Current Affairs March 17th 2022| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

National Vaccination Day-16th March:

• National Vaccination Day is observed annually on 16^th march in India.
• The occasion is celebrated to raise awareness about importance of vaccination.
• This day creates awareness regarding how effective vaccination is to prevent deadly diseases. Mostly, this day celebrates India’s victory over polio disease along with an improvement in the health and life expectancy of an individual.
• The first dose of oral polio vaccine got started in the year 1995 in India.
• Therefore, the national immunization day or vaccination day observes the pulse polio programme of the government with the goal of complete eradication of polio from the country.
• The last case of polio was reported from Bengal in 2011 and later various vaccination drives were initiated against diseases like tetanus, mumps, and TB.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

36th International Geological Congress to be held in New Delhi:

• The 36th International Geological Congress (IGC), themed “Geosciences: The Basic Science for a Sustainable Future” will be held here during 20-22 March, 2022 on a virtual platform.
• The 36th IGC is a joint endeavour of the Ministry of Mines, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Indian National Science Academy and the Science Academi s of Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
• Described as the Olympics of Geosciences, the IGCs are held quadrennial, under the aegis of the International Union of Geological Congress (IUGS), the Scientific Sponsor of the IGCs.

Nation’s first AI & Robotics Technology Park (ARTPARK) has launched in Bengaluru:

• An Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Technology Park (ARTPARK) with a seed money of Rs 230 crore was launched at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru.
• Of the Rs 230 crore, Rs 170 crore would be borne by the Centre and the rest by the Karnataka government.
• The ARTPARK has the objective of channelising innovations to create a societal impact by executing ambitious mission-mode R&D projects in healthcare, education, mobility, infrastructure, agriculture, retail, and cyber-security aiming to solve problems unique to India.

India’s first World Peace Center will be established in Gurugram:

• Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti organisation established by Ambassador of Peace, Eminent Jainacharya Dr Lokeshji will establish India’s first World Peace Center in Gurugram, Haryana.
• For this, the Haryana Government has allotted a plot to the organization in Sector 39 of Gurugram opposite Medanta Hospital and adjacent to Delhi-Jaipur Highway.
• Acharya Dr Lokeshji, the Founder of Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti, the organization would soon start the construction of the World Peace Center (WPC) on this plot.
• ‘World Peace Center’ will work for the establishment of peace and harmony in the world.
• The voice of this centre of Gurugram will be heard all over the world by its work, including the United Nations and the World Religion Parliament.

Mahanadi Coalfields Limited is now the biggest coal-producing firm of India:

• The Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), a unit of the CIL, has crossed 157 million tonne (MT) in coal production in the financial year of 2021-22, to become the leading coal producing company in the country.
• On March 12, 2022, the company produced 7.62 lakh tonne of dry fuel which is the highest in a day during the current financial year reaching 157.7 MT with a growth of around 16 per cent over the last financial year.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Revoking Russia’s Most Favored Nation Trade Status : US                                                

• President Biden and the G7 (a group of countries that includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States) jointly announced their
• intention to take steps to revoke most-favored-nation (MFN) status.
• Earlier, Canada became the first nation to revoke Russia’s MFN status.
• Only North Korea and Cuba do not enjoy the “most favoured nation” status from the US.

Key Points :

• Revoking Russia’s PNTR status will allow the United States to increase and impose new tariffs on all Russian imports.
• This action will cause economic harm to Russia by damaging its ability to export to wealthier Western markets.
• It will also raise costs for Americans and our trading partners that may rely on affected Russian products.

About Most Favored Nation Trade Status :

• Most-favored-nation (MFN) status is an economic position in which a country enjoys the best trade terms given by its trading partner which means it receives the lowest tariffs, the fewest trade barriers, and the highest import quotas (or none at all). In other words, all MFN trade partners must be treated equally.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

Ujjivan SFB launches digital on-boarding for its micro banking customers

• Ujjivan Small Finance Bank has launched a digital on-boarding facility for its micro banking customers via Ujjivan SFB Assisted App.

About Ujjivan SFB Assisted App :

• It would enable over 60 lakh customers of the bank to update their mobile number for their individual banking transactions through a new Paperless, Real time and Secure, OTP-based authentication, followed by a Biometric Authentication process
• Customers can update their mobile number once every six months through the platform and at any point in time by visiting any branch of the small finance bank, or through a field staff of the bank.

About Ujjivan SFB :

• Founded: 1 February 2017
• Headquarters : Bangalore, Karnataka, India
• MD & CEO : Ittira Davis
• Ujjivan Small Finance Bank is licensed under Section 22 (1) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 to carry out small finance bank business and received Scheduled Bank status from the Reserve Bank of India in August 2017.

DBS Bank India launches Green Deposits program

• DBS Bank India has announced the launch of its Green Deposit Program for corporate clients, providing businesses with an easy way to support green projects.

Aim :

• To finance green industries and initiatives for renewable energy, wastewater management and clean transport.”

About green deposit proposal :

• The Green Deposit is an ideal opportunity for companies that wish to integrate a sustainable programme into their treasury activities or who have limited options for investing in green projects.

Benefits :

• It combines all the benefits of regular fixed-term deposits with DBS’s commitment to supporting green and sustainable loans disbursed by banks.
• The deposits can provide a threefold benefit:

1. Demonstrate customer’s commitment towards environmental sustainability;
2. Customers can invest surplus cash in deposits supporting sustainable projects with positive environmental impact;
3. Customers can receive stable returns on investment without compromising the security of the deposit placement.

Note :

• DBS had partnered with CapitaLand Group to place its first green deposit for one of their group entities & the total net worth of outstanding green loans disbursed by DBS Bank in India is worth INR 1,546 Crores.

Additional Info :

• India’s performance on the NITI Aayog SDG India Index has improved from an overall score of 60 in 2019-20 to 66 in 2020-21

Note :

• HSBC India is the first foreign bank to launch a Green Deposits program in India.

About DBS Bank :

• Founded : 16 July 1968
• Headquarters : Singapore
• Chairman : Peter Seah
• CEO : Piyush Gupta

ICICI Bank launches co-branded credit cards with Emirates Skywards

• Private sector lender ICICI Bank announced a tie-up with Emirates Skywards, a loyalty programme of Emirates and flydubai, to launch a range of co-branded credit cards named, ‘Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Credit Card.

About Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Credit Card :

• The cards will enable customers to earn reward points, called Skywards Miles, on travel, lifestyle and everyday spends.
• The cards award up to 5 Skywards Miles on every spend of ₹100.
• The co-branded credit cards, powered by Visa as the network partner, are available in three variants:

1. ‘Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Emeralde Credit Card’
2. ‘Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card’,
3. ‘Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Rubyx Credit Card’.

• Customers can spend Skywards Miles on rewards, including flight tickets on partner airlines, flight upgrades, hospitality at sporting and cultural events.

Note :

• India is the first Indian bank to partner with Emirates Skywards, to offer an exclusive range of credit cards in the country.

About ICICI Bank :

• Founded : 5 January 1994
• Chairperson : Girish Chandra Chaturvedi
• MD & CEO: Sandeep Bakhshi
• Headquarters : Vadodara, India

About Emirates :

• Founded : 25 March 1985
• Commenced Operations : 25 October 1985
• Headquarters : Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Founder & CEO : Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum
• President : Tim Clark
• It is owned by the government of Dubai’s Investment Corporation of Dubai.
• Emirates is the world’s fourth largest airline by scheduled revenue passenger-kilometers flown,and the second-largest in terms of freight tonne kilometers flown.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Katalin Novak elected Hungary’s first-ever woman president

• The Hungarian parliament elected Katalin Novak the country’s first woman president.
• Novak will succeed Janos Ader (a co-founder of Orban’s governing right-wing Fidesz party who has held the job since 2012)
• She will take over the new role from May 2022.
• She won the 2022 Presidential election by a two-thirds majority.
• She was elected to the mostly ceremonial role by 137 votes to 51 in the parliament dominated by Orban’s right-wing Fidesz party ahead of opposition challenger Peter Rona, an economist.

About Katalin Novak :

• Novák, 44, is a loyal supporter of populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
• She served as Vice President of Fidesz between 2017 and 2021.
• She served as Minister for Family Affairs in the fourth Orbán Government from 2020 until 2021.
• In 2019 she became a Dame of the French National Order of the Legion of Honor & a Commander of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.

About Hungary :

• Capital : Budapest
• Currency : Hungarian forint
• PM : Viktor Orbán

Tata Sons chief N Chandrasekaran appointed as chairman of Air India

• Tata Sons chief Natarajan Chandrasekaran was appointed as chairman of Air India .
• In February 2022, N Chandrasekaran was reappointed as chairman of Tata Sons for a second term of five years.

About Natarajan Chandrasekaran :

• In 2016, N Chandrasekaran joined the board of Tata Sons and took over as chairman in 2017.
• He was Chief operating officer (COO) and executive director of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), where in 2009, he became Chief executive officer (CEO).
• He also chairs the Boards of several group operating companies, including Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power, and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) of which he was Chief Executive Officer from 2009-17.
• He became the first non-Parsi and professional executive to head the Tata Group

Additional Info :

• In Feb 2022, Air India appointed former Turkish Airlines chairman Ilker Ayci to be the CEO & MD of Air India & On March 1, Ayci declined the Tata Sons’ offer to be MD & CEO of Air India.

About Air India :

• Founded : 15 October 1932
• Commenced Operations : 29 July 1946
• Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Founder : J. R. D. Tata
• Mascot : Maharajah (Emperor)
• Logo : flying swan with the wheel of Konark

Govt Appoints MD of SBI Ashwani Bhatia as a whole time member of SEBI

• The government has appointed State Bank of India (SBI) managing director Ashwani Bhatia as a whole-time member (WTM) of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
• The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved the appointment for a period of 3 years from the date of assumption of charge of the post, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

About Ashwani Bhatia :

• Bhatia started his career with SBI in 1985 as a probationary officer.
• He has served as the president and chief operating officer of SBI Capital Markets.
• He served as the managing director and chief executive officer of SBI Mutual Fund.
• In August 2020, Bhatia was appointed as the Managing Director of SBI till the date of his superannuation, ie., May 31 2022.

Note :

• The government appointed Madhabi Puri Buch as the new chairperson of Sebi, the first woman to head the capital market regulator & she replaced Ajay Tyagi, whose five-year term came to an end on February 28.

About SBI :

• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Chairman : Dinesh Kumar Khara
• Establishment : 1st July 1955

About SEBI :

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

Geoscientist Ranjit Rath Appointed as Chairman & MD of Oil India Ltd

• Odisha-born Ranjit Rath (50) has been appointed as the next Chairman and Managing Director of Oil India Limited (OIL) has been selected by the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB).
• He will succeed current chairman and managing director Sushil Chandra Mishra, who will superannuate on June 30, 2022.

About Ranjit Rath :

• Rath, a Geoscientist, is an alumnus of IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur and Utkal University.
• He was the General Manager with Engineers India Ltd , New Delhi and was posted with Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd.
• He has been the Chairman and Managing Director of MiniL, a Miniratna company under the Ministry since November 2018.
• He has co-authored a book titled ‘Underground Storage Technologies’.
• Currently, he is the chairman and managing director of Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd (MECL).

Awards & Honors :

• He was awarded with the prestigious National Geosciences Award 2016 from the President of India.

