Current Affairs - December 22, 2018 Current Affairs

The government of India will set up 20 additional technology centres to help Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). These centres support MSMEs by giving them access to advanced manufacturing technologies, skilling manpower and providing technical and business advisory support. Currently, 10 such centres are operational in different states of the country.

Kabaddi player Anup Kumar announced his retirement on 19 December 2018. He began his international career in 2006 at the South Asian Games in Sri Lanka. He led India to victory at the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup. It was during his tenure that the Indian team won 2 gold medals at Asian Games in 2014. In season 2 of the Pro Kabaddi League, Anup captained U Mumba and led the team to victory.

'iGOT' (Integrated Government Online Training Programme) was launched on 20 December 2018. It was developed by Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions. It will augment the existing training mechanism, provided to government servants, with online module-based training coupled with certification.

A dreary grain silo that was transformed into an enormous colourful artwork in South Korea has been named by Guinness World Records as the largest outdoor mural in the world. The painting depicts a young boy's journey into adulthood covers the outside of giant storage containers in the port city of Incheon takes up 23,688 sq m. The mural was commissioned by the city's government and port authority. It aims at improving the negative view of aged industrial facilities. Twenty-two artists used more than 850,000 litres of paint to tell the story which reflects the seasons and resembles 16 individual book covers, at a cost of 550 million won.

The Government of India has decided to confer the Prime Minister's Shram Awards for the year 2017 to be awarded to 40 workers. They are employed in the Departmental Undertakings & Public Sector Undertakings of the Central and State Governments and Private Sector Units. The awards are in recognition of their distinguished performances in the field of productivity.

The Civil aviation ministry along with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) launched an app named 'GAS 2019'. This app will enable users to interact with the co-delegates and speakers besides providing a platform for networking through personal and group chats. This was launched ahead of the global aviation summit to be held in Mumbai in January 2019. The Global Aviation Summit would take place on January 15-16, 2019 at Mumbai.

The NITI Aayog unveiled its comprehensive national Strategy for New India dubbed as 'Strategy for New India @75', defining clear objectives for 2022-23. The document aims for establishing a New India by 2022 and to propel India towards a USD 5 trillion economy by 2030. It has set up a new autonomous body, viz., the Arbitration Council of India to make the arbitration process cost effective and speedy, and to pre-empt the need for court intervention.

Haryana's Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced the setting up of the 'Haryana Herbal Corporation'. The aim of the corporation is to promote Ayurveda and herbal medicines in the state. It will also act as a catalyst for developing Morni area of the district as an organic cluster and setting up of a world-class nursery for the herbal plant.

A German court found in favour of US chipmaker Qualcomm in a patent dispute case against Apple, which could lead to a ban on sales of iPhones in Germany. The ruling affects iPhone 7 through iPhone X models, which contain a particular component that violated a Qualcomm patent.

C.R.I. pumps, one of the Leading Manufacturer of energy efficient pumps won the National Energy Conservation Award 2018 in the pumps category for the fourth time. C.R.I. Group joint Managing Director, Mr. G. Selvaraj receives the award. C.R.I. is the highest contributor in the country for the projects of EESL (Energy Efficiency Services Limited) to replace the old inefficient pumps with new 5 star rated smart pumps.

To promote the artistic talent of the students, the National Balrang-2018 has started at the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalya (IGRMS) in Bhopal on 19th of December. The 3-day cultural festival is being organised by the School Education Department of Madhya Pradesh in collaboration with the IGRMS. Its purpose is to introduce children with various cultural diversities and traditional lifestyles so as to instill the spirit of social harmony, human values, and brotherhood. 'Balrang' is a unique programme that has been held in Bhopal since the past 23 years. As many as 520 students from various schools in 18 states and two union territories will present folk dances, songs and other cultural programmes.

Nevada became the first state in the US with an overall female majority in its legislature on 18 December 2018. The appointments of the Democrats Rochelle Thuy Nguyen and Beatrice Angela Duran to two Las Vegas-area legislative seats give women 51% of the 63 seats in the legislature. No state has previously had a female-majority or even a 50%-female legislature.

The UN General Assembly (UNGA) has officially adopted the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. The document is the first-ever negotiated global framework on a common approach to international migration in all its dimensions. It is meant to address issues that concern the world's 258 million people on the move and countries of origin, transit and destination. The non-binding agreement was adopted by the General Assembly with 152 votes in favour in Marrakesh, Morocco on 10th December 2018. India voted in favour of the resolution while, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Poland, and US voted against it. The document reaffirms the foundational principles of global community, including national sovereignty and universal human rights. Though non-legally binding, the Compact is the outcome of a long negotiation process and provides a strong platform for cooperation on migration, drawing on best practices and international law.

International Training Centre for Operational Oceanography (ITCOocean) Complex will be inaugurated in Hyderabad on 22 December 2018. It was established by the Ministry of Earth Sciences. It will provide training to scientists/researchers/government officers/disaster managers/decision makers in the areas of ocean science and management.

The All-India annual conference of the state Directors General and Inspectors General of Police will be held from 20 to 22 December 2018 in Gujarat. The conference will be held in the presence of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. The agenda of the annual conference is militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, cross-border terrorism, and attempts to radicalise youth.

Six months after the Governor's rule in Jammu and Kashmir, President's rule is set to be imposed on J&K, as per the union cabinet's ruling and the governor's (Satya Pal Singh) report, after a span of 22 years. President's rule was first imposed in the state in 1986, whereas the previous instance of President Rule was in 1996, 22 years ago. Under Article 92 of the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution, the state will be under the governor's rule for 6 months under political crisis situations. The Governor has to dissolve the Legislative Assembly after six months after which it directly comes under President's rule for another six months after which elections have to be held in the state. President's rule can be extended by another six months. Also, no Presidential proclamation shall in any case remain in force for more than three years except for the intervention of Election Commission of India.

Tata Motors has partnered with self-drive rental car firm Zoomcar to offer the electric version of its compact sedan Tigor in Pune city as part of the shared mobility plans. Under the partnership, Zoomcar expects to deploy 500 electric vehicles in over 20 cities with Tata Motors in the next one year. Tata Motors is committed to the Centre's vision of driving electric mobility in the country.

US regulator Federation of Aviation Administration (FAA) retained the highest aviation safety ranking for India. According to FAA, India's International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) rating remains 'Category 1'. This ranking was based on an audit of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in July 2018.

NASA's first flight to the moon Apollo 8 is marking its 50th anniversary. On Dec. 21st, 1968, three men flew to the moon for the first time in human history. Apollo 8 commander Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders orbited the moon on Christmas Eve, reading from the Book of Genesis. To this day, the mission is considered NASA's boldest and perhaps most dangerous undertaking ever. NASA whipped it together in four months, in order to beat the Soviets to the moon.

The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi will lay the foundation of 'Paradip Hyderabad Pipeline Product' Project (PHPL) on 24 December 2018. He will also lay the foundation of Bokaro-Angul section of 'Jagdishpur-Haldia & Bokaro-Dhamra' Gas Pipeline Project (PM Urja Ganga) and is being built by the Gas Authority of India Limited. PHPL is being built by Indian Oil Corporation Limited.