Daily Current Affairs 29th December, 2021

Daily Current Affairs 29 December 2021 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Uttarakhand: Govt releases Rs 360.95 Crore to expedite the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission
The government has released a second tranche of 360 Crore 95 Thousand rupees with an undivided focus to expedite the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission in Uttarakhand.

• In 2020-2021, in two tranches, 721 Crore 90 Thousand has been released to the State so far.
• For the speedy implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission, a Central fund of one thousand 443 Crore 80 Thousand has been allocated to Uttarakhand in 2021-2022, which is four times the allocation made during in 2021-2022. Uttarakhand plans to become Har Ghar Jal State by next year.

Govt approves PLI Scheme for Textiles with an outlay of 10,683 crore rupees over 5 year period
The government has approved the Production Linked Incentive, PLI Scheme for Textiles, with an approved outlay of 10 thousand 683 crore rupees over a five-year period.

• The decision has been taken to promote production of Man-Made Fibre Apparel, Man-Made Fabrics, and Products of Technical Textiles in the country.
• Ministry of Textiles will accept online applications under the PLI Scheme for Textiles from 1st January next year through PLI portal https://pli.texmin.gov.in/mainapp/Default. The application window will remain open from 1st to 31st January next year.

Sex Ratio at birth improved by 19 points at National level, from 918 in 2014-15 to 937 in 2020-21: Women and Child Development Ministry
Women and Child Development Ministry has taken various measures to ensure development, care and protection of women and children. The Bill on Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Act, 2021 has been introduced in Lok Sabha this month for raising the age of marriage of women from 18 to 21 years.

• The Ministry said, Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Scheme is being implemented across India, covering 640 districts to address the issue of declining child sex ratio.
• The scheme has stirred up collective consciousness towards changing the mindset of the Nation towards valuing the girl child. This is also reflected in the improvement of sex ratio at birth by 19 points at National level from 918 in 2014-15 to 937 in 2020-21.

Govt approves Corbevax and Covovax vaccines and anti-viral drug Molnupiravir for restricted use on adults in emergency situations
Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation has given approval to Corbevax vaccine, Covovax vaccine, and anti-viral drug Molnupiravir for restricted use in emergency situations. 

• Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said, Corbevax vaccine is India’s first indigenously developed RBD protein sub-unit vaccine against COVID-19, made by Hyderabad-based firm Biological-E.  It is the third vaccine developed in India.
• The Nanoparticle Vaccine, Covovax, will be manufactured by Pune-based firm Serum Institute of India.

Telangana tops in implementation of Rurban Mission 
Telangana stood first in the implementation of the Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM) that was launched four years ago to stimulate local economic development, enhance basic services and create well planned clusters.Tamil Nadu and Gujarat took the second and third positions respectively.

• Sangareddy and Kamareddy districts stood in the first two positions among the 300 clusters across the country where the programme was being implemented.
• In Telangana, in as many as 17 clusters (12 non-tribal and five tribal), the programme was being implemented at an estimated cost of ₹1,885.12 crore.

Centre sets up high-level committee to examine possibility of lifting AFSPA from Nagaland
The Centre  constituted a high-level committee, headed by a secretary-rank officer, to examine the possibility of lifting the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in Nagaland, apparently to soothe the rising tension in the northeastern state over the killing of 14 civilians.

• Vivek Joshi, who is Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, will head the five-member committee while Additional Secretary in the Union Home Ministry Piyush Goyal will be the member secretary of the panel. Other members of the committee are chief secretary and DGP of Nagaland and DGP of the Assam Rifles, a government official privy to to the development said.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Japan introduces world’s first dual-mode vehicle that can run on roads and tracks
The world’s first dual-mode vehicle has hit the ground in the town of Kaiyo, Japan. It is said that the vehicle can run on roads as well as rail tracks.

• The DMV looks like a minibus and runs on normal rubber tyres on the road. What makes this vehicle different from the rest is, it also has steel wheels in its underbelly which descend when it hits the rail tracks.
• The front tyres are lifted off the track and the rear wheels stay down to propel the DMV onto the railway. This feature of effectively changing into a train-like module easily on a rail track is the first of its kind.

