Rajasthan government starts first Janta Clinic

1.Ecuador declares emergency after Galapagos fuel spill

Ecuador activated emergency protocols to contain the environmental impact of a fuel spill in the Galapagos Islands, after a barge carrying 600 gallons of diesel fuel sank.The Galapagos archipelago, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to one of the most fragile ecosystems on the planet.

The accident occurred in a port on San Cristobal Island, the easternmost island in the chain, when a crane collapsed while loading a container onto the barge.

2.National Farmers Day: 23 December

December 23 is celebrated as ‘Kisan Diwas’ or ‘National Farmers’ Day’ every year.The day honours Chaudhary Charan Singh, the 5th Prime Minister of India who was born this day.

It is believed that ‘Zamindari Abolition Bill-1952’ was passed due to Chaudhary Charan Singh’s hard work.

He served as the Prime Minister of India between 28 July 1979 and 14 January 1980.

3.India constructs Girls’ Hostel for Nepal Armed Police Force School at Kirtipur

The Government of India has constructed Girls’ Hostel for Nepal Armed Police Force School, Kirtipur.Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India, Dr Ajay Kumar inaugurated hostel building at Kirtipur in Kathmandu district.

Nepal Armed Police Force (APF) School is an academic institution created under the APF Welfare Service Centre of Nepal Armed Police Force.

The school was established in 2005 and it has over 21 per cent of girls students.

The new infrastructure constructed with the Government of India’s grant assistance of 40.42 million Nepali Rupees is a two-storied girls’ hostel.

4.Integral Coach Factory produces 3000 Coaches in record 215 days

Integral Coach Factory (ICF) of Indian Railways, Chennai has produced its 3000th coach of the year in less than nine months.This would help in meeting the growing demand for coaches.

The number of working days to achieve the above figure has been reduced from 289 days in the last year to 215 days in the current year.

Points to Remember

Integral Coach Factory is a manufacturer of rail coaches located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

It was established in 1952, is owned and operated by the Indian Railways.

5.Prez Kovind releases mobile app of Red Cross Society of India in Hyderabad

President Ram Nath Kovind released the mobile app of the Red Cross Society of India in Hyderabad.He inaugurated the mobile app formally at a dinner hosted by Telangana governor Tamilisai Sounderarajan at Rajbhavan in his honour. 

Developed by the Telangana Centre for Good Governance in less than three months, the mobile app is accessible in all languages.

So far, 13 lakh members including junior red cross members downloaded the app.

6.EChO Network launched to catalyze cross-disciplinary leadership in India

Prof. K VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, launched EChO Network program to foster cross-disciplinary leadership in India.Named the EChO Network, it focuses on increasing research, knowledge, and awareness of Indian ecology and the environment.

It is hoped that this program would develop a national network to catalyse a new generation of Indians who can solve real-world problems in medicine, agriculture, ecology, and technology.

The network aims to identify gaps in knowledge regarding environment and then train leaders in research and outreach on these topics.

7.‘Chilai-Kalan’ begins in Jammu & Kashmir

The 40-day harshest winter period in Kashmir, known in the local parlance as ‘Chillai-Kalan’, began with the upper reaches of the valley receiving snowfall.These 40 days are when the chances of snowfall are the highest and the maximum temperature drops considerably.

The night temperature across Kashmir Valley improved by several degrees last night due to the cloudy sky.

Srinagar recorded minimum temperature at 1.2 degree Celsius with day temperature settling at 9.6 degrees Celsius.

The Srinagar-Leh highway and Mughal Road continues to remain closed for vehicular traffic.

8.‘Oxygen Parlour’ at Nashik Railway Station to combat air pollution

In a unique initiative to battle rising air pollution in cities, an ‘Oxygen Parlour’ has been opened at Nashik railway station to provide an experience of breathing clean air to the commuters.The initiative comes with the efforts of Airo Guard in collaboration with the Indian Railways.

The concept of Oxygen Parlour is based on the recommendation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

In 1989, NASA had conducted a study in which they identified some plants that better absorb the five most harmful pollutants from the air.

These plants can clean the air in an area of 10X10 feet around them.

9.Rajasthan government starts first Janta Clinic

Rajasthan Chief Minister Gehlot inaugurated the first Janta clinic at in the Malviya Nagar area of Jaipur to provide free primary health care to people living in slums.In its first phase, 12 Janta Clinics will be opened in Jaipur where people would get free medicines, and free medical examination in some cases.

Later, in the second and third phases of this scheme, Janta Clinics will be opened in other areas.

10.Qatar to host African Football Super Cup until 2022

Qatar Football Association signed an agreement with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) stipulating that Doha will host the African Super Cup for the next three years.The African Super Cup in Doha with the next edition will be held on February 14, 2020 .

At the beginning of this year, Qatar hosted the African Super Cup for the first time when the Moroccan “Confederation” champion of the Confederation succeeded in beating the Tunisian “champions” Esperance 2-1.