1. 5 day annual Konark dance festival started in _______________, near famous Sun Temple of Konark ?
2. An MoU signed between Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Rotary India, to accelerate _____________ Eradication Programme, Routine Immunization including Mission Indradhanush, Intensified Mission Indradhanush ?
3. __________ assembly passed Kapu reservation bill that will provide Kapu community with 5 % quota in education and employment in state. Kapu community has 27 % population in state. Now total Reservation in state has passed 50%, triggering need for central govt nod ?
4. As per Central Government’s draft on Central Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Rules 2017, only BS-VI compliant vehicles will be registered After 30th June, _________________. It is in line with earlier order by Central Government for implementation of Bharat Standard-VI compliant cleaner transport fuels across India by April 2020 and in Delhi by April 2018 ?
5. Central Government sanctioned INR 75 crore for setting up ______________________'s First Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) bottling plant, with annual capacity of 13000 metric tonnes ?
6. _____________ Government launched a mobile application through which Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Classes, minorities, and handicapped persons can apply for employment loans. Action wil be taken against officers who fail to take action on loan requests in stipulated time ?
7. General Events / Conferences (Dec 1 - 10, 2017) -
- 11th Annual MedTech Summit of Biodesign Programme (Department of Biotechnogy) held in New Delhi.
- 6th International Tourism Mart held in _______________ (Assam).
- 22nd conference of Asian Harmonization Working Party (AHWP) held at New Delhi.
- First International Conference on Sports Medicine and Sports Sciences SAICON 2017 held in Delhi. Minister of State (I/C) Youth Affairs and Sports Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore stated that -
- Under Khelo India, national school games would be organised from January 31 to February 8 in 2018 for under 17 age group. Top 1,000 athletes from this event will be entitled to Rs 5 lakh scholarships for eight years. 1,000 more athletes will be added each year for creating a pool of young talent.
- School Games will be followed by College Games for under the age group of 21 years.
- Khelo India programme will be launched at cost of INR 1756 crore for 2017-18 to 2019-20.
- National Conference on PDS (Public Distributon System) Reforms held in Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh).
- Shared Value Summit 2017 held in New Delhi with theme Equity and Empowerment.
- Conference on Groundwater issues in India held in Delhi, with theme Groundwater Vision 2030- Water Security, Challenges, and Climate Change Adaptation.
- First Meet of 15th Finance Commission held in New Delhi, under Chairmanship of N.K. Singh.
- India and Japan held first meeting under the newly established ‘India-Japan Act East Forum’ in New Delhi, aimed at identifing specific projects for economic development of the North-Eastern region of India.
- New Delhi Hosted Bodhi Parva: BIMSTEC Festival of Buddhist Heritage, as part of celebrations of 20th anniversary of BIMSTEC.
- UN Women and Facebook held an event in Mumbai named We The Women to empower and recognise magnificent contribution of women in our society.
8. ___________ Government approved Solar Power Policy, under which State Government will look to generate 150 MW of solar power by 2021 ?
9. Government approved setting up __________________ (NNM) with 3 year budget of INR 9046 crores -
- It will monitor, supervise, fix targets and guide nutrition related interventions across Ministries.
- All districts will be covered in a phased manner - 315 districts in 2017-18, 235 districts in 2018-19 and remaining districts in 2019-20.
- Outlay of INR 9046 crores will be funded by Government Budgetary Support (50%) and 50% by IBRD or other MDB. Government support would be 60:40 between Centre and States/UTs, 90:10 for NER and Himalayan States and 100% for UTs.
- NNM targets to reduce stunting, under-nutrition, anemia and reduce low birth weight by 2%, 2%, 3% and 2% per annum respectively.
- NNM would strive to achieve reduction in Stunting from 38.4% (NFHS-4) to 25% by 2022 (Mission 25 by 2022).
10. Government launched a 15 days door-to-door campaign for for early diagnosis, detection and treatment of _________________. Through this, health department workers, ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activists) will make door-to-door visits to find patients and give them free medical treatment till they are cured ?
11. India's Taj Mahal is ranked 2nd best UNESCO world heritage site in world, by travel portal TripAdvisor, after _______________'s Angkor Wat. ?
12. India's First Madame Tussauds Wax Museum opened in ___________ with 50 wax models of Indian and international celebrities. It is 23rd museum for Madame Tussauds which has centres in major cities across globe ?
13. India's largest floating solar power plant inaugurated at Banasura Sagar dam in Wayanad (______________), with capacity of 500 kilowatts (KW).
- It consists of 1,938 solar panels with a capacity of 260 watts, a 500 kilo volt ampere (KVA) transformer and 17 inverters.
- Unique feature of this plant is anchoring mechanism to maintain plant with alteration of water level.
14. India’s ‘first’ mobile food testing laboratory enabling on-the-spot food safety tests is launched in ______________, as first ever ‘Food Safety on Wheel’ mobile laboratory in India. The vehicle is equipped to conduct on-the-spot tests to check food quality and curb adulteration ?
15. Kacheguda Railway Station in Hyderabad (______________) is named first Energy Efficient ‘A1 Category’ Railway Station of Indian Railways, as it achieved 100% energy efficiency by replacing conventional lights with light-emitting diode (LED) lighting and other measures ?
16. Kerala government raised minimum age for liquor consumption from 21 to ________ years ?
17. __________________Assembly passed Dand Vidhi Vidheyak 2017 that will enable death sentence for rapists of girls 12 years or below, becoming first state to legalise death sentence for rapists ?
18. ______________ Government approved Industrial Policy for Women Entrepreneurs, considering a woman or a group of women who have financed 100% for project and hired minimum 50% women employees as women entrepreneurs.
- Under this, a woman entrepreneur would get financial assistance from state government in the range of Rs 15 lakh up to Rs 1 crore for capital investment in project at subsidized rate of interest up to 5%.
- For projects headed by women entrepreneurs, electricity will be supplied at a subsidized rate of Rs 1-2 per unit instead of Rs 7-8 per unit charges for industries.
- It is first state to have such policy exclusively for women entrepreneurs.
19. _____________ government will offer cash rewards to gram panchayats and urban local bodies for making their respective areas plastic-free, with First prize being INR 5 lakh. ?
20. __________ Government inaugurated Purvasha Folk and Tribal Art Museum at Barkul near Chilika, to promote state's cultural heritage ?
21. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated Dr.BR Ambedkar International Centre (DAIC) in _______________, constructed at cost of INR 195 crores ?
22. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated a unique world-class hospital at Swaminarayan Gurukul Vidyapeeth Pratisthanam in Ahmedabad (_____________). It is an integration of Yoga, Ayurveda, and Allopathy with world-class facilities in all the 3 streams ?
23. President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated Naval Maritime Aircraft Museum in Visakhapatnam (____________________), featuring maritime patrol aircraft Tupolev-142M ?
24. _____________ High Court banned bursting of crackers on New Year’s Eve & on Jan 1, as well as during weddings or other celebratory functions ?
25. _____________ government will introduce ‘Guru-Shishya’ (student-teacher dialogue) programme to address problems faced by students in various colleges in all districts. It will college students to an discuss their issues and problems related to their institutes, with their teachers ?
26. __________________ Government has set up ‘We-Hub’ on the lines of T-Hub for promoting women entrepreneurs in state, funded under Atal Innovation Mission. T-Hub is partnership between state govt with 3 premier academic institutes and private sector leaders ?
27. Tendu Leaf Bonus Festival organized in Bijapur district of _________________. During it, approx 247 crores of bonus has been distributed to tendu leaf collectors of Bastar and Bijapur ?
28. UNESCO inscribed India's Kumbh Mela on its List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, as _____________ intangible cultural heritage from India to be listed in UNESCO’s list ?
29. ___________ became first State to endorse Central government’s draft bill that makes instant triple talaq a cognisable and non-bailable offence. The draft law provides for 3 year imprisonment and a fine to a man trying to divorce his wife by uttering “talaq” three times ?
30. Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district has been included in National Capital Region (NCR), taking total number of districts in the NCR to ___________.
- NCR Cities get funds at attractive interest rates from National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) for infrastructure development.
31. __________ Government signed MoU with HP (Hewlett Packard) to provide tele-medicine facilities in remote areas of state.
- Usage of telecommunication and information technology to provide clinical health care from a distance is referred to as tele-medicine.
32. Waste management system in _____________'s Alappuzha has been recognized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as one of best 5 models across the world for fighting pollution menace, as per UNEP report Solid approach to waste: how five cities are beating pollution ?
33. ____________ Assembly passed Green University Bill 2017, to set up an environmental studies university at Hooghly district, becoming first state to have a university dedicated to environmental studies.
