PUNJAB
- Urea shortage upsets farmers
- Farmers in Moga, Ferozepur, Fazilka and other districts of Malwa are complaining of shortage of urea in the middle of the rabi season. They have already irrigated the recently sown wheat crop and are looking for urea to spray in the fields.
- Around 65 per cent of the urea is marketed by Markfed, a state-owned cooperative society, while 35 per cent is marketed by Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) through cooperative societies and a few private dealers.
- The farmers alleged that the cooperative societies had irrationally supplied urea to farmers. The influential farmers have got more supply, which has created shortage for the poor and marginal farmers
INTERNATIONAL
· Captain Marvel’ named most anticipated film of 2019 by IMDb
- Marvel Studios’ upcoming film ‘Captain Marvel‘ has been named the most anticipated film of 2019 by the global film and TV website IMDb.
- Marvel’s ‘Avengers: End Game‘ was second on the list, followed by Sophie Turner starrer ‘Dark Phoenix‘.
- IMDb released its annual ‘Most Anticipated Movies of 2019‘ list, which is determined based on customers’ page views.
- Gitega: New capital of Burundi
- The government of Burundi has declared Gitega as the country’s new political capital on 22nd December 2018. Bujumbura, the previous capital of Burundi will serve as the economic capital of the country.
- Burundi is a resource-poor, underdeveloped landlocked African country which shares its borders with Rwanda in the north, Tanzania in the east and south and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the west.
- Burundi was ranked as the world’s least happy nation in the World Happiness Report 2018.
· Indians stood at 12th rank in the misperception index
- Indians placed at 12th rank in the “misperception index”according to the MORI Perils of Perception Survey 2018, done by Ipsos India, an independent market research company.
- It behind several countries like Italy, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Chile, and Argentina, among others.
- Thailand, Mexico, Turkey, Malaysia, and Brazil were ranked first in five and performed poorer than India. “misperception index” is based on questions which asked to people and it revealed the wide chasm between what people perceived and what was real.
NATIONAL
- National Mathematics Day : 22nd December
- India celebrated 22nd December 2018 as the National Mathematics Day honouring the 131st birth anniversary of famous Indian Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.
- Since 2011, 22nd December is celebrated as National Mathematics Day every year. The Indian government had also declared 2012 as the National Mathematics Year. The National Mathematics Day is celebrated to honour his contribution to the field of Mathematics and also to keep his legacy alive to inspire the future Mathematicians.
- Ramanujan was born in the year 1887 and lived during the British rule in India. His life was totally devoted to Mathematics. At a young age of 11, Ramanujan started showing signs of a genius. He had attained expertise in trigonometry and developed many theorems by himself.
- He got his papers published in the Journal of the Indian Mathematical Society in the year 1911.
- The number 1729 is famously known as the Hardy-Ramanujan number.
· Lok Sabha passed Consumer Protection Bill
- The Lok Sabhapassed two Bills, the Consumer Protection Bill, 2018 and the National Trust for Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation, and Multiple Disabilities (Amendment) Bill, 2018.
- The Consumer Protection Bill, 2018 seeks to replace the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. The Bill will become law once it goes through the Rajya Sabha. It is meant to protect those who use new technologiessuch as e-commerce and online shopping.
- The financial jurisdiction of the District Consumers Courts has been increased: they can deal with complaints involving Rs.1 crore as against the Rs.20 lakh earlier. Under the clause of product liability, a manufacturer will be liable to give compensation for products with defects.
· Book ‘Changing India’ by Manmohan Singh Released
- Titled ‘Changing India‘, the five-volume book, published by Oxford University Press, the book is being described as a definitive expression of the former prime minister Manmohan Singh‘s perspectives on a wide range of economic, social and
- political issues as they evolved under his long and eventful career.
- The economist-turned-politician enjoyed a ten-year-long stint as prime minister, heading the UPA government at the Centre from 2004 to 2014.
· Indian American Shree Saini from USA crowned Miss India Worldwide 2018
- Indian-American Shree Sainicrowned Miss India Worldwide 2018 at the 27th annual global pageant held in the Fords City of New Jersey.
- It is Organised by the New York-based India Festival Committee (IFC).
- Sakshi Sinha from Australia was declared as the first runner-up and Anusha Sareen from the United Kingdom declared as the second runner-up.
- PPSC Mains Tests and Notes Program
- PPSC Prelims Exam 2024- Test Series and Notes Program
- PPSC Prelims and Mains Tests Series and Notes Program
- PPSC Detailed Complete Prelims Notes