Daily GK Update- 20th Dec, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Meghalaya CM inaugurated PA Sangma football stadium: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has inaugurated the PA Sangma sports complex in Dakopgre, Tura Meghalaya. The stadium is a technological marvel, being the country’s largest pre-engineered composite football stadium with a sizeable seating capacity of 9,500. The beautiful stadium is a part of an equally magnificent sports complex built at a cost of Rs 127.7 crore which is also nearing completion.The stadium and the two indoor stadiums are built over a combined area of over 17,000 sqm. The indoor stadiums, along with a gymnasium, swimming pool, table tennis Hall, squash hall, and badminton hall will be ready for inauguration by December 2023.

The government has also launched a talent identification programme for athletes.

 

2. Tamil Nadu government launched ‘Friends of Library’ programme: The Tamil Nadu government has launched the ‘Friends of Library’ programme, under which books would be directly given to those who are unable to access state-run libraries. This project will be helpful to people with disabilities, seniors, kids, and hospital in-patients, among others, who are unable to visit a library. The programme will involve 2,500 libraries in its initial phase, including 31 district libraries.

 

3. India jumped from 7th to 3rd global ranking in scientific publications: India has jumped from 7th to 3rd global ranking in scientific publications. This was informed by the Union Minister for Science & Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh after a review meeting with the senior official of the Department of Science & Technology in New Delhi. According to the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Science & Engineering Indicators 2022 report, India’s global position in scientific publications has improved from 7th in 2010 to 3rd in 2020. China leads the world in the publication of the maximum number of scientific papers followed by the USA.

 

4. Madhya Pradesh government forms task force to prevent online gambling in state: Madhya Pradesh government has constituted a high-level task force, which will make recommendations about regulating online gambling and gaming. It will be headed by the state chief secretary Iqbal Singh Bains. The task force has been constituted to examine various judicial precedents, legal situations, and technical aspects related to prevention and control online gambling and gaming and make recommendations to the state government.

 

5. Nitin Gadkari launches Surety Bond Insurance product from Bajaj Allianz: Nitin Gadkari (Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways) has launched one of India’s first-ever Surety Bond Insurance products from Bajaj Allianz. Surety Bond Insurance: It is a risk transfer tool for the principal and shields them from the losses that may arise in case the contractor fails to perform their contractual obligation. It will act as a security arrangement for infrastructure projects. It will insulate the contractor as well as the principal.

6. Govt accords approval for setting up 21 Greenfield Airports: V. K. Singh (MoS Civil Aviation) has informed that the Rajya Sabha, that govt has accorded in-principle approval for setting up 21 Greenfield Airports across the country So far nine Greenfield airports have already been operationalized and the tenth Greenfield airport at Mopa, Goa. Development of a Greenfield airport is governed under the Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy, 2008. For setting up of GFA, State Government need to send a proposal to MoCA for 2-stage approval.

 

7. Gaya and Nalanda selected for development under Swadesh Darshan 2.0: Union Tourism Minister, G Kishan Reddy has informed in Lok Sabha, that Gaya and Nalanda in Bihar have been selected for development under Swadesh Darshan 2.0. He has also informed that the Punaura Dham site in the Sitamarhi district of Bihar has been identified for development under the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) Scheme. The ministry has now revamped its Swadesh Darshan scheme as Swadesh Darshan 2.0.

 

8. Google partners with Digilocker for on-device storage: Google has announced a partnership with the DigiLocker in the Google for India 2022 event. DigiLocker is a govt authorised identification storage system, to bring the govt issued ID to the local storage of Android devices. This partnership is a part of Google’s AI offerings that include on-device processing of text and images to identify important documents, and organise them. The Android operating system of Google will also tap into the DigiLocker API.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. 20 December – International Human Solidarity Day: International Human Solidarity Day is observed on 20 December every year. Objective- To develop new initiatives to work towards global challenges in terms of poverty, sustainable development, overall well-being, and world peace. On December 20, 2002, the UN General Assembly introduced a World Solidarity Fund to help counter global poverty. This got included in the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) trust fund in February 2003. To commemorate the above day, the UN declared December 20 as International Human Solidarity Day.

 

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Jaipur Pink Panthers won 9th Pro Kabaddi League title: Jaipur Pink Panthers has defeated Puneri Paltan 33-29 in the summit clash to emerge champions of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 champions. V Ajith, Sunil Kumar, and Arjun Deshwal emerged as the best players for Jaipur side with six points each. The tournament was played across Bengaluru, Pune, and Hyderabad while the playoffs were played in Mumbai. Jaipur Pink Panthers team is currently led by Sunil Kumar Malik and coached by Sanjeev Baliyan. The team is owned by Abhishek Bachchan.

 

2. Indian women’s hockey team won FIH Nations Cup: The Indian women’s Hockey team beat Spain 1-0 in the final to win the inaugural FIH Nations Cup played at Valencia, Spain. Captain Savita Punia led the Indian team. With this win, the Indian team has been promoted to the 2023-24 FIH Hockey Women’s Pro League. The winning goal was scored by Gurjit Kaur of India. India finished third in the 2021-22 FIH Pro League. India and Spain had played in the FIH women’s Hockey Pro League 2021-22 season as replacement teams after pull-outs by Australia and New Zealand due to COVID-19-related issues.

 

3. Chahat Arora sets national record in women’s 50m breaststroke: Indian swimmer Chahat Arora set a new national record in the women’s 50m breaststroke at the FINA World Swimming Championships 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. Arora clocked 32.91s to top heat 2 at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre’s 25m short course pool and bettered her own previous record of 32.94s set at the National Aquatic Championships 2022 in September. Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte, topped the overall heats with a timing of 29.10s. This is the 16th edition of the FINA World Swimming Championships 2022.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. AU Small Finance Bank joined hands with HDFC Life for bancassurance: AU Small Finance Bank has partnered with HDFC Life for the bancassurance business model. This partnership would enable diverse customers of AU Small Finance Bank to access the entire range of life insurance products offered by HDFC Life. According to the Swiss Re report (2019), India has the highest protection gap of 83% in comparison to other insurance markets. Bancassurance – Bancassurance is the selling of insurance products through banking channels. In Bancassurance, a bank enters into an agreement with an Insurance company. The Bank makes its customer database available to Insurance companies. If the bank customer buys the insurance products then the bank will receive a commission from the Insurance companies.

 

2. Indian Bank launched Ind Shakti 555 days: Indian Bank has launched a new special retail term deposit dubbed “Ind Shakti 555 days”. Special Retail Term Deposit Product “IND SHAKTI 555 DAYS” has offered a higher rate of interest for investment starting from Rs.5000 to less than 2 Crore for 555 days in the form of FD/MMD with callable options. An interest rate of 7% for the general public and 7.15% for senior citizens. It is offering an interest rate of 3.00% on deposits that mature in the next 30 to 45 days.

 

3. HDFC Securities launched investor education platform ‘Roots’: Stock brokerage firm HDFC Securities has launched Roots, a dedicated platform providing comprehensive investor education and market analysis. The site offers multiple forms of valuable information, including articles, bite-sized tips, podcasts by experts, video tutorials and explainers, and live social media feed on the Indian financial markets. The Blog section of Roots is updated with articles addressing all aspects of investing in the Indian financial markets, from intraday trading to ETFs, and more. This platform produces content which are being searched on Google by current or prospective investors and traders. HDFC Securities CEO – Dhiraj Relli

 

4. IDFC FIRST Bank launched ZERO Fee Banking savings accounts: IDFC FIRST Bank has launched ZERO Fee Banking on savings accounts and waived fees on 25 commonly used banking services. The banking services include savings accounts such as cash deposits and withdrawals at branches, third-party cash transactions, demand drafts, IMPS, NEFT, RTGS, cheque book, SMS alerts, interest certificates, insufficient balance for ATM transactions, international ATM usage, and so on. The customers maintaining as low as Rs 10,000 Average Monthly Balance, and the Rs 25,000 AMB savings account variant will get these benefits. This is a customer-friendly initiative from IDFC FIRST Bank. The bank has announced the facility on the occasion of its Foundation Day on 18 December.

 

5. Bandhan Bank signed MoU with Defence Ministry for defence pensioners: Bandhan Bank has signed an MoU with the Controller General of Defence Accounts, Ministry of Defence for extending banking services to the Defence Pensioners and their families. The Bank will provide services to Defence Pensioners and their families through 557 branches. The bank is aligned with the vision of the government in being a one-stop solution to all pension-related activities of defence pensioners under the Outreach Programme for Defence Pensioners on System for Pension Administration Raksha (SPARSH).

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. India’s Sargam Koushal won Mrs World 2022 title: Mumbai’s 21 years old Sargam Koushal has won the title of Mrs World 2022, after defeating 32-year-old Las Vegas. Aditi Govitrikar became the first Indian woman to win the honour for India in 2001 and after the wait of 21 long years, Sargam has scripted history again. The victory is reminiscent of Harnaaz Sandhu’s win at Miss Universe last year as she too brought home the crown after 21 years of Lara Dutta’s big win in 2000. 32-year-old Sargam who looked stunning in a shimmery pink gown with intricate embroidery work and sequins, trumped contestants from 63 countries. Mrs World began in 1984 and has been conducted in over 80 countries. This is the second time India won the coveted crown after Aditi Govitrikar who was declared the winner of the pageant in 2001. Candidates from 21 to 48 years can participate in the contest.

 

2. West Bengal’s ‘Duare Sarkar’ scheme wins Centre’s Digital India Award: A flagship scheme of West Bengal, ‘Duare Sarkar’ (Government at doorstep) has been selected for the Platinum Award at the Digital India Awards 2022. The scheme has been awarded in the ‘Public Digital Platforms — Central Ministries, Departments and States’ category. President Droupadi Murmu will give the award to the state on January 7,2023 at a function in Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi. 'Duare Sarkar' scheme was launched in December 2020.

 

3. RRR bagged three awards at Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Annual Awards: The Indian film, 'RRR' has bagged three awards at the 2022 Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Annual Awards. Categorizes: Best Foreign Language Film, Best Cinematography, and Best Score/Soundtrack categories. Earlier, the film has also received nominations in two categories for 2023 Golden Globes. The film has been nominated in the Best Picture – Non-English Language category and “Naatu Naatu” in the Best Original Song – Motion Picture category.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Lance Naik Bhairon Singh Rathore passed away: Bhairon Singh Rathore, a BSF veteran, and hero of the 1971 India-Pakistan War died in Jodhpur at the age of 81. He served in the 14th BSF unit during the war and retired from service in 1987. The BSF veteran’s bravery at Rajasthan’s Longewala post during the war was portrayed by actor Suniel Shetty in the Bollywood movie ‘Border’. He was awarded the Sena Medal in 1972 for his bravery.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. INSV Tarini to participate in 50th edition of Cape Town to Rio Race 2023: INSV Tarini has set sail for an expedition to Cape Town, South Africa for participating in the 50th edition of Cape to Rio Race 2023. This ocean sailing race will be flagged off on 2nd January, 2023 from Cape Town and will culminate at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Aim: To train crew onboard, in essential seamanship skills including Navigation, Communication, and Planning. The expedition is being undertaken by an Indian Navy crew of five officers including two women officers.