Government of Tamil Nadu

Department of Employment and Training

Course : Competitive Exam

Subject : Current Affairs
Topic : Current Affairs – December 2021

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 CONTENTS

HISTORY
01

29 POLITICAL SCIENCE

GEOGRAPHY
33

34 ECONOMICS

SCIENCE
41
NATIONAL–DIARY OF
EVENT 47

71 INTERNATIONAL
AFFAIRS

TAMILNADU AFFAIRS
77

100 PRACTICE QUESTIONS

1. HISTORY
1.1 IMPORTANT DAYS

Date Day Theme / Remark

▪ The world marks AIDS Day on December 1 to
highlight the work done to eliminate the Epidemic.
▪ The day is also observed to extend support to those
who have to live with the life-threatening condition
December 1 World AIDS DAY
caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus
(HIV).
▪ The theme for World AIDS Day 2021 is “END
INEQUALITIES. END AIDS.END PANDEMICS.”
▪ National Pollution Control Day 2021 is observed
annually on December 2 to remember the people
National Pollution
who lost lives during 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy.
December 2 Control Day
It is also the day to raise awareness about the
hazards of Air Pollution.
December 2 International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
December 2 World Computer Literacy Day
▪ Every year, the International Day of Persons
with Disabilities is observed on December 3
International Day
with a particular theme. This year, the theme for
of Persons with
International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2021
December 3 Disabilities
is ‘Leadership and participation of persons with
disabilities toward an inclusive, accessible and
sustainable post-COVID 19 world’.
▪ The Indian Navy Day is observed on December
4 every year to recognize the efforts and
achievements of the Indian Navy in Operation
Indian Navy Day Trident conducted during the Indo-Pakistan war
December 4 in 1971.
▪ Theme of the Day for 2021: “Swarnim Vijay Varsh”
to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of India’s victory
in the 1971 war.
2 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)

Date Day Theme / Remark

December 4 International Day of Banks
December 5 World Soil Day ▪ Theme: “half Soil Salinization, enhance soil
production”.
International Day for
December 5
Economic & Social ▪ Theme: “Volunteer how for our common Future”.
Development
December 7 National Armed Forces Day / National Flag Day
December 8 SAARC Charter Day
December 8 to
Energy Conservation Week
14
International Anti- ▪ Theme: “Your right, Your role: Say to to
December 9
Corruption Day Corruption.
▪ Human Rights Day is observed on December 10
every year.
Human Rights Day ▪ This year’s Human Rights Day theme is “Equality,
December 10
reducing inequalities, advancing human rights.”
December 10 International Animal Rights Day
International
December 11 ▪ Theme: “Sustainable Mountain Tourism”
Mountain Day
▪ Theme: “To help Children Recover from
December 11 UNICEF Day interruptions and learning losses experienced
through pandemics in the last Two Years”.
International Day of
December 12 ▪ 1st observed in 2017.
Neutrality.
International
▪ Theme: “Leave no One’s Health Behind: Invest in
December 12 University Health
health Systems for all”.
Coverage Day
▪ Theme: “Azadi ka Amrit” Mahotsav: Energy
Energy Conservation
December 14 Efficient India’ and Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav:
Day
Cleaner Planet”.
December 15 International Tea Day
▪ The Victory War Memorial on Kamarajar Salai
was built to pay homage to the heroes of the 1971
Indo Pakistan war.
December 16 Vijay Diwas
▪ ‘Vijay Diwas’ is celebrated on December 16 every
year to commemorate the anniversary of the
victory of the Indian armed forces in the 1971
India Pakistan war.
 HISTORY | 3

Date Day Theme / Remark

December 17 International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers

International ▪ Theme: “Harnessing the Potential of Human

December 18
Migrants Day Mobility”.
National Minorities
December 18 ▪ Declared in 1992 by UN
Rights Day
▪ World Arabic Language Day is observed on
18 December to honour the language, which is
December 18 World Arabic spoken by over 400 million people globally.
Language Day ▪ It has been celebrated since 2012 to mark the
adoption of Arabic as the Sixth Official Language of
the United Nations by the UN General Assembly.
▪ The theme of the World Arabic Language Day
2021 is “Arabic Language, a bridge between
Civilizations”.
▪ Operation Vijay to free Portuguese Colonies in
December 19 Goa Liberation Day
India.
December 20 International Human Solidarity Day
▪ National Mathematics Day is celebrated on
22 December Annually to commemorate the
birth anniversary of the famous mathematician
Srinivasa Ramanujan.
▪ About:
▪ The day was announced by then Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh on 26 February 2012 at Madras
National
December 22 University, to mark the 125th birth anniversary of
Mathematics Day
the Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.
▪ On this occasion Manmohan Singh also announced
that 2012 would be celebrated as the National
Mathematics Year.
▪ Ramanujam was born on 22 December 1887 in
Erode.
▪ 2021 Marks 5th Siddha Day
▪ Theme: “Strength of Siddha in Communicable
December 23 Siddha Day
Diseases.
▪ Birthday of Siddhar Agathiyar
4 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)

Date Day Theme / Remark

▪ Kisan Divas or Farmer’s Day in India or National
Farmer’s Day is celebrated on 23 December across
the country to commemorate the birth anniversary
23 December Kisan Diwas of Chaudhary Charan Singh, the Fifth prime
minister of India.
▪ In 2001, the then government designated Charan
Singh’s birth anniversary as Kisan Diwas.
December 24 National Consumer Rights Day
▪ Aiming at creating awareness about accountability
in government among the citizens of the country,
every year on the Birth Anniversary of former
December 25 Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, December 25
Good Governance
is observed as the Good Governance Day.
Day 2021
▪ The theme for this year is ‘Prashasan Gaon Ki
Aur’, and the day will be observed as a part of the
Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
December 27 International Day & Epidemic Preparedness

1.2 PROFILE OF STATES
Nagaland:
59 Statehood Day:
th
▪ Nagaland celebrated its 59th Statehood Day
with Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio extending his
greetings to the people of the State.
▪ Mr. Rio, on the occasion, said that the State
with special provisions (Article 371-A in the
Constitution), occupies a unique position in
the Indian Union.
▪ According to the Article 371-A, no act of
Parliament would apply to the State of
Nagaland in matter relating to religious or
social practices of Nagas, Naga customary
law and procedure, administration of civil or
criminal justice involving decisions according
to Naga customary law and ownership and
transfer of land and its resources.
About:
▪ In 1963, the State of Nagaland was formed by
taking the Naga Hills and Tuensang area out
of the state of Assam.
▪ Nagaland is the first State in the northeast to
be bifurcated from Assam as the 16th State of
the Indian Union. This was done to satisfy the
movement of the hostile Nagas.
▪ However, before giving Nagaland the status
of the 16th state of the Indian Union, it was
placed under the control of governor of Assam
in 1961.
▪ By the State of Nagaland Act, 1962, it became
the State with effect from December 1, 1963.
Kerala:
Fortnight Vaccination Drive:
▪ In the wake of the emergence of the new
and more transmissible SARSCoV2 variant
Omicron, the Kerala Government has started a
fortnight long special vaccination drive.
Incentive for Information on Child
Labour:
▪ The Kerala Government has decided to give
an incentive of ₹2,500 to those providing
information about child labour.
▪ Child labour has been banned and made a
criminal offence.
HISTORY | 5
▪ While there are fewer instances of child labour
in Kerala, children continue to be brought
to the State along with migrant workers and
through middlemen for work.
Special Intervention Plan for
Attapady Tribes:
▪ Kerala Minister for Health, Women and Child
Development Veena George has announced a
special intervention plan for Attappady.
▪ She said the long-term health of the tribal
community would be ensured through a
special intervention plan.
▪ Attention would be paid to women, children
and adolescents. She said a special collective
named ‘Pentrika Koota’ would be made
by involving 175 Anganwadi workers and
helpers, Asha workers and educated women.
Meghalaya:
▪ Root Bridges:
▪ A living root bridge is a type of simple
suspension bridge formed of living plant
roots by tree shaping. They are common in the
southern part of the Northeast Indian state of
Meghalaya.
▪ They are handmade from the aerial roots of
rubber fig trees (Ficus elastica) by the Khasi
and Jaintia peoples of the mountainous terrain
along the southern part of the Shillong Plateau.
▪ Most of the bridges grow on steep slopes of
subtropical moist broadleaf forest between
50m and 1150m above sea level.
▪ Longest Living Root Bridge-At over 50 meters
in length, the longest known example of a
living root known as Rangthylliang Bridge.
Odisha:
Air Health Services Scheme:
▪ Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik
Inaugurated the Mukhyamantri Bayu
Swasthya Seva (Air Health Services) at
Bhubaneswar’s Biju Patnaik International
Airport.
6 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)

▪ The Mukhyamantri Bayu Swasthya Seva (Air

Health Services) has been inaugurated for a
better health care facility which will become a
milestone in Odisha’s healthcare system.

Kerala:
Statue of P.N Panicker:
▪ President Ram Nath Kovind unveiled a statue
of late P.N. Panicker made of bronze at
Poojappura in Thiruvananthapuram and said
he wanted to remove the evil of illiteracy.
▪ The President said Panicker spread an
Important message - "Vayichu Valaruka"
which means "Read and Grow".
▪ He said that Panicker made libraries and
literacy a movement of the people.
About P N Panicker:
▪ Puthuvayil Narayana Panicker (1 March 1909
– 19 June 1995) is known as the Father of the
Library Movement in the Indian state of
Kerala.
▪ The activities of the Kerala Grandhasala
Sangham that he initiated triggered a popular
cultural movement in Kerala which produced
universal literacy in the state in the 1990s.
▪ June 19, his death Anniversary, has been
observed in Kerala as Vayanadinam (Reading
Day) since 1996.
▪ The Department of Education in Kerala also
observes Vayana varam (Reading Week) for
a week from June 19 to 25.
▪ In 2017, Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi declared June 19, Kerala's Reading Day,
as National Reading Day in India and the
following month is also observed as National
Reading Month in India (From June 19 to
July 18).

Meghalaya:
Cherry Blossom Festival 2021:
▪ Shillong’s famous Cherry Blossom Festival is
back this year after being cancelled due to a
Pandemic last year.
▪ The annual Cherry Blossom Festival begins
in Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, on
November 25 and ends on November 27.

1.3 DEFENCE, NATIONAL SECURITY AND TERRORISM
25th Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS):
▪ The Chief of the Naval Staff is the head of the
military staff of the Indian Navy.
▪ Admiral R. Hari Kumar assumed charge as
the 25th Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) from
outgoing Chief Admiral Karambir Singh
who retired on superannuation after a career
spanning over 41 years in service.
About Admiral Hari Kumar:
▪ Admiral Kumar’s Sea Command includes
Coast Guard Ship C-01, INS Nishank, Missile
Corvette, INS Kora and Guided Missile
Destroyer INS Ranvir.
▪ He also commanded aircraft carrier INS Viraat.
▪ He also served as Fleet Operations Officer of
the Western Fleet.
▪ He has also served in the Civil Military
Operations Centre of U.N. Mission in Somalia
(UNOSOM I) at Mogadishu from December
1992 to June 1993.
About Indian Armed Forces:
▪ The Chief of Defence Staff of the Indian
Armed Forces (CDS) is the military head and
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee
of the Indian Armed Forces.
▪ The current and first Chief of Defence Staff
is Bipin Rawat who took office on 1 January
2020.
▪ The Chief of the Army Staff is the head of
the military staff of the Indian Army and the
chairman of the Indian Army Board.
▪ The current Chief of Army Staff (COAS) is
General Manoj Mukund Naravane, who took
office on 31 December 2019.
▪ The Chief of the Air Staff is the commander
in chief and head air marshal of the Indian Air
Force.
▪ The current Chief of Air Staff (CAS) is Air
Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari who
took office on 30 September 2021.
Border Security Force marks its 57th
Raising Day:
▪ The Border Security Force (BSF) is celebrating
its 57th Raising Day on 1st December 2021.
HISTORY | 7
▪ BSF patrols about 192 kilometers of the
International Border with Pakistan and also
deployed, along with the Indian Army, on the
Line of Control.
▪ In the year 2021, the BSF encountered many
challenges like drone activities, smuggling
and tunneling in the region of Jammu and
Kashmir.
▪ But the security force has remained at the
forefront in Combating all Challenges.
About Border Security Force (BSF):
▪ BSF was formed on December 1, 1965 as a
unified Central agency after the Indo-Pak and
India-China wars for ensuring the security of
the borders of India and for matters connected
therewith.
▪ It is one of the five Central Armed Police
Forces of the Union of India and stands as the
world’s largest border guarding force.
▪ It is the only CAPF to have a Full-fledged
Water Wing, Air Wing and even an Artillery
regiment of its own.
▪ It comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
▪ BSF has been termed as the First Line of
Defence of Indian Territories.
▪ Khusro Faramurz Rustamji was the first
Director General of BSF (Founder).
▪ Motto: Duty unto Death
▪ Headquarters: New Delhi
▪ BSF Director General: Pankaj Kumar Singh.
First Indigenously Built Survey
Vessel — ‘Sandhayak’:
▪ Adding new feather to the Indian Navy,
Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers
Ltd. (GRSE) — a Defence PSU and a leading
warship building company of India launched
its First indigenously built Survey Vessel —
‘Sandhayak’ in the presence of Minister of
State for Defence Ajay Bhatt.
▪ Formally launched by Pushpa Bhatt, wife of
Ajay Bhatt, ‘Sandhayak’ is the first in the series
of four ships under the Survey Vessel (Large)
project for the Indian Navy.
8 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ These survey ships are capable of full scale
coastal and deep-water hydrographic survey of
Ports & Harbour approaches & determination
of navigational channels and Routes.
▪ In addition, these ships are also capable of
undertaking surveys of Maritime limits and
collection of Oceanographic and Geographical
data for Defence applications, thus boosting
the maritime capabilities of the country.
▪ The ships are fully designed by the design team
of GRSE to meet the requirements of the Indian
Navy and are being built and outfitted utilizing
the concepts of ‘Integrated Construction’ and
in compliance with applicable provisions and
regulations of the Classification Society (IRS).
Indian Navy’s 22nd Missile Vessel
Squadron will receive the President’s
Standard:
▪ The Indian Navy’s 22nd Missile Vessel
Squadron, that bombed the Karachi Port and
sunk Pakistan Navy’s vessels in the 1971 war,
will receive the President’s Standard, a rare
honour for its distinguished service, from
President Ram Nath Kovind.
▪ This year also marks 50 years of inception of
the Missile Vessel Squadron, also known as
the ‘Killers’, which over the past five decades
has maintained the capability of delivering a
credible offensive punch from the sea.
▪ Based in Mumbai, the Missile Vessel Squadron
has participated in the Operation Vijay,
Operation Parakram and most recently,
during the heightened security state following
the Pulwama attack, it was deployed within
striking distance off the Pakistan coast.
▪ The ships in this squadron have the ability
to move swiftly and are missile-ready. Their
deployment also acts as a deterrent.
▪ The Indian Navy was awarded the President’s
Colours on May 27, 1951 by the then President
of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad.
▪ The President’s Standard is the same honour
as the President’s Colours, awarded to a
relatively smaller military formation or unit,
the Navy said in a statement.
▪ The 22nd Missile Vessel Squadron was formally
established in Mumbai in October 1991 with
10 Veer Class and three Prabal Class missile
boats.
▪ Indian Navy ships Nirghat, Nipat and Veer
fired their Styx missiles and sank Pakistan
Navy ships Khyber and Muhafiz.
▪ Codenamed Op Trident, this operation is
considered to be one of the most successful
operations in modern naval history, with
no casualties being sustained by the Indian
Forces.
Anti-drone Technology for
Pakistan Borders:
▪ Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that
indigenously made anti-drone technology
would soon be available to tackle the
challenges faced by drones in areas bordering
Pakistan.
▪ Mr. Shah was speaking at the 56th Raising Day
Parade of the Border Security Force (BSF) in
Jaisalmer. This is the first time that the Raising
Day Parade of the border guarding force has
been held outside Delhi.
▪ Mr. Shah also invoked the Surgical Strike
Operation after the 2016 Uri terror attack and
the Balakot air strike post Pulwama attack in
2019 to drive the point that the Government
was serious about National Security.
▪ Director General of Border Guard Bangladesh
Shafeenul Islam was among the special
invitees present on the occasion.
Vertically Launched Short Range
Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM):
▪ India successfully test-fired the Vertically
Launched Short Range Surface to Air Missile
(VL-SRSAM) from Integrated Test Range (ITR)
in Chandipur off the coast of Odisha, said the
Ministry of Defence.
▪ The indigenously developed missile was Test
fired from a static vertical launcher positioned
at the Integrated Test Range (ITR).
▪ DRDO Chairman Dr. G Satheesh Reddy said
this was a confirmatory trial to prove the
consistent performance of the configuration
and integrated operation.

▪ Designed and developed by DRDO for Indian
Navy, the missile is capable of neutralising
various aerial threats at close ranges including
sea skimming targets.
▪ The system can provide point and area defence
against various aerial targets like jets, fighter
aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles.
▪ With high kill probability, it can identify,
track, engage and destroy targets at a range up
to 40 km.
Vacuum at top level of the Military
Hierarchy:
▪ The untimely death of the country’s first CDS
General Bipin Rawat has created a vacuum at
the highest level of India’s military hierarchy.
▪ After Gen. Rawat, the senior most officer
in the military is Army chief General M.M.
Naravane, who has tenure till April 2022.
▪ He took over as the 28th Army chief from Gen.
Rawat on December 31, 2019 and is distinctly
senior to the other two Service chiefs.
▪ The CDS wears several hats, which include
9 Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs
(DMA) in the Defence Ministry,
9 Permanent Chairman,
9 Chiefs of Staff Committee, and the
9 Principal Adviser to the Defence Minister.
▪ After the appointment of the CDS, the
armed forces were brought within the ambit
of the DMA, which also deals with works
relating to the three Services, and with
procurement exclusive to the Services, except
capital acquisitions which remains with the
Department of Defence.
▪ The broad mandate of the CDS includes
bringing about “jointness” in “operations,
logistics, transport, training, support services,
communications, repairs and maintenance of
the three Services, within three years of the
first CDS assuming office”.
BrahMos Supersonic Cruise
Missile:
▪ The air version of the BrahMos supersonic
cruise missile was successfully test-fired from
supersonic fighter aircraft Sukhoi 30 MK-I.
HISTORY | 9
▪ The test was carried out from the Integrated
Test Range, Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha
on December 08, 2021.
About BrahMos:
▪ The BrahMos is a joint venture between
India (DRDO) and Russia (NPOM) for the
development, production and marketing of
the supersonic cruise missile.
▪ The BrahMos is a medium-range ramjet
supersonic cruise missile that can be launched
from submarine, ships, aircraft or land.
▪ The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed
from the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra
of India and the Moskva of Russia.
▪ It is the world's fastest anti-ship cruise missile
currently in operation.
▪ In 2019, India upgraded the missile with a
new range of 650 km with plans to eventually
upgrade all missiles to a range of 1500 km.
Pinaka Extended Range Rocket System
Tested:
▪ Successful tests of the Pinaka Extended Range
(ER) multi-barrel rocket launcher system, Area
Denial Munitions (ADM) and indigenously
developed fuses have been carried out at
various test ranges.
▪ The technology of the Pinaka ER rockets was
transferred by the DRDO to the industry
partner, which manufactured the enhanced
Pinaka Mk1 rockets with DRDO’s handholding
during the production and Quality Assurance.
About Pinaka:
▪ Pinaka is an indigenous multi-barrel rocket
launch system, which has been developed
by the Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Army.
▪ Its weapon system has a state-of-the-art
Guidance kit bolstered by an advanced
Navigation and control system.
▪ The Pinaka Mark II Rocket is modified as a
missile by integrating with the navigation,
control and guidance system to improve the
accuracy and enhance the range.
▪ The navigation system of the missile is aided
by the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite
System (IRNSS).
10 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ It is an artillery missile system capable of
striking into enemy territory up to a range of
75 kilometres with high precision.
Supersonic Missile assisted
Torpedo System tested: DRDO
▪ A supersonic missile assisted torpedo system
developed by the Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO) was
successfully launched from Wheeler Island in
Odisha.
▪ Odisha government has formally named the
Outer Wheeler Island in Bhadrak district
as APJ Abdul Kalam Island as a tribute to
the former president on his second death
anniversary on 28 July 2017.
DRDO Tests Agni P Missile:
▪ New generation nuclear capable ballistic
Missile Agni P was successfully tested from
Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam island off the coast of
Odisha.
▪ This is the second test of the missile. The First
Test took place in June.
▪ Agni P is a two stage canisterised solid
propellant missile with dual redundant
navigation and guidance system and has a
range of up to 2,000 km.
▪ DRDO officials termed Agni P as a new
Generation advanced variant of Agni class of
missiles with improved parameters, including
manoeuvring and accuracy.
About DRDO:
▪ The Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) is the premier agency
under the Department of Defence Research
and Development in Ministry of Defence
of the Government of India, charged with
the military's research and development,
Headquartered in Delhi, India.
▪ DRDO was formed in 1958 from the
amalgamation of the then already functioning
Technical Development Establishment (TDEs)
of the Indian Army and the Directorate of
Technical Development & Production (DTDP)
with the Defence Science Organisation (DSO).
▪ Chairman: Dr G. Satheesh Reddy.
Stealth destroyer Mormugao sails for
Trial on Goa Liberation Day:
▪ Indian Navy's second indigenous stealth
destroyer of the P15B class Mormugao,
planned to be commissioned in mid-2022,
proceeded on her maiden sea sortie.
▪ Mormugao is being built at Mazagon Dock
Shipbuilders Ltd (MDSL) as part of the Project
15B destroyers. The ship incorporates several
niche indigenous technologies and is a shining
example of Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self Reliant
India).
First Squadron of S- 400 Missile
Deployed in Punjab Sector:
▪ The Indian Air Force (IAF) first squadron of
deployed Russia-made S-400 missile system
in the Punjab sector. This will give a boost to
country's air defence capabilities.
▪ The batteries of the first squadron would be
capable of taking care of aerial threats from
both Pakistan and China.
About:
▪ A purchase agreement was signed in 2015 and
a deal worth $4.5 billion was finalised in 2018
▪ The S-400 air defence system was contracted
for by India in a deal worth around ₹35,000
crore and five squadrons would be provided
to India for tacking air threats from up to 400
km.
▪ The S-400 missile defence system is equipped
with four different missiles which can engage
enemy aircraft, ballistic missiles, and AWACS
planes at 400 km, 250 km, the medium-range
▪ 120 km and the short-range 40 km.
Pralay Ballistic Missile:
▪ India successfully test-fired the surface-
to-surface guided, short-range Pralay
Ballisitic Missile, the Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO) said,
Adding that weapon met all its objectives.
▪ The missile, which can strike targets at a range
of 150 to 500 kms, was test-fired off the Odisha
coast.
 HISTORY | 11

▪ It followed the desired quasi ballistic ▪ It had the distinction of being part of both the
Trajectory, and reached the designated target Western and Eastern Fleets.
with high degree accuracy, validating the
control, guidance and mission algorithms. Defence Technology & Test Centre in
▪ Pralay is powered with solid propellant rocket Lucknow:
motor, and has many new technologies. ▪ Defence Minister Rajnath Singh laid the
Foundation stone for a Defence Technology
▪ Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Chairman DRDO, the
& Test Centre (DTTC) and a BrahMos
agency said that upon induction, the missile,
manufacturing centre to be established by
which is equipped with modern technology,
the Defence Research and Development
would ‘provide necessary inputs to the armed
Organisation in Lucknow.
forces.’ Pralay can be fired from a mobile
launcher, and its guidance system includes ▪ The DTTC is being set up to implement the
state-of-the-art Navigation System and MoU between the Uttar Pradesh Expressways
Integrated Avionics. Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA)
and the DRDO.
▪ The project to develop this missile was
sanctioned in March 2015 with a budget of
nearly ₹333 crore.
▪ The weapon is based on the Prithvi Defence
Vehicle from the Indian Ballistic Missile
Defence Program.

Exercise ‘Dosti’:
▪ The 15th edition of the Maldives, India, and Sri
Lanka biennial Trilateral Exercise ‘Dosti’ is
underway in Maldives from 20-24 November
as part of regional security formation for
Peaceful and stable Indian Ocean Region.
▪ This year marks 30 years since the initiation of
the exercise.
▪ The aim of India-Maldives-Sri Lanka Tri-
Lateral Exercise ‘DOSTI’ is to further fortify
the friendship, enhance mutual operational
capability, and exercise interoperability and to
build cooperation between the Coast Guards
of Maldives, India and Sri Lanka.

INS Khukri decommissioned after 32

years of Service to Nation:
▪ The Sun has finally set on INS Khukri (Pennant
number 49), the first of the indigenously
built missile corvettes, in Visakhapatnam on
December 23.
▪ The ship was decommissioned after 32 years
of service to the nation, Visakhapatanam at
Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam.
▪ The corvette was built by the Mazagaon Dock
Shipbuilders and commissioned on August
23, 1989.
12 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
1.4 EMINENT PERSONS
Dr. Rajendra Prasad:
▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes
to India's First President Dr. Rajendra Prasad,
in office from 1950 to 1962, on his 137th birth
anniversary, hailing him as a person of unique
talent who made distinguished contribution to
the freedom movement.
▪ His life dedicated to national interest will
always be a source of inspiration for people,
Modi said.
About Rajendra Prasad:
▪ He was an Indian political leader and Lawyer
by training.
▪ Dr. Prasad joined the Indian National Congress
during the Indian Independence Movement
and became a major leader from the region of
Bihar, Maharashtra.
▪ A supporter of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Prasad
was imprisoned by British authorities during
the Salt Satyagraha of 1931 and the Quit India
movement of 1942.
▪ After the constituent assembly 1946 elections,
Prasad served as Minister of Food and
Agriculture in the central government.
▪ Upon independence in 1947, Prasad was elected
as President of the Constituent Assembly of
India, which prepared the Constitution of
India and served as its provisional parliament.
▪ When India became a republic in 1950,
Prasad was elected its first president by the
Constituent Assembly.
▪ In 1957, Prasad was re-elected to the
presidency, becoming the only president to
serve two full terms.
▪ Prasad stayed in office for the longest term of
around 12 years. Post the completion of his
tenure, he quit the Congress and set up new
guidelines for parliamentarians which are still
followed.
▪ Prasad played a major role in forming the
Bihari Students Conference in 1906 and served
as the president of the Constituent Assembly
that drafted the Constitution of India.
Se. Ganesalingan:
▪ Se. Ganesalingan, veteran Marxist, Tamil
writer dies at 93.
▪ Born on March 9, 1928, in Urumpirai of Jaffna
district in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka.
▪ He has written 71 novels, 7 short story
collections, 22 essay collections, 8 books on
children’s literature.
▪ His first story got published in 1950, and eight
years later, a collection of his short stories was
launched with a foreword by M. Varadarajan,
known as ‘Mu Va’ and widely regarded as an
authority in Tamil studies.
▪ Ganesalingan’s first novel, Neenda Payanam
(Long Journey) was out in 1965 and its theme
was caste oppression. It fetched him an award
from the Sri Lanka Sahitya Mandalaya.
▪ The writer also did a comparative study of the
Thirukkural with Arthasastra, Machiavelli’s
The Prince and the Bhagavad Gita.
▪ He ran a journal, Kumaran, during 1971-83,
which became noted for its articulation of the
Leftist Marxian philosophy.
Ramaswamy Venkataraman:
▪ Ramaswamy Venkataraman (4 December
1910 – 27 January 2009) was an Indian lawyer,
Indian independence activist and politician.
▪ Venkataraman was born in Rajamadam village
in Tanjore district, Madras Presidency.
▪ He participated in the Quit India Movement.
▪ He was appointed as the member of the
Constituent Assembly and the provisional
cabinet.
▪ He was elected to the Lok Sabha four times
and served as Union Finance Minister and
Defence Minister.
▪ In 1984, he was elected as the seventh vice
president of India and in 1987, he became the
eighth President of India and served from
1987 to 1992. He also served as a state minister
under K. Kamaraj and M. Bhaktavatsalam.

Konijeti Rosaiah:
▪ Former Governor of Tamil Nadu and former
Chief Minister of the unified State of Andhra
Pradesh Konijeti Rosaiah passed away in
Hyderabad.
▪ After the sudden death of Y.S. Rajasekhara
Reddy in 2009, Rosaiah, the then Finance
Minister, was elevated as Chief Minister before
being made the Governor of Tamil Nadu.
▪ Born in Guntur district on July 4, 1933, he
started his political career as a member of the
Legislative Council in 1968.
▪ He held various portfolios during his career
and was the longest serving Finance Minister
presenting the budget 16 times. He was also
elected to the Parliament once.
▪ He served as Pradesh Congress Committee
president twice and as a member of the
Congress Working Committee.
Sarada Menon:
▪ Sarada Menon, the longest serving head of the
Institute of Mental Health, died in Chennai.
▪ She was 98.
▪ Born in Mangaluru, she did her psychiatry
training at the National Institute of Mental
Health and Neuro Sciences in Bengaluru.
▪ She is the Country's First Woman Psychiatrist
and was honored with Padma Bhushan in
1992.
▪ She founded the Schizophrenia Research
Foundation (SCARF India) in 1984 along with
Psychiatrist R. Thara.
▪ Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin
expressed his condolences and recalled that
she was awarded the Padma Bhushan (1992)
and Tamil Nadu Government’s Avvaiyar
Award (2016).
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar:
▪ Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891
– 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist,
economist, and social reformer who fought
economic and social discrimination against
the untouchables (now dalits) in India's Hindu
society, and who later renounced Hinduism
and inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement.
HISTORY | 13
▪ Ambedkar served as Chairman of the Drafting
Committee of the Constitution of India, and
Minister of Law and Justice in the first cabinet
of Jawaharlal Nehru from 1947 to 1951.
▪ He is also referred to by the honorific
Babasaheb.
▪ In 1956, he converted to Buddhism, initiating
mass conversions of Dalits.
▪ In 1990, the Bharat Ratna, India's highest
civilian award, was posthumously conferred
on Ambedkar.
▪ The salutation Jai Bhim (lit. "Hail Bhim") used
by followers honours him.
C. Rajagopalachari:
▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December
10 paid tributes to freedom fighter and
statesman C. Rajagopalachari on his 143rd
birth anniversary, saying he is remembered
for his contributions to the freedom struggle,
administrative and intellectual prowess.
About Rajaji:
▪ The first deputy prime minister of India from
1947 to 1950, Sardar Patel, was an ardent well-
wisher of Rajaji.
▪ He studied law from the Presidency College in
Madras (currently Chennai). In the year 1900,
he began his practice in Salem.
▪ In 1917, he also became the Chairperson of
Salem Municipality, which he served for two
years.
▪ In 1916, Rajagopalachari formed the Tamil
Scientific Terms Society. It is an organisation
that translates scientific terms from subjects
including mathematics, astronomy, chemistry,
physics, and biology into simple Tamil words.
▪ In the year 1930, when Gandhi led the Dandi
March in the country, Rajaji did the same
at Nagapattinam and broke the salt law.
Following this incident, he became the editor of
Young India, Mahatma Gandhi’s Newspaper.
▪ In 1937, when Congress came to power after
the Madras Elections, Rajagopalachari was
selected as the first Premier of the Madras
Presidency from the party.
▪ Two years later, he issued the temple entry
authorization under which Dalits and Shanars
were allowed to enter temples.
14 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ In 1952, he was sworn in as the Chief Minister
of Madras, now Tamil Nadu.
▪ Later on in 1954, Rajagopalachari resigned
from the post to focus on his writing.
▪ He later founded the Swatantra Party, which
opposed the Congress and its policies statism
and socialism.
▪ Rajagopalachari was the last Governor-
General of India, as India soon became a
Republic in 1950.
▪ He was also the first Indian-born governor-
General, as all previous holders of the post
were British nationals.
▪ He was one of the first recipients of India's
Highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna.
▪ He vehemently opposed the use of nuclear
weapons and was a proponent of world peace
and disarmament.
▪ During his lifetime, he also acquired the
nickname ‘Mango of Salem’.
Ki Rajanarayanan:
▪ The foundation stone has been laid for the
memorial hall and library for writer Ki
Rajanarayanan in the Kovilpatti Panchayat
Union Office.
About Ki Rajanarayanan:
▪ Rayangala Shri Krishna Raja Narayana
Perumal Ramanujam Naicker (16 September
1923 – 17 May 2021), shortened to Ki.
Rajanarayanan and popularly known by his
Tamil initials as Ki. Ra., was an Indian Tamil
language folklorist and acclaimed writer from
Kovilpatti, in Tamil Nadu.
▪ Some of his popular works include
Gopalla Grammam (Gopalla Village),
Gopallapurathu Makkal (The People of
Gopallapuram), Mayamaan (The Magical
Deer), and Nattuppura Kadhai Kalanjiyam
(Collection of Country Tales).
▪ The Times of India called him the "Guardian
of Tamil oral tradition".
▪ His first short story "Mayamaan" ("The
Magical Deer") was published in the magazine
Saraswati in 1959. It was an immediate success.
It was followed by many more short stories.
▪ Ki. Ra.'s stories were usually based in karisal
kaadu (scorched, drought-stricken land)
around his native region of Kovilpatti.
▪ Gopallapurathu Makkal novel won him the
Sahitya Akademi Award in 1991.
▪ In 1992, his short story “Current” was made
into a Hindi film entitled Current for the
National Film Development Corporation of
India.
▪ In 2003, his short story “kidai” was made
into a Tamil film entitled Oruththi and was
screened at the International Film Festival of
India.
▪ His Awards and recognition are:
9 1971 – Tamil valarchi araichi mandram award.
9 1979 – Ilakkiya chinthanai award.
9 1990 – Santhome International Christian
Society Best Writer Award.
9 2008 – M.A. Chidambaram award.
9 2016 – Literary achievement special award
from The Tamil Literary Garden.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel:
▪ India witnessed the 71st Death Anniversary of
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on December 15.
About Vallabhbhai Patel:
▪ Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel born in Kheda
District Gujarat on 31st October 1875.
▪ Popularly called as the ‘Iron Man of India’,
Patel was a leader of the Congress party, a
lawyer by profession and as the first home
Minister and deputy prime minister of India.
▪ First Home Minister and Deputy Prime
Minister of India.
▪ Headed various Committees of the Constituent
Assembly of India, namely:
9 Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights.
9 Committee on Minorities and Tribal and
Excluded Areas.
9 Provincial Constitution Committee.
▪ Integrated the farmer’s cause in Kheda
Satyagraha (1918) and Bardoli Satyagraha
(1928) with the National Freedom Movement.
▪ Women of Bardoli bestowed the title ‘Sardar’
on Vallabhbhai Patel, which means ‘a Chief or
a Leader’.

▪ The Statue of Unity is built in honor of Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel. Sardar Patel is credited with
uniting 560 princely states in pre-independent
India hence the name of the Statue is christened
as ‘Statue of Unity’.
▪ It was inaugurated on 31st October, 2018 to
mark the 143rd Birth anniversary of Sardar
Patel.
▪ The Statue of Unity is the tallest statue in the
world. At 182 metres,
▪ In January 2020, it was added in the ‘Eight
Wonders’ of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO).
▪ Location:
9 It is located on the Sadhu Bet Island on the
Narmada River, which flows between the
Satpura and the Vindhya Mountain ranges.
▪ Designed:
9 The Statue of Unity was designed by Padma
Bhushan recipient sculptor Ram V Sutar.
▪ He is also remembered as the "Patron Saint of
India's Civil Servants" for having established
the modern All India Services System which
he described as the Country's "Steel Frame"
and thus he is regarded as “Father of Modern
All India Services”.
Former SC judge Nanavati Passes
Away:
▪ Former Supreme Court Judge Justice Girish
Thakorlal Nanavati (retd.), who investigated
the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots and the 2002 Godhra
riots, passed away.
About 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots:
▪ The 1984 anti-Sikh riots, also known as the
1984 Sikh Massacre, was a series of organised
pogroms against Sikhs in India following the
assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh
Bodyguards.
▪ Date: October 31, 1984 - November 3, 1984.
▪ Location: Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Madhya
Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar.
▪ The Justice G.T. Nanavati commission was a
one-man commission headed by Justice G.T.
Nanavati, a retired Judge of the Supreme
Court of India, appointed by the National
Democratic Alliance (NDA) government
HISTORY | 15
in May 2000, to investigate the "killing of
innocent sikhs" during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
▪ The report in two volumes was completed in
February 2005.
About Godhra Riots:
▪ The 2002 Gujarat riots, also known as the 2002
Gujarat violence and the Gujarat pogrom, was
a three-day period of inter-communal violence
in the western Indian state of Gujarat.
Periyar:
▪ Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy (17 September
1879 – 24 December 1973), revered as Periyar
or Thanthai Periyar, was an Indian social
activist and politician.
▪ He is known as the 'Father of the Dravidian
movement'.
▪ Since 2021, the Indian state of Tamil Nadu
celebrates his Birth Anniversary as 'Social
Justice Day'.
▪ Ramasamy joined the Indian National
Congress in 1919, but resigned in 1925 when
he felt that the party was only serving the
interests of Brahmins.
▪ In 1924, Ramasamy participated in non-violent
agitation (satyagraha) in Vaikom, Travancore.
▪ In 1929, Ramasamy announced the deletion
of his caste title Naicker from his name at the
First Provincial Self-Respect Conference of
Chengalpattu.
▪ In 1939, Ramasamy became the head of the
Justice Party, and in 1944, he changed its name
to Dravidar Kazhagam.
▪ He is known as the "Father of Modern Tamil
Nadu" as well as "Paguththarivu Pagalavan".
▪ The title "Periyar" was conferred on
him by Tamil Nadu Women Conference
held in Madras on 13th November 1938
under the Presidentship of Neelambigai
Ammaiyar daughter of Maraimalai Adigal.
Dr.Dharmambal gave the title "Periyar" to
him.
▪ His Newspapers: A Tamil weekly Kudi Arasu
started in 1925, while the English journal
Revolt started in 1928.
16 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
Antiapartheid Icon Desmond
Tutu dies:
▪ South African antiapartheid icon Archbishop
Desmond Tutu, described as the Country’s
moral compass, died aged 90, sparking an
outpouring of tributes for the outspoken
Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
▪ A tireless activist, Tutu won the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1984 for combating
white minority Rule in his country.
▪ He coined the term “Rainbow Nation” to
describe South Africa when Nelson Mandela
became the country’s first black President in
1994.
▪ He retired in 1996 to lead a harrowing journey
into South Africa’s brutal past as head of the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which
revealed the horrors of apartheid.
Scientist E.O. Wilson, Dubbed
Modern-day DARWIN:
▪ Edward. O. Wilson, the trailblazing U.S.
scientist, professor and author whose study of
insects and clarion call to protect earth earned
him the nickname “Darwin’s Natural Heir”,
has died.
▪ 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.
Dr. Hashima Hasan
▪ Dr. Hashima Hasan an Indian American
played a pivotal role in the Dec. 25 launch of
the James Webb Space Telescope. Hashima
Hasan, Deputy Program Scientist for the
James Webb Space Telescope, was part of the
team on board when the world’s largest and
most powerful telescope was launched on
Christmas from the European spaceport of
Kourou in French Guiana.
▪ A program scientist at NASA headquarters in
Washington, D.C., Hasan has been involved in
more than a dozen missions. Additionally, she
serves as the Education and Communication
Lead for Astrophysics and as the executive
secretary of the Astrophysics Advisory
Committee. Hasan said her fascination with
space science began when she watched
the Sputnik launch from her hometown in
Lucknow in 1957.
Keri Hulme:
▪ Keri Hulme, the Maori writer who became
the first New Zealander to win the prestigious
Booker Prize with her luminous debut novel,
“The Bone People,” securing her place in the
country’s literary canon, died. She was 74.
▪ Published in 1984, “The Bone People” is the
brutal, lyrical story of the friendship among a
mute child.
About Booker Prize:
▪ The Booker Prize is a leading literary award
in the English-speaking world, which has
brought recognition, reward and readership
to outstanding fiction for over 50 years.
▪ It is awarded annually to the best novel of the
year written in English and published in the
UK or Ireland.
Dr. Sudha Seshayyan:
▪ Dr. Sudha Seshayyan, Vice Chancellor, Dr.
MGR Medical University, Tamil Nadu will
conclude/retire her work on December 30.
▪ She has been in charge for three years, played a
vital role in reforming the selection procedure
for Medical Courses. About Tamil Nadu Dr.
M.G.R. Medical University:
▪ The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical
University (TNMGRMU) is a government
Medical University situated in Guindy in the
southern part of the city of Chennai, Tamil
Nadu, India.
▪ It is one of the premier medical universities
named after the AIADMK founder and the
former chief minister of Tamil Nadu M. G.
Ramachandran.
▪ It is the second largest health sciences
university in India after Rajiv Gandhi
University of Health Sciences, Karnataka.
▪ Established: 1987

Narendra Modi World’s Top 20 Most
Admired Men:
▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ranked 8th
on the list of the world's top 20 most admired
men, in a survey carried out by Data Analytics
Company YouGov.
▪ PM Modi is ahead of Sachin Tendulkar, Shah
Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Virat
Kohli. The list has been compiled taking
feedback from 42,000 people in 38 countries.
HISTORY | 17
▪ The results have been calculated from the
combination of responses to two questions
▪ Whether a respondent admires the figure at all
▪ Whether they are the figure the respondent
Admires the most.
▪ In the top 20 most admired Women list,
Indian women Priyanka Chopra, Aishwarya
Rai Bachan and Sudha Murthy have been
included.
18 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
1.5 PLACES IN NEWS
Pondicherry:
▪ The Chief Minister of Pondicherry N.
Rangasamy laid the foundation stone for
1.6 SPORTS & GAMES
Asian Team Squash Championships
2021:
Indian men win Silver:
▪ Malaysia came up with a dominating
performance to outwit India 21 in the men’s
final of the Asian Team Squash Championships
held in Bukit Jalil in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
▪ India had lost in the summit clash before in
1981 and 2012 also.
▪ It was a double for Malaysia, with its women’s
team defeating Hong Kong 21 in the final.
▪ The last time Malaysian men’s and women’s
teams won was in the 2008 championships in
KUWAIT.
Davis Cup 2021:
▪ Russia’s 15year wait for a Davis Cup title ended
in Madrid, the Capital of Spain, after another
clutch performance by Daniil Medvedev.
▪ Medvedev defeated Marin Cilic in the second
singles match to give Russia an insurmountable
20 lead over Croatia in the Final.
▪ It was Russia’s third Davis Cup title and its
first since 2006.
BWF World Tour Finals 2021:
▪ Reigning World Champion P.V. Sindhu
returns with a silver medal after losing to
Korean teen sensation An Se young in the
summit clash of the, HSBC BWF World Tour
Finals held in Bali, Indonesia.
▪ An Se young became the first ever South
Korean woman to win the season ending title.
World Boxing Council India Champion:
▪ Sabari from Chennai was crowned as the first
ever World Boxing Council India champion
at the Hell’s Bay Pro Boxing Fight Night at
Gachibowli Stadium, Hyderabad.
100 feet high flag post along with wall of
sacrifice as the part of 75th Independence Day
Celebration.
Commonwealth Senior Weightlifting
Championships 2021:
▪ Indian weightlifting prodigy Jeremy
Lalrinnunga clinched a Gold Medal at
the ongoing 2021 Commonwealth Senior
Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent.
▪ Jeremy lifted a 305 kg to finish first at the
weightlifting championships.
▪ He lifted 141kg in the snatch while successfully
lifting a 164kg in the clean and jerk in the men's
67 kg event.
▪ Guru Raja also bagged a Silver Medal to
attain a second-place finish in the men's
61 kg event.
▪ Indian weightlifter Sanket Mahadev Sargar
clinched a Gold Medal in 55 kg event
at the ongoing Commonwealth Senior
Championships 2021 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
▪ Ajay Singh clinched India's third gold of the
Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships
here by winning the men's 81 kg category.
Singh lifted a total of 322 kg and also set a
national record in snatch (147 kg) on Sunday
night.
▪ Popy Hazarika had also won a silver, in the
women's 59 kg, with a total lift of 189 kg
(84+105).
National Shooting Championship
Competitions:
▪ Former World Champion Ankur Mittal won
the Men's title at the 64th National Shooting
Championship Competitions (NSCC) of
shotgun events in Patiala.
▪ Ankur, representing ONGC, shot 43 in the
final to upstage Rajasthan's Aditya Bharadwaj
who won silver with 40 hits to his name.
▪ Uttar Pradesh's Rayyan Rizvi won bronze
with a score of 33 in the final round.

Asian Rowing Championships 2021:
▪ Arvind Singh’s Tokyo Olympics partner
Arjun Lal Jat, who this time paired up with
Ravi, won the gold medal in the men's double
sculls event.
▪ Parminder Singh, who made his international
bow, had won the silver in the men’s single
sculls.
▪ Senior rower Arvind Singh bagged a gold
in the lightweight men's single sculls event
while his compatriots won three silver medals
as India signed off from the Asian Rowing
Championship on a high note at Ban Chang,
Thailand.
▪ Overall, India ended returned from the
continental event with two gold and four
silver medals.
Verstappen Snatches Title from
Hamilton in a Dramatic Final Lap:
▪ Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took his first
Formula One title, denying rival Lewis
Hamilton a record eighth, with a last lap
overtake to win a season ending Abu Dhabi
Grand Prix that started and ended in drama
and controversy.
Commonwealth Weightlifting
Championships 2021:
▪ Punam Yadav, Arockiya Alish and Vikas
Thakur added three more medals to India's tally
at the ongoing Commonwealth Weightlifting
Championships 2021 in Tashkent.
▪ Punam bagged a Silver Medal in the women's
76 kg category, having lifted a total of 220kg —
98 kg snatch and a 122 kg in clean & jerk.
▪ Vikas Thakur won a Bronze Medal in the
men's 96 kg event at the Commonwealth
Weightlifting Championships. He lifted a total
of 339 kg with 150 kg in snatch and 189kg in
clean & jerk.
▪ Purnima Pandey created eight National
records on the way to win Gold in the women’s
+87kg category at the Commonwealth
Championships 2021 in Tashkent.
▪ Purnima lifted 229kg (102 + 127) to take
the title and qualify directly for next year’s
Commonwealth Games.
HISTORY | 19
Junior National Men’s Hockey:
▪ The Junior National men’s hockey
championship to be held at the artificial turf in
Kovilpatti from December 16 to 25, it is hoped,
will provide a major fillip to the sport.
▪ The event will be held here for the first time.
World Badminton Championships
Huelva, Spain:
▪ Kidambi Srikanth clinched a historic silver
medal in the World Badminton Championships
after suffering a straight-Game defeat to Loh
Kean Yew of Singapore in the summit clash
to notch up the best ever performance by an
Indian in the men’s Singles.
▪ He became the first male player from the
nation to win a silver medal in BWF World
Championships.
First Player to Complete 50 Wins in all
Formats of Cricket:
▪ India's Test skipper Virat Kohli created
history on December 06 as he became the first
player in international cricket to complete 50
wins in all three formats of the game.
▪ Kohli is now the only player in the world to
have been part of the playing XI in 50 wins
across all three formats - ODIs, Tests and T20Is.
National Hockey Championships 2021:
▪ Hockey Punjab were crowned champions of
the 11th Hockey India Senior Men National
Championship Pimpri Chinchwad 2021 at
the Major Dhyanchand Hockey Stadium,
Nehrunagar-Pimpri.
▪ In the final, Hockey Punjab fought off the
challenge of Hockey Uttar Pradesh, to be
crowned third-time champions 2-1 via the
‘shoot out’.
Asian Champions Trophy Men’s
Hockey Tournament 2021:
▪ A misfiring India was made to toil hard before
getting the better of Pakistan 4-3 in a pulsating
third-fourth place contest to clinch the bronze
at the Asian Champions Trophy men’s hockey
tournament, Dhaka.
20 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ South Korea emerged as the Champion after
beating Japan 42 in a shootout following a
33 stalemate at the end of the regulation 60
minutes of the title clash.
International Hockey Federation (FIH)
Rankings:
▪ The Indian men's hockey team secured Third
Rank at the end of 2021 as per the International
Hockey Federation (FIH) rankings.
▪ This is the best ranking the men's team has
ever achieved.
▪ Australia finished on top of the chart followed
by Olympic gold medalist Belgium.
▪ The Manpreet Singh led Indian team won the
bronze in Tokyo Games earlier this year to end
a 41-year medal wait for the country.
▪ However, the women's team will finish the
Year at the ninth spot.
▪ The Indian women's team had finished fourth
at the Tokyo Olympics.
Indian Fencer to Participate in Four
International Competitions:
▪ Tokyo Olympian and the first-ever Indian
fencer to represent the country at the Olympics,
Bhavani Devi is set for participation in four
international competitions this 2022.
▪ An overall amount of Rs 8.16 Lakh has been
sanctioned by the Ministry of Youth Affairs
and Sports via the Annual Calendar for
Training and Competition (ACTC) to facilitate
Bhavani’s participation in the competitions.
▪ As per the ACTC mechanism, the Government
of India releases grants to all the recognized
National Sports Federations (NSFs) every
financial year, after going through the NSFs
long-term projections, list of national and
international competitions/camps and athlete
training programs.
Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021:
▪ Shubham Arora announced himself on the
big stage with a brilliant unbeaten 136 (131b,
13x4, 1x6) to power Himachal Pradesh to its
maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy title, defeating
Tamil Nadu by 11 runs in the final at the Sawai
Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on December 26.
▪ Chasing 315, Himachal was cruising along
at 299 for four in 47.3 overs when bad light
stopped play and emerged victorious on the
VJD method.
▪ The V Jayadevan system, also known as
the VJD method, is a proposed method for
calculating target scores in interrupted one-
day and Twenty20 cricket matches.
World Rapid Chess Championship 2021:
▪ Defending Champion Koneru Humpy failed
to live up to her billing, finishing sixth with
7.5 points in the women's section of the FIDE
World Rapid Chess Championship 2021 in
Warsaw, Poland.
▪ Young Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh scored
Nine Points to finish a creditable ninth, just
half a point behind champion Nodirbek
Abdusattorov (9.5) of Uzbekistan.
▪ R Vaishali was the Next best Indian performer
in the women's section, finishing in the 14th
spot with Seven points followed by Vantika
Agrawal (6 points, 38th Place), and Padmini
Rout (5.5, 49th Place).

1.7 WORLD ORGANISATIONS - PACTS AND SUMMITS
WHO members Agree to forge a
Pandemic Accord:
▪ World Health Organization member states
agreed to start building a new international
accord on how to handle future pandemics and
ensure there can be no repeat of COVID-19.
▪ At a special meeting in Geneva, the 194
WHO member states unanimously adopted
a resolution launching the negotiating and
drafting process for a new international
instrument on pandemic prevention,
Preparedness and response.
▪ The process will present its final outcome in
2024.
SCO Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure
(RATS) Cyber Security
Seminar:
▪ A Pakistani delegation arrived to participate in
a cyber security seminar being hosted by India
under the framework of the SCO Regional
Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS).
▪ India has shown keen interest in deepening its
security-related cooperation with the SCO and
its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS)
which specifically deals with issues relating to
security and defence.
About Regional Anti-Terrorism
Structure (RATS):
▪ With its headquarters in Tashkent, Uzbekistan,
the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS)
is a permanent organ of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
▪ The Head of RATs is elected for a three-year
term. All the member’s states also have their
own representatives at RATS.
▪ The RATS was formed in the June 2004 summit
of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
(SCO) which was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
▪ RATS is engaged in furthering cooperation and
ties between member countries on concerns of
terrorism, security, drug trafficking, crime and
cyberwarfare.
▪ The Current Director is Jumakhon Giyosov
of Tajikistan, who assumed his office on 1
January 2019.
HISTORY | 21
International Institute for
Democracy and Electoral
Assistance:
▪ Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)
Sunil Arora has been invited to join the board
of advisers at the International Institute for
Democracy and Electoral Assistance.
▪ The institute is also known as International
IDEA which has a mission to support
sustainable democracy.
About International IDEA:
▪ International IDEA is an intergovernmental
organization that works to support and
strengthen democratic institutions and
processes around the world, to develop
sustainable, effective and legitimate
democracies.
▪ Founded: 27 February 1995.
▪ Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden.
▪ International IDEA currently has 34 member
countries from all continents.
UN confers Observer Status on Solar
Alliance:
▪ The UN General Assembly has conferred
Observer Status on the International Solar
Alliance (ISA), a historic decision which India
said would help provide for a well-defined
cooperation between the alliance and the UN
that would benefit global energy growth and
development.
▪ Permanent Representative of India to the
United Nations Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti
said,
9 I take this opportunity to thank the entire
UN membership for adopting the resolution
conferring Observer Status to the International
Solar Alliance (ISA).
About International Solar Alliance:
▪ The launch of the International Solar Alliance
(ISA) was announced by H.E. Mr. Narendra
Modi, the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India
and Mr. Francois Hollande, former Hon’ble
President of France on 30th November 2015,
at the 21st session of United Nations Climate
22 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
Change Conference of the Parties (COP-21) in
Paris, France.
▪ The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is an
alliance of 124 countries initiated by India,
most of them being the sunshine countries,
which lie either completely or partly between
the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of
Capricorn.
▪ The primary objective of the alliance is to work
for efficient consumption of solar energy to
reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
▪ The alliance is a treaty-based inter-
Governmental organization.
▪ Countries that do not fall within the Tropics
can join the alliance and enjoy all benefits as
other members, with the exception of voting
rights.
▪ After the United Nations, it is the largest
Grouping of states world-wide.
▪ Headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana, India.
World Economic Forum:
▪ The World Economic Forum postponed
its Annual meeting in Davos next month,
thwarted for a second year by the fresh waves
of coronavirus across Switzerland and the
Globe.
About World Economic Forum:
▪ The World Economic Forum is an International
non-governmental and lobbying Organization
based in Cologny, canton of Geneva,
Switzerland.
▪ It was founded on 24 January 1971 by Klaus
Schwab.
BIMSTEC working on Joint Disaster
Relief Plans:
▪ A Curtain Raiser Event PANEX-21, a disaster
management exercise of the multilateral
grouping Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-
sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
(BIMSTEC).
▪ “PANEX 21, therefore, is unique as it is for the
first time that an exercise of this magnitude
involving multiple agencies from multiple
countries is being undertaken to review our
Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
mechanism and streamline our response
Strategy in the backdrop of a pandemic.
▪ The exercise is hosted by India at Pune.
About:
▪ The exercise will be participated by subject
matter experts and delegates from India,
Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Sri
Lanka and Thailand.
▪ A Multi-Agency Exercise (MAE) comprising
a static display showcasing Humanitarian
Assistance and Disaster Relief (HDR)
Equipment employed by the Indian Armed
Forces and various civil agencies will also take
place.
About BIMSTEC:
▪ It is a regional organization which comprises
seven countries.
▪ Five of these seven countries- India, Nepal,
Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Bangladesh- are from
South Asia while the remaining two, Thailand
and Myanmar, are from Southeast Asia.
▪ The Group remained dormant for many
years till it was revived a few years ago as
an alternative to the South Asian Association
for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which
despite having the potential, has not been able
to move forward due to friction between India
and Pakistan.
▪ With a focus on intra-regional cooperation,
the BIMSTEC has also formed a platform with
the SAARC and the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries.
▪ Headquarters: Dhaka, Bangladesh.
▪ Sri Lanka is the Current Chairman.

