Daily Current Affairs: December 8, 2020

Daily Current Affairs (December 8, 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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National News:

QRMP scheme launched for GST payers with turnover up to Rs 5 crore:

• The government has launched the Quarterly Return filing & Monthly Payment of Taxes (QRMP) scheme for small taxpayers under the GST system. Taxpayers with an aggregate annual turnover of up to Rs 5 crore in the preceding financial year and have filed their October GSTR-3B (sales) return by November 30, 2020, are eligible for this scheme.

Government Makes it Mandatory to Mention 8-digit HSN Code in Tax Invoice for 49 Chemical Based Products:

• The government has made it mandatory to mention 8-digit HSN or tariff code for 49 chemical-based products while issuing Goods and Services Tax (GST) invoice, a move expert feel is aimed at curbing tax evasion.
• The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC)made it for a registered person to mention eight numbers of digits of HSN Codes in a tax invoice issued by him. Currently, businesses mention up to 4-digit tariff code while issuing invoices.

Uttar Pradesh’s Dandupur railway station to be renamed as Maa Barahi Devi Dham:

• The Union government has given its consent after which Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath gave his nod to the renaming of the railway station. The Dandupur railway station situated between Pratapgarh and Badshahpur on Lucknow-Varanasi rail section will now be named Maa Barahi Devi Dham.

 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:

ICICI Bank Launches Country’s First App ‘IMobile Pay’ to Provide Payments and Banking Services for All:

• Private sector lender ICICI Bank launched ‘iMobile Pay’ a mobile banking app that provides payments and banking services to customers of any bank.
• The app offers a unique combination of facilities of a payment app such as enabling customers to pay to any UPI (Unified Payments Interface) ID or merchants, pay bills and do online recharges among others with instant banking services namely savings account, investments, loans, credit cards, gift cards, travel cards and much more.

 ICICI (Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India):

• • Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
  • MD and CEO: Sandeep Bakhshi
  • Tagline: Hum Hai Na, Khyal Apka.

Kotak Mahindra AMC launches India’s First International REIT Fund of Funds:

• Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company Limited (Kotak Mutual Fund) announced the launch of Kotak International REIT Fund of Funds, India’s first diversified REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) Mutual Fund.
• The new MF scheme is an open-ended mutual fund scheme that will have a diversified investment portfolio comprising listed REITs, which will invest in realty projects in the residential, office, data centre, warehousing, retail and hospitality segments.

Acquisitions and Mergers:

Kalpathi Group’s Ed-Tech Unit Veranda Learning Acquires Race for Rs 100 Crore:

• Kalpathi Group’s newly floated ed-tech unit Veranda Learning Solutions has acquired Race coaching institute for Bank, SSC, and PSC exams for a valuation of Rs 100 crore. The acquisition also includes stock and earn-out, and with this Veranda will launch a new brand called ‘Veranda Race’.
• Veranda Race is planning to launch course content in 11 Indian languages by December 2021, will initially offer online training programmes for TNPSC, SSC and banking.

SJVN signs MoU with IREDA for Cooperation on Green Energy Projects:

• SJVN Limited, a PSU under the Ministry of Power has entered an MoU with Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA), a PSU under the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, will provide its services to SJVN for Green Energy projects.
• The MoU was signed by NandLal Sharma, CMD, SJVN and Pradip Kumar Das, CMD, IREDA, in the presence of other senior officials through virtual mode.

NTPC signs MoU with IIFM for Narmada Landscape Restoration project:

• India’s largest power generator NTPC Ltd (National Thermal Power Corporation Limited) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal, to implement the Narmada Landscape Restoration Project.
• The program is being implemented in partnership with a grant-in-aid from NTPC and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in equal proportions.

Science and Technology:

Japanese Hayabusa2 Space Capsule Carrying Pristine Asteroid “Ryugu” Samples Lands in Australia:

• A small capsule bearing pristine pieces of the near-Earth asteroid “Ryugu” landed at Woomera in South Australian capital of Adelaide. The samples are expected to provide clues regarding the origin of the solar system & life on our planet.
• Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) stated that this is the 1st time that an international spacecraft has visited a celestial body.

Appointments:

Indian-origin health expert Anil Soni appointed as the first CEO of The WHO Foundation:

• Indian-origin global health expert Anil Soni has been appointed as the first Chief Executive Officer of the newly launched The WHO Foundation, which works alongside the World Health Organization to address most pressing health challenges across the world.
• WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described Soni as a proven innovator in global health who has spent two decades in service of communities affected by HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases.

Sushil Kumar Modi elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Bihar:

• Former Deputy Chief Minister and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Sushil Kumar Modi elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha in a by-poll that was necessitated by the death of Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party founder Ram Vilas Paswan.

Debendranath Sarangi Elected as a vice president of World Squash Federation:

• President of Squash Rackets Federation of India Debendranath Sarangi was elected as one of the three vice presidents of the World Squash Federation and its annual general body meeting. Zena Wooldridge of England was elected as president.

Serum Institute’s Adar Poonawalla named as ‘The Straits Times Asian of the Year 2020′ with 5 others:

• Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), Chief Executive, Adar Poonawalla has been named among six “The Straits Times Asians of the Year” for 2020, by Singapore’s leading daily, The Straits Times, for their work in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

The five other Asians of the Year includes:

1.   Chinese researcher Zhang Yongzhen
2.   China’s Major-General Chen Wei,
3.   Japan’s Dr Ryuichi Morishita
4.   Singapore’s Professor Ooi Eng Eong
5.   South Korean businessman Seo Jung-jin

Awards and Recognitions:

‘Invest India’ wins UNCTAD’s Investment Promotion Award for 2020:

• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has declared ‘Invest India’ as the winner of the United Nations Investment Promotion Award 2020. The award ceremony took place at UNCTAD Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
• The Award recognizes and celebrates the outstanding achievements of the World’s best-practice investment promotion agencies. The evaluation was based on UNCTAD’s assessment of work undertaken by 180 national Investment Promotion Agencies across the world.

ICAR’s Bhopal-based IISS Conferred King Bhumibol World Soil Day 2020 Award of FAO:

• The India Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) said that its Bhopal-based Indian Institute of Soil Science has been awarded the prestigious “King Bhumibol World Soil Day 2020 Award” by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).
• The award was conferred to the ICAR on World Soil Day celebrated on December 5, via a virtual event, stated by India’s premier agricultural research body.

Yulimar Rojas and Mondo Duplantis crowned World Athletes of the Year 2020:

• Swedish pole vaulter Armand Mondo Duplantis and Venezuelan triple jumper Yulimar Rojas are the 2020 Male and Female World Athletes of the Year. They are their countries’ first recipients of the prestigious athletics award announced during the virtual awards
• Duplantis is the youngest ever winner of the Male Athlete of the Year Award after breaking the world record in the pole vault twice, topping 6.17M and 6.18M.

Sports News:

Sri Lanka to host Asia Cup in 2021 while Pakistan to be host in 2022:

• The Asia Cup 2020, which had to be suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic, will reportedly be held in 2021 in Sri Lanka. As per the information given by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), CEO, Wasim Khan, Sri Lanka will host the Asia Cup in June 2021 while Pakistan has earned the rights to host the tournament in 2022.

Sergio Perez claims maiden Formula One win at Sakhir Grand Prix 2020:

• Mexican Formula One driver Sergio Perez won the Sakhir Grand Prix 2020 held at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain. It was the First edition of the Sakhir Grand Prix and sixteenth race of the 2020 Formula One World Championship.
• He is also the first Mexican Formula One driver to win a race since Pedro Rodríguez won the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix. Esteban Ocon secured the second position, followed by Lance Stroll at third place.

Jehan Daruvala becomes first Indian to win a Formula 2 race Sakhir, Bahrain:

• The 22-year-old Jehan Daruvala created history when he became the first Indian to win a Formula 2 race during the Sakhir Grand Prix, Bahrain.
• Daruvala is a member of the Red Bull Junior Team and competes for Carlin Motorsport. His Japanese teammate, Yuki Tsunoda came second while Britain’s Daniel Ticktum was in a third spot

Former 800m world champion Marina Arzamasova handed four-year doping ban:

• Former world champion Marina Arzamasova of Belarus received a four-year ban for doping after her defense that she had taken contaminated over-the-counter supplements was rejected.
• The 32-year-old Arzamasova, who won the 800 meters at the 2015 worlds in Beijing, had been provisionally suspended after testing positive in 2019.

WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency):

• Headquarters: Montreal, Canada.
• President: Witold Bańka.
• Formed: 1999.

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