Daily Current Affairs December 24 2021 | Latest News | Download PDF

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

CABINET APPROVALS:

Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Copra for 2022 season:

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval for the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for copra for 2022 season.
• The MSP for Fair Average Quality (FAQ) of milling copra has been increased to Rs10,590/- per quintal for 2022 season from Rs.10,335/- per quintal in 2021 and the MSP for ball copra has been increased to Rs.11,000/- per quintal for 2022 season from Rs.10,600/- per quintal in 2021.
• This is to ensure a return of 51.85 percent for milling copra and 57.73 percent for ball copra over the all India weighted average cost of production.
• The increase in MSP for copra for 2022 season is in line with the principle of fixing the MSP at a level of at least 1.5 times the all India weighted average cost of production as announced by the Government in the Budget 2018-19.
• The decision is based on recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
• It assures a minimum of 50 percent as margin of profit as one of the important and progressive steps towards making possible doubling of farmers’ incomes by 2022.
• The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited and National Cooperative Consumer Federation of India Limited will continue to act as Central Nodal Agencies to undertake price support operations at the MSP in the coconut growing States.

Memorandum of Understanding between Competition Commission of India and Competition Commission of Mauritius:

• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Competition Commission of India (CCI) and Competition Commission of Mauritius (CCM) for promotion and strengthening of co-operation in competition law and policy.

Implementation Strategy and Targets

• The MoU aims to promote and strengthen cooperation in matters of competition law and policy through exchange of information, sharing of best practices and capacity building initiatives.
• It is intended to promote mutual co-operation in the areas of technical co-operation, experience sharing and enforcement co-operation.
• The resultant outcomes would benefit consumers at large and promote equity and inclusiveness.

Impact: The MoU between CCI and CCM is expected to:

• Address anticompetitive restraints that affect international trade;
• Improve enforcement of the Competition Act, 2002 by CCI;
• Promote understanding of competition policy;
• Capacity building;
• Bring diplomatic benefits;
• Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Competition Commission of India on the Indian side and Competition Commission of Mauritius on the other side would be major beneficiaries in this Memorandum of Understanding.
• Section 18 of the Competition Act, 2002 permits CCI to enter into any memorandum or arrangement with any agency of any foreign country for the purpose of discharging its duties or performing its functions under the Act.

Memorandum of Understanding between Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and The Polish Chamber of Statutory Auditors (PIBR)

• The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India(ICAI) and the Polish Chamber of Statutory Auditors (PIBR) to establish mutual co-operation in the areas of Member Management, Professional Ethics, Technical Research, CPD, Professional Accountancy Training, Audit Quality Monitoring, Advancement of Accounting Knowledge, Professional and Intellectual Development.
• The proposed MoU aims to strengthen co-operation in the matters of study and application of new innovative methods in the field of audit and accounting including application of blockchain, smart contract system, transition from Traditional Accounting to Cloud Accounting etc.
• ICAI members are holding middle to top level positions in various organisations across the countries and can influence the decision/policy making strategies of respective organizations of a country.
• ICAI through its vast network of Chapters and Representative Offices in 73 cities of 47 countries of the world is committed to play an important role by sharing the prevalent practices in these countries so that the Government of India can adopt the best practices being followed by them to attract foreign investment and to encourage them to establish their setup in India.
• This MoU will benefit Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and The Polish Chamber of Statutory Auditors (PIBR).
• The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is a statutory body established under the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 for regulating the profession of Chartered Accountants in India.
• ICAI has contributed immensely in the field of education, professional development, maintenance of high accounting, auditing and ethical standards in furtherance of the profession of Chartered accountants, which is recognized globally.
• The Polish Chamber of Statutory Auditors (PIBR) a self-government of Statutory Auditors was established in accordance with the Act of October 1991 on auditing and publishing financial statements and on statutory auditors which came into force on 1 January 1992 to regulate the audit profession in Poland.

Bhupender Yadav has inaugurated 35th edition of “Hunar Haat” in New Delhi

• Hunar Haat”, the “Popular and Perfect Brand” of “Vocal for Local”, has inaugurated by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Labour and Employment Shri Bhupender Yadav and Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi on December 23, 2021 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.
• More than 700 artisans, craftsmen from over 30 States / Union Territories are participating in this 14-day “Hunar Haat” being organised from December 23, 2021 to January 5, 2022.
• The “Hunar Haat” has proved a “powerful perfect platform” of “3Vs”- “Vishwakarma Virasat Ka Vikas”.
• The Government has not only protected the country’s legacy of art and craftsmanship, it has also provided new energy and market and opportunities to indigenous products, he said.
• More than 7 lakh 50 thousand artisans, craftsmen and people associated with them have been provided employment and self-employment opportunities through “Hunar Haat” in the last about 6 years.
• Exquisite and elegant indigenous handmade products from more than 30 States and Union Territories including Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Ladakh, Jammu-Kashmir, Punjab, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Manipur, Goa, Puducherry, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Chandigarh, Haryana are available in this 35th edition of “Hunar Haat”.
• Traditional dishes from different regions of the country are also available at this “Hunar Haat”.

Prime Minister addresses the 2nd meeting of National Committee on “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”

• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressed the 2nd National Committee meeting on Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav in New Delhi.
• Various members of the National Committee attended the meeting including Lok Sabha Speaker, Governors, Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, political leaders, officials, media personalities, spiritual Leaders, artists and film personalities, and eminent persons from other walks of life. Secretary Culture, Shri Govind Mohan gave a presentation on the overview of activities of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• The first meeting of the National Committee was organised on 8th March 2021 before the launch of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav by the Prime Minister on 12th March 2021.
• The Prime Minister emphasised that this is an opportune time to set our eyes on 2047 when the country will celebrate 100 years of independence.
• It is at that time that the current generation will be at the helm of affairs and the nation’s destiny will be in their hands.
• Therefore, it is important to decide what we must inculcate in them now so that they will be able to make big contributions in the future towards the country.
• The Prime Minister further elaborated that for the current generation to contribute meaningfully to nation building, it is important that we inculcate in them the importance of duty to make a better India.
• The Prime Minister concluded that as we observe Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, we should surge ahead with a focused approach setting new targets for ourselves for 2047.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND ECONOMY

Paytm Payments Bank, MoneyGram partner to offer international remittance directly to Paytm Wallet

• Paytm Payments Bank, an associate entity of Paytm, and Nasdaq-listed MoneyGram, a global leader in digital P2P payments, have entered into a partnership to enable MoneyGram customers globally to send money in real-time to a Paytm Wallet user in India.
• With this partnership, MoneyGram users abroad can now conveniently transfer money to full KYC Paytm wallet users in India from the comfort of their homes.
• This is MoneyGram’s first mobile wallet partnership in India and is an important development as the country’s evolution to digital receives is occurring rapidly.
• MoneyGram transactions in India received digitally currently represent nearly 50 per cent of all transactions received in the country.
• The number of transactions sent directly to bank accounts is up about six times from just under 10 per cent, two years ago.
• With this, MoneyGram expects higher growth rates as customers in India continue to value the convenience of digital receives.
• Paytm Payments Bank has millions of wallet customers, who use the Paytm Wallet for its convenience including having greater control over their expenses, highly secure payments, fast forward on utility bill payments, and seamless integration across mobile, online and in-store payments and so much more.
• India is the world’s largest inbound market with remittances estimated at $83 billion for the year 2020, according to World Bank.

About Paytm:

• CEO: Vijay Shekhar Sharma
• Founder: Vijay Shekhar Sharma
• Founded: August 2010

About MoneyGram:

• Headquarters: Texas, United States
• CEO: W. Alexander Holmes
• Founded: 1980

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Ice hockey chief Harjinder Singh appointed India’s Chef de Mission

• The Indian Olympic Association of India (IOA) appointed Ice Hockey Association of India’s general secretary, Harjinder Singh, as the Chef de Mission of the country’s contingent for the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Note :

• Alpine skier Mohammad Arif Khan is the only Indian to have so far qualified for Beijing 2022 & he will compete in the men’s slalom.
• The first edition of the Winter Games took place way back in 1924 in France & India have participated in 10 editions, starting from 1964.
• Singh was the Chef de Mission of the Indian contingent for the 23rd Winter Olympic Games too, which was held in Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018.

About Harjinder Singh :

• Singh, who is the general secretary of the Ice Hockey Association, has also led the Indian contingent at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where India had two representatives cross-country skier Jagdish Singh, and six-time Olympian luger Shiva Keshavan.

