CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. India Achieves 4th rank in Global Wind Power Installed Capacity Index

i.India has ranked 4th in the Global Wind Power Installed Capacity index after China, USA and Germany with cumulative installed wind power generation capacity of 28,279 MW in 2016.
ii.The Government is aiming to increase the share of clean energy through massive development and deployment of new and renewable energy in India to meet Energy security, Electricity shortages, Energy access and Climate change among others.


2. India and Kyrgyzstan signed 6 agreements to boost bilateral cooperation

i.India and Kyrgyzstan have signed 6 agreements/Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to boost bilateral cooperation on 20 December 2016.
ii.The agreements were signed in New Delhi during the State visit of Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambaye.
Agreements:
1. MoU on cooperation in the field of Tourism
2. Agreement on cooperation in the field of Agriculture and Food Industry
3. MoU on cooperation in the field of Youth development: The agreement was signed between the Union Ministry of Youth AIairs and the state agency of Youth AIairs, Physical Education and Sports of Kyrgyzstan.
4. MoU on cooperation between Foreign Service Institute, MEA, New Delhi and Diplomatic Academy of MOFA of Kyrgyzstan.
5. MoU in the field of cooperation in youth exchange between NCC of India and Military Lyceum of Kyrgyz Republic.
6. MoU on cooperation in the field of Broadcasting and exchange of audiovisual programmes: The MoU was signed between Prasar Bharati of India and Public Broadcast Corporation of Kyrgyzstan.


3. 9th World Confluence of Humanity, Power and Spirituality held in Delhi

i.The ninth edition of World Confluence of Humanity, Power and Spirituality, organised by ASSOCHAM in association with Srei Foundation and Times Foundation, introduced a fresh culture of ‘Spirituality @ Work’ through its brand Sach Bharat, inspiring distinguished industrialists, business leaders, industry captains and noted politicians to imbibe spirituality at their respective work places and lives.
ii.The Confluence was inaugurated in the presence of Hon’ble President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee, ASSOCHAM President Mr. Sunil Kanoria and Srei Foundation Chairman Dr. Hari Prasad Kanoria.


4. India Signs Open Skies Agreement with Six Countries at ICAN 2016

i.International Civil Aviation Negotiations (ICAN) – 2016 were held recently in Nassau.
ii.Open Skies agreement allows unlimited number of flights to six metro airports namely Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai, was signed with six countries namely Jamaica, Guyana, Czech Republic, Finland, Spain and Sri Lanka.


5. Govt announces Rs 207 crore project for protection of Majuli island

i.Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region Dr Jitendra Singh has announced to provide 207 crore rupees for protection and development of the world heritage island Majuli located along river Brahmaputra in Assam.
ii. Largest river island of the world, Majuli district, covers an area of around 340 miles. Nearly 1 lakh 60 thousand people reside at the Majuli river island which is one of the prime tourist's destinations of North East.


6. Chhattisgarh CM dedicates country’s first cashless bazaar to people in Raipur

i. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has launched India’s first cashless bazaar in Raipur.
ii. This ‘Smart’ bazaar consist of nearly Over 900 shops which are providing the facilities of cashless payments using POS, UPI and other digital systems to its customers.
iii. Chhattisgarh is currently leading in the nation in training its people in digital transactions.


7. Madras High Court Bans Sharia Courts Functioning in Tamil Nadu.

The Madras High Court banned unauthorised ‘Sharia’ courts functioning on premises of mosques in Tamil Nadu while hearing a petition from a husband who was allegedly forced to pronounce talaq by one such court in the city.


8. India gets most FDI from Singapore

India has received the maximum Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows from Singapore in 2015-16 followed by Mauritius, the US, the Netherlands and Japan, a report by industry chamber PHDCCI and KPMG.India attracted $13.69 billion foreign direct investment from Singapore in that financial year.


9.Tamil poet-saint Thiruvalluvar Statue gets Place at Haridwar’s Mela Bhawan

i.The 12-foot-tall stone statue of renowned Tamil poet and philosopher-saint Thiruvalluvar was inaugurated at Mela Bhawan premises in Haridwar, Uttarakhand by Chief minister Harish Rawat.


10.Huge ‘dead zone’ discovered in Bay of Bengal

i.The Bay of Bengal hosts a ‘dead zone’ of an estimated 60,000 square kilometres — an area that contains little or no oxygen and supports microbial processes that remove vast amount of nitrogen from the ocean, scientists, including those from India, have found.


