December 2022 Current Affairs MCQ Questions and Answers online Test

UN panel has recommended that Australia’s Great Barrier Reef should be listed as a World Heritage site that is in danger. The UN also informed that the world’s biggest coral reef ecosystem was significantly impacted by climate change and the warming of oceans.

The World Health Organisation has changed the name of the disease Monkeypox to Mpox, as they receive complaints about the word Monkeypox conjuring up racist tropes and stigmatizing patients.

The recommendation follows outbreaks that began about six months ago in Europe and the United States.

At the Turf 2022 and India Sports Awards of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), former Ranji cricketer Sarkar Talwar was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement of the Year award.

Talwar, the Director-Sports, Manav Rachna Education Institutions, is also the recipient of the Dronacharya Lifetime Award, given by the President of India. 

Indore with a strong environmental record is planning to issue the nation’s first local government bond targeting individual investors, with proceeds used to fund a solar power project.

Iranian film Nargesi by Director Payam Eskandari has won the ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal at the 53rd edition of International Film Festival of India, given for a film that best reflects Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals of peace, tolerance and non-violence.

Ministry of Power has launched a scheme for procurement of aggregate power of 4500 MW for five years under SHAKTI Policy. The Ministry said that the scheme will help states that are facing power shortage and help generation plants to increase their capacities.

Capital markets regulator Sebi has set up a high-level panel to review the takeover norms in a move to simplify and strengthen the current rules by adopting appropriate global practices.

The 20-member committee will be chaired by former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, Shiavax Jal Vazifdar.

Apart from Vazifdar, other members of the panel include Sundareswaran S Managing Director (MD) at Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors; Rajendra Kanoongo, Joint MD of Mark Corporate Advisors; K Srinivas MD of Saffron Capital Advisors, Ankur Verma, Senior Vice President at Tata Sons and Dolphy Dsouza Partner at E&Y.

Saharsa became the first district in Bihar to be declared paperless (e-office) with an aim to end the Great Indian Red Tape.

Red Tape is a derisive term for excessive regulation or rigid conformity to formal rules that is considered redundant or bureaucratic and hinders or prevents action or decision-making.

Recently, NITI Aayog has released a study report, titled ’Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) Policy Framework and its Deployment Mechanism in India’.

The report explores the importance of Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage as an emission reduction strategy to achieve deep decarbonization from the hard-to-abate sectors.

The Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has launched the Digi Yatra facility.

It is a paperless airport entry facility that is now functional at three airports in India, including Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport where it was launched.

The Reserve Bank of India has announced the launch of the retail digital rupee on a pilot basis.

The Central Bank of the country has also identified 8 banks for phase-wise participation in this trial.

Notably, Digital Currency, or the Rupee is an electronic form of money that can be used in contactless transactions.

India will host as many as 200 meetings across the country over the next one year, with the first one being held in Udaipur.

The G20 Summit will be organized in New Delhi in September 2023.

India will work to promote a universal sense of oneness and its priorities will be shaped not only in consultation with G20 Partners but also with the Global South.

India’s G20 Presidency will work to promote this universal sense of one-ness.

India handed over USD 100 million to the Maldives to ease the financial challenges faced by the archipelagic state in the Indian Ocean.

The restoration of the 100-year-old Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in Mumbai has won the Award of Excellence in the 2022 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

The awards were announced on November 26, 2022.

The museum is part of the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai’s World Heritage property.

It was established as the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India in 1922.

On the other hand, the Byculla Railway Station of the Central Railway has received an award of merit for conservation, giving a double pride moment to the people of Mumbai city.

The Adani Group has emerged as the highest bidder for the 259-hectare Dharavi Redevelopment Project.

Adani group has put in a Rs 5,069 crore bid for the redevelopment of one of the largest slum sprawls in the world, outbidding DLF which had quoted Rs 2,035 crores.

As per the Chief Executive Officer of the project, SVR Srinivas, the details will now be sent to the Government which will consider and will give its final approval.

Notably, the bid is for the entire Rs 20,000 crore redevelopment project.

Indian spiritual leader and global humanitarian advocate Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has been honored with the prestigious "The Emissary of Peace" award by the National Civil Rights Museum in the US city of Memphis.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is the founder of the NGO "Art of Living".

The organization offers several stress-relief and self-development programs based on breathing techniques, meditation and yoga training.

Maternal Mortality Ratio in India has declined from 130 per lakh live birth in 2014-16 to 97 per lakh live births in 2018-20, as per the Special Bulletin released by the office of the Registrar General of India.

According to the latest released data, Assam has the highest Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of 195 while Kerala has the lowest of 19 per lakh live births.

Kerala, which has the lowest Maternal Mortality Ratio, is followed by Maharashtra at 33 and Telangana at 43.

Recently, WMO (World Meteorological Organization) has released its first annual State of Global Water Resources Report 2021.

The aim of this annual report is to support monitoring and management of global freshwater resources in an era of growing demand and limited supplies.

The report focuses on three major areas:

Streamflow, the volume of water flowing through a river channel at any given time.

Terrestrial water storage (TWS) — all water on the land surface and in the sub-surface.

The cryosphere (frozen water).

Between 2001 and 2018, UN-Water reported that a staggering 74% of all natural disasters were water-related.

An Indian Coast Guard Advanced Light Helicopter Mk-III squadron has been commissioned in Chennai.

It will provide a major fillip to the abilities of CG in security-sensitive waters off Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh region.

As per the Ministry of Defence, the commissioning of 840 sqn (CG) is indicative of the leap towards self-reliance in the field of helicopter manufacturing, in line with the Government’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

The ALH Mk-III helicopters are indigenously developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the Memorandum of Understanding between Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and the Ministry of Agriculture of Palestine on agriculture cooperation.

The MoU was signed in May 2017 during the visit of the Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mahmoud Abbas to India.

Retaining its spot as the world’s top recipient of remittances, migrant workers from India are set to send home a record USD 100 billion in 2022.

The growth is despite global headwinds like rising prices.

World Bank, in its latest Migration and Development Brief, has said that remittances flow to India will rise 12 percent, putting its inflows ahead of China, Mexico, and the Philippines.

Notably, not just in India, remittances to South Asia grew an estimated 3.5 percent to USD 163 billion in 2022.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of M Paramasivam as the Executive Director of the Government-owned Punjab National Bank for a period of three years.

The experience and contribution of the new Executive Director of Punjab National Bank are spread across various domains which will further help him bringing growth to his newly assigned position.

Paramasivam is an agriculture graduate who started his career as an Agricultural Extension Officer.

India assumed the Presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for December 2022.

It is the second time in its two-year tenure as an elected member of the UN Security Council in 2021-22 that India has assumed the Presidency of the Council.

India had earlier assumed the Presidency in August 2021.

Under the presidency of India December 14 is scheduled for Reformed Multilateralism and December 15 is for Counter-Terrorism. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will chair the events.

There will also be at least two meetings in Ukraine. During its 8th term as an elected member of the UNSC, India has endeavored to voice the key concerns of the Global South.

Recently, the Table tennis legend Achanta Sharath Kamal was bestowed with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award for his outstanding performance in the Commonwealth Games, 2022 by the President as part of the National Sports and Adventure Awards 2022.

Other awards given out include the Dronacharya Award, Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games, the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar, the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad trophy as well as the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award.

Recently, the Tribal Development Report 2022 was launched by the Bharat Rural Livelihood Foundation (BRLF), which claims to be the first of its kind since 1947.

The BRLF was set up by the Union Cabinet in 2013 as an independent society under the Union Ministry of Rural Development to scale up civil society action in partnership with central and state governments.

Tribal Population -

India’s tribal communities form 8.6% of the country’s population according to the 2011 Census. But they are at the bottom of the country’s development pyramid even after 75 years of independence.

Central India is home to 80% of the tribal communities in the country.

Of the 257 Scheduled Tribe districts, 230 (90%) are either forested or hilly or dry. But they account for 80 % of India’s tribal population.

Government Initiatives Related to Tribes -

Eklavya Model Residential Schools

TRIFED

Digital Transformation of Tribal Schools

Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups

Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana

Recently, Nagaland has celebrated its 60th Statehood Day on December 1st 2022.

Nagaland statehood day also marks the beginning of Hornbill festival in Nagaland.

Key Points -

Nagaland was formally recognised as a separate state on 1st December, 1963, with Kohima being declared as its capital.

The State of Nagaland Act, 1962, was enacted by the Parliament to give Nagaland statehood.

It is bounded by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the northeast, Manipur to the south, and Assam to the west and northwest and the country of Myanmar (Burma) to the east. The state capital is Kohima, located in the southern part of Nagaland.

The Konyaks are the largest tribe, followed by the Aos, Tangkhuls, Semas, and Angamis.

Other tribes include the Lothas, Sangtams, Phoms, Changs, Khiem Hungama, Yimchunger, Zeliangs, Chakhesangs (Chokri), and Rengmas.

Protected Areas in Nagaland:

Intanki National Park

Singphan Wildlife Sanctuary

Pulie Badze Wildlife Sanctuary

Fakim Wildlife Sanctuary

Major Festival:

The Hornbill Festival is a celebration held every year from 1st to 10th December, in Nagaland.

The 12th Edition of Exercise Agni Warrior, a bilateral exercise between the Singapore & Indian Army, which had commenced on 13 November 2022 concluded at Field Firing Ranges, Devlali (Maharashtra).

Exercise Agni Warrior, involved showcasing joint firepower planning, execution and use of New Generation Equipment by the Artillery arm of both armies.

India was among the first countries to set up diplomatic relations after the independence of Singapore on 24 August 1965.

The close relationship shared by India and Singapore is based on convergence of economic and political interests.

Prasanth Kumar, CEO, South Asia of GroupM Media (India) Pvt Ltd, has been elected as the president of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI).

He has an experience of over 25 years in the Industry.

Before joining GroupM, he held positions at Pepsi, The Hindu, The Media Edge, and McCann Erickson.

He has served as AAAI’s vice president from 2020 to 2022.

Rana Barua, group CEO of Havas Group India, was elected vice-president of the association.

Anupriya Acharya, outgoing president, will be the ex-officio member of the AAAI board for 2022-23.

Other elected members of the board -

Vishandas Hardasani (Matrix Publicities and Media India Pvt Ltd)

Kunal Lalani (Crayons Advertising Pvt Ltd)

Rohan Mehta (Kinnect Pvt Ltd)

Chandramouli Muthu Maitri (Advertising Works Pvt Ltd, Cochin)

Sridhar Ramasubramanian (Beehive Communications Pvt Ltd)

Shashidhar Sinha (Initiative Media India Pvt Ltd)

K Srinivas (Sloka Advertising Pvt Ltd, Hyderabad)

Vivek Srivastava (Innocean Worldwide Communications Pvt Ltd)

About the AAAI -

Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) is the official, national organisation of advertising agencies, formed in 1945, to promote their interests.

The Association promotes professionalism, through its founding principles, which uphold sound business practices between Advertisers and Advertising Agencies and the various media.

Recently, the second edition of the State of Finance for Nature report was released.

The report was released jointly by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) along with the Economics of Land Degradation initiative of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of Germany, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the European Commission.

Current public and private financial flows to NbS are estimated to be USD 154 billion per year.

Public funds make up 83% of the total and the private sector contributes approximately 17%.

United Nations Environment Programme -

About: The UNEP is a leading global environmental authority established on 5th June 1972.

Functions: It sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the sustainable development within the United Nations system, and serves as an authoritative advocate for global environment protection.

Major Reports: Emission Gap Report, Adaptation Gap Report, Global Environment Outlook, Frontiers, Invest into Healthy Planet.

Major Campaigns: Beat Pollution, UN75, World Environment Day, Wild for Life.

Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya.

Recently, Merriam-Webster, America’s oldest dictionary publisher, has chosen "Gaslighting" as its Word of the Year.

Searches on its website for the word have spiked by 1,740% in 2022, according to the company.

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines gaslighting as “psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time.

The term “Gaslighting” comes from the title of a 1938 play “Gas Light” by Patrick Hamilton.

’Permacrisis’, a term that describes ’an extended period of instability and insecurity’, has been named Collins Word of the Year 2022.

This year, a highly searched word on the Cambridge Dictionary website in 2022 – Homer – was awarded the title of ’Word of the Year’.

The options for 2022 are ’metaverse’, ’#IStandWith’ and the phrase ’goblin mode’. They were chosen by a team of lexicographers from Oxford University Press, the publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary.

Government of India had appointed Rajeeva Laxman Karandikar, Professor Emeritus at Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI), as the part-time chairperson of the National Statistical Commission (NSC) of India for a period of three years.

He will take up this role as an additional responsibility while continuing as Professor Emeritus at CMI.

Rajeeva Laxman Karandikar -

Mr. Karandikar is widely known for his three decades of work on probability theory as well as applications of mathematics and statistics to real world questions.

He has designed, supervised and analysed nationwide opinion polls for the Indian parliamentary elections as well State assemblies since 1998.

He is known for developing a new model and methodology for seat prediction, which has been quite successful for over the last 20 years.

Mr Karandikar was a member of the committee constituted by the Election Commission (EC) of India to advice the EC on the sampling scheme for EVM-VVPAT verification.

