December 2017 Current Affairs PDF

World AIDS day is celebrated every year all over the world on December 1st to raise the public
awareness about Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome, AIDS. The theme for World AIDS day 2017
is ‘Right to health’.

Border Security Force (BSF), the sentinels of Indian borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh,
celebrated its 52nd Anniversary of Raising Day on 1st December.

The International Monetary Fund has approved a new USD 88 billion credit line for Mexico, replacing
the existing line.

Nagaland is all set to celebrate the 54th Statehood Day and the 18th Hornbill festival 2017 at Naga
Heritage Village, Kisama.

Shri Sunil Kumar Chourasia, Indian Ordnance Factories Service Officer (IOFS), has been appointed
as the new Director General of Ordnance Factories (DGOF) and Chairman of the Ordnance Factory
Board (OFB).

Former Miss Asia Pacific Dia Mirza was appointed as UN Environment’s Goodwill Ambassador for
India.

The Minister of Industry and Commerce, Suresh Prabhu was the chief guest for the Shared Value
Summit 2017. The summit was held in New Delhi. The theme for this summit was “Equity and
Empowerment”.

Union Cabinet has approved setting up of National Nutrition Mission: Maneka Gandhi.

Defence Ministry launches Armed Forces Week.

IMF approves new 88 billion US dollar credit line for Mexico.

Japan’s Emperor Akihito to abdicate in April 2019.

Indian archers produced an impressive performance, grabbing three gold, four silver and two bronze
medals at the Asian Championships in Dhaka.

Infosys annouced the appointment of Salil S. Parekh as its new CEO and Managing Director. Salil
was in Capegemini earlier.

24-year-old model and Miss Korea Jenny Kim has bagged the title of Miss Supranational 2017 at the
gala event, which was held in Poland’s Spa Resort of Krynica- Zdroj. Miss Columbia Tica Martinez
and Romania’s Bianca Tirsin were adjudged First Runner’s Up and the second runner-up in the
event, respectively. India’s official entry to the competition, Peden Ongmu Namgyal, reached top 25.

The word ‘populism’ has been announced as Cambridge Dictionary’s Word of the Year 2017. The
dictionary defined populism as “political ideas and activities that are intended to get the support of
ordinary people by giving them what they want”.

Raj Shah who holds a key position in the White House, gaggled with reporters on board US
Presidential chopper Air Force One, becoming the first Indian-American to enjoy the privilege.

Veteran journalist A Surya Prakash has been appointed the chairman of the Prasar Bharati board for
a second consecutive term till February 8, 2020.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has been sworn in for a second and final five-year term
 December 2017 Current Affairs PDF

The sole Indian participant and defending Asian champion Shiva Keshavan retained his title with a
time of 55.60 seconds. India’s veteran Winter Olympian Shiva Keshavan won a gold medal at the
Asian Luge Championships at Altenberg, Germany.

Former Chief Justice of India, Justice Adarsh Sein Anand, passed away.He Was 81. He was the 29th
CJI and served from October 10, 1998, to October 31, 2001.

D K Sarraf has been appointed as the New Chairman of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory
Board.

President Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated the Hornbill Festival of Nagaland in Kisama.

The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons (3 December) was proclaimed in
1992, by the United Nations General Assembly. Theme for 2017 is “Transformation towards
sustainable and resilient society for all”.

Corporation Bank has launched its RuPay Select and RuPay Platinum credit cards. Corporation
Bank’s RuPay credit cards are accepted at all RuPay-enabled 1.5 million plus PoS terminals and
80,000 plus e-commerce merchants in India and all ICS Partner acceptance points (POS, e-
commerce merchants) globally.

The first phase of Chabahar port was inaugurated by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. The port,
located in Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan Province, was inaugurated in the presence of
representatives from India, Afghanistan and several other countries of the region.

Virat Kohli surpasses Brian Lara for Most Double Centuries as Captain.

VVPAT machines to be used along with EVMs in all polling booths of 182 constituencies in Gujarat.

Over nine lakh seniors give up Railways ticket subsidy in 3 months.

Mary Kom resigns as national observer for Indian boxing.

The Indian Navy Day is observed on 4th December every year to celebrate achievements and role of
the naval force to the country.

India’s Deepika Kumari has won bronze medal at the Indoor Archery World Cup Stage 2 that
concluded in Bangkok.

Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari has inaugurated an international conference to draw attention
towards the adverse effects of global warming in the Hindu Kush mountain range. The conference
‘Resilient Hindu Kush Himalaya: Developing Solutions towards a Sustainable Future for Asia’ is
being organized by Nepal’s Ministry for Environment in collaboration with International Centre for
Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a unique world-class hospital at the Swaminarayan
Gurukul Vidyapeeth Pratisthanam in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The 200-bed hospital is an integration of
Yoga, Ayurveda, and Allopathy.

The government of India has increased the budget of Agricultural Education by 47.4% this year as
compared to the financial year 2013-14.

The Andhra Pradesh assembly unanimously passed the Kapu reservation bill which will provide the
community with a 5 percent quota in education and employment in the state.
 December 2017 Current Affairs PDF

India’s first Madame Tussauds wax museum has been opened in New Delhi with 50 life-like figures
spanning across history, sports, music, films, and politics, for the public at the iconic Regal building
in central Delhi. Madame Tussauds has been a successful tourist attraction in places like London,
Las Vegas, New York, Orlando, San Francisco and Hong Kong. The Delhi facility is the 23rd edition
of Madame Tussauds.

Preet Didbal has been elected as the mayor of Yuba city in California, becoming the first Sikh woman
to hold the position in the United States.

South Korea and the United States launched their largest-ever joint aerial drills. The annual US-
South Korean drill, called Vigilant Ace, will run for 5-days, with six F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to be
deployed among the more than 230 aircraft taking part.

The first International exhibition and Conference on AYUSH and Wellness sector- AROGYA 2017 has
begun in New Delhi. The four day event was inaugurated by Ayush Minister Shripad Yesso Naik.

Paytm Payments Bank rolled out Paytm FASTag to enable electronic toll fee collection on highways
across the country, in line with the government’s move to make FASTag mandatory on every new
vehicle sold from December 1.

Rahul Singh, founder and CEO of The Beer Café, has taken over as the new President of the National
Restaurant Association of India.

Veteran actor Shashi Kapoor died at the age of 79.

The 6th International Tourism Mart began in Guwahati. Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi, Assam
Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Union
Tourism Minister KL Alphons attended the inaugural programme.

The World Soil Day is celebrated on 5 December globally. It aims to communicate messages on the
importance of soil quality for food security, healthy ecosystems and human well-being. The Theme
for Soil Day 2017 is ‘Caring for the Planet starts from the Ground’. WSD is celebrated at the Food
and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

The Fifteenth Finance Commission held its first meeting at North Block in New Delhi under the
Chairmanship of Shri N.K. Singh and was attended by all the other Members of the Commission.

The 3rd edition of the Dialogue between the NITI Aayog and the Development Research Council of
China, the DRC- NITI Aayog Dialogue was held in Beijing.

The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Board of Directors has approved debt financing and partial
risk guarantees totaling $583 million to develop the Reliance Bangladesh Liquefied Natural Gas
(LNG) and Power Project.

Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district was included in the National Capital Region (NCR), taking the total
number of districts in the NCR to 23.

British singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding signed as a Global Goodwill Ambassador for UN

Environment, joining the fight to save the lives and habitats of people and animals by cleaning up
our air and seas, fighting climate change and protecting species. Ellie is also backing UN
Environment’s #CleanSeas campaign.

The largest-ever floating solar power plant in India inaugurated by state power minister MM Man at
the Banasura Sagar dam in Wayanad. The solar power plant that floats on the surface of the water
has a capacity of 500 kilowatts. The solar plant consists of 1,938 solar panels with a capacity of 260
watts, a 500 kilovolt-ampere (KVA) transformer, and 17 inverters. Constructed by the
 December 2017 Current Affairs PDF

Thiruvananthapuram-based Ad tech Systems, the plant will generate seven lakh units of power in a
year. The total cost of the project is Rs. 9.25 crore.

Indian-American California senator Kamala Harris has topped the prestigious Foreign Policy
magazine’s 2017 list of ’50 Leading Global Thinkers’ which also features US Ambassador to the UN
Nikki Haley.

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan launched a book based on Indian cinema in showbiz capital
Mumbai. The book, titled ‘Bollywood: The Films! The Songs! The Stars!’.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced the creation of a new virtual currency named
‘Petro’ in a bid to ease the country’s economic crisis.

UAE Armed Forces along with the UK, US and French armies are participating in joint exercises in
Abu Dhabi. The drill code is named as “Flag4”.

Sushil Kumar resigns as National Sports Observer.

Fifth Bi-monthly Monetary Policy

Here are the highlights-

On the basis of an assessment of the current and evolving macroeconomic situation at its meeting,
the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to keep the policy repo rate under the liquidity
adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 6.0 percent. Consequently, the Reverse Repo Rate (RRR)
under the LAF remains at 5.75 percent, and the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the Bank
Rate at 6.25 percent. The projection of real GVA growth for 2017-18 of the October resolution at
6.7per cent has been retained, with risks evenly balanced.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the 12th Annual convention of central information
commission at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi.

The 6th International Tourism Mart-2017 begins in Guwahati, Assam. The Ministry of Tourism,
Government of India, in association with the North Eastern States is organizing this Mart from 5-7
December 2017. Shri Jagdish Mukhi, Governor of Assam inaugurated the 6th International Tourism
Mart (ITM) -2017″.

The 10th Jaipur International Film Festival (JIFF) is all set to present International Cinema to film
buffs.

In terms of its Framework Agreement, with ratification by Guinea as the 15th country in November
2017, the International Solar Alliance (ISA) has now become a treaty-based international
intergovernmental organization.

The Madhya Pradesh Assembly unanimously passed a Bill awarding death to those found guilty of
raping girls aged 12 and below. With this, Madhya Pradesh becomes the first State where those
convicted of such rapes will face the gallows.

In a major victory for President Donald Trump, the US Supreme Court has allowed his travel ban to
take full effect pending appeal, for people coming from six Muslim-majority countries.

Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu let out more incentives while unveiling the mid-term
review of the Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20 with a view to boosting exports.

Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been voted the Time magazine readers’
Person of the Year.
 December 2017 Current Affairs PDF

The Surface to Air Missile AKASH with indigenous radio frequency seeker against target Banshee
has been successfully launched from the Launch Complex-III at ITR Chandipur, Odisha.

Sixteen-year-old Mohamad Al Jounde from Syria was awarded the International Children’s Peace
Prize for his efforts to ensure the rights of Syrian refugee children.

Russia was banned from the 2018 Winter Games by the International Olympic Committee over its
state-orchestrated doping programme, but clean Russian athletes will be allowed to compete under
an Olympic flag. The sanction was the toughest ever leveled by the IOC for drug cheating and came
just 65 days ahead of the Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh will be promoting a UNICEF sports initiative for youngsters in South
Asia, which will also have the ICC’s backing. Yuvraj launched the “Power of Sports to Shape the
Future of Adolescents” campaign in South Asia.

Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Zadran, the 16-year-old off-spinner, became the youngest ever from Afghanistan
to play International cricket and overall he is the 9th youngest to make debut in ODI cricket.

Uttar Pradesh becomes the first state to endorse the Centre’s draft bill that makes instant triple talaq
a cognizable and non-bailable offense.

Lifter Gurdeep creates three national records in IWF C’ships.

Venezuela’s Avior Airlines has been banned from European Union skies after a commission
determined it no longer meets international safety standards.

In Cricket, Indian captain Virat Kohli has moved up three places to grab the second spot in the latest
ICC Rankings for Test Batsmen.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the BR Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi.

Armed Forces Flag Day is being observed throughout the country on 7 December to honor the
martyrs and the men in uniform who valiantly fought on our borders to safeguard the country’s
honor.

India and Cuba signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for enhanced cooperation in the
health sector.

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, Shri Radha Mohan Singh with H.E Maurizio Martina,
Italian Minister for Agriculture Food and Forestry Policies have signed a new MoU for cooperation in
Agriculture and Phytosanitary issues that will replace the one signed in 2008.

