Current Affairs 19 February 2022

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 19 February 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

Ministry of Power notifies Green Hydrogen/ Green Ammonia Policy

On the lines of the National Hydrogen Mission (NHM), on February 17, 2022, the Ministry of Power notified the Green Hydrogen/ Green Ammonia Policy for implementation by the concerned stakeholders.
Key highlights of Policy:
i.Green Hydrogen / Ammonia manufacturers may purchase renewable power from the power exchange or set up renewable energy capacity themselves or through any other developer, anywhere.

• Green Hydrogen /Green Ammonia plants will be granted open access for sourcing of renewable energy (RE) within 15 days of receipt of application.

ii.These manufacturer can bank his unconsumed RE, up to 30 days, with the distribution company and take it back when required.
iii.There will be waiver of inter-state transmission charges for a period of 25 years to the  producers of Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia for the projects commissioned before June 30, 2025.
iv.To ensure ease of doing business a single portal for carrying out all the activities including statutory clearances in a time bound manner will be set up by MNRE.
v.Connectivity, at the generation end and the Green Hydrogen / Green Ammonia manufacturing end, to the ISTS for RE capacity set up for the purpose of manufacturing Green Hydrogen / Green Ammonia will be granted on priority under Electricity (Transmission System Planning, Development and Recovery of Inter-State Transmission Charges) Rules, 2021.
Click here for Official notification 
Need behind this policy:
i.The implementation of this policy will enable the people to get clean fuel. This will reduce dependence on fossil fuel and also reduce crude oil imports. It will also cater to the objective of making India as an export Hub for Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia. 
ii.It promotes RE generation and thus will help in meeting the international commitments for clean energy.
About National Hydrogen Mission (NHM):
It was launched on India’s 75th Independence Day (i.e. 15th August, 2021) by the Prime Minister (PM) of India Narendra Modi. It aims to aid the government in meeting its climate targets and making India a green hydrogen hub. 

• It will help in meeting the target of production of 5 million tonnes of Green hydrogen by 2030.

Ministry of Tourism & Alliance Air Aviation sign MoU to promote Domestic Tourism in India

The Ministry of Tourism , signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Alliance Air Aviation Limited (AAAL) to boost tourism across in India.
Objective:
To provide an integrated marketing and promotional strategy and a synergised campaign in association with the AAAL. 
Signatories:
The agreement was signed in New Delhi by Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism and Vineet Sood, Chief Executive Officer on behalf of
 Alliance Air Aviation Limited.
Key points:
i.The agreement was signed to achieve the common purpose of joint domestic promotion and considering the need to synergise the activities of MoT and AAAL in the tourism markets.
ii.Alliance Air is  promoting the “Regional Connectivity Scheme” (RCS) of the Government of India which is being promoted under the UDAN- (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme.
About Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN):
i.Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) was launched as a Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 2016.
ii.It is a regional airport development programme of upgrading underserviced air routes
About  Ministry of Tourism :
Cabinet Minister- G. Kishan Reddy (Secunderabad, Telangana)
Minister of State- Shripad Yesso Naik (North Goa, Goa), Ajay Bhatt (Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar, Uttarakhand)

Sarbananda Sonowal Virtually Inaugurated India’s 1st Water Taxi Service in Maharashtra

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, virtually inaugurated India’s 1st water taxi service to enable faster connectivity between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra. While the Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated the newly constructed Belapur jetty.
About India’s 1st water taxi service
i.The services will commence the Domestic Cruise Terminal (DCT) and will connect the nearby locations at Nerul, Belapur, Elephanta island and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT).
ii.Apart from the water taxi, some more jetties are proposed in Mumbai Harbour area. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is collaborating with the coastal states on various projects for port development, fisheries development, jetty construction, and skills development.
About Belapur jetty
i.It is built at a cost of Rs. 8.37 crore. It was funded in the 50-50 model under the Sagarmala scheme of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
ii.The jetty will enable movement of vessels to locations such as Bhaucha Dhakka, Mandwa, Elephanta and Karanja.
Key Points:
i.131 projects worth Rs 1.05 lakh crore have been earmarked for Maharashtra. Of these, financial assistance of Rs 2,078 crore will be provided to 46 projects under Sagarmala scheme of Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

