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Current Affairs: December 2016

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December 1, 2016

ISRO drones help to map disasters in north-east

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is

using drones to map disasters in north-eastern States

by collecting land details and add it to data from

remote sensing satellites. In this regard, ISRO’s

Shillong-based North-Eastern Space Applications

Centre (NE-SAC) has tested unmanned aerial vehicles

(UAVs) to map various problems and disasters. NE-

SAC has taken the initiative for design and assembling of UAVs for various applications to

assess several regional problems in the northeast region. UAVs can perform efficient surveys for

disaster-prone or physically inaccessible areas. It can undertake quick damage assessment of

floods, landslides and earthquakes and enable timely relief measures.

Industries should use recycled groundwater: Water Ministry

The Union Water Ministry is planning to impose restrictions

on how industries, farmers and various groups can use

groundwater by amending to a Bill on groundwater

management. It was announced by the Union Water Resources

Minister Uma Bharti at a seminar organised by the Central

Groundwater Board in New Delhi. Earlier in 2016, the Water

Ministry had made public a draft Bill that proposed significant

changes to the way groundwater will be regulated. The bill seeks to sharply regulate extracting



pristine water from aquifiers which is currently the norm in much of the country. Failing to

adhere it will invite stringent punishment. It seeks to guarantee every individual a certain

amount of water ‚for life‛ and protecting groundwater from undue exploitation and pollution.

Worst coral die-off recorded at Australia’s Great Barrief Reef

Scientists have recorded worst mass coral bleaching event

on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. It has killed more corals

than ever before, sounding the alarm over the delicate

ecosystem. It is estimated nearly two-thirds of 2,300-

kilometre long reef or 700 km stretch of coral in the Great

Barrier Reef’s northern part have died in the past nine months. This is the worst die-off ever

recorded in Great Barrier Reef and also the largest ever recorded anywhere. However, the

central and southern sections of the reef are fared far better, with only 6% and 1% of the coral

dead, respectively. Coral reefs result from the natural work of little polyps (few millimeters

long) is budded on top of one another. They are the most biologically diverse ecosystems of the

planet.

Sex Ratio at Birth at decline in India: CRS data

According new data from Civil Registration System (

CRS) released by the Office of the Registrar General of

India, Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) continues to worsen in

India. The SRB has declined to 887 in 2014 from 898 in

2013. The ratio has been declining since 2011 when

the figure was 909. Thus, Sex ratio at birth is still on the decline. The SRB based on CRS figures

indicate the gap between registered male and female births, calculated as the number of females



per thousand males. Highest SRB has been reported in Lakshadweep (1043), followed by

Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1031) and Arunachal Pradesh (993).

Asia’s first cycle highway inaugurated in Uttar Pradesh

Asia’s first and longest cycle highway was inaugurated

in Uttar Pradesh. It is also India’s first cycle highway.

The 207-km-long cycle highway runs between Etawah

and Agra. It was inaugurated by state Chief Minister

Akhilesh Yadav. The cycle highway has been

constructed by the UP public works department. It runs

parallel to the main highway. It is about 7-feet-wide and is separated by a divider from main

highway which ensures the safety of cyclists. The track begins from the lion safari in Etawah.

Along its path it dots 92 villages across the two districts. It crises-crosses the natural beauty of

the Chambal and Yamuna rivers.

Gross NPAs of PSBs touch over 6 lakh crores in July-September 2016

The Union Government has announced that the gross

non-performing assets (NPAs) of the Public sector banks

(PSBs) have touched around 66 lakh 40 thousand in the

three months period from July to September 2016. As on

September 30, 2016 gross NPAs of the PSBs in the

country rose to Rs. 6,30,323 crore as against Rs. 5,50,346

crore by end of June 2016. It shows increase of Rs. 79,977 crore NPAs on quarter on quarter

basis during this period. The incidence of NPAs is high in sectors like infrastructure, power,



road textiles, steel etc. So, the Union Government has taken sector specific measures to tackle

the menace of NPAs.

Union Government to introduce Direct Transfer of Fertilizer Subsidy

The Union Government has decided to introduce Direct

Benefit Transfer (DBT) system for fertilizer subsidy

payments. Under the proposed system, 100% subsidy on

various fertilizer grades will be released to the

manufacturers and importers on basis of actual sales made

by the retailer to the beneficiaries. Initially, the modified

subsidy procedure under DBT system will be introduced on pilot basis in 16 select districts. In

the second phase, the new payment system will be rolled out in all states only after its due

stabilization in first phase. The proposed DBT will address the issues relating to diversion and

smuggling of urea.

Lt General AK Bhatt appointed as new DGMO

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has

appointed Lt-General A K Bhatt as the new director-

general of military operations (DGMO). He will

succeed Lt-General Ranbir Singh who has been

promoted and will take over 1 Corps (headquarters

at Mathura), command of a strike corps on the

Western border. Lt-General A K Bhatt will be in charge of all army operations including on the

LoC which has seen heightened tension. He belongs to the Gorkha Rifles. Earlier he had served

in the military operations directorate as a brigadier.



December 2, 2016

UK scientists allow three-parent babies mitochondrial gene therapy

An independent panel of British scientists and experts

has formally given nod to introduce so-called three-

parent baby fertility treatments or mitochondrial gene

therapy (MGT) procedures. The panel tasked with

reviewing the safety of MGT held that this practice

should be cautiously adopted to prevent certain

genetic diseases from being passed on to future generations. Thus, it paves the way for the

country to officially introduce the procedures. Earlier in February 2016, British Parliament voted

to legalise three-parent baby fertility treatments or MGT procedures. It was first country in the

world to legalise creation of In-Vitro Fertilisation babies with DNA from three people.

Union Cabinet approves simplification of Visa regime

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for liberalization,

simplification and rationalization of the existing visa regime in

India. It has approved incremental changes in the visa policy as

decided by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs with approval

of Home Minister and in consultation with various

stakeholders. The approval will stimulate economic growth

and ease travel for foreigners. It will facilitate entry of foreigners for tourism, business and

medical purposes. This is expected to increase earnings from export of services like tourism,



travel on account of business, medical value travel. It will also help to make ‘Make in India’,

‘Skill India’, ‘Digital India’ and other such flagship initiatives of the Government successful.

Union Cabinet approves India’s negotiating position adopted at Kigali conference

to Montreal Protocol

The Union Cabinet has given its ex-post facto approval to the negotiating position adopted by

India at the recent 28th Meeting of Parties (MoP) to the

Montreal Protocol in Kigali, Rwanda. The negotiations

at Kigali meet held in October 2016 were aimed at

including HFCs in the list of chemicals under the

Montreal Protocol. The Union Cabinet has approved

baseline and freeze years proposal of the Union

Ministry of Environment, Forest (MoEFCC) over the issue of phasing down the climate-

damaging refrigerants hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) as negotiated in Kigali meet.

Union Cabinet approves Rehabilitation Package for displaced families from PoKJ,

Chhamb

The Union Cabinet has approved Central Assistance of 2000 crore rupees for 36,384 displaced

families from Pakistan occupied areas of Jammu &

Kashmir (POJK) and Chhamb. It was approved

following an announcement of Prime Minister’s

Development Package for Jammu & Kashmir 2015

announced in November, 2015. 5 lakh rupees cash

benefit per family will be disbursed to the



displaced families. This financial aid will enable them to earn an income and subsist their

livelihood. The amount will be disbursed through J&K state Government to eligible families

through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

India inks Rs 5,000 crore defence deal with US to buy 145 M777 howitzers

India has signed government-to-government (G2G) deal

with the United States (US) to buy 145 M-777 Ultra-Light

Howitzers worth $750 million under the Foreign

Military Sales programme. The deal was signed at the

two-day meeting of the 15th India-US Military

Cooperation Group (MCG) held in New Delhi. This is

the first defence deal signed by India for purchasing artillery guns since the Bofors scandal in

1980s. It was recently cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by Prime

Minister Narendra Modi. M777 howitzers manufacturer BAE Systems will conclude an offset

agreement estimated at about $200 million.

SC makes national anthem mandatory in cinema halls

The Supreme Court has ordered cinema halls to

mandatorily play the national anthem before every

screening and all those present in cinema halls have to

‚stand up to show respect.‛ According to SC such

practice, will instil a feeling of committed patriotism and

nationalism. It should be seen as an opportunity for the

public to express their ‚love for the motherland.‛ The SC order was given by bench of Justices

Dipak Misra and Amitava Roy on a writ petition by Shyam Narayan Chouksey in October 2016.



December 3, 2016

BSF celebrates 51st Raising Day

The Border Security Force (BSF), the biggest border

guarding force in the world celebrated its 51st

Anniversary of Raising Day. Various cultural

programmes were organised for BSF veterans and

personnel during the Raising Day celebrations. On this

occasion, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh

presented prestigious ‚Maharana Pratap Trophy- 2016‛ on the BSF Punjab Frontier. BSF is the

sentinels of Indian borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It came into existence on 1st

December, 1965. It was created by merging various State Armed Police Battalions for achieving

a better coordinated synergy between the border guarding functions in peace time and fighting

the war during the eventuality on both Western and Eastern fronts.

Union HRD Ministry launches Vittiya Saksharata Abhiyan

Vittiya Saksharata Abhiyan (VISAKA) was launched by the Union

Ministry for Human Resource Development (HRD) to make people

aware about cashless economic system. It was launched by Union

HRD minister Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi. It is campaign by

Higher Educational institutions for digital econmy. VISAKA aims to

create awareness among people about digital economy and cashless modes of transactions It

was launched on line with Prime Minister’s appeal to youth in ‘Mann Ki Baat’ for creating



awareness for making India digital and cashless economy. Under it, young students and faculty

members will be roped to encourage and motivate people to use a digitally enabled cashless

economic system for transfer of fund.

President presents 2nd ICCR Ideologist award to Prof. Yu Long Yu

The second Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Ideologist

Award for the year 2016 was awarded to Prof. Yu Long Yu of China.

He was presented with this award by President Pranab Mukherjee at a

function in Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. He is Professor and

Director at the Centre for Indian Studies, Shenzhen University. He has

studied Indology for half a century and is the pioneer for Indology in South China. He has set

up the Centre for Indian Studies and Tan Yunshan Sino-Indian Friendship Museum in

Shenzhen University.

Trial run of Lucknow Metro flagged off

The Trial run of Lucknow Metro train was flagged off

by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. He also dedicated

the Metro Train Depot to the public. The solo trial run

of the metro was undertaken by two young women

pilots Prachi Sharma and Priyanka Sharma . The trail

run of the first phase of metro project covers around

four kms between Transport Nagar and Single Nagar Metro stations. The first phase of

Lucknow metro project, famously known as North South corridor connects Lucknow airport to

Munshipulia.



Israeli scientists create world’s first water-wave laser

Scientists from Israel have created the world’s first

‘water-wave laser’ that emits a beam through the

interaction of light and water waves. The study

conducted by team of researchers from Technion-

Israel Institute of Technology led by Professor Tal

Carmon. A typical laser can be created when the

electrons in atoms become ‚excited‛ by energy absorbed from an outside source causing them

to emit radiation in the form of laser light. However, the water-wave laser for the first time

showed that water wave oscillations within a liquid device can also generate laser radiation. It

also successfully demonstrated nonlinear optics and water waves, two areas of research that

were previously considered unrelated to one another.

Team Indus to launch India’s first private moon mission in 2017

TeamIndus, a private aerospace starup

company is planning to send a spacecraft to the

moon aboard an Indian Space Research

Organisation (ISRO) rocket on December 28,

2017. It will be India’s first private moon

mission to be launched. It will be launched

onboard of ISRO’s workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). TeamIndus moon

mission’s aim is to land this spacecraft on the moon. It will also travel at least 500 metres and

beam high- definition images, video and data back to the earth.



UNESCO includes Yoga in Intangible Cultural Heritage list

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization (UNESCO) has formally inscribed Yoga in its

representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of

Humanity. Decision in this regard was taken by the Inter-

governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the

Intangible Cultural Heritage meeting held in Addis Ababa,

Ethiopia. The declaration describes Yoga, an ancient Indian practice as a Human Treasure. It

was unanimously supported by all the 24 members of inter-governmental Committee. Other

new inscriptions added in the list are Rumba dance (Cuba), Belgian beer (Belgium), Almezmar

(Saudi Arabia), Kuresi (Kazakhstan) and Khidr Elias feast (Iraq), Yama, Hoko, Yatai, float

festivals (Japan), Momoeria, New Year’s celebration (Greece), practice of organizing shared

interests in cooperatives (Germany),Making and sharing flatbread (Azerbaijan, Iran,

Kazakhstan), Culture of Jeju Haenyeo (South Korea), Gada system (Ethiopia),Tahteeb, stick

game (Egypt), Music and dance of the merengue (Dominican Republic), Valencia Fallas festivity

(Spain), Solar Term(China), Mangal Shobhajatra on Pahela Baishakh(Bangladesh).

Magnus Carlsen wins 2016 Chess Championship title

Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen of Norway has

won the 2016 World Chess Championship for the

third consecutive time. He retained the title after

defeating Sergey Karjakin of Russia. Karjakin had

tied against Carlsen in 12 regular rounds but was

beaten in the final phase of four quickfire games.

Magnus Carlsen is a Norwegian chess grandmaster. He is No. 1 ranked player in the world and



reigning World Chess Champion in classical, rapid, and blitz. He became Grandmaster in 2004,

at the age of 13 years, 148 days, making him at that time the second youngest grandmaster in

history, although he has since become the third youngest. His peak rating is 2882, the highest in

history of the FIDE rankings.

December 4, 2016

SC approves Centre’s Graded Response System to tackle air pollution in Delhi-

NCR

The Supreme Court has approved Central

Government’s Graded Response Action Plan to

tackle different levels of pollution in Delhi-NCR.

The apex court also has asked Central Pollution

Control Board (CPCB) to upgrade its existing

infrastructure and set up additional monitoring

stations in Delhi-NCR. The enforcement of action plan will be under orders of Environment

Pollution (Control and Prevention) Authority (EPCA). All other authorities will act in aid of

such direction.

