16th December Daily Current Affairs 2021: Today GK Updates for Bank Exam

Table of Contents

Here is the Daily GK Update of 16th December 2021 covering the following news headlines: 50th Vijay Diwas, Maa Umiya Dham Development Project, Mission Shakti Living Lab, Askot Wildlife Sanctuary, Axis Bank.

Daily GK updates are incorporated with the important news that made the current affairs headlines for banking or other competitive exams. Daily GK Update is the complete bag of the important news that is held all day long. One should have complete knowledge about banking terms, current affairs news, etc. So, here is the GK update of 16th December 2021 to help you prepare the Current affairs part. After reading this section, you can successfully attempt Current Affairs Quiz.

Top 17 Daily GK Updates: National & International News

Here is providing below the top 17 important Daily General Knowledge GK 2021 updates with national & international news.

National News

1. 7th edition of India International Science festival begins in Panaji

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the seventh edition of the India International Science Festival at Panaji, Goa.
The theme of the 4-day science festival is ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ – “Celebrating Creativity, Science, Technology and Innovation for a prosperous India”.
First India International Science Festival was held in 2015 at IIT Delhi. The main aim of the Science Festival is to bring into use the innovations by the people and develop technology that is affordable to the masses.

2. Govt laid foundation stone for Maa Umiya Dham Development Project in Gujarat

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has laid the foundation stone of Umiya Mata Dham temple and temple premises under Maa Umiya Dham Development Project at Umiya Campus in Sola in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
They will be developed at a cost of Rs 1,500 crore on 74,000 square yards of land. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has virtually attended and addressed the foundation stone laying of the project. He stated the Project as an example of the notion of ‘SabkaPrayas’ (Efforts of everyone).

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Gujarat Capital: Gandhinagar;
Gujarat Governor: Acharya Devvrat;
Gujarat Chief minister: Bhupendrabhai Patel.

State News

3. Uttarakhand’s Askot Wildlife Sanctuary declared Eco-Sensitive Zone

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), an area of 454.65 square kilometres around the boundary of Askot Wildlife Sanctuary in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand has been declared as the Askot Wildlife Sanctuary Eco-sensitive Zone (ESZ).
The notified area extends from 0 to 22 km around the Askot Wildlife Sanctuary. The Askot Wildlife Sanctuary was established to protect the endangered flagship species Musk Deer and its habitat. The Askot Wildlife Sanctuary is also known as Musk Deer Park.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change: Bhupender Yadav.

Appointments News

4. British-Indian Leena Nair is the new global CEO of Chanel

French fashion house Chanel named Leena Nair, an executive from Unilever, as its new global CEO. Nair’s career at Unilever spanned 30 years, most recently as the chief of human resources and a member of the executive committee.
The recruitment of Nair, who rose through the ranks of Unilever having started out as a trainee on the factory floor, comes as the fashion industry is under pressure to show a more inclusive approach.

5. Ravinder Bhakar assumed charge of NFDC, films division and CFSI

CEO of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Ravinder Bhakar has assumed charge of National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), Films Division, and Children Films Society of India (CFSI).
He is a 1999-batch officer of the Indian Railway Stores Service (IRSS). He has been assigned these charges in addition to his present duties as CEO of the film certification body.

Agreements News

5. IIT-Delhi tie-up with IAF to improve indigenisation efforts

IIT-Delhi signed an MoU with Indian Air Force (IAF) to support requirements towards indigenous solutions in various weapon systems.
Under the MoU, The IAF has identified key focus areas involving the development of technology and finding indigenous solutions towards the sustenance of various weapon systems.
The partnership between IIT Delhi and IAF will also boost the efforts by Base Repair Depots (BRDs) of Maintenance Command IAF.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Indian Air Force Establishment: 8 October 1932;
Indian Air Force Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi;
Indian Air Force Chief of the Air Staff: Vivek Ram Chaudhari;
Indian Air Force Motto: Touch the Sky with Glory.

6. Odisha tie-up with UNCDF to launch “Mission Shakti Living Lab”

Odisha inked an agreement with United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) to launch “Mission Shakti Living Lab” for the financial empowerment of women. A Global Centre for Financial Health, to launch Mission Shakti Living Lab empowering women economically and drive gender equality.
With the use of digital technologies and e-commerce, it will increase the income and financial well-being of women, self-help groups (SHGs) and households by helping them in the factors of planning, saving, borrow or spending better. It will address the barriers related to the autonomy and financial freedom of women.
Mission Shakti was launched in 2001 to enhance the holistic development of women, there are 6.02 lakh self-help groups (SHGs) comprising 70 lakh members across rural and urban areas of Odisha under the initiative. This initiative led to an increase in the income of SHG members from Rs 3,000 to 15,000 per month in Odisha.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

UN Capital Development Fund Founded: 1966;
UN Capital Development Fund Headquarters: New York, United States;
UN Capital Development Fund Executive Secretary: Preeti Sinha.

Banking News

7. Axis Bank tied up with Swift to provide digital banking solution

Axis Bank is working with new digital services from provider Swift to provide a comprehensive digital solution to clients.
The bank is integrating with different digitization initiatives by government bodies and service providers to extend an end-to-end service to business clients.
Axis bank’s B2B (business-to-business) digitization efforts are being supported by Swift, a cooperative of global banks that acts as an intermediary between banks and sets standards.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Axis Bank Founded: 3 December 1993;
Axis Bank Headquarters: Mumbai;
Axis Bank MD & CEO: Amitabh Chaudhary;
Axis Bank Chairperson: Shri Rakesh Makhija.

Economy News

9. ADB projected growth forecast for 2021-2022 for India at 9.7%

Asian Development Bank has trimmed its 2021 growth forecast for India to 9.7 per cent from 10 per cent but left the 2022 growth forecast unchanged at 7.5 per cent.
The inflation forecast of developing Asia was revised to 2.1 per cent for 2021 and unchanged at 7 per cent for 2022.
In its Asian Development Outlook Supplement Report of December 2021, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has trimmed the growth forecasts for developing Asia for 2021-2022 to reflect the economic impact and uncertainty caused by the new Omicron COVID -19 variant.

10. Wholesale inflation surges to 14.23% in November

Producers’ inflation based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) has reached an all-time high in the current series at 14.23 per cent in November.
This is the eighth successive month of double digits WPI (mainly due to the hardening of prices of mineral oils, basic metals, crude petroleum and natural gas).
Wholesale Price-based Index (WPI) inflation base year is 2011-12. Also, the spike is highest since April 2005.

Business News

11. Paytm launches EdTech Platform “Paytm Wealth Academy”

Paytm, which got listed in bourses last month, has announced the launch of Paytm Wealth Academy, a tech-powered educational platform. The launch of the wealth academy is initially on the Paytm Money app, the wealth management app owned by Paytm’s wholly-owned subsidiary Paytm Money. Paytm Wealth Academy will initially be available to select users, followed by a complete rollout.
The Paytm Wealth Academy will allow users to learn trading and financial concepts at their own pace at their level of comfort. The platform offers a wide catalogue of courses and webinars along with personalized recommendations for users, curated to complement their existing knowledge.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Paytm Founded: August 2010;
Paytm Headquarters: Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India;
Paytm CEO: Vijay Shekhar Sharma.

Sports News

12. India inducts 148 athletes in list of TOPS athletes for 2024 Olympics

A total of 148 athletes, including 20 new inductees, in seven Olympic disciplines and six Paralympic disciplines, have been identified for support under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme at a meeting of the Mission Olympic Cell of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
The TOP scheme which is an attempt to provide assistance to India’s top athletes. This scheme was started in 2014.
The Mission Olympic Cell approved lists in Cycling, Sailing, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Weightlifting and Wrestling as well as Para Sports (Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis). Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Equestrian, Fencing, Golf, Gymnastics, Judo, Rowing and Tennis will be taken up in the next meeting later this month.

Books and Authors News

13. A Book titled ‘Pride, Prejudice and Punditry’ by Dr Shashi Tharoor

Former union minister and Lok Sabha Member of Parliament Dr. Shashi Tharoor‘s 23rd book titled ‘Pride, Prejudice and Punditry’ was launched in Hyderabad, Telangana.
There are ten sections in this book, each devoted to a particular topic such as modern Indian history, Indian Politics, etc. He has won ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for 2019, awarded to his book – ‘An Era of Darkness.

Important Days

14. International Tea Day: 15 December

International Tea Day is observed every year on December 15 in countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Uganda, India, and Tanzania. It is the second most used drink in the world after water. For some people, tea is an integral part of life which adds rhythm.
China is currently the largest exporter of tea. According to a study conducted by the Tea Board of India in 2007, around 80 per cent of the total tea produced in India is consumed by the domestic population.
The first ITD was held in New Delhi in India in 2005. However, in 2015, the Indian government proposed to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation to expand International Tea Day across the world. The reason for the UN celebrating May 21 as International Tea Day is that the season of tea production begins in May in most of the tea-producing countries.

15. Nation Observes 50th Vijay Diwas on 16 December 2021

In India, Vijay Diwas (also called Victory Day) is celebrated every year on December 16. The country is celebrating the 50th Vijay Diwas in 2021.
Vijay Diwas is observed to commemorate the service, valour, and sacrifices of the gallant men of the Indian Armed Forces’ victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war.
On this day, we pay homage to all the soldiers who had defended the nation in the war. The Indo-Pakistan war of 1971 which began on December 3 lasted for 13 days and officially ended on December 16, after which Pakistan surrendered to India.
It was on this day in 1971, the chief of the Pakistani forces, General AA Khan Niazi, along with 93 thousand troops, had surrendered unconditionally to the allied forces consisting of the Indian Army and Mukti Bahini. The end of the war also resulted in the subsequent secession of East Pakistan into Bangladesh.

Miscellaneous News

16. US Fashion Brand “Patagonia” selects Khadi Denim for its Apparels

US-based world’s leading fashion brand, Patagonia, is now using handcrafted Khadi Denim fabric for making Denim apparels. Patagonia, through textile major Arvind Mills, has purchased nearly 30,000 meters of Khadi Denim Fabric worth Rs 1.08 crore from Gujarat.
The purchase of Khadi Denim by Patagonia has created additional 1.80 lakh man-hours, i.e. 27,720 man-days of work for Khadi artisans. In July 2017, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) signed an agreement with Arvind mills Limited, Ahmadabad, to trade Khadi Denim products around the world.
Since then, Arvind Mills has been purchasing a large quantity of Khadi Denim fabric every year from KVIC-certified Khadi institutions of Gujarat.

17. UNESCO recognises Kolkata’s Durga Puja as Intangible Cultural Heritage

UNESCO has added Durga Puja in Kolkata to its 2021 list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, giving international recognition to the biggest religious festival of the 331-year-old city and the state of West Bengal.
The UNESCO’s announcement was welcomed by Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) as chief minister Mamata Banerjee is widely recognized as the biggest patron of the festival.

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16th December Current Affairs 2021 | Current Affairs Today | Daily Current Affairs

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