Daily Current Affairs and GK | 4 December 2020

Topic: Personality in News

1. Rajendra Prasad’s birth anniversary celebrated across the country.

• The birth anniversary of India’s first president, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, was celebrated across the country.
• He is remembered for his role in the Indian freedom struggle and making of the Indian constitution.
• He is known for his simple living and high thinking.
• This year country is celebrating its 136^th birth anniversary.
• 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.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Important Days

2. Indian Navy Day: 4 December

• It is celebrated every year on 4 December to highlight the role and achievements of the Indian Navy.
• It is observed in the remembrance of the Operation Trident of the Indian Navy in the Indo-Pak war 1971.
• Indian Navy has decided to observe 2021 as ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ to commemorate the golden jubilee year of Victory in the Indo-Pak war 1971.
• Operation Trident: It is an operation launched by the Indian Navy on Karachi during the Indo-Pak war 1971. It had used anti-ship missiles for this operation.
• Indian Navy: Indian Navy is the naval branch of the Indian Armed Forces. Admiral Karambir Singh is the 24^th Indian Navy Chief.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

3. An MoU on Intellectual Property Cooperation signed between India and US.

• An MoU on Intellectual Property Cooperation has been signed by India and US.
• Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade has signed MoU with US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Department of Commerce of US.
• The signing of MoU with USPTO was approved by Cabinet on 19 February 2020. The aim of MoU is to increase IP Cooperation between two countries.
• Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT):
  • It comes under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It was formed in 1995.
  • It was known as the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion before January 2019.
• US:
  • The US consists of 50 states. Its capital is Washington, D.C.
  • It is separated from Canada by the 49th parallel line.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/Uts

4. Karnataka CM launches Learning Management System for Government colleges.

• Karnataka CM has launched Learning Management System (LMS) for Government colleges.
• LMS will be applied in Government First Grade Colleges, Polytechnics and Government Engineering Colleges during 2020-21.
• LMS will have multilingual e-content as per the University Prescribed syllabi of 14 affiliated universities.
• Multilingual e-content will be in the form of PPTs, videos, quizzes, assignments and e-study materials.
• Karnataka:
  • It is the largest state in South India. Its capital is Bengaluru.
  • It shares its border with Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
  • Chief Minister of Karnataka: B S Yediyurappa
  • Governor of Karnataka: Vajubhai Vala
  • Yakshagana, a classical dance drama, is one of the major theatre forms of Karnataka.
  • Jog Falls, the second-highest waterfall in India, is located in the Shimoga district of Karnataka.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National news

5. A new campus of National Institute of Naturopathy will be established in Pune.

• The Ministry of AYUSH has announced that a new campus of the National Institute of Naturopathy will be established in Pune. It will be called ‘Nisarg Gram’. It will help in the vision of National Education Policy, 2020.
• This campus will offer bachelor’s and Master’s Courses in Naturopathy and allied disciplines. It will also provide Doctoral programs in Naturopathy.
• It will focus on the symbiotic relationship between research and teaching in the field of Naturopathy.
• Collaboration between research institutions and other Gandhian institutes will be the key to the development of the Nisarg Gram institute.
• Naturopathy: It is a form of medicine. It believes in the self-healing mechanism of the body.
• National Institute of Naturopathy:
  • It was established in 1986 at Pune.
  • It is an autonomous body under the Ministry of AYUSH.
  • This institute had inherited the Nature Cure institution founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1945. 
  • Its main aim is to propagate and promote Naturopathy and Yoga, to provide treatment facilities for all kinds of diseases through Naturopathy and Yoga, to conduct research and training.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

6. A vulnerable turtle rescued in Assam.

• A vulnerable turtle species, Indian peacock softshell turtle (Nilssonia hurum), has been rescued by a professor from the fish market of Silchar in Assam.
• According to a report, in India, 29 species of turtles have been found, out of which 20 are found in Assam. 
• In India, turtles are protected under the Schedule I of Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
• Types of turtles found in India are:
  • Olive Ridley Turtle
  • Green Sea Turtle
  • Leathery Turtle
  • Eastern Mud turtle
• Indian peacock softshell turtle (Nilssonia hurum):
  • It is mainly found in the region of India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.
  • It is found in Mizoram, Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal states of India.
  • It is listed as vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List.

(Source: Indian Express)

Topic: Indian Economy

7. Lucknow Municipal Corporation raised Rs 200 crore through Municipal Bonds.

• Lucknow becomes the ninth city in the country, which has raised the capital fund through Municipal Bonds. It has raised Rs 200 crore through the Municipal Bonds.
• Many cities of Uttar Pradesh such as Ghaziabad, Pragyaraj, Varanasi, Agra and Kanpur will also raise the capital fund through Municipal Bonds.
• Lucknow is the first city of Uttar Pradesh to raise the fund through Municipal Bonds.
• Lucknow Municipal Corporation has offered a coupon of 8.5% for 10 years. It has been rated AA Stable and AA (CE) stable by Brickwork Ratings.
• The fund will be used for the development project such as roads, water, housing, etc.
• Municipal bond:
  • It is a debt instrument issued by municipal corporations to raise funds.
  • These bonds are raised to finance the development projects of that area.
  • It is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
  • SEBI had issued guidelines for urban local bodies (ULBs) in 2015 to raise funds by issuing municipal bonds. The guidelines are:
  • The local body shouldn’t have a negative net worth in any of the three preceding financial years.
  • They shouldn’t have defaulted on payments in the last year.
• As per the data, eight Indian cities had raised Rs 3200 crore from the municipal bond in the financial year of 2018-19.

