Daily Current Affairs and GK | 13 May 2022

Topic: National Appointments

1. Sanjiv Bajaj assumed the office of CII President for 2022-23.

• Sanjiv Bajaj is Chairman and Managing Director of Bajaj Finserv Limited.
• He has replaced TV Narendran, who is CEO & Managing Director of Tata Steel Limited.
• Pawan Munjal has taken over as CII President-Designate. He is Chairman and CEO of Hero MotoCorp Limited.
• R Dinesh has taken over as Vice President of CII. He is Executive Vice Chairman of TVS Supply Chain Solutions.
• Confederation of Indian Industry (CII):
  • It is a non-governmental trade association. It was established in 1895.
  • CII National Council is the governing body of the Confederation of Indian Industry.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

2. Ayush Ministry and FSSAI have prepared regulations for food products under Ayurveda Aahara category.

• The regulations are related to safety and quality standards for food products under Ayurveda Aahara category.
• The regulations will ensure the manufacturing of quality Ayurveda food products.
• Food Safety and Standards (Ayurveda Aahara) Regulations, 2022 rules will be applied to the manufacturing and marketing of Ayurveda Aahara products.
• Only after the licence and approval from Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Ayurveda Aahara products will be available in the market.
• A special logo has been created for “Ayurveda Aahara” category.
• Ayurvedic medicines and medicinal products, cosmetics, narcotic or psychotropic substances and herbs will not be included in ‘Ayurveda Aahara’.
• Ayurveda Aahara is not suggested for children under the age of two.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: MoUs/ Agreements

3. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has signed an MoU with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

• The MoU is for strategic partnership in Agriculture, Crop Insurance and Credit.
• Under the MoU, UNDP will provide technical support for Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) & Kisan Credit Card – Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (KCC-MISS).
• CEO-PMFBY Ritesh Chauhan and UNDP Resident Representative Shoko Noda signed MoU in presence of Union Minister of Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Personality in News

4. Pandit Sukh Ram recently passed away.

• He was a Congress leader from Himachal Pradesh and a former Union Minister.
• He had served as the Union Minister of State, Communications (Independent Charge).
• He was a Lok Sabha member from Mandi constituency of Himachal Pradesh.

Topic: Books and Authors

5. VP released a book titled “The Struggle for Police Reforms in India”.

• It is written by former IPS Officer Prakash Singh.
• It is published by Rupa Publications India Pvt Ltd. This book highlights the efforts made to bring police reforms in India.
• Vice President said that there is a need to upgrade the skills of our policemen to tackle the challenges of the 21^st century.
• Vice President also said that police reform is necessary to uphold law and order in the country.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

6. Union Minister Hardeep S Puri launched the ‘BHARAT TAP’ initiative at Plumbex India Exhibition.

• Bharat Tap initiative aims to provide low-flow sanitary ware on a large scale and thus significantly reduce the consumption of water at the source.
• Bharat Tap initiative is expected to be accepted quickly and it will help in promoting water conservation efforts.
• Union Minister Hardeep S Puri said that AMRUT 2.0 will provide 100% coverage of water supply to all households in 4,700 ULBs.
• He also launched NARDECO MAHI’s ‘Nirmal Jal Prayas’ initiative, which will save 500 crore litres of water per year.
• ‘Plumbex India’ exhibition is an exhibition of products and services related to the plumbing, water and sanitation industry. 
• Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation 2.0 (AMRUT 2.0) was launched by PM Modi on 1 October 2021 with an aim to develop water secure cities in the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat. It targets to provide reliable 2.68 crore new water tap connections to all in about 4,800 statutory towns. It also proposes to get universal household coverage of sewerage/ septage services in 500 AMRUT cities through new sewer connections.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National Appointments

7. Rajiv Kumar will take charge of the office of Chief Election Commissioner of India from 15^th May 2022.

• President Ram Nath Kovind has cleared Rajiv Kumar’s appointment as new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India.
• Rajiv Kumar is senior most Election Commissioner. He will replace CEC Sushil Chandra who will be demitting the office on 14th May 2022.
• Sushil Chandra is 24th Chief Election Commissioner of India. He is an Indian Revenue Service officer. He assumed office as CEC in April 2021.
• Rajiv Kumar is Indian Administrative Service officer of the Bihar/Jharkhand cadre. He became Election Commissioner on September 1, 2020.
• Chief Election Commissioner:
  • The Election Commission of India consists of a Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners.
  • They are appointed by the President. Their tenure is for six years or till the age of 65, whichever is earlier. The tenure is not specified in the Constitution.
  • The Chief Election Commissioner can be removed by the President on the basis of resolution passed by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha with special majority.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

