1.Indian Journalist-Author Raj Kamal Jha wins Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize 2020
Raj Kamal Jha has won the 2020 Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize. He is an Indian journalist and author and has won the prize for his novel ‘The City and The Sea’. The announcement was made by the book’s publisher Peter Bundalo on December 9, 2020. The winner of the prestigious prize was announced virtually in Denmark due to the ongoing pandemic. The book by Raj Kamal Jha is based on Nirbhaya rape and murder case which took place in December 2012.
2.National Health Mission to be rolled out in India in January 2021
The National Health Mission which will provide unique health IDs to each individual will be rolled out in India in January 2021. The health IDs will work as a health account of the individual comprising the past medical records which include treatment, diagnosis, and health conditions. The policy will be only be notified after it received approval from the Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.
3.Orchha, Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh included in UNESCO’s world heritage cities list
Orchha and Gwalior, cities in MP, have been included in the world heritage cities list of UNESCO. The inclusion of both cities in the list is a major achievement for the state. The UN agency along with the tourism department of the state will be making a master plan for the beautification of the two cities. The team will be visiting MP in 2021 and will work on the master plan for the development and conservation of historic cities.
4.IPL most searched word in India on Google in 2020
Indian Premier League has beaten Coronavirus to become India’s most searched word on Google in 2020 according to Google India’s ‘Year in Search’ results. It shows that Indians searched for the world IPL more than the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. In India, under the most searched personality on Google in 2020, the top place was acquired by US president elect-Joe Biden
5.‘One Nation One Ration Card’ system successfully implemented in 9 states
The Finance Ministry has informed that the ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ policy has been successfully implemented in 9 states of India. The achievement has been made possible because of the support by the central government that strengthened the states by providing financial resources amid the challenges posed by the pandemic. The scheme aims at ensuring that the beneficiaries, especially the migrant workers can get food grains from any Fair Price Shops in the country.
6.Parthiv Patel retires from all forms of cricket
Wicket-keeper-batsman Parthiv Patel announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on December 9, 2020, bringing down curtains on his 18-year-long career. Parthiv Patel made a special note for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly, under whose captaincy he had made his debut in international cricket.The wicket-keeper batsman had made his Test debut against England at Trent Bridge in 2002 at the age of 17 years and 153 days, becoming Test cricket’s youngest wicket-keeper at the time. Though he was the frontline choice in the longest format of the game for a couple of years, he ended up losing his spot after MS Dhoni’s emergence in international cricket. Parthiv Patel had made his ODI debut in 2003 and was a part of the 2003 World Cup squad as well but did not feature in the playing XI. Overall, he played 38 ODIs, 25 Tests and 2 T20Is for India, scoring 1,706 runs across all formats.
7.Union Cabinet approves Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana
The Union Cabinet on December 9, 2020 gave its nod to the Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY) to boost employment and incentivise creation of new employment opportunities during the COVID-19 recovery phase under Atmanirbhar Bharat Package 3.0.The Cabinet has given its nod to expenditure worth Rs 1,584 crore for the current fiscal year and Rs 22,810 crores for the scheme’s entire duration from 2020 to 2023.Under the Yojana, the subsidy will be provided for two years in respect of new employees engaged on or after October 1, 2020 and up to June 30, 2021.The government will pay both 12 percent employees’ contribution and 12 percent employers’ contribution, which is 24 percent of wages, towards the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) in respect of new employees in establishments employing up to 1,000 employees for two years.
8.AYUSH Ministry, AIIMS to jointly set up Department of Integrative Medicine
The AYUSH Ministry and AIIMS have decided to initiate work on setting up a Department of Integrative Medicine at AIIMS. This was decided during a joint visit and review by Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, AYUSH Secretary and Dr. Randeep Guleria, AIIMS Director of the Centre for Integrative Medicine and Research (CIMR) at AIIMS, New Delhi. The CIMR has received notable support through the Centre of Excellence Scheme of the Ministry of AYUSH. Seeing the increased interest of patients at AIIMs in the CIMR, it was decided to further develop a standalone Department for Integrative Medicine at AIIMS in the near future. The department may later be developed with dedicated faculty and staff to make it into a permanent Department at AIIMS.
9.Cabinet approves MoU between India, Suriname on Cooperation in Health & Medicine field
The Union Cabinet on December 9, 2020 gave its approval for the Memorandum of Understanding signed between India and the Republic of Suriname on Cooperation in the field of Health and Medicine. The bilateral agreement aims to encourage cooperation between the Union Health Ministry and the and the Ministry of Health of the Government of the Republic of Suriname through joint initiatives and technology development in the health sector. The agreement will strengthen bilateral ties between India and Suriname and leads towards achieving Atmanirbhar Bharat through sharing of expertise in the public health system and promoting mutual research in various relevant areas.
10.Cabinet approves SEBI proposal to sign bilateral pact between India, Luxembourg
The Cabinet has approved a proposal by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to sign a bilateral agreement between India and Luxembourg. The agreement is likely to strengthen cross-border cooperation between the two nations in securities regulations and facilitate mutual assistance and contribute towards the efficient performance of the supervisory functions and enable effective enforcement of the laws and regulations governing the securities markets of India and Luxembourg. The bilateral pact will also contribute towards strengthening the information sharing framework, leading to effective enforcement of securities laws. It would also help in establishing a technical assistance programme, which will benefit the authorities by way of consultations on matters relating to capital markets, capacity building activities and training programmes for the staff.
11.Virat Kohli equals Rohit Sharma’s record for most half-centuries in T20Is
Indian skipper Virat Kohli has equaled the record for most half-centuries in T20Is, which was held till recently by Rohit Sharma. Kohli achieved the feat with his 25th half-century during India’s third and final T20I match against Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground. Rohit Sharma had taken 100 innings to reach his 25th half-century in T20Is, while Kohli reached the milestone in his 79th innings. Australia’s David Warner is third on the list with 19 fifties.
