National
Central Provident Fund Commissioner in the EPFO
⇒ The Appointment Committee of Cabinet, Government of India has appointed IAS officer Neelam Shammi Rao as the Central Provident Fund Commissioner in the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).
- Ms Neelam Shami Rao took charge as CPFC on 7 December 2021. She is a 1992 batch Administrative Service officer from Madhya Pradesh cadre.
About Central Provident Fund Commissioner:
The Central Provident Fund Commissioner is the Chief Executive Officer of EPFO and is the ex-officio Member Secretary of the Central Board, EPF.
Pinaka-ER Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher System
⇒ Successful tests of Pinaka Extended Range (Pinaka-ER), Area Denial Munitions (ADM) and indigenously developed fuzes have been carried out at various test ranges.
The Pinaka-ER Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher System was successfully tested at Pokharan range in December 2021.
Designed by:
The system is jointly designed by laboratories of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) – Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune.
Highlights:
Pinaka-ER:
- The Pinaka-ER is the upgraded version of earlier Pinaka version which has been in service with the Indian Army for the last decade.
- The system has been designed in the light of emerging requirements with advanced technologies enhancing the range.
Area Denial Munition (ADM):
- The Area Denial Munition (ADM) variants of munition designed by the ARDE, Pune for Pinaka and manufactured by the industry partners under technology transfer were successfully carried out at Pokhran Field Firing Ranges.
- These trials are part of performance evaluation under technology absorption.
Fuzes for Pinaka rockets:
- The indigenously-developed proximity fuzes for Pinaka rockets have also been tested.
- The ARDE, Pune has developed different fuzes for Pinaka rocket for different types of applications.
- After design validation trials, dynamic performance evaluation of these fuzes have been evaluated with flight testing.
» These has been developed through dedicated indigenous R&D efforts for the first time in the country.
Gwalior Drone Mela
⇒ The Gwalior Drone Mela was organized jointly by Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, Government of Madhya Pradesh, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI)
- It was held at Madhav Institute of Technology & Science (MITS), Gwalior on 11 December 2021.
- This was part of the series of events planned under the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebration.
Highlights:
- Drone Mela witnessed the biggest congregation of drone manufacturers, service providers, drone enthusiasts and user communities, especially students, farmers and common man of the city.
- Programme included drone exhibition, demonstration, drone spardha, industry – user interactions and launches.
- Over 30 exhibition stalls were set up to showcase drones, drone applications, services, use cases etc.
International
Executive Director of Unicef
⇒ UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Catherine Russell, an adviser to US President Joe Biden, as Executive Director of Unicef.
- Catherine M. Russell became UNICEF’s eighth Executive Director on 1 February 2022.
About UNICEF:
- UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) is a UN agency headed by a board of directors made up of 36 members who represent the five regional groups of United Nations member states: Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, and Europe.
- Across more than 190 countries and territories, UNICEF work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.
Sports
2021 Men's Asian Champions Trophy
⇒ The 2021 Men’s Asian Champions Trophy was the sixth edition of the Men’s Asian Champions Trophy. It was held at the Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 14 to 22 December 2021.
- Since 2011, the Men’s Asian Champions Trophy is being organized annually by the Asian Hockey Federation.
Winners:
- South Korea won their first Asian Champions Trophy title by defeating Japan.
- Defending champions India and Pakistan played in the bronze medal match. India defeated Pakistan 4-3 to finish third.
Overall Result:
- Champions: South Korea
- Runner-up: Japan
- Third place: India (Bronze medal)
- Top scorer(s): Jang Jong-hyun (South Korea) (10 goals)
- Best player: Kenta Tanaka (Japan)
- Best goalkeeper: Suraj Karkera (India)
2021 BWF World Tour Finals
⇒ The 2021 BWF World Tour Finals (officially known as the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2021) was the final tournament of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour 2021.
- Indian shuttler PV Sindhu settled for a silver medal after going down meekly to South Korea’s An Seyoung 16-21 12-21 in the summit clash of the BWF World Tour Finals.