Current Affairs Pocket : 24th December 2019
Dr. Sangita Reddy assumes charge as FICCI President for 2019-20
* Sangita Reddy is an Indian businessperson. She is Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals Enterprises and The President of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industries (FICCI). She succeeds Sandip Somany, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, HSIL.
* Mr. Uday Shankar, President, The Walt Disney Company APAC & Chairman, Star & Disney India, has been elevated as Senior Vice President of FICCI, and Mr. Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman and Managing Director of HUL, has joined FICCI leadership as Vice President.
Harsh Vardhan Shringla to be India’s new Foreign Secretary
* Harsh Vardhan Shringla was appointed as the new foreign secretary for a two-year fixed term, succeeding Vijay Gokhale.
* Shringla, a 1984 batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), is considered an expert on India’s neighbourhood and is currently serving as envoy to the US.The appointment has been cleared by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
* His appointment comes at a time when India is facing a plethora of foreign policy challenges including dealing with an increasingly assertive Trump administration and China’s attempt to expand its military and economic influence in the region.
66th National Film Awards 2019
* Bollywood actresses Sonali Kulkarni and Divya Dutta hosted the prestigious 66th National Film Awards at Vigyan Bhawan. where Vice President Venkaiah Naidu handed over the honour to several celebrities who have excelled in cinema.
* The winners in the Feature Film and Non-Feature Film categories were announced in August this year. The winners in the Feature Film category are:
* Best Feature Film: Hellaro
* Best Direction: Aditya Dhar, Uri: The Surgical Strike
* Best Actor (Male): Ayushmann Khurrana (Andhadhun), Vicky Kaushal (Uri: The Surgical Strike)
* Best Actor (Female): Keerthy Suresh (Mahanati)
* Best Supporting Actor (Male): Swanand Kirkire (Chumbak)
* Best Supporting Actor (Female): Surekha Sikri (Badhaai Ho)
* Best Popular Film providing wholesome entertainment: Badhaai Ho
* Best Hindi Film: Andhadhun
* Best Film on Social Issues: Padman
* Best Music Direction: Padmaavat, Sanjay Leela Bhansali
* Best Background Score: Uri: The Surgical Strike, Shashwat Sachdev
* Best Female Playback Singer: Bindu Malini (Maayavi Manave – Nathicharami)
* Best Male Playback Singer: Arjit Singh (Binte Dil – Padmaavat)
Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile successfully flight-tested off Odisha coast
* Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) system developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was successfully flight-tested from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the Odisha coast.
* The missile was flight-tested with the full configuration in deployment mode intercepting the target mid-air, meeting the mission objectives. The entire event was monitored by Ground Telemetry Systems, Range Radar Systems, Electro-Optical Tracking System, etc.