29th December Daily Current Affairs 2021: Today GK Updates for Bank Exap

29 December 2021
-------------------------------
29th December Daily Current Affairs 2021: Today GK Updates for Bank Exap

Here is the Daily GK Update of 29th December 2021 covering the following news headlines: Alia Bhatt, 4th State Health Index, IndusInd Bank, Indipaisa, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, AFSPA, Somalia.

Daily GK updates are incorporated with the important news that made the current affairs headlines for banking or other competitive exams. Daily GK Update is the complete bag of the important news that is held all day long. One should have complete knowledge about banking terms, current affairs news, etc. So, here is the GK update of 29th December 2021 to help you prepare the Current affairs part. After reading this section, you can successfully attempt Current Affairs Quiz.

Top 17 Daily GK Updates: National & International News

Here is providing below the top 17 important Daily General Knowledge GK 2021 updates with national & international news.

International News

1. China launches new camera satellite with 5m resolution

• China has launched a new satellite with a camera capable of taking photos of the ground with a resolution of five meters, according to the National Space Administration of China (CNSA).
• The satellite, called “Ziyuan-1 02E” or “Five Meter 02 Optical Satellite”. Beijing time by a Long March-4C rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Beijing Province. Shanxi (northern China).
• This is the 39th launch of the Longue Marche-4C rocket and the 403rd launch of the entire Long March series.
• The Ziyuan-1 02E weighs approximately 2.5 kilograms and is equipped with infrared, near-infrared and hyperspectral cameras. The cameras can take panchromatic color images of the Earth.

2. Somalia's President suspends PM Mohamed Hussein Roble

• Somalian Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble has been suspended. President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has suspended the Prime Minister, who is facing allegations of involvement in the theft of land.
• Mohamed Roble accused the President of trying to stage a coup and said, he would continue in office. He urged the security forces to take orders from him rather than Mr Farmajo. The term of Farmajo officially ended in February but was extended because of disagreements over how to choose a new incumbent.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Somalia Capital: Mogadishu;
• Somalia Currency: Somali shilling.

State News

3. Govt set up high-level committee to examine of lifting Nagaland's AFSPA

• The Government of India has decided to constitute a ‘five-member’ committee to look into the demand for withdrawal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act “AFSPA” in Nagaland.
• The committee headed by Vivek Joshi, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, would submit its recommendations within 45 days. Additional Secretary in the Home Ministry Piyush Goyal will be its Member-Secretary. The Chief Secretary and DGP of Nagaland and the DGP of Assam Rifles will be the other members of the committee.
• The AFSPA empowers security forces to conduct operations and arrest anyone without any prior warrant. It also gives immunity to the forces if they shoot someone dead.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of Nagaland: Neiphiu Rio; Governor of Nagaland: Jagdish Mukhi.

Appointments News

4. IAS Praveen Kumar named as DG & CEO of Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs

• Govt of India has approved the appointment of Praveen Kumar, IAS, Former Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship to the post of Director General & Chief Executive Officer, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA).
• The proposal for setting up IICA was approved by Planning Commission in the year 2007. It was established in 2008 at Manesar, Haryana.
• Praveen Kumar is a 1987 batch retired IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, and a former Secretary, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.

5. Radhika Jha named as CEO of Energy Efficiency Services

• Radhika Jha has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer in state-run Energy Efficiency Services (EESL). EESL is a joint venture between NTPC, Power Grid, Power Finance Corp and REC, working to promote energy efficiency in the country.
• Prior to the new posting, the IAS officer was serving as Secretary to the Government of Uttarakhand for the Education Department. She took charge of the post in July this year and navigated the operational guidelines for resuming classes post COVID.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Energy Efficiency ServicesHeadquarters: New Delhi;
• Energy Efficiency Services Founded: 2009;
• Energy Efficiency Services Chairmen: Arun Kumar Mishra.

6. GoI appoints Atul Kumar Goel as new MD & CEO of PNB

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Atul Kumar Goel, MD & CEO of UCO Bank, as MD & CEO of Punjab National Bank (PNB) with effect from February 1 next year.
• Goel will serve as PNB chief until December 31, 2024, which is his attaining the superannuation age. Goel will replace Mallikarjuna Rao, incumbent MD & CEO of PNB.
• Rao was given a three-month extension that will end on January 31, 2022. Meanwhile, the ACC has appointed Soma Sankara Prasad, currently Deputy Managing Director at State Bank of India, as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer in UCO Bank.
• He will serve as MD & CEO of UCO Bank till the date of attaining the age of superannuation on May 31, 2023.

Agreements News

7. Indipaisa tie-up with NSDL Payments Bank to launch a new Fintech platform

• Indipaisa has signed a partnership agreement with NSDL Payments Bank to launch Financial Technology (Fintech) solutions targeting India’s 63 million Small & Mid-sized Enterprise (SME) sector.
• To empower SME owners & operators to provide facilities and services that help them grow businesses, comply with government tax laws and build a sustainable future.
• Indipaisa's mission is to empower SME owners and operators to take charge of their finances as well as give them facilities and services that help them grow their businesses, comply with government tax laws, and build a better future for their families.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• NSDL Payments Bank Founded: 1996;
• NSDL Payments Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra;
• NSDL Payments Bank MD & CEO: Abhijit Kamalapurkar.

8. HDFC Bank tie-up with IPPB to offer banking services in rural areas

• HDFC Bank has signed an MoU with India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) to offer banking services to over 4.7 crore customers of IPPB in semi-urban and rural areas. Under the MoU, out of 4.7 crores, customers around 90 per cent reside in rural areas.
• The HDFC bank aims to boost its financial inclusion drive by leveraging IPPB’s network of 650 branches and over 136,000 banking access points.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• India Post Payments Bank Founded: 2018;
• India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi;
• India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) MD & CEO: J Venkatramu;
• India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) Tag line: Aapka Bank, Aapke Dwaar.

