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CLAT IGNITE- December 2021

(Monthly Current Affairs Magazine)
Dear Aspirant,
• Since you are aware of the competition level in the various law exams, one thing is
clear; the examinations are getting tougher and tougher. And in all the sections of
various law entrance exams, the current affairs section is very unpredictable, in which
aspirants face major hurdles.
• Current Affairs is a very important subject that needs to be covered strategically,
and this plays a very important role in all the Law Related UG Exams. Thus,
maintaining a monthly compilation of current affairs is highly recommended.
• It is extremely important to keep a tab on the major news and happenings that affect
us socially and politically. One should be aware of the facts and be able to analyze
the news, dissect it, and evaluate it from different dimensions while preparing for the
CLAT exam.
• With this view, BYJU’S Exam Prep has come up with yet another amazing feature
that will make your CLAT preparation easier and more streamlined. Presenting the
“CLAT IGNITE” Monthly Current Affairs Magazine.
Features of the CLAT IGNITE, Current Affairs Magazine

• All the important news and views from newspapers that are required for the CLAT
and Other Law-Entrance exams.
• It is divided into sections like National News, International Affairs, Science and
Technology, Sports, Awards and Honours, etc.
• Each news is analyzed and dissected as per the CLAT exam.
• Magazines are available from July 2021.
• Passage-Based Current Affairs for practice with detailed solutions.
• Important One Liners of the month.
• Available in a convenient PDF format that you can download.
The thorough analysis of our “CLAT IGNITE MAGAZINE” and deep study-cum-practice of
our “CLAT IGNITE” Monthly Current Affairs Workbook” will make you confident enough
and exam-battle ready so that no question in the current affairs section of the law entrance
exam will trouble you anymore.
Note: Sources used: TH, HT, IE, SCROLL, MINT,PIB, NOA, DDNEWS & etc.
All the Best!!!!
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section Page No.
1. Top Stories of the Month: 21st India-Russia Summit, S-400 6-7
2. Winter Session 2021… 8
3. National News: EWS Committee 9

4. Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation Bill) 2020 12
5. Haiderpur wetlands becomes 47th Ramsar site of India 15
6. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana 16
7. Ganga Expressway… 17
8. International News: G 20 “Trioka” 23

9. Global Gateway Initiative 24
10. Observer status to ISA 26
11. 3rd India-Central Asia Dialogue… 29
12. Economic & Financial News: PCA framework for large NBFCs 35
13. CII award for 'Most Innovative Best Practice'… 36
14. Ranks & Reports: Worldwide Cost of Living 2021 37
15. Good Governance Index… 41
16. State News: Greater Tipraland 45
17. New projects in Himachal Pradesh… 50
18. Sports News: Winter Olympics Diplomatic Boycott 51
19. Ballon d’Or… 52
20. Honors & Awards: Miss Universe 2021 58
21. Bhutan confers highest civilian award upon PM Modi… 61
22. Appointments: IMF's First Deputy Managing Director 64
23. MM Narvane as Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee… 66
24. Science & Defence News: Indian Navy Day, JAMES Webb ST.. 70-75
25. Important One-Liners 77-81
26. Passage Based Practice Questions 82-83
27. Important Days and Dates 84-85
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TOP STORY
1. 21st India-Russia Annual Summit and India-Russia 2+2 Dialogue:
• President of the Russian Federation, H.E. Mr. Vladimir
Putin, paid a working visit to New Delhi on 06 December
2021 for the 21st India – Russia Annual summit with Prime
Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
• President Putin was accompanied by a high-level
delegation. The two leaders expressed satisfaction at the
sustained progress in the ‘Special and Privileged Strategic
Partnership’ between both countries despite the
challenges posed by the Covid pandemic.
Key Highlights of the Summit: Defence Program outlines the ongoing

defence cooperation and future possible
• They welcomed the holding of the first cooperation’s between the two countries.
meeting of the 2+2 Dialogue of Foreign and
Defence Ministers and the meeting of the • The leaders stressed the need for greater
Inter-Governmental Commission on Military & efforts to achieve the trade target of USD 30
Military-Technical Cooperation in New Delhi billion by 2025. In this regard, they placed a
on 6 December 2021. strong emphasis on new drivers of growth for
long-term cooperation.
• India and Russia inked 28 agreements to
further broad base their partnership and • Cultural Exchange Programme between the
vowed to expand cooperation and Ministry of Culture of the Government of the
coordination in dealing with major challenges Republic of India and the Ministry of Culture
like the threat of terrorism and the unfolding of the Russian Federation for the Years 2021-
situation in Afghanistan. 9 agreements are 2024.
between the two countries and rest 19 are • Cooperation Agreement between Reserve
business to business across different sectors. Bank of India and the Bank of Russia in the
• President Putin extended an invitation to field of responding to cyber-attacks.
Prime Minister Modi to visit Russia for the • MoU between Joint Stock Company
22nd India-Russia Annual Summit in 2022 Rosgeologia, (ROSGEO) A legal entity
Some of the Key Agreements are: incorporated under the laws of the Russian
federation and Geological Survey of India
• The two sides signed the ‘Agreement on (GSI), Ministry of Mines, Government of the
Program of the Military -Technical Republic of India on Cooperation in the field
Cooperation from 2021-30.’ This 10-year of Geoscience.
What is a 2+2 Dialogue?
‘2+2 Dialogue’ is a term adopted in foreign diplomacy that implies a dialogue between two countries’ defence
and external affairs ministries. India holds such talks with the US, Japan, and Australia.
The Inaugural India-Russia 2+2 Dialogue:
• Ahead of the summit, the two countries held inaugural
'2+2' foreign and defence dialogue, attended by External
Affairs Minister S Jaishankar his Russian counterpart
Sergey Lavrov and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and
his Russian counterpart Gen Sergey Shoigu.
• Separately, Rajnath and Shoigu co-chaired a meeting of
the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission during
which the two sides inked the agreement for joint
production of over six lakh AK-203 assault rifles at a
manufacturing facility in Uttar Pradesh's Amethi and extended the pact on military cooperation for 10
years (2021-31). The rifles will be manufactured for the Indian armed forces at a cost of around Rs 5000
crore.
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Delivery of S-400 Missile Systems started in India:

• India has also begun to receive S-400 medium-to-long-range anti-aircraft missiles systems from
Russia this month. The first regiment of Russia’s anti-aircraft missile system air defence (PRO) S-400
will be delivered to India by the end of 2021. The supply of S-400 systems is a result of a deal signed
between Russia and India in 2018 during the 19th India-Russia Summit. India and Russia had signed
the deal for five S-400 regiments worth USD 5.43 billion. Indian personnel have trained in Russia to
use the system.
• The missile system is likely to be first deployed at a location close to the western border, from where
it can tackle threats from both Pakistan and China. Reports say the equipment is being brought to India
through both sea and air routes.
• The deal signed in 2018 has caused some strain on India-US ties with the US threatening sanctions
under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). India pushed ahead
despite the threat of sanctions. A similar purchase by NATO ally Turkey prompted the US to ban
Ankara from its advanced F-35 fighter jet program under CAATSA.
About S-400 Missile Systems:
• The latest long-and medium-range surface-to-air missile system,
Russia’s S-400 ‘Triumf’, came into service in 2007. The missile
system was designed with an aim to destroy tactical and strategic
aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, and hypersonic weapons.
• S-400 can also be used against ground installations. Under
intensive enemy fire and jam, the anti-aircraft missile system can
target at a distance of up to 400 km and at an altitude of up to 30
km.
• China was the first foreign buyer to broker a government deal with Russia in 2014; while Saudi Arabia,
Turkey, India, Belarus, and Serbia have all acquired, or expressed interest, in the system since.
Designer: Almaz-Antey
WHAT IS CAATSA?
• The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act
(CAATSA) is a United States Federal Law which is designed to
ensure that no country is able to increase military engagement
with Iran, North Korea, and Russia without facing deterrent
punitive action from the U.S. The bill was passed on 27 July
2017.
The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act came
against the backdrop of three events that would have serious implications regarding geopolitics. They are as
follows:
1. Iran’s Nuclear Missiles Program
2. Curbing Russian influence
3. North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
❖ Following the US sanctions on Turkey over the procurement of S-400 missile systems, there were
apprehensions that Washington may impose similar punitive measures on India. US Deputy Secretary
of State Wendy Sherman during a visit to India in October 2021 said that any country deciding to use
the S-400 missiles is "dangerous" and not in anybody's security interest.
❖ At the same time, she hoped that the US and India will be able to resolve differences over the
procurement. It is learnt that the matter is being discussed between India and the US. New Delhi has
said it has a strategic partnership with both the US and Russia.
Source: IE, Livemint, HT
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2. Major Highlight of Winter Session 2021

• The Winter Session of Parliament saw 12 new bills being
introduced till Tuesday, 21 December, and 10 bills passed,
including two that had been tabled in previous sessions. On
Wednesday, both Houses of Parliament were adjourned
sine die.
• Lok Sabha spent a total of 26.5 hours only, out of a total
functioning time of 83.2 hours, to discuss legislation. The
maximum time in the Lower House (37 hours) was spent on
non-legislative work.
• Rajya Sabha, meanwhile, spent 21.7 hours debating legislation, out of the 45.4 hours that it functioned
in the Winter Session.
• The Bills passed in Parliament also reflected the small amount of time spent on the actual discussion
on the different laws.
• The Farm Laws Repeal bill was passed after a two-minute debate on the Lok sabha, and an 8-minute
debate in Rajya Sabha.
• The highly technical Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation Bill, saw a three-hour, 51-minute
debate in Lok sabha, with 18 MPs participating in the debate. In Rajya Sabha, it was discussed for only
1 hour and 17 minutes, with 14 MPs participating in the debate.
• Among the Bills passed during the Winter Session, the High Courts and Supreme Court Judges
(Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill clocked the highest debate time of 9 hours 37
minutes, with 27 Lok Sabha MPs and 17 Rajya Sabha MPs weighing in on the issue.
• The Dam Safety Bill, 2019, came in second with regard to the cumulative time spent in a debate —
clocking 9 hours, 1 minute, with 22 members of the Rajya Sabha taking 4 hours, 24 minutes on
December 2. Lok Sabha had passed the Bill in 2019 after a four-hour, 37-minute debate by 31 members.
• Even the crucial Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, which had been the topic of active discussion among
activists and the media, saw a total of only 1 hour and 29 minutes of debate, with Lok Sabha passing
the law to link Aadhaar with voter IDs in just 26 minutes.
BILLS PASSED BY BOTH HOUSES • Dam Safety Bill
• Election Laws (Amendment) Bill • The National Institute of Pharmaceutical
• The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Education and Research (Amendment) Bill,
Substances (Amendment) Bill 2021 (awaiting 2021 (President Assent received on Dec 18.
President’s nod) Bill is now an Act)
• The Delhi Special Police Establishment BILLS BEFORE PARLIAMENTARY STANDING
Amendment Bill 2021 (President assent given COMMITTEE
on Dec 21. Bill is now Act) • Prohibition Of Child Marriage Amendment Bill
• The Central Vigilance Commission • Mediation Bill 2021 (Before select committee)
Amendment Bill 20212021 (President assent • The Chartered Accountants, Cost and works
given on Dec 21. Bill is now Act) accountants and Company secretaries
• The High Court and Supreme Court Judges (Amendment) Bill
(Salaries and Conditions of Service) • The Biological Diversity Amendment Bill 2021
Amendment Bill
BILLS INTRODUCED IN LOK SABHA
• Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021 (Presidential
Assent given. Bill is now an Act.) • Wildlife Protection Amendment Bill, 2021
• Assisted Reproductive Technology • National Anti Doping Bill
Regulation Bill 2020 Source: India Today
• The Surrogacy Regulation Bill, 2019
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National News
1. Govt constitutes committee to revisit criteria for determining EWS
• Govt has constituted a panel to revisit the criteria for determining reservation for the economically
weaker sections
• Panel has been constituted in accordance with the commitment given to Supreme Court for EWS in
terms of the provisions of the explanation to Article 15 of Constitution
• Committee will also examine various approaches so far followed for identifying economically weaker
sections, recommend criteria
• Members: Ajay Bhushan Pandey, V K Malhotra, Sanjay Sanyal
Article 15 in The Constitution of India 1949
15. Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth
(1) The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of
birth or any of them
(2) No citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them, be subject to
any disability, liability, restriction or condition with regard to
(a) access to shops, public restaurants, hotels and palaces of public entertainment; or
(b) the use of wells, tanks, bathing ghats, roads and places of public resort maintained wholly or partly out
of State funds or dedicated to the use of the general public
(3) Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making any special provision for women and children
(4) Nothing in this article or in clause ( 2 ) of Article 29 shall prevent the State from making any special provision
for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the Scheduled
Castes and the Scheduled Tribes
2. NITI Aayog releases report on online dispute resolution
• NITI Aayog has released a report on Online Dispute Resolution
(ODR) to advance access to justice and ensure that cases do not
end up before higher courts
• It is titled as ‘Designing the future of dispute Resolution: the ODR
Policy Plan for India’
• It recommends increasing digital infrastructure, building capacity,
regulatory framework.
• It is a culmination of the action plan made by a committee and
chaired by Supreme Court Justice AK Sikri (Retd).
Abou NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India)
Planning Commission was replaced by a new institution – NITI AAYYOG on January 1, 2015 with emphasis
on ‘Bottom –Up’ approach to envisage the vision of Maximum Governance, Minimum Government, echoing
the spirit of ‘Cooperative Federalism’.
Administrative Body • Adhoc Membership: 2 member in ex-officio
• Chairperson: Prime Minister capacity from leading Research institutions
• Vice-Chairperson: To be appointed by Prime- on rotational basis.
Minister • Ex-Officio membership: Maximum four from
• Governing Council: Chief Ministers of all Union council of ministers to be nominated by
states and Lt. Governors of Union Territories. Prime minister.
• Regional Council: To address specific • Chief Executive Officer: Appointed by Prime-
regional issues, Comprising Chief Ministers minister for a fixed tenure, in rank of Secretary
and Lt. Governors Chaired by Prime Minister to Government of India.
or his nominee. • Special Invitees: Experts, Specialists with
domain knowledge nominated by Prime-
minister.
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Difference between NITI AAYYOG & Planning Commission

NITI Aayog Planning Commission
It serves as an advisory Think Tank. It served as extra-constitutional body.
It draws membership from a wider expertise. It had limited expertise.
It serves in spirit of Cooperative Federalism as states States participated as spectators in annual plan
are equal partners. meetings.
Secretaries to be known as CEO appointed by Prime- Secretaries were appointed through usual
Minister. process.
3. BSNL to roll out its 4G services by September 2022

• Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will roll out its 4G services by September 2022.
• Govt has approved revival plan for BSNL and MTNL with administrative allotment of spectrum for
providing 4G services with funding through budgetary allocation.
• BSNL has already begun necessary processes to go for 4G tender.
• Incremental revenue of Rs 900 crores to BSNL is expected in the
first year of pan India 4G operations.
About BSNL:
• Founded on: September 15, 2000
• Headquarter: New Delhi, India
• Cabinet Minister for Communications: Ashwini Vaishnaw
• Chairman & MD: Pravin Kumar Purwar
4. LS passed Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation Bill), 2020
• Lok Sabha has passed Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation Bill), 2020, moved by Health
Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya.
• Bill is for the regulation and supervision of assisted reproductive technology (ART) clinics and ART
banks.
• It help prevent misuse of the technology and ensure safe and ethical ART practices.
• Under the Bill, ART Registry is being envisaged providing a legal framework for the whole sector.
Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) • It will help in maintaining a database of all

• ART is used to treat infertility. It includes clinics and medical professionals serving in
fertility treatments that handle both a the field.
woman's egg and a man's sperm. It works by • State governments will appoint registration
removing eggs from a woman's body and authorities for facilitating the registration
mixing process. The registration will be valid for five
• them with sperm to make embryos. The years and can be renewed for a further five
embryos are then put back in the woman's years.
body. Stringent Punishment:
• In Vitro fertilization (IVF) is the most common It further seeks stringent punishment for those
and effective type of ART. practicing sex selection, sale of human embryos or
• ART procedures sometimes use donor eggs, gametes, or found running agencies, rackets and
donor sperm, or previously frozen embryos. It organisations for such practices in violation of the
may also involve a surrogate carrier. law.
About the Bill:
National Registry and Registration Authority:
• The bill proposes the establishment of a
national registry and registration authority for For First-Time Offenders:
all clinics and medical professionals serving in • It may attract a penalty between Rs. 5 lakhs
the field. and Rs. 10 lakhs.
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For Subsequent Contraventions: Any Clinic or Bank Advertising or Offering Sex-

• Punishable with imprisonment for a term Selective ART:
between eight and 12 years, and a fine • Punishable with imprisonment between five
between Rs. 10 and Rs. 20 lakh. and ten years, or fine between Rs. 10 lakh and
Rs. 25 lakh, or bot
5. Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurates Competence Examination for Seafarers

• Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda
Sonowal has virtually inaugurated Remote Competence
Examination for Seafarers in New Delhi.
• It is a fully digital Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning
powered online exam system which uses remote
proctoring and powerful security and surveillance tools for
fair, transparent and secure examination system
• It is first ever written examination for certificate of
competency using Remote Digital Proctoring mechanism.
• Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
(MeitY) Ashwini Vaishnaw hosted unique event titled
‘Digital Payment Utsav’ as part of ‘Azadi Ka Digital Mahotsav’.
• This event celebrated the journey and rise of digital payments in India and brought together leaders.
• Event also witnessed the unveiling of DIGIDHAN logo, along with awareness campaign called Digital
Payments Sandesh Yatra with digital payments anthem titled ‘Chutki Baja ke’ (cashless, touchless,
paperless).
6. NCC launches ‘Azadi ki Vijay Shrankhla’ and ‘Sanskritiyon ka Maha Sangam’

• National Cadet Corps (NCC) has launched Azadi ki Vijay Shrankhla aur Sanskritiyon ka Mahasangam’
as a part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• Part I of the event 'Azadi ki Vijay Shrankhla' is being conducted from Nov 28 to Dec 10, 2021 wherein
bravehearts of 1971 War are being honoured at 75 locations
• Part II ‘Sanskritiyon ka Maha Sangam’: It is a special national integration camp in Delhi wherein
candidates from all over the country will participate in cultural exchange
About NCC:
• The NCC was formed in 1948 (on the recommendation of H.
N. Kunzru Committee-1946), and has its roots in British era
uniformed youth entities like University Corps or University
Officer Training Corps.
• Its history can be traced back to the ‘University Corps’,
which was created under the Indian Defence Act 1917 with
an objective to make up for personnel shortage in the Indian
Army.
• The NCC also expanded later on to include the Girls Division
in 1949 to provide equal opportunities to women willing to serve the country's defences.
• Currently it has a strength of around 14 lakh cadets from Army, Navy and Air Force wings.
• NCC is the largest uniformed youth organisation in the world.
• Director General: Lt. Gen. Gurbirpal Singh, Motto(s): एकता और अनुशासन; Unity and Discipline
• Founder: Government of the United Kingdom
• Founded: 16 April 1948, Headquarter: New Delhi
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7. PM Modi inaugurates multiple projects worth Rs 18,000 crore at Dehradun

• PM Modi has inaugurated and laid foundation stone of multiple projects worth Rs 18,000 crore at
Dehradun
• The 7 projects inaugurated consist of initiatives focusing on making travel safer including 120 MW
Vyasi Hydroelectric Project, along with Himalayan Culture Centre in Dehradun.
• The 11 projects for which foundation has been laid include Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor which
will be built at a cost of Rs 8,300 crore.
Various Projects:
• Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor
• Asia’s largest wildlife elevated corridor (12 km) for unrestricted wildlife movement.
• Haridwar Ring Road Project from Manoharpur to Kangri
• Dehradun-Paonta Sahib (Himachal Pradesh) road project
• Nazimabad-Kotdwar road widening project
• A bridge across the River Ganga next to the Laksham Jhula
• Child Friendly City Project
• projects related to development of water supply, road and drainage system
• 120 MW Vyasi Hydroelectric Project, built over River Yamuna
8. National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Bill, 2021
• Lok Sabha has passed National Institute of Pharmaceutical
Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2021.
• National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research
(NIPER) will be helping small pharma companies in research and
study of pharmacy will assume huge importance
• Bill will serve to encourage new institutes of higher learning on
the subject in addition to the existing ones.
About The Bill:
• It seeks to accord the status of ‘institute of national importance’ to six more institutes of pharmaceutical
education and research institutes – NIPERs – situated in Ahmedabad, Hajipur, Hyderabad, Kolkata,
Guwahati and Raebareli.
Establishment of Advisory council: examining and approving development plans
of the institutes, examining annual budget
• The council will be a central body, to estimates of the institutes for
coordinate the activities of all the institutes to recommendations to the central government
ensure coordinated development of for allocation of funds.
pharmaceutical education and research and
maintenance of standards. • The Bill rationalises the Board of Governors of
each NIPER from its existing strength of 23 to
The functions of the council include: 12 members and widens the scope and
• Advising on matters related to course number of courses run by the institutes.
duration, formulating policies for recruitment,
9. Education Minister launches Bhasha Sangam mobile app

• Education Ministry has launched mobile app titled Bhasha Sangam to help people acquire basic
conversation ability in languages other than one's mother tongue to at least 75 lakh people.
• This initiative has been taken under Ek Bharat -Shrestha Bharat Programme.
• It has more than 100 sentences of common usage, both in text and audio format, in 22 Indian
languages.
• Apart from this, another mobile app for Ek Bharat -Shreshta Bharat quiz has also been launched.
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10. Giriraj Singh releases ‘Localization of poverty and build a more sustainable world
over the next 15 years.
SDGs’ through Panchayati Raj report
• There are 17 goals and 169 targets specific
• Union Minister, Giriraj Singh has released
targets to be achieved by 2030. Reaching
Report on ‘Localization of Sustainable
the goals requires action on all fronts –
Development Goals (SDGs) through
governments, businesses, civil society and
Panchayati Raj Institutions’ people everywhere all have a role to play.
• On this occasion, two dedicated Dashboards
• SDGs are not legally binding.
were launched: Gram Panchayat
Development Plan (GPDP) Monitoring
Dashboard on monitoring the progress of 11. NITI Aayog and CSE releases Waste-
GPDP and Training Management Portal on wise cities report
Capacity Building and Training of Elected • NITI Aayog, along with Centre for Science
Representatives and Functionaries of and Environment (CSE) has released report
Panchayati Raj Institutions on Waste-wise Cities: Best practices in
• India is a signatory of SDGs 2030. Municipal Solid Waste Management
Sustainable Development Goals: • It is a comprehensive knowledge repository
of how Indian cities are managing their solid
• To bring sustainable development in the waste and documents best practices from 28
mainstream United Nations (UN) launched cities in 15 states of India.
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development and SDGs. • Five cities in Maharashtra (Vengurla
Municipal Council, Karad, Chandrapur,
• This universal, integrated and transformative Pune) have been placed in the list due to their
agenda aims to spur actions that will end relentless efforts
12. NCW launches Online Resource Center on Cyber Safety
• National Commission for Women (NCW) launches Online

Resource Center on Cyber Safety Under ‘We Think Digital’
Programme to ensure women safety in cyberspace
• The programme is run collaboratively by the Commission,
Facebook and Cyber Peace Foundation
• The centre can be accessed at www.digitalshakti.org and
will act as a source of information and support for online
presence.
• It will also help in fighting Cyber violence against women,
preventing tech abuse against them.
About NCW:
• NCW was set up as a statutory body in January 1992 under the National Commission for Women
Act, 1990. Its mission is to strive towards enabling women to achieve equality and equal participation
in all spheres of life.
• Headquarter: New Delhi
• Commission executive/ Chairmen: Rekha Sharma
13. PM Modi inaugurates Saryu Canal National project in UP's Balrampur

• PM Modi has inaugurated Saryu Canal National Project which will provide assured water for irrigation
to over 14 lakh hectares of land and benefit about 29 lakh farmers in UP
• The project has been completed at a cost of over Rs 9,800 crore, out of which more than Rs 4,600
crore was provisioned in the last 4 years
• Saryu canal project involves interlinking of five rivers Ghaghara, Saryu, Rapti, Banganga and Rohini
to ensure optimum usage of water resources of the region.
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About the Project:

• It is known that the work of the Saryu Canal National Project was started four decades ago in the
Bahraich district during the tenure of Indira Gandhi in the year 1978, then the cost of this project was
less than 100 crores.
• In the year 1982, 9 districts including Balrampur were connected with this project.
• The length of this project is 318 km, while 6623 km long canal systems have been constructed, which
are linked to this project. It was declared a national project in the year 2012.
• With this project, more than 30 lakh farmers of 6,227 villages of Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur,
Gonda, Siddharthnagar, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Gorakhpur and Maharajganj districts of Uttar
Pradesh will be benefited and about 15 lakh hectares of these 9 districts will get irrigation facility.
14. Lok Sabha discusses on Climate Change under House Rule 193
• Lok Sabha discussed on Climate Change under House Rule 193, which does not involve a formal
motion before the House.
About House Rule 193:
o No voting can take place after discussion on matters under this rule.
o Member who gives notice may make short statement and have previously intimated to Speaker,
may be permitted to take part in discussion
o Member who raises the discussion has no right of reply.
o At the end of the discussion, the Minister concerned gives a brief reply.
15. Digital Platform for Management of complaints ‘LokpalOnline’ inauguarted