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34. Aadivasi Mahotsav 2017 held in Raipur (_____________) to display diverse tribal traditions of state ?
35. As per National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), __________ is at top in number of cyber crimes in India, followed by Maharashtra. 12,317 cases of cybercrimes were reported in India in 2016, annual increase of over 6 % ?
36. ____________ Government approved Safe City Surveillance scheme for curbing eve-teasing, harassment and other crimes against women at public places ?
37. _______________ government will launch accident victim policy which will cover all hospital expenses of victims of road accidents, acid attacks or burns. There is no upper limit on the cost of treatment and all victims irrespective of residence, and even foreigners will get free treatment in any hospital, if accident heppens in UT Terrirory ?
38. Government made it mandatory for Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to seek approval from Department of Heavy Industry (DHI) before accepting any proposal to supply electric buses for availing incentives under FAME India (___________) scheme ?
39. _________ topped preliminary rankings of Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) for this year with score of 69 %, followed by Telangana (68.46 %). Commerce and Industry Ministry will release final rankings in January-February 2018. ?
40. India’s first Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) will be built in ___________, aimed at for providing facilities and amenities for manufacturing mobiles and allied products ?
41. ______________ government launched central govt's SAUBHAGYA (Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojna) with an aim to provide free electricity connections to poor people in state. SAUBHAGYA initiative was launched by Central Govt in Sep 2017 to provide electricity to 4 crore families across India by December 2018 ?
42. _____________ government will recognise political prisoners held in jails during emergency period (1975 - 1977) as ‘Loktantra Sainani’,by changing name of MISA and DIR Bandi Pension Rules 2008 to Loktantra Sainani samman Nidhi 2008. ?
43. ____________, Minister of Law & Justice AND Electronics & Information Technology inaugurated NIC-CERT of National Informatics Centre, aimed at checking enhancing threats and vulnerabilities that are inherent part of increasing cyberspace. It was needed as in recent years, exponential growth in cyber attacks leading to concerns of data theft has been observed by Government ?
44. __________ government made it compulsory for all government offices to install LED bulbs, to reduce consumption of electricity ?
45. ____________ State Government announced life insurance cover amounting to Rs 5 lakh for each of pilgrims coming to upcoming Gangasagar fair, which is held annually on the occasion of Makar Sankranti at confluence of Ganges at Sagra Islands in South 24 Parganas district ?
46. Central Government will set up ___________ special courts to deal exclusively with criminal cases against 1581 Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs). ?
47. Government will club phase I and phase II of Ken-Betwa inter linking river (ILR) project, upon demands raised by Madhya Pradesh Govt.
- Cost will now be revised, which was initially 18,000 crore (Phase 1), and 8000 crore (Phase 2).
- Ken-Betwa Inter Linking project aims to transfer surplus water from Ken River to the Betwa basin through concrete canal to irrigate India’s worst drought-prone Bundelkhand region.
- It will benefit 2 states in terms of meeting irrigation, drinking water and electricity needs of people across 6 districts in the MP & _____________.
48. _________ government will establish an organ and tissue transplant organisation (SOTTO) at Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) in Rohtak. ?
49. Home Ministry released Rs 174 crore to six states – Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Manipur, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh – under __________________ (BADP) ?
50. __________ government and USA Aviation Firm Boeing signed agreement to set up Aircrafts' Parts manufacturing and assembly facility near Bengaluru, at cost of 1152 crores ?
51. Leaders of 10 ASEAN Nations will be chief guests for Republic Day 2018 of India.
- AESAN Nations (____________________) - Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, Laos, Brunei.
52. ___________ State Government approved INR 7546-crore project for linking Narmada River with Parvati River, aimed at create irrigation facilities on 2 lakh hectares of agriculture land in Malwa region ?
53. Ministry of Railways introduced online bill tracking system, IREPS (__________________) for vendors and contractors, developed in house by CRIS (Centre for Railway Information Systems), New Delhi. ?
54. National Green Tribunal (NGT) declared Amarnath Shrine as silence zone and prohibited religious offerings like chanting of hymns, and ringing bells beyond the entry point. It is aimed at protecting eco-sensitive Amarnath cave shrine (______________) ?
55. ____________________ become first state to launch free email addresses in Hindi (in Devanagari script) for its residents, to ensure maximum participation of people towards e-governance and that maximum facilities are available in vernacular language.
