CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS FEBRUARY 19 , 2022

 

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS

19th February 2022

National News

 

 

Hyderabad Police issues warning about 'fraudulent' Hyperverse app

Hyderabad Police on Saturday warned people about the Hyperverse app which it said was a "fraudulent app". The police posted a warning on its Twitter page, which read, "Do not invest in Hyperverse app with the greed of making easy money...If you invest, you will be cheated." It also shared Telangana Cybercrime center's helpline number -1930.

Institute of Economic Growth named Chetan Ghate as its news Director

The Institute of Economic Growth has appointed Chetan Ghate as the new director succeeding Ajit Mishra. He was a member of the Reserve Bank of India’s first monetary policy committee between 2016-2020, is the winner of the 2014 Mahalanobis Memorial gold medal for the best research economist in the country under the age of 45.  He is currently an external affiliate of the Centre for Research in Macroeconomics and Macro-Finance at Swansea University (Wales, UK).  The Institute of Economic Growth conducts advanced research on economic and social development in areas as diverse as macroeconomics, labour, international trade, public health, environment, agriculture, demography, sociology and industrial organization.  IEG is one of the leading research and training centres in India with a global reputation for research on the Indian economy. The Institute also provides induction training for the Indian Economic Service Officers.

Career Counselling Workshop ‘Pramarsh 2022’ launched in Bikaner

Minister of State for Culture & Parliamentary Affairs, Arjun Ram Meghwal has launched ‘Pramarsh 2022’, a mega career counselling workshop, for the students of the Bikaner District region in Rajasthan.  More than one lakh students from thousands of private & government schools of Bikaner district and mainly from rural areas participated in this workshop. It is the first such incidence in India that more than 1 lakh students participated in Career Counselling in one Workshop.  The “Pramarsh 2022” workshop is an extension of the effort to bridge the industry-academia gap and impart the knowledge about various choices available to the student, to help them make a more informed decision.  The Workshop was organised jointly by The National Institute of Career Services (NICS), under the Ministry of Labour & Employment and Bengaluru-based educational start-up Edumilestones, with support from the Directorate of Education, Rajasthan.

International News

 

 

EU sends emergency medical equipment to Ukraine amid border crisis

The European Commission on Saturday said that the European Union (EU) has delivered emergency medical equipment to Ukraine following a request from the Ukrainian government. So far emergency aid has come from France, Romania, Slovenia, Ireland and Austria, the Commission added. The request was made amid rising fears of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine.

 

Nepal will become 1st country to deploy India’s UPI platform

Nepal will be the first country to adopt India's UPI system, which will play a pivotal role in transforming the digital economy of the neighbouring country, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).  NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL), the international arm of NPCI, has joined hands with Gateway Payments Service (GPS) & Manam Infotech to provide the services. GPS is the authorized payment system operator in Nepal. Manam Infotech will deploy Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in Nepal.  The collaboration will serve the larger digital public good in Nepal and bolster interoperable real-time person-to-person (P2P) and person-to-merchant (P2M) transactions in the neighbouring country.  Nepal shall be the first country outside of India to adopt UPI as the payments platform driving the digitalization of cash transactions and furthering the vision and objectives of the Nepal Government and Nepal Rastra Bank as the Central bank.

Banking, Business and Economy

 

Govt gets 5 proposals worth ₹1.5 lakh crore for chip, display plants

The government has received five applications for the establishment of semiconductor and display plants under its ₹76,000 crore PLI scheme. The Ministry of Electronics and IT said the companies have proposed to invest a total of $20.5 billion (₹1.53 lakh crore). Vedanta-Foxconn JV, IGSS Ventures and ISMC have proposed to set up semiconductor plants with a total $13.6 billion investment.

SEBI proposes new disclosure norms for IPOs of loss-making firms

SEBI has proposed to tighten disclosure standards for new-age technology companies that are planning to list their shares but don't fulfil the three-year profitability track. As per its proposal, such companies will have to disclose more details about how they arrived upon their IPO price. This comes as shares of several firms, including Paytm and Zomato, plunged post their listing.

 

SBI Ecowrap report: India’s GDP projected at 8.8% in FY22

State Bank of India (SBI) Research Report, Ecowrap, has revised downwards the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of India for FY22 (2021-22) to 8.8 percent. Earlier this was estimated at 9.3 per cent.  The report projects the GDP to grow at 5.8 per cent in the third quarter (Q3) of FY2021-2022 (October-December). The country’s economy expanded by 8.4 per cent in the second quarter of 2021-22, to cross pre-pandemic levels.  However, the GDP growth in the July-September period was slower than the 20.1 per cent expansion in the previous quarter.

 

17th IBA’s Annual Banking Technology Awards 2021 announced

Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) has announced the IBA’s 17th Annual Banking Technology Awards 2021. In total South Indian Bank has won 6 awards in the event.  This year’s IBA Awards celebrating “Next Gen Banking” has recognized technologies and practices in the banking industry that have demonstrated a high degree of innovation over the past year.

Important Days

7th Soil Health Card Day Observed on 19 February 2022

Every year India observes the Soil Health Card Day on 19 February to commemorate the launch of the Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme, and create awareness about the benefits of the scheme. 2022 marks the seventh year of the launch of the SHC Scheme.  The scheme aims at issuing soil health cards to all farmers every two years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme on 19th February 2015 at Suratgarh in Rajasthan.  The card would provide details about the nutritional deficiencies in the soil so that the farmers can supplement the soil with suitable fertilizers and increase the yields.  The scheme has been introduced to assist State Governments to issue Soil Health Cards to all farmers in the country. It provides information to farmers on the nutrient status of their soil along with recommendations on the appropriate dosage of nutrients to be applied for improving soil health and its fertility.

World Pangolin Day 2022 observed on 19th February

World Pangolin Day is celebrated on the “Third Saturday of February” every year. In 2022, the annual World Pangolin Day is being celebrated on 19 February 2022. It marks the 11th edition of the event.  The day aims to raise awareness about these unique mammals and speed up conservation efforts. Pangolin numbers are rapidly declining in Asia and Africa.

World Day of Social Justice observed on 20 February 2022

World Day of Social Justice is celebrated annually all over the world on 20 February. The International Labour Organization unanimously adopted the ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization on 10 June 2008.  Social justice is an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations. World Day of Social Justice 2022 Theme: Achieving Social Justice through Formal Employment.  The International Labour Organization unanimously adopted the ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization on 10 June 2008. This is the third major statement of principles and policies adopted by the International Labour Conference since the ILO’s Constitution of 1919.   It builds on the Philadelphia Declaration of 1944 and the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work of 1998. The 2008 Declaration expresses the contemporary vision of the ILO’s mandate in the era of globalization.

 

SPORTS

Rohit Sharma is the number one cricketer of our country: Chief selector Chetan Sharma

After naming Rohit Sharma as India's Test captain, chief selector Chetan Sharma said, "He is the number one cricketer of our country." Chetan added, "If such a big and experienced cricketer comes forward and becomes captain then the future captains to be groomed under Rohit would be a tremendous thing for us." Rohit is now India's all-format captain.

 

 

 

 

 

Obituaries News

Football legend Surajit Sengupta passes away

The former India footballer Surajit Sengupta, who played as a midfielder, has passed away due to COVID-19 complications. He was 71.  At the club level, Sengupta had been associated with Kolkata’s three big clubs, Mohun Bagan (1972-1973, 1981-1983), East Bengal (1974- 1979) and Mohammedan Sporting (1980).  He was part of the Indian national team that won a bronze medal in the 1970 Asian Games, held in Bangkok, Thailand. 

David Brenner, Oscar-winning editor working on 'Avatar' sequels, dies at 59

Oscar-winning editor David Brenner, who worked on films like 'Justice League' and 'Independence Day', passed away aged 59. Brenner died on Thursday morning at his home in West Hollywood, his wife told Hollywood Reporter. Before his death, Brenner had been working on James Cameron's 'Avatar' sequels. "His talent, compassion and friendship will be truly missed," James Cameron tweeted.
Veteran Kannada actor 'Kala Thapaswi' Rajesh passes away aged 89

Veteran Kannada actor Rajesh, popularly known as 'Kala Thapaswi', passed away at the age of 89 due to age-related issues on Saturday morning. The actor had been hospitalised since February 9 in Bengaluru. While Rajesh was the actor's stage name, his real name was Vidyasagar. He began his career as a stage artist and appeared in over 150 films.

 

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