Current affairs : December 5, 2016 for all competitive exams
International Volunteer Day: 5
December
The International Volunteer
Day (IVD) is observed across the world on 5 December every year.
- This year theme is " Global Applause – give volunteers a hand".
- This year's theme recognises the volunteers worldwide and their efforts in making peace and sustainable development a reality.
World Soil Day: 5 December
The World Soil Day 2016 is
observed on 5 December annually.
- The theme for this year is “Soils
and pulses, a symbiosis for life”.
- The theme for the 2016 WSD focuses on the positive
contributions of pulses to soil properties, such as fixing the atmosphere
nitrogen and improving its biodiversity, fertility and structure.
Centre shifts
gears to promote organ donation
The Centre proposes to amend
the law on motor vehicles to include a choice for voluntary organ donation in
new or renewed driving licences.
- Under the move, the Union Road Transport and
Highways Ministry will introduce driving licence forms with an option to
declare that the licence holder is willing to donate organs in case of
accidental death.
NITI Aayog to provide Rs 5
lakh per district
To encourage each district
in the country to take the digitization route without fear, the
National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog will be immediately
transferring Rs.5 lakh each district as seed money to kick start this drive.
- A letter has been written to the district collector, commissioners and magistrates in this regard by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, who is also a member of the committee to promote cashless payments.
RBI to
issue new Rs. 20, 50 notes
The Reserve Bank of India
will shortly issue new Rs. 20 and Rs. 50 banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi
Series-2005, without an inset letter in both the number panels.
- The new notes will bear the signature of Urjit R.
Patel, the incumbent RBI Governor, and the year of printing '2016' printed
on the reverse of the banknote.
- All the banknotes in the denomination of Rs. 50 and Rs. 20 issued in the past will continue to be legal tender.
ESIC increases
wage limit to net more workers
In a bid to bring more
workers from unorganised sector under the health insurance scheme, the
Employees State Insurance Corporation has increased the monthly wage limit to
Rs 21,000/-.
- The upward increase in revision would add about 35
lakh new members to the ESIC pool.
- At present, 2.14 crore persons are enrolled under this scheme.
India, Qatar ink four pacts on visas, cybersecurity,
investments
India and Qatar have signed four pacts including in the field of visas,
cyberspace and investments. These agreements were signed during the recent
visit of PM Modi.
- India enjoys close and friendly relations with Qatar, which are based on mutually beneficial commercial exchanges and extensive people-to-people contacts.
Amritsar declaration in Heart of Asia conference:
The Amritsar
Declaration was adopted at the concluding day of 6th
Ministerial Conference of Heart of Asia (HoA).
- The declaration puts focus on the concerned
countries to address terrorism and enhancing regional economic
cooperation.
- The declaration recognises terrorism as the biggest
threat to peace and security. And demands immediate end to all forms of
terrorism and all support financial and safe havens providing sanctuary to
it.
Environment Ministry postpones forest policy indefinitely
The Environment Ministry has indefinitely postponed an ambitious plan to
update India’s forest policy.
- It has also decided to abstain from committing to a
timeframe by which it would have a third of India’s land under forest or
tree cover, a key promise of the forest policy.
- This was the first time that the policy was being
re-looked since 1988
Ancient site found near Ladakh:
An ancient camping site used by pre-historic man and datable to circa 8500
BCE, has been found at an altitude of about 4,200 metres near Saser La in the
Nubra Valley, Ladakh. Saser La leads to the Karakoram Pass.
- A camping site is a place where hunter-gatherers stayed temporarily before they moved on to another place.
Mercosur suspends Venezuela
Venezuela has been suspended from the Mercosur trade group over its failure
to comply with its commitments when it joined the group in 2012. In this
regard, the Foreign Ministers of the four founding members of Mercosur—
Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay — notified Venezuela’s government of
the decision in a letter.
- Mercosur accepted Venezuela as a member when South America was dominated by Leftist governments in an effort to link the region’s biggest agricultural and energy markets. But, Venezuela had failed to meet a Dec. 1 deadline to adopt certain standards required for membership.
Web site to educate women on
their legal rights launched
Tasmania-based Women's Legal
Service in collaboration with TRS Law Offices (India) has launched a website (www.Girlsgottaknow.in)
for women in the country to educate them about their legal rights.
Children’s Peace Prize:
Teen environmental activist Kehkashan Basu has been awarded the prestigious
International Children’s Peace Prize.
- Basu is being honoured for the work done by her
child-run organisation Green Hope, based in the United Arab Emirates,
which now has more than 1,000 volunteers in 10 countries around the world.
- The prize is awarded annually “to a child who fights courageously for children’s rights. It also includes a 100,000 euro ($106,000) investment for projects in the winner’s home country.
Flipkart's Binny Bansal,
Sachin Bansal named Asians of the Year
Flipkart founders Sachin
Bansal and Binny Bansal have been jointly named "Asian of the Year
2016" by Singapore-based newspaper The Straits Times.
- The "Asian of the Year 2016" award recognises entrepreneurs operating at the frontiers of technology's interface with business.
Amit Tiwari
takes charge as AFA Commandant
Air Marshal Amit Tiwari took
over as the Commandant of Air Force Academy, Indian Air Force, from Air Marshal
Gurinder Pal Singh.
- Mr. Tiwari graduated from the National Defence
Academy, Khadakwasla, in May 1981, and was commissioned in the fighter
stream of the Air Force in June 1982.
- Mr. Tiwari was awarded Vayu Sena medal in 2003 for his distinguished service and professionalism and commendation by the Chief of the Air Staff in 1998.
Praful Patel appointed as AFC
senior VP
All India Football Federation
President Praful Patel has been appointed as a Senior Vice-President of Asian
Football Confederation.
- Under Patel's tutelage, India won the rights to host the Fifa U-17 World Cup India 2017 and
hosted the AFC U-16 Championship in September 2016.
Former international hockey
umpire Phulel Singh Sujlana passed away
Former international hockey
umpire and veteran administrator, Phulel Singh Sujlana, passed away due to old
age.
- The jovial Sujlana, who was also secretary of the Mumbai Hockey Association Limited (MHAL) for four years from 2000-2004 after being its vice president from 1997, donned quite a few hats in hockey, officiating first at the international level as an umpire at the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok.
Mukesh Kumar makes history in
Golf Asia Tour
Indian Golfer Mukesh Kumar
became the oldest golfer to win an Asian Tour title on December 4, 2016 at
Delhi Golf Club (DGC) after winning the Panasonic Open India.
- The 51-year-old Mukesh, who has won 123 PGTI titles, scored two-under 70 in the final round which made his total to 10-under 206 to claim the trophy.
India women’s team beat
Pakistan by 17 runs to win Asia Cup
India women’s cricket team
won the Asia Cup T20 after beating arch-rivals Pakistan in the final of the
regional tournament by 17 runs. Played in Bangkok.
- The win stretches India’s unbeaten run in the Asia Cup to 32 matches and it is their sixth Asia Cup crown. Mithali Raj top scored for India in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan, she scored 73 runs and remained not out till the end.
