Daily Current Affairs and GK | 26 April 2022

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

1. A MoU has been signed between Civil Aviation Ministry and Himachal Pradesh Government.

• The purpose of MoU is development of a Green Field Airport in Nagchala, Mandi District of Himachal Pradesh.
• Nagchala Airport is being developed according to the Greenfield Airport Policy of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
• Government of Himachal Pradesh and the Airport Authority of India has formed a Joint Venture Company.
• The Greenfield airport development project will cost around 900 crore excluding the cost of land.
• There are 3 airports (Shimla, Kullu, & Kangra) in Himachal Pradesh.
• There are 5 heliports Kangnidhar, Shimla, Rampur, Baddi, and SASE (Manali) in Himachal Pradesh.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Defence

2. Central government has amended defence acquisition procedure (DAP) 2020.

• The amendments in DAP 2020 have been done on the basis of approvals given by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC).
• All modernization requirements of the three services and the Indian Coast Guard will be met indigenously.
• Government has discontinued the requirement of Integrity Pact Bank Guarantee to reduce the financial burden on Indian defence industry.
• For all acquisition cases with Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) cost of over Rs 100 crore, Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) will be used as bid security.
• EMD is not needed from Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs).
• Government has simplified procurement process under iDEX procedure of DAP 2020.
• This will lower the time taken from the grant of AoN to the signing of contracts to 22 weeks.
• The services will issue certificates to the vendors who will not be awarded contracts. The certificate will facilitate vendors to explore other markets.

Topic: International News

3. India and the EU launched Trade and Technology Council.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen launched the EU-India Trade and Technology Council.
• It will help India to access advanced technologies and help both sides to set standards in 5G and artificial intelligence areas.
• This is the first time India has agreed to form a trade and technology council with any of its trading partners.
• European Union has set up its second such body, it has earlier set up this type of body with the United States.
• It will help both partners to tackle challenges related to trade, trusted technology and security.
• Trade and Technology Council is a key step toward strengthening the strategic partnership between India and EU.

Topic: State News/ Jammu Kashmir

4. Palli village in Jammu Kashmir becomes India’s first carbon-neutral panchayat.

• Palli village in Jammu’s Samba district is fully powered by solar energy.
• Prime Minister Modi recently inaugurated a 500 KW solar plant at India’s first carbon-neutral panchayat.
• Palli will act as a model panchayat and it will motivate other panchayats to become carbon-neutral.
• A total of 1,500 solar panels have been installed to provide electricity to 340 houses. The solar plant at Palli has been installed in a record time of nearly three weeks.
• Carbon neutrality is a state of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions.
• According to the targets set by the Paris Climate Agreement, there are only 29 years remaining to reach global net-zero emissions.

Topic: Personality in News

5. Kane Tanaka, world’s oldest person, died at age of 119 years.

• Kane Tanaka died at a hospital in southwestern Fukuoka city on 19 April.
• She was born in the Fukuoka region on 2 January 1903.
• She was confirmed as the world’s oldest living person by Guinness World Records in 2019.
• Japan has an ageing population with about 28 per cent of people aged 65 or more.
• Jeanne Louise Calment was the oldest living person verified by Guinness died in 1997 at the age of 122 years and 164 days.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Sports

6. 24th Summer Deaflympics will be organized in Caxias Du Sul town of southern Brazil.

• The event will be held from 1st May – 15th May 2022. India will be represented at 24th Summer Deaflympics by 39 men and 26 women.
• Deepa Malik sent her best wishes to the athletes competing in the Deaflympics.
• Deepa Malik is President of Paralympic Committee of India.
• 24th Summer Deaflympics is official name of 2021 Summer Deaflympics.
• Sports comes from the our hearts is the motto of 24th Summer Deaflympics.
• Summer Deaflympics were last time held in Samsun, Turkey in 2017.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

7. Dr Bina Modi has received the Woman Transforming India Award from Indo-American Chamber of Commerce.

• Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia presented her the award.
• She is chairperson of Modi Enterprises. She is president and managing director of Godfrey Phillips India Ltd.
• She had won the Women of the Decade in Business & Leadership 2018 by Women Economic Forum. She also won Achiever’s Award in 2019.
• In 2020, she won Award for Excellence in Business by Abdelfattah El Sisi, President of Egypt at the Women Economic Forum 2020.

Topic: Corporates/Companies

8. Twitter has been acquired by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk in a 44 billion dollar deal.

• As per the deal, shareholders will get 54.20 dollars in cash for each share of Twitter stock they own.
• Twitter's board has unanimously approved the deal. The deal is expected to close this year.
• Twitter:
  • It is an American social networking and microblogging service.
  • Its CEO is Parag Agrawal. Its founders are Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone, Evan Williams and Noah Glass.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

9. APEDA is co-hosting the 36th edition of AAHAR 2022 in Pragati Maidan from April 26th to 30th.

• The Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), in collaboration with the India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO), is hosting Asia's largest B2B international food and hospitality fair, AAHAR, at Pragati Maidan.
• The theme of the AAHAR fair is “Geographical Indication Products” as APEDA is focussing on the promotion of exports of GI-certified agricultural products.
• AAHAR is a part of the series of export promotion initiatives undertaken by APEDA, which works under the Ministry of Commerce and Trade.
• The GI Registry has registered over 150 food and agro Items as GI, out of which 123 GI products fall under APEDA's categorization as of March 2022.
• Under the APEDA pavilion, more than 80 exporters from various agricultural product segments, such as GI goods, processed food, organic, frozen food products, millets, and so on, are participating.
• Agricultural Products Export Development Authority (APEDA):
  • It is a government organization established in 1986. It is responsible for the promotion of the export of agro products.
  • It works under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Its headquarters are located in New Delhi.

(Source: News on Air)

Topic: Important Days

10. World Intellectual Property Day 2022: 26 April

• Every year on April 26th, World Intellectual Property Day is commemorated.
• The day is observed with the aim of highlighting the importance of Intellectual Property (IP) and how it encourages creativity and innovation.
• The theme of World Intellectual Property Day 2022 is “IP and Youth: Innovating for a Better Future”.
• In 2000, WIPO's member states agreed to commemorate World Intellectual Property Day on April 26.
• This date marks the anniversary of the coming into existence of the WIPO Convention in 1970.
• World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO):
  • It was established in 1967.
  • It is one of the specialized agencies of the United Nations.
  • It is responsible for promoting intellectual property across the globe.
  • The headquarters is located in Geneva, Switzerland.
  • Its Director General is Daren Tang.

Topic: National News

11. Jamtara becomes first district with library in every village.

• Jamtara district of Jharkhand has become the first district to have community libraries in all gram panchayats.
• The library is open for all students from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Career counselling sessions and motivational classes are also held free of cost here.
• The first community library was inaugurated in 2010 in Jamtara district.
• Libraries have been set up in panchayats such as Chandradeep, Panjaniya, Menjhia, Gopalpur, Shaharpura, Champapur, and Jhilua.
• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds received from several companies under the 14th and 15th Finance Commission was spent on the restoration and infrastructure of these libraries.
• About 350 teachers are associated with these libraries, who regularly guide the 5,000 students enrolled here.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

12. PM Modi launched Amrit Sarovar Mission in Jammu Kashmir.

• During his visit to Jammu Kashmir, PM Modi launched the ‘Amrit Sarovar Mission’ for the reviving and rejuvenating the existing water bodies.
• ‘Amrit Sarovar’ Mission will focus on the need for water conservation.
• Under this initiative, 75 water bodies will be developed and rejuvenated in each district.
• In the initial phase, Amrit Sarovar will be constructed in 68 panchayats.
• Prime Minister inaugurated the Banihal-Qazigund road tunnel to establish all-weather connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir. It will reduce the road distance between Banihal and Qazigund by 16 Km.
• He also laid the foundation stone of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway and inaugurated the 500KW solar power plant at Palli village.

Topic: Personality in News

13. Renowned biologist Prof M Vijayan passed away.

• He was a renowned molecular bio-physicist, structural biologist and biological crystallographer.
• M Vijayan played a key role in the development of macromolecular crystallography in India.
• He was a former president of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA).
• He was involved in the determining the Insulin structure at Oxford University.
• He had published more than 260 peer-reviewed scientific papers and guided 38 research students.
• He was honoured with the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in 1985 and the Padma Shri in 2004.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

14. Dhanlaxmi Bank signed MoU with Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) for collection of taxes.

• This will make it possible for the customers to pay their direct taxes and GST payments through the bank’s branch network and digital platforms.
• The customers will also be able to pay other indirect taxes through bank’s branch network and digital platforms.
• RBI has authorized the bank for collection of taxes on the basis of recommendation by Controller General of Accounts.
• In October 2021, RBI empaneled the bank as Agency Bank to carry out general banking businesses of central and state government on RBI’s behalf.
• In 2020, RBI appointed D K Kashyap (General Manager of RBI) on bank’s board for two years.