Daily Current Affairs and GK | 8 March 2022

Topic: Agriculture and allied sectors

1. India’s export of agricultural & processed food products increased by 23% as compared to last year.

• The export of products has increased from 15 thousand 974 million US dollars in April to January 2020-21 to 19 thousand 709 million US dollars in April-January 2021-22.
• The export of rice has also increased by 13 percent as compared to the same period of the previous year.
• The export of wheat has also increased by 387 percent at USD 1742 million during April-January 2021-22.
• The export of other cereals registered a growth of 66 percent during April-January 2021-22 period.
• The export of Meat, dairy and poultry products has also grown by 13 percent as compared to the previous year.
• Fruits and vegetable exports touched to USD 1207 million during April-January 2021-22. The export of Fruits and vegetables has grown by 16 percent.
• Exports of cereal preparations and other processed food items grew by 14 per cent during April-January 2021-22.
• The cashew exports also increased by 11 percent as compared to last year.
• The rise in export of agricultural and processed food products is the result of the various initiatives taken by APEDA.
• APEDA has also promoted the export of geographical indications (GI) registered agricultural and processed food products from India.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Sports

2. Mithali Raj becomes first woman cricketer to play in six World Cups.

• She achieved this feat in the opening match of India against Pakistan in the ICC Women's World Cup at the Bay Oval.
• Mithali Raj is the captain of the Indian women’s cricket team. She became only the third cricketer to play six world cups after Sachin Tendulkar and Javed Miandad.
• She has played the world cup of 2000, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017, and now playing in 2022.
• She is the highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket. She also holds the record of most half-centuries in ODIs.
• The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2022 is the twelfth edition of the Women's Cricket World Cup. It is being played in New Zealand.

Topic: National News

3. Government launched "SAMARTH" initiative to promote women's entrepreneurship.

• Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Narayan Rane has launched a Special Entrepreneurship Promotion Drive for Women named "SAMARTH".
• SAMARTH has been launched on the occasion of International Women's Day 2022 in New Delhi.
• The Ministry of MSME, in collaboration with the National Small Industries Corporation and the India SME Forum, hosted an international conference titled "Empowering Women Entrepreneurs" to commemorate International Women's Day.
• The following benefits will be available to aspiring and existing women entrepreneurs under SAMARTH:
  • Women will be allocated 20% of seats in free skill development programmes organised by the Ministry.
  • Under the Ministry's marketing assistance schemes, 20% of MSME Business Delegations sent to domestic and international exhibits will be dedicated to women-owned MSMEs.
  • On NSIC's Commercial Schemes, there will be a 20% discount on the annual processing fee.
  • Under Udyam Registration, there will be a special drive to register women-owned MSMEs.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: MoUs / Agreements

4. An MoU has been inked between Indian Banks Association (IBA) and Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI).

• They will work together on capacity building for financial creditors on insolvency, bankruptcy, and related matters.
• The MoU was signed at a workshop on “Committee of Creditors: An Institution of Public Faith” organized jointly by IBBI, SBI, and IBA in New Delhi.
• Amit Pradhan, Executive Director of the IBBI, and Sunil Mehta, Chief Executive of the IBA, signed the MOU.
• Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI):
  • It was established on 1 October 2016 under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.
  • It is responsible for the implementation of the IBC code. It is a unique regulator that regulates a profession as well as the process.
  • Its chairperson is Ravi Mittal. Its headquarters is in New Delhi.
• Indian Banks Association (IBA):
  • Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) was formed in September 1946.
  • It is headquartered in Mumbai. Its CEO is Sunil Mehta.

Topic: MoUs/ Agreements

5. RuPay became IPL's official partner for next two seasons.

• For the next two seasons, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has signed RuPay as an official partner of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
• RuPay is the flagship product of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
• RuPay will pay a total of 140 crores over the next two years.
• Previously, Tata Group was the official partner, and now it has become the league's title sponsor after replacing Chinese smartphone maker Vivo.
• The league's other official partners—Dream11, Unacademy, Cred, and Upstox—have all agreed to extend their partnership until the next season with an annual payment of approximately Rs 57 crores.
• Swiggy has signed a three-year contract and it will pay Rs 67 crore every year.

Topic: Books and Authors

6. Indian Pop Queen Usha Uthup's biography released at Oxford Bookstore.

• Usha Uthup's book, The Queen of Indian Pop: The Authorized Biography of Usha Uthup, was launched by Oxford Bookstore.
• Usha Uthup's biography gives a deep insight into her life and career.
• The book was originally written in Hindi by Vikas Kumar Jha titled ‘Ullas Ki Naav’.
• The book is translated by the writer’s daughter Srishti Jha.
• The Penguin Random House India has published the book.
• Oxford Bookstore, which was established in 1919, is one of the country's oldest heritage bookstores.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

7. President Ram Nath Kovind conferred Nari Shakti Puraskar for the years 2020 and 2021 on International Women’s Day 2022.

• International Women’s Day is celebrated every year on 8 March to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.
• ‘#Break The Bias’ is the campaign theme for International Women’s Day 2022.
• ‘Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow’ is the UN theme for International Women’s Day 2022.
• Week-long celebration of International Women’s Day 2022 had started on 1st March. The celebration culminated with the conferment of awards by President Ram Nath Kovind.
• In all, 28 awards were presented to 29 individuals. Some of winners of Nari Shakti Puraskar for the years 2020 and 2021 are given in the next table.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

8. Four-day long Indo-Pacific Military Health Exchange (IPMHE) conference virtually inaugurated by Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh on March 07, 2022.

