Current Affairs 6 & 7 December 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 6 & 7 December 2020, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2020 events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.

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Top 25 Current Affairs of 6 & 7 December 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

MoS, External Affairs V Muraleedharan addresses the 6th India-CLMV Business Conclave 2020 held virtually

Minister of State, External Affairs V Muraleedharan addressed the 6th India-CLMV (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar & Vietnam) Business Conclave 2020: “Building Bridges for Constructive Development” held in CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) HIVE, the virtual platform of CII from December 3-4, 2020. The conclave was organised by the CII, in partnership with the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry was the Chief Guest at the event.
Objective:
To Strengthen India’s Cooperation with CLMV Countries.
Key Points:
i.India invited CLMV countries to join the International Solar Alliance & Resilient Supply Chain Initiative by India.
ii.India is seeking to increase cooperation and collaboration with the CLMV region to develop a vaccine for COVID-19.
About Confederation of Indian Industry (CII):
President – Uday Kotak
Headquarters – New Delhi
About Cambodia:
Prime Minister – Hun Sen
Capital – Phnom Penh
Currency – Riel (KHR)
About Lao PDR:
Prime Minister – Thongloun Sisoulith
Capital – Vientiane
Currency – Kip (LAK)
<<Read Full News>>

India, US signs MoU on Intellectual Property Cooperation

On 2nd December, 2020 India’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to increase cooperation between India and the US on Intellectual Property (IP).

MoU was signed by Dr. Guruprasad Mohapatra, Secretary, DPIIT on behalf of India and Mr. Andrei Iancu, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property & Director, United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on behalf of US.

Features of the MoU:
i.Exchange of best practices, experiences and knowledge on IP among research organisations, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, universities.
ii.Encourage collaboration in training programs, exchange of expertise technical knowledge.
iii.Exchange of information on the development and implementation of automation and modernised management of IP office services.
iv.Sharing Traditional knowledge databases and awareness raising on the use of existing IP systems to protect traditional knowledge.
v.Exchange of information and best practices on processes for registration and examination of applications for patents, trademarks, copyrights, geographical indications, and industrial designs, as well as the protection, enforcement and use of IP rights.
About India’s National IPR Policy 2016:
Aim- Creating a single platform for all IPRs, thereby creating and exploiting synergies between all forms of Intellectual Property (IP), for implementation monitoring and reviewing.The Clarion call of National IPR Policy 2016 is “Creative India; Innovative India”.
i.On 26th May, 2016 National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) policy came to effect. IPR guides organisations to adapt best global practices.
ii.Implemented by the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks (CGPDTM) 
iii.‘Cell for IPR Promotion & Management (CIPAM)’, setup under the aegis of DIPP, is to be the single point of reference for implementation of the objectives of the National IPR Policy.
About the USA:
President- Donald Trump
President Elect-Joe Biden
Capital- Washington, D.C.

FM Nirmala Sitharaman released ‘Smuggling in India Report 2019-20’ during 63rd Founding Day of DRI

i.On December 4, 2020, the 63rd Founding Day of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) was observed virtually which was attended by Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) and Ministry of Finance.
ii.DRI is the apex anti-smuggling intelligence and investigation agency functioning under the aegis of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
iii.During  the occasion Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled “Smuggling in India Report 2019-20”which analysed organised smuggling trends on Gold & Foreign Currency, Narcotic Drugs, Security, Environment, Commercial Frauds.
About Ministry of Finance:
Nirmala Sitharaman constituency– Karnataka
Minister of State (MoS)– Anurag Singh Thakur
<<Read Full News>>

7^th edition of WASH Conclave 2020 Organized by UNICEF, NIRD&PR & 3 State Governments held virtually

