CURRENT AFFAIRS 28TH JULY 2022 LINK GIVEN IN COMMENTS

 

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS

28th July 2022

 

National News

 

New rules for youth to enrol in voters' list announced, 17-yr-olds can apply in advance

The ECI issued new rules for voter registration, announcing that 17-year-olds can now apply in advance for a voter ID card. Earlier, a citizen had to be 18 on January 1 to get enrolled. Further, if a person is 18 on any of the four dates (January 1, April 1, July 1 or October 1), they can register to vote.

Pass tobacco products amendment bill: Bengaluru youths to PM Modi

The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) Amendment Bill, 2020 must be passed in Parliament's ongoing monsoon session, over 1,000 youngsters from Bengaluru wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The bill prohibits sale of loose cigarettes, raises tobacco consumption age to 21 years and stops promotion of tobacco products. The letter was co-sponsored by Tobacco Free Karnataka.

Partha Chatterjee suspended from TMC after being sacked from Bengal Cabinet

The Trinamool Congress on Thursday suspended Partha Chatterjee, who has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a school jobs scam in West Bengal. He has also been suspended from the post of General Secretary, National Vice President and three other roles, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee announced. Chatterjee was earlier sacked from the West Bengal Cabinet.

Madras HC orders TN govt to include pics of President, PM in all ads for Chess Olympiad

The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to ensure that pictures of the President and the Prime Minister are included in all the advertisements for 44th Chess Olympiad. A petitioner had moved a plea before the High Court seeking direction to include their photographs after the state government published only the photographs of the Chief Minister.

 

Union Cabinet adopts a $1.6 billion BSNL revitalization plan

Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics and Information Technology, said that the Union Cabinet approved the Rs. 1.64 lakh crore revival package for Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).  Package announced by the government in 2019 has contributed to stabilising BSNL's financial situation. The loss of clients has come to an end.

 

INTERNATIONAL

US GDP falls for a second straight quarter, declines by 0.9% in Q2

The US GDP has fallen for a second straight quarter, shrinking in the last three months (Q2) by 0.9%. In the first quarter ending March, the US GDP had decreased at an annual rate of 1.6%. On Wednesday, the US Federal Reserve had hiked interest rates by 0.75% for the second consecutive time.

Japan and Taiwan discuss regional defence in rare meet

In a rare senior-level visit, a delegation of Japanese lawmakers met Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday to discuss security arrangements. The Japanese delegation, which included two former defence ministers, said it wanted to prepare for potential conflicts in the region. Former Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Japan was closely working with US to stop conflicts in the Indo-Pacific.

 

State News

Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar launched ‘Smart E-Beat’ system for Gurugram police 

Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar has launched an app-based ‘Smart E-Beat’ system for police attendance and real-time monitoring of patrolling by personnel in Gurugram. CM Khattar launched the system at an event at the office of the Commissioner of Police and flagged off 119 motorcycle police riders connected with it. The app-based system has been introduced in Gurugram under the Smart Policing Initiative (SPI) and it will help these policemen to mark their attendance and in the monitoring of their rides.

India's first all-women-run cooperative bank coming up in Rajasthan 

The first all-women-run financial institution in the cooperative sector is coming soon in Rajasthan following a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has signed with the Telangana government’s Stree Nidhi Credit Cooperative Federation.  The new body will promote women’s empowerment by supporting their enterprises.  The Rajasthan Mahila Nidhi will be set up on the lines of the Stree Nidhi of Telangana.

Agreements News

One of India's largest financial deals, Axis Bank-Citi merger, gets approved by CCI 

The acquisition of Citibank, N.A. and Citicorp Finance (India) Limited's consumer banking operations by Axis Bank has been approved, according to the Competition Commission of India (CCI). The acquisition had been disclosed by the firms. According to CCI, the transaction entails the going-concern slump sale of Citibank and Citicorp's consumer banking operations to Axis.  Citigroup Inc. and Axis Bank Limited have signed a deal for the sale of Citi's consumer businesses in India.
Citi chose Axis after a lengthy and intense auction process.  The deal entails the sale of Citibank India's consumer banking operations, including its credit card, retail banking, wealth management, and consumer lending businesses.

BANKING, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

 

Nifty Next 50 ETF and Nifty 100 ETF introduced by HDFC Mutual Fund 

In an effort to broaden its selection of HDFC MF index solutions, HDFC Mutual Fund has announced the introduction of HDFC Nifty Next 50 ETF and HDFC NIFTY 100 ETF. These funds provide exposure to the large-cap market in India.  The asset management firm claims that the HDFC Nifty Next 50 ETF's benchmark, the Nifty Next 50 Total Returns Index (TRI), offers benefits for stock and sector diversification as well as the possibility for longer-term greater risk-adjusted returns compared to the Nifty 50. Additionally, this index has a greater chance of growth because it can include members of the NIFTY 50's upcoming league.

RBI permitted bidders for IDBI Bank to own more than 40% 

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), as perceived by the Union Government and Life Insurance Companies (LIC), has reportedly accepted the centre's request to permit non-financial institutions and unregulated entities to own more than 40 per cent stake in IDBI Bank and to sell between 51 and 74 per cent of the lender through a strategic divestment process.  As the Union government and Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) look to sell 51–74% of the lender through the strategic divestment process, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has agreed to the Centre's request to permit non-financial institutions and non-regulated entities to own more than 40% of IDBI Bank.

