Daily GK Update- 22nd Feb, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. PM Narendra Modi inaugurates 550-tonne capacity Gobar-Dhan Plant in Indore: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated a 550-tonne capacity “Gobar-Dhan (Bio-CNG) Plant” in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, through video conferencing. This is the biggest Bio-CNG plant in Asia. It has been set up at a cost of Rs 150 crore. The gobardhan plant is based on the concept of waste-to-wealth innovation. Wet urban household waste and waste from cattle and farm is Gobar Dhan.

Need for Bio CNG Plant: Lakhs of tonnes of garbage have occupied thousands of acres of land for decades across the country causing air and water pollution, the major reason behind the spread of diseases. The plant is based on zero-landfill models, which means no rejects would be generated.

Benefits of the plants:

a)      Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, providing green energy; and organic compost as fertiliser.

b)      The Indore Gober Dhan Bio CNG plant will produce around 17,000 kg per day of CNG, and 100 tonnes per day of organic compost.

c)       It is proposed that such Gober Dhan Bio CNG plants will be established in 75 big Municipal bodies in coming two years.

 

2. GoI, World Bank sign loan agreement of $115 million for implementation of REWARD Project: The Government of India, the State Governments of Karnataka and Odisha and the World Bank have signed a $115 million (INR 869 crore) Rejuvenating Watersheds for Agricultural Resilience through Innovative Development (REWARD) Programme. This programme will help national and state institutions adopt improved watershed management practices to help increase farmers’ resilience to climate change, promote higher productivity and better incomes.

The bifurcation of the loan amount of $115 million is given below:

Government of Karnataka- $60 million (INR 453.5 crore)

Government of Odisha- $49 million (INR 370 crore)

Central Government- $6 million (INR 45.5 crore)

Terms of Loan: The loan has been provided by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) arm of World Bank and has a maturity of 15 years, including a grace period of 4.5 years.

Note: World Bank Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States; World Bank Formation: July 1944; World Bank President: David Malpass.

 

3. Govt plans ‘Heal by India’ for positioning India as global source for health sector: The government of India will be promoting the ‘Heal by India’ initiative to improve India’s educational institutions in the health sector. The Union Health Ministry recently organized a Chintan Shivir — ‘Heal by India’ for two days. ‘Heal by India’ initiative is meant to generate job opportunities abroad for India’s trained professionals in the health sector and enhance education to churn out quality human resources in health, thus helping them become eligible to work anywhere in the world.

To achieve the objectives under ‘Heal by India’:

a)      The government of India is working on assets like well-qualified faculty, no language barrier, availability of advanced technology, positive government policies etc. Especially for those that have high demand outside India.

b)      It includes almost 50-60 streams like dieticians, nurses, lab technicians, paramedics, OT (operation theatre) attendants, physiotherapists, OT technicians, medical attendants for old age patients care etc. They will be trained under the Skill India programme.

 

4. TransUnion tieup FICCI for MSME consumer education programme: TransUnion CIBIL has partnered with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) to launch a unique nationwide MSME consumer education program to support MSME. This program will kick off with MSME clusters in Maharashtra, Assam and Tripura and aims to reach thousands of MSMEs across key MSME clusters in India.

The objective of the program:

a)      The program objective is to empower MSMEs with knowledge on how to build a good credit history and CIBIL Rank to avail easier and faster access to finance. TransUnion CIBIL is committed to supporting banks and credit institutions in the sustainable growth of their MSME portfolios while improving reach and driving access to finance for MSMEs.

b)      In addition to offering MSME lenders solutions like CIBIL Rank and commercial credit reports for astute lending, TransUnion CIBIL also publishes insights reports like the MSME Pulse in association with SIDBI and the recent Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) analysis report to support policymakers and the industry with market insights on the MSME sector.

Note: FICCI Founded: 1927; FICCI Headquarters: New Delhi; FICCI President: Sanjiv Mehta; FICCI Secretary General: Arun Chawla.

TransUnion CIBIL Founded: 2000; TransUnion CIBIL Managing Director: Rajesh Kumar; TransUnion CIBIL Chairman:  M.V.Nair (Chairman).

