Daily Current Affairs 12th December, 2020

Daily Current Affairs 12 December 2020 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Lakshadweep declared first UT to become 100% organic
The Ministry of Agriculture has declared Lakshadweep as India’s first Union Territory to become 100 per cent organic. 

• All farming activity in the UT is carried out without the use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, which provides access to safer food choices and making agriculture a more environment-friendly activity.
• Lakshadweep is second only to Sikkim, which was India’s first state to be declared completely organic. This comes after the UT received proper certifications and declarations under the Centre’s Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana.

Nitin Gadkari inaugurates three lane 1.5 km long Koilwar bridge over Sone river in Bihar
Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the three lane 1.5 km long Koilwar bridge over Sone river in Bihar through Video Conferencing. A sum of 266 crore rupees has been spent on the bridge.

• A six-lane bridge is being made in its place, of which, a three-lane carriageway has been opened for public. The bridge is major road for transport between Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

National Centre for Divyang Empowerment inaugurated at CRPF Group Centre in Hakimpet near Hyderabad
Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy has inaugurated the National Centre for Divyang Empowerment at the CRPF Group Centre in Hakimpet near Hyderabad.

• This is first of its kind establishment to re-skill and rehabilitate the Divyang Warriors of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) who suffered life threatening injuries in line of duty.
• The NCDE is a salute to those forces who made sacrifices in line of duty.

BANKING & FINANCE

ADB launches $9 bn Covid vax initiative for its developing member economies
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it has launched a USD 9 billion vaccine initiative that will offer support to its developing member economies to procure and deliver COVID-19 vaccines.

• The Asia Pacific Vaccine Access Facility (APVAX) provides a comprehensive framework and resource envelope for supporting developing Asia’s vaccine access, using two complementary components.
• The Rapid Response Component will provide timely support for critical vaccine diagnostics, procurement of vaccines, and transporting vaccines from the place of purchase to ADB’s developing members.

AWARDS

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris jointly named Time’s ‘Person of the Year’
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris were jointly named Time magazine’s 2020 “Person of the Year” , chosen from a list of finalists that included the man Biden vanquished at the polls – President Donald Trump.

• Apart from this, Time magazine has named the Korean pop group BTS as its Entertainer of the Year, and basketball star LeBron James as Athlete of the Year. Zoom founder Eric Yuan was aptly named Businessperson Of The Year, as the video communications company has come to define the way millions have connected with each other during the pandemic.
• Time began its tradition in 1927. Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg last year became the youngest individual winner of the accolade.

Sonu Sood tops 50 Asian Celebrities in The World list
Bollywood actor Sonu Sood has overtaken Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Bahubali actor Prabhas to become the number one South Asian celebrity on the Eastern Eye’s 50 Asian celebrities in the World list published by UK based Eastern Eye newspaper.

• The 47-year-old talented Bollywood star has been honoured for his inspiring philanthropic work throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, especially helping migrant workers reach their hometowns.
• Canadian YouTuber, social media star, comedian and TV personality Lilly Singh came in second and Half-Indian British pop superstar, Charli XCX, was third in the list.
• Indian singer Armaan Malik came in fifth for his immense musical output that included barrier-breaking English language songs. Sixth-placed Priyanka Chopra Jonas remains the most famous Indian star in the world, while the rest of the top 10 includes pan-Indian star Prabhas (7), Hollywood power player Mindy Kaling (8), highest-placed Indian TV star Surbhi Chandna (9) and Pakistan-born Hollywood heavyweight Kumail Nanjiani (10).
• The youngest in the list is 18-year-old Canadian newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (22), who starred in the successful Netflix series Never Have I Ever. The oldest is 78-year-old Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan (20), who once again did great work on film and television, helped humanitarian causes, beat Covid-19 after contracting it. The highest-placed author is the Booker Prize nominated Avni Doshi (31).

2020 Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians awarded to Carolina Araujo
The Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians 2020 has been awarded to Dr. Carolina Araujo, Mathematician from the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She received the Prize for her outstanding work in algebraic geometry. 

• Dr. Araujo, who is Vice President of the Committee for Women in Mathematics at the International Mathematical Union, is the first non-Indian to receive this prize and will be a role model for all women.

BOOKS & AUTHORS 

Amish Tripathi’s second non-fiction book, ‘Dharma’, to release on December 28
The second non-fiction book by best-selling author Amish Tripathi will be released on December 28, announced publishing house Westland.

• The book, titled “Dharma: Decoding the Epics for A Meaningful Life”, offers practical, philosophical lessons drawn from ancient Hindu epics.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of Neutrality
Every year on December 12th, the International Day of Neutrality celebrated across the world to promotes the importance of peaceful, friendly, and mutually beneficial relations between countries.

• It was officially declared by a UN General Assembly resolution adopted in February 2017 and first observed on December 12, 2017.

International Universal Health Coverage Day
Universal Health Coverage Day, commemorated each 12 December, is the anniversary of the first unanimous United Nations resolution calling for countries to provide affordable, quality health care to every person, everywhere.

• The theme of 2020 is “Health for all: protect everyone. To end this crisis and build a safer and healthier future, we must invest in health systems that protect us all now”.

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