56. _____________ government developed a mobile application named ‘Urban Genie‘ that will help urban citizens in finding certified technicians and workers to provide household services. ?
57. ___________ Government has introduced Child Care Leave (CCL) for women employees with minor children for 730 days in their entire service life. ?
58. ____________ Government approved draft of Control of Organised Crime Act to fight land mafia, mining mafia and organised crime in state, on lines of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). ?
59. Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu launchesd New Delhi Edition of __________ daily ‘Lokmat’.
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60. Cabinet Approvals -
- National -
- Creation of one circle office of Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) for carrying out functions of Commission of Metro Railway Safety.
- Economy -
- Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) applicable on all debit card/BHIM UPI/ Aadhaar enabled Payment System (AePS) transactions upto and including a value of ____________ will be borne by Government for 2 years starting 1st January 2018, by reimbursing it to banks.
- Continuation of Non Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) scheme with funding pattern of 90:10 till March 2020 with outlay of 5300 crores. It would enable completion of ongoing projects.
- New Central Scheme North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS) also approved from 2017-18 with 100% funding from Central Government to fill up gaps in creation of infrastructure in specified sectors till March 2020. NESIDS will strengthen health care, education facilities, tourism and employment opportunities in region.
- Approved special package for employment generation in leather and footwear sector, involving implementation of Central Scheme Indian Footwear, Leather & Accessories Development Programme with expenditure of INR 2600 Crores from 2017-18 to 2019-20.
- Continuation of Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National Ayush Mission (NAM) from 01.-04-2017 to 31-03-2020 with outlay of 2400 crores over 3 year period.
- Second Financial Restructuring of Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) - Conversion of Non-Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares (RPS) amounting INR 4079 crores held by President of India, into Compulsorily Convertible Non-Cumulative Preference Shares (CCPS). It will raise net worth of KRCL.
- Foreign -
- MOU with Colombia in field of agriculture and fisheries.
- Agreement with UNESCO on establishment of International Training Centre for Operational Oceanography in Hyderabad.
61. Chandigarh Administration launched smart city cards, in collaboration with _____________. It can be used to make payments for various government utilities and at retail merchants, fuel stations. It will also be a valid ID Proof.
62. GE Aviation (_________) and Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) partnered to manufacture, assemble, integrate and test aircraft components in India, Including CFM International LEAP engine (considered world’s leading jet engine).
63. ___________ Government will adopt Clinical establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act, to ensure minimum standards of facilities and services provided by them ?
64. __________ Metro launched a new security app ‘Secucare’, for raising an alarm to ensure passengers’ safety. Through it, commuters can raise an alarm in case of any problem.
65. ___________ govt. increased age limit for applying for government jobs from 35 to 40 years.
66. Andhra Pradesh Govt. providing pension of INR ___________ to transgenders (above 18 years age) in state. Among other states, Kerala and Odisha have already introduced pension schemes for transgenders.
67. Government approved National Medical Commission Bill 2017, to replace Medical Council Act ___________ and bringing reforms in medical education sector. It will replace existing apex medical education regulator Medical Council of India (MCI) with 25-member National Medical Council (NMC).
68. ___________ High Court struck down rules laid out by central govt in 2014 that mandated pictorial health warnings to cover 85% of tobacco product packaging space, holding that they violated Constitutional norms.
- However, 40% pictorial health warning rule, which existed prior to amendment rules, will remain in force.
69. __________ became first state to operationalize a Community Participation and Public Services Social Audit Act 2017, a law that makes social audit of government programmes and schemes a part of government practice.
70. Nagaland Assembly passed a resolution revoking provisions of __________ reservation for women in urban local bodies.
71. PM Narendra Modi Launched 60MW Tuirial Hydroelectric Power Project in ____________. It has been constructed by North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (Neepco).
72. PM Narendra Modi announced investing ________________ crore for building a network of highways and roads in North Eastern region over 2 - 3 years.
73. President Ram Nath Kovind laid foundation stone of Nyaya Gram, a residential and training complex of Allahabad High Court (______________).
74. Samsung India partnered with UNESCO MGIEP (Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development) to launch 360-degree video and Virtual Reality (VR) content of Sun Temple in Konark (________________) and Taj Mahal (Uttar Pradesh).
75. _________ Govt. will Set up a Research Institute on Shrimad Bhagvat Gita in Mathura.
76. 10 Days long Traditional festival of Losar celebrated in Ladakh region of _____________ to mark beginning of New Year in this Himalayan region.
77. ____________ government signed MoU with Alphabet InC’s X (Google X) to bring Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC) technology to India, to provide high quality & affordable digital services through internet under state government’s Fiber grid project.
78. _____________ Pradesh Legislative Assembly Elections 2017 -
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won Majority by winning 99 of 182 seats. Rival party Congress got 77 seats. BJP got 49.1 % Votes while Congress got 41.4%.
79. ________________ Legislative Assembly Elections 2017 -
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won Majority by winning 44 of 68 seats. Rival party Congress got 21 seats. BJP got 48.8 % Votes while Congress got 41.7%.
80. Jokapatha village, a tribal village in Balrampur district of __________ got electricity connection for first time since Indian independence.
81. Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and __________ India signed MoU to support Skill India Mission in automobile industry, to provide high employment potential trades related to automobile and manufacturing industry to youth under Skill India Mission.
82. Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated eastern India’s first compressed natural gas (CNG) stations in Bhubaneswar (Odisha).
Mr Pradhan Also Stated that for Period of April - Oct of FY 2017-18, _____________________has overtaken Saudi Arabia to become India’s top crude oil supplier.
83. ______________________ Government along with the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) is planning to set up a gaming and e-learning hub, as first of its kind in Asia-Pacific region.
84. ____________ State Government and Isha Foundation signed MOU for rejuvenation and conservation of rivers. Isha Foundation is led by spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev ?
85. Environment Ministry accorded environmental clearance for Kaleshwaram Irrigation Project in __________.
- Project is estimated to cost Approx INR 80499 crores and is proposed to be completed in three years.
- Project aims to provide drinking water facility for Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Submergence area is estimated to be about 13706 hectares.
86. Niti Aayog will set up a ________________ Economy Fund worth Rs 4,000-5,000 crore to promote production and use of clean fuel, by converting high ash content coal into ____________ . It can be used as an energy producing fuel, transportation fuel and cooking fuel.
87. __________ government banned manufacturing, sale, production, supply and use of kite string made of nylon, plastic or any other synthetic material.
88. Tribal Sports Meet 2017 held in Odisha_____________ as a first-of-its kind event in country to promote sports among tribals in state, with Olly as official mascot.
89. As per Rise of the Millennials: India’s Most Valuable Celebrity Brands report by Duff & Phelps -
- _________________ named as India’s top-ranking celebrity brand in 2017, with brand balue of $144 million. He replaced actor Shah Rukh Khan.
90. Cabinet Approvals -
- MoU with Cuba and Italy for cooperation in field of Health and Medicine.
- Establishing India's First National Rail and Transportation University at Vadodara (____________________), to skill its human resources and build capability.
- New skill development scheme named Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector (SCBTS), covering entire value chain of the textile sector excluding Spinning & Weaving in organized Sector. It has outlay of INR 1300 crores from 2017-18 to 2019-20. It aims to provide demand driven, placement oriented skilling programme to incentivize the efforts of industry in creating jobs in organized textile and related sectors.
- MoU with Myanmar for developing Myanmar’s Rakhine state. India will take up building prefabricated housing in Rakhine State, to meet immediate needs of returning people.
- Railways Ministry planned to make all stations 100% LED lit by March 2018.
- Extension of term of Commission to examine issue of sub-categorization of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) by 12 weeks (upto 2 April, 2018). Commission is headed by G. Rohini.
- Auction of 683 private FM radio frequencies in 236 cities across country under Phase III of FM radio privatization. It aims at expanding FM reach in remote cities and generate over 10,000 jobs.
91. General Events / Conferences (Dec 11 - 20, 2017)
- 19th International Workshop on Physics of Semiconductor Devices (IWPSD-2017) held in New Delhi.
- 14th Inclusive Finance India Summit held in New Delhi, aimed at building consensus on strategies and a unified vision for achieving universal financial inclusion in India.
- Three day media workshop on Climate Change Reporting in Himalayas organised in Kohima (Nagaland).
- 54th meeting of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) programming committee held at SAARC secretariat in Kathmandu (Nepal).
- CSR Summit for Pioneering Cochlear Implant Surgery held in New Delhi.
- 90th Annual General Meeting of FICCI held in New Delhi.
