Daily Current Affairs and GK | 29 December 2020

Topic: Awards and Prizes

1. ICC announced Awards of the Decade.

• Virat Kohli has won Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade. He was also awarded the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Decade. Earlier, he was named the ICC Cricketer of the year in 2017 and 2018.
• M.S Dhoni has received the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award of the Decade.
• Steve Smith has been named as the Test Player of the Decade.
• Rashid Khan has received the ICC men’s T20I Player of the Decade award.
• Ellyse Perry has won the Women’s Player of the Decade, ODI Player of the Decade, and T20I Player of the Decade award.
• International Cricket Council:
  • The International Cricket Council is the global governing body of cricket.
  • It was established in 1909 by the representatives of Australia, England, and South Africa as the Imperial Cricket Conference.
  • It is headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

(Source: DD News)

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

2. India’s first fully indigenously developed pneumococcal vaccine launched by SII, Pune.

• Pneumosil, India’s first indigenously developed pneumococcal vaccine, has been launched.
• Serum Institute of India has launched this vaccine in collaboration with PATH and Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.
• With this launch, Serum Institute of India has become world’s third supplier of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) and the first vaccine manufacturer of a developing country to access the global PCV market.
• The vaccine will protect children against pneumococcal diseases like pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis.
• Every year 71% of deaths occur in India due to pneumonia. Pneumococcal disease is caused by bacteria streptococcus pneumonia and is one of the major causes of under-five mortality worldwide.
• WHO recommends to include Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) in routine childhood immunization.
• Serum Institute of India is the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world in terms of doses. It is located in Pune. CEO of SII is Adar Poonawalla.

(Question asked in UPSC CSE Prelims 2020)

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

3. New Bhaupur-New Khurja section of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor inaugurated by PM Modi.

• New Bhaupur-New Khurja section of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) has been inaugurated by PM Modi.
• New Bhaupur-New Khurja section of EDFC is 351-kilometre long. It is in UP. PM also inaugurated EDFC’s Operation Control Centre (OCC) at Prayagraj.  
• The OCC is an ecofriendly building having GRIHA4 rating. It has been built as per norms of Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan.
• New Bhaupur-New Khurja section is going to benefit local industries given in the next table.

• EDFC starts from Punjab (Sahnewal near Ludhiana) and ends in West Bengal (Dankuni). It will pass through UP, Bihar, Haryana, and Jharkhand. Bhaupur is located in Kanpur Dehat district of UP. Khurja is in Bulandshahr district of UP.

Topic: State News/ Madhya Pradesh

4. ‘Raag-Bhopali’ exhibition is being organized to promote Zari-Zardozi craft of Bhopal.

• Madhya Pradesh government is organizing the ‘Raag-Bhopali’ exhibition to promote the Zari-Zardozi crafts of Bhopal. It is being organized from 26 to 30 December.
• In this exhibition, products made of Zari, Zardozi, and Jute will be displayed to the exporters of various cities. Bhopal is famous for its zari, zardozi, and Jute work.
• The main aim of the exhibition is to promote local traditional handicraft. It is organized under the vision of the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign of “Ek Zila- Ek Shilp ''.
• It will also help in giving employment to the women of the state.
• Madhya Pradesh:
  • It is the second-largest state in India in terms of area.
  • Capital of Madhya Pradesh: Bhopal
  • Largest city of Madhya Pradesh: Indore
  • It shares its border with Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.
  • Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh: Shivraj Singh Chouhan
  • Governor of Madhya Pradesh: Anandiben Patel

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Personality in News

5. Amit Shah unveils the Statue of Arun Jaitely at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

• Union Home Minister unveiled the statue of Arun Jaitely at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on his 68^th birthday anniversary.
• Arun Jaitley Stadium was earlier known as Feroz Shah Kotla stadium.
• His life-size statue is built by a renowned sculptor Ram Sutar.
• Arun Jaitely:
  • He was the former President of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA).
  • He served in various positions such as the post of Finance Minister, Defence Minister, Information and Broadcasting Minister, Leader of Opposition, etc.
  • He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan award in the field of Public Affairs.
  • He is known for some biggest reforms in the Indian economy including the GST, merger of Railway Budget, demonetization, etc.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

6. PM flagged off 100^th ‘Kisan Rail’ from Sangola to Shalimar.

• Prime Minister flagged off the 100^th Kisan Rail from Sangola in Maharashtra to Shalimar in West Bengal.
• The first Kisan Rail was launched from Devlali in Maharashtra to Danapur in Bihar on 7 August.
• South India’s First “Kisan Rail” was flagged off from Andhra Pradesh to New Delhi.
• Kisan Rail:
  • It was announced in the Budget of 2020-21.
  • It is developed by the Rail Coach Factory Kapurthala.
  • It consists of refrigerated parcel vans for carrying agricultural produce.
• Benefits of Kisan Rail:
  • It will help in the transportation of agricultural produce at cheaper rates.
  • It will also reduce the wastage of perishable food items.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

7. Union Environment Ministry hoisted the international blue flags at eight beaches across the country.

• Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar hoisted the international blue flags on 8 beaches across the country.
• The beaches where the International Blue Flags were hosted are Kappad (Kerala), Shivrajpur (Gujarat), Ghoghla (Diu), Kasarkod and Padubidri (Karnataka), Rushikonda (Andhra Pradesh), Golden (Odisha) and Radhanagar (Andaman & Nicobar Islands).
• The Indian Government had launched the I-AM- SAVING-MY-BEACH initiative and the BEAMS (Beach Environment & Aesthetics Management Services) program for the cleaning of beaches.
• The Government has set a target of getting International Blue Flag Certification of 100 beaches in the next 3 years.
• India had received International Blue Flag Certification of eight beaches on the 6 October 2020.
• International Blue Flag Certification:
  • Blue Flag is an international eco-label given to beaches, marinas, and sustainable boating tourism operators.
  • The certification is given by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).
  • The Blue Flag beaches are considered the cleanest beaches in the world.

(Source: ANI)

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

8. Indian Railways commissioned Marathwada Rail Coach Factory in Maharashtra.

• On the Occasion of Good Governance Day, Marathwada Rail Coach Factory has been commissioned by the Indian railway’s PSU, Rail Vikas Nigam Limited.
• This factory will produce 250 MEMU / EMU / LHB / trainset type advanced coaches per annum.
• The factory is equipped with the latest technology machinery and material handling systems.
• After the sanction of the project, the factory has been commissioned in only two years.
• Rail Vikas Nigam Limited:
  • It is an organization of Indian Railways, which is involved in the building of rail infrastructure in the country.
  • It is a Mini-Ratna PSU owned by the Ministry of Railways.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

9. Conservation project of Srinagar’s Amar Singh College awarded with UNESCO award.

• Srinagar’s Amar Singh College Conservation Project has been conferred with the 2020 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
• The conservation work of Amar Singh College has been carried out by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).
• It has also been awarded the Award of Merit in this year’s UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
• UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage:
  • It is given by UNESCO to motivate the protection of Cultural Heritage sites.
  • It is given under the five categories.

Topic: Indian Economy

10. Government will recapitalise Punjab & Sind Bank through Zero coupon bonds.

• The Government will use Zero coupon bonds worth Rs 5,500-crore for the recapitalization of Punjab & Sind Bank.
• The fund raised through the Zero-coupon bonds will be used for the recapitalization of State-run banks.
• The bank will not earn interest income during the tenure of these special securities. They will receive profit on maturity.
• It can be issued by the Central Government for any particular institution.
• It is different from the zero-coupon bonds issued by other corporates. The zero-coupon bond issued by corporates can be tradable at a discount rate.
• Punjab & Sind Bank:
  • It was founded in 1908. It is headquartered in Delhi. Its tagline is where service is a way of life.
  • S Krishnan is its MD & CEO.