Read Current Affairs of last month online, all summarized well into one digest GK Eduwrap. Also, covering all the latest questions of General Knowledge asked in General Awareness for Bank PO.
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Quick Overview
National – Across the India
Mergers & Acquisitions
Memorandum of Understanding
International – Across the Globe
Appointments & Resignations
Science & Technology
Sports
Economics & Banking GK
Important Dates
Awards & Recognition
Bills – New & Amendments
Death
National – Across the India
1. The Union Cabinet has given its approval for inclusion of 15 new castes and modification in 13 other castes in the Central list of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in respect of 8 states.
These states are – Assam, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand.
2. The Supreme Court has ordered cinema halls to mandatorily play the national anthem before every screening and all those present in cinema halls have to “stand up to show respect.”
It will show respect to the National Anthem as well as to the National Flag.
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3. The NITI Aayog has constituted a 13-Member Committee on promotion of cashless society and digital economy. It will be headed by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.
4. The Union Cabinet has given its ex-post facto approval to the negotiating position adopted by India at the recent 28th Meeting of Parties (MoP) to the Montreal Protocol in Kigali, Rwanda.
5. The Union Cabinet has approved Central Assistance of 2000 crore rupees for 36,384 displaced families from Pakistan Occupied areas of Jammu & Kashmir (POJK) and Chhamb.
6. The Union Cabinet has given its approval for liberalization, simplification and rationalization of the existing visa regime in India.
The approval will stimulate economic growth and ease travel for foreigners. It will facilitate entry of foreigners for tourism, business and medical purposes.
7. The Union Cabinet on 30 November 2016 approved the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) Phase-III.
The estimated cost of the project is Rs 8679 crore with completion cost of Rs 10947 crore.
8. The Border Security Force (BSF), the biggest border guarding force in the world celebrated its 51st Anniversary of Raising Day.
On this occasion, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh presented prestigious “Maharana Pratap Trophy- 2016” on the BSF Punjab Frontier.
9. Vittiya Saksharata Abhiyan (VISAKA) was launched by the Union Ministry for Human Resource Development (HRD) to make people aware about the cashless economic system.
It is a campaign by Higher Educational institutions for digital economy.
10. The Trial run of Lucknow Metro train was flagged off by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
The solo trial run of the metro was undertaken by two young women pilots Prachi Sharma and Priyanka Sharma.
The trail run of the first phase of the metro project covers around four kms between Transport Nagar and Single Nagar Metro stations.
11. The Hornbill Festival began in the Naga Heritage village of Kisama.
The festival coincides with the Statehood Day of Nagaland which is observed on 1st December 2016.
It is tourism promotional extravaganza to revive, protect and preserve the richness and uniqueness of the Naga heritage.
It is also called as the “Festival of Festivals”.
12. The Delhi High Court has quashed ban imposed on 344 fixed dose combination (FDC) drugs by the Central Government over fears that they are potential health and safety hazards.
The HC held that Centre had acted in a haphazard manner and did not take the advice of the statutory bodies under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act before issuing ban notification.
13. The Supreme Court has approved Central Government’s Graded Response Action Plan to tackle different levels of pollution in Delhi-NCR.
The apex court also has asked Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to upgrade its existing infrastructure and set up additional monitoring stations in Delhi-NCR.
14. The 7th World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) was held from 2nd – 4th December 2016 at Science City in Kolkata, West Bengal.
It was organized by the World Ayurveda Foundation with the support of the Union Ministry of AYUSH to facilitate development and growth of AYUSH system of medicine comprising Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy.
15. India has agreed to train Vietnam’s Sukhoi-30 fighter pilots, boosting growing defence ties between both countries.
In this regard agreement was signed during bilateral discussions between Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his Vietnamese counterpart, General Ngo Xuan Lich in New Delhi.
16. E-commerce giant Amazon has launched its global startup program ‘Launchpad’ in India.
The program will enable Indian startups to sell their products overseas.
In this regard, Amazon India has tied up with Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP)’s Start Up India and NASSCOM.
17. The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee was on a visit to Haryana on 6th December 2016, where
He inaugurated the International Gita Mahotsav-2016 at Kurukshetra.
The event showcases the importance of Gita in modern time.
18. The Supreme Court has ruled that Horse Racing is not animal cruelty, whereas Jallikattu (Bull Racing) has been ruled out as illegal because it involves torture to bulls.
19. NITI Aayog has launched a series of incentives for encouraging digital payments for day to day financial transactions like buying or selling goods/services, transferring money etc., at the district, taluk, and panchayat level.
This will include providing a fund of Rs 5 lakh per district administration.
20. The world’s first hospital train, Lifeline Express has got two additional coaches for cancer treatment.
These coaches will be used for detecting and controlling oral, breast and cervical cancer, preventing stroked and providing family health services.
21. The Allahabad High Court has ruled that the practice of triple talaq (Talaq-e-bidat) among Muslims is unconstitutional and violates the rights of women enshrined in the constitution.
The order was passed by HC Justice Suneet Kumar while hearing a petition filed by a woman who claimed her husband arbitrarily divorced her.
22. The Union Cabinet has approved the development of Phase – 1 of the Pune Metro Rail Corridor Project.
It comprises two corridors: Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC)-Swargate covering a length of 16.589 km and Vanaz to Ramwadi with a length of 14.665 km.
23. Paytm had Launched Offline Money Transfer with Toll Free Number 180018001234.
Through this number, non-smart phone users can make transactions through their Paytm wallets.
24. Kerala Government has launched Haritha Keralam Mission, a comprehensive programme for creating new sustainable development perspectives in the state.
It was launched by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram.
Singer K.J. Yesudas and actor Manju Warrier were the mission ambassador.
25. The 2016 India International Science festival (IISF) has been started at CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (NPL) Campus in New Delhi.
It was inaugurated by the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
The theme of the science festival was “Science for the masses”.
26. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has banned the use of newspapers for wrapping and packing of food items.
FSSAI had issued an advisory to all states and Union territories and asked commissioners of food safety to restrict the use of newspapers for packing, serving and storing of food items.
27. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has organized the 28th State Information Ministers Conference on 9th and 10th December 2016 at Vigyan Bhawan.
Venkaiah Naidu, Minister for I&B will chair the conference on 10th Dec, 2016.
28. To enhance cooperation in education between the two countries, India will establish a center of excellence in information technology at Egypt’s oldest and most prestigious Al-Azhar University.
India’s leading computer IT organization, the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) had discussed the establishment of the centre with Al-Azhar University’s department of IT and department of engineering.
29. The ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) launched a TV channel named ‘DigiShala’ to push digital transactions.
The channel would be managed by Doordarshan (DD) and piggyback on its infrastructure.
30. The famed Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) has started regular commercial rail service in Switzerland.
The first regular train to use GBT ferried passenger from Zurich to Lugano. The twin-bore GBT is world’s longest and deepest railway tunnel with length of 57-kilometer.
It had overtaken Japan’s Seikan tunnel (53.9 kilometers) as the longest rail tunnel in world after it was opened in June 2016 for its maiden ride.
31. The central zonal bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Rajasthan government to cancel allotments of salt pans in the Sambhar Salt Lake.
Ruling in this regard was given by NGT bench headed by Justice Dalip Singh and expert Satyawan Singh Garbyal on a petition filed by Ajay Dubey.
32. President Pranab Mukherjee has launched a ‘100 Million for 100 Million’ Campaign at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The campaign was conceptualized by Nobel peace prize winner Kailash Satyarthi and was organized by the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation.
33. Madhya Pradesh Government has launched five months long Narmada Seva Yatra to turn the Narmada river pollution free.
It was launched by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan at Amarkantak.
34. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a cheese plant of Banaskantha Cooperative Milk Producers Union (Banas Dairy) at Deesa in Gujarat.
The event marked the launch of the celebration of the Golden Jubilee year of Banas Dairy (part of AMUL brand).
35. Punjab Government has launched country’s first amphibious bus project at the Harike wetland near Amritsar.
The amphibious bus named “Harike Cruise” travels on land and as well as in water.
36. The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs to launch “Vanjeevan”, the National Resource Centre (NRC) for Tribal Livelihood issues in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
It will be launched in collaboration with UNDP and National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC).
37. The Indian Air Force (IAF) organized seminar to increase awareness about organ donation.
Around 500 air warriors and their families joined hands to strengthen the organ donation movement in the country.
38. 2016 IHS Jane’s Defense Budgets report has revealed that India is world’s fourth largest defense spender.
In this edition of report published by US research firm IHS Inc, India has surpassed Russia, France, Japan, and Saudi Arabia to become the world’s fourth largest defense spender.
39. The sixth edition of Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (APMCHUD) began in New Delhi.
The three days’ conference addressed issues ranging from crowded city centres to peripheral expansion, metropolitan based urban population growth, megacities, and urban corridors etc.
40. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed an interim nationwide ban on usage of glass-coated ‘manja’ for flying kites, as the sharp string poses a danger to humans, animals, and bird.
The ban order will apply on nylon, Chinese and cotton manja coated with glass.
41. The Union Cabinet approved India’s approach to Climate Change Negotiations at the 22 Conference of Parties (COP) to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), held in Marrakesh, Morocco in November 2016.
The approval aimed to safeguard interest of poor and vulnerable groups by laying stress on adaptation, damage and loss while protecting the development space.
42. The Union Government has extended the facility of e-Tourist Visa (e-TV) Scheme for citizens of 161 countries.
This period registered a growth of 168.5% over same period of previous year. This indicates success of the e-TV Scheme.
43. The Supreme Court has ordered a ban on all liquor shops on national as well as state highways to reduce drink driving and road accidents that claim thousands of lives every year across the country.
The three-judge SC bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur gave its order on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by an NGO called ‘Arrive Safe’.
44. Haryana became the first state in the country to launch Mahila Police Volunteer (MPV) initiative for safety of women.
It was launched by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
Mahila Police Volunteer is a joint initiative of Union Ministry of Women & Child Development and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
45. The Supreme Court ordered that Indian Airforce (IAF) personnel cannot keep beard.
It held that Central Government’s decision to ban beards in the IAF does not infringe upon fundamental rights
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46. The ‘Thal Favang Kut’ festival organized by Department of Tourism, Government of Mizoram began in state capital Aizawl with enthusiasm and fervor.
It is a post-harvest festival which is celebrated after harvesting the paddy.
47. Himachal Pradesh became 6th state to attain 100% Aadhaar coverage based on the 2015 Population.
Delhi, Telangana, Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh have already achieved full coverage.
48. Government announced a new income declaration scheme ‘PM Garib Kalyan Yojana’
Under this scheme the persons who haven’t declared their actual incomes yet, have a chance to declare it till 31st March 2017.
Those who will declare their income must pay a fine of 50 % of the unaccounted money and 25% will remain locked for 4 years.
Government will use this money from penalty under this scheme for social schemes.
49. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has issued the draft notification for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Pet Shop) Rules, 2016 to regulate pet shops.
The objective of these proposed new rules is to make pet shops accountable and to prevent cruelty inflicted on animals kept in such pet shops.
50. Rajasthan Government has launched Annapurna Rasoi Scheme to provide quality meal at cheap price to poor and needy on lines with Tamil Nadu Government’s Amma canteens.
51. The Union AYUSH Ministry has launched ‘Swasthya Raksha Programme’ to promote health and health education in villages.
The programme was initiated through Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH), Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM) and Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS).
52. The Union Government has decided to set up a single permanent Tribunal to adjudicate all inter-State river water disputes.
This single body will subsume all existing tribunals for resolving grievances of inter-State water disputes in a speedy manner.
53. The Union government has formed a high-level inter-ministerial task force to look into all the strategic aspects of Indus Water Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan.
Mandate of Task force is to take all important strategic and policy decisions.
Thus, it will be an all-powerful body, which will take decisions regarding the treaty.
54. Prime Minister has laid the foundation stone of the first ever “Indian Institute of Skills” in the country at Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
The Exhibition highlighted state-of-the-art vocational training practices across different sectors, and would be open for public view at the Railway Grounds, Kanpur between 19th to 22nd December 2016.
55. Amid tight security, Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh inaugurated two new districts, which were carved out of as many Naga-dominated districts.
Singh inaugurated Pherzawl, carved out of Churachandpur district, and Noney from Tamenglong district.
56. Government is planning to start soon a toll-free number 1955 for taking feedback of telecom subscribers on call drops.
Provisioning of this number will be mandatory for telecom operators and should be accessible for local and STD calling.
State-run telecom firm MTNL has been directed to configure this short code.
57. Thaawarchand Gehlot, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment released the first issue of a National Newspaper dedicated to Senior Citizen, ‘Saanjhi Saanjh’.
This newspaper carries important and useful news pertaining to elderly persons besides inspirational stories.
It will serve as a bridge between old and new generations.
58. Scientists have found a huge ‘dead zone’ of an estimated 60,000 square kilometres in Bay of Bengal.
This area is said to supports microbial processes that remove vast amount of nitrogen from the ocean.
The study published in Nature Geosciences.
59. The 12-foot-tall stone statue of renowned Tamil poet and philosopher-saint Thiruvalluvar was inaugurated at Mela Bhawan in Haridwar, Uttarakhand by Chief minister Harish Rawat.
Thiruvalluvar is renowned Tamil poet and philosopher-saint believed to have lived between 3rd Century BC and 1st Century BC.
60. The Union Cabinet gave its approval to the Cadre review and formation of a new service in the name of Indian Enterprise Development Services (IEDS).
Its creation will help to strengthen the organization and to achieve the vision of Startup India, Stand-up India, and Make in India.
61. As per report submitted by Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, there was an alarming rise in forest fires across India.
The report said that the number of forest fires has touched 24,817 in 2016 from 15,937 fires in 2015. It shows alarming rise 55% in the past year.
62. The Union Ministry of Coal has launched Coal Mitra, a web portal for allowing flexibility in utilization of domestic Coal.
The Coal Mitra Web Portal aims at optimum utilization by private as well as public power companies of the coal.
63. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a complete ban on burning of waste in open places across the country and announced a fine of Rs. 25,000 on each incident of bulk waste burning.
The green panel’s judgement was given on the petition seeking directions to local bodies in states and Centre for improving solid waste management methods.
64. The Centre has approved the promulgation of an ordinance to enable industries to pay wages by cheque or by direct credit into bank accounts of workers earning up to Rs. 18,000 a month, without taking their explicit consent as required under the present 1936 law.
The ordinance proposed changes to Section 6 of the Payment of Wages Act of 1936.
65. The Centre has reconstituted a committee that was tasked with assisting the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB).
The committee will prepare a manual on how projects, common to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, ought to be handled.
66. The Union Ministry of Textiles has decided to establish a Bunkar Mitra-Handloom Helpline Centre where experts in the field of textiles will answer professional queries of weavers.
This helpline initially will be provided in 7 languages viz., English, Hindi and 5 other regional languages Tamil, Telugu, Kannada Bengali and Assamese.
67. NITI Aayoga along with Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has rolled out Performance on Health Outcomes index.
This index will rank States on the basis of their performance on measurable health indicators.
68. The Odisha Government has launched the Biju Sishu Surakshya Yojana with an aim to facilitate care and protection towards orphans and HIV infected children of the state.
It is a scheme to nurture the orphan and HIV-infected children residing in different child care institutions and orphanages.
69. The Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has announced new passport rules by changing Passport Rules, 1980 to streamline, liberalize and ease the process of issue of passport.
The new rules aim to speed up and simplify the passport delivery process and will help single mothers, orphaned children, and sadhus obtain passports with ease.
70. The Union Government has launched ‘Smart Consumer’ mobile App and an ‘Online Consumer Mediation Centre (OCMC)’ to provide speedy redressal of consumer grievances.
A helpline 14404 was also launched for consumer related grievances on National Consumer Day (24th December).
71. The foundation stone of India’s first 2G (Second Generation) Ethanol Bio-refinery was laid at Tarkhanwala village in Bathinda, Punjab.
Central Government Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) is setting up this project at a cost of 600 crore Rupees.
72. The Union Government launched Lucky Grahak Yojana for Consumers and Digi-Dhan Vyapar Yojana for Merchants to promote digital transaction.
These schemes aim at encouraging people to move towards significantly higher usage of digital transactions through the offer of incentives.
73. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated a new campus of National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM) at Patalganga in Mumbai.
NISM is an educational initiative of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
74. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone of Char Dham highway development project (Chardham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojna) in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
The Chardham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojna is an ambitious initiative to improve connectivity to the Char Dham pilgrimage centres in the Himalayas.
75. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated Sagarmala Development Company’s (SDC) office in New Delhi to promote port-led development in the country.
The Sagarmala Development Company has been incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013.
76. The Kerala Government has approached the Union Government for allowing use of antlers of spotted deer and sambar for Ayurveda medicines.
Kerala State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) under chairmanship of CM Pinarayi Vijayan has forwarded proposal to National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) and Ministry of Environment and Forests.
77. The Union Government has approved the re-designation of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project Implementation Trust Fund (DMICPTF) as National Industrial Corridor Development & Implementation Trust (NICDIT).
NICDIT will be the apex body to oversee integrated development of all industrial corridors across the country.
78. Assam Government rolled out ‘Atal-Amrit Abhiyan’, a health insurance scheme to provide coverage against several critical illnesses.
Atal-Amrit Abhiyan aims to make quality health care affordable to every individual member of a family in the state.’
79. The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has given its clearance for the Ken-Betwa inter-linking of rivers (ILR) project, paving the way to begin work for linking two rivers.
The clearance of NBWL was required since the project requires diversion of forest land from core area of Panna Tiger Reserve.
80. Union Government launched Swachh Swasth Sarvatra initiative to strengthen health centres in open defecation-free (ODF) blocks.
The objective of this initiative was to strengthen community health centres in 708 ODF blocks across the country to enable them to achieve higher levels of cleanliness and hygiene.
81. The Union Cabinet gave its approval to the proposal of Union Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) for ratification of International Solar Alliance (ISA) Framework Agreement by India.
The Agreement was opened for signature on the sidelines of 22nd Conference of Parties (CoP) meeting United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at Marrakesh, Morocco.
82. For the first time in the country, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) launched 25 buses that run 100 per cent on bio-diesel.
KSRTC expected to save 86.68 lakh per annum by using bio-diesel for 25 buses.
The vehicles retrofitted with Bio-Diesel Kit with which they can run on 100 percent Bio-Diesel for effective control over pollution.
83. The Nedumkayam tribal colony in Malappuram district of Kerala has become the first fully-digital tribal colony in the country.
84. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched an initiative ‘Transform Maharashtra’ at IIT Bombay’s ‘Mood Indigo’ festival.
The initiative will seek participation from over two lakh students from across 500 colleges.
85. The Union Government has proposed setting up Financial Data Management Centre (FDMC) based on the recommendation of a committee set up under the Department of Economic Affairs (DEC).
The Committee was headed by Ajay Tyagi, Additional Secretary in Union Finance Ministry and has submitted its report and a draft bill titled The Financial Data Management Centre Bill, 2016.
86. President Pranab Mukherjee has given assent to Payment of Wages (Amendment) Ordinance, 2016, to enable industries to pay wages by cheque or credit into the bank accounts of workers.
The ordinance amended the Payment of Wages Act, 1936 to encourage cashless transactions.
87. The Government of Telangana to launch ‘Bike Ambulances’ to help patients in remote areas.
The ‘bike ambulances’ will be used in remote areas, mainly inhabited by tribals and also congested localities in Hyderabad and other cities.
88. The Union Ministry for Petroleum & Natural Gas has met the 1.5-crore target for LPG connections that were to be added under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in the 2016-17 financial year.
This Target was achieved within a span of less than eight months since the launch of the scheme which is implemented across 35 States/UTs.
89. Haryana state Government has decided to set up a pilot corridor for the ‘Caterpillar Train’.
This train will fly over city’s traffic, in Gurgaon city.
The concept of Caterpillar Train is also known as C-Train.
90. The Bihar Cabinet has declared 50 per cent reservation in all judicial services for aspirants belonging to the Extremely Backward Classes, Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes.
The reservation will be in both Superior Judicial Services and Subordinate Judicial Services
91. ‘World Bhojpuri Conference’ was held in Varanasi from 29th December 2016 to 1st January 2017, in which participants from over 18 countries are likely to be present.
During the conference, a ‘Bhojpuri Ratna’ award and ‘World Bhojpuri Karmayogi’ award were conferred on over 25 people including Mauritius Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh, Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das, BJP MP and Bhojpuri actor Manoj Tiwari, Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan and Shatrughan Sinha and other personalities.
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International – Across the Globe
1. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has formally inscribed Yoga in its representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
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