31st December Daily Current Affairs 2022: Today GK Updates for Bank Exam

31st December Daily Current Affairs 2022 are incorporated with the important news that made the current affairs headlines for banking or other competitive exams. Daily Current Affairs is the complete bag of 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 for 31st December 2022 to help you prepare the Current affairs part. After reading this section, you can successfully attempt Current Affairs Quiz. 

Here is the Daily Current Affairs of the 31st December 2022 covering the following news headlines: ‘Nijaat’ campaign, Odisha’s ‘Dhanu Yatra’, Project Nilgiri Tahr, IPS officer Laxmi Singh, Madras High Court.

Top 16 Daily Current Affairs: National & International News:

Here is providing below the top 16 important Daily General Knowledge 2022 updates with national & international news.

States News

1. Chhattisgarh police ‘Nijaat’ campaign gets IACP 2022 Award

• International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the US-based international organisation has selected the anti-drug & illicit liquor campaign ‘Nijaat’ of Chhattisgarh police for ‘Leadership in Crime Prevention’ award in the institutional category.
• The prestigious IACP 2022 Award has selected the de-addiction drive ‘Nijaat’, which was executed following the directive by chief minister Bhupesh Baghel to act tough against drug peddlers, and bootleggers and check to smuggling of drugs. A successful singular campaign, ‘Nijaat’ witnessed the striking results to achieve a drug-free society with missionary zeal.
• The campaign was launched by the Chhattisgarh police under the leadership of the IPS officer Santosh Kumar Singh who pioneered the drive with intensified efforts in districts of Korea, Rajnandgaon and presently continuing in Korba.
• The drive took the onus to wipe out the abuse of illicit drugs, narcotics and bootlegging while simultaneously preventing its smuggling or trading.

2. Odisha’s ‘Dhanu Yatra’ the largest open-air theatre performance begin

• The ‘Dhanu Yatra’ festival, the largest open-air theatre festival began after a gap of two years, in Bargarh at the Odisha. The vibrant Dhanu Yatra is associated with the culture of Odisha.
• The Festival is being held from December 27 to Jan 6, 2023. Several artists from 130 cultural troupes from across the country are scheduled to perform during the festival. Around 3,000 artistes of 130 cultural troupes from across the country is participating in the festival. However, Kansa is the central attraction of the Dhanu Yatra.
• Dhanu Yatra, the eleven day long annual extravaganza places Bargarh in the Cultural Map of India. It is at par with the standard of Odishan Heritage and culture. It is an open-air theatre festival stretching more than 5 square K.M and comprising a village and a town in between.

3. Tamil Nadu Launched Project Nilgiri Tahr with Rs 25 Crore Budget

• Tamil Nadu Government has announced the ‘Nilgiri Tahr Project’, India’s first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at restoring the state animal’s original habitat and stabilizing its population. The ‘Nilgiri Tahr Project’ is a five-year program with a budget of Rs 25.14 crore.
• It will also have a dedicated team chaired by the project director to deal with species conservation. The team will explore the possibility of undertaking captive breeding of the animals for re-introduction in forest patches where it has become locally extinct.
• The government has ordered to conduct of synchronized surveys by the forest department across the Tahr range.
• The survey will include an understanding of movement patterns, habitat use and behavior, and radio-telemetry studies.

4. AP Govt Introduces Lesson on India’s First Muslim Woman Teacher Fatima Sheikh

• The Andhra Pradesh government has introduced a lesson on the contribution of Fatima Sheikh in the textbooks of the eighth class. Fatima Sheikh was India’s first woman Muslim teacher and one of India’s greatest social reformers and educators.
• She was known to have given shelter to Jyoti Rao Phule and Savitribai, the well-known social reformer couple who worked for the education of girl child.
• Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule took initiative against the caste system and male Chauvinism.
• Fatima Sheikh is credited with allowing the Phule couple to start the first all-girls school at the former’s house in erstwhile Poona in Bombay Presidency.
• Fatima Sheikh taught at all five schools which were run by the Phule couple.

5. IPS officer Laxmi Singh named UP’s first woman Police Commissioner at Noida

• The Uttar Pradesh government has appointed IPS officer Laxmi Singh as the new Noida Police chief, making her the first woman officer to head a Police Commissionerate in the state.
• The 2000-batch officer, who replaced Alok Singh in Gautam Buddh Nagar. Alok Singh, a 1995-batch IPS officer, has been posted as an additional director general of police (ADGP) at the DGP office in state capital Lucknow.
• Laxmi, 48, has been serving as an Inspector General of Police, Lucknow range.
• She holds the distinction of being the first woman IPS topper (33rd rank overall) in the UPSC-held exams and was adjudged the best probationer at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad, as per official records.
• She has also been awarded the PM’s silver bation and the home minister’s pistol during her training.

