Welcome to the Current Affairs Section of BSC Academy. Get Daily & Latest Current Affairs 2021 for government job exams, UPSC, IAS/PCS, Banking, IBPS, SBI, RBI, SSC, Railway, UPPSC, BPSC, MPPSC, MPSC, KPSC, TNPSC, RPSC, UKPSC, APPSC and other competitive exams.
'Omicron is three times more transmissible than Delta variant': Health Ministry to states
The Centre on Dec 21 rang fresh alarm bells saying that evidence so far suggests that the omicron variant is at least thrice more infectious than delta, pushing states to reactivate Covid19 warrooms to keep a close watch on emerging data on the population affected by the infectious disease
This, the government said, was in view of the initial signs of a surge in cases of Covid19 in India as well as increased detection of the omicron variant in various parts of the country.
On Dec 21, Odisha, too, joined the list of states with confirmed omicron cases while its total confirmed cases in India jumped to 202.
Employment scheme wage liability over Rs 1000 crore
Thursday December 23, 2021
The Centre has a pending wage liability of nearly Rs 1,402 crore towards many states under the Mahatma Gandhi
Employment scheme wage liability over Rs 1000 crore
The Centre has a pending wage liability of nearly Rs 1,402 crore towards many states under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme (MGNREGS) during this financial year. So far, Rs 73,032.49 crore has been released to states or union territories for implementation of the scheme.
The Rural Development Ministry on Dec 21 said Rs 73,000 crore had been allocated at the Budget Estimate stage for 2021-22, and an additional Rs 10,000 crore was recently allocated as an interim measure. Further allocation may be made upon assessment of demand at the Revised Estimate stage.
MGNREGS is a demand-driven wage employment programme for which funds are released to states and Union Territories on the basis of “agreed to” Labour Budget and performance of the states/UTs during the financial year.
Wipro to acquire Edgile in USD 230-million deal
Thursday December 23, 2021
IT, consulting and business process services company Wipro has signed an agreement to acquire Edgile, a
IT, consulting and business process services company Wipro has signed an agreement to acquire Edgile, a transformational cyber security consulting provider, for $230 million.
Founded in 2001, Edgile is recognised by security and risk leaders for its business-aligned cyber security capability, deep understanding of the changing regulatory environment and enabling cloud transformations that help secure the modern enterprise. It has an onsite workforce of 182 employees.
Together, Wipro and Edgile will develop Wipro CyberTransform, an integrated suite that will help enterprises enhance boardroom governance of cyber security risk, invest in robust cyber strategies, and reap the value of practical security in action.
The transaction is expected to be completed before March 31, 2022.
Railways plan bullet trains in seven stretches
Thursday December 23, 2021
The country’s first Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed bullet train project is yet to be Read More..
Railways plan bullet trains in seven stretches
The country’s first Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed bullet train project is yet to be completed, but the Ministry of Railways has decided to proceed ahead with seven new rail corridor projects, including one between New Delhi and Ayodhya, besides Prime Minister Modi’s high-profile constituency Varanasi.
After the ongoing Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, Mumbaikers will also have such a connectivity with the industrial city Nagpur. For this, a Detailed Project Report (DPR) covering the 766-km route is already under preparation by experts of the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL).
The Railway Ministry has also decided to connect Varanasi with New Delhi through high-speed bullet train as a priority project. After the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor, the New Delhi-Varanasi corridor would be given the top priority.
Proposed new corridors
Delhi-Varanasi (including Ayodhya)
Mumbai-Nagpur (740 km) *
Delhi-Ahmedabad (886km) *
Delhi-Amritsar (459km) *
Mumbai-Hyderabad (711km) *
Chennai-Mysore (435km) *
Varanasi-Howrah (760km) *
Distance is tentative
Pankaj Advani wins his 11th National Billiards title
Pankaj Advani wins his 11th National Billiards title
Ace cueist Pankaj Advani defended his national billiards title -- his 11th in the tournament -- after he defeated his PSPB teammate Dhruv Sitwala 5-2 in a best of nine games final in Bhopal .
Indian pilgrims on Pakistan tour urge PM Imran Khan government to increase number of visa
Thursday December 23, 2021
A group of 87 Hindu pilgrims from India on Dec21 visited the Loh temple in Lahore Read More..
Indian pilgrims on Pakistan tour urge PM Imran Khan government to increase number of visa
A group of 87 Hindu pilgrims from India on Dec21 visited the Loh temple in Lahore and urged the Imran Khan government to increase the number of visas being allocated to Indians so that more people can visit their religious places located in Pakistan.
Loh or Lava temple is dedicated to Hindu deity Luv, the son of Lord Ram. It is located in Lahore Fort.
According to legend, Lahore is named after him. The temple was restored by the authorities in 2018.
Earlier, the pilgrims visited Katas Raj Temples, also known as Qila Katas or complex of Katas Temples in Chakwal district of Punjab, over 300 km from Lahore.
They will also visit the Krishna Temple before departing for their country on December 23.
Japan stun India 5-3 to set up title clash against Korea in Asian Champions Trophy hockey
Thursday December 23, 2021
Defending champions and Olympic bronze medallist India suffered a stunning 3-5 defeat against Japan in the
Japan stun India 5-3 to set up title clash against Korea in Asian Champions Trophy hockey
Defending champions and Olympic bronze medallist India suffered a stunning 3-5 defeat against Japan in the second semifinal of the Asian Champions Trophy men’s hockey tournament in Dhaka on Dec 21 .
Japan scored through Shota Yamada (1st minute, penalty), Raiki Fujishima (2nd minute), Yoshiki Kirishita (14th), Kosei Kawabe (35th) and Ryoma Ooka (41st).
India’s goals were scored by Hardik Singh (17th, 58th minute) and vice-captain Harmanpreet Singh (43rd).
Japan will now take on South Korea in the summit clash, while India will be once again up against Pakistan in the bronze medal clash on Dec 22.
In the other semifinal of the day, South Korea beat Pakistan 6-5 in a thrilling contest.
Indian-origin diplomat Uzra Zeya is America's Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues
Wednesday December 22, 2021
The US has designated Indian-origin diplomat Uzra Zeya as its Special Coordinator
Indian-origin diplomat Uzra Zeya is 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.
Zeya, who was once posted in New Delhi during her diplomatic career, had quit the foreign service in 2018 in protest against the policies of then president Donald Trump.
She is also the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights.
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 Actof 2002, as amended by the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020.
Zeya had told lawmakers that her grandfather was a freedom fighter in India.
She is a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.
