Latest Current Affairs For February, 2022

Odisha’s first tribal CM Hemananda Biswal passes away

Odisha’s first tribal chief minister as well as last Congress chief minister of the state, Hemananda Biswal passed away. He was 82. Biswal, a Bhuyan tribal from Jharsuguda district, served as the chief minister twice from 1989 to 1990 and 1999 to 2000.

In December 1999, he was again made chief minister after erstwhile chief minister Giridhari Gamang was replaced over his failure in relief and rehabilitation measures in the aftermath of the 1999 super cyclone that ripped through the Odisha coast.

International IP Index 2022: India ranks 43rd

India has improved its overall IP score from 38.4 per cent to 38.6 per cent, and the country is ranked 43 out of 55 countries on the International Intellectual Property Index 2022.

This index was released by the Global Innovation Policy Center of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In July 2021, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce released a Review of the Intellectual Property Rights Regime in India.

This review is a welcome development and offers a comprehensive and detailed study of the strengths and weaknesses of India’s national IP environment.

The top five countries in the ranking are:

Rank 1- United States

Rank 2- United Kingdom

Rank 3- Germany

Rank 4- Sweden

Rank 5- France

IPL 2022 to kick start on March 26

The Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council announced that the league stage games will be played across four venues in Mumbai and Pune for the 15th edition of the tournament.

IPL 2022 will kick start on the 26th of March and the final will be played on 29th May.

A total of 70 league matches will be played across four international standard venues in Mumbai and Pune. 

Group A: MI, DC, KKR, RR, Lucknow Super Giants(LSG)

Group B: CSK, SH, RCB, PK, Gujarat Titan(GT)

Bangladesh-India Cultural meet kicks off in Rajshahi

The fifth Bangladesh - India Cultural meet kicked off with a colourful civic reception being given to the visiting guests from India and dignitaries in Rajshahi.

The function was presided over by the Mayor of Rajshahi city AHM Khairuzzaman Liton.

Friends of Bangladesh and Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) are jointly hosting the four-day event between Feb 25-28 to celebrate the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

President kick starts 400th birth anniversary celebrations of Lachit Borphu

President Ram Nath Kovind launched the 400th birth anniversary celebrations of Ahom general Lachit Borphukan.

He laid the foundations for a war memorial and a 150-foot bronze statue of the legendary commander.

Lachit Borphukan was a legendary army commander of the Ahom kingdom.

He is known for his leadership in the 1671 ‘Battle of Saraighat’ on the Brahmaputra that thwarted a drawn-out attempt by the mighty Mughal forces, led by Raja Ramsingh-I, to take back Assam.

India, Oman hold five-day air exercise 'Eastern Bridge-VI' in Jodhpur

The Indo-Oman exercise "Eastern Bridge-VI (2022)" was successfully conducted at Air Force Station Jodhpur from 21 to 25 February 2022.

Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) participated with Indian Air Force in the exercise which was aimed at providing operational exposure and undertaking mutual exchange of best practices, towards enhancing operational capabilities of both the Air Forces.

It also provided avenues of cultural exchanges between the personnel of both countries.

DBS Bank India migrates to new IFSC and MICR codes

The IFSC and MICR codes of all branches of erstwhile Lakshmi Vilas Bank have changed after the amalgamation with DBS Bank India. 

The older IFSC codes will remain valid until  28 Feb 2022, for customers’ convenience and ease of transition.

Customers will be required to use the new DBS IFSC code from March 1, 2022 onwards to receive funds through NEFT, RTGS and IMPS. 

All existing cheques issued to the third party will have to be replaced with new cheques before 28 Feb 2022. 

Dish TV ropes in Rishabh Pant as brand ambassador

Dish TV India Limited’s DTH brand D2H, has brought Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant on board as its new brand ambassador.

Pant will feature in 360-degree brand communication for D2H for the next two years.

Dish TV India Limited is a direct-to-home (DTH) company with brands such as Dish TV, Zing and D2H under its ownership.

Tan Kim Her appointed as India's Badminton Doubles Coach

Malaysian Tan Kim Her (50-year)has been appointed as India's doubles coach in badminton till the Asian Games in 2026. 

He has been credited with shaping the careers of doubles specialists Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy. 

In his first stint (2015-2019) as doubles coach in India. 

Among other things, he will identify Indian coaches with potential and assist in their skill development by holding four workshops each year.

Minister of Youth Affairs Sports:Anurag Thakur

Mirabai Chanu wins gold at Singapore Weightlifting International

Indian weightlifter and 2020 Tokyo Olympics silver-medallist, Mirabai Chanu has won the gold medal in the 55kg weight category at the Singapore Weightlifting International 2022 on February 25, 2022.

Chanu lifted 191kg (86kg+105kg) to stand on top of the podium. With this win, the 27-year-old Chanu has qualified for the 2022 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Birmingham in the 55kg weight category. She has also qualified for the CWG in the 49kg weight category on the basis of her Commonwealth rankings.

Third India-Japan joint exercise ‘EX DHARMA GUARDIAN-2022’

The third edition of the joint military exercise “EX DHARMA GUARDIAN-2022” between India and Japan will be conducted from 27 February to 10 March 2022, at Belagavi (Belgaum), Karnataka.

The 15th Battalion the Maratha Light Infantry Regiment of the Indian Army and 30th Infantry Regiment of Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces (JGSDF) are participating in this 12 days long joint exercise.

The military exercise will focus on operations in Jungle & Semi-Urban/Urban terrains.

The exercise aims at enhancing the inter-operability and foster mutual understanding between the two Armies.

Exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN is an annual military training event, being conducted in India since 2018.

Union Bank launches ‘Union MSMERuPay Credit Card’

The Union Bank of India has launched the ‘Union MSME RuPay Credit Card’ in association with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). It is a first of its kind initiative in the industry, to provide simplified and digital delivery of Finance to Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), to meet their business-related operational expenses.

The dedicated card for MSMEs will be available to eligible borrowers of the Union Bank of India. The Union MSME RuPay Credit Card was launched by Union Minister for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Shri Narayan Rane on February 25, 2022, at the two days MSME Conclave being held in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Union Bank of India Headquarters: Mumbai;

Union Bank of India CEO: Rajkiran Rai G.;

Union Bank of India Founded: 11 November 1919, Mumbai.

Brickworks Ratings lowers India’s GDP to 8.3% in FY22

Brickworks Ratings has revised downwards India’s GDP growth forecast to 8.3 per cent in the current fiscal 2021-22 (FY22). Earlier in January 2022, the rating agency had estimated this between 8.5-9 per cent.

Brickwork Ratings is one of the seven Sebi-registered credit rating agencies (CRA). The latest growth indicators suggest a loss of economic momentum in recent months. The rapid spread of Covid in January 2022 led to renewed restrictions on economic activities, dampening the revival process, particularly in contact-intensive sectors.

Standard Chartered tie up with IATA for payment platform for airline industry

Global banking group Standard Chartered has partnered with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to launch a payment platform for the airline industry in India.

IATA Pay will be a new payment option that enables participating airlines to offer instant payment options such as UPI Scan and Pay and UPI Collect (Request to Pay). Standard Chartered will be supporting the rollout of IATA Pay in other markets as well.

IATA Pay in India is powered by Standard Chartered’s Straight2Bank Pay, a payment platform that helps online merchants digitalise collections via multiple payment options through single global connectivity.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Standard Chartered CEO: Bill Winters (10 Jun 2015–);

Standard Chartered Founded: 1969, London, United Kingdom.

International Air Transport Association Headquarters: Montreal, Canada;

International Air Transport Association DG: Willie Walsh;

International Air Transport Association Founded: 19 April 1945, Havana, Cuba.

Bharti Airtel to acquire 4.7% stake of Vodafone in Indus Towers

Bharti Airtel has decided to acquire an additional 4.7 per cent stake in Indus Towers from Vodafone Group, the company announced. The two companies signed an agreement on the condition that Vodafone will use the proceeds to invest in Vodafone Idea (Vi) and the latter will clear its pending dues with Indus Towers.

In addition, Airtel is also protected with a capped price, which is lower than the price for the block of Indus shares sold by Vodafone on February 24. This shall be value accretive to Airtel and protect its existing significant shareholding in Indus Towers. With the acquisition, Airtel’s shareholding in Indus Towers will increase to 46.4 per cent. Vodafone holds a 28.1 per cent stake in the company at present and its shareholding will reduce to 21 per cent.

Digital India CEO Abhishek Singh appoints National e-Governance Division chief

1995-batch IAS officers and Digital India Corporation CEO, Abhishek Singh as new National e-Governance Division chief. The 1995-batch IAS officer from Nagaland cadre will hold the position in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary.

The officer will proceed to carry the extra cost of the put up of Managing Director & Chief Government Officer, Digital India Company. The 1995-batch IAS officer from Nagaland cadre will maintain the place within the rank and pay of Extra Secretary.

MSME Technology Centre to be set up in Sindhudurg

Union Minister for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), Narayan Rane has announced the establishment of MSME-Technology Centre with an outlay of Rs. 200 Crore, in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra.

The MSME-Technology Centre will provide the best of technology, incubation as well as advisory support to the industry, especially MSMEs, to enhance their competitiveness and provide skilling services for the employed and unemployed youth of the area to enhance their employability.

The Ministry is presently focussing to create a benchmark for MSMEs across the country by scaling them to new heights in terms of exports, quality of products, contribution to GDP and providing World-class infrastructure to all MSMEs in India.

MoD signs contract with BEL for retro-modification of Battle Tanks T-90

Acquisition Wing of Defence Ministry has signed a contract for Rs 1075 crore with Bharat Electronics Limited for retro-modification of Commander Sight of Battle Tanks-T-90.

Retro-modification will be carried out in 957 T-90 tanks of Indian Army.

It will provide further boost to ‘Make in India’ initiative of the government.

Commander sight of Battle Tank T-90: India’s premier battle tank, is presently fitted with Image Converter tube-based sight for night viewing.

Russia launches special military operation on Ukraine's eastern Donbas

Russian forces have launched special military operation in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, along with launching ballistic missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. 

They have entered Ukrainian territory from Crimea.

Russian President Putin said that Russia did not plan to occupy Ukraine, but warned that Moscow's response would be instant if anyone tries to take on Russia.

Indian External Affairs has set up control room in Delhi in view of the prevailing situation in Ukraine. 

Telangana IT Minister KTR inaugurates 19th edition of BioAsia conference

Telangana IT and Industries Minister K. Taraka Ramarao has inaugurated 19th edition of BioAsia conference 2022 in Hyderabad, which is the annual flagship event of the life sciences industry.

The conference will be addressed by about 50 celebrities from various organizations, including Bill Gates. 

Telangana attracted investments of over 6 thousand 400 crore rupees in the life sciences sector from around 215 enterprises previous year.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi launches ERP System of Coal India Ltd

Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs, Pralhad Joshi has inaugurated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.

ERP will establish best business practices, standardize and unify business process across CIL and its subsidiaries.

Implementation of ERP across Coal India will give boost to government endeavor towards Digital and New India. 

On the occasion, Anil Kumar Jain released book titled as ‘Fueling India’s Energy Needs’.

WEF signs MoU with NIUA to collaborate on ‘Sustainable Cities India program

World Economic Forum has signed MoU with National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) to collaborate on ‘Sustainable Cities India program’.

Aim: to create an enabling environment for cities to generate decarbonization solutions across the energy, transport, and the built environment sectors.

Sustainable Cities India program enable cities to decarbonize in systematic and sustainable way that will reduce emissions and deliver resilient and equitable urban ecosystems.

Moody’s raises India's growth forecast to 9.5 percent for 2022

Moody's Investors Service has raised India's growth forecast to 9.5% from 7% for calendar year 2022.

Moody revised its growth projection for India citing stronger-than-expected economic recovery from national lockdown of 2020 and COVID-19 pandemic in mid-2021.

Moody's raised 2022 calendar year growth forecasts for India and maintained forecast for 5.5% growth in 2023.

This translates into 8.4% growth in fiscal year 2022-23 and 6.5% growth in fiscal year 2023-24.

Indian Navy's multilateral exercise Milan-2022 begins today

Indian Navy's multilateral exercise ‘Milan-2022’ has been organized in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

It will be conducted over a duration of nine days in two phases with the harbour phase scheduled from February 25 and the Sea Phase from 1st March to 4th March. 

Theme: 'Camaraderie - Cohesion - Collaboration'. 

It is a biennial multilateral naval exercise incepted by Indian Navy in 1995 at the Andaman and Nicobar Command. 

More than 40 countries are participating in Milan 22. 

Govt launches Ombudsperson App for smooth functioning of MNREGA scheme

Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Giriraj Singh has launched Ombudsperson App for MNREGA. 

It will facilitate hassle free reporting, categorization of grievances and disposal of complaints by Ombudsperson. 

It will also ensure tracking and timely passing of awards by Ombudsperson.

The app will ensure transparency and accountability in the ecosystem of MNREGA. 

Ombudsperson can also easily upload quarterly and annual reports on the website through the app.

IBM launches new Cybersecurity Hub in Bengaluru to address cyberattack

International Business Machines (IBM) has announced to launch new cybersecurity hub based in India, to address growing threat of cyberattacks in Asia Pacific (APAC) region. 

IBM Security Command Center will be located at IBM office in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

This new cyber security hub is one of the only two such centre’s of IBM globally, other one is located in US. 

IBM global analysis report for 2022 states that Asia emerged as the top-most targeted region for Cyber attacks. 

Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurates ‘Industry Connect 2022’ seminar

Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya has inaugurate seminar titled ‘Industry Connect 2022’, in New Delhi. 

It is being organized by Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals in association with Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Focus: R&D Laboratory, skill gap analysis for human capital in petrochemicals sector, providing indigenous technology, etc.

Author Anirudh Suri pens book titled ‘The Great Tech Game’

Famous Indian author Anirudh Suri has come out with his new book titled as ‘The Great Tech Game: Shaping Geopolitics and the Destinies of Nations.’

It has been published by HarperCollins India publication.

The book lays out a roadmap for how any country must develop its own strategic plan to succeed in this technology-dominant era.

He is the founding partner and managing director of India Internet Fund.

HUL appoints Nitin Paranjpe as non-executive Chairman, Sanjiv Mehta as CEO

FMCG major Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) has announced separation of the position of Chairman and the CEO & Managing Director of the company.

With this, Nitin Paranjpe has been appointed as the Non-Executive Chairman of the company with effect from 31st March, 2022.

He is currently serving as Chief Operating Officer of Unilever (parent company of HUL).

Sanjiv Mehta will continue to be the Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director (CEO & MD) of HUL. 

Rakesh Sharma reappointed as MD & CEO of IDBI Bank

Rakesh Sharma has been re-appointed as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of IDBI Bank.

His appointment has been approved by Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

He has been appointed for a period of 3 years with effect from March 19, 2022.

He was appointed as the MD & CEO of IDBI Bank for the first time in October 2018.

Prior to this, he was working with Canara Bank as MD & CEO.

Headquarters of IDBI bank: Mumbai.

GoI launches the “Janbhagidari Empowerment” portal in J&K

The Central Government launched the “Janbhagidari Empowerment” portal in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, in line with the government’s digital mission. The portal was hosted on a different server with higher bandwidth, in order to provide easy and ready accessibility to the general public.

It is a one-stop interactive and user-friendly digital platform. It provides detailed insights to people into nature, status as well as the number of developmental works that are being executed in their areas.

Works could be searched with respect to their location in each block or municipality, village and district. The portal has also been linked with schemes like MGNREGA, Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural), Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), PM Awas Yojana, and PM Gram Sadak Yojana, under execution in Government.

Users will have to click on these links to gain instant access to works that are being carried out under these schemes.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor: Manoj Sinha.

Central Excise Day 2022: 24 February 2022

Central Excise Day of India is celebrated every year on February 24. The day is being celebrated to honour the service of the Central Board of Excise and Custom (CBEC) to the country.

The day is celebrated to honour the officers associated with CBEC and their services. The day is celebrated to commemorate the legislation of the Central Excise and Salt act on 24 February 1944.

The central excise day is celebrated to raise awareness about the contribution of the central excise officers among the general public of the country.

The jobs of the members of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs in preventing corruption among the manufacturing industries are worth appreciation and encouragement.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Chairman of Central Board of Excise and Custom: Vivek Johri.

Headquarters of Central Board of Excise and Custom: New Delhi.

Central Board of Excise and Custom Founded: 1 January 1964.

Reliance Jio’s New Subsea Cable ‘India-Asia-Xpress’ To Connect Maldives

India’s largest 4G mobile broadband and digital service provider, Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. will land the next generation multi-terabit India-Asia-Xpress (IAX) undersea cable system in Hulhumale, Maldives.

The high capacity and high-speed IAX system will connect Hulhumale directly with World’s major internet hubs in India and Singapore.

On the other hand, the India-Europe-Xpress (IEX) system connects Mumbai to Milan, landing in Savona, Italy, and includes additional landings in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. While IAX is expected to be ready for service by the end-2023, IEX will be ready for service in mid-2024.

Key points of Undersea cable systems:

Undersea cable systems along with data centres support 5G and the digital economy that builds large integrated capacities to enable India’s digital ecosystem.

This high capacity and the high-speed system will provide more than 200Tb/s of capacity at speeds of 100Gb/s, over 16,000 kilometres.

Employing open system technology and the latest wavelength switched RoADM/branching units ensures rapid upgrade deployment and the ultimate flexibility to add/drop waves across multiple locations.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Maldives Capital: Male;

Maldives Currency: Rufiyaa;

Maldives President: Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

IIT Roorkee launched ‘KISAN’ mobile app in Uttarakhand

The Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee has organized a regional farmers’ awareness programme as part of the ‘Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa’ (GKMS) project and launched KISAN mobile application for the farmers.

The app will provide agro-meteorological services to the farmers. Farmers from Haridwar, Dehradun, and Pauri Garhwal districts participated in the program.

KISAN app provides farmers with easy access to weather forecasts and weather-based Agrometeorological Advisory Bulletins for all six blocks of Haridwar district through phones.

The app was developed by Dr Khushboo Mirza, Senior Scientist, Regional Remote Sensing Centre (RRSC), National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), New Delhi under the guidance of Dr C S Jha, an Outstanding Scientist and Chief General Manager at RRSC, NRSC, ISRO, Hyderabad.

The Agrometeorological Advisory Services are offered jointly by the AMFU (Agromet Field Unit Roorkee) IIT Roorkee and the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Exercise Cobra Warrior 22: India to participate in multi-nation Exercise in March

Indian Air Force will participate in a multi-nation air exercise named ‘Exercise Cobra Warrior 22’ at Waddington, in the United Kingdom from March 06 to 27, 2022. IAF Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas will participate in the exercise along with fighter aircraft of the UK and other leading Air Forces.

Five Tejas aircraft will fly to the United Kingdom. IAF C-17 aircraft will provide the necessary transport support for induction and de-induction.

The exercise is aimed at providing operational exposure and sharing best practices amongst the participating Air Forces, thereby enhancing combat capability and forging bonds of friendship. This will be a platform for LCA Tejas to demonstrate its manoeuvrability and operational capability.

India Ratings decrease GDP growth at 8.6% for FY22

India Ratings has revised downwards its GDP growth forecast for 2021-22 to 8.6 per cent from the consensus 9.2 per cent projected earlier.

According to an India rating analysis, National Statistical Organisation (NSO) is likely to peg the FY22 real gross domestic product growth at Rs 147.2 lakh crore. This translates into a GDP growth rate of 8.6 per cent, down from the 9.2 per cent forecast in the first advance estimate released on January 7, 2022.

The major reason for the likely downward revision is the upward revision of FY21 GDP to Rs 135.6 lakh crore in the first revised estimate of national income for FY21, which was released on January 31, 2022.

PM CARE for Children scheme extended by the Centre till 28th Feb 2022

The PM Cares for Children Scheme has been extended by the Ministry of Women and Child Development of the Government of India till February 28, 2022. Previously, the scheme was applicable till December 31, 2021.

A letter has been written in this respect to all Principal Secretaries/ Secretaries, Women and Child Development, Social Justice & Empowerment Departments of all States and UTs, with a copy to all District Magistrates/District Collectors.

To be eligible for the scheme, the child must be under the age of 18 at the time of their parents’ death, to be considered eligible for payments under this plan. All children who have suffered the following losses are covered under the scheme: Lost both parent due to COVID-19 Pandemic and Legal guardian/adoptive parents/single adoptive parent, from 11.03.2020, the day on which WHO proclaimed and defined COVID-19 as pandemic.

