Current Affairs 3 December 2020

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Top 25 Current Affairs of 3 December 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

10th National Science Film Festival 2020 Organised by VigyanPrasar Virtually

The 10th National Science Film Festival 2020 was jointly organised by VigyanPrasar, an autonomous agency under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India and the Tripura State Council of Science and Technology, Government of Tripura. The four-day long film festival was held from 24th to 27th November 2020. 
The event was inaugurated on 24th November 2020 by JishnuDevVerma, Deputy Chief Minister of Tripura.
Aim:
The National science film festival provides a unique platform for the professionals, amateurs and student filmmakers to showcase their science films made under various themes.
10th National Science Film Festival (2020):
i.10 Jury members under the chairmanship of Girish Kasaravalli shortlisted 115 films from 372 films & these 115 shortlisted films were screened during the virtual event of the 10th National Science Film festival.
ii.The 115 films includes films in Hindi, English, Urdu, Malayalam, Kashmiri, Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi and Tamil.
iii.The entries include, documentaries, biography, short films, docu-dramas, science fiction and animation films.
Awards 2020:
On 27th November 2020, the best films were awarded in different categories.

• Under the Interface-Films, fusion and Out of the Box categories the 3 Beaver awards – Gold, Silver and Bronze were awarded along with cash rewards of Rs. 1.5 lakh, Rs. 1 lakh and Rs.75000 respectively.
• Under the Rainbow category 8 films were awarded with a cash reward of Rs.25000 each.Incredible Tale of a Water Warrior directed by Mahesha received the Jury Special Mention award carrying Rs. 50,000 prize money.

New categories:
This year, 2 new categories of awards were introduced: Poonam Chaurasia Memorial Award, instituted in the memory of Poonam, a talented cameraperson, to encourage female science film makers and the Destination Award given to one of the best films from the region where the National Science Film Festival is organized.
Click here to know more about the winners

MOP&NG Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan launched India’s 1^st 100 Octane Petrol, ‘XP-100’ developed by IOC

On 1st December, 2020 Ministry of Petroleum and Natural gas(MOP&NG) Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched the India’s first 100 Octane Petrol also known as XP 100 manufactured by Indian Oil Corporation(IOC).
XP 100, the premium grade petrol is manufactured at IOC’s Mathura refinery in Uttar Pradesh, and will be rolled out in two Phases at selected Petrol stations.
Phase1(10 cities)– Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Agra, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad
Phase2– Planned to roll out in Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi and Kolkata
About 100 Octane Petrol:
i.Octane ratings are provided based on the measure of fuel stability, indicating the superior quality of fuel & it is the measures of fuel’s ability to avoid Knock.
ii.Knocking occurs when fuel is prematurely ignited, it leads to degraded efficiency leading to damage to the engine.
iii.Higher the octane number, higher the resistance to knock by the petrol.
iv.Luxury vehicles demanding high performance prefer 100 Octane petrol.
Octane Grades available in India:
87(Regular), 89(mid-grade) and 91-94(premium).
Recently Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd.(HPCL) has launched Octane 99.
Countries with 100 Octane petrol:
Only 6 Countries have 100 Octane Petrol, they are USA, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Malaysia and Israel.
About Bharat Stage VI:
On 1st April, 2020 India moved from Bharat stage IV or BS-IV to BS-VI, an initiative to reduce the level of emission from vehicles. The Rollout of Premium grade fuel, a cleaner and greener fuel reduces the Pollutant emitted from vehicles.

CERT-In, Kasperksy in Strategic Pact to Improve Mutual Cybersecurity Capabilities

i.On November 30, 2020, a cyber security firm, Kaspersky and the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) announced a strategic partnership for improving mutual cybersecurity capabilities by working together in order to create a safe and secure cyberspace in India.
ii.This was announced on the lines of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on October 22, 2020 by Kaspersky with CERT-In, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Government of India (GoI) for collaboration in the area of cybersecurity.
iii.Both entities will cooperate in detection of latest cyber threats affecting the information assets and privacy of the general users and will devise appropriate security measures for the same.
About Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In)
Director-General– Dr Sanjay Bahl
Headquarter– New Delhi
About Kaspersky:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Eugene Kaspersky
Headquarter– Moscow, Russia
<<Read Full News>>

