16 Dec 2021 Current Affairs| Education Keeda

National

PM Modi inaugurates the Saryu Nahar National Project in UP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Saryu Nahar National Project in Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh. The project will provide assured water for irrigation to over 14 lakh hectares of land and benefit about 29 lakh farmers, mainly in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya were among those present at the project inauguration program.

The project has been completed at a cost of over Rs 9,800 crore, out of which more than Rs 4,600 crore was provisioned in the last four years.

International

China launches “Shijian-6 05” satellites for Space Exploration

China successfully launched a new group of satellites Shijian-6 05 into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China for space exploration and new technology tests.

The satellites were launched by a Long March-4Brocket which marked the 400th mission of Long March series carrier rockets.

The information about the number of satellites has not been specified. As the message reads, they will be used for space exploration and new technology tests.

Useful notes for all competitive exams:

China Capital: Beijing;
China Currency: Renminbi;
China President: Xi Jinping.

Dubai 1st in World to go 100% Paperless

Dubai became the world’s first government to turn 100% paperless, the announcement was made by the United Arab Emirate (UAE) Crown Prince, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. It will save around 3 billion Dirham (USD 350 million) and 14-million-man hours.

The digitization will provide all the govt. services to customers & reduce paper consumption by more than 336 million papers. All the exceptional digital services can be accessed by the Citizens through the “Dubai Now application’’.

Useful notes for all competitive exams:

UAE Capital: Abu Dhabi;
UAE Currency: United Arab Emirates dirham;
UAE President: Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Agreements

BPCL tie-up with BARC for Green Hydrogen production

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has tied up with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) to scale-up Alkaline Electrolyze technology for Green Hydrogen production.

This is a first-of-its-kind initiative to support India’s commitment to achieve renewable energy targets and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Electrolyzer plants are presently imported and the collaboration is to “scale-up Alkaline Electrolyser technology for Green Hydrogen production”.

India has set a target to reach net zero emissions by 2070 and towards that objective it is looking to raise the share of renewables in its energy mix to 50 percent by 2030 from 38 percent currently. This is a first of its kind initiative to support the country’s commitment to achieve renewable energy targets and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Useful notes for all competitive exams:

BPCL Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra;
BPCL Chairman & Managing Director: Arun Kumar Singh.

Defense

IAF-DRDO flight-tested Helicopter-launched SANT Missile

Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully flight-tested the indigenously designed and developed Helicopter launched (air-launched) Stand-off Anti-tank (SANT) Missile from the Pokhran range in Rajasthan. For the first time that this was launched from a Russian-origin Mi-35 helicopter gunship.

It is equipped with a state-of-the-art Millimetre Wave Seeker which provides high precision strike capability from a safe distance.

It can neutralize targets in a range up to 10 km. SANT missile has been designed and developed by Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad.

India successfully tests long-range Supersonic Missile Assisted Torpedo

India has successfully test-fired a long-range Supersonic Missile Assisted Torpedo (SMART) off the Balasore coast in Odisha.

The weapon system is being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Navy.

The system has been designed to enhance anti-submarine warfare capability far beyond the conventional range of the torpedo.

Business

Bajaj Allianz General Insurance starts ‘#Care4Hockey’ Campaign

A leading private general insurer in India, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance has started its ‘#Care4Hockey’ Campaign to elevate field Hockey’s recognition in India.

The company has partnered with Padma Shri (2020) Rani Rampal, Indian Women’s Hockey Team Captain, who will be the face of the campaign.

‘#Care4Hockey’ is a one of its kind campaign which aims to support the development of Hockey in India from the grass-root level.

Useful notes for all competitive exams:

Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Founded: 2001;
Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Headquarters: Pune, Maharashtra;
Bajaj Allianz General Insurance CEO & MD: Tapan Singhel.

LIC launches Dhan Rekha plan savings life insurance plan

The Life Insurance Corporation of India has launched a new non-linked, non-participating, individual savings life insurance plan called Dhan Rekha, it offers special premium rates for female lives.

The plan is also allowed for the third gender adding that all benefits under the plan are fully guaranteed. There are special premium rates for female lives. The plan is allowed to Third Gender. All Benefits under the plan are fully guaranteed.

Under this plan, the minimum sum assured is Rs 2 lakh, with no upper restriction on the maximum sum assured. Depending on the policy term, the minimum age to enter ranges from 90 days to 8 years. Depending on the policy term, the maximum age at the entrance can range from 35 to 55 years old.

The plan can be purchased both offline and online through agents/intermediaries such as POSPLI/Common Public Service Centres (CPSC-SPV) and the website www.licindia.in.

Banking

Bank of Baroda launches bob World Wave

Bank of Baroda (BoB) has launched a solution for digital banking payments, named bob World Wave. Wearable technology is witnessing the rise of tremendous interest across the world and lenders are using this opportunity to adopt the more convenient and cashless digital payments systems.