• Chairperson, Lokpal of India, Justice Pinaki Chandra
Ghose has inaugurated a digital Platform for
Management of Complaints titled as ‘LokpalOnline’
• It can be accessed by all citizens of the country and
complaints can be filed from anywhere,
• It is an end-to-end digital solution for the management
of complaints against public servants
• The Portal has been hosted on NIC Cloud and has been
developed on an Open Source Technology.
About Lokpal and Lokayukta
• The Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 2013 provided for the establishment of Lokpal for the Union and
Lokayukta for States.
• These institutions are statutory bodies without any constitutional status.
• They perform the function of an "ombudsman” and inquire into allegations of corruption against certain
public functionaries and for related matters.
• In India, the concept of constitutional ombudsman was first proposed by the then law minister Ashok
Kumar Sen in parliament in the early 1960s.
• The term Lokpal and Lokayukta were coined by Dr L. M. Singhvi.
• The Bill was passed in 2013 in both the Houses of Parliament and came into force on 16 January 2014.
16. Maharashtra tops the list of state with maximum of beneficiaries under ABRY
• Maharashtra tops the list of states with maximum number of beneficiaries under Atmanirbhar Bharat
Rojgar Yojana (ABRY)
• It is followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat
• State-wise number of applications received from companies under ABRY; number of beneficiaries
State-wise benefited so far from the ABRY along with the total quantum of assistance likely to be
provided by the Government
• Auto settlement of Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) claims was introduced by EPFO in Jan, 2020
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17. Five Indian brands in top 100 global 18. Haiderpur wetlands becomes 47th
powers of luxury goods list Ramsar site of India
• Five Indian brands are placed in the top 100 • Uttar Pradesh’s Haiderpur wetland has been
global powers of luxury goods list, according added to the list of Ramsar sites/wetlands of
to Deloitte Global 2021 edition of Global international importance
Powers of Luxury Goods. • It is 47th Ramsar site of India
• Tata group firm Titan is ranked 22nd and is • Haiderpur is human-made wetland that
among 20 fastest-growing luxury companies spreads over an area of 6,908 hectares in
Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh.
• Kalyan Jewellers, Joyalukkas, PC Jewellers, • It is formed in 1984 on a floodplain of the
and Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri Ltd, have River Ganga on Madhya Ganga Barrage
been ranked 37th, 46th, 57th, and 92nd, within the boundaries of Hastinapur Wildlife
respectively. Sanctuary.
• Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri Ltd is a first-time • It is home to more than 30 species of plants,
entrant to the list of the top 100 luxury goods over 300 species of birds.
companies that generated USD 252 billion in 1971 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands:
revenues globally.
• The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, an
• The top 10 luxury brands list mainly featured international treaty, aims at the conservation
leading players from the EMEA (Europe, the and sustainable use of wetlands.
Middle East, and Africa) region. These • Named after the city of Ramsar in Iran, the
players are LVMH Mot Hennessy-Louis convention was signed in 1971.
Vuitton SE, Kering SA, Capri Holdings,
• The Ramsar Convention works closely with
Compagnie Financire Richemont, L'Oral
six other organizations known as international
Luxe, Chanel Limited, Essilor Luxottica, and organization partners (IOPs), namely BirdLife
Hermes International spread across the International, International Union for
luxury genre. Conservation of Nature (IUCN), International
Water Management Institute (IWMI), Wetlands
International, WWF International, and
Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT)
19. Askot wildlife sanctuary declared as eco-sensitive zone

• Uttarakhand Pithoragarh’s Askot Wildlife Sanctuary has
been finally declared as an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ).
• Sanctuary area has been reduced stretch of 146 square
kms along which over 111 villages are located has been
kept out of the ESZ ambit to make the flagship species
habitat safe from human interferences.
• It is known as ‘Green Paradise on the Earth’.
• Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) are areas in India notified by
Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change
(MoEFCC).
20. India’s first Green Hydrogen Microgrid Projects to be set up at Simhadri
• India’s first and world’s largest Green Hydrogen based Energy
Storage Project is to be set up at Simhadri (near Visakhapatnam).
• NTPC has awarded project of Standalone Fuel-Cell based Micro-
grid with hydrogen production using electrolyser for the same
• It would be a precursor to large scale hydrogen energy storage
projects and will be useful for studying and deploying multiple
microgrids in various off grid and strategic locations of the country.
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21. Defence Minister to inaugurate GIS based automated Water Supply Module
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate GIS based automated Water Supply Module for
providing water connections in Cantonment areas across the country on the occasion of Defence
Estates Day (December 16).
• It will be the 1st such service by any civic body in the country.
• It based on the latest technology of Geographic Information System Mapping and will significantly
reduce the duration for providing water connection in the cantonment areas.
22. Union Cabinet approves implementation of PMKSY for 2021-26.
• Union Cabinet has approved implementation of Pradhan Mantri Krishi
Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) for 2021-26.
• PMKSY scheme will benefit about 22 lakh farmers, including 2.5 lakh
SC and two lakh ST farmers.
• Total Outlay: Rs 93,068 rupees, out of which Rs 37,454 crores will be
central assistance to States.
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yoiana • To improve
• PMKSY is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme on-farm water use efficiency to reduce
(Core Scheme) launched in 2015. Centre- wastage of water,
States will be 75:25 per cent. In the case of • To enhance the adoption of precision-
the north-eastern region and hilly states, it will irrigation and other water saving
be 90:10. technologies (More crop per drop),
Its objectives are: • To enhance recharge of aquifers and
• Convergence of investments in irrigation at introduce sustainable water conservation
the field level, practices by exploring the feasibility of
reusing treated municipal based water for
• To expand the cultivable area under assured peri-urban agriculture and attract greater
irrigation (Har Khet ko pani), private investment in a precision irrigation
system.
23. Union Minister launches MIS portal for rankings in Land Acquisition
• Union Minister Giriraj Singh has launched MIS
(Management Information System) portal for rankings of
States/UTs in Land Acquisition Projects under Right to Fair
Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition,
Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013
• As per the ranking and performance, top 3 States and
districts will be awarded
• Portal is developed by NIC team of Dept of Land
Resources with zero cost
• Link of the portal is larr.dolr.gov.in
24. Jyotiraditya Scindia inaugurates first direct flight on Guwahati-Pune route
• Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya M. Scindia flagged off the
first direct flight of Indigo airlines on Guwahati (Assam) to Pune
(Maharashtra) route
• Guwahati is connected with 24 cities of the country with 885 aircraft
movements.
• Commencement of the flight operations on this route will assist people
of Guwahati and its adjoining areas as well as passengers from Pune with
seamless movement
• People can travel between two cities in 3 hours 15 minutes.
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25. PM Modi lays foundation stone of Ganga Expressway in Shahjahanpur

• PM Modi has laid foundation stone of Ganga Expressway in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh
• Ganga Expressway will open new doors of progress for UP and will be a source of five boons covering
network of expressways, new airports, and railway routes:
• It is a 594 Km long six-lane Expressway and will be built at a cost of over Rs 36,200 crore.
• It passes through Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Budaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi,
Unnao, RaeBareli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj.
Important Facts About Ganga Expressway:
• The Ganga Expressway is a greenfield, six-lane expressway project is being developed by the Uttar
Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA).
• The ganga express highway will cover 12 districts in the state of Uttar Pradesh and link 519 villages.
• The project will have an airstrip in Shahjahanpur for emergency landings.
• The expressway will be expandable to an eight-lane expressway, with a maximum speed limit of 120
kms per hour for vehicles.
• There will be a total of nine public convenience centres, 381 underpasses, 14 major bridges, 126 minor
bridges, 929 culverts, 7 ROBs, 28 flyovers and 8 diamond interchanges along the expressway.
• About 18,55,000 saplings will be planted along the Ganga expressway route for environmental
protection. Solar power will be utilised for producing energy on the land acquired for the project.
• The Ganga Expressway project will be developed at a cost of around Rs 36,230 crores. It will be
implemented in four groups (each having three packages). The cost of the civil works is estimated to
be Rs 22,125 crores while Rs 9,255 crores has been estimated for buying the land.
26. Centre to bring cooperative policy, national level cooperative university
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah has announced to set-up
national level cooperative university in the country to further
expand the cooperative sector.
• It has made significant contributions in the development of the
country since pre-independence period.
• Cooperative sector policy has also been formulated to promote
the cooperative movement which will be implemented.
• India's Primary Agriculture Society will be modernized and
linked to District & State Cooperative Banks.
27. SECI awards 100 MW Solar Contract with Battery Project in Chhattisgarh
• Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has been awarded
contract for setting up 100 MW (AC) solar with 40 MW/120 MWh
Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project at Rajnandgaon,
Chhattisgarh
• It will demonstrate how, by using a large battery storage system
like BESS, solar power can be used to provide clean solar energy
during evening peak hours.
• The project will be supported by World Bank.
• It will boost market confidence and catalyze further investments
in the sector.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made two significant announcements at the climate summit in Glasgow
(COP26):
• India will get its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatt (GW) by 2030
• The country will meet 50 per cent of its energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030.
India and its 2022 renewable energy targets:
• The country’s growth in the clean energy sector in the last 10 years has been remarkable. There are,
however, many stumbling blocks, including an impact from the COVID-19 pandemic.
17
28. AIM, NITI Aayog & UNCDF announce first AgriTech cohort
• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog and United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)
has rolled out their first AgriTech Challenge cohort for its ambitious innovative Agri-tech program
• Aim: to help smallholder farmers across Asia and Africa to address their challenges in the aftermath of
the pandemic.
• Through this platform, cross-border collaborations among emerging markets across India, Indonesia,
Malawi, Malaysia, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia would be enabled.
About AIM & UNCDF: Major Initiatives by AIM:
• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is a flagship Atal Tinkering Labs, Atal Incubation Centers, Atal
initiative set up by the NITI Aayog to promote New India Challenges, Mentor India Campaign, Atal
a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship Community Innovation Center and Atal Research
in the country. and Innovation for Small Enterprises (ARISE).
• It’s objective is to develop new programmes The UN Capital Development Fund makes public
and policies for fostering innovation in and private finance work for the poor in the world's
different sectors of the economy, provide 46 least developed countries (LDCs).
platform and collaboration opportunities for • Formation in: 1966
different stakeholders, create awareness and • Headquarter: New York, US
create an umbrella structure to oversee the
innovation ecosystem of the country. • Executive Secretary of the United Nations
Capital Development Fund: Preeti Sinha
29. LS develops mobile app to access important parliamentary documents

• Lok Sabha has developed mobile app that will enable members
of the House to access important parliamentary documents,
papers, information related to legislative committees and bills.
• LS Speaker Om Birla informed the House about the app and
urged the members to download this in their mobile sets and
tab.
• It will also allow people to watch the live proceedings of the
House.
30. Centre to amend Multi State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002
• Centre has decided to amend Multi State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act,
2002 to plug the loopholes in the Act.
• There are many Cooperatives societies like those for sugar and milk, banks,
milk unions etc whose members and areas of operation are spread across more
than one state.
• Act was passed to govern such cooperatives.
• Since the law was enacted, 1,479 such societies have been registered
• Maharashtra has the highest number at 567, followed by UP (147), Delhi (133).
31. NDTL regains World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accreditation

• National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) has regained
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accreditation
• With this, NDTL’s Anti-Doping testing and activities will be
resumed with immediate effect.
• NDTL’s WADA accreditation was suspended on 20 August
2019, based on non-compliances which were observed
during on-site assessment held in 2018
• NDTL has also been collaborating with other WADA
accredited laboratories for strengthening its research
activities and anti-doping efforts.
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World Anti-Doping Agency

• It was established in 1999 as an international independent agency composed
and funded equally by the sport movement and governments of the world.
• Its foundation was initiated by the IOC to promote, coordinate and monitor the
fight against drugs in sports.
• It is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.
• Integrity, Accountability and Excellence are the core values of the agency.
• President: Craig Reedie
NADA
• The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) is the
national organisation responsible for promoting,
coordinating, and monitoring the doping control program
in sports in all its forms in India.
• Formation: 24 November 2005
• Headquarter: New Delhi, India
• Chairman: Minister of Sports (India): Shri Anurag Singh Thakur
32. PM Modi lays foundation stone for projects worth Rs 2000 crore in Varanasi
• PM Narendra Modi has launched 27 developmental projects
worth over Rs 2000 crores including laying of the foundation stone
for Banas Dairy in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi.
• It spread across 30 acres of land, Dairy will be built at a cost of
about Rs 475 crore and will have a facility for processing 5 lakh liter
of milk per day.
• He also laid foundation stone for Bio-gas based Electricity
generation plant for Milk Producers Cooperative Union Plant at
Ramnagar
33. Nitin Gadkari launches first Intelligent Transport System (ITS)

• Nitin Gadkari has launched first Intelligent Transport
system (ITS) on 6 Lane Eastern Peripheral Expressway at
Dasna, Ghaziabad.
• It will lead to traffic efficiency by minimizing traffic
problems, efficient infrastructure usage, enriching users
with prior information about traffic.
• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin
Gadkari has inaugurated and laid foundation stone of
National Highway projects in Meerut and Muzaffarnagar
in Uttar Pradesh.
Intelligent Transport System (ITS) on expressway:

• ITS is a revolutionary state-of-the-art technology. It will achieve traffic efficiency by prompting efficient
infrastructure usage, minimizing traffic problems, enriching users with prior information on traffic,
reducing travel time and enhancing safety & comfort of commuters.
• This system can detect any accident and receive alerts for ensuring that ambulance reaches the
accident spot within 10-15 minutes.
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34. NMCG and TERI launch Centre of Excellence on Water Reuse

• Director General of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and Director General of The Energy
and Resources Institute (TERI) has launched Centre of Excellence, CoE on Water Reuse in New Delhi.
• It is the first of its kind to be established in the country through a collaboration between NMCG and
TERI.
• It will be setup to design and foster research and innovation including identification of knowledge gaps
for research.
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI): TERI's key focus lies in promoting:
• The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is • Clean energy
a leading think tank dedicated to conducting • Water management
research for sustainable development of India
and the Global South. • Pollution management
• TERI was established in 1974 as an • Sustainable agriculture
information centre on energy issues. • Climate resilience
• Director General: Dr Vibha Dhawan
35. Centre sets up panel to look into withdrawal of AFSPA in Nagaland
• The center has instituted a high-level committee to
examine the possibility of withdrawing the AFSPA in
Nagaland.
• Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India
Vivek Joshi will head the 5-member committee and
Additional Secretary in the Home Ministry Piyush Goyal
will be its Member-Secretary.
• The Chief Secretary and DGP of Nagaland and the DGP
of Assam Rifles will be the other members of the
committee.
• The committee will submit its report within 45 days.
What is AFSPA? first enacted as an ordinance in the

• It gives powers to the army, state and central backdrop of Quit India Movement launched
police forces to shoot to kill, search houses by Mahatma Gandhi in 1942.
and destroy any property that is “likely” to be • A day after its launch on August 8, 1942, the
used by insurgents in areas declared as movement became leaderless and turned
“disturbed” by the home ministry. violent at many places across the country.
• AFSPA is invoked when a case of militancy Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal
or insurgency takes place and the territorial Nehru, VB Patel and a host of others had
integrity of India is at risk. been put behind the bars.
• Security forces can “arrest a person without • Shaken by the massive scale of violence
warrant”, who has committed or even “about across the country, the then Viceroy
to commit a cognizable offence” even based Linlithgow promulgated the Armed Forces
on “reasonable suspicion”. (Special Powers) Ordinance, 1942.
• It also provides security forces with legal • This Ordinance practically gave the Armed
immunity for their actions in disturbed areas. Forces a “license to kill” when faced with
internal disturbances.
• While the armed forces and the government
• On the lines of this ordinance, the Indian
justify its need in order to combat militancy
government promulgated four ordinances in
and insurgency, critics have pointed out
1947 to deal with internal security issues and
cases of possible human rights violations
unrest arising due to partition in four
linked to the act.
provinces Bengal, Assam, East Bengal and
Historical Background: the United Provinces.
• The AFSPA – like many other controversial
laws – is of a colonial origin. The AFSPA was
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36. Transforming Human Resource Development in the context of NEP-2020

• Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) is organizing
National Symposium on ‘Transforming Human
Resource Development in the context of NEP-2020’
scheduled on 28-29 December, 2021 at Convention
Centre, North Eastern Development Finance
Corporation Ltd. (NEDFI), Guwahati, Assam.
• Experts from the field of special education, inclusive
education, speech & hearing, Clinical & Rehabilitation
Psychology, Rehabilitation worker will deliberate on 6
identified themes.
What is the new National Education Policy 2020?
National Education Policy of India – Background:
➢ The Ministry of Human Resource Development formed a Committee chaired by Dr K. Kasturirangan
for preparing the National Education Policy. The Committee was constituted in June 2017. The
Committee submitted its report on May 31, 2019.
Features of National Education Policy 2020 ➢ NEP aims to increase the focus on
The National Education Policy as submitted by the strengthening teacher training, reforming the
Kasturirangan Committee submitted an education existing exam system, early childhood care
policy that seeks to address the following and restructuring the regulatory framework of
challenges facing the existing education system: education.
• Quality Other intentions of the NEP include:
• Affordability • Increasing public investment in education,
• Equity • Setting up NEC (National Education
Commission),
• Access
• Increasing focus on vocational and adult
• Accountability education,
➢ The policy provides for reforms at all levels of
• Strengthening the use of technology, etc.
education from school to higher education.
37. India to become 3rd largest economy in 2031, says CEBR

• Centre for Economics and Business Research
(CEBR) has predicted that India will become
the third-largest economy in 2031 in its
annual World Economic League Table.
• CEBR also predicted that China will overtake
the US in 2030, two years later than forecast
a year ago.
• India will also see an improvement in its
ranking in the World Economic League Table (WELT), rising from 7th place in 2021.
• Overall, economy is estimated to have grown by 8.5% in 2021, with output in 2021.
• Center for Economic and Business Report (CEBR) Chairman: Martin Piers
• Center for Economic and Business Report Headquarters: London, United Kingdom.
38. Defence Minister e-inaugurated 27 infra projects by BRO
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has e-inaugurated 27 infra projects constructed by Border Roads
Organisation (BRO).
• BRO has been playing a significant role in building roads, tunnels and other infrastructure in remote
areas.
• Road built at an altitude of 19,000 feet on the Umling-La pass in southern Ladakh, has now become
world's highest motorable road.
• Road will not only facilitate faster dispatch of armed forces but also give a boost to tourism in the
region.
21
39. NITI Aayog releases Northeastern Region District SDG Index 2021-22
• Minister of Tourism, Culture and Development of Northeastern Region (MDoNER) with NITI Aayog
releases Northeastern Region District SDG Index and Dashboard 2021-22
• Index measures the performance of the district of the 8 NE States
• This is the first time, District wise index is being prepared
• SDG Index will be used as a base for planning of development and welfare activities, education, health
care.
• Top performer: East Sikkim district
• Worst: Kiphire district of Nagaland
40. First Water Metro ferry handed over to KMRL
• The first of the 23 fully air-conditioned, battery-powered

electric ferries of Rs. 747 cr Kochi Water Metro project,
was handed over by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) to
Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL).
• The 50-seater ferry was christened Muziris and is said
to have been located at Pattanam village located 25 km
from Kochi city.
• Four other Water Metro ferries are expected to be
launched in the coming months.
41. Semiconductor mission launched by IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

• Ashwini Vaishnaw launched the India Semiconductor Mission.
• India Semiconductor Mission is a specialised and independent business division within the Digital
India Corporation.
• It has been set up with the aim to build a vibrant semiconductor and display ecosystem to enable India’s
emergence as a global hub for electronics manufacturing and design.
• The schemes have been notified and uploaded on the website.
• A portal for it has been prepared for receiving the applications
India’s Semiconductor Demand and Related Initiatives:
➢ India currently imports all chips and the market is estimated to touch $100 billion by 2025 from $24
billion now.
➢ The Union Cabinet has recently allocated an amount of ₹76,000 crore for supporting the development
of a ‘semiconductors and display manufacturing ecosystem’.
➢ It is a belated but welcome acknowledgment of the strategic significance of integrated circuits, or
chips, to a modern economy.
➢ India has also launched the Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components and
Semiconductors (SPECS) under which a budget outlay of Rs 3,285 crore is spread over a period of
eight years for manufacturing of electronics components and semiconductors.
22
International News
1. G20 ‘Troika’: Troika refers to the top grouping within the G20 that consists of the
current, previous and the incoming presidencies.
• Indonesia, Italy, and India have joined the G-20 Troika. As
a Troika member, India will work closely with Indonesia and
Italy to ensure consistency and continuity of the G20’s
agenda.
• Indonesia took over the G20 presidency on December 1. It
will convene the G20 Leaders’ Summit scheduled for
October 30-31, 2022, with the theme of ‘Recover Together
Recover Stronger’.
• India will assume the G20 presidency on December 1, 2022
from Indonesia, and will convene the G20 Leaders’ Summit for the first time in India in 2023.
• India will also chair the Global Economic Agenda Forum in the year 2022 and it is a challenge as
well as an opportunity for India to boost its presence in the international arena. But it is difficult to lead
effectively for this due to the rise in unemployment rate and poverty in their areas.
G-20 Summit 2021 Highlights:
• The Summit concluded on October 31, 2021, with the adoption of the 'Rome Declaration' and the
commitment to the Paris Agreement by the G20 leaders. This summit focused on three broad,
interconnected pillars of action: People, Planet, Prosperity.
Objectives of the summit: The Group of 20 countries, which represent more than three-quarters of the world’s
greenhouse gas emissions, had been looking for common ground and solid commitments on how to reduce
emissions while helping poor countries deal with the impact of rising temperatures.
Outcomes of the meet: agreed that COVID immunization is a global
public good.
• Leaders committed to the key Paris
About Group of Twenty (G20)
Agreement goal of limiting global warming to
1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial • It is the international forum that brings
levels. together the world’s major economies. Its
members account for more than 80% of world
• They also pledged to reach a target of net
GDP, 75% of global trade and 60% of the
zero carbon emissions “by or around mid-
population of the planet. The forum has met
century”. every year since 1999 and since 2008,
• They agreed to stop funding new dirty coal including a yearly Summit, with the
plants abroad by the end of 2021. The leaders participation of the respective Heads of State
agreed to end public financing for coal-fired and Government.
power generation abroad, matching a Members:
decision by the G7 members during their
June summit in Cornwall, England. • As of 2021 there are 20 members of the
group: (19 Countries and European Union)
• They reaffirmed the so far unmet commitment Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China,
to mobilise $100 billion for developing the European Union, France, Germany, India,
countries for climate adaptation costs. Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi
• The G20 leaders have also adopted the Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the
Rome Declaration giving a strong message United Kingdom, and the United States. Spain
under the health section where the leaders is a permanent guest invitee. India has been
a member of the G20 since its inception in
1999.
Chair rotation
• To decide which member nation gets to chair the G20 leaders' meeting for a given year, all members,
except the European Union, are assigned to one of five different groupings, with all but one group
having four members, the other having three. Italy is the current chair of the group.
23
2. Global Gateway Initiative:

The European Commission, on December 1, unveiled a plan named
‘Global Gateway’ to invest €300 billion ($340 billion) globally in
infrastructure, digital and climate projects by 2027.
What is Global Gateway Plan?
• The plan, called Global Gateway, aims to bolster health,
education, and research systems across the world. The
decision has been taken by the European Commission's new
European strategy to boost smart, clean, and secure links in
digital, energy and transport.
• The project is being seen as a response to China’s Belt and Road Initiative strategy (launched in 2013).
• It will be implemented through a Team Europe approach. The EU institutions, member States, and
European financial institutions will work together with European businesses, governments, civil society,
and the private sector in partner countries.
• To finance the project, the EU will use its European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus. Under this,
40 billion euros are made available in guaranteed capacity, and will offer grants of up to 18 billion euros
from external assistance programs.
• It includes the development of land and sea infrastructure to better connect China to Asia, Europe and
Africa.
• Offshoot of B3W Project: The EU strategy is an offshoot of the Build Back Better World (B3W) Initiative.
[B3W is an international infrastructure investment initiative announced by the Group of Seven (G-7)
richest democracies in June 2021.]
How did the Idea of such Project Develop? • It was announced in 2013 by China’s
• According to the G20 estimates, the global President Xi Jinping.
infrastructure investment deficit will reach • BRI aims to develop land and sea
€13 Trillion by 2040 and bridging the world’s infrastructure to better connect China to
infrastructure gap will require an estimated Asia, Europe and Africa for trade and
investment of € 1.3 Trillion per year. development.
• In this context Global Gateway and the EU in • The project has a target completion date of
a Team Europe approach offered its partners 2049, which will coincide with the centennial
respond to the urgent needs. anniversary of the People’s Republic of China
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)- (PRC)’s founding.
• Formerly known as One Belt One Road • The BRI projects comprise $4 trillion of
(OBOR), it is the global development strategy promised investments in 65 countries
initiated by the Government of China representing 70 percent of the world’s
involving infrastructural development and population, 55 percent of its GNP, and 75
direct investments in many countries across percent of its energy reserves.
the continents of Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Source: Ec.europa.eu, CNN
Americas.
3. Summit for Democracy:

About the Summit:
The Summit for Democracy was a virtual summit hosted by the United
States "to renew democracy at home and confront autocracies abroad" on
December 9–10, 2021.
What was the Theme of the Summit for Democracy?
The three themes are Defending Against Authoritarianism, Addressing and Fighting Corruption, and
Advancing Respect for Human Rights.
24
Key Highlights: • The US President also announced the

