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CONTENTS, TNPSC BITS ...................................................................................................... 14, TAMIL NADU ..................................................................................................... 22, Special drone unit .......................................................................................... 22, Kazhuveli Wetland Birds Sanctuary ................................................................ 23, Single-use dialysis policy ............................................................................... 23, National award for disability welfare ............................................................... 23, Nightingale Award .......................................................................................... 23, Initials in Tamil ............................................................................................. 24, Sponge city .................................................................................................... 24, Eco park at Pallikaranai ................................................................................. 24, JICA and TN sign pact .................................................................................... 25, Tamil Nadu State song ................................................................................... 26, Radhakrishnan - SKOCH award ...................................................................... 26, Innuyir Kaapoom-Nammai Kaakkum 48 scheme............................................. 26, Meendum manjapai scheme ........................................................................... 27, Indco Tea Vandis ............................................................................................ 27, CM Dashboard monitoring system .................................................................. 28, R Parthiepan - Golden Visa ............................................................................. 28, Tolkappiyam .................................................................................................. 29, National Skating Championship ..................................................................... 30, The M S Swaminathan Rose ........................................................................... 30, National awards .............................................................................................. 31, Rs 50,000 ex-gratia for kin of Covid-19 victims.............................................. 31, NATIONAL ......................................................................................................... 32, Tribes India Conclave ..................................................................................... 32, The Kuno National Park ................................................................................. 32, Certified organic kiwi ..................................................................................... 33, NHA estimates for India for 2017-18 .............................................................. 33, World’s Tallest Pier Bridge ............................................................................. 34, Cherry Blossom Festival 2021 ........................................................................ 34, A book on India-Pakistan War 1971 ................................................................ 35, , 1
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NCC - 73rd Raising Day .................................................................................. 35, India1 Payments ............................................................................................ 36, 1st International conference on Hydrogen energy .......................................... 36, Farm Laws Repeal Bill 2021 ........................................................................... 37, Indian Young Water Professionals Programme ................................................ 38, 12 Rajya Sabha MPs suspended for rest of Winter Session .............................. 38, Credit Card from Recycled PVC Plastic ........................................................... 38, Israeli Heron Drones ...................................................................................... 39, Border Security Force - 57th Raising Day ....................................................... 39, EWS Criteria review panel .............................................................................. 40, Cyber Drill...................................................................................................... 40, Periodic Labour Force Survey ......................................................................... 41, AIRNxt ........................................................................................................... 42, Democracy, Politics and Governance – Book .................................................. 42, InFinity Forum............................................................................................... 42, India joins G20 Troika .................................................................................... 43, Report on suicides ......................................................................................... 43, 40% power generation capacity from non-fossil fuel sources .......................... 44, 1817 Paika rebellion ...................................................................................... 45, ZyCov – D ....................................................................................................... 46, Vaccine booster dose ...................................................................................... 46, Crumb Rubber ................................................................................................ 47, SRESTHA Scheme .......................................................................................... 47, UN Report on Mullaperiyar Dam ..................................................................... 47, Delhi - Dehradun corridor ............................................................................... 48, Earth Station of Doordarshan Kendra ............................................................. 49, Mahila Mitra Plus scheme............................................................................... 49, 5th International Ambedkar Conclave ............................................................ 50, Dam Safety Bill 2019 ..................................................................................... 50, Indian Army - new uniform............................................................................. 51, Exercise Ekuverin .......................................................................................... 52, Maha parinirvana Divas .................................................................................. 52, Caste census .................................................................................................. 53, Sandhayak ..................................................................................................... 53, 2
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India – Russia 2+2 Dialogue ............................................................................ 54, Genesys International’s digital twin platform ................................................. 54, Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2020 ............................. 55, Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0 .................................................................. 55, President’s Standard Award ............................................................................ 56, 5th Indian Ocean Conference ......................................................................... 56, RUDRA ........................................................................................................... 57, Development projects at Gorakhpur ............................................................... 57, Cyber security seminar .................................................................................. 57, Bipin Rawat.................................................................................................... 58, Inclusion of Diseases under AB-PMJAY ........................................................... 59, She is a Changemaker – new programme ........................................................ 59, AFSPA repeal .................................................................................................. 59, Bhasha Sangam .............................................................................................. 60, e-Sawaari India Electric Bus Coalition ............................................................ 60, Nutrition Mission ........................................................................................... 61, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin ............................................................ 62, Ken-Betwa River interlinking project ............................................................. 63, Saryu Canal National project .......................................................................... 63, World Economic Forum survey ....................................................................... 64, Top Google Searches in 2021 ......................................................................... 64, 75 years of Constituent Assembly’s 1st sitting ............................................... 64, Book on 1971 Indo-Pak war ............................................................................ 65, Book by Gautam Chintamani .......................................................................... 66, Vertical launch - Short Range Surface to Air Missile ....................................... 66, Top 100 in arms sales - Three Indian companies ............................................ 67, Extended Range Pinaka Rocket ...................................................................... 68, Summit for Democracy .................................................................................. 68, India Skills Report 2022................................................................................. 68, Bills replacing ordinances .............................................................................. 69, Observer Status to the ISA ............................................................................. 69, Chairmanship of Council of RATS SCO ........................................................... 70, Kashi Vishwanath Corridor ............................................................................. 70, Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana ................................................................. 70, 3
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SMART system ............................................................................................... 71, General Category Commission ........................................................................ 71, National Helpline against atrocities on SCs, STs............................................. 72, First drone Mela ............................................................................................. 72, High Court and Supreme Court Judges Amendment Bill ................................. 73, Test to detect Omicron .................................................................................. 73, Green Hydrogen production ........................................................................... 73, NDPS (Amendment) Bill, 2021 ........................................................................ 73, Chabahar Port ................................................................................................ 74, Aadhaar and voter cards to sex workers ......................................................... 74, Prompt Corrective Action Framework ............................................................ 75, India’s first Green Hydrogen Microgrid Projects ............................................. 76, Science Festival ............................................................................................. 76, Electric Vehicles in India ............................................................................... 77, #Care4Hockey Campaign ................................................................................ 77, Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee .......................................................... 78, All-India Mayor’s Conference .......................................................................... 78, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana ........................................................ 79, Nuclear Power Reactors .................................................................................. 79, Legal marriage age for women ........................................................................ 80, National Conclave on Natural Farming ........................................................... 80, Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Index ................................................... 81, 8th Indian Ocean Dialogue ............................................................................. 82, SANT Missile .................................................................................................. 83, 100th year of Public Accounts Committee ..................................................... 83, Best Practices in Municipal Solid Waste Management .................................... 84, Animal exchange Programme ......................................................................... 84, Covovax vaccine for Children ......................................................................... 85, Barn owl in Bihar ........................................................................................... 85, Agni P ............................................................................................................ 86, Fine on Amazon ............................................................................................. 86, Mission Shakti Living Lab .............................................................................. 87, Controlled aerial delivery system ................................................................... 87, Good Governance Week - December 20 to 25 .................................................. 88, 4
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Good Governance Index 2021 ....................................................................... 106, NITI Aayog Health Index 2021 ...................................................................... 107, Bill to raise marriage age for women to 21 years – Parliament Standing, , committee.................................................................................................... 108, Winter Session - Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha ................................................ 108, Delmicron .................................................................................................... 109, 150th Birth Anniversary of Sri Aurobindo .................................................... 109, Soya Meal as an Essential Commodity.......................................................... 110, India to chair UNSC Counter terrorism Committee....................................... 110, Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission ..................................................... 111, Import duty on refined palm oil reduced ...................................................... 111, ABDM integrated Health Locker ................................................................... 111, Vikram Misri ................................................................................................ 112, CRPF women commandos ............................................................................ 112, ATMs across the country .............................................................................. 113, World Economic League Table 2022 ............................................................. 113, Spices Statistics at a Glance 2021................................................................ 114, Vaccines and pill against Covid .................................................................... 115, High-level committee to examine of lifting AFSPA in Nagaland .................... 116, State of India’s Livelihood Report 2021 ....................................................... 116, Quantum Laboratory .................................................................................... 117, Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievement (ARIIA) 2021 ........ 117, Hydropower Projects .................................................................................... 118, Gram Ujala Programme ................................................................................. 119, INTERNATIONAL ............................................................................................. 119, Barbados ...................................................................................................... 119, World’s first floating city.............................................................................. 120, 2021 Word of the Year .................................................................................. 120, Worldwide Cost of Living 2021 Index ........................................................... 121, Kyhytysuka sachicarum ............................................................................... 121, Global trade report of UNCTAD ..................................................................... 121, Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report ....................................... 122, CARAT exercise ............................................................................................ 122, World Migration Report 2022 ....................................................................... 123, 6
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World Cooperative Monitor report 2021 ....................................................... 123, World Inequality Report 2022 ...................................................................... 124, Aung San Suu Kyi......................................................................................... 125, Cambridge Dictionary - Word of the Year ...................................................... 125, Allyship ........................................................................................................ 125, 4.5 days’ work per week ............................................................................... 126, Australia - Beijing Winter Olympics .............................................................. 126, PANEX-21..................................................................................................... 127, International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) ........ 128, Data on Arms Sales ...................................................................................... 128, Asia Power Index 2021 ................................................................................. 129, Mount Semeru.............................................................................................. 130, The World Malaria Report 2021 .................................................................... 130, Climate Change on Food Prices .................................................................... 131, Reporters Without Borders report ................................................................ 132, Global Health Security Index 2021 ............................................................... 132, Anti-corruption Champions .......................................................................... 133, World Talent Ranking report 2021 ............................................................... 134, Undersea cable in Pacific .............................................................................. 134, Israeli PM’s first official visit to UAE ............................................................ 135, Asian Development Outlook Report .............................................................. 135, Cannabis at home – Malta............................................................................. 135, 10th death anniversary of Kim Jong II ......................................................... 136, Joumou Soup ............................................................................................... 136, Typhoon Rai................................................................................................. 137, Kalibari temple ............................................................................................ 137, UAE announces to End Censorship ............................................................... 138, Queen of Asia ............................................................................................... 138, Zero Covid Policy ......................................................................................... 139, World Anti-Doping Agency Report ................................................................ 139, Dinosaur embryo found in China .................................................................. 139, UNSC Resolution 2615 ................................................................................. 140, Belgium to close all its nuclear power plants ................................................ 141, New Meat Alternatives With 3D Printing....................................................... 141, 7
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ECONOMY ....................................................................................................... 142, RBI’s new norms for Private banks ............................................................... 142, Mid-Year Trends Report 2021 ....................................................................... 142, New FICCI Chairman .................................................................................... 143, RBI Monetary Policy..................................................................................... 143, World Inequality Report 2022 ...................................................................... 143, Paytm Payments Bank ................................................................................. 144, Loan against digital gold .............................................................................. 145, Tether .......................................................................................................... 145, bob World Wave ............................................................................................ 146, Wholesale inflation ....................................................................................... 146, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance .................................................................... 147, Annual Foreign Direct Investment ............................................................... 147, World Gold Council’s ‘Bullion Trade-in India’ report ..................................... 148, CSB Bank ..................................................................................................... 149, Most Innovative Best Practice 2021 ............................................................. 149, Cross-border payments ................................................................................. 149, Best governed company listed segment ........................................................ 150, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY........................................................................... 151, GJ 367b ....................................................................................................... 151, IXPE Mission ................................................................................................ 151, Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD).................................... 151, BrahMos Supersonic Missile ......................................................................... 152, Comet A1 Leonard........................................................................................ 153, Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer ............................................................. 153, OSCAR 1 ...................................................................................................... 154, Log4Shell ..................................................................................................... 154, Parker Solar Probe........................................................................................ 154, Small Satellite Launch Vehicle ..................................................................... 155, Xenobots ...................................................................................................... 156, Noises captured near Jupiter’s moon............................................................ 156, NASA-ISRO research programme .................................................................. 157, Artificial sun ................................................................................................ 157, James Webb Space Telescope Mission .......................................................... 158, 8
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Apretude ...................................................................................................... 159, Artificial Intelligence Prosecutor .................................................................. 159, ENVIRONMENT................................................................................................ 160, Study on Flash Droughts .............................................................................. 160, Clean Energy and Climate Partnership ......................................................... 160, Update of IUCN Red List of Threatened Species ............................................ 160, Atlantification .............................................................................................. 161, New Arctic temperature ............................................................................... 161, Askot Wildlife Sanctuary - Eco-Sensitive Zone .............................................. 162, Tackling climate and clean energy challenges - India and the US ................. 163, Study on coral reefs ..................................................................................... 163, STATES ........................................................................................................... 164, Meghalaya Drone AquilaX2 ........................................................................... 164, STREET Project............................................................................................ 164, Call your Cop App ........................................................................................ 164, 40th India International Trade Fair .............................................................. 165, Hornbill Festival........................................................................................... 165, Nagaland Statehood Day ............................................................................... 165, President’s Colour Award ............................................................................. 166, Project RE-HAB in Assam ............................................................................. 166, Gujarat - leading manufacturing hub ............................................................ 167, Police Commissionerate system - Bhopal & Indore ....................................... 168, Haiderpur Wetland ....................................................................................... 168, DigiDhan Awards .......................................................................................... 169, Bengal Tiger in Buxa Tiger reserve ............................................................... 169, Majhi Vasundhara Curriculum ...................................................................... 169, First FM Radio Station – Ladakh .................................................................. 170, Kolkata’s Durga Puja .................................................................................... 171, Special status for Bihar ................................................................................ 171, Goa Pink Police Force .................................................................................. 172, T-Setu bridge................................................................................................ 172, Happiness curriculum .................................................................................. 172, Sustainable agriculture - Andhra Pradesh ..................................................... 173, Punjab - state festival ................................................................................... 173, 9
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Free Smartphone Yojana .............................................................................. 174, Anti-conversion bill ...................................................................................... 174, Delhi’s first Teachers’ University ................................................................. 174, State General Category Commission in Punjab ............................................. 175, World Sangeet Tansen festival ...................................................................... 175, Maharashtra government’s Shakti Bill .......................................................... 176, PERSONALITIES, AWARDS AND EVENTS ......................................................... 177, BRICS Film Festival awards .......................................................................... 177, Harshwanti Bisht.......................................................................................... 177, IPI India Award for Excellence in Journalism-2021 ...................................... 178, International film festival of India................................................................ 178, Parag Agrawal ............................................................................................... 179, Dance Master Shiva Shankar ........................................................................ 179, Startup India Grand Challenge 2021............................................................. 179, Dr. M S Swaminathan Award ........................................................................ 180, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize 2021 ......................................... 180, 50 most powerful women ............................................................................. 181, Nizamuddin Basti Project - Heritage Awards ................................................. 181, Gita Gopinath............................................................................................... 182, Pradip Shah.................................................................................................. 183, Asom Bhaibav award .................................................................................... 183, Ciprian Foias Prize ....................................................................................... 184, Best Bank for Women Entrepreneurs ............................................................ 184, Dr. Mamballaikalathil Sarada Menon ............................................................ 185, 2021 Yidan Prize for Education Development............................................... 185, Jnanpith Award ............................................................................................ 186, Forbes 2021 World’s 100 Most Powerful Women List .................................... 186, Indian Institute of Human Brands (IIHB) Annual Survey ............................... 187, Royal Gold Medal 2022................................................................................. 187, Miss Universe 2021 ...................................................................................... 188, Dr. Ida S. Scudder Humanitarian Oration award ........................................... 188, Ramanujan Prize 2021 ................................................................................. 189, Sonali Garg................................................................................................... 190, DBS Bank India ............................................................................................ 190, 10
