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December 2021 Current Affairs Capsule1www.bankersadda.com www.sscadda.com www.careerpower.in Adda247 App
December 2021 Current Affairs CapsuleMonthly Current Affairs Magazine – December 2021UPSC Civil Services (Prelims) Examination 2021 was conducted on 10th October2021. The analysis of the question paper shows that majority of the questionswere current affairs oriented. For those who are going to appear in Civil Services(Mains) Examination, current affairs will play an important role to make theanswers attractive, effective and scoring. For those, who are preparing for UPSCCSE 2022, needless to say, a thorough study, understanding, and revision ofCurrent Affairs is a must!To ease the preparation, we are providing monthly current affairs compilationfor the aspirants. The magazine contains subject-wise distribution ofcomprehensive news articles, which have been derived from the sources likePIB, The Hindu, The Indian Express, etc. We have also added Practice questionsfor Prelims, with solution and detailed explanation. Aspirants should attemptthese questions after reading the magazine, in order to evaluate their knowledgeof Current Affairs."Every day is a chance to begin again. Don't focus on the failures ofyesterday, start today with positive thoughts and expectations."– Catherine Pulsifer2www.bankersadda.com www.sscadda.com www.careerpower.in Adda247 App
December 2021 Current Affairs CapsuleIndexPolity & Governance .7 Annual Status of Education Report ASER 2021 . 7ADR report on political donations . 7Beating the heat: a sustainable cooling handbook for cities . 8103rd Constitutional Amendment Act: Revisiting Income Criterion for EWS Quota . 9District Good Governance Index. 9Dairy Sahakar Scheme- An initiative of Ministry of Cooperation .10Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) .11Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) .11The Editorial Analysis- Measuring Progress .12Longer term, better impact- Extension of CBI and ED tenure .13Global State of Democracy Report 2021 .14Ganga Utsav 2021 .14Enforcement Directorate (ED) .15Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) for Aatmanirbhar Bharat- Five Structural Reforms for EoDB.16Draft Mediation Bill 2021 .17The Editorial Analysis- Small Grant but a Big Opportunity for Local Bodies .17SDG Urban Index and Dashboard 2021-22 .19Public Affairs Index 2021 .19NITI Aayog: 11 Measures to Improve School Education .20Post-Mortem Rules in India: New Protocol for Post-Mortem Procedure.21New Farm Laws Repealed: PM Modi Repealed Farm Bills 2020 .22National Sports Awards 2021: Sports and Adventure Awards 2021 and List of Winners .23MPLAD Scheme .25Vande Bharat Mission and Operation Samudra Setu .26Vamsadhara River Water Dispute .26Strengthening Vaccine Trust – Consolidating Vaccine Confidence .27Smart Policing Index 2021 .27Suspension of MPs from Parliament .28International Relations . 30 5th World Congress on Disaster Management .30BASIC countries at Glasgow Summit (CoP 26) of UNFCCC .30The Editorial Analysis- Breaking the Ice .31Delhi Declaration on Afghanistan .31The Editorial Analysis: Dynamism in India-U.S. ties .32Ganga Connect Exhibition at Glasgow Amidst COP-26 .33India France Strategic Agreement .333www.bankersadda.com www.sscadda.com www.careerpower.in Adda247 App
December 2021 Current Affairs Capsule India-Sweden Innovation Meet.34 India- Israel Bilateral Innovation Agreement (BIA) .34 India-US Trade Policy Forum .35 Infrastructure for Resilient Island States’ Initiative .36 International Law Commission.36 Sydney Dialogue .37 UNESCO Creative Cities Network .37 UN Report on Internal Migration .38 US joins India-led International Solar Alliance.38Economy . 40 5 Years of Demonetisation.40 All India Survey on Domestic Workers .40 Broad-Based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA) .41 Digital Payment Gateway .41 GN Bajpai Committee Report .42 India rejects WTO draft on fishery subsidy .43 International Tourism Mart .43 Investor Charter .44 Jute Packaging Material Act: New Reservations Approved .44 Mineral Conservation and Development (Amendment) Rules, 2021 .45 Purvanchal Expressway.46 RBI Working Group Report on Digital Lending .46 Revised framework of PCA .47 Technical Textiles in India .47 Tight Oil/Shale Gas .48 UNWTO recognizes Pochampally village as World’s one of the best Tourism Villages .49 Impact of US inflation on India .50Social Issues . 51 Accidental Deaths and suicides in India report: NCRB .51 Global Nutrition Report 2021 .51 Health Insurance for India’s Missing Middle .52 Manodarpan Initiative.53 Millets in mid-Day Meal Scheme .53 National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021 .54 National Multidimensional Poverty Index .55 Nationwide Rollout of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine .55 NFHS-5 Phase II Findings .56 NIPUN Bharat Scheme .574www.bankersadda.com www.sscadda.com www.careerpower.in Adda247 App
