Weekly Current Affairs

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Hemant Soren - In Jharkhand, Grand Alliance leader Hemant Soren will take oath as Chief Minister. He was formally elected the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislature party leader. He was projected as the chief ministerial candidate by the JMM, Congress and RJD Alliance that gained the majority in the recently concluded Assembly polls.
Niranjan Hiranandani - Niranjan Hiranandani has taken over as the new president of The Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), the country’s apex organisation of industry and trade.
Harsh Vardhan Shringla - Senior diplomat Harsh Vardhan Shringla, India’s Ambassador to the US, has been appointed as the new Foreign Secretary.
Sangita Reddy - Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group, has taken over as the President of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) for 2019-20.
Atal Tunnel - Prime Minister Narendra Modi named Rohtang passageway in Himachal Pradesh as Atal Tunnel to mark the 95th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It will provide all-weather connectivity to remote areas of Lahaul and Spiti Valley and also reduce the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 Kilometres.
David Calhoun - Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg has stepped down as the company is facing tough period following two fatal crashes. He will be replaced by Chairman David Calhoun effective January 13, 2020.
Atal Bhujal Yojana - Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL) which aims to improve groundwater management in seven states. The 7 states includes Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The Government has outlaid Rs. 6000 crore for the scheme in next five years.
Ethiopia Launched First Satellite - Ethiopia launched its first satellite, a landmark achievement for the country’s space program that caps a banner year for the African space industry. The launch of the Ethiopian Remote Sensing Satellite (ETRSS) took place at a space station in China.
Operation Twist - Reserve Bank of India announced Operation Twist, its version of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s unconventional monetary policy. The central bank will buy long-term bonds, while simultaneously selling short-term government securities in an effort to cheapen long-term borrowing and boost bank lending.
Open Market Operation - Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will simultaneously purchase and sell government securities worth Rs 10,000 crore under a special Open Market Operation (OMO).
ASSOCHAM Annual Conference - Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) annual conference in Delhi. The theme of the event was ‘New India Aspiring for a USD 5 trillion economy’. The event was organised on the completion of 100 years of ASSOCHAM.
Qatar International Cup - Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu won the women’s 49kg category gold medal to open India’s account at the 6th Qatar International Cup in Doha.
Women’s T20 World Cup - The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced that it has extended its partnership with UNICEF through to the Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 with the focus on empowering women and girls through cricket.
Eco Currency - Eight West African countries have agreed to change the name of their common currency to Eco and severed their earlier currency CFA Franc’s links to former colonial ruler France. Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo currently use the currency.
Manuel Marrero Cruz - In Cuba, President has appointed Manuel Marrero Cruz as the country’s first prime minister in more than 40 years. The post of prime minister was scrapped in 1976 by the then-revolutionary leader Fidel Castro.
ITF World Champions - Ashleigh Barty and Rafael Nadal were named International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) World Champions in singles for 2019.
R. Nagaswamy - Noted archaeologist R. Nagaswamy was honoured at the Silver Jubilee International Conference of Art in Dhaka by Bangladesh.
Joint Commission Meeting - External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar co-chaired the 19th Joint Commission meeting with Foreign Minister of Iran. The Joint Commission meeting was held in Tehran, Iran.
Turbulence and Triumph - The Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu released a book titled ‘Turbulence and Triumph: The Modi Years’ in New Delhi. The book is jointly authored by Rahul Agarwal and Bharathi S Pradhan.
National Mathematics Day - National Mathematics Day is celebrated on 22nd December every year to mark the birth anniversary of legendary mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan. This year nation celebrates his 132nd Birth Anniversary.
Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban - Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban has achieved its target of creating Urban India Open Defecation Free. Urban areas of 35 states and Union Territories have become ODF.
Janta Clinic - Rajasthan Chief Minister inaugurated its first “Janta clinic” at in the Malviya Nagar area of Jaipur.
Bank of Baroda Signed MoU - Bank of Baroda signed an MoU with the Gujarat government to facilitate the flow of credit in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector.
Swachchh Samundra - The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) conducted a two-day regional level pollution response exercise named ‘Swachchh Samundra NW-2019’ at sea off Vadinar in Gulf of Kutch.
QRSAM - Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) system developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was successfully flight-tested from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the Odisha coast.
Largest Publisher of Articles - India has emerged as the world’s third-largest publisher of science and engineering articles, according to a latest US report.
National Farmers’ Day - Kisan Diwas or National Farmers’ Day is observed across India on December 23. The day honours Chaudhary Charan Singh, the 5th Prime Minister of India whose was born on this day.
UNICEF Award - Kamareddy district of Telangana has secured the United Nations International Children’s and Education Fund (Unicef) - 2019 Award.
Good Governance Day - Good Governance Day is observed in India annually on the 25th of December. In this day nation celebrates the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna and former-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Good Governance Index - Central Government has released the “Good Governance Index” on the occasion of Good Governance Day. Tamil Nadu topped in big states category. Himachal Pradesh topped in North-East and Hill States category. Puducherry topped the index in Union Territories category.
MS Dhoni - Former India skipper and wicket-keeper batsman MS Dhoni been named captain of Cricket Australia’s (CA) ODI team of the decade and the line-up features three Indian players.
Leander Paes - Indian tennis ace Leander Paes has announced that 2020 will be his last year as a professional tennis player.
National Consumer Day - Every Year 24th December is observed as National Consumer Day with a specific theme in India. The theme of this year is “alternate consumer grievance/dispute redressal”.
India-Japan Maritime Affairs Dialogue - The 5th Round of India-Japan Maritime Affairs Dialogue was held in Tokyo, Japan.
Capital Infusion of Bank - Government of India has approved the release of Rs 8,655 crore as fresh capital to three public sector banks. The list includes Allahabad Bank, Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) and UCO Bank. Fresh capital amounting to Rs 2,153 crore will be allocated to Allahabad Bank, Rs 2,142 crore to UCO Bank and Rs 4,630 crore to Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) for preferential allotment of shares.
Peer-to-Peer - The Reserve Bank of India has capped the permissible exposure limit of a lender on a Peer-to-Peer lending (P2P) platform for all borrowers. The aggregate exposure has been set at Rs 50 lakh at any given point of time.
AIIB Loan to India - The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has announced a loan of $210 million for irrigation and solar energy projects in India. The bank will lend $145 million to improve irrigation services and strengthen flood risk management in West Bengal.
Him Darshan Express - Indian Railways started a glass-enclosed vistadome “Him Darshan Express” train on the heritage Kalka-Shimla route, with glass rooftop to have a panoramic view of the hilly region.
Digital Radio - Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar has announced that the Central government will launch the “Digital Radio” in 2024.
Dreams of a Billion - A book titled “Dreams of a Billion: India and the Olympic Games” author by Boria Majumdar with Nalin Mehta released.