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NATIONAL AFFAIRS
AIM, NITI Aayog & UNDP India Launches Community Innovator Fellowship
- Aim – To provide necessary infrastructure and knowledge building for the young community innovators in their entrepreneurial journey.
About CIF:
i.The fellowship is a one-year-long intensive fellowship program developed as a pre-incubation model focusing on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) based solutions for solving community issues.
ii.During Fellowship, each fellow will be hosted at one of the AIM’s Atal Community Innovation Centres (ACICs) and shall acquire SDG awareness, entrepreneurial skills and life skills while they are working on their idea.
iii.AIM released the Operations Manual for establishing an ACIC ecosystem, a framework that supports the foundational and operational functioning of an ACIC.
About ACIC:
The ACICs will provide suitable resources for entrepreneurs like operating facilities, co-working space, maker labs and a dynamic business network to the innovator.
- Focus – To develop the start-up and innovation ecosystem in the underserved regions of India.
- Currently, there are 12 ACICs across 9 states in India and the target is to establish 50 such centres.
About United Nations Development Programme (UNDP):
Establishment – 1966
Headquarters – New York, United States (US)
Administrator – Achim Steiner
MoSJE Minister Dr.Virendra Kumar Launches Welfare Scheme“SMILE” For Transgenders & People Engaged in Begging
- Objective – To provide welfare and rehabilitation to the Transgender community and the people engaged in the act of begging.
Highlights:
i.There are 2 sub-schemes under this scheme which includes ‘Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons’ and ‘Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of Begging’.
- These sub schemes will be implemented by National Coordinators along with a suitable Ministry and will also be monitored regularly.
About Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJ&E):
Union Minister – Virendra Kumar (Tikamgarh, Madhya Pradesh)
Minister of State – Ramdas Athawale (Rajya sabha Maharashtra) ; A. Narayanaswamy (Chitradurga, Karnataka); Pratima Bhoumik (Tripura West, Tripura)
>> Read Full News
NHA Announces Integration of ABDM with Aarogya Setu app
- With ABHA, Aarogya Setu has enabled an important consent based option for the citizens which will help them access their personal health record and useful services from the national digital health system.
Highlights:
i.According to the Union Health Ministry, under the ABDM, a user can generate their 14-digit unique ABHA number.
ii.Users can use the ABHA number to link their existing and new medical records, including doctor prescriptions, lab reports, hospital records and also share those with health professionals and health service providers.
iii.The user can generate their ABHA number using their Aadhaar number and some basic demographic details like Name, Year of Birth (or Date of Birth), Gender and address (auto-populated once the user authenticates via Aadhaar OTP). If the user does not wish to use their Aadhaar, they can use their Driving License or Mobile Number to generate the ABHA number.
About Aarogya Setu app:
i.Aarogya Setu app played a pivotal role in tackling COVID-19 like contact tracing to check risk factors, vaccine booking, certificate download and status check.
ii.This integration with ABDM will add another feature of generating ABHA numbers for the app users.
About National Health Authority (NHA):
i.National Health Authority (NHA) is the apex body set-up to implement Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) at the national level.
ii.NHA is an attached office of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with full functional autonomy and is governed by a Governing Board chaired by the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare.
iii.It is headed by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), an officer of the rank of Secretary to the Government of India, who manages its affairs. The CEO is the Ex-Office Member Secretary of the Governing Board.
iv.State Health Agencies (SHAs) is set up to implement the scheme at the State level, which has full operational autonomy over the implementation of the scheme in the State.
Establishment – 2nd January 2019
CEO – Ram Sewak Sharma
India, Australia Signed MoU on Tourism cooperation
- The MoU was signed by Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Textiles and the Hon Dan Tehan MP, Minister of Trade, Tourism and Investment (on behalf of Government of Australia).
- Through the MoU, information and data related to tourism will be exchanged between both nations, and Cooperation between tourism stakeholders, especially hotels and tour operators, and education providers in tourism and hospitality will be improved.
Background:
i.India and Australia had previously signed a MoU on tourism cooperation in the field of tourism on November 18, 2014 and it expired in 2019.
ii.3 Joint Working Group Meetings on tourism between India and Australia were conducted under that MoU.
iii.The MoU led to an increase in the number of Australian tourists visiting India from 2,93,625 to 3,67,241 in 2019 and the number of Indians visiting Australia also increased consistently from 2,62,250 to 5,89,539 in 2019.
iv.From 27th November 2014, India is offering Electronic Tourist Visa to the citizens of Australia.
v.Australia ranked 4th in terms of Foreign Tourist Arrivals to India in 2019 and contributed 3.4 percent in total tourism share of foreign tourists in India.
