Current Affairs Today 20th December 2019-Download in PDF

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Current Affairs Today – 20th December 2019

IMPORTANT DAYS AND THEMES

International Human Solidarity Day Observed on 20 December

• International Human Solidarity Day is organized across the world on 20th December.
• The General Assembly, on 22 December 2005, by resolution 60/209 identified solidarity as one of the fundamental and universal values.
• International Human Solidarity Day is a day to celebrate our unity in diversity and to remind governments to respect their commitments to international agreements.

BANKING CURRENT AFFAIRS

ADB & India signs $490 Million loan to upgrade roads of Madhya Pradesh

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India have signed a $490 million loan.
• The loan is signed for public-private partnership (PPP) project through the hybrid-annuity model (HAM) to upgrade about 1,600 km of state highways and major district roads in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
• The HAM is a mix of engineering, procurement, construction, and build-operate-transfer.

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Madhya Pradesh:

• Capital: Bhopal
• Chief Minister: Kamal Nath
• Governor: Lalji Tandon
• National Park: Bandhavgarh NP, Fossil NP, Kanha NP, Madhav NP, Panna NP, Pench NP, Sanjay NP, Satpura NP

ADB:The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The company also maintains 31 field offices around the world to promote social and economic development in Asia.

• Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines
• President: Currently Vacant
• Founded: 19 December 1966
• Membership: 68 countries
• Purpose: Economic development

NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

Portugal announces Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize

• Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa announced the setting up of a Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize.
• Portugal will be launching a Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize, each year inspired by his different thoughts and quotes.
• The first edition of this prize will be dedicated to animal welfare as Mahatma Gandhi said that the greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.

Afghanistan becomes 1st country to recognize Indian Pharmacopoeia

• The Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP) has been recognised formally by the National Department of Regulation of Medicines and Health Products of the Ministry of Public Health of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
• With this Afghanistan has become the 1st country to recognize IP pursuant to the efforts of Department of Commerce and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• IP is an officially recognized book of standards as per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules 1945 thereunder.
• It specifies the standards of drugs manufactured and marketed in India in terms of their identity, purity and strength.
• To ensure the quality of medicinal products, the legal and scientific standards are provided by Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) in the form of Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP).

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Afghanistan (Capital/Currency): Kabul/Afghan afghani

• President: Ashraf Ghani

STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS

Meghalaya Assembly to pass a resolution to bring the state under ILP

• The Meghalaya Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Government of India to implement Inner Line Permit in the state under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.
• The one-day special session was conducted with the sole intention to pass the resolution in view of the demand by the indigenous residents of the state for implementation of the ILP.
• Inner Line Permit (ILP) is an official travel document issued by the Government of India to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a limited period.

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Meghalaya:

• Capital: Shillong
• Chief Minister: Conrad Sangma
• Governor: Tathagata Roy

Karnataka to launch new app to help teachers

• Karnataka State government is to launch a new mobile application with an aim to solve the problems of school teachers and lecturers of pre-university colleges.
• The app will be launched in the month of January 2020.
• It was announced by the Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar at an educational convention and interaction programme.
• It was organized by the Academy of Political Science at Achievers International Public School, Sathanur village, in the taluk, on 18 December 2019.

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Karnataka:

• Capital: Bengaluru
• Chief Minister: B. S. Yediyurappa
• Governor: Vajubhai Vala
• National Park: Anshi NP, Bandipur NP,Bannerghatta NP,Kudremukh NP,Rajiv Gandhi (Nagarahole) NP.

Jignesh Patel launched a Vaccination on Wheels Clinic in Pune

• Jignesh Patel, a fellow at the Center for Healthcare Entrepreneurship (CfHE) at IIT Hyderabad, launched a Vaccination on Wheels Clinic in Pune.
• The service was started in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
• Patel received a grant under the Foundation’s Grand Challenges Explorations.
• The clinic is called “VaccineOnWheels.com” as it adopted VOW (Vaccination On Wheels) concept
• VOW clinics will go to schools, colleges, and corporates to conduct vaccination camps at their doorsteps.

