Daily Current Affairs December 02 2021 | Latest News

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

World AIDS Day -Dec 1

• World AIDS Day is observed across the world on 1st December every year.
• This year the theme of World AIDS Day is End inequalities. End AIDS and End Pandemics.
•  The day provides an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV and to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness.
• With a special focus on reaching people left behind, WHO and its partners are highlighting the growing inequalities in access to essential HIV services.
• The day was first marked in 1988 and was also the first-ever international day for global health. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a chronic disease that is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

21.52 crore loans extended to women borrowers under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY)

• As 21.52 crore loans have been extended to women borrowers by Member Lending Institutions (MLIs) under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) since inception of the Scheme.
• This was stated by Union Minister of State for Finance Dr Bhagwat Kisanrao Karad in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha
• As per the existing guidelines, any individual who is otherwise eligible to take loan and has a business plan for non-farm income generating activities in sectors such as manufacturing, trading, services and activities allied to agriculture and whose credit need is up to Rs.10 lakh is eligible to avail credit under the Scheme.

About PMMY:

• Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) is a scheme launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on April 8, 2015 for providing loans up to 10 lakhs to the non-corporate, non-farm small/micro enterprises
• These loans are given by Commercial Banks, RRBs, Small Finance Banks, MFIs and NBFCs.

NITI Aayog organises knowledge sharing workshop on Natural Farming

• As a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of progressive India, NITI Aayog is organizing a series of events from November 2021 to April 2022.
•  In this connection, a national workshop on Natural Farming was organized by Agriculture vertical, NITI Aayog on 30th November 2021 involving Krishi Vigyan Kendras across India under the Chairmanship by Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog
• An exclusive website on natural farming developed by NITI Aayog was launched by Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog.
• The website covers information regarding natural farming including coverage of the practice in India, various schemes and initiatives by Central and State Governments, success stories from farmers and relevant publications among others.
• The website can be accessed at https://naturalfarming.niti.gov.in/

About NITI Aayog:

• Headquarters: New Delh0069
• Chairperson: Narendra Modi
• Formed: 1 January 2015

Centre forms three-member committee to review criteria for EWS quota : Ex-Finance Secretary Ajay Bhusan Pandey to Head Panel

• On November 30, The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment announced the Centre has formed a three-member committee to review the criteria for reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category.

Committee Members:

• jay Bhushan Pandey – former finance secretary, GOI (Chairman)
• Prof. V K Malhotra – Member secretary of Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR)
• Shri Sanjay Sanyal – Principal economic advisor to GOI (Member Convenor)
• The committee has been asked to complete its work within three weeks.
• The government constituted the committee in accordance with the commitment given to the Supreme Court to revisit the criteria for determining the economically weaker sections (EWS) in terms of the provisions of the explanation to Article 15 of the Constitution.
• The committee will have to review the criteria for determining the EWS category while keeping in mind the Supreme Court observations dated October 21, 2021.
• It will revisit the criterion in determining EWS category keeping in view the observations of the Supreme Court.
• It will also examine various approaches so far followed in the country for identifying economically weaker sections, and recommend criteria that may be adopted for identifying EWS category in future.

About Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment:

• Cabinet Minister: Virendra Kumar Khatik
• Minister of State : Ramdas Athawale, Pratima Bhowmik, A. Narayanaswamy

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Global trade likely to hit $28 trillion in 2021, grow 23% YoY: UNCTAD report

• Global trade is expected to reach about $28 trillion in 2021, growing 11 per cent over pre-pandemic levels, according to the global trade update report issued by UNCTAD.
• The outlook for 2022, however, remains very uncertain, due to slowing economic recovery, disruptions of logistics and rise in shipping costs, global semiconductor shortage, regionalization of trade flows, debt burden and governmental policies affecting international trade
• India’s trade growth accelerated in Q3 CY2021 — both in goods and services — while that of China remained relatively constant although at already high levels
• In 2021, the value of global trade in goods and services is expected to increase by about $5.2 trillion relative to 2020, and by about $2.8 trillion relative to 2019, the equivalent of an increase of about 23 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively.
• Global trade growth stabilised during the second half of 2021, increasing by about 1 per cent quarter-over-quarter.

