DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: Dec. 19, 2021

India’s 2nd Mega Common Facility Centre for Gem and Jewellery sector to be set up in Mumbai

Tags: State News

• It will be set up at the Santacruz Electronic Export Processing Zone (SEEPZ) Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Mumbai.
• It will be the second such facility in India after Surat, in Gujarat.
• The Mega Common Facility will provide training to the workforce in the Gems and Jewellery sector and  will provide cutting-edge technology for manufacturing and other allied processes of the gem and jewellery sector.
• The Indian Gems and Jewellery sector is one of the largest in the world, contributing around 29% to the global jewellery consumption.
• As of February 2021, India’s gold and diamond trade contributed ~7.5% to India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 14% to India’s total merchandise exports. 
• The Government of India is aiming at US$ 70 billion in jewellery export in the next five years (until 2025),
•  In FY 2020-21, gems & jewellery exports in India stood at US$ 25.30 billion.
• The US is the biggest export destination for Indian Gems and Jewellery.

New generation ballistic missile ‘Agni P’ successfully test-fired by DRDO

Tags: Defence

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully tested the new generation nuclear capable medium range surface to surface    ballistic missile ‘Agni P’ from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam island off the coast of Odisha on December 18, 2021. 
• The Agni P is a two-stage canisterised solid propellant ballistic missile with a dual redundant navigation and guidance system that can be launched from rail and road and stored for a longer period.
• The range of the New Generation Agni P missile is 1000KM to 2000 Km.

DRDO head Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy.

Sulayem became the first non-European president of motorsport’s governing body FIA.

Tags: Sports News

• Mohammed Ben Sulayem of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)  has been elected as the new president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).
• He has been the chairman of the United Arab Emirates motorsport federation since 2006.
• FIA organises the motor car racing championship Formula One.

33rd Moortidevi Award 2019 to Vishwanath prasad Tiwari

Tags: Awards

• Eminent Hindi author Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari got the 33rd Moorti Devi award 2019 for his work “Asti Aur Bhavati".
• The Moortidevi award is given by  Bharatiya Jnanpith to Indian writers writing in any of the  22 Indian languages mentioned in the Eight schedule of the Indian Constitution .
• The first awardee was C.K.Nagaraja Rao for his work Pattamahadevi Shantala Devi written in Kannada 1983.
• First women awardee was Odia writer   Pratibha Ray in 1985 for her work Yajnasani
• The 31^st awardee was Joy Goswami for his Bengali work Du Dondo Phowara Matro  in 2017.
• No award was given in 2018.