NATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami launched ‘Milk Price Incentive Scheme’: Chief Minister of
Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami has launched the ‘Milk Price Incentive Scheme‘
in Dehradun. The scheme is aimed to provide incentives benefiting around 53,000
people of Uttarakhand. The state government is targeting to spend INR 444.62
crore to open 500 milk sales centres in Uttarakhand. It is a Direct Bank
Transfer (DBT) scheme, the amount under the scheme would go directly into the
accounts of the beneficiaries through their linked bank accounts. In the
Dehradun district, milk production and consumption are completely
contradictory. On one hand, the government is making many attempts to enhance
milk production, all government claims of promoting products are proving to be
fictitious. Despite thousands of hours of labour, milk is not produced in
accordance with demand.
The government has been making various
attempts for enhancing milk production in the state, some of which include:
(1) Ganga Cow Scheme: Ganga cow scheme and
incentive amount of Rs.3-4 per litre of milk was also announced by the
government so that milk production could be promoted and consumption could be
met in time.
(2) Kamdhenu Scheme: The scheme was started
in Uttarakhand on the lines of UP.
Although there was a provision in Uttarakhand for a 25% subsidy for
general farmers and a 33% subsidy for SC-ST on loans up to Rs.6 lakh for dairy
under NABARD, farmers did not take advantage of it owing to a lack of
knowledge.
Note: Uttarakhand Capitals: Dehradun
(Winter), Gairsain (Summer); Uttarakhand Governor: Lt Gen Gurmit Singh; Uttarakhand Chief
minister: Pushkar Singh Dhami.
2.
Haiderpur wetland in Uttar Pradesh recognised as Ramsar Site: The Haiderpur
Wetland abutting the Madhya Ganga barrage, about 10 km from Bijnor in western
Uttar Pradesh, has been recognised under the 1971 Ramsar Convention on
Wetlands. Uttar Pradesh is now home to 9 Ramsar wetlands. The wetland has also
been identified under Namami Gange, a central flagship, as a model wetland
along the Ganga. With this, there are now a total of 47 such designated areas
in the country. The Site supports more than 25,000 waterbirds, serves as a
breeding site for the near-threatened Indian grassbird and provides refuge to
the northern subspecies population of the vulnerable swamp deer during its
seasonal flood-driven migration. The Site also regularly supports more than 1%
of the population of greylag goose and bar-headed goose.
3.
India Skills Report 2022 : Maharashtra Retains Top Position: The 9th edition of
India Skills Report (ISR) 2022, released by Wheebox, Maharashtra has retained
the top position in the list of states with the highest poll of employable talent
followed by Uttar Pradesh and Kerala. The theme of ISR 2022 – ‘Rebuilding and
Reengineering the Future of Work’. India
Skills Report is a full-fledged report about the future of work, education, and
skilling to match the talent demand and supply in a growing India. States
with Maximum Hiring Activity:
(1) Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu
are the 3 states that have a higher job demand.
(2) Pune is the city with the most highly
employable resources with 78% of the test takers scoring above 60 per cent.
Top 5 States with Highest Employability:
|
Rank |
State |
Employability % |
|
1 |
Maharashtra |
66.1 |
|
2 |
Uttar Pradesh |
65.2 |
|
3 |
Kerala |
64.2 |
|
4 |
West Bengal |
63.8 |
|
5 |
Karnataka |
59.3 |
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Olaf Scholz is sworn in as new German chancellor: German lawmakers
officially elected Social Democrat, Olaf Scholz as the new chancellor, putting
an end to 16 years of conservative rule under Angela Merkel. He will lead a
government composed of his Social Democrat Party, the business-friendly Free
Democrats and the Greens, a coalition of parties never tried before at the
federal level in Germany. The 63-year-old, Scholz previously served as
vice-chancellor and finance minister during the Merkel administration, was then
sworn in as Germany’s next chancellor. Olaf Scholz has achieved the necessary
majority of at least 369 votes. Based on article 63, paragraph 2 of the German
Constitution he is elected chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Note: Germany Capital: Berlin; Germany
Currency: Euro; Germany President: Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
2.
Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi sentenced to jail: Myanmar’s ousted
civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to four years imprisonment
after being found guilty on two charges, the first verdicts in a raft of criminal
cases that the country’s military has brought against her since seizing power
10 months ago. Ms Suu Kyi was convicted of charges of incitement and violating
pandemic rules. The 76-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate is facing a total of
11 charges which can bring in a maximum imprisonment of 102 years.
The court sentenced Suu Kyi to four
years in prison:
Suu Kyi has been found guilty on two charges — of inciting the public against
the military and breaching the Covid-19 protocols in the country. The
incitement charge stems from statements made on Facebook pages of Suu Kyi’s
party after she was detained by the military, following a coup that prevented
her from starting a second term in office.
Note: Myanmar Capital: Naypyitaw; Myanmar
Currency: Kyat.
3.
International Tea Day: 15th December: International Tea Day is observed every
year on December 15 in countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam,
Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Uganda, India, and Tanzania. It is the
second most used drink in the world after water. For some people, tea is an
integral part of life which adds rhythm. China is currently the largest
exporter of tea. According to a study conducted by the Tea Board of India in
2007, around 80 per cent of the total tea produced in India is consumed by the
domestic population.
