Latest Current Affairs For Tuesday 18th January, 2022

Govt inaugurates India's first coal to methanol plant built by BHEL

Union govt has dedicated India's first BHEL-built 'coal to methanol' (CTM) pilot plant to the nation in Hyderabad.

The 0.25 TPD capacity CTM pilot plant is currently producing methanol with purity of more than 99% from high-ash coal.

This conversion of high-ash Indian coal to methanol through the gasification route is the first-of-its-kind technology demonstration in India.

An exhibition on Products Developed under Aatmanirbhar Bharat' has also been inaugurated.

Chhattisgarh govt to set up employment mission to create 15 lakh job

Chhattisgarh govt decided to set up an employment mission to create around 15 lakh job opportunities in the state in the next 5 years.

The mission will be headed by CM Bhupesh Baghel.

Under the mission, the State government will also leverage expertise of premiere institutions such as the IIT, IIIT, IIM and NIT, in the State to generate employment opportunities.

In the last 3 years, several innovative programmes were introduced to create employment opportunities.

China builds 'artificial moon' for gravity experiment

China built an "artificial moon" research facility that will enable them to simulate low-gravity environments using magnetism.

The gravity of this place can be controlled using powerful magnets by scientists to such low levels that it could successfully simulate the moon’s gravity.

The artificial moon research facility is scheduled for official launch in the year 2022.

It is first of its kind research facility in the world.

Arvind Kejriwal to flag off Delhi's first DTC electric bus

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal flagged off Delhi Transport Corporation’s (DTC’s) first electric bus.

The electric buses will cover a minimum distance of 120 km and arrangements of charging points are underway.

300 such E-buses will start till April, the target is 2000.

These buses were manufactured by the JBM Auto Limited.

These buses were acquired under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and electric Vehicles in India (FAME – II) initiatives.

MEIL completes 5-km tunnelling work as part of Zojila project

Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Limited (MEIL) has completed 5-km-long tunnelling work as part of the 18-km-long all-weather Zojila Tunnel.

The project of the NHIDCL, being executed by the MEIL, is envisaged to ensure connectivity between Srinagar and Ladakh throughout the year.

Zojila project, Asia's longest bi-directional tunnel, is a challenging development project in India for strategic reasons too.

Navies of India, Russia Conduct Passing Exercise In Arabian Sea

The navies of India and Russia conducted a passing exercise in the Arabian Sea.

Indian Navy's guided missile destroyer INS Kochi exercised with Russian Navy's destroyer Admiral Tributs.

The exercise showcased cohesiveness and interoperability between the two navies.

A passing exercise is done to ensure that two navies participating in it are able to smoothly coordinate and communicate in times of any disaster or war.

Tamil Nadu govt to install statue of British officer in UK

The Tamil Nadu government will install a statue of Colonel John Pennycuick in the United Kingdom.

Colonel John Pennycuick was a British engineer who built the Mullaperiyar dam in 1895 in Kerala's Idukki.

The dam is currently operated by the Tamil Nadu government.

Pennycuick is highly respected by the people of the five districts in Tamil Nadu and is even worshipped by many.

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

Noted environmentalist Prof M K Prasad passed away on 17th January 2022.

He was a prominent figure in the historic grassroot 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’.

That had undertaken campaigns for popularisation of science in everyday life.

Kathak Maestro Pandit Birju Maharaj passes away

Kathak legend Pandit Birju Maharaj (Brij Mohan Nath Mishra) passed away at his home in Delhi after suffering a heart attack.

A recipient of the country’s second-highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan was born in a well-known family of Kathak dancers.

Pandit Birju Maharaj donned several hats during his lifetime.

While he was best known as a Kathak dancer, he was an equally prolific singer, poet and painter.

Lakshya sen clinches men's singles title of India Open 2022

India’s Lakshya Sen has won his maiden Super 500 title by winning Yonex-Sunrise India Open.

He defeated World Champion Loh Kean Yew (Singapore) in Men's single event.

Earlier in the day, India's top-ranked Men's Doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won double title.

They defeated top seeded Indonesian pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in the final.

Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrunghphan bagged the Women’s Singles title. 

PM Narendra Modi to be awarded prestigious Lokmanya Tilak Award 2023

The Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust (Hind Swaraj Sangh) would confer the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award 2023 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Pune on August 1, 2023.

Reason: This award recognizes PM Modi's supreme leadership under which India has climbed the ladder of progress

It is presented annually on the occasion of Lokmanya Tilak's death anniversary.

Other awardees: Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Sharad Pawar, Cyrus Poonawalla, and Manmohan Singh. 

J&K Bank wins award for Best Performance in CASA

Jammu & Kashmir Bank has been felicitated for the Best Performance in CASA-India (1st Runner up in Small Bank Category) at ICC Emerging Asia Banking Conclave & Awards 2022.

The event was participated by banks from India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka & Myanmar.

The function was organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Goa.

Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group headquartered in Calcutta.

India poised to become world’s 2nd-largest economy by 2075: Goldman Sachs

According to the Investment Bank Goldman Sachs, India is poised to become the world’s second-largest economy by 2075.

As per the report, India would cross Japan, Germany, and the US With a population of 1.4 billion people.

India’s GDP is estimated to expand remarkably, reaching 52.5 trillion dollars surpassing the US GDP projection.

The labour force participation set to make India the second-largest economy in the world by 2075.

L&T and Spain's Navantia sign agreement for submarine project

L&T has signed a teaming agreement with Spanish-based Navantia for the submission of a techno-commercial bid for the Indian Navy’s prestigious P75 (India) submarine program.

P75 (India) Submarine Project is expected to be valued at €4.8 billion.

Navantia would carry out the design of P75(I) submarines based on its S80 class of submarines.

The first S80 class submarine was launched in 2021 and is undergoing sea trials prior to its delivery to Spanish Navy. 

India overtakes China as most attractive emerging market for investing

According to a study by Invesco Global Sovereign Asset Management, India has overtaken China to become the most attractive emerging market for investing in sovereign wealth funds this year.

Reason: This is due to its solid demographics, political stability, and proactive regulation. 

Positives for the nation also include the rapidly expanding demography, strong regulatory actions, and a welcoming climate for sovereign investors.

World Population Day 2023: 11 July

World Population Day is observed every year on July 11 in order to raise awareness about global population issues, including population control.

2023 theme: Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls to unlock our world’s infinite possibilities. 

It was established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1989, after the day the world approximately reached a population of five billion, which was observed on 11 July 1987.

MoHUA conducts SBM-U 2.0 Planning & Implementation Review-cum-Workshop

The Housing Ministry organized a review-cum-workshop to evaluate and accelerate the planning and implementation of the SBM-Urban 2.0.

PM Modi launched the 2.0 versions of SBM-U and AMRUT on October 1, 2021.

SBM-U 2.0: Achieving 100% waste segregation in all households and premises and 100% door-to-door collection of segregated waste from each. 

AMRUT 2.0: To provide complete coverage of water supply to all households and sewerage and septage in 500 AMRUT cities. 

Gujarat CM launches pilot project of ‘Antyodaya Shramik Suraksha Yojana’

Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel launched the Antyodaya Shram Suraksha Accident Insurance Scheme from Kheda

All those registered under the e-Shram portal from Nadiad will benefit from the scheme.

It is being implemented through the Indian Postal Department, the IPPB, and the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Under this scheme, insurance with a premium of Rs. 289 and Rs. 499 per year will be a big support to workers in the event of death or partial disability.

OCA elects Sheikh Talal as the new President

Kuwait’s Sheikh Talal Fahad Al Ahmad Al Sabah has been elected as the new President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

He replaced his older brother Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, who led the OCA for 30 years until 2021.

The OCA was founded in 1982 by his father Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who led it until 1990.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees.

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance wins Insurer Innovation Award 2023

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance has won the Insurer Innovation Award 2023 for the APAC region at the 8th World Digital Insurance Awards, hosted by TDI - The Digital Insurer.

Recognition: Bajaj Allianz Life's ground-breaking WhatsApp Conversational Platform - empowering customers to digitally services their policies seamlessly. 

The award entries were shortlisted by industry experts and the winner was selected by the community through pre-voting and live event voting.