Latest Current Affairs For Tuesday 7th December, 2021

Veteran Journalist Vinod Dua Passes Away

Veteran journalist Vinod Dua (67) passed away.

Dua was a pioneer in broadcast Hindi journalism with stints in Doordarshan and NDTV.

He lived an inimitable life, rising from the refugee colonies of Delhi to the peak of journalistic excellence for over 42 years, always, always speaking truth to power.

He was an integral part of NDTV’s journey as well. His much-loved food show ‘Zaika India Ka’ saw him crisscrossing the whole country just for the best taste.

Yes Bank, NPCI launch RuPay credit cards

Yes Bank, in collaboration with NPCI has launched new RuPay-branded credit cards for its customers on the indigenously developed payment platform.

NPCI has developed the RuPay card payment network.

Yes Bank has launched the Yes Prosperity Rewards Plus credit card variant on RuPay platform for its Yes Prosperity segment customers.

The new credit card comes with multiple benefits for customers.

The Yes Bank-NPCI partnership was announced at the Digital Payments Utsav. 

Bajaj Allianz Life launches Bajaj Allianz Life Assured Wealth Goal

Bajaj Allianz Life launched a guaranteed income-cum-life insurance plan Bajaj Allianz Life Assured Wealth Goal. 

It comes in two variants for policyholders to choose from based on their financial goals.

Bajaj Allianz Life’s Assured Wealth Goal is designed to provide guaranteed tax-free income for up to 30 years.

For the year to date till October 2021, Bajaj Allianz Life registered a 34 per cent growth in gross written premium and a 23 per cent rise in renewal premium.

FICCI appoints HUL’s Sanjiv Mehta as President-Elect

Hindustan Unilever Chairman & Managing Director, Sanjiv Mehta, will be appointed as the President of FICCI next week.

He will be taking over the position at its Annual General Meeting on December 18.

He will be succeeding media industry veteran Uday Shankar, who is the current President.

Mehta is also the President of Unilever South Asia and is a member of the ‘Unilever Leadership Executive’. 

He is also a Director on the Board of Indian School of Business.

IIT Madras to launch global consortium aimed at low carbon future

IIT Madras will launch a Global Energy Consortium to boost the transformation towards a low carbon future.

Over 50 global faculty will work in areas such as carbon capture and storage, gas hydrates and renewable energy systems.

The consortium will be launched at the IIT Madras Energy Summit to be held from December 14 to 16.

These initiatives will form the core of the Global Energy Consortium.

Oppo, IIT-Delhi sign MoU for scholarship programme

Oppo India has launched a ‘Genius+’ program to provide scholarships to students pursuing engineering in India.

Under this Oppo has inked an MoU with IIT-Delhi to offer scholarships covering academic expenses for the shortlisted students.

Program is aimed at connecting with youth at renowned institutes in India and reach out to the best talent who can further build India’s innovation portfolio.

The program will be further extended to Masters and Ph.D. students. 

Viktor Axelsen and An Seyoung wins BWF World Tour title

The world number one Viktor Axelsen has won the 2021 BWF World Tour Finals in men’s category in Bali, Indonesia.

He defeated Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand by 21-12, 21-8 in just 43 minutes to wrap up the men's singles title.

South Korea's An Seyoung has won BWF World Tour Finals in women’s category by defeating India’s PV Sindu.

Earlier in men's doubles, Japan's Hoki Takuro and Kobayashi Yugo beat Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo from Indonesia.

Malaysia won the Asian team squash championships 2021

Malaysia has won the men’s final of the Asian team squash championships in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia defeated Indian in the final by 2-1.

India had lost in the summit clash before in 1981 and 2012 also.

Malaysia has also won the women’s final of the Asian team squash championships defeating Hong Kong 2-1 in the final.

The last time Malaysian men’s and women’s teams won was in the 2008 championships in Kuwait.

Argentina wins Junior men’s hockey World Cup 2021

Argentina has won the won the men’s Junior hockey World Cup at the Kalinga Stadium, Odisha.

They defeated six-time champion Germany by 4-2 and won the title after a 16-year gap.

Argentina sealed their second men’s Junior World Cup title when Franco Agostini fired into an empty net in the final minute. 

France has defeated India to claim the 3rd place in the tournament.

France captain Timothée Clément was named Player of the Match.

Nikhil Srivastava among 3 selected for inaugural Ciprian Foias Prize

Indian-American mathematician Nikhil Srivastava, has been jointly selected for the inaugural $5,000 Ciprian Foias Prize.

They were selected for the "highly original work" in Operator Theory by the American Mathematical Society (AMS).

Other winner are Adam Marcus and Daniel Spielman.

The award recognises their "highly original work" that introduced and developed methods for understanding the characteristic polynomial of matrices.

Public Service Ethics’ authored by former Governor of Jharkhand Prabhat Kum

The book titled ‘Public Service Ethics’ has been authored by Prabhat Kumar, former Governor of Jharkhand. 

The book was released by the VP M Venkaiah Naidu.

The book is published by IC Centre for Governance.

It deals with ethics in governance and public service and proposes a collective quest for ethical India. 

It doesn’t just talk about the problems and the crisis of ethics – it gives practical and positive solutions and tells you how to head in the right direction.

India-Maldives Joint Military exercise ‘EKUVERIN’ begins today

The 11th edition of Exercise EKUVERIN-21 between India and Maldives will be conducted at Kadhdhoo Island, Maldives.

The exercise will enhance synergy and inter-operability between Armed Forces of both the nations conducting Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Insurgency Operations. 

They will share best military practices and experiences.

The joint military excercise will also include cultural and sports activities to enhance defence cooperation and bilateral relations.

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.