- 49th Annual Conference of the Society of Nuclear Medicine – India (SNMICON) held in New Delhi.
- World Conference on Vedas (Vishwa Ved Sammelan) held in New Delhi.
- 2nd edition of Serendipity Arts festival is held in Goa, bringing together 7 art forms.
- National Workshop on Role of Sakhi One Stop Centres (OSCs) in Strengthening Multi Sectoral Response to Violence held in New Delhi.
- 3rd World Telugu Conference held in Hyderabad (Telangana).
- International Herbal Fair held in Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh).
- Global Partnership Summit (GPS) 2017 held in ____________________, organised by India Center Foundation (ICF).
- 1st national-level training of trainers programme to sensitise Central Ministries and Departments on utilisation of Sendai Framework for developing action plans for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) held in New Delhi, organised by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction-Global Education and Training Institute (UNISDR-GETI).
92. ___________ government would distribute sanitary napkins free of cost to all women belonging to BPL (Below Poverty Line) category in State.
93. India’s first and only design university - World University of Design opened at Sonipat (_________________). WUD is India’s first university dedicated to education in creative domain.
94. Konkan Railway and IIT _________________ signed MoU to transform George Fernandes Institute of Tunnel Technology in Goa to a world-class centre of knowledge in tunnel and underground structure technologies.
95. Minister of Communications Manoj Sinha launched DARPAN (____________________________) Project to improve quality of service, add value to services and achieve “financial inclusion” of un-banked rural population. It aims of financial inclusion for rural population and it is targeted to complete the project by March 2018.
96. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) launched SAMEEP (_______________________), as an outreach mission that aims to take Indian foreign policy and its global engagements to students across country and also to look at diplomacy as a career option. SAMEEP aims to familiarise school and college students in India about functioning of MEA.
97. ______________ Govt launched UCIC app to check unauthorised construction and a new web portal of the housing department for online issue of change of land use. It will facilitate swift action to stop illegal construction.
98. ____________ State Government scrapped Shravan Yatra scheme under which elderly citizens could undertake pilgrimage free of cost, started in 2015 by Samajwadi Party government.
- State government also announced setting up of Cow Protection Committees (Gau Sanrakshan Samitis) in all districts, to make sure that cow sheds (gaushalas) are operated efficiently.
99. Brand Trust Report India Study 2017 ranked ____________ as India’s most trusted Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) brand and most attractive brand.
100. Forbes India Celebrity 100 list 2017 -
- Actor ___________ topped the list, With earnings of INR 233 crores.
- Shah Rukh Khan 2nd with earnings of 170 crores, cricketer Virat Kohli 3rd with 100.72 crore earnings.
101. 2nd Iranshah Udvada Utsav, a Parsi cultural festival organized in _______.
102. As per National Family Health Survey, percentage of women married before legal age has reduced from 47.4% in 2005-06 to ______________ in 2014-15. Further, as per analysis of Census 2011 data by NCPCR, ‘nil’ marriages were reported in the age group of 0-9 years for both boys and girls. ?
103. Central PSU NHPC will set up 100-200 Mw capacity solar project in _____________, expressing interest in state Government’s upcoming 1000 Mw solar park programme.
104. Environment ministry launched pilot project '________________, to enhance standards of cleanliness on beaches.
105. Government drawn up action plans for backward district programme to improve socio-economic profiles of ______________ identified “most-backward” districts including 35 affected by left-wing extremism.
106. ____________ became first Indian Airline to operate over 1000 flights in a day across India.
107. India will get its first runway on a ‘sea bridge’, as Airports Authority of India (AAI) will extend ______________’s Agatti Airport by building an RCC platform on the beach and shallow area which will allow bigger ATRs to operate on island.
108. India’s first-ever broad gauge air-conditioned AC EMU suburban train flagged off by western railway (from ___________'s Borivali station).
109. International poetry festival Mystic Kalinga organized in Bhubaneswar (________________).
110. Bengaluru (__________) has become first Indian city to have its own logo. The with red and black logo is part English and part Kannada.
111. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated Botanical Garden-Kalkaji section (of Magenta Line) of ______________ Metro. This 12.64-km route of Magenta Line will be first line to get driverless trains, using Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling technology.
112. ___________ government announced 1 % reservation for Gujjars (retaining their Other Backward Classes status) and 4 other communities (Banjara, Gadia-Lohar, Rebari and Gadaria).
