CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS 17th and 18th April 2022

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS

17th and 18th April 2022

National News

 

Shocking and saddening: PM Modi on the demise of 18-year-old TT player Vishwa

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday tweeted, "The demise of TT champion Vishwa Deenadayalan is shocking and saddening." The 18-year-old table tennis player from Tamil Nadu died in a road accident on Sunday while travelling from Guwahati to Shillong for the 83rd Senior National and Inter-State Table Tennis Championship. PM Modi said Vishwa had distinguished himself in several competitions.

 

What is 'pyramid fraud' that Amway India is accused of running?

The ED accused Amway India of running a 'pyramid fraud' and provisionally attached its assets worth ₹757.77 crore. It alleged Amway of running a pyramid fraud in the guise of direct selling multi-level marketing network and exorbitant pricing of products. "Gullible public is induced to join as members and purchase products at exorbitant prices, losing their hard-earned money," ED said.

Who is India's new Army chief Lieutenant General Manoj Pande?

Lieutenant General Manoj Pande will take charge as the 29th chief of the Army Staff in India. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, Pande has a military career spanning nearly 40 years. He has commanded an engineer brigade along the LoC in J&K during Operation Parakram (during the 2001-2002 India-Pakistan standoff).

 

Manipur to host the highest Indian national flag at INA complex

Manipur chief minister, N Biren Singh announced that a 165-foot-high Indian national flag, the tallest in the Northeast, would be hoisted at the Indian National Army (INA) headquarters complex in Moirang in Manipur's Bishnupur district, for which a pole had already been erected.  According to Singh, as part of the 100-day action plan, union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit the state and unfurl the Indian national flag.  He was speaking at the INA Martyr's Memorial Complex in Moirang, 45 kilometres south of Imphal, where the 78th Anniversary of Flag Hoisting Day was observed.  The state government had already purchased land for the construction of the new INA memorial hall and construction work had begun.  Various performers presented cultural programmes such as Dhol-Dholok Cholom and Thang Ta during the observation.

 

NITI Aayog to launch National Data and Analytics Platform 

In May, the NITI Aayog plans to launch the National Data and Analytics Platform (NDAP), which would give government data in a user-friendly manner and encourage data-driven decision-making and research. The platform, which was conceived in 2020, aims to standardise data across government sources and provide flexible analytics that allow users to easily analyse data using numerous datasets.  The platform, according to an AIR correspondent quoting a Senior Adviser at NITI Aayog, will allow policymakers, scholars, and researchers to easily analyse data without having to process it.
At the time of debut, the portal will feature 200 datasets from over 46 ministries.  In the future, new datasets will be uploaded up to the village level. Many government agencies now offer public dashboards with various possibilities.  Many government departments now have public dashboards with data download options; some are provided as image files, while others are in PDF format, making data compilation problematic.

PM Narendra Modi Inaugurates 108 ft tall statue of Lord Hanuman ji in Gujarat

The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi has unveiled a 108 ft statue of Lord Hanuman ji in Morbi, Gujarat, at the Ashram of Bapu Keshvanand ji, via video conferencing, on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti. This statue is the second among the four statues being built in the four directions across the country, as part of the ‘Hanumanji Char Dham’ project.  The first such grand statue of Hanuman Ji was inaugurated in the North in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh in 2010. The statue at Morbi has been set up in the West. The third statue will be set up in the South at Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. Similarly, the final statue will be established in East in West Bengal.

International News

Agricultural imports from India suspended by Indonesia 

Indonesia has stopped imports of agricultural products from India, citing a failure by New Delhi officials to register laboratories that evaluate food safety and issue certificates of analysis (COA), causing worry among cereal exporters.  In an order to the head of its Agricultural Quarantine Centre, the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture stated that its authority to accredited laboratories for testing the safety of fresh food from India and issuing the COA has been revoked.  COAs issued by laboratories indicating that clear exports of fresh food of plant origin were certified in 2019 would not be recognised, according to the Ministry, although certificates issued on or before March 24 will be legitimate. Indonesian exporters have been notified of the order. The news came after Indonesia issued a notice to exporters requiring them to give extra information to the COA.  The notification was sent three to four months ago by Indonesia.  While countries like Vietnam and Thailand were able to register their laboratories providing COAs well ahead of time, Indian authorities were unable to meet the deadline.  The registration application should be submitted through diplomatic channels. However, the embassy in Jakarta failed to register on time.

