Daily Current Affairs and GK | 14 April 2022

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

1. Union Cabinet approved continuation of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) till 31 March 2026.

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved Rs 5,911 crore for the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA).
• Out of Rs 5911 crore, the Central government’s share is Rs.3700 crore and State’s share is Rs.2211 crore.
• It will help 2.78 lakh rural local bodies in achieving sustainable development goals and boost the governance capabilities of Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs).
• Under this scheme, Poverty free and enhanced livelihood in villages, Healthy Village, Child-Friendly Village, Water Sufficient Village, etc. theme will be given priority.
• Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) scheme:
  • It was approved by the Cabinet in 2018.
  • The scheme will help in establishing the institutional structure for capacity building of PRIs at the national, state and district level.
  • It will strengthen gram sabhas for effective institutions with the social inclusion of citizens.

Topic: National Appointments

2. BCCI secretary Jay Shah appointed as Member Board Representative of ICC Cricket Committee.

• During the ICC Board Meeting held in Dubai, Mahela Jayawardene has been reappointed as the Past Player representative.
• Gary Stead is the National Team Coach Representative while Joel Wilson is ICC Elite Panel Umpire representative.
• The ICC Board confirmed that South Africa will host the inaugural ICC U-19 Women's T20 World Cup in 2023.
• International Cricket Council:
  • The International Cricket Council is the global governing body of cricket.
  • It was established in 1909 by the representatives of Australia, England, and South Africa as the Imperial Cricket Conference.
  • It is headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

3. International Gandhi Award for Leprosy 2021 conferred by the Vice President.

• The International Gandhi Award for Leprosy, 2021 has been presented by Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu to Dr. Bhushan Kumar of Chandigarh and the Sahyog Kushtha Yagna Trust of Gujarat at a ceremony in New Delhi.
• The award was given to Dr. Bhushan Kumar and Sahyog Kushtha Yagna Trust for raising awareness about leprosy and providing care to those afflicted with it.
• International Gandhi Award for Leprosy:
  • The award was founded in 1986 by the Gandhi Memorial Leprosy Foundation, a pioneering organisation in the field of leprosy in India that was formed in 1951.
  • The Award is given every two years and consists of a cash award of Rs 2 lakhs, a Medallion, and a Citation.
  • Two awards are presented either to individuals or institutions.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Important Days

4. Dr. B R Ambedkar Jayanti 2022: 14 April

• On April 14, the nation paid tribute to Dr. B R Ambedkar, the Chief Architect of the Indian Constitution, on his 131st birth anniversary.
• The day is also known as ‘Bhim Jayanti’.
• Several functions have been organized across the country and Floral tributes have been presented to Babasaheb's Statue in the Parliament House Complex.
• In 1928, his first birthday was celebrated publicly in Pune.
• Dr. B R Ambedkar:
  • He was born in the year 1891.
  • He was an Indian jurist, economist, politician, and social reformer.
  • Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was the chairman of the drafting committee of the Constitution. He is also known as the “Father of the Constitution of India”.
  • He is the first Law Minister of India. He had started the Dalit Buddhist Movement in India.
  • He was conferred the Bharat Ratna award in 1990.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: MoUs/ Agreements

5. India and Japan have signed Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) in the area of Decentralized Domestic Wastewater Management.

• The Union Cabinet has given its approval to sign an MoC between the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Ministry of the Environment of Japan in the area of decentralised domestic wastewater management.
• A Management Council (MC) will be constituted for implementing this MoC. It will formulate detailed activities of the cooperation and monitor its progress.
• The MoC will help in the effective reuse of treated wastewater by using Johkasou technology.
• Under this MoC, there will be no financial obligations for both parties.
• Japan:
  • It is an island country in East Asia.
  • It shares its maritime border with the Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, East China Sea, and Taiwan.
  • Its Capital is Tokyo.
  • Its currency is the Japanese Yen.
  • Its Prime Minister is Fumio Kishida.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Rankings

6. Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has become the third busiest airport in the world.

• A report based on data provided by the United Kingdom-based data provider, Official Airline Guide (OAG), has been prepared.
• This organisation keeps track of worldwide travel statistics and analyses a variety of factors such as the busiest airports, the busiest flight routes, and other travel-related information.
• According to the report, Delhi airport has climbed six points to third place, surpassing China's Guangzhou airport.
• However, Atlanta International Airport in the United States remains at the top of the list, followed by Dubai International Airport.
• According to another OAG report, Indigo Airlines of India is one of the world's largest airlines for the month of March and ranked sixth among the top ten largest airlines.
• Here is the list of the top 10 busiest airports:

Topic: National News

7. The policy for using land acquired under Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition & Development) Act, 1957 has been approved by Union Cabinet.

• This has been done to facilitate the use of lands that are mined out or are practically unsuitable for coal mining.
• Under the policy, such land can be used for the development and setting up of infrastructure relating to coal and energy.
• These lands acquired under Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition & Development) Act, 1957 will continue to be owned by Government coal companies, such as Coal India Ltd.
• This policy only permits leasing of these lands for the purposes specified in the policy.
• The Government Company holding the land shall lease such land for a specified period as given under the policy.
• The entities for leasing will be chosen by a transparent, fair and competitive bidding process.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Books and Authors

8. Author Prem Rawat has launched his book ‘Hear Yourself’.

• ‘Hear Yourself’ is a New York Times bestseller book.
• It is already available in 58 countries and five languages.
• Now, the book has been launched for the Indian subcontinent.
• As per the author, the book is to help people understand their own potential.
• The book will help people find peace in a noisy world. The book is to help people develop better self-understanding.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

9. India is projected to grow at 8% in this fiscal: World Bank

• World Bank has recently released its ‘South Asia Economic Focus Reshaping Norms: A New Way Forward’ report.
• According to this report, the South Asia region will grow at 6.6 percent in 2022 and by 6.3 percent in 2023.
• The World Bank has lowered its forecast of India’s GDP growth for FY 23 from 8.7% to 8%.
• Russia’s war on Ukraine has impacted commodity prices and increased supply and financial sector bottlenecks.
• Due to the labour market's incomplete recovery and inflationary pressures, household consumption in India is restricted.
• The Green tax will be a new source of government revenue in the South Asian region.
• The current account deficit will widen due to the merchandise trade deficit increase and the rise of commodity prices.
• Industrial production in Bangladesh and Pakistan is above pre-pandemic levels and it has increased by more than the world average.

Topic: Indian Economy

10. Government exempted customs duty on cotton imports till 30 September.

• Ministry of Finance has issued a notification that the Import of cotton has been fully exempted from customs duties till September 30, 2022.
• The exemption would benefit the textile chain-yarn, fabric, and garments and will lower prices for consumers. It will benefit textile exporters.
• This notification has come into effect on 14 April 2022.
• The Government was imposing 5 percent basic customs duty and 5 percent agri infra development cess.
• Basic Customs Duty (BCD):
  • It is a type of import duty based on the value of imported goods.
  • Customs duty in India is defined under the Customs Act, 1962.
  • The Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs is responsible to look after all the matters related to Custom duty.

Topic: Sports

11. Indian Grandmaster R Pragganandhaa wins Reykjavik Open chess tournament in Iceland.

• Young Indian Grandmaster R Pragganandhaa has won the tournament with 7.5 points from nine rounds.
• He defeated compatriot GM D Gukesh in the final round of the Reykjavik Open chess tournament.
• He had recently defeated world No.1 player Magnus Carlsen in an online tournament.
• He is the fifth-youngest person to get the title of Grandmaster (GM).
• Abhimanyu Mishra finished the tournament on the fifth spot with seven points. GM B Adibhan scored 5.5 points and settled on 34th place.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Environment and Ecology

12. Mumbai recognized as ‘Tree City of the World’ by United Nations.

• After Hyderabad, Mumbai has been recognized as the ‘2021 Tree City of the World’ by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (UN) jointly with Arbor Day Foundation.
• Mumbai received recognition for its commitment for growing and maintaining urban trees and greenery.
• The ‘Tree City of the World’ programme of the United Nations provides a framework and assistance for a healthy, sustainable urban forestry.  
• Mumbai is the second city in India to get this recognition.
• Tree Cities of the World programme was introduced at World Forum on Urban Forests in 2018 in Italy.
• The ‘Tree Cities of the World’ programme is an initiative to recognize cities committed to the management of urban forests and trees.

Topic: Sports

13. Australian state of Victoria will host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

• The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be organized in the Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and Gippsland towns of Victoria State.
• The opening ceremony will be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
• 16 Sports including aquatics, cycling and Twenty20 cricket will be played in the tournament.
• The Queensland state of Australia hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2018.
• Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) is the nodal agency for the control and functioning of the Commonwealth Games.

Topic: State/ Jammu and Kashmir

14. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha launched ‘Avsar’ portal to create job opportunities.

• The ‘Avsar’ portal aim is to create more than 10,000 job opportunities for aspirants in 2022.
• It will connect various corporate, national, and multi-national companies with the youth of J&K.
• As part of the initiative, Mission Youth has signed an agreement with Vision India for providing jobs to the youth of J&K.
• Under the AVSAR- Connect to Opportunities Initiative, placement cells will be established for youths.
• All ITIs and other technical institutions of Jammu and Kashmir will be on-boarded for better results.
• Lt Governor said J&K Administration has taken many steps for the economic development of the state and to create job opportunities.