Current Affairs April 03rd & 04th 2022| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

International Children’s Book Day- April 2

• International Children’s Book Day (ICBD) is orgainsed every year on April 2 since 1967, by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) – an international non-profit organisation.
• The day was first celebrated in 1966 and was organised by Jella Lepman, the founder of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY).
• It was designed to encourage families, teachers, and children around the world to participate in reading events in their local communities.
• In 2022, Canada is hosting International Children’s Book Day with this chosen theme: “Stories are wings that help you soar every day.”
• Every year, a different international section of IBBY hosts a children’s books event on or around April 2 (which is the birthday of classic children’s book author Hans Christian Andersen).

World Autism Awareness Day- April 2, 2022

• World Autism Awareness Day is observed on April 2, every year to make people understand and accept people with autism, foster worldwide support, and inspire people.
• It is a day that spread kindness and autism awareness.
• The theme for World Autism Awareness Day 2022 is ‘Inclusion in the Workplace’, Inclusive education is the key to the transformative promise of the Sustainable Development Goals, to ‘Leave no one behind’.
• The United Nations General Assembly designated a resolution.
• The council passed ‘World Autism Awareness Day’ on November 1, 2007, and adopted it on December 18, 2007.
• The purpose was to highlight the need to help improve the quality of life of autistic people.
• The very first World Autism Day was observed in the year 2008 on April 2.
• World Autism Day is one of only seven official health-specific UN Days.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

National Commission for Women launches Anti-Human Trafficking Cell:

• The National Commission for Women launched an Anti-Human Trafficking Cell.
• It aims to improve effectiveness in tackling cases of human trafficking, raising awareness among women and girls, capacity building and training of Anti Trafficking Units and to increase responsiveness of law enforcement agencies.
• The Cell has been set up with an aim of increasing awareness among law enforcement officials and to facilitate their capacity building.
• The Cell will conduct Gender Sensitization Trainings and Workshops in combating human trafficking for police officers and for prosecutors at regional, state and district level.
• The Commission has observed that some of the major issues faced in combating trafficking include lack of rehabilitation for victims and insensitive attitude towards trafficked survivors and their families.
• Therefore, the Cell will improve monitoring mechanism and encourage government agencies regarding measures being adopted for prevention of trafficking and rehabilitation of victims.

IFFCO developed nanotechnology-based Nano Urea (Liquid) fertilizer:

• The Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Bhagwanth Khuba has informed the Lok Sabha that IFFCO has developed nanotechnology-based Nano Urea (Liquid) fertilizer.
• It has been provisionally based on the preliminary experimental trials undertaken in several ICAR research institutes and state agricultural universities.
• Nano-urea spray on different crops gave comparable yields to those obtained under fully recommended doses of fertilizers with 50 percent savings in top dressed urea.
• For reducing the use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture, Centre has been promoting organic farming through dedicated schemes of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) and Mission Organic Value Chain Development in North East region since 2015-16.
• PKVY is implemented in all the states across the country to promote organic farming in cluster mode.

NMPB prepares draft scheme for promotion of Medicinal Plant Cultivation:

• National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) under the Ministry of Ayush has prepared a draft scheme namely “Pradhan Manti VRIKSH-AYUSH Yojana” for promotion of Medicinal Plant Cultivation, Post-harvest management and Marketing support by involving farmers and the Ayush industry.
• A token amount of Rs. 25 core was allocated under “Pradhan Mantri VRIKSH-AYUSH Yojana” for the financial Year 2021-22 at the time of Budget Estimate (BE) allocation against the projection of Rs.2,056 crore as the scheme was under consideration.
• The work proposed by the Ministry under aforesaid scheme was to cultivate of medicinal plants, establish post-harvest management units and supports market linkages within a budget of Rs. 25 crores.

Government extends foreign trade policy till September 30:

• The government has further extended the existing Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) till September 30,2022.
• FTP provides guidelines for enhancing exports to push economic growth and create jobs.
• The existing Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20 which is valid up to March 31, 2022 is extended up to September 30, 2022,” the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).
• The merchandise exports rose by by 37 per cent to USD 400.8 billion in 2021-22 until March 21 against USD 292 billion in 2020-21.
• Imports during the period stood at USD 589 billion, leaving a trade deficit of about USD 189 billion.
• Import of urea on government account is allowed through Indian Potash Ltd till March 31, 2023.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

Nabet India Partners with PNB Housing Finance Ltd for a unique employment generation program for women

• Nabet India and PNB Housing Finance Pvt Ltd joined hands to carry out a special women’s health and wellness initiative.

