Daily Current Affairs and GK | 27 April 2022

Topic: International News

1. Freedom Movement Party wins National Election of Slovenia.

• Freedom Movement (FM) party recorded a landslide victory at Slovenia’s general election. It has defeated the centre-right Slovenian Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Janez Jansa.
• The Freedom Movement party received 34.34% of the votes while Slovenian Democratic Party got 23.54 per cent of the vote.
• The voter turnout of the election was 69.69 per cent, which is the highest since 2000.
• Robert Golob has led the Freedom Movement party. It has won 41 seats out of 90 seats in Parliament.
• Robert Golob will form a new government in a coalition with smaller parties.
• Freedom Movement (FM) party was formed in January 2022 to promote a green economy, democratic values, the rule of law and media freedom.
• Slovenia:
  • It is located in central Europe.
  • Ljubljana is its capital and largest city.
  • Borut Pahor is the current President of Slovenia.
  • The Prime minister of Slovenia is the head of the Government and is nominated by the president.

Topic: Reports and Indices

2. India ranks third among top five military spender countries as per data released by SIPRI.

• The top five military spender countries are the United States, China, India, the United Kingdom, and Russia.
• According to SIPRI, these countries form 62% of the global military expenditure.
• Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said that global defence expenditure has for the first time increased to $2.1 trillion in 2021.
• As per SIPRI, India spent $76.6 billion on military in 2021. India’s military spending increased by 0.9% from 2020 and by 33% from 2012.
• US contributed 38% to global military spending. China accounted for nearly 14% of global military spending.
• As per the report, China’s military expenditure has increased for the 27th consecutive year. Russia’s military expenditure has increased for the 3rd consecutive year.

Topic: Sports

3. Deepak Punia has won silver medal in 2022 Asian Wrestling Championship.

• He has won the medal in men’s freestyle 86 kg. India won a total of 17 medals in the 2022 Asian Wrestling Championship at Ulaanbaatar, capital of Mongolia.
• Total 17 medals include one gold, five silver and 11 bronze medals.
• Ravi Kumar Dahiya won gold in the men’s 57kg weight category.
• India had won 14 medals in 2021 Asian Wrestling Championship held at Almaty, capital of Kazakhstan.
• Mangal Kadyan won bronze medal at match of the 61kg event. 
• 2022 Asian Wrestling Championship:
  • It was held between 19 and 24 April 2022 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
  • It was the 35th edition of Asian Wrestling Championships.

Topic: Miscellaneous

4. India has entered into Guinness Book of World Records by waving most national flags in the world on 23rd April 2022.

• 78,220 flags were waved simultaneously at the 'Veer Kunwar Singh Vijayotsav' programme at Dalaur ground in Bhojpur district, Bihar.
• 'Veer Kunwar Singh Vijayotsav' programme was held at Jagdishpur on April 23.
• On the occasion of the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Babu Veer Kunwar Singh, the Indian national flag was waved at Jagdishpur for five minutes.
• Veer Kunwar Singh fought his last battle near Jagdishpur on April 23, 1858. He died after removing the Union Jack flag from Jagdishpur Fort.
• Guinness Book of World Records:
  • It is published annually. World records have been compiled in this book.
  • It also lists world records of human achievements. It is being published since 1955. 

Topic: State news / Karnataka

5. SAANS has been launched to aid in the early detection of pneumonia.

• K Sudhakar, Minister of Health and Medical Education, has launched the 'Social Awareness and Action to Neutralize Pneumonia Successfully' (SAANS) initiative to raise awareness about pneumonia and early detection in children under the age of five.
• Pneumonia is a lung infection caused by a bacterial, viral, or fungal.
• According to the SRS 2018, Karnataka's under-five mortality rate is 28 per 1000 live births.
• By 2025, the goal is to reduce under-five mortality to 23 per 1,000 live births.
• Pneumonia mortality needs to be lowered to less than 3 per 1,000 live births in order to meet the National Health Policy goals.
• Childhood pneumonia continues to be a significant health threat to children under five across the country, contributing to 15% of all deaths among children under the age of five.

Topic: MoU / Agreement

6. iCreate and CSIR signed MoU to support R&D in start-ups.

• The International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology (iCreate) has signed an MoU with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Union government's premier research and development body.
• The MoU was signed under the presidency of Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel.
• Under the MoU, the CSIR and iCreate have agreed to work together to help promising tech start-ups by sharing resources for entrepreneurs and innovators in the country.
• iCreate will also assist in the installation of new incubators in identified CSIR labs.
• The CSIR's equipment, facilities, and scientific manpower will be available to such start-ups.
• To help young entrepreneurs, the CSIR will provide intellectual property support and look into ways to provide financial assistance to innovative start-ups.
• International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology (iCreate):
  • It is India's largest institution for transforming tech-based start-ups into profitable enterprises. It is an autonomous centre of excellence of the Gujarat government.
  • It was founded in 2012. Its headquarters is in Ahmedabad.
• Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR):
  • It is a modern R&D organisation known for its cutting-edge R&D and industrial knowledge base in a variety of S&T areas.
  • Its current Director-General is Shekhar C Mande. It was established on September 26, 1942.