Hornbill Festival begins in Nagaland

The Hornbill Festival began in the Naga Heritage

village of Kisama. The festival coincides with the

Statehood Day of Nagaland which is observed on

December 1. It is tourism promotional extravaganza to

revive, protect and preserve the richness and



uniqueness of the Naga heritage. It is also called as the ‘Festival of Festivals‘. Hornbill Festival is

celebrated in Nagaland every year in the first week of December. It is one of the biggest

indigenous festivals of the country. The festival is a tribute to Hornbill, the most admired and

revered bird for the Nagas for its qualities of alertness and grandeur.

Pre-historic camping site found in Ladakh

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has found an

ancient camping site used by pre-historic man, at an

altitude of about 4,200 metres near Saser La in Nubra

Valley, Ladakh. The camping site is a place where hunter-

gatherers in the ancient times stayed temporarily before

they moved on to another place. This camping site is

located in Saser La which leads to the Karakoram Pass. It was used for a seasonal settlement not

a permanent settlement. Charcoal pieces from the earth activity and remains of bones associated

were discovered at the site. The carbon dating of these charcoal pieces reveals that, the site dates

back to circa 8500 BCE.

UAE-based Indian girl Kehkashan Basu wins 2016 International Children’s Peace

Prize

UAE based Indian environmental activist

Kehkashan Basu (16) has won 2016 prestigious

International Children’s Peace Prize. She was

bestowed with this prestigious award for her fight

for climate justice and combating environmental



degradation. She was presented with the award by Bangladesh’s Nobel peace laureate

Mohammad Yunus at a glittering ceremony held in The Hague, Netherlands. She had started

campaign to educated her neighbours on the importance of saving the environment at tender

age of eight. She had brought together children to collect and recycle waste and also plant trees.

Public Financial Management System to save interest costs of Government

The Public Financial Management System

(PFMS) after implemented on full scale will

help Union Government to save a significant

amount on interest costs. It will allow the

government to monitor and access the more

than Rs.1 lakh crore of idle funds lying with it

under various heads. Once government access these funds through PFMS, it need does not need

to borrow that amount. Government is planning to roll out this platform from next financial

year i.e. April 2017 along with Goods and Services Tax (GST). It will be integrated with IT

network of the GST.

Mercosur revokes membership of Venezuela

The South American economic bloc Mercosur has

suspended Venezuela from it for violating the bloc’s

democratic principles and failing to meet its basic

standards. The membership was revoked by the Foreign

Ministers of the four founding members of Mercosur —

Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. Venezuela was



blocked after it failed to comply with its commitments given when it had joined the group in

2012.

India, Qatar inks five agreements

India and Qatar have signed five agreements including in

the field of visas, cyberspace and investments. These

agreements were signed after bilateral talks held between

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Qatari

counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al

Thani in New Delhi. Protocol on Technical Cooperation in

cyber space and combating cybercrime. Letter of Intent on an Agreement on grant of e-Visa for

businessmen and tourists MoU on greater collaboration and exchange in the field of national

ports management.

December 5, 2016

Usain Bolt, Almaz Ayana crowned 2016 IAAF World Athlete of the year award

Sprint king Usain Bolt from Jamaica has been

awarded the 2016 IAAF World Athlete of the

Year award in male category for sixth time.

Earlier he had won it in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012

and 2013. He was rewarded for his blistering

performance in 2016 season in which he won

three gold medals (100m, 200m and 4x100m relay) at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Bolt had won three



gold medals, each in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4×100 meters at the Rio Olympics,

repeating his feats of the 2012 London Games and in Beijing in 2008.

7th World Ayurveda Congress held in Kolkata

The 7th World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) was held

from December 2 to 4, 2016 at Science City in Kolkata,

West Bengal. It was organised by the World Ayurveda

Foundation with the support of the Union Ministry of

AYUSH to facilitate development and growth of

AYUSH system of medicine comprising Ayurveda,

Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and

Homoeopathy. The focus theme of the Ayurveda Congress was ‚Strengthening the Ayurveda

Ecosystem‚. The major components of the congress were public outreach session, Ayurveda

Clinics for the general public and Public Lectures. During the 7th WAC, 5 plenary sessions, 25

parallel sessions and a large number of paper presentations were also held.

Navy Day is observed on December 4

The Indian Navy Day is observed annually on

4 December to celebrate the magnificence,

achievements and role of the naval force of the

country. Indian Navy is one of most potent

maritime forces in the world and the most

lethal in Indian Ocean. On the occasion of 45th

Navy Day, President Pranab Mukherjee extended greetings to all members of the Indian Navy

and their families. The observance of the day commemorates the launch of Operation Trident



by the Indian Navy against Pakistan on 4th December, 1971. During the 1971 India-Pakistan

war, the Indian Navy had played a significant role in the bombing of the Karachi harbour, the

stronghold of the Pakistani Navy.

RBI to introduce new 20 & 50 rupee currency notes

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is going to

issue new currency notes of Twenty and Fifty

rupees denomination in the Mahatma Gandhi

Series-2005. All old the previous currency notes

of old Rs. 20 and Rs. 50 denomination issued by

the Bank will continue to be legal tender. The 50

rupees note will be without inset letter in both the number panels. The 20 rupees note will be

with inset letter ‘L’ in both the number panels. Both notes will bear signature of incumbent RBI

Governor Dr. Urjit R Patel. The year 2016 will be printed on the reverse of both the notes.

Assam’s Hailakandi becomes 1st district to pay cashless transactions wages

Hailakandi district of Assam has become the first

district to pay wages to tea garden workers

through individual bank accounts. It completed

this task before the December 15, 2016 deadline

set by the state government for cashless

transactions of salary payments to the plantation workers. At least 504 workers of Burnie Braes

tea estate received their wages through bank accounts. The payment was made through five



Banking Correspondents (CSPs) of Assam Gramin Vikash Bank. Such payments were possible

due to the effort bankers, tea garden managements and mobile service providers.

December 6, 2016

CERT-In warns micro-ATMs against malware attacks

The premier cyber security agency CERT-In has

cautioned bankers, customers and traders against

skimming and malware attacks on micro ATMs and

Point of Sale (POS) terminals. The move comes as usage

of POS and micro-ATMs counters have witnessed a

sharp surge post demonetisation. It has asked to adopt

high-end encryption to plug possible breaches. In this regard, CERT-In has issued two specific

advisories for micro-Automated Teller Machines and POS terminals.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa passes away

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa passed away at the

Apollo Hospitals, Chennai following cardiac arrest. She was

68. Jayalalithaa was one of the country’s most articulate and

determined political personalities and a top film actress of the

1960s and 1970s. She was famously known as Puratchi Thalaivi

Amma (revolutionary leader) or Amma. She was born on 24 February 1948 at Melkote in

Mandya district in then Mysore State (now Karnataka). At birth she was named Komalavalli

and was renamed Jayalalithaa. She had entered into film industry when she was 16 years old.



Her debut as lead actress wasi n a Kannada film Vennira Aadai in 1955. She was launched into

Tamil films starring as the heroine in MGR’s ‚Ayirathil Oruvan.‛ Since then both have acted

together in 28 films, many of them super hits.

6th Heart of Asia conference held in Amritsar, Punjab

The sixth edition of ‘Heart of Asia- Istanbul

Process of Aghanistan‘ conference, an annual

regional gathering of Asian and other countries

was held in Amritsar, Punjab (India). It was

inaugurated jointly by Prime Minister Narendra

Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. It

concluded with adaptation of Amritsar Declaration with its prime focus on terrorism. The

delegates from nearly 40 countries and leading groupings like EU participated in conference.

Indian delegation was led by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The theme of this edition of

the conference was ‚Addressing Challenges, Achieving Prosperity‛.

Amazon launches global startup program ‘Launchpad’ in India

E-commerce giant Amazon has launched its

global startup program ‘Launchpad’ in

India. The program will enable Indian

startups to sell their products overseas. In

this regard, Amazon India has tied up with

Department of Industrial Policy and

Promotion (DIPP)’s Start Up India and NASSCOM. Amazon also has partnered with



NASSCOM’s 10,000 Startups and Indian Angel Network (IAN) along with NITI Aayog,

Governments of Maharashtra, Telangana and TiE to help roll in startups. The Amazon

Launchpad was started in 2015. It aims to help startups to sell, market, and deliver their

products to gain more visibility.

India crosses $300 billion milestone

India has received over US $300 billion US Foreign

Direct Investment (FDI) milestone between April

2000 and September 2016. The cumulative FDI

inflows during the period amounted to US $310.26

billion. With this, India firmly established its

credentials as a safe investment destination in the

world. 33% of the FDI came through the Mauritius route. India received US $101.76 billion

dollar from Mauritius between April 2000 and September 2016.

December 7, 2016

India to train Vietnam’s Sukhoi-30 fighter pilots

India has agreed to train Vietnam’s Sukhoi-30 fighter pilots, boosting

growing defence ties between both countries. In this regard agreement

was signed during bilateral discussions between Defence Minister

Manohar Parrikar and his Vietnamese counterpart, General Ngo Xuan

Lich in New Delhi. Air Forces of both countries have signed a

programme for cooperation. It covers a cross-section of activities,



including training of pilots and exchange of experts. Under it, Vietnamese pilots will be trained

in India. The two Air Forces are working out the numbers, scope and the cost of training.

O Panneerselvam sworn in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

AIADMK leader O. Panneerselvam (65) was sworn in as

Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu following death of Chief

Minister Jayalalithaa. He was administered the oath of

office and secrecy by Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao at a

solemn ceremony held in the Raj Bhavan, Chennai.

Besides, all 31 members of the outgoing Ministry from the

Jayalalithaa’s council of Ministers were sworn in. This is for third time he has sworn in as Chief

Minister of Tamil Nadu. Earlier he had served CM for two brief periods from 2001-02 and 2014-

15 after Jayalalithaa was unseated from the post by the courts on various grounds.

Joint maritime exercise ‘Konkan 16’ between India and UK begins

The annual bilateral maritime exercise Konkan 16 between

the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy (British Navy)

started in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The 2016 edition of the

exercise (from 05 to 16 December 2016) will play an

important chapter in the maritime interactions. It will

familiarise navies of both countries with each other’s

planning processes and further enhance synergy and inter-operability. Konkan 16 will be

conducted in two phases in Mumbai and Goa. The first phase (05 to 09 December 2016) will be



held in Mumbai. In it there will be a command planning exercise involving the two navies,

where planners from both sides will undertake planning for combined maritime operations.

Researchers found novel route to discover new drug targets

Researchers from the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and

Biotechnology (ICGEB), Delhi have found a novel route to discover

new drug targets and potential drugs. These new drug targets route

and potential drugs are mainly for parasites such as Loa loa nematode

(roundworm) and Schistosoma mansoni platyhelminths (flatworm)

that cause several diseases. Both these parasites are the major cause of health burden,

particularly in African countries. They have limited treatment options and there is the threat of

drug resistance.

Justice JS Khehar appointed as 44th Chief Justice of India

Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar (64) will be the next Chief Justice

of India (CJI). He will be the 44th CJI and shall succeed Chief

Justice TS Thakur who retires on January 3, 2016. Justice Khehar

will be sworn in as the CJI by President Pranab Mukherjee on

January 4, 2017. With this, he will be the first Sikh to become the

CJI. Justice Khehar’s name for appointment as the next CJI was

recommended by SC collegium headed by Chief Justice TS

Thakur. He would remain in office from January 4, 2017 till August 4, 2017 i.e. till he attains the

age of 65.



DTAB suggests one-time licensing for drugs

The Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) recently

recommended one-time licensing for manufacture and

sales of drugs. If the recommendation is approved it

will change present of the renewal of licences for each

formulation which rests with state regulators and takes

around three years. However, the new rule will have a

condition that there be at least one annual inspection and in cases where risk is high. Separate

rules for manufacturing, import, sale and distribution of cosmetics. It has suggested the

European Union’s model. Making of influenza drugs Oseltamivir and Zanamavir must be made

available widely at all pharmacies, by putting it in the Schedule H1 list.

December 8, 2016

Banks to bear liability in case of online security breach: RBI

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has clarified that

banks will have to bear the full liability in the event

of any security breach or compromise in the

authorised card network. Banks issuing the cards

will offer the ‘payment authentication solutions’ of

the respective card networks on an optional basis to

their customers. Only authorised card networks will offer such payment authentication

solutions with participation of card issuing and acquiring banks. For this purpose customer’s



consent must be taken while making this solution available to them. Customers opting for this

facility will go through a one-time registration process. They are required to enter card details

and additional factor authentication by issuing bank.

MoES launches Winter Fog Experiment 2016-17

The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has

launched Winter Fog Experiment (WIFEX 2016-17) to

study presence of extended periods of fog in northern

parts of the country. It is an intensive ground-based

measurement to understand different physical and

chemical features of Fog will be conducted at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), Delhi.

Fog is a visible mass consisting of cloud water droplets suspended in the air at or near the

Earth’s surface. In India, presence of heavy and extended period fog in the northern region

(world’s most densely populated region) is one of the major weather hazards, impacting road,

aviation transportation, economy and public life.

IIIDEM Conducts Training on Election Management for SAARC Nations

The India International Institute of Democracy and

Election Management (IIIDEM) has conducted training

on Election Management of SAARC Countries. It was

conducted by Election Commission of India (ECI) and

sponsored by the Union Ministry of External Affairs with

aim of promoting free, fair, peaceful and inclusive

elections. The training course is attended by delegates consisting of Election Management

Bodies (EMBs) from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldives, Bhutan and Afghanistan.



BRICS nations to share tax information automatically to eliminate tax evasion

The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and

South Africa) countries have agreed to share

tax information automatically as per their

commitment to ensure the fairness of the

international tax system. Decion in this regard

was taken at They have reaffirmed their

commitment to prevent of base erosion and shifting of profits (BEPS), exchange of tax

information and capacity building of developing countries. To eliminate BEPS all member

countries agreed to tax profits in those jurisdictions where the activities deriving those profits

are performed and where value is created.

Dr. B R Ambedkar’s birth anniversary will be observed as Water Day

The Union Government is going to observe birth anniversary of

the father of Indian Constitution B R Ambedkar (April 14) as

‚Water Day‛ in the country. It was announced by Union Minister

for Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti in New Delhi. She

made this announcement while addressing a National Seminar on

Marching ahead on Dr. Ambedkar’s path of water resources management for inclusive growth.

