Current Affairs 16th December 2020| Current Affairs News

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Current Affairs: Days

49th Vijay Diwas Observed on 16 December 2020

• Vijay Diwas also called Victory Day is celebrated in India every year on December 16.
• The country is celebrating the49th Vijay Diwas in 2020.
• The day is also observed in Bangladesh as Bijoy Dibos that marks the country’s formal independence from Pakistan.

Significance of the Day:

• Victory Day is celebrated to commemorate the victory of the Indian armed forces over Pakistan in the 1971 Indo-Pak War, also known as the Bangladesh Liberation War.

History of Vijay Diwas:

• The 1971 Indo-Pak war lasted for almost 13 days and ended on December 16. Pakistan’s Army General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi surrendered before the Indian Army and Mukti-Bahini leading to the creation of a new state in India’s east called Bangladesh. Gen. Niazi surrendered along with his 93,000 Pakistani troops

About Indian Army:

• Headquarters : New Delhi
• Founded : 1^st April 1895
• Chief of Indian Army : Manoj Mukund Naravane

Current Affairs: National News

British PM Boris Johnson to be Chief Guest at Republic Day Of India

• The United Kingdom has confirmed that Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be the chief guest at Republic Day Parade in January 2021.
• This was confirmed by British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, on 14 December 2020.
• And also Prime Minister Boris Johnson has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to join the UK-hosted G7 summit next year
• India will be observing 72nd Republic Dayon 26 January 2021.

About British PM Boris Johnson:

• Boris Johnson is the sixth from the UK to be Republic Day chief guest.
• He will also be the first British PM since John Major in 1993 to be chief guest at the celebrations.

GRSE Kolkata launches ‘Himgiri’, its 1st Ship of Project 17A

• Himgiri, which is the first of the three Project 17A ships being built at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata was launched on December 14.
• P17A ships are the first gas turbine propulsion and largest combat platforms ever built at GRSE.
• Project 17A has upheld India’s vision for Atmanirbhar Bharat.
• Under the Project 17A program, a total of seven ships, four at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and three ships at GRSE are being built with enhanced stealth features, advanced indigenous weapon and sensor fit along with several other improvements.

About GRSE:

• Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd, abbreviated as GRSE, is one of India’s leading shipyards, located in Kolkata, West Bengal. It builds and repairs commercial and naval vessels.
• Presently GRSE has also started building export ships in a mission to expand its business.
• Headquarters : India
• Founded : 1884

Maharashtra Government introduces Unified Development Control Rules

• The government of Maharashtra’s Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations (UDCPR) are expected to bolster real estate development.
• This Uniform set of Regulations will specify height of buildings to the width of roads and the size of amenity spaces.
• The new regulation will also help developers manage their finances better.

About Maharashtra:

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

Current Affairs: International News

UNESCO launches 2020 State of the Education Report for India

• The State of the Education Report for India 2020: Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), was launched virtually by UNESCO New Delhi.
• 400 attendees, including representatives from the government, civil society, academia, partners and youth.
• It is the second edition of the State of Education Report focuses on technical and vocational education and training (TVET).
• India has made considerable progress towards its goal of creating a skilled workforce of 110 million people by 2022, as stated in the National Policy of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (NPSDE), released in 2015. It is presently training 10 million youth annually through the many schemes that are ongoing.
• It was Developed by Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai

About UNESCO:

• Headquarters : Paris, France
• Head : Audrey Azoulay
• Founded : 16 November 1945

Current Affairs: Agreements

Norway Research Institute signs an MoU with Clean Ganga Mission

• Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research has signed an MoU with cGanga, a think-tank of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) for development of sludge management framework in India.
• Norwegian Diplomat in India Karina Asbjørnsen, stated Norway intends to deepen relationship with India especially in prevention of climate change and conservation of environment.
• The  MoU was signed during the 5th edition of the India Water Impact 2020, held from 10-15 December 2020.

About Clean Ganga Mission:

• Government of India launched the Namami Gange Programme with a total budgetary outlay of Rs 20,000 crore for 5 year period till 31 December 2020 to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga and its tributaries.

