News on 2 December 2021

Two samples from Bengaluru detected with Omicron variant

Two persons — a 66-year-old South African national and another 46-year-old resident of Bommanahalli — in Bengaluru have been detected with the new variant. The Indian has no travel history.

Delhi pollution | Supreme Court gives Government 24 hours to find a way or make way for court to act

Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana asked the Government as a ‘layman’ the question that haunts the Capital, that is, why does pollution continue to smother Delhi despite orders from Supreme Court, action from Government and lawyers arguing so much. The court gave the Government 24 hours to find a way or make way for the Supreme Court to act.

Cyclone Jawad | Modi chairs meeting on cyclone situation

With the IMD forecast of a cyclonic storm reaching Odisha coast on December 4, the State government on December 1 had asked Collectors of 13 districts to prepare for evacuation of the people and has chalked out a disaster management strategy by requisitioning NDRF, ODRAF and fire department personnel for rescue and relief operation.

Maharashtra Government suspends Param Bir Singh, initiates disciplinary proceedings

The suspension order was approved the day Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was discharged from a private hospital in Mumbai after undergoing a spine surgery on November 12.

60% of Rajpath revamp completed as deadline looms

Replying to a question by Congress MP Manish Tewari, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishore said 35% of the work on the the new Parliament building had been completed at a cost of ₹340.58 crore out of the total cost of ₹971 crore. The project was estimated to be completed by October 2022.

U.S. Defence Secretary slams China’s drive for hypersonic weapons

In July 2021, China tested a hypersonic weapon capable of partially orbiting the Earth before reentering the atmosphere and gliding on a maneuverable path to its target.

Uber to launch ride-booking via WhatsApp in India

The integration is a global-first for Uber, and it will make booking a ride as easy as sending a WhatsApp message, a statement said. It is being rolled out on a pilot basis in the northern part of Lucknow first and will be expanded to other Indian cities soon.

Government spent ₹65 crore on Indian men’s hockey teams in last five years

The government said the money was utilised for coaching camps, competitions and other expenses.

GK Snapshots on 2 December 2021

World AIDS Day 2021 – December 1
World AIDS (Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome) Day is annually observed across the globe on 1st December to create awareness about HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), a major public health issue that affects millions of people across the globe.

• HIV is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system, specifically the white blood cells called CD4 cells.

Symbol:
The red ribbon is the universal symbol of awareness and support for people living with HIV.

Theme 2021:

The United Nations(UN), United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), & World Health Organization(WHO) observes World AIDS Day 2021 under the theme “End inequalities. End AIDS” with a focus on reaching people left behind.

According to hiv.gov, the theme of World AIDS Day 2021 is “Ending the HIV Epidemic: Equitable Access, Everyone’s Voice”.

Online event: End inequalities. End AIDS. End Pandemics.

57th Border Security Force Raising Day – 1st December 2021

The Border Security Force(BSF) of India annually celebrates the BSF raising day on 1st December to mark the day on which the BSF, India’s First Line of Defence, came into existence in 1965.

• The 1st December 2021 marks the observance of the 57th BSF Raising Day.
• BSF is a paramilitary force charged with guarding India’s land border during peacetime and preventing transnational crime.

History:
i.Till 1965, the international borders between India and Pakistan were manned by Various State Armed Police Battalion. ii.Pakistan attacked the Sardar Post, Chhar Bet and Beria Bet in Kutch in 1965, exposing the inadequacy of the State Armed Police to counter the armed aggression.
iii.Following this attack, the Government of India established a specialized centrally controlled force which is armed and trained to secure the International Border with Pakistan.
iv.On the recommendations of the Committee of Secretaries, The Border Security Force came into existence on 1st December 1965 with K F Rustamji as the first chief and founding father.

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment forms 3-Member panel to Review EWS Criteria

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment announced the formation of a 3-member committee to review the annual income criteria for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) reservations in job and central education institutes.

About the Committee:

i.The 3 members of the Committee:
• Ajay Bhushan Pandey – Former Finance Secretary
• Prof VK Malhotra – Member Secretary, ICSSR (Indian Council of Social Science Research)
• Sanjeev Sanyal – Principal Economic Advisor to the Indian government (Member Convenor).
ii.The committee will now review the Rs 8 lakh family annual income ceiling for EWS to apply for 10 percent reserved seats in central education institutes and government jobs.
iii.The committee will examine various approaches followed in India so far for identifying EWS and recommend criteria regarding that.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal Inaugurated 40th Edition of IITF 2021; Bihar won Gold Award

Union Commerce and Industry Minister, Piyush Goyal inaugurated the 40th edition of the India International Trade Fair (IITF) 2021 at Pragati Maidan in Delhi.

