Daily Current Affairs 23rd December, 2020

Daily Current Affairs 23 December 2020 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Gujarat Govt to set up Special Education Region at Dholera
The Gujarat government signed a pact with Cerestra Managers Pvt Ltd to set up the Gujarat-Special Education Region (G-SER) at the Dholera Special Investment Region.

• The G-SER will be developed as an education hub spread over 1,000 acres that can be expanded up to 5,000 acres to develop university district, school district and innovation district.
• It  added that this will include residential and sports complexes for students. Investment in the G-SER project will accelerate the state”s economic growth and create employment opportunities.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

UN Women and Kerala government collaborate for India’s first Gender Data Hub
The Kerala government and UN Women have collaborated to establish India’s first Gender Data Hub.A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in this regard in the presence of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

• The Gender Hub builds on the goals established through the International Conference on Gender Equality held in November 2015, to collect, analyse and use more nuanced data and inform policy formulation in a manner that centre-stages women’s rights.

BANKING & FINANCE

Centre and WB sign USD 500 million project to build Green National Highway Corridors
The Centre and the World Bank signed a USD 500 million project to build safe and green national highway corridors in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.

• The project will also enhance the capacity of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in mainstreaming safety and green technologies.
• The Green National Highways Corridors Project will support the Road Transport and Highways Ministry to construct 783 kilometres of highways in various geographies by integrating safe and green technology designs such as local and marginal materials, industrial byproducts and other bioengineering solutions.

ICICI Bank launches online portal  ‘Infinite India’ for foreign firms expanding in India
ICICI Bank has launched a new online platform for foreign firms looking to set up or expand their business in India.

• The platform, dubbed ‘Infinite India’, will offer foreign businesses banking solutions and value-added services.
• ‘Infinite India’ will seek to eliminate the need for coordinating with multiple touchpoints thus leading to a hassle-free experience for foreign companies in India.

ADB grants $40-million loan to Northern Arc Capital to help small borrowers
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it has signed a $40 million loan to Northern Arc Capital Limited (NACL) to support the livelihoods of microfinance borrowers and MSMEs in India.

• The loan is disbursed to NACL as part of ADB’s ongoing COVID-19 response.
• NACL will on-lend the loan proceeds and provide guarantees to financial institutions and individual borrowers.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

NCAER projects GDP contraction of 7.3% in FY21
The National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) has revised upward its gross domestic product (GDP) projection for FY21 to 7.3% contraction from the 12.6% dip estimated in September with the expectation that the economy will register marginal growth in the December quarter.

• In its mid-year review of the Indian economy, the NCAER said that the long-term effects of the pandemic will last for years.

MPEDA launches India’s first aquaframers call centre at Vijayawada
In a first of its kind initiative,the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), headquartered in Kochi, has launched a multilingual call centre for aquafarmers at Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, which will address their technical issues and impart knowledge about efficient farming methods round the clock.

• The call centre primarily caters to aqua farmers of Andhra Pradesh, the state that contributes more than 60 per cent of the country’s marine products export basket.
• The call centre can also handle calls in English and Hindi.

AWARDS

Ratan Tata honoured with ‘Global Visionary of Sustainable Business and Peace’ award
Veteran industrialist Ratan Tata was conferred the title of “Global Visionary of Sustainable Business and Peace” by the Federation of Indo-Israel Chambers of Commerce (FIICC) for epitomising “unity, peace and sustainability”.

• The opening of the Federation of Indo-Israel Chamber of Commerce’s international chapter in Dubai is the first such initiative aiming at tapping business opportunities together in other countries, and developing trilateral collaborations.
• The 82-year-old industrialist and philanthropist is the recipient of two of India’s highest civilian awards – Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan.

IMPORTANT DAYS

National Farmer’s Day
Kisan Diwas or National Farmers’ Day is observed on December 23, the birth anniversary of Chaudhary Charan Singh, the fifth prime minister of India.

• This day is of vital significance as it lays the idea of empowering the farmers of the society with the latest learnings of the agricultural sector.

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