23rd-25th December, 2022

1. India’s first infantry museum will be inaugurated in Mhow cantonment in Indore district of Madhya Pradesh.
2. Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs has launched the Impact Leaders programme to create Impact Leaders in the areas of Environmental-Social-Governance (ESG).
3. Ministry of Ayush is currently implementing a Central Sector Scheme titled AYURSWASTHYA Yojana.
4. The tentative list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites includes Sun temple, Modhera, Gujarat; Vadnagar, Gujarat; and Rock-cut sculptures of Unakoti, Tripura.
5. 19th meeting of the Experts and Coordinators of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Interbank consortium (SCO-IBC) was held in New Delhi.
6. J&K signed an MOU with the Ladakh administration for conferring professional status to each other. This MOU will also allow “J&K Bank” to become the “preferred banker” of the UT.
7. Kerala has launched its 1st smart mobile composting unit. The state will eliminate its waste management issues by 2026.
8. Odisha has launched the ‘Drink from Tap’ project in 19 cities and towns of the state.
9. Kerala Startup Mission has signed an MOU with HDFC Bank to engage more deeply with the start-up community and to promote entrepreneurship in the state.
10. ‘INS Arnala’, the first of the eight of the Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft Project, being built by GRSE for the Indian Navy.
11. Innovations for Defence Excellence (IDEX) has signed its 150th contract with Pune-based Altair Infrasec Pvt Ltd.
12. Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) has signed an MOU with Bangalore-based deep tech startup QNu Labs to develop indigenous Satellite QKD (quantum key distribution) products.
13. US-based Cognizant has signed an MoU with Chennai-based drone startup, Garuda Aerospace to fit advanced digital capabilities on its drones.
14. Tata Projects Ltd. has signed an MOU with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research—Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP) to jointly work towards clean energy solutions.
15. NASA has ended its InSight mission after more than four years of collecting information on Mars.
16. NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of California, to provide launch services for the Sentinel-6B mission.
17. UI GreenMetric World University Rankings 2022 has been released by The Universitas Indonesia and the Manipal Academy of Higher Education in Manipal, Karnataka.
18. Online home services platform Urban Company has signed an agreement with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to provide training and digital certification to “thousands” of freshers.
19. RBL Bank, one of India’s leading private sector banks, won IBSi Global FinTech Innovation Awards 2022 in the Best CRM System Implementation and Most Impactful Project categories along with BUSINESSNEXT.
20. Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd, signed definitive agreements to acquire a 100% equity stake in Metro Cash and Carry India Pvt Ltd, which operates under the ‘Metro India’ brand, for a cash consideration of Rs 2,850 crore.
21. RBI has granted in-principle authorisation to Worldline ePayments India Private Limited to act as a payment aggregator under the provisions of Guidelines on Regulation of Payment Aggregators and Payment Gateways dated March 17, 2020.
22. Karnataka Bank has gone live in the Indian Customs Electronic Gateway (ICEGATE), the national portal of Indian Customs of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.
23. International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has come up with a regulatory framework for Distribution of Capital Market Products and Services under IFSCA (Capital Market Intermediaries) Regulations, 2021.
24. Indian Gas Exchange (IGX), promoted by the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX), has launched GIXI – the first-ever, nationwide price index to track benchmark natural gas prices for India.
25. Puma, the manufacturer and designer of causal and athletic footwear, has roped in Bollywood actor and entrepreneur Anushka Sharma as its brand ambassador.
26. Central Govt has appointed Justice Hemant Gupta as the Chairperson of the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre.
27. December 22 – National Mathematics Day (birthday of Srinivasan Ramanujan on Dec 22, 1887)
28. Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has become the only Indian to be named in the Empire magazine’s ’50 Greatest Actors of All Time’.
29. 7th edition of Digital India Awards-2022 has been awarded by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
30. Gamaka exponent Padma Shri awardee H R Keshava Murthy passed away.

National News

1. India’s first infantry museum will be inaugurated in Mhow cantonment in Indore district of Madhya Pradesh.
   • There are 64 cantonment boards in India.
2. Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs has launched the Impact Leaders programme to create Impact Leaders in the areas of Environmental-Social-Governance (ESG).
   • IICA is an autonomous institution under the aegis of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
   • IICA has also formed a National Association of Impact Leaders which is a membership-based association only for ESG professionals. The association will provide a platform for further professional advancement and engagement to its members.
3. Ministry of Ayush is currently implementing a Central Sector Scheme titled AYURSWASTHYA Yojana.
   • Components of the scheme –
     • AYUSH and Public Health: To promote AYUSH medication for community health care.
     • Up-gradation of facilities to Centre of Excellence: To provide financial assistance to individual organizations/institutes to advance their R&D in AYUSH and establish AYUSH medical health units in reputed AYUSH and Allopathic institutions both in Government and Non-Government sector
       • Financial support of Rs 10 crores per organization is given under this component.
4. The tentative list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites includes Sun temple, Modhera, Gujarat; Vadnagar, Gujarat; and Rock-cut sculptures of Unakoti, Tripura.
5. 19th meeting of the Experts and Coordinators of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Interbank consortium (SCO-IBC) was held in New Delhi.
   • During the meeting, it was decided to create a data bank of the various initiatives which have been taken so.
   • The bank will collect data on the work done towards the sustainable development goals, and climate finance initiatives, besides sharing the best practices and experiences amongst the member countries.
   • India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL) is presiding over the Presidency of the SCO Interbank Consortium (SCO IBC) during the period of October 26 to October 25 2023.

State News

1. J&K signed an MOU with the Ladakh administration for conferring professional status to each other. This MOU will also allow “J&K Bank” to become the “preferred banker” of the UT.
   • J&K has approved the Rehabilitation Policy for Children in Street Situation to safeguard children from dangerous situations.
2. Kerala has launched its 1st smart mobile composting unit. The state will eliminate its waste management issues by 2026.
3. Odisha has launched the ‘Drink from Tap’ project in 19 cities and towns of the state.
   • In October 2020, the Odisha government launched the ‘Sujal-Drink from Tap Mission’ to provide quality drinking water which would be suitable for consumption from the tap in Puri and Bhuvneshwar.
4. Kerala Startup Mission has signed an MOU with HDFC Bank to engage more deeply with the start-up community and to promote entrepreneurship in the state.
   • The Bank will extend its full-suite of specialized services and facilities tailored for start-ups, known as Smart-Up, to all the firms associated with KSUM.

Defence News

1. ‘INS Arnala’, the first of the eight of the Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft Project, being built by GRSE for the Indian Navy.
2. Innovations for Defence Excellence (IDEX) has signed its 150th contract with Pune-based Altair Infrasec Pvt Ltd.
   • Altair Infrasec Pvt Ltd. won Defence India Start-up Challenge (DISC 7) SPRINT edition. Now, Altair will develop the ‘Expendable Mobile Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Training Target (EMATT) capable of simulating the sound and movement of a submarine’.

Memorandum of Understanding

1. Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) has signed an MOU with Bangalore-based deep tech startup QNu Labs to develop indigenous Satellite QKD (quantum key distribution) products.
2. US-based Cognizant has signed an MoU with Chennai-based drone startup, Garuda Aerospace to fit advanced digital capabilities on its drones.
   • The partnership aims at bringing innovative solutions at scale for enterprises looking to achieve greater agility, productivity, and high return on investment.
3. Tata Projects Ltd. has signed an MOU with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research—Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP) to jointly work towards clean energy solutions.

International News

1. NASA has ended its InSight mission after more than four years of collecting information on Mars.
   • Launched in 2018, InSight was the first robotic probe that was specially designed to study the interiors of Mars.
2. NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of California, to provide launch services for the Sentinel-6B mission.
   • Sentinel-6B has been collecting long-term global sea level data since 1992.
   • The mission is a partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.

Reports and Indices

1. UI GreenMetric World University Rankings 2022 has been released by The Universitas Indonesia and the Manipal Academy of Higher Education in Manipal, Karnataka.
   • Top rankers –

Banking and Economy

1. Online home services platform Urban Company has signed an agreement with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to provide training and digital certification to “thousands” of freshers.
   • The certificates will be QR coded and will be available on both NSDC’s Skill India portal and the Urban Company app.
2. RBL Bank, one of India’s leading private sector banks, won IBSi Global FinTech Innovation Awards 2022 in the Best CRM System Implementation and Most Impactful Project categories along with BUSINESSNEXT.
3. Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd, signed definitive agreements to acquire a 100% equity stake in Metro Cash and Carry India Pvt Ltd, which operates under the ‘Metro India’ brand, for a cash consideration of Rs 2,850 crore.
4. RBI has granted in-principle authorisation to Worldline ePayments India Private Limited to act as a payment aggregator under the provisions of Guidelines on Regulation of Payment Aggregators and Payment Gateways dated March 17, 2020.
5. Karnataka Bank has gone live in the Indian Customs Electronic Gateway (ICEGATE), the national portal of Indian Customs of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.
   • The portal enables its customers to pay customs duty online.
   • This integration of KBL on ICEGATE portal will enable all the individual and corporate customers to pay customs duty at their convenience, thus helping them in the smooth conduct of their business.
6. International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has come up with a regulatory framework for Distribution of Capital Market Products and Services under IFSCA (Capital Market Intermediaries) Regulations, 2021.
   • Distributors may undertake distribution of:
     • Capital Market Products – which include a wide bouquet of securities as covered under Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956.
     • Capital Market Services – which include portfolio management services and investment advisory services.
   • IFSCA registered / licensed entities, such as Banking Units, Finance Companies, Broker-Dealers, Investment Bankers, Investment Advisers and Corporate Agents – may avail of the simplified registration process and undertake distribution services from IFSC.
   • IFSCA and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) have signed an MoU for mutual assistance and cooperation in the area of sustainable finance.

7. Indian Gas Exchange (IGX), promoted by the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX), has launched GIXI – the first-ever, nationwide price index to track benchmark natural gas prices for India.
   • India has a target of achieving a 15% share of natural gas in India’s energy mix.
   • IGX Price Index has been developed with the purpose of deriving a single price for the country in line with international benchmarks.

Appointments

1. Puma, the manufacturer and designer of causal and athletic footwear, has roped in Bollywood actor and entrepreneur Anushka Sharma as its brand ambassador.
2. Central Govt has appointed Justice Hemant Gupta as the Chairperson of the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre.
   • Set up in 2019, the NDIAC has been declared to be an institution of national importance and is mandated to be a seven-member body that is headed by a former Judge of the Supreme Court or a High Court or an eminent person.
   • Recently, the Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju introduced a Bill to rename the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre as the India International Arbitration Centre.

Important Days

1. December 22 – National Mathematics Day (birthday of Srinivasan Ramanujan on Dec 22, 1887)

Awards

1. Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has become the only Indian to be named in the Empire magazine’s ’50 Greatest Actors of All Time’.
2. 7th edition of Digital India Awards-2022 has been awarded by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
   • These are conducted by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY).

Miscellaneous

1. Gamaka exponent Padma Shri awardee H R Keshava Murthy passed away.

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