Current Affairs Today December 25 2017

We are here for you to provide the important current affairs December 25 2017 which have unique updates of all daily events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, India Today, Indian Express, Business Standard, all Government official websites. Our complete current affairs helps you to get more marks in Banking, insurance, UPSC, SSC, CLAT, Railway and all other competitive Exams.

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INDIAN AFFAIRS

Mission Antyodaya – Ranking of 50000 gram panchayats completed
Union Rural Development Ministry, in partnership with State Governments, has completed the ranking of 50000 Gram Panchayats (selected under ‘Mission Antyodaya’) on three broad parameters of physical infrastructure, human development and economic activities.
i. Gram Panchayats have been selected by the State Governments on the basis of social capital.50000 selected gram panchayats have been grouped together in 5000 clusters.
ii. Over the next 1000 days, Central Government along with other supporting entities will resort to several interventions in order to bring about desired result………………………………………………………..Click here to Read more

India to link highway corridors to international trade points for Rs 25000 crore
Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari has stated that India will link its major highway corridors to international trade points in order to facilitate trade with bordering countries.
Linking Highway Corridors to international trade points:
i. The linking of highway corridors to International trade points will be carried out for facilitating trade with Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Myanmar.
ii. About 2000 kms of highways will be constructed under this project. This construction will be part of Central Government’s Bharatmala Project.
iii. Cost for construction of 2000 kms highways under this project is estimated to be Rs. 25000 crore.
iv. In addition to this project , Central Government is also working on plans to facilitate India’s international connectivity with countries in South Asia.
Quick Facts about Bharatmala Project:
♦ Launched in – July 2017
♦ Undertaken by – Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
♦ Objective – To build highways through economic corridors centred around manufacturing hubs and improving road connectivity to border areas, coastal areas and ports.

Indian Railways flag off country’s first AC suburban local train in Mumbai
On December 25, 2017, Indian Railways flagged off India’s first air-conditioned suburban local train for Mumbai commuters.Details about India’s first AC suburban local train in Mumbai:
i. The inaugural run of this train was carried out on December 25, 2017 between Borivali and Churchgate on the Western Railway (WR).
ii. Full-fledged operation will commence on January 1, 2018. It will have 6 round trips (12 one way trips) on daily basis. It will operate on weekday and weekends will be reserved for routine maintenance.
iii. Introductory fare for the AC train will be 1.2 times of a first class one-way regular ticket. Later the fare will be hiked and will cost 1.3 times.
iv. The full AC air-suspension coaches have been manufactured at Integral Coach Factory, Chennai. All coaches of the entire rake can carry nearly 6000 commuters at a time. It can operate at speeds of up to 100 kmph.
v. It is equipped with modern amenities and safety features including automatic door opening-closing system, Emergency Talk Back system between commuters and guard, LED lights, public address system and advanced global positioning system, GPS-based passenger information systems.

PM Modi inaugurates Delhi Metro’s Magenta line
On December 25, 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Botanical Garden-Kalkaji section (of Magenta Line) of Delhi Metro. 
Information about Magenta Line of Delhi Metro:
i. This 12.64-km route of Magenta Line will be Delhi Metro’s first line to get driverless trains.
ii. On this line, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will be using Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling technology which would facilitate the movement of trains at a higher frequency as compared to other lines.
iii. All stations of this line will have platform screen doors (PSDs) while the coaches running on this line will  have electronic information display, power charging facility  through USB ports and seats in different colour shades.
iv. Besides, the new trains will be energy-efficient and would consume 20 per cent less energy as compared to older trains. 
Quick Facts about Delhi Metro:
♦ Began Operations in – 2002
♦ Serving – Delhi and its satellite cities of Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad in the National Capital Region
♦ Built and Operated by – DMRC

Bengaluru becomes first city to get its own logo
On 24^th December 2017, Brand Bengaluru’s own logo was launched at the ‘Namma Bengaluru Habba festival, at Vidhana Soudha, in Bengaluru.Bengaluru gets its own logo:
i. The logo was unveiled by Karnataka Tourism Minister Priyank Kharge. The logo is red and black and written partially in English and Kannada.
ii. The rolling font of the logo was designed by Rushi Patel and M Venkateswara Rao. They are the founders of the design firm Nammur.
iii. This logo won the contest conducted by the Karnataka government and received a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh.
iv. The tagline states: ‘Bengaluru – Be U’ (be you). This logo aims to promote the image of Bengaluru at a global level. Bengaluru has become the first city in India to gets its own identity badge.
Some of the wildlife sanctuaries in Karnataka:
♦  Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary – Chikkamagaluru
♦  Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary – Belgaum District
♦  Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary – Coorg

