NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Ministry of Rural Development signed
with JioMart to Self-Help Groups’ Products: The Ministry
of Rural Development (MoRD) has signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) with Reliance Retail’s JioMart as part of its
efforts to enhance the outreach of the products of self-help groups
(SHGs) of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission
(DAY-NRLM). This will bring SHGs under MoRD’s SARAS collection brand onto
JioMart offering a range of handlooms and handicrafts products from traditional
textiles to pantry, home décor, and beauty products. This collaboration will
enable SHGs to be on-boarded as sellers onto the e-commerce fold on JioMart.
This initiative will further boost MoRD’s provision under the SARAS collection
to be available to a larger consumer base. JioMart will also help set up and
support them to navigate and operate their account on the marketplace.
2. 23 December – National Farmers Day: National Farmers’ Day, also known as ‘Kisan Diwas’, is
observed every year on December 23 to celebrate the hard work
and determination of the farmers. This day was chosen to commemorate the
occasion as it marks the birth anniversary of former prime minister Chaudhary
Charan Singh who belonged to Uttar Pradesh and worked for the welfare of
farmers of the nation. Theme 2023 – Delivering Smart Solutions for
Sustainable Food Security and Resilience Farmers’ Day is also observed in other
parts of the world. It is celebrated on the first Friday of December in Ghana,
USA celebrates it on 12 October, in Zambia it is observed on the first Monday
of August and Pakistan started celebrating the day on 18 December 2019. Chaudhary
Charan Singh, born in 1902 in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut, emerged from a humble
peasant family. Serving as the prime minister from 1979 to 1980, he dedicated
his life to championing the cause of farmers.
3. 24 December – National Consumer Rights Day : National Consumer Rights Day is
observed on 24th December. National Consumer Rights Day is observed every
year on 24 December. It is also referred to as Bhartiya Grahak Diwas. While the
market runs on certain ethics and values, sometimes people can exploit us if we
do not know our rights well enough. The awareness of the rights helps us to
maximize our benefits as a customer and enable an ethical flow of goods and
services in the market. In 1986, the Consumer Protection Act was passed and it
received the assent of the President on December 24. Since then, National
Consumer Rights Day has been celebrated on this day to commemorate the
occasion. The Consumer Protection Act acts to protect consumers from defective
goods, negligent services, and unfair trade practices.
4. 25 December – Good Governance
Day: Governance Day, or Sushasan
Diwas is observed on December 25 every year to mark the
anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. This year marks the
99th birth anniversary of the former PM. The day is celebrated to create
awareness about government accountability and administration among the people. The
purpose behind the Good Governance Day is to raise awareness among citizens,
particularly the young generation, who are the country’s future. To hold the
government responsible and maintain good governance in the purest sense, it is
critical that the citizens understand their roles and responsibilities. Born on
December 25, 1924, in Gwalior, present-day Madhya Pradesh, Atal Bihari Vajpayee
served as the Indian Prime Minister thrice – first in 1996 for a term of 13
days, then for 13 months between 1998 and 1999, and later followed by a full
term from 1999 to 2004.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Angola to quit OPEC: Angola
is leaving the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) with
effect from 1 January 2024, after exits from Ecuador in 2020 and Qatar in 2019.
Angola, which joined OPEC in 2007, produces about 1.1 million barrels per day,
compared with 28 million bpd for the whole group. OPEC was founded in 1960 by
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Venezuela, Iran and Iraq. Angola joined the group in
2007. Since 2017, OPEC has worked with Russia and other non-members as part of
the OPEC+ group to manage the market, in whose agreements Angola participated. Angola’s
departure from OPEC will leave it with 12 members and crude oil production of
about 27 million bpd, some 27% of the 102 million bpd world oil market.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. Iran’s navy adds sophisticated cruise missiles
‘Talaeieh and Nasir’ to its armoury: Iran’s navy has added
domestically produced
sophisticated cruise missiles to its arsenal. Both Talaeieh and Nasir cruise missiles have arrived at a naval base near the Indian
Ocean in the southern Iranian port of Konarak, some 1,400 kilometers (850
miles) southeast of the capital, Tehran. The Talaeieh has a range of more than
1,000 kilometers (620 miles) and called it “fully smart”. The cruise missile is
capable of changing targets during travel. The Nasi has a range of 100
kilometers (62 miles) and can be installed on warships.
SPORTS
1. Former South Africa captain Dean Elgar announces
retirement from international cricket: Former South Africa captain Dean Elgar has announced his
retirement from international cricket after a test series against
India concludes early next month. Elgar, who has scored more than 5,000 runs
with 13 centuries in his 84 tests, will play his final test at Newlands in Cape
Town starting January 3. Elgar said,
The Cape Town Test will be my last. My favourite stadium in the world. A place
I scored my first Test run against New Zealand and hopefully my last too. Elgar
made his debut against Australia in Perth in 2011, making a duck in each
innings in an inauspicious start to his 12-year test career, which has yielded
5,146 runs, including a high score of 199 against Bangladesh in 2017. He is
South Africa’s eighth highest scorer in tests. Elgar was elevated to captain in
March 2021, replacing Quintin de Kock, and led the Proteas to series wins in
the West Indies and at home against India, and a draw in New Zealand.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. World Bank provides $300 million loan to Tamil Nadu to
help 21 Urban Local Bodies: The World Bank’s Board of
Executive Directors has approved a new program to support Tamil Nadu
and provide around 2 million people with more and better access to water and
sewerage services in cities. The $300 million Tamil Nadu Climate Resilient
Urban Development Program will help 21 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) update their
delivery systems and provide quality and efficient water supply and sewerage
services to consumers. The $300 million loan from the International Bank of
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) will use the blended financing instrument
of Program-for-Results (PforR) with Investment Project Financing (IPF) to link
disbursement of funds directly to the achievement of results while providing
technical assistance. The Program loan has a maturity of 32 years with a grace
period of 7 years. Tamil Nadu is one of the most urbanised states in India and
faces increasing impacts of climate shocks like floods and droughts. For its
rapidly growing population, access to services like water and sanitation is
essential for more climate-resilient cities.
2. SEBI proposes two-phase transition to instant
settlement in Indian stock market: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has proposed
a phase-wise transition to instant settlement of trades in the equity cash
market. An optional T+0 settlement cycle for trades till 1:30 pm may be
introduced in the first phase, with settlement of funds and securities to be
completed on the same day by 4:30 p.m. To begin with, a T+0 settlement will be
made available in the top 500 listed equity shares in three tranches, from the
lowest to the highest market capitalization. In the second phase, an optional
immediate trade-by-trade settlement will be carried out for trades till 3.30
p.m. An API-based interface will be built between depositories and clearing
corporations to facilitate real-time intimation of early pay-in. To begin with,
all securities under Phase 1 will be available under Phase 2.
3. Fitch expects India to be among fastest-growing
nations in 2024-25: Fitch Ratings expects India to be among the world’s
fastest-growing countries, with resilient GDP growth of 6.5% in 2024-25.
For the current financial year 2023-24, it pegs GDP growth at 6.9%. Demand
will remain strong for cement, electricity and petroleum products, with
high-frequency data in 2023 sustained at well above pre-Covid-19 pandemic
levels. India’s rising infrastructure spending will also boost steel demand.
Car sales will continue to rise, despite our expectation of moderation after
robust growth in 2023. India is currently the world’s fifth-largest economy,
following the US, China, Germany, and Japan. By 2030, India’s GDP is projected
to exceed Japan’s, making India the second-largest economy in the Asia-Pacific
region.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Poet Sukrita Paul Kumar Wins Rabindranath Tagore
Literary Prize: The sixth edition
of the Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize was
awarded to poet-critic Sukrita
Paul Kumar for her book, ‘Salt & Pepper: Selected Poems’. This prestigious award
recognizes outstanding literary work from around the globe, promoting world
peace, literature, art, education, and human rights. An amount of USD 5,000, a
Tagore statue, and a certificate for contribution to literature was given to
Kumar at the award ceremony. Founded in 2018 by US-based publisher Peter
Bundalo, the award is a platform for world peace, literature, art, education
and human rights. It also recognizes works towards human rights and world peace
with the Social Achievement Prize.
2. Yunqing Tang and Ruixiang Zhang won SASTRA Ramanujan
Awards for 2022 and 2023 respectively: The SASTRA-Ramanujan Awards
for 2022 and 2023 were presented, respectively, to Yunqing Tang and Ruixiang Zhang,
both mathematicians at the University of California in Berkeley, at the SASTRA
campus in Kumbakonam. Presenting the awards, T. Ramaswami, former Secretary,
the Department of Science and Technology, paid glowing tributes to the genius
of legendary Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, and highlighted the
relevance of his contributions to the contemporary world. The award, instituted
by SASTRA in 2005, with a cash prize of USD 10,000 and a citation, is presented
annually to individuals aged 32 and below, who have made outstanding
contributions in the field of mathematics. The awards are presented on the
birthday of Ramanujan.
3. Karnataka bags National Energy Conservation Award 2023: Karnataka bagged first place in the State Designated Agency (SDA Group-1) category at the National Energy Conservation Awards – 2023 (NECA 2022) held in Delhi. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency organized the awards as part of the National Energy Conservation Day. Karnataka has scored highest and placed as a top-performing State categorized as Front runner across India for three consecutive years- SEEI 2020 and SEEI 2021-2022 and 2023. President of India, Droupadi Murmu handed over the award to KP Rudrappaiah, Managing Director, Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited, as an appreciation for the state’s achievement in energy conservation. KREDL was chosen for the award based on the energy efficiency projects implemented in the state.
No comments:
Post a Comment