A 3-Day 7th edition of Virtual Conclave on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) 2020 kicked off in Hyderabad from December 2-4, 2020. It was organized by UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRD & PR) in collaboration with 3 state governments – Telangana, Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka. Governor of Andhra Pradesh, Biswabhusan Harichandan participated as the Chief Guest of the Conclave.
Theme – “Hygiene Matters”,Target – The Year 2024 is set as target for providing access, and use of safe and adequate drinking water to all households.
Objective:
To Facilitate knowledge exchange and action on WASH-related Issues in the context of COVID-19 Pandemic.
Key Points:
i.Governor highlighted several state-level initiatives such as ‘Manam Mana Parisubrtha’ (Andhra Pradesh), ‘Swacchotsava Nityotsava’ (Karnataka) & ‘Palle Pragathi’ (Telangana) to become 100% WASH Compliant and a healthy society.
iii.India is making significant progress to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Number 6 – “Clean Water and Sanitation”.
About United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF):
Executive Director – Henrietta H. Fore
Headquarters – New York, United States of America
UNICEF Representative to India – Dr. Yasmin Ali Haque
<<Read Full News>>

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Low-Paid Workers, Women most impacted due to Wage Gaps created by COVID-19: ILO Report 2020-21

According to “Global Wage Report 2020-21: Wages and minimum wages in the time of COVID-19” released by International Labour Organization (ILO), Women and Lower-paid workers were impacted the most due to decrease in wages because of reduced working hours during the COVID-19 crisis.
The report is the 7th in the series of 2020’s ILO Global Wage Report, it provides evidence of the effects of the crisis on wages in different countries due to Pandemic.
i.Global Wage Growth changed between 1.6% and 2.2% during the four years (2016-19) before the pandemic.
ii.Impact of the crisis was different for women and men, Women workers in few European countries faced 8.1% reduction in wages compared to 5.4% for men.
iii.Sectors which were hit hardly due to the pandemic are – Wholesale and retail trade, accommodation and food services.
iv.Individuals in lower-skilled occupations lost more working hours than individuals working in higher-paying managerial and professional jobs.
v.The wages of Formal Workers have been cut by 3.6% in India, while wages of informal workers experienced a fall in wages of around 22.6%.  It also highlighted the Code on Wages Bill passed by India in August, 2019 to extend minimum wage coverage.
About International Labour Organization (ILO):
Director General – Guy Ryder
Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland
<<Read Full News>>

MoS for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai Virtually addressed 4th South Asia Forum on SDGs 2020;Organized by UNESCAP & Govt of Maldives

i.From December 2-3 2020, UNESCAP (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific) South Asia and Pacific & Government of Maldives organized 4th South Asian Forum of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2020 virtually.During the Forum, a special dialogue on disaster and climate resilience in South Asia was also organized.
ii.The Forum was jointly organized by UNESCAP and Ministry of National, Planning, Housing & Infrastructure, Government of Maldives.
iii.It was virtually addressed by Minister of State (MoS) Nityanand Rai, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
iv.Objective of Dialogue: To identify the opportunities to overcome the challenges of disaster and public health risk management.
About Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA):
Union Minister – Amit Anilchandra Shah
Minister of State (MoS) – Gangapuram Kishan Reddy, Nityanand Rai
<<Read Full News>>

India, Mongolia hold 7th Meeting of Joint Committee on Cooperation 2020 virtually; acknowledge 65th Anniversary of Establishment of Diplomatic Relations

On December 3, 2020 The 7th meeting of the India-Mongolia Joint Committee on Cooperation  2020 was held virtually. It was chaired jointly by Dr. S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister, India & Mr. L. Oyun-Erdene, Minister and Chief Cabinet Secretary, Government of Mongolia. Both Countries acknowledged the 65th Anniversary of Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the two countries.
i.On this occasion, Mongolia released a special stamp issued by Mongolia Post.
ii.India handed over 25 volumes of Mongolian Kanjur, a Buddhist canonical text in 108 volumes printed by India under the National Mission for Manuscripts.
iii.Both sides agreed to establish an AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) Information Cell in Ulaanbaatar at an early possible date.
iv.The two sides exchanged views on combating COVID-19, procurement of COVID-19 vaccine from India by Mongolia.
About Mongolia:
President – Khaltmaagiin Battulga
Capital – Ulaanbaatar
Currency – Togrog or Tugrik (MNT)
<<Read Full News>>

