Current Affairs December 04th & 05th 2022| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

Indian Navy Day: 4th December

• Indian Navy Day 2022 is observed on the 4th of December 2022.
• Indian Navy Day 2022 theme set for this year is “Swarnim Vijay Varsh”.
• At the Senior Naval Officer’s Conference in May 1972, Indian Navy Day was decided to be celebrated on December 4 to acknowledge the efforts & achievements of the Indian Navy during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
• Indian Navy was established by the East India Company in 1612.
• Indo- Pakistan took place in 1971.
• During the war, Pakistan launched an attack on December 3 on Indian air bases.
• In response to their offensive attacks, the Indian Navy planned an attack on the night of December 4 & 5, as Pakistan didn’t have the aircraft to carry out bombings.
• There were hundreds of Pakistani Navy personnel killed during the attack. Commodore Kasargod Pattanashetti Gopal Rao led the whole operation of the Indian Navy.

World Soil Day: 5th December

• World Soil Day 2022 is observed on the 5th of December 2022.
• In 2002, the International Union of Soil Sciences recommended creating an international day to celebrate and generate awareness about soil.
• It was a movement led by the Kingdom of Thailand under the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
• His vision and passion for this most precious natural resource led, shaped, and guided the movement.
• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United States supported the formal establishment of World Soil Day
• In 2014, the U.N. General Assembly designated December 5 as the first official World Soil Day at the 68th UN General Assembly.

International Volunteer Day: 5th December

• International Volunteer Day 2022 is observed on the 5th of December 2022.
• International Volunteer Day 2022 theme set by the UN this year is “solidarity through volunteering”.
• Volunteerism started in Europe for supporting elderly people within the community and carrying out Church-related work and helping the poor.
• Organized Volunteering was started in the 18th Century and mainly to carry out military services than give back to society.
• Organizations like the Red Cross, Lions Club, Rotary Club, and the Y.M.C.A. started collecting donations, mobilizing volunteers, and doing charity work and community service.
• In 1985, the United Nations Volunteers Programme coordinated International Volunteer Day on December 5.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A Greener cooling pathway can create a $1.6 trillion investment opportunity in India – World Bank

• The World Bank (WB) report, titled “Climate Investment Opportunities in India’s Cooling Sector” finds that as temperatures steadily rise in India due to climate change, keeping spaces cool using alternative and innovative energy-efficient technologies can open an investment opportunity of $1.6 trillion by
• This also has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly and create nearly 3.7 million jobs.
• From 2030 onwards, more than 160 to 200 million people could be exposed to a lethal heat wave in India every year.
• Around 34 million people in India will face job losses due to heat stress-related productivity decline. 

Key Highlights :

• The current food loss due to heat during the transportation is close to $13 billion annually.
• By 2037, the demand for cooling is likely to be 8 times more than current levels.
• The report, “Climate Investment Opportunities in India’s Cooling Sector” finds that shifting to a more energy-efficient pathway could lead to a substantial reduction in expected CO2 levels over the next two decades.
• In 2019, the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) launched the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) to provide sustainable cooling measures across various sectors, including indoor cooling in buildings and cold chain and refrigeration in the agriculture and pharmaceuticals sector and air-conditioning in passenger transport.
• It aims to reduce the demand for cooling by up to 25% by 2037-38.

About World Bank :

• Founded: July 1944
• Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
• President: David Malpass

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

First-ever Tribal Winter Festival held in Jammu-Kashmir’s Bandipora

• A first-of-its-kind Tribal Winter Festival was held in the Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
• The festival was organized at Ketson Bandipora by District Administration Bandipora in collaboration with Tourism and Tribal Welfare Departments to give a boost to tourism in tribal areas.

About the Festival : 

• Deputy Commissioner Bandipora Owais Ahmed highlighted the role of various government-sponsored, public-oriented schemes for the economic upliftment of people.
• The festival witnessed music, dance, and cultural events that left the people enthralled.
• The ‘gatka’ was another attraction performed by two tribal communities portraying the fighting spirit of the Gujjars amid all geographic, social, and political odds

About J&K :

• Lieutenant Governor: Manoj Sinha
• Capital: Srinagar, Jammu
• National Park: Kishtwar High Altitude National Park, Kazinag National Park, Dachigam National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Ramnagar Wildlife Sanctuary, Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary

23rd Hornbill Festival 2022 to begin in Nagaland

• The 23rd Edition of the Hornbill Festival 2022 is set to begin at Naga Heritage Village Kisama from 1st December to 10th December. 
• Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar will grace the inaugural function of the festival as the Chief Guest.
• The first festival was held in 2000.
• It is organized by the State Tourism and Art & Culture Departments of the Government of Nagaland to encourage inter-tribal interaction and to promote the cultural heritage of
• A total of 132 stalls will be set up in Kisama wherein, 100 stalls will be taken up by the Micro Small & Medium Enterprises and 32 temporary stalls.

