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Daily Current Affairs- 24/12/20

1. US President confers 'Legion of Merit' award to Prime Minister Narendra Modi

• The Legion of Merit, in the highest degree of the Chief Commander, is a prestigious award conferred by the President of the United States, typically upon Heads of State or Heads of Government of other countries. • Note: At the ceremony, The Legion of Merit, was also awarded to the Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison, and former Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe.

2. Union Government for the first time lays down Rights to the Electricity Consumers through “Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020”

• These rules shall empower the consumers of electricity and these Rules emanate from the conviction that the power systems exist to serve the

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consumers and the consumers have rights to get the reliable services and quality electricity. • Note: The distribution licensee shall supply 24x7 power to all consumers. However, the commission may specify lower hours of supply for some categories of consumers like agriculture.

3. ’s first Centre of Excellence for Skill Development in Power Sector

• Skill India has established the first Centre of Excellence for Skill Development in the Power Sector in the campus of National Institute of Solar Energy, Gurugram, Haryana. • The Centre of Excellence is an outcome of collaboration between the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India, along with the Ministry of National Education and Youth, Government of France and Schneider Electric. • The Centre of Excellence will focus on creating a pool of highly skilled trainers and assessors for further training to increase employability of candidates in the field of Electricity, Automation and Solar Energy Sectors.

4. The ‘Status of Leopard in India 2018’ report

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• The ‘Status of Leopard in India 2018’ report was released by Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar.

• India now has 12,852 leopards. More than 60 percent increase in population has been recorded over the previous estimate which was conducted in 2014. • Note: The States of (3,421), Karnataka (1783) and (1690) have recorded the highest leopard estimates.

5. The Sports Ministry approves inclusion of four indigenous sports in 2021 • The games include Gatka, , Thang-Ta and Mallakhamba. • Kalaripayattu has its origin from Kerala and has practitioners all over the world.

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• Mallakhamba has been well-known across India and Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have been the hotspots of this sport. • Gatka originates from Punjab and this traditional fighting style of the Nihang Sikh Warriors is used both as self-defense as well as a sport. • Thang-Ta is Manipur’s martial art.

6. Singapore's 'Hawker' Culture gets UNESCO recognition

• The Hawker Culture in Singapore, a popular Singaporean style of street dining and culinary practices in a multicultural urban environment has been recognized by UNESCO. • The Hawker culture of Street food in Singapore has been listed on the UN’s prestigious ‘Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’.

7. Lewis Hamilton wins 2020 Sports Personality of the Year

• Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has won BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2020.

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• Note: It is the second time Hamilton has been crowned Sports Personality of the Year, having first won the award in 2014.

8. Vineet Agarwal takes over as new Assocham President

• Managing Director of logistics major Transport Corporation of India Limited Vineet Agarwal has taken over as the new President of The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham). • He replaces Niranjan Hiranandani, Co-Founder and MD, Hiranandani Group of Companies. 9. December 24, National Consumer Day

• On this day the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 had received the assent of the president. The enactment of this Act is considered as a historic milestone in the consumer movement in the country. • Note: On July 20th, 2020, the new Consumer Protection Act, 2019 came into force in India, replacing the previous enactment of 1986. • World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated on March 15 every year.