Daily GK Update- 14th Jan, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Uttar Pradesh Govt Declares 4 Villages Near Nepal Border as Revenue Villages: Uttar Pradesh government declared four villages located near the Nepal border in the district as revenue villages. District Magistrate of Bahraich, Dinesh Chandra Singh said the decision was taken before the announcement of the general elections to the UP Legislative Assembly. These four villages are Bhavanipur, Tedhia, Dhakia and Bichhia located in Mihinpurwa tehsil of the district. All these villages are Vantangiya villages. The Vantangiya’ community comprises people brought from Myanmar during the colonial rule to plant trees. There are around 225 families in these four villages consisting of over 1,500 members.

What is a revenue village: A revenue village is a small administrative region with defined borders. One revenue village may contain many hamlets. A village administrative officer is the head officer of a revenue village. The people of these villages will now get the benefits of all the schemes of the government.

Note: Uttar Pradesh Capital: Lucknow; Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath; Uttar Pradesh Governor: Anandiben Patel.

 

2. PM declares December 26 to be observed as ‘Veer Baal Diwas’ annually: Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi has declared that starting from the year 2022, December 26 will be observed as ‘Veer Baal Diwas’ every year. The day will be commemorated as a tribute to the courage of the 4 Sahibzades (the four sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji), who attained martyrdom in the 17th century. The announcement was made by PM Modi on the occasion of the Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, or the birth anniversary of the 10th guru of Sikhs and the founder of the Khalsa community.

History of the day: 26 December marks the day on which Sahibzada Zorawar Singh Ji and Sahibzada Fateh Singh Ji (younger pair of Sahibzade) attained martyrdom after being sealed alive in a wall, at the tender age of 6 and 9 years. Sahibzada Ajit Singh Ji and Sahibzada Jujhar Singh Ji (older pair of Sahibzade) attained martyrdom on December 21, 1705, fighting the enemy in battle at Chamkaur Sahib at the young age of 18 and 14 years.

 

3. TCS bags phase 2 of Centre’s passport plan: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has signed an agreement with Tata Consultancy Services Limited (TCS) for the second phase of the Passport Seva Programme (PSP-V2.0). TCS will be the service provider for the Passport Seva Project, which it has been for over 10 years. The PSP-V2.O envisages rolling out chip-enabled e-passports, increasing data security and ensuring the next level of customer experience with the use of biometrics, artificial intelligence, advanced data analytics and auto-response.

In the next phase of the programme, TCS will refresh existing facilities and systems, and develop new solutions to enable the issuance of e-passports using technologies such as biometrics, artificial intelligence, advanced data analytics, chatbots, auto-response, natural language processing, and the cloud.

Note: Tata Consultancy Services Limited CEO: Rajesh Gopinathan (21 Feb 2017–); Tata Consultancy Services Limited Founded: 1 April 1968; Tata Consultancy Services Limited Headquarters: Mumbai.

 

4. GoI extends Navrang Saini’s term as interim chief of IBBI: The Government of India has extended the tenure of Navrang Saini as interim Chairperson of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) for three more months till March 05, 2022. Mr. Saini, who is a Whole Time Member of IBBI, was assigned additional charge of Chairperson in addition to his existing duties in October 2021 for three months till January 13, 2022. The post of full-time Chairperson has been lying vacant after M.S. Sahoo retired upon completing a five-year tenure on September 30, 2021.

Note: Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India Headquarters: New Delhi; Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India Founder: Parliament of India; Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India Founded: 1 October 2016.

 

5. Armed Forces Veterans Day: 14 January 2022: In India, the Armed Forces Veterans Day is observed each year on 14 January since 2017. The day aims to acknowledge and honour the selfless devotion and sacrifice of our veterans in the service of the nation. 2022 marks the 6th Armed Forces Veterans Day. It is observed as a mark of respect and recognition of the services rendered by Field Marshal KM Cariappa OBE, the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces who retired on 14 January 1953.

