Daily Current Affairs – 17 December 2021 | Gkseries

Current Affairs is the most important area in all competitive exams. But the difficulty level is very high. That’s why; many aspirants get confused, how to select Current Affairs for Preparation of Competitive Examination? In this Post, Daily Current Affairs 17 December 2021, we have tried to cover each and every point and also included all important facts from National/ International news that are useful for upcoming competitive examinations such as UPSC, SSC, Railway, State Govt. etc. Our gkseries team also provides Daily Current Affairs Quiz for these exams.

Daily Current Affairs 17 December 2021

Former union minister and Lok Sabha Member of Parliament Dr. Shashi Tharoor‘s 23rd book titled ‘Pride, Prejudice and Punditry’ was launched in Hyderabad, Telangana. The book is launched under an initiative called ‘Kitaab’ by Prabha Khaitan Foundation. There are ten sections in this book, each devoted to a particular topic such as modern Indian history, Indian Politics, etc. He has won ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for 2019, awarded to his book – ‘An Era of Darkness.

The book marks the culmination of over 50 years of Dr Tharoor’s writings. His first short story made it into print when he was only 10 and since then he has published well over 5 million words—in books, newspapers, magazines, journals, online media, etc.—on a wide array of subjects.

Axis Bank is working with new digital services from provider Swift to provide a comprehensive digital solution to clients. The bank is integrating with different digitization initiatives by government bodies and service providers to extend an end-to-end service to business clients.

In businesses, we have seen two years of digitization take place in two months after the pandemic. The pace of digitization and adoption has been phenomenal,” said Axis Bank deputy MD Rajiv Anand.

Axis bank’s B2B (business-to-business) digitization efforts are being supported by Swift, a cooperative of global banks that acts as an intermediary between banks and sets standards.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For All Exam 2021:

Axis Bank Founded: 3 December 1993;

Axis Bank Headquarters: Mumbai;

Axis Bank MD & CEO: Amitabh Chaudhary;

Axis Bank Chairperson: Shri Rakesh Makhija.

Producers’ inflation based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) has reached an all-time high in the current series at 14.23 percent in November, data released by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry showed. Inflation in October this year was at 12.54 percent, while in November 2020 it was at 2.29 percent.

This is the 8th successive month of double digits WPI (mainly due to the hardening of prices of mineral oils, basic metals, crude petroleum, and natural gas).

Wholesale Price-based Index (WPI) inflation base year is 2011-12. Also, the spike is highest since April 2005.

Paytm, India’s leading online payment ecosystem has launched education and training services under the banner “Paytm Wealth Academy”. Paytm offers courses and webins on the concepts of trading and finance through its educational platform. According to Paytm, courses are curated according to individual needs. Paytm Wealth Academy will initially be available to select users, followed by a complete rollout.

The Paytm Wealth Academy will allow users to learn trading and financial concepts at their own pace at their level of comfort. The platform offers a wide catalogue of courses and webinars along with personalized recommendations for users, curated to complement their existing knowledge.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For All Exam 2021:

Paytm Founded: August 2010;

Paytm Headquarters: Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India;

Paytm CEO: Vijay Shekhar Sharma.

A total of 148 athletes, including 20 new inductees, in seven Olympic disciplines and six Paralympic disciplines, have been identified for support under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme at a meeting of the Mission Olympic Cell of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) was begun in 2014, aiming to provide assistance to India’s top athletes. This scheme was started in 2014.

The Mission Olympic Cell approved lists in Cycling, Sailing, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Weightlifting and Wrestling as well as Para Sports (Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis). Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Equestrian, Fencing, Golf, Gymnastics, Judo, Rowing and Tennis will be taken up in the next meeting later this month.

UNESCO has inscribed “Durga Puja in Kolkata” on the representative list of “intangible cultural heritage of humanity”, giving international recognition to the biggest religious festival of the 331-year-old city and the state of West Bengal.

The UNESCO’s announcement was welcomed by Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) as chief minister Mamata Banerjee is widely recognized as the biggest patron of the festival.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $112 million loans for Assam to strengthen skill education and training through the establishment of Assam Skill University (ASU). The Loan will create a path for skill development to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of Assam’s economy and industries.

