Daily Current Affairs and GK | 26 and 27 January 2022
Main Headlines:
- 1. India’s first graphene innovation centre will be established in Kerala.
- 2. Government approves merger of PMC Bank and Unity Small Finance Bank.
- 3. India commemorated its 73rd anniversary of Republic Day.
- 4. India and France signed an MoU on health research collaboration.
- 5. Kathakali dancer Milena Salvini passed away.
- 6. HPCL's new chairman and managing director will be Pushp Kumar Joshi.
- 7. General Bipin Rawat, Kalyan Singh, Radheshyam Khemka honoured with Padma Vibhushan posthumously.
- 8. Ministry of Civil Aviation has notified drone certification scheme.
- 9. IMF cut India's economic growth forecast to 9% for FY 2022.
- 10. India improved its rank in corruption perception index.
- 11. Taliban and Afghan civil society begin Oslo talks.
- 12. International Customs Day: 26 January
- 13. Eminent archaeologist Thiru R Nagaswamy passed away.
- 14. 939 Policemen were awarded Police Medal on the occasion of Republic Day.
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Topic: Science and Technology
1. India’s first graphene innovation centre will be established in Kerala.
- Digital University Kerala (DUK) along with CMET-Trichur will set up India’s first graphene innovation center in Kerala.
- The Ministry of Electronics and IT has approved Rs 86.41 crore for this project.
- Tata Steel Ltd will be the industrial partner of the graphene innovation Center.
- Graphene innovation Centre will bridge the gap between graphene academic research and industrial applications. It will also promote commercial research.
- Scientists from the National Graphene Institute and the University of Manchester will be the main collaborators of the Center.
- The government will also develop skilled manpower by providing Ph.D and master courses in electronics product design, sensors, and energy applications.
- Graphene:
- It is the thinnest and strongest material in the world.
- It has high electrical conductivity and a large surface area.
- It is lightweight and transparent.
- It is widely used in commercial and industrial applications.
Topic: Banking System
2. Government approves merger of PMC Bank and Unity Small Finance Bank.
- The merger of Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank and Unity Small Finance Bank has been approved by the central government.
- All the branches of the PMC Bank will function as branches of Unity Small Finance Bank Ltd from 25th January 2022.
- In December 2021, RBI had extended the restrictions on Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank till March 2022.
- The draft of amalgamation includes the takeover of assets and liabilities of PMC Bank by Unity Small Finance Bank.
- According to the Banking Regulation Act, the draft scheme of amalgamation is required to be placed before the government for its sanction.
- In 2019, RBI had placed Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank under regulatory restrictions.
- Unity Small Finance Bank is a joint venture between Centrum group and BharatPe.
- It was established with a capital of about Rs 1,100 crore as against the regulatory requirement of Rs 200 crore for setting up of a small finance bank.
Topic: National News
3. India commemorated its 73rd anniversary of Republic Day.
- On January 26, 2022, the 73rd Republic Day Parade was held on Rajpath in New Delhi.
- Every year, the President of India presides over the Republic Day parade on Rajpath in New Delhi.
- ASI Babu Ram of Jammu and Kashmir Police has been awarded the Ashok Chakra posthumously for showing gallantry and courage during the anti-terrorist operation in Srinagar in 2020.
- There were a total of 16 marching squads in the parade, which filled the hearts with pride and the air with music.
- Lieutenant Manisha Vohra was the first woman to lead the all-male Army Ordnance Corps contingent.
- The 12 Tableaux from different States and Union Territories, as well as 9 from Ministries and Departments, added colour to the celebrations.
(Source: News on AIR)
Topic: MoUs / Agreements
4. India and France signed an MoU on health research collaboration.
- India and France have signed an MoU to work together on health research projects.
- The Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and Institute Pasteur, France.
- Both will work together to determine developing infectious diseases and inherited disorders, as well as develop cost-effective healthcare treatments.
- The MoU provides the direction for future scientific and technological collaboration and networking in advanced and emerging human health fields.
- France:
- It is a Western European country whose capital is Paris.
