Current Affairs 9,10 & 11 December 2023

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 9,10 & 11 December 2023, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2023 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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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

NCRB’s Crime In India 2022: Around 58 lakh crimes registered in 2022; registration of cases declined by 4.5%The National Crime Records Bureau(NCRB) has released its annual report titled “Crime in India – 2022”. The report shows that a total of 58,24,946 cognisable crimes which includes 35,61,379 Indian Penal Code(IPC) crimes and 22,63,567 Special & Local laws(SLL) crimes were registered in 2022.

• It shows a decline of 4.5% in registration of cases compared to 2021.
• The crime rate registered per lakh population has declined from 445.9 in 2021 to 422.2 in 2022.
• This (2022) is the 70th edition of Crime in India, the annual report published by NCRB.
• Kolkata (West Bengal) emerged as the safest city in India for the 3rd consecutive year among major metropolis.

About NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau):
NCRB under the Ministry of Home Affairs(MoHA) is a repository of information on crime and criminals so as to assist the investigators.
Director– Vivek Gogia
Headquarter– New Delhi, Delhi
Established in 1986
>> Read Full News

Kenyan President William Ruto’s visit to India from December – 4 to 6 2023The President of the Republic of Kenya, William Samoei Ruto was on an official visit to India from December 4 to 6, 2023 at the invitation of the President of India.  This marks Ruto’s 1st visit to India as President representing Kenya.
i.India announced USD 250 million Line of Credit (LOC) to Kenya to modernize its agri-sector.
ii.India and Kenya have signed 5 Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs)  in various sectors such as: sports, education, culture and digital solutions.
iii.The Indian Council For Cultural Relations (ICCR) scholarships to be increased from 48 to 80 per year.
iv.India and Kenya unveiled a blueprint on”Joint Vision Statement on Maritime Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region- BAHARI (Ocean in Swahili)”.
About Kenya:
President – William Samoei Ruto
Capital –  Nairobi
Currency – Kenyan Shilling
>> Read Full News

Indian Army and MeitY Partners to Infuse Digital Infrastructure in Army
Indian Army (IA) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) collaborated to infuse cutting-edge technology and digital infrastructure into the core of the Indian Army’s operational framework.
About the Collaboration:
i.The collaboration is rooted in a ‘Whole of the Nation’ approach.
ii.The partnership aims to establish indigenous fifth Generation(5G) labs and plans to designate the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering in Madhya Pradesh as a sixth generation (6G) test bed, to drive technological advancements.
iii.IA is developing military-grade 5G and 6G telecom apps in collaboration with MeitY

• This includes the creation of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled decision-making tools, predictive analytics, and advanced cybersecurity measures.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Mercom’s ‘Leading Global Large-Scale Solar PV Developers’ report: Adani Green Energy Ranked 2nd
Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL), a part of Adani Group, is ranked as the World’s 2nd largest large-scale solar PhotoVoltaic (PV) developer in  the Mercom Capital Groups’s annual global report titled “Leading Global Large-Scale Solar PV Developers”. AGEL has a total solar portfolio of 18.1 GigaWatt (GW).

• The list is topped by France-based TotalEnergies with 41.3 GW of solar in its portfolio of projects. Canada-based Brookfield Renewable Partners is ranked 3rd with a capacity of 18 GW.
• AGEL is the only solar PV developer from Asia to feature on the list.

About the Report: 
i.The report, which includes data from July 2022 to June 2023, features a list of top 10 global large-scale (utility-scale) solar PV developers based on projects in operation, under construction, and awarded (power purchase agreements (PPA)-contracted).
ii.The report considered Large-scale projects with operational capacity of 1 MegaWatt (MW) or more.
Top 3 Rankings:

Italy-based Enel Green Power and the United Kingdom (UK) based Lightsource bp is ranked 4th and 5th with total capacities of 17.1 GW and 12.3 GW respectively.
Highlights:
i.The top 10 developers accounted for 145 GW of operational, of this 49.5 GW of projects were operational, 29.1 GW were under construction, and 66.2 GW were in pipeline (PPA-contracted).
ii.Among the top global solar developers, 6  were based in Europe, 3 in North America, and 1 was headquartered in South Asia.
iii.TotalEnergies also topped in the category of  under-construction and awarded (PPA-contracted) capacities, with 29.3 GW of projects. Brookfield Renewable Partners was ranked 2nd with 13.6 GW, followed by Adani Green Energy with 11.1 GW.
Note: AGEL is India’s largest renewable energy solutions partner enabling the clean energy transition. At present, it operates renewable portfolio of 8.4 GW across 12 states.
About Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL):
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Amit Singh
Headquarters – Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Established in – 2015