About Hornbill Festival :

• The festival is named after the bird “Indian hornbill”, which is displayed in the folklore of most of the state’s
• It is also called the ‘Festival of Festivals’.

About Nagaland : 

• Governor : Jagdish Mukhi
• Chief Minister: Neiphiu Rio
• Capital: Kohima
• National Park: Intanki National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuary: Fakim Wildlife Sanctuary, Fakim Wildlife Sanctuary

UP CM Yogi Adityanath launches ‘One District One Sport’ scheme

• Uttar Pradesh (UP), Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanath has launched One District One Sport (ODOS), modeled after the government’s highly successful One District One Product (ODOP) scheme.

Aim :

• To promote sports and sportspersons of UP.
• Currently, 57 districts have been taken up & divided across 13 sports & the sports department is working on appointing coaches.

About ODOS : 

• According to a press release from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), under ODOS, one sport will be identified in each of UP’s 75 districts.

ODOS Scheme (Sports & District)

• Wrestling – Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Chandauli, Baghpat, Aajgarh, Deoria, Maharajganj
• Athletics – Mainpuri, Firozabad, Jaunpur, Bhadohi, Sambhal, Sitapur, Kasganj, Unnao, Ayodhya, Kaushambi, Etah, Amethi, Rampur, Siddharthnagar, Santakbirnagar, Chitrakoot, Basti, Hamirpur, Hapur, Meerut, Ghazipur, Shamli, Ballia and Muzaffarnagar
• Hockey– Pratapgarh, Mau, Bareilly, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Hardoi, Farrukhabad, Moradabad, Balrampur, Etawah, and Ghaziabad
• Table Tennis – Agra, Kanpur
• Badminton – Aligarh and Gautam Budh Nagar
• Weightlifting – Mirzapur, and Bijnor
• Boxing – Bulandshahr, and Kushinagar
• Archery – Sonbhadra, and Lalitpur
• Football – Hathras
• Swimming – Pilibhit
• Shooting – Banda
• Kabaddi – Kannauj
• Lawn Tennis – Prayagraj

About UP : 

• Governor : Anandiben Patel
• Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath
• Capital: Lucknow
• National Park: Dudhwa National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: National Chambal Sanctuary, Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary, Chandraprabha Wildlife Sanctuary
• Tiger Reserve: Pilibhit Tiger Reserve

Karnataka developing an app-based networking platform for the commercialization of IPRs

• Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology (KSCST) is developing an app-based networking platform called “Patentkart”.

Aim:  

• To commercialize Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)
• The app will be functional by early 2023
• It will benefit patent holders and their clients in commercializing their IP.
• More than 700 patents have been filed by KSCST-assisted IP cells in the past three years.
• Patent Facilitation Centre has supported the setting up of a Patent Information Centre at KSCST, IISc.
• Karnataka State has topped the India Innovation Index for three successive terms.

About KSCST : 

• Established: 1975
• KSCST is an autonomous S&T organization under the Department of Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka.
• Since its inception, it has established 58 IP cells across Universities, Engineering Institutions, and Science, Law, and Agricultural colleges

About Karnataka :

• Governor: Thawar Chand Gehlot
• Chief minister: Basavaraj Bommai
• Capital: Bengaluru
• National Park : Bandipur NP, Kudremukh NP, Bannerghata NPRajiv Gandhi NP
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: B R Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, Gudavi Bird Sanctuary
• Tiger Reserve: Nagarahole Tiger Reserve, Bhadra Tiger Reserve
• Festival: Hampi, Mahamastakabhisheka (Shravanabelagola)
• Dance : Yakshagana, Dollu Kunitha., Bolak-aat (Bolak Dance)

Haryana govt launches Nirogi Haryana scheme

• The Haryana government has launched the Nirogi Haryana project across the state.
• The scheme was launched by the President of India Ms. Droupadi Murmu in Kurukshetra.
• The project was inaugurated by Gian Chand Gupta, Haryana Speaker, and Kulbhushan Goyal, Panchkula Mayor.

