Current Affairs 22 January 2022

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 22 January 2022, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2021 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.

Our Current Affairs January 2022 events will help you to get more marks in Banking, Insurance, SSC, Railways, UPSC, CLAT and all State Government Exams. Also, try our Latest Current Affairs Quiz and Monthly Current Affairs 2021 PDF which will be a pedestrian to crack your exams.

Read Current Affairs in CareersCloud APP, Course Name –  Learn Current Affairs – Free Course – Click Here to Download the APP

We are Hiring – Subject Matter Expert | CA Video Creator | Content Developers(Pondicherry)

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Indian Armed Force Selected ‘Saab’ for Supply of Anti-Armour Weapon AT4Swedish defence company ‘Saab’ had been selected by the Indian Armed Force through a competitive programme for the supply of single-shot anti-armour weapon AT4. AT4 will be used by the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force.
Key Points about AT4 weapon:
i.AT4 will be operated by a single soldier and its single-shot system has proven efficacy against structures landing craft helicopters armoured vehicles and personnel.
ii.The order includes the AT4CS AST, which can be fired from confined spaces such as from inside buildings, bunkers and other urban environments.
iii.They are lightweight, fully disposable, and easy to use.
iv.The weapon which weighs around 9 kg and has an effective range of 200m has an 84 mm calibre warhead with enhanced power and performance.
Note – Carl-Gustaf system of Saab is being already used by the Indian Armed Forces.
About Saab
Establishment – 1937
Headquarters – Stockholm, Sweden
President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Micael Johansson

Dr Jitendra Singh Launches 1st of its Kind “Mobile Diagnostic Laboratory” for COVID-19 Testing for Northeast
Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology launched the first of its kind Mobile Covid-19 testing facility, “Mobile Diagnostic Laboratory (I-LAB)”, which is capable of performing both RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription–Polymerase Chain Reaction) and Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for Northeast.
The mobile facility was launched in Mizoram in the virtual presence of Pu Zoramthanga, Chief Minister(CM) of Mizoram.

• The lab was developed by AMTZ (Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone) with support from the Department of Biotechnology(DBT), Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India.

Note:
AMTZ is Asia’s first medical equipment manufacturing ecosystem, uniquely dedicated for Medtech and supported by various Ministries.
About the I-LAB:
i.The mobile facility which can also be utilised for testing other infectious diseases such as Tuberculosis (TB), HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) will remain relevant even after the COVID-19 pandemic.
ii.The unit also has a bio-safety facility.
Additional info:
DBT has established a manufacturing facility in AMTZ to indigenously manufacture various healthcare technologies that are largely imported

India, Sri Lanka extend existing S&T Cooperation for 3 more yearsOn January 20, 2022, India-Sri Lanka 5th Joint Committee on S&T (Science & Technology) Cooperation held virtually which was co-chaired by Sanjeev K Varshney, Advisor, and Head, International Cooperation, Department of Science and Technology (DST), Ministry of Science and Technology, India; and Mrs. Deepa Liyange, Secretary, State Ministry of Skills Development, Vocational Education, Research & Innovations, Sri Lanka.
During the meeting, India and Sri Lanka extended the existing Programme of Cooperation (POC) on S&T for three more years. This extension will focus on new areas such as waste-water technologies, biotech, sustainable agriculture, aerospace engineering, robotics, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, and industrial collaborations.
Key Points from meeting:
i.India’s “Neighborhood First” policy guides India’s cooperation with Sri Lanka.
ii.India offers fellowships like S&T fellowship, e-ITEC (Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation) and both the countries can work through a number of multilateral platforms.

• Under the e-ITEC program, since April 2020, 550 Sri-Lankan nationals have benefitted from training in various Indian institutions in areas like biotech, medical research, renewable energy, etc.

iii.The Indian side presented the overall STI (Science, Technology, and Innovation) Policy and priority areas by showcasing the core mandates of DST.
iv.The Sri-Lankan side also highlighted the scope and status of S&T in their country and its application in various areas of national importance.

PM Modi, Mauritian PM Jugnauth Virtually launched India-assisted Projects in MauritiusOn January 20, 2022, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and the PM of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth virtually inaugurated the India-assisted social housing units project in Mauritius.

• The projects are being implemented as part of the development partnership between India and Mauritius.

