19 DECEMBER 2021 DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS | UPSC CDS CAPF AFCAT NDA SSB

1. INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION (IDA)

The World Bank's fund to help the world's poorest nations got a $93 billion injection of cash to help scale up aid for pandemic recovery and other programs, the institution announced.

About:

It was the biggest replenishment ever for the International Development Association (IDA), which provides grants for 74 countries, most of which are in Africa, the Washington-based development lender said.
The package includes $23.5 billion of contributions from 48 high- and middle-income countries as well as financing raised in the capital markets and the World Bank's own contributions.
The IDA fund is replenished every three years, but because of the pandemic, the latest cash injection was pulled forward by a year and will be in place through June 2025.
The World Bank said the funds will help countries better prepare for future crises, including pandemics, financial shocks, and natural disasters.

Important Info :

Key facts

The International Development Association (IDA) is an international financial institution which offers concessional loans and grants to the world's poorest developing countries.
The IDA is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States.
It was established in 1960 to complement the existing International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Source: All India Radio

2. TYPHOON RAI

Super typhoon Rai is battering the southern Philippines, forcing thousands of people to take shelter amid warnings of widespread flooding and destruction. The storm made landfall in Siargao, a popular tourist island, packing winds of about 175km/h.

About:

Typhoon Rai, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Odette, is currently a powerful tropical cyclone over the South China Sea which recently passed through the Philippines.
Rai became the first Category 5 super typhoon since Nock-ten to form in the month of December and the third Category 5 super typhoon to form in South China Sea after Pamela of 1954 and Rammasun of 2014.
The Philippines is used to powerful storms - it is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons a year. Super typhoon Goni left a trail of death and destruction in November 2020.
It was the most powerful storm to hit the country since Typhoon Haiyan killed more than 6,000 people in 2013.

Source: All India Radio

3. PUNEET SAGAR ABHIYAN

National Cadet Corps, NCC, and National Highways Authority of India, NHAI has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to reuse plastic wastes collected by NCC Cadets during Puneet Sagar Abhiyan and other Swachhta activities.

About:

Plastic wastes collected is planned to be handed over to NHAI which can use in road construction across the country.
A total of three lakh forty thousand cadets from 127 coastal area NCC Units are participating in the month-long activity.
So far, cadets at different locations of these areas have collected plastic wastes amounting to almost six tons.
The aim of Puneet Sagar Abhiyan is to propagate the message of the Importance of clean seashores and beaches amongst the local population.

Source: All India Radio

4. GANGA EXPRESSWAY

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the longest expressway of Uttar Pradesh Ganga Expressway in Shahjahanpur district.

About:

The 594 Km long six-lane Expressway will be built at a cost of over Rs 36,200 crore.
Starting near the Bijauli village in Meerut, the Expressway will extend till near the Judapur Dandu village in Prayagraj. It will pass through Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Budaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, RaeBareli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj districts.
Upon completion of work, it will become the longest expressway of Uttar Pradesh, connecting the western and eastern regions of the state.
The journey from Meerut to Prayagraj which otherwise takes 13 to 14 hours can be covered in 6 to 7 hours after completion of the Ganga expressway.
A 3.5 Km long airstrip for assisting emergency take-off and landing of Air Force planes will also be constructed on the Expressway in Shahjahanpur. An industrial corridor is also proposed to be built along the Expressway.
This is the fourth expressway in the state in last five years which is either complete or under construction.

Source: All India Radio

5. AGNI P

India has successfully test-fired new generation nuclear-capable ballistic missile ‘Agni P’, from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam island off the coast of Odisha.

About:

The missile has been developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Agni P is a two-stage canisterised solid-propellant ballistic missile with dual redundant navigation and guidance system.
This second flight-test has proven the reliable performance of all the advanced technologies integrated into the system.

Source: All India Radio

6. PM GatiShakti

The Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS) which has been constituted to monitor the implementation of PM GatiShakti held its first meeting under the chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary.

About:

The EGoS made several important decisions in the meeting.
It has been decided to compile the infrastructural gaps as felt by various Economic Ministries. This is to be forwarded to the concerned Infrastructure Ministry for appropriate consideration to include in the annual action plan for the next financial year.
Ministry of Commerce and Industry said that decision was made to study the multimodal connectivity to all the economic zones in the country on priority so that gaps are identified.
During the meeting, EGoS emphasised the need for digitisation and It was felt to integrate all management information systems of different so as to enable ease of usage.
EGoS has also emphasised that all the Ministries should include in their planning logistics cost reduction at the core so as to achieve the objective of PM GatiShakti.

Important Info :

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan for providing multimodal connectivity to various Economic Zones in the country.
PM GatiShakti aims to reduce logistics cost.
Currently, the logistics cost in India is about 13 per cent of the GDP whereas in other developed countries it is to the extent of 8 per cent.

Source: All India Radio

7. PARVOVIRUS

Nearly 2,000 pet and stray dogs in Amravati city were affected by canine parvovirus virus last month with veterinarians cautioning pet owners against a severe outbreak.

About:

It is a highly contagious viral disease that can also be life-threatening in puppies and dogs. Parvovirus affects the intestinal tract of canines with puppies being more susceptible.
Bloody diarrhoea, vomiting, drastic weight loss, dehydration and lethargy are some of the symptoms. The virus has reported a 90 per cent mortality rate.
The highly contagious virus spreads through direct contact with an infected dog or by indirect contact with a contaminated object, including the hands and clothing of people who handle infected dogs.
Parvovirus has no cure and inoculating a puppy or a dog gives them a fighting chance against the infection. To properly protect canines, it is necessary to administer the vaccine to them while they are puppies and then continue to do the same every year.

Source : Indian Express

8. CONVENTION ON CERTAIN CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS

This year, for the first time, a majority of the 125 nations that belong to an agreement called the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons said they wanted curbs on killer robots.

About:

But they were opposed by members that are developing these weapons, most notably the United States and Russia.
Killer robots means drones, guns and bombs that decide on their own, with artificial brains, whether to attack and kill.

Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons

The United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW or CCWC), concluded at Geneva on October 10, 1980, and entered into force in December 1983, seeks to prohibit or restrict the use of certain conventional weapons which are considered excessively injurious or whose effects are indiscriminate.
The full title is Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects.
The convention covers land mines, booby traps, incendiary devices, blinding laser weapons and clearance of explosive remnants of war.

Source: Indian Express

9. AMAZON-FUTURE DEAL

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has withdrawn approval for Amazon’s investment in Future Coupons Private Ltd. that was granted in 2019.

About:

The unprecedented move by the regulator could deal a blow to Amazon’s attempts to thwart a takeover of the Future Group’s retail assets by Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL). The CCI said it has concluded that Amazon “misled” the regulator about its intentions regarding its investment in FCPL.
The antitrust regulator also imposed a penalty of ₹200 crore on Amazon for failing to notify the details of its ‘combination’, as required in law.
It also imposed a separate penalty of ₹2 crore for suppressing the actual scope and purpose of the combination, a term used in competition law for acquisition, merger or amalgamation of two or more enterprises.
Amazon has for months successfully used the terms of its toehold $200 million investment in Future Group in 2019 to block the Indian retailer’s attempt to sell retail assets to Reliance.

Source: The Hindu

10. CHRISTMAS PARTY SCANDAL

UK’s senior-most civil servant, Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, will no longer investigate the Downing Street lockdown Christmas parties, dubbed the “Christmas Party scandal” or the “partygate” probe.

About:

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has apologised in Parliament for a controversial video in which his staff is seen joking about a Christmas party at Downing Street during the Covid-19 lockdown last year.
The video was purportedly shot when the country was reeling under the Covid-19 crisis and festivities were banned.

Source: Indian Express

19 DECEMBER 2021 DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS | UPSC CDS CAPF AFCAT NDA SSB

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

20 DECEMBER 2021 DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS | UPSC CDS CAPF AFCAT NDA SSB

26 DECEMBER 2021 DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS | UPSC CDS CAPF AFCAT NDA SSB

Categories

Latest Affair