1) Goa Liberation Day: 19 December
•Goa Liberation Day is observed on 19 December every year in India and it marks the day Indian armed forces freed Goa in 1961 following 450 years of Portuguese rule. Goa Liberation Day is marked by an abundance of events and festivities in Goa though this time because of the pandemic the celebrations are expected to be muted. A torchlight procession is ignited from three different locations in the state, eventually all meeting at the Azad Maidan.
2) India ranks 111 in Human Freedom Index 2020
•A worldwide ranking of civil, economic and personal freedom, the Human Freedom Index 2020 was released. India was placed at the 111th spot out of 162 countries. In 2019, India ranked 94 on the index.
•The first three spots have been bagged by New Zealand, Switzerland and Hong Kong. The United States and the United Kingdom are tied at the 17th spot on the index. War-torn Syria ranked the last on the list.
3) ICRA Projects Indian economy to contract 7.8% in FY21
•The domestic rating agency, ICRA Ratings expects the technical recession in the country’s economy to end in the fourth quarter of the current fiscal, limiting the contraction in the GDP to 7.8 per cent in the financial year 2021.
4) ADB and India sign $300 million loan to upgrade power projects in UP
•The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed $300 million loan agreement with the Government of India to upgrade rural power distribution networks in Uttar Pradesh. This upgradation helps to provide reliable electricity supply to consumers in the state. This is the first tranche of the loan for the Uttar Pradesh Power Distribution Network Rehabilitation Project.
5) Ratan Tata to be honoured with ‘Global Visionary of Sustainable Business and Peace’ award
•Veteran industrialist, Ratan Tata will be honoured by the Indo-Israel Chambers of Commerce for promoting innovation that supports sustainability and peace in the region, including with the Palestinians. The chairman emeritus of the Tata group will be honoured with ‘Global Visionary of Sustainable Business and Peace’ award during the launch of the Federation of Indo-Israel Chamber of Commerce’s international chapter in Dubai on December 21.
•The opening of the Federation of Indo-Israel Chamber of Commerce’s international chapter in Dubai is the first such initiative aiming at tapping business opportunities together in other countries and developing trilateral collaborations.
6) India’s Vidyut Mohan named among ‘Young Champions of the Earth’ by UNEP
•Vidyut Mohan was one of the “Young Champions of the Earth” winners by United Nations Environment Programme. A 29-year-old Indian entrepreneur is among the seven winners of the prestigious “Young Champions of the Earth” 2020 prize given by the UN environment agency to global change-makers using innovative ideas and ambitious action to help solve some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. The prize is annually awarded to 7 entrepreneurs under age 30.