1.8 AWARDS & HONORS
FIFA Ballon d'Or ("Golden Ball"):
▪ Paris: Lionel Messi (34) of Argentina and
Alexia Putellas (27) of Spain won the Ballon
d’Or (2021), the most prestigious football
award in the world, respectively.
▪ Messi has won the award for the 7th time.
▪ Lionel Messi won the men's Ballon d'Or for
a record-extending seventh time, ending
the year in style after a brilliant final season
with Barcelona and earning his first major
international trophy with Argentina.
▪ Alexia Putellas became the third winner of
the women's award for an outstanding season
with Barcelona and Spain.
▪ The 34-year-old Messi led Argentina to the
Copa America title in July after losing in four
major international finals.
Nizamuddin Basti project wins two
UNESCO Heritage Awards:
▪ Nine projects from six countries Bangladesh,
China, India, Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand
have been honored by a jury of heritage
experts.
▪ In double joy for India, a project on holistic
urban revitalization of the historic Nizamuddin
Basti community in Delhi, has brought laurels
for the country in two categories in this year's
UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural
Heritage Conservation.
▪ The project has won the prestigious Award of
Excellence, and another award in the Special
Recognition for Sustainable Development
category, the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) said.
World Athletics Awards 2021:
▪ Indian long jump star Anju Bobby George
has been bestowed the “Woman of the Year”
award by World Athletics for grooming
talent in the country and advocating Gender
equality.
▪ Anju is the second recipient after Ethiopia’s
double Olympic champion Derartu Tulu in 2019. Social Justice and Empowerment of Persons
HISTORY | 23
▪ Norwegian 400m hurdler Karsten Warholm
and Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson
Herah were named World Athletes of the Year
for sensational performances at the Tokyo
Olympics.
▪ Athing Mu, the 19-year-old American who
won the women’s 800m Olympic gold at
Tokyo, was named Female Rising Star.
About World Athletics:
▪ World Athletics (name since October 2019,
formerly known as the International Amateur
Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001)
and International Association of Athletics
Federations (from 2001 to 2019), both
abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international
governing body for the sport of athletics,
covering track and field, cross country
running, road running, racewalking, mountain
running, and ultra-running.
▪ The organization’s President is Sebastian Coe
of the United Kingdom, who was elected in
2015 and re-elected unopposed in 2019 for a
further four years.
▪ Headquarters: Monaco
▪ Members: 214 member federations.
Award for Empowerment of
Persons with Disabilities:
▪ Among Government departments, Public
Works Department of Nashik was given
award for its “outstanding work in creation of
a barrier free environment" and Nava Raipur
Atal Nagar Vikas Pradhikaran was awarded
for the same in the category of local bodies.
National Awards for outstanding work
towards Empowerment of Persons with
Disabilities:
▪ Tamil Nadu has been recognised as the ‘Best
State’ in promoting empowerment of persons
with disabilities.
▪ It will receive the award on the International
Day of Persons with Disabilities, at a ceremony
in New Delhi to be held by the Ministry of
with Disabilities.
24 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said the President
would present the award to the State.
▪ In a statement, he said
9 Six differently abled citizens from Tamil Nadu
would also be presented with awards by the
President for their exemplary service.
9 The Tamil Nadu Government would show
additional focus on the education and
employment of differently abled persons to
improve their standard of living.
9 Over the last two years, the State
Commissionerate for Welfare of the Differently
Abled has focused on helping those with
disabilities mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
▪ “We launched a door-to-door campaign
during the lockdown to ensure that essentials
are delivered to persons with disabilities”, said
Johny Tom Varghese, State Commissioner for
Welfare of the Differently Abled.
▪ Apart from providing cash assistance
and medicines, ensuring access to
medical equipment and providing online
physiotherapy sessions, the State kickstarted a
home vaccination drive for the disabled and
the elderly.
▪ Mr. Varghese said as per their records, they
were able to cover over 70% of the adult
population with disabilities in the State.
▪ Among the newer initiatives, a Differently
Abled Employment and Livelihood
Centre (DELC) has been set up, which the
Commissioner said aims to enhance the
skills, socioeconomic status and livelihood of
Persons with disabilities.
▪ The centre will act as a platform to connect
persons with disabilities with prospective
employers, and will work closely with
the Skill Development Mission to conduct
programmes.
▪ Salem district will also get an award for the
Best District in providing Rehabilitation
Services. It is among the two districts along
with Indore in the Country getting the award.
About Directorate for the Rehabilitation of
the Disabled:
▪ The Directorate for the Rehabilitation of the
Disabled was established by bifurcating the
Directorate of Social Welfare in 1992 to deal
exclusively with the Welfare of the Disabled.
▪ Subsequently, the Directorate was upgraded
as the office of the State Commissioner for the
Disabled in 1999 as per the provisions in the
Persons with Disability Act, 1995.
Assam Baibhav – Assam’s Highest
Civilian Award:
▪ The Assam Government has named
industrialist and philanthropist Ratan Tata
for Assam Baibhav, the State’s highest civilian
award.
▪ Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said Mr.
Tata would be honoured for his contribution
towards furthering cancer care in the State.
U.S. Maths Prize for Nikhil
Srivastava:
▪ Eminent Indian American Mathematician
Nikhil Srivastava has been jointly selected
for the inaugural $5,000 Ciprian Foias Prize
awarded by the American Mathematical
Society (AMS) for “highly original work” in
Operator Theory.
▪ Along with Professor Srivastava, who teaches
at the University of California, Berkeley, the
two other awardees are Adam Marcus and
Daniel Spielman.
▪ Their work developed methods for
understanding the characteristic polynomial
of matrices, namely the iterative sparsification
method (also in collaboration with Batson)
and the method of interlacing polynomials.
Tamil Isai Sangam Awards 2021:
▪ Nagaswaram player Seshampatti
T. Sivalingam will receive the “Isai Perarignar
Award” of the Tamil Isai Sangam on the
occasion of its 79th music festival.
▪ Mr. Sivalingam, who learnt nagaswaram from
his father Theerthagiri, also came under the
tutelage of Tiruvarur Latchappa Pillai between
1975 and 1978.
▪ He had already received the TTK Award of
the Music Academy, the Sangeetha Natak
Academy Award and the Kalaimamani
Award.

▪ The “Pann Isai Perarignar Award” will go to
Aalavai Pon. M. Muthukumaran.
▪ Mr. Muthukumaran is the disciple of
Dharmapuram S. Gnanaprakasam, who is also
a recipient of the Pann Isai Perarignar Award.
Bharathi Award presented to Scholars:
▪ Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin handed
over Bharathi Memorial Centenary Award
to Tamil researchers Seeni Viswanathan and
Ya. Manikandan, who undertook research on
the life and works of Tamil poet Subramania
Bharathi.
▪ The award includes a cheque for 3 lakhs.
▪ Mr. Stalin gave away the award along with cash
prize to family members of senior Tamil scholars
Periyasaamy Thooran, R.A. Padmanabhan,
T.M.C. Ragunathan and Ilasai Manian.
▪ The Chief Minister also handed over a cheque
for 25 lakhs to Navi Mumbai Tamil Sangam
to its representative Krishnamurthy as
contribution from the State government.
▪ The Chief Minister handed over a cash prize
of 10,000 to students from Chennai and
Kancheepuram districts for reciting all 1330
couplets of Thirukkural.
Balkrishna Doshi wins top Honor
▪ Architect Balkrishna Doshi will receive
the Royal Gold Medal, 2022, one of the
world’s highest honors for architecture, the
Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
announced.
▪ RIBA said that with a 70-year career and over
100 built projects, 94year old Mr. Doshi has
influenced the direction of architecture in
India and its adjacent regions through both his
practice and his teaching.
▪ Given in recognition of a lifetime’s work, the
Royal Gold Medal is approved personally by
Queen Elizabeth II and is given to a person or
group of people who have had a significant
influence on the advancement of architecture.
Miss Universe 2021:
▪ Punjab’s Harnaaz Sandhu won the Miss
Universe 2021 pageant, beating contestants
from 79 countries to bring the title back to
India after 21 years.
HISTORY | 25
▪ Only two Indians before Ms. Sandhu, just 21
and an actor as well as a model, have been
crowned Miss Universe earlier — actors
Sushmita Sen in 1994 and Lara Dutta in 2000.
▪ The 70th edition of the event was held in Israel’s
resort town of Eilat.
ICC Player of the Month Award:
▪ Australia opener David Warner was voted
as the ICC Men's Player of the Month for
November 2021 after his match-winning
performances in Australia's successful T20
World Cup campaign in the UAE. Warner beat
Pakistan opener Abid Ali and New Zealand
fast bowler, Tim Southee for the Award.
▪ For the women’s award, Hayley Matthews
emerged victorious over Pakistan’s Anam
Amin and Bangladesh’s Nahida Akter.
81 Minutes of Continuous Shooting for
the Record:
▪ The film, 3.6.9, was shot for 81 minutes in a
row at Pillaiyarkuppam for the Bhagur-World
Record.
▪ ‘3.6.9’ is a film directed by Shiva Madhav and
starring Bhagyaraj in the lead role.
Modi to get Bhutan’s top Civilian
Award:
▪ Bhutan conferred the Order of the Dragon
King (Druk Gyalpo) also known as “Ngadag
Pel gi Khorlo", its highest Civilian honour, on
Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
▪ This was announced on the occasion of the
114th National Day of Bhutan.
▪ Bhutan was the first country that Mr. Modi
visited upon taking charge as Prime Minister
on May 26, 2014.
About:
▪ It was founded on 7 November 2008 by the
King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck to
reward those who have devoted a lifetime of
service to the nation and people of Bhutan.
Radhakrishnan gets SKOCH Award:
▪ Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan received
the SKOCH Public Service Award for Disaster
Management and Mitigation in New Delhi.
26 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ The award was presented to him for
handling the aftermath of Kumbakonam fire
tragedy, tsunami relief and rehabilitation in
Nagapattinam district in 2004 to handling the
COVID19 pandemic.
About SKOCH:
▪ Instituted in 2003, SKOCH Award salutes
people, projects and institutions that go the
extra mile to make India a better nation.
▪ The SKOCH Award covers the best of efforts
in digital, financial and Social inclusion.
It encompasses the best of governance,
inclusive Growth, excellence in technology
and applications, change management,
corporate leadership, corporate governance,
citizen services delivery, capacity building,
empowerment and other such softer issues
that get normally lost in the Glamour and
the glitz of industry sponsored or advertising
Focused Jamborees.
▪ SKOCH Awards are extremely coveted and
are India’s Highest Civilian Honour in
the country conferred by an Independent
Organization and amongst its recipients
have included regulators, secretaries, union
ministers and chief ministers over its twenty
year or so long history.
‘Young Geospatial Scientist’ Award':
▪ Ropesh Goyal from IIT-Kanpur won the
‘Young Geospatial Scientist’ award in
recognition of his unique contribution to
developing the Indian Geoid Model and
computation software.
▪ The ‘Young Geospatial Scientist’ award and
a gold medal have been presented every
year since 2011 to promising scientists below
35 years of age in memory of Rachapudi
Kamakshi, a strategic analyst with a strong
inclination towards Geography and Geospatial
studies.
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi’s
Awards:
▪ Ambedkar Sudar Award – M.K Stalin.
▪ The Periyar Oli Award -
MDMK leader Vaiko.
▪ The Semmozhi Nayiru
Award - K. Ramasamy.
▪ The Kamarajar Kathir Award
- writer Nellai Kannan.
▪ The Quaide Millath Pirai Award -
Indian National League’s TN president
Alhaj M. Basheer Ahamed.
▪ The Iyotheethaasar Aadhavan Award
- Dalit activist P.V. Kariyamal.
Dr Imtiaz Sooliman named South
African of The Year 2021:
▪ Indian-origin philanthropist and founder
of disaster relief group 'Gift of The Givers',
Dr Imtiaz Sooliman has won the prestigious
South African of the Year Award run by the
Daily Maverick newspaper.
▪ Sooliman started 'Gift of The Givers' after his
religious mentor in Turkey asked him to do so
in 1994.
▪ Besides the Middle East, Eastern Europe and
many countries in Africa, 'Gift of the Givers'
teams have also assisted during natural
Disasters in India and Pakistan.
Dubai Globe Soccer Awards 2021:
▪ The 12th edition of Dubai Globe Soccer Awards
was held in partnership with the Dubai Sports
Council. The event took place on 27th of
December 2021.
▪ For the second year in a row the winners were
selected by the fans from all over the world
and by a jury of International Footballing
Coaches, directors and chairmen.
▪ Globe Soccer Awards 2021 Results:
9 Fan's Player of the Year - Robert Lewandowski
9 Men's Player of the Year - Kylian Mbappe
9 Maradona Award - Robert Lewandowski
9 Top Scorer of All Time - Cristiano Ronaldo
9 Best National Team of the Year - Italy
Ramnath Goenka Award:
▪ The Hindu’s West Bengal correspondent
Shiv Sahay Singh won the Ramnath Goenka
award in the “Uncovering India Invisible”
category for his 2019 story “Death by Digital
Exclusion” which exposed how the Jharkhand
government’s insistence on digitization
deprived people living on the margins of the
benefits of the Public Distribution System (PDS).

▪ The story detailed the Jharkhand Government’s
decision to plug leakages in the PDS by linking
all ration cards to Aadhaar.
About Ramnath Goenka Award:
▪ The Awards honour journalists from print,
broadcast and digital media recognizing
their strength of character and integrity while
Covering news in adverse Circumstances.
▪ Named after Ramnath Goenka, the awards
have been held annually since 2006.
Who is Ramnath Goenka?
▪ Ramnath Goenka (1904–1991) was an Indian
newspaper publisher. He launched The Indian
Express Newspaper in 1932.
▪ During the Emergency Period of India, he
was one of the few independent businessman
Journalists that stood up to the government
Opposing Indira Gandhi.
▪ He became the Lok Sabha Member in 1971
under the banner of Bhartiya Jan Sangha.
Feminist writer Ambai wins Sahitya
Akademi Award
▪ Tamil Feminist writer Ambai, whose writings
challenge the stereotyping of women, has won
this year’s Sahitya Akademi award. She has
been honoured for her short story collection
Sivappu Kazhutthudan Oru Patchaiparavai.
Ambai is the fourth woman writer from
Tamil Nadu to get the award. Another Tamil
writer Mu. Murugesh bagged the Bala Sahitya
Puraskar for his collection of short stories
Ammavukku Magal Sonna Ulagin Mudhal
Kadhai.
▪ Her first short story collection Sirakukal
Muriyum was published in 1976 and the
eponymous story of the collection was written
in 1967.
▪ The Sahitya Akademi announced its Awards
for 2021 for literary works in 20 languages. In
a Statement, the National Academy of Letters
said seven books of poetry, five of short
stories, one each of biography, autobiography,
criticism and epic poetry and two plays had
won the awards, which would be presented
later.
HISTORY | 27
▪ The awards for works in Gujarati, Maithili,
Manipuri and Urdu would be announced
later. Namita Gokhale won the award for the
English novel Things to Leave Behind and
Anuradha Sarma Pujari for her Assamese
work Iyat Ekhan Aaronya Asil. Poets in list
Among the winners for poetry are Mwdai
Gahai (Bodo), Sanjiv Verenkar (Konkani),
Hrushikesh Mallick (Odia), Meethesh
Nirmohi (Rajasthani), Vindeshwariprasad
Mishr ‘Vinay’ (Sanskrit), Arjun Chawla
(Sindhi) and Gorati Venkanna (Telugu). Books
of short stories by Raj Rahi (Dogri), Kiran
Gurav (Marathi), Khalid Hussain (Punjabi),
Niranjan Hansda (Santali) and Ambai (Tamil)
are among those chosen for the awards.
▪ A biography by D.S. Nagabhushana in
Kannada, an autobiography by George
Onakkoor in Malayalam, a work of criticism
by Wali Mohammad Aseer Kashtawari
in Kashmiri and a book of epic poetry by
Chhabilal Upadhyaya in Nepali have been
selected.
▪ A Bengali play by Bratya Basu and a Hindi one
by Daya Prakash Sinha have been selected.
3 Indo-Canadians Honoured with
Canada's Civilian Award:
▪ Three Indian-origin Canadians have been
bestowed with the Order of Canada -- one of
the country's highest civilian honours -- for
their outstanding achievement, dedication to
the community, helping in building a better
nation and promoting bilateral ties between
Canada and India.
▪ Internationally renowned scientist and
innovator Dr Vaikuntam Iyer Lakshmanan;
real estate mogul Bob Singh Dhillon, also
known as Navjeet Singh Dhillon; and
renowned paediatrician Dr Pradeep Merchant
were among the 135 individuals honoured
with the prestigious award, according to a
press note uploaded on the website of the
Governor General of Canada.
28 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
1.9 BOOKS & AUTHORS
Firelets of Puma Veeravalli:
▪ Puma Veeravalli, an official of the Indian
Railways, has compiled a selection of some of
Bharathiyar's poems in English under the title
"Firelets".
▪ The book contains a translation of Bharathi's
Deiveegam (Divinity), (Kadhal)Love,
(DesaBakti)Patriotism, (Thathuvam)
Philosophy and (Suya munnetram) Self-
Improvement poems.
About Subramania Bharathi:
▪ Subramania Bharathi (11 December 1882 – 11
September 1921), was a Tamil writer, poet,
journalist, Indian independence activist, social
reformer and polyglot.
▪ Popularly known as "Mahakavi Bharathi"
("Great Poet Bharathi"), he was a pioneer of
modern Tamil poetry and is considered one of
the greatest Tamil literary figures of all time.
▪ His numerous works included fiery songs
kindling patriotism during the Indian
Independence movement.
▪ He fought for the emancipation of women,
against child marriage, stood for reforming
Brahminism and religion. He was also in
solidarity with Dalits and Muslims.
▪ Born in Ettayapuram of Tirunelveli district
(present-day Thoothukudi) in 1882, Bharathi
had his early education in Tirunelveli and
Varanasi and worked as a journalist with
many newspapers, including The Hindu,
Bala Bharata, Vijaya, Chakravarthini, the
Swadesamitran and India.
▪ Other names: Bharathi, Subbaiah, Sakthi
Dasan, Mahakavi, Mundasu Kavignar, Veera
Kavi, Selly Dasan.
▪ He paved the way for modern blank verse. He
wrote many books and poems on how Tamil is
beautiful in nature.
Jayakanthan:
▪ The recipient of Jnanpith Award late
D. Jayakanthan is the author of “Sila
Nerangalil Sila Manithargal” is the literary
work that fetched him the Sahitya Akademi
Award in 1972.
Commemoration of K P Aravanan:
▪ Four books have been released on the Occassion
of 3rd Death Anniversary of Tamil scholar and
former Vice-Chancellor of Manonmaniam
Sundaranar University, K.P. Aravanan.
9 "Pongattum Nalla Ennangal" - Professor K P
Aravanan.
9 "Silapathigara Porutkalanjiyam"-
Professor Silambu Na Selavarasu.
9 "Silapathigarathil Adalaranga Marabugal" -
Professors Rasa Kalaivani and S.Thamizhvelu.
9 "Sevvilakkiya Sollaivugal"-
Dr. Vaani Arivalan.
V.L Indira Dutt:
▪ Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu released the
book “Dr. V L Dutt: Glimpses of a Pioneer's
Life Journey”, written by Chairperson and
Managing Director of KCP Limited, V.L.
Indira Dutt.
A.N Sattanathan’s Autobiography:
▪ A.N. Sattanathan, the first chairman of the
Tamil Nadu Backward Classes Commission
in his autobiography, "Plain Speaking: A
Sudra’s Story" offers rare insights into the
world of exponents of the nagaswaram
other than the Isai Vellalas of the composite
Thanjavur district.
Meeran’s Stories and Parthiban’s
Dream:
▪ Thoppil Mohamed Meeran's short stories in
tamil have been translated in English in the
name "Meeran's Stories" by the retired judge
Prabha Sridevan.
▪ Kalki Krishnamoorthi's ‘Parthiban Kanavu’ is
translated in English in the name "Parthiban's
Dream" by Nandini Vijayaraghavan.
▪ Both these translated books are published by
Ratna books and released by retired judge
K.Chandru.
About Mohamed Meeran:
▪ Thoppil Mohamed Meeran (26 September
1944 – 10 May 2019) was an Indian Nagercoil
based Author who wrote in Tamil.

▪ Meeran was awarded the highest Indian
Government award for Literature, Sahitya
Akademi Award in 1997 for his novel Saivu
Narkali (The Reclining Chair).
▪ He also received the Tamil Nadu Kalai Ilakkiya
Perumantam Award, the Ilakkiya Chintanai
Award, and the T N Govt. Award.
▪ He published six novels and seven short Story
Collections.
▪ His Novels:
1.10 LATEST HISTORICAL EVENTS
A Royal Charter of Chola Kings:
▪ A Royal charter or a sasana of the Chola kings,
lost 300 years ago from Tamil Nadu, is now
being preserved in the Leiden University in
the Netherlands.
▪ Commonly referred to as the “Leiden plates”,
it was issued by the kings to a Buddhist vihara.
Cannonball of Tipu’s Era in
Kamudhi:
▪ The Cannonball made of stone was unearthed
when workers involved in excavation
near Kamudhi. Peraiyur Archaeologist
Muniyasamy said that the cannonball is
believed to be 300 years old and belong to 18th
Century of Tipu Sultan-British era.
100th Anniversary of the Visva-Bharati
University:
▪ 23 December 2021 marked the 100th
Anniversary of the Visva-Bharati University
set up by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
About Visva-Bharati University:
▪ Visva-Bharati is a public central university and
an Institution of National Importance located
in Shantiniketan, West Bengal, India.
▪ It was founded in 23rd December 1921 by
Rabindranath Tagore who called it Visva-
Bharati, which means “The Communion of
the World with India”.
▪ Until independence it was a college. Soon after
independence, the institution was given the
status of a central university in 1951 by an Act
of the Parliament.
HISTORY | 29
9 Oru Kadalora Kiramathin Kathai (1988, The
Story of Sea Side Village)
9 Turaimugam (1991, Harbour)
9 Koonan Thoppu (1993, The Grove of a
Hunchback)
9 Saivu Narkkali (1995, The Reclining Chair)
9 Anju vannam theru (2011, "Five Colours
street")
9 Kudiyetram (2017, Emigration).
December 27 Marks the 110th
Anniversary of Jana Gana Mana:
▪ The National Anthem was first sung at the
Calcutta session of the Congress on December
27, in 1911.
▪ ‘Jana Gana Mana’ is the first stanza of the
Bengali hymn ‘Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata’ and
it was written by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath
Tagore. Sarala Devi Chowdhurani, Tagore’s
niece, intoned the song, along with a few
school students, in front of the gathering of
the then INC president Bishan Narayan Dhar
and other leaders such as Bhupendra Nath
Bose and Ambika Charan Mazumder.
▪ A slightly different version of the song was
later adopted by Subhash Chandra Bose’s
Indian National Army in 1941 as the national
anthem, called ‘Shubh Sukh Chain’ which also
became popular in India.
▪ On August 15, 1947, Capt. Thankuri of the
INA was invited to play with the members of
his orchestra.
▪ On January 24, 1950, the Hindi version was
finally adopted by the Constituent Assembly
as the National Anthem of India.
▪ The song defines the nation as the union of all
provinces, languages and religion.
▪ The same day, Dr Rajendra Prasad, the
President of the assembly and former President
of India, had also declared ‘Vande Mataram’
as the National Song.
30 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
1.11 CULTURAL PANORAMA
Pilot Project of Culture Mapping:
▪ Culture Ministry officials said, Culture
Mapping of 80 villages associated with noted
personalities in history, in particular the
freedom movement, unique crafts and festivals
has been started as a pilot project. The project
is expected to be completed this financial year.
▪ From Sempore in Kashmir to Kanjirapally
in Kerala, villages with a connection to the
freedom movement as well as those with their
own art practices have been selected for the
project, being conducted by the Indira Gandhi
National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA).
▪ The project would lead to a “National Register
and interactive database of artists and art
practices from the villages of India”.
▪ Each artist would be given a unique ID and an
e-commerce platform set up.
▪ The Places included in the project are
9 Sempore or Pandrenthan in Budgam district
of Jammu and Kashmir that is associated with
14th Century mystic Lal Ded or Lalleshwari.
9 From Ladakh, the pilot project included
Choglamsar and Wanla villages, known for
wood carving.
9 Khatkar Kalan village in Punjab, which has a
memorial of Bhagat Singh.
9 Reni village of Uttarakhand, where the Chipko
movement started.
9 Kathputli Colony in Delhi, known for the
“migrant kathputli artists”.
9 Two villages in Tamil Nadu — Ettayapuram,
the birthplace of poet Subramania Bharathi,
and Thiruchigadi, a village of women potters.
An Ancient Indian Idol of Yogini:
▪ An ancient Indian idol of a goddess missing
from a temple in Uttar Pradesh, presumed
stolen over 40 years ago, will soon find its way
back home to India after it was discovered in a
garden in a country home in England.
▪ The Yogini, which refers to the divine
feminine in Hinduism, dates back to the 8th
century and went missing from the village of
Lokhari in Banda district around the late 1970s
and early 1980s.
Translation Project for
Tolkappiyam:
▪ The uniqueness of Tolkappiyam as a very
ancient and complete grammatical treatise and
as the achievement of a linguist par excellence
has been acknowledged by some leading
Western authorities on the subject concerned.
▪ Daniel Jones, the British specialist in phonetics,
marvels at Tolkappiyar's accurate description
of the Tamil phonemes at a time when there
was no recourse to any of the scientific
instruments which phoneticians could acquire
only more than twenty Centuries later.
▪ An eminent Indian linguist, A. K. Ramanujan,
states that Tolkappiyar is “linguistics’ ultimate
guru” who takes all of language from the most
ordinary banal language to the most poetic as
the subject of his magnum opus.
▪ The Central Institute of Classical Tamil has
already translated Tolkappiyam into English,
Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam (excepting
the first two parts “Eluttu” and “Col”).
▪ Central Institute of Classical Tamil, Chennai, is
planning to bring out translations of the Tamil
text, acknowledged by several international
authorities on the subject as ‘universal
grammar’, in to the following language:
▪ Indian Languages
9 Sanskrit, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati,
Punjabi, Malayalam (excepting the
first two parts “Eluttu” and “Col”),
Urdu, Telugu, Maithili, Tulu.
▪ Foreign Languages
9 French, German, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese,
Japanese, Malay, Sinhalese, Swedish, Korean,
Hebrew, Finnish, Siberian, Afrikaans, Russian.
▪ Rules and Regulations
9 The project is to be completed in one year.
9 The financial assistance to be given by the
Institute for every work is Rs. 5 Lakh (Rupees
Five lakh only), For the Malayalam translation
of Tolkappiyam (Porulatikaram) it is Rs. 2 lakh
(Rupees Two Lakh only).

About CICT:
▪ The Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT)
is an autonomous Institute of higher research
functioning under the Ministry of Education,
Government of India.
▪ This is an Institute constituted specifically
for carrying out higher research
Classical Tamil at international levels
not to be found elsewhere Globally. group led by Amarnath Ramakrishnan started
▪ This unique Institute is functioning in Chennai
from May 19, 2008. Earlier, from March, 2006
to May 18, 2008, the Institute was functioning
in the campus of the Central Institute of Indian
Languages, Mysore and it was called Centre
for Excellence of Classical Tamil.
▪ The CICT is engaged in several research
activities aimed at establishing the ancientness
and uniqueness of Tamil and of Classical
Tamil in particular and in propagating its
findings Globally.
Report on first two phases of
Keeladi Excavations:
▪ Amarnath Ramakrishna, the ASI
Superintending Archaeologist who oversaw
the first two phases of the Keeladi excavations
that have now completed seven phases, has
started writing the report for the first two
Phases with his team of archaeologists.
▪ The State published a report on the fourth
phase, placing the Sangam Age 300 years older
than it was thought.
▪ The third phase was carried out by the ASI
under P.S. Sriraman after Mr. Ramakrishna
was transferred to Guwahati.
▪ In 2018, the Madras High Court, hearing a PIL
petition that sought the preservation of the
Keeladi site, ordered that Mr. Ramakrishna
alone write the report on the first two phases.
Report on first two phases of Keeladi
Excavations:
▪ Keezhadi is an excavation site, which is a
sangam age settlement that is being excavated
by the Archaeological Survey of India and the
Tamil Nadu Archaeology department.
HISTORY | 31
▪ This is a large-scale excavation site carried out
in Tamil Nadu after the carried out in Tamil
Nadu after the Adichanallur Archaeological
site.
▪ The settlement lies on the bank of the Vaigai
river, dated between 6th Century B.C & 3rd
Century BC.
▪ In 2015, an Archaeological Survey of India
the first phase of the excavation in Pallisanthai
Thidal in the north of manalur near keezhadi
town.
Durga Puja gets intangible
cultural heritage tag
▪ Durga Puja in Kolkata, one of largest cultural
carnivals and street art festival of the
country, received an important international
recognition by making it to UNESCO's
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural
Heritage of Humanity.
Panchaloha Idol of
Chendikeshwar:
▪ The Idol wing police recovered a missing
panchaloha idol of Chandikeshwarar from
Pasupatheeshwarar temple from the strong
room in Kumbakonam and it was found to be
replaced for another idol that went missing
during the same period (40 years ago).
Centuries old sculptures found in
Chengalpattu:
▪ A team of the Chennai Circle of the
Archaeological Survey (ASI) of India has
dated three sculptures, found at Irumbedu
in Chengalpattu district, at 5th century AD
Two have been identified as the sculptures of
Goddess Vinayaki, the female form of Lord
Vinayaka, and Lakulisa, the preceptor of
Pasupatha school of Shaivism. The figure in the
third sculpture is yet to be firmly ascertained.
▪ All the three sculptures had the same
inscriptions that read, ‘Cheyam Patta Mutthira
Varikan Madavathi’. This indicated that the
sculptures were donated to the village by a
person named Mutthira Varikan Madavathi to
mark his victory.
32 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)

Ray of hope for the Ruined Chola ▪ A five-day World Sangeet Tansen festival will
Temple: be celebrated till 30th December 2021.
▪ There is a ray of hope for the 12th century ▪ Many artists from India and as well as from
Apatsahayeswarar temple at Tukkachchi abroad will participate in the music festival.
near Kumbakonam, which has been standing ▪ The Theme of the World Sangeet Tansen
Derelict for over a century. Festival is based on the theme of the Siddhanath
▪ The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, temple situated in Omkareshwar.
which has studied the temple, is preparing a
detailed project report for conservation.
▪ According to late historian S.R.
Balasubrahmanyam, the temple was closely
associated with Kulotunga I and Vikrama
Chola.
▪ The inscriptions referred to it as
Thenthirukalathi or Vikramacholeeswaram.
▪ The history of Tukkachchi is the history
of Vikrama Chola as he renovated the
old Thenkallathi temple and named it
Vikramacholeeswaram.
▪ Vikrama Chola’s father Kulotunga had made
contributions to the temple for the singing of
‘Thevaram’.

Hero stone Unearthed in Villupuram

District
▪ A team from the Chennai Circle of the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has
unearthed a hero stone, likely to be from the
4th to 5th Century CE, at V. Nerkunam village
in Vikravandi taluk, Villupuram district.
▪ Palaeographic analysis of the inscription on
the stone indicated that it was from a period
when the script was transitioning from Tamil
Brahmi to Vatteluttu script.
▪ “While some of the letters were in Tamil
Brahmi, others were in Vatteluttu. It is based
on this palaeographic analysis that we are
dating the stone to be from the 4th to 5th
Century CE,”
▪ Nerkunam now, “said the ASI officials.
▪ Apart from this, sculptures of Goddess
Maheshwari and Lord Vinayaka from 10th
century CE were also found in this village.

97th World Sangeet Tansen Festival

▪ The 97th Edition of the World Sangeet Tansen
festival has been started off in Gwalior on 25th
December 2021.

1.12 INDIA AND ITS NEIGHBOURS
Four-Pronged Plan on Sri Lanka Crisis:
▪ India and Sri Lanka agreed to a four-pronged
approach to discuss initiatives on food and
energy security to help mitigate Sri Lanka’s
economic crisis, during a two-day visit by Sri
Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa to
New Delhi.
Four-Pillar initiative:
▪ The decisions included a four-pillar initiative,
comprising lines of credit for food, medicines
and fuel purchases granted by India, a
currency swap agreement to deal with Sri
Lanka’s balance of payment issues, an “early”
modernization project of the Trinco oil farms
that India has been pursuing for several years,
and a Sri Lankan commitment to facilitate
Indian investments in various sectors.
India will Deepen ties with Bangladesh:
▪ India would further “expand and deepen”
ties with Bangladesh, said Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, marking Maitri Divas that
commemorates the day when India recognised
Bangladesh as an independent country in 1971.
▪ The war to liberate Bangladesh began on
December 3, 1971 and ended with the signing
of the Instrument of Surrender by Pakistani
General A.A.K. Niazi on December 16.
▪ Three days after the beginning of the war, the
Government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
recognised Bangladesh as an independent
nation.
▪ The message of Maitri Divas set the stage
for several bilateral engagements, including
the visit of President Ram Nath Kovind on
December 16 to celebrate the Victory Day.
Golden Jubilee Celebrations of
Bangladesh’s Independence:
▪ Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
called on President Ram Nath Kovind in
Dhaka on the first day of his three-day visit.
▪ President Kovind arrived on a maiden three-day
State Visit during which he will hold talks with
his counterpart M Abdul Hamid and attend
the golden jubilee celebrations of Bangladesh’s
independence from Pakistan in 1971.
HISTORY | 33
▪ Sheikh Rehana, youngest daughter of Father
of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman, received President Kovind at
Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, the place
which bears testimony to the life & work of the
beloved Father of Bangladesh, where Kovind
paid homage to him.
▪ “I am honored to be at Jatiya Smriti Shoudho,
which stands as a Symbol of Valour and
Conviction of the people of Bangladesh
against tyranny and oppression,” Kovind
wrote in the visitors’ book.
▪ He is the only foreign head of state invited to
join the celebrations which also coincides with
birth centenary celebrations of Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 50 years of
Dhaka-New Delhi ties.
▪ He (Kovind) particularly appreciated the
Bangladesh motto that ‘dharma jar jar, utsab
sabar’ (the religion is a matter of individuals,
but the religious festivals are universal).
President to open Renovated Hindu
shrine in Bangladesh
▪ In a symbolic gesture, President Ram Nath
Kovind will inaugurate a famous Hindu
shrine that was destroyed by the Pakistani
forces during the war of 1971.
▪ "On December 17, President Ram Nath Kovind
will inaugurate the renovated Sri Ramna Kali
Mandir, which was completely destroyed by
Pakistani forces during heinous Operation
Searchlight in 1971.”
1971 war altered Ideological Map:
Ramnath Kovind
▪ The Liberation War of 1971 changed the
“ideological map” of South Asia, President
Ram Nath Kovind said in Dhaka.
▪ Participating in the celebration to mark
the golden jubilee of the independence of
Bangladesh and victory in the war, President
Kovind recollected the “grassroots support”
from India to attain the freedom of Bangladesh.
▪ In a special gesture, he recited National Poet
of Bangladesh Kazi Nazrul Islam and praised
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for inheriting
34 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
her father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman’s rebellious (bidrohi) spirit.
Delhi-Dhaka Trade Ties:
▪ Despite COVID19 restrictions, the trade
between India and Bangladesh crossed $10
billion, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
▪ Mr. Jaishankar said Bangladesh is India’s
Largest trade partner in South Asia and
fourth largest export destination globally
while India is Bangladesh’s second largest
trade partner.
India marks 50 years of 1971 War:
▪ The Country commemorated 50 years of the
decisive victory in the 1971 Liberation War of
Bangladesh. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
termed the war the “golden chapter” in India’s
military history.
▪ He unveiled an India Post special cover and a
Commemorative Stamp marking the Occasion.
▪ The event marked the culmination of yearlong
‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ celebrations.
▪ As part of this, 30 ‘Mukti Jodhas’ (freedom
fighters) who took part in the war were invited
from Bangladesh and honoured.
▪ The commemorative stamp for the event
carries a Swarnim Vijay Varsh logo designed
by Lt. Cdr. Kushal Chandrashekhar.
Kovind inaugurates Kalibari
Temple in Dhaka:
▪ President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated
a famous Hindu temple in Dhaka that was
destroyed by Pakistani forces in 1971.
▪ He declared that the revived shrine represents
the “spiritual and cultural” bonds between
India and Bangladesh.
▪ The original Ramna Kalibari was built during
the medieval era and was famous for its tall
structure.
▪ In 1929, the temple complex acquired an
additional building for the devotees of the
famous saint Anandamayee, who later became
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s spiritual
advisor.
▪ 2,300-year-old temple of Buddhist Period
discovered in Pakistan:
▪ The Pakistani and Italian archaeologists
during joint excavations at a historic site have
discovered over 2,300 years old Apsidal temple
of the Buddhist period in north-west Pakistan
besides recovering other precious artifacts.
▪ The discovery, which has been made in Bazira
city of the Buddhist period in Barikot tehsil
of Swat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
province, has been described as the oldest
Temple in Pakistan of the Buddhist period.
▪ The temple discovered in Swat is even older
than the Temples discovered in Taxila remains
of Pakistan.
▪ Apart from the temple, the archaeologists have
recovered over 2,700 other artefacts of the
Buddhist period which included coins, rings,
pots and writing of the kharosthi language of
the Greece king Menander period.
Six Nations call for ‘Immediate’ Aid for
Afghans:
▪ India and Central Asian Nations share a
“broad regional consensus” on Afghanistan,
said a regional conference of Foreign Ministers
in Delhi that proposed the use of the India run
terminal at the Chabahar port in Iran as a route
for trade.
▪ A joint statement issued at the end of
deliberations at the third India Central Asia
dialogue, hosted by External Affairs Minister
S. Jaishankar for the Foreign Ministers of
Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, said it
was important to provide “immediate”
humanitarian aid for Afghans.
Bangladesh Ferry Fire:
▪ The Engine room of the Barguna bound MV
Abhijan-10 that started its journey from Dhaka
caught fire on the Sugandha river in southern
Bangladesh.
About Sugandha River:
▪ The Sugandha is a coastal river under
Jhalakathi district of Bangladesh.
▪ The length of this river is 30km.
▪ It flows eastern near Shayestabd and falls
into the Bay of Bengal after meeting with the
Meghna river at Sahbazpur in Bhola.
 HISTORY | 35

Food Aid and Defense Equipment to ▪ The key relevance of SAGAR emerges when
Mozambique: seen in conjunction with India’s other policies
▪ India handed over two Fast Interceptor Craft impacting the maritime domain like Act East
(FIC) and other self-defense equipment to Policy, Project Sagarmala, Project Mausam,
Mozambique to assist in its capacity building India as ‘net security provider’, focus on Blue
as the Central African nation battles growing Economy etc.
Terror threats. Oil Storage Tank of Sri Lanka Lease to
▪ Naval ship INS Kesari entered Port of India:
Maputo in Mozambique to deliver 500 tons
▪ Sri Lanka is nearing completion of talks
of food aid as well as the defense equipment,
with India to reacquire the 99 World War II-
under the eighth edition of Mission Sagar by
era oil storage tanks leased to the Indian Oil
the Navy to assist friendly foreign countries in
Corporation in the strategically advantaged
the region.
Port district of Trincomalee in the country's
▪ These deployments were conducted in East Coast.
solidarity with India’s extended Maritime
▪ The Trincomalee Harbour, one of the deepest
neighborhood and highlights the importance
natural harbours in the world, was developed
accorded by India to these special
by the British during World War II.
Relationships.
▪ Since 2003, the Lanka IOC, the Sri Lankan
▪ INS Kesari, a landing ship tank (large), had
subsidiary of India's oil major Indian Oil
undertaken a similar mission in May-June
Corporation (IOC), has the leasing rights to 99
2020 to provide humanitarian and medical
tanks at the facility for a period of 35 years for
assistance to the Maldives, Mauritius, the
an annual payment of USD 100,000.
Seychelles, Madagascar and Comoros,
including deployment of medical assistance
teams of the Navy in multiple locations.
▪ Since May 2020, ships have been deployed to
15 friendly countries under SAGAR missions.
▪ Separately, INS Sudarshini, which is on
deployment to the Gulf region as part of
Navy’s efforts towards familiarizing friendly
Navies on various facets of operations and
training on board sail training platforms,
visited Port Sahid Bahonar at Bandar Abbas
in Iran on December 22 on a three-day visit.
About SAGAR Mission:
▪ Security and Growth for All in the Region
(SAGAR) was launched in 2015.
▪ It is India’s strategic vision for the Indian
Ocean Region (IOR).
▪ Through SAGAR, India seeks to deepen
economic and security cooperation with its
maritime neighbors and assist in building
their maritime security capabilities.
▪ Further, India seeks to safeguard its national
interests and ensure Indian Ocean region to
become inclusive, collaborative and respect
International Law.
36 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
1.13 APPOINTMENTS- WHO - IS WHO
Aavin Managing Director:
▪ N. Subbaiyan is appointed as the Managing
Director of Aavin.
About Aavin:
▪ Aavin is a statutory corporation under the
ownership of Ministry of Fisheries, Animal
Husbandry and Dairying, Government of
Tamil Nadu and the trademark of Tamil Nadu
Co-operative Milk Producers' Federation
Limited.
▪ Founded: 1958.
▪ Headquarters: Chennai.
IMF's First Deputy Managing Director:
▪ Indian-American Gita Gopinath, the chief
economist of the International Monetary
Fund, is being promoted as the First Deputy
Managing Director of the International
Monetary Fund.
▪ She would replace Geoffrey Okamoto who
plans to leave the Fund early next year.
▪ Gopinath, who was scheduled to return to
her academic position at Harvard University
in January 2022, has served as the IMF's chief
economist for Three years.
About INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND
(IMF)
▪ The International Monetary Fund (IMF)
is an international financial institution,
headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting
of 190 countries.
▪ Formed in 1944, started on 27 December 1945,
at the Bretton Woods Conference primarily
by the ideas of Harry Dexter White and John
Maynard Keynes, it came into formal existence
in 1945 with 29 member countries and the goal
of reconstructing the international monetary
system.
▪ President: Kristalina Georgieva
Aavin Managing Director:
▪ N. Subbaiyan is appointed as the Managing
Director of Aavin.
About Aavin:
▪ Aavin is a statutory corporation under the
ownership of Ministry of Fisheries, Animal
Husbandry and Dairying, Government of
Tamil Nadu and the trademark of Tamil Nadu
Co-operative Milk Producers' Federation
Limited.
▪ Founded: 1958.
▪ Headquarters: Chennai.
IMF's First Deputy Managing
Director:
▪ Indian-American Gita Gopinath, the chief
economist of the International Monetary
Fund, is being promoted as the First Deputy
Managing Director of the International
Monetary Fund.
▪ She would replace Geoffrey Okamoto who
plans to leave the Fund early next year.
▪ Gopinath, who was scheduled to return to
her academic position at Harvard University
in January 2022, has served as the IMF's chief
economist for Three years.
About INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND
(IMF)
▪ The International Monetary Fund (IMF)
is an international financial institution,
headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting
of 190 countries.
▪ Formed in 1944, started on 27 December 1945,
at the Bretton Woods Conference primarily
by the ideas of Harry Dexter White and John
Maynard Keynes, it came into formal existence
in 1945 with 29 member countries and the goal
of reconstructing the international monetary
system.
▪ President: Kristalina Georgieva
K. Vivekanandan:
▪ K. Vivekanandan who is the Managing
Director of Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing
and Development Corporation has been given
additional charge as the Member Secretary of
Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Board.
About Tamilnadu Adi dravidar and Tribal
Welfare Commission:
▪ Tamil Nadu Adidravidar (SC) and Tribal (ST)
Welfare commission was setup in October 2021
by enacting the Tamil Nadu state Commission

for the Scheduled castes and Scheduled Tribes
Act, 2021.
▪ The Commission was setup based on the
recommendation of the Vigilance and
Monitoring Committee headed by M.K. Stalin.
▪ The period of the members of the SC/ST
commission will be three years.
▪ Aim: To safeguard the welfare of the SCs and
STs, and to protect and develop their Economic
and social wellbeing, the state Government
has decided to constitute the Commission.
▪ Functions: The Commission will be
Empowered to inquire Suo Moto or on a
petition by the victims.
▪ With the powers of a Civil Court trying a suit
(under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908),
the commission can summon any person,
examine witnesses, call for the production of
any document, receive evidence on affidavits,
and requisition any public record from any
Court or office.
▪ The state commission will have a chairperson,
vice-chairperson and five members, out of
which three will be from SCs, two from STs
and a woman member.
9 High Court Judge Sivakumar is the First
Chairperson of the Commission and Punitha
Pandian, Editor of ‘Dalit Murasu’ magazine, is
its Deputy Chairperson.
▪ The Commission will look into any violations
of rights provided under the Protection of Civil
Rights Act, 1955 and the Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities)
Act 1989.
▪ Among its functions, the commission can
recommend action against public servants who
are negligent in preventing such violations.
▪ The Commission is expected to investigate
and monitor safeguards present in various
legislations, in the interest of SC/STs and
promote awareness of the same.
▪ The state government will consult the
commission on policy matters related to the
community, and the commission will also carry
out research work to avoid discrimination.
HISTORY | 37
▪ The members will also advise the state
Government on important issues affecting the
lives of socially marginalized people.
New Principal Chief Commissioner of I-T
▪ Geetha Ravichandran, an IRS officer of the
1987 batch, has taken over as the Principal
Chief Commissioner of Income Tax for Tamil
Nadu and Puducherry Region.
▪ After undergoing training at the National
Academy of Direct Taxes, Nagpur she served
in various parts of the country including
Chennai, Mumbai, Nagpur and Bangalore.
New Chief Commissioner of
Income Tax Assumes Charge:
▪ Debendra Narayan Kar has taken charge as
the Chief Commissioner of Income Tax in
Chennai.
▪ Mr. Kar played a significant role in identifying
several violations of foreign donations under
the provisions of Foreign Currency Regulation
Act, 2010.
Pradeep Rawat next Ambassador to
China:
▪ The Ministry of External Affairs said Pradeep
Kumar Rawat, a Mandarin speaking career
diplomat, will take over as envoy in Beijing.
▪ Mr. Rawat, Ambassador to the Netherlands,
will replace Vikram Misri, who completed a
close to three-year term earlier this Month.
Indian-origin diplomat America’s
Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues:
▪ The US has designated Indian-origin diplomat
Uzra Zeya as its Special Coordinator for Tibetan
Issues and she has been tasked with promoting
“substantive dialogue” between China and the
Dalai Lama or his representatives, in support
of a Negotiated agreement on Tibet.
▪ She will retain her current position as the Under
Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy,
and Human Rights.
38 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)

▪ As the US Special Coordinator for Tibetan

Issues, Zeya will coordinate the US government
policies, programmes and projects concerning
Tibetan issues, consistent with the Tibetan
Policy Act of 2002, as amended by the Tibetan
Policy and Support Act of 2020.

First Non-European FIA Chief:

▪ Mohammed Ben Sulayem became the first
non-European to be elected president of the
International Automobile Federation (FIA),
succeeding the retiring Jean Todt.

Tamil Nadu startup body TANSIM

Appoints New CEO:
▪ Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission
(TANSIM), a body created for promoting
startups in Tamil Nadu, has appointed
Madurai-based social entrepreneur Sivarajah
Ramanathan as its first CEO, with effective
from January 2022.
▪ TANSIM was set up in 2018 as an offshoot
of the Entrepreneurship Development and
Innovation Institute (EDII), as part of the
Startup and Innovation Policy 2018-2023. Also
called StartupTN, it has an objective of creating
a support system for the state's Startups

Ministry of Steel:
▪ Sanjay Kumar Singh assumes charge as
Secretary, Ministry of Steel
▪ Shri Singh succeeds Shri P.K. Tripathi,
Secretary, Department of Personnel and
Training (DoPT). Shri Tripathi was holding
the additional charge of Secretary Steel.
 2. POLITICAL
SCIENCE
2.1 PROBLEMS IN CONDUCT OF PUBLIC ELECTIONS
Plans to have 4 cut-off Dates for new
Voters to Enroll:
▪ Plans are afoot to have four cut-off dates Every
year for people to enroll as voters by amending
the electoral law, a move which will eventually
help have a common electoral roll for the Lok
Sabha, Assembly and local body polls as also
ensure that more eligible Youngsters become
part of the electorate.
▪ The Election Commission of India (ECI) had
been pushing for multiple cut-off dates to
allow more eligible people to register as voters.
▪ As of now, for an election to be held in a
particular year, only an individual who has
attained the age of 18 years as on January 1 of
that year or before is eligible to be enrolled in
the voters' list.
2.2 POLITICAL PARTIES AND POLITICAL SYSTEM IN INDIA
Sate Legislative Council:
▪ The State Legislative Council, or Vidhan
Parishad, or Saasana Mandali is the upper
house in those states of India that have a
bicameral state legislature; the lower house
being the State Legislative Assembly.
▪ Its establishment is defined in Article 169 of
the Constitution of India.
▪ As of 2021, 6 out of 28 states have a State
Legislative Council. These are Andhra
Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra,
Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.The latest state to
have a council is Telangana.
▪ The ECI had told the government that the
January 1 cut-off date set for the purpose
deprives several youngsters from participating
in the electoral exercise held in a particular
year.
▪ Due to only one qualifying or cut-off date, a
person attaining the age of 18 years on January
2 cannot be registered. Therefore, a person
who turns 18 after January 1 will have to wait
for next year to get registered.
▪ The law ministry has told a parliamentary
panel that "it is proposed to amend section
14(b) of the Representation of the People Act
to insert four qualifying dates (or cut-off dates)
- January 1,
▪ April 1, July 1, and October 1 of every year".
Six Additional Seats for Jammu, One for
Kashmir Proposed:
▪ The Jammu and Kashmir Delimitation
Commission proposed to increase six seats for
the Jammu division and one for the Kashmir
division, besides reserving 16 seats for the
Scheduled Castes (SC) and the Scheduled
Tribes in the Union Territory, triggering sharp
reactions from the regional Parties.
▪ The Kashmir division currently has 46 seats
and Jammu 37.
▪ The commission, headed by Justice Ranjana
Prakash Desai (retd.), met its five associate
members — two MPs from the BJP and three
from the National Conference — in New Delhi.
40 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ The commission has not specified the districts
where the SC and ST seats would be reserved.
▪ It told the associate members that the 2011
Census was the basis for carving out the new
seats. According to the census, the population
of the Kashmir division was 68.8 lakh and
Jammu 53.5 lakh.
About Delimitation Commission:
▪ The Delimitation Commission is appointed
by the President of India and works in
collaboration with the Election Commission of
India.
▪ Composition:
9 Retired Supreme Court judge
9 Chief Election Commissioner
9 Respective State Election Commissioners
▪ The Delimitation Commission in India is a
high-power body whose orders have the force
of law and cannot be called in question before
any court.
About the Jammu & Kashmir Delimitation
Commission:
▪ The Jammu and Kashmir Delimitation
Commission was appointed on March 6,
2020 headed by former Supreme Court judge
Ranjana Prakash Desai.
▪ Appointed to redraw Lok Sabha and assembly
constituencies of the Union Territory Jammu
and Kashmir and the northeastern states of
Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and
Nagaland.
▪ Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and
state election commissioners of Jammu and
Kashmir and the four states are the ex-officio
Members.
▪ The Commission will delimit the constituencies
of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with
the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir
Reorganization Act, and of Assam, Arunachal
Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland in accordance
with the provisions of the Delimitation Act,
2002.
What is Delimitation?
▪ Delimitation is the redrawing of boundaries
of an assembly or Lok Sabha constituency to
reflect changes to the population of a region.
▪ The Delimitation Commission is an
independent body and the executive and
political parties cannot interfere in its
functioning.
Why Delimitation?
▪ To provide equal representation to equal
Segments of a population.
▪ Fair division of geographical areas so that one
political party doesn’t have an advantage over
others in an election.
▪ To follow the principle of “One Vote One
Value”.
How Delimitation is carried out?
▪ Under Article 82, the Parliament enacts a
Delimitation Act after every Census.
▪ Under Article 170, States also get divided into
territorial constituencies as per Delimitation
Act after every Census.
▪ Once the Act is in force, the Union Government
sets up a Delimitation Commission.
▪ The first delimitation exercise was carried out
by the President (with the help of the Election
Commission) in 1950-51.
▪ The first Delimitation Commission Act was
enacted in 1952.
▪ Delimitation Commissions have been set up
four times — 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002 under
the Acts of 1952, 1962, 1972 and 2002.
▪ There was no delimitation after the 1981 and
1991 Censuses.
Winter Session of Parliament:
▪ The winter session of Parliament ended the
same way it started on November 29 — on an
Acrimonious note.
▪ Both Houses were adjourned sine die a day
ahead of schedule.
▪ The 11 bills that were passed during the Winter
session are
1. Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021
2. Dan Safety Bill, 2021
3. Assisted Reproductive Technology
(Regulation) Bill, 2021.
4. Surrogacy (Regulation Bill, 2021)
 POLITICAL SCIENCE | 41

5. National Institute of Pharmaceutical Adjournment Sine Die

Education and Research (Amendment) ▪ Adjournment sine die means terminating a
Bill, 2021. sitting of Parliament for an indefinite period.
6. Appropriation (No.5) Bill, 2021. In other words, when the House is adjourned
without naming a day for reassembly, it is
7. High Court and Supreme Court Judges
called adjournment sine die.
(Salaries and Conditions of Service)
Amendment Bill, 2021. ▪ The power of adjournment as well as
adjournment sine die lies with the presiding
8. Delhi Special Police Establishment
officer of the House. He can also call a sitting
(Amendment) Bill, 2021
of the House before the date or time to which
9. Central Vigilance Commission it has been adjourned or at any time after the
(Amendment) Bill, 2021. House has been adjourned sine die.
10. Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Prorogation:
Substances (Amendment) Bill, 2021 ▪ The presiding officer (Speaker or Chairman)
11. Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 declares the House adjourned sine die, when
About: the Business of a session is completed.
▪ The Three sessions of the Parliament in a ▪ Within the next few days, the President issues
year are a notification for prorogation of the session.
9 The Budget Session (February to May); However, the President can also prorogue the
House while in session.
9 The Monsoon Session (July to September); and
9 The Winter Session (November to December).
Adjournment
▪ A session of Parliament consists of many
meetings. Each meeting of a day consists of
two sittings, that is, a morning sitting from 11
am to 1 pm and post-lunch sitting from 2 pm
to 6 pm. A sitting of
▪ Parliament can be terminated by adjournment
or adjournment sine die or prorogation or
Dissolution (in the case of the Lok Sabha).
▪ An adjournment suspends the work in a sitting
for a specified time, which may be hours, days
or weeks.
42 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
2.3 PUBLIC AWARENESS & GENERAL ADMINISTRATION
Committee to revisit the criteria for 10%
reservation for Economically Weaker
Sections (EWS):
▪ The Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment appointed a three-member
committee to revisit the criteria for 10%
reservation for Economically Weaker Sections
(EWS) in educational institutions and
Government jobs.
The panel comprises
▪ Former Finance Secretary Ajay Bhushan
Pandey;
▪ Member Secretary, Indian Council of Social
Science Research, V.K. Malhotra; and
▪ Principal Economic Adviser to the Government
of India, Sanjeev Sanyal.
▪ It has been given three weeks’ time to complete
its work.
▪ The Supreme Court last month observed that
the Centre could not “pull out of thin air”
the ₹8 lakh annual income limit to identify
economically weaker section for providing
10% quota and questioned if the attempt was
to “make unequals equals.
Curriculum must include Wisdom of
Vedas:
▪ The Parliamentary Standing Committee on
Education, Women, Children, Youth and
Sports submitted its report on reforms in the
content and design of school textbooks to the
Rajya Sabha on November 30.
▪ History textbooks should also give greater
importance to unknown freedom fighters,
women heroes, the empires of the Deccan and
the history of the northeastern region, and the
Sikh and Maratha communities.
Farm Laws Repeal Act, 2021:
▪ The Farm Laws Repeal Act, 2021 received the
assent of the President of India on November
30, said a gazette notification issued by the
Ministry of Law and Justice.
▪ This law was passed by Parliament on
November 29 without debate in both houses.
Constitutional Provision on President’s
Assent:
▪ When a bill has been passed by both houses
following the described process, it is sent to
the President for his approval as per Article
111 of the Indian Constitution.
▪ The President can give assent or withhold his
assent to a bill or he can return a bill, other
than a money bill which is recommended by
the President himself to the Houses.
Members of Parliament Local Area
Development Scheme (MPLADS):
▪ Citing economic recovery, the Union Cabinet
restored the Members of Parliament Local
Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) that
was suspended in April 2020 subsuming the
funds for the scheme in the consolidated fund
of India.
▪ The scheme was suspended for two
financial years (2020-21 and 2021-22) but the
Government announced a partial rollback.
▪ The MPs will get ₹2 crore instead of the annual
approved ₹5 crore for the remaining part of the
financial year 2021-22 and from next financial
year to 2025- 26, MPs will get ₹5 crore.
About MPLADS:
▪ Members of Parliament Local Area
Development Scheme (MPLADS) is a
scheme formulated by Government of
India on 23 December 1993 that enables the
members of parliaments (MP) to recommend
developmental work in their constituencies.
▪ Initially, this scheme was administered
by Ministry of Rural Development. Later,
in October 1994, Ministry of Statistics and
Programme Implementation (MOSPI) has
been looking into its working.
▪ The scheme was launched by (Prime Minister)
P. V. Narasimha Rao.
Lok Sabha passes bill to regulate IVF
Clinics:
▪ The Lok Sabha passed the Assisted
Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill,
2020 that proposes the establishment of a

National Registry and Registration Authority
for all clinics and medical professionals
serving in the field.
▪ Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, while
moving the bill for passage, said several
suggestions of the Standing Committee
have been considered by the Government to
improve the legislation.
▪ The Bill seeks to regulate and supervise
Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)
clinics and ART banks, prevent misuse, adopt
safe and ethical practice and so on.
▪ The Bill also has a provision that those
involved in trafficking and sale of embryos
will be fined ₹10 lakh at first instance and in
second instance, the person can be imprisoned
for up to 12 years.
Paika Rebellion to be in History
Textbooks:
▪ The 1817 Paika rebellion of Odisha could
not be called the first war of Independence,
but considering it as a beginning of a popular
uprising against the British.
▪ It can be said that the ‘Paika Bidroha’, which
was set off in March 1817 and continued until
May 1825, had set an example for the classes as
well as the masses in India to follow later on.
About Paika Rebellion:
History:
9 Till 1803, Odisha was under Maratha rule,
however after the second Anglo-Maratha War,
the Marathas were forced to cede most of their
territory in Odisha to the British East India
Company.
9 Establishment of British rule in Odisha was
followed by a policy of repression against the
Paikas.
9 They lost their traditional position in the
society and their lands were taken away.
9 In addition to losing their estates, the Paikas
were also heavily exploited by the revenue
collectors under the British.
The Rebellion:
9 Paikas under the leadership of Baxi Jagabandhu,
the hereditary chief of the militia army of the
Gajapati King of Khurda (a kingdom near
Puri), rose in rebellion in March 1817, taking
POLITICAL SCIENCE | 43
support of tribals and other sections of society.
9 The Paikas attacked British symbols of power,
setting ablaze police stations, administrative
offices and the treasury during their march
towards Khurda.
9 The Paikas were supported by the rajas,
zamindars, village heads and ordinary
peasants. The rebellion quickly spread to
different parts of the province.
9 British were initially taken aback and then tried
to regain lost ground but faced stiff resistance
from the rebelling Paikas. However, the Paikas
were eventually defeated by the British.
9 The Paikas retreated into the thick jungles of
Odisha and carried out guerrilla warfare for
several years. After successive defeats, the
Paika leader, Bakshi Jagabandhu, surrendered
to the British in 1825 and lived as a prisoner in
Cuttack till his death in 1829.
Rajya Sabha passes Dam Safety Bill:
▪ The Rajya Sabha passed the Dam Safety Bill,
2019 on November 2,2021.
▪ Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
said a National Policy on the safe management
of dams had been pending for 40 years.
▪ Opposition members raised concerns that the
bill encroached on the federal structure as
Dams and Rivers are State Subjects. The Bill
was passed in the Lok Sabha on 2 August,
2019.
▪ Forty-two dams have broken so far. In 1982,
it was decided to prepare a national policy.
▪ We sought the advice of the Solicitor General.
He said Parliament can make the law. Entry 17
of the State list doesn’t act as an embargo for
the Union to make a legislation on this subject.
‘Kamaraj Plan’ in Andhra Pradesh:
▪ The imminent ‘Kamaraj Plan’ in Andhra
Pradesh (A.P) could serve as an opportunity
as well as a challenge for the YSR Congress
Party (YSRCP) government.
▪ After the formation of the Cabinet in 2019,
A.P. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy
announced that the entire Cabinet should
be prepared to resign and go back to their
44 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
constituencies to strengthen the party halfway
through the five-year term.
About Kamaraj Plan:
▪ Kamaraj remained Chief Minister for three
consecutive terms, winning elections in 1957
and 1962. Kamaraj noticed that the Congress
party was slowly losing its vigour.
▪ On Gandhi Jayanti day 2 October 1963, he
resigned from the post of the Chief Minister.
▪ In 1963 he suggested to Nehru that senior
Congress leaders should leave ministerial
posts to take up organizational work. This
suggestion came to be known as the Kamaraj
Plan.
▪ Six Union Ministers and six Chief Ministers
including Lal Bahadur Shastri, Jagjivan Ram,
Morarji Desai, Biju Patnaik and S.K. Patil
followed suit and resigned from their posts.
Tamil Nadu CM condemns passage of
Dam Safety Bill:
▪ Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin
condemned the BJP Government at the Centre
over the passage of the Dam Safety Bill, 2019
in the Rajya Sabha, saying the Bill was against
federalism and would snatch the rights of the
States.
▪ The Bill violated Article 252 (1) of the
Constitution, and now, the protection of the
States’ powers had become a question mark,
Mr. Stalin noted.
Article 252 in The Indian Constitution:
▪ Power of Parliament to legislate for two or
more States by consent and adoption of such
legislation by any other State
9 If it appears to the Legislatures of two or more
States to be desirable that any of the matters
with respect to which Parliament has no power
to make laws for the States except as provided
in Articles 249 and 250 should be regulated
in such States by Parliament by law, and if
resolutions to that effect are passed by all the
House of the Legislatures of those States, it
shall be lawful for Parliament to pass an Act
for regulating that matter accordingly, and
any Act so passed shall apply to such States
and to any other State by which it is adopted
afterwards by resolution passed in that behalf
by the House or, where there are two Houses,
by each of the Houses of the Legislature of that
State.
9 Any Act so passed by Parliament may be
amended or repealed by an Act of Parliament
passed or adopted in like manner but shall
not, as respects any State to which it applies,
be amended or repealed by an Act of the
Legislature of that State.
153 Private members’ Bills introduced
in LS:
▪ Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor moved
a private member’s Bill in the Lok Sabha
seeking to establish permanent Benches of
High Courts in State capitals.
▪ In Kerala, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha,
Goa, Uttarakhand, Nagaland, Arunachal
Pradesh, Mizoram and Chhattisgarh, the State
High Court is situated outside the Capital city.
▪ The Private member’s bill was moved in the
Lok Sabha after a gap of nearly Two Years.
▪ The Private member’s business had been
pushed back mainly due to curtailed hours
under COVID19 protocol, disruptions due to
Opposition protest.
▪ Ramesh Bidhuri introduced a Bill to provide
for compulsory teaching of the Bhagavad Gita
as a moral education textbook in educational
institutions.
▪ Biju Janata Dal member Bhartruhari Mahtab
introduced a Bill to prohibit religious
conversions by inducement, coercion or undue
influence.
▪ Manish Tewari introduced a Bill to regulate
the functioning and exercise of power of
Indian intelligence Agencies.
▪ Jayant Sinha introduced The Right of Children
for Free and Compulsory Education Bill.
About Private Member Bill:
▪ The Private bill is introduced by any member
of Parliament other than a minister.
▪ It reflects the stand of opposition party on
public matter.
▪ It has lesser chance to be approved by the
Parliament.

▪ Its rejection by the House has no implication
on the parliamentary confidence in the
Government or its resignation.
▪ Its introduction in the House requires one
month’s notice.
▪ Its drafting is the responsibility of the Member
concerned.
Supreme Court’s 1997 verdict laid down
Guidelines for use of AFSPA:
▪ The investigation into the Army’s botched
operation in Nagaland may have to provide
answers to whether a 1997 Supreme Court
judgment advocating “caution and use of
minimum force against our own people” in
AFSPA regions was followed or not.
▪ The November 1997 judgment of a Constitution
Bench in Naga People’s Movement for Human
Rights vs Union of India held that the power
under Section 4(a) of the AFSPA to use deadly
force should be employed only under “certain
circumstances”.
About AFSPA:
▪ The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Bill was
passed by both the Houses of Parliament and it
was approved by the President on September
11, 1958. It became known as the Armed Forces
Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958.
▪ The Act came into force in the context of
increasing violence in the North-eastern States
decades ago, which the State Governments
found difficult to control.
▪ AFSPA gives armed forces the power to
maintain public order in “disturbed areas”.
They have the authority to prohibit a gathering
of five or more persons in an area, can use force
or even open fire after giving due warning if
they feel a person is in contravention of the
law.
▪ If reasonable suspicion exists, the army can
also arrest a person without a warrant; enter
or search premises without a warrant; and ban
the possession of firearms.
States under AFSPA, Act
▪ It is effective in the whole of Nagaland,
Assam, Manipur (excluding seven assembly
constituencies of Imphal) and parts of
Arunachal Pradesh.
POLITICAL SCIENCE | 45
▪ In Arunachal Pradesh, the impact of AFSPA
was reduced to Eight Police Stations.
Lok Sabha nod for Bill on
PharmaInstitutes:
▪ The Lok Sabha passed a bill that seeks to
accord special status to six more institutes
of pharmaceutical education and research as
well as set up a council for these institutes.
▪ The current bill, which will amend the
National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education
and Research Act, 1998, that established
the National Institute of Pharmaceutical
Education and Research (NIPER), at Mohali in
Punjab, will encourage high quality research
as it accords the status of Institutions of
National importance to six more institutes at
Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Hajipur, Hyderabad,
Kolkata and Rae Bareli.
Lok Sabha Passes Bill to Clarify Pension
to Judges:
▪ Under the High Court and Supreme Court
Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service)
Amendment Bill, 2021, all retired judges of
the Supreme Court and High Courts and their
family members are entitled to pension or
family pension.
▪ They are also entitled to an additional
quantum of pension or family pension when
they attain a certain age in accordance with a
specified scale.
▪ The scale contains five age brackets (with
minimum age of 80, 85, 90, 95, and 100 years),
and the additional quantum increases with
age (from 20% to 100% of the pension or family
pension).
▪ The Bill clarifies that a person will be entitled
to the additional pension or family pension
from the first day of the month in which
they complete the minimum age under the
concerned age bracket.
Bill Seeks to Setup an Institutional
Mechanism for the Safety of Specified
Dams Passed:
▪ Parliament passed a bill that seeks to set up
an institutional mechanism for the safety of
specified dams in the country.
46 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ Rajya Sabha had passed The Dam Safety Bill
on December 2 with minor amendments,
including changing the year in the title of the
Bill from 2019 to 2021.
▪ The Bill provides for surveillance, inspection,
operation and maintenance of the specified
dams for the prevention of dam failure-related
disasters.
▪ It provides for an institutional mechanism to
ensure a safe functioning of the dams.
▪ A clause has been added to the bill to impose
punishment on the states or people if the
norms are not adhered to.
▪ Earlier, Lok Sabha had passed the Bill on
August 2, 2019.
▪ The Bill also seeks to constitute National
Committee on Dam Safety (NCDS), which
is expected to work as a think-tank at the
central level with the National Dam Safety
Authority to monitor the implementation of
the recommendations made by the NCDS.
Similar bodies would also be there under the
State Governments.
Law Panel Appointments Under
Consideration:
▪ The Government has informed the Supreme
Court that appointment of the Chairperson
and Members of the 22nd Law Commission
of India, the Government’s top body to
recommend crucial legislative reforms, is
under consideration.
▪ The 22nd Law Commission was constituted
by the Government on February 21, 2020.
However, no progress has been made in the
appointments till date.
About Law Commission of India:
▪ Law Commission of India is neither a
constitutional body nor a statutory body, it is
an executive body established by an order of
the Government of India.
▪ Its major function is to work for legal reforms.
▪ The Commission is established for a fixed
tenure and works as an advisory body to the
Ministry of Law and Justice.
▪ Its membership primarily comprises legal
experts (Chairman, 1 Permanent Member, 1
Member Secretary, 2 Part-time Members, 2 ex-
officio members).
▪ The first Law Commission was established
during the British Raj era in 1834 by the
Charter Act of 1833. It was presided by Lord
Macaulay. After that, three more Commissions
(1853, 1861, 1879) were established in pre-
independent India.
▪ The first Law Commission of independent
India was established with the then Attorney-
General of India, Mr M. C. Setalvad, as its
chairman in 1955 for a three-year term. Since
then, twenty-one more Commissions have
been established.
▪ The 21st Law Commission under Justice B.S.
Chauhan(retd.) was established in 2015, and
had tenure to 31 August 2018.
Bills to extend tenure of ED, CBI Chiefs
passed in LS:
▪ The Lok Sabha passed two bills (the Central
Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Bill,
2021 and the Delhi Special Police Establishment
(Amendment) Bill, 2021) allowing the Centre
to extend the tenure of the Enforcement
Directorate (ED) chief and the CBI Director up
to five years from the current two.
▪ The Bills replace the ordinances brought in last
month.
About Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
▪ The Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) is the premier investigating
agency of India, formed in 1 April 1963.
▪ Operating under the jurisdiction of the
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and
Pensions, Government of India.
▪ CBI is exempted from the provisions of the
Right to Information Act.
▪ CBI is India's officially designated single point
of contact for liaison with the Interpol.
▪ The CBI headquarter is located in CGO
Complex, near Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in
New Delhi.
▪ Subodh Kumar Jaiswal is the director of
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

About the Directorate of Enforcement:
▪ The Directorate of Enforcement is a law
enforcement agency and economic intelligence
agency responsible for enforcing economic
laws and fighting economic crime in India.
▪ It is part of the Department of Revenue,
Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
▪ Headquarters: New Delhi, India
▪ Founded: 1 May 1956
▪ Agency Executives: Sanjay Kumar Mishra,
IRS, Director Enforcement.
In Lok Sabha, Minister lists steps for
Supplementary Child Nutrition
▪ Minister for Women and Child Development
Smriti Irani said, “To ensure continuous
nutritional support to beneficiaries,
anganwadis workers and helpers distributed
supplementary nutrition at the doorstep
of beneficiaries once in 15 days during
COVID19 as all anganwadis centers across the
country were closed to limit the impact of the
pandemic.”
▪ The National Family Health Survey5,
which was made public recently, measures
malnutrition indicators, researchers argue that
there are difficulties in studying the impact of
COVID19.
Prime Minister's Garib Kalyan Anna
Yojana:
▪ Under the Food Grain Distribution Scheme
for the Poor (Prime Minister's Garib Kalyan
Anna Yojana) 34 lakh MT of food grains have
been allotted to Tamil Nadu by the Central
Government at the State level.
▪ Plan to distribute free food grains to the poor
affected by the corona epidemic until March
2022 extended. A total of 364.69 lakh people
has benefited from this scheme.
About Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna
Yojana:
▪ Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana
(Prime Minister's Food Security Scheme for
the Poor) is a food security welfare scheme
announced by the Government of India in 26
March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic
in India.
POLITICAL SCIENCE | 47
▪ The program is operated by the Department
of Food and Public Distribution under the
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and
Public Distribution.
▪ The scheme aims to feed the poorest citizens
of India by providing grain through the
Public Distribution System, to all the priority
households (ration card holders and those
identified by the Antyodaya Anna Yojana
scheme).
▪ PMGKAY provides 5 kg of rice or wheat
(according to regional dietary preferences) per
person and 1 kg of dal to each family holding
a ration card.
▪ The scale of this welfare scheme makes it the
largest food security program in the world.
Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada
Yojana (PMMSY):
▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched
₹20,050 crore-Pradhan Mantri Matsya
Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) to boost production
and exports in the fisheries sector as part of the
government’s aim to double farmers’ income.
▪ The PMMSY is a flagship scheme for focused
and sustainable development of fisheries sector
in the country with an estimated investment
of ₹20,050 crore for its implementation during
2020-21 to 2024-25 as part of Aatmanirbhar
Bharat Package.
▪ The investment of ₹20,050 crore
under PMMSY is the highest ever in
the fisheries sector, the PMO said.
▪ Out of this, an investment of about ₹12,340
crore is proposed for beneficiary-oriented
activities in marine, inland fisheries and
aquaculture and about ₹7,710 crore investment
for fisheries infrastructure.
▪ The PMMSY aims at enhancing fish production
by an additional 70 lakh tonne by 2024-25,
increasing fisheries export earnings to ₹1 lakh
crore by 2024-25.
▪ ₹45.87 crore to Tamil Nadu and Rs. 10.03 crore
to Puducherry under this scheme.
48 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ Implementation: It will be implemented
as an umbrella scheme with two separate
components namely,
▪ Central Sector Scheme: The project cost will
be borne by the Central government.
▪ Centrally Sponsored Scheme: All the sub-
components/activities will be implemented
by the States/UTs and the cost will be shared
between Centre and State.
Manipur and Assam wanted to retain
AFSPA
▪ After the recent civilian killings in Nagaland,
there is a clamor in the northeastern states to
revoke the Armed Forces (Special Powers)
Act, or the AFSPA.
▪ However, four years ago, the Union Home
Ministry’s decision to remove areas under
the AFSPA was resisted by at least two States
— Assam and Manipur — both ruled by the
Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP).
▪ The AFSPA, which has been in force in the
northeast since 1958, gives unbridled power to
the armed forces and the Central Armed Police
Forces deployed in “disturbed areas” to kill or
arrest anyone acting in contravention of law
and search any premises without a warrant.
▪ It offers them protection from prosecution and
legal suits without the Union Government’s
sanction.
▪ Concurrent Powers:
9 Both the Centre and the State Governments
have got concurrent powers to issue notification
under Section 3 of AFSPA.
9 For instance, the notification extending it in
Manipur, right from the 1980s, has been issued
by the Government of Manipur.
9 In the past 40 years, the Ministry has not issued
any notification under the AFSPA for Manipur.
Private Member’s Bill for
Guaranteed MSP of 22 crops:
▪ Varun Gandhi, a lawmaker from the Bharatiya
Janata Party, has piloted a private member’s
bill that seeks legal guarantee of minimum
support price for 22 agricultural commodities
with an annual financial outlay of ₹1 trillion.
▪ The bill – The Farmers Right to Guaranteed
Minimum Support Price Realization of Agri-
Produce Bill, 2021 – has been submitted to
Parliament, but is yet to be tabled.
▪ Any member of Parliament who is not a
minister can move a private member’s bill.
▪ A decision to admit a private bill rests with
the chairman in case of Rajya Sabha and the
speaker in case of the Lok Sabha. These bills
are taken up during the second half of the
session on Friday.
▪ The bill proposes that MSP is set at a profit
margin of 50% over the comprehensive
cost of production as recommended by the
Swaminathan Committee in 2006.
▪ “Any farmer realizing a price less than the
above declared MSP price shall be entitled to
compensation equal to the difference in value
between the price realized and end guaranteed
MSP,” the proposed bill Envisages.
▪ It provides for codification of various crops
based on quality parameters, ensuring that
the farmers do not have to resort to distress
sales if crops do not meet predefined Quality
criterion.
▪ The bill encourages crop diversification
and recommends the most suited crop to
be cultivated for each sub-district, thereby
reducing the environmental cost of agriculture
and promoting crop patterns suitable for long-
term ecological sustainability.
▪ It calls for setting up a separate department
under the farm ministry to implement the law.
▪ The draft legislation calls for establishing well-
equipped procurement centres – one for every
five villages – and creation of supply chain
infrastructure, which includes warehouses
and cold storages to help farmers seamlessly
store and sell their produce after harvest.
About Minimum Support Price:
▪ The MSP is the rate at which the government
buys grains from farmers.
▪ Reason behind the idea of MSP is to counter
price volatility of agricultural commodities
due to the factors like variation in their supply,
lack of market integration and information
asymmetry.

▪ Fixation of MSP
9 The MSP is fixed on the recommendations
of the Commission for Agricultural
Costs and Prices (CACP).
About National Commission on Farmers:
Swaminathan Committee
▪ On 18th November, 2004, the Union
Government formed the National Commission
on Farmers (NCF) with MS Swaminathan as its
chairman.
▪ The main aim of the committee was to come
up with a sustainable farming system, make
farm commodities cost-competitive and more
profitable.
▪ It, in 2006, recommended that MSPs must be
at least 50% more than the cost of production.
▪ It talked about the cost of farming at three
levels:
9 A2: All the types of cash expenditure
to generate the crop like seeds,
manure, chemicals, labour costs,
fuel costs and irrigation costs.
9 A2+FL: It includes A2 plus an imputed
value of unpaid family labour.
9 C2: Under C2, the estimated land rent and
the cost of interest on the money taken
for farming are added to A2 and FL.
▪ The NCF submitted four reports in December
2004, August 2005, December 2005 and April
2006 respectively.
▪ The Fifth and final report was submitted on 4
October 2006.
▪ The reports contain suggestions to achieve the
goal of "faster and more inclusive growth" as
envisaged in the Approach to 11th Five Year
Plan and are collectively termed the M.S.
Swaminathan report for Farmers.
Government to Launch National
Helpline to ensure proper
implementation of SC/ST Act:
▪ The government is going to launch a helpline
with an aim to ensure a proper implementation
of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled
Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
▪ In a statement, the Ministry of Social Justice
and Empowerment said the National Helpline
POLITICAL SCIENCE | 49
Against Atrocities (NHAA) will be available
round the clock on toll-free number 14566
across the country.
▪ It can be accessed by making a voice call
or VOIP either from a mobile or a landline
number of any telecom operator.
▪ The service will be available in Hindi, English
and the regional languages of the states and
Union territories. The mobile application of
the NHAA will also be available.
▪ The objective of the helpline is to build
awareness about the provisions of the Act
that are aimed at ending discrimination and
Providing protection to all.
Cabinet nod to raise Girls’
Marriage Age to 21:
▪ The Centre has decided to raise the legal age of
marriage of women from 18 to 21 years and is
likely to move legislative amendments in the
ongoing winter session of Parliament.
▪ The Union Cabinet cleared a proposal to bring
uniformity in the marriageable age of men
and women, adding that a Bill to amend the
Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA),
2006, will be introduced during this Session.
▪ The proposed Bill may also contain
Amendments to various personal laws relating
to marriage of various communities to ensure
a uniform age of marriage.
▪ As of now, the legal age of women to get
married is 18, while that for men is 21.
About:
Child Marriage Restraint Act (CMRA) of 1929
or Sharda Act:
▪ The Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929,
passed on 28 September 1929, in the Imperial
Legislative Council of India, fixed the age of
marriage for girls at 14 years and boys at 18
years.
▪ In 1949, after India's independence, it was
amended to 15 for girls.
▪ In 1978 Sarda act was amended to increase the
age for marriage to 18 for girls and 21 for boys.
Prohibition of Child Marriages Act:
▪ The Prohibition of Child Marriages Act was
introduced in 2006 to address the weaknesses
inherent in the former legislations.
50 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ It came into effect from 1 November 2007,
replacing the Child Marriage Restraint Act
(CMRA) of 1929 or Sharda Act.
▪ The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act
(PCMA) defines child marriage as marriage in
which either the girl or the boy is underage,
i.e., the girl is under 18 years of age or the boy
is younger than 21 years.
Ecologists oppose Changes to
Biological Diversity Act, 2002
▪ Environmentalists have expressed concern
over amendments to the Biological Diversity
Act, 2002 on the grounds that it prioritises
intellectual property and commercial trade at
the expense of the Act’s key aim of conserving
Biological Resources.
▪ The Bill seeks to exempt registered AYUSH
medical practitioners and people accessing
codified traditional knowledge, among
others, from giving prior intimation to State
biodiversity boards for accessing biological
resources for certain purposes.
About the Biological Diversity Act, 2002:
▪ The act was enacted in 2002, it aims at
the conservation of biological resources,
managing its sustainable use and enabling fair
and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of
the use and knowledge of biological resources
with the local communities.
▪ Biodiversity: The biodiversity means the
variability among living organisms from all
sources and the ecological complexes of which
they are part and includes diversity within
species or between species and of Ecosystems.
▪ The act envisaged a three-tier structure to
regulate the access to Biological Resources:
9 The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA)
9 The State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs)
9 The Biodiversity Management Committees
(BMCs) (at local level)
▪ The Act provides these authorities with special
funds and a separate budget in order to carry
out any research project dealing with the
biological natural resources of the Country.
▪ The act stipulates all offences under it as
cognizable and non-bailable.
▪ Any grievances related to the determination
of benefit sharing or order of the National
Biodiversity Authority or a State Biodiversity
Board under this Act, shall be taken to the
National Green Tribunal (NGT).
About National Biodiversity Authority:
▪ The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA)
was established in 2003 by the Central
Government to implement India’s Biological
Diversity Act (2002).
▪ It is a Statutory body that performs facilitative,
regulatory and advisory functions for
the Government of India on the issue of
Conservation and sustainable use of Biological
resources.
▪ The NBA has its Headquarters in Chennai,
Tamil Nadu, India.
100 Years of Public Accounts
Committee:
▪ Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M
Venkaiah Naidu called for a wider debate on
“freebies” given by various governments and
said there should be harmony between welfare
and development objectives.
▪ Addressing a function to mark the centennial
celebrations of Parliament’s Public Accounts
Committee (PAC), he said the PAC may be
redesignated as Public Accounts and Audit
Committee given the fact that audit review is
also its core function.
▪ Founded 1921-100 years ago (pre-
independence); 1950-71 years ago (post-
Independence).
Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021:
▪ The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021,
which seeks to link electoral rolls to Aadhaar,
has been listed for introduction in the Lok
Sabha.
▪ The Bill allows electoral registration officers
to ask for the Aadhaar of applicants for
registration as voters so as to establish their
identity.
▪ It also seeks to allow the officers to ask for the
number from persons already included in the
electoral roll for the purposes of authentication
of entries in electoral roll, and to identify

registration of name of the same person in the
electoral roll of more than one constituency or
more than once in the same constituency.
▪ The amendment Bill makes it clear that “no
application for inclusion of name in the
electoral roll shall be denied and no entries in
the electoral roll shall be deleted for inability of
an individual to furnish or intimate Aadhaar
number due to such sufficient cause as may be
prescribed”.
▪ People who cannot furnish their Aadhaar
Numbers will be allowed to present other
Documents to establish identity.
Lok Sabha passes Bill to Link
Electoral rolls with Aadhaar:
▪ Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, while moving
the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021,
told the House that the linking of the electoral
roll with a person’s Aadhaar was “voluntary.
About Election Laws:
▪ The Election Commission of India (ECI) is
the watchdog of free and fair elections in the
country and Article 324 of the Constitution
provides for its establishment.
▪ In this context, the Parliament has enacted the
Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1950
and Representation of the People Act,1951.
Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1950
9 Lays down procedures for delimitation of
constituencies.
9 Provides for the allocation of seats in the House
of the People and in the Legislative Assemblies
and Legislative Councils of States.
9 Lays procedure for the preparation of Electoral
rolls and the manner of filling seats.
9 Lays down the qualification of voters.
Representation of the People Act (RPA),1951
9 It regulates the actual conduct of elections and
by-elections.
9 It provides administrative machinery
for Conducting elections.
9 It deals with the registration of political parties.
9 It specifies the qualifications and
disqualifications for membership of the
Houses.
9 It provides provisions to curb corrupt practices
POLITICAL SCIENCE | 51
and other offences.
9 It lays down the procedure for settling doubts
and disputes arising out of elections.
AFSPA to continue in Assam:
▪ Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma
said the State will continue to be under Armed
Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, and a
decision on withdrawing it will be taken only
if the present peace prevails for a longer term.
▪ He expressed apprehension that the militant
Groups might not reciprocate the same way if
the AFSPA is withdrawn from Assam.
▪ The Act was imposed in Assam in November
1990 and has been extended every six
months since then after a review by the State
Government.
New Technology Training Centers:
▪ Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for
Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
and Electronics and Information Technology
of India said in Lok Sabha that, 18 new
Technology training Centers will be setup in
India including one in Coimbatore.
▪ Under the Skill India Mission, Ministry of
Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is
implementing its flagship scheme Pradhan
Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) with
an objective to provide skilling to prospective
youth including persons with disability (PwD)
under Short Term Training (STT) courses and
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) across the
country.
About PMKVY:
▪ Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana
(PMKVY) is a skill development initiative
scheme of the Government of India for
recognition and standardisation of skills.
▪ The aim of the PMKVY scheme is to encourage
aptitude towards employable skills and
to increase working efficiency of probable
and existing daily wage earners, by giving
monetary awards and rewards and by
providing quality training to them.
▪ Launched: 16 July 2015.
52 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
Cabinet Approves MSP for Copra (dried
coconut) for 2022 season:
▪ The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
(CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi has given its approval for the Minimum
Support Prices (MSPs) for Copra for 2022
season.
▪ The MSP for fair average quality of milling
copra has been increased to ₹10,590 per
quintal for 2022 season from ₹10,335 in 2021
and the minimum price for ball copra has been
increased to Rs.11,000 per quintal for 2022
season from ₹10,600 in 2021, the CCEA said.
▪ The cabinet said the move is to ensure a return
of 51.85% for milling copra and 57.73% for ball
copra over the all India weighted Average cost
of production.
▪ The increase in MSP for copra for 2022 season is
in line with the principle of fixing the MSP at a
level of at least 1.5 times the all India weighted
average cost of production as announced by
the Government in the Budget 2018-19.
▪ The decision is based on recommendations of
the Commission for Agricultural Costs and
Prices (CACP).
▪ It assures a minimum of 50% as margin of
profit as one of the important and progressive
steps towards making possible doubling of
Farmers' incomes by 2022.
▪ The National Agricultural Cooperative
Marketing Federation of India Limited
(NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumer
Federation of India Limited (NCCF) will
continue to act as Central Nodal Agencies
to undertake price support operations at the
MSP in the coconut Growing States.
About Minimum Support Price (MSP):
▪ The MSP is the rate at which the government
buys grains from farmers.
▪ Reason behind the idea of MSP is to counter
price volatility of agricultural commodities
due to the factors like variation in their supply,
lack of market integration and information
asymmetry.
▪ MSP is announced for
9 The Kharif Crops of Paddy, Jowar, Bajara,
Ragi, Maize, Arhar, Moong, Urad, Cotton,
Groundnut, Sunflower Seed, Soyabean,
Sesamum.
9 The Rabi Crops for which MSP is announced
are Wheat, Barley, Gram, Masur, Rapeseeds &
Mustard, Safflower and Toria.
9 Apart from this, MSP is announced for
Copra, De-husked Coconut, Jute and Fair
Remunerative Prices (FRP) is announced for
Sugarcane.
▪ Normally MSP for Rabi Season was announced
in October.
▪ Last year it was announced on 23rd September
and for the year 2022-23 it was further
advanced and announced on 8th September
2021.
About CACP:
▪ Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices
(CACP) is a decentralized agency of the
Government of India.
▪ It was established on January 8 1965 as the
Agricultural Prices Commission, and was
given its present name in 1985.
▪ It is an advisory body, not statutory, attached
to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers
Welfare, Government of India.
▪ As of now, CACP recommends MSPs of 23
commodities including the FRP for Sugarcane.
Nirbhaya Fund:
▪ Under the Nirbhaya Fund, funds are being
provided to states and union territories across
the country and various schemes for the
protection of women are being implemented.
▪ Under the Nirbhaya Fund for the year 2018-19
Rs. 550 crore and Rs. 555 crore and Rs. 1355.23
crore has also been allocated.
▪ The ‘Safe City Proposal’ is being implemented
in eight cities, including Chennai,
Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad,
Kolkata, Lucknow and Mumbai.
▪ DNA testing, cyber forensics and related
facilities are being set up in 24 states and
Union Territories including Tamil Nadu and
Pondicherry.
▪ 317.75 Crore has been provided to Tamil Nadu
under the Nirbhaya Fund and Rs. 296.62 crore
has been utilized. Puducherry has been given

Rs 15.11 crore and Rs 9.5 crore has been used.
About Nirbhaya Fund:
▪ Government of India has set up a dedicated
fund called Nirbhaya Fund for implementation
of initiatives aimed at enhancing the safety and
security and security of women in the country.
▪ The Rs 1,000 crore Nirbhaya Fund was
announced in Union Budget 2013 by the then
Finance Minister P Chidambaram.
▪ Ministry of women and child development
is the nodal authority for appraisal of the
Schemes received Under Nirbhaya fund.
▪ The Fund is administered by Department of
Economic Affairs of the finance ministry.
▪ Ministry of Finance has set up an empowered
committee to assist Ministry of Women
and Child Development in Approving the
Schemes.
▪ The Concerned Ministries take up the sanction
and implementation of the schemes approved
by the Ministry.
Karnataka Passes Anti-Conversion Bill:
▪ The Karnataka Assembly adopted the
contentious, Anti-Conversion Karnataka
Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion
Bill, 2021 through a voice vote in the ongoing
winter session.
Good Governance Index 2021:
▪ Union Minister of Home Affairs and Minister
of Cooperation, Mr. Amit Shah today released
the Good Governance Index 2021 prepared
by Department of Administrative Reforms
and Public Grievances (DARPG) on Good
Governance Day at Vigyan Bhawan, New
Delhi.
▪ Good Governance Index, GGI 2021 Framework
covered ten sectors and 58 indicators.
▪ The sectors of GGI 2020-21 are
9 Agriculture and Allied Sectors, Commerce &
Industries, Human Resource Development,
Public Health, Public Infrastructure & Utilities,
Economic Governance, Social Welfare &
Development, Judicial & Public Security,
Environment, and Citizen-Centric Governance.
POLITICAL SCIENCE | 53
▪ The GGI 2020-21 Categorizes States and UTs
into four categories, i.e.,
9 Other States – Group A;
9 Other States – Group B;
9 North-East and Hill States;
9 Union Territories.
▪ Gujarat tops the composite ranking in the
58-indicator index followed by Maharashtra
and Goa covering 10 sectors.
▪ Tamil Nadu topped in Judiciary and Public
Safety Sectors.
▪ Delhi tops the Union Territories category
composite ranking.
9 Delhi has performed strongly in Agriculture &
Allied Sectors, Commerce & Industry, Public
Infrastructure and Utilities and Social Welfare
& Development.
Panel to look into AFSPA withdrawal
from Nagaland:
▪ A recent high-level meeting in New Delhi
decided to constitute a committee to study the
possibility of withdrawing the Armed Forces
(Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from the State.
▪ The Act gives immunity to armed forces when
they use force in a notified area.
▪ The committee will be headed by the
Additional Secretary (Northeast) in the Union
Home Ministry and will include Nagaland’s
Chief Secretary and Director General of Police.
▪ The other members will be the Inspector
General of Assam Rifles (North) and a
representative of the Central Reserve Police
Force (CRPF).
▪ The committee would submit its report within
45 days.
▪ The withdrawal of the “disturbed area”
notification and the AFSPA from Nagaland
will be based on the recommendations of the
committee.
National Commission for
Minorities (NCM):
▪ The Union Government set up the National
Commission for Minorities (NCM) under the
National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992.
54 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)

▪ In 1993, the first Statutory National Commission

was set up and five religious communities viz
the Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and
Zoroastrians (Parsis) were notified as minority
communities.
▪ ▪ In 2014, Jains were also notified as a minority
community making the number to six.
Composition:
9 NCM consists of a Chairperson, a Vice-
Chairperson and five members and all of
them shall be from amongst the Minority
Communities.
▪ Tenure: Each Member holds office for a period
of three years from the date of assumption of
office.
▪ Current Chairman: Sardar Iqbal Singh
Lalpura.

Sectors Group A Group B NE & Hill States UTs

Agriculture & Allied Andhra Madhya
Mizoram D & N Haveli
Sector Pradesh Pradesh
Commerce and
Telangana Uttrarpradesh J&K Daman & Diu
Industry
Human Resource Himachal
Punjab Odisha Chandigarh
Development Pradesh
Public Health Kerala West Bengal Mizoram A & N Island
Public Infrastructure Himachal
Goa Bihar A & N Island
and Utilities Pradesh
Economic Governance Gujarat Odisha Tripura Delhi
Social Welfare and
Telangana Chhattisgarh Sikkim D & N Haveli
Development
Judiciary and Public
Tamil Nadu Rajasthan Nagaland Chandigarh
Safety
Environment Kerala Rajasthan Manipur Daman & Diu
Citizen Centric &
Haryana Rajasthan Uttarakhand Delhi
Governance
Madhya Himachal
Composite Gujarat Delhi
Pradesh Pradesh

2.4 GOVT.WELFARE ORIENTED GOVT. SCHEMES THEIR UTILITY
Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital
SAKSHARTA Abhiyaan
(PMGDISHA) Scheme:
▪ A total of 5.36 crore candidates have been
enrolled under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin
Digital Saksharta Abhiyaan (PMGDISHA)
Scheme to improve literacy.
▪ Out of this, 4.54 crore candidates have been
trained and 3.37 crore candidates have been
duly certified.
▪ In Tamil Nadu, over 10.7 lakh people registered,
and of this, over 8.7 lakh were trained and over
5.78 lakh people were certified.
Why there is Lesser Enrolment from Tamil
Nadu under this Scheme?
9 Tamil Nadu has a history where the State
Government has already rolled out similar
schemes over a decade ago to enhance digital
literacy. They even give out free laptops.
9 And the digital literacy index of the State
is already very high and that is why there is
lesser Enrolment under this scheme.
▪ The marginalized sections of the society
including Scheduled Castes (SCs)/Scheduled
Tribes (STs), women, differently abled persons,
etc. have also been enrolled and certified.
▪ So far, three impact assessment studies of the
scheme have been carried out.
9 The first Impact Assessment Study was carried
out by the Council for Social Development
(CSD) in 2017-2018.
9 The second was done by Indian Institute of
Technology Delhi in 2019.
9 The last impact assessment study of the
scheme was carried out by the Indian Institute
of Public Administration (IIPA) in financial
year 2020-21.
▪ The aim of the study was to analyses the
ground level situation of the scheme, with a
larger aspect of continuation of the scheme
beyond the 12th plan period.
▪ The IIPA, after the comprehensive and
methodological evaluation of scheme,
concluded in the report that PMGDISHA
as a Digital Literacy Programme plays an
POLITICAL SCIENCE | 55
indispensable part in not only bridging the
digital gap in the country but also transforming
it into a knowledge economy and society.
▪ The IIPA recommended the continuation this
scheme.
About PMGDISHA:
▪ The Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta
Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) being initiated under
Digital India Programme would cover 6
crore households in rural areas to make them
digitally literate by March 2020.
▪ Eligibility
9 The Scheme is applicable only for rural areas
of the country.
9 Eligible Household: A household is defined as
a unit comprising of Head of family, spouse,
children and parents.
9 All such households where none of the family
member is digitally literate will be considered
as eligible household under the Scheme.
▪ The beneficiary should be Digitally illiterate.
▪ Only one person per eligible household would
be considered for training.
▪ Age Group: 14 - 60 years
▪ Priority would be given to
9 Non-smartphone users, Antyodaya
households, college drop-outs, Participants
of the adult literacy mission.
▪ Digitally illiterate school students from class
9th to 12th, provided facility of Computer/ICT
Training is not available in their schools.
▪ Preference would be given to SC, ST, BPL, women,
differently-abled persons and minorities.
▪ The identification of the beneficiaries
would be carried out by CSC-SPV in active
collaboration with DeGS, Gram Panchayats,
and Block Development Officers. The list of
such beneficiaries would be made available on
the scheme portal.
▪ The implementation of the Scheme would
be carried out under the overall supervision
of Ministry of Electronics and IT in active
collaboration with States/UTs through their
designated State Implementing Agencies,
District e-Governance Society (DeGS), etc.
56 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
Poshan Tracker Data Under Wraps:
▪ The Ministry of Women and Child
Development has spent over ₹1000 crore
on its Poshan or Nutrition Tracker, which
records real time data on malnourished and
‘severe acute malnourished’ children in each
anganwadi.
▪ Of the total, ₹600 crore was spent on
procurement of smartphones, followed by
₹203.96 crore on smartphone recharge and
maintenance, ₹180.68 crore on incentives to
anganwadi workers and helpers for using the
technology and ₹68 crore on training.
▪ In response to a question on the number
of malnourished children, the Minister for
Women and Child Development Smriti Irani
relied on data from the recently released
National Family Health Survey5, which
shows improvement in stunting, wasting and
underweight Children.
▪ The Poshan Tracker gives the Ministry daily
data from 12.3 lakh anganwadi centres, with
9.8 lakh beneficiaries.
About POSHAN:
▪ The Prime Minister's Overarching Scheme for
Holistic Nourishment (POSHAN Abhiyaan),
or the National Nutrition Mission, is the
Government of India's flagship programme
to improve nutritional outcomes for children,
pregnant women and lactating mothers.
▪ Poshan Abhiyaan was launched by Hon'ble
Prime Minister on the occasion of International
Women’s Day 8th March, 2018 in Jhunjhunu
district of Rajasthan.
▪ The focus of Abhiyaan is to lay emphasis on
nutritional status of adolescent girls, pregnant
women, lactating mothers and children from
0-6 years age.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin)
Extended:
▪ The Union Cabinet approved the continuation
of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural)
for another three years to provide financial
assistance for the construction of the remaining
155.75 lakh houses under the scheme.
▪ Union Minister Anurag Thakur told reporters
at a press briefing on decisions taken by the
Union Cabinet that the scheme has been
extended beyond March 2021, and till March
31, 2024.
▪ The total target is to construct 2.95 crore
‘pucca’ houses.
About Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana –
Gramin (PMAY-G):
▪ The PMAY-G scheme was launched in
November 20, 2016.
▪ Ministry Involved: Ministry of Rural
development.
▪ PM Awas Yojana- Gramin was created in
response to the government's pledge to offer
'Housing for All' in rural India by 2022.
▪ The project intends to provide all houseless
households living in kutcha and decaying
dwellings with a pucca house with basic
utilities.
▪ Apart from housing eligible recipients,
PMAY-G also focuses on the basic necessities
of households through collaboration
with other government programmes.
▪ It provides toilets, piped drinking water,
electricity connection, LPG gas connection etc
under different Government programmes.
Atal Vayo Abhyudaya Yojana
(AVYAY):
▪ The Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment plans to provide grant-in-aid
to healthcare agencies under the Atal Vayo
Abhyuday Yojana for providing training to
create a pool of trained caregivers to provide
bedside assistance for needy elderly.
▪ The scheme aims for welfare of Senior Citizens
across the country.
▪ The implementing agency for this will be
National Institute of Social Defence (NISD).
▪ The ministry aims to run eight such projects
and reach out to 9,600 beneficiaries.
‘80% of funds for Beti Bachao were
spent on Media Campaigns’:
▪ The Government spent 80% of the funds
under the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ (BBBP)

scheme on media campaigns and must now
revisit this strategy and invest in measurable
outcomes in health and education for girls, the
Parliamentary Committee on Empowerment
of Women has noted in its report tabled in the
Lok Sabha.
▪ The committee is chaired by Heena Vijaykumar
Gavit and the report is titled “Empowerment
of women through education with special
reference to Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao.”
▪ The scheme was launched by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in January 2015 with the
aim to address sex-selective abortion and the
declining child sex ratio, which was at 918
Girls for every 1000 boys in 2011.
▪ The Programme is being implemented across
405 districts.
▪ The committee noted that the massive spend
on advertisements was despite the clearly laid
down formula for utilization of funds 50 lakh
a year is earmarked a district for utilization
under six different components.
▪ Of this, 16% is for intersectoral consultation
or capacity building, 50% for innovation
or awareness generation activities, 6% for
monitoring and evaluation, 10% for sectoral
interventions in health, 10% for sectoral
interventions in education and 8% as flexi
funds.
▪ Advocacy and media campaigns include
television publicity, outdoor and print media,
SMS campaigns, radio spots and community
engagement through exhibition vans.
Saryu Nahar National Project:
▪ The Saryu Nahar National Project will provide
assured water for irrigation of over 14 lakh
hectares of land and benefit about 29 lakh
farmers of the region.
▪ It involves the interlinking of five rivers -
Ghaghara, Saryu, Rapti, Banganga, and
Rohini.
▪ The work of the Saryu Nahar irrigation project
was in 1978 but due to lack of continuity
of budgetary support, interdepartmental
coordination, and adequate monitoring, it got
delayed and was not completed even after
nearly four decades.
POLITICAL SCIENCE | 57
▪ In 2016, the project was brought under
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana
with the target to complete it in a time-bound
manner.
▪ It is said that the project will benefit nine
districts of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, namely
Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur, Gonda,
Siddharthnagar, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar,
Gorakhpur, and Maharajganj.
About:
▪ Sarayu River:
▪ The Saryu is a river that originates at a ridge
south of Nanda Kot Mountain in Bageshwar
district in Uttarakhand, India.
▪ It flows through Kapkot, Bageshwar, and
Seraghat towns before discharging into the
Sharda River at Pancheshwar at the India—
Nepal border. Sharda river (also known as
Kali River) then flows into Ghaghara River in
Sitapur District, Uttar Pradesh, India.
▪ Lower Ghaghara is also popularly known as
Sarayu in India.
▪ Rapti River:
▪ West Rapti drains Rapti Zone in Mid-Western
Region, Nepal, then Awadh and Purvanchal
regions of Uttar Pradesh state, India before
joining the Ghaghara—a major left bank
tributary of the Ganges known as the Karnali
inside Nepal.
▪ Banganga River:
▪ Banganga River, a 240 km long tributary of
Gambhir river in India, originates from the hills
of Aransar and Bairath (Virat Nagar) in Jaipur
region of Rajasthan state and confluences with
Yamuna near Fatehabad in Agra district of
Uttar Pradesh state.
▪ Its main tributaries are Gumti Nalla
and Suri River on right bank, and
Sanwan and Palasan Rivers on left bank.
▪ Rohini River:
▪ The Rohini River rises in the Chure or Siwalik
Hills in Kapilvastu and Rupandehi Districts
of Nepal's Lumbini Zone and flows south into
Uttar Pradesh state, India.
58 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ At Gorakhpur it becomes a left bank tributary
of West Rapti River, which in turn joins the
Ghaghara above Gaura Barhaj, then Ghaghara
in turn joins the Ganges.
Nod to extend Irrigation Scheme for
Five Years:
▪ The government has extended the Pradhan
Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY),
launched in 2015 to improve farm productivity
by four years till 2025-26 to complete ongoing
projects. The program entails additional
spending of ₹93,068 crore.
▪ The government also approved the
Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme
(AIBP), Har Khet ko Pani (HKKP), and
Watershed Development Components of the
PMKSY for four years to 2025-26.
Accelerated Irrigation Benefit
Programme (AIBP)
9 Under the AIBP, which offers financial support
to irrigation projects, the government aims to
extend irrigation to 1.39 million hectares by
2025-26.
9 Apart from completing 60 ongoing projects,
including the 3- million-hectare command area
development, additional projects can also be
taken up as part of the programme.
9 In addition, the inclusion criteria have been
eased for projects under tribal and drought-
prone areas.
Har Khet ko Pani
9 Under the HKKP, which aims to expand the
cultivable area under assured irrigation, the
government plans to bring 450,000 hectares
under irrigation through minor projects and
rejuvenation of water bodies.
▪ Through the Watershed Development
Component, the government envisages the
completion of sanctioned projects covering
4.95 million hectares of degraded land and
bringing an additional 250,000 hectares under
protective irrigation through 2025-26.
Rs 1,894.85 crore incurred as IEC
expenditure under Swachh Bharat
Mission:
▪ A sum of Rs 1,894.85 crore was incurred as
Information, Education and Communications
expenditure under Swachh Bharat Mission
(Grameen) from 2014-15 to 2021-22.
▪ Information, Education and Communication
(IEC) is a strategy to spread awareness through
communication channels to target Audience to
achieve desired positive result.
▪ The Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen)
(SBM-G) was launched by the government
on October 2, 2014 with the main aim to make
the country open defecation free (ODF) by
October 2, 2019, by providing access to Toilets
to all rural households.
▪ Responding to a question in Rajya Sabha,
Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Prahlad
Singh Patel said no specific funds have been
earmarked under the mission for advertising
the scheme.
About SWACHH BHARAT MISSION-URBAN
2.0:
▪ SBM-U 2.0 envisions to make all cities
‘Garbage Free’ and ensure grey and black
water management in all cities other than those
covered under AMRUT, make all urban local
bodies as ODF+ and those with a population of
less than 1 lakh as ODF++, thereby achieving
the vision of safe sanitation in Urban areas.
▪ The Mission will focus on source segregation
of solid waste, utilizing the principles of 3Rs
(reduce, reuse, recycle), scientific processing
of all types of municipal solid waste and
remediation of legacy dumpsites for effective
Solid Waste Management.
Two more districts to Distribute Fortified
rice through PDS:
▪ Two more districts — Virudhunagar and
Ramanathapuram — are to have the supply
of fortified rice through the public distribution
system (PDS) as part of the Centrally
Sponsored Scheme.

▪ At present, the scheme of distribution of
fortified rice with three nutrients (iron, folate
and vitamin B12) is under implementation in
Tiruchi on a pilot basis.
▪ This has been on since October 2020.
▪ The scheme is intended to address anaemia
and micronutrient deficiency.
▪ The Department of Food and Public
Distribution, Ministry of Women and Child
Development and the Department of School
Education and Literacy are involved in the
countrywide implementation of the scheme
while the local implementation is taken care of
by the State Governments.
▪ Implementation method.
9 The distribution of fortified rice is covered
under the Integrated Child Development
Scheme (ICDS) and Pradhan Mantri Poshan
Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) Scheme.
9 On an average, 6500 tonnes of fortified rice
is distributed in Tiruchi, with beneficiaries
getting about 85% of the allocated rice.
9 Approximately 89,720 tonnes of fortified rice
have been supplied in Tiruchi since the launch
of the scheme, as per an estimate based on
the information provided on the Annavirtan
portal of the Department of Food and Public
Distribution in the Union Government.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban)
▪ The Central Government approved the
construction of 1.07 lakh houses in five
states – Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Puducherry and Uttarakhand
– under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana
(Urban), according to a statement by the Union
ministry of housing.
▪ The ministry said the total number of
sanctioned houses under the mission is now
1.14 crore, of which around 91 lakhs have been
grounded for construction and more than 53
lakhs have been completed and delivered to
the beneficiaries.
About Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana –
Urban:
▪ Launched: 25th June 2015, intends to provide
housing for all in urban areas by year 2022.
POLITICAL SCIENCE | 59
▪ Implemented by: Ministry of Housing and
Urban Affairs.
▪ The Mission addresses Urban housing
shortage among the Urban Poor including the
Slum Dwellers by ensuring a pucca House to
eligible urban poor.
▪ All houses under PMAY(U) have basic
Amenities like toilet, water supply, Electricity
and kitchen.
▪ The Mission promotes women empowerment
by providing the ownership of houses in the
name of Female members or in joint name.
▪ Preference is also given to differently abled
persons, senior citizens, SCs, STs, OBCs,
Minority, single women, transgender and
other weaker & vulnerable sections of the
society.
PM-YUVA Mentorship Scheme:
▪ National Book Trust, India announced the
results of the All-India contest organised on
the theme 'National Movement of India' under
the PM-YUVA Mentorship scheme.
▪ As per the scheme, 75 authors were selected
through this contest for a scholarship-cum
mentorship programme for the young authors
below the age of 30 years.
▪ Out of the 75 selected authors, 38 are males
and 37 are females.
▪ Further, two are below 15 years, whereas there
are 16 authors in the age-group of 15-20 years,
32 fall in the age group of 21-25 years and 25
authors are in the age group of 26-30 Years.
▪ The selected authors will undergo 6-months of
mentorship in which they would be provided
research & editorial support under the
guidance of eminent authors and the editorial
team of National Book Trust.
▪ Under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav programmes,
the All-India contest was organized from June
1 to July 31 through MyGov and National
Book Trust platforms.
▪ The scheme is in line with Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s vision to encourage young
writers to write about India's freedom struggle.
A consolidated scholarship of Rs. 50,000 per
month for a period of six months per author
will be paid under the mentorship scheme.
60 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ A book or a series of books written by these
young authors will be published by NBT and
a royalty of 10% will be paid to the authors.
▪ Their published books will also be translated
into other Indian languages to ensure the
exchange of culture and literature between
different states, thereby promoting Ek Bharat
Shreshtha Bharat.
About National Book Trust:
▪ NBT, India is an apex body established by the
Government of India (Department of Higher
Education, Ministry) in the year 1957.
▪ The objectives of the NBT are
9 To produce and encourage the production of
Good literature in English, Hindi and other
Indian languages.
9 To make such literature available at moderate
prices to the public.
9 To bring out book catalogues, arrange book
fairs/exhibitions and seminars and take all
necessary steps to make the people book
minded.
▪ NBT is Mandated to Publish
9 The classical literature of India.
9 Outstanding works of Indian authors in Indian
languages and their translation from one
Indian language to another.
9 Translation of outstanding books from Foreign
languages.
9 Outstanding books of modern knowledge for
popular diffusion.
‘Every Third Informal Worker is now
registered on E-Shram’:
▪ Every third informal sector worker in India
is now registered on the e-Shram portal
with registration on the portal crossing the
14-crore mark in four months, Union Minister
Bhupender Yadav said.
▪ The national database being created on
e-Shram portal will eventually help the
Government to provide various social security
and other welfare benefits to unorganised
workers.
▪ The latest data of the portal shows that the top
five States in terms of number of registrations
on e-Shram are U.P., West Bengal, Bihar,
Odisha and Jharkhand.
▪ Gender analysis of the data shows that 52.56%
are female while 47.44% are male.
▪ The data show that 42.64% of the registered
workers are other backward classes (OBC)
followed by 26.45% from general category,
22.54% from the scheduled caste and 8.38%
from the Scheduled Tribe.
▪ It also shows that over 94% registered
workers’Income is ₹10,000 per month or
below while over 4% have income in the rage
of ₹10,000 to ₹15,000 per Month.
▪ ▪ About 51% workers are farm laborer’s, 11% in
construction, 10% in domestic and household
work and 6.5% in the apparel segment.
About e-Shram Portal:
▪ The Ministry of Labour and Employment
launched the e-Shram portal on August
26,2021.
Aim:
9 To register 38 crore unorganized workers such
as construction laborer’s, migrant workforce,
street vendors, and domestic workers, among
others.
▪ The workers will be issued an e-Shram card
containing a 12-digit unique number.
▪ If a worker is registered on the e-SHRAM
portal and meets with an accident, he will be
eligible for Rs 2.0 Lakh on death or permanent
disability and Rs 1.0 lakh on partial disability.
Implementation:
9 Government in States/UTs will conduct
registration of unorganized workers across the
country.
▪ The Ministry of Labour and Employment
has categorized the unorganized labour force
under four groups as below.
▪ Occupation:
9 Small and marginal farmers, landless
agricultural laborer’s, sharecroppers,
fishermen, those engaged in animal
Husbandry, Beedi making, etc.
▪ Nature of Employment:
9 Attached agricultural laborer’s, bonded
laborer’s, migrant workers, contract and casual
laborer’s come under this category.
 POLITICAL SCIENCE | 61

▪ Specially Distressed Category: 9 It is being implemented by the Ministry of

9 Toddy tappers, scavengers, carriers of head Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
loads, drivers of animal driven Vehicles, ▪ Identification of Beneficiaries:
Loaders and Unloaders. 9 The entire responsibility of identification of
▪ Service Category: beneficiary farmer families’ rests with the State
9 Midwives, Domestic workers, Fishermen and / UT Governments.
women, Barbers, Vegetable and fruit vendors, ▪ Objective:
Newspaper vendors etc. 9 To supplement the financial needs of the
Small and Marginal Farmers in procuring
10th installment of PM-KISAN
various inputs to ensure proper crop health
Financial Benefit on January 1: and appropriate yields, commensurate with
▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the anticipated farm income at the end of each
the 10th installment of financial benefit under crop cycle.
the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi
9 To protect them from falling in the clutches
(PM-KISAN) scheme on January 1, 2022.
of Money lenders for meeting such expenses
▪ The Prime Minister will transfer an amount and ensure their continuance in the farming
of over ₹20,000 crore to more than 10 crore activities.
beneficiary farmer families.
PM-KISAN Mobile App:
▪ The Ninth installment of PM-KISAN scheme ▪ The PM-KISAN Mobile App developed
was released by the Prime Minister in August and designed by the National Informatics
2021 when he virtually transferred ₹19,500 Centre in collaboration with the Ministry of
crore to over 9.75 crore farmers. Electronics and Information Technology has
▪ PM-KISAN is for families involved in farming. been launched.
According to the rules of the scheme, the ▪ The farmers can view the status of their
yearly amount is deposited directly into the application, update or carry out corrections of
Bank account of one family member. If both their Aadhaar cards and also check the history
husband and wife are found availing the of credits to their bank accounts.
benefit of the scheme, the government will
take back the amount.
▪ Those who are using their farmlands for
some work other than farming are ineligible
for benefit under the scheme. Also, people
working on the farm of another person and are
not owners of the land are ineligible.
▪ Further, the scheme cannot be availed even if
the land is registered under the name of the
person’s father or Grandfather.
About PM KISAN Scheme:
▪ Under the scheme, the Centre transfers an
amount of Rs 6,000 per year, in three equal
instalments, directly into the bank accounts of
all landholding farmers irrespective of the size
of their land holdings.
▪ It was launched in February 2019.
▪ Funding and Implementation:
9 It is a Central Sector Scheme with 100% funding
from the Government of India.
 3. GEOGRAPHY
3.1 GEOGRAPHICAL LANDMARKS
Indonesia Volcano Eruption:
▪ Mount Semeru, the biggest mountain on the
island of Java erupted.
SC approves Widening of three Char
Dham Highways:
▪ The Supreme Court upheld the Government’s
mandate to broaden three Himalayan
highways, considered crucial by the Ministry
of Defence (MoD) for quick troop buildup
along the India-China border.
▪ The three National Highways — Rishikesh to
Mana, Rishikesh to Gangotri and Tanakpur
to Pithoragarh — act as feeder roads to the
northern border with China.
▪ They are part of the Char Dham Highway
project.
▪ The highways will now be developed in
accordance with the double lane with paved
shoulder (DLPS) system.
About Char Dham Project:
▪ Char Dham Pari yojana aims to “improve
the connectivity to the Chardham pilgrimage
centres (Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri,
Yamunotri) in the Himalayas, making
journeys to these centres safer, faster and more
convenient.
▪ It will widen almost 900 km of highways
connecting the pilgrimage sites and the
Tanakpur-Pithoragarh stretch of National
Highway (NH) 125, a part of the Kailash
Mansarovar Yatra route.
National Hydro Projects:
▪ Central funding of 90% of water component for
two national projects, namely Renukaji Dam
Project (Himachal Pradesh) and Lakhwar
Multipurpose Project (Uttarakhand), has
been provisioned.
▪ The two projects would allow storage in
the Yamuna basin, benefitting six states
in the upper Yamuna basin, augmenting
water supply to Delhi, Himachal Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and
Rajasthan.
▪ It is a major step towards the rejuvenation of
Yamuna.
Association seeks GI tag for Andhra
Pradesh’s Paper Sweet:
▪ The Sir Arthur Cotton Atreyapuram
Pootharekula Manufacturers Welfare
Association, which operates from East
Godavari in Andhra Pradesh, has filed an
application seeking Geographical Indication
(GI) tag for the famous Atreyapuram
Pootharekulu, also known as Paper Sweet.
About Geographical Indications (GI):
▪ A GI is a sign used on products that have a
specific geographical origin and possess
qualities or a reputation that are due to that
origin. In order to function as a GI, a sign must
identify a product as originating in a given
place.
▪ In addition, the qualities, characteristics or
reputation of the product should be essentially
due to the place of origin.
▪ GI tags are issued as per the Geographical
Indications of Goods (Registration and
Protection) Act, 1999. This tag is issued by
the Geographical Indication Registry under
the Department of Industry Promotion and
Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and
Industry.

