Daily GK Updates – 31st Dec, 2020

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India’s 1st hot air balloon wildlife safari launched in Madhya Pradesh: India’s first hot air balloon wildlife safari in a tiger reserve was launched in the world-famous Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve by Madhya Pradesh forest minister Vijay Shah. Now like Africa’s forests, tourists in India will also enjoy hot air balloon wildlife safari. The state was planning to introduce this service in Pench, Kanha and Panna tiger reserves as well. The activity will be restricted to the buffer area and people can watch tigers, leopards, Indian sloth bear and other wild animals from a height. It is the first in any tiger reserve in the country. The service is being operated by Jaipur-based Sky Waltz and company.

Note: Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh: Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Governor: Anandiben Patel.

 

2. Harsh Vardhan launches India’s 1st indigenous pneumonia vaccine ‘Pneumosil’: The Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan launched India’s first indigenously developed vaccine against pneumonia. The Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) named ‘Pneumosil’ has been developed by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and PATH, an international, nonprofit global health organization based in Seattle.

About the vaccine: The vaccine will provide protection against 10 variants of pneumococcus bacteria that causes pneumonia, meningitis, ear, and blood infections in children. Pneumococcal disease is the largest contributor to under-five mortality rate worldwide.

Note: Serum Institute of India CEO: Adar Poonawalla; Serum Institute of IndiaFounder: Cyrus S. Poonawalla; Serum Institute of IndiaFounded: 1966; Serum Institute of India Headquarters location: Pune.

 

3. Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways extends validity of Vehicular documents like DLs, RCs, and Permits etc till 31 March 2021: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has further extended the validity of vehicular documents like DLs, RCs, Permits, etc. till March 31, 2021, keeping in mind the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier, the ministry had extended the validity of documents, related to Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, like Fitness Permit (all types), License, Registration or any other concerned document(s), till 31st December 2020. Taking into consideration the need to prevent the spread of COVID-19, these documents would now be valid till 31 March 2021. It would cover all documents whose validity has expired since February 01, 2020 or would expire by March 31, 2021.

 

4. Kerala’s Arya Rajendran becomes India’s youngest mayor from Thiruvananthapuram: The 21-year-old college student, Arya Rajendran has been elected the new mayor of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, of Kerala. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader, Arya is the youngest person in India to occupy the post of mayor anywhere in the country. Arya won 54 votes out of 99 votes cast in the civic body polls in Kerala. She is also the state president of Balasangam, the children’s wing of the CPI(M). Arya is a second-year student of Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in Mathematics at the All Saints College.

 

5. India adds Tso Kar Wetland Complex in Ladakh as its 42nd Ramsar site: India has added Tso Kar Wetland Complex in Ladakh as its 42nd Ramsar site, which is a second one in the Union Territory of Ladakh. The Tso Kar Basin is a high-altitude wetland complex, consisting of two principal waterbodies, Startsapuk Tso, a freshwater lake of about 438 hectares to the south, and Tso Kar itself, a hypersaline lake of 1800 hectares to the north, situated in the Changthang region of Ladakh. The Tso Kar Basin is an A1 Category Important Bird Area as per Bird Life International and a key staging site in the Central Asian Flyway. The site is also one of the most important breeding areas of the Black-necked Crane in India.

 

6. Andhra CM Jagan launches housing programme ‘Pedalandariki Illu’: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched the flagship programme of Navaratnalu ‘Pedalandariki Illu,’ (housing for poor) at Komaragiri layout of Pithapuram Assembly constituency in East Godavari district. The scheme is expected to provide low-cost housing for an estimated 30.6 lakh people in Andhra Pradesh. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy hoped the housing project will help generate jobs in the construction sector and will be a boost for the state economy.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. China Launches Remote Sensing Satellite ‘Yoagan-33’: China has successfully launched a new remote sensing satellite into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China. The satellite, Yaogan-33, was launched aboard a Long March-4C rocket and entered the planned orbit successfully. It was the 357th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series, the report said. The mission also sent a micro and nano technology experiment satellite into orbit. The two satellites will be used for scientific experiments, land resources survey, crop yield estimation and disaster prevention and reduction.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. AU Small Finance, ICICI Pru Life tie up to offer life insurance solutions: AU Small Finance Bank has announced a strategic partnership with ICICI Prudential Life Insurance to offer life insurance solutions. The tie-up aims to deliver “paperless, secure, and hassle-free life insurance”. Through the corporate agency arrangement, over 18 lakh customers of AU Bank across over 700 banking touchpoints in 13 states and 2 Union territories, will have easy access to the entire suite of customer-centric protection and long-term savings products of ICICI Prudential Life. AU Bank even claimed that these products will enable customers to provide financial security to themselves and their families and help them achieve their financial goals.

