National

Largest Recipient of Remittances

• According to the World Bank’s latest Migration and Development Report, India retained its position as the largest recipient of remittances, with an estimated 125 billion dollars in 2023.
• The top five remittance recipient countries include Mexico (67 billion dollars), China (50 billion dollars), the Philippines (40 billion dollars), and Egypt (24 billion dollars).

Winter Scientific Arctic Expedition

• Union Minister of Earth Sciences, Kiren Rijiju, flagged off India’s first winter scientific expedition to the Arctic from the MoES headquarters in New Delhi.
• Since 2008, India operates a research base in the Arctic named Himadri, which has been mostly hosting scientists during the summer (April to October).

 Animal Health Conclave

• Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, Shri Parshottam Rupala inaugurated the "Animal Health Conclave "(Pashu Swasthya Sammelan) in New Delhi.
• Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Indian Immunological Limited (IIL) jointly organized the conclave for shaping Animal Health sector with Innovative Vaccine and Precision diagnostics.

International

Sisi Secures Third Term

• Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, former military chief, secured a third, six-year term after winning 89.6 percent of the vote.

Economy

Gross Direct Tax collections

• Gross Direct Tax collections for the Financial Year 2023-24 have registered a growth of over 17 percent.

RBI Central Board Meets

• The 605th meeting of the Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India was held in Gujarat.
• The Board, under the Chairmanship of RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, reviewed the economic and financial scenario, including the challenges posed by global geopolitical developments.

India and ADB sign $250 million loan

• India and ADB signed $250 million loan for Industrial Corridor Development in India.
• India and ADB also signed 37 billion Japanese Yen loan for Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System Corridor.

Miscellaneous

Goa Liberation Day

• Goa Liberation Day is observed on December 19 every year.
• The day is celebrated to commemorate the liberation of the state from Portuguese rule in the year 1961.

India International Science Festival

• The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research hosted an outreach program as part of the ongoing India International Science Festival in New Delhi.

Aditya-L1

• "Aditya-L1", India’s first solar mission, will reach its destination, Lagrange Point 1, early next month, to be precise, around the first week of January 2024.

Kakrapar Atomic Power 

• The Unit 4 of Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP 4 – 700 MW) achieved the important milestone of Criticality (start of controlled fission chain reaction) for the first time.