Daily Current Affairs and GK | 19 April 2022

Topic: Personality in News

1. Union Government to organise a grand event to mark the birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur.

• The Union Government has announced that it will organize a grand event on 20 and 21 April in the Red Fort premises to celebrate the 400^th Prakash Gurupurab of Guru Tegh Bahadur.
• The event will be organized as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation from Red Fort on 21 April.
• An exhibition on the life and times of the Sikh guru will be also organized at the Red Fort.
• Red Fort has been chosen for this event because it was the place from where Mughal ruler Aurangzeb gave orders for the execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur in 1675.
• Guru Tegh Bahadur:
  • He is the Ninth Gurus of the Sikh religion.
  • He was also known as ‘Hind-di-Chaadar’, which means the ‘Shield of India’.
  • He resisted the forced conversions of non-Muslims to Islam by the Aurangzeb.
  • He built the city of Anandpur Sahib in Punjab.
  • Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib in Chandni Chowk was built at the place where Mughals killed Guru Tegh Bahadur.

Topic: Sports

2. Haryana wins 12^th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2022 in Bhopal.

• Haryana defeated Tamil Nadu in the finals of the Senior Men National Championship 2022.
• In the shootout, Haryana scored thrice in their first four attempts, while Tamil Nadu scored only one goal.
• Haryana has become the winner of the Senior Men National Championship after 2011.
• Karnataka defeated Maharashtra to finish third in the tournament.

Topic: International News

3. India and Finland to construct Indo-Finnish Virtual Network Centre on Quantum Computing.

• On April 18, India and Finland announced their decision to set up an Indo-Finnish Virtual Network Centre on Quantum Computing.
• A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of Science and Technology, and Mika Lintila, Minister of Economic Affairs of Finland.
• Bilateral collaboration between the two countries aims to promote creative research and development initiatives that address a specific need or challenge.
• Dr. Jitendra Singh stated that the Indian side has picked three institutes for a Virtual Network Centre on Quantum Computing: IIT Madras, IISER Pune, and C-DAC Pune.
• India and Finland are Antarctic Treaty consultative members with active stations in the Antarctic.
• In 2023, Finland will host the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, while India will host it in 2024.
• Since 2014, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Finnish Meteorological Institute have collaborated in the area of the atmospheric environment.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

4. MCA registered 1.67 lakh companies in FY 2021-22, the largest number ever.

• The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) registered over 1.67 lakh new companies in the Fiscal Year 2021-22, compared to 1.55 lakh in the Fiscal Year 2020-21.
• The growth is significant because the number of companies incorporated in the Financial Year 2020-21 was the most in any preceding year.
• The number of companies registered in FY 2021-22 is 8% more than the number registered in FY 2020-21.
• While the MCA registered 1.24 lakh companies in FY 2018-19 and 1.22 lakh companies in FY 2019-20.
• As part of the Government of India's Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) effort, the MCA has taken a number of steps to reduce the number of procedures, time, and costs associated with starting a business in India.
• Maharashtra (31,107 firms) had the most registrations in FY 2021-22, followed by Uttar Pradesh (16,969 companies), Delhi (16,323 companies), Karnataka (13,403 companies), and Tamil Nadu (11,020 companies).
• Among sectors, business services (44,168 companies) incorporated the maximum number of companies, followed by manufacturing (34,640 companies), community, personal and social services (23,416 companies), and agriculture and allied activities (13,387 companies).

Topic: National News

5. National Data and Analytics Platform will be launched in May by NITI Aayog.

• The National Data and Analytics Platform (NDAP) would provide government data in a user-friendly manner and promote data-driven decision-making and research.
• The platform, which was conceived in 2020, aims to standardise data across government sources and provide flexible analytics that allows users to easily analyse data using numerous datasets.
• At the time of launch, the portal will feature 200 datasets from over 46 ministries. In the future, new datasets will be uploaded up to the village level.
• The objectives of the NDAP, according to a government document, are:
  • Data access is user-friendly and engaging and full-fill the needs of policymakers, bureaucrats, researchers, innovators, data scientists, journalists and citizens.
  • Multiple data sets are presented using a standardized schema, by using common geographical and temporal identifiers.
  • Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are set to ensure that data will be updated on a regular basis.

Topic: Important Days

6. World Liver Day 2022: 19 April

• Every year on April 19, the world celebrates World Liver Day.
• The aim of this day is to increase awareness about disorders and diseases of the liver.
• The theme of World Liver Day 2021 was ‘keep your liver healthy and disease-free.’
• Important Facts related to Liver:
  • With the exception of the brain, the liver is the second largest and most complicated organ in the body.
  • Alcohol, smoking, and drugs can all harm or kill liver cells.
  • Hepatitis A, B, liver cirrhosis, etc. are the problems related to liver.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