Note: AU Bank HQ: Jaipur; AU Bank MD & CEO: Sanjay Agarwal.

 

2. ICICI Bank and Google Pay collaborate to bring digital registration of FASTag: ICICI Bank has announced that it is collaborating with Google to issue FASTag. It has become the first bank to join hands with Google Pay for the issuance of FASTag. Customers will now be able to order, track and recharge ICICI Bank FASTag via the Google Pay app. Currently, Google Pay users could recharge their FASTag on the app, but purchasing one directly from the Google app was not possible.

About the agreement: The new partnership will now allow users to conveniently order, track, and recharge ICICI Bank FASTags from the app itself. The government has made January 1, 2021, as the new date for mandatorily adding FASTags to vehicles. The announcement makes ICICI Bank the first bank to join hands with Google Pay for the issuance of FASTag. This will also add competition for Paytm, which currently issues FASTags from the app as well and is quite a popular choice for many customers. The association gains prominence during the widespread pandemic as this allows any Google Pay user to order and receive FASTag in a seamless and contact-less manner.

Note: CEO of Google: Sundar Pichai; Headquarters: California, United States.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Gross NPAs of Banks May Rise to 10.1-10.6% by March 2021: ICRA: Banks’ gross non-performing assets (NPAs) and net NPAs are expected to rise to 10.1-10.6 per cent and 3.1-3.2 per cent, respectively from 7.9 per cent and 2.2 per cent, respectively by March 2021, Icra said. The agency also expects net NPA to decline to 2.4-2.6 per cent by March 2022. It, however, said net NPAs and credit provisions will subsequently trend lower in 2021-22 as banks have reported strong collections on their loan portfolio with most of them reporting collections of over 90 per cent. The report further said the loan restructuring requests are much lower than previously estimated, supported by sharper than expected improvement in economic activities as well liquidity support through the government’s emergency credit line guarantee scheme.

 

2. Maintaining 4% Inflation Appropriate for India, Says RBI Paper: Maintaining 4 per cent inflation is appropriate for India as targeting a lower rate could impart deflationary bias to the monetary policy, said a Reserve Bank paper. Under the current dispensation, the RBI has been mandated by the government to maintain retail inflation at 4 per cent with a margin of 2 per cent on either side. The paper, authored by RBI Deputy Governor Michael Debabrata Patra and another official Harendra Kumar Behera, has found a steady decline in trend inflation to 4.1-4.3 per cent since 2014. A target set too below the trend imparts a deflationary bias to monetary policy because it will go into overkill relative to what the economy can intrinsically bear in order to achieve the target.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Hemant Kumar Pandey gets DRDO’s “Scientist of the Year” award: Senior scientist Hemant Kumar Pandey has been honoured with DRDO’s ”Scientist of the Year Award” for his contribution in developing several herbal medicines, including the popular drug Lukoskin meant for the treatment of leucoderma. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had recently facilitated the scientist at an event here with the prestigious award that comprises a certificate and cash prize of Rs 2 lakh. The scientist has developed six herbal drugs so far, Lukoskin used for treating leucoderma or Vitiligo, a condition in which white patches get developed on the skin, has been most widely appreciated and found huge acceptance in the market.

About Hemant Kumar Pandey: A recipient of several prestigious awards for his contribution in the field of herbal medicine, Pandey has been undertaking research at the Defence Research and Development Organisation”s (DRDO) lab Defence Institute of Bio-Energy Research (DIBER) at Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand for the past 25 years. Apart from Lukoskin, Pandey has developed drugs for the treatment of eczema and toothache as well as an anti-radiation cream, most of which are already being sold in the market following the transfer of technology (ToT).

Note: DRDO Chairman: Dr G. Satheesh Reddy; DRDO Headquarters: New Delhi.