India’s largest digital bank Paytm Payments Bank is the only bank providing zero balance accounts
and zero charges on digital transactions. The bank has unveiled ‘Paytm Ka ATM’ outlets that allows
customers to open Saving Accounts and deposit/withdraw money from their bank accounts.

UNESCO has inscribed ‘Kumbh Mela’ on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of
Humanity.

Australia’s parliament has legislated for marriage equality, passing a bill almost unanimously to
allow two people, regardless of sex, to marry.

The Government has enhanced the monetary allowances for the Gallantry Award winners.

Online food delivery start-up Swiggy (Bundl Technologies Pvt. Ltd) has appointed Vishal Bhatia as
the chief executive officer for its new supply business.
 December 2017 Current Affairs PDF

India has won the first-ever South Asian Regional Badminton Team Championship. In the title clash
played in Guwahati, India defeated Nepal, 3-0.

France’s biggest rock star Johnny Hallyday has died after a battle with lung cancer. He was 74.

The First International Conference on Sports Medicine and Sports Sciences SAICON 2017 was
inaugurated in New Delhi by the Minister of State (I/C) Youth Affairs and Sports Col. Rajyavardhan
Rathore.

“The Silence Breakers”, the vanguard of a global movement by millions of women to share their
stories of sexual harassment and abuse, was revealed to be Time magazine’s Person of the Year.

Kacheguda Railway Station in Hyderabad under the South Central Railway (SCR) has earned the
unique distinction of being the first Energy Efficient ‘A1 Category’ Railway Station on Indian
Railways.

The Kerala government lead by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) has decided to raise the legal
drinking age from 21 to 23 years.

The Taj Mahal, India’s iconic ivory-white marble mausoleum in Agra, is the second best UNESCO
world heritage site in the world, according to a new survey by online travel portal TripAdvisor.

BJP MP from Maharashtra Nana Patole on 8 december 2017 resigned from the party and the Lok
Sabha.

Delhi government has cancelled the license of Shalimar Bagh’s Max Hospital after it was found
guilty of the recent medical negligence. On 30th of last month, the Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh had
declared dead the premature twins and handed over to their parents in a polythene bag. But when
the family was taking the babies for their last rites, one of them, a boy, was found breathing.

President of USA Donald Trump has announced that the US now recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s
capital, overturning decades of official US policy.

In a significant development, elite export control regime Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) decided to
admit India as its new member.

Axis Securities, a subsidiary of Axis Bank, has become the first-ever broking arm of a bank to take
membership of a commodity exchange by registering itself with NCDEX.

Vidya Balan bagged the award for Best Actress (Critics) for Tumhari Sulu, Irrfan won the Best Actor
Award for his performance in Hindi Medium. Rajkummar Rao won the Best Actor Award (Critics) for
Newton & Best Actor in a Supporting Role Award for Bareilly Ki Barfi as well.

Shri Azar A.H.Khan, presently Consul General in the Consulate General of India, Istanbul has been
appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Turkmenistan.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has named noted Indian businessman, Deepak Parekh, as
‘International Ambassador’ who will be tasked with championing the UK capital across the globe.

Nagpur’s Kanchanmala Pande created history as she became the first Indian to secure pole position
at the World Para-Swimming Championship in Mexico.

Cristiano Ronaldo (from Portugal) has won the Ballon d’Or for a fifth time to move level with rival
Lionel Messi. The Real Madrid forward was named the winner of France Football’s prestigious award
at a ceremony in Paris, France.
 December 2017 Current Affairs PDF

Bergamasco appointed Performance Director for women’s boxing. The man behind India’s best ever
medal haul at the recently-concluded AIBA Women’s Youth Boxing Championship, Italian coach
Raffaele Bergamasco, has been elevated to the position of Performance Director for senior women
pugilists.

Direct tax collections has registered a growth of 14.4 per cent during April to November of this fiscal.
Central Board of Direct Taxes in a statement said, tax collections up to November this year stood at
4.8 lakh crore rupees, which is 14.4 per cent higher than the net collections for the corresponding
period of last year. The net direct tax collection represents 49 per cent of the total Budget Estimates
of 9.8 lakh crore rupees for direct taxes for 2017-18.

MoHUA inks agreement with German firm GIZ for technical cooperation in transport projects. Union
Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has signed an agreement with German firm GIZ for technical
cooperation in the implementation of transport projects in Coimbatore, Bhubaneshwar and Kochi.

India’s foreign exchange reserves increased by 1.2 billion US Dollar to touch a record high of
401.942 billion US Dollar in the week ended 1st December 2017.

India won five medals at the 10th Asian Airgun Shooting Championships in Japan. On the opening
day of the competition at Wako City yesterday, Ravi Kumar won an individual bronze in the men’s 10
metre air rifle, while Arjun Babuta won individual silver in the corresponding junior men’s event.
India also bagged three team silver medals in each of the three air rifle events.

11th Ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to be held in Buenos Aires,
Argentina.

Half a billion people have gained access to electricity in India since 2000, almost doubling the
country’s electrification rate, according to the World Energy Access report released by the
International Energy Agency (IEA).

A Public Procurement Portal ‘MSME Sambandh’ was launched by Shri Giriraj Singh, Minister of State
(Independent Charge) for MSME in New Delhi.

Sarvesh Kumar Tiwari, was appointed as the President of Para-Sports Foundation (PSF), India.

The international football federation, FIFA, has lifted a two-year suspension against Kuwait’s football
association that has prevented the country from participating in international tournaments.

Uma Shankar, chief general manager (CGM) in charge of the Reserve Bank of India’s financial
inclusion and development department has taken over as executive director (ED) in the central bank.

India’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki became India’s sixth most valued firm, crossing India’s
largest lender State Bank of India (SBI). Reliance Industries is the country’s most valued company
with a market value of Rs 5.83 trillion, followed by TCS, HDFC Bank, ITC and Hindustan Unilever.

Senior IAS officer Pradeep Singh Kharola took charge as the Chairman and Managing Director of Air
India. Kharola assumed charge from Rajiv Bansal.

The Indian National Congress announced that Rahul Gandhi has been elected as its new President,
taking over from his mother Sonia Gandhi.