NSC is an autonomous body formed in June 2005 under the recommendation of the Dr C Rangarajan commission.

The chairperson of the Commission enjoys the status of a Minister of State, Government of India.

The third T20 World Cup Cricket Tournament for the Blind will be held from December 5 to 17, 2022 in India.

The participating countries of the World Cup 2022 are Australia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and India.

The tournament is being organised to mark the World Disability Day celebrations universally.

The inauguration of the World Cup on December 5 at Tau Devi Lal Indoor Stadium, Gurugram.

Former India batter Yuvraj Singh is the brand ambassador of the tournament.

About the World Cup Cricket Tournament for the Blind:

The World Cup, an initiative of the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) in association with Samarthanam Trust for the disabled, has been organising this championship since 2012.

Since its inception, Samarthanam Trust has organized over 30,000 visually impaired matches.

IAS Sanjay Kumar took charge as Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education in Shashtri Bhawan in New Delhi.

Sanjay Kumar, a 1990-batch Bihar cadre IAS officer, was a former Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

He replaced Anita Karwal IAS upon her superannuation.

An interaction programme "Pariksha Pe Pariksha" will be launched by Ministry of Education.

Who’s Who in Ministry of Education -

Education Minister - Dharmendra Pradhan

Secretary of Ministry - Laxminarayan Mishra

Minister of State for Education - Annpurna Devi

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced a four-tiered regulatory framework for categorisation of Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs).

The Reserve Bank of India had constituted the Expert Committee on Urban Co-operative Banks, under the Chairmanship of Shri NS Vishwanathan, former Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank to examine the issues in urban cooperative banking sector.

Based on the recommendations of the Expert Committee, RBI had released the Revised Regulatory Framework for Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs) on July 19, 2022.

The four-tiered regulatory framework, based on size of deposits of the UCBs, will come into force with immediate effect.

RBI has now categorized Urban Co-Operative Banks in India into four tier depending upon the deposit with the bank:

Tier 1: UCB are those banks having deposits up to Rs 100 crore operating in a single district or having branches in contiguous districts.

Tier 2: UCBs with deposits more than Rs.100 crore and up to Rs.1000 crore.

Tier 3 – UCBs with deposits more than Rs.1000 crore and up to Rs.10, 000 crore.

Tier 4 – UCBs with deposits more than Rs.10, 000 crore.

A book on the popular forest conservation campaign Chipko Movement, written by historian-activist Shekhar Pathak, was named the winner of the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize 2022.

Translated from Hindi by Manisha Chaudhry, "The Chipko Movement: A People’s History" was selected from a diverse shortlist of five books covering a wide expanse of modern Indian history and encompassing distinct topics and perspectives.

The winner was selected by a six-member jury panel chaired by political scientist Niraja Gopal Jayal.

Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize -

It carries a cash award of Rs 15 lakh, a trophy and a citation.

Established in 2018, the Kamaladevi NIF Book Prize builds on the New India Foundation’s mission of sponsoring high-quality research and writing on all aspects of Independent India.

The prize is named after Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay.

Previous winners of the prize are Milan Vaishnav (2018), Ornit Shani (2019), Amit Ahuja and Jairam Ramesh (jointly, 2020), and Dinyar Patel (2021).

Saurashtra beat Maharashtra by 5 wickets in the final to win the Vijay Hazare Trophy at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Man of the moment is Sheldon Jackson

It was Saurashtra’s second title triumph in history.

Award Winners -

Player of the match in the final: Sheldon Jackson (133 runs in 135 Balls)

Player of the tournament: Ruturaj Gaikwad (Games: 5; Runs: 660; Avg: 220)

Most Runs: N Jagadeesan (Tamil Nadu): 830runs, 8 innings Highest Score: N Jagadeesan – 277 off 141 balls vs Arunachal Pradesh

Most Fours: N Jagadeesan – 73 in 8 innings

Most Sixes: Ruturaj Gaikwad – 34 in 5 innings

Most Wickets: Vasuki Koushik (Karnataka) – 18 wickets in 9 matches

Domestic competitions in India include the Ranji Trophy, the Duleep Trophy, the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the Deodhar Trophy, the Irani Trophy and the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy.

December 3rd is celebrated as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, worldwide.

The day is observed to highlight issues that affect people with disabilities and to champion their well-being, their dignity and fundamental rights.

The goals fall under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Theme -

The theme of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, this year, is "Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world".

History -

In 1976, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed 1981 as the International Year of Disabled Persons (IYDP).

On February 6, 1981, US President Ronal Reagan did the same.

Then the UNGA declared 1983-1992 as the decade of Disabled Persons.

The adoption of December 3 as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities happened during the UNGA’s 37th plenary meeting, on October 4, 1992.

India and South Korea signed the arrangement regarding Economic Development Cooperation Fund loan of over 245 billion Korean won.

The agreement is for the establishment of Intelligent Transport System on Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Expressway Project in Delhi. South Korea was designated as India’s Official Development Assistance partner for development cooperation in, 2016.

Recently, the Ministry of Culture, Government of India in collaboration with “Swar Dharohar Foundation,” inaugurated a three day “Swar Dharohar Festival” under Kalanjali.

Under Kalanjali, cultural programmes are being organised at Central Vista every week.

Swar Dharohar Festival -

It is a Music, Art & Literature Festival to showcase the iconic art and culture of India and the rich literary Art & Heritage of Indian States.

In this program, the upcoming local Artists will perform with Legend Artist on the same platform to showcase their talents. The National as well as Local Poets will exhibit their artistry through Kavi Sammelan.

The President of India paid floral tributes to Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the First President of India, on his birth anniversary at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 3rd December 2022.

About Dr Rajendra Prasad -

Son of Mahadev Sahai, he was born in Zeradei, Siwan, Bihar on 3rd December 1884. In March 1930, Gandhiji launched the Salt Satyagraha. Under the guidance of Dr. Prasad, a salt Satyagraha was launched in Nakhas Pond, Bihar. He officially joined the Indian National Congress in 1911, during its annual session held in Calcutta.

In 1946, he joined the Interim Government of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru as the Minister of Food & Agriculture and gave the slogan of “Grow More Food”.

In July 1946, when the Constituent Assembly was established to frame the Constitution of India, he was elected its President.Committees of Constituent Assembly under the chairmanship of Dr. Prasad includes -

Ad hoc Committee on the National flag

Committee on the Rules of Procedure

Finance and Staff Committee Steering Committee

Awards -

In 1962, after 12 years as President, Dr. Prasad retired, and was subsequently awarded the Bharat Ratna.

Books - Satyagraha at Champaran, India Divided, His autobiography “Atmakatha”, Mahatma Gandhi and Bihar, Some Reminisences, Bapu ke Kadmon Mein

He died on 28th February 1963 at the Sadaqat Ashram in Patna.

According to DGCA, India has jumped to the 48th position in the global aviation safety ranking by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Four years ago, the country was ranked at the 102nd position. In the ranking, Singapore is at the top, followed by the UAE and South Korea at the second and third positions, respectively. China is at the 49th place. Under its Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) Continuous Monitoring Approach, an ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM) was undertaken from November 9 to 16.

The country’s score in terms of effective implementation of key safety elements has improved to 85.49 per cent, the officials said.

Canara Bank won the "Banker’s Bank of the Year Award 2022" for India segment at the Global Banking Summit held in London.

Bank Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer LV Prabhakar received the award from the organisers.

These are prestigious awards to the banking industry and Canara Bank has been adjudged as the Best Bank in India for 2022.

Bankers’ Bank of the year awards -

The Bankers’ Bank of the year awards are considered to be like Oscar awards for the banking sector.

The Banker’s magazine is a premier global banking and finance resource for more than 180 countries across the world.

The publication is from the house of Financial Times (FT) group, which is the British-based global financial daily newspaper founded in 1888.

Indian tech brand "Noise" has appointed Virat Kohli as its new brand ambassador for its smartwatches.

The new partnership will bring together the two domains together which is said to exemplify the brand.

Noise has claimed to have emerged as one of the strongest Indian brands in the smartwatch segment, reiterating its leadership for nine quarters.

Some Important Brand Ambassadors 2022 -

Brand ambassador of Ed-tech platform BYJU’s - Argentine footballer Lionel Messi

Brand ambassador of Consumer products company Marico Limited’s brand Saffola Fittify - Janhvi Kapoor

Brand ambassador of Nikshay Mitra - Deepa Malik

Brand ambassador of Men’s grooming brand UrbanGabru - Cricketer Suryakumar Yadav

’Friendship Ambassador’ by Switzerland Tourism - Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra

Brand ambassador of Navi Technologies Ltd - Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Former Union Minister Hansraj Gangaram Ahir has assumed charge as Chairperson of the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC).

He is an Agriculturist by profession.

He had been elected four times Member of Parliament from Parliamentary Constituency Chandrapur, Maharashtra and also he was Member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council.

He had been Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India the 16th Lok Sabha.

National Commission for Backward Classes -

National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) was initially constituted by the Central Govt by the National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993.

The National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993 (27 of 1993) has been repealed through the National Commission for Backward Classes (Repeal) Act, 2018 dated 14.08.2018.

The present Commission has been accorded Constitutional Status and constituted through “The Constitution (One Hundred and Second Amendment) Act, 2018” Act dated 11.8.2018, whereby Article 338B has been inserted, forming a Commission for the socially and educationally backward classes to be known as National Commission for Backward Classes.

Indian shooter Rudrankksh Patil has clinched the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) President’s Cup held in Cairo, Egypt.

He defeated Italy’s Danilo Sollazzo in the 10-metre rifle play-off by 16-8.

Athletes from 42 nations representing 43 ISSF Member Federations from all continents are taking part in this competition, which is being held since November 28.

At the ISSF President’s Cup in 2021, India won five medals – two golds, two silvers and one bronze. Olympians Manu Bhaker, Rahi Sarnobat, Saurabh Chaudhary and Abhishek Verma were among the medal winners.

IIFL Mutual Fund has launched India’s first passive tax saver fund, almost six months after the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) introduced the passive alternative in the Equity Linked Savings Scheme (ELSS) space.

Being an index fund, the scheme will try to mirror the Nifty 50 and generate returns in line with the movement in the index. As it will be passively managed, investors will be charged lower expenses compared to active ELSS funds.

Till now, tax saving MF investment was only possible through the active route even as Sebi allowed fund houses to launch passive ELSS funds through a circular in May 2022.

Filmmaker SS Rajamouli won the Best Director Award for RRR at the New York Film Critics Circle 2022.

The group is one of the first critics’ groups to weigh in on the awards season.

Rajamouli’s win surprised many as his competitors included Steven Spielberg, Darron Aronofsky, Sarah Polley, and Gina Prince-Blythewood.

A pre-Independence fictional story, “RRR” stars Ram Charan and Jr NTR as real-life Indian revolutionaries in the 1920s Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem, respectively. New York Film Critics Circle -

Todd Field’s Tar has won the Best Picture of the year, also nabbing Best Actress for Cate Blanchett’s leading performance.

Colin Farrell won Best Actor for two of his performances this year — Kogonada’s future-set sci-fi drama After Yang and Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin.

Ke Huy Quan has won the Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once,

Keke Palmer won the Best Supporting Actress for Nope.

December 5 is celebrated annually as World Soil Day to highlight the importance of healthy soil and promote sustainable management of soil resources.

The event aims to raise awareness of the importance of soil quality for human well-being, food security and ecosystems, and events are held at the UN FAO offices and through community based events.

The day was first considered by the International Union of Soil Sciences in 2002, but was not officially endorsed by FAO until 2013.

Theme - The theme for 2022 World Soil Day is ’Soils: Where Food Begins’.

History - World Soil Day (WSD) is held annually on 5 December as a means to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and to advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources. An international day to celebrate soil was recommended by the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) in 2002.

The date was chosen as it coincides with the official birthday of the King of Thailand.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

He had officially sanctioned the event.

World Soil Day was first officially marked in memory of the monarch in 2016, the year he passed away after serving as the head of state for seven decades.

The first G20 Sherpa meeting under India’s presidency begins on December 4, 2022, in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

India’s G20 Sherpa, Amitabh Kant is leading the four-day meeting.

India has taken over the Presidency of G20 despite of geo-political crisis, and a rise in global debt, and when 200 million have been driven into poverty while 100 million people lost their jobs worldwide due to the pandemic and inflation.

G20 Presidency will eventually help the country to narrate the remarkable achievements in the health care sector, the incredible success in manufacturing the Covid-19 vaccine, digital public infrastructure, and to address the world that India is the "Mother of Democracy".

Representatives from 19 countries including the European Union and nine special invitee countries will participate in the discussion.

The Group of Twenty (G20) is an international site made up of 19 nations plus the European Union (EU).

It deals with significant global economic difficulties such as international financial stability, climate change mitigation, and sustainability.

The G20 is comprised of the majority of the world’s finest economies, including both developing and developed countries.

The 7th edition of Exercise Sangam, a joint Naval Special Forces exercise between Indian Navy MARCOs and US Navy SEALs commenced in Goa.

The present edition which will see personnel from SEAL Team Five based at San Diego, US and Indian Navy MARCOs from INS Abhimanyu together aims at exchange of ideas and experiences on various aspects of maritime special operations.

Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL), the renewables arm of Adani Group, has commissioned its third wind-solar hybrid power plant at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan.

Earlier, in May 2022, AGEL had operationalised India’s first hybrid power plant of 390 MW.

This was followed by the commissioning, in September 2022, of the world’s largest co-located hybrid power plant of 600 MW.

Both these hybrid energy generation assets are located in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.

With the successful commissioning of this 450 MW plant, AGEL now has a total operational generation capacity of 7.17 GW.

This also makes AGEL the world’s largest wind-solar hybrid power farm developer.

The telecom major Airtel has announced that it has collaborated with Meta Platforms to support the growth of India’s digital ecosystem.

The announcement comes on the back of telecom operators’ demand to share revenue with service providers to build networks.

Airtel is currently conducting trials for 4G and 5G Open RAN solutions on select sites in the state of Haryana and will commercially deploy the solution across several locations in India over the next few quarters.

Airtel and Meta will jointly invest in global connectivity infrastructure and CPaaS based new-age digital solutions to support the emerging requirements of customers and enterprises in India.

As members of the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) Open RAN project group, Airtel and Meta have been pioneers of Open RAN technologies with the shared goal of increasing ecosystem diversity, driving innovation, and cost-efficiency in connectivity networks.

Goldsikka with technology support from Hyderabad-based startup, Opencube Technologies has launched its first Gold ATM at Begumpet and described it India’s first Gold ATM and world’s first Real Time Gold ATM.

This ATM can dispense gold coins in different denominations ranging from 0.5 gm to 100 grams.

The company plans to launch three machines in the Hyderabad at the airport, old city and propose to launch them in Karimnagar and Warangal also.

Taruj said plans were being drawn to launch 3,000 machines all over India in coming two years.

Anybody can withdraw gold anywhere – 24*7 – with the machine is said to be the goal.

Apart from debit and credit cards, buyers can also use prepaid and postpaid smart cards to withdraw the yellow metal.

Each ATM has a capacity of holding up to 5 kg of gold, worth around Rs 2-3 crores.

The ATM machine dispenses coins ranging from 0.5 grams to 100 grams.

There are eight available options, including 0.5 grams, 1 gram, 2 grams, 5 grams, 10 grams, 20 grams, 50 grams and 100 grams.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurates the two-day long 65th Foundation Day celebrations of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in New Delhi.

About Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) -

DRI is the principal intelligence and enforcement agency on anti-smuggling matters under the aegis of the Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) of the Government of India.

It was established on 4 December 1957.

It is headquartered in New Delhi and has 12 zonal units, 35 regional units and 15 sub-regional units, employing approximately 800 officers.

It is tasked with curbing the smuggling of goods including drugs, gold, diamonds, electronics, foreign currency, and counterfeit Indian currency.

It serves to prevent smuggling of goods including drugs, gold, diamonds, electronics, foreign currency, and counterfeit Indian currency.

It also works to combat commercial frauds and evasion of customs duties related to international trade

The Uttar Pradesh government’s ambitious One District One Product (ODOP) scheme has received praise at the national level for helping in the revival of traditional crafts in the state.

Now, on similar lines, the government has launched the One District One Sport (ODOS) programme for promoting local sporting talent.

The Yogi Adityanath government hopes the ODOS programme will become a platform to create sportspersons who can represent the state at the national and international level.

According to officials, one sport will be identified in each of the 75 districts of UP.

Steps will be taken to find district-wise sport-specific talent and groom them.

ODOS programmes -

Wrestling - Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Chandauli, Baghpat, Aajgarh, Deoria, Maharajganj

Athletics - Mainpuri, Firozabad, Jaunpur, Bhadohi, Sambhal, Sitapur, Kasganj, Unnao, Ayodhya, Kaushambi, Etah, Amethi, Rampur, Siddharth Nagar, Sant Kabir Nagar, Chitrakoot, Basti, Hamirpur, Hapur, Meerut, Ghazipur, Shamli, Ballia, Muzaffarnagar

Hockey - Pratapgarh, Mau, Bareilly, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Hardoi, Farrukhabad, Moradabad, Balrampur, Etawah, Ghaziabad

Table Tennis - Agra, Kanpur

Badminton - Aligarh, Gautam Budh Nagar

Weightlifting - Mirzapur, Bijnor

Boxing - Bulandshahr, Kushinagar

Archery - Sonbhadra, Lalitpur

Football - Hathras

Swimming - Pilibhit

Shooting - Banda

Kabaddi - Kannauj

Lawn Tennis – Prayagraj

To mark the 51st anniversary of India’s victory in the Longewala battle during the 1971 war, Parakram Diwas celebrated at Jaisalmer Military Station and Longewala War Memorial in Rajasthan on December 5.

Several programs has been organized on this occasion at the Sagat Singh Stadium.

This includes a band display, daredevils motorcycle stunts, mixed martial arts, mallakhamb, show jumping, musical performance, Parachute free fall, and much more.

Longewala battle -

The Longewala battle between India and Pakistan in 1971 was one of the biggest and most decisive battles, which is registered in the Golden words in History.

The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 began on 3 December, with the main thrust of the Indian Army focused on East Pakistan (erstwhile Bangladesh).

On the night of 04/05 Dec 1971, Pakistan forces comprising 4000 soldiers, T-59 & Sherman tanks, and a medium artillery battery attacked Longewala border post held by 23 PUNJAB.

The Battle was fought between 120 Indian soldiers and 4 Hawker Aircraft and around 2000 to 3000 Pakistani military forces and 30-40 tanks.

This battle is famous as the Battle of Thermopylae in India, which describes the victory of a small army against a much larger military force.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Germany’s foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock signed a comprehensive migration and mobility partnership, which will facilitate easier access for people to study, research and work in both countries.

The deal which aims at facilitating two-way movement of students, professionals and researchers, is also set to address the challenges of illegal migration.

This thereby enhances efforts on Germany and India’s part to expand the internationalisation higher education systems, to interlink further the innovation and research landscapes of both countries, and to strengthen dual structures for Vocational Education and Training.

The National Zoological Park, Delhi Zoo has celebrated International Cheetah Day and Wildlife Conservation Day in New Delhi on 4th December.

The purpose of the celebration is to spread awareness among the present generation about Wildlife Conservation.

The day is dedicated to encouraging people worldwide to help this animal win the race against extinction.

In India the International Cheetah Day was celebrated by the National Zoological Park, New Delhi (Delhi Zoo) in collaboration with the Central Zoo Authority.

The cheetah (a big and slender cat with long legs) is popularly known as the fastest animal on earth, it can reach a top speed of 70 mph in just three seconds.

The animal weighs anywhere from 46 to 158 pounds and, unlike most other big cats, cheetahs hunt in the daytime.

At present the majority of the animal is found in Namibia and South Africa.

It was declared as an extinct animal in 1954 by the government.

The Government of India has started a project to repopulate India with Cheetah brought from Namibia and settled in Kuno National park in Madhya Pradesh.

A new design for the President’s Standard and Colour and Indian Navy Crest has been unveiled at Visakhapatnam by the President of India.

Key Points -

The Red Horizontal and Vertical Lines on the White Ensign have been replaced with a Blue Octagon.

The Octagon is with Twin Golden Borders encompassing the National Emblem atop a clear anchor and National Emblem "Satyamev Jayate" inscribed on the stock of the Anchor. Meanwhile, the National Flag has been retained on the upper left canton.

The design of the President’s Standard and Colour for the Indian Navy was designed first on 6 September 2017 that comprises one horizontal and vertical red band intersecting at the center.

The National Emblem has been inserted at their intersection.

The National Flag has been placed at the upper left canton adjacent to the staff and a Golden Elephant was at the lower right canton on the fly side.

The design was inspired by the erstwhile Naval Ensign.

Power, Courage, Confidence, and Pride are represented by the Golden State Emblem. The Navy Blue - Golden Octagon design is based on Shivaji Maharaj Rajmudra, or the Seal of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and depicts the eight directions (four cardinal and four intercardinal), signifying the Indian Navy’s marine spread. The President’s Standard and Color honour India’s great maritime history while also signifying a strong, brave, confident, and proud Indian Navy.

Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture has formed an Advisory Group for streamlining the development of the Bamboo sector under the restructured National Bamboo Mission (NBM).

NBM mainly focuses on the development of the complete value chain of Bamboo sector.

Nodal Ministry -

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.

Objective -

To increase the area under bamboo plantation in non-forest Government and private lands to supplement farm income and contribute towards resilience to climate change.

Significance -

The bamboo industry is witnessing a phase change by the opening of multiple avenues of resource utilization.

Recently, the Prime Minister paid homage to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar on Mahaparinirvan Diwas and recalled his exemplary service to our nation.

Parinirvana, regarded as one of the major principles as well as goals of Buddhism, is a Sanskrit term which means release or freedom after death.

As per the Buddhist text Mahaparinibbana Sutta, the death of Lord Buddha at the age of 80 is considered as the original Mahaparinirvan.

6th December is observed to commemorate the unfathomable contribution to society given by Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar and his achievements. Owing to Ambedkar’s status as a Buddhist leader, his death anniversary is referred to as Mahaparinirvan Diwas.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) marked World Soil Day 2022 (5th December) with the launch of its first Global Status on Black Soils, which are at greater risk than ever due to the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and land use change.

Black Soil -

Black soils are characterised by a thick, dark-coloured soil horizon rich in organic matter.

They are found in Russia (327 million hectares), Kazakhstan (108 M ha), China (50 M ha), Argentina, Mongolia, Ukraine etc.

Black soils are extremely fertile and can produce high agricultural yields due to their elevated moisture storage capacity.

Black soils are rich in iron, lime, calcium, potassium, aluminum and magnesium but deficient in nitrogen, phosphorous.

Recently, National telemedicine service of India, eSanjeevani achieved 8 crore teleconsultations.

It surpassed records by registering 1 crore consultations in approximately 5 weeks.

It is a national doctor to doctor telemedicine service that strives to provide an alternative to the conventional physical consultations via digital platform.

eSanjeevani is a cohesive part of Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission (ABDHM), and more than 45,000 ABHA IDs have been generated via eSanjeevani application.

Leading ten states for usage of this platform are: Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana and Gujarat.

eSanjeevaniOPD -

It caters to citizens in both rural and urban areas.

It leverages technology via smartphones, tablets, laptops enabling doctor consultations to be accessible from the patient’s residence regardless of location.

eSanjeevaniOPD has trained and onboarded 2,22,026 specialists, doctors and health workers.

This platform has an impressive record of having served over 4.34 lakhs patients in one day.

The World Bank (WB) in its India Development Report titled ’Navigating the Storm’, upgraded its growth forecast for India’s economy in 2022-23 to 6.9%.

In October 2022, the WB had cut India’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth forecast to 6.5 % from 7.5 % earlier.

World Bank -

It was created in 1944, as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) along with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IBRD later became the World Bank.

The World Bank Group is a unique global partnership of five institutions working for sustainable solutions that reduce poverty and build shared prosperity in developing countries.

The World Bank is one of the United Nations’ specialized agencies.

Members:

It has 189 member countries.

India is also a member country.

Major Reports:

Ease of Doing Business (Stopped publishing).

Human Capital Index.

World Development Report.

Its Five Development Institutions:

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)

International Development Association (IDA)

International Finance Corporation (IFC).

Multilateral Guarantee Agency (MIGA)

International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)

India is not a member of this.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has published the list of 100 most influential women in the world and has included women from several areas such as politics, science, sports, entertainment, and literature.

The BBC’s 100 most influential women’s list also includes four Indians: Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, author Geetanjali Shree, engineer and astronaut Sirisha Bandla, and social worker Sneha Jawale.

Key Peoples -

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen,

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottle,

Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska,

BBC Releases 100 Most Influential Women’s List:

The BBC most influential women’s list is celebrating its 10th season, as well as the 90th anniversary of the BBC World Service and the centenary of the BBC.

The theme for 100 Women’ in 2022 is progress and the related set of programmes for the season will take the opportunity to look back at what’s changed over the past decade, as well as highlighting the inspiring women who have made a difference.

Prof Yoginder K Alagh, renowned economist, academic and a former Union minister, has passed away.

He was emeritus professor at Ahmedabad-based Sardar Patel Institute of Economic and Social Research (SPIESR).

He was born in Chakwal, in present-day Pakistan, in 1939.

Prof Yoginder K Alagh:

During the 1980s, he headed the Agricultural Prices Commission (APC) as well the Bureau of Industrial Costs & Prices (BICP).

As chairman of APC (now called the Commission for Agricultural Costs & Price), he set up its econometrics cell, which recommends minimum support prices for different crops and also published its reports with a view to encourage debate.

Before that, he chaired a Planning Commission Task Force in 1979, which for the first time constructed separate poverty lines for rural and urban areas based on nutritional requirements — consuming less than 2,400 calories and 2,100 calories, respectively.

Alagh was executive vice-chairman of the Gujarat government’s Narmada Planning Group for the Sardar Sarovar multipurpose dam project in 1980-82.

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) Researchers have developed an "Ocean Wave Energy Converter" that can generate electricity from sea waves.

The trials of this device were successfully completed during the second week of November 2022.

The product has been named ’Sindhuja-I,’ which means ’generated from the ocean.’

The system has a floating buoy, a spar, and an electrical module.

The buoy moves up and down as the wave moves up and down.

In the present design, a balloon-like system called a ’buoy’ has a central hole that allows a long rod called a spar to pass through it.

Google’s Jigsaw subsidiary is launching a new anti-misinformation project in India, aimed at preventing misleading information that has been blamed for inciting violence.

The initiative will use “prebunking” videos – designed to counter false claims before they become widespread – circulated on the company’s YouTube platform and other social media sites.

Indian government officials have called on tech companies such as Google, Meta, and Twitter to take stronger action against the spread of fake news.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) increased the repo rate by 35 basis points to 6.25% for the fifth consecutive time.

The key interest rate increased by a total of 190 basis points.

Since June 2022, it has hiked by 50 basis points thrice and once by 40 basis points during an off-cycle meet in May 2022.

The central bank increased the rate after inflation continues to remain above its tolerance band.

At the Monetary Policy Committee announcement, Governor Shaktikanta Das said that the FY23 real GDP forecast has decreased to 6.8%, which is 0.1% lower than the revised estimates issued by the World Bank on December 6, 2022.

The repo rate is the interest rate at which a country’s central bank loans money to commercial banks.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India’s central bank, employs repo rates to control liquidity in the economy.

The Repo rate is connected to the repurchase option’ or repurchase agreement’ in banking.

K V Shaji has been named Chairman of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).

He formerly served as NABARD’s Deputy Managing Director (DMD) till May 21, 2020.

He is an agricultural graduate with a PGDM in Public Policy from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Ahmedabad.

He spent 26 years in various roles at Canara Bank. In Canara Bank’s corporate office, he was in charge of strategy, planning, and business development.

He also played a role in the merger of Syndicate Bank and Canara Bank.

NABARD -

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is an apex regulatory body for overall regulation of regional rural banks and apex cooperative banks in India.

It is under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Finance, Government of India.

The bank has been entrusted with “matters concerning policy, planning, and operations in the field of credit for agriculture and other economic activities in rural areas in India”. NABARD is active in developing and implementing financial inclusion.

The Meghalaya government in partnership with startup TechEagle has unveiled Asia’s first drone delivery hub and network which is aimed at providing universal access to healthcare for the people in the state.

The project is aimed at delivering vital supplies like drugs, diagnostic samples, vaccines, blood and blood components quickly and safely to different regions of the state using a dedicated drone delivery network.

TechEagle’s Vertiplane X3 Drone delivered different healthcare products in its first flight which was five times faster in comparison to ground transportation.

Meghalaya Drone Delivery Network (MDDN) and hub in Phase 1 is a combination of one central hub and 25 spokes (supply chain nodes) in a radius of 50 kilometres where the drone hub at Jengal hospital will act as the centre point, according to TechEagle.

Dina Boluarte became Peru’s first female president by predecing Pedro Castillo.

The latest political crisis in Peru is a continuation of a series of events that have led to four Presidents since 2020.

Castillo, a left-wing former school teacher, was elected in June 2021 and since then, he’s mired in charges of corruption.

He has survived two impeachment proceedings in the last 18 months and a third one was due when he decided to make a dramatic move.

Sixteen-year-old Aditya Mittal has become India’s 77th chess Grandmaster during an ongoing tournament in Spain. The Mumbai player, who had secured three GM norms, crossed 2,500 ELO points mark during the sixth round of the ongoing Ellobregat Open tournament in Spain. He drew the game against Spain’s No 1 Francisco Vallejo Pons to achieve the feat.

.

Mittal earned his maiden GM norm at Serbia Masters 2021. Subsequently, he obtained his second GM norm at Ellobregat Open 2021.

The teenager secured his third GM norm at Serbia Masters 2022.

He is among the five players sharing the lead with five points at the ongoing Ellobregat Open.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has announced that the state will establish a separate Divyang department for the welfare of differently-abled persons with a fund allocation of 1,143 crore rupees.

It will formulate policies for the welfare of the disabled by taking into consideration the views of the stakeholders. He said that the decision in this direction was taken within only 24 days.

Welfare activities of Divyang people like education, training, and rehabilitation were so far taken care of by the state social justice department.

The sections looking into issues of Divyang (differently-abled) people under the Social Justice and Special Assistance department will be clubbed to form the new Divyang Welfare Department.

Time magazine named President Volodymyr Zelensky as well as “the spirit of Ukraine” as its 2022 person of the year, for the resistance the country has shown in the face of Russia’s invasion.

Zelensky shares the 2022 title with “the spirit of Ukraine,” which Felsenthal said was embodied by the “countless individuals inside and outside the country” who fought behind the scenes, including everyday people such as chefs and surgeons.

Time Heroes of the Year: Women in Iran were named the Time Heroes of the Year. Iranian women who are protesting for over three months against the custodial

death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. She was arrested for not wearing hijab publicly and she died while in the custody of the Iranian morality police. Her death has triggered a mass protest from the Iranian women against public wearing of Hijab and the morality police.

Time’s Entertainer of the year: The South Korean K-pop band Blackpink were recognised as.

Athlete of the Year: American baseball player Aaron Judge.

Icon of the Year: Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh .

Mahatma Gandhi is the only Indian to be named TIME Person of the Year, having been given the honour in 1930. The magazine described him as ’Saint Gandhi’ and later named him as one of the 25 Political Icons of all time.

The tradition of naming Time person of the year started in 1927. Initially it was named the Time Man of the Year. Other past winners have included the former dictator of Germany, Adolf Hitler in 1938, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was 2007’s Person of the Year.

Time first presented its Person of the Year award in 1927. Last year’s honoree was Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk, who has since made major headlines with his high-profile purchase of Twitter.

Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu won silver at the 2022 World Weightlifting Championships in Colombia.

She beat the Tokyo 2020 champion Hou Zhihua of China. China’s Jiang Huihua took home the gold medal with a combined weight of 206 kg.

Mirabai lifted a combined weight of 200 kg compared to Zhihua’s total of 198 kg.

This was Mirabai’s second medal at the World Championships, having previously won gold in 2017 with a lift of 194 kg.

In clean and jerk, Mirabai Chanu, competing in her first international meet since winning the Commonwealth Games 2022 in August, once again struggled with her left wrist.

The Indian weightlifter failed in her first attempt, lifted 111kg on the second try, and matched eventual gold medallist Jiang Huihua’s 113kg in her third attempt to enter the top three.

Cardiologist and director of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research CN Manjunath, writer Krishnappa G and social activist and businessman S Shadakshari have been selected for the Nadoja Award given by Kannada University in Hampi.

The dignitaries will be honoured with the award by Governor Thawarchand Gehlot, who is the Chancellor of the university.

Dr Manjunath, who hails from Cholenahalli in Channarayapatna taluk of Hassan district, is a well-known cardiologist and helms the State-run Jayadeva Cardiology Institute, one of the premier cardiology institutes in the country.

Nadoja Award 2022 - The Nadoja Award is a prestigious award presented annually by Kannada University, Hampi, India to eminent personalities for their contribution in various fields. The word “Nadoja” belongs to Adikavi Pampa which means teacher to the Land’s and Instituted in 1995. Award is given to eminent personalities for their contribution in various fields. First recipient of award: Kuvempu (Literature), S. Nijalingappa (Politics) and Gangubai Hangal (Hindustani Music).

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Charter Day is observed every year on 8th December. On this day in 1985, SAARC Charter was adopted in Dhaka, during the first summit of the group.

This year marks the 38th Anniversary of the regional group. The charter was signed by the Leaders of SAARC Countries Heads of State or Government of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the First SAARC Summit held in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

On 8 December 1985, the SAARC Charter was adopted, in Dhaka, during the first summit of the group.

The Charter was signed by the leaders of eight South Asian nations- Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Maldives, Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

As mentioned in its charter, the prime focus of SAARC is to work collectively to promote the welfare of people in the region and to improve their standard of living through social progress and economic development.

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation -

Eight Member States: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Secretariat: Kathmandu (Nepal).

Objective: To promote the welfare of the people of South Asia and to improve their quality of life, and to accelerate economic growth, among other things.

These are usually held biennially and hosted by member states in alphabetical order.

The Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation has announced the winners of the Jamnalal Bajaj award 2022.

The Foundation gives 4 awards in different categories.

Three are given to Indians and one award, for promoting Gandhian values outside is given to a foreigner.

Categories -

Constructive Works Application of Science and Technology for Rural Development

Development and Welfare of Women and Children

International Award for Promoting Gandhian Values outside India

Winners -

Nilesh Desai of Madhya Pradesh has been chosen for the Jamnalal Bajaj award for Constructive Works. He is the founder of the Sampark Samaj Sevi Sansthan which works for the upliftment of the Bhil Community.

Mansukhbhai Prajapati of Gujarat was awarded the Jamnalal Bajaj award for Application of Science and Technology for Rural Development.

Sophia Saik of Odisha was awarded the Jamnalal Bajaj award for Development and Welfare of Women and Children.

Dr Ogirat Younan and Dr Walid Slyabi of Lebanon was awarded the Jamnalal Bajaj award for Promoting Gandhian Values outside India.

Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation -

The Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation established in 1977, instituted four Awards, to globally propagate the ideals of Jamnalal Bajaj.

Jamnalal Bajaj Awards are categorized into three National and one International Award. Each award carries a Citation, a Trophy and a Cash Prize of Rs 10, 00,000.

Chairman of Tata Sons, N Chandrasekaran has been appointed as the chair of B20 India which represents the entire G20 business community.

He will lead the business agenda during India’s G20 Presidency.

The Government of India has appointed CII, who assumed charge as the B20 India Secretariat on December 1 and will lead the B20 India process.

About the B20 India -

B20 India work will be conducted through Task Forces and Action Councils, which will develop consensus-based policy recommendations to the G20.

It will commence work on various taskforces and action councils after the inception meeting, scheduled on 22-24 January 2023, culminating into the B20 India Summit in August 2023.

B20 India has identified priorities for deliberations under the theme “R.A.I.S.E – Responsible, Accelerated, Innovative, Sustainable, and Equitable Businesses.

About 100 business policy initiatives will be organised by CII under the B20 calendar across the country during the presidency year.

Ladakh has approached the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), a unit of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for developing “Spatial Data Infrastructure geoportal "Geo-Ladakh" for UT-Ladakh.

An MoU was also signed between IIRS (ISRO) and UT-Ladakh administration on January 1, 2022, towards carrying out the above work.

Presently, ISRO is also setting up an optical telescope at Hanle for tracking spacecraft and space objects.

Smart cities are taking a geographic approach, by using maps and sensors to understand the needs of their communities, allocate essential resources, and streamline operations. GIS has greatly assisted in improving communication through the creation of rich maps and hi-tech communication systems.

The Karthigai Deepam Chariot festival was held at Thiruparankundram in Madurai, Tamil Nadu after a gap of two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is one of the most important festivals in Madurai which many devotees attend.

It is a very old festival and is also celebrated in the neighboring states like Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

This festival is very important among the Tamils.

This festival is mentioned in the literature of Tamils known as Ahananuru, a collection of poems.

Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP), Maharashtra-based organisation has been awarded the Local Adaptation Champions Awards, organised by the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) at the ongoing COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

It won the award in the "Capacity and Knowledge" category for the work in supporting women farmers to adopt more resilient.

Swayam Shikshan Prayog -

SSP is one of the four organisations recognised for their work in leading climate change adaptation for vulnerable local communities.

Over the past 10 years, SSP developed the Women-led Climate Resilient Farming (WCRF) model.

Till now, the NGO has trained 3,00,000 rural women from across India to adapt to climate change with this model which is being implemented in eight districts in Maharashtra (Osmanabad, Solapur, Latur, Landed, Washim, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar and Jalna).

Meghna Ahlawat was elected president of the Table Tennis Federation of India.

Meghna Ahlawat has been elected its first female President, eight-time national champion Kamlesh Mehta takes over as the new secretary general of the TTFI and Patel Nagender Reddy has been elected as the Treasurer.

Ahlawat, who is the wife of Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala, contested against Gujarat home minister Harsh Sanghvi.

The Delhi High Court had suspended TTFI in February and appointed a Committee of Administrators (CoA) to take over its functioning.

The judgement came after woman’s India No 1 Manika Batra petitioned the court alleging match-fixing against the national coach during Tokyo Olympics qualifiers.

The court appointed a three-member committee to look into the allegations.

Dushyant Chautala was the previous TTFI president.

The Delhi High Court had barred members of the suspended executive board from taking part in the elections.

The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, also called as Conference of Parties (COP-15) commenced in Montreal, Canada on 7 December 2022.

The two-weeklong conference (7-19 December 2022) was originally scheduled to be held in Kunming, China in October but was shifted to Montreal, Canada due to covid situation in China.

This is the second part of the COP15.