About Nirogi Haryana Scheme :

• The Nirogi Haryana Project has been launched to provide comprehensive free health check-ups and necessary medical treatment to the beneficiary families.
• The initial phase of this scheme was started at District Hospital, Sector 6, Panchkula.
• It will be gradually enrolled in other dispensaries and health and wellness centers in remote rural areas of the Panchkula district.
• 51 health facilities in the Panchkula district have been nominated to provide services to the listed beneficiaries.
• 1,82,354 persons from 42,000 families in Panchkula listed under Antyodaya Yojana are eligible for this scheme.
• The beneficiaries of this scheme are divided into 6 categories based on age – 0 to 6 months, 6 to 59 months, 6 to 18 years, 18 to 40 years, 40 to 60 years, and above 80 years.
• Each of these categories is provided with a different colored OPD card, each containing 8 pages.
• The empaneled beneficiaries are provided with an ‘invitation letter’ by the ANM or ASHA workers to visit their health facilities on a specified date.
• Health check-up under this scheme includes complete general physical check-up including physical measurement, height, weight, pulse, BP, dental, and eye check-up.
• Mandatory laboratory tests are also provided for each beneficiary depending on the category.
• The results of the lab tests will be provided by e-Upchar or ASHA/ANM within the next two working days

About Haryana : 

• Governor: Bandaru Dattatreya
• Chief minister: Manohar Lal Khattar
• Capital: Chandigarh
• Tribes : Bazigars, Babaria

Ramp for persons with disability to open at Chennai’s Marina Beach

• India’s First permanent pathway for persons with disability and senior citizens at Chennai’s Marina beach, Tamil Nadu (TN) will be inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.
• The facility was established by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC).
• The pathway has been developed with funding from Singara Chennai 2.0 at an estimated cost of ₹14 crore.
• The 3-meter-wide pathway leads to a 22-meter-wide deck for disabled people to view the sea.
• Udhayanidhi Stalin launched 6 vehicles for the disabled acquired at a cost of ₹4.12 lakh under the MPLADS funds of Chennai Central MP Dayanidhi Maran. 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING & FINANCE

RBI announces four-tiered regulatory framework for Urban Co-operative Banks

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a four-tiered regulatory framework for the categorization of Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs).

1. Tier 1 – All unit UCBs and salary earners’ UCBs (irrespective of deposit size), and all other UCBs having deposits up to ₹100 crores;
2. Tier 2 – UCBs with deposits more than ₹100 crore and up to ₹1000 crore;
3. Tier 3 – UCBs with deposits more than ₹1000 crore and up to ₹10,000 crore;
4. Tier 4 – UCBs with deposits of more than ₹10,000 crores.

Key Highlights :

• RBI prescribed a minimum net worth of ₹2 crores for Tier-1 banks and ₹5 crores for all other banks.
• While Tier-1 UCBs shall continue to maintain a minimum CRAR (Capital to Risk-Weighted Assets) of 9% on an ongoing basis, Tier-2 to -4 UCBs shall maintain a minimum CRAR of 12% on an ongoing basis.
• UCBs in Tier-2 to -4, which do not currently meet the revised CRAR of 12% of RWAs, shall achieve the same in a phased manner.
• Such UCBs shall achieve the CRAR of at least 10% by March 31, 2024, 11% by March 31, 2025, and 12% by March 31, 2026.
• UCBs, which currently do not meet the minimum net worth requirement, shall achieve the minimum net worth of ₹2 crore or ₹5 crores in a phased manner.
• Such UCBs shall achieve at least 50% of the applicable minimum net worth on or before March 31, 2026, and the entire stipulated minimum net worth on or before March 31, 2028.

About RBI :

• Established: 1 April 1935
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Governor : Shaktikanta Das
• Deputy governors: Mahesh Kumar Jain, M. Rajeshwar Rao, Michael Patra, and T. Rabi Shankar

IIFL Mutual Fund launches India’s first passive tax-saver fund – IN50

• IIFL Mutual Fund has launched India’s first passive tax saver fund, IIFL ELSS Nifty 50 Tax Saver Index Fund (IN50) will be on sale through a new fund offer (NFO).
• The dedicated Fund Manager for the IIFL ELSS Nifty 50 Tax Saver Index Fund is Parijat Garg. 
• It is the first passively managed tax-saving scheme (also known as Equity-Linked Savings Scheme, or ELSS) to be launched after the capital market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), allowed fund houses to launch such passive funds on May 23, 2022.

About IN50 : 

• The scheme, IIFL ELSS Nifty 50 Tax Saver Index Fund, opened for subscription on December 1 and closes on December 21, 2022.
• As an open-ended passive equity-linked savings scheme that replicates or tracks the Nifty 50 index and has a statutory lock-in period of 3 years, the fund will provide both a tax benefit and create wealth.

India extends USD 100 million credits to Maldives to overcome financial crisis

• India handed over USD 100 million to the Maldives to ease the financial challenges faced by the archipelagic state in the Indian Ocean.
• Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid and Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer were present at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ceremony in New Delhi.
• The assistance being extended to the Maldives is without any terms and conditions and the Maldives is free to use it in its economic recovery.
• India has also provided a $ 500 million loan to the Maldives for the Greater Male Connectivity Project.

About Maldives : 

• President: Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
• Capital: Malé
• Currency: Maldivian Rufiyaa.

RBI & Financial Services Agency of Japan exchange Letter of Cooperation in the field of Central CounterParties

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Financial Services Agency (FSA), Japan exchanged letters of cooperation in the field of Central Counterparties (CCPs) to improve
• With this exchange of letters, RBI and FSA are committed to deepening relations between the two countries and strengthening the exchange of information.
• RBI and FSA also expressed their willingness to hold a dialogue or exchange views about matters of common interest
• The letters confirm the interest of both jurisdictions in enhancing cooperation in line with their respective laws and regulations.

RBI imposes Rs 1.25 crore penalty on Zoroastrian Co-operative Bank

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of Rs 1.25 crore on Zoroastrian Co-operative Bank, Mumbai.

Reason:

• For non-compliance with certain directions, including one related to discounting of bills.
• Also, the RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs 20 lakh on Indian Mercantile Co-operative Bank, Lucknow for non-compliance with certain norms related classification of non-performing assets.
• The central bank also imposed penalties on 5 other cooperative banks.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

RBI gives conditional approval to Carlyle & Advent’s stake buy in YES Bank

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given conditional approval to private equity investors Carlyle Group and Advent International to acquire up to 9.99% each in private lender Yes Bank.
• The proposed investment is by CA Basque investments, a part of The Carlyle Group, and Verventa Holdings Limited, an affiliate of funds managed by Advent.

Key Highlights : 

• YES, Bank proposes to issue 3.70 crore equity shares on a preferential basis at a price of ₹13.78 per share and 257 crore warrants convertible into equity shares at a price of ₹14.82 per warrant, adding ₹8,900 to the equity capital base of the bank.
• The fund-raising would be conducted through a combination of $640 million (Rs 5,100 crore) in equity shares and $475 million (Rs 3,800 crore) through equity share warrants

About YES Bank :

• Founded: 2004
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• MD & CEO: Prashant Kumar
• Tagline: Experience Our Expertise

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

Gross GST income for November 2022 was Rs. 1,45,867 crore:

• According to information provided by the finance ministry, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) receipts for November 2022 were Rs 1,45,867 crore.
• When compared to the same month a year ago, when the GST collection was Rs 1,31,526 crore, the revenue for November is 11% higher.
• For the ninth consecutive month, GST revenue has stayed above Rs 1.40 lakh crore.
• The total GST income collected in November 2022 was Rs 1,45,867 crore, of which the CGST, SGST, IGST, and Cess components totalled Rs 25,681 crore, Rs 32,651 crore, Rs 77,103 crore, and Rs 10,433 crore, respectively (including Rs 817 crore collected on import of goods).
• The government has made a regular settlement of Rs 33,997 crore to CGST and Rs 28,538 crore to SGST from IGST.
• In November 2022, the Center and the State will have earned a combined amount of Rs 59678 crore for the CGST and Rs 61189 crore for the SGST after regular settlements.
• Also distributed by the Centre in November 2022 was Rs 17,000 crore, which served as GST compensation for the States and UTs.
• Revenues from domestic transactions, including the import of services, were 8% higher this month than they were during the same period last year, while revenues from imported commodities were 20% higher.
• The Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will preside over the 48th meeting of the GST Council on December 17.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

India Assumes Presidency Of UN Security Council For December

• India assumed the Presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in December 2022.
• It is the second time in its two-year tenure as an elected member of the UN Security Council in 2021-22 that India has assumed the Presidency of the Council.
• India’s 2021-2022 term on the Council ends December 31, 2022, with Ruchira Kamboj, India’s first woman Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.
• Earlier, India assumed the Presidency of the UNSC as a non-permanent member in August 2021.