About 2022 Winter Olympics :

• The 2022 Winter Olympics officially the XXIV Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Beijing 2022.
• It is an upcoming international winter multi-sport event scheduled to take place from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing and towns in the neighboring Hebei province in the People’s Republic of China.
• The 2022 Winter Olympics will be the first Winter Olympics in China & second overall Olympics to be held in China.

About IOA :

• President: Narinder Dhruv Batra
• Founded: 1927
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Secretary General: Rajeev Mehta
• Founders: Harry Buck, Arthur Noehren

Pradeep Kumar Rawat To Be India’s New Ambassador To China

• Senior diplomat Pradeep Kumar Rawat has been appointed as India’s next Ambassador to China.
• Mr Rawat is currently serving as Indian envoy to the Netherlands.
• He will succeed Vikram Misri.

About Pradeep Kumar Rawat :

• Pradeep Rawat joined the Foreign Services in 1990.
• He was involved in the negotiations during the early days before he moved to Indonesia as ambassador.
• Pradeep Rawat first served in Hong Kong and then in Beijing between the years 1992 to 1997.
• In 2003, Rawat had his second-year term in Beijing, first as Counsellor and then as the Deputy Chief of Mission.
• From 2014 to 2017, Pradeep Rawat was the Joint Secretary (East Asia).
• He served as Ambassador of India to Indonesia and Timor-Leste from September 2017-December 2020.
• He had earlier served in Hong Kong and Beijing and speaks fluent Mandarin.

About Ministry of External Affairs :

• Founded: 2 September 1946
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Union Minister : Jaishankar
• Minister of State : Meenakshi Lekhi, Muraleedharan, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh

About China :

• Capital: Beijing
• President: Xi Jinping
• Currency: Renminbi

CURRENT AFFAIRS : AWARDS & HONORS

IIT Roorkee Awarded First Position In Most Innovative Institutions Category by CII

• The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Roorkee) has been awarded the top position under the most innovative research institutions category by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
• In 2020, IIT Roorkee was adjudged as ‘The Most Innovative Institute of the Year’ for its innovation quotient
• The second and third positions were received by IIT Madras and Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Hyderabad (INCOIS),
• The awards were announced at the 27th DST-CII Technology Summit in the presence of Dr. Srivari Chandrashekhar, Secretary, DST, Government of India and Kris Gopalakrishnan, Past President, CII and Chairman, CII Industrial Innovation Awards.

The following parameters define the innovation ecosystem:

• Institutional strategies and research depth.
• Innovation portfolios (sponsored research, IPR generation, translational research).
• Initiatives by the institution to promote and champion innovation.
• Innovation Impact (industry-academia partnership, international collaboration, technology transfer, societal impact, etc.)
• The IIT Roorkee was selected for the award for the following innovations- Visco-elastic Energy Dissipating Link Elements for Earthquake resistant housing construction, Nitrogen-Doped Reduced Graphene Oxide (N-rGO) for High-Performance Supercapacitor, Novel hybrid adsorbent for simultaneous removal of arsenic and fluoride from contaminated water .

About IIT Roorkee :

• Established : 1847
• Director : Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi
• Located at : Uttarakhand, Indi

About CII Industrial Innovation Awards :

• CII Industrial Innovation Awards were instituted in 2014 to identify and celebrate innovative Indian enterprises across industry segments and sectors.
• The awards provide an opportunity for enterprises to shine and be known nationally and internationally for their innovative products and services.

About CII :

• Founded: 1895
• President: T. V. Narendran
• Director General: Chandrajit Banerjee
• Headquarters: New Delhi, India
• Motto: Charting Change Enabling Development
• The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group.
• CII engages business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Wipro to acquire Edgile for $230 million

• Wipro Limited has signed an agreement to acquire Austin, Texas headquartered Edgile, a transformational cybersecurity consulting provider that focuses on risk and compliance, information and cloud security, and digital identity.
• Wipro will acquire the company in a cash deal for a purchase consideration of $230 million.
• Edgile’s experienced cybersecurity and risk management professionals will allow Wipro to further enhance its cybersecurity and risk consulting capabilities for the benefit of its customers
• The company’s ‘strategy-first’ approach and ‘Quick Start’ solutions will allow the combined entity to deliver enhanced value in strategic cybersecurity services.
• The transaction is expected to be completed before March 31, 2022, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.
• It will require approval by the Committee on Foreign Investment and Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust in the US.
• The acquisition will address the fast-growing demand for cybersecurity consulting among Global 2000 enterprises.
• Together, Wipro and Edgile will develop Wipro CyberTransform, an integrated suite that will help enterprises enhance boardroom governance of cyber security risk, invest in robust cyber strategies, and reap the value of practical security in action.

About Wipro :

• CEO: Thierry Delaporte
• Founder: M.H. Hasham Premji
• Founded: 29 December 1945
• Owner: Azim Premji
• Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka

About Edgile :

• Founded in 2001
• Headquarters : Austin, USA
• It is an information security consulting firm providing professional services, primarily focused on delivering cybersecurity and risk management consulting services to corporations.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

Technical Conference cum Exhibition on 24×7 Water Supply Systems held

• The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) organised a technical conference-cum-exhibition here to disseminate knowledge on the planning, design, implementation, operation and maintenance of 24×7 water supply systems.
• The event was organized by the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation (CPHEEO).
• The conference was attended by Technical Heads, Chief Engineers, City Engineers& senior engineers dealing with water supply in all the 500 AMRUT cities, PHEDs/Corporations/Boards/Jal Nigams, Experts, PPP partners, manufacturing firms, consultants.

About 24×7 Water Supply Systems :

• 24×7 water supply projects will ensure prevention of water contamination, control of NRW, equitable water supply and bring efficiency in terms of financial sustainability by attracting PPP funding and institutional financing.
• The cities that are implementing 24×7 water supply projects showcased their best practices and technological solutions such as water meters, valves, GIS mapping and hydraulic modelling at the exhibition.

About Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs :

• Union Minister : Hardeep Singh Puri
• Minister ofState : Kaushal Kishore
• Secretary : Durga Shanker Mishra

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

Indian Army inducts indigenously developed Armoured Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicles (AERV)

• The first set of indigenously developed next-generation Armoured Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicle (AERV) was inducted into the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army at a function attended by Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane at Pune.
• The system has been designed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Ordnance Factory Medak and Bharat Electronics Limited, Pune.

About AERV :

• Armoured Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicle (AERV) is a modified version of the amphibious ( can operate both on land and water) infantry fighting vehicle BMP-II.
• AERV has been designed especially to fulfill the tactical and combat requirements of Indian Defence engineers involved in carrying out terrestrial and under-water surveys in hostile terrains, primarily for the construction of assault bridges in flat, desert and even riverine areas for both offensive and defensive operations
• The vehicle also has equipment measuring water currents, soil densities among others, required for engineering columns to construct the bridges that can sustain desired operational load.
• It is capable of carrying out reconnaissance of water obstacles and boggy patches for execution of engineer tasks, will bolster existing engineer reconnaissance capabilities of the Indian Army.

About Indian Army :

• Founded: 1 April 1895
• Headquarters : New Delhi
• Motto(s): Service Before Self
• Commander-in-Chief: President Ram Nath Kovind
• Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff & Chief of the Army Staff : General Manoj Mukund Naravane
• Vice Chief of the Army Staff : Lieutenant General Chandi Prasad Mohanty

About DRDO :

• Founded: 1958
• Headquarters : New Delhi
• Chairman : Dr G. Satheesh Reddy
• Defence Minister : Rajnath Singh

About Ordnance Factory Medak :

• Founded: 1984
• General Manager : Alok Prasad
• OFMK is the only manufacturer of Infantry Combat Vehicles (ICVs) in India.

About Bharat Electronics Limited :

• Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka
• Founded: 1954
• Chairman & MD : Anandi Ramalingam

IAF deploys first S-400 air defence system in Punjab

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) has started deploying its S-400 air defence missile system in the Punjab sector in a major boost to India’s capability to tackle aerial threats from both China and Pakistan.
• The S-400 air defence system was contracted for by India in a deal worth around Rs 35,000 crore and five squadrons would be provided to India for tackling air threats from up to 400 km.
• It is equipped with four different missiles which can engage enemy aircraft, ballistic missiles, and AWACS planes at 400 km, 250 km, the medium-range 120 km and the short-range 40 km.
• The first squadron deliveries are expected to be complete by the end of 2021.
• Indian Air Force officers and personnel have trained in Russia on the system.

About IAF :

• Founded: 8 October 1932
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Commander-in-Chief: President Ram Nath Kovind

About Punjab :

• Capital: Chandigarh
• Governor: Banwarilal Purohit
• Chief minister: Charanjit Singh Channi
• Wildlife Sanctuaries : Abohar WLS, Bir Aishvan WLS, Bir Bhadson WLS, Bir Bunerheri WLS, Bir Dosanjh WLS, Bir Gurdialpura WLS, Bir Mehaswala WLS, Bir Motibagh WLS, Harike Lake WLS, Jhajjar Bacholi WLS, Kathlaur Kushlian WLS, Takhni-Rehampur WLS, Nangal WLS
• National Parks : Abohar NP, Mahendra Zoological Park, Harike Wetland, Bir Bhadson National Park, Bir Moti Bagh National Park, Jhajjar Bachauli National Park

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Kerala’s Kufos to partner with NASA-ISRO research programme

• The Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) has been chosen to join a research project backed by the Space Application Centre of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) under a NASA-ISRO collaborative programme
• The project will be headed by Girish Gopinath, Associate Professor of Remote Sensing and GIS at KUFOS and U Surendran, Senior Scientist at CWRDM
• KUFOS has been selected as one of the nodal agencies in South India to implement the project.

About the Research Project :

• Under this programme, ground truth data validation is planned prior to NISAR launch through collaboration with other research institutions such as the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM).
• KUFOS will establish long-term plots and its inventory in Shimoga (Karnataka) and Nilambur (Kerala) under the programme for validation of NISAR forest biomass products.
• The outcome is expected to help address critical issues of forest biomass estimation, carbon stock estimation and monitoring of carbon sequestration.
• NASA and ISRO are jointly developing a space-borne synthetic aperture radar (NISAR) to be launched in January 2023.
• NISAR will produce high resolution data for large areas with the capability for systematic observation of earth resources.
• It will provide time-series data for eco-systems applications benefiting several operational activities related to agriculture, forestry, wetlands, and soil moisture estimation

About Kufos :

• Established : 2010
• Located at : Kochi, Kerala
• Chancellor : Arif Mohammed Khan (Governor Of Kerala)
• Vice Chancellor : K Riji John

About NASA :

• Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
• Founder: Dwight D. Eisenhower
• Founded: 29 July 1958, United States
• Administered by: Steve Jurczyk, Bill Nelson

About ISRO :

• Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka
• Founder: Vikram Sarabhai
• Founded: 15 August 1969
• Director: Kailasavadivoo Sivan

Pakistan successfully test-fires updated version of Babur cruise missile 1B

• Pakistan has “successfully” test-fired a version of its indigenously developed Babur cruise missile 1B with enhanced range.
• The cruise missile has a range of more than 900 kilometers, twice the distance of an earlier missile of the same model (An earlier version had a limited capacity to travel just 450 kilometers).
• The test-launch of the missile was witnessed by Director General of the Strategic Plans Division Lieutenant General Nadeem Zaki Manj, NESCOM Chairman Dr Raza Samar, Commander Army Strategic Force Command Lieutenant General Muhammad Ali, senior officers, scientists and engineers of strategic organisations.

Note :

• The Babur cruise missile 1A was launched from a “state of the art Multi Tube Missile Launch Vehicle”
• In February 2021, Pakistan had conducted a successful training launch of the earlier version of Babar cruise missile that had the limited capacity to strike targets up to 450 kilometers.
• In August 2021, it conducted a successful test flight of Fatah-1, a Pakistan-made guided multi-launch rocket system capable of delivering conventional warheads.

Recent News :

• On Nov 24, 2021, Pakistan had successfully conducted a flight test of Shaheen-1A surface-to-surface ballistic missile & the test flight was aimed at re-validating certain design and technical parameters of the weapon system.

About Pakistan :

• President: Arif Alvi
• Prime minister: Imran Khan
• Currency: Pakistani rupee
• Capital: Islamabad

India successfully tests ‘Pralay’ missile off Odisha coast

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test fired the indigenously developed surface-to-surface missile ‘Pralay’, from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.