Tribal Affairs Minister, Arjun Munda launched the 1st virtual Aadi Mahotsav in Madhya Pradesh

On 1st December, 2020 Cabinet Minister of Tribal Affairs, Arjun Munda launched the first ever virtual edition of Aadi Mahotsav, at Madhya Pradesh. Aadi Mahostav also known as National Tribal festival is conducted to promote the tribal, products, culture thereby increasing Tribal income.
i.Festival is Jointly organised by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India and Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED).
Key Highlights:
The 2020 virtual edition of the festival is organised virtually across India

• 1-10 December focusing on Madhya Pradesh
• 11-20 December focus shifts to Gujarat 
• 21-30 December, planned to focus on West Bengal

ii.Aadi Mahostav initiated in 2017 is the Nation Tribal Craft Expo, an exhibition cum sales of the works by individual tribal artisans, tribal Self Help Groups(SHG), and other related agencies.
About Ministry of Tribal Affairs:
Cabinet Minister- Arjun Munda
Minister of State– Renuka Singh Saruta
<<Read Full News>>

Power Minister RK Singh Launches ‘Green Charcoal Hackathon’ to focus on technology to convert Farm Residue into Green Charcoal

On December 1, 2020, Minister of State (MoS) (Independent Charge) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Raj Kumar Singh launched ‘Green Charcoal Hackathon’ to deliberate on technology to convert Farm Residue into Green Charcoal.
Objective:
The hackathon has been launched with an aim of attaining clean air through elimination of farm fire and producing renewable energy out of the agro residue making use of the innovative Indian Minds.
Organised by:
The hackathon has been organised by Energy Efficiency Service Limited (EESL) & NVVN (NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation Limited) Vidyut Vyapar Nigam).
Key Points:
i.Burning of Stubble and Agro residue by Local Farmers is one of the major contributors for Air Pollution in Delhi and other parts of India.
ii.In order to tackle it, NVVN is looking for technologies to convert agricultural waste into Green Charcoal to be used by Power Plants.
About Energy Efficiency Service Limited (EESL):
Chairman –  Rajeev Sharma
Headquarters – New Delhi
About NVVN (NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam):
Chairman – AK Gautham
Headquarters – New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

MoEFCC Minister Prakash Javadekar represents India at the 2020 Industry Transition Leadership Virtual Summit organized by LeadIT

On December 1, 2020, Union Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Forest Minister, Prakash Javadekar represented India at the 2020 Industry Transition Leadership Summit organized by Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT). The Summit was held in Virtual Mode due to Pandemic.
The Meeting was held ahead of the 5th Anniversary of the signing of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Objective:
i.The summit focuses on aligning public and private action for implementation of the agendas and targets under the Paris Agreement.
Commitments made in the Summit:
i.To Create stable and reliable markets for green industrial products, and identifying targeted interventions to enable the transition of whole value chains.
ii.To enhance Charging infrastructure to support energy efficiency in transport and electrification of heavy good transport
About Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT):
The Members of the group are 13 Countries and 15 Companies
Member Countries – India, Sweden, Argentina, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, United Kingdom & Northern Ireland, Australia & Denmark.
Member Companies –  Dalmia Cement, Mahindra Group, DSM, Heathrow Airport, LKAB, Royal Schiphol Group, Scania, SpiceJet, SSAB, ThyssenKrupp, Vattenfall, CarbFix, FLSmidth, Hybrit, LafargeHolcim & Volvo
<<Read Full News>>

Amul becomes World’s 8th Largest Milk Processor:  IFCN Dairy Processors Report 2020

According to The International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN) Dairy Processors Report 2020 (Biennial), Amul (Anand Milk Union Limited) a brand of dairy cooperative major Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) emerged as the 8th Largest Milk Processor globally in the list of Top 20.
i.The rankings are based on the parameters of Milk Intake per annum.
ii.Amul has reported an intake of 10.3 Billion Kg of Milk annually, it is more than double growth from the 4.54 Billion Kg of Milk Intake reported by Amul in 2013.

About Amul:
Managing Director – RS Sodhi
Headquarters – Anand, Gujarat, India
<<Read Full News>>

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman delivers Keynote address at the Inauguration of 20th Edition of SLES 2020

On December 1, 2020, Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman delivered the Keynote Address virtually at the inauguration of the 20th Edition of Sri Lanka Economic Summit (SLES) 2020. It was organized by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC).
i.President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was the Chief Guest at the inaugural session.
ii.The Theme for SLES 2020 is ‘Roadmap for Take-off: Driving a People-Centric Economic Revival’.
iii.During the address, Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted measures taken by India to address challenges due to the Pandemic.  She stated that India’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ & Sri Lanka’s vision of ‘Self Reliant Sri Lanka’ can be used as a bridge for strengthening economic cooperation between the two countries.
iv.The Cooperation between the 2 countries will be essential towards building sustained growth for people centric development of both countries. India expresses interest to continue economic cooperation for mutual benefit of both countries.
v.She emphasized regulatory consistency and policy certainty for the growth of Industry & Private sector.
About Ministry of Finance:
Union Minister – Nirmala Sitharaman
Minister of State – Anurag Singh Thakur
About Sri Lanka:
Prime Minister – Mahinda Rajapaksa
Capital – Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (legislative), Colombo (Executive and Judicial)
Currency – Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR)

India 8th Most Affected Country in the World due to Terrorism in 2019; Afghanistan tops the List – 8th Edition of GTI 2020

According to the 8th Edition of ‘Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2020: Measuring the Impact of Terrorism’ released by Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), India with a score of 7.353 is the 8th Most Affected Country in the World due to Terrorism in 2019.
i.Afghanistan (9.592), Iraq (8.682) & Nigeria (8.314) are top 3 countries which are the most affected by Terrorism.
ii.GTI is a complete analysis of impact of terrorism for 163 countries covering 99.7% of the World’s Population.
iii.Qatar (0.014) took the 133rd Rank followed by Uzbekistan (0.010) in the 134th Rank and around 29 Countries (score of 0.000) took the 135th Rank which means they are Least Affected Countries or Face No Impact due to Terrorism.
Countries Most Affected by Terrorism:

Countries Least Affected by Terrorism:

About Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP):
Founder & Executive Chairman – Steve Killelea AM
Headquarters – Sydney, Australia
<<Read Full News>>

BANKING & FINANCE

ADB Approved a $430 Million Multitranche Financing Facility for UP Power Distribution Network Rehabilitation Project

i.On December 1, 2020 The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $430 million (about Rs 4,143 crore) Multitranche Financing Facility(MFF) for Uttar Pradesh(UP) Power Distribution Network Rehabilitation Project.
ii.Objective-To improve the  quality and reliability of electricity supply in Uttar Pradesh
iii.The MFF is enhanced by a $2 million Technical Assistance (TA) grant from TA Special Fund and the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction(JFPR) of ADB
About Asian Development Bank (ADB):
Headquarters– Mandaluyong,Manila, Philippines
President– Masatsugu Asakawa
Membership– 68 countries(Including India)
Formed– 1966
<<Read Full News>>

PNB Launched Loan Management Solution, ”PNB LenS-The Lending Solution”

i.On December 1, 2020 Punjab National Bank (PNB) developed and launched  ‘PNB LenS-The Lending Solution’, an IT(Information Technology) based lending solution for loan management.
ii.Aim-To increase the speed and maintain accuracy in online processing of loans and sanctioning of credit proposals.
iii.PNB launched OTP(One Time Password) based cash withdrawals, effective from 1st December 2020.

• The PNB account holders if withdraws Rs 10,000 and above from PNB ATMs(Automated Teller Machines), at a time between 8 pm and 8 am, will require a OTP.

About Punjab National Bank (PNB):
PNB is India’s 1st Swadeshi bank. With effect from April 1, 2020, the bank was merged with Oriental Bank of Commerce(OBC) and United Bank of India(UNI)
Managing Director(MD) and Chief Executive Officer(CEO)–  CH S.S. Mallikarjuna Rao
Headquarters– New Delhi, India
Commenced Operations–  April 12,1895
Tagline– The name you can bank upon
<<Read Full News>>