11. Corporation Bank bags award

i. Corporation Bank has bagged the SKOCH silver award for attaining the position of number1 channel partner of LIC of India for the past three financial years, according to a press release by the bank here.
ii. It said that the bank was also awarded order of merit under other three categories. CK Gopal, General Manager of the bank, received the award in the presence of Nilesh Sathe, Member of IRDAI, and Sameer Kochhar, Chairman of SKOCH Foundation, in New Delhi recently.


12. Ukraine Nationalized Nations Largest Private Bank ‘PrivateBank’

i.Privatbank, Ukraine’s largest private bank, is being nationalised to protect the country’s financial system and preserve an essential bailout loan from the International Monetary Fund.
ii.It was running out of money because of the recession in Ukraine and questionable loans, the central bank said 97 percent of its corporate loans had been made to companies linked to its shareholders.


13. Healthy Ministry wins gold in the Web Ratna Category

i.The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare lead by Jagat Prakash Nadda has won gold in the Web Ratna category in the Digital India awards 2016.
ii.Jitendra Arora, Director, e-Governance, at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare received the award from the Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology and Law & Justice, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad.


14. Deepak Agarwal appointed Noida CEO Authority

i.The Uttar Pradesh government has designated Deepak Agarwal, CEO of Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA), as the CEO of Noida Authority on 21st December 2016.
ii.Deepak Agarwal will replace P K Agarwal, who was officiating as the CEO of Noida Authority.


15. China commissions its 1st 7-tonne civil helicopter

i.China commissioned its first seven-tonne  helicopter.
ii.AC352 civil helicopter can be used for operations like search and rescue and law enforcement, marking a new advancement in its aviation industry.


16. Flock launches world’s first chat operating system

i.A free instant messaging service for work and business environments, Flock has launched world’s first chat operating system”FlockOS” by Bhavin Turakhia, Flock CEO .
ii.Flockos Developers can build apps by using Flock OS that provided a tightly integrated experience by using widgets. This OS provides setup slash commands, providing an additional option for users to interact with the app.


17. India's boxing fed gets permanent membership in world body

i.The International Boxing Association has unanimously voted to induct the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) as one of its permanent members.
ii.India was provisionally suspended in December 2012 for “possible manipulation” in the erstwhile Indian Amateur Boxing Federation’s elections. AIBA's chief also congratulated the BFI for organising and conducting the Nationals.


18. Veteran Malayalam Actor Jagannatha Varma Passes Away at 77.

i.Veteran character actor Jagannatha Varma passed away. He was suffering from age-related illness and was in the hospital for the past few days.

ii.The 77-year-old had acted in close to 200 films and two dozen TV serials in a career spanning close to four decades.

23-12-2016---

   1. Delhi Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung resigns

i.Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung has submitted his resignation to the Government of India. 

ii.The tenure of Jung, who took the charge of the office on July 9, 2013, was scheduled to end in 2018. 

iii. According to a statement released by his office, Jung, who was the 13th Vice-Chancellor of the Jamia Millia Islamia university, would be returning to academics.

2. Sahitya Akademi Award: 2016 

i. Mumbai-based writer Jerry Pinto, Tamil author Vannadhasan, Hindi writer Nasira Sharma are among 24 others declared the winners of the Sahitya Akademi awards 2016. 

ii. Sharma’s Hindi novel Paarijat, Pinto’s Em and the Big Hoom and Vannadhasan’s Oru Sru Isai won them the literary honour. 

iii. Among the winners are eight book of poetry, seven books of short stories, five novels, two on criticism, one of essays and one play. 

iv. The books were chosen on the basis of recommendations made by a jury of three in the languages concerned and approved by its executive board. 

3. India squad for 2nd T20 World Cup for Blind 2017 announced

i. The Cricket Association of India has organised  a 17-member Indian team for the upcoming second T20 cricket World cup for the visually challenged. 

ii. The World Cup will be held from January 28, 2017, till February 12, 2017, and the final will be played in Bengaluru. 

iii. 9 players have also been named as reserves for the tournament.

4. Girija Vaidyanathan appointed Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu

i. Girija Vaidyanathan, Additional Chief Secretary and Commissioner of Land Administration, has been appointed Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu in place of P. Rama Mohana Rao. 

ii. Ms.Vaidyanathan will also hold full additional charge of Vigilance Commissioner and Commissioner for Administrative Reforms.