India defeated Germany 2-1 in the Hockey World League Final to grab the bronze medal at the event,
in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. SV Sunil and Harmanpreet Singh scored for the world number six Indian
side.
 December 2017 Current Affairs PDF

Lalji Singh, a pioneer of DNA fingerprinting technology in India and former Vice-Chancellor of
Benares Hindu University, BHU (2011 to 2014), passed away at the age of 70.

Veteran journalist Sukharanjan Sengupta died due to old age-related health problems. He was 85.

Musician Diddy was on the top of Forbes’ annual world’s highest-paid musician list shows.
Musicians on the list are-
Diddy ($130 M)
Beyoncé ($105 M)
Drake ($94 M)
The Weeknd ($92 M)
Coldplay ($88 M)

A unit of China Three Gorges Corp. is building a 1 billion yuan ($151 million) floating solar power
plant, the world’s biggest, in the nation’s eastern province of Anhui.

BSE’s India International Exchange (India INX) has received approval from the capital market
regulator SEBI on the framework for the listing of debt securities.

lectronics and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has launched first NIC-CERT, a
setup of National Informatics Centre to prevent and predict cyber attacks on government utilities. It
was launched in New Delhi.

Britain has a new highest mountain after new satellite data revealed the peak was almost 400 metres
taller than previously thought. Mount Hope, in the British Atlantic Territory, was recently re-
measured and found to be 377 metres taller than previous calculations. This takes it to 3,239 metres,
meaning it knocks Mount Jackson, the current title holder at 3,184 metres, off the top spot.

Saudi Arabia will have its first public cinemas in more than 35 years after the government
announced the lifting of the ban on movie theatres.

Indian economy is likely to grow by 7.2 percent in 2018 and go up further to 7.4 percent in 2019 on
the back of strong private consumption, public investment and the ongoing structural reforms,
according to a UN report. The ‘World Economic Situation and Prospects 2018’ report was unveiled
by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). The UN DESA report said
the GDP growth is projected to be 6.7 percent in 2017.

The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has conferred ‘Yeraringan’ Award to Prof. M.S.
Swaminathan, in Chennai.

Nakul Chopra, President of AAAI and Senior Advisor, Publicis Communications, has been elected as
the next Chairman of BARC India. Nakul succeeds Viacom18 Group CEO Sudhanshu Vats.

Australia beat Argentina 2-1 in the final of the Hockey World League Final (HWLF) to win gold at
Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

India is all set to host the 2023 World Cup, the global cricketing event’s 13th edition after the BCCI
confirmed the host nation. India will also host the upcoming Champions Trophy in 2021.

India’s Saurabh Chaudhary qualified for the Youth Olympics Games with a gold medal and a junior
world record in 10m air pistol at the ongoing Asia Youth Olympics Games qualification tournament
in Wako City, Japan. He became the third Indian to bag quota places for the 2018 Youth Olympic
Games at the 10th Asian Airgun Championship.

Pistol aces Jitu Rai and Heena Sidhu bagged a bronze each to continue India’s medal charge at the
10th Asian Championship 10m Rifle/Pistol in Wako City, Japan.
 December 2017 Current Affairs PDF

I&B Ministry asks TV channels not to air condom ads between 6 AM & 10 PM.

Former Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda, ex-coal secy H C Gupta convicted in coal scam case.

Nation remembers martyrs of 2001 Parliament terror attack (13 December 2001).

NGT declares Amarnath cave shrine ‘silence zone’.

India will host the 3rd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of Asian Infrastructure Investment
Bank (AIIB) at Mumbai in June 2018. The Theme of the Annual Meeting, 2018 will be “Mobilizing
Finance for Infrastructure: Innovation and Collaboration”.

The second UN World Tourism Organization/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture
was held in Muscat, Capital city of Oman.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) approved its first loan to China, its largest
shareholder, to reduce its dependence on coal by over 600,000 tonnes annually by building a natural
gas distribution network for villages. The USD 250-million-loan will fund a project to connect 216,750
households in approximately 510 villages to the natural gas distribution network. With an authorized
capital of USD 100 billion, China is the largest shareholder with 26.06 percent voting shares.

The Reserve Bank of India increased the limits for investment by foreign portfolio investors (FPIs)
for the January-March 2018 quarter by Rs 6,400 crore in Central Government Securities (G-Secs) and
Rs 5,800 crore in State development loans (SDLs).

Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to launch free email addresses in Hindi (in
Devanagari script).

Buddhist monk Dhammapiya from Tripura has been elected as the new secretary general of the
International Buddhist Confederation (IBC).

India has become the first-ever team to register 300+ totals 100 times in ODIs, after posting 392/4
against Sri Lanka in Mohali.

21-year-old Indian Golfer Shubhankar Sharma claimed his maiden European Tour victory in the
Joburg Open, in South Africa. He has defeated South Africa’s Erik Van Rooyen.

The National Energy Conservation Day is celebrated annually on 14th December.

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.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned India’s first modern conventional submarine, INS
Kalvari, into Navy’s fleet in Mumbai, a first in almost two decades. Kalvari is the first of the six
Scorpene-class submarines handed over by shipbuilder Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL).

India has upgraded its ranks in ‘The Legatum Prosperity Index 2017’ and is now on 100th position.

Norway became the world’s first country to shut down national broadcasts of its FM network by
completing its transition to digital radio.

OBOPAY has announced that the company has secured a license for Prepaid Payment Instrument
(PPI) from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate a semi-closed loop wallet in the country.
 December 2017 Current Affairs PDF

The Board of Control for Cricket in India decided to lift the ban on the Rajasthan Cricket Association
(RCA)

Bollywood actor, writer, and filmmaker Neeraj Vora, in the coma since a year, died at a Mumbai
hospital. He was 54.

The 14th Inclusive Finance India Summit began in New Delhi.

Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar hosted the 4th India-Australia-Japan Trilateral Dialogue with
Secretary of Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia Ms. Frances Adamson and Vice
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Mr. Shinsuke J. Sugiyama, in New Delhi.

The Eleventh World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference (MC11) took place in Buenos
Aires, Argentina. The Conference was chaired by Minister Susana Malcorra of Argentina.

