- National:
- The Cabinet approved an additional allocation of Rs 2500 crore for the continuation of the Interest Equalisation Scheme on Pre and Post-Shipment Rupee Export Credit till 30.06.2024.
- The Government of India has approved the first urban flood mitigation project worth Rs 561.29 crore for ‘Integrated Urban Flood Management’ activities for the Chennai Basin project. This project is aimed at making Chennai flood-resilient. Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that this mitigation project is the first in a series of urban flood mitigation efforts and will help develop a broader framework for urban flood management.
- The 24th Hornbill Festival in Nagaland concluded recently. The festival commenced on December 1, 2023, and concluded on December 10, 2023. This annual event is organized by the State Tourism of Arts and Culture Department, Government of Nagaland. It’s a vibrant celebration that highlights the cultural richness of the region.
- The Supreme Court of India delivered its verdict on the abrogation of Article 370 on 11th December. The court declared the abrogation to be a perfectly valid exercise of power by the President, ruling that Article 370 was meant to be a temporary provision,
- New Delhi told UN Framework for Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) that India has spent about 13.35 lakh crore in 2021-22, just over 5.5 percent of its GDP, on climate adaptation and expects to incur another about 57 lakh crore rupees over the next seven years for this purpose.
- The 1st Delta Ranking of Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP) was released by NITI Aayog on 7th December 2023. The top rank was achieved by Tiryani Block of Kumaram Bheem Asifabad District, Telangana, and the second rank was secured by Kaushambi block of Kaushambi District, Uttar Pradesh.
- Dr. Mohan Yadav assumed office as the 19th Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh on 13th December 2023. Dr. Mohan Yadav is a member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly from the Ujjain Dakshin constituency in Ujjain district.
- India’s largest state-of-the-art Sports Science Centre has indeed been set up at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. This center was inaugurated by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The establishment of this center is a partnership with Abhinav Bindra, India’s first individual Olympic gold medalist.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has indeed acknowledged the importance of the NAMO Drone Didi scheme. This program aims to provide drones to 15,000 women Self Help Groups (SHGs) during the period 2024-25 to 2025-2026 for providing rental services to farmers for agriculture purposes.
- International:
- Russian President Vladimir Putin recently announced the addition of two new nuclear submarines to the country’s Pacific Fleet. The submarines, named Emperor Alexander III and Krasnoyarsk, were unveiled in a televised flag-raising ceremony. Putin attended the ceremony in the northern city of Severodvinsk. These submarines are part of Russia’s strategic drive to project its naval power.
- Banking:
- REC Limited, a Maharatna CPSE under the Ministry of Power, has signed a 200 million Euro loan agreement with the German bank KfW. This marks REC’s sixth line of credit under the Indo-German Development Cooperation. The loan is aimed at enhancing the distribution infrastructure of DISCOMs in line with the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) of the Government of India.
- Economy:
- According to the Ministry of Coal, Government of India, the all India production of coal in the year 2021-2022 was 778.19 MT and in the year 2022-2023 (up to February, 2023) was 893.19 MT with a positive growth of 14.77%.
- Military Exercise:
- BI-ANNUAL Exercise PRASTHAN held in the western offshore development area off Mumbai. A co-ordinated exercise code-named 'Prasthan' was conducted on 08 December 2023, by the Indian Navy and other defence, State and civil agencies in the Offshore Development Area off Mumbai.
- The Indian Armed Forces contingent comprising 45 personnel reached Hanoi, Vietnam to take part in the fourth edition of Joint Military Exercise VINBAX-2023. The exercise will be conducted at Hanoi, Vietnam from 11th to 21st December 2023.
- Appointments:
- On 7th December 2023, Arjun Munda, the Tribal Affairs Minister, was assigned the additional charge of the Agriculture Ministry. This appointment came after the resignation of Narendra Singh Tomar from the Union Cabinet following his election as an MLA in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly.
- Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar reconstituted the panel of vice-chairpersons of Parliament’s Upper House with effect from 11 December 2023. The new panel consists of eight members, four of whom are women.
Questions:
Q.1 Who conducted the exercise ‘Prasthan’?a. Indian Army
b. Indian Navy
c. Indian Air Force
d. State Police
Q.2 Which block achieved the top rank in the 1st Delta Ranking of Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP)?
a. Kaushambi Block
b. Tiryani Block
c. Kumaram Bheem Asifabad Block
d. None of the above
