Vice President Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurated the country’s first Geo Science Museum (Bhoo-Vigyan Sangrahalaya) in Gwalior on Sunday( 15 December).

• Dhankhar also congratulated and wished the people of Gwalior for this unique gift. 
• Along with all the guests, he saw the pictures, artifacts and information related to geology displayed in various galleries of the museum and praised the museum.
• After the inauguration of the museum, Vice President Dhankhar also saw the historical buildings standing as excellent examples of architecture located at Maharaj Bada. 

Mikheil Kavelashvili has been chosen as president of Georgia by a 300-seat electoral college, which replaced direct presidential elections in 2017 and is currently dominated by his party, Georgian Dream.

• It was a straightforward win for Kavelashvili, 53, who was the only candidate on the ballot.
• It has been an unlikely path to the presidency for Kavelashvili, who emerged from Dinamo Tblisi's youth system as a promising young footballer in 1989.
• He went on to build a successful career as a striker, becoming a regular for his local team before moving to Russian side Spartak Vladikavkaz in 1995.
• He then joined English side Manchester City for two seasons before playing for several different Swiss Super League teams and retiring in 2006. During his playing career, he amassed 46 appearances for the Georgian national team and scored nine goals.

The SLINEX 2024, the bilateral naval exercise between India and Sri Lanka will be conducted under the aegis of the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) off Visakahpatnam coast from December 17 to 20.

The exercise will be held in two phases —the Harbour Phase (from December 17 to 18) and the Sea Phase (December 19 to 20).

• From December 17 to 20, the Indian Navy will participate in the annual SLINEX-24 (Sri Lanka-India Naval Exercise) with the Sri Lankan Navy.
• This bilateral naval exercise, conducted under the Eastern Command, will take place in Visakhapatnam. 
• This remark is seen in light of growing concerns over Chinese military presence in the Indian Ocean, with increasing visits from Chinese warships and submarines.

The Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA), chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, has approved infrastructure projects worth Rs 24,276 crore for the greenfield capital city of Amaravati.

The approval was granted during the 43rd APCRDA meeting, focusing on the development of trunk roads, layouts, and iconic buildings, Municipal Minister P Narayana announced at a press conference on Monday (16 December).

Key projects are

• The upcoming Assembly building, which will span 103 acres, covering 11.2 lakh sq ft with a height of 250 metres.
• The High Court building will occupy 42 acres, with a total area of 20.32 lakh sq ft. It will rise to a height of 55 metres across eight storeys and will be constructed at a cost of Rs 1,048 crore.
• Additionally, the General Administration Department (GAD) building will feature 47 floors and cover 17 lakh sq ft.
• Narayana further announced the construction of five additional towers, with a total area of 69 lakh sq ft, at a cost of Rs 4,688 crore.

Moldova has officially joined the International Solar Alliance (ISA), becoming part of the global coalition aimed at promoting solar energy adoption and sustainable development.

• This move highlights Moldova’s commitment to renewable energy, reducing carbon emissions, and addressing climate change.
• By joining the ISA, Moldova aims to enhance energy security and collaborate on innovative solar projects with member nations.
• The agreement was signed between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister Mihai Popsoi.

About ISA

• A treaty-based international intergovernmental organisation, International Solar Alliance (ISA), aims at mobilising more than USD 1000 billion of investment needed by 2030 for the massive deployment of solar energy.
• Last month, Armenia became the 104th full member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), Ministry of External Affairs Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal announced.
• Headquartered in India, the ISA has brought together several countries to collectively address barriers related to technology, finance, and capacity in scaling up solar energy.

Ministry of Textiles, Government of India is organizing the third edition of the Mega event “Viraasat Sari Festival 2024”, from 15th – 28th December 2024, at Handloom Haat, Janpath, New Delhi.

During 2022-23 and 2023-24 “Virasat Sari Festival” was celebrated and was a big hit with an impressive footfall of approx 20,000 footfalls, across age-groups, and brought much needed attention to the sector.