• The Conference coincided with the two- establishment of the Presidential Initiative for
important days, International Anti- Democratic Renewal that will provide foreign
Corruption Day, and Human Rights Day on assistance initiatives. The initiative will be
th th
9 and 10 December respectively. powered by $424.4 million and will be aimed
to support free media, fight corruption,
• It aims to show how open, rights-respecting strengthen democratic reforms, for use of
societies can work together to effectively technology for democracy and for defence of
tackle the challenges of present time, such as free and fair elections.
the Covid-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, and
India’s Stand:
inequality.
• Democracies should jointly deal with social
• The two-day summit was attended by over
media and crypto currencies, so that they are
100 world leaders, including Prime Minister
used to empower democracy, not to
Narendra Modi.
undermine it.
• The United States calls invited attendees’
• India is the largest democracy in the world
"participants", in recognition that some
which has 2,500-year-old democratic
attendees, such as the Republic of China
traditions and proposes to share India's
(Taiwan), are not states recognized by the
democratic experience through digital
United Nations or by the U.S., or Kosovo,
solutions.
which is not fully recognized by the United
Nations member states.US omitted China and • Democracy has taken various shapes across
Russia from the list of invitees and Pakistan the world and there is a need to work on the
skipped the summit. democratic practices and symptoms.
Criticism:
• The summit's guestlist was criticized for inviting participants
based on the political interests of the United States, not on its
democracy ratings.
• China accused the US of using democracy as a “weapon of
mass destruction” to “stoke divisions and confrontation” as it
slammed the Summit for Democracy organised by the Biden
administration, which Beijing portrays as a new front being
formed by America to isolate it to halt its rise.
• Beijing was furious over the invitation to the self-governing island
Taiwan, which China said is a blatant violation of the ‘One China’ policy that considers Taipei as the
integral part of the Chinese mainland.
Source: Hindustan Times, Telegraph India
4. Human Rights Day:

About Human Rights Day:
• Human Rights Day is celebrated annually around the world on 10 December
every year.
• The date was chosen to honor the United Nations General Assembly's
adoption and proclamation, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights (UDHR), the first global enunciation of human rights and one of the
first major achievements of the new United Nations.
• The formal establishment of Human Rights Day occurred at the 317th Plenary
Meeting of the General Assembly on 4 December 1950, when the General
Assembly declared resolution 423(V), inviting all member states and any other
interested organizations to celebrate the day as they saw fit.
Human Rights Day 2021: Theme
• This year's Human Rights Day theme is "Equality, reducing inequalities, advancing human rights."
• The principle of equality and non-discrimination are at the heart of human rights. Equality means
inclusion and non-discrimination. In other words- a human rights-based approach to development is
the best way to reduce inequalities.
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Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for mission is to promote and protect human
Human Rights: rights around the world. The Council has 47
• Office of the High members elected for staggered three-year
Commissioner for terms on a regional group basis. The
Human Rights (OHCHR) headquarters of the Council is in Geneva,
or the United Nations Switzerland.
Human Rights Office, is a • The Council was established by the United
department of the Nations General Assembly on 15 March
Secretariat of the United 2006 to replace the United Nations
Nations that works to Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR,
promote and protect human rights that are herein CHR). The Council works closely with
guaranteed under international law and the Office of the High Commissioner for
stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (OHCHR) and engages the
Human Rights of 1948. United Nations special procedures.
• The office was established by the United • The Council investigates allegations of
Nations General Assembly on 20 December breaches of human rights in United Nations
1993 in the wake of the 1993 World member states and addresses thematic
Conference on Human Rights. human rights issues such as freedom of
• The office is headed by the High association and assembly, freedom of
Commissioner for Human Rights, who co- expression, freedom of belief and religion,
ordinates human rights activities throughout women's rights, LGBT rights, and the rights
the United Nations System and acts as the of racial and ethnic minorities.
secretariat of the Human Rights Council in Note: The United Nations Commission on Human
Geneva, Switzerland. The current High Rights (UNCHR) was a functional commission within
Commissioner is Michelle Bachelet of Chile. the overall framework of the United Nations from
United Nations Human Rights Council: 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations
Human Rights Council in 2006.
• The United Nations Human Rights Council
(UNHRC) is a United Nations body whose
5. Observer status to ISA:
International Solar Alliance (ISA) has got an ‘observer’ status in the United
Nations General Assembly (UNGA). This will help this treaty-based
international organisation usher in a new era of green energy diplomacy for
increasing its solar power footprint.
Granting Observer Status in General Assembly:
• UNGA has granted observer status to international organizations,
entities, and non-member states. This is to enable them to participate
in the work of the United Nations General Assembly, though with
limitations.
• The General Assembly determines the privileges it will grant to each
observer. E.g., the EU was, in 2011, granted the right to speak in debates, to submit proposals and
amendments, the right of reply etc.
• UNGA grants observer status through a resolution brought for the purpose. This practice has been
incorporated to distinguish between state and non-state observers.
United Nation Membership: Change Conference of the Parties (COP-21)
• UN Charter, Chapter II, article 3-6 confers in Paris, France.
membership in the U.N. Only states can be • The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is an
members of the United Nations. alliance of 124 countries initiated by India,
About International Solar Alliance: most of them being the sunshine countries,
• India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and which lie either completely or partly
former French President Francois Hollande between the Tropic of Cancer and the
announced launch of the ISA on November Tropic of Capricorn. The primary objective of
30, 2015. The announcement was made at the alliance is to work for efficient
21st session of United Nations Climate consumption of solar energy to reduce
dependence on fossil fuels.
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• In January 2016, Narendra Modi, and the then the ISA. As its name suggests, the
French President François Hollande jointly International Solar Alliance (ISA) seeks to
laid the foundation stone of the ISA bring about global energy transition to solar
Headquarters and inaugurated the interim power.
Secretariat at the National Institute of Solar • The fourth General Assembly of multilateral
Energy (NISE) in Gwal Pahari, Gurugram, body International Solar Alliance (ISA) was
India. ISA DG: Ajay Mathur concluded with a promise to achieve USD 1
• The USA on 10th November joined the trillion global investments in solar energy by
International Solar Alliance (ISA). With this, the 2030.
US has become 101st country to become part Source: PIB, Indian Express.
of the grouping by signing the framework of
6. PM Modi inaugurates InFinity Forum virtually:

• PM Modi has virtually inaugurated InFinity Forum, a thought leadership Forum on FinTech through
video conference.
• Aim: to achieve financial empowerment of every single citizen of the country
• Hosted by: International Financial Services Centres Authority in collaboration with GIFT City
and Bloomberg.
• Partner countries in the first edition of the Forum: Indonesia, South Africa, and U.K.
• InFinity Forum theme: ‘Beyond.’
• It will witness participation from over 70 countries.
Source: News on Air
7. Gita Gopinath to become IMF's First 8. EAM S Jaishankar addresses 5th Indian
Deputy Managing Director Ocean Conference in Abu Dhabi:
• Indian American Gita Gopinath is set to • External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar
become International Monetary Fund addressed 5th Indian Ocean Conference in
(IMF’s) First Deputy Managing Director. Abu Dhabi, emphasizing on several
• She will become the second-ranking official, pertinent geopolitical issues.
replacing First Deputy Managing Director • Theme of conference: Ecology, Economy,
Geoffrey Okamoto who plans to leave the Epidemic.
Fund early next year. Gopinath has served as • It is organized by the India foundation and
the IMF’s chief economist for three years. is chaired by Sri Lankan President,
• IMF member countries: 190; MD: Kristalina Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Georgieva • The 2021 edition of the conference is dealing
• Founded: 27 Dec 1945; Headquarters: with the challenges faced by the Indian
Washington, D.C., United States ocean, due to the effects of the pandemic,
Source: HT economic decline, and climate change.
9. Olaf Scholz to be nominated as Germany’s next Chancellor:

• Olaf Scholz has been sworn in as Germany's new chancellor,
ending 16 years of conservative rule under Angela Merkel.
• Scholz, who served as vice chancellor and finance minister in
coalition with Merkel, got a clear majority of 395 votes from
lawmakers in the Bundestag lower house of parliament.
About The Election of German Chancellor
• The chancellor of Germany is the head of the federal
government of Germany. He/she is also the commander in
chief of the German Armed Forces during wartime.
• The chancellor is the chief executive of the Federal Cabinet and heads the executive branch.
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• He/she is elected by the Bundestag (the legislative branch of the German government based in
Berlin) on the proposal of the federal president. The Federal Chancellor is elected by the Bundestag
after each Parliamentary election.
Parliamentary Election
• Every four years, Germans vote to decide how the 598 base seats in the Bundestag will be divided
among members of Germany’s various political parties.
• German parliamentary system follows a personalized proportional representation system. I.e., Germans
cast two votes: one for a candidate in their constituency and one for a political party.
• The two votes boil down to what is their favorite candidate who represents them in their districts and
what is their favorite party that will represent them in the Bundestag
Source: IE, Daily-sun.com
10. South Sudan’s Govt to end child marriage by 2030:
• South Sudan’s Govt has promised to end child marriage by 2030 in line with African Union's
campaign to end child marriages in the continent.
• Paramount chiefs from 10 regional states and three administrative areas in the second national
conference on ending child marriages
• South Sudan is one of 40 countries in the world with highest rates of child marriages. Survey conducted
in 2010 found that about seven % of girls marry before the age of 15.
Source: Reuters:
11. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
• Former chief election commissioner Sunil Arora has been invited to join the board of advisers at the
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (also known as International IDEA).
• Established in 1995, International IDEA is an intergovernmental organisation based in Stockholm,
Sweden. It has a mission to support sustainable democracy worldwide.
• It currently has 34 member countries from all continents.
12. India re-elected to International Maritime Organisation Council:
• On 11th December, India has been re-elected to the International Maritime
Organisation (IMO) Council for the 2022-23 biennium. The elections were held
during 32nd IMO’s Assembly in London.
• India's election falls under the Category of 10 states with "the largest interest in
international seaborne trade". The other 9 countries are: Australia, Brazil, Canada,
France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates
(UAE).
About IMO:
• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It is headquartered at London, UK. It was founded
on 17 March 1948.
• The IMO’s governing body is the Assembly which meets every two years, with the first meeting held
in 1959.
• It is responsible for measures to improve the safety and security of international shipping and to
prevent marine pollution from ships and also oversees every aspect of worldwide shipping regulations,
including legal issues and shipping efficiency.
• The Council is the executive organ of IMO. It is responsible, under the Assembly, for supervising the
work of the organisation.
Source: TOI
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13. 8th Indian Ocean Dialogue

• Recently, India hosted the 8th Edition of the Indian Ocean Dialogue virtually.
• Theme - Post Pandemic Indian Ocean: Leveraging Digital Technologies for Health, Education,
Development and Trade in IORA Member States
• It was organised with the assistance of the Indian Council for World Affairs and Indian Ocean Rim
Association (IORA) Secretariat.
• It was aimed at triggering cooperation among IORA Member States in the field of digital technologies
while ensuring digital inclusion and bridging the digital device.
• The Indian Ocean Dialogue is a premier track 1.5 forum for open and free flowing dialogue among
various stakeholders. India has hosted the 1st and the 6th Edition of the Indian Ocean Dialogue in
Kerala and New Delhi in September 2014 and December 2019 respectively.
About Indian Ocean Rim Association:
The Indian Ocean Rim Association, formerly known as the Indian Ocean Rim Initiative and the Indian Ocean
Rim Association for Regional Cooperation, is an international organisation consisting of 23 states bordering
the Indian Ocean. The Coordinating Secretariat of IORA is located at Ebene, Mauritius. Founded in 1997.
Source: IE
14. 3rd India-Central Asia Dialogue:
• The third meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue was held on 19th December in New Delhi. It is a
ministerial-level meeting between India and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and
Uzbekistan in Central Asia.
• All the countries are the member of OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) and they skipped the
meeting organised by Pakistan on the situation on Afghanistan.
Key Highlights of the Meeting:
India floated a four ‘C’ approach: Focusing on commerce, capacity enhancement, connectivity and contacts
to further expand the cooperation between the two sides.
• International North-South Transport Corridor: To
improve connectivity between India and Central
Asian countries, a focus on maximizing the use of
the International North-South Transport Corridor
(INSTC) and the Ashgabat Agreement on the
International Transport and Transit Corridor.
• The stress on including Chabahar Port in the
INSTC was emphasized, as was an interest in
working together on issues related to the
development and the strengthening of the regional
connectivity in Central and South Asia.
• They agreed to expand their countries' transit and
transportation potential, improve the regional logistics network, and encourage joint initiatives to build
new transport corridors.
• It was agreed to look into the possibility of establishing a joint working group to address the free
movements of goods and services between India and Central Asian countries.
Afghanistan's Situation: Line of Credit:
• Supported a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, • All of the countries are presently discussing
emphasizing the importance of respecting the use of a USD 1 billion line of credit
the country's sovereignty, territorial integrity, announced by India last year for Central Asian
and non-interference in its internal affairs. infrastructure projects.
• Agreed to upload the UN Security Council • A line of credit is the preset amount of money
(UNSC) Resolution 2593, which limit that can be borrowed at any time. In the
"unequivocally demands that the Afghan case of an open line of credit, the borrower
territory not be used for sheltering, training, can withdraw money as needed until the limit
planning, or financing terrorist acts, and calls is reached, and as funds are repaid, they can
for concerted action against all terrorist be borrowed again.
groups," was cited.
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Post pandemic recovery: Restoration of Tourism:

• All of the countries emphasized the need for • Supported the gradual restoration of tourism
extensive vaccination and called for and business ties between India and Central
cooperation through vaccine dose sharing, Asia.
knowledge transfer, the development of local • Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan's foreign minister
production capacities, the promotion of welcomed India and their countries' mutual
medical product supply chains, and price recognition of Covid-19 vaccination
transparency. certificates, while Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,
and Uzbekistan's ministers pushed for early
mutual recognition.
Source: IE, Quint
15. Humanitarian Trust Fund for Afghanistan: Organisation for Islamic Cooperat]]’ion:
• Pakistan hosted an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Foreign Minister's meet on 19th
December on Afghanistan. Taliban interim govt officials were also invited to the meeting. The meeting
is the biggest major conference on Afghanistan since the fall of the US-backed government.
Key Highlights of the Meet:
• The Foreign ministers from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) agreed to establish a
humanitarian trust fund to address the growing economic crisis in Afghanistan which has left millions
facing hunger over the winter.
Humanitarian Trust Fund:
• The fund will be set up under the Islamic Development Bank to channel aid to Afghanistan in
coordination with other groups.
• It will allow Afghanistan access to its financial resources would be pivotal to preventing economic
collapse and said realistic pathways to unfreezing billions of dollars in frozen central bank reserves
should be explored.
• The meeting also called on the international community to provide urgent and sustained humanitarian
aid to Afghanistan as well as to the main countries housing Afghan refugees.
Trust Fund by United Nation:
• The United Nations (UN) has also set up a special trust fund to provide urgently needed cash directly
to Afghans through a system that taps into donor funds frozen since the Taliban takeover in August
• It was set up with the aim of injecting liquidity into Afghan households in a bid to permit them to survive
the upcoming winter and remain in their homeland.
• Germany is a first contributor to the fund. It had pledged 50 million euros (USD58 million) for it.
About Organisation of Islamic Cooperation:
• The OIC is the second largest intergovernmental organisation after the United Nations with a
membership of 57 states.
• It is the collective voice of the Muslim world. It endeavors to safeguard and protect the interests of the
Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various people of the
world.
• It was established upon a decision of the historical summit which took place in Rabat, Kingdom of
Morocco on the 25th of September 1969. Headquarters: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
About Islamic Development Bank: The Islamic Development Bank is a multilateral development finance
institution that is focused on Islamic finance located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Founded: 1975
Source: IE, Reuters
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16. US-China Sanctions:

China imposes sanctions on 4 US officials in retaliation:
• On 21st December in retaliation to US imposing curbs on Chinese officials over the Human Rights issue,
in its Xinjiang province China has barred four US officials from entering the Asian nation. The four
members of the U.S. government's Commission on International Religious Freedom in retaliation for
penalties imposed on Chinese officials over complaints of abuses in the country’s northwestern Xinjiang
region.
• The Biden administration on 16th December said it is imposing new sanctions on several Chinese biotech
and surveillance companies and government entities for actions in Xinjiang province, the latest step
against Beijing over human rights abuses of Uyghur Muslims in the country's western region.
• In January 2021, the Trump administration announced a ban on all Xinjiang cotton and tomato products.
• As per the estimates of U.S. Customs & Border Protection agency, about $9 billion of cotton products and
$10 million of tomato products were imported from China in the past year.
• The Commerce Department is targeting China's Academy of Military Medical Sciences and its 11 research
institutes that focus on using biotechnology to support the Chinese military.
• The move will bar American companies from selling components to the entities without a license.
Why US Has Taken This Action?
• The US says China is committing genocide in its treatment of the
Uighurs.
• That includes reports by rights groups and journalists of forced

sterilization and large detention camps where many Uighurs
allegedly are forced to work in factories.
• Different Human Rights group have claimed that, in Xinjiang, the
government is the trafficker. Authorities use threats of physical
violence, forcible drug intake, physical and sexual abuse, and torture to force detainees to work in adjacent
or off-site factories.
About Uyghurs Muslims:
• The Uyghurs are a predominantly Muslim minority Turkic ethnic group, whose origins can be traced to
Central and East Asia.
• The Uyghurs speak their own language, similar to Turkish, and see themselves as culturally and
ethnically close to Central Asian nations. The Uyghurs are considered to be one of the 55 officially
recognized ethnic minority communities in China.
• Recently, 43 countries have signed a declaration, calling on China to ensure full respect for the rule of law
for the Muslim Uighur community in Xinjiang. Currently, the largest population of the Uighur ethnic
community lives in the Xinjiang region of China
Source: TOI, Al Jazeera
17. Bangladesh become India's fourth largest export destination in FY22:

• Bangladesh has become India’s fourth largest export destination in FY22, jumping five places in two
years. According to data, during the first seven months of FY22, exports to Bangladesh grew 81% over the
same period in the preceding year to $7.7 billion.
• This makes it India’s fourth largest export market behind the US, UAE, and China.
• Major items exported to Bangladesh: cotton, cereals, electricity and fuel, vehicle parts and machinery and
mechanical appliances.
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18. First European Union Nation to legalize Cannabis Cultivation:

• Malta has become the first EU nation to legalize cultivation and personal use of cannabis. Under this,
adults will be allowed to grow four plants at home and carry seven grams of cannabis, with smoking in
public or in front of children remaining illegal. Luxembourg, Germany, and Switzerland have also
announced plans to create regulated markets.
19. World Bank unveils 93 billion support aid for poorest nation
• World Bank's has unveiled $93 billion support aid to help scale up aid for pandemic recovery and other
programs for poorest nation
• It was the biggest replenishment ever for the International Development Association (IDA), which
provides grants for 74 countries. The package includes $23.5 billion of contributions from 48 high and
middle-income countries as well as financing raised in the capital markets.
20. Japan introduces world's first dual-mode vehicle:
• Japan has introduced world's first dual-mode vehicle that can run on
roads and tracks
• It can carry up to 21 passengers and runs at a speed of 60km/h on rail
tracks and can go as fast as around 100km/h on public roads
• This feature of effectively changing into train-like module easily on a rail
track is the first of its kind. It runs along part of coast of Shikoku Island
in southern Japan, connecting several small towns and offering
passengers attractive seaside scenery.
21. Egypt added as 4th member of BRICS New Development Bank:

• On 31st December 2021, Egypt has been added as the fourth new member
of BRICS New Development Bank.
• Bangladesh, UAE, and Uruguay joined BRICS New Development Bank in
September 2021.
• Membership expansion enables New Development Bank to position itself
as a premier development institution for emerging economies. It will mobilize
resources for development projects in BRICS, emerging economies, and
developing countries
About New Development Bank:

• The New Development Bank (NDB), formerly referred to as the BRICS Development Bank, is a multilateral
development bank established by the BRICS states (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa).
According to the Agreement on the NDB, "the Bank shall support public or private projects through loans,
guarantees, equity participation and other financial instruments."
• NDB is currently headquartered in BRICS Tower (former Oriental Financial Centre) in Shanghai, China.
The first regional office of the NDB is in Johannesburg, South Africa. President: Marcos Prado Troyjo
Source: IE
22. World's longest Metro line opened in Shanghai:
• Shanghai has opened two new metro lines, upholding its rank as the city with the largest Metro network
in the world.
• Shanghai Metro began operation: 28 May 1993. With the inauguration of the new Metro lines, the Shanghai
subway network will expand largely along 831km. Now, Shanghai city boasts 508 stations.
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Economics & Financial News

1. RBI appoints 3-member advisory committee to assist RCap's administrator
• RBI has appointed three-member advisory committee for assisting the administrator of Reliance Capital
(RCap), appointed to the company in discharging his duties
• Members: Sanjeev Nautiyal, Srinivasan Varadarajan, Praveen P Kadle
• RBI superseded the board of RCap, owing to defaults and governance issues, and said the insolvency
proceedings would be initiated against the company soon, making it the third instance of a non-banking
financial company (NBFC).
2. GST revenue collection rises 25 percent in November 2021
• GST revenues collection for November 2021 is recorded to be 25% higher than the GST revenues in the
same month last year and 27% over 2019-20.
• It is the second-highest ever estimation since the introduction of GST
• Gross GST revenue collected in November 2021: Rs 1,31,526.
• For the second straight month, Gross GST collection has crossed 1 lakh 30 thousand crore
• During the month, revenues from import of goods were 43% higher as compared to November last year.
About GST:
• The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a value-added tax levied on most goods and services sold for
domestic consumption. The GST is paid by consumers, but it is remitted to the government by the
businesses selling the goods and services.
• In India, GST Bill was first introduced in 2014 as The Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill.
• This got an approval in 2016 and was renumbered in the statute by Rajya Sabha as The Constitution (101st
Amendment) Act, 2016. Its provisions:
• Central GST to cover Excise duty, Service tax etc, State GST to cover VAT, luxury tax etc.
• Integrated GST to cover inter-state trade. IGST per se is not a tax but a system to coordinate state and
union taxes.
• Article 246A – States have power to tax goods and services.
3. ADB approves $500-million loan to improve quality of school education
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $500 million loan
to the Government of India to help improve the quality of the country’s
school education and mitigate the impact of the Covid-19) pandemic
on students’ learning
• About 1,800 government schools will be transformed into exemplar
schools in Assam, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, and Uttarakhand
• The loan will help scale up foundational learning for primary students
and enhance the relevance of secondary education.
About Asian Development Bank
• ADB is a regional development bank established in 1966.
• It has 68 members. India is a founding member.
• 49 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside.
• It aims to promote social and economic development in Asia and the Pacific.
• As of 31st December 2019, ADB’s five largest shareholders are Japan and the United States (each with
15.6% of total shares), the People’s Republic of China (6.4%), India (6.3%), and Australia (5.8%).
• It is headquartered in Manila, Philippines.
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4. Kotak Mahindra MF launches India's first Nifty Alpha 50 ETF

• Kotak Mahindra Mutual Fund has launched India’s first ever
Nifty Alpha 50 ETF called the Kotak Nifty Alpha 50 ETF.
• It is an open-ended scheme that will track Nifty Alpha 50
index and gives investors an opportunity to invest in a well-
diversified portfolio of stocks with high Alphas.
• The diversified stocks in the ETF will be based on Kotak's
well-defined strategy that will benefit investors over the long
term.
• Kotak Mahindra Tagline: Let’s make money simple.
5. Bajaj Allianz Life launches Bajaj Allianz 6. Yes Bank, NPCI launch RuPay credit
Life Assured Wealth Goal cards
• Bajaj Allianz Life launched a guaranteed • Yes Bank, in collaboration with NPCI has
income-cum-life insurance plan Bajaj Allianz launched new RuPay-branded credit cards for
Life Assured Wealth Goal. its customers on the indigenously developed
• It comes in two variants for policyholders to payment platform.
choose from based on their financial goals. • NPCI has developed the RuPay card payment
• Bajaj Allianz Life’s Assured Wealth Goal is network.
designed to provide guaranteed tax-free • Yes Bank has launched the Yes Prosperity
income for up to 30 years. Rewards Plus credit card variant on RuPay
• For the year to date till October 2021, Bajaj platform for its Yes Prosperity segment
customers.
Allianz Life registered a 34 per cent growth in
gross written premium and a 23 per cent rise in • The new credit card comes with multiple
renewal premium. benefits for customers.
• The Yes Bank-NPCI partnership was
announced at the Digital Payments Utsav.
7. Paytm Payments Bank gets RBI approval to operate as scheduled bank
• Paytm Payments Bank has received RBI’s approval to operate as a
scheduled bank, that will help it to expand its financial services operations
• It has been included in the second schedule of RBI Act, 1934
• After this, Paytm’s share price rose 2.62% to close at Rs 1,594.55 apiece
• Apart from Paytm, Fino Payments Bank and India Post Payments Bank
have also been included in the second schedule.
• It can now participate in government- and other large corporations-issued
requests.
About Paytm:
• Paytm is an Indian multinational technology company that specializes in digital payment system, e-
commerce and financial services.
• CEO: Vijay Shekhar Sharma
• Founder: Vijay Shekhar Sharma
• Founded in: August 2010
• Parent organization: One97 Communications
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8. RBI enforces 20-digit LEI for cross-border deals above Rs 50 crore

