• A BJP lawmaker from Karnataka has said he will move a Private Members’ Bill during the winter session of parliament to facilitate the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya.

• The admissibility of a private member’s Bill is decided by the Rajya Sabha Chairman. In the case of Lok Sabha, it is the Speaker; the procedure is roughly the same for both Houses.

• Fourteen private member’s Bills — five of which were introduced in Rajya Sabha — have become law so far.

 

 

 

• Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari will lay the foundation stones of four National Highways projects worth Rs 1865 crore in Karnataka.

• The projects include widening of NH-234 to two lanes with paved shoulders from Banavara to Huliyar (48.2 km) at a cost of Rs 191.6 crore, and NH-373 from Beluru to Belikere (128.35 km) at a cost of Rs 849.39 crore. 

• This will improve the connectivity between these places, as also provide better connectivity to world heritage places like Belur, Halebeedu and Sravanabelagola.

• Similarly, Channarayapatna Bypass and Hassan Bypass on NH-75 will be widened from two lanes to four lanes at a cost of Rs 823.4 crore (20.71 km). This will ensure uninterrupted traffic movement on the NH-75.

 

 

 

  

• The NITI Aayog today organized a day-long dialogue on “Health System for A New India: Building Blocks”, with national and international academia, practitioners, Indian policymakers and other stakeholders of the healthcare ecosystem.

• The dialogue was the first in the series of NITI Aayog’s “Development Dialogues” that aims to facilitate multisectoral conversations on India’s developmental issues, which constitute a part of the country’s 15 Year Vision document.

• The inaugural session was chaired by Dr Vinod Paul, Member, NITI Aayog and included the participation of Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, MsPreeti Sudan, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Shri Alok Kumar, Adviser, NITI Aayog. Dr. SuwitWibulpolprasert, Global Health Advisor, Government of Thailand gave the keynote address detailing Thailand’s four-decade journey towards Universal Health Coverage.

 

 

• Odisha’s Kandhamal Haldi (turmeric), famous for its healing properties, is all set to receive GI tag.

• The golden yellow spice, named after the district where it is produced, has been cultivated since time immemorial and is known for its medicinal value.

• Turmeric is the main cash crop of tribal people in Kandhamal. Apart from domestic use, turmeric is also used for cosmetic and medicinal purposes.

• More than 60,000 families (nearly 50% of Kandhamal population) are engaged in growing the variety. The crop is sustainable in adverse climatic conditions.

• At international level, GI is governed by WTO’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

• In India, Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection Act), 1999 governs it.

 

 

 

• The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM), Ministry of Finance observed Swachhta Pakhwada from 16th to 30th November, 2018.

• The Department started the Pakhwada with all the Officers/staff of the Department taking Swachhta Pledge.

• The Pledge was administered by the Secretary, DIPAM, Shri Atanu Chakraborty.

• All the employees and officers of the Department led by the Secretary, Shri Atanu Chakraborty, cleaned a nearby Park in the CGO Complex as part of the cleanliness drive.

• The Pakhwada concluded on 30th November, 2018 with a Swachhta Awareness March undertaken by the officers/staff of the Department.

 

 

 

• To promote and disseminate selected speeches of the President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind, Directorate of Publications Division, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting will be launching the books “The Republican Ethic” and “Loktantra Ke Swar” (Selected Speeches of Shri Ram Nath Kovind, President of India) on 8 Dec 2018 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

• The books would be launched by Shri Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President of India in the presence of Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore, Minister of State (I/C) Information & Broadcasting and Youth Affairs & Sports. Smt Sushma Swaraj, Minister of External Affairs would be the Guest of Honour on the occasion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Government of Goa, is hosting the annual Startup India Venture Capital Summit in Goa on December 07, 2018.

• The theme of the Summit is ‘Mobilizing Global Capital for Innovation in India.’ 

• The event will showcase the Indian startup opportunity for funds from around the world. 

• The summitaims to attract more global capital into the country. 

• The event will enable a dialogue between Government and experienced Venture Capitalfund managers on ways to further promote the startup ecosystem in India. 

• Thefocus of the Summitis on the huge return-generating potential of India’s vast and diverse market monetized through cutting-edge technologies and supported by investor-friendly regulations. 

• The key objectives of the Summit will be to showcase the India opportunity, increase capital flow for Indian startups and further promote ease of doing business.

 

 

 

• After the success of container cargo being shipped from Kolkata to Varanasi earlier  this year, Bihar’s capital Patna will be witness to a new landmark in India’s Inland Water Transport (IWT) sector with 16 TEUs of container cargo (equivalent to 16 truckloads) belonging to food giants PepsiCo India and Emami Agrotech Ltd from Kolkata reaching the city’s Gaighat IWT terminal on river Ganga next week.

• Kolkata-Patna is India’s new IWT origin-destination pair for containerised cargo movement on the National Waterway-1. Plans are at an advanced stage to operationalise Patna-Varanasi sector of NW-1 for container cargo movement. Container cargo transport comes with several inherent advantages. 

