Latest Current Affairs For Tuesday 19th April, 2022

Extreme poverty in India declined by 12.3 percent during 2011-2019

According to the World Bank report, poverty in India is 12.3% lower in 2019 as compared to 2011.

The poverty headcount rate has declined from 22.5% in 2011 to 10.2% in 2019.

Poverty depletion was higher in rural areas as compared to urban India.

Rural poverty declined by 14.7% while the urban poverty rate declined by 7.9% from 2011 to 2019.

Small landholding farmers have experienced higher income growth.

New Zealand pacer Hamish Bennett announces retirement from cricket

New Zealand pacer, Hamish Bennett has announced retirement from his 17-year-old cricket career with the 2021/22 season the last one from all forms of cricket.

Bennett has represented New Zealand in T20I against Bangladesh in Mirpur, Pakistan in September 2021.

Hamish Bennett has made his international debut in October 2010 and represented New Zealand in one Test, 19 ODIs and 11 T20Is.

PhonePe partners with Extreme IX to adopt internet exchange

PhonePe comes in a partnership internet exchange point, Extreme IX to enable faster digital payments.

This partnership helps PhonePe to decrease the latency for its users irrespective of their location or ISP in India.

PhonePe has become the first digital payments platform to participate in an Internet Exchange in India.

Executive Director of Extreme IX– Raunak Maheshwari

Phone pe CEO– Sameer Nigam; Headquarters – Bengaluru, Karnataka

Robin Uthappa as brand ambassador for Brain Health Initiative

The Karnataka government has appointed Indian Cricket Player Robin Uthappa as the brand ambassador for Brain Health Initiative which was started by the Karnataka Health Department.

The KA-BHI was launched in association with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, NITI Aayog, and the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, Karnataka.

Karnataka Governor: Thawar Chand Gehlot; Capital: Bengaluru; Chief minister: Basavaraj Bommai

World Heritage Day observed on April 18

The International Day for Monuments and Sites is observed on April 18 every year with an aim to promote culture and heritage.

ICOMOS proposed April 18 as the International Day for Monuments and Sites in 1982.

The theme for World Heritage Day 2022 is Heritage and Climate.

40 Indian sites are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

UNESCO Headquarters: Paris, France; Director-General: Audrey Azoulay

Trishakti Corps organized EX KRIPAN SHAKTI

The Trishakti Corps has organized EX KRIPAN SHAKTI at Teesta Field Firing Ranges (TFFR) near Siliguri in West Bengal.

Aim: Orchestrating and synergizing the capabilities of the Indian Army and the Central Armed Police Forces (CRPF) to fight an integrated battle.

The units of the Trishakti Corps have demonstrated their abilities to hit hard and swiftly with precision during the exercise.

The firing involved employment and weapon systems and firing of all arms.

Centre infuses ₹5,000 crores into NICL, UICL, and OICL

The government infused ₹5,000 crores in three state-run insurance companies i.e. ₹3,700 crores in NICL, ₹1,200 crores in OICL, and Rs 100 crores in UICL.

This authorised capital will be used to subscribe to the share capital of the respective public sector general insurance companies and issuance of shares to the Centre against the subscription.

The three state-owned general insurers that cover 20% market share have been unprofitable.

Legendary Odia Musician Prafulla Kar dies at 83

Legendary Odia singer and music director Prafulla Kar has passed away due to age-related ailments.

An eminent musician, singer, lyricist, writer and columnist was born on February 16, 1939 in Puri.

Awards: Padma Shri award (2015), Jayadeva award (2004).

He had also received the state film award eight times, six times in a row.

The Odisha government has announced that his funeral would be held with full State honour.

Table Tennis Player Vishwa Deenadayalan dies

Tamil Nadu table tennis player Vishwa Deenadayalan died in a road accident while travelling from Guwahati to Shillong.

He was travelling with three teammates for the 83rd Senior National and Inter-State Table Tennis Championships, which is scheduled to begin.

Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala offer his condolence on his death and announced Rs 5 lakh as compensation for his family.

All three teammates have been declared stable by the doctors.

PM Modi to begin 3-day visit to Gujarat

PM Modi has begun his three-day visit to Gujarat. He will visit the Command and Control Centre for Schools in Gandhinagar.

He will lay the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar in the presence of Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and DG of WHO Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus.

He will dedicate the Banas Community Radio Station, to provide farmers key scientific information related to agriculture and animal husbandry.

Amends FEMA rules to allow 20% FDI in LIC

The government has amended the rules of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) to open the way for up to 20% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC).

The government is also planning to dilute its stake in LIC through the Initial Public Offering (IPO).

SEBI has also given approval to the draft papers and the insurer is in the process of filing a request for a proposal with changes.

K N Vyas gets one-year extension as Atomic Energy Commission Chairman

The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet has granted one year extension to Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Kamlesh Nilkanth Vyas.

The extension in service to Vyas for a period of one year beyond May 3, 2022 or "until further orders".

This is the second extension for Vyas, he was first appointed to the post in September 2018.

Awards: The Indian Nuclear Society Outstanding Service Award 2011; The Homi Bhabha Science and Technology Award 2006, and DAE Award 2007.

Stefanos Tsitsipas won Monte-Carlo Masters

Greek tennis player, Stefanos Tsitsipas has defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina by 6-3, 7-6 (3) to retain the title of Monte-Carlo Masters. It was his eighth ATP title.

He became the sixth player to win back-to-back Monte Carlo Masters in the Open era.

He became the first repeat champion at the Monte Carlo Masters since Rafael Nadal in 2018.

In the ATP rankings, Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, and Rafael Nadal currently sit above Tsitsipas.

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.