peaceful
development of the global civil aviation system benefitting all nations across the world.

The 70th anniversary of NATO

The leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) met on 3rd December 2019 in London
to mark the 70th anniversary of the organization. The summit was on “NATO Engages: Innovating
the Alliance” theme. They discussed a number of measures like improvements to the readiness of
Allied forces, recognizing space as an operational domain as well as updating NATO’s action plan
against terrorism. In addition to this, they also did a strategic discussion on Russia, the future of arms
control, as well as the challenges coming from the rise of China. It is worth knowing that this has been
the fifth consecutive year of rising defence investment as European Allies and Canada will spend $130
billion extra by the end of 2020, with that the figure will rise to $400 billion by the end of 2024.

Global Migration Film Festival organised in Dhaka

The Global Migration Film Festival (GMFF) which started on 28th November 2019 will continue upto
18th December 2019 across the globe to draw attention to the issues of internal migration, forced
migration and climate change-related migration to make people conversant on the issue of migration.
In Bangladesh this festival was organised by the International Organisation of Migrants (IOM) and
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Dhaka University Film Society with the support of the European Union. Films like ‘Gifts from
Babylon’, ‘Just another memory’, ‘Dying for Europe’ and ‘ The power of passport’ etc were screened
among other films to depict the suffering and dilemma of the migrants in various parts of the world.
The GMFF was celebrated for the first time in 2016.

The 48th National Day of UAE

The United Arab Emirates celebrated its 48th National Day under the patronage of Sheikh Khalifa bin
Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The
celebration was focussed on a spectacular theatrical production titled "Legacy of Our Ancestors" that
featured a vivid journey of the UAE’s heritage via a series of stories that highlighted values of courage,
determination, generosity, and tolerance, which have been long embedded in the UAE’s national and
social fabric and that have been passed down to generations. More than 5,000 experts from 70 nations
shaped this production.

UN Climate Change Conference

Spain is hosting a two-week long International Climate Conference in Madrid that began on 2nd
December and will continue upto 13th December 2019.United Nations Secretary General Antonio
Guterres expressed concern about the global warming issue.The rising temperature that includes
extreme weather conditions is creating dramatic consequences for humans and other species. 29,000
delegates from 200 different nations will attend the key events viz. the 25th Session of the Conference
of the Parties, as well as the 15th meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol along the sidelines of
this conference.

Pacific Air Chiefs’ Symposium 2019

The United States Of America is hosting Pacific Air Chiefs’ Symposium 2019 at the Joint Base Pearl
Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii on ‘A Collaborative Approach to Regional Security’ theme. It is meant to
strengthen existing cooperation between Air Forces of participating countries and make way for
enhanced interaction in future. The Chief of Indian Air Force (IAF) Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar
Singh Bhadauria is representing India in this event. Air Chiefs from across the Indo-Pacific region
from 20 countries are providing perspectives on common challenges as well as on shared mutual
interests with equal focus on relevant issues like Domain Awareness, Regional Security, Multi-
Domain Awareness, Interoperability and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR).

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Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare
30th November 2019 was observed as the Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare
under the resolution (OPCW C-20/DEC.10) as a tribute to the victims of chemical warfare and it aimed
to reaffirm its commitment to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to
terminate the threat of chemical weapons. In year 2013, the Nobel Peace Prize was presented to the
OPCW “for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons”. This day was celebrated for the first
time in 2005. Chemical Weapons were used on a large scale during World War I that led to over
100,000 fatalities.

Sundar Pichai: The New CEO of Alphabet

Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin announced the decision of their retirement from the
leadership roles in the parent company Alphabet and promotion of Google CEO Indian-American
Sundar Pichai as the next CEO of Alphabet. With this, Sundar Pichai will become one of the most
powerful corporate leaders of the world. Page and Brin applauded the leadership role played by Pichai
ever since he was made Google CEO. They said that the Indian-American brings humility and a deep
passion for technology to the users, partners, and employees every day.

Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act

US Congress approved the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act that proposes that America redirect
resources to address the mass internment of over10 lakh Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities
in China. The move has all the spark to ignite a sharp reaction from China. The bill is a significant
step in countering the totalitarian Chinese government's widespread and horrific human rights abuses
in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. This will lead to the mass internment of over one million
Uyghurs and other predominantly ethnic Turkic Muslims, and Beijing's intimidation as well as threats
against US citizens and legal permanent residents on American land. The bill seeks reports from
various US government bodies regarding China's treatment of the Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim
Turkic ethnic group.

Saudi Arabia : The First Arab nation to become the G20 President
Saudi Arabia took the presidency of G20 nations from Japan on 1st December 2019 and with this, it
became the first nation in the Arab world to head the G20 group. The G20 summit for 2020 will take
place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in November 2020 on “Realising Opportunities of the 21st Century for
All” theme. It will be dedicated to empowering people, safeguarding the planet, and shaping new
frontiers. The Arab nation will hold numerous conferences including ministerial meetings before this
slated event. G20 summit for 2019 was held in Osaka, Japan in June 2019.
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World Computer Literacy Day
2nd December 2019 was observed as World Computer Literacy Day across the globe to highlight and
promote awareness about computers and other electronic devices. The National Institute of
Information Technology (NIIT) of India, which is headquartered in Gurugram observed this day for
the first time in the year 2001. It was to encourage the development of computers and technological
skills among women and children. The celebration aimed at imparting skills ranging from primary use
to the programming level and advanced problem-solving.

Demise of Irving Burgie

American musician & songwriter Irving Burgie, ‘Lord Burgess’ died of heart failure at the age of 95
on December 1, 2019 in Queens, US. The deceased was best known for popular Caribbean music with
hit songs like Day-O (The Banana Boat Song-1952). He had composed 34 songs for singer Harry
Belafonte, including 8 of the 11 songs on the Belafonte album Calypso (1956), the first album of its
kind that recorded sales of one million copies. He also wrote songs for the Kingston Trio (“The Seine,”
“El Matador,” and “The Wanderer”) as well as for other groups. Island in the Sun, Jamaica Farewell
and Mary’s Boy Child were his other famous compositions.

David Warner scored triple hundred in day/night Tests

On 1st December 2019, celebrated Australian player David Warner succeeded in posting his first-ever
triple hundred in Tests against Pakistan in the second Test of the series held in Adelaide Oval,
Adelaide. He completed 300 runs while smashing Mohammad Abbas for a boundary to reach his best-
ever figures in just 389 balls. In this match he posted total 335 runs in 418 balls. With this, Warner
became the seventh overall Australian to score a triple century in Test cricket history. He became the
second Australian after the great Mark Taylor to post a triple century against Pakistan, as well as the
fourth Australian as an opener to do so. He reached the landmark with 37 fours at a strike rate of 77.12.
In addition to these, he also became the first-ever batsman to score 300 runs at Adelaide Oval as before
him, the previous highest record was held by Don Bradman, who was 299 not out against South Africa
in the year 1932.

The Beginning of the South Asian Games in Kathmandu

The President of Nepal Bidya Devi Bhandari inaugurated the South Asian Games in Kathmandu on
December 1, 2019. These games will continue till upcoming 10 days in which around 487 athletes are
participating from India. The South Asian Games is a biennial multi-sport event that was started in
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the year 1983 and is held in the South Asian nations viz. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan,
Afghanistan, Bangladesh and the Maldives. South Asia Olympic Council
governs this event.

International Book Fair in Mexico

1st December 2019 kick started International Book Fair in Mexico. This year India is the ‘Guest of
Honour Country’ in this book fair and with this, it has become the first Asian country to participate as
‘Guest of Honour' in the biggest book fair in the Spanish-speaking world. Minister of State for Human
Resource Development Sanjay Dhotre inaugurated the India Pavilion at this event. The Minister
mentioned deep literary connection between India and Mexico and recollected legendary Mexican
poet Nobel Laureate Octavio Paz’s first visit to India in 1952. He further said that although the two
countries are in opposite directions on the world map, yet both share great similarities in terms of their
people, biodiversity, family and cultural values.

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Release of Khelo India Youth Games 2020 logo and mascots
Sports ministry introduced logo, jersey, mascots and theme song for the third edition of Khelo India
Youth Games 2020 in Guwahati, Assam at Karmabir Nabin Chandra Bordoloi Indoor Stadium in
Guwahati, Assam. The games will be held from January 10 to 22, 2020. In these games more than
10,000 students will be participating across 451 medal events. Besides this, the Assam Chief Minister
Sarbananda Sonowal announced the launch of a ‘Grassroot Olympic – Mission Talent Hunt’ to identify
the sports talent in the state and groom them.

Leander Paes announced retirement from Tennis

Indian tennis ace Leander Paes made an announcement that 2020 will be his last year as a professional
tennis player. The 46-year old player who made his Olympic debut in the year 1992, will seek one
final accomplishment at the Tokyo Olympics in the year 2020. It is worth registering here that he has
made 7 consecutive appearances at the Olympics that made him the only tennis player ever to do so.
The outgoing champion has booked eight doubles and ten mixed doubles Grand Slam titles on his
name.

Conclusion of IPL Auction

December 2019 witnessed auction of leading super stars in world of Cricket. Pat Cummins emerged
as the most expensive overseas IPL player purchased by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a whopping
15.50 crore rupees. Some of the prominent players that were sold in the auction are Glenn Maxwell
(Kings XI Punjab,10.75 crore rupees), Chris Morris ( Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Rs 10
crore), Windies pacer Sheldon Cottrell (Kings X1 Punjab, Rs 8.80 crore), Nathan Coulter Nile
(Mumbai Indians, Rs 8 crores), Shimron Hetmyer(Delhi Capitals, Rs 7.75 crore), Piyush Chawla(the
Chennai Super Kings (CSR), Rs 6.75 crore), Eoin Morgan (KKR, Rs 5.25 crore), Aaron Finch (RCB),
4.4 crore rupees), Australian Marcus Stoinis (Delhi Capitals, Rs 4.8 crore), Varun Chakravarty (KKR,
Rs 4 crore), Robin Uthappa (Rajasthan Royals, Rs 3 crore), Jaydev Unandkat (Rajasthan Royals, Rs
3 Crore) and many more. It is worth noting that Chris Lynn was signed for base price of Rs 2 crore,

36
which seemed shocking considering his capabilities. Sri Lankan Isuru Udana (RCB, Rs 50 lakhs),
Pravin Tamble(KKR, Rs 20 lakhs), Tajinder Dhillon (Kings X1 Punjab, Rs 20 Lakhs) etc. were some
of the other players who were sold in the last phase of auction, while Yusuf Pathan, Dale Steyn, Adam
Zampa and Colin De Grandhomme failed to attract any bidders at the auction.

Demise of Basil Butcher

December 2019 witnessed the end of 86 year old Basil Fitzherbert Butcher in Florida, United States.
He was the first Amerindian to represent Guyana and West Indies (Windies) as batsman. He was born
on 3 September 1933 in British Guiana and made his debut in 1958 against India. He played 44 test
matches for the Windies and amassed 3104 runs with 7 centuries and 16 fifties at the age of 43. He
posted 486 runs at an average of 69.42 against India, including centuries at Kolkata and Chennai. In
1970, he was named as Wisden Cricketer of the Year.

