CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS 14 FEBRUARY 2022

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS

14^TH FEBRUARY 2022

 

National News

 

President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurates new Durbar Hall at Raj Bhavan

 

President of India, Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated the Durbar Hall at Raj Bhavan, situated at Malabar Hill, Mumbai. While retaining the heritage features of the old court hall, the new hall has been given additional features such as a balcony and a sea view gallery.

Durbar Hall has political importance as it has been associated with oath-taking ceremonies of the Governors, chief ministers of the state.

Earlier, the inauguration of Durbar Hall was scheduled on December 8, 2021, but it was postponed due to the sudden demise of General Bipin Rawat, chief of defence staff in a helicopter crash.

Central Jail in Madhya Pradesh gets own FM radio channel

 

In Madhya Pradesh, the Central Jail of Indore has started its own radio channel 'Jail Vaani-FM 18.77'. Through this radio channel, the jail inmates will get to know about the happening in the world. The radio channel will also provide the jail inmates with information on health and social issues.

The radio station will act as a medium for prisoners to tell their own stories and also to share their experiences. The aim is to inform jail inmates about what is happening across the world. Jails with such innovative measures adopted for the reform of prisoners will certainly act as correctional institutions.

 

Madhya Pradesh Capital: Bhopal;

Madhya Pradesh Governor: Mangubhai C. Patel;

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister: Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Nitin Gadkari inaugurates long Rail-cum-Road Bridge over River Ganga in Bihar

 

The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar jointly inaugurated the 14.5-kilometre long ‘Rail-cum-Road-Bridge’ in Bihar.

The much-awaited bridge is constructed over the River Ganga on NH 333B in Bihar’s Munger region. The cost of the ‘Rail-cum-Road-Bridge’ project is Rs 696 crore. The new bridge will reduce travel time, give a boost to tourism, agriculture as well as generate employment opportunities.

One of Bihar’s major tourist and pilgrimage sites, the city of Munger is well known for its rich ancient history, culture, education and commerce. With the construction of this Rail-cum-Road-Bridge, the distance from Munger to Khagaria will be less than 100 kilometres and also, the distance from Munger to Begusarai will be less than 20 kilometres.

 

Bihar Governor: Phagu Chauhan;

Bihar Capital: Patna;

Bihar Chief minister: Nitish Kumar.

 Maharashtra’s Health Minister announces "Hope Express" to prevent cancer

 

Maharashtra’s Health Minister, Rajesh Tope has announced that "Hope Express" will be launched in the state to prevent cancer.

This is the first such machine in India. He was speaking at the launch of a state-of-the-art Mosaic-3D radiation machine at a private hospital in Kolhapur.

The State Health Minister also promised to take initiative to start Hope Express in every district of the state through district planning.

The State Health Minister also promised to take initiative to start Hope Express in every district of the state through district planning. He also inaugurated the Oncoprime Cancer Center online at the Hattarki Hospital in Gadhinglaj. The centre will benefit patients in rural areas.

Maharashtra Capital: Mumbai;

Maharashtra Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari;

Maharashtra Chief minister: Uddhav Thackeray.

 

 Krishi Network app named Pankaj Tripathi as its brand ambassador

 

Cultino Agrotech Pvt Ltd, which runs agritech app Krishi Network has roped in film actor Pankaj Tripathi as a brand ambassador, with a view to reaching out to farmers to its app. Tripathi's background as a farmer resonates with the platform’s aim to aid farmers to grow their profits by offering them solutions to critical decisions.

The app is currently available in Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, and English, and is planned to be launched in other languages soon. The startup plans to use the fresh funds to boost their artificial intelligence-based technology platform across India.

Founded by IIT Kharagpur alumni Ashish Mishra and Siddhant Bhomia, Krishi Network leverages the growing rural internet penetration to create a platform that eases information accessibility for farmers and enables them to generate higher profits from their land.

Chairman of Supreme Court panel on Char Dham project Ravi Chopra resigns

 

Veteran environmentalist Ravi Chopra has resigned as chairman of the Supreme Court’s High Powered Committee (HPC) on the Char Dham project. His belief that the HPC could protect this fragile (Himalayan) ecology has been shattered.

The Supreme Court on December 14 allowed double-lane widening of roads for the project in view of “security concerns.”

In his resignation letter to the secretary-general of the Supreme Court on January 27, Chopra referred to the apex court’s December 2021 order that accepted the wider road configuration to meet defence needs, instead of what the HPC had recommended and the SC accepted in its earlier order in September 2020.

