Today's Current Affairs 21st December 2022

NATIONAL

Steel Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia launches country’s first Green Steel Brand

• Union Steel Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia has launched India’s first Green Steel Brand “KALYANI FeRRESTA” in New Delhi. This first-of-its-kind steel has been manufactured by a Pune-based Steel company, Kalyani group by using renewable energy resources, leaving zero carbon footprints in the environment.
• The Kalyani Group initiative will help transform the steel sector’s long-standing identity as a carbon-emitting ‘hard to abate sector’ to a reduced carbon emitting-green steel-producing industry.
• The steel industry produces 7 per cent of CO2 emissions internationally, while the Indian steel industry accounts for 12 per cent of such emissions. Green steel is manufactured using low-carbon energy sources such as hydrogen, coal gasification and electricity instead the widely used coking coal. The company avoided 76,484 total carbon dioxide (tCO2) emissions, reduced water consumption by 10 per cent and recycled 99.4 per cent of its waste.

Agriculture Ministry to host Millets Food Festival for members of Parliament

• To raise awareness about the importance of millet, the Agriculture Ministry is hosting a Millet food festival in Parliament for the members. As the global agrifood systems face challenges to feed an ever-growing global population, resilient cereals like millet provide an affordable and nutritious option. The United Nations has passed a resolution declaring the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYM). The IYM 2023 and the push towards increasing millet production will also contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• Recently, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations organised the opening ceremony of the International Year of Millets – 2023 (IYOM 2023) in Rome, Italy.
• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) accepted the proposal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to celebrate 2023 as the International Year of Millets.

Indian Navy gets 5th Scorpene Submarine ‘Vagir’; 3rd in 24 months

• The fifth Scorpène submarine, Vagir of Project – 75 Kalvari Class submarines has been delivered to the Indian Navy by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai. Defence Ministry said, the submarine would shortly be commissioned into the Navy and enhance its capability. Project-75 includes the indigenous construction of six submarines of Scorpene design. These submarines are being constructed at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai, under collaboration with Naval Group, France.
• Launched on the 12th of November 2020, Vagir commenced the sea trials on the Ist of February 2022 and it has completed all major trials including the weapon and sensor trials in the shortest time in comparison to the earlier submarines. Construction of these submarines in an Indian yard is another step towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat and a notable achievement is that this is the third submarine delivered to the Navy in a span of 24 months. In all, six submarines of the Kalvari class, based on the Scorpene design of the Naval Group of France, are being constructed at the MDL in collaboration with the Naval Group of France.

 SPORTS

Abhishek Bachchan's Jaipur Pink Panthers Wins The Trophy Of Pro Kabaddi League 9!

• Jaipur Pink Panthers won the Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 Final against a hard-fighting Puneri Paltan by a score of 33-29 to win their second PKL championship. After Patna, Jaipur Pink Panthers, the league’s first-ever winners, are currently only the second team to win multiple titles. The tournament was played across Bengaluru, Pune, and Hyderabad while the playoffs were played in Mumbai. Jaipur Pink Panthers team is currently led by Sunil Kumar Malik and coached by Sanjeev Baliyan. The team is owned by Abhishek Bachchan.

PKL Season 9: Award winners 2022

• Perfect Player of the Final: Sunil Kumar (Pink Panthers)
• Game Changer of the Final: V Ajit Kumar (Pink Panthers)
• Moment of the Final: Ankush Rathee (Pink Panthers)
• Move of the Final: V Ajit Kumar (Pink Panthers)
• Perfect Moment of the Final: Sunil Kumar (Pink Panthers)

 SCIENCE & TEHNOLOGY

Indian Armed Forces To Get Pralay Missile; 150-500 Km Range Will Allow Targeting Of Chinese Infra In Tibet

• As the conflicts in the border region with China increase, the Indian armed forces are now set to procure the ‘Pralay’ ballistic missile that can hit the target from 150 to 500 km. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had successfully conducted the maiden flight test of the indigenously developed surface-to-surface missile ‘Pralay’, from Dr A P J Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha in December 2021.
• “The new missile followed the desired quasi ballistic trajectory and reached the designated target with high degree accuracy, validating the control, guidance and mission algorithms. All the sub-systems performed satisfactorily. All the sensors deployed near the impact point across the eastern coast, including the down range ships, tracked the missile trajectory and captured all the events,” the statement read.
• The Pralay missiles combined with the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles would be the longest-range tactical weapon system in the defence forces as the long-range strategic weapons are controlled by the strategic forces command. The missile can help the troops to completely destroy or take out enemy air defence sites or similar high-value targets.

