NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. PM
Modi Inaugurates virtual India Mobile Congress 2020: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
has inaugurated and addressed the virtual edition of the India Mobile Congress (IMC)
2020 on 8th December 2020 through video conference. The objective of IMC 2020
is to align with the Prime Minister’s vision to promote ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’,
‘Digital Inclusivity’, and ‘Sustainable development, entrepreneurship &
innovation’ and drive foreign and local investments, encourage R&D in the
telecom and emerging technology sectors. The theme for IMC 2020 is “Inclusive
Innovation – Smart, Secure, Sustainable”. The three-day event held from 8th to
10th December 2020. IMC 2020 has been organised by the Department of
Telecommunications, Government of India, and the Cellular Operators Association
of India (COAI).
2. NTPC
inks MoU with IIFM-Bhopal for Narmada Landscape Restoration Project: National Thermal Power
Corporation Limited (NTPC), a PSU under Ministry of Power, has signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Institute of Forest Management
(IIFM), Bhopal, for the implementation of Narmada Landscape Restoration Project
(NLRP). IIFM Bhopal is an Autonomous Institute under the Ministry of
Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
About the Narmada Landscape Restoration Project:
The NLRP Project involves a grant in aid from NTPC Ltd and United States Agency
for International Development (USAID) in equal proportions. IIFM-Bhopal will be
jointly implementing this project with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)
[Headquarter-Seoul, South Korea], an intergovernmental organization that
promotes sustainable and inclusive economic growth in emerging economies. IIFM
Bhopal will participate in the project with the grant-in-aid from NTPC, Ltd and
GGGI will participate with funding support from USAID.
Note: NTPC Founded: 1975; NTPC Headquarters: New
Delhi, India; Director of IIFM: Pankaj Srivastava.
3.
Gwalior, Orchha in UNESCO world heritage cities list: The historical fort cities of
Gwalior and Orchha in Madhya Pradesh have been included in the list of UNESCO’s
world heritage cities under its The World Heritage Cities Programme. Under the
plan, UNESCO will suggest best measures and resources for the development and
beautification of these places as per the UNESCO Historic Urban Landscape
recommendations. With this Inclusion, the total number of UNESCO World Heritage
Cities of India will increase to 40. The inclusion will lead to the beautification
of both cities by the MP Tourism Department in collaboration with UNESCO. In
this regard, UNESCO team will visit the state in 2021 and will prepare a master
plan for their development and conservation under the Historic Urban Landscape
recommendation. Chemical treatment of historic spots like Mansingh Palace,
Gujri Mahal and Sahastrabahu Temple will also be done so that art inscribed on
them will become more visible.
About Gwalior: The famous spots include Sun
Temple, Jal Vilas Palace, Memorial of Tansen, Tigra Dam, 15th-century Gujari
Mahal Palace among others.
About Orchha: The famous spots in the town are
Raj Mahal, Jehangir Mahal, Ramraja Temple, Rai Praveen Mahal, and Laxminarayan
Mandir.
Note: UNESCO World Heritage Centre Director:
Mechtild Rossler; UNESCO World Heritage Centre Headquarter: Paris, France.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. India Ranks 10th in the
Climate Change Performance Index 2021: India is
ranked at 10th place in the ‘Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2021’,
released on 7th December 2020. The overall score of India is 63.98. It is for
the second time in a row that India emerged among the top 10 countries with
higher climate performance from among 58 economies. India was at 9th spot last
year in the index.
Like CCPI
2020, the first three places in 2021 ranking also remains unoccupied, since
none of the countries is on the path compatible with the Paris climate targets,
to implement strategies to limit global warming below 2 or even 1.5°C. Sweden
(4th) United Kingdom (5th), Denmark (6th), Morocco (7th), Norway (8th), Chile
(9th) were among the top 10 rankers in the index. It was also noted that, from
the G20 countries, only the EU as a whole, along with the UK and India, ranked
among high performers.
