Daily news 30 December 2020

State News

1. Bihar wins Digital India award for transferring money in COVID time

• The Chief Minister Secretariat of Bihar, the Disaster Management Department besides the National Informatics Centre (NIC) of the state have jointly been chosen as winners in the “pandemic category” Digital India Awards 2020.
• Bihar government’s initiative to transfer financial assistance directly to the accounts of beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic has made its departments winners of the Digital India Awards, instituted by the central government, this year for innovative steps in e-governance.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of Bihar: Nitish Kumar; Governor: Phagu Chauhan.

2. India’s 1st hot air balloon wildlife safari launched in Madhya Pradesh

• India's first hot air balloon wildlife safari in a tiger reserve was launched in the world-famous Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve by Madhya Pradesh forest minister Vijay Shah.
• Now like Africa's forests, tourists in India will also enjoy hot air balloon wildlife safari. The state was planning to introduce this service in Pench, Kanha and Panna tiger reserves as well.
• The activity will be restricted to the buffer area and people can watch tigers, leopards, Indian sloth bear and other wild animals from a height. It is the first in any tiger reserve in the country. The service is being operated by Jaipur-based Sky Waltz and company.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh: Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Governor: Anandiben Patel.

Agreements News

3. AU Small Finance, ICICI Pru Life tie up to offer life insurance solutions

• AU Small Finance Bank has announced a strategic partnership with ICICI Prudential Life Insurance to offer life insurance solutions. The tie-up aims to deliver "paperless, secure, and hassle-free life insurance".
• Through the corporate agency arrangement, over 18 lakh customers of AU Bank across over 700 banking touchpoints in 13 states and 2 Union territories, will have easy access to the entire suite of customer-centric protection and long-term savings products of ICICI Prudential Life.
• AU Bank even claimed that these products will enable customers to provide financial security to themselves and their families and help them achieve their financial goals.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• AU Bank HQ: Jaipur;
• AU Bank MD & CEO: Sanjay Agarwal.

Awards News

4. Hemant Kumar Pandey gets DRDO's "Scientist of the Year" award

• Senior scientist Hemant Kumar Pandey has been honoured with DRDO's ''Scientist of the Year Award'' for his contribution in developing several herbal medicines, including the popular drug Lukoskin meant for the treatment of leucoderma.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had recently facilitated the scientist at an event here with the prestigious award that comprises a certificate and cash prize of Rs 2 lakh.
• The scientist has developed six herbal drugs so far, Lukoskin used for treating leucoderma or Vitiligo, a condition in which white patches get developed on the skin, has been most widely appreciated and found huge acceptance in the market.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• DRDO Chairman: Dr G. Satheesh Reddy.
• DRDO Headquarters: New Delhi.

5. K. Veeramani honoured with Dr. Narendra Dabholkar Memorial Award

• The Dr Narendra Dabholkar Memorial Award for this year has been conferred upon Dravidar Kazhagam president K. Veeramani. The award was instituted in the memory of the Maharashtra-based rationalist Dabholkar.
• The U.S.-based Maharashtra Foundation had instituted the award in his memory, a release issued by the Dravidar Kazhagam.
• The award includes ₹1 lakh and a citation. Mr Veeramani has dedicated his whole life to propagate rationalism and served for the cause of social justice in society.

Business News

6. ICICI Bank and Google Pay collaborate to bring digital registration of FASTag

• ICICI Bank has announced that it is collaborating with Google to issue FASTag. It has become the first bank to join hands with Google Pay for the issuance of FASTag.
• Customers will now be able to order, track and recharge ICICI Bank FASTag via the Google Pay app.
• Currently, Google Pay users could recharge their FASTag on the app, but purchasing one directly from the Google app was not possible.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• CEO of Google: Sundar Pichai; Headquarters: California, United States.

Science and Technology News

7. Harsh Vardhan launches India’s 1st indigenous pneumonia vaccine ‘Pneumosil’

• The Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan launched India’s first indigenously developed vaccine against pneumonia.
• The Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) named ‘Pneumosil’ has been developed by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and PATH, an international, nonprofit global health organization based in Seattle.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Serum Institute of India CEO: Adar Poonawalla.
• Serum Institute of IndiaFounder: Cyrus S. Poonawalla.
• Serum Institute of IndiaFounded: 1966.
• Serum Institute of India Headquarters location: Pune.

