Here is the Daily GK Update of 15th December 2020 covering the following news headlines: NITI Aayog, FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup, Himgiri, CRISIL, Goldman Environmental Prize.

Daily GK updates are incorporated with the important news that made the current affairs headlines for banking or other competitive exams. Daily GK Update is the complete bag of the important news that held all day long. One should have complete knowledge about the banking terms, current affairs news, etc. So, here is the GK update of 15th December 2020 to help you prepare the Current affairs part.

National News

1. NITI Aayog releases ‘Vision 2035: Public Health Surveillance in India’

• NITI Aayog has released a white paper titled ‘Vision 2035: Public Health Surveillance in India’ on 14 December 2020.
• The ‘Vision 2035: Public Health Surveillance in India’ is a continuation of the work on Health Systems Strengthening. The building blocks for this vision are an interdependent federated system of governance between the Centre and states.
• The vision of this white paper is to make India’s public health surveillance system more responsive and predictive to enhance preparedness for action at all levels.
• The citizen-friendly public health surveillance system will ensure individual privacy and confidentiality, enabled with a client feedback mechanism.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog: Amitabh Kant.
• Chairperson of NITI Aayog: PM Narendra Modi.

State News

2. Ola to set up world’s largest scooter factory in Tamil Nadu

• The SoftBank-backed mobility platform, Ola has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tamil Nadu government, to set up its first factory in the state, at an investment of Rs 2,400 crore.
• Upon completion, the Ola factory in Tamil Nadu will be the largest scooter manufacturing facility in the world. Initially, the factory will have an annual manufacturing capacity of 2 million units.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Tamil Nadu Capital: Chennai.
• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister: Edappadi K. Palaniswami.
• Tamil Nadu Governor: Banwarilal Purohit.
• Tamil Nadu State Dance: Bharathanatyam.

3. Odisha to host 2023 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup

• The International Hockey Federation (FIH) had announced that the 2023 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup will be hosted in Odisha, for a second consecutive time.
• The tournament will be held at two venues, Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. The Men’s Hockey World Cup 2018 was also hosted by Odisha.
• The 2023 tournament will be 15th edition of the Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup. It will be held at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar and at the Biju Patnaik Hockey Stadium in Rourkela. FIH Hockey World Cup is held after every four years.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of Odisha: Naveen Patnaik.
• Odisha Capital: Bhubaneswar.
• Odisha Governor: Ganeshi Lal.
• Airports in Orissa: Biju Patnaik International Airport, Jharsuguda Airport, Rourkela Airport, Jeypore Airport and Savitri Jindal Airport.

Defence News

Economy News

5. CRISIL slows contraction rate for India at -7.7% in FY21

• Rating agency CRISIL has lowered the contraction rate of India’s GDP and now expects the growth rate of the Indian economy to contract 7.7% in the ongoing fiscal 2020-21, compared to the 9% forecast in September 2020, due to “faster-than-expected” recovery in the second quarter.
• For the fiscal 2021-22 (FY22), CRISIL expects the growth to bounce back to 10%.

Summits and Conferences News

6. 9th Sustainable Mountain Development Summit held in Dehradun

• The 9th edition of Sustainable Mountain Development Summit (SMDS) held in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
• The four-day-long summit was organised by Indian Mountain Initiative (IMI) and hosted by Sustainable Development Forum Uttaranchal (SDFU), Dehradun.
• The theme for 2020 SMDS was ‘Emerging Pathways for Building a Resilient Post COVID-19 Mountain Economy, Adaptation, Innovation and Acceleration’.
• The Summit deliberated on issues such as migration, water security, climate resilience and innovative solutions for the farm sector, and disaster risk reduction in the Indian Himalayas.
• The focus of the summit was on building pathways toward a resilient and sustainable mountain economy in the context of a post-COVID-19 scenario and Climate Change.

Awards News

7. Myanmar’s Paul Sein Twa receives Goldman Environmental Prize 2020

• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Asia Regional Office awarded Paul Sein Twa, for Goldman Environmental Prize 2020 for Asia.
• This award is given to him for his efforts in promoting the self-determination of the Karen people in managing their natural resources.
• Paul is the co-founder of the Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN), established in 2001.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Books and Authors News

8. A book titled ‘Dharma’ authored by Amish Tripathi

• The 2nd non-fiction book by author Amish Tripathi is titled “Dharma: Decoding the Epics for A Meaningful Life”.
• The book offers practical, philosophical lessons drawn from ancient Hindu epics. It is co-authored by his sister Bhavana Roy. It is to be published by Westland. His last non-fiction book ‘Immortals India’ was launched in 2017.

Obituaries News

9. ‘Hind Kesari’-winning wrestler Sripati Khanchanale passes away

• Noted Indian wrestler, Sripati Khanchanale, who had won the prestigious ‘Hind Kesari’ title in 1959, passed away.
• In 1959, Khanchanale won the ‘Hind Kesari’ title by defeating wrestler Rustam-e-Punjab Battasingh at the New Railway Stadium in Delhi.
• The prestigious ‘Hind Kesari’ title commands the highest respect in the Indian wrestling world.
• He was also a recipient of the Shiv Chhatrapati award, which is given by the Maharashtra government.

10. Eswatini’s Prime Minister, Ambrose Dlamini passes away

• Ambrose Dlamini, the Prime Minister of Eswatini, a country in Southern Africa, has passed away after contracting coronavirus.
• He was appointed as the tenth prime minister of the country in October 2018.