Latest Current Affairs For Wednesday 17th August, 2022

Veteran BCCI administrator Amitabh Choudhary paases away

Amitabh Chaudhary, the former BCCl acting Secretary and president of Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) has passed away at 58, due to heart attack.

He served as acting Secretary of the BCCI until 2019.

He was a retired senior IPS officer, who rose to the rank of IGP with the Jharkhand Police and was the chairman of Jharkhand Public Service Commission.

He played a crucial role in developing infrastructure for Jharkhand cricket. 

1082 Police personnel awarded Police Medals

A total of 1082 Police personnel have been awarded Police Medals on the occasion of Independence Day, 2022.

347 personnel were awarded the Police Medal for Gallantry, 87 with President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service.

648 personnel were awarded the Police Medal for Meritorious Service.

109 CRPF personnel and 108 J&K Police personnel have been awarded Police Medal for Gallantry.

38 personnel received the Correctional Service Medal for Meritorious Service.

Author of ‘The Horse Whisperer,’ Nicholas Evans passes away

Nicholas Evans, who penned the bestselling novel 'The Horse Whisperer' has passed away at 72 due to heart attack.

His debut novel, 'The Horse Whisperer', published in 1995, was the bestselling novels in the United States for 1995 as determined by The New York Times.

The book was turned into a movie in 1998.

His other work includes "The Loop" (1998), "The Smoke Jumper" (2001), "The Divide" (2005) and "The Brave" (2010).

Delhi airport launches beta version of DigiYatra app for Android platform

The Delhi International Airport Limited has announced to launch with a beta version of DigiYatra app for Android platform.

Aim: To provide contactless, seamless processing of passengers at Airports.

The 'DigiYatra' is a Biometric Enabled Seamless Travel experience (BEST) based on Facial Recognition Technology.

This unique initiative of government of India, is coordinated by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Minister of Civil Aviation: Jyotiraditya Scindia

Defence forces, RBI and PM office most trusted institutions: Survey

According to a survey, conducted by Ipsos India, stated that Defence forces, RBI and Prime Minister of India are the three most trusted institutions in the country.

The Supreme Court of India came fourth, followed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Defence Forces with at least 2 in 3 (65% of respondents) reposing faith in them followed by RBI with 1 in 2 (50%).

Prime Minister of India as an institution was at the third spot with 49% citizens having trust in it.

Village Defence Guard scheme comes into force in Jammu and Kashmir

The Ministry of Home Affairs has sanctioned the approval for the creation of Village Defence Guard Scheme 2022 in Jammu and Kashmir.

This scheme has come into effect from August 15, 2022.

Earlier, this scheme was known as Village Defence Committee in which volunteers from villages were trained by Indian Army and Police.

Under this scheme, rifles were provided to VDC’s to protect their villages from terrorist attacks in mountainous areas of Jammu region.

Kolkata to host 23rd edition of India International Seafood Show in 2023

The 23rd edition of the India International Seafood Show (IISS) will be held in the Biswa Bangala Mela Prangan, Kolkata from February 15-17, 2023.

The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) has collaborated with the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) to organise the event.

This show will provide an ideal platform for interaction between Indian exporters and overseas importers of India's marine products.

MPEDA Chairman: Dr. K N Raghavan

State Bank of India launches Utsav fixed deposit scheme

The State Bank of India (SBI) has introduced a unique term deposit programme called "Utsav Deposit."

This fixed deposit scheme has higher interest rates and is only available for a limited time.

Under the Utsav Fixed Deposit Scheme, SBI is offering an interest rate of 6.10% per annum on fixed deposits with a tenure of 1000 days.

And senior citizens will be eligible to get an additional interest rate of 0.50% over and above the regular rate.

UK becomes first nation to approve Omicron vaccine

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority, UK has authorised a Covid-19 vaccine tailored to the Omicron variant, setting the stage for an autumn booster campaign using Moderna’s two-strain shot.

It has granted conditional authorisation to the vaccine, which targets both the original strain of the virus and Omicron BA.1.

This makes UK, the first country in the world to approve an original Covid-19 jab.

FIFA Suspends All India Football Federation

The global football governing body FIFA has suspended the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

Reason: Undue influence from third parties. 

Impact: The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2022, scheduled to held in India, cannot currently be held in India as planned.

The suspension will be lifted once an order to set up a committee of administrators to assume the powers of the AIFF Executive Committee has been repealed.

FIFA President: Gianni Infan tino

Ranveer Singh won 2022 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne best actor award

Ranveer Singh has won the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2022 best actor award for his movie 83.

Shefali Shah (Jalsa) has been awarded the best actress award.

Other winners IFFM 2022:

Best Film: 83

Best Director: Shoojit Sircar (Sardar Udham) and Aparna Sen (The Rapist)

Best Series: Mumbai Diaries 26/11

Best Actor in a Series: Mohit Raina (Mumbai Diaries 26/11)

Best Actress in a Series: Sakshi Tanwar (Mai)

Lifetime Achievement Award: Kapil Dev

Ayush Grid Project: MoU between Ayush Ministry & MeitY

Ministry of Ayush and Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Ayush Grid Project. As a part of MoU, MeitY will provide technical support to Ministry of Ayush to digitise Ayush Sector, for a period of 3 years.

Highlights of the MoU include;

This MoU is continuation of a MoU that was inked in 2019.

Both the ministries will continue to work in together.

MeitY will provide technical support, including adoption of emerging technologies, for the Ayush Grid project.

About Ayush Grid project:

Ayush Grid Project was launched by Ministry of Ayush in 2018 to create a backbone for IT sector.

Project was launched under Digital India Program that support ‘Information and Technology’ in transforming operational efficiency, enhancing service quality and improving delivery of service.

It will allow integration of all stakeholders and services or functions related to Ayush systems of health care.

The project seeks to bring all onboard all the facilities of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy), including laboratories and hospitals besides promoting traditional healthcare systems.

As a part of MoU, entire Ayush Sector will be digitalised, that will help in transformation of health care delivery across all levels, including research, education, drug regulations and various health programmes. Advisory inputs on Ayush Grid project will be provided by a High-Level Advisory Committee (HLAC). This committee would be chaired by Secretary of Ayush and co-chaired by Secretary of MeitY.

Nature Index 2022- Highlights

The Nature Index 2022 was recently released. Survey for the index was conducted based on research articles published in chemistry, life sciences, physical sciences and earth & environment. Rankings were provided on the basis of information secured during April 1, 2021, to march 31, 2022.

Highlights of Nature Index 2022:

In the index, University of Hyderabad has secured first position among Indian Universities while has been placed at 16th position among all institutions in academic sector.

Hyderabad was ranked first with 72 research papers and a share of 19.46 in academic sector.

Ranking of other Indian universities can be summed up as;

Rank 23rd– Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad.

Rank 26th– Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Tirupati.

Rank 54th-Amity University.

Rank 76th– National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) Hyderabad.

Rank 82nd– International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Hyderabad

Rank 92nd– Andhra University

Rank 108th– Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Kakinada

Rank 122nd– Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati (IIT) Tirupati.

University of Hyderabad:

University of Hyderabad is among major higher education institutions in country. It was set up in 1974 as a central university through an act of parliament.

The Nature Index:

This index is a database of affiliations of author and relationships of institution. It records contributions to research articles, published across 82 high-quality natural science journals. These journals are selected by an independent group of researchers. This database is compiled by Nature Research. It provides real-time proxy of high-quality research output. It is updated monthly.

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.