Current Affairs February 19th 2022| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

R.K Singh chairs Parliamentary Consultative Committee Meeting in New Delhi:

• Power Minister R.K Singh chaired the Parliamentary Consultative Committee Meeting of his ministry on the topic “Dues of GENCOs and required financial discipline in DISCOM and States” in New Delhi.
• with a total installed generation capacity of 394 GigaWatt including renewable energy capacity of 104 GigaWatt, our country has transformed from a Power deficit to a Power surplus country.
• An adequate transmission network has been created with an enhanced inter-regional transfer capacity of over 1 Lakh MegaWatt and connecting the entire country into one integrated grid running on one frequence

MEA to celebrate ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ Iconic Week from 21st to 27th Feb:

• External Affairs Ministry is celebrating its Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Iconic Week from the 21st to 27th of February
• Arindam Bagchi, the celebrations will include a series of commemorative events and activities in New Delhi and other cities across the country.
• Ministry’s Branch Secretariats, Indian Council for Cultural Relations and its regional offices, and regional passport offices would be organizing several events across the country.

Govt approves continuation of Capacity Development Scheme till March 2026:

• Government has approved the continuation of the Capacity Development (CD) Scheme till 31st of March, 2026.
• Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, has approved the outlay for the continuation of the Scheme during 15th Finance Commission cycle is 3 thousand 179 crore rupees.
• The Capacity Development Scheme is an Ongoing Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry with an overall objective to augment infrastructural, technical as well as manpower resources for enabling availability of credible and timely official statistics.
• The Scheme encompasses all statistical and data management activities of the Ministry and plays a crucial role in generation and maintenance of official statistical system of the country.
• The large-scale sample surveys undertaken by the Ministry cover important aspects of the economy and provide data inputs for policy framing of the Government.

Ministry of New & Renewable Energy organizes “Women in Renewable Energy: Call for Action” under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav:

• The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) observed the second day of its programme “New Frontiers: A Programme on Renewable Energy to celebrate Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• The Ministry organized an online session on “Women in Renewable Energy: Call for Action” to acknowledge the role of women entrepreneurs and leaders in the Renewable Energy Space.
• The session was attended by more than 200 participants including Padma Shree Awardee, Mr. Bunker Roy, officials of the Government of India, CEOs, CMDs, and representatives of NGOs, industries, banking institutions and, representatives from international organisations.
• MNRE recognised the role and importance of women’s participation in Renewable Energy and committed to formulation of a scheme for DRE applications, grater engagement with Ministry of Women and Child Development and addressing women’s issues in industry consultations.

Nitin Gadkari inaugurates 51 National Highway Projects with an investment of Rs. 21,559 Crore in Vijaywada:

• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari has inaugurated and laid Foundation Stone of 51 National Highway Projects of total length 1380 Km with an investment of 21,559 Crore in Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh.
• The 4-lane road to Visakhapatnam and Kakinada ports of Andhra Pradesh will play a crucial role in improving logistics.
• The construction of Benz Circle flyover will help decongest the city of Vijayawada

NCB organises Darkathon -2022:

• Narcotics Control Bureau, NCB, is organising in New Delhi, the Darkathon -2022 to find solutions to counter drug trafficking through darknet across the globe.
• The initiative aims at involving students, youth and technical experts to find effective solutions to unravel the anonymity of darknet markets
• This hackathon is a continuation of the Vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who recognised the financial challenges being posed by drug trafficking during a comprehensive review of NCB and directed to find solutions to this menace.
• This hackathon is being organised in three phases started on feb 15 and concluding on 22nd April.
• The grand finale is scheduled on 22nd April followed by an award ceremony.

LAHDC, Leh launches Kunsnyom scheme for differently abled persons:

• Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh has launched Kunsnyoms scheme for differently-abled persons.
• Kunsnyoms is “Equal for All, Fair for All” and aims inclusive and accessible Ladakh.
• Under this, Leh Hill council is providing assistive devices, technologies to needy people at 90 percent subsidy.
• Under the scheme, 28 tri-scooters, battery-run wheelchair, walking aids and other aids required for special needs of the individuals has been distributed.
• Launching the new scheme, LAHDC Leh Chief Executive Councillor and Chairman, Mr Tashi Gyalson and his executive councillors have handed over 28 tri scooters, battery-run wheelchairs, walking aids and other aids required for the special needs of the individuals.

FAITH releases India tourism vision document envisaging goals and benchmarks for tourism till 2035:

• Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH) has released the FAITH 2035 vision document containing goals and an execution path for making Indian tourism preferred and loved by the world by the year 2035.
• FAITH 2035 vision document lays down ‘action goals’ in multiples of 75 referencing all indicators to the 75th year of independence.
• Nakul Anand is the chairman of FAITH.
• FAITH is the policy federation of all the national associations representing the complete tourism, travel and hospitality industry of India.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Bangladesh-US Air forces to conduct joint air exercise – Cope South 22

• The air forces of Bangladesh and the US will conduct a joint air exercise named Cope South 22 from Feb 20-25, 2022 sponsored by Pacific Air Forces (PACAF).
• The bilateral exercise will be held at Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) Kurmitola Cantonment, Dhaka; and Operating Location-Alpha, Sylhet, Bangladesh.

Aim of the exercise :

• To improve interoperability with the Bangladesh air force and to support the armed forces of Bangladesh’s long-term modernization efforts in order to maintain regional stability.

About the exercise :

• During the exercise flight operations like aircraft generation and recovery, daytime low-level navigation, tactical airdrop, and air-land missions will be conducted.
• Subject-matter expert exchanges in the operations, maintenance and rigging career fields will also take place during this period.
• Approximately 77 US Airmen along with two US Air Force C-130J Super Hercules from the 36th Airlift Squadron (AS) will join approximately 300 Bangladesh armed forces members and 2 Bangladeshi C-130Js for the exercise.

About Bangladesh :

• President: Abdul Hamid
• Prime minister: Sheikh Hasina
• Capital: Dhaka
• Currency: Bangladeshi taka

About United States :

• President: Joe Biden
• Capital: Washington, D.C.
• Currency: United States Dollar

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

Delhi Police becomes first security force in India to introduce ‘Smart Card Arms License’       

• The Delhi Police has become the first police force in the country to introduce ‘Smart Card Arms License to provide techno friendly digital services to the citizens of Delhi.
• On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Delhi Police, Union Home Minister Amit Shah formally launched the smart card and Shastra App.
• The Delhi Police Licensing unit has decided to replace the existing bulky arms license booklet with a ‘Smart Card Arms License’.
• The smart card and the Shastra App have been designed and developed in coordination with National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

About Shastra App :

• The app helps beat officers in identifying the credentials of arms license holders during day-to-day random checking.
• It also facilitates dynamic and real time checking of the licenses at fixed and mobile pickets, airports, border check posts, clubs/hotels /discotheques, social gatherings/marriage functions etc.

About Smart Card Arms License :

• Smart card arms license has also been integrated with e-beat book through mobile application ‘Shastra App’ for effective policing.
• It will initially be issued to the licensees at the time of availing various services.
• The smart card, with inherent security features, is easy to carry and handle.
• It will be printed in-house after verification of data of the arms license holders.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

NITI Aayog Fintech month began on February 7, 2022; Theme- “OPEN”                                         

• NITI Aayog in coordination with PhonePe, has started the Fintech Open Month from February 07, 2022 .
• It’s a three-week-long virtual summit organized from February 7–28, 2022.
• The Fintech Open month is a first-of-its-kind initiative bringing together regulators, Fintech professionals and enthusiasts, industry leaders, the start-up community, and developers on a common platform to collaborate, exchange ideas, and innovate.
• Theme of the FinTech Month : OPEN’.

Three key objectives :

• Encourage an OPEN ecosystem across the FinTech industry
• Foster co-innovation and growth
• Ensure financial inclusion and leverage new models like Account Aggregator to unleash the next wave of fintech innovation.
• Week One of the Fintech month included in-depth conversations, deep dives, and panel discussions highlighting innovation, opinions, and diverse perspectives from industry leaders.

