• National

Rajya Sabha Passes Reservation Bill Granting 10% Quota for Upper Caste EWS

• The 124th Constitution Amendment Bill, 2019 to award 10% reservation to economically weaker sections were passed with a majority in Rajya Sabha.
• It was already passed in Lok Sabha.
• After 10-hour-long debate, most of the members in the Upper House of the Parliament agreed to go ahead with the bill despite opposition from some parties.
• The Constitution (124rd Amendment) Bill has passed the Rajya Sabha test with 165 ‘Yes’ and 7 ‘No’ votes.
• This was brought to the Upper House after the sitting of the House was extended by a day.

• National

Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 Passed in Lok Sabha

• The Citizenship Amendment bill seeking to provide Indian citizenship to persecuted minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan was passed by Lok Sabha.
• The Bill provides for Indian citizenship to such immigrants after six years of residence in India instead of 12 years currently.
• Home Minister Rajnath Singh moved the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 in Lok Sabha and was passed after a discussion.
• The Bill seeks to amend the Citizenship Act of 1955 in order to grant citizenship to Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan if they have lived in India for six years.

• International

Pranav R Mehta Becomes 1st Indian to Head Global Solar Council

• A visionary in the field of Solar Energy and the chairman of National Solar Energy Federation, Pranav R Mehta, has taken over as the president of Global Solar Council (GSC). He has become the first Indian to head the GSC.
• The Global Solar Council (GSC) was launched on December 6, 2015, following the historic United Nations Climate Change Conference (UN COP 21).
• The GSC came into being as International Coalition of more than 30 nations, utilising maximum solar energy, decided to harness the renewable energy for the greater good.

• Economy and Business

Govt hikes ad rates for print media by 25%

• The Ministry of information and broadcasting has announced a 25% hike in existing advertisement rates for print media with immediate effect for a period of three years.
• The decision was taken on the recommendations made by the ministry’s Rate Structure Committee.
• The decision will benefit medium and small newspapers including a large number of papers in regional and vernacular languages.
• The last revision of advertisement rates was done in 2013 when an increase of 19% was announced on the 2010 rates.

• Sports

Sydney and Brisbane Chosen to Host $15 million ATP Cup In 2020

• Australian cities Sydney and Brisbane have been announced as the first two host locations for the newest team event in men’s tennis for the multi-million-dollar ATP Cup from 2020.
• The third Australian city for the tournament is yet to be determined.
• The tournament will comprise more than 100 players from 24 nations with $15 million in prize money and 750 ATP Ranking points.

• Sports

BCCI announces cash awards for triumphant Team India members

• The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced cash awards of Rs 15 lakh per match for each of the playing eleven that featured in India’s maiden Test Cricket series win on Australian soil.
• BCCI also announced cash awards of seven and a half lakh rupees for all the reserve players, as well as the members of the support staff.
• The coaches will be awarded Rs 25 lakh each.

• Sports

Egypt to Host 2019 African Cup of Nations

• Seven-time champions Egypt have won the hosting rights for the 2019 edition of the African Cup of Nations.
• Egypt beat South Africa by 16 votes to one at the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) Executive Committee.
• With just five more months for the tournament, Egypt has got a limited time to prepare for an event where a total of 24 teams will be participating.

• Sports

2nd Edition of Khelo India Youth Games Begins in Pune

• The second edition of Khelo India Youth Games has officially begun in Pune, Maharashtra.
• Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis attended a virtual torch ceremony at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the event through a video message.
• More than 9,000 players from different states will participate in 18 different events.

• States

West Bengal govt extends the retirement age of college teachers

• West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced to extend the retirement age of College-university professors from 62 to 65 years and Vice-Chancellors from 65 to 70 years.
• The move was aimed to utilise their services for a longer period.
• The West Bengal government has also taken the decision to raise the retirement age of Vice-Chancellors from 65 to 70 years.

• Agreements

MoU Signed Between Indian Army And PNB

• An MoU was signed between the Indian Army and Punjab National Bank on the Defence Salary Package.
• The signing ceremony was chaired by the Adjutant General, Lt Gen Ashwani Kumar.
• Salient features of the improved and updated MoU are free ‘RAKSHAK PLUS’ Scheme for serving pers and veterans, overdraft facility range from Rs 0.75 to 3.0 lakhs, multicity ‘At Par’ cheques, instant credit of outstation cheques, preferential allotment of lockers at concessional AMC and free SMS alerts.

• Agreements

NHAI Collaborates with Oil Marketing Companies for Issuance of FASTags

• To ensure easier availability of FASTags, Indian Highways Management Company Ltd. (IHMCL), a company promoted by NHAI, has signed MoUs with state-run Oil Marketing Companies (IOCL, BPC, and HPC).
• It will ensure availability of FASTags at petroleum outlets across India.
• In the first phase, the tags will be available across 50 Fuel Station in Delhi NCR, which will subsequently be expanded to outlets across India.
• IHMCL has been mandated to implement the National Electronic Toll Collection Program (NETC) in the country.
• The company launched the program under the brand name “FASTag” in April 2016.