113. Rural Development Ministry and State Governments have completed ranking of ______________________ Gram Panchayats (selected under ‘Mission Antyodaya’) on three broad parameters of physical infrastructure, human development and economic activities.
- Mission Antyodaya aims to create ______________ poverty-free gram panchayats.
- Gram Panchayats have been selected by State Governments on the basis of social capital and have been grouped under 5000 clusters.
114. ___________ assembly passed state Excise (Amendment) Bill 2017, to award death penalty and life imprisonment for spurious liquor dealers.
115. ______________ government signed an MoU with South Korea to enhance cooperation in the field of tourism, skill development, culture and farming.
116. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) allowed Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) manufactured ____________ for civilian flights, the 19-seater aircraft that was till now used only by defence forces. It became first ‘Made in India’ plane to be used for commercial flights.
117. NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (government’s flagship program to promote innovation and entrepreneurship nationwide in schools, universities and industry), has selected additional 1500 Schools for establishment of Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs), taking number of schools under mission to ______________ across India.
- ATLs aims to be innovative play workspaces for students between Grade VI to Grade XII, which stimulate innovations combining science & technology.
118. ______________________ state Govt. splitted tourism and culture departments, renaming cultural wing as Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department. It was also decided to set up a ‘Heritage Cabinet’ to protect the monuments and ancient temples.
119. Committee set up for technical and safety standards of India’s first pod taxi project or PRT (___________) invited fresh bids for strictest safety standards on lines of those prescribed in USA. It is meant for a 12.3-km stretch from Delhi-Haryana border on NH 8.
- PRT or pod taxi is an advanced public transport using automated electric pod cars to provide taxi-like demand responsive feeder and shuttle services for small groups of travellers.
120. Maruti Suzuki partnered with _________ government to set up 12 automated driving test centres across city, investing approximately 15 crores.
121. President Ram Nath Kovind dedicated 4 Launched projects in _____________ - Fibregrid, Surveillance Project, Drone Project and Free Space Optical Communication or FSOC system.
122. Teesta Rangit Tourism Festival 2017 held in Darjeeling and Kalimpong (__________).
123. 6th Global Kokan Festival will be held at Navi Mumbai (________________) in January 2018.
124. Government announced that installation of bio-toilets in all passenger trains will be completed by March ______________.
125. International Sweet Festival will be hosted by Hyderabad (_____________) in January 2018, coinciding with International Kite festival at Hyderabad.
126. Arunachal Pradesh became 2nd Northeast state (after _____________) to be officially declared Open Defecation Free (ODF). Overall, it is 5th to be declared ODF State, after Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Haryana.
127. As part of the Ekatm Yatra, _____________ CM Shivraj Chauhan flagged off Adi Shakara Sandesh Vahini mobile museum in Kochi (Kerala), showcasing various aspects of the life of Adi Shankaracharya, an early 8th century Indian philosopher and theologian who consolidated doctrine of Advaita Vedanta.
128. ____________ Govt. launched skill development training centres across state, to carry forward central Govt.’s vision for skilling the youth of nation through 'Skill India' programme.
129. ________________ CM Nitish Kumar laid foundation stones for over 100 projects worth INR 700 crores in Nalanda district as part of his state-wide Vikas Samiksha Yatra.
130. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched a start-up incubation center called Centre for Entrepreneurship Opportunities and Learning (CEOL) in Mangaluru (______________).
131. _____________ government launched mobile app to connect over 16, 000 members of School Management Committees (SMCs), to make process more transparent.
132. Environment Ministry approved regional project on Climate Resilience Building among Farmers through Crop Residue Management under National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC), to mitigate climate change impacts and counter adverse environmental impacts arising from ___________.
133. FY 2017 - 18 Winter Session passed Bills -
- Lok Sabha Passed Central Road Fund (Amendment) Bill 2017, that seeks to amend Central Road Fund Act 2000.
- Under CRF Act 2000, cess levied and collected on high speed petrol and diesel is distributed for development of rural roads, national highways, railways, state roads and border area roads.
- CRF (Amendment) Bill 2017 seeks to allocate ____________ of funds collected to accelerate development and maintenance of national waterways by reducing equal percentage from share of national highways. It aims at generating INR 2300 crore revenue for national waterways.
