Daily Current Affairs 14th December, 2021

Daily Current Affairs 14 December 2021 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

PM Modi inaugurates Saryu Canal project in Balrampur, UP
In an attempt to realise the vision of farmer welfare and empowerment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the Saryu Nahar National Project in Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh.

• The Saryu Canal National Project which will provide assured water for irrigation to over 14 lakh hectares of land and benefit about 29 lakh farmers, mainly in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
• The project has been completed at a cost of over ₹9,800 crore, out of which more than ₹4,600 crore was provisioned in the last four years.

PM Modi inaugurates Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham, a project that is spread over 500,000 square feet and connects the temple premises to the River Ganga.

• The earlier premises of Kashi Vishwanath was limited to just 3,000 square feet. Now 23 new buildings have been constructed that will provide diverse facilities to the pilgrims and devotees.
• The inauguration of the state-of-the-art infrastructure, built at the cost of Rs 339 crore, surrounding the Kashi Vishwanath Temple near the iconic Dashashwamedh Ghat comes ahead of the Assembly Polls in Uttar Pradesh early next year.

Himachal Govt constitutes ‘Samanya Varg Aayog’ to address grievances of ‘general category’
Himachal Pradesh will become the second BJP-ruled state after Madhya Pradesh to get a commission for the general category.

• A massive protest outside the Himachal Pradesh Assembly complex at Tapovan in Dharamshala forced the state government to announce the formation of “Samanya Varg Ayog” in the hill state for redressal of grievances of the upper caste people.
• With the announcement of Samanya Varg Ayog, the agitation has finally come to an end much to the relief of state government. The protesters had carried out a 900-km padyatra (foot march) from Shimla to Haridwar and back to Dharamshala for this and 7 FIRs were registered against them.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Dubai govt first in world to turn 100% paperless
Dubai has become the world’s first government to turn 100% paperless, the Emirate’s Crown Prince, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has announced, pointing at savings of 1.3 billion Dirham ($350 million) and 14-million-man hours.

• All internal, external transactions and procedures in the Government of Dubai are now 100 per cent digital and managed from a comprehensive digital government services platform.
• The Dubai Paperless Strategy was implemented in five consecutive phases, each of which enlisted a different group of the Dubai Government’s entities.By the end of the fifth phase, the strategy was fully implemented across all 45 government entities in the emirate.These entities provide more than 1,800 digital services and over 10,500 key transactions.

BANKING & FINANCE

Bajaj Allianz General Insurance launches ‘#Care4Hockey’ campaign
Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, one of the leading private general insurers in India announced the launch of its ‘#Care4Hockey’ campaign.

• The Company has associated with Rani Rampal, Indian Women’s Hockey Team Captain who is the face of this campaign.
• The thought behind this campaign is to elevate field Hockey’s recognition in our country and showcase how supporting a person to attain their goals can enable them to make a difference in the society.

NABARD projects Assam’s credit potential at Rs 36,292cr for FY23
Agencies National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development has projected a 12 per cent increase in Assam’s credit potential to Rs 36,292 crore for the 2022-23 fiscal, an official said.

• Around 52 per cent of the total projected credit potential is estimated for the agriculture and allied activities, and a 36 per cent share for the MSME sector, according to a report – State Focus Paper for 2022-23- released by the rural development bank recently.
• It will be used as a base for preparation of the annual credit plan for priority sector lending by financial institutions for FY23, the official said.

SPORTS

Max Verstappen wins maiden F1 World Drivers’ Championship in Abu Dhabi 
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen seals his maiden F1 title by beating title rival Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes in a last-lap thriller at the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP.

• Mercedes bagged another World Constructor’s Championship title but were denied the double they would have wanted

AWARDS

DBS Bank India wins two awards at ET BFSI Excellence Awards 2021
DBS Bank India’s persistent efforts to drive digital transformation for its customers have been awarded at the ET BFSI Excellence Awards 2021.

• An initiative of The Economic Times, ET BFSI Excellence Awards honours the best innovations & practices implemented by the BFSI industry in a dynamic and competitive environment.

The bank has won two awards:

1.‘DBS Rapid (Real-time API)’ solution in the ‘Innovative API/Open Banking model’ category
2.‘Intelligent Banking’ in the ‘Best Digital Customer Experience initiative’ category

Centre accepts plea, grants Mithila Makhana GI tag
The Geographical Indications Registry (GIR) under the Central ministry of commerce has accepted the plea to rename Bihar Makhana as Mithila Makhana and also suggested further amendments in the brand logo to better reflect its origins apart from identifying and protecting the product’s Geographical Indications (GI) rights.

• The development has put an end to the controversy over the branding of the mithila region’s one of the most famous produce in makhana or fox nut.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Centre launches national helpline against atrocities on SCs/STs
The government is launched helpline with an aim to ensure a proper implementation of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

• In a statement, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said the National Helpline Against Atrocities (NHAA) will be available round the clock on toll-free number 14566 across the country.
• It can be accessed by making a voice call or VOIP either from a mobile or a landline number of any telecom operator.
• The service will be available in Hindi, English and the regional languages of the states and Union territories. The mobile application of the NHAA will also be available.

Delhi Police launches e-learning platform to skill school dropouts
Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana launched an e-learning initiative by the southwest district of the police force to help educate youths and impart skill training to school dropouts from the weaker sections of society, officials said.

• The e-learning platform, ‘Unnati’, was launched at the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) Auditorium here under the Delhi Police’s flagship scheme ‘YUVA’.
• ‘YUVA’ is aimed at helping the youth, especially those from the weaker sections of society, and school dropouts get an education and acquire skills to realise their dreams of a secure future.

Lokpal launches digital platform to address citizens’ complaints
Lokpal Chairperson Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose inaugurated’ a digital platform for the management of complaints called ‘LokpalOnline’ that can be accessed by all citizens of the country and complaints can be filed from anywhere and at any time.

• LokpalOnline is an end-to-end digital solution for the management of complaints against public servants filed under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013.
• He said the LokpalOnline is a web-based facility, which will quicken the disposal of complaints in an accountable, transparent, and efficient manner with benefits to all stakeholders.
• It facilitates handling of complaints during the complete lifecycle of the Complaint, right from its filing to the final disposal and this will bring more transparency and efficiency in the complaint handling mechanism.

OBITUARIES

Gothic novel author Anne Rice passes away at 80 
Anne Rice, the gothic novelist widely known for her bestselling novel “Interview With the Vampire,” died at the age of 80. Rice died due to complications from a stroke.

• Anne Rice was famed for her book series “The Vampire Chronicles,” which launched with the 1976 novel “Interview With the Vampire,” later adapted into a Neil Jordan movie starring Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Kirsten Dunst (with a script by Rice) in 1994. The book is also planned to be adapted again in an upcoming TV series on AMC and AMC+ set to premiere in 2022.

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