Latest Current Affairs For Sunday 6th March, 2022

Hero MotoCorp named New EV Brand ‘Vida’ 2022

Hero MotoCorp has unveiled a new brand “Vida”, (Vida means life) for its emerging mobility solutions and upcoming electric vehicles. Vida brand has been unveiled by Dr Pawan Munjal, Chairman and CEO of Hero MotoCorp, on March 3, 2022, in Dubai.

He also announced a $100 million Global Sustainability Fund that will help the company to nurture more than 10,000 entrepreneurs on ESG solutions.

The first electric vehicle under the Vida brand will be officially unveiled on July 1, 2022, to coincide with the birth anniversary of Dr Brijmohan Lall, Chairman Emeritus of Hero MotoCorp.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Hero MotoCorp Headquarters: New Delhi;

Hero MotoCorp Founder: Brijmohan Lall Munjal;

Hero MotoCorp Founded: 19 January 1984, Dharuhera.

Oscar-winning producer Alan Walbridge Ladd Jr passes away

The Oscar-winning producer, Former Executive at Twentieth Century Fox, who greenlit ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Braveheart’, Alan Ladd Junior has passed away at the age of 84 years. He was affectionately known as “Laddie”.

He won the Academy Award (Oscar award) for Best Picture ‘Braveheart’ directed by Mel Gibson in 1995. He was one of the founders of the Ladd Company, established in 1979.

Former Indian Army Chief General S F Rodrigues passes away

General S F Rodrigues, who had served as Chief of the Indian Army from 1990 to 1993 passes away at the age of 88 years. General Sunith Francis Rodrigues was also the Governor of Punjab from 2004 to 2010.

He had served two terms on the National Security Advisory Board. Since his retirement, he has been engaged in social and literary pursuits and has also delivered numerous talks on strategic issues. The nation and the Indian Army will always be indebted to his invaluable contribution and service to the nation.

World Obesity Day 2022 Observed globally on 04th March

World Obesity Day is observed every year on March 04. It is observed to spread awareness about obesity and encourage action towards its elimination. The day is organised by the World Obesity Federation, a non-profit body that is in official relations with the World Health Organisation.

The theme of World Obesity Day 2022 is ‘Everybody Needs to Act’. The campaign aims to improve the world’s understanding, prevention and treatment of obesity.

World Obesity Day goes way back to the year 2015, wherein a non-profit organization worked closely with World Health Organisation and Lancet Commission in helping spread awareness. Later in 2016, the focus was shifted to childhood obesity, while later in 2017, the idea was to treat obesity now and avoid consequences later.

Minister of Electronics & IT inaugurates Tech Conclave 2022

National Informatics Centre (NIC) has partnered with governments on digital initiatives. We’ve constructed state-of-the-art PAN-India ICT infrastructure, digital platforms, and solutions for the government’s exclusive usage over the years. We’ve helped the federal and state governments automate their procedures and deliver public services electronically.

The benefits can range from gaining a better grasp of the industry’s ICT best practises to disseminating awareness of the latest technologies and trends that are useful in the society’s big digital transition.

The Tech Conclave will provide IT managers from government ministries and departments with information on the latest ICT technology and their applications, as well as industry best practices.

It will also provide a forum for state IT secretaries to learn more about innovative technologies and applications that can be implemented in their jurisdictions.

It would allow contact between government industry and IT managers, greatly contributing to capacity building, particularly in government operations across the country, and assisting in the delivery of high-quality citizen-centric services.

UPI transactions value dips

According to the data from the National Payments Corporation of India, India’s cashless retail transactions on the UPI platform were Rs 8.27 lakh crore in February, a little decrease from the previous month’s total (NPCI). In February 2022, there were 452 crores (4.52 billions) in transactions.

The overall value of cashless retail transactions on the BHIM UPI network stood at Rs 8.32 lakh crore in January, with 461 crore transactions (4.61 billion).

According to NPCI, the value of the automatic collection at toll plazas utilising the NETC FASTag technology increased slightly in February, with over 24.36 crore transactions (243.64 million) worth Rs 3,631.22 crore.

NETC FASTag toll collections were valued at Rs 3,603.71 crore by way of 23.10 crore (231.01 million) transactions in the previous month.

Instant money can be transferred through 24×7 IMPS that is Immediate Payment Service fell to Rs 3.84 lakh crore in February as against Rs 3.87 lakh crore in January. During the same period, the number of such transactions is at 42 crores (420.93 million) as compared against 44 crores (440.17 million), as per the data.

Jet Airways named Sanjiv Kapoor as CEO 2022

Sanjiv Kapoor has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jet Airways. Prior to this, Kapoor was the president of Oberoi Hotels and has also worked as a chief operating officer at SpiceJet and chief strategy and commercial officer at Vistara.

He has worked as the Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer of Vistara Airlines for three years, and Chief Operating Officer of SpiceJet for two years. The Jalan Kalrock Consortium is the new promoter of Jet Airways.

Important For All Exam 2022:

Jet Airways CEO: Vinay Dube;

Jet Airways Founder: Naresh Goyal;

Jet Airways Founded: 1 April 1992, Mumbai.

Vidya Balan named as Brand Ambassador of Bharti AXA Life Insurance

Bharti AXA Life Insurance has appointed National Award-winning actress VidyaBalan as its Brand Ambassador. She as the brand ambassador will help in promoting the #DoTheSmartThing champion of Bharti AXA Life Insurance.

Bharti AXA Life Insurance is a joint venture of Bharti, India’s leading business group and AXA, one of the world’s leading organizations in financial protection and wealth management.

Important For All Exam 2022:

MD & CEO of  Bharti AXA Life Insurance: Parag Raja;

Bharti AXA Life Insurance Founded: 2007;

Bharti AXA Life Insurance Parent organization: Bharti Enterprises.

MEA Unveils Special Logo for 75 Years of Indo-Dutch Diplomatic Relation

The 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and the Netherlands is being commemorated this year. Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, and Marten van den Berg, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to India, launched a joint logo on March 2, 2022, to commemorate the occasion.

The logo features the national flowers of both the countries, the lotus and the tulip. The chakra in the heart of the logo represents our friendship, and the flag colours emphasise the ties that exist between Indians and Dutch people.

Throughout the year, a variety of events and activities in a variety of sectors of cooperation, including water, agriculture, innovation, energy, climate, and culture, are planned to commemorate the 75th anniversary.

The Netherlands gifted 3000 fresh tulips to India as a symbol of goodwill for Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, which were planted in the Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan gardens.

In 1947, India and the Netherlands established diplomatic ties. Since then, the two countries have established significant political, economic, and commercial ties, as well as a variety of sectoral collaborations.

India’s first FSRU Hoegh Giant Arrives at Jaigarh Terminal

H-Jaigarh Energy’s Terminal in Maharashtra has received India’s first floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU). On April 12, 2021, the FSRU Höegh Giant arrived at Jaigarh Terminal in Maharashtra after sailing from Keppel Shipyard in Singapore. This will be India’s first FSRU-based LNG receiving terminal, as well as Maharashtra’s first year-around LNG facility.

The Höegh Giant, which was erected in 2017, has a storage capacity of 1,70,000 cubic metres and a regasification capacity of 750 million cubic feet per day (equivalent to about six million tpa). FSRU has been chartered for a 10-year period by H-Energy.

The Höegh Giant LNG terminal will be connected to the national gas grid via the 56-kilometer Jaigarh-Dabhol natural gas pipeline.

The facility will also deliver LNG to onshore distribution via truck loading facilities. Reloading LNG into small-scale LNG vessels for bunkering services is also possible at the plant. 

H-Energy also plans to boost the region’s small-scale LNG market, utilising FSRU for LNG storage and reloading into smaller boats.

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.