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INDIAN AFFAIRS
President Ram Nath Kovind laid foundation stone for Paika Vidroh memorial at Khurda, Odisha
On December 08, 2019 the president of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind laid foundation stone of the Paika Vidroh Memorial at Barunei foothills in Khurda, Odisha. It is a 10-acre memorial in remembrance of the paikas rebellion. The construction of the memorial at Barunei, was announced by the govt. in 2017.
Key Points:
i.A chair in the name of Buxi Jagabandhu has been established in the Utkal University, Bubaneshwar (Odisha) for more study and research on Paika Rebellion. The expenditure was Rs 5 crore and a memorial coin and stamp was released in 2018. This was done in order to create awareness on the rebellion.
ii.Paika rebellion: It is a rebellion under the leadership of Bakshi Jagabandhu against British East India Company’s rule in Odisha in 1817. The govt also celebrated the completion of 200 years of the rebellion in 2017.
iii.Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradan and other officials were present during the event.
About Odisha:
Capital- Bhubaneswar.
Chief Minister- Naveen Patnaik.
Governor- Ganeshi Lal.
Dams- Hirakud dam, Jalaput dam, Mandira dam, Patora dam, Rengali dam.
SC orders judicial enquiry in Hyderabad Encounter; Panel to be headed by ex-judge VS Sirpurkar
On December 12, 2019 the Supreme Court (SC) has appointed a 3-member inquiry commission to be headed by former apex court judge V S Sirpurkar to inquire into the encounter killing of the four accused involvedin the Hyderabad(Telangana) gang-rape and murder case of a veterinarian. The report has to be submitted to the SC within 6 months. The bench comprising of Justice S Abdul Nazeer and Justice Sanjiv Khanna, ordered that security to the commission will be provided by the CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force).
Key Points:
i.Other Members: The members of the commission include former Bombay High Court(HC) judge Rekha Sondur Baldota and former CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) director Devarayapuram Ramasamy Karthikeyan.
ii.The Chief Justice of India(CJI) Sharad Arvind Bobde sought an SIT (Special Investigation Team) report into the case, saying no other authority shall inquire into the matter pending before the commission of inquiry till further orders.
About Telangana:
Capital- Hyderabad.
Governor- Tamilisai Soundararajan.
Chief minister- Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao.
Rajya Sabha passed International Financial Services Centres Authority Bill, 2019
On December 12, 2019, the Rajya Sabha(RS) passed the International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) Authority Bill, 2019. The bill was passed to set up a unified authority to regulate all financial services in IFSCs in India. Prior to RS, the Lok Sabha(LS) passed the bill on December 11, 2019 and will become a law once the President Shri Ram Nath Kovind gives his assent.
IFSC: Financial centres that cater to customers outside their own jurisdiction are referred to as International Financial Centers (IFCs) or offshore Financial Centers (OFCs). These centres deal with finance flows, financial products and services across borders. London, New York and Singapore can be counted as global financial centres.
- India’s 1st IFSC: The first IFSC in India has been set up at GIFT (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City) City in Gandhinagar city of Gujarat. IFSCs can be set up in SEZ (Special economic zone) or as an SEZ after approval from the govt….Click here to Read More
India Design Council launches 2 initiatives- CDI & DEQM in New Delhi
On December 12, 2019, India Design Council (IDC), an autonomous body of Government of India (GoI) in association with and National Institute of design, Ahmedabad, Gujarat have launched the 2 Initiatives namely Chartered Designs of India (CDI) and the Design Education Quality Mark (DEQM) in New Delhi.
The designs are aimed to address 5 challenges of scale, quality of design, quality of education for design, raising the priority for design in industry and design for a public purpose.
i.DEQM :It will set design education programs to pre-determined standards and provide Design Education Quality Marks to institutions to meet the provisions of published standards.
ii.CDI: It would set professional standards of design process in India. It aims to identify professional designer in terms of design, education or experience….Click here to Read More
UNESCO MGIEP jointly organizes TECH 2019 in Visakhapatnam ,AP
A 3-day Transforming Education Conference for Humanity (TECH) 2019 was jointly organized by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), in partnership with the State Government of Andhra Pradesh and the Ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD), Government of India(GoI) at Novotel hotel in Visakhapatnam , Andhra Pradesh (AP) from December 10-12,2019.
