Daily GK Updates – 13th Dec, 2020

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Union Cabinet approves historic PM-WANI Scheme: The Union Cabinet has approved a scheme called the Prime Minister’s Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI), to improve wireless connectivity and pave the way for free wireless internet in public spaces across the country. The scheme will allow anyone, from an individual in a residential area to a Kirana shop owner to a tea shop vendor, to set up public Wi-Fi hotspot and deliver wifi services. It aims to promote the growth of public wi-fi networks in the country. PM-WANI scheme will be operated by the following players:

(1) Public Data Office (PDO): It will establish, maintain, and operate only WANI compliant Wi-Fi Access Points and deliver broadband services to subscribers. (tea shop, or Kirana shop, individual or any organisation.)

(2) Public Data Office Aggregator (PDOA): It will look after functions relating to Authorization and Accounting of PDOs.

(3) App Provider: It will develop an App to register users and discover WANI compliant Wi-Fi hotspots in the nearby area and display the same within the App for accessing the internet service.

(4) Central Registry: It will maintain the details of App Providers, PDOAs, and PDOs. To begin with, the Central Registry will be maintained by C-DoT.

Note: Minister of Electronics and Information Technology: Ravi Shankar Prasad

 

2. PM Narendra Modi addresses International Bharati Festival 2020 virtually: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has addressed the International Bharathi Festival 2020 through video conferencing. The festival was organised by Vanavil Cultural Centre in Chennai to celebrate the 138th birth anniversary of Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathi, an eminent writer, poet and journalist from Tamil Nadu. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also conferred the 2020 Bharathi Award to the noted writer Seeni Viswanathan, who is credited with compiling the voluminous works of Bharathi in chronological order. The Bharathi Award is conferred every year since 1994, to eminent persons who have done laudable service in any field of social relevance.

 

3. West Bengal CM announces ‘Swasthya Sathi’ health scheme: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee recently extended the Swasthya Sathi health insurance scheme to cover the entire population of the state. The scheme was launched by Banerjee in 2016. It is a basic health cover for secondary and tertiary care up to Rs five lakh per annum per family. It is quite popular among rural and economically deprived sections of the state’s population. Under the scheme, a smart card and is being issued in the name of a female family member.

 

4. Uday Shankar named FICCI President for 2020-21: Media executive Uday Shankar has been named as the president-elect of industry chamber Ficci for 2020-21. Shankar will be succeeding Sangita Reddy, president of Ficci and joint managing director, Apollo Hospitals Group, during Ficci’s 93rd annual general meeting. Presently Shankar is the president of The Walt Disney Company for Asia Pacific and the chairman of Star and Disney India.

 

5. Yogi launches Mera Covid Kendra in UP: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched COVID-19 testing centre detection app named the Mera Covid Kendra app which will help people get information about nearby testing labs.  ‘Mera COVID Kendra’ app which will help people in accessing public and private COVID testing labs available within 5 km of their location. All the data like map, centre timing, test type and other details of the testing labs are present in the map. This mobile application can be downloaded from Google Play Store.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Romanian PM Ludovic Orban resigns: The Prime Minister of Romania, Ludovic Orban has stepped down from his post after his ruling National Liberal Party (PNL) lost in 2020 parliamentary election. Following this, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis appointed the Minister of National Defense, Nicolae-Ionel Ciuca as the interim prime minister of the country.

Note: Romania Capital: Bucharest; Romania Currency: Romanian leu; Romania President: Klaus Iohannis.

 

2. World Economic Forum 2021 to be held in Singapore: The World Economic Forum (WEF) has decided to host its 2021 annual meeting in Singapore, which earlier was scheduled to take place in Lucerne-Burgenstock, Switzerland from 13-16 May 2021. The decision to shift the annual forum from Switzerland has been taken in view of the Covid-19 situation in Europe. This would be the second time since its inception in 1971 that the forum will be held outside Switzerland. In 2002, the forum was held in New York to show solidarity with the American people in the aftermath of 9/11. The meeting is generally held in Davos, Switzerland, but amid covid, the meeting was first shifted to Lucerne-Burgenstock, Switzerland in October 2020. Now again the venue has been shifted to Singapore. It would return to Davos, Switzerland, in 2022.

Note: World Economic Forum Headquarters: Cologny, Switzerland; World Economic Forum Founder: Klaus Schwab; World Economic Forum Founded: January 1971.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. IOC gives Olympic status to Breakdancing: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has registered ‘Breakdancing’ as the newest entry into Olympics and an official Olympic sport, with the aim to attract a new and younger audience. Breakdancing will be known as ‘Breaking’ in Olympics event. Breaking will make its Olympic Games debut at the 2024 Paris Games (2024 Summer Olympics). It must be remembered that three new sports, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing, will make their Olympic debuts at the Tokyo Games 2021 (earlier 2020 Summer Olympics).

Note: International Olympic Committee Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland; International Olympic Committee President: Thomas Bach; International Olympic Committee Founded: 23 June 1894 (Paris, France).