The first part was hosted by China on 18 August 2021 virtually and the second part was to be held in a face to face conference but it has been shifted from China to Canada.

However the host of the COP15 in Montreal is still China.

During COP15, negotiators are expected to finalize and sign a document called the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. Parties to the CBD normally meet every two years at events known as the Conference of the Parties, or COP, to check in on progress and update the terms of the contract. That’s what’s starting now in Montreal (COP15 was supposed to begin in 2020, but it got delayed several times due to Covid; the first part of the event took place last year in Kunming, China).

The first COP -1 was held in Nassau, Bahamas 1994.

The 14th meeting was held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt (17-19 November 2018).

Indian-origin teacher in Australia has received the 2022 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in secondary schools. Melbourne-based Veena Nair, who is ViewBank College’s Head of Technology and STEAM project leader, has been awarded for demonstrating practical application of STEAM to students, and how they can use their skills to make a real impact in the world.

Veena Nair -

Nair began her teaching career in Mumbai, where she provided computers to low socio-economic schools and taught students how to code.

Nair’s students participate in the Swinburne Youth Space Innovation Challenge — a 10-week program that sees secondary students competing to create the best experiment to launch into space.

As a leading educator in STEAM, Nair has more than 20 years of experience in teaching science-based subjects across India, the United Arab Emirates, and now Australia.

The Third Global Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance concluded in Oman, with the issue of The Muscat Manifesto, which aims to accelerate One Health actions on antimicrobial resistance to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Bharati Pravin Pawar had participated in the "Third Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance".

Theme Of The Event -

The conference under the theme "The AMR Pandemic: From Policy to One Health Action" will enhance international cooperation to tackle AMR and build on the success of the two previous high-level ministerial conferences held in the Netherlands in 2014 and 2019.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is organizing a two-day convention on "Universal Health Coverage Day (UHC) 2022" on December 10 and 11, 2022, in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

The two-day event will be inaugurated by the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Mrs Anandiben Patel, in the presence of Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Dr Bharti Praveen Pawar, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare.

The program will be organized at International Co-operation and Convention Center Rudraksh Hall. Health ministers of different states will participate in the programme.

During the event at Varanasi, the 1st Regional Community Health Officers (CHO) Conference for Northern India will be held. Concerned government officials from the medical field from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand will take part in the regional conference.

International Universal Health Coverage Day 2022 -

In the year 2017, the United Nations officially declared 12 December as "International Universal Health Coverage Day".

This year theme of UHC Day "Build the World We Want: A Healthy Future for All" (Creating the World We Want: A Healthy Future for All), underlining the importance and role of health cover in building a healthy future for all.

India batter Ishan Kishan has smashed the fastest ODI double century in 126 balls against Bangladesh at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.

The wicketkeeper-batsman scored a 150 off boundaries alone, with 24 fours and 10 sixes all around the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. The 24-year old Kishan also became the fourth ODI double-centurion Indian after Rohit Sharma, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar and the seventh batsman overall to achieve the feat, along with Gayle, Martin Guptill and Fakhar Zaman.

Players - Runs - Balls - Against

Rohit Sharma (India) - 264 - 173 - Sri Lanka

Martin Guptill (Newzealand) - 237 - 163 - West Indies

Virendra Sehwag (India) - 219 - 149 - West Indies

Chris Gayle (West Indies) - 215 - 147 - Zimbabwe

Fakhar Zaman (Pakistan) - 210 - 156 - Zimbabwe

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) has appointed Meenesh C Shah as its Managing Director with effect from November 15.

Union Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Parshottam Rupala informed that the Gujarat-based NDDB does not have regular chairman since December 2020.

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) -

National Dairy Development Board was set up in 1966 as a society under the Societies Act 1860. The first chairman of NDDB was Verghese Kurien. Kurien is also called as the father of White Revolution in India.

NDDB was merged with Indian Dairy Corporation by the NDDB Act 1987 with effect from 12 October 1987. NDDB has been given Institution of national importance status. It comes under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

It launched operation flood in India which has made India, largest producer of milk in the world. The massive increase in the production of milk and dairy products in India is called as White revolution.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has appointed Indian-origin Sushmita Shukla as its First Vice President, and Chief Operating Officer (COO), making the insurance industry veteran its highest-ranked official after President and CEO, John C Williams.

The appointment was approved by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

She has served in leadership roles in the insurance industry. In a career spanning more than twenty years, she has primarily led operations, technology, and enterprise-wide transformation efforts.

Her previous employers include GiantBear Inc (April 2000-December 2000), Merrill Lynch (January 2001-May 2003), Liberty Mutual (June 2003-May 2006), The Hartford (July 2006-October 2016), and Healthfirst (November 2016-November 2017).

Leading truck and bus maker Ashok Leyland has announced the appointment of Shenu Agarwal as its MD & CEO with immediate effect.

Agarwal joined the 21,288-crore Chennai-headquartered Hinduja flagship from Escorts Kubota Ltd, where he was President-Agri Machinery and Construction Equipment.

Before that, he was the Chief Executive for the Agri machinery business of Escorts for more than seven years and was associated closely with the transformation of the company’s farm equipment business driving transformative marketing initiatives launching disruptive

business models and products and setting new benchmarks in cost efficiency.

A Gender Toolkit based on “Enabling gender-responsive urban mobility and public spaces” was launched in a session conducted by the World Bank and the Chennai Urban Metropolitan Transport Authority.

The World Bank developed a two toolkit that outlines a four-pillar implementation structure for urban entities to construct a gender-responsive urban transportation and public spaces programme.

Assessing the ground situation: The first pillar involves evaluating the current reality on the ground, which includes comprehending gender variations in mobility patterns, safety issues, and infrastructure and policy inadequacies.

The toolkit from the World Bank attempts to highlight the gender-related problems with urban planning and mobility.

Men, women, and gender minorities all have diverse perspectives on cities.

Central Government announced that it has extended the Rooftop Solar Programme till 31 March, 2026.

The subsidy under the programme will be available until the target under the Programme is achieved now.

The subsidy under National Portal has been fixed at Rs 14,588 per kW (for capacity upto 3 kW) for the entire country and residential consumers have to install rooftop solar plant from any one of the vendors registered by the respective distribution company of their locality.

The Ministry is implementing Rooftop Solar Programme Phase-II wherein CFA/subsidy is being provided to residential consumers for installation of rooftop solar.

To ease out the implementation of the Programme, a National Portal was developed which was launched by Prime Minister Modi on 30 July 2022.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Biocon Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Nykaa founder Falguni Nayar are among six Indians who have made it to the Forbes’ annual list of "The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women".

Ranked at number 36, Nirmala Sitharaman has made it to the list for the fourth time in a row.

In 2021, the 63-year-old minister was ranked at number 37 in the list, while she was in the 41st spot in 2020 and 34th in 2019.

Other Indians -

HCL Tech Chairperson Roshni Nadar Malhotra (rank: 53),

Securities And Exchange Board Of India (SEBI) Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch (rank: 54),

Steel Authority Of India Chairperson Soma Mondal (rank: 67),

The list includes 39 CEOs; 10 heads of state; and 11 billionaires worth a combined $115 billion.

World Overview -

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen sits atop the 19th annual Forbes list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde is placed at 2nd position, US Vice President Kamala Harris ranked 3rd in the list.

At rank 100, Iran’s Jina “Mahsa” Amini has posthumously made it to the influential list.

Passport Index 2022 published by Arton Capital ranked the world’s strongest and weakest passports.

India was ranked at 87th position in the world’s strongest passport list.

The Passport Index is based on the 139 members of the United Nations and six territories were considered for the list.

Key Findings -

The UAE has the strongest passport in the world.

Holders of this passport can travel visa-free or “visa on arrival” to 180 countries.

With a UAE passport travelers can enter to 180 countries hassle-free, seven more than European countries such as Germany and Sweden, and nine more than Japan, the index showed.

Countries with the weakest passports are Afghanistan (38) Syria (39), Iraq (40), Pakistan (44).

Nine out of top 10 most powerful passports are issued by the European countries.

Germany, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Spain, and France are among the top 10 performers.

Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has decided to open one thousand Khelo India centres by the 15th of August next year across the country.

These one thousand centres, 733 centres have been already sanctioned.

As compared to 2014, the budget of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports was Rs 1,219 crore, now it had increased to 3,062 crore for the year 2022-23.

Initiatives taken by the Centre, such as ’Meet the Champions’ initiative to make children aware about sports and nutrition with the help of the country’s best sportspersons.

So far, four editions of Youth Games and two editions of University Games have taken place.

Recently, the World Malaria Report 2022 was released by the World Health Organization (WHO).

High-burden malaria countries maintained a strong front against the disease in 2021 despite the Covid-19 pandemic, with cases and deaths stabilising.

Among the 11 high-burden countries, five — the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, India, Niger and the United Republic of Tanzania — recorded a decline in deaths.

But these countries continued to contribute heavily to the global disease burden.

Malaria -

Malaria is a life-threatening mosquito borne blood disease caused by plasmodium parasites.

It is predominantly found in the tropical and subtropical areas of Africa, South America as well as Asia.

The parasites spread through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. After entering the human body, parasites initially multiply within the liver cells and then attack the Red Blood Cells (RBCs) resulting in their rupture. Malaria Vaccine was developed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) company and approved by the European Medicines Agency in 2015.

In India, malaria elimination efforts were initiated in 2015 and were intensified after the launch of the National Framework for Malaria Elimination (NFME) in 2016 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

NFME is in line with WHO’s 2016-2030 Malaria Strategy, which guides the WHO Global Malaria Programme (GMP).

Tamil Nadu has become first state to launch its own Climate Change Mission.

It had launched the Green Tamil Nadu Mission last September and the Tamil Nadu Wetlands Mission this August. A Special Purpose Vehicle–the Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company (TNGCC)–will implement the State Climate Action Plan.

TN Govt Approach - Stalin’s government has also set up the Tamil Nadu Governing Council on Climate Change, the first such to be headed by a Chief Minister.

The council will provide policy guidance to the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission, provide advice on adaptation to climate change and mitigation of climate change impacts, formulate the Tamil Nadu State Climate Change Action Plan and provide appropriate guidelines for its implementation.

Congress leader Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu has took oath as the New Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh at historic ridge ground in Shimla.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri also took oath

with him.

Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath to both.

Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu -

Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu was the general secretary of the Himachal Pradesh unit of the Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India (NSUI). Later, he became the president of NSUI.

For the first time he won the assembly elections in 2003 from Nadaun in Hamirpur district.

He then retained the seat in 2007 but lost it again in 2012 and won it again in 2017 and 2022.

Himachal Pradesh -

Himachal was made the eighteenth state of India on 25 January 1971 under the Himachal Pradesh State Act, 1971.

Legislative Assembly seats- 68

Rajya Sabha seats- 3

Lok Sabha seats – 4

Major rivers and dams– Sutlej (Bhakra Dam, Gobind Sagar Reservoir, Koldam Dam), Vyas (Pandoh Dam, Maharana Pratap Sagar Reservoir), Ravi (Chamera Dam), Parvati Major Lakes– Renuka, Revalsar, Khajjiar, Dal, Beas Kund, Dasaur, Brighu, Parashar, Mani Mahesh, Chander Tal, Suraj Tal, Kareri, Sarolsar, Govind Sagar, Nako Lake National Parks– Great Himalayan National Park, Pin Valley National Park, Khirganga, Inderkilla and Simbalbara National Parks

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declared a seed farm, located in Aluva, as the first carbon neutral farm in the country.

A significant reduction in carbon emission has helped the seed farm, achieve the carbon neutral status.

The total amount of carbon emission from the farm, located at Thuruthu in Aluva, in the last one year was 43 tons but its overall procurement was 213 ton.

Carbon neutral farms will be set up in all 140 Assembly constituencies. Efforts have already been launched to make 13 farms in Kerala carbon neutral.

Carbon Neutrality: -

According to the definition of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), carbon neutrality, or net zero CO2 emissions, refers only to carbon dioxide emissions and is a state of balance between the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere and the CO2 removed from the atmosphere.

India, with 20 of the most valuable companies in the world, has moved into the fifth position among countries that are home to the world’s top 500 firms.

Last year, it ranked ninth with eight companies.

The US continued to top the charts, according to the 2022 Hurun Global 500 list.

The list, released by the Hurun Research Institute, is a compilation of the 500 most valuable non-state-controlled companies in the world.

Companies were ranked according to their market capitalisation (for listed companies) and valuations for non-listed companies.

With a $202-billion valuation, Reliance Industries (RIL) topped the charts of Indian companies, while it ranked 34th in the world. It was followed by Tata Consultancy Services ($139 billion) and HDFC Bank ($97 billion).

Globally, Apple retained the title of the most valuable company in the world with a market cap of $2.4 trillion and Microsoft came second ($1.8 trillion), while Alphabet, the parent company of Google, displaced Amazon to take the third place.

China came in second with 35 companies, followed by Japan (28) and the UK (21). India and Canada moved up to the fifth place with 20 companies each, adding eight and three companies, respectively, overtaking France and Germany.

Renowned Marathi Lavani singer Sulochana Chavan has passed away at the age of 92.

Earlier this year, Chavan was awarded the Padma Shri and also conferred the title of "Lavani Samradnyi" (Queen of Lavani) for her contribution to the traditional Maharashtrian musical genre of Lavani, associated with the folk theatre of Tamasha.

Aunda Lagin Karachain, Kasan Kay Patil Baran Hi Ka’, ’Kalidar Kapuri Paan’, ’Khelatan Rang Bai Holicha’, ’Padarawarti Zartarichi Mor Nachra Hawa’ and many more of Chavan’s songs are popular even today.

Awards and Honours -

She was honoured with the Lata Mangeshkar Award, instituted by the Government of Maharashtra, in 2010.

She was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2012.

Chavan was awarded the Lokshahir Patthe Bapurao Puraskar instituted by the Pune Municipal Corporation in 2007 and two years later, was bestowed with the Ram Kadam Puraskar.

The 39th edition of India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol (IND-INDO CORPAT) between the Indian Navy and the Indonesian Navy is being conducted from 08 – 19 December 2022.

Indian Naval Ship (INS) Karmuk, an indigenously built Missile Corvette participated in the pre-deployment briefing at Belawan, Indonesia.

The 39th edition of IND-INDO CORPAT seeks to bolster the maritime cooperation between the two navies and forge strong bonds of friendship between India and Indonesia.

As part of Government of India’s vision SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region), Indian Navy has been proactively engaging with countries in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) to enhance maritime security in the region.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the country’s first chartered gateway, and a business jet terminal at the Cochin International Airport.

With this, Cochin airport has become the fourth airport in the country to operate a private jet terminal.

With two majestic domestic and international travel terminals, Cochin International Airport Limited(CIAL) is now home to the country’s biggest Business Jet Terminal.

Kerala achieved 114 per cent growth in the hospitality sector and 75 per cent growth in the aviation sector.

Jammu and Kashmir has been awarded 1st prize in the category for Ayushman Bharat health account ID generation and 2nd prize in the category for Teleconsultation conducted during the celebration of Universal Health Coverage Day 2022.

Universal Health Coverage Day -

Universal Health Coverage Day is celebrated every year on 12 december to commemorate the significance of Universal health coverage which aims to ensure quality healthcare closer to the people without any financial hardships.

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission -

Ayushman Bharat is a flagship scheme of India which was launched as recommended by the National Health Policy 2017, to achieve the vision of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

The pilot project of the Mission had been announced by the Prime Minister from the ramparts of the Red Fort on 15th August 2020.

Implementing Agency - National Health Authority (NHA) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

International Mountain Day is celebrated annually on December 11 to increase public awareness of the value of mountains to both life and climate.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) established International Mountain Day to recognise the importance of mountains.

International Mountains Day has played an important role in addressing the issue of mountain ecology.

It also has an impact on mountain tourism.

Mountain tourism has grown in popularity over the years.

People express a desire to visit the mountains rather than the lowlands.

Theme -

The theme of this year’s International Mountain Day (IMD) is "Women Move Mountains".

Women play a key role in mountains’ environmental protection and social and economic development.

History -

The day came into existence in 2003.

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development accepted Chapter 13 of Agenda 21: Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development in 1992.

With such widespread support, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2002 to be the “United Nations International Year of Mountains.”

The group determined that beginning in 2003, December 11 would be designated as World Mountain Day annually.

Recently, the 17th Asia Pacific Regional Meeting (APRM) of the International Labour Organization (ILO) was held in Singapore.

The four key thematic areas of the 17th APRM included:

Integrated policy agenda for a human-centred recovery that is inclusive, sustainable and resilient

Institutional framework to support transitions towards formality and decent work

Strong foundations for social and employment protection and resilience

Revitalizing productivity growth and skills for more and better jobs

International Labour Organization -

Established in 1919 by the Treaty of Versailles as an affiliated agency of the League of Nations.

ILO is the only tripartite UN agency with government, employer, and worker representatives.

It brings together governments, employers and workers of 187 member States, to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men.

Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

Reports: Global Wage Report, World Employment and Social Outlook,

World Social Protection Report, Social Dialogue Report

Legendary athlete Pilavullakandi Thekkeraparambil Usha or PT Usha was elected as the first woman president of Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

The 58-year-old Ms Usha, a multiple Asian Games gold medallist and fourth-place finisher in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics 400m hurdles final, was declared elected unopposed for the top post in the polls.

The elections were held under the supervision of Supreme Court-appointed retired SC judge L Nageswara Rao.

Usha emerged as the lone candidate for the top post, as nobody was willing to fight against Usha, who was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in July.

Other important appointments -

Apart from Usha, Ajay Patel of National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has been elected unopposed as senior vice-president.

Olympic medalist shooter Gagan Narang and Rowing Federation of India president Rajlaxmi Singh Deo have been elected unopposed as vice presidents.

Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) president Sahdev Yadav has been elected the treasurer.

All India Football Federation (AIFF) president and former goalkeeper Kalyan Chaubey has been elected unopposed as the joint secretary (male).

Alaknanda Ashok of Badminton Association of India (BAI) was elected as joint secretary (female) after emerging winner in a three-way battle.

Shalini Thakur Chawla and Suman Kaushik were also in the fray.

England’s T20 World Cup-winning captain Jos Buttler has named ICC men’s Player of the Month for the first time following his stupendous show in November.

Pakistan’s Sidra Ameen became the second successive winner of the women’s Player of the Month award from the country.

ICC Men’s Player of the Previous Month -

January 2022: Keegan Petersen (South Africa)

February 2022: Shreyas Iyer (India)

March 2022: Babar Azam (Pakistan)

April 2022: Keshav Maharaj (South Africa)

May 2022: Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka)

June 2022: Jonny Bairstow (England)

July 2022: Prabath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka)

August 2022: Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe)

September 2022: Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)

October 2022: Virat Kohli (India)

ICC Women’s Player of the Previous Month -

January 2022: Heather Knight (England)

February 2022: Amelia Kerr (New Zealand)

March 2022: Rachael Haynes (Australia)

April 2022: Alyssa Healy (Australia)

May 2022: Tuba Hassan (Pakistan)

June 2022: Marizanne Kapp (South Africa)

July 2022: Emma Lamb (England)

August 2022: Tahlia McGrath (Australia)

September 2022: Harmanpreet Kaur (India)

October 2022: Nida Dar (Pakistan)

Japan’s space startup ispace has successfully launched a spacecraft to the moon recently, marking a significant step towards what would be a historic first, both for the nation and a private company.

Additionally, what makes it unique is the fact that it is the first successful venture to the moon by a private company.

About HAKUTO -

HAKUTO is a term used for a white rabbit that resides on the moon, as per Japanese folklore.

The ispace craft to deploy a tiny NASA satellite into the orbit of the moon to look for water deposits prior to its touch in the Atlas Crater.

Additionally, the M1 lander will station two robotic rovers, a baseball-sized device from the JAXA space agency, and the four-wheeled Rashid explorer.

The Rashid explorer is crafted by the United Arab Emirates.

The first G20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies (FCBD) meeting is scheduled to be held during 13-15 December 2022 in Bengaluru.

This meeting will mark the start of discussions on the Finance Track agenda under the Indian G20 Presidency.

The upcoming meeting of G20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies will be co-chaired by Mr Ajay Seth, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs and Dr Michael D Patra, Deputy Governor of RBI.

The G20 Finance Track discusses key issues of relevance for the global economy, encompassing the global economic outlook.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated Mopa International Airport in Goa, which has been named after former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.

The new airport, which is about 35 km from capital city Panaji, can handle 44 lakh passengers annually.

Its capacity can be raised to over 3 crore passengers per year after expansion plans in the future.

In November 2016, the PM laid Mopa airport’s foundation stone. It will be the second airport in the state, the first airport in Goa is at Dabolim.

About Manohar Parrikar -

Manohar Parrikar was a towering leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Goa.

He was the Chief Minister of Goa 2000 to 2005, 2012 to 2014 and from 14 March 2017 until his death in March 2019.

Manohar Parrikar was also the Union Defence Minister from October 2014-March 2017.

He was awarded Padma Bhushan posthumously in January 2020.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has flagged off India’s sixth Vande Bharat Express between Bilaspur

(Chattisgarh)-Nagpur (Maharashtra) route.

This is the second Vande Bharat express in the state after the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat express.

He inaugurated the "Nagpur Metro Phase I", and laid the foundation stone of "Nagpur Metro phase- II" at Khapri Metro Station.

The Phase I has been developed at a cost of Rs 8650 crore while the Phase II will be developed at a cost of more than Rs 6700 crore.

He inaugurated the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg connecting Nagpur and Shirdi.

Vande Bharat -

Vande Bharat is an indigenous semi-high speed train developed by Indian Railways.

Government proposes to run 75 Vande Bharat express trains in the country by 15 August 2023.

The Vande Bharat Express can run up to a maximum speed of 160 kmph.

Indian Army’s Airawat Division conducted Ex Sanchaar Bodh in extensive obstacle ridden terrain of Punjab.

The exercise validated tactical communication capabilities.

The formation reaffirmed its determination to win at any cost under adverse conditions.

Airawat Division -

The Indian 1 Armoured Division, under II Corps is headquartered at Patiala.

The 1 Armoured Division, nicknamed the "Black Elephant" or "Airawat" Division is considered to be the pride of the Indian Army.

Elephants have been regarded as precious and majestic since the "puranic" era.

The supremacy of Elephant is also well illustrated in the Hindu Mythology.

The 1 Armoured Division played a major role in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.

At that time the Division consisted of 2 Royal Lancers, 4 Hodson’s Horse, 7 Light Cavalry, 16 "Black Elephant" Cavalry, 17 Cavalry (Poona Horse), 18 Cavalry and 62 Cavalry.

Justice Dipankar Dutta has took oath as a judge of the Supreme Court.

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud administered the oath to Justice Dutta in the swearing-in ceremony in the Supreme Court in the presence of all judges.

With the appointment of Justice Dutta, the Supreme Court will have 28 judges out of the strength of 34 judges.

Justice Dutta will have a term till February 8, 2030.

57-year-old Justice Datta will have a nearly eight-year tenure in the Supreme court until his retirement in February 2030 at the age of 65.

His name was recommended by a Supreme Court Collegium led by Justice UU Lalit on September 26.

The pendency of his file with the government for well over two months had been a source of consternation for both the Supreme Court and the apex court lawyers’ community. Justice Datta was elevated to the bench of the Calcutta High Court as a permanent judge on June 22, 2006.

Bhupendra Patel took oath as the Chief Minister of Gujarat for a second straight term in Gandhinagar.

He was administered oath as the 18th Chief Minister of Gujarat by Governor Acharya Devvrat.

Patel was sworn in as the 17th Chief Minister of Gujarat on September 13, 2021. Bharatiya Janata Party had seventh consecutive victory in the recently concluded elections of the Gujarat Assembly, by winning 156 of the total 182 seats.

About Gujarat - Rivers - Luni, Sabarmati, Mahi, Narmada, Tapti, Banas, Saraswati, Damanganga Festivals - Navratri, Kite festival, Kutch Utsav, Modhera dance festival Mountain ranges - Garda hills, Barda hills, Gir range, Rajpipla hills, Chhota Udaipur hills, Black hills, Mandav hills. Dance, Drama & Music forms - Dandiya Raas, Garba dance, Tippani, Padhar Dance, Bhavi Folk drama, Hallisaka, Dangi Nrita.

Three medicinal plant species found in the Himalayas have made it to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species following a recent assessment.

Meizotropis pellita has been assessed as "critically endangered", Fritilloria cirrhosa as "vulnerable", and Dactylorhiza hatagirea as "endangered".

About the three species -

Meizotropis pellita, commonly known as Patwa, is a perennial shrub with restricted distribution that is endemic to Uttarakhand.

The species is threatened by deforestation, habitat fragmentation and forest fires.

The oil extracted from its leaves contains strong antioxidants and can be a natural alternative to synthetic antioxidants in the pharmaceutical industries.

Fritillaria cirrhosa (Himalayan fritillary) is a perennial bulbous herb.

In China this species is used to treat bronchial disorders and pneumonia.

Dactylorhiza hatagirea (Salampanja), is threatened by habitat loss, livestock grazing, deforestation, and climate change.

About ICUN -

Created in 1948, it is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.

It is headquartered in Switzerland.

The National Energy Conservation Day is celebrated every year on 14th December 2022.

The purpose is to showcase the achievements of the nation in energy efficiency and conservation.

This occasion has been celebrated since 1991 when is led by the Ministry of power.

History -

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the power ministry of India, launched the National Energy Conservation Awards in 1991.

2022 Event -

Smt Droupadi Murmu, Hon’ble President of India will be the Chief Guest of the event.

Shri R. K. Singh is current Union Minister of Power, New & Renewable Energy in December 2022.

A Mobile application titled "EV Yatra" has been designed and developed to facilitate in-vehicle navigation to the nearest public EV charger.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lay the foundation stone and inaugurate projects worth Rs 75,000 crores in Maharashtra.

Key Points -

PM Modi has inaugurated Phase-I of Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg.

It will cover a distance of 520 Kms and connecting Nagpur and Shirdi.

The 701 Km expressway – being built at a cost of about Rs 55,000 crore – is one of India’s longest expressways, passing through Maharashtra’s 10 districts and prominent urban regions of Amravati, Aurangabad and Nashik.

Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the project for pollution abatement of river Nag at Nagpur.

The inaugurated Samruddhi Mahamarg will connect to the Delhi Mumbai Expressway, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and tourist locations like Ajanta Ellora Caves, Shirdi, Verul, Lonar, etc.

About Maharashtra -

The main folk dances of Maharashtra are Lavani, Dhangarigaja, Lezim, Koli, Gondhal and Tamasha.

Bhajan, Bharud, Gondhal, Kirtan, Lalita, Abhangas and Tumbadi singing are the other forms of community entertainments based on folksongs found in Maharashtra.

Retail inflation of India has been eased to 5.88% in November 2022 from 6.77% in October.

It is the first time in this Financial Year when the inflation rate came within the tolerance band of RBI i.e. 2 to 6%.

Food prices, which account for nearly 40% of the CPI basket, eased to 4.67% in November, compared with 7.01% in October.

Retail Inflation -

Consumer Price Index (CPI) tracks Retail Inflation

Retail inflation has been above the upper end of the Reserve Bank of India’s 2%-6% tolerance band since January.

In India, inflation is primarily measured by two main indices — WPI (Wholesale Price Index) and CPI (Consumer Price Index) which measure wholesale and retail-level price changes, respectively.

Base Year for Consumer Price Index is 2012.

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) uses CPI data to control inflation.

Former vice president Venkaiah Naidu has been conferred with the 25th Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi National Eminence Award (SIES).

The award was presented during the event held at Shanmukhananda auditorium, King’s Circle in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Other Awardees -

Public Leadership: Arif Mohammed Khan Governor of Kerala

Community Leadership: Ratan Tata, an eminent industrialist

Science and Technology: Dr Marthanda Varma Sankaran Valianathan, renowned cardiologist and Padma Vibhushan awardee

Science and Technology: Prof Ajay Kumar Sood, Scientific Advisor to the Government of India

Spiritual Leadership: Vishakha Hari Harikatha artiste

About Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi National Eminence Award -

The Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi National Eminence Award was instituted by SIES in 1998 in memory of late seer of Kanchi, Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi. This award is given annually in the field of Public eminence, Community leadership, Science and Technology, Social thinkers and the International category.

SIES was set up in 1932 by M. V. Venkateshwaran in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud virtually inaugurated 10 district court digitisation hubs (DCDH) in Odisha.

With this a total of 15 DCDHs have now functional in the state.

The hubs are at Angul, Bhadrak, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Keonjhar, Koraput, Malkangiri, Mayurbhanj, Nayagarh and Sonepur.

Related Initiatives -

e-Courts Project - This was conceptualized under the “National Policy and Action Plan for Implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Indian Judiciary-2005”.

National Judicial Data Grid -National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) is a database of orders, judgments and case details of 18,735 computerised District & Subordinate Courts created as an online platform under the e -Courts Project.

SUPACE - It is short form of Supreme Court Portal for Assistance in Court’s Efficiency.

SUVAS - It is short form of Supreme Court Vidhik Anuvaad Software. It is used to translate SC judgments into regional languages.

World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Dr Jeremy Farrar will become its new Chief Scientist.

Currently, Director of the Wellcome Trust, Dr Farrar will join WHO in the second quarter of 2023.

Dr Farrar is a clinician scientist who, before joining Wellcome in 2013, spent 17 years as Director of the Clinical Research Unit at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Vietnam.

Other appointment -

Dr Amelia Latu Afuhaamango Tuipulotu will become WHO’s Chief Nursing Officer.

World Health Organization -

Its headquarters are situated in Geneva, Switzerland.

There are 194 Member States, 150 country offices, six regional offices.

It began functioning on April 7, 1948 – a date now being celebrated every year as World Health Day.

Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) topped the grievance redressal index among all group A ministries, departments and autonomous bodies for resolution of public grievances for the fourth month in a row in November.

The report was published by the Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances Department (DARPG).

About UIDAI -

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is a statutory authority established on 12 July 2016 by the Government of India under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, following the provisions of the Aadhaar Act 2016.

The UIDAI is mandated to assign a 12-digit unique identification (UID) number (Aadhaar) to all the residents of India.

The UIDAI was initially set up by the Government of India in January 2009, as an attached office under the aegis of the Planning Commission.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted a joint hypersonic vehicle trial along with the Headquarters, Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS).

This missile will be capable of firing conventional weapons as well as nuclear weapons.

Hypersonic Missile -

Hypersonic missiles move towards the target at a speed of Mach 5 i.e. 5 times or more than the speed of sound (343 m/s). It can travel about 6,200 kilometers in an hour.

Capable of carrying nuclear warheads, hypersonic missiles can fly at very low altitudes and at higher speeds than common ballistic and cruise missiles.

They can also change direction during their journey, that is, like a normal missile, the target does not follow a fixed path.

Karnataka shooter Divya TS has secured her first women’s 10m air pistol national title at the 65th National Shooting Championship Competitions held in Bhopal.

She defeated Sanskriti Bana from Uttar Pradesh by 16-14 in the gold medal match and Rhythm Sangwan from Haryana settled for bronze.

The 27-year-old Divya as she topped the second stage with 254.2, ahead of a string of top shooters like Rhythm Sangwan, Esha Singh and Manu Bhaker.

Olympian, Manu Bhaker has won the junior women’s air pistol, after defeating Esha Singh (Telangana). Rhythm Sangwan has won the gold medal in the Youth category.

Other winner - 25m centre fire pistol: Men

Vijay Kumar

Anish Bhanwala

Gurpreet Singh

The Meghalaya government, which has adopted a "Jan Andolan" (people’s movement) against Tuberculosis received an award for best practices in controlling the disease.

The award for Best Practice in Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilisation (ACSM) in Tuberculosis control was presented to representatives of the health department at a national workshop, aimed at ending TB infections, in the national capital.

The state registered 4,189 TB cases in 2021 while in the first quarter of 2022, around 1,075 patients have been enrolled for treatment.

Tuberculosis -

TB is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

In humans, TB most commonly affects the lungs.

TB is spread from person to person through the air.

BCG was developed by two Frenchmen, Albert Calmette and Camille Guerin, by modifying a strain of Mycobacterium bovis (that causes TB in cattle). It was first used in humans in 1921.

In India, BCG was first introduced in a limited scale in 1948 and became a part of the National TB Control Programme in 1962.

Hyderabad Strikers has crowned as champions of 4th Tennis Premier League (TPL) 2022.

The final of the 4th TPL was held in Pune, Maharashtra.

Hyderabad Strikers beat Mumbai Leon Army (41-32).

It was crowned champions of the event for the 2nd year in a row.

Hyderabad’s pair S Balaji and Nikki Poonacha defeated Mumbai’s R Ramanathan and J Nedunnchezhiyan 14-6 to win the title.

The Manila-based Asian Development Bank kept its economic growth outlook for India unchanged at seven percent for the fiscal 2022-23.

For the next fiscal year, FY 23-24, the GDP growth has been kept unchanged at 7.2 percent, “sustained by positive effects from structural reform and from public investment catalysing private investment”.

The Manila-based bank’s report sees Asia expanding 4.2 percent this year and accelerating to 4.6 percent in 2023. The previously estimated expansion stood at 4.3 percent and 4.9 percent, respectively.

Understanding GDP Growth Rate -

The GDP of a certain period, when set against another, can show a comparison that can be measured using the given formula: Economic Growth = (GDP 2 - GDP 1) / (GDP 1) The result is expressed in a percentage.

If the result is positive, it means the economy is growing by the said percent.

Asian Development Bank -

The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank (ADB) established on 19th December 1966. It is headquartered in Manila, Philippines.

It was formed as a result of a resolution passed at the first Ministerial Conference on Asian Economic Cooperation held by the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ESCAFE) in 1963.

Russia has for the first time emerged as top oil supplier to India replacing Iraq.

India’s oil imports from Russia rose for the fifth straight month, totaling 908,000 barrels per day (bpd) in November, up 4% from October, the data showed.

The Group of Seven nations(G-7), Australia, and the 27 European Union countries have imposed a price cap of $60 a barrel on Russian seaborne oil from December 5.

Because the West is trying to limit Moscow’s ability to finance its war in Ukraine.

About OPEC -

Generally, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) used to work as a cartel and fix prices in a favourable band.

OPEC is led by Saudi Arabia, which is the largest exporter of crude oil in the world (single-handedly exporting 10% of the global demand).

OPEC has a total of 13 Member Countries viz - Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Libya, Nigeria, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Congo, Angola, and Venezuela.

SpiceJet has been awarded the "Safety Performer of the Year" award by GMR Delhi Airport Awards for being the top performer among the self-handling airlines and as it has been able to reduce ground safety violations significantly.

SpiceJet ground handling team at Delhi Airport achieved this performance through constant focus on quality improvements, innovation and hard work.

Key Points -

Recently, the airline was audited by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and its operations, safety processes, and systems were found to be strong and at par with the global best practices and safety standards.

The airline was the only scheduled Indian airline part of the audit conducted by ICAO, the United Nations aviation arm. The audit of SpiceJet safety systems “helped India achieve” its highest-ever safety ranking in

ICAO audit.

About DGCA -

It is an attached office of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

It is the regulatory body in the field of Civil Aviation primarily dealing with safety issues.

It is responsible for regulation of air transport services to/from/within India and for enforcement of civil air regulations, air safety and airworthiness standards.

It also co-ordinates all regulatory functions with the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

According to the French embassy, France will host an International conference "Standing with the Ukrainian People" in Paris with an aim to coordinate international support for civilian resilience in Ukraine and address the Ukrainian people’s urgent humanitarian needs.

The conference is organised at the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron and is co-organised with Ukraine.

During the conference, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address virtually.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict -

Contestation about post-Cold War central European territoriality and resurrecting a burnished Russian past is at the core of the Ukraine crisis.

As part of the Soviet Union, Ukraine was the second-most powerful Soviet republic after Russia, and was crucial strategically, economically and culturally.

India International Science Festival (IISF)-2022 will be held in Bhopal in January 2023 and incidentally, it is one of the major events to be held after India took over G-20 Presidency.

IISF is the initiative of the Ministry of Science & Technology and Ministry of Earth Science of Government of India in association with Vijnana Bharati which is a science movement with swadeshi spirit led by eminent scientists of the country.

The IISF 2022 is the eighth edition since its inception in 2015.

Key points -

This year’s IISF will also witness “Vigyanika”, the Science Literature Festival.

SIF22 would provide an avenue for showcasing innovative products, projects, and ideas developed by Students, we see the best technology being incubated here.

The International Science Film Festival of India (ISFFI) will be another highlight of the festival and will promote in recognizing the efforts of filmmakers and motivate them to develop scientific and innovative content.

The first and second IISF were held in New Delhi, the third in Chennai, the fourth one in Lucknow, fifth in Kolkata, sixth through virtual mode and the last one IISF was held in Goa which witnessed a footfall from over 5 lakh people worldwide.

India plans to commission 20 nuclear power plants by 2031, adding nearly 15,000 MW in power generating capacity, the government told the Lok Sabha.

The first of these 20 nuclear power plants, a 700 MW unit, will be commissioned in 2023 at Kakrapar in Gujarat, which already has three atomic power generating units operational.

Key Points -

The 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam is likely to be operational in 2024.

Two 700 MW units at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan are likely to be completed by 2026.

Another two 1,000 MW units are likely to be completed at Kudankulam by 2027.

Two 700 MW units are expected to be completed at Gorakhpur in Haryana by 2029.

Nuclear Power Plants in India -

There are 22 reactors in the nation running above 80% plant load factor as of 2021, with a combined installed capacity of 6780 MWe.

The Mumbai-based Apsara Research Reactor is Asia’s first nuclear power plant.

There are four light water reactors and eighteen pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) in total (LWRs).

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin inaugurated the statue of Mahakavi Subramanian Bharathiyar at the renovated house of Bharathiyar at Varanasi via video conference on 11th December.

Stalin also released a souvenir on his centenary.

Bharathiyar’s 141st birth anniversary celebrates on the behalf of State Government in various places in the State.

Mahakavi Subramanian Bharathiyar -

Mahakavi Subramanian Bharathiyar was a Tamil writer, poet, journalist, Indian independence activist, social reformer and polyglot.

He was bestowed the title “Bharathi” for his excellence in poetry.

Bharathi joined as Assistant Editor of the Swadesamitran a Tamil daily in 1904.

In 1907, he started editing the Tamil weekly India and the English newspaper Bala Bharatham with MPT Acharya.

Three of his greatest works namely, Kuyil Pattu, Panchali Sapatham and Kannan Pattu were composed during 1912

HDFC Bank announced the launch of its sixth annual grants program for social startups in partnership with the Government of India’s flagship initiative "Startup India".

Known as Parivartan SmartUp Grants, the program aims to identify startups working in the social impact space and support them through monetary grants to their incubators.

