Indian Railways on 5 December 2016 announced that the reservation of rail tickets for senior citizens will be directly linked to Aadhaar or Unique Identification (UID) cards from 1 April 2017 onwards on a mandatory basis for availing concessions at both counter and e-tickets.
●    This Aadhaar-based ticketing system for senior citizens will be implemented in a two-phased manner. Accordingly, from 1 January to 31 March 2017, requirement of Aadhaar verification for getting concessional tickets for senior citizens will be optional.
●    However, from 1 April 2017, such a requirement will become mandatory.
●    Passengers in the senior citizen category shall carry the original documents including Aadhaar card for the purpose of identity proof.
●    However, there will be no change in procedure with regard to concession to senior citizens in unreserved ticketing.
●    It will stop unauthorised agents from booking tickets in fake names and then selling these at a higher price.

The Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) and Kerala Police are jointly organizing the 45th All India Police Science Congress at Kovalam, Thiruvananthapuram on December 8-9, 2016. 
●    The main objective of this prestigious national event is to provide a common platform to the various police forces/units, social scientists, forensic experts and other stakeholders to deliberate on selected themes of topical interest to the Indian Police. 
●    It will also provide an opportunity to learn from each other’s experience by understanding the best practices being followed in other States/UTs. The deliberations of All India Police Science Congress will provide a future roadmap for all the police forces/services of  the country to provide quality service to the people.
●    The First All India Police Science Congress was held in 1960 at Patna, Bihar. Since then it has been held 44 times. This would be followed by Open House discussion in which ideas from the states and new challenges would be discussed and recommendations of the Congress shall be finalized.
●    The Police Science Congress shall be inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Kerala, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan on December 8, 2016. Governor of Kerala, Shri Justice (Retd.) P. Sathasivam will deliver the valedictory address on December 9, 2016. 
●    The delegates from Police Departments of States and UTs, Central Police Organizations, Central Armed Police Forces and Forensic Science Laboratories shall attend the Police Science Congress. 
●    The Police Science Congress shall be addressed by the Senior Police Officers, Academicians, Scientists and Subject Experts from institutions like IITs, Department of Science and Technology, DRDO, Forensic Science Laboratories and other Research Institutions etc.

The Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the 5th IEF-IGU Ministerial Forum in New Delhi today. The Ministerial forum is being held as a parallel event to the 3-day Petrotech-2016. Minister of Energy and Mines, Brazil, H.E. Fernando Bezerra FILHO, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Cyprus H.E. Mr. Yiorgos LAKKOTRYPIS, Minister of Petroleum and Gas, Nigeria H.E. Dr. Emmanuel Ibe KACHIKWU, Minister of Energy and Industry, Qatar H.E. Mr. Mohammed bin Saleh AL-SADA, Deputy Minister for Gas Affairs of Ministry of Oil, Iraq H.E. Dr. Hamed Younis SALEH, Secretary General, OPEC Mr. Mohammed Sanusi BARKINDO, Secretary General, International Energy Forum, Dr. Sun XIANSHENG, President, International Gas Union, Mr. David CARROLL and Secretary General, International Gas Union Mr. Luis Bertran RAFECAS were present on the occasion.
●    Welcoming the participants, Shri Pradhan said that the theme of this meet "Gas for Growth : Improving economic prosperity and living standards" could very well be the story of the initiatives taken in India towards this end. He said compared to international average, the share of gas in India’s primary energy basket is only at about 6.5% and we have set a target to raise the share of gas in primary energy from the current level to 15%. This means annual gas consumption would accelerate from about 50 BCM to above 200 BCM in future. 
●    Shri Pradhan enlisted the initiatives taken by the Government in this regard- allowing 100% Foreign Direct Investment in many segments of the hydrocarbon sector, successful conclusion of Open bidding under a new 'Marginal Fields Policy' , introduction of new Hydrocarbon Exploration Licensing Policy, giving top priority to allocation of domestically produced gas for City Gas Distribution, pooling of gas for fertilizer and power plants. To meet the demands that an economy with 15% share of gas in the energy basket will entail, matching infrastructure will be needed and the Government is prepared for that. Calling for the support of the entire industry, the consumers and the people at large in meeting ambitious targets, Shri Pradhan said that it cannot be achieved by Governments alone.
●    Talking about the international collaboration in the area of natural gas, the Minister said the world needs even greater co-operation among countries on gas technologies, such as Shale and Gas Hydrates. Similarly, a number of large Asian LNG buyers, including India, could benefit by joining hands and thereby, possibly, bring in more equitable trade deals.

