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.