Daily GK Update- 13th Dec, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. NITI Aayog launches ‘e-Sawaari India e-bus Coalition’: The National Institution of Transforming India (NITI) Aayog launched the ‘e-Sawaari India Electric Bus Coalition’ in partnership with Convergence Energy Service Ltd (CESL) and World Resources Institute, India (WRI India) and with the support from Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI). The objective of the initiative is to share knowledge of various stakeholders – Central & State Govt. agencies, transit service providers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), on accelerating the process towards seamless adoption of e-bus services in India. Through, e-Sawaari India Electric Bus Coalition, the central-, state-, and city-level government agencies, transit service providers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), financing institutions, and ancillary service providers will be able to share knowledge and their learnings on e-bus adoption in India.

Note: World Resources Institute, India CEO: O P Agarwal; World Resources Institute, India Establishment: 2011; World Resources Institute, India Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

 

2. Ken-Betwa River Interlinking Project approved by Cabinet: Ken-Betwa inter-linking of rivers project has been approved by the Union Cabinet, which is chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. At 2020-21 price levels, the overall cost of the Ken-Betwa link project has been estimated at Rs. 44,605 crore. The Union Cabinet has approved central support for the project in the amount of Rs. 39,317 crore, which includes a grant of Rs. 36,290 crore and a loan of Rs. 3,027 crore. About the project:

(1) The project will be implemented through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) known as the Ken-Betwa Link Project Authority (KBLPA).”

(2) The project includes the construction of the Daudhan dam across river Betwa from Ken and the transfer of water through a canal connecting the two rivers, Lower Orr project, Kotha barrage- and Bina complex multipurpose project.

(3) The project will irrigate 10.62 lakh hectares annually, provide drinking water to a population of 62 lakhs, and generate 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar power.

 

3. Bala Krishna Madhur’s autobiography titled ‘At Home In The Universe’ released: An autobiography titled ‘At Home In The Universe’ by Bala Krishna Madhur was released by R.C. Sinha, IAS (Rtd), advisor to the Ministry of Road Development in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The book is the autobiography of B K Madhur, a former Chief Executive Officer at DHFL Property Services Ltd, and one of the key personalities in establishing Dewan Housing. The book offers an inside view into the policy environment in the 1980s and 1990s in the Housing Finance Sector. The book consists of early life hardships, experiences and life lessons of the author.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. PM Modi holds India-Russia Summit 2021: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin held the 21st India-Russia Annual Summit to discuss the entire gamut of relations, including regional and global issues. During his visit, India and Russia signed 28 agreements. The leaders discussed on International North-South Transport Corridor and also about the Chennai – Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor (which is under the proposal). The visit of the Russian President is a reflection of the country’s commitment to its ties with India. This is in need of the moment. Because the ties between India and Russia were buffeted by New Delhi’s ties with the US. Also, Russia was getting closer with China on the back of US sanctions, CAATSA and its annexation of Crimea in 2014. About the Summit:

(1) The countries agreed to extend the military-technical cooperation by another ten years. Currently, the indigenous production under this cooperation includes T – 90 tanks, MiG 29K aircraft, Su – 30 MKI, upgrade of MiG and supply of Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher Smerch. Both India and Russia are currently developing fifth-generation Fighter Aircraft and Multi-Role Transport Aircraft.

(2) Reserve Bank of India and Bank of Russia signed a pact to respond to cyberattacks.

(3) The leaders agreed that both the countries share common perspectives on the situation in Afghanistan. They agreed to implement a bilateral roadmap created to act upon Afghanistan.

(4) The Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military-Technical Cooperation was held. This commission was established in 2000.

 

2. Asia Power Index 2021: India Ranked as Fourth: According to Lowy Institute Asia Power Index 2021, India has ranked 4th most powerful country in the Asia-Pacific region for comprehensive power out of 26 countries, with an overall score of 37.7 out of 100. India’s overall score declined by 2 points compared to 2020. India again falls short of the major power threshold in 2021. India is one of 18 countries in Asia to trend downward in its overall score in 2021.

The top 10 countries for overall power in the Asia-Pacific region are: (1) United States; (2) China; (3) Japan; (4) India; (5) Russia; (6) Australia; (7) South Korea; (8) Singapore; (9) Indonesia and (10) Thailand

Note: Lowy Institute Chairman of the Board: Frank Lowy AC; Lowy Institute Headquarters: Sydney, Australia.

 

3. UNICEF Day 2021: 11th December: Every year, UNICEF Day is observed on December 11 to raise awareness about saving children’s lives by defending and helping them to fulfil their wishes. The day provides assistance for the health, nutrition, education, and welfare of children during World War II. UNICEF’s name was subsequently changed from United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund to United Nations Children’s Fund though, it continued to be known by the popular acronym based on the previous title. The theme for this year is to help children recover from interruptions and learning losses experienced through pandemics in the last two years.

UNICEF Day 2021 History: The day was established after World War II to assist people who needed help and whose lives were at risk. Later in 1953, UNICEF became a permanent agency of the United Nations. In 1946, the United Nations General Assembly announced this day for United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Indian Shuttler PV Sindhu won Silver at BWF World Tour Finals 2021: Indian Shuttler and 2-time Olympic medalist Pusarla V Sindhu, world’s number 7, won the silver at the 2021 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals, officially known as the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2021. The reigning world champion PV Sindhu has won the BWF World Tour finals in 2018 and became the only Indian to achieve the feat.

HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2021 Winners:

 

Category	Winner	Runner-up
Women’s Singles title	An Se Young (South Korea)	PV Sindhu (India)
Men’s Single title	Viktor Axelsen (Denmark)	Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Thailand)
Men’s double Title	Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi (Japan)	Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo. (Indonesia)
Women’s Double Title	Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee-yong (South Korea)	Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida. (Japan)

 

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. City Union Bank & NPCI launched ‘On-the-Go’ wearable keychain: City Union Bank (CUB), in collaboration with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and its manufacturing partner Seshaasai, has announced the launch of RuPay On-the-Go contactless wearable keychain for its debit card customers. This contactless wearable keychain will be part of their daily lifestyle and enable customers to tap and make cashless payments securely. About the On-the-Go solution:

(1) This On-the-Go solution allows the bank’s customers to carry payment cards on their keychains, making for fast and convenient payments up to ₹5,000 at all Rupay-enabled point of sale devices (PoS) without entering a PIN.

(2) This would increase digital payment behaviour among customers, especially the younger generation and students, by enabling faster check out and less waiting in queue with features to set the spending limit, enable/disable usage through net banking, and CUB’s All-in-One mobile app.

Note: City Union Bank Headquarters: Kumbakonam; City Union Bank CEO: Dr. N. Kamakodi; City Union Bank Founded: 1904.

 

2. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank named Ittira Davis as MD & CEO: The Board of Directors of Ujjivan Small Finance Bank appointed Ittira Davis as the MD and CEO of the bank. Davis has been appointed as the MD and CEO for a period of 3 years from the date of approval of the RBI or such other period as may be approved by RBI. Davis was the MD and CEO of Ujjivan Financial Services Limited from July 2018 from where he resigned in 2021.

About the Ittira Davis: He was with the Europe Arab Bank from July 2008 to October 2012 initially as the Managing Director – Corporate and Institutional Banking and then as an Executive Director. Davis has also previously worked with Citibank in India and the Arab Bank Group in the Middle East and has been associated with Ujjivan since 2015. He played a pivotal role in its transition into a Small Finance Bank.

Note: Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Headquarters: Bengaluru; Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Founder: Samit Ghosh; Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Founded: 28 December 2004.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Paytm partnered with AWS to offer startup Toolkits for entrepreneurs: Paytm, a leading digital ecosystem for consumers and merchants has partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to offer Paytm Startup Toolkit with exclusive payment services to early-stage Indian startups. Paytm will help entrepreneurs to grow businesses with payment, distribution, and growth solutions who are operating in India in the AWS Activate.

About the Paytm Startup Toolkit: The Paytm Startup Toolkit is a single-stop platform that offers solutions in the domain of payments, payouts, banking and distribution with services including Paytm Payment Gateway, which helps businesses accept digital payments on their website, app; Paytm Payouts, which helps companies streamline their payments to employees, vendors, distributors and channel partners; and Paytm Payments Bank including nodal banking, which provides truly digital banking. Benefits of the toolkit:

(1) To help startups enhance brand visibility and grow their customer base, the Paytm Startup Toolkit also provides access to Paytm Mini Apps, which enables developers to set up low-cost, quick-to-build mini-apps which can be built using Open Source technologies like HTML and JavaScript.

(2) The Mini app store allows developers to integrate seamlessly with Paytm identity and payment services, and Paytm Ads, which offers flexible and cost-effective advertising solutions for brands where they can hand-pick their target audience and also find look-alike segments best suited for their campaigns.

Note: Paytm Founded: August 2010; Paytm Headquarters: Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India; Paytm CEO: Vijay Shekhar Sharma.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Nilmani Phookan Jr and Damodar Mauzo receive Jnanpith Award: Assamese poet Nilmani Phookan Jr won the 56th Jnanpith Award and Konkani novelist Damodar Mauzo won the 57th Jnanpith Award. The country’s highest literary award, the Jnanpith is bestowed on writers for “their outstanding contribution to literature”. Jnanpith Award is a literary award presented by the Bharatiya Jnanpith organization to Indian writers every year. This was instituted in 1961 and is given only to Indian writers who write in Indian languages and English.

About the Nilmani Phookan Jr: Phookan is a Sahitya Akademi and Padma Shri awardee. Based out of Guwahati, he is a poet of renown and has written Surya Henu Nami Ahe Ei Nodiyedi, Gulapi Jamur Lagna, and Kobita. Phookan was awarded the Padma Shri in 1990 and received the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 2002. Phookan is the third Assamese writer to have received the Jnanpith. The previous awardees were Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya in 1979 and Mamoni Raisom Goswami in 2000.

About the Damodar Mauzo: Mauzo is based out of Majorda, Goa, and has previously won the Sahitya Akademi Award. He is known for his novels, such as Karmelin, and Tsunami Simon, and short stories Teresa’s Man and Other Stories from Goa. This is the second Jnanpith Award for a Konkani writer— the first being Ravindra Kelekar in 2006.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Padma Shri awardee Nanda Kishore Prusty passes away: Padma Shri awardee who is a well-known teacher from Odisha, Nanda Kishore Prusty (Nanda Sir), passed away. On 9th November 2021, he was conferred with the Padma Shri award for his contributions in the field of education. He belonged to Kantira village in Jajpur district, Odisha. Nanda Kishore Prusty, a Class 7 pass out has dedicated several decades of his life in providing free education to children and adults in Jajpur and thus best known for his selfless dedication towards eradicating illiteracy in Odisha.