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) made Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) mandatory
for cross-border transactions for capital or current account of Rs 50 crore
and above with effect from 1st Oct 2022.
• LEI:
o It is a 20-digit number used to uniquely identify parties to financial
transactions worldwide to improve quality, accuracy of financial data
systems
o LEI numbers are maintained in global LEI database available on website
of Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation.
9. RBI introduces tough PCA framework for large NBFCs
• RBI has introduced prompt corrective action (PCA) framework for large non-banking financial companies
(NBFCs) with effect from October 2022
• It will put restrictions on para-banks whenever vital financial metrics dip below prescribed threshold.
• The move will bring NBFCs almost on a par with banks in terms of supervision and regulatory reach.
• This follows scale-based regulations and revision in non-performing asset norms brought in by the
regulator for the sector.
Prompt Corrective Action: Non Performing Asset:
• Background: PCA is a framework under which • It is a loan or advance for which the principal or
banks with weak financial metrics are put under interest payment remains overdue for a period
watch by the RBI. of 90 days.
• The RBI introduced the PCA framework in 2002 • Banks are required to classify NPAs further into
as a structured early-intervention mechanism Substandard, Doubtful and Loss assets.
for banks that become undercapitalised due to Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR):
poor asset quality, or vulnerable due to loss of • The CAR is a measure of a bank's available
profitability. capital expressed as a percentage of a bank's
• The framework was reviewed in 2017 based on risk-weighted credit exposures.
the recommendations of the working group of • The Capital Adequacy Ratio, also known as
the Financial Stability and Development capital-to-risk weighted assets ratio (CRAR), is
Council on Resolution Regimes for Financial used to protect depositors and promote the
Institutions in India and the Financial Sector stability and efficiency of financial systems
Legislative Reforms Commission. around the world.
10. CBDT notifies e-Verification Scheme, 2021 with effect from Dec 2021
• CBDT has notified e-Verification Scheme, 2021 to verify the mismatch of the information uploaded to the
taxpayer’s registered account.
• It will be effective from 13 December 2021.
• Scheme will collect information under sections 133, 133B, 133C, will inspect registers of companies under
section 134
• As per the Scheme, where the mismatch between amount accepted and amount persists, information after
initial e-verification shall be run through risk management strategy.
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT): • The Central Board of Excise and Customs
• It provides inputs for policy and planning of (CBEC) was renamed as the Central Board of
direct taxes in India and is also responsible for Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) in 2018 after
the administration of direct tax laws through the the roll out of Goods and Services Tax (GST).
Income Tax Department. • It deals with the tasks of formulation of policy
• Direct Taxes include income tax, corporation concerning levy and collection of customs,
tax etc. central excise duties, Central Goods & Services
Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC): Tax (CGST) and Integrated GST (IGST)
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11. SEBI constitutes ‘ALeRTS’ committee for early detection of market anomalies
• SEBI has constituted ‘Advisory Committee for Leveraging Regulatory and Technology Solutions
(ALeRTS)’ to enhance technological capabilities and explore appropriate technology solutions for early
detection of market anomalies
• Head: Madhabi Puri Buch (Ex-Whole Time Member of SEBI)
• It will recommend future roadmaps and improvements in the various ongoing technology projects.
• It will also guide SEBI in designing and framing requirements for the different in-house systems.
SEBI:
• SEBI is a statutory body established on April 12, 1992 in accordance with the provisions of the Securities
and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992.
• The basic functions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India is to protect the interests of investors
in securities and to promote and regulate the securities market.
• It became autonomous and given statutory powers by SEBI Act 1992.
• The headquarters of SEBI is situated in Mumbai. The regional offices of SEBI are located in Ahmedabad,
Kolkata, Chennai and Delhi.
• Chairperson: Ajay Tyagi
12. HDFC Bank wins CII award for 'Most Innovative Best Practice'
• HDFC Bank has been conferred with 'Most Innovative Best Practice'
for financial inclusion at the coveted CII Digital Transformation Award
2021.
• It has been conferred due to HDFC Bank's efforts in furthering financial
inclusion through partnership with Government of India's Common
Service Centres (CSC)
• CII instituted digital transformation award to recognize excellence in Digital Transformation in India.
• CEO of HDFC Bank: Sashidhar Jagdishan.
Confederation of Indian Industries:
• CII is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organization.
• It works to create and sustain an environment conducive to the development of India, partnering industry,
Government and civil society, through advisory and consultative processes.
• Founded in 1895, it is headquartered in New Delhi.
• President: T. V. Narendran
• Director General: Chandrajit Banerjee
13. ICRA: India's GDP expected to grow at 9% in FY22 and FY23

• Credit rating agency ICRA has announced that India's GDP is likely to maintain a
9% growth rate in fiscal 2022 and 2023, amid concerns over Omicron variant of
COVID-19.
• India's economy grew at 8.4% in the second quarter of the current fiscal, as against
a growth of 20.1% in the April-June quarter.
• Net loss to economy from pandemic estimated at ₹39.3 trillion during 2021-23.
• CEO of ICRA: Ramnath Krishnan.
36
Ranks & Reports

1. Worldwide Cost of Living 2021:
The Economic Intelligence Unit released the Cost-of-Living
Index 2021 on 4th December 2021.
About the Index:
• The 2021 Cost of Living index tracks the cost of living
across 173 global cities, 40 more than last year and
compares the price of more than 200 everyday
products and services.
• The index is benchmarked against prices in New York
City, hence cities with currencies that are stronger
against the US dollar are likely to appear higher in the
rankings.
Key-Highlights of the Index: Among the cheapest cities:

• Tel Aviv is the world’s most expensive city. It • Damascus (capital of Syria) is at the top. It is
was followed by Paris in second place and followed by Tripoli (Libya,) Tashkent
Singapore in third place. In 2020, Paris was (Uzbekistan), Tunis (Tunisia) and Almaty
the most expensive city according to the index. (Kazakhstan') in the ranking of cheapest cities.
• In India, Ahmedabad, Gujarat has been listed
• In 2021, Zurich and Hong Kong were at fourth
in the top ten cheapest cities of the survey.
and fifth places respectively.
What are the reasons in the increase in Price Rise?
• Overall, the upper rankings were dominated by
developed Asian cities and European cities. • The global supply chain was greatly affected
The lowest rankings were occupied by cities in due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its
restrictions. The affected the production and
Africa, Middle East and less wealthier parts of
the trade all over the world and eventually led
Asia.
to the price rise.
• It stated that prices for goods and services have
• The oil price rises also played a major role in
risen by 3.5 per cent year-on-year, the highest
price rise.
inflation rate seen in the last five years.
• Apart from oil, the prices of recreation, personal
care products and tobacco products also
increased.
Note: The highest price rise was reported in the Iranian city Tehran. It jumped from 79th rank in 2020 to
29thrank in 2021. This was mainly due to US sanctions. The US sanctions led to shortages and higher prices.
About Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)

• The Economist Intelligence Unit is the research and analysis
division of The Economist Group, which is the sister company
to The Economist newspaper.
• The EIU has been headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
It is the leading resource that provides forecasting and
advisory services through economic and business research
across the world.
• The EIU also releases the Democracy Index, which provides a snapshot of the state of democracy
worldwide in 165 independent states and two territories. India ranked at 53rd position in EIU's 2020
Democracy Index and was dubbed as flawed democracy.
37
2. Global Health Security Index:

Global Health Security Index 2021 was jointly released on 8th December, 2021 by non-profits Nuclear Threat
Initiative (NTI) and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
About Global Health Security Index 2021:
• It was first launched in October 2019. It
is the first comprehensive
assessment and benchmarking of
health security and related
capabilities across 195 countries.
• The GHS Index aims to spur
measurable changes in national health security and improve the international capability to address one
of the world’s most omnipresent risks: infectious disease outbreaks that can lead to international
epidemics and pandemics.
• The findings of the GHS Index 2021 are based on a revised framework and updated data collection
conducted between August 2020 and June 2021. It has assessed countries across six categories, 37
indicators and 171 questions, using instantly available information.
Key Highlights: • In 2021, no country scored above 75.9.

• The world’s overall performance on the GHS • 65 % of assessed countries had not published
Index score slipped to 38.9 (out of 100) in and implemented an overarching national
2021, from a score of 40.2 in the GHS Index, public health emergency response plan for
2019. diseases with epidemic or pandemic potential.
• Some 101 high-middle- and low-income • 73 % of countries did not have the ability to
countries, including India, have slipped in provide expedited approval for medical
performance since 2019. countermeasures, such as vaccines and
antiviral drugs, during a public health
• The United States of America (USA) ranked
emergency.
1st on the index with a score of 75.9 followed
by Australia and Finland and Somalia ranked • Most countries, including high-income ones,
last on the Index. have not made dedicated financial
investments in strengthening epidemic or
• In South Asia, India, with a score of 42.8 (out
pandemic preparedness.
of 100) too, has slipped by 0.8 points since
2019. What are the Recommendations?
• But three neighboring countries — • Prioritize the building and maintaining of health
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives — security capacities in national budgets.
have improved their score by 1-1.2 points. • Conduct assessments, using findings from the
What are the Reasons behind low GHS Index Score? 2021 GHS Index, to identify their risk factors
and capacity gaps, and develop a plan to
• All countries had insufficient health capacities.
address them.
This left the world acutely vulnerable to future
health emergencies. • Develop, cost, and make financial
arrangements to support a National Action Plan
• All countries remain dangerously unprepared
for Health Security if they have completed Joint
for future epidemic and pandemic threats,
External Evaluations.
including threats potentially more devastating
than COVID-19. Source: GhsIndex.org
38
3. World Inequality Report 2022:

The 2022 World Inequality Report was published on Dec. 7th, 2021. The World Inequality Lab, which strives to
promote research on global inequality dynamics, released the report. The most up-to-date synthesis of
international research efforts to track global inequities is presented in this report.
Key findings of the 2022 report: Income-Inequality in India:
• The gap between the rich and the poor in • In 2021, the top 1% of India’s population earned
terms of share of national income is quite 21.7% of the total national income, while the
large, and growing rapidly as a result of bottom 50% made just 13.1%. The top 10% of the
government policies that favor the affluent population owned as much as 57% of the
elite. The richest 10% of the global population country’s national income in 2021, according to
takes home 52% of the global income, whereas the report.
the poorest 50% got only 8.5% of it.
• The report said that the average national
• Global wealth inequities are worse than income of the Indian adult population in 2021
income inequalities. While the poorest 50% was Rs 2,04,200 on purchasing power parity
own just 2% of the global wealth, the richest basis. However, the income inequality can be
10% own 76% of all the wealth. understood from the fact that the bottom 50%
• Inequality between countries was narrowing of the population earned Rs 53,610 during the
while inequality within countries was year.
increasing. While the gap between the average • The report said that the India’s female labour
incomes of the richest 10% of countries and the income share of 18% in 2021 was one of the
average incomes of the poorest 50% of lowest in the world. The figure was significantly
countries has dropped from 50x to less than lower than the average in Asia, which is 21%,
40x, the gap between the average incomes of excluding China.
the top 10% and the bottom 50% of individuals
Source: Scroll.in
within countries has almost doubled, from 8.5x
to 15x.
4. Asia Power Index 2021:
• On 10th December 2021 Sydney-based Lowy Institute released the Asia Power index, 2021.
• The Asia Power Index is an index that measures resources and influence to rank the relative power of
states in Indo-Pacific, published by the Lowy Institute annually from 2018. The Index ranks 26 countries
and territories.
• The index evaluates international power in Asia through 128 indicators across eight thematic measures.
Key Highlights of the Index:
2021 rankings • Overall, the USA has topped six of the
Rank Country / Territory Score Status Index’s eight measures in 2021.
1 United States of 82.2 Super- • India has emerged as the fourth most
America powers ≥ 70 powerful country in Asia among the 26 countries,
points with an overall score of 37.7 out of 100 and
2 China 74.6 territories in Indo-Pacific for comprehensive
3 Japan 38.7 Middle power.
4 37.7 powers ≥ 10 • The Power Index 2021 has also pointed out
India points that despite being the hard-hitting country due to
5 Russia 33.0 COVID-19, in comparison to its growth path prior
to the pandemic, India has boosted its resilience and military capability in 2021.
• Japan and India, the two with the most potential to contribute to a regional multipolar order, lost more
ground in 2021 than China.
Source: Republicworld.com
39
5. India Skills Report 2022:

• The 9th edition of India Skills Report (ISR) 2022 was released by Wheebox.
• Maharashtra has retained the top position in the list of states with the highest poll of employable talent
followed by Uttar Pradesh and Kerala.
• The theme of ISR 2022 – ‘Rebuilding and Reengineering the Future of Work’.
• India Skills Report is a full-fledged report about the future of work, education, and skilling to match the
talent demand and supply in a growing India. India Skills Report 2022, says only 48.7% of total youth in
India is employable, the highest employable age group is 22 to 25 years. This means almost 1 out 2 Indian
youths are not employable.
• 75% of all the companies surveyed reported a skill gap in the industry.
Source: Timesnownews.com
6. Fortune India’s Most Powerful Women 2021 & Forbes’ 2021 World’s 100 Most Powerful Women:
Fortune India’s Most Powerful Women 2021:
• Fortune India released the list of most powerful women in India 2021 in which Union Minister, Ministry of
Finance & Ministry of Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman ranked 1st.
• She is followed by Reliance Foundation Chairperson and Goodwill Ambassador Nita Ambani in 2nd
position, and Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, World Health Organization (WHO) at 3rd.
Forbes' list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women for 2021:
• Only four Indian women made Forbes' list of the world’s
100 most powerful women in 2021.
• Nirmala Sitharaman, India's Finance Minister, has been
rated 37th on Forbes' list.
• Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson of HCL
Technology ranked 52nd, Executive chairperson and
creator of Biocon, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw ranked 72nd
and Falguni Nayar, founder and CEO of Nykaa ranked
88th.
• Forbes' 2021 World's 100 Most Powerful Women was topped by MacKenzie Scott, philanthropist,
novelist, and ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, replacing outgoing German chancellor Angela Merkel,
who led the list 15 times out of 17 versions.
• Second on the list was Kamala Harris, the first woman and the first person of color (Black) to be elected
Vice President of the United States of America.
• The youngest woman on the list is Taylor Swift (31 years old), who is ranked 78th, and the oldest is Queen
Elizabeth II (95 years old), who is placed 70th.
Source: Outlookindia.com
7. India ranks 56th in IMD 2021 World Talent Ranking 2021:
• India has been ranked 56th in 2021 World Talent Ranking (WTR) 2021, which is being released by
Institute for Management Development
• Top performers: Switzerland, followed by Sweden, Luxembourg, Norway, and Denmark.
• WTR assesses the status and the development of competencies among 64 economies
• World Competitiveness Center of IMD take three-pronged approach in measuring talent in economies viz,
Investment & Development factor, Appeal factor and Readiness factor.
40
8. China is world's biggest captor of journalists: RSF Report:

• Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has published a report titled
'The Great Leap Backwards of Journalism in China'.
• As per the report, China is the world's biggest captor of
journalists with at least 127 reporters currently detained. China
has justified the arrests of reporters and citizen journalists by
accusing them of provoking trouble.
• RSF ranks China 177th out of 180 in the 2021 World Press
Freedom Index, just two places above North Korea.
World Press Freedom Index: Key Highlights of World Press Freedom Index
This freedom index is published annually since 2021:
2002 by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). • A total of 180 countries evaluated and Norway
Reporters Without Borders is an international non- topped the index for the fifth year in a row and
profit and non-governmental organization Eritrea ranked at 180th position.
headquartered in Paris, France with the stated aim • The report labelled 132 countries as “very bad”,
of safeguarding the right to freedom of information. “bad” or “problematic”.
• India remained at the 142nd position among
180 countries.
Source: HT
9. WADA Report:
• India is among the world’s top three dope violators country in the world. Indian athletes were involved
152 times in dope-related activities in the year 2019 according to the report released by World Anti-
Doping Agency (Wada).
• It has put India into the top-three of the world’s biggest violators behind Russia (167) and Italy (157).
• Brazil (78) is at fourth and Iran (70) fifth positions.
• Among Olympic sports, weightlifting leads the way with 25 Anti-doping Rule Violations, followed by
athletics (20) and wrestling (10). Boxing and judo reported four Anti-doping Rule Violations each. Four
cricketers were also found to have committed ADRVs in 2019.
About WADA:
• The World Anti-Doping Agency is a foundation initiated by the International Olympic Committee based
in Canada to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against drugs in sports.
• Founded: 1999, HQ: Montreal, Canada.
Source: Livemint
10. Good Governance Index:
• Union Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah released the Good Governance Index 2021 prepared by the
Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) on 25 December 2021.
• Good Governance is the key component of the economic transformation and with the present
government’s focus on ‘minimum government and maximum governance,’ the Index assumes more
significance.
• 25th December is celebrated as Good Governance Day Since 2014 marking the auspicious occasion of
late former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birth anniversary.
• The objective of GGI is to create a tool that can be used uniformly across the States to assess the impact
of various interventions taken up by the Central and State Governments including UTs.
• Based on the GGI Framework, the Index provides a comparative picture among the States while
developing a competitive spirit for improvement.
41

For GGI 2020-21, the same 10 Governance Sectors are
retained while indicators have been revised to 58.
• Gujarat has topped the composite ranking in the
Good Governance Index (GGI), followed by
Maharashtra and Goa while Uttar Pradesh showed an
incremental growth of 8.9 per cent in the indicators.
• In the Union Territories category, Delhi has topped
the composite rank registering a 14 per cent increase
over the GGI 2019 indicators. The national capital has
performed strongly in Agriculture & Allied Sectors,
Commerce & Industry, Public Infrastructure and
Utilities and Social Welfare & Development.
• In the North-East and Hill States category, Mizoram
and Jammu and Kashmir registered an overall increase
of 10.4% and 3.7% respectively over GGI 2019.
• The state of Haryana has secured the top position in Citizen Centric Governance Sector Ranking for the
year 2021 and state of Kerala topped in both Public Health and Environment categories.
Note: From the 20th to the 26th of December, the Union Government will hold a nationwide 'Good Governance
Week,' with the goal of redressing and disposing of public grievances and improving service delivery down to the
village level. Various events will be held throughout the week as part of the "Prashasan Gaon Ki Aur" citizen-
focused campaign.
Source: News on Air:
11. Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission: Telangana Tops the List:
• Telangana has secured 1st place among the 34 states and Union Territories that implement the Shyama
Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM). Sangareddy and Kamareddy districts stood in the first two
positions among the 300 clusters across the country where the programme was being implemented.
• Tamil Nadu and Gujarat have secured 2nd and 3rd place on the list respectively.
About the Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission:
• The Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM) follows the vision of “Development of a cluster of
villages that preserve and nurture the essence of rural community life with focus on equity and
inclusiveness without compromising with the facilities perceived to be essentially urban in nature, thus
creating a cluster of “Rurban Villages”.
• The scheme was launched on February 21, 2016, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the vision to
deliver catalytic interventions to rural areas on the threshold of growth.
12. Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana: Maharashtra Tops the List:
Maharashtra has topped the list of states with the maximum number of beneficiaries under the Atmanirbhar
Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY), followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.
What is Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana?
• The government had launched ABRY to incentivize employment generation in Employees’ Provident Fund
Organisation (EPFO) registered establishments during COVID-19 for a period from October 1, 2020, to
March 31, 2022.
• This scheme, being implemented through the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), reduces
the financial burden of the employers of various sectors/industries and encourages them to hire more
workers.
42
13. State health Index:

NITI Aayog released the report, titled “Healthy States, Progressive India”, the fourth edition of the State Health
Index for 2019–20.
• It ranks states and Union Territories on their year-on-year incremental performance in health outcomes
as well as their overall status.
• It has been developed by NITI Aayog, with technical assistance from the World Bank, and in close
consultation with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
• It is a weighted composite index based on 24 indicators grouped under the domains of Health
Outcomes, Governance and Information, and Key Inputs/Processes.
• On overall ranking based on the composite index score in
2019–20, the top-ranking states were Kerala and Tamil
Nadu among the ‘Larger States’, Mizoram and Tripura
among the ‘Smaller States’, and DH&DD and Chandigarh
among the UTs.
• Among the ‘Larger States’, in terms of annual incremental
performance, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Telangana are
the top three ranking states.
• Among ‘Smaller States’, Mizoram and Meghalaya
registered the maximum annual incremental progress.
• Among UTs, Delhi, followed by Jammu and Kashmir,
showed the best incremental performance.
Source: The Hindu
14. Atal Rankings of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) Rankings:
• On 29th December Atal Rankings of Institutions on Innovation Achievements were released by the Delhi
state minister Subhas Sarkar, Minister of State Education.
• The ARIIA India Ranking 2021 were announced for nine categories.
• ARIIA is an initiative of Ministry of Education to systematically rank all major higher educational institutions
in India on indicators related to innovation, start-up and entrepreneurship development amongst students
and faculties. Its first edition was launched in 2018.
• IIT Madras topped the ranking as the most innovative educational institute in India in technical category
and was followed by IIT Bombay.
• IIT Madras won this recognition for the third consecutive time.
• Under the “University & Deemed to be University (Govt. & Govt. Aided) (Technical)” category, Punjab
University and Delhi Technical University were at top position.
• Under “non-technical institutions” category, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Delhi and
Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Kozhikode won the awards.
Source: Hindustan Times:
43
State in News
1. Nagaland launches ‘Call your Cop’ mobile App:
• Nagaland DGP T. John Longkumer has officially launched ‘Call your Cop’
mobile App at Police Headquarters in Kohima.
• It will enable all citizens of the state especially those in distress to get in
touch directly with police easily with just one click. It is also in line with total
modernization of the police department. App features include directory, alerts,
tourist tips, SOS, police station, search
2. Nagaland’s Hornbill Festival begins:

• Biggest cultural extravaganza of Nagaland, Hornbill Festival has
kicked off with colorful renditions of traditional music, dances and
contemporary in one roof at Naga Heritage village Kisama.
• It is the 22nd edition of the Hornbill festival and will be celebrated
in 6 districts of Nagaland. The Hornbill Festival is a celebration held
every year from 1 to 10 December, in Nagaland, Northeast India. It
is also called the 'Festival of Festivals'. It was held for the first time
in 2000.
• The opening ceremony culminated with the flight of the Hornbill- A
musical presentation by Task Force for Music and Arts Nagaland.
• It brings all the 17 tribes of Nagaland on a platform and facilitates the promotion of their culture to the rest
of the world. It is named after the Indian hornbill, the large and colorful forest bird which is displayed in
the folklore of most of the state’s tribes.
About Great Hornbill:
• The great hornbill (Bucerosbicornis) also known as the concave-casqued hornbill, great Indian hornbill,
or great pied hornbill, is one of the larger members of the hornbill
family.
• They are found in the forests of North-eastern region of India, Bhutan,
Nepal, Mainland Southeast Asia, Indonesian Island of Sumatra. They
are also found in a few forest areas in the Western Ghats and in the
forests along the Himalayas.
• IUCN status- Vulnerable
• It is the state bird of Chin State in Myanmar, and of Kerala and
Arunachal Pradesh in India.
• Blyth’s tragopan is the state bird of Nagaland.
Important Festivals in North-East India:
Losar: Arunachal Pradesh Saga Dawa: Sikkim
Ambubachi Mela: Assam Dree Festival: Arunachal Pradesh
Moatsu Mong: Nagaland Lui-ngai-ni: Manipur
Bihu Festival: Assam Losoong: Sikkim
Nongkrem Dance Festival: Meghalaya Kharchi Puja: Tripura
Chapchar Kut: Mizoram Wangala Festival: Meghalaya
44
3. AYUSH Development packages:

• Union Minister of Ports and AYUSH, Sarbananda Sonowal has announced
AYUSH Development packages for Manipur to construct fifteen AYUSH
Dispensaries, seven 10 bedded hospitals and fifty Health and Wellness
Centers in Manipur under AYUSH ministry.
• AYUSH ministry has also decided to develop sixteen nurseries in every
district of the State and another hundred schools of herbal gardens.
• It will produce quality planting materials and 50 health and wellness
centres.
Ministry of AYUSH: Ministry of AYUSH Yearly Review:

• The Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, The year 2021 witnessed remarkable moves by the
Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Ministry spreading its wings across the world and
Homoeopathy is purposed with developing caters to the needs of the public and industries
education, research, and propagation of including:
indigenous alternative medicine systems in 1. Toll-Free number 14443 was launched by
India. Ministry of AYUSH to provide AYUSH-based
• On 9 November 2014 it became a ministry in approaches and solutions for the challenges
its own right. raised by Covid-19.
• The Ministry of AYUSH includes the seven 2. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi announced
traditional systems of healthcare. the ‘WHO mYoga’ App in his address on the
occasion of the 7th International Day of Yoga.
• It was formerly known as the Department of
Indian System of Medicine and Homeopathy 3. It launched the “Y-break” App for working
(ISM&H) established in March 1995 and was professionals to Refresh, Re-focus and De-
renamed as Department of Ayurveda, Yoga stress in just 5 minutes at their workplace to
and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and increase their productivity.
Homoeopathy (AYUSH) in November 2003, 4. AYUSH UDYAMAH was also inaugurated to
with focused attention to development of relentlessly work towards making India’s Start-
Education and Research in Ayurveda, Yoga and ups and the Start-up Ecosystem, the best in the
Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy. world.
Source: PIB
4. ‘Greater Tipraland’:
Tribal outfits in Tripura have been demanding to carve out a separate state of ‘Greater Tipraland’ for the
indigenous communities in the region under Article 2 and 3 of the Constitution.
About Tripura:
• The Tripuri are also called Tipra, Tiprasa, Twipra etc. and are an ethnic group that originated in Tripura.
Their main dialect is Konborok also called Tiprakok or Tripuri.
• Tripura was a kingdom ruled by the Manikya dynasty from the late 13th century until the signing of the
Instrument of Accession with the Indian government on October 15, 1949.
• It has been pointed out that the indigenous people have been dislodged from land reserved for them by
the penultimate king of the Manikya dynasty Bir Bikram Kishore Debbarman.
The demand for Greater Tipraland:
• The demand mainly stems from the anxiety of the indigenous communities in connection with the change
in the demographics of the state, which has reduced them to a minority.
• It happened due to the displacement of Bengalis from the erstwhile East Pakistan between 1947 and
1971.
45
• Among the 19 notified Scheduled Tribes in Tripura, Tripuris (aka Tipra and Tiprasas) are the largest.
• Tripuris demand the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District
Council and some surrounding areas to be made into a separate state
from Tripura by name Tipraland.
• There is also a demand for a Greater Tipraland by adding Tripuris
dominant areas outside the Tripura- Mamit district of Mizoram, Cachar
and Hailakandi districts in Assam, and Bandarban, Khagrachari, and
Chittagong of Bangladesh.
Steps taken to address their demand:
• The Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) was
formed under the sixth schedule of the Constitution in 1985 to ensure
development and secure the rights and cultural heritage of the tribal
communities.
• The TTAADC, which has legislative and executive powers, covers
nearly two-third of the state’s geographical area.
• The council comprises 30 members of which 28 are elected while two
are nominated by the Governor.
• Also, out of the 60 Assembly seats in the state, 20 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes.
Article 2 and 3 of the Constitution:
• Article 2 of the Constitution deals with admission or establishment of new states. It states that Parliament
may by law admit into the Union, or establish, new States on such terms and conditions, as it thinks fit.
• Article 3 comes into play in the case of formation of new States and alteration of areas, boundaries or
names of existing States by the Parliament.
Source: N-E Daily News, HT
5. KVIC Rolls Out Project RE-HAB in Assam to Prevent Elephant-Human Conflicts:
From 2015 to 2020, nearly 2500 people have lost their lives in elephant attacks. Also, about 500 elephants have
also died from these conflicts in the past five years. The project can be quite helpful in mitigating human-elephant
conflicts.
• Khadi Village and Industries Commission chairman, Vinai Kumar Saxena has launched
“Project RE-HAB” at Village Mornoi, Assam.
• RE-HAB stands for Reducing Elephant-Human Attacks using Bees.
• Under RE-HAB project, Bee-fences are created by setting up bee boxes in the passageways of elephants
to block their entrance to human territories.
How does it work?
• Under this project, KVIC has kept 15 to 20 bee boxes interspersed at each
of the locations. The bee boxes are placed on the ground and also hung
from trees.
• The bee boxes are connected to each other by a string so that when an
elephant passes through, the string is tugged, and the swarm of bees
comes out. This dissuades the elephants from foraying further into the area
where people live.
• Elephants have a strong memory. Hence, they will remember this bee
attack and probably not venture into that area again. Thus, it dissuades
elephants from entering the human area without causing them any harm apart from annoyance.
46
About KVIC:
The Khadi and Village Industries Commission is a statutory body formed in April 1957 (as per an RTI) by the
Government of India, under the Act of Parliament, 'Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956'. It is an
apex organisation under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. HQ: Mumbai
Indian elephant:
• The Indian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) is one of three
extant recognised subspecies of the Asian elephant and native to
mainland Asia.
• The Indian Elephant is widely seen in 16 of the 28 states of India,
especially in the Southern part of the Western Ghats, North-Eastern
India, Eastern India, Central India, and Northern India.
• The species is included in the list of protected species according to
the Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and in
the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
Flora and Fauna (CITES).
• Since 1986, the Asian elephant has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Project Elephant:
• Project Elephant is a Central Government sponsored scheme launched in February 1992. Through the
Project Elephant scheme, the government helps in the protection and management of elephants to the
states having wild elephants in a free-ranging population.
• It ensures the protection of elephant corridors and elephant habitat for the survival of the elephant
population in the wild.
• The government of India in the year 2010 declared Elephant as the national heritage animal of the
country on the recommendations of the standing committee of the national board for wildlife.
• Karnataka has the highest population of Elephants in India and there are 32 Elephant Reserves in India.
Source: PIB, Tribune India
6. Jharkhand Government launches sports scheme “SAHAY” for Maoist-hit areas:

