CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS JANUARY 18 TO 22 2022

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS

18th January 2022

National News

 

Vikram Dev Dutt appointed Chairman & Managing Director of Air India

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Tuesday appointed Vikram Dev Dutt as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Air India. He has been appointed as the Air India chief in the rank and pay of an Additional Secretary. Dutt is an IAS officer of the 1993 batch of AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territory) cadre.

Work from home has put working women under a 'triple burden': President Kovind

President Ram Nath Kovind said that work from home during COVID-19 has put working women under a "triple burden". In a letter published in the Manorama Yearbook 2022, he wrote that women already have the double burden of paid work, and "unpaid work" of domestic responsibilities. He added that they're now also helping children as they attend school from home.

 

GoI launches stamp to mark 1 year of Covid vaccination

The government of India has released a commemorative postal stamp on the Covid-19 vaccination on Sunday to mark the first anniversary of the country’s national immunization programme against the virus.  The commemorative stamp design features a healthcare worker inoculating a senior citizen with COVID-19 vaccine, along with an image of ‘COVAXIN’ vial.
This stamp signifies the remarkable work done by our frontline healthcare workers and scientific community across the country in protecting the people against the COVID pandemic.

Minister of State Subhas Sarkar launches Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar

Minister of State for Education, Subhas Sarkar has launched the Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar (SVP) 2021 - 2022 virtually. The Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar recognises, inspires and awards schools that have undertaken exemplary work in the field of water, sanitation and hygiene while also providing a benchmark and a roadmap for schools to make further improvements in future.  The Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar was first distributed by the Department of School Education and Literacy, in 2016-17 to create self-motivation and awareness about sanitation.  A total of 40 schools will be selected under the overall category this year at the national level. The award money has been increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs. 60,000 per school under the Samagra Shiksha scheme. Additionally, 6 sub-category awards have been introduced for the first time and entail award money of Rs. 20,000/- per school.

International News

 

 

PM Narendra Modi virtually address WEF’s Davos Agenda 2022 Summit

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has addressed the World Economic Forum’s (WEF’s) Davos Agenda Summit 2022, through video-conferencing.  The “Davos Agenda 2022” summit is being held digitally from January 17 to January 21, 2022, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The theme of the event is “The State of the World.”  The week-long digital summit will begin with a special address by Chinese President Xi Jinping.  The ‘Davos Agenda 2022’ will be the first global platform for Heads of state and government as well as CEOs and other leaders to share their visions for 2022 on critical collective challenges and how to address them. This is the second consecutive year that the event is being held virtually.

 

Mrs World 2022: Mrs America Shaylyn Ford Takes The Crown

37 Years old Shaylyn Ford was crowned as the winner of Mrs World 2022. She was crowned by the outgoing queen Kate Schneider from Ireland. Mrs Jordan Jaclyn Stapp & Mrs UAE Debanjali Kamstra were the runner up.  Shaylyn Ford represented America in the pageant and battled out 57 other contestants from across the globe to claim the title. This is the 8th time an American representative won the title of Mrs. World.  Shaylyn Ford hails from Granville, Ohio, USA. She won the annual Mrs American pageant on November 19, 2021. She is a professional makeup artist, who has worked in every setting, from movie sets to make-a-wish projects.  She has been married to her pastor husband for the past seven years and has three children. She also serves as a charitable director and does a lot of volunteer work to bring services to special needs families.

 

South Africa Launches 1st 'made In Africa' Satellites

South Africa has launched its first satellite constellation developed entirely in the continent of Africa. Three locally produced nanosatellites, which made up the country's first Maritime Domain Awareness Satellite (MDASat) constellation, were launched from Cape Canaveral in the United States, as part of American aerospace company SpaceX's Transporter-3 mission.  Transporter-3, SpaceX's third dedicated rideshare mission, carried a total of 105 spacecraft for various organisations and governments, including CubeSats, microsats, PocketQubes and orbital transfer vehicles.

Poet Maya Angelou becomes the first black woman to appear on US coin

The US Treasury has minted coins featuring poet Maya Angelou - the first black woman ever featured on the US 25-cent coin known as a quarter. Angelou, a poet and activist, was the first black woman to write and perform a poem at a presidential inauguration.  In 2010, she was given a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest US civilian award by President Barack Obama.  The new coin still features George Washington's visage on the "heads" side, while the "tails" side honours Angelou by evoking one of her most famous works, the autobiography "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."

 

 

BANKING, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Bajaj Finance's net profit soars 84% y-o-y to ₹1,934 crore in Q3

Bajaj Finance on Tuesday said its standalone net profit rose 84% over the preceding year to ₹1,933.85 crore in third quarter ended December 2021. The company’s net interest income for the quarter increased by 40% year-on-year to ₹5,553 crore. Its consolidated assets under management grew 26% to ₹1.81 lakh crore from ₹1.43 lakh crore in the year ago period.

India had few 100 startups in 2014, today the number has crossed 60,000: PM at WEF

In his World Economic Forum (WEF) special address, PM Narendra Modi said, "Entrepreneurship among Indian youth is at a new height today." He added, "In 2014, there were a few hundred registered startups in India. Their number has crossed 60,000 today." PM further said, "India also has more than 80 unicorns, of which more than 40 were made in 2021."

Narendra Kumar Goenka named as new chairman of AEPC

Narendra Kumar Goenka has been appointed as the new chairman of the Apparel Export Promotion Council, AEPC. Former chairman Padma Dr A Sakthivel handed over the charge to him.  Mr. Goenka has been associated with the Council for more than two decades. He was the Vice Chairman of the apex body of Indian apparel exporters before taking charge as Chairman of AEPC.  AEPC is the official body of apparel exporters in India, under the aegis of the Ministry of Textiles, that provides invaluable assistance to Indian exporters as well as importers/international buyers.

National Startup Awards 2021 announced

National Startup Awards 2021 is the second edition of the award ceremony, conceived by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).  A total of 46 Startups have been recognized as winners of the National Startup Awards 2021 along with 1 incubator and 1 accelerator, by the Government of India. They have been felicitated for their contribution in their respective sectors.

Some winners in the list:

State-wise, Karnataka bagged the highest number of awards, which included 14 out of 46 national startup awards.

In fintech category’s financial inclusion sub-sector, Bengaluru-based Naffa Innovations Private Limited (ToneTag) was declared the winner.

In fintech category’s insurance sub-sector, Umbo Idtech Private Limited won the award.

In Robotics sub-sector, Sagar Defence was declared the winner.

In the women-led start-up category, Jaipur-headquartered Frontier Markets was honoured.

Complete list of winners in National Startup Awards 2021

Sumit Bhale won gold medal at the International Folk Art Festival

Lavni artist from Maharashtra, Sumit Bhale of Fulbari taluka has won a gold medal at the International Folk Art Festival in Dubai. With his splendid performance, Maharashtra’s splendour has been widely appreciated at the international platform.  Lavani is a genre of music popular in Maharashtra and is a combination of traditional song and dance, which is particularly performed to the beats of Dholki, a percussion instrument.

Sports News

AB de Villiers hit ODIs' fastest hundred in 40 minutes

Ex-South Africa batsman AB de Villiers slammed the fastest ODI hundred off 31 balls against West Indies in 40 minutes on January 18, 2015. He came to bat in 39th over and scored a 44-ball 149 in 59 minutes, hitting 16 sixes and 9 fours. De Villiers overtook New Zealand's Corey Anderson, who had smashed a 36-ball ton in 2014.

 

9th women National Ice Hockey Championship-2022 begins

In Himachal Pradesh, the 9th women National Ice Hockey Championship-2022 was inaugurated at Ice Skating Rink, Kaza in Lahaul Spiti district. For the first time in the state, Ice Hockey competition & development camp is being organized at the national level.  Teams from Himachal Pradesh, Telengana, Ladakh, ITBP Ladakh, Chandigarh & Delhi are participating in this mega event. The state Chief Minister, Jai Ram Thakur inaugurated the Championship.  This is the first time that National Level Ice Hockey Competition and Development Camp was being held in the State. In 2019, the first Basic Ice Hockey ten days Coaching Camp was organized at Kaza by State Youth Services and Sports Department, in collaboration with the Ladakh Women Ice Hockey Foundation.
The State Government has already announced the High-Altitude Sports Center at Kaza with an estimated cost of Rs. 16 crore.

 

Russia’s Aslan Karatsev wins Sydney Tennis Classic

In tennis, Aslan Karatsev defeated Andy Murray by 6-3, 6-3, to win men’s single title at the Sydney Tennis Classic final, to claim his third ATP Tour title.  The women’s single title was claimed by Spanish world number nine Paula Badosa, who defeated Barbora Krejcikova 6-3 4-6 7-6(4), to capture her third career title.

 

The winner's list of Sydney Tennis Classic 2022

 

Men’s Single: Aslan Karatsev (Russia)

Women’s Single: Paula Badosa (Spain)

Men’s Double: John Peers (Australia and Filip Polášek (Slovakia)

Women’s Double: Anna Danilina (Kazakhstan) and Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil)

Obituaries News

Mexican photojournalist shot dead outside his home in Tijuana

Mexican photojournalist, Margarito Martinez was shot dead on Monday outside his home in the border city of Tijuana. A reporter from the outlet where Martinez worked claimed that the assailants attacked and opened fire on him while he was coming out of his house. Marred with conflicts among drug gangs, Tijuana is one of Mexico's most violent cities.

 

 

Padma Shri winning social activist Shanti Devi passes away

Odisha's social worker and Padma Shri awardee Shanti Devi, who was remembered as the voice of the poor, has passed away. She was 88. She was also called Lugdi Devi.  She was known for her dedication towards the underprivileged community and restoring peace in the Maoist-affected areas in Odisha.  She has received the prestigious Padma Shri award from President Ram Nath Kovind on November 9, 2021.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS
Premji carries index cards, writes down every promise he has made: Nilekani's book

Wipro's Azim Premji carries 5x7 index cards and writes down all the promises he has made, according to a book. He then files these cards in a way that makes them easy to recall when needed. The book, 'The Art of Bitfulness: Keeping Calm in the Digital World', has been authored by Tanuj Bhojwani and Infosys Co-founder Nandan Nilekani.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS

 

19th January 2022

National News

DPIIT organized Startup India Innovation Week from 10 to 16 January

Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has virtually organised the 1st-ever ‘Startup India Innovation Week’ from 10th -16th of January 2022. The week commemorate the 75th year of India’s independence ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and showcase the spread and depth of entrepreneurship across India.  Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal launched the Startup India Innovation Week. As part of the Start-up India Innovation Week, Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode’s (IIMK) business incubator, Laboratory for Innovation Venturing and Entrepreneurship (LIVE), and Indian Bank has signed an MoU to launch a start-up funding scheme ‘IndSpring Board’ to support early-stage start-ups with loans up to Rs 50 crore.

International News
Greece receives 6 of 24 Rafale fighter jets ordered from France

Six new Rafale fighter jets on Wednesday flew over Athens, the first of 24 purchased by Greece in a defence deal with France at a cost of more than €3 billion. "The new Rafale jets which landed today are ready to take off for a better, more peaceful future for the whole region," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.

Roberta Metsola takes over EU parliament presidency

Roberta Metsola, a Christian Democrat from Malta, was elected president of the European Union’s parliament. Her election comes a week after the shock death of outgoing parliament president David Sassoli, who was due to step down as part of a power-sharing pact.  She is only the third woman elected to the post. she is the European Parliament’s youngest president. Metsola was the candidate of the parliament’s biggest group, and she received 458 of the 616 votes cast.

Banking , Business  and Economy

JIO becomes 1st telecom company to roll-out UPI AUTOPAY

National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Reliance Jio have announced that UPI AUTOPAY has now been introduced for the telecom industry with Jio.  Jio’s integration with UPI AUTOPAY has made it the first player in the telecom industry to go live with the unique e-mandate feature that was launched by NPCI.  Using the UPI AutoPay launched by NPCI, customers can now enable recurring e-mandate using any UPI application for recurring payments such as mobile bills, electricity bills, EMI payments, entertainment/OTT subscriptions, insurance, mutual funds among others.

MobiKwik launches ‘ClickPay’ in collaboration with NBBL

MobiKwik, one of India’s largest mobile wallets and Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) Fintech companies launched ‘ClickPay’ for its customers, in collaboration with NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd. (NBBL).  This feature enables MobiKwik customers to pay recurring online bills (such as mobile, gas, water, electricity, DTH, insurance, and loan EMIs) with ease by eliminating the need to remember individual bill details and due dates.  ClickPay is a two-step payment feature wherein the billers generate a unique payment link within the bill-pay message, allowing customers to make payments directly on the payment page. MobiKwik is focused on providing the Indian middle-class population a simple and secure payment platform to make daily life payments.

India's fiscal deficit could narrow to 6.3% of GDP in 2022-23: Report

India is on track to meet its fiscal deficit target for 2021-22 and will likely aim to narrow the gap to 6.3% of gross domestic product in 2022-23, according to SBI's research report. SBI's economist Soumya Kanti Ghosh expects about 8% growth in expenditure and 10.8% increase in receipts while estimating gross market borrowings at ₹12 lakh crore in 2022-23.

Banks urge govt to reduce tax-saving FD tenure from 5 to 3 years

Indian Banks' Association (IBA) urged the government to reduce fixed deposit (FD) tenure from five to three years for availing tax benefits. "If the lock-in period is reduced, it would make the product more attractive and add more funds to the banks," IBA said in its pre-Budget proposal. They also sought special rebates for expenditure on financial inclusion activities.

 

Axis Bank & CRMNEXT won IBSi Innovation Awards 2021

Axis Bank & CRMNEXT Solution won the IBS Intelligence (IBSi) Global FinTech Innovation Awards 2021 for the “Best CRM (Customer Relationship Management) System Implementation”. It is one of the most prominent awards for global bankers and IT (Information Technology) consultants across the world.  The Axis Bank implemented CRMNEXT for sales and service modernisation and it also enables smarter lead processing, automated routing, complete tracking, and visibility. It identified and honoured technology players and banks for their excellence in banking technology implementations and innovations using emerging technologies.

 

SPORTS

India lose 7 wickets for 76 runs as South Africa win 1st ODI by 31 runs

South Africa defeated India by 31 runs at Boland Park in Paarl in first ODI on Wednesday. Chasing a 297-run target, India, who were 138/1 in 25.2 overs, were reduced to 214/8 in 42.2 overs, losing seven wickets for 76 runs. India managed to score 265/8 in their 50 overs. Rassie van der Dussen top-scored for South Africa with 129*(96).

 

The Best FIFA Football Awards 2021 announced

The Best FIFA Football Awards 2021 ceremony was held virtually in Zurich, Switzerland to crown outstanding players for excellent achievement in football.  Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas and Poland/Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski were awarded the Best FIFA Players in women’s and men’s football respectively. Lewandowski won the Best FIFA Men’s Player Award for the second straight year, after getting the first one in 2020.

 

 

 

Here is the Complete List of Winners:

Category	Winner
Best FIFA Men’s Player	Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich, Poland)
Best FIFA Women’s Player	Alexia Putellas (Barcelona, Spain)
Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper	Édouard Mendy (Chelsea, Senegal)
Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper	Christiane Endler (Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon, Chile)
Best FIFA Men’s Coach	Thomas Tuchel (Chelsea, Germany)
Best FIFA Women’s Coach	Emma Hayes (Chelsea, England)
FIFA Fair Play Award	Denmark national football team and medical staff
FIFA Special Award for an Outstanding Career Achievement	Christine Sinclair (Female) & Cristiano Ronaldo (Male)

 

India to host AFC Women’s football Asian Cup 2022

India is all set to host AFC Women’s football Asian Cup India 2022 from 20th January 2022 in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Pune. The tournament will witness 12 teams competing for the trophy.  AFC Women’s Asian Cup India will also be the final stage of Asian qualification for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Five teams will qualify for the main event directly while two of them will progress to the inter-confederation play-offs.  Japan are the defending champions of the Women's Asian Cup, having won it in 2018. Hosts India has been placed in Group A alongside China, Chinese Taipei, and Iran. Meanwhile, Australia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia have been placed in Group B. Defending champions Japan find themselves in Group C along with South Korea, Vietnam, and Myanmar.

Books and Authors News

PM Narendra Modi virtually address WEF’s Davos Agenda 2022 Summit

A new biography titled “Bose: The Untold Story of An Inconvenient Nationalist” authored by Chandrachur Ghose will be released in February 2022.  The book contains the thoughts and opinions of Subhas Chandra Bose about the development of independent India, communalism, geopolitics and political ideology. It also marked the untold and unknown stories of Netaji (Subhas Chandra Bose).

Important Days

NDRF celebrates its 17th Raising Day on 19 January 2022

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) celebrates its Raising Day every year on January 19, since it came into existence on January 19, 2006. In 2022, the NDRF is observing its 17th Raising Day. There are 12 NDRF battalions located in different parts of the country and comprises as many as 13,000 NDRF personnel who work to build a safer country.  The NDRF has earned a good name and fame nationally and internationally with its selfless service and unmatched professionalism in disaster management. NDRF has saved more than One lakh lives in its 3100 operations and rescued/evacuated over 6.7 lakh people during disasters.  NDRF is an Indian specialized force under the National Disaster Management Authority, constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, to carry out the special responses in situations of threatening disaster.

Obituaries News

Noted environmentalist & ‘Save Silent Valley’ campaigner M.K. Prasad passes away

Noted environmentalist & ‘Save Silent Valley’ campaigner Prof M K Prasad passed away recently. He was a prominent figure in the historic grassroots level movement to save the evergreen tropical rain forests in Kerala’s Silent Valley from destruction.  He had also led the popular science movement, ‘Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishath’. Prof. Prasad, who had served as Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Calicut University, was in the forefront of environment protection activities in the State.

Renowned Bengali theatre personality Saoli Mitra passes away

Renowned Bengali theatre personality Saoli Mitra has passed away. She had acted in Ritwik Ghatak’s avant garde film Jukti Takko aar Gappo in 1974. She also wrote, directed and acted in the hugely popular Katha Amritsamman (Words that are like Nectar) another adaptation of the Mahabharata.  Mitra, who was the recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2003, Padma Shri in 2009, and Banga Bibhusan in 2012 would be remembered by her fans and critics alike for her solo performance as Draupadi in Naathvati Anaathbat (Five husbands, yet an orphan), which she also wrote and directed, and as Sita on Sitakatha.

Legendary Bengali comics artist, writer and illustrator, Narayan Debnath passes away

Legendary Bengali comics artist, writer and illustrator, Narayan Debnath, has passed away after a prolonged illness. He was 97. The celebrated cartoonist was the creator of popular Bengali comic strips like Handa Bhonda (1962), Bantul the Great (1965) and Nonte Phonte (1969).  He holds the record of longest-running comics by an individual artiste for the Handa Bhonda comics series which completed its continuous 60 years of running. In 2021, Debnath was awarded Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India.

 

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Criminal lawyer Shrikant Shivade, who represented Salman in 2002 hit-and-run case, dies

Criminal lawyer Shrikant Shivade passed away at a private hospital in Mumbai aged 67. Shivade had represented Salman Khan in the 2002 hit-and-run case and Shiney Ahuja, who was booked in a rape case in 2009, in his career. He was reportedly diagnosed with leukaemia and was admitted to the hospital two weeks ago after his condition deteriorated.
Actor Gaspard, who stars in Marvel's upcoming series, dies at 37 after ski accident

French actor Gaspard Ulliel, who stars in Marvel's upcoming series 'Moon Knight', died at 37 following a ski accident in the Alps. He's known for appearing in Chanel perfume ads and portraying fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent in a 2014 biopic. "French cinema is losing a huge talent, full of charm and energy," French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire tweeted.

 

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CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS

20^TH JANUARY 2022

NATIONAL

Govt asks ministries to contain expenses within prescribed limit

Ahead of the Union Budget, the Finance Ministry has asked ministries and departments to restrict their expenses with the revised estimates. The ministry also sought proposals for the third and final batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants and asked the ministries to submit proposals by February 10. The government estimates fiscal deficit at 6.8% of the GDP in 2022-23.

India successfully test-fires new version of BrahMos missile

India test-fired a new version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile off the Balasore coast in Odisha on Thursday. It was equipped with successfully proven new technological developments. Sharing a video, the DRDO tweeted, "BrahMos missile was successfully test-fired from ITR, Chandipur today. The mission validated many new indigenous systems successfully demonstrating enhanced capabilities."

 

Indian economy likely to grow 7.6% YoY in FY23: India Ratings

India Ratings and Research (IRR) said that the Indian economy is likely to grow 7.6% YoY in FY23. The Indian economy will show meaningful expansion as real GDP in FY23 is expected to be 9.1% higher than that in FY20 (pre-pandemic), IRR said. IRR Principal Economist Sunil Kumar Sinha said the Centre and RBI are expected to support growth recovery.

 

Which states have highest active COVID-19 cases in India?

The Centre has named 10 states/UTs which have the highest number of active COVID-19 cases in India. Maharashtra has the highest number of active cases at 2,68,484, followed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, Delhi and Rajasthan. This comes as India reported 3,17,532 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours.

 

 

 

INTERNATIONAL

Lebanon's healthcare may collapse amid economic crisis: Minister

Lebanon's healthcare system is on the brink of collapse amid ongoing economic turmoil, Health Minister Firass Abiad has said. About 2,000 nurses and 1,000 doctors left Lebanon amid the crisis and moved overseas, a ministry official said. The health ministry's budget in dollar terms has also depreciated as the country's currency has lost over 90% of its value since 2019.

 

Russian central bank proposes banning use, mining of crypto

The Central Bank of the Russian Federation (CBRF) on Thursday proposed banning the use and mining of cryptocurrencies on Russian territory. CBRF cited threats to financial stability, citizens' wellbeing and the country's monetary policy sovereignty as reasons for the proposed ban. The bank also proposed preventing financial institutions from carrying out any operation with cryptocurrencies.

France orders killing of 2.5 million poultry amid bird flu outbreaks

French farming ministry has said that 2.5 million birds are needed to be killed as a precautionary measure as the southwest of the country is facing several outbreaks of bird flu. Around 1.2 million animals have already been culled, it said. Reportedly, previous bird flu outbreaks in Asia and Europe led to the culling of tens of millions of birds.

 

New Zealand won't impose lockdowns to combat Omicron: PM Ardern

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern on Thursday said that government will tighten curbs when Omicron COVID-19 variant cases rise but won't resort to lockdowns. New Zealand will move to “red” setting within 24-48 hours of Omicron being detected in community. The setting will allow businesses to function, domestic travel to continue but require schoolchildren to wear masks, PM Ardern said.

India-assisted metro station to be named after Mahatma Gandhi in Mauritius

Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth on Thursday announced that his government will name one of the major metro stations in the country as 'Mahatma Gandhi' station to pay gratitude for India's support to the metro express project. PM Narendra Modi and PM Jugnauth held joint inauguration and launch of several projects on Thursday.

 

BANKING, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

India's agricultural exports expected to cross $50 bn in FY22: Govt

Commerce Ministry said that India's agricultural exports are likely to cross $50 billion for the "first time" in FY22. This comes after agricultural exports, including marine and plantation goods, increased 23.21% to $31.05 billion in April-November 2021. The Ministry added that exports of marine products and spices are likely to touch record levels of $8 billion and $4.8 billion respectively.

 

₹47,541 crore to be released to states as advance instalment of tax

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has authorised the release of ₹47,541 crore as advance instalment of tax devolution to state governments, the Finance Ministry said on Thursday. "This is in addition to the regular devolution for the month of January 2022, also being released today," the Ministry said. Thus, states would receive a total of ₹95,082 crore during January 2022.

 

OBITUARY
Remo D'souza's brother-in-law Jason died by suicide, confirms police

Choreographer-director Remo D'souza's 48-year-old brother-in-law Jason Savio Watkins died by suicide in his Mumbai apartment, confirmed Mumbai Police. "His body has been sent to Cooper Hospital for post-mortem. [A] case has been registered," police added. After Jason was found dead, Remo's wife Lizelle had posted an old picture on Instagram Stories and written, "Why[?]"

Singer Shaan's mother Sonali Mukherjee passes away

Bollywood singer Shaan's mother Sonali Mukherjee has passed away on Thursday. Singer Kailash Kher confirmed the news on his Twitter handle and tweeted, "Prayers to the Almighty for the salvation of the departed soul. I pray...that Shaan Bhaiya's family should get the strength to bear this sorrow." The cause of her death is not known yet.

 

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CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS

 

21st January 2022

 

NATIONAL NEWS

 

Dileep Sanghani named as new Chairman of IFFCO

The board of directors of the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) has unanimously elected Dileep Sanghani as the 17th Chairman of the Cooperative. He succeeds Balvinder Singh Nakai, who passed away earlier on October 11, 2021. Prior to this, Sanghani was serving as vice-chairman of IFFCO since 2019.  Sanghani is a senior co-operator from Gujarat and the chairman of the Gujarat State Cooperative Marketing Federation Ltd. (GUJCOMASOL), a position he has held since 2017. He held various portfolios in the Gujarat government, including agriculture, cooperation, animal husbandry, fisheries, cow-breeding, prison, excise, law and justice, legislative and parliamentary affairs.

Chanchal Kumar named as new MD of NHIDCL

Chanchal Kumar has been appointed as the Managing Director, National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), under the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH). He is appointed in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary. He is a 1992 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre, presently Principal Secretary of Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.  The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has also approved the extension in the central deputation tenure of Ashutosh Jindal, Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat for 1 year beyond 16th February 2022 to 16th February 2023.

Centre appoints Vikram Dev Dutt as new CMD of Air India

Senior bureaucrat Vikram Dev Dutt has been appointed as the chairman and managing director (CMD) of Air India Ltd. Dutt is a 1993-batch IAS officer of AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territory) cadre.  He has been appointed as the Air India chief in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary, an order issued by the Personnel Ministry. Prior to this, he was the Principal Secretary (Tourism) in Delhi government.  The Centre had in October last year accepted Tata Son's bid of Rs 18,000 crore to acquire 100 per cent of the debt-laden state-run carrier. The takeover has not been completed yet. Talace Pvt Ltd, a unit of the holding company of the salt-to-software conglomerate, had made the winning bid of Rs 2,700 crore cash and Rs 15,300 crore debt takeover.

Vijay Shekhar Sharma named as ambassador of Internet panel on languages UASG

Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma has been roped in as the Ambassador of Universal Acceptance Steering Group (UASG), a community-based team of industry leaders supported by global internet body ICANN.  UASG works on developing and recommending standards for languages script that are not currently used to access the internet. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) aims to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global Internet. Its headquarter is based at California, United States.

Lt Gen Manoj Pande appointed as next Army Vice Chief

General Pande would be the successor to Lt Gen CP Mohanty who is scheduled to superannuate on January 31. General Pande was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers) in December 1982.  He was Director-General at Army Headquarters dealing with subjects of discipline, ceremonial and welfare.

 

 

International News

Israel completed a successful flight test of the Arrow-3

The test was performed at a test site in central Israel, and led by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). It was developed in a joint project between the Defense Ministry’s Missile Defense Organization and the American Missile Defense Agency.  The Arrow 3 was first tested successfully in February 2018, after months of delays and technical problems. It is considered one of the most powerful weapons of its kind in the world and has been in development since 2008.

Banking , Business and Economy

The Union Cabinet approved infusion of 1500 crore rupees in IREDA

The Union Cabinet approved infusion of 1500 crore rupees in IREDA. It will help generate 10,200 jobs a year and reduce carbon emissions equivalent to approximately 7.49 million tonnes per year. The IREDA played a big role in the field of renewable energy and its portfolio had increased from ₹8,800 crore to ₹28,000 crore in the past six years.  IREDA is a Non-Banking Financial Institution engaged in promoting, developing, and extending financial assistance for setting up projects relating to new and renewable sources of energy.

RBI announces Digital Payments Index for September 2021

The RBI’s Digital Payment Index, which shows the deepening of payments through digital modes in India, rose by 39.64 per cent to 304.06 in September 2021 against 217.74 in the year-ago month.  The RBI-DPI Index continues to demonstrate significant growth in adoption and deepening of digital payments across the country. RBI has introduced Digital Payments Index in January 2021 with March 2018 as the base year to capture the extent of digitisation of payments across the country.  This means that the DPI score for March 2018 is set at 100. RBI has started publishing the Digital Payments Index (DPI) on a semi-annual basis from March 2021 onwards with a lag of 4 months. This means that the DPI will be released by RBI for March and September every year in the months of July and January respectively.

SEBI launches Saa₹thi mobile app on investor education

SEBI launches Saa₹thi mobile app on investor education. The new app aims to empower investors with accurate knowledge about the securities market. The app will cater largely to individual investors, who have recently entered the markets and carry out trading via their mobile phones.  The app will be helpful in easily accessing all the relevant information like the basic concepts of Securities Market, KYC Process, trading and settlement, mutual funds, recent market developments, investor grievances redressal mechanism, etc. It is currently available in Hindi and English.

Microsoft to acquire video gaming company Activision Blizzard

Microsoft Corp. is set to acquire game making company, Activision Blizzard Inc., in an all-cash transaction for $68.7 billion. ($95.00 per share). This acquisition will boost the competitiveness of Microsoft in the mobile gaming business and virtual-reality technology, across mobile, PC, console and cloud and will provide building blocks for the metaverse.  Activision Blizzard is famous as the maker of Candy Crush and Call of Duty, Xbox, among other leading video games. Upon the completion of the deal, Microsoft will become the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony. This is the biggest deal ever by Microsoft and also the largest-ever deal in the history of the gaming industry.

Crypto slump erases $1 trillion from the market in 2.5 months

Over $1 trillion has been lost from the global cryptocurrency market amid a slump in digital currencies in two-and-a-half months, Bloomberg reported. On Friday, world's largest cryptocurrency Bitcoin fell below $36,000 for the first time since July, while other cryptocurrencies like Ether also slumped. Bitcoin's decline since its November peak has eroded over $600 billion from its market value.
India's smartphone market shipped highest ever 16 cr units in 2021: Report

India’s smartphone shipments market logged its highest ever shipments in 2021 at 16 crore units, up by 11% from 15 crore units in 2020, as per Counterpoint Research. As per the report, increased adoption and demand for 5G smartphones, which contributed to about 17% of the overall shipments in 2021, registered six times growth compared to last year.

₹15,600 crore wiped off Zomato investors' wealth in 4 trading sessions

Shares of Zomato fell for the fourth consecutive trading session to close below their listing price on Friday. Since January 17, the stock has fallen 15%, eroding over ₹15,600 crore from investors' wealth, Moneycontrol reported. On Friday, the shares fell nearly 10% and eventually settled at ₹114.10 apiece. Zomato listed at a 53% premium over IPO price in July 2021.

 

Ind-Ra Projects India’s GDP Growth Rate at 7.6% in FY23

India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has projected the real gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of the Indian economy to grow at 7.6 per cent year-on-year in 2022-23 (FY23). Ind-Ra is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fitch Group.  The economic recovery was encouraging, he said, and restrictions put in place by many states to contain the current wave of Covid-19 were not as severe as the second wave. Nonetheless, there are risks to the ongoing recovery, the rating agency warned.

Sports News

Pakistani Skipper Babar Azam Named Captain of ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year

Pakistani skipper Babar Azam has been named as the captain of the ICC Men’s T20I team of the year for 2021. The ICC Team of the Year recognises the 11 best players in men’s cricket who have impressed one and all with their performances in a calendar year, either with the bat, ball or their all-round performance. No Indian male player has found a place in the team of 11.  However, in ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year for 2021, Smriti Mandhana is the only Indian women player named in the 11 member team. Smriti has made in the list for third time in the T20I team of the year after 2018 (opener) and 2019 (number three). England’s Nat Sciver has been made the captain of ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year for 2021.

India tennis star Sania Mirza to retire after 2022 season

India tennis star Sania Mirza to retire after 2022 season. The 35-year-old had already bowed out of singles competitions in 2013. Sania has six Grand Slam titles in women's doubles and mixed doubles to her name.  Her last headline-grabbing win came with Chinese partner Shuai Zhang in women's doubles at the Ostrava Open on September 26, 2021.

TCS becomes title sponsor of Toronto Waterfront Marathon

Tata Consultancy Services has partnered with Canada Running Series (CRS) to become the new title sponsor and official technology consulting partner of the Toronto Waterfront Marathon and Virtual Race through November 2026. Tata Consultancy Services and Canada Running Series aim to modernize marathon running in Canada through a new official race app.  It will offer a first-of-its-kind environmental impact calculator that will enable runners and spectators to track and offset their environmental impact. TCS will also work with CRS to create a hybrid and immersive race experience for all runners and spectators around the globe..

Obituaries News

Thich Nhat Hanh, also known as 'Father of mindfulness', passes away aged 95

Prominent Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, who was also referred to as the "Father of mindfulness", has passed away at the age of 95. His Zen teaching organisation, Plum Village, said that the peace activist "passed away peacefully" at the Tu Hieu Temple in Vietnam. Thich Nhat Hanh was exiled from Vietnam in the 1960s after opposing Vietnam War.

 

Professional mountaineer Major Hari Pal Singh Ahluwalia passes away

The well-known Professional mountaineer Major Hari Pal Singh Ahluwalia passed away recently. Major Hari Pal Singh Ahluwalia was the recipient of Arjuna Award-1965 Padma Shri-1965 Padma Bhushan-2002 and Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award for lifetime achievement in 2009.  He has written over 13 books including his autobiography “Higher Than Everest”. Major Ahluwalia has also been a former president of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation and the Delhi Mountaineering Association.

World’s oldest living man, Saturnino de la Fuente, passes away at 112

Guinness World Records holder for the oldest person living (male), Saturnino de la Fuente García (Spain) has passed away at the age of 112 years and 341 days.  Saturnino claimed the record as the oldest person living (male) in September 2021 when he was exactly 112 years and 211 days. He was born on February 11, 1909, in the Puente Castro neighbourhood of León in Spain.

Miscellaneous News

Oxford University Press declares ‘Anxiety’ as Children’s Word of the Year 2021

The Oxford University Press (OUP) has picked up ‘Anxiety’ as the Children’s Word of the Year 2021, based on their recent research.  Apart from “anxiety” (21%), “Challenging” (19%), “isolate” (14%), “Wellbeing” (13%) and “resilience” (12%) were the children’s top five words. In 2020, Coronavirus was the Children’s Word of the Year by OUP.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS

 

22nd January 2022

National News

 

 

Sushmita Sen wins International Association of Working Women Award

Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen has been conferred with the International Association of Working Women Award at the Washington DC South Asian Film Festival (DCSAFF) 2021. The former Miss Universe has been felicitated for outstanding performance by a female actor in a TV series for her show ‘Aarya 2’.  The Aarya 2 series is created by Ram Madhvani and had released on December 10, 2021, on Disney+Hotstar. The DC South Asian Film Festival (DCSAFF) 2021 is organised virtually from January 16 to January 30, to showcase the best in alternative cinema from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, and Sri Lanka.

A book titled ‘The Legend of Birsa Munda’ authored by Tuhin A Sinha & Ankita Verma

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has released a book titled ‘The Legend of Birsa Munda’, authored by Tuhin A Sinha and co-authored by Ankita Verma. The Book is the story of a lesser-known tribal hero, Birsa Munda, who courageously fought against the oppressive British Raj for the rights of his tribal community.  According to the authors, “The book based on true events is a tribute to Birsa Munda who in a very short life mobilized the tribal community, rebelled against forced conversions, envisioned a fair and just society and died fighting for it. The Legend of Birsa Munda is the story of a subaltern tribal hero whose contribution to India’s struggle for independence must never be forgotten.”

Jerri hamlet declared as first ‘Milk Village’ of J&K

In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the administration has declared Jerri settlement in Reasi district as the first ‘Milk Village’ of the Union Territory and sanctioned 57 more dairy farms under the Integrated Dairy Development Scheme (IDDS) for the hamlet.  The village, which houses 73 individual dairy units with 370 cows, will give the local farmers financial security. After being declared as ‘Milk Village’, a total of 57 units have been sanctioned under the IDDS for the village. Under the IDDS, dairy units of five animals are provided with a 50 per cent subsidy.  The scheme also has a provision for milking machine, bulk milk cooling unit at 50 per cent subsidy (maximum Rs 5 lakh), paneer making machine, khoya making, Dahi making, cream separator, ice cream making machine, butter and ghee making machine (max subsidy Rs 3. 5 lakh), milk van (maximum subsidy Rs 2 lakh), milk ATM subsidy of Rs 5 lakh.

GOI merges eternal flame of Amar Jawan Jyoti with National War Memorial flame

The government of India has merged the flame of the Amar Jawan Jyoti at Delhi’s India Gate with the flame at the adjoining National War Memorial on January 21, 2022, ahead of Republic Day. The ceremony was led by the Integrated Defence Staff chief, Air Marshal Balabadhra Radha Krishna.  The decision to merge the two flames was taken keeping in mind that flame at Amar Jawan Jyoti payed homage to the martyrs of 1971 but none of their names are present there, while names of all Indian martyrs from all the wars, including 1971 and wars before and after it are housed at the National War Memorial.  So housing the flame at the same place along with the names will serve as a true tribute to martyrs. This will also do away with upkeeping two flames for the same purpose. This means that after 50 years of continuous lightning, the flame at Amar Jawan Jyoti will no longer be present there.

‘Azadi Ke Amrit Mahotsav se Swarnim Bharat Ki Ore’ programme launched by PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated ‘Azadi Ke Amrit Mahotsav se Swarnim Bharat Ki Ore’ programme via video conferencing. The national-level program includes seven yearlong initiatives dedicated to the celebration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav by the Brahma Kumaris.  More than 30 campaigns and over 15000 programs and events will be conducted under these initiatives by the Brahma Kumaris. Brahma Kumaris is organising the event on the occasion of the 53rd Ascension Anniversary of Pitashree Prajapita Brahma, Founding Father of Brahma Kumaris.

PM Modi to unveil 216-foot statue of saint Ramanujacharya

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a 216-foot statue of Ramanujacharya in a sitting position in Hyderabad on February 5, 2022, to celebrate the 1,000th birth anniversary of the saint.  Ramanujacharya was an 11th-century saint and a revolutionary social reformer. The statue will be called as the ‘Statue of Equality’. It is located in a 45-acre complex at Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad in Telangana.  The project is built at a cost of Rs. 1,000-crore, which was funded entirely by donations from devotees globally.  President Ram Nath Kovind will unveil the inner chamber of the statue of Ramanujacharya on February 13, 2022.  The Statue of Equality is the world’s second-tallest statue in a sitting position. The Buddha statue in Thailand is considered as the world’s tallest statue in a sitting pose.

International News

 

Over 80% of population affected by volcanic eruption: Tonga govt

The Tongan government on Saturday said around 84% of its 1,05,000 population has been affected by last week’s volcanic eruption and the tsunami that followed. Ash from the underwater volcano covered the island nation, while tsunami waves destroyed homes in its outer islands. Securing drinking water is now the priority as volcanic ash contaminated the island’s drinking supply, it added.

 

Indonesia names new capital Nusantara, replacing sinking Jakarta

Indonesia will move its capital to mineral-rich East Kalimantan, an Indonesian province on the island of Borneo. The name of the new capital will be Nusantara, which means "archipelago" in Javanese. It will be based in the regions of North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara.  The new project is likely to cost around 466 trillion rupiah ($32 billion). The heavily populated city of Jakarta is home to 10 million people (30 million if you include the greater metropolitan area) and has been facing the growing issue with the overuse of groundwater by home drilling due to large-scale city developments.  The problem is worsened when combined with rising sea levels. This shift of development is set to slow down the rate at which Jakarta sinks into the Java Sea.

 

 

BANKING, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

UNCTAD report: FDI flows to India falls by 26% in 2021

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows to India fell by 26 per cent in 2021, compared to 2020, as per the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Investment Trends Monitor published. In 2020, FDI to India was recorded at USD 64 billion. This was 27 per cent more compared to USD 51 billion in FDI in 2019.  UNCTAD said that low FDI in India was mainly because large cross-border mergers & acquisitions (M&A) deals recorded in 2020 were not repeated. The global FDI flows increased by 77 per cent to an estimated USD 1.65 trillion in 2021, from USD 929 billion in 2020.

Russia's crypto ban would drive out IT professionals: Telegram CEO

Messaging app Telegram's Russia-born CEO Pavel Durov said Russia's proposed ban on cryptocurrencies could lead to an outflow of IT professionals from the country and destroy several technology industries. Likening the proposal to ban cryptocurrencies to "throwing the baby out with the bath water", Durov wrote on his Telegram channel, "None of the developed nations is banning cryptocurrencies."

OBITUARY

Actress Regina King's only son Ian Alexander Jr dies by suicide 2 days after turning 26

American actress-director Regina King's son, Ian Alexander Jr, died by suicide. "Our family is devastated at the deepest level by the loss...He is such a bright light who cared so deeply about the happiness of others," a statement read. Alexander Jr, who turned 26 on Wednesday, was the only child of King and her ex-husband, record producer Ian Alexander Sr.

Emmy Award winning comedian Louie Anderson dies of blood cancer

Comedian Louie Anderson passed away at a Las Vegas hospital on Friday. The 68-year-old Emmy Award winner was battling with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, for some time and was under treatment. "He is survived by his two sisters, Lisa and Shanna," Anderson's publicist Glenn Schwartz said.

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