Current Affairs: Awards

UNEP announces 2020 Champions of the Earth Award

• The UN Environment Program (UNEP) on announced six winners of the 2020 Champions of the Earth Award for their pioneering initiatives aimed at healing the planet amid natural and man-made threats.
• According to UNEP, the six individuals bagged the prestigious award for demonstrating commitment to restore the health of ecosystems and advance sustainable development.
• This year’s Champions of the Earth Award paid tribute to trailblazers in a range of categories including Lifetime Achievement, Inspiration and Action, Policy Leadership, Entrepreneur Vision, Science and Innovation.

1. Policy leadership – Frank Bainimarama ( Prime Minister of Fiji )
2. Inspiration and action – Yacouba Sawadogo ( a farmer from Burkina Faso )
3. Inspiration and action –  Nemonte Nenquimo (Ecuadorian female green campaign )
4. Science and innovation – Fabian Leendertz (German scientist  )
5. Social entrepreneur – Mindy Lubber (an American social entrepreneur )
6. Earth Lifetime Achievement Award – Robert D. Bullard (American scholar for promoting environmental justice )

About Champions of Earth Award :

• The Champions of the Earth awardis the United Nation’s highest environmental honour. It recognizes outstanding leaders from government, civil society and the private sector whose actions have a transformative impact on the environment.

About UNEP:

• Headquarters : Nairobi, Kenya
• Head : Inger Andersen
• Founder : Maurice Strong
• Founded – 5 June, 1972

Paul Sein Twa receives Goldman Environmental Prize 2020

• IUCN Asia Regional Office congratulates Paul Sein Twa, recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize 2020 for Asia
• For recognition of his efforts in promoting the self-determination of the Karen people in managing their natural resources.

Goldman Environmental Prize 2020

• This year marks the 31st anniversary of the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize, which honors one grassroot activist from each of the six inhabited continents.

The 2020 prize winners are

• Kristal Ambrose from The Bahamas,
• Chibeze Ezekiel from Ghana,
• Nemonte Nenquimo from Ecuador,
• Leydy Pech from Mexico,
• Lucie Pinson from France,
• Paul Sein Twa from Myanmar.
• It is a Dubbed the  Green Nobel Prize, this award is given annually to environmental heroes.

About Paul Sein Twa:

• Paulis the Executive Director & Founding Member of the Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN),
• He has been working on social and environmental issues in Burma’s conflict areas for over two decades.

Current Affairs: Books

Amish Tripathi’s second non-fiction book, ‘Dharma’, to release on December 28

• Amish Tripathi,has announced his second non-fiction book titled Dharma: Decoding the Epics for A Meaningful Life. The book will be released on December 28, 2020.
• Amish has co-authored ‘Dharma’ with his sister Bhavana Roy.
• ‘Dharma’ by Amish and Bhavana Roy will be published by Westland India.
• The book aims to impart practical philosophical knowledge from Hindu epics like the ‘Mahabharat’.
• His previous non-fiction work was ‘Immortal India’, which was released in 2017.

Current Affairs: Business News

Indigenously-built Coast Guard Interceptor Boat Commissioned

• An indigenously-built interceptor boat joined the Indian Coast Guard on December 15 at a function in Hazira in Surat district in Gujarat.
• The interceptor boat C-454, built by Larsen and Toubro at its Hazira plant, will operate from Gujarat under the control of the Commander Coast Guard Region of the ICG.
• It was commissioned by Surat Police Commissioner Ajay Tomar.

 About Interceptor Boat C-454:

• Interceptor boat C–454is capable of high speed of 45 knots having capability to operate in shallow water.
• It is 27-meter-long boat with average draft of 1.4 meter and empowered with excellent sea keeping, maneuverability and endurance range of 500 nautical miles.

About ICG:

• Headquarters : New Delhi
• Director General; : Krishnaswamy Natarajan.

