Top Current Affairs 22 December 2020
Top Current Affairs 22 December 2020: This post contains the latest current affairs for 22 December 2020 that are important for all competitive exams like Bank, SSC, IBPS, SBI exams. You can also attempt our Current Affairs Quiz after reading our daily current affairs.
National
Government Notifies new “Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020” to give consumers the right to 24×7 supply
- The Union Power Ministry has framed the new ‘Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020, which shall empower the consumers of electricity and give them right to get the reliable services and quality electricity.
- The new Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020, was notified by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, R K Singh on 21 December 2020.
- These rules provide for Rights of consumers and Obligations of Distribution licensees.
- Some key areas covered under the rule includes release of new connection and modification in existing connection, metering arrangement, Billing and Payment among others.
- The distribution licensee shall supply 24×7 power to all consumers. However, the Commission may specify lower hours of supply for some categories of consumers like agriculture.
- Click here for detailed Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar releases ‘Status of Leopards in India 2018’ report
- The Union environment minister Shri Prakash Javadekar released a report titled the ‘Status of Leopard in India 2018’.
- As per the report, the population of leopard in India has increased by 60 percent in four years since 2014.
- India now has 12,852 leopards as per 2018 estimate, compared to the previous estimate of 7910 conducted in 2014.
- The States of Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra recorded the highest leopard estimates at 3,421, 1,783, and 1,690 respectively.
Summits
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses 6th Indo-Japan SAMVAD Conference
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the sixth edition of the India-Japan SAMVAD conference held on December 21, 2020, via virtual conferencing.
- During the conference, PM proposed to create a library of traditional Buddhist literature and scriptures in India.
- This library will collect digital copies of Buddhist literature from across different parts of the world. The library will then translate these works and make them available for all scholars and monks of Buddhism.
- The first India-Japan conference, Samvad-I, was held in New Delhi in 2015, at Bodh Gaya.
- The purpose of Samvad Conference is:
- to encourage dialogue and debate on the need to build the future of Asia,
- to highlight our shared values of democracy, humanism, Ahimsa, freedom and tolerance in Asia,
- to carry forward our ancient tradition of spiritual and scholarly exchanges.
India and Vietnam signs 7 MoUs during India-Vietnam Leaders’ Virtual Summit
- Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, jointly addressed the India-Vietnam Virtual Summit, held on 21 December 2020, via video conferencing.
- During the Summit, a ‘Joint Vision for Peace, Prosperity and People’ document was adopted to guide the future development of the India-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
- Both leaders agreed to support each other’s national development priorities and work together towards the shared objective of a peaceful, stable, secure, free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.
- India and Vietnam signed seven agreements during the virtual summit in areas such as defence, scientific research, renewable energy, nuclear energy, petro-chemicals, and cancer treatment.
Banking News
Central Bank of India ties up with NPCI to launche ‘RuPay Select’ Contactless Debit Card
- The Central Bank of India has launched a unique variant of a contactless debit card under the name ‘RuPay Select’, in association with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
- This RuPay Debit Select Card will focus on customers’ lifestyle, fitness, rejuvenation, nutrition and personal care.
- Central Bank RuPay Select Debit cardholders will be able to avail complimentary membership and concessional access to golf courses, gyms, spas and restaurants.
- The card comes with features such as airport lounge access to over 20 domestic and more than 500 international lounges.
- The card will also facilitate offline transactions in both transits as well as retail purchases.
- Apart from this, the cardholders would also be entitled to discounted health check-ups with this National Common Mobility Debit Card (NCMC).
- Additionally, it comes up with an accidental and permanent disability insurance cover up to 10 lakh at no extra cost to customers.
Sports
Lewis Hamilton wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2020 award
- Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2020.
- This is the second time that the 35-year-old Hamilton has been crowned Sports Personality of the Year. Prior tot his he won the award in 2014.
Other award winners at Sports Personality 2020
- Helen Rollason Award: Captain Sir Tom Moore
- Expert Special Panel Award: Marcus Rashford
- Coach of the Year: Jurgen Klopp
- Team of the Year: Liverpool FC
- Unsung Hero: Sgt Matt Ratana
- Captain Tom Young Unsung Hero: Tobias Weller
- Young Sports Personality of the Year: Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix
Sports Ministry Includes four indigenous sports in Khelo India Youth Games 2021
- The Sports Ministry has approved the inclusion of four indigenous Games to be a part of Khelo India Youth Games 2021, which is scheduled to be held in Haryana.
- The four new games are, Gatka, Kalaripayattu, Thang-Ta and Mallakhamba.
- The four selected games represent different parts of the country and will get national recognition with the help of the Khelo India Youth Games 2021.
Place of origin of the newly inducted games
- Kalaripayattu has its origin from Kerala.
- Mallakhamba is practiced in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
- Gatka originates from Punjab. It is a traditional fighting style of the Nihang Sikh Warriors, used both as self-defense as well as a sport.
- Thang-Ta is a Manipur marital art.
Indian Boxers Bag 9 Medals, Including 3 Gold at Cologne Boxing World Cup
- Indian pugilists have bagged nine medals including three gold, two silver and four bronze at the Cologne Boxing World Cup 2020, held in Cologne, Germany between 17 to 19 December 2020.
List of Medal Winners
- Gold: The three gold medals for India were bagged by Amit Panghal (52kg), Manisha Moun (57kg) and Simranjit Kaur (60kg) in their respective categories.
- Silver: Silver medals were claimed by Sakshi Choudhary (57kg) and Satish Kumar (91kg).
- Bronze: Sonia Lather (57kg), Pooja Rani (75kg) Gaurav Solanki (57kg) and Mohamed Hussamudin (57kg) claimed the bronze medal in their respective categories.
- Overall five women and eight men boxers were registered for the Cologne Boxing World Cup 2020.
Days
National Mathematics Day Observed on December 22
- India observes the National Mathematics Day every year on 22 December since 2012 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.
- 2020 marks the 133rd birth anniversary of Ramanujan.
- The day was announced on 26 February 2012 by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to mark the 125th anniversary of the birth of the Indian mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan (22 Dec 1887- 26 Apr 1920).
- 2012 was also observed as National Mathematics Year.
Obituary
Senior-most Congress veteran Motilal Vora passes away at 93 of post-Covid complications
- Veteran Congress leader Motilal Vora has passed away following post-COVID-19 complications. He was 93.
- Shri Motilal Vora Ji was among the senior-most Congress leaders.
- Vora was born at Jodhpur in Rajasthan and began his career as a journalist.
- The late Congress leader served as the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh twice, once from 1985 to 1988 and then again in 1989 for 11 months.
- Vora also held the office of Governor of Uttar Pradesh between 1993 and 1996.
- He had served as a Rajya Sabha member four times and as a Lok Sabha member once from Chhattisgarh.
