Top 5 Current Affairs: 16 December 2021

Durga Puja in UNESCO List

Kolkata’s Durga Puja has been included by UNESCO in its representative list of 'Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity'. Durga Puja is among the 14 Indian elements on the ICH list. Durga Puja is a major annual festival that is celebrated most notably in Kolkata, West Bengal, in September or October month. The festival is also celebrated in other parts of India.

Gen Naravane takes charge as Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee

The Chief of the Indian Army Gen MM Naravane has taken charge as the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee comprising the three service chiefs. The post fell vacant after the death of the Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat in the IAF helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu on December 8, 2021. Naravane is now the current Chief of the Army Staff and the 58th Chairman of the Chiefs Staff Committee.

Know about Indian-American Maths genius Nikhil Srivastava

Nikhil Srivastav, a genius Indian-American Mathematician, has been jointly selected for the inaugural Ciprian Foias Prize in Operator Theory. The two other awardees along with mathematician Srivastava are David Spielman and Adam Marcus. They have been honoured for solving the famous Kadison-Singer 1959 problem.

Govt clears bill seeking amendments to Representation of the People Act

The Government of India has reportedly approved a bill on electoral reforms that includes a proposal to link electoral roll with Aadhaar on a voluntary basis to root out multiple enrolments. The proposed bill is also likely to be introduced in the ongoing Winter Session of the Parliament.

Proposal to raise legal marriage age of women from 18 to 21 years approved

The Government of India cleared a bill to raise women's legal marriage age from 18 to 21 years after reviewing a proposal from a specially constituted task force. The present legal marriageable age for women in India is 18 years and for men, it is 21 years. The latest decision to raise the marriageable age of women will bring the marriageable age of men and women to par.