SBI along with NPCI & Japan’s JCB launched “SBI RuPay JCB Platinum Contactless Debit Card”

i.On December 1, 2020, State Bank of India (SBI) in collaboration with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Japan’s JCB (formerly Japan Credit Bureau) International Co. Ltd. unveiled “SBI RuPay JCB Platinum Contactless Debit Card” with a unique dual interface feature.
ii.It enables the customers to use it for both contact and contactless transactions as well as for domestic and overseas transactions.
iii.The card has been launched on the RuPay network by SBI in partnership with JCB.
About JCB International Co. Ltd:
JCB is a major global payment brand and a leading credit card issuer and acquirer in Japan.
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Ichiro Hamakawa
Headquarter– Tokyo, Japan
About National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI):
Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Dilip Asbe
Headquarter– Mumbai, Maharashtra
<<Read Full News>>

YES Bank Relaunches ‘YES Premia’ with Premium Banking Services to Customers

On December 1, 2020 YES Bank relaunched ‘YES Premia’ with a premium banking program. It  offers personalized solutions focusing on particular needs of key consumer segments, i.e., from small business owners to salaried professionals and senior citizens.
Note
During ‘Truly Yours’ Week,  from December 1 – 7, 2020 Yes Bank will celebrate the launch of the program, across India with several customer centric programs and partnered activations through dealer, OEM(Original Equipment Manufacturer) and bancassurance partners.
YES Premia Program
i.YES Premia has been designed to provide customized banking solutions that fits the lifestyle and expectations of different consumer groups.
ii.The programme meets their financial and lifestyle needs through a mix of products, services, portfolio benefits and partnerships.
Benefits 
The following are the benefits of using YES Premia Program:
i.Salaried individuals– Complimentary Emerge Debit Card is given with benefits of over Rs 50,000,  Complimentary Times Prime annual membership is also given with benefits worth over Rs 60,000, etc.,
ii.Self Employed– An automated sweep facility from Current Account to Savings Account or Fixed Deposit, Easy payment solution for vendors and staff of MSME clients with YES MSME Group Payments, etc.,
iii.Senior Citizens- Broad range of Fixed Deposits(FD) with high interest rate and overdraft facility.
Additional Info

• Recently, YES Bank in partnership with Worldline launched SMS Pay functionality on PoS(Point of Sale) Terminals. 
• The bank has also launched YES ONLINE, all-new retail NetBanking.

About YES Bank:
HeadQuarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Managing Director(MD) and Chief Executive Officer(CEO)–  Prashant Kumar
Incepted– 2004
Tagline– Experience our expertise

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

OECD Revised India’s FY21 GDP Forecast to -9.9% from -10.2%

i.The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in its December 2020 Economic Outlook titled “A Brighter Outlook But Recovery Will Be Gradual” has revised the India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rate upwards to -9.9% from -10.2% projected in September for FY21.
ii.It also projected that the Indian economy will rebound to 8% in FY22 and 5% in FY23 on the condition that GDP loss would be substantial.
iii.On the global front also OECD decreased the contraction rate to 4.2% in 2020, from 4.5% earlier.
About Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD):
Secretary General – Jose Angel Gurria Trevino
Headquarters – Paris, France
<<Read Full News>>

S&P Global Ratings retains India’s growth forecast for FY21 at -9%

S&P Global Ratings (previously Standard & Poor’s), in its report on Asia Pacific stated that. it has retained its forecast of 9% contraction(-9%) in the Indian economy for FY21 and projected that it will grow at 10% in FY22.

• In accordance with the report Indian economy recovered faster than expected in the September quarter due to a pick up by the manufacturing sector.

Points to be noted:
–Indian economy contracted 23.9% in April-June quarter (Q1FY21).
–The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in October, 2020 projected India’s economy to contract by 9.5% in FY21.
About S&P Global:
President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Douglas L. Peterson
President of S&P Global Ratings – John Berisford
Headquarter– New York, United States (US)

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

Veteran Bollywood Actor Naseeruddin Shah Honoured with Aditya Vikram Birla Kala Shikhar Puraskar 2020

