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Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Daily Current Affairs, 21st December 2021

19:49

 


1)  Haryana launches new Integrated Command and Control Center in Karnal

•Haryana chief minister, Manohar Lal Khattar has opened the new Integrated Command and Control Center (ICCC) under the Karnal Smart City project. The new Command and Control Center will enable the functioning of advanced systems such as adaptive traffic control, automatic number plate recognition, detection of red-light violation and speed violation.


•With the inauguration of ICCC, a slew of smart traffic management systems in the city went alive. Over 500 CCTV cameras at various locations now enable the functioning of advanced systems such as adaptive traffic control, automatic number plate recognition, detection of red-light violation and speed violation.


•The inauguration also marks the rolling out of the public address system, various web and mobile apps related to the city administration, building management systems, environmental management systems, among others. Integrated with IT systems of different government departments, ICCC would act as the city’s emergency and disaster management centre enhancing safety, security and providing better public services in the city. It will also help the police in maintaining law and order.


2)  International Arbitration and Mediation Centre inaugurated in Telangana

•Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice NV Ramana, and Chief Minister of Telangana K Chandrasekhar Rao has inaugurated India’s First International Arbitration and Mediation Centre (IAMC) at Phoenix VK Tower at Nanakramguda, Hyderabad, Telangana. Those who empanel the centre include internationally acclaimed arbitrators and mediators from countries such as Singapore and the UK.


3)  India registers highest-ever annual FDI inflow of 81.97 bn dollars in 2020-21

•India has registered the highest ever annual Foreign Direct Investment inflow of $ 81.97 bn in 2020-21. FDI inflows in the last seven financial years is over $ 440 bn, which is nearly 58 % of the total FDI inflow in the last 21 financial years. The top five countries from where FDI Equity Inflows were received during 2014-2021 are Singapore, Mauritius, USA, Netherland & Japan.


4)  Nagaland creates 3 new districts Niuland, Tseminyu, Chumukedima

•Nagaland government has announced the creation of three new districts, namely Tseminyu, Niuland and Chumoukedima. This comes less than a year after the 12th district of the state—Noklak—was inaugurated. With the addition of the three new districts, Nagaland will now have 15 districts. While the Tseminyu sub-division in Kohima district has been upgraded to a district, Niuland and Chumukedima have been carved out of Dimapur district.


•Though there were demands from at least 11 tribes for the creation of new districts, the Cabinet could consider only three of them as some districts are inhabited by only one tribe and those cannot be divided.


5)  Karl Nehammer sworn in as Chancellor of Austria

•Karl Nehammer was sworn in as new Austria’s chancellor by Alexander Van der Bellen, President of Austria in a ceremony in Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austria. He is succeeding the career diplomat Alexander Schallenberg who took charge as chancellor in October 2021. He is the 3rd person to hold the role of Austria’s Chancellor in the last two months. Nehammer, from the ruling conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), was formerly the country’s interior minister.


6)  A book titled “India’s Ancient Legacy of Wellness” by Dr Rekha Chaudhari

•A book titled “India’s Ancient Legacy of Wellness” authored by Dr Rekha Chaudhari was launched in the presence of the Governor of Maharashtra, Bhagat Singh Koshyari. It was launched on the occasion of the World Digital Day (WDD) celebration. The book highlights how important it is for human beings to be close to nature which helps to revive and recharge to do productive work.


7)  Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade launches LogiXtics

•The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has launched the Unified Logistics Interface Platform’s (ULIP) hackathon – ‘LogiXtics’ to crowdsource more ideas that will benefit the logistics industry. The Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP) Hackathon – LogiXtics is being organised by NITI Aayog and Atal Innovation Mission.


8)  Rishabh Pant named as Uttarakhand’s brand ambassador

•Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced that Indian wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant has been appointed as the brand ambassador of the state. The 24-year Pant, who was rested for the New Zealand Tests, is currently in South Africa as the Indian Team is all set to face Proteas in the three-match Test series, starting December 26.


9)  Emma Raducanu wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2021

•Tennis star Emma Raducanu is the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year for 2021. She beat Tom Daley(diver) and Adam Peaty (swimmer) into second and third place, while England’s men’s footballers were named team of the year and Gareth Southgate the coach, as a triumphant period for British sport across the board was commemorated at a ceremony in Salford. Tom Daley won gold for the first time at his fourth Olympics in Tokyo.


10)  India won 16 medals in Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship 2021

•India concluded the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2021 with 16 medals – 4 Gold, 7 Silver, and 5 Bronze, held at Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Bindyarani Devi was India’s only medallist at the World Weightlifting Championships 2021, that was also held parallelly at Tashkent.


•South Korea’s Son Young-hee won the gold medal at the world championships with an overall lift of 282kg (122+159). New Zealand’s David Liti won the gold medal for a total of 407kg (176+231) followed by Pakistan’s Muhammad Nooh Dastgir Butt, who lifted 390kg (165+225).

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The HINDU Notes – 21st December 2021

19:35

 


📰 Lok Sabha passes Bill to link electoral rolls with Aadhaar

Modi government “compromising” authority of Parliament, say leaders

•Amid vociferous protests from Opposition members, the Lok Sabha on Monday passed a Bill to link electoral roll data with the Aadhaar ecosystem without any substantial discussion.

•Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, while moving the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, told the House that the linking of the electoral roll with a person’s Aadhaar was “voluntary”, but went on to quote a report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice to assert that the process would “purify” the rolls.

•The manner of passing the Bill, barely two hours after it was introduced in the Lok Sabha and in the midst of an uproar, led Opposition members to accuse the Narendra Modi government of “compromising” the authority of Parliament.

•In a departure from the norm, even Congress leader in the House Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was seen throwing bits of papers towards the Well of the House in protest.

•BJP member Nishikant Dubey alleged that the Congress and Trinamool Congress members were opposing the Bill as they relied on “illegal Bangladeshis” as their vote banks. Hitting back at Mr. Dubey, NCP member Supriya Sule said the BJP should first clarify the allegation about a Minister in the present Council of Ministers being a Bangladeshi national.

•Opposing the passage of the Bill, Mr. Chowdhury said, “What is the tearing hurry to pass the Bill? It should be sent to the Standing Committee.”

•Responding to him, the Law Minister said the provisions were extensively discussed by the parliamentary panel on law and justice and it also gave a unanimous report. “We have not brought this in a dictatorial way,” Mr. Rijiju told the Opposition members.

•While Trinamool members Kalyan Banerjee and Mahua Moitra were agitated over the government pushing through the Bill, parties that are friendly to the government — the Biju Janata Dal and the YSR Congress — also urged it not to pass the Bill in the din.

•At the time of introduction, several members, including Manish Tewari and Shashi Tharoor of the Congress, Asaduddin Owaisi of the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen and N.K. Premachandran of the Revolutionary Socialist Party, opposed the Bill.

•The Bill allows electoral registration officers to ask for Aadhaar numbers of applicants who want to register as voters to establish the identity of the applicant. It also seeks to allow the officers to ask for the Aadhaar number from “persons already included in the electoral roll for the purposes of authentication of entries in electoral roll, and to identify registration of name of the same person in the electoral roll of more than one constituency or more than once in the same constituency”.

•At the same time, the Bill makes it clear that “no application for inclusion of name in the electoral roll shall be denied and no entries in the electoral roll shall be deleted for inability of an individual to furnish or intimate Aadhaar number due to such sufficient cause as may be prescribed”.

•People who cannot furnish their Aadhaar numbers will be allowed to present other documents to establish identity.

•The Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill states that Section 23 of the Representation of People Act, 1950, will be amended to allow linking of the electoral roll data with the Aadhaar ecosystem “to curb the menace of multiple enrolment of the same person in different places”.