Key Highlights : 

• Under India’s December presidency of UNSC, there are two signature events at the ministerial level, scheduled for December 14 (Reformed Multilateralism) and 15 (Counter-Terrorism).
• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will chair the events.
• On Dec 14, 2022, India will hold a high-level open debate on ‘Maintenance of International Peace and Security: New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism’ (NORMS) at the Security Council.
• On Dec 15, 2022, the high-level briefing on the theme ‘Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts: Global Approach to Counter Terrorism- Challenges and Way Forward.

About UNSC : 

• Founded: 24 October 1945
• Headquarters: New York, United States
• Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations Ruchira Kamboj
• Membership: 15 countries (Permanent members – China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States)

IPS Officer Laxmi Singh becomes UP’s first woman Police Commissioner

• The Government of Uttar Pradesh (UP) has appointed the IPS Officer Laxmi Singh as the new Noida Police Chief, making her the first woman officer to head a Police Commissionerate in
• Laxmi Singh has replaced previous chief Alok Singh, who has now taken up duties at Police HQ in
• The Uttar Pradesh Government issued a transfer and the posting list of 16 Indian Police Service (IPS) Officers in

Police Commissionerates in Uttar Pradesh

• Uttar Pradesh has 7 Police commissionerates, a policy structure that was first created in
• Earlier, the Government had announced three new Police commissionerates in the three districts of Ghaziabad, Agra, and
• This was in addition to the four existing ones in Gautam Buddha Nagar, Lucknow, Varanasi, and

About Laxmi Singh :

• Laxmi Singh is a 2000-batch Indian Police Service (IPS).
• She also has the distinction of being the first woman to score the highest in the UPSC exam
• The 48-year-old bureaucrat has been serving as an Inspector General of Police, Lucknow range. 
• Currently, Laxmi Singh was serving as IG for the Lucknow area

Additional Info : 

• Notably, Rajeshwar Singh IS also the first woman IPS topper in the UPSC exam securing 33rd rank.

Awards & Honors :

• Laxmi Singh has been awarded the PM’s Silver nation and the home minister’s pistol during her training.
• She also received the Police Medal in 2016, and UP DGP’s Silver and Gold Medals in 2020 and
• In 2021, she was honored with the UP Chief Minister’s excellence in Service Medal.

GroupM South Asia CEO Prasanth Kumar elected as president of AAAI

• Prasanth Kumar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), South Asia of GroupM Media (India) Pvt Ltd, has been elected as the President of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) for fiscal 2022-23.
• Rana Barua, Group CEO of Havas Group India was unanimously elected Vice-President of the Association.
• Anupriya Acharya will be the ex-officio member of the AAAI Board for 2022-23.

Other elected members of the board:

• Vishandas Hardasani (Matrix Publicities and Media India Pvt Ltd)
• Kunal Lalani (Crayons Advertising Pvt Ltd)
• Rohan Mehta (Kinnect Pvt Ltd)
• Chandramouli Muthu Maitri (Advertising Works Pvt Ltd, Cochin)
• Sridhar Ramasubramanian (Beehive Communications Pvt Ltd)
• Shashidhar Sinha (Initiative Media India Pvt Ltd)
• K Srinivas (Sloka Advertising Pvt Ltd, Hyderabad)
• Vivek Srivastava (Innocean Worldwide Communications Pvt Ltd)

About AAAI : 

• The AAAI, a not-for-profit, industry-led, and industry-managed trade association of advertising agencies, was formed in 1945.

M Paramasivam was appointed as the new Executive Director of the Punjab National Bank

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of M Paramasivam as the executive director of the government-owned Punjab National Bank for three years.

About Paramasivam :

• Paramasivam, an agriculture graduate, started his journey at Canara Bank as an agricultural extension officer in
• During his tenure as Wing Head at Priority Credit Wing at Head Office, Canara Bank, FRUITS Portal was started in coordination with NABARD and Karnataka State Government.
• He was also instrumental in the commencement of Agri Credit Centers in terms of EASE-3 norms.