• These projects will boost tourism and employment generation.

ii.Notably, the first railway service in the country was also started between Mumbai and Thane.
iii.For upliftment of the fishing community, four fishing harbour projects have been sanctioned for funding under Sagarmala. Stage II expansion of Mirkawada Fishing Harbour in Ratnagiri District have been completed, modernization of Sassoon Dock and development of Karanja in Raigad and Anandwadi in Sindhudurg district are under implementation.

Government Extends Capacity Development Scheme till March 31,2026The Union Cabinet approved for the continuation of the Capacity Development (CD) scheme of Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) till 31st March 2026 or further review, whichever is earlier with an outlay of Rs. 3,179 crore approved during 15th Finance Commission.
Key Points:
i.The scheme comprises the main scheme, capacity development and two sub schemes viz. support for statistical strengthening (SSS) and economic census (EC).
ii.The CD scheme is an ongoing central sector scheme (CSS) of the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) with an overall objective to augment infrastructural, technical and manpower resources for enabling availability of credible and timely official statistics.
iii.The CD scheme contains all statistical and data management activities of MoSPI that generates and maintains the official statistical system of India.
iv.The scheme also facilitates evidence-based decision making and for policy planning by the government.
About Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI):
Ministers of state (independent Charges) – Rao Inderjit Singh (Gurugram, Haryana)
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GoI has Approved Phase II of Inter-Operable Criminal Justice System Under MHAThe Government of India (GoI) has approved the central sector scheme “ Inter-Operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) Phase II”  from 2022-23 to 2025-26, under the guidance of the Union Minister of Home Affairs (MHA). The ICJS Phase II works with the principle of ‘one data one entry’.
i.The project will be implemented as a Central Sector Scheme at a total cost of Rs. 3,375 crore.
ii.National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) will implement the project in association with National Informatics Centre (NIC).
Features of the Scheme:
i.The ICJS system will be available through a dedicated and secure cloud-based infrastructure with high speed connectivity.
ii.The ICJS project is a step towards effective and modern policing.
iii.The project will be implemented in States and Union Territories.
About Inter-Operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS):
ICJS is a national platform for enabling integration of the IT system which is used to deliver Criminal Justice in the country under 5 pillars:

• Police (Crime and Criminal Tracking and Network Systems – CCTNS)
• e-Forensics for Forensic Labs
• e-Courts for Courts
• e-Prosecution for Public Prosecutors
• e-Prisons for Prisons. 

In Phase II of ICJS, data is entered only once in one pillar and the same is available in all other pillars without the need to re-enter the data in each pillar.
Note:
In Phase I of ICJS, individual IT systems have been implemented and stabilised and also search of records have been enabled on these systems.
About National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB):
Director – Vivek Gogia
Established – 1986
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi

Rajasthan Tops Solar Electrification under Saubhagya SchemeRajasthan has the maximum households electrified through the ‘solar-based standalone system’ under the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana – ‘Saubhagya’ scheme launched by the Centre in October 2017.

• Aim – To achieve universal household electrification by providing last mile grid connectivity and electricity connections to all households in rural and all poor households in urban areas.

