15th December, 2022

1. Union Minister for Tourism, Culture, and Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER) Shri G Kishan Reddy has launched various projects under Swadesh Darshan scheme.
2. The cervical cancer vaccine named Cervavac, developed by Serum Institute of India, will be rolled out by next year.
3. Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has launched the NPS Prosperity Planner (NPP) to help individuals calculate their retirement income based on annuity options and contributions to the National Pension System.
4. Union Minister for Jal Shakti Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat inaugurated the 7th Edition of the India Water Impact Summit (IWIS) at New Delhi.
5. Airbnb has signed an MOU with the Goa government to promote the state as one of the most high-potential tourist destinations around the world.
6. NTPC has established its new Devikot solar PV projects at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The solar power projects will have a capacity of 150 MW and 90 MW.
7. Maharashtra government has set up a committee, headed by Mangal Prabhat Lodha, to gather information on the interfaith and inter-caste marriage couples.
8. Kerala government has passed the Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022 to replace the governor from the post of chancellor in the universities in the state.
9. Karnataka government has formed a 5-member Cabinet Sub-committee, headed by JC Madhuswamy (Law and Parliamentary affairs minister), to make recommendations on providing internal reservation for scheduled caste.
10. Kozhikode, Kerala has applied for a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for its famous Beypore Uru (boat).
11. 6th edition of Indo – Kazakhstan joint army training exercise “KAZIND-22” is being conducted at Umroi (Meghalaya) from 15 to 28 December 2022.
12. MTAR Technologies has signed an MOU with IN-SPACe India for design and development of a two-stage to low-earth orbit all-liquid small satellite launch vehicle.
13. All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) has signed an MOU with the University of Medical Sciences, Cuba.
14. G7 countries have created an International Climate Club for countries that want to cooperate in the fight against global warming.
15. European Union has given Bosnia a Candidate status.
16. WHO has released the “World Malaria Report 2022”.
17. According to The Wheebox India Skills 2023 Report, the employability of Indians has increased.
18. GODI India, the first Indian company to get BIS certification to sell lithium-ion cells made with homegrown technology, has started manufacturing India’s first ever 5.2 Ah 21700 cylindrical lithium-ion cells.
19. Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd has formed a joint venture company with Kyrgyzindustry – Open Joint Stock Company to construct rail road and other infrastructure projects in Kyrgyz Republic.
20. Universal Sompo General Insurance has partnered with Zopper, an insurance infrastructure API platform, to roll out a special integrated offering for customers.
21. Canara HSBC Life Insurance has launched the “Guaranteed Fortune Plan”, a non-linked, non-participating individual savings life insurance plan.
22. Central government has received an amount of Rs 60.46 crore in tax from entities for transactions in virtual digital assets (VDAs), including cryptocurrencies, since the introduction of TDS Provisions in July 2022.
23. According to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman, banks have written off bad loans worth over ₹10 lakh crore during the last five financial years.
24. World Health Organization (WHO) has appointed Dr Jeremy Farrar as its new chief scientist.
25. Shri Shaji K V has been appointed as the Chairman of NABARD.
26. World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO) has presented the 2022 Masters of the WGO award to Chennai-based gastroenterologist R. Palaniswamy for his contributions to the field of gastroenterology.
27. Asian Academy Creative Awards 2022 have been announced.
28. Women’s Tennis Association has announced its Awards for 2022.
29. International Master Harshavardhan won gold medal at the Asian Junior Chess held in the Philippines.
30. Julia Bell Reichert (American Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, activist, and feminist) has passed away.
31. Padma Shri awardee & Veteran Lavani Singer Sulochana Chavan passed away

National News

1. Union Minister for Tourism, Culture, and Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER) Shri G Kishan Reddy has launched various projects under Swadesh Darshan scheme.
   • The projects included renovation of various temples.
   • The union minister also inaugurated Puducherry Shopping Festival 2022 logo.

