NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Prez Kovind releases mobile app of Red Cross
Society of India: President Ram Nath Kovind released the mobile app
of the Red Cross Society of India in Hyderabad. This app is developed by the
Telangana Centre for Good Governance in less than three months, the mobile app
is accessible in all languages. The developers informed that the access to
blood bank and Red Cross membership will become easy with the launching of the
mobile app. So far, 13 lakh members including junior red cross members
downloaded the app.
Note:
Telangana CM: K Chandrashekhar Rao; Capital: Hyderabad; Governor: Tamilisai
Soundararajan.
2. Urban India declared Open defecation free: The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry announced that the Swachh
Bharat Mission-Urban has achieved its target of creating Urban India Open
Defecation Free. Urban areas of 35 states and Union Territories have become
ODF. In all, 4,320 cities out of 4,372 have declared themselves ODF, of which
4,167 cities have been certified through third-party verification. This has
been achieved by the construction of nearly 65.81 lakh individual household
toilets against Mission target of 59 lakhs and 5.89 lakh seats of public toilets
against Mission target of 5.08 lakh seats. Though it was said that the urban
local bodies in West Bengal had not been declared open defecation free (ODF).
Note: Minister
of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs:
Hardeep Singh Puri.
3. Rajasthan government starts its first Janta
Clinic: Rajasthan Chief Minister inaugurated its first
“Janta clinic” at in the Malviya Nagar area of Jaipur. This clinic will provide
free primary health care to people living in slums. In its first phase, 12
Janta Clinics will be opened in Jaipur where people would get free medicines
and free medical examination in some cases. Later, in the second and third
phases of this scheme, Janta Clinics will be opened in other areas.
Note: CM of
Rajasthan: Ashok Gehlot; Capital: Jaipur; Governor of Rajasthan: Kalraj Mishra.
4. Sangita Reddy appointed as the President of
FICCI for 2019-20: Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo
Hospitals Group, has taken over as the President of the Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) for 2019-20 at the 92nd Annual
Convention of the Chamber. She succeeds Sandip Somany, Vice-Chairman and
Managing Director, HSIL. President of The Walt Disney Company APAC &
Chairman of Star & Disney India, Uday Shankar has been elevated as Senior
Vice President of FICCI. Similarly, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), Sanjiv Mehta was appointed as the Vice
President of FICCI.
Note: FICCI
Established: 1927; FICCI Headquarters: New Delhi.
5. Harsh Vardhan Shringla appointed as new
foreign secretary of India: The
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Harsh
Vardhan Shringla (IFS 1984 Batch) as the next Foreign Secretary of India. At
present, he is an ambassador to the United States and will become the 33rd
Foreign Secretary of the country. He will replace Vijay Gokhale whose term will
be completed on January 28, 2020. Harsh Vardhan Shringla served as an
ambassador to Thailand from 2014 to 2016 and later as a High Commissioner to
Bangladesh for two years. He has also served at UNESCO in France, the UN in New
York besides Vietnam, Israel and South Africa.
6. National Farmers Day: 23 December: Kisan Diwas or National Farmers’ Day is observed across India on
December 23. The day honours Chaudhary Charan Singh, the 5th Prime Minister of
India whose was born on this day. It was in the year 2001, the Government of
India decided to observe December 23 every year as Kisan Diwas. Kisan Diwas is
being celebrated every year to promote awareness among people about the
importance of the farmers to the society and overall economic and social
development of the country.
7. ‘Oxygen Parlour’ at Nashik Railway Station to
combat air pollution: In a unique initiative to
battle rising air pollution in cities, an ‘Oxygen Parlour’ has been opened at
Nashik railway station to provide an experience of breathing clean air to the
commuters. The initiative comes with the efforts of Airo Guard in collaboration
with the Indian Railways. The concept of Oxygen Parlour is based on the
recommendation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In
1989, NASA had conducted a study in which they identified some plants that
better absorb the five most harmful pollutants from the air. In the same line
here most of those plants are planted.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. India world’s 3rd largest producer of
Scientific Articles: As per the report compiled by the US National
Science Foundation (NSF), India has emerged as the world’s third-largest
publisher of science and engineering articles. China, which accounts for 20.67
percent of all global publications in scientific articles, is at the top
position, followed by the US at 16.54 percent. As per the report in 2008, India
published 48,998 science and engineering articles. This increased to 1,35,788
articles in 2018 and the country now accounts for 5.31 percent of the total
world publications in science and engineering. India’s emergence as the
third-largest publisher is mainly due to a phenomenal double-digit growth rate
in the last decade from 2008 to 2018. The other countries which made it to the
top 10 list are Germany (1,04,396), Japan (98,793), UK (97,681), Russia
(81,579), Italy (71,240), South Korea (66,376) and France (66,352).
2. WHO 1st time approved Biosimilar of
“Trastuzumab” for breast cancer treatment: The
World Health Organization (WHO) announced that for the 1st time it had approved
a “biosimilar” medicine of Trastuzumab named “Ontruzant” to make cheaper breast
cancer treatment at an affordable rate to women globally. The medicine is
derived from living sources rather than chemicals. The biosimilar medicine of
the Trastuzumab drug was supplied by Samsung Bioepis co Ltd.
Note: WHO
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland, Director general: Tedros Adhanom.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Qatar to host African Football Super Cup until
2022: Qatar Football Association signed an agreement
with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) stipulating that Doha will
host the African Super Cup for the next three years. The African Super Cup in
Doha with the next edition will be held on February 14, 2020. At the beginning
of this year, Qatar hosted the African Super Cup for the first time when the
Moroccan "Confederation" champion of the Confederation succeeded in
beating the Tunisian "champions" Esperance 2-1.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Bank of Baroda partners with Gujarat govt to
provide MSME loans: Bank of Baroda signed an MoU with the Gujarat
government to facilitate the flow of credit in the Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises (MSMEs) sector. As per the agreement, the credit will be provided
to the MSME for greenfield projects, startups, women entrepreneurs and
entrepreneurs from backward areas under the Gujarat Single Window Clearance Act
2017 & Ordinance Number 1 of 2019 dated October 24, 2019. To avail the
credit, the BoB customers should register their request on the link available
single-window portal of the Gujarat government. BoB will take a further step,
after the lead generated on the portal submitted to it.
Note: Bank of
Baroda Headquarters: Vadodara, Gujarat; MD & CEO: PS Jayakumar.
DEFENCE
1. India successfully test-fires Quick Reaction
Surface to Air Missile system: India
successfully test-fired its Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM)
system from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the Odisha coast. With this
mission, the developmental trials of the weapon system are successfully
completed and the weapon system is expected to be ready for induction by 2021.
The QRSAM weapon system, which operates on the move, comprises of fully
automated Command and Control System, Active Array Battery Surveillance Radar,
Active Array Battery Multifunction Radar and Launcher.
Note: DRDO
Chairman: G Satheesh Reddy; Established: 1958; Headquarters: New Delhi.
OBITUARIES
1. Renowned Hindustani classical vocalist Vidushi
Savita Devi passes away: Renowned Hindustani
classical vocalist Vidushi Savita Devi (80) has passed away. Daughter of late
Padma Shri winner Siddheshwari Devi, Savita Devi was considered a doyen in the
field of classical music field for her mastery on various semi-classical vocal forms,
such as thumri, dadra, chaiti, kajri and tappa of the Banaras Gharana
(Purabang). She authored a biographical work on her mother, titled "Maa...
Siddheshwari" and was the head of the Music Department at Delhi
University's Daulat Ram College for many years.
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