Note – Currently, the Ministry of Tourism has MoUs with 45 countries.
About Australia:
Capital – Canberra
Prime minister – Scott Morrison
Currency – Australian dollar
MoD Tie up with NewSpace Research & Technologies to Develop HAPS
- The first prototype will be developed for tests within the next four years. The HAPS Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) will fly in the stratosphere with cutting edge aerospace development.
Highlights:
i.The project is mentored under MoD’s Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative, and is supported by the armed forces and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) , which will be the lead prototype development partner.
- Major UAV-related tech development was initiated under iDEX for High Altitude Platform System HAPS.
ii.The first phase of the programme will be undertaken with the seed funding by MoD
iii.The estimated budget of developing the HAPS will be upwards of Rs.700 crore and it will be a part of HALs Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) that seeks to integrate manned airborne platforms with swarm drones and a high altitude surveillance network.
About HAPS:
i.The HAPS is being designed to undertake surveillance and communication duties for months and will also have applications in the civilian domain in the future.
ii.The UAV is being designed to fly at 70,000 feet, which would be out of range for most air defence systems and would rely on solar energy to power itself.
Note – Similar efforts to develop a pseudo satellite are being undertaken in Europe and the United States (US) but no such system has been deployed yet.
About Ministry of Defence (MoD):
Union Minister – Raj Nath Singh (Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of state – Ajay Bhatt (Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar, Uttarakhand)
FM Nirmala Sitharaman launches first Colour Souvenir coin on ‘Panchatantra’
- The event was virtually chaired by FM in the presence of the Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ajay Seth in New Delhi.
Key points:
i.During the event, Chief General Managers of the respective 09 Units of SPMCIL, awarded the meritorious employees for their outstanding achievements.
ii.The Panchatantra, authored by Vishnu Sharma during 200 BC. It is an ancient Indian collection of interrelated animal fables in Sanskrit verse and prose.
iii.The SPMCIL is involved in the manufacture/ production of Currency and Bank Notes, Security Paper, Non-Judicial Stamp Papers, Postal Stamps & Stationary, Travel Documents, Cheques, Bonds, Warrant, Special Certificates with security features etc.
Note – The highest denomination note ever printed by the Reserve Bank of India was the ₹ 10000 note in 1938 and again in 1954.
- The government owned presses are at Nasik (Western India),Dewas (Central India), Mysore (Southern India) and Salboni (Eastern India).
- Coins are minted in four mints owned by the Government of India. The mints are located at Mumbai, Hyderabad, Calcutta and Noida.
About Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL):
The SPMCIL is a wholly owned Schedule ‘A’ Miniratna Category-I company of Government of India.
Chairman & Managing Director– Tripti Patra Ghosh
Incorporated – 13th January, 2006
Saint-Gobain India, IIT-M Research Park sign MoU on renewable energy
i.As per the MoU, Saint-Gobain India would support IIT-M Research Park with a funding of Rs 1 crore for upcoming 3 years.
ii.The MoU is to fasten the transformation towards a low carbon future.
Objective
i.The objective is to focus on energy challenges and promote maximum use of alternate energy sources.
ii.To develop sustainable models and ensure energy efficiency and to drive transition towards Net-Zero energy in India
iii.IIT-M planned to develop strong energy storage mechanisms within campus.
iv.Aiming in the areas of research for renewable energy storage, advanced technology, innovation and knowledge for sustainable changes.
v.Development in building materials and effective integration in the built environment.
India to Replace Diesel with Renewable Energy in Agriculture by 2024
- Objective – To ensure the state’s participation in fulfilling India’s climate commitments and each State and Union Territories (UT) can be assigned energy saving targets.
- Partcipants – The Ministry of Power and Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Additional Chief Secretaries and Principal Secretaries of Power or Energy Departments of states & Union Territories (UTs).
Highlights:
i.The commercial buildings must follow ECBS and the domestic buildings should follow Energy Conservation- New Indian Way for Affordable & Sustainable Homes (ECO NIWAS).
- All commercial and domestic buildings are directed to follow energy savings codes of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and all the power demand has to be met by non-fossil fuel methods with the help of energy storage.
ii.The cooperation from states is necessary to facilitate development of the State Energy Efficiency Action Plan, its adoption and implementation.
- BEE will hand hold states in preparing State Specific Action Plans for achieving targeted goals.
iii.This meeting was organised in line with the Prime Minister’s commitment at 26th Council of Parties (COP26), towards reducing the carbon intensity of India.
About India’s COP26 Commitment:
At the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November 2021, India committed to achieve 500 GigaWatts (GW) non-fossil energy capacity by 2030 and meeting 50 percent of energy requirements through renewable energy.
About Ministry of Power:
Union Minister – Raj Kumar Singh (Arrah, Bihar)
Minister of State – Krishan Pal (Faridabad, Haryana)
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
One Ocean Summit 2022 Held in France; Set Goal to Map 80% Seabed by 2030
One Ocean Summit 2022 which was organised by France was held from 9-11 February, 2022 in Brest, Brittany, France, in cooperation with the United Nations (UN) and the World Bank.
The “One Ocean Summit” was held in the context of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, with the support of the United Nations.
- Objective: To mobilise the international community to take tangible action towards preserving and supporting healthy and sustainable ocean ecosystems.
- Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has virtually addressed the high-level segment of One Ocean Summit on 11th February, 2022.
Key Goals:
80% of the Seabed to be Mapped by 2030: On the occasion of the One Ocean Summit, UNESCO pledges to have at least 80 percent of the seabed mapped by 2030 (compared to current 20 percent) for understanding the location of ocean faults, the workings of ocean currents and tides, and the transport of sediments.
Ocean Education in School curricula:
i.UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) announced it has set itself the goal of including ocean education in the school curricula of its 193 Member States by 2025.
ii.UNESCO unveiled a common repository of educational content for policymakers and curriculum developers to achieve the goal of ocean education.
About United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO):
Headquarters – Paris, France
Director-General – Audrey Azoulay
>> Read Full News
Israel becomes 1st country to permit Drones in Civilian Airspace 
- Hermes Starliner Unmanned Aircraft System(UAS), is the 1st UAV to receive such a certification.
Highlights:
i.The UAVs will be used for the benefit of agriculture, environment, public welfare, economic activity and against crime.
ii.The certification was issued to the Hermes Starliner UAS, which is manufactured and developed by Elbit Systems, an Israeli defense electronics company.
- The Hermes Starliner UAV can fly for up to 36 hours at an altitude of around 7600 m, and has capability to carry an additional 450 kg of thermal, electro-optical, radar and other payloads.
- The approval comes of 6-years of effective testing of radars in the UAV to avoid interference with civilian flights.
iii.This approval will allow Elbit’s drone to fly in civilian airspace in a similar manner to civilian airliners. It will not be restricted to non segregated airspace.
About Israel:
Capital-Jerusalem
Prime minister– Naftali Bennett
Currency- Israeli Shekel
TomTom Traffic Index 2021: Mumbai Ranks 5th Most-Congested City in the World, Bangalore at 10th
India’s Mumbai, Maharashtra and New Delhi, Delhi were ranked as 5th and 11th most congested cities in the world by TomTom Traffic Index global top 25 list 2021. While Bengaluru, Karnataka and Pune, Maharashtra positioned at 10th and 21st place respectively, are the other top congested Indian cities as per the ranking, among 404 cities across 58 countries surveyed in the index.
i.The congestion level in Delhi during 2021 was 14% less than 2019.
ii.In Mumbai, Maharashtra; Bengaluru, Karnataka and Pune, Maharashtra, the level dropped by 18%, 32% and 29% respectively.
Solution for Reduction in Congestion
Development in infrastructure, projects such as coastal roads, metro lines, and harbour trans-harbour link road.
Towards the Development
i.India’s congestion level in 2021 was 23% lower than pre-Covid times, with a decrease of 31%.
ii.Congestion level in Delhi came down to 48 points in 2021 from 53 points in 2019.
Top 5 Ranks of TomTom Traffic Index:
RANKING
| Rank 1 | Istanbul | Turkey |
| Rank 2 | Moscow region (Oblast) | Russia |
| Rank 3 | Kyiv | Ukraine |
| Rank 4 | Bogota | Colombia |
| Rank 5 | Mumbai | India |
About TomTom:
TomTom is a multinational company providing geolocation technology for drivers, carmakers, and enterprises.
Established – 1991
Headquarters – Amsterdam, Netherlands
CEO – Harold Goddijn
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
RailTel wins ICAI award for Excellence in Financial Reporting
RailTel Corporation of India Ltd. won the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) award for excellence in ‘financial reporting’ for the year 2020-21 in Public Sector Entities(PSE) Category.
Note – ‘Right of Way’ is an Optical Fiber Network by RailTel, that runs along the Railway Tracks connecting various cities.
Highlights:
i.The award was given by the ICAI, which is the apex accounting body. It has been organizing the annual competition for these awards since 1958.
ii.It recognizes the promotion of better standards in the preparation and presentation of information in the financial statements.
iii.During the financial year 2020-21, RailTel recorded its rapid growth around Rs 1,411 crore, a growth of 21 per cent and achieving a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 16.6 per cent over the last three years.
About RailTel Corporation of India Ltd:
RailTel is a Miniratna (Category-I) Central PSE under the Ministry of Railways.
Chairman & Managing Director- Puneet Chawla
Founded– 2000
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS
Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba becomes New President of Burkina Faso
Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, lieutenant-colonel in the national armed forces of Burkina Faso, became the new President of Burkina Faso after overthrowing the elected President Roch Kabore. The formal swearing-in ceremony would take place on February 16, 2022 in the country’s capital city of Ouagadougou.
Key points:
i.Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba is also head of the state, President of the Patriotic Movement for Preservation and Restoration (officially Junta), and supreme commander of the armed forces.
ii.On January 24, 2022 Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba along with the army, forced out the elected president, Roch Marc Christian Kabore, after people’s protest against his method of handling insurgents.
- They also suspended the constitution, dissolved the government and the national assembly, and closed the country’s borders.
About Burkina Faso:
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is bordered by 6 African countries- Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana.
Capital- Ouagadougou
Currency- West African CFA franc
S Kishore Appointed as Chairman of Staff Selection Commission
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet(ACC) has approved the appointment of S Kishore, a 1989-Batch IAS officer of West Bengal cadre, as the Chairman of Staff Selection Commission(SSC). He succeeds Deepti Umashankar, who has been serving as the chairman of SSC (Additional Charge) since 2021.
- He has been given the rank and pay of Secretary, by temporarily upgrading the post.
- Prior to this appointment, he was serving as Special Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry(MoCI).
S R Narasimhan Takes Additional Charge as CMD of POSOCO
S R Narasimhan has taken the additional charge as the Chairman and Managing Director(CMD), Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO), a wholly-owned Government of India ‘Schedule A’ enterprise under the Ministry of Power, with effect from 1st February 2022.
- He replaced KVS Baba, who superannuated on 1st February 2022.
- Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) panel on December 2021 has selected him for the post of CMD of POSOCO.
- At present, he is serving as Director (System Operation) of POSOCO.
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS
BoB to Acquire 21% Stake in IndiaFirst Life Insurance from Union Bank of India
About the Acquisition:
The acquisition is pursuant to a ‘Right of First Offer (ROFO)’ made by UBI to the existing shareholders of IndiaFirst Life, to divest 21% of its stake in IndiaFirst Life.
- At present, the shareholding in IFIC is BoB holds 44%, Carmel Point Investments India holds 26% and Union Bank holds 30%.
Key Points:
i.On completion of this acquisition, the shareholding in IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company Limited will be BoB – 65%, Carmel Point Investments India Pvt Ltd – 26%, and UBI – 9%.
ii.After the sale of the stakes, IndiaFirst Life will continue to hold long-term agency distribution agreements with both BoB and UBI.
CCI Approves the Acquisition of Sajjan India Ltd by Sona Company:
i.The Competition Commission of India(CCI) under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002 has approved the acquisition of a certain stake in Sajjan India Limited by Sona Company Private Limited, a portfolio company under CVC Capital Partners.
- The acquisition amounts to a combination under Section 5(a)(ii)(B) of the Competition Act, 2002.
- According to the combination notice filed with CCI, the proposed transaction relates to investment in Sajjan India Limited by way of the acquisition of equity shares of the Sajjan India Limited by Sona Company.
ii.Sona Company is an investment company, incorporated under the laws of Singapore.
- The company does not have any physical presence or portfolio companies or investment in India
iii.Sajjan India Limited is involved in following activities;
(i) contract manufacture and manufacture of chemical compounds used in agro-chemicals; (ii) manufacture and trade of specialty chemicals; (iii) manufacture and trade of chemical compounds used in dyes and pigments; (iv) manufacture of chemical compounds / intermediates (not being active pharmaceutical ingredients) used in pharmaceuticals; and (v) manufacture of chemical reagents.
About Bank of Baroda(BoB):
Managing Director & CEO– Sanjiv Chadha
Headquarters– Vadodara, Gujarat
Founded– 20th July 1908, by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda
Tagline– India’s International Bank
Nationalised on 19th July 1969.
OBITUARY
Padma Bhushan Rahul Bajaj Former Chairman of the Bajaj Group Passed Away
Padma Bhushan Rahul Bajaj, Indian Industrialist and former chairman of Bajaj Group has passed away in Pune, Maharashtra. He was born on 10th June 1938 in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India (now Kolkata, West Bengal).
About Rahul Bajaj:
i.Rahul Bajaj took charge as the Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Bajaj Auto in 1968 and was later appointed as Managing Director in 1972.
ii.In April 2021 he stepped down as the non-executive director and chairman of Bajaj Auto, succeeded by Niraj Bajaj.
iii.He has also served as the President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) from 1979 to 1980 and served a 2nd term as President of CII from 1999-2000.
iv.He has also served as the President of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and the Chairman of erstwhile Indian Airlines from 1986-89.
v.From 2006 to 2010 he served as a member of the Rajya Sabha (from Maharashtra), the upper house of the Parliament. Honours:
The government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award of India in 2001 for Trade and Industries.
IMPORTANT DAYS
National Productivity Day 2022 – February 12 & Productivity Week 2022 – 12th-18th February
The week following the National Productivity Day, 12th February to 18th February is annually observed as the Productivity week.
- The day aims to stimulate and promote productivity and quality awareness in all sectors in India.
- The observance of the National Productivity Day and Productivity week is organised by NPC.
The theme of the National Productivity Week 2022(12th to 18th February 2022) is “Self Reliance Through Productivity”. The theme in Hindi is “उत्पादकता के माध्यम से आत्म निर्भरता”.
Background:
National Productivity Council of India (NPC) was established and registered as an Autonomous Society under the Societies Registration Act 1860, under the Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade(DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry(MoCI).
>> Read Full News
Darwin Day 2022 – February 12
The day highlights the contributions of Charles Darwin and celebrates Science.
Aim: To inspire people to follow their intellectual curiosities and to urge them to explore the truth through scientific means.
Theory of Natural Selection:
i.Natural selection explains how the genetic traits of a species may change over time.
ii.Darwin published his thoughts on evolution and natural selection in “On the Origin of Species” in 1859.
>> Read Full News
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Current Affairs Today (AffairsCloud Today)
| S.no | Current Affairs 13 & 14 February 2022 |
|---|---|
| 1 | AIM, NITI Aayog & UNDP India Launches Community Innovator Fellowship |
| 2 | DoSJ&E Launches CSS for Welfare of Transgender Community : SMILE |
| 3 | NHA Announces Integration of ABDM with Aarogya Setu app |
| 4 | India, Australia Signed MoU on Tourism cooperation |
| 5 | MoD Tie up with NewSpace Research & Technologies to Develop HAPS |
| 6 | FM Nirmala Sitharaman launches first Colour Souvenir coin on ‘Panchtantra’ |
| 7 | Saint-Gobain India, IIT-M Research Park sign MoU on renewable energy |
| 8 | India to Replace Diesel with Renewable Energy in Agriculture by 2024 |
| 9 | One Ocean Summit Held in France; Set Goal to Map 80% Seabed by 2030 |
| 10 | Israel becomes 1st country to permit Drones in Civilian Airspace |
| 11 | TomTom Traffic Index 2021: Mumbai Ranks 5th Most-Congested City in the World, Bangalore at 10th |
| 12 | RailTel wins ICAI award for Excellence in Financial Reporting |
| 13 | Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba becomes New President of Burkina Faso |
| 14 | S Kishore Appointed as Chairman of Staff Selection Commission |
| 15 | S R Narasimhan Takes Additional Charge as CMD of POSOCO |
| 16 | BoB to Acquire 21% Stake in IndiaFirst Life Insurance from Union Bank of India |
| 17 | Padma Bhushan Rahul Bajaj Former Chairman of the Bajaj Group Passed Away |
| 18 | National Productivity Day 2022 – February 12 & Productivity Week 2022 – 12th-18th February |
| 19 | Darwin Day 2022 – February 12 |