 

2. Bajrang Punia, Elavenil Valarivan bag Sportsperson of the Year awards: Indian athletes, Bajrang Punia (Freestyle-Wrestling) and Elavenil Valarivan (Shooting), bagged the top honours at the virtually held FICCI India Sports Awards 2020 on the back of the 10th Global Sports Summit. The two athletes, who have had an impressive 2019-20 season, won the Sportsperson of the Year awards in their respective categories. Here is the list of Winner in different Categories:

Award	Personality
Sportsperson of the Year (Female)	Elavenil Valarivan
Sportsperson of the Year (Male)	Bajrang Punia
Best State Promoting Sports Award	Madhya Pradesh
Best Company Promoting Sports (Private Sector)	Anil Kumble

About the award: The sports awards are an attempt by industry body, Federation of Indian Commerce and Industry (FICCI) to acknowledge and recognise the contribution of sportspersons and various stakeholders who deliver excellent results throughout the year.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. PayNearby partners NPCI and Yes Bank to launch retailer shopping card: PayNearby, India’s largest hyperlocal fintech startup has partnered with YES Bank and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to launch PayNearby Shopping Card, enabling its retail partners to derive maximum benefits of digital commerce in the mass market category. The new service will allow PayNearby retailers to avail a range of digital services in a secure, risk-free mode. The retailers can avail of services such as e-learning, e-commerce, online gaming, monthly recharges and utility payments, online music, and videos. The launch of the PayNearby shopping card is powered by RuPay and is targeted for enabling a mass-market adoption. This will likely allow for cash digitization options at the grass-root levels.

 

2. KVG Bank launches OD facility for farmers: The Dharwad-headquartered regional rural bank, Karnataka Vikas Grameen Bank (KVGB), has launched an overdraft (OD) facility for farmers. The farmers are provided with an OD facility based on the value of the land. The limit is capped to a maximum of ₹1.5 lakh per acre to irrigated lands and ₹1 lakh per acre to dry land. The facility can be used for working capital requirements such as maintenance of machinery and equipment, repair and replacement of machinery, agricultural allied activities and even for the repayment of private loans availed for personal use.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. ADB Projects GDP of India at -8% in 2020: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has projected India’s economy to contract 8 per cent in 2020, as against (-)9.0 per cent previously forecast. In its latest Asian Development Outlook report released on 10 December 2020, ADB also expects the GDP of India to bounce back with growth of 8.0 per cent in 2021.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Carolina Araujo awarded 2020 Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians: The year 2020 Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians was awarded to Dr Carolina Araujo, Mathematician from the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her work area focuses on birational geometry, which aims to classify and describe the structure of algebraic varieties. The prize is awarded annually to a researcher from a developing country funded by the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India in association with ICTP (International Centre for Theoretical Physics), and the International Mathematical Union (IMU) was given for her outstanding work in algebraic geometry.

About Carolina Araujo: Dr. Araujo, who is Vice President of the Committee for Women in Mathematics at the International Mathematical Union, is the first non-Indian women mathematician to receive this prize and will be a role model for all women around the world.

Note: International Mathematical Union President: Carlos Kenig; International Mathematical Union Headquarters location: Berlin, Germany; International Mathematical Union Parent organization: International Science Council; International Mathematical Union Founded: 1920.

 

2. Sonu Sood tops 50 Asian Celebrities in The World list 2020: Indian actor, Sonu Sood has topped the first-of-its-kind ’50 Asian Celebrities In The World’ 2020 list, published by UK based Eastern Eye newspaper. The 47-year-old talented Bollywood star has been honoured for his inspiring philanthropic work throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, especially helping migrant workers reach their hometowns. Sonu Sood beat global stars, including from Hollywood, the music industry, television, literature and social media, to be named the number one Asian celebrity on the planet for 2020. Canadian YouTuber, social media star, comedian and TV personality Lilly Singh came in second for her “pathbreaking journey, remarkable output and entertaining audiences most when they needed it”.

Other Indian celebrities in the list: Indian singer Armaan Malik came in fifth for his immense musical output that included barrier-breaking English language songs. Sixth-placed Priyanka Chopra Jonas remains the most famous Indian star in the world, while the rest of the top 10 includes pan-Indian star Prabhas (7).

About the top 50 list: The top 50 list is based on those who did good work, made a positive impact, broke boundaries, shattered glass ceilings, gave hope, did philanthropic deeds or were just inspiring in their own unique way.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. VSSC former director Dr S Ramakrishnan passes away: Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre’s former director S Ramakrishnan died in Thiruvananthapuram. He was 71. A recipient of Padma Shri in 2003, Ramakrishnan served as Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre director from June 2010 to December 2012 and as VSSC director from January 2013 to June 2014.He also served as Project Director of PSLV, GSLV Mk-III and Director (Projects). He had received ASI Award-1998, Dr. Biren Roy Award-1999 from Aeronautical Society of India, and ISRO Performance Excellence Award-2006. He held a masters degree in Aerospace Propulsion from IIT, Madras with first rank in the year 1972.