Current Affairs January 08th 2022| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

CABINET APPROVALS:

• Memorandum of Understanding between India and Turkmenistan on Cooperation in the field of Disaster Management:
• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Turkmenistan on Cooperation in the field of Disaster Management.
• The MoU seeks to put in place a system, whereby both India and Turkmenistan will be benefited from the Disaster Management mechanisms of each other and it will help in strengthening the areas of preparedness, response and capacity building in the field of Disaster Management.
• India and Spain on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters:
• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the signing of Agreement between India and Spain on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters.
• The Agreement will help in making available, reliable, quick and cost-effective information and intelligence for the prevention and investigation of Customs offences and apprehending of Customs offenders.
• The Agreement would provide a legal framework for sharing of information between the Customs authorities of the two countries and help in the proper administering of Customs laws and detection and investigation of Customs offences and the facilitation of legitimate trade.
• MoU between India and Nepal for construction of bridge over Mahakali River at Dharchula (India) – Dharchula (Nepal)
• The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Nepal for construction of bridge over Mahakali River at Dharchula (India)- Dharchula (Nepal).
• With the signing of MoU, diplomatic relation between the two countries will further improve.
• India and Nepal share unique ties of friendship and cooperation characterized by an open border and deep-rooted people-to-people contacts of kinship and culture.
• Both India and Nepal have been working together on different regional forums i.e. SAARC, BIMSTEC as well as global fora.
• Intra-State Transmission System – Green Energy Corridor:
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the scheme on Green Energy Corridor (GEC) Phase-II for Intra-State Transmission System (InSTS) for addition of approximately 10,750 circuit kilometres (ckm) of transmission lines and approx.
• The scheme will facilitate grid integration and power evacuation of approximately 20 GW of Renewable Energy (RE) power projects in seven States namely, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.
• The scheme is targeted to be set up with total estimated cost of Rs. 12,031.33 crore and Central Financial Assistance (CFA) @ 33 percent of the project cost i.e. Rs. 3970.34 crore.
• The transmission systems will be created over a period of five year from Financial Year 2021-22 to 2025-26.
• The Central Financial Assistance (CFA) will help in offsetting the Intra-State transmission charges and thus keep the power costs down.
• The scheme will help in achieving the target of 450 GW installed RE capacity by 2030.

Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to organize Startup India Innovation Week:

• The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry is set to organize the Startup India Innovation Week from January 10th to 16^th, 2022.
• This week-long virtual innovation celebration aims to commemorate the 75th year of India’s independence ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and is designed to showcase the spread and depth of entrepreneurship across India.
• Startup India Innovation Week will have sessions ranging from topics such as Enhancing Market Access Opportunities, Discussions with Industry leaders, Best Practices by States, Capacity Building of Enablers, Reverse Pitching by Incubators, Technology Exhibitions, Corporate Connects and more.
• The programme is expected to bring together top policy makers, industry, academia, investors, startups, and all ecosystem enablers from across the globe.
• Stakeholders from all these segments are requested to register themselves on the portal https://www.startupindiainnovationweek.in/

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND ECONOMY

RBI cancels CoA of Muthoot Vehicle, Asset Finance, and Eko India Financial Services for non-compliance with regulatory requirements:

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the authorisation certificates of Muthoot Vehicle and Asset Finance Ltd and Eko India Financial Services Private Ltd for non-compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Both the Payment System Operators (PSOs) had authorisation for the issuance and operation of prepaid payment instruments.
• The RBI, following the cancellation of the Certificate of Authorisation (CoA), these companies cannot transact the business of issuance and operation of prepaid payment instruments.
• However, it added that customers or merchants having a valid claim, if any, on these companies as PSOs, can approach them for settlement of their claims within three years from the date of cancellation.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

NHPC Signs Promoters Agreement with Gedcol For “Development Of 500 Mw Floating Solar Projects:

• NHPC Limited, India’s premier hydropower company has signed Promoters Agreement with Green Energy Development Corporation of Odisha Ltd. (GEDCOL), a leading State PSU in the renewable energy sector in Odisha for “Development of 500 MW Floating Solar Projects on different water bodies in Odisha”.
• The agreement was signed by Shri K. Singh, CMD of NHPC and Shri Bishnupada Sethi, IAS, Chairman, OHPC & CMD, GEDCOL.
• With signing of Promoters Agreement, NHPC and GEDCOL agree to jointly establish a Company for implementation of 500 MW Floating Solar Power Projects in Odisha and other such projects in subsequent periods as may be decided by the JVC from time to time as per GoI directions.
• The equity shareholding of NHPC and GEDCOL in the proposed Joint Venture Company shall be in the proportion of 74:26.
• The Company shall have, an Authorised Share Capital of Rs. 500 Crore and the initial paid up Share Capital shall be Rs.10 Crore.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOUR

Centre announces 3rd National Water Awards 2020:

• Uttar Pradesh has been awarded first prize in the state category of 3rd National Water Awards 2020.
• This follows Rajasthan occupying the 2nd place, while Tamil Nadu secured 3rd place.
• Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has declared the winners of the National Water Awards.
• The 57 awards were announced in 11 categories including Best States, District, Panchayat and Best Industries.
• India has more than 18 percent of the world’s population, but has only four percent of the world’s renewable water resources.
• National Water Awards were instituted to recognize and encourage exemplary work and efforts made by States, Districts, individuals and organizations across the country in attaining the government’s vision of a Jal Samridh Bharat.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Center Re-Appoints Vijay Paul Sharma as Chairman of CACP               

• The Center has reappointed Vijay Paul Sharma as chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) after he resigned in May 2021 at the end of his five-year term (2016-2021).

About Vijay Paul Sharma :

• Sharma is a Professor in the Center for Management in Agriculture (CMA) at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA).
• He was Chairman, Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, for 5 years from June 2016 to May 2021.
• He played a critical role in acceding to the government’s decision of fixing the MSP at 50 per cent over the cost of production.

About CACP :

• Formed: 1 January 1965
• Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Chairperson : Naveen Prakash Singh
• It is an advisory body to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India.
• The commission was established to recommend Minimum Support Prices (MSPs).
• As of now, CACP recommends MSPs of 23 commodities:
• 7 cereals (paddy, wheat, maize, sorghum, pearl millet, barley and ragi),
• 5 pulses (gram, tur, moong, urad, lentil),
• 7 oilseeds (groundnut, rapeseed-mustard, soyabean, seasmum, sunflower, safflower, nigerseed)
• 4 commercial crops (copra, sugarcane, cotton and raw jute).

About Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare :

• Cabinet Minister : Narendra Singh Tomar
• Minister of State : Shobha Karandlaje, Kailash Choudhary
• Secretary : Sanjay Agarwal

Pankaj Sharma appointed as India’s next ambassador to Mexico   

• Pankaj Sharma, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Mexico.

About Pankaj Sharma :

• Pankaj Sharma, an Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1991 batch.
• He is presently Permanent Representative of India to the UN Conference on Disarmament, Geneva.

Note :

• Meanwhile, Dr. Anupam Ray has been appointed as the next Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, Geneva.

About Ministry of External Affairs :

• Union Minister : Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
• Minister of State : V. Muraleedharan, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Meenakshi Lekhi

About Mexico :

• Capital: Mexico City
• President: Andrés Manuel López Obrador
• Currency: Mexican peso

RBI approves re-designation of Rajiv Anand as Axis Bank Deputy MD

• The Reserve Bank of India has approved the re-designation of Rajiv Anand as the Deputy Managing Director of Axis Bank till August 3, 2022.
• In October 2021, the board of directors of the bank approved to re-designate Rajiv Anand as the Deputy Managing Director of the bank, subject to approval of the Reserve Bank of India.

About Rajiv Anand :

• Rajiv Anand was Business Standard Debt Fund Manager in 2004.
• Anand, 55, had joined Axis Bank in May 2013 from its asset management arm, Axis Asset Management Co Ltd, where he was the Managing Director & CEO.
• He was appointed as a director of Axis bank in May 2016 and thereafter as the Executive Director (Retail Banking) in August 2016.
• He is the Executive Director (Wholesale Banking) of the bank since December 2018.

About RBI :

• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata
• Repo Rate : 4.00%
• Reverse Repo Rate : 3.35%
• Bank Rate : 4.25%
• Cash reserve ratio (CRR) : 4.0%
• Statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) : 18.00%

About Axis Bank :

• MD & CEO: Amitabh Chaudhry
• Chairperson : Shri Rakesh Makhija
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Founded: 3 December 1993

CURRENT AFFAIRS :APPS & SERVICES

Himachal Pradesh CM Jai Ram Thakur launches UNNATI Portal, mobile app of HPSIDC

• Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur launched the portal UNNATI and the mobile app of HP State Industrial Development Corporation (HPSIDC).
• The chief minister also launched the website of the HPSIDC.

About UNNATI :

• The portal would give users the ability to work in collaboration with others and focus on individual projects.
• It allows real-time collaboration, & allows users to share and work on documents together from any place and any time.

About HPSIDC Website :

• The website would ensure timely project updates to the people at all levels besides helping in avoiding missing deadlines and keeping workflow tools in one place.
• Also, Thakur presented a cheque of Rs 1.54 crore as the dividend of the HPSIDC to the state government by Industries Minister Bikram Singh and Managing Director HPSIDC Rakesh Prajapati.

Note :

• Meanwhile, an MoU was signed between HPSIDC and Steel Authority of India in the presence of the Chief Minister regarding the supply of steel requirements of the corporation within the state except in the event when the Corporation opts to procure from alternate sources owing to unavailability of material.

About HP :

• Capitals: Shimla (Summer), Dharamshala (Winter)
• Chief minister: Jai Ram Thakur
• Governor : Rajendra Arlekar
• National Park : Great Himalayan National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries :Bandli Sanctuary, Daranghati Wildlife Sanctuary, Kalatop Wildlife Sanctuary, Kanwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Khokhan Wildlife Sanctuary, Chail Wildlife Sanctuary, Churdhar Wildlife Sanctuary, Dhauladhar Wildlife Sanctuary, Shimla Water Catchment Wildlife Sanctuary, Manali Wildlife Sanctuary, Kais Wildlife Sanctuary, Kugti Wildlife Sanctuary

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Reliance Retail picks 25.8% stake in Dunzo for $200 million

• Reliance Retail has bought a 25.8 percent stake in Bengaluru-headquartered Dunzo, India’s leading quick commerce player, for USD 200 million (around Rs 1,488 crore).
• Dunzo raised USD 240 million in its latest funding round that was led by Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd – the retail arm of Reliance Industries.
• Existing investors of Dunzo, Lightbox, Ligthrock, 3L Capital and Alteria Capital also participated in the funding round.
• In addition to the funding, Dunzo and Reliance Retail will also enter into certain business partnerships. Dunzo will enable hyperlocal logistics for the retail stores operated by RRVL, further adding onto Reliance Retail’s omni-channel capabilities.
• The capital will be used to further Dunzo’s vision to be the largest quick commerce business in the country, enabling instant delivery of essentials from a network of micro warehouses while also expanding its B2B business vertical to enable logistics for local merchants in cities across the country.
• At present, Dunzo is available across seven metro cities in India and the additional capital will be used to expand the quick commerce business to 15 cities.

About Reliance Retail :

• Founded: 2006
• Founder: Mukesh Ambani
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra

About Dunzo (Dunzo Digital Private Limited) :

• Founded: July 2014
• Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
• Founders : Kabeer Biswas, Ankur Agarwal, Dalvir Suri, Mukund Jha
• Dunzo is an Indian company that provides delivery services in 8 Indian cities namely- Bengaluru, Delhi, Gurugram, Pune, Chennai, Jaipur, Mumbai and Hyderabad.

NTPC to acquire 5% equity in Power Exchange of India

• State-run power giant NTPC is acquire 5 percent equity stake in Power Exchange of India Ltd (PXIL)
• The decision has been taken in view of the government’s intention to increase the share market to 25 percent of total electricity supply in India by 2023-24″.
• The NTPC cannot buy more than 5 percent equity stake in the PXIL as it could also be a seller or buyer on the trading platform.
• According to the data available on the Ministry of Corporate Affairs portal, the authorised share capital of the PXIL is Rs 120 crore and paid-up capital is Rs 58.47 crore.
• An expert group set up by the Power Ministry has recommended expanding the size of short-term power trading from about 5 per cent at present to 25 per cent by 2023-24.
• According to the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), the share of short-term market accounted for 10 percent of the total electricity procured in 2019-20.
• The remaining 90 per cent of total power supply was procured mainly by discoms via long-term contracts and short-term intra-state transactions.
• As per industry data, short-term trading is around 14-15 percent of total power supply in India and most of that is bilateral PPAs (power purchase agreements) while the exchange trading is 5 percent.
• The government intends to increase this 5 per cent to 25 per cent by 2023-24.

About NTPC Limited :

• Founded: 1975
• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Chairman & MD : Gurdeep Singh
• NTPC Limited, formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited, is an Indian statutory corporation.
• It engaged in generation of electricity and allied activities.
• It is a statutory corporation incorporated under the Companies Act 1956 and is under the ownership of the Ministry of Power, Government of India.

About PXIL :

• Founded : February 20,2008
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Power Exchange India Limited (PXIL) is India ‘s first institutionally promoted Power exchange that provides innovative and credible solutions to transform the Indian Power Markets.
• PXIL is promoted by the National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE), and the National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Limited (NCDEX).

CURRENT AFFAIRS : RANKING & INDEX

Telangana tops in highest number of ODF villages

• Telangana stood first in the country in the list of highest number of open defecation free (ODF Plus) villages under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase-II programme till December 31, 2021.
• As many as 13,737 out of 14,200 villages in the State are in the ODF Plus list, which is 96.74%.
• Tamil Nadu came in second with 4,432 villages (35.39 per cent), and Karnataka came in third with 1,511 villages (5.59 %).
• Gujarat was ranked 17th, with only 83 villages (0.45%).

Top 5 States in highest number of ODF :

• Telangana – 13,737 out of 14,200 villages 96.74 %
• Tamil Nadu – 4,432 out of 12,525 villages 35.39 %
• Karnataka – 1,511 out of 27044 villages (5.59 %)
• Uttarakhand – 1394 out of 15473 villages ( 9.01%)
• Madhya Pradesh – 1073 out of 50228 villages (2.14%)
• Meanwhile, seven States : Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, West Bengal, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura and Goa were at the bottom with zero progress.
• The Telangana government came up with a new Telangana Panchayat Raj Act to ensure all-round holistic development of villages.
• A secretary has been posted in every panchayat for smooth execution of welfare programmes, close monitoring, digital reporting and to ensure the prevalence of good governance in villages.
• Multi-purpose workers have been appointed to maintain proper sanitation in villages.
• There are 12,769 dedicated compost sheds in all gram panchayats.

About Telangana :

• Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan
• Capital: Hyderabad
• Chief minister: K. Chandrashekar Rao

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

Contract of Neeraj Chopra’s coach Klaus Bartonietz extended till 2024 Paris Olympics:AFI              

• Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra will continue to train with his German coach Klaus Bartonietz, whose contract has been extended till the 2024 Paris Games.
• The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) informed Neeraj Chopra’s coach Dr. Klaus Bartonietz to secure the service till the 2024 Paris Games .

About AFI :

• Founded: 2018
• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi, India

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Centenarian freedom fighter Ayyappan Pillai passes away

• On Jan 05, 2021, Centenarian Freedom fighter and BJP leader K Ayyappan Pillai passed away at the age of 107.

About Ayyappan Pillai :

• Ayyappan Pillai born on 24 May 1914, MundanaduTrivandrum, Travancore State, British Raj (present-day Kerala).
• He was an Indian lawyer, politician and writer.
• Pillai was a senior lawyer and was also a member of Shree Moolam Praja Sabha of Travancore.
• He had participated in India’s freedom struggle and had met Mahatma Gandhi.
• In the 1970s, Pillai joined BJP and had also served as its state vice-president.
• He had also served as a member of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Council.
• At his time of death, Ayyappan Pillar was heading the party’s disciplinary committee.

Shillong Chamber Choir founder Neil Nongkynrih passes away                                

• On Jan 05, 2021, Shillong Chamber Choir founder and noted music composer Neil Nongkynrih Passed away at the age of 51.

About Neil Nongkynrih :

• Neil Nongkynrih was born in July 1970 Jaiaw Langsning, Assam, India.
• He founded the Shillong Chamber Choir (SCC), which won the reality show India’s Got Talent in 2010.
• In 2012, He was appointed by the World Choir Council as the sole representative from India to represent the country on an international platform & he served as a member of the council from July 2012 – 2016.

Awards & Honors :

• Neil Nongkynrih was awarded Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of India in 2015.
• Honorary doctorate for his contributions in the field of music, NIT Meghalaya, 2021

About Shillong Chamber Choir :

• Founded : 2001
• Shillong Chamber Choir is an Indian chamber choir based in Shillong, Meghalaya.
• The choir under the direction of Nongkynrih, participated in the 6th World Choir Games held at Shaoxing China (Shanghai) in July 2010 and was awarded Gold in all three categories – Musica Sacra, Gospel and Popular.
• It also performed for former US President Barack Obama and the then first lady Michelle Obama during their visit to India in 2010.
• One of the notable events was when Neil Nongkynrih’s version of ‘Vande Maataram’ sung by the SCC was played on the reputed National Geographic Channel during the live telecast programme of landing of the Indian satellite ‘Chandrayaan – 2’.

Daily CA On Jan 08 :

• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Turkmenistan on Cooperation in the field of Disaster Management
• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the signing of Agreement between India and Spain on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters.
• The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Nepal for construction of bridge over Mahakali River at Dharchula (India)- Dharchula (Nepal).
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the scheme on Green Energy Corridor (GEC) Phase-II for Intra-State Transmission System (InSTS) for addition of approximately 10,750 circuit kilometres (ckm) of transmission lines and approx.
• The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry is set to organize the Startup India Innovation Week from January 10th to 16^th, 2022.
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the authorisation certificates of Muthoot Vehicle and Asset Finance Ltd and Eko India Financial Services Private Ltd for non-compliance with regulatory requirements.
• NHPC Limited, India’s premier hydropower company has signed Promoters Agreement with Green Energy Development Corporation of Odisha Ltd. (GEDCOL), a leading State PSU in the renewable energy sector in Odisha for “Development of 500 MW Floating Solar Projects on different water bodies in Odisha”.
• Uttar Pradesh has been awarded first prize in the state category of 3rd National Water Awards 2020.
• Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur launched the portal UNNATI and the mobile app of HP State Industrial Development Corporation (HPSIDC).
• The Center has reappointed Vijay Paul Sharma as chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) after he resigned in May 2021 at the end of his five-year term (2016-2021).
• Pankaj Sharma, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Mexico.
• The Reserve Bank of India has approved the re-designation of Rajiv Anand as the Deputy Managing Director of Axis Bank till August 3, 2022.
• Reliance Retail has bought a 8 percent stake in Bengaluru-headquartered Dunzo, India’s leading quick commerce player, for USD 200 million (around Rs 1,488 crore).
• State-run power giant NTPC is acquire 5 percent equity stake in Power Exchange of India Ltd (PXIL)
• Telangana stood first in the country in the list of highest number of open defecation free (ODF Plus) villages under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase-II programme till December 31, 2021.
• Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra will continue to train with his German coach Klaus Bartonietz, whose contract has been extended till the 2024 Paris Games.
• On Jan 05, 2021, Centenarian Freedom fighter and BJP leader K Ayyappan Pillai passed away at the age of 107.
• On Jan 05, 2021, Shillong Chamber Choir founder and noted music composer Neil Nongkynrih Passed away at the age of 51.