Current affairs 18 December 2023

Haryana dominates medal tally in Khelo India Para Games 2023.

• The first-ever Khelo India Para Games concluded in New Delhi.
• Haryana won the inaugural title by securing 105 medals including 40 gold, 39 silver, and 26 bronze.
• Uttar Pradesh came second with 62 medals including 25 gold, 23 silver, and 14 bronze.
• Tamil Nadu finished third with 20 gold, eight silver, and 14 bronze medals.

PM Modi Inaugurates World's Largest Meditation Centre Swarved Mahamandir.

• Swarved Mahamandir is a magnificent seven-floor temple with 125-petal lotus domes.
• It is located in Umaraha area of Varanasi.
• The Prime Minister and UP CM Yogi Adityanath took a tour of the center that can seat 20,000 people at a time for meditation.
• The Mahamandir houses the idol of Sadguru Sadafal Deoji Maharaj, a 19th-century spiritual leader and the founder of Vihangam Yoga.

NHAI launched Computer Aided Dispatch System to address road emergency.

• National Highways Authority India has developed a Computer Aided Dispatch System to assist the 1033 call centre operators to locate the nearest available on-road unit ambulance, crane, patrol unit, etc.
• It has developed NHAI ERS Mobile Application to relay the dispatch related information to the on-road units.
• This system has been developed to make the response to emergency calls faster.

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Army Hospital conducted India's 1st Bone Marrow Transplant.

• Army Hospital in Delhi conducted India's first life-saving Bone Marrow Transplant for a child with a rare immunodeficiency disorder, ARPC1b.
• The procedure aims to replace defective immune cells with healthy ones, offering hope for similar cases.
• Success of the transplant within six months of referral marked a milestone for the Defense Ministry.

Israeli film "Children of Nobody" won Best film award at KIFF Festival.

• 219 films from 39 countries were screened at Kolkata International Film Festival at Rabindra Sadan, Kolkata.
• Israeli film Children of Nobody directed by Erez Tadmor, has won the Best Film award under International Competition in Innovation Moving Images.
• The Best Director award was bagged by Carlos Daniel Malave.
• Anjan Dutta's 'Chalchitro Ekhon' bagged the Special Jury Award.