Daily Current Affairs: December 23, 2021

Daily Current Affairs (December 23, 2021) 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

National Farmers’ Day or Kisan Diwas – 23 December

• National Farmers’ Day or Kisan Diwas is celebrated on 23 December every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of the fifth Prime Minister of India, Chaudhary Charan Singh and also celebrate farmers and their contribution to India’s economy.
• The first Kisan Diwas was celebrated in 2001.

Banking & Economy

Axis Direct launches DIY ITR filing platform named ‘Digitax’ for filing tax returns

• Axis Direct has launched a Do-it-Yourself (DIY) platform named ‘Digitax’ for hassle-free income tax filing.
• This platform is powered by Quicko Infosoft Pvt Limited.
• It offers multi-broker support, allowing investors to understand tax calculations by importing trades (Equity, Intraday, and F&O) from their brokers and paying taxes on time.
• It will help the customers to understand the taxation structure, simplify the tax filing process and offer a hassle-free experience.

National Stock Exchange launches a new corporate governance initiative ‘NSE Prime’

• The National Stock Exchange (NSE) launched a new corporate governance initiative named ‘NSE Prime’.
• All the NSE-listed companies can adopt NSE Prime voluntarily. Those listed companies that voluntarily choose to be part of NSE Prime will need to comply with pre-defined norms on an ongoing basis, which will be monitored by NSE.
• NSE Prime is a framework that prescribes higher standards of corporate governance for listed companies than those required by regulations.
• This initiative will raise the bar for corporate governance standards in India, allowing investors to identify companies that have voluntarily signed up for higher corporate governance standards, broadening the quality of listed company investors and further strengthening trust in the Indian capital markets.

Oriental Insurance Company was categorised as a public shareholder in Axis Bank

• The Oriental Insurance Company was categorised as a public shareholder from a promoter category shareholder in Axis Bank.
• The new Oriental Insurance Company applied to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in October to be reclassified from the promoter category to the public category.
• The BSE and NSE have given their approval for the aforementioned promoter’s reclassification from promoter to public category.
• As per the shareholding pattern, the Oriental Insurance Company Limited held a 0.17 per cent stake in Axis Bank as of 30 September 2021.

Aadhaar authentication is mandatory for filing GST refund application from 1 January 2022

• The Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) has issued a notification that Aadhaar authentication is mandatory for Goods and Services Tax (GST) refund and revocation applications. These Aadhaar authentication provisions will take effect from 1 January 2022.
• Aadhaar authentication will make one eligible for filing of the application for revocation of cancellation of registration and for a refund, including that related to integrated tax (IGST) paid on goods exported out of India.
• With reference to the Finance Act of 2019, Aadhaar authentication was implemented in 2020 to combat tax evasion due to its simple registration process, which was given in three working days and did not require any field inspection or checks.

Appointments

Harjinder Singh was appointed as India’s Chef de Mission for Beijing Winter Olympics

• The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has appointed Harjinder Singh as India’s Chef de Mission for Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, which starts in February 2022.
• Harjinder Singh was the Chef de Mission of the Indian contingent for the 23^rd Winter Olympic Games too, which was held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018.
• A Chef de Mission is in charge of leading the contingent and ensuring that the athletes and coaching staff are in the greatest possible environment to perform at their best. They usually take care of the team’s planning, communication and logistics during the games.

Ranks and Indices

India becomes the third top country hosting unicorns by displacing the United Kingdom

• India has displaced the United Kingdom (UK) by adding 33 unicorns in a year to bag the third spot in the list of countries hosting unicorns, according to the report released by Hurun Research Institute.
• The United States topped the report, followed by China.
• Bengaluru is home to the highest number of unicorns among Indian cities.
• Edtech company Byju’s emerged as the most valuable unicorn in India, with a total valuation of $21 billion.
• India was ranked at the fourth spot on the 2020 list.

Awards and Recognitions

Jindal Global University (JGU) wins the Digital Innovation of the year award 2021

• P. Jindal Global University (JGU) has won the “Digital Innovation of the Year 2021” award at the distinguished Times Higher Education (THE) Asia Awards 2021.
• This was the only Indian university to be shortlisted for the Digital Innovation of the Year award.
• THE awards are recognised as the ‘Oscars of higher education’. THE Asia Awards, launched in 2019, is an international recognition of outstanding leadership and institutional performance and a celebration of higher education excellence in all of its diversity across the Asian Continent.

Agreements and MoUs signed

NITI Aayog signs a Statement of Intent with the United Nations World Food Programme

• The NITI Aayog and the United Nations World Food Program (UNWFP) have signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to encourage and promote millet production and help India lead the world in knowledge exchange.
• The focus will be on mainstreaming millets and improving climate-resilient agriculture for improved food and nutrition security in India, according to a Statement of Intent issued by the NITI Aayog and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

World Food Programme (WFP)

• Headquarters: Rome, Italy
• Founded: 1961

Paytm Payments Bank ties up with MoneyGram to offer international fund transfer directly to Paytm Wallet

• Paytm Payments Bank has entered into a partnership with a peer-to-peer remittance company MoneyGram to enable international fund transfer directly to Paytm wallet.
• MoneyGram users outside of India may now transfer money to full KYC Paytm wallet users in India from the comfort of their homes.
• This is MoneyGram’s first mobile wallet partnership in India and it’s a significant step forward as India’s transition to digital payments accelerates.

Paytm Payments Bank

• Headquarters: Noida, India
• MD & CEO: Satish Kumar Gupta

Acquisitions

State Bank of India acquires a minority stake of JSW Cement for ₹100 crores

• The State Bank of India (SBI) acquired a minority stake in JSW Cement Limited with a ₹100 crores investment in compulsorily convertible preference shares (CCPS).
• This capital infusion by SBI will support JSW Cement’s capacity expansion from the current 14 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) to 25 MTPA over the next 24 months.
• The conversion of CCPS into common equity of the SBI will be linked to JSW Cement’s future business performance and valuation determined at the time of the proposed initial public offering (IPO) in the next 12 to 18 months.

State Bank of India (SBI)

• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairman: Dinesh Kumar Khara
• Tagline: ‘The Banker to Every Indian’

Science & Technology

Docprime launches India’s first Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) integrated health locker

• PB Fintech’s Docprime Technologies has launched India’s first health locker integrated with Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) to provide consumers with a free digital and self-consented health data management system.
• This health locker enables users to create digital health IDs for themselves and their family members and activates their ABDM integrated health locker where they can securely upload, store and manage all their health records electronically as well as share them with their doctors.
• Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) was launched by the Government in August 2020 to develop an integrated digital health infrastructure in India.

Sports News

Bangladesh lifts the U-19 SAAF Championship trophy against India

• Bangladesh U-19 women’s team defeated India and lifted the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) U-19 Women’s Championship 2021 held at Birshrestha Shaheed Sepoy Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• Shaheda Akter Ripa of Bangladesh finished the tournament with the most goals (five goals). She was also given the Most Valuable Players award.
• India had lost 0–1 to table topper Bangladesh earlier in the tournament and finished second in the tournament with nine points.

Obituary

Pompidou and Millennium Dome architect Richard Rogers passed away

• Richard Rogers, the Pritzker Prize-winning architect whose works include the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the 3 World Trade Center skyscraper in New York and the Millennium Dome in London, passed away at the age of 88.
• His other creations included the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, the Welsh Parliament’s Senedd building in Cardiff, Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport and Terminal 4 of Madrid’s Barajas Airport.

Daily CA 23 December Oneliner:

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