About Punjab National Bank :

• Founded: 19 May 1894
• Headquarters: Delhi, India
• MD & CEO : Atul Kumar Goel
• Tagline: Name You Can Bank Upon
• It is the second-largest government-owned bank in India, both in terms of its business volumes and its network.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE NEWS

Indian Coast Guard Advanced Light Helicopter Mk-III squadron commissioned in Chennai

• An Indian Coast Guard Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Mk-III squadron was commissioned by D G V S Pathania at ICG Air Station, Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN) in a major boost to further strengthen the Coast Guard Region East, 840 Sqn (CG).
• It will provide a major fillip to the abilities of the Indian Coast Guard in the security-sensitive waters off Tamil Nadu and Andhra region.
• Since induction, the squadron has flown over 430 hours and conducted numerous operational missions.

About ALH MK III  :

• The ALH MK III helicopters have been indigenously manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
• They feature state-of-the-art equipment including advanced RADAR as well as Electro optical sensors, Shakti engines, full glass cockpit, high-intensity searchlight, advanced communication systems, automatic identification system as well as search-and-rescue homer.
• The features enable them to undertake maritime reconnaissance as well as carry out SAR at extended ranges even while operating from ships during both day and night.
• The aircraft can switch roles from an offensive platform with a heavy machine gun to that of a benign one carrying a Medical Intensive Care Unit to facilitate the transfer of critically ill patients.
• A total of 16 ALH Mk-III aircraft have been inducted into the Indian Coast Guard in a phased manner and 4 of these aircraft are positioned in Chennai.

About ICG : 

• Founded: 1 February 1977
• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi
• The ICG is a maritime law enforcement and search and rescue agency of India.

The 12th edition of Exercise Agni Warrior 2022 concludes in Devlali, Maharashtra

• The 12th Edition of Exercise Agni Warrior (XAW) 2022, a bilateral exercise between the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) & Indian Army (IA), concluded at Field Firing Ranges, Devlali (Maharashtra).

Aim : 

• To enhance mutual understanding of drills & procedures and improve interoperability between the SAF & IA.
• The closing event was witnessed by Wong Wie Kuen, High Commissioner of Singapore to India & Lieutenant General S Harimohan Iyer, Commandant, School of Artillery.
• India was among the first countries to set up diplomatic relations after the independence of Singapore on 24 August 1965.

About XAW : 

• Exercise Agni Warrior, involved showcasing joint firepower planning, execution, and use of New Generation Equipment by the Artillery arm of both armies.
• XAW, Initiated in 2004.
• It is conducted as a part of the Army Bilateral Agreement & a testament to the long-standing defense relationship between Singapore &

Other exercises between India and Singapore :

• Exercise SITMEX: It is a trilateral annual maritime exercise between India, Singapore, and Thailand
• Exercise SIMBEX: It is a bilateral naval exercise between the Indian and Singapore Navy.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Japan successfully propels steam-powered spacecraft – EQUULEUS 

• Japanese Space Agency Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has successfully used steam to propel its CubeSat spacecraft, EQUilibriUm Lunar-Earth point 6U (EQUULEUS) was launched on its way by NASA’s Orion spacecraft.
• JAXA claimed that this is the world’s first successful orbit control beyond low-Earth orbit using a water propulsion system.

About EQUULEUS : 

• The EQUULEUS spacecraft performed a maneuver that moved it toward its planned orbital path on the second Earth-Moon Lagrange point (EML2), located beyond the Moon.
• It is expected to travel for approximately 1.5 years before reaching the EML2 Lagrange point. 
• To attain EML2, it was developed to demonstrate low-energy trajectory control technologies.
• It also carries an instrument called DELPHINUS (DEtection camera for Lunar impact PHenomena IN 6U Spacecraft) for observing Lunar impact flashes and near-Earth asteroids from EML2 (second Earth-Moon Lagrange point).
• It would measure the plasma in the Earth-Moon ecosystem and examine some of the effects of electromagnetic disturbances in the solar wind.
• To reach the ELM2, it made use of an engine called AQUARIUS (AQUA ResIstojet propUlsion System) that uses water as fuel to get to the second Earth-Moon Lagrange point.

About Lagrange point : 

• Lagrangian points are spots in outer space where gravity and centrifugal force balance each other.
• The balance of gravitational force enables spacecraft to remain in a specific place.

Western Sydney University to Work With ICAR to Increase Research on Climate-Smart Agriculture

• Western Sydney University, The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), The Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bangalore and the Indian Institute for Spices Research (IISR), Calicut, and the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University have come together to launch a Centre in High Tech Protected Cropping Systems.
• This will help address the impact of the changing climate on crop production.
• It will have two nodes, one each at IIHR, Bengaluru, and IISR, Calicut.
• The Centre will investigate hi-tech aeroponic crop production, crop health monitoring technologies with advanced sensors and cameras, and ways to standardize pollination as part of a pilot.

