Dinanath Bhargava who sketched National Emblem dies aged 89

• Dinanath Bhargava, a co-artist in the team that sketched the National Emblem ‘Lion Capital of Ashoka’, died at the age of 89 in Indore.
• Bhargava was reportedly suffering from cardiac ailments.
• Born on November 1, 1927, Bhargava was in his early twenties when he was chosen in the team, which also designed the pages of the Constitution’s manuscript.

PM Modi lays foundation stone of Pune Metro Rail

• PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Pune Metro project’s Phase-I.
• PM Modi said the government is actively working on the Rurban Mission, which caters to the places that are urbanising quickly.
• The government needs to improve the quality of life in villages as well as mitigate the challenges that the urban areas are facing, he added.

Virat Kohli tops the list of Lord’s Top 20 Players of 2016

• Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli has featured on top of the Lord’s Cricket Ground’s Top 20 Players of 2016.
• Kohli is this year’s top scorer across the three formats of the game with 2595 runs in 41 innings.
• Ravichandran Ashwin (3), Ajinkya Rahane (13) and Cheteshwar Pujara (18) were the other Indians who made it to the list.

Obama signs defence bill, enhances cooperation with India

• US President Barack Obama has signed a $618-billion (around Rs. 42 lakh crore) defence policy bill, which “enhances security cooperation between the US and India”, according to Senate defence committee chief John McCain.
• The bill also provides aid for Pakistan, on the condition that it can prove it is taking “demonstrable steps” against the militant Haqqani network.

Govt partners with Google for online consumer protection

• Google India has partnered with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs for a campaign called ‘Digitally Safe Consumer’ to help protect consumer interest online.
• The company has said it will provide training material to over 1,200 consumer organisations and consumer affairs departments of all Indian states.
• Google is also working with schools to spread awareness about internet safety among the youth.

Solar power project starts at Bengaluru airport

• In an initiative to harness renewable energy, a 3.5 MW solar power project was inaugurated on at the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) airport in Bengaluru, according to reports.
• The project is reportedly spread over 23 acres of land with around 12,985 solar modules. Notably, HAL is aimed at establishing 50 MW of renewable energy in the next two years.

External Affairs Ministry launches ‘Twitter Seva’ platform

• Expanding its social media outreach, the Ministry of External Affairs launched a ‘Twitter Seva’ service.
• This move will centralise its grievance redressal mechanism by bringing over 200 social media handles, including those of Indian Missions and regional passport offices, under one platform.
• Further, it will provide for the prompt resolution of grievances on a real-time basis.

Agni 5, India’s Longest Range Nuclear Capable Missile, To Be Tested Today

• Agni-5, India’s longest range nuclear capable missile, will be tested at Kalam Island off the Odisha coast today by the Defence Research and Development Organisation or DRDO.
• The Agni 5 missile, with new technology for navigation and guidance, gives India the strategic depth it needs to contain its enemies, say scientists. After a few more trials, it will soon join India’s military arsenal.

Kirloskar Vasundhara awards for four environmentalists

• Ayyappa Masagi, Vengurla’s Ramdas Kokare, Pune-based Central Water and Power Research Station and filmmaker Subbiah Nallamuthu are set to be recognized for their contributions to the environment.
• They will receive the prestigious Kirloskar Vasundhara awards at the 11th edition of the Kirloskar Vasundhara International Film Festival, to be held in Pune from January 4-11.
• The theme of the festival is ‘Save River, Save Life’.

Pune smart city mission project gets three awards

• The Pune city has won three awards for Smart City project in a competition organised by Business-World Awards 2016.
• The first award for ‘Innovative Smart Solution – Knowledge and Intellectual Category’ was awarded to Pune Lighthouse Project, while the second award for ‘Innovative Smart Solution – Infrastructure’ was given to Pune Smart City 24×7 water supply initiative.
• The Pune Care App got the third award of ‘Innovative Smart Solution – Social’

Assam launches health insurance scheme Atal-Amrit Abhiyan

• Assam’s BJP led government on Sunday rolled out ‘Atal-Amrit Abhiyan’ health insurance scheme which will provide coverage against several critical illnesses.
• Launched to mark the 92nd birthday of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the scheme will offer coverage against 437 illnesses in six disease groups, namely, cardiovascular, cancer, kidney, neo-natal, neurological conditions and burns.
• Both Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above Poverty Line (APL) families .

KVGB launches ‘Bank Sakhi’ scheme

• The Karnataka Vikas Grameen Bank (KVGB) has come out with an innovative method of employing women in villages.
• Bank chairman S. Ravindran said that the bank would appoint women business correspondents called “Bank Sakhi” in select villages where this scheme would be implemented.
• To start with, the bank had hired 11 “Bank Sakhis” and had plans to appoint a minimum of 50 such women in different districts, he said.
• It would be possible to ensure greater participation in financial inclusion by engaging women in villages. A “Bank Sakhi” is someone who has been a member of a self-help group involved in conducting banking and book-keeping activities of the group.

Cabinet nod to name irrigation scheme after Parbati Giri

• To appease the agitating peasants of western Odisha, the state government announced to name Rs 6,600 crore mega lift irrigation scheme after popular freedom fighter Parbati Giri.
• A proposal in this regard was approved at the state cabinet meeting headed by chief minister Naveen Patnaik.
• Giri, born in Bargarh district is known for his contribution to the freedom movement of the country. For his unconditional support to the poor and downtrodden communities, she is also known as the Mother Teresa of Odisha