BANKING & FINANCE

Highlights of 4^th Bi- Monthly Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) 2020-21: December 2020

i.The 6-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was held from December 2-4, 2020 which was headed by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das. The members of the committee are Dr. Shashanka Bhide, Dr. Ashima Goyal, Professor Jayanth R. Varma, Dr. Mridul K. Saggar, and Dr. Michael Debabrata Patra. It was the 4^th Bi- Monthly MPC meeting.
ii.During the meeting it was projected that the real GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth will contract at 7.5% in FY21. It is an upgrade in comparison to -9.5% in October MPC review.
iii.GDP growth for Q3FY21 (October-December) is placed at (+)0.1% and (+)0.7% in Q4FY21 (January-March).
iv.Consumer price index (CPI) inflation or retail inflation is projected at 6.8% for Q3FY21, 5.8% for Q4FY21; and 5.2% to 4.6% in H1FY22.

 

• RBI to extend TLTRO to 26 sectors from 5 sectors
• RBI allowed RRBs to access LAF, MSF and Call or Notice Money Market Windows
• RBI to review guidelines on credit default swaps
• RBI asked banks not to make any dividend payment for FY20
• Large NBFCs to come under tighter RBI scrutiny
• Strengthening Audit Systems of Supervised Entities by RBI
• RBI to undertake closer Scrutiny of Shadow Lenders, Local Banks
• RBI to set digital payment security control rules
• RBI strengthens grievance redress framework of banks for better service
• RTGS to be 24/7, contactless card payment hiked to Rs 5,000 from Rs 2,000

About Reserve Bank of India (RBI):
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Formation– 1 April 1935
Deputy Governors– 4 (Bibhu Prasad Kanungo, Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, M. Rajeshwar Rao)
<<Read Full News>>

ADB Approves a first of its kind $190 Million Loan for Bengaluru Smart Energy Efficient Power Distribution Project 

i.On December 4, 2020 The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a  $190 million(over Rs 1,400 crore) loan for the Bengaluru Smart Energy Efficient Power Distribution Project.
ii.The loan amount includes a $100 million sovereign loan(public sector) and a $90 million without sovereign guarantee loan or  non sovereign loan(private sector) to Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM), one of five state-owned distribution utilities and the largest in Karnataka.
iii.This is the first time that ADB offers a combination of sovereign and non sovereign loans to  a state government-owned enterprise.
iv.ADB for the 1st time deploys this combination on a pilot basis in India.
About Asian Development Bank (ADB):
Headquarters– Mandaluyong, Manila, Philippines
President– Masatsugu Asakawa
Membership– 68 countries(Including India)
Formed– 1966
<<Read Full News>>

HDFC Life launches HDFC Life Click 2 Wealth ULIP Digital Campaign

i.On December 4, 2020 HDFC Life launched HDFC Life Click 2 Wealth ULIP(Unit Linked Insurance Plan) digital campaign.
ii.The campaign focuses on the role of ULIPs as part of a wise financial plan.
iii. The campaign disproves the false myths surrounding the ULIP category.
iv.It also highlights the unique features of HDFC Click 2 Wealth plan, a A Unit Linked, Non-Participating, Life Insurance Plan.
About HDFC Life:
It is formerly called as HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company Limited
Established- 2000
Joint Venture(JV)- HDFC Ltd., and Standard Life Aberdeen
Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Vibha Padalkar
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Tagline– Sar utha ke jiyo
<<Read Full News>>

KVGB Launches ‘Kirishi OD’ Scheme for Farmers

i.On December 5, 2020 Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) launched ‘Kirishi OD(Overdraft) scheme’ for farmers. The OD facility is given to farmers based on the value of the land.
ii.‘Kirishi OD’ scheme was launched by Neeraja Kumara Verma, Chief General Manager of NABARD, in Dharwad, Karnataka.
iii.Under the scheme, the farmers can get a maximum amount of Rs 1.5 lakh per acre for irrigated lands and Rs 1 lakh per acre for dry land.
About Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB):
It was formed by amalgamating 4 RRBs namely, Malaprabha Grameena Bank, Bijapur Grameena Bank, Varada Grameena Bank and Netravathi Grameena Bank.
It is a scheduled bank owned by government of India
HeadOffice– Dharwad, Karnataka
Chairman– P Gopi Krishna
Formed–  12th September 2005
Sponsor Bank– Canara Bank
<<Read Full News>>