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Shashi Tharoor’s new book ........................................................................... 191, Kumar Mangalam Birla ................................................................................. 191, Bhutan highest civilian award ...................................................................... 192, Young Geospatial Scientist award ................................................................. 192, International Maritime Organization Award ................................................. 193, World’s most admired men ........................................................................... 194, Mohit Jain ................................................................................................... 194, Gandhi Topi Governor - Telugu book ............................................................ 195, Book by Dr. Rekha Chaudhari....................................................................... 195, Golden Peacock Environment Management Award 2021 ............................... 196, Alimihan Seyiti ............................................................................................ 196, Cate Blanchett ............................................................................................. 197, Most innovative institution .......................................................................... 197, UN Women’s Award for Leadership Commitment 2021 ................................. 198, Mother Teresa Memorial Award .................................................................... 198, Tusshar Kapoor's debut book ........................................................................ 199, Archbishop Desmond Tutu ........................................................................... 199, Global Environment and Climate Action Citizen Award 2021 ....................... 200, South African of the Year Award................................................................... 200, Edward. O. Wilson ........................................................................................ 201, The National Breed Conservation Award for 2021 ......................................... 201, SPORTS........................................................................................................... 202, Ballon dOr winners list 2021 ........................................................................ 202, Ravichandran Ashwin's new record............................................................... 202, ATP Challenger tournament ......................................................................... 203, World Athletics Awards 2021........................................................................ 203, Ajaz Patel ..................................................................................................... 204, Davis Cup 2021 ............................................................................................ 205, BWF World Tour 2021 .................................................................................. 205, Asian team squash championships ............................................................... 205, Olympics 2022 - US boycott ......................................................................... 205, 2021 BWF Player of the Year ........................................................................ 206, Virat Kohli's new achievement ..................................................................... 207, 2021 FIH Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup ................................................... 207, 11
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Asian Youth Para Games 2021 ...................................................................... 207, Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships............................................... 208, Chess Championship .................................................................................... 208, Asian Rowing Championship ........................................................................ 208, AIBA rebrands itself as IBA ........................................................................... 209, List of TOPS athletes for 2024 ..................................................................... 209, Lewis Hamilton receives knighthood ............................................................ 210, Simone Biles named Time Magazine’s 2021 Athlete of the Year ................... 210, SJFI Awards ................................................................................................. 211, Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships............................................... 211, Kidambi Srikanth ......................................................................................... 212, BWF World Championships ........................................................................... 212, Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2021 ...................................... 213, Harjinder Singh ............................................................................................ 214, SAFF Football U 19 Women’s Championship ................................................ 214, Asian Champions Trophy.............................................................................. 215, National Billiards Championship .................................................................. 215, Alpine Skiing Competition ........................................................................... 216, 4th Para-Badminton National Championship ................................................ 216, 11th Hockey India junior national championship ......................................... 217, Rishabh Pant ................................................................................................ 217, Mohammed Shami........................................................................................ 218, IMPORTANT DAYS ........................................................................................... 219, World AIDS Day - December 01 ..................................................................... 219, National Pollution Control Day - December 02.............................................. 219, World Computer Literacy Day - December 02 ............................................... 219, International Day for the Abolition of Slavery - December 02 ....................... 220, International Day of Persons with Disabilities - December 03 ....................... 220, Indian Navy Day- December 04 ..................................................................... 221, International Day of Banks - December 04 ................................................... 221, International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development - December, 05 ................................................................................................................ 221, World Soil Day 2021 - December 05.............................................................. 221, International Civil Aviation Day - December 07 ............................................ 222, , 12
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National Armed Forces Day - December 07 ................................................... 222, International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime, of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime - December 09 ................... 223, SAARC Charter Day 2021: 8th December ..................................................... 223, Energy Conservation Week - December 08 to 14........................................... 224, International Anti-Corruption Day - December 09 ........................................ 225, Human Rights Day - December 10 ................................................................ 225, International Animal Rights Day - December 10 ........................................... 226, UNICEF Day - December 11 .......................................................................... 226, International Mountain Day - December 11 .................................................. 227, International Day of Neutrality - December 12 ............................................. 227, International Universal Health Coverage Day - December 12 ........................ 227, National Energy Conservation Day 2021 - December 14 ............................... 227, International Tea Day (ITD) - December 15 ................................................... 228, Vijay Diwas - December 16 ........................................................................... 228, International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - December 17 ........ 228, International Migrants Day - December 18 ................................................... 229, National Minorities Rights Day - December 18 ............................................. 229, World Arabic Language Day - December 18 ................................................... 230, 60th Goa Liberation Day - December 19 ....................................................... 230, International Human Solidarity - December 20 ............................................ 231, National Mathematics Day - December 22 .................................................... 231, Kisan Diwas - December 23 .......................................................................... 232, 5th Siddha Day - December 23 ..................................................................... 232, National Consumer Rights Day - December 24 .............................................. 233, Good Governance Day - December 25 ........................................................... 233, International Day of Epidemic Preparedness - 27 December ......................... 234, , 13
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TNPSC BITS, The ships and aircraft of the Indian Navy participated in the first-ever Colombo, Security Conclave (CSC) Focused Operation to enhance maritime security in the, Indian Ocean region., o, , During the conclave, exercises were conducted between the lead maritime, security agencies of India, Maldives, and Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean, region., , Varanasi will soon become the first Indian city to start ropeway service as a mode, of public transport., o, , The proposed ropeway will be constructed between Cantt Railway Station, (Varanasi Junction) to Church Square (Godauliya)., , A cyclonic storm, named Cyclone Jawad is expected to hit Andhra Pradesh,, Odisha, and West Bengal., o, , The name is as per the suggestion from Saudi Arabia and means generous or, merciful in Arabic., , Serum Institute of India has sent doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to Indonesia., o, , This is its first export of the Novavax shot through the COVAX network., , India and Bangladesh have decided to celebrate December 6 as “Maitri Diwas”, (Friendship Day)., o, , 'Maitri Diwas' marks the day India recognised Bangladesh ten days before its, liberation on 16 December 1971., , Airports at Varanasi, Pune, Kolkata, and Vijaywada will be the first to roll out the, facial recognition technology-based biometric boarding system., o, , The Airports Authority of India has engaged NEC Corporation Private Limited, for implementing the technology as part of the DigiYatra policy., , Pakistan said that the Afghan trucks will be allowed to carry humanitarian aid, from India from the Wagah border till Torkham., o, , The Torkham border crossing is located in Pakistan’s Khyber district., , The Olympic Truce will be observed for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Beijing 2022., o, , It will be from seven days before the start of the Olympic Games, on 4, February 2022, until seven days after the end of the Paralympic Games., , The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has signed a 14 billion Euros of agreement with, France for 80 Rafale warplanes., o, , This is the biggest international order ever made for the Rafale jets., , 14
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The World Wildlife Conservation Day falls every December 4th., o, , It is observed to raise awareness and engage conversations about species that, are endangered or under threat of extinction because of poaching, trafficking,, and other environmental factors., , Indian Squash star, Saurav Ghosal has scripted history as he has become the, first Indian squash player to win the Malaysian Open Championships., o, , He won against Miguel Rodriguez of Colombia to achieve this feat., , The NCC is conducting a nationwide campaign to free seashores/beaches from, plastic & other waste under ‘Puneet Sagar Abhiyan’., o, , The aim of the month-long Campaign is to propagate the message of, ‘Importance of Clean Seashores/Beaches’ amongst the local population and, future generation., , Gattipally Shivpal has become the first dwarf in the country to obtain a driver's, license., o, , He hails from Hyderabad., , China launched the first cross-border train of its multi-billion-dollar Belt and, Road Initiative (BRI) from Laos., o, , Laos is the only landlocked country in South East Asia., , Former Governor of Tamil Nadu and former Chief Minister of the unified State of, Andhra Pradesh Konijeti Rosaiah passed away in Hyderabad., o, , Rosaiah, aged 88, was one of the most senior Congress leaders., , India will have nine nuclear reactors by 2024., o, , A new nuclear project, the first in northern India, will come up 150 km away, from Delhi in Gorakhpur of Haryana., , IDFC FIRST Bank announced the launch of FIRST Private Infinite in partnership, with Visa., o, , It is the country’s first-ever standalone metal debit card., , India has revoked a patent for a potato variety grown exclusively for PepsiCo Inc’s, popular Lay’s potato chips., o, , This is according to an order issued by the Protection of Plant Varieties and, Farmers’ Rights (PPVFR) Authority., , India currently has the fourth largest foreign exchange reserves in the world., o, , The forex reserve of India stands at USD 640.4 billion., , The 21 Para Special forces of the Army opened fire resulting in the killing of many, Oting villagers in the Mon district of Nagaland near the Assam border., , 15
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o, , Following this incident, the famous Hornbill festival in Kohima was shut, down., , The World’s oldest Test Cricketer Eileen Ash passed away at the age of 110., o, , She made her debut to the England side in 1937 against Australia., , Olaf Scholz, from the Social Democrat Party, will be the new Chancellor of, Germany., o, , Scholz will end the 16-year rule of Angela Merkel, the first female chancellor, of Germany., , An Indian-origin doctor, Anil Menon has been named among the 10 new, astronaut recruits selected by NASA for its future space missions., In South America, a New Species of Bird named Flatbill flycatchers have been, discovered., India and Asian Development Bank signed a 150-million-dollar loan agreement, to provide affordable housing for urban poor in Tamil Nadu., The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed Rajya Sabha that there was no, official nomenclature such as martyrs., Canada will join the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia on, diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics over human rights concerns., Chile has passed a law permitting same-sex couples to marry., Manipur successfully defended their Senior Women’s National Football, Championship crown., o, , They won over Railways in the final at the EMS Stadium in Kozhikode, Kerala., , Chief Minister M.K. Stalin launched a scheme allowing the free conduct of, marriages between persons with disabilities in temples., o, , This is applicable for temples under the purview of the Hindu Religious and, Charitable Endowments Department., , The National Human Rights Commission issued notices to the Centre and the, Nagaland Government over the firing incident by the security forces that claimed, the lives of several civilians., o, , The Commission has issued notices to the Union Defence Secretary, Union, Home Secretary, Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, Nagaland, calling for a detailed report on the matter within six weeks., , The Vice President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu launched ‘Public Service EthicsA Quest for Naitik Bharat’ authored by Prabhat Kumar., o, , The book highlights the multiple dimensions element of human character, the, practice of ethical principles as a way of life., , 16
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Rohit Sharma has been named as the new captain of the Indian ODI and T20I, teams., o, , He is succeeding Virat Kohli., , After 15 long months, the farmer leaders decided to suspend their agitation and, vacated the protest sites at the Delhi border on December 11, 2021., o, , This comes after the protesting farmers received a letter from the government, of India with promises of forming a committee on MSP and withdrawing cases, against them immediately., , The National Awards for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, 2020 was, awarded recently., o, , The Para-swimmer Mohammad Shams Aalam Shaikh won the award for best, sportsperson with a disability., , The World No.1 Ashleigh Barty of Australia won the WTA Player of the Year honor, for the second time., o, , US Open champion Emma Raducanu took the Newcomer of the Year., , The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Catherine Russell as, the head of the UN children’s agency UNICEF., o, , Russell will succeed Henrietta Fore., , Max Verstappen has won his first “Formula One (F1) world title”, leaving behind, Lewis Hamilton, at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix., o, , Max Emilian Verstappen is a Belgian-Dutch racing driver., , India voted against a UN Security Council (UNSC) draft resolution to securitize, climate change., o, , The draft resolution was moved jointly by Niger and Ireland., , India has invited the five central Asian countries namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as the chief guest for Republic Day, celebrations, 2022., o, , This is for the first time that representatives of all five Central Asian countries, would be guests at the Republic Day celebrations., , Saudi Arabia has banned the Tablighi and Da’wah group, also known as Al, Ahbab, calling it a ‘danger to society’., Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been named Time Magazine’s “person of the year, 2021”., o, , Musk is also the Founder and Chief Executive of space exploration company, SpaceX., , India has been re-elected to International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council, for the 2022-2023 biennium under category B states., 17
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o, , The Council is the executive organ of IMO whose headquarters is at London., , At the World Trade Organisation (WTO), India has lost the dispute over subsidies, of sugar exports with the dispute settlement panel., o, , The dispute settlement panel ruled against India, on a complaint filed by, Brazil, Australia, and Guatemala., , Dubai became the world’s first government to turn 100% paperless., o, , It will save around 3 billion Dirham (USD 350 million) and 14-million-man, hours., , The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has formed a committee for the, differently-abled cricketers of the country., o, , The Proposal was approved by BCCI headed by president Sourav Ganguly &, secretary Jay Shah., , The French fashion house Chanel named Leena Nair as its new global CEO., o, , She is a British national born in India., , The Nupi Lal Day is observed every year on December 12 in Manipur., o, , This is to pay rich homage to the brave women of Manipur who fought for, justice against the British colonial rule., , Maharashtra (0.64 million) has topped the list of states with the maximum, number of beneficiaries under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY),, o, , It is followed by Tamil Nadu (0.53 million), Gujarat (0.44 million), Karnataka, (0.31 million) and Uttar Pradesh (0.27 million) with Nagaland was at the, bottom with just 43 beneficiaries., , Adani Green Energy Ltd has signed a purchase agreement with Solar Energy, Corporation of India (SECI) to supply 4,667 MW of green power., o, , It is the world’s largest-ever green power purchase agreement., , India’s TVS Motor Company will develop electric vehicles with BMW’s motorcycle, brand in India., o, , The tie-up comes at a time when new-age start-ups like Ola Electric & Ather, are ramping up investment in electric scooters., , The Union Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur formally inaugurated the firstever national-level Khelo India Women’s Hockey League at Major Dhyan Chand, National Stadium in New Delhi., o, , The Sports Authority of India and Hockey India are jointly organizing the firstever national-level Khelo India league., , The Supreme Court gave the nod to resume bullock cart races in Maharashtra., o, , The races were prohibited since 2017., 18
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The Geographical Indications Registry under the Central Ministry of Commerce, has accepted the petition to rename Bihar Makhana as Mithila Makhana., o, , This is done for the welfare of fox nut growers in the Mithila region., , India and Vietnam signed a letter of intent for enhanced cooperation in the postal, sector., o, , It was signed in line with the comprehensive strategic & economic ties, between both countries., , The Union Cabinet approved a Rs 76,000-crore production linked incentive (PLI), scheme for boosting semiconductor and display manufacturing in India., o, , With this, the total amount of PLI announced for the electronics sector, increase to Rs 2.30 lakh crore., , The Chief Minister of Jharkhand has launched a Sports Action toward, Harnessing Aspiration of Youth (SAHAY) scheme in Maoist-hit districts of the, state., o, , This scheme aims at nurturing young sporting talents., , Indian shooter Avani Lekhara won the "Best Female Debut" honor at the 2021, Paralympic Awards., o, , This is for her record-breaking gold medal at the Tokyo Games., , Hyundai appoints Unsoo Kim as the new Managing Director., o, , He will take up responsibilities from Seon Seob Kim., , The Reserve Bank of India has decided to make the Scheduled payments banks, and scheduled small finance banks eligible to conduct Government agency, business., o, , The decision was made with consultation with the Department of Financial, Services, the Ministry of Finance., , India's first international arbitration and mediation center was inaugurated in, Hyderabad., o, , It was jointly inaugurated by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana and Telangana, chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao., , Tennis star Emma Raducanu is the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year for 2021., o, , She beat Tom Daley(diver) and Adam Peaty (swimmer) into second and third, place., , The Education Department of Lakshadweep has officially declared all Sundays, as holidays for schools, with 6 working days., o, , The Lakshadweep UT has shifted the holiday from Friday., , Saudi Arabia has banned the Tablighi Jamaat., 19
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o, , Tablighi Jamaat is an Islamist proselytizing movement., , Voters in the French island territory of New Caledonia in the southwest Pacific, Ocean chose to stay part of France., o, , This was concluded in a referendum boycotted by pro-independence forces, and closely watched around the South Pacific., , The proposal from New Zealand's health officials would effectively ban anyone 14, years or younger from purchasing cigarettes for their entire lifetime., o, , It would raise the minimum age to buy cigarettes every year beginning in, 2023., , Nicaragua breaks diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of China., o, , China claims Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification., , IndiGo has signed an agreement with Dehradun-based Council of Scientific and, Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Petroleum., o, , This is to manufacture and deploy sustainable aviation fuel globally., , Bank of Baroda has won the #1 position in overall digital transactions amongst, large banks for FY20-21., o, , It has been conferred with Digi Dhan awards for FY 2019-20 & 2020-21, during the Digital Payments Utsav celebration., , The longest in-country migration route of lesser floricans has been tracked for, the first time from Rajasthan to Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district., o, , Lesser floricans are the endangered birds of the bustard group., , O P Jindal Global University (JGU) has won the "Digital Innovation of the Year", award at the distinguished Times Higher Education (THE) Asia Awards 2021., o, , JGU was the Only Indian University to be shortlisted for the "Digital, Innovation of the Year"., , The Columbia Journalism School named The Hindu Group chairperson Malini, Parthasarathy as one of its alumni award recipients for 2022., Karnataka Government has announced to give 1 percent reservation to, transgenders in Police., o, , Reservation will be given to them across all the ranks in police department., , Indian teenager Anahat Singh has scripted history by winning the U-15 girls, category of the prestigious Junior US Open Squash tournament in Philadelphia., o, , The 13-year-old girl is from Delhi., , Covaxin manufacturer Bharat Biotech has received approval from DCGI for, emergency use of its vaccine for children aged between 12-18 years, , 20
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The Haryana government amended its Excise Act recently., o, , It paves the way for lowering of the legal age for the consumption of liquor, its, purchase or sale from the existing 25 years to 21 in the state., , HDFC Bank has tied up with India Post Payments Bank (IPPB)., o, , This is to offer its banking services to the unbanked and underserved, segments in semi-urban and rural areas., , The world's first dual-mode vehicle, equally at home on road and rail, made its, public debut in the town of Kaiyo in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan., o, , Its road and railway modes can be switched in only about 15 seconds., , Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari launched the, first Intelligent Transport System on Eastern Peripheral Expressway at Dasna,, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh., o, , This is launched in an attempt to minimize traffic woes and enhance the, safety of commuters., , Mohammed Ben Sulayem of the United Arab Emirates has been elected successor, to Jean Todt as the first non-European president of the International Automobile, Federation (FIA)., o, , The FIA is the governing body for Formula One, the World Rally, Championship, World Endurance, and Formula E among other series., , TikTok has surpassed the tech giant Google as the most popular website of 2021., o, , This is according to a report by IT security company ‘Cloudflare’., , The Books written by Tamil scholars Silamboli. Su. Chellappan, Dr. Tho., Paramasivan, Pulavar Ilankumaran, Murugesa Bhagavadhar, Sankaravalli, Nayagam, Se. Raasu are nationalized by Tamilnadu government., The Tamilnadu government has raised the annual family income ceiling for, beneficiaries of the Chief Minister Health insurance scheme to Rs 1.20 lakh., Vayana Network and Federal Bank have been awarded the ‘Most Effective BankFintech Partnership: Agile and Adaptable’ at the IBSi-Global Fintech Innovation, Awards 2021., o, , The award was conferred for automating and simplifying Supply Chain, Finance., , India's two-time Olympic medallist shuttler PV Sindhu was appointed as a, member of the Badminton World Federation's (BWF) Athletes' Commission., o, , The 26-year-old former world champion was named alongside five others who, will serve as members till 2025., , 21
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The eighth World Tamils conference and Chennai Global Economic Summit were, held in Chennai from December 27 to 29., o, , The “Crown Jewel of World Tamils” award on 10 prominent Tamils from all, over the world will also be conferred., , After a long gap of 35 years, a 126-year-old Saint Luke’s Church was reopened, in Srinagar., People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has named Bollywood, star Alia Bhatt its 2021 Person of the Year., The Government of Uttar Pradesh has renamed the Jhansi Railway Station as, ‘Veerangana Laxmibai Railway Station’., o, , Jhansi station's new name has been decided after Rani Laxmibai., , Portuguese football legend Cristiano Ronaldo's statue has been installed in, Panaji, Goa., o, , The aim of installing it is to motivate the younger generation towards sports, and following their dreams., , TAMIL NADU, Special drone unit, , The Tamil Nadu government passed an order to form a special drone unit for the, Greater Chennai Police., Nine drones will form the new unit., The nine drones consist of six quick response payload drones, two long-range, surveillance drones, and a lifeguard drone., , 22
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Kazhuveli Wetland Birds Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu government has declared 5,151.60 hectares of swamp/wetlands in, Villupuram district as Kazhuveli Wetland Birds Sanctuary., The declaration was made in exercise of the power conferred in the Wildlife, (Protection) Act, 1972., Kazhuveli or Kaliveli wetland system is one of the largest waterfowl congregation, sites in Tamil Nadu., The Grey-tailed Tattler, a rare migratory wader, has been recorded only here and, in Pulicat across the country., Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary will be the 16th Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu., , Single-use dialysis policy, The Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital in Chennai has introduced, single-use dialysis policy., In this, disposable dialyser and AV tubings for each dialysis would be put in place, under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme., , National award for disability welfare, Tamil Nadu has been recognized as the Best State in promoting the empowerment, of persons with disabilities., It received the award on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, (December 03), at a ceremony in New Delhi., Salem district also got an award for the best district in providing rehabilitation, services., It is among the two districts in the country getting the award., , Nightingale Award, Daniel Vijayaraj, a 50-year-old male nurse from Madurai, has been awarded the, Nightingale Award., Each year, England London's highest award, the Nightingale Award, is presented, in recognition of the service rendered by nurses., , 23
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Initials in Tamil, The Tamil Nadu government has issued an order making it mandatory for, students to write the initials of their names in Tamil while applying for certificates, in schools and colleges., The mandate would apply to members of the public when they submit, applications for government records., The State government already made it compulsory for its employees to sign their, names and initials in Tamil., , Sponge city, Chennai is all set to adopt innovative water management strategies and, transform into a sponge city to curb urban flooding., The sponge city concept seeks to make urban areas more permeable and to have, more open spaces to store rainwater., Water Resources Department in Chennai is looking over the possibility of digging, recharge shafts in smaller water bodies across the city., It will help replenish the water table., , Eco park at Pallikaranai, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin virtually inaugurated an ecological park set up on 2.5, hectares of Pallikaranai marshland., , 24
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A proposal has been sent to the Centre requesting it to declare Pallikaranai marsh, as a wetland under the Ramsar Convention., , JICA and TN sign pact, , The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Tamil Nadu’s Health and, Family Welfare Department have signed a Record of Discussions for Prevention, and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) in the Tamil Nadu project., The project focus on strengthening the managerial and technical capabilities of, health personnel with respect to NCD prevention and control., The death rate related to NCDs accounts for 63 percent of all deaths and the, probability of death from NCDs between the ages of 30 to 70 is 23 percent,, according to UNICEF., This project will align itself with the Tamil Nadu Urban Health Care Project (ODA, Loan Project signed in March 2016)., It will also implement several activities to strengthen NCD management in the, State., , 25
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Tamil Nadu State song, The Tamil Nadu Government declared the Tamil Thai Vaazhthu as the State song, of Tamil Nadu., Everyone except the differently-abled should rise when the song is sung at, educational institutions, government offices, and public functions., , Radhakrishnan - SKOCH award, , Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan received the SKOCH Public Service Award for, Disaster Management and Mitigation in New Delhi., The award was presented to him for handling the aftermath of the Kumbakonam, fire tragedy, tsunami relief, and rehabilitation in Nagapattinam district in 2004, and to handling the COVID-19 pandemic., , Innuyir Kaapoom-Nammai Kaakkum 48 scheme, , 26