About Saubhagya scheme:
i.The scheme was launched with an outlay of Rs. 16,320 crore including Gross Budgetary Support of 12,320 crores. Hill states of Himachal Pradesh (HP) and Sikkim including  Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) had no beneficiaries under the scheme.
ii.Under the Saubhagya scheme, around 1,23,682 households were electrified in Rajasthan, followed by Chhattisgarh (65,373), Uttar Pradesh (53,234), Assam (50,754), Bihar (39,100), Maharashtra (30,538), Odisha (13,735), Madhya Pradesh (12,651).
iii.Under the Saubhagya Scheme, 2.817 crore households were electrified up to 31st March 2021, including 4.16 lakh through solar-based standalone systems.
iv.The provision of solar based standalone systems were also provided across un-electrified households where grid extension is neither feasible nor cost effective.
About Ministry of Power:
Union Minister – Raj Kumar Singh (Arrah, Bihar)
Minister of state – Krishan Pal (Faridabad, Haryana)

GoI Reduced Agri-cess on Crude Palm Oil From 7.5% To 5% 

The Government of India(GoI) has reduced agri-cess for crude palm oil (CPO) from 7.5% to 5% with effect from 12th February 2022. Following the reduction of the agri-cess, the import tax gap between CPO and Refined Palm Oil has increased to 8.25%. 

• This will benefit the domestic edible oil refiners and also check the prices of cooking oils.
• The GoI has also extended the current basic rate of import duty of 0% on CPO, crude soyabean oil and crude sunflower oil till September 30, 2022.

Cess is a kind of special-purpose tax which is levied over and above basic tax rates. 
The Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess (AIDC) is a tax that the government imposes on the commercial production of agricultural produce.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

UNCTAD: Global Trade Hits Record High of USD 28.5 Trillion in 2021; Likely to Subdued in 2022According to the Global Trade Update (February 2022) published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development(UNCTAD), global trade in goods and services has reached a record high of USD 28.5 trillion in 2021, an increase of around 25% relative to 2020 and an increase of around 13% relative to the pre-COVID-19 level of 2019.

• The increased growth during the last quarter (Q4) of 2021 is expected to slow in the first quarter (Q1) of 2022 and normalise during 2022. 

Global trade trends:
i.Most of the increase in global trade took place during the first half of 2021, which continued into the second half of 2021.
ii.Following the slow 3rd quarter of 2021, the growth increased in Q4 2021 when the value of global trade increased by 3% relative to Q3 of 2021. 
Trends in major economies: The trade of developing countries outperformed that of developed countries in Q4 2021, and South-South trade growth was above the global average.
Outlook: The growth of international trade in 2021 was resulted due to the increases in commodity prices, subsiding pandemic restrictions, and a strong recovery in demand due to economic stimulus packages.
World trade 2022:
i.The evolution of world trade in 2022 is likely to be affected by 5 factors: 

• Slower than expected economic growth
• Continuing challenges for global supply chains
• Trade agreements and regionalization trends
• Transition towards a greener global economy
• Rising concerns about debt sustainability

India’s Imports and exports: 
i.Goods: 

• In Q4 2021, the exports of India increased by 25% relative to the 2019 average and decreased by 1% compared to Q3 2021. 
• In Q4 2021, the imports of India increased by 32% relative to the 2019 average and they increased by 4% relative to Q3 2021. 

ii.Services: 

• In Q3 2021, the exports of India increased by 7% relative to the 2019 average and increased by 17% compared to Q2 2021. 
• In Q3 2021, the imports of India increased by 3% relative to the 2019 average and they increased by 18% relative to Q2 2021. 

iii.The Export performance and Export volatility of India in Q4 of 2021 is 0.61 and 0.24 respectively. 
About United Nations Conference on Trade and Development(UNCTAD):
Secretary-General– Rebeca Grynspan (Costa Rica)
Headquarters– Geneva, Switzerland

Nepal becomes 1st Foreign Country to Deploy India’s UPI

Nepal has become the first country outside of India to adopt India’s UPI (Unified Payments Interface) system thus enhancing digitalization of cash transactions.

• The services for the same in Nepal will be provided by the NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL), the international arm of NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India), in collaboration with Gateway Payments Service (GPS) and Manam Infotech.
• NIPL has partnered Gateway Payments Service (GPS), an authorised payment system operator in Nepal, and Bengaluru-based Manam Infotech.

Key Points:
i.This adoption will boost interoperable real-time person-to-person (P2P) and person-to-merchant (P2M) transactions in Nepal.
ii.It will also cater to the objectives of the Nepal Government and Nepal Rastra Bank as the Central bank.
iii.In 2021, UPI enabled 3,900 crore financial transactions valuing USD 940 billion, which is equivalent to approximately 31 per cent of India’s GDP.
iv.This is NIPL’s fourth international partnership after Singapore, Bhutan and UAE.Before this, NIPL has also forged partnerships in Singapore and Bhutan for accepting UPI QR-based payments.
About Nepal:
Capital– Kathmandu
Currency– Nepalese rupee
Prime Minister– Sher Bahadur Deuba

BANKING & FINANCE

BSE Ebix Partners with LIC for Distribution of Insurance ProductsOn 17th February 2022 BSE Ebix Insurance Broking Pvt. Ltd., a joint venture of BSE and Ebix Fincorp Exchange Pvt. Ltd., signed an insurance broker agreement for the distribution of Life Insurance Corporation’s (LIC) products.

• Aim – To offer customer centric solutions backed by technological innovations and best in class services.

Highlights:
i.Under this agreement, BSE Ebix will offer their clients insurance products offered by LIC such as Life and Health, using its omni-channel digital presence.
ii.BSE-EBIX aims to reach every citizen of India and provide insurance solutions to customers. 
About BSE:
BSE (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange) established in 1875, is Asia’s first, India’s leading exchange group and the world’s fastest Stock Exchange with a speed of 6 microseconds. 
About BSE Ebix:
BSE Ebix had beta launched its operations on February 7, 2020, with the offering of private car and two-wheeler auto insurance. 
Headquarters – Mumbai – Maharashtra
Chairman & CEO – Robin Raina

Kotak Mahindra Bank, Ezetap Partners to Offer Integrated PoS SolutionsIn February 2022, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd has partnered with Ezetap to provide integrated point of sale (PoS) solutions across 4,000 locations in India to increase its PoS product base across merchant segments, including retail enterprises and government customers.
Key Points:
i.The partnership will enable the bank’s merchants who are mostly preferring to pay through cards or digitally through their apps over cash to make payments using Ezetap’s integrated solution to avail various value-added services through its PoS product.
ii.The partnership will strengthen the bank’s presence in the digital payments market space.
iii.PoS Device: They are the electronic devices that will be used by retail merchants like grocery or any other category of retail business to collect payments against the goods and services from customers through non-cash modes like debit and credit cards, QR (Quick Response) code or even SMS.
About Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd:
Establishment – 2003
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
MD & CEO – Uday Kotak
Tagline – Let’s Make Money Simple

RBI cancels licence of Maharashtra’s Mantha Urban Cooperative Bank 

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the licence of Mantha Urban Cooperative Bank Ltd., Mantha, District Jalna, Maharashtra. In this regard, the bank ceases to carry on banking business w.e.f. February 16, 2022 to safeguard the interests of its depositors.

• The apex bank also prohibited the cooperative bank from conducting the business of ‘banking’ which includes acceptance of deposits and repayment of deposits as defined in Section 5(b) read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation (BR) Act, 1949 with immediate effect.

Reason behind closing of Mantha Urban Cooperative Bank Ltd.
i.The bank does not have adequate capital and earning prospects. It does not comply with the provisions of section 11(1) and section 22 (3) (d) read with section 56 of the BR, 1949.
ii.It also failed to comply with the requirements of section 22(3) (a), 22 (3) (b), 22(3)(c), 22(3) (d) and 22(3)(e) read with section 56 of the BR Act, 1949.
Point to be noted:
i.On liquidation, every depositor is entitled to receive deposit insurance claim amount of his/her deposits up to a monetary ceiling of Rs 5,00,000/- (Rupees Five lakh only) from Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) subject to the provisions of the DICGC Act, 1961. 
ii.As per the data submitted by the bank, more than 99% of the depositors are entitled to receive full amount of their deposits from DICGC.As on January 27, 2022, DICGC has sanctioned ₹39.95 crore of the total insured deposits under the provisions of Section 18A of the DICGC Act, 1961 based on the willingness received from the concerned depositors of the bank.
About Reserve Bank of India (RBI):
Establishment– April 1, 1935
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Governor– Shaktikanta Das
Deputy Governors– Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, M. Rajeshwar Rao, T. Rabi Sankar