About UNCTAD:

• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
• Secretary-General: Rebeca Grynspan
• Founder: United Nations General Assembly
• Founded: 30 December 1964

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

Himanta Biswa Sarma launches Assam MicroFinance Incentive and Relief Scheme 2021

• Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated the ambitious Assam Micro Finance Incentive and Relief Scheme-2021 at Collegiate High School playground in Tezpur in Sonitpur district, Assam.
• He ceremonially distributed cheques to five women beneficiaries during the programme.
• The scheme would benefit 24 lakh women in the state, while 59,468 women would receive reliefs amounting to Rs 16,000-Rs 25,000 in the Sonitpur district.
• The Chief Minister inaugurated the first phase of the scheme for those borrowers who have been repaying microfinance and bank loans regularly.
• They will get a one-time incentive up to Rs 25,000 or an outstanding balance, whichever is less.
• In the second phase, relief will go to borrowers whose payments are overdue by 1-89 days, and overdue accounts, but not NPA.
• The State Government will pay the overdue amounts. In the third phase, the scheme will cover the borrowers who are stressed, destitute and whose accounts have become NPAs.
• The government will consider providing partial or full relief based on the evaluation.
• Earlier, the Chief Minister inaugurated a 30-bed Paediatric ICU (PICU), a 30-bed ICU and 24 residential quarters for the professors at Tezpur Medical College and Hospital. There are 15 ICU beds and 15 step-down beds at the paediatric ICU. Set up with an investment of Rs. 4.45 crore, the PICU is expected to fulfil the requirements of child treatment to a great extent.

About Assam:

• Capital: Dispur
• Chief minister: Himanta Biswa Sarma
• Governor: Jagdish Mukhi
• Wildlife Sanctuaries : Garampani Wildlife Sanctuary, Bornadi Wildlife Sanctuary, Chakrasila Wildlife Sanctuary, Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary, Panidehing Wildlife Sanctuary, Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, Pabitora Wildlife Sanctuary, Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary, Bherjan – Borajan – Padumoni Wildlife Sanctuary, East Karbi Anglong Wildlife Sanctuary, Nambor Wildlife Sanctuary, Marat Longri Wildlife Sanctuary, Nambor – Doigrung Wildlife Sanctuary, Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary, Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary, Borail Wildlife Sanctuary, Deepar Beel Wildlife Sanctuary, Bordoibam Bilmukh Bird Wildlife Sanctuary, North Karbi Anglong Wildlife Sanctuary

Union Ministry of Electronics & IT, Govt of Andhra Pradesh and NASSCOM launch ‘Centre of Excellence of IoT and AI’ in Visakhapatnam

• National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), in a joint partnership with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Government of AndhraPradesh, has inaugurated the ‘Centre of Excellence on IoT and AI’ at Andhra University Campus, Visakhapatnam, aimed at promoting innovation in emerging technologies of IoT, AI, robotics, etc.
• The new centre advances Prime Minister Shri Modi’s Digital India vision by providing open labs and infrastructure to create and validate solutions from design to prototype to democratise innovation. 
• It also promotes entrepreneurship by providing an incubation facility for peer-to-peer learning and the benefit of an industrial environment.
• The Centre of Excellence of IoT and AI is a step towards solving real-world challenges and creating an impact.
•  It is designed to be a catalyst that will help the industry embrace technology and become globally competitive.
• The centre will focus on harnessing the power of Artificial intelligence and the Internet of things to bring unprecedented opportunities for Industry, Start-ups, and Academia.

