Daily Current Affairs and GK | 4 and 5 December 2022

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

1. India jumped to 48^th place in global aviation safety ranking released by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

• Singapore is at the top of the ranking. UAE and South Korea are at the second and third positions, respectively.
• France and Iceland are the fourth and fifth places, respectively.
• Four years ago, India was 102nd position. China is at the 49th place.

• The ICAO audit or “coordinated validation mission” called “USOAP continuous monitoring approach” was conducted from November 9 to 16, 2022.
• The ICAO audit has been conducted in the fields of legislation, organisation, personal licensing, operations, airworthiness, and aerodromes.
• As per the DGCI, India’s score in terms of effective implementation of key safety elements has improved to 85.49 percent. In the last audit in 2018, India’s score was 69.95 percent.
• International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO):
  • It is an agency of the United Nations that is responsible for the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth.
  • It was established in 1947 by the Convention on International Civil Aviation (1944).
  • Its headquarters is located in Montreal.

Topic: National News

2. Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) is celebrating its 65th Founding Day on 5-6 December 2022.

• Union Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated this two-day long celebration event in New Delhi.
• On this occasion, she also released the ‘Smuggling in India Report 2021-22’.
• The report is about the trends in the field of anti-smuggling and commercial fraud and DRI’s performance and experience over the last year.
• The current edition of the report has captured issues related to natural security, foreign trade policy, gold smuggling, environmental violations, etc.
• As per the report, the number of cases of gold smuggling increased after the ease of lockdown restrictions.
• In FY 2020-21, the largest amount of the gold seized by the DRI has origin of Myanmar.
• Around 22 Customs administrations from the Asia-Pacific region, along with international organisations, are taking part in this event.
• The 8th Regional Customs Enforcement Meeting (RCEM) will also be organized during the event.
• Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI):
  • It is a premier intelligence and enforcement agency under the aegis of the Central Board of Indirect taxes & Customs (CBIC).
  • It tackles anti-smuggling matters and its headquarters is located in New Delhi.
  • It has 12 Zonal Units, 35 regional Units, and 15 Sub-regional units.
  • It was founded on December 4, 1957.

Topic: Sports

3. Haryana duo Sarabjot Singh and Manu Bhaker won mixed team pistol title at 65^th National Shooting Championship.

• They have clinched the 10 metre air pistol mixed team title at the championship.
• They defeated Karnataka duo Divya TS and Imroz 16-4 in the finals.
• Punjab and ONGC have shared the bronze medal at the event.
• In junior mixed team pistol event, Anjali and Sagar from Uttar Pradesh won gold by defeating Yashasvi and Abhinav from Uttarakhand.
• 65^th National Shooting Championship is being organised at the MP State Shooting Academy in Bhopal from 20 November to 10 December 2022.
• National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) is affiliated to International Shooting Sport Federation, Asian Shooting Confederation, Commonwealth Shooting Federation, South Asian Shooting Confederation and Indian Olympic Association.
• Shri Raninder Singh is the President and Shri K Sultan Singh is the Secretary General of National Rifle Association of India.
• Terms related to Shooting: Airgun, Bore, Range, Bull, Bunker, Double trap, Offhand, Trap, Free pistol, etc.

Topic: Important Days

4. Indian Navy Day 2022: 4 December

• The day is observed to honor the brave Indian soldiers who defeated Pakistani Navy in 1971 under Operation Trident.
• It is also observed to acknowledge the achievements of Indian Navy.
• Indian Navy Day 2022 theme is “Swarnim Vijay Varsh”.
• For the first time this year, the Navy Day celebrations were held outside Delhi. This year the celebrations were held in Visakhapatnam.
• On the occasion of Navy Day, the Governor of Kerala Arif Mohammed Khan laid a wreath at the War Memorial, Southern Naval Command in Kochi.
• Chhatrapati Shivaji Bhosle is known as the Father of the Indian Navy.
• Indian Navy has three commands: Western, Eastern and Southern Naval Command.
• Chief of the Naval Staff: Admiral R Hari Kumar