The Union Cabinet cleared the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017, or the
Triple Talaq bill, which makes the practice a non-bailable offense.

In the latest list released by Forbes, Michael Jordan has been named as the highest-paid athletes of
all time.

In an apparent move to rebuild its presence in China, Google announced that it will open a research
lab focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Beijing, China. It will be its first such center in Asia.

The State Bank of India has introduced a loyalty program for its valued customers. This program is
called as State Bank Rewardz, the program gives the customers several opportunities to earn reward
points and earn many times faster at Max Get More partner outlets.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed Rs 3 crore penalty on IndusInd Bank for breaching
rules on income classification norms.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed certain restrictions on Corporation Bank on carrying
out banking activities as its share of bad loans rose sharply. The RBI has triggered prompt
corrective action (PCA) against it in view of high non-performing loans and requirement to raise
capital.

Jitesh Singh Deo from Lucknow was declared the winner of the 2017 Mr. India pageant which was
held in Mumbai. Indian footballer Prathamesh Maulingkar won the title of Mr. India Supranational and
will compete at Mr. Supranational 2018.

World youth champion Sachin Siwach was named the Asian Boxing Confederation’s best youth
boxer of the year 2017 after winning an online poll conducted by the continental body. Siwach polled
36.2 % votes in this category.

Roger Federer named BBC overseas sports personality of the year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated a 60 MW Tuirial Hydroelectric Power Project in Mizoram to
the Nation.

President Ram Nath Kovind laid the foundation stone of the ‘Nyaya Gram project’ in Allahabad.

The Union cabinet has approved a bill to replace the much-criticized medical education regulator
Medical Council of India (MCI) with a new commission to ensure transparency and reform.
 December 2017 Current Affairs PDF

Eminent Bengali poet Joy Goswami will be awarded with the 31st Moortidevi Award for the year
2017. He will be the first Bengali poet to receive this award. He will get this award for his collection
‘Du Dondo Phowara Matro’.

The Union Cabinet has approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between
India and Colombia in the field of agriculture and fisheries.

Actor Rajkummar Rao has won the Variety Asian Rising Star award at International Film Festival and
Awards in Macao.

Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of International Training Centre for Operational
Oceanography, as a Category-2 Centre (C2C) of UNESCO, in Hyderabad.

The Union Cabinet has approved that the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) applicable on all debit
card/BHIM UPI/ Aadhaar enabled Payment System (AePS) transactions upto and including a value of
Rs. 2000 will be borne by the Government for a period of two years with effect from 1st January,
2018 by reimbursing the same to the banks.

Spain’s second seed Georgina Garcia -Perez defeated Katy Dunne to win the singles title in the USD
25,000 NECC-ITF women’s tennis championship.

India beat Sri Lanka by 8 wickets; win series 2-1.

Double Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar has clinched a gold medal at the Commonwealth Wrestling
Championships in South Africa. In Johannesburg .

Parliament has passed the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2017 with the Rajya Sabha adopting it.

National Green Tribunal (NGT) Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar on 19 December retired from
the post after completing his five-year tenure. His successor is yet to be appointed.

Ola, operated by ANI Technologies Pvt. Ltd has acquired food delivery start-up Foodpanda India Pvt.
Ltd from its German parent Delivery Hero AG

India will host a meeting of WTO member countries in February 2018.

Goa has celebrated its 56th Liberation Day. The state was liberated on 19th December in 1961.

India currently ranks 60th out of 127 countries on the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2017 as
compared to 66th rank on GII 2016. The list was topped by Switzerland.

The International Migrants Day is organized across the world on 18th December. The theme for IMD
2017 is ‘Safe Migration in a World on the Move.’

Indian junior boxers had clinched total 11 Medals (six gold, four silver and a bronze medal) at the
fifth International Sven Lange Memorial Tournament, to finish as overall champions in the German
city of Schwerin. Bhavesh Kattamani (52kg) picked up the best boxer trophy along with his gold
medal. In the three-day tournament, the other gold-medallists for India were Vijeydeep (63kg),
Akshay (60kg), Ish Pannu (70kg), Lakshay Chahar (80kg) and Vinit (75kg).

Bharti Airtel Ltd has entered into a definitive agreement with Millicom International Cellular S.A.,
under which Airtel Rwanda Ltd will acquire 100% equity in Tigo Rwanda Ltd.

Shree Saini, a resident of Washington state, was crowned Miss India USA 2017.
 December 2017 Current Affairs PDF

Iraq has overtaken Saudi Arabia for the first time to become India’s top crude oil supplier in the
current fiscal, according to the Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar inaugurated Indo-Bangla Friendship Park at Chottakhola in
South Tripura district.

Real Madrid picked up a fifth trophy of 2017 by beating Gremio 1-0 in Abu Dhabi to retain the Club
World Cup.

World number three and Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu won a silver medal at the World
Superseries Finals in Dubai.

Double Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar and Rio Olympics Bronze medal winner Sakshi Malik won a
gold at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Eminent Bengali poet Joy Goswami will be given the 31st Moortidevi Award for the year 2017.

Sebastian Pinera has been elected as the President of Chile.

World Health Organization has declared Gabon a “polio-free country”.

Juan Orlando Hernandez has been elected as a president of Honduras.

India has won 10 Medals in the first Wushu Sanda Asian Cup.

Senior IAS officer Smita Nagaraj took over as member of the Union Public Service Commission
(UPSC).

Haryana’s Manjeet and Jyoti of Uttar Pradesh have won the Ghaziabad Run-to-Breath Half Marathon
in the men’s and women’s category respectively.

Joda East Iron Mine (JEIM) of Tata Steel has been honored with the prestigious Golden Peacock
Innovation Management Award for the year 2017

Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated eastern India’s first Compressed
Natural Gas (CNG) stations for scooters.

Aryan Goveas of Mumbai and Arjun Kadhe of Pune bagged their second successive ITF doubles title
in the Egypt Futures tennis tournament.

The BJP has retained power in Gujarat for the 6th time in a row and swept the polls in Himachal
Pradesh finishing just short of the two-third majority. The party romped home again in Gujarat by
winning 99 seats, seven seats more than the mark of absolute majority in the 182-member House.
Congress won 77 seats and others 6. In Himachal Pradesh, BJP wrested power from Congress by
winning 44 seats, two seats short of two-third majority, in the 68 member House. The Congress won
21 and others three.

According to a study by JLL, Delhi is the world’s seventh most expensive location for premium
office rents. List is topped by Hong Kong.

Delhi court awards life term to ex-TV producer Suhaib Ilyasi.

France’s parliament has approved a law banning all exploration and production of oil and natural
gas by 2040 within the country and its overseas territories.
 December 2017 Current Affairs PDF

Zee Cine Awards 2018 took place recently, marking the presence of almost all the big stars from
Bollywood. The complete winner’s list given below:

Best Actor Male: Varun Dhawan for Badrinath Ki Dulhania.

Best Actor Female: Sridevi for Mom

Best Director: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari for Bareilly Ki Barfi.

Best Film: Golmaal Again.

Extraordinary Impact Award: Toilet: Ek Prem Katha

Extraordinary Legend Award: Amitabh Bachchan

Best Actor in a Negative Role: Raj Rajun for Secret Superstar

Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female): Meher Vij for Secret Superstar

Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male): Anil Kapoor for Mubarakan

Best Debut Director: Advait Chandan for Secret Superstar

Best Debut (Male): Matin Ray Tangu for Tubelight

Best Debut (Female): Nidhi Aggarwal for Munna Michael

Viewers Choice Best Film Award: Toilet: Ek Prem Katha

Extraordinary Franchise Award: Baahubali

Extraordinary Impact Award (Female): Taapsee Pannu for Naam Shabana

Extraordinary Impact Award (Male): Rajkummar Rao

Best Director: Ashiwini Iyer Tiwari for Bareilly Ki Barfi

Global Icon Award: Priyanka Chopra

Best Script Award: Nitesh Tiwari for Bareilly Ki Barfi

Best Music Director: Amit Trivedi for Secret Superstar

Best Male Playback Singer: Akhil Sachdeva for Humsafar

Best Action Director: Sham Kaushal for Kaabil

The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju, inaugurated the first national-level
training of trainers program to sensitize various Central Ministries and Departments on the
utilization of Sendai Monitor for developing action plans for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in New
Delhi.

The government of Andhra Pradesh has entered into an agreement with the moonshot factory of
Alphabet (earlier Google) X to bring the breakthrough Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC)
technology in order to provide internet through the government Fibergrid project.
 December 2017 Current Affairs PDF

The World Bank has committed $125 million (around Rs800 crore) loan to India for the STRIVE
project for skill development. The objective of the operation (Skills Strengthening for Industrial
Value Enhancement) is to improve access to quality and market-driven vocational training as well as
apprenticeships.

Actor Sonu Sood has been awarded with the Punjab Ratan award.

According to the International Migration Report 2017, India has topped the list of people living
abroad with 17 million Indians residing in different countries.

Veteran CPI leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Jalaluddin Ansari passed away. He was 75.

Pradeep Kumar Gupta has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Mali.

According to Duff & Phelps report, Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli has pipped the Bollywood
superstar Shah Rukh Khan to be ranked the No.1 celebrity brand in India. Kohli has topped the list
with a brand value of $144 million.

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu presented the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism
Awards to 26 journalists.

The Union Cabinet has approved a project to set up India’s National Rail and Transport University
(NRTU) in Vadodara in Gujarat.

India’s international Shooter Ravi Kumar became the new national champion in the men’s 10m Air
Rifle at the 61st National Shooting Championship Competitions (61st NSCC).

The United Kingdom has topped Forbes’ rankings of best countries in the world for business in 2018
for the first time.

Rohit Sharma became the seventh cricketer and third Indian to win 50 T20 matches as a captain.

The Reserve Bank of India has initiated additional actions under Prompt Corrective Action
framework for United Bank of India.

The Union Cabinet has approved a MoU between India and Italy on cooperation in the field of Health
and Medicine.

Minister of communications Manoj Sinha launched DARPAN, The Digital Advancement of Rural Post
Office for A New India in New Delhi.

UN General Assembly adopts resolution declaring US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital

null, void.

Vijay Rupani will continue as chief minister of Gujarat and Nitin Patel as his deputy chief minister,
the Bhartiya Janata Party has made the announcement after a meeting of the party’s newly-elected
legislators in the state’s capital Gandhinagar.

In a move aimed at combating black money stashed abroad, India signed an agreement with
Switzerland that would allow automatic sharing of tax-related information from January 1, 2018.

India’s first and only design university, ‘World University of Design’ opened its campus at Sonipat,
Haryana.

The famed Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan’s birth anniversary on December 22 is celebrated as

National Mathematics Day.
 December 2017 Current Affairs PDF

Authors Mamang Dai and Ramesh Kuntal Megh have won this year’s Sahitya Akademi award for
their work The Black Hill, a novel, and Vishw Mithak Sarit Sagar, a literary criticism, in English and
Hindi respectively.

A loan agreement has been signed between India and Germany for providing additional funding of
EUR 20 million for the Pare Hydroelectric Plant project under Indo-German Bilateral Development
Cooperation.

Indian Naval Ships Trikand and Teg are deployed to Oman for bilateral exercise ‘Naseem Al Bahr’ or
‘Sea Breeze’. This exercise is the 11th edition.

With earnings of Rs232.83 crore, actor Salman Khan has topped the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list
2017 for the second consecutive year. While Shah Rukh Khan featured in the second spot with
earnings of Rs170.50 crore, Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli came third with Rs100.72 crore
earnings.

A special CBI court on 23 December 2017 convicted former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad and 15
others in a fodder scam case while acquitting six including another former chief minister Jagannath
Mishra.

Kisan Diwas (Farmer’s Day) is observed every year on 23 December to celebrate the birth
anniversary of the fifth prime minister of India Chaudhary Charan Singh.

Union government had formally launched the ‘Ganga Gram’ project at the Ganga Gram Swachata
Sammelan in New Delhi.

The seventh edition of the India International Coffee Festival (IICF) will be held in Bengaluru from
January 16-19.