i.The conference saw the discussion over the 3 themes which includes Transformative Pedagogies for SEL (Social and emotional learning) ,Reimagining Learning Spaces for Planetary Citizenship ,Data, Learning & Education – role of Artificial Intelligence (AI).It also focused on the Vizag Declaration on ‘Guidelines for digital learning’ that was adopted in 2018….Click here to Read More
India & Vietnam signed MoU for cooperation in education, scientific research
On November 26, 2019, India and Vietnam signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) for cooperation in the field of education and scientific research. The MoU was signed following a meeting between Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Vietnam People’s Army’s (VPA) Chief of the General Staff General Phan Van Giang. The signing was done on Van Giang’s 5-day official visit to India from November 24-28, 2019.
- MoU signing: MoU was signed by CP Ramnarayan, the Vice-Chancellor of Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT) and Lt General Nguyen Cong Dinh, the President of Vietnam’s Military Technical Academy. The signing was witnessed by defence minister of India and Vietnam’s Chief of the General Staff.
- Shri Rajnath Singh held talks with Phan Van Giang on issues related to defence cooperation between New Delhi and Hanoi(Vietnam)….Click here to Read More
Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi expressway to be named after late Bal Thackeray
On December 12, 2019, the Mumbai state cabinet Maharashtra minister Eknath Shinde has approved to name the under-construction Mumbai-Nagpur super communication Samruddhi expressway after Shiv Sena party founder late Bal Thackeray. The cabinet also approved an additional share capital of Rs 3,500 crores to reduce the burden of loan that will be raised for this project. This in turn will bring down the interest amount by Rs 2,500 crores.
- Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi expressway: It is a 700-km super expressway, which is scheduled to be completed in 2021. This expressway is expected to cut down the travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur by than nine hours.
- Project Cost: The estimated total cost of the project is around ₹55,335 crores. The road construction of the project will be completed within the next 3 years….Click here to Read More
BANKING & FINANCE
Mastercard joins hands with Federal bank for additional digital security called ‘Mastercard Identity Check’
On December 12, 2019, Mastercard,an American multinational financial services corporation has tied-up with Federal Bank, a Private Sector, scheduled commercial bank, to provide an additional layer of security function called ‘Mastercard Identity Check’ for digital transactions done by bank’s cardholders.
The new layer of security will be provided by using latest authentication standards of EMV (Europay, MasterCard, Visa) 3-D Secure.
Key Points:
i.The new layer of security will provide a safe and user-friendly way to authenticate cardholders without the use of passwords and also increase the approval rates.
ii.This will greatly benefit the Mastercard cardholders of the bank as they are affected by cart abandonment while online shopping, fraud risk and conversion rates for e-commerce merchants.
iii.EMV 3-D Secure (3DS): It is a messaging protocol that promotes easy consumer authentication and allows consumers to authenticate themselves with their card issuer when making card-not-present (CNP) e-commerce purchases.
About Mastercard:
Founded– 1966 (as Interbank Card Association) &1979 (as Mastercard) Headquarters– New York, U.S.
President and CEO- Ajaypal Singh Banga
About Federal Bank:
Founded– 02 December 1949 (as Federal Bank)
Headquarters– Kochi, Kerala
MD & CEO– Shyam Srinivasan
Tagline– Your Perfect Banking Partner
IRDAI frames 10-member group headed by T. L. Alamelu to study loss prevention
On December 12, 2019, IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India), an autonomous body constituted to regulate and develop insurance business in India, has constituted a 10-member working group (WG) headed by IRDAI member (non-life) T. L. Alamelu to make recommendations for loss prevention & minimization in the general insurance industry. It should submit its report within 12 weeks.
Key Points:
i.Terms of Reference(TOR): The group will examine current practices followed by insurance industry in the area of Loss Prevention and suggest segment-wise ways to coordinate all stakeholders towards a common end on a common platform.
The group also mandates to give recommendations for promoting research, education and services related to Loss Prevention & Mitigation. Group shall submit a report containing its recommendations of the date of this order.
ii.The WG have the members include National Insurance Academy Director G.Srinivasan; General Insurance Council Secretary General M.Nagaraja Sarma; Insurance Brokers Association of India Vice President S.K.Jain as well as officials from both public & private general insurers.
