1) 132
School children massacred by Taliban at Army Public School in Peshawar: Six militants of the Tehreek-e-Taliban
stormed the premises of the Army Public School in Peshawar and shot dead about
141 people, 132 of them students, going from classroom to classroom seeking
their prey. Claiming responsibility for the attack, TTP spokesman Muhammad
Khorasani said in a statement sent to the media, that the Taliban were forced
to attack the school because of Operation Zarb-e-Azb and Operation Khyber-I .
“We claim responsibility. We have sent in six attackers, [however by late
evening nine militants were taken out], including target killers and suicide
attackers. They have been ordered to shoot the older students, but not the
children. We are giving them direct instructions to not harm minors. We want
them [the army] to feel our pain because they target our families,” Khorasani
boasted.
2) India
banned Islamic State: The dreaded IS terror group has been banned in India,
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh disclosed on 16 December 2014, days after a
Bangalore techie was allegedly found tweeting in support of the terrorist
organisation. “We have banned this organisation [IS] as a first step. I will
like to inform [the House] that the group has been banned under the Unlawful
Activities [Prevention] Act,” he said during Question Hour.
3) IRCTC
is the most searched website in India this year: Lok Sabha elections this
year, which saw extensive use of various digital platforms for political
campaigns, has topped the list of trending topics this year in India, search
engine giant Google said. According to Google India's annual 'Year in Search'
(YIS), other top trends on the website included FIFA 2014, iPhone 6, GATE 2015
and Narendra Modi. Prime Minister Modi was also the most searched politician
this year, coming ahead of Bollywood biggies like Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif.
This is for the first time a politician has gained more search popularity than
entertainment celebrities, Google said. In terms of top searches across
categories, IRCTC topped the list, followed by Flipkart, SBI Online, Snapdeal
and PNR Status.
4) HDFC
Bank launched 'Bank Aap Ki Muththi Mein' initiative: HDFC Bank on 16 December 2014 launched 'Bank
Aap Ki Muththi Mein,' an offering that literally turns a mobile phone into a
bank branch. "A bank branch the size of your palm that is with you
round-the-clock, wherever you are," HDFC Bank said. With over 75
transactions -- all a touch away -- it offers the customer the widest range of
transactions conceivable, the bank said.
5) Govt
launched National Health Portal to create awareness about health issues:
The union ministry of health and family welfare has launched a National Health
Portal (www.nhp.gov.in) to provide healthcare information to the citizens of
the country. “This portal will serve as a single point of access for
consolidated and authentic information and resources on the health sector to a
wide spectrum of users such as academicians, citizens, students, healthcare
professionals and researchers,” Union Health Minister J P Nadda said in a
written reply in the Rajya Sabha on 16 December 2014.
6) 14th
Finance Commission submitted its report to President: The 14th Finance
Commission headed by former RBI Governor YV Reddy submitted its report to the
President of India on 15 December 2014. The report was submitted by A N Jha,
Secretary of the Finance Commission to Omita Paul, Secretary to the President
of India.
7) INS
Arihant, first made-in-India nuclear submarine began sea trials: In a major
boost to indigenisation of defence manufacturing, India's first nuclear-powered
and nuclear-armed submarine INS Arihant was on 16 December 2014 flagged off by
the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar from Vizag for sea trials. India is the
only nation in the Indian Ocean region to have a nuclear submarine and the
sixth in the world to have the capability to design and construct a nuclear submarine.
8) Vivek
Murthy is USA's new surgeon general: Thirty seven-year-old Indian-American
physician Vivek Hallegere Murthy has been confirmed as the 19th Surgeon General
of America by U.S. Senate. He is youngest person and first person of
Indian-origin to hold the post. The upper house of US Congress confirmed Mr.
Murthy’s nomination by 51 votes to 43 more than year after President Barack
Obama had nominated him to this top administration post on public health issues
in November 2013 which saw a strong opposition from the powerful pro-gun lobby
National Rifle Association (NRA).
9) Vijay
Diwas observed across the country: Vijay Diwas was observed across the
country on 16 December 2014. On this day, nation remembers martyrs, who laid
down their lives during Indo-Pak War of 1971.
10) Government
launched Rashtriya Gokul Mission for indigenous cattle: To conserve and
develop indigenous bovine breeds, government has launched 'Rashtriya Gokul
Mission' under the National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development
(NPBBD). Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh told Lok Sabha that the NPBBD
was launched earlier this year with an integrated, holistic and scientific
approach to improve and upgrade the genetic makeup of bovines.
11) RTGS
business hours increased to 12 hours on weekdays: To promote electronic
payments, the Reserve Bank on 16 December 2014 increased RTGS business hours to
12 hours from 8 am to 8 pm on weekdays, effective December 29. On Saturdays,
the RTGS (real time gross settlement) system of online fund transfer will be
open from 8 am to 3.30 pm, the RBI said in a circular. The existing business
hours are 9 am to 4.30 pm on weekdays and till 2pm on Saturdays. The current
minimum amount that can be transferred through this channel is Rs 2 lakh. The
circular did not mention whether the this amount has been revised or not.
