4th December 2015 - Important Current Affairs updates

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International Affairs

• The Indian government has signed an agreement with the Iranian government on visa facilitation for diplomatic, official and civilian passport holders.
• Germany's parliament has voted to send military support to the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria.
• Note : This will be Germany's biggest current military operation abroad.

National Affairs

• India celebrates 44th Navy Day today
  
• The day is celebrated to commemorate the start of Operation Trident during the 1971 India-Pakistan War.
• The one-night attack the Indian Navy sank three vessels near the largest Pakistani port of Karachi. Operation Trident resulted in first use of anti ship missiles in the region.
• Chief of Naval Staff : Admiral R.K. Dhowan,
• The First India International Science Festival (IISF 2015), a joint event of Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences started at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi today.
• IISF aims to provide a single platform to promote interaction among the people and scientists from South Asian countries to share and spread scientific ideas and discoveries
• This 5 day festival is expected to be the country's biggest ever technology and industrial expo.
• Himachal Pradesh became the first state of India to launch Rotavirus vaccination project.
• The vaccine will help in controlling the child mortality rate (under five years of age) due to diarrhoea.
• Note : Rotavirus vaccines are administered orally to infants in three dose course at ages of six, ten and fourteen weeks and are part of Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).
• Lok Sabha has passed The Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015 by a voice vote to establish Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
• The Bill has replaced the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986. 
• It has also established BIS as a national standard body for development of standardization and assessment and quality assurance of goods, articles, services, processes and systems.
• The Delhi Assembly has passed a bill to effect around 400% hike in the salaries of MLAs.
• The Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Government of NCT of Delhi (Salaries, Allowances, Pension) Amendment Bill 2015 will allow the basic salaries of MLAs to go up from 12,000 rupees to 50,000 rupees.
• The bill also proposes to hike in constituency allowance from current 18,000 to 50,000 rupees.
• The bill also provides for a reimbursable sum of 70,000 rupees per month as allowance under 'Secretarial, Research and Office Assistance' which is 30,000 rupees at present.
• Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad, recently announced that the India Post would soon launch a series of postal stamps to celebrate the rich biodiversity of India's flora and fauna.
• The stamp will also celebrate the centenary anniversary of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI). 
• About ZSI :
• The ZSI was founded on July 1 in 1916 under the British rule.
• The organisation has been instrumental in protecting and conserving the animals and birds of India for the last 99 years.
• Union Government is going to allow e-Postal Ballot System and Proxy voting to Overseas electors as an alternative voting option.
• Union Law Minister : Sadananda Gowda 
• In a bid to promote Uttar Pradesh as an international bird-watching destination, the State Forest department, in collaboration with FICCI, is conducting a three-day international festival on birds at the National Chambal Sanctuary (NCS) in Agra.
• This three-day international festival began today. 
• As many as 25 international bird experts and over 80 Indian ornithologists are attending this festival.
• The Centre is planning to raise the reservation from 3% to 5% cent for persons with disabilities in government jobs.
• The government is going to amend The Persons with Disability Act-1995 and the matter will go the Union Cabinet very soon.
• The Ministry is also planning to raise the number of criteria for disabled persons to 19.
• These include muscular dystrophy, hemophilia, Thalassemia and sickle-cell anaemia. Presently there is 7 criteria for person with disabilities.
• Delhi Govt decides that from 1st of Jan 2016, private vehicles with odd number plates & even number plates are to allowed on alternate days only.
• The emergency services like ambulances and public transport will not be under the ambit of the restriction.
• The move came just a day after the Delhi High Court made a scathing observation that the current air pollution levels in the national capital have reached alarming proportions and it was akin to living in a gas chamber.

Places in News

• Gateway of India turns 91 today.
• It was inaugurated on this day‬ in 1924.
• Gateway of India is a great historical monument built during the British rule in the country. 
• It was built as a triumphal arch to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Mumbai (then, Bombay). 
• Gateway of India was built at Apollo Bunder, a popular meeting place. 
• It was designed by the British architect, George Wittet.

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