NATIONAL NEWS

Meghalaya Awarded for TB Control Programme

• The Meghalaya government, which has adopted a 'people's movement' against tuberculosis, has recently been awarded for best practices in controlling the disease that affects 2.6 million people in India every year.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set a national target to eliminate the disease, which affects more than 26 lakh Indians each year by 2025, five years ahead of the WHO's Sustainable Development Goals.
• A National Strategic Plan for TB Elimination (2017-25) has also been launched which ensures greater community engagement.

India Water Impact Summit 2022

• The Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will inaugurate the 7th India Water Impact Summit (IWIS 2022) on 15 December 2022 in New Delhi.

• The summit is being organized from 15th to 17th December, 2022 at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi by National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and Center for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (cGanga).

• Its aims to impart impetus towards developing water and environmental infrastructure to protect rivers and water bodies in India.

• The theme of the Summit (IWIS 2022) is ‘Restoration and Conservation of Small Rivers in a Large Basin’ with emphasis on the ‘Mapping and Convergence of 5Ps’ - People, Policy, Plan, Programme and Project.

Kerala to Become 100% Renewable Energy-Based State

• The Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the India Climate and Development Partners’ Meet and announced that Kerala aspires to become a 100% renewable energy-based State by 2040 and net carbon neutral by 2050.
• The event was hosted by the World Bank and Kerala Government where Kerala State Action Plan on Climate Change 2023-2030 (Kerala SAPCC 2.0) was released.
• Kerala is the first State in India to include hydrogen-powered mobility in its zero-emissions mobility policy.
• SAPCC is an ‘inclusive, sustainable’ plan with a focus on climate change adaptation in key sectors including agriculture, coastal fisheries, water resources, health, forests and biodiversity.

Assam CM Launches Projects Worth Rs 680 Crore

• Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma arrived at Nalbari on a day-long visit during which he launched as many as 12 projects with a cost of Rs 680 crore.

• It is to transform the district into one of the most progressive ones on all fronts in Assam.

• The district Sports Stadium Complex at Sariahtoli is to be executed at the cost of Rs 51 crore

• The integrated Deputy Commissioner’s Office Complex at an approximate cost of Rs 50 crore

• To upgradation of Government Polytechnic Institute and Industrial Training Institute at the cost of Rs 5 crore.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Military Exercise ‘KAZIND – 2022’

• The 6th Edition of Indo - Kazakhstan joint training exercise “KAZIND-22” is scheduled to be conducted at Umroi, Meghalaya from 15 December to 28 December 2022.

• The objective of the exercise is to build positive military relations, each other’s best practices and promote the ability to operate together under a UN peace enforcement mandate.

• The scope of this exercise involves a Command Post Exercise (CPX) at the Battalion level and Company level Field Training Exercise (FTX) on sub-conventional operations.

• During the exercise, participants will engage in a variety of missions ranging from joint planning, joint tactical drills, basics of special arms skills and riding a hostile target.

BANKING

Home Loan Scheme Roshni

• PNB Housing Finance (HFC) unveiled a low-cost home loan program Roshni which enables individuals to apply for loans under this scheme ranging from 5 lakh to Rs. 30 lakhs.

• This launch is in line with PNB Housing Finance’s long-term goal of enabling and assisting an individual’s desire to purchase a home.

• The program offers a variety of loans for self-building, home expansions and renovations, plot purchases combined with construction, loans against property and the purchase of property investment.

• Loan applicants eligible for this are first-time credit borrowers, self-employed without a professional role, and salaried from a low-income group with a family income as low as Rs. 10,000 to the middle-income group category.

TMB Signs Pact with Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance

• Private sector lender Tamilnad Mercantile Bank (TMB) has partnered with life insurance firm Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance to sell term, annuity and other value-packed products of the private life insurer across its over 500 branches.

• The agreement to this effect was signed by the TMB’s MD and CEO S. Krishnan and Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance MD & CEO Tarun Chugh

• Under this strategic partnership, New and existing customers of the bank would be able to avail of the services of Bajaj Allianz Life offerings including savings, retirement and investment products.

AWARDS & PRIZES

Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi National Eminence Award

• Former vice president Venkaiah Naidu has been conferred with the 25th Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi National Eminence Award (SIES).

• Other awardees in various categories included the Governor of Kerala Arif Mohammed Khan, eminent industrialist Ratan Tata, renowned cardiologist and Padma Vibhushan awardee Marthanda Varma Sankaran Valianathan, Scientific Advisor to the Government of India Ajay Sood and famous Harikatha artiste Vishakha Hari.

• The awards were instituted by the South Indian Education Society in 1998 in memory of the late Seer of Kanchi, Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati.
• Awards are given in the fields of public leadership, community leadership, science and technology and social thinkers to those who had made outstanding contributions in the above four fields.
• Each award carries a cash prize of Rs.2.5 lakh, a citation, an ornamental lamp and a scroll.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

MD & CEO of Ashok Leyland

• Hinduja group flagship Ashok Leyland has appointed Shenu Agarwal as the company’s managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) with immediate effect.

• Shenu Agarwal succeeds Vipin Sondhi, who served as MD & CEO of the company between December 2019 and December 2021.

• Agarwal is expected to drive the technology development, growth and future strategy for Ashok Leyland towards achieving its vision to be among the top 10 commercial vehicles (CV) players globally.

• Agarwal is the former president of Farm equipment manufacturer Escorts Kubota Ltd (EKL).

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

International Junior Science Olympiad

• India secured the top rank at the 19th International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO) 2022 held in Bogota, Colombia by winning 6 gold medals.

• A total of six students from India participated in the competition and each earned one gold.

• The Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE) is the nodal centre of the country for the Olympiad programme.

• India won the best team award, being the only country to win six gold medals. Three members of the Indian contingent also jointly won bronze medals in the experimental category.

IMPORTANT DAYS

National Energy Conservation Day

• National Energy Conservation Day is observed every year on 14 December.

• The objective of the day is to create awareness among the people on saving energy by reducing the use of energy and using it efficiently.

• National Energy Conservation Day 2022 was first observed on December 14th, 1991 by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the Union Ministry of Power which falls under the government of India.

• The Bureau of Energy Efficiency assists in the development and implementation of strategies and policies to reduce excessive consumption of energy.

• The committee also executed ‘The Energy Conservation Act’ in 2001.