Current Affairs January 25th 2022| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of Education- Jan 24:

• The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 January as International Day of Education, in celebration of the role of education for peace and development.
• The theme of 4th International Day of Education in 2022 is Changing Course, Transforming Education.
• The celebration is led by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
• The first-ever International Day of Education was celebrated on 24 January 2019 as per the resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly on December 3rd 2018 to celebrate the role of education in development.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Birth Anniversary: Jan 23

• India is celebrating 125th Birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on January 23.
• Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary is also marked as “Parakram Diwas” (Courage Day), Modi government had announced in 2021.
• In order to honour and remember Netaji’s indomitable spirit and selfless service to the nation, the government decided to celebrate his birthday on the 23rd day of January every year as Parakram Diwas to inspire people of this country, especially the youth, to act with fortitude in the face of adversity as Netaji did and to infuse in them a spirit of patriotic favour.
• However, Trinamool Congress had announced to celebrate Bose’s birth anniversary as ‘Desh Nayak Diwas’.
• Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was born on 23 January, 1897 in Cuttack, Orissa. He was one of the most prominent Indian freedom fighters.
• His army was known as Indian National Army (INA) or Azad Hind Fauj.
• He also led an Indian national force from abroad against the Western powers during World War II.

National Girl Child Day- Jan 24

1. India is celebrating National Girl Child Day on January 24.
2. National Girl Child Day is celebrated to raise awareness among people regarding inequalities, discrimination, exploitation faced by the girls in society.
3. It is an initiative undertaken by the ministry of women and child development with an objective to provide support and opportunities to the girls of India.
4. The day was observed for the first time in 2008 as an initiative by the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Government of India.
5. The day is in line with various campaigns and prgrammes of the Indian government including Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, and Save the Girl Child.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Government to Promote Drone use in Agriculture:

• The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has issued guidelines to make drone technology affordable to the stakeholders of this sector.
• The guidelines of “Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization” (SMAM) have been amended which envisages granting up to 100% of the cost of agriculture drone or Rs. 10 lakhs.
• The Farmers Producers Organizations (FPOs) would be eligible to receive grant up to 75% of the cost of agriculture drone for its demonstrations on the farmers’ fields.
• The contingent expenditure to implementing agencies that purchase drones for drone demonstrations would be limited to Rs.3000 per hectare.
• The financial assistance and grants would be available until March 31, 2023.

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Prajakta Kohli Becomes UNDP India’s First Youth Climate Champion

• Content creator and actress Prajakta Koli has become India’s first UN Development Programme (UNDP) Youth Climate Champion under her partnership with the organization.
• The title has been conferred to her following her contribution towards mental health, women’s rights and girl child education through various global social campaigns.
• With a long-term vision to reinforce maximum youth participation in climate action and ensure a more sustainable future.

About Prajakta Koli :

• Prajakta Koli, known by her YouTube Channel Mostlysane, is an Indian YouTuber and actress who makes comedy videos.
• Koli has tackled issues such as body shaming and online bullying with “Shameless” as part of her campaign #iPledgeToBeMe which she launched on World Mental Health Day in 2016.
• In December 2018, she recorded a national TV commercial for WhatsApp which deals with the prevention of propaganda and spreading fake news through the messaging app.
• In 2019 she received an invite from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for their annual Goalkeepers Summit.
• In February 2019 she was part of Forbes’ list of 30 under 30 and in Outlook Business Magazine’s list of Women of Worth and Entrepreneur India’s list of 35 under 35 along with winning Cosmopolitan’s YouTuber of the Year award.
• In January 2020, she was included in the annual “Cool list” of the gossip magazine Grazia India, and also she was featured on the cover of the magazine BW Businessworld as part of their Most Influential Women’s list.
• In 2021 she joined Google.org Impact Challenge to aid grants to non-profits addressing economic inequities faced by women and girls alongside Shakira, Amanda Gorman, Naomi Osaka and Dr. Rigoberta Menchú Tum

About UNDP :

• Headquarters: New York, New York, United States
• Founded: 22 November 1965
• Head : Achim Steiner
• UNDP aims to eliminate poverty, achieve sustainable growth and scale up human development in countries where it is required the most.

Note :

• World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma.