Airtel Payments Bank Chief Executive Shashi Arora has quit the company after a recent controversy
surrounding India’s largest telecom operator and its payment bank’s alleged violation of rules on
using Aadhaar for its electronic know-your-customer (e-KYC) verification process.

Lieutenant General B S Sahrawat took over the reins of National Cadet Corps as its Director General.

Shri M. Subbarayudu, presently Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs has been
appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Peru.

India’s largest mortgage lender HDFC has sold its realty brokerage business HDFC Realty and its
digital real estate business HDFC Developers which owns HDFC RED (Real Estate Destination) to
online classifieds player Quikr.

Acclaimed Bengali singer Jatileswar Mukhopadhyay passed away in Kolkata following a prolonged
illness. He was 82.

Sochi luge silver medallists Albert Demchenko and Tatyana Ivanova are among a group of 11
Russians disqualified for doping and handed lifetime bans by the International Olympic Committee.

India’s international Shooter Ravi Kumar became the new national champion in the men’s 10m Air
Rifle at the 61st National Shooting Championship Competitions (61st NSCC).

The United Kingdom has topped Forbes’ rankings of best countries in the world for business in 2018
for the first time.

Rohit Sharma became the seventh cricketer and third Indian to win 50 T20 matches as a captain.
 December 2017 Current Affairs PDF

Mumbai to get India’s first AC local train, to start services from Monday The First ever air-
conditioned suburban train of India is scheduled to be introduced on 25 September 2017.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has named Jairam Thakur as legislature party leader in Himachal
Pradesh, effectively making him the state’s next chief minister.

Vice President inaugurates Centenary Celebrations of Yoga Institute in Mumbai

Former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim has appointed as General Manager (Cricket Operations) of
the BCCI.

Vijender Singh defended his WBO Oriental and Asia Pacific super middleweight titles against
Ghana’s Ernest Amuzu at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

Sushil Kumar becomes Pro Wrestling League PWL’s most expensive Wrestler at Rs.55 lakh.

US President Donald Trump has signed into law a sweeping overhaul of the US tax code, two days
after the Republican plan was adopted by Congress in a major political victory.

Odisha’s University of Agriculture and Technology and state-run Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd
(BPCL) signed an agreement to develop and promote rice straw based bio-fuel production in the
state.

Haryana’s talented pistol shooter Manu Bhaker bagged a gold medal by winning the junior mixed
team event at the 61st National Shooting Championship Competitions.

China successfully conducted the maiden flight of its first indigenous amphibious aircraft.

Indian economy is expected to witness sharp recovery in the January-March quarter and its GDP
growth likely to be around 7.5 percent for 2018, says a Nomura report.

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday is being celebrated as Good Governance Day
across the country on 25th December.

The world’s longest glass bridge has been opened in Shijiazhuang, China to the public.

India is all set to get its first runway on a ‘sea bridge’, as the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has
been given a nod to extend Lakshadweep’s Agatti Airport.

Karnataka’s capital city Bengaluru has become the first Indian city to have its own logo after the
state government launched it.

To enhance standards of cleanliness on beaches, the environment ministry has launched a pilot
project ‘Blue Flag’ for its clean-up and development.

A book containing selected writings by late journalist Gauri Lankesh was launched at the Mumbai
Press Club, three months after she was gunned down. The book, The Way I See It – a Gauri Lankesh
Reader, has been edited by writer and sociologist Chandan Gowda.

The Union Minister of State (I/C) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Dr
Jitendra Singh launched the electronic-Human Resource Management System (e-HRMS) in New
Delhi.

Vijay Rupani was sworn in at a grand ceremony in the State capital of Gandhinagar as the Chief
Minister of Gujarat state.
 December 2017 Current Affairs PDF

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will become the first PM in 20 years to attend the World Economic
Forum’s (WEF) annual jamboree of the global elite. The meeting will be held in Davos town of
Switzerland.

Agri service solutions provider Sohan Lal Commodity Management (SLCM) having operations
across India and Myanmar has tied up with HDFC Bank and IndusInd Bank to provide collateral
management services.

Amazon has bought an Andover, Massachusetts-based company ‘Blink’ that makes Internet-
connected doorbells and security cameras.

Smartphone manufacturer Samsung launched its ‘Bill Payments’ on its flagship payments service,
Samsung Pay in partnership with Axis Bank.

Indian boxers have claimed three gold, a silver, and a bronze medal at the Galym Zharylgapov
Boxing Tournament in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. In the event, the country’s Gold Medal winners were
K Shyam Kumar in 49kg, Naman Tanwar in 91kg and Satish Kumar in the 91kg category claimed gold
medals. The19-year-old Naman Tanwar was also adjudged the best boxer of the tournament.

Famed Bengali film actor Partha Mukhopadhyay had passed away. He was 70.

Senior BJP leader Jai Ram Thakur took oath as the 6th Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. The
swearing-in ceremony was held at the historic Ridge Ground of Shimla. He has replaced Virbhadra
Singh.

Uttar Pradesh has launched a free household power connection scheme for the poor in the state to
mark former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birth anniversary. The scheme is driven by
government’s motto ‘Prakash hai to Vikas hai’ (the barometer of development is light).

The Government of India, the Government of Tamil Nadu and the World Bank signed a $318 million
loan agreement for the Tamil Nadu Irrigated Agriculture Modernization Project to promote climate
resilient agriculture technologies, improve water management practices, and increase market
opportunities for small and marginal farmers.

Sectoral regulator IRDAI has issued regulations for insurance firms to carry out offshore business
from Gujarat-based GIFT International Financial Services Centre (IFSC).

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has allowed Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL)-
manufactured Dornier 228 to be used for civilian flights. The 19-seater aircraft has, till now, been
used by defence forces and is the first plane to be made in the country for commercial flights.

Actress Anushka Sharma has been named PETA’s Person of the Year by animal rights organisation
People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Vin Diesel has been named the top-grossing actor of 2017 by Forbes, with $1.6 billion in global
ticketing receipts from his film ‘The Fate of the Furious’.

Saudi Arabia is hosting a world chess tournament for the first time, nearly two years after the
country’s top cleric issued a religious edict against playing the board game. The tournament has
been named as the King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships.

Legendary South African musician Robbie Malinga passed away. The veteran musician suffered
from anaemia.
 December 2017 Current Affairs PDF

According to a report titled 2018 World Economic League Table, India is set to overtake the United
Kingdom and France to become the world’s fifth largest economy in 2018. This report has been
released by Centre for Economics and Business Research.
Top 3 Economies of the world according to the World Economic Forum are-
The USA ($18 trillion),
China ($11 trillion),
Japan ($4.4 trillion).

President Ramnath Kovind inaugurated the 100th Annual Conference of the Indian Economic
Association at Acharya Nagarjuna University in Guntur of Andhra Pradesh.

Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Shri Radha Mohan Singh has launched Livestock
Disease Forewarning –Mobile Application (LDF-Mobile App). The app is developed by ICAR-National
Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), Bengaluru.

India’s largest mobile-first financial services platform, Paytm announced that its app has crossed
the 100 million milestone on Google Play Store in the second week of December 2017. This makes
Paytm the country’s first payments app to cross the 100 million downloads mark.

India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed Advanced Air Defence (AAD) supersonic
interceptor missile, capable of destroying any incoming ballistic missile at low altitude, from a test
range in Odisha.

Senior IPS officer Abhay was appointed Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). The
post was lying vacant after R R Bhatnagar took over as DG of CRPF in April 2017.

Veteran singer K S Chitra has been selected for prestigious ‘Harivarasanam’ award 2017, instituted
by the Kerala government.

Haryana shooter Anisa Sayyed won the women’s 25m pistol gold with a new record at the ongoing
61st National Shooting Championship Competitions (61st NSCC), in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

Bob Givens, one of the animators behind designing the iconic characters Bugs Bunny and Elmer
Fudd, died at the age of 99. He was from the USA.

Alfie Curtis, known for his role as Dr. Evazan in the film “Star Wars: A New Hope”, passed away. He
was 87.

Veteran sports administrator Ashok Kumar Mattoo, who headed the national boxing and hockey
federations at different times, passed away. He was 75.

The Lok Sabha passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriages) Bill 2017 making
instant triple talaq illegal with up to three years in jail for the husband. The bill was passed by the
Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad.

The Lok Sabha on 29 December 2017 passed the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill
-2017 with a voice vote.

An agreement for IBRD Credit of USD 40 Million from World Bank for “U.P. Pro-Poor Tourism
Development Project” was signed between India and the World Bank.

Bank of Baroda has entered into MoU with POORTI Agri Services Pvt. Ltd to enable the farmers to
purchase agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, seeds etc. provided by POORTI. This is a
Platform for Online Ordering & Rural Transformation of India known as “POORTI”.
 December 2017 Current Affairs PDF

India has the highest level of non-performing assets (NPA) among BRICS countries and is ranked
fifth on a list of countries with the highest levels of NPAs, as per the report by CARE Ratings.

The two-week long eighth edition of the Indo-Maldives joint military exercise, ‘Ekuverin’, came to an
end at Belagavi, Karnataka. ‘Ekuverin’ means ‘friends’ in the Maldivian language.

Prince Harry has been named the president of African Parks, a conservation group that manages a
dozen wildlife areas across the continent.

Cryptocurrency dealer ‘Pluto Exchange’ announced the launch of India’s first mobile application for
transacting in virtual currencies.

India’s ace chess player Viswanathan Anand won the World Rapid Chess tournament title in Saudi
Arabia by beating Russia’s Vladimir Fedoseev 2-0 in a two-game tie-break.

Central Board of Film Certification, CBFC, has decided to give its approval for Sanjay Leela
Bhansali’s period drama “Padmavati”, subject to a few changes. CBFC wants the movie’s title to be
modified as ‘Padmavat’ on the basis of the attributed material/creative source.

In Shooting, ace Indian marksman Jitu Rai won the Men’s 50-metre pistol national title, setting a new
record score of 233 at the 61st National Shooting Championships in Thiruvananthapuram.

Bharti Airtel is set to enter into a deal with Amazon that will allow India’s top telecom market leader
to distribute the American ecommerce giant’s content through the Airtel TV app and offer free
subscription of Amazon Prime Video to its post-paid customers.

Nepal declares ban on solo, blind and double amputee climbers from Everest.

Pakistan announces hydropower project worth $1.5bn in PoK.

Maharashtra Cricket Association Adopts Lodha Panel Reforms.

Karnataka Government Makes Kannada Language Compulsory In Schools From 2018-2019.

Rajneesh Gurbani becomes 2nd bowler to take hat-trick in Ranji final. Gurbani became only the
second bowler to take a hat-trick in Ranji Trophy Final after B Kalyanasundaram for Tamil Nadu
against Bombay in 1972/73 in Chennai.

Nirmala Sitharaman has launched a start-up incubation centre called the Centre for
Entrepreneurship Opportunities and Learning (CEOL) in Mangaluru, Karnataka.

US buyout giant KKR & Co has become the first foreign investor to fully own an asset reconstruction
company (ARC) in India as it received approval from the Reserve Bank of India.

Former football star George Weah has been elected as Liberia’s president.

The world’s largest human genome research project of 100,000 people was launched by China to
document their genetic makeup for a study that aims to help generate the precision medicines of the
future.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that Republic Day celebration in 2018 would be “remembered
through the ages” because the government for the first time in India’s history would host leaders of
10 Asean countries as chief guests on 26th January 2018.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has laid foundation stones for more than 100 projects worth Rs
700 crore in Nalanda district as part of his state-wide “Vikas Samiksha Yatra”.
 December 2017 Current Affairs PDF

Allahabad Bank has entered into an agreement with state-run National e-Governance Services
Limited (NeSL) for utilizing the latter’s Information Utility Services envisaged under the Insolvency
and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.

CISF DG, OP Singh will be the new Director General of Uttar Pradesh Police. OP Singh will succeed
Sulkhan Singh, whose tenure ends on 31st December 2017.

Indian golfer Shiv Kapur won the Royal Cup at Pattaya, on 31st December 2017, which is his third
Asian Tour title of 2017.

Virat Kohli remained in second spot behind Australia’s Steve Smith in the latest ICC Test rankings
which were released on 31st December 2017.