BIHAR

• Railway projects hanging fire in state

• The railways’ ambitious move to execute the pending projects on a cost-sharing basis with the states is yet to bear desired results in many states, including Bihar where certain projects are hanging fire because of resource crunch.
• According to a Railway Board official, Jharkhand and Karnataka have positively responded to the railways’ initiative. While the Jharkhand government has agreed to share 50% of the estimated cost of the railway projects, Karnataka is spending about Rs 2,500 crore on the railway projects, he said and added Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala governments were also funding the railway projects in their states.

• The Bihar government is sharing with the railways the cost of building road over bridges at different places in the state. The state government has also agreed in principle to help the railways develop the infrastructure for the fast corridor project between Patna and New Delhi. 

  INTERNATIONAL

   

  ·        South Korea bans its banks from dealing in Bitcoin

   

  • South Korea banned its financial institutions from dealing in virtual currencies such as Bitcoin, as the cryptocurrency soars in a bubble fuelled by retail speculators, many of them from the country.
  • There are many of them small-time investors, are estimated to own Bitcoins and demand is so high that prices for the unit are around 20 percent higher than in the US, its biggest market.
  • The hyper-wired country has emerged as a hotbed for cryptocurrency trading, accounting for some 20 percent of global Bitcoin transactions about 10 times its share of the world economy.

   

  • India Signs Loan Agreement with World Bank for SANKALP Project

   

  • A Financing Agreement for IBRD loan of USD 250 million (equivalent) for the “Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) Project” was signed with the World Bank.

   

  • The Objective of the project is to enhance institutional mechanisms for skills development and increase access to quality and market-relevant training for the work force.

   

   

  NATIONAL 

   

  ·        India and Morocco Sign MoU for Enhanced Cooperation in Healthcare

   

  • India and Morocco signed a MoU for enhanced cooperation in the health sector in New Delhi.
  • Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Dr Abdelkader Amara, Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Morocco signed the MoU.
  • The main areas of cooperation include the following:
  • Non-communicable diseases, including child cardiovascular diseases and cancer;
  • Drug Regulation and Pharmaceutical quality control;
  • Maternal, child and neonatal health;
  • Hospital twinning for the exchange of good practices.

   

  ·        National Energy Conservation Day is observed as 14 December

   

  • The National Energy Conservation Day is celebrated annually on 14th December.
  • The 14th President of India Mr. Ram Nath Kovind was the Chief Guest on the occasion.
  • The ECD is organized on 14th December each year by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under Ministry of Power.
  • The Day is celebrated with an aim to demonstrate India’s achievements in energy efficiency and conservation.

   

  • Submarine Kalvari to be commissioned by PM Narendra Modi

   

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi will commission India’s first Scorpene class submarine, Kalvari, into the Indian Navy in Mumbai on 14 December.

   

  • The Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders delivered Kalvari on September 21to the Navy after successfully completing all trials.

   

  • Scorpene submarines can undertake varied missions such as anti-surface and antisubmarine warfare, intelligence gathering and mine laying.

   

  ·        India Becomes 1st Ever Team to Register Hundred 300+ ODI Totals

   

  • India become the first-ever team to register 300+ totals 100 times in ODIs, after posting 392/4 against Sri Lanka in Mohali.
  • This was also the 25th instance of India scoring 350+ in an ODI innings, second-most by a team after South Africa (26). India was driven by captain
  • Rohit Sharma’s 208*, his third ODI double hundred which is also a record in ODIs.

   

  ·        Indian Railways introduces Online Bill tracking system for Vendors & Contractors

  

  • Indian Railways have introduced a bill tracking system for contractors/vendors of Indian Railways to track the status of their bills.
  • This is in line with the emphasis given by Minister of Railways & Coal, Piyush Goyal on increased use of information technology to go digital and online with a view to promoting transparency and efficiency in the system.
  • The vendor/contractor need to register with the online IT platform developed in-house by CRIS, New Delhi called Indian Railways E-Procurement System (IREPS).
  • The registration enables the vendor/agencies to see their bill status with dates through various stages of processing of bills, the stage at which it is lying, the amount for which it is passed and other details.

   

  ·        Jammu and Kashmir Government to regularize as many as 60,000 daily wagers and casual labourers soon

   

  • Jammu and Kashmir government’s one decision has brought a smile on the faces of thousand workers.
  • Notably, Jammu and Kashmir government will soon regularize as many as 60,000 daily wagers and casual labourers.
  • Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti announced to regularize 60,000 daily wagers and casual labourers, the string of happiness was spread in the houses of those labourers.