Daily Current Affairs and GK | 6 and 7 February 2022

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

1. National Waterways 1 opens, first cargo vessel with 200 MT food grain flagged off from Patna.

• Union Minister Piyush Goyal flagged off the first cargo vessel ‘MV Lal Bahadur Shastri’ from Patna.
• The first consignment of 200 metric tons of food grain carried by this vessel will reach Pandu (Guwahati) in 25-30 days.
• The vessel will pass through the National Waterways 1 of river Ganga and reach Pandu (Guwahati) via Bangladesh under the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) route.
• The port and shipping minister also laid the foundation stone for the construction of an intermodal terminal at Kalughat. It will be built under National Waterways 1 at a cost of Rs. 78.28 crore.
• The cargo vessel movement will establish the technical and commercial viability of the IWT mode using multiple waterways.
• This waterway will provide an alternative route for the transportation of goods to Northeast areas.
• It is part of the ‘Project Arth Ganga’ and ‘Act East’ policy.
• ‘Project Arth Ganga’:
  • Prime Minister first coined the concept “Arth Ganga” during the first meeting of the Ganga Council in 2019.
  • Its main objective is to promote economic development around the Ganga basin.
  • It will also ensure large-scale skills enhancement and public/private sector capability development.

Topic: Important Days

2. International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation: 06 February

• International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation is observed annually on 06 February.
• In the year 2012, 06 February was designated by UN General Assembly as International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation.
• This year’s theme is "Accelerating Investment to End Female Genital Mutilation".
• Female Genital Mutilation means altering or injuring the female genitalia for non-medical reasons.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

3. Mount Everest’s highest glacier is melting at a rapid pace due to climate change.

• A study has found that Mount Everest’s highest glacier is melting at a rapid pace due to climate change.
• Researchers have found that the thickness of Mount Everest's highest glacier, South Col Glacier, has reduced by over 180ft (54m) in the previous 25 years.
• The glacier is shrinking 80 times faster than it took for the ice to form on the surface.
• Scientists who carried out the study found that ice which took around 2,000 years to form has melted away since the 1990s.
• As part of the study, a team of 10 scientists went to the glacier and installed world's two highest weather monitoring stations.
• The team extracted samples from a 10-meter-long (around 32 feet) ice core.
• South Col Glacier is located between Mount Everest and Lhotse (fourth-highest mountain in the world). It is situated around 7,906m above sea-level.

Topic: Indian Economy

4. India’s unemployment rate reaches the lowest level since March 2021.

• As per Center for Monitoring Indian Economy, India’s unemployment rate declined to 6.57% in January 2022 and it reached the lowest level since March 2021.
• During 2^nd wave of COVID-19, the unemployment rate reached 11.84% in the month of May 2021.
• Urban unemployment rate declined to 8.16% in January 2022. Rural unemployment rate declined to 5.84% in January 2022.
• In January, Telangana recorded the lowest unemployment rate at 0.7%. Telangana was followed by Gujarat (1.2%), Meghalaya (1.5%) and Odisha (1.8%).
• Haryana recorded the highest unemployment rate, followed by Rajasthan.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

5. Bangladesh signed an agreement with India to purchase 420 broad-gauge railway wagons.

• 420 broad-gauge wagons will be purchased by Bangladesh's railways from India.
• Mizanur Rahman, project director of Bangladesh Railways, and Hindustan Engineering and Industries Limited signed the agreement in Dhaka.
• The contract costs 231 crore Taka and will be implemented in 27 months after it is signed.
• The Government of Bangladesh and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are co-financing this project through the Rolling Stock Operation Improvement Project.
• These are high-speed bogies with automatic air brake systems that transport a variety of general and specialized products, such as grains, fertilizers, stones, wood, and other materials.
• The wagons' bodies are made of stainless steel. It can safely reach the destination at a low cost and in less time.
• Bangladesh:
  • It is located in the east of India on the Bay of Bengal.
  • Its capital is Dhaka, and the currency is Bangladeshi Taka.
  • Prime Minister: Shiekh Hasina

Topic: Sports

6. India won their fifth U-19 World Cup title.

• India won the U-19 World Cup for the fifth time, defeating England by four wickets in the final at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.
• Previously, India had won the U-19 World Cup in 2000, 2008, 2012, and 2018.
• After Mohammad Kaif, Virat Kohli, Unmukt Chand, and Prithvi Shaw, Yash Dhull has become the fifth Indian skipper to win the title.
• Raj Bawa of India was named Player of the Match in the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2022 Final.
• Dewald Brevis of South Africa was selected Player of the Series for his record-breaking performance, in which he scored 506 runs in only six innings.

Topic: Personality in News

7. Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar passed away on February 6, 2022.

• Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar passed away at the age of 92 in Mumbai on February 6, 2022.
• Singer Lata Mangeshkar is popularly known as Melody Queen. She received the Bharat Ratna in 2001.
• Government has announced two-day national mourning in her memory.
• She was born on September 28, 1929. She recorded her first playback song for a Marathi film, Kiti Hasaal, at the age of 13.
• She recorded her first Hindi film playback song in 1946 for Aap Ki Seva Mein.
• In 1972, she won the 1^st National Award for Best Female Playback Singer for the film Parichay.
• She also won the title of Officer of the French Legion of Honour and Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
• Government of Madhya Pradesh instituted the Lata Mangeshkar Award. Government of Maharashtra also instituted a Lata Mangeshkar Award.

Topic: Appointments

8. IndiGo appoints Rahul Bhatia as Managing Director.

• IndiGo has appointed Rahul Bhatia as Managing Director with immediate effect.
• He is co-founder and promoter of InterGlobe Aviation, which is the parent company of IndiGo.
• IndiGo is the largest airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size. It is headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana.

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

9. India's one of the largest private-sector rail coach factories will be inaugurated soon in Telangana.

• One of the largest private-sector rail coach factories in India has been set up at Kondakal in Telangana. It will be inaugurated very soon.
• It will manufacture rail coaches, locomotives, intercity train sets, metro trains, and monorails.
• It has the capacity to manufacture 500 coaches of various types and 50 locomotives in a year and will create more than 2000 employment opportunities.
• It is set up by Medha Group with an investment of 1,000 crores. Its foundations stone was laid by KT Rama Rao in 2020.
• The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai is the largest coach factory in India.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: India and its neighbourbhood

10. China and Pakistan signed a new agreement to kick off second phase of CPEC.

• Pakistan and China inked a new agreement to begin the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
• The industrial cooperation agreement is a key part of the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
• Pakistan signed the Framework Agreement to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), promote industrialization and development of economic zones, etc.
• The first phase of CPEC was focused on energy projects as well as road infrastructure projects.
• India has protested against CPEC as it passes through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
• China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC):
  • It is a 3,000-km long route of infrastructure projects connecting China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region to Gwadar Port in Pakistan.
  • It is a part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which was officially launched in 2013.

Topic: Appointments

11. Sonali Singh appointed as Controller General of Accounts.

• The central government has given the charge of Controller General of Accounts, Department of Expenditure to Sonali Singh.
• She has been appointed in place of Dipak Dash, who superannuated on 31^st January.
• Previously, she had also served as Additional Secretary at Central Vigilance Commission.
• She is an officer of the Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS).
• Controller General of Accounts:
  • It is responsible to maintain the account of the government.
  • It prepares monthly and annual analysis of expenditure, revenues, borrowings, and various fiscal indicators for the Union Government.
  • Controller General of Accounts (CGA), in the Department of Expenditure, is the Principal Accounting Adviser of Government of India.

Topic: State News/ West Bengal

12. West Bengal government to launch open-air classroom programme ‘Paray Shikshalaya’.

• West Bengal government will launch an open-air classroom programme ‘Paray Shikshalaya’ for primary and pre-primary students on February 7.
• Under the 'Paray Shikshalaya' project, primary and pre-primary students of government schools will be taught in open spaces.
• The state government will also provide mid-day meals to the students of 'Paray Shikshalaya’.
• The para teachers and primary school teachers would be part of this project. They will provide elementary education to children of Class 1-5.
• West Bengal:
  • It is a state of eastern India. It is located between the Himalayas and the Bay of Bengal.
  • It shares its boundary with three countries-Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan.
  • The Chief Minister of West Bengal is Mamta Banerjee and Governor is Jagdeep Dhankhar.

Topic: Books and Authors

13. Akash Kansal wrote India’s 1^st Season Style Book.

• Akash Kansal has written India's first-ever season style book, 'The Class of 2006: Sneak Peek into the Misadventures of the Great Indian Engineering Life'.
• It has been unveiled by famous Indian film actor R. Madhavan.
• This book consists of 18 different episodes and is a new-age fiction book.
• The book covers the different real-time life experiences and stages of college life.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

14. Karnataka Bank conferred with DX 2021 Award.

• Karnataka Bank has got a digital transformation award, DX 2021 Award. It is given by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
• The bank has got the award for its innovative practice ‘KBL VIKAAS’.
• KBL VIKAAS was launched by the Karnataka Bank in 2017. It has enabled the bank to implement digital capabilities.
• The bank recently launched ‘KBL NxT’ as part of 2.0 of ‘KBL VIKAAS’.
• DX Award is given to organizations that have made valuable contributions in the digital field.
• Karnataka Bank:
  • It is a Scheduled Commercial Bank based in Mangaluru.
  • It is India's twelfth largest old generation private sector bank.
  • Mahabaleshwara M S is the current Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Karnataka Bank.