15-16 December 2019 - Daily Current Affairs
1. Lt General Manoj Mukund Naravane to be next Army chief
- Vice Chief of the Army Lt Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane will be the next Chief of Army Staff (28th) of the Indian Army.
- Lt Gen Naravane will succeed Gen Bipin Rawat, who will retire on the 31st December this year.
- Naravane was commissioned into the 7th battalion, the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment in June 1980.
- During his career, he has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (2019), Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (2017), Sena Medal and Vishist Seva Medal (2015) for his service and the CoAS commendation card
Know about Lt General M M Naravane:
- Lt Gen Narvane completed his school education in Jnana Prabodhini Prashala, Pune.
- Naravane is an alumnus of National Defence Academy, Pune and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.
- He also holds a master's degree in Defence Studies from University of Madras, Chennai and an M.Phil. in Defence and Management Studies from Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore.
- The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) is the professional head, commander, and usually the highest-ranking military officer of the Indian Army.
2. R N Ravi to hold additional charge as governor of Meghalaya
- Nagaland Governor R N Ravi has been given additional charge of Meghalaya state.
- The decision has been taken by the President of India in the wake of the “absence of leave” of Tathagata Roy (Governor of Meghalaya).
- Meghalaya has become an autonomous state within Assam on 1st April 1970 and a separate state on 21 January 1972.
State News
3. Haryana Police adopted Trakea to make forensic reports tamper-proof
- Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has inaugurated the ‘TRAKEA’ barcoding system of Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) at Madhuban, Haryana.
- According to Haryana police, it helps to automate the entire procedure, right from the moment when forensic experts collect vital samples from the scene of the crime to conducting an analysis of the samples.
- Now, Haryana became the first state in the country to introduce this unique barcoding system.
- The ‘TRAKEA’software has been developed by Amit Mishra, a software engineer who was in Bhondsi jail for 13 months imprisoned on the charge of killing his wife.
4. Five-day music festival ‘Tansen Samaroh’ begins in Gwalior
- Popular classical music festival ‘Tansen Samaroh’ has begun in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
- The five-day festival is celebrated every year in the memory of one of the most eminent singers of Indian history, ‘Mian Tansen’.
- Pandit Vidyadhar Vyas will be honoured with this year's prestigious Tansen Samman.
- On this occasion, the music-driven platform is used by the musicians and instrumentalists from all over the world to showcase their talent.
- The event will conclude on 21st December and will be graced by many prominent artists.
National Affairs
5. WDO to launch World Design Protopolis in Bengaluru
- The World Design Organization (WDO) is all set to launch its new global programme World Design Protopolis in Bengaluru.
- It aims at implementing holistic progress in megacities across the world and making them sustainable.
- The announcement was made at the ongoing three-day Kochi Design Week (KDW), India's largest design conclave that kicked off at Bolgatty Island.
- The project aims to measure the progress of the city, attract investments and solve problems so that the city becomes a better place for the citizens.
6. Mandatory to link PAN-Aadhaar by 31st Dec 2019
- According to the Income Tax Department, it will be mandatory to link Permanent Account Number (PAN) with Aadhaar by 31st Dec 2019.
- This will facilitate to reap seamless benefits of income tax services.
- The deadline for linking PAN with Aadhaar was extended till the 31st of December, by Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) through an order issued in September this year.
- In order to link a PAN with Aadhaar online, the assessee is required to log in to the e-filing portal.
- The Income Tax Department also provides an SMS-based facility to enable the linking.
- Aadhaar is issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to a resident of India and PAN is a 10-digit alphanumeric number allotted by the I-T Department to a person, firm or entity.
7. Coal Min to set up Sustainable Development Cell to promote clean mining
- The Ministry of Coal has decided to establish a Sustainable Development Cell (SDC) in order to promote environmentally sustainable coal mining in the country.
- It will also address the environmental concerns during the decommissioning or closure of mines.
- The SDC will advise, mentor, plan and monitor the mitigation measures taken by the coal companies for maximising the utilisation of available resources in a sustainable way.
8. Madhya Pradesh CM inaugurates International Film Festival in Khajuraho
- Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath has inaugurated the International Film Festival in Shilpkala village of Khajuraho.
- Films from the country and abroad including Bundelkhandi will be screened at the Tapra Talkies made for the festival.