The Conclusion of the 13th South Asian Games

India finished this edition of the South Asian Games on a high note with total 312 medals (174 gold,
93 silver, and 45 bronze) followed by Nepal total 206 (51 gold, 60 silver, and 95 bronze), Sri Lanka
total 251 (40 gold, 83 silver, and 128 bronze), Pakistan total 131 (31 gold, 41 silver, and 59 bronze),
Bangladesh total 138 (19 gold, 32 silver, and 87 bronze), Maldives total 5 (1 gold, 0 silver, and 4
bronze), Bhutan total 20 (0 gold, 7 silver, and 13 bronze) at second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and
seventh spots respectively.

WADA banned Russia from international sporting events.

The World Anti-Doping Agency scripted the news by banning Russia for four years from participating
in global sporting events which includes the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter
Olympics. Moreover, the Russian flag and national anthem have also been banned in international
events. Although Moscow is being charged with falsifying data from an anti-doping laboratory, yet
Russian athletes will still be allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympics as neutrals, but only if they
can prove that they were not part of what WADA believes was a state-sponsored system of doping.

Book “Dreams of a Billion: India and the Olympic Games”

Boria Majumdar & Nalin Mehta co-authored a book titled “Dreams of a Billion: India and the Olympic
Games”. The book speaks about India’s journey in the global sports arena of Olympics and presents

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the record of all the wins, the misses, the star sportspersons, their stories, and the challenges and
possibilities that lie ahead of India to make its mark in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The book gives an
insight into how India has fared at the Olympics over the past century and how the Indian Olympics
world has changed in the last ten years. HarperCollins India will publish this book in January 2020 in
India.

India in the 13th South Asian Games 2019

Indian women's football team started its South Asian Games 2019 campaign by defeating the Maldives
by 5-0 at the Pokhara Stadium in Nepal. Besides this, Indian athletes are dominating in track and field
events. Sarvesh Anil Kumar scripted new South Asian Games record in men's high jump by crossing
2.21 meter height. The previous record of 2.20 meter was in name of Srilanka's M Wijesekara in 2004.
Archana Suseendran in women's 100 metre, M. Jashna in women's high jump and Ajay Kumar Saroj
in men's 1500 metres won a gold each to begin India's athletics campaign on an impressive note. In
Volleyball, Indian men's and women's team won gold. Men's team defeated Pakistan 3-1. Indian
women's volleyball team defeated host Nepal by 3-2 in the final. In Shooting, in the women's 10 metres
air rifle event, Mehuli Ghosh won the gold. India also won the team gold in the 10 metres air rifle
event.In Table Tennis, Indian men's and women's teams claimed gold medals defeating Nepal and Sri
Lanka in the finals.

Release of Khelo India Youth Games 2020 logo and mascots

Sports ministry introduced logo, jersey, mascots and theme song for the third edition of Khelo India
Youth Games 2020 in Guwahati, Assam at Karmabir Nabin Chandra Bordoloi Indoor Stadium in
Guwahati, Assam. The games will be held from January 10 to 22, 2020. In these games more than
10,000 students will be participating across 451 medal events. Besides this, the Assam Chief Minister
Sarbananda Sonowal announced the launch of a ‘Grassroot Olympic – Mission Talent Hunt’ to identify
the sports talent in the state and groom them.

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 Current Affairs
Fast Track 2020
MISSION DU LLB. 2020

India-Brazil Business Forum

India and Brazil inked 15 agreements during India-Brazil Business Forum on January 27, 2020. Trade
monitoring mechanism. The agreements covered bilateral cooperation in areas like trade, cyber,
security, information technology, animal husbandry, sugarcane and many more.The countries have set
a target to increase bilateral trade to 15 billion USD by 2022. Among these, Animal Husbandry is the
newly identified area of cooperation. In context to sugarcane,Brazil had a complain that India was
extending support to local sugarcane growers but now the duo have agreed to address the issue
bilaterally.

Andhra Pradesh dissolved its Legislative Council

The Legislative Council of Andhra Pradesh is said to have stalled two bills viz. AP Capital Region
Development Authority Repeal Bill and Decentralization bill that were passed by the assembly as a
result the Andhra Pradesh cabinet abolished the Legislative Council. Andhra Pradesh is among Bihar,
Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana that has a bicameral legislature. The practice of
having two Houses of Parliament in a state is called bicameral legislature. At the State level, the
equivalent of the Lok Sabha is the Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly), and that of the Rajya Sabha
is the Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council). But the Vidhan Parishad generally does not serve much
purpose and poses a strain on States’ finances. So Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, using the
power of Article 169 that provides Parliament the authority of creating or abolishing the second
chamber i.e. Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council) in a State via passing a resolution has abolished
the Legislative Council.

The 2020 Grammy awards

27th January 2020 became a red letter day for Grammy awardees. The names of the winners Billie
Eilish -Bad Guy (Record of the year award); Billie Eilish – When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We
Go?( Album of the year); Billie Eilish (Best new artist); DJ Khaled featuring Nipsey Hussle & John
Legend – Higher (Best rap/sung performance); Billie Eilish – Bad Guy (Song of the year); Tyler, The
Creator – Igor (Best rap album); Dave Chappelle – Sticks & Stones (Best comedy album); Dan + Shay
– Speechless (Best country duo / group performance); Lizzo – Truth Hurts (Pop solo performance of
the year); Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Best pop duo/group performance);
Billie Eilish – When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (Best pop vocal album); The Chemical
Brothers – No Geography (Best dance/electronic album); Gary Clark Jr – This Land (Best rock
performance); Gary Clark Jr – This Land (Best rock song Tool); Tool – 7empest (Best metal
performance);Cage The Elephant – Social Cues (Best rock album); Vampire Weekend – Father of the
Bride (Best alternative music album); Anderson .Paak featuring André 3000 – Come Home (Best R&B
performance); Lizzo – Jerome (Best traditional R&B album); Lizzo – Cuz I Love You (Deluxe) (Best
urban contemporary album); Anderson .Paak – Ventura (Best R&B album);Nipsey Hussle featuring
Roddy Ricch & Hit-Boy – Racks In The Middle (Best rap performance); 21 Savage featuring J. Cole
– A Lot (Best rap song); Willie Nelson – Ride Me Back Home (Best country solo performance); Tanya
Tucker – Bring My Flowers Now (Best country song); Tanya Tucker – While I’m Livin’ (Best country
album); Alejandro Sanz – #Eldisco (Best Latin pop album); Rosalía – El Mal Querer (Best Latin rock,
urban or alternative album); Marc Anthony – Opus & Aymée Nuviola – A Journey Through Cuban
Music (Best tropical Latin album); Finneas (Producer of the year, non-classical); Kirk Franklin – Long
Live Love (Best gospel album); for KING & COUNTRY – Burn The Ships (Best contemporary
Christian album) and Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper – A Star Is Born won the award in the Best
compilation soundtrack for visual media category.

India’s 71st Republic Day Celebration

With a grand military parade and exhibition of its history, cultural diversity and strategic weaponry at
the Rajpath in the National Capital, India celebrated its 71st Republic day on 27th January 2020.
President of Brazil Jair Messias Bolsonaro was the Chief Guest at the Parade this year. PM Narendra
Modi paid homage to martyrs at the National War Memorial. The National Flag was unfurled followed
by the National Anthem with a booming 21-gun salute. The parade commanded by Parade
Commander, Lieutenant General Asit Mistry, General Officer Commanding, Headquarters Delhi
Area, started from Vijay Chowk and proceeded towards the Red Fort grounds. For the first time, a
contingent of women bikers of CRPF conducted spectacular daredevil stunts. Sixteen marching
contingents from the Armed Forces, Paramilitary Forces, Delhi police and NCC along with 13 Military
bands were the centre of attraction. Sixteen states and Union Territories and six Central Ministries
participated in the Parade. Jammu and Kashmir participated in the parade for the first time as a Union
Territory. Start-up India, Jal Jeevan Mission and financial inclusion were some of the themes of the
tableau of Ministries and Departments. The Air Force tableau showcased models of the Rafale aircraft,
Tejas aircraft, Light Combat Helicopter, Akash Missiles System and Astra Missiles. The fly-past by
the newly inducted Chinook and Apache helicopters along with Sukhoi and advanced light helicopters
as well as Anti-satellite weapon i.e. Mission Shakti, Army’s battle tank Bhishma were also put on
display during the 90-minute long parade.
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The shower of awards
Several awards were conferred on the Republic Day that included the prestigious Padma awards, Fire
Service Medals, Jeevan Raksha Padak Series of Awards - 2019. Two Sri Lankan women, Deshabandu
Dr Vajira Chitrasena for her contribution to dance and Late Prof. Indra Dassanayake, who was one of
the pioneers to introduce and promote Hindi language in educational institutions of Sri Lanka received
Padma Shri awards. Apart from this, 104 personnel were rewarded Fire Service Medals. Among these,
President’s Fire Service Medal for Gallantry have been presented to 13 personnel, Fire Service Medal
for Gallantry have been conferred upon 29 personnel, President’s Fire Service Medal for Distinguished
Service to 12 personnel and Fire Service Medal for Meritorious Service to 50 personnel, forty-nine
personnel have also been awarded Home Guard and Civil Defence Medals as well. Apart from this
Jeevan Raksha Padak Series of Awards - 2019 were presented to 54 persons. This included Sarvottam
Jeevan Raksha Padak to seven, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak to eight and Jeevan Raksha Padak to 39
persons. Five awards are posthumous.

The 6th Schedule Area status to Ladakh

Tribal Affairs Ministry proposed the 6th Schedule Area status to Union Territory of Ladakh. It implies
that the Tribal Ministry will look after all requirements to enrich and preserve the legacy of Ladakh.
The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution provides separate arrangements for the tribal areas of Assam,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura under Article 244A. It seeks to safeguard the rights of the tribal
population of these states through the formation of Autonomous District Councils (ADC). ADCs are
bodies representing a district to which the Constitution has given varying degrees of autonomy within
the state legislature. The governors of these states have been authorized to reorganise boundaries of
the tribal areas. In other words, the privileged governor can choose to include or exclude any area,
increase or decrease the boundaries and unite two or more autonomous districts into one. They can
also alter or change the names of autonomous regions without separate legislation. Environmentalist
Sonam Wangchuk had appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to preserve the culture and identity
of Ladakh.

The government will recruit 1500 coaches

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju broke out the news of the government's decision of recruiting 1500
coaches to fill up existing vacancies for supporting the country's athletes. The government will not
wait for 8 years period and will promote the assistant coaches to senior-level after a few years on the
basis of their service record so that there will be no drought of coaches. Along with the good Indian
trainers and coaches, reputed foreign coaches will also be hired.

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OICL & UIIC are about to merge
The National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) is all set to merge with Oriental Insurance Company
Ltd (OICL) and United India Insurance Company Ltd (UIIC) to cut down costs and achieve economies
of scale. The New India Assurance Company may also be involved in this merger as proposed by the
late Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the General Budget for the financial year 2018-19. But the merger
did not materialize due to poor financial health. Further, it is worth recollecting here that in December
2019, the government has infused Rs 2,500 crore in three insurers through the supplementary demand
for the first grant for 2019-20, to add Rs 2,500 crore.

Bharti Airtel is scripting news

Indian global telecommunications services company, Bharti Airtel Limited (also known as Airtel), did
partnership with cloud computing services provider Google Cloud to offer services provided by
Google’s G Suite to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in India, which are already clients of
Airtel’s information and communications technology (ICT) services. The coveted G Suite consists of
Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar and more – apps designed with real-time collaboration & machine
intelligence to enhance productivity. Currently, Airtel has a subscriber base of 325 Million in India,
serves to over 2500 large businesses and over 500,000 SMBs. Apart from this, the Department of
Telecommunications (DoT) has approved raising of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Bharti Airtel
to 100 percent from 49 percent. As per RBI, foreign investors will be able to hold up to 74 percent
stake in the company. The company has to clear statutory liabilities of up to nearly Rs 35,586 crore,
of which Rs 21,682 crore is licence fee and another Rs 13,904.01 crore is spectrum dues excluding the
dues of Telenor and Tata Teleservices before the approval.

CEC Sunil Arora: The New Chairman of FEMBoSA for 2020

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora has become the Chairman of the Forum of the
Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA) for the year 2020 at the 10th Annual Meeting
of FEMBoSA held in New Delhi. He has taken place of KM Nurul Huda who is also CEC of
Bangladesh. FEMBoSA was established in May 2012 at the 3rd Conference of Heads of Election
Management Bodies of SAARC Countries held at New Delhi. The eight-member-FEMBoSA
represents a very large part of the democratic world and is an active regional association of Election
Management Bodies.

NITI Aayog’s National Data and Analytics Platform

On January 23, 2020, National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog announced the launch
of National Data and Analytics Platform (NDAP) in 2021 to democratize access of the government
data. It will be a platform for different stakeholders to access the latest data from all the government

5
websites in an easy way. It will standardize formats in which data has to be presented under an inter-
ministerial committee. The NITI Aayog has the governing council that is composed of CM of all states
and union territories and is planning to implement Blockchain technology in E-governance via “India
chain”.

National Girl Child Day

The nation observed January 24, 2020, as National Girl Child Day. The Ministry of Women and Child
Development organized events to spread awareness about inequalities faced by girls in the country
and promote the rights of the girl child. The day was used to highlight the importance of health,
education and nutrition of girl child and bring into knowledge the various atrocities faced by girls in
their lives like humiliation, discrimination and oppression. According to Child Rights and You (CRY),
there are more than 10 million child brides in the world, who are forced into marriage before the legal
age of 18. According to the 2011 Census of India, the sex ratio was 108.9, while the desired sex ratio
for society should be between 103 and 107.

ISRO’s “Vyom Mitra”

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) introduced a half humanoid robot called the “Vyom
Mitra” (a friend in Sky) at the “Human Space Flight and Exploration-Present Challenges and Future
Trends” seminar that was held in Bengaluru. It is planning to send Vyom Mitra as an experimental
mission to Gaganyaan. The robot can speak two languages namely Hindi and English and can mimic
human activities such as recognizing other humans and responding to their queries. It can handle
switch panel operations and provide air pressure change warnings.

January 23: Birth Anniversary of Netaji

The nation is celebrating Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s 123rd birth anniversary on 23rd January
2020. Government of India inaugurated a Netaji temple at Varanasi in the name of the leader with a
Dalit woman as a chief priest. The prayers were also performed to Bharat Mata at the temple. The
temple is of red, white and black colours. Among them, the red colour symbolizes revolution, black
represents strength, while white is for peace. The temple is meant to reinforce patriotism among the
Citizens. Born on 23rd January 1897 in Cuttack, Odisha, Netaji had formed a separate army called the
“Azad Hind Fauj” also called as Indian National Army or the INA. There were around 85,000 soldiers
in INA. He had died on August 18, 1945, in a plane crash at the age of 48 years. He gave the slogan-
‘Jai Hind' and inspired thousands of people to take part in the freedom struggle. He hoisted the
Tricolour for the first time in Port Blair in 1943 and had declared Andaman and Nicobar Islands as the
first Indian territory to get freed from British rule.

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The National Startup Advisory Council
The Central Government announced the structure of the National Startup Advisory Council, chaired
by the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Vedprakash Goyal to reduce the time spent
on tax compliance to less than one hour a month and to encourage the availability of domestic and
global capital. The council has the purpose of providing measures to build a strong ecosystem for new
innovations and start-ups in the country. It is expected to increase economic growth and generate large
scale employment opportunities in India. The council with non-official members nominated by the
Union Government for two years, selected from different categories such as founders of successful
startups, persons capable of representing the interests of accelerators and incubators, etc. along with
Ex-officio members of Joint Secretary rank will suggest steps to develop a culture of innovation
amongst citizens and students by reducing regulatory compliances and cost for startup companies. The
Department of Promotion of Industries and Trade will be the convener of the council.

India inaugurated its first Mahatma Gandhi convention centre in Niger

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou jointly
inaugurated the first convention centre established in Africa by India in the memory of Mahatma
Gandhi on 21st January 2020. This set up of the Mahatma Gandhi International Convention Centre
(MGICC) is a landmark for India-Niger friendship and it is also a symbol of India's firm commitment
towards Africa. The convention centre has been designed as a spacious, modern and eco-friendly
facility, including a 2,000 capacity Plenary Hall, to witness high-level and wide-ranging participation
from African Union member states and other high-level conventions. Besides this, India has also
provided Lines of Credit to Niger for projects in transport, electrification, solar energy and potable
drinking water in the recent past.

The upcoming ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme

Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan announced the
implementation of ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme from June 1, 2020, across the country. This
scheme has been preponed from its original date of June 30, 2020 to June 1, 2020, and under this
scheme, the beneficiaries will be able to avail their entitled food grain under the National Food Security
Act (NFSA) from any Fair Price Shop located across India. The beneficiaries of this scheme will be
identified and verified via Aadhaar authentication at the Fair Price Shops on the electronic point of
sale (e-POS) devices.

Challa Sreenivasulu Setty : The New MD of SBI

Government of India (GOI) has appointed Challa Sreenivasulu Setty as the Managing Director (MD)
of the State Bank of India (SBI) for the upcoming three years. He is serving as the Deputy Managing

7
Director (DMD) of the SBI at present. Besides this, the government has also appointed Sanjiv Chadha,
Atanu Kumar & Lingam as the head BOB, BOI & Canara bank respectively for the next three years.
Sanjiv Chadha who had served as the Deputy Managing Director (DMD) at State Bank of India (SBI)
will replace P.S. Jayakumar in Bank of Baroda (BOB). Atanu Kumar Das, who has been serving as
the Executive Director (ED) of the Bank of India (BOI), has been promoted as the MD & CEO of the
Bank. Lingam Venkata Prabhakar, who was the Executive Director of Punjab National Bank, will now
replace R A Sankara Narayanan in Canara Bank.

Andhra Pradesh: The only state with three capitals

Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly approved a bill ‘AP Decentralisation and Inclusive
Development of All Regions Bill’ proposing three capitals, Legislative, Executive and Judicial for the
state amid the ongoing protests by thousands of farmers of the Amaravati region and by Telugu Desam
Party. As per this bill, Amaravati will be the legislative capital, Visakhapatnam will be the executive
capital and Kurnool will be the judicial capital of the state. Besides this, the Bill has a provision for
dividing the State into various zones. It seeks to set up zonal planning and development boards. Chief
Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s cabinet also repealing the Capital Region Development Authority
(CRDA) Act and establish the Amaravati Metropolitan Development Authority.

January 19: National Immunization Day

India observed National Immunization Day on 19th January 2020 with Pulse Polio Programme 2020
to protect children less than five years from Polio disease and to eliminate Poliomyelitis in India. This
year nearly 17.4 crore children across the country were administered under the program. It is worth
remembering here that the Pulse Polio Immunization Programme was launched in year1995 and then
the last cases of wild polio in India were seen in West Bengal and Gujarat in January 2011. The World
Health Organization had declared India a polio-free nation on March 27, 2014.

General Satinder Kumar Saini: the new vice Chief of Army Staff
Southern Army Commander Lieutenant General Satinder Kumar Saini became the new Vice Chief of
Army Staff (VCOAS), who will take charge on January 25, 2020. He succeeded Lieutenant General
Manoj Mukund Naravane, who has been promoted as the Chief of Army Staff. In 1981, General Saini
was commissioned into the Jat Regiment. He has also worked in the capacity of Deputy Chief Military
Personnel Officer in Iraq-Kuwait United Nations (UN) Mission, attended the Global Peace Operations
Initiative’s peacekeeping exercise in Mongolia and counter-terrorism exercise in Australia.

8
The Beginning of the 9th International Children's Film Festival
The 9th International Children's Film Festival began in Kolkata on 19th January 2020. The National
Award winner Child actor, Talha Arsad Rishi inaugurated the festival. It began with the screening of
Aizaz Khan directed the film, Hamid. Around 250 films from 45 countries will be screened in this
week-long festival. The festival will carry on across ten venues in the city. The festival will also feature
an exhibition on the children's film festival.

The CA Final Results 2019

Abhay Bajoria from Kolkata and Suryansh Agarwal from Noida shared the first rank, followed by
Dhruv Kothari from Kolkata at the second rank and Darshan Shah from Ahmedabad at the third
position in the country in the final chartered accountancy (CA) exam (new scheme) that was held in
November 2019. Out of the 15,003 students who appeared for the test in both the groups, 15.12%
cleared in the exam. In the old scheme exam, Gurram Naga Sri Krishna Praneeth, from Vijayawada,
topped the final exam followed by Varada KP from Kerala and Dhawal Chopda from Mumbai, stood
at the second and third spots respectively in the country.

The Food Processing Summit

Ladakh hosted the first-ever Food Processing Summit to attract investors to the region. The Ministry
of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries and the Union Territory
Administration of Ladakh were the organizers of the event in which more than hundred entrepreneurs
from Leh and Kargil participated in the Summit to encourage entrepreneurship in this region. Ladakh
region has the potential for investment in food Processing Industries in horticulture products viz.
Apricot, SeabuckThorn, Apple and agricultural produce like buckwheat and barley.

The 17th edition of Crossword Books Awards

The 17th edition of Crossword Book Awards was held in Mumbai. In which Krishna Trilok (‘Notes
of a Dream: The Authorized Biography of AR Rahman’ in Biography category); Twinkle Khanna
(‘Pyjamas Are Forgiving’, Popular Best Fiction Award); Sudha Murty (‘The Upside-Down King:
Unusual Tales About Rama and Krishna’, Popular Children’s book award); Shanta Gokhale (‘One
Foot on the Ground: A Life Told Through the Body’, Jury Non-fiction award); Madhuri Vijay (‘The
Far Field’, Jury Fiction award); Richa Jha and Sumanta Dey (‘Macher Jhol: Fish Curry’, Jury
Children’s book award) and Jayasree Kalathil and N Prabhakaran (‘Diary of a Malayali Madman’,
Best book in the Indian Language) were the winners.

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The 29th Saraswati Samman awardee: Vasdev Mohi
Eminent Sindhi writer Vasdev Mohi has been chosen for a prestigious literary award, Saraswati
Samman for his short stories collection, ‘Chequebook’. The collection is about the agonies and
sufferings of marginalized sections of the society. He will receive a cash award of 15 lakh rupees, a
citation and a plaque during the 29th edition of Saraswati Samman awards. Mohi has also penned 25
books of poetry, stories and translations. He had been a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award as
well.

Kerala challenged CAA in Supreme Court

Recently Kerala invoked Article 131 to file a petition against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA)
in the Supreme Court and became the first state to do so. CAA seeks to provide Indian citizenship to
six religious minority communities viz. Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian, who migrated
to India before December 31, 2014, from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh to escape religious
persecution(ill-treatment). The State of Kerala joined the citizens saying that illegal migrants from
these selected countries and from the selected religions would get priority in the grant of Indian
citizenship, which is against the principles of secularism, right to equality and dignity of life enshrined
in the Basic Structure of the Constitution. Although India's goal of protecting persecuted ( ill-treated)
groups have been applauded, yet its accomplishment through a non-discriminatory "robust national
asylum system" is desired. Further Critics are of opinion that the bill would be used, along with the
National Register of Citizens, to render many Muslim citizens stateless, as they may be unable to meet
stringent birth or identity proof requirements. Over this, the Indian government says that Pakistan,
Afghanistan and Bangladesh have Islam as their state religion therefore Muslims are "unlikely to face
religious persecution" there. But history presents certain Muslim groups, such as Hazaras and
Ahmadis, that have historically faced persecution in these mentioned countries. It should be noted that
Kerala Government’s writ petition is not the same as the other challenges. It has filed its petition
challenging the constitutional validity of the CAA act by invoking article 131 of the Indian constitution
hence it is an original suit. Moreover, the petition invokes the mechanism for the states to challenge
the centre.

Captain Tania Shergill will be the first woman parade adjutant

Captain Tania Shergill, an officer with Army’s Corps of Signals, will be the first woman parade
adjutant(person responsible for the parade) for the Republic Day (26th January) parade of 2020. She
earned graduation in electronics and communications. She hails from a military background as her
father, grandfather and great-grandfather had also served the Army. She was inducted in March 2017
from the Officer Training Academy, Chennai. The 2020 Republic Day parade will feature Infantry
10
Combat Vehicle BMP-2K of the 18 Mechanised Infantry, Dhanush Gun System and the Army Air
Defence on the Rajpath. Contingents of the Corps of Signals, Sikh Light Infantry, Kumaon Regiment,
the Grenadiers, the Parachute Regiment will be the proud participants of the parade. It is worth
recalling here that in the 2019 Republic Day parade, Captain Bhavna Kasturi was the first woman
officer who led an all-men contingent.

The 7.35% Retail inflation

According to the Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) / Retail inflation figures, released by the National
Statistical Office (NSO) under the aegis of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
(MoSPI), Retail inflation recorded a 5-year high of 7.35% in December 2019. This happened because
of high food prices. Food inflation hiked to 14.12% from 10.01% in November 2019. In addition to
vegetables, high prices of pulses, meat and fish also contributed to the highest level. Retail inflation is
the increase in the price of goods sold at the retail market. In our country, the retail price is measured
by the consumer price index (CPI), which is calculated by taking price changes for each item in the
predetermined basket of goods and averaging them. The central government has instructed the Reserve
Bank to keep inflation in the range of 2-6%. Prior to this, in July 2014, the retail inflation was seen
crossing 7.39%.

India’s under-5 mortality index

The United Nations(UN) inter-agency group for child mortality has prepared a report titled “Levels
and Trends in Child Mortality”. According to the 2020 report in 2018 five countries viz. India, Nigeria,
Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo(DRC) and Ethiopia showed increased mortality of
girls under the age of 5 in comparison to the boys. Speaking about India, Jharkhand, Bihar and
Uttarakhand showcased largest gender gaps in under-5 age mortality. While Uttar Pradesh emerged as
the state with the highest newborn deaths; Madhya Pradesh came up as state with highest under 5
mortality rate and Kerala was crowned as the state with the least under 5 mortality rate.

Lt General Girish Kumar continues to be the Surveyor General of India

In January 2020 the Appointment Committee of Cabinet (ACC) approved the re-appointment proposal
of Lt General Girish Kumar as the Surveyor General of India in Survey of India for one more year
w.e.f. January 1, 2020. The national survey and mapping organization of the country had appointed
him on the post on September 30, 2017. The Surveyor General of India is somebody who heads the
Department of Survey of India, which works under the Ministry of Science and Technology of
Government of India. Currently, Col. Amardeep Singh is serving as Addl. Surveyor General.

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Mission Purvodaya for integrated steel hub
Looking at the eastern belt’s potential to add more than 75% of the country’s incremental steel
capacity, Union Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated Mission Purvodaya in Kolkata.
National Steel Policy expects more than 200 Million Tonne capacity from this region out of the
targeted total of 300 Million Tonne capacity by 2030-31. This mission will accelerate the development
of eastern India through the establishment of an integrated steel hub that will transform logistics and
utility infrastructure as well as drive India's march towards a five trillion dollar economy set by the
government. Apart from this, the minister has also underlined the government’s efforts of empowering
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes’ entrepreneurship via Special National Vendor Development
Programme,1 00 lakh crore rupees worth of National Infrastructure Pipeline, Stand-Up India initiative
and many more.

National Highway Excellence Awards 2019

Transport and Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari presented the National Highway Excellence Awards
2019 in New Delhi. These awards were instituted in the year 2018 to acknowledge the well-performing
companies in the field of construction, operations, maintenance, toll collection and road safety on
National Highways. The annual awards in Excellence in Project Management, Excellence in
Operation and Maintenance, Excellence in Toll Management, Excellence in Highway Safety,
Innovation, Outstanding Work in Challenging Conditions and Green Highway categories will create
a spirit of healthy competitiveness amongst all stakeholders involved in the development of highway
infrastructure in the country and contribute to the bigger goal of expanding the road network in the
country.

12th January: Birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda

The nation celebrated the 157th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda by inaugurating a five day
long National Youth Festival on 12th January 2020. Swami Vivekananda was one of the greatest
spiritual leaders of India, who introduced the world to the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga.
His famous speech at the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 made him popular in the
western world. He was the chief disciple of the 19th-century mystic Ramakrishna Paramhansa, who
founded the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission. In the grand opening ceremony of the
festival Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed youth of country to try only to purchase local products
By 2020 to help our countrymen and relate their dreams with the requirements of the country via
creating new apps, finding solutions for different problems, starting new ventures, taking risks and
generating employment for others. The Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju
announced at the occasion that the central government is giving top-level facilities to the young talent

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eyeing to achieve a top ten position in the 2028 Olympic which will be organized in the USA. He also
promoted EK BHARAT SHRESTHA BHARAT as a learning platform for everyone. This year the
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the State Government of Uttar Pradesh are jointly organizing
the national youth festival.

Uttar Pradesh rolled out the second phase of IMI 2.0

On January 7, 2020, the second phase of Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 2.0 started in 35
districts of Uttar Pradesh. The phase targets 90 % vaccination coverage among children under 2 years
of age & pregnant women against 8 vaccine-preventable diseases viz. diphtheria, whooping cough,
tetanus, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, measles, meningitis, and Hepatitis B till March 2020. Prior to this,
the first phase of the mission was launched in December 2019 that covered 272 districts spread over
27 states.

Forbes India’s “20 people to watch in 2020” list

Forbes India released its popular “20 people to watch in 2020” list featuring 7 Indians viz. US-based
Indian origin -Hasan Minhaj, who is a comedian & political commentator ranked number 1;
ArcelorMittal Europe Group CFO and CEO, Aditya Mittal (2nd rank); Godrej family, Adi Godrej (6th
rank); Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana, Dushyant Chautala (7th rank); Lok Sabha member,
Trinamool Congress Mahua Moitra (9th rank); Politician, Communist Party of India (CPI) Kanhaiya
Kumar (12th rank); Chef, the first Indian woman to receive a Michelin star Garima Arora (14th rank)
and Political strategist, mentor-IPAC, and politician, Janta Dal, Prashant Kishor (16th rank).

A Sakthivel: the new Chairman of AEPC

Apparel Export Promotion Council of India (AEPC) has appointed A Sakthivel as the new chairman
of the organization from 2020 to 2021on January 6, 2020. He took place of HKL Magu. He is also the
first person in the history of the Apparel Export Promotion Council of India who has become the
chairman of the organization for the fourth time.

First Advance Estimates of National Income of 2019-20

The National Statistical Office (NSO) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
(MoSPI) has released the first advance estimates of the national income at both constant(2011-12) and
current prices for FY(Financial Year) 2019-20. Besides this, the corresponding expenditure
components of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was also estimated. The data says GDP in the year
2019-20 is likely to reach Rs 147.79 lakh crores against the Rs 140.78lakh crore estimate for 2018-19

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released on May 31, 2019. The growth in real GDP for 2019-20 is estimated at 5% compared to 6.8%
for 2018-19. The real Gross Value Added (GVA) at basic prices are estimated to rise to Rs 135.40
lakh crore for 2019-20 from Rs 129.07 lakh crore of 2018-19. GVA has been estimated to grow in real
at 9% in 2019-20 as against 6.6% in 2018-19.

Gujarat inaugurated the 31st International Kite Festival

On January 7, 2020, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani inaugurated the 31st International Kite
festival at Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad in the presence of Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat.
Around 140 kite flying experts from 40 countries are participating in this event till 14th January Makar
Sankranti (Uttarayan). The festival is being organized simultaneously, in 9 other places across the
state viz. Kevadiya, Surat, and Vadodara. Apart from this, Gujarat is also planning to establish Vikram
Sarabhai Children Innovation Center in Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Centre for Extension Research and
Innovation at Gujarat University to identify, nurture and promote innovation of children up to 18 years
in the state.

RBI is in news
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) gave approval to Uttar Pradesh based Shivalik Mercantile Co-
operative Bank Ltd to get converted into a small finance bank (SFB) and with this, Shivalik Mercantile
became the first urban cooperative bank (UCB) to get converted into SFB. The RBI granted a license
to Shivalik Mercantile bank for the beginning of the banking business under Section 22 (1) of the
Banking Regulation Act, 1949. Besides this, RBI revised the supervisory action framework for
Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks to better manage the stressed UCBs. The revised rules include
threshold limits for asset quality, profitability, and Capital to Risk-weighted Assets ratio (CRAR).
Apart from this RBI permitted banks to offer round-the-clock forex market operations to reduce the
rising influence of offshore trading in the currency markets. So far only selected banks in India offered
Indian customers foreign exchange rates only in inter-bank market hours from 9 am – 5 pm.

A book on PM Modi: ‘Karmayoddha Granth’

Union Home Minister Amit Shah released the book ‘Karmayoddha Granth’ on the life of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on January 7, 2020. The book speaks of Modi’s accomplishment of removing
the three curses of Indian Politics viz. politics of appeasement, casteism, and dynasty, after the year
2014. He has been called the epitome of selfless service to the nation as he laid the foundation of New
India based on ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’, from Gujarat and brought the concept of good governance.
The book praises him for taking strong decisions including removal of Article 370, 35A in Jammu and

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Kashmir, bringing Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), criminalizing triple talaq, conducting surgical
strikes and Balakot airstrikes which nobody dared in last 70 years.

First Scientific Experiment on Indian Pompano fish cultivation

The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) announced that it has developed a viable
scientific method to cultivate marine Indian Pompano fish in ponds. National Fisheries Development
Board (NFDB) extended financial assistance for the same. The new scientific method recorded 95%
of the survival of this fish with 3 tonnes per acre yield. In the current farming techniques in India, the
Pompano is cultivated through Open sea Cage Farming and earthen pond freshwater farming and the
recorded survival rates of open sea cage farming is 72%, while that of freshwater farming is 32%.

9th January 2020: The 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

Ministry of External Affairs is celebrating Pravasi Bharatiya Divas today. The day rejoices the
contribution of the overseas Indian community in the development of India. Instituted in 2003, it
commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India on 9 January 1915. External
Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar interacted with Indian Diaspora across the world through a digital
video conference. It is meant to create a network of NRIs in all the countries across the globe and
know the difficulties faced by the Indian labourers living abroad and seek the government’s help in
resolving their issues.

The demise of former Karnataka Governor

Padma Vibhushan awardee and former Karnataka Governor Triloki Nath Chaturvedi died at 90 in
Noida, Uttar Pradesh. He was the Governor of Karnataka from 2002-2007 as well as Governor of
Kerala in 2004. He was an Indian Administrative Service officer and had served the office of the
Comptroller and Auditor General of India from 1984 to 1989. He received the prestigious Padma
Vibhushan award in 1991. He had also penned books like Government Auditing, Auditing Receipts,
Auditing Science and Technology.

ISRO is in action
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) seems to have started the new year with new vigour.
It has inked an agreement with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) to set up optical telescopes
under ‘Project NETRA’ i.e. Network for space object Tracking and Analysis for tracking space
objects. ISRO had started Project Netra with an outlay of Rs 400 crore in September 2019 to help India
detect threats to Indian Satellites from debris and other hazards. Besides this, it has established its
fourth Regional Academic Centre for Space (RAC-S) at the National Institute of Technology
Karnataka (NIT-K) at Surathkal in Mangalore taluk for advanced research in the areas of relevance to
the future technological and programmatic needs of the Indian Space program and promotion of space
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technology in southern regions like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka,
Pondicherry, and Lakshadweep. It is worth recalling here that ISRO has set its first RAC-S in Jaipur,
second at Guwahati and third at Kurukshetra. In the latest development, ISRO has launched Indian
Data Relay Satellite System (IDRSS) satellites for seamless uninterrupted space communication for
astronauts. India is ready to embark upon its first-ever manned space mission with Gaganyaan in 2022,
and IDRSS will be imperative to the mission.

Turtle rehab centre of Bihar

In the Bhagalpur forest division of Bihar, a first of its kind turtle rehab centre has been inaugurated for
freshwater turtles. Spanned over half a hectare, the centre will shelter 500 turtles at a time. According
to a recent report of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and Wildlife Institute of India
(WII), the turtle species are under threat because of dams and barrages, pollution, illegal poaching,
accidental drowning through fishing nets and threats to their nesting habitats, etc. Moreover, the
Traffic India study reveals that nearly 11,000 turtles are being smuggled in India annually which makes
1,10,000 turtles in the past 10 years. The centre will treat sick, severely injured or smuggled turtles
and will return them safely into their natural habitat after proper monitoring.

FDI inflows rose 15% to $26 Bn in 1st half of FY2020

Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) released data which reveals that
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India rose 15% to $26 billion in the first half of the Fiscal year
2020 (FY2020) and Singapore emerged as the largest FDI source of India with $8 billion investments.
It was followed by Mauritius ($6.36 billion), the Netherlands ($2.32 billion), the United States ($2.15
billion), and Japan ($1.78 billion). The sectors that attracted maximum foreign inflows during April-
September 2019-20 were Services ($4.45 billion), Telecommunications ($4.28 billion), Computer
software and hardware ($4 billion), Trading ($2.14 billion) and Automobile ($2.13 billion).

India will restrict non-essential imports from China

India revealed its plan of putting stricter quality standards on non-essential imports of 371 items from
China. Out of them, around 111 are under the department of chemicals and petrochemicals, 68 are
under department of heavy industries, 62 are under the ministry of electronics and information and
technology (MeitY), 61 are under the industry department, 44 are under the steel ministry and 25 are
under the telecom department. It is worth knowing that non-essential imports from China are estimated
to amount to $4 trillion per annum. India’s trade deficit with China stands at $53.6 billion that has
been the key reason why India decided not to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
(RCEP) agreement.

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Prof Suresh Chandra Sharma: the first Chairman of NMC
The head of ENT(ears, nose, throat) head-surgery department of All India Institute of Medical
Sciences in New Delhi, Prof Suresh Chandra Sharma has been appointed as the first Chairman of the
National Medical Commission (NMC). Besides him, Dr. Rakesh Kumar Vats, Secretary-General,
Board Of Governors, Medical Council of India has been made Secretary of NMC. Both the Chairman
and the Secretary of NMC will serve for a period of 3 years or till the age of 70 years. These
appointments have been made under National Commission Bill 2019, which was introduced to replace
the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956. It laid the provision of appointment of 33 members in the
National Medical Commission by the Central Government including Chairman, President, and
Directors. NMC has four autonomous boards viz. Under-graduate medical education board, Post-
graduate medical education board, Medical assessment and rating board, and Ethics and Medical
registration board. The bill spelled a common entrance test for both Post-graduate and Under-graduate
in all medical institutions. It also advocated the National Exit Test for the medical students who obtain
the license for the practice.

ISRO’s second launch port in Tamil Nadu

Indian Space Research Organisation announced the establishment of its second launch port in
Thoothukodi district of Tamil Nadu for launching small satellite vehicles in the 2300 acres area.
Besides this, the Indian navigation system called Navic with the native atomic clock will be made
operational with mobile phone manufacturers coming forward to install the regional navigation device.
The government has approved Chandrayaan 3 mission to the moon, having a lander and a rover. India’s
first manned mission to outer space Ganganyaan has been scheduled in 2022 and the selection of
Astronaut for the same is over. Four men have been selected from the Indian Air Force, who will be
attending training in Russia.

Indian Science Congress began at Bengaluru

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 107th Indian Science Congress at Bengaluru on
‘Science and Technology: Rural Development’ theme. Department of Science and Technology is
hosting this seven-day event, which will witness around 28 plenary sessions on leading technologies
viz. Climate-Smart Agriculture for food security, challenges in cancer drugs, nanomaterials for energy,
solutions for oil and gas, environment and health care. In addition to this Farmers Science Congress,
women science congress, as well as Children Science Congress, will also be held. The experts from
the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and University of Agricultural Sciences will cover themes
of innovation on integrated agriculture, doubling farmers’ income, farmer empowerment,

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conservation, biodiversity, etc. under Farmers Science Congress. Women Science Congress will
applaud women’s achievements and Children Science Congress will encourage children in the field of
science.

Election Commission’s PPRTMS

The Election Commission of India launched an online system Political Parties Registration Tracking
Management System (PPRTMS). In order to contest in an election, a political party has to submit an
application to the election commission within 30 days of its formation. The commission will check if
the party satisfies the criteria governed by section 29A of Representation of the People Act, 1951 viz.
If the party has secured at least 6% of votes in four or more states at an election to assembly or
parliament and many more. Under this PPRTMS political parties will be able to track their
applications.

2020: “Year of Nurse and Midwife”

The World Health Organization designated the year 2020 as the “Year of Nurse and Midwife” in honor
of the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, who was an English Social reformer born in
1820. She had organized camps for wounded soldiers and also served as a manager of nurses during
the Crimean War. Every year International Nurse Day is celebrated on May 12th on the birth
anniversary of “The Lady with the Lamp”. WHO will eye on nursing and midwifery in order to achieve
Universal Health Coverage this year. The organization is a partner of the State of the World’s
Midwifery Campaign and is also planning to release a first of its kind “World Nursing Report” in 2020
dedicated to midwifery.

Hillary Clinton: The new chancellor of Queen's University Belfast in Ireland

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been appointed as the new chancellor of Queen's
University in Belfast, Ireland. She has been a regular visitor to Northern Ireland since the first visit of
President Bill Clinton in 1995 and has now become the university's first female chancellor for a five-
year term. The post has been vacant since the death of Thomas J Moran, chairman, president, and chief
executive of Mutual of America Life Insurance Company in 2018.

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The havoc of ‘Shopper’ malware
A new Trojan dubbed as ‘Shopper’ malware is multiplying its presence among smartphone users and
it is screening unsolicited ads and ashing fake reviews. Targeting retail applications, the trojan first
gains permission, interacts with the system interfaces and captures every data being featured on the
screen. After obtaining information, it is using Google and Facebook data to register on popular
shopping sites. It is boosting popular shopping app ratings and installations and spreading ads that
annoy users. Prior to this was disastrous ‘Trojan-Dropper. AndroidOS.Shopper.a’ that affected 28.46%
Russian smartphone users, 18.70% Brazilian users and 14.23% Indian users from October to
November 2019.

The second-largest Muslim congregation: Bishwa Ijtema

The first phase of the world’s second-largest Muslim congregation ‘Bishwa Ijtema’ after Haj
concluded on 12th January 2020 on the outskirts of Dhaka. Thousands of devotees from Bangladesh
and abroad thronged at the bank of river Turag at Tongi near Dhaka. Well-known scholars delivered
a religious sermon to the devotees. The Ijtema started with the ‘aam bayan’ and ended with the final
prayers ‘Akheri Munajat’. The second phase of Bishwa Ijtema will be held between January 17th to
19th. The observation of Bishwa Ijtema has been taking place since 1967.

Dhaka International Film Festival

The 18th edition of Dhaka International Film Festival started on ‘Better Film, Better Audience and
Better Society’ theme on 11th January with the screening of the Spanish-Greek film Window to the
Sea, directed by Miguel Angel Jimenez, at the Bangladesh National Museum. The Foreign Minister
of Bangladesh Dr A.K. Abdul Momen inaugurated this event which will continue till 19th January
2020. The event is witnessing featuring 220 films from 74 nations across various venues in Dhaka.
The films like Amra Ekta Cinema Banabo, Mayaboti, Shuttle Train, Chandrabati Kotha, Tunes of
Nostalgia, Maya - The Lost Mother, Nigrohokal and No Dorai have been selected in eight categories
viz. Asian Competition Section, Retrospective, Bangladesh Panorama, the cinema of the world and
Women Filmmakers etc. It is worth noting that four films by Polish director duo Joanna Kos-Krauzey
and Krysztof Krauze will be screened in the Retrospective section.
The beginning of the second innings for Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen secured a landslide victory in presidential elections after defeating
her main rival, Han Kuo-yu of the China-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) party. 63-year old Tsai claimed
victory for her second term with 57 per cent, more than eight million votes. Tsai hopes that Beijing
authorities understand that democratic Taiwan, and its democratically elected government, will not
concede to threats and intimidation. The Chinese Communist Party long claimed sovereignty over
Taiwan and the right to take it by force if necessary. But the female leader has clarified, “We don't
have a need to declare ourselves an independent state. We are an independent country already. We're
a successful democracy, we have a pretty decent economy, we deserve respect from China.”

Bush fire brought Australian Koalas at the brink of extinction

The firefighters are said to have brought Australia's largest "mega blaze" under control that caused
devastation for three long months. It gave Australia's unique flora and fauna has a catastrophic hit,
with an estimated 1.25 billion animals killed, and countless trees and shrubs burned away. Among
them are herbivorous Australia’s native Koalas (bear) population that came under the tag of
‘endangered’ as the fire destroyed 30% of their habitat. The Australian Government announced 50
million Australian Dollars emergency funds to save the affected wildlife. Australian Koalas are found
in coastal areas of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and South Australia. The Indian Ocean
(lying in the northwest of Australia) Dipole was in its positive phase in 2019, which implies that the
eastern Indian Ocean was cooler than the western Indian. This drew away the moisture from Australia
raising temperatures in Australia. The westerlies blowing hot air into the continent increased the fire
causing the mega bushfire. The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted 50 millimetres of rain in the
devastated forest regions.

Bangladesh is all set for Hindi Honours’ course

On the occasion of World Hindi Day in Dhaka on 12th January, the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre
(IGCC), High Commission of India celebrated the day by organizing Hindi Poem recitation, Elocution
and Speech competitions. India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das announced
that Dhaka University will have a Hindi chair to facilitate honours-level studies for students of
Bangladesh. Besides this, the UN has also started a weekly Friday bulletin in Hindi as the language
has gained prominence across the world due to its simplicity and richness of vocabulary.

NIIT will be a part of the NEAT program

The National Institute of Information Technology (NIIT), which is a multinational company has been
selected as one of the EdTech companies for the National Educational Alliance for Technology

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(NEAT) initiative for creating common one-stop access to technological solutions. Under this
initiative, the solutions will be developed by the selected EdTech companies chosen through the PPP
model. The NIIT will work with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), which is
implementing a NEAT program. Further, the Ministry of HRD along with NIIT will institute 5 awards
of Rs 50,000 for faculties and 10 awards of Rs 10,000 for students. It is worth recalling here that
NEAT was launched to customize the learning process using Artificial Intelligence.

The US inked the first phase of a trade deal with China

US President Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He has inked the first phase of a trade deal with
China after more than a year-long negotiation in Washington. The first phase of the trade deal covers
Intellectual Property (IP) Protection and Enforcement, rebalancing the US-China trade relationship
and effective dispute resolution. Trump has kept the massive tariff imposition on the import of Chinese
goods intact. However, Trump might roll back the tariffs if the second phase of the trade deal is signed
between the two countries. This trade deal is said to be a major political and diplomatic victory for
Trump.

Climate Change & Displacement of 40 mn people

Looking at the rising of average temperatures in Bangladesh between 0.5 to 1.0-degree celsius,
excessive rainfall in a short time span, the cyclone in the Bay of Bengal, rising sea level and entry of
saline water from the sea into rivers, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina predicted displacement
of 40 million people in Bangladesh. Being one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world,
Bangladesh is facing a variety of natural calamity which is drastically affecting the livelihood of
fishermen and farmers. The climate change is adversely affecting the biodiversity leading to a negative
impact on agriculture. The country is trying its best to reduce industrial pollution following the
Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) as part of the Zero Discharge Policy and launching a massive
plantation drive.

The demise of Roger Vernon Scruton

Britain’s conservative thinker and Philosopher Roger Vernon Scruton died of cancer at 75. He was a
lecturer at the University of London’s Birkbeck College, who penned more than 50 books on morality,
politics, culture and aesthetics and made regular television appearances. He was also a proud recipient
of Medal of Merit (First Class) of the Czech Republic in 1998. In 2019 he was presented Commander’s
Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary, by Hungary’s right-wing Prime
Minister Viktor Orban. Besides these, he was also honoured with Grand Cross of the Order of Merit
of the Republic of Poland, 2019.

21
The resignation of the Russian government
The entire federal government of Russia tabled resignation after President Vladimir Putin’s proposal
of the requisite constitutional changes on 15th January 2020. The proposed proposals had in
ingredients that could throw Russian power out of balance. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev
was also among the resignees, who resigned when Putin asked him to become deputy head of the
National Security Council, which is being chaired by Putin. After this, President Putin proposed the
head of Russia's tax service Mikhail Mishustin for the post of prime minister. Putin maintained his
longtime ally in the Kremlin’s leadership structure, appointing him to the newly created post of deputy
head of the presidential Security Council. Putin, in his annual speech at the Parliament, proposed a
referendum on amending Russia's constitution to increase the powers of parliament, while maintaining
a robust presidential system. The unexpected announcement has come four years before Putin's fourth
term of office is due to end.

WEF’s 1st Global Social Mobility Index 2020

The World Economic Forum (WEF) released the first edition of a report titled “The Global Social
Mobility Report 2020: Equality, Opportunity and a New Economic Imperative” for 82 nations.
Denmark topped the list followed by Norway, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Netherlands, Switzerland,
Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th,6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th in the list
respectively. While India ranked at the 76th position in the list. It is among China, the United
States(US), Japan and Germany which gained most from boosting social mobility scores. India needs
to work on Social protection and fair wage section.

Winners of Dhaka International Film Festival

The18th Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) got concluded on 19th January 2020 in which an
Iranian film ‘Castle of Dreams’ directed by Reza Mirakarimi won the Best Film Award in Asian
Competition section and its director Reza Mirakarimi won the Best Director Award; Sri Lankan
director Prasanna Vithanage’s film ‘Children of the Sun’ won Special Jury Award. Arezoo Ariapoor,
Ferestha Afshar and Hasiba Ebrahimi won the Best Actress Award for their performance in the
Afghanistan-Iran-France joint venture film ‘Hava, Maryamk, Ayesha’; Lousie Abuel for his acting in
the film ‘Edward’ won the Best Actor Award. ‘No Dorai’ directed by Taneem Rahman Angshu won
the Best Film Award, while Indian film ‘Finally Love’ directed by Anjan Dutt won the Best Audience
Award in Cinema of the World Category. The event witnessed 220 films from 74 countries within the
nine-day long festival which began on the 11th of this month.

22
Armed Forces Day of Thailand
Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn presided over the oath-taking ceremony of the Chief of Defence
Forces General Pornpipat Benyasri, who pledged his life to honor and sustain the greatness of the king
on Armed Forces Day on 18th January 2020. Around 7,000 soldiers and police paraded to mark Armed
Forces Day to commemorate the victory of King Naresuan the Great in the battle against the Crown
Prince of Burma in 1593. The occasion also rejoiced the King's coronation, which took place last year.
The monarchy and the military are the two most powerful institutions in the country that have a strong
grip over the country's democracy.

Resignation of Ukraine PM Oleksiy Honcharuk

Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk handed over his resignation to President Volodymyr
Zelenskiy on 17th January after less than six months in the role. Secret audio recordings appeared to
show Honcharuk criticizing President Zelenskiyon’s knowledge of economics. According to
Honcharuk, the recording had been doctored. However, the President has not accepted his resignation.
It is worth knowing that the former lawyer and deputy head of the Prime Minister's office became
Ukraine's youngest-ever head of government at the age of 35 when he took on the role in August of
last year.

Russia began the production of S-400 air defence systems

Russian Deputy Chief of Mission Roman Babushkin while addressing a joint press conference with
Russian Ambassador Nikolai Kudashev in New Delhi announced the delivery of five units of S-400
long-range surface-to-air missile systems for India by 2025. In addition to these, he promised delivery
of the first batch of 5,000 Kalashnikov rifles this year which will be produced in India under a joint
venture. Besides this, a contract will be finalised shortly for joint production of Kamov lightweight
multi-role military helicopters for India. All these will significantly bolster India's air defence
mechanism. It is worth recalling here that in October 2018, India inked a USD 5 billion deal to
purchase the air defence missile systems.

Mikhail Mishustin: The New Prime Minister Of Russia

The Russian lawmakers gave nod to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposed candidate Mikhail
Vladimirovich Mishustin, the head of the Federal Tax Service, as the next prime minister of the
country. He will take the place of Dmitri Anatolyevich Medvedev who resigned from his post.
Although Russia’s constitution bars a president from serving more than two consecutive terms, yet the
new PM, Mikhail is likely to help Putin remain in power indefinitely even after his presidential term
ends in 2024. During his tenure as Russia’s tax service, Mikhail helped modernize Russia’s inefficient
23
and corrupt tax system that fetched him the name “the taxman of the future” in a 2019 Financial Times
profile. Apart from this, during the 16th annual address to parliament at Moscow’s Manezh exhibition
hall, Russia, Putin emphasized the need to focus on domestic affairs, including measures to counter
Russia’s declining population and taking GDP growth from the current 21% to 25% in 2024.

The inauguration of the 2nd Integrated Check Post at Jogbani-Biratnagar

The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the PM of Nepal Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli jointly
inaugurated the 2nd Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Jogbani – Biratnagar of India (in Bihar state) and
Nepal respectively via video conference. Equipped with modern facilities, Jogbani – Biratnagar is a
significant trade post between the two nations. Built at an estimated expenditure of Rs. 140 crores in
a span of 260 acres, the Integrated Check Post has the potential of carrying 500 trucks on a daily basis.
Prior to this, the first Integrated Check Post was built at the Raxaul-Birgunj border of India (in Bihar
State) and Nepal respectively in 2018. Apart from this, it is worth recollecting here that in the 2015
Post-earthquake housing reconstruction projects (EHRP) in Nepal, India had committed to building
50,000 houses in Nepal’s Gorkha and Nuwakot districts. And out of the 50,000 houses, the
construction of 45,000 houses have already been done.

Elyes Fakhfakh: The New Prime Minister of Tunisia

Finance Minister Elyes Fakhfakh has been designated as the next Prime Minister of Tunisia.
Fakhfakh's proposal for forming the government will have to gain the approval of a divided parliament.
He will have to form a cabinet within a month. After months of negotiations that followed elections in
October 2019, parliament had dismissed a cabinet list proposed under the leadership of the Islamist-
inspired Ennahdha party. It was seen that although Ennahdha won more seats than any other party in
October's legislative election, but was still far short of a majority. This time if the 47-year-old Fakhfakh
fails to form a government, the dissolution of the assembly will become inevitable. Presently, Tunisia
is being administered by an outgoing government led by Prime Minister Youssef Chahed.

Queen Elizabeth II permitted Britain to leave the EU by January 31

Brexit deal succeeded in winning Queen Elizabeth II’s royal approval under the Royal Assent Act
1967. With this, Britain will become the first nation to leave the major bloc. It is looking forward to
proceeding with a smooth exit from the European Union on 31st January. And the European Union
(withdrawal agreement) bill 2020 has now officially become law after months of the blockade in the
UK Parliament. The historic agreement has set the terms of the UK's departure from the 28-member
EU bloc.

24
The Climax Of Calamity Of Coronavirus
Coronavirus is spreading like fire in China. Recently around 1,287 confirmed cases of pneumonia
caused by a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), including 237 in critical conditions have been reported.
The virus claimed 41 lives in China, 39 in central Hubei Province alone. Several Chinese provinces
and municipalities of Beijing, Shanghai and Wuhan have launched the highest level of public health
emergency response. Facing a lack of vaccine, China’s top health body has resorted to the traditional
Chinese medicines. The engulfing havoc has led to the cancellation of large-scale public events in
Shanghai. Xi'an city has announced a ban on long-distance buses. China announced a national ban on
wildlife trade as the virus has infected more than 2,000 people globally. According to the World Health
Organisation the virus has so far taken Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, South Korea,
Thailand, Vietnam, Nepal, the United States, France and Australia in its grip.

Agni Sapkota: Speaker of the House of Representatives

Agni Sapkota has been chosen as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the lower house of
Parliament in Nepal during a meeting of the House of Representatives in Kathmandu on 26th January
2020. His name was proposed by Subhash Chandra Nembang of Nepal Communist Party and as he
was the only candidate for the post, the House chose him unopposed. He took the oath of office and
secrecy on 27th January 2020. He has taken place of Krishna Bahadur Mahara , who had resigned in
October 2019 following allegations of attempted rape. Since then the post of Speaker was lying vacant.

Aldara : a weapon against dengue and zika viruses

According to a new study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, a skin cream called
‘imiquimod or Aldara’, could help protect people against viral diseases such as Zika and dengue
transmitted via mosquito bite. Researchers of the University of Leeds in the UK discovered the hidden
potential of this clinically approved skin cream which is being used to treat genital warts and some
forms of skin cancer. They discovered that mosquito-borne viruses that enter the skin through a bite
are able to replicate quickly with little anti-viral response in the skin and then spread throughout the
body. Keeping this in mind, within an hour of mosquito bite, they applied the cream and found that
the cream encouraged a type of immune cell in the skin, called a macrophage, to suddenly spring into
action to fight off the virus before it could spread around the body. As desired the skin cream could
preemptively activate the immune system's inflammatory response before the virus poses a problem.
The experiment dramatically reduced infection rates in their models(human skin samples and mice).
In both cases, applying the skin cream worked out like a warning signal which caused rapid activation
of the skin's immune response that fights any potential viral threats and hence prevented the virus from
spreading around the body and causing disease.
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Xenobots are the world’s first living, self-healing robots
American scientists at the University of Vermont and Tufts University have created the world’s first
living and self-healing robots Xenobots from stem cells of frogs. It has been named after the African
clawed frog, Xenopus laevis from which they have taken the stem cells. Xenobots are a new class of
artefact that is a living and is programmable, which is less than a millimetre (0.04 inches) in width and
is small enough to travel inside human bodies. They can walk and swim, live for weeks without food,
and work together in groups. Xenobots have been made to clean up radioactive waste, collect
microplastics in the oceans, carry medicine inside human bodies, or even travel into our arteries to
scrape out plaque.

The US curbed the 'birth tourism'

The White House Press Secretary of USA announced new visa rules to restrict ‘birth tourism’ on
January 23, 2020. This will put an end to the practice of travelling to the United States and giving birth
on American soil for securing automatic and permanent American citizenship for their children. The
nation will no longer issue temporary visitor visas to foreigners seeking to enter the nation for birth
tourism to fortify public safety, national security and the integrity of the country's immigration system
as well as save valuable hospital resources of the nation.

Guyana will chair G77

Guyana will preside over G77 summit for the year 2020. The G77 is the largest intergovernmental
organization of developing nations in the United Nations meant to promote its members’ collective
economic interests and create an upgraded joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. India,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Argentina and Lebanon have joined the Groups from
Latin and Central America, Asia, Africa and the Pacific to publicly approve Guyana’s Chairmanship
and pledged their support. It is worth noting here that the United Nations celebrates its 75th anniversary
in 2020.

News from the World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum that started on 21st January 2020 has joined the “Tree Trillion Campaign”
of NGO, Plant for the Planet. This campaign was originally started by the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) in 2006 as “Billion Tree Campaign” but with the passage of time the goal of
planting the number of trees increased. The forum has launched 1t.org platform to bring together the
leading businesses, governments, civil societies and entrepreneurs from across the globe. Besides this,
the forum has released a report on the role of passwords in cybercrimes and the cost involved in
maintaining their secrecy. It costs 2.9 billion USD in the global economy. As 50% of IT Help Desk
costs are spent on password resets so the necessity to shift the password-based system towards

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Artificial Intelligence and the other fourth Industrial Revolution Technologies are being greatly felt.
The report also suggests top 5 technologies for password protection like behavioural analytics,
biometrics, QR codes, zero-knowledge proofs and
security keys.

The Henley Passport Index 2020

Based on the data obtained from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Henley &
Partners released the passport Index 2020. Japan topped the index by providing visa-free access to 191
countries i.e. the mobility score. It was followed by Singapore ( mobility score- 190); Germany and
South Korea (189); Finland & Italy (188); Denmark, Luxembourg, and Spain (187); France and
Sweden at 6th (186); Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Switzerland (185); Belgium,
Greece, Norway, United Kingdom and the United States of America (184); Australia, Canada, Czech
Republic, Malta, New Zealand (183); Hungary, Lithuania, Slovakia (181) complete the top ten list.
India grabbed 84th place in the list providing visa-free access to 58 countries. While, Pakistan (32);
Syria (29), Iraq (28) and Afghanistan with a mobility score of 26 emerged as the least powerful nations
of the globe.

Prince Harry & Meghan are seeking financial independence

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have made public
announcements about their stepping back as “senior” royals and working to become financially
independent. The couple has planned to split their time between the UK and North America and will
continue to fulfil their royal obligations and support towards Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

Zoran Milanovic: President of Croatia

Former Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic of Croatia won Presidential elections on January 6, 2020.
Croatia’s centre-leftist former Prime Minister defeated centre-right incumbent 51 years old Kolinda
Grabar-Kitarovic, who was the first female president of Croatia. Milanovic of Social Democratic
Party(SDP) garnered 52.7% vote while Grabar-Kitarovic of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union
(HDZ) received 47.3% votes in the Presidential elections that were held on 22 December 2019.

Pedro Sanchez became Prime Minister of Spain

On January 8, 2020, Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez took the oath as Prime Minister of Spain in
presence of Spanish King Felipe VI. The 47-year-old Pedro Sanchez Perez-Castejon before assuming
the post had proposed to form a leftist coalition government with support from smaller parties by
narrowly won a parliamentary confidence vote. He carried out tricky negotiations with far-left
Podemos, Catalan, and Basque nationalists and won a confidence vote in parliament by 167 votes to

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165. He will lead Spain's first coalition government. The new Cabinet will have members of the anti-
austerity United We Can party, including party leader Pablo Iglesias as deputy prime minister. He has
ambitious plans to raise the income tax level for the highest-paid Spaniards and will roll back labour
market reforms.

Sucheta Satish: The Global Child Prodigy Awardee

In January 2020, Dubai-based 13-year-old Indian singer Sucheta Satish, who sings in 120 languages,
has won the ‘100 Global Child Prodigy Award 2020′ in the category of singing at an award ceremony
in Ashok Hotel, Delhi. Puducherry Lieutenant (Lt) Governor Kiran Bedi conferred this prestigious
award upon her in presence of chief guest Nobel Peace Prize (2014) winner Kailash Satyarthi. She had
made her double world record in January 2018 in Dubai at the Indian Consulate Auditorium, as a 12-
year-old when she has sung in 102 different languages over 6 hours and 15 minutes. Recently she
released her album ‘Ya Habibi’ in Arabic. The award is being supported by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
International Foundation and Oscar Award-winning music producer AR Rahman among others.

David Joel Stern of New York passed away

David Joel Stern, the brain behind the National Basketball Association (NBA) died of a brain
haemorrhage at the age of 77 in New York. He was commissioner of the National Basketball
Association for 30 long years (1984-2014). He joined the NBA as general counsel in 1978 and became
executive vice president of the National Basketball Association in 1980. National Basketball
Association’s growth into a global sports powerhouse is his biggest credential.

The Golden Globe awards

In January 2020, the stars of the big and small screens received the most coveted 2020 Golden Globe
Awards at the 77th edition of these Awards in Los Angeles, California. The winners for television
include Ramy Youssef (Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series -- Musical or Comedy
category for "Ramy"), Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series
-- Musical or Comedy, "Fleabag"), Brian Cox (Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series -
- Drama, "Succession"), Olivia Colman (Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series --
Drama, "The Crown"), Russell Crowe (Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion
Picture Made for Television, "The Loudest Voice"), Michelle Williams (Best Performance by an
Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, "Fosse/Verdon"),
"Chernobyl"(Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television), Patricia Arquette
(Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture

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Made for Television, "The Act"), Stellan Skarsgård (Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting
Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, "Chernobyl"),
"Succession"(Best Television Series -- Drama) and "Fleabag" (Best Television Series -- Musical or
Comedy). In movies winners are "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"(Best Motion Picture -- Musical
or Comedy), "1917"(Best Motion Picture -- Drama), "Parasite" (Best Motion Picture -- Foreign
Language), Quentin Tarantino (Best Screenplay -- Motion Picture, "Once Upon a Time in
Hollywood"), "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" (Best Original Song -- Motion Picture, "Rocketman"),
Hildur Guonadottir (Best Original Score -- Motion Picture, "Joker"), Brad Pitt (Best Actor in a
Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"), Laura Dern (Best
Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture, "Marriage Story"), Taron Egerton (Best Actor in
a Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy, "Rocketman"), "Missing Link"(Best Motion Picture --
Animated), Joaquin Phoenix (Best Actor in a Motion Picture -- Drama, "Joker"), Renée Zellweger
(Best Actress in a Motion Picture -- Drama, "Judy"), Awkwafina (Best Actress in a Motion Picture -
- Musical or Comedy, "The Farewell") and Sam Mendes (Best Director -- Motion Picture, "1917").

China lamented over Paddlefish

On January 03, 2020, scientists of the Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute (YRFRI) after
conducting a basin-wide survey between 2017 and 2018, declared Psephurus gladius or giant
paddlefish or ‘Panda of the Yangtze River’ or ‘Chinese swordfish’ of China’s Yangtze River as extinct.
Out of the 332 species that were found in the survey there was not even a single live specimen of the
paddlefish. The extinction was due to decades of overfishing. The extinct fish could grow from 10 feet
to 22 feet (7 meters) in length. It was native of the Yangtze River, the longest river in Asia. The fish
were last traced in the 2003 survey.

IndoOman bilateral Naval Exercise “Naseem Al-Bahr”

6th January 2020 welcomed Royal Navy of Oman ships Mormugao Port in Goa for 12th edition of
biennial Indo-Oman Bilateral Naval exercise, Naseem-Al- Bahr (or Sea Breeze). Indian Navy Ships-
INS Beas and INS Subhadra are participating in this naval exercise, which is being conducted regularly
since 1993. Oman is strategically located at the gateway of Strait of Hormuz through which India
imports one-fifth of its oil imports and the berth rights given by Oman to Indian vessels are important
for the Indian Navy to carry out anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. In 2018 India inked a pact
with this country to access the Duqm port of Oman. Besides this, the two nations also conduct regular
biennial exercises “Al Najah” between their armed forces and “Ex Eastern Bridge” between their Air
Forces.

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Red brittle star: World’s second creature with extraocular vision
According to a recent study published in the journal Current Biology, scientists from the University
of Oxford in England, United Kingdom, discovered the ability of extraocular vision in a starfish-like
species called the red brittle star “Ophiocoma Wendtii” that lives in the coral reefs of the Caribbean
Sea. With this ability to see without having eyes, the species has become the world's second creature
after a sea urchin species that exhibits extraocular vision by virtue of the photoreceptor cells found on
their bodies. The species was found to have light-sensing cells that cover its whole body, which gives
it visual stimuli to recognize coarse structures such as rocks. Besides this, it shows a dramatic colour
change. During day time it appears deep red in colour and at night its colour changes to beige. The red
brittle star belongs to a group of marine invertebrates called echinoderms. It has a nervous system but
no brain.

2019 was a deadly decade for children in conflict

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) or the United Nations
Children’s Fund recently reported more than 1,70,000 grave confirmed violations against children in
conflict. This is the equivalent of more than 45 violations per day for the last decade. It included killing
& maiming (injuring), sexual violence, abductions, denial of humanitarian access, child recruitment
by armed forces and armed groups, attacks against schools or hospitals. During the first half of 2019
more than 10,000 violations against children were reported in which Harsh winter conditions in
northern and eastern Syria, ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),
escalation of violence in Rakhine State in Myanmar killed a huge number of children. While in
November 2019, UNICEF stated that 3 years of violence and instability in the North-West and South-
West regions of Cameroon have placed more than 8.55 lakh children out of school and displaced
59,000 adolescents.

Mastercard acquired RiskRecon for its cybersecurity front

Leading global payments & technology company, Mastercard, acquired RiskRecon Inc, a leading
third-party cyber risk solutions provider, to protect its cyber systems & infrastructure. The RiskRecon
will promote Mastercard’s suite of cyber solutions designed to help financial institutions, merchants
& governments secure their digital assets. Prior to this, Mastercard along with popular credit card
companies like American Express, Visa & Discovery launched a one-click checkout feature for a faster
and secure mode of the credit card payment by using the latest authentication standards of EMV
(Europay, MasterCard, Visa) 3-D Secure. Apart from this, in India, the state government of
Maharashtra launched the ‘Cyber Safe Women’ campaign in 34 districts and 90 places simultaneously

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marking the birth anniversary of a social reformer, Savitribai Phule in Maharashtra. This initiative will
reduce cyber crimes like stalking, picture morphing, online abuse and defamation, sextortion,
pornography and child pornography, matrimonial and dating apps fraud against women and children.

Esmail Qaani became the new Commander of Iran

Brigadier-General Esmail Qaani has been appointed as the commander of Iran's Quds Force by the
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The most decorated commanders of the Revolutionary
Guards of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war has taken place of Qasem Soleimani, who got killed in a pre-
dawn US strike in Baghdad on 3rd January 2020. Qasem Suleimani was regarded as the second most
powerful figure in Iran after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Along with him the top Iraqi militia commander
Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, an adviser to Soleimani, was also killed in the attack. The US Defence
Department said that it killed Soleimani because he “was actively developing plans to attack American
diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region”. And in addition to this, Soleimani
had also approved the attacks on the US Embassy in Baghdad earlier this week.

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Kimia is leaving Iran
Iran’s Olympic medalist, Kimia Alizadeh announced that she is leaving the country. She made history
at the Rio Olympics in 2016 by winning a bronze medal for her country in Taekwondo and with that,
she became the only woman from Iran to have won an Olympic medal. Although she is one of the
millions of oppressed women in Iran, Islamic republic had used her success as a propaganda tool, the
government exploited her sporting success politically, officials humiliated her, yet she wishes to stay
as the ‘child of Iran’, no matter in whichever part of the world she will stay. She has denied Europe’s
invitation. She has not revealed where she will go.

Jacqueline Williams: The First Woman Third Umpire In Men’s T20i

A 43-year-old Jamaican woman, Jacqueline Williams became the first woman third umpire in men’s
international cricket match. She oversaw all 3 matches of the Twenty20 International (T20I) series in
Grenada, West Indies between West Indies and Ireland. Prior to this, she stood as umpire in the 2015
ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier tournament while in the year 2017, she was one of the four
umpires in Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier. In 2019, she stood in her first One Day
International (ODI) match between the United States and Papua New Guinea in the United States Tri-
Nation Series. Prior to her, in April 2019, Australia’s Claire Polosak became the first female on-field
umpire to stand in a men’s ODI, in the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 match between Namibia
and Oman in Windhoek, Namibia. And before them in May 2019, India’s Gandikota Sarva Lakshmi
became the first woman to get appointed onto the ICC International Panel of Match Referees and
oversaw the third series of the Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE),
becoming the first woman match referee in men’s ODIs.

Cristiano Ronaldo won the best men’s player title

Globe Soccer Award conferred the best men’s player of the year title upon renowned Portuguese
professional football player Cristiano Ronaldo in the international football function held in Dubai.
Ronaldo won this title for the fourth consecutive time. He has won the award six times out of its nine
years of existence. Besides him, England’s Lucy Bronze was adjudged as the best women’s player of
the year. European Association of Player’s Agents(EFAA) and the European Club Association (ECA)
organized this 11th edition of the annual Globe Soccer Awards marking a new era for football in the
Middle East, Dubai.
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Conclusion of the 3rd Khelo India youth games 2020
The third edition of Khelo India youth games 2020 reached its end in January 2020 at Karmabir Nabin
Chandra Bordoloi Indoor Stadium in Guwahati, Assam. Vijay the Tiger and Jaya the Blackbuck were
the mascots of this tournament which witnessed participation of more than 10,000 students. Sprinter
Hima Das acted as the torchbearer of the opening ceremony and Pugilist Harsh Bhagwan won Daman
and Diu’s first medal. Maharashtra won Khelo India Youth Games 2020 champions trophy with 256
medals (78 gold, 77 silver and 101 bronze). It was followed by Haryana with 200 medals (68 gold, 60
silver and 72 bronze) and Delhi with 122 medals (39 gold, 36 silver and 47 bronze) at the second and
third places respectively. Tamil Nadu girls won the under-17 basketball title

UWW Rome Ranking Series 2020 & India

The United World Wrestling organized a four-day-long first edition of UWW (United World
Wrestling) Matteo Pellicone Rome Ranking Series 2020 in the capital of Italy from 15th to 18th
January 2020. It featured all the 3 disciplines – freestyle, Greco Roman and women’s wrestling. The
Indian wrestling team won 7 medals (4 gold, 2 silver, and a bronze). Bajrang Punia (65kg freestyle),
Ravi Kumar Dahiya (61kg freestyle), Vinesh Phogat (53kg women’s wrestling) and Gurpreet Singh
(82kg -Greco-roman) were Gold medallists. Anshu Malik (57kg) and Sunil Kumar (97kg) were
Silver medallists. Sajan Bhanwal won the bronze medal in 77 kg Bronze.

The tale of Mumbai marathon

During the 7th edition of the Mumbai marathon, a 22-year-old Ethiopian Derrara Hurisa broke the
event record for the full marathon in the elite category. He clocked a superb 2 hours, 8 minutes, 9
seconds, breaking the previous course record of 2:08:35 set by Gideon Kipketer in 2016. He was
followed by Ayele Abshero and Birhanu Teshome who grabbed the second and third places in this
category. While Ethiopia's Amane Beriso topped in the International Elite Full Marathon Women's
category. Srinu Bugatha and Sudha Singh have booked the Indian Elite Full Marathon Men's and
Women's category respectively. And Uttar Pradesh's Parul Choudhary has clinched the half marathon
category, followed by Mumbai's Aarti Patil in the second and Nasik's Monica in the third spot.

Kuldeep Yadav: the fastest Indian spinner to take 100 wickets in ODIs
Kuldeep Yadav scripted history by becoming the fastest Indian spinner to take 100 wickets in ODI
during the second match against Australia in Rajkot on 17th January 2020. The left-arm wrist-spinner
achieved this milestone in his 58th match when he took Alex Carey’s wicket for 18 in the 38th over
of the Australian run chase. Kuldeep has now become the third-fastest Indian bowler to take 100 ODI
wickets after his current teammates Mohammed Shami, who reached this milestone in 56 matches,
and Jasprit Bumrah in 57 matches.

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BCCI’s central contract list for the year 2020
BCCI has released an annual central contract list for the period from October 2019- September 2020.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah are still in the highest A+ bracket
contract that will bring each of these players Rs 7 crore each. Shikhar Dhawan, K L Rahul, Ravindra
Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Cheteshwar Pujara, R Ashwin, Mohammed Shami,
Ishant Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav and Rishabh Pant occupied A bracket contract. Hardik Pandya,
Yuzvendra Chahal, Wriddhiman Saha, Umesh Yadav and Mayank Agarwal were inducted in the B
bracket. And Kedar Jadhav, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Manish Pandey, Hanuma Vihari, Shardul
Thakur, Shreyas Iyer and Washington Sundar were taken in C bracket. It is worth knowing here that
former Indian skipper MS Dhoni has been left out of the BCCI central contract list for the year 2020.
Till last year he was in the A category of Rs 5 crore. Dinesh Karthik is also missing from the list, while
several newbie’s like Washington Sundar and Mayank Agarwal have been included in the list this
year.

India ended the 2019 shooting championship campaign on a high note

According to the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), India sealed the year 2019 as the top
Shooting Nation in all the Rifle-pistol World Cups and Finals. It earned 21 gold, 6 silver, and 3 bronze.
It was followed by China at the second position with 11 gold, 15 silver and 18 bronze and the United
States at the third spot with 6 gold, 6 silver and 3 bronze.

The ongoing Khelo India Youth Games

As of 13th January 2020, Maharashtra and Haryana seemed to be fighting neck to neck in the medal
tally at the ongoing Khelo India Youth Games at Guwahati. The defending champions, Maharashtra
picked up five gold to manage a tally of total 76 medals with 17 gold to keep its topper image intact,
while Haryana is also giving a good competition with 17 gold medals and a total of 47 medal win.
Delhi and Gujarat are following them closely at the third and fourth spots respectively.

The Beginning of Khelo India Youth Games

The third edition of the Khelo India Youth Games started in Guwahati, Assam. Assam Chief Minister
Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Kiren Rijiju along with star
athletes graced the inaugural ceremony at the Indira Gandhi Stadium which featured a state-of-the-art
show created with the innovative use of lighting and technology. Around 6,800 athletes from teams of
37 states and union territories will compete in a total of 20 sports events till the 22nd of January 2020.
This time the event is witnessing an addition of lawn bowls and cycling across eleven venues in
Guwahati. The biggest contingents are from Maharashtra and Assam states in the games. Besides the
Khelo India scholarships, the winners of the tournament will get, cash awards as well from the Assam
Government.

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Addition of shooting and archery in 2022 CWG
The Sports Ministry has given ‘in principle’ approval for holding the Commonwealth Games shooting
and archery events in India. These events will take place under the aegis of the Commonwealth Games
(CWG) Friendship Program in March 2022. Last year the Commonwealth Games had decided to
exclude shooting events in 2022 CWG but the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) did not support this
decision. India had won 66 medals including 26 gold medals in 2018 CWG in Gold Coast, Australia
and also clinched 16 medals in the Shooting event.

The 63rd National Shooting championship

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) & MP State Shooting Academy organized the 63rd
National Shooting championship competitions (NSCC) 2019 in Small Bore Rifle & Pistol events
(including Para events) that concluded on 4th January 2020 in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The names
of winners in women’s national 10m Air Rifle include Shooter Zeena Khitta (gold medal with 252.2
points), Mehuli Ghosh (silver medal with 250.5 points) and former World No. 1 and world record
holder Apurvi Chandela (bronze medal with 227.6 points). In the women’s 10-meter air pistol event,
Manu Bhaker of Haryana won 4 gold medals (individual and team events in senior and junior) and
topped the junior category with 243 points and won the title with 241.5 points in the final of the senior
category. She scored 588 points in the joint qualification of the two events. In the senior men’s 25-
meter rapid fire pistol event, Anish Bhanwala from Haryana won the gold medal with 28 points in the
senior class final. He topped the qualification with a 582 score. In men’s 10-meter air pistol event,
Saurabh Chaudhary won gold and topped the table with 246.4 points. He is one of the medal contenders
for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, who just scored less than 0.1 points from his former world record score;
Sarabjot Singh finished second with a score of 243.9 and world number two Abhishek Verma managed
a bronze medal. In 25-meter Standard Pistol for Men, Vijayveer won the individual gold medal. He
topped the table with 580 points while Gurpreet Singh (578) and Udhayveer Sidhu (574) were behind
in the queue. Vijayveer also topped the junior category, followed by Udhayveer and Harsh Gupta (572
points). In Junior Men’s Team, Vijayveer along with Udhayveer and Unish Holinder also won the
team gold medal (1699 points) in the junior category. In the men’s 50m pistol event, the World
Championship silver medalist Jitu Rai won team gold.