JusPay Launches ‘Openppi’ Software For Interoperablility of PPIsOn 17th February 2022 JusPay, a Softbank-backed digital payments infrastructure provider announced a software stack named ‘OpenPPI’ that helps Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs) such as digital wallets implement and comply with Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) PPI interoperability rules.

• Implementing PPI Interoperability will increase the adoption of Unified Payment Interface (UPI) and PPIs.

Highlights:

i.The OpenPPI solution will enable interoperability for PPIs through the UPI and can comply with the new rules using an end-to-end secure cloud solution.

• The rules will accelerate small and convenience payments from cash to PPI instruments and wallets.

ii.In December 2021, Juspay raised USD 60 million(~Rs 457 crore) in a funding round led by SoftBank Vision Fund II (SoftBank invested USD 50 million while remaining from the existing investors VEF and Wellington Management).
What is Interoperability?
Interoperability allows to transfer money by scanning UPI QR code and pay from wallets or cards just like a bank account with multiple possibilities for wallet use.
Note – In May 2022 The RBI said that all prepaid cards and wallets that are full-KYC compliant must be fully interoperable and mutually compatible by March 31, 2022.
 About Reserve Bank of India (RBI):
Establishment – 1st April 1935
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Governor – Shaktikanta Das
Deputy Governors – Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, M. Rajeshwar rao, T.Rabi Sankar

SIDBI Launches ‘Waste to Wealth Creation’ Programme in West Bengal

Sivasubramanian Ramann, Chairman and Managing Director(CMD) of Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) virtually inaugurated the ‘Waste to Wealth Creation’ Programme, designed for the women in Sundarbans in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. 

• The programme is a part of the SIDBI’s Mission Swavalamban which aims to support the artisans to become sustainable. 
• Under this programme, the women will make ornaments and showpieces from the fish scale. 

About Waste to Wealth Creation’ Programme:
i.Under the ‘Waste to Wealth Creation’ Programme, SIDBI will offer benefits to 50 women in directly generating revenues from alternate livelihoods. 
ii.Each of the women will become a trainer for replicating and sharing the knowledge among the other aspiring women. 
SIDBI’s Mission Swavalamban: 
The Mission Swavalamban supports the women entrepreneurs of Baikunthapur in Sunderban in their journey from Subsistence to Sustenance through various interventions under the brand S3Sundari Swavalamban Sarathi in partnership with Baikunthapur Tarun Sangha (BTS).
Additional info:
Under the project “CARE – Cyclone Amphan Rebuilding Efforts”, SIDBI is supporting the women in taking up multifarious cottage-based entrepreneurship on handicrafts, Shop-on-Wheels and others for supporting alternate livelihood. 
About Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI):
SIDBI is the apex regulatory body for the overall licensing and regulation of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise(MSME) finance companies in India.
SIDBI, established under an Act of Parliament in 1990, is operated by the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance
CMD– Sivasubramanian Ramann
Headquarter– Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

SBI Projected India’s GDP Growth For FY22 at 8.8% and Q3 FY22 at 5.8%The report by the State Bank of India’s (SBI) economic research department (ERD), ‘Ecowrap’ has reduced India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth projection for FY22 to 8.8 percent from its earlier forecast of 9.3 percent.

• With the current projection, the real GDP will be around Rs 2.35 lakh crore/1.6 percent more than the pre-pandemic FY20 real GDP of Rs 145.69 lakh crore.
• The SBI’s nowcasting model forecasts the country’s GDP to grow at 5.8 percent in Q3 (October-December, 2022) of FY22.

