Weekly Current Affairs 16th December- 22nd December 2020

FINANCE AND BANKING

• RBI to conduct 3rd Open Market Operations purchase of state developments loans
  • The Reserve Bank of India will conduct the third auction of state developments loans (SDLs) aggregating Rs 10,000 crore under the Open Market Operations (OMO) on December 23, 2020

• PMC Bank restrictions extended by 3 more months
  • The RBI has further extended restrictions of Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank (PMC Bank) by another three months.

• 5% public float a must post resolution process: SEBI
  • The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) mandated that the companies emerging from insolvency proceedings must have at least a 5% upfront public shareholding, if the resolution process has resulted in the public shareholding falling below 10%.

ECONOMY

• India plans $60 billion investment in gas infrastructure
  • Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan recently said the government has planned a $60-billion investment for creating gas infrastructure in the country till 2024, and gas’ share in the energy mix is expected to rise to 15 per cent by 2030.

• NDB to lend India $1-billion for economic revival
  • The New Development Bank (NDB) will lend India $1 billion for supporting the country’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic through expenditure on rural infrastructure related to natural resource management.

• Cabinet approves additional Rs 1,700 crore for northeast power project
  • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the total revised cost estimate of Rs 6,700 crore for the north eastern region power system improvement project (NERPSIP) which aims to augment power transmission and distribution systems in the area.

NATIONAL

• First CoE inaugurated for skill development in power sector
  • The first Centre of Excellence for skill development in the power sector was inaugurated which will focus on creating a pool of highly skilled trainers and assessors for further training to increase employability of candidates in the field of Electricity, Automation and Solar Energy Sectors.

• Seven MoUs signed during the India-Bangladesh Virtual Summit
  • Seven MoUs have been signed between India and Bangladesh during the recently concluded Virtual Summit.

• Nitin Gadkari inaugurates and lays foundation stone of NH projects in Karnataka and Telangana
  • Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has inaugurated and laid foundation of 33 NH projects in Karnataka.

• First flight operations flagged off on Belgaum – Surat – Kishangarh route under UDAN
  • The first flight operations from Belgaum (Karnataka) to Surat (Gujarat) to Kishangarh (Ajmer) were flagged off under the RCS-UDAN (Regional Connectivity Scheme – Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) of the Government of India

INTERNATIONAL

• Singapore’s hawkers gets recognised by UNESCO
  • Singapore’s hawker food culture gets recognised by UNESCO. The hawker culture got inducted to the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

• Forbes 2020 list for highest-paid celebrities
  • American media personality and reality TV star Kylie Jenner has been crowned the highest-paid celebrity of 2020 by Forbes.

• Indian-American Raja Chari among 3 astronauts selected by NASA for SpaceX Crew-3 mission
  • Indian-American US Air Force Colonel Raja Chari has been selected as the Commander of the SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) by NASA and the European Space Agency.

STATES

• North East Festival
  • The 8th edition of the North East Festival started with a colourful inaugural function in Guwahati.

• UP Govt. launches ‘Varasat’ campaign
  • In Uttar Pradesh, the government has launched special campaign to curb property & land-related disputes in rural areas.

• Mega leather cluster in Kanpur gets Centre’s nod
  • Uttar Pradesh is ready to set up its first leather park as part of its mega leather cluster in Ramaipur village of Kanpur.

• Maharashtra government has now unveiled Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations (UDCPR) across the state which is expected to boost real estate activity across the state.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• ISRO sets up dedicated control centre for Space Situational Awareness
  • A dedicated control centre for Space Situational Awareness (SSA) activities in the country, aimed at monitoring, tracking and protecting India’s space assets, has been set up.

• China's Chang'e-5 mission spacecraft brings home first moon samples in 40 years
  • China’s Chang’e-5 probe, which successfully returned to earth, has retrieved about 1,731 grams of samples from the moon.

AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

• MPEDA launches multilingual call centre for aqua farmers
  • Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) has launched a multilingual call centre for aqua farmers at Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.

• Government aims to double farm mechanisation in next 10 years
  • Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar remarked that the government is focusing on farm mechanisation and asked the industry to provide small machines and equipment to farmers with less landholding to boost their income.

• APEDA organizes virtual Buyer Seller Meeting with Thailand for expanding exports
  • In a bid to boost exports potential of India’s agricultural and processed food products exports, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) organized a Virtual Buyer Seller Meet (BSM), in association with Indian Embassy in Thailand for expanding exports of agricultural and processed food products exports to South-East Asian country

DEFENCE

• Indian Navy, INCOIS sign MoU to share ocean services data
  • Indian Navy has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) for sharing ocean services data, expertise in operational oceanography.