KONKAN 16, the 2016 edition of the annual bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy, would be held from 05 -16 Dec 16 at Mumbai and Goa. Exercise KONKAN, named after the Western coastal region of India, was institutionalised in 2004. Since then, the exercise hosted in rotation by both the Navies, has grown in complexity, scale and intensity.
●    The exercise will be conducted in two phases at Mumbai and Goa. The first phase, to be held from 05 - 09 Dec 16, would be a Command Planning exercise involving the two navies, where planners from both sides will undertake planning for combined maritime operations. The second phase is a LIVE EXERCISE (LIVEX), to be held from 12 - 16 Dec 16 at Goa, which involves interaction between the IN Marine Commandos (MARCOs) and the Royal Marines. Both phases will involve sharing of best practices and lessons learnt from recent operations, especially in the field of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) and Non-combatant Evacuation Operations (NEO).
●    KONKAN 16 will be an important chapter in the maritime interactions under the aegis of KONKAN series as it will familiarise both forces with each other’s planning processes and further enhance synergy and inter-operability. In addition, participation of IN MARCOs and Royal Marines would add another dimension to this exercise and provide valuable opportunity for both navies to interact and cooperate in the field of Maritime Security Operations.
●    Successive editions of KONKAN have built on past experiences and have enhanced operational inter-operability between the two navies. This cooperation between the two navies is a positive and tangible symbol of commitment in ensuring a positive climate for maritime security and economic development. The current edition would further strengthen the existing bonds of friendship between India and United Kingdom, and enhance our capability to work together to contribute towards maritime security in the global commons.

Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan today inaugurated the Petrotech 2016 Exhibition at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The Petrotech -2016 Exhibition is one of the biggest oil & gas exhibitions held with participation of nearly 600 exhibitors from over 50 countries covering 15,000 square metres of exhibition area. This year's Exhibition is much grander in scale with participation from more overseas companies and 15 country. Also, top oil & gas companies from across the world are participating in the exhibition. The exhibition is scheduled from 4th to 7th December, 2016 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The Petrotech 2016 main Conference is scheduled to be inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi on 5th December, 2016. 
●    The theme of the conference is “Hydrocarbons to fuel the future - Choices & Challenges” and the Petrotech 2016 Exhibition is providing opportunities for promotion of organizations, products and services. Exclusive pavilions have also been set up to showcase initiatives like 'Make in India' and Renewable Energy and several of the focus areas of Government policy. There are dedicated pavilions for the upstream, downstream and international exhibitors.
●    Inaugurating the exhibition, Shri Pradhan said that it provides a convergence point to every element, dimension, product, technology to congregate at one point and there has been enthusiastic response from various stake holders. It also offers a unique platform to the international companies, service providers and technology companies to have interface with all India stakeholders at one place. Shri Pradhan said that the oil and gas sector today is emerging as a vehicle for socio economic change in India and under the leadership of Hon'ble PM the sector has aligned itself with common people of the country. Over the years it has played its part in making energy affordable and accessible through the length and breadth of the country to drive the Indian economy in an inclusive and equitable manner in terms of generating employment, skill development, bringing in FDI, enhancing trade and boosting strategic partnerships.
●    The Minister said that internationally, the hydrocarbon sector is witnessing unprecedented technological developments. He added that discoveries of better technologies are regularly transforming the sector which offer opportunities for those who are ahead of the curve but also pose challenges to companies who follow conventional approach to this dynamic subject.

The Union Government on 30 December 2016 gave its approval for the inclusion of 15 new castes and modification of 13 others in the Central Other Backward Castes (OBC) list.
●    The amendments were approved by the Union Cabinet in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This move follows the proposal put forward by the National Commission of Backward Classes (NCBC).
●    It suggested 28 changes with respect to 8 states including Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand.
●    In the 28 changes, 15 were new additions, 9 were synonyms or sub-castes of the already existing castes and 4 were corrections.
●    These amendments will enable people belonging to these newly added castes to avail the benefits of reservation in both Government services and Central Educational Institutions.
●    These people will also be entitled to enjoy the benefits of various welfare schemes launched by the Union Government.