 

5. A book on Rabindranath Tagore authored by Uma Das Gupta released: The book titled “A History of Sriniketan: Rabindranath Tagore’s Pioneering Work in Rural Construction” was authored by Uma Das Gupta and published under Niyogi Books ‘Paper Missile’ released. The book contains Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s work in ‘village reconstruction’ by setting up ‘Sriniketan’, a wing of his Visva Bharati International University at Santiniketan in 1922, which is also popularly known as a university town. It is situated in West Bengal.

The book highlights the efforts of Rabindranath Tagore in improving the condition of the peasantry by using scientific methods of cultivation through laboratory experiments where the expert and the peasant collectively participated.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Russian President Putin divided Ukraine into 3 countries: Russian President, Vladimir Putin has recognised the independence of separatist regions in eastern Ukraine – Donetsk and Luhansk. Putin’s announcement paved the way for Russia to openly send troops and weapons to the long-running conflict pitting Ukrainian forces against Moscow-backed rebels. Russian-backed rebels have been fighting Ukrainian troops in Donetsk and Luhansk since 2014, with regular violence despite a ceasefire agreement.

Putin signed decrees recognizing the Donetsk and Luhansk regions’ independence, eight years after fighting erupted between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces, and called on lawmakers to approve measures paving the way for military support.

Note: Russia Capital: Moscow; Russia Currency: Ruble; Russia President: Vladimir Putin.

 

2. World Thinking Day: 22nd February: World Thinking Day, originally known as Thinking Day, is celebrated annually on 22 February by all Girl Scouts, Girl Guides and other girl groups worldwide. The day is observed to think about fellow brothers and sisters around the world, address their concerns and understand the true meaning of guiding. The theme for World Thinking Day 2022 is Our World, Our Equal Future.

History of the day:

a)      In 1926, at the Fourth Girl Scout International Conference, held at Girl Scouts of the United States’s Camp Edith Macy (presently the Edith Macy Conference Center), the conference delegates highlighted the need for a special international day when Girl Guides and Girl Scouts would think about the worldwide spread of Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting, and of all the Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world, giving them, their “sisters,” thanks and appreciation.

b)      It was decided by the delegates that this day would be 22 February, the birthday of both Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scout movement, and Lady Olave Baden-Powell, his wife and the World Chief Guide.

c)       In 1999, at the 30th World Conference, held in Ireland, the name was changed from “Thinking Day” to “World Thinking Day”, to emphasize the global aspect of this special day.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Mumbai to host International Olympic Committee session in 2023: Mumbai, India will host the International Olympic Committee session in 2023. The IOC Session for 2023 will be held at Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai. The last such session was hosted by India in the year 1983 in New Delhi. In 2022, the IOC session was held in Beijing, China. Nita Ambani is the representative of India on this committee. Mumbai received a historic 99% of the votes in favour of its bid from the delegates participating in the process, with 75 members endorsing its candidature in the session held at Beijing.

International Olympic Committee session: The IOC Session is the yearly meeting of the 101 voting members and the 45 honorary members where they come together to decide amendments to the Olympic Charter, the election of IOC members and office-bearers and so on.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Centre nominates Sanjay Malhotra as a Director of Central Board of RBI: The Centre government has nominated Sanjay Malhotra, Secretary, Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance, as a Director on the Central Board of Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The nomination of Malhotra, a 1990 batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre, is effective from February 16, 2022, and until further orders. Prior to his appointment as DFS Secretary, Malhotra was the Chairman and Managing Director of REC Ltd. He succeeded Debashish Panda, who completed his term on January 31, 2022.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Hurun India Wealth Report: India’s millionaire households rose 11% in 2021: According to the latest Hurun India Wealth Report 2021, the number of dollar-millionaire households in India increased by 11 per cent to 4,58,000 households in 2021, as compared to 2020. A household having a net worth of at least INR 7 crore ($1 million), is referred to as a dollar-millionaire household. The report has estimated that the number of dollar-millionaire households in the country shall increase by 30% over the next five years to reach 6,00,000 households in 2026.

Key points of the report:

a)      Meanwhile, in the list of cities with the most millionaires, Mumbai has topped with 20,300 millionaires households. Mumbai is followed by Delhi with 17,400 and Kolkata with 10,500 millionaire households, respectively.

b)      The report is based on the survey on 350 Indian ‘millionaires’ (individuals with a personal wealth of $1 million).

 

2. Indian businesses rank 5th in their concern for climate change: As per the ‘Deloitte 2022 CxO Sustainability Report: The Disconnect Between Ambition and Impact’, Indian businesses rank 5th in their concern for climate change. According to the report, 80 per cent of Indian executives see the world at a tipping point for responding to climate change compared with just 53 per cent eight months ago.

The report was released by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL). DTTL is also known as Deloitte Global. The Deloitte survey, done across 21 countries during September-October 2021, has found a higher number of top-level executives in India responding to the issue of climate change compared to the survey conducted in January-February 2021.

Significance of the Report: The report examines business leaders’ and companies’ concerns and actions related to climate change and sustainability. The report also explores the disconnect between company ambition and impact, as well as steps CxOs can take to start to bridge the gap.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2022: The prestigious ceremony of Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2022 was held on February 20. The event was held in Mumbai and the best performances from last year were honoured in the event this time. This year Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2022 celebrated the opulence of Indian Cinema and also commemorated the 75 years of Independence or Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

Here is a complete list of winners of Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2022:

1)      Film of the Year Award: Pushpa: The Rise

2)      Best Film Award: Shershaah

3)      Best Actor Award: Ranveer Singh for film 83

4)      Best Actress Award: Kriti Sanon for film Mimi

5)      Outstanding Contribution to Films: Asha Parekh

6)      Critics Best Actor Award: Sidharth Malhotra

7)      Critics Best Actress Award: Kiara Advani

8)      Best Actor in Supporting Role Award: Satish Kaushik for film Kaagaz

9)      Best Actress in Supporting Role Award: Lara Dutta for film Bell-Bottom

10)  Best Actor in Negative Role Award: Aayush Sharma for film Antim: The Final Truth

11)  People’s Choice Best Actor Award: Abhimanyu Dasani

12)  People’s Choice Best Actress Award: Radhika Madan

13)  Best Debut Award: Ahan Shetty for film Tadap

14)  Best Playback Singer Male Award: Vishal Mishra

15)  Best Playback Singer Female Award: Kanika Kapoor

16)  Critics Best Film Award: Sardar Udham Singh

17)  Best Director Award: Ken Ghosh for film State of Siege: Temple Attack

18)  Best Cinematographer Award: Jayakrishna Gummadi for film Haseena Dilruba

19)  Best International Feature Film Award: Another Round

20)  Best Short Film Award: Pauli

21)  Best Actor in Web Series Award: Manoj Bajpayee for The Family Man 2

22)  Best Actress in Web Series Award: Raveena Tandon for Aranyak

23)  Best Web Series Award: Candy

24)  Best Actor in Television Series Award: Shaheer Sheikh for Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi

25)  Best Actress in Television Series Award: Shraddha Arya for Kundali Bhagya

26)  Television Series of the Year Award: Anupama

27)  Most Promising Actor in Television Series Award: Dheeraj Dhoopar for Kundali Bhagya

28)  Most Promising Actress in Television Series Award: Rupali Ganguly for Anupama

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Senior journalist Ravish Tiwari passes away: Senior journalist, Ravish Tiwari has passed away. He was the national bureau chief of Indian Express. He was popular for his political news reporting. Before this, he had also served as Senior Assistant Editor at Economic Times, Associate Editor at India Today and Senior Assistant Editor at the Indian Express. He had done his graduation from IIT Bombay and master’s from the University of Oxford.

 

2. Freedom fighter and Gandhian social worker Shakuntala Choudhary passes away: Noted freedom fighter and Gandhian social worker, Shakuntala Choudhary has passed away. She was 102-year-old. She was popularly known as ‘Shakuntala Baideo’. She was felicitated with the Padma Shri award in 2022 by the Government of India. She hailed from Kamrup in Assam and was known for her commitment and devotion to the popularization of the Gandhian way of life. She worked for the well-being of villagers, especially women and children.