BANKING & FINANCE

S&P’s Ranking 2023: LIC Becomes World’s 4th Largest Insurer based on Reserve; Germany’s Allianz SE TopsAccording to S&P Global Market Intelligence’s new ranking “The Worlds Largest Life Insurers, 2023” based on life and accident & health reserves, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has been named the 4th largest insurer in the world.

• LIC’s reserves stood at USD 503.7 billion in the fiscal year 2023 (FY23) –  April 2022 to March 2023. LIC is the only Indian company featured on the list.
• The 2023 ranking is topped by Germany’s Allianz SE with a reserve of USD 750.2 billion followed by China Life Insurance Company Ltd, China(USD 616.90 billion) and Nippon Life Insurance Company, Japan (USD 536.80 Billion)

About the Ranking:
The list features top 50 companies ranked by 2022 life and accident & health reserves.

• Life and accident & health reserves represent a liability to provide for future commitments under outstanding policies.

Top 5 Largest Insurer in the world:

Key Points:
i.The list is dominated by the European Insurance Companies from 6 European countries, taking 21 spots.

• The United Kingdom(UK) is home to the most companies on the list. 7 companies on the list are headquartered in UK.

ii.Asia is the region with 2nd highest number of entries on the list. Asian companies accounts for 17 spots on the list.

• China and Japan share the top spots in Asia with 5 companies headquartered in the two countries.

iii.In terms of premium income, India ranks 7th in world life insurance in 2023, a rise from 9th rank in 2022.
iv.North America had 12 spots on the list, with 8 companies based in the United States of America (USA), 2 in Canada, and 2 in Bermuda.

• On an individual country basis, the USA has the highest number of life insurers on the top 50 list.

About Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC):
Chairperson– Siddhartha Mohanty
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Establishment– 1956

RBI Cancels Licence of  Maharashtra’s Shankarrao Pujari Bank & UP’s Urban Co-operative BankThe Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the license of Shankarrao Pujari Nutan Nagari Sahakari Bank Limited, Ichalkaranji, Kolhapur in Maharashtra, and Urban Co-operative Bank Limited, Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh (UP) with effect from the close of business on 4th December 2023 and 7th December 2023, respectively.
Reason:
i.The banks does not have adequate capital and earning prospects.

• The banks do not comply with the provisions of Section 11(1) and Section 22 (3) (d) read with Section 56 of the BR Act, 1949.

ii.The banks also failed to comply with the requirements of Sections 22(3) (a), 22 (3) (b), 22(3)(c), 22(3) (d) and 22(3)(e) read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation  (BR) Act, 1949.
iii.The bank’s persistence poses a threat to depositors’ interests, as its current financial inability to fully repay depositors and the adverse impact on public interest if it continues its banking operations.
Key Points:
i.Upon cancellation, both banks are immediately prohibited from engaging in banking activities, including the acceptance and repayment of deposits, as per Section 5(b) read with Section 56 of the BR Act, 1949.
ii.It should be noted that on liquidation, every depositor is entitled to receive deposit insurance claim amount upto Rs 5,00,000 from DICGC, subject to DICGC Act, 1961.
iii.As per the data submitted by the Urban Co-operative Bank Ltd, 98.32% of the depositors will receive full amount of their deposits from Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), and for Shankarrao Pujari Bank, 99.85%  of the depositors will receive full amount of their deposits.
RBI Imposes Monetary Penalty on 4 Co-Operative Banks
On 7th December 2023, RBI has imposed monetary penalty on 4 co-operative banks:

• Rajarshi Shahu Sahakari Bank Ltd., Pune, Maharashtra
• Prathamik Shikshak Sahakari Bank Limited, Satara, Maharashtra
• Patan Co-operative Bank Limited, Mumbai, Maharashtra
• The District Co-operative Central Bank Ltd., Mahabubnagar, Telangana

Note:
The penalty was imposed in exercise of powers conferred on RBI under the provisions of Section 47A (1) (c) read with Section 46 (4) (i) and Section 56 of the BR Act, 1949.
This will not affect any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers.
Details of the Monetary Penalty:
i.Rajarshi Shahu Sahakari Bank Ltd:
Penalty– Rs 1 Lakh
Reason– Non-compliance with the directions issued by RBI on ‘Maintenance of Deposit Accounts – Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks’
ii.Prathamik Shikshak Sahakari Bank Limited:
Penalty– Rs 1 Lakh
Reason– Non-compliance with the directions issued by RBI on ‘Management of Advances-UCBs
iii.Patan Co-operative Bank Limited:
Penalty– Rs 1 Lakh
Reason– Non-compliance with directions issued by RBI on ‘Reserve Bank of India –Know Your Customer (KYC) Direction, 2016
iv.The District Co-operative Central Bank Ltd:
Penalty– Rs 10,000
Reason– Non-compliance with the directions issued by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) on ‘Review of Frauds – Guidelines on Monitoring and Reporting System’ read with ‘Frauds – Guidelines for Classification, Reporting and Monitoring of Frauds’.

ADB, Government of India sign USD 175mn Loan to Improve Connectivity in MPThe Government of India (GoI) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a USD 175 million loan to improve the connectivity and resilience of roads in Madhya Pradesh (MP).

• This project will enhance connectivity in the state road network across 14 districts in MP.

Signatories:
Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, in the Ministry of Finance, for the Government of India, and Takeo Konishi, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission, for ADB.
Features of Project:
i.ADB will enhance Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation Limited(MPRDC) by upgradation of 500 km of roads to two-lane, with climate-resilient design, innovative safety features and facilities catering to elderly, women, children, and people with disabilities.

• It will also develop strategies for green technology and electric vehicle infrastructure.

ii.Formulate gender equality strategy, establish internship program, and engage women self-help groups.
iii.Conduct livelihood training for women and girls; build at least two roadside markets.
iv.This project will also connect rural areas to growth centres and industrial corridors.
About Asian Development Bank (ADB):
President – Masatsugu Asakawa
Headquarters – Mandaluyong City, Manila, Philippines
Established in – 1966
Members – 68
About Madhya Pradesh (MP):
Governor– Mangubhai C. Patel
Chief Minister– Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Wildlife Sanctuaries – Singhori Wildlife Sanctuary, Son Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, Veerangana Durgavati Wildlife Sanctuary
Tiger Reserve – Panna Tiger Reserve, Sanjay Tiger Reserve

iVIS partners with ICICI Bank to Boost Security with Advanced E-Surveillance Services
Intensive Vigilance and Intervention System (iVIS), a subsidiary of Magellanic Cloud Limited, has partnered with ICICI Bank Limited to offer cutting-edge electronic surveillance (e-surveillance) services across the bank branches.

• The partnership aims to fortify ICICI Bank’s branch-level security operations in Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and cash counter operations.
• iVIS will deploy state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence (AI)/ Machine Learning (ML) and Internet of Things (IoT) technology to deliver services such as real-time video monitoring, facial recognition, incident detection, reporting, and data analytics.

iVIS is a company specializing in electronic surveillance systems. It is headquartered in Hyderabad, Telangana.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Govt Provides Rs.6,186 Crore for Renewable Energy Via Green Bonds in FY23Union Minister R.K.Singh, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE),  in a written response to a query in Lok Sabha, informed that the Government of India (GoI) had raised Sovereign Green Bonds (SGB) of Rs.16,000 crore (approximately) in the financial year 2022-23 (FY23).

• Out of the total funding, Rs. 6,186 crores was crafted to offer low-cost funds for renewable energy projects via green bonds.

About Renewable Energy Projects:
i.Through a transparent bidding process, private sector developers contribute to the majority of renewable energy projects.

• The Solar & Wind power projects are developed by Independent Power Producers (IPPs)

ii.The funds can be raised through Equity Funding or by debt financing
Sources:
i.The sources to raise Equity Funding include Private Equity Capital, Own Funds of the developers, Venture Capital, etc.
ii.The sources for debt financing include borrowings from commercial banks, Financial Institutions (FIs), external commercial borrowings and foreign currency loans from multilateral and bilateral agencies.
About Sovereign Green Bonds (SGB):
i.Sovereign Green Bonds (SGBs) are fixed interest-bearing financial instruments issued by any sovereign entity or inter-governmental organisation /corporation.
ii.SGBs are exclusively implemented to raise capital for environmentally friendly projects.
iii.Union Budget 2022-23 announced the issue of SGBs.
Steps taken by GoI:
To encourage investment in the renewable energy sector, GoI has taken many steps such as
i.Liquidity Infusion Scheme – to help Distribution Companies (Discoms) settle their debt.
ii.Electricity (Late Payment Surcharge & related matters) Rules, 2022 – to encourage timely payment of dues.
iii.Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) – to improve the operational efficiency of Discoms.
Additional Info:
i.India’s installed power generation capacity from non-fossil sources accounts for 43.82% (186.46 gigawatts (GW)) of its total installed capacity.
ii.In addition, it has 114.08 GW under implementation.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

American Pop Singer Taylor Swift Named Time Magazine’s 2023 Person of the Year, 1st Woman to be Named TwiceTIME, the news magazine based in the United States of America (USA), has named the American singer-songwriter Taylor Alison Swift as its 2023 Person of the Year and became the 1st person to be recognised for her achievements in the arts.

• With this, She became the 1st woman to appear twice on a Person of the Year cover since the nominations began in 1927.

i.Lionel Andrés Messi, Captain of Argentina’s national football team, has been named Time magazine’s Athlete of the Year for 2023.
ii.An American entrepreneur Sam Altman, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and co-founder of OpenAI, has been named Time Magazine’s CEO of The Year 2023.
iii.American actor and singer, Alex Eugene Newell, was named TIME’s Breakthrough of the Year 2023.
About Time Magazine:
CEO– Jessica Sibley
Headquarters– New York City, USA
Founded in– 1923
>> Read Full News

President Honoured Narayan Seva Sansthan’s President Prashant Agrawal with National AwardOn the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2023 (3 December 2023), Draupadi Murmu, President of India,  honoured Prashant Agrawal, President of Narayan Seva Sansthan (NSS) in Udaipur, Rajasthan, with National Awards for the Empowerment of Divyangjan under the category ‘Best Personality- Empowerment of Differently-abled’ .

• The award recognises his  outstanding work in the field of empowerment of persons with disabilities (PwDs/Divyangjan).
• The award ceremony was organised by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DoEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE) at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, Delhi.

Key People: Union Minister Dr. Veerendra Kumar, MSJE and A. Narayan Swami, Ministers of State (MoS), MSJE were present during the event.
About National Awards for the Empowerment of Divyangjan:
The award has been annually presented by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DoEPwD), MSJE since 1969.

• A total of 30 awards (21 individuals and 9 institutions) were preseted as a part of National Awards for the Empowerment of Divyangjan 2023.

Click here to know more
Initiatives of Prashant Agrawal:
i.Under his leadership NSS

• Performed over 4,45,000 surgeries on differently-abled individuals;
• Provided artificial limbs to nearly 40,000 accident victims;
• Offered computer, mobile, and sewing training for comprehensive rehabilitation.

ii.His efforts led to the establishment of the Differently-abled Sports Academy, recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records.

• The academy has organised national-level competitions in swimming, blind cricket, wheelchair cricket, and physical disability cricket.

Awards: In 2017, the Rajasthan government honoured him with the Best Social Worker Award.

Education Minister Presents National Award for Innovations & Good Practices in Educational Administration 2020-21 & 2021-22Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Ministry of Education(MoE) honoured the 65 outstanding district and block education officers across India with the National Awards for Innovations and Good Practices in Educational Administration for the years 2020-21 & 2021-22.

• The awards were presented during the event held at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi, Delhi.

Note: A 2-day National Conference on Innovations and Good Practices in Educational Administration was organised by the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) as a prelude to the award ceremony.
National Awards for Innovations and Good Practices in Educational Administration:
The awards for district and block-level education officers were instituted by the NIEPA in 2014.
Aim:

• To create a culture and ecosystem of innovations and good practices in educational administration at the field level of educational administration.
• To elevate the quality of educational administration at the grassroots level to improve the functioning of the public system of education.

Objectives:

• To identify innovative practices in educational administration at the district and block levels.
• To recognize and appreciate officers implementing successful innovations by giving awards or certificates of appreciation.
• To document and disseminate noteworthy practices to enrich educational administration.

National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA):
i.The NIEPA was established by the erstwhile Ministry of Human Resource Development(MoHRD), now MoE, Government of India. It became a deemed-to-be university in 2006.
ii.It deals with capacity building and research in the planning and management of education not only in India but also in South Asia.
iii.The orgin of the institute dates back to 1960 when it was established as the Asian Regional Centre for Educational Planners and Administrators by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
iv.Later in 1970, the institute was taken over by the Government of India and was renamed as “National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA)” in 1979.

Cambridge Dictionary Reveals ‘Hallucinate’ as Word of the Year 2023
The Cambridge dictionary has chosen “hallucinate” – a verb as its Word of the Year for 2023. This decision is in recognition of the new meaning the word has acquired in the context of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms.

• The traditional definition of “hallucinate” refers to the experience of seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there
• The new meaning specifically applies to AI systems that generate text, images, or other outputs that are not based on real-world data.
• This can include things like chatbots that make up stories or image generators that create fictional scenes.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Anumula Revanth Reddy Sworn in as CM of Telangana; Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka Took Oath as Deputy CM On 7th December 2023, Anumula Revanth Reddy, President of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC), sworn in as the Chief Minister (CM) of Telangana. He became the 1st Congress CM of Telangana and the 2nd CM of the State since its formation in 2014.

• Mallu Bhatti Vikaramarka, Former Leader of Opposition in Telangana Legislative Assembly, took oath as the Deputy CM of Telanga.
• Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan administered the oath of office at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad, Telangana.

Key People: Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress President; Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP), and other leaders including Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi were present at the swearing-in ceremony.
2023 Telangan Assembly Election:
i.Telangana Legislative Assembly elections were held on 30th November 2023 to elect 119 member.
ii.The Indian National Congress (INC – 64 ) with its ally Communist Party of India (CPI – 1)won a clear majority with 65 seats against the incumbent Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS)’s 39 seats.
iii.As per the strength of the Assembly, Telangana can have 18 ministers, including the CM.
Other Noted Appointment: 
Gaddam Prasad Kumar was appointed as the Speaker of the Telangana Legislative Assembly.
10 other Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) took oath as ministers of Telangana.
The 10 Ministers are: Nalamada Uttam Kumar Reddy; Komatireddy Venkata Reddy; C Damodar Rajanarasimha; Duddila Sridhar Babu; Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy; Ponnam Prabhakar; Konda Surekh; D Anasuya (popularly known as Seethakka); Tummala Nageswara Rao; and Jupally Krishna Rao.
About Anumula Revanth Reddy:
i.In 2007, he was elected as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) as an independent candidate and later joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
ii.He won the Legislative Assembly elections and was a 2-time MLA in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh assembly in 2009 and Telangana assembly in 2014.
iii.He joined the INC in October 2017 and became President of TPCC in 2021.
iv.He won the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 and served as a Member of the Parliament (MP) from the Malkajgiri constituency of Telangana.
About Telangana:
Chief Minister– Anumula Revanth Reddy
Governor– Tamilisai Soundararajan
Festivals– Bathukamma and Vijayadashami also known as Dussehra or Navaratri (both in October)

STATE NEWS

Lalbiaktluanga Khiangte IAS was Appointed as Chief Secretary of Jharkhand 
Lalbiaktluanga Khiangte,  a 1988 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, was appointed as 24th Chief Secretary of Jharkhand with ‘immediate effect’. He will be holding the post till 31st October 2024.

• He will replace the incumbent Chief Secretary Sukhdev Singh(1987 batch IAS officer) who has been made the DG of Shri Krishna Institute of Public Administration.
• Prior to his appointment, Khiangte was serving as an additional chief secretary to the Department of Forest, Environment and Climate Change, Jharkhand.
• Parallelly, he also held the post of Director-General (DG) of the public administration institute.

Note: Sukhdev Singh has been serving as the Chief Secretary since 2020. He will retire on 31st March 2024.

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