current affairs 13 December 2021

Maharashtra retains top spot in India Skills Report 2022.

• The 9th edition of India Skills Report (ISR) 2022 released by Wheebox.
• Maharashtra has retained the top position in the list of states with the highest survey of employable talent followed by Uttar Pradesh and Kerala.
• The theme of ISR 2022 is Rebuilding and Reengineering the Future of Work.
• The India Skills Report is a comprehensive report on the future of work, education and skills to match the demand and supply of talent in a growing India.
• States with Maximum Hiring Activity:
• Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are the 3 states where job demand is high.
• Pune is the city with the most employable resources, with 78% of the examinees scoring above 60 percentile.

Balkrishna Doshi was awarded the 2022 RIBA Royal Gold Medal for Architecture.

• The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced that Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi will be the recipient of the 2022 Royal Gold Medal.
• The distinction, approved by Her Majesty the Queen and awarded each year since 1848, is given to architects or practices in recognition of a lifetime's work and impact on the development of the region and the built environment.

Ken-Betwa River Interlinking Project approved by Cabinet.

• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the financing and implementation of the Ken-Betwa river linking project.
• At the 2020-21 price levels, the total cost of the Ken-Betwa link project is estimated at Rs. 44,605 crores.
• The Union Cabinet has approved central support of Rs 39,317 crore for the project, which includes a grant of Rs 36,290 crore and a loan of Rs 3,027 crore.
• The project will be implemented through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) known as the Ken-Betwa Link Project Authority (KBLPA).

DRDO successfully test fired Pinaka-ER, ADM and indigenous fuzes.

• Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has successfully test fired Pinaka Extended Range (Pinaka-ER), Area Denial Munition (ADM) and indigenously developed fuzes.
• Pinaka-ER is the upgraded version of the earlier version of Pinaka which has been in service with Indian Army.
• It has been designed in the light of emerging requirements with advanced technologies.
• ARDE, Pune has developed different fuzes for Pinaka rocket for different types of applications.

Karnataka Bank won 2 DigiDhan awards by MeitY for highest BHIM-UPI transaction.

• Karnataka Bank has been conferred with two DigiDhan awards instituted by the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
• The awards were given during Digital payment Utsav in New Delhi.
• The award recognized banks for achieving the target with the highest percentage in BHIM-UPI transactions under the private sector bank category consecutively for two years 2019-20 and 2020-21.