Daily Current Affairs 31 December 2019: We have collected the latest current affairs for 31 December 2019 that are important for all competitive exams like Bank, SSC, IBPS, SBI exams. The GK current affairs will help you score more in these competitive exams. Improve your general knowledge with our daily online current affairs. You can also read the daily current affairs on our mobile app.
Current Affairs 31 December 2019
India’s forest & tree cover shows an increase of 5,188 sq. km in ‘India State of Forest Report’ 2019
- The Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar released the ‘India State of Forest Report (ISFR)’ 2019 on December 30, 2019, a biennial report by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), which assesses the country’s forest resources.
- The ‘India State of Forest Report (ISFR)’ 2019 is the 16th edition of the report, which gives out data of not just forests but of mangrove, forest carbon, bamboo resources and forest fires as well.
- The Forest Survey of India (FSI) undertakes assessment of country’s forest resources every two years, and presents the results in the form of ‘India State of Forest Report (ISFR)’ since 1987.
- The assessment is done by a wall-to-wall mapping exercise using remote sensing technique followed by intensive ground truthing.
- The 2019 report is richer in content than the previous assessment i.e. ISFR 2017, as it comes with two volumes: one on the national-level assessment and the other state-specific.
- Read the Key Findings Here
11-day long ‘Dhanu Jatra’ begins at Bargarh in Odisha
- Dhanu jatra, an annual drama-based open air theatrical performance began in Bargarh, in western Odisha on December 31, 2019.
- The famous 11-day long ‘Dhanu Jatra-2019’ will continue till January 10, 2020.
- Dhanu Jatra is considered as the world’s largest open air theater, which also finds a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records.
- The Jatra is based on the mythological story of Lord Krishna and his demon uncle King Kansa.
Deadline for Linking PAN-Aadhaar Extended till March 2020
- The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has extended the last date for the mandatory linking of the Permanent Account Number (PAN) with Aadhaar till March 2020. The earlier deadline was December 31.
- This is the eighth time that the deadline has been extended for individuals to link their PAN with Aadhaar.
- In September 2018, Supreme Court had declared the Centre’s flagship Aadhaar scheme as constitutionally valid and made biometric ID mandatory for the filing of I-T returns and allotment of the PAN.
High-Level GoM Set Up To Speed Up Implementation of Rs 69,000 crore BSNL-MTNL Revival Plan
- Government has constituted a high-level Group of Ministers (GoM) to fast-track and oversee the smooth implementation of revival plan for state-owned telecom corporations BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd) and MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd).
- In October 2019, the government had approved Rs 69,000 crore revival package for BSNL and MTNL that includes:
- Merging the two loss-making firms,
- Monetising their assets and allocation of 4G spectrum
- Giving VRS to employees so that the combined entity turns profitable in two years
- The high-level GoM will comprise of:
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh,
- IT and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad,
- Home Minister Amit Shah,
- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman,
- Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and
- Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan
Venkaiah Naidu Releases Book of Arun Jaitley Titled ‘The Renaissance Man-The Many Facets of Arun Jaitley’
- India’s Vice President Shri M Venkaiah Naidu released a book on former Finance Minister Late Shri Arun Jaitley on his birth Anniversary on December 28, 2019.
- The book titled- ‘The Renaissance Man-The Many Facets of Arun Jaitley’ has writings on Jaitley compiled by Muppavarapu Harshavardhan and Deepa Venkat, the son and daughter of Naidu.
General Manoj Mukund Naravane Takes Over as 28th Chief of Army Staff
- General Manoj Mukund Naravane took charge as the 28th Chief of Army Staff (COAS) on December 31, 2019.
- He succeeds General Bipin Rawat, who completed his term as the COAS on December 31.
- Prior to the appointment as the COAS , General Naravane served as the 40th Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS) of the Indian Army.
ITBP Chief, SS Deswal, Given Additional Charge to Head CRPF
- Surjeet Singh Deswal, who is the incumbent Director General (DG) of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has been given the additional charge to head Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), as the new head has not been announced yet.
- Deswal, a 1984-batch Haryana cadre IPS officer will head the country’s largest paramilitary force CRPF with effect from December 31, 2019, till the appointment and joining of the successor or until further orders, whichever is earlier
- The serving DG of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), RR Bhatnagar completed his tenure on December 31, 2019.
India Confirms to take part in 2022 Commonwealth Games, Decides to bid for 2026 or 2030 Games
- The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has withdrawn its plan to boycott the 2022 Commonwealth Games to be held in Birmingham.
- The announcement was made in the Annual General Meeting of IOA on December 30, 2019 in New Delhi.
- The body has also confirmed that it will bid to host either the 2026 or the 2030 CWG.
- Previously, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had decided to pull out its team from the Games in Birmingham over the exclusion of the shooting event from the medal programme.
- The IOA has also approved the proposal of National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) to host a separate Commonwealth shooting event to compensate for the sport’s absence from the 2022 CWG.
- Before this, India hosted the CWG in 2010 in Delhi.
- Commonwealth Games Federation (GCF) President: Dame Louise Martin