Daily Current Affairs and GK | 13 and 14 February 2022

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

1. Government approved Rs 26,275 crore for police modernization.

• The Government has approved the continuation of the mega police modernization scheme for five years with an outlay of Rs 26,275 crores.
• This scheme includes all relevant sub-schemes that contribute to the modernization of police and improvement in security.
• Around 18000 crores will be spent on the security of Jammu and Kashmir, Left Wing Extremism areas, and the Northeast.
• The government will help states in strengthening the criminal justice system by developing a robust forensic infrastructure in the country.
• Around Rs 4,846 crore will be given by the Centre for the modernization of the state police forces.
• Rs 2,080.50 crore will be given to States and Union Territories for setting up high-quality forensic sciences facilities.
• Under this five-year plan, the government has made provisions for internal security, law and order, adoption of modern technology by police, etc.

Topic: Personality in News

2. Renowned industrialist Rahul Bajaj passed away.

• Veteran industrialist and head of the Bajaj group, Rahul Bajaj, died at the age of 83.
• Rahul Bajaj became CEO of Bajaj Auto in 1968. He stepped down as non-executive chairman of Bajaj Auto in 2021.
• He was the chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) from 1979-80 and 1999-2000.
• He was the recipient of many awards including Padma Bhushan and received honorary doctorates from many universities.
• He was also the former chairman of Indian Airlines and the International Business Council.
• Bajaj group is one of the oldest groups in India. It has 25 companies including Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Electricals, Mukand and Bajaj Allianz, etc.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Books and Authors

3. Atal Bihari Vajpayee's biography launched in Chennai.

• The biography of Former PM "Atal Bihari Vajpayee-India’s Most Loved Prime Minister" has been launched in Chennai.
• The book has been authored by Sagarika Ghose.
• The book gives an in-depth look into the erudite statesman's life, as well as some of his poems.

Topic: Miscellaneous

4. 17^th Mumbai International Film Festival will begin on 29 May.

• The 17th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF-2022) will take place from 29^th May to 4^th June 2022.
• The festival will screen documentaries, short fiction, and animated films. The film festival will be conducted in Mumbai's Films Division complex.
• The online registration for the films will begin on 15 February and will run until March 15th.
• MIFF-2022 will accept online entries for films finished between 1 September 2019 and 31 December 2021.
• In the 16th MIFF, 871 entries had come from India and around the world.
• MIFF Awards:
  • A Golden Conch and a cash prize of ten lakh rupees will be awarded to the Festival's Best Documentary.
  • The winning films will get cash rewards, Silver Conches, Trophies, and Certificates in several categories.
  • The festival will also present the prestigious V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award, which includes a monetary prize of ten lakh rupees, a trophy, and a citation.
• Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF):
  • MIFF is oldest and largest festival for non-feature films in South Asia.
  • It is held biennially. Its 16th edition was held in 2020.
  • It is organized by Films Division, Union Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and supported by Government of Maharashtra.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

5. Government has scrapped requirement for a drone pilot licence.

• The Civil Aviation Ministry eliminated the requirement for drone operators to hold a pilot's licence in the country.
• The amendment to the drone rules has been notified by the ministry and the requirement of a drone pilot license has been done away with from February 11.
• The Remote Pilot Certificate acquired through the single window- Digital Sky platform from a drone school approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation will be sufficient for operating drones in the country.
• The Drone (Amendment) Rules 2022 specified that no remote pilot certificate will be required for non-commercial drone operations weighing up to two kilograms.
• Previously, international drone imports were forbidden in the country in order to promote Made in India drones.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

6. India and WFP signed an agreement to send wheat to Afghanistan.

• India has inked an agreement with the UN World Food Programme to distribute 50,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan via Pakistan's land border.
• The MoU states that the wheat will be transported through Pakistan to the Afghan border crossing and then handed over to WFP authorities in Kandahar on February 22.
• WFP will take charge of wheat convoys when they reach Afghanistan and distribute them to common people.
• World Food Programme (WFP):
  • It is the world’s largest humanitarian intergovernmental organization that focuses on hunger and food security.
  • It is headquartered in Rome.
  • The FAO and the United Nations General Assembly formally established the WFP in 1963.
  • David Beasley is the current Executive Director of World Food Programme.

Topic: Banking System

7. NABARD launched ‘JIVA’ programme to promote natural farming.

• The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has launched the ‘JIVA’ programme to promote natural farming under watershed and wadi programmes.
• ‘JIVA’ programme aims to transform the pre-existing social and natural capital and to promote natural farming as commercial farming.
• JIVA is an amalgamation of several projects under the watershed programme of NABARD.
• ‘JIVA’ programme will be implemented in 25 projects on a pilot basis in five agroecological zones.
• NABARD collaborated with various national and multilateral agencies for implementing this programme.
• NABARD will invest Rs 50,000 per hectare under this programme. The best practices will be implemented on 200 hectares in each project.
• The Wadi project focuses on supporting the holistic development of tribal communities with orchard cultivation as the main element. It provides food security and ecological restoration and builds the local capabilities to initiate other community development programmes for socio-economic development of the tribal communities.
• National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD):
  • It was founded in 1982.
  • It is an apex bank for the regulation of regional rural banks and cooperative banks in India.
  • It works under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance.
  • G.R. Chintala is the Chairman of NABARD.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

8. Women hold 17.1% of board seats in Indian companies: Report by Deloitte India.

• According to the boardroom report by Deloitte India, board seats held by women in Indian companies have increased from 13.8 percent in 2018 to 17.1 percent in 2021.
• In Indian companies, 4.7 percent of chief executive officers and 3.9 percent of chief financial officers are women.
• The number of women chairpersons has decreased in 2021 as compared to 2018.
• Globally, 19.7% of the board seats are held by women. It has increased by 2.8 % as compared to 2018.
• At this pace, board seats held by women will reach 50% by 2045.
• According to this report, the company that has women CEOs has more number of women in the board members.
• Indian regulators have created a holistic framework to encourage the representation of women in key positions at corporates.
• The stretch factor for women has slightly increased in 2021 from the figures of 2018.
• Australia (1.43), the US (1.33), and New Zealand (1.32) have the highest stretch factor for women.
• In India, the average tenure of women directors has also increased from 5.0 years to 5.1 years in 2021.
• This edition of the boardroom report has collected data from 72 countries.