About IRDAI:
Founded– 1999
Headquarters– Hyderabad, Telangana
Chairman– Subhash Chandra Khuntia
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Moody’s slashes India’s GDP growth forecast to 5.6% for 2019
On December 13, 2019, Moody’s Investors Service,an American credit rating agency in its Global Macro Outlook 2020-21, has lowered India’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product ) growth forecast for 2019 to 5.6 % , which is less than 7.4 % in 2018 .It cuts the forecast due to the slow growth rate of employment is impacting consumption. It also expects that the growth rate will improve after that and it can be 6.6 % and 6.7 % in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
Key Points:
i.India’s pace of economic growth has slowed down since mid-2018 and real GDP growth has fallen from around 8% to 5% in the second quarter (April-June 2019) of 2019. The growth rate fell further to 4.5 % in the September quarter.
ii.It is noteworthy that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has also lowered the India’s economic growth forecast from 6.1 % to 5% citing soft demand and sluggish external demand.
Apart from this, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has also estimated the country’s GDP growth rate from 7% to 6.1 % &Asian Development Bank (ADB) has also projected India’s economic growth rate for 2019-20 to be down to 5.1 % from 6.5 %.
About Moody’s:
Founded– 1909
Founder– John Moody
Headquarters– New York, United States
Chief Executive Officer(CEO)- Raymond W. McDaniel Jr.
US replaced Kuwait as India’s 6th biggest oil supplier; Iraq remains on top
On December 11, 2019, according to the data furnished by the oil ministry of India to the parliamentary committee, the United States(US) has surpassed Kuwait to become India’s 6th largest oil supplier. It supplied 70% more crude to India, the world’s third largest energy consumer during April-September 2019. It supplied 5.4 million tonnes of crude oil during the first six months of 2019-20. While US stands 6th, Iraq continues to be the top crude oil supplier to India.
- Iraq’s oil supply to India: Iraq supplied 26 million tonnes of crude oil to India during April to September 2019.
- Other top suppliers: Nigeria ranks third in crude oil supply to India. It supplied 9.9 million tonnes of crude oil in April-September. It was followed by United Arab Emirates(UAE) (8.9million tonnes supply) and Venezuela (8 million tonnes supply) at the fourth and 5th place respectively…Click here to Read More
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
16th Forbes powerful women list 2019: Nirmala Sitharaman ranked 34th & Germany’s Merkel topped the list
On December 13, 2019, the 16th annual ranking of ‘The Forbes 2019 list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women’ list was released. Union Finance Minister of India Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman (60 years) ranked 34th in the list. The list was topped by German Chancellor Angela Dorothea Merkel, 65-year old, for the 9th consecutive year.
- Merkel was followed by European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Madeleine Odette Lagarde and Speaker of the US (United States) House of Representatives Nancy Patricia Pelosi in the second and third rank respectively.
- Category: The ranking was based on 6 categories. They were, business, technology, finance, media & entertainment, politics & policy, and philanthropy.
- The year 2019 saw 23 newcomers on the list. Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg (100th) is the youngest honoree on the list….Click here to Read More
Shireen Dalvi, journalist returns State Sahitya Akademi Award to protest against Citizenship Amendment Bill
On 12th December 2019, Shireen Dalvi (Shirin Dalvi), Mumbai based Urdu Journalist returned the 2011 Special Prize given by the Maharashtra State Urdu Sahitya Akademi namely Maharashtra Rajya Sahitya Akademi Award to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB).
Key Points:
i.The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019, amends the Citizenship Act of 1995 to provide Indian citizenship to illegal migrants who entered India on or before 31st December 2014. But it has no mention of the Muslim community. The bill also relaxes the citizenship period of migrants from 11 years to 5 years, the immediate beneficiaries of the bill includes over 30,000 people.
ii.Also Abdur Rahman, IPS (Indian Police Service) officer resigned from his post as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) at the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and Yaqoob Yavar, former Head of Urdu Department at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) returned his award of Rs.1 lakh received from the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Urdu academy in the year 2018 to protest against the CAB bill.
