22th December 2021 Daily Current Affairs : Today GK Updates for All Exam in English :– General Awareness section plays an important role in scoring more than the cut off marks in any competitive exam. Banking Awareness and Static Awareness questions asked in General Awareness section are mainly based on current affairs. So you need to prepare this section well to score good marks. Here are daily GK updates to get acquainted with the headlines of 22nd December 2021 events like: Cyclone Jawad, DBS Bank’s economic research, Maitiri Diwas, CARAT exercise, Anju Bobby George, World Day of the Handicapped etc. After reading about these events, you can also practice current affairs quiz based on them!
01. Which university has won the “Digital Innovation of the Year” award at the Times Higher Education (THE) Asia Awards 2021?
(A) Amity University
(B) Birla Institute of Technology and Science
(C) Vellore Institute of Technology
(D) O.P. Jindal Global University
Solution:
The correct answer is O.P. Jindal Global University.
Key Points
- O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) has won the “Digital Innovation of the Year” award at the Times Higher Education (THE) Asia Awards 2021.
- JGU was the only Indian university to be shortlisted for the “Digital Innovation of the Year” award.
- Its application called Tou has enabled the digital transformation of educational institutions across 12 states of India.
Important Points
- Tou is an amalgamated version of the internal software tools that JGU uses to operate the University online.
- Tou enables over 20,000 Assignments with nearly 3 Lakh Submission, INR 4 Cr Fee Payments, and 30,000 Results Automations.
- The university also translated (e)learnings into a detailed “Covid-19 Response-Toolkit for Indian Higher Education Institutions: Institutional Resilience for Academic Planning & Continuity”.
- Other Universities shortlisted in this category include:
- Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
- Mabalacat City College, Philippines
- University of Malakand, Pakistan
- National University of Singapore, Singapore
- National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Taiwan
- Soochow University, China
- Yonsei University, South Korea
Additional Information
- Recently, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) bagged the prize for Asia’s Leadership and Management Team of the Year category at 2021’s Times Higher Education (THE) Awards Asia.
- THE Awards are recognised as the “Oscars of higher education”.
- THE Asia Awards were launched in 2019.
- It is international recognition of outstanding leadership and institutional performance.
02. In December 2021, which bank has appointed Shashank Shrivastava and Sardar Baljit Singh as the Non-Official Director (NOD) for three years?
(A) Punjab National Bank
(B) Union Bank of India
(C) Bank of Maharashtra
(D) Canara Bank
Solution:
The correct answer is Bank of Maharashtra.
Key Points
- The central government has appointed independent directors on board of various public sector banks, including Union Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, and Canara Bank.
- The government has appointed Non-Official Director (NOD) for three years.
- Bank of Maharashtra has appointed Shashank Shrivastava and Sardar Baljit Singh as NOD.
Important Points
- The appointment did under the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act 1970 and 1980.
| Bank | Non-Official Director |
| Bank of Maharashtra | Shashank Shrivastava, Sardar Baljit Singh |
| Bank of Baroda | Ajay Singhal |
| Canara Bank | Nalini Padmanabhan |
| Punjab National Bank | Pankaj Joshi, Sanjeev Kumar Singhal |
| Suraj Srivastava | Union Bank of India |
03. Which of the following has been awarded the Certificate of Merit by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency under ‘National Energy Conservation Awards 2021’ (NECA 2021)?
(A) GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd
(B) Rajiv Gandhi International Airport
(C) Chennai International Airport
(D) Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport
Solution:
The correct answer is GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd.
Key Points
- The GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. (GHIAL) has been awarded the Certificate of Merit by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency under ‘National Energy Conservation Awards 2021’ (NECA 2021).
- It has been awarded for its excellent efforts in the areas of energy conservation.
- The GMR Hyderabad International Airport was the only airport in the Airport Sector that received this distinct recognition.
Additional Information
- Recently, GHIAL commissioned its second phase 5 MW solar power plant.
- With this addition of solar power generation, 50% of the energy requirements of the Hyderabad Airport terminal will be met.
- There will be a reduction in carbon footprint by about 28 lakh kg carbon dioxide which is equivalent to saving 1.4 lakh full-grown trees.
- Hyderabad International Airport is also a Carbon Neutral Airport having Level 3 + “Neutrality” Accreditation from Airports Council International (ACI) under its Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) programme.
- GHIAL:
- It is a company promoted as a joint venture comprising the GMR Group (63%) in partnership with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) (13%), the Government of Telangana (13%) and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (11%).
- It is headquartered in Hyderabad.
- It was founded in 2002.
04. When is National Mathematics Day observed every year?
(A) 20 December
(B) 21 December
(C) 22 December
(D) 23 December
Solution:
The correct answer is 22 December.
Key Points
- India celebrates National Mathematics Day on December 22 every year.
- The day marks the birth anniversary of famous mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.