About Oil India Ltd :

• Founded : 18 February 195
• Headquarters : Duliajan, Assam, India
• Oil India Limited is the Indian-government owned second largest crude oil and natural gas producing company, under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
• In 1981, OIL became a wholly-owned Government of India enterprise.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : AWARDS & HONORS

BAFTA Film Awards 2022: Complete List of Winners

• The 75th British Academy Film Awards, also known as the BAFAs (or BAFTAs), were held at the Royal Albert Hall in London, honoring the best national and foreign films of 2021.
• The award is Presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

Note :

Films that received multiple nominations :

1. Dune – 11 nominations
2. The Power of the Dog – 8
3. Belfast – 6

Films that received multiple awards :

1. Dune – 5 awards

Winners of the BAFTA Awards 2022 :

• Best Film: The Power of the Dog wins Best Film
• Best Director: Jane Campion for The Power of the Dog
• Best Actor: Will Smith for King Richard
• Best Actress: Joanna Scanlan for After Love
• Outstanding British Film: Belfast
• Best Animated Film; Encanto
• Best Documentary: Summer of Soul
• Best Supporting Actor: Troy Kotsur for CODA
• Best Supporting Actress: Ariana DeBose for West Side Story
• Best Original Score: Dune
• EE Rising Star Award: Lashana Lynch
• Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer: The Harder They Fall
• Best Film not in England Language: Drive My Car
• Best Original Screenplay: Licorice Pizza
• Best Adapted Screenplay: CODA
• Best Casting: West Side Story
• Best Editing: No Time To Die
• Cinematography: Dune
• Production Design: Dune
• Sound: Dune
• Special Visual Effects: Dune
• Best Costume Design: Cruella
• Best Hair and Makeup: The Eyes of Tammy Faye
• British Short Animation: Do Not Feed the Pigeons
• British Short Film: The Black Cop

CURRENT AFFAIRS : MOU & AGREEMENTS

HAL inks pact with SASMOS to work together in aerospace domain

• Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bengaluru-based company SASMOS to work together on advanced electronics, electrical and fibre optic interconnections in the aerospace domain.
• HAL’s subsidiary Naini Aerospace (NAeL) was also a signatory to the MoU.

Aim of the MoU :

• To explore business cooperation, especially in northern India, through the utilization of capacity and capabilities of NAeL.
• Under the MoU, HAL and SASMOS will work together in the field of advanced electronics, electrical and fibre optics interconnections in the aerospace domain.

About HAL :

• Founded : 1940
• Headquarters : Bangalore, Karnataka, India
• Chairman & MD : R Madhavan
• HAL is an Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company.
• The HAL HF-24 Marut fighter-bomber was the first indigenous fighter aircraft made in India.

About SASMOS :

• Founded : 2007
• Headquarters : Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
• SASMOS HET Technologies Limited is a leading manufacturer of wiring harness, Electro-Mechanical assemblies and Unit Integration products in the Aerospace, Defence and Marine industry sphere in India.

Adani Group signs deal for two power projects in Sri Lanka             

• India’s Adani Group has inked an agreement for two mega power projects in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province.
• The Memorandum of Understanding was signed at the Finance Ministry of Sri Lanka between the representatives of Adani Group, Ceylon Electricity Board, Sustainable Energy Authority (SEA) and the Board of Investment (BOI).
• With this agreement, Sri Lanka has now assigned three major renewable energy projects in the North and Eastern Provinces.

Aim :

• To generate a combined capacity of 500 MW, at a cost of $ 500 million.
• The project jointly executes renewable power projects in Mannar, on the northwest coast of Sri Lanka, and Pooneryn, located south of the Jaffna Peninsula.
• The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) of India and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) agreed to set up a 100 MW solar power project in Sampur, in the eastern Trincomalee district.

About Adani Group :

• Founded : 20 July 1988
• Headquarters : Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
• Chairman : Gautam Adani
• CEO : Karan Adani

About Sri Lanka :

• President: Gotabaya Rajapaksa\
• Capitals: Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
• Currency: Sri Lankan rupee

CURRENT AFFAIRS : RANKING & INDEX

India emerges as the largest importer of arms in 2017-21 : SIPRI Report

• The latest report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on Trends in International Arms Transfer, 2021, released .

Top 5 Countries in Largest Arms Importers in 2017-21 :

• The report reveals that India and Saudi Arabia had emerged as the largest arms importers of arms between 2017-21, each accounting for 11% of all global arms sales.
• The report places India at the top of the list.
• Meanwhile Egypt, Australia and China were the next three largest importers with respective shares of 5.7%, 5.4% and 4.8%.
• 85% of India’s imports were from just three countries: Russia (46%), France (27%), and USA (12%).
• India’s arms imports have decreased by 21 percent between 2012-16 and 2017-21.
• Asia and Oceania are the largest importing region for major arms, receiving 43 per cent of global transfers in 2017-21 and the six countries in the region are India, Australia, China, South Korea, Pakistan and Japan.

Top 5 Countries in Largest Arms Exporters in 2017-21 :

1.United States (39% share)

2.Russia (19%)

3.France (11%)

4.China (4.6%)

5.Germany (4.5%)

• India was 23rd largest exporter during 2017-21, with a share of just 0.2% of the global exports.

About SIPRI :

• Formed : 6 May 1966
• Headquarters : Stockholm, Sweden
• Chair : Jan Eliasson
• Director : Dan Smith
• Founders : Tage Erlander, Alva Myrdal

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITION AND MERGERS

CCI approves acquisition of Micro Life Sciences Private Limited by South Elm Investments:

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves acquisition of Micro Life Sciences Private Limited by South Elm Investments B.V.
• The proposed combination pertains to the proposed acquisition of minority stake in Micro Life Sciences Private Limited (Micro Life/ Target) by South Elm Investments B.V. (SEI/ Acquirer).
• SEI is an investment holding company incorporated under the laws of Netherlands.
• The shareholders of SEI are certain private equity funds managed by Warburg Pincus LLC.
• Target is a company incorporated in India, which is primarily engaged in the following business activities in India along with subsidiaries: manufacture and sale of
• medical devices in various categories such as stents, Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty catheters, heart valves, orthopedic implants, and endo-surgery products;
• in-vitro diagnostics analyzers and reagents; and
• over the counter (OTC) products like products COVID self-test kits and pregnancy test kits, in India.

CCI approves acquisition of equity stake in Future Generali India Insurance Company Limited by Generali Participations Netherlands:

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves acquisition of equity stake in Future Generali India Insurance Company Limited by Generali Participations Netherlands N.V.
• Generali Participations Netherlands N.V. (GPN / Acquirer) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A (“Generali Group”), the ultimate parent entity of the Generali group of companies.
• The Generali Group is a global insurance provider and is present in the general insurance industry in India through FGIIC.
• Future Generali India Insurance Company Limited is a general insurance company engaged in the provision of non-life or general insurance services in India.
• GPN proposes to acquire approx. 25% of the equity share capital of FGIIC held by Future Enterprises Limited, pursuant to which GPN’s aggregate (direct and indirect) shareholding in FGIIC will stand increased from 49% to approx. 74%.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

India to host FIDE Chess Olympiad 2022 in Chennai:

1. India has won the bid to host the FIDE Chess Olympiad 2022 in Chennai.
2. It was originally scheduled to be held in Russia.

• But the FIDE recently announced that it pulled out from there following the Ukraine invasion.

1. After the announcement, Tamil Nadu government and the All India Chess Federation made a joint bid to host the prestigious tournament and won.
2. This is the first time India hosts the FIDE Chess Olympiad since its inception in 1927.
3. In the event, Chennai will host about 2000 participants from all over the world.

• India, being the host nation, will get the opportunity to send in multiple teams, increasing the probability to have a podium finish.
• The tentative dates for the FIDE Chess Olympiad are fixed to be from 26th July 2022 to 8th August 2022.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHOR

A book titled ‘Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery’ released soon:

• The book, ‘Modi @ 20: Dreams Meet Delivery’, brought out by Rupa Publications, is a compilation of chapters authored by eminent intellectuals and domain experts.
• Union home Minister Amit Shah, minister of external affairs Jaishankar, national security advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, actor Anupam Kher, Olympic athlete P.V Sindhu and singer Lata Mangeshkar are among the many who have contributed to a special book to commemorate the 20 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in public life.
• On October 7 last year, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) marked 20 years since PM Modi took public office as the chief minister of Gujarat and a series of special events were planned.
• Brought out by Rupa Publications, ‘Modi @ 20: Dreams Meet Delivery’ will be out in mid-April and will cover various aspects of his tenure as chief minister of Gujarat to the Prime Minister of the country.

Sahitya Akademi publishes a book-length poem ‘Monsoon’ by Indian poet-diplomat Abhay K:

• Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters has published a book-length poem ‘Monsoon’ by Indian poet-diplomat Abhay K on the occasion of its 68th anniversary.
• Sahitya Akademi was established on 12th March in 1954
• ‘Monsoon’ is a poem of 150 stanzas of 4 lines each (quatrain/ruba’i ) that commences its journey in Madagascar and follows the path of the monsoon invoking the rich flora and fauna, languages, cuisine, music, monuments, landscapes, traditions, myths and legends of the places through which monsoon travels and acts as a messenger to carry the poet’s message from Madagascar to his beloved in Srinagar in the Himalayas.

Daily CA On Mar 17 :

• National Vaccination Day is observed annually on 16^th march in India.
• The 36th International Geological Congress (IGC), themed “Geosciences: The Basic Science for a Sustainable Future” will be held here during 20-22 March, 2022 on a virtual platform.
• An Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Technology Park (ARTPARK) with a seed money of Rs 230 crore was launched at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru.
• Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti organisation established by Ambassador of Peace, Eminent Jainacharya Dr Lokeshji will establish India’s first World Peace Center in Gurugram, Haryana.
• The Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), a unit of the CIL, has crossed 157 million tonne (MT) in coal production in the financial year of 2021-22, to become the leading coal producing company in the country.
• President Biden and the G7 (a group of countries that includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States) jointly announced their intention to take steps to revoke most-favored-nation (MFN) status.
• Ujjivan Small Finance Bank has launched a digital on-boarding facility for its micro banking customers via Ujjivan SFB Assisted App.
• DBS Bank India has announced the launch of its Green Deposit Program for corporate clients, providing businesses with an easy way to support green projects.
• Private sector lender ICICI Bank announced a tie-up with Emirates Skywards, a loyalty programme of Emirates and flydubai, to launch a range of co-branded credit cards named, ‘Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Credit Card.
• The Hungarian parliament elected Katalin Novak the country’s first woman president & he will succeed Janos Ader (a co-founder of Orban’s governing right-wing Fidesz party who has held the job since 2012)
• Tata Sons chief Natarajan Chandrasekaran was appointed as chairman of Air India .
• The government has appointed State Bank of India (SBI) managing director Ashwani Bhatia as a whole-time member (WTM) of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

• Odisha-born Ranjit Rath (50) has been appointed as the next Chairman and Managing Director of Oil India Limited (OIL) has been selected by the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) & he will succeed current chairman and managing director Sushil Chandra Mishra, who will superannuate on June 30, 2022.
• The 75th British Academy Film Awards, also known as the BAFAs (or BAFTAs), were held at the Royal Albert Hall in London, honoring the best national and foreign films of 2021.
• Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bengaluru-based company SASMOS to work together on advanced electronics, electrical and fibre optic interconnections in the aerospace domain.
• India’s Adani Group has inked an agreement for two mega power projects in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province.
• The latest report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on Trends in International Arms Transfer, 2021, released & the report reveals that India and Saudi Arabia had emerged as the largest arms importers of arms between 2017-21, each accounting for 11% of all global arms sales.
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves acquisition of Micro Life Sciences Private Limited by South Elm Investments B.V.
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves acquisition of equity stake in Future Generali India Insurance Company Limited by Generali Participations Netherlands N.V.
• India has won the bid to host the FIDE Chess Olympiad 2022 in Chennai.
• The book, ‘Modi @ 20: Dreams Meet Delivery’, brought out by Rupa Publications, is a compilation of chapters authored by eminent intellectuals and domain experts.
• Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters has published a book-length poem ‘Monsoon’ by Indian poet-diplomat Abhay K on the occasion of its 68th anniversary.