GI tags sought for Palm Leaf Drawings,
Cheese Product, Toys
▪ Toys:
9 From Mango Trees Sawantwadi in
Maharashtra is famous for its art and culture,
especially for toys made from mango trees in
the village of Kolgaon.
9 The most sought-after products here are the
fruit and vegetable toys that resemble the
Original.
9 Craftsmen who make these toys belong to the
Chittari and Sutar communities.
9 The application in respect of the Sawantwadi
wooden craft was filed by Sutar Samaj Hastkala
Producer Company Limited.
▪ Cheese Product:
9 Dogra cuisine The Shyam Kaladi Cooperative
Limited, Jammu and Kashmir, filed an
application for the Udhampur Kaladi (a
Traditional ripened cheese product).
9 It is an authentic Dogra cuisine that originated
from Ramnagar in Udhampur district.
9 Kaladi is prepared daily at almost every sweet
shop in the Jammu region.
9 Over the years, it has evolved into a cottage
Industry in this Region.
9 It is Generally made from buffalo’s or cow’s
milk, but goat and sheep milk are also used.
9 This product lasts 12-30 days in winter and 12-
15 days in summer.
▪ Palm Leaf Drawings:
9 The application for the Talapatra Pothi Chitra
of Puri (palm leaf engraving) was filed by the
Kalakruti Vikash Kendra, Odisha.
9 These paintings are made by fineline drawings
etched with a steel stylus on rectangular
strips of palm leaves that are delicately strung
together.
9 Known as Talapatrachitras, these paintings
hold a world of tales and secrets, beautifully
Depicted by the artists of Odisha.
9 The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are the
favourite subjects of illustration in many art
forms, as they are with the palm leaf Paintings.
GEOGRAPHY | 63
Kashmiri Apples face Iranian Kiwi
Pests:
▪ The Import of Iranian kiwis from Afghanistan
to India has posed a major concern for apple
dealers in Kashmir following a contagious
Quarantine pest threat found earlier this
month in New Delhi.
▪ Alarm bells were set off in Kashmir, which
produces 71% of the country’s apples, after
the National Plant Protection Organisation
(NPPO), a body under the Union Ministry
of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, wrote
to Iran on December 7 about the incidence of
two quarantine pests, Aspidiotus nerd and
Aonidella aurantii, in many shipments of
kiwis from Iran.
▪ The Indian Government has already conveyed
to Iran that “the phytosanitary certificates
issued by the NPPO, Iran, for fresh kiwi fruits
shall not be entertained from our end from
December 8, 2021”.
▪ Iran is also exporting apples to India from
orchards which have been affected by these
pests, along with others such as codling moth.
▪ Codling Moth is dependent on fruits, rather
than leaves, as a food source, and are among
the major pest threats for fruits, especially
apples and pears.
GI tag sought for Apatani Textile
Product:
▪ An application seeking Geographical
Indication (GI) tag for the Arunachal Pradesh
Apatani textile product has been filed by a
firm, Zeet Zeero Producer Company Ltd.
▪ The Apatani weave comes from the Apatani
tribe living at Ziro, the headquarters of Lower
Subansiri district.
▪ The woven fabric of this tribe is known for
its geometric and zigzag patterns and for its
Angular designs.
▪ The Apatani community weaves its own
textiles for various occasions, including Rituals
and cultural festivals.
▪ The tribe predominantly weaves shawls
known as jig-jiro, and jilan or jackets called
supuntarii.
64 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)

▪ The people use leaves and plant resources

for organic dyeing of the cotton yarns in their
Traditional ways. And only women folk are
Engaged in weaving.

Renukaji Dam Project:

▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the
foundation of the Rs 6,700-crore Renukaji
Dam project from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi
Town.
▪ The project on the Giri river in Sirmaur district,
once completed, is expected to generate 200
million units of energy in a Surface power
house with 40 MW installed Capacity which
would be utilized by the state.
▪ The Himachal Pradesh government claims that
the storage capacity of the dam would be 498
million cubic meters which would fulfill about
40 per cent of the drinking water Requirement
of Delhi.
▪ The construction of the dam takes shape
following cooperation on behalf of six states —
Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana,
Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Delhi.

3.2 ENVIRONMENT ECOLOGY
Tamil Nadu to declare Pallikaranai
marshland a ‘Ramsar site’:
▪ The Union government told Parliament that
it had received a proposal from Tamil Nadu
to declare Pallikaranai marshland in Chennai
a ‘Ramsar site’- a Wetland of International
significance.
▪ Tamil Nadu had recently launched a Wetland
Mission to identify and map 100 wetlands in
five years and restore ecological balance with
a focus on livelihood options.
▪ The Tamil Nadu Wetland Authority had sent
the Pallikaranai proposal to the Centre on
November 20.
About Ramsar Convention on Wetlands:
▪ The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an
international treaty for “the Conservation and
Sustainable use of wetlands”. It is also known
as the Convention on Wetlands.
▪ It is named after the city of Ramsar in Iran
where it was signed on 2nd of February 1971.
▪ The 2nd of February each year is World
Wetlands Day.
▪ The number of parties to the convention (COP)
is 171 (as of May 2021).
▪ At the centre of the Ramsar philosophy is the
“wise use” of wetlands.
▪ Wise use: Maintenance of ecological character
within the context of sustainable development.
Ramsar Site:
▪ When a country accedes to the Convention,
it must designate at least one wetland as a
Wetland of International Importance.
▪ The inclusion of a “Ramsar Site” in the List
embodies the government’s commitment
to take the steps necessary to ensure that its
ecological character is maintained.
▪ There are over 2,400 Ramsar Sites Covering 2.5
million sq km on the territories of 171 Ramsar
Contracting Parties across the world.
▪ The world’s first site was the Cobourg
Peninsula in Australia, designated in 1974.
▪ The countries with the most Ramsar Sites are
the United Kingdom with 175 and Mexico
with 142.
GEOGRAPHY | 65
▪ Bolivia has the largest area under Ramsar
protection.
Ramsar Sites in India:
▪ India is a party to the Ramsar Convention.
India signed under it on 1st February 1982.
▪ There are 46 Ramsar Sites in India.
▪ Four new sites have been added to the list of
Ramsar Sites in India in August 2021. These
are:
9 Sultanpur National Park – Gurugram, Haryana
9 Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary – Jhajjar,
Haryana
9 Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary – Near
Ahmedabad, Gujarat
9 Wadhvana Wetland – Vadodara, Gujarat.
▪ Sundarbans is the largest Ramsar Site of India.
▪ Chilika Lake (Orissa) and Keoladeo National
Park (Rajasthan) were recognized as the first
Ramsar Sites of India.
▪ Uttar Pradesh has the most number of Ramsar
Sites in India. It has 8 Indian Wetlands.
▪ Renuka Wetland (Area – 20 ha) in Himachal
Pradesh is the smallest wetland of India.
Ramsar Site in Tamil Nadu:
▪ Point Calimere Wildlife & Bird Sanctuary is
the only site in Tamil Nadu to be declared as a
Ramsar Site on 19th August 2002.
▪ It is located along the Palk Strait covering
Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur and Thanjavur.
Species:
Chocolate Bordered Flitter:
▪ Sonam Wangchuk Lepcha, from Dzongu
in North Sikkim has been in the habit of
photographing butterflies and sending
their pictures to entomologists based at the
National Centre for Biological Sciences
(NCBS), Bengaluru, to identify and upload
them on to the ‘Butterflies of India’ website
they maintain.
▪ In 2020, he contributed the picture of a Golden
yellow butterfly with brown borders and
spots.
66 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ All the observations submitted to this website
are reviewed by an expert panel and they
realised that this was a species previously
unknown in India and was a new species.
▪ The new species of butterfly, now named the
Chocolate bordered Flitter, also carries the
scientific name Zographetus dzonguensis,
after Dzongu in North Sikkim, the place
where it was discovered.
▪ Dzongu called Blykovoo, which means “the
land of butterflies”.
Project RE-HAB (Reducing
Elephant-Human Attacks using Bees):
▪ Buoyed by the success of its innovative Project
RE-HAB (Reducing Elephant-Human Attacks
using Bees) in Karnataka, Khadi and Village
Industries Commission (KVIC) has now
replicated the project in Assam.
▪ Chairman of KVIC, Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena
launched Project RE-HAB at Village Mornoi
in Goalpara district of Assam which severely
Grapples with elephant-human conflicts.
▪ The project has been implemented in Assam
with the support of the local forest department.
Surrounded by dense forests, a large part
of Assam is infested by elephants with 332
human deaths reported between 2014 and
2019 due to elephant attacks.
▪ Under Project RE-HAB,
9 “Bee-fences” are created by setting up bee
boxes in the passage ways of elephants to block
their entrance to human territories.
9 The boxes are connected with a string so that
when elephants attempt to pass through, a tug
or pull causes the bees to swarm the elephant
herds and dissuade them from progressing
further.
9 It is a cost-effective way of reducing human-
wild conflicts without causing any harm to the
animals.
9 It is scientifically recorded that elephants are
annoyed by the honey bees. Elephants also
fear that the bee swarms can bite their sensitive
inner side of the trunk and eyes. The collective
buzz of the bees is annoying to elephants that
force them to return.
Kazhuveli notified as 16th Bird
Sanctuary in T.N:
▪ The Ecologically important Kazhuveli
wetlands in Villupuram district is the 16th
bird sanctuary in Tamil Nadu.
▪ In a government order, Environment and
Forests Secretary Supriya Sahu has declared
the creation of Kazhuveli bird sanctuary.
▪ An area of 5,151.60 hectares in Vanur and
Marakkanam taluks have been combined to
create the sanctuary.
▪ The area has adequate ecological, faunal,
floral and geomorphological significance for
the purpose of protecting, propagating and
developing wildlife and its environment.
Afforestation Funds Released to States:
▪ The Compensatory Afforestation Fund
Management and Planning Authority
(CAMPA) has so far disbursed ₹48,606 crore
to 32 States, according to a response by the
Environment Ministry.
▪ CAMPA funds are part of long pending dues of
the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF),
a ₹54,000crore tranche collected for nearly a
decade as environmental compensation from
industry, which has razed forest land for its
business plans.
▪ States have their own established monitoring
mechanism to check if the funds are being
used for their intended purpose.
▪ The Centre also has its own monitoring scheme
and approves funds for use by States.
▪ Chhattisgarh and Odisha have had the
maximum amount transferred to them, or close
to ₹5700 crore each followed by Jharkhand
and Maharashtra at around ₹3000 crore.
▪ The CAF Act 2016, which came into being
more than a decade since it was devised,
established an independent authority —
the Compensatory Afforestation Fund
Management and Planning Authority — to
execute the fund.

Two Plant Species became Extinct in the
Wild:
▪ Two species of plants first collected by botanists
more than 125 years ago from Meghalaya and
the Andaman Islands are now extinct in the
wild, according to a new paper published in
the Journal of Threatened Taxa.
▪ Classified under the genus Boesenbergia, the
species belong to the family of Zingiberaceae,
the ginger family of flowering plants.
▪ Boesenbergia rubrolutea was first collected
from the Khasi Hills, Thera, in Meghalaya on
October 10, 1886.
▪ Specimens of Boesenbergia alboluteawere
collected from the Andamans and sent to the
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England, in 1889.
▪ Possible reasons for their disappearance
include climate change, human interference
and overexploitation or natural calamities.
▪ Ten species of this genus, including the two
cited above, have been reported in India.
Control of Wildlife Crime:
▪ Between 2018 and 2020, about 2054 cases were
registered for killing or illegal trafficking of
wild animals in India.
▪ Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) has
been created for control of wildlife crime at
the Central Government level, to work in close
coordination with State Forest department
and other law enforcement agencies.
▪ The WCCB had launched,
▪ “Operation Save Kurma” from to December
2016 to January 2017 to focus on the poaching,
transportation and illegal trade of live turtles
and tortoises.
▪ “Operation Turtshield I” from December
2019 to January 2020 and
▪ “Operation Turtshield II” from December
2020 to February 2021 was taken up to tackle
the illegal trade of live turtles.
▪ “Operation Soft Gold” was undertaken from
October 2018 to March 2019 to tackle illegal
trade in Shahtoosh shawls (made from Chiru
wool). During the operation, 350 shawls were
found.
GEOGRAPHY | 67
About Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB):
▪ It is a statutory multi-disciplinary body,
established by the Government of India under
the Ministry of Environment and Forests,
to combat organized wildlife crime in the
country.
▪ WWCB established under Wildlife (Protection)
Amendment Act 2006.
▪ The Bureau has its headquarters in New Delhi.
▪ It also assists and advises the customs
authorities in inspection of the consignments
of flora & fauna as per the provisions of the
Wild Life Protection Act, Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species
of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and Export
Import (EXIM) Policy governing such an item.
Buxa Tiger Reserve:
▪ A Royal Bengal Tiger has been spotted in Buxa
tiger reserve in West Bengal, after at least 23
years, as per the West Bengal Government.
▪ A picture of a tiger was captured on a trap
camera in the forest of East Damanpur of Buxa
tiger reserve.
▪ It was in 1998 that images of a Royal Bengal
Tiger were captured at the reserve earlier.
▪ The reserve had lost its identity as a tiger
reserve from the National Wild Life Board.
About Buxa Tiger Reserve:
▪ Buxa Tiger Reserve is situated in the
Alipurduar Sub-division of Jalpaiguri District,
West Bengal.
▪ It was created in 1983 as the 15th tiger reserve
of India.
▪ It was declared as a National Park in January
1992.
▪ The northern boundary of Buxa Tiger Reserve
runs along the international border with
Bhutan.
▪ The main rivers flowing across the Tiger
Reserve are Sankosh, Raidak, Jayanti, Churnia,
Turturi, Phashkhawa, Dima and Nonani.
68 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
Boundaries of Vedanthangal Bird
Sanctuary not to be reduced:
▪ Tamil Nadu Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW)
has decided to withdraw “forever” the
proposal to rationalize the boundary of
Vedanthangal bird sanctuary.
About:
▪ Vedanthangal was declared a bird sanctuary
in 1936.
▪ It is known as the oldest bird sanctuary in
India.
▪ Vedanthangal was notified as a reserved
Forest in 1963 under Madras Act LBB2.
▪ The sanctuary was finally notified under
section 26 (l) of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
in the year 1998.
After 50 years, Gharials Alive and
kicking in Beas Reserve:
▪ After successfully reintroducing the critically
endangered gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) in
the rivers of Punjab where it went extinct half
a century ago, the State’s wildlife preservation
wing is now keeping its fingers crossed,
expecting the breeding of the crocodilians
to start in the next few years as the released
gharials are healthy and have adapted to the
Beas Conservation Reserve as their home.
▪ The gharial reintroduction in the Beas
Conservation Reserve is an ambitious
Programme of the Punjab government.
▪ The reptiles were commonly sighted in the
Beas River till the 1960s but later became
extinct.
▪ The gharial can be found in north Indian rivers
such as the Ganga, Yamuna and Chambal and
their Tributaries.
About Beas Conservation Reserve:
▪ Beas Conservation Reserve hosts more than
500 species of birds and over 90 species of Fish.
▪ It is the only location to host the endangered
Indus River dolphin (Platanista gangetica
minor), once thought to be lost from the country a new rose variety and named it “The M.S.
A 2017 programme reintroduced 47 long-
snouted gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) to the
Beas, 30 years after they had disappeared.
▪ The presence of the Indus River dolphin
and the gharial, led the area to be declared a
Conservation Reserve.
▪ Beas is be the first river in the country to be
included in the Ramsar Sites list.
New Species of dwarf Catfish found in
Nagaland:
▪ The team of researchers, which included
J. Praveenraj, Balaji Vijaykrishnan, Lima
Akum and Gurumayum Devi, discovered a
new species of dwarf catfish, Pseudolaguvia
Vespa, in the Tsücha River at Khar Village in
Nagaland’s Mokokchung district.
▪ The discovery was published in the latest
issue of Zootaxa, a peer-reviewed taxonomy
Journal.
▪ Tsucha is a tributary of the Milak River, a
South Bank tributary of the Brahmaputra.
‘Chillai kalan’ puts Kashmir in a Deep
Freeze:
▪ Kashmir is in a deep freeze as the 40-day
harshest spell of winter, locally called ‘chillai
kalan’, with the minimum temperature
Already subzero in the entire Valley.
▪ The cold wave triggered by the subzero
temperature has slowed down the pace of life
in the Valley.
▪ Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK), has
warned of increase in cases of heart attack or
stroke due to the chilly weather.
About:
▪ Chillai-Kalan (Major Cold), a traditional 40-
day long period of extreme cold in Kashmir,
began on December 21 and will continue till
January 31 followed by Chillai-Khurd and
Chillai-Bachha.
New variety of rose named after M.S.
Swaminathan:
▪ M.S. Viraraghavan, a leading horticulturist
in the country based in Kodaikanal, has bred
Swaminanthan Rose”.

▪ This rose, wearing a magenta purple, is Highly
disease resistant, according to a release from
the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation,
Chennai.
▪ This variety of rose plant, grows up to a
height of 4 to 5 feet with a dark green granular
surface, large leaves with regular thorns.
▪ Professor Swaminathan pioneered new
approaches to the breeding of food crops,
which increased production and made India
self-sufficient in food production.
Jewel of Monkompu:
▪ Another new variety of rose has been named
“Jewel of Monkompu”, which was bred by
KSG Son, a nursery based in Bengaluru, and it
is a sparkling pinkish floribunda rose.
▪ These two varieties were handed over by
Narendra Dadlani, floriculture scientist and
former director, horticulture, Government
of India, New Delhi, to Mr. Swaminathan in
Chennai.
▪ Mr. Dadlani also presented a copy of his book
Indian Rose to the Agriculture Scientist.
Haiderpur Wetland a new Ramsar Site:
▪ Haiderpur Wetland of Western Uttar Pradesh
has been recognized as 47th Ramsar site in the
country and 10th in Uttar Pradesh and 2463rd
in the world, which has been confirmed by the
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate
Change.
▪ The Haiderpur Wetland is spread over an
area of 6908 hectares on the Muzaffarnagar-
Bijnor border between the Ganges and the
Solani River. It is a part of Hastinapur Wildlife
Sanctuary.
▪ Haiderpur Wetland is a man-made lake,
which was formed in 1984. The biodiversity
here attracts birds. Exotic birds reach here by
crossing the hills of Mongolia.
About:
▪ According to the Ramsar Convention, a
wetland is a place that is full of water for at
Least eight months in a year and is home to
more than 200 species of birds.
▪ A conference was held on 2 February 1971 in
Ramsar, Iran. The countries involved in this
signed an Agreement related to the protection
GEOGRAPHY | 69
of wetlands and it came into effect from
December 21, 1975.
India saw a record 126 tiger deaths in
2021: NTCA Data
▪ According to the National Tiger Conservation
Authority, India's tiger conservation body,
this is the highest toll since it began compiling
data a decade ago
National Tiger Conservation
Authority:
▪ National Tiger Conservation Authority
(NTCA) is a statutory body under the Ministry
of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
▪ It was established in 2005 following the
recommendations of the Tiger Task Force.
▪ It was constituted under enabling provisions of
the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended
in 2006, for strengthening Tiger Conservation,
as per powers and functions assigned to it.
Tagging of Olive Ridley Turtles:
▪ Scientists have resumed tagging of Olive
Ridley turtles at Rushikulya rookery along the
Odisha coast, which would help them identify
the migration path and places visited by the
marine reptiles after congregation and nesting.
▪ Researchers of the Zoological Survey of
India (ZSI) are carrying out tagging of the
Olive Ridleys at three mass nesting sites
— Gahirmatha, Devi River mouth and
Rushikulya.
▪ The exercise was undertaken in Odisha in
January 2021 after a span of about 25 years
and 1,556 turtles had been tagged.
About ZSI:
▪ The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), founded
on 1 July 1916 by Government of India
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate
Change, as premier Indian organisation in
zoological research and studies to promote the
survey, exploration and research of the Fauna
in the country.
▪ Headquarters: Kolkatta.
70 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)

3.3 NATURAL DISASTERS - SAFEGUARD MEASURES

Cyclone Jawad: ▪ Winds with speeds between 80 to 90 kmph
▪ The low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal Gusting to100 kmph are likely to prevail.
is expected to intensify into Cyclone Jawad
Super Typhoon Rai Hammers
which is likely to reach the north Andhra
Pradesh and south Odisha coasts.
Philippines:
▪ Super Typhoon Rai is the strongest storm to
▪ The depression intensified into a deep
hit the disaster-prone archipelago this year.
Depression over west-central adjoining
southeast Bay of Bengal. ▪ It was packing maximum sustained winds
of 195 km an hour as it made landfall on the
▪ It is expected to further intensify into a
southern island of Siargao.
cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours and
reach North Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coast. ▪ “This monster storm is frightening and
threatens to hit coastal communities like a
▪ The storm, once developed, will be called
freight train,” said Alberto Bocanegra, head of
Jawad (pronounced Jowad), as named by
the International Federation of Red Cross and
Saudi Arabia. After Yaas in May and Gulab
Red Crescent Societies in the Philippines.
in September, this will be the third cyclone
headed towards the east coast this year.

3.4 HUMAN AND ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY:

1258 Scheduled Castes in India:
▪ A total of 1258 castes or communities have so
far been specified as Scheduled Castes, and no
community has been included in the list in the
last three years.
▪ Social Justice and Empowerment Minister
Virendra Kumar said the benefits of reservation
are available to members of all such castes
which have been specified as Scheduled Castes
in relation to a state or a union territory.
Songs of Harvest:
▪ The Hill Tiwas, one of the major tribes
Inhabiting the foothills of Karbi Anglong
district in Assam, come together during
Paddy cultivation and harvest.
▪ The community harvesting is always
associated with dance and Merry making.
 4. ECONOMICS
4.1 CURRENT SOCIO ECONOMIC PROBLEMS
OECD cuts World Growth Outlook on
Omicron:
▪ The Organisation for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD) warned that the
Omicron variant threatens the global economic
recovery as it lowered the growth outlook
for 2021 and appealed for a swifter rollout of
COVID vaccines.
▪ The global economy is now expected to
expand by 5.6% this year, down from an
earlier forecast of 5.7%, the OECD said in its
updated economic outlook which warns that
low vaccination areas could create “breeding
Grounds” for deadlier virus mutations.
▪ It’s forecast for 2022 remains unchanged at
4.5%, but the report was released only days
after Omicron was detected.
About OECD:
▪ The Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development is an intergovernmental
economic organisation with 38 member
countries, founded in September 1961 to
stimulate economic progress and world trade.
▪ Headquarters: Paris, France.
▪ Secretary General: Mathias Cormann.
▪ Debt-to-GDP ratio of States worrying: RBI
▪ The combined Debt to GDP ratio of states
is expected to remain at 31% by the end of
March 2022, which is worryingly higher than
the target of 20% to be achieved by 2022-23,
according to an RBI report.
▪ In view of the pandemic induced slowdown,
in its projections, the 15th Finance Commission
expects the debt GDP ratio to peak at 33.3%
in 2022-23 (in view of the higher deficits in
2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23), and gradually
decline thereafter to reach 32.5% by 2025-26,
RBI said in its ‘State Finances: A Study of
Budgets of 2021-22’ report.
About Debt-to-GDP Ratio:
▪ In economics, the Debt-to-GDP ratio is the
ratio between a country's government debt
(measured in units of currency) and its gross
domestic product (GDP) (measured in units of
currency per year).
▪ A low debt-to-GDP ratio indicates an Economy
that produces and sells goods and services is
sufficient to pay back debts without incurring
further debt.
About Finance Commission:
▪ The Finance Commission (FC) is a
constitutional body, that determines the
method and formula for distributing the tax
proceeds between the Centre and states, and
among the states as per the constitutional
arrangement and present requirements.
▪ Under Article 280 of the Constitution, the
President of India is required to constitute a
Finance Commission at an interval of five
years or earlier.
▪ The 15th Finance Commission was constituted
by the President of India in November 2017,
under the chairmanship of NK Singh. Its
recommendations will cover a period of five
years from the year 2021-22 to 2025-26.
Control over Money Supply:
▪ Former RBI Governor Duvvuri Subbarao has
said the central bank could lose control over
money supply and inflation management if
cryptocurrency is allowed in India.
▪ "There are also concerns that crypto will
disrupt the monetary policy," he added. Rao
also said that India's case for issuing a central
bank digital currency may not be strong as
72 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
there are capital controls. Rao, who served as
the governor of RBI from 2008 to 2013 said,
▪ "The central bank’s role as last-resort lender
should not be hampered".
Regulation needed for Cryptocurrencies:
IMF
▪ International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chief
Economist Gita Gopinath has made a strong
case for regulating cryptocurrencies, saying it
will always be a challenge to ban them as they
operate from offshore exchanges.
▪ Ms. Gopinath also suggested a Global
Policy and coordinated action for regulating
Cryptocurrencies.
About International Monetary Fund (IMF)
▪ The International Monetary Fund (IMF)
is an international financial institution,
headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting
of 190 countries.
▪ Formed in 1944, started on 27 December 1945,
at the Bretton Woods Conference primarily
by the ideas of Harry Dexter White and John
Maynard Keynes, it came into formal existence
in 1945 with 29 member countries and the goal
of reconstructing the International monetary
system.
▪ President: Kristalina Georgieva
▪ Chief Economist: Gita Gopinath (till Jan 2022).
Poverty key Factor in Determining
Institutional Delivery:
▪ Poverty, Education, and Exposure to a
Community Health Worker are more
important than age at marriage in determining
whether a mother will be able to have a safe
birth in a medical facility, according to a first
of its kind study on utilisation of institutional
delivery in the country.
▪ It focuses on nine Low Performing States
(LPS) with high burden of maternal mortality
— Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand,
Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar
Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
▪ These States constitute about half of the
country’s population and contribute 62% of
maternal deaths, 71% of infant deaths, 72% of
underfive (years) deaths, and 61% of births in
the country.
▪ They also account for 12% of global maternal
deaths. India has a maternal mortality rate
of 113 per 100,000, and the rate remains
“alarmingly high” in these nine States at 161
Deaths per 100,000.
About Janani Suraksha Yojana:
▪ Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a safe
motherhood intervention under the National
Health Mission (NHM).
▪ The Yojana was launched on 12th April 2005.
▪ It is being implemented in all States and UTs
with special focus on low performing states.
▪ JSY is a 100 % Centrally Sponsored Scheme
and it integrates cash assistance with delivery
and post-delivery care.
▪ Objectives:
9 It was Launched for reducing maternal and
neonatal mortality, to promote institutional
delivery among pregnant women especially
with weak socio-economic status i.e., women
from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and
BPL households.
▪ Cash Assistance:
9 Under the JSY, eligible pregnant women are
entitled to cash assistance irrespective of the
age of mother and number of children for
giving birth in a government or accredited
private Health Facility.
▪ Area of Focus:
9 The scheme focuses on poor pregnant woman
with special dispensation for states that have
low institutional delivery rates, namely, the
states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar,
Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,
Assam, Rajasthan, Odisha, and Jammu and
Kashmir.
▪ While these States have been named Low
Performing States (LPS) under the scheme, the
remaining States/UTs have been named High
Performing States (HPS).
▪ The scheme also provides performance-based
incentives to women health volunteers known
as ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist)
for promoting institutional delivery among
Pregnant Women.

4.2 NEW ECONOMIC POLICY & GOVT. SECTOR
RBI’s Retail Direct:
▪ RBI’s new Retail Direct platform allows
individuals to open and maintain a Retail
Direct Gilt (RDG) account directly with the
RBI.
▪ To open your account, you need a PAN card,
a savings bank account and an officially valid
KYC document.
▪ NRIs eligible to invest in G-secs under FEMA
can open this account too.
▪ G-secs can be bought either during their
initial issue or after they begin to trade in the
4.3 CURRENT TRENDS IN INDIAN ECONOMY
Manufacturing PMI signals Nov. Output
growth at 9-month High
▪ India’s manufacturing sector recorded the
strongest production expansion in nine
months in November, with the survey based
IHS Markit India Manufacturing Purchasing
Managers’ Index (PMI) climbing to 57.6, from
October’s 55.9.
About PMI:
▪ The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) is an
index of the prevailing direction of economic
trends in the manufacturing and service
sectors.
▪ The three principal producers of PMIs are
9 The Institute for Supply Management (ISM),
which originated the manufacturing and
non-manufacturing metrics produced for the
United States,
9 The Singapore Institute of Purchasing and
Materials Management (SIPMM), which
produces the Singapore PMI
9 The Markit Group, which produces metrics
based on ISM's work for over 30 countries
worldwide.
Exports Dip - Widening Trade
Deficit:
▪ India’s merchandise exports slipped below
the $30 billion mark for the first time in eight
months in November to $29.88 billion, even as
ECONOMICS | 73
Secondary market.
▪ RBI’s Retail Direct is not the only platform that
allows you to participate in G-sec Auctions.
▪ NSE’s goBID and broker owned platforms
such as Zerodha Coin also offer such access
and may be easier to onboard. But the RBI’s
platform scores over others on cost, as it charges
no fees for account opening, Maintenance or
Transactions.
▪ Through this new platform, retail investors
can invest a minimum of ₹10,000 going up to
₹2 crore in these auctions.
imports rose sharply, taking the monthly trade
deficit to a fresh high.
▪ The trade deficit widened to a fresh record
of $23.27 billion, from $19.9 billion in the
previous month. This is almost 83% higher
than the November 2019 levels.
▪ The trade deficit from April to November 2021
is now close to $122 billion, 7.5% over the same
period in FY20.
▪ The sharp 16% sequential slide in exports led
to a flare-up in the trade deficit to a record
high.
About:
▪ The Balance of Trade (BoT), commercial
balance, or net exports (NX) is the difference
between the monetary value of a nation's
exports and imports over a certain time period.
▪ If a country exports a greater value than it
imports, it has a trade surplus or positive
trade balance.
▪ If a country imports a greater value than it
exports, it has a trade deficit or negative trade
balance, that is a situation in which a country
buys more from other countries than it sells to
other countries.
74 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
Gujarat displaces Maharashtra to
become largest Manufacturing Hub in
Country:
▪ Gujarat has pipped Maharashtra to emerge the
largest manufacturing hub in the country, with
the former’s Gross Value Addition (GVA) in
manufacturing growing 15.9 per cent annually
on average between FY12 and FY20 to touch Rs
5.11 lakh crore, according to the data released
by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
▪ Maharashtra’s annual growth rate during the
period was 7.5 per cent per annum, taking the
state’s total manufacturing GVA to Rs 4.34
lakh crore in FY20. It continues to lead as the
nation’s biggest services hub.
▪ The worst performers among states, which
were already among the top 10 manufacturing
ones during the period, were Rajasthan,
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, with average
annual growth rates of 3.8 per cent, 5.5 per
cent and 6.9 per cent, respectively.
About GVA:
▪ GVA is defined as the value of output minus
the value of intermediate consumption and is
a measure of the contribution to growth made
by an individual producer, industry or sector.
▪ It provides the rupee value for the number of
goods and services produced in an economy
after deducting the cost of inputs and raw
materials that have gone into the production
of those Goods and Services.
Indian Economy is showing strong Signs
of Recovery:
▪ Indian economy is showing strong signs of
recovery from the devastation caused by the
pandemic, with an upswing being reported
in 19 out of the 22 economic indicators as
compared to the pre-Covid levels.
▪ High-frequency indicators (HFIs) are being
monitored to track the progress of Economic
recovery in India since the first COVID-19 case
was reported in the country in January 2020.
▪ The latest information indicates that among
22 HFIs, full recovery has been achieved in
respect of 19 HFIs, as their latest levels in the
months of September, October and November
this year are higher than their pre-pandemic
levels in the corresponding months of 2019.
▪ Among the 19 HFIs, there are some indicators
whose recovery is way beyond 100 per cent,
such as e-way bill by volume, merchandize
exports, coal production and rail freight traffic,
which suggests that not only the recovery
is complete, the economic growth is now
gathering momentum over the pre-pandemic
levels of output.
Sugar Exports in India:
▪ Sugar mills have exported 9.39 lakh tonnes of
the sweetener till the first week of December
during the ongoing 2021-22 marketing year
that started from October 1, and are not in
hurry to sell further stock in view of sluggish
Global price trend, trade body AISTA.
▪ About 4.68 lakh tonnes of sugar is in transit, the
All-India Sugar Trade Association (AISTA).
▪ Mills have contracted to export 33 lakh tonnes
of sugar without the government subsidy so
far in the 2021-22 marketing year.
▪ The sugar marketing year runs from October
to September.
▪ Sugar exports this year are being undertaken
without the Government subsidy.
India’s Economic Growth Forecast to
8.4%
▪ Fitch Ratings slashed India’s economic Growth
forecast to 8.4% for the current financial year
given that less than one-third of the population
is fully vaccinated and new Omicron variant
poses a new risk to the recovery.
▪ However, it raises India growth projection to
10.3% for the next financial year.
▪ In October, the agency had forecasted a GDP
growth of 8.7 per cent in FY22 and 10 per cent
in FY23.
About Fitch Ratings:
▪ Fitch Ratings Inc. is an American credit rating
agency and is one of the "Big Three credit
rating agencies", the other two being Moody's
and Standard & Poor's.
▪ Headquarters: New York.
▪ CEO: Paul Taylor (2 Apr 2012– Present).
▪ Founded: 24 December 1913.

▪ Founder: John Knowles Fitch.
Imports made up 86% of Gold
Supply in 2016-20:
▪ Imports made up 86% of India’s gold supply
between 2016-2020, and inbound shipments
continue to grow despite high import duty,
as per a report by the World Gold Council
(WGC).
▪ Since the first duty hike in 2012, India has
imported some 6581 tonnes of gold, averaging
730 tonnes per annum, as per WGC’s ‘Bullion
Trade in India’ report.
▪ In 2020, India imported 377 tonnes of gold bars
and dore from over 30 countries, of which 55%
came from just two countries — Switzerland
(44%) and the UAE (11%).
About World Gold Council:
▪ The World Gold Council is the market
development organisation for the gold
industry. It works across all parts of the
industry, from gold mining to investment, and
their aim is to stimulate and sustain demand
for gold.
▪ CEO: David Tait
▪ Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
▪ Founded: 1987
▪ President: Kelvin Dushnisky
Industrial Production Growth Remained
Subdued:
▪ India’s industrial Production Growth remained
subdued for the second straight month and
expanded by 3.2% in October, mainly due to
the waning base effect while mining, power
and manufacturing sectors performed well.
▪ The manufacturing sector, which constitutes
77.63% of the Index of Industrial Production
(IIP), grew 2% in October, according to data
from the National Statistical Office (NSO).
▪ Mining sector output rose 11.4% in October,
while power Generation increased 3.1%.
Wholesale Inflation Spikes:
▪ India’s Wholesale Inflation accelerated to
a new high of 14.2% in November from
12.5% in October, led by a surge in primary
food inflation that hit a 13month high and a
ECONOMICS | 75
continued uptick in mineral, fuel and power,
as well as oil and gas prices.
▪ Fuel and power inflation, in fact, surged to a
record level of almost 40% in November, rising
sharply over two months from the revised
level of 29.5% recorded in September.
▪ A marked uptick was also visible across most
categories beyond fuel.
▪ Manufactured products recorded a marginal
reduction month on month, with inflation
dipping to 11.92% from 12.04% in October.
About Inflation:
▪ Inflation refers to the rise in the prices of most
Goods and services of daily or common use,
such as food, clothing, housing, recreation,
transport, consumer staples, etc.
▪ In India, inflation is primarily measured by
two main indices — WPI (Wholesale Price
Index) and CPI (Consumer Price Index) which
measure wholesale and retail-level price
changes, respectively.
▪ Wholesale Price Inflation:
9 It measures the changes in the prices of
Goods sold and traded in bulk by wholesale
Businesses to other businesses.
9 WPI is published by the Office of Economic
Adviser, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
ADB lowers India’s FY22 Growth
to 9.7%:
▪ The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has
marginally lowered its growth projection for
the Indian Economy to 9.7% in 2021-22, from
10% estimated in September.
▪ The bank cited the lower than expected 8.4%
Growth in the July to September quarter and
expects supply chain factors such as chip
shortages and rising semiconductor prices to
continue to suppress Growth.
India's GDP to grow 9% in FY22 and
FY23: ICRA
▪ The Indian economy is expected to maintain
real GDP growth of 9% both in FY22 and in
FY23, amid the uncertainty triggered by the
Omicron variant of the Covid-19-causing
virus, ICRA said in a report.
76 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ It said that available data for the third quarter
of the current fiscal did not offer convincing
evidence that the Reserve Bank Monetary
Policy Committee’s criteria of durable and
sustainable growth recovery had been met,
to confirm a change in the policy stance
to ‘neutral’ when the panel meets next in
February 2022.
A Victory for the Dairy Sector:
▪ India’s withdrawal from the Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership
(RCEP) is a major victory for the farmer’s
organizations, trade unions, associations of
small and medium industrial producers and
civil society groups, which had organized
widespread agitations against the free trade
Agreement.
▪ The key fear of the dairy sector was that tariff
Clauses for agriculture in the RCEP are much
more severe compared to the existing World
Trade Organization (WTO) agreement.
▪ While the WTO allows a country to fix tariffs
up to a certain maximum, or bound tariff,
for a given commodity line, the RCEP binds
countries to reduce that level to zero within
the next 15 years. Currently, India’s average
bound tariff for Dairy products is about 63.8%
while its average applied tariff is 34.8%.
▪ A self-sufficient sector of India:
9 India’s dairy sector provides livelihood to
about 70 million households.
9 A key feature of India’s dairy sector is the
predominance of small producers. In 2017, if
the average herd size in a dairy farm was 191
in the U.S, 355 in Oceania, 148 in the U.K. and
160 in Denmark, it was just 2 in India.
9 Yet, due to Operation Flood after the 1960s,
India’s contribution to world milk production
rose from 5% in 1970 to 20% in 2018.
9 Today, India is largely self-sufficient in milk
production. It does not import or export milk
in any significant quantity. India is the largest
Milk Producer in the world.
9 Major players in the export of milk are the U.S,
the EU, Australia and New Zealand.
9 New Zealand is the largest Exporter of Milk.
▪ China is the largest Importer of Milk.
About Regional Comprehensive
Economic Partnership (RECP):
▪ The Regional Comprehensive Economic
Partnership (RECP) is a free trade agreement
among the Asia-Pacific nations of Australia,
Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan,
Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the
Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand,
and Vietnam.
▪ Signed: 15 November 2020
▪ Effective: 1 January 2022 (Projected)
▪ Headquarters: Hanoi, Vietnam (Virtual host)
‘Compensate us for land given to PSUs
in case of Privatization’
▪ Mr. Rajan underlined that the increased levy
of cesses and surcharges, which are not part
of the divisible pool, had adversely affected
the transfer of resources to the States. The
cesses and surcharges, as a proportion of the
Union government’s Gross Tax Revenue, had
almost tripled from 6.26% in 201011 to 19.9%
in 202021. In effect, the States are deprived of
a share in approximately 20% of the revenue
collected by the Union.
▪ “As a consequence of this realignment, the
ratio of grants-in-aid to share in the Central
taxes has increased from 62.67% in FY 201011
to 130.7% in FY 202021 for Tamil Nadu.
▪ In the last five years, there has been a wide gap
between the revenues realized and the revenues
guaranteed, and the States’ revenues were
yet to recover. “I urge the Union government
to extend the period of compensation by at
least two years beyond June 2022 and also
request the immediate release of the pending
compensation of ₹16,725 crores.”
▪ He highlighted that ₹17,000 crores in dues
were pending from the Union government
to Tamil Nadu. A sum of ₹2,029.22 crore in
performance grants for the period from 201718
to 201920 and the basic grant of ₹548.76 crore
for 201920 under the14th Finance Commission
were also pending.
 ECONOMICS | 77

Pay GST Compensation for 5 more

Years: States
▪ Several State governments, including of
Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Delhi and West Bengal,
on Thursday pressed for continuation of
the GST compensation for another five yeas
in view of the financial stress created by the
Pandemic.
▪ The demand was made by the State Finance
Ministers at a prebudget consultation
called by Union Finance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman in the national capital. Many
States also demanded raising the share of the
Union government in Centrally sponsored
schemes. Currently, the Centre and the State
government share in some schemes is 60:40
while in others it is 75:25. GST compensation
to the States for revenue shortfall resulting
from subsuming of local taxes will end in June
next year.
78 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
4.4 INDICES
Combined Index of Eight Core
Industries:
▪ The combined Index of Eight Core Industries
stood at 136.2 in October 2021, which increased
by 7.5 per cent (provisional) as compared to
the Index of October 2020.
▪ The production of Coal, Natural Gas, Refinery
Products, Fertilizers, Steel, Cement and
Electricity industries increased in October 2021
over the corresponding period of last year.
▪ The eight Core industries comprise 40.27 per
cent of the weight of items included in the
Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
About CORE SECTORS:
▪ The country's eight core industries include
coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products,
fertilizers, steel, cement and electricity.
About Index of Industrial Production:
▪ The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is
an index which shows the growth rates in
different industry groups of the economy in a
stipulated period of time.
▪ The IIP index is computed and published by
the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) on a
Monthly Basis.
World Inequality Report 2022:
▪ Men in India capture 82% of labour income,
while women earn just 18%, according to the
first ever estimates of the gender inequality
in global earnings presented in the World
Inequality Report 2022.
▪ The female share of the total labour income is
the national aggregate labour income earned
by women relative to the total aggregate of
labour income within a country.
▪ In a country with perfect equality between
women and men, the female labour income
share would be 50%. But the report finds
that it is below 50% around the world, with
significant variations across countries, ranging
from below 10% to 45%.
▪ The report covered 180 countries between
1991 to 2019.
▪ Female labour income in India of 18.3% is
lower than the average for Asia, which was
at 27% in 2019. Eleven countries in the region
have values above 30%.
Among the Neighbors:
▪ Performed worse than India was Bhutan
(17.5%), Bangladesh (16.9%), Pakistan (7.4%),
and Afghanistan (4.2%).
▪ Those with a higher share were Nepal (23.2%),
Sri Lanka (23.3%) and China (33.4%).
▪ After the pandemic, there was a worsening of
female labour participation rate, which fell to
16.1% during the July September 2020 quarter,
according to the Ministry of Statistics.
▪ Eastern Europe has the highest female labour
income shares, with the average female share
near 41%. Moldova has the highest female
labour income in the world at 45%.
▪ Overall, the share of women in total incomes
from work neared 30% in 1990 and stands at
34% Today.
About:
▪ The Report was released by the World
Inequality Lab, which aims to promote
research on global inequality dynamics.
▪ This Report presents the most up-to-date
synthesis of international research efforts to
track Global Inequalities.
Literacy Rates and Education Level of
STs:
▪ As per Census 2011, literacy rate of Scheduled
Tribes (STs) was 59% whereas the overall
literacy rate was 73% at all India level.
▪ "Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya
Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar
Pradesh were the states in which tribal literacy
is less than the national average", said Minister
of State for Tribal Affairs Renuka Singh Saruta.
▪ Saakshar Bharat is the centrally sponsored
nation-wide literacy scheme of the Indian
Department for School Education and Literacy
(DSEL) focusing on increasing women´s
literacy in India. It was launched by the prime
minister on International Literacy Day in
September 2009.

▪ Its aim is to significantly reduce the number
of non-literate adults in India and foster
an environment within communities that
Encourages lifelong learning.
▪ On the occasion of International Literacy
Day, Prime Minister Modi launched 'Padhna
Likhna Abhiyan' to tackle the literacy-related
challenges in the post COVID world, as per
the Education Ministery of India. The scheme
launched to Educate Adults in the country.
‘Foundational Literacy and Numeracy
Index’:
▪ Foundation Literacy and Numeracy Index,
prepared by the Institute for Competitiveness,
by the chairperson of the Economic Advisory
Council to the Prime Minister Bibek Debroy.
▪ The index, an indicator of literacy among
Children below the age of 10 years.
▪ West Bengal secured the top position in the
index, Bihar was marked at the bottom. Among
small states, Kerala grabbed the top position
and Jharkhand was the worst performer.
▪ Lakshadweep and Mizoram topped the chart
among Union territories and northeast states
respectively. Ladakh featured at the bottom of
the list of UTs, and Arunachal Pradesh came
last in the Northeast category.
▪ The report took four categories into
consideration and the regions were divided
into large states, small states, Union territories
and the northeast.
▪ The Index on Foundational Literacy and
Numeracy includes five pillars of educational
infrastructure, access to education, basic
health, learning outcomes and Governance
comprising 41 Indicators.
NITI Aayog Health Index:
▪ NITI Aayog released the fourth edition of the
State Health Index for 2019–20.
▪ The report, titled “Healthy States, Progressive
India”, ranks states and Union Territories on
their year-on-year incremental performance in
health outcomes as well as their overall Status.
▪ The report has been developed by NITI Aayog,
with technical assistance from the World Bank,
and in close consultation with the Ministry of
ECONOMICS | 79
Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
▪ The State Health Index is annual tool to assess
the performance of states and UTs.
▪ It is a weighted composite index based on
24 indicators grouped under the domains
of ‘Health Outcomes’, ‘Governance and
Information’, and ‘Key Inputs/Processes’.
▪ To ensure comparison among similar entities,
the ranking is categorized as ‘Larger States’,
‘Smaller States’ and ‘Union Territories’.
▪ On overall ranking based on the composite
Index score in 2019–20, the top-ranking
states were Kerala and Tamil Nadu among
the ‘Larger States’, Mizoram and Tripura
among the ‘Smaller States’, and DH&DD and
Chandigarh among the UTs.
▪ For the fourth year in a row, Kerala has topped
a ranking of States on health indicators.
▪ Uttar Pradesh has come in at the bottom.
▪ Kerala is followed by Tamil Nadu and
Telangana, which improved its ranking.
▪ Health outcomes include parameters such as
neonatal mortality rate, under-5 mortality rate
and sex ratio at birth. Governance includes
institutional deliveries, average occupancy
of senior officers in key posts Earmarked for
health. And the “key inputs” domain consists
of the proportion of shortfall in healthcare
providers to what is recommended, functional
medical facilities, birth and death registration
and tuberculosis Treatment success rate.
▪ Table Shows: the NITI Aayog’s Health Index
scores (Out of 100) of the three ‘large’ States
at the top and bottom in 2019-20 and 2018-19.
The Rank for 2018-19 is mentioned in Brackets.
Rank State 2019-20 2018-19
1 Kerala 82.2 81.6 (1)
2 Tamil Nadu 72.42 70.79 (2)
3 Telangana 69.96 65.74 (4)
19 U.P. 30.57 25.06 (19)
18 Bihar 31 30.24 (18)
17 M.P. 36.72 33.37 (17)
80 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
About NITI Aayog (National
Institution for Transforming India):
▪ Planning Commission was replaced by a new
institution – NITI AAYYOG on January 1, 2015
with emphasis on ‘Bottom –Up’ approach to
envisage the vision of Maximum Governance,
Minimum Government, echoing the spirit of
‘Cooperative Federalism’.
▪ Chairperson: Prime Minister
▪ Vice-Chairperson: To be appointed by Prime-
Minister
▪ Governing Council: Chief Ministers of all
states and Lt. Governors of Union Territories.
▪ Regional Council: To address specific regional
issues, Comprising Chief Ministers and Lt.
Governors Chaired by Prime Minister or his
nominee.
▪ Adhoc Membership: 2 members in ex-officio
capacity from leading Research institutions on
rotational basis.
▪ Ex-Officio Membership: Maximum four from
Union council of ministers to be Nominated
by Prime minister.
▪ Chief Executive Officer: Appointed by
Prime-minister for a fixed tenure, in rank
of Secretary to Government of India.
About Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs):
▪ To bring sustainable development in the
mainstream United Nations (UN) launched
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
and SDGs.
▪ This universal, integrated and transformative
agenda aims to spur actions that will end
poverty and build a more sustainable world
over the next 15 years.
▪ There are 17 goals and 169 targets specific
targets to be achieved by 2030. Reaching
the goals requires action on all fronts –
governments, businesses, civil society and
people everywhere all have a role to play.
▪ SDGs are not legally binding.
▪ The 17 'SDG' goals mentioned by the UN are
No Poverty (1st Goal), Zero Hunger, Good
Health and Well-Being, Quality Education,
Gender Equality, Clean Water and Sanitation,
Affordable and Clean Energy, Decent Work
and Economic Growth, Industry, Innovation
and Infrastructure, Reduced Inequalities,
Sustainable Cities and Communities,
Responsible Consumption and Production,
Climate Action, Life Below Water, Life on
Land, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
and Partnerships for the Goals.

4.5 MONEY & BANKING
Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to
Meet:
▪ The Reserve Bank Governor-headed Monetary
Policy Committee (MPC) is scheduled to meet
during December 6-8, 2021.
▪ The central bank had kept the benchmark
Policy Rate (Repo Rate) unchanged in October.
About MPC:
▪ The Monetary Policy Committee is responsible
for fixing the benchmark interest rate in India.
▪ The meetings of the Monetary Policy
Committee are held at least 6 times a year
(specifically, at least once BIMONTHLY)
and it publishes its decisions after each such
meeting.
▪ The committee comprises six members - three
officials of the Reserve Bank of India and
three external members nominated by the
Government of India.
▪ The Governor of Reserve Bank of India is the
chairperson ex officio of the committee.
▪ Decisions are taken by majority with the
Governor having the casting vote in case of a
tie.
▪ The Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 was
amended by Finance Act (India), 2016 to
constitute MPC which will bring more
transparency and accountability in fixing
India's Monetary Policy.
▪ The committee is answerable to the
Government of India if the inflation exceeds
the range prescribed for three consecutive
Quarters.
▪ Reserve Bank of India Governor
at present: Shaktikanta Das.
Depositors First: Guaranteed Time-
bound Deposit Insurance:
▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that,
9 The move to increase deposit insurance cover
to ₹5 lakhs from ₹1 lakh, will fully insure ₹76
lakh crore of savings.
9 Such a comprehensive insurance cover is not
there even in developed nations.
ECONOMICS | 81
9 This will cover almost 98% of all banking
accounts.” Beyond this, the Prime Minister
also touched upon the move to introduce a 90-
day deadline for depositors to get their money
back.
▪ He also said that banks play a big role in
the nation’s prosperity, however, to ensure
prosperity of bank, money of depositors need
to be safeguarded.
▪ At the event, RBI governor Shaktikanta Das
had pointed out that,
9 The “first set of banks where 90 days were
completed on November 29, all the claims
were processed,” with the claim receipt and
settlement process now automated by the
DICGC.
9 According to the Prime Minister, the progress
in banking infrastructure has provided
maximum benefit to the women of the country.
9 Citing the latest NFHS data, Mr. Modi pointed
out that, 80% of women have their own bank
Accounts.
9 The number of accounts for women in urban
India were matched by those in rural India.
▪ The RBI Governor also spoke on “new
Governance guidelines for commercial banks”,
adding that a committee has been constituted
for “bringing about reforms in the urban co-
operative sector.”
▪ “To strengthen resilience, we are now doing
root cause analysis, looking at business models
of banks to see if they are viable, without of
course, interfering in the commercial flexibility
which the banks must have for their success,”
Mr. Das said.
82 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
4.6 PUBLIC FINANCE
India has 4th largest foreign
exchange reserves in world:
▪ India currently has the fourth largest foreign
exchange reserves in the world, Minister of
4.6.1 PUBLIC FINANCE: FISCAL POLICY
India’s gross Domestic Product (GDP)
grew by 8.4%:
▪ India’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew
by 8.4% in the July to September quarter,
compared to a 7.4% contraction a year ago,
with the economy’s gross value added (GVA)
rising 8.5%, the National Statistical Office.
▪ Factoring in the first quarter GDP growth of
20.1%, the first half of this year has recorded
13.7% growth and India is likely to record
double digit growth for 2021-22 as a whole,
the Finance Ministry’s Chief Economic
Adviser (CEA) Krishnamurthy Subramanian
said, seeking to emphasize that the recovery
process is continuing to play out.
About National Statistical Office (NSO):
▪ The Statistics Wing of Ministry of Statistics
and Programme Implementation called the
National Statistical Office (NSO) consists of the
Central Statistical Office (CSO), the computer
center and the National Sample Survey Office
(NSSO).
GST collections surge in
November:
▪ Gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections
hit ₹ 1,31,526 crores in November, the second
highest since it was implemented in July 2017,
and the second month in a row that collections
have crossed ₹1.3 lakh crore.
▪ The revenues for November were 25% higher
than that in the corresponding month last year
and 27% over the pre-pandemic levels of 2019-
20.
▪ The November collections, reflecting
transactions undertaken in October, were
underwhelming in the context of the record
Generation of e-way bills in October.
State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary told Lok
Sabha.
▪ As on November 19, 2021, he said the forex
reserve stood at USD 640.4 billion.
▪ Tax collections from import of goods were
43% higher, while revenues from domestic
transactions, including import of services,
were 20% higher than the respective collections
in November 2020.
About E-Way Bills:
▪ Under GST, transporters should carry an
e-Way Bill when moving goods from one
place to another when certain conditions are
satisfied.
▪ E-Way Bill is an Electronic Way bill for
movement of goods to be generated on the
e-Way Bill Portal.
▪ A GST registered person cannot transport
goods in a vehicle whose value exceeds Rs.
50,000 without an e-way bill that is generated.
▪ Movement of handicraft goods or goods
for job-work purposes under specified
circumstances also requires e-way bill even
if the value of consignment is less than fifty
thousand rupees.
▪ Electronic Way Bill (E-Way Bill) is basically
a compliance mechanism wherein by way
of a digital interface the person causing the
movement of goods uploads the relevant
information prior to the commencement of
movement of goods and generates e-way bill
on the GST portal.
India’s Fiscal Deficit
▪ The Central Government's fiscal deficit at the
end of October worked out to be 36.3 per cent
of the annual budget target for 2021-22 due to
an improvement in the revenue collection.
▪ Fiscal deficit was 119.7 per cent of the budget
estimate of 2020-21 during the corresponding
period last year.

