National
New Ramsar site in Ladakh
On 24 December 2020, the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar, in the Twitter, informed that India added Tso Kar Wetland Complex in Ladakh as its 42nd Ramsar site. The complex is a notable example of two connected lakes, the freshwater Startsapuk Tso and the hypersaline Tso Kar. The Ramsar list aims to develop and maintain an international network of wetlands which are important for the conservation of global biological diversity and for sustaining human life through the maintenance of their
ecosystem components, processes and benefits
State of the Education Report for India 2020
On 8 December 2020, the UNESCO New Delhi launched the ‘State of the Education Report for India 2020: Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). The report highlights the progress and achievements while capturing the intense activity around TVET provision.
Cabinet Approvals
On 23 December 2020, the Union Cabinet approved Rs.59,048 crore Post Matric Scholarship for more than 4 crore Scheduled Caste (SC) students
in the next 5 years, to enable them successfully complete their higher education. The scheme allows students to pursue any post-matric course starting from class 11 and onwards, with the government providing the cost of education. The Cabinet also approved the merger of Films Division, Directorate of Film Festivals, National Film Archives of India, and Children's Film Society, India with the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC). The Cabinet approved the revision in guidelines for providing DTH (Direct To Home) services in India. The DTH licence will be issued for 20 years in place of the present 10 years. The Licence fee will be collected quarterly
basis instead of an annual basis. The cabinet also gave its approval for signing the revised Air Services Agreement between India and Afghanistan as well as India and the Philippines.
PSLV-C50 launch successful
CMS-01, the communication satellite was successfully launched by PSLV-C50 on 17 December 2020 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. This is the 52nd flight of PSLV and 22nd flight of PSLV in 'XL' configuration (with 6 strap-on motors). CMS-01 is the 42nd communication satellite, and envisaged for providing services in Extended-C Band of the fre
quency spectrum. The satellite is going to function as a replacement for communication satellite GSAT-12 which was launched 11 years ago.
Netaji birth anniversary celebrations committee
On 21 December 2020, the Government of India decided to constitute a High-Level Committee headed by home Minister Amit Shah to commemorate the 125th Birth Anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. The Committee will decide on the activities for a one-year-long commemoration starting 23rd January 2021. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose born on 23 January 1897 in Cuttack.
Himgiri
On 14 December 2020, ‘Himgiri’, the first of the three Project 17A ships built at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata was launched in the waters of Hoogly River. Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat attended as the chief guest of the launching ceremony. The Project 17A programme will deliver a total of seven advanced frigates. It was approved by the Indian Government in February 2015 to enhance the Indian Navy’s combat capability.
National Family Health Survey
On 12 December 2020, Union Health Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan released 5th National Family Health Survey. The survey reveals the data about population, health and nutrition data for India, and its respective states and union territories. The present survey is the phase I that reveals the results of 17 states and 5 union territories covering 6.1 lakh sample households. Phase II will cover the remaining 12 States and 2 union territories had their fieldwork suspended due to COVID-19, which has been resumed from November 2020 and is expected to be completed by May 2021.
National Centre for Divyang Empowerment
On 10 December 2020, the National Centre for Divyang Empowerment at the CRPF Group Centre was inaugurated by the Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy in Hakimpet near Hyderabad. This is first of its kind establishment to re-skill and rehabilitates the Divyang Warriors of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) who suffered life-threatening injuries in the line of duty.
Status of Leopard in India 2018
On 21 December 2020, the Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar released the ‘Status of Leopard in India 2018’ report. As per the report, India has 12,852 leopards. It means more than 60% increase in the population of Leopards has been recorded over the previous estimate which was conducted in 2014. The report also revealed a fact that Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of leopards (3421), followed by Karnataka (1783), Maharashtra (1690).
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit
The ninth edition of the Sustainable Mountain Development Summit (SMDS) was held in Dehradun in Uttarakhand between 11-14 December 2020. The theme for this year is “Emerging Pathways for Building a Resilient Post COVID-19 Mountain Economy, Adaptation, Innovation and Acceleration”. The summit discussed the issues such as migration, water security, climate resilience and innovative solutions for the farm sector and disaster reduction in the region of Himalayas.
International
Human Freedom Index 2020
ndia got 111th rank out of 162 countries in the Human Freedom Index 2020. In 2019, India was ranked 94 on the index. The index covered 76 indicators of personal, civic and economic freedom. New Zealand got top rank in the index, followed by Switzerland and Hong Kong. Syria got last rank. The Human Freedom Index 2020 which uses data from 2008 to 2018 released by the Cato Institute in the United States and Fraser Institute in Canada on 17 December 2020, noted a decrease in personal freedoms since 2008 globally.
India and Bangladesh
On 17 December 2020, India and Bangladesh signed seven MoUs and agreements during the virtual summit between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The agreements include a frame
work of understanding in Hydrocarbon sector, framework agreement on High Impact Community Development Project (HICDP), protocol on transborder elephant conservation. Modi and Hasina also inaugurated the restored Chilahati – Haldibari rail route re-linking Bangladesh with North Bengal in India.