About the day: Armed Forces Veterans Day is observed to reiterate the resolve of services for the well being of veterans and assure them that their valuable suggestions are always welcome. Last year, Admiral Karambir Singh released the ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ song dedicated to our brave and courageous soldiers of the 1971 war. At various events, stalls are set up at the venue for the benefit of ex-servicemen, which includes health and medical check-up camp, job placement and resettlement stall. In addition, there are informative lectures on pensions and welfare-related subjects. Various government departments commemorate the day in their own unique way.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas appointed as next IMF’s Chief Economist: French-born economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas has been named as the next chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He will succeed Gita Gopinath, the first woman to serve as the Fund’s chief economist. He will take over as first deputy managing director of IMF from January 21 2022. Initially, Gourinchas will join the IMF on a part-time basis from January 24, 2022. He will take upon a role on a full-time basis from April 1, 2022.

Note: International Monetary Fund Formed: 27 December 1945; International Monetary Fund Headquarters: Washington D.C., USA; International Monetary Fund Member countries: 190; International Monetary Fund Managing Director: Kristalina Georgieva.

 

2. Chennai International Airport ranks 8th in Global List for ‘On-Time Performance’: The Chennai International Airport is one of the top 10 large international airports in the world that ensures ‘on-time’ departures. In a review conducted by Cirium, an organisation that specialises in offering aviation data to travel, finance, aerospace, and aviation industries, the airport has been ranked 8th for ‘on-time performance’ for the year 2021. According to the latest traffic figures of Chennai Airport, it has done recovery of 80 % in domestic traffic. It is the sixth busiest airport in India. Besides that, Chennai airport is the only Indian airport to figure in the top 10 positions of the list.

Top 3 Airports in the list:

Rank     Airports

1st         Miami Airport (United States)

2nd       Fukuoka Airport (Japan)

3rd        Haneda Airport (Japan)

8th        Chennai Airport (India)

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Bharath Subramaniyam named India’s 73rd chess Grandmaster: Tamil Nadu’s Bharath Subramaniyam became India’s 73rd chess Grandmaster. He secured the third and final Grandmaster norm at an event at Cattolica in Italy. He scored 6.5 points from nine rounds along with four others and finish seventh in the event. He secured his third GM norm here as well as touched the requisite 2,500 (Elo) mark. Fellow Indian player M R Lalith Babu became the winner in the tournament, with seven points. He won the title on the basis of a better tie-break score as he tied with three others including Anton Korobov from Ukraine. In order to become a GM, a player has to secure three GM norms as well as cross the live rating of 2,500 Elo points.

 

2. Gael Monfils wins 2022 Adelaide International 1 tennis tournament: French tennis player Gael Monfils beat Russia’s Karen Khachanov in the men’s singles event of the 2022 Adelaide International 1 to claim the 11th ATP title of his career. In the women’s category, World number one Australian star Ashleigh Barty beat Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan to win her second Adelaide International title. 2022 Adelaide International 1 was a combined ATP Tour 250 and WTA 500 tournament.

List of winners:

Men’s single: Gaël Monfils (France)

Women’s single: Ashleigh Barty (Australia)

Men’s doubles: Rohan Bopanna and Ramkumar Ramanathan (India)

Women’s double: Ashleigh Barty and Storm Sanders (Australia)

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. RBL Bank tie-up with Google to advance next-gen customer experience: RBL Bank and Google announced a strategic collaboration to fuel the Bank’s customer experience strategy. Through this, the bank will expand its value proposition to serve its rapidly growing customer base through the digital platform, Abacus 2.0. It will enable better customer data management, and analytics, enabling effective cross-selling within the Bank’s large customer base. RBL Bank currently has over 4 million urban retail asset and liability customers.

This collaboration will enable better customer data management, and analytics, enabling effective cross-selling within the Bank’s large customer base and subsequently reducing the cost of customer acquisition, significantly. Through Abacus 2.0, the Bank aims to provide a superior and holistic one-stop solution to its existing and new customers, to seamlessly deliver its different product offerings across channels.

