This index on global ranking of personal, civil and economic freedom placed India at 111 out of 162 countries, China at 129 rank, Bangladesh at 139 and Pakistan at 140. New Zealand was ranked one in the index, followed by Switzerland and Hong Kong.
Bottom most - Venezuela, Sudan, and Syria.
The Ministry of AYUSH & Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports announced the formal recognition of Yogasana as a competitive sport. Sports discipline of Yogasana is likely to have 51 medals in 4 events and 7 categories.
National Individual Yogasana Sports Championship in 2021.
DAC approved Capital Acquisition proposals of various weapons, platforms, equipment & systems required by Indian Army, Navy and Air Force at an approximate overall cost of Rs 28,000 crore of which products worth Rs. 27,000 crore from domestic industry.
DAC chairman - Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
International Migrants Day is celebrated every year on December 18 to highlight the contributions made by international migrants & internally displaced persons (IDPs) & challenges they face. The number of international migrants in 2019 reached 272 million.
2020 Theme is "Reimagining Human Mobility".
Vidyut Mohan was one of the "Young Champions of the Earth" winners by UNEP . Co-founder of "Takachar", a social enterprise enabling farmers to prevent open burning of farm residues & earn extra income by converting them into value-added chemicals on-site.
Prize is annually awarded to 7 entrepreneurs under age 30.
UNEP announced 6 winners of Champions of the Earth Award for initiatives aimed at healing the planet amid natural & man-made threats.Champion of the Earth Lifetime Achievement was Robert D. Bullard, an American scholar for promoting environmental justice.
UNEP:
Executive director - Inger Andersen;
HQ - Nairobi, Kenya.
MoU between Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) & Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) was approved. It will help in improving regulatory & policy framework for developing efficient wholesale power markets & enhancing grid reliability.
CERC is a key regulator of power sector in India.
A dedicated control centre, Network for space object Tracking and Analysis
'NETRA', for SSA activities in the country, aimed at monitoring, tracking and protecting India's space assets, has been set up within the ISTRAC campus at Peenya, Bengaluru.
Only America, Russia and Europe had such an SSA centre.
‘Hunar Haat’ is the flagship initiative by the Minority Affairs Ministry to generate employment for master craftspeople . It is a platform for products made by traditional artisans & craftsmen from all over India. 23rd Hunar Haat is held at Rampur,UP.
Next Hunar Haat - Shilp Gram, Lucknow in Jan 2021.
IndusInd Bank in partnership with Mastercard launched its first metal credit card - ‘PIONEER Heritage’. The card has been specially curated to match the requirements of affluent Indian professionals & entrepreneurs.
IndusInd Bank launched ‘PIONEER Banking in January 2020.
YES BANK partnered with VISA to enhance payments efficiency for salaried & YES FIRST account holders. It also introduced a new line of vertical E-series Debit cards across Mastercard and VISA cards. This card will be laid out vertically.
YES Bank:
MD & CEO - Prashant Kumar;
HQ - Mumbai.
Bank of Baroda has appointed Ian De Souza as new chief financial officer. He will replace Subrat Kumar. A Chartered Accountant, De Souza has 23 years of experience in the banking and financial services domain.
Bank of Baroda:
CEO & MD -Shri Sanjiv Chadha.
ISRO has successfully launched new communication satellite CMS-01 as PSLV-C50 carrying the satellite lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The CMS-01's intended operational life is 7 years and will replace ageing GSAT-12.
CMS -01 is India's 42nd communications satellite.
The 35th edition of IND-INDO CORPAT between Indian & Indonesian Navy was conducted.It will contribute towards the Indian Navy’s efforts to consolidate inter-operability and forge strong bonds of friendship across the Indo Pacific.
IND-INDO CORPAT conducted since 2002.
India has pledged a sum of $1mn to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). It will allow WADA to develop innovative anti-doping testing & detection methods and further strengthen WADA’s independent Investigations & Intelligence Department.
WADA:
HQ - Montreal, Canada;
President Witold Banka.
Poland captain Robert Lewandowski was named men's player of the year by the FIFA.England defender Lucy Bronze was named best women player of the year.The Puskas Award for best goal went to Tottenham's South Korean striker Son Heung-min.
FIFA president - Gianni Infantino
MoUs included framework of understanding in the Hydrocarbon sector, framework agreement on High Impact Community Development Project, protocol on transborder elephant conservation, Garbage and solid waste disposal,in the field of agriculture etc.
India also released a postal stamp to commemorate Bangabandhu.
Karnataka born businessman & philanthropist R.N. Shetty passed away. He founded R.N. Shetty and Company in 1961, venturing into construction,infrastructure, hospitality & education sectors.He built tunnels for the railways, dams, bridges, canals etc.
He won Visvesvaraya Memorial Award in 2004.
India successfully test fired 2 Prithvi-2 ballistic missiles off the eastern coast of Odisha in Balasore. The trials of the DRDO-developed nuclear-capable surface to surface missiles were successful.It was developed under IGMDP.
IGMDP was conceived under Dr.Kalam.
A 'Bird Festival' as part of its initiative to save migratory birds that arrive in large numbers annually was held in Bhagalpur. Bhagalpur has been a hub of migratory birds due to water bodies(Vikramshila Dolphin Sanctuary, Jagatpur & Kanwar lake) there.
It was held from Dec 11 to 13.
Indian-American US Air Force Colonel Raja Chari has been selected as the Commander of the SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) by NASA and the European Space Agency.
SpaceX CEO - Elon Musk.
During talks between UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab & India's S Jaishankar, the two sides decided to work on common challenges and shared opportunities across the Indo-Pacific. The two sides will work towards an "enhanced trade partnership" next year.
Minister of External Affairs of India - S Jaishankar.
4th Bilateral Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting between NCB India and BNN, Indonesia was held.It was decided to exchange information on illegal entry & exit points of illicit drug trafficking on the Indonesia-India borders & information on technology used.
NCB, DG - Rakesh Asthana
‘Joint Indo Maldives High Level Defence Engagement’ webinar between India & Maldives was held. This is part of Aero India 21 series of webinars which is being organised to boost defence cooperation & engagements with friendly foreign countries.
India-Maldives joint military exercise - Ex EKUVERIN.
The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) along with Automotive Skills Development Council (ASDC) has tied up with Google India to bridge the digital skills gap in the country's auto dealerships & build their capacity.
From 2016-2019, visits to dealerships in India fell by 50%
