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Daily Current Affairs 30th Dec 2020

To prepare for any competitive exam, one of the important sections to read and learn is current affairs. Exams like UPSC, Bank, SSC, RRB or any Government

Andhra Pradesh CM Launches Housing Scheme 'Navaratnalu-Pedalandariki Illu' in East Godavari District

  • Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched the scheme named Navaratnalu-Pedalandariki Illu (Nine jewels - housing for all the poor), at Komarigiri village of U Kothapalli block of East Godavari district.
  • A total of 30.90 lakh houses will be constructed by the government by 2024 for the poor people of the state and ensure that every household in the state has a pucca (cemented) house. Rs 50,490 crore would be spent on the construction of houses.
  • Under the scheme, a house site patta will be issued to the beneficiaries and the patta will be registered in the name of a women's household. All the beneficiaries will be given 1.5 cents in rural areas or one cent in urban areas.
  • 75 lakh beneficiaries have been identified across the State, of which 28.30 lakh houses will be given under 17,000 YSR Jagananna layouts named YSR Jagananna Housing Colonies and another 2.62 lakh are of Township and Infrastructure Development Corporation (TIDCO) flats.

UP Govt to Set up India's First Mega Leather Park in Kanpur

  • The Government of Uttar Pradesh is set to establish India's First Mega Leather Park in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
  • The project is set to be built across 235 acres in Ramaipur village, Kanpur at an expense of Rs 5850 crores.
  • The leather park will be a hub of leather products like purses, jackets, shoes and others which will be exported to the International markets.

India's First Lithium Refinery to be Set up in Gujarat

  • The first Lithium refinery of India is to be set up in Gujarat. It will process Lithium ore to produce battery-grade material. More than Rs 1,000 crore will be invested by Manikaran Power Limited(MPL) to set up this refinery.
  • MPL will import Lithium ore from Australia and process it in Gujarat.
  • MPL in 2019 had collaborated with Australian firm Neometals to tap the Mount Marion Lithium mine in Western Australia for Lithium ore.
  • Toshiba Corporation, DENSO Corporation and Suzuki Motor Corporation are jointly setting up TDS Lithium-Ion Battery Gujarat Private Ltd which is India's first Lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant in Gujarat. It is a Rs 1135 crore plant.

About Manikaran Power Limited (MPL):

  • Incepted- 2008
  • Managing Director- Mr. Navjeet Singh Kalsi Headquarters, New Delhi, India

Nature Index 2020 Artificial Intelligence

  • According to the Nature Index 2020 Artificial Intelligence' released by Nature Research, International Scientific publishing company, India ranked 3rd in the list of 25 Countries with most publications on Artificial Intelligence (AI) during the period 2015-2019. China topped the List, followed by the United States. The whole Index is based on the time period between 2015-19.
  • India ranked 20th among 25 countries in artificial intelligence ranked by total article share in the field from 2015 to 2019

Anna University, Chennai ranked 32nd in Top 100 research organizations in the Al field. It is the only Indian Organization in Top 100.

  • Nature Index is a database of author affiliation information collected from research articles published in 82 high-quality science journals.
  • In the list of Top 100 Institutions based on Total Article share in Al, Harvard University (USA) topped the index, followed by Stanford University (USA) & Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT (USA).
  • The top 5 Corporate Institutions based on share of research articles on Al are Alphabet Inc., (Google), IBM Corporation, Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corporation (NTT).

About Nature Research:

  • Editor in Chief - Magdalena Skipper
  • Location - London, United Kingdom

Punjab National Bank Introduced PNB e-Credit Card

  • Punjab National Bank (PNB) introduced PNB e-Credit Card. This card is a digital imitation of a physical Credit Card. PNB customers can use this card at any e-commerce platform or merchant website, without having to carry the physical card.
  • The details of the card can be viewed in PNB Genie Mobile app by clicking on the e-Credit Card facility.
  • It helps the customers to activate the card for international/ Domestic use and also to set up transaction limits for ATM, ecommerce, PoS and Contactless payments.

About Punjab National Bank (PNB):

  • Commenced Operations- April 12, 1895
  • MD & CEO-CH S.S. Mallikarjuna Rao Headquarters, New Delhi, India
  • Tagline- The name you can bank upon

Hardeep Singh Puri launches 'E-Sampada' Web Portal & Mobile App

  • Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing & Urban Affairs (MOHUA), Hardeep Singh Puri virtually launched 'E-Sampada' - web portal & Mobile app on Good Governance Day 2020.E- Sampada will serve as a single window for Management of all Government of India (Gol) Estate services. It has been developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
  • E-Sampada is an integration of Four Websites (gpra.nic.in, eawas.nic.in, estates.gov. In, holidayhomes.nic.in and two Mobile Apps (m-Awas & m-Ashoka5) of the Directorate of Estates.
  • The application will be a major step towards bringing uniformity across estate systems in India on line of 'One Nation, One System'.
  • It is also aimed at improving transparency & accountability in the services.
  • Some of the services provided by Gol Estate services are allotment of government residential accommodations, office space allotment to government organisations, booking of holiday home rooms, booking of venues for social functions.
  • The portal will also serve as a facility to lodge complaints, submit documents & appear for virtual hearing.

Padma Shri Shamsur Rahman Faruqi India's Noted Urdu Poet & Critic Passed Away at 85

  • Padma Shri Shamsur Rahman Faruqi India's renowned Urdu Poet, writer, critic and theorist, passed away at the age of 85 in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh.
  • Shamsur Rahman Faruqi was also a noted lexicographer who worked as a part time professor at the South Asia Regional Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania, United States of America.
  • He is regarded as an authority on Ilm-e bayan - the science of poetic discourse - and classical poetry.
  • He was well known for his contribution to the revival of "Dastangoi" the Urdu oral storytelling art form of the 13th century
  • He was the editor of his literary magazine "Shabkhoon".
  • Some of his famous works include "Early Urdu Literary Culture and History" (2001). "The Flower-Lit Road: Essays in Urdu Literary Theory and Criticism" (2005) and "Urdu Ka Arambhik Yug" (2007).
  • He received the Saraswati Samman in 1996 for "Sher-e Shor-Angez", a study of Meer Taqi Meer, 18th century poet, which was published in 4 volumes.
  • He received the Padma Shri for literature & education in 2009.

Robin Jackman, Former England Cricketer and Commentator Passed Away at 75

  • Robin David Jackman, former England cricketer and commentator passed away at the age of 75 at his home in Cape Town, South Africa.
  • He was a right handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler(seamer). He was born on 13 August 1945 in Shimla, Punjab, British India(Now Shimla is in Himachal Pradesh).
  • Alan Gibson, the cricket writer, gave Jackman the nickname of the "Shoreditch sparrow" during his playing career

John Edrich, Former England Cricketer Passed Away at 83

  • John Hugh Edrich, former England cricketer passed away at the age of 83 at his home in north Scotland. The Left-hand opening batsman was one of the best English top order batsmen of his generation. He was born on June 21, 1937 in Blofield, Norfolk, England.
  • He was the Honorary Life Member of Marylebone Cricket Club.
  • Apart from England, he also played for Surrey County Cricket Club.

Justice Rajindar Sachar's Autobiography "In Pursuit of Justice: An Autobiography" was Launched Posthumously

  • "In Pursuit of Justice: An Autobiography" the autobiography of the Justice Rajindar Sachar was launched posthumously by his family in association with the Indian Society of International Law(ISIL) and The Indian Law Institute (ILI) over a virtual event organised to mark his birth anniversary. The book has been published by Rupa Publications.
  • At the time of his death in 2018, the book consisted of handwritten notes and recorded interviews.
  • His personal Secretary Niranjan Kaushik transcribed these interviews and the manuscript was edited by Chitra Padmanabhan, an independent journalist and writer.
  • The book portrays the life events of Justice Rajindar Sachar, a socialist, egalitarian, defender of civil liberties and a humanist who has witnessed India's Partition in 1947.
  • He became the Judge of the Delhi High Court in 1970 and after his retirement he advocated human rights and civil liberties.
  • He was well known for the Sachar Committee report of 2006 which documented the social and economic conditions of Muslims in India.