Daily Current Affairs 21st December, 2021

Daily Current Affairs 21 December 2021 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Nagaland govt creates three new districts namely Tseminyu, Nuiland and Chumukedima
Nagaland Government has created three new districts namely Tseminyu, Nuiland and Chumukedima. The state has now a total of 15 districts.

• Tseminyu became the  13th district followed by Nuiland and Chumukedima as 14th and 15th Districts respectively.
• The decision was taken during a state cabinet meeting held under the leadership of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio at Kohima.

PM Narendra Modi launches development projects worth 650 crore rupees on Goa Liberation Day
Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the Goa Liberation Day celebrations at Shyamaprasad Mukherjee Stadium in Taligao. He felicitated freedom fighters and veterans of ‘Operation Vijay’ at the function.

• The Prime Minister congratulated Goa government for completing 100 percent coverage of 1st dose to all its eligible population.
• The Prime Minister laid a wreath on the Martyrs’ Memorial at Azad Maidan in Panaji. He witnessed a flypast and a sail parade at Miramar Beach. The Prime Minister also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of several development projects worth over 650 crore rupees in the state.

Punjab CM declares Shri Krishan Balram Rath Yatra as “state festival”
Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi declared the Shri Krishan Balram Rath Yatra as “state festival”. The Chief Minister also announced Rs 2.51 crore for Ludhiana’s Iskcon Temple.

• He also informed that the State Government is developing Shri Bhagvad Gita and Ramayana Research Centre on 20-acres land in Patiala.
• The Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi also laid the foundation stones of slew of development projects in the Zira assembly constituency at a cost of Rs 87 crore, including Civil Hospital (Rs 50 crore), Administrative Complex (Rs 12 crore), bus stand (Rs 6.50 crore) at Makhu, and an ITI to be named after late Inderjit Singh Zira (Rs 12.50 crore), and Sub-Tehsil at Mallanwala (Rs 5.85 crore).

Odisha CM launches air health service for four remote districts
As quality health service remains a far cry in the remote districts in Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched air health service to fly specialists to four districts to address the needs of people.

• The service has been launched for tribal-dominated Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Nuapada districts.Specialists such as neurologists, nephrologists and cardiologists will be flown to the district headquarter hospitals (DHHs) to treat the patients.
• The service was launched to ferry patients of the Remote and interior areas to hospitals and clinics in case of emergency.Meanwhile, the Chief Minister inaugurated T-Setu, the states longest bridge constructed over the Mahanadi in Cuttack district at a cost of Rs 111 crore.

NITI Aayog signs Statement of Intent with United Nations World Food Program
NITI Aayog has signed a Statement of Intent with United Nations World Food Program for the mainstreaming of millets and supporting India in taking lead globally in knowledge exchange.

• Recognizing the importance of millets, India observed 2018 as a year of millets to encourage and promote the millet production. Leading this initiative further, India spearheaded the UNGA resolution for declaring 2023 as International Year of Millets.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

BANKING & FINANCE

Equitas Small Finance Bank becomes banking partner for Government of Maharashtra
Equitas Small Finance Bank Limited announced it has been empanelled as a banking partner to the Government of Maharashtra with a view to offer its services to the state government employees.

• As per an agreement, Equitas Small Finance Bank is entitled to distribute salaries and allowances to the existing employees as well as make provision of pension to pensioners, thereby providing solutions to institutions and value-added services for individuals.
• Bandhan Bank, Karur Vysya Bank, South Indian Bank are the other three banks that are assigned the role of distributing salaries, allowances to government employees.

India, Germany Development Bank sign Euro 442.26 mn loan pact for Surat Metro
The Government of India and the German Development Bank KFW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau) have signed a Euro 442.26 million loan for the Surat Metro Rail project. 

• The total cost of the project is estimated to be Euro 1.50 billion ( ₹12,020 crore), of which KfW is financing Euro 442.26 million.The project is being co-financed by French Development Agency, AFD (Agence Française de Développemet), for which the agreement for Euro 250 million was signed on January 28, 2021.
• The project is aimed at reducing traffic congestion and long delays on major travel corridors in Surat city and urban area.

Edelweiss General Insurance ties up with PhonePe to offer digital motor insurance
Edelweiss General Insurance (EGI) has tied up with digital payments major PhonePe to offer digital motor insurance products, EGI announced.

• The partnership will help EGI reach out to PhonePe’s vast and growing network of customers and offer them simple, end-to-end digital solutions in the motor insurance segment.
• PhonePe customers can now purchase the insurtech’s motor insurance policy with zero paperwork. Along with that, customers can also opt for add-on benefits like depreciation protect, engine protection, consumable expense protect, roadside assistance, key and lock protect etc.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

GACL, GAIL team up to establish bioethanol plant in Gujarat
Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited (GACL) and GAIL (India) Limited (GAIL) have joined hands to set-up a Bioethanol plant of 500 KLD capacity in Gujarat .

