Current affair 30 december

Govt launches Swachh Swasth Sarvatra initiative

i.Government of India launched Swachh Swasth Sarvatra initiative, aiming at strengthening health centres in open defecation-free blocks. 

ii.Launching this initiative in New Delhi, Health Ministry J P Nadda stated that the objective of this initiative is to strengthen community health centres in 708 Open Defecation free blocks across the country to enable them to achieve higher levels of cleanliness and hygiene.

Cabinet approves ordinance to make possession of old notes penal offence

i.The Cabinet has approved promulgation of an Ordinance to make possession of a large number of scrapped banknotes a penal offence making holding of old 1,000 and 500 rupee notes after March 31st 2017 beyond a threshold amount a criminal offence.

ii.The possession will attract a monetary fine of 10,000 rupees or five times the cash held, whichever is higher.

Important Cabinet Approvals:28 December 2016

i. Cabinet Approves Ordinance to Penalize Person with Scrapped Notes Post March 31. 

ii. Cabinet Approves Road Connectivity Project for LWE Affected Areas

iii. Centre gives ex post facto approval for ratification of ISA’s Framework Agreement

iv. Centre Gives Green Signal for Apex Corridor Development Body
v. Centre Approves Rs 266 crore investment for Delhi under AMRUT

India Signs Agreement with Bhutan for green and sustainable construction

i.India has signed an agreement with Bhutan for assistance in green and sustainable construction of infrastructure in the Himalayan kingdom. 

ii.The MoU was signed between Central Public Works Department (CPWD), under India’s Ministry of Urban Development and the Department of Engineering Services, under Bhutan’s Ministry of Works and Human Settlements.

Former IAS officer Anil Baijal to be next Delhi Lt Governor

i.Anil Baijal has replaced Najeeb Jung as the next Delhi Lt Governor. Baijal, a 1969-batch IAS officer, served as home secretary in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. 

ii.Delhi's former Lt-Governor Najeeb Jung had resigned on December 22 2016, 18 months before the end of his tenure.  

Centre approves Rs 266 crore investment for Delhi under AMRUT

i.The Central Govt of India has approved investments of Rs266 crore rupees for improving water supply and sewerage networks in Delhi. 

ii.With the approval, the Urban Development Ministry has now given nod to a total investment of Rs489 crore rupees for improving urban infrastructure in the national capital under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) guidelines. 

Haryana Government to set up country’s first Caterpillar Train

i.Haryana Government has decided to set up a pilot corridor for an innovative concept of 'Caterpillar Train' that will fly over city’s traffic, in Gurgaon city.

ii.The concept of Caterpillar Train, also known as C-Train, was co-developed by an Indian Railways engineer Ashwani Kumar Upadhyaya along with Emil Jacob, both PhD  Caterpillar Trainscholars at MIT, for which they won a global award at the MIT in the United States earlier in 2016 for this innovative idea. 

SP Vaid appointed as new J&K police chief

i.The Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet has cleared the appointment of 1986 batch IPS officer Dr Shesh Pal Vaid, Special DG, Coordination and Law and Order, as new Director General of Police. 

ii.He will succeed DGP K Rajendra, whose extended term of service ends on 31 December 2016. 

Rajasthani writer Satya Narayan chosen for Bihari Puraskar

i.Eminent Rajasthani writer Satya Narayan has been chosen for the 26th Bihari Puraskar, 2016 by the K K Birla Foundation.

ii. He will be awarded a cash prize of Rs 2 lakhs, besides a citation and a plaque. 

iii.Narayan selected for his Hindi book titled ‘Yeh Ek Dunia’ which was published in 2010.The book is a meticulous depiction of various circumstances of life in the contemporary world.  

South Indian Bank has introduced a full-fledged NRI-focused mobile banking app

i.South Indian Bank has introduced a full-fledged NRI-focused mobile banking application called SIB Mirror+ across major mobile platforms. 

ii.The new app was launched after the path-breaking 'E-Lock' feature that provided a single tap solution to fully secure all digital transaction from frauds. SIB Mirror+ equips the customers to perform almost all banking transactions from their smart phones.

Ex Madhya Pradesh CM Sunderlal Patwa passes away at 92

Veteran BJP leader and two-time Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Sunderlal Patwa passed away after a brief illness. 92-year-old Patwa, a former union minister, died due to a heart attack. 

Transformer of Modern Physics and Astronomy Vera Rubin Dies at 88

Vera Rubin, who transformed modern physics and astronomy with her observations showing that galaxies and stars are immersed in the gravitational grip of vast clouds of dark matter, died at 88 

Meghalaya to host National Games 2022

i.After successfully co-hosting the 12th South Asian Games with Assam early in 2016, Meghalaya has now got the opportunity to hold the National Games 2022 with its 50 years of statehood.

ii. Meghalaya clinched the bid for hosting the prestigious 2022 national games in the state overshadowing four other bidders Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Chhattisgargh and Uttarakhand.

iii. It also pledged Rs 5 crore as the bid amount for the game.