5. Cabinet Approves Creation of Indian Enterprise Development Service (IEDS)

i. The Government of India has approved cadre review and formation of the Indian Enterprise Development Service (IEDS) in the Office of the Development Commissioner, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

ii. The creation of the new cadre and change in structure will not only strengthen the organisation, but will help achieve the vision of Startup India, Stand-up India and Make in India.

6. Ministry of Minority affairs Launches website for Haj Pilgrims

i. Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi launched the trilingual website www.haj.gov.in relating to Haj Matters.

ii. The website is in Hindi, Urdu and English languages.

7. Gujarat govt announces Aerospace and Defence Policy-2016

i. Gujarat government has announced Aerospace and Defence Policy-2016 to attract investment into fields of aerospace and defence design, development and manufacturing in the state. 

ii. Under the policy, investors will be entitled to get 100 % reimbursement on stamp duty and registration charges paid for purchase, lease or mortgage of land meant for setting up the facility in the areas of Aerospace and Defence.

8. India Surpasses United Kingdom to become Fifth-Largest Economy

i. As per the report published in Forbes magazine, India has overtaken the United Kingdom in terms of the size of the economy, first time in 150 years. 

ii. With this major shift in world economy, India has now become the fifth largest country in terms of the size of the economy after the United States, China, Japan and Germany. 

9. RBI slaps fine on 5 foreign banks for violating FEMA rules

i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed the penalty on five foreign banks, including Deutsche Bank and Standard Chartered Bank, for violation of its instructions on reporting requirements of the FEMA on 21st December 2016. 

ii. The three other banks are: Bank of America, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi and The Royal Bank of Scotland.

iii. They have been fined for violation of its instructions on reporting requirements of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA). 

10. Bank of Baroda announces support for FIFA Under-17 World Cup India 2017, 1st Indian company to do so

i. With over 10 months to go for the launch of FIFA Under-17 World Cup India 2017, the Bank of Baroda has become the first Indian company to sign up as a national supporter. 

ii. The first-ever FIFA event in India, scheduled to kick start in October 2017 will see 

participation from 24 countries and matches will be played at six different venues.

iii. While FIFA already has international sponsors for all events, including Coca-Cola, Adidas, and Wanda, BOB is the first Indian supporter.

11. China inks deal with BRICS bank approving 525 mn yuan loan

i. China has inked an agreement with the New development bank (NDB) set up by the BRICS approving a 525 million yuan loan for a solar power project in the country. 

ii. The new lender announced a 525 million yuan loan for the Shanghai Lingang Distributed Solar Power Project. 

iii. This is the Bank’s first project in China, a solar photovoltaic power plant with total capacity of 100 MW to be built in Lingang Industrial Area of Shanghai.

12. Japan successfully launches solid fuel rocket

i. Japan's space agency has announced successfully launched a 26-metre-long rocket named Epsilon-2, which put a satellite that helps study radiation belts in orbit.

ii. Epsilon-2 is part of a new generation of solid propellant rockets which can reduce launch costs up to one-third. 

iii. Reduction in cost can allow countries to put more communication and weather satellites in space.

13. Government of Iran Unveils Bill of Right.

i. Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has unveiled a landmark Bill of rights guaranteeing freedom of speech, protest, fair trials and privacy. 

ii. Although many of the rights are already enshrined in Iran’s constitution written after the 1979 Islamic revolution, Rouhani said it offered the first clear list of principles that could be used to check the performance of state institutions.

14. Priyanka 1st Indian to be made Pantene's global ambassador

i. Actress Priyanka Chopra has become the first Indian to be appointed as the global ambassador of the hair care brand 'Pantene calling the brand a "favourite around the world.

15. Hrithik launches book series for visually impaired children

i. Actor Hrithik Roashan has launched a children's book series 'Tactabet', written in Braille format, which is being published for visually impaired people.

ii. Available in both Hindi and English, the book series is on the alphabets. 

16. Arjun Bhati wins in Kids Golf World Championship

i. A 12-year-old Arjun Bhati has outshined India in the Kids Golf World Championship 2016 in Malaysia defeating South Africa's Methu Denish to secure the first position.

ii. In a competition in which 21 countries had participated, Arjun secured the top shot scoring two extra shots.