National News

34 Trains for Maha Kumbh Mela

• Central Railway has announced plans to run 34 special trains to manage passenger traffic during Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

About Mahakumbh Mela

State Special

Delhi banned firecrackers

• Delhi government has completely banned all types of firecrackers in the national capital throughout the year, starting from January 1, 2025, under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

About New Delhi

MoU between Manipur and Uttar Pradesh

• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between Manipur and Uttar Pradesh for implementation of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat. It will be valid for three years which may be renewed for another three years by mutual consent.

About Manipur

Sanjeevani Yojana by Delhi

• Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal launched the 'Sanjeevani Yojana', to provide free treatment to Delhi's elderly residents aged 60 and above.

Economy and Banking

India and ADB Agreement

• India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a 42 million dollar loan to strengthen coastal protection to help boost community resilience in Maharashtra.

About ADB

DIA-GARIMA

• DRDO-Industry-Academia Centre of Excellence (DIA-CoE) organised an event titled ‘DRDO-Industry-Academia - Global Approach to Readiness of Indigenous Military Applications’ (DIA-GARIMA) at IIT Delhi.
• During the event, 10 tripartite agreements were signed among DRDO, IIT Delhi and industry partners.

About DRDO

India's first subsidised scheduled cargo service

• India's first subsidised scheduled service of cargo vessels was launched from Haldia for National Waterway (NW) 1 and NW 2.
• It will ply vessels between Kolkata - Patna - Varanasi - Patna - Kolkata stretch of NW 1 and between Kolkata and Pandu in Guwahati on NW 2 through the Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBPR).

Science and Tech

mRNA-based cancer vaccine by Russia

• Russia has developed an mRNA-based vaccine designed to treat cancer patients.

21st Health Summit of CII

• Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel addressed the 21st Health Summit of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi.The theme of the summit is “Transforming Healthcare for Viksit Bharat 2047”.

About CII

Sports

2024 Senior National Badminton Championship

• Karnataka and Haryana emerged the men’s and women’s team winners at the 2024 Senior National Badminton Championship at the KBA courts, Bengaluru.

Major Terminologies of Badminton

World Para Athletics Championships 2025

• New Delhi is set to host the 12th edition of World Para Athletics Championships for the first time at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in 2025.
• In addition, New Delhi will also host a World Para Athletics Grand Prix for the first time in 2025.

India's longest 18-hole golf course

• Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena inaugurated the India's longest 18-hole golf course in Dwarka, New Delhi.

Major Golf Tournaments

Art and Culture

Bhatkhande Music Festival

• Chief minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated Bhatkhande Music Festival at Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, Lucknow.
• The Bhatkhande Music Festival is an annual event that celebrates the legacy of Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, the founder of the Bhatkhande Music Institute (Deemed University)

Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum

• The Ministry of Culture partnered with France Museums Développement (FMD) to develop the Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum as a Global Cultural Landmark, in New Delhi.

About France

Reports and Indexes

S.A.F.E. Accommodation

• NITI Aayog released a report on the Site Adjacent Factory Employee (S.A.F.E.) Accommodation—Worker Housing for Manufacturing Growth in New Delhi.

About NITI Aayog

India’s Top 200 Self-made Entrepreneurs of the Millennia 2024

• According to the 2024 edition of "India’s Top 200 Self-made Entrepreneurs," by IDFC FIRST Private and Hurun India, Radhakishan Damani, founder of DMart, retains the top spot with a valuation of ₹3.4 lakh crore.

Awards and Honours

President’s Colours to CDM

• President Droupadi Murmu awarded the President’s Colours to College of Defence Management (CDM), Secunderabad.

President’s Colours

Guinness World Record for providing Varmam therapy

• The National Institute of Siddha (NIS) in Tambaram, Chennai, has made history by setting a Guinness World Record for providing Varmam therapy to 567 individuals simultaneously.

Varman Therapy

Miss India USA 2024

• Indian-origin teenager Caitlin Sandra Neil was crowned Miss India USA 2024 at the annual pageant held in New Jersey, US.

Additional Info:

Important Days

SSB Raising Day

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the raising day programme of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) on 20th December at Ranidanga in Siliguri, West Bengal.

International Human Solidarity Day

• International Human Solidarity Day was observed on December 20, 2024.