Current Affairs 22nd December 2015

Important Points :

• Which shipyard has became the first licensed Indian shipyard to make LNG Ships - Cochin Shipyard Limited
• Gopal Subramanium Commission on DDCA scam appointed by - Delhi Government
• Which company has successfully launched and landed Falcon 9 rocket - SpaceX
• Which scheme has been launched by the Odisha Government to provide free education to SC/ST students - Anwesha scheme 
• Who has been named Yahoo's Personality of the Year - Cow
• Who has won 2015 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award - Andy Murray
• National Mathematics Day observed on - 22nd December
• Which country has launched DAMPE satellite to shed light on mysterious dark matter - China 

Details : 

Which shipyard has became the first licensed Indian shipyard to make LNG Ships - Cochin Shipyard Limited

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 21st December 2015, certification to build LNG-transporting ships for any client world-wide was received by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) making it the first shipyard in India to get the approval.

Gaztransport et Technigaz (GTT), France, has certified the shipyard after it completed the Mark-III Flex Mock-Up. thereby completing all requirements to be licensed by GTT. 

About Cochin Shipyard Limited

• It is one of the major shipbuilding and maintenance facility in India.
• In the year 1972, it was established as a Government of India company.
• The shipyard builds double-hulled oil tankers and platform supply vessels.
• Currently, CSL is building the Indian Navy's first indigenous aircraft carrier.

Do You Know : 

• Only a few yards in the world have the ability to build these ships as LNG Vessels are very complex ships.
• LNG ship's deep freezing containment and handling system is the most critical aspect as it is carried at a temperature of -163 degrees.

Gopal Subramanium Commission on DDCA scam appointed by - Delhi Government

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 21st December 2015, a one-member commission of inquiry on Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) scam was appointed by the Delhi Government. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal made this decision in a cabinet committee meeting.

Former Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium will head the commission. The committee was formed to analyze the financial irregularities in DDCA. It is formed under the recommendation of the three-member committee led by Chetan Sanghi.

Which company has successfully launched and landed Falcon 9 rocket - SpaceX

Among the important International Current Affairs, On 21st December 2015, SpaceX, American aerospace company successfully launched and landed the Falcon 9 rocket carrying 11 satellites from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

This is for the first time that after delivering a spacecraft to its orbit, a rocket has returned back to earth. This will help in reducing the cost of access to space making explorations a more realistic goal as the rocket can be used again for the next task.

Do You Know : 

Falcon 9 has a height of 230 foot with 1.5 million pounds of thrust. Since an accident in June 2015 that destroyed a cargo ship bound for the International Space Station, it marks the company's first flight.

Which scheme has been launched by the Odisha Government to provide free education to SC/ST students - Anwesha scheme 

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 21st December 2015, Anwesha scheme was launched to provide free education to scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students by the Odisha Government. Acccording to the scheme, 5000 SC and ST children will be admitted into Standard I in private schools.

The scheme was launched by the State Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at Saragi Phul which is a festival for ST, SC children.

Few characterstics of the Anwesha scheme

• Under the scheme, all expenses for education including fees, uniform, books, hostel accommodation of the students in 17 districts will be beared by the government.
• Till now, around 3.5 lakh ST and SC students are staying in hostels and completing their education whereas other 2 lakh will soon get the opportunity.
• Excluding hostel cost and scholarship, government will give 25000 rupees for school fees per annum for each student.

Who has been named Yahoo's Personality of the Year - Cow

Among the important International Current Affairs, On 21st December 2015, Cow has been named as the Personality of the Year 2015 by search engine giant Yahoo. 

According to Yahoo India, after the declaration of beef ban in Maharashtra, which generated a large number of debates and arguments, all this was started. The dispute got a new height by Dadri hanging and Award Wapsi campaign.

The Vyapam Scandal, APJ Abdul Kalam's demise, the Sheena Bora Murder investigation, 2015 World Cup and the rise of ISIS are Most searched news / events in the year 2015.

Apart from this, once again Prime Minister Narendra Modi remained the Most Searched Politician for this year.

For the fourth year in a row, Sunny Leone is the Most Searched Female Celebrity while Katrina Kaif was at the second place and Deepika Padukone was at the third place.

Do You Know : 

Yahoo's Year in Review (YIR) provides a view of the year's top trends, happenings and events, which caught the attention of India's internet users. 

Who has won 2015 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award - Andy Murray

Among the important International Current Affairs, On 20th December 2015, the 2015 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award was won by Andy Murray of the UK. Irish boxing legend Barry McGuigan presented him with the award.

He was chosen for the award by public vote based on performance of sports personalities in the year 2015.

About BBC Sports Personality of the Year award

• In 1954, the award was instituted by Paul Fox.
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) presents this award annually.
• Formula one racing driver Lewis Hamilton was the winner of this award in 2014.
• The winner of the award is the sportsperson who have achieved the most that year and voted by public.

National Mathematics Day observed on - 22nd December

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 22nd December 2015, National Mathematics Day was celebrated in India to mark the birth anniversary of great Indian Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.

India and UNESCO, on this occasion have agreed to work jointly in growing the joy of mathematics and knowledge around the world.

Apart from this, Conferences on the “Zero” at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, as well as at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore to recognize the role of Aryabhata in the invention of zero.

About Srinivasa Ramanujan

• He has made remarkable contributions in making formulas and equations, mathematical analysis,  number theory and infinite series.
• He had compiled more than 3900 mathematical results and equations. He has also discovered Ramanujam Prime and Ramanujam theta.
• The smallest number represented as sum of two cubes 1729 which came to be known as Hardy-Ramanujan number was discovered by him along with a British Mathematician Godfrey Harold Hardy.

Which country has launched DAMPE satellite to shed light on mysterious dark matter - China 

Among the important International Current Affairs, On 17th December 2015, the Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) Satellite to shed light on mysterious dark matter was launched by China.

It was launched on a Long March 2-D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. It was the country's first space telescope. 

The motive of the satellite is to look for smoking-gun signals of dark matter, invisible material that are responsible for making up the most of the universe as per the scientists.

DAMPE will be placed at a height of 500 kilometers in a sun-synchronous orbit to notice the direction, energy and electric charge of high-energy particles in space.

It was named after the Monkey King with penetrating eyes in the Chinese classical fiction Journey to the West named "Wukong".