About the Partnership :

• Under this Partnership Nabet India is committed to promoting livelihood for women particularly in rural areas, it also promotes health and wellness to improve their quality of life.
• The sanitary napkin machines are sponsored by PNB Housing Finance’s CSR arm, Pehel Foundation.
• In this initiative, Nabet India would manufacture sanitary napkins at its own facility and make them available for working women, school/college going girls and villagers in need.

Benefits :

• Under this unique program, Nabet India would devise a livelihood scheme that would also promote health and wellness amongst rural women.
• It caters to the creation of employment for the underprivileged communities, deprived of employment opportunities
• It also helps build greater access to sanitary napkins for rural women.

About PNB Housing Finance :

• Founded: 11 November 1988
• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi
• Managing Director : Hardayal Prasad

Sebi imposes penalties worth Rs 25 lakh on 5 entities for non-genuine trades

• Capital markets regulator Sebi imposed fines totaling Rs 25 lakh on five entities for conducting non-genuine trades in the illiquid stock option segment in BSE.
• In five separate orders, the regulator imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh each on Abhishek Kumar Jain huff, Ajay Kumar Baid, Sumit Shankar Dudani, Sumer Chand Jain and Sons and Milestone Viniyog Pvt Ltd.
• The orders came after Sebi observed large-scale reversal trading in the stock options segment on BSE, which led to the creation of artificial volumes in the segment.
• By allowing such stock option trades, they violated the provisions of the PFUTP (Fraudulent and Unfair Business Practices Prohibition) regulations.

About SEBI :

• 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 ,GoI.
• It was established on 12 April 1988 and given Statutory Powers on 30 January 1992 through the SEBI Act, 1992.
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairman : Madhabi Puri Buch

ADB, HSBC tie-up to set up $100M partial guarantee programme for MFI

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and HSBC India have signed an agreement to establish a $100 million partial-guarantee programme to support more than 400,000 (0.4 million) micro-borrowers and mostly women-run microenterprises across India.
• It is ADB’s first partnership with HSBC India.
• HSBC India will expand its lending to microfinance institutions (MFIs) and non-bank finance companies, with ADB partially guaranteeing the loans.
• Under the agreement, to give impetus to the partnership, aggregated financing of an equivalent of $30 million will be disbursed to three MFIs in India by April 2022.
• The partial-guarantee arrangement will help MFIs access funding for on-lending activities as they expand operations.
• This programme will strengthen microfinance as a tool to build economic resilience, reduce gender disparities, and support economic recovery across India.
• ADB’s microfinance programme was launched in 2010 and has provided loans worth over $1.8 billion and helped mobilise & 881 million in co-financing.
• It has provided access to microloans for more than 8 million borrowers, 98% of them being women.

About ADB :

• Established : 19 December 1966
• President : Masatsugu Asakawa
• Membership : 68 countries
• Headquarters : Mandaluyong, Philippines

FinMapp gets licence from PFRDA and Irdai to sell NPS, insurance                                                     

• Financial services company FinMapp has received a licence from Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) under the National Pension Scheme (NPS).
• It has also acquired a registration certificate from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) recognizing it as a corporate agent.
• The company will launch NPS as an investment tool on its app in the coming months.
• The license will enable the company to sell insurance and NPS products to its customers as a verified seller and help expand its customer base.
• The company offers financial products ranging from mutual funds to bank deposits on its app.
• It is “a single marketplace for all financial products made available digitally by major banks, NBFCs, insurance companies, mutual fund institutions and the money market capital.

About FinMapp :

• A one-stop shop for all financial products available digitally from top banks, NbFCs, Insurance, and Mutual Fund institutions.
• Founded : 2020
• Headquarters : Gurgaon, Haryana

About PFRDA :

• Founded : 23 August 2003
• Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi
• Chairman : Supratim Bandyopadhyay
• It is the regulatory body under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance , Government of India for overall supervision and regulation of pension in India.

