Anil Menon, an Indian-American doctor, was selected by NASA as one of 10 new astronaut recruits. He was born in the US to Indian and Ukrainian parents and has previously served NASA as a crew flight surgeon on the International Space Station. Olaf Scholz was sworn in as Germany's new chancellor, replacing Angela Merkel after 16 years, with expectations that relations with India will continue to be strong. The RBI kept its repo rate unchanged at 4% and maintained its accommodative stance to support growth while ensuring inflation remains within target. Nilmani Phookan and Damodar Mauzo were awarded the 56th and 57th Jnanpith Awards for their significant contributions to Ass

1. CURRENT AFFAIRS
8 DECEMBER 2021
Dr. A. PRABAHARAN
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2. Who is Anil Menon? -
 Anil Menon, an Indian-origin doctor, is among the 10 new astronaut
recruits selected by the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) for its future space missions. He was born in
Minneapolis, Minnesota to Indian and Ukrainian parents.
 The 45-year-old is a lieutenant colonel at the US Air Force and has
served NASA previously as the crew flight surgeon for various
expeditions on the International Space Station (ISS). He is married
and has two children.
 NASA announced its 2021 class of astronauts on December 6, 2021
from among over 12000 people who had applied to the space
agency in March 2020.
 Among the selected 10 new astronauts, six are men, while four are
women.

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3. Germany Election Result 2021: Olaf Scholz to
be sworn in as new German Chancellor
today
 Social Democrat Olaf Scholz will take oath as the new Chancellor of
Germany on December 8, 2021, marking an end to the 16-year rule of
Angela Merkel, who had been the first female chancellor of Germany.
 India has deep relations with Germany and it is expected to continue as
per the newly elected tripartite coalition led by Olaf Scholz. German
Ambassador to India Walter J Lindner informed that Olaf Scholz has
notably visited once before in 2012 when he was the Mayor Hamburg.
 He had visited New Delhi and Mumbai during his trip.
 Olaf Scholz was confirmed to be the next German chancellor after the
leaders of three parties sealed a coalition deal.
 The pact paves way for a three-way coalition government comprising
the Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and liberal Free Democrats (FDP).
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4. RBI Monetary Policy Statement 2021: Repo
rate unchanged at 4.0%, Real GDP growth
retained at 9.5 percent in FY 21-22
 RBI Monetary Policy Statement December 2021: The RBI Monetary Policy
Committee has decided to keep the policy repo rate under the liquidity
adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 4.0 percent based on the assessment
of the evolving macroeconomic situation.
 This was decided after the RBI Monetary Policy Committee meeting, which
was held from December 6-8, 2021, informed RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das.
 The RBI Monetary Policy Committee also decided to keep the reverse repo
rate under the LAF unchanged at 3.35 percent and the marginal standing
facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at 4.25 percent.
 The MPC also decided to continue its accommodative stance as long as
necessary to revive and sustain growth and mitigate the impact of COVID-19
on the economy, while ensuring that inflation remains within the target.
 The decisions are in line with RBI's objective of achieving the medium-term
target for consumer price index (CPI) inflation of 4 percent within a band of
+/- 2 percent while supporting growth.
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5. Jnanpith Award 2021: Nilmani Phookan,
Damodar Mauzo bag top literary honour:
Full list of Jnanpith Awardees
 Eminent Assamese Poet Nilmani Phookan Jr. has won the 56th
Jnanpith Award while the 57th Jnanpith Award has gone to the
Konkani novelist Damodar Mauzo. Jnanpith Awards, India’s
highest literary honour is bestowed on the writers for their
outstanding contribution to the Literature.
 56th Jnanpith Award is announced for 2020 and the 57th
Jnanpith Award is announced for the year 2021.
 Both Phookan and Mauzo are the winners of the Sahitya
Akademi Award and are known for their significant contribution
to the respective regional literature.
 Damodar Mauzo is based out of Majorda, Goa and Nilmani
Phookan is from Guwahati, Assam.
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