Weekly Current Affairs 9th December- 15th December 2020

FINANCE AND BANKING

• RBI sets capital, NPA caps for NBFCs to distribute dividends
  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released draft guidelines for distribution of dividend by non-banking financial companies (NBFCs). The draft sets thresholds in terms of capital adequacy and non-performing assets (NPAs) for NBFCs to be eligible to distribute dividends.

• RBI to set up Automated Banknote Processing Centre in Jaipur
  • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to set up an Automated Banknote Processing Centre (ABPC) in Jaipur for receipt, storage and dispatch of currency notes

• RTGS is available on all days from December 14
  • The RBI announced the Real Time Gross Settlement System (RTGS) has been made available round the clock on all days of the year from 14th December 2020.

• SEBI puts in place mechanism to ease e-voting process

ECONOMY

• Swiss developer selects 4-company consortium for Jewar International Airport Project
  • A four-company consortium has been selected by Swiss developer Zurich Airport International to design the passenger terminal for the upcoming Greenfield Jewar International Airport.

• Govt approves submarine OFC between Kochi and Lakshadweep Islands
  • The government approved provision of submarine optical fibre cable connectivity between Kochi and Lakshadweep Islands, entailing a cost of Rs 1,072 crore.

• S&P improves India’s growth forecast for FY21
  • S&P has revised India’s real GDP growth estimates of the current fiscal year to a contraction of 7.7 per cent, from 9 per cent.

NATIONAL

• Public Wi-Fi Access Network Interface or PM-WANI
  • The Union cabinet approved a new policy to allow businesses to offer wireless internet hotspot services by setting up calling office-like facilities, paving the way for the expansion of high-speed internet into remote areas and regions with patchy 4G mobile network coverage.

• UNESCO launches 2020 State of the Education Report for India
  • The ‘State of the Education Report for India 2020: Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), was launched virtually by UNESCO New Delhi.
  • The second edition of the State of Education Report focuses on technical and vocational education and training (TVET).

• Northeast states managing COVID best, followed by Bihar and UP: SBI study
  • According to a study conducted by SBI Research, the North-eastern states have topped the list of states in managing Covid-19 followed by Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

• WCF Partners with NITI Aayog to Empower Children and Youth on CyberSafety Education
  • WNS Cares Foundation (WCF), the CSR arm of WNS announced that it has partnered with Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL), an initiative under the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) by NITI Aayog, to empower children and youth with knowledge on relevant topics around cybersafety and digital education through its platform, CyberSmart.

INTERNATIONAL

• Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s 2020 Climatescope ranking
  • India has dropped to the second position in Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s (BNEF) 2020 Climatescope survey ranking from first last year, as a result of a decline in clean energy investment, which fell 12 per cent in 2018-19 to $8.5 billion and has plummeted 32 per cent since 2017.

• Climate Change Performance Index 2021
  • Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) is developed by not-for-profit organisations Germanwatch and NewClimate Institute (Germany) together with the Climate Action Network (CAN International).
  • India is at 10th position in the latest global Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI).

• WHO joins hands with IFRC to strengthen delivery of emergency medical supplies
  • The World Health Organization and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) came together for a collaborative effort to strengthen the delivery of emergency medical and health services during humanitarian crises.

STATES

• Mizoram launches project to assist migrant workers find employment
  • The Mizoram government has launched a project to assist the migrant workers, who lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic, find suitable employment.

• Maharashtra government names rural development scheme after NCP chief Sharad Pawar
  • To commemorate the 80th birthday of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, the Maharashtra state government has decided to name a rural development scheme after him.

• Andhra Pradesh signs MoU with Survey of India for land survey
  • The Andhra Pradesh government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Survey of India kick-starting one of the largest land and house ownership surveys in the state christened ‘YSR Jagananna Saswath Bhoo Hakku-Bhoo Raksha Pathakam’.

• Odisha govt launches Eco-Retreat programme at 5 locations
  • In its bid to attract more tourists to Odisha, the Tourism Department launched the second edition of its flagship "Eco-Retreat"

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• SpaceX launches next-generation Dragon cargo ship to space station
  • SpaceX's next-generation, uncrewed Dragon 2 cargo ship has docked on the International Space Station for the aerospace company's 21st contracted commercial resupply mission.

• China launches another high-resolution Earth observation satellite
  • The Gaofen-14 Earth observation satellite was successfully sent into orbit by a Long March 3B from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the hills of Sichuan province.

• China successfully launches two satellites for gravitational wave detection
  • China successfully launched two satellites for the detection of gravitational waves into planned orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan Province.

AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

• Andhra Pradesh farmers receive crop insurance
  • Andhra Pradesh government paid Rs 1,252 crore as crop insurance to 9.48 lakh farmers across the state.

• Jagananna Jeeva Kranthi launched in Andhra Pradesh
  • ‘Jagananna Jeeva Kranthi’ scheme has been launched by the Andhra Pradesh Government. This scheme will provide 2.49 lakh units of sheep and goats will be distributed to women in a phased manner at a cost of ?1,869 crore.

• Swayampurna Goem – Initiative by NABARD in times of COVID-19
  • NABARD initiated a low-cost polyhouses project that came handy as it ensured livelihood opportunities for jobless youth and SHG members in Goa.

• Powered by GI tag, J&K launches Kashmiri saffron in UAE market
  • The Jammu and Kashmir government for the first time launched Kashmiri saffron in in the UAE market.

DEFENCE

• Indian Navy finalises procurement of anti-drone systems
  • The Indian Navy has finalised a contract for procurement of a batch of Israeli weapon systems, SMASH 2000 fire control systems, which are capable of bringing down high-speed enemy drones.

• DRDO successfully demonstrates quantum communication between two labs
  • The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully demonstrated communication between its two labs using Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) technology.

EVENTS

• 5th India - Myanmar bilateral meeting on Drug Control Cooperation
  • The 5th India- Myanmar Bilateral Meeting on Drug Control Cooperation between the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), India and the Central Committee on Drug Abuse Control, Myanmar was held virtually.

• Singapore to host World Economic Forum's annual meeting in May 2021
  • The World Economic Forum will convene the Special Annual Meeting 2021 in Singapore from 13-16 May.

• 14th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus
  • Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, attended the 14th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus organized online at Hanoi, Vietnam that marked the 10th anniversary of ADMM Plus.

• Fifth BRICS Media Forum
  • At the fifth BRICS Media Forum, held virtually, media organisations discussed ways in which journalists from the grouping could collaborate more closely to tell stories, with the countries facing many similar challenges, from economic issues to public health, as they grapple with COVID-19.

AWARDS AND REWARDS

• Joe Biden & Kamala Harris Named Time’s Person Of The Year
  • US President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have been jointly named Time magazine’s Person Of The Year.

• Forbes’ World's 100 Most Powerful Women
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has made it to the list of the world's 100 most powerful women by Forbes, for the second year in a row.

• Brazil's Carolina Araujo Won Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians
  • The Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians 2020 has been awarded to Carolina Araujo, Mathematician from the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in a virtual ceremony.

SPORTS

• Odisha will host FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023
  • The 2023 FIH Men's Hockey World Cup will be hosted in Odisha, for a second consecutive time, at two venues, Bhubaneswar and Rourkela.

• Bajrang Punia, Elavenil Valarivan bag top honours at FICCI India Sports Awards
  • Tokyo Olympics-bound athletes – wrestler Bajrang Punia and shooter Elavenil Valarivan – bagged the top honours at the FICCI India Sports Awards 2020 held virtually.

• Breakdancing gets Olympic status to debut at Paris in 2024
  • Breakdancing became an official Olympic sport. Breakdancing will be called breaking at the Olympics, as it was in the 1970s by hip-hop pioneers in the United States.

• Max Verstappen won the Abu Dhabi GP
  • Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2020.
  • Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton were second and third respectively.