Ministry of Tourism organises webinar on “Role of Bengal in the Freedom Movement of India” under Dekho Apna Desh series:

• The Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) held a webinar and during the webinar, a series of 12 episodes was launched that will take the participants on a virtual journey of Incredible India.
• The 6th episode of the series titled “Role of Bengal in the Freedom Movement of India” was held.
• In order to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of the great freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and as part of the yearlong celebrations, the Government has decided to install a grand statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at India Gate, New Delhi.
• The statue, made of granite, shall be a fitting tribute to the immense contribution of Netaji in our freedom struggle, and would be a symbol of the country’s indebtedness to him.
• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will unveil the hologram statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at India Gate on 23rd January, 2022.

Government to raise SECI’s net worth; Plans to finance 3300 MW RE projects:

1. The Ministry of New and Renewable Ministry (MNRE) will infuse ₹1,000 crore in state-run Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) as it eyes financing renewable energy (RE) capacity of 3,300 megawatt (MW).
2. “Government has approved an equity infusion of ₹1,000 crore in Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).
3. This will enhance SECI’s capital asset base, facilitate installation of additional 3,300 MW RE projects and enable it to take up several innovative projects.
4. The equity infusion will increase SECI’s net worth, thereby boosting its lending capacity.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

Centre providing full assistance to Himachal Pradesh to achieve goal of providing clean tap water supply to every rural home by 2024:

• Jal Shakti Ministry has providing full assistance to Himachal Pradesh to achieve the goal of providing clean tap water supply to every rural home by 2024.
• During the review meeting with the Chief Secretary of Himachal Pradesh, the secretary of Department of Drinking, Water and Sanitation Vini Mahajan appreciated the progress made by the state in providing tap water supply to rural homes.
• Jal Jeevan Mission is a decentralized, demand-driven, community-managed water supply scheme which aims to improve the lives of rural people.
• The state for providing 100 per cent tap water connection in school and anganwadi
• It will help in reducing water-borne ailments among children as safe water is provided to children for drinking and for cooking mid-day meal to the school administration.
• In about 28 months, eight lakh 25 thousand households in the state have been provided with clean tap water.

Home Minister Amit Shah virtually releases country’s 1st District Good Governance Index in Jammu:

• Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah virtually released India’s First “District Good Governance Index” in Jammu.
• The District Good Governance Index of Jammu and Kashmir was prepared by Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, DARPG in collaboration with Jammu and Kashmir government.
• Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh and Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha were present on this occasion.
• The Index provides a roadmap for similar benchmarking of Governance at District level for all States and Union Territories of India.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND ECONOMY

Fullerton India and Paytm tie up to provide lending products:

• Fullerton India and One97 Communications, which owns Paytm, have partnered to provide lending products to merchant partners and consumers.
• With the partnership, the two will leverage data-driven insights and wide reach to bring credit to new-to-credit users.
• The programme will offer Paytm Postpaid or buy-now-pay-later to consumers on the Paytm platform while utilising Fullerton’s risk assessment capabilities and scale
• Fullerton India and Paytm will further expand their product offerings to include instant personal loans

HDFC Cap announces initial close of $1.88 b of affordable housing fund:

• HDFC Capital has achieved the initial closure of its third fund focussed on affordable housing, the HDFC Capital Affordable Real Estate Fund – 3 (H-CARE-3).
• The fund will provide long-term funding across the lifecycle of affordable and mid-income housing projects, including early-stage funding.
• H-CARE 3 will also invest in technology companies such as construction technology, fintech and cleantech that are engaged in the affordable housing ecosystem.
• HDFC Capital is a wholly owned subsidiary of HDFC Ltd. “H-CARE 3 is one the largest funds raised to invest in the residential real estate sector in India, with investors committing over $ 1.22 billion towards the first close, which combined with potential reinvestments by the fund, creates an estimated total fund corpus of $1.88 billion.

West Bengal Gets $125 Million to Help Citizens Access Social Protection Services:

• The World Bank’s Executive Board of Director has approved a $125 million loan to the Government of West Bengal to support the state’s efforts to help poor and vulnerable groups access social protection services.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to focus on building capabilities of state governments to deliver inclusive and equitable social protection in times of crisis.
• India’s eastern state of West Bengal runs more than 400 programs that provide social assistance, care services, and jobs.
• Most of these services are offered through an umbrella platform called Jai Bangla.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOUR

Subhas Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2022 presented to GIDM, Prof. Vinod Sharma:

• The Prime Minister conferred Subhas Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskars for the year 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 in the investiture ceremony.
• This award was instituted by the Union Government to recognize and honour the invaluable contribution and selfless service rendered by the individuals and organisations in India in the field of disaster management.
• For 2022, Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management and Professor Vinod Sharma, for 2021, Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society and Dr. Rajendra Kumar Bhandari, for 2020 Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre, Uttarakhand and Kumar Munnan Singh and for 2019.
• And 8th Battalion of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) located at Ghaziabad were honoured with Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar.

