Current Affairs 31st December 2020| Current Affairs News

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS          

Uttarakhand: India’s first pollinator park comes up at Haldwani

• The country’s first pollinator park with over 40 species of butterflies, honey bees, birds and insects has been developed over four acres at Nainital’s Haldwani.
• Developed by the research wing of the Uttarakhand Forest Department, the colourful park was inaugurated by renowned butterfly expert Peter Smetacek.
• Objective of the Park : The objective behind developing the park is to conserve various pollinator species, create awareness among people in general about the importance of conservation of these species and to promote further research on various aspects of pollination, including threat to habitat and impact of pollution on pollinators.
• There are at present 40 species of pollinators at the park.

About Pollinators : 

• A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower.
• This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains.

About Uttarakhand :

• Governor : Baby Rani Maurya
• Chief Minister : Trivendra Singh Rawat

Union Cabinet approves export of Akash missile system

• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the proposal to export indigenously-developed Akash Missile System.
• Akash is the country’s important missile with over 96 percent Akash is a Surface to Air Missile with a range of 25 Kms.
• The export version of Akash will be different from System currently deployed with Indian Armed Forces
• The missile was inducted in 2014 in IAF and in 2015 in Indian Army.

About IAF :

• Chief of Defence : General Bipin Rawat
• Minister of Defence : Rajnath Singh
• Defence Secretary : Ajay Kumar

Indian Railways Completes 180 Kmph Speed Trail Run

• Indian Railways successfully completed a speed trial for 180 km per hour of a new design vistadome tourist coach.
• According to the Railway Ministry, the new vistadome tourist coach has been manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai.
• These vistadome coaches mostly operate in mountain railways and are specially designed to make train journeys scenic and memorable.
• The coaches also give a boost to tourism.
• The European-style coaches are made with see-through glass rooftops and wide windows for the indulgent sightseeing experience.
• These vistadome tourist coaches boast of large windows on the sides and have glass panels on the roof of the trains.
• These coaches are being operated on selected routes on the Indian Railways network including the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Nilgiri Mountain Railway, Kangra Valley Railway, Kashmir Valley, Kalka-Shimla Railway, Matheran Hill Railway between Dadar in Mumbai as well as Madgaon in the Araku Valley.

About Indian Railway : 

• Comes under Ministry of Railways
• Founded : 16 April, 1853
• Headquarters : New Delhi

Minister of state for External Affairs Launches Global Pravasi Rishta portal and mobile App

• Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan launched the Global Pravasi Rishta portal and mobile App, to connect with 12 crore strong diaspora across the world.
• The Minister said, the portal will act as a dynamic communication platform between our pravasis, the Ministry of External Affairs and missions abroad and will help in engaging Indian diaspora more intensively.
• This portal is created to enable the registration of Indian diaspora members i.e. NRIs, PIOs and the OCIs which is not just going to facilitate the Indian government to connect with the overseas Indian community but also facilitate NRIs, OCIs and PIOs community by connecting them to various new and existing government schemes benefiting them in various areas of interest.
• Union Minister for external Affairs : Subrahmanyam Jaishankar

PM to lay foundation stone of Light House Projects at six sites 

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of Light House Projects under the Global Housing Technology Challenge-India (GHTC-India) at six sites across six states on January 1 in video conference.
• The Prime Minister will also announce winners under Affordable Sustainable Housing Accelerators (ASHA)– India and give out annual awards for excellence in implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) Mission.
• During the event, he will release a certificate course on innovative construction technologies named ‘NAVARITIH’ (New, Affordable, Validated, Research Innovation Technologies for Indian Housing) and a compendium of 54 innovative housing construction technologies identified through GHTC-India, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
• The LHPs are being constructed at Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Rajkot (Gujarat), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Agartala (Tripura) and Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh).
• They comprise about 1,000 houses at each location along with allied infrastructure facilities.