2. World Human Rights Day: 10th December: Human Rights Day is celebrated on 10 December annually across the
world. This Day came into existence on December 10, 1948, when the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations. This day is
observed every year across the world, as it empowers us all. The day also
acknowledges the advocates and defenders of human rights around the world. This
year theme of Human Rights Day: Recover Better – Stand Up for Human Rights.
This year theme relates to the COVID-19 pandemic and focuses on the need to
build back better by ensuring Human Rights are central to recovery efforts.
About the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights: The UDHR is a milestone document that
proclaims the inalienable rights which everyone is entitled to as a human being
– regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other
opinions, national or social origin, property, birth or another status.
Available in more than 500 languages, it is the most translated document in the
world.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
Jehan Daruvala becomes first Indian to win F2 race: Jehan Daruvala created
history, as he became the first Indian to win a Formula 2 race at the 2020
Sakhir Grand Prix, Bahrain. This was the final race of the F2 season. The
Formula 2 Championship is a second-tier single-seater racing championship. The
22-year-old Jehan Daruvala is currently a member of the Red Bull Junior Team
and competes for Carlin Motorsport. His Japanese teammate, Yuki Tsunoda came
second while Britain’s Daniel Ticktum was in a third spot. Racing legend
Michael Schumacher’s son Mick Schumacher was crowned as the overall F2 champion
of the season.
2. Sri
Lanka to host Asia Cup in 2021: Sri Lanka will host the Asia Cup in June 2021
while Pakistan has earned the rights to host the tournament in 2022. As per the
original schedule, the tournament was supposed to be hosted by Pakistan in
2020, however, it got postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the event has
been moved forward to June 2021, with Sri Lanka Cricket taking the hosting
rights from PCB. As compensation, PCB has got the hosting rights for the 2022
edition.
3.
Sergio Perez wins Sakhir Grand Prix 2020: Sergio Perez (Mexico-Racing Point-BWT Mercedes),
won the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir,
Bahrain. Esteban Ocon (Renault-France) secured the second position, followed by
and Lance Stroll (Racing Point-BWT Mercedes-Canada) at third place. The race
was the maiden edition of the Sakhir Grand Prix and sixteenth race of the 2020
Formula One World Championship. This is the first Formula One win for Perez. He
is also the first Mexican Formula One driver to win a race since Pedro
Rodríguez won the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. ICICI Bank Launches
iMobile Pay to offer Payments: The private lender ICICI Bank has launched a new version of its mobile
payment app called iMobile Pay, to offer payment and banking services to
customers of any bank. The latest version of the app is interoperable and will
now allow payments and other banking services to even those customers who do
not hold an ICICI Bank account.
About “iMobile
Pay”: Using the app, the customers of other banks can link their bank account,
generate a UPI ID and start paying, shopping, transfer funds to any bank
account or to any other payment apps or digital wallets; or bill payments and
online recharges, among others.
It also offers
instant banking services such as savings account, investments, loans, credit
cards, gift cards, and travel cards, among others.
Note: ICICI Bank Headquarters: Mumbai,
Maharashtra; ICICI Bank MD & CEO: Sandeep Bakhshi; ICICI Bank Tagline: Hum Hai Na, Khayal Apka.
2. RBI increases limit for Processing of
e-mandates for recurring transactions on card transactions: The Reserve Bank of India has increased the limit for processing
e-mandates / standing instructions on cards and Prepaid Payment Instruments
(PPIs) and UPI for recurring transactions without the need of Additional Factor
of Authentication (AFA) from Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000. The new limit of Rs 5,000/-
per transaction will come into effect from January 1, 2021.
