NATIONAL NEWS
PM Modi to Inaugurate IIT Bhubaneswar’s Campus
IIT Bhubaneswar's new campus is set to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24 December, during his Odisha visit. It started functioning from the current campus in 2015 and became fully functional with shifting its central administration in 2018. Currently, it has seven academic school with around 1,765 students.
- The institute running since 2008, now has five established centres in Augmented and Virtual reality, Energy Materials, Design Innovation, Bay of Bengal Coastal Observatory and Probiotics.
PM Announces Sardar Patel Award For National Integration
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the institution of a new award named after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, which would be given every year for "outstanding efforts" in the field of furthering national integration. The award was announced by Prime Minister Modi while addressing the conference of DGPs/IGPs in Gujarat's Kevadia.
- The Sardar Patel Award for National Integration will be a fitting tribute to him and will inspire more people to work towards furthering India's unity and national integration.
Raksha Mantri Inaugurates Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR)
In an effort to have more intense relations with countries in the Indian Ocean region, India inaugurated an Information Fusion Centre — Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) which will work closely with countries in the region and will be manned by the Indian Navy.
- The IFC has been established at the Navy's Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) at Gurugram which is the single point centre interlinking all the coastal radar chains to generate a seamless real-time picture of the nearly 7,500-km long coastline.
India successfully test-fires Agni-IV ballistic missile
India successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable long-range Inter Continental Ballistic Missile Agni-IV, with a strike range of 4,000 km. The test was part of a user trial by the Army. The strategic surface-to-surface missile was flight tested from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Dr Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast.
- Agni-IV missile is equipped with advanced Avionics, 5th generation On Board Computer and distributed architecture. It has the latest features to correct and guide itself for in-flight disturbances. Ballistic missiles like Agni-I, II and III and Prithvi have already been inducted in the arsenal of the armed forces.
Kerala, Himachal, Tamil Nadu top this year's Niti Aayog index
Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have emerged as top performing states in Niti Aayog’s SDG India index 2018, which evaluates progress in social, economic and environmental terms. Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are the worst performing states in the government think tank’s first of its kind India Index for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
- Kerala’s top rank is attributed to its superior performance in providing good health, reducing hunger, achieving gender equality and providing quality education.
- Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, did well in reducing poverty and providing affordable and clean energy to people.
- Himachal Pradesh ranks high on providing clean water and sanitation, in reducing inequalities and preserving mountain ecosystem,” the document titled ‘SDG India Index Baseline Report 2018’ said.
- Among the UTs, Chandigarh took the lead because of its exemplary performance in providing clean water and sanitation to people.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
US defence secretary James Mattis resigned
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned after a clash with President Donald Trump over the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. Mattis pointed to some of his differences with Trump in a resignation letter he submitted to the White House.
- The retired general emphasized that the United States derives its strength from its relationships with allies and should treat them with respect. He said the country must also be "clear-eyed" about threats, including from groups such as the ISIS.
APPOINTMENTS
Rajeev Mehta Appointed President Of South Asian Fencing Federation ( SAFF )
Fencing Association of India (FAI) president Rajeev Mehta has been made the head of the South Asian body for a four-year term. FAI secretary general Bashir Ahmed Khan will also hold a similar post at the South Asian Fencing Federation.
- The game of fencing has been included in the list of events for the South Asian Games to be held in August next year in Nepal. It was also decided to conduct the South Asian Fencing Championship every year. The first South Asian Fencing Championship 2019 will be held in Chhattisgarh.
Mohinder Pratap Singh Has Been Appointed As The Next Ambassador Of India To Mongolia
The Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi appointed Mohinder Pratap Singh as the next Ambassador of India to Mongolia. He is presently Director at the headquarters of the ministry.
- Singh also served for a long time in MEA’s protocol division and was known for his deft handling of many Presidential and PM’s visits. He was also posted in the UK and Canada.
- Extra info.:
Mongolia Capital: Ulaanbaatar
Currency: Mongolian togrog
Riva Ganguly Das Has Been Appointed As The Next High Commissioner Of India To Bangladesh
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has appointed Riva Ganguly Das as the new High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh. Das, who is currently serving as the Director General of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), will be succeeding Harsh Vardhan Shringla.
- Shringla has been appointed as the new Ambassador of India to the United States of America.
- Extra info.:
Bangladesh Capital: Dhaka
Currency: Bangladeshi taka
AWARDS
Suresh Prabhu conferred with Skoch Award 2018
Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu has conferred the Skoch Golden Jubilee Challenger Award at the 55th Skoch Summit in New Delhi. The Skoch Challenger Awards are the highest independently instituted civilian honours. The Commerce and Industry Minister was awarded for his contribution to reforms, particularly in the power sector reforms.
- A book titled India 2030 was also released on the occasion.
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