01 Dec 2020 - Daily Current Affairs
1. World Aids Day being observed today
- World AIDS Day is being observed every year on 1 December across the globe to raise awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection
- AIDS stands for Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome.
- It was first celebrated in 1988.
- Theme for the World Aids Day 2020: ‘Ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic: Resilience and Impact.’
- World AIDS Day is one of the eleven official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO)
2. PM inaugurate six-lane project of Varanasi-Prayagraj section of NH-19
- PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated six-lane widening project of Handia (Prayagraj) to Rajatalab (Varanasi) section of National Highway 19.
- It is a 73 Km stretch project that has total outlay of Rs 2447 crore.
- This will reduce the travel time between Prayagraj and Varanasi by an hour.
- Along with this, PM attended Dev Deepawali festival, which is celebrated on every Poornima of the Kartik month
- This infrastructure development will create employment opportunities
3. First ever SCO Online International Exhibition on Buddhist Heritage
- Vice President Venkaiah Naidu has launched first ever SCO Online Exhibition on Shared Buddhist Heritage, during 19th Meeting of SCO Council of Heads of Government held in New Delhi virtually
- It is developed and curated by National Museum, New Delhi, in collaboration with Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member countries.
- It showcase art technologies like 3D scanning, webGL platform, virtual space utilization, innovative curation and narration methodology etc.
4. IRDAI approves merger deal for Bharti AXA-ICICI Lombard
- Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has given its in-principle approval for merger of Bharti AXA General Insurance with ICICI Lombard.
- Merged entity will have market share of around 8.7% on proforma basis in general insurance business.
- The merger has already been approved by Competition Commission of India (CCI)
- IRDAI Chairman: Subhash C. Khuntia
- IRDAI Headquarters: Hyderabad
5. Utpal Kumar Singh appointed as Secretary-General of Lok Sabha
- Retired IAS officer Utpal Kumar Singh has been appointed as Secretary General of the Lok Sabha and Lok Sabha Secretariat by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla
- He succeeded Snehlata Shrivastava and assumed the office on December 1, 2020
- He is a 1986 batch IAS officer of Uttrakhand Cadre with 34 years of administrative experience.
- He has served both central and state governments dealing with policy and management in public works, agriculture, personnel management, and PSUs.
6. ADB study shows India’s 50% outward investment in Asia is in service sector
- As per ADB's study, Indian multinationals prefer Singapore as their preferred investment destination within Asia-Pacific region and that more than 50% of Indian affiliates abroad are in the services sector.
- The study is titled as `Factory Asia: The Determinants of Multinational Activity in the Context of Global Value Chains’ conducted by Natalia Ramondo in book ‘Future of Regional Cooperation in Asia and Pacific’
- In this, main FDI destination for Japan and US is China.
7. Lewis Hamilton wins Bahrain Grand Prix 2020
- Mercedes racer Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) has won the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix that was held in Sakhir, Bahrain
- It was the fifteenth round of 2020 Formula One World Championship.
- This is the 11th victory for Lewis Hamilton of F1 2020 season and 95th F1 win of his career.
- He is now holding the records for the most wins (95), in F1 history.
- Red Bull’s racer Max Verstappen (Netherlands) and Alexander Albon (Thailand) bagged second and third position respectively.
8. Senegal World Cup footballer Papa Bouba Diop passes away
- Senegal’s professional footballer, Papa Bouba Diop (42 years) passed away after prolonged illness.
- His goal helped Senegal nation to secure historic 1–0 win over the then-world champions France in the opening match of 2002 FIFA World Cup, and Senegal’s first ever match at the FIFA World Cup.
- Papa Bouba Diop has won 63 caps for Senegal.
- He was a defensive midfield enforcer and was known by nick name 'Wardrobe'.
9. Railways Minister inaugurates newly electrified Dhigawara-Bandikui section
- Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has inaugurated newly electrified Dhigawara-Bandikui section of North Western Railway.
- He also flagged off first train on this newly electrified route at the function organized at Dhigawara station.
- Electrification Rewari to Ajmer route has also been done and it will start soon.
- The electrified train will replace diesel trains to eliminate pollution as well as the dependence on the fuel imported from outside saving revenue
10. IISc researchers develop wastewater treatment, recycling system
- Bengaluru based Indian Institute of Science researchers have developed decentralised wastewater treatment and recycling system for rural areas
- It was published in Journal of water Process Engineering
- The recycling model is demonstrated in Berambadi Primary school of Karnataka
- It is economical and enables reuse of wastewater, reducing dependence on freshwater resources.
- The system will treat 667 litres of grey water daily saving around 180,000 litres of water annually.
11. Legendary Bangladeshi actor, Liberation War fighter Aly Zaker passes away
- Eminent Bangladeshi actor and cultural personality Aly Zaker (76 years) passed away in Dhaka
- He was a prominent figure of Bangladesh in theatre, TV and films.
- He was involved in Liberation War movement of Bangladesh against Pakistan and was also founder trustee of Liberation War Museum Dhaka.
- He was awarded ‘Ekushey Padak’ in 1999 for his contribution in the field of theatre.
- He had adapted plays by Brecht, Chekhov, Moliere, Shakespeare and many other great playwrights.
12. PM Narendra Modi chairs 33rd PRAGATI meet
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired 33rd PRAGATI meeting to review multiple projects, grievances and programmes.
- PRAGATI projects worth around Rs 1.41 lakh crore, related to ten states and union territories including Odisha, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Dadra and Nagar Haveli were reviewed.
- PRAGATI: Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation.
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