United Nations report suggested COVID plunged 77 million into poverty prior Ukraine war

According to a United Nations report released, the pandemic pushed 77 million additional people into severe poverty last year, and many developing nations are unable to recover due to the heavy cost of loan repayments — and that was before the extra burden of the crisis in Ukraine.  According to the research, rich countries might use historic amounts of money borrowed at ultra-low interest rates to help them recover from epidemic slumps.  The poorest countries, on the other hand, spent billions of dollars servicing their debts and faced considerably higher borrowing costs, prohibiting them from investing in education and health care, environmental protection, and inequality reduction.

BANKING, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Bitcoin falls to lowest in a month, global crypto market's value falls to $1.9 trillion

The world's largest cryptocurrency Bitcoin fell as much as 4.2% to $38,580 and the second-largest cryptocurrency, Ether, dropped 4.7% to as low as $2,902 on Monday. The global crypto market’s value dropped about 4% in the past 24 hours to $1.9 trillion, according to the pricing from CoinGecko. Bitcoin has been struggling along with risk assets in recent months.

Investors lose ₹2.5 lakh crore wealth in a day as Sensex crashes 1,170 points

Nearly ₹2.5 lakh crore was wiped off investors' wealth on Monday as Sensex plunged 1,172 points to settle at 57,166 amid weak global cues. The market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies dropped to ₹269.48 lakh crore from ₹ 272.12 lakh crore in the previous session. Infosys, HDFC, HDFC Bank, Tech Mahindra, Wipro and TCS were among the top losers on Monday.

 

Vikram Dev Dutt named as Air India Asset Holding CMD

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, approved Vikram Dev Dutt's appointment as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Air India Asset Holding (AIAHL), with effect from 27th January 2022, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India.  Prior to this, Dutt was in-charge of Air India as a CMD till the airline was handed over to the Tata Group. Air India Asset Holding (AIAHL) was set up in 2019 by the government for holding debt and non-core assets of the Air India group. The government had on October 8, 2021, announced that the Tata Group won the bid to acquire Air India for Rs 18,000 crore.

Adani Green Energy overtakes SBI as India's 7th most valuable company

Adani Green Energy overtook the State Bank of India (SBI) on Monday to become the country's seventh most valuable company. The company's shares have surged over 120% year-to-date and its market valuation currently stands at ₹4.64 lakh crore. Adani Green is the only non-Sensex company featuring in the list of top 10 companies on BSE in terms of market capitalisation.

 

Paytm is the official digital payments partner for Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya

Paytm has become an official digital payments partner for the prime ministers’ museum. It is offering its payment gateway, EDC (Electronic Data Capture) machines and QR code payment options to make way for superfast, convenient and secure transactions.  The museum, which is a tribute to former Prime Ministers of India, will be opened to the public on April 21, 2022. PM Modi also purchased the first ticket of the museum before its inauguration.  The museum is built at a cost of Rs. 271 crores. It is constructed on the site of Teen Murti Estate, which served as the home of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, for 16 years until being converted into the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) following his death.

 

 

Schemes and Committees News

SVANidhi se Samriddhi’ phase II launched to shield 28 lakh street vendors

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has expanded the 'SVANidhi se Samriddhi' programme to 126 cities in 14 states and union territories. The program's implementing partner is the Quality Council of India (QCI).  ‘SVANidhi se Samriddhi’ is a PMSVANidhi add-on initiative that began on January 4, 2021 in 125 cities with the goal of mapping the socioeconomic profile of PMSVANidhi participants and their families.  It determines whether or not beneficiaries are eligible for several Central welfare initiatives (8) and promotes links to these programmes.  To assist over 50 lakh street sellers in metropolitan regions, including those from surrounding peri-urban/rural areas, who were vending on or before March 24, 2020.  To encourage digital transactions by offering cash-back incentives of up to Rs. 1,200 per year.

Hunar Haat" 40th edition organised in Mumbai

Union minister Anurag Thakur will open the 40th edition of "Hunar Haat," a forum to preserve, protect, and promote local artists and craftsmen. "Hunar Haat" is bolstering Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for "voice for local" and "Aatmanirbhar Bharat".  The 40th edition of the project, which was inaugurated by Union Ministers for Information and Broadcasting, Youth Affairs and Sports, will bring together at least 1,000 artisans and craftsmen from across the country.  "Hunar Haat" has offered employment to over 9 lakh artists and craftsmen in just six years, in addition to promoting ancestral arts and crafts even in distant corners of the country.  More than half of these recipients are women.  Women craftsmen make up more than half of the recipients.  Every "Hunar Haat" has an average of 8 to 10 lakh visitors. According to the report, over 4 crore people attended 39 "Hunar Haats" across the country to buy indigenous products, support artisans and craftsmen, and enjoy various musical and cultural programmes.

India gets elected in 4 UN ECOSOC Bodies 2022

India has been elected to the United Nations Economic and Social Council’s (ECOSOC) four major bodies, including the Commission on Science and Technology for Development.  To the Committee for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Ambassador Preeti Saran has been re-elected. In 2018, she was first elected to the Asia Pacific seat on the UN’s Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. On 1st January 2019, her first four-year term began.

The 4 bodies to which India has been elected

The Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights

The Commission for Social Development

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organisations

The Commission on Science and Technology for Development

Awards News

AIMA honours Shoojit Sircar with Director Of The Year award

Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport and Highways, presented the 2021 AIMA Managing India Awards (AIMA) in multiple categories in Delhi. In the films category, Shoojit Sircar was honoured with the Director Of The Year award for Sardar Udham.  This year, the 12th edition of the AIMA Managing India Awards is being organised physically, coinciding with the 7th National Leadership Conclave.  Every year, AIMA presents the Director Of The Year award, which recognises an individual "who has exemplified the spirit of filmmaking and created a masterpiece out of it". As per the description of the award, it is given to those directors "who have created a masterpiece that is pathbreaking and is worth watching over and over again".

UDAN scheme selected for PM Award for Excellence in Public Administration 2020

The Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN (UdeDeshkaAamNagrik), the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has been selected for Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration 2020 under the category “Innovation (General) – Central”.  UDAN scheme emphasizes on Good Governance, Qualitative achievements, and last mile connectivity rather than only on achievement of quantitative targets. In a short span of five years, 415 UDAN routes have connected 66 underserved and unserved airports, including heliports and over 92 lakh people have benefited from it.  The award was launched by the Government of India in 2006 to acknowledge, recognize and reward the extraordinary and innovative work done by Districts/ Organizations of the Central and State Governments.  The award comes with a trophy, scroll and an incentive of Rs 10 lakhs.  The Ministry of Civil Aviation will receive the award on April 21, 2022, on the occasion of Civil Service Day.

Sports News

Danish Open swimming: Sajan Prakash wins gold

Top Indian swimmer Sajan Prakash won the men's 200m butterfly gold at the Danish Open swimming meet in Copenhagen, Denmark.  Competing in his first international meet this year, Prakash stopped the clock at 1.59.27 to stand atop the podium. Earlier, the swimmer from Kerala had clocked 2.03.67 in the heats to qualify for the 'A' final.  16-year-old, Vedaant Madhavan bagged the silver medal in the men's 1500m freestyle event, who is the son of actor R Madhavan clocked 15.57.86 to finish second in the 10-swimmer final.  He had won a bronze medal at the Latvia Open in March 2021, and had also impressed at the Junior National Aquatic Championships last year, bagging seven medals -- four silver and three bronzes.

New Zealand pacer Hamish Bennett announced retirement from all forms of cricket

The 35-year-old, New Zealand pacer (fast bowler) Hamish Bennett, has announced his retirement from his 17-year-old cricket career with the 2021/22 season as the last one.  Before retiring, Bennett represented New Zealand in T20I against Bangladesh in Mirpur, Pakistan in September 2021.  Hamish Bennett made his international debut in October 2010 and represented New Zealand in one Test, 19 One Day International (ODIs) and 11 Twenty-20 Internationals (T20Is). Overall, he picked up 33 wickets in ODIs and 10 wickets in T20Is.

Important Days

World Heritage Day 2022: 18th April

Every year on April 18, the United Nations commemorates World Heritage Day. The Day is observed to preserve the human heritage and recognize the efforts of the organizations working for it.  Monuments and ancient buildings are an asset to the world. They make for the rich heritage of the nation. Since 1983, the International Council on Monuments and Sites has set a theme around which events are centred on the day. The theme for World Heritage Day 2022 is "Heritage and Climate".  The International Day for Monuments and Sites was proposed by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) on 18 April 1982 and approved by the General Assembly of UNESCO in 1983. The aim is to promote awareness about the diversity of cultural heritage of humanity, their vulnerability and the efforts required for their protection and conservation.

World Hemophilia Day 2022 observed on 17th April

World Hemophilia Day is observed globally on 17 April every year. This day is observed to raise awareness for hemophilia and other bleeding disorders. The date was chosen in honour of the World Federation of Hemophilia founder Frank Schnabel birthday.  This year is the 31st edition of World Haemophilia Day. This year, the theme of the day has been kept as ‘Access for All: Partnership. Policy. Progress. Engaging your government, integrating inherited bleeding disorders into national policy.’  The aim is to sensitize people and governments on the disease and achieve better diagnosis by providing people with access to healthcare.  The day is being held since 1989, which marks the birthday of Frank Schnabel, founder of the World Federation of Hemophilia. Since then, the day is observed to bring people suffering from hemophilia and other bleeding disorders together.

Obituaries News

Veteran television producer & actor Manju Singh passes away

Veteran Hindi television presenter and actor, Manju Singh has passed away due to cardiac arrest. She was one of the pioneers in the Indian television industry and was fondly remembered as didi.  She was the anchor of the children’s program, Khel Khilone for 7 years. She started her career as a television producer in 1983 with the Show theme, 1st sponsored show on Indian Television. From 1984 onwards, Ek Kahani, prime a time series based on literary shorts.

Miscellaneous News

India’s 1st Internet Radio "Radio Aksh" For Visually Challenged Launched In Nagpur

India’s first-ever radio channel for the visually impaired, named 'Radio Aksh' has been launched in Nagpur, Maharashtra. Nagpur’s 96-year-old institution, The Blind Relief Association Nagpur (TBRAN) and Samdrushti Kshamata Vikas Avam Anusandhan Mandal (Saksham) are the organisations behind this idea.  The channel will be available on various internet radio platforms for free. A dedicated team of trained volunteers, mostly women, help in the creation of content for the radio channel, which can be streamed to the visually impaired across India and the world.  The complex, carefully-performed processes of going through large amounts of content, recording, sound editing and making corrections do not dampen the productivity and the sense of servitude guides the entire team.

OBITUARY

Deenadayalan Vishwa, 18-year-old top Tamil Nadu table tennis player, dies in road accident enroute Shillong for competition

 

Deenadayalan Vishwa, one of the top Tamil Nadu Table Tennis players, passed away in a road accident on Sunday, while travelling by road from Guwahati to Shillong to participate in the 83rd Senior National Table Tennis Championships.

Eighteen-year-old D. Vishwa was part of the Tamizhaga Table Tennis Association (TTTA) State men's team who were on their way to take part in the 83rd Senior National and Inter-State table tennis championships to be held in Meghalaya, Shillong. It was also informed that the driver of the tourist vehicle also succumbed to severe injuries, and was later identified as Dipal Das.

Union Minister for Sports, Anurag Thakur called the incident "heartbreaking" and offered condolences to D. Vishwa's family and friends.

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