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December 2012 Current Affairs
1st December, 2012
To raise awareness about AIDS pandemic caused by spread of HIV infection, World
AIDS Day is being observedToday.
||||
The Indian couple from Andhra Pradesh, has been arrested in Norway for
reprimanding their seven-year-old son for wetting his pants.
||||
Indian-American physician Ami Bera has been officially declared elected for the
US House of Representatives.
||||
2nd December, 2012
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath claims, FEMA notification on FDI
in retail needs nod of only one House.
Cheque signature mismatch may lead to criminal proceedings, says
Supreme Court.
||||
India will soon erect a 'floating fence', anchored by submerged metallic meshes,
along the disputed Sir Creek border area with Pakistan. The 96-km strip in the Rann
of Kutch marshes is notorious for illegal crossings and smuggling of narcotics and arms and
is patrolled round-the-clock by BSF marine commandos. The 'gabion box' is a regular
technology used for flood water control and prevention of rock breaking along coasts by the
impact of the saline ocean water. The Sir Creek area is characteristic with shallow and
slushy water and these boxes would be the best material to be sunk under water
considering the difficulty of the terrain to execute such a difficult project.
||||
Nationwide Mobile Number Portability by FebruaryTelecom Minister Kapil Sibal on 13
December said nationwide Mobile Number Portability (MNP) is expected to be rolled out by
February 2013.
||||
The government has initiated a special scheme for leadership development of women
belonging to minority community in the country. It has also set up a target to provide
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training to forty thousand women during this year at a cost of 15 crore rupees under the
scheme.
||||
3rd December, 2012
National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon.
Andhra Pradesh Assembly enacts historic law to implement sub-plans for
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Sensex loses 40 points in afternoon trade; Rupee declines 21 paise to 54.47
against the dollar in late
Li Keqiang, is going to succed Wen Jibao as Prime Minister of China. Xi Jinping,
succeeded Hu Jintao as President.
||||
The Central government has started a mega scheme named Ganga Action Plan to
clean the river Ganga. One billion dollars have been approved from the World Bank to
fund an eight-year project. The focus is on clearing large stretches of the river heavily
polluted by industrial effluents and domestic waste.
||||
Maldivian Government decided to terminate the 500 million US Dollar contract
awarded to Indian infrastructure major GMR-led consortium for modernising Male
international airport.
Maldivian Airport Company Limited (MACL)
||||
New CBI director Ranjit Sinha, said that upgradation of forensic laboratories and more
manpower for the investigation agency will be his priorities.
||||
Dovetailing the MGNREGA scheme with an initiative to improve adult literacy among
the workers has proved to be a success story in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district.
||||
India was ranked 94th out of 176 countries in Transparency Internationals 2012 Corruption
Perception Index (CPI) released on 5 December 2012. In 2011, India was ranked 95 out of
183 countries. Denmark, Switzerland and Finland topped the index with a score of 90
followed by Sweden which scored 88 points. North Korea, Afghanistan and Somalia scored
a lowly 8, ranking at the bottom of the index. India scored a low score of 36 on a scale
from 0 to 100 where o implies most corrupt and 100 signifies least corrupt. Indias low
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score was attributed to the scams and incidents of corruption in the public sector which
involved government officials, private officials and private companies. The Corruption
Perceptions Index (CPI) has been developed since 1995 by Transparency International as a
composite indicator that measures perceptions of corruption in the public sector in different
countries around the world. Transparency International is a non-profit, non-
governmental organisation dedicated to fighting corruption. It is best known for its
Corruption Perceptions Index. Its secretariat is located in Berlin, Germany. The
organization is present in more than 100 countries. It came into existence in 1993.
||||
4th December, 2012
India lose 3-2 against Germany in the FIH Champions Trophy in Melbourne.
||||
Indian National Defence University (INDU) at Binola in District Gurgaon,
Haryana
||||
Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA)
||||
The second phase of the Rajiv Awas Yojana will cover all cities in the country irrespective of
population. Any town recommended by the State governments will be included in the
project. Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Ajay Maken said this while
answering supplementaries in the Lok Sabha.
||||
Minister of State for Environment and Forests, Jayanthi Natarajan
||||
CEO of GMR Male International Airport Andrew Harrison.
||||
Following the Centres nod for Phase-IIA of Project Seabird on 7 december,
Karwar in coastal Karnataka is set to become the countrys biggest Naval base by
2025.
||||
Rangaswamy Srinivasan-An Indian-American Rangaswamy Srinivasan, a
renowned inventor at IBM, has been nominated by the US President Barack
Obama for the prestigious National Medal of Technology for Innovation.
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||||
Renowned film actress and Bharatanatyamexponent Hema Malini has been
selected for the prestigious Bharat Muni Samman this year for outstanding
contribution to the field of art and culture.
||||
5th December, 2012
Supreme Court allows Sahara Group to refund 24,000 crore rupees to
investors in instalments in two months.
