Daily Current Affairs and GK | 22 December 2023

Topic: Sports

1. Dommaraju Gukesh clinched title at Chennai Grand Masters 2023.

• In Chennai Grand Masters 2023 tournament, Dommaraju Gukesh clinched the title by drawing with Pentala Harikrishna.
• Arjun Erigaisi secured the second position in the Chennai Grand Masters 2023.
• Pentala Harikrishna finished the tournament on third position with 4 points.
• Arjun and Gukesh secured 4.5 points out of 7.
• Gukesh takes the lead in the FIDE Circuit by winning this title. He can qualify for the Candidates Tournament 2024 if keep the lead till 1st January 2024.
• Earlier, R. Praggnanandhaa qualified for the Candidates by finishing second at the FIDE World Cup 2023 held at Baku.
• The 2024 Candidates Tournament will held to determine the challenger for the 2024 World Chess Championship.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Awards and Prizes

2. Sukrita Paul Kumar has won the Tagore Literary Prize.

• Sukrita Paul Kumar has won the sixth edition of the Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize for her book, 'Salt & Pepper: Selected Poems'.
• She received USD 5,000, a Tagore statue and a certificate for contribution to literature at the award ceremony on 18 December.
• The award was started in 2018 by US-based publisher Peter Bundalo.
• The award is a platform for world peace, literature, art, education and human rights.
• It also recognises works towards human rights and world peace with the Social Achievement Prize.
• Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee was awarded the Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize for social achievement for his contributions to societal welfare.
• Journalist-author Raj Kamal Jha won the prize last year for his novel 'The City and The Sea'.

Topic: Personality in News

3. Dr V Mohini Giri died at the age of 86 following a brief illness.

• She was a renowned women’s rights activist. She has been an icon of the women’s rights movement.
• She was awarded Padma Bhushan in 2007 for her work in the field of women’s rights.
• She was the former Chair of the National Commission for Women.
• She was the former Chair of the Central Social Welfare Board.
• She was also the Chairperson of the Guild of Service. It is a New Delhi–based social service organisation.
• In 1972, she founded the War Widows Association. She was the daughter-in-law of former President Dr V V Giri.

Topic: Miscellaneous

4. New CA India logo has been unveiled by ICAI.

• Vice-President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar launched this new logo of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).
• The new logo has been unveiled at a recently held Global Professional Accountants Convention (GloPAC), in Gandhinagar.
• It is made up of the letters ‘CA’ in blue with a tricolour tick mark (upside down) on a white background.
• The blue colour denotes innovativeness, creativity, knowledge, trust, integrity, stability, truth, and depth.
• The upside-down tick mark in tricolor has been included to symbolise the wisdom and value of the professionals.
• ‘India’ is added to the logo, which epitomizes the Institute’s commitment to the India First approach.
• It also epitomizes the Institute’s commitment to serve the Indian economy in the public interest.

Topic: International News

5. Angola leaves OPEC after disagreements over production targets.

• Angola, Africa's second-biggest oil producer, has said it is leaving OPEC after disagreements over its production targets, in a blow to the oil cartel chaired by Saudi Arabia.
• The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting and approved by President João Lourenço.
• The decision came after the producer group lowered Angola's oil production target of last month as part of a series of cuts led by Saudi Arabia to prop up prices.
• Angola joined OPEC in 2007 but has recently clashed with Saudi Arabia over efforts to cut its output.
• Angola walked out of the OPEC meeting in June but ultimately agreed with Nigeria and the Republic of Congo to have its production baselines reviewed by an independent third party.
• Angola has been struggling to improve declining production for nearly a decade.
• OPEC:
  • It is an intergovernmental organisation of petroleum-exporting countries.
  • It was founded on September 14, 1960, in Baghdad.
  • It is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.
  • It has 13 members, which are responsible for 30% of global oil production.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Indian Polity

6. 'Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023' passed by the Parliament.

• On 21 December, the Lok Sabha passed the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023 in a historic decision.
• The bill repeals the colonial-era law of the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867.
• This bill has already been passed in the Rajya Sabha in the monsoon session.
• In the new law of ‘Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023, the process of title allotment and registration of newspapers and magazines has been made simple and synchronized through the online system without visiting any office.
• This will help the Press Registrar General to significantly speed up the process, thereby ensuring that publishers, especially small and medium publishers, do not face any difficulty in starting their publication.
• Most importantly, publishers will no longer be required to submit the relevant declaration to the District Magistrates or local authorities and get such declarations certified.
• Further, printing presses will also not be required to submit any such declaration, instead, only a notice will sufficient.
• Currently, the entire process involved 8 steps and was time-consuming.
• Its objective is to provide ease of doing business, ease of living, and promote Digital India.
• The law has been substantially decriminalized compared to the PRB Act 1867, which provided for severe penalties and imprisonment of up to 6 months for various violations of the Act.
• In the 1867 Act, only the DM could cancel the declaration of a magazine, the Press Registrar General did not have power to cancel or suspend the certificate of registration granted by him.
• The PRP Bill 2023 empowers the Press Registrar General to suspend/cancel the registration certificate.
• The Act of 1867 was a legacy of the British Raj, intended to exercise complete control over the press and printers and publishers of newspapers and books, as well as impose heavy fines and penalties, including imprisonment, for various violations.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

7. UNESCO has awarded Rambagh Gate and Ramparts in Amritsar, Punjab.

• It has also awarded heritage conservation projects related to Haryana's Church of Epiphany and Delhi's Bikaner House.
• The Rambagh Gate and Ramparts project received the highest honor, the 'Award of Excellence'.
• It received the award for its inclusivity and access to the broader community.
• An "Award of Merit" was given to three projects, including the Church of Epiphany in Gurugram, Haryana and Bikaner House.
• The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation honour people and groups for their contributions to the preservation and restoration of historically significant buildings.
• This year, the awards panel recognised twelve projects from China, India, and Nepal.
• Five projects are from China, six are from India, and one is from Nepal.
• Three projects received an ‘Award of Distinction’ each. These projects are mentioned below.
  • Fanling Golf Course in Hong Kong SAR, China
  • Dongguan Garden Residences in Yangzhou, China
  • Karnikara Mandapam at Kunnamangalam Bhagawati Temple, Kerala, India
• The Karnikara Mandapam at Kunnamangalam Bhagawati Temple in Kerala, India; Pipal Haveli in Punjab, India; and Sikami Chhen in Kathmandu, Nepal, were accorded Special Recognition for Sustainable Development.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National Appointments

8. Sanjay Singh has won the election for the new president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).

• He was elected the new president of WFI. He got 40 votes in the election.
• The other applicant, Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning wrestler, Anita Sheoran got 7 votes.
• Mr Singh is the vice president of the Uttar Pradesh Wrestling Association.
• He previously served on the WFI’s executive council. He has also been its joint secretary since 2019.
• He will succeed controversial Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh as WFI chief.
• Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was forced to resign from his position after some wrestlers made accusations against him.
• The Wrestling Federation of India is the governing body of wrestling in India. It is headquartered in New Delhi.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

9. Kerala emerged as the preferred State to work in India: India Skills Report 2024.

• As per the India Skills Report 2024, Kerala is the most preferred State to work in India.
• Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram have emerged as premier employment destinations for the youth in the country.
• According to this report, in urban area, both men and women prefer to work regardless of their age.
• This report has been published by talent assessment agency Wheebox in collaboration with AICTE, CII, AIU, Google, and Taggd.
• 3.88 lakh youth have been surveyed through a National Employability Test conducted across the country.
• This report shows that employability in India has improved and 51.25% of the youths have been found employable with the required skills.
• In overall employability among the 18-21 age group, Kerala secured second position. Thiruvananthapuram leads in providing computer skills.
• Kerala is in third position in terms of the highest concentration of employable talent in the B.E./BTech and polytechnic domains.
• The report appreciated Kerala’s government’s step to impart skills to over 2.5 lakh higher secondary students in the last decade.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

10. Ministry of Textiles launched the “Paat-Mitro” application for jute farmers.

• The Ministry of Textiles launched “Paat-Mitro” - a mobile application to provide important information about MSP and agronomy to jute farmers.
• Rachna Shah, Assistant Secretary, Textiles Ministry, has launched it, which is available at 6 beaches.
• This mobile application was developed by the Jute Corporation of India Limited (JCI) during the ‘Jute Symposium’.
• The application can be freely downloaded from the Google Play Store,
• It will provide information about the latest agronomic practices and Minimum Support Prices (MSP); Jute Gradation Parameters, Farmer-centric schemes like ‘Jute-ICARE’, weather forecasts, etc.
• Through this application, farmers will also be able to track the status of their payments for the raw jute sold to JCI under MSP.
• Many latest features like Chatbot are included in this application for resolving queries.
• To create awareness and popularize Jute based technical textiles, the ‘Jute Symposium’ was organized.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

11. Govt app will be launched to track live cargo across land, rail, sea & air.

• India will launch an app that will enable companies to track their live cargo across land, rail, sea, and air.
• The app has garnered interest from over 700 companies across courier, logistics, shipping, and manufacturing.
• These companies have signed up on the app which the government will launch soon.
• The National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) is reportedly developing this app,
• NICDC will use specific tracking codes to track and trace the consignment.
• They will also measure the reliability of consignment movement to provide real-time tracking details and vehicle visibility.
• The aim of the app is to enhance tracking capabilities, providing real-time visibility into the movement of trucks, trains, and air couriers.
• The initiative is part of India's plan to streamline logistics and reduce costs.
• India's logistics cost was 7.8-8.9% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) in fiscal year 2022. India wants to reduce it to 5-6%.
• The app also aligns with India's broader plan to improve its ranking in the World Bank's Logistics Performance Index, from 38 currently down to 25.

Topic: Important Days

12. National Mathematics Day 2023: 22 December

• Every year on December 22, National Mathematics Day is celebrated across the country.
• It is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan, who gave 3500 mathematical formulas to the world.
• The main objective of this day is to raise awareness among people about the importance of mathematics for the development of humanity.
• In 2012, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared 22 December as National Mathematics Day on the 125th birth anniversary of Srinivasa Ramanujan.
• Srinivasa Ramanujan:
  • He was born on 22 December 1887 in Tamil Nadu.
  • He was the first Indian to be elected a Fellow of Trinity College.
  • He is also known as the “man who knew infinity”.
  • He had contributed to mathematical analysis, number theory, infinite series, and continued fractions.
  • He was one of the youngest people to receive the fellowship of the Royal Society.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Space and IT

13. Scientists spotted volcanic activity on Mars.

• Scientists discovered volcanic activity on Mars over a plain called the Elysium Planitia.
• Scientist’s research reveals that volcanic activity may have taken place in the last 120 million years.
• Elysium Planitia is the youngest volcanic terrain on Mars and its study will help in a better understanding of Mars.
• The scientists have found no volcanic activity taking place presently.
• Elysium Planitia is volcanically much more active than previously thought in studies.
• According to scientists, some of the lava flowing on the surface of Mars looks pretty young.
• This study was led by Joana Voigt along with planetary scientist Christopher Hamilton.

Topic: Indian Economy

14. RBI’s Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) model has projected retail inflation at 4.8% in FY25.

• This projection is above the monetary policy committee’s 4% target.
• CPI inflation is projected to moderate after Q3 FY24. Annual CPI inflation is projected to average out at 5.3% in FY24.
• This is projected to moderate further to 4.8% in FY25, as per the model.
• Based on the retail inflation forecast of the DSGE model, the repo rate is expected to stay at 6.5% for the majority of FY25.
• This is because the monetary policy committee (MPC) has decided to focus on the withdrawal of accommodation to achieve the 4% target.
• According to the DSGE model, real GDP growth for 2023-24 is projected at 7.1%.
• Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) model for the Indian economy captures the dynamic interactions between various agents in the economy as well as their response to shocks.