Weekly Current Affairs


PSLV Launched - India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C47 Launch Vehicle-XL (PSLV-XL) rocket carrying advanced earth observation satellite Cartosat-3 and 13 US nano satellites lifted off from the second launch pad of the rocket port from Sriharikota. PSLV-C47 is the 21st flight of PSLV and 74th launch vehicle mission from Sriharikota.
GDP Growth Decreased - India’s GDP growth hit an over six-year low of 4.5 percent in July-September 2019, dragged mainly by deceleration in manufacturing output and subdued farm sector activity. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth was recorded at 7 percent in the corresponding quarter of FY 2018-19. In the previous quarter of the ongoing fiscal, the economic growth was 5 percent. This GDP growth data for the September 2019 quarter is the lowest since January-March of 2012-13, when it was registered at 4.3 per cent.
Chief of Defence Staff - General Bipin Rawat to be first Chief of Defence Staff. He will get a term of 2 years as the CDS.
G20 Presidency - The G20 Presidency has been taken over by Saudi Arabia from Japan. Saudi Arabia has become the 1st Arab nation to assume the G20 presidency.
Adel Abdul Mahdi - Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has submitted his resignation to Parliament amid ongoing anti-government protests across the country.
MITRA SHAKTI - The 7th edition of India-Sri Lanka joint exercise “MITRA SHAKTI” begins at Aundh Military Station, Pune.
India Will Host SCO Forum - India will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Forum of Young Scientists and Innovators in 2020.
South Asian Games - The 13th edition of South Asian Games has officially kicked off after the opening ceremony at Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Hallmark Jewellery - Hallmarking of gold jewellery will be made mandatory across the country from January 15, 2021.
Amaravati - The Survey of India, India’s central engineering agency in charge of mapping and surveying has released an updated map of India with Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh (AP). Till now Hyderabad was the common capital of Telangana & Andhra Pradesh.
Men’s Hockey World Cup - India wins bid to host 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup. Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar and Biju Patnaik Hockey Stadium in Rourkela to be the venues for the tournament.
EU Declared Climate Emergency - The European Union’s legislature has declared a  climate emergency, in a symbolic move aimed at increasing pressure on the incoming European Commission to take a stronger stance on climate change. The climate declaration was passed in Strasbourg during a European Parliament debate on the upcoming United Nations’ COP25 climate summit. The summit kicks off on 2nd December in Madrid, Spain.
Uddhav Thackeray - Shiv Sena Chief and Maha Vikas Aghadi nominee Uddhav Thackeray took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He is the 19th Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He was named as the leader of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance called the ‘Maha Vikas Aghadi’.
Golden Peacock Award - ‘Particles’ directed by Blaise Harrison and produced by Estelle Fialon has won the coveted Golden Peacock Award at the 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which concluded in Goa on November 28, 2019.
Fiscal Deficit - Global rating agency Moody’s expects the Centre’s fiscal deficit to touch 3.7% of the GDP. The Centre has targeted to keep the deficit at 3.3 per cent for the current fiscal (2019-20).
Deadline of FASTag Extended - The Transport Ministry has extended the 01st December deadline for 100% electronic toll collection across National Highways in the country by two weeks (15th December). FASTag is a sticker that has to be put at the front windshield of your vehicle. This sticker becomes the radio frequency identity of your car which is automatically read by the sensors placed at the toll plazas.
Constitution Day - Constitution Day or Samvidhan Divas is celebrated 26 November cross the country to mark the adopting of the Indian Constitution by the Constituent Assembly on this day in 1949. In 2019, it marks the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution. It came into force on 26th January 1950.
Reservation for Sportsperson - Madhya Pradesh government has announced 5% reservation to national and international medallists sportspersons in state government jobs.
Bihari Puraskar - Noted writer from Rajasthan, Manisha Kulshreshtha, was awarded the 28th Bihari Puraskar for 2018 for her novel ‘Swapnapash’. The award is presented by the KK Birla Foundation and is for writers of Rajasthani origin. It is given annually to an outstanding work in Hindi or Rajasthani published in the past 10 years.