This is an innovative solution, intended to perfectly deliver preventive health actions as well as easier payment transactions. The bob World Wave wearable device will allow customers to monitor their Sp02, body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure.

With bob World Wave, the Bank is providing an exclusive 3-months free wellness package along with a personal health coach, doctor teleconsultation, and interactive video coaching.

The device will provide contactless payments of up to Rs 5000 in all NFC-enabled PoS devices. Customers can do contactless payments above Rs. 5000 using a PIN.

Useful notes for all competitive exams:

Bank Of Baroda Headquarters: Vadodara, Gujarat, India;
Bank Of Baroda Chairman: Hasmukh Adhia;
Bank Of Baroda MD & CEO: Sanjiv Chadha.

Ranks and Reports

Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana: Maharashtra topped the list

Maharashtra has topped the list of states with the maximum number of beneficiaries under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY), followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. As many as 6,49,560 beneficiaries were recorded in Maharashtra, followed by Tamil Nadu (5,35,615), Gujarat (4,44,741), and Karnataka (3,07,164).

In Maharashtra, the beneficiaries have been provided with a total of Rs 409.72 crore under the scheme to new employees of 17,524 establishments.

The government had launched ABRY to incentivize employment generation in Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) registered establishments during COVID-19 for a period from October 1, 2020, to March 31, 2022.

This scheme, being implemented through the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), reduces the financial burden of the employers of various sectors/industries and encourages them to hire more workers.

Awards

DBS Bank India clinches two awards at ET BFSI Excellence Awards 2021

DBS Bank India’s persistent efforts to drive digital transformation for its customers have been awarded at the ET BFSI Excellence Awards 2021.

An initiative of The Economic Times, ET BFSI Excellence Awards honors the best innovations & practices implemented by the BFSI industry in a dynamic and competitive environment.

The bank has won two awards:

‘DBS Rapid (Real-time API)’ solution in the ‘Innovative API/Open Banking model’ category
‘Intelligent Banking’ in the ‘Best Digital Customer Experience initiative’ category.

Useful notes for all competitive exams:

DBS Bank India Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra;
DBS Bank India MD & CEO: Surojit Shome.

TIME Magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’ for 2021: Elon Musk

The prestigious TIME magazine has named Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, as the “2021 Person of the Year. In 2021, US-based electric-vehicle startup Tesla became a $1 trillion company as Musk became the world’s richest person with an estimated net worth of around US $255 billion.

Musk is also the founder and CEO of rocket company SpaceX and leads brain-chip start-up Neuralink and infrastructure firm The Boring Company.

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were named as the Person of the Year for 2020 by Time magazine.

Sports

AIBA rebrands itself as IBA, to secure boxing’s Olympic future

The International Boxing Association has changed its acronym from AIBA to IBA, promising to adopt a set of governance reforms so as to keep the sport’s inclusion at the 2028 Olympics.

Boxing, weightlifting, and modern pentathlon were all left off the initial list of sports for the 2028 Los Angeles Games and were asked to make changes by the International Olympic Committee.

Useful notes for all competitive exams:

International Boxing Association Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland;
International Boxing Association President: Umar Kremlyov;
International Boxing Association Founded: 1946.

David Warner & Hayley Matthews Bags ICC Player Of The Month For November

Australia opener David Warner and West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews have been voted the ICC Players of the Month for November.

Warner, nominated for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award alongside Pakistan’s Abid Ali and New Zealand’s Tim Southee, emerged victorious with the most votes, following his crucial role in Australia’s triumph in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.

West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews secured the Women’s Player of the Month award. David Warner scored 289 runs in seven matches in the tournament at a strike rate of 146.70, out of which 209 runs came from four games in November.

BCCI forms committee for differently-abled cricketers

The Board of Control for Cricket in India ( BCCI) has formed a committee for the differently-abled cricketers of the country. Disability cricketers have welcomed the decision of the BCCI to form a Differently Abled Committee for the differently-abled cricketers.

On the basis of the recommendation of the Justice Lodha committee, a board of three former disabled cricketers was being awaited for the last several years. The Proposal was approved by BCCI headed by president Sourav Ganguly & secretary Jay Shah.

Obituary

Coonoor helicopter crash’s survivor Group Captain Varun Singh passes away

Group Captain Varun Singh, who was rescued after the helicopter crash that killed Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 12 others, has passed away.

He was being treated for severe burns at a Bengaluru military hospital after he was moved from Wellington in Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor. His condition in the last few days continued to be “critical but stable”.

In August this year, Group Captain Varun Singh has conferred the Shaurya Chakra for averting a possible mid-air accident after his Tejas light combat aircraft developed a major technical snag last year.