Daily Current Affairs December 08 2022

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Dhaka celebrates the 51st Maitiri Diwas, which marks India’s recognition of Bangladesh:

• On December 6, Dhaka commemorated the 51st anniversary of “Maitri Diwas,” which commemorates India’s recognition of Bangladesh in 1971.
• The event was hosted by the Indian High Commission in Dhaka and featured participation from liberation war fighters, lawmakers, civil society leaders, media, dignitaries, and other notable individuals.
• K.M. Mozammel Haque, the Minister for Liberation War Affairs of Bangladesh, attended as the event’s chief guest.
• On December 16, the Pakistani forces led by Lieutenant General Niazi surrendered to a joint force of the Indian Army led by Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Arora and Mukti Bahini, liberating Bangladesh, formerly known as East Pakistan (Bangladeshi freedom fighters).
• On the 16–17th of December 1971, 93,000 Pakistani soldiers were disarmed in Bangladesh. After the Second World War, it was the biggest war surrender ever.

Researchers at IIT Madras create the “Sindhuja-I” ocean wave energy converter:

• Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) have created an “Ocean Wave Energy Converter” that can produce power from waves in the ocean.
• The second week of November 2022 saw the successful conclusion of this device’s trials.
• The item is known as “Sindhuja-I,” which translates to “produced from the ocean.”
• A floating buoy, a spar, and an electrical module make up the system.
• The wave and the buoy both oscillate up and down.
• In the current design, a long rod known as a spar can pass through the center of a system that resembles a balloon and is referred to as a “buoy.”
• India’s 7,500 km of coastline, which can generate 54 GW of electricity, can meet a significant portion of the nation’s energy needs.
• Tidal, wave and ocean thermal energy are all stored in seawater. India has the potential to harness 40 GW of wave energy.
• The Device was placed at a depth of 20 meters around 6 kilometers off the coast of Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu.
• Within the next three years, this system hopes to produce 1 MW of electricity from ocean waves.
• The accomplishment of various goals, including the UN Ocean decade and sustainable development goals, will be made possible by the success of this project.
• India has set targets for developing a blue economy, deep-water missions, and sustainable energy.
• It might assist India in achieving its target to produce 500 GW of renewable electricity by 2030 in response to climate change.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Tech Mahindra to Establish its First Global Delivery Center in Egypt

• Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting, and business re-engineering services and solutions, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) to establish a global delivery center in Cairo, Egypt.
• Tech Mahindra aims to hire more than 1000 employees over the next three years to serve both global and local customers from its newly inaugurated center in Cairo.
• The new facility in Cairo will assist Tech Mahindra’s clients across telecom, oil and gas, BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance), energy and utilities, and the public sector by leveraging artificial intelligence, big data and Analytics, cloud, and 5G technologies.

Note :

• CEO of ITIDA : Amr Mahfouz

About Egypt : 

• President : Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
• Prime Minister: Moustafa Madbouly
• Capital: Cairo
• Currency: Egyptian pound

TCS bags Rail Delivery group contract to create UK Rail Data Marketplace

• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has signed a six-year contract with an opportunity for extension with the United Kingdom-headquartered Rail Delivery Group to build and run the UK government’s Rail Data Marketplace (RDM).

Background : 

• In 2021, UK Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris announced the creation of RDM for better coordination between the government and industry to advance innovation and offer new products and services.

Key Highlights :

• RDM will be used for sharing real-time information with passengers across the UK, simplifying data sharing across operational bodies, and increasing data access for public and private bodies to improve transparency.
• It would offer access to new data sources as well as present existing data in more accessible formats to help businesses use rail open data to speed change, reduce costs and create new value for
• TCS Dexam, a controlled data exchange environment for enterprises and their ecosystem partners, will be used in the development of the RDM.
• Apart from preserving the security, privacy, and consent of data and its stakeholder, TCS Dexam will facilitate the democratization, monetization, and commercialization of data.
• Google’s Apigee platform will also be used by TCS for the development and management of APIs, which partner applications will use to connect with the RDM.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

First Sylhet-Silchar Festival 2022 to celebrate Indo-Bangla cultural ties to begin in Assam

• The first Sylhet-Silchar Festival celebrating the close cultural ties between the neighbouring regions of India and Bangladesh was inaugurated in Assam’s Barak Valley, Silchar, Assam.
• The festival is being organized by India Foundation under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Culture in association with the Bangladesh Foundation for Regional Studies.

