Current Affairs 18 & 19 December 2022

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 18 & 19 December 2022, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2022 events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

India-Nepal joint Training Exercise Surya Kiran XVI begins at Saljhandi, NepalOn 16th December 2022, the 16th Edition of Indo-Nepal joint training Exercise ‘Surya Kiran-XVI’ between India and Nepal began at Nepal Army Battle School, Saljhandi in the Rupandehi district of Lumbini Zone, Nepal. The exercise will be conducted till 29th December 2022.

• Participants – Nepal Army soldiers of Shree Bhawani Baksh Battalion and Indian Army soldiers from the 5th Gorkha Rifles  (5 GR) will participate in the exercise.

About Exercise ‘Surya Kiran’:
i.The exercise ‘Surya Kiran’ is conducted annually between India and Nepal since 2011. The exercise aims to enhance interoperability in jungle warfare and counter terrorism operations in mountainous terrain and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) under United Nations (UN) mandate.
Scope of Surya Kiran XVI: 
i.The exercise would mainly focus on evolution of combined drills for planning and conduct of tactical operations at unit level in counter terrorism operations and disaster response mechanism and also role of armed forces in management of disaster.
ii.During the exercise, participants will be trained together to develop inter-operability and share their experience in counter insurgency and counter terrorist operations as well as humanitarian relief operations.
iii.Both the armies would familiarise themselves with each other’s weapons, equipment, tactics and procedures while operating in a Counter Insurgency environment, especially in mountainous terrain.

• Also, the participating contingents will be exposed to scenarios dealing with humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, high altitude warfare and jungle warfare operations for further enhancing the scope and scale of the exercise.

Note – The 15th edition of Indo-Nepal joint training Exercise ‘Surya Kiran-XV’ was held  at Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Urgent Action Needed in South Asia to Curb Deadly Air Pollution: World Bank report

The World Bank (WB) has released its report titled ‘Striving for Clean Air: Air Pollution and Public Health in South Asia’ stating that South Asia is home to 9 of the world’s 10 cities with the worst air pollution, and there is a requirement of urgent action to curb it.

• It is causing an estimated 2 million premature deaths across the region each year and incurs significant economic costs.

Highlights:
i.The concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM) such as soot and small dust (PM 2.5) in some of the region’s most densely populated and poor areas are up to 20 times higher than the WHO limit (5 micrograms per cubic meter air [µg/mᶾ]).
ii.Exposure to such extreme air pollution impacts adversely including stunting and reduced cognitive development in children, to respiratory infections and chronic and debilitating diseases.
iii.The report identifies the following six major airsheds in South Asia where spatial interdependence in air quality is high:

1. West/Central Indo-Gangetic Plain: Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab (India), Haryana, part of Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh;
2. Central/Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plain: Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bangladesh;
3. Middle India: Odisha/Chhattisgarh
4. Middle India: Eastern Gujarat/Western Maharashtra
5. Northern/Central Indus River Plain: Pakistan, part of Afghanistan
6. Southern Indus Plain and further west: South Pakistan, Western Afghanistan extending into Eastern Iran

iv.The report analyzes four scenarios to reduce air pollution with varying degrees of policy implementation and cooperation among countries:

• The most cost-effective scenario calls for full coordination between airsheds. This would cut the average exposure of PM 2.5 in South Asia to 30 µg/m³ at a cost of $278 million per µg/mᶾ of reduced exposure, and save more than 750,000 lives annually.

IEA Annual Report: India’s Coal Production to Exceed a Billion Tonnes by 2025The International Energy Agency (IEA) in its annual report titled ‘Coal 2022: Analysis and Forecast to 2025’, claimed that China and India, the world’s two largest coal consumers, are also the world’s largest producers and top two coal importers.
It is projected that by 2025, India’s coal production will exceed 1 billion tonnes.
Key Points:
i.India is expected to continue to be the growth driver of global coal demand as its coal consumption has risen since 2007 at an annual growth rate of 6%.
ii.According to the report, global coal consumption would climb by 1.2% in 2022, surpassing 8 billion metric tonnes in a single year for the first time and beating the milestone set in 2013.

• The IEA stated in its annual market report, Coal 2021, that global coal demand could hit a new high in 2022 or 2023 before plateauing.

iii.India is predicted to experience the biggest increase in coal demand, at 7%, followed by the European Union (EU) at 6% and China at 0.4%.
iv.The demand for coal in Europe is predicted to fall below 2022 levels by 2025.
v.Global coal-fired power generation is expected to reach a new high of around 10.3 terawatt hours (TWh), while coal production is expected to climb by 5.4% to an all-time high of around 8.3 billion tonnes.

• Production is likely to peak in 2023, then drop below 2022 levels by 2025.

vi.China, India, and Indonesia, the world’s three major coal producers, will all set production records in 2022.
Coal Scenario in the World and India 
i.The Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, significantly impacted the dynamics of coal trade, price levels, and supply & demand patterns in 2022.
ii.The impact of higher gas prices on coal demand has, however, been minimal in China and India, where coal is the main source of electricity and gas only makes up a small fraction of total power generation.
iii.India and China are also the only two countries globally where there has been an upsurge in investment in coal mine assets.
iv.The EU began “fuel switching” to coal to produce electricity as a result of increase in gas prices due to war as well as decreased hydro and nuclear output.

BANKING & FINANCE

SEBI issues Performance Benchmarking Guidelines for PMS industry; Issues Guidelines for Winding Down of CCs

i.The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has introduced performance benchmarking and categorization for the Portfolio Management Services (PMS) industry w.e.f. April 1, 2023.
ii.These norms are similar to the current norms in mutual funds.
iii.It will help investors assess and compare the performance of service providers.
iv.SEBI also laid down guidelines for orderly winding down of critical operations and services offered by clearing corporations (CCs). In this regard, SEBI had amended the Securities Contracts (Regulation) (Stock Exchanges and Clearing Corporations) Regulations (SECC Regulations 2018) through a notification issued on November 15, 2022.
About Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI):
Chairperson– Madhabi Puri Buch
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Establishment– 1992
>> Read Full News

RBI imposes curbs on RazorPay, Cashfree Payments for on-boarding New MerchantsThe Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed curbs on RazorPay and Cashfree Payments for on-boarding new merchants till they get the final Payment Aggregator (PA) licence.
Reason behind this decision:
Both entities need to complete the migration of existing merchants to the new platform and submit a progress report with RBI. They also require making some systematic upgrades which involve migrations to an escrow account from a nodal account, integrating RBI’s reporting system so that periodic reports can be submitted on transactions undertaken and merchants brought into the formal system, among others.

• Following this, RBI will do its evaluation and grant the final licence.

Key Points:
i.RazorPay was one of the first three firms to receive the RBI’s in-principal approval licence along with Pine Labs and US-based Stripe.

• Cashfree Payments received its in-principal approval in September 2022.

ii.As part of the payment aggregator framework formed by the RBI in March 2022, only entities approved by RBI can facilitate payments for merchants and other e-commerce sites.

Equitas Small Finance Bank inks MoU with Controller General of Defence Accounts

Equitas Small Finance Bank (Equitas SFB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA), Ministry of Defense (MOD), Government of India (GoI).

• With this, Equitas will be able to act as a SPARSH (System for Pension Administration (Raksha)) service centre and provide data verification for pensioners.
• Equitas is the first small finance bank (SFB) to be inducted into the SPARSH scheme by the GoI.

The MOD also signed the MoU with five other banks viz. Indian Postal Payment Bank, Union Bank of India, Axis Bank Ltd., ICICI Bank Ltd. and Bandhan Bank.
Key Points:
i.In accordance with the MoU, defence pensioners and their family can access a few pension account services from Equitas SFB branches across India.
ii.The essential services include: the annual issuance of life certificates (digital or manual), the change of bank details for a pension account, and the information about pensioners and their accounts.
iii.It also has the best interest rates for senior citizens, as well as a number of other value-added services such as insurance benefits (IHO) and reward points program.
iv.Service requests from defence personnel can be made without incurring fees.
About Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd:
MD & CEO – Vasudevan Pathangi Narasimhan
Established – 2016
Headquarters – Chennai, Tamil Nadu

AU Small Finance Bank Enters into Bancassurance Partnership with HDFC LifeAU Small Finance Bank (AU SFB) entered into a corporate agency arrangement with HDFC Life Insurance Company Limited (“HDFC Life”), one of India’s leading life insurers through the bancassurance business model.
Key highlights:
i.Under the partnership, customers of AU SFB will be able to access the entire range of life insurance products offered by HDFC Life, thus fulfilling their need for financial protection.

• In addition, it also enables its customers to access the digital platform and the touch points of HDFC Life for servicing.

ii.Through a bancassurance partnership, the bank staff and tellers become the point of sale (PoS) of insurance products of HDFC Life to the AU SFB’s customers.
About AU Small Finance Bank (AU SFB):
AU Small Finance Bank Limited (AU SFB) is a scheduled commercial bank, a Fortune India 500 Company and the largest Small Finance Bank (SFB) in India.
Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Sanjay Agarwal
Establishment – 2017
Headquarters – Jaipur, Rajasthan

HDFC Securities Launches Google Search-Driven Education Platform – Roots

HDFC Securities Limited, a stock brokerage firm, has launched “Roots”, a dedicated search-driven Education platform that provides comprehensive investor education and market analysis.
Key highlights:
i.The Unique Selling Point (USP) of the platform is that it produces content which is being searched on Google by current and prospective investors and traders.
ii.The portal offers multiple forms of valuable information, including articles, bite-sized tips, podcasts by experts, video tutorials and explainers, and live social media feed on the Indian financial markets.

• It also includes an User Generated Content (UGC) section where investors and traders can suggest topics they want to learn and can also explore exclusive live webinars by registering themselves through the portal.

Sections in the site:
i.The Blog section in the site is updated with articles which addresses all aspects of investing in the Indian financial markets, from intraday trading to  Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), and much more market related information.
ii.The Bytes section offers crisp content, including fun facts, stock information and share price performance in specific sectors.
iii.The Video segment offers easy-to-consume video tutorials on a wide range of financial instruments, including Initial Public Offerings (IPOs), ETFs, stocks, Equity Linked Savings Schemes (ELSS), global investing and mutual funds.

• The segment also contains explainers on how to use HDFC Securities’ proprietary trading platforms, including the mobile app and Proterminal, the revolutionary portal for traders.

iv.The podcasts segment consists of regular market news and analysis, including a morning market update, a midday update and a weekly market summary of the stock and currency markets.
v.The Live Feed segment in the site brings together all the opinions and recommendations of the experts at HDFC Securities regarding market moves and potential investment opportunities.
About HDFC Securities Limited:
Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Dhiraj Relli
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Parent Organisation- HDFC Bank Limited

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

India and Moscow Signed a Memorandum to Enable Russian Companies to Enters Indian E-trade Platforms

Sergey Cheremin, The Chairman of the Board of the Business Council for Cooperation with India(BCCI), Minister of the Government of Moscow, and Head of the Department for External Economic and International Relations of the City of Moscow (DEEIR) signed a memorandum with the Indian Chambers of International Business (ICIB) and Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) in New Delhi.

• The memorandum was signed after identifying the potential in promoting the products of Russian companies on major trading platforms in India such as Flipkart.
• This was signed during a session at the “Business Dialogue: Regional cooperation as a driver of economic development” held in New Delhi, Delhi.

Aim of the Memorandum:
To develop the bilateral trade between India and Russia and to assist the local entrepreneurs and enterprises to find and promote investment projects in the territory of both India and Russia.
Key points:
i.India has traditionally been a major trade and economic partner of Moscow.
ii.The total volume of accumulated investment from India into Moscow’s economy as of January 2022 is USD 143 million.
iii.The trade turnover between Moscow and Indian partners in 2021 has increased by 43.5% compared to 2020 and amounted to USD 3446.7 million.
iv.In 2022, Moscow traced an upward trend in trade turnover. In the first half of 2022, an increase to USD 1,468.7 million was recorded.

• Compared to the same period in 2021, this is around 6.3% more.

Additional info:
i.Integration of convenient payment and transportation systems for Russian businesses is currently underway.
ii.For smooth bilateral trade, Sberbank and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) are developing an alternative to the SWIFT payment system. Currently, payments are made under the  “Ruble-Rupee” scheme.
iii.A complex product which allows Russian companies to get acquainted with foreign suppliers in the product categories they are interested in online has been developed by Sberbank.

ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India & NSDC signs MoU for digital Skill Training of YouthOn 16th December 2022, Steelmaker ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to provide digital skill training to more than 1,600 young people across India.

• A launch of AM/NS India & NSDC partnership was held at NSDC, Delhi.

Aim:
The initiative’s goal is to inspire young people from 4 states (Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra) and give them the vocational training they need to find and undertake employment in positions like data entry operator and IT helpdesk attendant.
Key Points:
i. This initiative is the 2nd digital training initiative by AM/NS India in partnership with NSDC.
ii. An initial programme (announced in August 2021), has witnessed 556 out of 800 candidates successfully trained in a range of digital skills and will ensure at least 7-% placement in this project.
iii. The initiative has been renewed in light of its success to increase the number of young people who will benefit and expand catchment regions, including Kendrapara, Sundargarh, and Keonjhar towns in Odisha, and Dantewada (Chhattisgarh).
About the ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India):
AM/NS India is a joint venture between the world’s leading steel companies, ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel.
Chairman- Aditya Mittal
Director & Chief Executive Officer- Dilip Oommen
Headquarters- Mumbai, Maharashtra
Establishment- 2019
About the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC):
i. NSDC is a not-for-profit public limited company that was set up by the Ministry of Finance as Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.
ii. GoI, through the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), holds 49% of the share capital of NSDC, while the private sector has a balance of 51% of the share capital.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Managing Director (MD)- Ved Mani Tiwari
Headquarters- New Delhi, Delhi
Establishment- 2008

NHIDCL Signs MoU with NIT Manipur for Innovation in Highways Construction

National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRT&H), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Manipur through a video conference.

• The MoU was signed between Dr Gautam Sutradhar, director, NIT Manipur and Chanchal Kumar, managing director, NHIDCL.
• This MoU will foster research and collaboration in the field of highways and infrastructure.

Key highlights:
i.NHIDCL is seeking and promoting innovative technologies to find pragmatic solutions for the challenges occurring in the construction of highways facing extreme climatic conditions.
ii.As a part of finding solution, NHIDCL has signed MoUs with prestigious institutes like IIT Roorkee, IIT Kanpur, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research – Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI), NSDC, IIT Patna, NIT Srinagar, NIT Agartala, NIT Silchar, NIT Uttarakhand, NIT Nagaland NIT Sikkim, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Mandi and NIT Jote, Arunachal Pradesh during 2022-23 fiscal.
Note – NHIDCL has previously signed MoUs with Bombay & IIT Guwahati for signing suck pacts.
About National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL): 
Managing Director (MD) – Chanchal Kuma
Establishment – 2014
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi

Tata Motors subsidiary, TML signs deal with BMTC to supply 921 Electric Buses

TML Smart City Mobility Solutions Ltd, a subsidiary of Tata Motors, has signed a definitive agreement with Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) for the supply, maintenance and operations of 921 electric buses of 12-metre low-floor electric buses for a period 12 years in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

• More than 730 electric buses from Tata Motors have been delivered to various Indian cities till now.
• These buses have logged more than 55 million kilometres and have an uptime of over 95%.

ReNew signs pact with Microsoft India to supply 150 MW Green Energy

ReNew Power (ReNew) has signed an agreement with Microsoft India to supply 150 megawatts (MW) of green energy from a recently commissioned solar site near Bikaner, Rajasthan.

• This venture will assist Microsoft in achieving its goal of switching to a 100% renewable energy supply by 2025 and turning carbon negative by 2030.
• ReNew is one of the largest renewable energy-independent power producers in India and globally. It develops, builds, owns, and operates wind, solar, and hydropower facilities to offer energy to corporations and utilities.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS     

2022 ATP Awards Honour Roll: Alcaraz, Nadal, Murray Among Winners of 2022 ATP AwardsCarlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray are featured among the winners of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Awards 2022.

• The 2022 ATP Awards were presented at the event held in Pala Alpitour in Turin, Italy.

ATP Awards: 
The ATP Awards honour the season’s best players and tournaments as determined by the players and ATP rankings. The award also includes player-voted awards, fans choose the winner of Fans’ Favourite singles player and doubles team.

• The ATP also selects and honours the recipients of the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian and Ron Bookman Media Excellence awards.

About the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP):
Chairman- Andrea Gaudenzi
Headquarters- London, United Kingdom (UK)
Establishment- 1972
>> Read Full News

Actress Sonakshi Sinha named as PETA India’s ‘Person Of The Year 2022’ Title

Actress Sonakshi Sinha has been awarded PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) India’s 2022 Person of the Year title for advocating Animal Adoption & Vegan Fashion.

• Sonakshi’s activities helped save many animals that would have been killed for fashion, but she was given the title because of her strong support for dog and cat rights.
• According to PETA India’s anti-leather campaign, more than 4 billion cows, sheep, goats, dogs, cats and other animals are killed every year for Leather accessories that no one needs.
• John Abraham and Fatima Sana Shaikh are PETA India’s Most Beautiful Vegetarians of 2022.        

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

US-France satellite SWOT launched successfully to map world’s Oceans, Rivers, LakesThe United States (US)-France satellite ‘SWOT aka Surface Water and Ocean Topography’ was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, US. It will map all of the world’s oceans, lakes and rivers.

• This USD 1.2 billion project is developed by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) in collaboration with the French Space Agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES) in partnership with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the United Kingdom (UK) Space Agency.
• The SWOT mission lifetime is 3 years.

Key Features:
i.The satellite will measure the height of water on more than 90% of Earth’s surface, allowing scientists to track the flow and identify potential high-risk areas.
ii.It will also survey millions of lakes as well as 1.3 million miles (2.1 million kilometres) of rivers, from headwater to mouth.
iii.It will shoot radar pulses at Earth, with the signals bouncing back to be received by a pair of antennas, one on each end of a 33-foot (10-metre) boom.

US Air Force Successfully Launches First Operational Hypersonic Missile – AGM-183AThe United States (US) Air Force successfully tested AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW or Arrow), a hypersonic missile which represents a cutting edge, strategic weapons system developed by Russia and China.

• The AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW), the first full prototype operational missile was launched from a B-52H bomber off California’s coast.
• It is an air-to-ground hypersonic missile.

Key highlights:
i.The missile was designed by Lockheed Martin, based on the previous test vehicles built by DARPA that has a maximum speed of Mach 20 or 15,000 mph (24,000 kph).
ii.No defence system can successfully intercept Hypersonic missiles with high speeds that are capable of delivering nuclear weapons. They are currently not in wide use due their extreme speeds.
Note – In 2021, China had carried out a test of a hypersonic missile and Russia has used hypersonic weapons during its war in Ukraine. North Korea has also conducted test flights.

NASA’s Hubble & Spitzer Space Telescopes Discover Two Exoplanets 218 Light Years AwayTwo exoplanets, Kepler-138c and Kepler-138d, were found by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientists in a planetary system known as Kepler-138, 218 light-years from Earth in the constellation Lyra.

• The exoplanets Kepler-138c and Kepler-138d are most likely water worlds, which scientists have theorized and observed with Hubble and the retired Spitzer space telescopes.

These two twin planets are unlike any other planets in our solar system and are discovered in the ocean worlds of Europa and Enceladus, moons orbiting Jupiter and Saturn.
About Exoplanets Kepler-138c and Kepler-138d
i.These exoplanets, Kepler-138c and Kepler-138d, as well as Kepler-138b, orbit the red dwarf star Kepler-138.

• Kepler-138 b is a smaller planetary companion that orbits the star Kepler-138.
• The star is smaller and cooler than the Sun, a yellow dwarf star.
• These had previously been discovered by NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope.

ii.The exoplanets, Kepler-138c and Kepler-138d, have substantially lower densities than Earth, but have volumes more than three times that of Earth and masses twice as large.
iii.Kepler-138c and Kepler-138d are made up of components that are lighter than rock (rocky planets like Earth) but heavier than hydrogen or helium (gas-giant planets like Jupiter).
iv.The scientists also discovered a fourth planet in the Kepler planetary system, Kepler-138 e, which is in the habitable zone.

• A detailed assessment of this Kepler-138 planetary system by the University of Montreal team was published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
• It provides the strongest evidence to date in support of the long-theorized existence of water worlds, a type of planet.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers 2022 – December 17The International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers is annually observed across the world on 17th December to focus attention on the hate crimes committed against sex workers across the globe.
The day also aims to empower sex workers to come together against discrimination and remember the victims of violence.

• The global observance of the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers is led by the NSWP – Global Network of Sex Work Projects. 
• The first International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers was observed on 17th December 2003 as a memorial and vigil for the victims of the Green River Killer in Seattle, Washington, United States of America.
• ‘Red Umbrella’ is the symbol of sex workers’ rights across the globe.

About NSWP – Global Network of Sex Work Projects:
President– Phelister Abdalla
Global Secretariat– Edinburgh, Scotland, the United Kingdom
>> Read Full News

STATE NEWS

Tamil Nadu Introduces “Friends of Library” Scheme to Promote ReadingAnbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, Minister of School Education, Government of Tamil Nadu (TN), has introduced the “Friends of Library” scheme, which would personally deliver books to people who are unable to visit state-run libraries.
i.The scheme will benefit differently abled people, senior citizens, children, and hospital in-patients, among others, who are unable to visit a library, and the help of volunteers will be employed for this objective.
TN CM Stalin Launches Scheme to Protect Welfare of Sanitation Workers
Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin (M.K. Stalin), Chief Minister (CM) of Tamil Nadu (TN), inaugurated the “Sanitation Workers’ Development Scheme” to protect the welfare of conservancy workers in TN during a ceremony held at the Arignar Anna Complex, headquarters of Madurai Corporation, in TN.

• The CM also introduced a sanitation worker logo and launched a mobile app called SHWAS (Sanitation Workers Health Welfare and Safety) to assist in the identification and collection of sanitation worker census data.

About Tamil Nadu (TN):
Chief Minister – Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin
Governor – Ravindra Narayan Ravi (R.N. Ravi)
National Parks – Guindy National Park; Gulf of Mannar Marine Park
Wildlife Sanctuaries (WLS) – Mudumalai WLS; Mundanthurai WLS
>> Read Full News

Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangma inaugurates Football stadium at PA Sangma Sports Complex, Tura On 16th December 2022, Meghalaya Chief Minister(CM) Conrad K Sangma inaugurated a Football Stadium at the PA Sangma Sports Complex at Dakopgre in Tura, Meghalaya.

• The stadium was originally constructed in 2006 by the Late P.A. Sangma and the Stadium was named after him.
• The upgradation of this stadium was funded by the Ministry of Minority Affairs and the Meghalaya Government.

Key Points:
i. The stadium hosted both the Subroto Cup and the Tura Football League in 2006. Additionally, it has served as the focal point of important non-sport-related events in the state, particularly during Republic Day and Independence Day celebrations.
ii. The Stadium is India’s largest engineered composite football stadium with a sizable seating capacity of 9,500.
iii. It is a part of a sports complex built for Rs 127.7 crore, which is also nearing completion.
iv. The stadium and the 2 indoor stadiums take up over 17,000 square metres (sqm) of area.
v. By December 2023, the indoor stadiums, along with a gymnasium, swimming pool (25m x 20m), table tennis hall, squash hall (4 courts), and badminton hall (6 courts), will be ready for use.
Event:
i. The inauguration included an exhibition match between the Meghalaya State team and a team sent by North East United Football Club.
ii. The Honourable Chief Minister, Conrad K. Sangma was the Chief Guest at the occasion and James Sangma, Hon’ble Minister for Health and Family Welfare Department etc., Govt. of Meghalaya, was the Guest of Honour.
Stadiums to be Unveiled:
i. The upgradation of the Jawaharlal Nehru (JN) Stadium (Polo Ground) in Shillong, Meghalaya, will be complete in March 2023.
ii. The Wahiajer Stadium near Jowai, Meghalaya, is another marquee project ready to be unveiled in January 2023.
iii. A new state-of-the-art world-class indoor stadium is being built, which includes a shooting range, badminton court basketball court, and convention spaces.
About the Ministry of Minority Affairs:
Union Minister- Smriti Zubin Irani (Constituency- Amethi, Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of State- John Barla (Constituency- Alipurduars, West Bengal)
Establishment- 2006
About Meghalaya:
Chief Minister- Conrad K Sangma
Governor- Brig. (Dr.) Mishra (Retd.)
Zoological Park- Lady Hydari Park, Nehru Park Cum Mini Zoo

Mangaluru International Airport received ACI accreditation

Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) has received the certificate of accreditation from the Airports Council International (ACI) for level 2 of the airport customer experience accreditation programme.
The accreditation was issued on 14th December 2022, and it is valid for a year.

• The certificate recognises the commitment of MIA to continue with its customer experience improvement.
• It aims to further strengthen the continued endeavour of this Gateway To Goodness’ to enhance customer experience enhancement.

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List of Current Governors in India – AUGUST 2022

List of Current Chief Ministers in India – AUGUST 2022

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