Latest Current Affairs For Thursday 28th April, 2022

Former Meghalaya CM Rymbai dies

The former chief minister of Meghalaya James Dringwell Rymbai died at 88.

He had entered into electoral politics in 1982 and contested elections to the legislative assembly from the Jirang constituency successfully.

He was elected the speaker of the Meghalaya Assembly in 1993 and became the CM in 2006 till March 2007.

The State government has declared a three-day state mourning as a mark of respect for James Dringwell Rymbai.

Former women's hockey team captain Elvera Britto dies

Former Indian women's hockey team captain, Elvera Britto has passed away at 81 due to old-age-related problems.

Elvera led Karnataka's domestic team to win seven national titles. She ruled the domestic circuit from 1960 to 1967.

She also represented India against Japan, Sri Lanka, and Australia.

She is the second women hockey player to be conferred with the Arjuna Award(1965) after Anne Lumsden.

World Bank provides USD 600 million in financial assistance to Sri Lanka

The World Bank will provide financial assistance to Sri Lanka of USD 600 dollars to meet the payment requirements for essential imports.

Sri Lanka has also talked with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for financial assistance, but the country needs 3 to 4 billion dollars in bridge financing to help meet its essential expenses.

India has helped Sri Lanka by assisting with USD 1.9 billion.

Sri Lanka President: Gotabaya Rajapaksa; Prime minister: Mahinda Rajapaksa

I&B Ministry & Netflix launch videos on women changemakers

Netflix joins hands with the I&B ministry to launch some short films on women changemakers named 'Azadi Ki Amrit Kahaniya'.

The videos are narrated by actor Neena Gupta and produced by Netflix.

It would be shared on social media and broadcast on Doordarshan.

Aims: To bring out inspiring stories of Indians which empower more people to achieve their goals. 

I&B Minister: Anurag Thakur;

I&B secretary: Apurva Chandra

Netflix CEO: Ted Sarandos

Airtel Payments Bank offers FD Facility with IndusInd Bank

Airtel Payments Bank has partnered with IndusInd Bank to offer fixed deposit (FD) facilities to its customers.

A customer can open FD of Rs 500 up to Rs 190,000 on the Airtel Thanks app.

With this partnership, customers of Airtel Payments Bank savings account will get an interest rate of up to 6.5 %p.a. and senior citizens will get an additional 0.5% on all fixed deposits.

Customers can book multiple FDs for a fixed duration of either 1, 2 or 3 years.

SBI Cards partnership with TCS to boost digital transformation

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has expanded its strategic partnership with SBI Cards to power digital transformation.

TCS had helped the SBI cards to transform its core cards sourcing platform and digitized a significant portion of the process.

TCS will digitalize and transform the online onboarding processes to enable a faster turnaround and frictionless experience.

SBI Card CEO: Rama Mohan Rao Amara; TCS CEO CEO: Rajesh Gopinathan

NITI Aayog organises National Workshop on Innovative Agriculture

NITI Aayog has organized a National Level Workshop on Innovative Agriculture under the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations in New Delhi.

The first session was chaired by Dr. Ravi Kumar (Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog).

Yogi Adityanath (CM of Uttar Pradesh), CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan (MP), CM Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy (Andhra Pradesh), and CM Pushkar Singh Dhami (Uttarakhand) have joined the first technical session of the workshop virtually.

India spends third highest in the world on military

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India's military expenditure is the third highest in the world behind the US and China.

Top Five: The United States, China, India, the United Kingdom, and Russia

Military spending in India is amounting to $76.6 billion in 2021 which grew by 0.9% from 2020.

Russia has also increased its military expenditure for the third consecutive year.

SIPRI Headquarters: Solna, Sweden

Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 amended to promote Make in India

To promote Make in India initiative in defence the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 has been amended based on the approvals accorded by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC).

Import of defence equipment has to be undertaken with specific approval of DAC/Raksha Mantri.

The defence ministry also cut the waiting time for projects under the iDEX framework.

The timelines in the Make-II procedure will be reduced to 101-109 weeks from 122-180 weeks.

Structural biologist Vijayan passes away

Molecular biophysicist and structural biologist professor Mamannamana Vijayan passed away at 80 in Bengaluru.

He was a former president of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) from 2008 to 2010.

He has been honoured with SS Bhatnagar Award, Ranbaxy Award, OP Bhasin Award, and also the first GN Ramachandran Medal by Indian Science Congress Association and was also awarded Padma Shri in 2004.

Autobiography: A Life among Men, Women and Molecules

Himachal Pradesh govt signs MoU for development of seven ropeway projects

Himachal Pradesh government has signed an MoU for the development of seven ropeway projects in Kangra, Kullu, Chamba, Sirmour and Bilaspur districts.

The MoU was signed between Ropeways and Rapid Transport System Development Corporation (RTDC) HP Limited and National Highways Logistic Management Limited (NHLML).

The MoU was signed in the presence of road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari and chief minister Jai Ram Thakur in New Delhi.

AP Abdullahkutty elected as chairperson of Haj Committee of India

A P Abdullahkutty has been elected as the chairperson of the Haj Committee of India. He is the national vice president of the BJP and a former Member of Parliament.

The committee also includes two women named Munnawari Begum from Tamil Nadu and Mafuja Khatun from West Bengal who have been selected as its vice-chairpersons.

The Haj pilgrimage in India is conducted by the Ministry of Minority Affairs (nodal ministry).

Khelo India Youth Games 2021 to be held from 4th June in Haryana

Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur have announced the official dates (from 4th to 13th June 2022) of the Khelo India Youth Games 2021 in a virtual interaction with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal.

The mascot and logo of the Khelo India Youth Games will be launched on the 8th of May in Panchkula, Haryana.

The games will be held in Shahbad, Ambala, Chandigarh and Delhi apart from Panchkula. 

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.