- In 2012, then PM Manmohan Singh declared the date as National Mathematics Day to honour him.
- He became the first Indian to be elected a Fellow of Trinity College, in 1918.
- He discovered his own theorems and independently compiled 3900 results.
Additional Information
- Srinivas Ramanujan was born on December 22, 1887, at Erode, Tamil Nadu.
- He was referred to Professor GH Hardy of Trinity College, Cambridge University by his colleague.
- Ramanujan received a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree from Trinity College in 1916.
- He was elected to the London Mathematical Society in 1917.
- In 1918, he became the first Indian to be elected a Fellow of Trinity College.
| Dates | Important Days |
| 1 December | World AIDS Day |
| 2 December | International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, World Computer Literacy Day |
| 3 December | World Day of the Handicapped or International Day of Persons with Disabilities |
| 4 December | Indian Navy Day |
| 5 December | International Volunteer Day, World Soil Day |
| 6 December | BR Ambedkar’s death anniversary, National Microwave Oven Day, Armed Forces Flag Day, International Civil Aviation Day |
| 9 December | International Anti-Corruption Day |
| 10 December | Human Rights Day |
| 11 December | International Mountain Day, UNICEF Day |
| 12 December | Universal Health Coverage Day |
| 14 December | National Energy Conservation Day |
| 16 December | Vijay Diwas |
| 18 December | Minorities Rights Day in India, International Migrants Day |
| 19 December | Goa’s Liberation Day |
| 20 December | International Human Solidarity Day |
| 22 December | National Mathematics Day |
| 23 December | Kisan Diwas |
| 24 December | National Consumer Rights Day |
| 25 December | Good Governance Day (India) |
05. Girish T Nanavati passed away in December 2021. He was related to which of the following fields?
(A) Medicine
(B) Judiciary
(C) Acting
(D) Motor Rcaing
Solution:
The correct answer is Judiciary.
Key Points
- Justice Girish T Nanavati, the retired Supreme Court judge, passed away in December 2021.
- He headed the inquiry commissions into the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the 2002 Gujarat riots.
- He was appointed a permanent Judge of the Gujarat High Court in July 1979.
- He was elevated as the Judge of the Supreme Court of India with effect in March 1995 and he retired as an SC Judge in February 2000.
Additional Information
- Recent Obituaries:
- British architect Richard Rogers passed away in December 2021.
- American author Anne Rice, widely known for her bestselling gothic novel, Interview with the Vampire, passed away in December 2021.
- Vicente Fernandez, a legendary Mexican singer, passed away in December 2021.
- Noted educationist and Padma Shri awardee Nanda Kishore Prusty passed away in December 2021.
- Bob Dole, an American politician who overcame disabling war wounds to become a sharp-tongued Senate leader from Kansas, a Republican presidential candidate passed away.
- The world’s oldest former Test cricketer Eileen Ash of England passed away on 4 December.
06. Which country successfully test launched an enhanced range version of its indigenously developed Babur Cruise Missile 1B in December 2021?
(A) Pakistan
(B) Iran
(C) Israel
(D) Turkey
Solution:
The correct answer is Pakistan.
Key Points
- The test launch of an enhanced range version of Pakistan’s indigenously developed Babur Cruise Missile 1B was conducted successfully on 21 Dec’21.
- In Feb’21, Pakistan had conducted a successful training launch of the earlier version of this missile that had the limited capacity to strike targets up to 450 km.
- It can strike targets up to 900 kilometres, twice the distance of an earlier missile of the same model.
- The missile is capable of engaging targets at land and sea with high precision.
Additional Information
- In February 2021, the military had successfully test-fired an earlier version of the Babur missile.
- The Babur cruise missile 1A was launched from a state of the art Multi Tube Missile Launch Vehicle.
- In August 2021, Pakistan conducted a successful test flight of Fatah-1, a Pakistan-made guided multi-launch rocket system capable of delivering conventional warheads.
- Pakistan:
- Capital – Islamabad.
- Currency – Pakistani rupee.
- National Sport – Field hockey.
07. Which of the following has designed the next-generation Armoured Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicle (AERV), inducted into the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army in December 2021?
(A) DRDO
(B) Bharat Electronics
(C) HAL
(D) Bharat Dynamics
Solution:
The correct answer is DRDO.
Key Points
- The first set of indigenously developed next-generation Armoured Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicle (AERV) was inducted into the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army on 21 December 2021.
- Army Chief General M M Naravane flagged them off in a ceremony at the Bombay Engineer Group (BEG) at Khadki near Pune.
- The system has been designed by DRDO and manufactured by Ordnance Factory Medak and BEL, Pune.
Important Points
- The Armoured Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicle will enhance the existing engineer reconnaissance capabilities of the Indian Army.
- These next-generation vehicles can match the speed of the tanks and help in conducting mechanised operations on the Western Front.
