Dear Friends,
Welcome to the Quick Gyan (QG) Section of D2G. QG is just a glimpse of what happened today all over the world.
Only For Serious Candidates : We strongly recommend you to read the Current Affairs in detail. For your convenience, we have provided quick links under the updates. Make use of it.
Always Keep Yourself Updated!!!
1. December 09 – International Anti-Corruption Day
The International Anti-Corruption Day is observed on December 9 every year. On 31 October 2003, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Corruption and requested that the Secretary-General designate the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as secretariat for the Convention’s Conference of States Parties. The Assembly also designated 9 December as International Anti-Corruption Day, to raise awareness of corruption and of the role of the Convention in combating and preventing it. The Convention entered into force in December 2005.
2015 Theme: Break the corruption chain.
Quick Link – International Anti-Corruption Day
2. Yes Bank announced to mobilize 5 billion US dollars for climate action by 2020
YES Bank, India’s fifth largest private bank, has announced it would mobilize $5 billion towards climate finance by 2020 to help India meet its target of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). The bank made the declaration on the sidelines of the Conference of Parties (COP) 21 climate summit underway in Paris. The bank’s $5 billion mobilisation target from 2015 to 2020 will be done through lending, investing and raising capital towards mitigation, adaptation and resilience.
Yes Bank claims leadership in the field with an exposure of 1,065 Mw of renewable energy projects including solar, wind and biomass as of March 2015.
Quick Link – Yes Bank
3. Hetero became first Indian company to receive DGCI’s approval for hepatitis C drug
Drug maker Hetero has received approval from DCGI to market generic version of Gilead’s Harvoni, a drug used in the treatment of Hepatitis C in India. Hetero is the first Indian company to receive the approval for the fixed-dose combination Ledipasvir-Sofosbuvir (90mg/400mg) from Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). Following the non-exclusive licensing agreement signed with Gilead Sciences in September last year, to manufacture and market chronic hepatitis C medicines, Hetero is all set to launch the fixed-dose combination therapy Ledipasvir-Sofosbuvir for Indian patients.
Quick Link – Hetero’s Hepatitis C Drug
4. Chen Long and Carolina Marin bagged 2015 BWF Player of the Year Awards
Reigning World No.1 and 2015 All England and World champion Carolina Marin pipped Indian ace shuttler Saina Nehwal to win the Female Player of the Year award from BWF President Poul-Erik Høyer in Dubai. Marin, who has won five World Superseries titles, held off competition from China’s Zhao Yunlei, Saina and China’s Bao Yixin.
China’s Chen Long retained the Male Player of the Year award that he won last year. His young compatriot Zheng Si Wei was acknowledged as the Most Promising Player of the Year. Korea’s Lee Sam Seop and Norway’s Helle Sofie Sagoy won the Para-Badminton Player of the Year awards in the male and female categories respectively.
Quick Link – BWF Player of the Year Awards
5. Pune, Rajkot became interim IPL franchises to replace CSK, RR
Pune and Rajkot have emerged as the new franchises in the Indian Premier League for the next two years. They will replace Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, who are currently facing two-year suspensions imposed by the Supreme Court-mandated RM Lodha panel following the 2013 IPL corruption scandal. Sanjeev Goenka’s New Rising won the bid for Pune, while Intex will represent Rajkot. Goenka owns the power and retail giant CESC Ltd while Intex makes mobile handsets and IT accessories.
Quick Link – New IPL Teams
6. Angela Merkel is Time ‘Person of the Year’
Time Magazine has named German Chancellor Angela Merkel its “Person of the Year”. The magazine bestowed the title on the 61-year-old world leader for the way she managed the economic crisis over the summer, and the way she’s currently handling the refugee crisis and terrorism threat looming over Europe. Merkel is the first individual woman to receive the “Person of the Year” recognition since TIME changed its title from “Man of the Year” in 1999. Women, however, have been recognized as part of a group, such as last year’s winner, “Ebola Fighters.”
Quick Link – Angela Merkel
7. India extends hand of cooperation to Pak
Pitching for better ties with the neighbouring countries, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that India is ready to work with Afghanistan and Pakistan claiming that “the heart of Asia cannot function if its arteries are clogged.”
She extended a hand of cooperation to Pakistan and said that India is ready to adjust to Pakistan’s pace and work with them. “India extends its hand to Pakistan as well. It is time that we display the maturity and self confidence to do business with each other. For its part, India is prepared to move the cooperation at a pace which Pakistan is comfortable with,” Swaraj said.