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Chief Minister MK Stalin inaugurated Innuyir Kaapoom-Nammai Kaakkum 48, scheme., The scheme ensures the government pays for the medical bills of all accident, victims in enlisted hospitals for treatment within 48 hours of the accident., All medical care services will be covered under the scheme., People can avail of benefits in 609 hospitals across the State., They include 204 government hospitals and 405 private hospitals., Those who are not eligible for the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health, Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS) will also be covered under the scheme., The free treatment will be provided in collaboration with the Department of, Highways and Department of Transport., , Meendum manjapai scheme, , Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin launched an environment-friendly initiative, called Meendum Manjapai Vizhipunarvu Iyakkam., This awareness campaign on using ‘yellow’ cloth bag or ‘manjapai’ is aimed at, encouraging people to return to the use of this eco-friendly bag and discard the, plastic bags., , Indco Tea Vandis, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin flagged off 20 tea-cum-food trucks, called ‘Indco Tea, Vandis’, at the Secretariat., They would serve Indcoserve’s various tea varieties to customers with support, from the Special Area Development Programme (SADP)., 27
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They are to be deployed in Chennai, Coimbatore, Tirupur and the Nilgiris., , CM Dashboard monitoring system, The Tamil Nadu government launched the CM Dashboard monitoring system., This will enable Chief Minister M K Stalin to get real-time information on, important matters including rainfall patterns, water storage levels in reservoirs, and health-related among others., , R Parthiepan - Golden Visa, Actor-filmmaker R Parthiepan has become the first Tamil actor to receive Golden, Visa from the United Arab Emirates., , 28
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The coveted recognition has been accorded to him for his contribution to the field, of cinema., The UAE Golden Visa is a long-term residence visa system, extending from five, to 10 years, and is automatically renewed., It is granted to achievers from various fields, professionals, investors, and those, with promising abilities., , Tolkappiyam, The Hindi translation of Tolkappiyam and the Kannada translations of 9 works, of Classical Tamil literature were recently issued by the Minister of State for, Education., Tamil literature goes back to the Sangam Era, named after the assembly (sangam), of poets., , Tolkappiyam was authored by Tolkappiyar and is considered the earliest of Tamil, literary work., Though it is a work on Tamil grammar, it also provides insights on the political, and socio-economic conditions of the time., , 29
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National Skating Championship, , Avik Shit Vijay Viswanath won 4 gold and 1 silver medal at the recent 59th, National Skating Championships in Delhi., He is a student of Kola Perumal Chetty Vaishnav Senior Secondary School in, Arumbakkam, Chennai,, His teammate Arya Vivek Viswanath also won 2 bronze medals in the sub-junior, men’s category for 11 to 14-year-olds., , The M S Swaminathan Rose, M.S. Viraraghavan, a leading horticulturist in the country based in Kodaikanal,, has bred a new rose variety and named it “The M S Swaminathan Rose”., This rose-wearing magenta-purple is highly disease resistant, according to a, release from the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai., , Another new variety of roses has been named “Jewel of Monkompu”, which was, bred by KSG Son., 30
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It was bred in a nursery based in Bengaluru, and it is a sparkling pinkish, floribunda rose., , National awards, , The President Ram Nath Kovind conferred National Awards for outstanding work, towards empowerment of persons with disabilities in New Delhi on International, Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3)., AM Venkatakrishnan, S. Elumalai, K. Dinesh, Manakasha Dantapani, K. Jothi, and D. Prabhakaran from Tamil Nadu were awarded with this award., , Rs 50,000 ex-gratia for kin of Covid-19 victims, , The Tamil Nadu government announced ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 for the families of, those who died of Covid-19., The compensations will be paid from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF)., Those involved in relief and preparedness activities will also be covered in this., It is constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005., , 31
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NATIONAL, Tribes India Conclave, , TRIFED organized a Tribes India Conclave in association with the Ministry of, External Affairs at the “Tribes India Adi Mahotsav”., Tribes India Conclave was organized in line with the Prime Minister’s vision for, Vocal for Local., It is also organized to build a self-reliant India as well as to introduce rich tribal, heritage to international audiences., , The Kuno National Park, , The Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh is set to get 13 cheetahs in 2022., This is being described as the largest intercontinental animal translocation in the, world., Of all, 13 cheetahs 10 are from South Africa while 3 are from Namibia., 69 years before (in 1952) the last surviving cheetah was recorded to have been, hunted down in Chhattisgarh., , 32
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Certified organic kiwi, India’s only certified organic kiwi from Ziro Valley Farms of Arunachal Pradesh, was launched at a mega National Tribal Festival called Aadi Mahotsav., This festival is being held in Dilli Hat, in New Delhi., Arunachal Pradesh is the 1st Indian state, that obtained “organic certification of, kiwifruit” under the “Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East, Region (MOVCD-NER)”., MOVCD-NER is a Central Government scheme launched for North-eastern, states., , NHA estimates for India for 2017-18, , The share of government health expenditure in the GDP of India has increased, from 1.15% in 2013-14 to 1.35% in 2017-18., This is according to National Health Accounts (NHA) estimates for India for 201718., The latest estimates also highlight growing trust in the public health care system., Out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) as a share of foreign aid for health and total, health expenditure has decreased., 33
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World’s Tallest Pier Bridge, , The Indian Railways is constructing the tallest pier railway bridge in the world in, Manipur., The project of the Railways in Manipur is part of the Jiribam-Imphal railway line., The bridge is being built at a height of 141 meters., The total length of the Manipur bridge will be 703 meters., Currently, the tallest pier bridge record is held by the 139-meter high Mala-Rijeka, viaduct built at Montenegro in Europe., , Cherry Blossom Festival 2021, The three-day festival was celebrated recently., The festival was held in two venues, Ward’s Lake and Polo Grounds in Meghalaya., The annual festival coincides with the actual blooming of the cherry blossom, flowers., The cherry tree is also known as the Prunus Cerasoides., , 34
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A book on India-Pakistan War 1971, , The Indian Army General MM Naravane released a book titled ‘Bangladesh, Liberation @ 50 years: ‘Bijoy’ with Synergy, India-Pakistan war 1971’., It is a compilation of personal accounts of the war by veterans from India and, Pakistan., The book is an amalgamation of historical and anecdotal accounts of the 1971, War., It comprises authors from both India and Bangladesh., , NCC - 73rd Raising Day, The National Cadet Corps (NCC) observed the 73rd anniversary of its raising on, November 28., NCC day is celebrated every year on the 4th Sunday in November., The NCC was formed on 15th July 1948 under the Ministry of Defence., NCC is also the largest uniformed youth organization in the whole world., The NCC headquarters is located in New Delhi., , 35
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India1 Payments, , India1 Payments has crossed a milestone on deploying 10000 white-label ATMs,, which was called “India1ATMs”., India1 Payments is IPO-bound and is promoted by the Banktech Group of, Australia., It was formerly known as BTI Payments., With the deployment of 10000 ATMs, India1 Payments has become the largest, player in this segment., India1 ATM has become the second-largest white label ATM brand in semi-urban, and rural areas., The Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) which are set up, owned, and operated, by non-bank entities are known as “White Label ATMs” (WLAs)., Non-bank entities, which are incorporated in India, under the Companies Act, 1956, are allowed to run WLAs., , 1st International conference on Hydrogen energy, Bhagwanth Khuba, the Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy,, Chemicals and Fertilizers inaugurated the 1st International Conference on, , 36
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Hydrogen Energy – Policies, Infrastructure Development and Challenges in New, Delhi., The event was organized by the Central Board of Irrigation and Power with the, support of the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), Central Electricity, Authority, and NTPC., The conference discussed future challenges for Hydrogen Energy to find solutions, for the production of Hydrogen Energy to reduce the cost of production for, electrolysers., , Farm Laws Repeal Bill 2021, On November 29, 2021, the Indian Parliament passed the Farm Laws Repeal Bill,, 2021 during the first day of the winter session., The three farm laws of the Centre have been repealed by Lok Sabha as well as, Rajya Sabha., Farm Laws Repeal Bill 2021 was tabled by Union Agriculture Minister Narendra, Singh Tomar in Rajya Sabha., , 37
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Indian Young Water Professionals Programme, The First Edition of the Indian Young Water Professionals Programme was, launched on November 29, 202 virtually., The India Young Water Professional Programme is unique and different from, typical capacity building and training programs., The program was taken up under the National Hydrology Project., The Project is supported by the Australian Water Partnership., , 12 Rajya Sabha MPs suspended for rest of Winter Session, , 12 Rajya Sabha MPs from various parties were suspended for the rest of the, winter session., This is for 'unruly and violent behaviour' they demonstrated during the monsoon, session of Parliament., The suspended MPs are Elamaram Kareem (CPM), Phulo Devi Netam, Chhaya, Verma, R Bora, Rajamani Patel, Syed Nasir Hussain and Akhilesh Prasad Singh,, Binoy Viswam of CPI, Dola Sen and Shanta Chhetri of Trinamool Congress,, Priyanka Chaturvedi and Anil Desai of Shiv Sena., , Credit Card from Recycled PVC Plastic, HSBC India has launched India’s 1st credit card made from recycled PVC, (Polyvinyl chloride) plastic., The cards have been introduced in partnership with global cards manufacturer, IDEMIA., This contributes to the gradual elimination of single-use PVC plastic., The cards are made from 85 percent recycled plastic., , 38
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Israeli Heron Drones, , The Indian Army has received advanced Israeli Heron drones., The deployment of drones will boost the Indian Army's surveillance capabilities., It helps to keep a watch on the Chinese activities in the Ladakh region., The drones will be deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the eastern, Ladakh sector., , Border Security Force - 57th Raising Day, The Border Security Force (BSF) celebrated its 57th Raising Day on December 1,, 2021., It is the country’s border guarding organization on its border with Bangladesh, and Pakistan., Border Security Force is one of the five Central Armed Police Forces of India., It was raised in the wake of the 1965 Indo-Pak war on December 1, 1965, to, ensure the security of borders in India, 39
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BSF has been termed as the First Line of Defence of Indian Territories., , EWS Criteria review panel, The Government of India recently formed an Economically Weaker Section (EWS), review panel., The panel will look into the criteria of 10% reservation for the economically, weaker section in government jobs and educational institutions., The panel will review the criteria determining the EWS category., It will examine approaches followed in identifying the EWS category., It will analyse and recommend new criteria to identify the EWS in the country., , Cyber Drill, , The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Department of, Telecommunications operating under the Ministry of Communications conducted, a Joint Cyber Drill 2021., The cyber drill was conducted for the Critical Network Infrastructure operators, of India., , 40
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The Critical Network Infrastructure is the systems, assets, and networks that are, essential to ensure the security of a country., The drill aims to improve the cyber security readiness of India., Also, it aims to improve the protection and incident response capability of the, country., , Periodic Labour Force Survey, The National Statistical Office recently released its findings of the Periodic Labour, Force Survey., This is a Quarterly bulletin and is the tenth in the series., This is for January to March 2021., The main objective is to estimate employment and unemployment indicators., The unemployment rate of people aged 15 years and above was 10.3%., The unemployment rate of urban females was 11.8% in 2021, which was 13.1%, in 2020., The unemployment rate of urban males was 8.6% in 2021, which was 9.5% in, 2020., The Worker Population Ratio in urban was 43.1%, which was 43.7% in 2020., The Labour Force Participation Rate in urban areas was 47.5%, which was 47.3%, in 2020., , 41
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AIRNxt, All India Radio has decided to begin a new programme called AIRNxt to offer, youth a platform to air their voices as part of the ongoing Azadi Ka Amrit, Mahotsav celebrations., AIR stations will allow youngsters from local colleges, universities to take part in, programming, allowing them to discuss and curate youth-centric shows., , Democracy, Politics and Governance – Book, , The Vice President of India, Venkaiah Naidu released a book titled “Democracy,, Politics and Governance” in English and ‘Loktantr, Rajniti and Dharm’ in Hindi., This happened on the 72nd anniversary of the adoption of the ‘Constitution of, India’, The book was authored by Dr A. Surya Prakash., , InFinity Forum, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the InFinity Forum., The event is being hosted by International Financial Services Centres Authority, (IFSCA), under the aegis of the Government of India in collaboration with GIFT, City and Bloomberg., Indonesia, South Africa, and the UK are partner countries in the first edition of, the Forum., 42
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InFinity Forum will bring together the leading minds of the world in policy,, business, and technology., This will lead to discuss and come up with actionable insight into how technology, and innovation can be leveraged by the FinTech industry for inclusive growth and, serving humanity at large., , India joins G20 Troika, India recently joined the G20 Troika., The G20 Troika is made of Indonesia, India and Italy., That is Troika is made of the current presidency, Indonesia; the previous, presidency Italy and the incoming presidency which is India., Troika means a group of three people working together., , Report on suicides, Death by suicide increased 30% nationwide among small business owners in, 2020 as compared to 2019., This is according to the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) accidental, deaths & suicide report 2020., , 43
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Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka record a higher number of overall, suicides as compared to other Indian states., Tamil Nadu has the maximum number of deaths in the self-employed category., It registered a 36% increase from 2019., , 40% power generation capacity from non-fossil fuel sources, , India has achieved the target of 40 percent of its installed electricity generation, capacity being from non-fossil energy sources., , 44
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At COP 21, as part of its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), India had, committed to achieving 40 percent of its installed electricity capacity from nonfossil energy sources by 2030., The country has achieved this target in November 2021 itself., The country's installed renewable energy (RE) capacity stands at 150.05 GW., Its nuclear energy-based installed electricity capacity is 6.78 GW., This brings the total non-fossil fuels-based installed energy capacity to 156.83, GW., This is 40.1 percent of the total installed electricity capacity of 390.8 GW, , 1817 Paika rebellion, , The 1817 Paika rebellion of Odisha is to be included as a case study in the Class, 8 National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) history, textbook., The Union Culture Minister Kishan Reddy recently made this recommendation., Paikas were recruited since the 16th century by kings in Odisha from a variety, of social groups., They rendered martial services in return for rent-free land (nish-kar jagirs) and, titles., They were the traditional land-owning militia of Odisha and served as warriors., When armies of the East India Company overran most of Odisha in 1803, the, Raja of Khurda lost his power., Subsequently, the prestige of the Paikas went on a decline. So, they rebelled back., The British set up a commission under Walter Ewer to look into the issue., , 45
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ZyCov – D, , ZyCov - D is the second indigenous vaccine next to COVAXIN., The unique feature of ZyCov - D is that it is a needleless vaccine., At first, the ZyCov - D vaccine is to be launched in seven states., They are Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Punjab, West Bengal, and, Uttar Pradesh., The vaccine is to be administered only to persons in the age group of 12 to 19, years., It is a three-dose vaccine., It is taken on the 28th day and the 56th day of the first dose., The ZyCov - D showed 66.6% efficacy., The vaccine was developed by the Indian Pharmaceutical company called Cadila, Healthcare., The ZyCov - D vaccine was developed on plasmid DNA., , Vaccine booster dose, , 46
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The INSACOG (Indian SARS CoV – 2 Genomics Consortium) recently suggested a, COVID-19 vaccine booster dose., The advice is for people above 40 years of age., The advice comes to neutralize the Omicron risks in the country., , Crumb Rubber, The Government has decided to use Crumb Rubber Modified Bitumen in, bituminous pavement courses during road construction., Bituminous pavements are constructed in different layers such as base course,, binder course, and surface course., Crumb rubber is recycled rubber produced by reducing scrap tires or other, rubber into uniform granules., , SRESTHA Scheme, The Government of India is to launch SRESTHA Scheme for the Scheduled Caste, students., The scheme will provide quality residential education to the students., The scheme is to be implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice and, Empowerment., , UN Report on Mullaperiyar Dam, The report stated that around 93% of the world’s largest dams are located in 25, nations., The average life expectancy of a dam is 50 years., The report said that the Mullaperiyar dam, built-in 1895, is situated in a, landslide-prone area (seismically active area)., , 47
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If India’s Mullaperiyar Dam were to fail, 3.5 million people are at risk., The dam shows significant structural flaws., Its management is a contentious issue between Kerala and the Tamil Nadu, States., , Delhi - Dehradun corridor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to inaugurate Delhi - Dehradun corridor along, with several other projects., The corridor will reduce the distance between the two cities from 248 - km to 180, - km., The main aim of the corridor is to decongest North East Delhi, other projects, , o, , 120 MW Vyasi hydroelectricity project, , o, , 38 - km long all-weather Chardham road project between Shrikot and, Devprayag, , o, , 33 - km stretch between Kautilya and Brahmapuri, , o, , State of perfumery and aroma laboratory in Dehradun, , 48
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Earth Station of Doordarshan Kendra, The Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur and, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated Earth Station of, Doordarshan Kendra at Gorakhpur., This will be the second earth station of Doordarshan in Uttar Pradesh., Three FM stations of All India Radio were also inaugurated virtually on the, occasion., Three FM stations of All India Radio were inaugurated at Etawah, Lakhimpur, Kheri, and Bahraich districts., , Mahila Mitra Plus scheme, , The Private sector lender, Federal Bank has launched a feature-rich savings bank, product for women., The savings scheme is called Mahila Mitra Plus., It provides a curated set of features, designed to make financial planning and, investments easy for women., 49
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The special features include exclusive preferential interest rates on housing, loans, processing fee waivers for home loans, customized insurance cover., , 5th International Ambedkar Conclave, , The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the fifth International, Ambedkar Conclave in New Delhi., The Conclave is being organized by the Forum of SC and ST Legislators and, Parliamentarians and Dr. Ambedkar Chamber of Commerce., The President said that in our Constitution many provisions have been made to, protect the interests of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes., Article 46 of the Constitution directs that the State shall develop the educational, and economic interests of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes with, special care., , Dam Safety Bill 2019, The Rajya Sabha has passed the Dam Safety Bill, 2019., The Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on 2 August 2019., The Bill provides for proper surveillance, inspection, operation, and maintenance, of all specified dams in the country to ensure their safe functioning., , 50
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The Bill provides for the constitution of a National Committee on Dam Safety., That shall evolve dam safety policies and recommend necessary regulations as, may be required for the purpose., The Bill provides for the establishment of the National Dam Safety Authority as, a regulatory body that shall discharge functions to implement the policy,, guidelines, and standards for dam safety in the country., The Bill provides for the constitution of a State Committee on Dam Safety by the, State Government., , Indian Army - new uniform, , The Indian Army will soon have a new combat uniform with a "digital disruptive", pattern., The new uniform is expected to be showcased at the Indian Army Day parade on, January 15, 2021., The Indian Army's new uniform is expected to be more durable and comfortable, in both summers and winters., It is expected to be light and more climate-friendly., , 51
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Exercise Ekuverin, , The Exercise Ekuverin is a joint military exercise held between India and, Maldives., It is held between the armies of India and Maldives., Ekuverin means “Friends” in the Dhivehi language., It is an Indo – Aryan language. It is spoken in India, Lakshadweep, and Maldives., The Exercise is being conducted between India and Maldives since 2008., The 2021 Exercise Ekuverin was held in the Maldives., , Maha parinirvana Divas, The death anniversary of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar is dubbed as Maha, parinirvana Divas., The day falls on December 6., Mahaparinirvan is one of the major goals of Buddhism., It means ‘’Nirvana after death”., Parinirvan is written as Parinibbana in Pali., Pali language is native to the Indian continent., , 52
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Caste census, Bihar is planning to conduct a State-specific caste-based exercise., The issue, , The Union government had told the Supreme Court that the caste-based data, enumerated in the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) of 2011 was, “unusable”., But in 2016, the Registrar-General and Census Commissioner of India had, informed the Standing Committee on Rural Development that 98.87% of the data, on individual caste and religion was “error-free”., Why “unusable”?, , The government had said that the total number of castes surveyed in 1931 was, 4,147 while the SECC figures show that there are more than 46 lakh different, castes., The entire exercise was corrupted because the enumerators had used different, spellings for the same castes., In many cases, the respondents had refused to divulge their castes., , Sandhayak, The Indian Navy launched its new large survey vessel 'Sandhayak' in Kolkata., These survey ships are capable of full-scale coastal & deep-water hydrographic, survey of Ports & Harbour approaches and determination of navigational, channels & routes., 53
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These ships are also capable of undertaking surveys of maritime limits and, collection of Oceanographic & Geographical data for Defence applications, thus, boosting the maritime capabilities of the country., , India – Russia 2+2 Dialogue, , The India – Russia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue was held in New Delhi., It was held by the defence ministers and external affairs ministers of the two, countries., This is the first 2+2 Dialogue held between India and Russia., During this dialogue, the countries discussed the ongoing situation in, Afghanistan., The dialogue expanded military cooperation and joint development between the, countries., During the dialogue, India signed a contract with Russia to procure more than, six lakh AK – 203 rifles., India’s focus, , India aims at greater engagements in central Asia., To achieve self-reliance, Free and open Indo – Pacific region., , Genesys International’s digital twin platform, Genesys International has launched its pan India program to make the Digital, Twin of entire Urban India., The launch program was inaugurated by Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog., The creation of this very accurate 3D data will mean a host of applications would, open up in high-definition mapping for smart cars, e-commerce, logistics,, , 54
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gaming, utilities planning for next-generation networks in telecom, renewable, energy, and in disaster management and emergency response., , Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2020, The bill aims to provide for the regulation of ART (Assisted Reproduction, Technology)., ART is used to treat infertility., In ART, the eggs are removed from a woman’s body, mixed with sperm to form, embryos., The bill was recently passed in Lok Sabha., , Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0, The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the United Nations Development, Programme (UNDP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding., The agreement was signed under the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0., It was signed to strengthen the waste management sector in the country., , 55
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Under the MoU, the UNDP will help in setting up 75 Smart Swachhata Kendras, in the country., Also, the UNDP will help India on integrating the informal waste pickers., It will assist India in linking them with government welfare schemes., According to the MoU, the UNDP will assist India in solid waste management and, used water management., Also, the UNDP will help India to promote and replicate a sustainable model for, waste management., , President’s Standard Award, The 22nd President’s Standard Award was presented to the 22nd Missile Vessel, of the Indian Navy., During the 1971 India – Pakistan War, the vessel bombed the Karachi port and, sunk Pakistani ships., The 22nd Missile Vessel Squadron is also called “The Killer”., It is being awarded in 2021 as this year marks the 50 years of successful, deployment of the squadron., The President’s Standard is the highest honour awarded in the military., It has the same honour as that of the President’s Colours awards., , 5th Indian Ocean Conference, The Fifth Indian Ocean Conference held in Abu Dhabi of the United Arab, Emirates focuses on the global power axis and the importance of the Indo-Pacific, in the international system., The theme of the fifth Indian Ocean Conference - IOC 2021 - is "Indian Ocean:, Ecology, Economy, Epidemic"., , 56
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The conference is being organized by India Foundation in collaboration with the, RSIS Singapore, Institute of National Security Studies, Sri Lanka, and the, Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research, UAE., , RUDRA, The Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology & Skill, Development and Entrepreneurship, Rajeev Chandrasekhar launched India’s 1st, indigenous Server named RUDRA., It was developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing under, the National Supercomputing Mission supported by MeiTY and DST (Department, of Science & Technology)., , Development projects at Gorakhpur, , The three mega-development projects were inaugurated by PM Modi in, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh., PM Modi in Gorakhpur inaugurated these projects to facilitate the economic, development of the state., The projects to be inaugurated by PM Modi in Gorakhpur includes, o, , the Gorakhpur Fertilizer Plant,, , o, , the AIIMS Gorakhpur, and, , o, , the new high-tech lab of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Gorakhpur., , Cyber security seminar, India hosts a two-day cyber security seminar for the Shanghai Cooperation, Organisation (SCO) countries in New Delhi., , 57
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The seminar saw the participation from representatives of all SCO member states, including Russia, China, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan,, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan., The seminar was held under the auspices of SCO - Regional Anti-Terrorist, Structure (RATS)., Pakistan has confirmed the participation of its delegation., , Bipin Rawat, , Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat has passed away in a helicopter, crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu., He was India's first Chief of Defence Staff since 2020., An IAF Mi 17 V5 helicopter met with a tragic accident., Wing Commander Prithvi Singh Chauhan was the pilot of the Mi-17V5., The Chief of Defence Staff is an important post that was created for the first, time., The Chief of Defence Staff is also the head of the new Department of Military, Affairs., The tenure of the Chief of Defence Staff will be maximum up to the age of 65, years., 58
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The CDS will be the principal military adviser to the Union Defence Minister., The Chief of Defence Staff will be senior to the three services’ chiefs., The Chief of Defence Staff will also serve as the head of the newly formed cyber, and space agencies and the tri-service agency of Special Forces., , Inclusion of Diseases under AB-PMJAY, , Treatment of diseases like COVID-19 and dengue is included under Ayushman, Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)., The people affected with the diseases covered under AB-PMJAY can get specific, ‘Health Benefit Packages’ under this scheme., , She is a Changemaker – new programme, The National Commission for Women (NCW) launched this pan-India capacity, building programme., It was launched for women in Politics., , AFSPA repeal, The Chief Minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio demanded to repeal the AFSPA., It was in the aftermath of security forces’ killing of 14 civilians in Mon district of, Nagaland., 59
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In June 2021, Ministry of Home Affairs had declared the entire State of Nagaland, as a “disturbed area” for six more months in accordance with the Armed Forces, (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA)., AFSPA provides power to the armed forces to maintain public order in disturbed, areas., , Bhasha Sangam, , A mobile app known as ‘Bhasha Sangam’ has been launched by the Ministry of, Education., The app will help individuals in acquiring basic conversation abilities in, languages other than one’s own mother tongue., The initiative by the Government has been taken under Ek Bharat-Shreshtha, Bharat Programme., , e-Sawaari India Electric Bus Coalition, The National Institution of Transforming India (NITI) Aayog launched the eSawaari India Electric Bus Coalition., This was launched in partnership with Convergence Energy Service Ltd and, World Resources Institute, India, and with the support from Transformative, Urban Mobility Initiative., , 60
