• National

National Medical Devices Promotion Council To Be Set Up Under DIPP

• To give a fillip to the medical device sector, which is a sunrise sector, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, announced setting up of a National Medical Devices Promotion Council under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
• The Council will be headed by Secretary, DIPP.
• The Medical Devices Industry (MDI) plays a critical role in the healthcare ecosystem and is indispensable to achieve the goal of health for all citizens of the country.
• The announcement was made at the occasion of the 4th WHO Global Forum on Medical Devices, at Andhra Pradesh Medtech Zone, in Vishakhapatnam.

• International

World’s 1st Floating Nuclear Plant Operational In Russia

• Akademik Lomonosov, the world’s first “floating” nuclear power plant (FNPP) for installation in remote areas, has been started and brought to 10% of its capacity, Russian state-run atomic energy corporation Rosatom announced.
• An FNPP is basically a mobile, low-capacity reactor unit operable in remote areas isolated from the main power distribution system, or in places hard to access by land.
• They are designed to maintain both uninterruptible power and plentiful desalinated water supply in remote areas.

• International

Nepal bans use of Indian currency notes

• The Nepal government has declared the use of Indian currency notes of Rs 2,000, Rs 500 and Rs 200 denominations illegal in the country.
• So, the government has decided to ban the use of high denomination Indian currency notes and use only Rs 100 notes in the country now onwards, according to a report in the Kathmandu Post.
• The decision was announced by Nepal government’s spokesperson and Minister for Information and Communications Gokul Prasad Baskota.

• Awards

Tata Steel won the Prime Minister’s Trophy

• Private steel major Tata Steel Limited won the Prime Minister’s Trophy for the ‘Best Performing Integrated Steel Plant’ in the country for 2016-17.
• It also won the award for 2014-15 and 2015-16.
• It was the fourth consecutive year when the company was honoured with this award.
• The award has been instituted to recognize the outstanding performance of integrated steel plants in the country.

• Awards

8 parliamentarians awarded by M Venkaiah Naidu

• Eight parliamentarians were honoured by Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu for their contribution in strengthening parliamentary democracy on 13 December 2018.
• Rajya Sabha MP Sharad Pawar and veteran leader Murli Manohar Joshi got the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award.
• Ghulam Nabi Azad and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey were selected for the ‘Best Parliamentarians’ award 2018.

• Appointments

Brijendra Pal Singh nominated as new president of FTII

• The Information and Broadcasting Ministry nominated Brijendra Pal Singh as the new president of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Society and Chairman of Governing Council.
• Currently, Mr Singh is the Vice Chairman of the FTII Governing Council.
• The position was vacant after actor Anupam Kher stepped down in October this year.

• Important Days

National Energy Conservation Day in India

• The National energy conservation day is celebrated every year by the people all over India on 14th of December.
• The objective of the day to aware people about the importance of energy as well as saving or conserving more energy by using less energy.
• The Energy Conservation Act in India was executed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in the year 2001.
• The Bureau of Energy Efficiency is a constitutional body which comes under Government of India and helps in the development of policies and strategies in order to reduce the energy use.

• Defence

Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle' inducted into Navy

• The Indian Navy inducted the ‘Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle’ into service at the Western Naval Command in Mumbai.
• Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba inducted the vehicle into the Navy.
• The DSRV has the capability to rescue personnel from a distressed submarine up to a depth of 650 meters and it is the latest in terms of technology and capabilities.

• States

Coast Guard launches ‘Operation Oliva’

• The Indian Coast Guard launched the ‘Operation Oliva’ exercise at the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in Odisha.
• The aim of the exercise is to protect the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles during their breeding season.
• A state-of-the-art Coast Guard ship is maintaining round-the-clock vigil along the coastal shoreline.

• States

Jharkhand gets ‘Krishi Karman’ award

• Jharkhand has been selected for the ‘Krishi Karman’ award in the rice category from the Union Ministry of Agriculture on 13 December 2018.
• The award to be given away in February 2019 carries a cash prize of Rs 2 crore and a citation.
• Each farmer would be given a cash award of Rs 2 lakh along with citation.

• States

Ashok Gehlot named Rajasthan's CM, Sachin Pilot to be Deputy CM

• Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot will be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Congress announced.
• The 67-year-old, who has served as the state’s Chief Minister twice, won from Sardarpura seat by defeating BJP candidate Shambhu Singh by a margin of over 40,000 votes.
• State Congress President Sachin Pilot has been selected as the state’s Deputy Chief Minister.