The External Affairs Minister yet again claimed that it is the “collective duty of all to ensure that the forces of terrorism and extremism do not find sanctuaries and safe heavens in any name form or manifestations.”
8. India ranks 4th in black money outflows per annum
India ranks fourth in the world in black money outflows with a whopping $51 billion siphoned out of the country per annum between 2004 and 2013. The illegal capital outflows stem from tax evasion, crime, corruption and other illicit activity record $ 1.1 trillion flowed illicitly out of developing and emerging economies in 2013.
China topped the list with $ 139 billion average outflow of illicit finances per annum, followed by Russia ($ 104 billion per annum) and Mexico ($52.8 billion per annum), according to the annual report released by Global Financial Integrity (GFI), a Washington-based research and advisory organisation.
Quick Link – Black Money Outflow
9. Manohar Parrikar becomes first Indian defence minister to visit PACOM
Manohar Parrikar has visited the US Pacific Command headquarters in Hawaii, becoming the the first-ever Indian Defence Minister to visit the key facility in a sign of deepening of military ties between the two strategic partners. Parriakr held meetings with the PACOM Commander Admiral Harry B Harris and discussed the growth of the strategic partnership between the two nations. The two also emphasised the importance of expanded maritime security cooperation within the context of broader military-to-military ties, especially in the Indo-Asia- Pacific.
Quick Link – Manohar Parrikar
10. Glaciers in Mount Everest shrink 28% in 40 years: Report
Glaciers on Mount Everest, source of major Asian rivers like Brahmaputra, have shrunk by 28 per cent over the past 40 years due to climate change. The glacial shrinkage area is compared to the measurements taken in the 1970s in the report released by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Hunan University of Science and Technology, and Mount Qomolangma Snow Leopard Conservation Centre. The glacier area on the south slope of the world’s highest mountain, in Nepal, has decreased 26 per cent since the 1980s.
Quick Link – Glaciers in Mt Everest
11. December 09 – International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide
In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly established 9 December as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime. The 9th of December is the anniversary of the adoption of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the “Genocide Convention”).
The purpose of the day is to raise awareness of the Genocide Convention and its role in combating and preventing the crime of genocide, as defined in the Convention, and to commemorate and honour its victims.
Quick Link – Genocide
12. Govt proposes joint venture between NPCIL and NTPC, NALCO
To give boost to nuclear power generation in the country, the government has proposed joint ventures between Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) and other Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) like the NTPC, Indian Oil and NALCO. However, this is subject to the passing of Atomic Energy Amendment Bill 2015 introduced in the Lok Sabha. The JVs proposed with other PSUs is to pool equity for expanding installed nuclear power capacity.
Quick Llink – Joint Venture
13. PFRDA asks government to give tax incentives, expand pension cover
PFRDA Chairman Hemant G Contractor said government should consider giving tax incentives to pension sector and expand its coverage to include people in the informal sector as they do not have any universal social security net. He said People in the informal sector are not adequately covered under the pension scheme and something has to be done for this class of customers.
Quick Link – PFRDA
14. 2 Indians win Queen’s Young Leaders award in UK
Two Indians have won the Queen’s Young Leaders award in the UK for their exceptional work in transforming the lives of others and making a lasting difference in their communities. Kartik Sawhney, 21, and Neha Swain, 28 from India are among 60 others who won the Queen’s Young Leaders award 2016 which will be presented by the British monarch at a gala ceremony in Buckingham Palace in June 2016.
Quick Link – Young Leaders Award
15. Russia launches Syria submarine strikes ahead of talks
Russia flexed its military muscles as it launched strikes in Syria for the first time from a submarine stationed in the Mediterranean, ratcheting up its bombing campaign in the war-torn country. The strikes came with Syria’s splintered opposition due to begin Saudi-organised talks in Riyadh on Wednesday for difficult discussions on forming a united front in potential talks with President Bashar al-Assad to end the country’s years-long conflict.
Russia launched a bombing campaign in Syria on September 30, saying it needed to target Islamic State (IS) jihadists — but the West has accused Moscow of seeking to prop up Assad’s regime and hitting moderate rebels.
16. Lok Sabha passes bill to amend Indian Trusts Act
Lok Sabha has passed a bill to amend the “archaic” Indian Trusts Act, 1882, that will provide greater autonomy to trustees and allow them to invest trust funds in securities notified by the government. The Indian Trusts (Amendment) Bill, 2015, was passed by a voice vote amid continued protests by the Congress members.
