Bharat Electronics (BEL) has signed a contract for a value of Rs 445 crore with the UP Government on December 23, 2023 for next generation UP Dial 112 project.

• BEL will be providing comprehensive and state-of-art hardware, AI based software tools and Cyber Security solutions for the Dial 112 project, which is spread across the entire state of Uttar Pradesh.
• BEL will be utilizing the ecosystem of domestic suppliers, including MSME’s for execution of this project.
• The company has also received additional orders worth Rs 233 crore since the last disclosure on December 22, 2023 and these orders pertain to Communication Display Units, Thermal Imaging cameras and other miscellaneous spares & services.

Uttar Pradesh is planning to build India’s first AI city in Lucknow to house and promote the AI ecosystem.

• UP Electronics Corporation Ltd, the nodal agency for the project, has released an expression of interest (EoI) seeking proposals for the design, development and operation of an AI City in Lucknow, as per Businessline.
• The vision for this AI city is to become a dynamic hub where ideas thrive, incorporating cutting-edge technology, research centres, and educational institutions. The EoI invites real estate developers to participate in building and operating the AI city, to nurture the workforce of the future.
• Lucknow is already host to Centers of Excellence specialising in fields such as AI and medtech, showcasing extensive integration of AI technologies. 

Good Governance Day is celebrated every year on 25 December, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee..

The purpose of this day is to create awareness among the citizens of India about the accountability of the government.

History of Good Governance Day: 

• On 23 December 2014, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the late Madan Mohan Malviya were honoured with Bharat Ratna. Also, 25th December, Atal Bihari Vajpayee's birthday, was declared Good Governance Day. Good Governance Day was inaugurated on December 25, 2014.
• The organisation of Good Governance Week was started in 2021. The first Good Governance Week was organised from 20 to 26 December 2021. The third ‘Good Governance Week’ (19 to 25 December) was celebrated this year.

Major events on Good Governance Day 2023:

• Many programs are being organised in the country on this occasion. Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Jitendra Singh, inaugurated Good Governance Day in New Delhi.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) unveiled its grand vision for the future of space exploration, announcing plans to launch India's maiden international space station by 2028.

• S Somanath, the chairman of ISRO, disclosed this groundbreaking initiative during an event held in Ahmedabad on Friday.
• Addressing a cohort of young scientists at the Bhartiya Vigyan Sammelan, a collaborative effort between Vigyan Bharti (Vibha) and the Gujarat government, Somanath articulated the ambitious timeline for the launch of the initial module of the International Space Station (ISS).
• “Within the next five years, our inaugural module of the international space station will be propelled into orbit,” he declared. The first module, a robotic marvel, is projected to weigh a substantial 8 tonnes.
• This colossal endeavour also involves the development of a novel rocket by ISRO, capable of shouldering an impressive load ranging between 20 to 1,215 tonnes. Currently,
• India's rocket technology is equipped to transport only 10 tonnes, indicating a significant leap in capacity.

The three-day Hampi Utsav will be held from February 2, 2024. The festival will be inaugurated by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

• Housing Minister and Vijayanagar district in-charge Minister B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan said that instructions have been issued to the district administration to organise the utsav in a grand manner by involving local artistes.
• The Minister has said that a meeting involving all the elected representatives, including legislators, would be convened soon in connection with the festival preparations. 
• The Hampi Utsav, also known as the Vijaya Utsav, stands as a tribute to the ancient Vijayanagar empire, now known as Hampi.
• The festivities, held annually at the Virupaksha Temple, commemorate the rich culture and traditions of the bygone era. Against the backdrop of intricately carved ruins, visitors immerse themselves in the region's heritage through captivating folk song and dance performances. 

Bllionaire Gautam Adani and his family plan to inject Rs. 9,350 crore into the conglomerate's green energy arm to equip it to achieve the 45 GW target by 2030, according to a company filing. 

• The green energy developer already has a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) tie-up of 19.8 GW (out of 20.6 GW locked in capacity, balance 800 MW being merchant) and land of over 2,00,000 acres (equivalent to over 40 GW of additional capacity) in resource rich areas.
• The board of the company, which has a goal of 45 gigawatts (GW) of green energy capacity by 2030, approved a preferential issuance of warrants to the promoters for a quantum of ?9,350 at a price of ?1,480.75 per share.
• The issuance is subject to the approval of regulatory and statutory authorities as well as the shareholders of the company at the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) scheduled on January 18, 2024, it said.