It was organized by Central Water Commission (CWC) in New Delhi. The idea behind

observing Water Day on birth anniversary of Dr. Ambedkar is to sensitise people about

managing precious water resources.



Horse racing not animal cruelty: SC

The Supreme Court has ruled that horse racing per se

is not animal cruelty. It held that it is different from

Jallikattu, which metes out specific methods of torture

to bulls. This observation was made by a Bench of

Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud on a

petition challenging a Rajasthan High Court’s order

banning tonga races in the State. The Rajasthan High Court had banned tonga races in the state

by relying on a Supreme Court judgment of 2014 banning jallikattu. Against the tonga races

ban, a petition was filed in the apex country saying that the 2014 judgment banning jallikattu

was confined only to bulls and not horses.

TIFR Researchers discovery challenges theory of superconductivity

Researchers’ team from Tata Institute of Fundamental

Research (TIFR) have discovered that bismuth semi-

metal in bulk form becomes a superconductor. The team

was lead by Dr. S. Ramakrishnan of the Department of

Condensed Matter Physics and Material Sciences at

TIFR, Mumbai. They have discovered that when

temperature of bismuth semi-metal in bulk form is lowered to 530 microKelvin (about -273

degree C), it becomes a superconductor. It acts as superconductor at temperature three orders of

magnitude higher than the theoretical prediction.



Andhra Pradesh Government launches AP Purse mobile app to promote digital

transactions

Andhra Pradesh Government has launched AP Purse mobile application to promote digital

transactions among the people. It was launched by Chief

Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in Vijayawada to solve the

cash crunch problem in the state following demonitisaton of

high value old currency notes. The application features 13

mobile banking and 10 mobile wallet options. Using this

application people can pay their bills and carry out their cashless transactions. Besides,

Government will rope agents named ‘Marpu Nestam’ to improve digital financial literacy

among people. They will be provided with incentives.

Remote sensing satellite Resourcesat-2A successfully launched

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has

successfully launched remote sensing satellite

Resourcesat-2A into its dedicated orbit. It was launched

onboard of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C36

from first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in

Sriharikota. It was PSLV’s 38th flight and XL version of the rocket was used. It was the 37th

consecutive successful flight of the rocket. Resourcesat-2A is a follow on mission to its

predecessor remote sensing satellites Resourcesat-1 and Resourcesat-2, launched in 2003 and

2011 respectively. It is intended to continue the remote sensing data services to global users

provided by it two predecessors.



December 9, 2016

Union Cabinet approves MoU between India and UK to support Ease of Doing

Business in India

The Union Cabinet has given its approval to Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between

India and United Kingdom (UK) to support Ease of Doing

Business in India. The MoU was signed between both

countries earlier in November 2016 during the official state

visit of UK Prime Minister Theresa May to India. The MoU

will facilitate exchange Government officials from both

countries to facilitate sharing of best practises, technical

assistance and enhanced implementation of reforms.

Union Cabinet approves MoU between India and Afghanistan on Cooperation in

the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space

The Union Cabinet has approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and

Afghanistan on cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer

space. The MoU envisages cooperation between both

countries for application of space technologies in various

sectors. It will cover agriculture, education, weather

forecasting, rural health, telecommunications, urban

development, sanitation, resource mapping navigation,



remote sensing and any other areas mutually agreed upon. Develop space sector in Afghanistan

and making it self-reliant in space sector Burnish India’s credentials as a nation with advanced

space technology which can assist other countries.

Union Cabinet approves Reforms to boost employment generation and exports in

Made-ups Sector

The Union Cabinet approved proposal of the reforms to boost employment generation and

exports in the Made-ups manufacturing Sector. It approved

budget of Rs. 6,006 crore for the apparel package in a time

bound manner. The main objective is generating direct and

indirect employment of upto 11 lakh persons over the next

three years the made-ups sector. Providing production

incentive through enhanced Technology Upgradation Fund

Scheme (TUFS) subsidy of additional 10% for Made-ups.

Union Cabinet approves MoU between India and Vietnam on Cooperation in IT

The Union Cabinet has approved Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) between India and Vietnam on

Cooperation in the field of Information Technology. The

MoU aims to develop sustainable and a long-term

cooperation between both countries on the basis of

equality and mutual interest in the areas of IT. The MoU

will be implemented by establishing a Joint Working Group on IT having representatives from

both the countries. It will remain in force for a period of 5 years and will be renewable by

mutual written consent between India and Vietnam.



Renowned journalist Cho S Ramaswamy passes away

Veteran journalist Cho S Ramaswamy passed away in

Chennai following a prolonged illness. He was 82. He

was a lawyer, actor, journalist, commentator and a

political interlocutor. He was founder and editor of

Thuglak, a Tamil political magazine known for its

withering satire and fearless criticism of political

figures. He was born on October 5, 1934. He was a lawyer by training and later branched into

theatre, films and finally to journalism. He has acted in 180 movies, scripted 14 and directed

four. He had acted in movies along with MG Ramachandran, Jayalalithaa, Kamal Hassan,

Rajinikanth and others.

RBI keeps key rates unchanged in fifth bi-monthly monetary policy review

The Reserve bank of India (RBI) in its fifth bi-monthly

monetary policy review for year 2016-17 has kept key

rates unchanged. Decision in this regard was taken by

RBI’s six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)

headed by Governor Urjit Patel. This decision was

taken on the basis of an assessment of the current and

evolving macroeconomic situation. Repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF):

Unchanged at 6.25 percent. Reverse repo rate under the LAF: Unchanged at 5.75 per cent.

Marginal standing facility (MSF) and Bank Rate: Unchanged at 6.75 per cent. Reserve Ratios

Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) of scheduled banks: Unchanged at 4.0 per cent of net demand and

time liability (NDTL). Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR): Unchanged 20.75 per cent.



Triple talaq unconstitutional, violates rights of Muslim women: Allahabad high

court

The Allahabad High Court has ruled that the

practice of triple talaq (Talaq-e-bidat) among

Muslims is unconstitutional and violates the

rights of women enshrined in constitution. The

order was passed by HC Justice Suneet Kumar

while hearing a petition filed by a woman who

claimed her husband arbitrarily divorced her. Besides, the High Court also held that No

Personal Law Board is above the Constitution i.e. it was indirectly referring to All India Muslim

Personal Law Board (AIMPLB).

English most powerful language in the world: WEF

English has been ranked first in the top 10

most powerful languages in the world

according to the 2016 World Power Language

Index (PLI). The index was published by

World Economic Forum (WEF). Indian

language Hindi was ranked 10th in the 2016

PLI. According to the index there are over 6,000 languages spoken in the world. Of these 2,000

count fewer than 1,000 speakers. Moreover, just 15 languages account for half of the languages

spoken in the world. English is dominant language of 3 G7 nations (USA, UK and Canada).



December 10, 2016

Kerala Government launches Haritha Keralam Mission

Kerala Government has launched Haritha Keralam Mission,

a comprehensive programme for creating new sustainable

development perspectives in the state. It was launched by

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the state capital

Thiruvananthapuram. Singer K.J. Yesudas and actor Manju

Warrier are the mission ambassador. The Haritha Keralam

Mission is multidimensional development project focuses on

water conservation, sanitation, environmental protection, and paddy cultivation. It aims to clear

and remove waste from all water bodies in the state, ensure disposal of solid waste and removal

of waste water and increase the area of land under cultivation.

John Glenn, first American to Orbit Earth passes away

Former US aviator, astronaut John Glenn passed away in

Columbus, Ohio, US. He was 95. He last surviving member

of the Mercury Seven Mission. He was first American to

orbit Earth and had circled three times earth in 1962 aboard

Friendship 7 space capsule. His achievement marked the

moment in US space history as during that time it was

caught up with the Soviet Union in manned space exploration. He is born as John Herschel

Glenn Jr. on July 18, 1921 in Cambridge, Ohio, US. Before gaining fame of orbiting world, he



was a distinguished fighter pilot in World War II and Korean war. Later he joined America’s

space agency NASA.

Union Government announces package for promotion of digital & cashless

economy

The Union Government has announced package of incentives and measures for promotion of

digital and cashless economy in the country. It was

announced to supplement the surge in the digital

transactions aftermath demonetisation of old Rs.500

and Rs.1,000 notes for promotion of digital cashless

economy and cutting out cash transactions.

Petroleum companies will offer a discount of 0.75%

on diesel and petrol to consumers who pay through digital means. 0.5% discount will be given

to people who will buy monthly seasonal tickets in the Suburban railway networks through

digital payment mode.

2016 India International Science Festival held in New Delhi

The 2016 India International Science festival (IISF) has started at

CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (NPL) Campus in New Delhi.

It was inaugurated by the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

The theme of the science festival is ‚Science for the masses‛. IISF-

2016 has been organised by the Union Ministry of Science and

Technology and Earth Sciences in association with Vijnana

Bharati (VIBHA). The main aim is to promote the science and technology developed by the

Indian research labs and to inculcate the scientific temper among masses.



International Anti-Corruption Day is observed on December 9

The International Anti-Corruption Day (IACD) is observed

annually on December 9 to raise public awareness of

corruption and what people can do to fight it. Observance of

the day aims to promote and strengthen measures to prevent

and combat corruption more efficiently and effectively. It also

highlights the role of the United Nations Convention against

Corruption in combating and preventing it. 2016 Theme:

‚United against corruption for development, peace and security‛.

India designated as major US defence partner

India has been designated as a major defence partner of

the United States. It puts India on a par with the closest

allies and partners of the US. The agreement in this

regard was reached between Union Defence Minister

Manohar Parrikar and US Secretary of Defence Ashton

Carter in New Delhi. It was one of the last visits from a cabinet member of the outgoing Obama

administration. So far, US has bestowed this status upon the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

(NATO) countries and the US treaty allies such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand

and Philippines.



Indian Army launches Veterans Outreach App to reach out to veterans

The Indian Army has launched a ‚Veterans Outreach App‛

in a bid to reach out to its ex-servicemen. The app was

launched by the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General

Dalbir Singh Suhag. It is dedicated to Army Veterans and

Veer Naris. The app was designed by the Directorate of

Indian Army Veterans (DIAV), which also runs a web portal

specifically meant for veterans and Veer Naris It has specific

features like ‚Ask a question‛ and ‚Locator Services‛ for locating Ex-Serviceman Cells, ECHS

Polyclinics, Station Canteens and Sainik Aram Garhs all across the country.

India ranks 7th in 2016 Global Terrorism Index

According to the 2016 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) India was

ranked 7th among 163 countries in the list of most impacted by

terrorism in 2015. The fourth edition of the index was released

by Sydney-based think-tank Institute for Economics & Peace.

India is one of six Asian countries ranked in the top 10 nations

most impacted by terrorism. According to GTI 2016, Iraq was the

worst hit by terror in 2015 followed by Afghanistan and Nigeria.

Pakistan and Syria were ranked fourth and fifth respectively. Deaths from terror attacks

globally declined 10%from the highest recorded level of 32,765 in 2014 to 29,376 in 2015.



Tropical Cyclonic Storm Vardah to hit Andhra Pradesh

The tropical cyclonic storm Vardah over southeast Bay of

Bengal is expected to hit Andhra Pradesh coast between

Nellore and Kakinada. It is the third cyclonic storm of the

season after Cyclone Kyant and Nada, that were formed

during the Northeast Monsoon season. It was created as

depression (low pressure) over Andaman Sea and later slightly intensified further as cyclonic

storm. The reason for the intensification can be attributed to warm sea surface temperatures of

Bay of Bengal and longer sea travel. Since then, the tropical cyclonic storm Vardah has moved

north-northwestwards with a speed of 10 kmph about 990 km southeast of Visakhapatnam and

250 km west-northwest of Port Blair.

December 11, 2016

Human Rights Day is observed on December 10

The Human Rights Day is observed annually on

10th December to commemorate the Universal

Declaration of Human Rights. Observance of the

day seeks to encourage, support and amplify

measures to be taken by everyone to defend

human rights. 2016 Theme or campaign: ‚Stand

up for someone’s rights today‛. It aims to re-emphasise how important it is to live in peace and

harmony, compassion and concern for each other’s rights with respect towards the idea of



mutual co-existence. In run up to the celebration of Human Rights Day, National Human Rights

Commission (NHRC) had organised a series of events.

Disabled children are illiterate due to lack of support services: Report

According to the India Social Development Report (SDR) 2016,

about 45% of all persons with disabilities (PWD) in India are

illiterate. They remain illiterate mainly because of lack of support

services. The theme for this edition of report was ‘Disabilities

Rights Perspectives’. The number of PWDs in India are 26.8

million or 2.2% of the population. However, the World Bank

estimates it is 4 to 8% of the population. Men formed 56% of the PWDs and 70% of the disabled

population is in rural areas.

Rajasthan High Court scraps 5% quota for Gujjars

The Rajasthan High Court has scrapped the Rajasthan

Special Backward Classes (SBC) Reservation Act,

2015 that provided 5% quota to five communities,

including Gujjars in jobs and education. The verdict

was given on bunch of writ petitions challenging the

2015 Act on grounds of violation of Supreme Court mandated limit of 50% on reservation. State

government had given the reservation illegally to five communities and declared SBC

Reservation Act, 2015 and its notification unconstitutional. It has failed to consider Article

16(4B) of the Constitution, which forbids reservation exceeding 50%.



Recommendations of Ratan Watal Committee for Digital Payments

The Committee on Digital Payments headed by

Ratan P. Watal has submitted its final report to the

Union Finance Ministry. It was 11-member

committee notified in August 2016 by the Finance

Ministry. It was tasked to review existing payment

systems in the country and recommend appropriate

measures for encouraging Digital Payments. It was having representatives from Reserve Bank

of India (RBI), Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), tax department and various

industry bodies in the payments space. The Committee has recommended medium term

strategy for accelerating growth of Digital Payments in India.

Union Government launches DigiShala TV channel to promote digital payments

The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information

Technology (MeitY) has launched a TV channel

named ‘DigiShala’ to promote cashless

transactions. The channel was launched as part of

the ‘Digidhan’ campaign which aims to spread

awareness about digital transactions. DigiShala is

dedicated 24*7 and 365 days free-to-air TV channel to inform citizens about digital payment

ecosystem, benefits and processes. It is a satellite channel managed by Doordarshan (DD). It

will be broadcasted nationally on DD Free Dish DTH service. It will be available through

GSAT15 (DD Direct DTH), 93.5 degree East, Receive frequency: 11590 Mhz.



Union Government scraps import duty on wheat

The Union Government has waived the import

duty on wheat to zero from 10 per cent for an

indefinite period. This move aims to improve

domestic availability in the wake of rising prices

and concerns about the wheat crop in 2016-17.

The duty was waived because of uncertainty over

the wheat output this year. Despite a rise in area sown, questions are raised over condition of

the wheat crop, low fertiliser and pesticide use due to and fears of a warm winter. The waiving

of import duty will make wheat imports (especially from Australia and Ukrainian) considerably

cheaper. This will fuel imports to over 6 million tonnes in 2016-17. This will be the highest

wheat imports in the 10 years.

Japan successfully launches space junk collector into orbit

Japan’s space agency (JAXA) successfully launched a Kounotori

6 (HTV-6) spacecraft that will deliver a large magnetic tether, a

space junk collector technology into orbit. The spacecraft was

launched on board of H-IIB rocket from Tanegashima Space

Center. It was also carrying essential supplies for International

Space Station (ISS). The space junk collector (electromagnetic

tether) will perform Kounotori Integrated Tether Experiments (KITE) in order to test out new

technology. It is an experimental space scavenger that aims to study possibility of getting rid of

space junk (debris) left into orbit by earlier space exploration missions.



India, Vietnam sign Civil Nuclear deal, three other agreements

India and Vietnam have signed a civil nuclear

cooperation agreement. With this, Vietnam became

14th country with which India has signed the civil

nuclear deal. The MoU in Peaceful Uses of Atomic

Energy was signed by Sekhar Basu, Secretary of

Department of Atomic Energy and Pham Cong Tac,

Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Science and Technology in New Delhi. The two countries also

signed three other agreements in the fields of energy, aviation and government cooperation.

These agreements will enhance aviation links, cooperation in the area of energy efficiency and

promotion of parliamentary cooperation between both countries.

December 12, 2016

Centre to launch helpline number 14444 to promote digital payments

Government had sought Nasscom's help in

providing support on a mass scale to people. We

had requested a single nationwide helpline should

be set up which now assigned by the DoT which is

14444. We are putting call centre support at the

back-end. It is fairly advance stage of operation. It

is awareness with intention of conversion in actual

transaction. It is to help people at the first level to zero in on the option most suitable for them



that depends on person whether he has feature phone or not, Aadhaar number or not, bank

account so many combination need to be seen.

Government simplify rules of passport issuance services

Union Government has simplified services relating to

the issuance of passport by making changes in the

existing rules. It makes process of applying for

changes in date of birth in existing passports easy. It

also allows digitally signed marriage and birth

certificates as valid proofs of marriage.

Andhra Pradesh launches website of APEDB

Andhra Pradesh Government launched website of state

Economic Development Board (AP-EDB). It aims at providing a

repository of knowledge on investing in Andhra Pradesh,

policies of various sectors and give investors various

investment opportunities offered by state.



Iran signs contract to buy 80 Boeing planes from US firm

Iran Air that it had finalised a contract to buy 80

planes from US firm Boeing. Fifty of the planes are

737 and the other 30 are the long haul 777 that will

be delivered to Iran Air in a period of 10 years. IRNA

reported that the contract was worth USD 16.6

billion (15.7 billion euros). Following an initial

agreement in June, the sale of the planes was given final approval by the US government in

September. Washington lifted many of its sanctions on Iran under a nuclear deal that came into

force in January, but many restrictions have remained in place that mean companies trading

with Tehran must receive explicit approval from the White House.

December 13, 2016

India offers tsunami warning system to SCS countries

India has offered tsunami early warning-system

to South China Sea (SCS) countries like Vietnam,

Malaysia and Philippines as part of soft-

diplomacy. India already provides earthquake

and tsunami-warning alerts to several countries in

the Indian Ocean neighbourhood, as do Japan and

Australia. Developed by scientists at the Indian

National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS). It warns concerned authorities of any



large earthquake in the Ocean and threat it poses. Uses mathematical model to estimate if an

earthquake in India’s oceanic neighbourhood can result in a tsunami.

Madhya Pradesh Government launches Narmada Seva Yatra

Madhya Pradesh Government has launched five months

long Narmada Seva Yatra to turn the Narmada river

pollution free. It was launched by Chief Minister Shivraj

Singh Chouhan at Amarkantak. The Narmada Sewa Yatra

aims to create awareness about the conservation of the river.

It is one of the biggest public campaign of the world to

conserve river and environment. All the villages along the river will have Narmada Sewa

Samiti. These samitis will take follow up action on measures to be undertaken for its

preservation. Trees will be planted along the banks of the Narmada. Participation of public and

society will be ensured in it. It will cover more than 1,900 kilometers in 16 districts.

President Pranab Mukherjee launches 100 Million for 100 Million Campaign

President Pranab Mukherjee launched a ‘100 Million for 100

Million’ Campaign at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The campaign was

conceptualized by Nobel peace prize winner Kailash Satyarthi

and was organized by the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s

Foundation. The campaign aims to mobilise 100 million youth

and children for 100 million underprivileged children across

the world. Its prime objective is to end child labour, child slavery, violence against children over

the next 5 years. It also seeks to promote the right of every child to be safe, free, and educated.



Scientist creates Nanoceramic material for safer, cheaper nuclear reactors

Scientists from US including one of Indian origin have created a

nanoceramic material that can used for safer, cheaper nuclear reactors.

The new material is made of aluminium oxide nanoceramic coating. It

can withstand high temperatures, the harsh effects of radiation and

also becomes tougher under radiation. Potential Applications: It can be

used in next- generation nuclear reactors that will operate at higher

temperatures and radiation fields, producing more energy efficiently, safely and economically.

Gotthard Base Tunnel, world’s longest rail tunnel starts regular service

The famed Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) has started

regular commercial rail service in Switzerland. The first

regular train to use GBT ferried passenger from Zurich

to Lugano. The twin-bore GBT is world’s longest and

deepest railway tunnel with length of 57-kilometer. It

had overtaken Japan’s Seikan tunnel (53.9 kilometers) as the longest rail tunnel in world after it

was opened in June 2016 for its maiden ride. GBT is the first flat low-level route through the

Alps Mountain. It is situated 2.3 km deep under these mountains and57-kilometer long.



Cancel illegal salt pans in Sambhar Lake: NGT

The central zonal bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT)

has directed the Rajasthan government to cancel allotments of

salt pans in the Sambhar Salt Lake. Ruling in this regard was

given by NGT bench headed by Justice Dalip Singh and expert

Satyawan Singh Garbyal on a petition filed by Ajay Dubey. The

petitioner had alleged that commercial, ground water extracting and other activities in and

around the Sambhar Lake are detrimental to the eco-system of the wetland. These activities

were carried out illegally contrary to the provisions of the Wetland (Conservation and

Management) Rules framed under the Environment Protection Acts, 1986.

China launches advanced weather satellite Fengyun-4

China has successfully launched Fengyun-4 satellite, first of

its new generation weather satellites into geostationary orbit.

It was launched onboard of Long March-3B carrier rocket

from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan

Province. The launch marked the 242nd mission of China’s

Long March series of rockets. Fengyun-4 is the first of China’s second-generation weather

satellites and also the country’s first quantitative remote-sensing satellite in highest orbit. It will

make high time, spatial and spectral resolution observations of atmosphere, space environment

and clouds of China and surrounding regions.



Kolkata-Mizoram trade route via Myanmar to open soon

A deep water port built in Myanmar’s Sittwe by India is

ready to be commissioned. Thus, open Kolkata-Mizoram

trade route via Myanmar. The Sittwe port is starting point for

the Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project in

Myanmar. Once shipments arrive at Sittwe port from Kolkata,

they will be transferred to smaller freight carriers which

would sail upstream into Mizoram. Provides alternative route to India to ship goods to the

landlocked north-eastern States. Significantly lower the cost and distance of movement from

Kolkata to Mizoram and beyond. Reduces dependency on only route narrow strip dubbed as

the Chicken’s Neck in West Bengal, sandwiched between Bhutan and Bangladesh.

December 14, 2016

Antonio Guterres sworn in as UN Secretary General

Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres (67) was

sworn in as the 9th UN Secretary-General. He was

administered the Oath of Office by Peter Thomson, President

of UN General Assembly at special plenary meeting. He

succeeds Ban Ki-moon and shall have five-year term

beginning January 1, 2017. Antonio Guterres was

unanimously appointed by the UN General Assembly after the 15-nation UN Security Council

had approved him in October 2016.



Punjab Government launches India’s first amphibious bus project

Punjab Government has launched country’s first

amphibious bus project at the Harike wetland near

Amritsar. The amphibious bus named as ‚Harike

Cruise‛ travels on land and as well as in water. It was

launched by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh

Badal. The first of its kind amphibious bus in India

was imported from Swedish automobile company Scania. It will be run by the Punjab Tourism

department. The project has cost the state government over Rs 11 crore. It has a seating capacity

of 34 people and is equipped with life-jackets for everyone.

Researchers discover mutated Atlantic killifish resistant to toxic waste 8,000

times

Researchers discovered Atlantic killifish, a fish species which has evolved to be 8,000 times

more resilient to toxic waste compared with

normal fish. The fish species lives in the

heavily polluted East Coast estuaries of US

such as the Elizabeth River in Virginia and the

Newark Bay in New Jersey. The evolution has

made Atlantic killifish very resilient to environmental change allows it live in lethal and

human-altered environments. The fish has evolved to adapt to the amount of highly toxic

industrial pollutants that would normally kill normal fish.



India, Indonesia sign three agreements to enhance strategic partnership

India and Indonesia have signed three agreements in

various areas to enhance strategic partnership. These

agreements were signed after delegation level talks

between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting

President of Indonesia Joko Widodo in New Delhi.

Signed Agreements are

MoU on Youth and Sports Cooperation.

MoU on Standardization Cooperation.

Joint Communiqué on Voluntary International Cooperation to Combat Illegal, Unregulated and

Unreported (IUU) Fishing and to promote Sustainable Fisheries Governance.

Microsoft launches India’s first Cybersecurity Engagement Centre in New Delhi

Software giant Microsoft India has launched its first

full-scale Cybersecurity Engagement Centr (CSEC) in

New Delhi. It is Microsoft’s seventh Cybersecurity

Centre in the world. It will function as a satellite to the

its Redmond Digital Crimes Unit (DCU). The first-of-

its-kind centre in India will bring together Microsoft capabilities to foster deeper cyber security

collaborations with public and private sector organisations. It will help to build a trusted and

secure computing environment, a critical enabler for India’s digital transformation.



Cristiano Ronaldo wins 2016 FIFA Ballon d’Or Award

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo (31) from Portugal has

won the prestigious 2016 FIFA Ballon d’Or Award. He has

earned this title of world’s best football player for fourth time.

Earlier he had won the Ballon d’Or in 2008, 2013 and 2014. In

this year’s competition, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi (Argentina)

finished second and Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann

(France) third in the vote. FIFA Ballon d’Or Award is annual football association award given

by FIFA to the male player who has performed the best in previous calendar year. It was

instituted in 2010 after France Football’s Ballon d’Or and the men’s FIFA World Player of the

Year award were merged.

December 15, 2016

India becomes world’s 4th largest defence spender

According to the recently released 2016 IHS Jane’s Defence

Budgets report, India has become the world’s fourth largest

defence spender. In this edition of report published by US

research firm IHS Inc, India has surpassed Russia, France,

Japan and Saudi Arabia to become the world’s fourth largest

defence spender. United States, China, and the UK remain



the top three defence spender in the world. In 2016, the total global defence spending increased

to $1.57 trillion. US tops with mammoth defence spending of $622 billion. China is second with

defence spending of $191.75 billion.

NASA building robotic spacecraft to refuel, repair satellites in orbit

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration

(NASA) is building a robotic spacecraft dubbed as

‘Restore-L Spacecraft’ to refuel, repair satellites currently

in orbit. In this regard, NASA has awarded a $127 million

contract to California-based satellite company Space

Systems/Loral to build Restore-L Spacecraft. Space

Systems/Loral will provide NASA with spacecraft bus, critical hardware and services for the

Restore-L mission. This mission will be launched in 2020 to perform in-orbit satellite servicing

in low-Earth orbit.

6th Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development

begins in New Delhi

The sixth edition of Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on

Housing and Urban Development (APMCHUD) began in New

Delhi. It was inaugurated by Union Urban Development Minister

M Venkaiah Naidu. The three days conference seeks to address

issues ranging from crowded city centres to peripheral

expansion, metropolitan based urban population growth,

megacities and urban corridors etc. In this conference ministers and senior officials from 68

countries in the Asia-Pacific region are expected to deliberate on challenges of urban planning



and management. It will adopt Delhi Declaration and implementation plan for aligning urban

development strategies of member countries with New Urban Agenda adopted at Quito,

Eucador.

India, Russia bilateral naval exercise Indra Navy 2016 begins

The ninth edition of exercise INDRA NAVY, an

annual bilateral maritime exercise between Indian

Navy and Russian Navy began in the Bay of

Bengal. The primary aim of exercise INDRA

NAVY-16 is to increase inter-operability amongst

the two navies and develop common

understanding and procedures for maritime security operations. The scope of the exercise

includes wide-ranging professional interactions in harbor phase and a diverse canvas of

operational activities across a spectrum of maritime operations at sea. The exercise will be held

in two phases viz. Harbour Phase (14 to 18 December 2016) at Visakhapatnam and tSea Phase

(19 to 21 December 2016) off Visakhapatnam.

Rajya Sabha passes Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014

Rajya Sabha has passed the Rights of Persons with

Disabilities Bill, 2014. The bill repeals Persons with

Disabilities (Equal Opportunity Protection of Rights

and Full Participation) Act of 1995. The bill

comprehensively covers a whole spectrum of



problems from physical disabilities to mental illness and multiple disabilities under it. It

complies with the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to which India became

a signatory in 2007.

December 16, 2016

Pakistan successfully test-fires enhanced version of Babur cruise missile

Pakistan Army has successfully test fired an enhanced version

of an indigenously-designed Babur cruise missile. The missile

incorporates advanced aerodynamics and avionics that can

strike targets both at land and sea with high accuracy. The

missile has been named after the first Moghal emperor. It is a

low flying, terrain hugging cruise missile. It is part of Babur

Weapon System version-2 which is an important force multiplier for Pakistan’s strategic

defence.

Union Cabinet approves Major Port Trust Authorities Bill, 2016 to give autonomy

to 12 major ports

The Union Cabinet has approved the draft Major Port Authorities Bill, 2016 to replace the

existing Major Port Trusts Act, 1963. The bill aims to

empower 12 major ports to perform with greater

efficiency on account of full autonomy in decision-

making. The Bill is more compact in comparison to

Major Port Trusts Act, 1963. It has reduced number of



sections to 65 from 134 by eliminating obsolete and overlapping Sections of previous Act. Board

of Port Authority: It has been delegated full powers to enter into contracts, planning and

development, fixing of tariff.

PM Narendra Modi ranks 9th among world’s most powerful people list of Forbes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was placed at 9th

position among 74 of the world’s most powerful people

list released by the Forbes Magazine. The list gives the

annual ranking of the World’s Most Powerful People on

the basis of their financial resources, scope and use of

power and the number of people they impact. 2016

edition of the list was topped by Russian President Vladimir Putin. This is for fourth

consecutive year Putin has topped the list. The first billionaire President of the United States

was ranked second in the list. In the 2015 edition of the list he was placed 72. Outgoing US

President Barack Obama dropped from 2 to 48.

Union Cabinet approves MoU between Rural Development Ministry & FAO

The Union Cabinet has approved MoU between Ministry of

Rural Development and Food and Agriculture Organisation

(FAO) to improve effectiveness of rural development

programmes in country. The Inter-Governmental MoU on

Joint Technical and South-South Cooperation will provide

for collaboration on activities of common interest to support

an integrated approach to rural poverty reduction through activities. These activities will aim to

promote economic empowerment of rural women, access of rural poor to natural resources.



Union Government launches Lucky Grahak Yojana, Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana to

promote digital payments

The Union Government has launched Lucky Grahak Yojana to encourage consumers and Digi

Dhan Vyapar Yojana to encourage merchants for

transition to digital payments. These award based

schemes were launched by the NITI (National

Institution for Transforming India) Aayog,

government’s policy think-tank. These schemes aim to

give cash awards to consumers and merchants who

utilize digital payment instruments for personal

consumption expenditures. They will specially focuses on bringing the poor, lower middle class

and small businesses into the digital payment fold.

December 17, 2016

e-Tourist visa extended to citizens of 161 countries: Government

The Union Government has extended the facility of e-

Tourist Visa (e-TV) Scheme for citizens of 161

countries. It was announced by Tourism Minister

Mahesh Sharma in a written reply to Rajya Sabha. The

reply also mentioned that number of foreign tourist

arrivals on e-TV during January to November 2016

was 9,17,446. This period registered a growth of 168.5% over same period of previous year. This



indicates success of the e-TV Scheme. Union Government had launched e-Tourist Visa Scheme

(as Tourist Visa on Arrival scheme) on November 27, 2014. The scheme facilitates pre-

authorization of Visa i.e. electronic travel authorisation is given to foreigners prior to travel

after applicant registers for visa online.

SC bans liquor shops on national, state highways across India

The Supreme Court has ordered a ban on all liquor shops on

national as well as state highways to reduce drink driving

and road accidents that claim thousands of lives every year

across the country. The three-judge SC bench headed by

Chief Justice T S Thakur gave its order on a public interest

litigation (PIL) filed by an NGO called ‘Arrive Safe’. The

petitioner had mentioned that easy availability of liquor from stores on highways was a major

reason for drunk driving. This results into around 1.42 lakh death annually in road accidents,

many of which are caused by drunk driving.

5th India-Arab partnership conference held in Muscat, Oman

The fifth edition of the India-Arab Partnership

Conference was held in Muscat, Oman from

December 14 to 15, 2016. Theme of the

conference was ‘Partnership towards innovation

and cooperation in IT’. It was organised by the

Oman Foreign Ministry, Arab League Secretariat

in association with the Union Ministry of External Affairs of India.The fifth edition of the India-

Arab Partnership Conference was held in Muscat, Oman from December 14 to 15, 2016. Theme



of the conference was ‘Partnership towards innovation and cooperation in IT’. It was organised

by the Oman Foreign Ministry, Arab League Secretariat in association with the Union Ministry

of External Affairs of India.

Rio de Janeiro accorded UNESCO world heritage status

The UN cultural body UNESCO has accorded world

heritage status to Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro

(nicknamed as Marvelous City). It has been registered as

‚Carioca Landscapes between Mountain and Sea‛ on the

UNESCO world heritage list. Rio de Janeiro has been

accorded this status in recognition of its extraordinary fusion of man-made and natural beauty,

soaring granite cliffs, urban rainforest and beaches. It also had hosted 2014 football World Cup

and 2016 Summer Olympics. The UNESCO status to Rio de Janeiro was announced in 2012. It

became official after the Brazilian authorities were given four years to report on their plans for

protecting Sugarloaf Mountain, Flamengo Park, Corcovado, Copacabana beach, Botanical

Garden and Tijuca forest.

Haryana becomes first state to launch Mahila Police Volunteer initiative

Haryana became the first state in the country to launch

Mahila Police Volunteer (MPV) initiative for safety of

women. It was launched by Chief Minister Manohar Lal

Khattar. Mahila Police Volunteer is a joint initiative of

Union Ministry of Women & Child Development and

the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. MPV initiative is a

voluntary service under which Mahila Police Volunteers (Gram Sakhi) will be inducted. It aims



to bridge gap between Police and Civil society for safety of women. Under it, one MPV is

envisaged per Gram Panchayat across the country to provide a link between police and

community and facilitate women in distress.

IAF personnel cannot keep beard: SC

The Supreme Court ordered that Indian Airforce (IAF)

personnel cannot keep beard. It held that Central

Government’s decision to ban beards in the IAF does not

infringe upon fundamental rights. The court had

pronounced the judgment on an appeal by Mohammed

Zubair, who was recruited as Airman in the IAF and was

sacked for growing beard even after being denied permission. The appellant had claimed that

keeping beard is his fundamental right to freedom of religion. However, IAF had countered it

saying that keeping a beard was not an essential practice of their faith unlike in the Sikh

religion.

Brexit word added in Oxford English Dictionary

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has officially

added word ‘Brexit’ in it. It is among 1,500 new

words added to the OED. The OED has defined

word ‘Brexit’ as ‚the (proposed) withdrawal of the

United Kingdom from the European Union, and

the political process associated with it‛. Another

popular new coinage is the word ‘YouTubers’ was



also added in OED. It has been defined as ‚frequent user of the video-sharing website YouTube,

especially someone who produces and appears in videos on the site.‛

December 18, 2016

Rajasthan Government launches Annapurna Rasoi Scheme

Rajasthan Government has launched Annapurna Rasoi

Scheme to provide quality meal at cheap price to poor

and needy on lines with Tamil Nadu Government’s

Amma canteens. It was launched by Chief Minister

Vasundhara Raje at Jaipur Municipal Corporation

campus. The tagline for the scheme is: ‚Sabke liye

bhojan, sabke liye sammaan (Food for all, respect for all)‛. The food under this scheme will be

provided at subsidized rates, breakfast at Rs 5 per plate and lunch/dinner at Rs 8 per plate.

Local Self Government department of Rajasthan is the nodal agency for the scheme. The meals

will be cooked and served by staff trained in hospitality.



Devendra Fadnavis, AS Kiran Kumar and John Ralston Marr selected for SIES -

National Eminence Award

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar , UK-based scholar John

Ralston Marr and Hari Katha exponent Kamala Murthy

have been selected for SIES-Sri Chandrasekarendra

Saraswati National Eminence Award. They will be

presented awards in different categories. ISRO chairman A

S Kiran Kumar will be presented award for Science &

Technology category. Mahrashtra Chief Minister Devendra

Fadnavis will be presented award for Public Leadership. Hari Katha exponent Kamala Murthy

presented in with this award in Social Thinkers, Philosophers and Pravachana Karthas category.

Union Government issues Notification of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Pet

Shop) Rules, 2016

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has issued the draft

notification for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Pet

Shop) Rules, 2016 to regulate pet shops The objective of

these proposed new rules is to make pet shops

accountable and to prevent cruelty inflicted on animals

kept in such pet shops. Mandatory for all pet shop

owners to register themselves with the State Animal

Welfare Board (AWB). Pet shops will be registered only after inspection by the representatives

of AWB, a veterinary practitioner and a representative of Society for Prevention of Cruelty to

Animals.



Indian Navy’s eight landing craft utility L-58 launched by GRSE

Indian Navy’s eight landing craft utility (LCU) L-58 was

launched by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers

Ltd (GRSE) in Kolkata, West Bengal. It is the last vessel

in a series of eight ships of LCU MK-IV project designed

and built by GRSE for the Indian Navy. It was launched

by Neelam Pratap Singh Rudy, wife of Union minister

Rajiv Pratap Rudy. LCU L-58 is fully designed in-house by GRSE. It has displacement of 830

tonnes. It can attain a maximum speed of 15 knots with an endurance of more than 1,500

nautical miles.

Asia Pacific nations adopt New Delhi Declaration for Urban Plus approach

The sixth edition of Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on

Housing and Urban Development (APMCHUD) held in

New Delhi has adopted New Delhi declaration to adopt

Urban Plus approach. This was the first such meeting held

to discuss ways of realising the New Urban Agenda that

was finalised during the UN Conference on Housing and

Sustainable Urban Development (also known as ‚Habitat III‛ conference) held in Quito,

Ecuador in October 2016. Its theme of conference was ‘Emerging Urban Forms-Policy Reforms

and Governance Structures in the Context of New Urban Agenda’.



Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana comes into effect

The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY)

notified along with other provisions of Taxation Laws

(Second Amendment) Act, 2016 came into effect from 17

December 2016. It will remain open until March 31, 2017.

PMGKY is Union Government’s second income

disclosure scheme (IDS) to allow tax evaders to come

clean with unaccounted wealth. It provides for 50 per cent tax and surcharge on declarations of

unaccounted cash deposited in banks. Declaration under it can be made by any person in

respect of undisclosed income in the form of cash or deposits in an account with bank or post

office or specified entity.

RBI opposes proposal to set up separate payments regulator

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has opposed a move to establish a

separate entity to regulate payments and settlements as

recommended by Ratan Watal Committee for Digital Payments.

The 11-member committee was notified in September 2016 by the

Union Finance Ministry to review existing payment systems in

country and recommend appropriate measures for encouraging

Digital Payments. One of the committee’s terms of reference was to study and recommend

changes in the regulatory mechanism under various acts such as the RBI Act, Payments and

Settlement Act, and the Information Technology Act among others. Based on it, the committee

had recommended making regulation of retail payments independent from the function of RBI

to give digital payments boost.



December 19, 2016

Air Marshal BS Dhanoa appointed Air Chief of IAF

The Union Government has appointed Air Marshal Birender

Singh Dhanoa as the next Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian

Air Force (IAF). He succeeds Arup Raha who retires on

December 31, 2016. Prior to this appointment he was Vice-

Chief of IAF. He is the third person from Sikh community to

head the IAF after Arjan Singh and Dilbag Singh. He is an

alumnus of Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) and National Defence Academy (NDA).

He was commissioned into the IAF in June 1978 as a fighter pilot. Before being appointed as

Vice Chief he was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the South Western Air Command.

Rajiv Jain appointed as new chief of Intelligence Bureau

The Union government has appointed senior IPS officer Rajiv

Jain as the new chief of Intelligence Bureau (IB). He succeeds

Dineshwar Sharma and shall have two years term. He is IPS

officer of the 1980-batch of Jharkhand-cadre. He had joined the

IB in 1989 as assistant director. Since then he has worked in

different capacities including the sensitive Kashmir desk. He had handled various assignments

as chief of Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB), name given to IB units in state capitals. He had

headed the Ahmedabad SIB (from 2005 to 2008) and later in Delhi SIB (from 2008 to 2012) which

is considered politically sensitive. He was advisor to previous NDA government’s interlocutor



on Kashmir K C Pant when talks were held with separatist leaders. He is recipient of President’s

Police Medal.

Lt Gen Bipin Rawat appointed Chief of Indian Army Chief

The Union Government has appointed Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat

as new Chief of Army Staff (CoAS). He succeeds Army Chief

General Dalbir Singh who retires on December 31, 2016. His

appointment goes against the long-held tradition of

appointing the senior-most eligible officer to the topmost

post. With this criterion, he has superseded two seniormost

commanders Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi and Southern Army

Commander Lt Gen PM Hariz. Prior to this appointment, he was the Vice Chief of the Army.

He is from the 5/11 Gorkha Rifles. Prior to taking over as the Vice Chief, he was the Southern

Army Commander. He hails from Uttarakhand and had received the ‘sword of honour’ when

he passed out from the Indian Military Academy in 1978.

China opens first fully-owned satellite ground station near North Pole

China has launched its first fully-owned overseas satellite ground

station near the North Pole enabling it to collect satellite data

anywhere on the Earth at fastest speed in the world. It is formally

known as China Remote Sensing Satellite North Pole Ground

Station. It is located about 200 kms north of the Arctic Circle in

Sweden.The Artic ground station is built and run by Chinese

Academy of Sciences. It will allow China to collect satellite data anywhere on Earth at speeds

that were more than twice as fast as before. It will use best and most sensitive signal receiving



devices ever built by China. It includes one with higher bandwidth, covering frequencies from

26.5 to 40 GHz. It has download speed of 6 Gigabits (billions of bits) per second, fastest in the

world.

India, Tajikistan ink four agreements

India and Tajikistan have signed four agreements in areas

including on double taxation avoidance, money laundering

and counter-terrorism. These agreements were signed

following delegation level talks between Prime Minister

Narendra Modi and visiting President of Tajikistan Emomali

Rahmon in New Delhi. Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) on Broadcasting in Exchange of Audio Visual Programs MoU for cooperation in the

exchange of financial intelligence related to money laundering, related crimes and financing of

terrorism.

Anil Dhasmana appointed as new chief of Research and Analysis Wing

The Union Government has appointed senior IPS officer Anil

Dhasmana as new chief of Research and Analysis Wing

(RAW), India’s external intelligence agency. He succeeds

Rajinder Khanna who completes his two year tenure on 31

December 2016. He will have tenure of 2 years. He is a 1981-

batch IPS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre. Prior to this

appointment he was Special Secretary in the agency. He has

been with RAW for the last 23 years during which he has served on important desks including

Pakistan. He had also served in key foreign capitals such as London and Frankfurt.



NASA successfully launches 8 mini-satellites for hurricane forecasting

The NASA has successfully launched constellation

of eight mini-satellites as part Cyclone Global

Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) into space to

improve hurricane forecasting. These satellites were

air launched by aerospace company Orbital ATK

onboard of Pegasus rocket fired from plane at height of 12km. NASA had opted for air launch

rather than traditional rocket liftoff from the ground, to cut costs. Each of the micro-satellite of

CYGNSS weighs just 64 pounds (32kg) and has 5-foot wingspan. They will be placed into the

orbit 500km above earth’s surface. They have GPS navigation receivers to frequently measure

the surface roughness of oceans. It will allow scientists to calculate wind speed and storm

intensity.

December 20, 2016

Telecom Ministry to launch Tarang Sanchar portal check radiation compliance of

mobile towers

The Department of Telecom (DoT) will soon launch ‘Tarang Sanchar’ portal that will let users

check radiation compliance status of mobile towers

and transmitters across country. Using this portal

user can also request to get a particular BTS tested

by DoT to assess its electro-magnetic frequency

(EMF) compliance level. The portal has data from

12.5 lakh base transceiver stations (BTS). It will

enable users to view tower-specific details such as



the operator, the supporting technology (2G/3G/4G).

World’s first Goat with superfine wool cloned in China

The world’s first cloned goat bearing superfine Cashmere

wool was born in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous

Region. The goat will be raised in a base for animal husbandry

research conducted by experts from agricultural universities in

southwest China’s Yunnan Province and Inner Mongolia.

Cashmere wool is obtained from Cashmere goats and few

other types of goat. The wool fibre obtained from clonned goat

is less than 13.8 micrometres thick. It is much finer than the average of 15.8 micrometres of the

famous Erlang Mountain goats in Inner Mongolia. Cloning: It is scientific process of creating

genetically identical copies of biological matter. It may include genetically identical copies of

genes, cells, tissues or entire organisms.

Union Power Ministry to launch GARV-II Mobile App to monitor rural

electrification programme

The Union Power Ministry is going to launch new mobile application GARV-II to provide real

time data of all six lakh villages of the country. The

purpose of the mobile application is to ensure

transparency in implementation of rural electrification

programme. GARV-II mobile app has incorporated

village-wise; habitation-wise base line data on

household electrification for all states. It also has



mapped village-wise works sanctioned under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana

(DDUGJY) to monitor progress of works in each village.

Union Government forms high-level task force on Indus Water Treaty

The Union government has formed a high-level inter-

ministerial task force to look into all the strategic

aspects of Indus Water Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan.

Mandate of Task force is to take all important

strategic and policy decisions. Thus, it will be an all-

powerful body which will take decisions regarding

the treaty. It will be headed by Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Nripendra Mishra. Besides,

other members of it include NSA Ajit Doval, foreign secretary S Jaishankar and secretaries in

ministries of finance, power, water resource and environment. Besides, chief secretaries of

Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir are invitees in the task force.

AYUSH Ministry launches Swasthya Raksha Programme

The Union AYUSH Ministry has launched ‘Swasthya Raksha

Programme’ to promote health and health education in

villages. The programme was initiated through Central

Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Central

Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH), Central

Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM) and Central Council for Research in Siddha

(CCRS). It was launched by AYUSH Ministry in October 2015. Organize Swasthya Parikshan

Camps, Swasthya Rakshan OPDs and Health and Hygiene awareness programme Create

awareness about cleanliness of domestic surroundings and environment.



Government to set up single tribunal to arbitrate inter-State water disputes

The Union Government has decided to set up a single

permanent Tribunal to adjudicate all inter-State river

water disputes. This single body will subsume all

existing tribunals for resolving grievances of inter-

State water disputes in a speedy manner. It will be

headed by a retired Supreme Court judge. The Tribunal will also have more teeth as whenever

it gives order, the verdict gets notified automatically. Until now, the Union Government was

required to notify the awards, causing delay in its implementation.

December 21, 2016

India and Kyrgyzstan sign 6 agreements in various fields

India and Kyrgyzstan have signed six Memoranda

of Understanding (MoU)/ Agreements including in

the fields of tourism, agriculture and food industry

etc. These agreements were signed after delegation

level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi

and visiting President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Sharshenovich Atambayev in New Delhi.

Besides, both leaders also issued joint statement.



Renowned Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar’s statue unveiled in Haridwar

The 12-foot-tall stone statue of renowned Tamil poet and

philosopher-saint Thiruvalluvar was inaugurated at

Mela Bhawan in Haridwar, Uttarakhand by Chief

minister Harish Rawat. The process introducing

Thiruvalluvar statue in Uttarakhand was initiated by

former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from

Uttarakhand Tarun Vijay. Initially the statue was planned for installation on the banks of Ganga

River at Har ki Pauri in Haridwar in June 2016 but it was delayed after it faced opposition from

priests and saints.

Huge dead zone discovered in Bay of Bengal

Scientists including those from India have found a

huge ‘dead zone’ of an estimated 60,000 square

kilometres in Bay of Bengal. This area is said to

supports microbial processes that remove vast

amount of nitrogen from the ocean. The study

published in Nature Geosciences. Dead Zone is an area in water body that contains little or no

oxygen (or they are hypoxic) in bottom and near-bottom water. Mostly they occur naturally but

it can be caused by excessive nutrient pollution from human activities coupled with other

factors.



PM lays foundation stone of country’s first Indian Institute of Skills in Kanpur

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation stone

of the country’s first Indian Institute of Skills (IIS) in

Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh to make India the Skill

Capital of the World. He also inaugurated the

Kaushal Pradarshini (Skill Exhibition) for the youth

of Uttar Pradesh to portray major skill development

initiatives of the Union Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Ministry. The IIS is being

opened by the Union Skill Development Ministry in partnership with the Institute of Technical

Education, Singapore. The idea of IIS was conceptualised by PM Modi during his visit to

Singapore’s Institute of Technical Education.

Madras High Court bans unauthorised Sharia courts in Tamil Nadu

The Madras High Court has banned all

unauthorised Sharia courts in mosques

across Tamil Nadu, saying centres of

worship were only to be used for religious

purposes. The court’s pronouncement came

in response to a PIL filed by a non-resident

Indian mentioning that such sharia courts are operating as a court of law from mosques and

dealt largely with matrimonial disputes, even going to the extent of passing divorce orders.

Complete ban on all unauthorised Sharia courts functioning in premises of mosques. Religious

places and other places of worships are meant only for religious purposes.



Union Government revises North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy

The Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP)

has revised North East Industrial and Investment

Promotion Policy (NEIIP), 2007. The revision of policy

stipulates mandatory disbursal of subsidies payable to

all industrial units in northeast through Direct Benefit

Transfer (DBT) mechanism by Chief Controller of

Accounts (Industry).Industrial units which had commenced production on or after December 1,

2014 and on or before March 31, 2017 will be eligible for incentives as per the revised norms of

subsidy. It will also include existing units which go in for substantial expansion and commence

commercial production on or before March 2017.

African nations developing lifestyle diseases: WHO

According to recent World Health Organization (WHO) survey of

33 countries has shown that African nations developing lifestyle

diseases. It is mainly due city life and its modern trappings which

have brought bad habits to developing African nations such as

smoking, harmful use of alcohol, a poor diet and low levels of

physical activity. Lifestyle diseases are defined as diseases linked

unhealthy lifestyle of people. These diseases appear in countries

which are on path of becoming more industrialized and people live longer life.



December 22, 2016

India ranks 4th in 2016 Global Wind Power Installed Capacity Index

India ranked 4th in the Global Wind Power

Installed Capacity index with cumulative

installed wind power generation capacity of

25,088 MW in 2015. The index was released was

released as part Global Wind Report: Annual

Market, flagship publication of the Global Wind

Energy Council (GWEC). The index was topped by China, followed by US and Germany with

cumulative installed wind power generation capacity of 145362 MW, 74471 MW and 44947 MW

respectively. Both Europe and the US markets performed better than expected and the

European offshore sector set a new record, installing just over 3 GW. Canada, Mexico and Brazil

all had strong years.

Researchers develop first Chikungunya Vaccine

Researchers from United States have developed the

first vaccine for Chikungunya fever made from an

insect-specific Eilat virus. The newly-developed

vaccine does not have any effect on people, which

makes it safe and effective for humans. Its clinical

trials on mice and non-human primates show that it

quickly produces a strong immune defence and completely protects them from disease when



exposed to the chikungunya virus. Researchers had used live-attenuated Eilat virus clone to

design this hybrid virus-based vaccine containing Chikungunya structural proteins. The

Eilat/Chikungunya vaccine was found to be structurally identical to natural chikungunya virus.

Its single dose can produce neutralising antibodies that lasted for more than 290 days.

Molten Jet Stream discovered deep inside Earth’s core

Scientists for the first time have discovered the so-called

molten jet stream within the Earth’s molten iron core

using latest data obtained from three European satellites

called Swarm. The three satellites were launched in 2013

with the goal of studying Earth’s magnetic field. The

latest satellite data that helps create an sharpest ‘x-ray’

view of the planet. The molten jet stream is an accelerating band of molten iron circling the

North Pole. It just like the jet stream in the atmosphere It moves about 40 km per year, currently

in a westward direction. This speed is three times faster than normal outer-core speeds and

hundreds of thousands of times faster than rate at which Earth’s tectonic plates move.

Union Cabinet approves creation of Indian Enterprise Development Services

The Union Cabinet gave its approval to the Cadre review and

formation of a new service in the name of Indian Enterprise

Development Services (IEDS). Decision in this regard was

taken by the Union Cabinet meeting presided by Prime

Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The IEDS will be

created in the Office of Development Commissioner (MSME),



Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). Its creation will help to strengthen

the organization and to achieve the vision of Startup India, Stand-up India and Make in India.

India surpasses Britain to become world’s sixth-largest economy: Forbes

magazine

According to report published in Forbes magazine, India has surpassed its colonial masters

United Kingdom to become world’s sixth-largest

economy in GDP terms for first time after nearly

150 years. Following the change in the rankings,

India’s economy now stands behind the United

States, China, Japan, Germany and France. India

has managed to overtake UK owing to Britain’s

recent Brexit-related problems and its rapid economic growth followed by downslide in the

value of the pound. UK’s economy is expected to grow by 1.8% in 2016 and slow down to 1.1%

in 2017. Its economy and currency are struggling since it voted to leave lucrative common

market of European Union.

Scientists witness the birth of an ice cloud for the first time

US based researchers for the first time have observed the

creation of ice crystals on individual atmospheric particles

in the laboratory. This observation gives an unprecedented

glimpse at most critical but least understood parts of the

process of cold clouds formation. Researchers had

replicated heterogeneous ice nucleation process in which

particle attracts water vapour and forms ice crystals. For this, they replicated suitable conditions



found high above Earth’s surface at an altitude of about 6 kilometres where cirrus clouds form

in the sky due to ice crystals.

Long range nuclear-capable subsonic cruise missile Nirbhay testfired

Long range nuclear-capable subsonic cruise missile Nirbhay was

testfired from the launch complex 3 of the Integrated Missile Test

Range in Balasore, Odisha. The test was conducted by the

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). After

blasting off from launch pad, the missile took a unique trajectory

in its entire path to the target. However the test was an utter

failure. It was fourth test of Nirbhay missile so far and out of four, three have ended in failure.

The maiden launch was conducted in March 2013 but it was failure, the second test was

conducted in October 2014 was a big success as it had travelled 1,010 km instead of the targeted

800 km. The third mission on October 16, 2015 was again a failure.

December 23, 2016

Hong Kong revokes visa-free entry to Indians

Hong Kong, a China-administered special territory has decided to

withdraw visa-free facility for Indians from January 23, 2017. This

decision was taken on the ground to prevent illegal immigration

as number of Indian asylum seekers was on the rise. Over half a

million Indians visit Hong Kong for business, trade and holidays.

Under the new rules, Indian travellers will have to complete a pre-



arrival registration. Such pre-registration would not be necessary for those transiting through

the Hong Kong airport without leaving the airport transit area.

Union Cabinet approves ordinance to pay salaries by cheques

The Union Cabinet has approved a draft ordinance to

empower states and allow industries to pay workers’

wages digitally, through a direct bank transfer to

accounts or by cheque in a bid to encourage cashless

transactions. The draft ordinance proposes changes to

the Section 6 of the Payment of Wages Act, 1936 to

encourage cashless transactions. It will need the President’s assent to become law as per article

123 of the Constitution. It will allow industries to pay wages to workers earning up to Rs.

18,000/ month, without taking their explicit consent as required under present Act. However,

wage payment through the banking system will only be optional, until State governments or

Union Government come up with a notification for specific industries since Labour is in the

concurrent list.

National Mathematics Day is observed on December 22

The National Mathematics Day is observed every year on

22nd December to celebrate birth anniversary of great Indian

autodidact Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. This year, it

is 129th birth anniversary of Srinivasa Ramanujan. Srinivasa

Ramanujan was born on 22nd December, 1887 in Erode

district of Tamil Nadu. He died at young age of 32 on 26

April 1920. He was considered as doyen of number theory, infinite series, mathematical



analysis, and making formulas and equations without any formal training in pure

mathematics.He in the same league as great mathematicians such as Euler and Gauss.

