Daily GK Update- 3rd Dec, 2021

  

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. 1st Indian Young Water Professionals Programme launched: The First Edition of the Indian Young Water Professionals Programme was launched virtually. The programme was launched in the presence of the Indian High Commissioner to Australia, Manpreet Vohra; Australian High Commissioner to India, Barry O’ Farrell and Additional Secretary of Ministry of Jal Shakti, Debashree Mukherjee. The program was taken up under National Hydrology Project.

About the Indian Young Water Professionals Programme:

(1) The India Young Water Professional Programme is unique and different from typical capacity building and training programs. It focuses on the engaged Training and Learning Model.

(2) 70% of this program is focused on project-based learning by means of Situation Understanding and Improvement Projects (SUIP).

(3) It also focuses on gender equality and diversity, since sustainable water management can only benefit from the skills and views of all members of society.

(4) For the first edition of the programme, about 20 participants have been selected, comprising of 10 men and 10 women, from central & state implementing agencies of the National Hydrology Project.

 

2. Nagaland Police launches ‘Call Your Cop’ mobile app: Nagaland DGP T. John Longkumer officially launched the ‘Call your Cop’ mobile App at Police Headquarters in Kohima. The App was developed by Excellogics Tech Solutions Pvt Ltd. The App will enable all citizens of the state especially those in distress to get in touch directly with the police as easily available with just one click away. The features in the App include a directory, alerts, tourist tips, SOS, nearest police station and search. Citizens can download the app from the google store on any android phone. One can download the app from the google store. With this app, you can also receive notifications like news, updates, advisory, etc.

Note: Chief Minister of Nagaland: Neiphiu Rio; Governor of Nagaland: Jagdish Mukhi.

 

3. All India Radio launches youth programme AIRNxt: All India Radio has decided to begin a new programme called AIRNxt to offer youth a platform to air their voices as part of the ongoing Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations. AIR stations will allow youngsters from local colleges, universities to take part in programming, allowing them to discuss and curate youth-centric shows. About the show:

(1) It added that about 20,000 youth from 1,000 educational institutions will be participating during the next year from every nook and corner of India through 167 AIR stations.

(2) These shows would encourage the youth to speak about the achievements of the country during the last 75 years of independence and where do they expect the country to reach in various fields.

(3) This way, the youth can air their big dreams and define the future of India. It is the biggest single theme show on All India Radio involving thousands of youth and hundreds of Educational Institutions across the country. This talent hunt show #AIRNxt will be broadcast in all major Indian languages and dialects.

Note: All India Radio Founded: 1936; All India Radio Headquarters: Sansad Marg, New Delhi; All India Radio Owner: Prasar Bharati.

 

4. Vivek Johri becomes new chairman of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs: Senior bureaucrat, Vivek Johri has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). He will succeed M Ajit Kumar who is completing his tenure. He is a 1985-batch Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Indirect Taxes) officer. He is currently working as a member in the CBIC. His appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.

Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC): CBIC is the nodal national agency to administer GST, Customs, Central Excise, Service Tax & Narcotics in India. The Customs & Central Excise department was established by the British Governor-General of India in 1855, for administering customs laws and for collecting import duties or land revenue. CBIC is one of the oldest government departments in India.

Note: CBIC Headquarters: New Delhi, India; CBIC Formed: 26 January 1944.

 

5. Venkaiah Naidu released a Book “‘Democracy, Politics and Governance’: Vice President of India, Venkaiah Naidu on the 72nd anniversary of the adoption of the ‘Constitution of India’ released a book titled “Democracy, Politics and Governance” in English and ‘Loktantr, Rajniti and Dharm’ in Hindi at an event in the Central Hall of Parliament, New Delhi. The book was authored by Dr A. Surya Prakash. This book is a collection of articles about the social, political, and economic issues that impacted India’s politics and governance. Dr A. Surya Prakash is a Vice Chairman, Executive Council of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, and also a veteran journalist.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. South Korea to get world’s first floating city by 2025: South Korea is soon going to get the world’s first floating city, to deal with the problem of floods due to rising sea levels. The floating city project is a joint effort by the UN Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habit) and OCEANIX. The city will be built off the coast of Busan in South Korea and is likely to be completed by 2025.