6. Tamil Nadu Information Commission Lowest Performing in RTI Responsiveness

• The State Information Commission of Tamil Nadu has the lowest performance of responsiveness under the RTI Act concerned, with only up to 14% of the information sought. Maharashtra was second lowest with sharing only 23% of the information asked for.
• The report was issued on the Performance of Information Commission (ICs) in India for 2021-22 by Satark Nagrik Sangathan. 
• Only 10 ICs provided the full information in response to the RTI applications filed as part of this assessment.
• These included Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, and the northeastern states of Tripura, Nagaland, and Sikkim.
• A total of 145 RTI applications were filed seeking identical information from all the 29 ICs as a part of the assessment by the organization.

7. Madras High Court: Mobile Phones Banned in Tamil Nadu’s Temples

• The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court has prohibited devotees from carrying mobile phones inside temples in Tamil Nadu. The Division Bench of Justice R. Mahadevan and J Sathya Narayana Prasad held that the gadgets divert the attention of the devotees from the purpose of visiting the temple.
• The Tamil Nadu Temple Entry Authorization Act 1947, and the Rules empower the trustees or any authority in charge of the temple to make regulations for the maintenance of order and decorum in the temple.
• The court noted that mobile phone ban have been implemented in famed temples.
• These temples include Sri Krishna Temple at Guruvayur, Kerala, Meenakshi Sundareshwara Temple at Madurai, Tamil Nadu, and Sri Venkateshwara Temple at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh.

Economy News

8. Index of Eight Core Industries Increases By 5.4 Per Cent

• Production of eight infrastructure sectors increased by 5.4 per cent in November against a 3.2 per cent growth in the same month last year on a better show by coal, fertiliser, steel, cement and electricity segments. Crude oil, natural gas and refinery products, however, recorded negative growth in November this year. The production growth of eight key sectors slowed down to 0.9 per cent in October.
• The growth rate of eight infrastructure sectors — coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity — stood at 8 per cent in April-November this fiscal as against 13.9 per cent during the same period last fiscal.
• The production of coal rose by 12.3 per cent, fertiliser by 6.4 per cent, steel by 10.8 per cent, cement by 28.6 per cent and electricity by 12.1 per cent in November 2022 compared to a year ago.

9. India’s April-November Fiscal Deficit Widens on-year to 58.9% of FY23 Aim

• The government’s fiscal deficit in end-November touched 59 per cent of the full year Budget Estimate on increased capital expenditure and slow growth in non-tax revenue.
• In actual terms, the fiscal deficit, which is the difference between expenditure and revenue, was Rs 9.78 lakh crore during the April-November period of 2022-23. In the corresponding period last year, the deficit was 46.2 per cent of the Budget Estimates of 2021-22.
• The government has budgeted fiscal deficit to be Rs 16.61 lakh crore or 6.4 per cent of the GDP in the current year ending March 2023. The deficit is funded by market borrowings. Capital expenditure was at Rs 4.47 lakh crore or 59.6 per cent of BE between April-November. In the last fiscal, capex was 49.4 per cent of BE.

Business News

10. NDTV Founders to Get Rs 602 Crore from Sale of 27.26% to Adani Enterprises

• The Adani Group informed stock exchanges that it has acquired additional  27.26 per cent equity stake in NDTV from founders Prannoy Roy and his wife Radhika Roy.
• The billionaire Gautam Adani-backed Adani Group acquired shares from Roys at Rs 342.65 per share which was 16.55 per cent higher than the open offer price of Rs 294 per share.
• Vishvapradhan Commercial Private Limited (an indirect subsidiary of the company) holds 8.27 per cent equity stake in NDTV and RRPR (prior to the present acquisition) held 29.18 per cent equity stake in NDTV. Consequent to the present acquisition, RRPR will hold 56.45 per cent. Adani Group has acquired Roys’ share at deal worth Rs 602.30 crore. The acquisition was completed on December 30, 2022 on the block deal window of NSE.

11. Tata Motors to complete acquisition of Ford India’s manufacturing Plant in January

• Tata Motors to complete the acquisition of Ford India’s manufacturing plant at Sanand through its subsidiary on 10th January 2023. The company has announced that its arm Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd (TPEML) would acquire Ford India Pvt Ltd (FIPL) Sanand Plant in Gujarat for Rs 725.7 crore.
• The acquisition included the entire land and buildings, the vehicle manufacturing plant along with machinery and equipment and the transfer of all eligible employees of FIPL’s vehicle manufacturing operations at Sanand.

Banking News

12. Govt Hikes Interest Rates on Some Small Savings Schemes by 20-110 bps for January-March

• The central government hiked interest rates on various small savings schemes including senior citizen savings scheme during the January to March quarter but kept the rate for Public Provident Fund (PPF) and Sukanya Samriddhi scheme unchanged for this period. The rates on the various instruments have been raised between 20 to 110 basis points and now range from 4.0 % to 7.6%.
• Small savings schemes, including post office 1-3-year time deposits and 5-year recurring deposits, are savings instruments managed by the government to encourage citizens to save regularly. These also include saving certificates such as National Saving Certificates and Kisan Vikas Patra, Sukanya Samriddhi Account, and Senior Citizens Savings Scheme.
• The rates for the post office 1 year, 2 year, 3 year, and 5 year time deposits have been hiked to 6.6%, 6.8%, 6.9%, and 7%, from 5.5%, 5.7%, 5.8%, and 6.7% respectively. The rates for 5 year recurring deposits and savings deposits have remained unchanged at 5.8% and 4% respectively. The rate for senior citizens savings scheme (SCSS) will earn 8% from 1 January, compared with 7.6% now. Kisan Vikas Patrika with a 120 month maturity will earn 7.2% interest, compared to 7% with maturity in 123 months.

Science And Technology

13. SpaceX Launched First 54 Starlink v2.0 satellites Into Low Earth orbit

• The SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle launched into low Earth Orbit the first 54 Starlink Satellites of the new generation, or v2.0 or Gen2. The SpaceX Falcon 9 was launched on 28th December 2022, and it took place from the SLC-40 launch pad of the US Air Force Base at Cape Canaveral. It is the 60th successful SpaceX mission since the beginning of 2022.
• Starlink v2.0 satellites have several different configurations depending on the launch vehicle.
• It was assumed that the new satellites would be launched by Starship initially.
• The mass of such satellites is 303 kg, and the dimensions are almost the same as in v.15.
• The main difference of Starlink v2.0 is a larger antenna and increased bandwidth of each satellite.

Schemes And Committees News

14. Food Processing Industry Invests Nearly Rs 4,900 Crore Under PLI Scheme

• The government said that the food processing industry has invested Rs 4,900 crore so far under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme. The PLI scheme for the food processing industry was approved in March 2021, with a budget outlay of Rs 10,900 crore. It will be implemented for seven years, until 2026-27.
• A total of 182 applications have been approved under the PLI scheme for the food processing industry. This includes 30 applications for millets-based products under the PLI scheme (8 large entities and 22 SMEs). Incentives amounting to Rs 800 crore are likely to be disbursed in the current financial year. Sales-based incentive of Rs 107.3 crore has been disbursed so far.
• The ministry stated that a total of 112 food processing projects were completed and operationalised during 2022, leveraging private investment of Rs 706.04 crore and generating direct and indirect employment for 25,293 people. During the year, approximately 190 food processing projects were approved.

Obituaries News

15. Pritzker-winning architect Arata Isozaki passes away at 91

• Arata Isozaki, a Pritzker-winning Japanese architect known as a post-modern giant who blended culture and history of the East and the West in his designs, has died. He was 91. Isozaki won the Pritzker Architecture Prize, internationally the highest honor in the field, in 2019. Arata Isozaki, Whose Hybrid Style Forged ‘New Paths,’ Wins Pritzker Prize.
• Isozaki began his architectural career under the apprenticeship of Japanese legend Kenzo Tange, a 1987 Pritzker laureate, after studying architecture at the University of Tokyo, Japan’s top school.
• Isozaki founded his own office, Arata Isozaki & Associates, which he called “Atelier” around 1963, while working on a public library for his home prefecture of Oita — one of his earliest works.

 Miscellaneous News

16. India’s second longest cable-stayed eight-lane Zuari Bridge opens in Goa

• Union Minister of Roads Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has inaugurated the country’s second longest cable-stayed eight-lane Zuari Bridge in Goa. Right-hand side (4-lane corridor) across the Zuari River and approaches from Bambolim to Verna were thrown open for vehicular traffic. Gadkari also launched the PWD Goa App for integrated operations management.
• Through the insurance scheme of the Government of Goa, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has given Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the workers who died during the construction of the bridge.
• The Zuari Bridge is a bridge between North Goa and South Goa, India. It carries the NH 66 over the tidal part of the Zuari River, between the villages of Agaçaim and Cortalim.