• This MoU was signed on the lines of the roadmap launched by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi for 20% Ethanol Blending in Petrol by 2025 in order to reduce the import of crude oil.
• The estimated project cost is Rs. 1,000 crores and it is expected to generate annual revenue of approximately Rs. 1500 crores. An estimated savings of USD 70 million per year in Foreign Exchange is also expected through this project.

India registers highest-ever annual FDI inflow of 81.97 billion dollars in 2020-21
India has registered the highest ever annual Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow of 81.97 billion dollar in 2020-21.

• The Commerce and Industry Ministry said, FDI inflows in the last seven financial years is over 440 billion dollar, which is nearly 58 percent of the total FDI inflow in last 21 financial years.
• The Ministry said, top five countries from where FDI Equity Inflows were received during 2014 to 2021 are Singapore, Mauritius, USA, Netherlands and Japan.

SPORTS

India won 16 Medals at Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2021
India concluded the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2021 with 16 medals – 4 Gold, 7 Silver, and 5 Bronze, held at Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

• Bindyarani Devi was India’s only medallist at the World Weightlifting Championships 2021, that was also held parallelly at Tashkent.

India’s Medal Winners:
Gold medal
Jeremy Lalrinnunga (67kg) (Men)
Achinta Sheuli (73kg) (Men)
Ajay Singh (81kg) (Men)
Purnima Pandey (+87kg) (Women)
Silver medal
Guru Raja (61kg) (Men)
Lovepreet Singh (109kg) (Men)
Jhili Dalabehera (49kg) (Women)
S Bindyarani Devi (55kg) (Women)
Hazarika Popy (59kg) (Women)
Harjinder Kaur (71kg) (Women)
Punam Yadav (76kg) (Women)
Bronze medal
Vikas Thakur (96kg) (Men)
Gurdeep Singh (+109kg) (Men)
Lalchhanhimi (71kg) (Women)
R Arockiya Alish (76kg) (Women)
Anuradha Pavunraj (87kg) (Women).

BWF World Championships 2021: Kidambi Srikanth becomes first Indian male shuttler to claim silver
Star India shuttler Kidambi Srikanth made it to the round of 16 of the BWF World Championships with an emphatic win over Spain’s Pablo Abian by 21-15, 21- 12 and 21-14.

• Overall, it has been an unprecedented tournament for the Indian contingent as two male shuttler claimed a medal. And on the other hand, it has also been a historic first medal for Singapore in the BWF Worlds and Yew opened their account with a gold.
• This is India’s 12 medal in the history of the BWF World Championships, a fourth medal for a male shuttler and first ever silver in men’s singles category.

APPOINTMENTS

Leftist Gabriel Boric becomes Chile’s youngest ever president
The streets of Santiago erupted in celebration after leftist millennial Gabriel Boric became Chile’s youngest-ever president-elect with an unexpectedly large victory over his far-right rival in a polarizing race.

• Boric, 35, garnered nearly 56 percent of the vote compared to 44 percent for ultra-conservative Jose Antonio Kast, who conceded even before the final result was known.

Rishabh Pant appointed as Uttarakhand’s brand ambassador
Star Sanjay Dutt has been roped in by the Arunachal Pradesh government to be the brand ambassador for the state.

• Along with Sanjay, filmmaker Rahul Mittra has been roped in as the brand advisor on the occasion of the golden jubilee celebrations, marking the 50th year of the naming of the state.
• A campaign executed by Rahul Mittra Films and shot by ad filmmaker Shiraz Bhattacharya was kickstarted on this occasion, featuring Sanjay catering to the target audience for Arunachal tourism.

AWARDS

Emma Raducanu wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2021
Tennis star Emma Raducanu is the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year for 2021. She beat Tom Daley(diver) and Adam Peaty (swimmer) into second and third place, while England’s men’s footballers were named team of the year and Gareth Southgate the coach, as a triumphant period for British sport across the board was commemorated at a ceremony in Salford. Tom Daley won gold for the first time at his fourth Olympics in Tokyo.
Other award winners at Sports Personality 2021:

• Helen Rollason Award: Jen Beattie
• Coach of the Year:Gareth Southgate
• Team of the Year:England men’s football team
• World Sport Star:Rachael Blackmore
• Lifetime Achievement    :Simone Biles
• Unsung Hero :Sam Barlow
• Young Sports Personality of the Year:Sky Brown

SAIL receives prestigious Golden Peacock Environment Management Award 2021
Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has been awarded with the prestigious Golden Peacock Environment Management Award for the year 2021 in the Steel Sector by the Institute of Directors.

• SAIL has been the winner of this award for successive three years. This bears testimony to the efforts made by the Company for sustainable and environmentally responsible steel making.
• SAIL is sensitive to global concern for climate change. Carbon footprint reduction has become an integral part of the company’s corporate policies and operations.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Dr Rekha Chaudhari’s book “India’s Ancient Legacy of Wellness” released 
The book titled India’s Ancient Legacy of Wellness authored by Dr. Rekha Choudhary has been released recently.

• The book highlights how important it is for human beings to be close to nature which helps to regenerate and recharge to do productive work.

Click here to read Daily Current Affairs