Daily Current Affairs 21st December 2023: Your guide for daily General Knowledge Preparation
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This post contains important current affairs of 21st December2023. It includes all Major National, International, Business and Sports related current affairs of 21st December2023. A brief explanation of every current affair is provided to further enhance your general knowledge. Once you have gone through these current affairs we would recommend to you to try 21st December2023 Current affairs test.
National News
1. India-ADB Deal for Delhi-Meerut Rapid Transit:
- A new agreement between the Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) involves a loan of 37 billion Japanese Yen (equivalent to $250 million) for the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS).
- The signatories include Juhi Mukherjee for the Indian government and Hoe Yun Jeong representing ADB.
- This follows ADB’s earlier commitment of 1,049 million dollars in 2020 for the same project.
- The loan is a part of a larger Multi-tranche Financing Facility (MFF) under the NCR Regional Plan 2021.
- The project aims to integrate multi-modal transportation hubs within the Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor.
- Funding includes a 500 million dollars investment by ADB and an additional $500 million co-financed by the AIIB.
- The project is expected to significantly improve urban transportation and economic prospects.
2. IRDAI’s Revised Settlement Rules Post Cyclone Michaung:
- The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has increased the threshold for appointing surveyors and loss assessors in the wake of Cyclone Michaung.
- The new limits are set at Rs 1 lakh for motor insurance (up from Rs 50,000) and Rs 5 lakh for non-motor insurance (previously Rs 1 lakh).
- This adjustment is specifically tailored to address claims resulting from Cyclone Michaung and will be in effect for two months following the circular’s release.
3. Decrease in FDI in Gujarat:
- Gujarat witnesses a 30% reduction in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the first half of the fiscal year 2024.
- This drop places Gujarat second in terms of FDI reduction, following Karnataka.
- The state garnered Rs 18,884 crore in FDI between April and September, a decline from Rs 26,866 crore in the same period the previous year.
- While Maharashtra leads in FDI, Gujarat currently ranks fourth among Indian states.
4. Milestone in Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana:
- The PMBJP records a landmark sales figure of Rs. 1000 crore in the fiscal year 2023-24.
- This achievement has enabled people to save an estimated Rs. 5000 crore by buying medicines from Janaushadhi Kendras.
- The program has successfully launched 10,000 Kendras and aims to increase this number to 25,000 by March 2026.
5. India’s Inaugural Winter Arctic Expedition:
- Union Minister Kiren Rijiju flags off India’s first winter scientific expedition to the Arctic.
- This year-long mission at the Arctic research station emphasizes studying climate change.
- India’s Arctic research initiative began in 2007.
6. IndiGo’s Record Passenger Transport:
- IndiGo sets a record as the first Indian airline to carry 100 million passengers in a single year.
- It also becomes the first Indian airline to operate over 2000 flights daily in 2023.
- The airline holds a 61.8% market share in the domestic sector as of November 2023.
7. Launch of Cashfree Payments’ ‘FlowWise’:
- Cashfree Payments introduces ‘FlowWise,’ a self-hosted payments orchestration platform.
- The platform simplifies using multiple payment services for businesses.
- It is the first cloud-native orchestration platform in India, aiming to increase transaction success rates by up to 10% and reduce processing costs by up to 40%.
8. Hyderabad Leads in Food Adulteration Cases:
- Hyderabad is reported to have the highest number of food adulteration cases in India.
- According to NCRB data, 291 cases were reported across 19 major cities in 2021.
9. World Bank Report on Migration and Remittances:
- India continues to be the largest beneficiary of remittances in 2023, receiving $125 billion.
- Remittance flows to low- and middle-income countries have grown by 3.8%.
- However, there is a noted decline in remittances to the Middle East and North Africa.
10. National Sports Awards 2023:
- Chirag C Shetty and Satwik Sai Raj Rankireddy are honored with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award.
- 26 athletes, including Mohammed Shami and R Vaishali, receive the Arjuna Award.
- Coaches are recognized with the Dronacharya Awards in both regular and lifetime categories.
- The Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2023 is awarded to Guru Nanak Dev University.
11. Bangladesh Triumphs in Under-19 Asia Cup:
- Bangladesh clinches the Under-19 Asia Cup, defeating the UAE in the final.
- Bangladesh posted a score of 282/8, with UAE being bowled out for 87 runs.
- Ashiqur is named the player of the match and the series.
- The tournament was held in the UAE from December 8 to 17, 2023.
12. Indian Air Force Tests ‘SAMAR’ Missile System:
- The Indian Air Force successfully trials the indigenous ‘SAMAR’ air defense missile system.
- Demonstrated during Exercise Astrashakti-2023, SAMAR showcases its capability in operational field trials.
- The system, capable of speeds ranging from 2 to 2.5 Mach, is designed to neutralize aerial threats.
- SAMAR incorporates components from the Russian-origin Vympel R-73 and R-27 air-to-air missiles.