Current Affairs: Science & Technology

Indian-American Raja Chari, Selected By NASA For SpaceX Mission 

• Indian-American US Air Force Colonel Raja Chari has been selected as the Commander of the SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) by NASA and the European Space Agency.
• Raja Chari, 43, will serve as the commander while NASA’s Tom Marshburn will be pilot and ESA’s Matthias Maurer will serve as a mission specialist for the SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the ISS, which is expected to launched next year.
• He is a colonel in the US Air Force and joins the mission with extensive experience as a test pilot.
• He has accumulated more than 2,500 hours of flight time in his career

Current Affairs: Banking & Economy

S&P revises India’s FY21 GDP contraction forecast to 7.7% from 9% earlier

• S&P Global Ratings has raised India’s growth projection for the current fiscal to (-) 7.7 % from (-) 9 % estimated earlier.
• Falling GDP due to COVID infection rates.
• The US-based rating agency stated For the next fiscal India’s growth rebound to 10 %.
• India Post Payments Bank unveil new digital payment app ‘DakPay’
• Department of Posts and India Post Payments Bank unveiled a new digital payment app DakPay on December 15, 2020.
• The App is launched as part of its ongoing efforts to provide Digital Financial inclusion at the last mile across India.
• The app was launched by Union Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and Law & Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad.
• It will facilitate services such as sending money, scanning QR code and making payment for services and merchants digitally.

About features of the app:

• Sending money to others Through DMT
• Scan QR code and make payment for services, merchants digitally
• Enabling cashless ecosystem through biometrics,
• Providing interoperable banking services to the customers of ANY BANK and Utility Bill Payment services.

RBI approves re-appointment of  Uday Kotak as MD of Kotak Mahindra Bank

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the re-appointments of Uday Kotak as MD & CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank for further three years, with effect from January 1, 2021.
• RBI has also approved the appointment of part-time chairmanPrakash Apte and Dipak Gupta as Joint MD of the bank for a period of three years.
• Kotak is founder managing director and promoter of the bank.

About Kotak Mahindra Bank:

• Established : 2003
• Headquarters : Mumbai
• CEO : Uday Kotak

Current Affairs: Obituary 

Veteran wrestler, first Hind Kesari Shripati Khanchanale passes away at 86

• Veteran wrestler and first Hind Kesari Shripati Khanchanale passed away on December 14. He was 86.
• Khanchnale defeated Punjab Kesari Banta Singh in 1959 to lift the title of Hind Kesari.
• He also won India Wrestling Championship in the year 1958,1962 and 1965
• He was also a recipient of the Shiv Chhatrapati award, presented by the Maharashtra government.
• Navy’s Senior-Most Submariner, Vice Admiral Srikant, Passes Away
• Vice Admiral Srikant, the senior most submariner of the Indian Navy, died due to COVID-19 related complications.
• He was the Director General of Project Seabird.
• Earlier, he had held the titles including Inspector General of Nuclear Safety and Commandant of the National Defence College.
• The vice admiral Srikant was the senior most submariner of the Indian Navy and was due to retire on December 31.
• Former-Australia Test all-rounder Eric Freeman passes away at 76
• Former Australia Test all-rounder Eric Freeman has passed away at the age of 76.
• Freeman made his Test debut against India at the Gabba  in 1968 during which his opening scoring shot was a six.and then he became the first player to achieve the feat.
• He received the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2002 for services to sport, particularly cricket as a player, administrator and commentator.
• Freeman was also a prolific performer with ball and bat during his 83-game first class career with South Australia.

Daily CA on Dec 15th

• International Tea Day 2020 Observed On December 15, with the Theme of Harnessing Benefits for all From Field to Cup. India is the Second Largest Producer of tea after China.
• Centre has exempted Handicraft and Geographical Indications toys from Quality Control Order. Order will come into effect from 1st January next year.
• Health minister Harsh Vardhan on released the 5th National Family Health Survey (NFHS) which contains detailed information on population, health and nutrition for India and its states and UTs.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to set up an Automated Banknote Processing Centre(ABPC) in Jaipur.