 

2. Bihar wins Digital India award for transferring money in COVID time: The Chief Minister Secretariat of Bihar, the Disaster Management Department besides the National Informatics Centre (NIC) of the state have jointly been chosen as winners in the “pandemic category” Digital India Awards 2020. Bihar government’s initiative to transfer financial assistance directly to the accounts of beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic has made its departments winners of the Digital India Awards, instituted by the central government, this year for innovative steps in e-governance. More than 21 lakh stranded workers outside Bihar were provided financial assistance through the “Bihar Sahayata Mobile App”. The Digital India Awards, instituted under the aegis of the National Portal of India, serve the purpose of bringing to the fore innovative digital solutions and thereby inspiring emulation by all government entities.

Note: Chief Minister of Bihar: Nitish Kumar; Governor: Phagu Chauhan.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Former England cricketer Robin Jackman passes away: Former England and Surrey bowler Robin Jackman has died at the age of 75. Jackman played in four Tests and 15 one-day internationals for his country, while he took 1,402 wickets in a 399-game first-class career between 1966 and 1982. Following his retirement he became a successful commentator in South Africa.

 

2. Veteran Cinematographer Ishwar Bidri passes away: Veteran cinematographer Ishwar Bidri, best known for his work in popular 1990s films like Andaz Apna Apna and Border, died due to multiple health issues. He was 87. Ishwar Bidri is best known for his longstanding collaboration with filmmaker JP Dutta for whom he shot action dramas like Yateem, Hathyar, Batwara in the late 1980s and the 1998 war epic Border. Bidri also has movies such as Rajkumar Santoshi’s cult comedy Andaz Apna Apna (1994) and action thriller Ghatak (1996), and Andaaz, the 2003 romance musical directed by Raj Kanwar, to his credit.

Daily GK Updates – 30th Dec, 2020

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. PM Modi flagged off India’s first driverless train on Delhi Metro: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has flagged off the country’s first-ever fully-automated driverless train service on the Magenta Line of the Delhi Metro. Apart from this, PM also launched fully operational National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) on the Airport Express Line of Delhi Metro, to connect DMRC with the NCMC service.

About National Common Mobility Card: NCMC, also known as ‘One Nation One Card’, is an inter-operable transport card that allows the holders all in one service to pay for their travel, toll taxes, parking charges, retail shopping and even withdraw money.

 

2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags off 100th ‘Kisan Rail’: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has flagged off the 100th ‘Kisan Rail’ on 28th December 2020. The 100th run of the Kisan Rail was flagged off from Sangola in Maharashtra to Shalimar in West Bengal virtually. Kisan Rail is a mobile cold storage to move perishable things like fruits, vegetables, milk, fish, etc., with complete security. The first Kisan Rail was introduced from Devlali in Maharashtra to Danapur in Bihar on August 7, 2020, which was further extended up to Muzaffarpur. Currently, of only a handful of trains plying across the India connecting states like Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Nagpur, there are nine Kisan Rail running on nine routes.

 

3. PM to inaugurate ‘New Bhaupur- New Khurja section’ of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC): ‘New Bhaupur- New Khurja section’ of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) inaugurated by the PM Narendra Modi on 29th December, 2020 at 11 AM through video conferencing. During the event, Prime Minister also inaugurate EDFC’s Operation Control Centre (OCC) at Prayagraj. On the occasion, Governor of Uttar Pradesh Shrimati Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Shri Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal are present.

About New Bhaupur- New Khurja section of EDFC: New Bhaupur- New Khurja section of EDFC is 351 km and situated in Uttar Pradesh. It is built at a cost of Rs 5,750 crores. The section will open new vistas of opportunity for the local industries such as aluminium industry (Pukhrayan region of Kanpur Dehat district), dairy sector (Auraiya district), textile production/block printing (Etawah district), glassware industry (Firozabad district), pottery products (Khurja of Bulandshahr district), asafoetida or ‘hing’ production (Hathras district) and locks and hardware (Aligarh district).

About Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC): The EDFC is 1856 route km and starts from Sahnewal near Ludhiana (Punjab). It will pass through the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand to terminate at Dankuni in West Bengal. It is being constructed by Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) that has been set up as a special purpose vehicle to build and operate Dedicated Freight Corridors. DFCCIL is also constructing the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (1504 route km) that connects Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai and will traverse through the states of UP, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

 

4. Skyroot Aerospace successfully test fire solid-fueled rocket engine: Indian Space startup, Skyroot Aerospace has successfully test-fired a solid propulsion rocket engine, named Kalam-5. With this, it has become the first private company of India to successfully design, develop and test a full solid-fueled rocket stage. This crucial propulsion technology will be used for their maiden rocket Vikram-1, which is under active manufacturing and is targeted to be launched in December 2021 with the help of ISRO.

About Kalam: Kalam is a series of five solid-fueled rocket engines with a thrust ranging from 5kN to 1000kN (approx 100Tons).  The remaining four motors are in various stages of manufacturing and will be tested in 2021.

Note: Founder and CEO of Skyroot Aerospace: Pawan Kumar Chandana; Skyroot Aerospace Founded: 12 June 2018; Skyroot Aerospace Headquarters location: Hyderabad.

 

5. Union Minister Shripad Naik Releases book “Sutranivednachi sutra- ek anbav”: Union Minister of State (I/C) for AYUSH and Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik released a Konkani book “Sutranivednachi sutra- ek anbav”, by Dr Roopa Chari on 26 December, 2020. It is published by Sanjana Publications. Dr. Roopa Chari is a well-known personality in the field of Compering in Goa. Essence of the book: This book will help aspiring youngsters, who wish to make a career in this field. This is the spontaneous art; you don’t nurture it by having any classes. With proper study, you always have to be vigilant, as compere is the link between the audience and the speaker.

 

6. Firefly bird diverters launched to protect Great Indian Bustard: The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) along with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) India has come up with a unique initiative- a “firefly bird diverter” for overhead power lines in areas where Great Indian Bustard (GIB) populations are found in the wild. GIB is one of the most critically threatened species in India, with less than 150 birds left in the wild. Firefly bird diverters are flaps installed on power lines. They work as reflectors for bird species like the GIB. Birds can spot them from a distance of about 50 meters and change their path of flight to avoid collision with power lines. Smaller birds can change their direction [swiftly] but for larger bird species, it is difficult because their body weight and other factors.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. US plan to set up a Nuclear Reactor on Moon: USA’s plan to set up the first nuclear reactor on the moon by the end of 2026. In early 2021, the US Department of Energy in collaboration with NASA intends to solicit industry design proposals. It also got an impetus with a recent White House directive. The outgoing President Donald Trump issued the “National Strategy for Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion” on 16 December. Under it, he asked Nasa to “initiate fission surface power project for lunar surface demonstration by 2027 with scalability to a power range of 40 kilowatt-electric and higher to support a sustained lunar presence and exploration of Mars”.

The objective of NASA behind this was to establish a flight hardware system that is ready for integrating with the lunar lander by 2026 end. The nuclear reactor is known as the fission power system that will benefit future robotic and human expedition missions to the moon as well as Mars. The availability of safe, efficient, and readily available power is critical to these missions and a fission surface power system meets those requirements. The fission surface power system will be fully manufactured and assembled on earth and integrated on a lander as a payload. The system consists of four major subsystems including a nuclear reactor which is an electric power conversion unit, heat rejection array, and power management and distribution subsystem and will be designed to operate for up to 10 years.

 

2. International Day of Epidemic Preparedness: 27th December: The first-ever International Day of Epidemic Preparedness was held on 27 December 2020. The day has been officially set up by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to highlight the importance of the prevention of, preparedness for and partnership against epidemics. Various education and awareness-raising activities will be undertaken by member States, organizations of the United Nations system and other global organizations in order to prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease outbreaks.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Anshu Malik wins silver at Individual Wrestling World Cup in Serbia: Indian wrestler, Anshu Malik has become the first wrestler of the country to finish on the podium position at the Individual Wrestling World Cup in Belgrade, Serbia. The 19-year-old won a silver medal in the women’s 57kg category to claim first international medal of the tournament for the country. She lost to Moldova’s Anastasia Nichita 5-1 in the final.

