Latest Current Affairs For Saturday 26th March, 2022

First female US secretary of state Madeleine Albright passed away

She was the 64th United States secretary of state from 1997 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton.

She helped in shaping the Western foreign policy in the aftermath of the Cold War.

She also joined the National Security Council in the White House of President Jimmy Carter.

She was named as US ambassador to the United Nations by Clinton in 1993 and served until 1997. 

She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Barack Obama in May 2012.

International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery

International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade is observed every year on 25th March. 

This day is observed to raise awareness about the dangers of racism and slavery. 

International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade 2022: Stories of Courage: Resistance to Slavery and Unity against Racism. 

March 25 also observed as International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members. 

ICICI Lombard ties up with Airtel Payments Bank for smartphone insurance

This insurance facility is available on the Airtel Thanks app.

This provides financial protection against damage to the phone and its screen from accidents or liquid spills.

Monthly premium for this facility starts at 1,299 rupees.

Customers can get an insurance sum that is equivalent to the purchase price of their smartphone. 

Airtel Payment Bank MD & CEO - Anubrata Biswas

ICICI Lombard CEO - Bhargav Dasgupta

Marathi as a mandatory for official works of local bodies in Maharashtra

The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly passed a bill to make the use of the Marathi language mandatory in official works of local authorities. 

The Maharashtra Official Language Act, 1964, did not make compulsory to use Marathi for the local authorities to use Marathi in their official works.

The use of English or Hindi by local authorities for certain government works, like communicating with foreign ambassadors is allowed.

Rajnish Kumar Joins Dun & Bradstreet’s International Strategic Advisory Boa

Former State Bank of India (SBI) chairman Rajnish Kumar has joined the International Strategic Advisory Board of Dun & Bradstreet. 

Rajnish Kumar also sits on the boards of HSBC Asia Pacific, L&T Infotech, Hero MotoCorp and BharatPe.

Dun & Bradstreet is a leading global provider of business decisioning data and analytics.

Dun & Bradstreet HQ - Jacksonville, Florida, U.S

Dun & Bradstreet CEO - Anthony Jabbour

Pralay Mondal appointed as interim MD and CEO of CSB Bank

CSB Bank appointed its current deputy MD Pralay Mondal as the interim Managing Director (MD) & CEO. 

He has been appointed for a period of 3 months from 1 April 2022 or till the appointment of a regular MD & CEO, whichever is earlier.

C.VR. Rajendran, the present MD & CEO announced his early retirement from the position due to health reasons. 

RBI has also approved the appointment of Pralay for three months from April 1.

CSB Headquarters: Thrissur, Kerala. 

Byju’s named as official sponsor of FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar

BYJU'S, an Indian ed-tech firm has become an official sponsor for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The event will be organised from November 21 to December 18 in Qatar.

BYJU'S is now become the first Indian ed-tech firm to be associated with the World Cup.

BYJU'S founder and CEO - Byju Raveendran. 

Qatar Capital – Doha, currency – Riyal

FIFA Headquarters: Zurich, Switzerland. 

President: Gianni Infantino. 

2026 FIFA World Cup - United States, Mexico, Canada. 

Retired Justice Harish Chandra Mishra sworn in as Lokayukta of Delhi

Justice Harish Chandra is a retired from Jharkhand High Court. 

The oath ceremony was administered by Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal in Raj Niwas.

The post of Lokayukta was vacant since the retirement of Rewa Khetrapal in December 2020.

Tenure - 5 years

Chief Justice of Delhi High Court - Vipin Sanghi (Acting). 

Former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court Dhirubhai Naranbhai Patel appointed as a chairperson of Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal.

Para-athletes Someswara Rao Ramudri and Mohit won gold

Long jumper Someswara Rao Ramudri and javelin thrower Mohit won gold medals in their individual events at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix 2022.

Long jumper Ramudri set the record with the leap of 6.40m. 

Javelin thrower Mohit achieved an impressive 54.71m distance. 

Dharambir won silver medal in men's wheelchair discus final F51. 

In women events, Jayanti Behera claimed the silver medal in track & field. 

The Indian contingent won six medals.

Kotak Mahindra Bank, Axis Bank has acquired 7.84% stake in ONDC

Kotak Mahindra Bank and Axis Bank each has acquired 7.84% stake in Open Network Digital Commerce (ONDC) for ₹ 10 crore.

ONDC was incorporated on December 30, 2021, in India.

ONDC is an open public digital infrastructure.

This network develops and transform the Indian digital commerce ecosystem for both goods and services.

It is an initiative of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Ravindra Jadeja as new captain of Chennai Super Kings

MS Dhoni has handed over his captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja.

MS Dhoni had been the CSK captain from 2008 - March 2022.

Under the captaincy of Dhoni, CSK won 4 times – 2008, 2011, 2018, 2021. 

On 15th August, MS Dhoni has already retired from international cricket.

Recently, Jadeja regained his top spot from West Indies’ Jason Holder in the latest ICC Test rankings for all-rounders.

CSK coach - Stephen Fleming (New Zealand). 

Yogi Adityanath sworn-in as UP CM for second time

Yogi Adityanath has been sworn-in as CM of UP at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

He won election from Gorakhpur (urban) Constituency. 

BJP-led alliance won 273 of 403 seats in recent Assembly polls. 

The legislative party meeting was attended by Home Minister Amit Shah among other leaders.

Yogi Adityanath was also elected as the leader of BJP Legislature Party in UP.

Governor: Anandiben Patel

Rajya Sabha seats – 31

Lok Sabha seats – 80

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.