NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. President Ram Nath Kovind
inaugurates ‘Arogya Vanam’ at Rashtrapati Bhavan: The President of
India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated a newly developed ‘Arogya Vanam’ at
the President’s Estate, (Rashtrapati Bhavan) in New Delhi. The objective of
this Arogya Vanam is to promote the importance of Ayurvedic plants and their
effects on the human body. The concept of Arogya Vanam has been conceived with
the aim of publicising the importance of Ayurvedic plants and their effects on
the human body.
About the Arogya Vanam: Spread in 6.6
acres, the Arogya Vanam has been developed in the shape of a human sitting in
the Yoga Mudra. It consists of around 215 herbs and plants used for therapeutic
purposes in Ayurveda. Some of the other features of this Vanam are water
fountains, Yoga platform, water channel, lotus pond and a viewpoint. This Vanam will be now open for public
viewing.
2. India’s first ambulance for
street animals launched in Tamil Nadu: India’s first ambulance for street animals
has been launched in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It has been started by the Blue Cross
of India in collaboration with the international animal welfare organization
“Four Paw”. Madras High Court Justice Dr Anitha Sumanth launched the ambulance.
The Stray Animal Care programme will be a “hospital on wheels” with an onboard
veterinarian to provide on-site treatment to injured and sick street animals.
Apart from the veterinarian, the animal
ambulance will also include a para veterinary-worker-cum-driver. The ambulance
will include a treatment table, two fans, an inverter, a fridge, and drawers
for sterile products and bandages. It will also come with a washbasin, an
anti-skid shock-absorbing mat, a stretcher trolley, a retractable doctor’s
seat, a retractable tarpaulin, dog-catching equipment, two movable cages to
hold dogs, and overhead cupboards. There will also be a provision to administer
intravenous fluids and oxygen on board.
Note: Tamil Nadu Capital: Chennai; Tamil
Nadu Chief Minister: M. K. Stalin; Tamil Nadu Governor: R. N. Ravi.
3. “Industry Connect 2022”
inaugurated by Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya: Dr. Mansukh
Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Chemicals &
Fertilizers has inaugurated the seminar on “Industry Connect 2022”: Industry
and Academia Synergy. The stress is on the importance of innovation &
technology for the progress of the country and it is for the greater
industry-academia partnerships. The innovative zeal and manufacturing quality
products at scale will help the Prime Minister’s vision of Make in India and
Make for the World.
During the Seminar, there were two
technical sessions organised. Many officials from the CIPET, TDB (Technology
Development Board) and various industry associations were also present on in
this seminar. ORGANISERS:
a)
The
Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals.
b)
Ministry
of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India.
c)
Central
Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET).
d)
Federation
of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
OBJECTIVES OF THE SEMINAR:
a)
The
first objective is to focus on R&D – Laboratory to Industry.
b)
The
second objective is to do the Skill Gap Analysis for the Human Capital in
Petrochemicals Sector.
c)
Another
objective is to Support Aatmanirbhar Bharat by providing the Indigenous
Technology and Aatmanirbhar CIPET with the assistance of the Industry Connect.
d)
The
final objective is for the Support of Technology with the assistance of the Technology
Development Board to establish coordination between industry and academia for
this sector.
4. Quantum Key Distribution tech
tested by DRDO successfully between Vindhyachal & Prayagraj: A team of
scientists, for the first time in the country, from the Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
Delhi successfully demonstrated a Quantum Key Distribution link between
Prayagraj and Vindhyachal in Uttar Pradesh, spanning over 100 kilometres. Key
Points:
a)
This
technological breakthrough was accomplished using a commercial-grade optical
fibre that was already on the market. The country has shown domestic safe key
transfer technology for bootstrapping military grade communication security key
hierarchy, according to the DRDO.
b)
This
technological advance was made possible by the use of a commercially available
optical fibre. According to the DRDO, the country has shown a domestic secure
key transfer technique for bootstrapping military grade communication security
key hierarchy.
c)
G
Satheesh Reddy, Secretary of Defense R&D and Chairman of DRDO, thanked the
scientists and professors of DRDO and IIT Delhi for the successful
demonstration of this technology. He noted this in his speech to the scientific
community as one of the shining examples of synergistic research between the
DRDO and the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
d)
Professor
Rangan Banerjee, Director of IIT Delhi, also commended the DRDO faculty and
scientists involved in this breakthrough for their dedicated initiatives to
strengthen the country’s technological capability.