Topic: Defence

5. US Air Force launched its latest nuclear stealth bomber: B-21.

• It will replace the aircraft first flown during the Cold War.
• The new bomber has been built by Northrop Grumman.
• The new bomber launched in 30 years would cost around 700 million dollars each.
• B-21 can carry nuclear as well as conventional weapons.
• According to the US Defence Secretary, B-21 is hard to be detected even by the most sophisticated air defence systems.
• The strategic bombers can penetrate the air defence system of enemies and are capable of carrying nuclear weapons. These can be used for tactical missions.
• Currently, only three countries fly bombers. These are US, Russia and China.
• The United States has strategic bombers B-1, B-2, and B-52.
• In 2021, China inducted the newest and most powerful bomber H-20 that is capable of carrying conventional, nuclear and hypersonic cruise missiles.
• Russia has four-engined bomber Tu-160 also known as White Swan and dubbed Blackjack by NATO.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

6. Indian origin Mohan Mansigani conferred “Officer of the Most Excellent Order” of the British Empire.

• Mohan Mansigani is an Indian origin businessman and charity worker.
• He was honoured for his charitable services to healthcare at a ceremony held at Buckingham Palace in London.
• He is known as a creative finance director with private equity experience.
• He played an important role in establishing Casual Dining Group.
• Most Excellent Order of the British Empire:
  • It is given to recognise contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside civil service.
  • It was established by King George V on 4 June 1917.
  • It has five grades- Knight/ Dame Grand Cross (GBE), Knight/Dame Commander (KBE/DBE), Commander (CBE), Officer (OBE), and Member (MBE).

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

7. 'Millets-Smart Nutritive Food' Conclave organised in New Delhi on 5 December to promote the export of millets.

• The one-day 'Millets-Smart Nutritive Food' conclave is the first conclave to be held in the pre-launch program of the International Year of Millets - 2023.
• Ministry of Commerce and Industry organised it through the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority.
• Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal was the chief guest at the conclave.
• At the conclave, government released e-catalogue on 30 potential importing countries and 21 millet producing states of India.
• A knowledge book on Millets prepared in association with Knowledge partner ‘Yes Bank’ was released on the occasion.
• India’s proposal led the United Nations’ General Assembly to declare 2023 as the International Year of Millets on the 5th of March 2021.
• Facts related to millets:
  • India is one of the leading producers of millets in the world with an estimated share of about 41 per cent in global production.
  • India recorded 27% growth in millet production in 2021-22 as compared to millet production in the previous year.
  • Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh are India’s top five millet producing states.
  • Share of export of millets is nearly 1% of the total millet production.
  • Millet exports from India chiefly consist of whole grains. Export of value added products of millets from India is negligible.
  • Millets market is estimated to increase from its current market value of over USD 9 billion to more than USD 12 billion by 2025.
  • Millets are rich in calcium, iron, and fibers. Bajra, Ragi, Canary, Jawar, and Buckwheat are the varieties of millets exported by India.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

8. ‘The Chipko Movement: A People’s History’ has won Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize.

• ‘The Chipko Movement: A People’s History’ is a book by historian and Padma Shri-awardee Shekhar Pathak.
• It is translated from Hindi by Manisha Chaudhry. It covers ordinary people of the 1973 Chipko movement, such as Gaura Devi.
• Shekhar Pathak established the People’s Association for Himalaya Area Research (PAHAR) in 1983.
• He also wrote Asia ki Peeth Per (On Asia’s Back) along with Uma Bhatt. It is a biography of the Himalayan explorer Pandit Nain Singh Rawat.
• Shortlisted books for this years’ prize are given below.
  • Accidental Feminism: Gender Parity and Selective Mobility Among India’s Professional Elite by Swethaa S. Ballakrishnen
  • Whole Numbers and Half Truths: What Data Can and Cannot Tell Us About Modern India by Rukmini S
  • Midnight’s Borders: A People’s History of Modern India by Suchitra Vijayan
  • Born a Muslim: Some Truths about Islam in India by Ghazala Wahab 
• Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize is given for non-fiction on contemporary India by writers of any nationality.
• It carries a cash award of Rs 15 lakhs, a trophy and a citation.
• Dinyar Patel won last year’s prize for the biography Naoroji: Pioneer of Indian Nationalism.
• Past awardees of the prize include Milan Vaishnav for When Crime Pays: Money and Muscle in Indian Politics, Ornit Shani for How India Became Democratic, and Jairam Ramesh for A Chequered Brilliance, a biography of VK Krishna Menon.