India to chair Counter Terrorism Committee of UNSC in January 2022 after ten yrs
India will chair the Counter-Terrorism Committee of UNSC in January 2022 after 10 years.

• The Counter-Terrorism Committee was established by Security Council resolution 1373 adopted unanimously on 28 September 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks in the US.
• The Committee was tasked with monitoring implementation of resolution 1373 which requested countries to implement a number of measures aimed at enhancing their legal and institutional ability to counter terrorist activities at home and around the world.

BANKING & FINANCE

Karnataka govt partners with NPCI and SBI for enabling and implementing e-RUPI
The Karnataka government’s e-Governance department has partnered with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and State Bank of India (SBI) for enabling and implementing ‘e-RUPI’, a cashless and contactless payment solution to students under its scholarship programme.

• e-RUPI will be used to ensure a leak-proof delivery of education fees of eligible students by paying digitally to the college/institute by Karnataka Government.

IndusInd Bank launches ‘Green’ Fixed Deposits
IndusInd Bank has announced the launch of ‘green fixed deposits’, whereby the deposit proceeds will be used to finance projects and firms supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

• These deposits will be offered to both retail and corporate customers.
• The Bank will use the proceeds from these deposits to finance a wide array of sectors falling under the SDG category including, energy efficiency, renewable energy, green transport, sustainable food, agriculture, forestry, waste management and greenhouse gas reduction.

RBL Bank extends co-branded credit cards partnership with Bajaj Finance
RBL Bank announced that it has extended the co-brand credit card partnership with Bajaj Finance Ltd for a period of five years up to December 2026.

• In FY2018, the Bank had entered into a partnership with Bajaj Finance, launching a series of co-branded credit cards.
• Per the Bank’s FY2019 annual report, FY2019 also saw the RBL Bank – Bajaj Finance co-brand portfolio cross the 10 lakh cards mark, making it one of the largest co-branded card partnerships in the country.

SPORTS

Mohammad Shami becomes fifth Indian pacer to take 200 Test wickets
Mohammed Shami has established himself among the greats of Indian cricket by becoming only the fifth Indian pacer to take 200 Test wickets. Shami achieved the feat on Day 3 of the first India-South Africa Test match in Centurion.

• Shami has joined Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan, and Ishant Sharma in the elusive list. Shami reached the milestone in 55 Test matches and is the third quickest Indian after Kapil and Srinath to join the list.
• Shami took a five-wicket haul at the SuperSport Park to reach 200 Test wickets. Shami’s exceptional bowling effort helped India bowl South Africa out for a score of 197 in the first innings.

Nitesh Kumar wins double gold on concluding day of 4th Para-Badminton National Championship in Odisha
World No. 7 Nitesh Kumar doubled his gold tally at the 4th Para-Badminton National Championship, which concluded in Bhubaneswar, Odisha recently . Haryana’s Nitesh along with his partner Tarun defeated World No. 1 Paralympic Games gold medallist Pramod Bhagat and Manoj Sarkar in straight sets 21-19, 21-11 in the Men’s doubles finals to win the gold.

• Earlier, Nitesh also won the gold medal in the Men’s singles category. World No 1 SL3 Para-Badminton player Parul Parmar from Gujarat also secured gold while Mandeep Kaur from Uttarakhand won Silver and Mansi won bronze.
• In Women Wheelchair 1 category, Alphia James from Kerala secured gold, while silver went to Neerja Goyal from Uttarakhand. Nirmala Mehta from Uttarakhand and Ranjeeta Maurya from Uttar Pradesh secured bronze. In Women Wheelchair 2 category, Ammu Mohan from Karnataka secured gold while silver went to Shabana from Punjab and Prema Biswas and Suman Rawat had to settle for bronze.
• In Women SU5 category, Manisha from Tamil Nadu secured gold while Arti ended up with silver. Jyoti and Vaishali ended with a bronze medal. In Women SL4 category, Jyoti from Haryana secured gold while Chiranjita secured silver and Kanak had to settle for bronze.
• In Women SH6 category, Nitya Sre from Tamil Nadu secured Gold, while Rhui had to settle for silver. Sasikala and Rachana secured Bronze.

APPOINTMENTS

Centre appoints Atul Kumar Goel as new MD & CEO of Punjab National Bank
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Atul Kumar Goel, MD & CEO of UCO Bank, as MD & CEO of Punjab National Bank (PNB) with effect from February 1 next year.

• Goel will serve as PNB chief until December 31, 2024, which is his attaining the superannuation age.
• He will serve as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in PNB, which is the country’s second-largest public sector bank, until January 31, 2022.0

Somalia’s President suspends PM Mohamed Hussein Roble over corruption allegations
Somalian Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble has been suspended. Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has suspended the Prime Minister, who is facing allegations of involvement in the theft of land.

• Mr Farmajo said, he was suspending the Prime Minister pending the outcome of an investigation into the corruption allegations.
• Mohamed Hussein Roble accused the President of trying to stage a coup and said, he would continue in office.  He urged the security forces to take orders from him rather than Mr Farmajo. The term of Farmajo officially ended in February but was extended because of disagreements over how to choose a new incumbent.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Gujarat: CM launches portal to monitor benefits of state health schemes
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel launched a health service management centre (HSMC) for monitoring various national and state-level health schemes. He also unveiled the website of the Gujarat Epidemic Response Management Information System (GERMIS) in Gandhinagar.

• HSMC aims to monitor the benefits received under various government schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (PMJAY), Mukhyamantri Amrutam (MA) scheme, nutrition-related schemes, maternal and child health schemes, and other similar government schemes, in addition to tracking the number of beneficiaries enrolled.
• It will also monitor and review the free diagnostic treatment given to patients such as screening for non-communicable diseases.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal launches Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam portal
Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal launched the portal of Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam along with the announcement of setting up of Atal Park and Smriti Kendra in Gurugram in the programme organized on the occasion of Good Governance Day.

• At a programme organised on the occasion of Good Governance Day, a magazine ‘Vyavastha Parivartan Se Susashan’ – along with the 2022 official calendar – was also launched.
• The chief minister also honoured 78 officers and employees for their commendable work in various fields.

China launches new camera satellite with high resolution to find resources
China launched a new satellite with a camera that can take pictures of the ground with a resolution of five meters, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said.

• The satellite, called “Ziyuan-1 02E” or “five-meter optical satellite 02,” was launched by a Long March-4C rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in north China’s Shanxi province.
• Ziyuan-1 02E weighs about 2.5 kilograms and is equipped with infrared, near-infrared and hyperspectral cameras. The cameras can take full-colour panchromatic images of the Earth.

OBITUARIES

Seven-term Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Prasad passes away
Rajya Sabha MP from the Janata Dal(United) and industrialist Mahendra Prasad died at a private hospital. He was 81.

• Estimated to be one of the richest members of Parliament, the founder of Aristo Pharmaceuticals was a seven-term Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar and was also elected to the Lok Sabha once.
• Prasad was first elected to the Lok Sabha on a Congress ticket in 1980. He remained associated with the party for a long time and shifted his loyalties later as its fortunes declined in the state.

Greece’s former president Karolos Papoulias passes away 
Former Greek President Karolos Papoulias, who served two terms between 2005 and 2015, died at the age of 92, the presidency said.

• Papoulias, who was also foreign minister in 1985-89 and 1993-96, was a high-ranking member of socialist PASOK party and a close associate of its late leader and former prime minister Andreas Papandreou.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Venkaiah Naidu releases the book ‘Dr V L Dutt: Glimpses of a Pioneer’s Life Journey’ 
Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu released the book Dr. V.L. Dutt – Glimpses of a Pioneer’s Life Journey, written by V.L. Indira Dutt in Chennai.

• Releasing a book ‘Dr VL Dutt-Glimpses of a Pioneer’s Life Journey’ written by Ms. V L Indira Dutt here, he said the virtues of respect for elders, service and compassion are at the core of our civilizational values.

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