Latest Current Affairs For Saturday 4th December, 2021

DARPG organizes Regional Conference on Good Governance

Dept of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) in collaboration with Govt of Odisha is organizing Regional Conference on the theme: Replication of Good Governance Practices, on 3rd and 4th Dec 2021 at Bhubaneswar. 

Aim: to bring national and state level public administration organizations on the same platform to share experiences and innovations in public administration, for improving quality of life, e-Governance and Digital Governance, etc.

Mahendra Nath Pandey to be Chief Guest at Round Table Conference 2021

Union Minister of Heavy Industries, Mahendra Nath Pandey will be the Chief Guest at the Round Table Conference, that will be held on 4th December, 2021 at Goa.

Aim: to work out strategies to promote adoption of EVs in India and attract investment in manufacturing of EVs, batteries and high technology automotive components in India. 

Automobile sector is a key driver of India’s economic growth. 

It contributes to nearly 6.4% of India’s GDP and 35% of manufacturing GDP. 

India and EU to set-up Clean Energy and Climate Partnership

India and European Union (EU) have agreed to step up Clean Energy and Climate Partnership at India-EU Energy Panel met. 

The meet was co-chaired by Reenat Sandhu from India and Mechthild Wörsdörfer from European Commission.

They jointly agreed on a detailed work programme until 2023 to implement the 2016 India-EU Clean Energy and Climate Partnership.

They agreed on increased technical cooperation in energy efficiency, renewable energy, green hydrogen, etc. 

Shashi Shekhar Vempati flags off fleet of 23 Electric Vehicles in New Delhi

Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharati Shashi Shekhar Vempati and Director General All India Radio N Venudhar Reddy has flagged off fleet of 23 Electric Vehicles at Akashwani Bhawan in New Delhi. 

It is second largest Electric Fleet in national capital Delhi and electric vehicles will be brought in for other stations of All India Radio. 

All India Radio (AIR) has hired all the Electric Vehicles on wet-lease basis from Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL). 

Govt to launch SRESHTA scheme for development of SC students

Government will launch Scheme for Residential Education for Students in High Schools in Targeted Areas (SRESHTA) for socio economics upliftment and overall development of Scheduled Castes students.

It will be launched on 6th December on Mahaparinirvan Diwas of Dr B R Ambedkar.

It will enable bright SC students to have a better future by getting a high-quality education.

It will also aid in controlling dropout rates of SC students from class 9th to 12th.

Union Minister inaugurates Earth Station of Doordarshan Kendra Gorakhpur

Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurates Earth Station of Doordarshan Kendra Gorakhpur. 

Apart from this, 3 FM stations of All India Radio will also be inaugurated virtually.

It will be the second earth station of Doordarshan in UP and it is being built at a cost of Rs. 7 crores. 

It will enable programmes generated at the local level to be telecast live. 

It will be a boon to local Bhojpuri artists. 

EIU releases Worldwide Cost of Living Index 2021

Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has released Worldwide Cost of Living Index, that list world’s most expensive cities to live in 2021.

The 2021 index explored cost of living in 173 cities, 40 more than last year.

Most expensive cities: Tel Aviv, followed by Paris, Singapore, Zurich, and Hong Kong. 

Paris was the most expensive city according to the 2020 index.

Lowest rankings: Africa, Middle East and less wealthier parts of Asia.

Indira Gandhi International Airport adjudged ‘Best Airport in India'

Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi has been adjudged as the ‘Best Airport in India and Central Asia’ this year by Skytrax.

Delhi airport along with the others in Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Bengaluru feature in the World To 100 airports list published by Skytrax.

Rs 36,000 crores worth investments are being planned to develop new greenfield airports across the country under Public-Private Partnership mode.

Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurates Competence Examination for Seafarers

Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal has virtually inaugurated Remote Competence Examination for Seafarers in New Delhi.

It is a fully digital Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning powered online exam system which uses remote proctoring and powerful security and surveillance tools for fair, transparent and secure examination system. 

It is first ever written examination for certificate of competency using Remote Digital Proctoring mechanism.

Bihar wins gold award in 40th International Trade Fair held in Delhi

Bihar has bagged gold medal in 40th India International Trade Fair (IITF) held at Pragati Maidan in Delhi for 'excellence in display' in state government/union territory pavilion category.

Bihar Pavilion comprised of 41 stalls exhibiting the finest products from the state to reflect the traditional folk-art culture.

Bihar’s resident commissioner Palka Sahni and director of Upendra Maharathi Craft Research Institute, Ashok Sinha received the award.

Sambit Patra named as chairman of India Tourism Development Corporation

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra has been appointed as the Chairman of India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).

Earlier, he had served as an independent Director of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).

ACC has approved Tourism Ministry's proposal to split the post of chairman and managing director of ITDC into chairman, ITDC, and managing director (MD), ITDC.

Managing Director of ITDC: GKV Rao.

PM Modi inaugurates InFinity Forum virtually

PM Modi has virtually inaugurated InFinity Forum, a thought leadership Forum on FinTech through video conference.

Aim: to achieve financial empowerment of every single citizen of the country. 

Hosted by: International Financial Services Centres Authority in collaboration with GIFT City and Bloomberg. 

Partner countries in the first edition of the Forum: Indonesia, South Africa and U.K.

InFinity Forum theme: ‘Beyond.’

It will witness participation from over 70 countries.

PM Narendra Modi to be awarded prestigious Lokmanya Tilak Award 2023

The Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust (Hind Swaraj Sangh) would confer the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award 2023 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Pune on August 1, 2023.

Reason: This award recognizes PM Modi's supreme leadership under which India has climbed the ladder of progress

It is presented annually on the occasion of Lokmanya Tilak's death anniversary.

Other awardees: Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Sharad Pawar, Cyrus Poonawalla, and Manmohan Singh. 

J&K Bank wins award for Best Performance in CASA

Jammu & Kashmir Bank has been felicitated for the Best Performance in CASA-India (1st Runner up in Small Bank Category) at ICC Emerging Asia Banking Conclave & Awards 2022.

The event was participated by banks from India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka & Myanmar.

The function was organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Goa.

Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group headquartered in Calcutta.

India poised to become world’s 2nd-largest economy by 2075: Goldman Sachs

According to the Investment Bank Goldman Sachs, India is poised to become the world’s second-largest economy by 2075.

As per the report, India would cross Japan, Germany, and the US With a population of 1.4 billion people.

India’s GDP is estimated to expand remarkably, reaching 52.5 trillion dollars surpassing the US GDP projection.

The labour force participation set to make India the second-largest economy in the world by 2075.

L&T and Spain's Navantia sign agreement for submarine project

L&T has signed a teaming agreement with Spanish-based Navantia for the submission of a techno-commercial bid for the Indian Navy’s prestigious P75 (India) submarine program.

P75 (India) Submarine Project is expected to be valued at €4.8 billion.

Navantia would carry out the design of P75(I) submarines based on its S80 class of submarines.

The first S80 class submarine was launched in 2021 and is undergoing sea trials prior to its delivery to Spanish Navy. 

India overtakes China as most attractive emerging market for investing

According to a study by Invesco Global Sovereign Asset Management, India has overtaken China to become the most attractive emerging market for investing in sovereign wealth funds this year.

Reason: This is due to its solid demographics, political stability, and proactive regulation. 

Positives for the nation also include the rapidly expanding demography, strong regulatory actions, and a welcoming climate for sovereign investors.

World Population Day 2023: 11 July

World Population Day is observed every year on July 11 in order to raise awareness about global population issues, including population control.

2023 theme: Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls to unlock our world’s infinite possibilities. 

It was established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1989, after the day the world approximately reached a population of five billion, which was observed on 11 July 1987.

MoHUA conducts SBM-U 2.0 Planning & Implementation Review-cum-Workshop

The Housing Ministry organized a review-cum-workshop to evaluate and accelerate the planning and implementation of the SBM-Urban 2.0.

PM Modi launched the 2.0 versions of SBM-U and AMRUT on October 1, 2021.

SBM-U 2.0: Achieving 100% waste segregation in all households and premises and 100% door-to-door collection of segregated waste from each. 

AMRUT 2.0: To provide complete coverage of water supply to all households and sewerage and septage in 500 AMRUT cities. 

Gujarat CM launches pilot project of ‘Antyodaya Shramik Suraksha Yojana’

Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel launched the Antyodaya Shram Suraksha Accident Insurance Scheme from Kheda

All those registered under the e-Shram portal from Nadiad will benefit from the scheme.

It is being implemented through the Indian Postal Department, the IPPB, and the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Under this scheme, insurance with a premium of Rs. 289 and Rs. 499 per year will be a big support to workers in the event of death or partial disability.

OCA elects Sheikh Talal as the new President

Kuwait’s Sheikh Talal Fahad Al Ahmad Al Sabah has been elected as the new President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

He replaced his older brother Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, who led the OCA for 30 years until 2021.

The OCA was founded in 1982 by his father Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who led it until 1990.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees.

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance wins Insurer Innovation Award 2023

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance has won the Insurer Innovation Award 2023 for the APAC region at the 8th World Digital Insurance Awards, hosted by TDI - The Digital Insurer.

Recognition: Bajaj Allianz Life's ground-breaking WhatsApp Conversational Platform - empowering customers to digitally services their policies seamlessly. 

The award entries were shortlisted by industry experts and the winner was selected by the community through pre-voting and live event voting.