Daily Current Affairs and GK | 27 and 28 February 2022

Topic: Art and Culture

1. Goa is celebrating a four-day long ‘Viva Carnival’ from 26 February.

• Carnival Festival is one of the most popular festivals of Goa. This year, it will be celebrated from 26 February to 1 March.
• It is celebrated by Catholics before the month of Lent. The Lent season is about six weeks ahead of Easter.
• It is also observed to mark the end of winter and the beginning of spring.
• Panaji is the center of attraction of this festival. This year, Emilio Dias has been crowned as King Momo.
• On this occasion, Float parades are also organized in the various parts of the state.

Topic: Appointments

2. Emma Terho re-elected as Chair of International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission.

• Seung Min Ryu has been elected as first Vice-Chair while Sarah Walker has been elected as second Vice-Chair of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission.
• The IOC Executive Board (EB) had approved the proposal to create a second Vice-Chair position in the last December.
• Only elected members of the commission could be appointed on the positions of International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission Chair and first Vice-Chair.
• Emma Terho is a five-time Olympian and former captain of the Finland women’s ice hockey team. She will head the Commission till Olympic Games 2024.
• Sarah Walker is a three-time world champion in BMX from New Zealand.

Topic: Important Days

3. National Science Day 2022: 28 February

• Every year on February 28, National Science Day, or Rashtriya Vigyan Divas, is commemorated in India.
• ‘Integrated Approach in Science and Technology for Sustainable Future’ is the theme for National Science Day 2022.
• The day is celebrated to remember the discovery of the Raman Effect by Sir C V Raman on 28 February 1928.
• He had won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 for the discovery of the Raman Effect.
• He also received Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award in 1954.
• In 1986, the Government of India had declared February 28 as National Science Day.
• The Department of Science and Technology's National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) is the nodal agency for coordinating National Science Day celebrations.
• Every year on National Science Day, the National Awards for Science Popularization are given. DST started these awards in February 1987.
• Raman Effect: When light passes through a transparent material, the wavelength and amplitude of some deflected light change. This is called Raman scattering and is a consequence of the Raman Effect.

Topic: India and its neighbourhood

4. India and Nepal agreed to form a joint task group.

• India and Nepal have decided to form a joint task group to work on a plan to build a hydroelectric project using funds from both neighboring countries.
• A maximum of three members from each country will be part of the task force.
• This agreement has been made in Kathmandu during the 9th meeting of the Nepal-India Energy Secretary-Level Joint Steering Committee.
• Both countries have agreed to expand the capacity of power imported and exported via the interstate 400 KV Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur transmission line.
• Nepal:
  • It shares a border with Indian states, namely Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, West Bengal, and Bihar.
  • The capital of Nepal is Kathmandu, and the currency is Nepalese Rupees.
  • President of Nepal: Bidhya Devi Bhandari
  • Prime Minister of Nepal: Sher Bahadur Deuba

Topic: National News

5. India's 1^st smart-managed EV charging station commissioned by BSES.

• India's first "Smart Managed EV Charging Station" has been inaugurated in Delhi by BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL).
• The station has been launched as a pilot project, which has been partially funded by Nordic Innovation.
• It has been built by Fortum Charge and Drive, a Gurgaon-based private enterprise, and would be the first BYPL-operated and managed smart EV charging station.
• This smart managed EV charging station is located at BYPL's 11 kV Sub Station building in Mayur Vihar Extension Phase-1 and can charge five EVs at the same time.
• The EV chargers at the outlet are being linked to a smartphone app that will allow customers to find the charging station, book an appointment, and even pay at the EV charging station.

Topic: Important Days

6. National Protein Day 2022: 27 February 

• Every year on 27 February, National Protein Day is observed in India.
• It is observed to raise awareness about the importance of the macronutrient and the consequences of its deficiency.
• The theme of National Protein Day 2022 is "Food Futurism".
• India commemorated this day for the first time in 2020 with the National level public health initiative “Right to Protein”.
• World Protein Day is also commemorated on 27 February.

Topic: National News

7. “Operation Ganga” launched to bring back Indian citizens and students from Ukraine.

• Air India's first evacuation flight from Romania landed in Mumbai on 26 February.
• On 27 February, fourth Operation Ganga flight with 198 Indian evacuees from Ukraine reached Delhi from Bucharest (capital of Romania).
• As airspace in Ukraine was closed after the Russia-Ukraine conflict, land evacuation options through four neighbouring countries, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia have been identified.
• About 15,000 Indian citizens were left in Ukraine when Operation Ganga commenced.
• So far, 1,000 Indian citizens have been flown out of Romania and Hungary as part of Operation Ganga.
• 1,000 Indian citizens have been evacuated from Ukraine via land routes. Flights for these evacuees are being organized.

Topic: Sports

8. Sadia Tariq won gold medal in Moscow Wushu Stars Championship 2022.

• She recently won a Gold medal in the 20^th Junior National Wushu Championship at Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar.
• She had also won gold medals in the 19th and 20th Junior National Championship held in Haryana and Jalandhar respectively.
• She was encouraged and supported by Mr. Kuldeep Handoo, a former Wushu player and current national chief coach of Wushu team in India.
• Wushu or Kungfu is a martial art as well as a sport. Sadia is from Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.
• Moscow Wushu Stars Championship 2022 is being organized in Moscow from February 22 to 28.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

9. Government to set up MSME Technology Centre in Sindhudurg.

• Union Minister Narayan Rane inaugurated a two-day MSME Conclave.
• This conclave will encourage entrepreneurship and trade opportunities for MSMEs in the Konkan region with the help of technology, product development, and skilling.
• He also announced that the Government will establish MSME Technology Centre with an outlay of Rs 200 crores in Sindhudurg.
• It will provide best technology, incubation as well as advisory support to the MSMEs. It will provide skilling services to the employed and unemployed youths.
• He also inaugurated the KONBAC SFURTI (Konkan Bamboo and Cane Development Centre - Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries) bamboo cluster at Kudal.
• The government will promote entrepreneurship in the Konkan region through various schemes like PMEGP (Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme), SFURTI (Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries), etc.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: International News

10. US, EU, and UK decided to remove some selected Russian banks from SWIFT.

• The United States, European Union, and the United Kingdom have announced to remove some selected Russian banks from the SWIFT global financial messaging system.
• They also imposed some restrictions on the central bank of Russia. These steps have been taken as part of the new financial sanctions on Russia.
• Removal of some selected Russian banks from SWIFT will disconnect them from the international financial system and it will block exports and imports of Russia.
• Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT):
  • It was started in 1973.
  • It is an electronic payment messaging system used by banks and financial institutions worldwide.
  • It helps more than 11,000 financial institutions to send messages and payment orders in a secure way.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

11. India ranks 43^rd International Intellectual Property Index.

• India’s rank on the International Intellectual Property Index is 43^rd out of 55 countries.
• According to a report compiled by the US Chambers of Commerce, India’s overall IP score has improved from 38.4 percent to 38.6 per cent.
• Out of 55 countries, only 45 economies have shown improvement in their score. United Arab Emirates (UAE), Nigeria, and Peru have shown the largest improvement in their score.
• The US, the UK, Germany, Sweden, and France are the top five economies on the intellectual property index.
• Venezuela has been ranked 55^th on this edition of the intellectual property index.
• This report is one of the major attempts to assess India’s National Intellectual Property Rights Policy.
• Earlier, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce had released a review of the Intellectual Property Rights Regime in India.
• International Intellectual Property Index:
  • It is released by US Chamber of Commerce Global Innovation Policy Centre (GIPC).
  • It evaluates patent and copyright policies, commercialization of IP assets and ratification of international treaties of a country.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

12. Government approved implementation of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission at national level.

• Union cabinet has approved the nationwide roll-out of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) with an outlay of 1600 crore for five years.
• Under ABDM, citizens will be able to create their own Aura (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) number, which can be linked to their digital health records.
• Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) will create longitudinal health records for individuals across various healthcare providers.
• It will help in providing healthcare facilities with the help of technologies such as telemedicine and enabling national portability of health services.
• Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) has completed its pilot mission in the six Union Territories.
• Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission will not only promote innovation but also generate employment across the healthcare ecosystem.
• Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission:
  • It was launched by PM Shri Narendra Modi on 27 September 2021.
  • It was launched for developing an integrated digital health infrastructure in the country.
  • The National Health Authority (NHA) will be the implementing agency of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).
  • It was earlier called the 'National Digital Health Mission'.

Topic: Sports

13. Mirabai Chanu clinched gold in Singapore International Weightlifting tournament.

• Mirabai Chanu lifted 86kg in snatch in her third attempt and 105 Kg in clean and jerk.
• Jessica Sewastenko of Australia won the Silver medal by lifting 167kg.
• Mirabai Chanu has also qualified for Birmingham Commonwealth Games in the 55 kg category.
• At the Tokyo Olympics, Mirabai Chanu had won the silver medal. She has also already won two medals in the Commonwealth Games.
• In the men’s category, Sanket Sargar has won the gold medal and Rishikanta Singh has won the Silver medal.

Topic: Important days

14. World NGO Day: 27 February

• World NGO Day is celebrated every year on 27th February in more than 89 countries.
• It is dedicated to recognize and honour all non-governmental and non-profit organizations.
• It is observed to mark the contribution of NGOs and social workers in society.
• In 2014, the UN, EU leaders, and international organizations adopted 27th February as the World NGO day.
• India has more than three million non-governmental organizations (NGO). They are playing important roles of facilitator and partner in different sectors.
• Non-governmental organization (NGO):
  • A non-governmental organization (NGO) is a non-profit group that functions independently.
  • It plays a vital role in international development, improving communities, and philanthropy work.

Topic: Appointments

Madhabi Puri Buch appointed as new chairperson of SEBI.

• Government has appointed Madhabi Puri Buch as the chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Board of India for three years.
• She is the first woman chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Board of India.
• She replaced Ajay Tyagi whose term ended on 28 February 2022.
• She was a whole-time member (WTM) of SEBI from 5 April 2017 to 4 October 2021.
• She also headed a seven-member expert group formed to help Sebi design in-house technological systems.