About Sylhet-Silchar Festival :

• The event will commemorate 75 years of India’s Independence and the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s liberation from Pakistan.
• The event will showcase the cuisine, arts, crafts, culture, and local produce of the two regions which share close cultural ties.
• The festival will provide a platform to explore multi-disciplinary trade opportunities in sectors such as healthcare, tourism, education, and digital infrastructure.

About Assam : 

• Governor : Jagdish Mukhi
• Chief Minister : Himanta Biswa Sarma
• Capital: Dispur

India’s 1st gold ATM comes up in Hyderabad

• Goldsikka with technology support from Hyderabad-based startup, OpenCube Technologies has launched its first Gold ATM at Begumpet and described it as India’s first Gold ATM and the world’s first Real Time Gold ATM.
• The ATM was launched into the market by the ‘GoldSikka’ company.
• Telangana Women’s Commission chairperson, Sunitha Lakshma Reddy inaugurated the gold ATM Centre.
• The ATM has a capacity of storing 5 kgs of gold.
• This ATM can dispense gold coins in different denominations ranging from 0.5 gm to 100 grams.
• The prices are displayed live on the screen making it transparent and clear for the customers and the coins are dispensed in tamper-proof packs certified with 999 purity.
• The company plans to launch three machines in Hyderabad at the airport, old city and proposes to launch them in Karimnagar and Warangal also.

Note :

• CEO of Goldsikka : Sy Taruj

Maharashtra becomes the first state in India to have a separate Divyang department

• On International Day of Disabled Persons (Dec 03), Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced the setting up of a separate Divyang department for the welfare of differently-abled people with a fund allocation of Rs 1,143 crore.
• Maharashtra is the first State in the country to have a separate Ministry for the disabled.

Aim :

• To ensure the welfare of the disabled and the effective implementation of various government schemes for them.

Key Highlights :

• The government has created 2,063 posts for the new department which will formulate policies for the welfare of the disabled by taking into consideration the views of the stakeholder.
• The sections looking into issues of Divyang (differently-abled) people under the Social Justice and Special Assistance department will be clubbed to form the new Divyang Welfare Department.
• Welfare activities of Divyang people like education, training, and rehabilitation were so far taken care of by the state social justice department.

About Maharashtra :

• Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
• Chief minister: Eknath Shinde
• Capital: Mumbai
• National Park: Tadoba National Park, Navegaon National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnala Bird Sanctuary, Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary

MNRE floats draft propozsal for offshore wind energy project off Tamil Nadu coast

• The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) has invited proposals for its draft tender on leasing out seabed areas for a 4 gigawatt (GW) equivalent offshore wind capacity project off the coast of Tamil Nadu (TN).
• The government proposes to lease out the sea bed, which includes specifically identified offshore wind sub-blocks B1, B2, B3, B4, and G1 off the coast of Tamil Nadu in the Gulf of Mannar, in the current financial year.

About Windpower developers :

• Selection of offshore wind power developers (OWPD) for leasing of sea-bed areas equivalent to 4,000 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind power projects off the coast of Tamil Nadu through International Competitive Bidding.
• The grid connectivity and Long-Term Open Access/access to the grid under the general network access (GNA) framework to the grid shall be in the scope of the OWPD.
• The objective of the exercise is to introduce offshore wind energy as one of the green energy generation sources to contribute towards the ‘Net Zero by 2070’ target of the country.
• Besides, the government also aims to develop offshore wind energy projects, related ports and logistics infrastructure, and offshore wind expertise.

About MNRE : 

• Cabinet Minister: Raj Kumar Singh
• Minister of State: Bhagwanth Khuba

About Tamil Nadu : 

• Governor: R. N. Ravi
• Chief minister: M. K. Stalin
• Capital: Chennai
• Dance : Bharatnatyam, Karakattam
• National Park: Mudumalai National Park, Mukurthi National Park, Guindy National Park, Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Kalakad Wildlife sanctuary, Karikili Bird Sanctuary, Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary
• Tiger Reserve: Anamalai Tiger Reserve
• Biosphere Reserve: Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING & FINANCE

NSE indices Launch New Nifty Bharat Bond Index

• NSE Indices Limited (formerly known as India Index Services & Products Limited (IISL), a subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) has launched an index Nifty Bharat Bond Index – April 2033  under the Nifty Bharat Bond Index series

About the Bharat Bond Index series :

• The Bharat Bond Index series follows a target maturity date structure wherein each index in the series measures the performance of a portfolio of ‘AAA-rated bonds issued by government-owned entities maturing in a specific year.
• The Nifty Bharat Bond Index – April 2033 has a base date of November 30, 2022, and a base value of 1,000. 
• The index will be rebalanced/reconstituted at the end of every calendar quarter.
• The launch of the Bharat Bond ETFs has also opened up the target maturity date index funds category with overall assets under management of more than ₹30 lakh crore.
• The first Bharat Bond ETFs tracking the Nifty Bharat Bond indices were launched in December 2019 with initial assets under management of around ₹ 12,000 crores.
• In December 2019, NSE Indices launched the first two indices in the Bharat Bond Index with maturities in April 2023 and April 2030, and in July 2020, further two indices with maturities in April 2025 and April 2031 were launched.

About NSE Indices Limited :

• Founded: March 1998
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• MD & CEO: Ashishkumar Chauhan

India to soon have variable capital companies as expert panel gives a nod

• A nine-member expert committee, headed by MS Sahoo, has drafted a legal framework for allowing Variable Capital Company (VCC) structure in the International Financial Centres (IFSCs).
• The committee has proposed a legal framework within the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) Act, 2019, which provides for one implementing agency, IFSCA.
• The agency registers VCCs as body corporates, as well as authorizes and supervises their operations.
• The VCCs were introduced as a vehicle for investment management in

Key Highlights :

• The committee has laid down key principles which include ensuring VCCs are low-cost structures that attract lower governance requirements; having principle-based legislation with the flexibility to introduce subordinate legislation and close alignment with the requirements under the fund management entity (FME) regulations that would apply to funds housed within the VCC.
• Funds in India pooled through limited liability companies are governed under the Companies Act, 2013, or under the Limited Liability Partnership Act or trusts governed under the Indian Trusts Act, 1882.
• The IFSCA set up an expert committee under the chairmanship of KP Krishnan in September 2020 to examine the feasibility of the VCC in India.
• The VCC will be incorporated in the form of a company and shall be governed by the Registrar of VCCs akin to the Registrar of Companies (in India), with IFSCA playing the role of Registrar.
• The expert committee has suggested that tax residency certificates be issued at the sub-fund level to ensure they can take advantage of DTAAs.

About IFSCA : 

• Headquarters: Gandhinagar, Gujarat
• Chairman: Injeti Srinivas

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Alibaba Group sells a 3% stake in Zomato for ₹1,631 crore

• Alipay Singapore, an arm of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, sold a 3.07% stake in online food delivery giant Zomato for ₹1,631 crores via an open market transaction.
• Alipay Singapore Holding Pte offloaded around 26,28,73,507 shares, aggregating to a 3.07% stake in the firm, according to the bulk deal data available with the National Stock Exchange (NSE).

About Zomato :

• Founded: 2008
• Headquarters: Gurgaon, Haryana, India.
• CEO: Deepinder Goyal

About Alibaba Group Holding Limited :

• Founded: 28 June 1999
• Headquarters: Hangzhou, China.