(Source: Business Standard)

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

8. An MoU has been signed between APEDA and NABARD to coordinate the activities in agriculture and allied sectors.

• APEDA and NABARD have signed an MoU to bring coordination in the organization and institutions of the agriculture and allied sectors.
• APEDA has been working to bring synergy among the organizations and institutions having different specialization for capacity building and providing the solution for the development of Agriculture and its export.
• APEDA has been working to fulfill the objective of Agriculture Export Policy, which will focus on “Farmers’ Centric Approach” for improving farmers’ income through value addition at the source.
• APEDA has also collaborated with the state governments for the implementation of Agriculture Export Policy.
• APEDA and NABARD have signed this MoU for the implementation of the Agriculture export policy. Both organizations will cooperate in various sectors such as capacity development of various stakeholders, awareness programs and workshops, technical know-how to cooperatives, etc.
• NABARD:
  • It is an apex development finance institution that provides credit for agriculture and other economic activities in rural areas.
  • It is fully owned by the Government of India.
  • It was formed on 12 July 1982.
  • Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
  • Chairman: Shri Govinda Rajulu Chinthala

Topic: National news

9. Home Ministry announced ten best police stations of India.

• The Ministry of Home Affairs has released a list of the ten best police stations of India.
• The 2020’s survey has been conducted by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Top ten police stations of the country were selected from a total of 16,671 police stations on different parameters.
• Nongpok Sekmai police station in the Thoubal district of Manipur has been selected as the best police station in the country.
• India’s top ten police station for 2020 are:

Topic: Awards and Prizes

10. Ranjitsinh Disale wins Global Teacher Prize 2020.

• Ranjitsinh Disale from Solapur, Maharashtra, has won $1-million Global Teacher Prize 2020.
• Ranjitsinh Disale has been given the prize for his contribution to promoting girls’ education and quick-response (QR) coded textbook revolution in India.
• His school became the first in Maharashtra to introduce QR codes. Human Resources Development Ministry then brought QR codes for all the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks in 2018.
• He has announced to share 50% of his prize money with his fellow finalists. He will be the first winner to share his prize money.
• He is also working to connect people in conflict zones through the Let’s Cross the Borders project. He also uses the Microsoft Educator Community platform for students from schools around the world.
• For the first time, Stephen Fry made the Global Teacher Prize 2020 winner’s announcement at a virtual ceremony broadcast from the Natural History Museum in London. He is a British actor-broadcaster.
• Global Teacher Prize:
  • The prize is given annually. It was founded by the Varkey Foundation in 2014.
  • Sunny Varkey is the founder of the Global Teacher Prize. He is an Indian education philanthropist.
  • The award is given to an exceptional teacher for making an outstanding contribution to his profession.
  • Prize money for the award is paid out in equal installments over 10 years.

(Source: The Hindu)

Topic: Environment and Ecology

11. 2020 likely to become one of the three warmest years ever recorded and UN’s WMO releases provisional 2020 State of the Global Climate report.

• As per UN, 2020 is likely to be one of the three warmest years ever recorded and UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has released a provisional 2020 State of the Global Climate report.
• As per the report, 2015 to 2020 are likely to become six of the hottest years since modern records began in 1850.
• The report is provisional and the final report will be released in March 2021. It is based on data from January to October.
• As per the WMO secretary-general Petteri Taalas, the average global temperature in 2020 is likely to be 1.2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level.
• UN’s annual Production Gap assessment shows the difference between the goals of Paris agreement and fossil fuel production plans of countries.
• As per UN’s annual Production Gap assessment, Oil, gas and coal production must decline by 6% a year to limit catastrophic global warming.
• On 2 December 2020, New Zealand has declared a climate emergency. In June, northern Siberia recorded the highest known temperature anywhere north of the Arctic Circle.
• World Meteorological Organization (WMO):
  • The World Meteorological Organization is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 193 countries.
  • The organization is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

Topic: Reports and Indices

12. India has highest bribery rate at 39% as per Transparency international’s report.

• Transparency international’s report titled “Global Corruption Barometer – Asia” has found that India has the highest bribery rate at 39%.
• As per the report, the top three countries having the highest rate of citizens using personal connections to access public services are India (46%), Indonesia (36%) and China (32%).
• Nearly 50% of total people giving or taking bribes said that it was demanded and 32% of people using personal links said that they would not get services without a bribe.
• The report is based on a survey of 20,000 people in 17 countries across Asia between March 2019 and September 2020. It covered six public services.
• Nearly 89% of Indians surveyed see government corruption as a big problem. Nearly 47% of Indians surveyed think that government corruption has increased in the past one year.
• In India, the bribery rate was highest for getting identity documents and second highest for public health services.
• 18% of people in India reported that they were offered bribes to vote in national, regional and local elections. In this respect, India stood at fourth place among the Asian Nations surveyed. Thailand stood in the first place.
• India’s rank in the Corruption Perception Index was 80 among 180 countries. Transparency International had issued this in January in Davos at World Economic Forum.
• Transparency International (TI):
  • TI measures and prevents corruption activities arising out of corruption.
  • It releases the Global Corruption Index annually
  • It’s a German NGO headquartered in Berlin.

(Source: The Hindu)