Daily GK Update- 7th Feb, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. PM Modi inaugurates 50th Anniversary Celebrations of Hyderabad-based ICRISAT: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 50th Anniversary celebrations of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in Patancheru, Hyderabad. During the occasion, PM also inaugurated two research facilities of ICRISAT, which were Climate Change Research Facility on Plant Protection and Rapid Generation Advancement Facility. These two facilities are dedicated to the smallholder farmers of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Prime Minister also unveiled a specially designed logo of ICRISAT and launched a commemorative stamp issued on the occasion. Its objective is to conduct agricultural research for rural development, in Asia & sub-Saharan Africa.

Note: ICRISAT Headquarters: Patancheruvu, Hyderabad; ICRISAT Founded: 1972; ICRISAT Founders: M. S. Swaminathan, C. Fred Bentley, Ralph Cummings.

 

2. CMIE Report: India’s unemployment rate in January 2022 stood at 6.57%: The unemployment rate in India in January 2022 fell sharply to 6.57%, according to the data from the economic think-tank, the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). This is the lowest rate witnessed since March 2021. In December 2021, the unemployment rate rose to a four-month high of 7.91%, compared to 6.97% in November. CMIE is a Mumbai-based independent non-government entity that serves both as an economic think-tank as well as a business information company.

State-wise lowest unemployment rate: Telangana recorded the lowest unemployment rate in January at 0.7%; This was followed by Gujarat at 1.2%, Meghalaya at 1.5%, Odisha at 1.8% and Karnataka at 2.9%.

State-wise highest unemployment rate: Haryana witnessed the highest unemployment rate of 23.4% in January 2022. It was followed by Rajasthan (18.9%), Tripura (17.1%), Jammu & Kashmir (15%) and Delhi (14.1%).

About the Rural Unemployment: Area wise data showed that the rural unemployment in January 2022 declined to 5.84% as against 7.28% in December 2021. Urban unemployment was recorded at 8.16% compared to 9.30% in December 2021.

 

3. GoI named Sonali Singh as Controller General of Accounts (CGA) on add. Charge: The Government of India has appointed Sonali Singh to hold the additional charge of the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), under the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, with effect from February 01, 2022. She has been appointed in place of Dipak Dash, who superannuated on January 31, 2022. Sonali Singh is a 1987 batch officer of the Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS). She is serving as the Additional Controller General of Accounts since October 2019. Prior to that, she had also served as Additional Secretary at Central Vigilance Commission.

 

4. JNU Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar named as new Chairman of UGC: The government of India has appointed JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) Vice-Chancellor, M Jagadesh Kumar as the new Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC). He has been appointed for a period of five years or till he attains the age of 65 years, whichever is the earliest. The post of the UGC Chairman was vacant since December 07, 2021, after Prof D P Singh resigned upon attaining 65 years of age. He was appointed in 2018.

Note: University Grants Commission Founded: 1956; University Grants Commission Headquarters: New Delhi.

 

5. A book titled ‘Golden Boy Neeraj Chopra’ by Navdeep Singh Gill released: A short biography of Indian athlete Neeraj Chopra has titled ‘Golden Boy Neeraj Chopra’ authored by sports author Navdeep Singh Gill has been released. Neeraj Chopra won a Gold medal in Javelin Throw at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The biography on Tokyo Olympics-2021 gold medalist Neeraj Chopra was released by the chairperson of Punjab Kala Parishad Surjit Patar and president of Punjabi Sahit Akademi Lakhwinder Singh Johal, amid the presence of the author and his family members.

The essence of the book: The book has 72 pages and covers the life history and achievements of Neeraj Chopra right from his childhood to the Tokyo Olympics. The book very aptly covers his sporting techniques, numerous awards and contemporaries in different chapters with coloured photos in each chapter.

 

6. MS Dhoni’s first look from graphic novel ‘Atharva’: The Origin’ released: Virzu Studios in association with MIDAS Deals Pvt Ltd has released the motion poster of its upcoming graphic novel, Atharva – The Origin. Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been portrayed as the superhero Atharva in this graphic novel. The motion poster features a rugged looking Dhoni, giving fans a glimpse into the world of Atharva and also a sneak peek into the first look of him as a superhero. The graphic novel authored by Ramesh Thamilmani features over 150 lifelike illustrations which present the gripping, racy narrative. It is produced by Vincent Adaikalaraj and Ashok Manor. Reportedly, the makers are also planning to make a web-series based on the novel.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Queen Elizabeth II marks 70th anniversary of her rule 2022: The United Kingdom has marked the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s rule, the queen looked to the future of the monarchy. She surpassed Louis XIV of France as the longest-reigning monarch of a sovereign state. She became the longest-lived British monarch on 21 December 2007. In 2017, she became the first British monarch to commemorate a Sapphire Jubilee. Elizabeth II is the Queen of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms. On 6 February 1952, Elizabeth became queen after the death of her father King George VI.

Note: Prime minister of United Kingdom: Boris Johnson; Capital of the United Kingdom: London.

 

2. NASA will retire International Space Station in 2031: According to NASA, the International Space Station will continue its operation until 2031 and then crash into an uninhabited area in the Pacific Ocean known as Point Nemo. It will be replaced with three free-flying space stations to continue the work after ISS’s retirement. NASA also selected Houston-based Axiom Space to provide the ISS’s first commercial module.

For over two decades, the International Space Station (ISS) has been orbiting Earth at a speed of about eight kilometres per second, while an international crew of astronauts and cosmonauts onboard conducted groundbreaking scientific investigations that have thrown open the doors for deep space exploration. But now NASA has announced that the spacecraft will cease operations in 2031, after which it will fall out of orbit and plunge into the waters of the South Pacific Ocean.

History of International Space Station: The International Space Station was the brainchild of former US President Ronald Reagan, who in 1984 proposed building a permanently inhabited spacecraft in cooperation with a few other countries. In 1998, the first piece of the space station, a control module, was launched into space onboard a Russian rocket. About two weeks later, a crew onboard the US’ Endeavour space shuttle attached the control module with another part, the Unity node.

Note: NASA administrator: Bill Nelson; Headquarters of NASA: Washington D.C., United States; NASA Founded: 1 October 1958.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. IOC approves proposal to include new sports at 2028 Olympics: International Olympic Committee (IOC) has approved a proposal to include Surfing, Skateboarding and Sport Climbing for the 2028 Summer Olympics Games that will be organized in Los Angeles, United States. The 2028 Summer Olympics are officially known as the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad, or Los Angeles 2028 is a forthcoming event scheduled to take place from July 21 – August 6, 2028, in Los Angeles, California, US. The 2024 Summer Olympics Games will be organized in Paris, France. With this Paris becomes only the second city to host 3 Summer Olympic games. Surfing, Skateboarding and Sport Climbing had made their Olympic debut in Tokyo Olympics 2021 and will also be included in the “additional” list for Paris in 2024. Boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon also have the chance to be included in upcoming Olympics games.

Note: International Olympic Committee Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland; International Olympic Committee President: Thomas Bach; International Olympic Committee Founded: 23 June 1894, Paris, France.

 

2. Sourav Ganguly laid the foundation stone of world’s third-largest cricket stadium: Rajasthan Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot and BCCI President Sourav Ganguly laid the foundation stone of the world’s third-largest cricket stadium in Jaipur. The International Cricket Stadium in Jaipur will be the second-largest cricket stadium in India and the third-largest in the world. The new international stadium will be built by the Rajasthan Cricket Academy (RCA) on the Jaipur-Delhi bypass, over 100 acres of land in Jaipur. The stadium will have a seating capacity of 75,000 spectators.

Key points: Currently, Narendra Modi Stadium (former Motera Stadium) in Ahmedabad is the world’s largest stadium with a capacity of 132,000 spectators. The second-largest stadium is Australia’s Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) which has a capacity of 1,00,024 spectators.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. LIC tie-up with Policybazaar for digital distribution of life insurance: Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has tied up with Policybazaar to digitally offer a wide range of Life Insurance and investment products to its customers across India. This is LIC’s first association with a private insurance aggregator, which has mainly relied on its 1.33 million agents for distributing products. To facilitate seamless digital distribution of life insurance products and boost financial inclusion across India.

The benefit of the tie-up: The alliance will provide insurance services in smaller cities to ensure financial inclusion and social security. It will increase its penetration digitally in rural and remote areas and offer a wide range of term and investment products to the customers.

Note: Life Insurance Corporation of India Founded: 1956; Life Insurance Corporation of India Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; Life Insurance Corporation of India Chairperson: M R Kumar.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Kotak General Ins. partners CARS24 to offer Motor Insurance for used cars: Kotak Mahindra General Insurance Company has signed an agreement with Cars24 Financial Services Private Limited (CARS24 Financial Services) to provide motor insurance services to used car buyers. Under the partnership, used car buyers from Cars24 will be directly provided with Kotak General Insurance’s comprehensive motor insurance plans.

The partnership will provide a trustworthy and faster way to avail of motor insurance with a fully digital insurance process. Customers can also avail of cashless claims servicing at Kotak General Insurance’s platform of garages and enable convenient claim settlement services.

Note: Kotak Mahindra General Insurance Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; Kotak Mahindra General Insurance MD & CEO: Suresh Agarwal.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. CII presents DX 2021 award to Karnataka Bank: Karnataka Bank has been awarded the digital transformation award, ‘DX 2021 Awards’, in recognition of the “innovative” best practice ‘KBL VIKAAS’, by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for Best Practice in Digital Transformation. KBL VIKAAS was launched by the Karnataka Bank in 2017. It has enabled the bank to implement digital capabilities. The bank recently launched ‘KBL NxT’ as part of 2.0 of ‘KBL VIKAAS’. DX Award is given to organizations that have made valuable contributions in the digital field.

Note: Karnataka Bank Ltd Chairman: Pradeep Kumar Panja; Karnataka Bank Headquarters: Mangalore; Karnataka Bank Founded: 18 February 1924; Karnataka Bank CEO: Mahabaleshwara M S.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. BJP’s first torchbearer in Lok Sabha, C Janga Reddy passes away: Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Chandupatla Janga Reddy has passed away in Hyderabad following health issues. He was a native of Warangal and a former MLA in Andhra Pradesh. He is best known for his time as a Member of Parliament in the 8th Lok Sabha in 1984, which also marked the BJP’s debut in the Lok Sabha, following Indira Gandhi’s assassination. Reddy was one of the only two BJP MPs who got elected to the Lok Sabha in 1984 in 543 Parliament constituencies. The other was A K Patel. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly in undivided Andhra Pradesh thrice.

 

2. Former President of Greece Christos Sartzetakis passes away: Former Greek President Christos Sartzetakis has passed away at the age of 92 years due to respiratory failure in Athens, Greece. He was a Greek jurist and a judge of the Supreme Court, who resisted against the militants during the 1967-1974 Rule of the Colonels. He served as the President of Greece for a four-year term (1985 to 1990), after getting nominated by the socialist PASOK party.