NATIONAL NEWS
Ireland PM Leo Varadkar visits IndiaIndian-origin Prime Minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkar, is on a visit to India. Here he visited his ancestral village in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district.
- Varadkar is serving as the Ireland Prime Minister since June 2017 and also heads one of the prominent political parties of the country - Fine Gael.
- Varadkar's father Ashok Varadkar hailed from Maharashtra. He moved to Ireland in the 1960s to work there as a doctor.
In just about a decade of its implementation in 2010, registrations under the Unique Identification Authority of India’s (UIDAI) Aadhaar project have crossed the 125-crore mark and these many residents of India now have a 12-digit unique identification number.
- UIDAI recorded close to 331 crore successful Aadhaar updates--biometric and demographic—until 27th December, 2019.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his last 'Mann ki Baat' programme of this year said that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch a satellite called Aditya to study the sun.
- He said that India is quite advanced in the field of astronomy, and we have taken path-breaking initiatives in this field. ISRO has an astronomical satellite called ASTROSAT.
The strategically important Rabung bridge on the Migging-Tuting road in Arunachal Pradesh's Upper Siang district was inaugurated by state Health and Family Welfare minister Alo Libang.
- The bridge is constructed by Border Road Task Force of Project Brahmank under Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
Assam Government launched ‘Abhinandan’, an education loan subsidy scheme that will provide a one-time subsidy of Rs. 50,000 in loan to 1546 students.
- The aim of the scheme is to provide a loan waiver to students of Assam who have availed education loans.
- Geared towards permanent residents of the state, those benefiting from the scheme should have taken loans of a minimum of 1 lakh. The loan should have been sanctioned before March 31, 2019.
Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Gautam Sawang asserted that the crime rate in the state has fallen by six per cent in 2019 as compared to the last year and added that the police department will observe 2020 as the "year of women safety".
87th Sivagiri pilgrimage begins
The 87th annual pilgrimage of Sivagiri Mutt in Varkala has began in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the three-day event. The theme for this season is ‘Knowledge, Health and Spirituality’.
Navy bans use of Facebook by naval personnel
Soon after its seven personnel were allegedly caught leaking sensitive information to Pakistani intelligence agencies after being honey-trapped, Indian Navy has banned the use of Facebook by naval personnel.
- It has also banned smartphones at naval bases, dockyards and on-board warships.
BANKING & FINANCE
Sitharaman launches common e-auction platform for assets attached by banksFinance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched eBkray, an online platform to increase the transparency in auctioning of assets attached by banks.
- The platform is equipped with property search features and navigational links to all PSB e-auction sites, provides single-window access to information on properties up for e-auction as well as facility for comparison of similar properties, and also contains photographs and videos of uploaded properties.
- Indian Banks Auctions Mortgaged Properties Information (IBAPI) portal is an initiative of Indian Banks Association under the policy of the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance was launched to provide a platform to give details of mortgaged properties to be auctioned online by Banks, starting with PSBs.
- As on 27 December, a total of 35,000 properties were uploaded on the platform by Public Sector Banks (PSBs), Finance Ministry said in a statement. PSBs have attached assets worth over ₹2.3 lakh crore in the last three fiscal years.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
HDFC Life partners with Paytm to expand its distributionHDFC Life Insurance has partnered with Paytm to expand its distribution. The partnership is aimed to enable customers of Paytm to purchase insurance products from HDFC Life.
- With the partnership, HDFC Life Insurance aims to increase insurance penetration in India and to simplify the customers experience right from the purchase to the claim process.
Mastercard has announced an agreement to acquire RiskRecon. RiskRecon is one of the leading providers of data analytics solutions and artificial intelligence focused on cyber-risk and security and offering solutions to mitigate cyber risks faced by the companies.
- The acquisition would enhance the cyber-security systems for MasterCard which offers payment processing services on a global scale.
SPORTS
Shadab Jakati quits all forms of cricketGoa spinner Shadab Jakati, who also played in the cash-rich Indian Premier League, retired from all forms of cricket. Jakati made his first-class debut in the 1998/99 season and played his last first-class game against Punjab in October 2017.
Australia pacer Peter Siddle announces retirement from international cricket
Australia's pacer Peter Siddle announced his retirement from international cricket. Siddle ends his career at the 13th spot on the list of highest wicket-takers for Australia in the longest format of the game. He finishes with 221 wickets from 67 Test matches.
Kohli & Bumrah named in Wisden’s T20I Team of the decade
India skipper Virat Kohli and pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah were the only Indians in Wisden’s T20 International team of the decade. Australia’s limited overs skipper Aaron Finch was named captain of the Wisden’s T20 International team of the decade.
APPOINTMENTS
Ajit Pawar takes oath as Deputy CM of MaharashtraAjit Pawar was sworn in as Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister for the second time in two months - this time as part of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress coalition government in the state as chief minister Uddhav Thackeray finally expanded his Cabinet.
Gen Bipin Rawat named as country’s 1st Chief of Defence Staff
Indian Army General Bipin Rawat has been named as the country’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). The Chief of Defence Staff will be a 4-star General, the principal military advisor to the defence minister, and will head the new Department of Military Affairs.
- General Rawat is the first officer to hold the post of the Chief of Defence Staff
The annual general meeting (AGM) of Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) on Sunday appointed Justice (retired) Deepak Verma its new ombudsman.
- The DDCA member discussed five items on the agenda for the meeting, which included the passing of annual accounts, the appointment of statutory auditors, re-appointment of retiring directors, adoption of new articles and appointment of ombudsman.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune appointed Abdelaziz Djerrad as the country's new Prime Minister. Djerrad replaces current interim PM Sabri Boukadoum and has been tasked by the President with forming a new Cabinet
AWARDS
Dr Santosh G Honavar is first Indian ophthalmologist to get American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Life Achievement Honor AwardDr Santosh G Honavar, a Hyderabad-based Ophthalmic Plastic Surgeon and Ocular Oncologist; Director, Medical Services of Centre for Sight Eye Hospitals and the Editor of Indian Journal of Ophthalmology has achieved the unique distinction of being the first Indian Ophthalmologist to receive the Life Achievement Honor Award, the highest award of the American Academy of Ophthalmology conferred to its members.
- American Academy of Ophthalmology is the world’s largest association of eye specialists.
OBITUARIES
Vishwesha Tirtha Swami of Pejawar Mutt passes away at 88Vishwesha Tirtha Swami, the 88-year-old pontiff of Pejawar Mutt, passed away in Udupi. He was admitted to the Kasturba Hospital in Manipal for the treatment of extensive pneumonia.
- Vishwesha Tirtha Swami made history by becoming the only seer among the seers of the Ashta Mutts (eight mutts) of Udupi, which propagate the Dwaita philosophy, to have performed five biennial Paryayas.
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