 

Ranks and Reports News

Roshni Nadar retained as India’s richest woman for 2nd year in a row 

HCL Technologies’ Chairperson, Roshni Nadar Malhotra has retained her position as the richest woman in India, for the second year in a row according to the third edition of ‘Kotak Private Banking Hurun – Leading Wealthy Women List’.  The total net worth of Roshni Nadar stood at Rs 84,330 crore. Roshni Nadar was followed by Nykaa-owner Falguni Nayar, overtaking Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of Biocon, with a total wealth of Rs 57,520 crore. Falguni Nayar is the world’s tenth richest self-made woman.  The report highlighted that 25 new faces have made it to the list. The other key highlights of the report include that the average wealth of women in 2021 went up to Rs 4,170 crore as against Rs 2,725 crore in the last edition of the list.

In three years, India lost 329 tigers, 29 of which were killed by poachers: Govt 

According to a government report, 329 tigers in India perished in the past three years as a result of poaching, natural disasters, and other factors.  The poaching, electrocution, poisoning, and train accidents contributed to the deaths of up to 307 elephants over this time. 96 tigers perished in 2019, 106 in 2020, and 127 in 2021, according to data presented by Union Minister of State for Environment Ashwini Kumar Choubey.

Sports News

 

4-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel announces retirement

Four-time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel announced that he would retire from the sport at the end of the 2022 season. The 35-year-old Aston Martin driver made the announcement through his first-ever post on Instagram, which he joined on Thursday. He had won the championships in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 while driving for Red Bull F1 team.

Who is 14-year-old Anahat Singh, youngest Indian at Commonwealth Games 2022?

Anahat Singh, a 14-year-old squash player, is the youngest member of India's Commonwealth Games 2022 squad. Anahat hails from Delhi and is a Class 9 student at The British School in Chanakyapuri. She started playing squash aged eight and has won 40 national titles till date. She's currently ranked first in Asia and India in the girls' U-15 category.

 

PM Modi declares 44th Chess Olympiad open in Chennai, Rajinikanth attends ceremony

PM Narendra Modi on Thursday declared the 44th Chess Olympiad open in Chennai. This is the first time that Chess Olympiad is being held in India. The grand inauguration programme for the Chess Olympiad was organised at JLN Indoor Stadium. Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, actor Rajinikanth and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur were also present at the ceremony.

 

Cabinet authorises signing of guarantees for FIFA Under 17 Women's WC in India 

The signing of the guarantees for hosting the FIFA Under 17 Women's World Cup in India in 2022 has been accepted by the Union Cabinet, which is presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2022 is slated to take place in India from October 11 to October 30. The seventh iteration of the biennial youth competition will mark India's first-ever hosting of a FIFA women's championship.

ICC Members List: Cambodia, Uzbekistan and Cote D’Ivoire receive membership status 

The International Cricket Council has awarded membership status to three countries during the ongoing ICC Annual Conference in Birmingham.  Cambodia and Uzbekistan from Asia, and Cote D'Ivoire from Africa, were all awarded Associate membership status, taking ICC's total members to 108 countries, including 96 Associates.  The two Asian teams take the total count of Asian countries to 25 while Cote D'Ivoire is the 21st country from Africa.  Ukraine's application for ICC Membership is deferred until cricket activity is able to safely resume within the country, but the ICC will continue to support the Ukraine Cricket Federation through this process.  Cricket Russia's suspension at the 2021 AGM has turned into termination after it failed to resolve the issues and demonstrate compliance following suspension.

US wins most Gold, India places 33rd at the 2022 World Athletics Championships

The World Athletics Championships were held in America for the first time. And in terms of medals, Team USA made the most of their time over the last 10 days.  More than three times as many as any other nation in the competition, and more than any other nation has ever won at a global championship, the United States finished the competition with a total of 33 medals.  This includes 13 golds, the most of any nation. India in 33^rd  place among participating countries and fourth best in Asia only behind China, Japan and Kazakhstan.

Books and Authors

Anurag Thakur released books showcasing pictures of President Kovind his predecessors 

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur has released three books showcasing some of the rarest photographs of outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind and his predecessors.  The books were released during a function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and their first copies were presented to President Ramnath Kovind.  First Book: ‘Moods, Moments and Memories…’ has a collection of rarely seen images of the former presidents of India from 1950-2017.  Second Book: ‘The First Citizen’ has pictorial records of President Kovind’s term.  Third Book: ‘Interpreting Geometries – Flooring of Rashtrapati Bhavan’ documents and analyses the intricate play of geometry applied to evolve the unique flooring patterns in the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Important Days

World Hepatitis Day 2022 observed globally on 28th July

World Hepatitis Day is observed each year on 28 July to raise awareness of viral hepatitis, which causes inflammation of the liver that leads to severe disease and liver cancer.  This day is an opportunity to step up national and international efforts on hepatitis, encourage actions and engagement by individuals, partners and the public and highlight the need for a greater global response as outlined in the WHO's Global hepatitis report of 2017.  The theme for world hepatitis day 2022 is ‘Bringing hepatitis care closer to you.’ The main theme is to focus on raising awareness of the need to make hepatitis care more accessible.

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