Current Affairs (01-15 December 2021)
National
On December 14, 2021, Ladakh received its first FM radio station in the capital Leh.
Parliament passed the “High Court and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill, 2021” on December 13, 2021.
India has invited five Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as chief guests for the Republic Day celebrations, 2022.
On 13 December 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi.
NITI Aayog plans to set up 1000 Atal Tinkering Laboratories in J&K.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the Rs 9,802-crore Saryu Canal National Project in Balrampur district of Uttar Pradesh on December 11.
Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 members of his personal staff were killed in the helicopter crash.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) launched a pan-India capacity building program titled “She is a Changemaker” on December 7, 2021.
Defence/ Security
On December 13, 2021, India successfully launched Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo System (SMART) from Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast.
On December 7, 2021, Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) successfully test-fired a “Vertical Launch-Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile”.
The India – Russia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue was held in New Delhi in December 2021. It was held by the defence ministers and external affairs ministers of the two countries. About India – Russia 2+2 Dialogue This is the first 2+2 Dialogue held between India and Russia.
Exercise Ekuverin is a joint military exercise conducted between India and Maldives. It is conducted between the armies of India and Maldives.
The 22nd President’s Standard Award was presented to the 22nd Missile Ship of the Indian Navy. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the ship bombed the port of Karachi and sank Pakistani ships.
Banking/ Finance/ Commerce
At the World Trade Organization (WTO), India has lost a dispute with the Disputes Settlement Panel on the subsidy of sugar exports.
Bank of Baroda (BOB) has launched a wearable payment solution named “Bob World Wave”. BOB World Wave was launched for digital banking payments.
Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani and his wife Nita Ambani have topped the list of power couples, according to the results of the annual survey released by the Indian Institute of Human Brands (IIHB).
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced its bi-monthly policy statement on December 8, 2021.
Science And Technology
Solar Hamam, a locally designed and branded heating system provides clean energy solutions to households across mountainous regions.
Researchers at IIT Delhi’s Kusuma School of Biological Sciences have developed an RT-PCR-based test that can detect the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 in 90 minutes.
MoU/ Summits/ Conferences
On December 14, 2021, India, Iran, and Uzbekistan held talks on the joint use of Chabahar port. The meeting also underlined the important role played by the port in enhancing regional connectivity.
The Indian government has signed an air bubble agreement with Australia, under which all eligible passengers will be allowed to travel between the two countries.
NITI Aayog in association with Convergence Energy Service Limited (CESL) and World Resources Institute, India launched “e-Sawaari India Electric Bus Alliance” (e-Sawaari India E-Bus Alliance).
The central government has signed two loan agreements for projects in the state of Uttarakhand and Tamil Nadu.
India and the UAE launched the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement in September 2021. The countries are to hold the third round of talks.
Government Initiatives
On December 10, 2021, Minister of State for Health Bharti Praveen Pawar informed in the Lok Sabha that, the government has made a provision to create a health ID for every citizen free of cost.
On 9 December 2021, the Madhya Pradesh government issued a notification to implement the police commissioner system in Bhopal and Indore.
The Rajya Sabha passed the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2020, and the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2020 in the absence of opposition on December 8, 2021. The bill excluded single men, live-in couples, and the LGBTQ community.
The Rajya Sabha passed the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2021 on December 9, 2021.
On December 6, 2021, the Union Cabinet approved the Ken-Betwa river-linking project ahead of the elections to major north Indian states.
On December 8, 2021, the Union Cabinet approved the extension of the flagship housing-for-all scheme named “Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G)” till March 2024.
The government of India is going to launch the Shrestha scheme for the Scheduled Caste students. This scheme will provide quality residential education to the students.
The bill aims to provide for the regulation of ART (Assisted Reproduction Technology). ART is used to treat infertility. In ART, the egg is removed from the woman’s body, which is mixed with sperm to form an embryo. This bill was recently passed in the Lok Sabha.
The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship launched a pilot project to revive the Namda craft of Kashmir.
Andhra Pradesh government has recently released Rs.686 crore for the Vidya Deevena scheme. This is the third installment of the scheme. It is an education assistance scheme.
Important Days
The United Nations General Assembly celebrated Human Rights Day every year on 10 December.
International Civil Aviation Day is celebrated every year on 7 December.
World Soil Day is celebrated every year on 5th December.
Every year the Indian Navy Day is celebrated on December 4.
International Day of Persons with Disabilities is celebrated by the United Nations on 3 December every year.
National Pollution Control Day is celebrated every year in India on 2nd December.
World AIDS Day is celebrated every year on 1 December.
Awards & Recognition
Harnaaz Sandhu has become the new Miss Universe of 2021 on 12 December 2021.
The 56th and 57th Jnanpith Awards were recently announced for the years 2020 and 2021 respectively. Assam poet Nilamani Phukan Jr. and Konkani novelist Damodar Moujo have emerged as the winners of the 56th and 57th prizes respectively.
Indian athlete Anju Bobby George has won the Woman of the Year award from World Athletics.
Appointments
- Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India Sunil Arora has joined the advisory board of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA).
International Affairs
Malta has become the first country in the European Union to legalize cannabis for home and personal use.
The shadow government of Myanmar has allowed the use of the world’s largest cryptocurrency called Tether.
On December 13, 2021, India voted against the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) draft resolution to secure climate change. India argued that the move seeks to undermine the consensus achieved at the recent Glasgow summit.
Max Verstappen has overtaken Lewis Hamilton to win his first “Formula One (F1) world title” at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
December 12, 2021, marked the launch date of the first amateur radio satellite called OSCAR 1.
On December 12, 2021, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett started the first official visit by an Israeli leader to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in order to strengthen Gulf ties at a time of heightened regional tension, as global powers try to revive nuclear deals with Iran.
The Western Allies, the United States, Australia, and Japan, have jointly announced funding for the construction of an undersea cable in the Pacific Ocean.
On December 6, 2021, Hong Kong implemented its new ‘Zero Covid Policy’.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Katherine Russell as the head of the UN children’s agency UNICEF.
Chile passed a law allowing same-sex couples to marry on December 9, 2021.
On 8 December 2021, the Parliament of Germany elected Olaf Scholz as the ninth chancellor of the post-World War II period.
The government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is set to introduce a new four-and-a-half-day working week on January 1, 2022.
The World Health Organization (WHO) released its World Malaria Report 2021 on December 6, 2021. In the report, WHO noted that ‘global efforts to combat malaria suffered in 2020 due to the novel coronavirus disease.
On December 7, 2021, NASA launched its new Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Indian American Gita Gopinath has become the First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund. She is the first Indian to hold the top role in the organization.