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Maharashtra:

• Capital: Mumbai
• Chief Minister: Uddhav Thackeray
• Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
• National Parks: Chandoli National Park, Nawegaon National Park, Gugamal National Park, Pench National Park, Sanjay Gandhi (Borivilli) National Park, Tadoba National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Amba Barwa WLS, Bor WLS, Great Indian Bustard WLS,
• Lonar WLS, Melghat WLS, Gangewadi New Great Indian Bustard WLS, etc.

INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

The 2nd PRMC meeting between India and Bangladesh was held in New Delhi

• The 2nd Project Review Monitoring Committee (PRMC) meeting for the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline project was held successfully between the two countries on 19 December 2019 in New Delhi.
• The aim is to create a concrete step in cross border connectivity corridor.
• The meeting reiterated the strong commitment and high priority attached to the bilateral relationship between the countries.
• The countries agreed to extend full cooperation on the connectivity project with a view of the centrality of cross-border energy cooperation in the bilateral partnership.
• The cost of the project is Rs.346 crore.
• The 130-kilometre India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline Project is being undertaken under the grant assistance from India to Bangladesh.

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Bangladesh (Capital/Currency):Dhaka/Taka

• Prime Minister: Sheikh Hasina

SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES

The 2nd National Conference on Uniformed Women in Prisons Administration was held in Bhopal

• The second National Conference on Uniformed Women in Prisons Administration was held at Central Academy for Police Training, Kanhasaiya, Bhopal on 19-20 December 2019.
• It was organized by the Madhya Pradesh Jail Department in collaboration with the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), New Delhi.
• For the first time, this type of national conference of uniformed women is being held in Madhya Pradesh outside Delhi.
• The first conference was held in Delhi in 2017.
• In Madhya Pradesh, women have been given a 30% reservation in government services.

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Madhya Pradesh:

• Capital: Bhopal
• Chief Minister: Kamal Nath
• Governor: Lalji Tandon
• National Park: Bandhavgarh NP, Fossil NP, Kanha NP, Madhav NP, Panna NP, Pench NP, Sanjay NP, Satpura NP

AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED

Railway Ministry signed MoU with Birmingham University to establish Centre of Excellence

• The National Rail Transport Institute (NRTI) signed an MoU with the University of Birmingham on 18 December 2019 in New Delhi.
• The aim is to set up the first Centre of Excellence for Next-Generation Transportation Systems in Railways.

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Indian Railways is India’s national railway system operated by the Ministry of Railways. It manages the fourth largest railway network in the world by size, with a route length of 67,368-kilometre and total track length of 121,407-kilometre as of March 2017.

• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Founded: 16 April 1853, India

APPOINTMENT

IPS officer Atul Karwal appointed as Director of National Police Academy

• The Union Government appointed a senior Gujarat Cadre IPS officer Atul Karwal, as Director of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad.
• He is a 1988 batch IPS officer, is currently posted as Additional Director General of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

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CRPF:The Central Reserve Police Force is India’s largest Central Armed Police Force and also considered to be World’s largest Paramilitary Force. It functions under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India.

• General nature: Federal law enforcement
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Motto: “सेवाऔरनिष्ठा”

Devesh Srivastava appointed GIC chief

• Devesh Srivastava has been raised to the position of Chairman and Managing Director (MD) at the General Insurance Corporation India (GIC Re).
• Previously he was managing the departments of human resource and training, ReInsurance Worldwide (RIWW), corporate communications, CMD’s Secretariat and innovation centre; he was transferred to GIC in 1999.

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GIC:GIC of India is a state owned enterprise in India. It was the sole reinsurance company in the Indian insurance market until the insurance market was open to foreign reinsurance players by late 2016 including companies from Germany, Switzerland and France. GIC Re has its registered office and headquarters in Mumbai.

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Founded: 22 November 1972

Former HC Judge CV Ramulu appointed as Telangana Lokayukta

• Former High Court Judge Justice CV Ramulu has been appointed as the Lokayukta of Telangana.
• Former Law Secretary V Niranjan Rao has been appointed as Upa Lokayukta.
• The governor also appointed another former judge Justice G Chandraiah as Chairman of the State Human Rights Commission.
• This is the first time that the state government has constituted the Lokayukta and Human Rights Commission since the state was formed in 2014.

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Telangana:

• Capital: Hyderabad
• Chief Minister: K. Chandrashekar Rao
• Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan

Sethuraman Panchanathan to be appointed as the National Science Foundation

• The US President Donald Trump has chosen Indian-American computer scientist Sethuraman Panchanathan to lead the National Science Foundation (NSF).
• He will replace France Cordova when her 6-years-old term as the NSF Director ends in 2020. The position of NSF Director will be fixed by the Senate of the state.

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National Science Foundation (NSF):NSF is a United States government agency. It supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

• Formed on: 10 May 1950
• Headquarters: Alexandria, U.S
• Director: France A. Cordova

SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS

Indian men’s football team ranked 108th in latest FIFA rankings

• The Indian men’s football team remained static at 108th spot in the year-ending FIFA rankings. India lost 11 places throughout the year.
• With 1187 total points, India is placed at 19th spot among Asian countries headed by Japan 28th.

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FIFA:The Fédération Internationale de Football Association is a non-profit organization which describes itself as an international governing body of association football, fútsal, beach soccer, and football. It is the highest governing body of football.

• President: Gianni Infantino
• Headquarters: Zürich, Switzerland
• Founded at: Paris, France
• Founded: 21 May 1904, Rue Saint-Honoré, Paris, France
• Senior Vice-President: Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa (AFC)

DEFENCE CURRENT AFFAIRS

Upgraded version of Pinaka Rocket successfully test-fired off Odisha coast

• An upgraded version of the indigenously developed Pinaka-guided rocket system with enhanced strike range and guidance system was successfully test-fired from the DRDO’s Proof and Experimental Establishment firing test range off Odisha coast.
• The system has a maximum range of 40 km for Mark-I and 75 km for Mark-II and can fire a salvo of 12 HE rockets in 44 seconds.
• It is mounted on a Tatra truck for mobility.

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Odisha:

• Capital: Bhubaneswar
• Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik
• Governor: Ganeshi Lal
• National Park: Bhitarkanika NP, Simlipal NP

Exercise INDRA 2019 concluded on 19 December

• The second edition of Exercise INDRA 2019 concluded at Babina, Pune, and Goa on 19 December.
• The joint tri-services exercise was held between India and Russia from 10-19 December 2019.
• The exercise was aimed to strengthen the ties between the defence forces of India and Russia.
• It focused to combat the threat of global terrorism nations and by countries around the world.

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Russia (Capital/Currency):Moscow/Ruble

• Prime Minister: Dmitry Medvedev
• President: Vladimir Putin

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY:

International Astronomical Union names new star ‘Sharjah’

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) announced the names of the newly discovered stars and planets, where the name “Sharjah” was chosen for a star with “Barjeel” being the name of one of its planets.

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IAU:The International Astronomical Union is an international association of professional astronomers, at the PhD level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy.

• Headquarters: Paris, France
• Founded: 28 July 1919
• Membership: 82 national members; 13,701 individual members
• President: Ewine van Dishoeck
• General Secretary: Maria Teresa Lago

AWARDS

Portugal to launch a Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize

• Portugal is to launch a Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize with an aim to promote Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals.
• The announcement was made by the Portuguese Prime Minister, Antonio Costa. at the second meeting of the National Committee for Commemoration of the 150th Birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi at New Delhi on 19 December 2019.
• The meeting was presided by President Ram Nath Kovind.
• The move comes as the country was inspired by the different thoughts and quotes of Mahatma Gandhi.
• The first edition of the Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize has been dedicated to animal welfare.

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Portugal (Capital/Currency):Lisbon/Euro

• President: Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
• Prime Minister: Antonio Costa

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