Daily Current Affairs and GK | 28 December 2021

Topic: Space and IT

1. NASA launched world's most powerful space telescope.

• James Webb Space Telescope, the world’s largest and most powerful, has been launched by NASA. It has been launched from French Guiana from the European Ariane rocket.
• It started its journey towards its destination of 1.6 million kilometers (1 million miles). It will start scanning the cosmos after one month.
• It will help scientists in examining the atmospheres of planets and determining whether the planet is suitable for habitat or not.
• The James Webb Space Telescope will find the first galaxies that formed in the early universe. NASA has developed this telescope with the help of the European and Canadian space agencies.
• The primary mirror of JWST is plated in gold and has a diameter of 6.5 meters. The telescope was initially planned to launch in 2007 with a budget of $500 million.
• JWST will be located near the second Lagrange point (L2). It will orbit the sun roughly 15,00,000 km away.

Topic: Defence

2. INS Khukri decommissioned after 32 years of service.

• India’s first indigenously built missile corvette, INS Khukri, has been decommissioned after 32 years of service.
• It has been decommissioned at a ceremony held at Visakhapatnam.
• INS Khukri was built by the Mazagon Dock shipbuilders and it was part of both the Western and Eastern Fleets.
• During her service in the Indian Navy, the ship was commanded by 28 commanding officers. It covered a distance of over 6,44,897 nautical miles.
• The Indian Naval Ship, Khukri was associated with the Gorkha Brigade of the Indian Army. The ship was commissioned in Mumbai by the then Defence Minister Krishna Chandra Pant.

Topic: Sports

3. Harbhajan Singh announced retirement from all forms of cricket.

• Indian Cricketer Harbhajan Singh has announced retirement from all forms of cricket.
• In his career, he took 417 wickets in 103 Tests, 269 wickets in 236 ODIs, and 25 wickets in 28 T20Is. He played for Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, and Kolkata Knight Riders.
• He made his India debut during an ODI against New Zealand at Sharjah in 1998. He played last for India in March 2016.
• He was a member of the team which has won the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup. He is also known as ‘Turnabator’.
• He is one of India’s most successful off-spin bowlers. He made his Test debut against Australia in 1998.

Topic: Indian Economy

4. India imposed anti-dumping duty on five Chinese products.

• India has imposed anti-dumping duty on five Chinese products for five years.
• India imposed an anti-dumping duty to protect local manufacturers from cheap imports.
• The duty has been imposed on products of aluminum, Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) component R-32, silicone sealant, sodium hydrosulfite, and hydrofluorocarbon mixtures.
• According to the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), products have been exported to the Indian markets at below normal value.
• CBIC has also imposed a duty on a vehicle component – axle for trailers to protect domestic manufacturers from cheap imports.
• India has also imposed a duty on imports of calcined gypsum powder from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Iran for five years.

Topic: State News/ Uttar Pradesh

5. PM Modi inaugurated completed section of Kanpur Metro Rail.

• PM Modi has inaugurated the completed section of Kanpur Metro Rail on 28 December 2021.
• PM Modi also inaugurated Bina-Panki Multiproduct Pipeline on 28 December 2021.
• The length of the completed section of Kanpur Metro Rail Project is 9 Km from IIT Kanpur to Moti Jheel.
• The entire length of Kanpur Metro Rail Project is 32 Km. It is being built at a cost of over 11,000 crore rupees.
• Bina-Panki Multiproduct Pipeline Project extends from Bina refinery in Madhya Pradesh to Panki in Kanpur.
• It is 356 Km long project. It has a capacity of around 3.45 million metric tonnes per annum. It has been built at a cost of over 1500 crore rupees.
• PM Modi was also the Chief Guest of the 54^th Convocation of IIT Kanpur.
• During the convocation, all the students were issued digital degrees through an in-house blockchain-driven technology developed at the Institute under the National Blockchain Project.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Committees/ Commissions/Taskforces

6. India to chair counterterrorism committee of UNSC in January 2022.

• India will chair the counterterrorism committee of UN Security Council (UNSC) in January 2022 after ten years.
• Security Council established the counterterrorism committee through resolution 1373 adopted unanimously on 28 September 2001 following 9/11 terror attacks in the US.
• The task of the committee includes monitoring the implementation of resolution 1373.
• Resolution 1373 requested countries to implement measures aimed at enhancing their legal and institutional ability to counter terrorist activities at home and around the world.
• The counterterrorism committee also monitors steps taken to cooperate with other governments in the investigation, detection, arrest, extradition and prosecution of those involved in terror acts.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Appointments

7. Vice Admiral Puneet Bahl appointed as Commandant of Indian Naval Academy.

• Vice Admiral Puneet Bahl has been appointed as commandant of the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala on 26 Dec 21.
• He joined Indian Navy as the Flag Officer in July 1984. He was awarded Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2020 and Vishisht Seva Medal in 2015.
• He has flown six different types of aircraft. His operational experience includes active participation in flying operations in Op Tasha and Op Vijay.
• He is also a qualified Ship diver. He was involved in the smooth induction and operationalization of the P8I aircraft from the base.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Indian Polity

8. Centre: “Right to be forgotten” is part of the Fundamental Right to Privacy.

• The Central government has told the Delhi High Court that the “right to be forgotten” is part of the fundamental right to privacy.
• “Right to be forgotten” allow a person to seek deletion of private information from the Internet.
• The government said that Personal Data Protection Bill contains the provision of the ‘right to be forgotten’.
• In May 2019, Justice Pratibha M Singh of the Delhi High Court said that the “right to be forgotten” and “right to be left alone” are parts of the Right to Privacy.
• In 2018, the EU has adopted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It provides the right to the erasure of certain categories of personal data.
• In 2015, Russia enacted a law that allows users to remove links of personal information.
• The right to be forgotten is also recognized in Turkey and Siberia while the right is not recognized by law in India.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

9. Viral Desai received Global Environment and Climate Action Citizen Award.

• Viral Desai, popularly known as Greenman, has been awarded the prestigious Global Environment and Climate Action Citizen Award in Dubai.
• Viral Desai is the only Indian to have won the honour for climate action. He is famous for his love for the environment.
• 28 personalities from 11 countries were also awarded the Environment and Climate Action Citizen Award.
• Viral Desai and the other winners were felicitated with the Bharat Gaurav Samman by Sanskruti Yuva Sansthan on 23 December.
• Viral Desai adopted the Surat’s Udhna Railway Station. He transformed it into a green railway station.
• Viral Desai also expressed his desire to replicate this model at other places and to undertake large-scale tree plantation.
• Bharat Gaurav Samman is given to prominent personalities from various fields of India. It is given to personalities for their remarkable contribution.

Topic: Appointments

10. ACC grants approval to appointment of IAS officers to new posts.

• Appointment Committee of the Union Cabinet has granted approval to appointment of IAS officers to new posts.
• Senior IAS officer Leena Nandan has been appointed as Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
• She will replace Rameshwar Prasad Gupta upon his superannuation on 31^st December.
• She is serving as Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
• Sanjay Kumar Singh will be the new Secretary in the Ministry of Steel. Rohit Kumar Singh has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs.
• Rohit Kumar Singh is presently serving as Special Secretary in the Ministry of Culture.
• IAS officer Pankaj Jain will be the new Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
• Manoj Joshi will take over as Secretary of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs upon superannuation of Durga Shanker Mishra on 31^st December.
• Senior officer Bharat Lal has been appointed as Secretary to the Lokpal.

Topic: Personality in News

11. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Desmond Tutu passes away.

• Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Desmond Tutu has passed away at the age of 90.
• Desmond Tutu helped end apartheid in South Africa. He was a contemporary of anti-apartheid icon, Nelson Mandela.
• Tutu was considered the nation's conscience by both, the black majority and the white minority.
• He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his role in the struggle to abolish the apartheid system.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Sports

12. Pankaj Advani won National Billiards title for the 11^th time.

• Pankaj Advani has won the National Billiards title after defeating PSPB teammate Dhruv Sitwala 5-2 in a best-of-nine game final.
• Advani has won his 11^th National Senior Billiards Championship and overall 35th title.
• Pankaj Advani had also won the Asian Snooker Championship in Doha in September 2021.
• He has become the only player to win titles in billiards, snooker, 6Reds, and 10Reds events.
• Snooker was played for the first time in India by British army officers. It is played with a cue stick on a rectangular table covered with a green cloth with six pockets.

Topic: Reports and Indices

13. World economy to exceed $100 trillion for the first time in 2022.

• According to a report, the world economy will exceed $100 trillion for the first time in 2022.
• As per the prediction made by British consultancy Cebr, China will become the world’s top economy in dollar terms in 2030.
• British consultancy Cebr has made this prediction in its annual World Economic League Table report.
• As per the Cebr, India will overtake France in 2022 and then Britain in 2023 to regain its place as the world’s sixth-biggest economy.
• As per the report, Germany is on track to overtake Japan in terms of economy in 2033. Russia could become one of the top 10 economies by 2036.

Topic: Reports and Indices

14. Fourth edition of State Health Index was released by NITI Aayog.

• On December 27, NITI Aayog has released the fourth edition of the State Health Index for 2019–20.
• The report, titled "Healthy States, Progressive India," evaluates states and union territories based on year-over-year improvements in health outcomes and overall status.
• The IV round of the report focuses on measuring and highlighting the overall performance and incremental improvement of the states and union territories in the period 2018-19 to 2019-20.
• NITI Aayog has prepared the report with technical assistance from the World Bank and in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
• State Health Index is a weighted composite index made up of 24 indicators divided into three categories: 'health outcomes', 'governance and information', and 'key inputs/processes'.
• Since 2017, the index is being compiled and published. The reports aim to encourage governments and territories to develop strong health systems and improve service delivery.
• The rating is divided into three categories 'Larger States,' 'Smaller States,' and 'Union Territories' to allow for comparison among similar entities.
• Among the "larger states" in terms of annual incremental performance, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and Telangana are the top three ranked states.
• Among the "smaller states", Mizoram and Meghalaya have registered the maximum annual incremental progress.
• Among UTs, Delhi, followed by Jammu and Kashmir, showed the best incremental performance.
• Based on the composite index score in 2019-20, the top ranking states were Kerala and Tamil Nadu among 'large states', Mizoram and Tripura in 'smaller states', and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu and Chandigarh among UTs.