Nobel Prizes: General Information

• Nobel Prizes were established in 1901 based on the will of Alfred Nobel (inventor of dynamite) from 1895.
• Nobel passed away in 1896, and the awards began five years later.
• Initially awarded in five fields: Literature, Peace, Physics, Chemistry, and Medicine.
• The Economics prize was established later in 1968 by Sweden's Sveriges Riksbank and first awarded in 1969. It is also known as the Riksbank Award.
• All Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden, except for the Peace Prize, which is awarded in Oslo, Norway.
• Recipients receive their awards on December 10, marking Alfred Nobel's death anniversary.

First Nobel Prize Winners (1901)

• Medicine: Adolf von Behring
• Physics: Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (for the discovery of X-rays)
• Chemistry: Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff
• Literature: Sully Prudhomme
• Peace: Henry Dunant (founder of Red Cross, which has won the Peace Prize three times) and Frédéric Passy

Indian Nobel Laureates

• Rabindranath Tagore:
  • Literature, 1913
  • For his collection of poems, "Gitanjali".
  • First Indian and first Asian to win a Nobel Prize in Literature.
• C.V. Raman (Chandrashekhara Venkata Raman):
  • Physics, 1930
  • For his work on the scattering of light and the discovery of the Raman Effect (प्रकाश का प्रकीर्णन).
• Har Gobind Khorana:
  • Medicine, 1968
  • For his interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis (artificial synthesis of the gene).
• Mother Teresa:
  • Peace, 1979
  • First Indian woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
• Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar:
  • Physics, 1983
  • For his theoretical studies on the structure and evolution of stars, including the Chandrasekhar Limit.
• Amartya Sen:
  • Economics, 1998
  • For his contributions to welfare economics and social choice theory (concept of Public Welfare State).
• V.S. Naipaul:
  • Literature, 2001
  • Author of "In a Free State".
• Venkatraman Ramakrishnan:
  • Chemistry, 2009
  • For his work on the structure and function of the ribosome.
• Kailash Satyarthi:
  • Peace, 2014
  • Shared with Malala Yousafzai.
  • Known for his organization "Bachpan Bachao Andolan" (Save Childhood Movement).
• Abhijit Banerjee:
  • Economics, 2019
  • For his experimental approach to alleviating global poverty.

Daily Current Affairs (As of December 8, 2025)

National Festivals & Events

• 11th India International Science Festival:
  • Started in Panchkula, Haryana.
  • Theme: "Science for Prosperity" (विज्ञान से समृद्धि).
  • Aimed at "Atmanirbhar Bharat" (Self-Reliant India).
  • Held from November 6-9, 2025.

Sports

• 5th Khelo India University Games:
  • Held in seven cities across Rajasthan.
  • Mascot: "Khamba aur Ghani".
  • Chitkara University topped the medal tally with 67 medals (42 Gold).
  • 23 sports events were featured.
  • Srihari Nataraj (swimmer) won the most medals: 9 Gold, 2 Silver.
• 2025 Guwahati Masters (Men's Singles):
  • Sanskar Saraswat (from Jodhpur) won the title.
  • He defeated Mithun Manjunath.

Government & Policy

• Right to Disconnect Bill:
  • A Private Member's Bill introduced in the Lok Sabha.
  • Proposed by Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule.
  • Aims to allow employees to disconnect from work-related communication outside of official working hours.
  • Justification based on Article 21 (right to live with dignity), Article 39(e) (workers' health), and Article 42.
• 8th Economic Census:
  • The Government of India announced it will commence the 8th Economic Census in 2027.
  • Conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MoSPI) through the National Statistical Office (NSO).
  • The first Economic Census was conducted in 1977.
  • (General Population Census started in 1872 under Lord Mayo, regularized in 1881 under Lord Ripon, with the 16th census currently underway.)
• Mahaparinirvan Diwas:
  • Observed on December 6 to pay tribute to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
  • Marks the death anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who adopted Buddhism in his final years.
  • His memorial (Chaitra Bhoomi) is in Mumbai.
  • Ambedkar's birth anniversary is on April 14 (Equality Day), born in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh in 1895.
  • Publications: "Mooknayak" (magazine), "Bahishkrit Bharat" (magazine), "Annihilation of Caste" (book), "Buddha and Dhamma" (book).
  • Founded: Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha (1924), Independent Labour Party (1936).
  • Known for calling Article 32 the "soul of the Constitution" and serving as the chairman of the Drafting Committee.
• Maharashtra Government Reservation for Orphans:
  • The Maharashtra government announced a 1% reservation for orphan children in education and government jobs.

Banking & Finance

• Fino Payments Bank:
  • Received approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to convert into a Small Finance Bank (SFB).
  • It is the first payments bank to receive such approval.

Politics

• Nitish Kumar (Bihar Chief Minister):
  • Sworn in as Chief Minister of Bihar for the 10th time, marking a World Book of Records achievement.
  • First became CM in 2000 (briefly), then continuously since 2005 (with a one-year break for Jitan Ram Manjhi).

Literature

• "The 11th Hour: The Quintet of Stories":
  • New book by Salman Rushdie.
  • Explores themes of life, death, and legacy.
  • Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children" won the Booker Prize in 1981.

Technology & Endorsements

• Perplexity AI:
  • Appointed footballer Cristiano Ronaldo as its brand ambassador.