Topic: Space and IT

9. ISRO successfully launches PSLV-C52 with three satellites.

• ISRO has successfully launched Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C52 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
• PSLV-C52 has placed three satellites into orbit. It placed EOS-04 radar imaging satellite weighing 1710 kgs into orbit. This was PSLV-C52 launch vehicle’s 54^th launch in the series.
• EOS-04 will provide high-quality images under all weather conditions. It will be positioned into a Sun synchronous polar orbit gradually.
• PSLV-C52 also placed a co-passenger INS-2TD technology demonstrator satellite into orbit.
• It also placed INSPIRE sat-1 student satellite into orbit. INS-2TD is a precursor to India-Bhutan Joint Satellite INS-2B.
• INSPIRE sat-1 is a small satellite from the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology in collaboration with Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics at University of Colorado
• INS-2TD has a thermal imaging camera to assess land and water surface temperature and thermal inertia at day and night.

Topic: Important Days

10. APEDA celebrated its 36^th Foundation Day on 13 February 2022.

• Agricultural Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) celebrated its 36^th Foundation Day on 13 February 2022.
• Export of agricultural products has increased from 0.6 billion dollars in 1986 to 20.67 billion dollars in 2020-21.
• The target given to APEDA in the financial year 2021-22 is 23.7 billion dollars. More than 70% of the target has been achieved till January 2022.
• Agricultural Products Export Development Authority (APEDA):
  • It is a government organization established in 1986. It is responsible for the promotion of the export of agro products.
  • It works under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Its headquarters are located in New Delhi.
  • Dr. M. Angamuthu is the current Chairman of APEDA.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Important Days

11. World Radio Day 2022: 13 February

• Every year on February 13, World Radio Day is commemorated.
• World Radio Day is observed to raise awareness of radio's importance and contribution to society's evolution.
• The theme of World Radio Day 2022 is “Radio and Trust”. It has 3 sub-themes:
  1. Trust in radio journalism: Produce independent and high-quality content
  2. Trust and accessibility: Take care of your audience
  3. Trust and viability of radio stations: Ensure competitiveness
• UNESCO established the day during its 36^th conference in 2011.
• In 2012, the University of Pisa in Italy celebrated the first World Radio Day.
• In India, the first program was aired by the Radio Club of Bombay in 1923. All India Radio was established in 1936.
• Radio:
  • Guglielmo Marconi is the inventor of the radio.
  • It uses radio waves for communication. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz).

Topic: Important Day

12. National Women’s Day: 13 February

• In India, National Women's Day is observed on 13 February each year.
• Sarojini Naidu's birth is commemorated as National Women's Day across the country.
• The 142^nd birthday of Sarojini Naidu was commemorated this year.
• International Women’s Day is celebrated every year on 8 March.
• Sarojini Naidu:
  • She was born on February 13, 1879, in Hyderabad and died on March 2, 1949, in Lucknow.
  • She is known as the nightingale of India.
  • She was the first woman governor of India. She became governor of the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) in 1947.
  • She was the first Indian woman President of the Indian National Congress. She presided over the 1925 Kanpur session of INC.

Topic: National News

13. 96.21% work of Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project completed.

• According to the Mizoram Public Works Department, 96.21% of the work of the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project has been completed.
• Efforts are underway for its speedy completion. The project will upon completion connect India’s northeast to South East Asia.
• India and Myanmar had jointly identified the project to create a multi-modal mode of transport for cargo shipment from eastern ports of India to Myanmar and northeastern part of India through Myanmar.
• It is a US$484 million project connecting eastern Indian seaport of Kolkata with the Sittwe seaport in Rakhine State, Myanmar by sea.
• The Kaladan project has a waterways component of 158 km on Kaladan river from Sittwe Port to Paletwa in Myanmar.
• It also has a road component of 109 km from Paletwa to Zorinpui on the India-Myanmar border in Mizoram state.
• A 109 km road will connect Palletwa with Zorinpui, Mizoram at the India – Myanmar border.
• A new road of 90-km will be laid to connect the existing Aizawl-Saiha National Highway up to Zorinpui.
• India has already constructed an inland waterway jetty at Sittwe. Sittwe Port is located at the estuary of Kaladan river in the Rakhine province of Myanmar.
• Sittwe Port is around 500 km by road from the Kyaukphyu Port. India shares an approximately 1700-km long border with Myanmar.

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

14. India’s 1^st bullet train station to be built in Surat.

• India’s 1^st bullet train station will be built in Surat along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route.
• Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project will be the country's first bullet train route.
• The work on three more stations-Vapi, Bilimora and Bharuch, is underway. All four stations will be ready by December 2024.
• National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd has taken the responsibility for the project.
• Out of the 508.17-kilometre Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, 155.76 km is in Maharashtra, 384.04 km is in Gujarat and 4.3 km is in Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
• Japan International Cooperation Agency will provide ₹88,000 crore. The cost of the project is estimated to be more than ₹1 lakh crore.
• National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited:
  • It was established in 2016. It is a ‘special purpose vehicle’, which works under the Ministry of Railways.
  • Its main objective is to finance, construct, maintain and manage the High-Speed Rail Corridor in India.