3. RBI enhances limit for Card transactions in
Contactless mode to Rs 5000: The Reserve
Bank of India has increased the limit allowed for Card transactions in
Contactless mode from Rs 2000 to Rs 5000 without the need of an Additional
Factor of Authentication (AFA). Transactions beyond this limit can be processed
in contactless mode, but with AFA like OTP. This will come into force from
January 01, 2021.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
Centre Launches QRMP scheme for GST payers: The Central Government has launched ‘Quarterly
Return filing & Monthly Payment of Taxes (QRMP)’ scheme for small taxpayers
under the GST system. Taxpayers with an aggregate annual turnover of up to Rs 5
crore in the preceding financial year and have filed their October GSTR-3B
(sales) return by November 30, 2020, are eligible for this scheme. The
notifications for the same were issued by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes
and Customs (CBIC).
About QRMP Scheme: Persons with aggregate
turnover up to Rs 5 crore would be allowed to furnish their GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B
returns on a quarterly basis, beginning January-March quarter of 2020-21.
Quarterly GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B can also be filed through an SMS. Taxpayers can
also make GST payments every month, through challan, with effect from January
1, 2021. This can be done either by self-assessment of monthly liability or 35%
of net cash liability of previous filed GSTR-3B of the quarter.
Note: CBIC Chairman: M. Ajit Kumar; CBIC Parent
Ministry: Ministry of Finance.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. ICAR
wins 2020 King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award: The Indian Council of
Agricultural Research (ICAR) has won the prestigious International King
Bhumibol World Soil Day Award for 2020. The award was presented annually by the
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The award was conferred to the ICAR on
the occasion of World Soil Day, on December 5. ICAR India will officially
receive the award by Her Royal Highness, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of
Thailand, during an event in Bangkok in January 2021.
ICAR has been conferred the award for its
commitment to raising awareness of the importance of healthy soils at the World
Soil Day celebration in 2019, which addressed soil erosion under the motto
“Stop soil erosion, save our future”. The programme was organised by
Bhopal-based Indian Institute of Soil Science, an autonomous institute for
higher learning, established under the umbrella of Indian Council of
Agricultural Research.
About the award: The King Bhumibol World Soil Day
Award was launched in 2018, to acknowledge individuals or institutions that
raise public awareness of soils by organising successful and influential World
Soil Day celebrations. The award is sponsored by the Kingdom of Thailand.
Note: Food and Agriculture Organization Head: Qu
Dongyu; Food and Agriculture Organization Headquarters: Rome, Italy; Food and
Agriculture Organization Established: 16 October 1945.
2. Raj
Kamal Jha wins Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize: Journalist-author, Raj Kamal
Jha has won the 3rd Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize for his novel, “The City
and The Sea”. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the winner of the $5,000 prize was
announced online in Copenhagen, Denmark. Jha’s book, which is based on the
December 2012 Nirbhaya rape and murder case, was chosen from ten shortlisted
books including Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island, Nirmala Govindarajan’s Taboo and
Ranjit Hoskote’s Jonahwhale.
Other winners: The Rabindranath Tagore Literary
Prize for Social Achievement 2020 was conferred to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos
bin Said Al Said, the late Sultan of Oman and The People of Oman and Renowned
Indian choreographer Sandip Soparrkar for his contribution to the betterment of
society through his initiative Dance for a Cause.
About the Prize: The Rabindranath Tagore Literary
Prize was founded in 2018 by US-based publisher Bundalo as a platform for world
peace, literature, art, education and human rights. Last year, the award also
recognises works towards human rights and world peace with the Social
Achievement Prize.
OBITUARIES
1. All
India Radio writer Madhukar Gangadhar passes away: Eminent Hindi writer, Madhukar
Gangadhar passed away. He was the lead storyteller of the new story movement.
He was an associate of Renuji in Patna Akashvani, director of All India Radio
in Allahabad & Deputy Director General at Delhi AIR. After serving for 39
years in All India Radio (AIR) he became an independent writer based in Delhi.
‘Motiyo Wale Hath’, ‘Hirna Ki Aankhen’ are some of his most well-known works.
Note: AIR since 1957 as Akashvani; it was established in 1936.
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