Daily Current Affairs and GK | 30 December 2021

Topic: Indian Economy

1. ICRA rating agency expects India to grow at 9% in FY22 & 23.

• Credit rating agency ICRA said that India's real gross domestic product (GDP) will grow with 9% rate in fiscal years 2022 and 2023.
• Indian economy has grown at 8.4 percent in the second quarter of the current fiscal year.
• ICRA expects that expansion in fiscal 2023 will be more meaningful and tangible due to the base effect.
• ICRA expects the percentage of double-vaccinated adults to rise to 85-90% by March 2022.
• ICRA said the growth momentum is not enough to confirm a change in the Monetary Policy stance in the February 2022 review.
• The announcement of booster doses and vaccines for the 15-18 age group will help in protecting people from the new Omicron variant.
• The Future Expectation Index continued to display optimism because of improving the overall economic situation.

Topic: State News/ Uttarakhand

2. PM Modi to inaugurate and lay foundation stone of projects worth over Rs 17,500 cr in Uttarakhand.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of 23 projects worth over 17 thousand 500 crore rupees in Uttarakhand.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate six projects including multiple road widening projects a hydropower project in Pithoragarh and projects to improve the sewerage network in Nainital.
• These projects cover a wide array of sectors including irrigation, road, housing, health infrastructure, industry, sanitation, etc.
• The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the Lakhwar Multipurpose Project to be built at the cost of about Rs 5750 crore.
• Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of multiple road sector projects worth about Rs 8700 crores.
• These road projects will improve the connectivity in Garhwal, Kumaon, and Terai regions.
• The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of AIIMS Rishikesh satellite center in Udham Singh Nagar district and Jagjivan Ram Government Medical College at Pithoragarh.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Banking System

3. Reserve Bank of India released a report on "Trend and Progress of Banking in India 2020-21".

• The Reserve Bank of India has released a report on "Trend and Progress of Banking in India 2020-21".
• This report represented the performance of the banking sector including co-operative banks, and non-banking financial institutions.
• During 2020-21, the consolidated balance sheet of scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) has expanded in size.
• Capital to risk weighted assets (CRAR) ratio of scheduled commercial banks has increased from 14.8 percent to 16.3 percent till end-March 2021.
• SCBs’ gross non-performing assets (GNPA) ratio has declined from 8.2 percent to 7.3 percent. Return on assets (RoA) of SCBs has improved from 0.2 percent to 0.7 percent.
• The capital position and profitability of urban co-operatives banks (UCBs) in 2020-21 has improved. The profitability of co-operative banks improved in 2019-20.
• The consolidated balance sheet of NBFCs has expanded during 2020-21.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

4. Amit Shah chaired 3rd meeting of the apex level Committee of Narco Coordination Center.

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired the 3rd meeting of the Apex Level Committee of Narco Coordination Center.
• He said that the government has adopted the zero-tolerance policy towards drugs. The 3rd meeting has been organized by Narcotics Control Bureau in New Delhi.
• The Government believes that drug addiction is a big challenge for national security.
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that better coordination is required between all drug law enforcement agencies and intelligence agencies.
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the use of the Dark Net and Crypto-currency has also increased. He emphasized that an information system is required to track the Dark Net.
• The Union government has asked states to form a dedicated anti-narcotics task force under state police chiefs (DGPs).
• Union Home Minister also gave directions to form a central NCORD unit under NCB on a national level.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: International News

5. New Development Bank (NDB) admits Egypt as new member.

• New Development Bank (NDB) has admitted Egypt as a new member.
• Egypt is the fourth new member admitted into NDB. Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Uruguay joined NDB in September 2021.
• India has welcomed Egypt as the fourth new member of BRICS New Development Bank.
• The membership expansion enables New Development Bank to position itself as a premier development institution for emerging economies.

Topic: Reports and Indices

6. Minister of State for Education virtually announced ARIIA 2021.

• Minister of State for Education Dr. Subhas Sarkar has virtually announced Atal Rankings of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA), 2021.
• Indian Institute of Technology-Madras has achieved the first rank under the Central University and Institute of National Importance category.
• It has been recognized as the Most Innovative Educational Institute in India for the Third Consecutive Year.
• Seven institutions from Maharashtra have secured 'Top 10' positions under various categories.
• These institutions include College of Engineering Pune, IIT Bombay and Savitribai Phule Pune University.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Defence

7. Indian Army set up quantum computing laboratory and a centre for AI in Mhow.

• Indian Army has set up a quantum computing laboratory and a center for artificial intelligence (AI) at a military engineering institute, Military College of Telecommunication and Engineering, in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.
• These two centers will carry out research in developing transformative technologies used by the armed forces.
• Indian Army has established a quantum computing laboratory with the support of the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS).
• National Security Council is a three-tiered structure body that includes Strategic Policy Group, National Security Advisory Board and National Security Council Secretariat. Ajit Doval is the current National Security Advisor.
• Quantum technology will help Indian Army in creating next-generation communication system and will transform the current system of Cryptography.
• Indian Army is providing training on cyber warfare through cyber security labs.
• Quantum key distribution, quantum communication, and quantum computing are the key emerging technology.

Topic: Appointments

8. Vikram Misri appointed as Deputy National Security Advisor.

• Vikram Misri has been appointed as Deputy National Security Advisor in the National Security Council Secretariat.
• He served as the Indian ambassador to China for nearly three years. He also served in various Indian Missions in Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America.
• Vikram Misri worked as Private Secretary to Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh from October 2012 to May 2014. He also served as Under Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs from November 1996 to April 1997.
• Vikram Misri will report to National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. He is an expert in foreign policy.
• Vikram Misri will take place of Pankaj Saran who demits office on 31 December 2021.

Topic: Personality in News

9. ‘Father of biodiversity’ E.O. Wilson passed away.

• The Father of biodiversity, E.O. Wilson, has passed away at the age of 92.
• He was a former Harvard University biologist and Pulitzer Prize winner. He got a Pulitzer Prize for his study of ants and human behavior.
• Wilson applied his study of ants to other organisms and developed a science known as sociobiology.
• He has written a book titled “On Human Nature” in 1978. He established a link between biology and human behavior in areas such as morality, sex, and aggression.
• He wrote his autobiography titled “Naturalist” in 1994. He attempted to unify the natural sciences with the humanities.
• E.O. Wilson was a member of Harvard’s Society of Fellows. He joined Harvard University as faculty in 1956.
• “The Theory of Island Biogeography” (1967), “Sociobiology: The New Synthesis” (1975), “The Social Conquest of Earth” (2012), etc. are some famous books written by E.O. Wilson.
• He was the Director of the American Museum of Natural History, the Nature Conservancy, and the World Wildlife Fund.

Topic: Sports

10. Nitesh Kumar wins two gold at 4^th Para-Badminton National Championship in Bhubaneswar.

• Haryana’s Nitesh Kumar has won two gold at the 4th Para-Badminton National Championship in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
• He and his partner Tarun defeated World No. 1 Paralympic Games gold medallist Pramod Bhagat and Manoj Sarkar in Men’s doubles finals.
• Nitesh earlier won gold medal in the Men’s singles category. Parul Parmar from Gujarat also secured gold. Mandeep Kaur from Uttarakhand won Silver and Mansi won bronze.
• In Women Wheelchair 1 category, Alphia James from Kerala won gold. Neerja Goyal from Uttarakhand won silver. Nirmala Mehta from Uttarakhand and Ranjeeta Maurya from Uttar Pradesh won bronze.
• In Women Wheelchair 2 category, Ammu Mohan from Karnataka won gold. Shabana from Punjab won silver. Prema Biswas and Suman Rawat won bronze.
• More than 500 athletes in 22 different categories competed in 3 day event. Other winners are given in next table.

Topic: Personality in news

11. Alia Bhatt named 2021 ‘Person of the Year’ by PETA India.

• Alia Bhatt has been recently named 2021 ‘Person of the Year’ by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India.
• In 2021, she invested in Phool. Phool is the company that has launched Fleather, a vegan leather made from discarded temple flowers.
• She had also launched her vegan kidswear line, Ed-a-Mamma. It was awarded the 2021 PETA India fashion award “for helping to nurture kids’ love for animal and nature”.
• Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar have been awarded the title of 2021 'Most Beautiful Vegetarian' by PETA India.

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

12. India’s green energy industry received FDI worth $7.27 billion from 2014-15 till June 2021.

• As per Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India’s green energy industry received foreign direct investment (FDI) worth $7.27 billion from 2014-15 till June 2021.
• Out of $7.27 billion FDI, $797.21 million came during 2020-21.
• As per REN21 Renewables 2020 Global status Report, India’s renewable energy programmes and projects attracted an investment of $64.4 billion during the period 2014 -2019.
• Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said that $11.2 billion were invested in year 2019 alone.
• As per the government, installed power capacity from non-fossil fuels will go up to 66% by 2030.
• PM Modi recently announced the target of reducing net carbon emissions to zero by 2070 at COP26 in Glasgow. India has the fourth largest wind power capacity in the world.
• As per Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India’s installed Renewable Energy (RE) capacity stands at 150.54 GW as of 30th November 2021.
• India’s nuclear energy based installed electricity capacity stands at 6.78 GW. Total non-fossil based installed energy capacity stands at 157.32 GW.
• Non-fossil based installed energy capacity at 157.32 GW is 40.1% of the total installed electricity capacity of 392.01 GW.

Topic: National News

13. 2^nd edition of "Innovations for You" and "The Ingenious Tinkerers" published by NITI Aayog's AIM.

• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), a flagship initiative of NITI Aayog, has released a 2nd edition compendium on the innovations in technology on December 29, 2021.
• ‘Innovations for You’ is a compendium of innovations focused on agriculture featuring 70 startups supported by Atal incubation Centers (AICs) of AIM.
• 'Innovation for You' is a compilation of successful innovations by the entrepreneurial minds of India solving the problems of the present for the future.
• The first edition of this book was launched in October 2021, focused on innovations in Health Care.
• ‘The Ingenious Tinkerers’ is a compendium on the innovations on technology featuring 41 innovations from Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) of India. 
• 'The Ingenious Tinkerers' is a compilation of top innovations created by young student innovators participating in the ATL Marathon.
• The Digi-book has been unveiled virtually by Vice-Chairman Dr. Rajiv Kumar with other members of NITI Aayog.

Topic: Sports

14. Mohammad Shami joined club of Indian pacers who have taken 200 Test wickets.

• By becoming only the fifth Indian pacer to take 200 Test wickets, Mohammed Shami has earned his place among the greats of Indian cricket.
• Mohammed Shami reached this milestone by dismissing Kagiso Rabada on Day 3 of the first Test against South Africa at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.
• Shami has now joined Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan, and Ishant Sharma on the coveted list.
• After Kapil and Srinath, Shami is the third fastest Indian to reach the milestone in just 55 Test matches.
• He is currently the 11th Indian bowler to reach the 200-wicket milestone, and only the fifth fast bowler to do so.

Indian Pacers to Pick 200 Test Wickets: