Current Affairs Quiz 20th December 2021 : Daily GK Update Quiz

Exp. PM Modi laid foundation stone of Ganga Expressway in UP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the longest highway in India, the Ganga Expressway in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh to offer fast-paced connectivity in India.

The six-lane 594 km long expressway will be built at a cost of about Rs 36200 crore will connect the western and eastern regions of UP.

The highway will pass through different districts of UP such as Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Budaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj.

Purvanchal Express: 341 km

Exp. India’s 1st International Arbitration and Mediation Centre (IAMC) inaugurated in Hyderabad, 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.

IAMC has been established to quickly resolve the issues that arise due to the Lack of sufficient judges. IAMC will settle commercial disputes and it will also look into the disputes of ordinary people.

Exp. Tata Motors signed MoU with Maharashtra to set up vehicle scrapping facility

Tata Motors Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the state government of Maharashtra to support the establishment of a Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility (RVSF) in Maharashtra.

The facility will have a capacity of recycling around 35000 vehicles a year.

The MoU was concluded at the Conference on Investment Opportunities in Highway, Transport and Logistics in Mumbai in the presence of Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways.

Exp. GAIL signed MoU with GACL for setting up 500 KLD Bioethanol plant in Gujarat

GAIL India Limited signed an MoU with Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited (GACL) for setting up of 500 Kilo Litre Per Day (KLD) capacity Bioethanol plant in Gujarat and for cooperation in other business areas of mutual interest.

The estimated project cost is Rs. 1,000 crores and it is expected to generate annual revenue of approximately Rs. 1500 crores. An estimated savings of USD 70 million per year in Foreign Exchange is also expected through this project.

This MoU was signed on the lines of the roadmap launched by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi for 20% Ethanol Blending in Petrol by 2025 in order to reduce import of crude oil.

Exp. Karl Nehammer sworn in as Chancellor of Austria

Karl Nehammer was sworn in as 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.

Exp. IFSCA set up committee for creating a framework for the transfer of stressed loans: headed by G Padmanabhan

International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) set up a committee for creating a framework for the transfer of stressed loans from domestic lenders to financial institutions.

Former executive director of Reserve Bank of India G Padmanabhan will chair the committee along with expertise in banking and legal firms.

The committee examines the provisions of the RBI directions that require further clarification for transferring stressed loans, for identifying areas or issues of the directions from RBI.

Exp. RBI authorised RBL Bank to collect indirect taxes

Based on the recommendation from the Controller General of Accounts, the Ministry of Finance, the Reserve Bank of India has granted permission to RBL Bank to collect indirect taxes on behalf of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).

RBL Bank has already got permission from RBI in November 2021 to collect direct taxes. So, the current announcement enables the bank to collect both direct and indirect taxes.

Exp. SAIL received 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.

The Award is given to organizations for significant achievements in Environment Management by Environment Foundation (WEF) since 1998.

Major initiatives by SAIL: Carbon footprint reduction, R&D, creation of carbon sinks, gradual shift to LED, enhancing share of renewable energy, etc.

Exp. DRDO successfully test-fired new generation ballistic missile ‘Agni P’

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test-fired its new generation Agni Prime (Agni-P) missile from a defence base at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam island off the Odisha coast in Balasore.

The Agni-P is a new generation advanced variant of the Agni class of missiles. The surface nuclear capable ballistic missile with a range of 1000 to 2000 km.

The missile was designed and developed completely by the DRDO.

Exp. India won 16 medals in Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship 2021 held at Tashkent, Uzbekistan

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).

Exp. K Srikanth won silver at BWF World badminton championship

Shuttler Kidambi Srikanth became the first Indian man to win a silver medal at BWF World Championships. In the final, he was defeated by Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew by 21-15, 22-20.

This was the first time that a men’s player from Singapore won gold at BWF World Championships. The badminton tournament was held from December 12 to 19, 2021 in Huelva, Spain.

Exp. A book titled “India’s Ancient Legacy of Wellness” authored by Dr Rekha Chaudhari was launched

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 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.

Exp. 20 December: International Human Solidarity Day

United Nations observes December 20 as the International Human Solidarity Day (IHSD) to honor ‘unity in diversity’.

The IHSD aims to promote solidarity for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals including poverty eradication. It was on December 22, 2005, the UN General Assembly declared ‘solidarity’ to be one of the most crucial pillars of human relationship.

Exp. INC Leader & former Union Minister R L Jalappa passed away

1. Jalappa, a veteran leader of the Indian National Congress (INC) and the former Union Minister of Textiles has passed away in Kolar, Karnataka.

RL Jalappa was founder and Chairman of Devaraj Urs Medical College in Kolar and RL Jalappa Institute of Technology, Doddaballapur.

In 1979 he quit Congress to form the Karnataka Kranti Ranga with former Chief Minister D Devaraj Urs and he again joined congress in 1998.