It, also known as Alibaba, is a Chinese multinational technology company specializing in e-commerce, retail, Internet, and technology.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

The global economy appears to be heading for a recession, exacerbated by inflation:

• The world economy appears to be heading for a catastrophic recession, with analogies being drawn between the 2008 global financial crisis and the 2020 slowdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Many people believe that any significant setback may be avoided if the policy is fine-tuned, which may be difficult to achieve.
• For the past few months, the US dollar has been soaring.
• It is already at its highest level in two decades, and analysts anticipate it will rise even further in the following days.
• However, the spike in the value of the dollar is roiling economies and markets around the world, creating winners and losers.
• While a strong dollar benefits Americans, it has negative effects on other countries, particularly emerging ones.
• The increase in the US dollar has caused the value of the British pound, euro, Chinese yuan, Japanese yen, Indian rupee, and many other currencies to fall.
• As a result, basic imports such as food and gasoline become more expensive for these countries.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOUR

Four veteran diplomats and a US senator have been granted the “Diwali Stamp-Power of One” by the United Nations:

• Four senior diplomats and a US senator were honored here with this year’s annual ‘Diwali- Power of One award for their efforts toward a peaceful and safe world.
• The award, often known as the ‘Oscars of Diplomacy,’ is given to former top diplomats of the United Nations or a member state for their efforts to help shape a more perfect, peaceful, and secure world for all.”
• The Diwali Foundation USA, the European Union Delegation to the United Nations, and the Permanent Missions of Chile, Georgia, India, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Morocco, Oman, and Sri Lanka to the United Nations co-organized the 2022 award event.
• The awards were canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
• Previous recipients of the award include former UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri, former UK Ambassador to the UN Matthew Rycroft, Ukraine’s former UN envoy Yuriy Sergeyev, and Vietnam’s former Permanent Representative to the UN Nguyen Phuong Ngai.

2022 Award Recipient:

• Former Permanent Representative of Georgia to the United Nations Kaha Imnadze,
• Former Permanent Representative of Grenada to the United Nations Keisha McGuire,
• Former Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to the United Nations Georgi Velikov Panayotov,
• Former Permanent Representative of Benin to the United Nations Jean-Claude do Rego,
• Former Chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee Eliot Lance Engel

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND INDEX

BBC Announces List of 100 Most Influential Women: Four Indian ladies on the list:

• The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has issued a list of the world’s 100 most influential women, which includes women from politics, science, sports, entertainment, and literature.
• Four Indians are on the BBC’s list of the 100 most influential women: actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, author Geetanjali Shree, engineer and astronaut Sirisha Bandla, and social worker Sneha Jawale.
• The yearly list recognizes women’s achievements worldwide, from grassroots volunteers to global leaders, and is used by the BBC to focus on women’s experiences around the world through a dedicated series of interviews, documentaries, and features.
• For the first time this year, the BBC asked past ‘100 Women’ to recommend women they believe should be included on the 2022 list.

BBC 100 most influential women’s lists:

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, Mia Mottle, the prime minister of Barbados, Olena Zelenska, Billie Eilish, Selma Blair, an actress and disability rights activist, and Iranian climber Elnaz Rekab, who recently made headlines in Iran for competing in South Korea without a headscarf.
• Elnaz Rekab, an Iranian climber, recently made headlines in her nation for competing in South Korea without a headscarf.
• The first Arab or African woman to compete in a Grand Slam final during the Open era was Tunisian tennis player Ons Jabeur.

India will rank as the eighth-largest advertising market in 2023:

• India is anticipated to surpass Brazil and take over as the eighth-largest advertising market in 2023, according to GroupM’s worldwide end-of-year prediction.
• India is recognized as the ninth-largest advertising market in the world by GroupM in “This Year, the Next Year 2022.”
• The report claims that by 2022, India’s total advertising income will have increased by 15.8% to $14.9 billion, driven mostly by growth in pure-play digital advertising.
• It is anticipated to rise by 16.8% in 2023.
• In contrast, it is anticipated that Brazil’s advertising market will increase by 9% to $15.4 billion in 2022.
• It is anticipated to rise by 3.8% in 2023.
• According to the report, digital advertising in India makes up the largest portion of the country’s overall advertising market in 2022 (40.8%) and is predicted to keep growing above pre-pandemic levels.
• Retail media, a segment of digital advertising, is predicted to reach $551 million in 2022 and nearly quadruple by 2027, according to the report.
• In addition, it stated that TV advertising, which accounts for 36% of all advertising, is anticipated to expand by 10.8% this year and keep increasing at a double-digit rate moving forward.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Sharath Kamal was named co-chairperson of the ITTF Athletes’ Commission

• Two-time Commonwealth Games singles champion Sharath Kamal Achanta and China’s Liu Shiwen were named co-chairpersons of the International Table Tennis Federation’s (ITTF) Athletes’ Commission in Amman, Jordan,
• This is for the first time that the ITTF has chosen two chairpersons, a male and a female & both will be part of the ITTF Executive Committee.
• Both Achanta and Liu will become members of the ITTF Executive Committee.
• They join South Korean Ryu Seung-min, the first vice-chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, in representing the voice of athletes.

About Liu Shiwen :

• Liu, 31, was a member of China’s gold medal-winning team at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and took silver in mixed doubles in Tokyo 2020.
• She also won the women’s singles title at the Budapest 2019 World Championships, 13 singles titles on the ITTF World Tour, and the Women’s World Cup five times.

About Sharath Kamal Achanta :

• Achanta, 40, made his mark on the international stage when he won the men’s singles title at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. 
• Overall, he has 7 gold, 3 silver, and 3 bronze medals to his name at the Games.
• Also, the Athletes’ Commission elected 2 deputy chairs Stefan Fegerl and Elizabeta Samara.
• In addition to that, 1 male athlete and 1 female athlete were elected to ensure gender parity at the highest levels of the commission.
• The other members of the Athletes’ Commission are Omar Assar, Ingela Lundback, Jon Persson, Daniely Rios, Melissa Tapper, and Kelly Van Zon.

About ITTF :

• Founded: 1926
• Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland
• CEO: Steve Dainton.
• The ITTF is the governing body for all national table tennis associations.

Senior nuclear scientist K V Suresh Kumar takes charge as Chairman and Managing Director of BHAVINI

• Shri K.V. Suresh Kumar, a Distinguished Scientist of the Department of Atomic Energy has assumed charge as Chairman and Managing Director of BharatiyaNabhikiyaVidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI) at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu.
• His tenure will be for three years.

About Shri  Suresh Kumar :

• He joined the operations of  Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR)  in 1986.
• He was involved in the commissioning of various systems of FBTR such as Sodium heated Steam Generators, Steam & Water system, and Turbo-Generator.
• He has worked as the Director of the Reactor Facilities Group at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) in Kalpakkam. 
• Kumar was the Director, of Reactor Facilities Group from 2016 to November 2022 and was responsible for the operation of FBTR, KAMINI Reactor, and the fuel fabrication facility.
• He was also involved in the project design and safety review of the 500 MW PFBR.

About BHAVINI :

• BHAVINI is under the Government’s Department of Atomic Energy.
• It is tasked with operationalizing the Stage-II of India’s three-stage nuclear program with a focus on fast breeder reactor technology.
• It is currently constructing the 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam, 70 km away from Chennai

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

FIFA World Cup 2022 trophy will be unveiled by Deepika Padukone:

• According to speculations, Deepika Padukone will showcase the FIFA World Cup trophy in Qatar later this month.
• The trophy will be unveiled on December 18, the day before the World Cup final.
• Deepika will be the first actress to be honored in this manner in the world’s most-watched sporting event.
• Deepika Padukone is set to unveil the World Cup trophy at the Lusail Iconic Stadium on December 18.
• Deepika Padukone is an Indian cinema actress who primarily appears in Hindi films.
• She is one of India’s highest-paid actresses, with three Filmfare Awards to her name.
• She appears on lists of the country’s most popular individuals; Time named her one of the world’s 100 most important people in 2018 and awarded her the TIME100 Impact Award in 2022.
• Padukone is the creator of the Live Love Laugh Foundation, which raises mental health awareness in India.
• She speaks out on subjects such as feminism and depression, and she also performs in stage shows, writes columns for a newspaper, designs her line of women’s apparel, and is a notable celebrity ambassador for businesses and goods.