2. The cervical cancer vaccine named Cervavac, developed by Serum Institute of India, will be rolled out by next year.
   • This indigenously developed quadrivalent vaccine will be available at a cheaper price.
3. Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has launched the NPS Prosperity Planner (NPP) to help individuals calculate their retirement income based on annuity options and contributions to the National Pension System.
   • The Facility is available for individuals through the three central recordkeeping agencies (CRAs)—Protean (formerly NSDL), Fintech, and CAMS.
   • PFRDA has appointed Suraj Bhan as the chairman of NPS Trust in November 2022.
4. Union Minister for Jal Shakti Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat inaugurated the 7th Edition of the India Water Impact Summit (IWIS) at New Delhi.
   • The theme of this year’s Summit is ‘Restoration and Conservation of Small Rivers in a Large Basin’ with emphasis on the select aspects of ‘Mapping and Convergence of 5Ps’ – People, Policy, Plan, Programme and Project.
   • An online learning platform named PtB was launched in collaboration with Germany to strengthen quality infrastructure water monitoring of the river Ganga.
   • This will be done through the data collected in the river basin of Ganga to monitor water quality based on recognized quality-assurance measures.

State News

1. Airbnb has signed an MOU with the Goa government to promote the state as one of the most high-potential tourist destinations around the world.
2. NTPC has established its new Devikot solar PV projects at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The solar power projects will have a capacity of 150 MW and 90 MW.
3. Maharashtra government has set up a committee, headed by Mangal Prabhat Lodha, to gather information on the interfaith and inter-caste marriage couples.
4. Kerala government has passed the Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022 to replace the governor from the post of chancellor in the universities in the state.
   • The government shall appoint an accommodation or a person of eminence from any field as the chancellor of the universities.
   • Chancellor will be appointed for a period of five years and the person appointed as chance love shall be eligible for the appointment of one or more terms.
5. Karnataka government has formed a 5-member Cabinet Sub-committee, headed by JC Madhuswamy (Law and Parliamentary affairs minister), to make recommendations on providing internal reservation for scheduled caste.
   • In the historic Indra Sawhney case (1992), the Supreme Court has provided the upper cap of 50% reservation. Presently, the reservation in the state of Karnataka stands at 56%.
   • In 2012, the Justice AJ Sadashiva commission recommended the reclassification of SC.
6. Kozhikode, Kerala has applied for a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for its famous Beypore Uru (boat).
   • Beypore Uru is a wooden dhow (ship / sailing boat / sailing vessel) handcrafted by skilled artisans and carpenters in Beypore, Kerala.

Defence News

1. 6th edition of Indo – Kazakhstan joint army training exercise “KAZIND-22” is being conducted at Umroi (Meghalaya) from 15 to 28 December 2022.
   • The joint annual training exercise with the Kazakhstan Army was instituted in 2016 as Exercise Prabal Dostyk, which was later upgraded to a company-level exercise and renamed the Ex Kazind in 2018.

Memorandum of Understanding

1. MTAR Technologies has signed an MOU with IN-SPACe India for design and development of a two-stage to low-earth orbit all-liquid small satellite launch vehicle.

2. All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) has signed an MOU with the University of Medical Sciences, Cuba.
   • The AIIA has also extended the agreement with Rosenberg European Academy of Ayurveda (REAA), Germany, for five more years to take forward collaborative programmes.
   • The agreements were signed during the 9th World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) and Arogya Expo in Goa.

International News

1. G7 countries have created an International Climate Club for countries that want to cooperate in the fight against global warming.
   • The climate club aims to support the rapid and ambitious implementation of the Paris Agreement, which seeks to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).
   • G7 Presidency in 2022 – Germany
   • G7 Presidency in 2023 – Japan

2. European Union has given Bosnia a Candidate status.

Reports and Indices

1. WHO has released the “World Malaria Report 2022”.
   • Covid-19 has disrupted attempts to control malaria. It has caused 63,000 more deaths and 13 million more infections globally over the last two years.
   • Globally, there were an estimated 247 million malaria cases in 2021 in 84 malaria endemic countries (including the territory of French Guiana), an increase from 245 million in 2020.
   • Belize and Cabo Verde reported zero malaria cases for the third consecutive year, with Iran and Malaysia reporting zero indigenous cases for the fourth consecutive year.
   • Five countries – Azerbaijan, Belize, Cabo Verde, Iran (Islamic Republic of) and Tajikistan – have submitted an official request for malaria free certification.
   • In 2021, with the ongoing increase in malaria cases, HBHI countries accounted for 68% of all cases and 70% of deaths globally.

