1.Miscellaneous
SBI Ecowrap Report
The State Bank of India has published its Ecowrap report.
The report highlighted that the pandemic has led to 60% increase in opening up of new Jan Dhan accounts.
It also highlighted the increase in usage of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) accounts.
According to the report, empirical research has shown that PMJDY accounts work as a primary source for labour remittances.
Quick Fact: Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) scheme was launched in August 2014 under the National Mission for Financial Inclusion.
2.India and the World
AIM launches India–Australia Circular Economy Hackathon (I-ACE)
India–Australia Circular Economy Hackathon (I-ACE) launched by the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)
It’s a two-day hackathon on circular economy to be organised on 7th and 8th December 2020.
The Hackathon will be organised in association with CSIRO
I-ACE is to focus on identification and development of innovative technological solutions by bright-minded students, start-ups and MSMEs of India and Australia.
3.Person in News
Alpha Condé wins the 3rd Term as President of Guinea
Alpha Condé, won the 3rd term as the President of Guinea by winning the 2020 presidential elections.
He is the leader of Rally of the Guinean People (Rassemblement du Peuple Guinéen – RPG) party.
He won the election against Cellou Dalein Diallo with 59.49 % votes.
After winning the 2020 elections, Alpha Condé is set to govern the country for the next 6 years.
Quick Fact: The capital of Guinea is Conakry and the Prime Minister is Ibrahima Kassory Fofana.
4.Person in News
Bimal Julka appointed as the Chairman of Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports
Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) has appointed Bimal Julka as its Chairman.
Julka will take over from John Loffhagen, who served as the Chairman of FIFS for over three years.
He will work closely with all the stakeholders in order to further strengthen the operating standards of the Indian fantasy sports industry.
Bimal Julka is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Officer of the 1979 batch belonging to the Madhya Pradesh Cadre.Â
5.National Affairs
IIT Jodhpur, NHAI sign MoU for betterment of Highway Infrastructure
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to share expertise for the betterment of highway infrastructure.
They will work in domains which include transportation engineering, structural engineering, geotechnical engineering.
The two institutions will also cooperate in hydraulics engineering, infrastructure systems, earthquake engineering, urban and rural planning and disaster management and planning domains.
This MoU enables Undergraduate and Postgraduate students of IIT Jodhpur to undertake internships from the above-mentioned domains.
Quick Fact: The chairman of National Highways Authority of India is Sukhbir Singh Sandhu.
6.Science and Technology
Water discovered on sunlit surface of moon by NASA’s SOFIA
NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) has discovered the presence of water on the sunlit surface of the Moon.
SOFIA found water molecules (H2O) in Clavius Crater.
The discovery indicates that water is not only limited to cold shadowed places but could be distributed across the lunar surface.
SOFIA is a modified Boeing 747SP aircraft and it allows astronomers to study the solar system and beyond.
Quick Fact: Clavius Crater is one among the largest craters that is visible from Earth and is located in the southern hemisphere of the moon.
7.National Affairs
Two Centers of Excellence for Tribal Welfare launched
Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, Shri Arjun Munda to launch two Centers of Excellence for Tribal Welfare.
The centres will be launched in collaboration between the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Art of Living (AoL).
This initiative will be launched in 5 districts and will cover 30 Gram Panchayats and 150 villages of Jharkhand.
The objective of the initiative is to raise awareness about various Tribal Acts and Rules and different welfare schemes available for these tribals.
8.Science and Technology
Indus Suture Zone- Found to be tectonically active
The Himalayan suture zone, also known as the Indus Suture Zone (ISZ) in the Ladakh region has been found to be tectonically active.
The zone where the Indian and Asian Plates join each other is known as the suture zone.
The new study will have major implications on the earthquake study, prediction, understanding the seismic structure of the mountain chains and its evolution.
The study was conducted by a group of scientists from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG) in Dehradun.
Quick Fact: The study was published in the journal ‘Technophysics’.