 

2. BWF bans Russian badminton player Nikita Khakimov for 5 years: The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has imposed a 5-year ban on Russian shuttler Nikita Khakimov for charges of “betting, wagering and irregular match results. Khakimov was part of the Russian men’s team that won the bronze medal at the 2020 European Team Championships. The 32-year-old Khakimov was found to breach BWF’s integrity regulations, including approaching a player and offering money to manipulate a match, betting on badminton games and deliberately destroying evidence of a corruption offence to conceal from the BWF.

Note: Badminton World Federation Headquarters: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Badminton World Federation Founded: 5 July 1934; Badminton World Federation President: Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Govt Shells out Rs 22,087 Crore as Interest towards Recapitalisation Bonds for Banks: The government has spent Rs 22,086.54 crore as interest payment towards the recapitalisation bonds for the public sector banks (PSB) in the last two financial years. During 2018-19, the government paid Rs 5,800.55 crore as interest on such bonds issued to public sector banks for pumping in capital so that they could meet the regulatory norms under the Basel-III guidelines. In the subsequent year, according to official document, the interest payment by the government surged three times to Rs 16,285.99 crore to PSBs as they have been holding these papers.

 

2. Punjab National Bank introduces PNB e-Credit Card: Nation’s leading public sector bank, Punjab National Bank (PNB), introduced PNB e-Credit Card, a digital replica of a physical Credit Card. It will allow PNB customers to use PNB e-credit card at any e-commerce platform or merchant website, without the need of carrying the physical card. Customers can view PNB e-Credit Cards details by clicking on e-Credit Card facility in PNB Genie Mobile app. Existing PNB customers will need to update their PNB Genie with the latest app available on Google play store and Apple’s app store to use the new feature.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. India-Vietnamese Navy conducts PASSEX-2020 in South China Sea: The Indian Navy and Vietnamese Navy undertook the naval passage exercise PASSEX in the South China Sea. The two-day exercise was conducted s part of efforts to boost maritime cooperation between the two countries. The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kiltan took part in the exercise. INS Kiltan, reached Vietnam’s Nha Rong Port in Ho Chi Minh City, carrying humanitarian assistance to deliver 15 tonnes of relief material for flood-affected people under Mission Sagar-III. This mission of INS Kiltan is part of India’s Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) assistance to Friendly Foreign Countries during the ongoing pandemic.

Note: Prime Minister of Vietnam: Nguyen Xuan Phuc; Vietnam Capital: Hanoi; Vietnam Currency: Vietnamese dong.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Veteran Dance Historian Sunil Kothari passes away: Padma Shri awardee dance historian and critic, Sunil Kothari has passed away. He was qualified as a Chartered Accountant, before turning to the study of Indian dance forms. He authored more than 20 books on the subject of Indian dance forms. The noted dance scholar Kothari received numerous titles and awards for his contribution to Indian dance forms. Some of them include the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1995); the Padma Shri bestowed by the Government of India (2001); and the Life Time Achievement Award of the Dance Critics Association, New York, USA (2011).

 

2. Former WWE Wrestler ‘Luke Harper’ passes away: Former professional wrestler Jon Huber, who was popularly known by his ring name ‘Luke Harper’ in the WWE has passed away, due to a non-COVID-19 related lung illness. He wrestled under the names Luke Harper and Brodie Lee and performed for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as well as All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

Daily GK Updates – 29th Dec, 2020

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. UP launches P2P trading  platform for rooftop  solar power producers: Uttar Pradesh has become the first state to launch blockchain-enabled solar power trading in India and South Asia in a project led by India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF) with Australian technology company Power Ledger. Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) and the subsidiary Madhyanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (MVVNL) will host a pilot project involving peer-to-peer (P2P) trading of energy generated from solar rooftop systems installed on buildings in Lucknow. India Smart Grid Forum along with two other organisations will execute the project. The P2P trading platform’s first 12 participants would comprise nine customers with rooftop solar systems (prosumers) and three customers without rooftop solar systems (net buyers).

 

2. Mega leather park with Rs 5,850 cr investment to come up in UP’s Kanpur: A mega leather park will come up in Ramaipur village of Kanpur with an investment of Rs 5,850 crores. With the mega leather cluster at Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh will become the first state in the country to establish a leather park. The park which is part of the mega leather cluster project is likely to create 50,000 jobs. The mega leather cluster project will attract an investment of about Rs 13,000 crores. The leather park will be equipped with an effluent treatment plant to keep a check on pollution.

