Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams - 27 December 2021

::National::

PM Modi to launch hydropower projects worth ₹11,000 crore in Himachal

Built at a cost of ₹7,000 crore, the Renukaji Dam will optimally utilise the hydropower potential of the Himalayan region to bring benefits to as far away as national capital Delhi, which will be able to receive a water supply of around 500 million cubic meters per year.
Prime Minister NarendraModi on Monday visit Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, where he will inaugurate and lay the foundation for hydropower projects worth more than ₹11,000 crore. Included among these is the Renukaji Dam project, lying pending for around three decades.
According to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the completion of the 40-megawatt hydropower project was only made possible by the collective effort of six states—Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Delhi—at the behest of the central government.
Built at a cost of ₹7,000 crore, the Renukaji Dam will optimally utilise the hydropower potential of the Himalayan region to bring benefits to as far away as national capital Delhi, which will be able to receive a water supply of around 500 million cubic meters per year.
Prime Minister Modi will also lay the foundation stone of the Luhri Stage 1 Hydro Power Project, a 210-megawatt dam that's built at a cost of more than ₹1,800 crore and is expected to generate over 750 million units of electricity per year. According to the PMO, the modern and dependable grid support will prove beneficial to the surrounding states of the region as well.
Prime Minister Modi will preside over the second ground-breaking ceremony of the Himachal Pradesh Global Investors' Meet on Monday. The meet, according to the PMO, is expected to give a boost to investment in the region through the start of projects worth around ₹28,000 crore.

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::International::

Israel approves plan to double settlers in occupied Golan Heights

Israel’s government on Sunday approved a $317 million plan to double the Jewish settler population in the Golan Heights, 40 years after it annexed the territory captured from Syria.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s cabinet voted in favour of the plan that aims to build 7,300 settler homes in the region over a five-year period, during a meeting held at the Mevo Hama community in the Golan.
It calls for 1 billion Israeli shekels to be spent on housing, infrastructure and other projects with the goal of attracting roughly 23,000 new Jewish settlers to the area, seized during the 1967 Six Day War.
“Our goal today is to double the population of the Golan Heights,” the right-wing Bennett said ahead of the meeting.
Bennett said the recognition by the Trump administration of Israeli sovereignty over the swath of land, and the Biden administration’s indication that it will not at this point walk that decision back, prompted the new investment in the region.
Israel occupied the Golan Heights in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed the territory, promoting settlement and agriculture there as well as creating a thriving local tourism industry.
The US was the first country to recognise Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan, which the rest of the international community regards as Israeli-occupied.

::Economy::

Weekend events are not linked to RBL Bank's asset quality: Interim chief

RBL Bank’s interim chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director (MD) Rajeev Ahuja on Sunday tried to allay concerns around the health of the bank. He said events during the weekend are not linked to RBL’s asset quality.
The bank said VishwavirAhuja, its managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO), had on Saturday proceeded on leave with immediate effect on medical grounds.
After Viswavir’s resignation, the bank appointed executive director (ED) Rajeev Ahuja interim MD & CEO on Saturday, subject to regulatory and other approvals. The bank’s board of directors are currently engaged in finding Rajeev’s successor, a process which may take four to six months.
In an analysts’ call, Rajeev said there are five-seven people in the management team that are in the fray to take over as full-time MD & CEO. Besides the internal pool, the board will also consider external candidates, the management said.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) also appointed YogeshDayal, its chief general manager, as additional director on the board of RBL Bank for a two-year term.
The financial position of RBL Bank remains robust with capital adequacy at 16.3 per cent. It will be in a similar range this quarter (Q3FY22). RBL Bank will take a call on further capital raising after FY22. From FY23, the annual growth is expected to be 15-18 per cent, the management added.
On asset quality, the bank said slippages peaked in Q2 and will be improving this quarter and the next. The net non-performing assets (NPA) position will also be on an improving trend.

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, R K Damani approach RBI to acquire 10% in RBL Bank

Ace investors RakeshJhunjhunwala and D-Mart’s founder RK Damani have approached the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to buy a 10 per cent stake in RBL Bank, according to a report by CNBC TV 18. According to the report, RBI is looking at the request.
The move by ace investors comes a day after the appointment of RBI chief general manager YogeshDayal as additional director on RBL’s board, and its managing director VishwavirAhujaproceeded on leave.
Neither Jhunjhunwala nor Damani have made any statement regarding their request to RBI. On Friday, RBL Bank’s stock ended the session at Rs 172.50, a 3.06 per cent decline. The lender at present has a market capitalisation of Rs 10,340 crore.

::Science and tech::

Flawlessly preserved dinosaur embryo preparing to hatch, found in China

Scientists announced the discovery of an exquisitely preserved dinosaur embryo from at least 66 million years ago that was preparing to hatch from its egg just like a chicken.
The fossil was discovered in Ganzhou, southern China and belonged to a toothless theropod dinosaur, or oviraptorosaur, which the researchers dubbed "Baby Yingliang."
"It is one of the best dinosaur embryos ever found in history," University of Birmingham researcher FionWaisum Ma, who co-authored a paper in the journal iScience, told AFP.
Ma and colleagues found Baby Yingliang's head lay below its body, with the feet on either side and back curled -- a posture that was previously unseen in dinosaurs, but similar to modern birds.
In birds, the behavior is controlled by the central nervous system and called "tucking." Chicks preparing to hatch tuck their head under their right wing in order to stabilize the head while they crack the shell with their beak.
Oviraptorosaurs, which means "egg thief lizards," were feathered dinosaurs that lived in what is now Asia and North America during the Late Cretaceous period.
They had variable beak shapes and diets, and ranged in size from modern turkeys at the lower end to massive Gigantoraptors, that were eight meters (26 feet) long.

::Sport::

Leaders Manchester City hit six in Boxing Day goal feast

Manchester City led the way in a bumper Boxing Day goal feast in the Premier League on Sunday with a 6-3 win over Leicester City sending them six points clear at the top of the standings.
The opening five games of the COVID-19 impacted festive programme delivered 26 goals with Arsenal romping to a 5-0 win away to bottom club Norwich City and Chelsea enjoying a 3-1 win at Aston Villa. Tottenham Hotspur beat Crystal Palace 3-0 while Southampton enjoyed a surprise 3-2 win at West Ham United.
Pep Guardiola's City are on 47 points with Liverpool, whose match against Leeds United was called off due to COVID-19 cases in the Yorkshire team, on 41 points.