DAILY GK: 22 DEC 2020
1. PM NARENDRA MODI CONFERRED RATAN
TATA
• The Associated Chambers of Commerce &
Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) Foundation Day 2020 was commemorated.
• To mark this occasion, the chamber
organized a 5-day virtual event with theme “India’s resilience: Aatmanirbhar
roadmap towards a US$5 trillion economy”.
• During the occasion, PM Narendra Modi
delivered the keynote address via video conferencing and also presented
“ASSOCHAM Enterprise of the Century Award” to Ratan Tata, who received the
award on behalf of the TATA Group.
2. NORTH EAST FESTIVAL (NEF) 2020
• 8th edition of the North East Festival
(NEF) 2020 was held at Radisson Blu Hotel in Guwahati, Assam by adhering to all
Covid related protocols and guidelines.
• It was for the first time that Guwahati
hosted this annual two-day event.
• The festival was open for the public to
attend virtually.
• The focus of this year was on ‘Growth
Agenda for North East Post COVID-19’.
3. WORLD BANK’S EODB
• The World Bank (WB) has released the
updated the Ease of Doing Business(EODB) 2018 & EODB 2020 reports after
correcting the data irregularities submitted by 4 countries – China, United
Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia & Azerbaijan.
• According to the corrected list, China has
slipped to 85th Rank in the 2018 report.
• In August, 2020, WB decided to pause the
publication of the EODB report due to a number of irregularities, and changes
to data in previous reports.
• UAE’s ranking of 16 in the EODB 2020
report remains unchanged, while Azerbaijan has improved to 28 from 34 in the
EODB 2020 report.
• India’s Ranked 63 in the 17th edition of
WB report ‘Ease of Doing Business 2020-Comparing Business Regulation in 190
Economies’ report remains unchanged.
Rankings
of Ease of Doing Business 2020 Report:
Rank Country Score
1 New
Zealand 86.8
2 Singapore 86.2
3 Hong
Kong, China 85.3
4. ADB APPROVES A $231 MILLION LOAN
FOR KOPILI HYDROELECTRIC
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved
a $231 million(Rs 1, 701 core) loan to construct the Lower Kopili Hydroelectric
Power (LKHEP) plant in Central Assam, India.
• This loan is the 3rd and largest tranche
of the $300 million(about Rs 2,200 crore) Assam Power Sector Investment Program
that was approved by ADB in 2014.
5. INDIA’S FIRST HYPERSONIC WIND
TUNNEL TEST FACILITY
• Union Minister Rajnath Singh visited Dr
APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex in Hyderabad, Telangana.
• He was accompanied by Union Minister of
State (MoS) Gangapuram Kishan Reddy, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and G
Satheesh Reddy, DRDO Chairman.
• In the missile complex, Rajnath Singh
inaugurated India’s first advanced Hypersonic Wind Tunnel (HWT) test facility.
• It is an enclosed free jet facility with
pressure vacuum and having nozzle exit diameter of 1 meter which will simulate
Mach No 5 to 12.
6. INCLUSION OF 4 INDIGENOUS GAMES
TO BE PART OF KIYG
• Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has
approved the inclusion of 4 Indigenous Games – Gatka, Kalaripayattu, Thang-Ta
and Mallakhamba as part of 4th Edition Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) in 2021
set to take place at Panchkula, Haryana.
• Kalaripayattu – A martial art having its
origin in Kerala.
• Mallakhamba – ‘Malla’ means wrestler &
‘Kamba’ means pole, athletes perform gymnastics on a wooden pole or a rope.
• It is practiced majorly in Madhya Pradesh
& Maharashtra.
• Gatka – A traditional fighting style
having its origin in Punjab and is practiced by Nihang Sikh Warriors as
self-defense, sports.
• Thang-Ta – A martial art which has its
origin in Manipur.
7. INTERNATIONAL HUMAN SOLIDARITY
DAY 2020 – DECEMBER 20
• UN’s International Human Solidarity Day is
annually observed across the globe on 20th December to celebrate the unity in
diversity across the world.
• The UN Women marks the International Human
Solidarity day highlights the day with a focus on gender equality.
8. UP CM LAUNCHES 1ST OF ITS KIND
CAMPAIGN, ‘VARASAT’
• Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar
Pradesh launched a first of its kind campaign, ‘Varasat’(natural succession)
drive to end property and related disputes in rural areas of the state.
• UP govt to double the farmers’ income will
launch ‘Kisan Kalyan Mission’.