▪ In actual terms, the deficit was Rs 5,47,026
crore at the end of October, 2021 against the
annual estimate of Rs 15.06 lakh crore, said
the data released by the Controller General of
Accounts (CGA).
▪ The fiscal deficit for 2020-21 was 9.3 per cent of
the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), better than
9.5 per cent projected in the revised estimates
in the Budget in February.
About:
▪ Fiscal Deficit or Budget deficit occurs when
Government expenditures exceed revenues
from taxes and other sources.
▪ Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the standard
measure of the value added created through
the production of goods and services in a
country during a certain period.
▪ As such, it also measures the income earned
from that production, or the total amount spent
on final goods and services (less imports).
▪ The Controller General of Accounts (CGA)
is the Principal Accounting Adviser to the
Government of India. The office is in the
Department of Expenditure, Ministry of
Finance, GOI.
▪ The office of the CGA has the mandate to
establish and maintain a technically sound
Management Accounting system.
▪ It also prepares and submits the accounts of
the Central Government.
▪ It is also in charge of the exchequer control and
Internal Audits.
▪ It is not a constitutional body or a statutory
body.
▪ Government of India has appointed Shri
Deepak Das as the 25th Controller General of
Accounts.
Office of CAG Office of CGA
▪ It is under the
▪ It is an Department of
independent body. Expenditure in the
Finance Ministry.
▪ It is not a
▪ It is a constitutional
constitutional
body.
body.
ECONOMICS | 83
▪ It audits the
accounts and ▪ It is the Principal
related activities Accounting
of the 3 tiers of Adviser to the
government: Government
Federal, Provincial, of India.
and Local.
‘India’s retail inflation Accelerated in
Nov. to 5.1%’:
▪ India’s retail inflation likely accelerated last
month towards the upper limit of the RBI’s
target range as fruit and vegetable prices rose.
▪ The December 68 poll of 39 economists
forecast November consumer price inflation at
5.1%, faster than October’s 4.48%. If realized, it
would be within the RBI’s target band of 26%
for a fifth consecutive month.
▪ The CPI data is due on December 13.
▪ Brent crude oil, India’s biggest import, slid
more than 16% last month.
About INFLATION:
▪ Retail inflation is measured by the Consumer
Price Index (CPI).
▪ Inflation refers to the rise in the prices of most
goods and services of daily or common use,
such as food, clothing, housing, recreation,
Transport, consumer staples, etc.
▪ Consumer Price Index
9 It measures price changes from the perspective
of a retail buyer.
9 Four types of CPI are as follows:
1. CPI for Industrial Workers (IW).
2. CPI for Agricultural Labourer (AL).
3. CPI for Rural Labourer (RL).
4. CPI (Rural/Urban/Combined).
9 Of these, the first three are compiled by the
Labour Bureau in the Ministry of Labour
and Employment. Fourth is compiled by the
National Statistical Office (NSO) in the Ministry
of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
9 Base Year for CPI is 2012.
84 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
FDI may decline 20% in FY22, Trend to
Weigh on Rupee: UBS
▪ Inflows into India via foreign direct
investments (FDI) may decline by about 20%
this fiscal after the all-time high investments
of close to $82 billion received in FY21, UBS
Global said in a research report.
About FDI:
▪ A foreign direct investment (FDI) is a purchase
of an interest in a company by a company or
an Investor located outside its Borders.
▪ Generally, the term is used to describe a
business decision to acquire a substantial stake
in a foreign business or to buy it outright in
order to expand its operations to a new region.
Forex Reserves stem Decline:
▪ India currently has the fourth largest foreign
exchange reserves in the world.
▪ For the third straight week, the nation’s forex
reserves recorded a fall, this time by $77
million to reach $635.828 billion during the
week ended December 10, as per RBI data.
▪ The dip in the foreign exchange or forex was
on account of a decline in foreign currency
assets (FCA), a vital component of the overall
Reserves.
▪ Expressed in dollar terms, the foreign currency
assets include the effect of appreciation or
depreciation of non-US units like the euro,
pound sterling and Japanese yen held in the
foreign exchange reserves.
▪ The value of the gold reserves rose by $291
million by to $38.709 billion during the
reporting week.
▪ The special drawing rights (SDRs) with the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) posted a
decline of $37 million to reach $19.089 billion.
▪ The country’s reserve position with the IMF
also increased by $10 million to $5.17 billion.
About Foreign Exchange Reserves:
▪ Foreign exchange reserves are assets held on
reserve by a central bank in foreign currencies,
which can include bonds, treasury bills and
other government securities.
▪ It needs to be noted that most foreign exchange
reserves are held in US dollars.
▪ India’s Forex Reserve include:
9 Foreign Currency Assets
9 Gold reserves
9 Special Drawing Rights
9 Reserve position with the International
Monetary Fund (IMF).
Antidumping Duty on five Chinese
Goods:
▪ India has imposed antidumping duty on five
Chinese products for five years to protect local
manufacturers from cheap imports from the
Neighboring country.
▪ According to separate notifications of the
Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs
(CBIC), the duties have been imposed on
9 Certain flat rolled products of aluminium
— sodium hydro-sulphite used in the dye
Industry.
9 Silicone sealant, used in manufacturing solar
photovoltaic modules and thermal Power
applications.
9 Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) component R32 and
9 Hydrofluorocarbon blends, both used in
refrigeration.
▪ These duties were imposed following
recommendations of the Commerce Ministry’s
investigation arm, the Directorate General of
Trade Remedies (DGTR).
▪ It has also slapped the duty on imports of
calcined gypsum powder from Iran, Oman,
Saudi Arabia and the UAE for five years.
▪ While the DGTR recommends the duty to be
levied, the Finance Ministry imposes it.
About Directorate General of Trade
Remedies (DGTR):
▪ It is the apex national authority under the
Ministry of Commerce and Industry for
administering all trade remedial measures
including anti-dumping, countervailing duties
and safeguard measures.
▪ It provides trade defense support to the
domestic industry and exporters in dealing
with increasing instances of trade remedy
investigations instituted against them by other
Countries.
 ECONOMICS | 85

About Anti-Dumping Duty:

▪ Dumping:
9 Dumping is said to occur when the goods are
exported by a country to another country at a
Price lower than the price it normally charges
in its own Home Market.
9 This is an unfair trade practice which can have
a distortive effect on International Trade.
▪ Objective:
9 Imposition of Anti-dumping duty is a Measure
to rectify the situation arising out of the
dumping of goods and its trade distortive
effect.
9 In the long-term, anti-dumping duties can
reduce the international competition of
domestic companies producing similar Goods.
9 It is a protectionist tariff that a domestic
Government imposes on foreign imports that
it believes are priced below fair market value.
9 The use of anti-dumping measures as an
Instrument of fair competition is permitted by
the World Trade Organisation.
 5. SCIENCE
5.1 LATEST INVENTIONS ON SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
An innovation that can better
protect Power Grids:
▪ Researchers from Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT) Kanpur have come up with
an innovation that can help protect power
grids against sudden, unexpected current
surges.
▪ An innovative variation of the Superconducting
Fault Current Limiter (SFCL), this smart
SFCL not only shields the grid from large
current surges and consequent fire accidents,
it can also sense when the current surges will
happen and warn the system about it.
‘Financial frauds can be reported on
portal’
▪ A Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting
and Management System has been launched
for reporting financial frauds and to stop
siphoning off funds by the fraudsters, said
Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
▪ A tollfree number 155260 has been
operationalized to get assistance in lodging
online cyber complaints.
▪ The MHA has set up the Indian Cyber Crime
Coordination Centre (I4C) to deal with all
types of cyber-crime in the country, in a
coordinated and comprehensive manner and
a National Cyber Forensic Laboratory (NCFL)
in Dwarka, New Delhi, to provide early stage
cyber forensic assistance to investigating
officers (IOs).
▪ Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC)
platform, namely CyTrain portal, has been
developed for capacity building of police
officers/ judicial officers through online
course on critical aspects of cybercrime
investigation, forensics, prosecution. it accounted for ₹40,000 crores in national
▪ The Government has launched the National
Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (www.
cybercrime.gov.in), to enable the public to
report all types of cybercrimes, with special
focus on crimes against women and children.
▪ Cybercrimes reported on this portal, their
conversion into FIRs and subsequent action
thereon are handled by the police in the
respective State/Union Territories.
▪ Seven Joint Cyber Coordination teams have
been constituted under I4C covering the whole
country based upon cybercrime hotspots/
areas having multi-jurisdictional issues and in
consultation with States/Union Territories to
enhance the coordination among the police.
CIBA decodes Indian white Shrimp’s
Genome:
▪ Scientists of the Chennai based Central
Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture
(ICARCIBA) have sequenced and assembled
the whole genome of Indian white shrimp
Penaeus indicus.
▪ Penaeus indicus is a native species and
one of the world’s most important seafood
Commodities.
▪ The breakthrough would help to evolve
strategies for control and prevention of
the white spot syndrome virus disease, a
major problem faced by shrimp farmers, as
ICARCIBA had already decoded the genome
of the virus.
▪ The project was financially supported by ICAR
Consortium Research Platform on Genomics.
▪ The scientist said shrimp was the economic
engine of the seafood exports in India and

income, about 75% of the value of the seafood
exports.
▪ The Indian shrimp industry accounts for about
11% of the global production (7,59,906 tonnes
valued at $4 billion in 2019).
▪ This important Genomic resource will help in
enhancing the growth potential, reproduction
and maturation in captivity.
About Central Institute of Brackishwater
Aquaculture (CIBA):
▪ Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture
(CIBA) is one of the research institutes under
Indian Council of Agricultural Research
(ICAR), New Delhi to serve as the nodal agency
for catering to the needs of the brackishwater
aquaculture research in India.
▪ The institute is headquartered at Chennai
with a research centre at Kakdwip in West
Bengal and an experimental field station at
Muttukadu, roughly 30 km to the south of
Chennai.
▪ The Institute works under the Ministry of
Agriculture, India.
▪ Established: 1987.
Indian Army launches indigenous
messaging application called ASIGMA:
▪ The Indian Army has launched a messaging
application with features such as multi-level
security and message prioritisation.
▪ The defence ministry said the Army Secure
IndiGeneous Messaging Application
(ASIGMA) is a new generation, state-of-the-
art, web-based application.
▪ It added that a team of Corps of Signals has
developed it in-house.
▪ The Ministry said the application was being
deployed as a replacement of the Army Wide
Area Network messaging application, which
has been in service for 15 years.
▪ The application (ASIGMA) has been fielded
on Army-owned hardware and lends itself to
lifetime support with future upgrades.
▪ The ministry said the application will meet the
Army's real-time data transfer and messaging
requirements, especially in the Backdrop of
the current geopolitical-security Environment.
SCIENCE | 87
World’s Largest Space Telescope
Launched:
▪ The world’s most powerful space telescope
blasted off• into orbit in Ariane 5 rocket from
Kourou Space Centre in French Guiana.
▪ NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, the
agency's successor to the famous Hubble
telescope, launched on Dec. 25, 2021 on a
Mission to study the earliest stars and peer
back farther into the universe's past than ever
before.
▪ Coasting through space for two more weeks,
the Webb telescope will reach its destination in
solar orbit about 1.6 million km from Earth —
about four times farther away than the moon.
▪ It is expected to take a month to reach its
remote destination.
▪ It is expected to beam back new clues that will
help scientists understand more about the
origins of the Universe and Earthlike planets
beyond our solar system.
▪ Named after a former NASA director, Webb
follows in the footsteps of the legendary
Hubble — but intends to show humans what
the Universe looked like even closer to its birth
nearly 14 billion years ago.
▪ By comparison,
9 Webb’s 30-year-old predecessor, the Hubble
Space Telescope, orbits the Earth from about
550 km away, passing in and out of the Planet’s
shadow every 90 minutes.
9 Webb mainly will view the cosmos in the
infrared spectrum, allowing it to gaze through
clouds of gas and dust where stars are being
born, while Hubble has operated primarily at
optical and ultraviolet wavelengths.
▪ The location of Webb’s orbit is called the
Lagrange 2 point and was chosen in part
because it will keep the Earth, the Sun and the
Moon all on the same side of its sun shield.
▪ Webb is expected to officially enter service in
June. Webb is designed to last up to 10 years.
▪ The telescope is an international collaboration
led by NASA in partnership with the European
and Canadian space Agencies.
▪ The Arianespace launch vehicle is part of the
European contribution.
88 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)

About Hubble Space Telescope (HST):

▪ Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is named after
the astronomer Edwin Hubble.
▪ The observatory is the first major optical
telescope to be placed in space and has made
groundbreaking discoveries in the field of
Astronomy since its launch (into Low Earth
orbit in 1990).
▪ It is said to be the “most significant advance in
astronomy since Galileo’s telescope.”
▪ It is a part of NASA's Great Observatories
Program - a family of four space-based
observatories, each observing the Universe in
a different kind of light.
▪ The other missions in the program include
the visible-light Spitzer Space Telescope,
Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (CGRO),
and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO).
▪ It captures images of deep space playing a
major role in helping astronomers understand
the universe by observing the most distant
Stars, galaxies and planets.
▪ NASA also allows anyone from the public to
search the Hubble database for which new
galaxy it captured, what unusual did it notice
about our stars, solar system and planets and
what patterns of ionised gases it observed, on
any Specific day.

Philippines Agrees to Procure BrahMos

Missile $ 55 Milion
▪ In a huge boost to India’s mission to turn a
defence exporter after decades of being seen as
an importer, the Centre has struck reportedly
struck a deal with The Philippines to sell the
indigenous BrahMos missile System for a
whopping $55.5 million dollars.
▪ With this, The Philippines has become India’s
first foreign customer for the cruise missile
system, a joint venture between India and
Russia.
▪ BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile is a joint
venture between the Defence Research and
Development Organisation of India (DRDO)
and the NPOM of Russia.
▪ Brahmos is named on the rivers Brahmaputra
and Moskva.

5.2 LATEST DISCOVERIES IN HEALTH SCIENCE
Single Use Dialysis Policy
▪ The first centre for maintenance Haemodialysis,
an alternative for patients with end stage
kidney diseases who do not have a suitable
kidney donor for renal transplantation, was
established at Madras Medical College in 2010.
▪ The facility was made available at KMC since
2019.
▪ All dialysis units followed reuse policy in
which the dialyser and AV tubings were reused
for eight to 10 times for each patient. This led
to heavy chemical exposure for patients as
well as for doctors, nurses and Technicians.
▪ To reduce the chemical exposure and improve
the quality of dialysis, the Government
Kilpauk Medical College (KMC) Hospital
has, for the first time in the State, introduced
Single-Use Dialysis Policy.
▪ All consumables used would be disposable.
The dialyser, which is known as artificial
kidney, and tubings will be used only once.
Bird Flu Triggers Alert in Alappuzha:
▪ Alappuzha district was put on alert after
an outbreak of bird flu was confirmed at
Kunnumma South (Ward 10) in the Thakazhy
gram panchayat.
▪ The H5N1 subtype of the Influenza A virus
was reported in ducks.
▪ Earlier this year, avian flu caused by the H5N8
strain of the Influenza A virus was detected
from six places in Kuttanad, and Kainakary in
Alappuzha district and Neendoor in Kottayam
District.
Omicron Spreads Faster and Weakens
Vaccine Efficacy:
▪ The Omicron coronavirus variant is more
transmissible than the Delta strain and
reduces vaccine efficacy but causes less severe
symptoms according to early data, said the
World Health Organization.
▪ The WHO said Omicron had spread
to 63 countries as of December 9.
SCIENCE | 89
WHO nod for Serum Institute’s Covovax:
▪ The World Health Organization said it had
Granted emergency approval to the India
manufactured Vaccine Covovax.
▪ The jab is being produced by the Serum
Institute of India under License from the U.S.
based Novavax.
▪ Covovax requires two doses and is stable at 2
to 8 degrees Celsius refrigerated temperatures.
About WHO:
▪ The World Health Organization (WHO) is
a specialized agency of the United Nations
responsible for International Public Health.
▪ Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, it
has six regional offices and 150 field offices
worldwide.
▪ The WHO was established on 7 April 1948.
▪ Director-General: Tedros Adhanom.
Indigenous COVID Test Kit to Detect all
Variants:
▪ ICMR gives approval for indigenous COVID
test kit PUNE The “CoviDelta diagnostics
kit” developed indigenously by Pune-based
GenePath Diagnostics has been approved by
the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
▪ The kit detects all current variants of COVID-19
and flags presumptive Delta and Omicron
variants in a single test, said Nickhil Jakatdar,
CEO, GenePath Diagnostics.
▪ The test shows high sensitivity and specificity.
ICMR Designs kit for Omicron Detection:
▪ The Indian Council of Medical Research
(ICMR) has designed a diagnostic kit for
detection of Omicron variant of the coronavirus
and has invited Expression of Interest from
in vitro diagnostics (IVD) kit manufacturers
for undertaking transfer of technology for its
development and Commercialization.
▪ The ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre,
NE, Dibrugarh, one of the institutes of the
ICMR, New Delhi, has developed a novel
technology—real-time RT-PCR assay for
detection of Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of
SARS-CoV2 and a kit for the same.
90 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ ICMR is the owner of the said technology,
including any underlying intellectual
properties and commercialization Rights.
▪ ICMR is lawfully entitled to enter into any
form of non-exclusive license agreements
with selected manufacturer/manufacturers,
including transfer of technology through
suitable agreement to any other interested
manufacturers.
About ICMR:
▪ The Indian Council of Medical Research
(ICMR), the apex body in India for the
formulation, coordination and promotion of
biomedical research, is one of the oldest and
Largest medical research bodies in the world.
▪ The ICMR is funded by the Government
of India through the Department of Health
Research, Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare.
▪ Predecessor: Indian Research Fund
Association (IRFA) formed in 1911.
▪ Formation: Renamed as ICMR in 1949.
▪ Headquarters: New Delhi.
Pfizer pill ‘Paxlovid’ becomes first US-
Authorized home COVID Treatment:
▪ U.S. health regulators authorized the first pill
against COVID-19 on December 23, a Pfizer
drug that Americans will be able to take at
home to head off the worst effects of the Virus.
▪ The drug, Paxlovid, is a faster way to treat
early COVID-19 infections, though initial
Supplies will be extremely limited.
▪ All of the previously authorized drugs against
the disease require an IV or an injection.
▪ An antiviral pill from Merck also is expected
to soon win authorization. But Pfizer's drug
is all but certain to be the preferred option
because of its mild side effects and superior
effectiveness, including a nearly 90% reduction
in hospitalizations and deaths among patients
most likely to get Severe Disease.
Covaxin Cleared for those above 12
Years of Age:
▪ Covaxin has been approved for use in those
aged 12 and above by the Drugs Controller
General of India (DCGI).
▪ This would make it the second vaccine
approved for use in India for those below 18.
▪ The DCGI in August granted emergency
approval to ZycovD, a threedose DNA
COVID19 vaccine developed by the
Ahmedabad based Zydus Cadilla Group,
making it the first vaccine in India that could
be administered to adults and those aged 12
and above.
About COVAXIN:
▪ It is India’s only indigenous Covid-19 vaccine.
▪ Developed by Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad
in collaboration with the Indian Council
of Medical Research’s National Institute of
Virology, Pune.
▪ It is an inactivated vaccine which is
developed by inactivating (killing) the live
Microorganisms that cause the disease.
▪ This destroys the ability of the pathogen to
replicate, but keeps it intact so that the immune
system can still recognize it and produce an
Immune Response.
▪ It is expected to target more than just the Spike
protein.
▪ It also aims to develop an immune response to
the nucleocapsid protein (the shell of the virus
that encloses its genetic material).
About Drug Controller General of
India (DCGI):
▪ Drug Controller General of India is the
head of the Central Drugs Standard Control
Organization (CDSCO) in India.
▪ DGCI is the central licensing authority for
medical devices which fall under the Medical
Device Rules 2017.
▪ Parent Ministry: CDSCO headed by Drug
Controller General of India, functions under
Directorate General of Health Services,
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare,
Government of India.
▪ Key Functions of Drug Controller General of
India:
9 Establishing standards for the manufacturing,
sales, import, and distribution of drugs in
India.
9 Regulating medical and pharmaceutical
devices.

9 Acting as an appellate authority in case of any
dispute with respect to the quality of the Drug.
9 Preparing and maintaining the national
reference standard for drugs.
9 Ensuring uniformity in the implementation of
the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
9 The present Drug Controller General of India
is Dr. V. G. Somani. He was appointed on
August 14, 2019.
Two More Vaccines and a Drug join
India’s fight against COVID
▪ India has approved two more COVID19
vaccines and the antiviral drug Molnupiravir
under emergency use authorization.
▪ India uses Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik V
for vaccination.
▪ Corbevax, to be made by Hyderabad based
Biological E, the Baylor College of Medicine in
Houston, U.S., and the U.S. company Dynavax
Technologies, is a protein subunit vaccine
▪ Covovax, to be manufactured by the Serum
Institute of India, Pune, under licence from
Novavax, a U.S. based biotechnology company
is a nano particle-based vaccine.
▪ The vaccine has been approved by the
World Health Organization (WHO) under its
Emergency Use Listing and, therefore, will
be available globally as part of the COVAX
initiative to ensure that at least 40% of world is
vaccinated on priority.
▪ Molnupiravir, which was approved this
December by the U.S. Food and Drugs
Administration (USFDA), close on the heels of
Paxlovid by Pfizer Inc, is said to be a promising
drug for those with mild and moderate disease
and also easily administered as a pill.
▪ Molnupiravir was originally developed to
treat influenza at Emory University which
later partnered with Merck & Co. to develop
the drug further.
SCIENCE | 91
▪ Other Vaccines approved by India are
1. Covishield:
9 It is the name given to an Oxford-AstraZeneca
Covid-19 vaccine developed by the University
of Oxford in collaboration with Swedish-
British drugmaker AstraZeneca.
9 Serum Institute of India (SII) is the
manufacturing partner in India.
2. Covaxin:
9 It is India’s only indigenous Covid-19 Vaccine.
9 Developed by Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad
in Collaboration with the Indian Council
of Medical Research’s National Institute of
Virology, Pune.
3. ZyCoV-D:
9 ZyCoV-D, designed and developed by Zydus
Cadila (a pharmaceutical company) with
support from the Department of Biotechnology
(DBT) the world’s first and India’s indigenously
developed DNA based vaccine for COVID-19.
4. Sputnik V:
9 The Sputnik V vaccine has been developed
by Gamaleya National Research Institute of
Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow.
9 It uses two different viruses that cause the
common cold (adenovirus) in Humans.
92 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
5.3 SPACE
ISRO to launch Gaganyaan in 2023:
▪ India's maiden space mission, Gaganyaan, will
be launched in 2023, making the country the
fourth nation in the world to launch a human
spaceflight mission after the US, Russia and
China.
▪ The major missions viz., Test vehicle flight
for the validation of Crew Escape System
performance and the 1st Uncrewed mission
of Gaganyaan (G1) are scheduled during the
beginning of second half of 2022.
▪ This will be followed by the second
uncrewed mission at the end of 2022 carrying
"Vyommitra" a spacefaring human-robot
developed by ISRO and finally the first crewed
Gaganyaan mission in 2023.
▪ The objective of the Gaganyaan programme is
to demonstrate the capability to send humans
to low earth orbit (LEO) onboard on Indian
Launch Vehicle and bring them back to earth
safely.
First Spacecraft to Reach the
Sun – Parker Solar Probe:
▪ NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has now flown
through the Sun’s upper atmosphere – the
corona – and sampled particles and magnetic
Fields there.
▪ Its goal is to make repeated, and ever closer,
passes of the Sun.
▪ The US space agency (Nasa) is calling it a
historic moment - the first time a spacecraft
has flown through the outer atmosphere of the
Sun.
▪ In 2019, Parker discovered that magnetic
zig-zag structures in the solar wind, called
switchbacks, are plentiful close to the Sun.
But how and where they form remained a
Mystery.
9 Halving the distance to the Sun since
then, Parker Solar Probe has now passed
close enough to identify one place where
they originate: the solar surface.
▪ Unlike Earth, the Sun doesn’t have a solid
surface. But it does have a superheated
atmosphere, made of solar material bound to
the Sun by gravity and magnetic forces.
▪ As rising heat and pressure push that material
away from the Sun, it reaches a point where
gravity and magnetic fields are too weak to
contain it.
▪ That point, known as the Alfven Critical
Surface, marks the end of the solar atmosphere
and beginning of the solar wind.
▪ Solar material with the energy to make it
across that boundary becomes the Solar Wind,
which drags the magnetic field of the Sun with
it as it races across the solar system, to Earth
and beyond.
▪ Importantly, beyond the Alfven critical
surface, the solar wind moves so fast that
waves within the wind cannot ever travel fast
enough to make it back to the Sun – severing
their connection.
Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV):
▪ The development of the Indian Space Research
Organisation’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle
(SSLV) is in the final stages, and the first
developmental flight is planned for the first
quarter of 2022, Union Minister of State
Jitendra Singh informed Parliament.
▪ Mr. Singh said ISRO had signed six
Agreements with four countries for launching
foreign satellites between 2021 and 2023.
▪ He said €132 million would be earned through
the launch of these satellites.
▪ Since 1999, 342 satellites of 34 countries have
been successfully launched on India’s Polar
Satellite Launch Vehicle on a commercial
basis, he said.
▪ India has earned a foreign exchange revenue
of $35 million and €10 million during 2019-21
through satellite launches.
 SCIENCE | 93

Japanese Billionaire Launched to the

International Space Station:
▪ Yusaku Maezawa, a Japanese billionaire was
launched to the international space station
by Russian space agency, ROSCOSMOS on
December 8 in a Soyuz Spacecraft.
▪ He has returned to earth after spending 12
Days on the International Space Station.
▪ The landing completed a successful test run for
his 2023 flight to the Moon with Elon Musk’s
SpaceX.
 6. NATIONAL –
DIARY OF EVENT
Leadership Forum on Financial
Technology (FinTech):
▪ Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi
inaugurated Infinity Forum, a thought
leadership Forum on FinTech through video
conference on December 3,2021.
▪ It will bring together business leaders,
policymakers and leading minds to find
solutions in the fintech field for inclusive
Growth.
▪ The agenda of the forum will focus on the
theme of 'Beyond'.
▪ It will have various sub-themes including
9 FinTech beyond boundaries, with Governments
and businesses focusing beyond the
geographical boundaries in the development of
global stack to promote financial inclusiveness,
9 FinTech beyond Finance, by having
convergence with emerging areas such as
SpaceTech, among others.
▪ Representatives of more than 70 countries are
expected to take part in the forum.
▪ Prime Minister said that
9 The history of currency shows tremendous
Evolution.
9 Last year, in India, mobile payments exceeded
ATM cash withdrawals for the first time.
9 Fully digital banks, without any physical
branch offices, are already a reality and may
become commonplace in less than a decade.
9 India has proved to the world that it is
second to none when it comes to adopting
technology or innovating around it.
9 Transformational initiatives under Digital
India have opened doors for innovative Fintech
solutions to be applied in Governance.
▪ The Prime Minister emphasized that now it
is time to convert these fintech initiatives into
a fintech revolution. “A revolution that helps
to achieve financial empowerment of every
single citizen of the country”.
▪ The University Grant Commission (UGC) has
asked universities and colleges to encourage
participation in the event.
Extension of Jurisdiction of Border
Security Force:
▪ The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) released
a notification for enhancing the jurisdiction of
the Border Security Force.
▪ Government of West Bengal and Government
of Punjab have expressed their apprehension
that such a move encroaches upon the powers
of the State Government.
▪ The two States had opposed the move, saying
it was an attack on federalism, as Police is a
‘State’ subject.
▪ The reply stated that the Centre amended a
2014 notification and extended the jurisdiction
of the BSF in certain States, including Punjab,
vide a notification on October 11.
▪ Their apprehension is ill-founded. The
extension of territorial jurisdiction of BSF
would result in better and more effective
control on transborder crimes in conjunction
and cooperation with State Police.
Conclave on ‘Positioning India in the
New World Order’:
▪ The Madras Management Association (MMA)
along with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
(KAS) and the Observer Research Foundation
organized a Conclave on ‘Positioning India
in the New World Order’ in Chennai.
▪ M.K. Narayanan, former National Security
Advisor, suggested that India must regain its
moral leadership and revive the Non-Aligned
movement.

▪ “India should not flinch in biting the bullet in
dealing with China and Pakistan,” he said.
▪ The Country must reopen communications
with Pakistan and revitalize its relations with
Russia.
▪ Pointing out that the United States is a key
factor in India’s foreign policy, he said the
U.S. could now undermine India’s Strategic
Autonomy.
Chennai Mumbai Express turns 100:
▪ The Chennai division of the Southern Railway
celebrated the centenary of the Chennai-
Mumbai Superfast Express train service.
▪ The popular express train had its maiden
journey on December 1, 1921, and was run as
Madras Bombay fast passenger train.
▪ The passenger train was later converted into
an express service on March 1, 1930, and was
made into a superfast service on July 1 last
year.
▪ The superfast express service, covering
1,284 km, passes through Pune, Solapur,
Yadgar, Raichur, Cuddappah, Renigunta and
Arakkonam.
India joins G20’s Troika with
Indonesia and Italy:
▪ India joined the G20 ‘Troika’.
▪ India will assume the G20 presidency on
December 1, 2022 from Indonesia, and will
convene the G20 Leaders’ Summit for the First
time in India in 2023.
▪ Italy hosted the G20 summit during October
30-31, that was attended by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi where India had raised the
issue of Afghanistan’s future following the
takeover by the Taliban.
▪ Indonesia took over the G20 presidency on
December 1,2021.
▪ In the coming months, Indonesia will hold
rounds of discussion at various levels among
the members of the G20 before convening the
G20 Leaders’ Summit scheduled for October
30-31, 2022.
▪ Next year’s summit will be organized along
the overall theme of “Recover Together,
Recover Stronger”.
NATIONAL – DIARY OF EVENT | 95
What is Troika?
▪ Troika refers to the top grouping within the
G20 that consists of the current, previous and
the incoming Presidencies — Indonesia, Italy
and India.
About G-20 Nations:
▪ At the 2009 Pittsburgh Summit, the Heads
of State and Government decided to
institutionalize the G20 as the main forum for
Global economic and financial cooperation.
▪ Formation: 26 September 1999.
▪ The first official meeting of the G20 was held
in Berlin in December that same year.
▪ The G20 is the international forum that brings
together the world’s major economies. Its
members account for more than 80% of world
GDP, 75% of global trade and 60% of the
population of the planet.
▪ The forum has met every year since 1999 and
includes, since 2008, a yearly Summit, with the
participation of the respective Heads of State
and Government.
▪ The G20 members are: Argentina, Australia,
Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany,
Japan, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Russia,
South Africa, Saudi Arabia, South Korea,
Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United
States, and the European Union. Spain is also
invited as a permanent guest.
June 2023 Deadline for
Smart Cities:
▪ The deadline for completing projects under the
Smart Cities Mission (SCM) was extended
for all 100 participating cities to June 2023 due
to the delays caused by COVID19 and based
on a NITI Aayog recommendation in August,
according to Housing and Urban Affairs
Ministry.
▪ Though announced in 2015, the SCM was
conducted as a competition with cities being
selected from 2016 to 2018.
▪ The cities were given five years to complete the
projects under the mission, with the first set of
Smart Cities expected to complete in 2021, but
a midterm evaluation found that further work
needed to be done to complete the projects.
96 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
ZyCoV-D to be launched in Seven
States:
▪ Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan asked
seven States to identify high priority districts
where the three dose ZyCoVD vaccine could
be launched initially.
▪ Following a review meeting with States,
Mr. Bhushan stated that Bihar, Jharkhand,
Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar
Pradesh and West Bengal, will identify the
districts with high numbers of people who have
not received the first dose, for introduction of
ZyCoVD.
▪ The Health Ministry said in a release that
National Training for Administration of
ZyCoVD has been completed.
▪ Also, the selected States have been asked to
plan sessions based on pharmajet injectors and
identify vaccinators for training. Unlike some
vaccines, ZyCoVD needs a special applicator
for administration.
DigiYatra Policy:
▪ After a delay of three years, from March 2022,
passengers will be able to use a face scan as
their boarding pass at four airports in the
country.
▪ Airports at Varanasi, Pune, Kolkata and
Vijaywada will be the first to rollout the
facial recognition technology based biometric
boarding system, and the service will go live
from March 2022.
▪ The Airports Authority of India has
engaged NEC Corporation Private Ltd. for
implementing the technology as part of the
DigiYatra Policy, which seeks to promote
paperless air travel and a seamless journey
from entering an airport till boarding a plane.
▪ The policy was unveiled in October 2018, and
as per the original plan, the rollout of the facial
recognition technology was scheduled for
April 2019.
Army to have New Combat Uniform:
▪ The Army is set to introduce a new Combat
Uniform for its rank and file, which will
be showcased at the Army Day parade on
January 15.
▪ The new camouflage of digital pattern will be
lighter, more climate friendly and suitable for
the varied terrain the Army operates in.
▪ To commemorate the 50 years of the Liberation
War of Bangladesh, the Army’s marching
contingents would also be showcasing
uniforms and weapons of earlier wars.
Nine Nuclear Reactors in India by 2024
▪ The nation will have nine nuclear reactors by
2024 and a new nuclear project, the first in
northern India, will come up 150 kms away
from Delhi in Gorakhpur of Haryana, the
Government informed the Rajya Sabha.
▪ Minister of State for Personnel, Public
Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh said,
"By 2024 you will have nine nuclear reactors
plus 12 new additional ones which were
approved during the Covid times with a
capacity of 9000 MW. Five new sites are also
being identified," in different parts of the
Country.
▪ The minister also informed that earlier, most
of our nuclear projects were with the support
of Russia and France and now more and more
of our reactors are becoming indigenous.
Defence Industrial Corridors (DICs) in
India:
▪ In the General Budget 2018-19, Central
Government announced setting up of two
Defence Industrial Corridors (DICs) in the
Country.
▪ In pursuance of the said announcement, it
was further decided to set up one of these
Corridors in Uttar Pradesh (UP) and another
in Tamilnadu (TN).
▪ Subsequently, Six nodes for Uttar Pradesh
Defence Industrial Corridor (UPDIC),
namely
9 Aligarh, Agra, Chitrakoot, Jhansi, Kanpur and
Lucknow were identified.
▪ Five nodes for Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial
Corridor (TNDIC), namely
9 Chennai, Coimbatore, Hosur, Salem and
Tiruchirappalli were identified.

▪ Defence Industrial Corridors (DICs) are
aimed at providing fillip to the defence
manufacturing ecosystem in both States and
attract investment worth Rs. 10,000 Crore in
each of the DICs by the year 2024-25.
▪ The respective State Governments provide
necessary lands, connectivity and basic
infrastructure for the DIC.
▪ Subsequently, Government of India
has received proposals from eight State
Governments, including Telangana for setting
up of Defence Industrial Corridors (DICs) in
their States.
▪ No proposal has been received from the State
of Andhra Pradesh.
Asia’s Biggest Elevated Wildlife
Corridor:
▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed
the public meeting in Uttarakhand after
the inauguration and foundation laying of
18 projects including the ₹8600crore Delhi
Dehradun Economic Corridor, Asia’s biggest
elevated wildlife corridor of 12 km and a new
bridge to cross river Ganga as an alternative to
Rishikesh’s iconic Lakshman Jhoola.
About Delhi-Dehradun Economic corridor:
▪ Delhi-Dehradun economic corridor will
enhance road connectivity and provide clean
Drinking water to the people of Uttarakhand.
▪ The Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor
(from Eastern Peripheral Expressway Junction
to Dehradun) is being built.
▪ The Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor will
have arrangements for rainwater harvesting
at intervals of 500 meters and over 400 water
recharge points.
▪ The Greenfield alignment project from Delhi-
Dehradun Economic Corridor connecting
Halgoa, Saharanpur to Bhadrabad, Haridwar
will be constructed at a cost of over Rs 2000
crore.
▪ The highway will have seven major
interchanges, connecting Haridwar,
Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Yamunanagar,
Baghpat, Meerut, and Baraut.
NATIONAL – DIARY OF EVENT | 97
▪ The Corridor will provide seamless
connectivity and reduce travel time from Delhi
to Haridwar as well.
India to supply 20% more Power to
Bangladesh:
▪ India will supply 20 percent more power to
Bangladesh as the two countries renewed the
contract for another five years.
▪ Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited
(TSECL) will supply 192 mw power to
Bangladesh, an increase from the earlier 160
mw it supplied, as per the renewed Agreement.
▪ India and Bangladesh inked an agreement
on January 11, 2010 for power trading at a
mutually agreed price. The agreement had
expired on March 16, 2021.
▪ TSECL MD MS Kele and NTPC Vidyut Vyapar
Nigam Ltd CEO Praveen Saxena represented
India and signed the renewal agreement
in Dhaka on December 2. Bangladesh was
represented by its Power Secretary and
Director of Bangladesh Power Development
Board (BPDB).
Museum of Prime Ministers:
▪ The personal effects of former Prime Minister
Morarji Desai that will make their way to
the Museum of Prime Ministers set to be
inaugurated are, a copy of the Bhagavad Gita,
a Parker pen, a Gandhi Topi (cap) and a Tulsi
Mala.
▪ Bharat Ratna (1991) and the Nishan e Pakistan
(1988) [the highest civilian award of Pakistan]
awarded to Morarji are all with the Gujarat
Vidyapeeth.
▪ The Museum, under the Ministry of Culture,
will be 10,975 sq km in size and digital and
virtual reality displays will also be there
alongside physical display of personal effects
and photographs of former Prime Ministers.
▪ Space for future Prime Ministers has also been
kept aside, while the museum dedicated to the
first Prime Minister, Jawahar Lal Nehru, will
remain in the Nehru Memorial Museum and
Library (New Delhi) premises as before.
98 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
About Gujarat Vidyapeeth/Vidyapith:
▪ "Vidyapith," in many languages of India,
means University.
▪ The Gujarat Vidyapith is a university that was
founded on 18 October 1920 as a 'Rashtriya
Vidyapith' ('National University') by Mahatma
Gandhi, who would serve throughout his life
as the kulpati (chancellor).
▪ Its purpose was to promote educational
institutions run by Indians for Indians outside
the financial and governing control of British
authorities.
▪ Its foundation was one of the important events
of an initiative Satyagraha launched by Gandhi
as a means to peacefully terminate British rule
in India.
▪ The Gujarat Vidyapith became a 'deemed
university' in 1963. It is funded and governed
by the University Grants Commission, under
the Union Ministry for Human Resources
Development in New Delhi.
About Morarji Desai:
▪ Morarji Ranchhodji Desai (29 February 1896
– 10 April 1995) was an Indian independence
activist and politician who served as the Prime
Minister of India between 1977 and 1979
leading the government formed by the Janata
Party.
▪ During his long career in politics, he held
many important posts in government such
as Chief Minister of Bombay State, Home
Minister, Finance Minister and 2nd Deputy
Prime Minister of India.
▪ He resigned from the Congress during the
split of 1969, and joined the INC (O). After the
controversial emergency was lifted in 1977,
the political parties of the opposition fought
together against the
▪ Congress, under the umbrella of the Janata
Party, and won the 1977 election. Desai was
elected Prime Minister, and became the first
non-Congress Prime Minister of India.
▪ Desai holds international fame for his peace
activism and created efforts to initiate peace
between two rival South Asian states, Pakistan
and India.
Measures to Simplify Justice
Delivery System:
▪ Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju
said the Centre is taking various measures
to simplify the justice delivery system in the
country.
▪ Addressing a One-Day Legal-Cum-Medical
Literacy Camp organised by the district
legal services authority in Pithoragarh,
Uttarakhand, Mr. Rijiju said,
9 A large number of PARALEGAL Volunteers
(PLV) has been appointed by his ministry to
create necessary awareness among people
so that they can take advantage of free legal
camps to get speedy justice.
9 The Union Government is also working to ease
the process of law to release those who are in
jails for long due to non-hearing of their cases.
9 Besides providing legal aid to rural people, the
PLVs are also making them aware of free legal
aid schemes of the Government.
Wayanad completes E-Office
Project:
▪ Wayanad has become the first district in the
country to complete the e-office project in all
revenue offices.
▪ The district administration has connected all
revenue offices, including the collectorate,
sub collector office, three taluk offices, and 49
village offices through e-office software.
National Family Health Survey (NFHS)5:
▪ The National Family Health Survey (NFHS)5
shows negligible gains in nutritional outcomes
among under-five children.
▪ According to NFHS-5, 35.5% of under-five
children are stunted and 19.3% are wasted.
▪ Childhood anaemia has worsened from
NFHS4. Anaemia among adolescent girls and
women aged 15-49 has also worsened
▪ Though institutional delivery has gone up,
early initiation of breastfeeding is static.

Government of India inked Two Loan
Agreements with ADB:
▪ The government has inked two loan
agreements of Rs 2074 crore with Asian
Development Bank (ADB) for an affordable
Housing Project in Tamil Nadu and a Water
Sanitation Programme in Uttarakhand.
▪ The government and the ADB signed a USD
150 million (around Rs 1,132 crore) loan
agreement to provide access to inclusive,
resilient, and sustainable housing for the
urban poor in the state of Tamil Nadu.
▪ Separately, a USD 125 million (around Rs
942 crore) loan was inked to improve access
to safe and affordable drinking water supply
and citywide inclusive sanitation services in
Dehradun and Nainital cities in Uttarakhand.
▪ The affordable housing project is aligned
with the government's development priorities
and policies on urban sector development,
particularly the flagship programme PMAY-
Housing for All (Urban).
▪ Rapid urbanization and growth in Tamil Nadu
have created a housing shortfall particularly
for low-income households.
▪ Through the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat
Development Board, the project will construct
housing units in nine different locations and
relocate about 6,000 households vulnerable
to natural hazards to safer locations among
others.
About Asian Development Bank:
▪ ADB is a regional development bank
established on 19th December 1966.
▪ ADB now has 68 members, 49 from within
Asia.
▪ As of 31 December 2019, ADB’s five largest
shareholders are Japan and the United States
(each with 15.6% of total shares), the People’s
Republic of China (6.4%), India (6.3%) and
Australia (5.8%).
▪ It aims to promote social and economic
development in Asia.
▪ ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous,
inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and
the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to
eradicate extreme poverty.
NATIONAL – DIARY OF EVENT | 99
▪ ADB is headquartered in Manila, Philippines.
▪ President: Masatsugu Asakawa (from 17
January 2020).
Glasgow Summit on Climate Change:
▪ “The Glasgow agreement was not accepted
by the Central government as the use of forest
and land has been finalized in conjunction
with trade”, said Union Minister Ashwini
Kumar Chaubey.
▪ According to the National Forest Policy of
1988, the goal is to increase forest cover by
one-third of the area.
▪ He also said that the forest area in India has
increased by 24.56 per cent.
▪ According to the Dehradun Indian Wildlife
Survey, 8,07,276 sq km is covered by forest in
India, which shows 24.56 per cent increase.
Nutrition Mission: States used only 56%
of funds in last three years:
▪ State and Union Territory Governments have
used only 56% of the total funds released under
the Poshan Abhiyan or Nutrition Mission in
the past three years.
▪ Out of a total of ₹5,312 crore disbursed by the
center between fiscal years 2019 to 2021, ₹2985
crore was used, Minister of Women and Child
Development Smriti Irani told Rajya Sabha in
response to a question.
▪ The five states and territories with the lowest
use were Arunachal Pradesh (25.14%),
Puducherry (28.03%), Ladakh (31.2%), Punjab
(33.62%) and Uttar Pradesh (33.73%).
▪ West Bengal, which refused to adopt Bhushan
Abhiyan, was allocated Rs 267 crore in the past
three years but continued to be unused.
▪ The five states and the United Nations that
used the most funds were Nagaland (98.34%),
Meghalaya (98.14%), Mizoram (94.22%),
Sikkim (93.13%), Dadra and Nagar Haveli
(88.2%).
▪ Poshan Abhiyan was launched in March 2018
and aims to reduce the problems of stunting,
underweight and low birth weight by 2%
annually; and anemia among young children,
adolescents and women by 3% annually
through 2022.
100 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ Tamil Nadu has been allocated Rs. 259.31 crore
between fiscal years 2019 to 2021.
Indian Air Force Helicopter Crashed-
CDS Bipin Rawat Dead:
▪ Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin
Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, an Army
Brigadier, and 10 others were killed when
an Indian Air Force helicopter carrying them
crashed into a heavily wooded area of the
Coonoor ghat in the Nilgiris in western Tamil
Nadu.
▪ The Russian made MI17V5 is a “very reliable”
chopper widely used for high altitude
operations and rescue missions, according to
defence sources.
About Bipin Rawat:
▪ General Bipin Rawat took over as the first
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) on 1 January 2020
and held it until his death on 8 December 2021.
Prior to taking over as the CDS, he served as
57th and last Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff
Committee as well as 26th Chief of Army Staff
of the Indian Army.
▪ He assumed the post of Vice Chief of Army
Staff on 1 September 2016.
▪ He took office of Chief of Army Staff as the 27th
COAS on 31 December 2016, after retirement
of General Dalbir Singh Suhag.
About CDS:
▪ The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the
Indian Armed Forces is the military head and
chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee of
the Indian Armed Forces.
▪ The CDS is the senior-most and highest-
ranking uniformed officer on active duty
in the Indian military, and is the principal
staff officer and chief military adviser to the
Minister of Defence.
▪ The Chief also heads the Department of
Military Affairs.
U.P. tops the list in Rights Violation
Cases:
▪ Around 40% of human rights violation cases
lodged annually by the National Human
Rights Commission (NHRC) in the past three
financial years till this October 31 were from
Uttar Pradesh, according to data provided
by the Ministry of Home Affairs to the Rajya
Sabha.
Cabinet nod for Ken-Betwa Project:
▪ The Union Cabinet approved the funding
and implementation of the Ken-Betwa River
interlinking project at a cost of ₹44,605 crore at
the 2020-21 price level.
▪ The project involves transferring of water
from the Ken River to the Betwa river through
the construction of Daudhan dam and a
canal linking the two rivers, the Lower Orr
Project, Kotha Barrage and the Bina Complex
Multipurpose Project.
▪ The project will be of immense benefit to the
water starved Bundelkhand region, spread
across Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
▪ The project will partly submerge the Panna
Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh and affect
the habitat of vultures and jackals.
▪ After years of protests, it was finally cleared
by the apex wildlife regulator, the National
Board for Wildlife, in 2016.
University Grants Commission (UGC)
urges Universities to raise Awareness
of Millets:
▪ General Assembly adopted a resolution,
sponsored by India and supported by more
than 70 countries, declaring 2023 as the
International Year of Millets.
▪ UGC urges universities to raise awareness
of grain benefits to celebrate 2023 as the
International Year of Millet.
▪ The aim is to create awareness and inspire all
stakeholders to work towards improving the
production and productivity of the climate-
resilient and nutritious millets across the
Globe, says UGC.
Tamil Nadu CM demands withdrawal of
Electricity Amendment Bill, 2021:
▪ Chief Minister M.K. Stalin wrote to Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his
urgent intervention to defer the proposed
amendments to the Electricity Act, 2003 as they
had “far reaching detrimental implications for
the State Discoms”.

▪ He said the amendments to the Bill propose to
delicense the distribution sector of electricity
by introducing the concept of ‘Distribution
Company’ and the deemed registration of any
such company after 60 days of application.
“This step will give unbridled access to private
players to supply power to select consumers
and enable them to use the already laid out
distribution network of the public sector
power companies.
▪ While the State PSUs carry the burden of
investment in such networks, these private
companies are being allowed to use the same
without any investment or any responsibility
to maintain them.
▪ Mr. Stalin asked the Prime Minister to
withdraw the Electricity (Amendment) Bill,
2021 and allow the State-owned distribution
licensees to continue to supply quality power
at affordable rates to the people.
Sports topped India’s Google searches
in 2021:
▪ Sports, COVID19 and farmers’ protest were
among the top topics that Indian users looked
for and talked about on social media in 2021.
▪ While Indian Premier League (IPL) and
ICC T20 World Cup filled the top spots in
the overall list of queries on Google search,
‘#Covid19’ and ‘#Farmers Protest’ were the
most tweeted hashtags on Twitter.
▪ IPL, which had topped the trending query list
last year as well, was followed by CoWIN, ICC
T20 World Cup, Euro Cup, Tokyo Olympics
and COVID Vaccine in the top trending query
list on search engine Google.
▪ 2021 also witnessed a strong interest in
regional cinema, with Tamil film Jai Bhim
securing the top spot on the movies list.
On Twitter, Australian cricketer Pat Cummins’s
tweet about his donation to COVID19 relief
in India was the most retweeted tweet of the
year in the country, while Indian cricketer
Virat Kohli’s tweet announcing the birth of his
daughter was the most liked tweet.
NATIONAL – DIARY OF EVENT | 101
Tri-Service Enquiry about the Crash of
MI17:
▪ Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin
Rawat, wife and 11 defence personnel who
were killed in the MI17V5 helicopter crash in
Tamil Nadu.
▪ The Defence Minister told the Parliament
that, the Indian Air Force (IAF) had ordered
a tri service inquiry headed by Air Marshal
Manvendra Singh, Air Officer Commanding
in Chief, Training Command, to investigate
the crash.
75 years of Constituent Assembly’s First
Meeting:
▪ Noting that the Constituent Assembly met for
the first time on December 9 75 years ago, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi urged youngsters to
know more about this gathering’s proceedings
and the eminent stalwarts who were a part of
it, saying doing so would be an intellectually
enriching Experience.
▪ The Constituent Assembly met for the first
time on December 9, 1946, reassembling on
August 14, 1947 as a sovereign body.
About Constituent Assembly:
▪ The Constituent Assembly of India was elected
to write the Constitution of India, and served
as its first Parliament as an independent
nation.
▪ It was set up as a result of negotiations between
the leaders of the Indian independence
movement and members of the British Cabinet
Mission.
▪ The Constituent Assembly was elected
indirectly by the members of the Provincial
Legislative assembly, which existed under the
British Raj.
▪ The first sitting of the Constituent Assembly
was presided over by Dr. Sachchidananda
Sinha, who was the eldest member of the
Assembly.
▪ Sinha was introduced and conducted to the
Chair by Acharya Kripalani.
102 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
President calls for a debate on Right to
Climate Justice:
▪ Speaking at the Human Rights Day event
of the National Human Rights Commission
(NHRC), the President Ramnath Kovind said,
9 While the world was waking up to harsh
realities, decisive changes were yet to be made.
9 While non-discrimination was the first
condition for absolute respect for human
dignity, the world was beset with countless
prejudices.
9 The world needed to debate and discuss the
“right to a healthy environment and climate
justice”.
9 We owe it to our children that we save
Mother Nature from the worst effects of
industrialization. The time is running out.
▪ Earlier in the event, NHRC Chairperson Justice
Arun Kumar Mishra (retd.) said tolerance and
inclusion were non-negotiable Human Rights.
▪ Mr. Mishra said it was necessary “to provide
remedy to the victims of unfair economic
structure and business-related human rights
violations”.
Book on ‘Academic Integrity and
Research Quality’:
▪ In a bid to improve the quality of research,
the University Grants Commission (UGC) has
come out with a book on ‘Academic Integrity
and Research Quality’.
▪ The book comprises l6 well-researched articles
covering the basic parameters of ethics.
▪ It is pertinent to mention here that UGC has
taken the initiative of ‘Quality Mandate’ which
emphasizes the importance of promoting high-
quality research and creating new knowledge
by faculty members.
▪ The UGC established a Consortium for
Academic Research and Ethics (CARE) which
is a step towards enhancing research capacity,
nurturing research culture and promoting
academic and research integrity as well as
publication ethics in the Indian Universities
and Colleges.
Helicopter Training School at INS Rajali:
▪ As many as 20 Indian Navy officers were
awarded the prestigious ‘Wings’ by Rear
Admiral Philipose G Pynumootil, Flag Officer,
Commanding Goa Area, and Flag Officer,
Naval Aviation, during a special passing-
out parade to mark the graduation of the 97
Helicopter Conversion Course (HCC) at INS
Rajali.
37% of trains in India being Hauled
by Diesel Locomotives, rest by Electric
Engines:
▪ A daily average of 13,555 trains are Operating
in India currently, and 37% of these are
being hauled by diesel locomotives, Railway
Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
▪ The remaining 63% are hauled by electric
engines, he stated in a written response to a
question in Rajya Sabha.
▪ As per annual statistical statements for the year
2019-20, total diesel and electricity consumed
for running trains were 2,370.55 million litres
and 13,854.73 million KWH respectively,
which work out to 6.49 million litres per day
of diesel and 37.96 million KWH per day of
Electricity.
Translate Literary Works into
Indian Languages:
▪ Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu called for
proactive and concerted efforts to increase the
number of translations of literary classics in
Indian languages.
▪ In this regard, he suggested leveraging
technological advancements in translation
to make the rich heritage of regional Indian
literature accessible to people in their own
mother tongue.
▪ He praised the efforts of institutions such
as Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University in
translating classics such as 'Amuktamalyada'
by Sri Krishnadevaraya into other Indian
languages.
▪ He called for more such efforts from similar
universities to preserve and promote the use
of different languages in India.

BEL’s Week-Long Exhibition:
▪ Defence minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated
Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) week-long
exhibition to showcase its capabilities in both
defence and non-defence segments.
▪ The exhibition by the Centre-owned aerospace
and defence electronics company will take
place from Monday till Sunday (December
19) in adherence with all coronavirus disease
(Covid-19) related protocols.
▪ It is being organised as a part of the Union
Government's Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav,
which is an initiative to commemorate 75 years
of progressive India and its glorious History.
▪ The BEL release also said the week-long
exhibition is a unique opportunity for people
to have a first-hand glimpse of the company's
various iconic and marquee products
manufactured for use by the armed forces.
▪ Rajiv Jain, general manager in-charge, OFT
(Ordnance Factory Trichirapalli) said weapons
needed for exporting to other countries is
also carried out and the ordnance factory
displayed modern defence products and
vintage weapons used in World War II.
About BEL:
▪ Bharat Electronics Limited was founded in
1954 and has transitioned from manufacturing
basic communication equipment to equipment
in fields such as defence communication,
radars, naval Systems among others.
▪ In 2020, BEL was among the top 100 Global
arms-producing and military services
companies, according to the Stockholm
International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Universal Health Coverage:
▪ “Universal Health Coverage Day ,2021” the
theme “Leave No One’s Health Behind: Invest
in Health Systems for All”.
▪ While COVID led to delay in several activities
all over the world, in India, work on Health and
Wellness Centres (HWCs) increased despite
the pandemic. More than 81,000 HWCs have
been operationalized as on date, and the target
of 1.10 lakh HWCs will be completed by end
of March 2022.
NATIONAL – DIARY OF EVENT | 103
▪ “We are moving ahead to meet the goal of
Universal Health Coverage with “Whole of
Society” approach with Sahbhagyata and
Sankalp”.
Khadi-denim by US based
Patagonia:
▪ One of the America’s leading fashion brand,
Patagonia, has purchased nearly 30,000 meters
of Khadi Denim Fabric worth INR 1.08 crore
from Arvind Mills in Gujarat for making
Denim apparels.
▪ In July 2017, Khadi and Village Industries
Commission (KVIC) signed an agreement with
Arvind mills Limited, Ahmadabad, to trade
Khadi Denim products around the world.
▪ Since then, Arvind Mills has been purchasing
a large quantity of Khadi Denim fabric every
year from KVIC-certified Khadi institutions of
Gujarat.
▪ Khadi Denim is the only handcrafted Denim
fabric in the world which has gained wide
popularity in the country and abroad.
▪ Khadi Denim is increasingly being used by
leading fashion brands owing to the superior
quality, comfort, organic and eco-friendly
qualities of the fabric. Khadi Denim is an apt
example of ‘Local to Global’ as envisaged by
the PM.
Kashi Vishwanath Corridor:
▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated
the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor that connects
the Kashi Vishwanath temple to the banks
of the river Ganga, terming it a “symbol of
Sanatan culture of India”.
Central Asian leaders invited for R-Day:
▪ India is awaiting responses from leaders
of five Central Asian Nations (Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and
Uzbekistan) to an invitation to attend as chief
Guests of Republic Day.
▪ If they accept, this will be the first time all
five countries will attend the Republic Day
parade together, though Kazakhstan’s former
President Nursultan Nazarbayez was the chief
guest in 2009.
104 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ Diplomats said the invitation was part of
India’s reach out to the former Soviet States,
that intensified since 2015, when Prime
Minister Narendra Modi visited all five
capitals.
▪ India joined the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO) in 2017, which all Central
Asian States other than Turkmenistan are
Members.
▪ The India Central Asia dialogue was launched
in 2019, and in July this year, Mr. Jaishankar
attended the Central Asia South Asia
Connectivity Conference.
▪ Maritime connectivity: “The invitation is also
a signal that India wants to increase its links
to the region, where land connectivity has
been difficult due to Pakistan’s [obstructive]
Position.
▪ Mr. Modi invited SAARC and BIMSTEC
Group leaders to his swearing in ceremonies
in 2014 and 2019 respectively, and invited 10
leaders of the ASEAN as Republic Day Guests
in 2018.
India lays emphasis on UNCLOS:
▪ India remained committed to promoting a
free, open and rules-based order rooted in
international law and undaunted by coercion,
the Centre informed Parliament while
reiterating support for the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
▪ Government of India is committed to
safeguarding maritime interests and
strengthening security in the Indian Ocean
Region (IOR) to ensure a favorable and
positive Maritime Environment.
▪ India also supported freedom of navigation
and overflight, and unimpeded commerce
based on the principles of international law,
reflected notably in the UNCLOS 1982.
▪ India developed its maritime cooperation
with regional partners in consonance with the
Government’s vision of Security and Growth
for All in the Region (SAGAR).
▪ Joint Exercises: In addition, India proactively
engaged with regional and extra regional
maritime forces through multilateral exercises,
joint surveillance, coordinated patrols among
others to promote maritime security in the
region in an inclusive and cooperative manner.
About United Nations Convention on the Law
of the Sea (UNCLOS):
▪ The United Nations Convention on the Law of
the Sea (UNCLOS), also called the Law of the
Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea Treaty,
is an international agreement that establishes
a legal framework for all marine and maritime
activities.
▪ As of June 2016, 167 countries and the
European Union are parties. This agreement
was signed on 10 December 1982.
▪ UNCLOS came into force in 16 November
1994, a year after Guyana became the 60th
nation to ratify the treaty.
Self-Reliant India Employment Scheme
(ABRY Scheme)
▪ Maharashtra has topped the list of states with
maximum number of beneficiaries under the
Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY),
followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.
▪ As on December 4, 2021, as many as 6,49,560
beneficiaries were recorded in Maharashtra,
followed by Tamil Nadu (5,35,615), Gujarat
(4,44,741) and Karnataka (3,07,164), Minister
of State for Labour & Employment Rameswar
Teli said in written reply to Lok Sabha.
About ABRY Scheme:
▪ It was launched in November 2020 under
the Minstry of Labour & Employment to
boost employment in the formal sector and
incentivize creation of New Employment
opportunities during the Covid-19 recovery
phase under Atmanirbhar Bharat Package 3.0.
Cabinet approves 76,000 crore Push for
Semiconductor Makers:
▪ The Union Cabinet approved a scheme to boost
semi-conductor and display manufacturing
in the country, taking the total amount of
incentives announced for the Electronics
sector to 2.3 lakh crore.
▪ The Comprehensive Program for the
“Development of Sustainable Semi-conductor
and Display Ecosystem in the Country”
was aimed at making India a Global

hub of Electronic System Design and
Manufacturing.
▪ The Scheme would provide fiscal support of
up to 50% of the project cost for setting up
semiconductor and display fabrication units.
▪ The Union government will work with the
States to set up high-tech clusters with the
required infrastructure such as land and semi-
conductor-grade water.
▪ In order to drive the long-term strategies for
a sustainable semiconductors and display
ecosystem, a specialized and independent
‘India Semiconductor Mission’ will be set up.
▪ Semiconductor designers would be given
the opportunity to begin start-ups. The
Government would bear 50% of the expense
under the design-linked incentive scheme.
▪ The entire Programme would lead to
35,000 high-quality direct jobs and indirect
employment for 1 lakh persons.
Cabinet approves Incentive Scheme to
Promote Digital Transactions:
▪ In a big boost to digital payments, the Union
Cabinet approved a Rs 1300-crore incentive
scheme to promote transactions made via UPI
and Rupay debit cards.
▪ Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
said that the Government will reimburse
transaction charges levied on digital payments
made by persons to the merchant as part of the
Merchant Discount Rate (MDR).
▪ The scheme will cover reimbursement on
digital transactions of up to Rs 2,000, using
Rupay debit cards and BHIM-UPI.
▪ Under the scheme, the acquiring banks will
be incentivized by the Government, by way of
paying a percentage of the value of transactions
(P2M) done through RuPay Debit cards and
low-value BHIM-UPI modes of payments, for
a period of one-year W.E.F. April 01, 2021.
Nuclear Power Capacity Grew Over 40%
in the last Seven Years:
▪ Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said, in the
last seven years, the installed nuclear power
capacity grew from 4780 MW to 6780 MW, an
increase of over 40%.
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▪ India is pursuing an indigenous three-
stage Nuclear Power Program to provide
the Country long term energy security in a
sustainable manner.
▪ Light Water Reactors based on foreign
cooperation are also being set up as additional
facilities to provide the Country Clean
Electricity.
▪ Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP)
3&4 (2X1000 MW) project implemented by
Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited
(NPCIL) has achieved a physical progress of
54.96% as of November, 2021.
9 The units of KKNPP 3 & 4 project are expected
to be completed by March 2023 & November
2023 respectively.
▪ Fast Reactor Fuel Cycle Facility (FRFCF)
project is presently being executed by Nuclear
Recycle Board, Bhabha Atomic Research
Centre, Department of Atomic Energy.
▪ Financial progress of the project as on 30th
November 2021 is 32% and the Project is
expected to be completed by December 2027.
Cabinet approves Treaty between India and
Poland:
▪ The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime
Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved
the Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in
Criminal Matters between the Government
of the Republic of India and the Republic of
Poland.
▪ The Treaty aims to enhance effectiveness
of both the countries in investigation and
prosecution of crime, through cooperation and
mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.
▪ In the context of transnational crime and its
linkages to terrorism, the proposed Treaty will
provide a broad legal framework for bilateral
cooperation with Poland in investigation and
prosecution of crime as well as in tracing,
restrain and confiscation of proceeds and
instruments of crime as well as the funds
meant to finance terrorist acts.
▪ It will increase effectiveness of India in tackling
criminal activities involving Poland.
106 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
Science based shift to Natural Farming
is the need of the hour: Modi
▪ Virtually addressing a Conclave on Natural
Farming in Gujarat, Mr. Modi urged farmers to
replace the chemical fertilizers and pesticides
that spurred the Green Revolution with
concoctions made with the dung and urine of
indigenous cows, advocating a “completely
science based” shift from Chemistry labs to
nature’s laboratory.
▪ He said small and marginal farmers, who
owned less than two acres and made up 80%
of the country’s farming population, stood
to benefit the most from natural farming
techniques as they were currently forced to
spend large sums on expensive fertilizers.
▪ Calling for a mass movement to promote
natural farming, he said reducing the import
bill on artificial fertilizers was an essential step
to achieve the goal of an Atmanirbhar Bharat
or a self-reliant India.
About PKVY:
▪ Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, was
launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and
Farmers Welfare in 2015. is an elaborated
component of Soil Health Management
(SHM) of major project National Mission of
Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA).
▪ It aims at development of sustainable models
of organic farming through a mix of traditional
wisdom and modern science to ensure
long term soil fertility buildup, resource
conservation and helps in climate change
adaptation and mitigation.
▪ It primarily aims to increase soil fertility and
thereby helps in production of healthy food
through organic practices without the use of
agro-chemicals.
▪ PKVY also aims at empowering farmers
through institutional development through
clusters approach not only in farm practice
management, input production, quality
assurance but also in value addition and direct
marketing through innovative means.
▪ Participatory Guarantee System under PGS-
India Programme will be the key approach for
quality assurances under the PKVY.
▪ The farmers will have option to adopt any
form of organic farming in compliance of PGS-
India standards.
All India Mayors' Conference:
▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate
and address the All-India Mayors’ Conference.
▪ The Conference is being organized by the
Department of Urban Development of Uttar
Pradesh in Varanasi.
▪ The theme/title of the mayors' conference is
'New Urban India'.
▪ PM Modi said that the aim of the conference is
to “share best practices in civic administration
for the benefit of our citizens”.
▪ This forum brings together Mayors from
across India with the aim of sharing best
Practices in civic administration for the benefit
of our Citizens.
Competition Commission of India
(CCI) froze its approval to Amazon’s
investment in a Future Group:
▪ The Competition Commission of India (CCI)
froze its approval given in November 2019
to Amazon’s investment in a Future Group
unit on the grounds that the U.S. ecommerce
company had suppressed the scope and
full details of its investment while seeking
Regulatory approval.
▪ The anti-trust regulator also imposed a penalty
of ₹200 crore on Amazon for failing to notify
the details of its ‘combination’, as required in
law.
About CCI:
▪ The Competition Commission of India (CCI)
is the Chief National Competition regulator in
India.
▪ It is a statutory body within the Ministry
of Corporate Affairs and is responsible for
enforcing the Competition Act, 2002 in order
to promote competition and prevent activities
that have an appreciable adverse Effect on
competition in India.
▪ The commission was established on 14 October
2003. It became fully functional in May 2009
with Dhanendra Kumar as its first Chairman.

