Current Affairs 26th December 2018

Current Affairs 26th December 2018 - Important Points

• Veteran CPI (M) leader Nirupam Sen passes away on - 24th December 2018
• National Consumer Day 2018 observed across India on - 24th Decemeber 2018
• India's Vedangi Kulkarni becomes fastest Asian to cycle the globe on - 23rd December 2018
• Govt extends restrict on import of milk products from China untill - 23rd April 2019
• Who  replaced James Mattis as US Defence Secretary ? - Patrick Shanahan
• Experts call to revisit restrict on Plastic in TamilNadu from - 1st January 2018
• Sadaiv Atal dedicated to the Nation in - New Delhi
• Prime Minister Modi inaugurates Bogibeel Bridge  on - 25th December 2018
• Indian Firm Takes Over Operations of Strategic Iranian Port Chabahar at - Chabahar

Current Affairs 26th December 2018 - Details

Veteran CPI (M) leader Nirupam Sen passes away on - 24th December 2018

Veteran CPI (M) leader, Nirupam Sen, decreased on December 24th, 2018 in Kolkata after a cardiac arrest. He was 72. The former Commerce & Industry Minister of West Bengal had been on life supporting device since the early weeks of December. He left behind his wife, a son and a daughter. His body will be placed in a mortuary during the day & the final rites will be completed on December 26th in Bardhaman, his hometown.
 More about Nirupam Sen

• Born October 8th, 1946, Sen’s political career started when he became a member of the CPI(M) during his student years.
• Though he initiated his career as a teacher, he became a permanent member of the party in 1968.
• He was designated as the district secretary of Bardhaman district from 1989-95. 
• He was designated as an MLA from Bardhaman town in 1987 and he became a central committee associate of the party in 1998 & Polit Bureau member in 2008. Generally, Sen was nominated as an MLA 3 times from the Bardhaman Dakshin constituency.
• When the Left Front was designated to power in 2001, Sen was given the charge of commerce & industries.
• It was under the management of Bhattacharya and Sen that the Left Front begun selling the dream of industrialisation in the state & transferred focus to private investments.
• This transfer in the policy reaped them heavy dividends resulting in the Left Front's unambiguous victory in the 2006 assembly election.
• However, by the end of 2006, land acquisition movement at Singur over the Tata Nano car plant had ongoing taking a toll on the regime. 
• The objection against the forcible land acquisition ultimately headed the Tata Motors to shift the car plant from Singur to Gujarat in 2008.
• The anti-land acquisition objections in Singur and Nandigram headed by the then opposition Trinamool Congress was one of the reasons overdue the fall of the 34 years old Left Front government in the state in 2011.
• Faced with strong criticism both within and outside the party, Sen, then a CPI(M) politburo member, had withdrawn himself from active politics.

National Consumer Day 2018 observed across India on - 24th Decemeber 2018

The National Consumer Day was celebrated across India on December 24th, 2018 with the theme “Timely Disposal of Consumer Complaints”.
On this day, the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 had got the acceptance of the president. The enactment of the Act is measured as a historic milestone in the consumer movement in the nation. The day also delivers an occasion to highlight the reputation of the consumer movement and the necessity to make every consumer extra aware of their rights & responsibilities.
National Consumer Day

• The National Consumer day is observed yearly on 24th December to highlight the enactment of the
  Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
• Celebrations of this day delivers an occasion for people to highlight the significance of the consumer movement as well as promote the basic rights & responsibilities of all consumers along with a reminder for the producers & distributors about goods & services as their accountability towards the protection of consumer rights.
• The Consumer Protection Act delivers effective safeguards to the consumer, against numerous types of exploitations & unfair dealings, relying chiefly on compensatory rather than a disciplinary/preventive approach. 
• The act smears to all goods & services unless precisely exempted, which covers the private, public & co-operative sectors. It also delivers speedy & inexpensive judgement.
• The Act predicts the promotion & protection of consumer rights including Right to Safety, Right to be well-versed, Right to Choose & Right to be heard.

