23 & 24 Dec 2020 Current Affairs English

Important Days

National Mathematics Day observed on 22 December

India observes the National Mathematics Day every year on 22 December since 2012.

The day is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. This year nation celebrates his 133rd birth anniversary of Ramanujan.

Ramanujan had a wealth of ideas that have transformed and reshaped 20th-century mathematics. These ideas continue to shape mathematics of the 21st century. The main objective behind the celebration of National Mathematics Day is to make people aware of the development of mathematics and its importance in the growth of humanity.

India Observes National Farmer’s Day on December 23

National Farmer’s Day (Kisan Diwas) is observed every year on 23 December in India to remember the role of Indian farmers in the economy.

The day is observed to mark the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh. He brought farmer-friendly policies and worked towards the welfare of the farmers. He was the fifth Prime Minister of India and served the country as Prime Minister from 28 July 1979 to 14 January 1980.

National News

Dharmendra Pradhan dedicates Bengal’s 1st oil and gas reserve ‘Bengal Basin’

Union Petroleum & Natural Gas Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan has dedicated West Bengal’s first oil and gas reserve, ‘Bengal Basin’, to the nation.

The Bengal Basin is explored and owned by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). It is the eight producing basins of India by ONGC.

The others are Krishna-Godavari (KG), Mumbai Offshore, Assam Shelf, Rajasthan, Cauvery, Assam-Arakan Fold Belt and Cambay.

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Limited commenced the production of crude oil from the Asokenagar-1 well, Bengal Basin in 24 Paragana district of the state on 20 December 2020.

Useful notes for all competitive exams:

Chief Minister of West Bengal: Mamata Banerjee; Governor: Jagdeep Dhankhar.

PM Modi to launch ‘SEHAT’, Health Insurance Scheme for J&K

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch ‘SEHAT’ – Health Insurance Scheme for the entire Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on 26th December.

This scheme will cover the remaining One crore population which was not covered under Ayushman Bharat Scheme. Under Ayushman Bharat PM Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), eligible beneficiaries were covered under Health Cover of Rs 5 Lakh.

Under PMJAY scheme, 30 lakh people are being covered in J&K. With the launch of ‘SEHAT’ Scheme by the Prime Minister on December 26, J&K will be among the first in the country to achieve Universal Health Coverage.

Programmes will be organized across the UT and the distribution of Golden cards will be started on the same day. Around 16 Lakh registrations have been done as on date and the registrations for the rest of the beneficiaries is underway.

Useful notes for all competitive exams:

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor: Manoj Sinha.

GoI notifies new “Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020”

The Union Power Ministry, R. K. Singh has framed the new ‘Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020.

These rules shall empower the consumers of electricity and added that these Rules emanate from the conviction that the power systems exist to serve the consumers and the consumers have rights to get the reliable services and quality electricity.

These rules provide for Rights of consumers and Obligations of Distribution licensees. The distribution licensee shall supply 24×7 power to all consumers.

However, the commission may specify lower hours of supply for some categories of consumers like agriculture.

Appointments News

Vineet Agarwal takes over as new Assocham President

Managing Director of logistics major Transport Corporation of India Limited, Vineet Agarwal has taken over as the new President of The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).

He replaces Niranjan Hiranandani, Co-Founder and MD, Hiranandani Group of Companies. Sumant Sinha, Chairman and Managing Director of ReNew Power, is the new Senior Vice-President of Assocham.

Useful notes for all competitive exams:

Assocham Headquarters: New Delhi;
Assocham Founded: 1920.

Satyendra Garg assumes Andaman and Nicobar DGP charge

Senior IPS officer, Satyendra Garg has assumed Andaman and Nicobar DGP charge. Garg, a 1987-batch IPS officer was posted as joint secretary in the Union home ministry.

He was handing the North East division in the home ministry as a joint secretary before being repatriated to his cadre.

Schemes and Committees

Amit Shah to lead the panel on Netaji’s 125th birth anniversary event

The Union Government has decided to constitute a High-Level Committee (HLC) to commemorate the 125th Birth Anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. The High-Level Committee will be headed by the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah.

This HLC will decide on the activities for a one-year-long commemoration beginning 23 January 2021, as a tribute and mark of gratitude to the contribution made by Netaji in India’s freedom struggle.

The other members of the High-Level Commemoration Committee will include experts, historians, authors, family members of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, as well as eminent persons associated with Azad Hind Fauj/INA.

Banking News

ICICI Bank launches online portal ‘Infinite India’

ICICI Bank has launched an online platform ‘Infinite India’ to support foreign companies to establish or expand business in India.

The one-stop portal will offer banking solutions as well as value-added services such as the incorporation of a business entity, corporate filings, licences and registrations, HR services, compliances and taxation among others.

Through this initiative, ICICI bank aims to strengthen its position in the multinational corporations (MNC) segment. The initiative is part of our strategy to further strengthen our technology-enabled offerings aimed to partner with foreign companies coming to India.

Useful notes for all competitive exams:

ICICI Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
ICICI Bank MD & CEO: Sandeep Bakhshi.
ICICI Bank Tagline: Hum Hai Na, Khayal Apka.

BoB signs MoU with defence forces named “Baroda Military Salary package”

Bank of Baroda (BoB) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard under which the bank would offer customised services along with a host of facilities to account holders.

The bank has also renewed its existing MoU with the Indian Army to offer specially customised banking services through ”Baroda Military Salary Package”.

