- National:
- Forbes' 2023 'World's 100 Most Powerful Women' includes India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman (32nd), HCL's Roshni Nadar Malhotra (60th), SAIL's Soma Mondal (70th). In the latest release of Forbes' annual list of “The World's Most Powerful Women,” four notable Indian figures have garnered recognition.
- Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a Navratna PSU under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. BEL is a leading manufacturer of electronic products and systems for the Army, Navy and the Air Force. BEL has recently received orders worth Rs. 3,915 crore from various customers for different products and services.
- 10 BJP MPs, including 2 ministers, have resigned from Parliament after winning state elections. The states where the BJP MPs won assembly seats and resigned from Parliament are West Bengal, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.
- IRCON International shares tanked 8.4% to Rs 157.5 in 7th december's trade on BSE after the offer for sale (OFS) kicked off for non-retail investors. The government last evening announced that it would sell up to 8% stake in the company via the OFS at a floor price of Rs 154 per share.
- Ambuja Cements, a part of Adani Group, has completed the acquisition of Sanghi Industries, a cement and building material company, at an enterprise value of Rs 5,185 crore. This is the first major deal since Adani Group was rocked by allegations of financial misconduct by Hindenburg Research.
- Enemy properties are assets left behind by people who have taken citizenship of Pakistan and China — mostly between 1947 and 1962 — and are considered as a threat to national security. 19 enemy properties in Uttar Pradesh have been disposed by way of sale through e-auction held on September 8, 2023 and shares worth Rs 2709.16 crore have been sold.
- The Government of India has decided to map and document all villages under Mera Gaon, Meri Dharohar (MGMD) Programme. This National Mission on Cultural Mapping is conducted in coordination with Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) under the Ministry of Culture. A web portal on MGMD has also been launched on 27th July, 2023.
- On the international front, India is actively engaging with countries through bilateral agreements and multilateral platforms like QUAD, IPEF, IRENA, COP28, CEM/MI. A noteworthy effort is the provision of Rs. 100 crore per year to the International Solar Alliance (ISA) for the financial years 2022-23 to 2024-25.
- The first Indian Art, Architecture and Design Biennale (IAADB) 2023 was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Red Fort in Delhi on December 8, 2023. The event was a showcase of India’s diverse and rich artistic heritage, spanning ancient, modern, contemporary and tech-driven art, architecture and design.
- The website – www.consumerhelpline.gov.in has been launched by the Department of Consumer Affairs to create awareness, advise and redress consumer grievances and act as a central registry for lodging consumer grievances.
- International:
- Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, inaugurated the world's largest concentrated solar power project on Wednesday, December 6, 2023. The project is part of the fourth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which aims to produce 5,000 MW of clean energy by 2030.
- India announced $1 million in immediate relief assistance to Papua New Guinea to help the island nation deal with the aftermath of the volcanic eruption of Mount Ulawun on December 5, 2023.
- Banking:
- The National Asset Reconstruction Company (NARCL) has finalised the acquisition of the two SREI companies – SREI Equipment Finance and SREI Infrastructure Finance -- under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), paving the way for resolution of a Rs 32700-crore debt. The deal was inked on 8th December.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to allow reversal of liquidity facilities under both the Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) and the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) during weekends and holidays with effect from December 30, 2023.
- Economy:
- The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has upped its GDP growth forecast for the current fiscal to 6.8 per cent from 6.7 per cent projected earlier, its President R Dinesh has said. “This upward revision in projection is because of good performance of economy in first two quarters.
- Mous:
- AIIB, UNDP Signed MoU for Promoting Sustainable Infrastructure Development. The MoU was signed on 5 December 2023 in Dubai, UAE, by AIIB President and Chair of the Board of Directors Jin Liqun and UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner. The MoU aims to strengthen collaboration between the two parties in financing sustainable development projects and addressing development challenges in Asia and beyond.
- Science & Technology:
- Google has recently announced Gemini, its next-generation AI model that is expected to be the most powerful and versatile ever created. Gemini is a multimodal AI that can work with different types of content, such as text, images, code, data, and more. It can also master human-style conversations, language, and content generation. Gemini is built on top of PaLM 2, the current AI model behind Google’s Bard chatbot and other features.
- Summits & Conferences:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the Uttarakhand Global Investors Summit 2023 on 8 December 2023 in Dehradun, the capital city of Uttarakhand. The summit also aims to showcase the state’s 15+ investor-friendly sectoral policies, good governance initiatives, enabling regulatory environment, and sustainable practices.
- Reports:
- According to the new World Malaria Report published by the United Nations agency, India accounted for 66% of malaria cases in the WHO South-East Asia region in 2022. India and Indonesia accounted for about 94% of all malaria deaths in the region last year.
- Awards & Honors:
- Rex Karmaveer Global Fellowship (RKGF) 2023-24 and Chakra Awards Presented at the 12th Edition of the annual REX CONCLiVE. Kalyan Srinivas Raygalla of Hyderabad (Telangana) was honored with the RKGF 2023-24 and Chakra Award (Silver) Medal. Deepak Sharma received the REX Karmaveer Chakra (Silver) Award.
- Appointments & Resignation:
- Narendra Singh Tomar, Prahlad Singh Patel, and Renuka Singh Saruta resigned from the Union Council of Ministers on December 7, 2023, after winning the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections.
- Lalduhoma, the leader of the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), has taken oath as the Chief Minister of Mizoram on Friday, December 8, 2023. He led his party to a landslide victory in the state assembly elections, winning 27 out of the 40 seats and defeating the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF).
Questions:
Q.1 Who inaugurated the first Indian Art, Architecture and Design Biennale (IAADB) 2023?
a. President of India
b. Prime Minister of India
c. Chief Minister of Delhi
d. Minister of Culture
Q.2 Who acquired Sanghi Industries?
a. Adani Group
b. Ambuja Cements
c. Reliance Industries
d. Tata Group