About NITI Aayog :

• Formed: 1 January 2015
• Headquarters : New Delhi
• Chairperson : Narendra Modi
• Vice Chairperson : Rajiv Kumar

Twitter partners with Paytm to boost ‘Tips’ feature in India

• Twitter has partnered with Paytm Payments Services Limited, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paytm, India’s digital payments and financial services platform, to improve the support for its ‘Tips’ feature in India.
• Through Tips, users can support their favourite creators or small business owners on Twitter by using any Paytm Payment Instrument like Paytm UPI, Paytm Wallet, Paytm Postpaid (buy-now-pay-later), debit and credit cards, and netbanking.
• Since November 2021, Tips is available to all individuals above 18 years of age on iOS and Android in India.
• It will support the creator community with monetization capabilities through payment solutions offered by Paytm Payment Gateway and the flexibility of paying through Paytm UPI, Paytm Wallet, Paytm Postpaid (buy-now-pay-later), debit and credit cards, and netbanking.
• Tips on Twitter are available in multiple Indian languages including Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil.

About Twitter :

• CEO: Parag Agrawal
• Chairman : Bret Taylor
• Founded: 21 March 2006
• Headquarters: San Francisco, California, United States

NPCI International & Gateway Payment Service, and Manam Infotech join hands to deploy UPI solution in Nepal

• NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), the International arm of National Payments Corporation of India has joined hands with Gateway Payments Service Pvt Ltd, authorized Payment System Operators in Nepal, and Manam Infotech Private Limited to deploy Unified Payments Interface(UPI) in Nepal.

Objective :

• The firm intends to deploy UPI in Nepal for the larger “Digital Public Good” and to bolster interoperable real-time Person to person (P2P) and Merchant payment transactions (P2M).
• UPI is amongst the most successful real-time payments (RTP) systems globally, providing – simplicity, safety, and security in person to person (P2P) and person to merchant (P2M) transactions in India.
• In 2021, UPI enabled 39 Billion financial transactions amounting to commerce worth USD 940 Billion, which is equivalent to approximately 31% of India’s GDP.
• UPI’s real-time payment infrastructure will help catalyze the process of financial inclusion in Nepal and will also create more opportunities for businesses.
• It will help modernize Nepal’s digital payment infrastructure and bring the convenience of digital payments to citizens of Nepal.

Note :

• Nepal shall be the first country outside of India to adopt UPI as the payments platform driving the digitalization of cash transactions.
• NIPL CEO : Ritesh Shukla

About National Payments Corporation of India :

• Founded : 2008
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• MD & CEO : Dilip Asbe

About GPS :

• Rajesh Prasad Manandhar
• Gateway Payments Service Pvt Ltd is an authorized Payment System Operators in Nepal.

About Manam Infotech :

1.   Co-Founder & Director : Naga Babu Ramineni

2.   Manam Infotech is a leading Financial Services Technology platform powering dynamic, cloud-based innovation in digital financial services.

IndusInd Bank to facilitate digital transactions on e-NAM

• IndusInd Bank has been empanelled by the Small Farmers Agri–Business Consortium (SFAC) to facilitate digital collection and settlement services on the National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) portal for transactions between farmers and traders across the country.
• IndusInd Bank has been directly integrated with e-NAM platform to provide safe and hassle-free payments, clearing, and settlement services to the farmers and traders
• Under this agreement, the bank would provide a variety of financial services to the buyer and seller of agricultural goods using digital modes such as multi-net banking, debit card, NEFT, RTGS, IMPS, and UPI.
• As of January 2022, there are over 7 crore farmers and more than 1.8 lakh traders who are registered on eNAM and have benefitted from the digital marketplace.
• The total value of agri-produce traded on eNAM is about ₹72 lakh crore.

About IndusInd Bank :

• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• MD & CEO: Sumant Kathpalia
• Founder: S. P. Hinduja
• Founded: April 1994

About e-NAM :

• Founded: 14 April 2016
• Union Agriculture Minister : Narendra Singh Tomar
• National Agriculture Market or eNAM is an online trading platform for agricultural commodities in India.
• The market facilitates farmers, traders and buyers with online trading in commodities

About SFAC :

• Managing Director : Neelkamal Darbari
• Located at : New Delhi
• SFAC was established in 1994 under Societies Registration Act, 1860.
• It is an autonomous society promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India.
• SFAC is an exclusive society focused on increasing incomes of small and marginal farmers through aggregation and development of agribusiness.
• It is progressing towards establishing an ecosystem for FPOs/FPCs to make them sustainable and viable in the long run.
• It is also implementing the National Agriculture Market Electronic Trading (e-Nam) platform.

Kotak Mahindra bank ties up with Ezetap for integrated PoS solutions

• Kotak Mahindra Bank has tied up with Ezetap to provide integrated Point of Sale (PoS) solutions across 4,000 locations in India.
• The initiative will strengthen the bank’s presence in the digital payments market space.
• The partnership will enable KMBL to scale up its PoS product base across merchant segments, including retail enterprises and government customers, which service lakhs of customers on a daily basis.
• Through this association, Ezetap”s integrated and customised Point of Sale (PoS) solutions will benefit scores of KMBL’s merchants in retail business spread across the country.
• It will give retail customers a way to pay through cards and digital modes across all touchpoints in the purchase journey whether at the counter in-store or paying on delivery.

About Kotak Mahindra bank :

• Founded: February 2003
• Founder & CEO: Uday Kotak
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Tagline: Let’s make money simple

SEBI : Separation of roles of Chairperson and MD made voluntary

• On Feb 15, 2022, The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) changed the requirements for listed companies to separate roles of chairperson and managing director (MD) or chief executive officer (CEO) to ‘voluntary’ from ‘mandatory’.
• Earlier the market regulator had asked the top 500 listed companies to split the role of chairperson and MD or CEO before April 2022.
• In 2017, SEBI had set up a committee under Kotak Mahindra Bank’s chief executive Uday Kotak to study corporate governance norms for the listed companies.

Objective :

• To provide a better and more balanced governance structure by enabling more effective supervision of the management.

About SEBI :

• Founded: 12 April 1992
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairperson : Ajay Tyagi
• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is the regulatory body for securities and commodity markets in India under the ownership of the Ministry of Finance , Government of India.

Fisdom partners with Bank of Maharashtra to offer wealth management services

• Fisdom, a wealth-tech company, has joined hands with Bank of Maharashtra (BoM), to offer wealth management products and services to over 29 million customers of the bank.

About the Partnership :

• To distribute the wealth products and services through the bank”s network of more than 2,000 branches and its digital platforms, including the mobile banking app and internet banking.
• Fisdom”s diverse wealth management offerings will enable customers of Bank of Maharashtra to invest into mutual funds – through Bank of Maharashtra”s Mobile Banking App Maha Mobile and Internet Banking facility.
• Customers will be able to view all the details pertinent to funds in order to make well-informed decisions and also can track the performances of mutual funds real-time.
• Fisdom is also planning to expand its product suite and add multiple features to provide a seamless investment experience to the customers.
• Fisdom offers a one stop platform for investing in multiple products including mutual funds, direct equity, pension funds, HNI wealth products, etc to its customers.

About BoM :

• Founded: 16 September 1935
• Headquarters: Pune, Maharashtra
• CEO: A. S. Rajeev

Canara HSBC OBC Life Insurance launches Flexi Edge 

• Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance has launched its new insurance plan Flexi Edge, a non-linked participating individual savings life insurance plan that enables the customers with the ability to prioritize their long-term savings.
• Flexi Edge addresses the growing needs of customers starting from savings to income and unplanned or recurring expenses; along with providing life cover to the policyholder in the unfortunate event of the death.
• The plan offers customers the flexibility to choose from three options depending on their individualistic requirements:

Flexi Savings

• It is a basic savings structure to serve various needs of the customer and offers lump sum benefits equal to 100% of sum assured, loyalty additions and accrued bonuses at end of the policy term.
• Once the insurance plan is coupled with Premium Protection Benefit, it becomes an ideal investment to take care of child’s education & other needs even in absence of parents.

Flexi Income :

• It is the income variant of the plan to help take care of income needs and increasing expenses of the policyholder.
• The policy offers a lump sum benefit equal to 50% of the sum assured at the end of premium payment term in addition to guaranteed income & cash bonus every year post completion of premium payment term till end of policy term.
• The policyholder is further entitled to lump sum benefits equal to 100% of sum assured and accrued bonuses at end of the policy term.

Flexi Care :

• It is a whole life plan meant to take care of finances during the golden years of one’s life.
• The plan offers cash bonus every year from end of the 2nd policy year till end of the policy term (100-age at entry) along with lump sum benefits equal to accrued guaranteed additions at Milestone Age.
• Additionally, the policyholder will receive a lump sum benefit equal to 100% of Sum Assured and bonuses at the end of the Policy Term.

The Flexi Edge plan will provide policyholders with benefits like:

• Premium Protection Benefit – Waiver of future premiums on death of the Life Assured
• Deferred Survival Benefit Facility – A unique deferred survival benefit facility allows the customer to deposit the survival benefits with the company under Flexi Income and Flexi Care plan option.

About Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance Company :

• Founded: 16 June 2008
• Chairman : L.V. Prabhakar
• MD & CEO : Anuj Mathur
• Headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana
• It is a joint venture between Canara Bank (51%), HSBC Insurance (Asia Pacific) Holdings Limited (26%) and Punjab National Bank (23%).

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

G Ashok Kumar appointed as India’s first National Maritime Security Coordinator

• Former Navy vice chief G Ashok Kumar has been appointed as the first National Maritime Security Coordinator (NMSC) in the National Security Council Secretariat.
• The Cabinet Committee on Security had cleared the proposal for the creation of the post in 2021.
• The appointment is a part of the country’s attempt to bolster its maritime security following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.
• The significant move comes with a mandate to ensure cohesion among various key stakeholders with an overall objective to secure the country.

About G Ashok Kumar :

• G Ashok Kumar is an alumnus of Sainik School, Amravathi Nagar and National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla, Pune.
• He was commissioned into the executive branch of the Indian Navy on July 1, 1982.
• He is a Flag Officer in the Indian Navy retired on 31 July 2021 after 39 years of service.
• He works within the National Security Council Secretariat under the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
• He served as the 35th Vice Chief of the Naval Staff.
• Awards & Honors :
• Kumar has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and the Vishisht Seva Medal.

About NMSC :

• The NMSC works in coordination with the National Security Council Secretariat headed by NSA Ajit Doval.
• NMSC is tasked to coordinate among the Indian Navy, the Coast Guard, security agencies involved in coastal and maritime security and 13 coastal states and Union Territories.
• The government has taken a string of security measures including putting in place layered maritime surveillance to bolster coastal and maritime security. India has a coastline of around 7,500-kilometers.

About 26/11 Mumbai terror attack :

• On November 26, 2008, 10 Pakistani terrorists sneaked into Mumbai through the sea.
• Over 166 people, including foreigners, were killed in the nearly 60-hour assault that sent shock waves across the country and even brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : AWARDS & HONORS

South Indian Bank receives 6 IBA awards, including Best Technology Bank of the Year                            

• The Kerala-headquartered South Indian Bank has bagged six awards, including ‘Best Technology Bank of the Year’ at the 17th edition of the annual IBA Banking Technology Awards.
• The IBA Awards celebrating “Next Gen Banking” has recognized technologies and practices in the banking industry that have demonstrated a high degree of innovation over 2021.
• South Indian Bank has secured 6 out of 7 coveted awards in the categories such as:
• Winner – Best Technology Bank of the Year (Small Banks)
• Winner – Best IT Risk Management and Cyber Security Initiatives (Small Banks); Winner – Best Fintech Collaboration (Small Banks)
• Joint winner – Best Use of AI/ML and Data Analytics (Small Banks)
• Runner Up – Best Cloud Adoption (Small Banks)
• Joint Runner Up – Best Payments Initiatives (among all private banks).
• Karur Vysya Bank Ltd. has won three IT awards from the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) in the small banks category for the best deployment of technologies.
• Winner – Best cloud adoption,
• Joint winner – Best use of AI/ML & data analytics,
• Joint runner up – the best IT risk and cybersecurity initiatives.
• Karnataka Bank has won the awards under the following categories namely
• Best Technology Bank of the Year
• Best Fintech Adoption,
• Best Use of AI/ML & Data Analytics – all Runner Ups.

About South Indian Bank :

• Founded: 29 January 1929
• Headquarters: Thrissur, Kerala
• Chairman : Salim Gangadharan
• CEO: Murali Ramakrishnan

About IBA :

• Founded: 26 September 1946
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• CEO: Sunil Mehta

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

WPI inflation eases to 12.96% in Jan from 13.56% in January:

• Wholesale price index (WPI)-based inflation rate decelerated to 12.96 per cent in January from 13.56 per cent in January
• During January, while inflation for manufactured items eased to 9.42 per cent, food inflation rate accelerated to double digits at 10.33 per cent mostly due to an unfavourable base.
• Fuel inflation rate marginally eased to 32.27 per cent in January from 32.3 per cent in December.
• The decline in inflation rate for manufactured products was led by products including food, beverages, tobacco, textiles, wood, paper, chemicals, rubber, cement, basic metals, steel among others.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : MOU & AGREEMENTS

SIDBI signs MoU with Bihar govt to promote MSME sector

• The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has signed two Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) with the Government of Bihar to promote the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector in Bihar.
• The agreement was signed between SIDBI and the Industries Department, Government of Bihar, and the Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA) to develop the MSME ecosystem in Bihar.

About the MoU :

• The first MoU was exchanged by Shri Manish Sinha, General Manager, SIDBI and Shri Pankaj Dixit, IAS Director (Technical Development), GoB. Second MoU was exchanged by Shri Manish Sinha, General Manager, SIDBI and Shri Bhogendra Lal, ED (H.Q.), BIADA.
• Under the first MoU with the Industry Department, GoB, Project Management Units (PMU) will be deployed by SIDBI with GoB.
• The PMU will support the GoB in making necessary interventions for focused engagement of SIDBI with the State of Bihar with the objective of facilitating development of the MSME ecosystem.
• Under the second MoU, SIDBI shall be working in close coordination with BIADA to benefit MSMEs who want to set up any industrial unit on the land/plot allotted by BIADA so as to promote industrialization in the State of Bihar.

Note :

• Bihar is the 14th state of the country with which SIDBI has tied up and it will play an important role in strengthening the MSMEs.
• As per the 2020-21 annual report of the MSME Ministry, Bihar had the sixth-highest number of MSMEs in the country.

About SIDBI :

• Founded: 2 April 1990
• Headquarters: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
• Chairman & MD : Sivasubramanian Ramann
• Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) is the apex regulatory body for overall licensing and regulation of micro, small and medium enterprise finance companies in India.
• It is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance , Government of India.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

UNDP launches new Digital Strategy towards achieving SDGs

• The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched a new Digital Strategy 2022-2025 to accelerate work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Objective :

• To support countries and communities to use digital technology as a lever to help drive down inequality, support inclusivity, tackle climate change, and open-up economic opportunities.
• Digitalization will help UNDP meet its ambitious goals includes,
• Supporting 100 million people to escape poverty and assisting 500 million people to gain access to clean energy.
• Digital technology can advance democracy and human rights by boosting civic engagement and political participation, for instance.
• Artificial intelligence and digital technology could bring a 10-20% reduction in global carbon dioxide emissions by 2030.
• UNDP assisted 82 countries to adopt over 580 digital solutions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• It will assist countries in reaping the benefits of digital technology with a three-pronged approach:
• UNDP will amplify development outcomes by embedding digital into its work; experimenting with new approaches and tools, scaling promising solutions, and applying foresight to understand possible futures.
• It will support societies in their efforts to create more inclusive and resilient digital ecosystems, ensuring they are rights-based and leave no one behind.
• UNDP will continue to transform and lead by example to meet current and future technological needs. That means prompting #FutureSmartUNDP personnel to continue upgrading their digital skills and using data strategically – helping to future-proof the organization.

About UNDP :

• Founded: 22 November 1965
• Headquarters: New York, United States
• Head : Achim Steiner
• Parent organization: United Nations General Assembly

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

Haryana Men’s Team & Kerala Women’s Team wins Senior National Volleyball Championship 2021-22:

• Haryana defeated the Indian Railway 3-0, to win the Men’s title in Senior National Volleyball Championship 2021-22.
• Similarly, in women’s category, Kerala defeated the Indian Railway 3-1, to lift the trophy.
• The 70th Senior National Volleyball (Men & Women) Championship 2021-22 was held at the Biju Patnaik Indoor Stadium, KIIT Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar.
• The 70th Senior National Volleyball (Men & Women) Championship 2021-22 was held between 07 February and 13th February 2022.
• Achyuta Samanta, Founder of KIIT (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology) & KISS (Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences) attended the event and handed over the trophies to the winners.

Chelsea beat Palmeiras to win 2021 FIFA Club World Cup Champions:

• Chelsea wins 2021 FIFA Club World Cup Champions, beats Palmeiras – English club, Chelsea has won the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup final.
• Chelsea claimed the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time.
• The final match between Chelsea and Brazilian club Palmeiras was held at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
• Kai Havertz’ nerveless 117th-minute penalty settled a gruelling Club World Cup final. The final was held at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
• Chelsea has become the 3rd English team that has won the Club World Cup.
• Prior to this after Manchester United and Liverpool won the Club World Cup.

Daily CA On Feb 19 :

• Power Minister R.K Singh chaired the Parliamentary Consultative Committee Meeting of his ministry on the topic “Dues of GENCOs and required financial discipline in DISCOM and States” in New Delhi.
• External Affairs Ministry is celebrating its Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Iconic Week from the 21st to 27th of February
• Government has approved the continuation of the Capacity Development (CD) Scheme till 31st of March, 2026.
• The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) observed the second day of its programme “New Frontiers: A Programme on Renewable Energy to celebrate Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari has inaugurated and laid Foundation Stone of 51 National Highway Projects of total length 1380 Km with an investment of 21,559 Crore in Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh.
• Narcotics Control Bureau, NCB, is organising in New Delhi, the Darkathon -2022 to find solutions to counter drug trafficking through darknet across the globe.
• Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh has launched Kunsnyoms scheme for differently-abled persons.
• Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH) has released the FAITH 2035 vision document containing goals and an execution path for making Indian tourism preferred and loved by the world by the year 2035.
• The air forces of Bangladesh and the US will conduct a joint air exercise named Cope South 22 from Feb 20-25, 2022 sponsored by Pacific Air Forces  (PACAF) & the bilateral exercise will be held at Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) Kurmitola Cantonment, Dhaka; and Operating Location-Alpha, Sylhet, Bangladesh.
• The Delhi Police has become the first police force in the country to introduce ‘Smart Card Arms License to provide techno friendly digital services to the citizens of Delhi.
• NITI Aayog in coordination with PhonePe, has started the Fintech Open Month from February 07, 2022 with the theme of  OPEN’.
• Twitter has partnered with Paytm Payments Services Limited, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paytm, India’s digital payments and financial services platform, to improve the support for its ‘Tips’ feature in India.
• NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), the International arm of National Payments Corporation of India has joined hands with Gateway Payments Service Pvt Ltd, authorized Payment System Operators in Nepal, and Manam Infotech Private Limited to deploy Unified Payments Interface(UPI) in Nepal.
• IndusInd Bank has been empanelled by the Small Farmers Agri Business Consortium (SFAC) to facilitate digital collection and settlement services on the National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) portal for transactions between farmers and traders across the country.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank has tied up with Ezetap to provide integrated Point of Sale (PoS) solutions across 4,000 locations in India.
• On Feb 15, 2022, The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) changed the requirements for listed companies to separate roles of chairperson and managing director (MD) or chief executive officer (CEO) to ‘voluntary’ from ‘mandatory’.
• Fisdom, a wealth-tech company, has joined hands with Bank of Maharashtra (BoM), to offer wealth management products and services to over 29 million customers of the bank.
• Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance has launched its new insurance plan Flexi Edge, a non-linked participating individual savings life insurance plan that enables the customers with the ability to prioritize their long-term savings.
• Former Navy vice chief G Ashok Kumar has been appointed as the first National Maritime Security Coordinator (NMSC) in the National Security Council Secretariat.
• The Kerala-headquartered South Indian Bank has bagged six awards, including ‘Best Technology Bank of the Year’ at the 17th edition of the annual IBA Banking Technology Awards.

• The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has signed two Memorandum of Understandings (MoU)  with the Government of Bihar to promote the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector in Bihar.

• Wholesale price index (WPI)-based inflation rate decelerated to 12.96 per cent in January from 13.56 per cent in January

• The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched a new Digital Strategy 2022-2025 to accelerate work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

• Haryana defeated the Indian Railway 3-0, to win the Men’s title in Senior National Volleyball Championship 2021-22.
• Chelsea wins 2021 FIFA Club World Cup Champions, beats Palmeiras English club, Chelsea has won the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup final.