 

3. Rajasthan govt signs MoU with IIT-Madras for tech solution to road safety: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and Rajasthan government have signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create a data-driven system approach to road safety. The objective of this collaboration is to enhance road safety measures, increase capacity and capability across the board in the Government to both increase the survivability of road accident victims and reduce occurrence rate in the State.

 

4. FASTag to Be Mandatory for All Vehicles from January 1: FASTags will be mandatory for vehicles from January 1, 2021, Union minister Nitin Gakdari said. For National Permit vehicles, the fitment of FASTag was mandated since October 1, 2019. A valid FASTag would be made compulsory for getting a new third party insurance. This would come into force from April 1, 2021. FASTags, which facilitate electronic payment of fee at toll plazas, was introduced in 2016. Making the tags compulsory would also help in ensuring that vehicles pass seamlessly through the toll plazas as fee payment would be done electronically.

 

5. ISRO to open Regional Academic Centre for Space at IIT BHU: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will establish a Regional Academic Centre for Space at IIT (BHU) to facilitate short and long term projects at the institute. ISRO and the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and the move can help propel the culture of research and development among students. Short-term projects for B-Tech and M-Tech students from the institute and associate institutes will also be included in this sequence. “Long term R&D projects leading to the PhD programme will also be offered.

 

6. A new book titled ‘Covid-19: Sabhyata ka Sankat aur Samadhan’ released: Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi’s new book titled ‘Covid-19: Sabhyata ka Sankat Aur Samadhan’ (Covid-19: Crisis of Civilisation and Solutions) was launched by former Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh. The Hindi book, published by Prabhat Prakashan. The new book discusses how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the common way of life while suggesting solutions to the ongoing crisis triggered by the disease. The book discusses how the pandemic has influenced the education system, business, politics, public safety, foreign policy, law, medicine, economy and development of countries.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Myanmar Navy formally commissions INS Sindhuvir submarine: The Myanmar Navy has officially inducted the submarine INS Sindhuvir, which was handed over by the Indian Navy to the country in October 2020. This is the first submarine in the Myanmar Navy’s arsenal. The submarine has been refurbished for the Myanmar Navy by state-run defence shipbuilder, Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) in Visakhapatnam.

About INS Sindhuvir: INS Sindhuvir was commissioned on 25th December 2020, which marked the 73rd anniversary of the Myanmar Navy. INS Sindhuvir has been renamed as UMS Minye Theinkhathu by the Myanmar Navy. This is the first submarine in the Myanmar Navy’s arsenal. It is a diesel-electric Kilo-class submarine, which was in operation in the Indian Navy since 1988.

Note: President of Myanmar: Win Myint; Myanmar Capital: Naypyitaw; Myanmar Currency: Kyat.

 

2. Florin Citu to be Romania’s next prime minister: Romanian lawmakers have approved a new center-right pro-Western coalition government headed by U.S.-educated banker Florin Citu, a former finance minister who has pledged to overcome the coronavirus crisis and the economic woes it has caused. Some 260 lawmakers in the freshly elected parliament voted in favor of approving Citu’s cabinet, with 186 against. Shortly after the vote, the new cabinet was sworn in by President Klaus Iohannis.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. MS Dhoni named captain of ICC Men’s ODI and T20I Teams of the Decade: The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the ICC Teams of the Decade based on the performances, consistency of players over the period of last 10 years. Former Indian captain and wicket-keeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been named as the captain of the ICC ODI Team of the Decade. Dhoni has also been named the skipper of the ICC T20I Team of the Decade. Similarly, Virat Kohli has been named the captain of the ICC Test Team of the Decade. Ravi Ashwin is the only other Indian in this list.