Debashis Mitra takes over as President of ICAI

 

Debashis Mitra has been elected as the President of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) for the year 2022-23. Mitra, who is serving his third term in ICAI Council, has been in the accounting profession for more than 34 years.

Apart from being a Chartered Accountant, he is also a Cost Accountant and a Company Secretary. He holds a master's degree in commerce and is also a law graduate as well as a qualified Information Systems Auditor.

Centre launches ‘SMILE’ scheme for Transgender community and the Beggars

 

The Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment, Dr Virendra Kumar has launched the Central Sector scheme titled “SMILE”. SMILE stands for Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise.

The new umbrella scheme aims to provide welfare measures to the Transgender community and the people engaged in the act of begging.

The scheme will give the necessary legal protection, social security and a promise to a secured life to the targeted group. The Ministry has allocated Rs. 365 crore for the scheme for five years from 2021-22 to 2025-26.

The SMILE scheme comprises of two sub-schemes. These are:

 

‘Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons’ and

Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation of engaged in the act of Begging’mbers and over 7 lakh students.

Himachal gets its first biodiversity park at Mandi’s Bhulah valley

Himachal Pradesh's first biodiversity park has come up at Mandi's Bhulah valley at a cost of ₹1 crore. The park aims to boost tourism activities and provide new opportunities for researchers to conduct in-depth exploration of various medicinal herbs found in the Himalayas. A herbal nursery has also been set up in the park.

 

International News
Hundreds of blackbirds drop dead on Mexico street, incident caught on CCTV

A security camera footage showed hundreds of yellow-headed blackbirds crashing down from the sky and dying due to unknown reasons in Mexico. The bird carcasses were seen scattered across a street in Chihuahua. The migratory birds had arrived from northern Canada and were wintering in Mexico. It is speculated that the birds died due to the effects of high pollution.

Canada PM to use rare emergency powers to end truckers' protest: Reports

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau will invoke a rare emergency law to give the federal government extraordinary powers to deal with ongoing truckers' protests against the COVID-19 mandate, as per reports. However, Trudeau isn't expected to call in the military. The Emergencies Act was used by Trudeau's father in 1970 and was invoked twice during the two world wars.

 

 Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba named as interim President of Burkina Faso

 

In Burkina Faso, the military junta has appointed lieutenant colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba as the interim President of the country following the military coup. The 2022 Burkina Faso military coup took place on January 24, 2022, which was led by Damiba.

President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré and Prime Minister Lassina Zerbo were disposed from their position and the parliament, government and constitution were declared dissolved.

One of the world's poorest and most volatile countries, Burkina Faso is struggling with a jihadist campaign that has claimed more than 2,000 lives and forced around 1.5 million to flee their homes. The country has been suspended from the West African bloc ECOWAS, although it escaped sanctions following last week's restoration of the constitution.

 

Burkina Faso Capital: Ouagadougou;

Burkina Faso President: Roch Marc Christian Kaboré;

Burkina Faso Currency: West African CFA franc.

 

Banking , Business and Economy News

Not justified to say crypto ban will cause losses: RBI's Deputy Governor

RBI's Deputy Governor T Rabi Sankar termed the argument that banning cryptocurrencies would lead to a loss of wealth as "not justified". Giving three reasons, he said, "Investors can be provided with a reasonable exit". He added, "Cryptocurrency investors were fully aware of the risks," and "There's no data to justify the amount of investment or number of investors".

 

RBL Bank tie-up with Creditas Solutions for ‘Neo Collections’ platform

 

RBL Bank has partnered with Creditas Solutions for its ‘Neo Collections’ platform. The bank will utilise the SaaS-based platform to accelerate efficiency in collections across the loan cycle. The platform is built to automate strategies for reaching out to customers individually in an empathetic manner and motivate them to repay loans.

The platform can also determine the best course of action for every customer by offering customised payment plans to service debt, schedule an EMI plan or opt for payment resolution options. The Neo Collections Platform, a Do It Yourself (DIY) debt management platform, will help our customers seamlessly monitor, manage and pay their dues.

RBL Bank Founded: 1943;

RBL Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra;

RBL Bank CEO & MD: Rajeev Ahuja;

RBL Bank Tagline: Apno Ka Bank.

Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2021/2022 report: India ranked 4th

 

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2021/2022 report, unveiled at the Dubai Expo, India is among the top five easiest places to start a new business.

The survey of Indian respondents, who answered questions on their entrepreneurial activity, attitudes to enterprise and view of their local entrepreneurial ecosystem, found that 82% think it is easy to start a business, placing India fourth globally. It was topped by Saudi Arabia and followed by Netherlands & Sweden.

India has topped amongst low-income economies (according to GDP per capita) on different Entrepreneurial Framework Conditions such as Entrepreneurial Finance, Ease of Access to Finance, Government Policy: Support and Relevance; and Government Support: Taxes and Bureaucracy; while Government Entrepreneurial Programmes was ranked second highest.

Future Retail reports ₹1,063 cr net loss in Q3, 86.85% rise in revenue

Future Retail Limited (FRL) reported consolidated net loss of ₹1,063.36 crore in Q3 FY22 as compared with a net loss of ₹846.92 crore in Q3 FY21. The company's revenue in the October-December 2021 quarter jumped 86.85% YoY from ₹1,506.87 crore to ₹2,815.68 crore. FRL's total expenses rose 62.66% YoY from ₹2,391.43 crore to ₹3,890.02 crore in the reported quarte

 

 

Sports News

 

Rishabh Pant won ESPNcricinfo ‘Test Batting Award’ 2021

 

In the 15th Edition of ESPNcricinfo Awards, India’s wicketkeeper-batsman, Rishabh Pant wins the ‘Test Batting’ award by scoring 89 not out, helped India to win the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2021 by (2-1) and shattered Australia’s unbeaten record at Gabba after 32 years. Rishabh Pant was the top scorer of the series for the Indian team, scoring (274 runs).

Other awardee's:

 

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was adjudged ‘Captain of the Year’.

The Test bowling award went to Kyle Jamieson (New Zealand) for his 5 wickets leaving just 31 runs, which helped New Zealand in becoming the first World Test champions (2019-2021).

England fast bowler Ollie Robinson was named Debutant of the Year.

Saqib Mahmood’s 4 for 42 in a nine-wicket win over Pakistan got him the top ODI bowling prize.

Jos Buttler won the T20I batting award.

The ODI batting and T20I bowling awards went to Pakistan. Fakhar Zaman won the top batting prize. Shaheen Afridi won the T20I bowling award for his annihilation of India in the 10-wicket win for Pakistan at the T20 World Cup.

Important Days

 

 FICCI CASCADE launches ‘Anti-Smuggling Day’ 2022

 

The FICCI’s Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy (CASCADE) has taken the initiative to launch Anti-Smuggling Day, which will be marked on 11 February every year. The inaugural Anti-Smuggling Day is being observed on February 11, 2022.

Anti-Smuggling Day will gather momentum and bring together policymakers, international institutions, enforcement agencies, industry members, media, and consumers for their commitment to take action to fight against the global menace of smuggling.

'Anti-Smuggling Day' will represent a major step in the fight against the global menace of smuggling.

With no country immune to the impact of smuggling and no single sector can be said to be an exception, this day will highlight the mounting hazard of smuggling. It will not only call for attention for creating awareness on this issue, but will also evaluate what more needs to be done at a national and international level in mitigating this challenge.

 

FICCI Founded: 1927;

FICCI Headquarters: New Delhi;

FICCI President: Sanjiv Mehta;

FICCI Secretary General: Arun Chawla.

International Epilepsy Day 2022: February 14

 

International Epilepsy Day is observed every year on the Second Monday of February across the world.

In 2022, International Epilepsy Day falls on February 14, 2022. International Epilepsy Day seeks to raise awareness and educate the general public on the true facts about epilepsy and the urgent need for improved treatment, better care, and greater investment in research.

The day is organised jointly by the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE) and the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) to raise awareness about epilepsy and highlight the kinds of problems faced by victims, their friends and family. Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that makes a person go through sudden and recurrent episodes of sensory disturbances.

 

International Bureau for Epilepsy President: Francesca Sofia;

International Bureau for Epilepsy established: 1961.

Obituaries News

 

Former Chairman of Bajaj Auto Rahul Bajaj passes away

 

Industrialist and former chairman of Bajaj Auto, Rahul Bajaj, has passed away, due to pneumonia and a heart problem. He was awarded the third-highest civilian award Padma Bhushan in 2001.

He was the chairman emeritus of the Indian conglomerate Bajaj Group, the parent company of Bajaj Auto. He stepped down as the non-executive chairman of Bajaj Auto in April 2021 and transferred the responsibility to Niraj Bajaj.

 

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