About the city: The floating city will have ‘flood-proof infrastructure’ and comprise several man-made islands to eliminate the risk of flooding. The self-sufficient city will be specifically designed to withstand natural disasters like tsunamis, floods, and Category 5 hurricanes.

Note: South Korea Capital: Seoul; South Korea Currency: South Korean won; South Korea President: Moon Jae-in.

 

2. Merriam-Webster Dictionary Declares “Vaccine” As Word Of The Year For 2021: The American publishing company Merriam-Webster has chosen the word “vaccine” as its 2021 Word of the Year. Merriam-Webster is America’s most trusted online dictionary for English word definitions, meanings, and pronunciation. It has been declaring the word of the year since 2008. The word “vaccine” saw a 601 percent increase in definition lookups over the year, compared to 2020.

 

3. World Day of the Handicapped: 3rd December: World Handicapped day also known as the International Day of Persons with disabilities is observed every year on 3rd December globally. The day is marked and observed to support critical issues which are related to the inclusion of persons with disabilities. The IDPWD day was proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly. The theme of the World Day of the Handicapped 2021 is the Leadership and participation of persons with disabilities. The day is celebrated to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development, and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.

Note: United Nations Secretary-general: António Guterres; United Nations Headquarters: New York, United States; United Nations Founded: 24 October 1945.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. White-label ATMs: India1 Payments installed 10,000 white-label ATMs: India1 Payments has crossed a milestone on deploying 10000 white-label ATMs, which was called as “India1ATMs”. India1 Payments is IPO-bound and is promoted by the Banktech Group of Australia. It was formerly known as BTI Payments. India1 ATM has become the second-largest white label ATM brand on semi-urban and rural areas. With the deployment of 10000 ATMs, India1 Payments has become the largest player in this segment.

White-Label ATMs: The Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) which are set up, owned and operated by non-bank entities are known as “White Label ATMs” (WLAs). Non-bank entities which are incorporated in India, under the Companies Act 1956, are allowed to run WLAs. Non-bank entities are allowed to set up WLAs across India, after getting authorisation from the apex bank, under the Payment & Settlement Systems (PSS) Act, 2007.

Note: India1 Payments Limited Founded: 2006; India1 Payments Limited Headquarters location: Bengaluru.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Indian Oil, BPCL, HPCL launch Model Retail Outlet Scheme: Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited announced the launch of Model Retail Outlet Scheme and a Digital Customer Feedback Program called Darpan@petrolpump. Three oil PSU’s have joined hands to launch Model Retail Outlets to enhance service standards and amenities, across their networks, which serve over 6 Crores consumers everyday. The scheme involves an intense 5 Level evaluation process of over 70000 retail outlets in the country on a set of core service and facility parameters as well as standard of customer amenities e.g., clean and hygienic washrooms, customer centric innovative offerings etc. The Retail Outlets have been divided into 4 categories based on sales performance, facilities offered and their percentage of digital transactions at the point of sale in keeping with the Digital India imperative.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. International Press Institute honours for NDTV, The Week teams: The International Press Institute (IPI) India Award for Excellence in Journalism 2021 has been awarded jointly to Sreenivasan Jain and Mariyam Alavi of NDTV, and Lakshmi Subramanian and Bhanu Prakash Chandra of “The Week”. Meanwhile, the IPI India Award for Excellence in Journalism 2020 had been awarded to Ritika Chopra of The Indian Express.

The awardees for 2020 and 2021 will be felicitated in New Delhi in December 2021 or January 2022. The award comes with a cash prize of Rs 1 Lakh, a trophy and a citation. The Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI) is a global organisation dedicated to the promotion and protection of press freedom and the improvement of journalism practices.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Veteran Broadway composer & lyricist Stephen Sondheim passes away: Veteran composer and lyricist, Stephen Joshua Sondheim has passed away at the age of 91 in Connecticut, United States (US). He received 8 Tony Awards, a Special Tony Award 2008 for lifetime achievement in the theatre. He also received a Pulitzer Prize (‘Sunday in the Park’), and an Academy Award for the song ‘Sooner or Later’. Also won several awards like eight Grammy Awards, Presidential Medal of Freedom 2015, etc.