Typhoon Bopha hit Philippines.
||||
Two $3,000,000 special physics prizes have been awarded to Stephen Hawking
and to seven scientists who led the effort to discover a Higgs-like particle at
CERNs Large Hadron Collider. The Fundamental Physics Prize Foundation, backed
by Russian billionaire Yuri Milner announced the awards on 11 December, saying
that Hawking is honored for his discovery of Hawking radiation from black holes and his
deep contributions to quantum gravity and quantum aspects of the early universe, and
that the prize money for the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, is being
shared among a scientist who administered the building of the $10 billion Large Hadron
Collider and six physicists who directed two teams of 3,000 scientists each.
||||
Law and Justice Minister Dr Ashwani Kumar.
||||
Communications and IT Minister Kapil Sibal told the Lok Sabha today that calls on
mobile phones will be made free in the next ten years. Replying to supplementaries
during question hour, he said communication is a fundamental right and it should not be
charged. He said that telecom companies are working on a plan to earn revenue from data
instead of calls. The Minister admitted that the services of BSNL are not upto the mark in
the North-East, Uttarakhand and some other places.
||||
The government is planning to link the institutions of higher learning with
industry to improve their quality of research. Human Resource Development
Minister M. Pallam Raju gave this information during question time in the Lok Sabha.
Agreeing with members about the shortage of faculty in universities, IITs and IIMs, he said
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the 30 percent vacancy as of now will be filled up during the 12th Five Year Plan.
||||
The Unit-1 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power plant in Tamilnadu is likely to be
commissioned by this month end. The expenditure incurred on the project upto
October 2012 is one lakh fifty one thousand and sixty one crore rupees.
Minister of State in PMO V. Narayanasamy said fuel has been loaded in the Unit-1 and
it is ready for operation.
||||
The Expatriate Indians have emerged as the largest contributor to the foreign exchange
remittances from Qatar to their home country. The latest reports published by Qatar
Central Bank reveals that remittances by foreign workers from Qatar was around 13 billion
dollar with India and Philippines receiving around 72 percent. US was at the third position.
Experts say that the increase in the volume of foreign remittances from Qatar to India is an
reflection of increasing Indias involvement in the development of Qatar. Around 5 lakh
strong expatriate Indian community is living in Qatar and contributing to its growth.
||||
6th December, 2012
Lok Sabha adjourned till 2 p.m. over Babri Masjid issue.
||||
The Lok Sabha was adjourned twice today over the happenings in Ayodhya on this day in
1992.
||||
A grateful nation is paying tributes to Bodhisatva Babasaheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on his
57th death anniversary. The day is observed as Mahaparinirvan Diwas.
||||
The government has said Indian atomic power reactors are the best and the safest in the
world. Replying to supplementaries during the question hour in the Rajya Sabha, Minister
of State in the PMO, V. Narayanasami said the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA
has certified that all the 20 Atomic Power Reactors in the country are very safe. He said the
certificate was given by IAEA after inspection by the officials of the Agency along with the
officials of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL Jaitapur Nuclear power
plant will be setup by French.
||||
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||||
Government appointed tax expert Parthasarathy Shome as adviser to Finance Minister
P. Chidambaram with the rank of Minister of State. Shome was appointed by Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh as the Chairman of the Committee on General Anti-Avoidance Rules in
July. He had earlier worked with the International Monetary Fund and also advised the
World Bank and the United Nations in various projects.
||||
7th December, 2012
Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar back again, takes over as
Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
International Boxing Association suspends Indian Amateur Boxing
Federation; Sports Ministry derecognises both Boxing Federation and
Archrey Association of India.
||||
Strong quake hits off Japan near Fukushima disaster zone
||||
Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad.
||||
8th December, 2012
Foreign Direct Investment in retail will help farmers and consumers,
assures Prime Minister; Calls for building supply chain in agriculturally
advanced states.
India lost to Host Australia in the semi-finals of the Men's Champions
Trophy Hockey Tournament at Melbourne.
The Prime Minister said, the 12th Plan has targeted for the country as a whole an
average of 8.2 per cent growth in GDP and four per cent in agriculture.
||||
Corporate Affairs Minister Sachin Pilot has said, Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR,
activities need to be project-based and time bound.
||||
Over one thousand policemen and women from all over the country will display their skills
and talents developed by the Indian Police over the years during the Spandan, the Police
Evaluation Event to be held in Delhi. The event is being held to mark the 150th anniversary
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of the Indian Police and showcase its capabilities and evaluation over years.
||||
Delegates at the annual climate talks in Doha continue their discussions today to
try to reach a deal to limit global warming. The two-week UN meeting was originally
due to end yesterday. Disagreements were seen over the levels of emissions cuts
acceptable to both developed and developing economies. Developing countries want to
extend the Kyoto Protocol, which obliges developed nations to cut greenhouse gas
emissions. The protocol is scheduled to expire by the end of this month. Poor countries also
want firm commitments from rich nations to boost aid for them to 100 billion dollar
annually by 2020 - a general pledge that was made three years ago. But rich nations are
not willing to commit to specific targets now, citing world financial turmoil and pressure on
their budgets.
||||
Ranjit Sinha(59)-An IPS officer of 1974-batch Bihar cadre on 3 December 2012
acquired the office as new CBI director.