Books and Authors 

8. Late Justice Rajindar Sachar's Autobiography: 'In Pursuit of Justice'

• The family of Late Justice Rajindar Sachar in association with The Indian Society of International Law and The Indian Law Institute is organizing the book launch "In Pursuit Of Justice: An Autobiography" written by Late Justice Rajindar Sachar. The book has been posthumously published.
• Justice Rajindar Sachar was a socialist, an egalitarian, a defender of civil liberties, a deeply engaged citizen of India, and, above all, a humanist.
• A man who believed in standing for the last man in the line, he was ‘armed’ with a moral compass that never wavered.

Miscellaneous News

9. Kerala’s Arya Rajendran becomes India’s youngest mayor from Thiruvananthapuram

• The 21-year-old college student, Arya Rajendran has been elected the new mayor of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, of Kerala.
• The Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader, Arya is the youngest person in India to occupy the post of mayor anywhere in the country.
• Arya won 54 votes out of 99 votes cast in the civic body polls in Kerala. She is also the state president of Balasangam, the children’s wing of the CPI(M).
• Arya is a second-year student of Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in Mathematics at the All Saints College.

10. INCOIS launches "Digital Ocean" app for information sharing

• The Union Minister of Earth Sciences, Science & Technology, Dr Harsh Vardhan virtually inaugurated the web-based application “Digital Ocean”.
• It has been developed by Hyderabad-based Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) an autonomous organization under M/o Earth sciences. Digital Ocean is a first of its kind digital platform for Ocean Data Management.
• Digital Ocean is a step towards Prime Minister’s vision of Digital India, to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy
• Digital Ocean will serve as a one-stop-solution for all the data related to the ocean.
• It will help to share this knowledge about the ocean with a wide range of users including research institutions, operational agencies, strategic users, the academic community, maritime industry and policymakers, as well as general public and the common man that too free of cost.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Director of INCOIS: T. Srinivasa Kumar.
• INCOIS Founded: 1998.
• Headquarters of INCOIS: Pragathi Nagar, Hyderabad.

11. Nitin Gadkari announces Multi-Model Logistics Park in Assam's Silchar

• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari has announced that a multi-modal logistics park in Assam.
• It will be constructed in Silchar and the Balacherra-Harengajao section of the Silchar-Saurashtra Highway will be completed in March 2022.
• Mr Gadkari made this announcement at a public meeting at Zero Point on the East-West Corridor at Madhurmukh at Rangpur.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of Assam: Sarbananda Sonowal; Governor: Prof. Jagdish Mukhi.
• Folk Dance of Assam: Bihu dance, Bagurumba, Bhortal Dance, Jhumur dance.

All the Best BA’ians for SBI PO Prelims!

Live updates 26 December 2020

Coronavirus India LIVE Updates: India's Daily Deaths Below 300 After Over 6 Months

COVID-19 in India: The active caseload remained below three lakh for the fifth consecutive day.

New Delhi:

India's daily fresh COVID-19 fatality count was reported below 300 after over six months, taking the death count to 1,47,343, while the infection tally rose to 1,01,69,118, according to the Health Ministry.

251 more deaths and 22,273 infections were reported in the last 24 hours, according to the latest data.

The number of people who have recovered from the disease surged to 97,40,108, pushing the national recovery rate to 95.78 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.45 per cent.

The active caseload remained below three lakh for the fifth consecutive day. There are 2,81,667 active coronavirus infections in the country, constituting 2.77 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

Meanwhile, France has confirmed the first case of a new coronavirus variant that recently emerged in Britain, its health ministry said.

The new strain of the virus, which experts fear is more contagious, has prompted more than 50 countries to impose travel restrictions on the UK, AFP reported.

Here are the live updates on Coronavirus Cases:

India's daily fresh COVID-19 fatality count was reported below 300 after over six months, taking the death count to 1,47,343, while the infection tally rose to 1,01,69,118, according to the Health Ministry.

Dec 26, 2020 20:40:44 (IST)

Coronavirus News: Rajasthan sees 7 more COVID deaths, 785 new cases

Seven more people died due to COVID-19 in Rajasthan, taking the deaths from the pandemic to 2,664 on Saturday, while 785 new cases brought the infection tally to 3,04,517, according to a health department bulletin.

The state has 11,488 active cases of the novel coronavirus, it said.

According to the bulletin, 2,90,365 people have recovered from COVID-19 in the state.

The deaths from the pandemic stands at 496 in Jaipur, followed by 284 in Jodhpur, 218 in Ajmer, 165 in Bikaner, 164 in Kota, 118 in Bharatpur, and 109 each in Udaipur and Pali.

Dec 26, 2020 20:25:26 (IST)

Charges against 200 for flouting COVID-19 norms during Christmas party in Kerala

Paying scant regard to the COVID-19 health protocol, hundreds of people gathered at nearby Pozhiyoor beach for a Christmas party on the night of December 25, following which a casewas registered against 200 people, police said. The DJ party was organised by some locals.

Though no permission was granted, they went ahead and conducted the event which lasted from 9.30 pm to 1 am on Saturday, they said.

A case has been registered against the organisers and some of the participants under the Kerala Epidemic Disease, COVID-19 regulation.

The video of the event, which has gone viral, shows several men and women dancing.

Dec 26, 2020 19:47:49 (IST)

374 test COVID-19 positive in Uttarakhand

The COVID-19 deaths in Uttarakhand rose to 1,476 on Saturday with 13 more fatalities, while 374 new cases pushed the infection tally to 89,218, a health bulletin issued here said.

Dehradun district reported the highest 152 cases, followed by Nainital 53, Haridwar 42, Uttarkashi 36, Udham Singh Nagar 20, Pithoragarh 29, Bageshwar 15, Pauri 11, Champawat nine, Rudraprayag seven, Chamoli six, Almora three and Tehri three, it said.

Meanwhile, 13 more COVID-19 patients died in the state, taking the toll so far to 1,476, the bulletin said.

Dec 26, 2020 19:20:36 (IST)

Coronavirus News: Kerala logs 3,527 new cases, 3,752 recoveries

Kerala recorded 3,527 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, while 3,782 people have been cured of the infection, as the deaths inch towards the 3,000-mark with 21 more deaths being added, Health Minister KK Shailaja said.

While the total virus caseload has touched 7,35,611, recoveries went up to 6,68,733 and at least 63,752 people are undergoing treatment for the infection.

Dec 26, 2020 18:52:43 (IST)

Guidelines to prevent, contain spread of mutant variant of coronavirus soon: Karnataka Health Minister

Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Saturday said that the state Health Department will discuss matters concerned with prevention and containment of new variant of coronavirus and come up with the guidelines regarding the same.

Dr Sudhakar said that third stage trials are being conducted including in Karnataka. "Anyone can volunteer to take the vaccine at this stage. I have personally appealed to many frontline warriors, especially, medical students to volunteer for trials," he added.

"A total of 1,638 out of 2,500 returnees from the UK have been tested and 14 of them have been found positive. Their swab samples have been sent to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) for gene-sequencing to find out whether it is a new strain of the virus.

Dec 26, 2020 18:39:01 (IST)

COVID-19 news: Second UK returnee tests positive in Madhya Pradesh's Indore

A 39-year-old man, who recently returned to Indore in Madhya Pradesh from the UK, on Saturday became the second such person to be found infected with coronavirus in the last two days, an official said. However, it was not yet clear if the strain he is carrying is the same as the one detected in the European nation, he added.

The man, who returned from the UK on December 6, is fine and is being closely monitored, while his family has been placed under isolation at their home in Rau, said Indore district COVID-19 prevention nodal officer Amit Malakar.

Dec 26, 2020 18:17:56 (IST)

UK Scientists Begin Trial Instant Immunity Antibody Drug Treatment For COVID-19

Scientists in the UK have begun trials of innovative antibody drug treatments that they hope could provide instant protection against COVID-19.

The University College London Hospitals NHS Trust (UCLH) said that the researchers in the Storm Chase study believe a Long Acting AntiBody (LAAB) known as AZD7442, developed by AstraZeneca, may offer immediate and long-term protection to people who have been recently exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and prevent them developing COVID-19.

"We know that this antibody combination can neutralise the virus, so we hope to find that giving this treatment via injection can lead to immediate protection against the development of COVID-19 in people who have been exposed - when it would be too late to offer a vaccine," said Dr Houlihan.

Dec 26, 2020 17:52:00 (IST)

Spain Confirms Four Cases Of British Coronavirus Variant

Four cases of a coronavirus variant believed to be particularly infectious that recently emerged in Britain have been confirmed in Madrid, the regional government said Saturday, the first cases detected in Spain.

Dec 26, 2020 17:24:21 (IST)

Coronavirus Cases Updates: Russia registers 29,258 COVID-19 cases within 24 hours, total tops 3 million

Russia has registered 29,258 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to over three million, the federal response centre said on Saturday.

"Over the past 24 hours, 29,258 coronavirus cases were confirmed in 85 regions, including 4,571 cases (15.6 percent) without clinical symptoms," the centre said, adding that the cumulative case count has now reached 3,021,964, with the rate of increase at 1 per cent.

Moscow confirmed 7,480 new coronavirus cases over the given period, followed by St. Petersburg with 3,755 cases, and the Moscow region with 1,615 new cases.

Dec 26, 2020 16:52:06 (IST)

Coronavirus News Updates: China reports 20 new COVID-19 mainland cases

Mainland China recorded 20 new COVID-19 cases on December 25, compared with 14 cases the previous day, the country's health authority said on Saturday.

The National Health Commission said in its daily bulletin that 12 of the new cases were imported. Of the eight locally transmitted cases, six came from the northeastern province of Liaoning and two from the capital Beijing.

The new Beijing cases were from its Shunyi district, which has entered a "wartime state" requiring all residents to undergo testing, the state-owned China Daily reported on Saturday.

The People's Daily reported five people had tested positive after nucleic acid tests were carried out across Beijing's districts of Chaoyang, Shunyi and Tianzhu on Saturday.

Dec 26, 2020 16:29:05 (IST)

Tokyo sets new daily record with 949 Covid-19 cases amid holidays

The Japanese capital city of Tokyo on Saturday reported a record 949 coronavirus cases amid a surge in infections during the New Year holidays, the NHK broadcaster reported, citing the metropolitan government.

According to the media outlet, the figure surpassed the previous record of 888 cases registered on Thursday and exceeded 800 cases for the third consecutive day.

Dec 26, 2020 16:10:37 (IST)

COVID-19 News Updates: Puducherry reports 33 new cases

Puducherry has reported 33 new Covid-19 cases and one death on Saturday, while 36,962 patients have recovered so far, the health department said. As per it, the total number of active cases in the Union Territory currently stood at 355.

"Puducherry reported 33 new Covid-19 cases and one death today, taking active cases to 355 and deaths to 630. A total of 36,962 patients have recovered so far," the department said in a statement.

Dec 26, 2020 15:24:17 (IST)

Coronavirus Latest Updates: Russia Tops 30 Lakh COVID-19 Infections
Russia on Saturday passed 30 lakh confirmed coronavirus infections, as authorities hold out against reimposing a national lockdown while the country is battered by a second wave.

Official figures showed that a total of 3,021,964 cases have been detected, with 54,226 deaths.

In the past 24 hours, 29,258 new infections and 567 deaths were registered in Russia, fourth on the list of hardest-hit countries worldwide.

Dec 26, 2020 13:35:21 (IST)

Covid Latest News: Jagannath Temple In Puri Reopens For Local Residents

After remaining closed for nearly nine months due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Jagannath Temple in Puri was reopened for local residents on Saturday.

Puri District administration said that till December 31, locals will be allowed to enter the temple ward-wise after showing their voter card or Aadhaar card.

People from other parts of states and countries will be allowed to visit the temple from January 3 with a COVID-19 negative report, not more than four days old.

As per COVID-19 guidelines issued by Puri District administration, old persons above 65 years and children below 10 years will be not allowed to enter the temple premises.

Dec 26, 2020 13:07:59 (IST)

Coronavirus Live News: Telangana Reports 317 New Cases, 536 Discharges And 2 Deaths

Dec 26, 2020 12:29:20 (IST)

Coronavirus Latest News: 8 UK Returnees Test Covid Positive In Kerala

Eight people who recently returned from the UK to Kerala, have tested positive for coronavirus and their samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune for genomic analysis, PTI reported quoting Health Minister KK Shailaja on Saturday.

Surveillance at the four international airports in the state have been further strengthened.

Dec 26, 2020 11:03:50 (IST)

Coronavirus Latest News: UK Returnee Tests COVID-19 Positive In Maharashtra's Aurangabad

A woman, who had returned to Aurangabad in Maharashtra from the UK in the last few weeks, has tested positive for coronavirus, officials said on Saturday.

The woman is among the 44 persons who arrived in the district from the UK after November 25, they said.

"Eleven of these UK returnees underwent RT-PCR test, in which the woman was found infected with COVID-19. She is asymptomatic," Aurangabad Municipal Corporation's health officer Dr Neeta Padalkar said.

Dec 26, 2020 10:45:57 (IST)

Coronavirus Live Updates: India's Total Cases Rise To 1,01,69,118 With 22,272 New Infections

Dec 26, 2020 09:49:45 (IST)

Coronavirus Latest Updates: Telangana Adds 317 New Cases, Death Count Rises To 1,529

Telangana reported 317 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to over 2.84 lakh while two fatalities pushed the death count to 1,529, the state government said on Saturday.

Over 2.76 lakh people have recovered from the disease so far.

As many as 6,618 patients are under treatment and 30,376 samples were tested on Friday. Cumulatively, over 66.86 lakh samples have been tested.

Dec 26, 2020 09:31:59 (IST)

COVID-19 Live News: 16,71,59,289 Samples Tested Till December 25, Says Indian Council Of Medical Research

Dec 26, 2020 09:01:34 (IST)

Boston Doctor Has Severe Allergic Reaction To Moderna Covid Vaccine: Report

A doctor in Boston with a shellfish allergy developed a severe allergic reaction after receiving Moderna's coronavirus vaccine on Thursday, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing the doctor.

Dr Hossein Sadrzadeh, a geriatric oncology fellow at Boston Medical Center, said he had a severe reaction almost immediately after being vaccinated, feeling dizzy and with a racing heart.

It is the first severe reaction publicly linked to Moderna's vaccine, which is in its first week of a nationwide rollout.

Dec 26, 2020 07:34:58 (IST)

Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Assam reports lowest coronavirus cases since May 23

Assam reported 61 new COVID-19 positive cases on Friday, the lowest since May 23, with the

total cases so far rising to 2,15,836 ande no deaths were reported, state Minister for Health and Family Welfare Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The 61 new cases were detected out of 11,757 tests
conducted during the day with a positivity rate of 0.52 per cent, PTI reported.

Dec 26, 2020 07:33:30 (IST)

Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Tripura reports nine more COVID-19 cases

Nine more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Tripura on Friday, pushing the tally

to 33,225, a Health Department official said. The death count remained at 381, PTI reported.

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Daily updates 23 December 2020

National News

1. Dharmendra Pradhan dedicates Bengal’s 1st oil and gas reserve ‘Bengal Basin’

• Union Petroleum & Natural Gas Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan has dedicated West Bengal’s first oil and gas reserve, ‘Bengal Basin’, to the nation.
• The Bengal Basin is explored and owned by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). It is the eight producing basins of India by ONGC.
• The others are Krishna-Godavari (KG), Mumbai Offshore, Assam Shelf, Rajasthan, Cauvery, Assam-Arakan Fold Belt and Cambay.
• Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Limited commenced the production of crude oil from the Asokenagar-1 well, Bengal Basin in 24 Paragana district of the state on 20 December 2020.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of West Bengal: Mamata Banerjee; Governor: Jagdeep Dhankhar.

Summits and Conferences News

2. 12th GRIHA Summit of TERI Concludes

• The 12th GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) Summit was held virtually. It was inaugurated by Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu virtually.
• The Summit provides a platform to deliberate on innovative technologies and solutions to help in creating robust mechanisms for developing sustainable and resilient solutions for the benefit of the entire community.
• The theme of the Summit was “Rejuvenating Resilient Habitats”. It is the annual flagship event organized by GRIHA Council in association with ‘key stakeholders in the construction industry’ to discuss and deliberate on the furtherance of Sustainable Habitat Development in India.

Agreements News

3. ADB announces Rs 2100 crore loan to Tripura

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced to provide Rs 2,100 crore loan to the Tripura government for the development of urban areas and tourism in the northeastern state.
• From the total fund of Rs 2,100 crore, Rs 1600 crore will be for urban development and Rs 500 crore for the tourism sector.
• Under this, all 20 urban local bodies in Tripura would be covered and in the tourism sector, all tourism destinations, roads leading to them and tourist facilities would be covered.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• President of ADB: Masatsugu Asakawa; Headquarters: Manila, Philippines.
• ADB Established: 9 December 1966.

4. UN Women and Kerala govt tie-up for India's 1st Gender Data Hub

• The UN Women and Kerala government have collaborated to establish India's first Gender Data Hub. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in this regard in the presence of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
• Three key areas of co-operation, as specified in the MoU, will be setting up the Gender Data Centre at The Gender Park, launching the second edition of the International Conference on Gender Equality, and increasing engagement on the global normative frameworks on gender equality and empowerment of women.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of Kerala: Pinarayi Vijayan; Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan.

Appointments News

5. Vineet Agarwal takes over as new Assocham President

• Managing Director of logistics major Transport Corporation of India Limited, Vineet Agarwal has taken over as the new President of The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).
• He replaces Niranjan Hiranandani, Co-Founder and MD, Hiranandani Group of Companies. Sumant Sinha, Chairman and Managing Director of ReNew Power, is the new Senior Vice-President of Assocham.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Assocham Headquarters: New Delhi;
• Assocham Founded: 1920.

6. Satyendra Garg assumes Andaman and Nicobar DGP charge

• Senior IPS officer, Satyendra Garg has assumed Andaman and Nicobar DGP charge. Garg, a 1987-batch IPS officer was posted as joint secretary in the Union home ministry.
• He was handing the North East division in the home ministry as a joint secretary before being repatriated to his cadre.

Schemes and Committees News

7. Amit Shah to lead the panel on Netaji's 125th birth anniversary event

• The Union Government has decided to constitute a High-Level Committee (HLC) to commemorate the 125th Birth Anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. The High-Level Committee will be headed by the Union Home Minister,  Amit Shah.
• This HLC will decide on the activities for a one-year-long commemoration beginning 23 January 2021, as a tribute and mark of gratitude to the contribution made by Netaji in India’s freedom struggle.
• The other members of the High-Level Commemoration Committee will include experts, historians, authors, family members of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, as well as eminent persons associated with Azad Hind Fauj/INA.

Banking News

8. ICICI Bank launches online portal ‘Infinite India’

• ICICI Bank has launched an online platform ‘Infinite India’ to support foreign companies to establish or expand business in India.
• The one-stop portal will offer banking solutions as well as value-added services such as the incorporation of a business entity, corporate filings, licences and registrations, HR services, compliances and taxation among others.
• Through this initiative, ICICI bank aims to strengthen its position in the multinational corporations (MNC) segment. The initiative is part of our strategy to further strengthen our technology-enabled offerings aimed to partner with foreign companies coming to India.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• ICICI Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• ICICI Bank MD & CEO: Sandeep Bakhshi.
• ICICI Bank Tagline: Hum Hai Na, Khayal Apka.

9. BoB signs MoU with defence forces named "Baroda Military Salary package"

• Bank of Baroda (BoB) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard under which the bank would offer customised services along with a host of facilities to account holders.
• The bank has also renewed its existing MoU with the Indian Army to offer specially customised banking services through ''Baroda Military Salary Package''.
• Services under ''Baroda Military Salary Package will be offered to serving and retired personnel of Indian Armed Forces through the Bank''s network of over 8,200 domestic branches and around 20,000 business correspondent touchpoints.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Bank Of Baroda Headquarters: Vadodara, Gujarat, India.
• Bank Of Baroda Chairman: Hasmukh Adhia.
• Bank Of Baroda MD & CEO: Sanjiv Chadha.

Economy News

10. NCAER projects India’s GDP to contract 7.3% in FY21

• The National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) has projected the Indian economy to contract 7.3 per cent in FY21, compared to -12.6% forecast in September 2020.
• The Delhi based economic think tank released its mid-year review of the Indian economy virtually on 21 December 2020.

Awards News

11. Donald Trump Honours PM Modi With Top US Honour ‘Legion Of Merit’

• US President Donald Trump has presented America’s highest military decoration, ‘The Legion of Merit’, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• The prestigious Legion of Merit was given to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his leadership in elevating strategic partnership of the two countries.
• The award was accepted by India’s Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu on behalf of the prime minister from the US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien at the White House on 21 December 2020.

Important Days

12. India Observes National Farmer’s Day on December 23

• National Farmer’s Day (Kisan Diwas) is observed every year on 23 December in India to remember the role of Indian farmers in the economy.
• The day is observed to mark the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh. He brought farmer-friendly policies and worked towards the welfare of the farmers. He was the fifth Prime Minister of India and served the country as Prime Minister from 28 July 1979 to 14 January 1980.