December 2021 Current Affairs Capsule Nutrition Smart Villages .57 PMAY-G .58 Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) .58 Spotlight Initiative: Impact Report 2020-21 .59 The Editorial Analysis- In Pursuit of Social Justice .60Environment & Biodiversity . 61 Adaptation Gap Report 2021 .61 Air Quality Index (AQI)- A report by the Expert Sub-committee .61 Amazon Rainforest Deforestation: The Story so far .62 Climate Change Performance Index .63 Climate Equity Monitor .64 Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas .64 COP 26: Key Takeaways .65 COP 26: Sustainable Agriculture .66 Frothing in Yamuna River .67 Global Resilience Index Initiative .67 COP26 Glasgow Summit of UNFCC- India’s Commitments .68 Kaiser-i-Hind Butterfly .69 Killing of Elephants in India .69 Mineral Conservation and Development (Amendment) Rules, 2021 .70 Mission Samudrayan.71 Swachh Survekshan 2021- Swachh Survekshan Awards 2021 Declared .71 Supreme Court allows legal sand mining in Rajasthan .72 Season of Floods- Urban Floods in Tamil Nadu.73 Northeast Green Summit 2021 .73 National Coal Gasification Mission .74 Time for action- G-20 Summit in Rome .74Science & Technology . 76 Star College Mentorship Program: First-ever Mentorship Program for Young Innovators .76 Digital India Land Record Modernisation Programme .76 ACROSS scheme .78 Dengue- Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment .79 Global Innovation Summit 2021- First Global Innovation Summit of the Pharmaceuticals sector .80 India's 41st Scientific Expedition to Antarctica .80 Land Handed Over for the First LIGO Project in India .81 O-SMART Scheme .81 Omicron variant .83 Women in STEM .835www.bankersadda.com www.sscadda.com www.careerpower.in Adda247 App
December 2021 Current Affairs CapsuleSecurity . 85 JPC on Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill 2019.85Border Roads Organisation: BRO gets Guinness recognition for building highest Motorable Road .85Creating Safe Digital Spaces .86Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) .87Indian Fisherman Shot Dead by Pakistan .88INS Vela- Fourth Scorpene Class Submarine .88Maritime Exercise SITMEX- 21 .89Operation Sankalp .89History, Art & Culture . 91 Bhasha Sangam Initiative .91Civil Disobedience Campaign in Sudan .91Janjatiya Gaurav Divas- Birth Anniversary of Birsa Munda.92Raja Ram Mohan Roy- Indian Social Reformer .92Rashtriya Ekta Divas: Celebrating Birth Anniversary of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel .93Practice Questions for Prelims . 956www.bankersadda.com www.sscadda.com www.careerpower.in Adda247 App
December 2021 Current Affairs CapsulePolity & GovernanceAnnual Status of Education Report ASER 2021 Context The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER)2021 was recently published by the PRATHAM, anon-governmental organization (NGO).Key Points About ASER Report: ASER is an annual survey thataims to provide reliable annual estimates ofchildren’s schooling status and basic learning levelsfor each state and rural district in India.o ASER has been conducted every year since 2005in almost all rural districts of India.o ASER is the largest citizen-led survey in India.o ASER is conducted by the Pratham, a nongovernment organization. Geographical and Demographic coverage:o ASER It is a nationwide survey of rural educationand learning outcomes.o Unlike other surveys, ASER is a household-basedrather than school-based survey.o ASER includes children who have never been toschool or have dropped out, as well as those whoare in government schools, private schools,religious schools or anywhere else.Key Findings About ASER 2021: ASER 2021 surveyed over76,000 households with children aged six to 14.o ASER 2021 was conducted in 26 states and 4Union Territories.th 16 ASER a phone survey: Due to the pandemic,ASER’s 16th annual report was based on a phonesurvey assessing enrolment in schools and tuitionclasses, and access to devices and learningresources.o Earlier, ASER conducted face-to-face surveywhich assessed learning outcomes andchildren’s competencies in reading andarithmetic skills.o ASER 2020 (conducted in September 2020) wasthe first ever phone-based ASER survey. Enrollment: The percentage of rural children whowere not enrolled in school doubled during thepandemic.o Over a third of children enrolled in Classes 1 and2 have never attended school in person.7 Shift in Enrollment: The Government schools sawan increase (64.3% in 2018 to 70.3% in 2021) inenrolment at the expense of private schools(dropped from 32.5% in 2018 to 24.4% in 2021).o Shift to government school enrolment could be aresult of financial distress, the closure ofaffordable private schools and the movement ofmigrants to rural areasLearning Outcomes: while 92% of children hadtextbooks for their grade, only a third had access toany other learning resources or support.Traditional learning: About 65% of students didsome type of traditional learning activity during theweek of the survey, with engagement ranging from44% in Jharkhand to almost 90% in Kerala.Online learning: With smartphone availability andaccess limited, online learning was restricted to aquarter of students.o Inter-state variations: 91% of students fromKerala and almost 80% from Himachal Pradeshhad online education, but only 10% from Biharand 13% from West Bengal.Tuition Classes: During the pandemic, almost 40%of students took tuition classes, as many parentsstruggled to provide the learning support studentswere not receiving from closed schools.Access to study materials: textbook distributionwas a success story in most States, with 92% ofstudents having the texts for their grade level.o Deficiency: Just over a third of studentsenrolled in closed government schools in 2021received worksheets, phone messages or anyother sort of learning activities or materials inthe week of the survey.ADR report on political donationsContext Recently, Association of Democratic Rights (ADR)has released a report where it has revealed thatmore than 55% of the donations received byregional parties in FY 2019-20 came from“unknown” sources.Key points ADR has analysed 23 regional parties which filedtheir annual audit and contribution reports, andreported that 54.32% came from “unknown”sources. According to the report, electoral bonds accountedfor nearly 95% of the donations from “unknown”sources.www.bankersadda.com www.sscadda.com www.careerpower.in Adda247 App
December 2021 Current Affairs Capsule The report noted that donations received byKey points Demand for space cooling is increasing. Thenational parties from “unknown” sources added upenergy requirement for space cooling is predicted toto 70% of their income.triple from 2016 to 2050 as millions of households Parties in the south — TRS, TDP, YSR Congressin developing countries acquire air conditioners inParty, DMK and JD(S) — topped the list of regionalthe coming decades.parties with highest incomes from “unknown” Impacts of urban heat are not evenly distributed.sources.Cooler cities, homes and streets are key to ensure The donations received by regional parties fromclimate justice. Lower-income districts and“known” donors added up to 22.98% of their totalcommunities are usually the most vulnerable toincome.heat, placing the negative impacts of excesso Known donors are those whose details arewarming disproportionately on those least likely toavailable from contribution report submitted tobe able to afford or access thermal comfort. We needElection Commission.to transition to more equitable and sustainable waysADR suggestionsof cooling our cities and make them liveable for all. ADR has noted that since a very large percentage of The benefits of sustainable urban cooling are farthe income of political parties cannot be traced toreaching, including improved health andthe original donor, full details of all donors should beproductivity, reduced power energy requirements,made available for public scrutiny under the RTI.lower emissions, and economic benefits. Cooling strategies can be optimized to work Also, any organisation that receives foreign fundingtogether efficiently. The report calls for a wholeshould not be allowed to support or campaign forsystem approach–that is, reduce heat at urban scale,any candidate or party.reduce cooling needs in buildings and serve cooling ADR has also suggested that the mode of payment ofneeds in buildings efficiently–to benefit fromall donations (above and below Rs 20,000), incomeintegrative effects.from sale of coupons, membership fees, etc. shouldbe declared by the parties in audit reports,Example case studiessubmitted to the I-T department and Election United States: Heat reduction services from urbanCommission of India.tree cover in the United States are estimated to beworth USD 5.3 billion to USD 12.1 billion annually.About Electoral BondsGlobally, investing USD 100 million annually in Electoral Bond is a financial instrument for makingstreet trees would give 77 million people a 1 Cdonations to political parties.reduction in maximum temperatures on hot days. It is an initiative of Department of Economic Affairs, Seoul, South Korea: An effort to restore theMinistry of Finance.Cheonggyecheon stream that runs through the city Electoral Bond is in the nature of a Promissory Notereplaced 5.8 kilometres of elevated expresswayand an interest free banking instrument.covering the stream with a mixed-use waterfront A citizen of India or a body incorporated in India willcorridor. The waterfront corridor decreasedbe eligible to purchase the bond.temperature 3.3 C to 5.9 C compared to a parallel Electoral bond would be issued/purchased for anyroad a few blocks away.value, in multiples of 1,000, from the specified Medellín, Colombia: Green corridors were createdbranches of the State Bank of India (SBI).that follow and restore the geography of the area Know more about Electoral Bonds here.prior to recent development. From 2016 to 2019,the city created 36 corridors, 18 along major roadsBeating the heat: a sustainable coolingand 18 along waterways, covering over 36 hectares.handbook for citiesThe areas with green corridors have already seentemperature reductions of up to 4 C.Context
Access to study materials: textbook distribution was a success story in most States, with 92% of students having the texts for their grade level. Just over a third of students received worksheets, phone messages or any other sort of le