7. First Semicon India 2022 Conference will be inaugurated by PM Modi on 29th April 2022 in Bengaluru.

• Semicon India 2022, a 3-day conference, will be organised by Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology from April 29 – 01 May 2022 at ITC Gardenia, Bengaluru.
• Its theme is Design and Manufacture in India, for the World: Making India a “Semiconductor Nation”.
• Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology, unveiled the logo of the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM).
• Prashant Mishra from Varanasi has created the logo. The logo reflects the shape of the handshake and the letter S in English.
• Shaking hands signifies a collaborative approach and S stands for semiconductor.
• ISM has been set up as an Independent Business Division within Digital India Corporation, a not for profit Company set up by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: National Appointments

8. Government has appointed Lieutenant General Manoj Pande as next Chief of Indian Army.

• He will be the 29^th Army Chief and first officer from Corps of Engineers who will become Chief of Army Staff.
• In December 1982, he was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers.
• At the time of Operation Parakram in Pallanwala sector along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, he commanded an engineer regiment.
• Before he assumed charge of the Eastern Command, he was the Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command.
• He will succeed General Manoj Mukund Narvane, whose tenure ends on 30th April.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Corporates/Companies

9. Government amended Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) rules to allow 20% FDI in LIC.

• These new rules will be called the Foreign Exchange Management (Non-debt Instruments) (Amendment) Rules, 2022.
• The new rule has allowed 20% FDI in LIC through the automatic route.
• Recently, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has amended the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy to bring overseas investment in LIC.
• FEMA notification was required to operationalize the issued provisions by DPIIT.
• The government is planning to dilute its stake in LIC through the Initial Public Offering (IPO).
• As per the present Foreign FDI policy, foreign investment up to 20% in Public sectors banks can be done through the automatic route.
• Foreign investment in LIC is in accordance with the provisions of the Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956, (LIC Act).
• FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act):
  • It was introduced in the year 1999.
  • It has replaced the earlier act FERA (Foreign Exchange Regulation Act).
  • Its main objective is to facilitate external trade and payments and to regulate the foreign exchange market in India.

Topic: State News/ Gujarat

10. PM Modi to launch multiple projects in Gujarat.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a three-day visit to Gujarat. He will lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects at Banas Dairy Sankul in Diyodar, Gujarat.
• PM Modi along with Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus will also lay the foundation stone of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) in Jamnagar.
• WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine –GCTM is the first global centre for traditional medicine in the world.
• PM Modi will also launch Banas Community Radio Station. The radio station will provide scientific information related to agriculture and animal husbandry to more than five lakh farmers.
• Prime Minister visited the Command and Control Centre for Schools in Gandhinagar. It has been named Vidhya Samiksha Kendra.
• He will also inaugurate the Global AYUSH Investment and Innovation Summit at Gandhinagar.

Topic: Miscellaneous

11. India’s first radio channel for visually-impaired people ‘Radio Aksh’ launched in Nagpur.

• This concept has been envisaged first by the Blind Relief Association Nagpur and Samdrushti Kshamata Vikas Avam Anusandhan Mandal (Saksham).
• It will help visually-impaired people in accessing educational resources and audiobooks. Visually-impaired people can study from their homes through Radio Aksh.
• This Internet Radio has no geographical limits and study content is pre-recorded.
• A dedicated team of trained volunteers, mostly women, helped in creating content for this radio channel.

Topic: International News

12. India gets elected to four bodies of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

• India has been elected to Commission for Social Development, Committee on NGOs, and Commission on Science & Technology for Development.
• Preeti Saran gets re-elected to Committee for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
• The Commission for Social Development (CSocD) is responsible for the implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action.
• The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations is a standing committee of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It was established in 1946.
• The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) is a body of 18 independent experts. It also monitors the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
• Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC):
  • It is one of the main principal organs of the United Nations.
  • It was established by the UN Charter in 1945.
  • It consists of 54 Members of the United Nations.
  • It is responsible for identifying solutions for economic, social, and health problems.

Topic: Personality in News

13. Table Tennis player Deenadayalan Vishwa and musician Prafulla Kar passed away.

• 18-year-old National Table Tennis player Deenadayalan Vishwa died in a road accident while travelling from Guwahati Airport to Shillong.
• He was going to Shillong to take part in the 83^rd Senior National Table Tennis championships.
• A legendary musician of Odisha Prafulla Kar has also passed away. He was a Padma Shri Award winner.
• He will be remembered for his contribution to Odia culture and music.

Topic: Art and Culture

14. Beach Festival Sea PONDY-2022 concludes in Puducherry.

• Beach Festival Sea PONDY-2022 was inaugurated by Lieutenant Governor Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan. It was held from 13-16 April.
• The events of the festivals were organized at four different locations: Gandhi statue beach promenade, Chunnambar water sports complex, Pondy Marina, and Paradise beach.
• As part of the event, a seafood festival was also organized. The Tourism Department has also organized a seminar on the ‘Origin of Sea Route to Puducherry’ on April 16.
• Water sports activities, western and classical music programmes, silambam, puppet show, and catamaran race were part of this festival.
• Hundreds of tourists participated in the kite flying event held at Pondy Marina.