Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams - 28 December 2021

::National::

PM Modi to inaugurate Kanpur Metro stretch, to address students at IIT

The new 9km long section stretches from IIT-Kanpur to MotiJheel in the city.
Prime Minister NarendraModi will inaugurate the completed section of the Kanpur Metro rail project in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur city and attend the convocation ceremony of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) , his office has announced.
The new 9km long section stretches from IIT-Kanpur to MotiJheel in the city.
According to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), PM Modi will also undertake a ride from the IIT Metro station to Geeta Nagar after the inauguration.
The entire length of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project is 32km and is being built at a cost of over ₹11,000 crore.
At the 54th convocation ceremony of IIT Kanpur, all students will be issued digital degrees through an in-house blockchain-driven technology developed at the Institute under the National Blockchain Project.
The Prime Minister will launch the blockchain-based digital degrees, which can be verified globally and are unforgeable.
Following this, PM Modi is also scheduled to inaugurate the 356km long Bina-Panki multi product pipeline project. The project has a capacity of around 3.45 million metric tonnes per annum, according to the PMO statement.

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::International::

UAE issues first civil marriage license for non-Muslim couple

The UAE issued its first civil marriage license for a non-Muslim couple, state media reported Monday, as the Gulf country seeks to keep its edge over regional competitors.
The United Arab Emirates -- where foreigners make up 90 percent of the approximately 10-million population -- has been amending its laws to present itself as a modernising force in a largely conservative region.
The official WAM news agency said a Canadian couple were the first to marry under a new law on the personal status of non-Muslims in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi.
The move "contributes to the consolidation of Abu Dhabi's position as a world leading destination for skills and expertise from around the world," WAM said.
Civil marriage in the Middle East, the birthplace of Islam, Christianity and Judaism, is uncommon and usually conducted under a religious authority of one of the three monotheistic beliefs.
Civil marriages are allowed in Tunisia and Algeria.
While some countries in the region allow civil unions based on certain conditions, some only recognise civil marriages conducted abroad and others not at all.
Late last year, the UAE revamped an array of laws in a social liberalisation drive designed to burnish its progressive brand.
These included lifting a ban on unmarried couples living together, loosening restrictions on alcohol and offering long-term residencies.
Earlier this month, the UAE announced it will move to a Western-style Saturday-Sunday weekend.

::Economy::

5G services to roll out in India's four metros, selected cities in 2022

The Fifth Generation or 5G telecom services are set to be rolled out in selected cities in India in 2022. The cities which are set to get the 5G telecom services in 2022 include Gurugram, Bangalore, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Delhi, Jamnagar, Ahmadabad, Chennai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Pune, and Gandhinagar.
Leading telecom service providers BhartiAirtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea, have established 5G trials sites in these cities. "These Metros and big cities would be the first places for launch of 5G services in the country, next year," the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said on Monday.
The fifth-generation is the latest upgrade in the long-term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband networks. While 4G was a great leap forward, allowing people to stream music and video on the go, 5G is designed to connect many more types of devices than smartphones and offers far higher speed and capacity.
Apart from the leading telecom operators and smartphone manufacturers, the government is also involved actively to facilitate the rollout of 5G services. The Department of Telecom has roped in leading research institutions for development and testing of 5G technology.
The Indigenous 5G Test bed project started in 2018 and is set to be completed by December 31, 2021. The project has been funded by the Department of Telecom. The department has spent Rs224 crore on this project.
"Costing ₹224 crore, the project is likely to be completed by December 31, 2021, paving the way for end-to-end testing of 5G User Equipments (UEs) and network equipment by 5G stakeholders developing 5G products/services/usecases, including indigenous start-ups, SMEs, Academia and Industry in the country," the Department of Telecom said.
Earlier this month, Telecom Secretary K Rajaraman expressed hope that 5G test bed would be rolled out in early January. "We hope to roll out this 5G test bed in early January which will enable SMEs and other parts of industries to come and test their solution on a working platform," Rajaraman said at India Mobile Congress on December 9.

India's forex reserves drop by $160 million to $635.66 billion

India's foreign exchange (forex) reserves declined by 160 million to $635.66 billion due to a sharp drop in foreign currency assets, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data showed.
The foreign currency assets dipped by $645 million to $572.21 billion during the week ended December 17, 2021, as per the RBI's weekly statistical supplement.
The foreign currency assets include the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound, and yen held in the foreign exchange reserves. It is expressed in the US dollar.
The value of gold reserves rose by $475 million to $39.18 billion. Reserve position with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) increased by $9 million to $5.17 billion. There was no change in the special drawing rights (SDRs). It remained unchanged at $19.08 billion.
This is the third consecutive week of decline in the country's forex reserves. The forex reserves had dropped by $77 million during the week ended December 10.

::Science and tech::

Rajnath Singh lays foundation of BrahMos unit, defence technology centre in Lucknow

Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday laid the foundation stone of the Defence Technology and Test Centre and BrahMos manufacturing centre that will be established by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Lucknow.
Speaking on the occasion, Rajnath Singh said India wants to manufacture BrahMos missiles not to attack anyone, but to ensure that no other country has the audacity to cast an evil eye on it.
The Yogi Adityanath government has allocated 200-acre land for the project in Lucknow. The BrahMos Manufacturing Centre, announced by BrahMos Aerospace, is a modern, state-of-art facility in the Lucknow node of Defence Industrial Corridor, Uttar Pradesh.
The next generation BrahMos missiles will be manufactured here and this facility will be made operational in the next two-three years. Around 80-100 missiles will be manufactured at the Lucknow unit every year.
Rajnath Singh expressed confidence that the foundation laying of the two units would herald a new chapter in defence manufacturing of the country, the economy of Uttar Pradesh and the city of Lucknow.
Stressing the need to maintain nuclear deterrence, he said, “We want to manufacture BrahMos on Indian soil so that no country has the audacity to cast an evil eye on India.” The missile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
“It has never been the character of India to attack any other country or grab even an inch of land of any country,” he said.

::Sport::

Cricket Australia should consider moving New Year's Test to MCG: Vaughan

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan on Monday said Cricket Australia should act proactively in the wake of the COVID scare on the second day of the ongoing Boxing Day Test here and consider moving the Sydney fixture also to Melbourne.
The second day of play on Monday was delayed by half-an-hour following multiple positive cases within the England camp.
"I think Cricket Australia have to act quickly and be proactive in terms of the situation. It's unprecedented times," 'Sen Radio' reported Vaughan telling 'Fox Cricket'.
"Could the next Test match be played here in Melbourne, under lights at the MCG, to make sure we all stay in Victoria where the protocols are different to Sydney?