Daily Current Affairs 11th December, 2021

Daily Current Affairs 11 December 2021 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Maharashtra retains top spot among states for most employable talent in 2022: Skills report
Maharashtra has retained the top position in the list of states with the most employable talent followed by Uttar Pradesh and Kerala, according to the India Skills Report 2022. 

• West Bengal emerged as the fourth most employable concentration of talent. Karnataka, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Haryana made up the remaining top 10 states for youth employability.
• Overall youth employability in India has increased to 48.7% compared to last year.
• The highest employable age group was identified between 22-25 years of age, with 56.21% of the resources in this age group considered highly employable, according to the report prepared by Wheebox in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry, Association of Indian Universities, United Nations Development Program, All India Council for Technical Education, Additional Skill Acquisition Programme, and PeopleStrong and Taggd.

NEDFi launches ‘Atmanirbhar Hastshilpkar’ scheme to support artisans
North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi) has introduced ‘Atmanirbhar Hastshilpkar’ scheme to support artisans in the Northeast region.

• The objective of the scheme is to provide financial assistance in the form of term loan for income generating activities.
• As many as 17 artisans have been provided with credit assistance of Rs 1 lakh each. The credit facility is collateral free and carries a subsidised interest rate of 6 per cent per annum, which is repayable in 24 months.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India assumed the chairmanship of Council of RATS SCO
India assumed the Chairmanship of Council of Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (RATS-SCO) in 2021 for a period of one year from October 28, 2021.

• The National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), Government of India, in association with Data Security Council of India (DSCI), as a Knowledge Partner, organized a 2-day Practical Seminar on ‘Securing Cyberspace in the Contemporary Threat Environment’ for delegates from SCO member States.

UNGA grants Observer Status to International Solar Alliance
The United Nations General Assembly has granted Observer Status to the International Solar Alliance (ISA), according to India’s Permanent Ambassador to the UN, T S Tirumurti.

• The ISA was conceived as a joint effort by India and France to mobilise efforts against climate change through the deployment of solar energy solutions.
• It was presented by the leaders of the two countries at the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Paris in 2015.

BANKING & FINANCE

Bank of Baroda signs MoU with Centrum Housing Finance
Bank of Baroda (BoB) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Centrum Housing Finance (CHFL) for sourcing and financing housing loan borrowers under co-lending model.

• With this tie-up the bank will be able to penetrate deep into markets in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities at competitive rates.
• Bank of Baroda would be able to garner housing loan business to the extent of ₹1,000 crore in one financial year.

ADB Approves Rs 2,645-Crore Loan To Improve Urban Services In India
Asian Development Bank said it has approved a Rs 2,644.85 crore (USD 350 million) loan for India to help improve its urban services.

• The loan supports the policies established by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to accelerate universal coverage of piped water supply and improved sanitation, Asian Development Bank said.
• This is part of the recently launched national programme Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 and to provide affordable housing to all, including poor, urban migrant and industrial workers, under the flagship mission Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

Federal Bank and Star Health Insurance tie-up for bancassurance
Federal Bank has joined hands with Star Health and Allied Insurance Co Ltd as a corporate agent to provide a wide range of innovative health insurance products for the Bank’s 8.90 million customers spread over 1,291 banking outlets across the country.

• The Bank’s customers can avail benefits of Star Health’s retail products and group affinity products through the bank’s various distribution channels thus helping customers address their complete financial needs under one roof.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

AQUISITIONS & MERGERS

LIC gets RBI approval to hike stake in IndusInd Bank to 9.99%
The Reserve Bank of India has approved the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) to raise its stake in IndusInd Bank by up to 9.99 per cent. The insurer holds 4.95 per cent in the private lender.

• The approval is subject to compliance with various regulations and rules including Master Direction on ‘Ownership in Private Sector Banks and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Board of India.
• The approval is valid for one year–that is up to December 8, 2022.

AWARDS

Haiderpur wetland in Uttar Pradesh is new Ramsar site
Recently Haiderpur Wetland of Western Uttar Pradesh has been recognized as 47th Ramsar site in the country and 10th in Uttar Pradesh and 2463rd in the world, which has been confirmed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

• The wetland has also been identified under Namami Gange, a central flagship, as a model wetland along the Ganga. With this, there are now a total of 47 such designated areas in the country.
• The Site supports more than 25,000 waterbirds, serves as a breeding site for the near-threatened Indian grassbird and provides refuge to the northern subspecies population of the vulnerable swamp deer during its seasonal flood-driven migration.

Balkrishna Doshi wins RIBA 2022 Royal Gold Medal 
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced that Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi will be the recipient of the 2022 Royal Gold Medal.

• The distinction, approved by Her Majesty The Queen and awarded each year since 1848, is given to architects or practices in recognition of a lifetime’s work and the impact on the evolution of the field and the built environment.
• With a career spanning over six decades, Balkrishna Doshi has had a paramount influence in shaping the architecture of India through a pioneering interplay of modernism and vernacular that translated into projects that celebrate local culture, context and craft.

Karnataka Bank bags two DigiDhan award from MeitY 
Karnataka Bank has been conferred with two DigiDhan awards instituted by the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).The awards were given during Digital payment Utsav in New Delhi.

• The bank received these awards for achieving the target with the highest percentage in BHIM-UPI transactions under the private sector bank category consecutively for two years – 2019-20 and 2020-21.
• Karnataka Bank has always stood ahead of the time in adopting the latest digital technology to its products in order to provide best in class service to our customers.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

‘1971: Charge of the Gorkhas and Other Stories’ book by Rachna Bisht
The book titled ‘1971: Charge of the Gorkhas and Other Stories’ written by Rachna Bisht has been released recently.

•  The book includes, from the story of the flight lieutenant who went missing after his plane crashed inside Pakistan to the ‘last khukri attack’ in modern military history.

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