Daily Current Affairs and GK | 9 and 10 January 2022

Topic: Report and Indices

1. India to become second largest economy of Asia by 2030: IHS Markit Report.

• According to the IHS Markit Ltd report, India will become the second-largest economy in Asia by 2030.
• India is likely to overtake Japan by 2030 and it will also become the third- largest economy in the world by surpassing Germany and United Kingdom.
• India’s nominal GDP will rise from 2.7 trillion USD to USD 8.4 trillion by 2030.
• India will be one of the world’s fastest-growing economies in the next decade.
• At present, India is the sixth-largest economy in the world behind the US, China, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
• The fast-growing middle class will increase the consumption expenditure from USD 1.5 trillion to USD 3 trillion by 2030.
• The digital transformation of India will accelerate the growth of e-commerce in the next decade.
• The shift to 4G and 5G smartphone technology will boost the online e-commerce platform, online grocery market, logistics start-up.
• FDI inflows to India have continuously increased over the past five years.
• India will have 1.1 billion internet users by 2030, which is attracting global multinationals companies to the Indian market.
• According to IHS Markit, India’s real GDP growth rate will remain 8.2 percent in the fiscal year 2021-22.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

2. Kerala Arts and Crafts Village (KACV) wins 2021 International Craft Award for the best craft village of year.

• Kerala Arts and Crafts Village (KACV) has won the 2021 International Craft Award for the best craft village of the year.
• The village is located near Kovalam in Kerala. It has been set up by Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society for the state tourism department.
• The aim of International Craft Award is to honour organizations, councils, governments, teachers, artists, designers and individuals who made significant contributions to the sustainable and comprehensive development of the handicraft industry.
• “Kraf Komuniti Ku” craft village in Malaysia was declared as the best village for 2020.
• Chandramali Liyanage, a member of National Crafts Council of Sri Lanka, is the Craft icon of the year. Other awards and winners are given in the next table.

• Malaysian Department of Prisons has won the award for sustainable development and social inclusion in the handicrafts department.
• World Crafts Council International President Saad Hani Al-Khudumi has chaired a jury of delegates that decided the awards.
• World Crafts Council International:
  • It is a non-profit, non-governmental organization. It is affiliated to UNESCO.
  • It was founded by Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay and Aileen Osborn Webb.

Topic: State News/Assam

3. Project “Niramay” launched by National Health Mission, Assam.

• Project “Niramay” has been launched by National Health Mission, Assam in collaboration with Piramal Swasthya and Cisco.
• Project “Niramay” has been launched to demonstrate the integration of digital health technology to strengthen public health care delivery in Assam.
• This initiative is based on indigenous integrated health technology platform ‘AMRIT’ (Accessible Medical Records via Integrated Technologies) of Piramal Swasthya.
• The project will work to enable telemedicine interactions, rapid diagnostics, patient’s health records and data collection at the grass-root level in three aspirational districts in Assam.
• The names of the districts are Baksa, Barpeta, and Darrang. Project “Niramay” aims to provide a spectrum of health services to the beneficiaries in these districts.

Topic: Personality in News

4. Ayesha Malik to be the first woman Supreme Court judge of Pakistan.

• Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has approved the elevation of Lahore High Court judge Ayesha Malik to the apex court. Her name will now be considered by a parliamentary committee.
• Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) is headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed.
• She will work as a Supreme Court judge until June 2031 before retiring at the age of 65.
• She is likely to become the Chief Justice of Pakistan in January 2030.

Topic: Personality in News

5. Guru Gobind Singh Ji's 355th birthday observed on 9 January.

• Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th and last Sikh guru was born on January 9, 355 years ago.
• This auspicious occasion is also known as Prakash Parv.
• Gobind Singh Ji was born in January (Paush) 1666 in Patna Sahib, Bihar, to the ninth Sikh Guru Teg Bahadur and Mata Gujri.
• In 1699, Guru Gobind Singh Ji founded the Khalsa, a Sikh military community, and established the Five Ks, which are extremely important to Sikhism.
• The Five Ks of Khalsa Sikhs:
  • Kesh (uncut hair)
  • Kangha (wooden comb)
  • Kara (an iron or steel bracelet)
  • Kirpan (a sword or dagger)
  • Kacchera (short breeches)

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Appointments

6. Urjit Patel has been appointed as Vice-President of the AIIB.

• Urjit Patel, a former governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has been appointed Vice-President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
• He will replace outgoing Vice President D J Pandian, who oversees the AIIB's sovereign and non-sovereign loans in South Asia, the Pacific Islands, and Southeast Asia.
• He will join his post on February 1 and will serve as one of the AIIB's five Vice Presidents for a three-year term.
• With $6.8 billion in finance for 29 projects, India has emerged as the AIIB's largest recipient.
• The $150 million "Chennai City Partnership: Sustainable Urban Service Program" was approved by the AIIB in December 2021, with the goal of strengthening institutions and improving the quality and financial sustainability of selected urban services in Chennai.
• As of 22 October, the AIIB has approved a total of 147 projects in 31 countries, valued at $28.97 billion.
• Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB):
  • It is a multilateral development bank with an aim to improve social and economic outcomes in Asia.
  • It started operating in January 2016.
  • It is headquartered in Beijing, China.
  • China is the largest stakeholder in AIIB, followed by India.
  • It now has 104 accepted members (Regional Members: 46, Non-Regional Members: 42, Prospective Members: 16), which does not include the United States or Japan.
  • AIIB President: Jin Liqun

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

7. 25^th National Youth Festival will be inaugurated by PM Modi.

• 25th National Youth Festival will be inaugurated by PM Modi on 12th January.
• 12th January is the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
• A National Youth Summit will be organised on 13th January.
• National Youth Summit aims to bring diverse cultures of India and integrate them into a united thread of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat.
• Government of India organizes National Youth Festival every year from January 12th to 16th to commemorate Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary (12th January).
• Swami Vivekananda:
  • He was born on 12 November 1863 and his birth anniversary is celebrated every year as National Youth Day since 1985.
  • He is remembered for setting up Ramakrishna Math in 1886 and Ramakrishna Mission in 1897. He is also remembered for his speech in Chicago in 1893.
  • Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (Gadadhar Chattopadhyaya) was his guru. Swami Vivekananda died in 1902 at the age of 39.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Important Days

8. 26^th December will be celebrated as Veer Baal Diwas.

• Government has decided that 26th December will be celebrated as Veer Baal Diwas to mark the martyrdom of Sahibzada Zorawar Singh Ji and Sahibzada Fateh Singh Ji.
• PM Modi announced the decision on Parkash Purab of Guru Gobind Singh on 9 January 2022.
• PM said that Veer Baal Diwas will be celebrated on the same day Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh attained martyrdom. They were sealed alive in a wall.
• On 26 December 1705, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh attained martyrdom at the age of 9 and 6 years respectively.
• Sahibzada Zorawar Singh was the third of Guru Gobind Singh's four sons. Sahibzada Fateh Singh was the fourth and youngest son of Guru Gobind Singh.
• Sahibzada Ajit Singh was the eldest son of Guru Gobind Singh. Sahibzada Jujhar Singh was the second son of Guru Gobind Singh.

Topic: Important Day

9. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: 9 January

• Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated every year on 9 January by the Indian diaspora around the world.
• It is observed to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community in the development of India.
• It is also observed to mark the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa in 1915.
• The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated to increase the engagement of the Government of India with the overseas Indian community.
• This year, it has been celebrated as the 17th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas around the world.
• Pravasi Bhartiya Divas Conference was also organized by the government of India on 9th January for youths.
• This year the topic for discussion in the Conference was “Role of Diaspora Youth in AKAM – Innovation and New Technologies”.
• The number of Indian diaspora in the world is the largest and they are living in different countries of the world.
• Indian diaspora community has made a remarkable contribution to innovation, technology, and creativity.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Reports and Indices

10. Chennai airport gets 8^th place in global top 10 list for on-time performance.

• India’s Chennai airport has got a place in the Top10 global list for On-time performance, for the year 2021.
• According to the aviation analytics firm ‘Cirium’, Chennai airport has got 8th rank in On-time performance list among larger airports.
• ‘Cirium’ reviews the total number of flights from airport in a year and then looks at the percentile demarcations fall.
• Chennai airport has an on-time departure rate of 89.32 percent on 70 routes.
• Chennai airport has adopted devised precise strategy to increase operating capacity.
• According to the latest traffic figures of Chennai Airport, it has done a recovery of 80 % in domestic traffic.
• The other airports that found a place in the Top10 list are from Japan, Europe, etc.
• Miami Airport of the United States, Fukuoka Airport of Japan, and Haneda Airport of Japan are the top three airports on this list.
• Chennai International Airport:
  • It is the sixth busiest airport in India.
  • It handles around 5.49 million passengers in a year.
  • It consists of two terminals namely - Kamaraj Domestic Terminal & Anna International Terminal.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

11. Assam government and National Dairy Development Board signed a pact for development of dairy sector in the state.

• Assam government has inked a pact with National Dairy Development Board to create a Rs 2,000-crore joint venture company for the holistic development of the dairy sector in the state.
• An MoU was signed in Guwahati in the presence of Union Animal Husbandry & Dairying Minister Parshottam Rupala.
• According to MoU, this joint venture company will process 10 lakh liters of milk through six new units in seven years.
• This joint venture will be guided and managed by NDDB, and it will promote technological innovations in the dairy sector.
• It will benefit more than 1,75,000 farmers associated with dairy farms in Assam. It will also help in increasing the income of farmers.
• Milk producers will receive subsidies for market price fluctuation of their produce.
• As part of the dairy development project, around15,000 high milk-yielding Gir cows will be brought to Assam.
• National Dairy Development Board (NDDB):
  • It was founded by Dr. Verghese Kurien in1965.
  • It is a statutory body and headquartered in Anand, Gujarat.
  • Meenesh C Shah is the chairman of NDDB.

Topic: Personality in News

12. Legendary Hollywood actor Sidney Poitier passed away.

• Sidney Poitier, the first black man to win Oscar for best actor award, has passed away at the age of 94. 
• He had won the Best Actor award in Oscar for his role in ‘Lilies Of The Field' in 1963.
• To Sir, With Love, In the Heat of the Night, and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner are some of his famous films.
• He had received the highest U.S. civilian honour, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 2009.
• He was the Bahamian Ambassador to Japan from 1997 to 2007. He was granted knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974.

Topic: Corporates/Companies

13. France imposed a fine of $237 million on Google and Facebook for user tracking.

• France's data privacy watchdog has imposed a combined fine of €210m on Google and Facebook for their use of "cookies" that track user activity online.
• France's National Commission for Information Technology (CNIL) fined €60 million on Facebook and €150 million on Google.
• France's data privacy watchdog claimed that Facebook.com and Google's two services do not allow users to refuse the use of cookies. It compels users to accept cookies.
• If Google and Facebook don’t take corrective measures within three months, a daily fine of €100,000 will be imposed on both companies.
• France had imposed fines of €100 million and €35 million on Google and Amazon respectively for their use of cookies in 2020.
• Cookies are small blocks of data created by a web server. It can be used by web servers to identity and track users.

Topic: Appointments

14. Haitham Al-Ghais appointed as new Secretary-General of OPEC.

• Haitham Al-Ghais has been selected as the new Secretary-General of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
• He will take place of Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, whose term as OPEC secretary-general will end in July 2022.
• Al-Ghais is a veteran member of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and he was Kuwait’s OPEC Governor from 2017 to June 2021.
• He is currently serving as Managing Director for International Marketing at KPC.
• In 2017, he had chaired the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) of the Declaration of Cooperation (DoC).
• Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC):
  • It is an intergovernmental organization that was founded in 1960 at the Baghdad Conference.
  • OPEC members: 13 oil-producing countries
  • Its headquarters is located in Vienna, Austria.
  • It plays a vital role in influencing global oil prices.