Daily Current Affairs 15th December, 2021

Daily Current Affairs 15 December 2021 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

PM Modi lays foundation stone of MaaUmiya Dham Development Project in Gujarat
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone of Umiya Mata Dham temple and temple premises under Maa Umiya Dham Development Project at Umiya Campus in Sola in Ahmedabad, Gujarat via video conference. He stated the Project as an example of the notion of ‘SabkaPrayas’ (Efforts of everyone).

• They will be developed at a cost of Rs 1,500 crore on 74,000 square yards of land.

Odisha govt joins hands with UNCDF to drive economic empowerment of women
Odisha government’s Department of Mission Shakti signed an agreement with the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) to empower women economically and drive gender equality in the state.

• The state government said the partnership will address barriers that limit women’s access to financial security, autonomy and financial freedom with use of digital technologies and rising e-commerce industry in India.
• It will help 3.5 million self help groups (SHG) women members and low income individuals to have access to digital financial services and improved financial health.

BANKING & FINANCE

Axis Bank, Swift tie up to digitise trade banking 
Axis Bank is integrating different digitisation initiatives by government bodies and service providers to extend an end-to-end service to business clients.

• The bank’s B2B (business-to-business) digitisation efforts are being supported by Swift — a cooperative of global banks that acts as an intermediary between banks and sets standards.

SBI Card targets fitness and health enthusiasts; launches ‘SBI Card PULSE’
SBI Card, India’s largest pure-play credit card issuer, announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind fitness & wellness-focused credit card – ‘SBI Card PULSE’. 

• The launch of ‘SBI Card PULSE’ credit card, is in sync with Indian consumers’ growing need for staying fit and healthy.
• With evolving lifestyle, tech advancement, global exposure and increased disposable incomes, awareness to achieve good health and well-being is riding very high in consumers’ psyche.l

Equitas SFB, Cholamandalam MS for women-centric health insurance policy
Equitas Small Finance Bank (SFB) said it has tied up with Cholamandalam MS General Insurance to launch a women-centric health insurance policy Chola Sarva Shakti.The product has been launched to empower Indian women with good health and finances.

• Chola Sarva Shakti Policy initiative aims to provide women with an independent and comprehensive policy, which secures their future against various contingency health situations.
• The policy benefits include insurance in case of personal accidents or any health crisis, health indemnity and maternity cover, support for child’s education and EMI benefit to the insured in case of termination or temporary suspension from employment owing to health problems, among others.

Bank of Baroda launches bob World Wave, a wearable payment solution
Bank of Baroda (BoB) has launched a solution for digital banking payments, named bob World Wave.

• Wearable technology is witnessing the rise of tremendous interest across the world and lenders are using this opportunity to adopt the more convenient and cashless digital payments systems.
• The bob World Wave wearable device will allow customers to monitor their Sp02, body temperature, heart rate and blood pressure.With bob World Wave, the Bank is providing an exclusive 3-months free wellness package along with a personal health coach, doctor teleconsultation and interactive video coaching.
• The device will provide contactless payments of up to Rs 5000 in all NFC enabled PoS devices. Customers can do contactless payments above Rs. 5000 using a PIN.

LIC introduces Savings Life Insurance Plan, Dhan Rekha 
Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has introduced a new plan Dhan Rekha with effect from 13 December 2021 which is a Non -Linked, Non-Participating, Individual Savings Life Insurance Plan.

• The product has various benefits and unique features. There are special premium rates for female lives. The plan is allowed to Third Gender. All Benefits under the plan are fully guaranteed.
• The plan provides a percentage of the basic sum assured as a survival benefit at regular intervals starting from the end of the premium paying term provided the policy is in force.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

BPCL ties up with BARC for green hydrogen production 
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has tied up with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) to scale-up Alkaline Electrolyze technology for Green Hydrogen production.

• This is a first of its kind initiative to support India’s commitment to achieve renewable energy targets and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Electrolyser plants are presently imported and the collaboration is to “scale-up Alkaline Electrolyser technology for Green Hydrogen production”.

ADB trims Asia growth forecasts as Omicron threatens economy
The Asian Development Bank warned that the highly mutated Omicron coronavirus variant could have a “substantial” economic impact, as it trimmed its 2021 and 2022 growth forecasts for developing Asia.

