Daily Current Affairs and GK | 10 December 2020

Topic: Appointments

1. PM Modi congratulated Kuwaiti PM on his re-appointment.

• Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah has been re-appointed as the Prime Minister of Kuwait.
• Sheikh Sabah had served as the foreign minister from 2011-2019. He was elevated to the post of premier in 2019.
• Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah has appointed Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah as the Prime Minister.
• Kuwait:
  • It is located in West Asia.
  • It shares its boundary with Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
  • Its capital is Kuwait City and the currency is Kuwaiti dinar.
  • Kuwait is a constitutional emirate with a parliamentary system of government. The political system is divided between an elected parliament and an appointed government.

(Source: Aljazeera)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

2. Central Government announced ‘CO-WIN’ app for delivery of COVID-19 vaccine.

• The Union Health Ministry has announced a ‘CO-WIN’ mobile app for the COVID-19 vaccine delivery.
• It will look at the whole vaccination process from registration to report.
• It will have five separate modules for administrator, registration, vaccination, beneficiary acknowledgment and reports.
• Different Modules of this App:
  • Registration Module: It will help people in getting registered for the vaccination process.
  • Administrator module: It will help administrators for conducting vaccination sessions at different places.
  • Vaccination module: It will validate the beneficiary details and update the vaccination status.
  • Report Module: It will store data about the vaccination sessions, how many people have taken part in the vaccination process.
  • Beneficiary acknowledgment module: It will send SMS to beneficiaries and generate certificates after one gets vaccinated.

Topic: National news

3. PM will lay the foundation stone of a new Parliament House building.

• Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the new parliament building at the Parliament complex.
• It will be developed under the Central Vista project. It will be part of Atmanirbhar Bharat's vision of the government.
• The construction of this new building is expected to be completed by 2022 with an estimated cost of Rs 971crore.
• This new Parliament building will be triangular in shape, spread over 64,500 meters, and have a seating capacity of 1,244 MPs.
• This new building will have Committee Rooms, offices, a lounge for members of Parliament, a library and other amenities.
• It will be constructed by Tata Projects Limited and has been designed by the HCP Designs firm of Gujarat.
• Central Vista project: It is an ambitious redevelopment project of the government. Under it, a new parliament and a common secretariat will be constructed.
• Existing Parliament House Building:
  • The construction of this building was started in 1921 and got completed in 1927.
  • The opening of this building was performed by Lord Irwin on 18 January 1927.
  • It was designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker.
  • It is also known as Sansad Bhavan.
  • It is located in New Delhi.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

4. Union Cabinet approves PM-WANI (Wi-Fi Access Network Interface) scheme.

• Union Cabinet has approved PM-WANI (Wi-Fi Access Network Interface) scheme.
• The Cabinet has approved a proposal of Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for creating Public Wi-Fi Networks by Public Data Office Aggregators (PDOAs).
• The Public Wi-Fi Networks will allow the public to access public Wi-Fi service through Public Data Offices (PDOs) all over the country without levy of any License Fee and this Public Wi-Fi Access Network Interface will be called PM-WANI.
• Along with PDOs and PDOAs, PM-WANI will also involve App Providers and a Central Registry. In the starting, Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) will maintain Central Registry.
• Registration is not required for PDOs and PDOAs. However, it is mandatory for App Providers to register through SARALSANCHAR, an online registration portal of DoT.
• The roles of PDOs, PDOAs, App Providers and Central Registry are given below.

Topic: Important Days

5. International Anti-Corruption Day: 9 December

• It is observed every year on 9 December to raise awareness about the disadvantages of corruption and the importance of transparency.
• The theme of the International Anti-Corruption Day 2020 is ‘Recover with integrity’. This year’s theme emphasizes the importance of Anti-corruption measures for better recovery from the effect of COVID-19 pandemic.
• The United Nation General Assembly has adopted the United Nations Convention against corruption on 31^st October in 2003. The convention came into force from December 2005.
• The United Nation General Assembly had also designated 9 December as the International Anti-Corruption Day in 2003.
• This day also highlights the importance of Convention in the fight against corruption.
• This year the focus will be on reducing the corruption and enhancing the accountability of Public health sector in response to COVID-19 pandemic.

(Source: UN)

6. Human Rights Day: December 10

• It is observed annually on December 10 to highlight the importance of human rights for all human beings on the earth.
• It is celebrated to mark the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. It is the first global document which has given the detail about Human Rights.
• The theme of Human Rights Day 2020 is to “Recover Better - Stand Up for Human Rights”.
• This year’s theme of Human rights day emphasizes on creating equal opportunity for everyone and reducing the inequalities and discrimination created due to COVID-19.
• United Nations Human Rights Council: It was established in 2006 by the United Nations General Assembly. It is responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights in the world. Its headquarters is located in Geneva.
• Human rights:
  • These are the basic right for all humans around the globe.
  • It includes the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, etc.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

7. Cabinet approved the various MoUs with Luxembourg and Suriname.

• The Union Cabinet has approved the MoU between Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and CSSF Luxembourg for cooperation in the field of securities regulations.
• It will assist in strengthening the information sharing framework for sharing of information related to securities laws and will also contribute to the establishment of a technical assistance programme.
• Earlier, India and Luxembourg held the first summit in 20 years. The meeting resulted in three new bilateral agreements:
  • Luxembourg Stock Exchange with State Bank of India (SBI)
  • Luxembourg Stock Exchange with the India International Stock Exchange (INX)
  • LuxInnovation and Invest India
• Cabinet has also approved an MoU between India and Suriname for cooperation in the area of Health and Medicine.
• India- Suriname will promote mutual research in various fields and also share their expertise in the field of public health.

Topic:  State News/ Odisha

8. Odisha government launched Eco-Retreat program at 5 locations.

• Odisha has launched the Eco-Retreat program to promote tourism in the state. It has been launched by the Chief Minister of Odisha. 
• It is the second edition of the Eco-Retreat programme.
• It is launched at 5 locations which are Konark, Satakosia, Bhitarkanika, Daringibadi and Hirakud. These locations will be open to visitors till February 2021.
• Under this scheme, tourist will be provided luxury cottages for accommodation at these five locations.
• In this second edition, 145 cottages will be set up at these five identified locations.
• Odisha:
  • It is a state located in the east of India.
  • Its capital is Bhubaneswar.
  • The Chief Minister is Naveen Patnaik and Governor is Ganeshi Lal.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

9. Union Cabinet gives approval to Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY).

• Union Cabinet has given approval to Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY) and to the expenditure of Rs. 22,810 crores on ABRY for 2020-2023.
• Cabinet has also approved the expenditure of Rs. 1,584 crore on ABRY for the current financial year. ABRY will continue till 2023.
• It aims to increase employment in the formal sector. It also aims to encourage new employment opportunities during the Covid recovery phase under Atmanirbhar Bharat Package 3.0.
• Under ABRY, the central government will give new employees subsidy work from 1 October 2020 to 30 June 2021. The subsidy will be for two years period.
• Under this scheme, the central government will contribute 24% of wages to Employees’ Provident Fund. This will be for new employees in organizations having up to 1000 employee for two years.
• However, the government will pay only employee's share of EPF (12% of wages) in case of an organization having more than 1000 employees for two years.
• Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) will develop software and transparent, an accountable procedure for Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY).

Topic: Defence

10. DRDO tested secure communication of encryption keys via its Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) technology.

• DRDO has tested secure communication of encryption keys via its Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) technology. 
• The testing of secure communication of encryption keys via QKD technology was done between two DRDO labs.
• The labs are Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) and Research Centre Imarat (RCI). Both are located in Hyderabad.
• DRDO is working on the development of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) technology for secure sharing of encryption keys and the testing is an important stage in the development of technology.
• Encryption keys can be shared securely through Quantum based communication. The testing has validated quantum based security against eavesdropping for systems deployed at 12 km range. 
• Eavesdropping means accessing communication between two parties or networks secretly by a third party.
• Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR), Bengaluru and DRDO Young Scientist Laboratory Quantum Technologies (DYSL-QT), Mumbai are involved in the development of QKD technology. Both of them are DRDO laboratories.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

11. Union Cabinet approved USOF scheme to provide mobile coverage in certain villages in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

• Union Cabinet has approved the USOF scheme to provide mobile coverage in certain villages in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
• Under the scheme, mobile coverage will be provided in certain villages in Arunachal Pradesh and villages in Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts of Assam.
• The funds for the USOF scheme will be provided from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF). The deadline for completion of the project under the scheme is till December 2022.
• The villages of Arunachal Pradesh and in Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts of Assam will be provided mobile access under the Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan for North Eastern Region.
• The proposal for Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan for North Eastern Region was approved by Union Cabinet in 2014.
• In 2018, Union Cabinet approved the USOF scheme for Meghalaya under the Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan for North Eastern Region.
• Union Cabinet has also given approval for providing Submarine Optical Fibre Cable connectivity between Mainland (Kochi) and 11 islands of Lakshadweep (KLI Project).
• The deadline for completion of the KLI project is till May 2023. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) is Project Execution Agency and Telecommunications Consultant India Ltd. (TCIL) is Technical Consultant for KLI project. This project is funded by USOF.