Daily Current Affairs: December 11, 2020

Daily Current Affairs (December 11, 2020) like many other sections is inevitable and this also helps to score in the Banking awareness, Static GK, and Financial Awareness sections. Remember, Banking Awareness, and Static Awareness Questions are asked from the General Awareness section. This will also help you to ride your preparations for the forthcoming exams.

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Important Days

International Mountain Day – December 11:

• The International Mountain Day is observed on December 11. This day allows people an opportunity to spread awareness about protecting mountain biodiversity. It was established to encourage sustainable development of mountains in 2003 by the UN General Assembly.
• The theme for 2020: “Mountain biodiversity”

UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) Day – December 12:

• UNICEF Day is observed every year on December 11. The United Nations General Assembly created UNICEF on December 11, 1946, as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund.

National News

Cabinet approves PM-WANI scheme to provide free internet service through WiFi networks:

• The Union Cabinet approved PM-WANI (Prime Minister WiFi Access Network Interface), a key scheme in the telecom sector to expand the internet coverage across the length and breadth of the country. Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad stated that the PM-WANI was an extension of the Centre’s vision of digital empowerment.
• The scheme entails public data offices that will acquire public WiFi services through data service providers. It will maintain the details of App Providers, PDOAs, and PDOs. To begin with, the Central Registry will be maintained by C-DoT.

PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the New Parliament House Building under the Central Vista Project:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the New Parliament Building at the Sansad Margin Parliament Complex. The new building is an intrinsic part of the vision of the Atmanirbhar Bharat.
• The four-storied New Parliament Building is to be built in an area of 64500 sq. m at an estimated cost of ₹ 971 crores, to be completed in time to commemorate India’s 75^th Independence Day.

Andhra Pradesh signs MoU with the Survey of India for the historic land survey:

• Andhra Pradesh government exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Survey of India (SoI) for taking up the land resurvey christened ‘YSR Jagananna Saswath Bhoo Hakku-Bhoo Raksha Pathakam’, in the presence of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. A comprehensive land survey in Andhra Pradesh is being taken after 100 years.

Andhra Pradesh:

• Capital: Amaravati
• Chief Minister: S. Jaganmohan Reddy
• Governor: Biswa Bhushan Harichandan
• Folk dances: Kuchipudi, Vilasini Natyam, Bhamakalpam, Veeranatyam.
• National Park: Sri Venkateswara National Park, Rajiv Gandhi National Park, Papikonda National Park.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addresses the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-PLUS):

• Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh signed the joint declaration by the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) on strategic security vision. ADMM Plus has grown to become the fulcrum of peace, stability, and rules-based order in the ASEAN region.
• He stressed the need to continue the efforts to address the threats of bioterrorism and pandemic diseases. ADMM-PLUS is a platform for ASEAN and its eight dialogue partners.

Cabinet approves Rs. 23,000 crores for the Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY) to boost employment:

• The Union Cabinet has approved Rs. 22,810 crores for the Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY) to boost employment in the formal sector and incentivise the creation of new employment opportunities during the COVID-19 recovery phase under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Package 3.0.
• The Union Cabinet has approved an expenditure of Rs. 1,584 crores for the current financial year and Rs. 22,810 crores for the entire scheme period, i.e., 2020-2023.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurates Rs. 266-crore three-lane Koilwar bridge over Sone river in Bihar:

• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the three-lane 1.5 km long Koilwar bridge over Sone river in Bihar through video conferencing.
• A sum of Rs. 266 crores has been spent on the bridge. The existing two-lane bridge for both rail and road traffic is 138 years old. After completion of the other carriageway, the traffic on NH-922 and NH-30 will ease substantially. The bridge is a major road for transport between Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

 Bihar:     

• Capital: Patna.
• Chief Minister: Nitish Kumar.
• Deputy CM: Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi.
• Governor: Fagu Chauhan.

Lt. Governor of Ladakh RK Mathur inaugurates the 2^nd edition of Ladakh Literature Festival 2020:

• Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh R K Mathur virtually inaugurated the second edition of Ladakh Literature Festival, 2020, in Leh. The three-day festival will host a series of talks, the importance of the region, the ancient knowledge of Ladakh, folk music, cultural dance, geology and wildlife of Himalayas and several interesting topics on YouTube and Facebook streaming.
• Ladakh has an amalgamation of different cultural influences from India, Central Asia and Tibet which gives the region and its people a unique cultural identity.

 Ladakh:

• Capital: Ladakh
• Lieutenant Governor: Radha Krishna Mathur.

Maharashtra government launches ‘Sharad Pawar Rural Prosperity Scheme’ with MGNREGA:

• Maharashtra government launched the “Sharad Pawar Rural Prosperity Scheme” named after the Former Agriculture Minister and the President of the Nationalist Congress Party Sharad Pawar who is also the chief architect of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi.
• The state government will implement the scheme – ‘Sharad Pawar Rural Prosperity Scheme’ with MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005).

Maharashtra:                  

• Capital:
• Chief Minister: Uddhav Thackeray.
• Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

Odisha government launches “Eco-Retreat” programme at 5 locations for the tourism sector:

• The Odisha government Tourism Department launched the second edition of its flagship “Eco-Retreat” programme at five locations viz. Konark, Bhitarkanika, Daringibadi, Hirakud, and Satkosia. The event was inaugurated by Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik through virtual mode.
• Eco-Retreat 2020 will go a long way in encouraging tourists across India to explore these beautiful destinations set deep in the hinterlands of Odisha.

Odisha:                    

• Capital: Bhubaneswar
• Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik
• Governor: Ganeshi Lal
• Festivals: Dhanu Yatra, Budi Thakurani Yatra, Magha Saptami, Chhau, Dola Purnima.
• Folk Dances: Chhau, Gotipua, Ghumura, Ranappa, Chaiti Ghoda, Sambalpuri.

Union Jal Shakti Minister inaugurates 5^th India Water Impact Summit (IWIS) 2020:

• 5^th edition of India Water Impact Summit (IWIS) is organised by the National Mission for Clean Ganga and Center for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (cGanga) with the theme of comprehensive analysis and holistic management of local rivers and water bodies with a focus on Arth Ganga – river conservation synchronised development.

National Centre for Divyang Empowerment inaugurated at CRPF Group Centre in Hakimpet near Hyderabad:

• Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy has inaugurated the National Centre for Divyang Empowerment at the CRPF Group Centre in Hakimpet near Hyderabad.
• This is the first of its kind establishment to re-skill and rehabilitates the Divyang Warriors of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), who suffered life-threatening injuries in the line of duty.

Telangana:                     

• Capital: Hyderabad
• Chief Minister: Chandrashekar Rao
• Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan
• National Parks (NP): KasuBrahmananda Reddy NP, Mahaveer Harina NP, Mrugavani NP.

Uttar Pradesh government launches scheme for Tharu tribe:

• Uttar Pradesh government has launched a scheme to take the unique culture of the Tharu tribes all over the world. The intention of this scheme is to put the tribal villages on a tourism map. This will create jobs and bring economic independence to the tribal population in the region.
• The state government is working to connect Tharu villages in the districts of Balrampur, Bahraich, Lakhimpur, and Pilibhit which borders Nepal.

Uttar Pradesh:                

• Capital: Lucknow
• Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath
• Governor: Anandiben Patel
• National Park: Dudhwa National Park (Tiger Reserve)
• Zoological park: Shaheed Ashfaq Ullah Khan Prani Udyan (Gorakhpur), Kanpur Zoological Park, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Garden.

Banking and Economy

ADB raises India GDP growth forecast to -8% from -9% for FY21:

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) revised its forecast of India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth in FY21 to an 8% contraction, up from 9% in September.
• ADB also expects the GDP of India to bounce back with a growth of 8.0 percent in 2021 with GDP in H2 probably restored to its size a year earlier,” the multilateral lender stated in its Asian Development Outlook Supplement (ADOS) for December.

Equitas SFB launches three in one account offering various investment options:

• Equitas Small Finance Bank has announced the launch of its 3-in-1 account that allows customers to invest in a wide variety of financial products. The account will combine savings, trading, and Demat accounts as three financial products under an umbrella entity.
• The bank provides stock broking and demat services through referral arrangements with brokerage firms for trading and depository services.

RBL Bank and ICICI Prudential join hands for Bancassurance Partnership:

• RBL Bank and ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company have joined hands under a bancassurance (Bancassurance means selling insurance products through banks) partnership to sell insurance policies to the bank’s customers. 398 RBL Bank branches across 28 states will distribute ICICI Prudential Life’s protection and savings products.
• The alliance will enable over 8.7 million customers of RBL Bank to access and seamlessly purchase customer-centric protection and long-term savings products of the insurance company.

Acquisitions and Mergers

CII launches ‘Digital Saksham’ initiative with Mastercard and the National Institute for MSME:

• Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has announced a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mastercard and the National Institute for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (ni-MSME) an organisation of Ministry of MSME to launch the “Digital Saksham” Initiative, an expansive program designed to strengthen the competitiveness of MSMEs through digital know-how and acceptance.

SBI General Insurance partners with Mahindra Insurance Brokers Ltd. for insurance penetration in rural India:

• SBI General Insurance has announced a strategic partnership with Mahindra Insurance Brokers Ltd. (MIBL) through its Sajhedaari programme, to increase the penetration of insurance in tier 2 & 3 cities.
• This association marks a significant milestone for SBI General in realising its vision of becoming the most trusted general insurer for a transforming India.

Science and Technology

China successfully launches two satellites for gravitational wave detection:

• China successfully launched two satellites for the detection of gravitational waves into planned orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in the Sichuan Province.
• The two satellites would compose the Gravitational Wave High-energy Electromagnetic Counterpart All-sky Monitor (GECAM) mission and was launched by a Long March-11 carrier rocket.

Appointments

Indian-American Pramila Jayapal elected as Chair of Congressional Progressive Caucus:

• Indian-American Congresswoman, Pramila Jayapal, has been elected as the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), making her one of the most powerful US lawmakers in the 117^th Congress.
• She became the first Indian-American woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Awards and Recognitions

Actor Sonu Sood tops the list of Global Asian Celebrity 2020:

• Bollywood actor Sonu Sood has been named the number one Asian celebrity on the planet for the year 2020. Sonu topped the 50 Asian Celebrities in The World list, published by the UK-based Eastern Eye newspaper.
• Sonu has been honoured for his inspiring philanthropic work throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, especially helping migrant workers reach their hometowns.
• Other Indian personalities from the world of cinema, music, and fashion who featured in the list this year include Armaan Malik at the fifth position, Priyanka Chopra at sixth, Telugu superstar Prabhas at seventh, and Ayushmann Khurrana at eleventh.

Wrestler Bajrang Punia and shooter Elavenil Valarivan honoured at FICCI India Sports Awards 2020:

• Tokyo Olympics bound athlete’s wrestler Bajrang Punia and shooter Elavenil Valarivan bagged the top honours at the FICCI India Sports Awards 2020 held virtually this year owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Former Indian Cricketer Anil Kumble received the ‘Best Company Promoting Sports (Private Sector)’ award on behalf of his enterprise.

Rankings

India drops to the second position in BNEF’s 2020 Climatescope ranking; Chile bags the top spot:

• India has dropped to the second position in the recently released Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s (BNEF) 2020 Climatescope survey ranking from the first last year, because of a decline in clean energy investment, which fell 12 percent in 2018-19 to $ 8.5 billion and has plummeted 32 percent since 2017.
• Chile has bagged the top spot in the survey which is reflective of its strong clean energy policies while Brazil remained at the third position.

Obituary News

Legendary choreographer and Padma Shri awardee Astad Deboo passed away at 73:

• Padma Shri Awardee and renowned choreographer Astad Deboo passed away at the age of 73 at his residence in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He founded the Astad Deboo Dance Foundation to provide creative training to marginalised sections and the differently-abled.

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