Current Affairs - December 31, 2019 Current Affairs

Ireland Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on December 29, 2019 visited his ancestral village in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra.

A 14-feet-tall bronze statue of late former prime minister and BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee was unveiled in Karnal on December 29, 2019 by HaryanaChief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar released the biennial 'India State of Forest Report (ISFR)' in New Delhi on December 30, 2019. The report is published by the Forest Survey of India (FSI). The total forest and tree cover of the country is 80.73 million hectare which is 24.56% of the geographical area of the country.

The Indian Navy plans to build 24 submarines including six nuclear attack submarines. The Indian Navy the panel the Medium Refit Life Certification (MRLC) of submarine Sindhuraj since the Russian side able to submit bank guarantees and integrity pact due to sanctions imposed by the US.

NASA astronaut Christina Koch set a new record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, eclipsing the record of 288 days set by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson in 2016-17. Koch has six weeks to go before returning to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS).

Australian bowler Peter Siddle on December 29, 2019 announced his retirement from international cricket after taking 221 wickets in 67 Test matches.

Products made by women self-help groups formed under the DAY-NULM (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission) will now be available on e-commerce platforms as the government on December 30, 2019 signed an MoU with Flipkart in this regard.

80th session of Indian History Congress is being held at Kannur, Kerala from December 28 to 30, 2019.

Odisha launched the online platform for the issuance of income certificate, residence certificate, caste certificate without any fees, and based on the self-certification system of asking for the Solvency certificate by the departments.

49th border co-ordination conference between Director Generals of BSF and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) was held in New Delhi from December 25 to 29, 2019. Indian delegation was headed by DG BSF Vivek Johri and BD delegation was headed by DG of BGB Maj Gen Md Shafeenul Islam.

University of Agricultural Sciences in Bengaluru planned to host the 107th Indian Science Congress from 3rd to 7th of January. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the conference to be attended by over 15,000 delegates.

Pune-based Udayan Mane won the season-ending TATA Steel Tour Championship at the Golmuri Golf Course in Jamshedpur on December 29, 2019.

India skipper Virat Kohli and fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah are the only two Indians who found a place in Wisden's T20 International team of the decade. Australia's Aaron Finch was named captain of the team.

Nagaland Assembly Speaker Vikho-o Yhoshu died in Mumbai on December 30, 2019 at the age of 67. He was the leader of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP).

27th edition of National Children's Science Congress is being held inThiruvananthapuram from December 27 to 31, 2019.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on December 29, 2019 inaugurated Atal Kisan Mazdoor canteen in Karnal where farmers and labourers will get food for Rs. 10.

India is planning another wave of reforms aimed at turning around its struggling power retailers. The initiative is still under consideration for the declining to provide details. The reforms could cost as much as 2.5 trillion rupees ($35 billion) over five years, according to people with knowledge of the issue.

The 50th Dadasaheb Phalke Awards honored legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan with India's highest film honor for his stupendous contribution to Indian cinema, in New Delhi. President Ram Nath Kovind presented the Award to Mr. Bachchan. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar announced that Mr. Bachchan would be awarded the prestigious award.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have developed new materials that can generate power from both stagnant and flowing water. These new ways of producing energy on a small scale can be employed in household environments to support decentralisation of energy sources.

Fred P. Graham, US journalist who covered the Supreme Court and momentous legal affairs of his era for The New York Times, CBS News and Court TV, died in Washington at the age of 88 on December 29, 2019.