International Press Freedom Awards - Indian journalist Neha Dixit has receipt 2019 International Press Freedom Awards. This award is awarded by Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Reliance Industries Touched Rs 10 Lakh Crore M-Cap - Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) is the first Indian company to cross Rs.9.5 lakh in market capitalization (m-cap). On 26 Nov 2019, its m-cap touched Rs 9,99,045 crore nearing the Rs 10 lakh crore mark.
Milan 2020 - The Indian Navy will host military drill ‘Milan 2020’ in March 2020. 41 nations from South Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe that share defence cooperation with India have been invited for the drill. MILAN stands for ‘Multilateral Naval Exercise’.
MINEX - A maiden bilateral exercise between the Indian Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) have conducted Mine Countermeasure Exercise (MINEX) 2019 at Kochi, Kerala.
WATEC - Union Minister of Jal Shakti, represented India at the 8 WATEC (Water Technology and Environment Control) Conference 2019. The theme of the conference is “Water Stewardship and Innovation–driving global leadership in the responsible planning management, and protection of water”. The conference held at David Intercontinental in Tel Aviv, Israel.
DEFCOM INDIA - The DEFCOM INDIA 2019 seminar commenced in New Delhi. The theme for the seminar is, “Communications: A Decisive Catalyst for Jointness”.
All India Police Science Congress - The 47th All India Police Science Congress (AIPSC) begins in Lucknow.
NuGen Mobility Summit - The International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) is organizing a NuGen Mobility Summit, 2019 in Gurugram, Haryana. NuGen is a platform to showcase the capabilities and explore the new generation technologies.
e-MASIHA - India has become the 1st country to make the entire process for pilgrims going on Haj completely digital. An online application, e-visa, Haj mobile app, ‘e-MASIHA’ health facility, “e-luggage pre-tagging” providing all information in India itself regarding accommodation and transportation in Mecca and Madina will be provided to 2 lakh Indian Muslims going for Haj in 2020.
Nagaland Statehood Day - President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the people of Nagaland on its 57th Statehood Day on 01st December 2019. Nagaland, a mountainous state in northeast India bordering Myanmar, became the 16th state of the country on 01st December 1963.
PM-SYM and NPS-Traders - The government has launched a drive to enroll one crore beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan (PM-SYM) and the National Pension Scheme for Traders and Self Employed Persons (NPS-Traders) by March next year.
World AIDS Day - World AIDS Day, designated on 01st December every year. The theme of this year’s World AIDS Day is “Communities make the difference”.
International Day for the Abolition of Slavery - The United Nations observes International Day for the Abolition of Slavery on 2nd of December every year.
International Book Fair - Minister of State for Human Resource Development Sanjay Dhotre inaugurated the India Pavilion at International Book Fair in Guadaljara, Mexico. India is the ‘Guest of Honour Country’ in book fair and becomes the first Asian country to participate as ‘Guest of Honour’ in the Fair. 
Mission Indradhanush 2.0 - The centre is launching a nationwide vaccination drive to prevent eight diseases under Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0 across the country. The government’s flagship scheme is aimed at immunizing children under the age of 2 years and pregnant women against 8 vaccine-preventable diseases.
Global Migration Film Festival - The Global Migration Film Festival (GMFF) was organised in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Hornbill Festival - The 20th Edition of Hornbill Festival began with a colourful blend of culture and tradition with a modern twist at Naga Heritage Kisama in Nagaland.
CAG Report on Indian Railways - The Comptroller and Auditor General’s report stated that the railways recorded an operating ratio of 98.44% in 2017-18. The above operating ratio was the worst in the last 10 years. Operating ratio is a measure of expenditure against the revenue. An operating ratio of 98.44% shows that the Railways spent Rs 98.44 to earn Rs 100.