About Startup India -

Startup-India works under Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

It aims at fostering entrepreneurship and promoting innovation by creating an ecosystem that is conducive for growth of Start-ups.

Startup India Action Plan comprises of 19 action items spanning across areas such as Simplification and handholding.

Startup India Hub is a one of its kind online platforms for all stakeholders of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in India.

Startup India Seed Fund Scheme aims to provide financial assistance to startups.

The 6th Edition of Indo – Kazakhstan joint training exercise “KAZIND-22” is conducted at Umroi (Meghalaya) from 15 to 28 December 2022.

The scope of this exercise involves a Command Post Exercise (CPX) at the Battalion level and Company level Field Training Exercise (FTX) on sub-conventional operations.

During the exercise, participants will engage in variety of missions ranging from joint planning, joint tactical drills, basics of special arms skills, HADR and raiding a hostile target.

“Exercise KAZIND” will enhance the level of defence cooperation between Indian Army and Kazakhstan Army which will further foster the bilateral relations between the two nations.

The 5th edition of Indo- Kazakhstan Joint Training Exercise, “KAZIND-21” was held from August 30 to September 11, 2021, at Training Node, Aisha Bibi, Kazakhstan.

The New Zealand government has passed a law to completely end tobacco smoking by banning youth from buying cigarettes for life.

The Smoke Free Environments and Regulated Products (Smoking Tobacco) Amendment Bill has been passed in New Zealand which aims to make New Zealand smoke free by 2025. The bill aims to ban the sale of tobacco to anyone born after January 1, 2009, and reduce the number of cigarette retailers in the country.

Tobacco cultivation in India -

Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) is believed to have originated from South America.

India stands second in tobacco production and exports in the world. China ranks first. Tobacco is grown under a wide range of climates but requires a frost-free period of 90 to 120 days from transplanting to last harvest of leaves. The optimum pH ranges from 5 to 6.5. Quality of the leaves is affected by soil salinity.

The water requirements for maximum yield vary with climate and length of growing period from 400 to 600mm.

United States has announced a nuclear fusion breakthrough, a historic step towards the promise of "near-limitless" clean energy and may help the fight to curb climate change.

US Department of Energy said, researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California for the first time produced more energy in a fusion reaction than was used to ignite it, something called net energy gain.

Fusion Technology -

It is a powerful way of harnessing the immense energy trapped in the nucleus of an atom.

Attempts to master the fusion process have been going on at least since the 1950s, but it is incredibly difficult and is still at an experimental stage.

Fission Process: The nuclear energy currently in use across the world comes from the fission process in which the nucleus of a heavier element is split into those of lighter elements in a controlled manner.

Fusion Process: Here, the nuclei of two lighter elements are made to fuse together to form the nucleus of a heavier atom.

India has become the first country to auction spectrum for satellite communication, and it should be designed to attract investments in the sector.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) will soon make recommendations to make permissions required for satellite communication from various ministries — Information and Broadcasting, Space and Telecom — seamless to enhance ease of doing business in the sector.

Satellite communication -

Satellite communication refers to any communication link that involves the use of an artificial satellite in its propagation path.

Satellite communications play a vital role in modern life.

There are over 2000 artificial satellites in use.

They can be found in geostationary, Molniya, elliptical, and low Earth orbits and are used for traditional point-to-point communications, mobile applications, and the distribution of TV and radio programs.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India -

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was established on 20th February, 1997 by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997.

The head office of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is located at New Delhi.

Amendment in the TRAI Act, 1997: The TRAI Act was amended in 2000 which established a Telecommunications Dispute Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) to take over the adjudicatory and disputes functions from TRAI.

The 16th Edition of Indo-Nepal joint training Exercise "SURYA KIRAN-XVI" between India and Nepal will be conducted at Nepal Army Battle School, Saljhandi (Nepal), from 16 – 29 December 2022.

Exercise “SURYA KIRAN” is conducted annually between India and Nepal with the aim to enhance interoperability in jungle warfare & counter terrorism operations in mountainous terrain and HADR under UN mandate.

About Surya Kiran -

Surya Kiran is a bilateral joint military exercise between India and Nepal.

Indian Army and Nepal Army participate in the Surya Kiran exercise.

The biannual exercise, which takes place alternately in both countries, aims to establish military relations in inaccessible mountainous areas by the soldiers of both countries.

The 15th edition of Indo-Nepal joint military training exercise Surya Kiran was held on September 20, 2021, at Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand.

The 14th edition of the exercise took place in Saljhandi, Nepal, in 2019.

The United Nations has recognised the Namami Gange initiative to rejuvenate India’s sacred River Ganga as one of the top 10 World Restoration Flagships to revive the natural world.

The award was received by G Ashok Kumar, Director General, Namami Gange, at the 15th Conference of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) in Montreal, Canada.

Other inaugural World Restoration Projects -

Trinational Atlantic Forest Pact aims to protect and restore the forest in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, and the Abu Dhabi Marine Restoration project that targets safeguarding the world’s second-largest dugong population in Abu Dhabi.

Namami Gange -

It was approved as a ’Flagship Programme’ by the Central Government in June 2014.

It was launched to serve the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution and conservation and rejuvenation of the national river Ganga.

It is being operated under the Ministry of Water Resources, Department of River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and Ministry of Jal Shakti.

The program is being implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and its State Program Management Groups (SPMGs).

Union Jal Shakti Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has inaugurated the 7th India Water Impact Summit (IWIS 2022) in December, 2022.

The summit is being organized from 15th to 17th December, 2022 at Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi by National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and Center for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (cGanga).

Theme - "Mapping and Convergence of 5Ps" – People, Policy, Plan, Programme and Project.

In the 5th edition of the India Water Impact Summit, understanding the concept and nuances of Arth Ganga was the key focus.

In a bid to promote Ayurveda across continents, the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the University of Medical Sciences, Cuba.

It has also extended the agreement with Rosenberg European Academy of Ayurveda (REAA), Germany, for five more years to take forward collaborative programmes.

The agreements were signed on the sidelines of the 9th World Ayurveda Congress and Arogya Expo.

With these collaborations, Delhi-based AIIA, an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of AYUSH, has 15 international partners and 35 national partners under its collaborative activities.

The AIIA and REAA had entered into a MoU in September, 2017 with a validity of five years, which has been extended to 2027.

Airbnb signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Tourism, Government of Goa, to jointly promote Goa as best tourism destinations in India and around the world.

On the sidelines of the official launch of ’Rediscover Goa’, a week-long celebration of Goa’s vast cultural diversity has been started.

Airbnb will support the Department of Tourism’s vision by conducting workshops and seminars to train homestay hosts and B&B owners.

Major Schemes for Tourism Sector -

For tourism infrastructure creation in the country, Ministry of Tourism has launched several schemes.

Key schemes are: Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD), Integrated Development of Tourist Circuits around Specific Themes - (SWADESH DARSHAN), Adopt A Heritage Project, Development of Iconic Tourist Sites, etc.

In Swimming, Indian swimmer Chahat Arora set a national record in the women’s 100-metre breaststroke at the FINA World Swimming Championships 2022 in Melbourne, Australia.

FINA is the International Swimming Federation.

Chahat Arora completed the 100-metre breaststroke race in 1 minute, 13.13 seconds.

Key Points -

Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte, topped the overall heats in 1 minute, 3.81 seconds, which was 9.32 seconds quicker than Chahat Arora.

The 19-year-old Lara Van Niekerk of South Africa came second in 1 minute 3.93 seconds.

Lilly King of the USA came third in 1 minute 3.94 seconds.

Chahat will participate in the women’s 50m breaststroke event.

Siva Sridhar will compete in the 100-metre individual medley.

Federation Internationale de Natation -

The Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) is the world governing body for aquatic sports such as swimming, diving, waterpolo, synchronised and open water swimming.

The FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) 2022, the 16th edition of the competition, will conclude on 18 December.

Iran has been expelled from the United Nation’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in a vote on which India abstained.

The US proposal at the UN Economic and Social Council to remove Iran from the panel received 29 votes, while there were eight votes against and 16 abstentions in the 54-member elected body.

US Permanent Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Council that CSW, which is “the premier UN body for promoting gender equality and empowering women” cannot function if it is “undermined from within” by Iran.

UN Women -

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) created UN Women in 2010.

UN Women is the wing of the United Nations that engages in the field of women empowerment and gender equality.

The Executive Director of UN Women 2022 is Sima Sami Bahous.

UN Women is headquartered in New York.

India has successfully conducted night trials of nuclear-capable ballistic missile Agni V, capable of striking targets at ranges more than 5,000 kilometers with very high degree of accuracy.

The missile test firing was conducted from APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast.

This was the latest test in the Agni missile series.

According to defence sources, the test was carried out to validate new technologies and equipment on the missile that are now lighter than before.

Agni-5 missile -

It uses a three-stage solid-fuelled engine, has been developed by India’s Defence Research and Development organisation (DRDO).

The development of Agni missiles started in early 1980 under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme spearheaded by scientist and former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam.

In June 2021, DRDO successfully tested Agni P, a canisterised missile with a range capability between 1,000 and 2,000 km.

Tata Steel Limited signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hockey India to become an Official Partner of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar – Rourkela. The FIH Men’s World Cup is the pinnacle of men’s hockey tournaments.

The 15th edition of the esteemed event will take place in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from January 13 to January 29, 2023. FIH Men’s World Cup -

The FIH Men’s World Cup is the 15th edition of the prestigious event, the top tournament for men along with the Olympics, and will take place in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from January 13 to January 29, 2023.

The FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup will be the fourth time that India will be hosting the prestigious tournament after organising it in 1982 in Bombay, 2010 in New Delhi and 2018 in Bhubaneswar.

A total of 16 nations will take part in the upcoming tournament.

The 5th edition of Youth Co:Lab, Asia Pacific’s largest youth innovation movement was jointly launched by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog and UNDP India December 15th 2022.

The applications for this edition were launched by Dr Chintan Vaishnav, Mission Director AIM, NITI Aayog and Mr Dennis Curry, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP India.

The fifth edition of Youth Co:Lab India will focus on identifying and supporting youth-led early-stage social enterprises or innovations working in the domains of:

1) Digital and Financial Literacy for Youth

2) Gender Equality and Women Economic Empowerment

3) Developing FinTech Solutions focused on Biodiversity Conservation

4) Promoting Biodiversity-friendly Lifestyles through Technological Solutions in Finance

5) Accelerating Circular Economy through Upcycling Innovations and 6) Behavioral Nudges for LiFE ( Lifestyle For Environment)

The Minister of Minority Affairs, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani in a reply to a question in the Lok Sabha informed that the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Ko Kaam Karyakram (PMKKK) has now been named as Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) Scheme.

The integrated scheme converges five erstwhile schemes of the Ministry viz- Seekho aur Kamao, USTTAD, Hamari Dharohar, Nai Roshni and Nai Manzil.

The scheme has been approved by the Cabinet for the period of 15th Finance Commission.

PM VIKAS aims to improve livelihoods of the minorities, particularly the artisan communities, using the components of skill development, education, women leadership & entrepreneurship.

Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Minority Affairs

Type: Central Sector Scheme

Components of the scheme: There are four components under the scheme: 1) Skilling and Training, 2) Leadership and Entrepreneurship, 3) Education and 4) Infrastructure Development.

Recently in December 2022, India has received its 36th and last Rafale aircraft from France.

After taking off from France, the aircraft received a brief mid-flight refuelling from a UAE Air Force tanker aircraft.

India and France struck an intergovernmental agreement wherein Paris committed to pay India 60,000 crore rupees for 36 Rafale fighter jets in 2016.

About Rafale Jet -

35 of the 36 Rafale aircraft that India purchased from France have already arrived in India.

They are stationed in Hasimara, West Bengal, and Ambala, Haryana.

France gave the 36th aircraft to the Indian side, replacing all of its spare parts and other components because it was being used for research and development.

On July 29, 2020, the first shipment of Rafale aircraft arrived in India.

The Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games organising committee has named American executive Cindy Hook as its first CEO.

Key Points -

Hook previously worked for the international professional services network in the US and in Australia.

Hook was based in Singapore as CEO of Deloitte Asia Pacific until June.

Hook was the first female CEO of one of Australia’s Big Four professional services companies.

Olympic organising committee -

The organisation of the Olympic Games is entrusted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of the country of the host city as well as to the host city itself.

Recently, the World Bank released a report titled "Striving for Clean Air: Air Pollution and Public Health in South Asia".

The report details how persisting with policies currently being implemented (largely since 2018) will yield results but not to the desired level.

Six large airsheds exist in South Asia, where the air quality in one can affect the air quality in another. They are -

West/Central Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) that included Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab (India), Haryana, part of Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh.

Central/Eastern IGP: Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bangladesh

Middle India: Odisha/Chhattisgarh

Middle India: Eastern Gujarat/Western Maharashtra

Northern/Central Indus River Plain: Pakistan, part of Afghanistan; and

Southern Indus Plain and further west: South Pakistan, Western Afghanistan extending into Eastern Iran.

About Airsheds -

The World Bank defines an airshed as a common geographic area where pollutants get trapped, creating similar air quality for everyone.