Latest Current Affairs For Saturday 5th March, 2022

India signs Host Country Agreement with ITU

Union Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw has signed the Host Country Agreement (HCA) with Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for the establishment of an Area Office & Innovation Centre of ITU in New Delhi.

ITU: UN specialized agency for information and communication technologies.

ITU currently has a membership of 193 countries. 

Area Office and Innovation Centre: It is expected to serve South Asian countries.

MoWCD, UNICEF holds NariShakti Varta on STEM and Financial Literacy

Ministry of Women and Child Development facilitated #NaariShakti conversation, on ‘STEM and Financial Literacy for Young Women’.

The event started with the panel on ‘Young Women in STEM: Opportunities, Challenges and Solutions’ focused on uniting diverse voices and sparking a commitment to gender equality in STEM.

Panel discussed how we can nurture young women to form an interest in science, to pursue higher studies and careers in STEM related fields, etc.

NMCG receives ‘Special Jury Award’ for Ganga rejuvenation

National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has been awarded ‘Special Jury Award’ at the 7th India Industry Water Conclave and 9th edition of FICCI Water Awards. 

Distinguished Jury of FICCI Water Awards consists of eminent people such as Dr. Mihir Shah, A.K. Gosain, Himanshu Kulkarni, and VK Madhavan. 

The Citation underlines complexity of the task of rejuvenation of the entire Ganga basin and the importance of engaging with diverse stakeholders.

Arunachal Pradesh to get a Greenfield Airport in Hollongi

Airport Authority of India (AAI) has undertaken the work of constructing a Greenfield Airport in Hollongi, 15 Kms from Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh. 

It has an estimated cost of Rs.645 crore.

This project includes development work i.e. construction of airport pavements, air side work, terminal Building and city side works.

It is designed for operations of A-320 category of air craft and future extension of Runway by 500m length to cater A-321 type of aircraft.

Defence Ministry to host 12th edition of DefExpo 2022

Ministry of Defence is hosting 12th edition of the biennial defence exhibition, DefExpo 2022, at Gandhinagar in Gujarat. 

It will be held from 10th to 14th March.

It will be focused on land, air, naval, internal homeland security and electronic systems.

It will be held in a hybrid format.

DefExpo will be conducted by leading industry fora, international fora, think-tanks, media houses, Indian industry, DRDO, Ministry of Civil Aviation, and state governments.

National Safety Day 2022: 4th March

National Safety Day (NSD) is observed every year on 4th March to commemorate the foundation of National Safety Council (NSC) of India.

First National Safety Day was observed in 1972. 

Theme of National Safety Day 2022: Nurture young minds – Develop safety culture. 

National Safety Council: non-profit organization created to assist in the generation, implementation, and maintenance of any national level of volunteer health, safety, and development gesture.

National Security Day 2022: 4th March

National Security Day (Rashtriya Suraksha Diwas) is observed every year on 4th March in India in the honor of the Indian Security Forces. 

First National Security Day (NSD) was held in 1972. 

It was on this day in 1966 that National Security Council (NSC) of India was established by Ministry of Labour. 

National Security Week 2022 is also being celebrated from 4th to 10th March 2022. 

NSC: apex agency that looks into political, economic, energy and strategic security concerns. 

India ranks 120th in Sustainable Development Report 2021

India has been ranked 120th in the Sustainable Development Report 2021 or Sustainable Development Index 2021 with a score of 60.07.

Top performers: Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and Belgium.

Index measures the total progress of India towards achieving 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

These 17 SDGs were adopted by UN General Assembly in September 2015 as a part of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

India was ranked 117th in SDG report 2020. 

Tata Motors launches ‘Anubhav’ showroom on wheels to tap rural markets

Tata Motors has launched mobile showroom named ‘Anubhav,’ to target rural customers by increasing their reach in rural areas and providing them with a doorstep car buying experience.

Tata Motors will deploy 103 mobile showrooms across the country, to enhance Tata Motors brand awareness in rural India.

It will be operated by dealerships under Tata Motors’ supervision and guidance.

All the dealerships will define monthly routes for these vans.

Sunil Agrawal appointed as the new CFO of LIC

Sunil Agrawal has been appointed as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) on contractual basis.

Prior to this, he was serving as the CFO of Reliance Nippon Life Insurance for over 12 years.

Central government is counting on LIC’s IPO to help bridge the gaping budget deficit by the end of this month and hopes to raise about Rs 65,000 crore ($8.6 billion) by diluting 5% stake in the insurer.

Swiss Airlines to become the first airline to use solar aviation fuel

Swiss and its parent company, Lufthansa Group have partnered with synthetic fuel group ‘Synhelion’ to use its solar fuel.

Swiss International Airlines will become the first airline to use solar aviation fuel to help power its flights.

For this, Synhelion has developed a technology for manufacturing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from renewable energy sources.

When combusted solar fuel will only produce as much CO2 as went into its manufacture, cutting aviation emissions.

ICC Women’s World cup begins in New Zealand

The 2022 edition of ICC Women’s World has been kicked off with New Zealand Women taking on West Indies Women in the tournament opener at Bay Oval Stadium in Mount Maunganui.

ICC Women’s world cup will have a total of 8 teams: India, Pakistan, Australia, Bangladesh, New Zealand, South Africa, England, West Indies. 

Tournament is being held in New Zealand. 

It is being played in a round-robin format. 

England defeated India in previous edition of ICC Women’s World Cup in 2017. 

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.