• Defence Ministry approves acquisition of military hardware worth Rs 28,000 crore
  • The Defence ministry approved procurement of weapons and military equipment worth Rs 28,000 crore including six airborne warning and control system aircraft for the Indian Air Force.

• India test-fires two Prithvi-2 ballistic missiles off Odisha's coast
  • India successfully testfired two Prithvi-2 ballistic missiles off the eastern coast of Odisha in Balasore.
  • The trials of the DRDO-developed nuclear-capable surface to surface missiles were successful.

EVENTS

• PM Modi Inaugurates FICCI’s Annual Convention and 93rd AGM
  • PM Modi virtually inaugurated the 93rd Annual General Meeting and Annual Convention of (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) FICCI.
  • The Theme was “Inspired India”.

• Climate Ambition Summit 2020
  • The Climate Ambition Summit 2020 will mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, and will provide a platform for government and non-governmental leaders to demonstrate their commitment to the Paris Agreement and the multilateral process.

• 12th GRIHA Summit
  • The 12th edition of India's Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) Council's annual flagship event was held. The theme was 'Rejuvenating Resilient Habitats'.

AWARDS AND REWARDS

• International Judo Federation Climate Ambassadors
  • Austria's Sabrina Filzmoser and Brazil's Flavio Canto have been appointed as International Judo Federation (IJF) climate ambassadors by IJF President Marius Vizer, in a bid to spread the message of environmentalism.

• 2020 Champions of the Earth Award
  • The UN Environment Program (UNEP) announced six winners of the 2020 Champions of the Earth Award for their pioneering initiatives aimed at healing the planet amid natural and man-made threats.

• 2020 Young Champions of the Earth
  • The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) named seven young scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and activists from across the globe as its 2020 Young Champions of the Earth.

SPORTS

• Qatar to host 2030 Asian Games, 2034 edition in Saudi Arabia
  • The 2030 Asian Games were awarded to Doha and the 2034 event went to Riyadh.
  • Doha beat Riyadh for the 2030 Games in the vote at the Olympic Council of Asia’s (OCA) general assembly.

• Robert Lewandowski and Lucy Bronze win FIFA player of the year awards
  • Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski was named men's player of the year at FIFA's 'The Best' awards ceremony in Zurich.

• Yogasana recognised as a competitive sport in India
  • Yogasana will be a competitive sport in the country.

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FINANCE AND BANKING

• RBI to conduct 3rd Open Market Operations purchase of state developments loans
  • The Reserve Bank of India will conduct the third auction of state developments loans (SDLs) aggregating Rs 10,000 crore under the Open Market Operations (OMO) on December 23, 2020

• PMC Bank restrictions extended by 3 more months
  • The RBI has further extended restrictions of Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank (PMC Bank) by another three months.

• 5% public float a must post resolution process: SEBI
  • The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) mandated that the companies emerging from insolvency proceedings must have at least a 5% upfront public shareholding, if the resolution process has resulted in the public shareholding falling below 10%.

ECONOMY

• India plans $60 billion investment in gas infrastructure
  • Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan recently said the government has planned a $60-billion investment for creating gas infrastructure in the country till 2024, and gas’ share in the energy mix is expected to rise to 15 per cent by 2030.

• NDB to lend India $1-billion for economic revival
  • The New Development Bank (NDB) will lend India $1 billion for supporting the country’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic through expenditure on rural infrastructure related to natural resource management.

• Cabinet approves additional Rs 1,700 crore for northeast power project
  • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the total revised cost estimate of Rs 6,700 crore for the north eastern region power system improvement project (NERPSIP) which aims to augment power transmission and distribution systems in the area.

NATIONAL

• First CoE inaugurated for skill development in power sector
  • The first Centre of Excellence for skill development in the power sector was inaugurated which will focus on creating a pool of highly skilled trainers and assessors for further training to increase employability of candidates in the field of Electricity, Automation and Solar Energy Sectors.

• Seven MoUs signed during the India-Bangladesh Virtual Summit
  • Seven MoUs have been signed between India and Bangladesh during the recently concluded Virtual Summit.

• Nitin Gadkari inaugurates and lays foundation stone of NH projects in Karnataka and Telangana
  • Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has inaugurated and laid foundation of 33 NH projects in Karnataka.

• First flight operations flagged off on Belgaum – Surat – Kishangarh route under UDAN
  • The first flight operations from Belgaum (Karnataka) to Surat (Gujarat) to Kishangarh (Ajmer) were flagged off under the RCS-UDAN (Regional Connectivity Scheme – Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) of the Government of India

INTERNATIONAL

• Singapore’s hawkers gets recognised by UNESCO
  • Singapore’s hawker food culture gets recognised by UNESCO. The hawker culture got inducted to the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

• Forbes 2020 list for highest-paid celebrities
  • American media personality and reality TV star Kylie Jenner has been crowned the highest-paid celebrity of 2020 by Forbes.

• Indian-American Raja Chari among 3 astronauts selected by NASA for SpaceX Crew-3 mission
  • Indian-American US Air Force Colonel Raja Chari has been selected as the Commander of the SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) by NASA and the European Space Agency.

STATES

• North East Festival
  • The 8th edition of the North East Festival started with a colourful inaugural function in Guwahati.

• UP Govt. launches ‘Varasat’ campaign
  • In Uttar Pradesh, the government has launched special campaign to curb property & land-related disputes in rural areas.

• Mega leather cluster in Kanpur gets Centre’s nod
  • Uttar Pradesh is ready to set up its first leather park as part of its mega leather cluster in Ramaipur village of Kanpur.

• Maharashtra government has now unveiled Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations (UDCPR) across the state which is expected to boost real estate activity across the state.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• ISRO sets up dedicated control centre for Space Situational Awareness
  • A dedicated control centre for Space Situational Awareness (SSA) activities in the country, aimed at monitoring, tracking and protecting India’s space assets, has been set up.

• China's Chang'e-5 mission spacecraft brings home first moon samples in 40 years
  • China’s Chang’e-5 probe, which successfully returned to earth, has retrieved about 1,731 grams of samples from the moon.

AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

• MPEDA launches multilingual call centre for aqua farmers
  • Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) has launched a multilingual call centre for aqua farmers at Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.

• Government aims to double farm mechanisation in next 10 years
  • Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar remarked that the government is focusing on farm mechanisation and asked the industry to provide small machines and equipment to farmers with less landholding to boost their income.

• APEDA organizes virtual Buyer Seller Meeting with Thailand for expanding exports
  • In a bid to boost exports potential of India’s agricultural and processed food products exports, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) organized a Virtual Buyer Seller Meet (BSM), in association with Indian Embassy in Thailand for expanding exports of agricultural and processed food products exports to South-East Asian country

DEFENCE

• Indian Navy, INCOIS sign MoU to share ocean services data
  • Indian Navy has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) for sharing ocean services data, expertise in operational oceanography.

• Defence Ministry approves acquisition of military hardware worth Rs 28,000 crore
  • The Defence ministry approved procurement of weapons and military equipment worth Rs 28,000 crore including six airborne warning and control system aircraft for the Indian Air Force.

• India test-fires two Prithvi-2 ballistic missiles off Odisha's coast
  • India successfully testfired two Prithvi-2 ballistic missiles off the eastern coast of Odisha in Balasore.
  • The trials of the DRDO-developed nuclear-capable surface to surface missiles were successful.

EVENTS

• PM Modi Inaugurates FICCI’s Annual Convention and 93rd AGM
  • PM Modi virtually inaugurated the 93rd Annual General Meeting and Annual Convention of (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) FICCI.
  • The Theme was “Inspired India”.

• Climate Ambition Summit 2020
  • The Climate Ambition Summit 2020 will mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, and will provide a platform for government and non-governmental leaders to demonstrate their commitment to the Paris Agreement and the multilateral process.

• 12th GRIHA Summit
  • The 12th edition of India's Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) Council's annual flagship event was held. The theme was 'Rejuvenating Resilient Habitats'.

AWARDS AND REWARDS

• International Judo Federation Climate Ambassadors
  • Austria's Sabrina Filzmoser and Brazil's Flavio Canto have been appointed as International Judo Federation (IJF) climate ambassadors by IJF President Marius Vizer, in a bid to spread the message of environmentalism.

• 2020 Champions of the Earth Award
  • The UN Environment Program (UNEP) announced six winners of the 2020 Champions of the Earth Award for their pioneering initiatives aimed at healing the planet amid natural and man-made threats.

• 2020 Young Champions of the Earth
  • The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) named seven young scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and activists from across the globe as its 2020 Young Champions of the Earth.

SPORTS

• Qatar to host 2030 Asian Games, 2034 edition in Saudi Arabia
  • The 2030 Asian Games were awarded to Doha and the 2034 event went to Riyadh.
  • Doha beat Riyadh for the 2030 Games in the vote at the Olympic Council of Asia’s (OCA) general assembly.

• Robert Lewandowski and Lucy Bronze win FIFA player of the year awards
  • Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski was named men's player of the year at FIFA's 'The Best' awards ceremony in Zurich.

• Yogasana recognised as a competitive sport in India
  • Yogasana will be a competitive sport in the country.