About ICAR :

• Established: 16 July 1929
• Location: Himashu Pathak
• Chairman: Himashu Pathak
• The ICAR is an autonomous body responsible for coordinating agricultural education and research in India.

China launches three astronauts to Tiangong space station

• China launched its six-month Shenzhou 15 mission, carrying 3 astronauts to Tiangong, the country’s newly completed space station.
• The Long March 2F rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. 
• The team for the six-month mission is led by veteran Fei Junlong and two first-time astronauts Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu.

About Shenzhou 15 :

• Shenzhou 15 is the final mission of 11 launches planned to construct Tiangong and bring it to full operation.
• The first mission was the launch of the Tianhe core module in April 2021, just under 18 months ago.

About China : 

• Capital: Beijing
• Currency: Renminbi

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

India will host the third edition of the T20 World Cup for Blind Cricket:

• India will host the third T20 World Cup Cricket Tournament for the Blind from December 5–17, 2022.
• Australia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and India will all compete in the 2022 World Cup.
• The competition will feature about 150 players from all over the world, and there will be a total of 24 matches spread among nine Indian cities.
• The tournament is being held to coincide with World Disability Day events around. the World Cup’s opening ceremony on December 5 at Gurugram’s Tau Devi Lal Indoor Stadium.
• Yuvraj Singh, a former Indian batter, is the competition’s brand ambassador.
• Since 2012, the World Cup has been run by the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) in collaboration with the disability organization Samarthanam Trust.
• The Samarthanam Trust has arranged more than 30,000 visually impaired matches since its establishment.

Saurashtra defeated Maharashtra in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final by five wickets:

• At the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Saurashtra defeated Maharashtra by five wickets to win the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
• As captain Ruturaj Gaikwad reached a century, hitting 108 off 131 balls after a sluggish start, they contained Maharashtra at 248/9 in 50 overs.
• Bowler Chirag Jani of Saurashtra claimed a hat-trick in the game.
• At the moment, Sheldon Jackson is the man.
• With a 249-run goal to reach, Saurashtra got off to a cautious start until the openers struck a 125-run partnership. As wickets shattered all around him, batter Shledon Jackson clutched one end.
• In 46.3 overs and with five wickets still over, he helped Saurashtra chase down the goal with a match-winning 133 off 136 balls.
• It was the second title victory for Saurashtra in history.

Winners List:

• Player of the match in the final: Sheldon Jackson
• Player of the tournament: Ruturaj Gaikwad
• Most Runs: N Jagadeesan
• Highest Score: N Jagadeesan (TN)
• Most Fours: N Jagadeesan
• Most Sixes: Ruturaj Gaikwad
• Most Wickets: Vasuki Koushik (Karnataka)

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHOR

Shekhar Pathak’s work on the Chipko Movement wins the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Prize 2022:

• The Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize 2022 has been awarded to a book by historian and activist Shekhar Pathak about the well-known Chipko Movement for forest conservation.
• The Chipko Movement: A People’s History, which Manisha Chaudhry translated from Hindi, was chosen from a diverse shortlist of five books that covered a broad range of modern Indian history and included many issues and viewpoints.
• A judging team of six people, led by political scientist Niraja Gopal Jayal, chose the prize.
• Entrepreneur Manish Sabharwal, historians Srinath Raghavan and Nayanjot Lahiri, ex-diplomat Navtej Sarna, and lawyer Rahul Matthan made up the other members of the jury.
• A People’s History of Modern India by Suchitra Vijayan, Born a Muslim: Some Truths about Islam in India by Ghazala Wahab, Whole Numbers and Half-Truths: What Data Can and Cannot Tell Us About Modern India by Rukmini S, and Accidental Feminism: Gender Parity and Selective Mobility Among India’s Professional Elite by Swethaa S Ballakrishnen were the other books that made the shortlist.

The UK nonfiction book prize is won by a biography of English poet John Donne:

• The “Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne” biography by British author Katherine Rundell was awarded the 50,000 pounds ($59,000) Baillie Gifford Prize at a ceremony in London.
• Out of the 362 novels that were submitted for the award, Rundell’s book was selected by all six judges without dissent.
• According to the book, Donne is “a writer perhaps as outstanding as Shakespeare, and a writer we should all study for his writing on love, sex, and death.”
• He is best remembered today, four centuries after his death, for a poem that begins “No man is an island.
• ” The book “Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty,” by Patrick Radden Keefe, which is a portrait of the family responsible for the US opioid epidemic, won the award the previous year.

Regarding the Baillie Gifford Award:

• The English-language books in the categories of current affairs, history, politics, science, sports, travel, biography, autobiography, and the arts are recognized with the Baillie Gifford Prize.
• “Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire,” written by Caroline Elkins, was among the other contenders.
• My Fourth Time, We Drowned: Seeking Refuge on the World’s Deadliest Migratory Route by Sally Hayden; The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World by Jonathan Freedland; The “Restless Republic: Britain Without a Crown” by Anna Keay and “A Fortunate Woman: A Country Doctor’s Story” by Polly Morland.

Daily CA on December 4 & 5:

• Indian Navy Day 2022 is observed on the 4th of December 2022.
• World Soil Day 2022 is observed on the 5th of December 2022.
• International Volunteer Day 2022 is observed on the 5th of December 2022.
• According to information provided by the finance ministry, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) receipts for November 2022 were Rs 1,45,867 crore.
• India will host the third T20 World Cup Cricket Tournament for the Blind from December 5–17, 2022.
• At the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Saurashtra defeated Maharashtra by five wickets to win the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
• The Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize 2022 has been awarded to a book by historian and activist Shekhar Pathak about the well-known Chipko Movement for forest conservation.
• The “Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne” biography by British author Katherine Rundell was awarded the 50,000 pounds ($59,000) Baillie Gifford Prize at a ceremony in London.
• The World Bank (WB) report, titled “Climate Investment Opportunities in India’s Cooling Sector” finds that as temperatures steadily rise in India due to climate change, keeping spaces cool using alternative and innovative energy-efficient technologies can open an investment opportunity of $1.6 trillion by
• A first-of-its-kind Tribal Winter Festival was held in the Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
• The 23rd Edition of the Hornbill Festival 2022 is set to begin at Naga Heritage Village Kisama from 1st December to 10th December. 
• Uttar Pradesh (UP), Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanath has launched One District One Sport (ODOS), modelled after the government’s highly successful One District One Product (ODOP) scheme.
• Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology (KSCST) is developing an app-based networking platform called “Patentkart”.
• The Haryana government has launched the Nirogi Haryana project across the state.
• India’s First permanent pathway for persons with disability and senior citizens at Chennai’s Marina beach, Tamil Nadu (TN) will be inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a four-tiered regulatory framework for the categorization of Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs).
• IIFL Mutual Fund has launched India’s first passive tax saver fund, IIFL ELSS Nifty 50 Tax Saver Index Fund (IN50) will be on sale through a new fund offer (NFO).
• India handed over USD 100 million to the Maldives to ease the financial challenges faced by the archipelagic state in the Indian Ocean.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Financial Services Agency (FSA), Japan exchanged letters of cooperation in the field of Central CounterParties (CCPs) to improve
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of Rs 1.25 crore on Zoroastrian Co-operative Bank, Mumbai.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given conditional approval to private equity investors Carlyle Group and Advent International to acquire up to 9.99% each in private lender Yes Bank.
• India assumed the Presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in December 2022.
• The Government of Uttar Pradesh (UP) has appointed the IPS Officer Laxmi Singh as the new Noida Police Chief, making her the first woman officer to head a Police Commissionerate in
• Prasanth Kumar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), South Asia of GroupM Media (India) Pvt Ltd, has been elected as the President of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) for fiscal 2022-23.
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of M Paramasivam as the executive director of the government-owned Punjab National Bank for three years.
• An Indian Coast Guard Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Mk-III squadron was commissioned by D G V S Pathania at ICG Air Station, Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN) in a major boost to further strengthen the Coast Guard Region East, 840 Sqn (CG).
• The 12th Edition of Exercise Agni Warrior (XAW) 2022, a bilateral exercise between the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) & Indian Army (IA), concluded at Field Firing Ranges, Devlali (Maharashtra).
• Japanese Space Agency Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has successfully used steam to propel its CubeSat spacecraft, EQUilibriUm Lunar-Earth point 6U (EQUULEUS) was launched on its way by NASA’s Orion spacecraft.
• Western Sydney University, The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), The Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bangalore and the Indian Institute for Spices Research (IISR), Calicut, and the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University have come together to launch a Centre in High Tech Protected Cropping Systems.
• China launched its six-month Shenzhou 15 mission, carrying 3 astronauts to Tiangong, the country’s newly completed space station.