||||
The General Council of Sangeet Natak Akademi, declared N. Rajam, T.H. Vinayakram
and Ratan Thiyam as the three eminent personalities in the field of Arts, as
Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellows (Akademi Ratna)
||||
Renowned Oriya novelist, Pratibha Ray on 27 December 2012 selected for the
prestigious Jnanpith award for the year 2011 for her contribution to the field of Indian
literature.
||||
Emirati poet Shihab Ghanem became the first Emirati and Arab to win the Tagore
Peace Prize.Tagore Peace Prize is instituted by the Indian government to
commemorate the birth anniversary of Indias poet, philosopher and Nobel
Laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
||||
Organisers of the Recording Academy announced on 13 December 2012
that Pandit Ravi Shankar, the sitar maestro would be honoured with the Grammy
Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously. Pandit Ravi Shankar would become
first Indian to receive the prestigious award. The award would be presented at
55th Grammy Awards ceremony on 10 February 2013 in Los Angeles.
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||||
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has received the BrandLaureate Legendary
Award on 13 december, for his contribution to the Hindi film industry, and for
being India's foremost brand ambassador in Malaysia.
||||
9th December, 2012
FDI to provide two crore job opportunities in next two years claims Union
Minister V. Narayanasamy.
Australia win Men's Champions Trophy Hockey tournament out playing the
Netherlands, 2-1.
||||
Mo Yan awarded 2012 Nobel Prize for literature Chinese writer Mo Yan was
awarded 2012 Nobel Prize for literature at Stockholm Concert Hall 10
December. The Nobel Prize Award Ceremony for 2012 started with the Swedish royal
anthem "The King's Song."
||||
Gujarat Parivartan Party founder President Keshubhai Patel.
||||
Karnataka Chief Minister,Jagadish Shetter.
||||
The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh has said that he would discuss with his cabinet
colleagues about extending 100 days employment under MNREGA to the industrial sector.
||||
India's commercial capital, Mumbai, has been named among the world's 'dirtiest'
cities, ranking last in the "cleanest streets" category, a global survey of 40 key tourist
cities has found. According to TripAdvisor's Cities Survey, Tokyo grabbed the first place
while Mumbai ranked last in cleanest streets".
||||
Polling has begun in Romania, in the country's parliamentary elections. Opinion polls
suggest a win for the governing centre-left coalition led by Prime Minister Victor Ponta.
||||
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10th December, 2012
Uproar over news paper reports on Walmart lobbying for entry into India
forces adjournment of Rajya Sabha.
India and Ukraine sign five agreements to enhance cooperation in the areas
of Defence, Nuclear safety, Science and Technology, trade and commerce.
Madras High Court grants anticipatory bail to Union Minister M K Alagiri's
son Durai Dayanidhi in the alleged multi-crore illegal granite quarrying
scam.
Human Rights Day being observed across the globe today.
||||
The Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Vayalar Ravi replied for a question in the Rajya
Sabha on 6 Decemer that the Government has launched Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi
Suraksha Yojana(MGPSY) on 1st May 2012 on a pilot basis. The objective of MGPSY is to
encourage and enable overseas Indian workers having Emigration Check Required (ECR)
passports going to ECR countries, to (a) save for their return and resettlement and (b) save
for their pension.
||||
India and Ukraine today signed five agreements to enhance cooperation including in areas
of defence, Nuclear, Science and Technology and also to remove barriers in trade and
commerce. The two countries also agreed to raise bilateral cooperation to Comprehensive
partnership level. The agreements were signed after delegation level talks between visiting
Ukraine President Victor Yanukovich and Prime Minister Manmohnan Singh at the
Hyderabad House in New Delhi. The pacts also include a Memorandum of understanding
between the Atomic Entry Regulatory Board of India and the Ukranian Nuclear regulator for
cooperation in nuclear safety, construction design, operation and nuclear waste
management.
||||
"The scheme of Web Ratna awards has been designed to address motivational
requirements. The awards acknowledge exemplary initiatives in different
categories of e-governance like provision of citizens central services, citizens
engagement in outstanding web content and innovation."
||||
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||||
Human Rights Day is being observed across the globe today. This year, the objective is to
highlight rights of all people including women, minorities, persons with disabilities and the
marginalised people as well as to make their voices heard in decision making processes. On
this day in 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
||||
Rajya Sabha Chairman Mohammed Hamid Ansari has said the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights is a milestone document.
||||
11th December, 2012
||||
12th December, 2012
Legendary sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar passes away; The nation
mourns his death.
Government announces judicial inquiry into lobbying by Wal-Mart.