Ex-Japan PM Shinzo Abe given Netaji Award 2022:

• Former Japan prime minister Shinzo Abe was conferred with the Netaji Award 2022 by Netaji Research Bureau.
• Consul General of Japan in Kolkata Nakamura Yutaka received the honour on behalf of Abe at a function at the Elgin Road residence of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his 125th birth anniversary.
• Jalpese ambassador to India Satoshi Suzuki addressed the programme virtually from New Delhi.
• Sugata Bose, the grand-nephew of the legendary freedom fighter and director of Netaji Research Bureau, described Abe as a great admirer of Netaji.

Indian film Koozhangal gets the best film award at Dhaka International Film Festival:

• P S Vinothraj directed film Koozhangal from India won the best film award in the Asian Film Competition section at the 20th Dhaka International Film Festival which concluded in Dhaka.
• Apart from this, four more Indian entries were included among the 17 awards given away for the films during the concluding session.
• The best actor award was given to Jayasurya for Ranjith Sankar-directed film Sunny.
• The Best Script Writer Award went to Indranil Roychowdhury and Sugata Sinha for Indranil Roychowdhury-directed India-Bangladesh film Mayar Jonjal.
• The special audience award was given to Aimee Baruah Directed film Semkhor. Best Actor Award went to Jayasurya for Ranjith Sankar-directed film Sunny.
• Sujit Bidari directed film Aina Jhyal Ko Putali from Nepal got the best director award.
• In the Women film maker’s section, the best feature film award was given to Maryam Bahrololumi-directed film Shahrbanoo (Lady from the City) from Iran.
• Two Bangladeshi films, Nurul Alam Atique-directed Lal Moroger Jhuti and N Rashed Chowdhury-directed Chandrabati Kotha got the Audience Award.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma re-elected as National People’s Party Chief

• Meghalaya Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma has been re-elected as the National People’s Party (NPP) Chief in the party’s main office in Shillong.
• The election was held for three positions in the party: National President, National General Secretary and National Party Treasurer.
• Conrad K Sangma was re-elected as the Party Chief and Thomas A. Sangma was elected as the National General Secretary for 2022-2025 unopposed.
• There was no application for the post of treasurer.

About Meghalaya :

• Governor: Satya Pal Malik
• Capital: Shillong
• Chief minister: Conrad Sangma
• National Parks : Nokrek National Park, Balpakram National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries : Siju Wildlife Sanctuary, Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary, Narpuh Wildlife Sanctuary, Baghmara Pitcher Plant Sancturay
• Biosphere Reserve : Nokrek Biosphere Reserve

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BUSINESS NEWS

Spices Board launches first online portal for exports

• Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash launched Spice Xchange India’, spicexchangeindia.com the country’s first virtual platform for spice exports at a hybrid event held in Kochi, Kerala.
• The spicexchangeindia.com is a 3D virtual platform aimed at connecting India’s spice exporters with buyers from around the world beyond the constraints of time, space, and language.
• The portal uses AI-based technology to connect relevant spice buyers with Indian spice exporters.
• The buyers and sellers can access the database to find the potential customers on this platform.
• The portal works as an extended office enabling the subscribers to conduct virtual meetings with their customers.
• It will help in creating greater new business opportunities for the spice sector with the help of technology”.
• It will facilitate ease of doing business and is a giant leap in strengthening export transactions of spices from India.

Note :

• India exports 225 different spices and spice products to more than 180 countries.

About Spices Board of India :

• Founded: 1987
• Headquarters: Kochi, kerala, India
• Chairman : Shri. A G Thankappan
• Regional Laboratories at Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Tuticorin, Kandla and Guntur.
• The Spices Board was constituted in 1987 under the Spices Board Act 1986.