On November 21, 2020 Veteran Bollywood Actor Naseeruddin Shah was honoured with the Aditya Vikram Birla Kala Shikhar Puraskar 2020 at the Sangit Kala Kendra Awards virtual function. He was awarded in the category theatre.
The 2 emerging stars of theatrics, Neel Choudhary and Irawati Karnik were awarded the Aditya Vikram Birla Kalakiran Puraskars 2020.
Note
Rajashree Birla, President of Sangit Kala Kendra mentioned that ‘Theatre’ is the central theme for 2020 awards.
Key People
Kumar Mangalam Birla, Neerja Birla and the extended Aditya Birla family attended the event.
About Naseeruddin Shah:
Acting Career
i.Apart from being a film actor, he is also a stage actor and director.
ii.He made his debut in Indian film industry, with a small role in the film  Aman (1967).
iii.He made his Pakistani film debut in Khuda Ke Liye(2007).
iv.He has acted in many films including  Nishant, Aakrosh, Sparsh, Mirch Masala,  Ghulami, Dirty Picture among others.
Awards
i.He received Padma Shri in 1985 for Arts and  Padma Bhusan in 2003 for Arts.
ii.He has received 3 National Film Awards for the films, Sparsh, Paar and Iqbal.
iii.He also has received 3 filmfare awards for the films, Aakrosh, Chakra and Masoom.
About Aditya Vikram Birla Kala Shikhar Puraska:
i.Sangit Kala Kendra instituted this award in 1966, in memory of its Founder President, the Late Shri Aditya Vikram Birla.
ii.It is annually presented, close to his birth anniversary, November 14th
iii.This award is bestowed upon a distinguished artist for his/her lifetime achievement in the chosen field of the performing and visual arts.
iv.The award comprises- Cash award of Rs 2.0 lakhs, a memento and a scroll of honour.
About Sangit Kala Kendra:
Established– 1973 by Aditya Vikram Birla
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra

Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com select “Pandemic” as Word of the Year 2020

Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com two of the most popular dictionary companies for the first time have chosen a common word “Pandemic” as Word of the Year 2020. Once the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced COVID-19 as pandemic in early March, 2020 the word continuously peaked in the most searched list.
The announcement was made right after the Oxford Languages issued a 16-page report explaining the urgency to the role of Lexicographer.
About the word “Pandemic”:
i.Pandemic is a word having roots in Latin and Greek, where “pan” denotes “for all” and “demos” indicating “people or population” sometimes roots to “democracy”.
ii.Broadly the word “pandemic” denotes “universal” and more specifically to disease in a medical text in the 1600s.
About Word of the Year:
i.Word of the Year is the most important word or expression popular in the public sphere in a specific year.
ii.Merriam-Webster started announcing word of the year in 2008 and in 2019 the pronoun “they” is selected as word of the year.
iii.Dictionary.com started announcing Word of the Year in 2010 where “Essential” linking to climate change, gun violence was the Word of the year in 2019.
iv.In 2020, COVID-19 pandemic has also led to the search of words including “aerosols”, “contact tracing”, “social distancing”, and “herd immunity”.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Govt constituted Apex Committee for Implementation of 2015 Paris Agreement

i.On November 27, 2020, the Government of India (GoI) has constituted a 17 members committee namely “Apex Committee for Implementation of Paris Agreement (AIPA)” under the chairperson of secretary, Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)(Presently – Mr.Rameshwar Prasad Gupta).
ii.The committee will be responsible of formulating policies and programmes for the execution of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) prepared by India under Paris Agreement 2015.
iii.The AIPA will act as a national authority for the regulation of carbon markets in India under Article 6.2, Article 6.4 and Article 6.8 of the Paris Agreement.
iv.The committee will have the secretary, Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) as the chairperson and the additional secretary, MoEFCC as the vice chairperson along with 15 members.
About Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC):
Union Minister– Prakash Keshav Javadekar
Minister of State (MoS)– Babul Supriyo
<<Read Full News>>

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS        

CCI Approves Acquisition of Rivigo by Spring Canter Investment Ltd & Amalgamation of Srikalahasthi Pipes with Electrosteel Castings Ltd

On November 27, 2020  The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the following acquisition and amalgamation  under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002.
Acquisition– Rivigo Services Private Limited (Rivigo) will be acquired by Spring Canter Investment Ltd (SCIL) through subscription of compulsorily convertible preference shares.
Amalgamation– Srikalahasthi Pipes Limited (SPL) will be amalgamated with and into Electrosteel Castings Limited (ECL).
About Competition Commission of India (CCI):
Headquarters– New Delhi, India
Chairman– Ashok Kumar Gupta
Established by– The Central Government with effect from 14th October 2003
<<Read Full News>>

ENVIRONMENT

World’s Oldest Nanostructures Found In 6th-Century BC Pottery from Keeladi, Tamil Nadu

i.Scientists have discovered the oldest known human-made nano-materials in the “unique black coatings” of ancient pottery shards dated to 600 BC that were unearthed from an archeological site in Keeladi, Tamil Nadu. The research was published in the journal Scientific Reports and the findings have been documented in a paper published in “Nature”.
ii.In accordance with the research these coatings are made of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) which have enabled the layer to last more than 2600 years.
iii.It should be noted that this discovery has succeeded the old known carbon nanostructure that was found in the Damascus blades from the 16th-18th century. Notably the technique used in the Damascus blades was also made in India.
About Tamil Nadu:
Chief Minister (CM)– Edappadi Karuppa Palaniswami
Capital– Chennai
Governor– Banwarilal Purohit
<<Read Full News>>

OBITUARY

Abhay Bharadwaj Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat Passed away at 66

On 1st December 2020, Abhay Bharadwaj, member of BJP and Rajya Sabha MP (Member of Parliament) passed away at the age of 66 in a hospital in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He passed away due to post COVID-19 complications. He hails from Rajkot, Gujarat. He was born on April 2,1954 in Uganda.

• He is the 2nd Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat to die due to COVID-19 complications after Ahmed Patel, Rajya Sabha MP of Indian National Congress.

About Abhay Bharadwaj:
i.Abhay Bharadwaj was a prominent lawyer who was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat in June 2020.
ii.He was a leading criminal lawyer who led the defence counsel in 2002 Gulberg Society massacre in which 69 people including Ehsan Jafri, former Congress MP was killed.
iii.He was appointed as the Special Public Prosecutor(SPP) by the Gujarat Government for a case against Abhay Bharadwaj, IAS former collector of Rajkot District.
iv.He starred as a Judge in the film Agneekal (1990) starring Raj Babbar.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Italian Writer Alfredo Covelli Launched his First Kids Book “Vahana Masterclass” in India  

On1st December 2020, Alfredo Covelli, Italian Writer launched his new kids book titled “Vahana Masterclass” illustrating the Indian Mythology and Culture. The illustration of the book was done by Indian artist Zainab Tambawalla and the book is published by Scholastic India.
Vahana Masterclass is Alfredo’s first book in English, the first book for the Indian market and his first book for kids.
About Vahana Masterclass:
i.Vahana Masterclass is a book about the adventures of four mice Anand, Karthika, Anjali and Kanu and their journey towards becoming the next vahana of lord Ganesha under the guidance of Mooshika, the present vahana of Ganesha.
ii.Alfredo describes the book as the Indian version of Harry Potter with mice.
About Alfredo Covelli:
i.Alfredo Covelli is also a screenwriter, film producer and teacher, and novelist based in Rome, Lazio, Italy.
ii.He won the Italian screenwriting contest (PremioSolinas) in 2005 and started writing feature films and TV series.
iii.He started his production company Meproducodasolo in 2012 and produced short films and feature films for international film festivals.
iv.He produced films like Pure Hearts (2017), Goodbye Darling, I’m Off to Fight (2016) and Off Road (2013).
v.He works as a teacher in the Italian National Film Institute (CSC, Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia).

IMPORTANT DAYS

National Pollution Control Day 2020 – December 2

National Pollution Control Day is annually observed across India on 2nd December to honour the people who lost their lives in the Bhopal Gas Tragedy in 1984. The day is  observed to create awareness among the general public about the pollution level of India and the rate on which the harmful substance level in the environment has been increased every year.
2nd December 2020 marks the 36th anniversary of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy.
The theme of the 2020 National Pollution Control Day is “raise awareness about the importance of pollution control and educate people on how to prevent pollution”.
About Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB):
Chairman– Shiv Das Meena
Member Secratary– Dr. Prashant Gargava
<<Read Full News>>