About ‘Pralay’ missile :

• ‘Pralay’ is the solid-fuel, battlefield missile developed by the Defence Research Development Organisation is based on Prithvi Defence Vehicle from the Indian ballistic missile programme.
• The missile has a range of 150-500 kilometre, surface-to-surface missile with a payload capacity of 500-1,000 kg and can be launched from a mobile launcher.
• It is powered with a solid propellant rocket motor and other new technologies with state-of-the-art navigation and integrated avionics.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

Badminton World Federation rankings: Kidambi Srikanth returns to the top 10 & Viktor Axelsen Tops

• India’s Kidambi Srikanth moved up 4 spots to enter top 10 places in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings.
• In the 2021 BWF World Championship he won the silver medal & became only the fourth ever Indian to win a medal at the BWF World Championships after Sen (2021), HS Prannoy (2019) and Prakash Padukone (1983).
• Young Lakshya Sen, who also secured a maiden bronze at World Championship in his first campaign at the event, jumped two spots to the 17th position but B Sai Praneeth slipped two places to be at the 18th
• H S Prannoy’s quarter final finish in Spain saw him improve six places to the 26th spot.

BWF Rankings :

Rank	Country	Player	Points	Tournaments
1	Denmark	Viktor Axelsen	116779	32
2	Japan	Kento Momota	112210	22
3	Denmark	Anders Antonsen	98300	32
4	Chinese Taipei	Chou Tien Chen	92682	34
5	Indonesia	Anthony Sinisuka Ginting	87567	29
6	China	Chen Long	84400	18
7	Malaysia	Lee Zii Jia	78860	35
8	Indonesia	Jonatan	77647	29
9	Hong Kong	NG Ka Long Angus	69370	31
10	India	Kidambi Srikanth	69158	35

About BWF World Ranking :

• The BWF World Ranking is the official ranking of the Badminton World Federation for badminton players who participate in tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation.
• It is used to determine the qualification for the World Championships and Summer Olympic Games, as well as BWF World Tour tournaments.
• Players under 19 years of age are eligible to rank in the BWF World Junior Ranking, which were introduced in January 2011.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Pritzker Prize-winning architect Richard Rogers Passes away

• Richard Rogers, a British-Italian Pritzker Prize-winning architect passed away.

About Richard Rogers :

• Richard Rogers was born on 23 July 1933 in Florence, Tuscany, Italy.
• His architectural achievements include the 3 World Trade Center in New York, the Center Pompidou in Paris and the Millennium Dome in London,UK.

Awards & Honors :

• Rogers was knighted in 1991 by Queen Elizabeth II.
• He received the Pritzker Prize, in 2007.
• He received the praemium imperiale prize for architecture in 2000.
• He was also awarded the Royal Gold Medal in 1985 and the American Institute of Architect’s Gold Medal in 2019.

About Pritzker Architecture Prize :

• The Pritzker Architecture Prize is awarded annually “to honor a living architect or architects who built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment.
• It is considered to be one of the world’s premier architecture prizes, and is often referred to as the Nobel Prize of architecture.
• First Awarded : 1979

UNION GOVERNMENT SCHEME:

SAMARTH SCHEME

Launched on:

SAMARTH scheme was launched in 2020 by the government of india.

Ministry involved:

SAMARTH scheme is under administrative control of ministry of Textiles.

Minister Of Textiles- Piyush Goyal (Rajyasabha Maharashstra)

Minister Of State – Darshana Jardosh ( Constituency – Surat, Gujrat)

Objectives

To provide demand driven, placement oriented National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) compliant skilling programmes to incentivize and supplement the efforts of the industry in creating jobs in the organized textile and related sectors, covering the entire value chain of textile, excluding Spinning and Weaving.

To promote skilling and skill upgradation in the traditional sectors of handlooms, handicrafts, sericulture and jute.

To enable provision of sustainable livelihood either by wage or self employment to all sections of the society across the country.

Corpus:

The Scheme would target to train 10.00 lakh persons (9 lakhs in organised & 1 lakh in traditional sector) with an outlay of Rs. 1300 crore.

Need of the scheme

The textile and apparel industry is one of the earliest industries developed in India.

Its entire value chain from fiber to apparel manufacturing has a strong presence within the country.

It is the biggest employer after agriculture.

In order to meet the skill gap in the industry and also to supplement its efforts initiated through the Special Package for Garments and Made-ups, the Government has approved the new scheme titled “Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector (SCBTS)” for the entire value chain of textile except Spinning and Weaving in the organized sector, for a period of three years from 2017-18 to 2019-20.

About samarth

The ‘Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector (SCBTS)’ shall be known by the name “samarth signifying the broad objective of the scheme to skill the youth for gainful and sustainable employment in the textile sector.

The skilling programmes would be implemented through following Implementing Agencies:

Textile Industry.

Institutions/Organization of the Ministry of Textiles/State Governments having training infrastructure and placement tie-ups with textile industry.

Reputed training institutions/ NGOs/ Societies/ Trusts/ Organizations/ Companies /Start Ups / Entrepreneurs active in textile sector having placement tie-ups with textile industry.

The scheme will broadly adopt the following strategy:

Aadhaar enabled biometric attendance system with minimum 80% attendance for assessment

Training by certified trainers having Training of Trainers (ToT) certification by RSA/SSCs

CCTV recording for entire training programme and assessment process.

Third party assessment and certification by assessment agencies empaneled by RSA

Placement linked skilling programme with mandatory wage employment in organized sector (70%) and in traditional sector (50%) and post placement tracking for one year

Random physical verification of active training centres

NSQF aligned courses

Robust MIS and real-time Scheme information publicized in Ministry of Textiles website.

Call centre (Helpline) set-up to collect feedback

Mobile app for different stakeholders to ease out monitoring and implementation mechanism.

Preference given to marginalized social groups and 115 aspirational districts

Public Grievance redressal with designated Grievance Redressal Officer from Ministry of Textiles

Internal complaints committee to be constituted under the Sexual Harassment of women at workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, redressal) Act ,2013

Funding as per common norms of MSDE

Common branding as per guidelines of MSDE

For self-empolyment, concessional credit under the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana will be provided for beneficiaries

Advanced features :

Training of Trainers (ToT),

Aadhar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS),

CCTV recording of training programme,

dedicated call centre with helpline number,

mobile app based Management Information System (MIS)

on-line monitoring of the training process.

Textile sector in india:

Around 14 percent of industrial production comes from the textile industry.

Indian textile industry contributes around 4 percent in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

It contributes 17 percent to its export earnings.

Over 3.5 crores people are employed in the Indian textile industry — second largest after agriculture.

Daily CA On Dec 24 :

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval for the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for copra for 2022 season.
• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Competition Commission of India (CCI) and Competition Commission of Mauritius (CCM) for promotion and strengthening of co-operation in competition law and policy.
• The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India(ICAI) and the Polish Chamber of Statutory Auditors (PIBR) to establish mutual co-operation in the areas of Member Management, Professional Ethics, Technical Research, CPD, Professional Accountancy Training, Audit Quality Monitoring, Advancement of Accounting Knowledge, Professional and Intellectual Development.
• Hunar Haat”, the “Popular and Perfect Brand” of “Vocal for Local”, has inaugurated by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Labour and Employment Shri Bhupender Yadav and Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi on December 23, 2021 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.
• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressed the 2nd National Committee meeting on Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav in New Delhi.
• Paytm Payments Bank, an associate entity of Paytm, and Nasdaq-listed MoneyGram, a global leader in digital P2P payments, have entered into a partnership to enable MoneyGram customers globally to send money in real-time to a Paytm Wallet user in India.
• The Indian Olympic Association of India (IOA) appointed Ice Hockey Association of India’s general secretary, Harjinder Singh, as the Chef de Mission of the country’s contingent for the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
• Senior diplomat Pradeep Kumar Rawat has been appointed as India’s next Ambassador to China.
• The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Roorkee) has been awarded the top position under the most innovative research institutions category by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
• Wipro Limited has signed an agreement to acquire Austin, Texas headquartered Edgile, a transformational cybersecurity consulting provider that focuses on risk and compliance, information and cloud security, and digital identity.
• The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) organised a technical conference-cum-exhibition here to disseminate knowledge on the planning, design, implementation, operation and maintenance of 24×7 water supply systems.
• The first set of indigenously developed next-generation Armoured Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicle (AERV) was inducted into the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army at a function attended by Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane at Pune.
• The Indian Air Force (IAF) has started deploying its S-400 air defence missile system in the Punjab sector in a major boost to India’s capability to tackle aerial threats from both China and Pakistan.
• The Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) has been chosen to join a research project backed by the Space Application Centre of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) under a NASA-ISRO collaborative programme
• Pakistan has “successfully” test-fired a version of its indigenously developed Babur cruise missile 1B with enhanced range.
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test fired the indigenously developed surface-to-surface missile ‘Pralay’, from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.
• India’s Kidambi Srikanth moved up 4 spots to enter top 10 places in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings.
• Richard Rogers, a British-Italian Pritzker Prize-winning architect passed away.