National
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the construction work of the Agra Metro project in Agra, Uttar Pradesh through video conferencing on 7th December 2020
The Agra Metro project comprises 2 corridors with a total length of 29.4 km.
It would connect major tourist attractions like Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Sikandra with railway stations and bus stands.
The estimated cost of the project will be around Rs 8,379.62 crore. It will be completed in 5 years.
The Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) has set the target to complete the first phase of the Agra Metro Rail Project by December 2022.
Once operational, the project will boost `Ease of Living` of the 26 lakh population of the city and also cater to more than 60 lakh tourists who visit Agra every year.
It will also provide an environment-friendly Mass Rapid Transit System to the city.
Gwalior & Orchha included in list of World Heritage City by UNESCO
The historical fort cities of Gwalior and Orchha of Madhya Pradesh have been included in the list of World Heritage City by UNESCO under its urban landscape city programme .
After being included in the list of World Heritage, UNESCO will work with the tourism department of the state to preserve and refine these archaeological and historical monuments of Orchha and Gwalior.
Yogi launches Mera Covid Kendra in UP
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched COVID-19 testing centre detection app named the Mera Covid Kendra app which will help people get information about nearby testing labs.
‘Mera COVID Kendra’ app which will help people in accessing public and private COVID testing labs available within 5 km of their location.
All the data like map, centre timing, test type and other details of the testing labs are present in the map. This mobile application can be downloaded from Google Play Store.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Fitch Ratings Revises India GDP Forecast, Sees Contraction at 9.4 Per cent
Fitch Ratings raised India’s GDP forecast to -9.4 per cent in the current fiscal year to March 2021 from a previously projected contraction of 10.5 per cent after the economy staged a sharper rebound in the second quarter.
In its Global Economic Outlook, Fitch said the coronavirus recession has inflicted severe economic scarring and the country needs to repair balance sheets and increase caution about long-term planning.
Fitch said the Indian economy staged a sharper rebound in the July-September quarter from the coronavirus-induced recession. GDP fell 7.5 per cent year-on-year, up from -23.9 per cent in the April-June quarter.
SPORTS
As per the information given by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), CEO, Wasim Khan, Sri Lanka will host the Asia Cup in June 2021 while Pakistan has earned the rights to host the tournament in 2022.
As per the original schedule, the tournament was supposed to be hosted by Pakistan in 2020, however it got postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now the event has been moved forward to June 2021, with Sri Lanka Cricket taking the hosting rights from PCB.
As compensation, PCB has got the hosting rights for the 2022 edition.
Jehan Daruvala becomes first Indian to win an F2 race
Jehan Daruvala created history when he became the first Indian to win a Formula 2 race during the Sakhir Grand Prix.
A thrilling battle against F2 champion Mick Schumacher and later Daniel Ticktum saw the 22-year-old Indian emerge on top in the support race of the season-ending Formula 1 Grand Prix.
APPOINTMENTS
Indian-origin Anil Soni appointed as CEO for WHO Foundation
The World Health Organization Foundation has appointed an Indian-origin health expert, Anil Soni, as its first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to address the most vital health challenges all across the globe.
Global health expert Soni will assume his role as its inaugural CEO on January 1 next year.
The Foundation is an independent grant-making agency based out of Geneva in Switzerland and was launched in May 2020 to work alongside the WHO and the global health community.
OBITUARIES
Indian-American physicist Narinder Singh Kapany, who is considered as the ‘Father of Fibre Optics’ has passed away. He was 94.
Kapany is credited with coining of the term Fibre Optics in 1956.
He was named as one of the seven “Unsung Heroes” by Fortune in their ‘Businessmen of the Century’ issue of November 22, 1999.
DR Narinder Singh Kapany is among the 10 most renowned Sikhs in the world.
He was the founding chairman of the Sikh Foundation and has been a major funder of its activities for over 50 years.
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