PM Modi chaired the 34th PRAGATI interaction

• Modi chaired the meeting to review the various projects, programmes & grievances.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 34th PRAGATI interaction.
• Projects of the Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs were discussed.
• These projects, with a total cost of about one lakh crore rupees, pertained to ten states and Union Territories including, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
• During the interaction, the programmes, Ayushman Bharat and Jal Jeevan Mission were reviewed.
• Grievances related to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs were also taken up.
• The Prime Minister directed all the officials to ensure and expedite comprehensive resolution of grievances.
• Minister of Railways : Piyush Goyal
• Minister of Road Transport and Highways : Nitin Gadkari
• Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs : Hardeep Singh Puri

Prime minister remembers Netaji’s 75 th anniversary 

• “To mark the 75th anniversary of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, he had gone to Port Blair and had the honour of hoisting the Tricolour,”
• The Prime Minister said, 30th December 1943, a day etched in the memory of every Indian, when the brave Netaji Subhas Bose hoisted the Tricolour at Port Blair.
• Born to advocate Janakinath Bose in Odisha’s Cuttack on January 23, 1897, Netaji went on to play a key role in the freedom movement.
• He is also known for establishing the Azad Hind Fauj.

Centre has achieved remarkable achievement: Power Minister R K Singh

• The renewable energy minister was speaking at the Chief Ministers’ Plenary session of the virtual 3rd Global RE-INVEST Summit.
• Power Minister R K Singh said that Centre has achieved remarkable achievement in terms of expanding access to electricity in the country.
• India will have around 60 per cent of its installed electricity generation capacity from clean and green sources by 2030.
• Union Power Minister and Minister of New & Renewable Energy, R K Singh said that the centre is committed to promote new and renewable energy resources in the country.
• He added that the centre has asked every state government to earmark at least one city within their territory as green city.
• Singh asserted that the government is working with a focused approach towards clean and green energy with emphasis on areas which require special attention.

Highlighting the achievements :

• Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said Gujarat has been a pioneer in the space of renewable energy (RE) and in the last 3 years, the capacity of RE has increased considerably despite challenges.
• “Gujarat has given subsidies to 55,000 people to install solar panels and have a vision of achieving 5,000 MW solar and bringing solar energy in agriculture,” he said.
• Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlotsaid Rajasthan is the second largest state in terms of investments in solar energy projects.
• “When we started 20 years ago, cost of RE was Rs 16 and now it is Rs 2 per unit.
• This is sure to reduce further.It is our duty to work towards renewable energy and climate change,” Gehlot added.
• He further said incentives have been extended to the investors in terms of reduction in stamp duty, easy availability of land, free electricity for 10 years, 90 per cent subsidy in GST
• Gehlot also said Rajasthan has 1,25,000 acres of desert land across cities which have been utilised in Jodhpur and Bikaner for large mega scale solar projects.
• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said India is an ideal country for renewable energy.
• “With Madhya Pradesh being a centrally located state, it has a lot of possibilities and can supply RE power to neighbouring states if needed,” he added. Madhya Pradesh is planning a 15,000 MW solar project, the cost of which is Rs 5,000 crore, he said. Besides starting work on power transmission, the state has also started survey work for some other innovative RE projects, like floating solar etc. in the state.
• He announced that “Aatmanirbhar Madhya Pradesh’ plan is being developed and RE wil play an important role”.
• Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said “Himachal Pradesh is a small state, but we are making all efforts to harness our RE potential.
• Our target is to achieve 24,000 MW of RE. So far, we produce 10,000 MW of hydro power and plan to double these numbers in the next decade”.
• Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath informed the session that producers have plans to set up 12,000 MW of solar energy parks in UP.Two plants of 600 MW each will be set up in Jhansi. These will be commissioned soon, he added.
• Talking about the multi-pronged benefits of the PxM-KUSUM Yojana, launched by the Union government in 2019, Mr. Singh said that the scheme has financially empowered the farmers, discoms and has also benefitted the state and union territories in terms of huge financial savings.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Joint working group on fisheries – Meeting held by India and Sri lanka

• The Fourth Meeting of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Working Group on Fisheries was held through virtual mode.
• The meeting covered the entire gamut of issues related to fishermen and fishing boats which have been on the agenda of bilateral discussions between India and Sri Lanka for many years.
• It may be recalled that during the Virtual Bilateral Summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa held on 26 September this year, both leaders agreed to continue engagement to address the issues related to fishermen through regular consultation and bilateral channels.