Note: RBL Bank Founded: 1943; RBL Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; RBL Bank CEO & MD: Rajeev Ahuja; RBL Bank Tagline: Apno Ka Bank.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. SBI Ecowrap: India’s Real GDP projected to grow at around 9.5% in FY22: The economic research team of the State Bank of India (SBI) released its Ecowrap report. In the report, SBI researchers have revised upwards the real GDP of India to around 9.5 per cent in 2021-22 (FY22) on a year-on-year (YoY). The report believes that though rising Covid infections could impact mobility, yet economic activity is not expected to get much affected.

 

2. RBI data: Forex reserves decline by USD 1.466 bn to USD 633.614 bn: As per the latest Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, the foreign currency reserves of India declined by $1.466 billion to $633.614 billion, in the last week of 2021, which ended December 31, 2021. Gold reserves rose by USD 14 million to USD 39.405 billion. India’s forex touched a lifetime high of USD 642.453 billion in the week ended September 03, 2021. Forex reserves include foreign currency assets (FCAs), gold reserves, SDRs and the country’s reserve position with the IMF.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Golden Globe Awards 2022 announced: The Golden Globe Awards 2022 ceremony was held to recognise excellence in film, both American and international, and American television. This was the 79th edition of the annual event, which honoured the best in American television, as well as film in 2021 as chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Two of the films namely The Power of the Dog and the West Side Story, won the most number of awards with 3 each. List of winners in the Motion Picture category:

 

Category	Winners
Best Film (Drama)	The Power of the Dog
Best Film (Musical or Comedy)	West Side Story
Best Actor (Drama)	Will Smith for King Richard as Richard Williams
Best Actress (Drama)	Nicole Kidman for Being the Ricardos as Lucille Ball
Best Actor (Musical or Comedy)	Andrew Garfield for tick, tick… BOOM! as Jonathan Larson
Best Actress (Musical or Comedy)	Rachel Zegler for West Side Story as María Vasquez
Best Supporting Actor	Kodi Smit-McPhee for The Power of the Dog as Peter Gordon
Best Supporting Actress	Ariana DeBose for West Side Story as Anita
Best Director	Jane Campion for The Power of the Dog
Best Screenplay	Kenneth Branagh for Belfast
Best Original Score	Hans Zimmer for Dune
Best Original Song	“No Time to Die” (Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell) – No Time to Die
Best Animated Feature	Encanto
Best Non-English Film	Drive My Car (Japan)

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. European Parliament President David Sassoli passes away: European Parliament President, David Sassoli has passed away due to health issues. He had served as the President of the European Parliament from July 2019 until his death in January 2022. He was first elected as a member of the European Parliament (MEP) in 2009. Later in July 2014, Sassoli was elected Vice-President of the European Parliament. In the 2019 European Parliament election in Italy, he was elected as new president with 128,533 votes. European Parliament is one of the seven branches of the EU. Its headquarter is at Strasbourg, France.

 

2. Kannada writer ‘Champa’ passes away: Prominent Kannada writer Chandrashekhar Patil, popularly known as “Champa”, passed away at the age of 82. He was a Kannada language activist, a poet and a playwright and also served as President of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat (KSP) and Chairman of the Kannada Development Authority.

Daily GK Update- 13th Dec, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. KVIC launched India’s first “Mobile Honey Processing Van”: Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) Chairman, Vinai Kumar Saxena has launched the country’s first Mobile Honey Processing Van at Village Sirora in Ghaziabad. The Mobile Van has been designed in-house by KVIC at its Multi-disciplinary Training Centre, Panjokehra, at a cost of Rs 15 lakh. This mobile honey processing unit can process up to 300 KG of honey in 8 hours. The van is also equipped with a testing laboratory that would instantly examine the quality of honey.

About the Van:

(1) The Mobile Honey Processing Van comes as a major development under KVIC’s Honey Mission which aims at training beekeepers, distributing Bee Boxes to farmers and helping rural, educated as well as unemployed youth to earn extra income through beekeeping activities.

(2) In line with the Prime Minister’s dream of “Sweet Kranti” (Sweet Revolution) through honey production, the KVIC has come up with this unique innovation to enable beekeepers and farmers to get a fair price for their honey production.

(3) KVIC has designed the innovative Mobile Honey Processing Van that will process beekeepers’ honey at their doorsteps and thus save them the hassle and the cost of taking the honey to processing plants in far off cities for processing.

 

2. Sudhir Kumar Saxena committee constituted to enquire security lapses during PM Punjab visit: Ministry of Home Affairs has constituted a committee to enquire into the serious lapses in the security arrangements during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Punjab. It is a three-member committee and will be headed by Sudhir Kumar Saxena, Secretary (Security), Cabinet Secretariat. It also comprises Balbir Singh, Joint Director, IB and Suresh, IG, SPG.

The committee has been asked to inquire about the alleged lapses in the security arrangements of PM Modi “which led to the exposure of the VVIP to grave risk” and submit the report at the earliest. The move comes just ahead of the Supreme Court’s hearing on the PM’s security breach. It was the government’s own former ASG, Maninder Singh, who moved SC seeking an independent probe into the PM’s security breach.

 

3. Hyderabad gets India’s first Open Rock Museum: Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh has inaugurated India’s first Open Rock Museum in Hyderabad, Telangana. Museum displays around 35 different types of rocks from different parts of India with ages ranging from 3.3 billion years to around 55 million years of the Earth’s history.

About the Open Rock Museum: The Open Rock Museum, set up with the aim of educating and enlightening the masses about several lesser-known facts, displays around 35 different types of rocks from different parts of India. These rocks also represent the deepest part of the earth, up to 175 km from the surface of the earth. The rocks have been sourced from Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir and others.

 

4. Rajnath Singh inaugurates Kalpana Chawla Centre For Research at Chandigarh University: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has inaugurated Kalpana Chawla Centre for Research in Space Science and Technology (KCCRSST) at Chandigarh University. The Union Minister also launched Chandigarh University’s Defence Scholarship Scheme, worth Rs 10 Crore, for the wards of Defence Personnel of the three services. Kalpana Chawla was the first woman of Indian origin to go to space.

 

5. Sikkim celebrated Losoong (Namsoong) Festival: Losoong (Namsoong) is annually celebrated across the Indian State of Sikkim on the 18th day of the 10th month of the Tibetan Lunar Calendar, which also marks the beginning of the harvest season. The Namsoong festival begins on the 1st day of the new moon phase Kurneet Lovo, as per the Lepcha lunisolar Calendar known as Dungkit Karchu. The losoong festival is celebrated as Sonam Losoong, by the Sikkimese Bhutia and as Namsoong by the Lepchas. The festival is also celebrated in Nepal and Bhutan.

Note: Chief Minister of Sikkim: PS Golay; Governor of Sikkim: Ganga Prasad; Sikkim’s capital and largest city: Gangtok.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Australia & Japan signed defence agreement to counter China: The leaders of Japan and Australia signed a “landmark” defence agreement that allows closer cooperation between their militaries and stands as a rebuke to China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met in a virtual summit to sign the Reciprocal Access Agreement, the first such defence pact signed by Japan with any country other than the United States.

About the agreements:

(1) The agreement follows more than a year of talks between Japan and Australia aimed at breaking down legal barriers to allow the troops of one country to enter the other for training and other purposes.

(2) Morrison called the pact a “pivotal moment for Australia and Japan and (for) the security of our two nations and our people.”

(3) The pact builds on the strategic dialogue known as “the Quad,” which includes Japan, Australia, the United States and India. Australia last year also signed the Aukus agreement with the United States and Britain, both of which have pledged to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. World Rapid Chess Championship 2021 won by Nodirbek Abdusattorov: Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan), won the World Rapid Chess Championship 2021 by defeating Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia) in a tiebreaker and dethroning Magnus Carlsen, the current World Number 1. 2020 FIDE Championship was won by Magnus Carlsen. Nodirbek won the title along with a prize of $60,000, where he lost only one match against the Ukrainian Anton Korobov, and tied in five others. The Uzbeki Grand Master (GM), received the Mard Uglon (“Brave Son”) Presidential medal.

