Latest Current Affairs For Thursday 24th February, 2022

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.

India-US launched ‘Operation Broader Sword’

India and the USA, jointly conducted an ‘Operation Broader Sword’ to stop the illegal shipment of drugs through the International Mail System.

It targeted shipments of illicit, potentially dangerous, unapproved prescription drugs, combination medical devices, and synthetic drug precursors shipped through International Mail Facilities.

The operation resulted in the interception of over 500 shipments of illicit and unapproved prescription drugs bound for US consumers.

NLU Delhi launches research affiliate program ‘Eklavya’

The National Law University (NLU), Delhi launched Eklavya, a ‘Research Affiliate’ program, for those who do not have a traditional law degree.

Aim: To emphasize its commitment to actively seek partnerships outside the varsity and draw from their experiences and perspectives to develop quality legal scholarship. 

It is open to those who have at least three years of demonstrable experience working on issues that have a significant interface with the law.

CarTrade Tech to acquire OLX India's auto business for Rs 537 cr

Mumbai-based used cars platform CarTrade Tech Ltd will acquire online marketplace OLX India's auto sales business for Rs 537 crore.

CarTrade will acquire a 100% stake in Sobek Auto India Pvt Ltd, the entity that houses OLX India’s Automotive business, in an all-cash deal.

The acquisition will likely to be completed in 21-30 days.

Sobek is a company incorporated under the Companies Act, of 2013.

It is engaged in the business of running an automotive digital platform.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.