The Supreme Court on 30 November 2016 ordered status quo on land acquired for the construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal’s stretch in Punjab. 
●    Moreover, the court also appointed Union Home Secretary, Chief Secretary of Punjab and the Director General of Punjab Police as receivers in the dispute between Punjab and Haryana and sought a report from them by 15 December on the present status of land.
●    A bench comprising Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose and Justice Amitava Roy also made it clear that receivers cannot take over the possession of the land meant for the SYL canal project. They have been appointed only for the purpose of submitting a report on the ground situation.
●    Earlier in November 2016, a five-judge bench had set aside the Punjab Termination of Agreement Act, 2004, which unilaterally terminated the 1981 water-sharing pact with Haryana.
●    Following this, Punjab government denotified the land acquired for the SYL canal project with immediate effect and returned it to the owners free of charge. 
●    The controversial 1981 water-sharing agreement came into force after Haryana was removed out of Punjab in 1966. For effective allocation of water, the SYL canal link was planned and both the states were required to construct their portions in their territory. 
●    Haryana had already constructed the portion of the SYL canal in its territory. However, Punjab stopped the construction. In 2004, the Congress government formulated Punjab Termination of Agreement Act with an intention to terminate the 1981 agreement relating to sharing of waters of rivers Ravi and Beas.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the "Northeast Textile & Craft Shopping Mela" here today, which has been jointly organised by the Ministry of DoNER and the Ministry of Textiles.
●    Speaking to media persons present on the occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh said the opening of the Northeast Shopping Mela is yet another attempt to portray and acquaint Northeast to the people living outside the region. Expressing satisfaction for having brought Northeast in a big way to the national capital, Dr Jitendra Singh recalled that early this year, the DoNER Ministry started a Northeast stall “Purbashree” at Dilli Haat and now this Shopping Mela at Janpath. He also expressed satisfaction that at both these places, the Northeast stalls are among the first to introduce cashless sale transaction keeping in tune with the Prime Minister Shri Narenda Modi’s current push towards digital economy.
●    After ceremonial cutting of the ribbon to declare the formal opening, Dr Jitendra Singh personally went around each of the 30 stalls, which are devoted to textile and craft products from the eight different States of Northeast. He also confirmed the availability of cashless transaction facility and QR (Quick Response) cash transaction provision at some of the stalls.
●    Dr Jitendra Singh interacted with sales agents at different stalls and also spoke to some of the visiting customers in order to elicit their opinions and inputs. Accompanying Dr Jitendra Singh on the occasion were Shri Naveen Verma, Secretary, DoNER, Secretary, North Eastern Council (NEC), Shri Ram Muivah and senior officers from the Ministry of DoNER and Ministry of Textiles. Dr Jitendra Singh thanked Union Textiles Minister Smt. Smriti Irani for taking personal interest to make possible the setting up of the Northeast Textile & Craft Shopping Mela. The shopping area is spread over 30 stalls / outlets in the "Indian Craft Mela" at the popular market complex of Janpath.

Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Vijay Goel here today launched Digital Training campaign on mobile banking for the youth. 
●    The idea is to promote the benefits of online banking and boost the methods of cashless transactions. 
●    The Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan which comes under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports will be leading this initiative and has invited interested youngsters to participate in the various training camps being organised across India.With this initiative, these youngsters will not only educate people about the benefits of cashless society but also get certificates that would help them to teach these skills further. 
●    The aim is to create widespread awareness about the ways and means to transact in a cashless society.
●    Speaking on the occasion, Shri Vijay Goel said that he salutes revolutionary step taken by Prime Minster Shri Narendra Modi. 
●    He said that Prime minister has utmost faith in youth of the country and believes that the youth will contribute immensely towards promoting “Digital Economy” and it is our duty to carry forward his vision to make Indian society a cashless society.

Persons afflicted with Parkinson's disease and acid attack survivors will soon be considered disabled under law. 
●    The Persons with Disabilities Bill (PWD), which is set to be tabled in Parliament, lists 21 infirmities. 
●    People falling under these 21 categories will be recognised as disabled and be eligible for affirmative action and benefits under the law.
●    A proposed amendment to the 1995 Act had increased number of disabilities from seven to 19. 
●    However, the bill was referred to a group of ministers for discussion and two more categories were added. 
●    They argued that the disorder was a debilitating stigma in rural areas and recognising it would help sensitise the general population. 
●    The other key additions to the 1995 Act are autism, thalassemia, haemophilia, multiple sclerosis, sickle cell disease and dwarfism.