India to clash with Iran in the Men's semifinal of World Cup Kabaddi
tournament at Bathinda, Punjab.
||||
"Sitare mestro Pandit Ravi Shankar was born on 7 April, 1920 in Varanasi to a Bengali
Brahmin family as the youngest of seven brothers. He spent his youth
touring Europe and India with the dance group of his brother Uday Shankar. He gave up
dancing in 1938 to study sitar playing under court musician Allauddin Khan. After finishing
his studies in 1944, RaviShankar worked as a composer, creating the music for the Apu
Trilogy by Satyajit Ray.
||||
The Global Terrorism Index (GTI)
India's GTI rank was 4 out of the 159 countries surveyed. While Iraq stood at
number 1, Pakistan at number 2, Afghanistan at number 3 and Yemen was
number 5
||||
The Minister for Human Resource Development Dr M M Pallam Raju has announced the
Ministrys in-principle approval for setting up the Indira Gandhi Centre for
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Sustainable Development at the Somerville College, University of Oxford.
||||
Union Government exempted Service Tax for Janashree and Aam Aadmi Bima
Yojana
Union Government of India on 24 December granted service tax exemption on the services
of life insurance business provided under the Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana (AABY) and
Janashree Bima Yojana (JBY). Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana (AABY) was launched in August
2007and it basically covers death and disability insurance for the benefit of rural landless
households.
||||
India and Japan on 4 December, signed a currency swap agreement for up to USD
15 billion to address short-term liquidity problems. The bilateral swap arrangement
(BSA) between the Reserve Bank of India and the Bank of Japan enables both
countries to swap their local currencies either Japanese yen or Indian rupee against US
dollar for an amount up to USD 15 billion.
||||
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.
||||
India today successfully test-fired nuclear capable surface-to-surface Agni-I missile from
the Wheeler island off Odisha-coast in Bay of Bengal.
Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) chief VK Saraswat.
||||
Apparently neglecting U.S and UN warnings, North Korea has fired sucessfully its
latest long-range rocket Unha-3 on 12 December
||||
Gujarats first industrial park in private sector launched.
||||
Pak to ban ads with Indian models.
||||
Bangalore best Indian city to live: Survey
Technology hub Bangalore has emerged as the best city to live in India, pipping other
metro cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, in terms of overall quality of living,
according to a latest worldwide survey of cities by global HR consultancy Mercer. Amongst
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Indian cities, Bangalore (139) ranks higher than New Delhi (143), Mumbai (146), Chennai
(150) and Kolkata (151) in overall quality of living, according to Mercer's 2012 Quality of
Living Index. "Bangalore's rise in its quality of living ranking can be attributed to positive
ratings for international schools which are suitable for expatriates," the report said. In
terms of city infrastructure, however, Mumbai (134) was ranked highest among Indian
cities followed by Kolkata (141), New Delhi (153), Chennai (168) and Bangalore (170).
However, no Indian city could manage to find a place in the global list, which was topped
by Vienna and was followed by Zurich and Auckland in second and third place, respectively.
Other cities in the top 10 include Munich in fourth place, followed by Vancouver (5th).
Dusseldorf dropped one spot to rank sixth followed by Frankfurt (7th), Geneva (8th),
Copenhagen (9th), and Bern and Sydney tied in 10th place. Indian cities did not fare well
compared to their global counterparts. Among Asia Pacific cities, Australian and New
Zealand cities rank higher on the index with Sydney (11), Wellington (13), Melbourne (18)
and Perth (21) following Auckland (3). Globally, the cities with the lowest quality of living
are Khartoum, Sudan (217); N'Djamena, Chad (218); Port-au-Prince, Haiti (219); and
Bangui, Central African Republic (220). Baghdad, Iraq (221) ranks last. Mercer's Quality of
Living index list covers 221 cities, ranked against New York as the base city.
||||
India on 12 December 2012 successfully test-fired its indigenously developed
nuclear capable Agni-I ballistic missile with a strike range of 700 km from a test
range off Odisha coast.
||||
13th December, 2012
Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar to be honoured with a Grammy Lifetime
Achievement Award posthumously.
||||
Parliamentarians led by Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh and Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar today paid homage to the martyrs on the 11th
anniversary of the attack on Parliament.
||||
14th December, 2012
President Pranab Mukherjee says education and skill development are
among the key enabling factors to achieve 9 per cent growth rate.
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Buddhist new year festival of Losar begins in Ladakh region of Jammu and
Kashmir.
||||
Textiles Minister Anand Sharma.
||||
Communications and Information Technology Minister Kapil Sibal told the Rajya Sabha
today that the government is to review Section 66A of the Information Technology Act,
2000, to prevent the misuse of freedom of expression on the net.
Answering supplimentaries in the Rajya Sabha, he said while the government is committed
to uphold the citizen's freedom of speech as enshrined in Articles 19 and 21 of the
Constitution, the misuse of this Right on the net cannot be permitted.
||||
Parliament has approved the North Eastern Areas (Re-organisation) Amendment Bill 2012,
with the Rajya Sabha unanimously adopting the same today. The bill, aimed at constituting
separate cadres of Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service for Manipur and
Tripura, was passed earlier by the Lok Sabha.
In his brief reply to discussion in the Upper House, Minister of State for Home Affairs
Mullapally Ramachandran said the Centre is aware of the insurgency problems in the North
Eastern parts of the country and taking effective measures in this regard.
||||
15th December, 2012
All Central projects to be linked with Direct Cash Transfer Scheme on the
basis of AADHAR card.
UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi launches the Dilli Annshri Yojna, the food
security scheme of the Delhi government; Says Food Security Bill to be
tabled in the Parliament soon.
Under the Annshri Yojna, the senior most woman member of vulnerable households will
receive 600 rupees per month which will be transferred directly into their bank accounts.