International Day of Persons with Disabilities - International Day of Persons with Disabilities is being observed on the 3rd of December every year. The theme this year is – Promoting the Participation of Persons with Disabilities and their leadership: Taking Action on the 2030 Development Agenda.
Ocean Dance Festival - The Ocean Dance Festival 2019 kicked off in Cox Bazar of Bangladesh. The theme of this year’s festival is ‘Bridging the distance’ or Durotter Shetubandhan.
Special Non-Resident Rupee Accounts - The RBI expanded the scope of Special Non-Resident Rupee Accounts (SNRR account) by permitting non-residents to open such accounts for rupee-denominated overseas borrowings.
Muthoot Finance Acquired IDBI Mutual Funds - Muthoot Finance Ltd, the largest gold loan non-banking finance company in the country, entered into a definitive agreement to acquire IDBI Asset Management Ltd and IDBI Mutual Fund Trustee Company Ltd. Muthoot Finance will purchase 100 per cent equity shares of IDBI Asset Management and IDBI MF Trustee for a total consideration of Rs 215 crore.
Davis Cup - Rafael Nadal has clinched 6th Davis Cup title for Spain after beating Denis Shapovalov of Canada.
Kailash Joshi - Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kailash Joshi has passed away. He was called as the ‘saint of politics’, served as the state’s chief minister from 1977 to 1978.
NCC Day - The National Cadet Corps (NCC), the world’s largest uniformed youth organization, is celebrating its 71st Raising Day on 24 November.
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women - The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is observed across the world on 25 November annually. The theme for this year is “Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands Against Rape”.
National Tribal Craft Mela - Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the National Tribal Craft Mela – 2019 in Bhubaneswar.
Campaign Against Filariasis - Uttar Pradesh government is launching a massive immunisation campaign against the filariasis or Filaria. The central government has set the year 2021 as the deadline for complete eradication of filaria in the country. Filaria is spread by infected mosquitoes, especially through the parasitic Culex fatigans female mosquito.
Aga Khan Architecture Award - Floating school project of Bangladesh wins Aga Khan Architecture Award.
Penalty on Stock Broker - Markets regulator SEBI imposed a total fine of Rs 40.5 lakh on 7 companies for indulging in fraudulent trading in the illiquid stock options segment on the BSE. The total fine levied on the firms, Rs 10.5 lakh was levied on Green Venture Securities Management Pvt Ltd while Morgan Financial Services, Niranjan Housing, Navrang Tradelinks, Niranjan Metallic, Nishu Leasing and Finance and Midpoint Tradelink faced a fine of Rs 5 lakh each.
National Milk Day - National Milk Day is celebrated across the country on November 26 every year on the birthday of Dr Verghese Kurien. This day marks the birth anniversary of Verghese Kurien, the Father of White Revolution in India.
Indian Railway Institute of Financial Management - The Indian Railway Institute of Financial Management (IRIFM) has been set up in Hyderabad, Telangana. The project was conceived and constructed by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) at a cost of Rs 85 crore.
Vulture Conservation - In a major step to conserve the endangered vulture population, the Uttar Pradesh government will set up the state’s first vulture conservation and breeding centre in farenda area of Maharajganj district.
Guru Ghasidas National Park - The Chhattisgarh government has decided to declare Guru Ghasidas National Park in the state’s Korea district as a tiger reserve.
India and Uzbekistan Signed Pact Against Terrorism - India and Uzbekistan have signed a pact for further strengthening of cooperation in the fields of counter-terrorism and organised crime.
Asian Archery Championships - Abhishek Verma and Jyothi Surekha Vennam claimed the gold in compound mixed pair event at the 21st Asian Archery Championships, which ended in Bangkok, Thailand.
Military Literature Festival - Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the 3-day-long Military Literature Festival (MLF) on 13 December 2019 at Chandigarh.
Penalty on Corporation Bank - The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 1.50 crore on Corporation Bank for non-compliance with certain provisions of directions issued by RBI.
Steve Smith - Steve Smith became the fastest crickter to score 7,000 Test runs.