- The combat engineers use the vehicle to carry out surveys to facilitate offensive and defensive operations and facilitate the construction of assault bridges across water obstacles.
Additional Information
- Recent Initiatives by DRDO:
- DRDO conducted a flight demonstration of its Controlled Aerial Delivery System (CADS).
- India successfully tested a long-range supersonic missile assisted torpedo (SMART) system developed by DRDO.
- DRDO and Indian Air Force flight-tested the indigenously made helicopter-launched SANT (Stand-off Anti-tank) missile from Pokhran ranges, on 11 Dec’21.
- DRDO successful tests of Pinaka Extended Range (Pinaka-ER), Area Denial Munitions (ADM), an indigenously developed fuzes have been carried out at various test ranges.
- DRDO and the Indian Air Force on 3 November 2021 jointly conducted two flight tests of an indigenously developed smart anti-airfield weapon in Jaisalmer.
- DRDO:
- It is the premier agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India, charged with the military’s research and development.
- It was founded in 1958.
- It is headquartered in New Delhi.
08. The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 proposes to make the gender-neutral language of the Representation of the People Act of which year?
(A) 1949
(B) 1950
(C) 1951
(D) 1952
Solution:
The correct answer is 1950.
Key Points
- Parliament on 21 December 2021 passed the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021.
- It seeks to link electoral rolls with Aadhaar and remove fake voters from electoral rolls.
- It proposes to allow election commission officials to seek Aadhaar details of registered voters on a voluntary basis and make the gender-neutral language of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
Important Points
- The bill will also allow officers to ask for Aadhaar numbers from persons already included in the electoral roll.
- Its purpose is to authenticate entries in the electoral roll and to identify the registration of the name of the same person in the electoral roll of more than one constituency or more than once in the same constituency.
Additional Information
- Recent Bills passed by Parliament:
- The Parliament passed the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) (Amendment) Bill, 2021 with the Rajya Sabha approving it on 20 December 2021.
- Parliament on 9 December 2021 passed the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2021.
- Parliament has passed the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2021.
- Parliament has passed the Dam Safety Bill, 2019 with the Rajya Sabha approving it on 2 December 2021.
09. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla is on a two-day working visit to which country in December 2021?
(A) Bhutan
(B) Sri Lanka
(C) Afghanistan
(D) Myanmar
Solution:
The correct answer is Myanmar.
Key Points
- Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla is on a two-day working visit to Myanmar on December 22 and 23, 2021.
- During the visit, Foreign Secretary will hold discussions with the State Administration Council, extend humanitarian assistance and strengthen security partnerships.
- This is the first high-level visit from India since the army took over power in Myanmar on February 1, 2021.
Important Points
- Issues relating to humanitarian support to Myanmar, security and India-Myanmar border concerns, and the political situation in Myanmar will be discussed.
- India shares over the 1,600-km-long land boundary with Myanmar.
- The last high-level visit from India to Myanmar was undertaken when Shringla and army chief General MM Naravane visited Myanmar in 2020.
Additional Information
- In 2020, a Table Top Exercise between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Myanmar Air Force (MAF) was conducted at Prayagraj on the theme of HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief).
- Myanmar:
- Capital – Naypyitaw.
- Currency – Burmese Kyat.
- National Sport – Chinlone.
10. In December 2021, which of the following has acquired a 4.93 percent stake in Indian Gas Exchange Ltd (IGX)?
(A) Indian Oil Corporation
(B) Hindustan Petroleum
(C) Gail India
(D) Oil and Natural Gas Corporation
(E) Bharat Petroleum
Solution:
The correct answer is Indian Oil Corporation.
Key Points
- Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has acquired a 4.93 per cent stake in Indian Gas Exchange Ltd (IGX).
- At face value, the acquisition will cost IOC Rs 3.7 crore.
Additional Information
- IOC has also approved an investment of Rs 9,028 crore for laying a crude oil pipeline from Mundra in Gujarat to Panipat in Haryana.
- The pipeline will have a capacity to transport 17.5 million tonnes of imported crude oil per annum from the Gujarat port to its refinery in Haryana.
- The project will meet the enhanced crude oil requirement arising out of the capacity expansion of the Panipat refinery from 15 million tonnes per annum to 25 million tonnes.
- The project is expected to be completed within 36 months and would be synchronized with the commissioning of the Panipat refinery expansion project.
- IGX:
- It is the country’s first automated national-level exchange for the trading of natural gas.
- It started operation in 2020 as a gas trading platform.
- Major equity holders of IGX include Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), Adani Total Gas, and Torrent Gas.
- The Exchange operates under the regulatory framework of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB).
- PNGRB:
- It is a statutory body in India, constituted under the act of Parliament of India, namely Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006.
- Its primary functions include regulation of refining, transportation, distribution, storage, marketing, supply and sale of petroleum products and natural gas.
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