NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. PM Modi inaugurated India's longest sea bridge 'Atal
Setu' in Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link
(MTHL),the country's longest sea bridge. The 21.8-kilometre-long sea bridge, named the Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Sewri--Nhava Sheva Atal Setu, has been built at a cost of more than Rs 17,840
crore. The bridge, connecting South
Mumbai to Navi Mumbai (between Sewri and Nhava Sheva), will reduce
the current two-hour journey to just around 15-20 minutes.
2. Assam Government Initiates 'Gunotsav 2024': 'Gunotsav 2024' has been launched by the
Assam Government for holistic assessment of students' performance. It is
covering all government primary and secondary schools in the state. 'Gunotsav
2024' will identify learning gaps in each child and ensure quality education
with grade-specific outcomes. It has been launched for holistic assessment of the performance of
about 40 lakh students of 43,498 government schools in 35 districts of the
state.
3. Land Ports authority releases report on
Gender-Inclusive Framework: Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) has released a report on 'Engendering Land Ports in India' in New
Delhi. The main objective of the
report is to develop a framework for gender inclusive cross border trade and
tourism through land Ports in the country. Chairman of LPAI Aditya Mishra, a step
towards making a gender-positive environment. The Land Ports Authority of India will implement the
recommendation of the reports to make land Ports more gender neutral.
4. Bhupendra Yadav launches book titled 'Modi: Energising
a Green Future': Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, Forest and
Climate Change (MoEF&CC), has recently unveiled an insightful book titled
"Modi: Energising A Green Future". This book, a significant addition
to environmental literature, is published by Pentagon Press in collaboration
with the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation. The central theme of
the book revolves around Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s vision and actions for a sustainable and
eco-friendly future.
5. Chhattisgarh govt launches ‘Ramlala Darshan’ scheme: Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai has launched the “Ram
Lala Darshan” (Ayodhya Dham) Yojana. Under the scheme, 20,000 eligible
residents of the State would be taken to the holy city for pilgrimage every
year. The Chhattisgarh Tourism Board will implement the scheme and the budget
for it will be provided by the Tourism Department. It added that those between
the age of 18 and 75 years and found fit in the health examination by District
Medical Board will be considered eligible for the trip under this scheme. In
the first phase, however, this facility will be made available for people of
age above 55 years.
6. 12 January – National Youth Day: Rashtriya Yuva
Diwas, commonly known as National Youth Day, is
observed on Swami Vivekananda’s
birth anniversary. This day serves to raise awareness and impart
knowledge about the rights of individuals in India, emphasizing the importance
of proper conduct within the nation. The primary goal of this celebration is to
inspire and motivate the youth, disseminating the ideals propagated by Swami
Vivekananda to contribute towards creating a more promising future for the
country. In 1984, the Indian government initially announced the observance of
Swami Vivekananda’s birthday, specifically on January 12, as National Youth Day.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Global Unemployment set to reach 5.2% In 2024, ILO
Reports: The International Labour Organization (ILO)
released a report named ‘World
Employment and Social Outlook Report 2024’.
ILO
claimed in its report that the global unemployment rate is expected to increase
to 5.2 percent in the year 2024. The ILO's 2024 'World Employment and Social
Outlook' report estimates that the number of unemployed people will increase to
2 million. The global unemployment rate will increase from 5.1 percent in 2023
to 5.2 percent in 2024.
2. India and UAE Signed Four MOUs at Gujarat Summit: At the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, India exchanged four MOUs with the
UAE. The MoUs are related to Investment cooperation in innovative healthcare,
renewable energy, food parks and logistics cooperation. Totally 35 countries
have participated in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit as partner countries. India
and the Czech Republic agreed to build a strategic partnership in fields such
as research and technology at the Summit.
3. Denmark introduced green fuels alliance in India: Denmark has
launched the Green Fuels Alliance
India (GFAI) initiative to boost collaborative efforts between the two
countries in the sustainable energy solutions sector and advance
their joint global goal towards carbon neutrality.
The
new alliance is a strategic initiative poised to play a pivotal role in
advancing the green fuels sector, including green hydrogen, by fostering
innovation, collaboration, and partnerships between Danish industries and their
counterparts in India. GFAI’s primary objective is to promote sustainable
energy growth in India by establishing an ecosystem that encourages
collaboration among businesses, government entities, research institutions, and
financial stakeholders from both the Indian and Danish sectors. The GFAI aligns
with India’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2070 and Denmark’s by 2050.