Facts about the Projects:
i.Both the PMs have also virtually participated in the foundation stone laying ceremony of two other projects such as the construction of a state-of-the-art Civil Service College, that will help in skilling government officers, and the 8 Mega Watt (MW) Solar PV Farm project.
ii.Two bilateral pacts were exchanged during the ceremony which includes an agreement for the extension of USD 190 million Line of Credit from the Indian to the Mauritian government for the Metro Express project and other infrastructure projects, and an MoU on the implementation of small development projects.
iii.The Social Housing Units project: The total cost of the project is $44.995 million including grant assistance of $20 million and Line of Credit support of $25 million.
iv.The 8 MW Solar PV Farm project: It involves the installation of 25,000 PV cells to generate approximately 14 GWh of green energy annually, to electrify about 10,000 Mauritian households
About Mauritius:
Capital– Port Louis
Currency– Mauritian rupee
>> Read Full News

PM Inaugurates New Circuit House near Somnath Temple; Launches ‘Azadi Ke Amrit Mahotsav se Swarnim Bharat Ki Ore’ On 20th January 2022 Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Circuit House near Somnath Temple in Gujarat through video conferencing. The Circuit House has been built at a cost of over Rs 30 crore.

• PM emphasised Swachcha Bharat Abhiyaan (cleanliness), convenience of the people, facilities and modern thinking to boost India’s domestic tourism.
• The PM insisted on adopting ‘vocal for locals’ that includes local tourism.
• Participants – Chief Minister of Gujarat Bhupendrabhai Patel, state ministers, Members of Parliament, Temple Trust members participated in the function.

PM Narendra Modi also launched ‘Azadi Ke Amrit Mahotsav se Swarnim Bharat Ki Ore’ via video conferencing.

• The launch event was held on the occasion of the 53rd Ascension Anniversary of Pitashri Prajapita Brahma, Founding Father of Brahma Kumaris.

About Gujarat:
Governor – Acharya Devvrat
Stadium – Bilakhia Stadium, CB Patel International Cricket Stadium, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Stadium
Dance – Tippani, Hudo, Padhar
>> Read Full News

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India to Surpass China as World’s 3rd Largest Ethanol Consumer by 2026: IEAAs per the statement of the International Energy Agency (IEA), the India is on course to surpass China as the world’s 3rd largest ethanol consumer by 2026.

• IEA stated that, ethanol demand in India tripled between 2017 and 2021 with consumption expected at 3 crore litres in 2021.
• In January 2021, India brought forward its 20 percent ethanol blending target with gasoline from 2030 to 2025, and is aiming to start selling 20 per cent blends in 2023.
• Being the world’s 3rd largest oil importer and consumer, India imported petroleum products worth more than Rs 1.09 lakh crore in FY21.

Progress in Ethanol Blending:
i.The rates of ethanol blending with gasoline have also increased in India. In 2017, blending stood at 2 percent, but by the summer of 2021 it touched 8 percent, putting the country on track to achieve 10 percent blending in 2022.
ii.IEA projects the India to meet the challenges and achieves its 20 percent blending target in 2025.
iii.India estimates the ethanol blending to reduce the country’s GHG emissions by 19 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2-eq) since 2014.
iv.At present, public sector oil marketing companies are selling 10 percent ethanol blended petrol. The average ethanol blending percentage in petrol for Ethanol Supply Year (December 2020-November 2021) was 8.1 percent. Similarly, 5 percent biodiesel is blended as per availability.
v.India is currently guaranteeing fixed rates for ethanol according to the feedstock, in November, 2021 the government has increased the incentive rates by 1-2 percent.
About Ethanol Blending:
i.As the ethanol molecule contains oxygen, it allows the engine to more completely combust the fuel, resulting in fewer emissions and thereby reducing the occurrence of environmental pollution.
ii.The renewable ethanol content, a by-product of the sugar industry, will reduce the emission of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC).

Indian Navy’s P-8I aircraft participated in ASW Exercise Sea Dragon-22 at Guam, US

P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft of the Indian Navy has participated in the multinational Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Exercise Sea Dragon-22 held at Guam is an unincorporated territory of the United States (US).
Sea Dragon is an annual multinational high-end exercise hosted by the US Navy.

• Quad countries, Canada and South Korea have participated in the 2-week exercise which began on 5th January and concluded on 20th January 2022.
• Naval Aircrafts of US, Japan, India, Canada, Australia and South Korea which includes, P8A, P8I, P1, CP140 and P3C Orion maritime reconnaissance aircraft practised high-end ASW skills.

BANKING & FINANCE

Existing NBFC-ICCs with asset size of Rs 1,000cr & above allowed undertaking Factoring Business: RBIOn January 20, 2022, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued the following regulations after exercising its powers conferred under the Factoring Regulation Act, 2011.

• Registration of Factors (Reserve Bank) Regulations, 2022
• Registration of Assignment of Receivables (Reserve Bank) Regulations, 2022

Provisions of above mentioned regulations:
i.It permits all existing non-deposit taking Non-Banking Finance Company-Investment and Credit Companies (NBFC-ICCs) with asset size of Rs 1,000 crore and above to undertake factoring business, subject to certain conditions.

• This will increase the number of NBFCs eligible to undertake factoring business significantly from 7 to 182.
• Other NBFC-ICCs can also undertake factoring business by registering as NBFC-Factor.

ii.In respect of trade receivables financed through a Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS), the particulars of assignment of receivables will be filed with the Central Registry on behalf of the Factors by the TReDS concerned within 10 days.
Background:
Government of India has recently amended the Factoring Regulation Act, 2011 which widens the scope of companies that can undertake factoring business.

• It also empowers RBI to make the above mentioned regulations.

RBI holds Overnight VRR Auction as GST outflow from Banks tightens Liquidity

On January 20, 2022, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) conducted an Overnight variable rate repo (VRR) auction for Rs 50,000 crore under liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) to infuse liquidity, instead of its usual fixed-rate overnight reverse repo window, as Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection tightened liquidity this week.

• This auction was to stabilize overnight Call Money Market (CMM) rates which have been hardening due to outflows from banks on account of GST payments.

•  The weighted average call money rate also touched 4.3587% showing liquidity stress. This is the first VRR auction since March 2021.

Impact of RBI’s VRR Auction:
i.As against the notified amount of Rs 50,000 crore, RBI received bids aggregating Rs 65,700 crore. It accepted bids aggregating Rs 50,003 crore at the cut-off rate of 4.06 percent at the auction.
ii.As CMM rate touched 4.65% after RBI announced a one-day VRR auction for Rs 50,000 crore.
iii.This VRR auction had the desired impact, with the last trade taking place at 3.35 percent.
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
>> Read Full News

Kotak Mahindra Bank Signs MoU with GIFT SEZ to Boost Financial Services

On 20th January 2022 Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (KMBL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Gujarat International Finance Tec-city – Special Economic Zone (GIFT SEZ) Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of GIFT-City, to improve customer’s overall financial services offerings.
About the MoU:
KMBL and GIFT SEZ will jointly work on promoting the GIFT International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) jurisdiction for Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) structures, holding seminars and knowledge series, ease of doing business along with Global Custody Services.

• Main Focus – To ease market access and cross border activities for the fund management community.

Background:
In May 2021, Kotak Mahindra Bank had issued the first-ever Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) licence to a GIFT IFSC AIF.

• Objective – To provide easy market accessibility for both the domestic and overseas financial entities that plan to set up their operations in the financial & technology gateway of India.

About Gujarat International Finance Tec-city co. ltd. (GIFT-City):
Headquarters – Gandhinagar, Gujarat
MD & Group CEO – Tapan Ray
Chairman – Sudhir Mankad
About Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (KMBL):
Establishment – 2003
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
MD & CEO – Uday Kotak

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

ReNew to set up JV with Fluence for BESS Solutions in IndiaOn January 20, 2022, ReNew Power has signed an agreement with the United States (US) based Fluence to form a 50:50 joint venture (JV) to provide BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) solutions to customers of Indian market, including engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) and asset management services.

• It will provide a solution to ReNew, with 150 MWh (megawatt hour) BESS required for its 300 MW (Mega Watt) peak power project in Karnataka.
• To be managed and operated by an independent management team and board, the JV is expected to start operations in the first half of 2022.

Key Points:
i.The JV will cater to a market projected to reach 27GW/108GWh (Gigawatt hour) by 2030, as per India’s Central Electricity Authority.
ii.It will bring market-leading energy storage technology and global experience to Indian customers by localizing and integrating Fluence’s energy storage products and packages in India
iii.ReNew’s portfolio includes a 300 MW peak power project and a 400 MW round-the-clock power project.
iv.Fluence is a global market leader in energy storage products and services which was founded by AES, a global energy company and Siemens in 2018.

• In 2019, it delivered India’s first BESS project.

About ReNew Power:
Chairman and CEO– Sumant Sinha
Headquarter– Gurugram, Haryana

Reliance Jio & Finland’s University of Oulu signs Pact to Accelerate 6G ResearchOn 20^th January 2022 Jio Platforms (JPL) signed a pact with the University of Oulu, Finland, to accelerate research and standardisation in 6G technology.

• JPL and the University of Oulu will collaborate in Research and Development (R&D) of aerial and space communication, holographic beamforming, 3D-connected intelligence in cybersecurity, microelectronics, and photonics.

About the Collaboration:
i.The collaboration will develop competency with 6G enabled products in the defence, automotive, white goods, industrial machinery, consumer goods, efficient manufacturing, novel personal smart device environments, and experiences such as urban computing and autonomous traffic settings.

• This further extends Jio’s 5G capabilities and will also help in exploring use cases in the 6G technology through R&D.

ii.On 30th December 2021 The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had formed 6 academia-driven task forces under the Technology Innovation Group (TIG) to work on various aspects of the 6G technology, even before the sale of 5G spectrum.
Keynote:
i.Currently, Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) are developing locally relevant 5G use cases using the 5G trial spectrum allotted by the government.
ii.Airtel and Vi have further partnered with enterprise players to develop 5G use cases.
iii.Jio has developed a homegrown 5G stack which will be exported to foreign markets after the process of testing and deployment in pan-India scale.
About Jio Platforms (JPL):
Establishment – October 2019 (as a wholly owned unit of Reliance)
Founder – Mukesh Ambani
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS       

PM Modi Tops List of Most Popular World Leaders with 71% Rating

On 20th January 2022, According to the global rating survey released by the Morning Consult Political Intelligence, Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi has topped the list of Most Popular World Leaders. He topped the global rating amongst world leaders with an approval rating of 71%.  Andrés Manuel López Obrador, President of Mexico has ranked 2nd with 66% rating, followed by Mario Draghi Prime Minister of Italy with a 60% rating.

• The list features 13 World Leaders including Joe Biden, President of United States, Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada with 43%(ranked 6th) and Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia with 41%.

ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year 2021: Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rishabh Pant Included

Indian opener Rohit Sharma, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin were included in the ICC Men’s Test team of 2021 by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

• New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, who led the side to victory in the inaugural World Test Championship, will be the captain of the team.

About the Team:
ICC Men’s Test Team of 2021 – Dimuth Karunaratne (Sri Lanka), Rohit Sharma (India), Kane Williamson (New Zealand), Marnus Labuschagne (Australia), Joe Root (England), Fawad Alam (Pakistan), Rishabh Pant (India), Ravichandran Ashwin (India), Kyle Jamieson (New Zealand), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan), and Hasan Ali (Pakistan).
Note – Rohit Sharma was recently elevated as India’s white-ball captain.
–ICC Women’s ODI Team of the Year for 2021 Includes Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami
On 20^th January 2022 The India players Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami were included in the ICC Women’s ODI Team of the Year for 2021 by the International Cricket Council and England’s Heather Knight is the captain of the team.

• No Indian were named in the ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year for 2021, which is led by Pakistan captain Babar Azam. Also, it was the first time since 2004 no Indian player made the Men’s ODI team of the year.

Note – Smriti Mandhana is the lone Indian in the ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year for 2021.
ICC Women’s ODI Team of the Year for 2021:
Heather Knight (England; captain), Lizelle Lee (South Africa), Alyssa Healy (Australia; wicketkeeper), Mithali Raj (India), Hayley Matthews (West Indies), Marizanne Kapp (South Africa), Shabnim Ismail (South Africa), Fatima Sana (Pakistan), Jhulan Goswami (India), Anisa Mohammed (West Indies),Tammy Beaumont(England).
Note – 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup is scheduled in March in New Zealand.
About International Cricket Council (ICC):
Chairman – Greg Barclay
Headquarters – Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS      

RBI Approves Ex-CAG Vinod Rai as Independent Chairman of Unity SFBOn 20th January 2022, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved the appointment of former comptroller and auditor general (CAG) of India Vinod Rai as independent chairman of Unity Small Finance Bank (Unity SFB).

• Other appointed board members – Former central bank official Sandip Ghose; former chairman and managing director of Syndicate Bank and former deputy managing director of Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) Basant Seth; and former RBL Bank chairman Subhash Kutte.

About Vinod Rai:
i.Prior to the appointment as the independent chairman of Unity SFB, Vinod Rai, who is a former IAS officer has been the chairman of Banks Board Bureau, a body that advises the central government on top-level appointments at public sector banks and ways to address bad loans.
ii.He was also the independent director at Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC) Limited, the holding company of IDFC First Bank for 2 terms.
iii.He has also served in the ministries of finance, commerce and defence.
About Unity SFB:
i.Unity SFB is the 12th small finance bank that was opened with a 51:49 joint venture between Centrum Group and payments company BharatPe.

• RBI bank licensed Unity SFB to take over the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC)  Bank in 2021
• PMC Bank was hit by a Rs 7,000 crore loan scam and has been under the RBI administrator since September 2019.

ii.Unity SFB opened its 1st branch in Mumbai with approximately Rs 1,100 crore of equity capital, over 200,000 customers and an asset base of over Rs.2,400 crore which comes from the existing MSME and MFI credit business of the Centrum Group.
Established – 1st November 2021
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
About Small Finance Bank (SFB):
i.SFBs are the financial institutions that will be established as public limited companies in the private sector under the Companies Act, 2013 and governed by the provisions of RBI Act, 1934 and Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
ii.Capital Requirement: The minimum paid-up capital requirement for setting up SFB is Rs 200 crore with capital adequacy ratio of 15 percent of risk weighted assets on continuous basis.
iii.Eligibility: Resident individuals/professionals with 10 years of experience in banking and finance will be eligible as promoters to set up SFBs.

Mia Amor Mottley sworn in as PM of Barbados for 2nd consecutive termOn 20 January, 2022, the Prime Minister (PM) of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley, was sworn in for a second term. She became Barbados’ eighth and first female Prime Minister elected on May 25, 2018.She is also the first female PM of Barbados to lead a second term as the PM.
About Mia Amor Mottley:
i.She is the eighth person to hold the position of Prime Minister in Barbados and  also Barbados’ first prime minister under a republic system.
ii.She belongs to  Barbados Labor Party (BLP) and secured all 30 seats in the House of Assembly, the lower house of the Barbados Parliament.

• She has been serving as the PM of Barbados since 2018.

iii.Prior to that, she served as one of two Opposition Senators between 1991 and 1994 and also appointed Minister of Education, Youth Affairs and Culture from 1994 to 2001.
About Barbados:
Barbados is a Caribbean island and an independent British Commonwealth nation situated in North America.
Capital– Bridgetown
Currency– Barbados Dollar   

Raghuvendra Tanwar was Appointed as the Chairman of ICHRThe government of India(GoI) has appointed Raghuvendra Tanwar, Professor emeritus of Kurukshetra University(KU), as the chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) for a period of 3 years from the day he assumes office or until further orders.
About Raghuvendra Tanwar:
i.Raghuvendra Tanwar joined the KU as Lecturer in August 1977.
ii.In 1997, he was appointed as an open selection professor and has served as the KU’s dean of academic affairs and dean of social sciences.
iii.He retired in February 2015 and in July 2016 he was appointed as the director of the Haryana Academy of History and Culture.
iv.He is well known for his study of India’s partition (particularly the Punjab), his works based on sources across India and the UK is a day to day reporting of what happened in 1947.
v.His recent studies illustrate the story of India’s partition published by the Publication Division, GoI in English and Hindi.
vi.His well-known works include the biography of Bansi Lal (Bansi Lal: life & times: an illustrated chronicle) and Sir Chhotu Ram.
vii.He was awarded the UGC National Fellowship (Research Award) 2002-2005.
About Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR):
ICHR is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Education, Government of India.
Chairman- Raghuvendra Tanwar
Headquarters- New Delhi, Delhi

SPORTS

ACC U-19 Asia Cup 2021: India Won its 8th U-19 Asia Cup defeating Sri LankaIndia under 19(U-19) cricket Team, led by Yash Dhull has won the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) U-19 Asia Cup 2021, a record eighth title, defeating Sri Lanka by 9 wickets at the match held at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates(UAE). The ACC U-19 Asia Cup is organised by the Asian Cricket Council(ACC).

