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• December 3 is observed as United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities or World Disability Day. The theme for this year is “Empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality”.


• Since 1992 December 03 is celebrated as United Nations international Day of Persons with Disabilities.


• This theme focuses on the empowering persons with disabilities for the inclusive, equitable and sustainable development envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Estimated one billion people living with disabilities worldwide.


• As part of World Disability Day, the UN launch a UN Flagship Report on Disability and Development 2018 for persons with disabilities.

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• Following a year of devastating climate disasters around the globe, from California to Kerala, and Tonga to Japan, the annual UN climate change conference (COP24) opened in the Polish city of Katowice on December 3 with the goal of finalising the implementation guidelines for the Paris Climate Change Agreement. The 12-day conference will conclude on December 14.


• The World Bank has unveiled 200 billion US Dollars in climate action investment for 2021 to 2025, adding that this amounts to a doubling of its current five-year funding.


• The breakdown of 200 billion dollars would comprise approximately 100 billion in direct finance from the World Bank.


• Around one-third of the remaining funding will come from two World Bank Group agencies with the rest private capital mobilised by the World Bank Group.


• The move represents a significantly ramped up ambition to tackle climate change and sends an important signal to the wider global community to do the same.

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• Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi announced that Qatar will withdraw from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in January 2019.


• Qatar joined the organisation consisting of 15 oil producing countries in 1962. The decision was taken as Qatar’s wants to focus its efforts to increase its natural gas production.

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• South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will be chief guest at India’s 70th Republic Day celebrations.


• Mr Ramaphosa was invited to be the chief guest by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when the two leaders met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires.

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• The Uttar Pradesh and Nepal governments will soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to declare Ayodhya and Janakpur as twin cities.


• Adityanath also agreed to visit the Himalayan nation on December 12 to participate in the festivities of Lord Ram and Sita that are held every year.


• Janakpur is the birth place of Goddess Sita. He also informed the Nepalese delegation that work on the four-landing of the Ram-Janki road has begun.

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• The Delhi government launched a common mobility card with a tagline of ‘One Delhi One Ride’ which would enable city commuters to access Metro and bus services with a single card at a 10 per cent discount.


• Known as ‘One’, the newly designed card will be available for sale on all Delhi Metro stations and DTC pass counters from 4 December. The existing Metro smart cards will continue to stay valid but any new card or replacement will be through ‘ONE’ card.

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• Bouldering sensation Tuhin Satarkar pushed his limits as he scaled three routes in the treacherous Sahayadri mountain range in 12 days, from November 16 to 28, to become the first Indian to ever achieve the feat.


• The Sahayadri range has one of the most daunting mountains in Maharashtra.

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• The Indian Navy will conduct a large-scale coastal defence exercise next month to test the robustness of the entire coastal security apparatus.


• The ‘Exercise sea vigil’ will involve all stake holders across mainland and Island territories, and will see the participation of all operational ships, submarines and aircraft as well as units of Indian coast guards, Indian Army and the Indian Air Force, Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said.


• Theatre level operational readiness exercise ‘Tropex’ will begin from January and culminate in March, next year.

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• On 1st December 2018, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik launched the ambitious “Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)” at Teacher’s Bhawan in Jammu.


• The scheme which would benefit over 31 lakh residents in the state will provide medical facilities to the poor and vulnerable families in secondary and tertiary care hospitals of the country.


• Marking the launch of the scheme, the Governor along with other dignitaries distributed Golden Cards among 10 eligible beneficiaries for availing the annual health cover facility.


• Recently the state received ‘Best Performing Large State’ award on account of high reduction in Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in a single year and for effective implementation of health schemes by the India Today group at the “State of the States Conclave 2018”.

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• On 3rd December 2018 , the World Bank unveiled USD 200 billion in climate action investment for 2021-25, adding this amounts to a doubling of its current five-year funding.


• The move coincides with a UN climate summit in Katowice (Poland).


• The breakdown of 200 billion dollars would comprise approximately 100 billion in direct finance from the World Bank. Around one-third of the remaining funding will come from two World Bank Group agencies with the rest private capital mobilised by the World Bank Group.


• In the 2018 fiscal year, running from July 2017 to June 2018, the World Bank had committed USD 20.5 billion to climate action, compared with an annual average of USD 13.5 billion for the 2014-2018 period.


• UN climate summit started on 03rd December 2018 in Katowice (Poland) with a warning that today’s generation is the last that can prevent catastrophic global warming, as well as the first to be suffering its impacts. This Climate conference has been called as Paris 2.0.


• Agreement saw countries commit to limiting global temperature rises to well below two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), and to the safer cap of 1.5 C if at all possible.

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• On 03rd December 2018, Moody’s expects the real gross domestic product (GDP) in India to grow 7.2 per cent in the year ending March 2019 and 7.4 per cent in the following year.


• Earlier Moody’s Investors service growth prediction for India was 7.5% in 2018-19, 7.5% in 2019-20 released on 23rd August, 2018.


