PETA: Alia Bhatt India’s 2021 Person of the Year
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has named Bollywood star Alia Bhatt its 2021 Person of the Year. She is an animal lover and often shares pictures with her pets. This year, Alia Bhatt invested in Phool, the company behind Fleather, which is a vegan leather made from discarded temple flowers.
Her vegan kidswear line, Ed-a-Mamma, also won a 2021 PETA India fashion award for helping to nurture kids’ love for animals and nature. Alia also starred in a pro-adoption PETA India campaign to help cats and dogs. She has used her position to call for stronger animal protection laws.
Past recipients of PETA India’s Person of the Year Award:
- Dr Shashi Tharoor, for supporting Compassionate Citizen, PETA India’s humane education programme for children, as well as other education on animal protection;
- Former Supreme Court Justice KS Panicker Radhakrishnan, for the landmark judgement against the use of bulls in performances;
- Cricketer Virat Kohli, for calling for the release of an abused elephant and stronger penalties for animal abusers;
- Comedian Kapil Sharma, for encouraging people to adopt dogs;
- Actors John Abraham, Anushka Sharma, Sunny Leone, R Madhavan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Hema Malini, and Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, for helping animals in various ways.
GoI appoints Atul Kumar Goel as new MD & CEO of PNB
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Atul Kumar Goel, MD & CEO of UCO Bank, as MD & CEO of Punjab National Bank (PNB) with effect from February 1 next year. Goel will serve as PNB chief until December 31, 2024, which is his attaining the superannuation age. Goel will replace Mallikarjuna Rao, incumbent MD & CEO of PNB. Rao was given a three-month extension that will end on January 31, 2022.
Meanwhile, the ACC has appointed Soma Sankara Prasad, currently Deputy Managing Director at State Bank of India, as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer in UCO Bank. He will serve as MD & CEO of UCO Bank till the date of attaining the age of superannuation on May 31, 2023.
Govt set up high-level committee to examine of lifting Nagaland’s AFSPA
The Government of India has decided to constitute a ‘five-member’ committee to look into the demand for withdrawal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act “AFSPA” in Nagaland. The committee headed by Vivek Joshi, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, would submit its recommendations within 45 days. Additional Secretary in the Home Ministry Piyush Goyal will be its Member-Secretary. The Chief Secretary and DGP of Nagaland and the DGP of Assam Rifles will be the other members of the committee.
Vivek Joshi, who is Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, will head the five-member committee while Additional Secretary in the Union Home Ministry Piyush Goyal will be the member secretary of the panel. Other members of the committee are the chief secretary and DGP of Nagaland and the DGP of the Assam Rifles.
About the AFSPA:
The AFSPA empowers security forces to conduct operations and arrest anyone without any prior warrant. It also gives immunity to the forces if they shoot someone dead.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Chief Minister of Nagaland: Neiphiu Rio; Governor of Nagaland: Jagdish Mukhi.
Indipaisa tie-up with NSDL Payments Bank to launch a new Fintech platform
Indipaisa has signed a partnership agreement with NSDL Payments Bank to launch Financial Technology (Fintech) solutions targeting India’s 63 million Small & Mid-sized Enterprise (SME) sector. To empower SME owners & operators to provide facilities and services that help them grow businesses, comply with government tax laws and build a sustainable future.
About the Agreements:
- Indipaisa’s mission is to empower SME owners and operators to take charge of their finances as well as give them facilities and services that help them grow their businesses, comply with government tax laws, and build a better future for their families.
- Indipaisa plans to introduce multiple financial products and services customized from the ground up to match the specific needs of Indian SME owners and operators.
- Furthermore, Indiapaisa is proud to be part of the Government of India and the Reserve Bank of India’s drive to digitize payments, estimated to exceed USD 1.0 Trillion annually by the year 2025.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- NSDL Payments Bank Founded: 1996;
- NSDL Payments Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra;
- NSDL Payments Bank MD & CEO: Abhijit Kamalapurkar.
Somalia’s President suspends PM Mohamed Hussein Roble
Somalian Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble has been suspended. President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has suspended the Prime Minister, who is facing allegations of involvement in the theft of land. Mohamed Roble accused the President of trying to stage a coup and said, he would continue in office. He urged the security forces to take orders from him rather than Mr Farmajo. The term of Farmajo officially ended in February but was extended because of disagreements over how to choose a new incumbent.
Somalia has not had an effective central government since the overthrow of long-serving ruler Siad Barre in 1991. The country is marred by disputes between rival politicians and clans. It is also battling an insurgency by al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda affiliate.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Somalia Capital: Mogadishu;
- Somalia Currency: Somali shilling.
HDFC Bank tie-up with IPPB to offer banking services in rural areas
HDFC Bank has signed an MoU with India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) to offer banking services to over 4.7 crore customers of IPPB in semi-urban and rural areas. Under the MoU, out of 4.7 crores, customers around 90 per cent reside in rural areas. The HDFC bank aims to boost its financial inclusion drive by leveraging IPPB’s network of 650 branches and over 136,000 banking access points.
This alliance will allow IPPB to provide affordable and diversified offerings to its customers through its doorstep banking service. This alliance will allow us to take our best-in-class products and services to millions of IPPB customers in the remotest corners of India.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- India Post Payments Bank Founded: 2018;
- India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi;
- India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) MD & CEO: J Venkatramu;
- India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) Tag line: Aapka Bank, Aapke Dwaar.
HDFC Life signed bancassurance partnership with South Indian Bank
HDFC Life signed a bancassurance (Bank-Insurance) agreement with South Indian Bank to enable customers of the South Indian Bank to avail HDFC Life’s life insurance products and services to the customers of South Indian Bank. This bancassurance arrangement will enable customers of the South Indian Bank to avail HDFC Life’s wide range of life insurance products which include solutions for protection, savings and investment, retirement and critical illness. This bancassurance partnership will further strengthen HDFC Life’s business across India.
About the agreements:
- HDFC Life is one of the largest life insurance players with a market share of 22.3% (in terms of Overall New Business Premium as on September 30, 2021). The insurer has a wide range of products that offer customers the dual benefits of protection as well long term savings based on their life stage requirements.
- HDFC Life is targeting to provide the customer with innovative products and superior levels of services through the physical and digital routes.
- The Company offers end to end digital on-boarding to customers along with 24/7 service. This unique combination of simple products and superior quality service makes for a compelling customer proposition.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- South Indian Bank Founded: 29 January 1929;
- South Indian Bank Headquarters: Thrissur, Kerala;
- South Indian Bank MD & CEO: Murali Ramakrishnan.
IndusInd Bank and NPCI tie-up to offer cross-border payments through UPI
IndusInd Bank has partnered with the National Payments Corporation to offer real-time cross-border remittances to India using UPI IDs, for its Money Transfer Operator (MTO) partners. It is the first Indian bank to go live on UPI for cross-border payments/NRI remittances. Under this arrangement, the MTOs will be using the IndusInd Bank channel to connect with NPCI’s UPI payment systems for validation and cross-border payment settlement into beneficiary accounts.
IndusInd Bank has started off with Thailand’s DeeMoney for Foreign Inward Remittance (FIR) through UPI. The bank has started the service with DeeMoney, a Thailand-based financial solutions provider offering money transfers and foreign currency exchange services. Customers using the DeeMoney website can easily transfer funds just by adding the beneficiary’s UPI ID.
‘He-Man’ artist and toy designer Mark Taylor passes away
Mark Taylor, artist and toy designer for the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe franchise as well as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, passed away. Taylor began his career with Mattel in 1976 as a packaging designer. He-man was the muscled frontman for toy manufacturer Mattel’s Masters of the Universe franchise. He-Man was the epitome of a hulking superhero warrior but also became an icon within the LGBTQ+ community.
IAS Praveen Kumar named as DG & CEO of Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs
Govt of India has approved the appointment of Praveen Kumar, IAS, Former Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship to the post of Director General & Chief Executive Officer, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA). The proposal for setting up IICA was approved by Planning Commission in the year 2007. It was established in 2008 at Manesar, Haryana.
Praveen Kumar is a 1987 batch retired IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, and a former Secretary, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.
Uttar Pradesh won 11th Hockey India junior national championship
Uttar Pradesh has crowned the winners of the 11th Junior National Men’s Hockey Championship following a 3-1 victory over Chandigarh in the final at Kovilpatti, Tamil Nadu. Tournament top scorer Sharda Nand Tiwari opened the scoring for Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh Hockey maintained its unbeaten record. In the 3rd/4th Place playoff match, the Hockey Association of Odisha edged out Hockey Haryana 3 – 2 in a closely contested affair to clinch 3rd place in the competition.
Former Greek President Karolos Papoulias passes away
Veteran Greek politician Karolos Papoulias, who served as president at the height of the economic crisis of the 2010s, died. Papoulias, a longtime socialist lawmaker and minister, was close to Andreas Papandreou, the founder of the Socialist PASOK party. He served two terms between 2005 and 2015.
Papoulias, who was also foreign minister in 1985-89 and 1993-96, was a high-ranking member of socialist PASOK party and a close associate of its late leader and former prime minister Andreas Papandreou.
China launches new camera satellite with 5m resolution
China has launched a new satellite with a camera capable of taking photos of the ground with a resolution of five meters, according to the National Space Administration of China (CNSA). The satellite, called “Ziyuan-1 02E” or “Five Meter 02 Optical Satellite”. Beijing time by a Long March-4C rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Beijing Province. Shanxi (northern China). This is the 39th launch of the Longue Marche-4C rocket and the 403rd launch of the entire Long March series.
About the satellite:
- The Ziyuan-1 02E weighs approximately 2.5 kilograms and is equipped with infrared, near-infrared and hyperspectral cameras. The cameras can take panchromatic color images of the Earth.
- The satellite will work with the five-meter optical satellite 01 and will reduce the revisiting time of Chinese territory from three days to two days.
- Images taken by the satellite duo will help engineers study China’s geological environment and search for minerals. People working in other fields such as transport, agriculture and disaster mitigation will also receive help through the images.
E.O. Wilson, Known as ‘Father of Biodiversity,’ passes away
E.O. Wilson, the former Harvard University biologist and Pulitzer Prize winner whose study of ants and human behaviour made him one of the world’s most influential scientists and prompted his calls for action to protect millions of species on the planet, has passed away. He was 92. To protect Earth earned him the nickname “Darwin’s natural heir”.
He was the author of hundreds of scientific papers and more than 30 books, two of which won him Pulitzer Prizes for nonfiction: 1978’s On Human Nature, and The Ants in 1990. The “father of biodiversity,” as Wilson was also known, attempted to unify the natural sciences with the humanities and said there was still time to reverse a “sixth extinction” of most species on the planet if environmental degradation was halted.
Nitesh Kumar wins double gold at 4th Para-Badminton National Championship
Nitesh Kumar won doubled gold at the 4th Para-Badminton National Championship, which concluded in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Haryana’s Nitesh along with his partner Tarun Dhillon defeated World No. 1 Paralympic Games gold medallist Pramod Bhagat and Manoj Sarkar in straight sets 21-19, 21-11 in the Men’s doubles finals to win the gold.
Earlier, Nitesh also won the gold medal in the Men’s singles category. World No 1 SL3 Para-Badminton player Parul Parmar from Gujarat also secured gold while Mandeep Kaur from Uttarakhand won Silver and Mansi won bronze.
Radhika Jha named as CEO of Energy Efficiency Services
Radhika Jha has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer in state-run Energy Efficiency Services (EESL). EESL is a joint venture between NTPC, Power Grid, Power Finance Corp and REC, working to promote energy efficiency in the country.
Prior to the new posting, the IAS officer was serving as Secretary to the Government of Uttarakhand for the Education Department. She took charge of the post in July this year and navigated the operational guidelines for resuming classes post COVID. Also, Jha played a key role in formulating a detailed strategy to cover up for the learning loss. Earlier, Radhika Jha also led the Centre’s Integrated Power Development Scheme as Executive Director in Power Finance Corp, before moving to the state.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Energy Efficiency ServicesHeadquarters: New Delhi;
- Energy Efficiency Services Founded: 2009;
- Energy Efficiency Services Chairmen: Arun Kumar Mishra.
