Today's Current Affairs 21st December 2023

NATIONAL

ICAI Reveals New Logo for Chartered Accountants of India

• Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, recognized as the world’s largest professional body of Chartered Accountants, recently revealed a new logo.
• ICAI is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament, viz. The Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 (Act No. XXXVIII of 1949) for regulating the profession of Chartered Accountancy in the country.

 SPORTS

Maharashtra Bags Women’s and AAI Wins Men’s Title Events in Guwahati

• Maharashtra emerged victorious in the women’s team event at the 75th Inter State-Inter Zonal Badminton Championship held in Guwahati.

 SCIENCE & TEHNOLOGY

Noma Added to WHO List of Neglected Tropical Diseases

• Noma, also known as cancrum oris or gangrenous stomatitis, has recently been added to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) list of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).
• NTDs encompass a group of over 20 conditions that disproportionally affect marginalized populations in tropical and subtropical regions.

 IMPORTANT DAYS

World Basketball Day 2023:21st December

• World Basketball Day is an annual celebration held on December 21, commemorating the invention of basketball by Dr. James Naismith in 1891.
• The United Nations declared August 25, 2023, as World Basketball Day through resolution A/RES/77/324.
• The term “basketball” was first used by Naismith in 1891.
• 1898: National Basketball League, the first professional league, is founded.

 SUMMIT'S & MOU's

Aditya Birla Sun Life and IDFC First Bank Collaborate On Financial Solutions

• Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance and IDFC First Bank form a bancassurance partnership.
• Aditya Birla Sun Life will leverage the extensive distribution network of IDFC First Bank.

 AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Poonam Khetrapal Singh Honored with Bhutan’s National Order of Merit

• Poonam Khetrapal Singh, the Regional Director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) South-East Asia, has been honored with Bhutan’s National Order of Merit (NOM) Gold Medal.
• The prestigious award was presented by Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the Druk Gyalpo (dragon king) of Bhutan, during the celebration of Bhutan’s 116th National Day on December 17, 2023, in Thimphu, Bhutan.
• The National Order of Merit, instituted in 2008 by King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.

ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 Moon Mission Earns Leif Erikson Lunar Prize

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has once again soared to new heights by clinching the prestigious Leif Erikson Lunar Prize.
• Central to the mission’s triumph was the lander, Vikram, equipped with the Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE).

NTPC Kanti Receives FICCI Water Award 2023 for Industrial Water Use Efficiency

• NTPC Kanti has been bestowed with the 11th Edition of FICCI Water Award 2023 under the “Industrial Water Use Efficiency” category.
• The Director General of National Museum for Clean Ganga, Government of India, G Ashok Kumar, and the Chairperson of FICCI Water Mission, Naina Lal Kidwai, jointly presented the award to NTPC Kanti.

Lt. Vice Admiral Benoy Roy Chowdhury Posthumously Honored With ‘Vir Chakra’

• INS Shivaji, the esteemed Training establishment of the Indian Navy, the original ‘Vir Chakra‘ was posthumously awarded to Late Vice Admiral Benoy Roy Chowdhury.
• Vice Admiral Benoy Roy Chowdhury’s valor and contributions to the Indian Navy’s legacy are deeply rooted in the 1971 Indo-Pak War.
• Admiral SM Nanda, the Chief of Naval Staff at the time, recognized Vice Admiral Chowdhury’s exceptional contributions by bestowing upon him the title of ‘An Engineer Par Excellence.’

 RANKING

Tamil Nadu Retains ‘Achiever’ Status in Logistics Infra Rankings of States

• Tamil Nadu has once again secured the coveted ‘Achiever’ status among coastal states in the Logistics Ease across Different States (LEADS) 2023 rankings.
• LEADS, initiated by the Ministry of Commerce and Industries in 2018.