• This growth is driven by investment growth and strong consumption.


• Moody’s said in its report it has a stable outlook on the Indian banking system for the next 12-18 months.


• The stable outlook is based on six parameters — operating environment, asset quality, capital, funding and liquidity, profitability and efficiency, and government support.

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• On 2nd December 2018, Ullas Narayan became the first Indian individual medal winner in an international ultra running event by winning bronze in the 2018 International Association of Ultra Running (IAU) 24 Hour Asia & Oceania Championships in Taipei, Taiwan.


• Ullas Narayan secured third position as he completed 250 km. He finished behind Japanese runners Yoshihiko Ishikawa (253 km) and Nobuyuki Takahashi (252 km).


• .Indian team, comprising Ullas Narayan (250 km), Sunil Sharma (202 km) and L L Meena (192 km), also won a bronze medal with their combined distance of 644 km.


• In the team event, Japan won gold with a distance of 756 km and Australia got silver with 684 km.


• Ultra races consisted running over extremely long distances which are much longer than the traditional races.


• They are contested in 2 different types of race modalities: over a set distance or a set time.


• The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) joined IAU, the official body for Ultra Running, in 2017.

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• On 2nd December 2018, Atlawim Debebe of Ethiopia, won the Full Marathon with the timing of 2 hours 17 minutes 17 seconds in Pune International Marathon.


• Second and third positions were secured by Ethiopians Teshome Getachew and Bekele Asefa respectively.


• In women’s Full Marathon Kenya’s Pascalia Chepkogei came first with a timing of 2 hour 50 minutes 27 seconds. Belew Mekonnen and Fekede Tilahun of Ethiopia occupied the second and third positions respectively.


• Dekebe Tafa and Degefa Gezmu from Ethiopia won the men’s and women’s half marathon respectively.


• Among Indian runners, Karan Singh of Bombay Engineering Group came first in the Men’s category. In women’s Full marathon, Urvi Tambe came first amongst Indians.


• This was the oldest International Marathon of 2018. This is the 33rd year of Pune International Marathon.

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• On 3rd December 2018, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) had awarded Disabilities’ Advocate from Bangladesh, Vashkar Bhattacharjee and Private sector enterprise of China, Tencent with UNESCO/Emir Jaber al Ahmad al Jaber al Sabah Prize for Digital Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities at a ceremony organized on International Day of Persons with disability at UNESCO headquarter in Paris, France.


• Individual Category award winner, Vashkar Bhattacharjee from Bangladesh is a leading advocate who collaborated with Local, National as well as international organization to produce learning resources dedicated to persons with disabilities and to train teachers to use the accessible reading materials.


• Organization Category award winner, Tancent from China is an Internet based technologies and cultural organization recognized for its outstanding contribution towards employment of person with disabilities using inclusive digital technologies.


• This year’s theme for the International day of Persons with disability focuses on empowerment of persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality which is a part of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development that pledges to “leave no one behind”.

• On 1st December 2018, Mr. Imran Hussain, Delhi Minister of Food Supplies, Environment and Forest was awarded “Hero to Animals” by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for banning Chinese Manjha ( A thread use in Kites) in Delhi.


• In July 2018, Mr Imran Hussain banned the sale, production, storage, supply, import and use of Chinese manjha made of Nylon because Sharp edges of manjha hurt the birds and animals sometimes even children.

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• On 2nd December 2018, Pawan Singh became the first Indian to be elected as one of the 7 members of the Judges Committee of the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF).


• Pawan Singh is also the Joint Secretary General of National Rifle Association of India (NRAI). He was a former coach of the Indian shooting team.


• Members of the administrative council of ISSF voted to select the committee, at the elections held at Munich.


• The Judges Committee consists of: a Chairman and 7 members. It is responsible for the uniform application of shooting rules. It offers guidelines for international judges. It prepares and conducts courses for judges and jury members.


• It approves applications for judge’s licenses’ and proposes juries to the executive committee for championships and games. It meets at least once a year and reports to the administrative council.

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• Ravindra Kumar Verma has taken charge as Technical Member in the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL), Ministry of Power, for a period of 3 years.


• Justice Manjula Chellur, Chairperson of APTEL, administered the Oath of Office and Secrecy to Ravindra Kumar Verma.


• Ravindra Kumar Verma has occupied various posts in Central Electricity Authority (CEA) for over 37 years.


• He had superannuated as Chairperson of CEA and Ex-officio Secretary to the Government of India on 30th June 2018.


• He has a vast experience in power sector related to Generation, Transmission, Distribution and Grid Operation.

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• A book named “Modiraj Main Kisan, Double Aamad Ya Double afat” authored by Swaraj India President Yogendra Yadav launched by agricultural economist Ashok Gulati and the Punjab State Farmers’ and Farm Workers’ Commission Chairman Ajay Vir Jakhar in New Delhi.


• Book detailing how Modi government’s policies have led to a drop in farmers’ income and caused rural distress across the country.