Latest Current Affairs For Monday 30th May, 2022

Kolkata becomes first major metro to receive its biodiversity register

Kolkata has become the first major metropolitan city in India to make a detailed biodiversity register.

The 520-page long document listed 399 species of plants which include 138 trees, 126 Chinese vegetables, 33 medicinal plants and nearly 100 other plants.

The report also listed around 290 animal species, including about 70 species of butterflies, 47 (fish), 84 (birds) and 22 (mammals).

West Bengal Governor: Jagdeep Dhankhar; Chief minister: Mamata Banerjee

India, UAE sign MoU to enhance bilateral cooperation on climate action

India has signed an MoU with United Arab Emirates to establish a framework to facilitate and enhance bilateral cooperation on climate action.

Objective: To contributes towards implementing the Paris Agreement 2015.

United Arab Emirates will host COP28 in 2023.

Paris Agreement 2015:

Aims to reduce carbon emissions to restrict global temperature rise to preferably 1.5 degrees Celsius as compared to the pre-industrial area.

International Day of UN Peacekeepers: 29 May

The International Day of UN Peacekeepers is observed annually on May 29 to pay tribute to the contributions of uniformed and civilian personnel to the organisation’s work.

Theme 2022:  People Peace Progress: The Power of Partnerships

The UN Peacekeepers are also known as the Blue Helmets.

Captain Abdelrazakh Hamit Bahar of Chad has received posthumously the highest award in UN peacekeeping, the ‘Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage’.

India’s GDP growth likely to be 8.2-8.5 per cent in FY22: SBI report

According to the State Bank of India’s research report Ecowrap, the growth rate of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to be in the range of 8.2 to 8.5% in the FY22.

In the report, the projected growth for the Q4 FY22 at 2.7%.

Early trend of Q4FY22 results for corporates, in the listed space, Sectors like IT-software, auto ancillary, steel, FMCG, chemicals, and paper has better growth numbers in report.

SBI Bank Chairman: Dinesh Kumar Khara

Delhi Customs launches Project ‘NIGAH’ in Gurugram

Surjit Bhujabal (Chief Commissioner of Delhi Customs Zone) has inaugurated project ‘NIGAH’ at ICD Garhi Harsaru, Gurugram with an aim to track container by using ICTM (ICD Container Tracking Module).

This initiative will help in better visibility of the container movement inside the ICD and also help Customs to speed up the long standing containers and monitor timely clearances.

ICTM was developed in collaboration with the Custodian M/s. GRFL. 

Olympic medalist, Lovlina Borgohain elected as IBA Athletes Committee Chair

Olympics bronze medallist, Lovlina Borgohain has been elected as the  voting member and chair on the Board of Directors for the Athletes’ Committee, the International Boxing Association (IBA).

She has received the highest number of votes at the 2022 Women’s World Championships election.

Shiva Thapa was elected by the boxers that participated during the men's world championships that was held in October 2021.

IBA Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland

Jitendra Singh inaugurates India’s first ‘Lavender Festival’ in Bhaderwah

Dr. Jitendra Singh (Union Minister) has inaugurated the nation's first  Lavender Festival in Jammu’s district Bhaderwah.

Lavender cultivation has changed the destiny of farmers in Jammu and Kashmir under the government initiative of ‘Aroma Mission or Purple Revolution'.

Bhaderwah is in Doda district, is the best place for lavender cultivation in terms of land and climate.

Aroma Mission: To encourage the cultivation of aromatic crops for the production of essential oils

US becomes India's biggest trading partner in FY22

The US has replaced China to become the India's top trading partner in 2021-22, this is reflecting strong economic ties between the two countries.

The bilateral trade between two countries stood at $119.42 billion (2021-22) as against $80.51 billion in 2020-21, according to the data of the commerce ministry.

Other top trading partner: China ($115.42 billion), The UAE ($72.9 billion), Saudi Arabia ($42,85 billion), Iraq ($34.33 billion) and Singapore ($30 billion).

INS Gomati decommissioned at Naval Dockyard after 34 years

Indian Navy has decommissioned the third ship of the Godavari class guided-missile frigates, INS Gomati at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.

INS Gomati was commissioned on 16 April 1988 by the then Defence Minister, KC Pant, at Mazgaon Dock Ltd, Bombay.

During its 34 years of service, the ship participated in Operations Cactus, Parakram and Rainbow, and multinational naval exercises. 

The ship was awarded the coveted Unit Citation in 2007-08 and 2019-20.

'Triangle of Sadness' wins the Palme d’Or at 75th Cannes Film Festival

'Triangle of Sadness' directed by Ruben Ostlund has won the Palme d’Or at the 75th Cannes Film Festival for the second time.

Earlier, he had received the cinema’s most prestigious prizes for his movie 'The Square' in 2017.

Indian filmmaker Shaunak Sen has won the 'L'Oeil d'Or' award for his documentary 'All That Breathes'.

"A Night of Knowing Nothing" directed by Payal Kapadia has won the L'Oeil d'Or in 2021.

Best actor: Song Kang Ho

Best actress: Zar Amir Ebrahimi 

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.