DAILY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS: 29.12.2020 .12.2018

NATIONAL Prime Minister NarendraModi flags off 100th ‘Kisan Rail’  Prime Minister ShriNarendraModi flagged off the 100th ‘Kisan Rail’ on 28th December 2020, from Sangola in Maharashtra to Shalimar in West Bengal via video-conferencing.  The first Kisan Rail was introduced from Devlali in Maharashtra to Danapur in Bihar on August 7, 2020, which was further extended up to Muzaffarpur.  Kisan Rail is a mobile cold storage to move perishable things like fruits, vegetables, milk, fish, etc., with complete security.

PM Modi flags off India’s first driverless train on Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line  Prime Minister ShriNarendraModi inaugurated India’s first-ever fully-automated driverless train service on 28 December 2020, on the Magenta Line of the Delhi Metro.  Apart from this, PM also launched fully operational National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) on the Airport Express Line of Delhi Metro, to connect DMRC with the NCMC service.  NCMC, also known as ‘One Nation One Card’, is an inter-operable transport card that allows the holders all in one service to pay for their travel, toll taxes, parking charges, retail shopping and even withdraw money.

Skyroot Aerospace becomes first Indian company to successfully test fire solid-fueled rocket engine  Indian Space startup, Skyroot Aerospace has successfully test fired a solid propulsion rocket engine, named Kalam-5  With this, it has become the first private company of India to successfully design, develop and test a full solid-fueled rocket stage.  This crucial propulsion technology will be used for their maiden rocket Vikram-1, which is under active manufacturing and is targeted to be launched in December 2021 with the help of ISRO.  Kalam is a series of five solid-fueled rocket engines with a thrust ranging from 5kN to 1000kN (approx 100Tons).  The remaining four motors are in various stages of manufacturing and will be tested in 2021.

DEFENCE India-Vietnamese Navy Conducts passage exercise PASSEX-2020 in South China Sea  The Indian Navy and Vietnamese Navy undertook the naval passage exercise PASSEX in the South China Sea from December 26-27, 2020.  The two-day exercise was conducted s part of efforts to boost maritime cooperation between the two countries.  The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kiltan took part in the exercise.  INS Kiltan, reached Vietnam’s NhaRong Port in Ho Chi Minh City, carrying humanitarian assistance to deliver 15 tonnes of relief material for flood-affected people under Mission Sagar-III.  This mission of INS Kiltan is part of India’s Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) assistance to Friendly Foreign Countries during the ongoing pandemic.

BOOKS Union Minister ShripadNaik Releases book “Sutranivednachi sutra- ekanbav” by renowned Goan Compere Dr Roopa Chari  Union Minister of state (I/C) for AYUSH and Minister of State for Defence ShripadNaik released a Konkani book titled “Sutranivednachi sutra- ekanbav”.  The book has been written by Dr Roopa Chari, a well-known personality in the field of Compering in Goa.  It is published by Sanjana Publications.  This book will help aspiring youngsters, who wish to make a career in the field of Compering.  Compere (often abbreviated MC or emcee) is a person who introduces the performers or contestants in a variety show and acts as a link between the audience and the speaker.

1441, Opp. IOCL Petrol Pump, CRPF Square, Bhubaneswar-750015 1 Ph. : 8093556677, 9040456677, Web :www.vanik.org, E-mail : [email protected]

DAILY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS: 29.12.2020 .12.2018

SPORTS AWARD ICC Awards of the Decade 2020  The winners of the prestigious ICC Awards of the Decade were announced on 28th December 2020.  The ICC Awards of The Decade recognise the best players across Cricket over the past 10 years.  Among women’s cricketers Australia’s clinched the award in all three categories , ICC Women’s Player of the Decade, ODI Player of the Decade and T20I Player of the Decade award. List of Winners  ICC Spirit of Cricket Award of the Decade – MS Dhoni ICC Men’s Awards  Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade – ViratKohli  ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Decade –ViratKohli  ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Decade –  ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Decade –  ICC Men’s Associate Cricketer of the Decade – ICC Women’s Award  Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award for ICC Female Cricketer of the Decade – Ellyse Perry  ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Decade – Ellyse Perry  ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Decade – Ellyse Perry  ICC Women’s Associate Cricketer of the Decade – Kathryn Bryce

OBITUARY Padma Shri winning Veteran Dance Historian Sunil Kothari, passes away at 87  Padma Shri awardee dance historian and critic Sunil Kothari has passed away after suffering cardiac arrest. He was 87.  Kothari was qualified as a Chartered Accountant, before turning to the study of Indian dance forms.  He authored more than 20 books on the subject of Indian dance forms.  The noted dance scholar Kothari received numerous titles and awards for his contribution to Indian dance forms. Some of them includes the SangeetNatakAkademi Award (1995); the Padma Shri bestowed by the Government of India (2001); and the Life Time Achievement Award of the Dance Critics Association, New York, USA (2011).

1441, Opp. IOCL Petrol Pump, CRPF Square, Bhubaneswar-750015 2 Ph. : 8093556677, 9040456677, Web :www.vanik.org, E-mail : [email protected]