“International changemaker olympiad” founded by Rahul Adhikari wins “Oscars” of education 2019 in London
On December 12, 2019, “International Changemaker Olympiad (ICO)”, an annual international competition program founded by Rahul Adhikari,a Gold-Medalist from Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT-R) has won the Wharton-QS Stars Reimagine Education Award 2019, popularly known as the “Oscars” of education under “Sustainability” category at the 2019 Reimagine Education Conference & Awards ceremony held in London, UK (United Kingdom), from December 8 -10,2019.
The event was co-organized by QS Quacquarelli Symonds ,The Wharton School of Business & Wharton’s Alfred West Jr. Learning Lab.
Key Points:
i.The ICO (www.ico-official.org) gives a platform to young students in schools from all over the world to solve a real-world problems. Rahul was conferred with the award for his work under this program to empower the children to become changemakers. His work was also named the top innovation from the entire Asia-Pacific region. It was the only nomination from India that made it to the final shortlist.
ii.Over 20,000 students have attended in ICO till now. The program also launched initiatives to solve problems including saving 5,000 Kg of food monthly from hostel canteens, conducting over 100 menstrual hygiene awareness sessions in low-income communities, rescuing 200 injured animals from the streets, and saving three million plus litres of water in public washrooms.
iii.The next Reimagine Education Conference and Award Ceremony 2020 will be held at the San Francisco Hyatt Regency, on the 10th-11th December 2020.
2019 WTA Player Award winners announced: Australia’s Ashleigh Barty named Player of the year
On 12th December 2019, the 2019 WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Player Awards were announced by the WTA. The winners were voted by the members of the International media in addition to the WTA Jerry Diamond ACES (Asia Corporate Excellence & Sustainability) Award. The winners were announced in 5 categories which are as follows:
List of 2019 WTA Player Award Winners:
| Winners | Country | Category |
| Ashleigh Barty | Australia | Player of the year |
| Bianca Vanessa Andreescu | Canada | Newcomer of the year |
| Sofia Anna Kenin | United States (US) | Most Improved Player of the year |
| Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic | Hungary and France | Doubles Team of the Year |
| Belinda Bencic | Switzerland | Comeback player of the year |
About Women’s Tennis Association (WTA):
Headquarters- St. Petersburg, Florida, United States (US)
Chairman- Steve Simon
President- Micky Lawler….Click here to Read More
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATION
Indian Cricketer Rohit Sharma (32), becomes the First Indian Brand Ambassador of La Liga
On 12th December 2019, Rohit Gurunath Sharma (32), Indian International Cricketer, was named the first ever Indian brand ambassador of La Liga, a professional football division of the Spanish football league system for men. He is also the first ever non-footballer to be in that position. The announcement was made by Jose Antonio Cachaza, Managing Director of La Liga.
Key Points:
i.Rohit Sharma was born in Maharashtra, India, he is the captain of the Mumbai Indians team in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the vice-captain of the Indian national team in limited-overs formats and the only cricketer to score more than one ODI (One Day International) double-hundred and three ODI double-hundred in the history of cricket.
ii.He is also the official Rhino Ambassador for World Wildlife Fund (WWF)- India and a member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
About La Liga:
Founded- 1929
Country- Spain
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)- Javier Gomez Molina
Shrikant Madhav Vaidya shortlisted to be the Chairman of IOC 
On 12th December 2019, Shrikant Madhav Vaidya, Director of Refineries, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) was shortlisted to become the Chairman of IOC. He was selected for the post by government headhunter Public Enterprise Selection Board (PESB).
Key Points:
i.He joined the IOC board in October 2019, and will replace Sanjiv Singh who is the current chairman of IOC. The term of office for the post is three years.
ii.Madhav Vaidya is also a Director on the board of Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL), a subsidiary of Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (RRPCL).
About Indian Oil Corporation (IOC):
Founded- 30 June 1959
Headquarters- New Delhi, Mumbai (registered office)
Chairman- Sanjiv Singh
Sushil Modi became the head of GoM on IGST replacing Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
On 11th December 2019, Sushil Kumar Modi, Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar replaced Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance (MoF) as the head of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on the Integrated Goods and Service Tax (IGST), stated by the GST (Goods and Services Tax) council.
Key Points:
i.She was previously mentioned as the chairperson of the GST council to discuss issues related to IGST with Finance Ministers of Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and deputy chief ministers of Delhi and Puducherry.
ii.As she could not head the GoM panel being the Finance Minister and the chairperson of the GST council, Sushil Modi was made its convener. The panel was set up to look into the issue of splitting of the IGST between the centre and states.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
FSSAI and NASSCOM Foundation join hands to develop an app to prevent Food wastage
On 12th December 2019, FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) and NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Services Companies) have signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) to develop an application to prevent the wastage of food.
Key Points:
i.The plan includes a mobile application named ‘Food Donation in India’ that will be available all day, and a help-line number to connect donors who are ready to donate food to the needy.
ii.The plan also includes the registration of food distribution organizations. Initially, 81 organizations across PAN India, known as the Indian Food Sharing Alliance (IFSA) will be a part of the plan.
About FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India):
Headquarters- New Delhi
CEO (Chief Executive Officer)- Pawan Kumar Agarwal
NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Services Companies):
Headquarters- New Delhi
CEO- Ashok Pamidi
Warship builder GRSE delivers 103rd LCU amphibious ship LCU L-57 to Indian Navy
On December 11, 2019, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE),
one of India’s leading shipyards, has delivered a 103 rd Landing Craft Utility
57(LCU L-57 (Yard 2098) Mark-IV vessels to the Indian Navy(IN), that can be
used for beaching operations, search and rescue, disaster relief operations, supply
and replenishment and evacuation from distant islands. It was the 7th in the series of 8 such vessels being made by GRSE for the Navy.
Key Points:
i.The delivery & acceptance Protocol was signed by Rear Admiral VK Saxena, IN (Retd.), Chairman & Managing Director of GRSE & Commanding Officer of the vessel, Lt. Commander V Harshvardhan.
ii.These amphibious Ships are based at the Andaman and Nicobar Command, measuring 62.8 metres long, 11 metres wide and has a displacement of 830 tonnes, with a low draught of 1.7 metres.It can also be used to transport & deploy main battle tanks, armoured vehicles, troops and equipment from ship to the shore.
iii.Designed to accommodate 216 personnel, the LCU is equipped with two indigenous CRN 91 guns to provide artillery fire support during landing operations.
iv.The LCU Mk-IV Class of ships are a further improved version of the Mk-III LCU Vessels fitted with close to 90% indigenous equipment, in line with the central Government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative towards achieving self-reliance and indigenisation.
About GRSE:
Founded– 1884
Headquarters– Kolkata,West Bengal
On May 19, 1960, it was acquired by the Government of India from Macneill & Barry Limited.
About Indian Navy:
Formation– 1934
Motto– May the Lord of the Water be auspicious unto us
Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS)- Admiral Karambir Singh
NASA scientists mapped wind flow pattern on Mars, first for any planet
The scientists of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) have mapped global wind circulation patterns in the upper atmosphere of Mars (red planet), which is the 4th closest planet to the sun. The circulation patterns were mapped 120 to 300 kilometers above the red planet’s surface showing “ripple effects”. The study in this regard was published in the journal Science with the data collected by Natural Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS) on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) orbiter for two days per month from 2016 to 2018.
Key Points:
i.Mapping collaboration: The researchers from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) in the United States(US), reprogrammed probes aboard NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft to collect wind measurements on the red planet.
ii.Observations made: The study noted that the average circulation patterns from season to season were very stable on Mars. But, the shorter-term variability of winds in the upper atmosphere was greater than anticipated.
- The researchers believe the wind waves on Mars, called “orthographic waves,” lasted so long with no changes.
About National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA):
Founded- 29 July 1958.
Founder- Dwight D. Eisenhower
Headquarters- Washington, D.C., United States(US).
Administrator- Jim Bridenstine (born as James Frederick Bridenstine).
OBITUARY
Telugu Actor and Writer G. Maruti Rao dies at 80
On 12th December 2019, Gollapudi Maruti Rao, Telugu actor and writer dies at 80 while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Gollapudi was born in Vijayanagaram, Andhra Pradesh (AP), he was named as the best writer for his film ‘Doctor Chakravarthy’ in the Nandi Award in 1989.
Key Points:
i.He was a member of the Script Scrutiny Committee of the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC). He also established the Gollapudi Srinivas Memorial Foundation in the year 1997, which presents the Gollapudi National Award for the best first film of a director in Indian cinema.
ii.Gollapudi has written about (9) plays, (18) playlets, (12) novels, (4) story volumes, (2) essays and (3) children’s stories. He also wrote a weekly column called “Jeevana Kaalam”, a kaleidoscopic study of social and political issues for 24 years.
Tara Sinha, 1st Indian Woman to set up ad agency passed away at the age of 87
On December 11, 2019, Tara Sinha, the first Indian woman to establish a national advertising agency, Tara Sinha Associates (TSA), in 1985 in the country, passed away at the age of 87 due to old age ailments. She was also the founder of ad agency Clarion. She worked for companies such as Coca Cola and others. She had over 50 years of work experience in England, India and the USA.
Key Points:
i.Tara completed her advertising diploma at the City of London College in London in 1954. She joined DJ Keymer, the Indian subsidiary of advertisement company S H Benson which was formed by Samuel Herbert Benson in 1893. A year later, when Benson closed the Calcutta (West Bengal) branch, the staff together formed Clarion, with Sinha as director of the firm.
ii.While Tara Sinha Associates was launched in 1985, Clarion was launched way back in 1955 at the start of her career.
iii.Sinha had served as chairperson of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication(IIMC) and member of the advisory council at the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi(IIIT-D) and chairperson of the advertising sub-committee, ASSOCHAM (The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry).
STATE NEWS
Govt of Odisha to set up 45 fast track courts
On December 10, 2019 the govt of Odisha announced to set up 45 fast track courts for speedy disposal of rape cases registered under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012, in the state. The decision was taken due to the rising incidents of sexual offences against women and children and the need to dispose the cases quickly.
Key Points:
i.Out of the 45 fast track courts in the state, 24 would deal with POCSO cases and the remaining 21 courts would exclusively deal with cases of sexual offences against women.
ii.The State government’s action comes after the central govt’s decision to formulate a scheme for setting up 1,023 fast track special courts for trial and disposal of rape cases.
About Fast track courts:
Fact1- The Fast Track Courts (FTCs) were established in Indian in the year 2000 after the recommendation in the 11th finance commission.
Fact2- In this regard, the Commission had allocated Rs 500 crore.
CM Jaganmohan Reddy inaugurated first Virtual Police station at AU in Andhra Pradesh
On 13th December 2019, Yeduguri Sandinti Jaganmohan Reddy, Chief Minister(CM) of Andhra Pradesh (AP) inaugurated the first Virtual Police Station at the Andhra University (AU) in Visakhapatnam, AP. The concept of Virtual police station was initiated by AU Vice-Chancellor Prasad Reddy with an aim to provide security to students.
Key Points:
i.The AU facility is focused as a Pilot Project and will, later on, be implemented in other educational institutions. By using these facilities students can file their complaints easily which will be forwarded to police officials after being inspected by the control room.
ii.The system includes an inbuilt complaint monitoring and action-taken mechanism which will make it easy for the students to get their complaints answered.
About Andhra Pradesh (AP):
Capital city- Amaravati
Governor- Biswabhushan Harichandan
Madhya Pradesh to host “Namaste Orchha” festival 2020 in Orchha
Madhya Pradesh (MP) Tourism Department is going to organize a 3-day Cultural Festival ‘Namaste Orchha 2020’ in Orchha from March 6 – March 8, 2020, with the aim to promote MP Tourism through Orchha & especially to attract tourists.
The information was provided by Mr. Sudhi Ranjan Mohanty, Chief Secretary, Government of Madhya Pradesh at a press conference in Bhopal on December 11, 2019.
Key Points:
i.Orchha is a town in the Bundelkhand region, won the award for the best heritage city for 2017-18 at the National Tourism Awards 2017-18 and is already on the shortlist for UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Sites. It is also famous for its unique Ram Raja Temple, built in honour of Lord Ram, Chaturbhuj Temple besides numerous monuments and royal palaces.
ii.The three-day festival will feature music, art, wellness, travel, nature, adventure, history and culture.
iii.More foreign tourists visit in Orchha is about 97,000 out of 3.50 lakh foreign tourists visiting MP. The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board has recently won 10 National Awards and the state has also been listed among the Top 3 ‘Best Value Destination’ of the world by Lonely Planet.
About Madhya Pradesh:
Capital– Bhopal
Chief minister- Kamal Nath
Governor– Lalji Tandon
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