- The President of France is Emmanuel Macron, and the Prime Minister is Jean Castex.
- The currency of France is Euro.
- It is one of the five permanent members of the UNSC.
(Source: News on Air)
Topic: Personality in News
5. Kathakali dancer Milena Salvini passed away.
- A well-known Kathakali dancer from France Milena Salvini died at the age of 84.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on the death of Milena Salvini.
- The PM said that she will be remembered for his passion for Indian culture.
- The Government of India had awarded her the Padma Shri in 2019 for her contributions to the world of performing arts.
Topic: Appointments
6. HPCL's new chairman and managing director will be Pushp Kumar Joshi.
- Pushp Kumar Joshi has been recommended as the new chairman and managing director of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) by government’s PESB.
- The recommendation will now be forwarded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).
- After receiving reports from anti-corruption authorities such as the CVC and CBI, the ACC will make a decision on his appointment.
- Joshi is currently the Director of Human Resources in HPCL, who was selected by PESB on January 24 after interviewing 10 candidates.
- He will take over from Mukesh Kumar Surana, who will be retiring at the end of April.
- If Joshi is appointed, he will be in charge until 31 August, 2024.
- Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL):
- The Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, which is owned by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
- It is the third-largest oil refining and fuel marketing company in the country.
- Its headquarters is in Mumbai.
- It was founded in 1974.
Topic: Awards and Prizes
7. General Bipin Rawat, Kalyan Singh, Radheshyam Khemka honoured with Padma Vibhushan posthumously.
- General Bipin Rawat, Kalyan Singh, Radheshyam Khemka has been honoured with India’s second-highest civilian award posthumously.
- General Bipin Rawat was first Chief of Defence Staff. Kalyan Singh was Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister during Babri Masjid demolition. Radheshyam Khemka was President of Gita Press.
- Classical Vocalist Prabha Atre has also been conferred second-highest civilian award.
- 17 persons have been awarded Padma Bhushan 2022 and 107 persons have been awarded Padma Shri 2022.
- Padma Shri winners include Tokyo Olympics Gold Medalist Neeraj Chopra, Tokyo Paralympics gold Medalist Pramod Bhagat, Sumit Antil and Avani Lekhara, Singer Sonu Nigam, and Lavni Singer Sulochana Chavan.
Padma Bhushan 2022 winners |
||
Krishna and Suchitra Ella of Bharat Biotech who brought Covaxin |
Cyrus Poonawala of Serum Institute who brought Covishield |
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad |
Former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya |
Former CAG Rajiv Mehrishi |
Paralympic Medalist Devendra Jhajharia |
Odia Author Pratibha Ray |
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella |
Google CEO Sundar Pichai |
(Source: News on AIR)
Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives
8. Ministry of Civil Aviation has notified drone certification scheme.
- Ministry of Civil Aviation has notified drone certification scheme to ensure minimum safety and quality requirements.
- The scheme will boost indigenous manufacturing. It has been notified on January 26, 2022, under Rule 7 of the liberalized Drone Rules, 2021.
- The scheme is a step in making India the drone hub of the world by 2030.
- The certification criteria mentioned in drone certification scheme will be applicable to indigenous drone manufacturers, assemblers and importers.
- A multi-stakeholder steering committee chaired by a known professional, will oversee the scheme, along with QCI (Quality Council of India) secretariat.
- On 16 September 2021, Ministry of Civil Aviation had approved a PLI (production-linked incentive) scheme for drones and drone components with an allocation of Rs 120 crore over three financial years.
Topic: Indian Economy
9. IMF cut India's economic growth forecast to 9% for FY 2022.
- The IMF lowered India's economic growth forecast from 9.5% to 9% for FY 2022.
- In latest World Economic Outlook report, the forecast for the next FY 2023 has been kept at 7.1 percent.
- The Indian economy had shrunk by 7.3 per cent in the 2020-21 fiscal year.
- According to the IMF, the main factors for economic growth in 2023 will be the improvement in the credit growth, investment and consumption.
- IMF forecasted that global growth will remain 4.4 percent in 2022. The global growth rate is expected to remain at 3.8 percent in 2023.
- The rapid increase of the Omicron variant has increased labour shortages, inflation, and the demand supply gap in many countries.
- For FY 2022, Central Statistics Office has forecasted 9.2% growth rate for India and the world bank has predicted 8.3% growth rate.
- French economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas has become the new chief economist of IMF.
Topic: Report and Indices
10. India improved its rank in corruption perception index.
- Transparency International has released the corruption perception index (CPI) 2021.
- India's rank has been kept on 85th position with 40 points in the corruption perception index (CPI) of 2021 among 180 countries.
- This index uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.
- India's rank has improved by one place to 85 in 2021 from 86th in 2020.
- Denmark, Finland, New Zealand and Norway topped the list with the highest score.
- South Sudan is the most corrupt country in the world, followed by Syria and Somalia.
- As per this report, high-performing countries have also shown signs of decline in their score.
- The report highlighted the risk of journalists and activists from attacks by the police, political militants, criminal gangs, and corrupt local officials.
- Transparency International (TI):
- It measures and prevents corruption activities arising out of corruption.
- It’s a German NGO headquartered in Berlin.
- It provides ranking to 180 countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption.
Country |
Rank |
Denmark |
1st |
Finland |
2nd |
New Zealand |
3rd |
Norway |
4th |
India |
85th |
Syria |
179th |
South Sudan |
180th |
Topic: International News
11. Taliban and Afghan civil society begin Oslo talks.
- The Taliban delegation has begun talks in Oslo with Afghan civil society members.
- It is focused on the issue of human rights and the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
- The Taliban delegation headed by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi began their talks with women activists and journalists.
- Taliban delegation will also meet with the representatives of the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Italy and the European Union.
- The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan began after the Taliban came to power last year.
- International aid finance 80% of the Afghan budget but it was halted after Taliban control on Afghanistan.
- According to the United Nations, the Afghanistan government need $4.4 billion to address the humanitarian crisis.
Topic: Important Days
12. International Customs Day: 26 January
- International Customs Day is observed every year on 26 January.
- International Customs Day was started by the Customs Cooperation Council (CCC) in 1983.
- It is observed to mark the contribution of customs officials and agencies in the flow of goods across the world.
- In India, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes (CBIC) is responsible for administering Customs. It is a part of the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance.
- Customs Cooperation Council (CCC) was renamed as World Customs Organization (WCO) in 1994. It is an international body responsible for looking at issues related to international custom.
- Customs Duty is a tax imposed on imports and exports of goods between two countries.
Topic: Personality in News
13. Eminent archaeologist Thiru R Nagaswamy passed away.
- Noted archaeologist and epigraphist Thiru R Nagaswamy died at the age of 91.
- He is known for his work on temple inscriptions and the art history of Tamil Nadu.
- He was the first director of the Tamil Nadu government's Department of Archaeology. He founded the Institute of Epigraphy and Archaeology in 1973
- He played a key role in bringing back the Chola-era bronze Nataraja to Tamil Nadu.
- He authored a book titled Masterpieces of Early South Indian Bronze. His other books are on Uttaramerur and Gangaikondacholapuram.
- He started the famous Chidambaram Natyanjali festival.
(Source: News on AIR)
Topic: Awards and Prizes
14. 939 Policemen were awarded Police Medal on the occasion of Republic Day.
- On the occasion of Republic Day, the government has announced to honor 939 policemen with medals this year. It includes 189 medals for the gallantry award.
- Policemen were awarded the Police medal for gallantry, the President’s police medal for distinguished service, and the police medal for meritorious service.
- Among the 189 gallantry awards, 134 personnel have been awarded for their bravery in the Jammu and Kashmir region.
- Jammu and Kashmir Police has received the highest number of bravery medals, followed by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
- 88 personnel have received the distinguished service medal while 662 have been given the meritorious service medal.
- Param Vir Chakra is the highest gallantry award during wartime.
(Source: News on AIR)
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