Banking News

9. HDFC Life signed bancassurance partnership with South Indian Bank

• HDFC Life signed a bancassurance (Bank-Insurance) agreement with South Indian Bank to enable customers of the South Indian Bank to avail HDFC Life’s life insurance products and services to the customers of South Indian Bank.
• This bancassurance arrangement will enable customers of the South Indian Bank to avail HDFC Life’s wide range of life insurance products which include solutions for protection, savings and investment, retirement and critical illness. This bancassurance partnership will further strengthen HDFC Life’s business across India.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• South Indian Bank Founded: 29 January 1929;
• South Indian Bank Headquarters: Thrissur, Kerala;
• South Indian Bank MD & CEO: Murali Ramakrishnan.

10. IndusInd Bank and NPCI tie-up to offer cross-border payments through UPI

• IndusInd Bank has partnered with the National Payments Corporation to offer real-time cross-border remittances to India using UPI IDs, for its Money Transfer Operator (MTO) partners. It is the first Indian bank to go live on UPI for cross-border payments/NRI remittances.
• Under this arrangement, the MTOs will be using the IndusInd Bank channel to connect with NPCI’s UPI payment systems for validation and cross-border payment settlement into beneficiary accounts.
• IndusInd Bank has started off with Thailand’s DeeMoney for Foreign Inward Remittance (FIR) through UPI.

Ranks and Reports News

11. NITI Aayog released 4th State Health Index

• NITI Aayog has released the fourth edition of the State Health Index for 2019–20 that provides incremental performance in health outcomes and status. The index is developed by: NITI Aayog, World Bank, and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
• The report, titled “Healthy States, Progressive India”, ranks states and Union Territories on their year-on-year incremental performance in health outcomes as well as their overall status.
• Among the ‘Larger States’, in terms of annual incremental performance, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Telangana are the top three ranking states.
• Among ‘Smaller States’, Mizoram and Meghalaya registered the maximum annual incremental progress.
• Among UTs, Delhi, followed by Jammu and Kashmir, showed the best incremental performance.
• On overall ranking based on the composite index score in 2019–20, the top-ranking states were Kerala and Tamil Nadu among the ‘Larger States’, Mizoram and Tripura among the ‘Smaller States’, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu and Chandigarh among the UTs.

Awards News

12. PETA: Alia Bhatt India's 2021 Person of the Year

• People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has named Bollywood star Alia Bhatt its 2021 Person of the Year. She is an animal lover and often shares pictures with her pets. This year, Alia Bhatt invested in Phool, the company behind Fleather, which is vegan leather made from discarded temple flowers.
• Her vegan kidswear line, Ed-a-Mamma, also won a 2021 PETA India fashion award for helping to nurture kids’ love for animals and nature.
• Alia also starred in a pro-adoption PETA India campaign to help cats and dogs. She has used her position to call for stronger animal protection laws.

Sports News

13. Uttar Pradesh won 11th Hockey India junior national championship

• Uttar Pradesh has crowned the winners of the 11th Junior National Men’s Hockey Championship following a 3-1 victory over Chandigarh in the final at Kovilpatti, Tamil Nadu.
• Tournament top scorer Sharda Nand Tiwari opened the scoring for Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh Hockey maintained its unbeaten record. In the 3rd/4th Place playoff match, the Hockey Association of Odisha edged out Hockey Haryana 3 - 2 in a closely contested affair to clinch 3rd place in the competition.

14. Nitesh Kumar wins double gold at 4th Para-Badminton National Championship

• Nitesh Kumar won doubled gold at the 4th Para-Badminton National Championship, which concluded in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Haryana's Nitesh along with his partner Tarun Dhillon defeated World No. 1 Paralympic Games gold medallist Pramod Bhagat and Manoj Sarkar in straight sets 21-19, 21-11 in the Men’s doubles finals to win the gold.
• Earlier, Nitesh also won the gold medal in the Men’s singles category. World No 1 SL3 Para-Badminton player Parul Parmar from Gujarat also secured gold while Mandeep Kaur from Uttarakhand won Silver and Mansi won bronze.

Obituaries News

15. Former Greek President Karolos Papoulias passes away

• Veteran Greek politician Karolos Papoulias, who served as president at the height of the economic crisis of the 2010s, died. Papoulias, a longtime socialist lawmaker and minister, was close to Andreas Papandreou, the founder of the Socialist PASOK party.
• He served two terms between 2005 and 2015. Papoulias, who was also foreign minister in 1985-89 and 1993-96, was a high-ranking member of socialist PASOK party and a close associate of its late leader and former prime minister Andreas Papandreou.

16. E.O. Wilson, Known as 'Father of Biodiversity,' passes away

• E.O. Wilson, the former Harvard University biologist and Pulitzer Prize winner whose study of ants and human behaviour made him one of the world’s most influential scientists and prompted his calls for action to protect millions of species on the planet, has passed away. He was 92. To protect Earth earned him the nickname “Darwin’s natural heir”.
• He was the author of hundreds of scientific papers and more than 30 books, two of which won him Pulitzer Prizes for nonfiction: 1978’s On Human Nature, and The Ants in 1990.

17. ‘He-Man’ artist and toy designer Mark Taylor passes away

• Mark Taylor, artist and toy designer for the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe franchise as well as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, passed away. Taylor began his career with Mattel in 1976 as a packaging designer.
• He-man was the muscled frontman for toy manufacturer Mattel’s Masters of the Universe franchise. He-Man was the epitome of a hulking superhero warrior but also became an icon within the LGBTQ+ community.