Services under ”Baroda Military Salary Package will be offered to serving and retired personnel of Indian Armed Forces through the Bank”s network of over 8,200 domestic branches and around 20,000 business correspondent touchpoints.

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.

Summits and Conferences

12th GRIHA Summit of TERI Concludes

The 12th GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) Summit was held virtually. It was inaugurated by Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu virtually.

The Summit provides a platform to deliberate on innovative technologies and solutions to help in creating robust mechanisms for developing sustainable and resilient solutions for the benefit of the entire community.

The theme of the Summit was “Rejuvenating Resilient Habitats”. It is the annual flagship event organized by GRIHA Council in association with ‘key stakeholders in the construction industry’ to discuss and deliberate on the furtherance of Sustainable Habitat Development in India.

India-Vietnam Leaders’ Virtual Summit 2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, jointly addressed the India-Vietnam Virtual Summit, via video conferencing.

During the Summit, a ‘Joint Vision for Peace, Prosperity and People’ document was adopted to guide the future development of the India-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Both leaders agreed to support each other’s national development priorities and work together towards the shared objective of a peaceful, stable, secure, free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.

India and Vietnam signed seven agreements during the virtual summit in areas such as defence, scientific research, renewable energy, nuclear energy, petro-chemicals, and cancer treatment.

PM Narendra Modi addresses 6th Indo-Japan SAMVAD Conference

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has addressed the sixth edition of the India-Japan SAMVAD conference 2020, via virtual conferencing.

The purpose of this Samvad Conference is to discuss the need to build the future of Asia on the positive influence of traditions of non-violence and democracy in Asia.

During the conference, the PM proposed to create a library of traditional Buddhist literature and scriptures in India. This library will collect digital copies of Buddhist literature from across different parts of the world. The library will then translate these works and make them available for all scholars and monks of Buddhism.

Agreements News

ADB announces Rs 2100 crore loan to Tripura

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced to provide Rs 2,100 crore loan to the Tripura government for the development of urban areas and tourism in the northeastern state.

From the total fund of Rs 2,100 crore, Rs 1600 crore will be for urban development and Rs 500 crore for the tourism sector.

Under this, all 20 urban local bodies in Tripura would be covered and in the tourism sector, all tourism destinations, roads leading to them and tourist facilities would be covered.

Useful notes for all competitive exams:

President of ADB: Masatsugu Asakawa; Headquarters: Manila, Philippines.
ADB Established: 9 December 1966.

UN Women and Kerala govt tie-up for India’s 1st Gender Data Hub

The UN Women and Kerala government have collaborated to establish India’s first Gender Data Hub. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in this regard in the presence of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Three key areas of co-operation, as specified in the MoU, will be setting up the Gender Data Centre at The Gender Park, launching the second edition of the International Conference on Gender Equality, and increasing engagement on the global normative frameworks on gender equality and empowerment of women.

Useful notes for all competitive exams:

Chief Minister of Kerala: Pinarayi Vijayan; Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan.

Central Bank of India ties up with NPCI to launch ‘RuPay Select’

The Central Bank of India has launched a unique variant of a contactless debit card under the name ‘RuPay Select’, in association with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

Central Bank RuPay Select Debit cardholders will be able to avail complimentary membership and concessional access to golf courses, gyms, spas and restaurants.

Apart from this, the cardholders would also be entitled to discounted health check-ups with this National Common Mobility Debit Card (NCMC).

Useful notes for all competitive exams:

National Payments Corporation of India MD & CEO: Dilip Asbe.
National Payments Corporation of India Headquarters: Mumbai.
National Payments Corporation of India Founded: 2008.
Central Bank of India Headquarters: Mumbai.
Central Bank of India CEO: Pallav Mohapatra.
Central Bank of India Founded: 21 December 1911.

Ranks and Reports News

Prakash Javadekar releases ‘Status of Leopards in India 2018’ report

The Union environment minister, Prakash Javadekar has released a report titled the ‘Status of Leopard in India 2018’.

As per the report, the population of leopard in India has increased by 60 per cent in four years since 2014. India now has 12,852 leopards as per 2018 estimate, compared to the previous estimate of 7910 conducted in 2014.

The States of Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra recorded the highest leopard estimates at 3,421, 1,783, and 1,690 respectively.

Sports News

Sports Ministry permits 4 indigenous sports in Khelo India Youth Games 2021

The Sports Ministry has approved the inclusion of four indigenous Games to be a part of Khelo India Youth Games 2021, which is scheduled to be held in Haryana.

The four new games are, Gatka, Kalaripayattu, Thang-Ta and Mallakhamba.

The four selected games represent different parts of the country and will get national recognition with the help of the Khelo India Youth Games 2021.

Indian Boxers bag 3 Gold at Cologne Boxing World Cup

Indian boxers have bagged 9 medals including three gold, two silver and four bronze at the Cologne Boxing World Cup 2020, held in Cologne, Germany.

India finished 2nd in the overall Medals List, Germany topped the list with 16 medals. The Cologne Boxing World 2020 was hosted by the European Boxing Confederation (EUBC).

Gold: The three gold medals for India were bagged by Amit Panghal (52kg), Manisha Moun (57kg) and Simranjit Kaur (60kg) in their respective categories.

Silver: Silver medals were claimed by Sakshi Choudhary (57kg) and Satish Kumar (91kg).

Bronze: Sonia Lather (57kg), Pooja Rani (75kg) Gaurav Solanki (57kg) and Mohamed Hussamudin (57kg) claimed the bronze medal in their respective categories.

Useful notes for all competitive exams: