Current affairs : December 23, 2016 for all competitive exams
Kisan
Diwas is observed every year on 23 December across India
Kisan Diwas is observed every year on
23 December across India Since 2001 to celebrate the birth anniversary of the
fifth prime minister and kisan leader,Ch. Charan Singh.
Kisan Diwan is also known as
Farmers Day or Charan Singh Jayanti.
1. Union Cabinet Approves Ordinance to amend Payment of
Wages Act, 1936
2. The Centre approved a draft ordinance on December 21,
2016, to empower states and enable industries to pay wages by cheque or by
direct credit into bank accounts of workers earning up to Rs. 18,000 a month,
without taking their explicit consent.
3. CCEA approves doubling of Rajpura-Bhatinda railway line
4. The cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) gave its
approval for doubling of Rajpura-Bhatinda railway line at an estimated cost of
Rs. 1,251.25 crore.
5. Union Cabinet approves sale of part of HAL’s surplus,
vacant land
6. The Union Cabinet on December 21, approved the sale of
part of surplus and vacant land of 87.70 acres at Pimpri in Pune, Maharashtra
to meet Rs. 821.17 crore net liabilities of Hindustan Antibiotics Ltd (HAL).
7. Cabinet To Launch toll-free number 10588 for pregnant
women
8. The union government will soon set up a toll-free number
10588 to provide relevant information and guidance directly to the pregnant
women.
Cabinet approves ordinance to pay salaries via cheques
The Centre recently approved the promulgation of an ordinance to enable
industries to pay wages by cheque or by direct credit into bank accounts of
workers earning up to Rs. 18,000 a month, without taking their explicit consent
as required under the present 1936 law.
- The ordinance proposes changes to Section 6 of the
Payment of Wages Act of 1936.
- The Centre or State governments may specify the
industry through official notifications where the payment of wages shall
be through cheques or direct credit in bank accounts.
Centre recasts panel helping Krishna Board
The Centre has reconstituted a committee that was tasked with assisting the
Krishna River Management Board (KRMB).
- The new committee will be headed by A.K. Bajaj,
former chairman of the Central Water Commission.
- The committee is tasked with assisting the Krishna
River Management Board prepare a manual on how projects, common to Andhra
Pradesh and Telangana, ought to be handled.
PM Modi features on Government
of India calendar for 2017
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
has featured on the Government of India 2017 calendar.
- The calendar features candid pictures, with each
month representing the issues that Modi has worked for.
- The photos depict the Prime Minister's participation in campaigns including Swachh Bharat, Sashakt Nari, Sashakt Bharat and MSME: India's economic backbone.
Union Minister of State for
Ayush Yesso Naik inaugurates NE Institute of Ayurveda and Homeopathy
Union Minister of State for
Ayush Shripad Yesso Naik has inaugurated the North Eastern Institute of
Ayurveda and Homeopathy (NEIAH).
- The institute's primary aim is to produce quality human resource in the area of Ayush, particularly in Ayurveda and homoeopathy along with yoga.
Delhi named India's most
well-read city of 2016 by Amazon
Delhi has emerged as the
country's most well-read city in the fourth consecutive year with Bengaluru and
Mumbai taking the second and third spot, according to Annual Reading Trends
Report 2016 by Amazon.
- For the first time, Karnal, Vadodara and Patna made
it to the top 20 cities, having bought more books than cities like
Coimbatore, Visakhapatnam and Lucknow this year.
NGT bans open waste burning
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a complete ban on burning of
waste in open places, including at landfill sites and announced a fine of Rs.
25,000 on each incident of bulk waste burning.
- All State governments and Union Territories shall
prepare an action plan in terms of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016
and implement within four weeks.
- The action plan would relate to the management and disposal of waste in the entire State. The steps are required to be taken in a time-bound manner.
Digital hurdles : SBI Report
According to a new SBI report, card transactions have fallen to a
nine-month low, posing a new challenge to the government’s demonetisation
drive.
- According to the report, the aggregate of debit and
card transactions at point of source (PoS) terminals fell to a little more
than Rs 35,000 crore in November, the lowest since February.
Study on Uttar Pradesh assembly
According to a study, the average turnover of the members of the Uttar
Pradesh state assembly between 1957 and 2012 was 58.5%. In other words, it means
that on an average, nearly 60% of the members of the legislative assembly are
first-time MLAs, in every assembly.
- This number is high if one compares UP with most
other democracies, where individual incumbency is the norm rather than the
exception.
- In the United States Congress, for instance,
individual incumbency can be as high as 90%, the incumbent candidate
benefiting from their established reputation and party support.
Google Maps Toilet Locator App
It is a mobile app recently launched by the government to enable people to
locate the nearest public toilet for use in five cities in National Capital
Region and Bhopal and Indore in Madhya Pradesh.
- This facility now available in Delhi, Gurugram,
Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Noida and the two cities of Madhya Pradesh would
help in addressing open urination and open defecation.
National Mathematics Day:
The National Mathematics Day is observed every year on 22nd December to
celebrate birth anniversary of Indian Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.
- 2016 marks the 129th birth anniversary of Srinivasa
Ramanujan.
- He compiled more than 3,900 mathematical results and
equations. His Ramanujam Prime and Ramanujam theta discoveries had also
inspired further research on the subject.
Moon
race: TeamIndus to carry Japanese rival's rover, too
In an unprecedented tie-up
between two private space novices which are both competing to land on Moon,
TeamIndus of Bengaluru has said its spacecraft will also carry a Japanese
contestant's rover along with its own.
- TeamIndus and Hakuto, the team of Japanaese startup
ispace Inc., have signed a "rideshare" agreement. While Team
Indus's spacecraft will be launched on ISRO's PSLV rocket on December 28,
2017, Hakuto's four-kg robotic rover will be carried on Team Indus's 600-kg
spacecraft.
- TeamIndus is the sole Indian entry. The travel to
Moon will last a few days, after which it plans to land its spacecraft on
the lunar surface Republic Day, Janaury 26, 2018.
Now, Snapdeal
delivers Rs. 2,000 at your doorstep
India’s leading online
marketplace Snapdeal launched a pilot service called ‘Cash@Home’ that allows
users to order cash and deliver it at the doorstep.
- In the pilot phase the service is live in Gurugram and Bengaluru users can pay for cash using ATM card.
China launches satellite to monitor global carbon
emissions
China has launched a global carbon dioxide monitoring satellite to
understand climate change.
- The 620-kg satellite TanSat was put into orbit by
Long March-2D rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest
China’s Gobi Desert.
- The satellite will help understanding climate change and provide China’s policy makers with independent data.
World's first solar road opens
in France
The world's first solar road
made with 30,000 square feet of solar panels has been opened in the French
village of Normandy.
- The one-kilometre long road took five years and cost
$5.2 million to develop.
- It will be used for a two-year test period to check
if it can generate enough energy to power street lighting in the village.
Newly discovered
fish named after Obama
The fish, of the genus Tosanoides obama,
was named in honour of Obama for his commitment to protecting nature through
the expansion of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.
- It was discovered in June this year
during a research trip to Kure, the world’s northernmost atoll.
- This is not the first fish to be named after Mr. Obama. A species of darters found only in the Duck River and the Buffalo River in U.S. was named Etheostoma obama in 2012.
Hrithik Roshan becomes highest
advance taxpaying actor
Hrithik Roshan has become
the highest advance taxpaying actor.
- He has paid an advance tax of Rs 80 crore till
December 15, 2016, compared to Rs 50 crore last year.
- After Hrithik, it is Aamir Khan, who has paid Rs. 74
crore.
- Ranbir Kapoor, who paid Rs 37 crore as advance tax
till December is at 3rd position.
Sunny Leone to receive PETA's person of the year
award
Actress Sunny Leone will receive PETA's
person of the year award for her dedication to promoting the rescue of homeless
dogs and cats, as well as her compassion for animals abused and killed for
their skin.
- Past recipients of PETA's person of the year award include Dr Shashi Tharoor, former Supreme Court Justice KS Panicker Radhakrishnan, and actors Kapil Sharma, Hema Malini, R Madhavan and Jacqueline Fernandez.
Argentina win FIFA Team of the
Year title
FIFA has released the final
rankings of 2016, with Argentina reclaiming the team of the year title from
Belgium, finishing with 1634 points to top FIFA’s rankings.
- As for India, the Blue Tigers have also climbed a staggering 31 places from last year, finishing the year ranked 135, their best climb up the table in history.
India wins bronze at women's
U18 Hockey Asia Cup
India has defeated South
Korea 3-0 to secure the bronze medal at the 4th Women's U18 Asia Cup 2016
hockey tournament in Bangkok on 22 December 2016.
- After the win, Hockey India announced cash rewards
of Rs.1 lakh for each player.
- It also announced Rs.50000 for each member of the support staff.
Jeje wins best footballer of
the year award by AIFF
Indian fotballer Jeje
Lalpekhlua has named 2016's All India Football Federation (AIFF) Player of the
Year, an award given to the best footballer in the country.
- The 25-year-old who hails from Mizoram will be awarded a prize of 2.5 lakh.
