28 December 2018 - Daily Current Affairs
1. Divya Patidar Joshi Crowned Mrs. India 2018 Title
- Divya Patidar Joshi of Madhya Pradesh was crowned with the prestigious India 2018 Title.
- The Mrs. India My Identity Beauty Pageant 2018 finale was held in Delhi on 25th Dec 2018.
- Divya won the crown of Mrs India this year from among 24 promising contestants.
- She won all the rounds of Beauty with Brain contest along with Best Cat Walk title.
- Now, in the year 2019, she would be representing for Mrs. Universe title.
National Affairs
2. Central Railways introduces technology to eliminate manual examination of trains
- The mechanical branch of Central Railways' Nagpur division has introduced a new state-of-the-art technology called Automated Train Examination System (ATES) for the enhancement of train safety.
- The system, developed by Konkan Railway Corporation Limited, eliminates manual examination of trains and measures axle box temperature, wheel disc temperature and records the under-gear of rolling stock of running trains through infrared and other cameras.
- ATES also checks every train passing through the track on which it is installed and immediately warns about hot axle and brake binding cases.
3. Govt bans Khalistan Liberation Force
- The government has banned Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) for its involvement in several killings, bombings, and other terror activities during its violent campaign for "secession of Punjab".
- The decision to ban the outfit under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) comes in the backdrop of agencies unearthing several KLF modules in recent months which has led to apprehensions that it is attempting to revive militancy in the state.
- The Khalistan Liberation Force and all its manifestations have been declared outlawed under the under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), a Home Ministry order said on Wednesday, adding it will be the 40th organization to be prescribed under this law.
- According to officials, during the height of militancy in Punjab in the 1980s and 1990s, the group was involved in a series of unlawful activities.
- The KLF came into existence in 1986 with the objective of establishing an independent Khalistan by the secession of Punjab from India "through violent means
4. Triple Talaq Bill passed in Lok Sabha
- The Lok Sabha on 27th Dec 2018 passed The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, after a heated debate.
- Before the start of the voting, Congress and AIADMK staged a walkout from the House opposing certain provisions of the bill that makes instant triple talaq or talaq-e-biddat a criminal offense, with a jail term of up to three years with a fine.
- The Bill will replace the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Ordinance-2018.
- 245 members voted in favor while 11 voted against the bill.
- Bill will now be sent to Rajya Sabha for debate.
- Passage of the bill in the upper house would not be easy for the government as it needs 123 votes and the Opposition including Congress, BJD, AIADMK, SP have already rejected the bill in the lower House.
- NDA parties have around 80 seats in Rajya Sabha.
- If passed by Rajya Sabha, the proposed law would be applicable to the entire country, except in Jammu and Kashmir.
5. Virudhunagar district is Tamil Nadu most improvement district: Niti Aayog
- Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant released the Second Delta Ranking of the Aspirational Districts Programme.
- The ranking details the incremental progress achieved by the districts during June to October this year across six key development sectors.
- Virudhunagar district in Tamil Nadu topped the list of the most improvement district.
- Nuapada district in Odisha ranked second.
- Siddarthnagar in Uttar Pradesh ranked third.
- Bihar's Aurangabad ranked fourth.
- Koraput in Odisha ranked fifth in the list of the most improvement district.
Least improvement district -
- On the other side; Nagaland's Kiphire district, Jharkhand's Giridih, Chatra in Jharkhand, Hailakandi in Assam, and Pakur in Jharkhand have shown least improvement.
- The districts have been ranked in a transparent basis on parameters across various performance indicators like Health and Nutrition, Education, Skill Development and Basic Infrastructure among others.
- The rankings are based on the data that is publicly available through the Champions of Change Dashboard, which includes data entered on a real-time basis at the district level.
- The Aspirational District Programme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January this year with the aim to rapidly transform the districts that have shown relatively lesser progress in key social areas.
6. Madhya Pradesh: Kuno notified as a national park
- Madhya Pradesh forest department notify Kuno as a ‘national park’.
- The state government has declared Kuno National Park with the inclusion of an area spread along 404.0758 sq.km in addition to the earlier notified area of 344.686 sq km making a total of 748.7618 sq km area.
- The move is expected to pave way for translocation of lions from Gir in Gujarat to Kuno.
- The MP forest department had promised to complete all formal processes of declaring Kuno as a ‘national park’ by the end of February 2019.
Arts & Culture
7. The 26th National Childres's Science Congress inaugurated in Odisha
- The 26th National Childres's Science Congress has been inaugurated by the Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar.
- Inaugurating the Congress session, Shri Patnaik has said that the progress of science is essential for the National growth and healthy Nation.
- Odisha government is organizing various programmes for the development of scientific temper among students.
8. Dwijing Festival begins in Assam
- In Assam, the third Dwijing Festival has begun on the bank of Aye river at Chirang district.
- Around 15 lakh tourists are expected to participate in the festival.
- Assam PHE minister Rihon Daimary inaugurated the festival in presence of several dignitaries.
- Participants from Thailand, Bhutan and Bangladesh are also taken part in the festival.
Obituaries
9. Prof Hamidi Kashmiri passes away
- Hamidi Kashmiri, the tallest literary figure in the world of Urdu language, literature, and literary criticism passed away.
- He was a prolific creative writer, an acclaimed critic and propounder of “Iktishaafi Tanqueed” (इक्तिशाफ़ी तनक़ीद).
- His demise has created a void difficult to fill, especially in the subcontinent.
- He has also been the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kashmir for years during the most difficult times of militant unrest.
Science & Defense
10. Russia ‘successfully’ tests hypersonic missile
- According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia has become the first country to complete the development of hypersonic weapons.
- The Intercontinental, nuclear-capable hypersonic missile system will enter service in Russia’s military next year, President Vladimir Putin added.
- The weapon, dubbed “Avangard,” successfully hit a target 6,000 kilometers from launch, according to a separate statement from the Kremlin.
- The Avangard is invulnerable to intercept by any existing and prospective missile-defense means of the potential adversary.
