NATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Atal Innovation Mission Unveils Vernacular Innovation Programme: Niti Aayog’s Atal
Innovation Mission has unveiled Vernacular Innovation Programme, which will
enable innovators and entrepreneurs in India to have access to the innovation
ecosystem in 22 scheduled languages by the Centre. This will help in overcoming
the barriers of language & empower innovators. To get the program rolling,
AIM NITI Aayog is launching a train-the-trainer program where it will
collaborate with the Design Department of IIT Delhi to coach the VTF in design
thinking and entrepreneurship and the adaptation of these subjects in the 22
languages and cultures. Furthermore, industry mentors have joined hands to lend
design thinking expertise, and CSR sponsors have agreed to generously support
the program. Upon training the task force over the period of December 2021 to
April 2022, the ecosystem will be opened to vernacular innovators.
2.
Maharashtra launched Chalo mobile app & smart card for bus travel: Maharashtra Tourism
and Environment Minister, Aaditya Thackeray has launched the Chalo mobile
application (app) and Chalo smart cards to facilitate digital and advance
purchase of Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus tickets. He
also launched the NCMC compliant smart card of BEST as well as new fare schemes
for the passengers, one that provided 10 trips at Rs 70 and another called
‘Flexifare’.
About the app: Chalo mobile app
will allow passengers to buy online bus tickets and have access to bus passes
through an e-wallet. A contract worth Rs 85 crore has been given for the
maintenance of the Chalo mobile application for six years.
Note: Maharashtra Capital: Mumbai;
Maharashtra Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari; Maharashtra Chief minister: Uddhav
Thackeray.
3.
NPCI partners with Udemy Business to encourage skill employees: National Payments
Corporation of India (NPCI) has signed a partnership agreement with Udemy Business,
to encourage innovative learning and skill development for employees of NPCI.
The 3-year partnership with Udemy Business will offer courses on in-demand
skills such as tech, domain, behavioural, and leadership skills to all NPCI
employees. Through the mission ‘Talent Development for All’ of NPCI, it
provides capacity-building programmes in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine
Learning (ML), Blockchain, Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), Robotic Process
Automation (RPA), etc. Under its vision of ‘Talent Development for All’, NPCI
is betting big on the capability building of its employees and has increased
its budget for Learning & Development (L&D) by seven times. The
three-year association with Udemy Business will offer courses on in-demand
skills such as tech, domain, behavioural, and leadership skills to all NPCI
employees, who will now be able to access challenging assignments to enable
experiential learning.
Note: National Payments Corporation of
India Founded: 2008; National Payments Corporation of India Headquarters:
Mumbai, Maharashtra; National Payments Corporation of India MD & CEO: Dilip
Asbe.
4.
Former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Nirmal Chander Vij releases his new book: A new book by
former Indian Army Chief of Staff Gen. Nirmal Chander Vij (ret) claims to offer
a “full picture” of the conflicts in Jammu and Kashmir and the way forward. The
book published by HarperCollins India, the book of General Vij, The riddle of
“Kashmir: the quest for peace in a troubled land”. In the book, General Vij
argues that the conflicts in Jammu and Kashmir are “symptomatic of
Indo-Pakistani rivalry” after the partition, and contextualizes the issue by
beginning the book with a summary of the history of the region. General Vij had
been Director General of Military Operations during the Kargil War. After his
retirement in 2005, he was founding vice president of the National Disaster
Management Authority and director of the think tank Vivekananda India
Foundation.
5. M
Venkaiah Naidu released a book titled “The Turnover Wizard – Saviour Of
Thousands”: Vice-President
of India M Venkaiah Naidu has released the book titled “The Turnover Wizard –
Saviour Of Thousands”, an autobiography of Arup Roy Choudhury, the former
Chairman and Managing Director of NTPC Limited and NBCC (India) Limited. The
book consolidates Arup Roy Choudhury’s learnings from life and brings out the
management lesson from his life. The book is also endorsed by E Sreedharan, The
Metro Man of India.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
NASA’s launched world’s largest telescope named James Webb Space: NASA’s $10 billion
telescopes James Webb Space Telescope designed to capture the first glimpse of
the universe just shortly after the Big Bang is targeted for blastoff from the
European Space Agency’s Kourou, French Guiana. The revolutionary world’s
first-of-its-kind space-science observatory of the next decade will capture the
earliest galaxies believed to have formed during the early universe’s
formation. The new telescope will help scientists to probe the structures and
origins of our universe and our place in it.