• Despite a sharp drop in infections and increased vaccination across the region stretching from the Cook Islands in the Pacific to Kazakhstan in Central Asia, the global surge in Covid-19 cases suggested “the pandemic will take time to play out”.
• The Philippines-based lender forecast growth of 7.0 percent in 2021 — compared with its previous prediction in September of 7.1 percent — and 5.3 percent in 2022, down from its earlier forecast of 5.4 percent.

SPORTS

BCCI forms committee for differently-abled cricketers
The BCCI has formed a committee for the differently-abled cricketers of the country, paving the way for them to play under the Board’s aegis.

• On the basis of the recommendation of the Justice Lodha committee, a board of three former disabled cricketers was being awaited for the last several years. The Proposal was approved by BCCI headed by president Sourav Ganguly & secretary Jay Shah.

AIBA rebrands itself as IBA
The International Boxing Association has changed its acronym from AIBA to IBA, promising to adopt a set of governance reforms so as to keep the sport’s inclusion at the 2028 Olympics.

• Boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon were all left off the initial list of sports for the 2028 Los Angeles Games and were asked to make changes by the International Olympic Committee.

AWARDS

David Warner, Hayley Matthews bag ICC’s Player of the Month award for November
Australia opener David Warner and West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews were voted the ICC Players of the Month for November.

• Warner, nominated for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award alongside Pakistan’s Abid Ali and New Zealand’s Tim Southee, emerged victorious with the most votes, following his crucial role in Australia’s triumph in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.
• For the women’s award, Matthews emerged victorious over Pakistan’s Anam Amin and Bangladesh’s Nahida Akter.

Elon Musk named Time magazine’s ‘person of the year‘
Time magazine named Tesla chief and space entrepreneur Elon Musk as its person of the year 2021, citing his embodiment of the technological shifts but also troubling trends reshaping people’s lives.

• Mr. Musk, who is also the founder and CEO space exploration company SpaceX, recently passed Amazon founder Jeff Bezos as the world’s wealthiest person as the rising price of Tesla pushed his net worth to around $300 billion. He owns about 17% of Tesla’s stock, which sold for almost $1,000 each.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DRDO, IAF successfully flight-test indigenous Stand-Off Anti-Tank missile
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Air Force (IAF) tested the indigenously designed and developed Stand-off Anti-tank (SANT) missile from Pokhran ranges, informed the Ministry of Defence.

• The test was successful in meeting all its mission objectives. The release mechanism, advanced guidance and tracking algorithms, all avionics with integrated software, performed satisfactorily and tracking systems monitored all mission events.
• The SANT missile is equipped with a state-of-the-art MMW seeker which provides high precision strike capability from a safe distance. The weapon can neutralise targets in a range up to 10 kms.

IIT Delhi signs MoU with IAF to accelerate indigenisation efforts
IIT Delhi recently signed an MoU with the Indian Air Force (IAF) for various developmental projects to support the requirements of the IAF.

• Under the ambit of the MoU, the IAF has identified key focus areas involving technology development and finding indigenous solutions towards sustenance of various weapon systems.
• IIT Delhi will provide cooperation and consultancy, duly supported by research, for feasibility studies and prototype development.

ENVIRONMENT

Askot wildlife sanctuary in Uttarakhand declared eco-sensitive zone (ESZ)
Established to protect the endangered flagship species Musk Deer and its habitat,  the picturesque  Askot Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh has been finally declared as an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ).

• However, as per the gazette notification issued by the Union Environment Ministry, the Sanctuary area has been reduced—a stretch of 146 square kilometers along which over 111 villages are located has  been kept out of the ESZ ambit with an aim to make the flagship species habitat safe from human interferences.
• Known as ‘Green Paradise on the Earth’, the Sanctuary which is situated some 54 km north of Pithoragarh in Kumaon region was established in 1986 primarily for preserving the musk deer and other rare Himalayan species and their natural habitats.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

‘Pride, Prejudice and Punditry’ book by Dr Shashi
23rd
The book titled ‘Pride, Prejudice and Punditry’ was launched in Hyderabad, Telangana. The book has been authored by former union minister and Lok Sabha Member of Parliament Dr. Shashi Tharoor.

• There are ten sections in this book, each devoted to a particular topic such as modern Indian history, Indian Politics, etc.
• The book marks the culmination of over 50 years of Dr Tharoor’s writings. His first short story made it into print when he was only 10 and since then he has published well over 5 million words—in books, newspapers, magazines, journals, online media, etc.—on a wide array of subjects.

Click here to read Daily Current Affairs