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Russia to build nuclear power station in Sudan
On 22^nd December 2017, Russian State Corporation for Atomic Energy (Rosatom) announced that it has signed an agreement to build the first nuclear power plant for electricity production in Sudan.
Nuclear power station in Sudan:
i. An agreement in this regard was signed by Rosatom Overseas and Sudan’s Ministry of Water Resources, Irrigation and Electricity in Khartoum, Sudan.
ii. The nuclear power plant will be completed in one and a half years. This project is a part of Sudan’s plan to generate more than 5000 megawatts by 2020.
iii. Last month a nuclear energy cooperation agreement was signed between Sudan and Russia.
About Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation:
♦ Founded – 2007
♦ Headquarters – Moscow
♦ Industry – Nuclear energy

Narendra Modi to be first PM to attend World Economic Forum in 20 years
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the first Indian Prime Minister in past 20 years to attend the annual meeting of World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos, Switzerland. The meeting is scheduled to be held in January 2018.i. HD Deve Gowda was the last Indian Prime Minister to attend this event in 1997.
ii. Around 30-40 heads of Government and 100 top heads of Indian companies including Mukesh Ambani, Chanda Kochhar and Uday Kotak are expected to attend this event.
iii. Chinese President Xi Jinping had delivered the main address at WEF’s annual meeting at Davos in January 2017.
Quick Facts about World Economic Forum (WEF):
♦ Formed in – 1971
♦ Headquarters – Cologny, Switzerland
♦ Executive Chairman – Klaus Schwab

BANKING & FINANCE

Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, top contributors of the GST for first five months
As per information provided by Minister of State for Finance, Pratap Shukla in Lok Sabha, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh are the top contributors among all states and Union Territories (UTs) in the first five months (1^st July – 30^th November, 2017) of the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime.
i. Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh together accounted for 24 per cent of the total cess collections of Rs 30224 crore under the Goods and Services Tax (GST).With Rs 18701 crore, Maharashtra also topped in State GST (SGST) collections.
ii. In terms of SGST collections, Maharashtra is followed by Tamil Nadu (Rs 8739 crore), Karnataka (Rs 7736 crore) and Gujarat (Rs 7375 crore). Total SGST collections stood at Rs. 87888 crore………………………………………………Click here to Read more

Public sector banks’ NPA hits Rs 7.34 lakh crore at September-end
According to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) of Indian public sector banks stood at Rs 7.34 lakh crore by the end of September 2017.NPAs of Indian Banks:
i. NPAs of private sector banks’ at the end of September 2017 was considerably low at Rs 1.03 lakh crore.
ii. Data released by RBI outlined that major portion (77%) of NPAs was on account of corporate defaulters.
iii. Union Finance Ministry has stated that it has resorted to several measures to tackle this problem. One such measure is expansion of network of Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRTs).
Top 3 Public Sector Banks with highest NPAs at the end of September 2017:

Insurers can now set up units at IFSC SEZs
Insurers and reinsurers can now set up facilities at IFSC Special Economic Zones (SEZ), as per IRDAI’s (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India) new guidelines on International Financial Service Centre Insurance Offices (IIO).
Insurers allowed to set up units at IFSC SEZs:
i .The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Registration and Operations of International Financial Service Centre Insurance Offices) Guidelines, 2017 was issued on December 21, 2017.
ii .As per these guidelines, IIO means a branch office to transact direct insurance business or reinsurance business permitted by the regulator.
iii .These guidelines are for both Indian and foreign insurers and reinsurers, registered as IIO with IRDAI. They can do direct insurance business or reinsurance business transactions or both.
iv. The aim of IIO should be carrying out insurance or reinsurance business exclusively from an IFSC (International Financial Services Centre). All the transactions with respect to insurance or reinsurance business should be only in foreign currency.
About IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India):
♦ Headquarters – Hyderabad, Telangana
♦ Chairman – T.S. Vijayan

BUSINESS

NHPC to invest Rs 1000 cr for 200 Mw solar project in Odisha
Central public sector enterprise, NHPC Ltd has proposed to set up 100-200 Mw capacity solar project in Odisha.
i. With this proposal, NHPC has joined other public sector enterprises viz. NTPC, NLC (formerly Neyveli Lignite Ltd) and North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd (NEEPCO) to express interest in participating in Odisha Government’s upcoming 1000 Mw solar park programme.
ii. Odisha has laid out a plan to develop a solar park with a production capacity of 1000 Mw, off which, Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has already approved to develop solar park of 400 Mw capacity.
iii. NHPC, which is currently executing a 72 Mw wind project in Kerala and 50 Mw solar project in Tamil Nadu has already commissioned a 50 Mw wind power project in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
Quick Facts about NHPC Ltd:
♦  Founded in – 1975
♦  Headquarters – Faridabad, India

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creates world’s biggest sand Santa face at Puri beach
On 24^th December 2017, Sudarsan Pattnaik, international sand artist, created the world’s biggest sand Santa-face with the message “world peace” at Puri beach, Odisha.World’s biggest Santa face:
i. The sand Santa face is 25 feet tall and 50 feet wide. It is to be placed in the Limca Book of World Records.
ii. Sudarsan Pattnaik also created a sand sculpture of Jesus Christ in front of the Santa face. He used around 600 tonnes of sand.
iii. Sudarsan Pattnaik was supported by 40 students from the Sudarsan Sand Art Institute of Puri. The work was completed in 3 days (35 hours). This structure will be on display till January 1, 2018.
About Limca Book of Records:
♦ Editor – Vijaya Ghose
♦ Country – India
♦ Publisher – Coca-Cola India

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Made-In-India Surface-to-Air Missile QRSAM successfully test fired from Odisha coast
On 22^nd December 2017, Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM) was successfully test fired by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) from Chandipur, in Odisha.
Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM):
i. Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM) is a canister-based high-speed weapon system. It can destroy aerial targets, tanks, bunkers and short range missiles.
ii. QRSAM was fired from a canister mounted on a rotatable truck-based launch platform at the Launching Complex-I (LC-I) of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha.
iii. This is the third test of QRSAM. All three tests ended up successful. It is capable of destroying multiple targets in the range of 25 km in less than a minute.
About Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO):
♦ Headquarters – New Delhi
♦ Minister responsible – Nirmala Sitharaman
♦ Formed – 1958

SPORTS

Sushil Kumar becomes the most expensive wrestler at PWL auctions
On 23^rd December 2017, Sushil Kumar became the most expensive wrestler of the PWL (Pro Wrestling League) in New Delhi.Sushil Kumar – most expensive wrestler at PWL:
i. Delhi Sultans bought Sushil Kumar for Rs 55 lakh at the PWL auctions.  He has become the most expensive player in the history of the PWL tournament.
ii. World Championship gold medallist Helen Maroulis of the United States got the highest bid among women players and was bought for Rs 44 lakh from Haryana Hammers.
About Pro Wrestling League (PWL):
♦ Started – 2015
♦ Country – India
♦ Tournament format – League Format

OBITUARY

Bengali film actor Partha Mukhopadhyay passes away
On 25^th December 2017, Bengali actor Partha Mukhopadhyay died due to cardiac arrest at a private hospital in Kolkata.
Death of Partha Mukhopadhyay:
i. Partha Mukhopadhyay was 70 years old. He had been suffering from kidney problems. He is survived by his wife.
ii. He had acted in films made by great directors like Tapan Sinha, Tarun Majumdar and Goutam Ghosh. His important movies are Balika Bodhu, Dhonyi Meye, Agnishwar, Amar Prithivi, Baag Bandi Khela.
Dances of some of the Indian states:
♦ Koli Dance – Maharastra
♦ Karakattam – Tamil Nadu
♦ Mohiniattam – Kerala

IMPORTANT DAYS

Good Governance Day – December 25
On 25^th December 2017, Good Governance Day was observed all over India. Good Governance Day:
i. Good Governance Day is observed every year on 25 December to mark the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
ii. This day was instituted in 2014. Also, December 25 was made a working day for government to observe the Good Governance Day.
iii. The aim of this day is to develop a transparent and responsible administration, ensure the welfare of people, make good and effective policies for good governance, corruption free administration to the people etc.
About Atal Bihari Vajpayee:
♦ Positions – 10th Prime Minister of India, Minister of External Affairs
♦ Political party – Bharatiya Janata Party
♦ Profession – Writer, Politician, Poet