Apart from completely eliminating the leakages in the current Public Distribution System,
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the scheme will provide an option to spend the money as per the family's need. It will cover
2 lakh families who are not covered under the Public Distribution System.
||||
Norman Woodland(91)-The inventor of bar code, which revolutionalised retail in
70s,died on 8 December 2012 at New Jersey.
||||
Bhanu Athaiya(85)- the first Indian to win an Oscar for costume design in the
movie Gandhi decided to return her award to the American Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in December 2012. Bhanu Athaiya fears that she
might lose her trophy as the government might not be able to protect it.
||||
Incumbent President John Dramani Mahama on 10 december, was declared the
winner of Ghanas presidential election
||||
The authorities in Fiji have urged people in low lying areas to leave their homes ahead of
the arrival of Cyclone Evan which is expected to reach the south pacific nation.
Fiji's interim leader Commodore Frank Bainimarama
||||
The grand finale of the 3rd World Cup Kabaddi Tournament between two traditional arch
rivals India and Pakistan would be played at Guru Nanak Stadium, Ludhiana, this evening.
The Women's final which was postponed due to rain on Thursday at Jalandhar, would also
be played at the same venue today. Indian men's team would fight with Pakistan to retain
the title for the third year and women's kabaddi brigade would be up against Malaysia. In
women section, team India would also try to defend its title for the second time.
||||
NASA plans to send a new rover to Mars in 2020 as it prepares for a manned mission to the
Red Planet.The announcement came on 4 deceme, a day after NASA released the results of
the first soil tested by the Curiosity rover, which found traces of some of the compounds
like water and oxygen that are necessary for life. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden
said in a statement that the administration of President Barack Obama is committed to a
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robust Mars exploration program.
||||
T.Shanmugam(93)-Olympian T Shanmugam, one of India's most illustrious
footballers, passed away.
||||
16th December, 2012
Defence minister AK Antony today said that the government will take up the issue of
Captain Saurabh Kalia with Pakistan. He was talking to mediapersons after laying wreath at
the Amar Jawan Jyoti in New Delhi this morning. He said the nation respects the sentiments
of the Captain Kalia's family and that of the soldiers.
"Defence Ministry, government and the nation respect the sentiments of the
family as well as the soldiers we are handling it in an appropriate manner.
Mr. Antony said India Gate is the right place to build a national war memorial.
"The Nation paid homage on Vijay Diwas today to its valiant heroes who made the
supreme sacrifice in the 1971 war with Pakistan. The day marks Indias victory in
the 13-day war with Pakistani forces, which resulted in the Liberation of
Bangladesh, then known as East Pakistan.
||||
The Supreme Court has given its go-ahead to the Medical Council of India (MCI) for holding
the first-ever common entrance examination for admission to MBBS, BDS and post-
graduate courses. But restrained it from declaring the results until further orders.
||||
The government is taking all steps to speed up the completion of ten National
Manufacturing Investment Zones being set up across the country.
||||
Chief Justice of India, Justice Altamas Kabir has taken a serious note of increasing cases of
crime against women and said that peoples
||||
Italian defence minister Giam Paolo di Paolo said that they respect the Supreme Court of
India and hope the case involving the two Italian naval guards would be resolved soon.
Parliamentpasses banking Bill
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Parliament on 20 December paved the way for corporate houses to enter the banking
sector by approving the banking bill, a key reform legislation pending for long. Parliament
also passed the amendments to the debt recovery laws or Sarfesi law after a reply by
Finance Minister P Chidambaram on the combined discussion on the two bills in Rajya
Sabha. These two Bills -- Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2012, and Enforcement of
Security Interest and Recovery of Debts Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2012, -- he said, will
strengthen the financial sector and help in establishing large-sized banks, besides
promoting financial inclusion. We need 2-3 world-sized banks. China has three among the
worlds top 20. We have none. We need more banks, he said. Banks have opened 6,489
branches in 2011-12 alone, that is around 18-19 per day. We dont have the capacity to
open more branch. We need banks, he said. The Lok Sabha had already passed these two
Bills. Mr. Chidambaram said the amendment was not intended to give banking licences to
big corporate houses alone, but also to allow eligible public sector entities to enter the
sector. The Banking Bill was approved by the Lower House earlier this week after the
government dropped the controversial clause concerning allowing banks to trade in
commodity futures. Referring to todays strike by bank unions against reforms, Mr.
Chidambaram said he could only request the bank employees to refrain from such
activities.
||||
17th December, 2012
Parliament disrupted over reservation in promotions for SCs and STs in
government jobs; Voting on the issue likely in Rajya Sabha.
Government projects an overall GDP growth rate of 5.7 to 5.9 percent in the
current financial year.
Pakistan Interior minister Rehman
||||
18th December, 2012
||||
19th December, 2012
Syed Modi Cup Mens International Badminton Championship.
||||
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Park Geun-hye(60), whose father ruled South Korea for 18 years, became the
country's first female president on 19 december, narrowly beating her opponent in one
of the most divisive elections for years.
||||
Scientists of NASA have discovered a huge mass of ice at Mercurys North Pole on
29 November 2012.
||||
Biggest Ever Black Hole Discovered in the Small Galaxy NGC 1277
Astronomers claimed that they have discovered the biggest ever black hole in the small
galaxy called NGC 1277 which is situated around 250 million light years away from our
planet. This galaxy constitutes the mass equal to 17 billion suns. The biggest ever black
hole sits in the NGC 1277 galaxy in Perseus constellation.
Goa is celebrating the 51st anniversary of its liberation today.
||||
Biggest Ever Black Hole Discovered in the Small Galaxy NGC 1277
Astronomers claimed that they have discovered the biggest ever black hole in the small
galaxy called NGC 1277 which is situated around 250 million light years away from our
planet. This galaxy constitutes the mass equal to 17 billion suns.
||||
Some Milestones in Schins cricket career:
Sachin scored 18426 runs in 463 one-day matches at an average of 44.83
Tendulkar made his ODI debut on his international tour against Pakistan in 1989 in
Gujranwala, where he scored zero runs
He scored his first half century in the 9th ODI
He made 49 hundreds in the one-day format, including a double hundred which is
the first in this form of cricket and 96 half centuries
He scored his first century in the 79th ODI against Australia in 1994 at R Premadasa
Stadium, Colombo in a day-night match-this was the third match of singer world
series
In the 2003 World Cup in South Africa he finished as the highest run-getter
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He became the first cricketer to score a double century in the history of One Day
international Cricket against South Africa in February 2010
He played his last One Day International Match against Pakistan in Asia Cup Dhaka
played at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur and scored a half century to help
India win the match
Tendulkar scored his 100th international century on 16 March 2012 against
Bangladesh, where he scored 114 runs.
||||
Justice PN Bhagwati- A copy of memoirs of former Chief Justice of India PN
Bhagwati titled My Tryst with Justice was presented to the President, Pranab
Mukherjee
||||
Parthasarathy Shome- Government on 10 December, appointed tax expert
Parthasarathy Shome as adviser to Finance Minister P Chidambaram with the rank
of Minister of State.
Shome was appointed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the Chairman of Committee
on General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR) in July
||||
S.A. Ibrahim's Appointment as Director for Intelligence Bureau Approved .
||||
Pakistan beat India in a closely fought final to win the Asian Champions Trophy
hockey tournament in Doha 5-4 on 25 december.
||||
Former England captain and renowned commentator Tony Graig died from lung
cancer on 29 December.
||||
Oldest Person of the World, Besse Cooper Died At 116
Besse Cooper, the woman listed as the oldest person of the world died on 4
December 2012 in Georgia nursing home at 116 years of age.
||||
20th December, 2012
India successfully test-fires nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile from Odisha
coast.
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Ireland's health watchdog to begin probe into the death of Indian dentist
Savita Halappanavar.
||||
Law and Justice Minister Ashwini Kumar today said the Electoral Photo Identity Cards
(EPICs) will be recognised as one of the ID proof for individuals at all recognised banks.
||||
21st December, 2012
||||
Miss USA, Olivia Culpo has been crowned as Miss Universe 2012 at a gala event in
Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada,U.S. Olivia Culpo defeated
stunning divas from across 89 states to win the crown
||||
The Prime Minister said, India and ASEAN have set a new paradigm in their relationship by
elevating it to Strategic Partnership level. The successful finalising of the Free Trade
agreement in Services and investment will prove to be as transformational as the ASEAN-
INDIA FTA in goods, he said.
||||
Time Capsule on Democracy Buried in Mexico An electoral court has buried a time
capsule containing more than 80 documents and other items that will not be opened until
2087 in an effort to give future citizens an understanding of today's democracy.
||||
A report shows that women in India work over one-and-a-half hours more than the
countrys men every day, making this difference in total work hours the maximum in nearly
30 countries. According to Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Developments
report on gender and employment, there is a worldwide increase in womens participation
in the labour force but considerable gaps remain in working hours, conditions of
employment and earnings. An analysis of the most countries included in the report shows
that women work more than men when the total time spent including paid and unpaid
work.
However, in some countries - Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and New
Zealand - men spend slightly more time than women on total work per day.
||||
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22nd December, 2012
Human Resources Development Minister Pallam Raju
||||
Union Finance Minister, Mr. P. Chidambaram has appealed to the banks to take the
responsibility of making the revolutionary Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme a success. He
said the scheme, beginning on 1st January, will cover all the villages by the end of next
year. Inaugurating the 1000th branch of State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur today in Jaipur,
the Finance Minister urged the people to start demanding banking services as their right.
Banks should also give top priority to uplift the poor and improve their status. Speaking on
the occasion the Minister of State for Finance Mr. Namonarayan Meena said that under
Swabhiman scheme 45000 bank branches are being opened in the villages with a
population between 1600 and 2000.
||||
In a study entitled The Global Religious Landscape which was issued by Pew Forum
on Religion and Public Life on 18 December 2012, it was found that people under the
affiliation ofno religion accounted for 3rd largest global group only after Christians
and Muslims. No Religion group stood just before the Hindus.The study is based on the
data for 2010. It indicated that Hinduism and Islam are two religions that are likely to grow
larger in future, while the weakest growth opportunities were that of Jews. The most
consistently spreading religion was Christianity which is said to be present in almost all
regions of world. Hinduism, on the other hand, has its concentration in one country, India
with around 94 percent population following the religion.
||||
The Obama administration has appointed yet another Indian-American to a key
administrative post naming Smita Singh as the Member of the President's Global
Development Council.
||||
23rd December, 2012
Sachin Tendulkar announces retirement from One Day International Cricket;
BCCI announces Indian squad for the upcoming Cricket series against
Pakistan.