• On 15th December, Chief Minister Hemant Soren launched the
Sports Action toward Harnessing Aspiration of Youth
(SAHAY) scheme. He said the state has been “portrayed in a
poor light by some”, who are not aware of Jharkhand’s rich
tribal culture. “That said, we have to create an ambience where
no one can lure or misguide our youths,” he said.
• In a move to curb Left Wing Extremism, the Jharkhand govt
launched a scheme aimed at nurturing young sporting talents in Maoist-hit districts. LWE are those groups
that try to bring change through violent revolution.
• The scheme was launched in Saraikela-Kharsawan, West Singhbhum, Khunti, Gumla and Simdega
districts and will be replicated in other districts as well. Nineteen of the state’s 24 districts are affected by
Left Wing Extremism.
• According to the scheme, boys, and girls in the 14-19 age group from villages to ward level will be
registered under the scheme, and given opportunities to display their skills in basketball, volleyball,
hockey, and athletics. They will be encouraged with incentives such as cash prize for kits.
47
Jharkhand in News:
I) Jharkhand government launched a month- long Covid Teeka Mahaabhiyaan (Mega
Vaccination Campaign) from Thursday, December 16, aiming to achieve 100 per cent
jab coverage by January 2022 in the wake of fresh concerns over the fast-spreading
Omicron variant of the Sars-Cov2 virus.
II) Jharkhand government launched the Safe and Responsible Migration Initiative
(SRMI) on 17th December to enable systemic registration of migrant workers for
monitoring and analysis in the source as well as the destination districts. The
government will have two help desks which will be known as ‘labour consulates’ in
Ladakh Union Territory as well as in Kerala.
Jharkhand; Chief Minister: Hemant Soren (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha),
Governor: Ramesh Bais, Formation: 15 November 2000
Source: Jharkhand.gov.in, Telegraph India
7. Himachal Govt constitutes 'Samanya Varg Aayog':
• Himachal Pradesh govt announced setting up Commission for upper
castes, on the lines of Madhya Pradesh.
• The Commission, to be named as ‘Samanya Varg Aayog’, will be formalised
through a legislative enactment in three months.
• The Commission is being formed considering the long-pending demand of
the people belonging to the general category.
• A Scheduled Caste Commission is already in operation in Himachal Pradesh
and is chaired by former Shimla MP Virendra Kashyap.
8. Tamil Nadu govt declares ‘Tamil Thaai Vazhthu’ as state song:

• On 17th December, The Tamil Nadu government announced ‘Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu as the state anthem.
• It is an invocation sung in praise of Mother Tamil. The decision comes in the wake of the Madras High
Court recently ruling that ‘Tamil Thai Vaazhthu’ is a prayer song and not an anthem.
• The ‘Tamil Thai Vaazhthu' enjoys official status since 1970 and the then CM late M Karunanidhi govt. had
issued a Government Order as well in this regard.
• Chief Minister M K Stalin said a Government Order to this effect has been issued, mandating that all
barring the differently abled persons should remain standing when the 55-second-long song is sung.
Note: States including Karnataka (Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate) and Odisha (Bande Utkal Janani) have
official state anthems.
• The Tamil Thaai Vazhthu is the official song of neighbouring union territory of Puducherry as well.
Tamil Nadu in News:
1. The Tamil Nadu government on 23rd December launched the CM Dashboard
monitoring system that will enable Chief Minister M K Stalin to get real-time
information on important matters including rainfall patterns, water storage levels
in reservoirs and health-related among others. MK Stalin launched the
dashboard in Chennai.
2. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on 23rd December also launched an
environment-friendly initiative – Meendum Manjapai Vizhipunarvu Iyakkam –
reviving the yellow-coloured cloth bag that was an integral part of daily life in the
past.
48
This awareness campaign on using ‘yellow’ cloth bag or ‘manjapai’ as it is called in Tamil, is aimed at
encouraging the people to return to the use of this eco-friendly bag and discard the plastic bags.
3. MK Stalin-led government has rolled out an ambitious $1 tn State Gross Domestic Product (SGDP) target
by 2030.
Tamil Nadu; Chief Minister: MK Stalin (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), Governor: R. N Ravi, Formation: 26
January 1950
Source: Indian Express:
9. Goa Liberation Day: 19th December:

• Goa's Liberation Day is observed every year on 19th December to
recognize the achievements of Goa in the tourism sector and also for
being the highest per capita income among all the states and UTs in India.
• Goa was liberated on December 19, 1961, from Portuguese rule. Also,
India was completely free from European rule on this day.
Operation Vijay: Operation Vijay was launched to liberate the three Portuguese
territories: Goa, Daman, and Diu. It was allegedly the first tri-service operation
of the Indian armed forces. The Indian government wanted to take the military action from December 1, but it
occurred as the 36-hour military operation that began on December 18, 1961, and ended on December 19,
1961.
• Govt. has organized various events on the theme ‘Goa@60’
• Govt. also inaugurated multiple development projects including renovated Fort Aguada Jail Museum,
Super Specialty Block at Goa Medical College, etc.
10. “T-Setu Bridge”:

• On 20th December Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has inaugurated T-
Setu, which is state’s longest bridge over Mahanadi in Cuttack district.
• It is a 3.4 km long bridge, connecting Gopinathpur in Badamba, Baideswar
in Banki to Singhanath Pitha located in the middle of the river, has been built in
the shape of English alphabet ‘T’ at a cost of Rs 111 crore.
• The bridge has a footpath of 1.5 metre width on its both sides, will benefit
people of Cuttack and Khurda. It will reduce the distance between Badamba
and Baideswar in Banki by 45 km.
Odisha in News:
1. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched Mukhyamantri Vayu
Swasthya Seva (air health services) at the Biju Patnaik International Airport
today. With this, it became one of the first states to provide air ambulance
facilities for the poor in the rural interior areas.
2. Odisha Government inaugurated its much talked about Odisha eco-retreat at
Konark on 15 December.
3. Odisha government has launched the digital life certificate mechanism for
pensioners.
Odisha; Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik,
Governor: Ganeshi Lal, Statehood: 1 April 1936(Odisha Day)
Source: Indian Express
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11. New projects in Himachal Pradesh:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 26th December embarked on a visit to Mandi, also known as 'Chhoti Kashi',
and inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of hydropower projects worth Rs 11,000 crore on different rivers
that will help boost the state's economy and provide additional power to the states.
➢ Giri River- Renukaji Dam project: An important tributary of the Yamuna, Giri river originates from the hills
of Jubbal and flows through South-Eastern Himachal including Shimla Hills before joining Yamuna
upstream of Paonta below Mokkampur.
➢ Satluj River- Luhri Hydro Power Project: Rising near Rakastal (fed by Mansarover in Tibet), Satluj enters
India near Shipkila and drains into the Indus in Pakistan. On Satluj, Bhakra Dam (Highest Gravity Dam of
India) is built.
➢ Beas River-Dhaulasidh Hydro Power Project: Rising near Rohtang Pass of Himachal, Beas joins Satluj at
Harike in Punjab. On River Beas, Pong Dam Lake is an international wetland site.
➢ Pabbar River- Sawra-Kuddu Hydro Power Project: Originating from Chandra Nahan Glacier, is a tributary
of Tons River which further drains into Yamuna.
This project would help in reduction of 11 lakh tons of carbon dioxide from the environment annually and
Himachal Pradesh would benefit with around Rs 2,587 crore worth of free power.
Source: HT
12. Shakti Criminal Laws (Maharashtra Amendment) Act:
• The Maharashtra legislative assembly on Thursday (23rd Dec.) unanimously passed the Shakti Criminal
Laws (Maharashtra Amendment) Bill that provides for stricter punishment including death penalty for
crimes against women and children.
• The bill is modelled on the Disha Act of Andhra Pradesh which was passed in 2019 and became the first
state to enact a law aimed at granting capital punishment to those convicted of specific crimes against
women and to speed up the trial of those cases within 21 days of the crime.
About SCL Act: • Trials: The Act requires the trial in these cases
• Maharashtra’s Shakti Act approved death to be conducted on a day-to-day basis and
penalty for rape. The Assembly has made completed within 30 working days from the
changes to the laws on rape, gangrape, acid date of filing of the chargesheet. If a probe
attacks, sexual harassment under the Indian officer demands data, it should be provided
Penal Code, provisions of the Protection of within seven days, the recommendations said,
Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act as adding that failure to do so by social media
well as changes in relevant provisions of the platforms or internet/mobile data providers may
Criminal Procedure Code. attract imprisonment of up to three months
or/and fine up to Rs 25 lakh.
Changes Proposed
• Intimidation: The Act has provided a separate
• Death penalty: The Act has amended the provision under the law for sexual harassment.
existing criminal laws to include death penalty Section 354E has been inserted to the IPC for
as punishment in cases of rape and gangrape intimidation of women by any mode of
in cases which have the characteristic of communication, in addition to insulting
offence is heinous in nature and where modesty.
adequate conclusive evidence is there and the
circumstances warrant exemplary punishment, Source: Indian Express:
with death. The existing law on rape had
provisions for death penalty only in cases of
repeated offences.
50
Sports in News
1. Winter Olympics Diplomatic Boycott:
• On Monday (December 6), the US announced a diplomatic boycott
of the Winter Olympics citing reports of 'egregious' human rights
violations, particularly the treatment of the Uighur Muslim community
in Xinjiang province which China has denied repeatedly.
• UK prime minister Boris Johnson said on 7th December there would
“effectively be a diplomatic boycott” of the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
• The UK was joined by Australia, New Zealand, and Canada in
confirming it would not be sending officials.
What is a Diplomatic Boycott?
• The US, U.K, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand will not be sending
any government officials to Beijing. The athletes will still participate, and country’s citizens are free to
visit.
• It does not affect their athletes' ability to compete in the games.
• China has warned Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, saying
that nations would "pay the price" for the diplomatic boycott of the upcoming 2022 Beijing Winter
Olympics.
❖ Winter Olympics:
• The Winter Olympic Games is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for
sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were
held in Chamonix, France.
• The Games were held every four years from 1924 to 1936, interrupted in 1940 and
1944 by World War II, and resumed in 1948. US has hosted it four times since its
inception. The IOC has selected Beijing, China, to host the 2022 Winter
Olympics and the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo to host the 2026
Winter Olympics.
• India has also competed at several Winter Olympic Games beginning in 1964. India competed at the
2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, from 9 to 25 February 2018. The Indian team
consisted of two male athletes competing in two sports. (Jagdish Singh and Shiva Keshavan). India has
not won any medal at Winter Olympics in its 9 appearances till 2018.
❖ About Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games-Beijing 2022:
Beijing is the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
• The 2022 Winter Olympics and commonly known as Beijing 2022 are an
upcoming international winter multi-sport event scheduled to take place from 4 to
20 February 2022 in Beijing and towns in the neighboring Hebei province in the
People's Republic of China.
• Beijing was elected as host city in July 2015 at the 128th IOC Session in Kuala
Lumpur. The Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2022 Winter Olympics
will also be held at Beijing National Stadium (also known as the Bird's Nest).
“Together for a Shared Future” is the official motto of the Olympic and
Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.
• The 2022 Winter Olympics are scheduled to include a record 109 events over
15 disciplines in seven sports. The Seven sports are:
✓ Biathlon, Bobsledding, Curling, Ice Hockey, Luge, Skating and Skiing.
▪ Medals: The design for the Games' medals was unveiled on 26 October 2021. The concept is based
on traditional Chinese astronomy and astrology as the games will be held coinciding with the Chinese
New Year festivities.
51
▪ Mascot for Winter Olympics: Bing Dwen Dwen (In Mandarin Chinese (the
official dialect of China), "Bing" has several meanings, though the most
common is ice. The word also symbolizes purity and strength, while “Dwen
Dwen” means robust and lively, and also represents children).
▪ Olympic Torch: The torch for Beijing 2022 – bears the name 'Flying'. The
torch relay started on 18 October 2021 in Greece. On 20 October 2021, it was
announced that the physical torch will consist only a local starting on 2
February and ending on 4 February 2022 during the Opening Ceremonies.
The third leg will only visit two cities: Beijing and Zhangjiakou.
2. Lionel Messi win men’s Ballon d’Or for a record seventh time:
• Argentina football player Lionel Messi (34 years) has won the men’s Ballon
d’Or for a record seventh time.
• Messi led Argentina to the Copa America title in July after losing in four major
international finals.
• The 34-year-old who is also the star player of Paris St-Germain football club, has
won Ballon d'Or in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019
and 2021.
• Apart from him, Barcelona's Alexia Putellas (27
years) won the 2021 women’s Ballon d’Or.
• Putellas is the third winner of the prize, following in the footsteps of
Ada Hegerberg, who won the inaugural women’s Ballon d’Or in 2018, and
United States World Cup star Megan Rapinoe, winner in 2019. The 2020
Ballon d’Or awards were cancelled because of the pandemic.
Ballon d'Or awards:
• The Ballon d'Or is an annual football award presented by French news magazine
France Football that is one of the oldest and generally regarded as the most prestigious
individual award for football players.
• It has been awarded since 1956, although between 2010 and 2015, an agreement
was made with FIFA, and the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player
of the Year (founded in 1991) and known as the FIFA Ballon d'Or. However, the
partnership ended in 2016, and the award reverted to the Ballon d'Or, while FIFA also
reverted to its own separate annual award The Best FIFA Men's Player.
• The Ballon d'Or Féminin, also known as the Women's Ballon d'Or, is an association
football award presented by France Football that honours the best female association
football player. It was first awarded in 2018.
3. 2021 Men's FIH Hockey Junior World Cup:

• The Men's FIH Hockey Junior World Cup, formerly known as the
Hockey Junior World Cup, is an international field hockey
competition organized by the International Hockey Federation
(FIH). The tournament was started in 1979.
• The 2021 Men's FIH Hockey Junior World Cup was the 12th
edition of the Men's FIH Hockey Junior World Cup, the biennial
men's under-21 field hockey world championship organized by
the International Hockey Federation.
• It was held at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, India from
24 November to 5 December 2021. The hosts India were the defending champions but lost to
Germany in the semifinals.
• Argentina won their second title by defeating Germany in the final. They defeated six-time champion
Germany (Most successful team) by 4-2 and won the title after a 16-year gap.
• Argentina sealed their second men’s Junior World Cup title when Franco Agostini fired into an
empty net in the final minute.
52
• France has defeated India to claim the 3rd place in the tournament.
• France captain Timothée Clément was named Player of the Match.
Tournament statistics:
Matches played: 48 Top scorer (s): Netherlands Miles Bukkens (18 goals)
Best player: France Timothée Clément Best goalkeeper: Germany Anton Brinckman
Fair play award: Chile 2023 Host: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
About International Hockey Federation:

• The International Hockey Federation, commonly known by the acronym FIH, is
the international governing body of field hockey and indoor field hockey. Its
headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland and the president is Dr. Narinder
Dhruv Batra. FIH is responsible for field hockey's major international tournaments,
notably the Hockey World Cup.
• FIH was founded on 7 January 1924 in Paris by Paul Léautey, who became the
first president. In 1982, the FIH merged with the International Federation of Women's Hockey
Associations (IFWHA), which had been founded in 1927 by Australia, Denmark, England, Ireland,
Scotland, South Africa, the United States and Wales.
4. Asia Youth Para Games 2021
• The Asian Youth Para Games is a multi-sport event held every four years for
youth athletes with physical disabilities. The first Games was held in 2009 in
Tokyo, Japan.
• The 4th edition of the Asia Youth Para Games 2021 was held in Manama,
Bahrain from December 2 to 6, 2021. Around 750 para-athletes under the
age of 23 years participated in the mega games which were organized in the
conjunction with the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) of Bahrain along
with the support of the local government.
• Next Edition will take place in 2025 in Uzbekistan.
Sports played at Asia Youth Para Games-
• Goalball, Para-athletics, Para-Badminton, Boccia, Para Powerlifting, Para Table Tennis, Para-Swimming,
Para-Taekwondo, and Wheelchair Basketball
Medal tally:
Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Iran 34 44 19 122
2 Thailand 33 25 17 75
3 Japan 30 11 14 55
4 South Korea 14 11 22 47
5 India 12 16 13 41
• India contingent won 22 Medals in Athletics, 15 medals in Badminton, 3 in Swimming and 1 medal
in weightlifting.
5. Asian team squash championships 2021:
• Malaysia has won the men’s final of the Asian team squash championships in Kuala Lumpur by
defeating Indian in the final by 2-1.
• India had lost in the summit clash before in 1981 and 2012 also.
• Malaysia has also won the women’s final of the Asian team squash championships defeating Hong
Kong 2-1 in the final.
• The last time Malaysian men’s and women’s teams won was in the 2008 championships in Kuwait.
Asian Squash Team Championships: The Asian Team Championships are the international squash
competition played between teams representing different nations organised by the Asian Squash Federation
53
About Asian Squash Federation:

• The Asian Squash Federation was formed on November 29, 1980, at the
suggestion of Pakistan and the "First Meeting of Squash Playing Nations of Asia",
held in Karachi.
Current HQ: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Membership: 27 member associations
World Squash Federation:
The World Squash Federation (WSF) is the international federation for squash, founded in
1967 as an indoor racket sport which was formerly called "squash rackets." The WSF is
recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the International Federation (IF)
for squash.
It is based in Hastings in England. As of 2021 it has 122 member federations.
6. BWF World Tour title:

It is an annual badminton tournament which is held every December of a year where the players with the most
points from that calendar year's events of the BWF World Tour compete for total prize money of at least US$
1,500,000.
BWF World Tour Title 2021: It was held from 1 to 5 December 2021 in Bali, Indonesia.
• The world number one Viktor Axelsen from Denmark has won the 2021 BWF
World Tour Finals in men’s category in Bali, Indonesia by defeating Kunlavut
Vitidsarn of Thailand by 21-12, 21-8 in just 43 minutes to wrap up the men's singles
title.
• South Korea's an Seyoung has won BWF World
Tour Finals in women’s category by defeating
India’s PV Sindu.
• Earlier in men's doubles, Japan's Hoki Takuro and Kobayashi Yugo beat
Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo from Indonesia.
About Badminton World Federation:
• The Badminton World Federation is the international governing body for the sport of badminton recognised
by the International Olympic Committee. It was founded in 1934 as the International
Badminton Federation with nine member nations.
• In 1981 the IBF merged with the World Badminton Federation, and on 24 September
2006, at the Extraordinary General Meeting in Madrid, the name of the organization was
changed to Badminton World Federation.
President: Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen, Headquarters: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
7. Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship 2021:
Medal Tally:
• India concluded the Commonwealth
1 Canada 5 2 0 7 Weightlifting Championships 2021 with 16
medals – 4 Gold, 7 Silver, and 5 Bronze.
2 India 4 7 5 16 • India’s 4 Gold Medalists- Jeremy
3 Nigeria 4 1 0 5 Lalrinnunga, Achinta Sheuli, Ajay Singha,
and Purnima Pandey have qualified directly
4 Malaysia 2 1 0 3 for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in
Birmingham, U.K.
5 Sri Lanka 1 1 5 7 • Bindyarani Devi was India’s only medalist
at the World Weightlifting Championships
2021, that was also held parallelly at Tashkent.
• The 2021 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships were held at the Uzbekistan Sport Complex
and Gymnastics Sport Complex in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from 7 to 17 December 2021.
54
8. WTA Player of Year:

• World number one Ashleigh Barty has been named WTA Player of
the Year for the second time.
• She has won the title in 2019, won tour-leading five tournaments this
year including second Grand Slam trophy of her career at
Wimbledon where she beat Czech Karolina Pliskova in the final.
• U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu took the Newcomer of the
Year title.
• Czech Barbora Krejcikova took the WTA prize for the Most
Improved Player of the Year.
9. Asian Rowing Championship:

The 2021 Asian Rowing Championships were the 20th Asian Rowing Championships and took place from 9
to 12 December 2021, in Royal Thai Navy Rowing Center, Ban Chang, Rayong Province, Thailand.
• India won total of six medals, including two gold and 4 silver medals in the Asian Rowing
Championship in Thailand.
• Indian Rowers Arvind Singh and Arjun Lal bagged gold in the lightweight Men's single sculls event
and Double sculls event respectively.
1 China 5 1 1 7
2 Uzbekistan 3 2 2 7
3 India 2 4 0 6
4 Vietnam 2 3 2 7
5 Thailand 1 1 2 4
10. Magnus Carlsen claims 5th FIDE World Chess Championship:

• Norway’s Magnus Carlsen claimed his fifth world chess crown in Dubai with FIDE World Chess
Championship and a crushing 7.5-3.5 victory over Ian Nepomniachtchi, who faded badly after going
toe-to-toe in the early games.
• Carlsen wins 60% of the 2-million-euro prize offered by the championship.
• FIDE World Chess Championship 2021 was played during Expo 2020 at Dubai Exhibition Centre in
Dubai, UAE, between 24 November and 12 December 2021.
About FIDE:
• The International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation, commonly referred to by its French
acronym FIDE is an international organization based in Switzerland that connects the various national
chess federations and acts as the governing body of international chess competition.
• FIDE was founded in Paris, France, on July 20, 1924. In 1999, FIDE was recognized by the
International Olympic Committee (IOC).
55
11. Sports Journalists’ Federation of India (SJFI) Medal:

• Sunil Gavaskar will be conferred with prestigious Sports Journalists’
Federation of India (SJFI) Medal. He was the first person to score
centuries in both innings of a Test match three times. He was the first
Test batsman to score 10,000 Test runs in a career and now stands at
number 12 on the group of 13 players with 10,000-plus Test runs.
• Other SJFI award winner:
1. Sportsman of the Year: Neeraj Chopra; Sportswoman of the
Year: Mirabai Chanu
2. SJFI Team of the Year: Indian men’s team that won hockey bronze in Tokyo (first hockey medal in
40 years)
3. Parathlete of the Year in men’s category: Sumit Antil and Pramod Bhagat
4. Parathlete of the Year woman: Avani Lekhra
5. Special Recognition: Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ)
12. BWF World Championships 2021:
The 2021 BWF World Championships was a badminton tournament
which took place from 12 to 19 December 2021 in Huelva, Spain.
• Kidambi Srikanth won silver medal in the BWF World
Badminton Championships, Spain. He lost to Loh Kean
Yew of Singapore.
• He becomes the first Indian men Badminton player to win a
silver in BWF World Championships. The maiden silver placed Srikanth alongside P V
Sindhu and Saina Nehwal, who had finished runner-up in the past.
• Lakshya Sen won the bronze medal at the BWF World Championships in Huelva, Spain.
• Akane Yamaguchi of Japan clinched the women’s title beating World No. 1 and top seed Tai Tzu
Ying of Chinese Taipei.
• Defending champion PV Sindhu suffered a straight-game defeat to familiar foe and world number one
Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in the women's singles quarterfinals to bow out of the BWF World
Badminton Championships
13. India to host Women's Under-18 and Under-19 SAFF championships next year:
• India will host Women's Under-18 and Under-19 SAFF championships in 2022, as announced by All
India Football Federation.
• While SAFF Under-18 Women’s Championship will be held from 3rd to 14th March and SAFF Under-19
Championship will take place from July 25 to August 3.
• Participants for SAFF U-18 Women’s Championship: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and India.
• SAFF U-19 Championship: Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, India, and Sri Lanka.
14. Emma Raducanu named BBC Sports Personality of the Year:
• Emma Raducanu (19 years) has been named as the BBC Sports Personality of the Year
• She made history as the first ever Open Era qualifier to win a Grand Slam title when she became
women's singles champion at the US Open 2021, achieving an unprecedented 10 straight-sets
victories in what was only the second major she entered.
• Britain's Andy Murray was the last tennis player to win the award in 2016.
In addition to the main award as "Sports Personality • Lifetime Achievement: Simone Biles
of the Year", several other awards were also • World Sport Star: Rachael Blackmore
announced:
• Young Sports Personality of the Year: Sky
• Team of the Year: England national football Brown
team
• Coach of the Year: Gareth Southgate
56
15. Indian skier Aanchal Thakur wins bronze medal in Montenegro:

• Ace Indian skier Aanchal Thakur has bagged a bronze medal
at the FIS Alpine Skiing Competition in Montenegro.
• She finished 3rd with an overall timing of 1:54:30.
• Georgia Epiphaniou, who won the silver medal was just 2
seconds ahead of Anchal. With this, Aanchal has become
the first Indian Ski athlete to win two medals at the
international level.
16. 11th Hockey India junior national championship:

• Uttar Pradesh has been crowned as the winners of 11th Junior National Men’s
Championship following a 3-1 victory over Chandigarh in the final, held at Kovilpatti, Tamil Nadu.
• UP maintained its 100 percent record in the tournament.
• Top scorer of tournament: Sharda Nand Tiwari.
• Hockey Association of Odisha edged out Haryana by 3 - 2 in a closely contested affair to clinch 3rd
place in the Championship.
17. Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021:
• Himachal Pradesh clinch their maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy beating Tamil Nadu in the final in Jaipur.
Tamil Nadu is the most successful team having won the trophy 5 times.
About Vijay Hazare Trophy:
The Vijay Hazare Trophy, also known as the Ranji One-Day Trophy, was started in 2002-03 as a limited-
overs cricket domestic competition involving state teams from the Ranji Trophy plates. It is named after the
legendary Indian cricketer Vijay Hazare.
18. Mohammed Shami becomes fifth Indian pacer to take 200 Test wickets:
• Mohammed Shami has become fifth Indian pacer to take 200 Test wickets, after achieving the feat
on Day 3 of first India-South Africa Test match in Centurion.
• He has joined Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan, and Ishant Sharma in the elusive list
• He reached the milestone in 55 Test matches and is the third quickest Indian after Kapil, Srinath to join
the list
57
Honours & Awards

1. Miss Universe 2021:
About Miss Universe:
• Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by the United
States–based Miss Universe Organization.
• The current Miss Universe pageant was founded in 1952 by Pacific Knitting Mills, a
California-based clothing company and manufacturer of Catalina Swimwear. The first Miss
Universe Pageant was held in Long Beach, California in 1952 and was won by Armi Kuusela
from Finland.
Miss Universe 2021 Title:

• Miss Universe 2021 was the 70th Miss Universe pageant,
held on December 12, 2021, at Universe Dome in Eilat,
Israel.
• Andrea Meza of Mexico crowned Harnaaz Sandhu of
India as her successor at the end of the event. The 21 years
old has become the third Indian to win the title after
Sushmita Sen (1994) and Lara Dutta (2000).
• Contestants from 80 countries and territories had been
selected to compete in the competition.
• Barbados, Belize, Indonesia, and Malaysia withdrew from the competition due to travel restrictions
while Myanmar and Uruguay also withdrew for undisclosed reasons.
Final Results:
Miss Universe 2021: India (Chandigarh) – Harnaaz Sandhu
1st Runner-up: Paraguay – Nadia Ferreira
2nd Runner-up: South Africa – Lalela Mswane
Big Four international beauty pageants:

The Big Four IBP are Miss World, Miss Universe, Miss International and Miss Earth.
I. Miss World: Miss World is the oldest-running international beauty pageant. It was
created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951.
• The current Miss World is Toni-Ann Singh of Jamaica who was crowned by
Vanessa Ponce of Mexico on 14 December 2019 in London, England. Miss
World 2021 will be the 70th anniversary of the pageant. It is scheduled to be
held on December 16, 2021, at the Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan,
Puerto Rico.
• India won the Miss World beauty pageant six times. The first pageant was won in the year 1966 by
Reita Faria then Aishwarya Rai (1994), Diana Hayden (1997), Yukta Mookhey (1999), Priyanka Chopra
(2000) and Manushi Chhillar (2017).
Note: The Femina Miss India sends their winners to Miss World Pageant while Miss Diva is a separate pageant
which sends its winners to Miss Universe pageant.
II. Miss International (Miss International Beauty or The International Beauty Pageant): It is a Japanese-based
international beauty pageant organized by The International Culture Association. The pageant was first held
in 1960.
The current Miss International is Sireethorn Leearamwat of Thailand who was crowned at the Miss
International 2019 pageant on 12 November 2019 in Tokyo, Kantō, Japan.
58
III. Miss Earth: Miss Earth is an annual international major beauty pageant that
advocates for environmental awareness, conservation, and social responsibility.
• The Miss Earth winner is the spokesperson for the Miss Earth Foundation, the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and other environmental
organizations. Carousel Productions launched the first edition of Miss Earth in
2001.
• The current Miss Earth is Destiny Wagner of Belize who was crowned virtually
on November 21, 2021.
Source: IE, missuniverse.com
2. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on 4th December announced the names of
19 personalities chosen for three newly appointed awards - Asom Baibhav, Asom Sourav
and Asom Gourav to "honour their exemplary services of individuals towards the society.
• Assam government will confer its highest civilian award ‘Assam Baibhav’ on
Tata Trusts' chairman Ratan Tata for his contribution towards building cancer
treatment facilities in the state.
• Earlier known as ‘Assam Ratna’, the award was renamed as ‘Assam Baibhav’
by the Sarma-led government in September this year.
• The Assam government and Tata Trust are collaborating for setting up 19 Cancer
Care Units in the state.
List of other awardees:

Asom Sourav: Professor Kamalendu Deb Krori, Dr Lakshmanan S, Professor Dipak Chand Jain, Neel Pawan
Baruah, Lovlina Borgohain
Asom Gourav: Munindra Nath Ngatey, Manoj Kr Basumatary, Hemoprabha Chutia, Dharanidhar Boro, Dr
Basanta Hazarika, Khorsing Terang, Namita Kalita, Kaushik Boruah, Boby Hazarika, Akash Jyoti gogoi, Dr Asif
Iqbal, Kalpana Boro, Bornita Momin.
Source: N-E Daily News.
3. Indian American mathematician Nikhil Srivastava, has been jointly selected for the
inaugural $5,000 Ciprian Foias Prize.
• They were selected for the "highly original work" in
Operator Theory by the American Mathematical Society
(AMS).
• Other winners are Adam Marcus and Daniel Spielman.
• The award recognises their "highly original work" that
introduced and developed methods for understanding
the characteristic polynomial of matrices.
Source: TH
4. 56th and 57th Jnanpith Award:
• Assamese poet Nilmani Phookan Jr has won 56th Jnanpith Award and Konkani novelist Damodar
Mauzo has won 57th Jnanpith (Gyanpith) Award.
• Nilmani Phookan is known for his work: Surya Heno Nami Ahe Ei Nadiyedi, Manas-Pratima, Phuli
Thaka Suryamukhi Phultor Phale, Gulapi Jamur Lagna
• Damodar Mauzo is known for his novels: Karmelin, and Tsunami Simon, and short stories Teresa’s
Man and Other Stories from Goa.
59
About Jnanpith Award:

• Jnanpith Award is the oldest and the highest Indian literary
award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an
author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature".
• The award was Instituted in 1961 and the award is bestowed
only on Indian writers writing in Indian languages included in the
Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India and English, with
no posthumous conferral.
• Cash Prize: ₹11 lakh
• It was first awarded in the year 1965 to G. Sankara Kurup.
• In 1976, Bengali novelist Ashapoorna Devi became the first woman to win the award and was
honoured for the 1965 novel Prothom Protishruti (The First Promise), the first in a trilogy.
Source: IE
5. Neena Gupta receives 2021 Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians:
• Indian Mathematician Neena Gupta has received 2021 DST-ICTP-IMU
Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians from Developing Countries for her
outstanding work in affine algebraic geometry and commutative algebra.
• She is the third woman to receive Ramanujan Prize, which was first awarded in
2005 and is administered by Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical
Physics jointly with Dept Science and Technology and International
Mathematical Union.
ICTP Ramanujan Prize: The DST-ICTP-IMU Ramanujan Prize for Young
Mathematicians from Developing Countries is a mathematics prize awarded
annually by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Italy. The prize is
named after the Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. It was founded in 2004 and was first awarded
in 2005.
Note: National Mathematics Day: 22 December
Source: HT
6. Elon Musk announced Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2021:
• Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has been named as
the Time magazine’s Person of the Year for 2021 during
which US-based electric-vehicle startup became $1 trillion
company as Musk became world’s richest person.
• US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris
were named as the Person of the Year for 2020 by Time
magazine.
• Elon Musk is the founder, CEO and Chief Engineer at SpaceX
with an estimated net worth of around US$255 billion.
Source: Auto-HT
7. Lewis Hamilton receives knighthood at Windsor Castle:

• British Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton has been honoured with
knighthood.
• The Mercedes driver was made a Knight Bachelor by Prince of Wales
Charles at Windsor Castle in Windsor.
• Hamilton holds an incredible seven Formula One World Titles. Hamilton
gets the honorary title of “Sir” after being knighted by the Prince of Wales for
services to motorsports. Hamilton was the third F1 world champion to receive a
knighthood after Sir Jack Brabham (1978) and Sir Jackie Stewart (2001).
Source: Uk.motor.com
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8. TiE confers Global Entrepreneur of the Year Award on Birla:

• Silicon Valley-based The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) has conferred the Global Entrepreneur of the
Year Award-Business Transformation on Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of Aditya Birla Group
• He is the first Indian industrialist to receive this award for his leadership of a globally diversified
conglomerate during the pandemic. Birla joins an exclusive list of global entrepreneurs to receive the
award this year that include Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Satya Nadella
9. SAIL receives Golden Peacock Environment Management Award 2021
• Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL), under Ministry of Steel has been
awarded with the prestigious Golden Peacock Environment
Management Award 2021 for successive three years.
• Major initiatives by SAIL: Carbon footprint reduction, R&D, creation
of carbon sinks, gradual shift to LED, enhancing share of renewable
energy, etc.
• The Award is given to organizations for significant achievements in
Environment Management by Environment Foundation (WEF) since
1998.
Source: HT
10. Bhutan confers highest civilian award upon PM Modi:
• PM Modi has been conferred with the highest civilian award of Bhutan, Order of the Druk Gyalpo' also
known as Ngadag Pel gi Khorlo, on the occasion of the country’s National Day.
• Recently, Bhutan celebrated its 114th National Day on December 17.
• This day commemorates the Coronation of the First King of Bhutan,
Druk Gyalpo Ugyen Wangchuck on December 17, 1907.
• This award has been given in the recognition of all the unconditional
friendship and support Indian PM extended over the years and particularly
during the pandemic.
Facts about Bhutan:

• "Druk Yul," or "land of the thunder dragon" as Bhutan is known, has
been heavily influenced by Tibetan culture and Tibetan Buddhism from
the land immediately to its north. The largest city in Bhutan is the capital
Thimphu.
• Official language: Dzongkha; Prime Minister: Lotay Tshering
• The Druk Gyalpo is the head of state of the Kingdom of Bhutan. The current sovereign of Bhutan is
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the 5th Druk Gyalpo.
Source: Economic times.
11. Divya Hedge won UN Women’s Award for Leadership Commitment
• Divya Hegde from Udupi, Karnataka, has won UN Women’s Award for Leadership Commitment at
the 2021 Regional Asia-Pacific Women’s Empowerment Principles Awards Event.
• She has been recognized for her sustained efforts in advancing gender equality through climate action
efforts with her organization, Baeru Environmental Services. She worked in the areas of waste
management, creation of livelihoods for rural women, and developing a circular economy in the region
Source: HT
12. Viral Desai won Global Environment and Climate Action Citizen Award:
• Surat's noted industrialist Viral Desai has been awarded the prestigious Global Environment and
Climate Action Citizen Award in Dubai. He is popularly known as Greenman for his love for the
environment.
• Twenty-eight prominent personalities from 11 countries, including UK, US, New Zealand, France, and
Malaysia, were felicitated with the prestigious awards on occasion
61
13. Sahitya Akademi Awards 2021:

Sahitya Akademi announced its prestigious awards- the Sahitya Akademi
Award, Yuva Puraskar and Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2021 on Thursday,
December 30.
About Sahitya Akademi Award:
• Sahitya Akademi Award by Sahitya Akadem i is a literary honour in
India that is conferred on the writers of the most outstanding books
of literary merit that are published in any of the 24 major Indian
languages. (22 languages of 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution
and in English and Rajasthani).
• The prestigious literary award is conferred by Sahitya Akademi which is India's National Academy of
Letters.
• Sahitya Akademi Award was established in 1954 and the aim of the Sahitya Akademi Award is to
recognize and promote excellence in Indian writing as well as also acknowledge the new trends in
literature.
• Sahitya Akademi Award plaque which is awarded to the winners was designed by Indian filmmaker
Satyajit Ray.
Sahitya Akademi Awards 2021:
• The Sahitya Akademi Award 2021 was given in 20 Indian languages. The awards for works in
Gujarati, Maithili, Manipuri, and Urdu would be announced at a later date.
• A Burning by Megha Majumdar (Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar), Things to Leave Behind by Namita
Gokhale (Sahitya Akademi Award), and Amrita Sher-Gil: Rebel with a Paintbrush by Anita
Vachharajani (Bal Sahitya Puraskar), were the winners in the English language.
• Sahitya Akademi Award 2021 will include a casket containing a shawl, an engraved copper plaque, and
an amount of Rs. 1,00,000.
Source: TOI
14. Anukrti Upadhyay's Kintsugi wins the Sushila Devi Award 2021:
• Anukrti Upadhyay has won Sushila Devi Award 2021 for the
Best Book of Fiction for her critically acclaimed novel ‘Kintsugi’
which was published under Fourth Estate imprint. It has been
instituted by Ratanlal Foundation.
• It was announced by Ratanlal Foundation and organizing
Committee of the Bhopal Literature and Art Festival.
15. Alia Bhatt conferred with PETA India’s 2021 ‘Person of the Year’
• Alia Bhatt has been conferred with 2021 ‘Person of the Year’ by People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals (PETA) India
• She was awarded this prestigious title to celebrate her work in support of an animal-friendly fashion
industry and her advocacy for dogs and cats in need
• Her vegan kidswear line, Ed-a-Mamma, also won 2021 PETA India fashion award
16. Danish Siddiqui posthumously gets Mumbai Press Club's RedInk Award:
• Photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, who died during an assignment in Afghanistan, has been
posthumously awarded as the 'Journalist of the Year' for 2020 by the Mumbai Press Club
• CJI N V Ramana presented the annual 'RedInk Awards for Excellence in Journalism'
• Danish Siddiqui's wife Frederike Siddiqui received the award.
• Senior journalist Prem Shankar Jha was bestowed with the lifetime achievement award "for his long
and distinguished career of incisive and analytical writing".
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Appointments
1. Ajendra Bahadur Singh takes over as Flag Officer of Western Naval Command
• Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh assumed charge as Flag Officer
Commanding-In-Chief of Western Naval Command
• He succeeded Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar
• Prior to this, he served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of
Eastern Naval Command
• He is among few Commanders-in-Chief who have been bestowed with
unparalleled honour and unique distinction of heading operational
commands
• He was commissioned into Navy on 1 July 1983 and is a specialist in
Navigation and Direction.
2. Manoj Kumar takes over as 34th Commandant of National Defence College
• Lt General Manoj Kumar Mago took charge as the 34th Commandant
of National Defence College (NDC), New Delhi
• He succeeded Air Marshal D Choudhury, who superannuates on
November 30, 2021.
• He is an alumnus of Indian Military Academy, Dehradun and was
commissioned into elite 7th Battalion Brigade of the GUARDS and later
commanded 16 GUARDS
• He commanded one of the largest and challenging Infantry Brigade
• Award: Yudh Seva Medal and Sena Medal (Twice).
Indian Army:
• Founded: 26 February 1950
• Commander-in-Chief: President Ram Nath Kovind
• Chief of the Army Staff (COAS): General Manoj Mukund Naravane,
• Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS): Lieutenant General Chandi Prasad Mohanty
3. Sanjeev Kaushal appointed as new Chief Secretary of Haryana
• Sanjeev Kaushal (1986-batch IAS officer of Haryana) has been
appointed as the new chief secretary of Haryana
• He succeeded Vijai Vardhan
• Prior to this, he worked with Centre as Joint Secretary of two state
governments, two large PSUs as Managing Director, and also the largest
Municipal Corporation of Haryana as the Chief Administrator of Faridabad
Complex
• P K Das (1986 batch IAS) has also been appointed as Additional Chief
Secretary and Financial Commissioner (Revenue)
4. Sambit Patra named as chairman of India Tourism Development Corporation
• BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra has been appointed as the
Chairman of India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC)
by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).
• Earlier, he had served as an independent Director of Oil and
Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).
• ACC has approved Tourism Ministry's proposal to split the post
of chairman and managing director of ITDC into chairman,
ITDC, and managing director (MD), ITDC.
• Managing Director of ITDC: GKV Rao.
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5. Gita Gopinath to become IMF's First Deputy Managing Director

• Indian-American Gita Gopinath is set to become International
Monetary Fund (IMF’s) First Deputy Managing Director.
• She will become the second-ranking official, replacing First Deputy
Managing Director Geoffrey Okamoto who plans to leave the Fund early
next year.
• Gopinath has served as the IMF’s chief economist for three years.
• She was scheduled to return to her academic position at Harvard
University in January 2022.
About IMF:
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Reconstruction and Development Bank
(IBRD) were established in July 1944 together on the basis of Bretton Woods conference that is why
they are also known as the Bretton Woods twins.
• India is the founding member of the IMF.
• IMF member countries: 190
• MD: Kristalina Georgieva
6. Pradip Shah appointed as Chairman of NARCL
• Founder of IndAsia Fund Advisors, Pradip Shah has been appointed
as the Chairman of National Asset Reconstruction Company
(NARCL)
• Apart from him, Sanjay Jain will be chief executive of India Debt
Resolution Company (IDRCL), privately owned asset management
company (AMC) acquired by NARCL
• Diwakar Gupta is selected as chairman of IDRCL and Padmakumar
Nair has been appointed as MD of NARCL
• NARCL has been incorporated under Companies Act as an Asset
Reconstruction Company.
7. Kashee Nath Akela appointed as Independent Director of RCF Board
• Kashee Nath Akela has been appointed as an Independent Director on
the Board of Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited (RCF) for a
period of three years with effect from November 5, 2021, or until further
orders
• He has been President of Azad Sporting Club, Co-convener of Goswami
Tulsidas Memorial Committee, President of Baba Baluaveer Management
Committee
• RCF is a PSU under Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers and is 4th
largest producer of fertilizers in India.
8. FICCI appoints HUL’s Sanjiv Mehta as President-Elect

• Hindustan Unilever Chairman & Managing Director, Sanjiv
Mehta, will be appointed as the President of FICCI next week..
• He will be taking over the position at its Annual General Meeting
on December 18.
• He will be succeeding media industry veteran Uday Shankar,
who is the current President.
• Mehta is also the President of Unilever South Asia and is a
member of the ‘Unilever Leadership Executive’.
• He is also a Director on the Board of Indian School of Business.
64
About Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI)

• FICCI is a non-government, not-for-profit organisation established in 1927.
• It is the largest and oldest apex business organisation in India whose history is closely
interwoven with India's struggle for independence, its industrialization, and its emergence
as one of the most rapidly growing global economies.
9. Gautam Raghavan elevated to Head of White House personnel office
• Indian-origin Gautam Raghavan has been elevated to Head of the

White House personnel office.
• He succeeded Catherine Russel, who has been appointed
Executive Director of UNICEF.
• Gautam Raghavan was Russel's Deputy at the White House Office
of Presidential Personnel.
• He is the editor of the book 'West Wingers: Stories from the
Dream Chasers, Change Makers, and Hope Creators Inside the
Obama White House'.
10. Leena Nair appointed as global CEO of ‘Chanel’ Fashion House
• Leena Nair (52 years) has been appointed as the new global Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of French fashion house 'Chanel'.
• She will assume the office with effect from January 2021.
• She was working with Unilever for over 30 years, most recently as the
chief of human resources and a member of the company's executive
committee.
• Chanel was founded in 1910 by fashion legend Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel
as a hat boutique on rue Cambon in Paris.
11. Anjalli Ravi Kumar appointed as CSO of Zomato
• Ex-Unilever executive Anjalli Ravi Kumar has been appointed

as Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) of Zomato.
• Prior to this, she worked with Unilever as Global Sustainability
Director. She is a recipient of the Unilever Global Heroes Award
in 2017 for launching a unique mobile skilling programme
• Apart from her, Nitin Savara has been appointed as the Deputy
Chief Financial Officer of the company
• He was earlier a Partner at EY, will work with Zomato CFO
Akshant Goyal.
12. Ravinder Bhakar assume charge of NDFC and CFSI
• CEO of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Ravinder Bhakar

has assumed charge of National Film Development Corporation (NFDC),
Films Division, and Children Films Society of India (CFSI)
• He is 1999-batch officer of Indian Railway Stores Service (IRSS).
• He has been assigned these charges in addition to his present duties as
CEO of the film certification body.
65
13. MM Naravane appointed as Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee

• Chief of Army Staff, General MM Naravane has been appointed
as the Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC) by the
government
• He succeeded Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin
Rawat, who expired in a helicopter crash
• Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee is the most senior and
highest ranking officer of the Indian Armed Forces.
• He is the principal military advisor to the president of the
republic, the Minister of Defence and the Prime Minister.
14. Mohit Jain elected Indian Newspaper Society President
• Mohit Jain of The Economic Times has been elected as the president
of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS).
• He was elected during 82nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of INS
held through video conferencing.
• He succeeds Lakshmipathy Adimoolam of Health & The Antiseptic.
• K Raja Prasad Reddy (Sakshi) is the Deputy President, Rakesh Sharma
(Aaj Samaj) is the Vice President and Tanmay Maheshwari (Amar Ujala) is
the Honorary Treasurer of the Society for 2021-22.
15. Gabriel Boric to become youngest President of Chile

• Former student leader and Leftist, Gabriel Boric (35 years)
will become youngest President of Chile.
• He won 55.87% of the vote, out of 99.95% of ballots
counted, defeating right-wing opponent, Jose Antonio Kast
• Boric as a student led Federation of Students at University
of Chile in Santiago.
• He rose to prominence after leading protests in 2011
demanding improved and cheaper education.
• He will be sworn in as President on March 11, 2022.
• Capital of Chile: Santiago
16. Unsoo Kim appointed as MD of Hyundai Motor India Limited
• Unsoo Kim has been appointed as Managing Director of Hyundai Motor India
Ltd with effect from 1st January 2022
• He will succeed Seon Seob Kim, who was serving the company since November
2018.
• He is currently with the parent company in South Korea
• SS Kim has played pivotal role in Hyundai growth in the Indian market.
• Hyundai Motor India sold a total of 5,45 lakh units in the financial year period
2018-19, capturing a market share of 16% in private vehicle market.
17. Pradeep Kumar Rawat appoints India’s next Ambassador to China

• Pradeep Kumar Rawat (1990 batch IFS officer) has been appointed as the India’s next Ambassador
to China and, will take up the assignment shortly in Beijing.
• He is currently India’s Ambassador to the Netherlands
• He will replace Vikram Misri, who completed his three-year term earlier this month and has left for
Delhi.
• He will take charge amid the worst phase in India-China relations as both countries are struggling to
resolve border crisis along LAC in eastern Ladakh.
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18. Atul Dinkar Rane appointed as DG of BrahMos Aerospace