World Computer Literacy Day 2020 – December 2

The World Computer Literacy Day is annually observed on 2nd December to increase the awareness about the advanced gap and increase the access to computer and information technology. The day promotes the enhancement of the technology skills of women and children.
Aim:
To ensure the awareness about computers and technologies among the general public.
Objective:
To promote the use of technology and computers among women and make them more informed on the functions of computers.
Background:
i.NIIT(National Institute of Information Technology) Indian Computer Company, launched the  World Computer Literacy Day in 2001, to mark its 20th Anniversary.
ii.The day was first observed on 2nd December 2001, the 20th anniversary of NIIT.
Computer Literacy:
i.Computer literacy is the knowledge and ability to effectively use computers and other technologies related to computers.
ii.These skill levels vary from basic use of computer programming to advanced problem solving using computer programming.
About National Institute of Information Technology (NIIT):
NIIT(National Institute of Information Technology) was established by Rajendra Singh Pawar and Vijay K. Thadani in 1981in Delhi.
Chairman & Co-Founder– Rajendra S Pawar
Vice Chairman & Managing Director– Vijay K. Thadani
CEO– Sapnesh Lalla
Headquarters– Gurgaon, Haryana

STATE NEWS

Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal launches “Orunodoi” Scheme

On 2nd December, 2020 Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal launched “Orunodoi” Scheme in the state. The scheme is allocated with an annual budget of Rs. 2400 crore to provide financial assistance to socio- economically weaker sections for a period of 5 years.
Key Highlights of Orunodoi Scheme:
i.The scheme will provide financial assistance of Rs.830/month as Directly Benefit Transfer(DBT) to the bank accounts of Women under the Jan Dhan Yojana.
ii.Provides Subsidies in medicines worth Rs. 400, Pulses worth Rs. 200, Sugar worth Rs.80 and essential vegetables & fruits worth Rs. 150.
iii. Women with family income less than 2 lakhs per annum can avail the benefits of this scheme.

• The scheme is rolled out in 29 districts covering 17.86 lakh families
• 4 districts in the Bodoland Territorial Region are not included due to the schedule of council elections.

Schemes related to women in Assam:

1. Indira Miri Universal Widow Pension Scheme
2. Kanaklata Mahila Sabalikaran Scheme
3. Assam Gyan Deepika Scheme
4. Wage Compensation Scheme for Pregnant Women in Tea Gardens

About Assam:
Ramsar Site– Deepor Beel (Dipor Bil)
Tiger Reserve– Manas, Nameri, Kaziranga
Subansiri Lower Dam a gravity dam is constructed in the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.

AC GAZE

DoT mandates ‘0’ Prefix for Landline-to-Mobile calls from 15 January, 2021

The Department of Telecom (DoT) announced that from January 15, 2021, Consumers need to prefix ‘0’ for Landline-to-Mobile calls. The decision has been taken in line with the recommendations by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. The process is set to generate around 2539 Million Numbering Series, freeing up adequate numbering resources for Future use.

PowerChina, Hydropower Company of China Plans the First Downstream Dam on River Brahmaputra

China is set to construct the first downstream dam on Yarlung Zangbo River (known as river Brahmaputra in India) in Tibet. On 29th November 2020, The authorities approved the proposal of PowerChina, a state owned hydropower company to construct the dam.

Powerchina signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Tibet Autonomous Region(TAR) government to implement hydropower exploitation in the downstream of Yarlung Zangbo River as a part of its 14th 5-year plan (2021-2025). This will generate an income of 20 billion Yuan (around Rs. 2.24 lakh crore) per year for TAR.

This project will support the maintenance of the water resources and domestic security of TAR.

‘Ramayan Cruise Service,’ Becomes India’s 1st Luxury Cruise Service on Saryu River in Ayodhya, UP

The ‘Ramayan Cruise Service’ is to be launched on Saryu river (Ghagra/National Waterways-40) in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. It is India’s 1st luxury Cruise service on the Saryu river. It aims to give an attractive  experience to devotees with one-of-its-kind spiritual journeys while cruising through the famous ghats of the holy river Saryu. On the basis of the theme of Ramcharitmanas, the interiors of the cruise and the boarding point is designed.

Indian Men’s Football team rises Four Spots to 104th Rank in FIFA ‘s November Rankings  

As per the FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) updated in November, 2020, Indian Men’s Football Team rose 4 spots to 104 (1187 Points) from 108 in October, 2020 Rankings. Indian Men’s Football Team coach is Igor Stimac (Croatia), Captain is Sunil Chhetri (From Telangana).

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