The Massive Locust Invasion in Gujarat

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

Atal Bhujal Yojana

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

Railway recruitment now via UPSC civil services exams

The Railway board made an announcement regarding its new recruitment which will be done from
now onwards through Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Exams. Prior to this,
the Union Cabinet had given nod to the big-ticket reforms in the railways by merging its eight cadres
and department services into one single entity- the ‘Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS)’.
Now just like UPC aspirants, the Indian Railways aspirants will have to appear for their UPSC prelims
after which they will be able to indicate their preference for IRMS under 5 specialties. Among them,
four will be engineering specialties (including that of stores (department)) for ‘technical’ operations
comprising of civil, mechanical, electrical and telecom, and one ‘non-technical’ specialty (or non-
engineering) that will be recruiting officers for personnel, traffic, and accounts. For non-engineering
specializations, anyone from humanities can apply for handling accounts, traffic and personnel service.
All of them will be promoted at the same time. Further, the Chairman of Railway Board, who will also
be CEO of the national transporter, will be an officer of the Indian Railway Service and not from any
other service. And officers from Indian Railways who have experience of 35 yrs will only be posted
as Chairman/CEO and the Chairman shall be cadre controlling officer responsible for Human
Resources (HR) with assistance from DG (HR).
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India’s first Transit-Oriented Development Project
Union Home Minister Amit Shah laid the foundation stone for the country's first transit-oriented
development (TOD) project at Karkardooma in New Delhi. The proposed project will be a state-of-
the-art infrastructure zone, ‘East Delhi Hub’ with a central massive green lung of about 10 acres as
well as national capital’s tallest tower- a 48-story signature tower in east Delhi. Union Ministry of
Housing and Urban Affairs (MHUA) and National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) will
complete it in the next 3.5 years.

Addition of 1 lakh senior division NCC seats

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

India's first long-distance CNG bus

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

The New Appointments

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

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

The Beginning of Digital Radio in 2024

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

Creation Of Chief Of Defence Staff post

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

Assamese gained the stature of the state language

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

4
districts of Assam will continue to use Bengali as their official language. This has been done in the
wake of rising insecurities among the Assamese population in the state at the advent of the Citizenship
Amendment Bill, which has increased the wave of insecurity in the Brahmaputra Valley. The Central
Government has plans of amending Articles in the constitution regarding this issue. Article 345 says
that subject to the provisions of Article 346 and 347, the state legislature might adopt one or more
languages to be used as official languages. Article 346 advocates that the states are authorized to decide
on the language of communication amongst them and with the centre provided such a language should
have been authorized by the centre. While Article 347 lays special provisions to the language spoken
to a section of a population and the President if satisfied shall assent on the usage of the language.

National Mathematics Day

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

The 66th National Film Awards

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

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

Kuldeep Singh Sengar received life imprisonment

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

Drones will destroy hidden Marijuana plants

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

The 18th National Maritime Search and Rescue Board meeting

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

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

Additional charge for R.N Ravi

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

Deepak Punia: ‘Junior Freestyle Wrestler of the Year‘

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

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

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

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

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

ICMR laid Guidelines on Gene Therapy

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

Sridhar Patra : The New CMD of NALCO

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

The demise of Shreeram Lagoo

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

ITBP launched a matrimonial site for its staff

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

Gujarat : The 7th Recipient Of President Colours

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

9
Steeling India-2019
The Confederation of Indian Industry organized the “Steeling India 2019” conference on 16th
December 2019, which is meant to increase metal intensity in key sectors like automobile,
infrastructure, railway, water, irrigation, and housing. It aimed at the promotion of steel-intensive
structures and the augmentation of steel consumption. Steel producers, consumers and policy advisors
attended the conference. The conference framed a road map and brought in strategies to mitigate
supply chain issues in the steel sector. It paved the way for India’s target of 300 MT of production by
2030 (according to National Steel Policy). According to the World Steel Association prediction, steel
demand in India is likely to reach 103 MT (Million Tonnes) this year.

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

Death penalty for rapists: Andhra Pradesh cabinet clears bill

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

The Sixth Indian Ocean Dialogue

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

‘Must See Monuments’ in India

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

Maharashtra has the highest employable talent

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

National Energy Conservation Week

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

11
Day is celebrated annually since 1991. It is an initiative of Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) to
demonstrate achievements of government in saving energy and conservation. On this day, the
Petroleum Conservation Research Association creates public awareness in saving fossil fuels. Besides
this, National Energy Conservation awards are distributed to industries that exhibit key role in
conserving energy.

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

The impressive medal tally of India at South Asian Games

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

Space Technology Cells in premier institutions

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

12
Rajya Sabha echoed with Santhali
MP Sarojni Hembram from Odisha spoke about matters of public importance in a tribal language
called Santhali and it became the first occasion when Rajya Sabha heard a tribal language during zero
hour session. The MP also demanded Bharat Ratna for Pandit Raghunath Murmu, the Santhali scholar
who launched Ol Chiki script for the language in year 1925. This language is prevalent in West Bengal,
Jharkhand, Assam, Odisha as well as in Nepal and Bangladesh. Schedule 8 of the Indian Constitution
through the 92nd Constitutional Amendment act, 2003 registered the official entry of the language.
Santal Tribe, classified under Scheduled Tribes is the third largest tribal group in India.

GST Stakeholder Feedback Diwas

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

Army Forces Flag Day

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

Artificial Intelligence entered CBSE curriculum

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

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

The Fourth India Water Impact Summit

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

Head on Generation technology now in Indian Railways

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

14
The Third Edition Of National Public Procurement Conclave
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal inaugurated the third edition of two-day National
Public Procurement Conclave in New Delhi on 5th December 2019. Government e-Marketplace in
association with Confederation of Indian Industry organized this event. The ongoing conclave aims at
creating a road map for the future of GeM to unify all government procurement, across all Ministries
and Departments. It further anticipates an actionable agenda to facilitate work contracts in the form of
tenders to be made available on the GeM portal in future. GeM is a perfect example of openness,
fairness and inclusiveness and is a symbol of a truly transparent e-marketplace.

A New Book ‘The Legacy of Militancy in Punjab’

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

Regulations on Debt ETFs and index funds

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

DAC’s approval for procurement of weapons

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

15
‘Ek Bharat Shreshta Bharat’ Conference
Minister of State (MoS) for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated
a two-day Regional Conference on ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ to address ‘Jal Shakti and Disaster
Management’ in Jammu. The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances
(DARPG) in association with Governments of Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Jammu &
Kashmir were the organizers of this event. The conference became witness of technical sessions on
Water Warriors Discussion, Rejuvenation of Rivers- Cauvery and Jhelum, Reducing Water
Consumption in Agriculture, disaster management like Urban Flooding, Management of Floods,
Forecasting & Early Warning, Emergency Responses and NDRF (National Disaster Response Force
) Rescue Operations-2014 Srinagar Floods and 2015 Chennai Floods along with the release of the
Special issue of e-Magazine’ Minimum Government Maximum Governance’. It also initiated the
integration of Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS ) Portal of
Government of India and Awaaz-e-Awam Portal of Jammu & Kashmir.

The Ongoing Pension Week

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

Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi won the trust vote

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

16
former Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis expressed dissatisfaction regarding the
appointment of NCP leader Dilip Walse Patil as pro-tem Speaker and condemned the Assembly
session as illegal and unconstitutional. He also underlined violation of the Constitution as ‘Vande
Mataram’ was not played to signal the start of proceedings and stated that the oath-taking ceremony
of Uddhav Thackeray and his six ministers was also not as per the rules.

Short films on environment were applauded

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

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

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

17
Obituary ohf World’s Oldest Female Black Rhino
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority of Tanzania broke the sad news of the demise of
World’s Oldest Female Black Rhino, named ‘Fausta’ at the age of 57. As per the authority, “Records
show that Fausta lived longer than any rhino in the world and survived in the Ngorongoro, free-
ranging, for more than 54 years before it was kept in a sanctuary for the last three years of its life in
2016.” The deceased rhino was first time located in the Ngorongoro crater in 1965 by a scientist from
the University of Dar es Salaam when she was just three or four years old. It has been observed that
in the wild, rhinos typically live till 37 to 43 years old, or up to 50 years in captivity.

The 19th Joint commission meeting of India & Iran

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

UNGA’s latest resolution

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

Amendment of India-Swiss Air Service Pact

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

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

Samajwadi Party Nepal waved goodbye to Oli Government

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

The decade witnessed its last solar eclipse

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

Russia, the owner of hypersonic weapons

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

Iraq's parliament approved a new election law

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

Pakistan celebrated its victory over Sri Lanka

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

Manuel Marrero became PM of Cuba

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

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

Portugal announced Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize

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

US imposed sanctions on two Iranian Judges

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

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

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

Ethiopia launched its first satellite

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

The Sixth India-Maldives Joint Commission Meeting

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

Commission of China’s first indigenously aircraft carrier.