- The International Khajuraho Film Festival is being organized by the Prayas Sanstha in collaboration with the State Government.
- Events like interaction with film stars, film making workshop, mobile film making workshop, plays, programmes for promoting local art and culture, herbal forest fair, animal fair etc. are also organized during the Film Festival.
Obituaries
9. Veteran film actor Danny Aiello passes away
- Veteran film actor Danny Aiello (86-years) passed away
- He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as pizzeria owner Sal in Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing.
- He also played Madonna's father in the 1986 video for Papa Don't Preach.
10. Veteran actress Gita Siddharth passes away
- The legendary Bollywood actress and a social worker Gita Siddharth passed away.
- The actress was best known for her role as Amina in MS Sathy ’s 1973 classic ‘Garm Hava’.
- Gita made her debut in Gulzar’s 1972 film, Parichay.
- Sholay, Trishul, Disco Dancer,are some of the major films done by Gita.
International Affairs
11. Google Earth covers 98 per cent of the entire population
- Search engine giant Google has revealed that it's powerful mapping service, Google Earth now covers more than 98% of the world.
- It has captured 10 million miles of Street View imagery, a distance that could circle the globe more than 400 times.
- When it comes to Google Earth, the software that lets you browse the globe with 3D representation, right from the comfort of your couch, offers 6 million square miles of high definition satellite images, covering more than 98% of the entire population.
12. UN Medal awarded to Indian peacekeepers to support the people of South Sudan
- Indian peacekeepers have been recognized for their strong contribution to building peace in conflict-affected South Sudan as well as for going above and beyond their duties to support local communities.
- Around 850 Indian troops received the United Nations Medal for their dedication and sacrifice serving so far away from home to protect civilians and build durable peace in South Sudan.
- Currently, 2,342 Indian troops & 25 police personnel are deployed with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
- The Indian troops were particularly praised for their efforts to support peace talks between Government and Opposition forces in the Upper Nile region and establishing the first-ever UNMISS base on the west bank of the Nile at Kodok.
13. NASA will launch rover “Mars 2020” in 2020
- The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will launch rover ‘Mars 2020’ in 2020.
- The rover builds and managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
- “Mars 2020” will explore a landscape shaped by water which is the ‘Jezero Crater’, the site of an ancient delta.
- ‘Mars 2020’s arm has the same reach as ‘Curiosity’s arm. ‘Mars 2020’s’ turret weighs 99 pounds (45 kilograms) more than Curiosity’s because it carries larger instruments and a larger drill for coring and has many other changes in the physical design.
14. ‘Nuad Thai’, Traditional Thai massage Recognised in UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists
- The traditional “Nuad” Thai massage from Thailand has been recognized by UNESCO as part of its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
- This message was originated in India but is practised in Thailand for centuries. It was popularized when a speciality school was opened in the 1960s to train massage therapists from around the world.
- Nuad Thai Massage is one among over 20 elements that have been chosen for inclusion in the 2019 list.
- The UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list includes 13 items from India till date.
- The most recent addition was made in 2017 when Kumbh Mela was added to the list.
Sports
16. Virat Kohli retains top spot in ICC Test rankings
- Indian skipper Virat Kohli retained his top spot among batsmen in the latest ICC Test rankings.
- With 928 points, Kohli is 17 points clear of Australia's Steve Smith who scored 43 and 16 in the first Test against New Zealand which Australia won by 296 runs.
- Cheteshwar Pujara (791-points) and Ajinkya Rahane(759-points) held on to their fourth and sixth spots respectively.
- Among the bowlers, Bumrah slipped to the sixth spot in the list headed by Australia's Pat Cummins.
- India's Ravindra Jadeja, meanwhile, remained at number two, behind Jason Holder of the West Indies among Test all-rounders.
- In the ICC World Test Championship, India stands on top with 360 points, way ahead of Australia 216, Sri Lanka 80, New Zealand 60 and England 56.
17. Ben Stokes wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2019
- England cricket World Cup winner Ben Stokes (28-years) has been voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
- He became the first cricketer to win the prize after Andrew Flintoff (in 2005).
- In a public vote, Lewis Hamilton came second with Dina Asher-Smith third.
- The BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2019 took place at the P&J Live in Aberdeen, United Kingdom.