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FINANCE AND BANKING

• RBI sets capital, NPA caps for NBFCs to distribute dividends
  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released draft guidelines for distribution of dividend by non-banking financial companies (NBFCs). The draft sets thresholds in terms of capital adequacy and non-performing assets (NPAs) for NBFCs to be eligible to distribute dividends.

• RBI to set up Automated Banknote Processing Centre in Jaipur
  • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to set up an Automated Banknote Processing Centre (ABPC) in Jaipur for receipt, storage and dispatch of currency notes

• RTGS is available on all days from December 14
  • The RBI announced the Real Time Gross Settlement System (RTGS) has been made available round the clock on all days of the year from 14th December 2020.

• SEBI puts in place mechanism to ease e-voting process

ECONOMY

• Swiss developer selects 4-company consortium for Jewar International Airport Project
  • A four-company consortium has been selected by Swiss developer Zurich Airport International to design the passenger terminal for the upcoming Greenfield Jewar International Airport.

• Govt approves submarine OFC between Kochi and Lakshadweep Islands
  • The government approved provision of submarine optical fibre cable connectivity between Kochi and Lakshadweep Islands, entailing a cost of Rs 1,072 crore.

• S&P improves India’s growth forecast for FY21
  • S&P has revised India’s real GDP growth estimates of the current fiscal year to a contraction of 7.7 per cent, from 9 per cent.

NATIONAL

• Public Wi-Fi Access Network Interface or PM-WANI
  • The Union cabinet approved a new policy to allow businesses to offer wireless internet hotspot services by setting up calling office-like facilities, paving the way for the expansion of high-speed internet into remote areas and regions with patchy 4G mobile network coverage.

• UNESCO launches 2020 State of the Education Report for India
  • The ‘State of the Education Report for India 2020: Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), was launched virtually by UNESCO New Delhi.
  • The second edition of the State of Education Report focuses on technical and vocational education and training (TVET).

• Northeast states managing COVID best, followed by Bihar and UP: SBI study
  • According to a study conducted by SBI Research, the North-eastern states have topped the list of states in managing Covid-19 followed by Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

• WCF Partners with NITI Aayog to Empower Children and Youth on CyberSafety Education
  • WNS Cares Foundation (WCF), the CSR arm of WNS announced that it has partnered with Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL), an initiative under the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) by NITI Aayog, to empower children and youth with knowledge on relevant topics around cybersafety and digital education through its platform, CyberSmart.

INTERNATIONAL

• Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s 2020 Climatescope ranking
  • India has dropped to the second position in Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s (BNEF) 2020 Climatescope survey ranking from first last year, as a result of a decline in clean energy investment, which fell 12 per cent in 2018-19 to $8.5 billion and has plummeted 32 per cent since 2017.

• Climate Change Performance Index 2021
  • Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) is developed by not-for-profit organisations Germanwatch and NewClimate Institute (Germany) together with the Climate Action Network (CAN International).
  • India is at 10th position in the latest global Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI).

• WHO joins hands with IFRC to strengthen delivery of emergency medical supplies
  • The World Health Organization and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) came together for a collaborative effort to strengthen the delivery of emergency medical and health services during humanitarian crises.

STATES

• Mizoram launches project to assist migrant workers find employment
  • The Mizoram government has launched a project to assist the migrant workers, who lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic, find suitable employment.

• Maharashtra government names rural development scheme after NCP chief Sharad Pawar
  • To commemorate the 80th birthday of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, the Maharashtra state government has decided to name a rural development scheme after him.

• Andhra Pradesh signs MoU with Survey of India for land survey
  • The Andhra Pradesh government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Survey of India kick-starting one of the largest land and house ownership surveys in the state christened ‘YSR Jagananna Saswath Bhoo Hakku-Bhoo Raksha Pathakam’.

• Odisha govt launches Eco-Retreat programme at 5 locations
  • In its bid to attract more tourists to Odisha, the Tourism Department launched the second edition of its flagship "Eco-Retreat"

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• SpaceX launches next-generation Dragon cargo ship to space station
  • SpaceX's next-generation, uncrewed Dragon 2 cargo ship has docked on the International Space Station for the aerospace company's 21st contracted commercial resupply mission.

• China launches another high-resolution Earth observation satellite
  • The Gaofen-14 Earth observation satellite was successfully sent into orbit by a Long March 3B from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the hills of Sichuan province.

• China successfully launches two satellites for gravitational wave detection
  • China successfully launched two satellites for the detection of gravitational waves into planned orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan Province.

AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

• Andhra Pradesh farmers receive crop insurance
  • Andhra Pradesh government paid Rs 1,252 crore as crop insurance to 9.48 lakh farmers across the state.

• Jagananna Jeeva Kranthi launched in Andhra Pradesh
  • ‘Jagananna Jeeva Kranthi’ scheme has been launched by the Andhra Pradesh Government. This scheme will provide 2.49 lakh units of sheep and goats will be distributed to women in a phased manner at a cost of ?1,869 crore.

• Swayampurna Goem – Initiative by NABARD in times of COVID-19
  • NABARD initiated a low-cost polyhouses project that came handy as it ensured livelihood opportunities for jobless youth and SHG members in Goa.

• Powered by GI tag, J&K launches Kashmiri saffron in UAE market
  • The Jammu and Kashmir government for the first time launched Kashmiri saffron in in the UAE market.

DEFENCE

• Indian Navy finalises procurement of anti-drone systems
  • The Indian Navy has finalised a contract for procurement of a batch of Israeli weapon systems, SMASH 2000 fire control systems, which are capable of bringing down high-speed enemy drones.

• DRDO successfully demonstrates quantum communication between two labs
  • The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully demonstrated communication between its two labs using Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) technology.

EVENTS

• 5th India - Myanmar bilateral meeting on Drug Control Cooperation
  • The 5th India- Myanmar Bilateral Meeting on Drug Control Cooperation between the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), India and the Central Committee on Drug Abuse Control, Myanmar was held virtually.

• Singapore to host World Economic Forum's annual meeting in May 2021
  • The World Economic Forum will convene the Special Annual Meeting 2021 in Singapore from 13-16 May.

• 14th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus
  • Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, attended the 14th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus organized online at Hanoi, Vietnam that marked the 10th anniversary of ADMM Plus.

• Fifth BRICS Media Forum
  • At the fifth BRICS Media Forum, held virtually, media organisations discussed ways in which journalists from the grouping could collaborate more closely to tell stories, with the countries facing many similar challenges, from economic issues to public health, as they grapple with COVID-19.

AWARDS AND REWARDS

• Joe Biden & Kamala Harris Named Time’s Person Of The Year
  • US President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have been jointly named Time magazine’s Person Of The Year.

• Forbes’ World's 100 Most Powerful Women
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has made it to the list of the world's 100 most powerful women by Forbes, for the second year in a row.

• Brazil's Carolina Araujo Won Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians
  • The Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians 2020 has been awarded to Carolina Araujo, Mathematician from the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in a virtual ceremony.

SPORTS

• Odisha will host FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023
  • The 2023 FIH Men's Hockey World Cup will be hosted in Odisha, for a second consecutive time, at two venues, Bhubaneswar and Rourkela.

• Bajrang Punia, Elavenil Valarivan bag top honours at FICCI India Sports Awards
  • Tokyo Olympics-bound athletes – wrestler Bajrang Punia and shooter Elavenil Valarivan – bagged the top honours at the FICCI India Sports Awards 2020 held virtually.

• Breakdancing gets Olympic status to debut at Paris in 2024
  • Breakdancing became an official Olympic sport. Breakdancing will be called breaking at the Olympics, as it was in the 1970s by hip-hop pioneers in the United States.

• Max Verstappen won the Abu Dhabi GP
  • Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2020.
  • Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton were second and third respectively.