• IPMHE conference is co-hosted by Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) and US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM).
• ‘Military Healthcare in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) World’ is the theme of the conference.
• The conference will continue till March 10, 2022. It aims to enhance cooperation and jointmanship in military medicine.
• Chief Scientist, WHO Dr Soumya Swaminathan delivered keynote address. Dr Soumya Swaminathan spoke on ‘Global Health Challenges and the role of leadership in a VUCA world’.
• Indo-Pacific Military Health Exchange (IPMHE):
  • It was formerly known as Asia Pacific Military Health Exchange (APMHE).
  • It has its origins in Asia Pacific Military Medicine Conference (APMMC). APMMC was first held in 1990.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

9. Government in association with UNICEF launched Kanya Shikhsa Pravesh Utsav campaign.

• The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) in partnership with the Ministry of Education and UNICEF has launched ‘Kanya Shikhsa Pravesh Utsav’ campaign.
• It has been launched to re-engage girl students with formal education or skilling system, who had dropped out of school due to various reasons.
• The main objective of this campaign is to enhance the enrolment and retention of girls between 11-14 years of age in school.
• It will be implemented with the help of existing schemes like Schemes for Adolescent Girls (SAG), Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP), and National Education Policy (NEP).
• This campaign will be implemented under the Ministry of Women and Child Development’s Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme.
• Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme:
  • It was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2015 in Panipat, Haryana.
  • It aims to encourage enrollment of girls in schools and to improve the efficiency of welfare services meant for women.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

10. NIESBUD inked an MoU with Ministry of Rural Development to promote entrepreneurship in villages.

• National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) signed MoU with the Ministry of Rural Development to launch Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP).
• It will help in developing a sustainable model for promoting entrepreneurship at the grassroots level.
• Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) is a sub-component of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
• Under this Programme, entrepreneurs in rural areas will get support for setting up enterprises at the village level in non-agricultural sectors.
• Rural entrepreneurs will also get financial support from the MUDRA bank for starting their enterprises.
• Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) will help in creating an innovative ecosystem, accelerating economic and social gains at the community level.
• National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD):
  • It is a premier organization of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
  • Training of Trainers, Management Development Programmes, and Entrepreneurship-cum-Skill Development Programmes are the major activities of this institute.
  • It is located in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

11. Prasar Bharati inked an MoU with Yupp TV to increase its global reach.

• The agreement has been signed between the Prasar Bharti CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati and Yupp TV Founder and CEO Uday Reddy.
• The main objective of this agreement is to put forth India’s perspective on various international developments on global platforms.
• Now, DD India can be watched on Yupp TV’s OTT platform in the US, UK, Europe, Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore.
• DD India is the international channel of Prasar Bharti. It is available in more than 190 countries.
• It also acts as a bridge between India and its diaspora across the world.
• Prasar Bharati was formed in November 1997. It is headquartered in New Delhi.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

12. Government launched Donate-a-Pension programme.

• It has been launched by Labour Ministry for the future of Unorganised sectors workers.
• It is an initiative under the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM-SYM) pension scheme.
• Under this scheme, citizens of India can donate the premium contribution of their support staff such as domestic workers, drivers, helpers, etc.
• Labour and Employment Ministry also organized an event “e-Shram” on achieving 25 crore registrations of unorganized workers.
• Minister for Labour and Employment Shri Bhupender Yadav presented eSHRAM awards to States/UTs/ CSC-VLEs.
• He also announced that the e-SHRAM portal will be integrated with National Career Services (NCS) portal.
• The eSHRAM portal is now also available on UMANG mobile application.
• Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan (PM-SYM):
  • It is a pension scheme for unorganized workers.
  • The beneficiary of the scheme should be in the age group of 18-40 years.
  • The beneficiary will receive a monthly pension of Rs 3000/- per month after he/she attains the age of 60 years.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: International News

13. Financial Action Task Force puts UAE on “grey list”.

• Financial Action Task Force has said that UAE hasn’t taken enough steps to stop criminals and militants from hiding wealth there.
• The UAE is the financial hub of the Middle East and is home of many international companies headquarters.
• UAE government had formed an Executive Office led by Hamid Al Zaabi to combat illicit flows in the country.
• The UAE has also established a corporate registry and signed extradition agreements with many countries.
• Financial Action Task Force has retained Pakistan on its "grey list".
• The FATF’s “grey list” is not as severe as its “black list”. India is a member of the FATF consultations and its Asia Pacific Group.
• Financial Action Task Force (FATF):
  • It is an intergovernmental organization.
  • It was established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terror financing, and other related threats for the integrity of the international financial system.
  • Currently, it has 39 members including two regional organizations - the European Commission and Gulf Cooperation Council.
  • North Korea and Iran are currently on the FATF’s black list.

Topic: Miscellaneous

14. Vidya Balan becomes brand ambassador of Bharti AXA Life Insurance.

• Parag Raja is the managing director and chief executive officer of Bharti AXA Life Insurance.
• Other brand ambassadors in News:
  • Coca-Cola announced Shah Rukh Khan as its brand ambassador for Thums Up.
  • Tanishka Kotia and her sister Riddhika Kotia have been announced as brand ambassadors of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme for the Gurugram District of Haryana.
  • Usha International roped Mithali Raj as its brand ambassador.
  • upGrad announced Amitabh Bachchan as its brand ambassador.