Trilateral Meet on Chabahar
On 14 December 2020, India, Iran and Uzbekistan discussed ways for joint use of the Chabahar port for trade and enhancing regional connectivity. Chabahar port located in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich Iran's southern coast. The port can be easily accessed from India's western coast, bypassing Pakistan. The trilateral meeting took place in the backdrop of India pitching for the participation of Uzbekistan in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) project.
ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus
On 10 December 2020, the Union Defence minister Rajnath Singh attended the 14th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus) organized online at Hanoi, Vietnam. The meeting marked the 10th anniversary of ADMM Plus. It is an annual meeting of Defence Ministers of 10 ASEAN Countries and eight partner countries.
India-Myanmar Bilateral Meeting
5th India- Myanmar Bilateral Meeting on Drug Control Cooperation was held virtually between India and Myanmar on 10th December 2020. The Indian delegation was led by the Director-General Narcotics Control Bureau (DCCB) Rakesh Asthana, said that high prevalence of drug abuse in the North Eastern States abutting the Myanmar border is a major cause of concern for India. Both countries agreed on the
exchange of intelligence information promptly to conduct follow-up investigations in drug seizure cases. IND-INDO CORPAT India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol
(IND-INDO CORPAT) between the Indian Navy and the Indonesian Navy was held between 17 -18 December 2020. As part of Government of India’s vision of SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region), the Indian Navy has been proactively engaging with countries in the Indian Ocean Region for Coordinated Patrols, cooperation in EEZ Surveillance, Passage exercises and Bilateral/ Multilateral exercises, towards enhancing regional maritime security.
IORA COM
On 17 December 2020, 20th IORA Council of Ministers (COM) Meeting was hosted virtually by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The theme of the meeting was “Promoting a Shared Destiny and Path to Prosperity in the Indian Ocean”. The Indian delegation was led by the Union Minister of State of External Affairs V. Muraleedharan. The meeting deliberated upon various regional and global issues of common interest by IORA (Indian Ocean Rim Association) member states.
Others
Good Governance Day
India celebrated Good Governance day on the eve of the birthday of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the former PM of India. Good Governance Day observed every year to create awareness of accountability in government among the citizens of India. On this eve, PM Modi released a book titled ‘Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Parliament: A Commemorative Volume’, highlighting the life and works of the former Prime Minister. On this occasion, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri launched E-Sampada, a new web portal and mobile app. The new application provides a single-window for all the services including an allotment for over one lakh government residential accommodations. Home Secretary A K Bhalla released the progress report of eHRMS (Electronic-Human Resource Management System).
Legion of Merit to MODI
The President of the United States of America conferred ‘The Legion of Merit, Degree Chief Commander’, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for his leadership in elevating bilateral strategic partnership and accelerating emergence of India as a global power. This a prestigious award conferred by the President of the United States, typically upon Heads of State or Heads of Government of other countries. On 21 December 2020, India's Ambassador to the USA, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, accepted the award on behalf of the Prime Minister from the USA National Security Advisor, Robert O'Brien, at the White House.
Vijay Diwas
On 16th December every year, Vijay Diwas is celebrated to recall the victory of India over Pakistan in 1971. The victory liberated East Pakistan and created of the new state of Bangladesh. On 16 December 1971, the Chief of the Pakistani Forces, General Niazi along with his 93,000 soldiers surrendered to Indian forces. Vijay Diwas also celebrated as 'Bijoy Dibos' or Bangladesh Liberation Day in Bangladesh, which signifies the official independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan.
Asian Games 2030 and 2034
On 16 December 2020, the Olympic Council of Asia announced that Doha (capital of Qatar) will host the 2030 Asian Games while Riyadh (capital of Saudi Arabia) will host the 2034 edition. In 2022, the Asian Games to be hosted by Hangzhou (China) and 2026 Asian games to be hosted by AichiNagoya (Japan).
‘Young Champions of the Earth’ 2020 prize
‘Young Champions of the Earth’ 2020 prize conferred on Vidyut Mohan, an engineer, who is the co-founder of "Takachar", a social enterprise enabling farmers to prevent open burning of their waste farm residues and earn extra income by converting them into value-added chemicals like activated carbon on-site. On 15 December 2020, in a statement UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) declared the other recipients of Prize also. They are Nzambi Matee from Kenya the head of Gjenge Makers, Xiaoyuan Ren from China who leads MyH2O, Lefteris Arapakis from Greece founded the start-up Enaleia, Max Hidalgo Quinto from Peru founded Yawa, Niria Alicia Garcia from the USA coordinates – alongside a community of indigenous activists and Fatemah Alzelzela from Kuwait started Eco Star.
World Human Rights Day
World Human Rights Day observed every year on 10 December. The date was chosen to honour the United Nations General Assembly's adoption and proclamation on 10 December 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This year's Human Rights Day theme is "Recover Better - Stand Up for Human Rights".
