Latest Current Affairs For Sunday 3rd April, 2022

Chandrapur district of Maharashtra records third hottest place in the world

According to the El Dorado weather website, Chandrapur was the third hottest city in the world, with a maximum temperature of 43.2 degrees Celsius.

According to the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Nagpur was also the hottest city in Vidarbha, with a maximum temperature of 41.6 degrees Celsius, followed by Akola.

As per the El Dorado Weather, Kayes city of Mali is the hottest place on earth with 44.4 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, Segou of Mali is second in the list with 43.8 degrees Celsius whereas Chandrapur is third in the list.

World Autism Awareness Day Observed on 2nd April 2022

World Autism Awareness Day is observed annually on 2nd April by the member states of the United Nations.

The day is observed to raise awareness among its citizens about people with Autism Spectrum Disorder throughout the world. World Autism Awareness Day is organized by the UN Department of Global Communications and UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, with the support of civil society partners including the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the Global Autism Project and the Specialisterne Foundation.

The theme for ‘World Autism Awareness Day 2022’ is “Inclusive Quality Education for All”. Access to education that was made easy for years, especially for autistic persons was disrupted after 2020 with the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Important For All Exam 2022:

World Autism Organisation: 1998;

World Autism Organisation President: Dr Samira Al Saad;

World Autism Organisation Founded: Luxembourg.

International Children’s Book Day celebrates on 02 April

The International Children’s Book Day (ICBD) is organised annually on the 2nd of April since 1967, by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). IBBY is an international non-profit organization, to inspire a love of reading and to call attention to children’s books.

In 2022, Canada is hosting International Children’s Book Day with this chosen theme: “Stories are wings that help you soar every day.”

Every year, a different international section of IBBY hosts a children’s books event on or around April 2 (which is the birthday of classic children’s book author Hans Christian Andersen). The host country picks a theme and invites a well-known author and illustrator to create a message for children around the world.

Important For All Exam 2022:

International Board on Books for Young People Founder: Jella Lepman.

International Board on Books for Young People Founded: 1953, Zürich, Switzerland.

International Board on Books for Young People Headquarters: Basel, Switzerland.

Meghalaya would be hosting the 83rd National Table Tennis Championship 2022

Meghalaya is geared up to host the 83rd National Table Tennis Championship 2022, which will take place at the SAI Indoor Training Centre, NEHU in Shillong from April 18 to 25. This is the second time the Northeast has hosted the world’s largest table tennis tournament.

The State is expecting around 650 people to attend, with 450 of them being players and the rest being coaches and support personnel. He went on to say that the state is expecting a variety of officers from several states, including Haryana’s Deputy Chief Minister.

This tournament is being hosted in honour of the State’s 50th anniversary of statehood, he said, adding that the cost of hosting the tournament is projected to be 1.5 crore rupees, with a total of 10 players from the State scheduled to compete.

Centre extended foreign trade policy till Sept 30

The Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20 has been extended by six months, until September 30, 2022. The present Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20, which is effective through March 31, 2022, has been extended until September 30, 2022, according to a notification from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade.

Following the Covid-19 outbreak, the policy was first extended for a year, until the end of March 2020, and subsequently for another year, until September 30.

The strategy lays out recommendations for boosting exports to boost economic growth and create jobs, as well as incentives under various programmes like Duty-Free Import Authorisation (DFIA) and Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) (EPCG).

Tea, steel, chemical, and pharmaceutical exporters to Russia are pleading with the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to intervene, as millions of rupees are at stake.

India’s Aprajita Sharrma selected for the prestigious ITU position

An Indian official has been selected as vice-chairperson of the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) Council Standing Committee on Administration and Management, giving India a leadership position.

Ms Aprajita Sharma, an IP&TAF Service officer, has been appointed vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Administration and Management at the International Telecommunication Union’s Council sessions in Geneva from March 21 to March 31, 2022.