• Even as it reduces the handling cost, allows easier modal shift, reduces pilferages and damage, it also enables cargo owners to reduce their carbon footprints.

• The Ministry of Shipping is developing NW-1 (River Ganga) under Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) from Haldia to Varanasi (1390 Km) with the technical and financial assistance of the World Bank at an estimated cost of Rs 5369 crore. The project would enable commercial navigation of vessels with capacity of 1500-2,000 DWT.

• According to the World Bank economic analysis, of the 1.5 lakh direct and indirect employment opportunities to be created due to interventions under JMVP, 50,000 will be in Bihar alone.

 

 

 

 

• The President Shri Ram Nath Kovind led the nation in paying homage to Bharat Ratna Baba Saheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on his 63rd Mahaparinirvan Diwas .

• He offered floral tribute at the statue of Baba Saheb at Sansad Bhavan Lawns in the Parliament House complex.

• The Vice President Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Speaker, Lok Sabha Smt. Sumitra Mahajan also offered tribute to the Father of the Indian Constitution, Dr. Ambedkar.

• Among other leaders who paid floral tribute to Baba Saheb included the Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Dr. Thaawarchand Gehlot, Ministers of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Ramdas Athawale, Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar, Shri Vijay Sampla and other dignitaries.

 

 

 

 

• The Centre is planning to revisit its decision to lift the Restricted Area Permit (RAP) system from 29 islands of Andaman and Nicobar. 

• To develop tourism, the RAP regime, in place since 1963, was lifted around August this year from 29 islands, including the North Sentinel. 

• The lifting of the regime proved problematic and the decision had “many pros and cons that needed to be re-looked”. 

• Recently, U.S. citizen John Allen Chau was killed in the North Sentinel Island.

• RAP regime was notified under the Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order, 1963.

• Citizens of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan and foreign nationals of Pakistani origin are exception and are not allowed to enter such areas.

  

 

 

 

• The Supreme Court has approved the Centre’s draft witness protection scheme and has asked all the states to implement it till Parliament comes out with a legislation. The court has also made some changes in the scheme.

• The issue of witness protection scheme had cropped up earlier when the top court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking protection for witnesses in rape cases involving Asaram Bapu.

• The draft witness protection scheme has been finalised in consultation with the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD).

• The scheme envisages that there should be safeguards that witnesses and accused do not come face to face during investigation or trial and adequate security measures should be there for the safety of the witnesses.

• The scheme provides for identity protection and giving a new identity to the witness.

• The scheme shall extend to the whole of the India except the State of Jammu & Kashmir.

It has three categories of witnesses based on the threat perception:

• Category ‘A’: Where the threat extends to life of witness or his family members and their normal way of living is affected for a substantial period, during investigation/trial or even thereafter.

• Category ‘B’: Where the threat extends to safety, reputation or property of the witness or his family members, only during the investigation process or trial.

• Category ‘C’: Where the threat is moderate and extends to harassment or intimidation of the witness or his family member’s, reputation or property, during the investigation process.

 

 

 

• The Ministry of Women and Child Development will soon formulate guidelines for children’s hostels, prescribing the minimum standards of care that should be provided to the children.

• The Ministry has directed the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to draft the guidelines in consultation with stakeholders concerned. The guidelines will be notified under the Juvenile Justice Act or the JJ Rules.

• The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 came into force in January, 2016. 

• The new Act repeals the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000. 

• The JJ Act, 2015 provides for strengthened provisions for both children in need of care and protection and children in conflict with law.

• It establishes a statutory status for the Child Adoption Resources Authority (CARA).

 

 

 

• Admiral Sunil Lanba, released a book titled ‘Blue Waters Ahoy!’ – chronicling the Indian Navy’s History from 2001-10. The unveiling was a part of an At Home function held at the Navy House in the presence of His Excellency, Sh. Ramnath Kovind, the President of India and the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

• The Indian Navy celebrates Navy Day every year on 04 December 2018 to commemorate its offensive actions during the 1971 war.

• The book has been authored by Vice Admiral Anup Singh, who retired as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Naval Command in 2011.

  

 

 

• A 50MW floating solar plant will be set up in the country’s largest reservoir Rihand dam in Sonbhadra district in UP.

• Floating solar plants are considered an alternate option to tackle land availability issues. 

• The concept involves setting up solar panels on floats placed on dams, lakes and similar water bodies.

• Floating solar makes intuitive sense in geographies with high land costs and poor availability. 

• Floating solar is a definite reprieve for states that are a significant market for more renewable energy but with little land to spare, as is the case with Uttar Pradesh.

• The largest floating solar plant to date is a 2MW one in Vishakhapatnam. Another is a 500-kWh plant built by the Kerala State Electricity Board at the Banasura Sagar Dam.

 

 

 

• The 182-metre tall Statue of Unity dedicated to Sardar Patel in Gujarat`s Narmada district is becoming one of the country`s top tourist spots. 

• The statue is now attracting about 30,000 people every day. Both Gujarat Chief Secretary J N Singh and the state`s Principal Secretary, tourism S J Haider put the figure of daily visitors at the site over the past few days at 30,000.

• The statue, the world`s tallest, located on Sadhu Bet islet on the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Kevadiya, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31st. 

• The United States Consul-General Edgard Kagan also visited the memorial.

• The statue is a tribute to Sardar Patel`s role in getting 562 princely states to accede to the Indian Union after Independence.

 

 

• The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh launched Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) for the State of Nagaland at Kohima today, coinciding with the Formation Day of Nagaland and the inaugural day of Hornbill Festival 2018. Residents in Nagaland do not require to remember multiple helpline numbers now. 

• They can dial 112 or use Panic Button on their phones or 112 India mobile App to connect to a single number based 112 emergency services which will connect to Police, Fire, Health and other helplines through an Emergency Response Centre in the State. Shri Rajnath Singh also flagged off Emergency Response Vehicles fitted with mobile device terminals.

• Central Government has allocated Rs. 321.69 Crore under Nirbhaya Fund for implementation of ERSS project across the country. Nagaland has been allocated Rs.4.88 crore for the project.

• Nagaland is the first amongst the North-Eastern States and the second State in India to launch Pan-India single emergency number ‘112’ under ERSS.

 

 

 

• In Uttar Pradesh, more than 80 delegates from 11 countries are participating in an international conference on bears in Agra. 

• The four-day conference is aimed at sharing knowledge on principles of the welfare of bears and other wild animals in zoos, sanctuaries and rescue centres. 

• The conference has been Hosted by Wildlife SOS in collaboration with Bear Care Group from the US and Canada.

 

 

 

• Union Government has constituted six-member committee to look at selling as many as 149 small and marginal oil and gas fields of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) and Oil India Ltd (OIL) to private and foreign companies to boost domestic output.

• The committee will be headed by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar and includes Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha, Oil Secretary M M Kutty, Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and ONGC Chairman and Managing Director Shashi Shanker as members.

• Constitution of this committee is follow up of October 2018meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review domestic production profile of oil and gas and the roadmap for cutting import dependence by 10% by 2022.

  

 

 

• Keeping the indomitable spirit of adventure alive, soldiers of Indian Army conducted ‘Cockerel Gunners’ White Water Rafting Expedition’ at Rishikesh on 29 November 2018. 

• The expedition commenced on 26 November 2018 wherein a team comprising of 20 adventure enthusiasts of a Medium Regiment were flagged off at Rudraprayag.

• After successfully traversing 150 kilometers across River Ganges over four days, the team was flagged in at Rishikesh. 

• As part of its challenging journey, the team successfully negotiated numerous grade III and IV Rapids.

• The expedition reaffirmed the Indian Army’s resolve of a strong sense of determination, grit and perseverance in face of all odds.

 

 

 

 

• The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that art and dance forms act as bridge between the value systems of ancient India and thenew generation. 

• He was addressing the gathering after inaugurating the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Brahma Gana Sabha, in Chennai today. 

• The Minister for Fisheries and Fishery Development, Tamil Nadu, Shri D. Jayakumar and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

 

 

 

• India`s first locomotive-less train, known as Train 18, has breached the 180 kilometres per hour speed limit during a test run at Kota-Sawai Madhopur section in Rajasthan. When this indigenously designed train is made operational, it will become the country`s fastest train. 

• "Train 18 is capable of touching 200 kilometres per hour provided the rest of Indian Railways` system, such as tracks and signals, permit.

• With 16 coaches, the train will have the same passenger carrying capacity as that of the Shatabdi Express.

• It has aerodynamically designed driver cabins at both ends for quicker turn-around at destinations. 

 

 

 

• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E K Palaniswami recently wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to stop the process of a feasibility study for the Mekedatu dam project in Karnataka. 

• The study has been cleared by the Central Water Commission (CWC), which has also asked for a detailed project report.

• Being set up by the Karnataka government, the project is near Mekedatu, in Ramanagaram district, across the river Cauvery from Tamil Nadu.

• Its primary objective is to supply drinking water to Bengaluru and recharge the groundwater table in the region.

• Tamil Nadu has moved the Supreme Court. Its main argument is that the project violates the final award of the Cauvery River Water Tribunal, and that the “construction of the two reservoirs would result in impounding of the flows in the intermediate catchment below the Krishnaraja Sagar and Kabini reservoirs, and Billigundulu in the common border of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu”.

 

 

 

• A reservation quota of six berths in 3rd AC class of all Rajdhani, Duronto and fully Air Conditioned trains have been earmarked for female passengers irrespective of their age, travelling alone or in a group of female passengers. 

• Ministry of Railways has decided to earmark reserved accommodation in trains for female passengers to provide solace in their journey. 

• At present, a reservation quota of six sleeper class berths in Mail and Express trains is earmarked for female passengers.

• A reservation quota of six berths in 3rd AC class of Garib Rath Express trains has also been earmarked for female passengers.