 

List of members in the Men’s team:

 

ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Decade:	ICC’s T20I Team of the Decade:	ICC’s Test Team of the Decade:
Rohit Sharma	Rohit Sharma	Alistair Cook
David Warner	Chris Gayle	David Warner
Virat Kohli	Aaron Finch	Kane Williamson
AB de Villiers	Virat Kohli	Virat Kohli (c)
Shakib Al-Hasan	AB de Villiers	Steve Smith
MS Dhoni (capt, wk)	Glenn Maxwell	Kumar Sangakkara(wk)
Ben Stokes	MS Dhoni (capt, wk)	Ben Stokes
Mitchell Starc	Kieron Pollard	Ravichandran Ashwin
Trent Boult	Rashid Khan	Dale Steyn
Imran Tahir	Jasprit Bumrah	Stuart Broad
Lasith Malinga	Lasith Malinga	James Anderson

 

List of members in the Women’s team:

 

ICC Women’s ODI Team of the Decade:	ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Decade:
Alyssa Healy	Alyssa Healy (Wicketkeeper)
Suzie Bates	Sophie Devine
Mithali Raj	Suzie Bates
Meg Lanning (Captain)	Meg Lanning (Captain)
Stafanie Taylor	Harmanpreet Kaur
Sarah Taylor (wk)	Stafanie Taylor
Ellyse Perry	Deandra Dottin
Dane van Niekerk	Ellyse Perry
Marizanne Kapp	Anya Shrubsole
Jhulan Goswami	Megan Schutt
Anisa Mohammed	Poonam Yadav

 

2. BCCI approves 10-team IPL from 2022: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) held its 89th Annual General Meeting in Ahmedabad. In the meeting it was decided that 10 teams will compete in Indian Premier League (IPL) from 2022 against present 8 teams. The 2021 season of IPL will be played with the regular 8 teams and bids will be invited for the addition of two new teams from the 2022 season. Apart from this, former cricketer Chetan Sharma has been appointed as the new chairman of selectors for national men’s cricket team by the Cricket Advisory Committee headed by Madan Lal.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Central Bank of India to exit housing finance business; to sell JV stake for Rs 160 crore: State-owned Central Bank of India will exit housing finance joint venture by selling its entire stake of over 64 per cent to Centrum Housing Finance for Rs 160 crore. According to a separate filing by Centrum Capital, the parent of Centrum Housing, the cost of acquisition is about Rs 160 crore on cash basis. Centrum Capital said the deal is expected to be closed in about two to three months.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. SBI Life Insurance acquires 8.99% stake in Paisalo Digital: SBI Life Insurance said it had acquired 8.99 per cent stake in Paisalo Digital. The transaction was for cash consideration of about ₹186.20 crore.  It has purchased 38 lakh equity shares of the company at ₹489.99 apiece, it further said, adding that the purchase was done in the normal course of business.

 

2. India becomes sixth country to manufacture high power electric locos indigenously: The Indian Railways has operationalised its first 12,000 hp electric locomotive manufactured locally by French rolling stock manufacturer Alstom. The locomotive made its maiden commercial run between Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Station to Shivpur. India has become the 6th country in the world to join the club of countries producing high horsepower locomotives indigenously with these powerful e-locos being manufactured within the nation. Two ultramodern maintenance depots in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur and Maharashtra’s Nagpur are also on the way.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. ICC Awards of the Decade 2020 announced: The winners of the prestigious ICC Awards of the Decade were announced on 28th December 2020. The ICC Awards of The Decade recognise the best players across Cricket over the past 10 years. List of Winners:

ICC Spirit of Cricket Award of the Decade: MS Dhoni (India)

ICC Men’s Awards:

Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade: Virat Kohli (India)

ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Decade: Virat Kohli (India)

ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Decade:  Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)

ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Decade: Steve Smith(Australia)

ICC Men’s Associate Cricketer of the Decade: Kyle Coetzer (Scotland)

ICC Women’s Award:

Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award for ICC Female Cricketer of the Decade: Ellyse Perry (Australia)

ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Decade: Ellyse Perry(Australia)

ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Decade: Ellyse Perry (Australia)

ICC Women’s Associate Cricketer of the Decade: Kathryn Bryce (Scotland)

Note: Chairman of ICC: Greg Barclay; CEO of ICC: Manu Sawhney; Headquarters of ICC: Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

 

OBITUARIES

 

Congress Leader Madan Lal Sharma Passes Away: Veteran Congress leader and former minister Madan Lal Sharma passed away at a private hospital in Katra. He was 68. He was first elected as MLA in1983 and again in 1987 from Chhamb consitituency on Congress mandat. He became minister in the NC-Congress coalition government in 1988. He was again elected from Akhnoor in 2002 and became a minister in the PDP-Congress government. Sharma was twice elected to the Lok Sabha from Jammu- Poonch seat in 2004 and 2009. However, he lost the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.