Dear aspirants, welcome to the Hranker Current Affairs section. Here you can read the latest current affairs 2021 and get daily updates of the top current affairs for all competitive examinations like RBI grade B, SSC, IBPS, RRB etc. You can also check Today in History important historical facts of the day.
1) The first-ever India Russia 22 Ministerial Dialogue is underway in New Delhi.
A) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar are representing the Indian side in the 22 Dialogue and the Russian side is being represented by their Foreign Affairs Minister and Defence Minister.
B) Ahead of the Dialogue, Dr Jaishankar held a meeting with Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov. In his opening remarks, Dr Jaishankar said this is his 4th meeting this year with Mr Lavrov. He said this is symbolic of the special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia.
C) Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also held a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu. In his opening remarks, Mr Singh said India and Russia relations are time-tested, based on a common interest in multilateralism, global peace, prosperity and mutual understanding and trust.
D) The annual India-Russia Summit today in the emerging geopolitical circumstances once again reconfirms the importance of special strategic partnership between the two nations.
E) Russian President Vladimir Putin will arrive in New Delhi today on an official visit to India for the 21st India-Russia Annual Summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The leaders will review the state and prospects of bilateral relations and discuss ways to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries.
F) The Summit will be an opportunity to exchange views on regional, multilateral and international issues of mutual interest.
G) The Annual Summit meeting between India and Russia is the highest institutionalized dialogue mechanism in the strategic partnership between India and Russia. So far, 20 Annual Summit meetings have taken place alternately in India and Russia.
H) Earlier Uzbekistan played host to the ‘Central South Asia connectivity conference 2021’.
It is also called the Tashkent Connectivity Conference.
On the sidelines of the conference, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Tashkent and discussed the situation in Afghanistan amidst the withdrawal of US forces from the country. The Minister also inaugurated the IT room of India-Uzbekistan Entrepreneurship Development Centre.
2. Project RE- HAB recently Launched by KVIC (Khadi and Village Industries Commission).
What is Project RE – HAB?
A) The Project RE – HAB creates “bee fences”. The honey bees in these fences’ thwart elephant attacks in human habitations. They dissuade the elephants without harming them. It is highly cost – effective as compared to erecting fences or digging trenches. Simultaneously, it increases honey production and increases farmer income. Also, the project helps to address climate change issues by regenerating forest cover.
How does the project work?
B) Under the project, the bee boxes are placed in the premises of human habitation. They are placed as fences. Around 15 to 20 bee boxes are placed around the habitation that is to be protected.
C) The buzz of the bees irritates the elephants the most. They fear that the honey bees might sting them in their trunks and eyes. And therefore, they do not walk ahead of the boxes. The boxes are connected with a string. When the elephants try to pass through the string, a pull or tug causes the bees to swarm towards the elephant.
Implementing Agency
D) The Project RE – HAB is implemented by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). The KVIC is a statutory body established under Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act, 1956. The main function of KVIC is to plan, promote, organize and implement programmes for the development of village industries in rural areas.
E) Project RE – HAB a sub – mission to National Honey Mission.
The Project RE – HAB is a submission to the National Honey Mission of KVIC. It was launched to provide awareness and training in using bee boxes along the bee colonies. The mission was launched in 2017 and is in line with Sweet Revolution.
Where was Project RE – HAB launched?
F) The Project was first launched in Karnataka. Upon its huge success in the state, it is to be launched in West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
What is the need for the project?
G) Between 2014 and 2019, around 403 deaths occurred due to elephant – human conflict. 397 deaths occurred in Odisha, 349 in Jharkhand, 332 in Assam, 170 in Karnataka and 289 in Chhattisgarh. Also, around 500 elephants died in human – elephant conflict in the last five years alone.
Fact Check
A) The mission was launched in August 2017 in line with the ‘Sweet Revolution’.
B) The ‘Sweet Revolution’ was launched in 2016 to promote beekeeping and associated activities.
3) The Russian Tennis Federation won the Davis Cup 2021.
About Davis Cup
A) The Davis Cup is also called the World Cup of Tennis. It is an international team event in men’s tennis. The women’s equivalent of Davis Cup is the Billie Jean King Cup.
B) It is conducted by the International Tennis Federation. It was first held in 1900 as a challenge between the US and Britain. By 2016, there were 135 countries participating in the competition.
C) The most successful countries in the Davis cup are the USA, Australia, and New Zealand. USA has so far won the Davis Title 32 times, Australia has won 28 times.
Davis Cup: Knock Out Format
D) It Is a single elimination tournament. That is, the loser of each match is immediately eliminated from the tournament. The other type of tournament held is called Playoff. In the playoffs, the top competitors determine the league champion. The most common type is the “regular season”. It is also called Group Tournament. Here, the teams are divided into groups and each group plays a specific number of games against their opponent.
International Tennis Federation
E) The Davis Cup is conducted by the International Tennis Federation. The ITF is the governing body of beach tennis, wheelchair tennis and world tennis. It partners with the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) to govern professional tennis.
F) The ITF organizes Davis cup (of men), Billie Jean King Cup (of women), Grand Slam, Hopman Cup. The ITF also conducts world tennis and wheelchair tennis at the Paralympic games and Summer Olympic games on behalf of the International committee.
Hard Courts
G) The Davis Cup is held in hard courts. The other types are grass courts, clay courts and artificial grass courts. The Grass court is the signature court of Wimbledon. The grass surface is quick and the ball bounces in this court.
H) The Clay courts are made of stone, crushed shale and brick. The clay surfaces slow down the ball. It produces slow and high bounces. Hard courts are made of rigid materials with an acrylic surface layer. This surface is very popular. The US Open is played in these courts. In artificial grass courts, the ball moves quickly.
4) The 11th edition of Defence Exercise EKUVERIN between India and Maldives to be conducted at Kadhdhoo Island.
A) The exercise will enhance synergy and inter-operability between Armed Forces of both the nations in terms of understanding transnational terrorism both on land and at sea, conducting Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Insurgency Operations and sharing best military practices and experiences.
B) Besides rigorous training, the joint military exercise will also include cultural and sports activities to enhance defence cooperation and bilateral relations.
C) Defence Ministry said, the exercise will go a long way in strengthening India’s relations with Maldives amidst emerging security dynamics in the Indian Ocean Region.
D) In 2019, “Exercise Ekuverin” commenced on Oct 7.
E) The 14-day long exercise was conducted at Aundh Military Station.
G) It included joint training in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism.
H) The Indian Army and the Maldives National Defence Forces have been conducting Exercise Ekuverin meaning ‘Friends’ in the Dhivehi language since 2009.
5) ‘Digital Payment Utsav’ launched as a part of Azadi ka Digital Mahotsav.
A) The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) today hosted a unique event – ‘Digital Payment Utsav’ as part of the week-long ‘Azadi Ka Digital Mahotsav’.
B) The day celebrated the journey and rise of digital payments in India and brought together leaders from the Government, banking sector, fintech companies and startups.
C) The event held at the India Habitat Centre witnessed the unveiling of the DIGIDHAN logo, launch of an awareness campaign called Digital Payments Sandesh Yatra with digital payments anthem titled ‘Chutki Baja ke’ (cashless, touchless, paperless).
D) Top Banks and Fintechs were awarded & recognized in various categories for their achievements in FY 2019-20 and FY 2020-21 towards the promotion of digital payments.
E) Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Electronics & Information Technology, Railways and Communications congratulated the winners and placed a challenge before the bankers to create a platform as powerful and seamless as the UPI for providing quick and easy credit to the MSMEs, small industries, small businessmen and people at the bottom of the pyramid.
6) Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren launches a web portal named ‘Hamara Apna Budget’.
A) In the month of December, 2021, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren launched our ‘Apna Budget Portal’ and mobile app prepared by the Finance Department from the Chief Minister’s Housing Office.
B) A mobile application prepared by the state finance Department from the Chief Minister’s residential office in Ranchi.
C) Through this portal, the general public of the state can share their suggestions for the 2022-23 budget.
D) The public can give suggestions through Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp and e-mail and also through the app by downloading the ‘Hamar Budget’ from Google Playstore for Android phones.
E) Through this portal, the general public of the state will be able to share their valuable suggestions for the budget of 2022-23.
7) Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate AIIMS at Gorakhpur.
A) A team of Ministers will visit Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh on December 7, 2021, and will inaugurate development projects that are worth over Rs. 9,600 crores.
B) Gorakhpur is also the home turf of the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath.
C) The projects to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister in Gorakhpur will include the Gorakhpur Fertilizer Plant, the AIIMS Gorakhpur complex, and the new building of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Gorakhpur.
D) AIIMS- All India Institute for Medical Sciences.
E) Director of AIIMS: Professor Randeep Guleria.
8) Azadi ka Digital Mahotsav: India Launches its first indigenous server “Rudra”.
A) Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday launched the first indigenous server, Rudra, developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM).
B) The server design can be used for manufacturing classical standalone commercial servers and also as building blocks for building large supercomputing systems of tens of petaflops of computing performance, according to an official statement.
C) “It is poised to demonstrate India’s competency to design, develop, build and deliver as per the nation’s multi-disciplinary computing needs, and has critical strategic and national importance”.
D) A wide spectrum of sectors, including high-performance computing (HPC) systems, hyperscale data centres, edge computing, banking & commerce, manufacturing, oil & gas industry and healthcare, can benefit from the indigenously-built server.
9) Annually Celebrated Hornbill Festival Cancelled for a day to mourn “Nagaland Civilian Killings”.
About the Festival
A) The Hornbill Festival is a celebration held every year from 1 to 10 December, in Nagaland, Northeast India. It is also called the ‘Festival of Festivals’.
B) Organized by the State Tourism and Art & Culture Departments, the Hornbill Festival showcases a mélange of cultural displays under one roof. This festival usually takes place between 1 and 10 December every year in Kohima.
C) The Hornbill Festival is held at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama which is about 12 km from Kohima. All the tribes of Nagaland take part in this festival. The aim of the festival is to revive and protect the rich culture of Nagaland and display its extravaganza and traditions.
D) For visitors it means a closer understanding of the people and culture of Nagaland, and an opportunity to experience the food, songs, dances and customs of Nagaland.
E) On 1 December 2017 at the Naga Heritage Village of Kisama, President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the 18th Hornbill Festival and State Formation Day celebrations of Nagaland.
F) The main venue of the Hornbill Festival, 2021 is Kohima, the capital of Nagaland.
10) The President’s Standard Award to be presented to 22 “Killer Squadron” of the Indian Navy.
What is the President’s Standard?
A) The President’s Standard is the highest honour awarded in the military. It has the same honour as that of the President’s Colours awards. However, it is awarded to a smaller military formation or unit as compared to the President’s Colours. It is presented by the President of India.
What are the achievements of the Missile Vessel Squadron?
B) The missile vessel participated in Operation Parakram and Operation Vijay. Operation PArakram was launched in 2001. It was the first full – scale mobilization since 1971. It was launched in the wake of the 2001 Indian Parliament attack. It was launched in Line of Control for four weeks. Under the operation, India mobilized a large number of troops in the international border of Kashmir and Punjab. Operation Vijay was the operation launched in the Kashmir region to clear out the Kargil sector during the Kargil war, 1999.
Missile Vessel Squadron: The Killers
C) The 22nd Missile Vessel Squadron is also called “The Killer”. This is mainly for its brave actions during Operation Trident. The operation was launched on the night of December 4-5, 1971. During the operation, Pakistan lost destroyers, minesweepers and cargo vessels carrying ammunition and fuel storage tanks. India celebrates Navy Day on December 4 commemorating this operation. There were no damages to the Indian forces during the operation. The 22nd missile vessel squadron had a major role in the success and thus earned the name “KILLERS”.
Swarnim Vijay Varsh
D) 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of India’s victory in 1971 India – Pakistan war. Thus, India is to celebrate the year as the Swarnim Vijay Varsh.
What is the Presidential Standard of India?
E) The Presidential Standard is also called the Presidential Flag. It is the flag that is used in several countries as a symbol of the President. In India, the flag was used between 1950 and 1971. The presidents of India then started using the National Flag of India. The President’s Flag of India had four quarters. They are as follows:
First Quarter: The Lion Capital of Ashoka: Represents Unity
Second Quarter: Indian Elephant from Ajanta Caves: Represents patience and strength
Third Quarter: Weighing Scale from Red Fort: Represents Justice and Economy
Fourth Quarter: Vase of Indian Lotus: Represents Prosperity
About Missile Vessel Squadron
F) The Missile Vessel Squadron was formally established in 1991. Around ten Veer class ships and three Prabal class missile boats were added to the squadron. However, its genesis dates back to 1969. It started with the induction of OSA I class USSR missile boats in the Indian Navy. These missile boats were transported to India and were deployed in the 1971 war. These boats were baptized before that played a decisive role in the 1971 war.
Ships that participated in Operation Trident
G) The Indian Navy Ships Nipat, Nirghat and Veer fired the Styx missile. The Pakistani ships sunk during the operation were Muhafiz and Khyber. The INS Vinash sank the Tanker Dacca of Pakistan. Vinash launched four Styx missiles damaging the oil storage facility at Karachi.