Ana Ivanovic announces retirement from Tennis

Serbian Ana Ivanovic, the former world No1 and 2008 French Open champion, has retired from tennis at the age of 29.

Current affair 29 december

Viral Acharya appointed as deputy governor of RBI

i.Viral Acharya has appointed by the Government of India as the deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). 

ii.He will be joining the ranks of Vishwanathan, S S Mundra, R Gandhi as one of four deputy governors serving under RBI Governor Urjit Patel. 

iii.Mundra and Gandhi had served under former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, while Vishwanathan was appointed during Urjit Patel’s tenure. 

Indian Army partners with IIT Gandhinagar for critical technology requirements

i.Indian Army has inked an agreement with IIT Gandhinagar to set up a research and development (R&D) cell at the IIT campus to identify problems and possible solutions for the Indian Army. 

ii.The agreement also enable the IIT and Indian Army to collaborate in areas including critical technology requirements of Indian Army, sharing of professional and technical knowledge. 

Ministry of Shipping Inaugurates Sagarmala Development Company’s office in New Delhi

i.The Union Minister for Road Transport and Shipping, Nitin Gadkari has inaugurated the Sagarmala Development Company’s office in New Delhi to promote port-led development.

ii.The company would help in structuring activities, bidding out projects for private sector participation, identifying suitable risk management measures for strategic projects across multiple states, regions and obtaining requisite approvals and clearances.

PM Modi lays foundation stone of 900 km Char Dham highway

i.PM Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone of Char Dham highway development project in Dehradun.  

ii.Char Dham Yatra is an annual pilgrimage to the shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri.

iii. The project includes developing 900 km of National Highways in Uttarakhand at Rs  12,000 crore. The Char Dham project is a tribute to those who lost their lives during Uttarakhand flash floods. 

Govt cancels FCRA licences of 20,000 NGOs for incomplete documentation

i.The Government of India cancelled the Foreign Contribution of Regulation Act FCRA licences of 20,000 out of 33,000 NGOs for violation of laws. 

ii.Only 13,000 NGOs in the country are now legally valid as the licences of 20,000 such organisations have been cancelled for incomplete documentation.On December 15, 7 NGOs, including one run by activist Shabnam Hashmi, were barred by the government from receiving foreign funds after their FCRA licence

Gujarat government announces Biotechnology Policy

i.Gujarat government lead by Vijay Rupani has introduced the  ‘Biotechnology Policy-2016‘ to establish Gujarat as a preferred destination for manufacturing of biotechnology products.

ii.Under the policy, the state government would provide capital subsidy up to Rs 25 crore on the total investment for developing a Biotechnology (BT) Park, said Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel while announcing the policy. 

Nagar Uday Abhiyan launched in Madhya Pradesh

i.CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has launched Nagar Uday Abhiyan rallies across the state. 

ii.In these rallies, urban welfare and other public welfare schemes will be reviewed.

iii. This campaign will be conducted in three phases from December 25 to February 5 to assess services being provided to citizens and bring them at standard live.

Au Financiers gets final nod to start small finance bank operations

i.AU Financiers (India) Ltd  has received the final licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to start a small finance bank, becoming the seventh entity to do so. 

ii.AU Financiers was the only non-banking finance company (NBFC) among the 10 entities to receive in-principle approvals to start small finance banks in September 2015.

Bank of Maharashtra Adopts Village in Sangli for Digital Transactions

i.Pune based public sector lender Bank of Maharashtra, has helped to make the village of Malangaon, in Sangli district, Maharashtra, a completely cashless village. 

ii.Post the announcement of withdrawal of 500 and 1000 currency notes and the push towards a cashless society. 

Paytm launches 100-member merchant helpdesk to educate on digital payments

Mobile payment and e-commerce platform Paytm has announced a 100-member 'merchant helpdesk' and announcing that it will invest Rs 50 crore towards educating merchants on digital payments across the country.

Shinzo Abe becomes first Japanese prime minister to visit Pearl Harbour

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who arrived in Hawaii , will become the first Japanese leader to visit Pearl Harbor. He pay's his respects at the USS Arizona Memorial, the site of the deadly attack that prompted the U.S. entry into World War II.

Tata Motors signs up Akshay Kumar as brand ambassador

i.Tata Motors  announced the appointment of Bollywood film star Akshay Kumar, as the brand ambassador for its Commercial Vehicle Business Unit. 

ii.Indian Cinema's 'original Khiladi' will make his blockbuster entry in this new role at the launch of Tata Motors' latest offering in Commercial Vehicles, slated in January 2017.

ShahRukh Khan Conferred with Honorary Doctorate for promoting Urdu Language

i. Actor Shahrukh Khan has received an honorary doctorate from Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) in Hyderabad for his extraordinary contribution in promotion of the Urdu language and culture through his films.

ii.Chancellor Zafar Sareshwala conferred the 'honorius causa' on Khan and Rekhta Foundation founder Sanjiv Saraf at the sixth convocation of the university, for their contribution in the promotion of Urdu language and culture.