▪ CCI consists of a chairperson and 6 Members
appointed by the Central Government.
▪ The current Chair of the CCI is Ashok Kumar
Gupta, who was appointed to the role in 2018.
▪ The CCI looks into cases and investigate it if
the same has negative impact on competition.
▪ CCI also approves combination under the act
so that two merging entities do not overtake
the market.
▪ Its aim is to create and sustain fair competition
in the economy that will provide a ‘level
playing field’ to the producers and make the
markets work for the welfare of the consumers.
The Competition Act:
▪ The Competition Act, 2002, as amended by the
Competition (Amendment) Act, 2007, follows
the philosophy of modern competition laws.
▪ The Act prohibits anti-competitive agreements,
abuse of dominant position by enterprises and
regulates combinations (acquisition, acquiring
of control and M&A), which causes or likely
to cause an appreciable adverse effect on
competition within India.
Three Aircraft Carriers a Must:
▪ Having three aircraft carriers will considerably
enhance combat capabilities of the Navy,
the Parliamentary Standing Committee on
Defence says in its recommendation to the
government while also suggesting that it is
“worthwhile” to priorities investment for the
development of various island territories as
Provisional aircraft carrier.
▪ The Navy has been pushing for a second
Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IACII) based on
its force structure centred on three carriers.
▪ The country’s first IAC (IAC-I), Vikrant,
is currently undergoing sea trials and is
scheduled to be commissioned in August Next
year.
India’s first International Arbitration
and Mediation Centre (IAMC):
▪ Chief Justice of India NV Ramana and
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar
Rao inaugurated India’s first International
Arbitration and Mediation Centre (IAMC) at
Nanakramguda on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
NATIONAL – DIARY OF EVENT | 107
Good Governance Week:
▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the
Government is committed to strengthening
Good governance that is “pro-people” and
guided by “citizen-first” approach.
▪ The Department of Administrative Reforms
and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of
Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
in collaboration with the Ministry of External
Affairs, Department of Promotion of Industry
and Internal Trade, Department of Personnel
and Training, Department of Pensions
and Pensioners’ Welfare and Ministry of
Panchayati Raj and Rural Development is
celebrating good governance week from
December 20-25 as part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit
Mahotsav’ celebration.
▪ The theme of the Good Governance week
(sushasan saptah) is “prashasan gaon ki
aur” under which, a campaign for redressal
of public grievances and improving service
delivery will be held in all districts, states, and
Union Territories.
▪ On December 23, the Department of Personnel
and Training will organise a workshop on
the theme – “Mission Karmayogi – The Path
Ahead”.
▪ On December 24, the DARPG will organise
a workshop on “initiative for increasing
efficiency in decision making in central
secretariat” wherein the experiences will be
shared by central ministries/departments.
▪ On December 25, the “Good Governance
Day” would be celebrated.
Goa never forgot its Indianness: Modi
▪ On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of
the liberation of Goa from Portugal in 1961,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated
Development projects in Goa, Operation
Vijay, the military action in 1961 by which
India liberated the territories of Goa, Daman
and Diu from Portuguese rule.
▪ Urging the Goan people to achieve greater
heights by the 75th year of the State’s liberation,
the Prime Minister said the State was giving
strength to the country through its flagship
‘Swayampurna Goa’ programme.
108 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
Southern Railways to be Electrified Fully
by 2023:
▪ Indian Railways is taking a multi-pronged
Approach to go green and decarbonize —
from increasing its sourcing of renewable
energy (RE) to electrifying its traction network
and reducing its Energy Consumption.
▪ The body’s goal is to become a ‘net-zero’
carbon emitter by 2030.
▪ To achieve this, the Southern Railways
committed to Electrify all routes by 2023.
NITI Aayog’s Statement of Intent (SoI)
with World Food Program (WFP):
▪ On 20th December, 2021, NITI Aayog signed
a Statement of Intent (SoI) with United
Nations World Food Program (WFP).
The Statement of Intent (SoI):
▪ It focuses on strategic and technical
collaboration between NITI Aayog and WFP
to strengthen climate resilient agriculture for
enhanced food and nutrition security in India.
▪ It has the objective of mainstreaming of millets
and supporting India to take lead globally in
knowledge exchange using the opportunity of
2023 as an International Year of Millets.
▪ It aims at building resilient livelihoods
for small-holder farmers and adaptation
capacities to climate change and transforming
Food Systems.
About World Food Programme (WFP):
▪ The World Food Programme (WFP) is the
leading humanitarian organization saving
lives and changing lives, delivering food
assistance in emergencies and working with
communities to improve nutrition and build
Resilience.
▪ It was founded in 1961 by the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) and United
Nations General Assembly (UNGA) with its
Headquarters in Rome, Italy.
▪ It is also a member of the United Nations
Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG),
a coalition of UN agencies and organizations
aimed at fulfilling the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs).
▪ The international community has committed
to end hunger, achieve food security and
improve nutrition by 2030.
▪ The WFP assists 88 countries, and has assisted
97 million people (in 2019) which is the largest
number since 2012.
About NITI Aayog (National Institution for
Transforming India):
▪ Planning has been in Indian psyche as our
leaders came under influence of the socialist
clime of erstwhile USSR. Planning commission
served as the planning vehicle for close to six
decades with a focus on Control and command
approach.
▪ Planning Commission was replaced by a new
institution – NITI AAYYOG on January 1, 2015
with emphasis on ‘Bottom –Up’ approach to
envisage the vision of Maximum Governance,
Minimum Government, echoing the spirit of
‘Cooperative Federalism’.
▪ Administrative Skeletal
▪ Chairperson: Prime Minister
▪ Vice-Chairperson: To be appointed by Prime-
Minister
▪ Governing Council: Chief Ministers of all
states and Lt. Governors of Union Territories.
▪ Regional Council: To address specific regional
issues, Comprising Chief Ministers and Lt.
Governors Chaired by Prime Minister or his
nominee.
▪ Adhoc Membership: 2 member in ex-officio
capacity from leading Research institutions on
rotational basis.
▪ Ex-Officio membership: Maximum four from
Union council of ministers to be nominated by
Prime minister.
▪ Chief Executive Officer: Appointed by Prime-
minister for a fixed tenure, in rank of Secretary
to Government of India.
India ranks third among world’s
biggest doping violators in
WADA’s latest report:
▪ The number of offenders has taken India
into the top-three of the world’s biggest
doping violators in a WADA report detailing
the transgressions for the year 2019 with

bodybuilding, weightlifting and athletics
contributing majorly to the country’s
Embarrassing record.
▪ In the latest report published by the World
Anti-Doping Agency, 152 (17% of the world
total) Anti-doping Rule Violations (ADRVs)
were reported in India in 2019, leaving it
third in the list with the maximum dope
offenders coming from bodybuilding (57). ▪ Portal and Logo developed by the Bureau
In 2018, India was placed fourth with 107
ADRVs.
▪ India had gone down to seventh in 2017, with
57 ADRVs.
About World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA):
▪ It was established in 1999 as an international
independent agency composed and funded
equally by the sport movement and
Governments of the world.
▪ Its foundation was initiated by the IOC to
promote, coordinate and monitor the fight
against drugs in sports.
▪ It is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.
India displaces UK to be Third Top
Country Hosting Unicorns:
▪ “India is in the midst of a startup boom, more
than doubling its unicorns to take its official
tally of unicorns to 54 by adding 33 ‘unicorns’
in a single year, and overtake the U.K. to third
place in the world.”
▪ The U.K. added only 15 unicorns to take its
Total to 39, and hence got displaced by India.
▪ The US and China, who occupy the first two
ranks, are way ahead.
9 The US added 254 unicorns and now totals
487 companies in the coveted list, while China
added 74 to take its tally to 301 start-ups.
▪ The Indian unicorns list is led by EdTech start-
up Byju's with a valuation of USD 21 billion
and followed by Inmobi (USD 12 billion),
Oyo (USD 9.5 billion) and Razorpay (USD 7.5
billion).
▪ Bengaluru is home to the Highest Number of
unicorns among Indian cities.
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Portal and Logo dedicated to the
Conformity Assessment Scheme of Milk
Products:
▪ The Prime Minister launches a Portal and
Logo dedicated to the Conformity Assessment
Scheme of milk products, in Varanasi.
▪ The Prime Minister said that Global credibility
of Indian Milk products will increase now.
of Indian Standards (BIS) with the help of
National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
▪ NDDB and BIS have been involved in
certification of Process and Products
respectively.
▪ NDDB has been awarding ‘Quality Mark’ to
the dairy plants of cooperatives adhering to
the Process standards.
▪ BIS has a Product certification Scheme for
manufacturers, including dairy product
Processors which also ensured food safety at
product level allowing licensees to use ‘ISI
Mark’ on their products.
▪ With the initiative of the Department of Animal
Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India,
after extensive stakeholder consultation, a
unified Conformity Assessment Scheme was
chalked out by BIS with the help of NDDB.
▪ This is a novel and first of its kind certification
scheme considering the perishable nature and
short shelf-life of milk and milk products, as
well as the extensive cold-chain involved in
the production and supply of milk and milk
Products.
▪ This has brought ‘Product–Food Safety
Management System–Process’ certification
under one umbrella with a unified logo
featuring the earlier respective logos BIS-ISI
mark & NDDB-Quality Mark and Kamdhenu
Cow.
About NDDB:
▪ The National Dairy Development Board
(NDDB) is a statutory body set up by an Act of
Parliament of India.
▪ It is under the jurisdiction of Ministry of
Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying ,
Government of India.
110 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ The main office is in Anand, Gujarat with
Regional offices throughout the country.
▪ Founded: 16 July, 1965.
▪ Founder: Dr. Verghese Kurien.
About BIS:
▪ The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the
National Standards Body of India under
Department of Consumer affairs, Ministry of
Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution,
Government of India.
▪ It is established by the Bureau of Indian
Standards Act, 2016 which came into effect on
12 October 2017.
▪ Headquarters: New Delhi.
Banas Dairy Sankul:
▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the
Foundation stone of the Banas Dairy Sankul,
a dairy spread across 30 acres with a facility
for processing five lakh litres of milk per day
in Lucknow. India produces about 22% of the
world’s milk, he said.
▪ He also laid the foundation stone for the
biogas-based electricity generation plant for
the Milk Producers Cooperative Union plant
in Ramnagar.
BOB arm, Navy unveil cobranded
Credit Card
▪ BOB Financial Solutions Ltd. (BFSL), a wholly
owned subsidiary of Bank of Baroda (BoB) and
the Indian Navy have introduced a cobranded
credit card for the personnel of the Indian
Navy.
▪ The card will be equipped with contactless
features and offered on the RuPay platform.
Gurpurab celebrations of Guru Nanak
Dev:
▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address
the Gurpurab celebrations of Guru Nanak
Dev, the founder of Sikhism, at Lakhpat
Sahib gurdwara in Kutch, Gujarat via video
conferencing.
▪ Every year from December 23 to December
25, Sikhs in Gujarat celebrate the Gurpurab at
Lakhpat Sahib gurdwara, it said, noting that
the first Sikh guru had stayed at Lakhpat
during the course of his travels.
▪ Lakhpat Sahib gurdwara has his relics,
including wooden footwear and palkhi
(cradle) as well as manuscripts and markings
scripts of Gurmukhi.
About Gurunanak Dev:
▪ Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539) was born in a
village, Talwandi Rai Bhoe, near Lahore (it
was renamed later as Nankana Sahib).
▪ Guru Nanak Dev initiated inter-faith
dialogue way back in the 16th century and
had conversations with most of the religious
denominations of his times. His written
compositions were included in the Adi Granth
compiled by Guru Arjan (1563-1606), the fifth
Sikh guru. This came to be known as Guru
Granth Sahib after the additions made by the
10th Guru Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708).
His idea of equality can be deduced by the
following innovative social institutions, as
given by him:
9 Langar: Collective cooking and sharing of food.
9 Pangat: Partaking food without distinctions of
high and low caste.
9 Sangat: Collective decision making.
▪ Apart from it, forgiveness, patience,
forbearance, and kindness are the core of Guru
Nanak Dev's teachings.
▪ Guru Nanak Dev placed the motto of "kirat
karo, naam japo and vand chhako" (work,
worship and share) before his disciples.
▪ He advocated the concept of “dasvandh” or
donating one-tenth of one’s earning among
needy persons.
▪ The selfless service to mankind known as
“Seva” is central to the teaching of Sikhism.
Bharat Darshan Park to be unveiled:
▪ People in Delhi can catch a glimpse of the
replicas of 21 monuments, including the likes
of Taj Mahal, Victoria Memorial Hall and
Mysore Palace, from across the country at the
Bharat Darshan Park in Punjabi Bagh, which is
set to be inaugurated by Union Home Minister
Amit Shah on December 25.
▪ The 21 replicas also include the likes of Qutub
Minar, Char Minar, Konark Temple, Nalanda

Stupa, Meenakshi Temple, Sanchi Stupa and
Gol Gumbaz.
▪ The senior SDMC official confirmed that no
replica of the Golden Temple was among the
21 replicas present at the park.
About Swadesh Darshan Scheme:
▪ Swadesh Darshan Scheme is a scheme of
Ministry of Tourism under Government of
India.
▪ The scheme aims to promote, develop and
harness the potential of tourism in India.
▪ Launched: 2015
▪ This is a central sector scheme ie 100% funded
by Central Government of India.
▪ The funding available for Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of Central
Public Sector Undertakings and Corporate
Sector is also used in this scheme.
▪ IRCTC announces Bharat Darshan special
tourist train from January 7-19:
▪ The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism
Corporation (IRCTC) has announced a 'Bharat
Darshan' special tourist train which would
enable travellers to learn much about India's
glorious heritage and culture.
▪ The upcoming service of the special tourist
Train is from January 7-19, 2022 and the fare is
Rs 13,000 per person.
Vande Bharat Express:
▪ The Manufacturing of Vande Bharat Express
trains will commence from next year (2022-
2023) said Integral Coach Factory (ICF)
General Manager A.K Agarwal.
About Vande Bharat Express:
▪ The Train18, later named Vande Bharat
Express, was rolled out by the Integral
Coach Factory, Chennai under the Indian
Government’s Make in India initiative.
▪ The service was named 'Vande Bharat Express'
on 27 January 2019.
▪ The train was launched on 15 February 2019.
▪ It was showcased as India’s first semi high-
speed train with an operational efficiency of
160 kmph.
▪ As of Aug 2021, the Indian Railways operates
two Vande Bharat trains, one from Delhi to
NATIONAL – DIARY OF EVENT | 111
Varanasi and the other from Delhi to Katra.
▪ Vande Bharat trains are self-propelled
“engineless” train sets.
▪ Its faster acceleration and deceleration results
in reduced train travel time.
Missionaries of Charity Denied FCRA
Nod:
▪ The Missionaries of Charity is a Catholic (Latin
Church) religious congregation established
in 1950 by Mother Teresa, now known in the
Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta.
▪ The Union Home Ministry said that it had
refused to renew the FCRA registration of
Missionaries of Charity (MoC), a Catholic
religious congregation set up by Nobel
laureate Mother Teresa, as “some adverse
Inputs were noticed”.
▪ The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act
(FCRA) registration is mandatory for any
NGO or association to receive foreign funds or
donations.
▪ The NGO registered in Kolkata has more than
250 bank accounts across the country to utilize
the Foreign Funds.
▪ Some of the biggest donors are Missionaries of
Charity in the U.S. and the U.K. that sent over
₹15 crore for “primary health care, education
assistance, treatment of leprosy patients” and
others.
About Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act
(FCRA), 2010:
▪ Foreign funding of persons in India is regulated
under FCRA Act and is implemented by the
Ministry of Home Affairs.
▪ Individuals are permitted to accept foreign
contributions without permission of MHA.
However, the monetary limit for acceptance
of such foreign contributions shall be less than
Rs. 25,000.
▪ The Act ensures that the recipients of Foreign
contributions adhere to the stated purpose for
which such contribution has been obtained.
▪ Under the Act, organisations are required to
register themselves every five years.
112 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
Foreign Contribution (Regulation
Amendment Act, 2020:
▪ Prohibition to accept Foreign Contribution:
9 The Act bars public servants from receiving
foreign contributions. Public servant
includes any person who is in service or pay
of the government, or remunerated by the
Government for the Performance of any public
duty.
▪ Transfer of Foreign Contribution:
9 The Act prohibits the transfer of foreign
contribution to any other person not registered
to accept foreign contributions.
▪ Aadhaar for Registration:
9 The Act makes Aadhaar number mandatory for
all office bearers, directors or key functionaries
of a person receiving foreign contribution, as
an identification document.
▪ FCRA Account:
9 The Act states that foreign contribution must
be received only in an account designated by
the bank as FCRA account in such branches of
the State Bank of India, New Delhi.
▪ Reduction in use of foreign contribution for
Administrative purposes:
9 The Act proposes that not more than 20% of the
total foreign funds received could be defrayed
for administrative expenses. In FCRA 2010 the
limit was 50%.
▪ Surrender of Certificate:
9 The Act allows the central government to
permit a person to surrender their registration
Certificate.
Flex Fuel Vehicles and Hybrid EVs within
6 Months:
▪ Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari
said on December 27 that he has advised
automobile manufacturers in India to start
making Flex Fuel Vehicles (FFV) and Flex Fuel
Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FFV-SHEV)
in compliance with BS-6 Norms in a time-
bound manner within a period of six Months.
▪ This move, he said, will drastically reduce
Greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles
on a well-to-wheel basis and added that by
drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions
from vehicles, this move will help India
comply with its commitment made at COP26
to reduce the total projected carbon Emissions
by one billion tons by 2030.
▪ The union minister for Road Transport and
Highways has said that this shift will help
substitute India’s petroleum import for fuel
and provide direct benefits to farmers.
▪ In order to accelerate the introduction of Flex
Fuel vehicles, the Production Linked Incentive
(PLI) scheme has included automobile & auto
components and auto components of flex-fuel
engines.
▪ NITI Aayog, after acknowledging the
strong foundation for the Ethanol Blending
programme (EBP), has formulated the road
map for Ethanol blending for the period, 2020-
2025.
What is Flex Fuel vehicle?
▪ An FFV is a modified version of vehicles that
could run both on gasoline and blended petrol
with different levels of Ethanol blends.
▪ These are currently being used successfully in
Brazil giving people the option to switch fuel.
▪ Such flexible fuel vehicles provide opportunity
for increased use of biofuels for Running
vehicles.
Form a Dedicated Anti-Narcotics Task
Force:
▪ The Union government has asked states to
coordinate with central agencies to form a
dedicated anti-narcotics task force under
police chiefs, set up narco-canine squads
and employ drones for surveillance of drug
cultivation among other measures to counter
illicit drug trade in the country.
▪ The directions were made by Union Home
Minister Amit Shah as he chaired the third
meeting of the Apex Level Committee of
Narco Coordination Center (NCORD) in New
Delhi.
▪ The Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD)
was established in November 2016.
▪ Shah directed that all states should form Anti-
Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) under state
police chiefs (DGPs) — which will work as
State NCORD secretariats.

▪ He also gave directions to form a central
NCORD unit under NCB on a national level.
▪ NCORD was given shape by the Government
to boost coordination among drug law
enforcement agencies and other stakeholders,
and provide a platform for discussions on
Drug-trafficking related issues.
▪ The minister reviewed the drugs abuse
Scenario and the mechanism to counter it in
the country during the third top-level meeting
of the narcotics coordination mechanism
NCORD, which has a theme of eradicating
drugs from the country with the objective of
'nasha-mukt Bharat abhiyan' or Drugs-Free
India movement.
About Narcotics Bureau (NCB):
▪ The Narcotics Control Bureau was created on 17
March 1986 to enable the full implementation
of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances Act, 1985 and fight its violation
through the Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances
Act, 1988.
▪ The Narcotics Control Bureau's national
Headquarters is located in Delhi.
▪ The Director General of NCB is an officer of
the Indian Police Service (IPS) or the Indian
Revenue Service (IRS).
▪ Current Director General: Satya Narayan.
▪ NCB is affiliated to Home Ministry, which
was made responsible for administering The
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances
Act, 1985.
▪ The NCB is outside the ambit of the Right to
information Act under Section 24(1) of the RTI
act 2005.
5G Services to roll out in India's Four
Metros:
▪ The Fifth Generation or 5G telecom services
are set to be rolled out in selected cities in
India in 2022.
▪ The cities which are set to get the 5G telecom
services in 2022 include Gurugram, Bangalore,
Kolkata, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Delhi,
Jamnagar, Ahmadabad, Chennai, Hyderabad,
Lucknow, Pune, and Gandhinagar.
NATIONAL – DIARY OF EVENT | 113
▪ The fifth-generation is the latest upgrade in the
long-term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband
networks. While 4G was a great leap forward,
allowing people to stream music and video on
the go, 5G is designed to connect many more
types of devices than smartphones and offers
far higher speed and capacity.
Extend Garima Greh scheme to Entire
LGBTQIA+ community: HC
▪ In a big fillip to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual
and others (LGBTQIA+) community, the
Madras High Court has disapproved of the
practice of Union Ministry of Social Justice
and Empowerment restricting the benefit of
‘Garima Greh’ scheme only to transgenders.
▪ Under the ‘Garima Greh’ scheme, the
transgender persons get a secure living space
and care. The Centre had provided 100%
financial assistance for setting up such shelters
in 12 States including Tamil Nadu.
▪ Basic requirements such as food, counselling,
Medical services and skill development
training would be provided in those shelters.
▪ Stressing the importance of extending the
scheme to entire LGBTQIA+ community, the
judge said: “Only then can it be considered a
wholesome and non-discriminative scheme.
The Ministry has to bear in mind that persons
from LGBTQIA+ community do not have any
support from their family or from the society
at large.”
About Garima Greh:
▪ Garima Greh means Shelter Home for
Transgender People.
▪ Garima Greh Yojana have been launched on
25th November 2020.
▪ It has been opened first in Vadodara, Gujarat
and will be run in association with the Lakshya
Trust, a community-based organisation
entirely run by the transgenders.
▪ The Scheme of ‘Shelter Home for Transgender
Persons’ includes shelter facility, food, clothing,
recreational facilities, skill development
opportunities, yoga, physical fitness, library
facilities, legal support, technical advice for
gender transition and surgeries, capacity
114 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
building of trans-friendly organizations,
employment, etc.
▪ 10 cities have been identified to set up the 13
Shelter Homes.
▪ The cities include Vadodra, New Delhi, Patna,
Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Kolkata, Manipur,
Chennai, Raipur, Mumbai etc.
▪ This scheme will rehabilitate a minimum of
25 transgender persons in each of the houses
which means in one house there will be 25
Transgenders can live.
J&K Real Estate Open to All:
▪ The Centre and the administration of Jammu
and Kashmir decided to throw open real estate
in the Union Territory for “second homes and
summer homes” to all Indian Citizens.
▪ According to an official summit document at
the first J&K Real Estate Conference in Jammu,
the Union Territory has become a promising
yet untapped destination for the next wave
of growth and prosperity. “Under the newly
introduced Jammu and Kashmir Development
Act, the term ‘being permanent resident of the
State’ as a criterion has been ‘omitted’, paving
the way for investors outside Jammu and
Kashmir to invest in the Union Territory.
▪ As a result, any citizen of India can buy non-
agriculture land in Jammu and Kashmir".
Bina-Panki Multiproduct Pipeline
Project:
▪ Prime Minister inaugurated the Bina-Panki
Multiproduct Pipeline Project on December
28. It's a 356 km long project with a capacity of
around 3.45 million metric tonne per annum.
▪ Extending from Bina refinery in Madhya
Pradesh to Panki in Kanpur, the project has
been built at a cost of over ₹1500 crore.
▪ It will help the region access petroleum
products from the Bina refinery.
Kanpur Metro Rail Project:
▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December
28 inaugurated the completed section of
the Kanpur Metro Rail Project, the nine-km
long section from IIT Kanpur to Moti Jheel
completed in a record two years’ time.
Foundation of Self-Reliant India:
▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed
the 54th Convocation Ceremony of the Indian
Institute of Technology-Kanpur and asked the
students to become impatient for a self-reliant
India, follow their passion for technology and
innovation but not become Robots themselves.
▪ The Prime Minister said that initiatives like
Start-up India, Atal Innovation Mission, PM
Research Fellowships and National Education
Policy have been launched in the past seven
years to build the foundation of a self-reliant
India.
▪ The PM remarked that in this 75th year of
independence, India has more than 75 unicorns
and more than 50,000 start-ups, of these, 10,000
have come only in the last six Months.
▪ India has emerged as the second-largest start-
up hub in the world and the third largest
country in Unicorns.
Intel planning Semiconductor
Manufacturing Unit in India:
▪ Chipset maker, Intel, is planning to set up its
semiconductor manufacturing unit in India.
▪ The US-based chipset giant announcement
came in the back drop of recent Union
Cabinet’s decision on semiconductors that
will encourage research and innovation in
the sector and also boost manufacturing,
strengthening the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'
Programme.
▪ The Union Cabinet approved a ₹76,000-crore
policy boost for semiconductor and display
manufacturing ecosystem in the country in
a bid to position India as a global hub for hi-
Tech Production.
▪ The scheme for setting up of semiconductor
Fabs and display fabs in India will extend
Fiscal support of up to 50 per cent of project
cost to Eligible Applicants.
About Semiconductor:
▪ A semiconductor material has an electrical
conductivity value falling between that of a
conductor, such as metallic copper, and an
insulator, such as glass.
▪ Its resistivity falls as its temperature rises;
Metals behave in the opposite way.

▪ Its conducting properties may be altered
in useful ways by introducing impurities
("doping") into the crystal structure.
▪ When two differently doped regions exist in
the same crystal, a semiconductor junction is
created.
▪ The behavior of charge carriers, which include
electrons, ions, and electron holes, at these
junctions is the basis of diodes, transistors, and
most modern electronics.
▪ After silicon, gallium arsenide is the second-
most common semiconductor and is used in
laser diodes, solar cells, microwave-Frequency
integrated Circuits, and others.
▪ Silicon is a critical element for fabricating most
Electronic Circuits.
‘Drone Mela’ to create awareness on
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and its use:
▪ Giving a boost to drone production and
creating awareness among people on the
utility of technology like drones, India for the
first time organized a ‘Drone Mela’ in Gwalior
in Madhya Pradesh.
▪ Madhya Pradesh is the first state in the country
in advancing the use of drone Technology at
such a big scale.
▪ Drone Mela was organized jointly by the
Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Government
of Madhya Pradesh, the Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
at Madhav Institute of Technology & Science
(MITS), Gwalior.
IIT Madras named most Innovative
Institute:
▪ Seven Indian Institutes of Technology and
the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru,
are among the top 10 central institutions in
Promotion and support of innovation and
entrepreneurship development, according to
Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation
Achievements (ARIIA), by the union
Education Ministry.
▪ For the third consecutive year, the Indian
Institute of Technology Madras is ranked the
most Innovative educational institute in the
country.
NATIONAL – DIARY OF EVENT | 115
▪ The ranking evaluates educational Institutions
across the country on various Parameters
which includes intellectual property rights,
entrepreneurship, startup, technology transfer
and commercialisation of research on campus.
▪ A total of 1,438 higher educational institutions
participated in the exercise.
▪ The only two State Government institutions
that feature in the list are Periyar University
and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.
▪ The top rank has been bagged by the IIT-
Madras followed by the IITs in Bombay, Delhi,
Kanpur and Roorkee. The IISc has bagged
the sixth position in the ranking followed
by the IITs in Hyderabad and Kharagpur,
the National Institute of Technology (NIT),
Calicut, and the Motilal Nehru National
Institute of Technology, Uttar Pradesh.
▪ The ARIIA is an initiative of the Union
Education Ministry to rank systematically all
major higher education institutions in India
on indicators related to innovation, startup
and entrepreneurship development among
Students and faculty members.
▪ ARIIA 2021 ranking has been announced in
various categories which include Centrally
funded technical institutions (IITs, NITs and
so on), State universities, State standalone
technical colleges, private universities, private
standalone technical colleges, nontechnical
government and private universities and
institutions.
▪ The ARIIA evaluates institutions on parameters
such as patent filed and granted, number of
registered students and faculty startups, fund
generation by incubated startups, specialized
infrastructure created by institutions to
promote innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Petrol cost cut by ₹25 a litre in
Jharkhand:
▪ Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren
announced that petrol prices will be reduced
by ₹25 a litre for two wheelers.
▪ The new price will be effective from January
26, 2022.
116 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
More Defence Systems to be
Locally Manufactured:
▪ The Defence Ministry notified a list of 2,500
subsystems and components that have been
localized and another 351 imported items to
be so substituted in the next three years.
▪ This ‘Aatmanirbhar’ initiative will save
foreign exchange approximately equivalent to
₹3000 crore every year.
▪ A positive indigenisation list of subsystems
and components had been notified by the
Department of Defence Production as part of
the Ministry’s efforts to achieve self-reliance in
manufacturing and minimise imports by the
Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs),
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said.
▪ They would only be procured from Indian
industry after the timelines indicated in the
list.
46th GST Council meet on December 31:
▪ The 46th GST Council meeting will be held
on December 31 in Delhi and it will be an
extension to the pre-budget meeting with State
finance ministers on December 30.
▪ The Group of Ministers (GoM) on rate
rationalization will submit report to the
Council. The panel has reviewed items under
an inverted duty structure to help minimize
refund payout.
▪ Besides, the Fitment committee, comprising
tax officers from states and the Centre, has
made many "sweeping" recommendations to
the GoM regarding slab and rate changes and
taking items out of the Exemption list.
▪ Currently, GST is a four-tier slab structure of
5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent. Essential items are
either exempted or taxed at the lowest slab,
▪ while luxury and demerit items attract the
Highest slab.
▪ On the top of the highest slab, a cess is levied
on luxury and demerit goods.
About Goods and Service Tax (GST) Council:
▪ Goods and Service Tax has been implemented
by the Union government on 1st July 2017 all
over the country, through 101st Constitutional
Amendment act.
▪ It is a constitutional body under Article 279A.
It makes recommendations to the Union
and State Government on issues related to
Goods and Service Tax and was introduced
by the Constitution (One Hundred and First
Amendment) Act, 2016.
▪ The GST Council is chaired by the Union
Finance Minister and other members are the
Union State Minister of Revenue or Finance
and Ministers in-charge of Finance or Taxation
of all the States.
▪ It is considered as a federal body where both
the centre and the states get due representation.
▪ Every decision of the Goods and Services
Tax Council shall be taken at a meeting by
a majority of not less than three-fourths of
the weighted votes of the members present
and voting, in accordance with the following
Principles, namely:
9 The vote of the Central Government shall have
a weightage of one third of the total votes cast.
9 The votes of all the State Governments taken
together shall have a weightage of two-thirds
of the total votes cast, in that Meeting.
AFSPA Extended in Nagaland:
▪ The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act
(AFSPA) has been extended in Nagaland
for another six months by the Union Home
Ministry.
▪ A Ministry notification on Thursday said “the
Central government is of the opinion that
the area comprising the whole of the State of
Nagaland is in such a disturbed and dangerous
condition that the use of armed forces in aid of
the civil Power is Necessary.”
▪ In exercise of the powers conferred under
Section 4 of the Act, “the Central government
hereby declares that whole of the State of
Nagaland to be ‘disturbed area’ for a period
of six months with effect from 30th December,
2021.
New scheme to support the
Marginalized
▪ A scheme for rehabilitation of persons
engaged in begging and for providing Support
to transgender persons was expected to be
 NATIONAL – DIARY OF EVENT | 117

launched soon, according to a statement by

the Union Social Justice and Empowerment
Ministry
▪ The Ministry said it had formulated an umbrella
scheme, SMILE (Support for Marginalized
Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise),
that included two sub-schemes for the welfare
of transgender persons and persons engaged in
begging. The scheme will cover rehabilitation,
provision of medical facilities, counselling,
education, skill development and economic
linkages. As a part of the national antidrug
campaign, the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan
that was launched in 2020, the Ministry said it
had planned to declare 100 districts as “drug
sensitized districts” soon.
118 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
 7. INTERNATIONAL
AFFAIRS
Barbados, 55 Years after its
Independence, has become a
Republic:
▪ The declaration of a republic is more than
repudiation. It is an acknowledgement, as the
Country's first President, Sandra Mason put
it, that “We the people are Barbados”.
▪ At the stroke of the midnight hour on
November 30,2021, the republic of Barbados
was born.
▪ The Caribbean Island Nation, 55 years after
its independence, got rid of the remnants of
colonial rule by separating from Britain —
Queen Elizabeth is no longer the head of state.
▪ Barbados was a part of the British Empire
for over 400 years, a link in the lines of trade,
commerce and oppression that English
Mercantilism and colonialism fostered for
centuries.
Austria Prime Minister/Chancellor
Resigns:
▪ Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg
announced that he is stepping down just two
months after taking over from predecessor
Sebastian Kurz, who stumbled over corruption
allegations just hours after party strongman
Sebastian Kurz said he was leaving politics
altogether.
About Austria:
▪ Austria, officially the Republic of Austria, is
a landlocked country in the southern part of
Central Europe, located on the Eastern Alps.
▪ It is composed of nine federated states, one of
which is Vienna, Austria's capital and largest
city.
▪ Currency: Euro.
World's Expensive Cities:
▪ Tel Aviv, a city in Israel is the world's most
expensive city to live in as soaring inflation
has pushed up living costs Globally.
▪ The Israeli city climbed five runs to score top
place for the first time in the authoritative
ranking compiled by the Economist
Intelligence Unit (EIU).
▪ The Worldwide Cost of Living Index is
compiled by comparing prices in US dollars
for goods and services in 173 cities.
▪ Tel Aviv climbed the rankings partly due
to the strength of the national currency, the
shekel, against the dollar, as well as increases
in prices for transport and groceries.
▪ Paris and Singapore came joint second,
followed by Zurich and Hong Kong. New
York was in sixth, with Geneva in seventh.
▪ Rounding off the top 10 were Copenhagen in
eighth, Los Angeles in ninth and Osaka, Japan,
in 10th.
▪ Last year, the survey put Paris, Zurich and
Hong Kong in joint first place.
▪ The average inflation figure does not include
four cities with exceptionally high rates:
Caracas, Damascus, Buenos Aires and Tehran.
▪ The Iranian capital rose from 79th to 29th place
in the ranking as US sanctions have pushed up
prices and caused shortages.
▪ Damascus was ranked the World's Cheapest
City to live in.
India, Russia Renews Military Pact:
▪ Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to
New Delhi for the 21st India-Russia Summit
meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi
highlights the constant efforts by both leaders
to nurture and to provide further impetus
to the ‘India-Russia Special and Privileged
Strategic Partnership’.
120 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ At the summit, referring to the common fight
against organised crime, drug trafficking
and terrorism, Mr. Putin said, “It is natural
we are concerned at the developments in
Afghanistan”.
▪ Both sides renewed the military technical
cooperation agreement for another 10 years
till 2031 and also signed the deal for the
manufacture of AK203 assault rifles.
▪ In the post-Cold War era, India has emerged
as an economic powerhouse and a key
stakeholder in today’s global debate be it
climate change, international trade, or the
menace of terrorism.
▪ Russia with its global status and presence
presents a win win situation for deeper
cooperation.
▪ A structure in place Russia has been one of
India’s closest friends and allies with the
signing of the “Declaration on the India
Russia Strategic Partnership” in October
2000 which unlocked new opportunities
in strategic, science and technology, space,
energy, nuclear ties, trade and commerce,
culture and a people to people connect.
▪ Mr. Putin’s visit to India in December 2010
heralded a new chapter in India Russia
relations when the Strategic Partnership
was elevated to the level of a “Special and
Privileged Strategic Partnership”.
▪ Russia is the key and principal supplier of
arms and armaments to the Indian armed
forces accounting for over 60% of weapons.
It comprises the whole gamut covering the
Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian
Navy.
▪ India recently inducted the S400 Triumf
missile systems. Sukhoi Su30 fighter aircraft,
T90 tanks, and the Talwar and the Krivak
class stealth frigates are key weapons in the
armoury of the Indian armed forces.
▪ The India Russia defence cooperation has
evolved from a buyer-seller model to new
areas of military technical collaboration.
▪ The BrahMos missile system was a successful
collaboration of joint research, development,
and production.
▪ Science and technology, nuclear, energy, space
have been key driving forces.
▪ But changes in interests and capabilities
being fuelled by geopolitical differences are
widening the divergence between India and
Russia.
9 In terms of geostrategy, Russia is aligned with
China and India is more anchored toward the
United States.
▪ This dissonance was apparent in the Indian
and Russian approach over Afghanistan.
▪ Bilateral trade has seen the two countries
progressing from defence and energy to IT,
pharmaceuticals, agro-industry, mineral and
metallurgy, fertilizers, and infrastructure
Projects.
First 2+2 Ministerial Meeting India &
Russia:
▪ The ‘2+2’ mechanism has become the
standard framework of cooperation to widen
collaboration.
▪ The inaugural ‘2+2’ dialogue between the
Foreign and Defence Ministers of the two
countries promises to provide new vitality
to the special and privileged strategic
partnership.
▪ The uniqueness of this approach not only
ensures result-oriented cooperation but also
deliberates upon regional and global matters
of mutual concerns and interests.
India- Russia Bilateral Treaty:
▪ Oleg Avdeev, Consul General of the Russian
Federation in South India, said the symbolism
of Mr. Putin’s visit could not be downplayed,
as it was only his second trip abroad since the
start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
▪ He said 2021 marked the 50th anniversary of
the Bilateral Treaty on Peace, Friendship and
Cooperation between the two countries.
▪ While the world has undergone fundamental
changes in the last five decades, the friendship
between Russia and India has remained a
constant.
▪ The proposed Chennai-Vladivostok Maritime
Corridor will help expand the economy of
Tamil Nadu and south India at large, he said.

▪ The Chennai-Vladivostok Sea route will
enable to transfer cargo between Chennai and
Vladivostok in 24 days in comparison to over
40 days currently taken to transport goods
from India to Far East Russia via Europe.
About:
▪ India was first country to establish resident
Consulate in Vladivostok in 1992.
▪ India’s current engagement with region is
limited to isolated pockets such as Irkut
Corporation in Irkutsk where Mig and Sukhoi
aircraft are built and over $6 billion worth
of investments by ONGC Visesh Limited in
Sakhalin 1 project.
▪ Chennai-Vladivostok searoute is a maritime
route covering approximately 5,600 nautical
miles, aimed at increasing bilateral trade
between India and Russia.
World’s 100 Most Powerful
Women:
▪ Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
has made it to the Forbes’ annual list of
Powerful Women — The World’s 100 Most
Powerful Women.
▪ She is ranked at number 37. This is the third
year in a row that she made it to the list.
▪ Last year, she was in the 41st spot and 34th in
2019.
▪ 3 Indian Companies in top 100 Global Weapon
Makers:
▪ Three Indian military equipment making
companies have made it to the list of top 100
Global companies making arms, weapons,
military Planes and Equipment.
▪ The details were released by Swedish think-
tank Stockholm International Peace Research
Institute (SIPRI) in its report ‘Top 100 arms-
producing and military services companies,
2020’.
▪ The arms sales of Hindustan Aeronautics
(ranked 42nd) and Bharat Electronics (ranked
66th) increased by 1.5 per cent and 4 per cent,
respectively. Indian Ordnance Factories’
(ranked 60th) arms sales rose marginally (by
0.2 per cent) during 2020.
▪ China is now second to the US in making arms,
weapons and military equipment.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS | 121
Asia Power Index 2021:
▪ According to Lowy’s report, India performs
best in future resources measures and stands
behind the US and China.
▪ India ranked fourth most powerful country
according to the Lowy Institute Asia Power
Index.
▪ However, India’s overall score went down by
two points from 2020, standing at 37.7 out of
100.
▪ It fell short of the major power threshold and
is among the 18 countries which showed a
downward trend in overall scores in 2021.
About:
▪ Lowy Institute is an independent think tank
that releases the Asia Power Index by assessing
the resources and influence to rank the relative
power of states in the Indo-Pacific region.
▪ Lowy Institute has been releasing this index
every year since 2018.
Diplomatic Boycott of the Winter
Olympic Games:
▪ Canada joined Australia and Britain in a U.S
led diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympic
Games in Beijing, saying it was important to
send a clear message over China’s human
rights record.
▪ Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
said Beijing would be aware of longstanding
Western concerns about human rights in
China. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise that we
decided not to send diplomatic representation.
Summit for Democracy:
▪ Democracies should jointly deal with social
media and cryptocurrencies, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said in a virtual address at
the Summit for Democracy, hosted by U.S.
President Joe Biden.
▪ Mr. Modi said India is the largest democracy
in the world and has 2500-year-old democratic
traditions.
▪ “We must also jointly shape global norms
for emerging technologies like social media
and cryptocurrencies, so that they are used to
empower democracy, not undermine it,” Mr.
Modi said.
122 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ Opening the summit, Joe Biden announced
the establishment of the Presidential Initiative
for Democratic Renewal, under which the
administration plans to provide $424.4 million
for supporting free and independent media,
fighting corruption, strengthening democratic
reforms, advancing technology for democracy,
and defending free and fair elections.
▪ Mutual learning: Different parts of the world
have followed different paths of democratic
development. There is much we can learn from
each other. We all need to constantly improve
our democratic practices and systems.
▪ “We all need to continuously enhance inclusion,
transparency, human dignity, responsive
grievance redressal and decentralization of
power,” he said.
▪ Mr. Modi referred to the civilizational tradition
of democracy in India, citing the ancient city
states under the Lichhavis and others that
flourished in India during the late Vedic and
Buddhist periods and continued till the early
medieval period.
▪ Mr. Modi said democratic traditions had made
ancient India the “most prosperous”.
▪ “Democracy is not only of the people, by
the people, for the people, but also with the
people, within the people,” he added.
US sanctions on Iran have no bearing
on India's Chabahar Port Project:
▪ The US sanctions on Iran have not affected
India's Chabahar port project, External Affairs
Minister S Jaishankar told Lok Sabha.
▪ The minister also clarified that US sanctions
are "not relevant" to India's Chabahar port
Project in Iran at all.
▪ All our agreements on the Chabahar port
operations are limited to Iran.
▪ Originally, there was a trilateral agreement
but that was the basis to set it up.
▪ In terms of port operations, we are not required
to have any agreement with the Government
of Afghanistan.
About the Iran Nuclear Deal:
▪ Also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan
of Action (JCPOA).
▪ CPOA was signed in Vienna on 14 July
2015, between Iran and P5+1 (China, France,
Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the
United States, and the European Union, or
the EU), but former US President Trump has
withdrawn from it (in 2018) and embarked on
a policy of ‘maximum pressure’ to coerce Iran
back to the negotiating table.
▪ Under the deal, Tehran agreed to significantly
cut its stores of centrifuges, enriched uranium
and heavy-water, all key components for
Nuclear Weapons.
About Chabahar Port:
▪ Chabahar Port is located in Sistan and
Baluchistan province in the South-eastern part
of Iran, on the Gulf of Oman.
▪ In December 2018, India took over the
operations of the Port. It was being operated
by India Ports Global Private Limited (IPGPL).
▪ India’s first shipment of wheat to Afghanistan
was sent through Chabahar Port.
▪ India began building a railway line between
Chabahar port and Zahedan as part of the
North-South Transport Corridor.
▪ Chabahar port is about 170 km away from
Gwadar Port built in Pakistan by China.
▪ It will be the gateway to the International
North-South Transport Corridor which is
a combination of road, rail, and sea routes
connecting Russia, Europe, Central Asia, Iran,
and India.
G7 puts up United Front against Russia:
▪ The world’s wealthiest democracies sought
to present a united front against Russian
aggression toward Ukraine as Britain hosted
a meeting of Foreign Ministers in the northern
English city of Liverpool.
▪ The G7 meeting, attended in person by U.S.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his
counterparts from France, Italy, Germany,
Japan and Canada, comes amid international
concern that Russia could invade Ukraine.
Russia denies planning any attack.
About Group of Seven (G7):
▪ t is an intergovernmental organization that
was formed in 1975.

▪ The bloc meets annually to discuss issues
of common interest like global economic
Governance, international security and Energy
policy.
▪ The G7 countries are the UK, Canada, France,
Germany, Italy, Japan and the US.
▪ All the G7 countries and India are a part of
G20.
▪ The G7 does not have a formal constitution or
a fixed headquarters.
▪ The decisions taken by leaders during Annual
summits are non-binding.
▪ Bennett in UAE on historic first visit by an
Israeli PM:
▪ Israel’s Naftali Bennett arrived in the United
Arab Emirates Sunday for the first official visit
by a Prime Minister of the Jewish state, after
they established diplomatic ties last year.
▪ The trip announced by Mr. Bennett’s office
comes amid Israel’s renewed diplomatic
push against resumed international talks with
its arch foe Iran over the Islamic republic’s
Nuclear Programme.
India Votes against UN Draft
Resolution on Climate Change:
▪ India voted against a draft resolution at the
United Nations Security Council (UNSC)
linking climate to security, saying it was an
attempt to shift climate talks from the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) to the Security Council
and a “step backward” for collective action on
the issue.
▪ The resolution was sponsored by Ireland and
Niger, and it did not pass, with 12 UNSC
members voting for it, India and Russia voting
against it and China abstaining.
▪ Niger, which holds the UNSC presidency for
December, organized a debate on December
9 titled ‘Maintenance of international
peace and security: security in the context of
terrorism and climate change.’
▪ One of the objectives of the debate was to
examine how terrorism and security risks
could be linked to climate change, as per a
concept note circulated by Niger.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS | 123
▪ India’s Permanent Representative and
Ambassador to the U.N. T.S. Tirumurti
said, positing that the reason countries were
attempting to bring climate talks to the
Security Council was that decisions could be
taken without consensus or the involvement
of most developing countries.
▪ The draft resolution, as per the ambassador,
would undermine progress made at Glasgow,
where the latest round of talks under the
UNFCCC, the 26th Conference of the Parties
(COP26), concluded in November.
▪ Developing and ‘least developed’ countries
had worked, over the last two decades, to make
“common but differentiated” responsibilities a
fundamental tenet of climate action.
About UNSC:
▪ The United Nations Security Council
(UNSC) is one of the six principal organs
of the United Nations (UN), charged with
ensuring international peace and security,
recommending the admission of new UN
members to the General Assembly, and
approving any changes to the UN Charter.
▪ The UNSC is the only UN body with the
authority to issue binding resolutions on
Member states.
▪ The Security Council consists of fifteen
Members, of which five are permanent:
▪ The People's Republic of China, the French
Republic, the Russian Federation, the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland, and the United States of America.
These were the great powers, or their successor
states, that were the victors of World War II.
▪ The remaining ten members are elected on a
regional basis to serve a term of two years.
▪ The body's presidency rotates monthly among
its members.
▪ Formation: 24 October 1945.
About UNFCC:
▪ The United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) established
an international environmental treaty to
combat "dangerous human interference with
the climate system", in part by stabilizing
Greenhouse Gas concentrations in the
atmosphere.
124 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ It was signed by 154 states at the United
Nations Conference on Environment and
Development (UNCED), informally known as
the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro from
3 to 14 June 1992.
▪ It established a Secretariat headquartered in
Bonn and entered into force on 21 March 1994.
▪ By 2020 the UNFCCC had 197 states parties.
Its supreme decision-making body, the
Conference of the Parties (COP), meets
annually to assess progress in dealing with
climate change.
▪ Signatories now: 165.
India – France Inter-governmental
Agreement:
▪ India had signed an inter-governmental
agreement with France in September 2016 for
the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a
cost of around Rs 59,000 crore.
▪ The French embassy said a total of 33 Rafale
Jets have already been delivered to India as
per schedule despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
▪ The first batch of five Rafale jets, manufactured
by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation,
arrived in India on July 29 last year.
China’s Oldest Person Passed Away:
▪ China's oldest person, Alimihan Seyiti, a
135-year-old woman from its 'Longevity
Town' passed away in the Xinjiang Uyghur
Autonomous Region in Kashgar on December
16.
India-Vietnam Cooperation in Postal
Sector:
▪ India and Vietnam have signed the letter of
intent for enhanced cooperation in the postal
sector, in line with the comprehensive strategic
and economic partnership and Growing
relations between the two countries.
▪ The letter of intent underscores the joint
objectives of both the nations to facilitate
cooperation in the field of posts and telecom,
promote sharing of information and
experience, cooperate to implement projects
in HR development and promote enhanced
cooperation of postal designated operators
and service providers.
World's First Paperless
Government:
▪ Dubai has become the world's first
Government to turn 100 per cent paperless,
the Emirate's Crown Prince, Sheikh Hamdan
bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has
announced, pointing at savings of 1.3 billion
Dirham (USD 350 million) and 14-million-man
hours.
▪ All internal, external transactions and
procedures in the Government of Dubai are
now 100 per cent digital and managed from
a comprehensive digital government services
platform.
At OIC summit, countries vow to provide
aid to Afghanistan:
▪ Islamic countries scrambled to find ways to
help Afghanistan avert an imminent economic
collapse they say would have a “horrendous”
global impact.
▪ The hastily called meeting of the Organization
of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Islamabad
ended with a promise to set up a fund to
provide humanitarian aid through the Islamic
Development Bank (IDB), which would
provide a cover for countries to donate
without dealing directly with the country’s
Taliban rulers.
Foreign Ministers of Five Central Asian
countries call on PM:
▪ The visiting foreign ministers of Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan
and Uzbekistan called on the Prime Minister
a day after attending the third India-Central
Asia dialogue hosted by External Affairs
Minister S Jaishankar.
▪ The Prime Minister underscored the potential
of enhancing economic cooperation between
India and Central Asia, and the role of
Connectivity in that regard.
▪ PM Modi underlined the importance of
maintaining cultural and people-to-people
contacts between India and Central Asia given
the popularity of Indian films, Music and Yoga
in the region.
 INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS | 125

▪ The Central Asian foreign ministers conveyed

the greetings of their presidents to Modi and
emphasized the readiness of their leadership
to further strengthen relations with India.

Hong Kong loses a symbol of its

Freedom:
▪ Hong Kong University (HKU) to remove
what was a popular fixture on its campus for
close to 25 years.
▪ The Pillar of Shame, a haunting eight-metre-
tall sculpture showing intertwined bodies
with hollowed eyes and open mouths — an
anguished mass of humanity — was created by
Danish artist Jens Galschiot as a tribute to the
victims of China’s crackdown in Tiananmen
Square in June 1989.
▪ It has been at HKU since 1997, installed Shortly
after one of Hong Kong’s annual June vigils
at Victoria Park, where thousands Gathered
every year to mark the Anniversary.
 8. TAMILNADU
AFFAIRS
Prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Tamil Nadu:
▪ Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said the prevalence
of HIV/AIDS in the State had reduced to
0.18%, from 0.38% in 2010-11, and urged
everyone in the State to treat those living with
the infection with love.
▪ He said the government had created a trust for
children living with HIV/AIDS, with a Fund
of ₹25 crore, and was implementing various
welfare schemes using the interest on the
deposit.
▪ This was India’s first such scheme, he said,
adding that pension was also being provided
to young widows whose husbands had died of
the infection.
Financial Assistance to Soldiers from
Tamil Nadu:
▪ The Tamil Nadu government extended a
financial assistance of Rs 20 lakhs each to the
families of three soldiers who were martyred.
▪ Chief minister M. K. Stalin handed over
cheques to
9 Kin of K Egambaram of Chembarambakkam
in Kancheepuram district,
9 K. Karuppusamy of Kovipatti
in Tuticorin district and
9 P. Palanikumar of Uthamapalayam
in Theni district.
▪ The Government honoured Captain Kubera
Gandhiraj, the first army personnel from the
State to be part of the Indian Army team that
traversed from Ladakh in the Karakoram to
Malari in Uttarakhand by skiing.
▪ Stalin handed over the certificate in
appreciation of his bravery.
CM Inaugurates Colleges under HR&CE
Dept.
▪ Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inaugurated three
new colleges belonging to the Hindu Religious
and Charitable Endowments Department.
▪ They will offer B. Com, BBA, BCA and B.Sc.
Computer Science courses.
▪ The colleges are situated at
9 Oddanchathram in Dindigul district,
9 Vilathikulam in Thoothukudi district and
9 Tiruchengode in Namakkal district.
▪ They were among the 10 colleges announced
by the HR&CE Department in the 2021-22
demands for grants in the Assembly.
▪ They will function out of rented buildings
till they get their own Infrastructure, the
Government said.
Hot Air Balloon Festival:
▪ The Tourism Department of Tamil Nadu has
planned to conduct a Hot Air Balloon Festival
in February 2022 in the State.
▪ Pandemic restrictions permitting, this will be
conducted, said M. Mathiventhan, Minister
for Tourism.
▪ In the 20th edition of the International Balloon
Festival took place from November 12 to 16 in
the Metropolitan Park of Leon in Mexico, the
Slogan of the Tamil Nadu Tourism Department
“Enchanting Tamil Nadu” is featured in a
giant balloon in the colour of the National Flag
to showcase the pride of the Indian Tourism
Industry.

Tamil Nadu to adopt “DigiLocker” to
achieve Paperless Governance:
▪ The “DigiLocker” system provides a digital
wallet to every citizen so that all documents
can be made available electronically in one
place and be accessed anytime.
▪ All departments of the State government and
their subordinate agencies will be adopting
DigiLocker System soon, to provide access to
digital documents to citizens as envisaged in
the Information Technology (Preservation and
Retention of Information by Intermediaries
Providing Digital Locker Facilities) Rules,
2016.
▪ The Tamil Nadu E-Governance Agency will
provide support to the Govt. departments/
PSUs/statutory authorities/autonomous
bodies/universities and educational
institutions/agencies for the adoption of
DigiLocker.
▪ It is a flagship initiative of the Union Ministry
of Electronics and Information Technology
promoting the vision of paperless governance.
▪ The documents in DigiLocker System are
deemed on par with Original Physical
Documents.
▪ For implementing the DigiLocker system, all
government departments should integrate
their existing/ongoing/future software
applications with DigiLocker and register
themselves as an issuer or a requester or both
as required.
▪ Departments/organisations that get registered
with DigiLocker as issuer organisation can
provide electronic copies of documents and
certificates issued by them (For example -
driving license, voter ID, certificates/mark
sheets, ration card etc) directly into citizen’s
DigiLocker account.
▪ Similarly, departments can register as requester
organisations and integrate online application
with DigiLocker to enable the citizens to
fetch supporting documents required for
various online applications directly from their
DigiLocker.
▪ The 'DigiLocker'app was launched in July,
2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 127
SIMS ties up with NSE to boost stock
market understanding for their MBA
Students:
▪ The Sri Sairam Institute of Management
Studies (SIMS), Sairam Engineering College
(SEC), Chennai has signed a Memorandum
of Understanding with the National Stock
Exchange Institute.
▪ The MoU, which was signed on November 29,
will enable the setting up of an NSmart trading
simulator lab at SIMS.
▪ It was signed under the Skill India initiative
with focus on honing the skills of MBA
students at SEC.
▪ The NSE Simulator is being designed as a
Centre for Excellence for trading of stocks
in order to train students on trading equity,
equity derivatives and currency derivatives
and to help them acquire trading skills through
real-time market feed straight from the NSE’s
live trading sessions.
▪ The centre will be available to all students and
staff at SEC.
▪ The collaboration would also include
Certificate Courses under Management
Development Programs in the areas of
Financial Valuation and Modeling, Derivative
Trading Strategies, Financial Engineering and
Equity Research.
Fort St. George to be Modernized after
100 years:
▪ The Tami Nadu Assembly Hall at Fort St.
George is being modernized after 100 years.
▪ With DMK government took charge, the
Government announced that it would replace
the assembly with paperless assembly.
▪ Accordingly, the State Financial Statement
(Budget) and Grant requests were also filed as
paperless reports.
About Fort St. George:
▪ Fort St. George is the first English (later British)
fortress in India, founded in 1639 at the coastal
city of Madras, the modern city of Chennai.
▪ The construction of the fort provided the
impetus for further settlements and trading
activity, in what was originally an uninhabited
128 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
land. Thus, it is a feasible contention to say
that the city evolved around the fortress.
▪ The fort currently houses the Tamil Nadu
legislative assembly and other official
buildings.
▪ The East India Company (EIC), which had
entered India around 1600 for trading activities,
had felt the necessity of a port closer to the
Malaccan Straits, and succeeded in purchasing
a piece of coastal land, originally called
Chennirayarpattinam or Channapatnam,
where the Company began the construction of
a harbour and a fort.
▪ The fort was completed on 23 April 1644
coinciding with St George's Day, celebrated in
honour of the patron saint of England.
Computer Literacy Programme:
▪ The Greater Chennai Police, as part of
upgrading the computer knowledge and to
create awareness about cybercrimes, has begun
organizing Computer Literacy Programme for
inspectors and sub-Inspectors.
▪ The department has tied up with colleges,
including IIT-Madras, to organise the
Computer Literacy Programme for police
officials.
International Machine Tools and Auto
Components Exhibition (ACMEE) 2021:
▪ The Ambattur Industrial Estate Manufacturers
Association (AIEMA) will organise the 14th
edition of ACMEE (International Machine
Tools and Auto Components Exhibition)
2021, the biennial exhibition on machine tools
technology, at Chennai Trade Centre from
December 9 to 13.
▪ The exhibition will be available on a 3D virtual
platform where visitors can walk through the
exhibition and interact with the exhibitors.
▪ Chief Minister M.K. Stalin is expected to
inaugurate the exhibition which will have
smart manufacturing as the theme and focus
on use of information technology to improve
Manufacturing process.
▪ Some of the emerging sectors such as Defence
and Aerospace and Green investment in the
Auto Sector may enhance the demand for
machine tools.
▪ The exhibition would have manufacturers of
various products and technologies, including
special purpose machines, energy saving
solutions, control devices and laser cutting.
50 % Seats for Women in the Standing
Committees of
Corporations:
▪ Half of the standing committees in all
corporations, including Chennai, Coimbatore
and Madurai, will now be women.
▪ The Government of Tamil Nadu has amended
the law, prior to this, one-third of the members
were women.
▪ There are a total of 20 corporations in Tamil
Nadu.
9 The corporations are Chennai, Madurai,
Coimbatore, Trichy, Nellai, Salem, Tiruppur,
Erode, Vellore, Tuticorin, Thanjavur, Dindigul,
Hosur, Nagercoil, Avadi, Cuddalore,
Kanchipuram, Sivakasi, Karur and Tambaram.
Of these, Cuddalore, Kanchipuram, Sivakasi,
Karur and Tambaram were recently upgraded
as corporations.
▪ Standing Committees: There are Standing
Committees in every corporation. When
elections are held for urban localities, the
elected councilors will be members of the
Standing Committee.
▪ There are six level committees in all
corporations.
▪ Six level committees have been set up:
9 Accounts-Audit, Stone V-Sports, Health-
Family Welfare, Taxation and Finance, Urban
Development, Tasks.
▪ The Standing Committees will examine the
budgets, the activities of the Corporation
Schools, the activities of the departments
closely related to the people in the health sector
and their related files. Standing committees
have the main responsibility to point out any
Mistakes in this.

Tamil Language Made Compulsory in
Recruitment:
▪ The State Government issued a G.O. making
the Tamil language paper compulsory in
qualifying examinations for State government
Jobs. The G.O. makes the Tamil paper
compulsory in the TNPSC and Teachers
Recruitment Board examinations.
Loans of Women’s Self-Help Groups
Waived Off:
▪ The Tamil Nadu government waived the
loans taken by women’s self-help groups from
cooperative societies.
▪ The waiver was to the tune of 2,674.64 crore
(principal plus interest), excluding interest
penalties and other expenses as of March 31,
2021.
▪ The Government will assume the loan and
has earmarked ₹600 crore to be released this
financial year, and the balance with 7% interest
would be released over four years.
About Self-help Groups (SHGs)
▪ Self-help Groups (SHGs) are informal
associations of people who come together to
find ways to improve their living conditions.
They are generally self-governed and peer-
controlled.
▪ A self-help group is a financial intermediary
committee usually composed of 10 to 25 local
women between the ages of 18 and 40.
▪ The origin of SHGs in India can be traced back
to the establishment of the Self-Employed
Women’s Association (SEWA) in 1972.
▪ NABARD, in 1992, formed the SHG Bank
Linkage Project, which is today the world’s
largest microfinance project.
▪ From 1993 onwards, NABARD, along with the
Reserve Bank of India, allowed SHGs to open
savings bank accounts in banks.
T.N. Notifies Journalists’ Welfare Board:
▪ The Tamil Nadu Government notified the
setting up of the Journalists’ Welfare Board,
which was announced in the demand for
grants for the Information and Publicity
Department in September.
TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 129
▪ Education assistance of ₹1000 to ₹1500 will
be given to children of indigent journalists
studying in Classes X to XII.
▪ College students will get ₹1500 in aid, and
those in hostels ₹1750 per academic year.
▪ An assistance of ₹2000 to ₹6000 will be
provided to those pursuing multiple
Educational Courses.
▪ The Government also announced the provision
of ₹2000 as marriage assistance, ₹6000 as
maternity assistance, ₹3000 for abortion or
miscarriage, ₹50,000 for natural death and
₹5000 for final rites.
▪ All 12 existing schemes for journalists will be
merged into the new welfare board. Funds
for the Board will be raised through the 1%
contribution made by media organisations,
out of the total advertisement value given by
the government to them.
UAV Corporation in Tamil Nadu:
▪ The Higher Education Department has
issued an order to establish the Tamil Nadu
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Corporation
(UAV) in partnership with the Madras Institute
of Technology (MIT), Anna University.
▪ The 100% government owned company with
a registered office at Directorate of Technical
Education (DoTE), Guindy, and a functional
office on MIT campus in Chromepet, has been
set up with ₹10 crore as authorised paid-up
capital, divided into one crore equity shares of
₹10 each.
Board of Directors:
9 The board of directors will include the Higher
Education Secretary who will be its chairman
and an IAS officer will be the Managing
Director.
9 The Additional Chief Secretary or the Finance
Secretary or his or her nominee will be one of
the directors.
▪ The secretaries/ representatives of municipal
administration and water supply, industries,
revenue and disaster management, the
Additional Director General of Police
(Technical Services), the Director of Technical
Education, a representative from Anna
University and a chief executive officer, who
130 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
will be recruited on deputation, would be
directors.
State draws praise for
Empowering the Disabled:
▪ Tamil Nadu has taken initiatives in providing
rehabilitation to the mentally ill persons
who are abandoned by the family and found
roaming the streets and other public places
who are rescued and admitted to the hospitals
under the ‘Rescue Scheme’ through Non-
Government Organisations (NGOs) and are
provided shelter, food, medical facilities and
vocational training.
Ceremonial Parade of Navy Day in
Tamil Nadu:
▪ On the occasion of Swarnim Vijay Varsh and
Navy Day 2021, a ceremonial parade was
conducted.
▪ Governor R.N. Ravi inspected the ceremonial
Guard and reviewed platoons of naval
personnel of the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry
Naval Area.
▪ A model of the INS Chennai was presented
to the Governor by Rear Admiral Puneed
Chadha, Flag Officer Commanding, T.N. and
Puducherry Naval Area.
About INS Chennai:
▪ INS Chennai is the third and last ship of the
Kolkata-class stealth guided missile destroyers
of the Indian Navy.
▪ She was constructed by the Mazagon Dock
Limited (MDL) at Mumbai.
▪ She was laid down in February 2006, and was
launched on 1 April 2010 by the then Defence
Minister AK Antony's wife Elizabeth Antony.
▪ Construction completed on 12 November
2015 and was commissioned on 21 November
2016 by the Indian Defence Minister Manohar
Parrikar.
▪ On 17 April 2017, INS Chennai was dedicated
to the city of Chennai in presence of then Chief
Minister of Tamil Nadu, K. Palaniswamy.
▪ INS Chennai has on her seal a Bull symbolising
the Jallikattu festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu
from where the ship associates its heritage.
▪ INS Chennai is the first naval ship named
after Chennai, capital city of the state of Tamil
Nadu, India.
State Development Funds:
▪ Tamil Nadu had an outstanding liability of
about ₹3.78 lakh crore as of March 2021 on
funds raised through the issue of bonds called
State Development Loans (SDLs).
▪ According to the RBI report ‘State Finances: A
Study of Budgets of 2021-22’, SDLs accounted
for 67.5% of Tamil Nadu’s total outstanding
liabilities of about ₹5.59 lakh crore.
▪ To bridge the gap between its income and
expenditure or, in other words, fiscal deficit,
Tamil Nadu borrows from the market through
the issue of SDLs.
About SDL:
▪ State Development Loans (SDLs) are sovereign
securities issued by various State Governments
to raise funds from the market.
▪ In India, the Central Government issues both
treasury bills and bonds or dated securities
while the State Governments issue only bonds
or dated securities, which are called the State
Development Loans (SDLs). G-Secs carry
practically no risk of default and, hence, are
called risk-free gilt-edged instruments.
Initiatives of Tamil Nadu
Government:
▪ Chief Minister M.K. Stalin flagged off two police
vehicles fitted with audiovisual equipment to
create awareness on the prevention of sexual
harassment of children.
▪ The vehicles have been fitted with CCTV
cameras on all four sides to monitor activities
and, if necessary, take action.
▪ Besides creating awareness, the vehicles can
also be used for law-and-order work based on
requirements.
▪ Mr. Stalin also launched a scheme of the
Agriculture Department to provide vegetable
seeds at a subsidized price of ₹225 for rooftop
Gardening, and 12 types of vegetable seeds for
₹15 in rural areas to encourage the setting up
of vegetable gardens.

▪ He also inaugurated a scheme for providing 8
plants to boost immunity for ₹25.
▪ He urged the people to contribute as much
as possible for the Flag Day celebrations in
support of the Armed Forces.
Goat Distribution Scheme:
▪ The state government has said that all the
insurance information for the goat distribution
scheme for poor women should be in Tamil.
▪ The Government of Tamil Nadu has directed
to implement a scheme to provide 5 goats with
100% subsidy to poor women.
▪ 1.94 lakh goats are to be distributed in the
current year alone. The Director of Animal
Husbandry will act as the implementing
officer for this project.
▪ Goats under six to 8 months of age will be
given 100 percent subsidy to poor, destitute
Women.
▪ The insurance for these goats is valid for up to
two years.
▪ Government will improve Suo Motu
Publication of data under the RTI Act:
▪ The Tamil Nadu Government will improve
suo motu publication of data under the
Right to Information Act on the websites of
government departments, said Minister for
Finance and Human Resources Management
Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, at the launch of the
book “Whole Numbers and Half Truths”,
authored by journalist S. Rukmini.
Prices of plots slashed in SIDCO
Industrial Estates:
▪ Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced
reduction in the prices of plots in SIDCO
industrial estates, by 5%-75%, depending on
the industrial estate.
▪ Several Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
associations requested the State Government to
reduce the prices of plots in SIDCO industrial
estates to help entrepreneurs come out of the
difficulties caused by the COVID19 pandemic.
▪ The Government said it was reducing the
rates of plots in the industrial estates for
the first time in 50 years, as many remained
vacant without allotment. The Government
TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 131
has now made it affordable for entrepreneurs
and business persons to buy plots in various
SIDCO industrial estates.
▪ Tamil Nadu is ranked as second largest
industrialized state after Maharashtra.
About SIDCO:
▪ Tamil Nadu Small Industries Development
Corporation Limited (TANSIDCO) playing a
significant role in facilitating the promotion
and development of MSMEs in Tamil Nadu
was established in 1970 by the Government of
Tamil Nadu.
▪ It establishes industrial parks throughout the
state, providing the necessary infrastructure
for small-scale industries, gives-away
government subsidies for the sector, and
provides technical assistance for the new
industries.
▪ SIDCO has been performing the functions of
maintenance of 41 Government Industrial
Estates and 80 Industrial Estates established
on its own, thus maintaining totally 121
Industrial Estates all over in Tamil Nadu.
▪ Infrastructural facilities like motorable roads,
storm water drains, culverts, water supply,
sewage system, street lighting, green belt,
parks and other amenities are provided in
Industrial Estates.
▪ Guindy Industrial Estate established in 1958
is the 1st Industrial Estate established in India.
▪ Ambattur Industrial Estate established in 1963
spread over 1167 acres is one of the largest
Industrial Estates for MSMEs in Asia.
▪ Headquarters: Guindy, Chennai.
Scheme to Integrate the Software of the
Registration Department:
▪ Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inaugurated 11
office buildings of the Commercial Taxes and
Registration Department.
▪ He launched a scheme to integrate the
software of the Registration Department with
the Greater Chennai Corporation, Chennai
Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage
Board and Tangedco.
▪ The Chief Minister also made a contribution to
the Flag Day Fund.
132 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
About Flag Day:
▪ The Armed Forces Flag Day, or simply Flag
Day, is celebrated every year on 7 December
since 1949 throughout the Country.
▪ The day is dedicated to India towards
collection of funds from people of India for the
welfare of the Indian Armed Forces personnel.
▪ Over the years, it has become a tradition to
commemorate this day as an honour to the
soldiers, sailors and airmen of India.
SC and ST loans under TAHDCO:
▪ Collector J. Vijaya Rani has announced that SC
and ST students can apply for loans under the
TAHDCO scheme in Chennai district.
About TAHDCO:
▪ Tamilnadu Adi Dravidar Housing
Development Corporation (TAHDCO)
is implementing Economic Development
programmes.
▪ Bank loans are arranged with TAHDCO
subsidy for self-employment under
Entrepreneur Development Programme
(EDP), Self-Employment Programme for
youth (SEPY) Schemes.
▪ The physical Target for the year 2017-18 is 457
for all TAHDCO loan schemes in respect of
Chennai District.
▪ Till now loan sanctioned for 212 cases alone.
There are 1179 TAHDCO applications with
199.55 Lakhs of Subsidy component pending
with banks.
▪ When banks sanction the loan, subsidy will be
released immediately by TAHDCO.
▪ Banks may select SC, ST beneficiaries (having
an annual income of Rs.1,00,000/-) on their
own marketing network under MUDRA,
Standup India Schemes and recommend the
cases to TAHDCO for availing subsidy.
▪ Since TAHDCO is insisting not to demand
collateral for loans up to Rs.10 Lakhs as
per Reserve Bank guidelines, Banks are not
coming forward to sanction loans to TAHDCO
beneficiaries.
▪ Non repayment of earlier loans and non-viable
projects are also the reasons for pendency of
TAHDCO loan applications with banks.
Separate Website for Tamils
Outside Tamil Nadu:
▪ Minister Ginger KS Mastan has launched a
separate website (www.nrttamils. tn.gov.in)
for the benefit of Tamils living outside the
state.
▪ Hereafter, the World Tamil Day for Diaspora
will be celebrated every year to mark their
contribution to the development of the state.
▪ The forthcoming World Tamil Day for
Diaspora, which falls on January 12 and 13,
is to be celebrated at the Chennai Kalaivanar
Arangam.
Long Term Loan to TANGEDCO:
▪ Union Minister of Power said that the
Government had announced a Liquidity
Infusion Scheme with reform linkages to
TANGEDCO.
▪ Under this, Special long term transition loans
of Rs.26,428Cr have so far been disbursed by
Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and Rural
Electrification Corporation Limited (REC)
to TANGEDCO as on 30-11-2021 to clear
its outstanding dues of CPS Undertakings,
Generating and Transmission Companies as
well as Independent Power Producers and
Renewable Energy.
▪ Steps taken to tap available renewable energy
resources in the country including Tamil
Nadu.
CM to launch scheme for Road
Accident Victims:
▪ Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will launch
the State Government’s latest initiative,
Nammai Kaakkum 48, in Chengalpattu on
December 18. The scheme is being rolled
out to ensure the timely hospitalization and
treatment of people injured in road accidents.
▪ The scheme will cover the injured, irrespective
of whether the accidents take place on rural
roads, State Highways or National Highways,
and irrespective of the country, State and
district the victim is from.

▪ The scheme will be rolled out in 610 hospitals
— 205 government facilities and 405 private
ones — across the State. The list of empaneled
hospitals will be released soon.
▪ Those injured in accidents can be admitted to
these hospitals and the State Government will
spend 1 lakh for their treatment.
▪ Passersby usually hesitate to help accident
victims, considering that they will have to go
to the police station and courts. Keeping this in
mind, the State government has also decided
to grant an incentive of 5,000 to those who
immediately take accident victims to hospitals.
T.N. announces 50,000 for kin of
COVID19 Victims:
▪ The Tamil Nadu Government has ordered an
exgratia payment of 50,000 from the State
Disaster Response Fund to the kin of those who
died of COVID19, including people involved
in relief operations or were associated in
preparedness activities.
▪ The cause of death has to be certified as
COVID19, as per guidelines jointly issued by
the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
and the Indian Council of Medical Research.
▪ Expenditure will be incurred from the State
Disaster Response Fund, in strict compliance
with the guidelines of the National Disaster
Management Authority.
▪ The exgratia will be applicable from the day
when the first COVID19 case was reported
in the country, and will continue till the
denotification of COVID19 as a disaster.
▪ This excludes frontline workers who have
been given an exgratia of 25 lakh, children
who lost both parents (5 lakh) and children
who lost one parent (3 lakh).
Solar Module Project in T.N. gets DFC
Green Light:
▪ The U.S. International Development Finance
Corporation (DFC) has announced that it
has approved up to U.S. $500 million of debt
financing for First Solar, Inc. to support the
company’s previously announced vertically
integrated photovoltaic (PV) solar module
manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu, with
TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 133
a projected annual capacity of 3.3 gigawatts
(GW).
▪ The debt financing would be subject to
negotiations of definitive agreements between
the DFC, America’s development bank
and First Solar, the largest American solar
manufacturing company.
▪ The DFC is thrilled to be in a position to
support First Solar’s new venture in India,
which will boost solar panel manufacturing
capacity for a key ally and help mobilise the
industry to take up better standards.
CM launches Wedding Scheme for
Persons with Disabilities:
▪ Chief Minister M.K. Stalin launched a scheme
allowing the free conduct of marriages between
persons with disabilities in temples under the
purview of the Hindu Religious and Charitable
Endowments (HR&CE) Department.
▪ Persons with disabilities will also be allowed to
rent kalyana mandapams attached to temples
for free. They will only have to pay the service
charge.
▪ Couples have to provide details, including
their age proof and nativity certificates, after
which temples will issue them marriage
certificates.
▪ Temples have also been instructed to provide
saris and dhotis to couples with disabilities at
their weddings.
NGT appoints panel to look into River
Pollution:
▪ The Southern bench of the National Green
Tribunal has constituted a joint expert
committee to be headed by retired IAS officer
Santha Sheela Nair to prepare a detailed
project report for remediation of fly ash from
Ennore and to prepare a report detailing
damages caused to the river basin.
▪ The NGT has directed the committee to find
out whether the damage has been caused due
to the soil, water, flora and fauna on account of
the deposit of fly ash in the river basin.
About Fly Ash:
▪ Definition: It is a byproduct from burning of
coal in electric power generating plants.
134 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ It is called fly ash because it is transported from
the combustion chamber by exhaust Gases.
▪ It is collected from the exhaust gases by
Electrostatic precipitators or bag filters.
▪ Composition: Fly ash includes substantial
Amounts of Silicon Dioxide (SiO2), Aluminium
Oxide (Al2O3), Ferric Oxide (Fe2O3) and
Calcium Oxide (CaO).
Harmful Effects:
▪ Fly ash particles are toxic air pollutants. They
can trigger heart disease, cancer, respiratory
diseases and stroke.
▪ When combined with water they cause
leaching of heavy metals in ground water.
▪ It also pollutes the soil, and affects the root
development system of trees.
Books of Six Tamil Scholars
Nationalized:
▪ Chief Minister MK Stalin nationalized the texts
of six tamil Scholars and handed the copyright
cost to the family.
▪ The six tamil scholars are Silampoli S.
Sellappan, Dr. T. Paramasivan, Pulavar
Ilangumaran, Murugesa Bhagavatar,
Sankaravalli Nayakam, S. Rasu.
▪ It was announced that the books would be
nationalized and the copyright would be paid.
▪ Pulavar S. Rasu’s book nationalized and given
15 lakhs to help with the medical expenses for
him.
▪ The books of the late Tamil scholars Silampoli
S. Sellappan, T. Paramasivan and Pulavar
Ilangumaranar were nationalized and Rs. 15
lakhs have been given to their families.
▪ The books of Sankara Valli Nayakam and
Murugesa Bhagavatar were nationalized and
given Rs. 10 lakh each to their family.
TIIC inks MoUs with TANSIDCO, TAICO
Bank:
▪ The Tamil Nadu Industrial Investment
Corporation Ltd. (TIIC) has inked two
Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with
the Tamil Nadu Small Industries Development
Corporation Limited (TANSIDCO) and the
Tamil Nadu Industrial Co-Operative Bank
Ltd. (TAICO Bank).
▪ The MoUs have been signed with an aim to
undertake co-lending activities to support
MSMEs. They will also help MSMEs get access
to working capital and term loans.
▪ TIIC has introduced an ‘Industrial
infrastructure initiative’ Scheme, under
which financial assistance will be provided to
MSMEs for the purchase of plots in SIPCOT
and TANSIDCO industrial estates to set up
units.
About TAICO Bank:
▪ The Tamilnadu Industrial Cooperative Bank
Ltd., popularly known as “TAICO Bank” is the
first of its kind in the Cooperative Sector in the
Country for catering the needs of Industrial
Cooperatives.
▪ A unique Cooperative Bank with state
wide jurisdiction, to develop the Industrial
Cooperative Societies in the State of Tamilnadu.
▪ In the year 1958, the “Working group on
Industrial Co-operatives” was set up by the
Government of India and recommended for
establishment of a separate Bank at state level
exclusively to cater the financial needs of the
Industrial Co-operative societies.
▪ Madras State Industrial Cooperative Bank was
organized and registered on 13.9.1961 under
Tamilnadu Cooperative Societies Act which
was the ‘Brain Child’ of Thiru R. Venkatraman,
the then Industries Minister of Tamilnadu and
later the President of India.
▪ The bank Commenced functioning since 1962
and catering the financial requirements of the
Industrial Cooperative Sector.
▪ The Bank functions under the Administrative
Control of Department of Industries and
Commerce.
1.74 lakh Connections Provided Under
Ujjwala 2.0 in T.N:
▪ Oil Marketing Companies (OMC) that have
so far, provided 1.74 lakh free liquefied
petroleum gas (LPG) connections under the
Ujjwala 2.0 scheme in the State are looking to
increase these numbers by targeting districts
with less than 90% LPG coverage.

▪ A total of 32.43 lakh beneficiaries were covered
in the first phase of the Ujjwala scheme in
Tamil Nadu.
▪ The scheme was launched in April 2021 to
provide LPG connections to households under
various categories, including island dwellers,
SC/ST, most backward classes, forest dwellers,
tea and ex-tea garden tribes.
▪ These houses should not possess any other
LPG connection.
▪ The households should have some document
such as family card or Aadhaar card and have
a bank account linked to the Aadhaar.
▪ The beneficiaries would get a gas stove,
Suraksha safety hose, regulator and one LPG
cylinder for free.
About Ujjwala:
▪ Ujjwala is part of the ambitious agenda for
behavioural change that will help India transit
to a $5 trillion economy by 2024.
▪ PMUY-I:
9 It is a flagship scheme with an objective to
make clean cooking fuel such as LPG available
to the rural and deprived households which
were otherwise using traditional cooking fuels
such as firewood, coal, cow-dung cakes etc.
9 Usage of traditional cooking fuels had
detrimental impacts on the health of rural
women as well as on the environment.
9 The scheme was launched on 1st May 2016
in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh by Hon’ble Prime
Minister of India.
9 Under Ujjwala 1.0, the target was to provide
LPG connections to 50 million women from
the below poverty line (BPL) households, by
March 2020.
▪ PMUY-II:
9 It is aimed to provide maximum benefit to the
migrants who live in other states and find it
difficult to submit address proof.
9 Now they will only have to give “Self-
Declaration” to avail the benefit.
▪ Features:
▪ The scheme provides a financial support of
Rs 1600 for each LPG connection to the BPL
households.
TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 135
▪ Along with a deposit-free LPG connection,
Ujjwala 2.0 will provide the first refill and a
hotplate free of cost to the beneficiaries.
▪ Under Ujjwala 2.0, an additional 10 million
LPG connections will be provided to the
beneficiaries.
▪ Government has also fixed a target of providing
piped gas to 21 lakh homes in 50 districts.
▪ Nodal Ministry:
▪ Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
(MoPNG).
Chennai Photo Biennale Third
Edition:
▪ Titled “Maps of Disquiet”, the Biennale will
reflect on the exigencies of our times: resisting
majoritarian impositions, ecological collapse,
and technological dystopias by reclaiming
pluralities of thought, voices, and art, and
building new networks of solidarity and care.
▪ From physical exhibition to virtual and in
person guided tours, with over 1500 images of
51 artists, the third edition of Chennai Photo
Biennale was launched at the Roja Muthiah
Research Library.
▪ In a span of 60 days beginning December
9, they will display the works of artists and
contributors from 11 countries which will
include talks by artists, digital screening,
physical and virtual exhibition, book release
and virtual and in person guided tours.
▪ The Chennai Photo Biennale will be held from
December 9 to February 6 in various venues,
including Forum Art Gallery, Ashvita’s
Gallery, Roja Muthiah Research Library,
Madras Literary Society and screenings of
video works at Goethe Institut.
▪ The curators are Arko Datto, Bhooma
Padmanabhan, Boaz Levin and Kerstin
Meincke.
Initials in Tamil mandatory for
Students, Public:
▪ The Tamil Nadu government has issued
an order making it mandatory for students
to write the initials of their names in Tamil
while applying for certificates in schools and
colleges.
136 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ Likewise, the mandate would apply to
members of the public when they submit
applications for government records.
▪ The order issued by Mahesh Kasirajan,
Secretary, Tamil Development Department,
directed all departments, schools and colleges
to display the Government Order to create
awareness among the people.
▪ The first letter of the parent’s name as written
in Tamil would be the initial of the applicant.
▪ The State government already made it
compulsory for its employees to sign their
name and initials in Tamil.
International Machine Tools
Exhibition in Chennai:
▪ Rural Industries Minister T.M. Anbarasan
said while inaugurating “ACMEE 2021”,
an International Machine Tools Exhibition
organised by the Ambattur Industrial Estate
Manufacturers Association (AIEMA).
▪ The exhibition will jump-start our economy
that is still recovering from the pandemic,”
he said. The exhibition, which concludes on
December 13, has over 400 firms participating
in it.
▪ Over 100 foreign firms have displayed their
products through their Indian channel
partners at the Chennai Trade Centre.
Sniffer Dogs to Prevent Forest Crimes:
▪ The state government has allocated funds for
the creation of a separate sniffer dog unit in
forest department to prevent forest crimes.
▪ Supriya Sahu, Principal Secretary, Forest
Department in this regard said,
9 Forest crimes have serious implications
for sustainable development, economic
development and social welfare causes
extinction of wildlife, poses a threat to
rare species, including our ecosystem and
biodiversity.
9 These offenses if extend uncontrollably,
animals and creatures can pose the greatest
threat to life.
9 There is a need to further strengthen existing
efforts to curb illegal wildlife poaching.
9 The practice of using sniffer dogs in forest
crime prevention and criminal investigation
has a long history.
Tamil Thai Vazhthu is a prayer song,
not Anthem:
▪ Tamil Thai Vazhthu is a prayer song and not
an anthem. There is no Statutory or Executive
Order requiring attendees to stand up when it
is sung.
▪ But the highest reverence and respect ought to
be shown to the song, observed the Madurai
Bench of the Madras High Court.
▪ Justice G.R. Swaminathan took into account
the fact that a Government Order (G.O) issued
in 1970 stated that the song, written by P.
Sundaram Pillai, should be sung as a prayer
song at the commencement (and not at the
end) of all functions organized by government
departments, local bodies and Educational
Institutions.
▪ In 2018, the then Governor Banwarilal Purohit
released a Tamil Sanskrit dictionary at a
function held in Music Academy, Chennai,
in the presence of the pontiff of the Kanchi
Kamakoti Peetam, Shri Vijayendra Saraswathi
Swamigal.
▪ When Tamil Thai Vazhthu was played, the
pontiff remained seated. This had triggered
considerable outrage.
▪ The judge observed, “I cannot help asking as
to whether the whole controversy was justified
in the first place”, while taking cognisance of
the government order issued in 1970.
▪ A memo was also released in the same year,
directing that Tamil Thai Vazhthu be sung in
Raaga Mohanam and in Thisra Thaalam as
composed by musician M.S. Viswanathan.
‘Green Tamil Nadu Mission’:
▪ The State Government has granted its
administrative and financial sanction for
implementing the ‘Green Tamil Nadu
Mission’ during 2021-22 that aims at
increasing the forest and tree cover in the
State from the present 23.8% to 33% by
2030-31.

▪ Under this mission, 265 crore seedlings
of native trees of economic and ecological
significance would be planted over a period
of 10 years on suitable public lands like urban
areas, farms, educational institutions, temple
grounds, sacred groves, industrial areas,
tank foreshore, padugai areas among others,
covering an area of about 13,500 square
kilometers.
▪ The funding sources for the mission would be
from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board,
the Tamil Nadu Forest Plantation Corporation
and the Tamil Nadu State Compensatory
Afforestation Fund.
▪ Tamil Nadu intended to sustainably manage
its forest and tree cover, recognizing its key role
in climate change adaptation and mitigation.
▪ The State plans to augment the national efforts
in creating the additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3
billion tonnes in its forest and tree cover by the
year 2030 as a part of its National Determined
Contribution commitments under the Paris
Agreement.
Stalin unveils Eco Park at Pallikaranai:
▪ Chief Minister M.K. Stalin virtually
inaugurated an ecological park set up on 2.5
hectares of Pallikaranai marshland at a cost of
₹20 crores.
▪ The park includes a 2km pedestrian track laid
for the benefit of birdwatchers and walkers.
▪ The State government has been taking steps to
protect the bird species that visit Pallikaranai
marsh Every Year.
▪ Efforts are on to declare it as a bird sanctuary.
State Education Policy will be Drafted
Soon in Tamil Nadu:
▪ The State Government will soon constitute
a high-level committee to frame the State
Education Policy and a set of names to be
appointed as the panel members has been
recommended to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin,
said School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh
Poyyamozhi.
TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 137
▪ The Minister said the State’s position on the
National Education Policy (NEP) would be
made evident through the its own education
policy, which would be formulated within a
Few Months.
▪ Children need to be taught through activity-
based learning such as Montessori Learning,
which some private institutions do.
▪ The tablets were provided to provide assistance
for the children, which was being undertaken
as a pilot project by the School Education
Department. Such model schools were set up
in 10 districts to encourage students to study
in premier higher educational institutes after
their schooling.
▪ Special attention and guidance would be given
to these students, and based on their results, it
would be emulated in other districts.
World Tamils Economic Conference to
be held in Chennai:
▪ The eighth World Tamils conference and
Chennai Global Economic Summit will be
held in city from December 27 to 29.
▪ The conference will be held both in physical
and virtual mode.
▪ Former Prime Minister of Guyana Moses
Veerasamy Nagamootoo, former Acting
President of Mauritius Dr. Paramasivam
Pillai Vyapoory, and former Minister of South
Africa Ravi Pillay will address the conference
virtually.
▪ We will confer “Crown Jewel of World
Tamils” award on 10 prominent Tamils
from all over the world on the final day,
Madras Development Society President V.R.S.
Sampath said.
Complaint Boxes to be Fixed at
Government Schools-‘Manavar
Manasu’:
▪ Government Elementary and Government
Secondary Schools across Tamil Nadu will
soon install complaint boxes for students on
campus as a part of the measures undertaken
to ensure student protection and safety on
Campus.
138 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ Schools in each district will be given ₹1000
each to set up the complaint box and an
awareness flex board, which will explain the
aspects of student safety and will prominently
display the Education Department’s helpline
number 14417.
▪ Funds to the tune of ₹61 lakh will be released
for government secondary schools and ₹3.12
crore has been earmarked for elementary
schools by the Samagra Shiksha.
▪ Schools have been instructed to place these
boxes prominently on campus with a label
titled “Manavar Manasu”, in front of the
Principal’s Office.
▪ Every 15 days, members of the Students
Safeguarding Advisory Committee (SSAC)
will check these boxes for complaints and will
take immediate action.
▪ A Government order earlier this year had
called for the formation of SSACs in all
schools to continually review, monitor and
recommend measures at the institutional level
on all aspects of student safety.
▪ Calling for regular counselling to be made
accessible to students, Patric Raymond,
General secretary, Tamil Nadu Graduate
Teachers’ Federation, said
9 At the block level, the School Education
Department could ensure that a counsellor was
appointed to reach out to students in the area
at regular intervals.
9 At least twice a month, counsellors can visit
government schools and speak to the students.
Additionally, students can also be shown
prerecorded videos on handling stress, anxiety
and other concerns.
TN Police CLAPP:
▪ A new mobile based app is going to be rolled
out for police personnel in the city for applying
leave and getting the sanction Quickly without
any hassle.
▪ At the initiative of the Commissioner of Police
Shankar Jiwal, the new system has been
planned to eradicate delays, summary rejection
or favoritism by sanctioning Authority and to
ensure more transparency.
▪ By clicking on the application, the personnel
can get their leave sanctioned in three hours
without any hassle. In case of rejection, the
sanctioning authority should cite the reason.
▪ If there is delay for more than three hours, it
will be escalated to the superior officer above
the sanctioning officer.
▪ “TN Police CLAPP”, the app will be
introduced from December 31 for processing
casual leave for the police personnel from the
rank of Constables to the rank of special Sub-
Inspectors working in Armed Reserve force in
the Chennai city police. It will be extended to
other wings later.
A Musical Tribute to Maha Kavi
Bharathiyar:
▪ Launch of Kavi Bharathi, a band tune where
the poet’s Oli Padaitha Kanninai have been
notated for playing using instruments in
bands.
▪ A band comprising 30 odd members rendered
the song in front of Bharathiyar Illam in
Triplicane.
▪ The RSS has introduced several band tunes
based on Hindustani and Carnatic music.
▪ This is the first time a tune had been created
based on a Tamil Patriotic Song.
Poverty Free Tamil Nadu is the
Ultimate Goal:
▪ Tamil Nadu CM M.K Stalin said,
▪ We are working towards making Tamil Nadu
hunger free and eradicate poverty from the
State.
▪ Niti Aayog's Multidimensional Poverty Index
(MPI) that was published recently had shown
that Tamil Nadu ranked fourth among the
least poor States in the country after Kerala,
Goa, Sikkim.
▪ Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh have
Emerged as the poorest states in India.
▪ The government launched an Urban
Employment Scheme, at a cost of ₹100 crore,
and the Namakku Naame scheme at ₹300
crore. Mr. Stalin said

9 An integrated textile park would soon come up
in Salem.
9 A TIDEL software park would be set up in
Karuppur to create job opportunities for the
Youth.
Tamil Nadu Urban Livelihood Mission:
▪ The State Government will positively Examine
and implement the housing scheme for
the homeless, said Tamil Nadu Legislative
Assembly Speaker Appavu.
▪ Under the Tamil Nadu Urban Livelihood
Mission, the beneficiaries will have to give
₹1.05 lakh each and the State Government will
give ₹2.10 lakh for each dwelling which costs
₹3.15 lakh.
Contest on contribution of Bharathi to
Independence:
▪ Governor R.N. Ravi has announced a
state level essay writing competition on
“the contribution of Bharathiyar to India’s
independence”, to mark the 139th birth
anniversary of poet Subramania Bharati and
75 years of the country’s independence (Azadi
ka amrut mahotsav). The competition will be
held in Tamil and English for high School and
college/ university students.
▪ The aim is to create awareness among the
youth about the contributions of Bharati to the
freedom movement and kindle their curiosity
to learn more about Indian legends from Tamil
Nadu.
Proposed power line threatens Core
Habitat of New Tiger Reserve
▪ Noticing defects and shortcomings in the
Tangedco’s proposal for laying a new
underground electric cable to the Arulmigu
Sundara Mahalingam Swami temple, on top
of the Sathuragiri Hills, the Forest Department
has sought clarifications from the power
utility.
▪ Activists said the move to electrify the temple
with a new 11 KV high tension line would
disturb the core habitat of the newly formed
Srivilliputhur Megamalai Tiger Reserve.
TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 139
About SRIVILLIPUTHUR-MEGAMALAI TIGER
RESERVE:
▪ It was established in February 2021. It was
jointly declared by the Centre and Tamil Nadu
governments.
▪ For this, the Megamalai Wild Life Sanctuary
and the adjoining Srivilliputhur Wild Life
Sanctuary were clubbed together.
▪ Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve is the
fifth Tiger Reserve of Tamil Nadu, and 51st
tiger reserve of India.
Archaeology Experts Appointed for
Upkeep of Ancient Shrines
▪ The Hindu Religious and Charitable
Endowments (HR and CE) department has
appointed archaeological consultants for
temples that are over 100 years old.
▪ There are around 8,000 temples that are
over a century old under the purview of the
department, which controls 44,000 temples in
the State.
▪ The consultants, who are appointed for a
period of one year on a consolidated salary,
would travel to various temples under the
jurisdiction of the various regional joint
commissioners, study the condition of the
temples and submit reports.
▪ They will look at restoration of artefacts,
Paintings, wood work, stone idols, inscriptions
and the temple structure itself.
▪ Any alteration or construction will have
to be carried out only on the basis of their
recommendations and under their supervision
after taking due permission.
▪ These 12 appointments are being done
following the orders of the Madras High
Court.
Medha Patkar inaugurates
Jeevanandam Foundation:
▪ Social activist and national convener of National
Alliance of People’s Movement Medha Patkar
inaugurated the Dr.Jeevanandam Foundation
at Coimbatore and said that he was a rare kind
of revolutionary activist.
140 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ Ms.Patkar said the Communist leader was
committed to various social causes and had
full faith in Periyar and Mahatma Gandhi.
Jeevanandam linked them both, she said.
▪ Jeevanandam had deep interest in
Environmental issues and spoke in favour of
indigenous people and Adivasis.
Awards of Azadi Ka Amrit
Mahotsav Campaign:
▪ The Government of Tamil Nadu has bagged
two awards for undertaking the highest
number of Non-Communicable Disease
(NCD) screenings (29,88,110) in the country
and conducting the third highest number of
wellness sessions (85,514) during the Azadi Ka
Amrit Mahotsav campaign.
▪ To celebrate 75 years of Independence, the
Government of India conducted the campaign
from November 16 to December 12, during
which States and Union Territories were
assigned specific targets for NCD screenings
and wellness sessions to be conducted at
all functional Health and Wellness Centres
(HWC).
▪ In Tamil Nadu, the campaign was implemented
under the name of Sudhandhirathin Amirtha
Peruvizha.
▪ The Health Department’s field team from
Achanakkal Health Sub Centre (HSC)
Coonoor block in the Nilgiris district received
the award for the best performing HWCHSC
team in Tamil Nadu for 2021-2022.
Fort St. George to host next
Assembly Session from Jan. 5:
▪ The next session of the Tamil Nadu Legislative
Assembly would commence at 10 a.m. on
January 5, 2022 with the customary Governor’s
address in the Assembly Hall on the Fort St.
George campus, Speaker M. Appavu said.
▪ Following the COVID19 outbreak, some
sessions of the Assembly were held at
Kalaivanar Arangam.
‘T.N. Planning Major Shift towards
E-Mobility’:
▪ The Tamil Nadu Planning Commission is
revisiting the e-vehicle policy unveiled in 2019
to mark a huge shift towards e-mobility.
▪ Speaking during a webinar organized by the
Dravidian Professionals Forum on ‘Tamil
Nadu’s transition to net zero carbon economy’,
Mr. Rajaa said the commission was looking at
the possibility of setting up e-vehicle charging
infrastructure in the State.
▪ It would also look at how batteries are used
and manufactured and fix responsibility for
recycling batteries. The commission would
also look at the possibility of having more CNG
buses and study the viability of hydrogen fuel
cells and usage of more e-vehicles.
▪ The State would consider a no coal
policy once it achieved self-sufficiency
in the power sector, especially with
the usage of wind and solar power.
▪ Palanivel Thiagarajan said, “If India needs to
achieve net zero by 2070, Tamil Nadu needs to
achieve it by 2050 at least”.
9 Tamil Nadu needs to be ahead of the curve. It
is possible through innovation, technology and
storage options for Renewable Energy.
Raghuram Rajan, Medha Patkar Call on
T.N. CM:
▪ Former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India,
Raghuram Rajan, called on Chief Minister
M.K. Stalin at the Secretariat.
▪ Mr. Rajan is a member of the economic
Advisory council to the Chief Minister.
▪ Social activist and national convener of the
National Alliance of People’s Movement,
Medha Patkar, also called on the Chief
Minister.
About:
▪ The Tamil Nadu government named former
Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram
Rajan and Nobel laureate Esther Duflo as part
of a five-member Economic Advisory Council
to the Chief Minister.

▪ The others in the panel are: former Chief
Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian,
development economist Jean Dreze and
former Union Finance Secretary S Narayan.
TN CM unveils 3rd Master Plan for City:
▪ A Third Master plan for Chennai is being
prepared, in which combating floods,
urbanization, traffic disruptions and other
problems pertaining to the city will be given
importance, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said
after inaugurating Statecon 2021 – “Vision
Tamil Nadu Growth for The Next 10 Years”,
organized by the Confederation of Real Estate
Developers’ Association of India (CREDAI)
Tamil Nadu Chapter. The plan is for 2026 to
2046.
▪ The Chief Minister said,
9 The Government is taking steps to make the
State slum free by 2031 and plans were afoot
to provide 9.5 lakh houses to the poor in the
next 10 years.
9 Under the “Affordable Rental Housing
Complex” scheme, private companies should
build houses and dormitories on their own
land and give it them on rent to those in need
for 25 years. This will be useful for those who
work here coming from other States.
9 A single window portal will be introduced to
quickly start construction work by approving
plots of land within 60 days.
▪ Suresh Krishnan, president, CREDAI Tamil
Nadu, said that after the farming sector, it is
the construction industry which generated the
maximum number of jobs.
▪ CREDAI planned to open five new chapters in
Tirunelveli, Dharmapuri, Hosur, Salem, and
Karur.
‘Five Announcements on
Healthcare Implemented’:
▪ Five Budget announcements — establishing
cognitive rehabilitation daycare centres,
internet deaddiction centres, postnatal
depression counselling, newborn hearing
special screening and expansion of emergency
care and recovery centres for the mentally ill
were implemented.
TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 141
▪ All government medical college hospitals in
the State would provide special counselling for
children and students to reduce mobile phone
usage and prevent Internet addiction. Such
centres would function at the Department of
pediatrics.
▪ The Emergency Care and Recovery Centres
were being expanded to 22 government
medical colleges. Each facility would have 10
exclusive beds. A team of psychiatrists and
nurses were formed to treat the mentally ill.
▪ On the newborn hearing special screening, he
said that of the 1,000 children born in Tamil
Nadu, 1.42 had hearing impairment.
▪ Six postgraduate courses would be launched
during 2021-2022 academic year at the
Government Omandurar Medical College
Hospital MD General Medicine (six seats), MD
General Surgery (six seats), MD Paediatrics
(six seats), MS Obstetrics and Gynaecology
(four seats), MD Anaesthesiology (three seats)
and MS Orthopaedics (three seats).
Artificial Intelligence Cameras in
Chennai:
▪ Artificial Intelligence Cameras are being set
up at 7,500 places in Chennai, places where
crimes against women are taking place and in
Public Places.
Loan Scheme for Women’s SHGs:
▪ The Tamil Nadu government provided loans
to the tune of ₹2750 crore and welfare aid to
7.56 lakh women from 58,463 women’s Self
Help Groups in the State.
▪ Tamil Nadu CM M.K Stalin said this would
provide impetus to women entrepreneurs and
help them gain self-confidence as well.
▪ The government had also waived loans to the
tune of ₹2756 crore taken by women’s SHGs.
About SHG:
▪ The first SHG was started in Dharmapuri
district of Tamil Nadu in 1989.
▪ Government of Tamil Nadu initiated Magilar
thittam in 1997 to develop the women in
Tamil Nadu. Women in the age group of 18
to 60 belong to the same village can join the
organization.
142 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ Each group counts from 12 to 20.
▪ These groups are organized by the panchayath
board and self-service groups.
▪ It is not only for women but also for the young
and energetic men from 18 to 35.
▪ These organizations are for the welfare of the
poor.
▪ Tamil Nadu is ranked the second in the
country, after Andhra Pradesh, in SHG-Bank
Linkage Programme.
Training for Visually Impaired
Teachers:
▪ The State Council of Educational Research and
Training (SCERT) and the Samagra Shiksha in
Tamil Nadu are working towards equipping
visually impaired teachers in the State with
Information and Communications Technology
(ICT) skills.
▪ Around 1,500 such teachers in Tamil Nadu
are working in mainstream schools across the
State.
▪ Hope Foundation, an NGO in association with
Dell Technologies, has facilitated this initiative
with the School Education Department.
▪ The special curriculum includes how to use
accessible readers, the School Education
Department’s EMIS system, apps such as
Zoom and Google Classrooms for online
classes, and the DIKSHA app to access
Educational content.
▪ Tactile learning books have been prepared
as resource material. While Phase 1 of this
special ICT skill training module will focus
on smartphones, phase 2 will deal with
computers.
Online Application for COVID-19
Ex-Gratia:
▪ The Tamil Nadu government has launched an
online portal for eligible persons to apply for
the ex-gratia payment to the kin of the Persons
who died due to COVID19.
▪ The government recently announced that
it will pay ₹50,000 from the State Disaster
Response Fund to the family of the persons
who died due to COVID19.
▪ Eligible persons can apply through the online
form by visiting www.tn.gov.in and then
navigating to the ‘ExGratia for COVID19’ link
under the ‘What’s new?’ section.
Government Sets up helpline for
Fertilizer Plaints:
▪ The Tamil Nadu Agriculture Department has
set up a helpline number — 9363440360 — at
the State Agriculture Directorate, through
which farmers can get information about
the availability of fertilizers and also raise
Complaints.
▪ An officer has been appointed specifically to
look into the complaints and find an Immediate
solution.
▪ Currently, fertilizers are distributed to farmers
through 8,100 private centres and 4,354
cooperative units.
Incentive for Cane farmers
▪ The State Government, sanctioned 54.7 crore
for providing a special incentive of Rs.3150
a ton to sugarcane farmers for the 2020-21
Crushing season.
▪ Only registered sugarcane farmers of
cooperative, public and private sector sugar
mills, who have supplied cane, including
cane diverted to other mills based on proper
diversion-/ratification orders obtained from
the Commissioner of Sugar, from fields in the
villages of Tamil Nadu, from October 1, 2020
to September 30, 2021, are eligible to receive
the incentive.
‘Indco Tea Vandis’:
▪ Chief Minister M.K. Stalin flagged off 20 tea-
cum-food trucks, called 'Indco Tea Vandis', at
the Secretariat.
▪ They would serve Indcoserve's various Tea
varieties to customers with support from
the Special Area Development Programme
(SADP).They are to be deployed in Chennai,
Coimbatore, Tiruppur and the Nilgiris.
Pallikaranai Margazhi Thiruvizha:
▪ The State Forest Department along with
the Conservation Authority of Pallikaranai
Marshland and Care Earth Trust, a city-

based biodiversity organisation, will host
“Pallikaranai Margazhi Thiruvizha” from
December 18 to January 9.
▪ The third edition of the bird watching
experience will mainly have guided walks
Every Day.
▪ Birdwatchers would get to know about
Flamingoes and Painted Storks that throng
wetlands during this season.
▪ They may observe aquatic birds such as
Fulvous Whistling Duck and Grey Headed
Lapwing, which are not commonly spotted in
the State.
Tamil Nadu mobilized ₹6 crore for the
NDF 50 years ago:
▪ Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s participation
in the Swarnim Vijay Diwas (December 16)
event at the War Memorial provided a sense
of nostalgia to many about Tamil Nadu’s
contribution of ₹6 crore to the National
Defense Fund immediately after the 1971
Bangladesh Liberation War.
▪ ₹200 servicemen from Tamil Nadu had laid
down their lives for the country in the Indo-
Pakistan war of 1971.
About National Defense Fund (NDF):
▪ The National Defense Fund was set up to take
charge of voluntary donations in cash and kind
received for promotion of the national defense
effort, and to decide on their utilisation.
▪ The Fund is used for the welfare of the
members of the Armed Forces (including Para
Military Forces) and their dependents.
▪ The Fund is administered by an Executive
Committee, with PM as Chairperson, and
Defence, Finance and Home Ministers as
Members.
▪ Finance Minister is the Treasurer of the
Fund and the Joint Secretary, PMO dealing
with the subject is Secretary of the Executive
Committee. Accounts of the Fund are kept
with the Reserve Bank of India.
TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 143
Stalin unveils 70 Cooperative
Pharmacies:
▪ Chief Minister M.K. Stalin virtually
inaugurated 70 new cooperative pharmacies
in 36 districts.
▪ They will sell medicines at prices up to 20%
cheaper than the open market and will help to
keep prices in check.
▪ There are 303 pharmacies run by the
Cooperation Department and the State
Government is planning to open 600 more in
the next five years.
Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health
Insurance Scheme (CMCHS):
▪ A Government Order has been passed to add
the journalists recognized by the Ministry for
Information & Publicity as the beneficiaries of
the CMCHS, without the ceiling of Rs.72000,
as the eligibility to become a beneficiary.
About CMCHS:
▪ CMCHS the flagship scheme for mass Health
Insurance in the state of Tamil Nadu has
bagged the "E-India Jury Award" - 2012 for
the best Practices in Health Insurance with IT
enabled solutions.
▪ Chief Ministers Comprehensive Health
Insurance Scheme launched by the
Government of Tamil Nadu through United
India Insurance Company Ltd a Public
Sector Insurance Company headquartered at
(Chennai).
▪ The Scheme provides quality health care
to the eligible persons through empaneled
Government and Private hospitals and to
reduce the financial hardship to the enrolled
families and move towards universal health
coverage by effectively linking with public
Health system.
▪ The Scheme provides coverage for meeting
all expenses relating to hospitalization of
beneficiary as defined in the Scope of the
Scheme.
▪ The scheme seeks to provide cashless
hospitalization facility for certain specified
Ailments/ procedures.
144 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ The scheme provides coverage up to penned by ‘Manonmaniam’ Sundaranar and
Rs.5, 00, 000/- per family per year on a floater
basis for the ailments and procedures covered
under the scheme.
▪ The Eligibility to avail Chief Minister’s
Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme,
is as indicated for the resident of Tamilnadu
by the presence of his/her name in the
Family card and whose annual income
is less than Rs.72, 000/ per annum. Karunanidhi, while speaking at a Government
Srilankan refugees in the camps are also
eligible without any Income limit.
▪ Migrants from other states can also join this
CMCHIS based on the request letter along
with a list of Eligible members from labour
department, provided they have resided for
more than six months in the state as certified
by suitable authority.
▪ Orphans residing in any registered/
unregistered organization can be given a
single card. This also includes the rescued
girlchildren and any other person defined as
orphan by the Government.
Tamil Thai Vaazhthu declared the State
Song:
▪ The Tamil Nadu Government declared
the Tamil Thai Vaazhthu, penned by
‘Manonmaniam’ Sundaranar, the State Song
of Tamil Nadu.
▪ Everyone except the differently abled and
pregnant women should rise when the song is
sung at Educational Institutions, Government
offices and public functions.
▪ According to an official release, the song
should compulsorily be sung at the beginning
of events organised by all educational
institutions, government offices and public
sector undertakings, among other public
organisations.
▪ The song should be sung in 55 seconds in
Mullaipaani Ragam (Mohana Raagam).
▪ At public functions, the playing of the song
with musical instruments/recordings is to be
avoided, and trained singers should sing it.
▪ A part of the verses under the title ‘Tamil
Dheiva Vanakkam’ from ‘Manonmaniam’,
published in 1891, eventually came to be
known as the Tamil Thai Vaazhthu.
▪ In 1913, the annual report of the Karanthai
Tamil Sangam made the demand for singing
the song at all functions.
▪ The Tamil Thai Vaazhthu is being sung at
Karanthai Tamil Sangam since 1914.
▪ On March 11, 1970, the then Chief Minister, M.
function, announced that the Tamil Thai
Vaazhthu would be sung at the events of the
Tamil Nadu Government.
▪ A Government Order issued on November
23, 1970, declared the select verses from
‘Manonmaniam’ the Tamil Thai Vaazhthu.
Since then, it is being sung at the beginning
of government functions and those organised
by educational institutions and public
Establishments.
Innuyir Kappom Thittam from
December 18:
▪ Innuyir Kappom Thittam, Nammai Kaakum
- 48 Scheme which is a 48 hours Cashless
treatment for road accidents under the Ministry
of Health and Family Welfare Department
will be inaugurated by the TamilNadu Chief
Minister M.K.Stalin in Melmaruvathur,
Chengalpattu District on December 18.
Birth Rate in Tamil Nadu Lowered:
▪ The Birth rate in Tamil Nadu has dropped
from 17.2 in 2017 to 14.2 in 2019, said Bharathi
Praveen Pawar, Union Minister of State for
Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha.
▪ He further said: Family Development Program,
Comprehensive Contraception Facilities,
Compensation Scheme for Contraceptives,
home delivery of Contraception devices by
Asha staffs, Family planning information
management system, media publicity and
other are the programs being implemented by
the government for Family Planning.
▪ Funds used in Tamil Nadu for family planning
activities under the Maternity and Child
Health package of the National Rural Health
Mission are,

▪ 123.75 crore in 2018-19 and Rs. 111.50 crore
in 2019-20.
▪  90.32 crore in 2020-21 and Rs. 1.84 crore in
2021-22
▪ The birth rate in Pondicherry has risen from
13.2 in 2017 to 13.3 in 2019.
What is Birth Rate?
▪ The birth rate in a period is the total number of
live births per 1,000 population divided by the
length of the period in years. The number of
live births is normally taken from a universal
registration system for births; population
counts from a census, and estimation through
specialized Demographic Techniques.
Women to get more alerts during
Pregnancy and Post Childbirth:
▪ From now, 25 SMS alerts starting with
antenatal care to child immunization will be
sent for the benefit of pregnant women and
children in the State.
▪ All pregnant women registered in the
Pregnancy and Infant Cohort Monitoring and
Evaluation (PICME) System will be covered
under this SMS based vaccination reminder
service.
▪ The Universal Immunization Programme was
being implemented in the State since 1985.
▪ Every year, around 10.11 lakh pregnant
women and 9.23 lakh children benefited
from the Programme. Through this, children
were protected from 12 vaccine preventable
Diseases.
▪ As per the State’s Health Management
Information System report, 95% of children
have received all vaccines, while the National
Family Health Survey5 put the Child
Immunization Coverage at 89.2%.
▪ The alerts would start with the registration of
pregnancy (within the first 12 weeks) and go
on to remind for antenatal check-ups for the
16th, 20th, 26th, 30th and 34th weeks followed by
alerts for the third trimester.
▪ Alerts on the bank deposits made for the
financial assistance under the Dr. Muthu
Lakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme
would also be sent.
TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 145
Kilpauk Water Works quenching the
city’s Thirst for 108 years:
▪ Kilpauk Water Works, the city’s first water
treatment plant and backbone of treated
water supply system on New Avadi Road, has
entered its 108th year.
▪ It was started by J.W. Madley on December
17, 1914. The heritage structure is a testimony
to the evolution of Chennai’s water supply
infrastructure and challenges such as droughts
faced by the city.
▪ A press release said that initially, James
Fraser, a civil engineer, introduced organized
water supply system in 1872 by tapping water
from Kosasthalaiyar river and saving it in
Cholavaram and Red Hills reservoirs. Water
was transported through an earthen Channel
through iron pipes.
▪ In 1914, J.W. Madley, the then special engineer
to the Corporation of Madras, launched
scientifically designed treated water supply
infrastructure that is still in use.
Climate Risk Horizons Report & TN’s
Renewable Energy:
▪ The latest report from the Climate Risk
Horizons (CRH) highlights the need for
Freezing the coal powered Udangudi project
and going ahead with less expensive solar
Power.
▪ It urges the State government to take corrective
measures to control the ballooning fiscal
deficit caused by the amount being spent on
the construction of thermal power projects.
▪ The report wants the Government
▪ To remove the subsidies for agricultural and
domestic users or at least lower them so that
the Purchase cost incurred by Tangedco will
come down;
▪ Lower the government guarantees sought by
lenders for handing loans to Tangedco;
▪ Increase the electricity tariff across the board.
▪ The report also warns that the State’s support
to the outstanding guarantees of the debt of the
power utility would impact the government’s
credit rating itself, causing damage to its
financial position.
146 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
Response to the Report:
▪ TANGEDCO officials said they were aware of
the financial risks involved in the construction
of the Udangudi power project, but they had
no option since battery storage for solar power
is in a nascent stage and the cost is prohibitive.
▪ Establishing a thermal plant is cheaper.
However, the official said that going ahead
with the Udangudi project would not mean
that the State, a leader in the wind power
Generation, had closed the door on renewable
Energy.
9 There are plans for increasing the renewable
Energy generation through solar plants with
Battery storage and hydro plants to 20,000 MW
by the end of 2030.
▪ Plans for increasing the Renewable Energy
Generation:
9 Wind, solar and hydro, which remain the main
stay of renewable energy for the power utility,
are set to see an expansion.
9 Solar power will be expanded to a capacity of
8,500 MW and hydro power generated through
pumped storage to 11,500 MW.
9 The solar plants are to be set up in the next five
years and the pumped storage projects over a
period of 10 years.
9 He said Tamil Nadu would switch to no-coal
policy after it reached surplus capacity in wind,
solar and other renewable sources of energy.
▪ Mr. Rajaa said that with Tamil Nadu
accounting for 13% of India’s coastline, the
State is looking at tapping into Offshore Wind
Potential.
▪ KUSUM Scheme is a pilot project for
Solarization in Villupuram district. 22 sub-
stations have been selected for setting up a 50
MW Solar plant each.
▪ Kundah pumped storage hydroelectric
project of 500 MW in the Nilgris district is
executed at a cost of more than 3000 crore.
▪ To combat pollution in the existing thermal
stations, Flue Gas De-Sulphurisation (FGD)
plants are installed in Mettur Thermal Power
Station and North Chennai Thermal Station.
About Tamil Nadu's Renewable Energy:
▪ Tamil Nadu is a pioneer in renewable energy,
having an installed capacity of 15,779 MW of
renewable energy, which constitutes around
50% of the State’s total installed capacity.
▪ The State has harnessed 11,717 million units of
wind energy and 3,842 million units of solar
energy during 2019-20.
▪ Wind Energy:
▪ Tamil Nadu is pioneer in promoting wind
Energy in the country.
▪ The State has the highest wind power capacity
in the India, contributing about 27% of the
country’s total wind installed capacity, with
an installed capacity of 9.2 GW.
▪ Gujarat was second, with installed capacity of
8,952 MW.
▪ Solar Energy:
▪ The 648-MW Kamuthi Solar Power Project is
the biggest operating project in the state.
▪ On 1 January 2018, NLC India Limited
(NLCIL) commissioned a new 130 MW solar
power project in Neyveli. As of 2021, total
installed capacity stands at 4.3 GW, with plans
for capacity to double by 2022.
About KUSUM SCHEME:
▪ Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam
Utthaan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM) Yojana
was launched by the Government of India to
increase the income of farmers and provide
sources for irrigation and de-dieselizing the
Agricultural Sector.
▪ The Scheme was launched by the Ministry of
New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in 2019
for setting up solar pumps and other new
power plants across the country.
▪ The PM-KUSUM scheme of the Government
of India is one of the largest initiatives in the
world to provide clean energy to more than 3.5
million farmers by solarizing their Agriculture
pumps.
▪ The scheme plans to set up 30.8 GW of solar
capacity by December 31, 2022, through
financial assistance of INR 340.35 billion
(US$4.65 billion).

