Latest Current Affairs For Wednesday 16th February, 2022

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.

PM Narendra Modi to be awarded prestigious Lokmanya Tilak Award 2023

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

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

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

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

J&K Bank wins award for Best Performance in CASA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

India overtakes China as most attractive emerging market for investing

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

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

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

World Population Day 2023: 11 July

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

OCA elects Sheikh Talal as the new President

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

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

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

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

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance wins Insurer Innovation Award 2023

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

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

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