Quantum key distribution: Quantum key
distribution is a secure communication tech method that uses quantum physics to
construct a cryptographic protocol. It allows two parties to generate a shared
secret key that is only known to them and can be used to encrypt and decrypt
messages.
5. Prof Bhushan Patwardhan named as
chairman of NAAC: The
University Grants Commission (UGC) has appointed educationist and research
scientist Professor Bhushan Patwardhan as chairman, of the executive committee
of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), Bengaluru. The
position was vacant after Prof Jagadish Kumar was appointed as chairman of UGC.
About the NAAC:
a)
NAAC
is an autonomous body established by the UGC on September 5, 1994, with Prof
Ram Reddy as founding chairman and Prof Arun Nigavekar as its first director.
b)
NAAC
undertakes assessment and accreditation of higher educational institutions
(HEI) such as colleges, universities, or other recognized institutions to
assess the quality status of these institutions.
c)
NAAC
grades are based on predefined criteria of assessment of quality and
performance denoting Very good (A), Good (B), Satisfactory(C), and
Unsatisfactory (D) levels respectively. NAAC accreditation is a globally
accepted indicator of the credibility and quality of the institution and has
bearing on the academic, financial, and perceptual benefits. the
Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, Savitribai Phule Pune University
(SPPU).
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Japan and India renews the
Bilateral Swap Arrangement (BSA): Japan and India have renewed the Bilateral
Swap Arrangement (BSA) the size of which is up to USD 75 billion. The BSA is a
two-way arrangement where both authorities can swap their local currencies in
exchange for the US Dollar. The interest rate charged in this case is fixed at
the time of signing the agreement and hence it reduces the risk caused due to
fluctuations in the exchange rate. The actual Bilateral Swap Arrangement (BSA)
was signed between the Bank of Japan and the Reserve Bank of India in 2018.
What does BSA between India and
Japan mean?
a)
It
means that Japan and India can borrow money from each other in either their
currency i.e Indian Rupee or Japanese Yen or US Dollar. This can be further
explained as mentioned below:
b)
When
India wants to borrow money from Japan it can borrow in US Dollars or Japanese
Yen up to the limit of $75 billion.
c)
When
Japan wants to borrow money from India it can borrow in US Dollars or Indian
Rupees up to the limit of $75 billion.
d)
The
countries will pay interest on the amount actually borrowed at an interest rate
fixed at the time of borrowing the money.
Note: Japan Capital: Tokyo; Japan Currency:
Japanese Yen; Japan Emperor: Naruhito; Japan Prime minister: Fumio Kishida.
2. World Wildlife Day: 3rd March: The World Wildlife
Day is observed every year on March 3 to raise awareness about the world’s wild
fauna and flora. The day also reminds us of the need to fight against wildlife
crime and human-induced reduction of species causing various wide-ranging
economic, environmental and social impacts. World Wildlife Day will be
celebrated in 2022 under the theme “Recovering key species for ecosystem
restoration”, as a way to draw attention to the conservation status of some of
the most critically endangered species of wild fauna and flora, and to drive
discussions towards imagining and implementing solutions to conserve them.
History of the day: The day was
proposed by Thailand and recognised in 2013 by United Nations General Assembly
(UNGA). March 3 has been chosen as it is the day of signature of the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in
1973.
Note: World Wildlife Fund Headquarters:
Gland, Switzerland; World Wildlife FundFounded: 29 April 1961, Morges,
Switzerland; President and CEO of World Wildlife Fund: Carter Roberts.
3. World Hearing Day: 3rd March: World Hearing Day
is held on 3rd March each year by World Health Organisation (WHO). The day aims
to raise awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and promote ear
and hearing care across the world. The World Hearing Day 2022 with the theme
“To hear for life, listen with care” will focus on the importance and means of
hearing loss prevention through safe listening.
History of the day: The WHO, on March
3 in 2007, observed World Hearing Day for the first time. In 2016, they decided
to declare this day as World Hearing Day. It was known as International Ear Care
Day before that. Communication is a fundamental human right and people with
disorders and difficulties find it difficult to connect. Across the world, 360
million people suffer from disabling hearing loss. Educating people and
teaching them about their rights will help them.
Note: WHO Established: 7 April 1948; WHO
Director General: Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; WHO Headquarters: Geneva,
Switzerland.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Dabang Delhi beats Patna Pirates
to win maiden PKL title: Dabang Delhi K C defeated Patna Pirates by 36-37 in the
final of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 8 in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Dabang Delhi
beat three-time champion Patna Pirates. Pawan Sehrawat was awarded with the
Raider of the season award for his 304 raid points in 24 matches. The winner of
the Pro Kabaddi League Season 8 got a cash prize of 3 crores.
Other awardees:
Defender of the season award: Mohammadreza
Chiyaneh;
Emerging Player of the season: Mohit Goyat;
Most Valuable Player of the season award:
Naveen Kumar.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. CDSL becomes first depository to
register more than 60 million Demat accounts: On the 1st of
March, 2022, the Central Depository Services (India) announced that it now has
more than six crores (i. e. equivalent to 60 million) active Demat accounts. A
Demat account is a kind of account that can be used to keep online copies of
securities and shares. A Demat account is a dematerialized account in its
entire form. The main purpose of a Demat account is to keep shares that have
been bought or dematerialized (that means conversion from physical to
electronic form of shares), making online share trading easier for users.
KEY POINTS:
a)
The
sole listed depository in India is Central Depository Services (India) Limited
(CDSL).
b)
Ananta
Barua, Whole Time Member, Securities and Exchange Board of India, said at a
ceremony to commemorate the achievement that Dematerialisation has arose as a
result of the issues that physical shares had with them.
c)
Barua
also said that the new milestone demonstrates that access to the Indian
securities market has become safe, convenient, and simple.
d)
Furthermore,
Barua stated that new investors must be educated about the Indian securities
market, the role of market infrastructure organisations, and investor
protection in order to make well-informed judgments.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1. NSO projects GDP growth for India
in 2021-22 at 8.9%:
National Statistical Office (NSO) has released the second advance estimates of
national accounts. The GDP growth rate projection as per NSO for 2021-22 (FY22)
and 2020-21 (FY21) is given below:
For 2021-22 (FY22)= 8.9% (earlier it was
9.2% in first advance estimates)
For 2020-21 (FY21)= -6.6% (earlier it was
-7.3%)
According to NSO data, Gross Value Added
(GVA) growth in the manufacturing sector growth remained almost flat at 0.2 per
cent in the third quarter of 2021-22, compared to a growth of 8.4 per cent a
year ago.
2. Google starts ‘Play Pass’
subscription in India: Google has announced the launch of ‘Play Pass’
subscription service in India that will provide Android device users access to
over 1,000 applications and games without ads, in-app purchases, and upfront
payments. Play Pass, which is currently available in 90 countries, will offer a
high-quality and curated collection of 1000+ titles across 41 categories from
developers across 59 countries including many from India, Google said in a
statement.
About the Play Pass: Play Pass will
give users access to well-known games like Jungle Adventures, World Cricket
Battle 2, and Monument Valley, along with apps such as Utter, Unit Converter
and AudioLab, Photo Studio Pro, Kingdom Rush Frontiers TD, among others.
Note: Google CEO: Sundar Pichai; Google
Founded: 4 September 1998;
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Prof Deepak Dhar became the first
Indian selected for Boltzmann Medal: Physicist Professor, Deepak Dhar has become
the first Indian to be awarded the Boltzmann Medal. The Commission on
Statistical Physics of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics
(IUPAP) presents this medal once in three years for contributions in the field
of statistical physics. The medal presentation ceremony will be held during the
StatPhys28 conference scheduled to be held in Tokyo in August this year. He
shares the medal with John J Hoefield of Princeton University. Prof Dhar is
presently the emeritus faculty at the Indian Institute of Science Education and
Research (IISER), Pune.
About Prof. Deepak Dhar:
a)
Prof
Dhar was born in 1951 and completed his graduation in Science in 1970 from the
University of Allahabad, then Masters’s in Physics from the Indian Institute of
Technology, Kanpur in 1972.
b)
Then
he went to the US for PhD and after completing his PhD joined the Tata
Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) as a research fellow in 1978.
c) He worked at TIFR over the years as a full-time professor and retired in 2016. Since then, he has joined IISER Pune as a visiting faculty.
