NATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
India’s first heli-hub to be set up in Gurugram: Haryana Deputy CM
Dushyant Chautala announced that Gurugram will get India’s 1st heli-hub with
all aviation facilities. The heli-hub will be the first of its kind in India to
have all facilities at one place for helicopters. The heli-hub is proposed to
be built in Gurugram & would be near the metro facility along with easy
connectivity to industrial areas (Noida & Bhiwadi). The Haryana government
has proposed to set up the first heli-hub of the country in Gurugram designed
to have many aviation facilities like heliport, hangars, repairs, and any other
related services.
2.
Bhupender Yadav chaired 19th Meeting of National Tiger Conservation Authority: The 19th meeting of
the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) was held under the
chairmanship of the union minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change
Bhupender Yadav. Currently, there are 51 Tiger Reserves in India and more than
35 rivers originate from those areas which are crucial for water security.
About the meeting:
(1) The environment minister launched an
action plan for the reintroduction, protection and conservation of 7 major big
cats in India including the cheetah, which has become extinct in independent
India.
(2) Under the action plan, 50 of these big
cats will be introduced in the next 5 years in various parks.
(3) He announced that 14 Tiger reserves
across India have received accreditation of the global Conservation Assured
Tiger Standards (CA|TS). He underlined the need to meetings of NTCA in the
first week of April, August & December every year.
3.
Kevadia railway station renamed as Ekta Nagar railway station: The Ministry of
Railways has approved the renaming of the Kevadiya railway station in the
Narmada district of Gujarat, as Ekta Nagar railway station. The Statue of
Unity’s Kevadiya railway station falls under the Vadodara division. The station
code of Ekta Nagar railway station will be EKNR. The numerical code of the
station will be 08224620.
Last year, the Ministry of Railways had
said tourists visiting the world’s tallest statue in Gujarat “Statue of Unity”
will be able to experience the rich cultural history of the state at the
Kevadiya railway station itself. Under the public-private partnership (PPP)
initiative, the Vadodara Division of Western Railways had awarded first of its
kind contract in the Indian Railways network for the development of an Art
Gallery with a Souvenir shop at Gujarat’s Kevadiya Railway station.
4.
Ratan Tata’s biography ‘Ratan N. Tata: The Authorized Biography’ to be out in
Nov 2022: Tata
Sons emeritus Chairman, veteran industrialist and philanthropist Ratan Tata’s
authorized biography titled ‘Ratan N. Tata: The Authorized Biography’ is set to
hit the stands in November 2022. The biography is penned by a former senior
bureaucrat and retired IAS officer Dr Thomas Matthew. It will be published by
HarperCollins. The book chronicles around the 84-year-old Ratan Tata’s
childhood, college years, and early influences, among other things.
5.
Indian Army Day: 15th January: The Army Day in India is celebrated on 15
January every year, to salute the valiant soldiers who sacrificed their lives
to protect the country and its citizens. This year marks the 74th Indian Army
Day. The day is marked to commemorate the day when General (later Field
Marshal) KM Carriappa took over the command of the Army from General Sir FRR
Bucher, the last British Commander-in-Chief in 1949 and became the first
Commander-in-Chief of Indian Army post Independence.
Note: 28th Chief of Army Staff: General
Manoj Mukund Naravane.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Alikhan Smailov appointed as new Prime Minister of Kazakhstan: The parliament of
Kazakhstan has unanimously approved the appointment of Alikhan Smailov as the
new Prime Minister of the country. His name was nominated by Kazakh President
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on January 11, 2022. Prior to this, the 49-year-old
Smailov served as the country’s finance minister from 2018 to 2020. He became
the first deputy prime minister in the Cabinet in 2019.
Note: Kazakhstan Capital: Nur-Sultan;
Kazakhstan Currency: Kazakhstani tenge.
2.
Henley Passport Index 2022: India Ranks 83rd in Q1: India has improved
its position by seven places to rank at 83rd place among 111 countries in the
latest Henley Passport Index, released for Q1 of 2022. India ranked at 90th
spot among 116 countries in Q4 of 2021 in October. The Indian passport has visa-free
access to 60 destinations worldwide in Q1 2022, as compared to 58 destinations
in Q4 of 2021. Oman and Armenia are the latest destinations where Indian
passport holders can visit without obtaining a visa.
On a global level: Japan and
Singapore have retained the joint top position in the Henley Global Mobility
Report 2022 Q1. Their passports holders are allowed to travel visa-free to 192
countries. Afghanistan has the world’s least powerful passports, with a
visa-free score of 26.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
Rafael Nadal wins 2022 Melbourne Summer Set tennis tournament: World number six
Rafael Nadal won the men’s singles tennis title at 2022 Melbourne Summer Set 1.
Nadal beat American qualifier Maxime Cressy 7-6(6), 6-3 to earn his 89th career
ATP title. In the women’s singles, Simona Halep beat Russia’s Veronika
Kudermetova 6–2, 6–3 to win her 23rd career WTA title. Meanwhile in the
Melbourne Summer Set 2 tennis tournament, American player Amanda Anisimova won
the women’s singles tennis title, to earn her second career WTA title. American
duo Bernarda Pera and Kateřina Siniaková won the women’s doubles tennis title.
2.
New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel wins ICC Player of the Month Award: India-born New
Zealand cricketer Ajaz Patel has won the ICC Player of the Month award for
December following his stupendous 10-wicket haul against Virat Kohli and Co. in
the second Test in Mumbai. The left-arm spinner was nominated for the award
alongside India opener Mayank Agarwal and Australian pacer Mitchell Starc but
beat them to it on the back of his incredibly rare feat. Ajaz picked up 14
wickets in the Mumbai Test match in early December against India, including all
10 in the first innings, to become only the third player in Test history, after
Jim Laker and Anil Kumble, to achieve the remarkable milestone.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
RBI set up a separate department for “FinTech”: Reserve Bank of
India has set up a separate internal department for fintech (Financial
technology). The new department has been created with effect from January 04,
2022, by subsuming the FinTech Division of Department of Payment and Settlement
Systems, Central Office (DPSS, CO).
The department will not only promote
innovation in the sector but also identify the challenges and opportunities
associated with it and address them in a timely manner. Ajay Kumar Choudhary,
who was recently promoted as the Executive Director of RBI was appointed as
head of the department.
Note: Reserve Bank of India Founded: April
1, 1935; Reserve Bank of India Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; Reserve Bank
of India Governor: Shaktikanta Das.
2.
Former RBI Governor Urjit Patel Appointed as Vice President of AIIB: Former Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) Governor, Urjit Patel has been appointed as Vice President of
the multilateral funding institution Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
(AIIB) for a period of three years. He will be one of the five Vice Presidents
of the AIIB. He is expected to take charge from February 2022. He will succeed
outgoing Vice President D J Pandian, who is in charge of sovereign and
non-sovereign lending of the AIIB in South Asia, the Pacific Islands and
South-East Asia.
Note: President of Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank: Jin Liqun; Headquarters of AIIB: Beijing, China; AIIB
established: 16 January 2016.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
Airtel Payments Bank tie-up with Park+ to offer FASTag-based Parking Solutions:
Airtel
Payments Bank and Park+ have collaborated to offer FASTag-based smart parking
solutions to marquee commercial and residential properties across India. This
partnership will utilize the reach of Airtel Payments Bank to digitize the
parking ecosystem using FASTag associated with the vehicle. Park+ is backed by
Sequoia Capital and Matrix Partners and is engaged in automating parking spaces
through FASTag.
About the collaboration: The collaboration
aims to leverage the deep distribution reach and digital payments stack of
Airtel Payments Bank to digitize the parking ecosystem using FASTag associated
with the vehicle. Park+ will offer its entire suite of FASTag services
including issuance, acquiring, recharge, and technology support to Airtel
Payments Bank. Park+ access control systems are installed at over 1500 societies,
over 30 malls, and over 150 corporate parks across the country.
Note: Airtel Payments Bank’s MD and CEO:
Anubrata Biswas; Airtel Payments Bank Headquarters: New Delhi; Airtel Payments
Bank Founded: January 2017.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1.
‘Kerala Arts and Crafts Village Organization’ won ‘International Craft Award
2021: Kerala
Arts and Crafts Village Organization (KACV) from Kovalam, Kerala was awarded
the ‘International Craft Award for 2021’ for the best craft village in the
world by the World Crafts Council International. It is the only award India
received in the non-individual category. The KACV was established by the
Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (UL CCS) for the State Tourism
Department of Kerala. In 2021, the Village of the Year award was won by ‘Kraf
Komuniti Ku’ in Malaysia.
Other Awardee’s:
|
Category of the award |
Winners |
|
Craft Icon of the Year |
Chandramali Liyangane
of the National Crafts Council, Sri Lanka. |
|
Sustainable
Development & Social Inclusion in the Handicrafts Sector |
Malaysian Prison
Department |
|
Craft Persons of the
Year |
Shahrbanoo Arabian
(Iran) and Dalavayi Kullayappa (India) |
|
Craft Designers of the
Year |
Zohra Said (Morocco) and Ismario Ismael (Mexico) |
|
Next Generation Craft
Designers of the year |
Qiling Zhang (China)
and Mubin Khatri (India) |
|
The Master Artisans |
Amita Sachdeva (India)
and Mubarik Khatri (India) |
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