CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS JANUARY 12 2022

 

12 January 2022

National News

 

 

Delhi starts online yoga classes for COVID patients in home isolation

Delhi government on Wednesday started online yoga classes for COVID-19 patients in home isolation, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said. As of Tuesday, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Delhi stood at 74,881, of which 50,796 were in home isolation. Eight classes of one hour each will be organised from 6am to 11am and 4pm to 7pm.

Who is ISRO's new Chairman S Somanath?

S Somanath, the rocket scientist serving as Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Director, will be ISRO's new Chairman. He did B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from TKM College of Engineering, Kollam, and Masters in Aerospace Engineering from IISc, Bengaluru. He led the integration of PSLV during the early phases and played key roles in the GSLV Mk III project and Chandrayaan-2 mission.

 

India Skills 2021 competition concluded

India Skills 2021 national competition concluded with more than 200 participants who were felicitated by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. As many as 270 winners of the Competition felicitated with 61 gold, 77 silver, 53 bronze and 79 medallions of excellence.  Odisha finished first out of 26 states and union territories of this year in the 'IndiaSkills 2021' contest with 51 medals. Odisha won 10 gold, 18 silver, 9 bronze, and 14 medallions.  With 30 medals, Maharashtra remained in second place, while Kerala took third place with 25 medals.  The winners of the India Skills 2021 competition will also have the opportunity to compete in the World Skills International Competition in Shanghai, China, in October 2022.  The competitions were held at multiple locations, including Pragati Maidan and offsite locations in the National Capital Region, from 7 to 9th of this month.

 

INTERNATIONAL

 

People suspected of having COVID-19 confined to metal boxes in China

The people who are suspected of having COVID-19 are being confined to metal boxes in China, according to videos shared on social media. These people are given wooden beds and a toilet and are forced to remain in the metal boxes for as long as two weeks. In Xi'an, some residents were evicted at midnight and taken to quarantine facilities.

US inflation jumps 7% in biggest annual increase in 39 years

The consumer price inflation in the US jumped in December 2021 at its fastest year-over-year pace since June 1982, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Inflation rose 7% in December 2021 from the same month a year ago, up from 6.8% in November. The largest contributors to the inflation were price increases in housing and used vehicles.

Appointments News

Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas appointed as next IMF’s Chief Economist

French-born economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas has been named as the next chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He will succeed Gita Gopinath, the first woman to serve as the Fund’s chief economist.   He will take over as first deputy managing director of IMF from January 21 2022. Initially, Gourinchas will join the IMF on a part-time basis from January 24, 2022. He will take upon a role on a full-time basis from April 1, 2022.

Banking , Business and Economy

 

Indian pharma industry's growth slows to 5.3% in December

The growth in Indian pharma industry slowed to 5.3% year-on-year in December 2021, as compared to 8.5% growth in December 2020, as per a report by Motilal Oswal. According to India Ratings and Research, volumes declined 1.5% year-on-year, while price growth was at 5.4%. New product launches surged 1.4% over the preceding year, it said.

Wipro to close offices globally for the next 4 weeks due to COVID-19 surge

Wipro on Wednesday said it will shut down all its offices globally for the next four weeks following a surge in the COVID-19 cases. The company's CEO Thierry Delaporte said the company would re-calibrate return to office initiatives in light of the evolving situation. Wipro's senior executives have been coming to the office twice a week since September.

TCS Q3 profits rise 12% YoY in FY22 to ₹9,769 crore

Tata Consultancy Services' revenues rose 12% YoY in Q3 of FY22 to ₹9,769 crore according to the company's exchange filing. TCS also won new deals worth over ₹56,126 crore. Its revenue from operations rose 16% to ₹48,885 crore as compared to ₹42,015 crore in Q3 of FY21. The company has also approved buyback of shares worth up to ₹18,000 crore.

RBI set up a separate department for “FinTech”

Reserve Bank of India has set up a separate internal department for fintech (Financial technology). The new department has been created with effect from January 04, 2022, by subsuming the FinTech Division of Department of Payment and Settlement Systems, Central Office (DPSS, CO).  The department will not only promote innovation in the sector but also identify the challenges and opportunities associated with it and address them in a timely manner. Ajay Kumar Choudhary, who was recently promoted as the Executive Director of RBI was appointed as head of the department.

Defence News

India successfully test-fires naval variant BrahMos cruise missile

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test-fired an extended range sea-to-sea variant of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile for the Indian Navy.  This advanced sea to sea variant of BrahMos Supersonic Cruise missile was launched from INS Visakhapatnam, a stealth guided-missile destroyer of the Indian Navy.  BrahMos Aerospace, an India-Russian joint venture, produces supersonic cruise missiles that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms.  The missile can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms.
BrahMos missile flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach or almost three times the speed of sound.

Awards News

Actress Harshaali Malhotra awarded 12th Bharat Ratna Dr Ambedkar Award 2022

The 2015 film Bajrangi Bhaijaan fame actress, Harshaali Malhotra has been awarded the 12th Bharat Ratna Dr Ambedkar Award 2022. She received the award from Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Governor of Maharashtra, for her commendable performance in the movie and contribution in the field of Indian Cinema.  The Government of Maharashtra organised the Bharat Ranta Dr Ambedkar national Awards 2022 ceremony in the memory of Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar as a part of the upcoming 73rd Republic Day.

Sports News

New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel wins ICC Player of the Month Award

India-born New Zealand cricketer Ajaz Patel has won the ICC Player of the Month award for December following his stupendous 10-wicket haul against Virat Kohli and Co. in the second Test in Mumbai.  The left-arm spinner was nominated for the award alongside India opener Mayank Agarwal and Australian pacer Mitchell Starc but beat them to it on the back of his incredibly rare feat.  Ajaz picked up 14 wickets in the Mumbai Test match in early December against India, including all 10 in the first innings, to become only the third player in Test history, after Jim Laker and Anil Kumble, to achieve the remarkable milestone.

Mission Olympic Cell adds 10 athletes to the TOPS list

Mission Olympic Cell under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has added ten athletes to the list of athletes who would be provided support under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).  Total 10 new entrants, five athletes have been included in the Core group while five have been added to the Development group. Now, the total number of athletes under TOPS has increased to 301, which includes 107 in the Core group while 294 in the Development group.

 

Athletes added to the Core group includes:

Aditi Ashok (Golf)

Fouaad Mirza (Horse Rider/ Equestrian)

Anirban Lahiri (Golf)

Diksha Dagar (Golf)

Mohammed Arif Khan (Alpine Skiier )

Athletes added to the Development group includes:

Shubhankar Sharma (Golf)

Tvesa Malik (Golf)

Yash Ghangas (Judo)

Unnati Sharma (Judo)

Linthoi Chanambam (Judo)

 

South Africa all-rounder Chris Morris retires from cricket

South African all-rounder Chris Morris has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. Morris has played in four Tests, 42 ODIs and 23 T20Is for South Africa. Morris made his Test debut as late as 2016 and featured in only four games in the traditional format, making 173 runs and taking 12 wickets.  With the bat in hand, Morris scored 467 runs in ODIs and 133 in T20s respectively. In February 2021, Rajasthan Royals doled out a record INR 16.25 crores to avail his services. Morris has also played for Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings franchises in the IPL.

Important Days

National Youth Day2022: Nation observes National Youth Day on January 12

In India, the National Youth Day is celebrated on 12 January annually to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.  The main aim behind this is to make sure that the students across the country can be encouraged to learn about the life, the ideas and philosophy of Swami Vivekananda and apply them in their lives.  In 2022, we are observing the 159th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand (12 January 1863). The theme for National Youth Day 2022 is The Theme of 2022 is "It's all in the mind."  The decision to celebrate Vivekananda’s birthday as National Youth Day was taken in 1984, and it was first marked on January 12, 1985.

Miscellaneous News

India’s first heli-hub to be set up in Gurugram

 

Haryana Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala announced that Gurugram will get India’s 1st heli-hub with all aviation facilities. The heli-hub will be the first of its kind in India to have all facilities at one place for helicopters.  The heli-hub is proposed to be built in Gurugram & would be near the metro facility along with easy connectivity to industrial areas (Noida & Bhiwadi).   The Haryana government has proposed to set up the first heli-hub of the country in Gurugram designed to have many aviation facilities like heliport, hangars, repairs, and any other related services.

9th edition of North East Festival concludes

The 9th edition of the North East Festival concluded in Guwahati, Assam. The main purpose of this festival is to promote and highlight the commercial and tourism potential of the North East region.  The festival was organised in the format of a carnival with live music and dance performances, engaging the visitors throughout the day in the open area while serious discussions on business, economic, socio-political issues of the region engrossed the intellectuals in the conference halls.  The festival aimed at integrated marketing of the entire North-East to attract tourists and investments. The closing day was graced by Assam's Agriculture Minister Atul Bora, who interacted with entrepreneurs participating from across the North-East region.

Indian Railways launches Mission Amanat to help passengers track their lost belongings

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) of the Western Railways zone of Indian Railways has launched a new initiative called “Mission Amanat” to make it easier for railway passengers to get back their lost luggage.  Under Mission Amanat, the details of lost luggage and belongings along with photos will be uploaded on the official website of the zonal railway, https://wr.indianrailways.gov.in/. This will help the passengers in tracking and getting back their lost belongings as well as ensure the safety and security of passengers and their luggage and belongings.

Kochi became India’s first city to have a Water Metro Project

Kochi, Kerala has become India’s first city to have a Water Metro Project after the launch of its first boat in December 2021, namely ‘Muziris,’ among the 23 battery-powered electric boats being manufactured by Cochin Shipyard Limited.  This launch is a part of the Rs 747-crore project which is operated by Kochi Water Metro Ltd (KWML). The boats will be called Water Metros.  With a total outlay of Rs 819 crore, the project’s major part is financed under Indo-German Financial Cooperation through a long-term loan agreement of 85 million Euros (Rs 579 crore) with the German funding agency, KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau).

Obituaries News

European Parliament President David Sassoli passes away

European Parliament President, David Sassoli has passed away due to health issues. He had served as the President of the European Parliament from July 2019 until his death in January 2022. He was first elected as a member of the European Parliament (MEP) in 2009.  Later in July 2014, Sassoli was elected Vice-President of the European Parliament. In the 2019 European Parliament election in Italy, he was elected as new president with 128,533 votes. European Parliament is one of the seven branches of the EU. Its headquarter is at Strasbourg, France.

Kannada writer ‘Champa’ passes away

Prominent Kannada writer Chandrashekhar Patil, popularly known as “Champa”, passed away at the age of 82.  He was a Kannada language activist, a poet and a playwright and also served as President of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat (KSP) and Chairman of the Kannada Development Authority

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@