Virat Kohli chosen as captain of Cricket Australia’s ODI team of the year

i.Accolades continue to pour in for India’s dynamic Test captain Virat Kohli, has named skipper of Cricket Australia’s ODI team of the year which also featured young yorker specialist Jasprit Bumrah. 

ii.Kohli, who was earlier also picked captain of the ICC’s ODI team of the year, was preferred over Australia’s Steve Smith. Smith was, however, picked in the ‘All-Star’ team. 

16-year-old Indian shooter equals Rio gold medallist's score

Shooter Pruthviraj Ayachi shot 209.5 in the finals of the junior men's 50 meters Rifle Prone event at the National Shooting Championship, equalling the score of the Rio Olympics' gold medallist.

Current affair 24 december

PM Modi features on Government of India calendar for 2017

i.Prime Minister Narendra Modi has featured on the Government of India 2017 calendar. 

ii.The calendar features candid pictures, with each month representing the issues that Modi has worked for. 

iii.The photos depict the Prime Minister's participation in campaigns including Swachh Bharat, Sashakt Nari, Sashakt Bharat  and MSME: India's economic backbone.

ICC Awards 2016

i.Ravichandran Ashwin has won both the ICC Cricketer of the Year and the ICC Test cricketer of the Year award after he was named as the only Indian in ICC’s Test Team of the Year. 

ii.Virat Kohli was named the captain of the ICC ODI Team of the Year. 

iii.Misbah-Ul-Haq won the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award at the 2016 ICC Awards as he became the first Pakistan player to win the award. 

Union Minister of State for Ayush Yesso Naik inaugurates NE Institute of Ayurveda and Homeopathy

i.Union Minister of State for Ayush Shripad Yesso Naik has inaugurated the North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda and Homeopathy (NEIAH).

ii.The institute's primary aim is to produce quality human resource in the area of Ayush, particularly in Ayurveda and homoeopathy along with yoga.

Delhi named India's most well-read city of 2016 by Amazon

i.Delhi has emerged as the country's most well-read city in the fourth consecutive year with Bengaluru and Mumbai taking the second and third spot, according to Annual Reading Trends Report 2016 by Amazon. 

ii.For the first time, Karnal, Vadodara and Patna made it to the top 20 cities, having bought more books than cities like Coimbatore, Visakhapatnam and Lucknow this year.

Hrithik Roshan becomes highest advance taxpaying actor

                                                     i.Hrithik Roshan has become the highest advance taxpaying actor. 

ii. He has paid an advance tax of Rs 80 crore till December 15, 2016, compared to Rs 50 crore last year.

iii. After Hrithik, it is Aamir Khan, who has paid Rs. 74 crore.  

iv. Ranbir Kapoor, who paid Rs 37 crore as advance tax till December is at 3rd position.

Salman Khan has been ranked No. 1 on the fifth Forbes India Celebrity 100 List. 

i.Salman, 50 has earned a revenue of Rs 270.33 crore. 

ii.Ranked second on the list, Shah Rukh Khan has an estimated earnings of Rs 221.75 crore. 

iii.The Forbes' ranking is based on two parameters: estimates of entertainment-related earnings and estimates of fame. 

China launches satellite to monitor global CO2 emissions

i.China has launched atmospheric CO2-monitoring TanSat satellite on 22nd December 2016, in an effort to curb and monitor greenhouse gas emissions. 

ii.The 635-kg satellite will measure global carbon dioxide levels every 16 days over the next three years and help policy makers and scientists gather independent climate change data. 

iii.Notably, China is the world's largest emitter of CO2.

World's first solar road opens in France

i.The world's first solar road made with 30,000 square feet of solar panels has been opened in the French village of Normandy.

ii. The one-kilometre long road took five years and cost $5.2 million to develop. 

iii.It will be used for a two-year test period to check if it can generate enough energy to power street lighting in the village.

Argentina win FIFA Team of the Year title

i.FIFA has released the final rankings of 2016, with Argentina reclaiming the team of the year title from Belgium, finishing with 1634 points to top FIFA’s rankings.  

ii.As for India, the Blue Tigers have also climbed a staggering 31 places from last year, finishing the 

year ranked 135, their best climb up the table in history.

India wins bronze at women's U18 Hockey Asia Cup

i.India has defeated South Korea 3-0 to secure the bronze medal at the 4th Women's U18 Asia Cup 2016 hockey tournament in Bangkok on 22 December 2016. 

ii.After the win, Hockey India announced cash rewards of Rs.1 lakh for each player. 

iii.It also announced Rs.50000 for each member of the support staff. 

Jeje wins best footballer of the year award by AIFF

i.Indian fotballer Jeje Lalpekhlua has named 2016's All India Football Federation (AIFF) Player of the Year, an award given to the best footballer in the country.  

ii.The 25-year-old who hails from Mizoram will be awarded a prize of 2.5 lakh.