• Outstanding DRDO Scientist, Atul Dinkar Rane has been appointed as Director General of BrahMos
Aerospace with effect from 20th December 2021
• He joined DRDO in 1987 and started his initial career at Defence Research and Development
Laboratory as System Manager and established modular real-time simulation test mechanisms for
Surface to Air Akash Missile System
• BrahMos Aerospace: Indo-Russian multinational aerospace and defense corporation, with
Headquarters in Delhi
About BrahMos Missile:
• BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile featuring Indian
propulsion system, airframe, power supply, and other major
indigenous components has been successfully test-fired.
• BRAHMOS is a joint venture between the Defence Research
and Development Organisation of India (DRDO) and the
NPOM of Russia.
• Brahmos is named on the rivers Brahmaputra and Moskva.
• It is a two-stage air to surface missile with a flight range of
around 300 km.
• Brahmos is the heaviest weapon to be deployed on Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft.
• It operates on the "Fire and Forgets" principle i.e it does not require further guidance after launch.
19. Sanjaya Mishra appointed as Acting Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court
• Justice Sanjaya Kumar Mishra has been appointed as the Acting Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand
High Court with effect from 24 December 2021.
• He has been appointed as per Article 223 of the Constitution of India.
• He was elevated as Judge of the Orissa High Court in 2009 and joined Uttarakhand High Court in
October 2021.
• He took the place of Raghvendra Kumar Chauhan, who retired on 23rd December.
• Uttarakhand High Court was established in 2009.
High Court of Uttarakhand
The Uttarakhand State was carved out from erstwhile State of Uttar Pradesh on 09/11/2000. At the time of the
creation of the State, the High Court of Uttarakhand was also established on the same day at Nainital. Since
that day the High Court is functioning in an old building situated in Mallital Nainital which was known as old
Secretariat. The building of the High Court is a very magnificent and was constructed in 1900 A.D. There is a
park in front of the building and Naina Peak, the highest peak in Nainital, in the background, which makes the
building more picturesque. In the beginning five Court rooms were constructed but later on more Court rooms
have been added. A huge Chief Justice Court Block and a Block of Lawyers’ chambers have also been built
up in the year 2007.
20. Atul Kumar Goel appointed as MD & CEO of Punjab National Bank
• MD & CEO of UCO Bank, Atul Kumar Goel has been appointed as the
MD & CEO of Punjab National Bank (PNB) with effect from 1st February
2021.
• He will serve as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in PNB, until January 31,
2022 and PNB chief until December 31, 2024.
• He succeeded Mallikarjuna Rao.
• In his place, Soma Sankara Prasad has been appointed as MD & CEO
of UCO Bank.
• HQs of Punjab National Bank: New Delhi.
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21. Eishin Chihana takes charge as Chairman of Yamaha Motor India Group
• Eishin Chihana has taken charge as the Chairman of the India
Yamaha Motor (IYM) Group
• He has been associated with Yamaha Motor Company and its group
companies across the globe since 1991.
• He holds strong expertise across different verticals like Sales,
Marketing and Business Management, with a major focus on
Motorcycle Business Operations in European, North American,
African, Middle Eastern and ASEAN markets.
22. Violet Baruah becomes first woman IG of Assam Police
• IPS officer Violet Baruah became the first-ever woman to get promoted
to the rank of Inspector General in Assam Police with effect from January 1,
2022
• She received President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service this
year and also in 2012.
• She is currently posted as the Deputy Inspector General of Police
(BTAD) in Kokrajhar district
• She joined police force in 1992 as an Assam Police Services officer and
got nominated to IPS in 2004.
23. Indian-Origin Judge gets appointed to South Africa's Highest Judicial Bench
• Judge of Indian origin named Narandran Kollapen gets appointed to
South Africa's Constitutional Court, considered highest judicial bench.
• He has been appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa and Rammaka
Steven Maphoso after a rigorous process of interviews.
• He began his legal career in 1982 and an active advocate for human
rights
• He became South African Human Rights Commission commissioner in
1997 and served for several years until 2009.
24. Vasudevan PN re-appointed as MD & CEO of Equitas Small Finance Bank

• Vasudevan Pathangi Narasimhan (PN) has been appointed as the Managing
Director & Chief Executive Officer (MD & CEO) of Equitas Small Finance Bank
Limited.
• His appointment has been approved by board of directors of the bank.
• His tenure is for three years, with effect from July 23, 2022, up to July 22, 2025
• Headquarters of Equitas Small Finance Bank: Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• Equitas Small Finance Bank is founded in 2016 as a microfinance lender.
25. Baldev Prakash appointed as MD & CEO of J&K Bank
• Baldev Prakash has been appointed as the Managing Director
& Chief Executive Officer (MD & CEO) of Jammu & Kashmir
Bank for three years.
• His appointment will be effective from the date of taking charge
or April 10, 2022, whichever is earlier.
• Apart from him, R K Chhibber has been appointed as an
additional director on the board of the bank
• He has over 30 years of experience in banking in various roles
at small and large size branches at SBI.
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Science/Defence News
1. WORLD AIDS Day:
• World AIDS Day is observed every year on 1st December to raise
awareness about AIDS pandemic caused by HIV infection spread.
• World AIDS Day was first conceived in August 1987 by James W.
Bunn and Thomas Netter and was first observed in 1988.
• Theme 2021: End inequalities. End Aids. End pandemics.
• Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS): It is a chronic,
potentially life-threatening condition caused by human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It damages immune system and body's ability to fight infection and
disease
• World AIDS Day is one of the eleven official global public health campaigns marked by the World
Health Organization (WHO), along with.;
World Health Day: 7th April World Blood Donor Day: June 14
World Immunization Week: 24th-30th April World Tuberculosis Day: 24th March
World No Tobacco Day: 31st May World Malaria Day: 25th April
World Hepatitis Day: 28th July World Antimicrobial Awareness Week: 18-24 November
World Patient Safety Day: 17th September World Chagas Disease Day: 14 April
Source: IE
2. CARAT Maritime Exercise
• US military personnel and Bangladesh Navy (BN) began the 27th annual Cooperation Afloat
Readiness and Training (CARAT) maritime exercise virtually from 1 December in the Bay of Bengal.
• The exercise focused on the full spectrum of naval capabilities and featured cooperative evolutions
that highlight the ability of Bangladesh and the U.S. to work together towards the common goal of
ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific.
About Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (Exercise CARAT):
• CARAT exercise is an annual bilateral exercise. United States Pacific Fleet, a command of the US
Navy conducts it with several ASEAN members.
• Currently, Exercise CARAT is conducted with navies of nine nations, which are the navies of
Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and
Thailand.
Source: News on Air
3. Exercise Ekuverin
• The 11th edition of Exercise EKUVERIN-21 between India and Maldives will be
conducted at Kadhdhoo Island, Maldives.
• The exercise will enhance synergy and inter-operability between Armed Forces
of both the nations conducting Counterterrorism and Counter-Insurgency
Operations.
• The joint military exercise will also include cultural and sports activities to
enhance defence cooperation and bilateral relations.
• India’s Policy of the Indian Ocean is focused on implementing security and
political stability to Mauritius, Maldives, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka. India aims to counter the expanding
face of China in the region as India views itself as a security provider in the Indian Ocean Region.
• India is the first responder in Human Availability Disaster Recovery Operations.
About Exercise Ekuverin
• Ekuverin means “Friends” in Dhivehi language. It is an Indo – Aryan language. It is spoken in India,
Lakshadweep, and Maldives. The Exercise is being conducted between India and Maldives since
2008.
Maldives President: Ibrahim Mohd. Solih, Legislature: People's Majlis.
Source: Livemint
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4. Indian Navy Day: Its History and Importance:

The Indian Navy is the marine branch of the Indian Armed Forces, and the President of India is its
Commander-in-Chief. Chhatarpati Shivaji Bhosle, Maratha emperor, is considered as 'Father of the Indian
Navy'.
History of the Day: Indian Navy Day is celebrated on December 4 in
commemoration of Operation Trident, the attack launched by the Indian
Navy on Karachi harbour during 1971's Indo-Pakistan war. It was for the
first time that an anti-ship missile was used in the operation.
• The operation was conducted on the night of December 4-5 and
it inflicted heavy damage on Pakistani vessels. India did not
suffer any loss during the operation.
• As part of the operation, the Indian Navy sank four Pakistani
vessels and ravaged Karachi harbour fuel fields in Pakistan. The Indian Navy's three warships -- INS
Nipat, INS Nirghat and INS Veer -- played an important role in the attack.
➢ Each Navy Day is celebrated with a unique theme and the 2021 Navy Day is being celebrated as
‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ as it commemorates the 50th anniversary of the victory in the 1971 war.
➢ The Navy also organizes a Beating Retreat ceremony at Gateway of India in Mumbai on the eve of
the Navy Day. The Indian Naval Band performs across places between Gateway of India and Radio
Club in Mumbai.
➢ The Western Naval Command has unfurled the world's largest national flag - an Indian Tricolour - at
Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on the occasion of Navy Day 2021. The gigantic flag which is larger than
adjoining buildings is woven of khadi and measures 225 feet long by 150 feet wide. It weighs roughly
1400 kg. As part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Khadi and Village Industries and Commission
designed and fabricated it.
➢ Naval Chief: R. Hari Kumar
➢ There are three commands in Indian Navy:
Eastern Naval Command – Headquartered at Visakhapatnam, Western Naval Command
– Headquartered at Mumbai and Southern Naval Command – Headquartered at Kochi.
➢ There is also one more Command at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands which is a tri-
service command.
➢ All Commands of the Navy are headed by a “Flag Officer Commanding in Chief ”. His
rank is of “Vice Admiral”.
➢ Indian Navy Motto: Sham No Varunah: May the Lord of Water be auspicious unto us'
Source: IE, HT
5. Survey Vessel Sandhyak:
• Sandhayak’, the first of the four Survey Vessels (Large)
project being built for the Indian Navy, was launched in
Kolkata on December 05, 2021. These Vessels have been
designed and developed by Defence Public Sector
Undertaking, Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers
(GRSE) Limited.
• These survey ships are capable of full scale coastal & deep-
water hydrographic survey of Ports & Harbour approaches
and determination of navigational channels & routes.
• These ships are also capable of undertaking survey of maritime limits and collection of Oceanographic
& Geographical data for Defence applications, thus boosting the maritime capabilities of the country.
Note: Indian Navy’s oldest Hydrographic Survey Vessel, INS Sandhayak was decommissioned at Naval
Dockyard Visakhapatnam. After serving the nation for 40 glorious years, on Friday, 04 June 21, this majestic
vessel was decommissioned.
Source: navalnews.com
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6. NASA picks Indian origin doctor for future astronaut’s mission:

• Indian-origin physician Anil Menon (45) has been selected by NASA
along with nine others to be astronauts for future missions.
• Menon was SpaceX's first flight surgeon, helping to launch the
company's first humans to space during Nasa's SpaceX Demo-2 mission.
• Till now, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma is the only Indian citizen
to travel in space.
• Earlier, Sirisha Bandla in July became the third Indian-origin woman to
fly into space after Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams.
Source: HT
7. PANEX-21: PANEX-21 is a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Exercise. It is
to be held for the BIMSTEC countries.
• The Indian Army is organizing a multi-nation disaster
management exercise with a special focus on relief in the
backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The aim of the exercise is to foster joint planning and build
regional cooperation for responding to natural disasters.
• PANEX 21 was conducted at Pune from Dec 20-22. On the
second day of PANEX 21, a Humanitarian Assistance and
Disaster Relief (HADR) Exercise for BIMSTEC member
nations, organized at College of Military Engineering in
Pune.
• The main aim of the exercise is to build regional cooperation in responding to natural disasters. It shows
demonstration of the capabilities of the Indian Armed Forces to launch swift, coordinated, and
incremental relief efforts in case of occurrence of any natural calamity in a particular region.
BIMSTEC:
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
(BIMSTEC) is an international organisation of seven South Asian and Southeast Asian
nations. The BIMSTEC member states – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal,
Sri Lanka, and Thailand – are among the countries dependent on the Bay of Bengal. It
was founded in the year 1997 and the leadership is rotated in alphabetical order of
country names. The permanent secretariat is in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Source: IE
8. NASA’s IXPE Mission:

• On 9th December, National Aeronautics and Space Administration’ (NASA)
launched a new mission named ‘Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer’ (IXPE).
About IXPE Mission:
• IXPE was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 (B1061.5) from LC-39A at NASA's
Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
• The IXPE Observatory is a joint effort of NASA and the Italian Space
Agency to study the most extreme and mysterious objects in the universe
supernova remnants, supermassive black holes, and dozens of other high-
energy objects.
• The primary duration of this mission is two years, and its observatory will be
located at an altitude of 600 km, orbiting around the Earth’s equator. It is
expected to study about 40 celestial objects in the first year.
• It will complement other X-ray telescopes such as the Chandra X-ray
Observatory and the X-ray Observatory of the European Space Agency, XMM-Newton.
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• IXPE carries three state-of-the-art space telescopes with special polarization-sensitive detectors.
Polarization is a property of light that holds clues to the environment from which the light originates.
• It will help in observing polarized X-rays from neutron stars and supermassive black holes. By
measuring the polarization of these X-rays, we can study what the source of light is and understand
the geometry and inner workings of the light source.
• It will also help scientists to understand how black holes rotate and their status in the past and will help
to find out why pulsars are so bright in X-rays.
Other recent NASA missions:
• Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART).
• Mission Lucy (Jupiter Trojan Asteroid).
• Near Earth Asteroid Scout.
Source: nasa.org, spacenews.com
9. Stand-off Anti-tank (SANT) Missile & Supersonic Missile Assisted Torpedo System (SMART)
Stand-off Anti-tank (SANT) Missile: Supersonic Missile Assisted Torpedo System
(SMART):
• Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Air Force • On 13th December, Defence Research and
(IAF) flight-tested the indigenously designed Development Organization, DRDO has test-
and developed Helicopter launched Stand- fired the Supersonic Missile Assisted
off Anti-tank (SANT) Missile from Pokhran Release of Torpedo or SMART.
ranges on December 11, 2021. • It is a next generation missile-based standoff
• It has been designed and developed by torpedo delivery system.
Research Center Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad in • It has been designed to enhance anti-
coordination with other DRDO labs and submarine warfare capability far beyond the
participation from industries and is equipped conventional range of the torpedo.
with a state-of-the-art millimeter wave (MMW)
seeker which provides high precision strike DRDO: The Defence Research and Development
capability from a safe distance. The weapon Organisation is the premier agency under the
can neutralize targets in a range up to 10 Department of Defence Research and Development
kms. in Ministry of Defence of the Government of India,
charged with the military's research and
• This is the third in the series of indigenous development, headquartered in Delhi, India. It was
stand-off weapons to be tested in recent formed in 1958.
times, after the Long-Range Bomb and Smart
Chairperson: Dr G. Satheesh Reddy
Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW), further
strengthening the arsenal of the Indian Air Source: DRDO.gov.in, IE
Force.
10. 7th edition of the four-day India International Science Festival (IISF):
• The 7th edition of the four-day India International Science
Festival was held in Panaji from December 10 to 13, 2021. The
journey of IISF was started with its inaugural event at Delhi in
2015.
Key Highlights:
• Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science &
Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth
Sciences; Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the seventh edition of
India International Science Festival.
• The Ministry of Earth Sciences, Ministry of S&T and Vijnana Bharati along with the Government of
Goa were the organisers of IISF 2021.
• National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) of Ministry of Earth Sciences, an institution
situated in Goa, was the nodal agency to organise the IISF 2021.
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• The festival theme “Celebrating Creativity in Science, Technology and Innovation for Prosperous
India” is aimed to reflect the spirit and idea of Aazadi ka Amrit Mahotsav of India, which aims to mark
75 years of independence in 2022.
VISION:
• Promotion of Creativity in Science, Technology, and Innovation for Prosperous India
MISSION:
• To engage creative and imaginative minds in India and across the globe to celebrate science through
various programs and activities connected to the five pillars of Aazadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
Source: News on Air
11. Parker Solar Probe:
• On 14th December, NASA's Parker Solar Probe became the first man-made object to 'touch the Sun'
as it raced past the Sun's atmosphere from just 13 million kilometers away.
About NASA’s Parker Solar Probe:
• The Parker Solar Probe is a NASA space probe launched in 2018 with the mission of making
observations of the outer corona of the Sun. It will approach to within 9.86 solar radii (6.9 million km
or 4.3 million miles) from the center of the Sun, and by 2025 will travel, at closest approach, as fast as
690,000 km/h (430,000 mph), or 0.064% the speed of light.
• Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory designed and built the spacecraft, which was
launched on 12 August 2018.
• Parker Solar Probe weighs about 1,400 pounds, which is relatively light for a spacecraft, but it launched
to space aboard one of the most powerful rockets in the world, the United Launch Alliance Delta IV
Heavy. That's because it takes a lot of energy to go to the Sun — in fact, 55 times more energy than it
takes to go to Mars.
• Parker Solar Probe is named for Dr. Eugene Parker, the first person to predict the existence of the
solar wind in 1958. According to the theory, the material in the corona expands continuously outwards
in all directions, forming a solar wind. This is the first NASA mission to be named for a living person.
• Parker Solar Probe will also break the record for the fastest spacecraft in history. On its final orbits,
closest to the Sun, the spacecraft will reach speeds up to 430,000 mph.
Why won't Parker Solar Probe melt? Apart from unlocking the secrets of solar wind it will
The key lies in the distinction between heat and also answer another two questions:
temperature. Temperature measures how fast I. How some particles can accelerate away from the
particles are moving, while heat is the total amount of Sun at mind-boggling speeds — more than half the
energy that they transfer. The corona is incredibly speed of light, or upwards of 90,000 miles per
thin, and there are very few particles there to transfer second.
energy, so while the particles are moving fast (high II. How the corona gets so much hotter than the
temperature), they don’t actually transfer much surface. Coronal Heating Problem. Temperatures in
energy to the spacecraft (low heat). the Sun's corona, where Parker Solar Probe will fly,
spike upwards of 2 million degrees Fahrenheit, while
the Sun's surface below simmers at a balmy 10,000
F.
Source: Solarsystem.nasa.gov
12. Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant and Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant:
• On December 20 the Construction of Unit 6 of the Kudankulam
Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) in Tamil Nadu has been formally
launched by pouring the first concrete in the foundation slab of the
reactor building, according to Rosatam State Corporation of Russia.
• Russia started construction of fifth nuclear power unit at Kudankulam
in Tamil Nadu on June 29, 2021.
• The third stage of the KKNPP relating to the main construction period
will provide additional power capacity to ensure the industrial and
commercial development of businesses in the Tamil Nadu region and
the Republic of India as a whole.
73
About Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP)

• This nuclear power plant is the largest nuclear power of India. It is located in Kudankulam town in
Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. Construction of the plant started on March 31, 2002. However, it
faced several delays because of opposition from local fishermen.
• KKNPP is scheduled to have six VVER-1000 reactors. All these reactors have been built or is being
built in collaboration with Russian state company and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited
(NPCIL). Reactors have the installed capacity of 6,000 MW of electricity.
• Unit one was made operation and synchronized with southern power grid in October 2013. It has been
generating electricity up to 1,000 MW. Unit two was synchronized with electricity grid on August 29,
2016. Units three & four was inaugurated on February 17, 2016.
II) Union Minister of State in the Department of Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh had said in a written reply to
Rajya Sabha recently that in-principle approval has been accorded to a site
in Jaitapur for setting up six nuclear power reactors of 1,650 MW each in
technical cooperation with France.
National Congress Party which is in power in Maharashtra with Shiv Sena
and the Congress Party said the Centre cannot carry out any project forcibly
without taking the local population into confidence. The Centre cannot
bulldoze any project without taking the local people into confidence. The
Jaitapur project was brought by the UPA government but had to be held
back because of the opposition from the local population.
About Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant:
• Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project is a proposed nuclear power plant in India. If built, it would be the
largest nuclear power generating station in the world by net-generation capacity, at 9,900 MW. The
power project is proposed by Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) and would be built at
Madban village of Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra.
• It is proposed to construct 6 European Pressurized Reactors designed and developed by Framatome
(former Areva) of France, each of 1650 MW, thus totaling 9900 MW. These are the third-generation
pressurised water reactors (PWR).
• Jaitapur is on the Arabian Sea coast in Ratnagiri district in the southwestern part of Maharashtra, India.
The district is a part of Konkan in Western Ghats. The Sahyadri Mountain range forms the eastern
boundary of the Konkan, and the Arabian Sea marks the western boundary. Jaitapur was one of the
important ports in ancient and early medieval times.
Nuclear Power Plants in India – Operational
Name Of Nuclear Power Station Location Operator
Kakrapar Atomic Power Station – 1993 Gujarat NPCIL
(Kalpakkam) Madras Atomic Power Station – 1984 Tamil Nadu NPCIL
Narora Atomic Power Station- 1991 Uttar Pradesh NPCIL
Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant -2000 Karnataka NPCIL
Rajasthan Atomic Power Station – 1973 Rajasthan NPCIL
Tarapur Atomic Power Station – 1969 Maharashtra NPCIL
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant – 2013 Tamil Nadu NPCIL
Source: Business-standard, News on Air
13. JAMES Webb Space Telescope:
• NASA's James Webb Space Telescope was launched on 25th December from South America's
northeastern coast.
• It is developed by NASA with contributions from the European Space Agency (ESA), and the
Canadian Space Agency (CSA). The telescope is named after James E. Webb, who was the
administrator of NASA from 1961 to 1968 and played an integral role in the Apollo program.
• The revolutionary $9 billion infrared telescope was carried aloft inside the cargo bay of an Ariane 5
rocket that blasted off from the European Space Agency's (ESA) launch base in French Guiana.
• The Webb telescope will reach its destination in solar orbit 1 million miles from Earth - about four times
farther away than the moon.
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➢ Objectives and functions of the telescope:

• It will look deeper into the cosmos – and thus further back in time – than is
possible with Hubble. Scientists hope this set-up can detect the light from
the very first population of stars in the Universe to switch on more than 13.5
billion years ago.
• The telescope is equipped with a mirror that can extend 21 feet and 4 inches
(6.5 meters) -- a massive length that will allow the mirror to collect more light
from the objects it observes once the telescope is in space. The lighter the
mirror can collect, the more details the telescope can observe.
• Webb can see water vapour in extrasolar planet atmospheres.
➢ It is intended to succeed the Hubble Space Telescope as NASA's flagship
mission in astrophysics. It is designed to provide improved infrared
resolution and sensitivity over Hubble and will enable a broad range of investigations across the fields
of astronomy and cosmology, including observations of some of the most distant events and objects
in the Universe.
➢ The Hubble Space Telescope (often referred to as HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was
launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation.
About NASA: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the U.S.
federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA).
HQ: Washington, D.C., Administrator: Bill Nelson
Source: IE, First post
14. India approves Corbevax, Covovax vaccines and Molnupiravir for Emergency use:
❖ Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on December 28, 2021,
informed that the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation
(CDSCO) has given emergency use authorization (EUA) nod to two
COVID-19 vaccines namely Covovax and Corbevax and Anti-viral drug
Molnupiravir.
• CORBEVAX is India's 1st indigenously developed RBD protein sub-
unit vaccine against COVID-19 and will be made by Hyderabad-based
firm Biological-E.
• COVOVAX, a nanoparticle vaccine, will be manufactured by Pune-based firm Serum Institute of India.
• Molnupiravir, which is an antiviral drug, will be manufactured in the country by 13 companies for
restricted use under emergency situation for the treatment of adult patients with COVID-19 and who
have a high risk of progression of the disease.
Drugs Controller General of India: January 2022. For such beneficiaries,
vaccination option would be “Covaxin” only.
Drugs Controller General of India is the head of
department of the Central Drugs Standard Control 2. As a matter of abundant precaution, for those
Organization of the Government of India Health Care Workers (HCWs) & Front-Line
responsible for approval of licences of specified Workers (FLWs) who have received two
categories of drugs such as blood and blood doses, another dose of COVID-19 vaccine
products, IV fluids, vaccines, and sera in India. Drugs would be provided from 10th January 2022.
Controller General of India comes under the Ministry The prioritization and sequencing of this
of Health & Family Welfare. Current DCGI: VG precaution dose would be based on the
Somani completion of 9 months i.e., 39 weeks from
the date of administration of 2nd dose.
Keeping in view the recent global surge of COVID-19
cases, detection of Omicron variant which has been 3. All persons aged 60 years and above with
categorized as a Variant of Concern (VOC), following comorbidities who have received two doses
decisions have been taken: of COVID-19 vaccine, will on Doctor’s advice
be provided with a precaution dose from 10th
1. COVID-19 Vaccination of children in the age- January 2022.
group of 15-18 years to be started from 3rd
Source: WION.com
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15. Made-in-India Pralay missile:

➢ India successfully flight tested indigenously developed, surface-to-surface
missile ‘Pralay’ off the Odisha coast. The solid-fuel, battlefield missile, launched
from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island, met all the mission objectives.
➢ It followed the desired quasi ballistic trajectory & reached the designated target
with high degree accuracy. The missile developed by DRDO is based on Prithvi
Defence Vehicle from the Indian ballistic missile programme.
➢ A quasi-ballistic missile has a low trajectory, and while it is largely ballistic, it can
manoeuvre in flight. The missile has a range of 150-500 kilometres and has been
developed according to specifications given by eventual user, the Army.
16. DRDO successfully conducted flight test of HEAT Abhyas:

➢ On 23rd December DRDO has successfully conducted flight test of
Indigenously developed High-speed Expendable Aerial Target
(HEAT) 'Abhyas' from Integrated Test Range at Chandipur off
Odisha coast.
➢ During its trial, high subsonic speed trajectory at a very low altitude
with high endurance was demonstrated
➢ Developed by: Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE),
Bengaluru, along with other DRDO lab.
17. Indian Army launches in-House Messaging Solution ‘ASIGMA’:
✓ Indian Army has launched contemporary messaging application, titled
as ASIGMA (Army Secure Indigenous Messaging Application)
✓ It is a new generation web-based application developed entirely in-
house by team of officers of the Corps of Signals of the Army.
✓ It is being deployed on the Army’s internal network as a replacement of
Army Wide Area Network (AWAN) messaging application which has been
in service for past 15 years.
18. INS Kukri Decommissioned:

❖ INS Khukri, the first of the indigenously built missile corvettes, was
decommissioned after 32 years of service at a solemn ceremony
held at Eastern Naval Command, Visakhapatnam on 24th
December 2021.
❖ At the solemn ceremony, the national flag, naval ensign and the
decommissioning pennant were lowered at sunset in the presence
of Vice-Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, the Flag Officer Commanding-
in-Chief of Eastern Naval Command and some serving and retired
former commanding officers of the ship.
❖ The corvette was built by the Mazagon Dock shipbuilders on August 23, 1989 and had the distinction
of being part of both the Western and Eastern Fleets. The Indian Naval Ship, Khukri was affiliated with
the Gorkha Brigade of the Indian Army.
Source: The Hindu
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Important One Liners Questions (December 2021)