Paytm Payments Bank is now official acquiring partner for e-RUPI vouchers

Paytm Payments Bank Limited has announced that it is an official acquiring partner for ‘e-RUPI vouchers’. e-RUPI, which is a government initiative, is a cashless prepaid voucher that beneficiaries can present via SMS or QR Code.

Paytm’s merchant partners can then scan, enter the amount to be paid and receive the payment directly in their bank account. This will benefit beneficiaries (users), even those who do not have access to formal banking services or smartphones to avail the convenience of digital payments.

With this, merchants will be empowered with another digital payment collection method that will help them further increase their digital footprint and onboard more customers.

PPBL is empowering merchants to accept e-RUPI vouchers, which gives it an opportunity to tap into a larger user base that is a beneficiary of this initiative. This will further encourage more merchants to embrace cashless transactions, leading to an increase of digital payments.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Paytm Payments Bank Founded: 2015;

Paytm Payments Bank Headquarters: Noida, UP;

Paytm Payments Bank Founder & CEO: Vijay Shekhar Sharma.

RBI cautions the public against using carpooling app sRide

Reserve bank of India (RBI) has cautioned the public against carpooling app sRide. The caution against sRide App, stating that this firm was operating a semi-closed pre-paid instrument, without receiving authorization from the central bank, under Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.

sRide Tech Private Limited is a registered company, with a registered office in Gurgaon, Haryana. This company is operating a semi-closed (non-closed) pre-paid instrument (wallet) through its ‘sRide’ carpooling app. Thus, RBI cautioned that persons dealing with the app will be doing at their own risk.

sRide app is a carpooling mobile application, that connects people within the community to share rides. The app help users in sharing the cost of travel, increasing mobility, reducing travel time, and building communities. The app also helps in using existing infrastructure, reducing parking needs, traffic and emissions for cities and organisations.

RBI announces dollar/rupee two-year sell buy swap auction

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced a US Dollar/Rupee two-year sell-buy swap auction with a view to elongating the maturity profile of its forward book and smoothening the receivables relating to forwarding assets.

The Central bank will undertake a sell/buy swap auction of $5 billion, which will enable access to a wider set of market participants. RBI will conduct a spot sale to sell USD 5 billion to banks in exchange of rupees, through this auction on March 10, 2022.

On March 11, 2024, it will make a forward purchase from banks in two years. The forward purchase will help in reducing RBI’s current foreign exchange reserves and increase its two-year forward USD purchases.

Mastercard tieup with SBI Payments to boost digital payments infrastructure

Mastercard, as an extension of its flagship campaign ‘Team Cashless India’ along with State Bank of India Payments partnered with the in Lucknow, Guwahati and Varanasi to boost the digital payments infrastructure.

During these engagements, Mastercard Team Cashless India volunteers and SBI Payments spoke to micro-merchants about the convenience, safety, and other benefits of accepting digital payments.

The outreach was very well received across cities, generating incredible results:

In Guwahati, Mastercard collaborates with All Assam’s Restaurant Association (AARA) in line with the Government’s ‘Digital Northeast Vision 2022’ which equips restaurant and hotel owners with a safe, seamless, secure mode of payment to consumers.

In Lucknow, Mastercard partnered with local transport bodies, including the Auto Rickshaw Association, to enable more than 700 auto-rickshaw drivers to accept digital payments.

In Varanasi, Mastercard partnered with the Boat Union to encourage over 1,000 members to accept digital payments from tourists and also local shopkeepers committed to digital payments which have increased tourism.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Mastercard Founded: 16 December 1966, United States;

Mastercard Headquarters: New York, United States;

Mastercard CEO: Michael Miebach;

Mastercard Executive Chairman: Ajay Banga.

Sanjeev Sanyal named full-time member of Economic Advisory Council to PM

Finance Ministry’s Principal Economic Advisor, Sanjeev Sanyal has been inducted as a full-time member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), the panel’s chairman Bibek Debroy announced.

The appointment is for a tenure of two years. He had advised the finance ministry to devise economic policies during the pandemic. The EAC-PM is an independent body constituted by the Union government to advise the prime minister on economic matters.

SAAF & National Cross Country Athletics Championship to be held in Nagaland

Nagaland is all set to host the South Asian Athletic Federation (SAAF) cross country championship and 56th National Cross-Country athletics championships from 26th of next month in Kohima.

Meanwhile, the official mascot of the South Asian Cross Country Championships and 56th National Cross Country is a joyous happy running ‘Hornbill’. The name of the Mascot is Akimji – a connotation of the word AMBITION derived from Sumi dialect of Naga tribe which exemplifies the ambition of the new generation of Naga youth.

This event is going to be perhaps Nagaland’s biggest sporting event in our 50 plus years of statehood and expressed optimism that the event will propel the image of Nagaland and the state’s sporting dream towards national and international platforms. On this occasion, the official team Nagaland kit was also launched.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Chief Minister of Nagaland: Neiphiu Rio;

Governor of Nagaland: Jagdish Mukhi.

Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh becomes 100th ‘Har Ghar Jal’ District

Jal Jeevan Mission has achieved the significant milestone of providing tap water to every home of 100 districts across the country.

Chamba, in Himachal Pradesh, has become the 100th ‘Har Ghar Jal’ district, the fifth aspirational district to be covered under the initiative.

The other four Har Ghar Jal Aspirational districts are Bhadradri Kothgudem, Jayashankar Bhupalpalli, Komram Bheem Asifabad (all in Telangana) and Mewat in Haryana.

To translate Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of providing clean tap water to every home in the country by 2024, in a short span of two and half years and despite COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown disruptions, Jal Jeevan Mission, has provided tap water supply to more than 5.78 Crore rural households.

India to set up its first IIT outside the country in UAE

The Indian Institute of Technology will establish its first branch outside India in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of the India-UAE trade deal signed.

The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed between the UAE and India will usher in a new phase of joint strategic cooperation in all sectors.

The two nations will also set up an India-UAE cultural council to facilitate and promote cultural projects, cross-cultural exchanges and exhibitions.

The two countries and realising the need to establish world-class institutions that encourage and support innovation and technological progress, the leaders agreed to establish an Indian Institute of Technology in the United Arab Emirates.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to launch electric vehicle cell

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will launch electric vehicle (EV) cell to bring together government officials, e-mobility experts and representatives from the electric vehicle industry. 

It will assist policy makers in the promotion of electric vehicles, build infrastructure for electric vehicle charging, provide easy credit facilities, implement technology for batteries, and public transport. 

It will be placed under environment dept of municipal corporation.

Giriraj Singh launches Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin Dashboard

Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Giriraj Singh has launched Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAYG) Dashboard for stringent monitoring of the implementation of the scheme.

It will be used by the Stakeholders of PMAYG for monitoring and managerial purpose.

It will provide complete transparency in the implementation of the scheme and should reach from the Sarpanchs of villages to the Members of Parliament of constituencies.

UK closes ‘golden visa’ route for investors over security concerns

United Kingdom has closed UK’s Tier 1 investor visa, also known as golden visa to all new applicants from all nationalities over security concerns with immediate effect.

The announcement was made by Home Secretary of UK, Priti Patel.

UK Investor Visa: Tier 1 visa offered to wealthy individuals willing to invest a minimum of £2 million in UK.

Note: Bahrain has launched creation of long-term visas for foreigners, known as the golden residence Visa.

Noted Malayalam actress KPAC Lalitha passesaway

Noted Malayalam actress KPAC Lalitha (74 years) passed away at her residence in Kochi.

She acted in over 500 films in Malayalam and Tamil in her career spanning around five decades. 

She won the national award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Malayalam film 'Amaram' and 'Santham'.

Other awards: Kerala State Film Awards and Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award.

She also served as the Chairperson of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy.

India and France sign Roadmap on Blue Economy and Ocean Governance

India and France have signed roadmap to enhance their bilateral exchanges on the blue economy and ocean governance.

This tie-up will help to explore the potential for collaboration in marine science research for a better understanding of oceans, and ensure that ocean remains a global common, a space of freedom and trade, based on the rule of law.

The agreement was signed between India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian. 

Centre approves continuation of National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme

Centre has approved continuation of Central Sector National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) for a period of five years from 2021-22 to 2025-26.

Financial outlay for the scheme: Rs 1,827 crores.

Income ceiling for the scheme has been increased from Rs 1.5 lakh per annum to Rs 3.5 lakh per annum. 

Objective: to award scholarships to meritorious students of economically weaker sections.

It was launched in 2008-09.

Signature tune of ‘Vande Bharatam’ released

Minister of State for Culture & External Affairs Meenakashi Lekhi has released signature tune for ‘Vande Bharatam’. 

The tune is composed by Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej and Oscar contender Bickram Ghosh. 

It was produced for Vande Bharatam, Nritya Utsav of Ministry of Culture presented at Rajpath, New Delhi for Republic Day event 2022.

It was followed by the fascinating live performance by composers of Vande Bharatam song Ricky Kej and Bikram Ghosh.

Professor Neena Gupta receives Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians

Mathematician of the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata, Neena Gupta received Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians for 2021. 

She received the award for her outstanding work in affine algebraic geometry and commutative algebra.

This prize is awarded annually to researcher from a developing country funded by Dept of Science and Technology (DST) in association with ICTP (International Centre for Theoretical Physics) and International Mathematical Union (IMU).

Israeli Defence Forces completes C-Dome system live-fire tests

Israel has successfully tested naval configuration of the Iron Dome missile defense system, C-Dome.

C-Dome system: naval version of Iron Dome, which has been used to shoot down rockets fired from the Gaza Strip for the past decade.

It is being installed on Israel’s latest-generation corvette ships, which protect Israel’s coastline and offshore natural gas assets in the Mediterranean Sea.

Developed by: Israel Missile Defense Organization.

Vipula Gunatilleka appointed as Chief Financial Officer of Jet Airways

Former Sri Lankan Airlines CEO, Vipula Gunatilleka has been appointed as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Jet Airways with effect from March 1, 2022. 

His appointment is made by new promoters of Jet Airways, Jalan Kalrock Consortium.

He was the CEO of SriLankan Airlines till January 2022.

He was also the CFO and board member of TAAG Angola Airlines from November 2015 to July 2018 under Emirates Management.

CEO of Headquarters: Vinay Dube.

HQs: Mumbai.

Indian Railways Gives Glimpse Of India’s 1st Cable-Stayed Rail Bridge In J&K

The Indian Railways has shared new images of the country’s first cable-stayed bridge on the Anji river in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district. The under-construction Anji Khad bridge, part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, will connect Katra and Reasi areas through rail links.

The bridge will stand at a height of 331 metres above the river bed – higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The total length of the bridge is 473.25 metres and it is supported by 96 cables. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link is deemed to be one of the most difficult projects undertaken in the Indian subcontinent.

The bridge has been designed to withstand storms and strong winds. Given the complex geology of the high-altitude region, constructing the bridge is very challenging. The Railways has divided the 272-km rail link into three subsections.

World Thinking Day observed on 22nd February

World Thinking Day, originally known as Thinking Day, is celebrated annually on 22 February by all Girl Scouts, Girl Guides and other girl groups worldwide.

The day is observed to think about fellow brothers and sisters around the world, address their concerns and understand the true meaning of guiding. The theme for World Thinking Day 2022 is Our World, Our Equal Future.

In 1926, at the Fourth Girl Scout International Conference, held at Girl Scouts of the United States’s Camp Edith Macy (presently the Edith Macy Conference Center), the conference delegates highlighted the need for a special international day when Girl Guides and Girl Scouts would think about the worldwide spread of Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting, and of all the Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world, giving them, their “sisters,” thanks and appreciation.

It was decided by the delegates that this day would be 22 February, the birthday of both Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scout movement, and Lady Olave Baden-Powell, his wife and the World Chief Guide.

In 1999, at the 30th World Conference, held in Ireland, the name was changed from “Thinking Day” to “World Thinking Day”, to emphasize the global aspect of this special day.

Jimmy Soni authored a book titled ‘The Founders: The Story of Paypal”

A new book titled ‘’The Founders: The Story of Paypal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley ’’, authored by author Jimmy Soni and published by Simon & Schuster released soon.

It highlights the story of multinational digital-payments company PayPal and how it covered the journey of a start-up that turned into one of the most successful companies of all time, worth over USD 70 billion today. It also offers colourful anecdotes about famous people like Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and Reid Hoffman.

Winter Olympics Games 2022 in Beijing concludes

The closing ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games was held on February 20, 2022, at National Stadium (known as the Bird’s Nest) in Beijing.

The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, was held from 4 to 20 February 2022. The Games featured a record 109 events across 15 disciplines in 7 sports.

The venues of the Games were distributed across three zones- Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou. The Presidency of the Games was formally handed over to Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, in Italy, to host the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The top country in Winter Olympics 2022 in Beijing:

Norway has topped the medal table for the second successive Winter Olympics, winning a total of 37 medals, including 16 golds. This is a new record for the most amount of gold medals won at a single Winter Olympics.

Germany finished second with 27 medals overall, while the host nation China finished third with 15 medals.

India at the 2022 Winter Olympics:

The Indian team at the game was represented by one male alpine skier, Arif Khan.

He was the country’s flagbearer during the opening ceremony, meanwhile, a volunteer was the flagbearer during the closing ceremony. India could not win any medal at the games.

Corbevax gets emergency approval for 12-18 age group by DGCI

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved the Corona Vaccine Biologicals E Ltd’s Corbevax for children in the age group of 12 to 18 years.

Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company Biological E Ltd said its coronavirus vaccine Corbevax, is also India’s third homegrown vaccine. Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin is being given to children aged 15 to 18 years from January 3.

Corbevax is called a protein subunit and currently, we have an example of the hepatitis B vaccine which is also similarly a protein subunit vaccine. Corbevax and the other vaccine in India, we have Covovax from Serum Institute.

India and Oman begins Eastern Bridge-VI Air Exercise

The Indian Air Force (IAF) and Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) have organised a bilateral air exercise named Eastern Bridge-VI from February 21 to 25, 2022 at Air Force Station Jodhpur in Rajasthan.

Eastern Bridge-VI is the sixth edition of the exercise. The exercise will provide an opportunity to enhance operational capability and interoperability between the two Air Forces.

Participation of IAF and RAFO in this exercise will promote professional interaction, exchange of experiences and enhancement of operational knowledge, besides strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. Various senior dignitaries are planning to visit Air Force Station Jodhpur during this exercise.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Oman Capital: Muscat;

Oman Currency: Omani rial.

Government approved continuation of RUSA scheme till 2026

The Ministry of Education has approved the continuation of the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) scheme till 31st March 2026 with an expenditure of 12,929.16 crores. The new phase of the scheme would support around 1,600 projects. Out of Rs 12,929.16 crores of expenditure, the centre will share Rs 8,120.97 crores, and the state will share Rs 4,808.19 crores.

The new phase of the scheme has been designed to implement some of the recommendations of the New Education Policy (NEP). Under the new phase of the scheme, State Governments will support Gender inclusion, Equity Initiatives, Enhance employability through vocationalisation and skill degradation.

Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan was launched in 2013. It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme to provide funding to state government universities and colleges. Its main objective is to improve the quality of state institutions and ensure reform in affiliation, academic, and examination systems.

Takuya Tsumura appointed as new President & CEO of Honda Cars India

Japanese auto major Honda Motor Co. Ltd. has announced the appointment of Takuya Tsumura as the new President & CEO of Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) with effect from 1 April 2022.

The appointment comes as part of the management changes announced annually by the company. Tsumura will take over from Gaku Nakanishi, who moves from India to regional headquarters in Asia and Oceania region – Asian Honda as General Manager, Automobile Business for the region.

Tsumura has been associated with Honda Motor for more than 30 years. He has worked in several international markets including Thailand, Australia, China, Japan, Turkey, Europe and Asia & Oceania regions. Tsumura was in-charge of South Asian countries, including India from 1997 to 2000.

IOC Athletes’ Commission re-elected Emma Terho as Chair

International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission re-elected ice hockey player Emma Terho of Finland as its Chair and table tennis player Seung Min Ryu of the Republic of Korea as its First Vice-Chair.

The commission also elected cyclist Sarah Walker of New Zealand as the second VC of the Commission.

Emma Terho is a five-time Olympian and former captain of the Finland women’s ice hockey team. She will be the head of the Commission until the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

Important For All Exam 2022:

International Olympic Committee Founded: 1894;

International Olympic Committee Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland;

International Olympic Committee President: Thomas Bach.

Madhya Pradesh: 48th Khajuraho Dance Festival begins

Madhya Pradesh Governor, Mangu Bhai Patel has inaugurated the 48th ‘Khajuraho Dance Festival-2022’ at world-famous tourist destination Khajuraho on the occasion of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.

The event will be organized till 26 February. This year a 5-km ‘Dil Khel Ke Ghoomo’ marathon was also organized under the banner of ‘Safe Tourism Project for Women’ at the event. It aims to create a sense of security among women in tourist destinations with the slogan ‘Hindustan Ke Dil Mein Aap Safe Hain’.

The Khajuraho dance festival was started in 1975 from the temple premises itself. It was not allowed to be performed in the temple premises only after two-three years, as a result, this ceremony was performed outside the temple premises.

Himachal Pradesh gets 1st Biodiversity Park at Mandi

Himachal Pradesh gets the first biodiversity park to make its contribution towards the conservation of endangered Himalayan herbs. This park is set to come up at Mandi’s Bhulah valley.

With the cost of Rs 1 crore, the biodiversity park is set up under the National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS) by HP’s forest department.

The aim of the park is to link tourism activities along with extending new opportunities for researchers to conduct in-depth exploration of various medicinal herbs found in the Himalayas that are on the verge of extinction.

India’s first Biosafety Level-3 mobile laboratory inaugurated in Maharashtra

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Bharati Pravin Pawar has inaugurated India’s first Biosafety level-3 containment mobile laboratory in Nashik, Maharashtra.

The mobile laboratory will help to investigate newly emerging and re-emerging viral infections, by specially trained scientists from ICMR. The newly launched lab will be able to access remote and forested areas of the country, to investigate outbreaks using samples from humans and animal sources.

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Bharati Pravin Pawar inaugurated the laboratory and said that the Biosafety Level-3 mobile laboratory is a significant value addition to the government’s efforts to strengthen healthcare infrastructure through the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission.

Airtel joins undersea cable consortium to scale up high-speed network

Bharti Airtel has joined the SEA-ME-WE-6 undersea cable consortium to scale up its high-speed global network capacity to serve India’s fast growing digital economy.

The 19,200 Rkm SEA-ME-WE-6 will connect Singapore and France, and will be amongst the largest undersea cable systems globally.

Through SEA-ME-WE-6, Airtel will add 100 TBps capacity to its global network.

Airtel will land the SEA-ME-WE-6 cable system in India at new landing stations in Mumbai and Chennai.

Tata Power, RWE tie up to develop offshore wind projects

Tata Power has collaborated with Germany-based RWE Renewable GmbH to explore potential for a joint development of offshore wind projects in India.

A corresponding MoU has been signed between Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd and RWE Renewables GmbH, one of the world's leaders in offshore wind.

The MoU between Tata Power Renewable Energy and RWE becomes significant in the light of the Central govt’s announcement of achieving 30GW of offshore wind installations by 2030.

BoB signs MoU with Assam Rifles to provide 'Central Forces Salary Package

Bank of Baroda has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Assam Rifles to provide 'Central Forces Salary Package'.

Under the agreement, Bank of Baroda will offer the Baroda Central Forces Salary Package to all personnel of the Assam Rifles, both serving and retired.

Further, the Bank will also provide special benefits, including Personal Accident Insurance and a co-branded credit card.

Assam Rifles is country's oldest paramilitary force.

Leather, footwear exports to reach $6 billion in 2022-23: CLE

According to the Council for Leather Exports (CLE), country's leather and footwear exports are expected cross $6 billion in 2022-23.

This is due to increasing demand in the US and new markets such as Middle East, Africa and Latin America.

During April-January this fiscal, leather and leather products exports rose by 33 per cent to $3.6 billion.

The exports stood at $3.3 billion in 2020-21 and $4.7 billion in 2019-20.

Chairman of CLE: Sanjay Leekha. 

Coal India Ltd wins "Most Dependable Public Sector in India” Award

Coal India Ltd has been awarded the 'India's Most Trusted Public Sector Company' award.

CIL received this honor at the “Energy Meet and Excellence Award” function organized by Industry Chamber “ASSOCHAM” in Kolkata.

Minister of state for Coal, Mines and Railways Shri Raosaheb Patil Danve also complimented CIL for bagging the coveted award.

CIL is a Maharatna company of the Government of India. 

