Daily GK Update: 20th December 2020

State Affairs

Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad has received ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Standards Certificate from Accreditation Service for Certifying Bodies (ASCB), UK.
With this, it has also become the 1st zoo in the country to get this certificate.
Before getting certification, zoo assessment was conducted in a phased manner by HYM International Certifications, ASCB.
It has been accorded as wildlife conservation hub, particularly endangered species of Deccan

Important Dates

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed concluding session of ‘ASSOCHAM Foundation Week 2020’ virtually on 19th December 2020.
Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (ASSOCHAM) Foundation Week was held from 15 to 19 December 2020.
Theme 2020: ‘India’s resilience: Atmanirbhar roadmap towards $5 trillion economy.’
ASSOCHAM was established in 1920 and presently has 400 Chambers and Trade Associations, and serving over 4.5 lakh members across India.

State Affairs

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has launched ‘PAReSHRAM’ web portal along with 22 other online services of Labour and Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) dept.
It will help in ‘ease of doing business’ contributing significantly to industrial development of the State.
PAReSHRAM Portal
- Information regarding different labour laws for everyone
- It will provide 52 types of services like application form for services
- Entrepreneurs can get registration certificate, licence, etc.

National & International Appointments

Sukhbir Singh Sandhu’s tenure as the Chairman of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has been extended for a period of six months by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
He is a 1988-batch IAS officer of Uttarakhand cadre
He was about to retire on January 21, 2021 and will now serve till July 21, 2021.
NHAI: Autonomous agency of Government, set up in 1988.
NHAI HQs: Delhi

Agreement

Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed $300 million loan agreement with India to upgrade rural power distribution networks in Uttar Pradesh, providing reliable electricity supply to consumers.
It is the first tranche of the loan for UP Power Distribution Network Rehabilitation Project
Aim: conversion of 65,000 km of rural low-voltage distribution lines from bare conductors to aerial bundle conductors (ABC) benefitting 70 million people in 46,000 villages.

Banking & Finance

RBI has further extended the restrictions Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank by 3 months till 31 March, 2021.
PMC Bank has also received 4 Expression of Interest (EoI) for its revival.
These proposals will be examined by the bank for their viability and feasibility taking into account the best interest of the depositors.
PMC bank was placed under Directions by RBI with effect from the close of its business on September 23, 2019

Honours & Awards

Vidyut Mohan (29 years) has been recognized as one of the 7 winners of ‘Young Champions of the Earth’ 2020 award
The award is being conferred by UN Environment Programme (UNEP) annually
Vidyut is the co-founder of ‘Takachar’, social enterprise that prevent open burning by farmers and convert farmers waste into value-added chemicals
Other Winners
- Nzambi Matee (Kenya)
- Xiaoyuan Ren (China)
- Lefteris Arapakis (Greece)
- Niria Alicia Garcia
- Max Hidalgo Quinto
- Fatemah Alzelzela

Important Dates

International Human Solidarity Day is being observed every year on December 20 to celebrate the unity in diversity and raise awareness about the importance of solidarity.
This day was proclaimed by UN General Assembly on December 22, 2005.
According to United Nations Millennium Declaration, solidarity is among the fundamental values that are essential to international relations.
World Solidarity Fund was set up in Feb 2003 as a trust fund of UN Development Programme

Obituaries

Senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideologue MG Vaidya (97 years) passed away after a brief illness.
He was a veteran journalist, Sanskrit scholar and the first official spokesperson of RSS (RSS is the ideological mentor of Bharatiya Janata Party).
He became a member of the RSS in 1943
He was also a member of Maharashtra’s Legislative Council as the Governor’s nominee between 1978 and 1984.
He was a prolific writer in Marathi and Hindi.