Test: December 2020 Weekly Current Affair - 3 - UPSC MCQ

S&P Global Ratings raised India’s growth projection for the current fiscal to (-) 7.7 per cent from (-) 9 per cent estimated earlier on rising demand and falling COVID infection rates.

Musician Shankar Mahadevan and fashion designer Raghavendra Rathore have been named among 15 winners of the annual 21st Century Icon Awards, unveiled virtually from London.

Noted wrestler Shripati Khanchnale, who had won the prestigious ‘Hind Kesari’ title in 1959, died at a private hospital in Kolhapur in western Maharashtra. He was 86.

An indigenously built interceptor boat C-454 was handed over to the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) at an event at Hazira in Surat district. The vessel will operate from Gujarat under the control of the Commander Coast Guard Region (North-West) of the ICG.

Uttar Pradesh government will launch a special program to double the income of farmers. The program named as Kisan Kalyan Mission will cover all assembly constituencies of the state.

The Uttar Pradesh government has launched special campaign to curb property & land-related disputes in rural areas.

The President of the United States of America conferred the highest decoration, The Legion of Merit, Degree Chief Commander, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The award was received on behalf of the Prime Minister by the Ambassador of India to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu. At the ceremony, The Legion of Merit, was also awarded to the Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison, and former Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe.

Government of India and World Bank have signed 400 million dollar project to protect India’s poor and vulnerable from the impact of COVID-19. This is the second operation in a programmatic series of two.

ICICI Bank has launched a new online platform for foreign firms looking to set up or expand their business in India. The platform, dubbed ‘Infinite India’, will offer foreign businesses banking solutions and value-added services.

India and Bangladesh will reopen the Chilahati-Haldibari rail link after nearly 55 years. It was cut off during the 1965 India-Pakistan war. The inauguration of the rail link take place during the Virtual Summit of the Prime Ministers of India and Bangladesh.

Indian Army and Bank of Baroda have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU for Baroda Military Salary Package.

The Government of India and New Development Bank signed a loan agreement for one thousand million dollar to provide support to Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan through MGNREGA Scheme.

The World Bank approved four India projects worth over USD 800 million to support development initiatives.
The projects that have been approved are: Chhattisgarh Inclusive Rural and Accelerated Agriculture Growth Project (CHIRAAG); Nagaland: Enhancing Classroom Teaching and Resources Project; and Second Dam Improvement and Rehabilitation Project (DRIP-2).

The Kerala government and UN Women 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.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated India’s first advanced Hypersonic Wind Tunnel (HWT) test facility at Hyderabad, making India the third country after the US and Russia to have such a facility.

France was accepted as 23rd member state of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has sanctioned a $231m loan for the construction of the Lower Kopili Hydroelectric Power (LKHEP) plant in Central Assam, India.

Vice-President of India Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu had virtually released Governor of Mizoram, Shri P S Sreedharan Pillai’s 125th book titled ‘Oh, Mizoram’ – a collection of English poems.

Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo has been re-elected after a tightly contested election.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved assistance of three thousand 500 crore rupees for sugarcane farmers.

Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati has been elected as the Vice President of Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), one of the largest broadcasting associations in the world.

Maharashtra Social Justice Minister Dhananjay Munde unveiled a Braille version of the Indian Constitution at an event in Mumbai.

The UN Environment Program (UNEP) is presenting the Champions of the Earth Award since 2005, to inspire and motivate more people to act for nature. The 2020 Champions of the Earth Award has been bestowed upon 6 individuals. The list of winners is given below.
1.Policy Leadership – Frank Bainimarama, the Prime Minister of Fiji
2.Inspiration and Action – Yacouba Sawadogo, a farmer from Burkina Faso
3.Inspiration and Action – Nemonte Nenquimo, an Ecuadorian female green campaigner
4.Science and Innovation – Fabian Leendertz, a German scientist
5.Entrepreneur Vision – Mindy Lubber, an American social entrepreneur
6.Lifetime Achievement Award – Robert D. Bullard, an American scholar.

Edelweiss General Insurance (EGI), India’s first cloud-native insurer, has launched a first of its kind, Open API (Application Programming Interface) Gateway, to facilitate complete digital collaboration with its business partners.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it has signed a $40 million loan to Northern Arc Capital Limited (NACL) to support the livelihoods of microfinance borrowers and MSMEs in India.