About Ministry of Commerce and Industry :

• Union Minister : Piyush Goyal
• Minister of State : Anupriya Patel, Som Parkash

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPS & PORTALS

Coal Secretary launches Koyla Darpan Portal

• Coal Secretary Dr. Anil Kumar Jain launched Koyla Darpan Portal to share Key Performance Indicators related to the Coal Sector.
• The portal is accessible through the website of the Ministry of Coal (https://coal.gov.in) for maximum public outreach.
• As an initial step, the portal has the following KPIs like

1. Coal/Lignite Production
2. Coal/Lignite Offtake
3. Exploration Data
4. Central Sector Schemes
5. Status of Coal Stock in Thermal Power Plants
6. Infrastructure Projects
7. Allocation of Blocks (CMSP/MMDR)
8. Monitoring of Major Coal Mines(CIL)
9. Coal Price

1. Senior officials of the coal ministry and PSUs (through videoconferencing) were present at the event.

About Ministry of Coal :

• Cabinet Minister : Pralhad Joshi
• Secretary : Anil Kumar Jain
• Additional COAL Secretary : Vinod Kumar Tiwari

CSC launches Yogyata app for rural empowerment

• Common Services Centers (CSC) has launched the ”Yogyata” mobile phone application to provide vocational education and skill enhancement opportunities to youth and citizens in rural areas.

About the app :

• The Yogyata app will leverage CSCs massive reach and penetration in the target group while providing an opportunity to access courses that add skills and educational qualifications to increase employability by offering courses like Cyber Security, CAD and 3D printing.
• It has been our endeavour to provide quality skilling and vocational education to students and youth in rural areas.
• It will help in providing industry-based skills to youth in rural areas.
• The enrolments under the app will be carried out by the Village Level Entrepreneurs, managing the CSCs across India.

About CSC :

• Founded: 16 July 2009; 12 years ago
• Founder : Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
• Headquarters: New Delhi, India
• Chairman : Ajay Prakash Sawhney
• MD : Dr. Dinesh Kumar Tyagi
• CEO : Sanjay Kumar Rakesh
• The Government launched the CSC 2.0 scheme in 2015 to expand the outreach of CSCs to all Gram Panchayats across the country.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

PM Modi at WEF’s online Davos Agenda 2022 summit

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the World Economic Forum’s Davos Agenda via video conferencing.
• The virtual event will be held from January 17-21.
• During his speech, he talked about some of the pressing issues like Covid, climate change, cryptocurrency, reforms and initiatives taken by his government for ease of doing business.
• He mentioned India is the world’s third largest pharma producer, with this approach, $26 billion worth of PLI schemes have been implemented in 14 sectors.
• Though India constitutes 70% of the global population that takes up power commission of only 5%, but our effort for sustainable development is 100%.
• The PM also stated Digital payments have become one of our strengths & India had more than 4.4 Billion transactions with UPI.

About Davos Agenda 2022 :

• The Davos Agenda 2022′ will be the first global platform for key world leaders to share their visions for 2022 and it is being convened on the theme of ‘The State of the World’.

About WEF :

• Headquarters: Cologny, Switzerland
• Founder: Klaus Schwab
• Founded: January 1971
• Chairperson: Peter Brabeck-Letmathe
• The World Economic Forum announced it will hold its Annual Meeting 2022 in the Swiss ski resort town of Davos from May 22-26 .
• The theme of the WEF Annual Meeting 2022 will be Working Together, Restoring Trust

Union Minister Shri Bhupender Yadav delivers Fourth Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation

• Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav attended the 4th Asia Ministerial Conference on tiger conservation.
• The Conference organized by the Government of Malaysia and Global Tiger Forum (GTF).
• India will facilitate Tiger Range Countries towards finalisation of New Delhi declaration for the Global Tiger Summit to be held at Vladivostok, Russia
• India has achieved the remarkable feat of doubling the tiger population in 2018 itself, 4 years ahead of the targeted year 2022.
• Under the able leadership of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi the budgetary allocation for tiger conservation has increased from Rs 185 crore in 2014 to Rs 300 crore in 2022 and informed that 14 Tiger Reserves in India have already been awarded with international CA|TS accreditation and efforts are on to bring in more Tiger Reserves under CA|TS accreditation.

About Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change :

• Union Minister : Bhupender Yadav
• Minister of State : Ashwini Kumar Choubey

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

NASA scientist discovers Jupiter-like planet

• A citizen scientist has discovered a giant gaseous planet called TOI-2180 b was discovered in data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).
• The result, published in the Astronomical Journal.

About TOI-2180 b :

• TOI-2180 b is almost three times more massive than Jupiter but has the same diameter, meaning it is more dense than Jupiter.
• It is about 379 light-years from Earth, orbiting a star with the same mass as the Sun.
• The Jupiter-size planet is special for astronomers because its 261-day year is long compared to many known gas giants outside our solar system.
• With an average temperature of about 170 degrees Fahrenheit, TOI-2180 b is also warmer than room temperature on Earth, and warmer than the outer planets of our solar system including Jupiter and Saturn.
• While professional astronomers use algorithms to scan tens of thousands of data points from stars automatically, these citizen scientists use a programme called LcTools to inspect telescope data by eye.

Scientists find evidence of Internal ocean on Saturn’s moon Mimas

• Scientists from the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) discovered an underground ocean buried beneath the surface of the ‘Death Star’-like moon of Saturn, named
• It would help the scientists in better understanding Saturn’s rings and pave the way for further investigation towards possible signs of life on the planet.
• It was published recently in the journal Icarus.
• It represents a new class of small, ‘stealth’ ocean worlds.
• With a diameter of 395 kilometres, Mimas is covered in 32 kilometres of thick ice and is the smallest cosmic entity that has still maintained its round shape.

Astronomers discovers potato-shaped planet

• Astronomers at the European Space Agency have discovered an oblong-shaped planet that resembles a potato named WASP-103b, is located in the constellation “Hercules”, at a distance of about 1,800 light-years from the solar system.
• WASP-103b is a close distance away from its star WASP-103, which is about 50 times closer to its sun than Earth is to its sun, to the extent that the planet’s cycle takes only 22 hours, while the Earth’s cycle takes 365 days.
• It is the exoplanet with the highest expected deformation signature in its transit light curve and one of the shortest expected spiral-in times.
• WASP-103b has a solid core, covered with a liquid layer, and surrounded by a gaseous atmosphere – just like Jupiter.
• According to the study published in the Astronomy and Astrophysics journal, WASP-103b is only 20,000 miles away from its home star and this could cause tidal stresses to pull it into an unlikely shape.

China builds the world’s first artificial moon

• China has built an ‘artificial Moon’ research facility that is capable of simulating low-gravity conditions using
• The artificial moon facility is located in the eastern city of Xuzhou, in Jiangsu province.
• It could provide valuable research for China’s lunar exploration activities.
• It was the “first of its kind in the world” and would take lunar simulation to a whole new level.
• The facility has a vacuum chamber that houses a mini ‘Moon’ measuring 60cm (about 2 feet) in diameter.
• The low-gravity levels in the chamber can last for “as long as you want”.
• The artificial Moon facility will be filled with rocks and dust to make it feel more like the lunar surface.
• The artificial Moon research facility is also expected to help determine the possibility of human settlement on the lunar surface.
• Chinese scientists were inspired to build the research facility by an experiment of making a frog float with a magnet.
• The experiment was devised by Andre Geim, a physicist at the University of Manchester in the U.K.

About China :

• President : Xi Jinping
• Capital : Beijing
• Currency : Renminbi

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CURRENT AFFAIRS : PERSON IN NEWS

Jahnavi Dangeti becomes first Indian to complete NASA’s International Air and Space Program

• Jahnavi Dangeti, a second-year engineering student, hailing from Palakollu of West Godavari, AP has become the only Indian to undergo International Air and Space Program (IASP) at Nasa Launch Operations’ Kennedy Space Center in Alabama, US.
• She also operated an aircraft Cessna 172 for the first time as a part of her training.
• Jahnavi is vice-president of Space Magica, a startup astronaut training center for students and the general public.
• She was also appointed as the mission director for ‘Team Kennedy’, where she led a group of 16 people from several countries.
• She has been a campus ambassador for numerous organisations, including Star (Space Technology and Aeronautical Rocketry), an Indian private aerospace company.
• She is a member of the International Organization of Aspiring Astronauts (IOAA).
• She participated in many events and workshops of Nasa, Isro and other space agencies.

About IASP:

• The International Air and Space Program is a 5-day educational program that drives the leaders of tomorrow in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) areas.
• It involves teamwork, problem-solving and communication, among students and expert NASA engineers to adapt and solve any unexpected problems.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : RANKING & INDEX

Amit Shah launches First District Good Governance Index : Jammu and Kashmir Tops

• Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah released India’s First “District Good Governance Index” for 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir
• The index was prepared by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances in collaboration with the government based on the ‘Behtar e-Hukumat – Kashmir Aelamia’ resolution adopted in July 2021.
• It is organized jointly by the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG), GOI and Jammu & Kashmir Institute of Management, Public Administration & Rural Development in association with the Centre for Good Governance, Hyderabad.
• The index provides a roadmap for similar benchmarking of governance at district level for all States and Union Territories of India

Top 5 Districts in DGGI :

1. Jammu
2. Doda
3. Samba
4. Pulwama
5. Srinagar.

About Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions :

• Minister Responsible : Narendra Modi
• Minister of State : Jitendra Singh

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CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

Syed Modi International: PV Sindhu wins Women’s singles title

• On Jan 23, 2022, In Badminton, two-time Olympic medalist, P.V. Sindhu has won the Women’s singles title at the Syed Modi International tournament in
• Sindhu defeated compatriot Malvika Bansod 21-13, 21-16 in the summit clash.
• It was former world champion Sindhu’s second Syed Modi title after having annexed the BWF World Tour Super 300 event in 2017.

List of Winners :

• Men’s singles : Final between Arnaud Merkle and Lucas Claerbout was declared a “no match” after both players reportedly tested positive for Covid-19.
• Women’s singles – PV Sindhu
• Men’s doubles : Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun (Malaysia) after beating sixth-seeded Indian pair of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala 21-18, 21-15 in the summit clash.
• Women’s doubles : Anna Cheong and Teoh Mei Xing (Malaysia) after defeating Seventh-seeded Indian pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand 12-21, 13-21 in the final.
• Mixed Doubles : Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Castro (India) defeated compatriots T. Hema Nagendra Babu and Srivedya 21-16, 21-12 in the summit clash.

Note :

• The 2022 Syed Modi International badminton tournament was held at Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh from 18 to 23 January 2022.

Ladakh Team won 9th IHAI National Women’s Ice Hockey Championship

• The Ladakh women’s team has won the ninth national women’s ice hockey championship organized by the Ice Hockey Association of India in Himachal Pradesh.
• The 9th National Women’s Ice Hockey Championship was held at Ice Hockey Rink in Kaza in Lahaul and Spiti, Himachal Pradesh from 15 to 21 January, 2022.
• Six teams from Delhi, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Telangana and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police participated in the championship.
• A total of 20 players represented the union territory in the championship.
• Chandigarh adjusted runner up, while Delhi placed at third position & host Himachal team was placed at the fourth
• Karma Yeshe Khando adjusted the ‘Best Player’ of the championship.
• Thinley Bagmo and Rigzin Dolma of Lahaul-Spiti were also awarded for their game.

About Ladakh :

• Lieutenant Governor : R K Mathur
• Capitals : Leh, Kargil

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Former India footballer and coach Subhas Bhowmick Passes away

• On Jan 22, 2022, Former Indian footballer and coach Subhash Bhowmik passed away at the age of 71.

About Subhas Bhowmick :

• Subhas Bhowmick was born on 02 October 1950,in West Bengal.
• He was popularly known as Bhombol in the football arena of West Bengal.
• For India, he was part of the Asian Games-bronze medal winning squad in 1970 as he also represented the country in the next edition in 1974.
• He was also part of the Indian team that jointly won the Pesta Sukan Cup with South Vietnam in Singapore in
• He also scored a hat-trick against the Philippines in the Merdeka Cup in 1971.
• He represented the “Big Two” of Kolkata football, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.
• Subhash won a total of 26 trophies in his club career, 18 in Mohun Bagan itself.
• He scored a total of 82 goals for Mohun Bagan in six years including four hat-tricks.
• He was a successful football coach and had coached clubs like East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Mohammedan Sporting, Salgaocar and Churchill Brothers.

UNION GOVERNMENT SCHEMES

PM KUSUM ( Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan )

Launched in:

February 2019.

The PM-Kusum scheme got administrative approval in March 2019 and guidelines were prepared in July 2019

Ministry involved:

The scheme is regulated by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)

Minister of New and Renewable Energy-  R.K. Singh ( constituency – Arrah, Bihar)

Objectives :

The scheme’s objective is to provide assistance installing off-grid solar pumps on village land (rural areas) and thus decrease their dependence on the grid.

It is valid for grid-connected areas.

About the scheme :

PM-KUSUM Scheme supports three different kind of installations, known as three components of the Scheme as given below:

Component-A: Setting up of decentralized ground/ stilt mounted grid connected solar or other renewable energy based power plants up to 2 MW capacity

Eligibility for Component-A:

Individual farmers/ group of farmers/ cooperatives/panchayats/ Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO)/Water User associations (WUA). Land on which the project is proposed to be installed should be within 5 km from the nearest electricity sub-station.

farmers can either install renewable power project on their land or lease the land on rent to a developer at mutually agreed terms between the parties.

Component-B: Installation of stand-alone solar agriculture pumps of capacity up to 7.5 HP

Eligibility for Component-B:

Individual farmers, Water User Associations and community/cluster based irrigation system will be covered under this component.

Component-C: Solarisation of existing grid connected agriculture pumps of capacity up to 7.5 HP

Eligibility for Component-C:

Individual farmers, water user associations and community/cluster based irrigation system will also be covered under this component.

Who will purchase the generated electricity:

The renewable power generated will be purchased by DISCOMs at a pre-fixed levelised tariff. The duration of PPA will be 25 years from Commercial Operation Date (COD) of the project.

Procurement based incentive (PBI) of 40 paisa per unit of electricity generated or Rs. 6.6 lakh per MW per annum, whichever is lower, will be provided to DISCOM for buying electricity generated for five years.

Subsidy :

For all states except for North-eastern States, Hill States/UTs and Island UTs, subsidy of 30%, each by Central and State Governments will be provided, and the remaining 40% will be invested by the farmer for installation of solar pump.

Subsidy in percentage mentioned above is applicable on benchmark cost or tender cost, whichever is lower.

For North-eastern States, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir/Ladakh and Island UTs, subsidy of 50% will be provided by Central Government and at least 30% will be provided by the State Government for installation of solar pump. Farmer will have to invest balance 20%.

Benefits :

The idea is to increase farmers’ income by selling extra electricity generated and reducing the over-dependence of farmers on diesel.

Government to provide a 60% subsidy directly to farmers

30% will be provided through soft loans to farmers

10% actual cost to be incurred by farmers.

Fame india scheme

Launched on:

Phase I: started in 2015 and was completed on 31st March, 2019

Phase II: started from April, 2019, will be completed by 31 March, 2022

The scheme, started in 2019 for promoting sales of electric vehicles, was supposed to end by 2022. The scheme is proposed to be implemented over a period of 3 years.

The government has extended the FAME II scheme for 2 years. Now, this scheme will be applicable till 31st March 2024. Previously this scheme was launched from 2019 to 31st March 2022.

Ministry involved:

The scheme is under the administitative control of ministry of Ministry of Heavy Industries.

Heavy industries minister – Mahendra Nath Pandey, and the Minister of State is Krishan Pal Gurjar.

Objectives :

The prime Objective of the scheme is to reduce the demand of fuel by replacing diesel/ Petrol Vehicles with electricity-powered vehicles.

With the growing population, the need for transportation increases and that means more demand of fuel and more pollution.

Corpus :

Government has approved Phase-II of FAME Scheme with an outlay of  Rs. 10,000 Crore for a period of 3 years commencing from 1st April 2019.

Out of total budgetary support, about 86 percent of fund has been allocated for Demand Incentive so as to create demand for Electric Vehicles (xEVs) in the country.

Benefits :

Scheme  aims to generate demand by way of supporting 7000 Electric Buses (e-bus), 5 lakh Electric Three Wheelers (e-3W), 55000 Electric Four Wheeler Passenger Cars (including Strong Hybrid) (e-4W)and 10 lakh Electric Two Wheelers (e-2W).

However, depending upon off-take of different category of xEVs, these numbers may vary as the provision has been made for inter as well as intra segment wise fungibility.

In addition, creation of Charging Infrastructure will also be supported under the Scheme.

Vehicles, fitted with only advanced chemistry battery, meeting with minimum Techanical Criteria and registered as “Motor Vehicle” as per CMVR shall be eligible for incentive under the scheme.

With greater emphasis on providing affordable & environment friendly public transportation options for the masses, scheme will be applicable mainly to vehicles used for public transport or those registered for commercial purposes in e-3W, e-4W and e-bus segments.

However, privately owned  registered e-2Ws are also  covered under the scheme as a mass segment.

Under this scheme, the government has also increased the subsidy incentives from Rs 10000 per kWh to Rs 15000 per kWh.

The, following initiatives have also been taken up by the Government of India for promotion of electric vehicles in the country –

The Government on May 12, 2021 approved a Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for manufacturing of Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) in the country in order to bring down prices of battery in the country.  Drop in battery price will result in cost reduction of electric vehicles.

GST on electric vehicles has been reduced from 12% to 5%; GST on chargers/ charging stations for electric vehicles has been reduced from 18% to 5%.

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) announced that battery-operated vehicles will be given green license plates and be exempted from permit requirements.

MoRTH issued a notification advising states to waive road tax on EVs, which in turn will help reduce the initial cost of EVs.

Daily CA on Jan 25 :

• The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 January as International Day of Education, in celebration of the role of education for peace and development.
• India is celebrating 125th Birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on January 23.
• India is celebrating National Girl Child Day on January 24.
• The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has issued guidelines to make drone technology affordable to the stakeholders of this sector.
• Content creator and actress Prajakta Koli has become India’s first UN Development Programme (UNDP) Youth Climate Champion under her partnership with the organization.
• The Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) held a webinar and during the webinar, a series of 12 episodes was launched that will take the participants on a virtual journey of Incredible India.
• The Ministry of New and Renewable Ministry (MNRE) will infuse ₹1,000 crore in state-run Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) as it eyes financing renewable energy (RE) capacity of 3,300 megawatt (MW).
• Jal Shakti Ministry has providing full assistance to Himachal Pradesh to achieve the goal of providing clean tap water supply to every rural home by 2024.
• Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah virtually released India’s First “District Good Governance Index” in Jammu.
• Fullerton India and One97 Communications, which owns Paytm, have partnered to provide lending products to merchant partners and consumers.
• HDFC Capital has achieved the initial closure of its third fund focussed on affordable housing, the HDFC Capital Affordable Real Estate Fund – 3 (H-CARE-3).
• The World Bank’s Executive Board of Director has approved a $125 million loan to the Government of West Bengal to support the state’s efforts to help poor and vulnerable groups access social protection services.
• The Prime Minister conferred Subhas Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskars for the year 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 in the investiture ceremony.
• Former Japan prime minister Shinzo Abe was conferred with the Netaji Award 2022 by Netaji Research Bureau.
• P S Vinothraj directed film Koozhangal from India won the best film award in the Asian Film Competition section at the 20th Dhaka International Film Festival which concluded in Dhaka.
• Meghalaya Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma has been re-elected as the National People’s Party (NPP) Chief in the party’s main office in Shillong.
• Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash launched Spice Xchange India’, spicexchangeindia.com the country’s first virtual platform for spice exports at a hybrid event held in Kochi, Kerala.
• Coal Secretary Dr. Anil Kumar Jain launched Koyla Darpan Portal to share Key Performance Indicators related to the Coal Sector.
• Common Services Centers (CSC) has launched the ”Yogyata” mobile phone application to provide vocational education and skill enhancement opportunities to youth and citizens in rural areas.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the World Economic Forum’s Davos Agenda via video conferencing.
• Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav attended the 4th Asia Ministerial Conference on tiger conservation.
• A citizen scientist has discovered a giant gaseous planet called TOI-2180 b was discovered in data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).
• Scientists from the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) discovered an underground ocean buried beneath the surface of the ‘Death Star’-like moon of Saturn, named
• Astronomers at the European Space Agency have discovered an oblong-shaped planet that resembles a potato named WASP-103b, is located in the constellation “Hercules”, at a distance of about 1,800 light-years from the solar system.
• China has built an ‘artificial Moon’ research facility that is capable of simulating low-gravity conditions using
• Jahnavi Dangeti, a second-year engineering student, hailing from Palakollu of West Godavari, AP has become the only Indian to undergo International Air and Space Program (IASP) at Nasa Launch Operations’ Kennedy Space Center in Alabama, US.
• Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah released India’s First “District Good Governance Index” for 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir virtually & the index was prepared by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances in collaboration with the government based on the ‘Behtar e-Hukumat – Kashmir Aelamia’ resolution adopted in July 2021.
• On Jan 23, 2022, In Badminton, two-time Olympic medalist, P.V. Sindhu has won the Women’s singles title at the Syed Modi International tournament in
• The Ladakh women’s team has won the ninth national women’s ice hockey championship organized by the Ice Hockey Association of India in Himachal Pradesh.
• On Jan 22, 2022, Former Indian footballer and coach Subhash Bhowmik passed away at the age of 71.