8. PM Modi took part in Second Global COVID Virtual Summit on 12 May 2022.

• He addressed the inaugural session of the summit on the theme ‘Preventing Pandemic Fatigue and Prioritizing Preparedness’.
• He said India has laid the foundation of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine at Jamnagar, Gujarat.
• Its aim is to make traditional medicinal knowledge available to the world.
• He also called for reforming and strengthening of the WHO.
• Prime Minister Modi had also taken part in the first Global COVID Virtual Summit.
• This was hosted by President Biden on 22 September 2021.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/ Madhya Pradesh

9. PM Narendra Modi to launch Madhya Pradesh Startup Policy.

• During the Madhya Pradesh Startup Conclave, PM Narendra Modi will also address the startup community on 13th May 2022.
• PM Narendra Modi will also launch the Madhya Pradesh Startup portal to promote the startup ecosystem.
• Around 1,937 start-ups have been recognised by the Union government in Madhya Pradesh, 45 per cent of them are run by women.
• Policymakers from the government and private sector, innovators, entrepreneurs, and academicians will participate in the Madhya Pradesh Startup Conclave.
• A variety of sessions will be conducted including the speed mentoring session, funding session, pitching session, and ecosystem support session.
• A Startup Expo displaying new trends and innovations will also be also displayed at the venue.

Topic: State News/ Haryana

10. Haryana Government launched ‘Chaara-Bijaee Yojana’ for fodder growers.

• Under this scheme, farmers tied up with gaushalas will receive financial aid of ₹10,000 per acre for up to 10 acres under fodder cultivation.
• The amount will be transferred to the farmers’ bank account through direct benefit transfer.
• The number of Cow shelters in Haryana has increased from 175 in 2017 to 600 in 2022.
• Due to an increase in the stray animal population, most cow shelters are overcrowded in the state.
• Haryana Agriculture and farmers’ welfare Minister JP Dalal said that a huge market will be opened in Ganaur and he also directed officers to resolve the disputed cases of crop damage claims over the last three to four years.

Topic: International Appointment

11. Ranil Wickremesinghe becomes new Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.

• The Leader of the United National Party Ranil Wickremesinghe will take oath as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.
• He will take place of Mahinda Rajapaksa who has recently stepped down from the Prime Ministerial post.
• Ranil Wickremesinghe has served as Prime Minister four times. United National Party is the oldest party in Sri Lanka.
• On 17th May, the No-Confidence Motion against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will be taken up for debate.
• Sri Lanka is facing a severe shortage of food, fuel, and other basic necessities.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Sports

12. India's Jyothi Yarraji wins gold medal in 100m hurdles in Cyprus International Athletics Meeting 2022.

• India's Jyothi Yarraji has clinched a gold medal by breaking the national record. She completed the race in 13.23 seconds.
• She broke the national record held by Anuradha Biswal.
• Another Indian athlete Lili Das won gold in the women's 1500 meter race.
• India’s athlete Amlan Borgohain won the bronze medal in the men's 200m race.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Important Days

13. International Day of Plant Health: 12 May

• International Day of Plant Health is observed every year on 12 May.
• It is observed to raise awareness about protecting plant health and boost economic development.
• Our health and the health of our planet depend on plants. The plant creates 80% of the food we eat and 98 % of the Oxygen we breathe.
• Recently, the United Nations has announced that May 12 will be observed as the International Day of Plant Health.
• The day was proposed by Zambia in the UN General Assembly.
• The aim of this year’s International Day of Plant Health is to prevent diseases from food crops.
• The International Day of Plant Health will help the United Nations in achieving several sustainable development goals.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Committees/Commissions/Taskforces

14. SEBI formed an advisory committee on matters related to ESG in the securities market.

• The SEBI committee on ESG (environment, social and governance) related matters has a total of 19 members.
• Navneet Munot will head the Committee. Munot is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HDFC Mutual Fund.
• The committee also has experts including, R Mukundan, C Siva Kumar, Amit Talgeri, Sharad Kalghtagi, Amit Tandon, J N Gupta and Rama Patel.
• Improvements in business responsibility and sustainability report (BRSR), ESG ratings and ESG investing are the terms of reference of the committee.
• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI):
  • SEBI was set up in 1988 and given statutory status in 1992. Its headquarters is located in Mumbai.
  • It is a regulator of the securities market in India and aims to protect the interests of investors in securities.
  • Ms. Madhabi Puri Buch is the current chairperson of SEBI.