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||||
Italy's parliament has been dissolved by President Giorgio Napolitano following caretaker
Prime Minister Mario Monti's resignation.
||||
The authorities in Argentina and Chile have issued an alert over increased activity at the
Copahue volcano, which has begun spewing smoke and gas.
||||
24th December, 2012
US President Barack Obama has nominated Senator John Kerry to succeed Hillary Clinton
as his next secretary of state.
||||
US President Barack Obama was named TIME's Person of the Year for 2012, because of his
historic win over the re-election in November 2012 which is being considered as symbol of
the nation's changing demographics amid the backdrop of high unemployment and other
challenges
||||
National Consumer Rights' Day is being observed today. It was on this day in 1986 the
Consumer Protection Act was enacted by Parliament.
||||
25th December, 2012
Veteran Congress leader Virbhadra Singh sworn-in as Himachal Pradesh
Chief Minister for the sixth time.
||||
President Pranab Mukherjee has said that India is fast becoming a major economic power
as it is the third largest economy in the world in terms of purchasing power parity.
||||
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26th December, 2012
China opens world's longest high-speed rail route, linking the
capital Beijing with Guangzhou.
||||
Ireland is to legalise abortions when the mother's life is at risk, including when
she is suicidal, following the death of a Indian woman who was refused the
procedure while undergoing a miscarriage.
||||
President of Nepal Dr. Ram Baran Yadav
||||
In Japan, Mr Shinzo Abe has been voted in as the Prime Minister by Japan's MPs, after his
party's crushing poll victory earlier this month.
Delhi gang-rape victim admitted to Mount Elizabeth Hospital inSingapore in
critical condition.
And in Hockey, defending champions India take on arch-rivalsPakistan in
the final of the Asian Champions Trophy Tournament inDoha.
||||
Soldiers arrested Malis Prime Minister Cheikh Modibo Diarra, and ordered him to
resign.
||||
The President Mr Pranab Mukherjee has stressed the need for exploring the antiquity of all
Indian Languages, especially Telugu Language. Inaugurating the fourth World Telugu
Conference in Tirupati, he said, the study of languages will reveal its associated cultural
heritage and history of the people to the rest of the world.
||||
Sri Lankas first woman Chief Justice faced the threat of dismissal from office
after a parliamentary panel on 8 december, found her guilty of three accusations
of professional misconduct.The charges against Chief Justice Shirani
Bandaranayake have raised international concerns that the government is trying to control
the judiciary.The panel said it had found Ms. Bandaranayake guilty of three out of five
charges of financial and professional misconduct brought by the ruling United Peoples
Freedom Alliance.
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||||
27th December, 2012
||||
28th December, 2012
Indian National Congress was founded on this day in 1885 by Englishman Allan Octavio
Hume, a noted ornithologist and a civil servant in British India.
||||
The United States has evacuated its embassy in the Central African Republic, reflecting
growing fears that the capital, Bangui, may fall to rebel forces. The country's President
Francois Bozize has sought French and American help against the insurgents, who have
been making rapid territorial gains. France, however, has rejected any intervention. It says
its small military contingent is there to protect French citizens, not the Government.
||||
The defending champion and World No.1Novak Djokovich defeated World No.5 David
Ferrer in Abu Dhabi ATP World Tennis Championship final.
||||
The second Kolkata International Childrens Film Festival came to end this day.
||||
Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata has retired today at the age of 75. He transformed the
Tata group from a conventional corporate house into a 100 billion dollar global
conglomerate with high-profile acquisitions abroad. He will hand over the reins of the group
to 44-year old Cyrus Mistry, who was chosen his successor last year and formally appointed
Chairman earlier. this month. Mr Ratan Tata is hanging up his boots after steering the
group for 21 years as its Chairman.
||||
Over 160 lakh tonnes of rice have been procured by the government agencies during the
current Kharif marketing season. Data provided by the Ministry of Food and Public
Distribution said, total rice procured so far is over three lakh tonnes more than its
procurement in the corresponding period of the last season. The highest procurement has
been made in Punjab followed by Haryana and Chattisgarh.
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||||
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalaithaa has urged Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh not to
establish National Counter Terrorism Centre without consulting the Chief Ministers. In a
letter written to the Prime Minister today she said that a nodal central agency should be set
up which will interact with a nodal agency at State level for sharing of intelligence.
||||
Smitha Singh- The Obama administration has appointed Smita Singh as member of
the president's Global Development Council. The Council will inform and provide
advice to the President and other senior US officials on American global development
policies and practices, support new and existing public-private partnerships, and increase
awareness and action in support of development by soliciting public input on current and
emerging issues in the field of global development.
||||
Justice Swatanter Kumar- has taken over as chairperson of the National Green
Tribunal (NGT)
||||
Park Geun-Hye Elected As the First Woman President of South Korea
||||
Virbhadra Singh sworn in for sixth time as CM
||||
29th December, 2012
Former England Cricket Captain and Commentator Tony Greig passes away
in Sydney.
