Latest Current Affairs For Thursday 24th March, 2022

INS Shivaji recognized as the Centre of Excellence in Marine Engineering

Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has recognized INS Shivaji as the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in the field of Marine Engineering (ME). 

The recognition has been given after a thorough examination of the infrastructure and facilities available, as well as the training provided to improve the skills of Indian Navy. 

It was was presented by Honorable Secretary MSDE, Rajesh Aggarwal to CMDE Arvind Rawal, Commanding Officer, INS Shivaji.

Mansukh Mandaviya launches BRICS Vaccine R&D Centre

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Mansukh Mandaviya has virtually launched the BRICS Vaccine R&D Center and Workshop on Vaccine Cooperation. 

It will help to pool together complementary advantages of BRICS countries in vaccine research and development. 

It will also boost the capacity of BRICS countries to prevent and control infectious diseases and provide timely help to developing countries. 

It will be instrumental in streamlining vaccination resources.

Lakshya Sen enters Top 10 of World Badminton Federation Rankings

Lakshya Sen has entered Top 10 in Men's singles in Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Rankings after a runner-up finish in the All England Open 2022.

He is currently the highest-ranked among the Indian men’s Singles shutters at World Number 9.

Young Women’s Double duo of TressaJolly and Gayatri Gopichand Jumped massive 12 spots in the latest BWF rankings.

In Men’s Doubles, India open winners Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty became World Number 7 pair.

Ashleigh Barty announces retirement from professional tennis

World number one Tennis player in the women's category, Ashleigh Barty (25 years) has announced her retirement from professional tennis.

She won her first Grand Slam at the 2019 French Open.

In January 2022, she became 1st home player to win the Australian Open men's or women's singles title in 44 years.

Serena Williams is the only other active female player to have won major titles on clay, grass, and hard courts. 

Devendra Jhajharia became first para-athlete to receive Padma Bhushan

Devendra Jhajharia became the first para-athlete to receive Padma Bhushan award. 

He has won many Paralympic medals, including gold at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens and 2016 Rio Games, and silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Avani Lekhara (para-shooter) was also awarded Padma Shri award in the Sports category.

She is the first Indian woman to win two Paralympic medals in the same Games, as well as the first Indian woman to earn Paralympic gold.

Union Cabinet approves merger of three MCDs into one

Union Cabinet has approved a bill for the unification of Delhi’s three Municipal corporations into one Municipal Corporation.

After unification, Delhi will have one Mayor in place of the existing 3 Mayors.

Erstwhile Delhi was divided into 3 Municipal Corporations:

South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC). 

North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC). 

East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC). 

NDMC AND SDMC currently comprise 104 Wards each while EDMC has 64 Wards. 

World Meteorological Day 2022: 23rd March

World Meteorological Day is observed every year on 23rd March to commemorate the day when the Convention for the establishment of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) came into force (23rd March 1950). 

This day also highlights the contribution of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services make towards the safety and well-being of society.

Theme for World Meteorological Day 2022: ‘Early Warning and Early Action’.

Ministry of Civil Aviation organizing ‘WINGS INDIA 2022’ in Hyderabad

Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) and FICCI are jointly organizing Asia's largest event on Civil Aviation (Commercial, General and Business Aviation), titled as ‘WINGS INDIA 2022’. 

The event focuses on new business acquisition, investments, policy formation and regional connectivity.

It is being held from 24th to 27th March 2022, Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad.

Theme: India@75: New Horizon for Aviation Industry

WINGS INDIA AWARDS will also be conferred during this event.

New Delhi is the world’s most polluted capital city: Air Quality Report

New Delhi has been ranked as the world’s most polluted capital city for the second consecutive year as per IQAir’s 2021 World Air Quality Report.

Prepared by: Swiss organization IQAir

Top 5 polluted capital cities: New Delhi, followed by Dhaka (Bangladesh), N’Djamena (Chad), Dushanbe (Tajikistan), Muscat (Oman). 

Most polluted city of India: Bhiwadi, followed by Ghaziabad, Delhi, Jaunpur. 

Most polluted country: Bangladesh, followed by Chad, Pakistan, Tajikistan and India.

Third edition of the India-Uzbekistan joint military exercise begins

The third edition of the joint training exercise between Indian and Uzbekistan armies titled ‘EX-DUSTLIK’ is being conducted at Yangiarik, Uzbekistan. 

Last edition of DUSTLIK was conducted in Ranikhet, Uttarakhand in March 2021. 

Focus: counter-terrorism operations in semi-urban terrain under a United Nations Mandate.

It will focus primarily on sharing tactical level drills and learning of best practices from each other. 

Grenadiers Regiment is participating from Indian side. 

Pushkar Singh Dhami sworn-in as Chief Minister of Uttarakhand

Pushkar Singh Dhami will be sworn in as Chief Minister of Uttarakhand at the Parade Ground in Dehradun for the second consecutive term.

Along with him, 11 ministers will be sworn in on their respective profiles.

He was appointed CM of Uttarakhand for the first time in 2021.

He was elected as MLA in Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha from Khatima in 2012 and 2017 respectively.

He is also the youngest CM of Uttarakhand.

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.