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Current Affairs Capsule – December 19, 2019

December 19, 2019
Posted by: Team CP
Category: Current Affairs Capsule

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Author Amitabha Bagchi won the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2019 for his novel ‘Half The Night Is Gone’. The prize is worth US $25,000. The novel is based in the old-forgotten world of scheming zamindars, dubious morals and a man lamenting lost opportunities. Bagchi’s attention to detail ensures that the readers are transported to that time, smelling the grime and listening to the creaking sound made by rusted doors. First awarded in 2011, the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature is an international literary prize awarded annually to writers of any ethnicity or nationality writing about South Asia themes such as culture, politics, history or people
Sridhar Patra has been appointed as the Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the National Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO) till 31st October, 2024. He is currently serving as the Director (Finance) in NALCO. He succeeded Tapan Kumar Chand. Established on 7th January, 1981 with headquarters at Bhubaneswar, NALCO is a Navratna Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Mines.
Lt Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane has been appointed as the next Chief of Army Staff and will succeed Gen Bipin Rawat, who will retire on 31st December. Lt Gen Naravane is currently serving as the Vice Chief of the Army. Before taking charge as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff in September, Lt Gen Naravane was heading the Eastern Command of the Army, which takes care of India’s 4,000-km border with China.
Air Marshal D Choudhury replaced Vice Admiral Srikant as the Commandant of the National Defence College. Prior to this appointment, he was senior Air Staff Officer at the Headquarters of the Western Air Command, New Delhi. Air Marshal Choudhury is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy. National Defence College, established on 27th April, 1960, is a premier institution under the Ministry of Defence and is the highest seat of Strategic Education in the nation.
The shuttle train service between Lahore and Wagah resumed operations after 22 years on December 15, 2019. The train will complete three round trips daily and enable over 1000 passengers to commute between the stations in three trips. The Lahore-Wagah train service was operational till 1997, after which it was suspended due to certain operational and security reasons.
The Union Ministry of Coal has decided to establish a ‘Sustainable Development Cell’ in order to promote environmentally sustainable coal mining in the country and address environmental concerns during the decommissioning or closure of mines. The Sustainable Development Cell (SDC) will plan, advise, mentor and monitor the mitigation measures that are taken by the coal companies to maximize the utilization of available resources in a sustainable way.
The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), in association with the International Energy Agency (IEA) under the SEAD initiative of the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM), organised an International Workshop on “Energy Efficient Cooling” on 12th and 13th December 2019 in New Delhi as a part of the “Energy Conservation Week”, being celebrated from 9th December to 14th December 2019. The objective of the workshop was to chart out steps towards accelerating the development and deployment of efficient cooling appliances, equipment and systems.
World Economic Forum (WEF) named Theaster Gates, Jin Xing, Deepika Padukone and Lynette Wallworth as the winners of the 26th Annual Crystal Award. The award celebrates the achievements of leading artists and cultural figures, whose leadership inspires inclusive and sustainable change. Deepika Padukone won the award for her leadership in raising mental health awareness.