How many Indian states banned e-cigarettes by following an advisory from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare?

n London "Lipstick Under My Burkha", which explores women's sexuality, has bagged a top prize at the time Global Sustainability Film Awards 2017. "Lipstick Under My Burkha" is produced by Prakash Jha and directed by Alankrita Shrivastava and stars Konkona SenSharma and Ratna Pathak Shah. The Founders Award for Sustainability on the Big Screen was introduced this year and sponsored by philanthropist Surina Narula.

Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Rajeev Ranjan inaugurated India's first-of-its-kind 'Voter Park' in VikasSadan building complex, Gurugram, to raise voter awareness instructing people about the electoral process.At the park, voters will gain information about the polling process and the archives of elections in the country. The park will help to motivate qualified people to vote in the LokSabha election so that they can contribute to the growth of the country. A model of the electronic voting machine and VVPAT machine have been arranged in the park. There is a D)Selfie Point" in the park,where people can snap selfiespublicising the indelible ink mark on their finger after casting their vote. An Election awareness song "Vote KaHaiAdhikar, Suno Re Vote KaHaiAdhikar". was also launched in the function. Swaty, a student of the Government Women College, Sector-14, Gurugram, has sung the song.

Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar announced the "Swachh Campus rankings" under various categories. The rankings were decided on the basis of a survey under the 'Swachhta Hi Sewa' campaign. The Cleanest 'Government Universities' are; 1. Maharashi Dayanand University, Haryana. 2. Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar, Punjab. 3. Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), New Delhi.

The Supreme Court has set aside the order of the Patna High Court, in which it had ruled that contract teachers in the state are entitled to a salary that is at par with the regular permanent teachers. The 3.5 lakh contractual teachers had demanded that they should also be given the same salary and benefits as the regular teachers as they were doing the same work and had the same educational qualification.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis unveiled the state's new 5-year industrial policy emphasising on high-technology and employment generating businesses. The policy which will be effective from 1st of April this year aims to attract investments worth 10 lakh crore rupees. The rate of conversion of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) into actual investments was far higher in Maharashtra than the national average. The national average of converting Memorandums of Understanding into actual investments, after a period of one year from the agreements being inked, could be pegged at 30-35 per cent. Maharashtra's average is more than 45 per cent and Magnetic Maharashtra and Make in India in the industrial sector, it has been more than 70 per cent. Mr Fadnavis Maharashtra has always been a leader in the industry sector adding that in the last 4-4.5 years, the state has regained its numero uno position. Minister for Industries and Mining Subhash Desai said new Industrial Policy aims create nearly 40 lakh jobs by 2023-24.

On 22nd December 2018, Dr. Jiko Luveni, the first female speaker of Fiji's Parliament, died in office at the age of 72. Luveni first served for eight years as minister for women, social welfare and poverty alleviation in the interim government of Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama, who seized power in a 2006 coup.

Under Project 75-India, the Navy wants to build six conventional diesel-electric submarines which would be almost 50 per cent bigger than the under-construction Scorpene class submarines being built at the Mazagon Dockyards Limited in Mumbai. The submarines should have the ability to carry and launch 18 heavyweight torpedoes in the sea. For the Indian Navy, the Project 75I-class submarine is a follow-on of the Project 75 Kalvari-class submarines. The submarines will be equipped with heavy-duty firepower as it wants the boats to have at least 12 Land Attack Cruise Missiles (LACM) along with Anti-Ship cruise missiles (ASCM).

Demise of Hindi fiction writer and essayist,Jnanpith awardee as well, Krishna Sobti passed away,in New Delhi at the age of 93. She was born on 18th February, 1925 in Gujarat Punjab, British India. Her writings insinuate Punjabi, Urdu, and afterwards Rajasthani languages. Her works mainly underscores the issues of female identity. Notable writings- Mitro Marajani, Daar se Bichuchuri, Surajmukhi Andhere Ke. Notable Awards- Sahitya Akademi Award (1980) , Sahitya Akademi Fellowship (1996) , Jnanpith Award (2017).

Raghuram Rajan explains economic concepts and talks of issues like tolerance and connection between political freedom and prosperity in his new book - I Do What I Do: On Reform, Rhetoric & Resolve - which is a collection of essays and speeches during his stint as RBI head. When Rajan took charge as RBI Governor in September 2013, the rupee was in free fall, inflation was high and exchange reserves were falling.

Dutch photographer Marsel van Oosten has won Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018. It was awarded by London's Natural History Museum. He got the award for his photo titled "The Golden Couple," which is the striking photo of a pair of endangered golden snub-nosed monkeys in central China's Qin Ling Mountains. Second place in the competition was awarded to Skye Meaker, 16, who won the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018 award. The two winning images will be showcased in an exhibition featuring 98 other entries at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, running from 19 October until 1 July 2019, by the Natural History Museum in London.