Topic: Sports

7. Andrey Rublev defeated Novak Djokovic to win the Serbia Open title.

• Andrey Rublev defeated World No.1 player Novak Djokovic by 6-2, 6-7, 6-0 in the final of the Serbia Open title.
• Andrey Rublev has now equalled the record of Rafael Nadal of winning the titles in 2022.
• This is the third title for Andrey Rublev in 2022. He has won the title in Marseille and Dubai in February.
• Serbia Open:
  • It is a professional tennis tournament.
  • It is played on outdoor clay courts in Belgrade, Serbia.

Topic: State News/ Tripura

8. Tripura government launched new industrial investment promotion scheme.

• The Tripura government launched the "Tripura Industrial Investment Promotion Incentive Scheme (TIIPIS), 2022" for the next 5 years.
• Under this scheme, the government will provide subsidies to companies and Self Help Groups for setting up industries in the state.
• The state government will give a 50 per cent subsidy to transportation costs incurred on transporting secondary raw materials from outside the state.
• The Tripura government has increased the transport subsidy from 10 per cent to 50 per cent.
• TIIPIS-2022 scheme will also encourage the entrepreneurs to set up industrial units based on the local raw materials like rubber, bamboo, agriculture and horticultural produce.
• It will help in attracting investment and creating employment opportunities.

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

9. DCGI approves emergency use of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for children aged between 6 to 12 years.

• The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has also granted emergency use approval to Corbevax for the age group 5-12.
• Cadila Health's ZyCoV-D has received restricted emergency use authorisation for children above the age of 12 years of age.
• Covaxin is currently being administered to children in the age group of 15-18 years.
• On December 24, 2021, Covaxin has been granted emergency use approval by the DCGI for the age group of 12 to 18 years.
• Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI):
  • It is a department of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO).
  • It approves licenses of various categories of drugs in India.
  • Its headquarters is located in New Delhi.

Topic: Miscellaneous

10. India participated as Guest of honour at the Paris Book Festival 2022.

• Paris Book Festival 2022 was organized from 21st to 24th April 2022.
• Indian Pavilion at the Paris Book Festival was inaugurated on 21st April 2022.
• Paris Book Festival 2022 had given an opportunity to show the literary and linguistic diversity of India.
• The India Pavilion has been designed by the National Institute of Design (NID).
• More than 15 digital and physical exhibitions displaying over 400 books in various Indian languages were presented.
• A special edition book on Chandernagore situated in West Bengal was also launched, it has described the French legacy in India.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

11. Himachal Pradesh government has signed MoU with NHLML for development of seven ropeway projects.

• These ropeway projects will be developed in Kangra, Kullu, Chamba, Sirmour and Bilaspur districts of Himachal Pradesh.
• Ropeways and Rapid Transport System Development Corporation (RTDC) HP Limited and National Highways Logistic Management Limited (NHLML) have signed the MoU.
• HP chief minister informed union road transport and highways minister that maintenance of Shimla-Mataur, Pathankot-Chakki-Mandi, Mandi-Manali highways is needed immediately.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Banking System

12. RBI has imposed a Rs 1.12 crore penalty on Bank of Maharashtra.

• The penalty has been imposed for non-compliance with KYC norms and RBI’s guidelines on reporting of data and outsourcing of financial services.
• The bank failed to allot Unique Customer Identification Codes (UCIC) to its individual customers.
• The bank also failed in reporting of data to the Central Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC). 
• Bank of Maharashtra is headquartered in Pune. Its CEO is A.S. Rajeev. It is a nationalised bank.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

13. Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Skill Council for Persons with Disabilities and Flipkart signed an MoU.

• This tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed in New Delhi on 26 April.
• The main aim of this MoU is to jointly provide skill training and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
• For the first time, the DEPwD has partnered with e-commerce business Flipkart to promote the inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in the e-commerce industry.
• It will create new job opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) by imparting job-specific, practical and e-commerce skills.
• This MoU will help in creating a structured skill development intervention and enabling mechanism for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) into the mainstream economy.
• Skill Council for Person with Disability Key objective is to create a robust and vibrant ecosystem for quality education and skill development for Persons with Disability in the country.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Sports

14. Khelo India Youth Games-2021 to be organized from 4th-13th June.

• Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur announced that Khelo India Youth Games-2021 will be held in Shahbad, Ambala, Chandigarh, Panchkula and Delhi.
• Under-18 age category, around 8500 players will participate in the 25 sports.
• Mascot and logo of Khelo India Youth Games will be launched on 8th May.
• Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that 2-3 multipurpose halls, synthetic track, and athletic track have been constructed for the event.