Aprajita will continue to serve as vice-chairperson of the Council Standing Committee in 2023 and 2024, and as chairman in 2025 and 2026.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations’ information and communication specialised organisation. The Plenipotentiary Conference and the Administrative Council manage the ITU.

Important For All Exam 2022:

International Telecommunication Union Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland;

International Telecommunication Union Founded: 17 May 1865;

International Telecommunication Union Secretary-General: Houlin Zhao.

Dr. S Raju takes charge as DG of Geological Survey of India 

Dr S Raju has taken over as the Director-General of the Geological Survey of India (GSI) with effect from April 01, 2022. He succeeds R. S. Garkhal who superannuated on March 31, 2022. Prior to this, Dr Raju was holding the post of Additional Director General and National Head, Mission-III & IV at GSI HQ.

Dr.S. Raju joined the Geological Survey of India in 1988. During the initial period of his career, he was instrumental in geological mapping of Bundelkhand Granitic Complex in Uttar Pradesh and also executed an investigation on gold mineralization and carried out a geo-environmental appraisal of Jhansi district of Bundelkhand Region, Uttar Pradesh.

With his expertise, he has also supplemented in the geology of Tamil Nadu especially, establishing the metamorphic and techtono-magmatic history of the Satyamangalam Group of rocks.

UP become India’s top vegetable producer

Uttar Pradesh has become the top producer of vegetables, getting back its first position by demoting West Bengal to the second position, with a difference of a million tonnes in production in 2021–22 Crop Year (CY) (July–June), after two years since 2020.

Vegetable production in Uttar Pradesh is expected to be 29.58 million tonnes (mt) in the 2021–22 crop year (July–June), down from 29.16 mt in 2020–21, while West Bengal output is expected to dip to 28.23 mt in 2021-22 from 30.33 mt in 2020-21.

Other top producers of vegetables as per the data in the current year 2021-22 include Madhya Pradesh at 20.59 mt, Bihar at 17.77 mt and Maharashtra at 16.78 mt.

Andhra Pradesh remains the top fruit producer. India’s horticulture output is likely to drop marginally by 0.4% to 333.25 mt in 2021–22 from the previous year (2020–21) as production of vegetables, spices, and plantation crops is set to decline.

In 2021–22, Andhra Pradesh is expected to produce 18.01 million tonnes of fruit, up from 17.7 million tonnes in 2020–21. Maharashtra is anticipated to produce 12.3 million tonnes of fruit, up from 11.74 million tonnes in 2020–21.

World’s Biggest Electric Cruise Ship made its maiden voyage in China

The largest electric cruise ship in the world has returned back to port in Yichang in central Hubei province, China after travelling up and down the Yangtze River for its maiden voyage.

This cruise ship has been powered by a 7,500-kilowatt-hour massive-sized marine battery. This battery has been provided by Contemporary Amperex Technology, the No. 1 battery manufacturer for electric cars in the world.

The developer of this ship, China Yangtze Power has plans to use this electric ship as the starting point for expanding the marine electric vehicle market in China.

The name of the ship is Yangtze River Three Gorges 1 and it is a 100 per cent electric cruise ship that has been developed and built in China. This ship is 16 meters wide and 100 meters long and has the capacity to carry around 1,300 passengers.

Important For All Exam 2022:

China Capital: Beijing;

China Currency: Renminbi;

China President: Xi Jinping.

Anurag Thakur launches logo, mascot jersey & anthem of Khelo India University Games 2021 

Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur and Governor of Karnataka, TC Gehlot launched the logo, jersey, mascot and anthem of the Khelo India University Games 2021 (KIUG 2021) on April 01, 2022, at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.

The theme song has been composed by Kannada rapper Chandan Shetty. The KIUG 2021 will be held in Karnataka between April 24 and May 3, 2022. This will be the second edition of KIUG.

The first edition was hosted by Odisha in 2020. KIUG 2021 was postponed for 2022 due to the Covid crisis. A Khelo India App for live updates on the Games has also been launched by Karnataka. Around 4500 athletes, representing 20 sports from across the country will participate in the KIUG 2021.

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.