Highlights of the festival

• 80 stalls for handloom weavers and artisans to directly retail the local handloom and handicrafts.
• Curated theme display of exquisite handloom saris of India
• Live loom and craft demonstration
• Workshops and talks on saris and sustainability.
• Folk dances of India
• Delicious regional cuisines etc

Indian Public Sector Banks (PSBs) have recorded their highest-ever aggregate net profit of Rs 1.41 lakh crore in the financial year 2023-24, the Ministry of Finance said in a release recently.

• The Gross Non-Performing Assets (GNPA) ratio steeply declined, dropping to 3.12 per cent in September 2024.
• Demonstrating continued momentum, the PSBs have registered a net profit of Rs 85,5206,000 crore in the first half of 2024-25.
• PSBs have contributed significantly to shareholder returns, paying a total dividend of Rs 61,964 crore over the past three years.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that it has achieved a key milestone in its space programme with the successful sea-level hot test of the CE20 Cryogenic Engine which has been developed indigenously.

• The space agency conducted the tests late last month on November 29 in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu and announced its success post analyses.
• According to ISRO so far the engine has successfully powered the upper stage of six LVM3 missions.
• For the Gaganyaan mission, its usage will help in enhancing the payload capability of the launch vehicle.

The Ministry of Science and Technology has announced its support for Agnikul Cosmos, a Chennai-based aerospace startup, to develop and commercialise the "Agnibaan" launch vehicle.

• This highly customisable two-stage rocket is designed to deliver payloads of up to 300 kg to orbits at an altitude of 700 km, aiming to make satellite launches more accessible and affordable.
• The initiative is backed by the Technology Development Board (TDB), which has sanctioned financial assistance for the project titled "Development and Commercialisation of Modular Configurable Launch Vehicle for 100 Kg Payload."
• This funding will facilitate the creation of a launch vehicle that meets diverse mission requirements while reducing lead times for satellite launches to just two weeks.
• The Agnibaan vehicle is poised to revolutionise the satellite launch ecosystem by offering dedicated launches and operational flexibility through mobile launch systems that can be deployed globally.

The 5th CII International Energy Conference and Exhibition (IECE) was conducted at New Delhi. Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Shri Pralhad Joshi addressed the conference and highlighted India’s significant strides in the renewable energy sector, emphasizing that the country is not only undergoing an energy revolution but is also emerging as the global renewable energy capital.

• Theme of the event was Global Dialogue on Energy Transformations, perfectly aligns with the evolving global energy landscape.
• The Union Government’s committed to achieve 500 GW of non-fossil fuel-based capacity by 2030.
• PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana is targeting 1 crore installations by 2026-27, with an outlay of ?75,021 crore.

India has become the 3rd largest exporter of smartphones in the world, which was on the 23rd rank in 2019.

• The country’s smartphone exports have also breached the 20 thousand crore rupees mark in a single month, in November 2024.
• Sharing a news article on a social media platform, Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw lauded this achievement and termed it as ‘Making Bharat Story’.
• This achievement outshines production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme commitment to export 70-75 per cent of production value in the financial year 2024-25.

The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024 are here to recognize and honor the top players and coaches dominating soccer.

Less than a month after The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024 nominees were revealed,

FIFA announced the winners of the prestigious individual awards at Aspire Academy in Doha, Qatar.

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr wins the Best Men’s Player Award for 2024. He won the La Liga and Champions League last season. 

Other Winners

• Best Men’s Player: Vinicius Jr 
• Best Women’s Player: Aitana Bonmati
• Best Men’s Coach: Carlo Ancelotti
• Best Women’s Coach: Emma Hayes
• Best Men’s Goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez
• Best Women’s Goalkeeper: Alyssa Naeher
• Puskas Award: Alejandro Garnacho
• Marta Award: Marta 
• FIFA Fair Play Award: Thiago Maia
• FIFA Fan Award: Guilherme Gandra Moura