About Andhra Pradesh:

• Governor: Biswabhusan Harichandan
• Chief minister: YS Jagan Mohan Reddy
• NP: PapiKonda National Park, Venkateswara National Park, Rajiv Gandhi National Park

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Drinking water supply schemes worth Rs. 1,816 Crore approved for Rajasthan

• Drinking water supply schemes worth Rs 1,816 Crore were approved for Rajasthan in the State-level Scheme Sanctioning Committee (SLSSC) meeting held.
• These schemes will provide tap water connection in 2,348 villages spread over 20 districts of the State. It will provide tap water connections to over 3.8 lakh rural households.
• While approving proposals, the SLSSC has given special attention on water quality issues in 16 districts impacted with geo-genic contamination, thereby urging to make provision of tap water supply in these areas on priority.
• The State was urged to consider use of solar -power based schemes. To ensure sustainability of ground water sources in the State, work on community tankas is being undertaken by the water supply department.
• Under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), there is provision for constitution of State Level Scheme Sanctioning Committee (SLSSC) for consideration and approval of schemes to be taken up for provisioning tap water supply to rural households.
• The SLSSC acts as a State-level Committee to consider water supply schemes/ projects, and a nominee of the National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM)

About Rajasthan:

• Governor: Kalraj Mishra
• Capital: Jaipur
• Chief minister: Ashok Gehlot

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND ECONOMY

RBI forms three-member Advisory Committee to assist Administrator of Reliance Capital

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has constituted a three-member Advisory Committee to assist the Administrator of Reliance Capital.

• The members of the Advisory Committee include Sanjeev Nautiyal, former Deputy Managing Director, State Bank of India, Srinivasan Varadarajan, former Deputy Managing Director, Axis Bank and Praveen P Kadle, former Managing Director and CEO, Tata Capital
• The Reserve Bank has constituted a three-member Advisory Committee to assist the Administrator in discharge of his duties
• The RBI had on November 29 superseded the board of directors of Reliance Capital and appointed Nageswara Rao Y, ex-Executive Director, Bank of Maharashtra, as the Administrator of the company.
• The action was taken by the central bank after numerous defaults by Reliance Capital in repayment of its debt obligations.
• Shares of Reliance Capital were locked at the five per cent lower circuit and closed at ₹18.10 apiece on BSE.

About RBI:

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata
• Governor: Shaktikanta Das

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Max Life Insurance extends ‘Buy Now, Pay at Approval’ facility to wider modes of online transactions

• Max Life Insurance Company Ltd has enhanced its ‘Buy Now – Pay at Approval’ feature available on term insurance purchases for customers to include more modes of online transactions.
• Launched last year for policies purchased online, the feature allows customers to apply for a policy through a digital payment method. 
• This helps ensure that the premium amount is not deducted until the proposal evaluation by the insurer
• Previously, the feature was only available on credit card payments last year.
• With the increase in digital transactions and diversification of payment options, the facility now applies to transactions made through Credit Cards, Debit Cards, and UPI platforms.

India’s GDP grows at 8.4 per cent in second quarter of current fiscal

• India’s Gross domestic product, GDP, for the second quarter of the current fiscal logged fastest growth among major economies in the world.
• According to the government data released, GDP of the country grew by 8.4 percent from a year ago. 
• As per the National Statistics Office, NSO, data, Manufacturing output increased 5.5 percent during the period while construction segment grew 7.5 percent in the second quarter.
• The NSO data suggest that household consumption rose in the second quarter, July-September, of FY22 despite the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, boosting hopes of a quicker recovery in consumer demand in the months ahead.
• Economy of the country has gained momentum during the quarter as demand in the economy gradually came back to normalcy after coronavirus related disruptions.
• The economy had contracted 7.5 percent in the same period last year.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

IREDA and BVFCL sign MoU for Green Energy collaborations

• Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corporation Limited (BVFCL) for providing its techno-financial expertise in developing Renewable Energy projects and fund raising.
•  The two companies are PSUs under Ministry of New & Renewable Energy and Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers respectively.

• The MoU was signed by Shri Pradip Kumar Das, Chairman & Managing Director (CMD), IREDA and Dr. Siba Prasad Mohanty, CMD, BVFCL in the presence of Shri Chintan Shah, Director (Technical), IREDA, Dr. R. C. Sharma, CFO, IREDA, and other senior officials.
• Under the MoU, IREDA will undertake Techno-Financial due diligence of Renewable energy, Green Hydrogen, Green Ammonia, Energy Efficiency & conservation projects for BVFCL.
•  IREDA will assist BVFCL in developing an action plan to create and acquire Renewable Energy projects for the next 5 years.
• MD, IREDA while singing the MoU said that IREDA believes this collaboration will inspire other companies of Chemical & Fertilizer sector like BVFCL to cut carbon emissions and being environment friendly.
• It is a way forward for IREDA to play key-role for development of North-East India through Green Energy.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE NEWS

Russian navy test-fires hypersonic missile in the White Sea

• Russia’s navy has successfully test-fired a prospective hypersonic missile Zircon cruise missile in the White Sea.
• The Admiral Gorshkov launched the Zircon cruise missile, hitting a practice target 400 kilometres (215 nautical miles) away.
• The launch was the latest in a series of tests of Zircon, which is set to enter service in 2022.

About Zircon cruise missile:

• Zircon would be capable of flying at nine times the speed of sound and have a range of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles).
• Zircon is intended to arm Russian cruisers, frigates and submarines.
• It is one of several hypersonic missiles under development in Russia.

About Russian navy:

• Headquarters: Saint Petersburg
• Commander-in-Chief : Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov
• First Deputy Commander-in-Chief: Admiral Aleksandr Vitko
• Deputy Commander-in-Chief: Vice-Admiral Vladimir Kasatonov

About Russia:

• Capital: Moscow
• President: Vladimir Putin
• Currency: Russian ruble

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

PNB to pick up 9.5% stake in Open Network for Digital Commerce Ltd

• Public sector Punjab National Bank (PNB) will invest as a promoter in Open Network for Digital Commerce by picking up over 9 percent stake in the company.
• As the acquisition of shareholding is below 10 per cent, regulatory approval is not required.
• The Delhi-headquartered lender stated its participation in ONDC is 9.5 per cent equity capital in the company, or Rs 25 crore, whichever is lower.
• India is working on setting up an ONDC infrastructure which facilitates e-commerce by providing equal opportunities to all marketplace players.
• In such a platform, the buyer can sell on a platform without being registered there and vice versa.

About PNB:

• Headquarters: New Delhi
• MD & CEO: S. S. Mallikarjuna Rao
• Founded: 19 May 1894, Lahore, Pakistan
• Founder: Dyal Singh Majithia

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

China launches new communications satellite – Zhongxing-1D 

• China successfully launched a new communications satellite Zhongxing-1D or ChinaSat-1 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwest Sichuan Province.
• The satellite was launched by a Long March-3B carrier rocket and entered the planned orbit successfully.
• It was developed under the China Academy of Space Technology, the country’s main, state-owned spacecraft maker.
• The satellite is able to provide high-quality voice, data, and radio and television transmission services.
• The launch marked the 399th mission for the Long March series carrier rockets.
• The ChinaSat-1 series is specifically designed for military communications, with the first of this type launched in 2011.
• 2021 has been a record-breaking year for Chinese launch activity and this launch was China’s 47th of the year.

About China:

• President: Xi Jinping
• Capital: Beijing
• Currency: Renminbi

DBT-NBRC develop world’s first Multimodal Brain Imaging Data and Analytics, SWADESH

• Department of Bio-Technology and National Brain Research Centre (DBT-NBRC) in Haryana has developed the world’s first Multimodal Brain Imaging Data and Analytics called SWADESH.
• The unique brain initiative has been developed by the DBT-National Brain Research Centre (DBT-NBRC), Gurgaon, Haryana.
• SWADESH was inaugurated by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Purpose:

• To strengthen Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research and help the scientific community come up with promising treatments.