India's Vedangi Kulkarni becomes fastest Asian to cycle the globe on - 23rd December 2018

India's Vedangi Kulkarni has become the reckless Asian to cycle the globe. The 20 years old Kulkarni
finished the 29000 kms distance needed to qualify as bicycling globally on December 23rd, 2018. 
Overall, Kulkarni spent 159-day peddling about 300 kilometres a day in 14 nations. Starting off from Perth in July, she will now be flying back to the Australian for completing the record by cycling a 15 kilometres distance to reach the same destination from where she started.
Important Highlights

• Kulkarni is a student of the University of Bournemouth in the UK pursuing a degree in sports
  management. 
• She informed that the 159 days consumed peddling about 300 kilometres a day in 14 nations has
  demonstrated her the ‘best & worst’ of both herself and also the world.
• The measures for the ride started about 2 years ago with long cycle rises, arranging the equipment
  including a specially crafted cycle & planning the route as well as time window.
• Kulkarni did not have no one accompanying her for more than 80% of the route & lugged the cycle with the heavy luggage that consists of cycle equipment, camping tools and clothing in desolate stretches all alone.
• She had to handle obstruction from several elements on the way, from both human & natural which consisted being chased by a Grizzly bear in Canada/camping alone for several nights in the snow in Russia/being robbed at a knife-point in Spain.
• She also tackled troubles on securing the necessary visas, which cost her time which resulted into a
  delayed departure & accordingly facing weather hostilities in Europe where winter had started setting in.
• Her ride was mainly funded by her parents.
• Internationally, 38 years old British adventurer Jenny Graham is the reckless woman to have cycled the globe in 124 days in 2018, which is 3 weeks faster than the previous record.
• Kulkarni’s Route Map Starting from Perth, Kulkarni cycled across Australia, through the outback, to reach Brisbane from where she flew over to Wellington, New Zealand, for completing the entire nation north to south.
• She took a short flight across the international dateline to Western Canada's Vancouver, from where she continuous her eastward journey till Halifax, a port city.
• Europe signalled next where she selected chilly Iceland to start it all up and later cycled via Portugal, Spain France, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Finland to arrive in Russia. From Russia, she flew to India to do the last 4000 kilometres.

Experts call to revisit restrict on Plastic in TamilNadu from - 1st January 2018

The government of Tamil Nadu on World Environment day 2018, 5th June had declared that it would
restrict the use of plastic items, consisting non-biodegradable bags, from January 1st, 2019, with few
exceptions. Plastic was permitted only for milk, oil, medicine and other items of basic necessities.
The restriction was declared by the CM under Rule 110 of the state Assembly which permits the CM to
make announcements without a debate in the House.
Reason to revisit the decision of restrict on Plastics

• Elimination of single uses plastic by 2020 is absolutely fine, but a total restriction on plastic will cause harm for both industry as well as the common man.
• The proposed restriction in Tamil Nadu would hit more than 5,000 plastic industries across the State and investment close to Rupees 3000 crore turning idle.
• Tamil Nadu would suffer with an annual loss of about Rupees 18000 crore.
• Specialists say that it is not the plastics which have emerged as a problem, but it is the way in which
  humans deal with disposable plastics, is the actual cause for concern.
  Further Suggestions
• Specialists suggested way ahead via the change in attitude which is possible via knowledge and
  information indulgence.
• They proposed productive usage of budget allocation towards ads to stop plastic by forming centres for the collection of plastic bags.

Sadaiv Atal dedicated to the Nation in - New Delhi

Sadaiv Atal, the Samadhi of Atal Bihari Vajpayee was devoted to the Nation on the birthday of the former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
To put pressure on the unity in diversity, stones from various parts of the nation have been utilised in the building of Samadhi near Rajghat, New Delhi.  The Samadhi has a central platform containing 9 square blocks, covered with a Diya in the centre. The number 9 represents the Navarasas, Navaratras and Navagrahas. The placement of the 9 square blocks is in a circular lotus shaped arrangement.
More about Atal Bihari Vajpayee

• Atal Bihari Vajpayee worked as the PM of India for a term of Thirteen days in 1996, then for a period of Thirteen months from 1998-1999, and finally, for a full-term from 1999-2004.
• Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born to Krishna Devi & Krishna Bihari Vajpayee on 25th December 1924 in Gwalior.
• He deceased on 16th August 2018 due to age-related illness. His birth anniversary is observed as Good Governance Day.

Govt extends restrict on import of milk products from China untill - 23rd April 2019

India, which is the largest generator & consumer of milk, has stretched the restriction on import of milk produces from China for Four months. The restriction would continue till 23rd April 2019 according to the notification released by the Ministry of Commerce.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade, an arm of the commerce ministry, in a statement explained
that the Prohibition on import of milk, milk products consisting chocolates, chocolate produces, candies,
confectionary, food preparations with milk/milk solids as an ingredient, from China is stretched for a
further period of 4 months, that means till April 23rd, 2019, or until further orders.
Reason behind the Restrict

The restriction was primarily executed due to the concerns about the occurrence of melamine in few of
the milk consignments from China. Melamine is a toxic non-edible chemical utilised for making plastics & fertilisers. Even though India does not import milk items from China, the restriction is imposed as a
preventive measure.

Prime Minister Modi inaugurates Bogibeel Bridge  on - 25th December 2018

Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the Bogibeel Bridge on the birthday of the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee,
December 25th which is celebrated as Good Governance Day. This 4.9 kilometers long bridge is the
country’s only fully-welded bridge and for the 1st time European codes and welding standards were stick to and it has a life of approximately 120 years.
The Bogibeel Bridge joins the southern restrict of the Brahmaputra River in Assam’s Dibrugarh district
with Silapathar in Dhemaji district, Arunachal Pradesh. This Double-Track and 3-lane Road Bridge will be the lifeline of the North-Eastern part of India.
The foundation stone for the Bogibeel Bridge was placed by former PM H.D.Deve Gowda on January
22nd, 1997. The work had started on 21 April 2002, under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee headed government.
It is now inaugurated on the birthday of the former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The bridge is part of infrastructure projects intended to improve logistics along the border in Arunachal
Pradesh which consists the building of a trans-Arunachal highway on the Brahmaputra’s North restrict,
and new road and rail links above the river and its major tributaries.
Benefits of the Bridge

• The bridge is mentioned as ‘Lifeline of Assam’, which is an asset for the whole North-Eastern region.
• It minimises the travel time from Assam to Arunachal Pradesh to 4 hours and will remove a detour of over 170 kilometers via Tinsukia.
• It also slashes the train travel time between Delhi and Dibrugarh by about 3 hours.
• The bridge will also play an imperative role in defence of the nation by simplifying ease of mobility to the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh.

Indian Firm Takes Over Operations of Strategic Iranian Port Chabahar at - Chabahar

India Ports Global Limited Company has started its office and took over operations at the Shaheed
Behesti port at Chabahar. It occurred during the event of the 1st meeting of the follow-up committee for execution of the trilateral Chabahar contract among India, Afghanistan and Iran.
Outcomes of the Trilateral Meet

• There was agreement on the routes for the trade & transit corridors between the 3 nations.
• It was decided to complete the protocol to harmonise transit, roads, customs & consular matters at the earliest.
• It was decided to permit cargo movement at Chabahar using Transports Internationaux Routiers
  Convention provisions.
• Holding a programme to promote & popularise the potential of Chabahar on February 26th, 2019.
  Establishing a study to determine actions to make the route attractive, lessening logistic costs and pave the way for smooth operationalisation of the Chabahar Contract.

Who  replaced James Mattis as US Defence Secretary ? - Patrick Shanahan

President Donald Trump has declared that Defence Secretary James Mattis will leave the Pentagon by January 1st. James Mattis’s Deputy, Patrick Shanahan is designated as the Acting Defence Secretary. James Mattis had resigned from the position of Defence Secretary citing policy differences with President Trump. The chief reason for the fallout between President Trump and Mattis was, President
Trump’s sudden declaration about the troop drawdowns in both Syria & Afghanistan. Mattis was said to be against the declaration.
The resignation letter of Mattis gave a harsh assessment of President Trump’s policy purposes. This
triggered series of negative headlines in the United States media and it was said to be the reason to
replace Mattis earlier than expected.
More about Patrick Shanahan

• A native of Aberdeen, Washington, Patrick Shanahan attended the University of Washington where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• He then did a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of
  Technology and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
• Shanahan is a former Boeing executive. He became the Deputy Secretary of Defence in 2017. Shanahan is an inherent of Washington State like Mattis and he will be answerable for managing the Pentagon’s colossal $700 billion defence budget.
• In March 2017, President Trump declared his determined to nominate Shanahan as the 33rd Deputy Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon's 2nd-highest civilian post.
• He got confirmation from the Senate in June 2017.