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

9. PM Modi to inaugurate first phase of Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway on December 11.

• The first phase of the expressway between Shirdi and Nagpur will be opened for the public on December 11. It will be 500-km long.
• The remaining stretch would be opened for the public in the next six months. It will connect many districts and ports.
• After the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg is Maharashtra's second expressway.
• The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is constructing 701 km eight-lane Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway.
• It will be touted as the fastest expressway where vehicles can run at with a speed of 150 kmph.
• It will pass through 14 districts, six talukas, and 392 villages and reduce the time between Nagpur and Mumbai from the existing 16 hours to 8 hours.

Topic: International News

10. Isaac Herzog becomes the first Israeli President to visit Bahrain.

• This is the first visit by an Israeli President to Bahrain Since both countries normalized relations in 2020.
• Isaac Herzog met King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa as well as Prince and Prime Minister, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa.
• The UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco are the first Arab states to normalize relations with Israel in 2020.
• Israel has also reached on peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan.
• Naftali Bennett is the first Prime Minister to sign a defence agreement with Bahrain.
• Israel:
  • It is a small country in Western Asia.
  • It shares borders with Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
  • Israeli new shekel is the currency of Israel and the capital is Jerusalem.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

11. National awards presented by President on International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

• On 3 December, President Droupadi Murmu presented the National Awards for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities for the years 2021 and 2022 in New Delhi.
• For 2021, 25 individuals, institutions and organizations were honored while for 2022, 29 individuals, institutions and organizations were honored.
• They were honored for their extraordinary achievements and work for the empowerment of persons with disabilities.
• The awards were presented in various categories including Sarvshresth Divyangjan, Sarvshrestha Vyakti working towards the empowerment of Divyangjan and Sarvshrestha Rehabilitation Professional worker.  
• President Murmu has said that the purpose of International Day of Persons with Disabilities is to encourage awareness of issues related to persons with disabilities.
• She stressed the need to create a healthy environment for PwDs so that PwDs can lead dignified lives and participate in political, social, economic, cultural and sports activities without any discrimination.

Topic: Personality in News

12. Rajendra Prasad’s birth anniversary is celebrated on December 3 every year.

• This year, his 138th birth anniversary was celebrated in the country.
• Rajendra Prasad, who was born in Bihar, is the first Indian president to have served on two consecutive terms.
• Rajendra Prasad was a true Gandhian as well as a visionary politician, skilled lawyer, ardent patriot and a staunch nationalist.
• In 1962, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award.
• Dr. Rajendra Prasad:
  • He was born at Zeradei village in Bihar on 3 December 1884.
  • He was the first President of Independent India.
  • He joined the Indian National Congress in 1911.
  • He was the founder of the Bihari Students’ Conference.
  • He had left his law profession to participate in Indian National Movement in 1920 actively.
  • He served as the President of the Constituent Assembly and also became the Food and Agriculture Minister in the Interim Government.
  • He was President of India from 1950 to 1962.
  • He has taken his last breath on 28 February 1963 at Sadaqat Ashram, Patna.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

13. Canara Bank has won the Banker’s Bank of the Year Award 2022 for the India segment at the Global Banking Summit.

• It won the award at the Global Banking Summit held in London, UK from November 29, 2022, to December 1, 2022.
• The ability to deliver returns, strategy, innovation, technology, and product and services in their respective geographies in the last 12 months were the judgment criteria for the award.
• The award ceremony was attended by the MD and CEO of Canara Bank, L V Prabhakar.
• The Banker’s magazine is from the Financial Times (FT) group, the British-based global financial daily newspaper. 
• Canara Bank:
  • It was founded in July 1906. It is headquartered in Bengaluru. Lingam Venkat Prabhakar is its CEO.
  • Recently, the government has merged Syndicate bank with Canara bank.

Topic: Banking System

14. RBI announces a 4-tired regulatory framework for UCBs.

• On 1 December 2022, RBI issued a circular regarding four-tired regulatory framework to categorize Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs). The framework will come into force immediately.
• The existing framework categorizes UCBs into two tiers- Tier I and Tier II.
• RBI said that such framework was required to balance the spirit of mutuality and co-operation.
• RBI has also announced norms related to the net worth and capital adequacy of UCBs.
• Tier 1 UCBs operating in a single district should have a minimum worth of ₹2 crore and for other UCBs, the minimum worth should be ₹5 crore.
• Tier 1 UCBs have to maintain a minimum capital to risk weighted assets ratio of 9% of Risk Weighted Assets while other UCBs have to maintain capital adequacy ratio of 12%.
• The categorization of UCBs is as follows: