National:
Establishment of Indian Institute of Heritage:
- The Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (IC), Shri Prahlad Singh Patel chaired a meeting of the National Museum Institute Society in New Delhi on December 17, 2020.
Agenda of the meeting was to establish the Indian Institute of Heritage (IIH) and also too deliberated upon changing the nomenclature of existing National Museum Institute Society to Indian Institute of Heritage Society (IIHS).
During the meeting members welcome the initiative of Ministry to set up an Indian Institute of Heritage (IIH).
23rd Hunar Haat:
- 23rd “Hunar Haat” of Indigenous master artisans is being organized from December 18 to December 27, 2020 at Numaish Ground, Panvadiya, Rampur, UP.
It was inaugurated by Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Shri Nitin Gadkari on December 18.
During Hunar Haat, Cultural programmes on the theme of “Jaan Bhi, Jahaan Bhi“, to be presented every day by renowned artists. A “Kavi Sammelan” will be also organized on the theme of “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” on 27th December, 2020.
The next “Hunar Haat” will be organized at Shilp Gram, Lucknow, UP from January 22 to January 31, 2021 with the theme of “Vocal for Local”.
Bengaluru Mission 2022:
- Chief Minister of Karnataka B S Yediyurappa unveiled Bengaluru Mission 2022 on December 17, 2020, to revamp the city in the next two years. It aims at providing world class amenities and infrastructure in the city.
Frame of Mind Festival:
- The 9th edition of Frame of Mind, an annual film festival on mental health was held online from December 18 to December 19, 2020. It was conducted by SCARF.
The festival was on the theme of “Coping with the new normal – Mental health during COVID times”.
International:
NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite:
- A joint statement issued following the 2+2 dialogue between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the US’ chief diplomats, Mark Pompeo and Mark Esper.
The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite is expected to be launched by 2022. NISAR, an Imaging Satellite that will be make use of dual-frequency technology.
This satellite will uses advanced radar imaging to map the Earth’s land and ice masses and measure subtle and complex changes on the planet’s surface as a result of natural and human processes.
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure:
- Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare addressed an event by Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), on December 17, 2020 via Video Conference.
The event was on the theme of “Build Back Better: building resilient health infrastructure and supply chains.”
Sports:
- First Grand Slam of 2021, Australian Open will be start on February 8, 2021. It was originally scheduled on January 18, 2021.