International Tea Day 2021 History: The first ITD was
held in New Delhi in India in 2005. However, in 2015, the Indian government
proposed to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation to expand International
Tea Day across the world. The reason for the UN celebrating May 21 as
International Tea Day is that the season of tea production begins in May in
most of the tea-producing countries.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
Sanket Mahadev Sargar won gold in Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships
2021:
Sanket Mahadev Sargar won the gold medal in Men’s 55 kg snatch category at the
ongoing Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2021. He created the national
record by lifting 113kg in the men’s 55kg snatch category. Sargar has also
qualified for the upcoming 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
About the Commonwealth Weightlifting
Championships 2021: Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2021 is being held
in Tashkent along with World Weightlifting Championships 2021 from December 7
to 17. The Indian Contingent is participating in the Weightlifting
Championships as well as the Commonwealth Senior Championships.
2.
Manipur wins Senior Women’s National Football Championship: Manipur
successfully defended their Senior Women’s National Football Championship crown
after a dramatic penalty shootout win over Railways in the final at the EMS
Stadium in Kozhikode, Kerala. After a dearth of goal-scoring chances in
regulation and extra time, the match went to penalties with the scores at 0-0.
Manipur goalkeeper Okram Roshini Devi produced three saves to give her side
their 21st title at this level.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
Paytm Payments Bank receives scheduled bank status from RBI: Paytm Payments Bank
has been given the scheduled bank status by the Reserve Bank of India. The bank
has been included in the Second Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934
and the approval will help it to bring more financial services and products. The
bank supports 33.3 crore Paytm Wallets and enables consumers to make payments
at over 87,000 online merchants and 2.11 crore in-store merchants. With the
scheduled bank status:
(1) The bank can explore new business
opportunities, including participation in government and other large
corporations issued requests for proposals, primary auctions, fixed-rate and
variable rate repos, and reverse repos.
(2) Besides, it can participate in Marginal
Standing Facility and will be eligible to partner in government-run financial
inclusion schemes.
(3) The inclusion of Paytm Payments Bank in
the Second Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, will help us
innovate further and bring more financial services and products to the
underserved and unserved population in India.
Note: Chairman of Paytm Payments Bank Ltd:
Vijay Shekhar Sharma; MD and CEO of Paytm Payments Bank Ltd: Satish Kumar
Gupta; Paytm Payments Bank Ltd Headquarters: Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
2.
PayPhi launches tokenization service that supports RuPay cards: Phi Commerce’s API
(Application programming interface) first digital payments platform, PayPhi has
become the first certified tokenization service for NTS supporting tokenization
of RuPay cards. Tokenization of cards as an alternate to storing card details
with merchants. NPCI’s NTS platform enables PayPhi Tokenization service to
provide partner merchants and aggregators with TROF. Token Reference On File
(TROF) turns sensitive cardholder data into randomly generated 16 digit numbers
called “token” with no meaningful value if breached. On the lines of the
guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in September 2021
regarding tokenization of cards during online transactions, NPCI announced the
launch of the NPCI Tokenization System (NTS).
Note: NPCI Founded: 2008; NPCI
Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; NPCI MD & CEO: Dilip Asbe.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
Microsoft launched cybersecurity skills training programme in India: Microsoft has
launched a cybersecurity skilling program with the goal of training over 1 lakh
learners by 2022 to address the skills gap and prepare India’s workforce for a
career in cybersecurity. The program is meant to give students hands-on
experience with security, compliance, and identity fundamentals. About the
courses:
(1) Courses will be conducted by Microsoft
in collaboration with its strategic partners Cloud that, Koenig, RPS, and
Synergetics Learning.
(2) This tie-up is part of Microsoft’s
global skilling program, which aims to help 25 million individuals learn new
digital skills throughout the world.
(3) In India, almost 3 million individuals
have been trained through this project.
Note: Microsoft CEO and Chairman: Satya
Nadella; Microsoft Headquarters: Redmond, Washington, United States.
DEFENCE
1.
Ram Nath Kovind Presented ‘President’s Standard’ to Indian Navy Squadron: President of
India, Ram Nath Kovind has presented the ‘President’s Standard’ to the 22nd
Missile Vessel Squadron of the Indian Navy, which is also known as the Killer
Squadron at the ceremonial parade held at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai,
Maharashtra. To mark this occasion, the postal department has released a
special day cover and a commemorative stamp. The year 2021 also marks the 50
years of inception of the Missile Vessel Squadron, also known as Killers.
About 22nd Missile Vessel Squadron:
(1) The 22nd Missile Vessel Squadron
carried out ‘Operation Trident’ and bombed Pakistan’s Karachi Port during the
1971 Indo-Pak war.
(2) The squadron has also taken part in
several missions including Operation Vijay, Operation Parakram and also during
the heightened security state following the 2019 Pulwama attack.
(3) The squadron had received several
battle honours including 1 Maha Vir Chakra, 7 Vir chakras and 8 Nausena
Medals(Gallantry).
(4) 22nd Missile Vessel Squadron was
formally established in Mumbai, Maharashtra in October 1991 with 10 Veer Class
and 3 Prabal class missile boats.
President’s Standard: President’s Standard
is the highest honour bestowed by the President, the Supreme Commander, to a
Military unit in recognition of the Service rendered to the nation. President’s
Standard is the equivalent to that of President’s colours, but this is awarded
to relatively smaller military formations or units.
2.
DRDO test-fired air version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile: India successfully
test-fired the air version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the
integrated test range of Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha. The air version of
the missile was test-fired from supersonic fighter aircraft Sukhoi 30 MK-I.
BrahMos is a joint venture between DRDO (India) and NPO Mashinostroyeniya
(Russia) for the development, production, and marketing of the supersonic
cruise missile which has been inducted into the Indian Armed Forces. The
missile derives its name from the rivers of Brahmaputra in India and Moskva in
Russia.
Note: Chairman DRDO: Dr G Satheesh Reddy; DRDO Headquarters: New Delhi; DRDO Established: 1958.
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