About Sri lanka:

• Capital : Colombo
• Currency : Rupee
• Prime Minister : Mahinda Rajapaksa
• President :  Gotabaya Rajapaksa

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

Bihar wins Digital India award for transferring money to beneficiaries’ accounts during COVID-19

• The Chief Minister Secretariat, the Disaster Management Department besides the National Informatics Centre (NIC) of the state have jointly been chosen as winners in the “pandemic category” Digital India Awards 2020.
• The Bihar government’s initiative to transfer financial assistance directly to the accounts of beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic has made its departments winners of the Digital India Awards, instituted by the central government, this year for innovative steps in e- governance.
• More than 21 lakh stranded workers outside Bihar were provided financial assistance through the “Bihar Sahayata Mobile App”.
• In addition to that President Ram Nath Kovind will give away the Digital India Awards to winners on December 30 in New Delhi.

About Bihar :

• Chief Minister : Nitish Kumar
• Governor : Phagu Chauhan
• Capital : Patna

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari Announces Multi-Modal Logistics Park In Assam’s Silchar

• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has announced that a multi-modal logistics park will be constructed in Silchar in Assam.
• The Balacherra-Harengajao section of the Silchar-Saurashtra Highway will be completed in March 2022.
• Mr Gadkari made this announcement at a public meeting at Zero Point on the East-West Corridor at Madhurmukh at Rangpur.
• It is pertinent to mention that the Union Minister unveiled a 13-foot tall bronze statue of former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

About Assam:

• Chief Minister : Sarbananda Sonowal
• Governor : Jagdish Mukhi
• Capital : Dispur

Odisha got Union Cabinet approval for project to enhance facilities at Paradip port

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the project ‘Deepening and Optimization of Inner Harbour Facilities including Development of Western Dock on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis under Public-Private Partnership (PPP)mode to handle cape size vessels at Paradip Port’.
• The estimated cost of the project is 3,004.63 Crore. This includes development of the new Western Dock on BOT basis and capital dredging by the selected Concessionaire at a cost of Rs.2,040 Crore and Rs.352.13 Crore respectively; and Paradip Port’s investment will be to the tune of Rs.612.50 Crore towards providing Common Supporting Project Infrastructure.
• Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said that development of the Western dock at Paradip port in Odisha, is in line with the NDA government’s commitment to building next-generation infrastructure for a 21st century self-reliant India.
• The Union Cabinet had approved a project to enhance the facilities at Paradip port.
• Mr Pradhan said, the project will enhance the cargo handling capacity of the port, while boosting industrial economy and generating employment opportunities.
• The Minister said that it will also usher in port-led development in Odisha and eastern India in sync with the Prime Minister’s vision of Purvodaya.

About Odisha:

• Capital : Bhubaneshwar
• Chief Minister : Naveen Patnaik
• Governor : Ganeshi lal

Centre announces Nagaland ‘disturbed area’ for six months

• The entire state of Nagaland has been declared a disturbed area for six more months.
• The Home Ministry in a notification said, the Central government is of the opinion that the area comprising the whole of Nagaland is in such a disturbed and dangerous condition that the use of armed forces in aid of the civil power is necessary.
• It said, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, the Central government declares that whole of the State of Nagaland to be disturbed area for a period of six months. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act has been in force in Nagaland for several decades.
• Union minister of Home Affairs : Amit shah

About Nagaland :

• Capital: Kohima
• Governor:RN Ravi
• Chief minister: Neiphiu Rio

J&K conducts Intra State Level programme 

• Jammu and Kashmir Govt conducts Intra State Level programme begins at Teacher’s Bhawan Gandhi Nagar, Jammu
• In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, as part of National Youth Festival 2021, an Intra State Level event begins at Teacher’s Bhawan Gandhi Nagar, Jammu amid festivity.
• The programme was organised by the Department of Youth Services and Sports, J&K in collaboration with Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan, J&K.
• The intra state festival would culminate on 4th January 2021 followed by an inter-state level programme commencing on 5th.
• The programme will be concluded on 8th of January, which will include various cultural events.
• The theme of this mega carnival is “Standing together for truth, we the power of youth”.

About Jammu and Kashmir:

• Capital : Jammu (winter) , Srinagar (summer)
• Governor: Governor Manoj Sinha

New Government Tool Room & Training Centers set by-Karnataka govt

• Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr. C N Aswatha Narayana has said that new Government Tool Room and Training Centers will be established in different parts of the state to impart training in different skills.
• The minister said that annually 6000 youth are offered short term courses and the aim is to increase it to 15000 next year.
• He informed that two new Tool Room and Training Centers will start functioning in Bengaluru apart from one that exists now.
• Training Centers under construction in Challakere, Koppala, Chitradurga, Hunsuru and Madakeri will be ready soon.
• Vijayapura and Bengaluru Rural districts are chosen for building new skill training Centers apart from 24 Centers functioning now. 
• He added that the Mechanical Electronics course has overwhelming demand and hence the seats in this discipline will be increased.

About Karnataka :

• Capital:Bengaluru
• Governor:Vajubhai Vala
• Chief minister: B. S. Yediyurappa

Cycle rally ‘Fit India campaign’: Udhampur in J&K

• In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, to generate awareness among the common masses about the Fit India campaign, Municipal Council Udhampur organized a cycle rally at Udhampur.
• Dr Piyush Singla flagged off the cycle rally, which passed through Slathia Chowk, Ramnagar Chowk, Court road, Gole market, Bus Stand and culminated at Town Hall Udhampur.
• Cycle rally highlighted the importance of physical and mental fitness in the development of a healthy society.
• The main objective of organizing this awareness rally is to sensitize the common masses about the Fit India campaign launched by the Government of India.

North East’s first-ever Ginger Processing Plant in Meghalaya 

• North East’s first-ever specialised “Ginger” Processing Plant at district Ri-Bhoui in Meghalaya is being revived and is likely to become functional in the beginning of 2021.
• Disclosing this here today after reviewing the functioning of the North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation (NERAMAC), a PSU working under the aegis of the Ministry of DoNER, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr.Jitendra Singh said that the only Ginger Processing Plant of North East India was established around the year 2004 but has remained non-functional for many years.
• The NERAMAC has now undertaken the responsibility of reviving it and initiated steps to operationalize the closed Plant through PPP mode.
• The ginger products being prepared from this Plant, said Dr.Jitendra Singh, will not only be available for domestic consumption but will also have a wider demand and this will also be in keeping with Prime Minister Modi’s calls for “Vocal for Local”. 
• For the PPP mode, an Operation and Maintenance Operator was selected through the tendering process and the work on setting up and reviving the Plant is under progress.

About Meghalaya :

• Capital: Shillong
• Governor:Satya Pal Malik
• Chief minister:Conrad Sangma

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS

‘Lukoskin’ developer Hemant Kumar Pandey gets DRDO’s ‘Scientist of the Year’ award

• Senior scientist Hemant Kumar Pandey has been honoured with DRDO’s ‘Scientist of the Year Award’ for his contribution in developing several herbal medicines, including the popular drug Lukoskin meant for treatment of leucoderma.

About Hemant Kumar Pandey :

• A recipient of several prestigious awards for his contribution in the field of herbal medicine, Pandey has been undertaking research at the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) lab Defence Institute of Bio-Energy Research (DIBER) at Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand for the past 25 years.
• The Scientist has developed six herbal drugs so far, Lukoskin used for treating leucoderma or Vitiligo, a condition in which whits patches develop on the skin, has been most widely appreciated and found huge acceptance in the market.

About DRDO :

• Chairman : Dr.G.Satheesh Reddy
• Headquarters : New Delhi

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING

YES Bank appoints Niranjan Banodkar as new CFO

• The private sector lender Yes Bank has appointed Niranjan Banodkar as a new Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
• He will supersede Anurag Adlakha, who has been designated as the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO).
• Banodkar comes with 17 years of experience in Banking in financial planning and strategy, risk management and capital markets.
• Banodkar started working with Yes Bank in April 2006 and was a key member in setting up the Market Risk function.
• And then Both of them will assume the new role with effect from January 1, 2021.

About YES Bank :

• MD & CEO : Prashant Kumar
• Founder : Rana Kapoor
• Founded : 2004
• Headquarters : Mumbai

RBI working paper defends 4% inflation target for India

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) working paper has recommended that maintaining the inflation target at 4 percent is appropriate for the country.
• The paper, authored by Harendra Kumar Behera and Michael Debabrata Patra, finds that there is a steady decline in trend inflation to 4.1-4.3 per cent since 2014.
• The RBI working paper, which seeks to examine whether the choice of the target for inflation is consistent with its trend, finds that the concept of trend inflation is vital for the design and conduct of monetary policy to which actual inflation outcomes are expected to converge after short run fluctuations from a variety of sources die out.

About RBI :

• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Formation : 1 April, 1935
• Governor : Shaktikanta Das

City Union Bank introduces whatsapp banking option

• Tamil Nadu-based City Union Bank (CUB) is now available on India’s most popular messaging application—
• The bank has recently launched a new Video KYC facility through which anyone can open a new bank account from the comfort of the home or office, as a next step towards digitisation, through the platform.
• With CUB’s “Whatsapp Banking” service, customers can get a variety of information and can register for the services by sending ‘Hi’ to the bank’s customer care number ‘044-71225000’ through Whatsapp.
• Services offered through the platform include Instance Account Openings, Account Balance Enquiry, Deposit Opening, Deposits Balance Enquiry, Mini Statement, Green PIN for Net/Mobile Banking, Bill Payment, Card Blocking and several others.

About City Union Bank:

• CEO: Dr. N. Kamakodi
• Headquarters: Kumbakonam
• Founded: 1904

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

Karnataka signs three agreements with different firms 

• Karnataka signs three agreements with different firms to impart skill training to youths for jobs abroad.
• The Deputy Chief Minister and minister for higher education C N Ashwath Narayana has informed that the state has signed three agreements with different firms to impart skill training to the youths of the state for fetching them jobs abroad.
• THREE AGREEMENTS 
• The ITI trained youth will be further trained by Peenya Industrial Association member industries.
• A skill university has come forward to train the apprentice in various trades.
• A learning foundation has come forward to train ITI students in entrepreneurship.
• Ashwath Narayana said that these trainings will shape up human resources by imparting them skills that meet the contemporary requirements of the industries.
• He added that these agreements are in line with the new National Education Policy.

Cabinet approves MoU between India and Bhutan

• Cabinet approves MoU between India and Bhutan on Cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.
• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government of the Republic of India and the Royal Government of Bhutan on Cooperation in the peaceful users of outer space signed on November 19, 2020 by both sides at Bangalore/Thimpu and exchanged.
• This MoU shall enable India and Bhutan to pursue cooperation in potential interest areas, such as remote sensing of the earth.
• Satellite communication and satellite based navigation.
• Space science and planetary exploration; use of spacecraft and space systems and ground systems; and application of space technology.

About Bhutan:

• Capital:Thimphu
• Prime minister:Lotay Tshering

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ECONOMY

UNDP and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation to co-create India’s first Social Impact Bond

• Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) recently signed an MoU with UNDP India to co-create India’s first Social Impact Bond (SIB).
• As part of this unique investment tool, the PCMC administration will only have to bear the costs of a public welfare project associated with the bond.
• The introduction of the SIB will attract more investors from public and private sectors to fund public welfare projects and thus help to meet the investment deficit
• The Palladium Group has been appointed for design and structuring expertise for the impact bond.

About UNDP :

• Representative : Shoko Noda
• Headquarters : New Delhi
• Established : 1951

About PCMC :

• Headquarters : Pune, Maharashtra
• Commissioner : Mr, Shravan Hardikar

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS 

Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan nominated to the Board of GAVI, The Vaccine Alliance

• On 29th December, 2020 Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare was nominated by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) as a member of the GAVI Board.
• The seat is currently held by Myint Htwe of Myanmar.
• Harsh Vardhan will be representing the South East Area Regional Office (SEARO)/ Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) constituency on the GAVI Board.
• Harsh Vardhan will be representing India from 1stJanuary 2021 until 31st December 2023.
• The Board normally meets twice a year in June and November/ December and holds an annual retreat, normally in March or April

About GAVI Board:

• The vaccine alliance GAVI is an international organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, that provides a forum for balanced strategic decision-making, innovation and partner collaboration.
• The GAVI board is responsible for strategic direction and policy-making oversees the operations of the Vaccine Alliance and monitors programme implementation.
• GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance as part of its mission to save lives, reduce poverty and protect the world against the threat of epidemics, has helped vaccinate more than 822 million children in the world’s poorest countries, preventing more than 14 million future deaths.
• Ngozi Okonjo-lweala presently serves as Chair of the GAVI Alliance Board.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Late Justice Rajindar Sachar’s Autobiography: ‘In Pursuit of Justice’

• On 29 December 2020, The autobiography of late Justice Rajindar Sachar, titled, In Pursuit of Justice: An Autobiography, was launched posthumously by Sachar’s family on the occasion of his birth anniversary.
• He passed away on April 20, 2018, at the age of 94 in Delhi.
• The book has been posthumously published.
• The book was launched through a virtual platform, in association with The Indian Society of International Law and The Indian Law Institute.

About The Book :

• The book is a story of a great jurist who was an even greater human being, as he delivered a lot to the society and did not allow politics to cloud his judgements.

About Justice Rajindar Sachar :

• Rajindar Sachar (22 December 1923 – 20 April 2018) was an Indian lawyer and a former Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court.
• He was a member of the United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and also served as a counsel for the People’s Union for Civil Liberties.
• Sachar chaired the Sachar Committee, constituted by the Government of India, which submitted a report on the social, economic and educational status of Muslims in India.
• On 16 August 2011 Sachar was arrested in New Delhi during protests over the detention of Anna Hazare and his supporters.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DRDO facility develops Quantum Random Number Generator

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has achieved a milestone in quantum technology by successfully developing a Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG).
• The facility has developed a fiber-optic branch path based QRNG.
• Random numbers have essential roles in various fields ranging from quantum communication, cryptography applications like key generation, key wrapping, authentication along with scientific simulations, lotteries and fundamental physics experiments.
• On December 8, the DRDO announced that their Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) technology underwent a successful trial between two laboratories in Hyderabad.

About DRDO:

• Founded : 1958
• Headquarters : New Delhi

India launches first remote monitoring system for oil refineries

• Indian Oil Corp (IOC), the country’s largest fuel retailer, announced it has launched the country’s first remote monitoring system for oil refineries’ turbines. The project, located in Hyderabad, was inaugurated by oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
• The Remote Monitoring & Operation Centre for Tracking of Indian Oil’s Refinery Gas Turbines was implemented by BHEL-GE Gas Turbine Services (BGGTS), a joint venture of BHEL and General Electric.
• The technology called Proactive Predictive Analytics-based Automated Anomaly Detection  will allow Gas Turbine Operational Data flowing in digitally from 27 turbines of the eight IndianOil refineries to be analysed round-the-clock in Hyderabad.
• This analysis will help in detection and diagnosis of emerging issues relating to gas turbines before they become critical and trigger corrective actions. This will help avoid refinery process unit shutdowns.

About IOC :

• IOC Chairman S M Vaidya
• Headquarters : New Delhi

About BGGTS :

• Chairman : Kamalesh Das
• Headquarters : Hyderabad, Telangana

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES 

Former Indian footballer and Olympian Nikhil Nandy passes away at 88

• Former Indian footballer Nikhil Nandy, was a part of the squad in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, died on December 29, 2020. He was 88.
• Nandy was part of the triumphant Bengal squad which won the Santosh Trophy in 1955. He had also won the Calcutta Football League with Eastern Railways back in 1958.
• Nandy also had a coaching stint with the National Team, as he took charge of the Blue Tigers dugout, jointly with J. Kittu

Daily CA on Dec 30th   

• On December 29, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation the ambitious New Bhaupur-New Khurja section of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor in Uttar Pradesh through video conference.
• Science and Technology Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan releases report – Action Agenda for an Atma Nirbhar Bharat prepared by Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council, TIFAC in New Delhi.
• Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawarchand Gehlot announced, the Central government is committed for the welfare of scheduled caste students as it has made a historic change in the scholarship available to students of this community pursuing higher education.
• Union Minister for Railways and Commerce & Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food &  Public Distribution Shri Piyush Goyal reviews the progress of upcoming DFC.
• Union Minister for Science and Technology Harshvardhan launched the ‘Digital Ocean’ platform on December 29, 2020.It is developed by Indian National Centre for Oceanic Information Services (INCOIS).
• The UGC set up a seven-member committee , headed by Vice-Chancellor of Central University of Punjab R P Tiwari, to consider the issue holding common entrance tests at undergraduate level only from the next academic year in central universities to provide a single platform for admission.
• On 28th December 2020, Harsh Vardhan, Union health minister, launched Pneumosil, India’s first Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV).The Pneumosil’ has been developed by Serum Institute of India in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
• President Ram Nath Kovind will be on a four days visit to Diu in the UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu starting from December 25 to 28, 2020 . In this Visit, He will inaugurate the Jalandhar Circuit House in Diu.
• The Indian Railways has launched the recently integrated Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) and a mobile application for downloading Unique Medical Identity Card (UMID).
• External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar,  two-day  visit to Qatar from 27 to 28 December.
• Cambodia’s first commercial extraction of oil begins in Gulf of Thailand. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, the country’s long-awaited first commercial extraction of oil has finally begun.
• US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris promised to bring a bill to Congress with a roadmap to citizenship for 11 million undocumented people.
• Arya Rajendran, the 21-year-old college student, has been elected as the new mayor of Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation, of Kerala.
• On December 29, 2020, Union Earth Sciences Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, will virtually inaugurate the newly established  Indian Meteorological Department for Ladakh.
• The Gujarat government announced a new solar power policy comprising provisions to encourage small and medium scale solar projects on residential, commercial and industrial premises.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of AIIMS at Rajkot, Gujarat through video conferencing on Dec 31.
• Students who studied in government schools in Odisha will now get the quota in admission into MBBS and BTECH in colleges of the state.A decision to this effect was taken by the state cabinet.
• Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa inaugurated the new building of Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre in Bengaluru. 
• Private sector lender ICICI Bank will acquire 9.09 percent stake in educational technology platform Myclassboard Educational Solutions Pvt Ltd for cash consideration of Rs 4.5 crore.
• AU Small Finance Bank announced a strategic partnership with ICICI Prudential Life Insurance to offer life insurance solutions.
• ICICI Bank has announced that it is collaborating with Google to issue FASTag. It has become the first bank to join hands with Google Pay for the issuance of FASTag.
• Bank of Baroda (BoB) has launched its Digital Lending Platform (DLP), which will allow prospective retail loan seekers to get loans digitally through a paperless process.
• Former Economic Affairs Secretary Atanu Chakraborty is likely to be the next Chairperson of the country’s largest private sector lender HDFC Bank..
• The West Bengal government has  promoted Rajeev Mishra IPS WB:1996 as Additional DG.
• Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan released a book titled “Element of Quantitative Genetics” by Prof. Dr. Stuti Sharma of Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural University, Jabalpur.
• The Narendra Dabholkar Memorial Award for this year has been conferred  upon Dravidar Kazhagam President K. VeeramaniThe award was instituted in the memory of the Maharashtra based rationalist Dabholkar.
• President Ram Nath Kovind will virtually confer the Digital India Awards 2020  through video conference. The Digital India Awards 2020 have been announced under six categories including `Innovation in Pandemic’.

Daily CA on Dec 31st   

• The country’s first pollinator park with over 40 species of butterflies, honey bees, birds and insects has been developed over four acres at Nainital’s Haldwani.
• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the proposal to export indigenously-developed Akash Missile System.
• Indian Railways successfully completed a speed trial for 180 km per hour of a new design vistadome tourist coach. According to the Railway Ministry, the new vistadome tourist coach has been manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai
• Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan launched the Global Pravasi Rishta portal and mobile App, to connect with 3.12 crore strong diaspora across the world.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of Light House Projects under the Global Housing Technology Challenge-India (GHTC-India) at six sites across six states on January 1 in video conference.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 34th PRAGATI interaction. Projects of the Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs were discussed.
• “To mark the 75th anniversary of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, he had gone to Port Blair and had the honour of hoisting the Tricolour,”
• The renewable energy minister was speaking at the Chief Ministers’ Plenary session of the virtual 3rd Global RE-INVEST Summit.
• The Fourth Meeting of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Working Group on Fisheries was held through virtual mode.
• The Chief Minister Secretariat, the Disaster Management Department besides the National Informatics Centre (NIC) of the state have jointly been chosen as winners in the “pandemic category” Digital India Awards 2020.
• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has announced that a multi-modal logistics park will be constructed in Silchar in Assam.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the project ‘Deepening and Optimization of Inner Harbour Facilities including Development of Western Dock on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis under Public-Private Partnership (PPP)mode to handle cape size vessels at Paradip Port’.
• The entire state of Nagaland has been declared a disturbed area for six more months.
• Jammu and Kashmir Govt conducts Intra State Level programme begins at Teacher’s Bhawan Gandhi Nagar, Jammu
• Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr. C N Aswatha Narayana has said that new Government Tool Room and Training Centers will be established in different parts of the state to impart training in different skills.
• In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, to generate awareness among the common masses about the Fit India campaign, Municipal Council Udhampur organized a cycle rally at Udhampur.
• North East’s first-ever specialised “Ginger” Processing Plant at district Ri-Bhoui in Meghalaya is being revived and is likely to become functional in the beginning of 2021.
• Senior scientist Hemant Kumar Pandey has been honoured with DRDO’s ‘Scientist of the Year Award’ for his contribution in developing several herbal medicines, including the popular drug Lukoskin meant for treatment of leucoderma.
• The private sector lender Yes Bank has appointed Niranjan Banodkar as a new Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) working paper has recommended that maintaining the inflation target at 4 percent is appropriate for the country.
• Tamil Nadu-based City Union Bank (CUB) is now available on India’s most popular messaging application—Whatsapp. 
• Karnataka signs three agreements with different firms to impart skill training to youths for jobs abroad.
• Cabinet approves MoU between India and Bhutan on Cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.
• Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) recently signed an MoU with UNDP India to co-create India’s first Social Impact Bond (SIB).
• On 29th December, 2020 Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare was nominated by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) as a member of the GAVI Board.
• On 29 December 2020, The autobiography of late Justice Rajindar Sachar, titled, In Pursuit of Justice: An Autobiography, was launched posthumously by Sachar’s family on the occasion of his birth anniversary.
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has achieved a milestone in quantum technology by successfully developing a Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG).
• Indian Oil Corp (IOC), the country’s largest fuel retailer, announced it has launched the country’s first remote monitoring system for oil refineries’ turbines. The project, located in Hyderabad, was inaugurated by oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
• Former Indian footballer Nikhil Nandy, was a part of the squad in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, died on December 29, 2020. He was 88.