The Indian Navy day is being observed every year on 4th December to celebrate achievements and role of the naval force in the country.
Admiral Karambir Singh is the current Chief of the Naval Staff.
The Navy day is celebrated to honour the courageous attack on the Karachi harbour during the Indo-Pakistan war (on 4th December 1971) by the Indian Naval Missile boats as well as to reverence all the martyrs of that war.
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Bhosle (Maratha Emperor) of the 17th century is considered as “Father of the Indian Navy”.
The Indian Navy is commanded by the President of India as Commander-in-Chief. It is the marine branch of the Indian Armed Forces
State Affairs
2. UP govt announces 25% subsidy & full stamp duty waiver for the defence industry
Uttar Pradesh government has decided to provide a 25% subsidy and 100% stamp duty waiver for setting up the defence industry in the state.
State govt. will provide all facilities (like power, road and fencing of land) to the companies that will set up defence industries.
The state cabinet has given relief to the home buyers in Noida and Greater Noida region by giving exemption to the builders from penal interest and other dues for the period their project is stalled due to litigation.
Builders will only get this exemption if they pass on this benefit to the home buyers.
The benefit will apply to builders who are set to provide homes to buyers by June 2021.
Source: DD News
3. ADB, India Sign 206 Million loans to strengthen urban services in 5 cities of Tamil Nadu
The Union government and Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed the 206-million-dollar loan agreement to develop water supply and sewerage infrastructure in 5 cities of Tamil Nadu.
The project will target four cities namely Ambur, Tiruchirappalli, Tiruppur, Vellore, and Madurai for developing sewage collection and treatment and drainage systems.
It will also strengthen the capacities of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) for improved service delivery.
The project will improve the lives of the urban people in the State by providing universal access to water supply and sanitation.
National Affairs
4. EC to implement Political Parties RTMS
The Election Commission of India will implement the political parties Registration Tracking Management System (RTMS).
It will be implemented through an online portal to facilitate tracking of the status of the application by applicants.
According to Election Commission, the applicant who is applying for party registration from 1st January 2020 onwards will be able to track the progress of his or her application and will get status through SMS and email.
5. India, Sweden sign MoU for India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre
India and Sweden signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre in New Delhi.
The objective of the innovation Centre is to develop an ecosystem of open innovation to which start-ups and the healthcare delivery stakeholders can use to collaborate and address current and future challenges in the healthcare sector.
The India-Sweden partnership has been the most active as the Joint Working Group has met ten times since 2009.
The MoU focuses on creating new partnerships within the public, private and academic sectors.
The Minister further stated that with 22 new AIIMS soon to become fully operational, and 157 new Medical Colleges are at the development stage.
6. TRAI revamps mobile number portability rules
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has revamped mobile number portability (MNP) rules, making the entire process faster and simpler.
The TRAI has prescribed three working days timeline for port out requests within a service area.
Similarly, the timeline of five working days has been prescribed for requests for port out from one circle to another.
The new rules will come into effect from 16th December.
The validity of the Unique Porting Code (UPC) has also been brought down to four days instead of a fortnight earlier.
It will be applicable to all circles except Jammu & Kashmir, Assam and North East, where the validity of the said code remains unchanged to 30 days.
7. Govt launches 4th round of Regional Connectivity Scheme-UDAN
The Union Government has launched the 4th round of Regional Connectivity Scheme - UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) to further enhance the connectivity to remote and regional areas of the country.
The focus in this round will be North East Region, Hilly States, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Islands.
The Civil Aviation Ministry aims to operationalize one thousand routes and more than 100 airports in the next five years.
Note:
The ‘UDAN scheme’ (launched in October 2016) seeks to provide connectivity to un-served and under-served regions through the revival of existing airstrips and airports.
In the last three years government has successfully completed three rounds of bidding under the Scheme and awarded about 700 routes.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has launched the “Bharatiya Poshan Anthem”.
The anthem has been conceptualised by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
It has been written by noted lyricist Prasoon Joshi and sung by Shankar Mahadevan.
Note:
The ‘Poshan Abhiyan or National Nutrition Mission’ was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2018 to make India malnutrition free by 2022 by ensuring holistic development and adequate nutrition for pregnant women, mothers and children.
Source: AIR News
Bank & Economy
9. Walmart launches a credit card in partnership with HDFC Bank
Walmart launches a credit card in partnership with HDFC Bank exclusively for members of its Best Price Modern Wholesale “B2B Cash & Carry” stores, offering “free credit up to 50 days.
The card is being supported by Diners Club International which has acceptance of its own membership card in 185 countries.
Simultaneously, the card was launched at 26 other Best Price Modern Wholesale Store locations across the country.
Source: Live Mint
Appointment
10. Sundar Pichai promoted as Alphabet Inc. CEO
Indian American business executive Sundar Pichai (Google CEO) promoted as Alphabet Inc. CEO (chief executive officer).
Sundar Pichai will replace Larry Page.
Earlier, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin have announced that they are stepping down from the leadership role of the parent company Alphabet.
Alphabet and Google no longer need two CEOs and a President and Sundar Pichai will be the CEO of both Google and Alphabet.
International Affairs
11. Global Migration Film Festival organised in Dhaka
The Global Migration Film Festival (GMFF) was organised in Dhaka.
The day-long festival screened 15 films on the theme of migration and its various aspects.
The short films and documentaries shown during the festival were selected through a global competition for which 600 entries were received.
The jury selected 30 best films out of which 15 were screened in Dhaka.
Note:
The GMFF started in 2016 and this year it is being organised across many cities in the world between 28 November to 18 December.
The festival was organised by the International Organisation of Migrants (IOM) and Dhaka University Film Society with the support of the European Union.
Source: AIR News
12. Typhoon Kammuri makes landfall at Luzon, Philippines
In the Philippines, typhoon Kammuri has made landfall at Luzon, the country's largest and most populous island.
Around two lakh residents have been evacuated from coastal and mountainous areas over fears of flooding, storm surges and landslides.
Now, Kammuri is expected the pass to the south of the capital Manila, which is hosting thousands of athletes for the regional Southeast Asian Games.
Source: AIR News
Science & Defence
13. India successfully test-fires indigenously developed nuke-capable Prithvi-II missile
India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed surface-to-surface nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile off Odisha coast.
The Strategic Forces Command of the Indian Army conducted the user trial of the 350 km range missile from a mobile launcher from launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur
The missile weighs (4,600 kg) capable of carrying 500 to one thousand kilograms of warheads and is thrust by liquid propulsion twin engines.
All parameters within the stipulated time period were achieved.
Inducted into the 333-missile regiment of the Indian Army in 2003, the nine-meter-tall, single-stage liquid-fueled Prithvi-II is the first missile to have been developed by the DRDO under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.
Today’s trial was a part of regular training exercise by the armed forces which reconfirms the Army’s readiness to fire it at short notice.
Developed under the joint collaboration of Defence Research and Development Organization and Bharat Dynamics Limited, the missile was first test-fired on 27 January 1996.
Appointment
14. Pritivirajsing Roopun elected as new President of Mauritius by parliament
The National Assembly of the Republic of Mauritius has unanimously elected Prithvirajsing Roopun (62-years) as new President of the island nation.
He was the former arts and culture minister of Mauritius.
The motion for his election as new President was presented by Prime Minister, Home Affairs and External Communications, Minister of Defence, Minister for Rodrigues, Outer Islands and Territorial Integrity.
In Mauritius, Prime Minister is head of government and holds most political power while the president is head of state but has no executive role and is considered guardian of the constitution.
Note:
The Mauritius President functions as a ceremonial figurehead, elected by the National Assembly as set out by the Constitution of Mauritius.