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

Indian peacekeepers got rewarded with UN Medal

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

Conclusion of the Global Refugee Forum

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

Pakistani Cricketer Abid Ali scripted news headlines

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

Donald Trump is facing Senate’s blaze

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

Pervez Musharraf is in for capital punishment

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

24
It is the first occasion in Pakistan's history that a military chief has been declared guilty of high treason.
Musharraf snatched power by ousting the then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif in a 1999 bloodless coup.
He was Pakistan's President from 2001 to 2008 and has been sentenced for suspending the Constitution
and imposing an extra-constitutional emergency in the year 2007.

Toni-Ann Singh became Miss world 2019

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

International Tea Day

The world observed the annual International Tea Day on December 16, 2019. Tea producing countries
like India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, and
Malaysia have been observing this day since 2005. The day was meant to draw global attention of
governments and citizens towards the effect of global tea trade on workers and growers as well as to
make a request for price supports and fair trade. In this context, it is worth knowing that as May is the
quality tea manufacturing season in most tea producing countries so, in October 2015, Indian
government moved a proposal at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Intergovernmental
Group (IGG) on Tea expanding the observance of International Tea Day through UN FAO in the
month of May. And the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has now accepted India’s proposal
and designated May 21st as International Tea Day.

China has set its eyes on Bougainville

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

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

USMCA trade deal signed by US, Mexico & Canada

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

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

Abiy Ahmed: The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize Winner

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

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

Cheers For World’s First Electronic Flight

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

The Beginning of Russia-Ukraine ceasefire round

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

The Third 2+2 Dialogue Between India & Australia

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

27
third 2+2 dialogue on behalf of India & Australia. They discussed at length issues related to bilateral
defense engagements, areas towards enhancing cooperation in the field of the defense industry and
defense technology as well as prevailing regional security concerns. Prior to this, a maiden India-Japan
2+2 ministerial dialogue was also held in New Delhi. Further India is looking forward to holding a
ministerial-level 2+2 dialogue with the US in Washington on 18th December 2019.

United States brought the curtain down on WTO appeal court

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

Wozniacki announced her retirement

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

Demise of Ron Leibman

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

The Diwali-Power of One Awardees

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

28
world. Kairat Abdrakhmanov (Kazakhstan, Former Foreign Minister and Permanent Representative
of Kazakhstan to UN); Nicholas Emiliou (Cyprus, former Permanent Representative of Cyprus to UN);
Frantisek Ruzicka (Slovakia, Former Chef de Cabinet to President of 72nd Session of the UN General
Assembly (UNGA) and Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the UN) and Volodymyr Yelchenko
(Ukraine, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN) are the felicitated ones. Instituted in the
year 2017, the Diwali-Power of One Awards are also known as ‘Oscars of Diplomacy’.

Sanna Marin : World’s Youngest-Serving Prime Minister

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

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

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

India-Sweden agreements
In December 2019, India and Sweden inked a Polar Science Cooperation Agreement that seeks
cooperation among India as well as the countries located in both Arctic and Antarctic regions and
hence the name of the agreement is Polar Science. The agreement will help India to learn about
resource exploration in the polar region, maintain the pace, strengthen its defence forces and get access
to Russian bases in the Arctic. Besides this, India and Sweden joined hands to erect a healthcare
innovation centre in AIIMS Delhi and AIIMS Jodhpur, for research in non-communicable diseases
(NCDs) and help scale-up Indian start-ups in the sector. The year 2019 is Sweden-India Year of Health
marking 10 years of India-Sweden cooperation in healthcare. In 2018, the bilateral trade between India
and Sweden was of 3.37 billion USD.
29
Saudi Aramco announced its biggest ever IPO
On 6th December 2019, Saudi Arabia’s oil company, Aramco announced a share price that will value
the company's initial public offering (IPO) at 25.6 billion dollar, making it the largest ever IPO of the
company. The proposed IPO has 3 billion shares, or 1.5% of the company, offered for 8.00 to 8.53
Dollar per share. The Saudi's state-owned crude oil company did so as part of the Arab nation’s plan
of diversifying its economy away from its dependence on oil as well as increase the country's sovereign
wealth fund for investment in other projects also. It is worth registering here that Aramco's IPO has
topped a record-breaking 25 billion dollar IPO in 2014 from Chinese internet giant Alibaba.

International Civil Aviation Day

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

The 70th anniversary of NATO

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

Global Migration Film Festival organised in Dhaka

The Global Migration Film Festival (GMFF) which started on 28th November 2019 will continue upto
18th December 2019 across the globe to draw attention to the issues of internal migration, forced
migration and climate change-related migration to make people conversant on the issue of migration.
In Bangladesh this festival was organised by the International Organisation of Migrants (IOM) and
30
Dhaka University Film Society with the support of the European Union. Films like ‘Gifts from
Babylon’, ‘Just another memory’, ‘Dying for Europe’ and ‘ The power of passport’ etc were screened
among other films to depict the suffering and dilemma of the migrants in various parts of the world.
The GMFF was celebrated for the first time in 2016.

The 48th National Day of UAE

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

UN Climate Change Conference

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

Pacific Air Chiefs’ Symposium 2019

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

31
Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare
30th November 2019 was observed as the Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare
under the resolution (OPCW C-20/DEC.10) as a tribute to the victims of chemical warfare and it aimed
to reaffirm its commitment to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to
terminate the threat of chemical weapons. In year 2013, the Nobel Peace Prize was presented to the
OPCW “for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons”. This day was celebrated for the first
time in 2005. Chemical Weapons were used on a large scale during World War I that led to over
100,000 fatalities.

Sundar Pichai: The New CEO of Alphabet

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

Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act

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

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

Demise of Irving Burgie

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

David Warner scored triple hundred in day/night Tests

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

The Beginning of the South Asian Games in Kathmandu

The President of Nepal Bidya Devi Bhandari inaugurated the South Asian Games in Kathmandu on
December 1, 2019. These games will continue till upcoming 10 days in which around 487 athletes are
participating from India. The South Asian Games is a biennial multi-sport event that was started in
33
the year 1983 and is held in the South Asian nations viz. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan,
Afghanistan, Bangladesh and the Maldives. South Asia Olympic Council
governs this event.

International Book Fair in Mexico

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

34
Release of Khelo India Youth Games 2020 logo and mascots
Sports ministry introduced logo, jersey, mascots and theme song for the third edition of Khelo India
Youth Games 2020 in Guwahati, Assam at Karmabir Nabin Chandra Bordoloi Indoor Stadium in
Guwahati, Assam. The games will be held from January 10 to 22, 2020. In these games more than
10,000 students will be participating across 451 medal events. Besides this, the Assam Chief Minister
Sarbananda Sonowal announced the launch of a ‘Grassroot Olympic – Mission Talent Hunt’ to identify
the sports talent in the state and groom them.

Leander Paes announced retirement from Tennis

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

Conclusion of IPL Auction

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

35
which seemed shocking considering his capabilities. Sri Lankan Isuru Udana (RCB, Rs 50 lakhs),
Pravin Tamble(KKR, Rs 20 lakhs), Tajinder Dhillon (Kings X1 Punjab, Rs 20 Lakhs) etc. were some
of the other players who were sold in the last phase of auction, while Yusuf Pathan, Dale Steyn, Adam
Zampa and Colin De Grandhomme failed to attract any bidders at the auction.

Demise of Basil Butcher

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

The Conclusion of the 13th South Asian Games

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

WADA banned Russia from international sporting events.

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

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

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

36
the record of all the wins, the misses, the star sportspersons, their stories, and the challenges and
possibilities that lie ahead of India to make its mark in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The book gives an
insight into how India has fared at the Olympics over the past century and how the Indian Olympics
world has changed in the last ten years. HarperCollins India will publish this book in January 2020 in
India.

India in the 13th South Asian Games 2019

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

Release of Khelo India Youth Games 2020 logo and mascots

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

37
1. Which of the following governments approved formation of integrated safety scheme to deal
with natural calamities in November 2019 ?
(a) Andhra Pradesh (b) Uttarakhand (c) Bihar
(d) Goa (e) Delhi

2. In November 2019, the 12th Urban Mobility India Conference and Expo 2019 was held
in………
(a) Pune (b) Varanasi (c) Lucknow
(d) Mumbai (e) Hyderabad
.
3. Which of the following banks launched account mobilization campaign ‘Current Account
Savings Account (CASA) campaign’ in November 2019?
(a) Allahabad Bank (b) Karnataka Bank (c) Bank of Baroda
(d) Bank of India (e) Bank of Maharashtra
.
4. Which edition of National Naturopathy day was observed on 18th November 2019?
(a) 1st (b) 2nd (c) 3rd
(d) 4th (e) 5th

5. India-ASEAN InnoTech Summit 2019 took place in ……………..

(a) India (b) Singapore (c) Philippines
(d) Thailand (e) Malaysia

6. Who is the author of the book “From Shanties to School” that got released in November 2019?
(a) Devdutt Pattanaik (b) Kavita Kane
(c) Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (d) Manimala Roy (e) Gita Mehta

7. National integration day was observed on November 19, 2019 to mark the birth anniversary
of………………..
(a) Indira Gandhi (b) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
(c) Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose (d) Rani Laxmi Bai (e) Rajiv Gandhi

38
8. Which of the following states topped in Swachh Survekshan Gramin 2019 awards?
(a) Madhya Pradesh (b) Gujarat (c) Tamil Nadu
(d) Bihar (e) Uttar Pradesh
.
9. Which among the following won ‘the 2019 Golden Peacock Award for Sustainability’ ?
(a) NHPC Limited (b) NTPC
(c) JSW Energy Limited (d) Power Grid Corporation India Limited
(e) Tata Power Company Limited

10. National Epilepsy Day was observed on……………… November.

(a) 15th (b) 16th (c) 17th
(d) 18th (e) 19th
.
11. In November 2019, which of the following general insurance companies signed agreement
with Fino payments bank to offer sachet based insurance products ?
(a) Apollo Munich Insurance (b) ICICI Lombard (c) New India Assurance
(d) United India Insurance (e) The Oriental Insurance
.
12. According to November 2019 report, the earnings from internet ticketing services of Indian
Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) registered ………...increase in profits.
(a) 14% (b) 15% (c) 16%
(d) 17% (e) 18%
.
13. In November 2019, Lieutenant Shivangi of …………….. became the first woman pilot of
Indian Navy to join Naval operations.
(a) Rajasthan (b) MadhyaPradesh (c) Uttar Pradesh
(d) Bihar (e) Maharashtra

14. In December 2019 government approved a semi-high speed rail project named “Silver line”
for which of the following states?
(a) Karnataka (b) Tamil Nadu (c) Telangana
(d) Kerala (e) Andhra Pradesh
.
15. In November 2019, government approved how many plastic parks across the country to
eliminate all single-use plastic in the country by 2022 ?
(a) 5 (b) 6 (c) 7
(d) 8 (e) 9

39
16. Rajat Bhargava got appointed to head panel on……………
(a) GST (b) Aviation
(c) Petrochemical investment (d) Tourism investments (e) Employment
.
17. Which of the following governments launched new Land Policy 2019 ?
(a) Gujarat (b) Uttar Pradesh (c) Rajasthan
(d) Andhra Pradesh (e) Assam
.
18. Which of the following states celebrated Sangai Festival 2019 ?
(a) Gujarat (b) Uttar Pradesh (c) Rajasthan
(d) Manipur (e) Assam
.
19. Which of the following countries topped the 7th 2019 Global Terrorism Index ?
(a) Pakistan (b) Iraq (c) Syria
(d) Afghanistan (e) Somalia

20. Which of the following became Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year 2019 ?
(a) “Climate action” (b) “Climate denial” (c) “Climate emergency”
(d) “Extinction” (e) “Flight shame”

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1.(b) Uttarakhand government approved formation of integrated safety scheme under the high-
intensity earthquake minimization program to deal with natural calamities in November 2019.
A budget of Rs 500 crore has been sanctioned for a period of 5 years for the same.

2.(c) In November 2019, the 12th Urban Mobility India Conference and Expo 2019 was held in
Lucknow on “Accessible and livable Cities” theme to disseminate information to the cities
and to help them keep up-to-date with best urban transport practices

3.(b) Karnataka Bank launched account mobilization campaign ‘Current Account Savings
Account (CASA) campaign’ in November 2019 which will remain in force till February 29,
2020. The aim of this campaign is to open 4.18 lakhs Current & Savings accounts by active
involvement of its 8000 plus work force in all the 846 branches across India

4.(b) The 2nd edition of National Naturopathy day was observed by the Ministry of AYUSH on
18th November 2019 to promote the drugless medicine to prevent diseases, which are caused
by changing the lifestyle.This Ministry was earlier known as the Department of Indian System
of Medicine and Homeopathy (ISM&H) that was established in March 1995.

5.(c) India-ASEAN InnoTech Summit 2019 took place in Davao, Philippines to focus on innovative
technologies, exhibitions, and pave the way for industry-academia-government partnerships.

6.(d) Educationist Manimala Roy penned “From Shanties to School” that explores 1991 economic
reforms on literacy especially among the migrant laborers of Delhi and their children. The
book speaks about the slums of Delhi and its outskirts as the area of research.

7.(a) National integration day also known as Quami Ekta Divas was observed on November 19,
2019 to mark the birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi. Besides this, The Qaumi Ekta Week
(National Integration Week) 2019 was also celebrated from 19th -25th November on
“Secularism, Anti-Communalism and Non-Violence” theme

8.(c) Tamil Nadu topped in Swachh Survekshan Gramin 2019 awards followed by Haryana and
Gujarat. While Peddapalli district (Telangana) topped the district list for these awards followed
by Faridabad (Haryana) and Rewari (Haryana). Uttar Pradesh was adjudged as the State with
Maximum Citizen Participation. Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA), Hindustan

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 Unilever Limited and AMUL (Anand Milk Union Limited) were felicitated for their great
contribution under the Swachhta Hi Seva campaign-2019 towards effective plastic waste
management

9.(b) National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) won ‘the 2019 Golden Peacock Award
for Sustainability’ during the 19th International Conference on Corporate Governance &
Sustainability held in London, United Kingdom. It made efforts in providing cleaner and green
energy, in-order to minimize environmental impact.

10.(c) National Epilepsy Day was observed on 17th November to create awareness about epilepsy,
its causes, and treatment. Epilepsy is a disease in which the brain produces sudden abnormal
bursts of electrical energy that even affect other brain functions and lead to recurrent
unprovoked seizures. This day was instituted by Dr. Nirmal Surya in the year 2009

11.(b) In November 2019, ICICI Lombard signed agreement with Fino payments bank to offer
sachet based insurance products like Hospicash which provides customers the solution to cover
loss of their income. This product is meant to benefit migrant workers, when they are
hospitalized

12.(a) According to November 2019 report, the earnings from internet ticketing services of Indian
Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) registered 14% increase in profits. The
revenue from the online ticketing segment witnessed a jump of just over 80 per cent to Rs 199
crore in the April-September period as against Rs 110 crore in the corresponding period of
FY18-19

13.(d) In November 2019, Lieutenant Shivangi of Muzaffarpur, Bihar became the first woman pilot
of Indian Navy to join Naval operations. She joined the naval operations on completion of
operational training at the Southern Naval Command in Kochi, Kerala on December 2, 2019.
She is now authorized to fly dornier aircraft

14.(d) In December 2019 government approved a 532 km Thiruvananthapuram – Kasaragod semi-

high speed rail project named “Silver line” for Kerala worth Rs 56,443 crore. This corridor
will cover 11 districts in 14 of Kerala excluding Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Palakkad and
Wayanad. Trains on track will run at 200 km per hour

15.(b) In November 2019, government approved 6 plastic parks in Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha,
Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu with 50% funding by centre & another 50% funded by State
Government beneficiary industries to eliminate all single-use plastic in the country by 2022

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16.(c) Andhra Pradesh bureaucrat Rajat Bhargava got appointed to head panel on Petrochemical
investment. This is the first time when the centre has decided to amend the Petroleum,
Chemicals and Petrochemical Investment Regions (PCPIR) policy after it was introduced. So
far the centre has approved 4 PCPIR which are at Dahej (Gujarat), Visakhapatnam-Kakinada
(Andhra Pradesh), Paradeep (Odisha) and Cuddalore- Nagapattinam (Tamil Nadu)

17.(e) Assam launched new Land Policy 2019 to remove the difficulties regarding the land allotments
and settlements. It has been prepared by Revenue and Disaster Management Department after
30 years

18.(d) Manipur celebrated Sangai Festival 2019. Every year in November, Gateway of North-East
region, Manipur celebrates this festival which was named after the State animal, Sangai, the
brow-antlered deer found only in Manipur

19.(d) With 7,379 reported killings due to terror attacks in 2018, Afghanistan has topped the 7th
“2019 Global Terrorism Index: Measuring the impact of terrorism” prepared by Sydney
(Australia) based Institute for Economics and Peace(IEP). Its Taliban terrorist group has been
ranked first as the deadliest terror groups. It is followed by Iraq(2nd), Nigeria(3rd), Syria (4th),
Pakistan(5th) and Somalia(6th). India got 7th rank in this index.

20.(c) “Climate emergency” became Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year 2019. This word was
most widely used in year 2018. Climate emergency is defined as “a situation in which urgent
action is required to reduce or halt climate change and also to avoid the possible irreversible
environmental loss resulting from it”.

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