Important News – India
1. Under whose chairmanship the Ministry of Social 14. India signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with which
Justice and Empowerment has constituted a country to enable collaboration in the field of
three-member committee to review the criteria digital media and strengthen the partnership
for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) between both the countries ________ Vietnam.
reservations _______ Ajay Bhushan Pandey.
15. What will be the length of the Ganga Expressway,
2. With which e-Commerce platform the Ministry of
the foundation stone of which was laid down by
Rural Development has signed an MoU to sell
the PM Narendra Modi ___________594 Km.
products made by millions of artisans under the
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural 16. What is India’s rank in the Truecaller’s Global
Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) program on the Spam Report 2021 _________ 4th.
e-commerce platform ________ Flipkart. 17. According to Hurun Global Unicorn Index 2021,
3. The IFFCO has been ranked at what position what is India’s rank in having highest number of
among the top 300 cooperatives in the world in unicorns _______third.
the 2021 edition of the 10th Annual World 18. In how many languages the Atal Innovation
Cooperative Monitor (WCM) report _______ Mission, NITI Aayog has launched the first of its
First. kind Vernacular Innovation Program which
4. Which Technology company has launched a enables innovators and entrepreneurs to have
cybersecurity skilling program that aims to skill access to the innovative ecosystem
over one lakh learners by 2022 _______ ___________ 22 languages.
Microsoft.
19. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation
5. The government has set a target to open about stone of Renukaji Dam project in which state that
ten thousand five hundred Pradhan Mantri was pending for around three decades
Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendras (PMBJK’s), by ________ Himachal Pradesh.
________ March 2025.
20. Who will chair the high-level committee
6. What is India’s rank in the Asia Power Index 2021
constituted by the central government to to
________4th.
examine the possibility of withdrawing the Armed
7. Along with which another country India has been Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in Nagaland
ranked at 66th position in the 2021 Global Health _________ Vivek Joshi.
Security (GHS) Index ________ Jordon.
21. Which railway station has been renamed as
8. What is India’s rank in the Global Health Security
Veerangana Laxmibai Railway Station
(GHS) Index 2021 ________66th.
_________ Indore Railway Station.
9. According to Asian Power Index for 2021
released by the Sydney-based Lowy Institute, Important News – State
what is India’s rank as most powerful nation in
Asia ________ Fourth. 1. First-ever Aharbal festival was celebrated in
10. What is India’s rank in the International Institute which state/UTs ________ Jammu and Kashmir.
for Management Development (IMD) 2021 World 2. Which is the state partner of the 40th edition of
Talent Ranking, which evaluates the ability of the the India International Trade Fair (IITF) 2021
economies in developing, attracting and retaining ______ Bihar.
talent _________56th. 3. According to data from the Reserve Bank of India
11. Who represented India in the first Summit for (RBI), which state becomes the country's leading
Democracy convened by US President Joe Biden manufacturing hub _______Gujarat.
_________ Narendra Modi.
4. The Kazhuveli wetland has been declared 16th
12. Which country has assumed the Chairmanship of Bird Sanctuary of which state _______ Tamil
Council of Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of Nadu.
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (RATS SCO)
_________ India. 5. According to a report tabled in the Parliament
which state topped the list of States with
13. In December 2021, which of the following has
maximum number of beneficiaries under the
been inscribed on the UNESCO's 'Intangible
Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY)
Heritage list' _______ Kolkata’s Durga puja
________ Maharashtra.
festival.
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6. Haiderpur wetland is located in which state that 2. The fifth Indian Ocean Conference - IOC 2021
has been designated as the country's 47th was held in which city of the world _________
Ramsar site and 2,463rd Ramsar site Abu Dhabi.
internationally _________ Uttar Pradesh. 3. According to UK-based research institute MEPS
7. According to the Ministry of Road Transport & that specializes in steel market, which country set
Highways which state has the highest number of to India as the world’s second largest producer of
registered electric vehicles ________ Uttar stainless steel ________ Indonesia.
Pradesh. 4. In which country the World's First Floating City will
8. As per the 9th edition of India Skills Report (ISR) be built _______ South Korea.
2022, released by Wheebox which state has 5. As per Reporters Without Borders (RSF) report,
retained the top position in the list of states with which country has been declared as the world's
the highest poll of employable talent biggest captor of journalists with at least 127
_______Maharshtra. reporters currently detained ______ China.
9. Askot Wildlife Sanctuary is located in which state 6. Which country is holding the presidency of G20
that has been declared as the Askot Wildlife summit for 2022 ________ Indonesia.
Sanctuary Eco-sensitive Zone (ESZ) ________
7. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett visited
Uttarakhand.
which Arabian country marking the first-ever visit
10. Power Finance Corporation (PFC) signed an by a Jewish PM to the Arab state ________
agreement with GreenCell Mobility, to lend INR United Arab Amirate.
275 crore for deployment of 350 electric buses
8. Which Arabian country has banned the Tablighi
across nine cities of ___________ Uttar
Jamaat calling it one of the gates of terrorism
Pradesh.
_______ Saudi Arabia.
11. India's first International Arbitration and
9. Which has become the world's first government
Mediation Centre (IAMC) was inaugurated in
to turn 100 per cent paperless ________ Dubai.
which city of India _________ Hyderabad.
10. International Institute for Democracy and
12. Jaitapur nuclear power plant is located in which
Electoral Assistance (IDEA) based in which city of
state for that the govt has given in-principle
world _______ Stockholm, Sweden.
approval for setting up six nuclear power reactors
of 1,650 MW each in technical cooperation with 11. Which country conferred its highest civilian
France ________ Maharashtra. award, Ngadag Pel gi Khorlo, on Prime Minister
Narendra Modi _________ Bhutan.
13. Which state government has approved a
proposal for the establishment of a “teachers’ 12. Which has become the first European Union
university” ________ Delhi. nation to legalize cultivation and personal use of
cannabis _______ Malta.
14. Which state government has announced to give 1
per cent reservation to transgenders in Police 13. Which country has created the world's first dual-
_______ Karnataka. mode vehicle (DMV) that can run on both roads
and rail tracks ________ Japan.
15. Which state has topped the composite ranking in
the Good Governance Index 2021 ________ 14. Which of the following countries set to become
Gujarat. the newest member of the New Development
Bank (NDB) (BRICS Bank) _______ Egypt.
16. Which state top among the among the 34 states
and Union Territories (UTs) in the implementation 15. Which country has successfully conducted third
of the Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission test of its Angara A5 space rocket with a full mock
(SPMRM) __________ Telangana. payload _________ Russia.
17. Which state government recently has launched 16. World’s longest Metro line opened in which city
Kaushal Rozgar Nigam Portal _______ Haryana. ________ Shanghai.
18. Which state government has launched Digital Life Honor & Awards
Certificate system for pensioners ________
Odisha. 1. Who has won the men’s Ballon d’Or for a record
seventh time _________ Lionel Messi.
Important News – World
2. Name the Indian Athlete who has won the
1. According to the 2021 Worldwide Cost of Living Woman of the Year Award by World Athletics for
Index released by the Economist Intelligence Unit grooming talent and encouraging young girls in
(EIU), which city has been ranked as world’s most India to take up sports and fight for gender
expensive city _________ Tel Aviv. equality ______ Anju Bobby George.
78
3. Who has been awarded the ‘Impact Person of the 19. Who has won the Sushila Devi Award 2021
Year 2020’ award instituted by the _________ Anukrti Upadhyay.
exchange4media Group, to recognize excellence 20. Who has been named as the 2021 Person of the
in the Advertising, Media and Marketing domain Year by the People for the Ethical Treatment of
_______ Sanjiv Puri. Animals (PETA) _______ Alia Bhatt.
4. Who has been awarded the world’s highest 21. Eminent author Namita Gokhale won Sahitya
education accolade the 2021 Yidan Prize, for Akademi Award for her novel _________ Things
Education Development, for her work in to Leave Behind.
improving learning outcomes _______ Rukmini 22. Who has been awarded as the ‘Journalist of the
Banerji. Year’ for 2020 by the Mumbai Press Club
5. Who has been adjudged as the winner of the _________ Danish Siddiqui.
56th Jnanpith Award for the year 2021 _______
Nilmani Phookan Jr. Sports News
6. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has been 1. Which country has won the men’s Junior hockey
ranked at what position in the Forbes’ rankings of World Cup at the Kalinga Stadium, Odisha
100 most powerful women of the world _______ Argentina.
________37th 2. Which country has won the Asian team squash
7. Who secured top position in the list of 100 championships 2021 held in Kuala Lumpur
powerful women of the world _______ _______ Malaysia.
Mackenzie Scott. 3. Who has won the 2021 BWF World Tour men’s
8. The 70th Miss Universe 2021 event was held in Final held in Bali, Indonesia _______ Viktor
which city where India's Harnaaz Sandhu has won Axelson.
the crown _______ Eilat, Israel. 4. Which country has won the Davis Cup title 2021
9. Name the Indian mathematician who won the ________ Russia.
'Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians from 5. Who won the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Developing Countries 2021' for his/her
2021 _______ Lewis Hamilton.
outstanding work in affine algebraic geometry
and commutative algebra ________ Neena 6. Who has gold medal the women's 49kg category
Gupta. at the Commonwealth Weightlifting
Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
10. Who has been selected for Royal Gold Medal ________ Jhilli Dalabehera.
2022 by Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
_______ Balkrishna Doshi. 7. Who has won the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand
Prix 2021 _______ Max Verstappen.
11. Who has been named the Time magazine's 2021
"Person of the Year" _______ Elon Musk. 8. Arvind Singh is associated with which sports who
won gold medal recently ______ Rowing.
12. Who has won the 2021 WTA Player of the Year
Award ________ Ashleigh Barty. 9. Who has won 2021 FIDE World Chess
Championship held in Dubai, UAE _______
13. Who topped the Fortune India’s Most Powerful Magnus Carlsen.
Women List 2021 _________Nirmala
Sitharaman. 10. Name the Indian badminton player who won the
historic silver medal in the World Badminton
14. Who has been named as the Time's 2021 Athlete Championships in Spain ___________ Kidambi
of the Year ________ Simone Biles. Srikanth.
15. Name the former cricketer who has been 11. Which country will host Women's Under-18 and
conferred with the prestigious 'SJFI Medal' by the Under-19 SAFF championships in 2022 _______
Sports Journalists' Federation of India (SJFI) India.
________ Sunil Gavaskar.
12. Who has won 2021 National Billiards Title
16. Which Public Sector Enterprises has won Golden _______ Pankaj Advani.
Peacock Environment Management Award 2021
_________ Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL). 13. Aanchal Thakur associated with which sports
__________ Skiing.
17. Who has been adjudged as the BBC’s Sports
Personality of the Year for 2021 _______ Emma 14. Which state has won their maiden Vijay Hazare
Raducanu. Trophy beating Tamil Nadu in the final in Jaipur
________ Himachal Pradesh.
18. Who has been awarded the prestigious Global
Environment and Climate Action Citizen Award in 15. Which team has won the Pro Tennis League 2021
Dubai ________ Viral Sudhirbhai Desai. _______ Team Radiant.
79
16. Which state has won the 11th Junior National held at Visakhapatnam. It is the first of the
Men’s Hockey Championship 2021 ________ indigenously built ___________ corvettes.
Uttar Pradesh.
Science and Defence New Appointments
1. 'Ekuverin' is a Joint Military Exercise between
Indian army and military forces of which country 1. Who assumed charge as the Flag Officer
_______ Maldives. Commanding-In-Chief of Western Naval
2. With which country India has signed a contract for Command _______ Ajendra Bahadur Singh.
the indigenous production of over 6 Lakh AK-203 2. Who took charge as the 34th Commandant of
Assault Rifles at Korwa, UP ________ Russia. National Defence College (NDC), New Delhi
3. What is the operational range of the indigenously ______ Manoj Kumar Mago.
developed new Vertical Launch Short Range 3. Who has been appointed as the chairman of India
Surface-to-Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) that was Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) by the
successfully test-fired by DRDO from Integrated Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, Odisha ________ Sambit Patra.
_______50 km. 4. Name the Indian women sports person who has
4. The Indian Army is organizing a multi-nation been appointed as the brand ambassador of the
disaster management exercise PANEX-21 GUVI, an Indian Institute of Technology Madras
involving BIMSTEC countries in which place (IIT-M) _______ Smriti Mandhana.
_______ Pune. 5. Who has been appointed as the First Deputy
5. NASA has launched new X-ray Mission titled as Managing Director of the International Monetary
Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) in Fund (IMF) ______ Gita Gopinath.
collaboration with which space agency _______ 6. Who has been appointed as the Chairperson of
Italian Space Agency. the CA Institute’s Quality Review Board (QRB)
6. India's maiden crewed space mission, _________ Shefali Shah.
Gaganyaan will be launched in _______ 2023. 7. Who has been appointed as UNESCO Goodwill
7. What is the full-form of SMAT that was Ambassador for Cultural and Creative Industries
successfully launched by India from Abdul Kalam ________ Naomi Kawase.
island, formerly known as Wheeler Island 8. Who has been appointed as the chairperson of
_______ Supersonic Missile Assisted Torpedo National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
System. _______ Alka Upadhyaya.
8. Recently, which IIT has signed an MoU with the 9. Who will be nominated as the next Chancellor by
Indian Air Force (IAF) for various developmental Parliament, replacing Angela Merkel’s 16-year
projects to support the requirements of the IAF reign ________ Olaf Scholz.
_________ IIT Delhi.
10. Who has been elected as the president of
9. Which automotive manufacturer has partnered International Criminal Police Organisation
with Combat Vehicles Research and (INTERPOL) _______ Major General Dr. Ahmed
Development Establishment (CVRDE) to develop Nasser Al Raisi.
and manufacture 600-HP indigenous engine to
power futuristic combat vehicles under 11. Who became the first female president of
Atmanirbhar Bharat mission _________ Ashok Honduras in the Presidential election of
Leyland. Honduras in December 2021 ________ Xiomara
Castro.
10. What is the strike range of the indigenously
developed surface-to-surface missile 'Pralay' 12. Who has been appointed as the Executive
________150-500 kilometres. Director of United Nations International
Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) _______
11. The Defence Research and Development Catherine Russell.
Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted the
flight test of indigenously developed HEAT 13. Name the Indian-origin person who has been
Abhyas. What is full form of HEAT ________ elevated to Head of the White House personnel
High-speed Expendable Aerial Target. office ________ Gautam Raghavan.
12. Indian Navy has decommissioned INS Khukri 14. Who has been elected has been elected as the
after 32 years of service at a solemn ceremony president of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS)
__________ Mohit Jain.
80
15. Name the cricketer who has been appointed as 5. For cross-border transactions for capital or
the brand ambassador of Uttarakhand with an current account transactions of what amount and
aim to promote sports and create mental health above, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) made
awareness ______ Rishabh Pant. Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) mandatory _________
16. 35-year-old Gabriel Boric becomes the youngest Rs 50 crore.
president of which country and one of the 6. According to a report by Ministry of Finance how
youngest political leaders in the world ________ many Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) have
Chile. been installed across India by the end of
17. Who has been appointed as Managing Director September 2021 ________ 2.13 Lakh.
of Hyundai Motor India Limited with effect from 1st 7. Which cryptocurrency has been accepted as an
January 2022 _______ Unsoo Kim. official currency for local use by the Myanmar’s
18. Who has been appointed as the Director General parallel government led by the supporters of
of Software Technology of India (STPI) ______ Myanmar’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi
Arvind Kumar. ________ Tether.
8. The Reserve Bank of India has released the draft
19. Who has been appointed as the as Director
Master Directions on minimum capital
General of BrahMos Aerospace _______ Atul
requirements for operational risk as part of
Dinkar Rane.
convergence of its regulations for banks with
20. Who has been appointed as a member of the Basel III standards. The provisions of these
Badminton World Federation's (BWF) Athletes' directions shall apply to ________ All
Commission _______ PV Sindhu. Commercial Banks.
21. Justice Sanjaya Kumar Mishra has been 9. State-owned power sector giant, NTPC, has
appointed as the Acting Chief Justice of which awarded a standalone fuel-cell based green
High Court _________ Uttarakhand. hydrogen microgrid project at ________
22. Who has been appointed as the Deputy National Simhadri, Andhra Pradesh.
Security Advisor in the National Security Council 10. Which online ordering platform partnered with
Secretariat of India _________ Vikram Misri. WhatsApp that will enable retailers and
23. Who has been appointed as India's next consumers to order essentials like groceries,
permanent representative to the UN Conference vegetables, snacks etc ________ JioMart.
on Disarmament in Geneva ________ Anupam 11. With which bank the government of India has
Ray. signed a 442.26 million euro loan pact for Surat
Metro Rail project _________ Kreditanstalt für
Economic & Financial Awareness Wiederaufbau (KFW).
1. According to the Ministry of Finance, 12. Which institution has entered into an agreement
government's debt is estimated to be around with United Nations World Food Program (WFP)
what percent of the GDP for the current financial to address issues related to inclusion of millets in
year _______62 per cent government programmes _________ NITI
Aayog.
2. Which intergovernmental organization has
approved a $500 million loan to the Government 13. What amount has been announced by the World
of India to help improve the quality of the Bank to help the poorest countries respond to the
country’s school education and mitigate the raging Coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis and boost
impact of the Covid-19) pandemic on students’ economic growth _________$93 billion.
learning __________ Asian Development Bank. 14. Which bank has grabbed the top spot in overall
digital transactions among large banks for FY20-
3. As per the Bi-monthly Policy released in
21 _______ Bank of Baroda.
December 2021, what is the Marginal Standing
Facility (MSF) rate and bank rate ________4.25 15. Government of India has signed an agreement
percent. with which bank for a Finance Contract for the
first tranche loan of Euro 250 million for Agra
4. The Reserve Bank of India has proposed to Metro Rail Project ___________ European
enhance the transaction limit for payments Investment Bank.
through Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for the
Retail Direct Scheme (RDS) for investment in 16. What is the tagline of the Akasa Air, which is set
government securities and Initial Public Offering for launch next year _______ it’s your sky.
(IPO) applications from ________ Rs 2 lakh to Rs 17. As per the Centre for Economics and Business
5 lakh. Research’s (CEBR) World Economic League
Table 2022, by which year India will become the
world's third-largest economy ________2031.
81
Passage Based Practice Questions

Passage-01
Direction: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions given below:
Every year, a 16-day activism campaign is observed from November 25 to December 10. It marks the
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the World Human Rights Day respectively.
One in three women globally are raped, assaulted or subjected to physical and mental violence every day. It
is time to not just demonstrate solidarity through words, but also acknowledge and act to end extreme forms
of violence against women and girls that exist in our society. The primary causes of violence against women
and girls in India are unequal and unjust socio-economic systems and gender inequality, along with inadequate
healthcare, lack of law enforcement and widespread illiteracy.
Women bear the brunt of exploitation and brutality, particularly those belonging to the Dalit and tribal
communities. Cases of witch-branding have been reported from 12 states in India. About 2,300 murders of so-
called ‘witches’ were committed country-wide between 1999 and 2013. Odisha reported 99, 83 and 58 cases
of witch-branding in 2017, 2016 and 2015 respectively even after enacting its Witch Hunting Act of 2013. A law
against witch hunting has been in force since 2001. The government and civil society groups need to gear up
for a sustained campaign against this deplorable practice till we wipe it away from the country. The districts
where witch-hunting is prevalent, need to be significantly focussed upon. Both law enforcement and
awareness drives engaging traditional leaders, women’s groups, Panchayati Raj Institutions, accredited social
health activists and frontline workers must be ensured in these areas. Building rationalistic thoughts and
scientific temper should be a part of the curriculum at different levels of education. Model actions like serving
justice to the victims and proper rehabilitation of survivors as well as their families should be considered in
cases so as to set examples for various stakeholders. We must look at making a national law for criminalising
witch-hunting practitioners and mob violence against targeted families. The authorities must develop
guidelines for better coordination between current state laws and the Indian Penal Code that prosecutes the
suspects.
Source: Down to Earth
1. Every year Human Rights Day is celebrated on C. “Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
which of the following day in all around the world? Women”
A. 25th November D. “Equality For Every Women around the World”
th
B. 30 November
C. 1st December 4. Who is the current Chairperson of National
th
D. 10 December Human Rights Commission of India?
A. Justice H.L. Dattu
2. Freedom in the World 2021 report released B. Justice Prafulla Chandra Pant
earlier this year had downgraded India’s status C. Justice Arun Kumar Mishra
from ‘Free’ to ________. D. Justice K G Balakrishnan
A. Not Free
B. Moderately Free 5. Which of the following Articles of the Indian
C. Comparatively Free Constitution is related to Right Against
D. Partly Free Exploitation?
A. Article 23 and 24
3. What is the theme of World Human Rights Day B. Article 25-28

2021? C. Article 29 and 30
A. “Orange the World: End Violence against Women D. Article 31
Now”
B. “EQUALITY – Reducing inequalities, advancing
human rights”
82
Passage-02
Direction: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions given below:
The Worldwide Cost of Living Index released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has listed the world’s
most expensive cities to live in 2021. The index explored the cost of living in 173 cities, 40 more than last year,
measured against impactful global events. It stated that prices for goods and services have risen by 3.5 per
cent year-on-year, the highest inflation rate seen in the last five years.
This year, “[X]”, a city in Israel, has leaped to the top of the list. [X]’s ranking on the list is attributed to its
national currency’s strength against the US dollar and increases in grocery and transport prices.
The top 10 cities were rounded up with New York in sixth, Geneva seventh, followed by Copenhagen, Los
Angeles and Osaka. European and developed Asian cities continue to occupy the top rankings while those on
the lower ranks consist of Middle Eastern, African and lesser developed parts of Asia.
The global supply chain was greatly affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions. The affected
the production and the trade all over the world and eventually led to the price rise. Apart from oil, the prices
of recreation, personal care products and tobacco products also increased.
Source: Article taken and edited from Indian Express, Worldwide Cost of Living Index’, dated 4th December
2021
6. Which Israeli city has topped the 2021 EIU’s 9. Which of the following statements is/are correct?
Worldwide Cost of Living Index? [Redacted by [X] in I. The index is benchmarked against the prices of
the passage] 200 everyday products and services in New York,
A. Haifa meaning that the countries with currency stronger
B. Tel Aviv than the US dollar will appear higher on the list.
C. Jaffa II. Paris and Singapore are in second place in the
D. Jerusalem 2021 Worldwide Cost of Living Index.
III. The EIU also publishes the Democracy Index,
7. Tehran jumped from 79th to 29th position owing which provides an overview of the state of
to hiked prices and shortages due to US sanctions. democracy in 165 independent nations and two
Which of the following cities is the cheapest to live territories worldwide.
in as per the Index? IV. India ranked at 53rd position in EIU's 2020
A. Tripoli Democracy Index and was dubbed as flawed
B. Tashkent democracy.
C. Almaty Choose the right option:
D. Damascus A. II and III
B. I and IV
8. The index explored the cost of living in 173 cities, C. I, II and IV
40 more than last year, measured against impactful D. All of these
global events. Which Indian city was ranked among
survey top 10 cheapest cities to live in? 10. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) is the
A. Kochi research and analysis division of the Economist
B. New Delhi Group, providing forecasting and advisory services
C. Ahmedabad through research and analysis and was founded in
D. Guwahati 1946. It is headquartered in which country?
A. London, UK
B. Spain, Madrid
C. Canberra, Australia
D. Beijing, China
###ANSWERS###
1. D 2. D 3. B 4. C 5. A 6. B 7. D 8. C 9. D 10. A
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CLAT IGNITE- December 2021

Features of the CLAT IGNITE, Current Affairs Magazine

All the Best!!!!

3. National News: EWS Committee 9

8. International News: G 20 “Trioka” 23

Key Highlights of the Summit: Defence Program outlines the ongoing

Delivery of S-400 Missile Systems started in India:

2. Major Highlight of Winter Session 2021

Difference between NITI AAYYOG & Planning Commission

3. BSNL to roll out its 4G services by September 2022

Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) • It will help in maintaining a database of all

For Subsequent Contraventions: Any Clinic or Bank Advertising or Offering Sex-

5. Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurates Competence Examination for Seafarers

6. NCC launches ‘Azadi ki Vijay Shrankhla’ and ‘Sanskritiyon ka Maha Sangam’

7. PM Modi inaugurates multiple projects worth Rs 18,000 crore at Dehradun

9. Education Minister launches Bhasha Sangam mobile app

12. NCW launches Online Resource Center on Cyber Safety

• National Commission for Women (NCW) launches Online

13. PM Modi inaugurates Saryu Canal National project in UP's Balrampur

About the Project:

15. Digital Platform for Management of complaints ‘LokpalOnline’ inauguarted

19. Askot wildlife sanctuary declared as eco-sensitive zone

25. PM Modi lays foundation stone of Ganga Expressway in Shahjahanpur

29. LS develops mobile app to access important parliamentary documents

31. NDTL regains World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accreditation

World Anti-Doping Agency

33. Nitin Gadkari launches first Intelligent Transport System (ITS)

Intelligent Transport System (ITS) on expressway:

34. NMCG and TERI launch Centre of Excellence on Water Reuse

What is AFSPA? first enacted as an ordinance in the

36. Transforming Human Resource Development in the context of NEP-2020

37. India to become 3rd largest economy in 2031, says CEBR

• The first of the 23 fully air-conditioned, battery-powered

41. Semiconductor mission launched by IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

2. Global Gateway Initiative:

3. Summit for Democracy:

Key Highlights: • The US President also announced the

4. Human Rights Day:

6. PM Modi inaugurates InFinity Forum virtually:

9. Olaf Scholz to be nominated as Germany’s next Chancellor:

13. 8th Indian Ocean Dialogue

Post pandemic recovery: Restoration of Tourism:

16. US-China Sanctions:

• That includes reports by rights groups and journalists of forced

17. Bangladesh become India's fourth largest export destination in FY22:

18. First European Union Nation to legalize Cannabis Cultivation:

21. Egypt added as 4th member of BRICS New Development Bank:

About New Development Bank:

Economics & Financial News

4. Kotak Mahindra MF launches India's first Nifty Alpha 50 ETF

8. RBI enforces 20-digit LEI for cross-border deals above Rs 50 crore

13. ICRA: India's GDP expected to grow at 9% in FY22 and FY23

Ranks & Reports

Key-Highlights of the Index: Among the cheapest cities:

About Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)

2. Global Health Security Index:

Key Highlights: • In 2021, no country scored above 75.9.

3. World Inequality Report 2022:

5. India Skills Report 2022:

8. China is world's biggest captor of journalists: RSF Report:

Key Highlights of the Index: