NATIONAL NEWS

Losar Festival Celebrated in Ladakh

• Losar Festival was celebrated in Ladakh to mark the Ladakhi New Year.
• The Losar Festival or the Ladakhi New year is a major socio-religious festival of Ladakh celebrated during winter.
• Prayer lamps are lit and buildings, homes, places of worship and business places are decorated during this festival which is held for 15 days from 24 December every year.
• The festival marks the Ladakhi New Year and is an important time for Buddhists in Ladakh to come together and celebrate their culture and heritage.

First Complete Library Constituency in India

• The kerala Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s constituency Dharmadam has become the first complete library constituency in India.

• Kerala which was the first state to achieve 100% literacy status in India is also perhaps the only state in India that has a library in every village.

• He started Granthashala Sangam with about 50 small libraries in 1945 in Kerala which grew into a large network of thousands of libraries.

• The chief minister Vijayan announced that out of the total 138 wards in the constituency, there were no libraries in 63 wards.

• However, with the help of a people’s organization, People’s Mission for Social Development, the task was completed.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Grand Memorial in Gwalior

• The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced that the state government will build a huge statue of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and a research centre as part of his grand memorial in Gwalior.
• The Madhya Pradesh government has allotted nearly 4,050 hectares of land in Sirol area of Gwalior to build a memorial of Vajpayee.
• The 'Gwalior Gaurav Diwas' function was celebrated to mark the 98th birth anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
• The event was also attended by Union ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia and Narendra Singh Tomar.

BANKING

Rupay Based Credit Card on UPI Platform

• The leading credit card issuers in India State Bank of India (SBI), ICICI Bank and Axis Bank will issue RuPay credit cards on Unified Payment Interface (UPI) by March 2023.

• At present three public sector banks Union Bank of India, Punjab National Bank and Indian Bank and private sector Bank HDFC bank have gone live on the RuPay credit card segment on the UPI platform.

• Credit cards are a type of unsecured loan provided by the banks to its account holder as well as non-account holders for purchasing goods and services.

• It provides a time period within which if the customer repays the amount, then the customer will not have to pay interest to the bank.

• RuPay is a technology platform which provides end to end security solutions for online financial transactions.

• The Reserve Bank of India allowed linking of credit cards to UPI, which was thus far being used as a “pay now” facility.

• The move will provide additional convenience to users and enhance the scope of digital payments.

RBI Revised Bank Locker Rules

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has amended the bank locker rules, which include providing customers with updated locker agreements. The rules will take effect from 01 January 2023.

• As per the Reserve Bank of India notification, the agreements should follow the model prepared by the Indian Banks' Association (IBA).

• All existing locker depositors are required to submit proof of eligibility for new locker arrangement.

• They need to sign a renewal agreement before the specified date.

• RBI has advised banks to install CCTV cameras at entry and exit points of strong rooms and common areas of operations.

ECONOMY

India to Become 3rd Largest Economy

• The United Kingdom based economics consultancy firm Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) has predicted that India will become the third-largest economy by 2037.

• According to the 14th edition of the report released on 26 December 2022, it announced that in the next five years India's annual economic growth is expected to average 6.4%.

• After that, the growth is expected to average 6.5% in the subsequent nine years.

• It expects the Indian economy to grow by 6.8% in 2022-23.

• According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), India is expected to become the 3rd largest economy in the world by 2027-28.

• According to the SBI EcoWrap report India is likely to become the 3rd largest economy in 2029.

SPORTS

Elite National Women’s Boxing Championships 2022

• World Champion Nikhat Zarin of Telangana and the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain of Assam won gold medal at the 6th Elite National Women’s Boxing Championships 2022 in Bhopal on 26 December 2022.
• The 6th Elite National Women’s Boxing Championship was held at the Tatya Tope Stadium, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh from 20 December to 26 December 2022.
• The Railways team topped the medals tally with 10 medals - five golds, three silvers and two bronze.
• Madhya Pradesh team came second with one gold, two silver and five bronze and Haryana with two gold and two bronze claimed the third spot.

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

Best Cuisines of the World

• According to Taste Atlas, India ranks fifth in the global list of best cuisines for 2022.

• The ranking is based on audience votes for ingredients, dishes and beverages.

• Italy's cuisine topped the ranking, followed by Greece and Spain.

• India received 4.54 points and the best rated foods of the country include ‘garam masala, malai, ghee, butter garlic naan, keema’.

AWARDS & PRIZES

2nd Jail in UP to be Rated Five Star by FSSAI

• The Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) has awarded the food provided by the Bulandshahr prison of Uttar Pradesh a five-star rating and the tag 'Eat Right Campus'.

• Bulandshahr Jail is the second prison after Farrukhabad jail to get this tag from Uttar Pradesh.

• The kitchen's food quality, storage and hygiene on stringent measures, based on which the Bulandshahr prison was given a five-star rating, the 'Eat Right Campus' tag in addition to the remark of 'Excellent' by the FSSAI.

Cyclist Swasti Singh was Awarded Ekalabya Puraskar

• The ‘Ekalabya Puraskar’ for the year 2022 was presented to cyclist Swasti Singh. This award is given every year to encourage young sporting talents.
• She was honoured for her performance from 01 April 2020 to 31 March 2022 at both national and international levels.
• Singh was presented with a citation, trophy and Rs 5 lakh cash.
• It was organised by Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust (IMPaCT), the charitable wing of IMFA.
• Billiards and snooker world champion Pankaj Advani attended the ceremony as the chief guest.
• Eklavya Puraskar has come a long way since 1993 to be recognized as the most prestigious sports award of Odisha and is at par with many national awards.
• This award is given every year to the young sportspersons of Odisha for their outstanding performance in the last two years.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

IIT Kanpur Develops Artificial Heart

• Researchers at IIT Kanpur have developed an artificial heart, which will prove to be helpful for people suffering from cardiac problems.
• He announced that heart transplants will now be simple. In critical patients, artificial hearts can be placed.
• This artificial heart was made by cardiologists from across the country and IIT Kanpur.

OBITUTARY

England 1966 World Cup Winner George Cohen

• England's 1966 World Cup-winning right back George Cohen passed away. He was at the age of 83.

• George Cohen played for Fulham throughout his soccer career.

• He scored six league goals in his 459 appearances between 1956 and 1969.

• His greatest achievement was recorded as winning the 1966 World Cup when England defeated West Germany in the final at Wembley Stadium.

• Cohen helped England emerge victorious and claim their first World Cup title with a 4–2 victory over the opposition.