• Rating agency CRISIL has lowered the contraction rate of India’s GDP, and now expects the growth rate of Indian economy to contract 7.7% in the ongoing fiscal 2020-21, compared to the 9% forecast in September 2020, due to faster-than-expected recovery in the second quarter.

• IFSCA has notified International Financial Services Centres Authority Regulations 2020
• The SoftBank-backed firm  Ola Electric has announced a Rs 2,400-crore ($320 million) investment plan to set up, what it calls, the ‘world’s largest’ electric scooter (e-scooter) manufacturing plant in Hosur, Tamil Nadu.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch communication satelliteCMS-01 aboard Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C50) on December 17, 2020.
• The ninth edition of the Sustainable Mountain Development Summit (SMDS) in Dehradun has begun from December 11 to 14.
• 9^th SMDS Theme is Emerging Pathways for Building a Resilient Post COVID-19 Mountain Economy, Adaptation, Innovation and Acceleration.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi  address the Climate Ambition Summit 2020, United Nations, United Kingdom and France Virtually Co-hosted.
• The first Trilateral Working Group Meeting between India, Iran and Uzbekistan on the joint use of Chabahar Port was held virtually On Dec 14.
• Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra launched a programme of Socio-Economic Profiling of PM SVANidhi Scheme.
• The FIH, International Hockey Federation had announced that the 2023 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup Will be hosted in Odisha for a second Consecutive Time.
• The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the schedule for the 2022 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand with 31 matches to be played acoss 31 days from March 4 to April 3, 2022.
• Veteran politician and five-time MP Radhika Ranjan Pramanik died. He was 88.

• Ambrose Dlamini, the Prime Minister of Eswatini, a country in Southern Africa, has passed away due to coronavirus. He was 52.

• Eminent aerospace scientist and Padma Vibhushan awardee Roddam Narasimha passed away on December 14, He was 87.
• In Afghanistan, deputy governor of  Kabul Mahbubullah Muhibbi  has been killed in a sticky bomb attack in the capital city on December 15.

Daily CA on Dec 16th

• Vijay Diwas also called Victory Day is celebrated in India every year on December 16.
• The United Kingdom has confirmed that Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be the chief guest at Republic Day Parade in January 2021.
• Himgiri, which is the first of the three Project 17A ships being built at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata was launched on December 14.
• The government of Maharashtra’sUnified Development Control and Promotion Regulations (UDCPR) are expected to bolster real estate development.
• The State of the Education Report for India 2020: Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), was launched virtually by UNESCO New Delhi.
• Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research has signed an MoU with cGanga, a think-tank of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) for development of sludge management framework in India.
• The UN Environment Program (UNEP) on announced six winners of the 2020 Champions of the Earth Award range of categories including Lifetime Achievement, Inspiration and Action, Policy Leadership, Entrepreneur Vision, Science and Innovation.
• IUCN Asia Regional Office congratulates Paul Sein Twa, recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize 2020 for Asia
• Amish Tripathi,has announced his second non-fiction book titled Dharma: Decoding the Epics for A Meaningful Life. The book will be released on December 28, 2020.
• An indigenously-built interceptor boat joined the Indian Coast Guard on December 15  at a function in Hazira in Surat district in Gujarat.
• Indian-American US Air Force Colonel Raja Chari has been selected as the Commander of the SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) by NASA and the European Space Agency.
• S&P Global Ratings has raised India’s growth projection for the current fiscal to (-) 7.7 % from (-) 9 % estimated earlier.
• Department of Posts and India Post Payments Bank unveiled a new digital payment app DakPay on December 15, 2020.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the re-appointments of Uday Kotak as MD & CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank for further three years, with effect from January 1, 2021.
• Veteran wrestler and first Hind Kesari Shripati Khanchanale passed away on December 14. He was 86.
• Vice Admiral Srikant, the senior most submariner of the Indian Navy, died due to COVID-19 related complications. He was the Director General of Project Seabird.
• Former Australia Test all-rounder Eric Freeman has passed away at the age of 76.