Bengal minister Sadhan Pandey passes away

Veteran Trinamool Congress leader and senior West Bengal minister Sadhan Pande passed away.

Pandey represented Kolkata’s Burtolla assembly constituency 5 times since 1987, when he was in the Congress, and the Manicktala constituency 3 times since 2011.

He joined the TMC after its formation in 1998.

UN Environment Programme released Annual Frontiers Report

The UNEP has released its annual Frontiers report.

In report titled "Noise, Blazes and Mismatches: Emerging Issues of Environmental Concern", UNEP has warned that Wildfires are predicted to worsen in the coming years and decades.

Wildfires are a natural phenomenon, but are becoming more dangerous and affecting larger areas.

The UN report has attributed this to climate change and human activities.

Report said, in 2021 Africa was the most affected region due to wildfires. 

First Direct Flight Between Delhi-Khajuraho Under UDAN RCS Scheme

In a big boost to regional air connectivity, the first direct flight between Delhi and heritage city of Khajuraho was flagged-off.

With this, 405 routes would be operationalized under the UDAN-RCS (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik- Regional Connectivity Scheme).

The Delhi-Khajuraho-Delhi route was awarded to SpiceJet airline under the UDAN 3.0.

At present, SpiceJet services Gwalior and Jabalpur airports in Madhya Pradesh.

With Khajuraho, it will be their 15th UDAN destination.

Padma Shri Awardee Shakuntala Choudhury passes away

Gandhian leader Padma Shree awardee Shakuntala Chaudhary (102-years) passed away in Guwahati.

She worked towards the welfare and empowerment of women.

Shakuntala Chaudhary spent a large portion of her life at the Kasturba Ashram, since 1947.

She was a recipient of Vayoshestha Samman - National Awards For Senior Citizens 2021, from the government of India.

International Mother Language Day: 21st February

The International Mother Language Day (IMLD) is observed annually on the 21st of February to raise awareness regarding linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism.

The IMLD day was announced by UNESCO on 17 November 1999 and formally recognized by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2002.

2022 theme: “Using technology for multilingual learning: Challenges and opportunities”.

Om Birla leads Parliamentary delegation to UAE from Feb 21 to 25

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is leading a Parliamentary delegation to the UAE from today to 25th February.

This is the first-ever visit under the bilateral exchange of Parliamentary Delegations from either side.

The Lok Sabha Speaker will have the rare honour of addressing the Federal National Council of UAE on the 22nd of this month.

The Delegation will also visit places of cultural and historical importance in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

President Ram Nath Kovind reviews Naval Fleet at Visakhapatnam

President Ram Nath Kovind reviews the Indian Naval Fleet comprising over 60 ships and submarines, and 55 aircraft.

The 12th edition of President’s Fleet Review is being conducted at Visakhapatnam as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was also present at the event.

This is the second time that Visakhapatnam has been hosting the PFR, the first being in the year 2006 by the then President of India A P J Abdul Kalam.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Amit Shah launches ‘Shastra App’ and ‘Smart Card Arms License’ of Delhi Police

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has launched the ‘Smart Card Arms License’ and ‘Shastra App’ of the Delhi Police, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Delhi Police.

In order to provide techno-friendly digital services to the citizens of the national capital. According to Delhi Police, the smart card, with inherent security features, is easy to carry and handle. The card will be printed in-house after verification of data of the arms license holders.

The Delhi Police Licensing Unit has introduced ‘Smart Card Arms License’, to replace the existing bulky arms license booklet. With this Delhi Police has become the first police force in the country to introduce such a smart card service.

The Smart Card Arms License is easy to carry with inherent security features. It will be printed in the house after verification of data of arms license holders.

The card is also integrated with the ‘e-Beat book’ of Delhi Police through the ‘Shastra mobile app’ for effective policing.

The Shastra app will help beat officers in identifying the credentials of arms license holders anytime during day-to-day random checking.

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.

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.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Institute of Economic Growth Chairperson: Tarun Das;

Institute of Economic Growth Founder: V. K. R. V. Rao;

Institute of Economic Growth Founded: 1952.

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.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Nepal Capital: Kathmandu;

Nepal Currency: Nepalese rupee;

Nepal President: Bidhya Devi Bhandari;

Nepal Prime Minister: Sher Bahadur Deuba.

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.

Nepal to become first country to deploy India's UPI platform

NPCI announced that, Nepal will be the first country to adopt India's UPI system.

This will play a pivotal role in transforming the digital economy of the neighbouring country.

NPCI International Payments Ltd, the international arm of NPCI, has joined hands with Gateway Payments Service and Manam Infotech to provide the services in Nepal.

GPS is the authorised payment system operator in Nepal. 

Manam Infotech will deploy Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in Nepal.

Fisdom partners with Bank of Maharashtra to offer wealth management service

Fisdom, a wealth-tech company, has joined hands with Bank of Maharashtra, to offer wealth management products and services to over 29 mn customers of the bank.

This partnership is to distribute the wealth products and services through the bank’s network of more than 2,000 branches and its digital platforms, including the mobile banking app and internet banking.

Wealth management services will be made accessible to bank customers through both physical and digital mode.

IndusInd Bank to facilitate digital transactions on e-NAM

IndusInd Bank has been empaneled by the SFAC to facilitate digital collection and settlement services on e-NAM portal.

Under this arrangement, the bank will offer an array of transaction services through digital modes including multi-net banking , debit card, NEFT, RTGS, IMPS and UPI to the buyer and seller.

As of January 2022, there are over 1.7 crore farmers and more than 1.8 lakh traders who are registered on eNAM and have benefitted from the digital marketplace.

SIDBI expands its MSME programme to Bihar

SIDBI has partnered with the Bihar govt to develop the state’s MSME ecosystem.

It signed two MoUs with the Industries Department, Govt of Bihar and Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA).

Under the MoU it will deploy Project Management Units (PMU) in making necessary interventions for facilitating the development of the MSME ecosystem.

SIDBI is the principal financial institution for MSME development in the country.

SIDBI Headquarter: Lucknow

DefExpo 2022: Over 900 firms to take part

Asia’s largest defence exhibition, DefExpo 2022 will be held in Gandhinagar. 

More than 900 defence firms and 55 countries are expected to participate in it.

A 1,000-drone display is expected to be one of the highlights of the exhibition.

This will be the second time such a show is being organised in the country.

DefExpo was traditionally held in Delhi until 2014 after which it has seen a string of new venues --- Goa (2016), Chennai (2018) and Lucknow (2020).

LSRC lifts 15th CEC Cup Men’s Ice Hockey Championship 2022

Ladakh Scouts Regimental Centre (LSRC), has lifted the 15th CEC Cup Men’s Ice Hockey Championship - 2022.

In a seesaw final, LSRC beat Indo Tibetan Border Police, ITBP by 3-2 goals.

The tournament has been organised by the Department of Youth Services & Sports, Leh in collaboration with Ladakh Winter Sports Club, Leh.

Indian football legend Surajit Sengupta passes away

The former India footballer Surajit Sengupta (71-years) passed away due to COVID-19 complications in Kolkata.

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 represented the national team from 1973 to 1979 and was in the national team for the 1978 Asian Games.

US-Bangladesh to conduct joint air exercise ‘Cope South 22’

The air forces of Bangladesh and the US will conduct a joint air exercise between Feb 20-25.

The aim of the exercise is to improve interoperability with the Bangladesh air force and to support the armed forces of Bangladesh's long-term modernization efforts in order to maintain regional stability.

Bilateral tactical airlift exercise ‘Cope South 22’ will be conducted at BAF Kurmitola Cantonment, Dhaka, and Operating Location-Alpha, Sylhet, Bangladesh.

PM Modi and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi to hold Virtual Summit today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi to hold a Virtual Summit today to firm up Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

Both leaders are expected to lay out their vision of the historic and friendly relations between the two countries,

UAE is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its foundation.

Prime Minister Modi also dedicated to Nation, two additional railway lines in Maharashtra this evening.

Tourism Ministry and AAA Limited sign MoU to promote domestic tourism

Tourism Ministry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Alliance Air Aviation Limited to boost cooperation for the promotion and marketing of domestic tourism throughout the country.

Alliance Air is the front runner in promoting the Regional Connectivity Scheme of the government which is being promoted under the scheme UDAN - (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik).

The MoU was signed with a view to achieving the common purpose of joint domestic promotion.

Gujarat announces New Biotechnology Policy for 2022-27

Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel has announced New Biotechnology Policy for the year 2022-27, aimed to achieve Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

Under this policy, strategic projects, mega and large projects are eligible for special packages.

This will attract new investment through anchor units and existing industries and create new employment opportunities in the state. 

The MSMEs with a capital investment of less than 200 crore rupees will be given maximum assistance of 40 crore rupees. 

Mizoram to get motor racing track near Aizawl airport

Mizoram will soon get a motor racing track, which will be the first of its kind in eastern and northeastern India.

The proposed project worth Rs 10 crores will be constructed at Lengpui, about 31 km north of Aizawl, where the lone state’s airport is located.

Mizoram State Sports Council (MSSC) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) had inked a pact for the construction of REC Motosports Racing Tract and Sports Complex. 

G Ashok Kumar appointed as India’s 1st National Maritime Security Coordinat

Former navy vice chief, Vice Admiral (retd.) G Ashok Kumar took over as India’s first National Maritime Security Coordinator (NMSC) to strengthen the country's maritime security.

He will report directly to Ajit Doval (NSA).

He stepped down as vice head of the navy last year.

Mr Kumar, an alumnus of Sainik School in Amaravathi Nagar, Tamil Nadu, and the National Defence Academy in Khadakvasla, Pune,

He was commissioned into the navy’s executive branch in July 1982.

Bengali singer Sandhya Mukherjee passes away

Legendary Bengali singer, Sandhya Mukherjee has passed away at the age of 90 years due to cardiac arrest. Her full name was Geetashree Sandhya Mukhopadhyay. She had recently refused to accept the Padma award from the central government that was awarded in January 2022.

She told him that Padma Shree is not an award that should be conferred on a veteran like her. It would be demeaning for her to accept it. She was born in Kolkata in 1931, Sandhya Mukherjee recorded her first song in 1948 for the Hindi movie Anjaan Garh.

The music was composed by Rai Chand Boral. She sang under the direction of famous composers such as S D Burman, Roshan and Madan Mohan.

A book titled ‘Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War’ released

A new book titled “Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War” authored by Samuel Moyn was released. Samuel Moyn is the Professor of Jurisprudence at Yale Law School and a professor of History at Yale University.

This provocative book argues about the endless wars the USA created in the past including Vietnam War (1955-1975), Korean War (1950-1953), World War II (1939-1945) etc and this development might not represent progress at all.

The book highlights the United States of America (USA) strategy on fighting wars and how armed combat was transformed from an imperfect tool for resolving disputes into an integral component of the modern condition.

Social Justice Ministry launches Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs

Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Dr Virendra Kumar has launched a central sector scheme named the Scheme for Economic Empowerment for DNTs, (SEED) at Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.

The total financial outlay for SEED Scheme is approximately Rs 200 crore to be spent over a period of 5 years starting Financial Year 2021-22 to 2025-26.

The objective of SEED is the welfare of De-notified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic tribal Communities (DNT/NT/SNT), which are the most neglected, marginalized and economically and socially deprived communities.

The scheme will have the following four components:

To provide coaching of good quality for DNT/NT/SNT candidates to enable them to appear in competitive examinations.

To provide health insurance to DNT/NT/SNT Communities.

To facilitate livelihoods initiative at the community level to build and strengthen small clusters of DNT/NT/SNT Communities institutions.

To provide financial assistance for the construction of houses to members of the DNT/NT/SNT Communities.

GoI forms G20 Secretariat in view India’s G20 Presidency

India will hold the Presidency of the G20 from 1 December 2022 to 30 November 2023 and the G20 Summit will be held in India in 2023 (18th edition). For its preparation, the government has approved the setting up of a G20 Secretariat and its reporting structures.

The G20 Secretariat will be guided by an Apex Committee headed by Prime Minister and it will have the following members: Finance Minister: Nirmala Sitharaman, Home Minister: Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister: S. Jaishankar, and G20 Sherpa: Piyush Goyal.

The G20 secretariat will be responsible for the implementation of overall policy decisions and arrangements needed for steering India’s forthcoming G20 Presidency. In 2021, the G20 summits was held in Rome, Italy. In 2022 the G20 summit will be held in Bali, Indonesia while in 2023 it will be held in New Delhi, India.

Union Minister RK Singh co-chairs 4th India-Australia Energy Dialogue

The 4th India-Australia Energy Dialogue was co-chaired by Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy, RK Singh and Australian Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor.

Energy Transition was a major area of discussion in the dialogue and both the Energy Ministers. Energy Transition activities in their respective countries with a focus on renewables, energy efficiency, storage, EVs, critical minerals, mining etc.

The need of Climate Finance was also highlighted by India for meeting the Energy Transition goals of developing countries. Both the countries signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) for working towards reducing the cost of new and renewable energy technologies and scaling up their deployment to reduce global emissions.

Sebi makes provision of separation of chairperson & MD/CEO roles voluntary 

Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) board has decided to make provision for separation of the roles of chairperson and MD/CEO as ‘voluntary’ against ‘mandatory’ earlier.

The market regulator had in June 2017 set up a committee on corporate governance under Uday Kotak with a view to seek recommendations to further enhance corporate governance norms for listed companies.

One of the recommendations that the Committee came out with was the separation of the roles of chairperson and MD/CEO of listed companies. This was proposed to provide a better and more balanced governance structure by enabling more effective and objective supervision of the management.

The Sebi board, in its meeting in March 2018 approved the proposal for the top 500-listed entities. Later the deadline for compliance was extended by two years in January 2020.

Important For All Exam 2022:

SEBI Founded: 12 April 1992;

SEBI Headquarters: Mumbai;

SEBI Chairperson: Ajay Tyagi.

SIDBI launches ‘waste to wealth creation’ programme 2022 

Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has launched the ‘Waste to Wealth Creation’ programme for women in the Sundarbans in West Bengal. In this, the women will make ornaments and showpieces from the fish scales. SIDBI will extend benefits to 50 women indirectly generating revenues from alternate livelihoods.

Under this programme, Later, these women are expected to become a trainer for replicating and disseminating the knowledge among other aspirants. This is a part of mission Swavalamban of SIDBI that aims to support artisans to become sustainable.

Important For All Exam 2022:

SIDBI Founded: 2 April 1990;

SIDBI Headquarters: Lucknow;

SIDBI Chairman & MD: Sivasubramanian Ramann.

Jio Platforms picks up 25% stake in US-based tech startup TWO Platforms

Jio Platforms has picked up a 25% stake in US-based deep-tech startup company TWO Platforms for $15 million. Two Platforms is an artificial reality company that focuses on building interactive and immersive AI experiences.

The two companies have joined hands to fast track the adoption of new technologies and build disruptive technologies such as AI, metaverse and mixed realities. TWO’s platform enables real-time AI voice and video calls, digital humans, immersive spaces and lifelike gaming.

It plans to bring its interactive AI technologies first to consumer applications followed by entertainment and gaming, as well as enterprise solutions including retail, services, education, health and wellness. The platform was founded by Indian-origin computer scientist Pranav Mistry.

India’s wholesale inflation declines to 12.96% in January

India’s wholesale inflation has eased to 12.96 % in January from 13.56 % in the previous month. The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation has declined consistently in recent months.

It fell from 14.87 % in November 2021 to 13.56 % in December 2021 and further to 12.96 % in January 2022. However, inflation still remains at an elevated level and is a matter of concern for economic policymakers.

The high rate of inflation in January 2022 is primarily due to rise in prices of mineral oils, crude petroleum & natural gas, basic metals, chemicals, and chemical products, food articles etc as compared the corresponding month of the previous year”.

Wholesale food inflation hardened during the month of January. The rate of inflation based on the WPI Food Index increased marginally from 9.24 % in December 2021 to 9.55 % in January 2022.

Prices of Minerals rose by 11.08 % and non-food articles became costlier by 0.37 % in January 2022 as compared to December 2021.

Yes Bank launches ‘Agri Infinity’ programme

Private sector lender, Yes Bank has launched an ‘Agri Infinity’ programme for digital financing solutions in the food and agriculture sector ecosystem by mentoring entrepreneurial ventures in this field.

Agri-fintech start-ups working on financial innovations across the food and agriculture value chain are eligible to apply under this programme and can work with Yes Bank for digital solutions.

Through the initiative, a select cohort of startups will not only receive mentoring by veteran bankers for experiential co-development but also get access to YES BANK’s digital banking infrastructure and network, collaborative opportunities to pilot new solutions and fundraising advisory.

Those involved in originations, farmer on-boarding, farmer KYC, credit scoring, risk assessment, monitoring and mitigation, disbursement and recovery solutions and cash management system, among others, can apply.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Yes Bank Founded: 2004;

Yes Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra;

Yes Bank CEO: Prashant Kumar;

Yes Bank Tagline: Experience Our Expertise.

Bihar ropes in Manoj Tiwari as brand ambassador for Khadi

Bhojpuri singer and BJP MP, Manoj Tiwari will be the brand ambassador of Khadi and other handicrafts of Bihar. He will be the “brand ambassador” for Khadi and other handicrafts of Bihar, state minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain announced.

Manoj Tiwari will promote the use of Khadi fabric, which was popularized by Mahatma Gandhi during India’s Independence movement. Tiwari, who has lent his voice to innumerable foot-tapping numbers, including the “Gangs of Wasseypur” chartbuster “Jiya ho Bihar ke lala”.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Bihar Governor: Phagu Chauhan;

Bihar Capital: Patna;

Bihar Chief minister: Nitish Kumar.

World Health Organisation launches Quit Tobacco App

World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Region (SEAR) has launched a ‘Quit Tobacco App’. This application helps people to give up the use of tobacco in all forms, including smokeless and other newer products.

The App was launched by Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO-SEAR, during WHO’s year-long ‘Commit to quit’ campaign, is the latest tobacco control initiative by the WHO South-East Asia Region.

The app, the first such by WHO, and the first that targets all forms of tobacco, helps users to identify the triggers, set their targets, manage cravings, and stay focused to quit tobacco.

Tobacco is the world’s leading cause of preventable death and kills nearly 8 million persons every year. It claims 1.6 million lives in the WHO South-East Asia Region which is amongst the largest producers and consumers of tobacco products.

Important For All Exam 2022:

World Health Organization Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland;

World Health Organization Founded: 7 April 1948;

World Health Organization Director-General: Tedros Adhanom.

LAHDC, Leh launches Kunsnyom scheme for differently abled persons

Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh has launched Kunsnyoms scheme for differently-abled persons.

Kunsnyoms = Equal for All, Fair for All and aims inclusive and accessible Ladakh.

Under this, Leh Hill council is providing assistive devices, technologies to needy people at 90 percent subsidy.

Under the scheme, 28 tri-scooters, battery-run wheelchair, walking aids and other aids required for special needs of the individuals has been distributed.

Telangana flags off first-ever all-women officers sailing expedition

Telangana Governor Tamilisai Sounderarajan has flagged off historic first-ever all-women officers offshore sailing expedition of Indian Army between Chennai Vizag Chennai at Chennai Port Trust.

Governor praised Indian Army for opening its doors to women and the enhanced role and respect that they command to this day.

Women officers completed grueling training for the expedition which is yet another step towards women empowerment.

MNRE to host ‘New Frontiers’ program on Renewable Energy

Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) is conducting ‘New Frontiers’ program on Renewable Energy as a part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.

It will be held from 16th to 18th February 2022.

Under this, MNRE will conduct physical event on ‘India’s Leadership in Energy Transition’ at Vigyan Bhawan. 

It will organize 3 webinars on Women, Energy Transition and clean-tech start-ups.

It will conclude with Roadmap to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2070 session. 

MoTA allocates Rs. 2.26 Crores for Telangana’s Medaram Jatara Festival 2022

Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has sanctioned Rs. 2.26 Crores for Medaram Jatara 2022 Festival in Telangana.

The festival is being held from 16th to 19th February 2022.

Medaram Jatara:

It is a 4-day long festival, which is celebrated once in two years in ‘Magha’ (February) on the full moon day, in Medaram Village, Telangana. 

It is the second-largest fair, after Kumbh Mela.

It is organized by Koya tribe, in collaboration with Tribal Welfare Department, Telangana.

PM to inaugural address at TERI’s World Sustainable Development Summit

PM Narendra Modi will virtually deliver inaugural address at The Energy and Resources Institute’s (TERI) World Sustainable Development Summit today.

This 3-day Summit is TERI’s annual flagship event.

Theme 2022: ‘Towards a Resilient Planet: Ensuring a Sustainable and Equitable Future’.

The Summit will discuss wide range of issues including climate change, sustainable production, energy transitions, global commons and resource security.

Vedanta forms JV with Foxconn to manufacture semiconductors in India

Indian mining major Vedanta has inked MoU with Taiwanese electronics manufacturing company, Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) to form a joint venture (JV) for manufacturing semiconductors in India.

This is the first Joint Venture in the electronics manufacturing sector after government announced Rs 76,000 crore production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for semiconductor and display manufacturing. 

Majority shareholder: Vedanta

Chairman of this JV company: Anil Agarwal

Dabur becomes first Indian plastic waste neutral FMCG company in India

Dabur India has become first Indian consumer goods company to become completely plastic waste neutral.

The company reach this position by collecting, processing and recycling around 27,000 metric tonnes of post-consumer plastic waste during FY 21-22.

Dabur has achieved landmark of surpassing plastic packaging usage with recycling. 

It has also announced the launch of ‘Save the Environment’ campaign in Himachal Pradesh to create awareness within communities, households.

Sandeep Bakhshi named Business Standard Banker of 2020-21

Sandeep Bakhshi has been named as the Business Standard Banker of the Year 2020-21.

He is serving as the managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of ICICI Bank, SNICE 2018. 

He has been awarded for turning private sector lender and changing the perception about it during his tenure of the past three and a half years.

His name was chosen by a jury of 5 members chaired by former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) deputy governor S S Mundra. 

ICICI Banks HQs: Mumbai

Narcotics Control Bureau organizes Darkathon 2022 in New Delhi

Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is organizing Darkathon 2022 in New Delhi to find solutions to counter drug trafficking through darknet across the globe.

Aim: involving students, youth and technical experts to find effective solutions to unravel anonymity of darknet markets.

It is being organized in three phases and will conclude on 22nd April, 2022. 

Registration begins from 15th February and will close on 31st March.

Winner will be awarded with cash of Rs 2.5 Lakh.

Music composer and singer Bappi Lahiri passes away

Legendary Bollywood Music Composer and singer Bappi Lahiri (69 years) passed away in Mumbai due to multiple health issues.

He was instrumental in popularizing Disco music in India and has many hit songs to his credit.

His famous songs: ‘Chalte chalte mere yeh geet rakhna’, ‘I am a Disco Dancer’, ‘Pag Ghunghroo baandh Mira nachi thhi’ from ‘Sharabi’ and ‘Yaar bina Chain kaha re’ among others.

He won five Filmfare Awards.

Vineet Joshi appointed as Chairman of Central Board of Secondary Education

Vineet Joshi (1992 batch IAS officer of Manipur cadre) has been appointed as the Chairman of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) with effect from 14th February 2022.

He is also serving as an Additional Secretary, Department of Higher Education, under Ministry of Education and Director-General of National Testing Agency (NTA). 

He succeeded Manoj Ahuja, who has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

A book titled ‘How to Prevent the Next Pandemic’ by Bill Gates

A book titled ‘How to Prevent the Next Pandemic’ has authored by Bill Gates will be published this year in May 2022.

In the book Bill Gates has written about specific steps that can only stop future pandemics but, in the process, provide better health care for everyone around the world.

His last book, “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need”, was released in February 2021. The book, to be published by Penguin Random House internationally and Knopf in the US.

India ranks 3rd in 9th US Green Building Council

The US Green Building Council (USGBC) has released the 9th annual ranking of top 10 countries outside of the United States (US) for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in 2021 in which India ranked 3rd with 146 projects.

It has been topped by China with 1,077 LEED projects certified in 2021, which is followed by Canada at 2nd position with 205 projects. The ranking highlights countries and regions outside the US that are doing good in healthy, sustainable, and resilient building design, construction, and operations.

As India becomes home to 146 more LEED licensed buildings and spaces in 2021, it represents 2,818,436.08 Gross Square Meters (GSM) of area.

This marks an almost 10% enhance in LEED licensed area in India from 2020 despite the ongoing pandemic India’s total tasks underneath LEED stand at 1,649 buildings with total of 46.2 million gross sq. meters.

Important For All Exam 2022:

US Green Building Council President and CEO: Peter Templeton;

US Green Building Council  Headquarter: Washington, D.C., US.

Saubhagya Scheme: Rajasthan tops solar electrification Scheme

Under the Saubhagya scheme, Rajasthan has the maximum number of households electrified through the solar-based standalone system. In hill states of Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir had nil beneficiaries under the initiative.

Under the Saubhagya Scheme, 2.817 crore households were electrified up to March 31 last year, including 4.16 lakh through solar-based standalone systems.

Under the Saubhagya scheme, as many as 1,23,682 households were electrified through the solar-based standalone system in Rajasthan, followed by Chhattisgarh (65,373), Uttar Pradesh (53,234), Assam (50,754), Bihar (39,100), Maharashtra (30,538), Odisha (13,735), Madhya Pradesh (12,651), Power Minister R K Singh told the Lok Sabha.

CBI finds India’s biggest bank fraud of Rs 22,842 cr, books ABG Shipyard

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked ABG Shipyard for an alleged Rs 22,842-crore financial fraud. ABG Shipyard is the flagship entity of ABG Group. It has cheated a consortium of 28 banks and financial institutions of Rs. 22,842 crore.

This is the biggest bank fraud case ever registered by the CBI. The case pertained to funds gotten and misused during the 2012-17 period. Rishi Agarwal, the then CMD of ABG Shipyard has been named in the FIR.

This consortium was led by ICICI Bank. Of this, ABG Shipyard owes Rs. 7,089 crore to ICICI Bank, Rs. 3,639 crores to IDBI Bank, Rs. 2,925 crores to State Bank, Rs. 1,614 crores to Bank of Baroda, and Rs. 1,244 crore to Punjab National Bank, among others.

The Funds given by these banks were used by the executives of ABG Shipyard for purposes other than for which they were given and they were engaged in diversion of funds, misappropriation and criminal breach of trust. The same has been revealed in a report submitted by M/s. Ernst & Young LP.

Important For All Exam 2022:

ABG Shipyard Headquarters: Mumbai;

ABG Shipyard Founded: 1985.

Paisabazaar & RBL bank tie-up to offer ‘Paisa on Demand’ credit card

Paisabazaar.com, a digital platform for consumer credit, has partnered with RBL Bank Limited to offer ‘Paisa on Demand’ (PoD), a credit card that will be exclusively available on the Paisabazaar platform.

To build products that offer integrated services for the large under-served segments across India. This is the third product under Paisabazaar’s neo-lending strategy.

The credit card from RBL Bank will be lifetime free with a digital onboarding process. It provides options of availing of personal loans from RBL Bank, using the same credit limit at normal personal loan rates to customers.

Along with features of a credit card, the product will provide customers the option of availing personal loans from RBL Bank, using the same credit limit at normal personal loan rates.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Paisabazaar.com Headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana;

Paisabazaar.com CEO & Co-founder: Naveen Kukreja.

Reliance Jio ties up with SES for satellite-based broadband service

Reliance Jio has tied up with Luxembourg-based satellite and telecom services provider SES to provide satellite-based broadband communication services in India. Under the agreement, Jio Platforms has formed a joint venture with SES, named as Jio Space Technology Ltd.

The joint venture will deliver the next generation scalable and affordable broadband services in India, leveraging satellite technology. Jio Platforms Ltd will hold 51 per cent and SES will own a 49 per cent equity stake in the joint venture. The total value of the contract is around $100 million.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Reliance Jio Founder: Mukesh Ambani;

Reliance Jio Founded: 2007, Ahmedabad. 

Ilker Ayci named as MD and CEO of Air India

Ilker Ayci has been appointed as the new CEO and MD of Air India. He will assume his responsibilities on or before 1st April 2022. Ilker Ayci is a former chairman of Turkish Airlines. Ilker is an aviation industry leader who led Turkish Airlines to its current success during his tenure there.

Ayci was born in Istanbul in 1971. After graduating from the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Bilkent University, he served as a researcher in the Department of Political Sciences at Leeds University in the U.K.

Starting his career in 1994, he was assigned several positions in Kurtsan Ilaclar A.S., Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Universal Dis Ticaret A.S., respectively, and then he served as a general manager in Basak Sigorta A.S. between 2005-2006, and then in Gunes Sigorta A.S. between 2006 and 2011.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Tata Group Founder: Jamsetji Tata;

Tata Group Founded: 1868, Mumbai;

Tata Group Headquarters: Mumbai.

Gita Mittal appointed as chairperson of Committee of Administrators to run TTFI

The Delhi High Court has appointed former Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Gita Mittal as the Chairperson of the Committee of Administrators which will run the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI).

The court ordered that all communications on behalf of TTFI with any sportsperson or international sports bodies, will now take place only through the Committee of Administrators and the existing office bearers shall no longer be entitled to discharge any functions.

The office bearers will help the Committee of Administrators, as and when requested and a monthly honorarium of Rs 3 lakh and Rs 1 lakh each will be paid to Chairperson and two members, respectively.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Table Tennis Federation of India President: Dushyant Chautala;

Table Tennis Federation of India Headquarters: New Delhi;

Table Tennis Federation of India Founded: 1926.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invokes Emergencies Act for 1st time

Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau has invoked never-before-used emergency powers to support provinces in ending the blockades and public disorder that have gripped Ottawa for 18 days at the hands of participants in the so-called “Freedom Convoy.”

The demonstrations shut a main economic corridor between Canada and the United States for six days before it was reopened on the 13th Feb.

The Emergencies Act to deal with the “Freedom Convoy” protests, started on Jam 28 by Canadian truckers opposing a vaccinate-or-quarantine mandate for cross-border drivers.

They have turned into a rallying point for people opposed to a range of Trudeau’s policies, including COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and a carbon tax.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Canada Capital: Ottawa;

Currency: Canadian dollar.

Indian Railways to set up country’s biggest Wrestling Academy

Ministry of Railways has approved to set up a state-of-art wrestling academy in Indian Railways, at Kishanganj, Delhi.

The wrestling academy will be the biggest in India and equipped with advanced training facilities to promote the sports of wrestling in the country. The project will be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 30.76 crores.

According to the ministry, the national transporter has played a key role in promoting wrestling in the country and most of the elite wrestlers in India are from Indian Railways.

The academy will offer the best sports facilities to sportspersons, and provide an opportunity for many budding wrestlers to become champions in the coming time.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Minister of Railways: Ashwini Vaishnaw.

India to replace diesel by renewable energy in agriculture by 2024 

Union Power Minister R K Singh has announced that India will achieve zero-diesel use in agriculture and replace fossil fuel with renewable energy by 2024.

For this, states should develop action plans to achieve the assigned targets and specific agencies dedicated to energy efficiency and conservation.

This initiative is a part of the government’s commitment to increase the share of non-fossil fuels by 2030 and become a net-zero emitter by 2070.

Union minister chaired a virtual meeting with additional chief secretaries and principal secretaries of power in states for collaboration between the Central and state governments for achieving energy transition goals.

APEDA celebrates its 36th Foundation Day

Agricultural Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) celebrated its 36th Foundation Day on 13th February.

APEDA actively supported the Government in taking the export of agricultural products to 20.67 billion dollar in 2020-21 from 0.6 billion dollar in 1986 when it was founded.

The target given to APEDA in the current financial year is 23.7 billion dollar, out of which more than 70 per cent has been achieved till January this year.

MOD inks pact with Bengaluru firm to develop ‘Pseudo Satellite’

Ministry of Defence has inked a deal to design and develop ‘High Altitude Pseudo Satellite’ (HAPS) with a Bengaluru-based firm.

Aim: Bolstering the ambit of surveillance operations and airborne communications.

With the estimated budget of ₹700 crore to develop the system, the initiative will be part of HALs Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) which seeks to integrate manned airborne platforms with swarm drones and a high altitude surveillance network.

Bank of Baroda to acquire Union Bank's stake in IndiaFirst Life Insurance

Bank of Baroda will acquire Union Bank of India's 21% stake in IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company.

It is a joint venture between Bank of Baroda, Union Bank of India and Carmel Point Investments.

At present, the shareholding in IFIC is BoB holds 44%, Carmel Point Investments India holds 26% and UBI holds 30%.

The acquisition is pursuant to a ‘Right of First Offer’ made by UBI to the existing shareholders of IndiaFirst Life, to divest 21% of its stake in IndiaFirst Life.

Indian ranked 4th in Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2021/2022 report

According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2021/2022 report, India is 4th easiest places to start a new business.

It was topped by Saudi Arabia and followed by Netherlands & Sweden.

The GEM report put India on the top amongst low-income economies on different Entrepreneurial Framework Conditions.

These are Entrepreneurial Finance, Ease of Access to Finance, Government Policy: Support and Relevance; and Government Support: Taxes and Bureaucracy.

Israel becomes 1st country to allow drone flights in civilian airspace

Israel becomes the first-ever country to allow drones in civilian airspace.

The certification was issued to the Hermes Starliner unmanned system by the Israeli Civil Aviation Authority.

And was manufactured and developed by Elbit Systems, an Israeli defense electronics company.

The UAVs will be used for the benefit of agriculture, environment, public welfare, economic activity and against crime.

Capital-Jerusalem

PM – Naftali Bennett

Currency- Israeli Shekel

German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier re-elected for another term

Frank-Walter Steinmeier was elected to a second term of five years as Germany's president.

He was elected with a big majority by a special assembly comprising of the members of lower house of parliament and representatives of 16 states of Germany.

He became president in 2017.

Before that, he served two stints as foreign minister of Chancellor Angela Merkel and as chief of staff to Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

Germany Chancellor: Olaf Scholz

Currency of Germany: Euro

IIT-M Research Park, Saint-Gobain India sign MoU on renewable energy

Saint-Gobain India and the IIT Madras, Research Park have signed an MoU to develop a 100 per cent renewable energy, research park.

Saint-Gobain would support IIT-M with a funding of Rs 1 crore over the next 3 years.

The aim through this collaboration was to boost the transformation towards a low carbon future and to aid India in achieving 100% renewable energy.

Objective: To focus on addressing the energy challenges and promote maximum use of alternate energy sources.

India ranked 46th in the Economic Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index 2021

India ranked 46th in the Economic Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index 2021.

The report described the state of democracy in 165 countries.

The report was prepared based on five parameters viz. functioning of the govt, electoral process and pluralism, political participation, civil liberties and political culture.

Norway topped the list with a score of 9.75 followed by New Zealand and Finland.

Afghanistan and Myanmar took the bottom two spots, just below North Korea.

Yes Bank launches Agri Infinity program

Yes Bank has announced the launch of an annual startup enabler program, Yes Bank Agri Infinity.

It seeks to co-develop digital financial solutions for the food and agriculture ecosystem.

Those meeting the eligibility criteria will receive the guidance and support necessary to develop their solutions and apply them across the agricultural value chain.

Through the initiative, a select cohort of startups will receive mentoring by veteran bankers.

RBL Bank partners with Creditas Solutions to automate collections

RBL Bank 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.

Powered by AI and ML technology, the platform is built to automate strategies for reaching out to customers individually in an empathetic manner and motivate them to repay loan.

The Neo Collections Platform will help our customers seamlessly monitor, manage and pay their dues.

Axis Bank set to buy Citigroup’s India retail banking business

Axis Bank Ltd. is nearing a deal to buy Citigroup Inc.’s India retail banking business in a transaction that could be valued at about $2.5 billion.

An agreement for the consumer unit may be announced as soon as the next few weeks and is contingent on approval from the Reserve Bank of India.

The deal would include a cash component of less than $2 billion, accounting for the consumer business’s liabilities.

Axis Bank CEO: Amitabh Chaudhary.

ISRO successfully launches earth observation satellite EOS-04

ISRO has successfully launched its Earth Observation Satellite EOS-4 and two other tech demonstrator and scientific satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

EOS-04, INSPIREsat-1 and INST-2TD were injected successfully into a sun-synchronous polar orbit by PSLV-C52.

EOS-04 is designed to provide high-quality images under all weather conditions for applications such as agriculture, forestry and plantations, soil moisture and hydrology and flood mapping.

Nobel-Winning Co-Discoverer of H.I.V Luc Montagnier passes away

Luc Montagnier, a French virologist who shared a Nobel Prize in 2008 for discovering the virus that causes AIDS, passed away. He was 89. The discovery of H.I.V. began in Paris on Jan. 3, 1983.

That was the day that Dr. Montagnier (pronounced mon-tan-YAY), who directed the Viral Oncology Unit at the Pasteur Institute, received a piece of the lymph node that had been removed from a 33-year-old man with AIDS.

National Productivity Day observed on 13th February 2022

National Productivity Day is observed every year in India on February 12. The objective of the National Productivity Council is to stimulate and promote productivity and quality consciousness across all sectors in the country.

The main observance of the day is to encourage all stakeholders in the implementation of productivity tools and techniques with contemporary relevant themes.

The day is celebrated by the National Productivity Council (NPC) to promote productivity culture in India. National Productivity Council (NPC) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Government of India is a premier institution for propagating productivity movement in India.

NPC works for providing solutions towards accelerating productivity, enhancing competitiveness, increasing productivity.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Director-General of National Productivity Council: Arun Kumar Jha;

National Productivity Council of India established: 1958;

National Productivity Council of India HQ: New Delhi.

National Women’s Day of India 2022

Indian National Women’s Day is observed every year on 13 February to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu. This year Nation celebrates its 143rd Birth Anniversary.

She was born on February 13, 1879. She was famous for her nickname ‘Nightingale of India’ or ‘Bharat Kokila’ because of her poems. Sarojini Naidu is well-known across the globe for her contributions to literature.

Sarojini Naidu, born in Hyderabad and educated in Cambridge was the powerful face of Women in the Indian Independence struggle.

Anti-imperialistic, Universal Suffragist, Women rights activist Mrs. Naidu paved the path for women’s movements in India.

Indian Nightangle Sarojini Naidu shines both as an activist and as a poet.

In 1925 Sarojini Naidu became the president of the Indian National Congress.

Sarojini Naidu was one of the forefront leaders who led the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Quit India Movement.

When she graces the United Provinces as Governor in 1947, she rewrites the history by becoming the first woman to hold the office of Governor in the Dominion of India.

For Women’s Rights, suffrage and representation in organizations and assemblies she established the Women’s India Association in 1917.

World Radio Day celebrated on 13 February

World Radio Day is celebrated on 13 February each year to recognize radio as a powerful medium, which brings people together from every corner of the globe, to promote diversity and help build a more peaceful and inclusive world.

The day was Proclaimed in 2011 by the Member States of UNESCO and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 as an International Day, February 13 became World Radio Day (WRD).

A new book titled “India-Africa Relations: Changing Horizons” authored by Rajiv Bhatia

Ambassador Rajiv Kumar Bhatia, a Distinguished Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies Programme at Gateway House, has authored a new book (his 3rd book) titled “India-Africa Relations: Changing Horizons” which explores the emergence and assertion of Africa as a significant actor and stakeholder in global affairs and the transformation of the relationship between India and Africa.

The book also provides a detailed exploration of India–the Africa partnership in all its critical dimensions. The book describes the historical backdrop and shared colonial past to focus on and contextualise the evolution of the India – Africa engagement.

SEBI restructured Advisory Committee on Investor Protection and Education Fund

Securities and Exchange Board of India has restructured its advisory committee on Investor Protection and Education Fund (IPEF), under the chairmanship of G Mahalingam.

The advisory committee on IPEF is an eight-member committee that will take G Mahalingam, former Whole Time Member of SEBI, as its new Chairperson. Members of Committee: Vijay Kumar Venkataraman, Mrin Agarwal, A Balasubramanian, M G Parameswaran, GP Garg, N Hariharan and Jayanta Jash.

In 2013, the committee was established by the SEBI to find out ways and means to best utilize the investor protection and education fund. Earlier the committee was headed by Abraham Koshy, former professor of Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), Gujarat.

The committee is mandated to recommend investor education and protection activities for the utilization of the SEBI Investor Protection and Education Fund (IPEF).

Important For All Exam 2022:

Securities and Exchange Board of India Founded: 12 April 1992.

Securities and Exchange Board of India Headquarters: Mumbai.

Securities and Exchange Board of India Agency executive: Ajay Tyagi.

India’s Goa Shipyard Ltd delivered the 5th vessel ICGS ‘Saksham’ 

India’s Goa Shipyard Ltd delivered the 5th and final vessel of the 5 Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Vehicle (CGOPV) Project ahead of contractual schedule. The vessel was named ICGS ‘Saksham’.

The point to be underlined- all 5 vessels have been delivered before time to the Indian Coast Guard. The contract for 5 CGOPVs was signed by GSL with the Ministry of Defence on 26 August 2016.

All the five CGOPVs will be the most advanced patrol vessels in service with the coast guard. Also, the 2,400 tonnes vessels are fitted with additional features including quick response boats for rescue and anti-piracy and gunnery simulators.

The hull is designed to provide fuel efficiency, crew comfort and enhanced sea keeping qualities. With computerised control systems, they are the most advanced patrol vessels in service with the Coast Guard. It has an indigenous content of about 70% and weighs around 2400 tonnes.

India ranked 46th in EIU’s Democracy Index

India has ranked 46th position in the 2021 Democracy Index’s global ranking, according to The Economist Intelligence Unit. With the highest score of 9.75, Norway topped the Democracy Index 2021 by Economist Intelligence.

The list was published on February 10, 2022. India scored 6.91 to rank 46th on the list. Our neighbour Pakistan has been placed further below in the hybrid regime with a rank of 104.

Top 10 countries in the list:

Norway

New Zealand

Finland

Sweden

Iceland

Denmark

Ireland

Taiwan

Australia

Switzerland

Important For All Exam 2022:

Economist Intelligence Unit Headquarters: London, United Kingdom;

Economist Intelligence Unit Founded: 1946;

Economist Intelligence Unit MD: Robin Bew.

N Chandrasekaran reappointed as Chairman of Tata Sons

The board of Tata Sons Pvt Ltd has approved the re-appointment of N Chandrasekaran as the Executive Chairman of the company for the second five years term.

Chandrasekaran’s current tenure as the chairman was to expire at the end of February 2022. He joined the board of Tata Sons in 2016 and took over the role as Chairman in 2017.

Chandrasekaran’s tenure in the last five years saw several mergers and acquisitions by the group in the steel, aviation and digital sectors and a complete exit from the cellular telephony industry.

One of the first tasks of Chandra, as he is popularly known, was to get rid of Tata Teleservices which lost around Rs 60,000 crore in paying back bank loans apart from paying the AGR dues till date. Tatas sold the mobile phone business to Bharti Airtel while retaining debt and other liabilities of the company.

Telangana govt tie-up with British Council to expand higher education

The Government of Telangana and the British Council, an international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural exchange, have signed a 3-year MoU to renew the partnership in education, English and arts.

To facilitate research between institutions and assist to expand higher education globally, to offer global opportunities for the youth of Telangana.

Under the extended 3-year MoU, the British Council has also signed an agreement with the Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad (RICH) to work closely to engineer new partnerships between universities, research institutions and centres of excellence in the UK and in Telangana.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Telangana Capital: Hyderabad;

Telangana Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan;

Telangana Chief minister: K. Chandrashekar Rao.

India to help Sri Lanka launch its version of Aadhaar Card

India has agreed to provide a grant to Sri Lanka to implement a ‘Unitary Digital Identity framework’, apparently modelled on the Aadhaar card.

The Rajapaksa government will “prioritise” the implementation of the Framework as a national-level programme. The initiative follows bilateral talks between President Gotabaya Rajapaksa & Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2019.

NABARD launched ‘JIVA Programme’ to promote natural farming

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has launched the ‘JIVA programme’ to promote natural farming under its existing watershed and wadi programmes in 11 states. To effectively implement the principles of agroecology long-term sustainability and transform the pre-existing social and natural capital towards efficient farming.

JIVA is an agroecology-based programme, an amalgamation of several projects under the watershed programme of NABARD and will be implemented in 11 states covering five agroecological zones, which are in ecologically fragile and rain-fed areas.

Important For All Exam 2022:

NABARD Formation: July 12, 1982;

NABARD Headquarters: Mumbai;

NABARD Chairman: Govinda Rajulu Chintala.

RBI keeps Repo Rate unchanged at 4.0 per cent in its latest Monetary policy

Reserve Bank of India has kept policy repo rate under liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 4.0% in its latest monetary policy.

Other rates:

Policy Repo Rate: 4.00%

Reverse Repo Rate: 3.35%

Marginal Standing Facility Rate: 4.25%

Bank Rate: 4.25%

CRR: 4.00%

SLR: 18.00%

Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has decided to continue with the accommodative stance.

RBI has projected the real GDP growth for 2022-23 at 7.8 per cent.

India to have National Centres of Excellence in Carbon Capture, Utilization

India will have two National Centres of Excellence in Carbon Capture and Utilization. They will be named as:

National Centre of Excellence in Carbon Capture and Utilization (NCoE-CCU) at IIT Bombay. 

National Centre in Carbon Capture and Utilization (NCCCU) at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru. 

Funded by: Dept of Science & Technology. 

It will facilitate capturing, mapping of current R&D and innovation activities in the domain. 

Fourth India-UK Home Affairs Dialogue held

The 4th India-UK Home Affairs Dialogue has been held in virtual mode.

Indian delegation was led by Union Home Secretary, Ajay Kumar Bhalla, and UK delegation was led by Permanent Secretary, Home Office, Mathew Rycroft.

Dialogue covered wide range of issues including Homeland Security, Cyber Security, Extradition cases, Migration & Mobility, etc.

The dialogue concluded with both sides agreeing to deepen security-related bilateral engagement.

New artificial Intelligence-based tools can help finding habitable planets

Indian Astronomers have devised new approach for identifying potentially habitable planets with a high probability by utilizing an Artificial Intelligence-based algorithm. 

It is an anomaly detection method by which they can identify potentially habitable ones with a high probability.

The method is based on the postulate that Earth is an anomaly, with possibility of existence of few other anomalies. 

It is published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 

Indian Army begins implementing RFID tagging of its ammunition inventory

Indian Army has commenced implementing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tagging of its ammunition inventory.

First consignment of RFID tagged ammunition, comprising three lots of 5.56mm ammunition, was dispatched from Ammunition Factory Khadki to Central Ammunition Depot Pulgaon. 

Implementation of RFID solution for ammunition asset visibility will transform management of ammunition and bring in a quantum jump in ammunition lot management and tracking capability. 

Subhas Sarkar presented 5th National Award for Educational Administration

Union Minister, Subhas Sarkar has virtually presented 5th National Award for Innovations and Good Practices in Educational Administration. 

National Award or Certificate of Appreciation were presented to selected District and Block level education officers from 29 states and Union Territories of the country.

It was received by more than hundred officers. 

National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration has instituted this National Award.

Indian Army conducts 1st Hackathon at Military College of Telecommunication

Indian Army has conducted first Hackathon at Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), Mhow under overall guidance of Shimla based Army Training Command (ARTRAC). 

Aim: to promote proficiency and expertise in the use of emerging technologies, and showcase the technological side. 

The event is named as Sainya Ranakshetram from 1st Oct 2021 to 31st Dec 2021 in collaboration with Rashtriya Raksha University, in which over 15000 participants took part.

National Monuments Authority to hold first ever global webinar on Monuments

National Monuments Authority will hold 1st ever global webinar on Monuments protection.

It will be organized in collaboration with Indian Council for Cultural Relations on Protection of the Monuments and their significance for the Preservation of National Heritage.

It will be participated by 20 countries including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Japan, Iran, South Africa, Venezuela, Israel and USA.

This is the first ever global Webinar on monuments protection.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science: 11th February

International Day of Women and Girls in Science is observed on 11 February every year to achieve full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls.

Theme 2022: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Water Unites Us.

UN General Assembly has declared 11 February as International Day of Women and Girls in Science in 2015.

Science and gender equality are both vital for achievement of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Mumbai 5th most-congested city in TomTom Traffic Index Ranking 2021

TomTom Traffic Index Ranking 2021 has been released covering 404 cities across 58 countries.

India: Mumbai has been ranked 5th, Bengaluru is ranked 10th and New Delhi has been ranked at 11th place in terms of most congested cities in the world in 2021.

Top most congested city of the world: Istanbul (Turkey), followed by Moscow.

Congestion level in Delhi has been reduced to 48 points in 2021 from 53 points in 2019 and peak traffic congestion also reduced by 17% in 2021. 

Pradip Shah appointed as Chairman of Pfizer India

Pradip Shah has been appointed as the Chairman of Pfizer India, which is the leading biopharmaceutical companies across the globe. 

He succeeded R A Shah as the chairman, who resigned on 3rd February.

He also served as the ex-managing director and founding member of CRISIL, India’s first and the largest credit rating agency. 

He has also served as a consultant to USAID, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank.

RBI reopens Voluntary Retention Route with investment limit of ₹2,50,000 cr

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has increased investment limit in Voluntary Retention Route (VRR) from Rs. 1,50,000 crores to Rs. 2,50,000 crores.

This increased limit shall be open for allotment from April 1, 2022.

Minimum retention period: 3 years. 

Investment limit available for fresh allotment shall accordingly be ₹1,04,800 crore. 

It will be available ‘on tap’ and allotted on ‘1st come, 1st served’ basis. 

VRR was introduced for FPIs in debts in 2019 with ₹1,50,000 crore limit. 

India Pavilion inaugurated at 72nd Berlinale European Film Market 2022

India Pavilion has been inaugurated at 72nd Berlinale European Film Market 2022.

It is organized on the sidelines of Berlin International Film Festival.

Its inaugural session was hosted by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, National Film Development Corporation and Confederation of Indian Industry.

India Pavilion offers sneak peek into cinemas of India and the beautiful locales which beacon film makers to come to India.

It will remain live till 17th February.

Surat to get India’s first bullet train station

Surat is set to have its own bullet train station by December 2024, which will be India’s first bullet train station. 

The station will be built along Mumbai-Ahmedabad route, which is again country's first bullet train route.

Station will have external facade and interiors of the station resemble a sparkling diamond - the pride of Surat city.

It is being constructed by National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL). 

Cost of bullet train project: ₹1 lakh crore.

World Pulses Day 2022: Observed On 10 February

The United Nations designated World Pulses Day is observed every year on 10 February. The day has been established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to recognize the importance of pulses (dry beans, lentils, dry peas, chickpeas, lupins) as a global food.

This year World Pulses Day’s theme: “Pulses to empower youth in achieving sustainable agrifood systems”.

In 2018, the UN General Assembly decided to mark 10 February as World Pulses Day. The first WPD was held on February 10, 2019. On 20 December 2013, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/68/231) proclaiming 2016 as the International Year of Pulses (IYP).

The celebration of the year, led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), increased the public awareness of the nutritional and environmental benefits of pulses as part of sustainable food production.

Gujarat Titans unveiled as name for new Ahmedabad IPL franchise

Gujarat Titans is the official name of the new Ahmedabad franchise owned by CVC Capital as Hardik Pandya is all set to lead the franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.

The naming of the Ahmedabad franchise comes days after Lucknow, owned by RPSG Group, announced its official name as Lucknow Super Giants. The Lucknow team will be led by KL Rahul.

Debuting in the 15th season of the IPL, the Gujarat Titans will pay tribute to the state’s rich cricketing legacy, which has seen it produce countless Indian international cricket legends over the years.

The franchise is inspired by the opportunity to represent and build on this deep cricketing heritage, as well as build on its future success on the pitch.

Gujarat Titans drafted in Hardik Pandya as their captain for Rs 15 crore and Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan for Rs 15 crore. They also got young India opener, Shubman Gill, for Rs 8 crore.

The Titans will head into the mega auction with a budget of Rs 52 crore. The Gujarat Titans brought on board former England cricketer Vikram Solanki as the Director of Cricket.

Ashish Nehra will be the head coach of the franchise while former World Cup-winning coach and South Africa opener Gary Kirsten will be the Head of Cricket Operations and the batting coach for IPL 2022.

Bloomberg Billionaires Index: Gautam Adani overtook Mukesh Ambani

In accordance with the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Gautam Adani net worth reached $88.5 billion overtaking Mukesh Ambani’s $87.9 billion becoming Asia’s richest person as on 8th February 2022.

With a nearly $12 billion jump in his personal wealth, he has become the 10th richest person in the world.

Globally Elon Musk was named as the world’s richest person with a total net worth of $235 Billion. He was followed by Jeff Bezos with a total net worth of $183 Billion & Bernard Arnault with a total net worth of $168 Billion.

Nitin Gadkari received 18th Late Madhavrao Limaye Award

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari will be facilitated for the first time with the 18th late Madhavrao Limaye award in the category of Karyakram Khaasdar (Efficient Member of Parliament) for the year 2020-21.

This award will be facilitated by Nashik Public Library, Sarvajanik Vachanalay. Earlier, the award was given to Karyaksham Aamdaar, an efficient Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Maharashtra.

The Sarvajanik Vachanalay annually selects one of the members of Vidhan Parishad (Lok Sabha), Vidhan Sabha (Rajya Sabha) for the Efficient MLA or Member of Parliament (MP) Award. The award has been instituted in the memory of Limaye by his daughter Dr. Shobha Nerlikar. The award consists of Rs 50,000 in cash and a memento.

ISRO decommissioned INSAT-4B through 11 Re-orbiting manoeuvres

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has decommissioned the INSAT-4B, an Indian communications satellite that forms part of the Indian National Satellite System.

The INSAT-4B underwent Post Mission Disposal (PMD) at the end of its service, followed by decommissioning on January 24.

INSAT-4B is the 21st Indian Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite to undergo post-mission disposal, the required propellant for such re-orbiting was included in the initial fuel budget as a part of standard practice followed in ISRO’s GEO mission planning.

The development is in compliance with the UN and the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) recommended space debris mitigation guidelines. The IADC guidelines provide guidance for limiting the generation of orbital debris both during and after space operations.

The guidelines also define accepted disposal orbits and other conditions, such as the timeline for abandoning commonly used orbits and controlling the risk to people and property on the Earth.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Chairman and Space Secretary of ISRO: Dr S Somanath;

ISRO Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka;

ISRO established: 15 August 1969.

Power Minister R K Singh launched Powerthon-2022

Union Minister of Power, R K Singh has launched Powerthon-2022, a hackathon competition to find technology-driven solutions to solve the complex problems in power distribution and to ensure quality and reliable power supply.

The competition will bring together qualified mentors with TSPs, innovators, and other participants to create teams for efficient electricity networks. He also encouraged technologists to come forward not only with solutions to existing problems but also with other problem statements and ideas for reliable power supply.

Technology Solution Providers (TSPs), start-ups, educational institutions, research institutes, equipment manufacturers, state power utilities and other state and central power sector entities, shall be briefed on the current challenges/ problem statements faced across the power distribution sector and invited to showcase their technology-driven solutions to solve the complex problems.

Razorpay buys majority stake in Malaysian startup “Curlec”

Razorpay has expanded into South-East Asia with the acquisition of a majority stake in a Malaysian fintech firm Curlec, valuing the company between $19-20 million. Razorpay expects to complete the full acquisition in the next one-and-a-half years.

The Kuala Lumpur-based, Curlec builds solutions for recurring payments for businesses. This marks Razorpay’s fourth acquisition overall and its first in the international markets.

This acquisition will allow us to quickly ramp up and start scaling in Southeast Asia as a market. Curlec has been powering recurring payments for multiple companies in the Malaysian market. With them as part of this team, we will have a local team that understands the nuances of the market in Malaysia and Southeast Asia at large.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Razorpay CEO: Harshil Mathur;

Razorpay Founded: 2013;

Curlec was founded by Zac Liew and Steve Kucia in 2018.

RBI 2nd largest buyer of gold in 2021

The largest buyer, the Central Bank of Thailand, bought 90 metric tonnes of gold while RBI bought 77.5 metric tonnes taking its total gold reserve to 754.1 tonnes at the end of December 2021.

When it comes to gold buying, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) emerged as the second-largest buyer of yellow metal among the world’s Central Banks in 2021. As per Goldhub, India’s official gold reserves is the ninth-largest in the world. Goldhub is the official website of the World Gold Council that maintains all the data regarding precious metals.

At the end of December 2021, RBI gold reserves stood at 754.1 tonnes, which amounts to 6.22 per cent of India’s forex reserves. As per RBI data, India’s total reserves at the end of December 31, 2021, stood at $633.61 billion, including gold reserves worth $39.405 billion.

Important For All Exam 2022:

World Gold Council CEO: David Tait;

World Gold Council Headquarters: London, United Kingdom;

World Gold Council Founded: 1987;

World Gold Council President: Kelvin Dushnisky.

UNEP tie-up with Maharashtra to support ‘Majhi Vasundhara’ campaign

The United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP) has signed an MoU with the Maharashtra government to support its ‘Majhi Vasundhara’ campaign. It is an initiative towards sustainable use of energy and environmental development.

The literal meaning of ‘Majhi Vasundhara’ is ‘My Earth’. It is an initiative of the Environment and Climate Change Department, Government of Maharashtra.

Majhi Vasundhara’ is an initiative of the Government of Maharashtra’s Environment and Climate Change Department to empower citizens with knowledge on the impacts of climate change and environmental issues and to encourage them to make a conscious effort towards improvement of the environment.

To empower citizens with knowledge on the impacts of climate change and environmental issues and to encourage them to make a conscious effort towards the improvement of the environment.

Important For All Exam 2022:

United Nation Environment Programme Headquarters location: Nairobi, Kenya;

United Nation Environment Programme Founded: 5 June 1972;

United Nation Environment Programme Head: Inger Andersen.

Sanjay Malhotra named DFS Secretary in Finance Ministry

Sanjay Malhotra has been named as Secretary in the Department of Financial Services in the Ministry of Finance. He is a 1990 batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre. Before this, Sanjay Malhotra was Chairman and Managing Director of REC Ltd. He has succeeded Debashish Panda, who completed his term as DFS Secretary on January 31, 2022.

Malhotra has an exhaustive power sector experience. The reforms-based result-linked power distribution sector scheme to be applicable till 2025-26 aims to reduce India’s AT&C loss to 12-15% and gradually narrow the deficit between the cost of electricity and the price at which it is supplied to ‘zero’ by 2024-25.

Senior bureaucrat S. Kishore appointed as new SSC Chairman

Senior bureaucrat S. Kishore has been appointed as Chairman, Staff Selection Commission (SSC).

According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Kishore to the post in the rank and pay of Secretary to Government of India by temporarily upgrading the post and keeping the Recruitment Rules of the post in abeyance.

Presently, he is serving as Special Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Staff Selection Commission Headquarters: New Delhi;

Staff Selection Commission Formation: 4 November 1975.

Instagram encourages people to ‘Take a Break’ from social media 

Instagram has announced the launch of ‘Take a Break’ in all countries, including India, to empower people to make informed decisions about the way they are spending their time.

This feature will be promoted in India through a campaign, in partnership with ‘We The Young ’, called ‘Break Zaroori Hai’. ‘Take a Break’ was first launched in the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, and it is now available for everyone globally.

Take a Break’ is a feature that will show up for people, as they have been scrolling for a certain amount of time. They will be asked to take a break from Instagram and suggest that they set reminders to take more breaks in the future.

They will also be shown expert-backed tips to help them reflect and reset. To make sure that young people are aware of this feature, they will be shown notifications suggesting they turn these reminders on.

The ‘Take a Break’ reminders build on Instagram’s existing time management tools including Daily Limit, which lets people know when they’ve reached the total amount of time they want to spend on Instagram each day, and offers the ability to mute notifications from Instagram.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Instagram launched: 6 October 2010;

Instagram Owner: Meta;

Instagram Founder Kevin Systrom.

India’s first biomass-based hydrogen plant to come up at Madhya Pradesh 

India’s first commercial-scale biomass-based hydrogen plant will come up at the Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh.

Every day this plant will produce one tonne of hydrogen, from 30 tonnes of biomass feedstock. The plant is being put up by a joint venture of Watomo Energies Ltd and Biezel Green Energy with an investment of Rs 24 crore.

The company owns the technology for a ‘thermally accelerated anerobic digestion (TAD) reactor’ that can produce hydrogen, methane and biochar from biomass. Biezel Green will own 50 per cent in the yet-to-be-named joint venture; the other 50 per cent will come from interested farmers.

Gujarat govt announces new IT/ITeS policy to generate 1 lakh employment

Chief Minister of Gujarat Bhupendra Patel has announced new IT/ITeS policy for the next five years. 

Aim: to provide financial incentives up to Rs 200 crore to the entities willing to incur capital expenditures.

It will also generate employment about 1 lakh youths.

It also seeks to increase IT-ITeS exports from current Rs 3000 crore annually to 25,000 crore over the next five years. 

Its operative period will start from the day of notification to 31st March 2027.

West Bengal govt launches ‘Paray Shikshalaya’ for students from class 1-7

West Bengal government has launched ‘Paray Shikshalaya’, which is an open-air classroom in the neighbourhood programme for students from class 1 to 7.

Aim: to encourage students who dropped out of schools during the Covid-19 pandemic to continue their education.

Initially, it was meant for primary school students from class 1 to 5.

Students are being called in batches and arrangements for mid-day meals have also been made for the students taking neighbourhood classes.

Visa-free entry for Indian business travelers to Maldives comes into force

Maldives has announced that Visa-free entry for Indian business travellers to the island nation, comes into effect.

It will be effective from 1st February.

It has commenced the process of granting Indian Nationals visa free entry for business purposes, for a period not exceeding the visa free period of 90 days.

As part of the reciprocal arrangement, multiple entry, non-resident, business visa will be granted for Indian Nationals for 90 days within 6 months.

NERCRMS organized training programme on plantation Management of Apple

NERCRMS in collaboration with Ziro Valley Charity Mission Society (ZVCMS), Arunachal Pradesh, has organized training programme on Pruning and Post-plantation Management of Apple Orchards at Apple garden in Supyu village, Arunachal Pradesh. 

Nineteen beneficiaries were identified from various Community Based Organizations (CBOs).

They were trained in pruning method of low-chilling apples as well as on how to protect plants from pests and diseases that affects the crop.

Govt takes up bilaterally with OPEC and heads of international fora

Govt said that World Oil Outlook 2021 has projected that the oil demand in India is expected to reach around 11 million barrels per day by 2045 as compared to approximately 4.9 million barrels per day in 2021.

It is a flagship publication by Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). 

Govt has been taking up the issue, bilaterally with crude oil-producing countries with OPEC to convey India's serious concerns over crude oil price volatility. 

India tops in terms of digital skills readiness: Salesforce Global Index

India has scored highest on digital readiness among 19 countries that were surveyed as part of Salesforce Global Index.

The index measures global employee sentiments and readiness to acquire key digital skills needed by businesses today and over next 5 years.

India had highest digital readiness score of 63 out of 100, with 72% of respondents as they were actively learning digital skills to prepare themselves for the future of work.

Scientists develop new technology platform to detect SARS-CoV-2

Scientists has developed new technology, platform for fluorometric detection of pathogens (viruses) by measurement of fluorescent light emitted.

The new technology has been demonstrated for the detection of SARS-CoV-2.

It can also be used to detect other DNA/RNA pathogens like HIV, influenza, HCV, Zika, Ebola, bacteria, and other mutating pathogens.

This work has been published recently in the journal ‘ACS Sensors’ and team has also filed patent for novel technology.

AYUSH Minister launches dedicated storefront for Ayurveda product on Amazon

AYUSH Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has launched dedicated storefront for Ayurveda products on Amazon in the marketplace.

This Ayurveda product storefront will enhance the visibility of unique Ayurveda products like skin-care supplements, immunity boosters, oils, juices and more from small businesses and startup brands. 

It will make shopping easier as product selection has been done according to focus areas and health benefits like pain management, immunity boosters, etc. 

Identification, Rescue, Rehabilitation of Children in Street Situations

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has organized National level meeting on Identification, Rescue and Rehabilitation of Children in Street Situations in New Delhi. 

It was organized in connection with Supreme Court’s directions on the issue of identification and rehabilitation of Children in Street Situations.

NCPCR has developed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) 2.0 for Care and Protection of Children in Street Situations.

AIM, NITI Aayog, and USAID collaborates under SAMRIDH initiative

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced new partnership under Sustainable Access to Markets and Resources for Innovative Delivery of Healthcare (SAMRIDH) initiative.

It will improve access to affordable and quality healthcare for vulnerable populations in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, rural and tribal regions.

It will enhance SAMRIDH’s efforts to reach vulnerable populations, leveraging AIM expertise.

TEPC organizes exclusive International Business Expo ‘India Telecom 2022’

Telecom Equipment and Services Export Promotion Council (TEPC) has organized Exclusive International Business Expo titled as ‘India Telecom 2022’. 

It is being held from 8th to 10th February. 

Aim: to provide opportunities to the Indian telecom stakeholders to meet qualified overseas buyers. 

It will be held under Market Access Initiative Scheme (MAI) of Department of Commerce and with support of Department of Telecommunications and Indian missions in different countries.

Ministry of Culture to organize Global Summit ‘Reimagining Museums in India

Ministry of Culture will organize 2-Day online Global Summit on ‘Reimagining Museums in India’ under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

It will be held on 15th and 16th February 2022.

It will bring together leading experts and practitioners of museum development and management field.

It is being organized in partnership with Bloomberg.

It will encompass four broad themes: Architecture and Functional Needs, Management, Collections and Education and Audience Engagement.

Paul Collingwood appointed as interim head coach of England cricket team

England has appointed Paul Collingwood as the interim head coach of the team for the upcoming three-Test tour against West Indies.

His appointment comes after former head coach Chris Silverwood and managing director (MD) Ashley Giles were sacked, following England's 4-0 Ashes defeat to Australia.

Paul David Collingwood: Former English cricketer, who played all three formats of the game internationally for England. He is the first T20I captain for England.

S Unnikrishnan Nair appointed as Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre

Dr S Unnikrishnan Nair has been appointed as the Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).

He will succeed S Somanath, who recently took over as the chairman of ISRO.

He is currently serving as the director of Human Space Flight Centre.

He joined VSSC in 1985 and held many important positions like first project director, Human Space Flight Project deputy director, VSSC programme director, etc. 

VSSC: space research center of Indian Space Research Organization.

‘Kabir of Karnataka’ Ibrahim Sutar passes away

Padma Shri awardee and social worker, Ibrahim Sutar has passed away in Karnataka following a cardiac arrest. Fondly referred to as the “Kabir of Kannada”, Sutar was known for his work towards spreading social and communal harmony.

Ibrahim is popular among the public, especially in north Karnataka, for his spiritual discourses. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2018.

R Rajamohan, who led the 1st Asteroid Discoveries In Independent India, passes away

Professor R Rajamohan, who was an astronomer at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, for decades, passed away.

He is best known for his Kalki Project, which aimed to discover asteroids using the 48-cm Schmidt telescope in Kavalur VBO and discovered a new asteroid, number 4130, from India. This was the first asteroid discovered in India in 104 years.

China wins AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 Football Tournament

China PR (People’s Republic) defeated South Korea (Korea Republic), 3-2, to win the AFC Women`s Asian Cup India 2022 final title at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

This is the record-extending 9th AFC Women`s Asian Cup title won by China. India is hosting the 20th edition of the football AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 from January 20, 2022, to February 06, 2022. China now qualifying for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand.

The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:

Most Valuable Player: Wang Shanshan (China)

Top Scorer: Sam Kerr (7 goals) (Australia)

Best goalkeeper: Zhu Yu (China)

Fairplay Award: South Korea

Sri Lankan fast bowler Suranga Lakmal announces retirement

Veteran Sri Lankan fast bowler Suranga Lakmal has announced to retire from international cricket, after Sri Lanka’s upcoming tour of India.

The 34-year-old right-arm fast bowler and right-handed batsman aim to join the English county club Derbyshire after retirement.

The Derbyshire County Cricket Club has signed up Lakmal on a two-year contract. Lakmal has represented Sri Lanka in 165 international matches across formats, in his international career spanning over 12 years.

NASA will retire International Space Station in 2031

According to NASA, the International Space Station will continue its operation until 2031 and then crash into an uninhabited area in the Pacific Ocean known as Point Nemo. It will be replaced with three free-flying space stations to continue the work after ISS’s retirement.

NASA also selected Houston-based Axiom Space to provide the ISS’s first commercial module. For over two decades, the International Space Station (ISS) has been orbiting Earth at a speed of about eight kilometres per second, while an international crew of astronauts and cosmonauts onboard conducted groundbreaking scientific investigations that have thrown open the doors for deep space exploration.

But now NASA has announced that the spacecraft will cease operations in 2031, after which it will fall out of orbit and plunge into the waters of the South Pacific Ocean.

Important For All Exam 2022:

NASA administrator: Bill Nelson;

Headquarters of NASA: Washington D.C., United States;

NASA Founded: 1 October 1958.

Salesforce Global Index: India leads in digital skills readiness

 Salesforce, a leading player in Customer Relationship Management (CRM), published the Global Digital Skills Index 2022 which highlights the growing global digital skills crisis and the need for action.

India has scored 63 out of 100, leads the digital skills readiness, and has the highest readiness index among the 19 countries. The average global readiness score was 33 out of 100.

The 2022 Global Digital Skills Index, is based on a survey on around 23000 workers across 19 countries about digital skills, including their impact on the future of work, concerns about job readiness, and the significance of continuous learning.

Three major skills gaps were identified in the 2022 global index: The everyday skills gap, The generational skills gap, and The leadership and workforce skills gap.

J&K topped in India Press Freedom Report 2021

The India Press Freedom Report 2021 was recently released by the Rights and Risks Analysis Group. According to the report, 13 media houses and newspapers were targeted in the country, 108 journalists were attacked, and 6 journalists were killed.

Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Tripura topped the list of States and Union Territories where journalists and media houses were targeted in 2021.

24 journalists were attacked physically, obstructed, threatened, and harassed for doing their work. All these attacks were made by public officials.

This includes police attacks as well. 17 of these attacks were police attacks. 44 FIRs were registered against journalists in 2021. Of this 21 were registered under Section 153 of IPC.

The highest number of journalists or media organisations targeted was in J&K (25), followed by Uttar Pradesh (23), Madhya Pradesh (16), Tripura (15), Delhi (8), Bihar (6), Assam (5), Haryana and Maharashtra (4 each), Goa and Manipur (3 each), Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal (2 each), and Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Kerala (1 each),” the report stated.

Kotak General Ins. partners CARS24 to offer Motor Insurance for used cars

ICICI Lombard General Insurance has partnered with Airtel Payments Bank to offer cyber insurance to customers of the bank.

This Cyber Insurance policy provides financial protection to customers against potential financial fraud relating to banking, credit or debit card; identity theft; phishing or email spoofing etc. Airtel Payments Bank customers can purchase this cyber insurance policy within minutes using the Airtel Thanks app.

The insurance comes with zero waiting period and allows users to make multiple claims multiple times during the policy tenure, within the limits of the insured amount opted for. 

The policy will provide a 90-day discovery period followed by a seven-day reporting period.

This means that if the insured discovers an unauthorised transaction processed from their card or account on the 90th day from the transaction date, they can still report it in the next seven days to the issuing bank or mobile wallet company.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Airtel Payments Bank’s MD and CEO: Anubrata Biswas;

Airtel Payments Bank Headquarters: New Delhi;

Airtel Payments Bank Founded: January 2017;

ICICI Lombard General Insurance Headquarter: Mumbai, Maharashtra;

ICICI Lombard General Insurance MD & CEO: Bhargav Dasgupta.

Dr Unnikrishnan Nair named as New Director of VSSC

Scientist and launch vehicle specialist, Dr S Unnikrishnan Nair took charge as the director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). VSSC is a keyspace research centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and specialises in rocket and space vehicles for satellite programs.

Nair, who started his career in VSSC Trivandrum in 1985, has made significant contributions in launch vehicle mechanisms, acoustic protection systems and payload fairing areas during his tenure.

Nair has BTech in Mechanical Engineering from Kerala University, ME in Aerospace engineering from IISc, Bengaluru and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from IIT(M), Chennai. In January 2019, Nair took over as the first director of Human Space Flight Centre, Bengaluru, which is spearheading the Gaganyaan Programme. He will continue to hold this position along with his new role at the VSSC.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Founded: 21 November 1963;

Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Parent organization: ISRO;

Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

S R Narasimhan takes additional charge as CMD POSOCO

S. R. Narasimhan, Director (System Operation) has assumed the additional charge of the post of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO) w.e.f. 1st February 2022 at New Delhi.

He has a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) in Finance. He has over three decades’ experience in Power System Operation spread across CEA, POWERGRID and POSOCO after an initial stint with BHEL.

SR Narasimhan has contributed to several Expert Committees at the Government and regulatory levels in different areas ranging from system operation, grid integration of Renewable Energy (RE) resources and optimization to institution building.

Important For All Exam 2022:

POSOCO Founded: March 2010;

POSOCO Headquarters: New Delhi, India.

Queen Elizabeth II marks 70th anniversary of her rule

The United Kingdom has marked the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s rule, the queen looked to the future of the monarchy. She surpassed Louis XIV of France as the longest-reigning monarch of a sovereign state.

She became the longest-lived British monarch on 21 December 2007. In 2017, she became the first British monarch to commemorate a Sapphire Jubilee.

Elizabeth II is the Queen of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms. On 6 February 1952, Elizabeth became queen after the death of her father King George VI.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Prime minister of United Kingdom: Boris Johnson.

Capital of the United Kingdom: London.

India becomes first country to administer COVID-19 DNA vaccine

India has become the first country in the world to administer a DNA vaccine against COVID-19. The ZyCoV-D which is the World’s first plasmid DNA vaccine has been produced by Ahmedabad-based vaccine manufacturer Zydus Cadila and it was administered for the first time in Patna.

It is a Painless and Needleless vaccine given at intervals of 28 days and 56 days. It is the second India-made vaccine to get emergency authorization in India after Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.

The Indian government approved emergency use authorisation for Zydus Cadila’s DNA vaccine earlier this year, citing initial results from Phase III clinical trials that showed approximately 66 per cent efficacy for symptomatic cases.

RPF launches nationwide “AAHT operation” to curb human trafficking

Indian Railway Protection Force has launched a nationwide operation to curb human trafficking. As part of “Operation AAHT”, special teams will be deployed on all long-distance trains/routes with a focus on rescuing victims, particularly women and children, from the clutches of traffickers.

The Railways, which operate about 21,000 trains across the country daily, is the most reliable mode of transportation for the traffickers who often moved their victims on long-distance trains.

The RPF that rescued more than 2,000 women and children between 2017-21 from the clutches of traffickers intensified the crackdown on human trafficking with the increasing number of cases. The National Crime Records Bureau registers about 2,200 cases of Human Trafficking cases on an average each year.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Indian Railway Founded: 16 April 1853, India;

Indian Railway Headquarters: New Delhi;

Minister of Railways: Ashwini Vaishnaw.

MS Dhoni’s first look released from graphic novel ‘Atharva’

Virzu Studios in association with MIDAS Deals Pvt Ltd has released the motion poster of its upcoming graphic novel, Atharva – The Origin. 

Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been portrayed as the superhero Atharva in this graphic novel.

The graphic novel authored by Ramesh Thamilmani features over 150 lifelike illustrations which present the gripping, racy narrative.

It is produced by Vincent Adaikalaraj and Ashok Manor.

NATO chief to head Norway central bank

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg (62-years) will take over as Norway’s central bank Governor at the end of the year.

The appointment comes amid escalating tensions between the West and Russia.

Western nations fear Moscow has plans to invade Ukraine, which aspires to join the NATO alliance.

Norway’s central bank determines monetary policy but also manages the country’s enormous sovereign wealth fund, the biggest in the world.

KVIC cancels license of oldest Khadi Institution “Khadi Emporium”

Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has cancelled the “Khadi Certification” of its oldest Khadi Institution named Mumbai Khadi & Village Industries Association.

This MKVIA was running the popular “Khadi Emporium” at Metropolitan Insurance House, Mumbai since 1954.

ADB lends record USD 4.6 bn loans to India in 2021

According to Asian Development Bank (ADB) data, ADB provided a record USD 4.6 billion in sovereign lending to India in 2021.

This included USD 1.8 billion towards coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic response.

The agency extended a USD 2.2-billion support for 12 state projects, committed to its geographically balanced programming.

 The ADB's India portfolio comprised 69 projects worth USD 15.5 billion as of 31st December 2021.

Swarajability, an AI-based platform for the disabled jobseekers

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Hyderabad) has launched the beta version of ‘Swarajability’, a job portal powered by AI that helps people with disabilities acquire relevant skills and find jobs.

The project is funded by Kotak Mahindra Bank, while IIT-H provided AI expertise, Visual Quest developed the platform, and Youth4Jobs skilling services.

The platform will analyse the profiles of the job seekers and suggest the skills they would require to become eligible.

Foundation stone for World's third-largest cricket stadium laid in Jaipur

The world's third-largest cricket stadium is going to be built in Jaipur, and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly laid the foundation stone of the project virtually.

Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) officials performed a 'bhoomi pujan'.

It will be the second-largest cricket stadium in India and the third-largest in the world.

It would seat 75,000 spectators.

BJP's first torchbearer in Lok Sabha C Janga Reddy passes away

The first Lok Sabha MP for the BJP from south India Chandupatla Janga Reddy (87-years) passed away. 

Reddy was one of the only two BJP Lok Sabha MPs elected in the 1984 general elections, conducted after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

The other BJP MP was A K Patel, who was elected from Mehsana in Gujarat.

India beats England to win record fifth ICC Under-19 World Cup

India lifted a record fifth ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup title after beating England by four wickets in the summit clash at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

Earlier, India had won the U19 World Cup in 2000, 2008, 2012, and 2018.

Final Score 

ENGU19: 189 (44.5)

INDU19: 195/6 (47.4). India U19 won by 4 wkts

Player of the Match: Raj Bawa

Player of the Series: Dewald Brevis

International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation:6th Feb

The International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation is observed on 6th February to create awareness about ending the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM).

The day has been marked since 2012 by the United Nations (UN).

Theme 2022: Accelerating Investment to End Female Genital Mutilation.

‘Nightingale’ Lata Mangeshkar passes away

Legendary singer and Bharat Ratna recipient Lata Mangeshkar (92 years) passed away in Mumbai’s Breach Candy hospital due to multiple organ failures.

Mangeshkar began singing in her teens, and in a career spanning 73 years sang more than an estimated 15,000 songs in 36 languages.

She is known as the ‘Nightingale of India'.

She was awarded the nation's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna in March 2001.

Axis Mutual Fund launches Crisil SDL 2027 Debt Index Fund

Axis Mutual Fund has launched Axis Crisil SDL 2027 Debt Index Fund. 

It is a target maturity scheme with benchmark maturity of 31 May 2027.

The new scheme will track the Crisil IBX SDL Index - May 2027 and the portfolio is designed to invest predominantly in a portfolio of state development loans (SDLs) maturing between 1 December 2026 and 31 May 2027.

The index will be managed by Crisil Indices Ltd.

IIT Madras establishes Inter-disciplinary Water Management & Policy Centre

IIT Madras has established an Inter-disciplinary Water Management & Policy Centre to solve water problems in India.

Called ‘AquaMAP,’ the Centre is being established with support from IIT Madras Alumni.

This Centre will provide smart solutions for challenging water problems by designing scalable models by leveraging innovative technologies.

These models would be implemented at chosen locations across the country, as a proof of concept.

IIT Hyderabad is getting a Suzuki Innovation Centre on its campus

IIT Hyderabad is getting a first-of-its-kind Suzuki Innovation Centre on its campus for knowledge exchange with Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) to further academic and technology collaboration between the two countries.

A 3-year contract has been signed to start SIC which will be operated as a platform for open innovation among industries, academia, and startups.

The Centre will also support skill development and exchange of human resources b/w India and Japan.

Cyclone Batsirai hits Madagascar

Cyclone Batsirai has killed at least 10 people in southeastern Madagascar.

it is 2nd major storm in two weeks - made landfall on the east coast, with gusts of 235km/h (146mph) and high waves hitting coastal areas.

Madagascar was already reeling from Tropical Storm Ana, which killed 55 people when it hit the Indian Ocean island nation last month.

Cyclone Batsirai has compounded the destruction, making landfall near the south-eastern city of Mananjary.

Airtel Payments Bank partners ICICI Lombard to offer cyber solutions

Airtel Payments Bank has partnered ICICI Lombard General Insurance to offer Cyber Insurance Solutions to customers.

The cyber insurance solution from ICICI Lombard provides financial protection to customers against potential financial fraud relating to banking, credit or debit card; identity theft; phishing or email spoofing, and more.

APB customers can purchase this cyber insurance policy using the Airtel Thanks app.

Karnataka Bank gets digital transformation award

Karnataka Bank has been awarded the digital transformation award, ‘DX 2021 Awards’.

It has been awarded in recognition of the “innovative” best practice ‘KBL VIKAAS’, by the CII for Best Practice in Digital Transformation.

The bank recently launched the digital transformation journey ‘KBL NxT’ as part of wave 2.0 of ‘KBL VIKAAS’, with an objective of taking the digital initiatives to the next level and eventually emerge as ‘the digital bank of future’”.

Surat to be the first station to be ready for India’s first Bullet Train

Surat to become the 1st station for India’s upcoming Bullet Train Project.

The upcoming station in Surat will become the 1st station to be ready b/w Ahmedabad – Mumbai Bullet Train route for India’s 1st futuristic High Speed Rail project.

The MAHSR corridor will cover 12 stations: Surat, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, Sabarmati, Bilimora, Bharuch, Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi stations.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train will run on Japanese Shinkansen Technology.

Senegal wins its first African Cup of Nations

Senegal won its first African Cup of Nations title by beating Egypt in a penalty shootout.

Sadio Mané scored the winning spot kick to start the celebrations and make up for missing a penalty in the seventh minute of the game.

The final had ended 0-0 after extra time.

Senegal had lost two finals previously, including at the last African Cup in Egypt in 2019, when Mané was left inconsolable.

Senegal Capital: Dakar

Senegal Currency: CFA franc

Santishree Pandit appointed first woman VC of JNU

Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit has been appointed as Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University.

She is currently the Vice Chancellor (VC) of Savitribai Phule University.

Ms. Pandit will be the first woman Vice Chancellor of JNU.

Her appointment is for a period of five years.

M. Jagadesh Kumar, who was holding the charge of acting VC at JNU after his five year term ended last year, was last week appointed as the chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Sonata Software partners with Microsoft for its launch of ‘Microsoft Cloud

Sonata Software, a global IT Services and Technology Solutions Company announced its partnership with Microsoft for its launch of ‘Microsoft Cloud for Retail’.

The company has been a partner with Microsoft for over three decades.

The ‘Microsoft Cloud for Retail’ collaboration is expected to further strengthen the relationship.

Sonata Software delivers solutions for retailers world-wide, leveraging world-class IPs, in-house migration and modernisation tools.

Veteran actor and Producer Ramesh Deo passes away

Prominent film personality Ramesh Deo, known for playing a diverse range of roles, in Marathi and Hindi movies, passed away due to a heart attack. During his career spanning several decades, the multi-faceted film personality has acted in over 450 Hindi and Marathi feature films, apart from working in several television shows and commercials.

The evergreen Marathi actor is known for playing notable roles in 1956 ‘Andhala Magto Ek Dola’ and 1971 cult classic ‘Anand’, 1962 ‘Aarti’, 1974 ‘Aap Ki Kasam,’ celebrated his 93rd birthday on January 30.

Deo, who made his acting debut in the form of a cameo in the 1951 Marathi film ‘Paatlaachi Por’ has worked in more than 200 Hindi films, 100 Marathi films and several Marathi dramas with over 200 showings in his long career.

He also produced feature films, television serials and several ad films.In January 2013, the ‘Nivdung’ actor received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 11th Pune International Film Festival (PIFF).

MS Dhoni’s first look from graphic novel ‘Atharva’: The Origin’ released

Virzu Studios in association with MIDAS Deals Pvt Ltd has released the motion poster of its upcoming graphic novel, Atharva – The Origin. Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been portrayed as the superhero Atharva in this graphic novel.

The motion poster features a rugged looking Dhoni, giving fans a glimpse into the world of Atharva and also a sneak peek into the first look of him as a superhero.

The graphic novel authored by Ramesh Thamilmani features over 150 lifelike illustrations which present the gripping, racy narrative. It is produced by Vincent Adaikalaraj and Ashok Manor. Reportedly, the makers are also planning to make a web-series based on the novel.

A book titled ‘Golden Boy Neeraj Chopra’ by Navdeep Singh Gill released

A short biography of Indian athlete Neeraj Chopra has titled ‘Golden Boy Neeraj Chopra’ authored by sports author Navdeep Singh Gill has been released. Neeraj Chopra won a Gold medal in Javelin Throw at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The biography on Tokyo Olympics-2021 gold medalist Neeraj Chopra was released by the chairperson of Punjab Kala Parishad Surjit Patar and president of Punjabi Sahit Akademi Lakhwinder Singh Johal, amid the presence of the author and his family members. 

The book has 72 pages and covers the life history and achievements of Neeraj Chopra right from his childhood to the Tokyo Olympics. The book very aptly covers his sporting techniques, numerous awards and contemporaries in different chapters with coloured photos in each chapter.

CMIE Report: India’s unemployment rate in January 2022 stood at 6.57%

The unemployment rate in India in January 2022 fell sharply to 6.57%, according to the data from the economic think-tank, the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). This is the lowest rate witnessed since March 2021.

In December 2021, the unemployment rate rose to a four-month high of 7.91%, compared to 6.97% in November. CMIE is a Mumbai-based independent non-government entity that serves both as an economic think-tank as well as a business information company.

State-wise lowest unemployment rate:

Telangana recorded the lowest unemployment rate in January at 0.7%.

This was followed by Gujarat at 1.2%, Meghalaya at 1.5%, Odisha at 1.8% and Karnataka at 2.9%.

State-wise highest unemployment rate:

Haryana witnessed the highest unemployment rate of 23.4% in January 2022. It was followed by Rajasthan (18.9%), Tripura (17.1%), Jammu & Kashmir (15%) and Delhi (14.1%).

JNU Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar named as new Chairman of UGC

 The government of India has appointed JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) Vice-Chancellor, M Jagadesh Kumar as the new Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

He has been appointed for a period of five years or till he attains the age of 65 years, whichever is the earliest. The post of the UGC Chairman was vacant since December 07, 2021, after Prof D P Singh resigned upon attaining 65 years of age. He was appointed in 2018.

Important For All Exam 2022:

University Grants Commission Founded: 1956;

University Grants Commission Headquarters: New Delhi.

IndiGo’s co-founder Rahul Bhatia named as first MD of the company

The low-cost Indian airline, IndiGo has appointed its co-founder and promoter Rahul Bhatia as the Managing Director (MD) of the company with immediate effect. He is the first-ever MD of Indigo, because before this the company never had a managing director. Ronojoy Dutta is the CEO of the Indigo.

The board of directors, during its meeting, unanimously approved the appointment of Bhatia as the managing director with immediate effect, subject to the approval of the shareholders. IndiGo is back in the black with a net profit for the December quarter at Rs 130 crore. The profit comes after the airline posted a loss for a series of straight quarters.

Important For All Exam 2022:

IndiGo Founded: 2005;

IndiGo Headquarters: Gurugram.

GoI named Sonali Singh as Controller General of Accounts (CGA) on additional charge

The Government of India has appointed Sonali Singh to hold the additional charge of the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), under the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, with effect from February 01, 2022. She has been appointed in place of Dipak Dash, who superannuated on January 31, 2022.

Sonali Singh is a 1987 batch officer of the Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS). She is serving as the Additional Controller General of Accounts since October 2019. Prior to that, she had also served as Additional Secretary at Central Vigilance Commission.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg to head Norway central bank

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) chief, Jens Stoltenberg will take over as Norway’s central bank Governor at the end of the year. The appointment comes amid escalating tensions between the West and Russia. Western nations fear Moscow has plans to invade Ukraine, which aspires to join the NATO alliance.

But Mr Stoltenberg, a 62-year-old trained economist, insisted that he would stay on as NATO Secretary-General until the end of his term in October. Norway’s central bank determines monetary policy but also manages the country’s enormous sovereign wealth fund, the biggest in the world.

Important For All Exam 2022:

NATO Founded: 4 April 1949, Washington, D.C., United States;

NATO Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled ‘Statue of Equality’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dedicated to the nation 216-feet tall ‘Statue of Equality in Hyderabad to commemorate the 11th-century Bhakti saint Ramanujacharya. The statue has been conceptualised by Chinna Jeeyar Swami of Sri Ramanujacharya Ashram.

The inauguration of the statue is a part of the 12-day Sri Ramanuja Sahasrabdi Samaroham, the ongoing 1000th birth anniversary celebrations of the Bhakti saint. A 3D presentation on the life and teachings of the saint will also be showcased during the event.

The statue is made of ‘panchaloha’, a combination of five metals- gold, silver, copper, brass, and zinc. It is among one of the tallest metallic statues in sitting positions in the world.

The 216-feet tall ‘Statue of Equality statue is mounted on a 54-feet high base building, called ‘Bhadra Vedi’.

The floors of the building are dedicated to a Vedic digital library and research centre, ancient Indian texts, a theatre, an educational gallery detailing works of Sri Ramanujacharya.

Uttar Pradesh wins best state tableau of Republic Day parade 2022

The tableau of Uttar Pradesh has been picked as the best tableau among the 12 States/UTs which participated in the Republic Day parade on January 26, 2022. The theme of the tableau of Uttar Pradesh was ‘One District One Product and Kashi Vishwanath Dham’. A total of 12 states and union territories had participated in the Republic Day parade on January 26.

The second place went to Karnataka for its tableau based on ‘cradle of traditional handicrafts’ while the third position went to Meghalaya for its tableau based on ‘Meghalaya’s 50 years of Statehood and its tribute to women-led cooperative societies & SHGs’.

India announces diplomatic boycott of opening and closing ceremony of Winter Olympics

 The 2022 Winter Olympics has kicked off on February 04, 2022, in Beijing, China and will continue till February 20, 2022. The Opening Ceremony was held at Beijing’s National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest.

However, India had announced the diplomatic level boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics opening and closing ceremony. This means that no Indian officials will attend the opening and closing ceremony. However, the country has sent one of its athletes, Arif Khan (skier), to attend the event.

The reason behind the boycott: China has picked a Chinese soldier (Qi Fabao) as Olympic torchbearer, who was involved in the Galwan incident on June 15, 2020, which had resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers, including a Colonel.

Emblem for the 2022 Winter Olympics: “Winter Dream”.

Moto for the 2022 Winter Olympics: Bing Dwen Dwen.

The official slogan for the 2022 Winter Olympics:  “Together for a Shared Future”.

Maharashtra tops the list of newly recognized startups and unicorns

Maharashtra tops the list of newly recognized startups and unicorns, as per Economic Survey 2021-22.

Maharashtra recognized 11,308 of total 14,000 startups that began operations in the current financial year.

Out of 44 Unicorn companies, 11 are based in the state.

Initiatives like Startup Week, Incubation Cells, Hackathon are regularly carried out, helping the state to reach this height. 

Maharashtra also ranks 2nd on Niti Aayog’s Innovation Index 2020. 

Nasa plans to plunge the ISS into South Pacific Ocean in 2031

NASA has announced that International Space Station (ISS) will cease operations in 2031, and will fall into South Pacific Ocean.

Mission control of ISS will first lower its altitude, before spacecraft begins its descent into South Pacific Oceanic Uninhabited Area (SPOUA) in an area known as Point Nemo.

ISS: modular space station in low Earth orbit and is multinational collaborative project of NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, and CSA.

Launched: 1998

Foundation stone laid for new border haat on Bangladesh-India border

Chief Minister of Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb and Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi has laid foundation stone of third border haat at Kamalpur-Kumarghat on Tripura-Bangladesh border. 

It will enhance trade relations and strengthen friendly relationship. 

Apart from this, 8 border haats are proposed to be built on the border between Tripura and Bangladesh out of which 2 are already functional at Kamalasagar in Sepahijala district and Srinagar in South Tripura district. 

Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics three-day torch relay began

Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics torch relay has begun amid diplomatic boycotts and ongoing Covid-19 outbreaks.

Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee had shortened the relay route and the number of torchbearers were also reduced to 1200.

It started at the Beijing Olympic Forest Park and will travel through Great Wall and the Summer Palace, among other locations in Beijing, and concludes at ‘Bird’s Nest’ National Stadium for opening ceremony.

The Games will open on February 4. 

Indian Chamber of Commerce organizes programme on Export Controls

Ministry of External Affairs, in collaboration with Indian Chamber of Commerce has organized an outreach programme on Export Controls focusing on start-ups in various sectors of the economy.

It was aimed at enhancing awareness about regulations for export of sensitive, dual-use goods and technology.

The outreach shared relevance of export control systems in the context of India’s integration with global economy, international non-proliferation framework, etc.

Vedanta ties up with Union Bank to take over syndicated facility

Metal and mining giant Vedanta Ltd has tied up a facility of ₹8,000 crore with Union Bank of India to take over majority of syndicated facility.

Vedanta generally conducts proactive liability management exercise to achieve optimal capital structure.

During 2020, Vedanta Ltd had tied up syndicated facility of ₹10,000 crore with State Bank of India as lead bank at a running cost of 10.5 per cent (Syndicated Facility). 

SBI inks MoU with Ministry of Culture for Atmanirbhar Bharat Centre

SBI has signed MoU with Indira Gandhi Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and National Culture Fund (NCF) of Ministry of Culture for Development of Atmanirbhar Bharat Centre for Design (ABCD) at Red Fort, in Delhi.

Aim: to highlight, promote and celebrate the products that have the Geographical Indication sign to give a boost to Economic Value Addition to GI products from India.

It will be implemented by IGNCA, through ministry’s NCF fund. 

SBI will sponsor the project under CSR. 

RBI cancelled license of Independence Co-operative Bank Limited

RBI has cancelled the license of Independence Co-operative Bank Limited, Nashik due to inadequate capital and earning prospects. 

Independence Co-operative Bank Limited will not be allowed to carry out any operations and a liquidator will be appointed soon.

Its present financial position is such that it will not be able to pay its depositors in full and public interest would be adversely affected if the bank is allowed to carry on with its business.

IISc commissions India’s most powerful supercomputers ‘Param Pravega’

Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru has installed and commissioned one of the most powerful supercomputers in India, ‘Param Pravega’.

Param Pravega:

It is the largest supercomputer in an Indian academic institution.

Supercomputing capacity of 3.3 petaflops (1 petaflop equals a quadrillion, or 1015 operations per second). 

Designed by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) under National Supercomputing Mission (NSM).

World Cancer Day 2022: 4th February

World Cancer Day is observed every year on 4th February across the world by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).

World Cancer Day 2022 theme: ‘Close the Care Gap’

Aim: to raise awareness and education about cancer and encourage governments and individuals across the world to act against the prevention, detection, and treatment of the disease.

World Cancer day was introduced in 2000.

Aravalli Biodiversity Park in Gurugram designated as India’s 1st OECM site

Aravalli Biodiversity Park situated in Gurugram, Haryana, has been declared as India’s first OECM (Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures) site on World Wetlands Day (Feb 2, 2022).

The OCEM tag is given by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to those areas that are not protected but support rich biodiversity.

The tag designates the area as a biodiversity hotspot on international map.

It is spread across 390 acres and has semi-arid vegetation. 

ISRO to launch Chandrayan-3 in August 2022

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will launch its third venture to the Moon through Chandrayaan-3 mission in August 2022.

Chandrayaan-3 mission-related hardware and their tests are successfully completed. 

The year 2022 will also witness launch of major projects of ISRO like Gaganyaan and Aditya solar mission.

Chandrayaan-1: India's first mission to Moon, was launched successfully in 2008 from Sriharikota. 

Chandrayaan-2 was launched in 2019.

Former civil servant Ravi Mittal appointed as Chairperson of IBBI

Former secretary, Department of Sports, Ravi Mittal (1986 batch IAS offier of Bihar cadre) has been appointed as Chairman of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI).

Tenure: five years or till he attains 65 years of age, whichever is early.

He replaced Navrang Saini, who was serving as chairman of IBBI in additional charge.

IBBI: regulator for overseeing insolvency proceedings and entities.

IBBI's Headquarters: New Delhi. 

Founded: 2016.

Sanctuaries in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh listed as Ramsar sites

The Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary near Jamnagar in Gujarat and Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh have been listed as Wetlands of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention.

With this, the total number of Ramsar sites in India goes up to 49. Khijadiya has become the fourth wetland of Gujarat to get the Ramsar tag. Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, Thol Wildlife Sanctuary and Wadhwana wetland are the other Ramsar sites in the state. The last two were included in April last year.

India’s 1st-ever season style book written by Akash Kansal

India’s first-ever season style book titled ‘The Class of 2006: Sneak Peek into the Misadventures of the Great Indian Engineering Life’, written by Akash Kansal a management professional.

The book was virtually launched at one of the biggest book launch ceremonies at IIT Kanpur, & Delhi Technological University. “The Class of 2006” consists of 18 different episodes that recall the times spent in College.

The book was released on Amazon Kindle by R. Madhavan, an Indian film actor, writer, director, and producer. ‘The Class of 2006: Sneak Peek into the Misadventures of the Great Indian Engineering Life’ consists of 18 different episodes, each with a Learning Box, and is definitely a good read to reminisce the times spent in college, especially for MBA, Engineering college students and aspirants.

Khelo India Scheme Allocation Increases by 48% in Budget

The Government has decided to continue the scheme of ‘Khelo India – National Programme for Development of Sports’ over the 15th Finance Commission Cycle — 2021-22 to 2025-26 — at an outlay of Rs 3165.50 crore.

Khelo India Scheme Allocation increases by 48 per cent in Budget 2022 and includes it in the Prime Minister’s Award Scheme.”

The Khelo India scheme is the flagship Central Sector Scheme of the Sports ministry. It aims at infusing sports culture and achieving sporting excellence in the country thus allowing the populace to harness the power of sports through its cross-cutting influence.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports: Anurag Singh Thakur.

Brand Finance report: LIC 10th most valued insurance brand globally

As per a brand valuation report released by Brand Finance, Life Insurance Corporation has been ranked at 10th in the list of insurance brands globally. LIC is the only Indian insurance company in the top 10 list.

LIC has a valuation of USD 8.656 billion (around Rs 64,722 crore). Of the top 10, as many as 5 are Chinese insurance companies, with by Ping An Insurance emerging as the world’s most valuable insurance brand, despite recording a 26 per cent drop in brand value.

The US has two companies in the top 10, while France, Germany, and India have one each in the list. As per Brand Finance, the market value of LIC will become Rs 43.40 lakh crore (USD 59.21 billion) by 2022, and Rs 58.9-lakh crore (USD 78.63 billion) by 2027. It must be noted that LIC was ranked as the 206th most valuable brand in 2021, from 238th slot in 2020.

Important For All Exam 2022:

LIC Chairperson: M R Kumar;

LIC Headquarters: Mumbai;

LIC Founded: 1 September 1956.

Sony buys ‘Destiny’ game developer Bungie for $3.6 billion

Sony Group Corp. is purchasing Bungie Inc., the U.S. video game developer behind the popular Destiny and Halo franchises, for $3.6 billion to bolster its stable of game-making studios.

The deal announced by Sony Interactive Entertainment is the third significant video-game acquisition this month, following Microsoft Corp.’s purchase of Activision Blizzard Inc. for $69 billion two weeks ago and Take-Two Interactive Corp. snagging mobile game leader Zynga Inc. on Jan. 10.

Buying Bungie will give Sony one of the most popular first-person shooter games to compete with the massive Call of Duty series, which Sony’s main rival now owns through Activision.

NSO First Revised GDP estimates FY21: Indian economy contracts by 6.6%

The National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the First Revised Estimates of National Income, Consumption Expenditure, Saving and Capital Formation for the financial year 2020-21.

The National Statistical Office recently released the first revised GDP estimates for the fiscal year 2021. According to the estimates, the GDP contracted by 6.6%. Earlier, the GDP had contracted by 7.3%. The contraction is mainly due to the COVID pandemic and the lockdown imposed.

The NSO has also revised downward the real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth number for 2019-20 to 3.7 per cent as against the earlier estimate of 4 per cent. Under the 1st revision released in January 2021, real GDP or GDP at constant (2011-12) prices for 2019-20 stood at Rs 145.69 lakh crore with 4 per cent growth.

Crisil Report: India’s GDP expected to grow 7.8% in FY23

Domestic rating agency CRISIL has estimated FY23 real GDP growth at 7.8 per cent as compared with the 8.5 per cent projected in the Economic Survey. Estimating the growth to slow to 7.8 per cent in FY23 from the 9.2 per cent in FY22.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget proposals focused on loosening the purse strings by boosting capital expenditure and going slow on fiscal consolidation are aimed in the right direction.

The agency said global growth is expected to slow this year as major economies see a withdrawal of monetary and fiscal stimulus. It will have a direct bearing on India’s growth prospects as exports have been a key demand driver of domestic growth during the pandemic.

Dr. Madan Mohan Tripathi joins as Director-General, NIELIT

Dr. Madan Mohan Tripathi has joined as Director-General of the National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT). Before joining NIELIT, Dr Madan Mohan Tripathi was working as Professor at Delhi Technological University (DTU), New Delhi.

In DTU he also worked as Director Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) and Coordinator of Intellectual Property Rights Cell. National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT) is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Electronics & Information. 

Torgya Festival celebrated in Arunachal Pradesh 2022

The three days long Torgya Festival of the Monpa tribal community of Arunachal Pradesh is celebrated at Tawang Monastery, Arunachal Pradesh. The main attraction of the festival is the ‘Sha-na Cham’, the ritual dance performed by monks to showcase the Choe-Gyal Yap & Yum Tsa-Munde deity.

This year is the ‘Dungyur Torgya’ festival, which marks a special occasion as every 3rd year, the festival is organized on a broader level with the name Dungyur Festival during which Dalai Lama offers blessings (also known as Tse-Boom) to other lamas by sending Feb Jum which is a holy item to be used in rituals.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Arunachal Pradesh Capital: Itanagar;

Arunachal Pradesh Chief minister: Pema Khandu;

Arunachal Pradesh Governor: B.D. Mishra.

GoI setting up National Land Monetisation Corporation

According to Economic Survey, the government is setting up the National Land Monetisation Corporation (NLMC) to carry out the monetization of the land and other non-core assets.

The initial authorized share capital of NLMC will be Rs 5000 crores and subscribed share capital of ₹150 crores. So far, CPSEs have referred 3,400 acres of land and other non-core assets for monetization from CPSEs including MTNL, BSNL, BPCL, B&R, BEML, HMT Ltd, Instrumentation Ltd.

The National Land Monetisation Corporation (NLMC) is being set up in accordance with the Budget announcement. It is being set up as a 100 per cent Government of India owned entity. The initial authorised share capital will be Rs 5,000 crore while subscribed share capital will be Rs 150 crore.

It works as an asset manager for lands owned by central government and central public sector enterprises (CPSEs). It has the freedom to invest, lease or rent assets or monetise them based on suggestions by many sources. It is free to develop assets for commercial or residential purposes.

Banks to transfer 15 accounts worth Rs 50,000 crore to NARCL in FY-22

As per SBI Chairman Dinesh Khara, NARCL or bad bank and India Debt Resolution Company Ltd are ready to commence operations.

A total of 38 NPA accounts worth Rs 82,845 crore have been identified to be transferred to NARCL initially.

In the Phase I 15 accounts worth Rs 50,000 crore will be transferred to NARCL in the current financial year.

Public Sector Banks have taken a majority stake in NARCL, IDRCL will be majorly owned by private sector banks.

Vedanta ties up ₹8Kcr facility with Union Bank to take over syndicated faci

Vedanta Ltd has tied up a facility of ₹8Kcr with Union Bank of India to take over majority of the syndicated facility after discussions with lenders.

During 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Vedanta Ltd had tied up a syndicated facility of ₹10Kcr with State Bank of India as the lead bank at a running cost of 10.5 per cent.

This replacement facility was availed on Dec 2021 to take over the existing Syndicated facility to reduce the overall interest cost of the company.

Dubai firm to launch world's first hydrogen-powered flying boat

World's first hydrogen-powered flying boat is all set to be manufactured and launched in Dubai. 

Swiss startup THE JET ZeroEmission has signed an agreement with UAE-based Zenith Marine Services and US-based DWYN to manufacture and operate 'The Jet'.

The boat is equipped with two fuel cells and an air conditioner as well as other clean-tech.

The boat can silently fly over the waters at a cruising speed of 40 knots and also has a capacity of carrying 8-12 passengers.

Government notifies Phase II of capital goods scheme

Ministry of Heavy Industries has has notified the phase II of the scheme to enhance competitiveness in the capital goods sector.

financial outlay will be of Rs 1,207 crore.

It will provide assistance to Common Technology Development and Services Infrastructure.

Total financial outlay would include budgetary support of Rs 975 crore and the remaining Rs 232 crore would come through contribution from the industry.

Minister of Heavy Industries: Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey

Govt sets up National Land Monetisation Corporation

The govt is setting up the National Land Monetisation Corporation (NLMC) to carry out the monetization of the land and other non-core assets.

Initial authorized share capital of NLMC will be ₹5000 crores and subscribed share capital of ₹150 crores. 

So far, CPSEs have referred 3,400 acres of land and other non-core assets for monetisation from CPSEs including MTNL, BSNL, BPCL, B&R, BEML, HMT Ltd, Instrumentation Ltd.

India's first geological park to come up at Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur

The first 'geological' park of country will be built in Lamheta in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.

Approval for the park has been granted by Geological Survey of India, under ministry of mining, Government of India for construction of the park with an investment of Rs 35 crores.

The geological park will be built in Lamheta, because this place is among significant places in the world, from the geological point of view.

World Interfaith Harmony Week: First Week of February (1-7)

Every year, the first week of February is celebrated as World Interfaith Harmony Week by the United Nations.

It was first proposed in 2010 by HM King Abdullah of Jordan.

The celebration of this event spreads the message of mutual respect, love, and tolerance among the followers of all the world’s religions, faiths, and beliefs.

This week is especially important to celebrate in today’s time as interfaith harmony is central and essential to take the human race forward.

Center of Excellence in Affordable and Clean Energy launched in IIT Dharwad

A Global Center of Excellence in Affordable and Clean Energy has been launched at the IIT Dharwad, Karnataka.

The center is supported by the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) donation from Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF).

The first phase of the CSR project with HHSIF is to establish equipment for the GCoE-ACE mainly as skill development, fabrication, and R&D equipment.

Annual Spituk Gustor Festival celebrated in Ladakh

Spituk Gustor Festival has been celebrated in Leh and Ladakh Union Territory.

It is a two-day annual celebration of Ladakhi culture and traditional heritage celebrated every year.

The main attraction of the festival was the colourful mask dance locally called Chams performed by the monks of the monastery in their best robes depicting different deities such as Mahakala (Gonbo), Paldan Lhamo (Shridevi), White Mahakala, Protector Deity.

Actor-filmmaker Amitabh Dayal passes away

Actor-filmmaker Amitabh Dayal (51-years) has passed away after suffering a heart attack.

Mr Dayal has worked in films like Kagaar: Life on the Edge (2003) with Om Puri, Bhojpuri film Rangdari (2012) and Raj Babbar’s Dhuaan (2013), Amitabh Bachchan’s Virrudh (2005).

SBI launches ‘Surya Shakti Cell’; partners with Tata Power

State Bank of India has collaborated with Tata Power Solar Systems Ltd. for financing solar power projects in the Ballard Estate in Mumbai. 

SBI has launched a dedicated centralized processing cell named ‘Surya Shakti Cell’ with the objective of strengthening the existing financing arrangement for solar power projects. 

The Surya Shakti Cell will process all the loan applications for Solar Projects from across India by Tata Power Solar Systems Ltd(max capacity of up to 1 MW). 

World Wetlands Day: 2nd February

World Wetlands Day is observed every year on 2nd February globally.

The objective of the day is to raise awareness about the crucial role played by wetlands for people and our planet.

This year, the theme is “Wetlands Action for People and Nature”.

The day is celebrated to mark the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2nd February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

Tata Sky rebrands itself as 'Tata Play'

Tata Sky (founded in 2006) has dropped the ‘sky’ brand name and rechristened itself as 'Tata Play'.

One of the largest Direct to Home (DTH) platforms has joined hands with Netflix to offer new OTT (over the top) content-centric channel packs as well.

'Tata Sky' is a joint venture between the Tata Sons (60%) and The Walt Disney Company (30%), with Temasek Holdings, Singapore (10%).

Indian Coast Guard celebrates its 46th Raising Day 2022

Indian Coast Guard is celebrating its 46th Raising Day on 01 Feb 2022. As the fourth largest Coast Guard in the world, the Indian Coast Guard has played a significant role in securing the Indian Coasts and enforcing regulations in the Maritime Zones of India.

The ICG was formally established on February 1, 1977, by the Coast Guard Act, 1978 of the Parliament of India. It operates under the Ministry of Defence.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Indian Coast Guard Director-General: Virender Singh Pathania;

Indian Coast Guard Founded: 1 February 1977;

Indian Coast Guard Headquarters: Ministry of Defence, New Delhi.

A book titled ‘Operation Khatma’ authored by R C Ganjoo & Ashwini Bhatnagar

A book titled ‘Operation Khatma’ has been released which is authored by journalists RC Ganjoo and Ashwini Bhatnagar. The book is based upon the operation by the Special Operations Group of Jammu & Kashmir Police which led to the killing of 22 terrorists of the Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF).

It is a graphic first-hand thriller on terrorism in Kashmir. The blood-splattered rivalry between JKLF and HM, and the short, sharp surgical strike -OPERATION KHATMA- that broke the back of terrorism in the Valley.

Tata Steel Chess 2022: Magnus Carlsen beats Fabiano Caruana

World Champion Grand Master Magnus Carlsen has secured his victory in Wijk Aan Zee (Netherlands) with a round to spare. The world champion defeated GM Fabiano Caruana and now leads the 2022 Tata Steel Chess Tournament by a full point. It was his 8th win, a unique achievement.

Erigaisi Arjun (India) has won the Tata Steel Challengers. By doing so he has earned a spot in the Tata Steel Masters next year. The 85th edition of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament will take place from 13 – 29 January 2023.

Chennai Super Kings becomes India’s First Unicorn Sports Enterprise

Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has become the country’s first sports Unicorn with its market cap having touched a high of Rs 7,600 crores and its share in the grey market trading in the Rs 210-225 price band.

The Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led CSK, which won its fourth IPL title in Dubai last year, now has a market cap more than its parent entity, India Cements. India Cements’ market cap stood at Rs 6,869 crores.

Two key reasons which have led CSK’s market cap to go past its parent entity are the team winning its fourth IPL title in Dubai, and two new franchises being added to the upcoming season at record prices.

PR Sreejesh wins World Games Athlete of the Year award 2021

Indian men’s hockey player PR Sreejesh has won the World Games Athlete of the Year award for 2021. He is the second Indian after Rani Rampal to win this award. In 2020, Indian women’s hockey captain Rani Rampal became the first Indian to win the honour for her performances in 2019.

A total of 24 athletes from 17 countries were nominated for the annual awards based on individual or team performance. Alberto Ginés López of Spain and wushu player Michele Giordano of Italy are the runner-ups. In the FIH Stars Awards in October, Sreejesh was named the goalkeeper of the year for 2021.

Samsung Surpasses Intel as World’s top semiconductor company in 2021

South Korean electronics manufacturing giant, Samsung Electronics surpassed U.S chipmaker Intel to become the world’s leading chipmaker by revenue in 2021, according to a report released by research firm Counterpoint Technology Market Research.

While Intel posted relatively flattish results, Samsung took the lead with a strong DRAM and NAND flash market performance in 2021. Samsung also saw solid momentum in logic chips this year.

Memory vendors continued to lead the industry with SK Hynix and Micron taking the third and fourth positions, followed by IC design vendors, including Qualcomm and NVIDIA. The year saw 19% YoY revenue growth.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Samsung Electronics Headquarters: Suwon-si, South Korea;

Samsung Electronics Founder: Lee Byung-chul;

Samsung Electronics Founded: 13 January 1969.

Samsung Electronics CEO: Kim Hyun Suk, Kim Ki Nam & Koh Dong-Jin.

Ministry of Defence begins Home Delivery of medicines under SeHAT scheme

Ministry of Defence had launched the Services e-Health Assistance and Teleconsultation (SeHAT) medical teleconsultation service for all entitled armed forces personnel and their families in May 2021. To add further to this initiative, the Home Delivery or Self Pickup of Medicines to patients seeking consultation on SeHAT will be started w.e.f February 01, 2022.

SeHAT stay home OPD is a patient-to-doctor system where the patient can consult a doctor remotely through the internet using his Smartphone, laptop, Desktop or Tablet.

The consultation occurs through video, audio and chat at the same time. It aims to provide quality healthcare services to patients from the comfort of their homes.

Safe and structured video-based clinical consultations between a doctor in a hospital, and a patient within the confines of his or her home anywhere in the country, have been enabled. It is designed to be extremely simple and easy to use, which requires minimal effort from the users.

The user does not need to pay anything to seek teleconsultation & can simply access the services by visiting https://sehatopd.gov.in, or by using the SeHAT apps available on the Play store & App Stores.

Union budget 2022-23 is being presented by FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman is presenting the Union Budget 2022 for the 4th time in a row. She will be presenting the financial statements and tax proposals for the fiscal year 2022-23 (April 2022 to March 2023).

A Made in India tablet has replaced the traditional ‘Bahi Khata’ as Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman leaves the Finance Ministry’s office to go to the Parliament to present the Budget.

The Economic Survey 2021-22 was released on 31st January 2022 by the Chief Economic Advisor of India,  V Anantha Nageswaran. The government sees the Indian economy growing at 8-8.5 per cent in the financial year 2022-23 (FY23).

NPCI announces UPI safety and awareness week

National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and the UPI ecosystem (comprising of leading banks and fintechs) have announced the UPI Safety and Awareness initiative, to create awareness amongst consumers. Under this initiative, NPCI and the UPI ecosystem will observe February 1-7 as ‘UPI Safety and Awareness Week’ and the whole of February as ‘UPI Safety and Awareness Month’.

NPCI has urged users to follow the concept of UPI Safety Shield which mentions 5 tips for safe UPI transactions. With an aim to create awareness amongst consumers, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and the UPI ecosystem have announced the UPI Safety and Awareness initiative.

Under this programme, NPCI urges all the customers to follow the concept of UPI Safety Shield, which the company has derived to educate customers all about UPI payments. The UPI Safety and Awareness initiative will help vulnerable and first-time customers in overcoming their fears of adopting digital payments and guide them to pursue safe payments on the UPI platform.

Important For All Exam 2022:

NPCI Founded: 2008;

NPCI Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra;

NPCI MD & CEO: Dilip Asbe.

Tata group acquires Neelachal Ispat Nigam Ltd for Rs 12,100 crore

Tata Group company, Tata Steel Long Products Ltd’s (TSLP) has acquired Odisha-based Neelachal Ispat Nigam Ltd (NINL) for Rs 12,100 crore.

Neelachal Ispat Nigam Ltd (NINL) is a steel plant located in Kalinganagar in Odisha and was shut in March 2020 due to continued losses. It has a capacity of 1.1 million tonnes a year.

This is the 1st instance of privatisation of a public sector steel manufacturing enterprise in India.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Tata Steel Founded: 25 August 1907, Jamshedpur;

Tata Steel CEO: T. V. Narendran (31 Oct 2017–);

Tata Steel Founder: Jamsetji Tata;

Tata Steel Headquarters: Mumbai.

Prime Minister Modi launches Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation on the occasion of the 92nd birth anniversary of the Indian classical vocalist.

Prime Minister Modi said that the World is entitled to benefit from Indian music like they have from Yoga.

Durga Jasraj and Pandit Shaarang Dev keep alive the glorious legacy of the maestro. Yoga, Indian music has the capacity to stir the depth of the human mind and the world is entitled to be benefited from it.

The Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation has been founded by Pandit Jasraj’s son Shaarang Dev Pandit, and his daughter, Durga Jasraj. The main objective of the fluctuation is to protect, preserve, develop and promote the National Heritage, Art & Culture of India.

$150-million India-UAE VC Fund set up to boost start-up ecosystem

A $150-million India-UAE venture capital fund to fuel growth of start-ups in India and the UAE was launched from the India Pavilion at EXPO2020 Dubai.

The VC Fund is a first-of-its-kind to be set up in the UAE to source, invest and nurture promising start-ups through an accelerator to fuel the growth of India-UAE start-ups.

It will be funded by investors across UAE, India and wider GCC countries.

Tata Steel to buy Neelachal Ispat Nigam for ₹12,100 crore

The govt has approved the sale of Neelachal Ispat Nigam Limited (NINL) to Tata Steel Long Products.

The CCEA have approved the highest bid of Tata Steel Long Products for 93.71% of shares NINL.

The Bid Enterprise Value is  ₹12,100 crore.

NINL is a joint venture of 4 CPSEs – MMTC, NMDC, BHEL, MECON and 2 Odisha government PSUs – OMC and IPICOL.

The government does not hold any equity in the company.

Honduras gets its first woman President

Leftist Xiomara Castro was sworn in as the first woman President of Honduras.

She vowed to reform the crime-and poverty-stricken nation into a “socialist and democratic state”.

She replaces President Juan Orlando Hernández, who has held the position for 8 yrs and has been accused of corruption and drug trade ties.

Castro is wife of former president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, who ruled Honduras between 2006 and 2009.

Capital: Tegucigalpa city

RBI imposes restrictions on Indian Mercantile Cooperative Bank Ltd

The Reserve Bank of India has imposed several restrictions on Indian Mercantile Cooperative Bank Ltd, Lucknow.

The regulator put a cap of Rs 1 lakh on withdrawals.

The RBI has imposed above restriction in exercise of powers vested in it under sub-section (1) of Section 35 A read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (AACS).

The restrictions would remain in force for six months and are subject to review.

Kiran Bedi’s new book "Fearless Governance’ released

24th Lt Governor of Puducherry, Kiran Bedi has penned down her journey of governance in the book ‘Fearless Governance’.

It was launched by Indra Nooyi (former chairperson & CEO of PepsiCo) and Prof Debashis Chatterjee (director, IIM Kozhikode).

The book captures Bedi’s ‘fearless’ moments, administrative acumen and innovative initiatives in Puducherry.

Published by Diamond Books, the book will be translated in all major Indian languages.

Unnati Hooda, Kiran George win Odisha Open titles

Teenager Unnati Hooda has won women's singles title at 2022 Odisha Open badminton tournament by defeating compatriot Smit Toshniwal.

She became the youngest Indian to win a Super 100 tournament.

While unseeded Kiran George emerged triumphant in men's singles final of tournament.

21-year-old Kiran George beat Priyanshu Rajawa.

The 2022 Odisha Open is a BWF Super 100 tournament, organised at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Cuttack, Odisha. 

Akal Academies’ founder Baba Iqbal Singh passes away

Founder of Akal Academies and Padma Shri awardee Baba Iqbal Singh.

He was an Indian socio-spiritual leader of the Sikh community and an educationalist.

Baba Iqbal Singh had worked relentlessly in only one direction  — imparting value-based education in rural India.

He established Eternal University in 2008 and Akal University, Guru ki Kashi in 2015.

PM Modi to address 30th Foundation Day of National Commission for Women

PM Narendra Modi will address the 30th Foundation Day programme of National Commission for Women (NCW).

“The theme of the programme is ‘She The Change Maker’, aimed at celebrating the achievements of women in different fields.

The State Commissions for Women and  Department of Women and Child Development in State Govt will participate.

Teaching faculty and students, voluntary organizations, women entrepreneurs and business associations will also participate.

Exports of marine products in India jumps by 35% during April-Dec 2021

The exports of marine products registered a growth of 35% to $ 6.1 bn during April to Dec 2021.

The exports of Marine Products touched over $ 720 mn, registering a growth of over 28 per cent.

The overall exports of Marine Products in the last Financial Year was $ 5.96 bn.

Top 5 export destinations: USA, China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand.

PM Modi had launched the PM Matsya Sampada Yojana in 2020 with an array of 100 diverse activities with a budget of over Rs 20,000 cr.

Gandhi Mandiram, Smruthi Vanam at Srikakulam built in Andhra Pradesh

Social activists have built a temple for Mahatma Gandhi and freedom fighters’ Smrithi Vanam at the Municipal Park in Srikakulam, AP.

Aim: to inculcate patriotism among the youth by remembering the sacrifices of freedom fighters.

Statues of freedom fighters and social activists were erected in the park with the help of donors.

Arrangements have been made to unveil the Gandhi temple as well as Smrithi Vanam on the eve of Gandhiji’s death anniversary. 

Portugal’s ruling Socialist Party secures absolute majority in Parliament

Portugal’s ruling Socialist Party has secured an absolute majority in Parliament.

Country’s Interior Ministry released the data after 99% of the ballots had been counted.

Led by Prime Minister Antonio Costa, PS got 42 per cent of the votes and won 117 out of the 230 mandates thus Costa will retain the post.

The Social Democratic Party is second with around 28 per cent.

The elections in Portugal were called by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

LIC Chairman MR Kumar’s term extended by one more year

The govt has extended the tenure of chairman of IPO-bound Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) by one more year with a view to facilitate smooth listing of the insurance behemoth.

Besides, the government has also extended the tenure of one of the managing directors, Raj Kumar, for one year.

With the extension, M R Kumar will continue as chairman of LIC till March 2023.

This is the second extension for the LIC chairman.

The government owns a 100 per cent stake in LIC.