Current Affairs - December 27, 2018 Current Affairs

Aadi Sai Vijaykaran created history by winning the Junior Debate Championship at the World Scholar's Cup held at Yale University, the USA. The theme for the cup was 'An Entangled World: diplomacy, human relationships, the science of memory, and literature, art'. It is the first time an individual from India has won the coveted title.

Sulagitti Narasamma (97), the renowned social worker and Padma Shri awardee, has passed away in Bengaluru on December 26, 2018. Born in 1920, she hailed from a community that was at the time referred to as 'untouchable'. She is best known for extending free of cost midwife services to women at a time when medical help was hard to come by in rural areas. It is believed that she learned the art from her grandmother, Marigemma, at a very young age. She had helped deliver more than 15,000 babies in Krishnapura, a remote village in Pavagada taluk in Karnataka. Her work received special recognition in Krishnapura & was conferred an honorary doctorate by the Tumkur University in 2014. She was also conferred with the Padma Shri by President Ram Nath Kovind on March 20, 2018.

K Ramachandran was appointed as the Executive Director of Allahabad Bank from the current post of General Manager. Ramachandaran will hold office up to the date of his superannuation, which is June 30, 2021.

As part of the Swachhta Pakhwada held from, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) organized a Swachch Bharat Grand Challenge. Four areas of sanitation, waste management, water and wastewater management and air management were selected for the grand challenge. The 1st Prize money for the Swachch Bharat Grand Challenge was Rs. 2 lakh. The awards were given away by Secretary DIPP, Ramesh Abhishek in New Delhi.

The Haryana government has recently decided to renamed Child Care Institutes as Jagannath Ashrams. This was announced by the Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar while addressing the people during a dance competition organised by women wing of All India Vaish Federation (AIVF) in Karnal on December 25, 2018.

In Assam, the third Dwijing Festival has begun on the bank of Aye river at Chirang district. Around 15 lakh tourists will participate in the festival. Assam PHE minister Rihon Daimary inaugurated the festival in presence of several dignitaries. Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal will attend the event. Adventure sports, food mart, cultural events, traditional games are being organized in the 12-day long event. Participants from Thailand, Bhutan and Bangladesh have reached the festival.

Dronacharya awardee C A Kuttappa has taken over as India's chief boxing coach at the ongoing national camp. He took over from veteran coach SR Singh at the beginning of the camp. The 39-year-old Kuttappa is credited with shaping some of the country's most successful boxers such as Vijender Singh, M Suranjoy Singh, and Shiva Thapa, among others.

On 22nd December 2018, Dr. Jiko Luveni, the first female speaker of Fiji's Parliament, died in office at the age of 72. Luveni first served for eight years as minister for women, social welfare and poverty alleviation in the interim government of Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama, who seized power in a 2006 coup.

The Centre has reportedly decided to rename Ross Island, Neil Island and Havelock Island in Andaman and Nicobar as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Island, Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep respectively. PM Narendra Modi is likely to announce it during his upcoming visit to Port Blair, on 30 December. The occasion is to mark the 75th anniversary of Netaji's visit to the islands.

The separate High Court for Andhra Pradesh will start functioning from January 1. Ministry of Law and Justice notified the constitution of the High Court in Amaravati. Andhra Pradesh High Court will be the 25th High Court in the country. The Hyderabad High Court has been functioning as common high court till now after bifurcation of undivided Andhra Pradesh.

The Maharashtra government has launched Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee International Schools in Mumbai on the occasion of 94th birth anniversary of the late Prime Minister. The school is affiliated to the Maharashtra International Education Board (MIEB) with an aim to achieve higher education standards in rural areas.

Madhya Pradesh State government has declared Kuno wildlife sanctuary as a national park in compliance with the last condition imposed by a Supreme Court-appointed committee for the much awaited 'translocation of Asiatic lions from Gir in Gujarat'. The move is expected to pave way for translocation of lions from Gir in Gujarat to Kuno. It is spread over 750 sq km area.

Dr. Hamidi Kashmiri, the tallest literary figure in the world of Urdu language, literature and literary criticism passed away. He was a prolific creative writer, an acclaimed critic and propounder of "Iktishaafi Tanqueed". He has also been the Vice Chancellor of the University of Kashmir for years.

Noted sitar player Manju Mehta has been conferred with the 'Tansen Samman' for 2018 by the Madhya Pradesh government for her contribution in the field of music. Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar presented the award to Mehta, 74, at the inaugural ceremony of the Tansen Music Festival. The 'Raja Mansingh Tomar Honour' was given to the Sankat Mochan Pratishthan in Varanasi for 2017 and the Natrang Pratishthan of New Delhi for 2018. The award is given to institutions for nurturing good music.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting was formally inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. Ponting received his commemorative cap from compatriot ICC Cricket Hall of Famer, Glenn McGrath at the MCG. Ponting was named in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame along with former India captain Rahul Dravid and England woman wicketkeeper-batter Claire Taylor during the ICC Annual Conference in Dublin.

American Mikaela Shiffrin became the youngest woman to win 50 World Cup ski races with victory in the slalom in the French Alps. She finished 0.29 sec ahead of Slovakia's Petra Vlhova and 0.37sec ahead of Sweden Frida Hansdotter in third place to win in Courchevel victory.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) appointed former governor Bimal Jalan as the chairman of the Economic Capital Framework (ECF) committee formed to address the issue of excess reserves with the central bank. Former RBI deputy governor Rakesh Mohan has been appointed the vice-chairman of the committee. Other members include Bharat Doshi, Sudhir Mankad, Subhash Chandra Garg, and N.S. Vishwanathan. The committee will decide whether RBI is holding provisions, reserves, and buffers in the surplus or deficit of the required levels. It will submit its report within 90 days of the first meeting.

In a landmark policy shift, Japan formally announced that it would withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and resume commercial whaling in its territorial waters next year for the first time in more than 30 years. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga announced Japan will restart commercial whaling in July 2019 - its first such excursion since 1988 - but limit its hunting activities to its own territorial waters and exclusive economic zone.

The junta-appointed parliament voted 166-0 to amend the Narcotic Act of 1979 to legalise the medicinal use of marijuana. Marijuana was used in Thailand to relieve pain and fatigue until its use was criminalised in the country in the 1930s. In Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, marijuana traffickers who are caught, face capital punishment.

The photo division of Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) is organizing the 7th National Photography Awards in February 2019. Entries for all the awards have been invited from across the country. The photographers will be awarded in mainly three categories - life time achievement award, awards for professional photographers and the awards for the amateur photographers. The award for professional photographer has two categories- professional photographer of the year award with cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh and special mention awards with cash prize of Rs. 50 thousand. The Life Time Achievement award carries a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh. The entries can be sent to the photo division by 31st of December 2018. Those interested can visit the division's website for further details.