About SWADESH:

• SWADESH is a unique brain initiative focusing on certified neuroimaging, neurochemical, neuropsychological data and analytics that are made accessible to researchers for managing brain disorders.
• It is the first large-scale multimodal neuroimaging database designed specifically for the Indian population with big-data architecture and analytics for various disease categories under one platform.
• SWADESH proposes a big-data architecture that manages and analyzes six modules, namely neurodegenerative [AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and Parkinson’s disease (PD)], neuropsychiatric (schizophrenia and bipolar disorder), neurodevelopmental (autism and epilepsy), COVID-19-related disorders, other disorders, and healthy subjects.
• It is supported by JAVA-based workflow environments and Python. Backed by a dedicated storage system, it provides quality control, data analysis reports, and data backups.
• Its development will facilitate the integration of multi-site data and collaborative research worldwide.
• Presently, SWADESH has data of 500 AD and MCI patients and 70 PD patients (includes data of 600 healthy old individuals and 800 healthy young individuals in the control group).

About DBT:

• Founded: 1986
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Minister of Science and Technology: Dr Jitendra Singh
• Secretary: Rajesh Sudhir Gokhale
• The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), under the Ministry of Science and Technology, promotes and improves biotechnology development in India through its development and implementation in agriculture, healthcare, animal sciences, the environment, and industry.

About NBRC:

• Established: 1997
• Located at : Manesar, Gurgaon district, Haryana, India
• Director-in-charge: Prof. Pravat Kumar Mandal
• It is an autonomous institute and a nodal center under the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India.
• DBT-NBRC is the only institute in India dedicated to Neuroscience Research and Education.

About Ministry of Science & Technology:

• Founded: May 1971
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Minister responsible: Dr Jitendra Singh
• Minister of State : Y. S. Chowdary

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Daily CA On Dec 02:

• World AIDS Day is observed across the world on 1st December every year & the theme of  2021 is End inequalities. End AIDS and End Pandemics.
• As 21.52 crore loans have been extended to women borrowers by Member Lending Institutions (MLIs) under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) since inception of the Scheme.
• As a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of progressive India, NITI Aayog is organizing a series of events from November 2021 to April 2022 &  in this connection, a national workshop on Natural Farming was organized by Agriculture vertical, NITI Aayog on 30th November 2021 involving Krishi Vigyan Kendras across India under the Chairmanship by Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog
• On November 30, The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment announced the Centre has formed a three-member committee to review the criteria for reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category.
• Global trade is expected to reach about $28 trillion in 2021, growing 11 per cent over pre-pandemic levels, according to the global trade update report issued by UNCTAD.
• Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated the ambitious Assam Micro Finance Incentive and Relief Scheme-2021 at Collegiate High School playground in Tezpur in Sonitpur district, Assam.
• National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), in a joint partnership with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Government of AndhraPradesh, has inaugurated the ‘Centre of Excellence on IoT and AI’ at Andhra University Campus, Visakhapatnam, aimed at promoting innovation in emerging technologies of IoT, AI, robotics, etc.
• Drinking water supply schemes worth Rs 1,816 Crore were approved for Rajasthan in the State-level Scheme Sanctioning Committee (SLSSC) meeting held.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has constituted a three-member Advisory Committee to assist the Administrator of Reliance Capital & the members of the Advisory Committee include Sanjeev Nautiyal, former Deputy Managing Director, State Bank of India, Srinivasan Varadarajan, former Deputy Managing Director, Axis Bank and Praveen P Kadle, former Managing Director and CEO, Tata Capital.
• Max Life Insurance Company Ltd has enhanced its ‘Buy Now – Pay at Approval’ feature available on term insurance purchases for customers to include more modes of online transactions.
• India’s Gross domestic product, GDP, for the second quarter of the current fiscal grew by 8.4 percent, the fastest growth among major economies in the world.
• Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corporation Limited (BVFCL) for providing its techno-financial expertise in developing Renewable Energy projects and fund raising.
• Russia’s navy has successfully test-fired a prospective hypersonic missile Zircon cruise missile in the White Sea.
• Public sector Punjab National Bank (PNB) will invest as a promoter in Open Network for Digital Commerce by picking up over 9 percent stake in the company.
• China successfully launched a new communications satellite Zhongxing-1D or ChinaSat-1 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwest Sichuan Province.
• Department of Bio-Technology and National Brain Research Centre (DBT-NBRC) in Haryana has developed the world’s first Multimodal Brain Imaging Data and Analytics called SWADESH.