• IITF 2021 was held on November 14 to 27, 2021. It was organised by the India Trade Promotion Organisation with ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ as the theme and to further promote the idea of ‘Vocal for Local’.
• An estimated 3,000 exhibitors from India and abroad have participated in the fair. The fair was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19.
• Piyush Goyal listed five pillars of India as Economy, Exports, Infrastructure, Demand, and Diversity.
• Partner state: Bihar is the partner state for the 40th IITF and the focus states are Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.

Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio & MoS Tourism Ajay Bhatt Inaugurated 9th International Tourism Mart for the North East Region at Kohima

Neiphiu Rio, Chief Minister(CM) of Nagaland, Ajay Bhatt, Minister of State(MoS) for Tourism inaugurated the three-day long 9th International Tourism Mart for the North East Region at Kohima, Nagaland.

• International Tourism Marts are organised in the North Eastern States on a rotation basis.
• Nagaland is hosting this Mart for the first time.

Objective: To highlight the tourism potential of the region in the domestic and international markets.

EIU’s Worldwide Cost of Living Index 2021: Tel Aviv Ranks World’s Costliest City; Paris, Singapore Ranks 2nd

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Worldwide Cost of Living Index 2021, Tel Aviv, Israel has become the most expensive city in the world to live in 2021, pushing Paris, France and Singapore jointly to occupy the second spot with Zurich and Hong Kong at the fourth and fifth spots respectively.

• Tel Aviv climbed from 5th place to the top in 2021 due to the rising value of the Israeli currency shekel against US Dollar along with increase in the price of grocery and transport.
• Syria’s Damascus was ranked as the world’s cheapest city.

V Praveen Rao VC of PJTSAU Wins 7th Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Award for 2017-19

V Praveen Rao, Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) wins the 7th Dr M S Swaminathan Award for the period 2017-19.
• It is a biennial national (every 2 year) award that was presented by Retired ICAR(Indian Council of Agricultural Research) Employees Association (RICAREA) and Nuziveedu Seeds Limited. It carries a cash prize INR 2 lakh and a citation.

Highlights:
i.The Selection Committee, headed by former ICAR Director General, RS Paroda has decided to select V Praveen Rao for the award recognising his contributions in the fields of ‘agricultural research, teaching, extension and administration’.
ii.Praveen Rao handled 13 research and 6 consultancy projects on micro-irrigation in India, Israel and South Africa.

Merriam-Webster Named ‘Vaccine’ as 2021 Word of the Year

Merriam-Webster, America’s most trusted online dictionary, has chosen ‘Vaccine’ as the 2021 word of the year. The word of the year is chosen by data that states the significant increase in lookup at Merriam-Webster.com in the past 12 months. Lookups for the ‘Vaccine’ increased 601% year-over-year from 2020 and were up 1048% from 2019.

• The terms vaccine and vaccination are derived from Variolae vaccinae (smallpox of the cow), the term devised by Edward Jenner. He coined the word vaccine from the Latin word ‘vacca’ for cow.
• ‘Pandemic’ was the Merriam-Webster dictionary’s word of the year 2020.

Sanjay Dutt Roped in as Brand Ambassador for 50th year Celebrations of Arunachal Pradesh

The Arunachal Pradesh (AP) Government has signed Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt as brand ambassador and award-winning filmmaker and branding expert Rahul Mittra as brand advisor of the occasion of their golden jubilee celebrations, marking the 50th year of the naming of the state.

• Sanjay Dutt launched a media campaign for the month-long celebrations, from 20th January to 20th February, 2022 at the Mechuka valley of AP’s Shi-Yomi district.
• The Chief Minister of AP Pema Khandu and State Assembly Speaker Pasang Sona Dorjee also participated in the launch.

Indian Women’s Cricketer Smriti Mandhana Signed as Brand Ambassador of GUVI

GUVI, an Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) incubated startup, has signed Indian Women’s cricketer Smriti Mandhana as its brand ambassador.

• As the brand ambassador of GUVI, Smriti Mandhana will be the face of GUVI and feature across the online campaigns of GUVI aimed to strengthen the importance and scope of technological education & information technology (IT) skills.

Key Points:
i.She will create awareness about technological education among everyone, especially among women.
ii.GUVI will be launching a cross-platform campaign with Smriti Mandhana, under which GUVI will offer the most affordable learning solutions for the youth, early professionals to develop their career profile in the IT industry.
 

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