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The objective of the initiative is to share knowledge of various stakeholders, (Central & State Govt. agencies, transit service providers, original equipment, manufacturers) on accelerating the process towards seamless adoption of e-bus, services in India., , Nutrition Mission, The Minister for Women & Child Development, Smriti Irani, noted in Parliament, that, State Governments and Union Territories have used only 56% of the total, funds released under Poshan Abhiyan or Nutrition Mission in the last three years., The five States & UTs where utilisation were lowest are, o, , Arunachal Pradesh (25.14%), , o, , Puducherry (28.03%), , o, , Ladakh (31.2%), , o, , Punjab (33.62%) and, , o, , Uttar Pradesh (33.73%)., , Five States & UTs that made the most uses of the funds are, o, , Nagaland (98.34%), , o, , Meghalaya (98.14%), , o, , Mizoram (94.22%), , o, , Sikkim (93.13%) and, , o, , Dadra & Nagar Haveli (88.2%)., , Poshan Abhiyan was launched in March 2018., It was launched with the aim of reducing stunting, low birth weight,, undernutrition challenges by 2% per year., , 61
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It also seeks to reduce anaemia among young children, women, and adolescents, by 3% per year until 2022., , Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin, The Union Cabinet approved the extension of the flagship housing-for-all scheme, named “Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin (PMAY-G)” till March 2024., Financial assistance will be provided to construct 155.75 lakh houses remaining, as of March 31, 2021., Extension of the scheme till March 2024 ensures that the remaining households, within the target of 2.95 crore houses under PMAY-G will be aided construct, pucca houses with basic amenities., This helps to achieve the objective of ‘Housing for All’ in rural areas., , 62
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Ken-Betwa River interlinking project, , The Union Cabinet approved the Ken-Betwa River interlinking project, ahead of, elections to major North Indian states., This project promises to address the issue of water scarcity in the Bundelkhand, region, spreading across Madhya Pradesh (MP) and Uttar Pradesh (UP)., This project is expected to benefit several poverty-stricken regions in MP and UP., , Saryu Canal National project, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the Saryu Canal National, project in the Balrampur district of Uttar Pradesh., The Saryu Canal project is the biggest in Uttar Pradesh., It will benefit some 25-30 lakh farmers across nine eastern UP districts., Under this project, five rivers namely Ghagra, Rapti, Banganga, Saryu, and, Rohini, have been connected., The canals are having a total length of 6,600 kilometers and have been linked to, the 318 km long main canal., , 63
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World Economic Forum survey, A global World Economic Forum (WEF) survey highlighted that,, o, , around 90 percent of people in India believe they & their colleagues at, workplaces should be fully vaccinated and, , o, , 93 percent of Indians agreed that they should wear masks at public places or, in proximity with others., , Top Google Searches in 2021, , Google India announced the results for its Year in Search 2021 and has recapped, the top search trends of 2021 in India., As per result, the top searches are Cricket and CoWin., Cricket continued to be a major search trend in 2021., Indian Premier League, CoWIN, and ICC T20 World Cup have occupied the top, three spots in the overall list of search queries., Euro Cup and Tokyo Olympics were respectively at number four and five in the, list., The Covid vaccine, Free Fire redeem code, Aryan Khan, Neeraj Chopra, and Copa, America were other notable searches that made to the top ten list., Top searched movies on Google in India in 2021 is Jai Bhim., , 75 years of Constituent Assembly’s 1st sitting, The Constituent Assembly of India had held its first meeting 75 years ago on, December 9, 1946., Distinguished people from different parts of India, different backgrounds, and, even differing ideologies came together with one aim to give the people of India a, worthy Constitution., , 64
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The idea of a constituent assembly was put forward for the first time by MN Roy., In 1935, the Indian National Congress (INC), for the first time, officially called for, a constituent assembly to frame a constitution for India., The demand for a constituent assembly was accepted for the first time by the, British through their ‘August offer’ of 1940., Eventually, a constituent assembly was established under the provisions of the, Cabinet Mission plan., It was constituted in 1946., , Book on 1971 Indo-Pak war, , 65
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‘1971: Charge of the Gorkhas and Other Stories’ written by Rachna Bisht Rawat,, was released recently., The new book unearths true stories of the 1971 Indo-Pak war., The book includes, from the story of the flight lieutenant who went missing after, his plane crashed inside Pakistan to the ‘last khukri attack’ in modern military, history., , Book by Gautam Chintamani, , Vice President (VP) M. Venkaiah Naidu launched a book titled ‘The Midway Battle:, Modi’s Roller-coaster Second Term’ authored by Gautam Chintamani., It was published by Bloomsbury India., The book mentioned the political scenario of India., It marks the second tenure of the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi., The Midway Battle shed light on the various legislations like the Jammu and, Kashmir Reorganisation Act, triple talaq, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act as well, as farming laws., , Vertical launch - Short Range Surface to Air Missile, The Defence Research and Development Organisation tested the “vertical launchshort range surface-to-air missile”, successfully., The missile was test-fired from the integrated test range in Chandipur, off the, Odisha coast., 66
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Its launch was conducted from a vertical launcher towards an electronic target, at a very low altitude., , Top 100 in arms sales - Three Indian companies, , Three Indian companies are among the world’s top 100 for combined arms sales, in 2020., This is according to the new report by the Stockholm International Peace, Research Institute (SIPRI), which tracks global arms trade., The three are Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Indian Ordnance Factories,, and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)., Of these, the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), which comprised the Indian, Ordnance Factories, has been dissolved and seven new Public Sector, Undertakings were created in its place., The three were ranked among the top 100 in arms sales in 2019 as well., , 67
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Extended Range Pinaka Rocket, An Extended Range Pinaka (Pinaka-ER) Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher System, has been successfully tested at Rajasthan’s Pokhran Range., Pinaka-ER launcher system has been designed by DRDO Laboratory Armament, Research and Development Establishment with the High Energy Materials, Research Laboratory in Pune., The Pinaka-ER Multi Barrel Rocket System Launcher is the upgraded version of, the earlier version of Pinaka., , Summit for Democracy, , US President Joe Biden hosted the first of two Summits for Democracy., India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually addressed the summit saying that, ‘democratic spirit’ and ‘pluralistic ethos’ are ingrained in Indians., A total of 100 nations participated in this ‘Summit for Democracy’., , India Skills Report 2022, The 9th edition of the India Skills Report (ISR) 2022 was released by Wheebox., Maharashtra has retained the top position in the list of states with the highest, poll of employable talent followed by Uttar Pradesh and Kerala., 68
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The theme of ISR 2022 – ‘Rebuilding and Reengineering the Future of Work’., India Skills Report is a full-fledged report about the future of work, education,, and skilling to match the talent demand and supply in a growing India., Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu are the 3 states that have a higher job, demand., Pune is the city with the most highly employable resources with 78% of the test, takers scoring above 60 percent., , Bills replacing ordinances, The Lok Sabha passed the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Bill 2021, and the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2021 together., These Bills seek to replace the two ordinances on the subject promulgated this, year., The object of the amendments is to cap the tenure of the Directors of the CBI and, the Enforcement at five years., , Observer Status to the ISA, , 69
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The United Nations General Assembly has conferred Observer Status to the, International Solar Alliance (ISA)., ISA was conceived as a joint effort by India & France to mobilize efforts against, climate change through the deployment of solar energy solutions., It was presented by the leaders of the 2 countries at the 21st Conference of Parties, to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Paris in, 2015., , Chairmanship of Council of RATS SCO, India assumed the Chairmanship of Council of Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (RATS SCO) for 1 year., The National Security Council Secretariat, Government of India, in association, with Data Security Council of India, as a Knowledge Partner, organized a 2-day, Seminar on ‘Securing Cyberspace in the Contemporary Threat Environment’., This was organized for the delegates from SCO member States., , Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in, Varanasi., This creates an easily accessible pathway between Kashi Vishwanath Temple and, the banks of the Ganga River., PM had laid the foundation stone for the project on March 8, 2019., , Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana, Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana was rolled out during the covid-19 pandemic, for generating jobs., , 70
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Maharashtra has topped the list of states with the highest number of, beneficiaries., Maharashtra is followed by Gujarat and Karnataka., , SMART system, , India successfully launched Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo, System (SMART) from Abdul Kalam Island, off the Odisha coast., The SMART system has been designed for enhancing anti-submarine warfare, capability far beyond the conventional range of torpedoes., SMART carried a torpedo, release mechanisms, and parachute delivery system., The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has developed the, weapon for the Indian Navy., , General Category Commission, Himachal Pradesh government announced setting up a Commission for general, castes., The Commission is to be named as ‘Samanya Varg Aayog'., , 71
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A Scheduled Caste Commission is already in operation in Himachal Pradesh., It is chaired by former Shimla MP Virendra Kashyap., , National Helpline against atrocities on SCs, STs, The union minister Social Justice and Empowerment, Virendra Kumar has, launched National Helpline against atrocities on SCs, STs., The objective of the helpline, reportedly, is to build awareness about the, provisions of the Act that are aimed at ending discrimination and providing, protection to all., The Helpline will be available 24-7 on toll-free number – 14566., , First drone Mela, , 72
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In Madhya Pradesh, the first drone fair in the country was organized at Gwalior., Gwalior Drone Mela was organized jointly by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the, Government of India, the Government of Madhya Pradesh, and the Federation of, Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI)., , High Court and Supreme Court Judges Amendment Bill, This Bill was passed with the Rajya Sabha returning it to the Lok Sabha following, the discussion., This Bill was returned to Lok Sabha since it was a money bill., The Bill seeks to amend the “Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of, Service) Act, 1958” as well as the “High Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of, Service) Act, 1954”., These Acts regulate the conditions of services and salaries of High Courts &, Supreme court judges in India., , Test to detect Omicron, The Researchers have developed an RT-PCR-based test, that can detect the, Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 in 90 minutes., The researchers are from IIT Delhi’s Kusuma School of Biological Sciences., The test is based on detecting specific mutations, which are present in the, Omicron variant while absent in other circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2., , Green Hydrogen production, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has tied up with Bhabha Atomic, Research Centre (BARC) to scale-up Alkaline Electrolyze technology for Green, Hydrogen production., This is a first-of-its-kind initiative to support India’s commitment to achieve, renewable energy targets and reduce greenhouse gas emissions., India is looking to raise the share of renewables in its energy mix to 50 percent, by 2030 from 38 percent currently., , NDPS (Amendment) Bill, 2021, The Lok Sabha passed the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, (Amendment) Bill, 2021., It was an unusual amendment on just a sentence that alters the numbering of, the provisions., 73
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2021 Bill amends the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985., The Amendment comprises a legislative declaration about what one section refers, to., According to it, Section 2 clause (viiia) corresponds to clause (viiib) in Section 27,, since 2014., , Chabahar Port, India, Iran, and Uzbekistan held talks on joint use of the Chabahar Port., They also underlined the important role played by the port in enhancing regional, connectivity., Chabahar seaport is in Chabahar located in Iran, on the Gulf of Oman., The port serves as the only oceanic port of Iran., It comprises two separate ports namely, Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti., , Aadhaar and voter cards to sex workers, The Supreme court directed the central government to start the process of issuing, voter ID, Aadhaar, and ration cards to sex workers., It observed that fundamental rights are guaranteed to every citizen irrespective, of vocation., The Supreme Court's direction came while hearing a plea filed by NGO, Durbar, Mahila Samanwaya Committee., The plea raised problems faced by sex workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic., , 74
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Prompt Corrective Action Framework, , Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has brought non-banking finance companies (NBFCs), under the ambit of prompt corrective action (PCA) framework., Under the PCA framework, NBFCs will face restrictions when parameters such, as capital adequacy ratio, non-performing assets, and Tier 1 capital will fall below, the stipulated levels., The Banks are already covered under the framework., This framework will be applicable for all deposit-taking NBFC., , 75
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However, it will exclude government NBFCs, housing finance companies, primary, dealers and other non-deposit taking NBFCs in the upper, middle, and top layers., The PCA framework for NBFCs will be implemented from October 1, 2022., This is done on the basis of the financial position of NBFCs on or after March 31,, 2022., , India’s first Green Hydrogen Microgrid Projects, , State-run NTPC Ltd has been awarded India’s first green hydrogen microgrid, project in Andhra Pradesh., The project has been awarded at the Simhadri plant of NTPC Ltd at Vishaka, Patnam in Andhra Pradesh., NTPC will involve in the “Standalone Fuel-cell based Microgrid along with, hydrogen production using electrolyzer” project at NTPC Simhadri., , Science Festival, Union Minister of State Science & Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated, the seventh edition of the India International Science Festival at Panaji, Goa., The theme of the 4-day science festival is ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ –, “Celebrating Creativity, Science, Technology, and Innovation for a prosperous, India”., The First India International Science Festival was held in 2015 at IIT Delhi., The main aim of the Science Festival is to bring into use the innovations by the, people and develop technology that is affordable to the masses., , 76
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Electric Vehicles in India, Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways, informed Rajya, Sabha on the state of Electric Vehicles (EV) in India., As per the data, Uttar Pradesh (UP) holds the top spot in the number of registered, EVs., UP is followed by Delhi, Karnataka, Bihar, and Maharashtra in successive, positions., The Central Government of India has reduced the Goods & Service Tax (GST) on, Electric Vehicles & related products., o, , GST on EVs: 5% (previously 12%), , o, , GST on EV Chargers & Charging Stations: 5% (previously 18%), , #Care4Hockey Campaign, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance has started its ‘#Care4Hockey’ Campaign to, elevate field Hockey’s recognition in India., The company has partnered with Padma Shri (2020) Rani Rampal, Indian, Women’s Hockey Team Captain, who will be the face of the campaign., ‘#Care4Hockey’ is a one of its kind campaigns which aims to support the, development of Hockey in India from the grass-root level., , 77
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Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee, Indian Army Chief Gen MM Naravane has taken charge as the Chairman of Chiefs, of Staff Committee comprising the three service chiefs., The post of the Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee had fallen vacant after the, death of the Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat in the IAF helicopter crash in, Tamil Nadu on December 8, 2021., Army Chief Gen MM Naravane has been appointed as the current Chairman of, the Chiefs of Staff Committee because of his seniority among the three service, Chiefs., , All-India Mayor’s Conference, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to address and inaugurate an All-India Mayor’s, Conference in Varanasi., The All-India Mayor’s Conference is being organized by the Department of Urban, Development of Uttar Pradesh., The conference will witness the participation of the mayor’s from more than 100, cities., 78
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Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra, Modi approved the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, for 2021-26., As a part of the scheme, Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme, Watershed, Development, and Har Khet ko Paani components have been extended for 202126., PMKSY scheme was launched in 2015., , Nuclear Power Reactors, The Government of India has granted ‘In-Principle’ approval to set up six Nuclear, Power Reactors in technical cooperation with France., The approval to the nuclear power reactors has been accorded to a site in, Maharashtra’s Jaitapur which will make it the largest nuclear power generating, site in India., , 79
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The Government of India has been determined to provide all the impetus to, promote the use of Nuclear Energy in India in sectors such as Health Services as, well as the agricultural programs for indigenous developments and import, substitutes., , Legal marriage age for women, The Union Cabinet approved the proposal of increasing the marriage age for, women from 18 years to 21 years., Currently, the minimum age of marriage for men is 21 while for women it is 18., The government will now look to introduce amendments to the Prohibition of, Child Marriage Act of 2006, Special Marriage Act of 1954, and the Hindu Marriage, Act of 1955 to bring the plan into action., , National Conclave on Natural Farming, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses farmers during a session of the, 'National Conclave on Natural Farming'., The summit will focus on natural farming and provide information to farmers on, its benefits., The three-day conclave is held in the Anand district of Gujarat., , 80
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Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Index, On the Index on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, West Bengal has topped, the chart in the large states category., The report on ‘Index on Foundational Literacy & Numeracy’ has been prepared, by ‘Institute for Competitiveness’., Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Index is an indicator of literacy among, children aged below 10 years., In the ‘large states’ category, Bihar languished at the bottom., In the ‘small states’ category, Kerala was placed at the top spot., Jharkhand emerged as the worst performer on the index., Mizoram topped the list in the Northeast category., In North East Category, Arunachal Pradesh came last., Among Union Territory, Lakshadweep topped the index., In the Union Territory category, Ladakh was listed at the bottom., More than 50 percent of the states scored below the national average of 28.05., , 81
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8th Indian Ocean Dialogue, , The eighth Indian Ocean Dialogue was held recently., The dialogue was jointly hosted by the External Affairs Ministry and the Indian, Council of World Affairs., The dialogue was hosted under the theme - “Leveraging Digital Technologies for, Health, Education, Development, and Trade in Indian Ocean Rim Association, Member States”., The Indian Ocean Rim Association is an international organisation comprising of, 23 states which share borders with the Indian Ocean., 82
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SANT Missile, , The Defence Research and Development Organisation and Indian Air Force, flight, tested the indigenously developed and designed Stand-Off Anti-tank (SANT), Missile from Pokhran Range., SANT missiles can neutralize targets in a range up to 10 km., SANT Missile for the armed forces has been designed and developed by the, Research Centre Imarat in Hyderabad in coordination with the other labs of, DRDO and other industries., , 100th year of Public Accounts Committee, , The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Parliament celebrates the 100th year, of its establishment., Public Accounts Committee was introduced in 1921 after its first mention in the, Government of India Act, 1919 also called Montford Reforms., , 83
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PAC is one of the parliamentary committees that examine the annual audit, reports of CAG which the President lays before the Parliament of India., Those three reports submitted by CAG are,, o, , Audit report on appropriation accounts, , o, , Audit report on finance accounts, , o, , Audit report on public undertakings, , Best Practices in Municipal Solid Waste Management, , It is a comprehensive knowledge repository of how Indian cities are managing, their solid waste., It was by NITI Aayog., India's solid waste management sector has witnessed unparalleled growth in the, last few years., The Swachh Bharat Mission Phase 2 is launched to further strengthen the efforts, for a clean India., The report, titled “Waste-Wise Cities: Best Practices in Municipal Solid Waste, Management”, documents best practices from 28 cities in 15 states of India., The new report is the result of a country-wide study and survey jointly conducted, by NITI Aayog and CSE., , Animal exchange Programme, The Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP) of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, welcomed three new animals as part of its animal exchange programme with, National Zoological Park (NZP) in New Delhi., The Himalayan goral, the Bengal fox a couple of nilgai deer (Indian antelope) are, the new species that have arrived., , 84
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This animal exchange programme was approved by Central Zoo Authority in April, 2021., This exchange is being executed in two phases., IGZP will be getting one more hippopotamus from NZP, New Delhi., , Covovax vaccine for Children, , The World Health Organisation gave approval for emergency use of Covovax, vaccine for Children., WHO listed the Covovax as the ninth COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use., This move is aimed at increasing access to vaccination across lower-income, countries., The Serum Institute of India (SII) produces Covovax, under the license from, Novavax of USA., The vaccine is administered in two doses, 21 days apart., , Barn owl in Bihar, , 85
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The forest officials rescued a barn owl in Supaul district of Bihar, in a rate, sighting., The Barn owl is usually native to the US, the UK, and other parts of Europe., It is rarely seen in the Indian subcontinent., The Barn Owl is scientifically called Tyto alba., , Agni P, , The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully tested, the new generation nuclear-capable ballistic missile ‘Agni P’., Agni P was launched from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam island off the coast of Odisha., It is a medium-range ballistic missile, developed by DRDO as the successor of, Agni-I and Agni-II missiles., It is the sixth missile in the Agni series of ballistic missiles., , Fine on Amazon, , 86
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The Competition Commission of India (CCI) fined US e-commerce giant, Amazon, Rs 200 crore., The CCI has also suspended the 2019 Amazon deal with Future Coupons, a unit, of Future Retail Ltd., Amazon was fined for concealing facts while obtaining approval for this deal., , Mission Shakti Living Lab, Odisha inked an agreement with United Nations Capital Development Fund to, launch “Mission Shakti Living Lab” for the financial empowerment of women., It will address the barriers related to the autonomy and financial freedom of, women., Mission Shakti was launched in 2001 to enhance the holistic development of, women., , Controlled aerial delivery system, , The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) demonstrated the, Controlled Aerial Delivery System recently., , 87
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The Flight demonstration of Controlled Aerial Delivery System was demonstrated, by Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE)., The System was of 500 kg capacity (CADS-500)., The demonstration of the flight was part of a series of activities that were, organized to celebrate ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’., The System performance was demonstrated at Drop Zone, Malpura in Rajasthan, from an altitude of 5000 m., , Good Governance Week - December 20 to 25, , The Good Governance Week is being organized in collaboration with the Ministry, of External Affairs and the Ministry of Panchayati Raj & Rural Development., It is being celebrated as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav., On this occasion, the Good Governance Week Portal will be launched., A film on “Prashasan Gaon Ki Aur” will also be screened., The Good Governance Week is being organized under the theme “Prashasan Gaon, Ki Aur”., , Mormugao, , The Indian Navy conducted the first sea trials for the Indian Navy’s indigenously, built stealth destroyer called Mormugao, in the Arabian Sea., The maiden sea voyage of the warship has been built under project P-15B., 88
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Its development coincides with the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Goa from, Portuguese rule., Mormugao is the second indigenous stealth destroyer, that is being built under, Project P-15B., This Stealth destroyer Mormugao is being built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, Ltd., , Rashtriya Ekta Geet, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently launched Rashtriya Ekta Geet., It has been composed by the National Cadet Core cadets., Rashtriya Ekta Geet has been composed in 22 languages., It is based on the theme of national integration., , Spam calls in India, , Spam call rates in India had moved up in global rankings from 9th position to, 4th position., This is owing to a significant increase in sales and telemarketing calls in 2021., This is according to the latest insights by callerID, spam detection and blocking, company, Truecaller., The top three countries in the world with maximum spam-based calls were Brazil,, Peru, and Ukraine., 89
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Ganga Expressway, , Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone of Ganga, Expressway in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh., After completion of work, it will become the longest expressway of Uttar Pradesh., Ganga Expressway is a 594 Km long Expressway., , Election Laws (Amendment) Bill 2021, , The Union government introduced ‘The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021’ in, Lok Sabha., This is in order to link Aadhaar with the electoral roll., Election Laws (Amendment) Bill 2021 will allow electoral registration officers to, ask for Aadhaar number of people who want to register as voters., Bill also seeks to allow electoral registration officers to ask for Aadhaar number, from people who have already been included in the electoral roll., The bill will amend several sections of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and 1951., 90
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Reintroduction of Gharials in Beas Conservation Reserve, , Punjab's wildlife preservation wing has reintroduced the Gharials in the rivers of, Punjab where it had become extinct half a century ago., Gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) or gavials are critically endangered species of Asian, crocodiles., The population of Gharials is a good indicator of clean river water., , Parvovirus, , 91
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Nearly 2,000 pet and stray dogs in Amravati city in Maharashtra were affected by, the canine parvovirus virus last month., It is a highly contagious viral disease affecting puppies and dogs., It affects the intestinal tract of canines with puppies being more susceptible., This virus was discovered in 1967., , Air India stake & Tata sons, Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the acquisition of Air India, Air, India SATS Airport, and Air India Express by Talace., Talace is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Sons., The CCI is the chief national competition regulator in India., It is a statutory body, working under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs., , Delimitation in Jammu and Kashmir, , 92
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The Delimitation Commission, in its first draft on the proposed allocation of, assembly seats in districts of Jammu and Kashmir, has sought six new seats to, be added in the Jammu division and only one in the Kashmir division., This has been rejected by all political parties in Kashmir who have termed it, biased and unacceptable., , Armoured Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicle, , Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane flagged off and inducted the, first set of indigenously developed next-generation Armoured Engineer, Reconnaissance Vehicle at Bombay Engineering Group., The Armoured Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicle will enhance the existing, engineer reconnaissance capabilities of the Indian Army., It has been jointly developed by Vehicle Research and, Establishment, Ahmednagar, and Pune's Research and, Establishment and manufactured by Ordnance Factory Medak., , ADB and urban services in India, , 93, , Development, Development
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The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is set to provide USD 350 million loans for, improving access to urban services across India., Access to urban services will be improved, o, , By accelerating policy actions and reforms of enhancing service delivery and, , o, , By promoting performance-based central fiscal transfers to urban local, bodies., , Convoke 2021-22, , NITI Aayog in partnership with Bharti Foundation, the philanthropic arm of, Bharti Enterprises, launched Convoke 2021-22., Convoke is a National research Symposium that aims at addressing challenges, in imparting education and strengthening its quality with a special focus on all, teachers, educationists, heads of schools across India., Through Convoke they can now share their micro research papers., These research papers will be analysed by a panel of Educationists., The shortlisted Research Papers will be presented during the ‘National Research, Symposium’ scheduled in January 2022., , Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019, The Parliament passed this bill recently., The bill aims to constitute a National Surrogacy Board and state surrogacy, boards and appoint appropriate authorities for regulation of the practice and, process of surrogacy., According to this, only Indian couples who have been legally married for at least, five years will be allowed to opt for surrogacy., The bill seeks to “allow ethical altruistic surrogacy to the intending infertile, Indian married couple between the age of 23-50 years and 26-55 years for female, and male, respectively”., 94
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Oil & gas block auctions, The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has launched the seventh bid round, under the Open Acreage Licensing Programme (OALP)., These include five on land blocks, two shallow-water blocks, and one ultra-deepwater block., Since 2016, five rounds of OALP have been concluded for 105 Exploration and, Production (E&P) blocks, , India-Central Asia Dialogue, The External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar hosted the 3rd meeting of the IndiaCentral Asia Dialogue in New Delhi., , 95
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The Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,, and Uzbekistan participated in this., Their previous meeting was organized by India in October 2020 via video, conference., Three of these five, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, share a border, with Afghanistan., , LogiXtics, , 96
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The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade has launched the, Unified Logistics Interface Platform’s (ULIP) hackathon – ‘LogiXtics’., This is to crowdsource more ideas that will benefit the logistics industry., The Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP) Hackathon – LogiXtics is being, organized by NITI Aayog and Atal Innovation Mission., ULIP has been designed to enhance efficiency and reduce logistics costs in India, by creating a transparent platform that can provide real-time information to all, stakeholders., The cost of logistics in India is about 14% which is higher than in other countries, in the world., National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation was mandated by NITI, Aayog in January 2021 to develop ULIP., , Finn’s weaver bird, The Finn's weaver bird, numbering less than 500 in India is primarily found in, Terai grasslands, in Uttarakhand and western Uttar Pradesh, apart from a few, pockets in Assam., The Finn’s weaver (Ploceus megarhynchus), listed as "vulnerable" in the, International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List has been up, listed to the "endangered" category., , NITI Aayog - UN WFP, NITI Aayog and United Nations World Food Programme (UN WFP) have agreed to, diversify the food basket., The partnership between NITI Aayog and UN WFP focuses to mainstream the, millets and supporting India in taking a lead internationally in knowledge, exchange., The year 2023 is called the International Year of Millets., , 97
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This partnership also aims to build resilient livelihoods for small farmers and, adaptation capacities towards climate change as well as transforming food, systems., The government of India had observed 2018 as a year of millets, to encourage, and promote millet production., , GIS based water supply system, The GIS-based ‘Automatic Water Supply System’ for citizens of Cantonment, Boards was recently launched., The module has been developed by the Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space, Applications and Geoinformatics under the guidance of the Defence Secretary, and Director General of Defence Estates, Delhi., It is completely automated which provides a facility to its citizen to identify the, location of the water supply connection., It automatically determines the nearest water pipeline., This GIS system is the first of its kind in the country., It is based on 'minimum government'., It supports the concept of 'maximum governance' as there is no manual, intervention for clearance or sanction of the water connection., , Wizikey Report, Reliance Industries topped the 2021 Wizikey News Score ranking as India’s mostvisible corporate in the media., State Bank of India is a close second on the ranking, followed by Bharti Airtel,, Infosys, and Tata Motors., The highest-ranked state-owned firm is National Thermal Power Corporation, Limited (NTPC), at rank 13., On the global rankings chart for top Multinational Corporations (MNC), Facebook, tops the index, followed by Google’s Alphabet Inc., , 98
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Pralay missile, , India successfully conducted the maiden flight test of the indigenouslydeveloped, surface-to-surface missile ‘Pralay’ off the Odisha coast., The solid fuel used here is based on Prithvi Defence Vehicle., It is a battlefield missile developed by the Defence Research Development, Organisation., The missile, launched from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island., , Vodafone sells world’s first SMS, Vodafone announced that it is auctioning the world’s first SMS as a non-fungible, token (NFT)., Now, the company has announced that a bidder has paid 107,000 euros for the, replica of the first communication protocol of a short message, perpetuated as an, NFT., Vodafone will donate them to UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, to support millions, of people who have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict and, persecution., , 99
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Prevention of Mob Violence and Mob Lynching Bill, 2021, Jharkhand Assembly has passed this bill., This aims at providing “effective protection” of constitutional rights and the, prevention of mob violence in the state., After including one amendment, the Bill was passed and sent to the Governor for, his assent., Once notified, Jharkhand will become the fourth state to bring in such a law after, West Bengal, Rajasthan, and Manipur., , Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, The total number of beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, (PMJDY) has crossed the 44-crore mark., Uttar Pradesh tops the list with the highest number of accounts followed by, Bihar., The PMJDY was launched on August 28, 2014., It aims to provide universal access to banking facilities to the people in the, country., , 100
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ASIGMA app, , The Indian Army launched a contemporary messaging application named,, ASIGMA., It is dubbed as “Army Secure IndiGeneous Messaging Application”., It will replace the AWAN (Army Wide Area Network) messaging application., AWAN has been in service for last 15 years., It has been developed in line with the Government’s Make in India initiative., , INS Khukri, , India’s first indigenously built missile corvettes, INS Khukri (P49), was, decommissioned after 32 years of service at Visakhapatnam., INS Khukri was built by the Mazagon Dock shipbuilders on August 23, 1989., It had the distinction of being part of Western as well as Eastern Fleets., , 101
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S-400 air defence missile system, , Indian Air Force (IAF) has deployed the first squadron of the S-400 air defence, missile system in the western Punjab sector., This will take care of aerial threats from Pakistan and China., The S-400 air defence system was contracted for by India from Russia., , Abhyas, , 102
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DRDO has successfully conducted the flight test of Indigenously developed, Abhyas from Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast, Odisha., Abhyas is a High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) System developed to, meet the requirement of aerial targets of the Indian Armed Forces., It is designed for autonomous flying with the help of an autopilot., It was developed indigenously by the Aeronautical Development Establishment, (ADE), a Bengaluru-based DRDO laboratory., , Tusshar Kapoor - Golden Visa, , Bollywood actor Tusshar Kapoor was awarded Golden Visa., He joins a growing list of Indian movie stars, including Mohanlal and Shah Rukh, Khan, who has received the coveted 10-year residency., In 2019, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) implemented a new system for longterm residence visas., Thereby it is enabling foreigners to live, work and study in the UAE without the, need of a national sponsor and with 100 percent ownership of their business., , India - 3rd top country hosting unicorns, , 103
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Adding 33 “unicorns” in a single year has helped India displace the United, Kingdom to be third in the list of countries that are home to such enterprises, valued at over $1 billion each., The US and China, which occupy the first two ranks, are way ahead, according, to the data compiled by Hurun Research Institute., US and China are home to 74 percent of the unicorn universe., , Vernacular Innovation Program, , It is launched by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog., It is an initiative to lower the language barrier in the field of innovation and, entrepreneurship such that it will systematically decouple creative expressions, and languages of transaction., It seeks to enable innovators and entrepreneurs to have access to the innovation, ecosystem in 22 scheduled languages., AIM has identified and will be training a Vernacular Task Force (VTF) in each of, the 22 scheduled languages., It will assist in overcoming linguistic barriers and empowering innovators in the, farthest parts of the country., , Himachal Pradesh’s Renukaji Dam project, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid down the foundation of the Renukaji Dam, Project in Himachal Pradesh., , 104
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The project, once completed, is likely to generate 200 million units of energy in a, surface powerhouse which have an installed capacity of 40 MW., The storage capacity of the dam will be 498 million cubic meters., It will fulfil around 40 percent of the drinking water requirement of Delhi., Giri river is a tributary of the Yamuna., , Jana Gana Mana, , 105
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December 27 marks the 110th anniversary of the first time Jana Gana Mana,, India’s national anthem was sung publicly at the Calcutta session of the Indian, National Congress in 1911., Jana Gana Mana was later adopted as the national anthem by India’s Constituent, Assembly on January 24, 1950., Rabindranath Tagore composed Bharata Bhagyo Bidhata., The first stanza of it, Jana Gana Mana, is now our national anthem., , 3 big announcements by PM Modi for Covid-19 vaccine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the Covid-19 vaccine for children, and booster doses for Health workers and senior citizens, amid the Omicron, scare., Children between the age group of 15 to 18 years will be getting the Covid vaccine, from January 3, 2022., Senior citizens with comorbidities will receive booster doses from January 10,, 2022., Citizens above 60 years of age with co-morbidities will also have the option of a, precautionary dose of the vaccine on the advice of their doctor., The healthcare and frontline workers will be given another ‘precaution dose’, [booster shot] starting from January 10.”, , Good Governance Index 2021, The index was launched on the occasion of Good Governance Day (December 25)., It was prepared by the Department of Administration Reforms and Public, Grievances (DARPG)., The objectives of GGI are to provide quantifiable data to compare the state of, governance in all states and union territories, enable them to formulate and, implement suitable strategies for improving governance and shift to resultoriented approaches and administration., Performance of various states, , Gujarat has topped the composite ranking, followed by Maharashtra and Goa., Delhi has topped the union territories category composite ranking., Among the sectors, Uttar Pradesh secured the top position in the commerce and, industry sector., Tamilnadu tops in the sector of Judicial & Public Security, , 106
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NITI Aayog Health Index 2021, NITI Aayog released the fourth edition of its state health index for 2019-20 on, December 27, 2021., The report, titled “Healthy States, Progressive India”, ranks states and Union, Territories based on their year-on-year incremental performance in health as well, as their overall status., Kerala retained its top rank on the health index among the larger states while, Uttar Pradesh was the worst., Tamil Nadu ranks second with a score of 72.42, Mizoram topped the health index among smaller states while Nagaland was, ranked at the bottom., Among union territories, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu was, ranked at the top and Andaman & Nicobar was ranked at the bottom., , 107
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Bill to raise marriage age for women to 21 years – Parliament Standing, committee, , The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 that seeks to raise the, marriage age for women from 18 to 21 years was introduced in the Lok Sabha on, December 21, 2021., The lower house voted to send the bill to a standing committee for further, scrutiny after protests from the opposition parties., The opposition parties raised protest on the manner in which the bill was, included in the legislative agenda at the last minute and urged that it should be, sent to a standing committee., , Winter Session - Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned sine die on 22nd December, a day, ahead of its original schedule., It was marking the end of the Winter Session of Parliament., The Winter Session in Lok Sabha had 18 sittings and witnessed the passage of, key legislation such as the Farm Laws Repeal Bill and the Election Laws, (Amendment) Bill., The Upper House witnessed several disruptions during the session following the, suspension of 12 opposition party members for their "unruly" conduct in the, previous session in August., The Winter Session, which started on November 29, was scheduled to conclude, on December 23., , 108
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Delmicron, As per scientists, there is no variant of a novel coronavirus called Delmicron., The fake reports talked about the alleged mixing of the genetic material of, Omicron and Delta variants leading to the birth of “more dangerous” Delmicron., , 150th Birth Anniversary of Sri Aurobindo, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chaired the first meeting of the High-Level, Committee (HLC) which has been constituted to commemorate the 150th Birth, Anniversary of Sri Aurobindo., The Prime Minister proposed to launch the commemoration celebrations of Sri, Aurobindo from Puducherry coinciding with the celebration of National Youth, Day., , 109
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Soya Meal as an Essential Commodity, The government has notified, under the Essential Commodities Act 1955, to, declare 'soya meal' as an essential commodity up to 30th June 2022., This step is expected to stop any unfair practices (like hoarding, black marketing,, etc) in the market having the potential to hike the prices of soya meal., This will also enhance the availability of the commodity for consumers like, poultry farms and cattle feed manufacturers., , India to chair UNSC Counter terrorism Committee, , 110
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India will chair the Counterterrorism Committee of the United Nations Security, Council (UNSC) in January 2022., India had last chaired this committee in 2011-12., The UNSC Counter-terrorism Committee was formed in September 2001 soon, after the tragic 9/11 terrorist attack., This was formed to chart the way forward to fight against terrorism., , Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission, , Telangana has secured 1st place among the 34 states and Union Territories (UTs), that implement the Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission., Tamil Nadu and Gujarat have secured 2nd and 3rd place on the list respectively., The objective of the mission is to stimulate local economic development, enhance, basic services, and create well-planned Rurban clusters., , Import duty on refined palm oil reduced, Concerned over the high prices of cooking oils, the government has reduced the, basic customs duty on refined palm oil to 12.5% from 17.5% till March next year., This is to boost domestic supplies and bring down rates in the domestic retail, markets., With the reduction in the basic customs duty (BCD), the effective levy (including, social welfare cess) on both refined palm oil and refined palmolein will come down, to 13.75%, from 19.25%., , ABDM integrated Health Locker, Docprime tech has launched India’s first health locker integrated with Ayushman, Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)., , 111
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ABDM was launched in August 2020 for developing an integrated digital health, infrastructure in the country., ABDM integrated Health Locker will provide users with a digital and selfconsented health data management system without any charges., It will store and manage health records electronically., , Vikram Misri, Vikram Misri was appointed as India's new deputy National Security Adviser in, the National Security Council Secretariat., Misri is a 1989 batch Indian Foreign Service officer., He currently serves as India's Ambassador to China., He will be succeeded by Pradeep Kumar Rawat, who was recently appointed as, the next ambassador to China., , CRPF women commandos, In a first, a maiden contingent of CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) women, commandos who have been trained in VIP security will soon be deployed with ZPlus personalities., CRPF raised its first-ever contingent of 32 women commandos in its VIP Security, wing., The women commandos will now be tasked to guard its protectees who are based, in New Delhi and who receive the top Z+ Cover., 112
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ATMs across the country, The number of ATMs across the country stood at over 2.13 lakh by the end of, September this year., Over 47 percent of these are in rural and semi-urban areas., According to the RBI data, scheduled commercial banks have installed 2,13,145, ATMs up to September 2021., In addition to this, 27,837 White Label ATMs (WLA) were also installed by WLA, operators up to September 2021., , World Economic League Table 2022, India was predicted to become the 6th largest economy (by overtaking France) in, 2022 and become the 3rd largest economy in 2031., 113
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This is as per the Centre for Economics and Business Research’s (CEBR) World, Economic League Table 2022., The annual league table also predicted that China will overtake the US to be the, largest economy in 2030., The world economy is set to surpass $100 trillion for the first time in 2022., Under COVID-19, India has the third-highest death toll worldwide, ranking, behind the United States and Brazil., India’s population is expected to overtake China’s at some point between 2024, and 2028., , Spices Statistics at a Glance 2021, , 114
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Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has released the book titled Spices, Statistics at a Glance 2021., The book is a compendium of all the spices statistics like area, production,, productivity, export, import, price, and value of the output of various spices, produced in the country., The book has been published by the Directorate of Arecanut and Spices, Development., The book highlights the growth achieved in the spices sector during the last seven, years., Spices production in the Country has grown from over 67 lakh tonnes in 201415 to over 106 lakh tonnes in 2020-21 with an annual growth rate of 7.9 percent., , Vaccines and pill against Covid, The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has approved Corbevax and Covovax, Covid vaccines and anti-viral drug Molnupiravir for restricted use on adults in, emergency situations., CORBEVAX vaccine is India's 1st indigenously developed RBD protein subunit, vaccine., It is made by Hyderabad-based firm Biological-E., The Nanoparticle Vaccine, COVOVAX, will be manufactured by Pune-based firm, Serum Institute of India., Molnupiravir, an antiviral drug, will now be manufactured in the country by 13, companies for restricted use under emergency situation for adults., , 115
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High-level committee to examine of lifting AFSPA in Nagaland, , The Government of India has decided to constitute a ‘five-member’ committee to, look into the demand for withdrawal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, “AFSPA” in Nagaland., The committee is headed by Vivek Joshi., He is the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India., He would submit the recommendations within 45 days., Additional Secretary in the Home Ministry Piyush Goyal will be its MemberSecretary., The Chief Secretary and DGP of Nagaland and the DGP of Assam Rifles will be, the other members of the committee., The AFSPA empowers security forces to conduct operations and arrest anyone, without any prior warrant., It also gives immunity to the forces if they shoot someone dead., , State of India’s Livelihood Report 2021, , 116
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The State of India’s Livelihood (SOIL) Report 2021 has stated that just 1-5 % of, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) have received funding under central, government schemes introduced to promote them in the last seven years., Access Development Services, a national livelihoods support organization has, prepared the SOIL report., It has analysed only Farmer Producer Companies (FPC — FPOs registered under, Companies Act, 2013) since they make up a large majority of the organizations, started in recent years., The number of FPOs registered as cooperatives or societies is very small., , Quantum Laboratory, , The Indian Army recently established the “Quantum Laboratory” at Mhow in, Madhya Pradesh., The Quantum Laboratory was established with the help of the National Security, Council Secretariat (NSCS)., It was established at Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), in Mhow., It was established with the objective of spearheading research and training in the, key developing field., , Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievement (ARIIA) 2021, The Union Ministry of Education released this award list., The top position was achieved by IIT Madras., It topped the ranking as the most innovative educational institute in India in the, technical category., IIT Madras won this recognition for the third consecutive time., Institutes that are among the top 10 institutions include- IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi,, IIT Roorkee, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and IIT, Hyderabad., , 117
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Under the ‘Colleges/Institutes (Govt. & Govt. Aided in Technical)’ category, the, College of Engineering in Pune and PSG College of Technology won the awards., Under the “non-technical institutions” category, Indira Gandhi National Open, University (IGNOU), Delhi and Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Kozhikode, won the awards., , Hydropower Projects, The foundation stone of Hydropower Projects was laid down by Prime Minister, Modi in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh., The hydropower projects in Himachal Pradesh inaugurated by PM also included, the Renukaji Dam Project that was lying pending for three decades., The four projects are,, o, , Sawra-Kuddu Hydropower Project, , o, , Luhri Stage 1 Hydro Power Project, , o, , Dhaulasidh Hydro Power Project, , o, , Renukaji Dam Project, , 118
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Gram Ujala Programme, , The state-owned CESL has achieved a milestone to distribute 50 lakh LED bulbs., This milestone was achieved under the Project Crore of the Gram Ujala, Programme., Gram Ujala’s scheme is being implemented in rural households across the states, of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka., The will be run till March 31, 2022., , INTERNATIONAL, Barbados, Barbados has become the World’s newest republic, around 400 years after it, became a British colony., Barbados, the Caribbean Island nation, removed Queen Elizabeth II as the head, of the state., Dame Sandra Prunella Mason took over as the President of Barbados., Barbados is said to have been made a slave society by the British., It first became an English colony in 1625., It gained its independence in 1966., , 119
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World’s first floating city, South Korea is soon going to get the world’s first floating city., This is to deal with the problem of floods due to rising sea levels., The floating city project is a joint effort by the UN Human Settlement Programme, (UN-Habit) and OCEANIX., The city will be built off the coast of Busan in South Korea and is likely to be, completed by 2025., , 2021 Word of the Year, , The American publishing company Merriam-Webster has chosen the word, “vaccine” as its 2021 Word of the Year., It has been declaring the word of the year since 2008., The word “vaccine” saw a 601 percent increase in definition lookups over the, year, compared to 2020., 120
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Worldwide Cost of Living 2021 Index, , Tel Aviv has become the world's most expensive city to live in, surpassing Paris, and Singapore., This is as per the Economist Intelligence Unit's Worldwide Cost of Living Index, 2021., Tel Aviv climbed from 5th place to the top in 2021 due to the rising value of the, Israeli currency shekel against the US Dollar and the increase in the price of, grocery and transport., Paris and Singapore are jointly ranked second., They are followed by Zurich and Hong Kong at the fourth and fifth spots, respectively., Syria’s Damascus was ranked as the world’s cheapest city., , Kyhytysuka sachicarum, Kyhytysuka sachicarum is a new marine reptile species discovered by an, international team of researchers., It is an extinct species., It was discovered from fossils found in central Columbia., Kyhytysuka means “the one that cuts with something sharp”., The word belongs to the indigenous language of central Columbia., , Global trade report of UNCTAD, The value of world imports and exports of goods hit $5.6 trillion in the third, quarter of 2021., This set a new quarterly record, according to the UNCTAD report, 121
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New projections in the November edition of the organization’s Global Trade, Update show trade in goods and services reaching $28 trillion for the year, This is an increase of 23% from 2020 and 11% compared with pre-COVID-19, levels., , Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report, In 2021, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) introduced the, Business Responsibility & Sustainability Report (BRSR)., BRSR will replace Business Responsibility Reporting (BRR)., BRSR is a standardized reporting format that will give a baseline to draw a, comparison between Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals across, companies and sectors., BRSR seeks disclosures from listed entities on their performance against the 9, principles of the ‘National Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct, (NGBRCs).’, , CARAT exercise, The US military personnel and Bangladesh Navy (BN) began the 27th annual, Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) maritime exercise., The nine-day exercise focuses on a wide range of naval capabilities., 122
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It includes cooperative actions that demonstrate the US and Bangladesh’s, capacity to work together to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific., , World Migration Report 2022, , International Organization for Migration (IOM) of the United Nations launched, the 11th edition of the World Migration Report 2022., This states that the global international migration has increased from 84 million, globally in 1970 to 281 million in 2020., It means that the proportion of the international migrants has increased from, 2.3% to 3.6% of the global population., The 2022 report stated that climate change has displaced more people than, conflicts., India and China, have the largest absolute numbers of migrants living abroad., India has the largest emigrant population in the world with around 18 million, people living abroad., The Philippines has recorded the highest number of new disaster displacements, in 2020., In 2020, Asia has reported the largest internal displacement due to disasters., China has reported 5 million new disaster displacements., India has reported nearly 4 million new disaster displacements., , World Cooperative Monitor report 2021, The 2021 WCM (World Cooperative Monitor) report is published by the, International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and European Research Institute on, Cooperative and Social Enterprises (Euricse)., , 123
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The Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) has been ranked, ‘number one Cooperative’ among the top 300 cooperatives in the world., The ranking is based on the ratio of turnover over the gross domestic product, (GDP) per capita., It signifies that IFFCO is contributing significantly to the GDP and economic, growth of the nation., , World Inequality Report 2022, According to this, the richest 1 percent have since the mid-nineties captured 38, percent of wealth growth globally., As per the report, the richest 10 percent own around 60-80 percent of the wealth, and the poorest half systematically own less than 5 percent of the wealth., The report suggested developing new forms of wealth taxation on, multimillionaires, including a progressive rate of wealth tax with tax rates, according to the value of the total amount of wealth owned., Tax ranging from 1 percent of wealth owned over $1 million to 3 percent for global, billionaires can generate 1.6 percent of global income., The report is published by the Harvard University Press in USA., , 124
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Aung San Suu Kyi, , Aung San Suu Kyi is a Burmese politician., She was called the “Children of Gandhi”., She is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate., The Myanmar special court sentenced her to 4 years of prison for violating corona, virus restrictions., , Cambridge Dictionary - Word of the Year, Perseverance is the Cambridge Dictionary’s Word of the Year 2021., Perseverance has been looked up more than 243,000 times on the website in, 2021., NASA’s Perseverance Rover made its final descent to Mars on 18 February., , Allyship, Allyship - word Allyship is Dictionary.com's word of year for 2021, The terms “DEI” (diversity, equity, and inclusion) and “critical race theory” made, their debuts as entries on the site with “allyship” this year., 125
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4.5 days’ work per week, , United Arab Emirates is to implement a national work week, which is shorter, than five-day week., It has become the first country in the world to implement such a model., , Australia - Beijing Winter Olympics, Australia will not send officials to February’s Winter Olympics in Beijing, China., With this move, Australia has joined a US diplomatic boycott of the Winter, Olympics Games., The United States took the decision to boycott the Games over China’s genocide, of the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang., 126
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It means that the US is not sending any official or diplomatic representation to, participate in the Olympics., However, the US is allowing American athletes to participate in the Olympics., It will be the first Winter Olympics in China., It will be the last of three consecutive Olympics which is to be held in East Asia,, after 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, and 2020 Summer Olympics in, Japan., , PANEX-21, , PANEX-21 is a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Exercise to be held, at Pune., It is to be held for the BIMSTEC countries., BIMSTEC countries are Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand., , 127
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International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), Former chief election commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora has been invited to join, the board of advisers at the International IDEA., It is an intergovernmental organization based in Stockholm, Sweden., India is one of the founding members of the institute since 1995., Sunil Arora had served as the 23rd Chief Election Commissioner of India from, December 2018 to April 2021., , Data on Arms Sales, , 128
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The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has released new, data on Arms Sales., As per SIPRI data, the arms industry appears not to have been too highly affected, due to the pandemic in 2020., The sale has increased by 1.3 percent as compared to 2019., As per SIPRI, 2020 marked the sixth consecutive year of growth in arms sales by, 100 largest companies of the arms industry., It was because sales were 17 percent higher as compared to in 2015 when SIPRI, first included data on Chinese firms., According to SIPRI, the United States has the highest number of companies, featured among the top 100 in arms sales., The US is followed by the top Chinese firms., , Asia Power Index 2021, , India has ranked 4th most powerful country in the Asia-Pacific region for, comprehensive power out of 26 countries, with an overall score of 37.7 out of, 100., This is according to Lowy Institute Asia Power Index 2021., India’s overall score declined by 2 points compared to 2020., India is one of 18 countries in Asia to trend downward in its overall score in 2021., The top 3 countries for overall power in the Asia-Pacific region are, o, , United States, , o, , China, , o, , Japan, , 129
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Mount Semeru, The eruption of Mount Semeru, East Java, Indonesia has killed at least 14, persons and left dozens injured., Semeru, an active volcano in East Java, is located in a subduction zone, where, the Indo-Australian plate subducts under the Eurasia plate., It is the highest volcano in Java., This stratovolcano is also known as Mahameru (The Great Mountain), The recent eruption of the Semeru volcano was triggered due to heavy rain., , The World Malaria Report 2021, , 130
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The report was released by the World Health Organization., The 2021 report is based on information received from malaria-endemic countries, in all WHO regions., If speedy action is not taken, the world is in danger of seeing an immediate, resurgence of the disease, mostly in Africa., There was an increase of 12% in malaria deaths in 2020 over 2019., Most of the increase came from countries in the WHO African Region, which, accounted for about 95% of cases., India accounted for 83% of cases in the WHO South-East Asia Region., , Climate Change on Food Prices, , The Food and Agricultural Organization has said that the average food prices, (after adjusting for inflation) in the 11 months of 2021 are the highest in 46 years, due to climate change., Due to disasters, the world is losing up to 4% of the potential crop and livestock, production., Climate change is fuelling extreme and erratic weather events and prolonging, drought and heatwaves., , 131
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These lead to widespread crop damage and also affect crop yields in the long, term., The global food price rise was driven predominantly by wheat, which reported an, increase in price due to drought and high temperatures in major producing, countries, including the US and Canada., The price rise impacts the world’s poor even more because the pandemic has, already pushed millions into the poverty trap., Every third person in the world is not able to have adequate food., , Reporters Without Borders report, , At least 127 journalists are currently under detention in China for reporting on, 'sensitive' topics., This is said by Reporters Without Borders., According to that, China is the world's biggest captor of journalists., The journalists have been detained for reporting and publishing content that has, been deemed 'sensitive' by the ruling Chinese Communist Party., , Global Health Security Index 2021, The Global Health Security (GHS) Index 2021 was jointly released by non-profits, Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and the Johns Hopkins Centre for Health Security., The GHS Index 2021 is the first comprehensive assessment and benchmarking, of health security and related capacities of 195 countries to prepare for epidemics, and pandemics., The world’s overall performance on the GHS Index score slipped to 38.9 (out of, 100) in 2021, from a score of 40.2 in 2019., This, even as infectious diseases are expected to have the greatest impact on the, global economy in the next decade., The report showed that India has slipped by 0.8 points since 2019., , 132
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According to the GHS Index 2021, all countries remains unprepared for future, epidemic and pandemic threats., , Anti-corruption Champions, , The US State Department of State has named 12 new Anti-corruption Champions, who have demonstrated leadership, courage, and impact in preventing, exposing,, and combating corruption., The names were announced on the eve of International Anticorruption Day and, the Summit for Democracy., The central theme of Summit for Democracy convened by US President Joe Biden, was combating corruption., 133
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World Talent Ranking report 2021, The International Institute for Management Development World Competitive, Centre published its “World Talent Ranking Report”., In the report, Europe has dominated the ranking in 2021., Global top 10 countries are from this region., Switzerland has retained its top spot., India has been ranked at 56th position., , Undersea cable in Pacific, , The Western Allies namely, the United States, Australia and Japan have, announced to jointly fund the construction of an undersea cable in the Pacific, Ocean., The undersea cable in the pacific will be used to boost internet access in three, small Pacific countries since the Western allies seek to counter increasing, Chinese influence in this region., This Allies will develop the cable for providing faster internet to Kiribati, Nauru,, and the Federated States of Micronesia., , 134
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Israeli PM’s first official visit to UAE, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett started the first official visit by an Israeli leader to, the United Arab Emirates (UAE)., This diplomatic outreach has come at the time when world powers are negotiating, with Iran on the 2015 nuclear deal, which is opposed by Israel., The nuclear deal is also abandoned in 2018 by former U.S. President Donald, Trump., , Asian Development Outlook Report, , The Asian Development Bank (ADB) released the report recently., It has reduced the growth forecasts for developing Asia for the year 2021., This move came in line with the uncertainty that the new Omicron coronavirus, variant has brought., The ADB now sees 2021 gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 7.0% for, developing Asia, as opposed to the 7.1% forecast., For 2022, it forecasted a growth of 5.3%., , Cannabis at home – Malta, Malta has become the first country in European Union to legalize cannabis at, home and for personal use., Under the new law, Malta has allowed people aged 18 and above to have up to, seven grams of cannabis., They would also be allowed to grow up to four plants at home., , 135
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10th death anniversary of Kim Jong II, North Korea has banned its citizens from laughing, drinking, and going grocery, shopping for 11 days starting from December 17, 2021., North Korean government authorities have ordered the citizens of the country to, not show any signs of happiness., This is as part of the 10th death anniversary of former leader Kim Jong II., , Joumou Soup, UNESCO placed a traditional Haitian soup called ‘Joumou Soup’ in the intangible, cultural heritage list., Haitian soup is widely considered a symbol of independence., Haitians celebrated their freedom by consuming the soup., They traditionally serve the soup on New Year’s Day for commemorating the, anniversary of liberation from slavery., 136
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Typhoon Rai, , Typhoon Rai hit the south-eastern part of the Philippines, bringing heavy rains, and flooding causing displacement of thousands over a large area., Rai typhoon was the 15th major weather disturbance that hit the country in the, year 2021., It intensified rapidly and is classified as a super typhoon, with sustained winds, of 120 miles per hour., This designation is similar to a Category 5 hurricane in the United States., Typhoon Rai is called Typhoon Odette in the Philippines., , Kalibari temple, This Hindu temple is located in Bangladesh., It was recently inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind., 137
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It was destroyed by Pakistani forces in 1971., The original Ramna Kalibari was built during the medieval era and was famous, for its tall structure., In 1929, the temple complex acquired an additional building for the devotees of, the famous saint Anandamayee., , UAE announces to End Censorship, The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced to end the censorship in cinematic, releases., The UAE administration decided to end censorship, in a bid to attract foreigners., As per the latest announcement, the government will not cut sensitive scenes, which offend Islamic sentiments., The administration has also introduced a new ‘above 21 years of age’ category for, viewers., , Queen of Asia, , Sri Lanka’s National gem and Jewellery Authority has said that the world’s largest, corundum, blue sapphire has been found in Ratnapura in Sri Lanka., It weighs around 310 kg., , 138
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This rare gemstone had been found three months ago from a gem in Ratnapura., The blue sapphire which has been discovered as a single crystal has been named, Queen of Asia., , Zero Covid Policy, Hong Kong implemented its new ‘Zero Covid Policy’., This strategy has led to the toughest quarantine and testing measures worldwide., This policy has kept infections low., Hong Kong is a city and special administrative region of China., It is located on the eastern Pearl River Delta in South China., , World Anti-Doping Agency Report, , The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) published its report on “Rule Violations”,, recently., The number of offenders in India and increased in 2019, making India among the, top three of the world’s biggest doping violators., India stands behind Russia and Italy., , Dinosaur embryo found in China, A 66-million-year-old dinosaur embryo was discovered in Ganzhou in southern, China., , 139
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The embryo is believed to be a toothless theropod dinosaur, or oviraptorosaur., It has been named Baby Yingliang., The discovery of embryo has also provided researchers a greater understanding, of the link between dinosaurs and modern birds., The fossil provides that, embryo was in a curled position called as “tucking”., This behaviour is seen among birds, shortly before they hatch., It also indicates that tucking behaviour in modern birds has been evolved and, originated from their dinosaur ancestors., , UNSC Resolution 2615, , 140
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The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously passed this, resolution to permit a carve-out in sanctions against the Taliban to facilitate the, delivery of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan., This carve-out covers urgently needed humanitarian assistance and other, activities that support basic human needs in Afghanistan., The resolution (2615) mandates a review of the carve-out every six months., It also requests that an Emergency Relief Coordinator brief the UNSC every six, months on the delivery of assistance and any obstacles to implementation., It also “calls on all parties” to respect human rights and observe international, humanitarian law., , Belgium to close all its nuclear power plants, The Belgian Government has agreed in principle to close all its nuclear power, plants by the year 2025., However, the government has decided to leave open the possibility of extending, the life of two reactors if it will not be able to otherwise ensure the energy supply., The country has decided to phase out nuclear power plants while using gas as a, bridge towards sustainable energy sources., , New Meat Alternatives With 3D Printing, Israeli food-tech firm SavorEat launched a plant-based burger system, that has, been personalized to each customer., SavorEat has become one of the first companies to use 3D printing technology to, cook food., Through this technology, customers can also choose how much fat and protein, they want in each burger., , 141
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ECONOMY, RBI’s new norms for Private banks, Under the new norms, RBI has accepted the suggestion to increase the cap on, the stake of promoters in banks from 15 percent to 26 percent., However, it is still examining if industrial houses should be allowed to run banks, in accordance with the recommendations of an internal working group (IWG)., In all, RBI accepted 21 out of 33 recommendations of the IWG., IWG is headed by the director of the central board of the RBI, Prasanna Kumar, Mohanty., , Mid-Year Trends Report 2021, , The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) released this, report., According to the report, 50.9 people were internally displaced across 33 countries, due to conflict and violence in the first 6 months of 2021., The trend of rising forced displacement continued from 2020 into 2021, with, global numbers now exceeding 84 million., This is an increase from 82.4 million at the end of 2020., This resulted largely from internal displacement., Much of the new internal displacement was in Africa., , 142
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New FICCI Chairman, , Sanjiv Mehta, the Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Unilever, Limited (HUL), will be the new President., It was announced by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and, Industry (FICCI)., , RBI Monetary Policy, , The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) kept the repo, rate unchanged at 4 per cent for the ninth consecutive time., It was headed by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shakti kanta Das., The reverse repo rate will continue to be 3.35 per cent., The central bank had last revised the policy rate on May 22, 2020., , World Inequality Report 2022, France-based World Inequality Lab published this report., This report was authored by Lucas Chancel, who is the co-director of World, Inequality Lab., It was coordinated by the famed French economist Thomas Piketty., 143
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The report notes that the top 1 % of India’s population owns more than one-fifth, of the total national income in 2021., The bottom half of the population earns just 13.1 percent., It highlights that economic reforms and liberalization that India has adopted,, have mostly benefited the top 1 percent., The report identifies India as a poor and unequal country, with an affluent elite., 1 percent richest people in India hold 22% of the total national income in 2021,, while the top 10 % own 57 percent of the income., The average national income of the Indian adult population is Rs 204,200 in, 2021, on the basis of purchasing power parity., However, the report clarified that the average national income of a country masks, inequalities., , Paytm Payments Bank, , Paytm Payments Bank has been given the scheduled bank status by the Reserve, Bank of India., The bank has been included in the Second Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India, Act, 1934., The approval will help it to bring more financial services and products., 144
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Loan against digital gold, , Shivalik Small Finance Bank (SSFB) signed a partnership agreement with fintech, firm, India gold to launch India’s first Loan against Digital Gold., This agreement will enable customers to use their digital gold balance to avail of, instant and digital loans up to Rs. 60,000., It also seamlessly accesses gold loans starting at a monthly interest of just 1%., , Tether, Myanmar’s shadow government has allowed the use of the world’s largest, cryptocurrency called Tether., Tether Cryptocurrency will be used as an official currency., This move will make it easier to raise funds and make payments., , 145
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bob World Wave, Bank of Baroda (BoB) has launched a wearable payment solution called “bob, World Wave”., To develop the “bob world wave”, the Bank of Baroda partnered with NPCI., It was developed by leveraging the existing NFC-based technology., This technology is witnessing the rise of tremendous interest worldwide., The lenders are using this opportunity for adopting more convenient and cashless, digital payments systems., , Wholesale inflation, , Annual wholesale price-based inflation in India had accelerated to a record high, in November 2021., , 146
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The wholesale price inflation is accelerated by increases in manufacturing and, food prices., Thus, it raised concerns about rising inflationary pressure., Annual wholesale price-based inflation increased to 14.23% in November., It was highest since April 2005., , ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, , ICICI Prudential Life Insurance became the first Indian insurance company to, sign United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI)., This is to demonstrate the commitment towards environmental, social, and, governance issues., In order to promote sustainability, IPRULIFE is integrating Environmental, social,, and governance factors into its investment management framework., The UNPRI is an investor initiative in partnership with the two bodies of the, United Nations – the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative and the UN, Global Compact., , Annual Foreign Direct Investment, , 147
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India has registered the highest ever annual Foreign Direct Investment inflow of, $ 81.97 bn in 2020-21., FDI inflows in the last seven financial years are over $ 440 bn., It is nearly 58 % of the total FDI inflow in the last 21 financial years., The top five countries from where FDI Equity Inflows were received during 20142021 are Singapore, Mauritius, USA, Netherland & Japan., , World Gold Council’s ‘Bullion Trade-in India’ report, Imports made up 86% of India’s gold supply between 2016-2020., The inbound shipments continue to grow despite high import duty., In 2020, India imported 377 tonnes of gold bars from more than 30 countries., Out of this 55% came from just two countries - Switzerland (44%) and the UAE, (11%)., , 148
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CSB Bank, The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced the empanelment of CSB Bank,, a private sector lender as an ‘Agency Bank’., Through this appointment, the CSB Bank will undertake the general banking, business of the central and state governments under the guidelines set by the, RBI., CSB Bank Limited (formerly Catholic Syrian Bank Limited) is an Indian private, sector bank with its headquarters at Thrissur, Kerala., , Most Innovative Best Practice 2021, HDFC Bank has been named under ‘Most Innovative Best Practice’ at the coveted, Confederation of Indian Industry Digital Transformation Award 2021 or CII DX, Award 2021., It will be recognized for the HDFC’s efforts in world-class financial inclusion in, Village Level Executive centres along with the Government of India’s Common, Service Centres., , Cross-border payments, IndusInd Bank has partnered with the National Payments Corporation of India., This is to offer real-time cross-border remittances to India using UPI (Unified, Payments Interface) IDs, for its Money Transfer Operator partners., , 149
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It is the first Indian bank to go live on UPI for cross-border payments/NRI, remittances., , Best governed company listed segment, , HDFC Life has been adjudged the 'Best Governed Company Listed Segment:, Large Category' at the 21st edition of the ICSI National Awards for Excellence in, Corporate Governance., HDFC Life Insurance Company Limited was established in 2000., , 150
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SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, GJ 367b, The astronomers recently found GJ 367b., It is a small planet that is circling a dim red dwarf star., The star is 31 light-years away from the sun., GJ 367b is one of the lightest known exoplanets., The planet completes its orbit in 7.7 hours., Thus, it is called the Ultra Short Period Planet., , IXPE Mission, The Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer is called IXPE., It is a NASA Space Observatory., It has three identical telescopes that measure the polarization of cosmic X – Rays., The Mission studies exotic astronomical objects., The main goal of the mission is to understand the high–energy astrophysical, processes and their sources., This supports the first science objective of NASA, which is, How the Universe, works., , Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD), NASA launched it’s first-ever laser communications system, It will be in a geosynchronous orbit, over 35,000km above Earth., LCRD will showcase the unique capabilities of optical communications in space., , 151
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Optical communications will help increase the bandwidth 10 to 100 times more, than radio frequency systems., LCRD will send data to Earth at 1.2 Gbps using infrared lasers., LCRD is NASA’s first two-way, end-to-end optical relay., , BrahMos Supersonic Missile, , An air version of BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile was successfully test-fired, by India., The latest launch by the Defence Research and Development Organisation has, cleared the system for the serial production of BrahMos missiles in India., , 152
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Comet A1 Leonard, , Comet A1 Leonard is a long-period comet., It was discovered by GJ Leonard in January 2021., It was the first comet to be discovered in 2021., The comet will pass near the earth on December 18, 2021., It is to make its closest approach to the sun in January 2022., long-period comet's range is greater than 200 years., , Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, , The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched a new XRay mission called the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer or IXPE., This aims at unlocking the secrets of the black hole and other extreme cosmic, objects., 153
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The ambitious mission is a collaboration between NASA and the Italian Space, Agency., , OSCAR 1, OSCAR 1 is the first amateur radio satellite launched by Project OSCAR., OSCAR stands for “Orbiting Satellites Carrying Amateur Radio”., It was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc in California., The satellite is a rectangular box, measuring 30 x 25 x 12 cm and having a weight, of 10 kg., , Log4Shell, , A new vulnerability named Log4Shell is being touted as one of the worst, cybersecurity flaws to have been discovered., The vulnerability is based on an open-source logging library used in most, applications by enterprises and even government agencies., This vulnerability grants hackers’ access to an application, and could potentially, let them run malicious software on a device or servers., , Parker Solar Probe, Recently, a scientific paper revealed that NASA’s Parker Solar Probe successfully, entered the Sun’s Corona on April 28, 2021., Corona is the outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere, Parker Solar Probe is the first spacecraft to fly into the low solar corona., 154
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Small Satellite Launch Vehicle, , 155
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Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is in process of developing a Small, Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) with private participation., SSLV will provide a payload capability of 500 kg to a planar orbit of 500 km., SSLV is being developed with the aim of launching small satellites commercially, at a reduced price and higher launch rate as against the Polar Satellite Launch, Vehicle (PSLV)., , Xenobots, , Scientists have witnessed a never-before-seen type of self-replication in the, world’s first living robots (Xenobots)., These are created in the lab using frog cells., Xenobots are synthetic life forms that are designed by computers to perform some, desired function and built by combining together different biological tissues., Xenobots are named after the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis)., The world’s first Xenobots were developed in 2020 by assembling African clawed, frog cells., One day these Xenobots could be programmed to perform useful functions such, as finding cancer cells in the human body or trapping harmful microplastics in, the ocean., , Noises captured near Jupiter’s moon, NASA released the noises captured by the Juno mission, near Jupiter’s moon, Ganymede., Juno beamed back data from its flyby across the biggest moon in the Solar, System., Juno is a NASA space probe, covering planet Jupiter., , 156
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NASA-ISRO research programme, , The Kerala University of Fisheries & Ocean Studies (KUFOS) has been chosen to, join a research project under a NASA-ISRO collaborative program., KUFOS will join the research program by the Space Application Centre of ISRO., NASA and ISRO have been jointly developing a space-borne synthetic aperture, radar (NISAR)., NISAR will provide high-resolution data for large areas with the capability for, systematic observation of earth resources., , Artificial sun, China conducted a nuclear fusion experiment, for advancing its “artificial sun.”, The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) heating system, was kicked off by Hefei Institute of Physical Science in December 2021., EAST heating system experiment was conducted with the aim of making artificial, sun or auxiliary heating system ‘hotter and more durable., , 157
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Tokamak uses extremely high temperatures to boil the hydrogen isotopes into a, plasma and then fuse them together to release energy., , James Webb Space Telescope Mission, , NASA is all set to launch its much-awaited next-generation space telescope, mission named “James Webb Space Telescope Mission”., It will be launched on Ariane 5 rocket, operated by Arianespace., It has been jointly developed by NASA, Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and the, European Space Agency (ESA)., As NASA’s flagship astrophysics mission, it is planned to succeed the Hubble, Space Telescope., JWST mission will provide improved infrared resolution and sensitivity as, compared to Hubble Space Telescope., It is the 256th Ariane mission., , 158
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Apretude, , The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the USA approved the world’s first, injectable medication for reducing the risk of acquiring HIV., Apretude is an injectable drug., Its generic name is “cabotegravir extended-release injectable suspension”., The drug provides an alternative to daily pills for HIV prevention, like Truvada, and Descovy., These pills are effective up to 99% at preventing the sexual transmission of HIV., However, it must be taken every day to be effective., , Artificial Intelligence Prosecutor, , Researchers in China have developed a machine that can charge people with, crimes by using artificial intelligence., This is the world’s first kind of technology., The AI prosecutor has the capability to file a charge with more than 97 percent, accuracy., It will file a charge on the basis of a verbal description of the case., , 159
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ENVIRONMENT, Study on Flash Droughts, A recent study has identified India among the global flash drought hotspots from, 1980-2015., About 10-15% of areas under cultivation of rice and maize were affected by flash, droughts during the monsoon seasons in India from 1951-2018., It predicted that by the end of the 21st century, the frequency of concurrent hot, and dry extremes in India will rise by about five-fold., This can cause approximately a seven-fold increase in flash droughts., India could experience more flash droughts during the monsoon season than the, non-monsoon season., Flash drought is the rapid onset or intensification of drought., It is set in motion by lower-than-normal rates of precipitation, accompanied by, abnormally high temperatures, winds, and radiation., , Clean Energy and Climate Partnership, India and European Union (EU) have agreed to step up their Clean Energy and, Climate Partnership., They jointly agreed on a detailed work program until 2023 to implement the 2016, India-EU Clean Energy and Climate Partnership., The Panel also agreed to explore further avenues to strengthen India-EU, cooperation within the context of the International Solar Alliance., , Update of IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, As per an update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the destruction of, wetlands is causing the decline of dragonflies across the world., The number of species at risk of extinction in the Red List of IUCN has exceeded, 40,000 for the first time., , 160
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Their decline is due to the widespread loss of swamps, marshes, and free-flowing, rivers where they breed in., The decline is mostly driven by the expansion of unsustainable agriculture and, urbanisation worldwide., It now includes 142,577 species, out of which 40,084 are threatened with, extinction., , Atlantification, , A recent study has found that Atlantification started at the beginning of the 20th, century., The Arctic has warmed by 2 degrees Celsius since 1900., The larger Atlantic Ocean began flowing faster than the Arctic Ocean could, accommodate., This weakened the distinction between the layers and transformed Arctic waters, into something closer to the Atlantic., This process is called Atlantification., It is part of the reason why the Arctic is warming faster than any other ocean., , New Arctic temperature, The United Nations has officially recognized 38 degrees Celsius as a new record, high for the Arctic., The temperature was measured in Siberia in 2020., 161
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The move has come as an alarm over climate change., The World Meteorological Organisation said that the sweltering heat which is, equivalent to 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit was seen in 2020., This marks the highest temperature ever recorded above the Arctic Circle., , Askot Wildlife Sanctuary - Eco-Sensitive Zone, , The area around the boundary of Askot Wildlife Sanctuary in the Pithoragarh, district of Uttarakhand has been declared as the Askot Wildlife Sanctuary EcoSensitive Zone., The notified area extends from 0 to 22 km around the Askot Wildlife Sanctuary., The Askot Wildlife Sanctuary was established to protect the endangered flagship, species Musk Deer and its habitat., The Askot Wildlife Sanctuary is also known as Musk Deer Park., , 162
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Tackling climate and clean energy challenges - India and the US, India and the US have announced a new program supporting innovations to, tackle climate and clean energy challenges., The program is titled ‘Technology-based Energy Solutions: Innovations for Net, Zero’., It constitutes a call for Ignition Grants by the United States-India Science and, Technology Endowment Fund., It will identify and support ‘technology showstoppers’ or promising joint India-US, Science and Tech-based entrepreneurial initiatives in this area., , Study on coral reefs, , Most of the coral reefs in the western Indian Ocean face a high risk of extinction, in the next 50 years due to global warming and overfishing, as per a new study., The study conducted by a group of researchers claims that coral reefs from, Seychelles to South Africa might become functionally extinct by 2070., The study was published in the journal - Nature Sustainability., , 163
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STATES, Meghalaya Drone AquilaX2, In a first in the country, a drone was successfully deployed to deliver medicines, to a remote primary health centre in Meghalaya's West Khasi Hills district., India's 1st Medicine Delivery via Hybrid e-VTOL drone covered a distance of 25, km in less than 25 mins., , STREET Project, Kerala Tourism is set to launch the “STREET Project” at select spots across seven, districts., This is in order to take tourism deep into the interiors and hinterland of the state., This project has been conceived by Responsible Tourism Mission and is inspired, by the slogan of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)“Tourism for Inclusive Growth”., STREET is an acronym for “Sustainable, Tangible, Responsible, Experiential,, Ethnic, Tourism hubs”., , Call your Cop App, Nagaland Police officially launched the ‘Call your Cop’ mobile App recently., The app was launched at Police Headquarters in Kohima., It will enable all citizens in the state, including those in distress, to get in touch, with the police directly., , 164
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40th India International Trade Fair, , Bihar bagged a gold medal in the 40th India International Trade Fair held at, Pragati Maidan in Delhi., It was awarded for “excellence in display” in the state government/union territory, pavilion category., Assam Pavilion has been awarded, Silver Medal., , Hornbill Festival, , This year’s edition of Nagaland’s iconic Hornbill Festival started on December 1., It is widely hailed as the “festival of festivals”., The start of the 10-day cultural and tourism extravaganza coincides with, Nagaland’s statehood day., , Nagaland Statehood Day, Nagaland is celebrating its 59th Statehood Day on 1 December 2021., Nagaland was granted statehood on December 1, 1963, with Kohima being, declared its capital., , 165
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Prior to this, Naga leaders and the central government reached an agreement to, create a separate region of the Naga Hills in 1957., The State of Nagaland Act of 1962, was thus enacted by the Parliament to give, Nagaland statehood., Nagaland is the first state in the northeast to be bifurcated from Assam as the, 16th State of the Indian Union., , President’s Colour Award, Himachal Pradesh Police has conducted the ‘President’s Colour Award’ ceremony, at Shimla’s historic Ridge Ground., The Governor bestowed the ‘President’s Colour Award’ to the State Police on this, occasion., Himachal Pradesh Police is India’s eighth state police force to receive this honour., , Project RE-HAB in Assam, Project RE-HAB is Reducing Elephant Human – Attacks using Bees., It was recently launched in Assam., The honey bees in these fences’ thwart elephant attacks in human habitations., They dissuade the elephants without harming them., It is highly cost-effective as compared to erecting fences or digging trenches., Simultaneously, it increases honey production and increases farmer income., The Project RE-HAB is implemented by the Khadi and Village Industries, Commission (KVIC), The Project RE-HAB is a sub-mission under the National Honey Mission of KVIC., It was launched to provide awareness and training in using bee boxes along with, the bee colonies., , 166
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The Project was first launched in Karnataka., , Gujarat - leading manufacturing hub, , Gujarat has left behind Maharashtra to become the country’s leading, manufacturing hub., This is according to the data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)., Gujarat saw its Gross Value Addition (GVA) in manufacturing grow by 15.9 per, cent annually between FY12 to FY20., GVA is an economic metric that measures the supply of goods and services in an, economy., , 167
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Police Commissionerate system - Bhopal & Indore, , Madhya Pradesh government issued a notification to implement the police, Commissionerate system in Bhopal and Indore., With the announcement, both the cities will now get police commissioners of ADG, rank., Police commissioners in both districts will be assisted by two IG rank officers and, nine SP rank officers., Under the police Commissionerate system, the police commissioner will not have, to report to the district magistrate., , Haiderpur Wetland, , The Haiderpur Wetland abutting the Madhya Ganga barrage has been recognized, under the 1971 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands., It is about 10 km from Bijnor in western Uttar Pradesh., 168
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Uttar Pradesh is now home to 9 Ramsar wetlands., The wetland has also been identified under Namami Gange, a central flagship, as, a model wetland along the Ganga., With this, there are now a total of 47 such designated areas in the country., , DigiDhan Awards, Karnataka Bank has been conferred with two DigiDhan awards instituted by the, Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology., The award recognized banks for achieving the target with the highest percentage, in BHIM-UPI transactions under the private sector bank category consecutively, for two years 2019-20 and 2020-21., , Bengal Tiger in Buxa Tiger reserve, A camera trap set up at Buxa Tiger Reserve in Alipurduar district of West Bengal, has captured sight of the Royal Bengal Tiger., The sighting of the Bengal Tiger is significant because no tiger had been, photographed for more than 23 years, in the Buxa Reserve., The last known tiger was photographed in 1998., , Majhi Vasundhara Curriculum, Maharashtra Government is in the process to introduce a comprehensive, curriculum for Grades I-VIII., This is to inculcate climate-consciousness and green values in the next, generation., , 169
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This new curriculum has been developed by the Department of Environment and, Climate Change and UNICEF., The curriculum is named as “Majhi Vasundhara (MV) Curriculum”., It is being introduced with the aim of inculcating application-based awareness, on issues like climate change among students from Grades I-VIII., , First FM Radio Station – Ladakh, , Ladakh received its first-ever FM radio station in the capital city, Leh., The first-ever Top FM radio in Leh was launched by Advisor of Ladakh, Umang, Narula., The frequency for Leh & Kargil will be 91.1 FM., It will cover 50 kilometres of aerial distance in radius., , 170
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Kolkata’s Durga Puja, UNESCO has added Durga Puja in Kolkata to its 2021 list of Intangible Cultural, Heritage., This gives international recognition to the biggest religious festival of the 331year-old city and the state of West Bengal., With the inclusion of Durga Puja, the number of elements in the list of Intangible, Cultural Heritage from India has increased to 14., , Special status for Bihar, , Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has again raised his nearly 15-year-old demand for, the status of special category state for Bihar., The latest report of the NITI Aayog puts Bihar among the bottom states in terms, of growth rate and human development indices., Bihar’s annual per capita income lags the national figure by a significant, distance., According to the report, 51.91 percent of the state’s population lives below the, poverty line., Bihar is also doing badly in terms of school dropouts, child malnourishment,, maternal health, and infant mortality., There is no provision of Special Category Status in the Constitution., The Central government extends financial assistance to states that are at a, comparative disadvantage against others., This classification was done on the recommendations of the Fifth Finance, Commission in 1969., , 171
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Goa Pink Police Force, The Chief Minister of Goa has inaugurated Goa Pink Police Force., It will patrol the beach areas and will provide aid in case a woman complains of, abuse or accidents., The Pink Force in Goa is not only for women but it is for children as well., , T-Setu bridge, Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik inaugurated T-Setu over the River, Mahanadi., T-Setu is Odisha’s longest bridge, constructed over Mahanadi River in Cuttack, district., The bridge connects Gopinathpur in Badamba, Baideswar in Banki to, Singhanath Pitha, which is located in the middle of the Mahanadi River., The Bridge has been built in the shape of English alphabet ‘T’., , Happiness curriculum, Preparations are underway to implement the 'happiness curriculum' in primary, schools of Uttar Pradesh., Uttar Pradesh is the third one to try this after Chhattisgarh and Delhi., The happiness curriculum will be introduced to the students of classes 1 to 8., It will enable them to connect with themselves, family, society, nature, and the, country., , 172
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Sustainable agriculture - Andhra Pradesh, , The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has signed, an agreement with the Andhra Pradesh Government., This is to train the farmers in good farm management practices and sustainable, agricultural methods., The FAO apart, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research is collaborating on, the project., , Punjab - state festival, The Chief Minister of Punjab, Charanjit Singh Channi has declared Lord Krishna, Balram Jagannath Rath Yatra as an annual state festival., The announcement for the same was made during flagging off the 25th Shri Lord, Krishna Balram Jagannath Rath Yatra., , 173
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Free Smartphone Yojana, The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh is set to launch the Free, Smartphone Yojana on December 25., December 25 is the birth anniversary of senior BJP leader and former Prime, Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee., Under the scheme, the state government will distribute smartphones and tablets, to final year students of graduation and above., , Anti-conversion bill, , “Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021” was passed in, the Karnataka State legislative Assembly., The bill is popularly known as anti-conversion bill., The bill is being opposed, tagging it as, “unconstitutional”, “anti poor” and “draconian”., , “anti-people”,, , “inhuman”,, , This Bill was passed by a voice vote., This bill provides for protection of the right to freedom of religion., It also prohibits unlawful conversion from one religion to another by force, mis, representation, coercion, undue influence, allurement or by any fraudulent, means., , Delhi’s first Teachers’ University, Delhi Cabinet approved to set up Delhi’s first Teachers’ University., The university will offer a four-year integrated teacher education programme after, Class 12., Delhi Teachers’ University will be a public university., It will be dedicated to prepare excellent quality teachers for Delhi across different, school stages., , 174
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State General Category Commission in Punjab, Punjab Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, has approved, to set up “State General Category Commission” for unreserved classes., The Commission will safeguard the interests of unreserved classes and help in, the effective implementation of several welfare schemes., Commission will work for the welfare of the poor belonging to unreserved classes., Apart from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have set up “state, General Category Commission”., , World Sangeet Tansen festival, , 175
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In Madhya Pradesh, the 97th edition of the World Sangeet Tansen festival started, in Gwalior., A five-day World Sangeet Tansen festival starts from December 25 to December, 30 in the city., The stage of the program has been constructed on the theme of the Siddhanath, temple situated in Omkareshwar., , Maharashtra government’s Shakti Bill, , The Maharashtra government’s Shakti Criminal Laws (Maharashtra Amendment), Bill, 2020, on crimes against women and children has recommended capital, punishment in rape cases., Time-limit of 30 days to complete the probe since the day of registration of the, complaint., The earlier version of the Bill had scrapped the provision of anticipatory bail to, individuals accused of assault on women., The new recommendations have cancelled this provision taking advice from the, senior lawyers., The Bill has also made provision of minimum one year to maximum of three years, of imprisonment and ₹1lakh in fine on those who make false complaints of sexual, assault., , 176
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PERSONALITIES, AWARDS AND EVENTS, BRICS Film Festival awards, , The 6th edition of the BRICS Film Festival awards was announced at the 52nd, International Film Festival of India in Goa., For the first time, BRICS Film Festival was held alongside IFFI., Best film Award was shared by South African Film “Barakat” and Russian Film, “The Sun above me Never Sets”., Barakat has been directed by Amy Jephta while The Sun above Me Never Sets, has been directed by Lyubov Borisova., These films were awarded for their brilliant cinematic portrayal of human, emotions as well as magnificent storytelling on screen., Tamil actor Dhanush won Best Actor for his role in ‘Asuran’., , Harshwanti Bisht, Harshwanti Bisht has earned the distinction of being elected the first woman, president of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation., She is a noted mountaineer from Uttarakhand., Indian Mountaineering Foundation was founded in the year 1958., , 177
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IPI India Award for Excellence in Journalism-2021, , The International Press Institute (IPI) India Award for Excellence in Journalism2021 has been awarded jointly to Sreenivasan Jain and Mariyam Alavi of NDTV,, and Lakshmi Subramanian and Bhanu Prakash Chandra of The Week., Jain and Alavi have been awarded for their report on “untruthfulness of the cases, of forcible conversion registered against young men belonging to the Muslim, community who had married Hindu women in Uttar Pradesh, in the name of love, Jihad”., The award has been jointly given to Subramanian and Praksh Chandra of The, Week on their report on tracing Indians, especially women, who were trapped in, refugee camps in the civil war-torn regions of Syria and Iraq., , International film festival of India, , The 52nd edition of the International film festival of India concluded in Goa., For the first time, the BRICS film festival was hosted alongside IFFI, OTT, platforms participated and 75 creative young minds of cinema were felicitated at, IFFI., Uttar Pradesh has been picked as the most-friendly state for film shooting., , 178
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Parag Agrawal, , Indian-origin technology executive, Parag Agrawal has been appointed as the new, CEO of Twitter., He is now the youngest CEO., However, Agrawal is 37 and the same age as Mark Zuckerberg., , Dance Master Shiva Shankar, The renowned choreographer and actor, Shiva Shankar Master passed away in, Hyderabad, Telangana., He was born on 7 December 1948 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu., He received the National Award for ‘Best Choreographer’ for the movie, ‘Magadheera’., , Startup India Grand Challenge 2021, Sascan Meditech has been adjudged the winner of Startup India Grand Challenge, 2021 in the medical device category., It is a Kerala-based medical technology start-up., The start-up was also recently selected as the winner of 'Anjani Mashelkar, Inclusive Innovation Award 2021' from the Anjani Mashelkar Foundation., 179
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Dr. M S Swaminathan Award, , Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural, University, V Praveen Rao won the 7th Dr. M S Swaminathan Award for the period, 2017-19., It is a biennial national (every 2 years) award., It is presented by the retired ICAR Employees Association and Nuziveedu Seeds, Limited., , Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize 2021, , A biography titled ‘Naoroji: Pioneer of Indian Nationalism’ was selected as the, winner of the 4th Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF (New India Foundation) Book, Prize 2021., , 180
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It was authored by Dinyar Patel and published by Harvard University Press., The bookmarked the life events and legacy of Dada Bhai Naoroji., , , It also contains the historical background of India’s National Movement during, the 19th century., , 50 most powerful women, , Fortune India recently released a list of its top 50 most powerful women in India, in 2021., Finance Nirmala Sitharaman is on top while Reliance's Nita Ambani has grabbed, second place., The list released by Fortune India also includes Soumya Swaminathan, Chief, Scientist of WHO, and Gita Gopinath of the International Monetary Fund., The other names are Tessy Thomas, Suchitra Ella, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Reddy, sisters, and Isha Ambani., , Nizamuddin Basti Project - Heritage Awards, The UNESCO recently presented two Heritage Awards to the Nizamuddin Basti, Project in Delhi., The project was awarded for its conservation efforts., It was awarded the Special Recognition for Sustainable Award and Award of, Excellence., The Nizamuddin Basti Project is an Urban Renewal Project., , 181
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It successfully unified the segregated zones of the seven-century old settlement, of the Nizamuddin Basti., , Gita Gopinath, The Indian American, Gita Gopinath has become the first Deputy Managing, Director of International Monetary Fund., She is the first Indian to take up the top role in the organisation., The Deputy Managing Director is the second top post in IMF next to the Managing, Director., , 182
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Pradip Shah, , Pradip Shah has been appointed chairman of the National Asset Reconstruction, Company (NARCL)., He is the founder of IndAsia Fund Advisors., Shah is credited for establishing India’s first and largest housing finance, company, HDFC, and rating firm Crisil., , Asom Bhaibav award, , On the occasion of Assam Divas, the state government of Assam has decided to, accolade renowned industrialist Ratan Tata with the ‘Asom Bhaibav’ award., It is the highest civilian state award., It is for his contribution to cancer care in the state., , 183
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Ciprian Foias Prize, , The Eminent Indian-American mathematician Nikhil Srivastava has been jointly, selected for the inaugural Ciprian Foias Prize., This is awarded for the "highly original work" in Operator Theory by the American, Mathematical Society (AMS)., Along with Prof. Srivastava, the two other awardees are Adam Marcus and Daniel, Spielman., , Best Bank for Women Entrepreneurs, , ESAF Small Finance Bank (SFB) got Honorable Mention in Best Bank for Women, Entrepreneurs at 4th Global SME Finance Awards 2021., It is a Kerala-based bank in Thrissur., The award is constituted by the United States (US)-based SME Finance Forum., This acknowledgment is due to the gender-equal opportunities provided by SFB, through universal financial access, livelihood, and economic development, including providing microloans to women in unserved and underserved, households in India., , 184
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Dr. Mamballaikalathil Sarada Menon, Dr. Sarada Menon passed away at the age of 98., She was India’s 1st woman Psychiatrist and the longest-serving head of the, Institute of Mental Health., She became the 1st woman Superintendent of the Institute of Mental Health in, 1961., She established the Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF India) in 1984, along with psychiatrist R Thara., She also founded ASHA, a community-based platform supporting the families of, those affected by mental illnesses., She was born in a Malayali family in Mangaluru, Karnataka., She was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1992 for social works., , 2021 Yidan Prize for Education Development, Rukmini Banerji has been awarded the 2021 Yidan Prize for Education, Development., , The prize is the world’s highest education accolade., She is awarded for her work in improving learning outcomes., Rukmini Banerji is the CEO of Pratham Education Foundation., 185
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Jnanpith Award, Assamese poet Nilmani Phookan Jr won the 56th Jnanpith Award and Konkani, novelist Damodar Mauzo won the 57th Jnanpith Award., It is the country’s oldest and highest literary award., It is a literary award presented by the Bharatiya Jnanpith organization to Indian, writers every year., This was instituted in 1961., It is given only to Indian writers who write in Indian languages and English., , Forbes 2021 World’s 100 Most Powerful Women List, Finance Minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman has been ranked 37th on the, Forbes list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women 2021., This is the 18th Edition of Forbes’ list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women., She has been featured on the list for the 3rd year in a row., , 186
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She was ranked 41st on the list in 2020 and 34th in 2019., India’s seventh woman billionaire Falguni Nayar ranked 88th on the list., Only 4 Indian Women were ranked in the List., MacKenzie Scott topped in this list., Kamala Harris ranked 2nd on the list., , Indian Institute of Human Brands (IIHB) Annual Survey, The Chairman of Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani, and his wife Nita Ambani, have topped the list of power couples., This is according to annual survey results, released by the Indian Institute of, Human Brands., Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone were ranked at Number 2., Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma occupied third place., For the first time, IIHB included business couples in the list this year., , Royal Gold Medal 2022, Architect Balkrishna Doshi will receive the Royal Gold Medal 2022, one of the, world’s highest honours for architecture., 94-year-old Mr. Doshi has influenced the direction of architecture in India and, its adjacent regions through both his practice and his teaching., The Royal Gold Medal is approved personally by Queen Elizebeth II., It is given to a person or group of people who have had a significant influence on, the advancement of architecture., , 187
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Miss Universe 2021, The 70th Miss Universe 2021 was held in Eilat, Israel., Harnaaz Sandhu made history as she was crowned Miss Universe 2021, 21 years, after India last brought home the title., Ms Sandhu is 21-year-old and comes from Punjab., Paraguay’s Nadia Ferreira finished second., South Africa’s Lalela Mswane came third., Only two Indians before Ms Sandhu have won the title of Miss Universe., They are Sushmita Sen in 1994 and Lara Dutta in 2000., , Dr. Ida S. Scudder Humanitarian Oration award, Azim Premji is this year’s recipient of the 10th annual Dr. Ida S. Scudder, Humanitarian Oration,, , 188
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It was jointly established by Christian Medical College Vellore (CMC) and the U.S., based Vellore CMC Foundation., Azim Premji is the founder chairman of Wipro Limited and founder of Azim Premji, Foundation., The award is presented to Mr. Premji in recognition of his contributions to society., Established in 2001, the Foundation has, o, , contributed immensely towards education,, , o, , runs Azim Premji University in Bengaluru, and, , o, , also supports several not-for-profit organizations with financial grants., , Ramanujan Prize 2021, The Indian Mathematician Neena Gupta has received the 2021 Ramanujan Prize, for Young Mathematicians from Developing Countries., This is for her outstanding work in affine algebraic geometry and commutative, algebra., , 189
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Professor Neena Gupta, a mathematician at the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), in Kolkata., She is the third woman to receive Ramanujan Prize., It was first awarded in 2005., It is administered by Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, jointly with Dept Science and Technology and International Mathematical Union., , Sonali Garg, , Sonali Garg has won a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship on biodiversity at, Harvard University., Sonali Garg is a researcher at Delhi University., She has described 50 new species of frogs from India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia., , DBS Bank India, DBS Bank India has been awarded the Economic Times Banking, Financial, Services, and Insurance Excellence Awards 2021., , The awards are,, , 190
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o, , ‘DBS Rapid (Real-time API)’ solution in the ‘Innovative API/Open Banking, model’ category, , o, , ‘Intelligent Banking’ in the ‘Best Digital Customer Experience initiative’, category., , Shashi Tharoor’s new book, Dr. Shashi Tharoor’s 23rd book titled ‘Pride, Prejudice, and Punditry’ was, launched in Hyderabad, Telangana., He is the former Union Minister and the present Lok Sabha Member of, Parliament., There are ten sections in this book, each devoted to a particular topic such as, modern Indian history, Indian Politics, etc., He has won ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for 2019 for his book - An Era of, Darkness., , Kumar Mangalam Birla, Silicon Valley-based IndUS Entrepreneurs (TiE) has named Kumar Mangalam, Birla as the Global Entrepreneur of the Year in business transformation., This makes him the first Indian industrialist to receive the award., He was awarded for his extraordinary leadership of the conglomerate during the, pandemic., , 191
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The award was presented at the TiE Global Summit Awards ceremony held in, Dubai., , Bhutan highest civilian award, Bhutan has honoured PM Modi with its highest civilian award, Ngadag Pel gi, Khorlo., Bhutan’s Prime Minister Lotay Tshering has announced PM Modi’s name for, Bhutan’s highest honour., The honour comes as an appreciation for India’s friendly approach to Bhutan, under PM Modi’s governance., This is Mr. Modi’s 10th international award given by various governments., , Young Geospatial Scientist award, Ropesh Goyal from IIT-Kanpur won the Young Geospatial Scientist award., It was awarded in recognition of his unique contribution to developing the Indian, Geoid Model and computation software., The ‘Young Geospatial Scientist award and a gold medal have been presented, every year since 2011 to promising scientists below 35 years of age., 192
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It is awarded in memory of Rachapudi Kamakshi., Rachapudi Kamakshi is a strategic analyst with a strong inclination towards, geography and geospatial studies., , International Maritime Organization Award, The International Maritime Organization council has awarded Certificate of, Commendation to Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, and Master along with crew, members of tugboat Ocean Bliss., The award has been given for exceptional and courageous efforts towards the, rescue operation of M/T New Diamond., The rescue team members of the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, and the, master and crew of tugboat Ocean Bliss carried out sustained and effective firefighting operations., They skilfully towed the vessel away from the coast, thereby preventing loss of, life at sea and averting a serious marine pollution incident., , 193
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World’s most admired men, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ranked 8th on the list of the world’s top 20, most admired men., This is according to the survey carried out by data analytics company YouGov., PM Modi is ahead of Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, and Virat Kohli., The list also includes the most admired Indian women of 2021 has Priyanka, Chopra, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Sudha Murthy., , Mohit Jain, , Mohit Jain of The Economic Times was elected president of The Indian Newspaper, Society for the year 2021-22., , 194
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Indian Newspaper Society is an apex body of Publishers of Newspapers,, Magazines & Periodicals in the country., He succeeds L Adimoolam of Health & The Antiseptic., , Gandhi Topi Governor - Telugu book, , Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu has released the Telugu book titled, ‘Gandhi Topi Governor’., It is written by Padma Awardee Dr. Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad, Chairman,, Official Language Commission, Andhra Pradesh., The book chronicles the life of Barrister Idpuganti Raghavendra Rao., Rao was a prominent freedom fighter, Legislator, and the Governor of the Central, Provinces in the British Administration., , Book by Dr. Rekha Chaudhari, , 195
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A book titled “India’s Ancient Legacy of Wellness” authored by Dr. Rekha, Chaudhari was launched recently., It was launched on the occasion of the World Digital Day celebration., The book highlights how important it is for human beings to be close to nature, which helps to revive and recharge to do productive work., , Golden Peacock Environment Management Award 2021, , Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL), under the Ministry of Steel, has been awarded, the prestigious Golden Peacock Environment Management Award 2021., It has been receiving the award for three successive years., The Award has been given to organizations for significant achievements in, Environment Management by Environment Foundation (WEF) since 1998., , Alimihan Seyiti, , China’s oldest person, Alimihan Seyiti, has died at the age of 135 in Xinjiang, Uygur Autonomous Region., 196
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Hailing from Komuxerik township of Shule County in Kashgar Prefecture, Seyiti, was born on June 25, 1886., In 2013, she topped the list of China's oldest living persons., Komuxerik is known as a "longevity town," with many elderly aged above 90., , Cate Blanchett, Oscar winner Cate Blanchett will be felicitated with French cinema's top honour,, the Cesar d'Honneur., Blanchett will receive the Cesar d'Honneur, a lifetime achievement award, in Paris, on February 25, 2022., Blanchett won her first Oscar for Martin Scorsese's 'The Aviator', in which she, played the role of late screen icon Katharine Hepburn., She earned her second Oscar trophy for Woody Allen's 2013 feature film 'Blue, Jasmine'., , Most innovative institution, IIT Roorkee has been selected by the prestigious Confederation of Indian Industry, (CII) for the Industrial Innovation Awards., IIT Roorkee bagged the first position under the Most Innovative Research, Institutions category this year., Last year, IIT Roorkee was adjudged as ‘The Most Innovative Institute of the Year’, for its innovation quotient., , 197
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UN Women’s Award for Leadership Commitment 2021, Divya Hegde has won UN Women’s Award for Leadership Commitment at the, 2021 Regional Asia-Pacific Women’s Empowerment Principles Awards Ceremony., She is an Indian Climate Action Entrepreneur from Udupi, Karnataka., She has been recognized for her sustained efforts in advancing gender equality, through climate action efforts with her organization, Baeru Environmental Services., , Mother Teresa Memorial Award, , 198
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Environmentalist Dr Anil Prakash Joshi has been awarded the Mother Teresa, Memorial Award for Social Justice 2021., Dr Anil Prakash Joshi also was conferred the Padma Bhushan this year., Vidyut Mohan, the winner of the Earth shot Prize, and Ridhima Pandey, a young, environmental activist from Uttarakhand, were also the recipients of the award., , Tusshar Kapoor's debut book, Tusshar Kapoor has written his first book titled ‘Bachelor Dad’., The actor became a single father to son Laksshya Kapoor via surrogacy in 2016., He has shared his journey of being a single father in the new book., , Archbishop Desmond Tutu, , South African anti-apartheid icon Archbishop Desmond Tutu, described as the, country’s moral compass, died recently., He was remembered for his easy humour and characteristic smile — and above, all his tireless fight against injustices of all colours., , 199
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The Archbishop won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for combating white minority, rule in South Africa., He coined the term “Rainbow Nation” to describe South Africa when Nelson, Mandela became the country’s first black President in 1994., Former U.S. President Barack Obama, the country’s first black leader, hailed, Tutu as a “moral compass”., , Global Environment and Climate Action Citizen Award 2021, Viral Sudhirbhai Desai has been honoured with this award., He is an industrialist from Surat, who is popularly known as the Greenman or, green man of Gujarat., Viral Desai was the only Indian to win the honour for climate change., , South African of the Year Award, Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman has won the prestigious South African of the Year Award run, by the Daily Maverick newspaper., He is an Indian-origin philanthropist and founder of the disaster relief group ‘Gift, of The Givers’., , 200
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The charitable and relief organisation has undertaken relief work in countries, after natural disasters such as earthquakes as well as assisting people in wartorn countries., , Edward. O. Wilson, He has died at age of 92., He is a U.S. scientist, professor, and author whose study of insects and clarion, call to protect Earth earned him the nickname “Darwin’s natural heir”., He has been called "the father of socio-biology" and "the father of biodiversity"., He has won Pulitzer Prizes for nonfiction: 1978’s On Human Nature, and The, Ants in 1990., , The National Breed Conservation Award for 2021, The award has been bagged by the “All-India Co-ordinated Research Project, (AICRP)” on poultry breeding, Mannuthy of Kerala., It received the prestigious award for the cause of conservation and research, activities on the Tellicherry breed., Tellicherry breed is the only registered native chicken breed in the state of Kerala., , 201
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SPORTS, Ballon dOr winners list 2021, List of all winners during the 2021 Ballon d’Or awards ceremony:, , , Kopa trophy (best player under 21) – Barcelona’s Pedri, , , , Best Striker of the Year award – Lewandoski, , , , Women’s Ballon d’Or 2021 – Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas, , , , Yachine Trophy 2021 – PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma, , , , Men’s Ballon d’Or 2021 – PSG’s Lionel Messi., , , , Club of the Year award – Chelsea, , Lionel Messi won the award for the year 2021., Lionel Messi has won the award for the seventh time breaking his previous, record., He is followed by Cristiano Ronaldo who had won the award five times., Ballon d’Or is an annual award that is regarded as the most prestigious, individual honour in the sport., It is presented by the French magazine France Football., This was presented for the first time in 1956., England's Stanley Matthews was the first-ever recipient of the award., , Ravichandran Ashwin's new record, , Ravichandran Ashwin became India's third-highest all-time wicket-taker (With, 418 wickets) in Test cricket., He surpassed veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh., , 202
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He achieved this feat on Day five of the first Test between India and New Zealand, at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur., He dismissed the Kiwi vice-captain Tom Latham to reach the milestone., , ATP Challenger tournament, , Indian tennis player Ramkumar Ramanathan won his maiden singles title at the, ATP Challenger tournament in Manama, Bahrain., He defeated Evgeny Karlovskiy of Russia., Ramkumar Ramanathan is from Chennai., , World Athletics Awards 2021, Category, , Winners, , World Athletes of the Year, , Elaine Thompson-Herah and Karsten Warholm, , Female Rising Star, , Athing Mu, , Male Rising Star, , Erriyon Knighton, , Member Federations Award, , Federacion Costarricense de Atletismo (Costa, Rica), , Inspiration Award, , Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi, , President’s Award, , Peter Diamond, Executive Vice President of, NBC Olympic Programming, , Coaching Achievement Award, , Bobby Kersee, , Woman of the Year Award, , Anju Bobby George, , Jean-Pierre Durand World Athletics, Photograph of the Year, , Photograph by Ryan Pierse of the women’s, high jump qualifying at the Tokyo Olympic, Games, , 203
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At the World Athletics Awards 2021, the retired Indian sprinter Anju Bobby, George was awarded ‘Woman of the Year’., She is a gold medallist in the 2005 IAAF World Athletics Finals., She was the first Indian athlete to win a bronze medal in the long jump at the, World Championships in Athletics held in 2003 in Paris., The Olympic Champions Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica and Norway’s, Karsten Warholm were named the World Athletes of the year., , Ajaz Patel, , Ajaz Patel is the third player to take 10 wickets in a Test inning., Ajaz is the first New Zealand bowler to achieve the feat., Mumbai-born New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel achieved this feat at the Wankhede, Stadium against India., He became the third cricketer to claim 10 wickets in a single inning of a Test, match after Jim Laker and Anil Kumble., India was bowled out for 325., , 204
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Davis Cup 2021, The Davis Cup 2021 was won by the Russian Tennis Federation., The Davis Cup finals match was held between Daniil Medvedev and Andrey, Rublev of Russia., Daniel Medvedev won the match bringing victory to the Russian Tennis, Federation., Andrey Rublev was named the Most Valuable Player., The Davis Cup is also called the World Cup of Tennis., It is an international team event in men’s tennis., The women’s equivalent of the Davis Cup is Billie Jean King Cup., It is conducted by the International Tennis Federation., , BWF World Tour 2021, The BWF World Tour 2021 finals was held between PV Sindhu of India and, Seyoung of Korea., Seyoung won the cup and Sindhu settled in for a silver medal., In Men’s Singles of the BWF World Tour 2021, Viktor Axelsen won the cup., The BWF World Tour is a Grade 2 Badminton tournament series., It is held by the BWF, Badminton World Federation., It is held among the top world-ranked players in singles (men and women) and, doubles (men, women, and mixed)., , Asian team squash championships, Malaysia won against India in the men’s final of the Asian team squash, championships., India had lost in the summit clash before in 1981 and 2012 also., Malaysia's women’s team also won by defeating Hong Kong in the final., The last time Malaysian men’s and women’s teams won was in the 2008, championships in Kuwait., , Olympics 2022 - US boycott, The US Government recently announced the boycott of Olympics 2022., The Olympics 2022 is to be held in Beijing of China., , 205
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The US cited that “China’s human rights ATROCITIES” is the main reason for its, boycott., The US has named the boycott “Diplomatic Boycott”., It means that the US is not sending any official or diplomatic representation to, participate in the Olympics., However, the US is allowing American athletes to participate in the Olympics., The US is boycotting for the following human rights atrocities of China:, o, , Situations in Taiwan and Tibet, , o, , The crackdown in Hong Kong, , o, , Abuse of minority Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang, , 2021 BWF Player of the Year, , Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen and China’s Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying were named Male, and Female player of the year 2021 respectively by the Badminton World, Federation (BWF)., Viktor Axelsen is the Olympic champion., Tai Tzu Ying is the silver medallist in Tokyo Games., , 206
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Virat Kohli's new achievement, Virat Kohli became the first cricketer in history to register 50 wins in, international cricket across formats., He achieved this after India crushed New Zealand by 372 runs in the Mumbai, Test., Kohli's 50th Test win added to his tally of 153 ODI victories and 59 T20I, triumphs., It is making him the only player to achieve the feat in international cricket., , 2021 FIH Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup, , Argentina lifted the coveted trophy of the Junior Men's Hockey World Cup after, defeating Germany 4-2 in the final match at the Kalinga Stadium in, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha., India suffered a defeat against France in the bronze medal match., , Asian Youth Para Games 2021, India claimed 41 medals (12 Gold, 15 Silver, 14 Bronze) at the 4th Asian Youth, Para Games (AYPG)., The event was held in Riffa city, Bahrain., The event was organized by the National Paralympic Committee of Bahrain with, the support of the local government., The 5th edition of the Asian Youth Para Games 2025 will be hosted by Tashkent,, Uzbekistan., , 207
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Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships, Indian weightlifter Jhilli Dalabehera clinches gold at, Weightlifting Championships held at Tashkent in Uzbekistan., , Commonwealth, , Singh lifted a total of 322kg and also set a national record in snatch (147kg)., Singh became the third Indian weightlifter to directly qualify for next year's, Commonwealth Games., Earlier, Achinta Sheuli (73kg) have also qualified for the CWG after winning gold., , Chess Championship, , World chess champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway defended his title and won the, FIDE World Championship in Dubai., He beat Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia., Carlsen clinched his fifth world championship title., , Asian Rowing Championship, India won a total of six medals, including two gold and 4 silver medals in the, Asian Rowing Championship in Thailand., Arvind Singh bagged a gold in the lightweight Men’s single sculls event while his, compatriots won three silver medals., , 208
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In Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls, India’s Ashish Phugat and Sukhjinder Singh, won the silver., , AIBA rebrands itself as IBA, , The International Boxing Association has changed its acronym from AIBA to IBA., It promises to adopt a set of governance reforms so as to keep the sport’s, inclusion at the 2028 USA’s Los Angeles Olympics., Boxing, weightlifting, and modern pentathlon were all left off the initial list of, sports for the 2028 Los Angeles Games and were asked to make changes by the, International Olympic Committee., , List of TOPS athletes for 2024, A total of 148 athletes have been identified for support under the Target Olympic, Podium Scheme at a meeting of the Mission Olympic Cell of the Ministry of Youth, Affairs and Sports., The 148 athletes include 20 new inductees and other athletes in seven Olympic, disciplines and six Paralympic disciplines., , 209
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The TOP scheme is an attempt to provide assistance to India’s top athletes., This scheme was started in 2014., , Lewis Hamilton receives knighthood, , Seven-times Formula One (F1) champion Lewis Hamilton has received, “knighthood” for services to motorsport., Lewis Hamilton holds the record for most race wins with 103., Hamilton is the fourth F1 driver to be knighted., However, Lewis Hamilton is the only one to have received this award while still, racing., , Simone Biles named Time Magazine’s 2021 Athlete of the Year, Simone Biles was named Time magazine’s 2021 Athlete of the Year., The world’s most decorated gymnast, a four-time Olympic medallist, was hailed, for putting her mental health first when she withdrew from four event finals at, the Tokyo Olympics., Despite the setback, the 24-year-old managed to earn a team all-around silver, and a bronze in balance beam at the Tokyo Games., , 210
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SJFI Awards, The Sports Journalists Federation of India (SJFI) has decided to honour former, Indian Cricketer and cricket commentator Sunil Manohar Gavaskar with its, prestigious ‘SJFI Medal 2021’., SJFI Medal is the highest honour of SJFI., SJFI was founded on 27th February 1976 at the Eden Gardens, Calcutta (now, Kolkata), West Bengal., , Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships, Ajay Singh clinched India's third gold of the Commonwealth Weightlifting, Championships held at Tashkent of Uzbekistan by winning the men's 81kg, category., Ajay Singh lifted a total of 322kg and also set a national record in snatch (147kg)., He became the third Indian weightlifter to directly qualify for next year's Common, wealth Games in Birmingham., Jeremy Lalrinnunga (67kg) and Achinta Sheuli (73kg) have already qualified for, the 2022 CWG after winning gold in their respective competitions., , 211
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Kidambi Srikanth, , Kidambi Srikanth created history by becoming the first Indian shuttler to enter, the men's singles final of the BWF World Championships in Huelva., Kidambi Srikanth is currently ranked world no.14., He has not only become the first Indian male shuttler to qualify for the final at, the prestigious event but he is also the third Indian after PV Sindhu and Saina, Nehwal., , BWF World Championships, Shuttler Kidambi Srikanth became the first Indian man to win a silver medal at, BWF World Championships held at Huelva, Spain., In the final, he was defeated by Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew., This was also the first time that a men’s player from Singapore won gold at BWF, World Championships., , 212
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The 16 medals include 4 Gold, 7 Silver, and 5 Bronze., It was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan., Bindyarani Devi was India’s only medallist at the World Weightlifting, Championships 2021, which was also held parallelly at Tashkent., , Harjinder Singh, , The Indian Olympic Association of India (IOA) has appointed Harjinder Singh as, the Chef de Mission of the country’s contingent for the upcoming 2022 Winter, Olympics in Beijing., He is the Ice Hockey Association of India’s general secretary., Singh was the Chef de Mission of the Indian contingent for the 23rd Winter, Olympic Games too, which was held in Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018., , SAFF Football U 19 Women’s Championship, , Bangladesh women team has won the SAFF U 19 Women’s Championship by, defeating India in the finals., Shaheda Akter Ripa of Bangladesh scored the maximum number of goals in the, tournament., She received the ‘most valuable player’ award., The 2021 SAFF U-19 Women’s Championship was the 2nd edition of the SAFF, U-19 Women’s Championship., , 214
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Asian Champions Trophy, , India defeated Pakistan 4-3 to secure the bronze medal in the Asian Champions, Trophy men’s hockey tournament held in Dhaka, Bangladesh., South Korea defeated Japan 4-2 to win the title., Kanta Tanaka of Japan was declared the best player of the tournament while, Suraj Karkera of India was adjudged the best goalkeeper., Jang Jonghyun of South Korea was the top scorer with 10 goals in the, tournament., , National Billiards Championship, , Pankaj Advani has defended his National Billiards Title by winning his 11th, tournament., He defeated Dhruv Sitwala in the final that was held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh., He represented the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board team., The 88th National Billiards and Snooker Championships 2021, organized by Cue, Sports India., 215
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Alpine Skiing Competition, , Indian skier Aanchal Thakur has bagged a bronze medal at the International Ski, Federation (FIS) Alpine Skiing Competition in Montenegro., With this, Aanchal has become the first Indian Ski athlete to win two medals at, the international level., She has previously won the bronze medal in 2018., Croatia’s Dora Ljutic won the gold medal while Cyprus skier Georgia Epiphaniou, clinched silver., , 4th Para-Badminton National Championship, , Nitesh Kumar, Championship., , won, , double, , gold, , at, , the, , 4th, , Para-Badminton, , The championship was concluded in Bhubaneswar, Odisha., , 216, , National
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Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant achieved a remarkable feat by becoming, the fastest Indian wicketkeeper to record 100 Test dismissals., The 23-year-old reached the landmark during the first Test against South Africa, at SuperSport Park, Centurion., Pant has broken the joint record of MS Dhoni and Wriddhiman Saha who reached, the figure in their 36th Test., Pant has achieved the milestone in his 26th Test., , Mohammed Shami, He has established himself among the greats of Indian cricket by becoming only, the fifth Indian pacer to take 200 Test wickets., Shami achieved the feat on Day 3 of the first India-South Africa Test match in, Centurion., Shami has joined Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan, and Ishant Sharma, in the elusive list., Shami reached the milestone in 55 Test matches., He is the third quickest Indian after Kapil and Srinath to join this list., , 218
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IMPORTANT DAYS, World AIDS Day - December 01, The day aims to show support for people living with HIV and the ones who have, lost their lives because of AIDS., The theme for the year 2021 is ‘End inequalities. End AIDS.’, The day was first marked in 1988., , National Pollution Control Day - December 02, The day is observed in the memory of the people who lost their lives in the Bhopal, Gas Tragedy., The day is celebrated in India to make the citizens aware of laws that exist in, India that help to contain pollution., The Bhopal gas tragedy occurred on December 2nd and 3rd, 1984., During the accident poisonous chemical methyl isocyanate leaked from a, pesticide plant union carbide India Limited in Bhopal., It was considered the biggest industrial disaster in the world., , World Computer Literacy Day - December 02, The day aims to promote awareness about computers and to encourage people to, use them efficiently., It intends to encourage digital literacy in under-resourced communities, worldwide., The day promotes technological skills, especially in children and women., The day was originally founded by the Indian computer company NIIT to mark its, 20th anniversary in 2001., The day was first observed and held in the year 2001., 219
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International Day for the Abolition of Slavery - December 02, The day commemorates the brutal history of slavery practised by colonial rulers, of past centuries., It aims to eradicate modern forms of slavery, such as trafficking in persons,, sexual exploitation, child labour, forced marriage, and the forced recruitment of, children for use in armed conflict., , International Day of Persons with Disabilities - December 03, Every year, the day is celebrated by the United Nations and several other, organizations spread all over the world., This year the theme is - "Leadership and participation of persons with disabilities, toward an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19", The International Day of Persons with Disability was first proclaimed by the, United Nations General Assembly in 1992., , 220
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Indian Navy Day- December 04, Every year the Indian Navy Day is celebrated to commemorate Operation Trident., The operation was launched by the Indian Navy during the India-Pakistan war of, 1971 to attack Karachi Harbour., The theme for this year is 'Indian Navy – Combat Ready, Credible and Cohesive'., , International Day of Banks - December 04, The day is celebrated to recognize the importance of multilateral and, international development banks in financing sustainable developments., United Nations also observes the day in recognition of the vital role of banking, systems in Member State in contributing to the improvement of the standard of, living., , International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development December 05, The day is also referred to as IVD and is mandated by the UN General Assembly, in 1985., To achieve goals at the local, national and international levels, the UN offers an, opportunity to volunteer-involving organizations and individual volunteers to, promote volunteerism., The theme for International Volunteer Day 2021 is 'Volunteer now for our, common future'., , World Soil Day 2021 - December 05, World Soil Day is aimed at spreading awareness about the importance of soil., The day encourages people to come together and think of sustainable ways to, manage soil resources., The date of December 5 was chosen because it coincides with the birthday of, Thailand's King, Bhumibol Adulyadej., 221
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Also, he was the one who formally sanctioned the event., “Halt soil salinization, enhance soil production” is the theme for the year 2021., , International Civil Aviation Day - December 07, The day is celebrated to recognize the importance of aviation to the social and, economic development of the world., The Council has decided that from now until 2023, the theme will be: “Advancing, Innovation for Global Aviation Development”., The Day was established in 1994 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the, establishment of the International Civil Aviation Organization., The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the day in 1996., , National Armed Forces Day - December 07, It is also known as the National flag day of India., The aim to observe this day is to collect funds from the people for the betterment, of armed forces., The Armed Forces Flag Day in India has been celebrated since 1949., , 222
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International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the, Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime - December 09, , The International Day is observed annually., The purpose of the day is to raise awareness of the Genocide Convention and its, role in combating and preventing the crime of genocide, as defined in the, Convention, and to commemorate and honour its victims., , SAARC Charter Day 2021: 8th December, The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Charter Day is, observed annually to commemorate the adoption of the SAARC Charter., This year marks the 37th anniversary of the regional group., The charter was signed by the Leaders of SAARC Countries Heads of State or, Government at the First SAARC Summit held in Dhaka, Bangladesh., The countries that signed were Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal,, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka., , 223
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Energy Conservation Week - December 08 to 14, , The Ministry of Power is celebrating the Energy Conservation Week from 2021, under “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”., The Celebration by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency will include three major, activities., They are,, o, , National Painting Competition for school children,, , o, , National Energy Conservation Awards for Industries and establishments and, , o, , National Energy Efficiency Innovation Awards., , 224
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International Anti-Corruption Day - December 09, , The day is observed globally to raise awareness about corruption and the ways, to combat this global ill., As per reports, the global cost of corruption is about five percent of the world's, Gross Domestic Product or $2.6 trillion., The theme for this year's International Anti-Corruption Day is 'Your right, your, role: Say no to corruption.', , Human Rights Day - December 10, , This Day came into existence on December 10, 1948, when the Universal, Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations., This day is observed every year across the world, as it empowers us all., The day also acknowledges the advocates and defenders of human rights around, the world., The theme for Human Rights Day 2021 is “EQUALITY – Reducing inequalities,, advancing human rights.”, This year’s Human Rights Day theme relates to ‘Equality’ and Article 1 of the, UDHR – “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”, , 225
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International Animal Rights Day - December 10, , It aims to remember the atrocities on animals by human tyranny., It calls for the recognition of our Universal Declaration of Animal Rights (UDAR)., The day is shared with Human Rights Day because animals have the right to be, treated with respect, and acts of cruelty against them need to end just as much, as for humans., , UNICEF Day - December 11, , UNICEF Day is observed every year, to spread awareness on saving children’s, lives, defending their rights and helping them fulfil their potential from childhood, to adolescence., The United Nations General Assembly announced this day on December 11 in, the year 1946., This was done to ensure the United Nations International Children’s Emergency, Fund., The theme for this year is to help children recover from interruptions and learning, losses experienced through pandemics in the last two years., 226
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International Mountain Day - December 11, The day is celebrated to create awareness about the importance of mountains to, life., It also highlights the opportunities and constraints in mountain development and, building alliances that will bring positive change to mountain peoples and, environments around the world., The theme of this year is sustainable mountain tourism., , International Day of Neutrality - December 12, The day is observed each year to raise public awareness of the value of neutrality, in international relations., It was officially declared by a UN General Assembly resolution adopted in, February 2017., First observed on December 12, 2017., , International Universal Health Coverage Day - December 12, The day aims to raise awareness of the need for strong and resilient health, systems and universal health coverage with multi-stakeholder partners., This year theme of International Universal Health Coverage Day is “Leave No, One’s Health Behind: Invest in health systems for all.”, , National Energy Conservation Day 2021 - December 14, This occasion has been celebrated since 1991 led by the Ministry of power., This day is celebrated to raise awareness regarding the conservation of energy as, it is the best way to have a greener and brighter future., ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav: Energy Efficient India’ and ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav:, Clearer Planet’ will be this year’s theme., 227
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International Tea Day (ITD) - December 15, Tea is the second most used drink in the world after water., The first ITD was held in New Delhi in India in 2005., However, in 2015, the Indian government proposed to the UN Food and, Agriculture Organisation to expand International Tea Day across the world., , Vijay Diwas - December 16, In India Vijay Diwas also called Victory Day is celebrated every year., The country is celebrating the 50th Vijay Diwas in 2021., Vijay Diwas is observed to commemorate the service, valour, and sacrifices of the, gallant men of the Indian Armed Forces’ victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war., The Indo-Pakistan war of 1971 which began on December 3 lasted for 13 days, and officially ended on December 16., , International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - December 17, It is annually observed across the globe to focus attention on the hate crimes, committed against sex workers across the globe., The day has empowered the workers to come together against discrimination and, remember the victims of violence., ‘Red Umbrella’ is the symbol for sex workers’ rights across the globe., In 2005 the International Committee on the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe, adopted the red umbrella as its symbol for the rights of sex workers., , 228
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International Migrants Day - December 18, The day is marked by the United Nations, through the UN-related agency, International Organization for Migration., The day is observed to highlight the contributions made by the 272 million, migrants., It includes more than 41 million people who are internally displaced persons, and, the challenges they face., The theme of International Migrants Day 2021 is Harnessing the potential of, human mobility., , National Minorities Rights Day - December 18, , 229
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It is observed to uphold the right to freedom and equal opportunities for the, ethnic minorities in India and create awareness about the respect and dignity of, the minorities., 18th December was declared as the Minorities Rights Day back in 1992 by the, United Nations., In India, it is the responsibility of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM)., The NCM in India was established by the Union Government under the National, Commission for Minorities Act, in 1992., , World Arabic Language Day - December 18, The Arabic language is one of the pillars of the cultural diversity of mankind., It is one of the most widely used languages in the world., The purpose of this day is to raise awareness of the history, culture, and, development of the language by preparing a program of special activities and, events., The theme of this year’s World Arabic Language Day is “The Arabic Language and, Civilizational Communication”., , 60th Goa Liberation Day - December 19, It is celebrated in the state as Goa was liberated from Portuguese rule on that, day in 1961., Goa was a Portuguese colony for 451 years., The government of India under Jawaharlal Nehru in 1961 adopted a plan called, Operation Vijay to free the Portuguese colonies in India., , 230
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International Human Solidarity - December 20, The day is observed every year to celebrate unity in diversity and raise awareness, about the importance of solidarity., According to the United Nations Millennium Declaration, solidarity is among the, fundamental values that are essential to international relations., , National Mathematics Day - December 22, The day marks the birth anniversary of famous mathematician Srinivasa, Ramanujan., The day was announced on 26 February 2012 by the then Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh to mark the 125th anniversary of the birth of the Indian, mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan (22 Dec 1887- 26 Apr 1920)., In India, 2012 was also observed as National Mathematics Year., , 231
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Kisan Diwas - December 23, , It is also called National Farmers’ Day., It is celebrated across the nation on to commemorate the birth anniversary of the, fifth Prime Minister of India, Chaudhary Charan Singh., He brought farmer-friendly policies and worked towards the welfare of the, farmers., He served the country as Prime Minister from 28 July 1979 to 14 January 1980., , 5th Siddha Day - December 23, , The day is observed to create awareness about the Siddha system of medicine., The day is annually organised by the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy,, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy (AYUSH)., It is celebrated on the eve of the birthday of Siddhar Agathiyar, which falls during, the Ayilyam star in the Tamil month of Margazhi., In 2021, the Siddha Day falls on 23rd December 2021., The year 2021 marks the celebration of the 5th Siddha Day., , 232
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The theme of the 5th Siddha Day is “Strength of Siddha in Communicable, Diseases”., It sensitises the public on the importance of the Siddha system in tackling, communicable diseases., , National Consumer Rights Day - December 24, , On this day in 1986, the Consumer Protection Act 1986 received Presidential, assent and thus came into force., The Act aims to provide consumers with effective safeguards against different, types of exploitation, such as defective goods, deficiency in services and unfair, trade practices., World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated annually on March 15., , Good Governance Day - December 25, Good Governance Day is also called as Sushasan Divas., On this day nation celebrates the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna and formerPrime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee., Atal Bihari Vajpayee served as the Prime Minister of India for three times., His first term was for only 13 days in 1996., He served his second term for a period of thirteen months., Then he served a full term from 1999 to 2004., , 233
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International Day of Epidemic Preparedness - 27 December, , The day aims to prepare people for future outbreaks and sensitize them about, epidemics on all levels, The day was first observed during the last December., The United Nations General Assembly had emphasised on the need to advocate, the importance of the preparedness for, prevention of and partnership against, epidemics., , , , 234
