1) Nation Celebrates Kisan Diwas- 23rd December
•Kisan Diwas (Farmer's Day) is observed every year on 23 December to celebrate the birth anniversary of the fifth prime minister of India Chaudhary Charan Singh. He was the PM of India for a very short tenure starting from 28th of July 1979 until 14th January 1980. A kisan leader, Late Chaudhary Charan Singh belonged to a peasant family. This was the reason he could relate himself with the issues of the farmers and therefore, he did the best to support them.
•When he became the Prime Minister of India in July 1979 he made many changes to improve the lives of the farmers. This is also an interesting fact that as the Prime Minister of India, Chaudhary Charan Singh never visited the Lok Sabha. He also served as the Deputy Prime Minister during the reign of Morarji Desai. He introduced Budget 1979 which was designed to accomplish the needs of the farmers in all respects. It had several policies in favor of Indian farmers.
•The Zamindari Abolition Act was also introduced and enforced by him. He was an avid writer too and wrote down his thoughts on farmers and problems related to them along with the solutions. Chaudhary Charan Singh died on 29 May 1987. National Farmer’s Day is celebrated every year in all states and especially in those states which are actively engaged in farming and cultivation such as Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and others.
2) MEA Launched SAMEEP to Take Indian Foreign Policy to Students Across Country
•With an aim to bring foreign policy to the masses the External Affairs Ministry has come up with an initiative called SAMEEP - 'Students and MEA Engagement Programme'. Under this MEA officials will talk to students to help them better understand foreign policy.
•The main objective of SAMEEP is to take Indian foreign policy and its global engagements to students across the country. Under this programme, all the ministry officers - under-secretary and above - will be asked to go to their hometowns, particularly their alma maters.
3) Government Launched ‘Ganga Gram’ project at Ganga Gram Swachata Sammelan
•The government had formally launched the ‘Ganga Gram’ project at the Ganga Gram Swachata Sammelan in New Delhi.
•As part of its clean Ganga mission – Namami Gange, the Ganga Gram project is an integrated approach for the holistic development of villages situated on the banks of the holy river with the active participation of villagers.
4) Bengaluru to Host 7th International Coffee Festival
•The seventh edition of the India International Coffee Festival (IICF) will be held in Bengaluru from January 16-19. The four-day IICF 2018, being organized by the India Coffee Trust and State-run Coffee Board to promote the Indian coffees globally.
•As per the officials, IICF 2018 would be a precursor to the International Coffee Organisation’s World Coffee Conference being hosted by India in Bengaluru in 2020.
5) M. Subbarayudu appointed as Next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Peru
•Shri M. Subbarayudu, presently Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Peru.
•He is expected to take up his assignment shortly.
6) Russia’s Deputy PM Dmitry Rogozin Visits India
•Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin arrived in New Delhi. He will co-chair the meeting of India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC).
•The External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will host Mr. Rogozin and lead the Indian side. The meeting will enable the two sides to review the progress achieved by various working groups and sub-groups under the IRIGC-TEC.