Key Fact of the report:
i.The report noted that India’s economy was expanded by 8.4 percent in Q2 FY22 but, the GDP growth in that period was slower than the 20.1 percent expansion in Q1 FY22.

• The ‘nowcasting model’ developed by SBI was based on the 41 high-frequency indicators associated with industry activity, service activity, and the global economy.

ii.The report stated delay in liquidity normalisation and further softening impact on government security yields from the current 6.7 percent towards about 6.55 percent.
iii.The high-frequency indicators reported a weakening of demand in Q3 of FY22, which is also continuing to January 2022.
iv.In accordance with the rural demand indicators, two-wheeler and tractor sales have continued to decline since August 2021.
v.In the case of urban demand indicators, consumer durables and passenger vehicle sales have reduced in Q3 FY22. The domestic air traffic also weakened due to the spread of the Omicron variant.
vi.The report stated that the government could offer livelihood loans, up to Rs 50,000 to the rural poor.

• If the government bears a 3 percent interest subsidy, on a portfolio of Rs 50,000 crore, the outlay would be only Rs 1,500 crore during FY23. 

About State Bank of India (SBI):
Establishment – 1 July, 1955
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Managing Directors – C.S. Setty, Ashwani Bhatia, Swaminathan.J, Ashwini Kumar Tewari
Chairman – Dinesh Kumar Khara

NAFED & IOC Signed MoU to Set up BioFuel Projects

On 15th February 2022, the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) for setting up biofuel projects, plants for post-processing of products like Cattle feed and marketing of end products of CBG (Cannabigerol). 

• The MoU was signed in the presence of the senior officials of both NAFED and IOC. 
• The NAFED is committed to working towards a greener and sustainable future.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS       

ICICI Bank’s MD & CEO Sandeep Bakhshi Named Business Standard Banker of the Year 2020-21

Sandeep Bakhshi, Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ICICI Bank, has been named as the Business Standard Banker of the Year 2020-21 for his role in turning around ICICI Bank and changing perceptions of the bank during his three-and-a-half-year tenure as MD and CEO of ICICI Bank.

• He was selected by a jury of five, chaired by S S Mundra, former deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• The criteria for selecting the contenders are, banks with an asset size of Rs 50000 crore and above as of March 2021, and 10% or more growth in profits prior to provisioning in the past 1, 2 and 3-year. 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS         

Adidas appoints Table Tennis player Manika Batra as brand ambassadorAdidas’ sportswear team appointed Indian table tennis player, Manika Batra as the brand ambassador. The partnership focuses on empowering women to realize their dreams, cheering for women to break barriers and boost participation in sports.
Key points:
i.Manika Batra  is the first Indian woman to win gold in table tennis at the Commonwealth Games 2018.
ii.She is the first Indian player to reach the top 10 of the (International Table Tennis Federation) ITTF World rankings in women’s doubles and top 15 in mixed doubles, and the first Indian woman since 2019 to reach the top 50 of the ITTF women’s singles world rankings.
About Adidas:
CEO- Kasper Rorsted
Headquarters- Herzogenaurach, Germany
Founded – 1949

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Indian Navy Test Fires BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile

On 18th February 2022 Indian Navy’s warship INS Visakhapatnam, a type of stealth guided missile destroyer carried out the test-firing of the advanced sea to sea variant of  BrahMos supersonic cruise missile off the western seaboard.

• BrahMos is the main weapon system of the Indian Navy warships and has been deployed on almost all of its surface platforms.
• BrahMos Aerospace, an India-Russian joint venture, produces the supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or from land platforms.