Dimensions of the telescope: The telescope is
unequalled in size and complexity. Its mirror measures 6.5 metres (21 feet) in
diameter — three times the size of the Hubble’s mirror — and is made of 18
hexagonal sections. It is so large that it had to be folded to fit into the
rocket.
Key Facts:
(1) Webb will be the premier space
observatory for astronomers worldwide to extend the discoveries of the Hubble
Space Telescope.
(2) It will be the largest telescope ever
placed in space and 100 times more powerful than Hubble.
(3) The telescope will peer back in time
over 13.5 billion years to see the first galaxies born after the Big Bang.
(4) It will be the biggest telescope ever
launched into space with a total mass of 6200 kg.
(5) Webb can see water vapour in extrasolar
planet atmospheres.
(6) They detect the heat signature of a
bumblebee at the distance of the moon and can see details of the size of a US
penny at the distance of about 24 miles (40 km).
Note: NASA administrator: Bill Nelson;
Headquarters of NASA: Washington D.C., United States; NASA Founded: 1 October
1958.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
Asian Champions Trophy: India win bronze, Korea lift title: India defeated
Pakistan 4-3 to secure the bronze medal, while Korea defeated Japan 4-2 to
emerge Asian Champions Trophy men’s hockey tournament held in Dhaka,
Bangladesh. The five-nation tournament came to an end with two matches being
played on the last day of the game. Kanta Tanaka of Japan was declared the best
player of the tournament while Suraj Karkera of India was adjudged the best
goalkeeper. Jang Jonghyun of Korea was the top scorer with 10 goals in the
tournament.
2.
SAFF U 19 Women’s Championship: Bangladesh defeat India: Bangladesh women
team has won the SAFF U 19 Women’s Championship by defeating India in the
finals. Shaheda Akter Ripa of Bangladesh scored the maximum number of goals in
the tournament. She received the ‘most valuable player’ award. The 2021 SAFF
U-19 Women’s Championship was the 2nd edition of the SAFF U-19 Women’s
Championship. The tournament was organized from 11 to 22 December 2021 at BSSS
Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Dhaka. Five countries have participated in the 2021
SAFF U-19 Women’s Championship. Pakistan Football Federation was suspended by
FIFA in April 2021 so it didn’t participate in this competition.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
CSB Bank has been impaneled as Agency Bank by RBI: Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) has announced the empanelment of CSB Bank, a private sector lender
as an ‘Agency Bank’. Through this appointment, the CSB Bank will undertake the
general banking business of the central and state governments under the
guidelines set by the RBI. As an Agency bank, CSB Bank will work with different
state governments and central government departments for businesses such as tax
collections, pension payments, collection of stamp duty, etc.
About the CSB Bank: CSB Bank Limited,
formerly Catholic Syrian Bank Limited, is an Indian private sector bank with its
headquarters at Thrissur, Kerala, India. The bank has a network of over 450
branches and more than 319 ATMs across India.
Note: CSB Bank Headquarters: Thrissur,
Kerala; CSB Bank CEO: C.VR. Rajendran; CSB Bank Founded: 26 November 1920,
Thrissur.
2. Central
Bank of India signed a co-lending agreement with U GRO Capital: Central Bank of
India and U GRO Capital has signed a co-lending agreement and plans to disburse
up to Rs 1,000 crore to medium, small and micro enterprises (MSMEs) over the
next 12 months. The disbursement will be to U GRO Capital’s varied MSME
segments under its programs – Pratham, Sanjeevani, Saathi, GRO MSME and
machinery financing. Central Bank of India will provide co-lending support
through the GRO-Xstream platform with the loans originated by U GRO Capital’s
distribution network. The arrangement will ensure the availability of credit to
MSMEs at an affordable cost.
