Daily Current Affairs and GK | 19 and 20 December 2021

Topic: National News

1. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) launches LogiXtics.

• DPIIT has launched Unified Logistics Interface Platform’s Hackathon – ‘LogiXtics’.
• DPIIT has launched LogiXtics in order to crowd source more ideas which will benefit the logistics industry.
• The Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP) Hackathon – LogiXtics is being organised by NITI Aayog and Atal Innovation Mission.
• It is supported by National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) and NICDC Logistics Data Bank Services Limited (NLDSL).
• ULIP has been designed to enhance efficiency and reduce logistics cost in India by creating a transparent platform that can provide real time information to all stakeholders.
• The cost of logistics in the India is about 14% which is higher than other countries in the world.
• National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) was mandated by NITI Aayog in January 2021 to develop ULIP.

Topic: Committees/ Commissions/Taskforces

2. SEBI constitutes Advisory Committee for Leveraging Regulatory and Technology Solutions (ALeRTS).

• SEBI has constituted Advisory Committee for Leveraging Regulatory and Technology Solutions (ALeRTS) to detect early market anomalies.
• ALeRTS will be headed by SEBI's ex-whole time member Madhabi Puri Buch.
• The committee would recommend future roadmaps and improvements in the various on-going technology projects.
• It will guide SEBI in designing and framing requirements for the various in-house systems.

Topic: Important Day

3. International Human Solidarity Day 2021: 20 December

• Every year on December 20th, International Human Solidarity Day is celebrated.
• International Human Solidarity Day is observed to remind people all over the world of the importance of unity.
• Since 2006, the International Human Solidarity Day has been observed.
• On December 22, 2005, the United Nations General Assembly declared that the Day will be observed on December 20 each year.
• In 2003, the United Nations General Assembly had established the World Solidarity Fund that aims to eliminate poverty and promote human development.

Topic: Defence News

4. India successfully test-fired the 'Agni P' nuclear-capable ballistic missile off the coast of Odisha.

• The new generation nuclear-capable ballistic missile 'Agni Prime' was successfully tested off the coast of Odisha by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• Agni-P is a new generation upgraded version of Agni class missiles. It's a two-stage canisterized missile with a range of 1,000 to 2,000 kilometres.
• The ballistic missile is half the weight of the Agni 3 and can be launched from the train or road. It can also be stored for longer periods of time and transported throughout the country as per operational requirements.
• Recently, the successful test-firing of the air version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile on December 7 was a "significant milestone" in BrahMos' development.

Topic: National News 

5. Good Governance Week inaugurated by Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh.

• Good Governance Week has been inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr. Jitendra Singh on 20 December.
• 'Prashasan Gaon Ki Aur' is the theme of Good Governance Week.
• During the week-long event, over 700 Districts Collectors will visit Tehsil and Panchayat Samiti Headquarters in order to provide timely grievance redressal and improve service delivery.
• Good Governance Week is being celebrated on 20-25 December as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebration.
• It is being celebrated by Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions in collaboration with various other ministries and departments.

Topic: MoUs/ Agreements

6. An MoU signed between NCC and NHAI.

• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between National Cadet Corps (NCC) and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
• The MoU was signed and exchanged by Director General NCC, DG Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh, and NHAI Chief General Manager Sushil Kumar Mishra on 17 December 2021.
• Under the MoU, NHAI will reuse plastic wastes collected by NCC Cadets during Puneet Sagar Abhiyan and other Swachhta activities for construction of roads throughout the country.
• Puneet Sagar Abhiyan was started by NCC to clean seashores/beaches off the plastic & other wastes along the seashores.
• Puneet Sagar Abhiyan was also started to increase awareness about the importance of keeping the seashores free from plastic wastes.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: State News/ Jharkhand

7. Jharkhand government launched scheme to nurture young sporting talents in Maoist hit areas.

• The Jharkhand government has launched a scheme for nurturing young sporting talents in Maoist-hit districts.
• The Sports Action toward Harnessing Aspiration of Youth (SAHAY) scheme has been launched in Saraikela-Kharsawan, West Singhbhum, Khunti, Gumla, and Simdega districts. It will be also launched in other Maoist hit areas.
• Under the scheme, boys and girls in the 14-19 age group from villages to ward level will be registered. This scheme will give them the opportunity to display their skills in basketball, volleyball, hockey, and athletics.
• A Sports Nursery will be set up in the affected areas to nurture talented youngsters. They will be encouraged with incentives such as cash prizes as well as money for kits.
• Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said that the state has a lot of talent in remote areas and the state is committed for nurturing the talent.

Topic: National News

8. NSDC in association with Generation India Foundation launched Project AMBER.

• National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Generation India Foundation (GIF) have launched Project AMBER (Accelerated Mission for Better Employment and Retention) in New Delhi.
• The project has been funded by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) under the Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) programme.
• It aims to train more than 30,000 youths in the country. The training will be conducted in Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKKs) across 70 districts.
• The main objective of this collaboration is to develop and implement a scalable, and sustainable model of skill development. It will support India’s inclusive growth.
• Project AMBER will allow employers and industry to join hands to provide prospects in Covid-resilient job roles.
• This collaboration will bring the government and private sector together. The BlackRock Foundation and McKinsey & Company are supporting the project.

Topic: Miscellaneous

9. Delhi hosted Grand Finale of Vande Bharatam.

• Delhi hosted the Grand Finale of All India Vande Bharatam, Nritya Utsav at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Auditorium.
• 73 groups comprising 949 dancers from 4 zones have reached into the Grand Finale. The winners will get a chance to display their talent at the Republic Day Parade.
• Rani Khanam and her troop presented their specially choreographed performance titled Vande Bharatam.
• Vande Bharatam is an initiative of the Ministry of Defence and its main objective is to select the top dancing talent from across the country.
• Over 2,400 participants from 200 plus teams were short-listed for the zonal level competition.
• 480 dancers will be declared as winners from the Grand Finale. These dancers will get the opportunity to perform on the Republic Day Parade.
• Over 300 groups were selected for the state-level comprising over 3,000 dancers/participants.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

10. Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS) holds its first meeting to monitor the implementation of PM GatiShakti.

• The Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS) hold its first meeting to monitor the implementation of PM GatiShakti.
• During the meeting, the Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS) emphasized upon the need of digitalization. It also suggested for integrating all the management information systems.
• Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS) recommends that the Ministries should include their planning logistic cost reduction to achieve the objective of PM Gatishakti.
• At present, the logistic cost in India is around 13 percent of the GDP.

Topic: National News

11. Amit Shah stated that the Centre is going to establish a university for cooperative training courses.

• According to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the central government will establish a university for cooperative training courses, with its colleges in different locations across the country.
• Shah was in Maharashtra for a two-day visit that began on December 18.
• Shri Shah said that the BJP government led by Narendra Modi is also coming soon with a new cooperative policy so that business can be expanded in the field of cooperation.
• Shah has also inaugurated a new building for the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Pune during his visit.
• Recently, Government has created a new Ministry of Co-operation for realizing the vision of ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’. It will streamline processes for ‘Ease of doing business’ for co-operatives and enable the development of Multi-State Co-operatives (MSCS).

Topic: State News / Assam

12. ADB will assist Assam in establishing a skill development university.

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Assam Skill Development Mission have inked a credit deal for the development of a university in Mangaldoi.
• The project's estimated cost has been USD 140 million, including a 20% state contribution.
• The state government has given 250 bighas of land, and development is expected to start in the first quarter of next year. The project is expected to be completed by 2027.
• Takeo Konishi, country director of the Asian Development Bank, and Adil Khan, director of the Assam Skill Development Mission, signed the loan agreement.
• Through the establishment of the university, the ADB has granted a loan of USD 112 million to boost skill education and training.
• In addition, ADB is also providing technical assistance amounting to one million dollars.
• According to the full project details, nine schools for the university have been proposed to meet the technical, skill, and business needs of local entrepreneurs, startups, and micro, small, and medium enterprises.
• The state assembly has already passed the Assam Skill University Act 2020.

Topic: Personality in News

13. Ex-SC judge Girish Thakorlal Nanavati passed away at the age of 86.

• Justice Girish Thakorlal Nanavati, a former Supreme Court judge who investigated the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the 2002 Godhra riots, has died on 18 December.
• Nanavati, who was born on February 17, 1935, was enrolled in the Bombay High Court as an advocate on February 11, 1958.
• On July 19, 1979, he was appointed as a permanent judge by the Gujarat High Court, and on December 14, 1993, he was transferred to the Orissa High Court.
• Nanavati was appointed as judge of the Supreme Court with effect from March 6, 1995, and retired on February 16, 2000.
• In 2014, Justices Nanavati and Akshay Mehta had presented Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel with their final report on the 2002 riots.
• The commission was established in 2002 by the then chief minister Narendra Modi to probe the riots that took place after the burning of two coaches of the Sabarmati Express train near the Godhra railway station, in which 59 'karsevaks' died.
• Earlier, Justice Nanavati was appointed by the BJP-led NDA government at the Center in May 2000 to a one-man commission to probe the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Topic: Banking System

14. RBI has imposed a fine on ICICI Bank Rs 30 lakh and PNB Rs 1.8 crore.

• Punjab National Bank and ICICI Bank have been fined Rs 1.8 crore, and Rs 30 lakh, respectively, by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for regulatory compliance violations.
• The RBI had conducted a Statutory Inspection for Supervisory Evaluation (ISE) of Punjab National Bank (PNB) based on its financial position as of March 31, 2019.
• The RBI has found a contravention of its provisions relating to the PNB's pledge of shares after reviewing the ISE and examining other documents.
• The penalty has been levied on PNB for violating section 19 sub-part (2) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
• In the case of the ICICI Bank, the RBI had conducted the statutory inspection for supervisory evaluation of the bank with reference to its financial position as of March 31, 2019.
• Later, the RBI has found non-compliance with instructions about the imposition of charges for failure to maintain a minimum amount in savings accounts.