- Section 20 deals with the investment of trust money and restricts the trustees to investing only in the prescribed securities, including promissory notes, debentures, stock or other securities of any state government or central government or of the United Kingdom of Britain and Ireland.
- Section 20A lists the limits of the power of the trustee to purchase redeemable stock at a premium.
Quick Link – Indian Trusts (Amendment) Bill
17. Centre sets up `SETU’ to support start-up businesses
A mechanism known as SETU to support all aspects of start-up businesses and other self- employment activities has been set up by the government. Union Minister for Skill Development Rajiv Pratap Rudy said the National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurs envisaged fostering entrepreneurship and grassroots innovation by providing support in terms of fiscal incentives, creation of grass root technology innovation hubs, legal support and market linkages.
The government has established a mechanism to be known as SETU (Self—Employment and Talent Utilisation) under NITI Aayog to support all aspects of start—up businesses and other self employment activities, particularly in technology—driven areas.
The Minister said the Department of Electronics and Information Technology is implementing a scheme entitled ’Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs’ (TIDE) under which 147 start—ups have been supported at 25 TIDE centres established in premier institutes like IITs, NITs, IIMs etc.
18. New Zealand formally becomes member of AIIB
New Zealand has formally become a member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Finance Minister Bill English says.
Ratification by members with 50 percent of the capital of the AIIB is needed for it to establish operations. New Zealand’s ratification will contribute to the organisation reaching the 50 percent threshold needed for the AIIB to establish operations. This is expected to take place by mid-December.
The AIIB will have around NZ$150 billion (US$100 billion) of initial capital to promote sustainable development in the region. Its infrastructure investments will include improving transportation links, providing sanitation and clean drinking water, and supporting cleaner and more sustainable energy. The AIIB is expected to begin operations in January 2016.
19. 6.5% of Indian population suffering from some form of mental disorder
More than six per cent of the total population is suffering from either a common or a severe mental disorder such as depression, anxiety and schizophrenia. The National Commission on Macroeconomic and Health reported that 10-20 million (1-2 per cent of population) suffered from severe mental disorder such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and nearly 50 million (5 per cent of the population) from common mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, yielding an overall estimate of 6.5 per cent of the population.
20. Cabinet approves Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015. The Bill will now be taken up for consideration and passing by the Parliament. The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill is a pioneering initiative to protect the interest of consumers, promote fair play in real estate transactions and to ensure timely execution of projects.
Important
Quick Link – Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015
21. MoU between India and Indonesia in the field new and renewable energy cooperation
Union Cabinet chaired by the PM Modi has given its approval for a MoU between India and Indonesia in the field of new and renewable energy. The MoU was signed in Jakarta last month during Vice President, Shri M. Hamid Ansari’s visit to Indonesia.
Objectives of the MoU
- To establish the basis for a cooperative institutional framework to encourage and promote technical bilateral cooperation on new and renewable energy issues on the basis of mutual benefit, equality and reciprocity.
Quick Link – More About the MoU
22. MoU between India and UK in the field of cooperation in the energy sector
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval for signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on cooperation in the energy sector.
Important
Quick Link – Areas of Cooperation
23. Cabinet approves Central Legislation to declare 106 additional inland waterways as national waterways
The Union Cabinet chaired by the PM Narendra Modi has given its approval to carry out official amendments in “The National Waterways Bill, 2015”. The amendments are based on the recommendations of the Department related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture and comments of State Governments. It provides for enacting a Central Legislation to declare 106 additional inland waterways, as the national waterways. After the inclusion of 106 additional inlands waterways to the existing five national waterways, the total number of national waterways goes upto 111.
Quick Link – National Waterways Bill
24. “2016 : UK-INDIA Year of Education, Research and Innovation” Launched
India and United Kingdom launched a joint initiative “2016: UK-INDIA Year of Education and Research” in New Delhi. Minister of HRD Smriti Irani highlighted the importance of mobility of students and faculty and expressed hope that, under the GIAN Program, more UK academicians would be able to come to India in 2016. She expressed hope that areas of mutual interest in research could be picked up out of the ten research priority areas under IMPRINT (IMPacting Research Innovation and Technology).
During the visit of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United Kingdom last month, it was jointly announced by both the Prime Ministers that 2016 would be the UK-India Year of Education, Science and Research.
Quick Link – India and UK
Thank You 🙂 🙂 🙂
