National News

22nd Divya Kala Mela

• The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities is hosting the 22nd Divya Kala Mela at India Gate, New Delhi, from 12 December to 22 December, to celebrate the ability, determination, and skills of Divyangjan.

Major Initiatives for Welfare of Divyangjans

7th Bauma CONEXPO INDIA 2024

• Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the 7th Edition of Bauma CONEXPO INDIA 2024 at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida, in Gautam Buddh Nagar.

Google and NCERT launched YouTube channels in 29 Indian Languages

• Google has partnered with the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to launch YouTube channels in 29 Indian languages, including sign language. This initiative aims to provide free educational content to the Indian students between grades 1-12 and to empower teachers.

About Google

Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024

• The Lok Sabha passed the Railways (Amendment) Bill 2024 with a voice vote on 11 December.

Provisions

State Special

Gujarat approved a 25% hike in retirement and death gratuity limits

• Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel approved a 25% increase in retirement and death gratuity limits for Gujarat government employees, raising the maximum from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 25 lakh.
• This change applies to those retiring after January 1, 2024.

About Gujarat

International News

1st India-Nepal Tourism Meet

• The 1st India-Nepal Tourism Meet was jointly organised by the Embassy of India, Kathmandu in association with the Nepal Tourism Board, in Kathmandu.
• The event focused on the promotion of Mahakumbh 2025 in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh and creating B2B connections to foster the implementation of circuit tourism between India and Nepal.

About Nepal

MoU between India and Nicaragua

• India and Nicaragua signed an umbrella agreement in Managua, to implement Quick Impact Projects (QIPs), to deliver tangible benefits to local communities in Nicaragua by focusing on key areas such as physical infrastructure as well as social infrastructure.

About Nicaragua

Economy and Banking

Wheat Stock Limit

• The Union Government has revised the wheat stock limit applicable until 31st March 2025, to manage overall food security and to prevent hoarding and unscrupulous speculation.
• The wheat stock limit for traders and wholesalers has been reduced from 2,000 MT to 1,000 MT, while the limit for retailers has been cut from 10 MT to 5 MT per outlet.

FSSAI mandated displaying nutritional information

• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has made it mandatory to display nutritional information regarding added sugar, salt, and saturated fat in bold letters and relatively big font sizes on labels of packaged food items.

About FSSAI

India's GDP growth projection by ADB

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) lowered India's GDP growth projection for this fiscal year to 6.5% from 7%.

About ADB

Sports

Khelo India Winter Games 2025

• Khelo India Winter Games 2025 will be held in two phases: ice events, including ice hockey and ice skiing in Ladakh (Jan 23-27) and snow events, such as alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, ski mountaineering, and snowboarding in Jammu & Kashmir (Feb 22-25).

Khelo India Programme

2030 FIFA World Cup

• FIFA officially confirmed that Morocco will be part of the historic 2030 World Cup co-hosting, alongside Spain and Portugal.

Reports and Indexes

Social Dialogue Report

• The Social Dialogue Report of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), released in Geneva, has recommended the governments to uphold fundamental principles and rights at work, especially freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining.
• It found that countries’ compliance with freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining had deteriorated by 7% between 2015 and 2022.

ILO

World Malaria Report 2024

• According to the latest World Malaria report, released by the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of estimated malaria cases in India decreased to 2 million cases in 2023 from 6.4 million in 2017 (69% decrease).
• As a result, “India exited the High Burden to High Impact (HBHI) group officially in 2024”.

About HBHI

The Global Status of Salt-Affected Soils

• According to a report titled "The Global Status of Salt-Affected Soils" released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), nearly 10.7% of the global land area is affected by salinity.

About FAO

Important Days

International Mountain Day 2024

• The International Mountain Day was observed on 11 December across the world.
• Theme 2024: Mountain Solutions Innovation Adaptation and Youth for a Sustainable Future.

Raja Mohtam Day

• In Punjab, Director General of Border Security Force (BSF) Daljit Singh Chawdhary participated in Raja Mohtam Day observed on 11 December and paid tributes to the fallen soldiers of the 1971 war at Border Out Post (BoP) Raja Mohtam.
• He also released a documentary titled “Raja Mohtam: An Untold Saga of BSF Bravery” and inaugurated world-class Mahila Barracks at BoP Raja Mohtam and other BoPs, virtually.

Books and Authors

"New Bharat – Modi’s Vision and Development"

• Union Culture and Tourism Minister, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, launched a book titled "New Bharat – Modi’s Vision and Development".
• The book is based on the developmental works and schemes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his vision.

Compendium of complete works of Tamil poet Subramania Bharati

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the compendium of complete works of Tamil poet and freedom fighter Mahakavi Subramania Bharati in New Delhi.

Major Works of Subramania Bharati

Person in News

Elon Musk

• According to Bloomberg, Elon Musk became the first person to reach a $400 billion net worth.