2. According to The Wheebox India Skills 2023 Report, the employability of Indians has increased.
   • 50.3% of Indians were found to be employable as compared to the 46.2% last year.
   • Parameters – Wheebox’s national employability test (for freshers) and India hiring intent survey (for companies)
   • Among cities, Mumbai has the highest overall employment percentage of candidates, followed by Lucknow and Mangalore.
   • The report found women to be more employable at 52.8%, as compared to men at 47.2%.
   • Currently, the share of women in India’s workforce – at 33% – is much less than that of males at 67%.
   • On the other hand, countries in South America, Asia, and Africa have a women’s workforce participation rate of 36%.
   • Rajasthan has the most percentage of employable females at 53.5%, followed by Uttar Pradesh at 46.5%.

Banking and Economy

1. GODI India, the first Indian company to get BIS certification to sell lithium-ion cells made with homegrown technology, has started manufacturing India’s first ever 5.2 Ah 21700 cylindrical lithium-ion cells.
   • The cells have an energy density of 275 Wh/kg based on silicon anode technology.
2. Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd has formed a joint venture company with Kyrgyzindustry – Open Joint Stock Company to construct rail road and other infrastructure projects in Kyrgyz Republic.
   • RVNL is a Category-I MiniRatna CPSE under the Ministry of Railways.
   • Kyrgyzindustry-RVNL is a closed joint stock company.
3. Universal Sompo General Insurance has partnered with Zopper, an insurance infrastructure API platform, to roll out a special integrated offering for customers.
   • Through this partnership, customers will have access to buy insurance seamlessly along with an option to purchase a protection plan.
4. Canara HSBC Life Insurance has launched the “Guaranteed Fortune Plan”, a non-linked, non-participating individual savings life insurance plan.
   • It has two options – guaranteed savings option and guaranteed cash back option.
5. Central government has received an amount of Rs 60.46 crore in tax from entities for transactions in virtual digital assets (VDAs), including cryptocurrencies, since the introduction of TDS Provisions in July 2022.
   • The government imposed a 30% income tax plus surcharge and cess on transfer of crypto assets like bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin with effect from April 1, 2022.
   • In addition to this, a 1% tax deducted at source (PDS) was levied under section 194S of the Income Tax, 1961 on crypto payments of over 10,000 with effect from July 1, 2022.
6. According to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman, banks have written off bad loans worth over ₹10 lakh crore during the last five financial years.

Appointments

1. World Health Organization (WHO) has appointed Dr Jeremy Farrar as its new chief scientist.
2. Shri Shaji K V has been appointed as the Chairman of NABARD.

Awards

1. World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO) has presented the 2022 Masters of the WGO award to Chennai-based gastroenterologist R. Palaniswamy for his contributions to the field of gastroenterology.
   • Palaniswamy received the award at the World Congress of Gastroenterology being held in Dubai.

2. Asian Academy Creative Awards 2022 have been announced.
   • Indian winners –

3. Women’s Tennis Association has announced its Awards for 2022.
   • WTA Player of the Year: Iga Swiatek (Poland)
   • WTA Newcomer of the Year: Qinwen Zheng (Chinese)

Sports

1. International Master Harshavardhan won gold medal at the Asian Junior Chess held in the Philippines.
   • Rakshitta Ravi has won a silver in Classical and a Bronze in Blitz event.

Miscellaneous

1. Julia Bell Reichert (American Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, activist, and feminist) has passed away.
2. Padma Shri awardee & Veteran Lavani Singer Sulochana Chavan passed away.

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