RBI extends timelines for banks to use lockable cassettes in ATMs by March 2023

• The Reserve Bank of India has extended the timeline for implementation of cassette swap in all ATMs by banks by one year till March 31, 2023.
• This is the second extension of the timeline that the central bank has given to banks
• The extension of deadline for implementation of cassette swap in ATMs comes following representations RBI received from various banks and Indian Banks’ Association expressing difficulties in meeting the timeline
• As per estimates, each ATM will require three sets of five cassettes one set in the ATM, one in transit and another at branch/ cash-in-transit (CIT) company (ready for loading next day).
• The cost of each cassette is in the range of ₹15,000 to ₹20,000.
• As of December-end 2021, there were 41 lakh ATMs in the country, Of these, 2.11 lakh were bank-owned ATMs and 30,000 were owned by White Label ATM Operators.

Additional Info :

• In July 2021, RBI had advised banks to consider using lockable cassettes in their ATMs which shall be swapped at the time of cash replenishment.
• It was advised to be implemented in a phased manner covering at least one third of ATMs operated by the banks every year, such that all ATMs achieve cassette swap by March 31, 2021.
• The RBI later extended the deadline to March 31, 2022.

About RBI :

• Founded: 1 April 1935
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Governor: Shaktikanta Das
• Deputy governors : Mahesh Kumar Jain, M. Rajeshwar Rao, Michael Patra and T. Rabi Shankar.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

India’s  Aprajita Sharrma appointed as VC of ITU’s Council Standing Committee on Administration and Management

• India’s Aprajita Sharrma, has been appointed as the vice-chairperson of Council Standing Committee on Administration and Management of International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
• She will remain as vice chairperson of Council Standing Committee for the years 2023 and 2024 and its chairperson  for the years 2025 and 2026.
• The decision was taken at the International Telecommunication Union at Council meetings held at Geneva from 21st March till 31st March, 2022

About Aprajita Sharrma :

• Currently, Ms Aprajita is posted as Deputy Director General (DDG), Budget and Public Enterprise Finance in the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Government of India.

About ITU :

• Founded : 17 May 1865
• Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland
• Secretary General : Houlin Zhao
• The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication.
• The ITU is governed by the Plenipotentiary Conference and the Administrative Council.
• The Plenipotentiary Conference is the supreme organ of the Union.

Role :

• To consider broad telecom policy issues to ensure that the Union’s activities, policies and strategies fully respond to today’s dynamic, rapidly changing telecommunications environment, the release said.

About Ministry of Communications :

• Cabinet Minister :Ashwini Vaishnaw
• Minister of State : Devusinh Chauhan

Dr. S. Raju to take charge as DG of Geological Survey of India (GSI)

• Dr.S. Raju, has taken over the charge of Director General (DG) of Geological Survey of India (GSI) with effect from April 01, 2022.
• He succeeds Shri R. S. Garkhal who superannuated on March 31, 2022.

About Dr. S. Raju :

• S. Raju hails from Pasuvanthanai village, near Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu.
• He was awarded doctoral degree in Geology from University of Lucknow for his outstanding contribution to the field of petrography and geochemistry of dykes of BundelkhandCraton.
• He joined the Geological Survey of India in 1988.
• He has also served as Deputy Director General of State Unit: Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, GSI Chennai from 2015 to 2018,
• He was involved in the geological mapping of the Bundelkhand Granitic Complex in Uttar Pradesh, as well as an investigation into gold mineralization and a geo-environmental appraisal of the Jhansi district of the Bundelkhand Region in Uttar Pradesh.
• Prior to DG of GSI , he was the post of Additional Director General and National Head, Mission-III & IV at GSI HQ.

About GSI :

• Founded : 4 March 1851
• Headquarters : Kolkata, West Bengal, India
• Parent Government agency : Ministry of Mines

Indian Climate Expert Arunabha Ghosh appointed to high-level expert group on net-zero emissions commitments

• UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Dr Arunabha Ghosh to his new ‘High-Level Expert Group on Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities’.
• The group will help in developing stronger and clearer standards for net-zero emissions pledges by non-State entities such as businesses, investors, cities and regions.
• Dr Ghosh will be among three Asians (and the only South Asian) serving on the expert group.
• The Group will be chaired by Catherine McKenna, former Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
• Other members of this 16-member group include former Prime Minister of Mali Mr Oumar Tatam Ly, Commissioner at the Global Commission for Economy and Climate Mr Carlos Lopes, former Chair of the California Air Resources Board Ms Mary Nichols, and former Governor of the People’s Bank of China Mr Zhou Xiaochuan.
• According to the UN, The Expert Group’s recommendations for higher ambition and environmental integrity will address four areas:

1. Current standards and definitions for setting net-zero targets;
2. Credibility criteria used to assess the objectives, measurement and reporting of netzero pledges;
3. Processes for verification and accounting of progress towards net-zero commitments and reported decarbonization plans; and
4. A roadmap to translate standards and criteria into international and national level regulations.

About Arunabha Ghosh :

• Ghosh is the CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), a climate and energy think tank.’
• He has worked in the capacity of an advisor for various governments, industries, civil society and international organisations around the world.
• In 2020, the Government of India appointed him Co-Chair of the energy, environment and climate change track for India’s Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP2020).
• In 2021, he was appointed as Co-Chair of the T20 Task Force on climate and energy for Indonesia’s G20 2022 Presidency.

Mahindra Manulife Mutual Fund appoints Anthony Heredia as MD & CEO

• Mahindra Manulife Mutual Fund, a joint venture of Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Limited (Mahindra Finance) and Manulife Investment Management (Singapore) Pvt Ltd announced the appointment of Anthony Heredia as the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Mahindra Manulife Investment Management Private Limited, effective April 1.
• Heredia will succeed Ashutosh Bishnoi, who retired on 31 March.
• He has more than 26 years of experience in the fund industry, handling various leadership roles throughout his career.

Additional Info :

• In April 2020, Mahindra Finance divested 49 per cent stake in its wholly-owned subsidiary, Mahindra Manulife Investment Management to Manulife Investment Management of Singapore to form the 51:49 joint venture.

About Mahindra Manulife Investment Management Private Limited :

• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Formerly known as Mahindra Asset Management Company Pvt. LtdMahindra Manulife is the Investment Manager of Mahindra Manulife Mutual Fund.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : MOU & AGREEMENTS

Bharat Dynamics signs MoU with Tawazun Economic Council, UAE

• Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and Tawazun Economic Council (TEC), United Arab Emirates, have exchanged Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore new business opportunities in various areas of mutual interest in the field of defence.
• The MoU was exchanged in the presence of Commodore Siddharth Mishra (Retd), CMD, BDL by P Diwakar BDL Director Technical and Zayed Saeed Zaal Hadher Almeraikhi, Chief Officer, Tawazun Economic Council, UAE at BDL, Hyderabad.
• Tawazun Economic Council (Tawazun) is the UAE defense and Security acquisition authority for the UAE armed forces and also manages the procurement and contract of the UAE armed forces, covering administrative, technical, contractual and functional aspects.
• Both BDL and TEC, will work together to identify different business opportunities and assess the viability and feasibility of jointly implementing business opportunities in the field of co-development, co-production, establishment of Joint Ventures, setting up of Maintenance, repair, refurbishment, life extension facilities, supply of military products as well as licensed production.
• The duo will also explore the export possibility of the products to reach out the global demands.
• The MoU will help in ushering new business avenues for both the companies in various areas of mutual interest.

About Bharat Dynamics :

• Founded : 1970
• Headquarters : Hyderabad
• Chairman & MD : Commodore Siddharth Mishra

About Tawazun Economic Council :

• Founded : 1992
• Headquarters : Abu Dhabi

About UAE :

• Capital: Abu Dhabi
• Currency: United Arab Emirates dirham
• President: Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

Adidas Unveils Official Al Rihla FIFA World Cup Ball for Qatar 2022:

• Sportswear giant Adidas has unveiled Al Rihla – the official match ball for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
• It is the 14th successive ball that Adidas has created for the FIFA World Cup, designed to support the game at high speed as it travels faster in flight than any other World Cup ball.
• Al Rihla translates as “the journey” in Arabic and has been inspired by the architecture, iconic boats, and the flag of Qatar.
• Al Rihla is the first ball in the 92-year history of the tournament which will directly contribute to raising funds to positively impact lives across the world, with 1 percent of the ball’s net sales going to the Common Goal movement

National weightlifting championships: Ann Mariya M T wins gold medal:

• Ann Mariya M.T. from Kerala won the women’s 87-kilogram gold medal with a national record aggregate of 231 kg on the concluding day of the National weightlifting championships at the KIIT University campus in Bhubaneswar.
• Ann Mariya lifted one kilogram less than Commonwealth Games gold medalist Purnima Pandey’s new snatch record of 104 kg and she tied with eventual third-place finisher Manpreet Kaur’s record-breaking clean and jerk effort of 128 kg.
• However, the Kerala woman totalled two kilograms more than Purnima to emerge champion.

Meghalaya all set to host 83rd National Table Tennis Championship 2022:

• Meghalaya is all set to host the 83rd National Table Tennis Championship 2022 scheduled to begin from April 18th till 25th, 2022 at SAI Indoor Training Centre, NEHU in Shillong.
• Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma while interacting with media informed that the tournament is one of the biggest sports events that the State has hosted till date among others.
• This is the second time the biggest table tennis event is being hosted in the Northeast.
• The State is expecting close to 650 participants out of which 450 will be players and rest will be coaches and support staff.
• The State is also expecting different officer bearers from different States including the Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana who is the president of the Haryana Table Tennis Association and is also responsible for this event taking place here.

Anurag Thakur launches logo, mascot jersey & anthem of Khelo India University Games 2021:

• Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur and Governor of Karnataka, TC Gehlot launched the logo, jersey, mascot and anthem of the Khelo India University Games 2021 (KIUG 2021) on April 01, 2022, at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.
• Chandan Shetty, a Kannada rapper, composed the theme song.
• Between April 24 and May 3, 2022, the KIUG 2021 will be held in Karnataka.
• KIUG will be held for the second time and Odisha hosted the first edition in 2020.
• Due to the Covid situation, KIUG 2021 was postponed until 2022.
• Karnataka has also launched the Khelo India App, which will provide live updates on the Games.
• The Khelo India University Games 2021 will include around 4500 athletes representing 20 sports from across the country.

On Daily CA April 3^rd & 4^th:

• International Children’s Book Day (ICBD) is orgainsed every year on April 2 since 1967, by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) – an international non-profit organisation.
• World Autism Awareness Day is observed on April 2, every year to make people understand and accept people with autism, foster worldwide support, and inspire people.
• The National Commission for Women launched an Anti-Human Trafficking Cell.
• The Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Bhagwanth Khuba has informed the Lok Sabha that IFFCO has developed nanotechnology-based Nano Urea (Liquid) fertilizer.
• National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) under the Ministry of Ayush has prepared a draft scheme namely “Pradhan Manti VRIKSH-AYUSH Yojana” for promotion of Medicinal Plant Cultivation, Post-harvest management and Marketing support by involving farmers and the Ayush industry.
• The government has further extended the existing Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) till September 30,2022.
• Nabet India and PNB Housing Finance Pvt Ltd joined hands to carry out a special women’s health and wellness initiative.
• Capital markets regulator Sebi imposed fines totaling Rs 25 lakh on five entities for conducting non-genuine trades in the illiquid stock option segment in BSE.
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and HSBC India have signed an agreement to establish a $100 million partial-guarantee programme to support more than 400,000 (0.4 million) micro-borrowers and mostly women-run microenterprises across India.
• Financial services company FinMapp has received a licence from Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) under the National Pension Scheme (NPS).
• The Reserve Bank of India has extended the timeline for implementation of cassette swap in all ATMs by banks by one year till March 31, 2023.
• India’s Aprajita Sharrma, has been appointed as the vice-chairperson of Council Standing Committee on Administration and Management of International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
• S. Raju, has taken over the charge of Director General (DG) of Geological Survey of India (GSI) with effect from April 01, 2022.
• UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Dr Arunabha Ghosh to his new ‘High-Level Expert Group on Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities’.
• Mahindra Manulife Mutual Fund, a joint venture of Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Limited (Mahindra Finance) and Manulife Investment Management (Singapore) Pvt Ltd announced the appointment of Anthony Heredia as the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Mahindra Manulife Investment Management Private Limited, effective April 1.
• Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and Tawazun Economic Council (TEC), United Arab Emirates, have exchanged Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore new business opportunities in various areas of mutual interest in the field of defence.
• Sportswear giant Adidas has unveiled Al Rihla – the official match ball for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
• Ann Mariya M.T. from Kerala won the women’s 87-kilogram gold medal with a national record aggregate of 231 kg on the concluding day of the National weightlifting championships at the KIIT University campus in Bhubaneswar.
• Meghalaya is all set to host the 83rd National Table Tennis Championship 2022 scheduled to begin from April 18th till 25th, 2022 at SAI Indoor Training Centre, NEHU in Shillong.
• Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur and Governor of Karnataka, TC Gehlot launched the logo, jersey, mascot and anthem of the Khelo India University Games 2021 (KIUG 2021) on April 01, 2022, at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.