 OBITURY

Hawaii’s Last Princess, Abigail Kawānanakoa passed away at the age of 96

• Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawānanakoa, a Hawaiian princess whose lineage included the royal family that once ruled the islands and an Irish businessman who became one of Hawaii’s largest landowners, passed away at the age of 96 in Honolulu, Hawaii. She was born on 23rd April 1926 in Honolulu, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii.
• Her great¬grandfather, James Campbell, an Irish businessman who owned a sugar plantation, was the source of her enormous wealth, which was kept in trust and is estimated to be worth USD 215 million (175 million in a pound). Iolani Palace, the royal residence of the rulers of the Kingdom of Hawaii, is the only royal residence in the United States of America. She was a symbol of Hawaiian national identity that endured after the kingdom was overthrown by American businessmen in 1893.

 APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

Major General Mohit Seth appointed as General Officer Commanding

• Major General Mohit Seth has took over as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Counter Insurgency Force Kilo. He took over from Major General Sanjiv Singh Slaria who has been moved to Northern Command headquarters in Udhampur. In his distinguished military career spanning over three decades, the General Officer has held various prestigious staff and command appointments in Jammu and Kashmir, the northeast and at the Army headquarters.
• Major General Mohit Seth has also served as Indian Army Liaison Officer, High Commission of India, United Kingdom.
• Maj Gen Seth, who took over as GOC of Kilo Force was commissioned into 3 MADRAS Regiment in December 1991. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Maj Gen Seth attended the prestigious NDC at New Delhi.

 SUMMIT'S & MOU's

UAE Set to Host World's Largest Trade Minister Meeting in 2024

• The next World Trade Organization ministerial conference will be held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in February 2024, the global trade watchdog confirmed in a statement. The UAE and Cameroon were both vying to host the event and came to an informal agreement for Abu Dhabi to host the first one and Cameroon to do the next, trade sources said.
• For the UAE, hosting the meeting is part of its own push to position itself as a global hub for business amid growing competition in the Middle East. It has been rolling out bilateral trade deals with fast-growing markets since the pandemic. Next year the Gulf Arab state will host COP28, the UN’s Climate Change conference.
• The top priority for the WTO’s 13th ministerial conference, known as MC13, will be reaching an agreement to reform the trade body’s hobbled dispute settlement system and modernising its 27-year-old rulebook.

 BANKING AND ECONOMY

IDFC First Bank waives fee on savings accounts and multiple banking services

• IDFC FIRST Bank has declared ZERO Fee Banking on savings accounts and waived fees on multiple banking services, including Passbook charges, NEFT charges. The bank said that customers maintaining as low as Rs 10,000 Average Monthly Balance, and the Rs 25,000 AMB savings account variant will get these benefits.
• Number of Cash Transactions at branches per month (Cumulative of Deposit and Withdrawal)
• Value of Cash Transactions (Cumulative of Deposit and Withdrawal) at Branches
• Third-party Cash Transaction Charges (Cumulative of Deposit and Withdrawal) at Branches
• Demand Drafts/ PO (Issuance Charges) – at Bank Locations
• IMPS Charges per Transaction– Outward

Government launches first-ever ‘Surety Bond Insurance’ for infrastructure projects

• Road, transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari launched the country’s first-ever surety bond insurance product, a move that would reduce the dependence of infra developers of bank guarantee. Surety Bond Insurance will act as a security arrangement for infrastructure projects and will insulate the contractor as well as the principal. The product will cater to the requirements of a diversified group of contractors, many of whom are operating in today’s increasingly volatile environment.
• The Surety Bond Insurance is a risk transfer tool for the Principal and shields the Principal from the losses that may arise in case the contractor fails to perform their contractual obligation.
• The product gives the principal a contract of guarantee that contractual terms and other business deals will be concluded in accordance with the mutually agreed terms. In case the contractor doesn’t fulfil the contractual terms, the Principal can raise a claim on the surety bond and recover the losses they have incurred.