Daily Current Affairs and GK | 1, 2 and 3 January 2022

Topic: State News/Uttar Pradesh

1. PM Modi laid foundation stone of Major Dhyan Chand Sports University at Meerut.

• PM Modi has laid the foundation stone of Major Dhyan Chand Sports University at Meerut on 02 January 2022.
• The University will be established at Salawa and Kaili villages of Sardhana town in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
• It will be established at an estimated cost of about 700 crore rupees. It will be equipped with modern and state-of-the-art sports infrastructure.
• It will have facilities for Shooting, Squash, Gymnastics, Weightlifting, Archery, Canoeing and Kayaking.
• The University will have the capacity of training 1080 sportspersons.

Topic: Appointments

2. Sanjay Arora to hold additional charge of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).

• Sanjay Arora, current Director General (DG) of ITBP, will hold additional charge of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
• SSB’s Director General, Kumar Rajesh Chandra, retired on 31 December 2021. Chandra had taken over as DG of SSB in January 2019.
• Arora will hold additional charge of SSB till appointment and joining of the regular incumbent or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
• Arora was appointed as DG of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in August. He took charge on September 1.

Topic: National News

3. "Padhe Bharat", a 100-day reading campaign, was launched on January 1, 2022.

• Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has launched the "Padhe Bharat" 100-day reading campaign on January 1, 2022.
• Padhe Bharat aims to participate of all stakeholders at national and state level, including children, teachers, parents, community and educational administrators.
• The campaign is a significant step in improving students' learning levels because it develops creativity, critical thinking, vocabulary, and the ability to communicate verbally and in writing.
• Children studying up to class VIII in Balvatika will be a part of this campaign.
• During the campaign, one activity each week for each group is designed with the goal of making reading enjoyable and creating a lifelong engagement with the enjoyment of reading.
• The reading campaign will be conducted for 100 days (14 weeks) from 1st January 2022 to 10th April 2022.

(Source: News on Air)

Topic: Important Days

4. Global Family Day: 1 January

• Every year on 1st January, Global Family Day is commemorated.
• Global Family Day, also known as World Peace Day, is celebrated with the goal of starting the year off with a positive message of world peace and unity.
• In the United States of America, this day is also observed as a global day of peace and sharing.
• On January 1, 2000, the day was commemorated for the first.
• In 2001, Global Families Day was declared an annual event by the United Nations.

Topic: Defence

5. DRDO Chairman Dr. G Satheesh Reddy handed over technology for ECWCS to five Indian companies.

• DRDO Chairman Dr. G Satheesh Reddy handed over technology for indigenous extreme cold weather clothing system (ECWCS) to five Indian companies.
• Three layered ECWCS is designed to provide thermal insulation between +15° to -50° Celsius.
• Indian Army requires ECWCS for its operations in glacier and Himalayan peaks. The Army, till recently has been importing extreme cold weather clothing.
• ECWCS embodies physiological concepts related to reduction in respiratory heat and water loss, unhindered range of motions and rapid absorption of sweat.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Sports

6. Draft National Air Sports Policy (NASP) released for public feedback.

• Draft National Air Sports Policy (NASP) has been released by Ministry of Civil Aviation for public feedback.
• Its vision is to make India one of the top air sports nations by 2030. According to the policy, Air Sports Federation of India (ASFI) will be set up as apex governing body.
• There will be associations for each air sport e.g. Paragliding Association of India or Skydiving Association of India, etc. The air sports associations will be accountable to ASFI.
• ASFI will represent India at FAI and other global platforms related to air sports. All competitions in India will be conducted as per the guidelines laid down by FAI.
• It will be mandatory for all persons and entities providing air sports services to register as members of the respective air sports associations.
• In case of air sports centred around a fixed location, the location can be declared as a ‘Control zone’.
• Bir-Billing in Himachal Pradesh, Gangtok in Sikkim, Hadapsar in Maharashtra and Vagamon in Kerala are some sports centred around a fixed location.
• Government will consider allowing import of air sports equipment without any import duty.
• As per the draft policy, Government will request the GST Council to consider rationalizing the GST rate on air sports equipment to 5% or less.
• Federation Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) is the world governing body for air sports. It is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Topic: Committees/ Commissions/Taskforces

7. Government set up task forces for 6G development.

• The Department of Telecommunications has formed six task forces on sixth-generation technology.
• These task forces will explore technological innovations and various commercial uses of 6G.
• These task forces have been constituted to provide inputs for 6G technology. It will consist of members from academia, government, and the industry.
• Bhaskar Ramamurthy, Abhay Karandikar, Bharadwaj Amrutur, and Kiran Kumar Kuchi are heading the task groups of next-generation networks, spectrum policy, multi-disciplinary innovative solutions, and devices respectively.
• Ashok Kumar Tiwari, Member (Technology), Digital Communications Commission (DCC), will head the group for financing research and development.
• A task force on international standards is formed under the chairmanship of NG Subramaniam.
• The Government has also formed a 22-member innovation group to create a roadmap for the 6G development in the country. It is headed by K. Rajaraman.
• Recently, the US House Committee under the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has also set task forces to study the design and deployment of 6G technology.

Topic: State News/ Jammu and Kashmir

8. Jammu and Kashmir will become first Union territory to have district level Good Governance Index.

• Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh said that Jammu and Kashmir will soon become the first Union Territory to have a district-level good governance index.
• The framework of the Index has been finalized with technical support from the Centre for Good Governance (CGG) of Hyderabad.
• The framework of the Index is based on 58 indicators of different aspects of district administration.
• The index will provide ranking to districts on their performance based on the 58 indicators.
• The index will be created by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances in association with the Union Territory Government.
• Good Governance Index at the district level will help 20 districts of Jammu Kashmir in becoming some of the best-administered districts of the country.
• The index will also ensure the timely disposal of office files and other matters. It will increase transparency, accountability, and citizen participation.
• Good Governance is the key component of the economic transformation. It focuses on the ‘minimum government and maximum governance’.
• Recently, Union Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah released the Good Governance Index 2021 for States and UTs.

Topic: Defence

9. DRDO celebrated its 64th foundation day.

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) celebrated its 64th foundation Day on 1 January 2022.
• DRDO was formed in 1958 to make India self-reliant in science and technology and especially in military technologies.
• On this occasion, DRDO Chief Dr. G Satheesh Reddy highlighted the task performed by DRDO in the fight against COVID-19.
• Dr. G Satheesh Reddy said that 175 transfers of technologies have happened in 2021.
• DRDO is extensively working on the development of fifth-generation advanced combat aircraft and hypersonic systems.
• DRDO has taken significant steps for launching courses on defence studies.
• Some Important achievements of DRDO in 2021:
  • DRDO successfully tested the ‘Nirbhay’ Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile.
  • DRDO also carried out a successful flight test of ABHYAS- the High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) recently. 
  • In the last year, DRDO has set up 850 oxygen plants across the country and also develop a medicine named 2DG.
  • DRDO has also developed Advanced Chaff Technology to safeguard fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) against hostile radar threats.
  • The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Indian Air Force jointly conducted two flight tests of an indigenously developed smart anti-airfield weapon in Jaisalmer.
• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO):
  • It is responsible for developing critical defense technologies and products to meet the requirements of the Indian Armed Forces.
  • It has a network of 52 laboratories in the country.
  • Dr. G Satheesh Reddy is the current chairman of DRDO.
  • Its headquarters is located in New Delhi.

Topic: Sports

10. India wins U-19 Asia Cup by defeating Sri Lanka.

• India clinched the U-19 Asia Cup title by defeating Sri Lanka by nine wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. It is the eighth U-19 Asia Cup title for India.
• Opting to bat, Sri Lanka scored 106 runs for 9 wickets. India had to chase 102 runs in 38 overs.
• India lost only one match in the competition from Pakistan. Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan in the semifinals.
• Harnoor Singh won the Player of the series award. Shaik Rasheed was the highest scorer of the series.
• Eight teams have participated in the 2021 Under-19 Asia Cup. It was the 9^th edition of the tournament.
• Under-19 Asia Cup is a cricket tournament organized by the Asian Cricket Council for Under-19 teams. It was first organized in Bangladesh in 1989.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

11. PM Modi announced tenth installment of financial assistance under the PM-KISAN scheme.

• Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released the tenth installment of financial assistance.
• During a video conference, PM Modi has released the funds to the beneficiaries. Over 20,000 crores were transferred to over 10 crore recipient farmer families across the country as part of the scheme.
• In August 2021, the 9^th installment of PM-KISAN was released.
• The total money disbursed under the scheme has now surpassed 1.8 lakh crore, with the distribution of the latest tranche.
• PM-KISAN scheme:
  • It was launched on 24 February 2019. It was announced during the interim budget of 2019.
  • It is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
  • The main objective of this scheme is to increase the income of small and marginal farmers.
  • The PM-KISAN scheme provides eligible farmer families with a financial benefit of Rs. 6,000 each year, payable in three equal installments of Rs. 2,000.
  • The funds are deposited directly into the beneficiary’s bank account.

Topic: Appointments

12. Director-General VS Pathania appointed as new Chief of Indian Coast Guard.

• On December 31, Director General VS Pathania became the 24th Chief of the Indian Coast Guard.
• Krishnaswamy Natarajan, the Chief of the ICG from July 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021, has been replaced by VS Pathania.
• He graduated from the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, New Zealand, and the National Defence College in New Delhi.
• He has also been awarded the President's Tatrakshak Medal for Distinguished Service, the Tatrakshak Medal for gallantry, and the Director-General Indian Coast Guard Commendation.
• Indian Coast Guard:
  • It is an armed force, maritime search and rescue, and law enforcement agency.
  • It works under the Ministry of Defence.
  • It is headquartered in New Delhi.
  • It was formed through an Act of Parliament in 1978.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Indian Economy

13. India's current account fell into deficit of 1.3% in second quarter.

• According to the Reserve Bank of India, India's current account slipped into a deficit of USD 9.6 billion, or 1.3 percent of GDP, in the September quarter.
• Both the quarter-ago and year-ago periods had a surplus in the current account, which recorded the value of exports and imports of both goods and services, as well as international capital transfers.
• In the April-June 2021 quarter, India's current account surplus was USD 6.6 billion, or 0.9 percent of GDP, compared to USD 15.3 billion, or 2.4 percent of GDP, in the year-ago period (Q2FY22), according to the data.
• RBI said that for the first half of the financial year, India recorded a current account deficit of 0.2 percent of GDP, as against a surplus of 3 percent in the year-ago period, due to a sharp increase in the trade deficit.
• In the quarter under review, the deficit widened mainly to US$44.4 billion from US$30.7 billion in the previous quarter and increased net expenditure from investment income.
• On the basis of the strong performance of computer exports and business services, net service receipts decreased marginally in the previous quarter but grew year over year.
• Private transfer revenues, which primarily represent remittances from Indians working abroad, increased by 3.7 percent year on year to USD 21.1 billion.
• During the quarter, net foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows totaled USD 9.5 billion, down from USD 24.4 billion a year ago.
• In the September quarter, net foreign portfolio investment was USD 3.9 billion, down from USD 7 billion the year before.
• Portfolio investment recorded a net inflow of USD 4.3 billion in the first half of the fiscal year, which was down from USD 7.6 billion a year ago.
• External commercial borrowings recorded a net inflow of USD 4.1 billion in the quarter, compared to an outflow of USD 3.7 billion a year ago.
• Non-resident deposits recorded a net outflow of USD 0.8 billion, compared to an inflow of USD 1.9 billion the previous year.
• Foreign exchange reserves on a BoP basis increased by USD 31.2 billion, which included the special drawing rights allocation of USD 17.86 billion by the International Monetary Fund on 23 August.

Topic: Appointments

14. Vinay Kumar Tripathi appointed as new chairman of Railway Board.

• The Railway Board has appointed Vinay Kumar Tripathi as its new Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
• Vinay Tripathi, who is presently the General Manager of the North Eastern Railway, has been appointed as Chairman by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
• Mr. Tripathi is a 1998-batch officer of the Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers and an electrical engineering graduate from IIT-Roorkee (IRSEE).
• Indian Railways:
  • It comes under the Ministry of Railways.
  • Indian railways network is fourth-largest in the world by size.
  • It was founded on May 8, 1845.
  • Currently, it is divided into 18 zones and 70 divisions, with South Coast Railway Zone being the newest zone.