Highlights:
i.The warship which has reached Visakhapatnam will take part in the President’s Fleet Review that will be held on 21st February 2022.
ii.The missile was tested from the latest warship of the Indian Navy, INS Visakhapatnam which was inducted recently.
Note – An underwater version is also being developed which will be used by the submarines of India as well as exported to friendly foreign nations.
About Indian Navy:
Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) – R. Hari Kumar
Integrated Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi

BOOKS & AUTHORS

A new book ‘’A History of Sriniketan: Rabindranath Tagore’s Pioneering Work in Rural Construction” authored by Uma Das Gupta released

The book titled “A History of Sriniketan: Rabindranath Tagore’s Pioneering Work in Rural Construction ” authored  by Uma Das Gupta and published under Niyogi Books ‘Paper Missile’ released.
i.The book contains Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s work in ‘village reconstruction’ by setting up ‘Sriniketan’, a wing of his Visva Bharati International University at Santiniketan in 1922 , which is also popularly known  as a university town.

• It is situated in West Bengal.

ii.The book highlights the efforts of Rabindranath Tagore in  improving the condition of the peasantry by using scientific methods of cultivation through laboratory experiments where the expert and the peasant collectively participated.
iii.The book  also explores Tagore’s attempt to inspire the deprived sections of rural society to self-reliance and to make them economically independent.
Other books of Uma Das Gupta:

• Rabindranath Tagore: A Biography
• The Oxford India Tagore: Selected Essays on Education and Nationalism

• A Difficult Friendship: Letters of Rabindranath Tagore and Edward Thompson, 1913-1940
• Friendships of ‘largeness and freedom’: Andrews, Tagore, and Gandhi

Microsoft Co-founder Bill Gates Authored a New Book “How To Prevent The Next Pandemic”Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, has authored a new book titled “How To Prevent The Next Pandemic” which will be published in May 2022. 
The book is being published by Knopf in the United States (US) and Penguin Random House internationally. 
About the book:
i.The book features the specific steps to stop future pandemics and provide better health care for everyone around the world. 
ii.The book outlines the lessons that can be learned from the pandemic, the innovations needed to save lives, and the new tools needed to stop the pathogens early and equitably. 
iii.The book also features conversations with public health leaders like Anthony Fauci and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. 
About Bill Gates: 
i.William Henry Gates III (Bill Gates) was born on 28th October 1955 in Seattle, Washington, US. 
ii.In 1975, he co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 
iii.He along with his then-wife Melinda French Gates established the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000. 
iii.He was honoured with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour of US in 2016 for philanthropic efforts.
Other books:

• How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need
• Business @ the Speed of Thought: Succeeding in the Digital Economy
• The Road Ahead

STATE NEWS

MP Govt Announces Welfare Schemes On Ravidas Jayanti

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister  (CM) Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced welfare schemes for Scheduled Caste (SC) communities, including one related to self-employment on the occasion of birth anniversary of Guru Ravidas, 16th February. He made an immense contribution towards upliftment of Scheduled Caste (SC) communities.

• The MP government  announced that the Global Skill Park, to be  built in Bhopal and it would be named after Guru Ravidas.

Key points:
i.The government will expand the reach of the ‘Deendayal Antyodaya Rasoi Yojana’ to eliminate  hunger and malnourishment.
ii.The govt. will launch  ‘Sant Ravidas Swarozgar Yojana’, to provide self-employment opportunities. The  loans up to Rs 25 lakh will be made available, for which the government will pay 5 percent interest.
iii.The govt. is initiating  Chief Minister’s Scheduled Caste Special Project, under which a grant of up to Rs 2 crore will be given to SC youths for self-employment, skill up-gradation and innovation.
iv.Another scheme ‘Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Economic Welfare’ will be launched under which loans up to Rs 1 lakh will be provided for purchasing low-cost equipment or to cover requirements for small capital.
About Guru Ravidas:

• He is the 15th to 16th century CE Indian mystic poet-saint of the Bhakti movement and founder of the Ravidassia religion.
• He was also a social reformer and spiritual figure who contributed for removal of social divisions of caste and gender and promoted unity in the pursuit of personal spiritual freedoms.

About Madhya Pradesh:
Governor- Mangubhai C. Patel
UNESCO World Heritage Site- Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka (2003)
Bird Sanctuary- Kharmor Bird Sanctuary

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