Daily GK Update- 16th Jan, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Supreme Court appoints 5-member panel headed by former judge Indu Malhotra: The Supreme Court of India has constituted a five-member committee to probe the security breach during the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Punjab. The committee will be headed by former apex court judge Justice Indu Malhotra. Other members of the panel include the Inspector General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the Director-General of Police of Chandigarh, the Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Additional DGP (Security) of Punjab.

Points of reference of the panel: To inquire who all are responsible for the security breach and to what extent the remedial measures are necessary. Give suggestions on the security of constitutional functionaries ensuring that such incidents do not take place in future.

 

2. Kochi became India’s first city to have a Water Metro Project: Kochi, Kerala has become India’s first city to have a Water Metro Project after the launch of its first boat in December 2021, namely ‘Muziris,’ among the 23 battery-powered electric boats being manufactured by Cochin Shipyard Limited. This launch is a part of the Rs 747-crore project which is operated by Kochi Water Metro Ltd (KWML). The boats will be called Water Metros. With a total outlay of Rs 819 crore, the project’s major part is financed under Indo-German Financial Cooperation through a long-term loan agreement of 85 million Euros (Rs 579 crore) with the German funding agency, KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau).

Note: Kerala Capital: Thiruvananthapuram; Kerala Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan; Kerala Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan.

 

3. Indian Railways launches Mission Amanat to help passengers track their lost belongings: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) of the Western Railways zone of Indian Railways has launched a new initiative called “Mission Amanat” to make it easier for railway passengers to get back their lost luggage. Under Mission Amanat, the details of lost luggage and belongings along with photos will be uploaded on the official website of the zonal railway, https://wr.indianrailways.gov.in/. This will help the passengers in tracking and getting back their lost belongings as well as ensure the safety and security of passengers and their luggage and belongings.

Note: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Railway Board: Vinay Kumar Tripathi.

 

4. 9th edition of North East Festival concludes: The 9th edition of the North East Festival concluded in Guwahati, Assam. The main purpose of this festival is to promote and highlight the commercial and tourism potential of the North East region. The festival was organised in the format of a carnival with live music and dance performances, engaging the visitors throughout the day in the open area while serious discussions on business, economic, socio-political issues of the region engrossed the intellectuals in the conference halls. The festival aimed at integrated marketing of the entire North-East to attract tourists and investments. The closing day was graced by Assam’s Agriculture Minister Atul Bora, who interacted with entrepreneurs participating from across the North-East region.

 

5. India’s oldest sloth bear ‘Gulabo’ passes away at Van Vihar National Park: India’s oldest female sloth bear, whose name was Gulabo, has passed away at the Van Vihar National Park and Zoo, located in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Gulabo was the oldest sloth bear of the country. She died at the age of 40. She was rescued from a street performer (Madaari) in May 2006, when she was 25 years. Gulabo was one of the star attractions in the park. The Van Vihar National Park, located on the banks of Bhopal’s Upper Lake, also runs a rescue and breeding centre for sloth bears.

 

6. A book on Arundhati Bhattacharya “Indomitable: A Working Woman’s Notes on Life, Work and Leadership” released: HarperCollins is set to publish “Indomitable: A Working Woman’s Notes on Life, Work and Leadership” the autobiography of Arundhati Bhattacharya, retired Indian banker and former first-ever woman Chairperson of the State Bank of India. Indomitable features the story of Arundhati Bhattacharya’s life as a banker and the difficulties she faced in the male-dominated sector. She is the chairperson and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of salesforce India, a cloud-based Software as a service (SaaS) company headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States of America.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Cyprus detects new ‘Deltacron’ Covid variant: Cyprus has detected a new variant dubbed as “Deltacron”, that has a similar genetic background to the Delta variant, coupled with 10 mutations from Omicron. The variant has already affected 25 people in Cyprus. According to Dr Leondios Kostrikis, the head of the laboratory of biotechnology and molecular virology at the University of Cyprus, of the 25 samples taken in Cyprus, 11 were hospitalised due to the virus, while 14 were from the general population.

The new variant from the lineage named B.1.640.2 is believed to have infected 12 people in the country, according to the yet-to-be peer-reviewed study supported by the French government. Studies have shown that the co-existence of Delta and Omicron increases the chances of a new variant as a result of them trading genes.

Note: Cyprus Capital: Nicosia; Cyprus Currency: Euro; Cyprus Continent: Europe; Cyprus President: Nicos Anastasiades.

 

2. David Bennett world first human receives a Pig Heart Transplant: A US man has become the first person in the world to get a heart transplant from a genetically-modified pig. David Bennett, 57, is doing well three days after the experimental seven-hour procedure in Baltimore. The possibility of using animal organs for so-called xenotransplantation to meet the demand has long been considered, and using pig heart valves is already common. Pigs are increasingly becoming popular candidates for organ transplantation. This is because their organs are anatomically similar to those of humans. What’s more, porcine components are more tuned for genetic engineering.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Mission Olympic Cell adds 10 athletes to the TOPS list: Mission Olympic Cell under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has added ten athletes to the list of athletes who would be provided support under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). Total 10 new entrants, five athletes have been included in the Core group while five have been added to the Development group. Now, the total number of athletes under TOPS has increased to 301, which includes 107 in the Core group while 294 in the Development group.

Athletes added to the Core group includes:

Aditi Ashok (Golf)

Fouaad Mirza (Horse Rider/ Equestrian)

Anirban Lahiri (Golf)

Diksha Dagar (Golf)

Mohammed Arif Khan (Alpine Skiier )

Athletes added to the Development group includes:

Shubhankar Sharma (Golf)

Tvesa Malik (Golf)

Yash Ghangas (Judo)

Unnati Sharma (Judo)

Linthoi Chanambam (Judo)

 

2. South Africa all-rounder Chris Morris retires from cricket: South African all-rounder Chris Morris has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. Morris has played in four Tests, 42 ODIs and 23 T20Is for South Africa. Morris made his Test debut as late as 2016 and featured in only four games in the traditional format, making 173 runs and taking 12 wickets.

With the bat in hand, Morris scored 467 runs in ODIs and 133 in T20s respectively. In February 2021, Rajasthan Royals doled out a record INR 16.25 crores to avail his services. Morris has also played for Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings franchises in the IPL.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Axis Bank tie-up with MinkasuPay for biometric-based banking payments: Axis Bank has tied up with MinkasuPay to offer a biometric authentication solution for net banking payments in merchant apps using Fingerprint or Face ID, without the need for usernames, passwords, and One-Time Passwords (OTPs). This Solution will reduce the time of payment from 50-60 seconds to just 2-3 seconds and also increase the transaction success rate.

MinkasuPay’s biometric authentication solution, which is a 2-Factor-Authentication (FA) solution (mandated by the Reserve Bank of India), will help in increasing quick and secure digital transactions through device binding and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).

Note: Axis Bank Founded: 3 December 1993; Axis Bank Headquarters: Mumbai; Axis Bank MD & CEO: Amitabh Chaudhary; Axis Bank Chairperson: Shri Rakesh Makhija; Axis Bank Tagline: Badhti Ka Naam Zindagi.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Retail inflation rises to 5.59% in December 2021: Retail inflation in December 2021 rose to a six-month high of 5.59 per cent from 4.91 per cent in November 2021, mainly due to a sharp rise in food prices as food inflation for the period under review also rose steeply to 4.05 per cent against 1.87 per cent in November 2021. According to data released by the ministry of statistics and programme implementation, prices of cereals, egg, milk products and prepared meals went up during December 2021. Apart from these items, prices of clothing and footwear, education, health as well as recreation activities and transportation too witnessed a rise in December 2021 compared to November 2021.

 

2. UBS Projects India’s GDP forecast at 9.1% in FY22: Swiss brokerage UBS Securities has lowered the growth forecast of the Indian economy for the current financial year (FY22) to 9.1 per cent due to a massive surge in Omicron infections. Earlier this was estimated at 9.5 per cent. However, UBS Securities has revised upwards the real GDP forecast of India in FY23 to 8.2 per cent. This was projected at 7.7 per cent earlier.

 

3. World Bank projects India’s GDP growth at 8.3% in FY22: The World Bank has projected the Indian economy to grow at the following rate in its ‘Global Economic Prospects’ report released on January 11, 2022. The World Bank retained its FY22 growth forecast for India at 8.3 per cent but upgraded it to 8.7 per cent for FY23, from 7.5 per cent estimated earlier, citing improving growth prospects, especially a reviving private capex cycle. The forecast for FY2022/23 and FY2023/24 for India has been upgraded to 8.7 per cent and 6.8 per cent, respectively, reflecting higher investment from the private sector and in infrastructure, and dividends from ongoing reforms.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Actress Harshaali Malhotra awarded 12th Bharat Ratna Dr Ambedkar Award 2022: The 2015 film Bajrangi Bhaijaan fame actress, Harshaali Malhotra has been awarded the 12th Bharat Ratna Dr Ambedkar Award 2022. She received the award from Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Governor of Maharashtra, for her commendable performance in the movie and contribution in the field of Indian Cinema. The Government of Maharashtra organised the Bharat Ranta Dr Ambedkar national Awards 2022 ceremony in the memory of Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar as a part of the upcoming 73rd Republic Day.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. India successfully test-fires naval variant BrahMos cruise missile: Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test-fired an extended range sea-to-sea variant of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile for the Indian Navy. This advanced sea to sea variant of BrahMos Supersonic Cruise missile was launched from INS Visakhapatnam, a stealth guided-missile destroyer of the Indian Navy.

About the Missile: BrahMos Aerospace, an India-Russian joint venture, produces supersonic cruise missiles that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms. The missile can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms.

BrahMos missile flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach or almost three times the speed of sound.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Olympic medal-winning Athlete Deon Lendore passes away: Olympic athlete Deon Lendore, who participated in the 400 meters race at the 2020 Olympics, passed away at the age of 29 years due to a fatal car accident in Texas, United States (US). He was born on 28 October 1992 in Trinidad and Tobago (the Caribbean Islands, South America), was an expert of 400 meters championships. He participated in the London Olympics in 2012 and won a Bronze medal in 4×400 meter relay. He also participated in the Tokyo Olympic 2021 and in 2016 Rio Olympics.