Current Affairs December 21, 2018
In this post, GKToday presents Current Affairs of December 21, 2018 in Short Notes form for preparation of IBPS, Banking, CLAT, SSC, Railway, UPSC, IAS/PCS, UPPSC, BPSC, MPPSC, RPSC, TNPSC, MPSC, KPSC and all other competitive examinations of India.
1. Nageswara Rao, a 1986 batch officer of the Odisha cadre, has been appointed the additional Director of Central Bureau Investigation (CBI). Prior to this post, Rao was holding post of interim CBI Director after the government stepped in between Director CBI Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana fight on 24th October 2018. The Centre had sent both top two officers of the CBI - Verma and Asthana - on "compulsory leave" as the spat between them reached the Delhi High Court.
2. The 9th meeting of India-ROK Joint Commission (ROK/ South Korea) was held in New Delhi on December 18-19, 2018. South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha co-chaired the meeting with her Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj and reviewed the progress in multifaceted cooperation under the Special Strategic Partnership between the two countries. Both sides agreed to raise the quantum of the bilateral trade to US $50 billion by the year 2030.
3. On December 19, ISRO has successfully launched its military communication satellite GSAT 7A through launch vehicle ‘GSLV-F11’into the orbit from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR) at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. Dubbed ‘Angry Bird’, GSAT 7A is designed to expand network capabilities to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Ku-band over the Indian region. It will do this by connecting many of the ground radar stations, airbases and aircrafts operated by the IAF, and is also expected to boost some of their network-dependant warfare and drone capabilities. GSLV–F11 is ISRO’s fourth generation launch vehicle with three stages. The four liquid strap-ons and a solid rocket motor at the core form the first stage. The second stage is equipped with a high thrust engine using liquid fuel. The Cryogenic Upper Stage forms the third and final stage of the vehicle. The 2,250 kg GSAT-7A is a geostationary satellite & has a mission life of 8 years.
4. Gujarat has emerged as the top performer among States and Union Territories (UT) in the first-ever ranking of the Start-up Ecosystem across the country. The ranking was released by the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP). Gujarat, with 100 percentile, has performed better than all other states in all the 7 areas including start up policy, incubation support, seeding innovation and scaling innovation. Meanwhile, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha and Rajasthan, with a score of more than 85 percentile, have been adjudged the top performers. Other States, namely, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana were identified as “leaders”.
5. On December 20, Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 2018 All-India annual conference of the State Directors General and Inspectors General of Police, which is started near the Statue of Unity located in Narmada district of Gujarat. Heads of all the three forces, Home Ministers of all the states and heads of all government security agencies including IB, CID, CBI and ATS are attending the three day conference. The top agenda of the conference will be militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, cross-border terrorism and attempts to radicalise youth.
6. The UN General Assembly (UNGA) has officially adopted the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. The document is the first-ever negotiated global framework on a common approach to international migration in all its dimensions. It is meant to address issues that concern the world's 258 million people on the move and countries of origin, transit and destination. The non-binding agreement was adopted by the General Assembly with 152 votes in favour in Marrakesh, Morocco on 10th December 2018. India voted in favour of the resolution while, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Poland, and US voted against it. The document reaffirms the foundational principles of global community, including national sovereignty and universal human rights. Though non-legally binding, the Compact is the outcome of a long negotiation process and provides a strong platform for cooperation on migration, drawing on best practices and international law.
7. The book “A Rural Manifesto – Realising India's Future through her Villages” has been authored by BJP MP Varun Gandhi. In it, he suggested solutions to address the concerns of rural India. The book seeks to open a national conversation on rural distress & highlighted the potential solutions in development policy with a focus on making the rural economy resilient. In this heartfelt and timely book, covering facets of the Indian rural economy, Feroze Varun Gandhi shines a bright light on the travails of the marginal farmer and asks searching questions on why the rural economy remains in doldrums, six decades after Independence.
8. The International Human Solidarity Day (IHSD) is observed every year on December 20 to raise public awareness of the importance of solidarity. This day aims to celebrate unity in diversity and remind people of the importance of solidarity in working towards eradicating poverty. It is a day to encourage debate on the ways to promote solidarity for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including poverty eradication.
9. To promote the artistic talent of the students, the National Balrang-2018 has started at the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalya (IGRMS) in Bhopal on 19th of December. The 3-day cultural festival is being organised by the School Education Department of Madhya Pradesh in collaboration with the IGRMS. Its purpose is to introduce children with various cultural diversities and traditional lifestyles so as to instill the spirit of social harmony, human values, and brotherhood. 'Balrang' is a unique programme that has been held in Bhopal since the past 23 years. As many as 520 students from various schools in 18 states and two union territories will present folk dances, songs and other cultural programmes.
10. Silao Khaja, the traditional delicacy of Nalanda district of Bihar, has recently got GI tag from the Geographical Indications Registry at Chennai. The Silao Khaja is known for its taste, crispness and multi-layered appearance which is attributed to local water and climate of Silao. The sweet consists of 12 to 16 very thin dough-sheets placed over one another. The light yellow colour sweet has wheat-flour, sugar, maida, ghee, cardamom and aniseeds as ingredients. The application for GI tag was filed by Silao Khaja Audyogik Swavalambi Sahakari Samiti Limited. According to the documents submitted to GI Registry by the applicant, the famous British archaeologist J D Beglar who visited Silao in 1872-73 describes the ‘sweetmeat’ and writes about the legend that the sweet dates back to King Vikramaditya. Another myth is that Lord Buddha was offered Silao Khaja when he passed through Silao in the course of his journey from Rajgir to Nalanda. Silao is located close to Buddhist sites.