Note: Central Bank of India Founded: 21
December 1911; Central Bank of India Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; Central
Bank of India MD & CEO: Matam Venkata Rao.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
IOCL acquired 4.93% stake in Indian Gas Exchange: Indian Oil Corporation
Limited (IOCL) has announced that it has acquired a 4.93 per cent equity share
in Indian Gas Exchange Limited – the country’s first automated national level
gas exchange. The Board of Indian Oil at its meeting held on 20 December 2021
has accorded approval for the acquisition of 36,93,750 equity shares of the
face value of Rs. 10/- each equivalent to 4.93 per cent of the share capital in
Indian Gas Exchange Limited (IGX).
The acquisition of an equity stake in IGX
is a strategic opportunity for the country’s top oil refiner to become part of
India’s natural gas market. IGX is a subsidiary of the Indian Energy Exchange
(IEX). Indian Gas Exchange is the country’s first automated national level gas
exchange, that ensures transparent price discovery in natural gas and
facilitates the growth of natural gas in India’s energy basket.
Note: Indian Oil Corporation Limited
Chairperson: Shrikant Madhav Vaidya; Indian Oil Corporation Limited
Headquarters: New Delhi; Indian Oil Corporation Limited Founded: 30 June 1959.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1.
Padma Bhusan Anil Prakash Joshi wins Mother Teresa Memorial Award: Environmentalist Dr
Anil Prakash Joshi, who was conferred upon the Padma Bhushan this year, has
been awarded the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice 2021. Vidyut
Mohan, the winner of the Earth shot Prize, and Ridhima Pandey, a young
environmental activist from Uttarakhand, were also the recipients of the award.
The Harmony Foundation identifies a theme each year for the Mother Teresa
Memorial Awards and felicitates individuals and organisations who work in the
realm of augmenting environmental sustainability. The awardees were felicitated
by Dr Abraham Mathai, the founder chairman of the foundation.
Why were these 3 awarded?
(1) Dr Joshi was given the award for his
efforts as a changemaker in the environmental sustainability sector by
impacting over 10,000 villages in the Himalayan region through his Himalayan
Environmental Studies & Conservation Organisation.
(2) Vidyut was acknowledged for his seminal
and ingenious efforts in combating air pollution through his social enterprise
Takachar.
(3) Ridhima, on the other hand, received
the award for her spectacular courage, and indomitable spirit as a youth
environmental activist who has galvanized national participation to stop
climate change.
DEFENCE
1.
IAF deployed the first S-400 air defence system in Punjab: Indian Air Force
(IAF) has deployed the first squadron of the S-400 air defence missile system
in the western Punjab sector which will take care of aerial threats from
Pakistan and China. The S-400 air defence system was contracted for by India
from Russia in a deal worth around Rs 35,000 crores and five squadrons would be
provided to India for tackling air threats from up to 400 km.
About the S-400 Defence missile
system:
(1) The surface-to-air missile system would
give India an edge in South Asian skies as they would be able to take out enemy
aircraft and cruise missiles from a 400 km distance.
(2) The S-400 Triumf air defence system is
equipped with four different missiles which can engage enemy aircraft,
ballistic missiles, and AWACS planes at 400 km, 250 km, the medium-range 120 km
and the short-range 40 km.
Note: Indian Airforce founded: 8 October
1932; Indian Airforce Headquarters: New Delhi; Indian Airforce Chief of Air
Staff: Vivek Ram Chaudhari.
OBITUARIES
1.
Pritzker Prize-winning architect Richard Rogers passes away: Pritzker
Prize-Winning British-Italian Architect, Richard Rogers has passed away at his
residence in London, United Kingdom. He received the Pritzker Prize, known as
the Nobel Prize of Architecture, in 2007. He received the Knight Bachelor in
1991 and he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. He was the architect of the new
World Trade Center (3 World Trade Center) in New York City, United States, the
Centre Pompidou in Paris, France and the Millennium Dome in London, UK.
2. Malayalam Director KS Sethumadhavan passes away: Legendary Malayalam filmmaker KS Sethumadhavan has passed away at the age of 90 years. He directed over 60 movies in five languages including Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi during his career. He directed popular movies such as Odayil Ninnu, Anubhavangal Palichakal, Oppol, Aranazhikaneeram, Achanum Bappayum, etc. He has won 10 National Film Awards, 9 Kerala State Awards among others.
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