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

Book Titled,’The Patient Assassin: A True Tale of Massacre, Revenge and the Raj’ Authored by Anita Anand Wins PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize 2020

The book titled ‘The Patient Assassin: A True Tale of Massacre, Revenge and the Raj’ authored by Journalist Anita Anand, a British Indian wins £2,000 annual PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize 2020.
Note- PEN stands for Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists, Novelists
Key Info
The judges also ‘highly commended’ two other titles from the shortlist, namely Hazel V Carby’s Imperial Intimacies: A Tale of Two Islands and Roel Sterck’s, Chinese Thought: From Confucius to Cook Ding (Pelican).
About the Book
i.The book is based on the life of Indian revolutionary Udham Singh.
ii.The book portrays the story of a young man caught up in the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar, Punjab.
iii.It was  published by Simon & Schuster UK.
About Anita Anand
Apart from being an author and journalist she is a radio and television presenter.
She authored books namely, Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary and, with William Dalrymple, Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World’s Most Infamous Diamond
She won the Nazia Hassan Award for 2005 in the category of Upcoming Television Broadcasters.
About PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize:
General Info
The prize is given for a non-fiction book of specifically historical content.
It is administered by English PEN,  the founding centre of PEN International.
The award is one of many PEN awards sponsored by PEN International affiliates in over 145 PEN centres around the world.
Background-Marjorie Hessell-Tiltman granted £100,000 to the PEN Literary Foundation to found a prize in her name after her demise. She was a member of PEN during the 1960s and 1970s.
About English PEN:
English PEN is governed by a board of trustees
Chair of Trustees-Maureen Freely
HeadQuarters– London, England

Fortune’s Businessperson of the Year 2020: India’s Shantanu Narayen ranked 8th & Ajay Banga ranked 9th; Elon Musk Tops

On December 2, 2020 The Fortune ranked India’s Shantanu Narayen, Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Adobe in 8th position and Ajay Banga, CEO of Mastercard in 9th position in its list of Businessperson of the Year 2020.
Top 3 in the list:
i.The list is topped by Elon Musk, co-founder & CEO of Tesla. He is also CEO of Space Exploration Technologies Corp.(SpaceX). He tops the list for the second time.
ii.Lisa Su, CEO of AMD has been ranked in 2nd spot followed by Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia in the 3rd spot.

Note
The list includes 20 businesspersons. In the list, 7 of the 20 are women.
Highlights of the List
i.Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix has been ranked in 4th spot followed by Elizabeth Gaines, CEO of Fortescue Metals Group and Leonard Schleifer, CEO of Regeneron
ii.Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon has been ranked in the 7th spot, Tricia Griffith, CEO of Progressive in 10th rank.
Key Info
The annual ranking list of the executives is prepared by first screening the 10 criteria ranging from return on capital to total return to investors.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Uday Shankar elected as the President of FICCI;Succeeds Sangita Reddy

On 4th December, 2020 The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) elected Uday Shankar as its President for the year 2020-21.He will succeed Sangita Reddy.Mr. Shankar is the first person from the media and entertainment industry to lead a national industry chamber like FICCI.

About Uday Shankar

• Uday Shankar (58) is the outgoing president of The Walt Disney Company for Asia Pacific and the chairman of Star and Disney India.
• He also serves as the Vice-President of FICCI.
• Created Hotstar, now globally expanded as Disney+ Hotstar.
• Earlier served as the President of Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF) and chairman of FICCI’s Media and Entertainment Committee.
• As the Editor and news director at TV Today Group, he launched Aaj Tak in 2000 and Headlines Today in 2003

About Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI):
Created on the advice of Mahatma Gandhi jointly by G. D. Birla and Purshottamdas Thakurdas
Established – 1927.
Headquarter- New Delhi, Delhi

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Pixxel signs pact with NSIL to launch India’s 1st Private remote-sensing satellite on PSLV Rocket in 2021

Pixxel, a satellite-imaging startup has signed a one-of-its-kind agreement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), Department of Space (DoS) under the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) to launch India’s 1st Private remote-sensing satellite on ISRO’s (Indian Space Research Organization) PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) rocket in early 2021. Pixxel’s agreement with NSIL is one of the first since the setting up of IN-SPACe.
IN-SPACe (announced in June, 2020) – It is an authorization and regulatory body under the DoS to enable private players to undertake space activities in India.
Key Points:
i.As part of the Agreement, Pixxel will launch a constellation of 30 earth imaging small satellites between December 2022 to June 2023.
ii.The satellite will provide global coverage every 24 hours once fully deployed and will help in solving issues of environmental and agricultural issues.
About Pixxel:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Awais Ahmed
Location – Bengaluru, Karnataka
Founders – Awais Ahmed & Kshitij Khandelwal
About NewSpace India Limited (NSIL):
Chairman and Managing Director – G Narayanan
Headquarters – Bengaluru, Karnataka
About Department of Space:
It operates under ISRO
Incharge of DoS – Prime Minister (Narendra Modi)
Minister of State in DoS – Dr. Jitendra Singh
<<Read Full News>>

SPORTS

New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson retires from International Cricket, Joins MLC in US

On 5th December, 2020 New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson announced retirement from International Cricket and signed a 3-year deal with USA’s Major League Cricket (MLC). Corey Anderson once holded the record for fastest ODI century for his 36 ball hundred against West Indies in 2013.
Corey Anderson’s Career:
i.The 29-year-old cricketer, born on 13 December, 1990 represented New Zealand in International Cricket.
ii.On his Debut year, recorded the fastest ODI century in 36 balls against West Indies.
iii.The All-rounder represented New Zealand in 13 Tests, 49 ODIs and 31 T20s.He scored 2277 runs with two hundreds and 10 half-centuries. He also picked up 90 wickets.
iv.His career was continuously hindered by multiple stress fractures, groin injuries and chronic back issues.
v.Lastly, he represented New Zealand in November 2018 in a T20 International.
About Major League Cricket (MLC):
Operated by American Cricket Enterprises, co-founded by the founders of Willow TV & The Times of India Group.
Inaugural session will be played in 2022.
About International Cricket Council (ICC):
Headquarters- Dubai, UAE
Chairman- Greg Barclay
CEO– Manu Sawhney

Japan to host 7-team FIFA Club World Cup in 2021

On December 5, 2020, FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) announced that Japan will host the existing Seven-Team format of FIFA Club World Cup in December, 2021. It will be the 18th Edition of FIFA Club World Cup.
i.The year 2021 will witness 2 FIFA Club World Cup Tournaments – The 2020 Edition FIFA Club World Cup (17th Edition) will be held in Qatar from February 1-11,2021 and the 2021 Edition of FIFA Club World Cup will take place in Japan in December, 2021.
ii.Originally a redeveloped 24-Team Club World Cup was scheduled to take place in China in 2021, it is now scheduled to take place at a later date.
FIFA Club World Cup:
i.It is an International Men’s Association Football competition which will be played with 7 teams – 6 continental federation champions and the host nation’s domestic league winner.
ii.The confederations are AFC Champions League (Asia), CAF Champions League (Africa), CONCACAF Champions League (North America), Copa Libertadores (South America), OFC Champions League (Oceania) & UEFA Champions League (Europe).
FIFA Rankings:
Men’s Ranking (as of November, 2020) – Belgium (Rank-1), France (Rank-2), India ranked at 104th position.
Women’s Ranking (as of August, 2020) – United States of America (Rank-1), Germany (Rank-2)
About Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA):
President– Gianni Infantino
Headquarters– Zurich, Switzerland

OBITUARY

Rafer Johnson, Decathlon Champion of 1960 Rome Olympics Passed Away at 86

On 2nd December 2020, Rafer Johnson, the champion of decathlon at the 1960’s Rome Olympics passed away at the age of 86 in his residence in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, United States of America. He was born on 18th August 1934 in Hillsboro, Texas, USA.
About Rafer Johnson:
Athletics career:
i.Rafer Johnson has been one of the world’s greatest athletes from 1955 through 1960.
ii.He won the national decathlon championship in 1956 and bagged a silver for the same at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
iii.He has set a world record in the decathlon at 3 different times against his rivals C.K. Yang of Taiwan and Vasily Kuznetsov of the former Soviet Union.
iv.He won the gold medal in this 4th decathlon at the Pan American Games in 1955 and set his first world record of 7,985 points.
Highlights:
i.He was chosen to light the Olympic torch in 1984 for the Los Angeles Games
ii.In 1960 he was named the Associated Press Athlete of the Year and won the Sullivan Award as the nation’s outstanding amateur athlete
iii.Johnson retired from competition after the 1960 Rome Olympics.
Career:
i.He worked in the presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy in 1968 when he was assassinated.
ii.He served on the organizing committee of the first Special Olympics in Chicago in 1968
iii.He worked for the Peace Corps, March of Dimes, Muscular Dystrophy Association and American Red Cross.
iv.He acted in movies and has starred in movies like “Wild in the Country”, “None But the Brave”  and “License to Kill” 1989 James Bond movie.

Lakshadweep Administrator & Former IB Chief Dineshwar Sharma Passed Away at 66

On 4th December 2020, Dineshwar Sharma, the administrator of the Union Territory(UT) of Lakshadweep and the former chief of Intelligence Bureau(IB) passed away at the age of 66 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, due to lung ailments. He was a retired IPS officer of Kerala Cadre who was serving as the Administrator of Lakshadweep since October 2019. He was born on 23rd March 1954 in Bihar.
About Dineshwar Sharma:
i.Dineshwar Sharma started his career as the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in Palghat, Kerala.
ii.He joined the Intelligence Bureau(IB) as Assistant Director in January 1991 prior to which he was serving as the Inspector General of Police at Trivandrum, Kerala.
iii.He was later appointed as the 25th Director of Intelligence Bureau in December 2014.
iv.He served as the Central interlocutor and led peace talks with the stakeholders for a political solution to the issues of Kashmir and also led the peace talks with the groups in North Eastern States.
Awards:
i.He received the prestigious Indian Police Medal for meritorious service in 1997.
ii.He also received the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2003.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Volunteer Day 2020 – December 5

i.The United Nations(UN)’s International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development, commonly referred as International Volunteer Day (IVD) is annually celebrated across the globe on 5th December to create awareness about the important contributions of the volunteer services and encourage people to offer their service as volunteers.
ii.The day is observed and supported by the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme.
iii.The theme of the International Volunteers Day 2020(IVD2020) is “Together We Can Through Volunteering”.
iv.Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports virtually addressed the IVD2020 ceremony to promote volunteerism and recognized volunteer contributions to the achievement of the SDGs.
v.Union Minister Kiren Rijiju announced the list of V-Awardees 2020. The V-awards 2020 was presented to recognise the community outreach efforts of the volunteers.
About United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Programme:
Executive Coordinator– Olivier Adam (France)
Administered by– United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Headquarters-Bonn, Germany
<<Read Full News>>

World Soil Day 2020 – December 5

i.United Nations(UN)’s World Soil day is annually observed across the globe on 5th December to focus the global attention on the importance of healthy soil and to promote the sustainable management of soil resources.
ii.The FAO has launched a campaign “Keep soil alive, protect soil biodiversity” with an aim to raise awareness among the public about the importance of sustaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being.
iii.The date 5th December was chosen to observe the world soil day, since it coincides with the official birthday of the late H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand who played a major role in the World soil day initiative
iv.Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), responsible for coordinating agricultural education and research in India won the King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award 2020 for its commitment to raise awareness on the importance of healthy soil.
About Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
Director-General– QU Dongyu
HeadQuarters– Rome, Italy
<<Read Full News>>