• The ACC U-19 Asia Cup 2021 is the 9th edition of the ACC Under-19 Cup was held in Dubai and Sharjah, UAE from 23rd December to 31st December 2021.
• UAE hosted the 50 over tournament for the 2nd time after the 2013-2014 edition.

Note:
India dominates the tournament by winning the ACC Under-19 Cup 8 times (including 2021).
In the 5 matches of the 2021 tournament, India has won 4 and lost one match (against Pakistan).
Key Points:

• Player of the Tournament- Harnoor Singh Pannu(India).

Additional info:
i.The first-ever U19 Asia Cup was held in 1989 in Bangladesh.
ii.Pakistan and India were the joint champions of the 2012 edition and Afghanistan has won the tournament in 2017.
iii.The 8th edition of the ACC U-19 Asia Cup was held in Sri Lanka in 2019. India won the tournament against Bangladesh.

IMPORTANT DAYS

DAY-NRLM Celebrates Agri Nutri Garden Week – 10 to 17th January 2022Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) has celebrated the Agri Nutri Garden Week from 10th to 17th January 2022.  The week was observed to encourage the establishment of ‘Agri Nutri Gardens’ in rural households.

• The observance of the week is in line with the Prime Minister(PM) vision to enhance the strength of the Rural Economy.
• Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) works under the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD).

Aim:
To support rural poor households to have Agri Nutri Garden to fulfil the need of the family’s nutrition and any excess production can also be sold for income generation.
Significance:
i.As part of this programme, DAY-NRLM has organized a webinar on 13th January 2022, in which over 2000 women participated from 700 locations.
ii.A total of 76,664 ‘Agri Nutri Gardens’ were established this week against the target of 7500.
iii.The initiative also promotes nutritional awareness, education, and behavioural change in rural areas, involving farm women and schoolchildren, and harnessing traditional knowledge through local recipes to combat malnutrition, as well as implementing nutrition-sensitive agriculture through homestead agriculture and Nutri-garden.
iv.5 State Rural Livelihoods Mission(SRLM)s namely Odisha, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) were presented during the webinar for their best practices and showcased their work towards the establishment of Agri Nutri Gardens.

STATE NEWS

Karnataka launches India’s First AVGC CoE in Bengaluru

On 20 January 2022, Dr C N Ashwath Narayan, Department of Electronics Information Technology Biotechnology and Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka launched the India’s first AVGC Center of Excellence (CoE) (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics) in Mahadevapura, Bengaluru, Karnataka.

• AVGC CoE was launched with pioneering high technology digital media hub under its Innovate Karnataka initiative. It is funded by Department of Electronics Information Technology Biotechnology and Science & Technology.

Key points:
i.Karnataka became India’s first state to set up such an AVGC CoE, it is also the biggest center in Asia.

• In 2012 Karnataka was the first Indian state to introduce an AVGC policy.

ii.The Center also has a Finishing School which offers unique courses such as virtual reality, digital compression, photogrammetry, gamification of education, real-time virtual production, etc.
iii.Currently, India has the stake of  around 10% of the global AVGC market and has the potential to reach 20-25% by 2027. Karnataka accounts for a 20 per cent share of the Indian Entertainment & AVGC industry.
About Karnataka:
Chief Minister(CM) – Basavaraj Bommai
Airport- Mangalore International Airport, Hubballi domestic Airport
Dance- Yakshagana, Dollu Kunitha, Huttari Dance

Jerri Settlement in Reasi District Declared as 1st Milk Village of J&KThe administration of Jammu & Kashmir(J&K) has declared the Jerri settlement (Jerri hamlet) in Reasi district as the first ‘Milk Village’ of the Union Territory(UT). The administration has also sanctioned 57 additional dairy farms under the Integrated Dairy Development Scheme (IDDS) for the hamlet.
At present the Jerri, the Milk Village, which houses 73 individual dairy units with 370 cows, which provides financial security to the local farmers.
Features of IDDS:
i.Under the IDDS, the dairy units of 5 animals are provided with a 50% subsidy.
ii.The scheme also provides a provision for milking machine, bulk milk cooling unit at 50 per cent subsidy (maximum Rs 5 lakh), paneer making machine, khoya making, Dahi making, cream separator, ice cream making machine, butter and ghee making machine (max subsidy Rs 3. 5 lakh), milk van (maximum subsidy Rs 2 lakh), milk ATM subsidy of Rs 5 lakhs.
Additional info:
Naveen Choudhary, Principal Secretary in the Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Department, has directed the Animal Husbandry department to provide a refrigerated van to these farmers on a 50 per cent subsidy.
About Jammu & Kashmir(J&K):
Lieutenant Governor– Manoj Sinha
RAMSAR Sites– Wular Lake, Surinsar-mansar Lakes

HP CM Jai Ram Thakur  launches ‘Apna Kangra’ App to promote local handicrafts through tourism in Himachal Pradesh

On 20 January 2022, the Chief Minister (CM) of Himachal Pradesh (HP),  Jai Ram Thakur launched ‘Apna Kangra’ app and hampers handcrafted by self help groups (SHGs) at Dharamsala, HP. The app aims to provide a hassle-free experience for tourists and to boost sales of local handicrafts.

• The CM also virtually inaugurated Radhe Krishna Cow Sanctuary at Luthan in Jawalamukhi Vidhan Sabha area of Kangra.

Key points:
i.The  ‘Apna Kangra’ app will  empower rural women, employment to youth through tourism,  and facilitate  hospitality services such as hotels, homestays and transport to travelers.

• It will also serve as an e-marketing platform for SHGs products from the Kangra.

ii.The CM extended the medical reimbursement facility to all retired employees (above 70 years of age) of the Himachal Pradesh State Education Board (HPSEB) as availed by the other retired government employees in the HP.

• The initiative will cost the exchequer Rs 1.61 crore annually and will benefit over 750 retired employees.
• The facility to the Board pensioners was discontinued in April 2014.

Welfare initiatives for stray cattles:
i.The Radhe Krishna Cow sanctuary is constructed of around Rs 3.96 crore in Kangra to provide shelter to 1,000 cattles. For the effective implementation of the facilities, the government will levy a cess of Rs. 1 per bottle of liquor.
ii.In 2021, a cow sanctuary at Sunni in Shimla was inaugurated with a capacity to accomodate 500 cows and the govt. of HP is also providing support of Rs 500 per cow to ‘Gau Sadans’ to arrange adequate food.
iii.The govt. of HP initiated schemes  ‘Mukhya Mantri HIMCARE’ to provide medical services to cattles.
About Himachal Pradesh:
Chief Minister (CM) – Jai Ram Thakur
Lake- Parashar Lake,Renuka Lake
Airport- Shimla Airport,Kangra Airport

AgNext partners with NAFED to train FPOs of Maharashtra in Quality Assessment of Pulses

AgNext Technologies signed a partnership agreement with National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) to organize a virtual training and awareness programme for the FPOs (Farmer Producer Organizations) of  Maharashtra on pulse quality assessment.
Objective:
To  train the FPOs about the different market quality standards for toor dal (pigeon pea).
Key points:
i.AgNext partnered with five FPOs  including the Vidarbha Cooperative Marketing Federation (VCMF), Markfed, MahaFPC, Pruthashakti and Vidarbha Agricultural & Allied Producer Company Limited (VAAPCO) to train and create awareness about the quality standards of pulses,particularly toor dal.
ii.The session was attended by FPO leaders, who will in turn train 40,000-50,000 farmers across Maharashtra.

• AgNext used its  ‘SpecX Visio’ device for  physical quality assessment of the pulses.

About National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd.(NAFED):

• National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) registered under the Multi State Co-operative Societies Act.
• It aims to promote cooperative marketing of agricultural produce to benefit the farmers.

Founded- 2 October 1958
Headquarters- New Delhi, Delhi
Chairman-Dr. Bijender Singh
About AgNext Technologies:
CEO & Founder-Taranjeet Singh Bhamra
Headquarter – Mohali, Punjab

*******

***** List of Less Important News – October 2021 – Click Here *****

Click Here View – AC Excluded News

Current Affairs Today (AffairsCloud Today)