NATIONAL NEWS
Uttar Pradesh Tops NITI Aayog's Health Index in Terms of Incremental ChangeIndia’s largest state Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the top performer in terms of incremental health performance among larger states, while Mizoram performed well in the smaller states category, according to the fourth Health Index launched by Niti Aayog.
- Though in terms of overall performance, Kerala was the front-runner, it had nearly half the indicators/sub-indicators where its performance worsened or remained stagnant, the report added.
- According to the report, the maximum annual incremental performance shown by Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Telangana among larger states, Mizoram and Meghalaya in smaller states segment, while Delhi and J&K among UTs.
In Madhya Pradesh, World Sangeet Tansen festival begins. The festival will be organised till December 30th in Gwalior.
- This is the 97th edition of the festival. AIR correspondent reports, The stage of the program has been constructed on the theme of Siddhanath temple situated in Omkareshwar.
- State Culture Minister Ms Usha Thakur will preside over the programme. National Kalidas Awards will be presented in the inauguration ceremony. A total of nine musical concerts will be held at the function.
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin launched ‘Meendum Manjappai’ scheme to promote the use of cloth bags by the public and discourage the use of plastic bags, which have become rampant in the State over the years.
- This awareness campaign on using ‘yellow’ cloth bag or ‘manjapai’ as it is called in Tamil, is aimed at encouraging the people to return to the use of this eco-friendly bag and discard the plastic bags.
- The state government had enforced a ban on the production, use, storage, distribution, transportation or sale of 14 types of plastics with effect from January 1, 2019.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah released the Good Governance Index 2021 prepared by Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances on the occasion of the Good Governance Day in New Delhi.
- Mr Shah also Good Governance Index (GGI) 2021 Framework covered ten sectors and 58 indicators including Agriculture and Allied Sectors, Commerce and Industries, Public Health Economic Governance and Environment. As per the GGI, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa topped the composite rank score covering 10 sectors.
- Among the sectors, UP has secured top position in Commerce and Industry sector and has also shown increase in Social Welfare and Development and Judiciary and Public Safety.
- In the North-East and Hill States category, Mizoram and Jammu and Kashmir have registered an overall increase of 10.4 percent and 3.7 percent over GGI 2019. In the Union Territories category, Delhi tops the composite rank registering a 14 percent increase over 2019 indicators.
BANKING & FINANCE
HDFC Life signs bancassurance deal with South Indian BankHDFC Life announced a bancassurance tie-up with South Indian Bank that will enable customers of the bank to avail a range of life insurance products of the insurer that include solutions for protection, savings and investment, retirement and critical illness.
- 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.
India's biggest private lender HDFC Bank has partnered with India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) to offer its banking services in semi-urban and rural areas.
- Under the pact, HDFC will cater to over 4.7 crore customers of IPPB, most of which (around 90 per cent) reside in rural areas.
- HDFC Bank said this alliance will allow IPPB to provide affordable and diversified offerings to its customers through its doorstep banking service.
IndusInd Bank has partnered with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) for offering real-time cross-border remittances to India using UPI IDs, for its Money Transfer Operator (MTO) partners, the bank said.
- With this initiative, IndusInd Bank has become 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.
Indipaisa, a member of the Nexxo Network, an international network of Fintech companies operating in Middle East Asia and Europe, is launching a set of innovative Financial Technology (Fintech) solutions targeting India's flourishing 63 million Small & Mid-sized Enterprise (SME) sector.
- 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, in partnership with NSDL Payments Bank, plans to introduce multiple financial products and services customized from the ground up to match the specific needs of Indian SME owners and operators.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
India to become 3rd largest economy in 2031, says CEBRThe Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) has predicted that India will regain sixth position from France next year and become the third-largest economy in 2031, a year later the previously predicted.
- CEBR, one of the UK's leading economics consultancies, in its annual World Economic League Table also predicted that China will overtake the US in 2030, two years later than forecast a year ago.The world's economic output will exceed $100 trillion for the first time next year.
- The London-based think tank said, over the next 15 years, India will see an improvement in its ranking in the World Economic League Table (WELT), rising from 7th place in 2021 to be the world’s third-largest economy in 2036.
- Economic activity has rebounded in 2021, due to drop in daily new cases of infections. The economy is estimated to grow 8.5% in 2021, due to economic recovery after a contraction of 7.3% in 2020. In July-September quarter of 2021, GDP growth was 8.4%, after recording a sharp rebound of 20.1% in April-June quarter.
