Daily Current Affairs: December 25, 26 & 27, 2020

Daily Current Affairs (December 25, 26 & 27, 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

Good Governance Day – December 25

• Good Governance Day is observed in India annually on December 25, the birth anniversary of former-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Good Governance Day was established in 2014 to honour former Prime Minister Vajpayee by fostering awareness among the Indian people of accountability in government. 

International Day of Epidemic Preparedness – December 27

• The first-ever International Day of Epidemic Preparedness was observed on December 27, 2020. The day was called for by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate the importance of the prevention of preparedness for, and partnership against epidemics.
• This International Day falls on the birthdate of Louis Pasteur, the French biologist, to honour his work on vaccinations.

National News

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik announces India’s biggest hockey stadium in Rourkela

• Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik announced that a world-class hockey stadium with a seating capacity of 20,000 would be built up in Rourkela city.
• The Rourkela stadium will also act as the second venue to host the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Men’s Hockey World Cup India 2023 alongside the Kalinga Stadium in the state capital of Bhubaneswar.

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.

India’s first Lithium refinery to be set up in Gujarat

• India’s first Lithium refinery is going to be set up in Gujarat. Manikaran Power Limited, one of the country’s largest power trading and renewable energy company, will invest around Rs 1,000 crore to set up this refinery.
• It will process Lithium ore to produce battery-grade material. The company will import Lithium ore from Australia and will process it in Gujarat.

Gujarat:

• Capital: Gandhinagar
• Chief Minister: Vijay Rupani
• Governor: Acharya Devvrat
• National Park: Blackbuck NP, Vansda NP, Gir Forest NP, Marine NP, Gulf of Kutch.

NITI Aayog launches “DigiBoxx” an Indian Cloud Storage Service with Affordable Pricing

• NITI AAYOG has launched its own cloud storage, sharing and collaboration platform, “DigiBoxx”. The service was announced by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and aims to offer both users and companies made in India, ‘Aatmanirbhar’ cloud storage and file sharing platform. 
• The service is also priced competitively, including one free tier with 20GB cloud storage, a second tier for individuals and freelancers priced at Rs. 30 per month with 5TB cloud storage, one tier for small and medium businesses at Rs. 999 per month with up to 50TB storage, and a final tier for enterprises with unlimited data storage with varied pricing.

Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar launches DGNCC Digital Forum in New Delhi

• The Defence Secretary, Dr. Ajay Kumar, launched the DGNCC Digital Forum in New Delhi. This Digital Forum hosted on the DGNCC website will provide a platform to National Cadet Corps cadets all over the country to share their experiences of various NCC activities.
• This forum will help NCC cadets to share their opinions and suggestions on NCC training, Social Service, and Community Development. It is a positive step towards the digitisation of NCC, in line with the Digital India vision of the Prime Minister.

New Delhi:

• Chief Minister: Arvind Kejriwal
• Governor: Anil Baijal.

PM Modi inaugurates India’s first-ever driverless train for Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s first-ever driverless train operations on Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line (Janakpuri West-Botanical Garden) as well as the fully operational National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) services on the Airport Express Line, via videoconferencing.
• The service will be extended to Delhi Metro’s Pink Line (Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar) by mid-2021. This service will be taken to more than 25 cities by 2025.

New Delhi:

• Chief Minister: Arvind Kejriwal
• Governor: Anil Baijal.

Bajaj Auto signs MoU with Maharashtra govt for Rs. 650 crore plant at Chakan, Pune

• Bajaj Auto signed MoU with the Maharashtra government for setting up a production plant at Chakan of Pune district at an estimated investment of Rs. 650 crores. 
• The facility is expected to commence production in 2023 and will be utilised for manufacturing high-end KTM, Husqvarna, and Triumph motorcycles as well as for electric vehicles starting with Chetak.

Maharashtra:

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

India’s 1st tiger reserve hot air balloon safari launched in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve of Madhya Pradesh

• India’s first hot air balloon wildlife safari in a tiger reserve was launched in the world-famous Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. It is the first in any tiger reserve in the country. The service is being operated by Jaipur-based Sky Waltz. 

Madhya Pradesh:

• Capital: Bhopal
• Chief Minister: Shivraj Singh Chauhan 
• Governor: Anandiben Patel (Additional Charge).

Punjab CM Amarinder Singh launches digital ‘PR Insight’ mobile app and web portal

• Chief Minister of Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh launched a mobile application and web portal ‘PR Insight’ to monitor the feedback and subsequently improve the delivery of citizen-centric services to ensure responsive and transparent administration in the state.
• The application has been developed by the State Information and Public Relations Department to provide single repository and dashboard of all the news articles and social media posts of the state.

Punjab:

• Capital: Chandigarh
• Chief Minister: Captain Amarinder Singh
• Governor: V P Singh Badnore.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari lays the foundation stone of Rs. 8,341 Cr road projects in Rajasthan

• Union Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of Rs. 8,341 crore highway projects in Rajasthan. The project carries a road length of nearly 1,127 kilometres and has been 40 percent growth in road construction in Rajasthan during the past six years.

Rajasthan:

• Capital: Jaipur
• Chief Minister: Ashok Gehlot
• Governor: Kalraj Mishra.

CJI Sharad Arvind Bobde inaugurates e-service centre in Tripura High Court

• Chief Justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde inaugurated the e-service centre at the Tripura High Court in Agartala. The E-services have been facilitated under the e-Courts project with a view to bring transparency in legal proceedings & ease of access to information related to ongoing or past trials & cases.
• The event was attended by the Chief Justice of Tripura High Court, Akhil Kureshi and Tripura High Court judges, Justice Subhasis Talapatra and Justice SG Chatterjee and other eminent lawyers.

Tripura:

• Capital: Agartala
• Chief Minister: Biplab Kumar Deb
• Governor: Ramesh Bais.

International News

India & Japan sign deal to boost cooperation between steel industries

• India and Japan signed an agreement to enhance cooperation between their steel industries with the aim of ramping up domestic production and greater coordination in the global market, which is dominated by China. 
• The memorandum of cooperation in the field of steel industry, inked by India’s steel ministry and Japan’s economy, trade and industry ministry, will boost mutual cooperation by establishing an “India-Japan steel dialogue” at the joint secretary-level.

Banking and Economy

RBI cancels the license of Maharashtra-based Subhadra Local Area Bank Ltd. 

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the banking license issued to Subhadra Local Area Bank Ltd. Kolhapur, Maharashtra under Section 22 (4) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 to carry on banking business in India. 
• The bank had breached the minimum net worth requirement for two quarters in the financial year 2019-20.

RBI selects four more sandbox entities in the first cohort for Retail Payments

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has selected four more entities as part of its Regulatory Sandbox, which is currently running in its first cohort for retail payments.
• These entities include Mumbai based Tap Smart Data Information Services Private Limited (CityCash), Bengaluru based Naffa Innovations Private Limited’s ToneTag, Noida based Eroute Technologies, and Ubona Technologies Private Limited. 

Ind-Ra revises India’s GDP contraction to 7.8% from 11.8% for FY21:

• India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has revised India’s GDP estimate for the current financial year to -7.8 percent from -11.8 percent earlier, primarily due to the easing of COVID-19 curbs and better-than-expected growth numbers in the second quarter.
• Ind-Ra has also estimated the GDP of India for FY-22 is 9.6 percent.

Acquisitions and Mergers

TATA Group and Skill Ministry launch the first batch of Indian institute of skills in Mumbai

• Tata-Indian Institute of Skills initiated the first session to train students under the Centre’s Skill India programme. The training is being conducted through a joint collaboration between the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the institute. 
• The institute offers a scholarship scheme of 75 percent, has announced for the first 100 students or trainees.

Appointments

Vice Admiral Rajat Datta appointed as next DG Armed Forces Medical Services

• Surgeon Vice-Admiral Rajat Datta has been appointed as the new Director-General of Armed Forces Medical Services. He also holds the position of Cardiologist to the President of India. 
• Rajat Datta will replace incumbent Lieutenant General Anup Bannerjee and assume office on January 1, 2021. He will have a tenure of 23 months.

Florin Citu appointed as the new Prime Minister of Romania

• Romania’s Finance Minister Florin Cîțu, a member of the National Liberal Party (PNL), has appointed as the new Prime Minister of the country. He was a former investment banker.
• Citu was nominated by a three-party, centre-right coalition of the PNL, the USR-PLUS led by Dacian Cioloș, and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR). 

Romania

• Capital: Bucharest
• Prime Minister: Florin Cîțu
• President: Klaus Iohannis.

SEBI appoints former Chief Election Commissioner TS Krishnamurthy as an observer for e-voting on Franklin Templeton schemes

• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has appointed 13th Chief Election Commissioner Taruvai Subayya Krishnamurthy as the observer for e-voting of unitholders on the six wound up schemes by Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund. 
• The regulator has also constituted a technical team BN Sahoo, Nayana Ovalekar, K Sriram, M Krishna, and Ch E Sai Prasad.

Prasanth Prabhakaran appointed as MD and CEO of YES Securities

• YES Securities, a wholly-owned subsidiary of YES Bank Ltd., has announced the elevation of Prasanth Prabhakaran as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD & CEO) of YES Securities.
• Prabhakaran was spearheading the Wealth Broking & Investment Advisory and Institutional Equities business. He has worked with India Infoline, Kotak Securities & HDFC.

BCCI appoints Chetan Sharma as the new chairman of selectors; Abey Kuruvilla and Debashish Mohanty added to the panel

• The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the All-India Senior Selection Committee appointments. The cricket board appointed former India pacer Chetan Sharma as the new chairman of the selection committee, which also picked Abey Kuruvilla and Debashish Mohanty in the five-member team.
• The other two members of the selection panel are former India cricketers Sunil Joshi and Harvinder Singh. As per the BCCI constitution, the candidate with the most Test caps becomes the chief selector.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI):

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• President Sourav Ganguly
• Secretary- Jay Shah.
• CEO(Interim): Hemang Amin.

Awards and Recognitions

HDFC Bank top among 100 BFSI firms while Google Pay emerged at the top in UPI payments

• HDFC Bank has emerged as the top firm among the 100 Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) companies in India as per the BFSI Movers and Shakers 2020 report by Wizikey. HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and State Bank of India (SBI) ranked second and third, respectively.
• The ICICI Bank became the most preferred bank in terms of moratorium rules, new loan policy, as well as discounts, and offers on credit cards. It became the first in India to use satellite data to assess farmer loans.
• Google Pay has emerged as the number one mover and shaker, followed by Phone Pe in the wallet and UPI segment. Paytm and Amazon Pay ranked third and fourth, respectively.

AFSCB adjudged as the “Best Company Promoting Sports (Public Sector) 2020” at FICCI India Sports Awards 2020

• Air Force Sports Control Board (AFSCB) has been announced as the winner in the category of “Best Company Promoting Sports (Public Sector) 2020” at the FICCI India Sports Awards 2020 which was chaired by Justice Mudgal.
• Earlier, the AFSCB was also conferred with the ‘Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar’ by the Hon’ble President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind on 28 August 2020 for the ‘Employment of Sports Persons and Sports Welfare measures.’

”Lukoskin” developer Hemant Kumar Pandey honored with DRDO’s ‘Scientist of the Year’ award

• Senior scientist Hemant Kumar Pandey has been honoured with DRDO’s ‘Scientist of the Year Award’ for his contribution in developing several herbal medicines, including the popular drug Lukoskin which is meant for the treatment of leucoderma.
• He has been undertaking research at the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) lab Defence Institute of Bio-Energy Research (DIBER) at Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand for the past 25 years.

21-year-old Arya Rajendran has become India’s Youngest Mayor from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

• Twenty-one-year-old Arya Rajendran will be the next Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, making her the youngest ever to occupy the post in the country. She is currently the state president of ‘Balasanghom’, which is considered the world’s largest children’s organisation. 

Books and Authors

A book titled “In Pursuit of Justice: An autobiography” authored by Justice Rajindar Sachar to be organized

• The family of Late Justice Rajindar Sachar in association with The Indian Society of International Law and The Indian Law Institute is organizing the book launch “In Pursuit of Justice: An Autobiography” written by Late Justice Rajindar Sachar.
• The event will be followed by a discussion on “Personal Freedom and Judiciary”.

Union Minister Shripad Naik releases book “Sutranivednachi sutra-ek anbav” authored by Dr. Roopa Chari

• Union Minister of State (I/C) for AYUSH and the Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik released a Konkani book “Sutranivednachi sutra-ek anbav”, authored by Dr Roopa Chari. 
• The book is published by Sanjana Publications. Roopa Chari is a well-known personality in the field of compering in the state of Goa.

Obituary News

Former England batsman John Edrich passed away at 83

• Former England opening batsman John Edrich, who made more than 100 first-class centuries, has died at the age of 83. He played 77 Tests between 1963- 1976 scored more than 5,000 runs including 12 centuries.

Former England cricketer and commentator Robin Jackman passed away at 75

• Former England and Surrey bowler Robin Jackman has died at the age of 75. Jackman played in four Tests and 15 one-day internationals for his country, while he took 1,402 wickets in a 399-game first-class career between 1966 and 1982.

Sports News

Rafael Nadal wins his fourth Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award in ATP Awards 2020

• Rafael Nadal won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the 4th time. Nadal receives this honour for a third straight year and fourth time overall (2010, 2018-2020) for his fair play, professionalism, and integrity on and off the court.
• Novak Djokovic was the year-end No. 1 for a record-equaling sixth time after winning four titles including a record eighth Australian Open.
• Roger Federer was the singles fans’ favourite for a record-extending 18th straight year. 
• Frances Tiafoe was given the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award for his social activity. 
• The 17-year-old Carlos Alcaraz of Spain was the Newcomer of the Year 2020 after winning three Challenger series.

FIFA cancels men’s 2021 U-20 and U-17 World Cups due to COVID-19

• The Bureau of the FIFA Council has decided to cancel the 2021 editions of the Men’s U-20 World Cup and U-17 World Cup and gave the hosting rights to Indonesia and Peru respectively for the 2023 editions.
• Earlier, the 2021 U-17 Women’s World Cup, scheduled to be held in India in February, was cancelled.

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Daily Current Affairs Quiz – December 25, 26 & 27, 2020

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