▪ The scheme is divided into Three
Components.
▪ Component-A: 10,000 MW of decentralized
Ground-mounted grid-connected renewable
power plants.
▪ Component-B: Installation of two million
standalone solar-powered agriculture Pumps.
▪ Component-C: Solarization of
1.5 million grid-connected solar-
powered agriculture Pumps.
▪ The Government will provide 60% subsidy
to the farmers and 30% of the cost will be
given by the Government in the form of loan.
Farmers will only have to pay 10% of the Total
cost of the project. Farmers can sell electricity
generated from solar panels.
Film City on 100 Acres in
Pondicherry:
▪ A 100-acre film town and an entertainment
center will be set up at Manapat near
Puducherry on the Puthuvai Government
House.
▪ This can be used commercially. The tender
will be called soon to prepare a detailed project
report for this.
“Thalapathi MK Stalin’s Assembly
speeches”:
▪ A three-volume compilation of Stalin’s
Assembly speeches titled “Thalapathi MK
Stalin’s Assembly speeches” (published by
Poompuhar Publication) released.
▪ The book was released by DMK general
Secretary Duraimurugan.
▪ The first volume would consist of Stalin’s 19
Assembly speeches from the maiden speech in
1989 to 2010.
‘Innuyir Kaapoom-Nammai
Kaakkum 48’:
▪ Chief Minister M.K. Stalin launched ‘Innuyir
Kaapoom-Nammai Kaakkum 48’ through
which the State Government will bear the
expenses of emergency care for accident
victims for the first 48 hours.
TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 147
▪ The scheme was aimed at reducing deaths due
to road accidents.
▪ A total of 609 hospitals — 201 government
hospitals and 408 private hospitals — were
linked to the scheme.
▪ All persons injured in road accidents —
whether they are covered or not under the
Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health
Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS), or even those
who belong to other States or countries — that
occur in Tamil Nadu limits would receive
treatment for the first 48 hours free of charge.
▪ As many as 81 treatment packages were
identified for accident victims in the hospitals
where they were admitted for the first 48 hours
with a ceiling of ₹1 lakh per individual.
▪ The district wise list of empaneled hospitals
under the scheme was published on the
website https:// cmchistn.com. Further
information can be obtained from the State’s
Health Helpline 104.
Finance Department Complex
Renamed after Anbazhagan:
▪ Chief Minister M.K. Stalin unveiled a bust of
former Finance Minister and DMK general
secretary K. Anbazhagan at the Integrated
Finance Department Complex in Chennai,
and renamed the complex as ‘Professor K.
Anbazhagan Complex’ to commemorate
the start of the centenary birth Anniversary
celebrations of the late DMK leader.
State’s Capital Spending Healthy:
▪ Tamil Nadu has spent ₹16,493.37 crore till
October 2021 towards capital expenditure,
which is about 39.1% of ₹42,180.96 crore,
budgeted for 2021-22, according to provisional
figures of Comptroller and Auditor General
(CAG).
▪ Capital expenditure includes capital outlay
which leads to the creation of assets such as
schools, hospitals, and roads and bridges and
helps in improving economic activity and
Creating jobs.
▪ Capital expenditure also includes repayment
of loans.
148 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ Analysts said while the current trend is healthy,
sustaining the level of capital expenditure
would be challenging going ahead.
▪ The State’s capital expenditure for the current
fiscal is budgeted to be around 14% of its total
expenditure.
▪ The capex spending so far is better than
previous year, wherein 29% of the budgeted
Amount was incurred.
Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam Scheme:
▪ After the expansion of Makkalai Thedi
Maruthuvam to urban areas and Primary
Health Centres, Government hospitals
and medical colleges, a total of 40,80,770
beneficiaries have benefitted from the Scheme.
▪ The scheme has benefitted the people suffering
from Diabetes and Hypertension very much.
Medical board will assist Jaya Panel: SC
▪ The Supreme Court held it is only “just and
proper” to constitute a medical board to assist
the Justice A. Arumugaswamy Commission
of Inquiry gather facts on the death of former
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa at
Apollo Hospitals, Chennai in 2016.
▪ The apex court directed that the Director of
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
would nominate a panel of doctors, specialists
in the fields of treatment of ailments as suffered
by the late Chief Minister.
▪ The Inquiry Commission has to furnish the
medical board with complete records of the
Proceedings.
▪ The court permitted the medical board to
participate in “all further proceedings of the
Commission and furnish a copy of the report
to the Commission.”
Music Academy’s 95th Annual
Concerts Commence in Chennai:
▪ The 95th Annual Concerts (Digital) of The Music
Academy commenced here with Soumya
Swaminathan, Chief Scientist of World Health
Organization, calling for support to artists and
artisans who could not Embrace the digital
medium.
▪ Addressing the Inaugural event,
Dr. Swaminathan said such artists were as
vulnerable as informal workers.
CM Dashboard – For Monitoring Status
of Projects:
▪ Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin will
launch the much-hyped CM Dashboard on
December 23, 2021.
▪ Chief Minister will be able to monitor the
status of projects being implemented by
various Government Departments across the
state through a giant digital screen installed at
his office at the Secretariat.
▪ CM Dashboard developed by the Tamil
Nadu e-Governance Agency (TNeGA) aims
at integrating data from all government
departments, district administrations,
government agencies, and police force to
ensure easy monitoring of projects being
implemented in the State.
▪ Stalin had on September 17 told a meeting of
department secretaries’ that his government
will not just stop at announcing projects and
schemes but will introduce a mechanism to
monitor them on a regular basis.
About TAMIL NADU E-GOVERNANCE
AGENCY:
▪ TNeGA has been created under the Tamil
Nadu e-Governance Plan (2007).
▪ Vision: To fulfil the vision of Good Governance
using the tools that information technology
provides, such that working with Government
becomes transparent and efficient, with
transparency and decency in Delivery of
services to Citizens.
▪ Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency (TNeGA),
as a State Nodal Agency has been formed to
support and drive all e-Governance initiatives
of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
▪ TNeGA is implementing various
e-Governance projects with the objective of
making all Government services, wherever
feasible & accessible to the common man in an
efficient and transparent Manner. Tamil Nadu
has in fact progressively aligned its entire
e-Governance plan in consonance with NeGP,
ever since its formulation in May 2006 by the
Government of India.

T.N. asks Centre to foot bill for
Community Kitchen Operations:
▪ Tamil Nadu suggested the Union Government
could pay for the capital expenditure and
the full recurring expenditure on account of
grain, transport and salary, while the State
government and the local bodies could provide
land for establishing community kitchens.
▪ Tamil Nadu Minister for Food and Civil
Supplies R. Sakkarapani said Tamil Nadu’s
experience had been that only the most
deserving persons were coming to community
kitchens; hence, making it restrictive based on
some exclusion criteria might not be required.
9 For a vast country like India, any uniform
system or one single model may not be
Desirable.
9 It will be appropriate that the States be given
the freedom and flexibility within the broad
framework and guidelines to decide on the
actual model and functioning of community
kitchens.
▪ The community kitchens were useful all times
and more so in times of natural disasters or a
Total lockdown.
▪ Therefore, the scheme may have flexibility
in terms of ramping up their number and
supplies.
▪ Pointing out that three meals were being given
away in the Greater Chennai Corporation and
two meals at other places in Tamil Nadu,
Mr. Sakkarapani said, “It is suggested that a
minimum of two meals be provided through
these kitchens.”
▪ The Tamil Nadu government has been running
about 650 community kitchens through the
local bodies at a highly subsidized price for
the benefit of the poor.
▪ At present, the scheme is funded by the State
Government and the local bodies.
Construction begins for unit-6 of
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant:
▪ The construction of unit-6 of the Kudankulam
Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) has begun
with first concreting in the foundation on
December 20, said Russian State Atomic
Energy Corporation (Rosatom).
TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 149
▪ “The third stage of the KKNPP relating to
the main construction period will provide
Additional power capacity to ensure the
industrial and commercial development of
businesses in TN and India as a whole.
Income Slab for CMCHIS to be hiked:
▪ Health Minister Ma Subramanian said the
income eligibility for beneficiaries of the Chief
Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance
Scheme (CMCHIS) will be increased from Rs
72,000 per annum to Rs 1.2 lakh per annum,
with effect from January 11.
▪ Inaugurating the first bone bank in South
Tamil Nadu at the Government Rajaji Hospital
(GRH) Madurai, the minister released the
merit list for paramedical course Admissions
in the State.
▪ With the aid of a deep freezer, the bank would
facilitate storing fresh frozen bone grafts
harvested from live donors (joint replacement
surgery patients, amputees) and cadaver
donors up to five years.
▪ Subramanian also unveiled a Rs 4.3 crore-
worth telecobalt equipment that facilitates
radiotherapy for cancer patients at the
Regional Cancer Centre in Balarengapuram.
Special Exhibition on Freedom Struggle
at Egmore Museum:
▪ The Egmore Museum for a month from
December 22 to commemorate the 75th year
of Independence has displayed the following.
9 A book handwritten by poet Subramnia
Bharathi,
9 A 250-year-old cannon of Tipu Sultan made of
gun metal,
9 Remains of Emden’s shots,
9 Photographs of important personalities from
Tamil Nadu who fought the British,
9 Stamps and various artefacts.
▪ The Egmore Museum has curated a special
exhibition on “Role of Tamil Nadu in the
Indian Freedom Struggle”.
▪ Paintings of prominent freedom fighters such
Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru,
Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Subhas Chandra Bose,
and Lala Lajpat Rai by artistes Bashyam Arya,
150 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
K.V. Vaidhyanathan, A. Balakrishnan, S.S.
Manian and S.N. Chanka will be on display.
▪ A bust sized sculpture of Mahatma Gandhji
by D.P. Roy Chowdhury will also be exhibited.
Stamps and Coins pertaining to important
activists and leaders of freedom Struggle will
be on display.
▪ A string musical Instrument called as Mayil
Yazh carrying the images of freedom fighters,
activists and revolutionaries will be on display.
▪ A variety of arms such as maces, elephant
Goads, spears, choppers, swords, daggers,
battle axes and gauntlets, used by the rulers of
various dynasties that existed in Tamil Nadu
will be showcased.
▪ A permanent exhibition displaying the
prehistoric Adhichanallur antiquities and
Keezhadi excavation models has been
organised by the Museum that reflect the
immense talent and inimitable skill of the
Prehistoric Tamil people.
Honour for 22 Educational
Institutions in the State:
▪ Twenty-two educational institutions were
given News 18 Katral Awards 2021 for their
contributions to the education sector.
▪ An initiative of News 18 Tamil Nadu, this
event was organized in Chennai on December
15 to recognize those who excelled in the field
of education.
▪ This is the first edition of the Katral Awards
2021.
CM Dashboard:
▪ The CM Dashboard provides the state
Government with better insights based on
accurate data and real-time information.
▪ This home-grown Dashboard is enabling the
state government to take informed decisions
and engage the citizens effectively.
▪ The features of the Dashboard are:
9 Real time data Analytics,
9 Proper Monitoring of Projects,
9 Avoid Delay in Decision Making,
9 Improve Administrative Efficiency.
‘Meendum Manjappai’ Campaign:
▪ Chief minister MK Stalin will launch
‘Meendum Manjappai’ campaign organised
by the State Pollution Control Board on
December 23 2021.
▪ The campaign aims at reducing single-use
plastic, which causes irreparable damage to
the environment and natural resources.
▪ A plastic bag is used by a person for about 20
minutes. When this used plastic is discarded,
it takes hundreds of years to get degraded.
▪ Taking this into account, the state had banned
14 types of materials.
Testing Facility of Omicron Variant in
Tamil Nadu:
▪ The Pune-based National Institute for Virology
(NIV) will give its accreditation to the testing
facility for Omicron variant in Tamil Nadu
soon.
▪ Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan said the
accreditation process for the existing testing
facility for Omicron variant at the DMS
(Directorate of Medical Services) complex in
Chennai, was in the final stages of approval by
the NIV.
▪ Currently, the samples of Omicron variants
that are tested at the DMS facility are sent to
NIV for re-testing.
▪ Accreditation helps to acknowledge results of
tested samples at the DMS facility by NIV.
▪ The facility will be a branch of NIV for testing
samples for the Omicron variant.
Bird Census on January 22, 23-2022:
▪ The state-level annual synchronized bird
census will start in bird sanctuary and
wetlands on January 22 and 23, 2022.
▪ Bird watchers, ornithologists, wildlife
enthusiasts and college students were among
those to carry out the census.
▪ The enumerators were to be briefed about
the methodology of counting birds, including
migratory birds, at an induction programme
before the census virtually by Bombay Natural
History Society,

▪ Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural
History and Natural History and Forest
Research Institute.
About Bombay Natural History Society:
▪ The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS),
founded on 15 September 1883, is one of the
largest non-governmental organisations in
India engaged in conservation and biodiversity
research.
About SACON:
▪ The Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and
Natural History (SACON) is a national centre
for information, education and research in
Ornithology and natural history in India.
▪ It was inspired by and named in honor of Salim
Ali, the leading pioneer of ornithology in India.
It is an autonomous organisation established
in 1990 as a public- NGO partnership between
the MoEF & CC, and the Bombay Natural
History Society(BNHS) under the Centre of
Excellence Scheme and registered under the
Indian Societies Registration Act.
▪ Its headquarters are at Anaikatti, Coimbatore,
Tamil Nadu, India.
▪ Digital Display Board at Government
Hospitals:
▪ State Health Minister Ma Subramanian
inaugurated a digital display board that
displays the services and treatment provided
for the people at Government Kilpauk Medical
College and Hospital.
▪ Over 25 government medical college hospitals
across Tamil Nadu to have the digital display
board within a week.
▪ Meanwhile, the State Health Department
released a report that a total of 456 people
healed from accidents during the past four
days under Innuyir Kappom Thittam –
Nammai Kakkum 48.
▪ To create awareness among people, the digital
display board will carry details of kind of
services, treatment provided to the Patients,
and the hospital’s achievements.
▪ On another display board, it will have content
of the number of patients who are under
treatment and for what disease in the Hospital.
TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 151
Dashboard launched in CMO to Monitor
Schemes:
▪ Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin
launched the ‘CM Dashboard Monitoring
System’ at his office.
▪ It will enable him to track all welfare Schemes,
including the status of their implementation,
fund allocation and the Number of
beneficiaries.
▪ It will help in proper monitoring, more
efficiency, elimination of delays and prompt
Decisions.
▪ It will also update the Chief Minister on the
storage in the key dams and rainfall patterns.
▪ Price mesh will monitor the prices of more
than 25 food grains, vegetables and fruits
and project a possible increase in the prices to
facilitate government intervention.
▪ The status of the economy, including
Employment trends, and civil supplies will
also be available on the dashboard.
▪ The dashboard will display the status of
pleas and representations made on the Chief
Minister Helpline and under the ‘CM In Your
Constituency’ scheme, the daily police reports
on major crimes, and the progress of housing
schemes for the urban and rural poor and
water supply schemes.
Second Edition of TANSEED:
▪ As many as 19 startups from across Tamil
Nadu, which were selected in the second
edition of the Tamil Nadu Startup Seed Grant
Fund (TANSEED), received a grant of 5 lakh
each from Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.
▪ Around 640 startups applied in the second
edition and 53 of them were shortlisted for a
boot camp.
▪ Finally, 30 startups made it to the prefinal
pitch and 19 were chosen for the funding.
▪ Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission,
mandated to build a vibrant ecosystem, has
been implementing TANSEED to promote the
startup culture in the State.
152 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
About Tamil Nadu Startup and
Innovation Mission (TANSIM):
▪ The Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation
Mission (TANSIM), branded as “StartupTN”,
was established as a Section 8 company under
the MSME Department in March 2021.
▪ A Section 8 company is a company registered
under the Companies Act, 2013 for Charitable
or not-for-profit purposes.
▪ StartupTN is an agency of the Government
of Tamil Nadu, nurturing a benevolent
entrepreneurial Ecosystem in the State.
Five Pillars of StartupTN:
1. Encourage entrepreneurship and
Innovations.
2. Ensure channeling of adequate
resources.
3. Enable skill development and inclusive
Job Creation.
4. Extend support to social
Entrepreneurship.
5. Establish Global Accessibility,
connections and partnerships.
▪ TANSEED:
9 TANSEED has been established under the
Startup TN mission, which is an exclusive
platform for state-based startups under the
“Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission”
of the state Government.
9 One of the schemes envisaged in the Tamil
Nadu Startup and Innovation Policy is the
much-needed seed fund to support early-stage
startups.
9 We launched the first edition of TANSEED
(Tamil Nadu Startup Seed Grant Fund) this
year during January-February 2021, as a Grand
Challenge, in association with “Headstart
Network Foundation” and had supported Ten
Promising Startups with a seed grant of Rs. 10
Lakh each.
9 Tamil Nadu Government has launched
the Tamil Nadu Startups and Innovation
Policy 2018-2023 to foster entrepreneurship
and innovation ecosystem in the state
with Entrepreneurship Development and
Innovation Institute (EDII) as the nodal Agency. ▪ The UAVC is a 100 per cent government-
By implementation of the policy, it is
envisaged that Tamil Nadu will emerge as the
“Knowledge Capital” and “Innovation Hub”
of the country. It will also attract entrepreneurs
and investors across the globe.
▪ Vision:
9 To make Tamil Nadu a Global Innovation Hub
and the most preferred destination for Startups
by 2023.
▪ Mission:
9 To create, support and nurture a vibrant
startup ecosystem in Tamil Nadu resulting
in Innovation and Entrepreneurship driven
Employment and Economic Growth,
facilitating creation of at least 5000 startups
including 10 global high Growth startups by
2023.
Justice Authinathan Panel:
▪ The Tamil Nadu government has constituted
a six-member committee headed by retired
High Court judge Justice N. Authinathan to
make recommendations for the premature
release of life convicts on the basis of “good
behaviour” and on “humanitarian grounds.”
Mamallapuram Dance Festival:
▪ The Annual 30 Day Indian Dance Festival
organised by the Tamil Nadu Tourism
Department began at Mamallapuram near
Chenna on December 24.
▪ Around 90 performances, including those of
Bharathanatyam (Tamil Nadu), Kuchipudi
(Andhra Pradesh), Mohiniattam (Kerala) and
Kathak (North India) and folk arts of Tamil
Nadu such as Oyilattam, Karagattam, Kavadi
and Thappaattam will be held as part of the
Festival.
UAV Corporation in Tamil Nadu:
▪ The State Government has given its Approval
for establishing the Tamil Nadu Unmanned
Aerial Vehicles Corporation (UAVC)
in partnership with Madras Institute of
Technology, Anna University.
▪ The corporation will support government
Agencies in Tamil Nadu and other States with
operating UAVs for different purposes.
owned private limited company.

▪ The authorized share capital of the Corporation
will be Rs 10 crore while the paid-up capital
will be Rs 9 crore.
▪ The board of directors will be headed by
Higher Education Secretary D Karthikeyan.
The Main Objectives are:
▪ To carry on business of designing,
Manufacturing, and trading in all types of
drones and allied systems, for low altitude
tactical surveillance, reconnaissance and
target acquisition missions from manned
or unmanned airborne platforms and also
Product development/service support
Solutions.
ECOmmute Registration Time for
Schools Extended:
▪ The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board had
announced 'Green Certification' for schools
in the city, where the school children ride to
School by bicycles or by walk.
▪ TNPCB chairman A Udayan said it is an
extension of the Board's recently launched
'Ecommute' programme to the school Students
in classes 8,9 and 10 standards.
▪ The two main criteria for participating in the
programme are
9 Ninety per cent of the students from the
participating schools should commute by their
bicycles to their schools.
9 No person motor vehicle to drop these high
school students within 100 metres from the
school gate.
▪ The schools can obtain both the form and
Guidelines from the board's website: www.
tnpcb.gov.in.
▪ No student should be compelled to get
involved in this programme out of Enthusiasm
or curiosity.
▪ The entire application process will be online
and eco-friendly, as the board do not want to
use any paper for this purpose.
▪ The board will examine the details submitted
by the school and will conduct verification and
surprise checks in the schools to find out
TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 153
▪ whether the schools met the required criteria.
▪ The time for the participating schools to
register in the programme has been extended
to 31 January 2022.
School of Public Health (SPH) Health
Survey Report:
▪ School of Public Health (SPH) at SRM
Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST),
Kattankulathur celebrates the successful
completion and dissemination of the key
findings of the National Family Health Survey
(NFHS -5) for the state of Tamil Nadu and
Puducherry at SRM Medical College Hospital
and Research Centre (SRM MCH&RC).
NFHS-5, the Fifth in the NFHS rounds,
provides information on population, health,
and nutrition for India and each state/union
territory (UT) and also provides data at the
district level.
▪ NFHS-5 includes some new topics, such as
preschool education, disability, access to a
toilet facility, death registration, Menstrual
Hygiene, and abortion.
▪ The scope of Clinical, Anthropometric, and
Biochemical testing (CAB) has also been
extended to include measurement of waist
and hip circumferences, and the age range for
the measurement of blood pressure and blood
glucose has been expanded.
▪ SRM SPH surveyed a total of 27,929
households, 25,650 women, and 3372 men
in Tamil Nadu and 3520 households, 3669
Women, and 534 men in Puducherry.
▪ Chief Guest of the event, Dr. P Kuganantham,
member of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s
Expert Advisory Committee for COVID19
said, “This is an eye-opener about the health
status of India. Data helps to make decisions. It
highlights the public health of the community
and the nation at large.”
Hindi Translation of Tolkappiyam
Released:
▪ The Minister of State for Education Dr. Subhas
Sarkar has released the Hindi translation of
Tolkappiyam and the Kannada translations of
9 books of Classical Tamil literature.
154 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ The Tolkappiyam in Hindi translation in
verse (Text, Transliteration, and Translations)
was translated by Dr. H. Balasubramaniam
and Prof. K. Nachimuthu.
Tolkappiyam:
▪ Tolkappiyam was authored by Tolkappiyar
and is considered the earliest of Tamil literary
work.
▪ Some in the Tamil tradition place the text in
the mythical second sangam, variously in 1st
millennium BCE or earlier.
▪ It is a unique work on Grammar and poetics.
▪ It consists of three parts of nine sections each.
The three parts deals with Ezhuthu (letter),
Col (word) and Porul (subject matter).
Ettutogai (Eight Anthologies):
▪ It consists of eight works – Aingurunooru,
Narrinai, Aganaooru, Purananooru,
Kuruntogai, Kalittogai, Paripadal and
Padirruppatu.
Pattuppattu (Ten Idylls):
▪ It consists of ten works –
Thirumurugarruppadai, Porunararruppadai,
Sirupanarruppadai, Perumpanarruppadai,
Mullaippattu, Nedunalvadai, Madurai
Kanji, Kurinjippatttu, Pattinappalai
and Malaipadukadam.
“Magical Mangroves” Campaign:
▪ In an effort to protect mangroves and sensitise
people about its conservation, the World-
Wide Fund for Nature India has identified
volunteers from various parts of the State and
trained them as mangrove ambassadors.
▪ The “Magical Mangroves” Campaign being
organised along with Godrej and Boyce by the
WWF India is aimed at creating awareness,
particularly among the youth, on the
significance of mangroves and train them as
influencers for protecting the Ecosystem.
▪ The campaign will take up awareness initiatives
in eight districts of Chennai, Kancheepuram,
Chengalpattu, Salem, Coimbatore, Tiruppur,
Tiruchi and Sivaganga.
About:
▪ Mangrove forest is found in the coastal areas,
river deltas, tails of islands and over sea faces
where accretion is in progress.
▪ Pichavaram, Vedaranyam, Muthupet,
Chatram and Thoothukudi are the places in
Tamil Nadu where the mangrove forest is
found to a considerable extent.
▪ Mangroves helps in the prevention of Coastal
erosion from waves and storms.
▪ It also protects coral reefs and sea grass
meadows from being smothered in sediments.
▪ Pichavaram mangrove forest is located near
Chidambaram, Cuddalore district is the
second largest mangrove forest in the world
covering about 1,100 hectares (11 sq.km) of
area. It is separated from the Bay of Bengal by
a sandbar.
▪ It consists of species like Avicennia and
Rhizophora.
▪ It also supports the existence of rare varieties
of shell and fin Fishes.
Welfare Measures of the Agriculture
Department:
▪ The Chief Minister distributed solar roof
Dryers, solar powered pump sets, solar
powered electric fences and value-added farm
Equipment to 672 farmers at a cost of Rs 9.24
crore.
▪ Under the budget, Solar Roof Dryer for
Farmers to dry oil seeds, fruits vegetables,
spices and herbs etc. have been announced
▪ This scheme is being implemented this
financial year at the cost of Rs. 2 crores for 115
farmers.
▪ Solar powered electric fence scheme is also
to be implemented. To reduce human-animal
conflict, solar powered electric fence will be
provided at Subsidized rates.
▪ A farmer with 2-hectare area is eligible for a
556-meter solar electric fence at subsidized
rate.
▪ The expenses that is spent to install solar
electric fence, 40% will be provided as subsidy.
▪ Solar-powered pump-sets up to a capacity of
10 horse power will be installed at 70 per cent
subsidy for 171 farmers this financial year at
the cost of Rs.3.81 crores.

State Human Rights Commission:
▪ The Protection of Human Rights Act of 1993
provides for the creation of not only the
National Human
▪ Rights Commission but also a State Human
Rights Commission at the State Level.
▪ A State Human Rights Commission can
inquire into violation of human rights only in
respect of subjects mentioned in the State List
(List-II) and the Concurrent List (List-III) of the
Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India.
▪ The Central Government may confer upon
the State Human Rights Commissions the
functions relating to Human Rights except the
Union Territory of Delhi. Such functions for
New Delhi are dealt by the National Human
Rights Commission.
▪ If any case is already being inquired into by
the National Human Rights Commission or
any other Statutory Commission, then the
State Human Rights Commission does not
inquire into that case.
▪ The State Human Rights Commission is a multi-
member body consisting of a Chairperson and
two members.
▪ The chairperson should be a retired Chief
Justice or a Judge of a High Court and members
should be a serving or retired judge of a High
Court or a District Judge in the state with a
minimum of seven years of experience as
District Judge and a person having knowledge
or practical experience with respect to human
rights.
▪ The chairperson and members are appointed
by the Governor on the recommendations of a
committee consisting of the chief minister as its
head, the speaker of the Legislative Assembly,
the state home minister and the leader of the
opposition in the Legislative Assembly.
▪ In the case of a state having Legislative
Council, the chairman of the Council and the
leader of the opposition in the Council would
also be the members of the committee.
▪ Further, a sitting judge of a High Court or a
sitting District Judge can be appointed only
after consultation with the Chief Justice of the
High Court of the concerned state.
TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 155
▪ The chairperson and members hold office for a
term of three years or until they attain the age
of 70 years, whichever is earlier.
Tamil Nadu Human Rights Commission:
▪ The State Human Rights Commission was
constituted in the state of Tamil Nadu on
17.4.1997 in accordance with the powers
conferred on the State under section-21 of the
Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.
▪ Tamil Nadu is one of the very few States which
has constituted a Commission for the Human
Rights.
More Stipend for trainees in Temples:
▪ Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inaugurated a
scheme to provide an increased stipend
of ₹3000 to students undergoing training
to become temple archakas, odhuvars,
Prabandha Vinnapars, Vedhaparayanar and
musicians, over the ₹1000 given earlier.
▪ Under the scheme, 67 trainees undergoing
training at various temples such as Palani
Murugan Temple, Mylapore Kapaleeswarar
Temple, Tiruvannamalai Arunachaleswarar
temple and Madurai Meenakshi
Sundareswarar Temple will be benefitted.
Farm kits to Farmers at Subsidized Price:
▪ Stalin launched the scheme of distributing
agricultural kits worth Rs 3,000 at subsidized
price to 64,444 farmer families across the state.
▪ The kit will contain agriculture equipment
such as crow bar, spade, sickle and so on.
▪ The announcement about the scheme was
made in the state Assembly by Agriculture
Minister MRK Panneerselvam.
▪ Under the scheme, the farm kits will be
distributed at 75 per cent subsidy to farmers
so that farmers need to pay only Rs 750 and
in case of Adi Dravidar and Tribal farmers the
kits will provided at 90 per cent subsidy so
that they have to pay just Rs 300.
▪ One farming family is entitled to receive only
one kit.
▪ Farmers can register for the kit through
‘Uzhavan App’ also and preference will be
given for micro, small, women, Adi Dravidar
and Tribal farmers.
▪ Rs. 15 crore has been allotted for the scheme.
156 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
Student In Responsible Police
Initiatives (SIRPI):
▪ The Greater Chennai Police are forming
Student In Responsible Police Initiatives
(SIRPI) units on the lines of the National Cadet
Corps (NCC) in 100 schools.
▪ An initiative of Commissioner of Police
Shankar Jiwal, the project is aimed at
addressing the issue of juvenile delinquency,
driven by factors such as socioeconomic
status, peer pressure, lack of family support
and unemployment.
▪ About 5,000 boys and girls will be inducted
from at least 100 schools possibly by the first
Week of January.
▪ The idea is to take them on board to make
them understand the laws of the land and the
role of the police in enforcing the laws.
▪ An officer not below the rank of inspector of
police will be assigned to act as police student
liaison officer.
9 The officer would deploy sufficient personnel
for the training and strive to maintain good
relationship between the police and the schools.
▪ 50 students each would be chosen from 100
“vulnerable schools” from Class VIII and
above for the “SIRPI Wing”.
▪ Legal literacy programmes, in collaboration
with government and non-governmental
organisations, would be conducted.
▪ They would be made to understand the
value of following traffic laws and would
inculcate right habits. The other activities
would include staging short plays, mono act,
film show and organising campaign against
drugs, alcoholism, terrorism and to celebrate
national festivals, salute national symbols and
develop a sense of pride about the progress
and prosperity of the State.
CM Unveiled a Statue of
Nedunchezhiyan:
▪ Chief Minister MK Stalin on December 26
unveiled a statue of the late former minister
Nedunchezhiyan at the Chepauk Government
Guest House in Chennai.
▪ The Chief Minister handed over to his family
Rs. 20 lakhs, the amount of copyright for his
Nationalized books.
▪ It is noteworthy that the novelist
Nedunchezhiyan has written numerous books
on the history of the Justice Party and the
language struggle.
About Nedunchezhiyan:
▪ Novelist Nedunchezhiyan was born in 1920
in Thanjavur, and passed away on January 12,
2000.
▪ He has been the Minister of Education, Finance
and Food since 1967.
▪ Novelist Nedunchezhiyan has been the
caretaker Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu three
times. He has also been the leader of the
AIADMK.
▪ He was also Finance Minister under the
Governments of C. N. Annadurai, M.
Karunanidhi, M. G. Ramachandran and J.
Jayalalithaa.
▪ For his literary contributions, he was also
known as "Navalar" or the eloquent.
▪ He became involved in politics while at the
university and joined the Dravidar Kazhagam
party in 1944.
▪ In 1949, he and C. N. Annadurai formed the
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
▪ Nedunchezhiyan was elected to the Legislative
Assembly of Tamil Nadu in 1962.
▪ In 1967, he became the Minister of Education
when the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam took
power. He was briefly acting Chief Minister
for the state following C. N. Annadurai's death
in 1969, taking the role until M. Karunanidhi
was appointed.
▪ Together with Sathyavani Muthu,
Nedunchezhiyan left the DMK to form a new
political party called the Makkal Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam but this did not last long.
▪ The party merged with the All India Anna
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK),
which was by then in government, in 1978
and from 1980 Nedunchezhiyan was again
a cabinet minister, this time as a Minister of
Finance under the leadership of AIADMK's M.
G. Ramachandran, until 1987.

▪ He became acting Chief Minister in 1988 when
Ramachandran died.
▪ He served as Minister of Finance again
between 1991 and 1996.
▪ Nedunchezhiyan’s autobiography titled
Vaazhvil Naan Kandathum Kettathum.
▪ Some Books of Nedunchezhiyan:
9 Pathupaattu Arayichi (1943), Maraintha
Dravidam (1948), Mozhi Porattam (1948),
Kalanjiyam (1948), Kanneerum Senneerum
Valarttha Kazhagam (1951), D.M.K (1961).
Nunnarangu'21: Tamil Nadu AI
Conclave:
▪ Tamilnadu AI Conclave aims to be a common
platform for Government, Industries, Startups
and Academia to come together and exchange
knowledge and strategies for implementing AI
for social good which was held on December
10.
State’s revenue from Stamp Duty,
Registration Fee Robust:
▪ Tamil Nadu’s revenue from stamp duty and
registration fee remains robust in 2021-22 and
is back to pre-COVID19 levels, according to
data from the State’s Registration Department.
▪ Stamp duty and registration fee, one of the key
components of the State’s own tax revenue,
stood at ₹ 8,448.42 crore in April-November
2021, when compared to ₹5,687.64 crore in the
comparable period last year.
A Temple Marking the Emergence of
the Cholas in Neglect:
▪ Amid paddy fields and on an elevated area
covered with impenetrable vegetation in
Thirupurambiyam village, near Kumbakonam,
stands a pallipadai temple where Prithivipati
I, the king of the Ganga Dynasty, was buried.
▪ Though the war at Thirupurambiyam in 879
CE proved a turning point in the history of the
Tamil land, as it led to the emergence of the
Cholas, the pallipadai temple — a monument
where kings are buried — is in a Derelict state.
▪ Thirupurambiyam is one of the abodes
of Lord Siva, and the deity here is known
as Sathchinatheswarar. Saivaite saint
TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 157
Thirugnanasambandar had sung in praise of
the deity.
▪ Historian K.A. Nilakanta Sastri had described
Vijayalaya, the father of Aditya I “the first of
the imperial line of Cholas” and called “the
Thirupurambiyar war as a turning point in the
history of South India”.
▪ As per the Thiruvalangadu plates, Aditya
I, subsequently overthrew the Pallava king
Aparajita and deprived him of his Territory.
Forest Department plans to add 28,000
hectares to Point Calimere Sanctuary:
▪ The Forest Department has decided to
Approach Chemplast and the Department of
Industry to hand over parts of the unsurveyed
saltpans and the swamp areas, measuring
about 28,000 hectares, to be added to the Point
Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary.
▪ The aim is to make it one of the best Flamingoes’
and waders’ habitats in the world.
▪ Besides the flamingoes, the team, led by Mr.
Niraj, listed major migratory species in large
numbers such as painted storks, pelicans,
curlew sandpipers, ringed plover, red beaked
Caspian tern, white ibis, wood sandpiper,
Seagulls, crested tern, stilt and redshank.
▪ Some of these species have come all the way
from Russia and the Arctic regions.
About Point Calimere Sanctuary:
▪ The sanctuary was formed in the year 1967 for
the conservation of the blackbuck antelope, an
endemic mammal species of India.
▪ Before 1988, Point Calimere Wildlife and
Bird Sanctuary was known as Point Calimere
Wildlife Sanctuary.
▪ It was in the year 1988, that the sanctuary was
expanded to include the Talaignayar Reserve
Forest and the Great Vedaranyam Swamp.
Since then, it was renamed the Point Calimere
Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary.
▪ The Point Calimere Sanctuary consists of
shallow waters, shores, long sand bars,
intertidal flats and intertidal forests,
mangroves, dry evergreen forests, saline
lagoons, as well as human-made salt
Exploitation sites.
158 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ Point Calimere or Kodiakkarai is a low
headland on the Coromandel Coast in
Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu.
▪ Point Calimere is one of the 47 designated
Ramsar sites in India, the Convention on
Wetlands, since the year 2002.
Livelihood parks to be set up across
Tamil Nadu:
▪ The Tamil Nadu Government is set to
establish a total of 25 ‘Mahakavi Bharathiyar
Livelihood Parks’ over three years that will
serve as common infrastructure centres for
self-help groups (SHGs) to pursue their
Activities collectively.
▪ The Park is aimed at providing better working
ambience for rural artisans and producers of
farm-based and value-added products.
▪ The Park is to be located on government lands
in the vicinity of intersections of major roads
or areas with high congregation of people on
a daily basis, each will comprise of four to six
Production units for varied products.
▪ The funds required for the construction and
Basic infrastructure will be in convergence
with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)
and other rural development schemes,
relevant to the creation of infrastructure. The
Approximate cost is ₹1.25 crore.
▪ The livelihood parks will act as both a point
of collectivism for SHG-run enterprise for
production process and a marketing area for
Buyers.
▪ The parks will ensure year-round availability
of a particular product at a single point for the
buyer, in addition to being a learning hub for
Visitors.
▪ Sites are to be shortlisted for setting up these
parks, which will include locations nearby
places of religious significance, tourist spots,
major roads and access points of districts.
About Bharathiyar:
▪ Subramania Bharathi (11 December 1882 – 11
September 1921), was a Tamil writer, poet,
journalist, Indian independence activist, social
reformer and polyglot.
▪ Popularly known as "Mahakavi Bharathi"
("Great Poet Bharathi"), he was a pioneer of
modern Tamil poetry and is considered one of
the greatest Tamil literary figures of all Time.
▪ His numerous works included fiery songs
kindling patriotism during the Indian
Independence movement.
▪ He fought for the emancipation of women,
against child marriage, stood for reforming
Brahminism and religion. He was also in
solidarity with Dalits and Muslims.
▪ Born in Ettayapuram of Tirunelveli district
(present-day Thoothukudi) in 1882, Bharathi
had his early education in Tirunelveli and
Varanasi and worked as a journalist with
many newspapers, including The Hindu,
Bala Bharata, Vijaya, Chakravarthini, the
Swadesamitran and India.
▪ Other Names: Bharathi, Subbaiah, Sakthi
Dasan, Mahakavi, Mundasu Kavignar, Veera
Kavi, Selly Dasan.
▪ He paved the way for modern blank verse. He
wrote many books and poems on how Tamil is
beautiful in nature.
Sangamam Renamed ‘Namma Ooru
Thiruvizha’:
▪ Sangamam, the annual folk arts festival
organised during Pongal in the previous
DMK regime, has been given a new name and
itinerary this year.
▪ It will now be called “Namma Ooru
Thiruvizha” when it makes a comeback after
a decade during the ensuing Pongal in the
second week of January, 2022.
▪ The three-day festival beginning on January
14 covering an array of folk arts in Chennai
would be extended to Coimbatore, Tiruchy
and Madurai this year.
Welfare Fund for Document Writers:
▪ The Tamil Nadu government has issued
orders to set up a new welfare fund for the
benefit of document writers and their families
in the state.

▪ An order issued by Jothi Nirmala, secretary of
the state registration department, said that Rs
10 per registration would be collected towards
the welfare fund from people Turning up for
registrations.
▪ As per the GO, document writers registered for
the funds would be paid Rs 1,00,000 each for
death due to accident, permanent Disability
and Rs 20,000 for other disabilities and natural
death.
▪ Marriage assistance of Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000
(women), maternity assistance of Rs 6,000,
and education assistance for various levels of
Qualification among other benefits would be
Distributed.
▪ The Government has lifted the annual ceiling
for the number of beneficiaries of the welfare
Fund.
▪ It has been proposed to implement the fund
without state contribution.
Government reconstitutes Tourism
Advisory Panel:
▪ The Government has issued orders to
reconstitute the Tamil Nadu Tourism
Advisory Committee and rename it as Tamil
Nadu Tourism Promotion and Development
Committee with state Tourism Minister M
Mathiventhan as its chairperson.
▪ Its purpose is to advise the government on the
development of tourist destinations, encourage
various segments in tourism, Improving the
interdepartmental coordination, encouraging
participation of private sector and for creating
tourism Awareness.
▪ The term of office of the members shall be for
a period of two years.
DA hiked for Govt. Staff, Teachers,
Pensioners:
▪ Ahead of the Pongal festival, Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister M.K. Stalin increased The Dearness
Allowance (DA) for State government
employees, teachers and pensioners from 17%
to 31% with effect from January 1.
▪ The announcement means an additional
Expenditure of ₹8,724 crore a year.
TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 159
▪ Governor for Academic Chairs named after
Bharathiar, V.O.C., Kattabomman:
▪ Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi held a virtual
meeting with the Vice-chancellors of State
and Central Universities and reviewed the
activities relating to Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav,
an initiative by the Centre to Celebrate 75 years
of India’s Independence.
▪ The Governor, who is the Chancellor of State
universities, appreciated the initiatives taken
by them and urged them to celebrate the event
in such a manner that instils a sense of pride
among the younger generations about all
those who gave their lives for the Country’s
independence.
▪ He also urged them to set up chairs in the
names of freedom fighters and leaders of
our nation like Subramaniya Bharathiyar,
V.O. Chidambaram Pillai, Veerapandiya
Kattabomman to fulfil their vision of building
a great India.
Tamil Nadu lauded for Regulating
Industry’s Groundwater Extraction:
▪ The Comptroller and Auditor General of India
has commended Tamil Nadu for having put in
place a system of issuing the permit — Consent
to Operate — only to industrial units that have
obtained no objection certificates from the
authorities for Groundwater extraction.
▪ The CAG said such a system was in place only
in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
▪ Its study covered the period of 2013-18 and
information was updated till September 2020.
▪ In Tamil Nadu, the regulation for the
Groundwater management and issue of
no objection certificates for groundwater
extraction authorizes the Tamil Nadu
Pollution Control Board and the Bureau of
Indian Standards to accord permission only
after ensuring that applicants have got the no
objection certificates.
▪ More importantly, the CAG clubbed Tamil
Nadu with seven other States for having a high
stage of groundwater extraction. In respect of
Tamil Nadu, the stage was 81%.
160 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
▪ The CAG has also lauded the Tamil Nadu for
adopting ‘firka’ as the assessment, ‘firkas’ are
smaller than blocks and encompasses 10-15
villages.
Mobile Ophthalmology Vehicles
Launched:
▪ TN Health Minister Subramanian flagged off
multi-purpose mobile ophthalmology vehicles
at the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology
and Government Ophthalmic Hospital.
▪ Five vehicles were announced in the Assembly,
and three were launched.
▪ The remaining two will be put to use soon. A
total of ₹90 lakh was spent on the three mobile
units that will cover Salem, Ramanathapuram
and Tirunelveli.
▪ These units would help in identifying persons
Requiring treatment for eye disorders.
▪ At the national level, the prevalence of visual
impairment among persons aged above 50 is
1.19%.
▪ The rate is 1.18% in Tamil Nadu.
▪ These units would camp in villages and Screen
people.
WHO Chief Scientist calls on Chief
Minister:
▪ The World Health Organisation's chief
scientist, Soumya Swaminathan, called on
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at the Secretariat in
Chennai on December 28.
▪ M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation's
Principal scientist Parasuraman was also
present.
About:
▪ Soumya Swaminathan (born 2 May 1959) is
an Indian pediatrician and clinical scientist
known for her research on tuberculosis and
HIV.
▪ Since March 2019, Swaminathan has served
as the Chief Scientist at the World Health
Organization. Previously, from October 2017
to March 2019, she was the Deputy Director
General of Programmes (DDP) at the World
Health Organization.
▪ She is the daughter of "Father of Green
Revolution of India", M. S. Swaminathan and
Indian Educationalist Mina Swaminathan.
▪ Her Awards:
9 2012: Tamil Nadu Science and Technology
Award.
9 2016: NIPER, ASTRAZENECA research
Endowment Award.
Biogas using Cow dung and Agri Waste:
▪ Department of Rural Development and
Panchayats in its order said the Central
Government is implementing a biogas project
through dung and agricultural waste.
▪ To implement this plan Rs 50 lakh has been
Allotted to each district.
▪ At the state level, a Technical Resource
Committee is set up for the purpose.
9 The committee will be chaired by the Director
of Rural Development and Panchayats.
9 The additional director of the department will
be the member secretary and senior members
from the departments including Agriculture,
Livestock, Cooperatives and Energy will be
members.
▪ Like the state level committee, the committee
is set up at the district level.
9 The District Collector shall be its chairman.
9 The Project Director of the District Rural
Development Agency will be its member
secretary and senior members from the
departments including Agriculture,
Horticulture, Livestock, Cooperatives and
Spirit will be members.
About GOBAR-Dhan:
▪ GOBARDHAN was launched by the
Government of India in April 2018 as a part
of the Solid and Liquid Waste Management
component under Swachh Bharat Mission
(Grameen) to positively impact village
cleanliness and generate wealth and energy
from cattle and organic waste.
▪ The main focus of GOBARDHAN is to keep
villages clean, increase the income of rural
Households, and generate energy and organic
manure from cattle waste.

▪ Objectives of GOBAR-Dhan:
9 To support villages effectively manage their
cattle waste, agricultural waste/residue andall
other organic waste.
9 To support communities to convert their
Organic waste (especially cattle waste) to
wealth through generation of manure and
Energy out of Waste.
9 To promote Environmental Sanitation and
curb vector-borne diseases through effective
disposal of waste in rural areas.
9 To create livelihood opportunities in rural
areas and enhance the income of farmers and
other rural people by supporting them to
Convert their waste to wealth.
9 To promote rural entrepreneurship by
involving entrepreneurs, SHGs and Youth
Groups in the setting up and operation and
Management of Biogas Plants.
Palm Tree Development in Tamil Nadu:
▪ The agriculture ministry said in Tamil Nadu
Agricultural Budget that Rs.3 crore will be
spent to for, Palm tree development movement
will be implemented; 76 lakh palm seeds will
be distributed in 30 districts; steps will be
initiated to take palm products to the people.
▪ As a result of the budget, 50 palm seeds would
be distributed to each farmer to promote the
cultivation of Palms in Tamil Nadu.
▪ Board for Cutting Down Palm Trees:
9 Cutting down palm trees is prohibited.
9 The permission of the Collector is compulsory
to cut down the palm tree in unavoidable
circumstances.
9 For this a committee will be set up with the
District Collector, Revenue Divisional Officer,
Deputy Collector, Assistant Director of
Agriculture, Khadi and Assistant Director of
the Village Industries Board.
9 The District Collector may add another
member to this committee as required.
TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 161
Stalin Announces Revised
Remuneration Structure for DPC
Employees
▪ Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced new
remuneration structure for the employees
of the direct purchase centers (DPCs) run by
the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation to
Procure paddy from the farmers.
▪ the wages for the load men at the DPCs has
been hiked to ₹10 per bag from the existing
₹3.25 per paddy bag. The load men were also
entitled to receive travelling allowance
▪ Record clerks and watchmen would receive
₹5,288 per month and ₹5,218 per month,
respectively, in addition to ₹3,499 as Dearness
Allowance,
▪ He appealed to the DPC employees to ensure
a complaint-free procurement exercise during
the forthcoming samba/thaladi Harvesting
Season.
Tamilnadu Adi Dravidar and Tribal
Welfare Commission will function
at TAHDCO campus at Teynampet,
Chennai.
▪ Retired High court judge Sivakumar is the
First and current chairman of Tamilnadu Adi
Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Commission,
which is created under a state government act
in 2021.
TAHDCO:
▪ Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing
and Development Corporation Limited
(TAHDCO) was incorporated in 1974 under
the Companies Act, 1956.
▪ The Government of Tamil Nadu and the
Government of India contribute to the Share
Capital of the Corporation.
▪ Though the Corporation was initially started as
a Construction Company in 1974, the activities
of the Corporation was extended to enable it
to undertake a wide spectrum of Economic
development schemes for income Generation,
skill development training for Scheduled caste
and Scheduled Tribes in the State.
162 | Current Affairs (DECEMBER 2021)
Tamilnadu Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare
Commission:
▪ Will have the powers of a civil court.
▪ The commission will inquire, Suo moto or on
a petition presented to it by a victim or any
person on his/her behalf, into complaints
of violation of any right provided under the
Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955, and
the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
(Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
▪ It will look into negligence in the prevention
of such violations by a public servant, inquire
into the issue and recommend the initiation
of disciplinary action to the government if
the official has been grossly negligent or
indifferent while discharging his/her duties,
with regard to the protection of the interests of
people from the SCs and STs.
▪ It will have a chairperson, a vice chairperson
and five other Members.
9 The chairperson of the panel will be a retired
Judge of the High Court, belonging to any of
the SCs or STs.
9 The vice chairperson will be a prominent
person belonging to any SC or ST, who has
worked for the welfare of these communities.
9 Of the five members, three will be from SCs
and two from STs.
9 One member should be a woman.
Draft Women’s Policy Unveiled:
▪ Mandatory martial arts training for school
and college girls, 50 more person days for
all single and women headed households
under MGNREGS and 33.3% representation
in registered parties are among the provisions
in the draft Tamil Nadu State New Policy for
Women 2021.
▪ As per the draft, all forms of transport must be
made women friendly.
▪ In buses, the first half of the seats shall be
Earmarked for women, and the front exit/
entrance shall be used only by women.
▪ The policy would be implemented over five
years.
▪ It provides for the establishment of a system
of “victim support” for all cases of abuse,
and focuses on rehabilitation and identity
protection.
▪ The State shall pay greater attention to getting
all children from poor families and special
focus groups, like girls and children from SC/
ST communities who are not in school, back
into school.
▪ The scope of Kasturba Gandhi Balika
Vidyalaya shall be extended specifically
in Educationally backward blocks to cover
adolescent girls up to 19 years of age, so that
they are able to complete their schooling.
▪ It aims to support at least 1000 women Student
researchers from disadvantaged sections every
year, especially in STEM.
▪ After receiving inputs from the public, the
policy would be finalized and released.
▪ The draft has identified four core focus areas
of empowerment — social, economic, Political
and Emotional — which will be the Guiding
principles of the policy.
▪ “Tamil Nadu shall provide free/subsidized
coaching classes for exams like JEE, CAT,
UPSC and TNPSC, and for higher management
and technical courses to encourage women’s
participation.”
Canine Squad gets Two New Members:
▪ Orly and Orio, sniffer Labrador dogs, were
inducted into Canine Squad of Chennai for
Detecting narcotic substances at Chennai
Airport.
▪ They were trained at Customs Canine Centre,
Attari, Punjab which was started in 2019.
▪ Orio and Orly have been trained to detect
heroin, cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine
and MDMA in the Baggages of passengers or
parcels arriving at the airport.
▪ Chennai airport customs for the first time
inducted a canine squad to locate people with
narcotics.
 TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 163

Tirupattur tops in Maternal Health ▪ The order for this was given by Adi Dravidar
Services: and the Tribal Welfare Department.
▪ Tirupattur district bagged the top rank ▪ Accordingly, for the members and their
in offering maternal health services at dependents registered under the Tamil Nadu
Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Sanitation Workers Welfare Board, natural
Newborn Care (CEmONC) centres. death allowance, education and marriage
▪ Cuddalore stood second, while Kancheepuram assistance, old age pension, Funeral allowance
came Third. provided so far is to be paid in accordance
with other Welfare Schemes.
Tamil Nadu lab gets INSACOG
Recognition:
▪ The Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS)
laboratory of the State Public Health Laboratory
(SPHL) has joined the Indian SARSCoV2
Genomics Consortium (INSACOG).
▪ According to officials of the Health Department,
the recognition is part of the expansion of
INSACOG, a network that Monitors genomic
variations of SARSCoV2.
▪ The Department of Biotechnology has
approved the inclusion of the laboratory
as a new INSACOG Genome Sequencing
Laboratory (IGSL) in the consortium.
▪ Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said the
SPHL’s facility, set up at a cost of ₹4 crore, had
been recognised by INSACOG.
▪ It was inaugurated by the Chief Minister on
September 14.

Libraries inside Temples:

▪ Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable
Endowments P.K. Sekarbabu said that libraries
situated inside temples in the State were being
refurbished.
▪ A sum of ₹10 crore had been allocated for this
Purpose and work was on in 114 libraries.
These facilities were getting furniture, fresh
coat of paint and books, wherever needed.
▪ He said four libraries with books related to
Hinduism were coming up in Chennai in
areas, including Triplicane and Mylapore,
where temples witnessed large crowds.
Increase in the allowance of the Sanitation
Workers Welfare Fund:
▪ The allowance for members of the Tamil
Nadu Sanitation Workers Welfare Board has
been increased as announced in the legislative
assembly earlier.