December 2016 Current Affairs Highlights (One-Liners)

104th foundation day of India's first SWADESHI BANK 'Central Bank of India" was observed on 21st December 2016.
16-time World Champion Pankaj Advani wins National title in 6-red Snooker, the shorter format of the game.
51 year old Indian Golfer Mukesh Kumar became the oldest golfer to win an Asian Tour title after lifting the Panasonic Open.
5th edition of the India-Arab Partnership Conference was held in Muscat, Oman from December 14 to 15, 2016.
6th edition of Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (APMCHUD) was recently held at New Delhi.
6th Heartof Asia Ministerial Conference was recently held at Amritsar, Punjab.
7th edition of India, Maldives bilateral exercise EKUVERIN 2016 was recently held at Kadhdhoo, Laamu Atoll, Maldives.
7th World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) was recently held at Science City in Kolkata, West Bengal.
A memoir on gymnast Dipa Karmakar, who finished fourth in Rio Olympics, is being written by Vimal Mohan, Digvijay Singh Deo, and her coach Bishweshwar Nandi.
A month after demonetisation, India has become the first country to give discounts on digital payments.
A nationwide toll-free helpline number '14444' will be launched soon to educate people and provide support related to cashless mode of transactions.
Actor Hrithik Roshan has launched a children's book series 'Tactabet', written in Braille format, which is being published for visually impaired people.
Actor Rishi Kapoor's autobiography titled, 'Khullam Khulla' was recently released.
Actress Scarlett Johansson has been named the highest grossing actor of 2016 by Forbes.
Airtel Payments Bank is going to extend services in Southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka within a week, CEO Shashi Arora has announced .
Amazon India has launched an online wallet called 'Amazon Pay Balance' which can only be used to make Amazon-based transactions.
Amazon, which started as an online book retailer, has announced Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as the best-selling book of 2016.
Andhra Pradesh's Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which manages the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati, has roped in Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to manage the upsurge in donations after demonetization.
Assam Government rolled out a health insurance scheme titled ‘Atal-Amrit Abhiyan’, to provide coverage against several critical illnesses.
Augmented reality mobile game Pokémon Go officially launched in India, nearly five months after it was rolled out in the US.
Bengaluru-based aerospace startup Team Indus has become the first private entity to secure a dedicated Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from ISRO.
Britain has become the first country in the world to legally offer "three-parent baby" fertility treatments after regulators gave approval.
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau approved a controversial pipeline from Alberta oil sands to the country's Pacific Coast.
China has banned internet users from posting user-generated audio or video, reportedly one of few sources of information outside state-controlled media.
China has launched atmospheric CO2-monitoring TanSat satellite , in an effort to curb and monitor greenhouse gas emissions.
China has successfully launched Fengyun-4 satellite, first of its new generation weather satellites into geostationary orbit.
China has successfully tested the latest version of its fifth-generation stealth fighter jet J-31 (now renamed the FC-31 Gyrfalcon). It is considered as China’s answer to the US F-35, the world’s most technically advanced fighter.
China recently re-established diplomatic relations with African island nation Sao Tome and Principe.
China's legislature has passed a law to levy environment tax on polluters, including heavy industries.
China's space organisation announced that the government has decided to send its first robotic probe to Mars by 2020 to carry out orbiting and roving exploration, followed by a second mission to collect surface samples.
Colombian lawmakers have approved an amnesty law to protect Marxist FARC rebels from prosecution for minor crimes committed during the country's 52-year civil war.
Cricket Australia has named Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli as the Captain of the board's ODI Team of the Year.
Cuban President Raúl Castro has announced that the government would prohibit naming public monuments or streets after his brother and revolutionary leader Fidel Castro.
Deutsche Bank from January 2017 will offer all its Male employees in India six months of childcare leave if they happen to be primary caregivers.
Dhasai village in Maharashtra has become India's first cashless village starting December 1.
Dubai is going to build Al Maktoum International airport, a second airport in the south of the city, which will become the world's largest airport on completion.
E-commerce major Amazon launched its global startup program 'Launchpad' in India, an online portal featuring over 400 products from different startups including 25 Indian startups.
E-commerce major Amazon has successfully made its first-ever fully autonomous drone delivery without any human pilot.
E-commerce platform Snapdeal has started a new service called 'Cash@Home’ where it is delivering cash up to ₹2,000 to customers' home at a convenience fee of ₹1.
Former Pakistani pacer Wasim Akram has been appointed as the Sri Lankan cricket team's bowling mentor, ahead of the team's tour to South Africa.
Former world number one and 2008 French Open winner Ana Ivanovic announced her retirement from professional tennis.
Google has announced that it will replace Adobe Flash Player content with HTML5 as the default option on its Chrome browser, over the next two months.
Google India has partnered with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs for a campaign called 'Digitally Safe Consumer' to help protect consumer interest online.
Google parent Alphabet has been named the company of the year by Fortune magazine in its annual Blue Ribbon ranking.
Government has formed an inter-ministerial task force to look into all the strategic aspects of Indus Water Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan. This task force was headed by : Nripendra Mishra (Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Principal Secretary)
'Greenery' has been announced as the 'Color of The Year' for 2017 by Pantone Color Institute, a world renowned authority on colours.
Hailakandi district of Assam has become the first district to pay wages to tea garden workers through individual bank accounts.
Haryana became the first state in the country to launch Mahila Police Volunteer (MPV) initiative for safety of women.
Haryana government has connected 100 villages with Wi-FI services and decided to rename all common service centres and E-disha centres as "Atal Seva Kendras", which will provide e-services to people.
Himachal Pradesh has achieved 100% Aadhaar saturation on the basis of the 2015 population, making it the sixth state to achieve the milestone.
Hindus have the lowest level of educational attainment among all the major religions of the world, a Pew Research Center study has claimed. Jews are the most educated religious group in the world, the study claimed.
Hosts Chhattisgarh emerged as the overall champions at the National School Games Championship 2016 that was held in Jagdalpur.
In a bid to enhance cyber policing and monitor social media content, the Haryana police have set up the country’s 1st Centre for Digital Investigation and Training in Gurugram.
In a bid to lessen the power shortage of Nepal, India agreed to export an additional 240 MW of electricity.
In a first in the country, the Maharashtra forest department is set to launch a state-wide 24X7 call centre facility from January 6 for registering complaints or getting information about issues related to forests and wildlife.
In an initiative to provide equal opportunities for women, Karnataka government has removed restrictions on allowing women to work in night shifts in all sectors.
In collaboration with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), the State Bank of India (SBI) has launched State Bank MobiCash Mobile Wallet.
In it's first bi-monthly credit policy review after demonetisation, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept the repo rate unchanged at 6.25%.
India and Kazakhstan inked a new protocol to take forward bilateral ties, especially in trade and economic spheres.
India and Singapore signed the 3rd protocol for amending the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement.
India and Vietnam have signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement for the peaceful use of atomic energy.
India announced it will contribute ₹3.3 crore to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for the year 2016-17 "despite (its) own resource constraints".
India clinched the Women's T20 Asia Cup 2016 after defeating Pakistan by 17 runs in the final in Bangkok.
India defeated South Korea 3-0 in the women's U-18 Asia Cup hockey in Bangkok to win the Bronze medal in the tournament.
India has been ranked as the fourth most vacation deprived country globally, with 63% people taking fewer days of the vacations they get, a report by a travel company stated.
India has eased the process of procurement of Indian tourist visas for Bangladeshis by allowing those with confirmed travel tickets to submit their visa applications directly without prior appointment starting January 1, 2017.
India has emerged as the Second largest purchaser of arms among developing nations.
India has received over US $300 billion US Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) milestone between April 2000 and September 2016.
India has scrapped its 10% import duty on wheat after droughts in the past two years depleted stocks, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley informed the Parliament .
India has signed a ₹5,000-crore deal with the US to buy 145 M777 lightweight Howitzer guns for the Army.
India has topped Asia in innovation and has emerged as the third biggest country worldwide in terms of New Innovation Centres, according to research by consulting firm Capgemini.
India is going to train the Qatari police for handling the security during the FIFA World Cup in the nation, scheduled to be held in 2022.
India successfully test-fires nuclear capable cruise missile Nirbhay from Integrated Missile Test Range in Chandipur, Odisha.
India test launched its indigenously developed intercontinental surface-to-surface nuclear capable ballistic missile Agni-5 from the Wheeler Island off Odisha coast.
India were crowned junior Hockey World champions after defeating Belgium 2-1 in the final in Lucknow .
India’s largest private sector lender ICICI Bank, has launched EazyPay mobile application for merchants that allows all-in-one acceptance payments platform.
Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has been named the ICC Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer of the Year during the year-end ICC awards.
Indian boxer Vijender Singh retained his WBO Super Middleweight Asia-Pacific title after knocking out Tanzania's Francis Cheka in the title fight in Delhi .
Indian cueist Pankaj Advani won his 11th World Billiards Championships title after beating Peter Gilchrist of Singapore in the tournament's final in Bengaluru .
Indian national anthem 'Jana Gana Mana' was first sung on 27th December 1911, at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress.
Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli has featured on top of the Lord's Cricket Ground's Top 20 Players of 2016.
Indians will not be eligible for visa-free entry to Hong Kong beginning January 23, with the Hong Kong Immigration Department implementing a 'Pre-arrival Registration for Indian Nationals'.
India's first Heritage Military Transport Park was inaugurated in Bengaluru to document and educate future generations on the contributions of the mechanical transport fleet to the armed forces.
India's Shiva Keshavan won a Gold medal at the Asian Luge Championships in Japan.
Iran's state-run airline IranAir announced that it had finalised a $16.6 billion (over ₹1.1 lakh crore) deal with aircraft manufacturer Boeing to purchase 80 passenger planes.
Israel got the first two of its 50 F-35 stealth fighter jets from US-based company Lockheed Martin. With this Israel became the first country after the US to get the warplanes.
Italy's cabinet has approved a bailout for the world's oldest and the country's third-largest bank, Monte dei Paschi.
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt won the International Association of Athletics Federations' award for male athlete of the year for a record sixth time .
Japan has approved a record $43.6 billion (around ₹3 lakh crore) for its Defence budget out of its $830 billion spending budget for fiscal 2017.
Japan has launched a spaceship carrying a 700-metre-long tether to pull some of the space debris from Earth's orbit out into the atmosphere, where it will burn.
Japan's lower parliamentary house passed a bill to legalise casinos and forwarded it to the upper house for approval.
Japan's space agency announced that it successfully launched a 26-metre-long rocket named Epsilon-2, which put a satellite that helps study radiation belts in orbit.
Jodhpur has been listed among the top ten preferred destinations for travellers in 2017, according to 'TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards for Destinations on the Rise'.
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah has inaugurated an Online Geospatial Platform for tracking the property tax collection across Bengaluru. This will enable residents to know the property tax they have paid over the years.
Karnataka's Department of Women and Child Development is going to launch a pilot project under which lactating mothers in the state will get a hot meal for 1,000 days after child birth.
Kerala Government has launched Haritha Keralam Mission, a comprehensive programme for creating new sustainable development perspectives in the state.
Kochi's Sahaj International School was inaugurated on December 30 to become India's first transgender school.
Less than a week after winning the world championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg announced his retirement from Formula One with immediate effect.
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis announced that the state government is set to bring its own e-wallet system, named 'Maha-Wallet', to promote a cashless economy.
Mahatma Gandhi is the only Indian to be named TIME Person of the Year, having been given the honour in 1930.
Malta's Parliament has unanimously voted to ban gay conversion therapy.
Merriam-Webster named 'surreal', meaning "marked by the intense irrational reality of a dream," its 2016 word of the year.
Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian, has confirmed his retirement from the Games.
Mobile wallet MobiKwik has received in-principle approval from the RBI to facilitate payment of utility and convenience bills on its platform.
Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International airport has became India's first airport to introduce self bag-drop facility.
Mumbai's Iqbal Sayed, who works as a civil engineer with Reliance Infrastructure and Mumbai Metro, became the first Indian to win a medal at the Mr Olympia event, after securing a silver medal in the event.
NASA has commissioned a new type of satellite dubbed as 'Restore-L Spacecraft Bus', that will be able to refuel and repair other satellites while they are still in orbit around Earth.
Nepal's central bank has developed a software to facilitate exchanging banned Indian notes in the country.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has announced his resignation as the country's leader in a surprise move, effective from 12 December.
New Zealand women's team captain Suzie Bates became the first female cricketer to win both ICC's ODI and T20I Player of the Year awards.
Nicobari Deborah Herold won gold in the Women Elite's 500m individual time trial event in the 69th Senior National Track Cycling Championship in Kerala.
NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant announced to give daily, weekly, and mega awards worth ₹340 crore for consumers and merchants making payments digitally. The awards under the 'Lucky Grahak Yojana' and 'Digi Dhan Vyapari Yojana' that are aimed at boosting digital payments will run from December 25, 2016, to April 14, 2017.
NITI Aayog has scrapped the old five-year plan scheme and unveiled a new vision, strategy document along with an action plan for the country.
Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen beat Russian grandmaster Sergey Karjakin to clinch his third consecutive World Chess Championship.
Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu was honoured with the Most Improved Player of the Year award by Badminton World Federation.
Oman has confirmed that it had joined the Saudi-led 'Islamic Military Alliance', a coalition of Islamic countries fighting terrorism.
Online English source for word meanings, "Dictionary" has named 'Xenophobia' as Word of the Year for 2016.
Opener Smriti Mandhana is the lone Indian in ICC's first-ever women's team of the year.
Pakistan Army has successfully test fired an enhanced version of an indigenously-designed Babur cruise missile.
Pakistan captain Misbah-Ul-Haq became the first Pakistani player to win the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award.
Pakistan is going to host its first Davis Cup tie in 13 years on home soil against Iran in February next year.
Pakistan PM's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has visited India to attend the Heart of Asia conference.
Pakistan Senate has passed a resolution seeking withdrawal of Rs 5,000 currency notes to curb the flow of black money.
Paytm has launched ‘Each one, teach one’ campaign to increase the digital inclusion in the country.
PM Narendra Modi announced that the 'Benami' property law, which directs up to 7 years of imprisonment for holding tax-evasive properties, will be operationalised soon.
Poland's parliament has passed a law restricting public meetings, with the Opposition slamming the law as 'anti-democratic'.
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo was named the world's best footballer of 2016 after winning the Ballon d'Or award.
Pranab Mukherjee launched '100 Million for 100 Million Campaign' to end child labour, child slavery and violence against children.
President Pranab Mukherjee approved the Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Ordinance, 2016 that criminalises possession of demonetised ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes.
President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi released three books titled 'From Raj to Swaraj', 'Life At Rashtrapati Bhavan' and 'Indradhanush- Volume-2'.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone (performed Jal Pujan) of 'Shiv Smarak', a ₹3,600-crore memorial of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Mumbai.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a mobile payments application called BHIM (Bharat Interface for Money), in the honour of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar. Compatible with all Android phones, the app has a maximum limit of ₹10,000 per transaction and ₹20,000 within 24 hours.
Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi announced the implementation of 3% reservation for differently-abled persons in government jobs in the Union Territory.
Qatar has announced to end its 'kafala' labour sponsorship system which ties foreign workers to a single employer.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje launched Annapurna Rasoi scheme, under which the state government will provide breakfast for ₹5 and lunch and dinner for ₹8 to the poor.
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has beaten Barcelona's Lionel Messi to 2016's FIFA Best Player of the Year award.
Reliance Industries Chairman and India's richest person Mukesh Ambani and Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata with Bill Gates, Jack Ma and other billionaires have created a $1 billion fund to invest in clean energy. Called the Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the fund will invest the sum to fight climate change through innovation in clean energy over the next 20 years.
Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani has announced the 'Jio Money Merchant Solutions' app for small merchants and shop owners to receive payments from users of Jio Money e-wallet.
Retirement fund body Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) fixed 8.65% as the interest on provident fund deposits for 2016-17.
Rio de Janeiro, nicknamed the Marvellous City, officially entered the UN’s list of world heritage sites in recognition of its soaring granite cliffs, urban rainforest and beaches.
Rio Olympics silver medal-winning shuttler PV Sindhu was unveiled as the Official Face of the 2nd International Kite Festival to be held from 12th to 17th January in Hyderabad.
Russia and China have vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on an immediate seven-day ceasefire in Syria's Aleppo, with Russia terming the draft resolution "counterproductive".
Russia's Interior Ministry has announced that fingerprinting will become a compulsory procedure for all foreigners arriving in the country, starting next year.
Russia's Sergey Karjakin pipped Norway's Magnus Carlsen on the basis of a better tiebreak record to win the World Blitz Chess Championship title in Doha, Qatar.
Saudi Arabia is going to introduce an "expat levy" on foreign workers with dependents from 2017, which was revealed during the country's budget announcement.
SBI Cards is going to launch a credit card with a ₹25,000 limit for the lower strata of the society.
Software giant Microsoft India has launched its first full-scale Cybersecurity Engagement Centre (CSEC) in New Delhi.
South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock has been named the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year.
South Africa's Marais Erasmus has been named the ICC Umpire of the Year and the recipient of the David Shepherd Trophy.
State-owned power producer National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and aluminium producer National Aluminium Co. Ltd (NALCO) have signed MoU to establish a 2.4 giga watt (GW) Coal based power project at Gajmara, Odisha.
Students will no longer have to submit original certificates to universities for admission for the upcoming academic year, a notification issued by University Grants Commission (UGC) has recently announced.
Thailand's Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn was formally proclaimed as King Rama X, the 10th king of the Chakri dynasty.
The 11 member Committee on Digital Payments has submitted its final report to the Union Finance Ministry. It was tasked to review existing payment systems in the country and recommend appropriate measures for encouraging Digital Payments. Head of this committee : Ratan P. Watal
The 2016 India International Science festival (IISF) was recently held at CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (NPL) Campus in New Delhi.
The 21st International Film Festival of Kerala was recently held in Thiruvananthapuram.
The 9th edition of exercise INDRA NAVY, an annual bilateral maritime exercise between Indian Navy and Russian Navy was recently held at the Bay of Bengal.
The All-India Football Federation won the Asian Football Council's Developing Member Association of the Year Award in Abu Dhabi.
The Andhra Pradesh Government has launched AP Purse mobile application to promote digital transactions among the people.
The annual bilateral maritime exercise Konkan 16 between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy (British Navy) was recently held in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
The Australian Open has increased its total prize money purse for the 2017 tournament to $36.19 million (over ₹245 crore), 14% more than it was in 2016.
The Beipanjiang Bridge in southwest China is now open to traffic. It is the highest bridge in the world at 1,854 feet.
The Bihar government has decided to provide free WiFi in colleges and universities but will block pornography and other "undesirable sites".
The Black Cat commandos of the elite counter-terrorism force National Security Guard will participate in the Republic Day celebrations for the first time in 2017.
The Canadian government has declared high-speed internet a basic telecommunications service and wants its citizens to have access to an unlimited data plan option and speeds of at least 50 Mbps.
The ceasefire agreement signed between India and Pakistan in 2003 recently completed 13 years.
The Centre has approved the inclusion of 15 new castes and the modification in 13 other castes in the Central list of Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
The Centre has signed a deal with the Infrastructure Architecture Lab of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for developing ferry services at 18 locations across six cities.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully flight tested the Smart Anti-field Weapon (SAAW) at the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur off Odisha coast.
The Department of Telecom (DoT) is going to launch a portal named ‘Tarang Sanchar’ to let users check radiation compliance status of mobile towers and transmitters across country.
The Dharamshala vegetable market has become the first cashless market in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh.
The Dutch Parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favour of a ban on wearing burqas in designated public places including schools, hospitals and on public transport.
The EU has signed a deal with Cuba on political dialogue and cooperation, with Cuba being the only Latin American country to lack such an agreement earlier.
The European Union has reached an agreement to grant visa-free travel to Ukrainians and Georgians, after their governments brought in EU-sponsored reforms.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has banned use of newspapers for wrapping and packing of food items.
The foreign ministers of Russia and Turkey have agreed to push for a ceasefire in Syria and to prepare for possible peace talks planned in Kazakhstan's capital Astana.
The French postal service has announced a Drone Delivery program to deliver parcels on a 14-kilometre route once a week, becoming the world's first national postal service to use drones regularly.
The government has brought an ordinance to penalise people caught in possession of scrapped notes worth over ₹10,000 after December 30.
The government has recently announced that NGOs and Voluntary Organisations (VOs) need to register themselves with NITI Aayog to receive grant-in-aid from the Centre.
The Haryana government issued Petro Cards to drivers working with the state government for cashless payments of fuel. Two oil companies, namely Indian Oil and Bharat Petroleum have been shortlisted for this purpose.
The Haryana government has introduced a draw of lots scheme to promote digital transactions. Under the scheme, ₹5 as an appreciation amount will also be transferred to each citizen of the state, who had carried out at least one cashless transaction.
The hashtag used for the Rio Summer Olympics, #Rio2016 was the most popular hashtag in India and globally this year, as per Twitter's #YearOnTwitter 2016 report.
The Indian government informed the Parliament that a decision has been taken to print plastic currency notes.
The Indian Government has announced that it has extended the e-Tourist Visa facility to citizens of 161 countries.
The Indian Railways has unveiled the new Humsafar Express, an all AC-3 tier train.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that it will launch record 83 satellites in one go in January next year.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched the Resourcesat-2A satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
The Indian team registered 9 wins out of the 12 Tests it played in 2016, making it the most successful year in India's 84-year Test history.
The Indian Under-19 cricket team beat Sri Lanka by 34 runs to win the 2016 edition of the Youth Asia Cup, their third consecutive title win.
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has become the first force to induct yaks for strategically pivotal logistic support duties and the animal is being used along the Indo-China border in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
The International Boxing Association (AIBA) unanimously voted to induct the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) as one of its permanent members.
The Japanese city of Iruma has employed a system to keep track of elderly people with dementia by attaching barcode stickers containing personal information to their fingers and toes.
The Karnataka government is going to provide 100% quota to local Kannadigas in private sector industries across the state.
The Lok Sabha passed the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill 2016 two days after the Rajya Sabha passed it with amendments. The new Bill aims at securing and enhancing the rights and entitlements of differently abled citizens.
The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet approved an increase in the dearness allowance by 7% for over 6 lakh government employees, pensioners and others working with local bodies like panchayats.
The Maharashtra Cabinet announced that the Mumbai International Airport will be renamed from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
The Ministry of External Affairs announced revised passport application rules, under which producing birth certificate is not mandatory and Aadhar cards will be accepted as proof of birth.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has banned the use of disposable plastic in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) with effect from January 1.
The National Green Tribunal banned the sale and use of glass-coated thread, including Chinese manjha, used to fly kites in India.
The NITI Aayog along with Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has rolled out Performance on Health Outcomes index to rank States on the basis of their performance on measurable health indicators.
The Odisha Government launched the Biju Sishu Surakshya Yojana, a scheme to nurture the orphan and HIV-infected children residing in different child care institutions and orphanages. Main Aim of this scheme : to facilitate care and protection towards orphans and HIV infected children of the state.
The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has reached an agreement to cut their production of oil at a meeting in Vienna in an effort to raise crude oil prices.
The President of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, Alamazbek Sharshenovich Atambaev was on a 4 day visit to India.
The Railways has introduced a 10% discount on vacant berths in its premium trains, namely the Rajdhani, Duronto and Shatabdi, on a trial basis till May 31.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) gave permission to HDFC to raise Rs. 3,000 crore by issuing ‘masala bonds’ after it exhausted a Rs. 5,000 crore limit to issue these bonds.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced it will shortly issue ₹20 and ₹50 banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi Series-2005.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) opened a Banking Ombudsman Office in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. It is the 3rd ombudsman office in North India after Kanpur and Chandigarh.
The Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone starrer 'La La Land' won the 'Best Picture' and seven other awards at the 22nd Critics' Choice Awards.
The State Bank of India (SBI) has disabled the option to transfer money to Paytm wallets from its internet banking services.
The Supreme Court exempted people with physical disabilities from its recent ruling of making it mandatory for everyone to stand during the National Anthem to be played compulsorily before film screenings in theatres.
The Supreme Court ordered the closure of all liquor shops near national and state highways across the country from April 1.
The Tamil Nadu Assembly allotted ₹15 crore to build a memorial for late CM J Jayalalithaa near her mentor MG Ramachandran's memorial at Chennai's Marina beach.
The UK advertising regulator announced a ban on advertising unhealthy food and drinks in children's non-broadcast media, including print media, cinemas and social media sites.
The UN Security Council unanimously passed a draft resolution extending the peacekeeping mission in South Sudan by a year.
The UNESCO included Yoga in its 'List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity'.
The UNICEF has teamed up with the Indian government to conduct the first-ever national survey to measure nutrition levels of children across the country.
The Union Cabinet approved memorandum of understanding (MoU) between India and Kyrgyzstan on cooperation in field of agriculture and food related industry.
The Union Cabinet has approved a ₹2,000-crore development package for refugees from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK).
The Union Cabinet has approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Vietnam on Cooperation in the field of Information Technology.
The Union Cabinet has approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Afghanistan on cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.
The Union Cabinet has approved the protocol amending agreement between India and Tajikistan for avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income.
The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched a TV channel named ‘DigiShala’ to promote cashless transactions.
The Union Power Ministry is going to launch new mobile application GARV-II to provide real time data of all six lakh villages of the country. Aim of this mobile application : to ensure transparency in implementation of rural electrification programme.
The Union Water Resources Ministry has reconstituted a Committee that was tasked with assisting the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB). Head of this committee : A.K. Bajaj (former chairman of the Central Water Commission (CWC))
The United States finalised India's designation as a 'Major Defense Partner' of the United States.
The US Congress is going to pass a legislation that will declare India a "major defence partner" and lock in the status for all future governments until repealed.
The US Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25 basis points to 0.5%-0.75% , making it the second hike in a decade.
The US House of Representatives has passed a Defence Bill pledging $900 million (around ₹6,100 crore) in assistance to Pakistan.
The US House of Representatives passed a bill to give more protection to whistleblowers at the FBI.
The US Senate has unanimously passed a legislation to extend sanctions against Iran by 10 years.
The World Bank has announced that negotiations with rich nations have led to a record $75 billion (over ₹5 lakh crore) commitment for grants to its poorest members over the next three years.
The World Bank has cancelled a $100 million (around ₹674 crore) loan promised to Pakistan for a natural gas efficiency project, citing a lack of interest by the Pakistani gas distribution company.
The world's largest cricket stadium by seating capacity is set to come up in Ahmedabad.
The world's longest tunnel was officially opened for regular rail service in Switzerland.
To promote cashless transactions, government think-tank NITI Aayog has suggested a scheme to reward winners of digital payments based on weekly and quarterly lucky draw of e-transaction numbers.
To promote cashless transactions, Mother Dairy introduced Aadhaar-enabled payment system in over 1,000 milk booths and 'Safal' retail stores.
To promote health and health education in villages, the Union AYUSH Ministry has launched ‘Swasthya Raksha Programme’.
Two Indian-origin men Vivek Ramaswamy (24th) and Apoorva Mehta (31st) have figured in Forbes magazine’s second annual list of wealthiest entrepreneurs under the age of 40.
Two-time Olympian and World Championships' bronze medalist Shiva Thapa won a Gold medal at the National Boxing Championships, his first in the lightweight (60 kg) category, in Guwahati.
Union minister for Textiles Smriti Irani launched India's second centre of excellence for sericulture in Bengaluru to boost the silk industry.
Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari has declared 1.65 lakh kilometre length of roads as National Highway and said the National Highways would be increased to 2 lakh kilometre.
Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu launched 'Google Toilet Locator' mobile application as part of the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' (Clean India Mission) to help people locate the nearest toilet.
US defence agency DARPA has announced plans to launch an online gaming portal titled 'Gamifying the Search for Strategic Surprise (GS3)' to find ways to combat national security threats.
US Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced the US will return nearly 10,000 acres of land on the Japanese island of Okinawa back to Japan this month.
US President Barack Obama has signed a $618-billion (around ₹42 lakh crore) defence policy bill, which "enhances security cooperation between the US and India".
US President Barack Obama signs National Defence Authorisation Act 2017 to recognise India as America's major defence partner.
US space agency NASA has successfully launched a constellation of eight microsatellites into space from the 'belly' of an airplane.
Venezuela is going to launch a new 20,000-bolivar banknote to help people struggling with large bundles of currency notes during the country's economic crisis.
Vittiya Saksharata Abhiyan (VISAKA) was launched by the Union Ministry for Human Resource Development (HRD) to make people aware about cashless economic system.
Yangon city in Myanmar recently hosted Mingalabar, a three-day festival that celebrated 55 years of cultural relations between France and Myanmar.
Yes Bank has tied-up with grocery delivery startup Grofers to deliver up to ₹2,000 cash to customers when they order grocery worth minimum ₹2,000 online.

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December 2016 Current Affairs Highlights (One-Liners)

December 2016 Current Affairs Highlights (One-Liners)

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