The project will further enhance collaboration between the ASU and TVET and higher education institutions in neighboring countries to establish programs for common strategic industries, said ADB.

An additional $1 million grant from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction will support the introduction of technologies for smart campus management, integrated teaching, learning, and career development management.

About

The project will help develop the ASU’s management and operating systems, business models, and faculty and staff, and support the design and construction of environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient university campus and facilities to ensure efficient and sustainable operations. It will also support the design and delivery of industry-aligned and flexible skills education and training programs, including cutting-edge digital skills programs, career development programs and services, and continuing education programs.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Assam Governor: Jagdish Mukhi;
• Assam Chief Minister: Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the seventh edition of the India International Science Festival at Panaji, Goa. He said that advances in Science and Technology will propel India as a frontline country in the world, in the years to come.

The theme of the 4-day science festival is ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ – “Celebrating Creativity, Science, Technology and Innovation for a prosperous India”. First India International Science Festival was held in 2015 at IIT Delhi. The main aim of the Science Festival is to bring into use the innovations by the people and develop technology that is affordable to the masses.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi signed an MoU with Indian Air Force (IAF) to support requirements towards indigenous solutions in various weapon systems.

Under the MoU, The IAF has identified key focus areas involving the development of technology and finding indigenous solutions towards the sustenance of various weapon systems.

The partnership between IIT Delhi and IAF will also boost the efforts by Base Repair Depots (BRDs) of Maintenance Command IAF.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For All Exam 2021:

Indian Air Force Establishment: 8 October 1932;

Indian Air Force Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi;

Indian Air Force Chief of the Air Staff: Vivek Ram Chaudhari;

Indian Air Force Motto: Touch the Sky with Glory.

The Government of Andhra Pradesh signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi on the Technical Cooperation Project (TCP) for strengthening the capacities to support the farmers for adopting the sustainable Agri-food systems. The FAO apart, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research is collaborating on the project.

FAO will provide training to farmers, Rythu Bharosa Kendram (RBK) staff, officials, and scientists on new technologies in agricultural allied sectors and training to farmers on best cultivation management practices. In 2020, Rythu Bharosa Kendram (RBK) or farmer support centers were set up in AP as part of an effort to weed away fake seeds, pesticides, and fertilizers from the markets.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Food and Agriculture Organisation Headquarters: Rome, Italy.
• Food and Agriculture Organisation Head: Qu Dongyu.
• Food and Agriculture Organisation Founded: 16 October 1945.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred with the highest civilian award of Bhutan, Ngadag Pel gi Khorlo, on the occasion of the country’s National Day. Bhutan’s Prime Minister Lotay Tshering has announced PM Modi’s name for Bhutan’s highest honour. The honour comes as an appreciation for India’s friendly approach to Bhutan under PM Modi’s governance. During the pandemic, India had extended support to the neighbouring country in the form of vaccines, medicines and other emergency services.

According to PMO Bhutan, ‘Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi has played an unconditional friendship over the years and has helped immensely during the Coronavirus Pandemic.  Before this, the current Prime Minister of India had been accorded the respective top honours of Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Russia, the Maldives, Palestine and Bahrain. In 2019, Russia conferred on him its highest civilian honour ‘Order of St. Andrew’ award. The UAE also conferred its highest civilian honour ‘Order of Zayed Award’ on Modi in 2019.

List of International Awards received by Narendra Modi:

1. Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud (Saudi Arabia)
2. State Order of Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan (Afghanistan)
3. Grand Collar of the State of Palestine Award (Palestine)
4. Order of Zayed Award (United Arab Emirates)
5. Order of St. Andrew award (Russia)
6. Order of the Distinguished Rule of Nishan Izzuddin (Maldives)
7. Champions of the Earth Award (United Nations Environment Programme)
8. Global Goalkeeper award (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)

The Sports Journalists Federation of India (SJFI) decided to confer the prestigious ‘SJFI Medal’ to legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar at SJFI Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Guwahati, Assam. SJFI Medal is the highest honour of SJFI. SJFI was founded on 27th February 1976 at the Eden Gardens, Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal.

Other SJFI Awards: