25-26 December 2018 - Daily Current Affairs


25-26 December 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

25-26 December 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

1. PM Modi inaugurates India's longest rail-road bridge in Assam

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated the 4.94 km long Bogibeel Bridge in Assam.
  • It is India’s longest rail-cum-road road bridge, on the river Bramhaputra.
  • The bridge is constructed at an estimated cost of 5,800 crore rupees.
  • It is situated 17 km downstream of Dibrugarh city in Assam
  • PM Modi flagged off the first train from Tinsukia in south bank to Naharlagun in Arunachal Pradesh in north bank.
  • The bridge has a two-line railway track on the lower deck and a three-lane road on the top deck.
  • For the first time in Indian Railways, the girder has steel floor system for railway tracks and concrete for road.
  • The bridge reduces travel time from Assam to Arunachal Pradesh to four hours and will cut out the detour of over 170 km via Tinsukia.
  • It will also reduce Delhi to Dibrugarh train-travel time by about three hours to 34 hours as against 37 hours presently.
Note:
  • The bridge has been inaugurated on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee under whose government the work had started in 2002
  • The foundation stone of the project was laid by former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda in 1997.
  • The Bogibeel Bridge, which was a part of the Assam Accord and sanctioned in 1997-98, is also likely to play a crucial role in defence movement along the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh.
Source: The Times of India

2. Government approves Rameshwaram-Dhanushkodi project

  • The government has approved laying a new broad gauge railway line connecting Rameshwaram with Dhanushkodi, which is believed to be the starting point of Ram Sethu and a major pilgrim destination.
  • The 17-km line will cost around Rs 208 crore and it has been included in the umbrella work for new lines in the current financial year.
  • Dhanushkodi railway station was destroyed and abandoned after the 1964 Rameshwaram cyclone and it remains unattended.
  • The new railway line will be a boon to pilgrims visiting the place. Hindu pilgrimage at Rameshwaram gets completed only after taking a dip in Dhanushkodi.
  • The railways has also approved building a new bridge on Pamban channel, which will replace the 104-year-old structure over the sea.
Source: DD News

3. Sadaiv Atal dedicated to the Nation on Good Governance Day 2018

  • Sadaiv Atal, the Samadhi of Atal Bihari Vajpayee was dedicated to the Nation on the birth Anniversary of the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
  • On 25th December 2018 the President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated late PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s memorial Sadaiv Atal at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal to the nation.
  • Sadaiv (always) Atal memorial will be managed by a trust headed by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.
Note:
  • Atal Bihari Vajpayee had served as the Prime Minister between 1998 and 2004.
  • He was born on December 25, 1924, and died on August 16 this year after a prolonged illness.
  • Good Governance Day celebrated every year on 25th December to mark the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
  • He was conferred India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee in 2015.

4. PM Modi innaugrates Paika Rebellion chair in Utkal university

  • The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, visited Odisha on 24th December, 2018.
  • At the IIT Bhubaneswar campus, the Prime Minister released a commemorative stamp and coin on the Paika Rebellion.
  • The Paika Rebellion, also called the Paika Bidroha, was an armed rebellion against British East India Company's rule in Odisha in 1817.
  • The Paikas were the traditional militia of Odisha who served as warriors.
  • The setting up of a Chair on the Paika Rebellion, in Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, was announced.
  • The Prime Minister inaugurated the Lalitgiri Museum. Lalitgiri in Odisha is a famous Buddhist centre of archaeological importance, comprising Stupa, Viharas (monasteries) and images of Lord Buddha.
  • Shri Narendra Modi dedicated the IIT Bhubaneswar campus, to the nation.
Source: The Indian Express

5. UIDAI: Aadhaar not mandatory for admission in schools

  • The Unique Identification Authority of India has asserted that schools cannot make the 12-digit biometric identifier a pre-condition for student admission.
  • UIDAI's clarification comes at a time when admissions to nursery and entry-level classes have begun in over 1,500 private schools in Delhi.
  • UIDAI has asked schools to ensure that no child is denied admission for lack of Aadhaar.
  • In September, the Supreme Court had upheld the constitutional validity of Aadhaar but clipped the scope of the biometric identity project.
  • It had ruled that Aadhaar was not mandatory for bank accounts, mobile connections or school admissions.
Source: DD News

State Affairs

6. Atal Ayushman Uttarakhand Yojana launched in Uttarakhand

  • Atal Ayushman Uttarakhand Yojana' has been launched in Uttarakhand.
  • Under the scheme, each household in the state will be able to avail medical treatment of up to 5 lakh rupees annually.
  • The scheme will benefit 23 lakh households and cover 1,350 critical diseases. Launching the Yojna in Dehradun yesterday, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat distributed scheme-related golden cards to beneficiaries.
  • All the households have been included under the scheme.
Source: DD News

7. Maharashtra launches Vajpayee international schools for rural students

  • Marking the 94th birth anniversary celebrations of the late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched the 'Bharat Ratna Atal Bihar Vajpayee International Schools' for students in mofussil areas in Mumbai on 25th December 2018.
  • The school is affiliated to the Maharashtra International Education Board (MIEB), in which 13 Zilla Parishad Schools will join initially with the curriculum in the students' mother tongue.
  • The MIEB has been set up by the state government to achieve higher education standards of global standards in the state.
  • With this, students in the rural areas will get education of international standards as part of the state government's continuous efforts towards value education.
Source: business standard

8. CM Yogi Announces to Install 25-feet High Vajpayee's Statue in UP Secretariat

  • A 25-feet high statue of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be installed in Lok Bhawan, the Uttar Pradesh government secretariat here, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on 25th December 2018.
  • Adityanath made the announcement at a ceremony held to celebrate Vajpayee's 94th birth anniversary. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, also the local MP, and Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik also attended the function.
  • "Atalji had strong ties with Uttar Pradesh. He started his public life from Balrampur in the state and represented Lucknow as an MP for five terms," the chief minister said.
Source: News 18

International Affairs

9. Japan decides to withdraw from IWC

  • Japan has decided to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and will resume commercial whaling July next year.
  • However, Japan will not be able to continue the so-called scientific research hunts in the Antarctic that it has been exceptionally allowed as an IWC member under the Antarctic Treaty.
  • The withdrawal also means Japan joins Iceland and Norway in openly defying the IWC's ban on commercial whale hunting.
Note:
  • The IWC, established in 1946 to conserve and manage the world's whale and cetacean population, introduced a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986.
Source: DD News

Banking & Finance

10. RBI to soon release new Rs 20 note

  • The Reserve Bank of India will soon introduce Rs 20 notes with additional features.
  • The reserve bank has already issued new-look currency notes in the denominations of Rs 10, Rs 50, Rs 100, and Rs 500, besides introducing Rs 200 and Rs 2000 notes after demonetisation.
  • The new notes are being introduced under the Mahatma Gandhi series.
  • The new currency notes are different in size and design compared to issued previously.
Source: DD News

11. V. Bharathi appointed MD and CEO of Corporation Bank

  • P V Bharathi has been appointed as managing director and chief executive officer of the Corporation Bank.
  • At present, she is the Executive Director of the Canara Bank.
  • She will take over the charge on or after February 1, 2019 and remain in the post till March 31, 2020.
Source: livemint

Sports

12. International golfer Jyoti Randhawa arrested for poaching in Uttar Pradesh

  • International golfer Jyoti Randhawa has been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department for poaching. Interrogation and further legal action is being carried out by the Divisional Forest Officer of Katarniaghat and his team.
  • As per preliminary information received, Jyoti Singh Randhawa and Mahesh Virajdar have been arrested in a poaching case in Motipur Range of Katarniaghat.
  • A vehicle, weapon and other equipment, along with wildlife articles, have been seized.
  • A skin of wild boar, Range Finders, binoculars and a gun registered in Randhawa's name have also been recovered from his vehicle.
Source: DD News 

Science & Defence

13. Indian Navy commissions Naval hospital INHS Sandhani

  • The Indian Navy has commissioned INHS Sandhani, its tenth Naval hospital, at the Naval station Karanja in Uran near Mumbai.
  • Preeti Luthra, President of NWWA (Navy Wives Welfare Association), Western Region, unveiled the commissioning plaque of the hospital.
  • Indian Naval Hospital Ship (INHS) Sandhani is the tenth naval hospital of the Indian Navy, said an official.
Source: The Indian Express

Summit & Conference

14. International Gita Mahotsav 2018 concluded in Kurukshetra, Haryana

  • International Gita Mahotsav 2018 concluded in Kurukshetra, Haryana.
  • In this year’s edition, Mauritius was the partner country and Gujarat was the partner state.
  • Mauritius to organize Gita festival in February 2019.
About Bhagavad Gita
  • The Bhagavad Gita often referred to as the Gita.
  • It is a 700-verse Hindu scripture in Sanskrit that is part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata (chapters 23–40 of the 6th book of Mahabharata).
  • The Bhagavad Gita presents a synthesis of Hindu ideas about dharma, theistic bhakti, and the yogic paths to moksha.
Source: The Times of India

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