Current Affairs Today 20th December 2023 Daily GK Update

Daily Current Affairs 20th December 2023 Daily GK Update

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National News

India signed an MoU with ADB $250 million for Delhi-Meerut RRTS

• The Government of India signed a loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for 37 billion Japanese Yen ($250 million) for the construction of the 82-kilometer Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor.
• Earlier, ADB had approved a $1,049 million Multi-tranche Financing Facility (MFF) for the project in 2020 to support the construction of RRTS, the first of three priority rail corridors planned under the NCR Regional Plan 2021, to connect Delhi to other cities in adjoining states.
• The RRTS will have multi-modal hubs to ensure smooth interchange with other transport modes. The first tranche of the ADB loan amounted to $500 million with another $500 million co-financed by AIIB.
• Passing through the populated sections of the national capital region, the 82-km corridor will provide fast, safe, and high-capacity commuter transit services, expanding economic and employment opportunities in the region by cutting travel time from 3-4 hours to about 1 hour.

Recent Loan approved by ADB

• India and ADB sign $250 million loan for Industrial Corridor Development in India
• India, ADB signed $200 million loan agreement for Uttarakhand power system project
• India, ADB signed $175 million loan deal to improve Madhya Pradesh roads
• India, ADB approved $181 Million to Improve Ahmedabad’s Peri-urban Areas
• ADB and Fourth Partner Energy Collaborate for Solar Power Plant worth Rs 120 cr in Tamil Nadu

PM Modi inaugurates second Delhi-Varanasi Vande Bharat Express

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the second Vande Bharat Express on the Delhi-Varanasi route.
• The train will depart from Varanasi at 6 am, reaching New Delhi at 2:05 pm every Wednesday to Monday. For its return journey to Varanasi, it will start from New Delhi at 3 pm and reach its destination at 11:05 pm on all days except Tuesday.
• Enhancing passenger comfort with innovative features the Vande Bharat Express offers superior passenger amenities, including onboard Wi-Fi infotainment, a GPS-based passenger information system, plush interiors, bio-vacuum toilets with touch-free conveniences, diffused LED lighting, charging points beneath every seat, individual touch-based reading lights, and concealed roller blinds.
• The train will also have improved heat ventilation and air-conditioning system, which includes a UV lamp for germ-free air supply. The auto-climate air-conditioning system adjusts cooling based on climate conditions and occupancy.
• Starting its journey from the spiritual city of Varanasi, the train will pass through Prayagraj, Kanpur, and reach the national capital, New Delhi.

Reliance biggest wealth creator: Motilal Oswal study

• Reliance Industries Ltd was the biggest wealth creator during the five-year period from 2018 to 2023 while Adani Enterprises Ltd was the top all-around wealth creator, according to a study by Motilal Oswal Financial Services
• The study, based on the stock market performance of companies, said for the fifth time in succession, Reliance emerged as the largest wealth creator, adding ₹9,63,800 crore wealth over 2018-23.
• It was followed by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) (₹6,77,400 crore wealth addition), ICICI Bank (₹4,15,500 crore), Infosys (₹3,61,800 crore) and Bharti Airtel (₹2,80,800 crore).
• A low-profile company, Lloyds Metals, has emerged the fastest wealth creator with 2018-23 price CAGR of 79 percent. Adani Enterprises Ltd, the flagship incubator firm of the Adani Group, is a close second with a CAGR of 78 percent.
• Capri Global is the most consistent wealth creator, outperforming the BSE Sensex in all the last five years with the highest price CAGR of 50 percent.
• Adani Enterprises has emerged as 9th biggest wealth creator, second fastest, and fifth most consistent.
• It is followed by Varun Beverages, Adani Power, Tube Investments, and ICICI Bank. Reliance is ranked at No.10 on this list.
• Reliance emerging as the largest wealth creator for the fifth time in succession has taken the company’s overall No.1 tally to 10 in the last 17 five-year study periods. TCS and Infosys continuously remain among the top 5 wealth creators.
• HDFC Bank does not feature in the top 10 list of wealth creators for the first time in several years.
• PSUs’ (public sector undertakings) wealth creation performance during 2018-23 is a significant improvement over the last two studies: 7 PSUs account for 6 percent of wealth created.
• Two key factors have driven PSU wealth creation, turnaround by two banks (SBI and Bank of Maharashtra) and growth in the defense sector (Bharat Dynamics, Bharat Electronics and Hindustan Aeronautics).

Ministry of Education started SATHEE Portal with IIT Kanpur

• The Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education in collaboration with IIT Kanpur has started the SATHEE (Self-Assessment, Test and Help for Entrance Examination) portal to provide quality education to every student who intend to participate in competitive Education such as JEE, NEET, and various State level Engineering and other Examinations.
• Ministry of Education has written to all State/UTs to inform educators and students about this facility which can be used for competitive examinations preparation and for knowledge enhancement.
• To support students preparing for JEE and other engineering examinations, a 45-day crash course of JEE has been launched on 21st November 2023 curated by IIT toppers, academicians, and subject experts.
• This crash course is available in 5 languages including English. All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has developed AI-based translation tool.
• This tool supports 22 Indian languages. Several workshops/Seminars have been organized in institutions/colleges to create awareness about this tool and its utility.
• As on 12th December, 2023, there are 60,000+ students registered on the SATHEE platform.
• The information was given by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Subhas Sarkar in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

VP Dhankhar inaugurated Atal Health Fair in Lucknow

• Vice-President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar has inaugurated the two-day-long Atal Health Fair in memory of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the PNT Ground in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
• Atal Bihari Vajpayee led Lucknow and the country for a long time.
• Dhankhar advised youth to prioritize health for performance and success, emphasizing a nation-first approach.
• The fair is hosting medical camps, conducted by 48 govt and private hospitals.

Hyderabad ranked 1st in food adulteration cases: NCRB report

• Hyderabad has ranked first in the country for food adulteration cases, according to the data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
• Telangana stands second, closely followed by Andhra Pradesh.
• In 2022, a total of 291 cases of food adulteration were reported across 19 major cities in India.
• Surprisingly, out of these cases, a staggering 246 were reported solely in Hyderabad, signalling a concerning trend in food safety within the city.

IndiGo becomes first Indian airline to carry 100 million passengers in a year

• Indian airline IndiGo had made history by “becoming the first Indian airline to carry 100 million passengers in a single calendar year.”
• With this achievement, it has joined a select club of global carriers to operate on such scale. This development further cements IndiGo’s standing among the 10 largest airlines in the world by passenger traffic.
• In the past half-year, IndiGo has expanded its global presence by incorporating over 20 additional international routes into its network. Simultaneously, the airline has worked to enhance its domestic connectivity.
• Looking ahead, IndiGo has ambitious plans to continue this growth trajectory by including sought-after destinations such as Bali, Indonesia, and Medina, Saudi Arabia, to its network in the coming months.
• In November, IndiGo dominated the domestic market, holding a commanding 61.8% share of passengers carried, which was nearly six times higher than the second-ranking Air India.

Banking and Financial

UPI transactions rose by 147 percent in 5 years: Govt to Lok Sabha

• The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions have grown from 92 crore in FY 2017-18 to 8,375 crore in FY 2022-23 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 147 percent in terms of volume.
• Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat K Karad, in a written reply to Lok Sabha.
• The UPI transactions have achieved 8,572 crore transactions during the current financial year till December 11.
• The value of UPI transactions has grown from Rs 1 lakh crore in FY 2017-18 to Rs 139 lakh crore in FY 2022-23 at a CAGR of 168 percent.
• UPI has been the major driving force in the overall growth of digital payment transactions in the country, accounting for 62 percent of digital payment transactions in FY 2022-23. The Year-on-Year growth in the value of banknotes in circulation has decreased from 9.9 percent in FY 2021-22 to 7.8 percent in FY 2022-23.
• UPI facilitates transactions by linking savings or current accounts through users’ debit cards.

SBI invests ₹49.99 crore in Canpac Trends

• State Bank of India has executed transaction documents to purchase 3,70,644 shares (6.35 percent) of Ahmedabad-based Canpac Trends Private Limited at ₹1,349 per share, aggregating ₹49.99 crore.
• The investment in Canpac Trends, which is in the paper packaging industry, is being made with the objective of capital appreciation.
• The indicative period for completion of the acquisition is three months from the date of the transaction documents execution.
• In the year ended March 2023, the company, which was incorporated in 2004, reported total income and net profit of Rs 389.72 crore and Rs 9.82 crore, respectively.
• The company provides paper-based packaging solutions such as folding cartons, corrugated cartons, flexible packaging, paper bags and luxury boxes.

India is contributing more than 16% of global growth: IMF report

• India is expected to contribute over 16 percent of global growth as economic reforms in key sectors like infrastructure and digitalization have made India a “star performer” among countries, as per the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
• It’s one of the fastest-growing large emerging markets and it’s contributing, in our current projections, more than 16 percent of global growth this year.
• A “strong push” by the government in logistics and infrastructure could navigate the economy through global headwinds.

Awards

Reliance Nippon Life Insurance won National Energy Conservation Awards

• Reliance Nippon Life Insurance, India’s leading private life insurer, has been recognized by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (Government of India, Ministry of Power) at the National Energy Conservation Awards (NECA) 2023.
• This prestigious award comes in recognition of the company’s efforts towards institutionalizing climate-friendly operations and driving sustainable business growth.
• This recognition highlights the company’s investment in environmentally conscious technologies that aid in optimizing resource utilization and energy efficiency.
• The company’s scale of operations allows it to harness these advantages for benefits at large scale and pass on operating efficiencies to customers through its new line of products.

Sports 

Sandeep Kumar claimed MRF Formula 2000 crown

• Sandeep Kumar won the MRF Formula 2000 title in the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship 2023 at the Madras International Circuit.
• While Chetan Surnineni won the MRF Formula 1600 title
• Also picking up the National titles in their respective categories were Gurunath Meiyappan (Race Concepts, Indian Touring Cars), Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing, Indian Junior Touring Cars) and T.S. Diljith (DTS Racing, Super Stock and Formula LGB 1300).

Mitchell Starc becomes most expensive player in IPL Auction 2024

• Mitchell Starc of Australia has emerged as the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the auction in Dubai.
• He was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for ₹24.75 crore.
• He broke the record of Pat Cummins who was picked up for ₹20.5 crore by Sunrisers Hyderabad.
• Ten teams, 332 players, and only 77 available slots are in IPL 2024 auction.
• Once MI and DC backed out, Gujarat Titans (GT) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) went ahead with an even bigger bidding war, crossing the ₹20.50 crore spent by SRH on Cummins. Eventually, GT backed out at ₹24.75 crore and KKR got Starc for a record-breaking prize.
• Powell, who had a base price of ₹1 crore, was the first player to be sold in IPL 2024 auction.

Important day

20 December – International Human Solidarity Day

• International Human Solidarity Day (IHSD) is observed every year on December 20.
• Objective – To raise public awareness regarding the importance of solidarity.
• It highlights the goal of the United Nations and its member states to encourage new initiatives for poverty eradication.
• It encourages debate on the ways to promote solidarity for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• In the Millennium Declaration, published on September 18, 2000, ‘solidarity’ is identified as one of the fundamental values of international relations in the 21st century.
• On December 20, 2002, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) established the World Solidarity Fund intending to eradicate poverty and promote human and social development in developing nations, especially among the poorest segments of their populations. It was set up as a trust fund of the United Nations Development Programme in February 2003.

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