 

2. LLC named Jhulan Goswami as Ambassador of All Women Match Official Team: Legends League Cricket (LLC) has appointed Jhulan Goswami as an ambassador to its All Women Match Official Team to promote Women’s Empowerment initiatives of the LLC and to increase participation of women in cricket. The LLC set up an All Women Match Official Team for the League. This is the first of its all-women official teams that would officiate an entire men’s league.

About the Legends League Cricket (LLC): Legends League Cricket (LLC) is the professional cricket league for retired cricketers. The inaugural session of LLC will be organized from January 20 2022 at Oman Cricket Stadium in Muscat, Oman. Legends League Cricket (LLC) 2022 teams: Indian Maharaja, Aisan Lions, World Giants.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. RBI increased banks’ LCR maintenance on Funds received: The Reserve Bank of India has increased the threshold limit for Banks to maintain the Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) on deposits and other ‘extension of funds’ received from non-financial small business customers from Rs 5 crore to Rs 7.5 crore. This is applicable on all Commercial Banks other than Regional Rural Banks, Local Area Banks, and Payments Banks. To better align RBI’s guidelines with the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) standard and enable banks to manage liquidity risk more effectively.

Liquidity Coverage Ratio: LCR promotes the short-term resilience of banks to potential liquidity disruptions by ensuring that they have sufficient high-quality liquid assets (HQLAs) to survive an acute stress scenario lasting for 30 days.

 

2. RBI issues eligibility norms for entities harnessing credit bureau data: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued eligibility criteria for entities that harness data from credit information companies (CICs) or credit bureaus. These newly-formed guidelines said that a company’s net worth must be at least Rs 2 crore and owned and controlled by resident Indian citizens to become a designated user with a credit bureau, which comes amid accusations of lending applications with Chinese ties functioning in India.

According to the eligibility criteria for entities to be categorised as Specified User under clause (j) of Regulation 3 of the Credit Information Companies (Amendment) Regulations, 2021:

(1) A company incorporated in India or a Statutory Corporation constituted in India shall be the entity.

(2) The governing statute of the Statutory Corporation or Memorandum of Association of the Company, as the case may be, should allow the business/activity of processing of information for the support or benefit of credit institutions.

(3) The guidelines said a company’s net worth must be at least two crore rupees as of the most recent audited balance sheet, and it must meet the criterion on a continuous basis.

(4) Also, the company must be owned and controlled by resident Indian citizens/an Indian company owned and controlled by resident Indian citizens in the case of a company. The ownership of the company shall be well diversified.

(5) The corporation must have at least three (3) years of experience in the business/activity of processing information for the assistance or benefit of credit institutions, as well as a clean track record.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Reliance acquires controlling stake of 73.37% in New York’s Mandarin Oriental hotel: Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has announced the acquisition of a controlling stake of 73.37% in Mandarin Oriental New York, a premium luxury hotel in midtown Manhattan. RIL through its wholly-owned arm Reliance Industrial Investments and Holdings Limited has acquired the entire share capital of Cayman Islands-based Columbus Centre Corporation (Cayman), for an equity value of approximately $98.15 million (Rs 735 crore).

Cayman is the parent company of Mandarin Oriental hotel. It had indirect ownership of a 73.37 per cent stake in the hotel. Reliance will also take over the hotel’s debt in excess of $115 million to take the entire deal value to around $270. The transaction is anticipated to close by the end of March 2022.

Note: Reliance Industries Ltd CEO: Mukesh Ambani (31 Jul 2002–); Reliance Industries Ltd Founder: Dhirubhai Ambani; Reliance Industries Ltd Founded: 8 May 1973, Maharashtra; Reliance Industries Ltd Headquarters: Mumbai.

 

2. NSO projects Indian economy to grow 9.2% in FY22: National Statistical Office (NSO) has estimated India’s GDP to grow at 9.2 per cent in the current fiscal, 2021-22. NSO released its first advance estimates of economic output on January 07, 2022. The GDP estimate for the 2020-21 fiscal was projected at a contraction of 7.3 per cent by NSO.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Satish Adiga gets ICMR national award “Dr Subhas Mukherjee Award”: A professor in the clinical embryology department at Kasturba Medical College (KMC), under Manipal Academy of Higher education (MAHE), Dr Satish Adiga has been selected by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for its national award. He will receive Dr Subhas Mukherjee Award from ICMR in recognition for his outstanding contribution to the field of in-vitro fertilization (IVF). He has contributed significantly to both clinical IVF and fertility research.

 

2. Forensic Science Laboratory won SKOCH award for combating crime against children: The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) won SKOCH Award in the Silver category for its work towards combating Crime and Violence against Children. The award was given out at the 78 SKOCH Summit. The “State of Governance” was the theme of the summit. Deepa Verma, the Director of the Rohini-based lab, has accepted the award on behalf of the lab. FSL is a scientific department and a participant in the criminal justice system whose mission is to investigate incidents of crime and violence against children who have suffered physical, sexual, financial, or emotional harm.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Oscar and Grammy-winning lyricist Marilyn Bergman passes away: Marilyn Bergman, the Oscar, Emmy and Grammy-winning American lyricist and songwriter has passed away. Bergman collaborated with her husband, Alan Bergman for song-writing. The renowned music-writing duo wrote the music and lyrics for numerous celebrated television shows, films, and stage musicals. The pair was nominated for Oscars 16 times and won three times.

Daily GK Update- 12th Jan, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Election Commission hikes expenditure limit for candidates in polls: The Election Commission of India has increased the existing election expenditure limit for candidates in Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies, due to the rise in inflation. The new limits will be applicable in all upcoming elections in the country. The previous major revision in the election expenditure limit was done in 2014. It was further increased by 10% in 2020. EC had formed a Committee to study the cost factors and other related issues, and make suitable recommendations.

Parliamentary constituencies poll expenditure ceiling:

(1) The ceiling on parliamentary poll expenditure has been raised from 70 lakh to 95 lakh rupees in bigger states and 54 lakh to 75 lakhs in smaller states.

(2) The bigger states include Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Karnataka.

(3) The smaller states include Goa, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and UTs.

(4) The ceiling on poll expenditure in UT of Jammu and Kashmir has been raised to 95 lakhs.

Assembly constituencies poll expenditure limits: For Assembly constituencies, expenditure limits have been enhanced from 28 lakh rupees to 40 lakh rupees in bigger states and from 20 lakhs to 28 lakhs in smaller states.

 

2. ICMR approves India-made first kit ‘OmiSure’ to detect Omicron: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved a testing kit for detecting the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The covid kit developed by Tata is called ‘OmiSure’ and will be an enhancement for the detection of the Omicron variant. The kit is manufactured by Tata Medical and Diagnostics. The tests have been performed as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Responsibility for batch-to-batch consistency lies with the manufacturer.

About the test kit: The Tata Medical and Diagnostics has developed a kit ‘OmiSure’ that can detect the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV2 in nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal specimens during the RT-PCR tests. The test kit is compatible with all standard Real-Time PCR Machines. The test run time of this kit is 85 minutes. The result turnaround time, including sample collection and RNA extraction, is 130 minutes.

 

3. Union Minister Jitendra Singh inaugurates 24th Conference on e-Governance 2020-21: Union Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh has inaugurated the 24th National Conference on e-Governance in Hyderabad, Telangana. The theme of the two-day Conference is ‘India’s Techade: Digital Governance in a Post Pandemic World’. The conference has been organised by the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG) and the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), in association with the State Government of Telangana.

About the conference: The conference would provide considerable momentum to the e-governance initiatives across the country, providing opportunities for civil servants and industry captains to showcase their successful interventions in e-governance in improving end to end service delivery. Delegates from 28 states and 9 Union Territories along with academia, research institutions, IT industry would be participating in the conference through virtual mode.

 

4. Govt re-appoints Vijay Paul Sharma as CACP Chairman: The Centre has re-appointed Vijay Paul Sharma as the chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP) after he relinquished the post in May last year following completion of the five-year tenure. The role of the CACP chairman will be crucial in the proposed committee on the minimum support price (MSP) and other reforms. Sharma, a professor at the Centre for Management in Agriculture at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, was appointed CACP Chairman for the first time in June 2016.

The function of CACP: The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, established in 1965, is an apex advisory body under the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. It’s an expert body that recommends the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) by taking into consideration various factors.

 

5. A new book titled “Gandhi’s Assassin: The Making of Nathuram Godse and His Idea of India” by Dhirendra Jha: Dhirendra K. Jha, a Delhi-based journalist, has authored a new book titled “Gandhi’s Assassin: The Making of Nathuram Godse and His Idea of India”. The book explores Godse’s relationship with the organizations that influenced his view and gave him a sense of purpose and draws out the gradual hardening of Godse’s resolve that led to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination.

 

6. National Youth Day: 12th January: In India, the National Youth Day is celebrated on 12 January annually to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. The main aim behind this is to make sure that the students across the country can be encouraged to learn about the life, the ideas and philosophy of Swami Vivekananda and apply them in their lives. In 2022, we are observing the 159th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand (12 January 1863). The theme for National Youth Day 2022 is The Theme of 2022 is “It’s all in the mind.”

History of National Youth Day: The decision to celebrate Vivekananda’s birthday as National Youth Day was taken in 1984, and it was first marked on January 12, 1985.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. OPEC appoints Kuwait’s Haitham Al Ghais as new secretary general: Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has appointed Kuwaiti oil executive Haitham Al Ghais as its new secretary-general, as demand for oil continues to improve amid a mild recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Al Ghais, a veteran of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and Kuwait’s Opec governor from 2017 to June 2021, will take the group’s reins in August, replacing Mohammad Barkindo. The move comes as the oil exporters’ group and its allies prepare to decide on a future course for oil production. Opec+ is expected to stick to the plan and increase production by 400,000 barrels per day in February.

Note: OPEC Headquarters: Vienna, Austria; OPEC Founded: September 1960, Baghdad, Iraq.

 

2. Justice Ayesha Malik to be Pakistan’s first woman Supreme Court judge: Pakistan has moved closer to appointing the first woman judge of the Supreme Court, after a high-power panel approved the elevation of Lahore High Court judge Ayesha Malik to the apex court. The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, approved Malik’s elevation by a majority of five votes against four. This is the second time that the JCP held a meeting to decide on Justice Malik’s elevation. Justice Malik’s name first came before the JCP on September 9 last year but the panel was equally split, resulting in the rejection of her candidature.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Winter Olympics-bound Md Arif Khan included in Target Olympic Podium Scheme: Sports Ministry’s Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) of India has approved the inclusion of Alpine Skiing athlete Md Arif Khan in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) Core group, until the Winter Olympics, scheduled this February in Beijing, China. The feat earned Khan the unique distinction of becoming the first Indian to win direct quota spots in two different Winter Olympics events, besides being the first athlete from the country to seal a berth at the Winter Olympic games 2022. Khan will take part in the Winter Olympics in the Slalom and Giant Slalom events. He has also been approved an amount of Rs 17.46 Lakh under TOPS towards training in Europe and procurement of equipment, ahead of the grand event in China. Khan’s current training base is in Austria, where he is accompanied by his coach and physio.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. SBI General Insurance launched ‘#BahaneChhodoTaxBachao’ campaign: State Bank of India General Insurance Company Ltd has launched a campaign titled ‘#BahaneChhodoTaxBachao’ to increase awareness around the need to buy health insurance to save tax. It will also highlight the other benefits of opting for health insurance. The campaign aims to increase the awareness of how buying health insurance can help people save tax which is crucial and seasonal in the last quarter of the financial year for all Indians. The campaign will also underline the other benefits of opting for health insurance.

The campaign is in a quirky Vox Pop format featuring anchor Rudraksh Singh aka Rudy is seen travelling across major cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Kolkata and asks the lamest excuse that people have to offer for not buying/opting for health insurance. The idea here is to find out ‘India ka lamest excuse’ for not opting for health insurance. Health insurance not just prevents a medical emergency but also benefit from saving tax under section 80D of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

Note: SBI General Insurance Founded: 24 February 2009; SBI General Insurance Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; SBI General Insurance MD & CEO: Prakash Chandra Kandpal; SBI General Insurance Tagline: Suraksha Aur Bharosa Dono.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Retail invests $200 mn in Dunzo to acquire 25.8% stake: Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Retail has invested $200 million or around Rs 1,488 crore in Bengaluru-based quick commerce player Dunzo for a 25.8 per cent stake on a fully diluted basis. The move will help Reliance get a foothold in the country’s growing quick delivery market. Dunzo raised a total of $240 million in this latest round led by the Reliance Industries Ltd arm. The other existing investors were Lightbox, Ligthrock, 3L Capital and Alteria Capital, who participated in the round.

The funding will be used to strengthen Dunzo’s vision to excel in the quick commerce business, enabling instant delivery of essentials from a network of micro warehouses while also expanding its B2B business vertical to enable logistics for local merchants in Indian cities.

Note: Dunzo Founder(s): Kabeer Biswas, Ankur Agarwal, Dalvir Suri, Mukund Jha; Dunzo Founded: July 2014; Dunzo Headquarters location: Bengaluru.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. 3rd National Water Awards for 2020 announced: Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has declared the winners of the third National Water Awards for the year 2020. Uttar Pradesh has been adjudged as the Best State in water conservation efforts in the National Water Awards 2020. It is followed by Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu respectively. The award comes with a citation, trophy and cash prize. Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh received the best district award in the northern zone followed by Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar in Punjab.

3rd National Water Awards 2020 list is given below:

 

Category	Winners
“Best State”	Uttar Pradesh
“Best District” – North Zone	Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh
“Best District”– South Zone	Thiruvanathapuram, Kerala
“Best District”– East Zone	East Champaran, Bihar and Godda, Jharkhand
“Best District”– West Zone	Indore, Madhya Pradesh
“Best District”– North-East Zone	Goalpara, Assam
“Best Village Panchayat”– North Zone	Dhaspad, Almora, Uttarakhand
“Best Village Panchayat”– South Zone	Yelerampura Panchayat, Tumakuru District, Karnataka
“Best Village Panchayat”– East Zone	Telari Panchayat, Gaya District, Bihar
“Best Village Panchayat”– West Zone	Takhatgadh, Sabarkantha, Gujarat
“Best Village Panchayat”– North-East Zone	Sialsir, Sirchip, Mizoram
“Best Urban Local Body”	Vapi Urban Local Body, Gujarat
“Best Media (Print & Electronic)”	Mission Paani (Network 18)
“Best School”	Govt. Girls Hr. Secondary School, Kaveripattinam, Tamil Nadu
“Best Industry”	Welspun India Textile Ltd., Gujarat
“Best Water User Association”	Panchgachiya MDTW WUA, Hooghly, West Beng
“Best Industry for CSR activities”	ITC Limited, Kolkata, West Bengal

 

DEFENCE

 

1. Sea Dragon 2022 Exercise: India joins ‘Sea Dragon’ exercise: India and its partners in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad along with Canada and South Korea are participating in the multinational exercise Sea Dragon 2022 at Guam in the Western Pacific. The six nations that are participating in the exercise are the United States, Australia, Canada, India, Japan and South Korea.

About the exercise: The exercise, primarily focused on anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training, will involve more than 270 hours of in-flight training and activities ranging from tracking simulated targets to tracking a US Navy submarine. Each event will be graded and the country scoring the highest points will receive the Dragon Belt award.

The focus of the exercise: Sea Dragon 22 focuses on anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training and excellence, which includes everything from tracking simulated targets to tracking a genuine US Navy submarine. Pilots and flight officers from all around the world develop strategies and discuss tactics in training sessions that take into account their individual countries’ skills and equipment.