2016 Sahitya Akademi Award winners

The Sahitya Academy has announced the names of 24 poets

and authors who will be conferred the prestigious 2016

Sahitya Akademi Award. This award has recognised premier

works in 24 Indian languages that includes 8 books of

poetry, 7 books of short stories, 5 books of novels, 2 books of

criticism and 1 book each of essays and play.

Play: Swarajbir (Punjabi).

Essay: Nrisinghaprasad Bhaduri (Bengali).

Criticism: Aziz Hajini (Kashmiri) and Nizam Siddiqui (Urdu).

Short stories: Chahatrapal (Dogri), Shyan Darihare (Maithili), Moirangthem Rajen (Manipuri),

Asaram Lomate (Marathi), Paramita Satpathy (Odia), Bulaki Sharma (Rajasthani) Vannadhasan

(Tamil).

Poetry: Jnan Pujari (Assamese), Anju (Bodo), Kamal Vora (Gujarati), Prabha Varma

(Malayalam), Sitanath Acharya (Sanskrit), Gobinda Chandra Majhi (Santhali), Nand Javeri

(Sindhi) and Papineni Sivasankar (Telugu).



China launches TanSat satellite to monitor global carbon emissions

China successfully launched TanSat, a global carbon

dioxide (CO2) monitoring satellite to understand the

effects of climate change. It was launched on board of

Long March-2D rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch

Centre in northwest China’s Gobi Desert. It was the

243rd mission of the Long March series rockets. With this, China became third country after

Japan and United States to have its own satellite to monitor greenhouse gases (GHGs). TanSat

will thoroughly examine global CO2 levels every 16 days, accurate to at least 4 ppm (parts per

million). It weighs 620-kg and will be located in sun synchronous orbit about 700 kms above the

earth. It has three-year mission life. It will thoroughly monitor the concentration, distribution

and flow of CO2 levels every 16 days, accurate to at least 4 ppm (parts per million) in the

atmosphere.

Japan approves biggest defence budget

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet approved approved 5.13

trillion yen ($43.6 billion) in defence spending for the fiscal

year starting in April 2017. It is Japan’s highest annual defence

budget announced so far. It is up by 1.4% from the initial

budget for the current fiscal year. Now it will be sent to

Parliament (Diet) for debate and approval. Under the new

budget, Japan aims to beef up its ballistic missile defences, allocating funds for a new

interceptor missile under joint development with the United States. It also earmarks funds to

dispatch extra personnel to the Philippines and Vietnam to increase gathering and sharing of

information.



December 24, 2016

Union Government launches Coal Mitra portal to facilitate flexibility in utilization

of domestic coal

The Union Ministry of Coal has launched Coal Mitra, a web portal for allowing flexibility in

utilization of domestic Coal. It was launched by Union

Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable

Energy and Mines Piyush Goyal in New Delhi. The Coal

Mitra Web Portal aims at optimum utilisation by private

as well as public power companies of the coal. It

facilitates transfer of the coal reserves to more cost efficient State/Centre owned or Private sector

generating stations.

India suffers from huge gender pay gap: ILO Report

Recently released Global Wage Report 2016-17 released

by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has

found that India suffers from huge gender pay gap. It

shows that India has among the worst levels of gender

wage disparity (men earning more than women in

similar jobs) with the gap exceeding 30%. Singapore has

among the lowest gender wage disparity at 3%. Among major economies, South Korea only

fared worse than India, with a gap of 37%. India’s position: In India, women formed 60% of the

lowest paid wage labour, but only 15% of the highest wage-earners.



NGT bans open waste burning across the country

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) imposed a complete

ban on burning of waste in open places across the country

and announced a fine of Rs. 25,000 on each incident of

bulk waste burning. The green panel’s judgement was

given on the petition seeking directions to local bodies in

states and Centre for improving solid waste management

methods. Complete prohibition on open burning of waste on lands, including at landfill sites.

For each such incident, violators will pay environmental compensation of Rs. 5,000 in case of

simple burning and Rs. 25,000 in case of bulk waste burning, States and UTs to enforce and

implement Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 in a time-bound manner.

PM launches National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme in Kanpur

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently

launched National Apprenticeship Promotion

Scheme (NAPS) during his recent visit to

Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The scheme aims to

provide apprenticeship training to over 50 lakh

youngsters in order to create more jobs. It has

budgetary outlay of Rs 10000 crore. NAPS is implemented by Director General of Training

(DGT) under the aegis of Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).

Under it, Central Government for the first time will provide financial incentives to the

employers to engage actively in apprenticeship training.



Japan successfully launches solid fuel rocket

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has successfully

launched a solid fuel rocket named Epsilon-2 from the

Uchinoura Space Center in southern Japan. The 26-metre-

long rocket released Exploration of energization and

Radiation in Geospace (ERG) satellite for studying radiation

belts around the earth soon after the lift-off. ERG satellite will

orbit in a highly elliptical orbit, getting as close to Earth as 350 kilometers and as far away as

30,000 km. This path will take the satellite through the Van Allen radiation belts, where the

earth’s magnetic field traps huge numbers of fast-moving electrons and other particles.

Scientists use ‘pregnancy fluid’ to strengthen weak bones

UK-based researchers have found that stem

cells harvested from pregnant woman’s

amniotic fluid can be used to strengthen weak

bones. Amniotic fluid is the protective fluid

that surrounds baby in the uterus and helps it

to develop inside the mother’s womb. It also

contains stem cells that are the building blocks of other tissues. Bones are constantly formed in

body with cells called osteoclasts which break down old bone and form new bones. However,

incase due to brittle bone disease, osteoporosis process becomes lazy leading to fracture bones.



December 25, 2016

Ministry of Textiles to set up Bunkar Mitra Handloom Helpline Centre

The Union Ministry of Textiles has decided to

establish a Bunkar Mitra-Handloom Helpline

Centre where experts in the field of textiles

will answer professional queries of weavers.

This helpline initially will be provided in 7

languages viz., English, Hindi and 5 other

regional languages Tamil, Telugu, Kannada Bengali and Assamese. This helpline aims to

overcome the problem of unavailability of single point of contact where weavers can seek

solutions for their technical issues/problems. Currently there 28 Weavers’ Service Centres

(WSCs) functioning across the country to provide technical assistance to handloom weavers in

improving their skills.

New Ebola vaccine may be up to 100% effective: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) has

expressed confidence that a prototype vaccine

for Ebola may be 100% effective in protecting

against the deadly virus. The vaccine was

initially developed in Canada by public health

authorities before being taken over by

pharmaceutical giant Merck. Earlier in a major experimental human clinical trial of this vaccine



conducted on nearly 6,000 people in Guinea in 2015 was found to successfully. It was observed

that no one from the 6,000 people contracted again to the lethal disease. The test results of the

trial were released in The Lancet magazine.

Urban planning kept peace in Harappa: Experts

According to Indus Valley Civilisation expert Jonathan

Mark Kenoyer, Harappa was peaceful in comparison

with all other first civilisations cities because of its urban

planning. The efficient water supply, proper sewage

treatment and good drainage systems in Harappa were

main reason for conflict avoidance. Experts believe that

this strategy is an important lesson to be learnt from the Harappans. Thus, it suggests that

Harappan concept of cleanliness and wells and drains is not so much about hygiene but also

conflict avoidance.

GST Council approves Draft Central, State GST laws

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council has

approved the draft Central GST (CGST) and State GST

(SGST) laws along with Compensation Bill to bring the

GST into implementation, country’s biggest indirect tax

reform. The CGST and SGST laws contains total of 197

provisions and five schedules. They were approved at

the seventh GST Council meeting presided by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in New

Delhi. The draft CGST and SGST laws do not include division of administrative turf between



states and the centre. The Compensation Bill will have 2015-16 as base year and compensation

to States for the loss of revenue from the GST rollout will be paid every two months.

ICICI Bank launches EazyPay app for Merchants

ICICI Bank, India’s largest private sector bank has

launched EazyPay mobile application for merchants that

allows all-in-one acceptance payments platform. This

app consolidates all digital wallets, QR code, Unified

Payments Interface (UPI), and credit & debit cards

modes of payments. With this, ICICI Bank became first

bank in the country to roll out all-in-one payments platform. Eazypay app is sustainable

payment mode compared to current peer-to-peer digital applications. It has ‘open architecture’

which makes it distinct from other digital payments that are actually closed-loop prepaid

instruments.

National Consumer Day is observed in December 24

The National Consumer Day is observed every year in India

on 24th December. On this day the Consumer Protection Act,

1986 had received the assent of the President. Observance of

this day provides an opportunity for individuals to highlight

the importance of the consumer movement and promote the

basic rights and responsibilities of all consumers The

Department of Consumer Affairs under the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs Food and

Public Distribution is celebrating this day this year with the theme Alternate Consumer

Disputes Redressal.



Odisha Government launches Biju Sishu Surakshya Yojana to nurture HIV

positive orphan kids

The Odisha Government launched the Biju Sishu Surakshya Yojana, a scheme to nurture the

orphan and HIV-infected children residing in different

child care institutions and orphanages. The main aim of

the scheme is to facilitate care and protection towards

orphans and HIV infected children of the state. It will act

and supplement for providing additional resources and

complementary modalities to the existing centrally sponsored schemes. Financial support will

be given to promote the primary, higher education and for the securing of the future and

rehabilitation of HIV-infected children. State government will bear the educational expense of

these children and provide them scholarship for higher education among other benefits.

December 26, 2016

NITI Aayog rolls out Performance on Health Outcomes index

The NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayoga

along with Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has rolled

out Performance on Health Outcomes index to rank States on the

basis of their performance on measurable health indicators. The

index was developed with inputs from domestic and international

experts, including academicians and development partners as well

as feedback from States. Capture the annual incremental improvements of the states, rather than



focusing on historical achievements. Includes indicators in the domains of health outcomes

governance and information and a few key inputs and processes.

MEA announces new rules to ease process of getting passport

The Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has

announced new passport rules by changing

Passport Rules, 1980 in order to streamline,

liberalize and ease the process of issue of passport.

The new rules aim to speed up and simplify the

passport delivery process and will help single

mothers, orphaned children, and sadhus obtain

passports with ease. It will also eliminate the role of non-government agents and touts. Besides,

passport-related grievances will now be handled on the social media platform of Twitter.

Bengali poet Shankha Ghosh chosen for 2016 Jnanpith Award

Eminent modern Bengali poet Shankha Ghosh was chosen for the

prestigious Jnanpith Award for the year 2016. He is the 52nd

recipient of Jnanpith Award. He is sixth Bengali litterateur to bag

this prestigious literary award after Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay

(1966), Bishnu Dey (1971), Ashapoorna Devi (1976), Subhash

Mukhopadhyay (1991) and Mahasweta Devi (1966). He was born on 6 February 1932 in

Chandpur now in Bangladesh. He is prolific poet, critic and academician. He is regarded a

leading authority on Rabindranath in addition to being one of the most prolific writers in

Bengali. He is considered as a poet with an eye to social milieu and his poems record both his



time and space in a rare poetic style. His poems are often laden with messages, but are free from

polemics.

Google India, Ministry of Consumer Affairs tie up for Digitally Safe Consumer

campaign

Google India has partnered with the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs to launch nationwide

Digitally Safe Consumer campaign to raise awareness

among consumers about online safety and better protect

consumer interest online. The campaign is expected to be

rolled out in January 2017. It will reach out with training

materials to over 1,200 consumer organisations as well as

consumer affairs department of every state/UT. It will be yearlong campaign focused on

building capacities of consumer organisations, personnel of consumer affairs department and

counsellors of National Consumer Helpline on Internet safety. Under it, Google with the help of

partner agencies will work towards advocating digital security and privacy needs through

‘Digital Literacy, Safety & Security’ workshops.

Union Government launches Smart Consumer mobile App & OCMC for speedy

redressal of consumer grievances

The Union Government has launched ‘Smart Consumer’ mobile App and an ‘Online Consumer

Mediation Centre (OCMC)’ to provide speedy

redressal of consumer grievances. Apart from this, a

helpline 14404 was also launched for consumer

related grievances on the occasion of National



Consumer Day (24th December). The OCMC has been launched in association with Bengaluru

based National Law School of India University (NLSIU) to provide speedy redressal of

consumer grievances in New Delhi. The basic purpose of this Centre is to encourage consumers

and companies to go for pre-litigation and provide them with an option to settle disputes

amicably.

December 27, 2016

Ministry of External Affairs launches Twitter Seva

The Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has launched Twitter Seva to directly engage

with citizens in country and abroad, tourists and business travellers for speedy resolution of

their visa and passport queries. Twitter Seva will enable the MEA, through its Twitter handle

(@MEAIndia) to strengthen its primary relationship with Indian citizens by providing fast,

efficient and real-time public services.

India’s first 2G Ethanol Bio-refinery to be set up in Punjab

The foundation stone of India’s first 2G (Second

Generation) Ethanol Bio-refinery was laid at

Tarkhanwala village in Bathinda, Punjab. Central

Government Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU)

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) is

setting up this project at a cost of 600 crore Rupees.



6,117 Kuchipudi dancers set new Guinness World Record

As many as 6,117 Kuchipudi dancers set a new Guinness

World Record by performing together in a single event in

Vijayawada district of Andhra Pradesh. The Guinness

World Record adjudicated for the 12-minute ‚Jayamu

Jayamu‛ item as the ‘Largest Kuchipudi dance’

performance. Kuchipudi dancers from various age

groups (as young as 5 to more than 60 years) from across the world, including from US, UAE,

UK, Russia, Hong Kong and Mauritius took part in performance.

Scientists identify world’s most heat resistant materials

A team of UK-based researchers have identified Hafnium

carbide (HfC) and Tantalum carbide (TaC) as the world’s

most heat resistant material. They can withstand record

melting point temperatures up to 3958°C (approx 4000°C).

New Laser-heating techniques were used to find the

temperature at which TaC and HfC melted, both

separately and in mixed compositions.



DRDO successfully flight tests Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon

The Defence and Research Development Organization (DRDO)

successfully flight tested Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW)

from Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft at integrated test range in

Chandipur, Odisha. During the test, the captive and release trials

were tracked by Radar and Telemetry ground stations at Interim

Test Range during the entire duration of the flight. Besides, the

performances of all systems of SAAW were satisfactory meet and all the mission objectives

were achieved.

Scientists build bacteria-powered battery on a paper sheet

US-based scientists have developed a bacteria-powered battery

(bio-battery) on a single sheet of paper, which is capable of

powering disposable electronics. The paper-based bacteria-

powered battery design is part of a new field of research called

papertronics, which is a fusion of paper and electronics. In this

battery researchers had laid ribbon of silver nitrate on a piece of chromatography paper. On top

of this, they had placed thin layer of wax to create a cathode (positive electrode).



India successfully test-fires nuclear capable ballistic missile Agni-5

India successfully test-fired its home-grown long range

intercontinental surface-to-surface nuclear capable ballistic missile

Agni-5. The state-of-the-art surface-to-surface missile was test

fired successfully from the launch complex 4 of the Integrated Test

Range from the Abdul Kalam Wheeler Island off Odisha coast. It

was the fourth developmental and second canisterised trial of the missile.

December 28, 2016

China tests 5th-generation fighter jet FC-31 Gyrfalcon

China has successfully tested the latest version

of its fifth-generation stealth fighter jet J-31 (now

renamed the FC-31 Gyrfalcon). The newest

version of twin-engine FC-31 took to the air for

the first time recently. It is considered as China’s

answer to the US F-35, the world’s most

technically advanced fighter. The newest FC-31 has better stealth capabilities, improved

electronic equipment and a larger payload capacity than the previous version which debuted in

October 2012 It is manufactured by Shenyang Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of the Aviation

Industry Corp of China (AVIC).



China passes law to levy environment tax to fight pollution

China’s top legislature has passed Environment Tax to

levy environment tax on polluters, especially on heavy

industries. It will enter into force on January 1, 2018.

The law aims to improve taxpayers’ environmental

awareness, force companies to upgrade technology and

shift to cleaner production. Under the new law, companies will pay environment taxes ranging

from 350 yuan ($60) to 11,200 yuan ($1870) per month for noise. It set rates of 1.4 yuan on water

pollutants, 1.2 yuan on stipulated quantities of air pollutants and a range of 5 to 1,000 yuan for

each ton of solid waste.

PM Narendra Modi lays foundation stone of Char Dham highway development

project

PM Narendra Modi lays foundation stone of Char Dham highway devPrime Minister Narendra

Modi has laid the foundation stone of Char Dham highway

development project or Chardham Mahamarg Vikas

Pariyojna in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The Chardham

Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojna is an ambitious initiative to

improve connectivity to the Char Dham pilgrimage centres

in the Himalayas. The project’s main objective is to develop around 900 km of national

highways. These highways will be built at an approximate cost of Rs 12,000 crore.



Gujarat government announces Biotechnology Policy 2016

Gujarat Government announced its ‘Biotechnology

Policy-2016’ to establish state as a preferred destination

for manufacturing of biotechnology products. The policy

has provisions for various incentives for investors who

are keen to set up their units in the state. It aims to take

annual turnover of biotechnology products to Rs 15,000

crore from current f Rs 4,500 crore turn over within next 3-4 years and make Gujarat top state in

this sector in the country.

Astronomers discover universe’s biggest Galaxy Supercluster near Milky Way

A team of international astronomers has discovered Vela

super cluster, one of the biggest super galaxy clusters near

the Milky Way. It was spotted by a research team of

astronomers from South Africa, Australia and Europe with

help slew of telescopes including the Anglo-Australian

Telescope (Sydney) and South African Large Telescope (Cape Town). Vela super cluster is

massive and it is estimated to carry 100,000 galaxies with trillions of stars. It is one of the biggest

concentrations of galaxies found in the Universe. It is possibly biggest galaxy in neighborhood

of our Milky Galaxy and is at a distance of 840 million light-years from Earth. Our galaxy Milky

Way, part of Laniakea supercluster is puny when compared to Vela.



December 29, 2016

Viral V Acharya appointed as RBI Deputy Governor

The Union Government has appointed Viral V Acharya

(42) as new Deputy Governor at the Reserve Bank of

India (RBI). He will have regular three-year tenure. His

appointment was cleared by the Appointments

Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) chaired by Prime

Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. He will fill the

post that fell vacant after Urjit Patel after he was made RBI Governor to succeed Rajan with

effect from September 2016. The existing three Deputy Governors of RBI are S S Mundra, R

Gandhi and N S Vishwanathan.

Tribal development remains poor: Tribal Ministry report

According to recently released annual report of the Union

Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the tribal population in India

lags behind other social groups on various social

parameters. The tribal population lags in parameters such

as child mortality and infant mortality and women’s

health, education, poverty etc.



Kerala to seek Union government’s approval for using deer antlers in Ayurveda

medicines

The Kerala Government has approached the Union Government for allowing use of antlers of

spotted deer and sambar of Ayurveda medicines. In this

regard, Kerala State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) under

chairmanship of CM Pinarayi Vijayan has forwarded

proposal to National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) and

Ministry of Environment and Forests. SBWL is seeking

suitable amendments to the Wildlife (Protection) Act,

1972 for using the antlers for medicinal purposes.

Union Government gives nod for apex corridor development body

The Union Government has approved the re-designation of the Delhi-

Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project Implementation Trust Fund

(DMICPTF) as National Industrial Corridor Development &

Implementation Trust (NICDIT). NICDIT will be the apex body to

oversee integrated development of all industrial corridors across the

country. It will implement all the five proposed industrial corridors,

together covering 15 States.



NBWL gives nod to Ken-Betwa Inter-Linking of Rivers Project

The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has given its

clearance for the Ken-Betwa inter-linking of rivers (ILR)

project, paving the way to begin work for linking two

rivers. The clearance of NBWL was required since the

project requires diversion of forest land from core area of

Panna Tiger Reserve. However NBWL has set some

conditions.

They are

Integration of nearby sanctuaries including Ranipur and Rani Durgavati with the Panna Tiger

Reserve to compensate loss of tiger habitat and complete ban of fresh mining lease in the area.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) will take care of the landscape plan for the

area with the help of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and state forest departments.

Rajasthani writer Satya Narayan chosen for 2016 Bihari Puraskar

Eminent Rajasthani litterateur Dr Satya Narayan was

chosen for the 26th Bihari Puraskar 2016 by the K K Birla

Foundation. He was been chosen for his Hindi book

titled Yeh Ek Dunia published in 2010. His Yeh Ek Dunia

is a meticulous depiction of various circumstances of life

in contemporary world. In it he has built a model of new

creativity and attempts to enter unseen aspects or dimensions, where human experiences and

conscience are more important than life situations of contemporary time zone. He also has



penned ‚Ret Ki Kokh Mein‛, ‚Phati Jeb Se Ek Din‛, ‚Yahin Kahin Neend Thi‛ among others.

He has also written for various newspapers and magazines including, ‚Yayavar Ki Diary‛.

December 30, 2016

Government launches Swachh Swasth Sarvatra initiative

Union Government launched Swachh Swasth Sarvatra initiative to

strengthen health centres in open defecation-free (ODF) blocks. The

objective of this initiative is to strengthen community health centres in

708 ODF blocks across the country to enable them to achieve higher

levels of cleanliness and hygiene. The Swachh Swasth Sarvatra is a

part of the Union Government’s flagship Swachh Bharat Mission and

is focused on the twin objectives of constructing toilets and enabling behavioural change.

27th meeting of Southern Zonal Council held at Thiruvananthapuram

The 27th meeting of the Southern Zonal Council held at

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala was chaired by Union Home

Minister Rajnath Singh. The Southern Zonal Council consists of

Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry (UT)

and Andhra Pradesh. Many important issues were discussed

during the meeting and resolved 16 out of 22 items on agenda.

The Council reviewed progress of implementation of various recommendations made in last

meeting relating to Extension of High Speed Rail Corridor between Thiruvananthapuram up to

Mangalore and Udupi, Peninsular Region Industrial Development Corridor, issues of



fishermen, introduction of peninsular tourism trains in zone and Amendments to New Road

Transport & Road Safety Bill.

Government invites comments for creating new Financial Redressal Agency

The Union Government has invited public comments on a report for

the creation of a Financial Redressal Agency (FRA). The report also

calls for a new financial consumer protection and redressal legislation

and also recommends an initial budget of Rs. 100 crore for the setting

up of the FRA. The objective of FRA will be to address the grievances

of retail consumers against all financial service providers in an easy,

transparent and cost-effective manner.

Government launches IVRS platform to tackle call drops

The Union Government has launched Integrated Voice

Response System (IVRS) system in a bid to tackle the

call drop menace. The system was launched at multiple

locations including Delhi and Mumbai to obtain direct

feedback from subscribers on call quality on the issue

of frequent call drops. It is now available in Delhi,

Mumbai, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand,

Maharashtra and Goa and soon will be extended to the entire country. Subscribers will receive

an IVRS call from a short code 1955 and will be asked a few questions such as whether they are

facing call drops in their area or not.



Union Cabinet approves ordinance to make possession of old notes penal

offence

The Union Cabinet approved promulgation of Specified Bank Notes Cessation of Liabilities

Ordinance to penalise persons holding banned 500 and

1,000 rupee notes. It will come into force once it gets

Presidential assent as per Article 123 of the Constitution. It

will make possession of a large number of demonetised

1,000 and 500 rupee notes beyond threshold amount a penal

offence. The ordinance amends Reserve Bank of India Act to provide legislative support for

scrapping the demonetised banknotes that are not returned. It removes the liability of the

government and the central bank on the demonetised high-denomination notes to prevent

future litigations.

China launches 2 high resolution remote sensing satellites

China has successfully launched pair two high-resolution

remote sensing satellites SuperView-1 01 and 02 to get

commercial images. These satellites were launched on-board

of Long March 2D rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch

Centre in Shanxi Province. They will provide commercial

images at 0.5-meter resolution. The satellites launch followed release of a white paper which

said China plans to form a BeiDou network consisting of constellation of 35 satellites for global

navigation services by 2020. It is expected to compete with US’s Global Positioning system

(GPS).



December 31, 2016

CBDT inks 2 unilateral APAs with taxpayers

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) signed

two unilateral Advance Pricing Agreements

(APAs) with Indian taxpayers pertain to the

Information Technology and automobile sectors.

The international transactions covered in these two

agreements include software development

services, IT enabled services (ITES), manufacturing

and business support services. With this, the total number of APAs signed by the CBDT has

reached 117. This includes 110 Unilateral APAs and 7 bilateral APAs. In the current 2016-17

financial year, total of 53 APAs (4 bilateral and 49 unilateral) were signed.

Colombia passes FARC amnesty law

Colombia’s Congress passed a law granting

amnesty to Marxist FARC (Revolutionary Armed

Forces of Colombia) rebels as part of historic peace

deal reached between rebels and Government. The

Senate passed the bill 69-0 votes after the House of

Representatives approved it by 121-0 votes. This is another step to formally end to 52 years of

Columbian civil war (Latin America’s longest conflict). The law grants special legal treatment,

amnesty and pardons to members of the FARC accused of political and related crimes. It does



not apply to FARC rebels accused of offenses such as war crimes, rape, torture and extrajudicial

killings.

FIPB clears 6 FDI proposals worth Rs 1,200 crore

The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB)

has approved six Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

proposals worth Rs 1,200 crore. Decision in this

regard was taken by FIPB meeting headed by

Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das. It has

approved the proposals of, Star Den Media

Services, Sanofi Synthelabo India, Idea Cellular Infrastructure Services, Menarini India,

Boehringer Ingelheim India and Recipharm Participation. India allows FDI in most sectors

through the automatic route, but in certain segments considered sensitive for the economy and

security, then those proposals first have to be cleared by FIPB.

Government proposes setting up Financial Data Management Centre

The Union Government has proposed setting up Financial

Data Management Centre (FDMC) based on recommendation

of a committee set up under the Department of Economic

Affairs (DEC). The Committee was headed by Ajay Tyagi,

Additional Secretary in Union Finance Ministry and has

submitted its report and a draft bill titled The Financial Data

Management Centre Bill, 2016. Standardise data from all financial sector regulators in a single

database and provide analytical insights based on the data to ensure stability in the economy.



Take measures to standardise data from regulators, enable financial service providers to submit

data in a standardised electronic format, analyse data and maintain a financial system database.

President gives assent to Payment of Wages (Amendment) Ordinance, 2016

President Pranab Mukherjee has given assent to Payment of

Wages (Amendment) Ordinance, 2016, to enable industries

to pay wages by cheque or credit into the bank accounts of

workers. The ordinance amends the Payment of Wages Act,

1936 to encourage cashless transactions. With this assent the

ordinance becomes law as per article 123 of the

Constitution. Allows industries to pay wages to workers earning up to Rs. 18,000 per month,

without taking their explicit consent as required under present Act.

Government constitutes committee to review institutionalisation of arbitration

mechanism in India

The Union Ministry of Law and Justice has constituted a High Level Committee (HLC) to

review institutionalisation of arbitration mechanism in India. The

committee will be headed by Justice B N Srikrishna, the retired

Judge of Supreme Court. It will look into various factors to

accelerate arbitration mechanism and strengthen the arbitration

ecosystem in the country. It will also examine specific issues and

prepare roadmap required to make ‚India a robust centre for

international and domestic arbitration.



Government meets PMUY target of 1.5 crore LPG connections

The Union Ministry for Petroleum & Natural

Gas has met the 1.5-crore target for LPG

connections that were to be added under the

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in

the 2016-17 financial year. This Target was

achieved within a span of less than eight months since the launch of the scheme which is

implemented across 35 States/UTs.

PM Narendra Modi launches UPI based mobile payment app called BHIM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched UPI based mobile

payment application called BHIM (Bharat Interface for Money) at

the Digi Dhan Mela held in Talkatora stadium, New Delhi, The

app is rebranded version of UPI (Unified Payment Interface) and

USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) for simpler

digital payments without cash. BHIM is Aadhaar-based payments app developed by the

National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI). The app allows easily transferring money or

making a payment from your bank account using only phone number. It can work even on

basic phones as it supports USSD payments.