A report by crypto trading platform CoinSwitch showed Delhi maintained its lead in India’s crypto adoption, followed by Bangalore and Mumbai. The parameter for this was in terms of value invested.

• According to the report, more than 20 per cent of India’s total crypto investments are concentrated in the three major metropolitan areas:
• Delhi (9 per cent), Bangalore (8 per cent) and Mumbai (5 per cent). Ghaziabad claimed the 10th position in the list of the top invested cities, replacing Patna. 
• The report also states that the markets picked up significantly towards the end of 2023. Bitcoin, which the company claims to be the most prominent crypto, ended with more than 150 per cent year-on-year (compared with last year).
• Meanwhile, Ethereum and several meme coins also ended the year in green. After touching a low of less than $1 trillion in June 2022, the total crypto market capitalisation grew to over $1.5 trillion by December 2023.

India is close to finalising five lithium blocks in Argentina and is likely to sign an agreement “over the next few days”.

• Agreements are to be signed through KABIL, the State-owned joint venture formed to scout for minerals overseas.
• An official in the Mines Ministry, with direct knowledge of the matter, told businessline that groundwork has been carried out and things are in the final stages now.
• KABIL is a joint venture between the National Aluminium Company (NALCO), Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd. (MECL), and Hindustan Copper Ltd. (HCL). It was formed for the identification, acquisition, development, and processing of strategic minerals overseas for use in India.

Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports and Information & Broadcasting, Sh. Anurag Singh Thakur shall be the chief guest for the launch of official logo, jersey, mascot, torch and theme song for the Khelo India Youth Games Tamil Nadu in Chennai on Friday December 22,2023.

• The 6th edition of the Khelo India Youth Games is scheduled from January 19 to 31, 2024.
• The previous 5 editions of the Youth Games have been held in Delhi, Pune, Guwahati, Panchkula and Bhopal. The upcoming edition will take place in four cities of Tamil Nadu - Chennai, Trichy, Madurai, and Coimbatore.
• The launch ceremony on Friday will also be graced by Sh. Udhayanidhi Stalin, Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development, Government of Tamil Nadu among other dignitaries from the Union Sports Ministry, Sports Authority of India and the State Government.
• There will also be distinguished presence of renowned sports icons such as Chess Grand Master Vishwanathan Anand, Tokyo Olympian Fencer Bhavani Devi, Badminton star Joshna Chinappa and Hockey Asia Cup bronze medalist S. Mareeswaran, among other esteemed personalities.

India's new High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha has assumed charge and presented his credentials to President Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo .

• Jha replaces Gopal Baglay, who has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to Australia.
• Jha, a senior diplomat, was India's Ambassador to the European Union, Belgium & Luxembourg before taking up his assignment in Colombo.
• He has earlier served as Ambassador of India to Uzbekistan from 2019-2020 and as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC from 2017-2019.

A record number of 168 tigers died in India in 2023, as per the data available with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) till December 15, 2023. As per the data maintained by the NTCA, the year 2023 saw the highest number of tiger deaths over the past 12 years.

Meanwhile, the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) said 201 tigers died in 2023 — up from 143 tiger deaths in 2022.

While India lost around 200 tigers in 2023 alone, the tiger population in India had increased by 200 from 2018 to 2022, the WPSI said, citing the fifth cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation (2022) released on April 9, 2023.

Stand-up comedian Neel Nanda died at the age of 32 years on Sunday. He had appeared on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ and ‘Comedy Central’s Adam Devine’s House Party’. Nanda's manager Greg Weiss confirmed the news about the demise of the Los Angeles-based comedian on sunday( 24 December).

• The cause of Nanda's death is not immediately known. The news of his death was surprising as he had just marked his 32nd birthday.
• According to the Loss Angeles Times, just nine days ago, comic Neel Nanda was headlining a Toronto comedy club for the first time, inviting fans to help celebrate his birthday weekend with him downtown after the show.
• Nanda was best known for his five-minute set on "Jimmy Kimmel Live", a late night talk show, in 2017. He also appeared on shows such as "Adam Devine's House Party", "Flophouse" and "Coming to the Stage".