All India Football Federation imposes two year ban on Kolkata's Football
Club, Mohun Bagan.
||||
Century-old club Mohun Bagan was today slapped with a two-year suspension by the All
India Football Federation for abandoning their violence marred I-League match against East
Bengal on December the 9. The decision was taken today by the I-League Core Committee
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which also declared all of club's matches in the I-League Competition 2012-2013, cancelled
and considered null and void.
||||
The U.S. Senate has overwhelmingly approved a five-year extension of a law allowing the
government to conduct wiretapping on foreign citizens without a warrant. The Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Act, passed by the House of Representatives earlier this year,
cleared the Senate by a 73 to 23 margin with broad bipartisan support. The law, first
passed after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, also allows intelligence gathering on
Americans when they communicate abroad with foreigners, designated by security agencies
as potential terrorist suspects.
||||
The Minimum Support Price of Wheat was increased to 1350 Rupees per Quintal
||||
Bihar became the Fastest Growing Indian State between 2006 and 2010
||||
Indian girl Sherin Catherine in line for Oscar nomination
||||
Sherin Catherine, 24, who wrote the lyrics of two songs for Rupesh Paul's 'Saint Dracula', is
all smiles.
Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino the 3rd recently signed the controversial
Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012.
||||
30th December, 2012
||||
Indian mathematics genius Srinivasa Ramanujan's cryptic deathbed theory has finally been
proven correct, almost after ninety-two years of his death. In 1920, while on his death-bed,
Ramanujan wrote a letter to his mentor, English mathematician G H Hardy, outlining
several new mathematical functions never heard of before, along with a hunch about how
they worked.
Quoting the Researchers report the Daily Mail newspaper reported that Mr. Ramanujan was
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right and that the formula could explain the behaviour of black holes.
||||
31st December, 2012
Delhi Government launches helpline number 181 for women in distress in
the national capital.
||||
The direct cash transfer scheme is all set to be rolled out from tomorrow in 43 districts
spread over 16 states. The scheme aims at providing benefits of several government
welfare schemes directly to the beneficiaries Adhaar-enabled bank accounts to plug
leakages and reduce delays in their transfer. Initially, 29 welfare schemes run by the
Ministries of Social Justice and Empowerment, Human Resources Development, Tribal
Affairs, Minority Affairs, Women and Child Development, Health and Family Welfare, Labour
and Employment and Rural Development will be covered. Some of the programmes to be
covered under the new system include scholarships, pension for the old and disabled and
wages under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. From April 2013,
18 states will be brought under its coverage and by the end of the year, the entire country
is expected to be covered.
||||
The Cabinet on 26 December, approved setting up of a Commission of Enquiry to
look into the incident of rape and assault on a young woman on 16th December,
2012 in Delhi and to suggest measures to improve the safety and security of
women. The Commission of Enquiry will be set up under the Chairmanship of Ms.
Justice Usha Mehra, retired Judge of the High Court, Delhi.
||||
Shinzo Abe-led LDP wins Japan general elections.
||||
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
||||
Cyrus Pallonji Mistry Appointed as Chairman of Tata Sons Cyrus Pallonji Mistry was
appointed as the chairman of Tata Sons, the firm that holds more than 100 billion dollar
Tata Group, on 18 December 2012.
||||
Novak Djokovic on 29 December 2012 won World Tennis Championship final
against Spanish tennis player Nicolas Almagro.
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||||
For the third consecutive time, India won the mens final of the World Kabaddi
Cup.
||||
India on 20 December 2012 successfully test-fired its indigenously developed
nuclear capable surface-to-surface Prithvi-II missile with a strike range of 350
kmfrom a test range at Chandipur near Balasore
||||
The National Water Resource Council has adopted the National Water Policy
(2012).
||||
Famous soccer player,Lionel Messi, on 9 December 2012 set the record for most
goals in a calendar year by scoring his 86th goal of 2012.
||||
Australia clinched a record fifth straight Champions Trophy (2012)field hockey
title with a 2-1 extra-time win over the Netherlands in the final in Melbourne on 9
December.
||||
Kobe Bryant Became Youngest Player in the History of NBA to Reach 30000 Career
Points Kobe Bryant, 34, achieved the title of youngest ever player to reach the milestone of
30000 career points in NBA (basketball)
||||
Anna Ushenina of Ukraine won the Womens World Championship Crown of Chess.
||||
Pandit Ravi Shankar(92)- Pandit Ravi Shankar had passed away on 11 December 2012
after heart-valve replacement surgery in California. Ravi Shankar is said to be a pioneer for
introducing Indian music to Western world. The most well-known Sitar player of not
just India, but the world, he is also said to be ambassador of the international
music.
||||
China inaugurated Worlds Longest High-speed Rail Route linking Beijing with
Guangzhou.
||||
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