Daily Current Affairs 16 December for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.
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NATIONAL NEWS
Rs 50k penalty, suspension for overcharging Aadhaar services: Govt
Any operator found overcharging for Aadhaar services is suspended and the registrar who appointed him faces a penalty of Rs 50,000, Parliament was informed.
- Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has placed an obligation on all Aadhaar operators not to overcharge for Aadhaar services including update of biometric and demographic details,” Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a written reply to the Lok Sabha said.
- He said persons can lodge their grievances with UIDAI through email or call to the toll free number 1947.
Indian Navy to re-induct ship gifted & decommissioned by Maldives
The Indian Navy will be re-inducting a refurbished 22-year-old fast attack craft, INS Tarmugli, in a ceremonial commissioning ceremony at the naval dockyard, Visakhapatnam, more than seventeen years after she was gifted to Maldives which used it for years and returned to India in May this year.
- The ship, according to the Indian Navy, was commissioned into MNDF as MCGS Huravee on 16 April 2006, and served there till its decommissioning in May 2023.
- Before handing over to India, Huravee was refitted at naval dockyard, Visakhapatnam, in November 2018 by the Indian Navy to boost diplomatic ties with Maldives which has now nosedived after Mohamed Muizzu won elections in September.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
China Launches Deepest Lab On Earth, More than 2,000m Below Ground
The world’s deepest and largest underground laboratory became operational in China, state news agency Xinhua reported. The report said that the 2,400-metre-deep physics laboratory in located in southwest China’s Sichuan Province.
- The Deep Underground and Ultra-low Radiation Background Facility for Frontier Physics Experiments (DURF) is located beneath Jinping Mountain in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture. The DURF has a total room capacity of 330,000 cubic metres.
- It is expected that the lab will open up new frontiers in deep-earth experiments as the extreme depth will help the scientists by blocking most cosmic rays that mess with the observation.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
HCCB signs MoU with Gujarat government for ₹3,000-cr Juice & Aerated Beverages facility in Rajkot
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat government for setting up a ₹3,000-crore Juice and Aerated Beverages facility at Rajkot in Gujarat.
- This project is projected to commence operations in 2026 and will take employee strength in the State to over 1,500. This facility will be in addition to HCCB’s facility at Sanand in Ahmedabad district and Goblej in Kheda district.
- HCCB’s network in Gujarat also includes approximately 285 distributors and over 2.24 lakh retailers, highlighting its extensive reach and impact in the State.
Logistics cost for 2021-22 between 7.8-8.9 percent of GDP says govt
The central government released its estimate for the total logistics cost of the country. According to the estimate, the total logistics cost of India stands between 7.8 percent (lower bound) to 8.9 percent (upper bound) of total GDP for 2021-22.
- The centre has arrived at this estimate using supply and use tables, national accounts statistics and analysis of logistics cost from NCAER’s 2019 report.
- As per the government’s ‘ballpark’ assessment, the logistics cost stood between 8.7-9.9 percent of GDP in 2011-12 rose to 8.8-10 percent in 2012-13 and then fell below the maximum upper bound of 9.4 percent of GDP between 2014-15 till 2021-22.
ADB ups India’s growth projection to 6.7% for FY24
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has raised India’s growth forecast to 6.7 percent for the current financial year from its earlier projection of 6.3 percent on account of higher-than-expected second quarter numbers.
- The second quarter of FY24 saw higher-than-expected GDP growth of 7.6 pe cent, causing growth in the first half (April-September) to expand by a strong 7.7 percent, according to the Asian Development Outlook December 2023 released.
SPORTS
MS Dhoni’s iconic number 7 jersey retired by BCCI, becomes 2nd Indian after Sachin Tendulkar to be given this honour
The iconic number 7 jersey worn by legendary India captain MS Dhoni has been retired by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Dhoni became the second player after Sachin Tendulkar(No 10) to have his jersey retired by the BCCI.
- BCCI has decided to retire his jersey. The number 7 jersey will not be available for any player to use.
- The iconic India captain last played for the country in the 2019 World Cup semifinal against New Zealand. He announced his retirement on August 15, 2020 and no other player has worn the No.7 shirt since then.
AWARDS
Antim Panghal named UWW Rising Star of the Year
Indian wrestler Antim Panghal has been named the Rising Star of the Year among women by the United World Wrestling (UWW), the sport’s global governing body.
- The 19-year-old dynamo, competing in the 53 kg category, has had a remarkable season that has not only garnered accolades but has also overshadowed senior stalwart Vinesh Phogat in the same weight class.
- In the men’s freestyle category, Greece’s Georgios Kougioumtsidis received the Rising Star of the Year award, while Azerbaijan’s Hasrat Jafarov took the honors in the Greco-Roman category.
Professor Savita Ladage wins the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Nyholm Prize for Education
Professor Savita Ladage is associated with Mumbai’s Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. She has been recognized with the prestigious Royal Society of Chemistry’s  Nyholm Prize for Education for her outstanding contributions to chemistry education.
- Prof. Ladage bagged the award for her advocacy of the significance of chemical education. Her efforts include mentoring chemistry educators and spearheading impactful teacher and student programs that advance chemistry education in the country.
Pune breaks record: 3,066 parents read stories to their children for four minutes
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)’s event of ‘parents telling story to their child’ has made it to Guinness Book of World Records with 3,066 parents simultaneously telling stories to their children for four minutes. The earlier record of 2,479 parents simultaneously telling stories to their children was held by China.
- The event was a part of the Pune Book Festival, organised by the National Book Trust from December 16 to 24 on the grounds of Fergusson College, aimed to inculcate reading habits in children