APPOINTMENTS
Kamlesh Gandhi named new Co-Chairman of FIDCFinance Industry Development Council (FIDC), which is a representative body of asset and loan financing NBFCs, has announced fresh appointments to its board of directors.
- Kamlesh Gandhi, CMD of MAS Financial Services has been appointed as Co-Chairman, FIDC in addition to Umesh Revankar, CEO and MD of Shriram Transport Finance Group. Sanjay Chamria has resigned as the Co-Chairman and Director, FIDC.
- Dinanath Dubhashi, MD and CEO, L&T Finance Holdings has been appointed as an additional Director of FIDC.
Vice Admiral Puneet K. Bahl took over as the Commandant, Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala.
- The Flag Officer was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 1st July 1984. He was awarded with Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.
RBL Bank's Vishawvir Ahuja has stepped down as MD & CEO of the bank, and the bank has appointed Rajeev Ahuja as the interim Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the bank with immediate effect.
- The Reserve Bank of India has also appointed its Chief General Manager Yogesh K. Dayal as an additional director on the board of RBL Bank.
Mohammed ben Sulayem became the first non-European to be elected president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), succeeding the retiring Jean Todt.
- The 60-year-old Emirati gained 61.62% of the votes against the 36.62% for his sole rival Britain's Graham Stoker. The former rally driver replaces Todt, who stands down after 12 years at the helm.
AWARDS
- The Ratanlal Foundation and the organizing Committee of the Bhopal Literature and Art Festival announced the winner, for this notable award for fiction written by a woman author and published in 2020. This prize has been instituted by the Shri Ratanlal Foundation.
Surat's noted industrialist Viral Desai, popularly known as Greenman for his love for the environment, has been awarded the prestigious Global Environment and Climate Action Citizen Award in Dubai.
- Viral Desai and the other winners were felicitated at Dubai's Atlantis, The Palm, with the Bharat Gaurav Samman by Sanskruti Yuva Sansthan.
- Twenty-eight prominent personalities from 11 countries, including the UK, the US, New Zealand, France, and Malaysia, were felicitated with the prestigious awards on occasion, but Viral Desai was the only one from India to have won the honour for climate action
HDFC Bank's efforts in furthering financial inclusion through partnership with the Government of India's Common Service Centres (CSC) have been adjudged 'Most Innovative Best Practice' for financial inclusion at the coveted CII Digital Transformation Award 2021.
- HDFC Bank focuses on financial inclusion by offering entire bouquet of its world-class products through CSC's network of VLE centres.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Japan launches huge Inmarsat-6 F1 communications satellite into orbitJapan successfully launched the Inmarsat-6 Flight 1 (I-6 F1) satellite as a part of Inmarsat’s next-generation satellite broadband service. I-6 F1 launched aboard an H-IIA 204 rocket.
- Designated H-IIA F45 launch is Japan’s third orbital flight of 2021 and H-IIA’s second mission of the year, marking the 45th flight of the H-IIA vehicle overall.
- The I-6 pair are the largest and most sophisticated commercial communications satellites ever launched. The I-6 satellites will be compatible with existing terminals for Inmarsat's already-operational ELERA and Global Xpress networks.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
New book by Army ex-chief Gen. Vij offers ‘complete picture’, way forward on Jammu & KashmirA new book by former Indian Army Chief of Staff Gen. Nirmal Chander Vij (ret) claims to offer a “full picture” of the conflicts in Jammu and Kashmir and the way forward. The book published by HarperCollins India, the book of General Vij, The riddle of “Kashmir: the quest for peace in a troubled land”.
- In the book, General Vij argues that the conflicts in Jammu and Kashmir are “symptomatic of Indo-Pakistani rivalry” after the partition, and contextualizes the issue by beginning the book with a summary of the history of the region.
Vice-President of India M Venkaiah Naidu released the book titled “The Turnover Wizard – Saviour Of Thousands”, an autobiography of Arup Roy Choudhury, the former Chairman and Managing Director of NTPC Limited and NBCC (India) Limited.
- The book consolidates Arup Roy Choudhury’s learnings from life and brings out the management lesson from his life. The book is also endorsed by E Sreedharan, The Metro Man of India.
The book titled “The Modi Gambit: Decoding Modi 2.0” written by Sanju Verma, an economist and the BJP National Spokesperson, has been released recently.
- The book features the various achievement in the last 2 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2nd term as PM of India.
- The foreword of the book is written by Padma Shri Mohandas Pai and the Afterword is written by ace journalist, Anand Narasimhan, Managing Editor at CNN News 18.
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