2020 Goldman Environmental Prize
On 30 November 2020, the Goldman Environmental Prize conferred by Goldman Environmental Foundation awarded annually to grassroots environmental activists. Among the six recipients, Chibeze Ezekiel of Ghana, Kristal Ambrose of the Bahamas, Leydy Pech of Mexico, Lucie Pinson of France, Nemonte Nenquimo of Ecuador, Paul Sein Twa of Myanmar.
Model
Model Questions
1. DRDO Lifetime Achievement Award – 2018 conferred on whom for his contributions for developing control and guidance schemes for missiles?
1) G. Satheesh Reddy 2) Vasudev Kalkunte Aatre 3) Avinash Chander
4) N V Kadam 5) Tessy Thomas
2. Florin Citu became the new Prime Minister of…………….
1) Romania 2) Bulgaria 3) Finland 4) Mexico 5) Macedonia
3. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah was reappointed as the PM of…
1) UAE 2) Iran 3) Iraq 4) Kuwait 5) Saudi Arabia
4. Sports Ministry approved the inclusion of four indigenous Games to be a part of Khelo India Youth Games 2021. The games include, Gatka, Kalaripayattu, Thang-Ta, ...
1) Morabaraba 2) Vallamkali 3) Jallikattu 4) Mallakhamba 5) Camel Race
5. Global Media and Film summit 2021 to be hosted by….
1) USA 2) India 3) UK 4) France 5) Italy
6. Which American media personality and reality TV star has been crowned the highest-paid celebrity of 2020 by Forbes?
1) Kanye West 2) Natalie Portman 3) Kylie Jenner 4) Tyler Perry 5) Howard Stern
7. Who won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2020?
1) Lewis Hamilton 2) Valtteri Bottas 3) Max Verstappen 4) Sebastian Vettel 5) Charles Leclerc
8. Who launched the COVID-19 Vaccine Market Dashboard– an interactive tool for countries, partners and industry to follow the developments of the rapidly evolving COVID-19 vaccine market?
1) Serum Institute of India 2) Government of India 3) UNICEF 4) USA 5) UK
9. India successfully conducted the first Army version test of state-ofthe-art Medium-Range Surface-toAir Missile (MRSAM) from a defence facility off Odisha coast on 23 December 2020. It was jointly developed by DRDO and…………
1) SPACE X 2) NASA 3) JAXA
4) Israel Aerospace Industries
5) China National Space Administration
10. UN Women proposed to partner with which state's Gender Park that has been initiating gender equality activities?
1) Kerala 2) Tamil Nadu 3) UP 4) West Bengal 5) Bihar
11. Indian Coast Guard’s (ICG) Offshore Patrol Vessel ‘Sujeet’ was commissioned in………….
1) Kandla 2) Mumbai 3) Vizag 4) Goa 5) Tuticorin
12. ISRO initiated ‘Project NETRA’ – an early warning system in space to detect debris and other hazards to Indian satellites. NETRA stands for?
1) NEtwork for space object TRacking and Atmosphere
2) NEtwork for space object TRaining and Analysis
3) NEtwork for sound object TRacking and Analysis
4) NEtwork for space object TRacking and Analysis
5) NEar for space object TRacking and Analysis
13. Who announced the launch of the world's first satellite-based narrowband-IoT network, in partnership with Skylo?
1) Jio 2) Vodafone Idea 3) BSNL 4) Airtel 5) Airtel and Jio
14. Who is CEO of Prasar Bharati elected as vice president of Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union?
1) Pradeep Kumar Ghosh 2) Rekha Sharma 3) Shashi Shekhar Vempati
4) Narendra Kumar 5) Ashok Kumar Gupta
15. NASA and the European Space Agency selected an IndianAmerican to be the Commander of the SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) recently. He/ she is……….
1) Ali Zaidi 2) Vinay Reddy 3) Milan Vaishnav 4) Raja Chari 5) Rohini Kosoglu
16. Which nation’s colourful lantern festival accorded with the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status?
1) Taiwan 2) Cuba 3) South Korea 4) Myanmar 5) Japan
17. Zena Wooldridge has been elected as president of …………
1) World Squash Federation 2) World Archery Federation
3) International Federation for Equestrian Sports
4) International Handball Federation
5) World Taekwondo
18. BBC Sports Personality of the Year award 2020 conferred on……….
1) Tyson Fury 2) Lewis Hamilton 3) Stuart Broad
4) Ronnie O'Sullivan 5) Virat Kohli
19. Who has been named the number one South Asian celebrity in the world for his philanthropic efforts during the course of the Covid-19 pandemic this year, published by UK-based weekly newspaper Eastern Eye?
1) Ratan TATA 2) Azim Premji 3) Sonu Sood 4) Amitab Bacchan 5) Sachin Tendulkar
20. The memoir, titled ‘The Presidential Years’, will be globally released in January 2021. The book written by…
1) Donald Trump 2) Abdul Kalam 3) Pratibha Patil 4) K R Narayanan 5) Pranab Mukherjee
Key : 1-4; 2-1; 3-4; 4-4; 5-2; 6-3; 7-3; 8-3; 9-4; 10-1; 11-4; 12-4; 31-3; 14-3; 15-4; 16-3; 17-1; 18-2; 19-3; 20-5.
