1) Andhra Pradesh government launches ‘Nadu-Nedu’ scheme
•Andhra Pradesh government has launched the ‘Nadu-Nedu’ programme. The programme aims to introduce English medium from classes 1 to 6 in state-run schools. The scheme will be implemented in 15,715 schools in the first phase. It will cover all schools in three years’ time with a budget of Rs 12,000 crores.
•The decision to switch over to the English medium in government schools has been taken to uplift the marginalised section of society.
2) Nitin Gadkari Inaugurates Khadi Pavilion at I.I.T.F
•Union Minister of MSME and Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the Khadi Pavilion at the India International Trade Fair (IITF) in New Delhi. The Pavilion entrance has been themed upon Sabarmati Ashram, with melodious Shehnai celebrating the ‘spirit of Indianness’. A wide range of products which includes food, handicrafts, leather, textiles and hosiery, readymade garments, wooden toys, cosmetics and herbal products offering a discount of up to 20% are being displayed in the Khadi Pavilion at IITF 2019.
3) Jair Bolsonaro to be chief guest at Republic Day 2020
•Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will be the chief guest at Republic Day 2020 celebrations. He has accepted the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to be the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations next year.
4) New signal fish discovered off Kerala coast
•The new signal fish was found in Lakshadweep sea off Kerala coast, which is the home for unusual species like fish with a unique color. The name of the species is “Pteropsaron Indicum”, was collected by trawlers at a depth of 70 meters during a marine biodiversity survey. Scientists from the University of Kerala and the Ocean Science Foundation, United State of America (USA) have described the discovery of the new species of signal fish, was the first one of the genus recorded in Indian waters.
5) FIFA names Arsene Wenger as global football development chief
•Veteran coach Arsene Wenger has been named FIFA’s Chief of global football development. The former Arsenal and Monaco coach would be responsible for the growth of the game for both men and women around the world and would also be the leading authority on technical matters, including potential changes to the sport’s laws.
•Wenger made the English Club Arsenal one of the strongest football clubs in Europe, winning three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups and taking his team to the 2006 Champions League final. He also won the French league in 1987 with Monaco, adding the French Cup four years later before departing for Japan in 1995.
6) CCI approves merger of the BNP Paribas (BNPP) and the Baroda (BOB) Mutual Fund
•The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves the merger of the BNP Paribas (BNPP) Mutual Fund and the Baroda (BOB) Mutual Fund, under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002.
•The Proposed Combination relates to the merger of the BNP Paribas Mutual Fund and the BOB Mutual Fund. The Parties propose to amalgamate (i) BOB Asset Management Company (AMC) into BNPP AMC; (ii) BNPP Trustee Company (TC) into BOB TC; (iii) After the merger, BNPP AMC and BOB TC will be the surviving entities.
7) CSIR-IMTECH signs MOU with IIT Bombay for collaborative research
•Council of Scientific & Industrial Research(CSIR)-Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH), Chandigarh signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay to promote collaborative research. The MoU will facilitate the exchange of ideas, development of new knowledge and enhance high-quality research acumen between the researchers and faculty of both the institutes.
•The objective of this collaboration is to carry out state of the art research in areas of healthcare especially in projects and mission where both the institutes can significantly complement each other. Both the institutes shall benefit immensely through this partnership as it will facilitate the exchange of faculty and students for the purpose of research, teaching, development and implementation of collaborative research projects, professional development programs, and capacity-building efforts.
8) Indian Scholar Ravi Prakash won BRICS-Young Innovator Prize 2019
•Ravi Prakash, an Indian PhD scholar has won the BRICS-Young Innovator Prize for inventing an affordable indigenous milk chilling unit for smaller and marginal rural dairy farmers. Prakash, PhD scholar of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Bangalore, was a part of a 21-member delegation sent to Brazil by the Department of Science and Technology for the 4th BRICS-Young Scientist Forum (YSF), 2019. The theme for 4th BRICS-YSF was “Cybersecurity and Bio-economy” it highlights the important strategy of science, technology and innovation as the key drivers of youth entrepreneurship and leadership.
•The technology can be used for chilling milk from the point of production by bringing down the temperature of raw milk from 37C to 7C within 30 minutes using nano-fluid based phase change materials.
9) Robert De Niro to be conferred with SAG Life Achievement award
•Hollywood veteran and double Oscar winner Robert De Niro will receive the SAG-AFTRA’s highest tribute: the SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment, at the 26th edition of the ceremony 2019. The SAG Life Achievement Award is given annually to an actor who fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession”.
10) Lt. Cdr. Karabi Gogoi posted as Assistant Naval Attache in Moscow
•Lt. Cdr. Karabi Gogoi has been posted as the Assistant Naval Attache at the Indian embassy in Moscow. She will become the first woman officer from the Indian Navy to be posted as a Defence Attache at an Indian mission abroad.
•Lt. Cdr. Gogoi was commissioned into the Navy in 2010 and is currently posted at Karwar. India has over 100 Defence Attaches or Defence Advisors posted at missions across the world with all three Service Attaches posted at important missions.
11) Nilam Sawhney appointed as Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary
•Senior IAS officer Nilam Sawhney has been appointed as the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh. She has become the first woman Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh. She belongs to the 1984 batch of the IAS and from AP Cadre. She will replace Neerabh Kumar who is holding the additional charge as the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh.
12) India-U.S. tri-services exercise Tiger Triumph begins
•The India-U.S. tri-services amphibious exercise “Tiger Triumph” has begun in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Tiger Triumph will go on for 9 days off the Visakhapatnam and Kakinada coasts. The training events will enhance U.S.-India military-to-military relations and hone individual and small-unit skills in humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
•This kind of training is expected to build the capacity of both the U.S. and Indian participants as well as improving their ability to operate together.
13) Bangladesh tops business bribery risk in South Asia
•Bangladesh has topped the business bribery risk in South Asia according to the Trace Bribery Matrix. Bangladesh has the highest business bribery risk among South Asian courtiers according to the annual ranking for 200 countries. Bangladesh has been placed at 178th position among 200 countries in terms of business bribery risk. Overall, New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland presented the lowest bribery risk.
•TRACE is a US-based organisation which provides ranking to various countries in terms of the risk of bribery companies face in doing business in those countries. The Trace Bribery Matrix evaluates the countries under 4 parameters i.e. business interaction with the government, anti-bribery deterrence, transparency and civil society oversight.
14) Moody lowers India’s GDP growth forecast to 5.6 per cent for 2019
•Moody’s Investors Service has slashed India’s economic growth forecast to 5.6% for the fiscal year 2019. It stated that the government measures do not address the widespread weakness in consumption demand, as a reason for lowering the growth forecast. It also stated that the economic activity in India will pick up in 2020 and 2021 to 6.6 % and 6.7 % respectively.
