Daily Current Affairs and GK | 13 April 2022

Topic: Important Days

1. Siachen Day: 13 April

• It is observed by Siachen Warriors Brigade every year on 13 April.
• It is observed to honour the courage shown by the Indian Army during “Operation Meghdoot”.
• Operation Meghdoot was launched by the Indian Army on April 13, 1984.
• Under this operation, the Indian Army took control of the entire Siachen glacier including the main passes of the Saltoro ridge, Sia La and Bilafond La.
• The Siachen Glacier is the highest battleground on the earth. It is spread over an area of 76 kilometres.
• India and Pakistan maintain a permanent military presence at a height of over 6,000 metres.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

2. SJVN has signed MoU with BHEL and REMC Limited to develop renewable energy projects for Indian Railways.

• The MoU is a step toward meeting Indian Railway’s target of achieving net-zero carbon emission by 2030.
• SJVN currently has 12 solar power projects of 3,065 MW capacity. These projects are in various stages of development.
• SJVN is a joint venture of the Government of India and the Government of Himachal Pradesh.
• REMC Limited is a joint venture Company of Indian Railways & RITES Limited.
• Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL):
  • BHEL is an Indian public sector company and India’s largest power generation equipment manufacturer.
  • Its CEO is Nalin Singhal. Its headquarters is in New Delhi.

Topic: National News

3. PM Modi will inaugurate Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya on 14 April 2022.

• It is located at the Teen Murti complex in New Delhi. It is a tribute to every PM of India.
• Its logo represents the hands of the people of India holding the Dharma Chakra, a symbol of nation and democracy.
• It tells India's post-independence story through the lives and contributions of prime ministers.
• It integrates Block I, the erstwhile Teen Murti Bhawan, with Block II, the newly constructed building. It contains a total of 43 galleries.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

4. Union Ministry of Culture has organized a two-day conference on April 12 and 13, 2022, in New Delhi.

• Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah inaugurated the conference.
• Amrit Samagam is the name of the conference of Tourism and Culture Ministers of the country.
• Government is celebrating period of 25 years from Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to the Centenary year of independence as Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal.
• On March 12, 2021 (on the 91st anniversary of Dandi March), PM Modi started 75 week-long Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav from Kashi Gandhi Ashram.
• Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav:
  • It is a flagship initiative of the Central and State Governments.
  • It has been launched to commemorate 75 years of India’s independence.
  • Its objective is to recall the contribution of the freedom fighters and to create a vision for lndia@2047.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Government schemes and Initiatives

5. 'SVANidhi se Samriddhi' initiative launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

• In 126 cities across 14 states and union territories, the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has launched the 'SVANidhi se Samriddhi' programme.
• The expansion of the scheme will benefit 28 lakh street vendors and their families.
• According to the Ministry, SVANidhi se Samriddhi is an additional PM-SVANidhi program, which was launched in 125 cities in Phase 1 in January 2022, covering about 35 lakh street vendors and their families.
• After the program's success in Phase1, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched the program in additional cities with a target of totalling 20 lakh plan approvals for the financial year 2022.
• Since June 2020, the Ministry has been implementing Prime Minister Street Vendors AtmaNirbhar Nidhi scheme.
• ‘‘SVANidhi se Samriddhi” program was started to provide social security benefits to street vendors for their overall development and socio-economic upliftment.

Topic: Sports

6. Jamshedpur will host the first Khelo India National Ranking Women Archery Tournament.

• The Sports Authority of India has given Rs 75 lakh to organize the Khelo India National Ranking Women Archery Tournament over six phases at Tata Archery Academy.
• The first phase of the tournament has been started on April 12 and 13 at Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.
• The tournament will be conducted in recurve and compound events in senior, junior, and cadet categories, and will be conducted in accordance with World Archery Rules.
• The tournament is being organised by the Archery Association of India (AAI) in association with the Jharkhand Archery Association and TATA Steel.
• Based on the recently concluded National Championships, the top 32 Recurve and Compound archers in the Senior, Junior, and Cadet categories have been selected to participate in the tournament.
• The six Women’s National Ranking tournaments will be held every alternate month with the final phase scheduled for December 2022
• The best 16 archers will be ranked based on their cumulative points from the five phases in order to compete in the final phase in December.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

7. Government of India and ADB have signed a $2 million Project Readiness Financing (PRF) Loan.

• PRF Loan is for designing climate-resilient urban infrastructure and strengthening institutional capacity in 16 district headquarter towns (DHTs) in Nagaland.
• The loan signed by the government of India and ADB is also for improving municipal resource mobilization in 16 district headquarters towns (DHTs) in Nagaland.
• The PRF is for the proposed Nagaland Urban Infrastructure Development Project.
• PRF loan will assist in the design of water supply, sanitation, solid waste management and urban roads in 16 DHTs with climate-resilient features.

Topic: Art and Culture

8. National Delphic Games for Arts and Cultures will be hosted by India in 2023.

• The games will cover arts and cultures from 36 states and Union Territories.
• 25 Indian States have already come together with State Delphic Councils to show their distinct cultures.
• National Delphic Games in India will show competitions, performances and exhibitions in 6 different art categories given below.

• The winners of Delphic Games in India will represent India at International Delphic Games to be held in 2026. 
• Seven International Delphic Games have been organized across Russia, Georgia, Germany, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and South Africa.
• India has took part in three International Delphic Games in Philippines, Malaysia and South Korea.
• Delphic Games are also called twin sisters of the Olympic Games. They are inspired by games held in Delphi in ancient Greece.
• International Delphic Council is based in Berlin, Germany. It was formed in 1994.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

9. National Mineral Development Corporation wins two Awards at 80th SKOCH Summit 2022.

• National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) won one gold and one silver award at the 80th SKOCH Summit.
• SKOCH Summit has been conducted under the theme ‘State of BFSI & PSUs’.
• In the social responsibility category, NMDC has won gold for the project ‘Promotion of Technical Education & Skill Development in the Dantewada District.
• In the digital inclusion category, NMDC has won silver for Project ‘Kalpataru’ for ERP implementation.
• The SKOCH Awards are given to the winners based on the application submitted on their website.
• National Mineral Development Corporation has been also awarded the ‘3 SKOCH – Order of Merit Awards’ for Project Kalpataru and Project Safety First.
• NMDC is the largest Iron Ore producer in India. It is a Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Steel. It is headquartered in Hyderabad.

Topic: National News

10. During Jan-Mar 2022, the number of domestic patent filings surpassed the number of international patent filings in India.

• For the first time in the last 11 years, the number of domestic patent filings surpassed the number of international patent filings.
• In the Quarter Jan-Mar 2022, a total of 19796 patent applications were filed out of which 10706 were filed by Indian applicants while 9090 were filed by non-Indian applicants.
• Grant for patents in 2021-22 has increased nearly five times as compared to 2014-15.
• In the last seven-year, the Filing of patents has increased from 42763 in 2014-15 to 66440 in 2021-22.
• India’s ranking in Global Innovation Index has increased to 46th in 2021.
• Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and Intellectual Property (IP) office has created awareness about the Intellectual Property (IP) in the society.
• National IPR policy and Government initiatives have helped in increasing the number of patent filings.
• The patent in India is governed by the Patents Act of 1970. The main aim of the patent is to encourage innovation and research and development.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: New Developments

11. ‘Kadam’- India’s first polycentric prosthetic knee launched.

• The researchers of IIT Madras have launched Kadam- First polycentric prosthetic knee of India.
• This indigenously developed knee aims to improve the quality of life of above-knee amputees. It will provide stability thereby reducing the risk of stumbling.
• It also aims to increase their access to education, community participation, livelihood opportunities, etc.
• Kadam has been developed by a team at IIT Madras in association with the Society for Biomedical Technology (SBMT) and Mobility India.
• Kadam has advantages over a hinge-joint because it has multiple axes of rotation, and allows maximum knee flexion of 160 degrees which makes it easier for above-knee amputees to sit in cramped spaces.
• It is made of aluminium alloy and stainless steel. It is affordable and is of high quality and performance.

Topic: Personality in News

12. Actor Shiv Kumar Subrahmaniam passed away.

• 62 year old veteran actor and writer Shiv Kumar Subrahmaniam passed away in Mumbai.
• He wrote critically acclaimed films like “Parinda”, “1942: A love story” and “Chameli”.
• He acted in many films like 2 States, Hichki, Stanley ka Dabba, Kaminey and Meenakshi Sundareshwar.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

13. Indigenously built Dornier 228 aircraft took off its first commercial flight from Assam to Arunachal Pradesh.

• Alliance Air's Dornier 228 aircraft took off its first flight from Dibrugarh to Pasighat. It has been made by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
• Alliance Air has become India’s first commercial airline to fly a made-in-India aircraft for civil operations.
• The 17-seater aircraft can fly even at night. Till now, Dornier 228 planes were used by the armed forces only.
• Alliance Air had signed an agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to lease two 17-seater Dornier 228 aircraft.
• The airline service will boost air connectivity in the northeastern region.
• The airline services will be further expanded to Tezu, Mechuka, Ziro and Tuting in Arunachal Pradesh.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

14. India and US signed bilateral space situational awareness arrangements.

• This agreement has been signed between the Department of Space from India and the Department of Defence of the USA on the sidelines of the India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue.
• Under this agreement, India and US will share information related to space and enhance cooperation in the field of space.
• India and US will also start discussions on Defence Space and Defence Artificial Intelligence.
• India and US are also working together on unmanned aerial vehicles through Defence Technology and Trade Initiative.
• This agreement has added a new dimension to the growing relationship between both countries.
• India-US space cooperation:
  • NASA and ISRO are collaborating on India's Mars Orbiter Mission and for a dual-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR)
  • A bilateral Joint Working Group on Civil Space Cooperation is a forum for discussion on joint activities in space between both countries.
  • India and US are enhancing cooperation in different fields such as global navigation satellite systems, international space station, space debris mediation, etc.