GK Update: 24rd December, 2016 

i.Prime Minister Narendra Modi has featured on the Government of India 2017 calendar.

ii.The calendar features candid pictures, with each month representing the issues that Modi has worked for.

iii.The photos depict the Prime Minister’s participation in campaigns including Swachh Bharat, Sashakt Nari, Sashakt Bharat  and MSME: India’s economic backbone.

i.Ravichandran Ashwin has won both the ICC Cricketer of the Year and the ICC Test cricketer of the Year award after he was named as the only Indian in ICC’s Test Team of the Year.

ii.Virat Kohli was named the captain of the ICC ODI Team of the Year.

iii.Misbah-Ul-Haq won the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award at the 2016 ICC Awards as he became the first Pakistan player to win the award.

i.Union Minister of State for Ayush Shripad Yesso Naik has inaugurated the North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda and Homeopathy (NEIAH).

ii.The institute’s primary aim is to produce quality human resource in the area of Ayush, particularly in Ayurveda and homoeopathy along with yoga.

i.Delhi has emerged as the country’s most well-read city in the fourth consecutive year with Bengaluru and Mumbai taking the second and third spot, according to Annual Reading Trends Report 2016 by Amazon.

ii.For the first time, Karnal, Vadodara and Patna made it to the top 20 cities, having bought more books than cities like Coimbatore, Visakhapatnam and Lucknow this year.

i.Hrithik Roshan has become the highest advance taxpaying actor.

ii. He has paid an advance tax of Rs 80 crore till December 15, 2016, compared to Rs 50 crore last year.

iii. After Hrithik, it is Aamir Khan, who has paid Rs. 74 crore.

iv. Ranbir Kapoor, who paid Rs 37 crore as advance tax till December is at 3rd position.

i.Salman, 50 has earned a revenue of Rs 270.33 crore.

ii.Ranked second on the list, Shah Rukh Khan has an estimated earnings of Rs 221.75 crore.

iii.The Forbes’ ranking is based on two parameters: estimates of entertainment-related earnings and estimates of fame.

i.China has launched atmospheric CO2-monitoring TanSat satellite on 22nd December 2016, in an effort to curb and monitor greenhouse gas emissions.

ii.The 635-kg satellite will measure global carbon dioxide levels every 16 days over the next three years and help policy makers and scientists gather independent climate change data.

iii.Notably, China is the world’s largest emitter of CO2.

i.The world’s first solar road made with 30,000 square feet of solar panels has been opened in the French village of Normandy.

ii. The one-kilometre long road took five years and cost $5.2 million to develop.

iii.It will be used for a two-year test period to check if it can generate enough energy to power street lighting in the village.

i.FIFA has released the final rankings of 2016, with Argentina reclaiming the team of the year title from Belgium, finishing with 1634 points to top FIFA’s rankings.

ii.As for India, the Blue Tigers have also climbed a staggering 31 places from last year, finishing the

year ranked 135, their best climb up the table in history.

i.India has defeated South Korea 3-0 to secure the bronze medal at the 4th Women’s U18 Asia Cup 2016 hockey tournament in Bangkok on 22 December 2016.

ii.After the win, Hockey India announced cash rewards of Rs.1 lakh for each player.

iii.It also announced Rs.50000 for each member of the support staff.

i.Indian fotballer Jeje Lalpekhlua has named 2016’s All India Football Federation (AIFF) Player of the Year, an award given to the best footballer in the country.

ii.The 25-year-old who hails from Mizoram will be awarded a prize of 2.5 lakh.