NEWS 22/12/2021. NEWS FOR 24th-DEC (FRIDAY) 1. The (DRDO) has successfully tested a long-range *Supersonic Missile Assisted Torpedo (SMART)*. The system is a next-generation missile-based standoff torpedo delivery system, which has been designed to enhance anti-submarine warfare capability far beyond the conventional range of the torpedo. 2. India's annual inflation rate, based on wholesale prices, rose to 14.23 % in the month of November from 12.54 % in October. 3. Gp Capt Varun Singh, the lone survivor of the Mi-17 helicopter crash in which CDS Gen. Bipin Rawat and 12 others were killed, succumbed to his injuries on December 15. In August, he was conferred Shaurya Chakra, India’s third-highest peacetime gallantry award, for exceptional gallantry as a Wing Commander in October 2020. 4. The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill 2021, which seeks to link electoral rolls with the Aadhar ecosystem to remove duplication was passed in the Lok Sabha on 20th of Dec. The bill allows electoral registration officers to seek the Aadhaar number of people who want to register as voters for the purpose of establishing identity. 5. The DRDO has successfully carried out tests of the Pinaka extended range multi-barrel rocket launcher system at Pokhran. The newly tested system could achieve the range of up to 45km, against the existing Pinaka system in Indian Army which has a range of upto 37km. 6. Army chief General M M Naravane, has assumed the charge as the chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, as a stop-gap arrangement after the demise of CDS General Rawat. 7. In a major boost to the country's air defence capabilities, the IAF is deploying the first squadron of the S-400 air defence missile system in the Punjab sector, which would be capable of taking care of aerial threats from the enemy. 8. On December 18, the Agni Prime was successfully test-fired, meeting all the expectation. 9. Former world number 1 Kidambi Srikanth has become the 1st Indian man to win silver medal at badminton world championships. < < Back