1. Uttarakhand plans genetic enhancement of its indigenous Badri cow
Tags: State News
Uttarakhand is now planning for its genetic development to increase the productivity of the indigenous Badri cow that grazes on medicinal herbs of the Himalayas.
Important facts
The state Animal Husbandry Department proposed to use sex-sorted semen technology to improve the stock of the petite Badri cattle.
Officials proposed to opt for the embryo transfer method to produce more cattle of a high genetic stock.
The authorities decided to opt for multiple ovulation embryo transfer (MOET), a conventional embryo flush, which is the most common procedure used in advanced cattle breeding.
Ovum pick-up In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is another technique that will be used to increase milk production.
About Badri Cow
Badri Desi Cow is a native cow species of Uttarakhand.
This cow grazes on native herbs and shrubs in the Himalayas and hence its milk has high medicinal value.
These cattle are adapted to the hilly terrain and climatic conditions of Uttarakhand.
This strong and disease resistant breed is found in the hilly areas of Almora and Pauri Garhwal districts of Uttarakhand.
Disease resistance is a very important feature of this breed as it rarely gets any diseases.
Benefits of Badri Cow milk
Badri cow milk contains about 90% A2 beta-casein protein which is the highest of any indigenous variety.
The antioxidants present in its pure desi ghee help the body absorb vitamins and minerals better, thereby boosting immunity.
The butyric acid in Badri cow ghee helps strengthen immunity by increasing T-cell production in the intestine and helps fight allergies.
Badri ghee costs ₹3,000 to ₹5,000 a kg.
2. Bhupendra Patel sworn-in as Gujarat CM for 2nd consecutive term
Tags: Person in news State News
BJP leader Bhupendra Patel took oath as the Chief Minister of Gujarat for a second straight term in Gandhinagar on 12 December in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Important facts
Governor Acharya Devvrat administered the oath as the 18th Chief Minister of the state.
Patel was sworn in as the 17th Chief Minister of Gujarat on September 13, 2021.
The BJP created history in Gujarat with a landslide and 7th consecutive victory in the 2022 elections.
Breaking his own record, Patel won the 2022 election once again from Ghatlodia constituency with a huge margin of 1,91,000 votes.
The BJP won 156 seats in the 182-member assembly, its best ever performance in the state.
The opposition Congress could win only 17 seats while Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party had to be content with just 5 seats.
Three seats went to independent candidates, while the Samajwadi Party (SP) won one seat in the state.
In the last assembly elections in 2017, BJP won 99 seats, Congress won 77 seats and NCP, BTP and Independent candidates secured 1, 2 and 3 seats respectively.
3. Mopa International Airport Goa named after Manohar Parrikar
Tags: place in news Economy/Finance Person in news State News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the international airport at Mopa in north Goa on 11 December 2022. He named the airport after late Goa Chief Minister and former Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.
Manohar Parrikar was a towering leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Goa .He was the Chief Minister of Goa 2000 to 2005, 2012 to 2014 and from 14 March 2017 until his death in March 2019.
Manohar Parrikar was also the Union Defence Minister from October 2014-March 2017. He was awarded Padma Bhushan posthumously in January 2020.
Mopa Airport
In November 2016, the PM laid Mopa airport's foundation stone. It will be the second airport in the state, the first airport in Goa is at Dabolim.
4. Bengaluru will host the 1st G20 Finance Track meeting under Indian Presidency
Tags: place in news Economy/Finance Summits State News
According to the Union Ministry of Finance the first meeting under the Finance track agenda of the G-20 meeting will take place in Bengaluru from 13th to 15th December 2022. It will be hosted jointly by the Union Finance Ministry and the Reserve Bank of India. All the 20 members of the G-20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies will participate in the meeting.
India is currently the President of the G-20 and it will hold the G-20 summit meeting in September 2023 in New Delhi.
G20 Finance track and Sherpa track meeting
Before the annual summit meeting of the G-20 countries leaders, there is a series of preparatory meetings held under the Finance Track and Sherpa track to work out the agenda of the annual summit meeting of the leaders of G 20.
Finance Track meeting
The Finance Track meeting is organised by the Union Ministry of Finance and it will organise a number of such meetings on the areas of international financial architecture, financial inclusion and sustainable finance, financing for infrastructure, climate finance and tax matters.
The Sherpa track
The Sherpa track meeting is organised by the Union External Affairs ministry and is chaired by the Indian Sherpa to G 20, Amitabh Kant. Around 100 meetings will be held on issues such as employment, health, digital economy, trade, investment & industry, environment & climate etc.
The first G-20 meeting was held at Udaipur from 4-7 December 2022.
First Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of the G-20 meeting
The first Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of the G-20 meeting will be held during 23-25 February 2023 in Bengaluru. According to the Union Finance Ministry the Indian G-20 Presidency’s theme of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth One Family One Future’ “will guide the G-20 Finance Track discussions.
G-20 is a multilateral organisation consisting of the world's major developed and developing countries. It consists of 19 countries and the European Union. The 19 member countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, and United States.
It was set up in 1999.
5. Prime Minister Modi flags off 6th Vande Bharat train in Maharashtra
Tags: National State News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is on a two day (11-12 December 2022) visit to Maharashtra , Goa and Gujarat inaugurated a number of projects in Maharashtra including the 6th Vande Bharat Express train on 11 December 2022.
Important Highlights of PM Modi’s Maharashtra Visit
- He inaugurated the 6th Vande Bharat Express which will run on Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh)-Nagpur (Maharashtra) route. This is the second Vande Bharat express in the state after the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat express. Vande Bharat is an indigenous semi-high speed train developed by Indian Railways. Government proposes to run 75 Vande Bharat express trains in the country by 15 August 2023.
- He inaugurated the ‘Nagpur Metro Phase I’, and laid the foundation stone of ‘Nagpur Metro phase- II’ at Khapri Metro Station. The Phase I has been developed at a cost of Rs 8650 crore while the Phase II will be developed at a cost of more than Rs 6700 crore.
- He inaugurated the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg connecting Nagpur and Shirdi. Built at a cost of ₹55,000 crore, it is one of the longest expressways in the country that passes through 10 Maharashtra districts, including Amravati, Aurangabad and Nashik.
- He also inaugurated Rail projects worth ₹15,000 crore, AIIMS Nagpur, Nagpur and Nag river pollution abatement project, Centre for Research, Management and Control of Hemoglobinopathies, Chandrapur, Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology (CIPET), Chandrapur,
Governor of Maharashtra: Bhagat Singh Koshiyari
Chief Minister of Maharashtra; Eknath Shinde
6. Congress leader Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh
Tags: State News
Former Congress state chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu was sworn in as the 17th Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh on 11 December by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar in Shimla.
Important facts
Mukesh Agnihotri was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister. He is a resident of Nadaun in Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh.
Two days after the Congress wrested power from BJP winning 40 seats in the 68-member Assembly, the Congress leadership on 10 December named Sukhu as the next CM.
Law graduate Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, a four-time MLA from Nadaun constituency in Himachal Pradesh and head of the Congress's election committee in the state, began his career in student politics.
Another possible candidate for the post was state unit chief and wife of late party leader Virbhadra Singh, Pratibha Singh.
Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu was the general secretary of the Himachal Pradesh unit of the Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India (NSUI). Later, he became the president of NSUI.
For the first time he won the assembly elections in 2003 from Nadaun in Hamirpur district. He then retained the seat in 2007 but lost it again in 2012 and won it again in 2017 and 2022.
About Himachal Pradesh
It was made the eighteenth state of India on 25 January 1971 under the Himachal Pradesh State Act, 1971.
Himachal Pradesh is also called the Land of Gods.
Himachal Pradesh is part of the Shivalik range of the Himalaya Mountains.
Major rivers and dams- Sutlej (Bhakra Dam, Gobind Sagar Reservoir, Koldam Dam), Vyas (Pandoh Dam, Maharana Pratap Sagar Reservoir), Ravi (Chamera Dam), Parvati
Major Lakes- Renuka, Revalsar, Khajjiar, Dal, Beas Kund, Dasaur, Brighu, Parashar, Mani Mahesh, Chander Tal, Suraj Tal, Kareri, Sarolsar, Govind Sagar, Nako Lake
National Parks- Great Himalayan National Park, Pin Valley National Park, Khirganga, Inderkilla and Simbalbara National Parks
Capital- Shimla
Governor- Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar
Ex-Chief Minister- Jai Ram Thakur
Legislative Assembly seats- 68
Rajya Sabha seats- 3
Lok Sabha seats - 4
7. Tamil Nadu becomes first state to launch its own Climate Change Mission
Tags: Environment State News
Tamil Nadu has become the first state in India to launch its own Climate Change Mission. Launching the state climate change mission at the Tamil Nadu climate change summit on 9 December 2022, Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin said that the state will achieve carbon neutrality much ahead of the national target of 2070. The Tamil Nadu Climate Summit was held in Chennai from 8 and 9 December 2022.
Carbon neutral refers to the removal of the same amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by various means as the amount of carbon dioxide which is released in the atmosphere leaving a Zero balance or zero carbon.
Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission
- The state government announced the launch of the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission in the 2021-2022 budget with an outlay of Rs 500 crore to undertake climate change management and mitigation activities.
- The state government established Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company, a special purpose vehicle to implement three major nature conservation projects namely Green Tamil Nadu Mission, Tamil Nadu Wetlands and Tamil Nadu Climate Change.
- The Tamil Nadu climate change mission will be implemented at the district level and it will be coordinated and implemented by climate officers appointed at the district level.
- The Tamil Nadu government has appointed former director of United Nations Environment Programme Erik Solheim as its advisor for the climate change mission.
- During the climate summit a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the World Resources Institute, Anna University and the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management were signed on the occasion, to help the government establish 10 smart villages, 25 green schools and achieve blue flag beaches.
8. India’s largest and fourth business jet terminal commissioned at Cochin International Airport
Tags: State News
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the country's first and biggest charter gateway – the Business Jet Terminal -- at the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) on 10 December 2022. Cochin airport has become the 4th airport in India after Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad with dedicated private Jet terminals.
According to the CIAL Managing Director, S Suhas “The Business Jet Terminal is going to be India's first Charter Gateway, which will serve as a platform to integrate business jet service, tourism and business conferences,
The business jet terminal inaugurated today was built at a cost of 40 crore rupees by renovating the old domestic terminal. It covers an area of 40,000 sq feet with comfortable lounges, customs and immigration counters, a business centre and other modern facilities.
Cochin International Airport was the first airport in the world to run on solar power. It is the largest airport in Kerala and the seventh largest in India.
International Airports in Kerala
Kerala has the highest number of operational international airports in India. It has 4 international airports. They are:
- Trivandrum International Airport ,
- Cochin International airport ,
- Calicut International Airport and
- Kannur International Airport.
9. Solar Electric Hybrid high speed ferry launched in Goa
Tags: Environment Person in news State News
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal launched a Solar-Electric Hybrid High Speed Ferry and inaugurated a floating jetty project at Panaji, Goa on 13 October 2022.
The Solar-Electric Hybrid High Speed Ferry project is funded by the government of Goa at a cost of over 3.9 crores and has a carrying capacity of 60 passengers.
The floating jetty has been funded by the Inland Waterways Authority of India, the three jetties commissioned were built at a project cost of Rs. 9.6 crores. The jetties are solid concrete structures that float on water, are easy to install and have minimal environmental impact in their construction.
Speaking on the occasion the minister said that the project is likely to boost the tourism sector in the state.
First Solar Powered Ferry in India
The first solar powered ferry in India, Aditya was launched in 2017 in Kerala. It was built by the NavAlt Solar and Electric Boats for the Kerala State Water Transport Department.
10. PM Modi to inaugurate Goa’s 2nd airport, Mopa International Airport on 11 December 2022
Tags: place in news Economy/Finance State News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will formally inaugurate Goa’s second international airport at Mopa on 11 December 2022, According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) the Prime Minister during his visit to Goa on 11 December will address the valedictory function of the 9th World Ayurveda Congress and later, will inaugurate the Mopa International Airport.
Mopa International Airport will be the second Airport of Goa after the Dabolim airport which is a civil enclave in a military airbase named INS Hansa. Mopa airport will be the first cargo carrying airport of Goa. The Mopa airport will become fully operation from January 5, 2023.
The Mopa International Airport has been developed at a cost of around Rs 2, 8700 crore by the GMR Infrastructure which also has the right to operate the airport for 40 years with an option of additional 20 years.
The airport has been built on the theme of sustainable infrastructure and has a solar power plant, green buildings, LED lights on the runway, rainwater harvesting, state-of-the-art sewage treatment plant with recycling facilities, among other such facilities.
Goa Chief Minister: Pramod Sawant