4. IIT Madras to open new campus at Kandy in Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka’s
Education minister Dr. Susil Premajayantha has
said that a new campus of IIT
Madras would be started in Kandy in Sri Lanka.
The
proposal was part of the Budget 2024 presented by Sri Lanka President Ranil
Wickremasinghe in his capacity as Finance Minister. Premajayantha added that a
team of academics would be sent by his ministry to IIT Madras before the team
from IIT would visit Sri Lanka for starting the Campus. Earlier in December it
was announced that IIT Delhi is scheduled to inaugurate a campus in Abu Dhabi,
while IIT Madras has established a presence in Zanzibar, focusing on addressing
the educational needs of African countries. This initiative underscores the
internationalization efforts within the Indian education sector.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. Adani Group Unveils India’s First Medium Altitude,
Long Endurance Drone: Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari
Kumar has flagged off the first indigenously manufactured “Drishti 10
Starliner” Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for the Navy. Drishti 10 ‘Starliner’
is an advanced Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform
with 36 hours endurance, 450 kgs payload capacity, the only all-weather
military platform with STANAG 4671 certification, and clear to fly in both
segregated and unsegregated airspace. The sophisticated, state-of-the-art UAV
marks a significant step towards strategic autonomy and technological
leadership in high-endurance, combat-proven, and indigenized advanced aerial
systems.
SPORTS
1. New Zealand appoints Adams as bowling coach: New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has appointed former all-rounder Andre Adams as the bowling coach of the men’s team for the
upcoming five-match T20I home series against Pakistan. The 48-year-old will
join head coach Gary Stead’s group, which also consists of Luke Ronchi as
batting coach. This appointment comes after Shane Jurgensen stepped down from
his role following the 2023 ODI World Cup. Adams, who has previously played one
Test, 42 ODIs, and four T20Is for New Zealand, brings a wealth of experience to
the role. Adams’ coaching career includes a successful stint with the Australia
domestic side New South Wales, where he was instrumental in helping Mitchell
Starc regain form in 2019. He also worked with the Sydney Sixers in the Big
Bash League (BBL) and with Auckland, contributing to the development of Lockie
Ferguson’s career
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Former SBI officer joins NARCL as MD & CEO: Chief General Manager at Canara Bank P Santhosh appointed as Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National
Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (NARCL). Former MD and CEO of NARC Natarajan Sundar resigned from
the post. The National Asset
Reconstruction Company Ltd (NARCL) is the name of the asset
reconstruction company incorporated to take over and dispose of the stressed
assets of commercial banks.
2. Simmtech signs MoU worth Rs1,250 crore for creating
semiconductor ecosystem: Union Minister for Electronics
and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnav revealed this during a
seminar, part of ongoing Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in Gandhinagar. The South Korean firm has been
allotted 30 acres of land and the work will start in the next two-three months.
The company will need 6-7 months to set up the plants. The company has been
given subsidy under SPECS. Simmtech is the world's biggest manufacturer of
semiconductor substrates.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023: Indore, Surat ‘cleanest
cities’ in India: Indore and Surat were declared the joint
cleanest cities of India as part of the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023 presented
by President Draupadi Murmu in the category of more than one lakh population.
This
was the seventh time that Indore won the accolade of the cleanest city in India
Saswad in Maharashtra got the cleanest city award for urban centres with less
than 1 lakh population while Patan in Chattisgarh and Lonavla in Maharashtra
were the second and third cleanest cities. Meanwhile, Maharashtra got the first
prize for cleanliness in the state category, Madhya Pradesh got second and Chhattisgarh got the award of third
cleanest state. Varanasi and Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh clinched the top
spots as the Cleanest Ganga Towns.
2. Sheetal Devi, the world’s first armless woman archer
won Arjuna Award: Sheetal
Devi, the teenaged armless archer who has widely earned recognition for
India through her performance in para-archery, was conferred with the Arjuna Award, one of the country’s
top civilian honours by President Droupadi Murmu. Arjuna Awardee Sheetal Devi
is a para-archer from Jammu and Kashmir. She emerged as the first armless woman
to clinch a Para World Archery Championships medal in 2023. She defeated
Singapore’s Alim Nur Syahidah 144-142 in the gold medal-deciding fixture. Sheetal
scripted history at the Para Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China, by winning
three medals – two gold and one silver. Devi, notably, became the first Indian
woman to win two gold medals in a single edition of the Asian Para Games in
October 2023.
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