Daily Current Affairs 22 December 2020 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.
NATIONAL NEWS
Rajnath Singh inaugurates India’s first hypersonic wind tunnel in Hyderabad
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated India’s first advanced Hypersonic Wind Tunnel (HWT) test facility at Hyderabad, making India the third country after the US and Russia to have such a facility.
- The state-of-the-art HWT Test facility is “pressure vacuum driven enclosed free jet facility having nozzle exit diameter of 1 metre and will simulate Mach No 5 to 12 (Mach represents the multiplication factor to the speed of sound)”.
- The new wind tunnel will allow better preparation for flight-testing by physically duplicating the extreme environment of hypersonic flight in ground testing. It will allow the DRDO aerodynamicists to discover issues and problems to iron them out before flight testing.
BANKING & FINANCE
Central Bank of India ties up with NPCI to launche ‘RuPay Select’ Contactless Debit Card
The Central Bank of India has launched a unique variant of a contactless debit card under the name ‘RuPay Select’, in association with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
- This RuPay Debit Select Card will focus on customers’ lifestyle, fitness, rejuvenation, nutrition and personal care.
- Central Bank RuPay Select Debit cardholders will be able to avail complimentary membership and concessional access to golf courses, gyms, spas and restaurants.
- Additionally, it comes up with an accidental and permanent disability insurance cover up to 10 lakh at no extra cost to customers.
ADB approves loan of $231m to construct LKHEP plant in India
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has sanctioned a $231m loan for the construction of the Lower Kopili Hydroelectric Power (LKHEP) plant in Central Assam, India.
- The LKHEP plant is expected to double the hydropower generation capacity of the Assam Power Generation Corporation (APGCL).
- The plant will produce a total capacity of 120MW of electricity to harness water from the Kopili River, to address power requirements during peak demand periods.
- The loan provided by the ADB is the third and largest tranche of the $300m Assam Power Sector Investment Program approved by the bank in 2014.
IIFL Home, ICICI Bank join hands for affordable housing, MSME loans
IIFL Finance said its home loan subsidiary IIFL Home Finance Ltd has tied up with ICICI Bank to provide affordable housing and MSME loans.
- Under the tie-up, IFL Home will originate and service customers through the entire loan life-cycle including sourcing, documentation, collection and loan servicing and in turn, ICICI Bank will provide funding to these customers.
ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund launches Business Cycle Fund
ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund has launched a open-ended equity scheme Business Cycle Fund, which will invest in equity and equity-related securities, with a focus on riding business cycles through dynamic allocation across sectors and stocks.
- The New Fund Offer opens on December 29 and closes on January 12.
- The fund will follow a top down approach right from monitoring macro indicators (global and domestic), identifying business cycle followed by determining suitable sectors, and selecting the stocks within these sectors.
Indian Army and Bank of Baroda enter into MoU for Baroda Military Salary Package
Indian Army and Bank of Baroda have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU for Baroda Military Salary Package.Â
- The MoU lays down the basis on which banking services would be provided by Bank of Baroda to serving and retired Army personnel.
- The package offers very attractive benefits including free Personal Accidental Insurance cover, Permanent Total Disability cover, Partial disability Cover and Air Accident Insurance Cover of sizeable amounts, as well as Higher Education Cover and Girl Child Marriage Cover on death in case of serving personnel.
SPORTS
Yo Mahesh, former Tamil Nadu and Chennai Super Kings pacer, retires from all forms of cricket
Former Tamil Nadu and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) seamer Vijaykumar Yo Mahesh has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
- Vijay, now 36 and a veteran of 61 Tests, 17 ODIs and nine T20Is, played three matches for the Chennai Super Kings in the latest edition of the IPL, but without a noteworthy performance. He is vastly experienced in the format, having turned out in 169 T20 matches over the years, scoring 4223 runs at an average of 26.22 and strike rate of 122.19, with three centuries.
- The right-arm medium-fast bowler ends his career with 108 wickets in 50 first-class matches. He also scalped 93 wickets.
AWARDS
US President confers ‘Legion of Merit’ award to PM Modi
The President of the United States of America conferred the highest decoration, The Legion of Merit, Degree Chief Commander, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- The award was received on behalf of the Prime Minister by the Ambassador of India to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu. At the ceremony, The Legion of Merit, was also awarded to the Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison, and former Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe.
- The award is in recognition of the Prime Minister’s steadfast leadership and vision for India’s emergence as a global power and exemplary contribution made by him for the advancement of the India-United States strategic partnership and promoting global peace and prosperity.
PM presents ASSOCHAM Centenary Award to Ratan Tata
PM Narendra Modi presented the ‘Assocham Enterprise of the Century Award’ to Ratan Tata to mark the contribution of the business group in the India’s progress during ASSOCHAM Foundation Week 2020 event held virtually .
- The Prime Minister said, for the past 100 years, ASSOCHAM and TATA Group have been involved in improving the economy of the country and the lives of crores of Indians.
Ministry of communication presents Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Telecom Skill Excellence Awards
The Union Minister of Communications and Electronics & IT, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad presented the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Telecom Skill Excellence Awards for the year 2018 along with Shri Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre, Minister of State for Communications and Electronics & IT.
- First Prize presented to Shri. Sreenivas Karanam of Bangalore – Rs 50,000 and Second Prize presented to Prof. Subrat Kar of New Delhi – Rs 30,000.
- The Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Telecom Skill Excellence Awards scheme was launched in 2017 by DoT.The award was named after Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay ji to commemorate his birth centenary.
Lewis Hamilton wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2020
Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has won BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2020. Hamilton beat Liverpool football captain Jordan Henderson who came second, and horse racing jockey Hollie Doyle who came third.
- This is the second time that the 35-year-old Hamilton has been crowned Sports Personality of the Year. Prior to this, he won the award in 2014.
Other awards:
- Helen Rollason Award: Captain Sir Tom Moore
- Expert Special Panel Award: Marcus Rashford
- Coach of the Year: Jurgen Klopp (Football)
- Team of the Year: Liverpool FC
- Unsung Hero: Sgt Matt Ratana
- Captain Tom Young Unsung Hero: Tobias Weller
- Young Sports Personality of the Year: Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix (British diver).
OBITUARIES
Congress veteran Motilal Vora passes away
Veteran Congress leader Motilal Vora passed away in Delhi following post-Covid-19 complications . He was 93.
- Vora, a two-time former chief minister of undivided Madhya Pradesh and also a former governor of Uttar Pradesh had served as a Rajya Sabha member four times and as a Lok Sabha member once.
- He started his political innings as an MLA in 1972 and remained a member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly till 1992. He was the chief minister of the state from 1985 to 1988 and elected to the office again in 1989.
- He remained active in the party till earlier this year. He was the party’s treasurer for a long time and last held the position of AICC general secretary (administration).
IMPORTANT DAYS
International Human Solidarity Day
The United Nations’ (UN) International Human Solidarity Day is annually held on December 20 to celebrate unity in diversity. It also aims to remind people on the importance of solidarity in working towards eradicating poverty.
- “Solidarity is humanity. Solidarity is survival” . That is the lesson of 2020.
- This year solidarity day is of immense importance to confront the crises and challenges faced by people globally among the Covid-19 pandemic.
National Mathematics Day
National Mathematics Day is celebrated on December 22 to commemorate the birth anniversary of India’s mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan.
- National Mathematics Day was first observed in 2012 when former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh as he inaugurated a ceremony in honour of the famed Indian mathematician. Since then, it is observed every year on December 22 to honour Ramanujan’s work in the field of mathematics.