Qualifying dates

•The amendment to Section 14 of the RP Act, 1950, will allow to have four “qualifying” dates for eligible people to register as voters.

•As of now, January 1 of every year is the sole qualifying date. People who turn 18 on or before January 1 can register as voters. Those turning 18 after that have to wait for a whole year to register as voters.

•Now, “January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1 in a calendar year” will be the qualifying dates in relation to the preparation or revision of the rolls.

•The amendment to Section 20 of the RP Act, 1950, and Section 60 of the RP Act, 1951, will allow the elections to become gender neutral for service voters.

•It will also help replace the word “wife” with “spouse”, making the statutes “gender neutral”. This seeks to redress any discrimination against male spouses of women armed services employees.

📰 A strategic bulwark: On third India-Central Asia Dialogue

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THE HINDU NEWSPAPER IMPORTANT ARTICLES 21.12.2021

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Monday, December 20, 2021

Daily Current Affairs, 20th December 2021

19:50

 


1)  PM Modi lays foundation stone of Ganga Expressway in Uttar Pradesh

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone of Ganga Expressway in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh. PM Modi also addressed a rally at Railway Ground, Rouza on the occasion. After completion of work, it will become the longest expressway of Uttar Pradesh. It will connect the western and eastern regions of the state. It starts near the Bijauli village in Meerut. It will extend till near the Judapur Dandu village in Prayagraj.


2)  India successfully test-fired the ‘Agni P’ missile off the coast of Odisha

•The nuclear-capable ballistic missile ‘Agni Prime’ was successfully tested off the coast of Odisha by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Recently, DRDO has successful test-firing of the air version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile on December 7 was a “significant milestone” in BrahMos’ development.


3)  Tamil Nadu announced ‘Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu’ as state song

•Tamil Nadu government has announced ‘Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu’ as the state anthem. It should be sung before the start of any functions in all educational institutions, universities, government offices, and public sector undertakings. 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. 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.


•The ‘Tamil Thai Vaazhthu’ enjoy official status since 1970. It is the official song of the union territory of Puducherry as well. Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate is the official state anthem of Karnataka and Bande Utkal Janani is the official state anthem of Odisha.


4)  Malta becomes first European nation to approve cannabis for personal use

•Malta became the first European country to allow limited cultivation and possession of cannabis for personal use, following a vote in parliament. The Maltese parliament voted in favour of the reform last week, with 36 votes in favour and 27 against.  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.


•The Netherlands also has a liberal attitude towards cannabis, allowing the sale of small quantities in a policy aimed at managing crime and health risks, though officially it is illegal.


5)  Mohit Jain Elected As New President Of Indian Newspaper Society

•Mohit Jain of The Economic Times has been elected President of The Indian Newspaper Society for the year 2021-22. He succeeds L. Adimoolam of Health & The Antiseptic. The 82nd Annual General Meeting of the Indian Newspaper Society – an apex body of Publishers of Newspapers, Magazines & Periodicals in the country, was held through Video Conference.


•While K. Raja Prasad Reddy (Sakshi) was elected the deputy president, Rakesh Sharma (Aaj Samaj) was the vice-president and Tanmay Maheshwari (Amar Ujala) was elected the honorary treasurer of the Society for 2021-22.


6)  Truecaller: India fourth most affected country by spam calls in 2021

•Spam call rates in India have spiked again, with the country moving up in global rankings from 9th position to 4th position owing to a significant in sales and telemarketing calls in 2021, according to the latest insights by callerID, spam detection and blocking company, Truecaller. The upward movement is a direct result of a significant increase in sales and telemarketing calls, which in India make up about 93.5% of all spam calls. The report also showed that one particular company, the identity of which Truecaller did not reveal, was responsible for making over 202 million spam calls in 2021, which translates to about 27,000 calls on an hourly basis.


7)  RBI allowed SFBs as Agency Bank to conduct Govt Business

•Reserve Bank of India, in consultation with the Department of Financial Services, the Ministry of Finance, has decided to make the Scheduled payments banks and scheduled small finance banks (SFBs) eligible to conduct Government agency business. In May this year, RBI has revised the existing guidelines on ‘Appointment of Scheduled Private Sector Banks as Agency Banks of RBI’ for authorising Scheduled Private Sector Banks as agency banks of RBI for conducting govt business (Central and/or State).


•Thus, any payment bank or small finance bank which intends to undertake govt agency business could be appointed as an agent of RBI only upon execution of an agreement with RBI and also in compliance with the regulatory framework prescribed for those banks.

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The HINDU Notes – 20th December 2021

15:09

 


📰 Six nations call for ‘immediate’ aid for Afghans

India-Central Asian dialogue seeks formation of a truly representative, inclusive government in Kabul.

•India and Central Asian nations share a “broad regional consensus” on Afghanistan, said a regional conference of Foreign Ministers in Delhi on Sunday that proposed the use of the India-run terminal at the Chabahar port in Iran as a route for trade.

•A joint statement issued at the end of deliberations as part of the third India-Central Asia dialogue, hosted by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar with the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, said it was important to provide “immediate” humanitarian aid for Afghans.

•Sources told The Hindu that the Ministers had confirmed the participation of the leaders of their respective countries at India’s Republic Day celebration, when they will hold a summit-level dialogue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Central Asia dialogue comes a month after National Security Adviser Ajit Doval hosted five counterparts from the region for a security dialogue focusing on Afghanistan.

Broad consensus

•“Ministers noted that there is a broad ‘regional consensus’ on the issues related to Afghanistan, which includes formation of a truly representative and inclusive government, combating terrorism and drug trafficking, central role of the UN, providing immediate humanitarian assistance for the Afghan people and preserving the rights of women, children and other national ethnic groups,” the joint statement said. In his opening remarks, Mr. Jaishankar said that the six nations all shared common “concerns and objectives” in Afghanistan.

Helping Afghans

•“We must find ways of helping the people of Afghanistan,” he added.

•India sent a shipment of medical aid by air to Afghanistan earlier this month, but the bulk of its planned aid including 50,000 tonnes of wheat is still being discussed with Pakistan, the External Affairs Ministry said on Thursday.

•The five Foreign Ministers travelled to India, sending their deputies to Pakistan for a Organisation for Islamic Cooperation meeting.

•Turkmenistan Foreign Minister travelled to Islamabad on Saturday, and held bilateral talks with Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

•While none of the countries recognise the Taliban, only Tajikistan has taken a strong stand against any bilateral contacts with the group after it took control of Afghanistan in August. Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have re-opened their missions in Kabul. They have also exchanged ministerial level visits with Kabul, as have Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic. India has thus far met Taliban leaders publicly only twice, in Doha and Moscow.

•The dialogue also discussed how to increase links in what Mr. Jaishankar called the “4 C’s” of Commerce, Capacity enhancement, Connectivity and Contacts. India-Central Asia trade is quite small at present, accounting for less than $2 billion, most of which comes from Kazakh oil exports to India.

•Given Pakistan’s block on land trade from India, the countries determined to make more use of the sea route via Chabahar, which is connected to Central Asian countries by road and rail through Iran, as well as the International North South Transit Corridor (INSTC) that goes via the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.

•“India welcomed the interest of Central Asian countries to utilize the services of Shahid Beheshti Terminal at Chabahar Port for facilitating their trade with India and beyond,” the joint statement said, adding that Mr. Meredov had stressed on the importance of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project.

•The dialogue also decided to explore establishing joint working groups to address issues of free movements of goods and services between India and Central Asian countries, according to the statement.

📰 Poshan data under wraps for ‘privacy’

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THE HINDU NEWSPAPER IMPORTANT ARTICLES 20.12.2021

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