Prime Minister's Office *Mr. Yang Jiechi, State Councillor of the People's Republic of China and Special Representative of China on the Boundary Question, called on Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today. *Mr. Yang Jiechi conveyed the greetings of President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang to the Prime Minister. *Mr. Yang Jiechi and Mr. Ajit Doval briefed the Prime Minister on the 20th round of Talks between Special Representatives of China and India on the Boundary Question, held earlier in the day. *Pending the final resolution of the boundary question, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas.
*Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said a strong India-China relationship is important not only for the mutual benefit of the people of both countries but also for the region and the world. *Special Representatives undertook a comprehensive review of earlier rounds of the talks and agreed that an early settlement of the boundary question serves the fundamental interests of both countries. *They re-emphasized their commitment to achieve a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the India-China boundary question at an early date.
Gujarat CM *In Gujarat, Vijay Rupani will continue as Chief Minister while Nitin Patel will retain the post of Deputy Chief Minister. *Union Minister and Central Observer Arun Jaitley made this announcement today after the meeting of all the newly-elected BJP MLAs at party headquarters in Gandhinagar. *"During the party legislature meet, Shri Vijay Bhai Rupani has been elected as leader while Shri Nitinbhai Patel has been elected as deputy leader. Rest of the process of government formation will be decided by the Chief Minister elect after consulting other legislatures."
*Mr Jaitley said, since there was no alternative suggested by elected MLAs, the proposal put forward by BJP leader Bhupendrasinh Chudasama was supported by everyone. *Addressing a Press Conference in Gandhinagar, Mr Rupani re-iterated government s commitment towards development in the state and said his government will take everyone along.
AYUSH *All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) has been established at Sarita Vihar, New Delhi as an Autonomous Body under Ministry of AYUSH on All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) pattern with all the infrastructure including doctors/staff. *The Institute has been dedicated to the Nation by Prime Minister of India on 17thOctober, 2017. *The Institute is fully operational. *AIIA is a 200 bedded referral hospital and shall impart Post Graduate (PG) and Ph.D degree courses in Ayurveda. *First batch of Post Graduate course has been started in 2016. *Institute has also started Out-Patient Department (OPD) and In-Patient Department (IPD) facility with major specialties in Ayurveda.
National Commission for Indian Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy *A Committee under the Chairmanship of Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, Additional Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, Chief Executive Officer (CEO),NITI Aayog and Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH as members has been set up to examine the working of the regulatory bodies and governing legislations namely 1. Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) 2. Central Council of Homoeopathy(CCH) 3. Indian Medicine Central Council Act 1970 4. Homoeopathy Central Council Act 1973 *Respectively for suggesting suitable reforms.
*Committee after extensive deliberations has recommended the creation of National Commission for Indian Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy on the lines of proposed National Medical Commission. *There are two statutory regulatory bodies namely, Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) and Central Council of Homoeopathy (CCH) set up as per the provision of Indian Medicine Central Council Act, 1970 and Homoeopathy Central Council Act, 1973 respectively that regulate education and practice of AYUSH systems of medicine through its Regulations.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare *Plastic packaging materials that come in contact with food products can lead to migration of some chemical substances such as residual monomer, additives, plasticizers, pigments, etc., to food when exposed to different temperatures over a longer duration. *Conscious of this fact, the Government encourages use of other packaging materials such as jute for packaging food items, where feasible. *Plastic in different forms has, in view of its ability to protect products and extend shelf life, prevent spoilage and contamination, ensuring better storage and sealing aroma, etc.
National Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS Released on World Aids Day *This year World AIDS Day was observed on 1st December, 2017. *The theme was 25 Years of National AIDS Control Programme. *The National Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI), 2017-24 was released. *The Mission Sampark was also launched to bring back People Living with HIV who have left treatment after starting Anti Retro Viral Treatment (ART).
*The aim is to achieve elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and Syphilis as well as elimination of HIV/AIDS related stigma and discrimination by 2020. *On prevention of new infections, National AIDS Control Programme(NACP) aims to achieve 80% reduction in new HIV infections by 2024 from baseline value of 2010. *Further, by 2024, the target is to ensure that 95% of those who are HIV positive in the country know their status, 95% of those who know their status are on treatment and 95% of those who are on treatment experience effective viral load suppression. *National AIDS Control Programme is based on three pillars-prevention, Carecounselling and Treatment.
Home Ministry *Home Minister Rajnath Singh has emphasized the need to adopt smart policing concept with latest technology and said that there should be cyber crime experts in every police station. *Delivering Intelligence Bureau endowment lecture in New Delhi this evening, Mr Singh said, there is a need that people should increase their trust and confidence in police. *He said sheer presence of police during law and order problem brings the situation to normalcy. *He also lauded the role of security agencies of the country in tackling terrorism and left wing extremism. *The Minister also stressed the need to strengthen Chowkidari system in villages.
*Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju has called for accelerating the pace of police reforms. *Mr Rijiju said this while addressing Visionary Summit - Dr. Anandswarup Gupta Memorial Lecture Series organised by the Bureau of Police Research and Development, in New Delhi today. *Underlining that training is an integral part of Police Modernisation, the Minister called for setting up of the National Police University, National Police Technology Development Center at IIT Delhi, and the National Police Information Technology Center in Bengaluru. *He also called for the institutionalization of an independent and effective Police Complaints Authority.
International News of Importance *The UK Prime Minister, Theresa May has said, British military intervention in the middle east region was still needed to ensure that Daesh ( ISIS) did not regroup or give way to a splinter force. *May was speaking to troops during a surprise Christmas visit to Cyprus. *The RAF base in Cyprus is at the heart of the UK's operations in Iraq and Syria. *She said, with the efforts of Britain's armed forces, the Islamic State terror group has been crushed in Iraq and Syria.
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Answers 1. The concept of 8-fold path forms the theme of A. Dipavamsa B. Divyavdana C. Mhaparinirvana Sutta D. Dharma Chakra Pravartana Sutta 2. The greatest development in the Kushana period was in the field of A. Religion B. Art C. Literature D. Architecture 3. Great Mosque of Djenné
Questions 1. Language used by Mahayana School of Buddhism for its teaching A. Pali B. Sanskrit C. Prakrit D. Tibetian 2. Which one is not a lagoon? A. Chilka Lake B. Pulicat Lake C. Periyar Lake D. Ashtamudi Lake 3. Bodies of fishes from deep sea bursts when they come on surface because the blood in their bodies flow at very A. Low Speed B. Low Pressure C. High Pressure D. High Speed