First Ever “International Day of Banks” observed on 4th December 2020

i.The United Nations (UN)’s celebrates the first ever International Day of Banks across the globe on 4th December 2020. The day is observed to recognise the important potential of multilateral development banks and other international development banks in financing sustainable development.
ii.This reaffirms the importance of achieving the targets of Sustainable Development Goals(SDG) by 2030.
iii.The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/74/245 on 19th December 2019 and proclaimed December 4th of every year as the International Day of Banks.
About United Nations General Assembly(UNGA):
President– Volkan Bozkir
Headquarters– New York, United States
<<Read Full News>>

STATE NEWS

Uttarakhand CM, Trivendra Singh Rawat Inaugurates Suryadhar lake at Doiwala

On November 29, 2020 Trivendra Singh Rawat, Chief Minister(CM) of Uttarakhand inaugurated the Suryadhar lake on Jakhan river at Doiwala, Dehradun district, Uttarakhand. The man made lake is built at a cost of around Rs 50.24 crore. The lake has been named after social worker Gajendra Dutt Naithani.
Key Info About Suryadhar lake
Characteristics
It is 550 metres long, 28 metres wide and 10 metres deep with a capacity of 77,000 cubic metres
Benefits
i.The lake addresses the drinking water and irrigation needs of about 18-20 villages.
ii.It will recharge the  water resources in the area and help to build a healthy ecosystem that will attract migratory birds.
iii.It is also set to become a major tourist and water sports destination.
About Uttarakhand:
Bird Sanctuary– Pangot and Kilbury Bird Sanctuary
Stadium– Indira Gandhi International Sports Stadium.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee extends “Swasthya Sathi Scheme” to entire Bengal Population

West Bengal(WB) Chief Minister(CM) Mamata Banerjee extended the state’s Health Insurance scheme “Swasthya Sathi Scheme” to cover the entire population of the state. The cashless scheme will be a relief to the population hardly hit by COVID-19.The state government will also have to bear an annual expense of Rs. 2,000 crores for Swasthya Sathi health scheme.
About “Swasthya Sathi Scheme”:
i.Launched by West Bengal Chief Minister on 30th December, 2016.
ii.An insurance coverage of Rs. 5 lakhs are provided to every family in the state
iii.Paperless, cashless and smart card based scheme.
iv.Smart card will be issued in the name of a female family member.
v.All pre-existing diseases are covered.
vi.Entire premium is paid by the State government and no contribution from beneficiaries
vii.Android based Swasthya Sathi Mobile app for assistance to the beneficiaries.
About Ayushman Bharat:
i.In September 23, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (PMJAY) from Ranchi in Jharkhand.
ii.Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), health insurance scheme provides Rs.5 lakhs per family covering 40% of the India’s population.
About West Bengal:
Tiger reserves/National Park – Buxa Tiger Reserve, Sundarbans National Park, Gorumara National Park, Jaldapara National Park.

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Amar Chitra Katha’s Comic Book Series on Indian Maritime Heritage was Launched on Navy Day

Navy Vice Chief Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar launched a series of 3 comic books about the Indian maritime heritage on the occasion of Indian Navy Day 2020. The series is being published in collaboration with Amar Chitra Katha. Book 1 describes the past of Indian Navy and book 2 and 3 will showcase the transformation of Indian Navy since independence.

Maharashtra Government approves Proposal to rename Residential Colonies with Caste-Based Names

The Maharashtra cabinet cleared a proposal to rename all the residential settlements and localities in the state based on caste names. It has been done with an aim to maintain social harmony and national unity. They will now be given names like Samata Nagar, Bhim Nagar, Jyoti Nagar, Shahu Nagar, Kranti Nagar.

Facebook-Backed Libra Association Renamed Itself as Diem

Libra Association, a Facebook-backed digital payment group has renamed itself as ‘Diem’. It’s currency name has also been changed from Libra currency to Diem. Diem will be backed by government currency. Diem, which means “day” in Latin, now aims to initially launch a single dollar-backed digital coin.

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