- Parliament passed Companies (Amendment) Bill 2017 to strengthen corporate governance standards, initiate strict action against defaulting companies and help improve ease of doing business. Bill provides for over 40 amendments to Companies Act 2013.
- Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) Bill 2017, to declare IIMs as institutions of national importance and extend greater autonomy to them, by restricting government’s role in their functioning.
- Lok Sabha passed Requisitioning and Acquisition of Immovable Property (Amendment) Bill 2017, to make it easier for government to acquire immovable property for “national security and defence purpose”. It amends Requisitioning and Acquisition of Immovable Property Act 1952 and changes rules for payment of compensation.
- Rajya Sabha passed Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy (IIPE) Bill 2017, to establish IIPE Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) as an institution of national importance. It aims to provide high quality education and research focussing on all aspects and themes of petroleum, hydrocarbons and energy. The bill was passed by Lok sabha Earlier.
- Lok Sabha passed Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Amendment Bill 2017, amending GST (Compensation to States) Act 2017 and replaces an Ordinance promulgated in Sep 2017. The amendment increases maximum rate at which Compensation Cess can be levied from 15 to 25% on motor vehicle for transport of not more than 13 persons (mostly luxury vehicles).
- Parliament passed National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Amendment Bill 2017, to amend National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Act 2011. It extends deadline for relocating slum dwellers and Jhuggi-Jhopri clusters, regulating street vendors, unauthorised colonies in Delhi and calls for creating policy for farm houses constructed beyond permissible limits.
- Lok Sabha passed Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriages) Bill 2017 dclaring instant triple talaq illegal and criminalises it with up to three years in jail for husband. Bill will now will be sent to Rajya Sabha for passage.
- Lok Sabha passed Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill 2017 to pave way for tightening loopholes in existing code and to make resolution process more effective. It Bill amends Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) 2016. Main Features Include -
- It Bill prohibits certain persons from submitting a resolution plan in case of defaults.
- A penalty of minimum Rs 1 lakh and maximum Rs 2 crore has been proposed for contravening any of the provisions of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).
- It allows asset reconstruction companies, banks and alternative investment funds registered with the Securities and Exchange Board of India to bid for insolvent companies.
134. GAIL India placed orders for 2,100 km of Jagdishpur-Haldia & Bokaro-Dhamra Natural Gas Pipeline (JHBDPL) project.
- Pradhan Mantri ______________ project (also known as JHBDPL project) originates at Jagdishpur (Uttar Pradesh). The main trunk of pipeline ends to Haldia (West Bengal) and Dhamra (Odisha).
- Pipeline passes through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha. Cost of project is Rs. 12,940 crore and is to be completed by 2019.
135. General Events / Conferences (Dec 21 - 31, 2017)
- NDMA conducted state level mock exercise on earthquake in Haryana.
- NE Regional Conference on ‘Good Governance and Replication of Best Practices’ held in Guwahati (Assam).
- Centenary (100th) conference of Indian Economic Association held in Guntur (_____________).
- 78th session of Indian History Congress held at theJadavpur University in Kolkata.
- 18th Meeting of Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) held in New Delhi, under Chairmanship of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
- 32nd Indian Engineering Congress organised by Institution of Engineers (India) in Chennai.
- Ganga Gram Swachata Sammelan held in New Delhi, during it Ganga Gram project has been Launched under clean Ganga mission, aimed at holistic sanitation development in villages on banks of River Ganga.
- 7th India International Coffee Festival (IICF) will be hosted by Bengaluru in January 2018.
- Centenary celebrations of Yoga Institute in held in Mumbai. Institute was founded by Shree Yogendraji Mani Haribhai Desai in 1918.
136. ____________ Govt. launched Bhavantar Bharpayee Yojana from Karnal district. Under this, farmers will be compensated by state government, whenever market prices of the stipulated produce go below mentioned prices (applicable for tomato, onion, potato and cauliflower).
137. ____________ Police imposed ban on public display of weapons, till 1 January 2019.
138. _______________ police will go digital from January 1 2018, as routine work in police stations will be computerised under Criminal Tracking and Networking System (CCTNS), under national e-governance initiative.
139. Orange Festival of Music and Adventure held in Dambuk village of _________________.
140. Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari flagged off cargo movement on Pandu-Dhubri route (on National Waterway 2) along Brahmaputra River in _____________, reducing logistics cost and save 300 km road travel. Central Government has sanctioned Rs 1250 crore for overall development of inland water transport of state.