Sukant Kadam, world No. 3, wins gold at the Peru Para Badminton International:

• Sukant Kadam, world No. 3, smashed his way to gold at the recently ended Peru Para-Badminton International, defeating Singapore’s Chee Hiong Ang.
• India received 14 medals in total (6 gold, 1 silver, and 7 bronze).
• Sukant dominated the finals from the start.
• He defeated Chee Hiong Ang in straight sets, 21-14 and 21-15.
• The game lasted 32 minutes.
• The ace shuttler didn’t miss a beat in the final.
• Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan and Mandeep Kaur won the SH6 and SL3 singles titles in the women’s division.
• Mandeep defeated Ukraine’s Oksana Kozyna 21-11, 21-11, while Nithya defeated Peru’s Giuliana Poveda Flores 21-6, 21-13.
• Indian men’s doubles pair Nehal and Breno Johann (SL3-SL4) and women’s doubles pair Parul Parmar and Vaishali Nilesh Patel (SL3-SU5) both won gold medals.
• The Indian pairing of Nehal and Breno defeated Peru’s Renzo Diquez Bances Morales and Pedro Pablo De Vinatea 21-16 21-13, while Parul and Vaishali defeated Peru’s Kelly Edith Ari Escalante and Mandeep 21-17 21-19.

Daily CA on December 8:

• On December 6, Dhaka commemorated the 51st anniversary of “Maitri Diwas,” which commemorates India’s recognition of Bangladesh in 1971.
• Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) have created an “Ocean Wave Energy Converter” that can produce power from waves in the ocean.
• The world economy appears to be heading for a catastrophic recession, with analogies being drawn between the 2008 global financial crisis and the 2020 slowdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Four senior diplomats and a US senator were honored here with this year’s annual ‘Diwali- Power of One’ award for their efforts toward a peaceful and safe world.
• The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has issued a list of the world’s 100 most influential women, which includes women from politics, science, sports, entertainment, and literature.
• India is anticipated to surpass Brazil and take over as the eighth-largest advertising market in 2023, according to GroupM’s worldwide end-of-year prediction.
• According to speculations, Deepika Padukone will showcase the FIFA World Cup trophy in Qatar later this month.
• Sukant Kadam, world No. 3, smashed his way to gold at the recently ended Peru Para-Badminton International, defeating Singapore’s Chee Hiong Ang.
• Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting, and business re-engineering services and solutions, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) to establish a global delivery center in Cairo, Egypt.
• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has signed a six-year contract with an opportunity for extension with the United Kingdom-headquartered Rail Delivery Group to build and run the UK government’s Rail Data Marketplace (RDM).
• The first Sylhet-Silchar Festival celebrating the close cultural ties between the neighbouring regions of India and Bangladesh was inaugurated in Assam’s Barak Valley, Silchar, Assam.
• Goldsikka with technology support from Hyderabad-based startup, OpenCube Technologies has launched its first Gold ATM at Begumpet and described it as India’s first Gold ATM and the world’s first Real Time Gold ATM.
• On International Day of Disabled Persons (Dec 03), Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced the setting up of a separate Divyang department for the welfare of differently-abled people with a fund allocation of Rs 1,143 crore.
• The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) has invited proposals for its draft tender on leasing out seabed areas for a 4 gigawatt (GW) equivalent offshore wind capacity project off the coast of Tamil Nadu (TN).
• NSE Indices Limited (formerly known as India Index Services & Products Limited (IISL), a subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) has launched an index Nifty Bharat Bond Index – April 2033 under the Nifty Bharat Bond Index series 
• A nine-member expert committee, headed by MS Sahoo, has drafted a legal framework for allowing Variable Capital Company (VCC) structure in the International Financial Centres (IFSCs).
• Alipay Singapore, an arm of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, sold a 3.07% stake in online food delivery giant Zomato for ₹1,631 crores via an open market transaction.
• Two-time Commonwealth Games singles champion Sharath Kamal Achanta and China’s Liu Shiwen were named co-chairpersons of the International Table Tennis Federation’s (ITTF) Athletes’ Commission in Amman, Jordan,
• Shri K.V. Suresh Kumar, a Distinguished Scientist of the Department of Atomic Energy has assumed charge as Chairman and Managing Director of BharatiyaNabhikiyaVidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI) at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu.