Daily Current Affairs and GK | 25, 26 and 27 December 2021

Topic: Important Day

1. Good Governance Day 2021: 25 December

• Every year on 25 December Good Governance Day is celebrated in India.
• It is celebrated to honor former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi established the Good Governance Day in 2014, since then the day is being celebrated in India.
• It was founded to raise public awareness of government responsibility among Indian citizens.
• On this occasion, people are urged to gain a thorough understanding of the laws and regulations enacted by the Indian government.
• On December 23, 2014, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee declared former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the winner of the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour for merit.

Topic: State News/ Karnataka

2. Despite protests, Karnataka passed an anti-conversion bill in assembly.

• The Karnataka legislative assembly passed the Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021, also known as the anti-conversion bill.
• The bill was first initiated by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in 2016.
• The 'Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021' protects religious freedom and prohibits unlawful conversion from one religion to another through deception, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement, or any other fraudulent means.
• The bill proposed a sentence of three to five years in prison and a fine of Rs 25,000.
• In the case of violations of provisions relating to minors, women, and SC/ST, offenders can face imprisonment for three to ten years and a fine of not less than Rs 50,000.
• The bill also calls for the accused to pay up to Rs five lakh in compensation to individuals who were forced to convert, and it calls for 3-10 years in prison and a fine of up to Rs one lakh in cases of mass conversion.
• The Bill states that persons who wish to convert to any other religion will have to give a declaration in a prescribed format to the District Magistrate at least 30 days in advance.

Topic: Reports and Indices

3. India is ranked third in the world according to Hurun Global Unicorn Index 2021.

• India is ranked third in the world according to Hurun Global Unicorn Index 2021.
• India was placed fourth when it comes to the number of unicorns last year. India has achieved third place by displacing UK this year. India is only behind the US and China.
• As per the report, India has more than doubled the number of unicorns from last year. India has total 54 unicorns.
• As per the report, out of 122 unicorns in e-commerce globally, 15 are in India.
• As per Hurun India, India’s list of unicorns is led by edtech platform BYJU’s. It is valued at $21 billion.
• BYJU’s is followed by mobile ad-tech platform InMobi valued at $12 billion and hospitality major OYO Rooms valued at $9.5 billion.
• Bengaluru is home to the highest number of unicorns among Indian cities.

Topic: Sports

4. Anahat Singh won Junior US Open Squash tournament.

• India’s Anahat Singh won Junior US Open Squash tournament in the U-15 girls' category in Philadelphia.
• She defeated Jayda Marei of Egypt in the final.  She defeated junior national champion Dixon Hill of US in the semifinal.
• The venue of tournament was Arlen Spectre Centre in Philadelphia. Over 850 top juniors from 41 nations took part in the tournament.
• Anahat Singh started playing squash at the age of 8. She is currently ranked number 1 in Europe, Asia & India in the girls U 13 Category.

Topic: Committees/ Commissions/Taskforces

5. Centre formed committee to look into the withdrawal of AFSPA in Nagaland.

• The committee to look into the withdrawal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in Nagaland has been formed by the centre.
• The committee will give its report in 45 days. It will be headed by Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India Vivek Joshi.
• It will have five members. Additional Secretary in the Union Home Ministry Piyush Goyal will be its Member-Secretary.
• Other members of the panel will be the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police of Nagaland and the DGP of Assam Rifles.
• Six civilians were killed in an Army ambush on December 4, and eight more in violence triggered by the incident in Nagaland’s Mon district.

Topic: State News/Himachal Pradesh

6. PM Modi inaugurated and laid foundation stone of hydropower projects worth over 11 thousand crore rupees in Himachal Pradesh.

• PM Modi inaugurated and laid foundation stone of hydropower projects worth over 11 thousand crore rupees in Himachal Pradesh on 27 December, 2021.
• PM Modi also presided over the second ground breaking ceremony of Himachal Pradesh Global Investors’ Meet.
• PM Modi laid foundation stone of the Renuka Ji Dam project. The 40 MW project will be built at a cost of around 7,000 crore rupees.
• PM Modi also laid foundation stone of the Luhri Stage 1 Hydro Power Project. The 210 MW project will be built at a cost of over 1800 crore rupees.
• He laid the foundation stone of the Dhaulasidh Hydro Power Project. This will be the first hydropower project of Hamirpur district. The 66 MW project will be built at a cost of over 680 crore rupees.
• PM Modi inaugurated the Sawra-Kuddu Hydro Power Project. The 111 MW Project has been built at a cost of around 2,080 crore rupees.

Topic: Reports and Indices

7. Union Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah released Good Governance Index 2021.

• On the occasion of Good Governance Day (25 December 2021), Union Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah released the Good Governance Index 2021.
• It has been prepared by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG).
• Good Governance is the key component of the economic transformation. It focuses on the ‘minimum government and maximum governance’.
• Good Governance Index is a comprehensive framework to assess the State of Governance across the States and UTs.
• The main objective of this index is to create a tool for assessing the impact of various interventions taken up by the Central and State Governments,
• Good Governance Index 2021 is based on the 10 Governance Sectors and 58 Governance Indicators.
• GGI 2020-21 categorizes States and UTs into four categories i.e., (i) Other States – Group A; (ii) Other States – Group B; (iii) North-East and Hill States; and (iv) Union Territories.
• In the 2021 Good Governance Index, 20 States have improved their composite GGI scores. Uttar Pradesh has shown a growth of 8.9% over GGI 2019 performance.
• Gujarat has topped in the Other States – Group A category composite ranking while Madhya Pradesh has topped the Other States – Group B category.
• Rajasthan has topped the Other States (Group B) category in Judiciary and Public Safety, Environment & Citizen Centric Governance
• In the North-East and Hill States category, Mizoram and Jammu and Kashmir have shown an overall increase of 10.4% and 3.7% respectively.
• Delhi has topped the union territories category composite ranking, while Jammu and Kashmir registered an improvement of 3.7 percent in the GGI indicators.
• The end result of this ranking is to improve the citizen services and make the government inclusive and accountable.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Defence

8. Defence Minister inaugurates Brahmos missile manufacturing unit in Lucknow.

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has laid the foundation stone of the BrahMos Aerospace cruise missile manufacturing unit in Lucknow.
• BrahMos is a joint venture between the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India and the NPOM of Russia. BrahMos missile derives its name from the Brahmaputra river of India and the Moskva river of Russia.
• He also laid the foundation of DRDO Defence Technology and Test Centre in Lucknow.
• All the three wings of the Indian defence forces have already inducted the BrahMos advanced weapon system.
• BrahMos Project will help in creating 5,500 fresh job opportunities.
• Recently, India successfully test-fired the air version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the integrated test range of Chandipur.

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

9. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister inaugurated Intelligent Transport System on Eastern Peripheral Expressway.

• Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has inaugurated an intelligent transport system on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway at Dasna, Ghaziabad.
• The intelligent transport system will help in reducing road accidents on the Expressway. It will help in achieving traffic efficiency by minimizing traffic problems.
• It will give users prior information about traffic and reduces travel time for commuters. An Intelligent transport system can detect an accident and will give alerts to ambulance.
• Nitin Gadkari also laid the foundation stone of National Highway projects of 240 Km worth ₹9,119 crores in Meerut and Muzaffarnagar.
• Union minister Nitin Gadkari also emphasized upon the importance of Ethanol, Hydrogen, and other bio-fuels for sustainable transportation.
• Every year around 1.5 lakh people are killed in 5 lakh accidents across the country.
• Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) or Kundli–Ghaziabad–Palwal Expressway (KGP Expressway) is a 135 km long, 6-lane wide expressway passing through Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

10. SIDBI signed MoU with the government of West Bengal for developing MSME ecosystem in the state.

• Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) signed an MoU with the government of West Bengal for developing the MSME ecosystem in the state.
• Under this agreement, a project management unit (PMU) of SIDBI will work with the West Bengal state government.
• The Project management unit (PMU) will support the West Bengal government in facilitating the development of the MSME ecosystem.
• The Project management unit (PMU) of SIDBI will study the existing framework and guide stakeholders for developing the MSME ecosystem.
• It will guide stakeholders in onboarding funding for digit platforms, marketing and listing. It will also evaluate the scope of infrastructure projects for MSME clusters.

Topic: National News

11. Soya Meal declared an essential commodity by Centre until June 30, 2022.

• To bring down domestic Soya Meal prices, the government has issued an order to declare "Soya Meal" as an essential commodity by amending the Schedule of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.
• The restrictions will be in place until June 30, 2022, and an order was issued in this regard on December 23.
• Processors, millers, and plant owners can store a maximum of 90 days' worth of soya meal and will have to declare the storage location.
• With a defined and declared storage location, government-registered trading companies, traders, and private chaupals can hold a maximum stock of 160 tonnes.
• The decision would empower the Union Government and all States/UTs to regulate production, distribution etc. of Soya Meal and to smoothen the sale and availability of this item in the market.
• It would put a stop to unfair market practices and increase the supply of products for consumers such as poultry farms and cattle feed manufacturers.

Topic: Corporates/Companies

12. NSE has launched ‘NSE Prime’ to increase the bar on corporate governance.

• The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has introduced 'NSE Prime,' a framework that allows listed firms to sign up for higher governance standards than those mandated by law.
• They can voluntarily sign up for NSE Prime, which will require them to adhere to higher governance standards.
• An NSE Prime business must have at least 40% public shareholding, compared to 25% under Sebi guidelines.
• The Chairman should not be related to the Managing Director.
• These firms' board members are limited to serving on the boards of only five listed companies.

Topic: National News

13. PM Modi announced a vaccine for children and precautionary doses for frontline workers and senior citizens.

• In the wake of the Omicron panic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Covid-19 vaccination for children as well as booster doses for frontline workers and senior citizens on December 25.
• From January 3, 2022, children between the ages of 15 and 18 will be given the Covid vaccine.
• From January 10, 2022, senior citizens over 60 with comorbidities will receive booster dosages.
• The start of a new vaccine phase in January 2022 will bring India's vaccination journey to a year's completion, as the Covid-19 inoculation program began on January 16, 2021.
• The Drug Controller General of India has approved Bharat Biotech's Covaxin for emergency use in children aged 12 to 18, making it the second vaccination after Zydus Healthcare's ZyCoV-D to be approved for children under the age of 18.

Topic: Sports

14. Himachal Pradesh wins Vijay Hazare Trophy.

• Himachal Pradesh defeated Tamil Nadu to win their maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy on December 26 in Jaipur, with the help of Shubham Arora's unbeaten 136 runs.
• Himachal Pradesh won the Vijay Hazare Trophy by defeating Tamil Nadu by 11 runs using the VJD method.
• Rishi Dhawan of Himachal Pradesh won the toss and elected to bowl first against Dinesh Karthik's Tamil Nadu.
• Due to poor light, the match was suspended at 5 pm, and Himachal has been declared the winner.
• The first edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, also known as the Ranji One-Day Trophy, was held in 2002-03. Tamil Nadu has been the most successful team, having won five times.