NATIONAL NEWS

‘Drink from Tap’ Project

• The Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched a 24×7 piped drinking water project ‘Drink from Tap’ in 19 cities of the state on 21 December 2022.

• About 5.5 lakh people in these cities will be benefited from the project.

• The state government scheme is different from the central government scheme of Jal Jeevan Mission which was launched on 15 August 2019.
• Within the Jal Jeevan Mission, Har Ghar Nal se Jal scheme aims to provide potable, quality drinking water to every rural household by 2024.

National Youth Conference

• Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has announced that the 26th National Youth festival 2023 will be held in the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad, Karnataka.
• The National Youth Festival will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12 January 2023.
• The National Youth Festival is organised by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in collaboration with one of the State Governments.
• The National Youth Festival is organised to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand on 12 January.

The First Green Steel Brand in the Nation ‘KALYANI FeRRESTA’

• The first green steel brand in India, KALYANI FeRRESTA was introduced in New Delhi by Union Steel Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
• The Kalyani Group, a steel manufacturer with headquarters in Pune created the steel with zero carbon footprints on the environment.
• The Kalyani Group effort will assist in changing the steel industry’s long-standing reputation as a ‘hard to abate sector’ with high carbon emissions into a low-emitting, environmentally friendly steel-producing sector.

BANKING

IDFC FIRST Bank Announces Zero-Fee Banking

• On the occasion of its foundation day, IDFC FIRST Bank has announced zero-fee banking on savings accounts.

• The bank mentioned that it had waived fees on 25 commonly used banking services related to savings accounts such as cash deposit and withdrawal at branches, etc.

• Customers, who are maintaining at least Rs 10,000 average monthly balance in their savings account will be offered these services free of cost.

Paytm and HDFC ERGO Launch ‘Payment Protect’

• One97 Communications Limited (OCL), which owns the brand Paytm in association with HDFC ERGO General Insurance, a leading general insurance company in India launched a group insurance plan called ‘Paytm Payment Protect’.

• It is to insure transactions are made through the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) across all apps and wallets.

• With the new insurance offering, which will come at Rs 30 per annum users would be able to secure themselves against mobile fraudulent transactions up to Rs 10,000

• This product is aimed to enhance the digital payments experience and increase the adoption of the same in the country.

• Higher cover options for cover up to Rs 1 lakh per annum will soon be added to the product.

SPORTS

World Table Tennis (WTT) Series Event

• Panaji, capital of Goa will host India's first ever World Table Tennis (WTT) Star Contender series event from 27 February to 05 March 2023 at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, Goa University campus.

• The event will be hosted by Stupa Analytics Company, in association with the Goa government and the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI).

• World Table Tennis (WTT) was created by the International Table Tennis Federation in 2019 to create and manage professional men’s and women’s Table Tennis events around the world.

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

British Magazine's List of 50 Greatest Actors

• Shah Rukh Khan is the only Indian actor who has been included in an international list of 50 greatest actors of all time by a prominent British Magazine Empire.
• The 57-year-old Bollywood superstar has been included in the Empire magazine's list.
• The magazine highlighted Khan's notable characters from four movies namely Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed ‘Devdas’, Karan Johar's ‘My Name Is Khan’ and ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ and ‘Swades’ directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar.

AWARDS & PRIZES

Green Building Award

• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) headquarter in New Delhi has won the prestigious GRIHA Exemplary Performance Award 2022, a top national level Green Building Award.

• GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) is a national rating system for green buildings in India.

• UIDAI HQ has been declared a winner among the existing highest rated building category.

• UIDAI believes and promotes the idea of recycle and reuse to reduce carbon footprint.

First Indian Song to be Shortlisted for Oscar Award

• The song 'Natu-Natu' from SS Rajamouli's film 'RRR' has been shortlisted for Oscars 2023.

• This song has been shortlisted in the Best Song category, which is one of the 15 songs shortlisted for Oscars 2023.

• This is India's first song to be shortlisted for Oscars.

• Song 'Naatu-Naatu' is composed by MM Keeravani and written by Chandrabose, voiced by Rahul Sipligunj and Kaal Bhairav.

• This song was also nominated for Best Original Song at the 80th Golden Globe Awards.
• The award ceremony will be held on 12 March 2023, at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California.

ASEAN India Grassroots Innovation Forum

• Ms Shalini Kumari from India received first prize in the Grassroots Innovation Competition at the 3rd ASEAN India Grassroots Innovation forum for her innovation ‘Modified walker with adjustable legs’.
• She was first recognized by the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) – India.
• The technology was transferred to the industry, Vissco Rehabilitation Aids, a leading manufacturer of orthopaedic products in the country.
• It is available for purchase through Brick-and-Mortar stores and also through marketplaces like Amazon India for purchase by common people of the country.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

India's New Ambassador to Saudi Arabia

• The Government of India has appointed senior diplomat Suhel Ajaz Khan as India’s new ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
• Suhel Ajaz Khan is a 1997-batch Indian Foreign Service officer and is presently serving as Indian ambassador to Lebanon.
• Khan worked at the Indian Embassy in Riyadh between September 2017 and June 2019 as Deputy Chief of Mission.
• Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth largest trading partner after the United States of America, China and the United Arab Emirates.

Head of Air India's Low-Cost Airline Business

• Tata Group has appointed Aloke Singh as the chief of its low-cost airline business from 01 January 2023.
• The Low-Cost Carrier business will comprise AirAsia India and Air India Express.
• Currently the Tata group operates four air lines. They are Air India, Air India Express, AirAsia India and Vistara. Vistara is a joint venture of Tata with Singapore Airlines.
• Low-cost airlines or budget airlines or no-frill airlines do not provide traditional services like food, drinks or other premium services and their fares are also usually low.

Vice-Chairman of Rajya Sabha

• Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar has nominated legendary former athlete and MP P T Usha to the panel of Vice chairpersons in Rajya Sabha.

• This is the first time that a nominated member has been appointed to the panel of Vice Chairman of Rajya Sabha.

• PT Usha was also elected as the president of the Indian Olympic Association recently.

IMPORTANT DAYS

National Mathematics Day

• National Mathematics Day is observed every year on 22 December.
• The renowned mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, whose works had a widespread impact both in India and around the world is the driving force behind the establishment of Mathematics Day.
• Ramanujan was born in 1887 to an Iyengar Brahmin family in Erode, Tamil Nadu.
• In 1918, he also became a Fellow of the Royal Society, one of the youngest individuals to hold this prestigious status.