Current Affairs 23 & 24 January 2022

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 23 & 24 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.

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

NITI Aayog, RMI & RMI India release report ‘Banking on Electric Vehicles in India’i.NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog in collaboration with Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), and RMI India released a report titled ‘Banking on Electric Vehicles in India- A Blueprint for Inclusion of EVs in Priority Sector Lending Guidelines’.
ii.It has proposed the government to include Electric Vehicle (EVs) in the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) priority-sector lending (PSL) guidelines to boost retail lending for EVs and to support the decarbonization of road transport.
About NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog:
Establishment–2015
CEO– Amitabh Kant
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
About Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI):
Establishment – 1982
Headquarters – Basalt, Colorado, US
>> Read Full News

Haryana & HP Government Signs MoU for Construction of Adi Badri Dam to Revive Saraswati River

On 21st January 2022 the governments of Himachal Pradesh (HP) and Haryana signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the construction of a Adi Badri dam on 77 acres in HP near the Adi Badri area of Yamunanagar, Haryana for the revival of the Saraswati river.

• The MoU was signed at Panchkula by the Chief Secretaries of Himachal Pradesh (HP) & Haryana in the presence of Chief Ministers (CMs) Jai Ram Thakur (HP) and Manohar Lal Khattar (Haryana).

About the Dam:
i.The construction of Adi Badri dam is estimated to cost Rs 215.35 crore and will ensure continuous flow of 20 cubic second (cusec) water in Saraswati river throughout the year.

• The area will also get developed as a pilgrimage site.

ii.The construction of the dam will assign water flow of 3.92 hectare metres water per annum for HP drinking water requirements, and 57.96 hectare metres for irrigation water demand in project-affected habitations of HP.
About Haryana:
Governor – Bandaru Dattatreya
Dance – Ras Leela, Phag Dance, Daph Dance, Dhamal Dance
Dams – Kaushalya Dam, Ottu barrage, Tajewala Barrage
>> Read Full News

Department of Food & Public Distribution Develops Roadmap for OSMOn 21st January 2022 India’s Department of Food and Public Distribution (DoF&PD) under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution with its principal agency, Food Corporation of India (FCI) has developed a roadmap for the development of Online Storage Management (OSM).

• The Roadmap was presented in the meeting under the Chairmanship of Secretary (Food) and attended by Food Secretaries of all Decentralised Procurement (DCP) States, FCI.

Aim – To ensure a single source of information for the food grains stored in India for the central pool through integrating State portals with the central portal.
About OSM:
i.The OSM will develop storage management applications across the DCP States that are capable of capturing the Minimum Storage Specifications (MSS).

• These MSSs are capable of computing storage capacity, point-wise stock position, stack wise details of stock position, truck wise information, quality parameters, and distribution.

ii.The OSM will improve efficiency and transparency in stocking, storage, movement and distribution of food grains and is expected to be completed by March 2022.

• It reduces the cost of food storage and distribution by checking leakages in the entire process.

iii.A total of 16 States (Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand and West Bengal) have given assurance to commit to the implementation of storage management applications with MSSs and integrate them with the central portal.
About Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution:
Union Minister – Piyush Goyal (Rajya Sabha Maharashtra)
Minister of State – Ashwini Kumar Choubey (Buxar, Bihar); Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti (Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh)

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

G20 People’s Climate Vote 2021 Report: 67% of India’s Youth consider Climate Change as Global emergencyThe United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and University of Oxford has released the ‘G20 People’s Climate Vote 2021 report’, which reveals that in India around 67 percent of the young population under the age of 18 years considers climate change a global emergency, compared to about 58 percent adults.

• From India, a sample size of 34,749 adults and 31,390 under 18 years was taken for the G20 People’s Climate Vote 2021 Report by the UNDP and the Oxford University.
• UNDP India announced their partnership with the leading content creator and actress Prajakta Koli, and appointed her as UNDP India’s 1st Youth Climate Champion.

About United Nations Development Programme (UNDP):
Establishment – 1966 (by General assembly of United Nations)
Headquarters – New York, United States (US)
Administrator – Achim Steiner
>> Read Full News

Highlights of WEF’s Virtual Davos Agenda Summit 2022 

The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) five-day online Davos Agenda summit 2022 was held from 17 to 21 January 2022. The summit is being convened on the theme of ‘The State of the World’.

• The WEF has stated ‘Davos Agenda 2022’ to be the 1st global platform for key world leaders to share their visions for 2022.

Key Points:
i.PM Narendra Modi addressed the Davos Agenda virtually and stated about COVID-19, climate change, cryptocurrency.
ii.PM Modi introduced the ‘P3 (Pro-Planet People) movement’ that underlines India’s climate change commitments at WEF’s Davos Agenda 2022. The P3 movement will help India achieve its sustainable environmental goals.
iii.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a new European Chips Act to support a massive expansion of chip production in the European Union and said the European need for chips will double in the next decade.
iv.WEF announced that it has rescheduled to hold its 2022 annual meeting from May 22 to 26, 2022 (which was originally scheduled for January 17-21) in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland under the theme, ‘working Together, restoring Trust’.
v.As per the report of Oxfam titled ‘Inequality Kills’ released on the WEF’s Davos Agenda 2022 summit, inequality is contributing to the death of at least 21,000 people each day, or one person every 4 seconds.
About World Economic Forum (WEF):
Establishment – 1971
Headquarters – Cologny, Geneva, Switzerland
Founder and Executive Chairman – Klaus Schwab
>> Read Full News

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav attended 4^th Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger ConservationThe 4th Asia Ministerial Conference (AMC) on tiger conservation held in hybrid mode which was organized by the Government of Malaysia and coordinated by the Global Tiger Forum (GTF).

• India was represented by Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). The AMC adopted the Kuala Lumpur Joint Statement which listed 14 commitments.

Key Points:
i.India’s National Tiger Conservation Authority will come out with guidelines or standard operating procedures (SOP) for the reintroduction of tigers that can used by other Tiger Range Countries.

• Notably, India has achieved the remarkable feat of doubling the tiger population in 2018 itself, 4 years ahead of the targeted year 2022.

ii.India will also facilitate Tiger Range Countries towards finalization of New Delhi declaration for the Global Tiger Summit 2022 to be held at Vladivostok, Russia.
iii.In India, the budgetary allocation for tiger conservation has increased from Rs 185 crore in 2014 to Rs 300 crore in 2022.
iv.14 Tiger Reserves in India have already been awarded with international Conservation Assured |Tiger Standards (CA|TS) accreditation viz. Manas, Kaziranga, Orang, Satpura, Pench, Kanha, Panna, Valmiki, Dudhwa, Parambikulam, Mudumalai, Bandipur, Anamalai and Sundarbans.

BANKING & FINANCE

Ujjivan SFB launches Platina Fixed Deposit schemeOn 21 January 2022 Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (SFB) launched ‘Platina Fixed Deposit’ (FD), offering interest of 15 basis points (bps) higher than the regular term deposit rates provided by Ujjivan SFB.

• The Platina FD is a non-callable deposit, where partial & premature withdrawal is not applicable.
• While the interest amount can be received on monthly, quarterly or at the end of the maturity period

Highlights of Platina FD:
i.The general FD for 990 days tenure gives 6.75% interest  for general citizens and 7.50% for senior citizens, while Platina FD offers 6.90% & 7.65% interest rates respectively.
ii.FD limit – minimum amount is ₹20 lakh and maximum amount is ₹2 crore, with tenure ranging from 1 year to 5 years.
About Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (USFB):

• USFB is a ‘scheduled bank’ included in the Second Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
• Commenced banking operations on 1st February 2017

MD & CEO- Ittira Davis
Headquarters- Bangalore, Karnataka

AIIB Invests USD 150 million in Development of Data Centres Serving AsiaAsian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a multilateral development bank has committed USD 150 million to invest in the development of data centres that mostly serve emerging Asia through the Keppel Data Centre Fund II (KDCF II), a closed-end private equity vehicle managed by Alpha Investment Partners Limited (Alpha).

• This project is being AIIB’s 1st data centre project. India is a key founding member of AIIB.

AIIB’s Investment:
i.AIIB invests USD 100 million through a parallel fund structure and USD 50 million through co-investments in KDCF II. AIIB will invest in the fund as a Limited Partner.

• The fund is focussed on strategic investments in the fast-growing data centre sector in the Asia Pacific.

ii.AIIB will conduct a prior review of investments presenting significant environmental and social (ES) risks like involuntary resettlement, adverse impacts on Indigenous Peoples, environment, community health and safety.
iii.The project is aligned with AIIB’s thematic priorities of Connectivity and Regional Cooperation, Green Infrastructure and Private Capital Mobilization.
About Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB):
Establishment – 2016
Headquarters – Beijing, China
President and Chair of the Board of Directors – Jin Liqun

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS  

Prajakta Koli named as UNDP India’s 1st Youth Climate ChampionOn 21 January 2022, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India named famous Indian Youtuber and actor Prajakta Koli as India’s first ever ‘Youth Climate Champion’.
Highlights:
i.The partnership will boost the youth participation in climate action and ensure a more sustainable future.
ii.Prajakta Koli, was selected for her immense contribution towards mental health, women’s rights and girl child education through global social campaigns.
About Prajakta Koli:
i.Prajakta Koli is famously known for her YouTube channel – ‘MostlySane’.
ii.In 2021, She joined Google.org to aid grants to non-profits addressing economic inequities faced by women and girls along with other famous youth icons including Shakira, Amanda Gorman, Naomi Osaka.
iii.In 2016 she started a campaign against shaming and online bullying with “Shameless” as part of her campaign #iPledgeToBeMe which was launched on World Mental Health Day (10th October)
About  United Nations Development Programme (UNDP):
Headquarters- New York, United States
Founded– 1965
Administrator-Achim Steiner
Members – 105 members 

Jahnavi Dangeti from AP becomes 1st Indian to complete NASA’s International Air and Space Program

Jahnavi Dangeti(19 years old), an Engineering Student, from Palakollu, West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh (AP), has become the first Indian to undergo and complete the International Air and Space Program(IASP) at the NASA(National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Launch Operations’ Kennedy Space Centre in Alabama, in the United States of America(USA).

• She has previously served as the mission director for ‘Team Kennedy,’ a group of 16 persons from different countries, that launched and landed a tiny rocket.
• She is the vice-president of Space Magica, a new astronaut training facility for kids and the public.
• The International Organization of Aspiring Astronauts (IOAA) has Dangeti as a member.

Oxford University Press Declares “Anxiety” as Children’s Word of the Year 2021

As a part of its annual “Oxford Children’s Language Report 2021: the language of wellbeing in the wake of a global pandemic”, the Oxford University Press(OUP), has declared ‘Anxiety’ as the Children’s Word of the Year 2021.

The annual report focus on children’s engagement with topics ranging from politics, climate change, and natural disasters to books, films, music, technology, and their favourite sports and celebrities.

• Surveying over 8,000 children from across 85 schools in the UK, to choose the top words they would use when talking about health and wellbeing.
• “Anxiety” (21%), “Challenging” (19%), “isolate” (14%) were the children’s top 3 words.

• Previous OPU’s Children’s Word of the Year includes coronavirus (2020), Brexit (2019), plastic (2018), Trump (2017), and refugee (2016).     

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

MoS Som Parkash launched India’s 1^st online platform ‘Spice Xchange India’ to Benefit Spices ExportsIndia’s first virtual platform for spices exports namely ‘Spice Xchange India (spicexchangeindia.com)’ was launched by Minister of state (MoS) Som Parkash, Ministry of Commerce and Industry during a hybrid event held in Kochi, Kerala.

• Notably, India exports 225 different spices and spice products to more than 180 countries.

About Spice Xchange India:
i.Launched by Spices Board India, it is an artificial intelligence (AI)-based 3D virtual platform to connect spice buyers with exporters in India.
ii.It also enables the buyers and sellers to conduct virtual meetings.
iii.This platform will create new business opportunities for the spice sector with the help of technology
About Spices Board India:
Parent Ministry– Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Chairman– AG Thankappan
Headquarter– Kochi, Kerala

ISRO Successfully Tested Liquid propellant-based Vikas Engine for Gaganyaan missionIndian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) has successfully tested its liquid propellant-based High Thrust Vikas engine which is to be used under the Gaganyaan mission. The test was conducted at the ISRO Propulsion Complex in Mahendragri, Tamil Nadu.
On 20th January 2022, the high thrust Vikas Engine has successfully undergone a qualification test for a duration of 25 seconds.
Key Points:
i.The test was done to test the performance of the engine in optimal conditions, such as a change in the fuel-oxidiser ratio or pressure in the fuel chamber.
ii.3 more tests will be conducted, totalling a duration of 75 seconds, to test the engine under various conditions. Following this, a long duration test for 240 seconds will be conducted to qualify the engine for carrying humans to space.
iii.Previously, ISRO has conducted a qualification test for 720 seconds of its cryogenic upper stage.
iv.The engine will also undergo 4 additional tests totalling a duration of 1810 seconds and another engine will undergo 2 short durations and one long-duration test before the cryogenic stage is qualified for the Gaganyaan mission.
Note:
The launch vehicle’s first stage which uses solid propellant is qualified for the mission.
These engines will be used in the launch vehicles which will carry Indian astronauts to space in 2023.

Planet ‘TOI-2180 b’ spotted by NASA Citizen Scientist; PHA 1994 PC1 flies safely by EarthCitizen scientist Tom Jacobs of Bellevue, Washington (United States-US) has discovered a new gaseous planet called ‘TOI-2180 b’ from NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS. The finding was published in the Astronomical Journal.

• It is 379 light-years away.The planet is special because it is 261-day year is long compared to many known gas giants outside our solar system. Its average temperature is about 170 Degrees Fahrenheit (°F) is warmer than room temperature on Earth

Key Points:
i.It is almost three times more massive than Jupiter but has the same diameter, meaning it is more dense than Jupiter.
ii.It should be noted that these citizen scientists use a program called LcTools, created by Alan R. Schmitt, to inspect telescope data by eye while professional astronomers use algorithms to scan tens of thousands of data points from stars automatically.
iii.TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US and managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, US.
PHA 1994 PC1 Flies Safely by Earth
A Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) 7482 (1994 PC1) passed safely close to the Earth’s orbit on January 18, 2022. It passed at a distance of 1.2 million miles or 1.93 million kilometres, at about five times the distance between the Earth and Moon which prevented a mega-disaster.

• It has a diameter of about 1km and is classified as an Apollo asteroid.
• Three other asteroids that made their closest approach to earth on January 18 were 2021 BA, 2022 AW, and 2022 AA6.

Key Points:
i.It came at a distance of below 0.05 astronomical units or 7.5 million km from Earth, a distance which is PHA by astronomers.

• There are over 1,500 PHAs according to the International Astronomical Union.

ii.The asteroid was traveling at a speed of 19.56kmph, relative to Earth, when it flew by us.
iii.Another asteroid will similarly pass the Earth in this vicinity on July 3, 2022.

Ministry of Coal Launches ‘Koyla Darpan’, Portal to Share KPIs Related to the Coal SectorDr Anil Kumar Jain, Secretary, Ministry of Coal, has launched the ‘Koyla Darpan’, a portal to share the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) related to the Coal Sector.
To enable maximum public outreach, the portal can be assessed through the website of the Ministry of coal.
Key People:
Senior Officials of the ministry of coal and Public Sector Undertakings(PSUs), participated in the launch event through video conferencing.
Features of the portal:
In the initial stage, the portal features the following KPIs
i.Coal/Lignite Production.
ii.Coal/Lignite Offtake.
iii.Exploration Data.
iv.Central Sector Schemes.
v.Status of Coal Stock in Thermal Power Plants.
vi.Infrastructure Projects.
vii.Allocation of Blocks (CMSP/MMDR).
viii.Monitoring of Major Coal Mines(CIL).
ix.Coal Price.

China Builds an ‘Artificial Moon’ in Xuzhou for gravity experiment
Chinese scientists have built a research facility, “artificial moon”, located in the city of Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, which will enable them to simulate low-gravity environments using magnetism.  The research facility will also provide valuable research for the lunar exportation activities of China.
Features of the Artificial Moon:
i.The facility will use powerful magnetic fields inside a 2-foot-diameter (60 centimeters) vacuum chamber to make gravity “disappear.” It will be officially launched in 2022.
ii.The chamber, filled with rocks and dust to imitate the lunar surface, is the “first of its kind in the world”.
iii.The facility could maintain such low-gravity conditions for “as long as you want”.
The research facility is also expected to support in determining the possibility of human settlement on the lunar surface.
Background:
i.The idea of the artificial moon research facility was inspired by the experiment of making a frog float with a magnet.
ii.The experiment was devised by Andre Geim, a physicist at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom(UK).
iii.The levitation trick in the artificial-moon chamber comes from an effect called diamagnetic levitation.
Additional info:
i.China has also declared that it will establish a lunar research station on the moon’s south pole by 2029.
ii.The gravity on the moon is one-sixth as powerful as the gravity on Earth due to the Magnetic Field.
iii.In 2022, china developed an ‘artificial sun’ to replicate the nuclear fusion of the sun to provide infinite clean energy.

CSC launches ‘Yogyata’ app to provide skill-based Vocational Education to Rural Youth

Common Services Centers (CSC) launched the “Yogyata” mobile application, which will  provide vocational education and skill enhancement opportunities to youth and citizens living in rural areas.
Highlights:
i.The Yogyata app will reach the rural and remote areas of India to provide opportunities  to access courses on skill development to increase employability of the youth.
ii.The Yogyata App will help in providing industry-based skills to youth in rural areas.
iii.Courses offered include Cyber Security, CAD (Computer Aided Design), and 3D printing etc.
iv.The Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) will help in the enrollment process under the app across the country.
About Common Services Centers (CSC):
CSC Scheme is an initiative by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, to offer web- enabled e-governance services to citizens.

• CSC 2.0 scheme was launched by the Ministry in 2015, expanding its scope.

Headquarters-New Delhi, India

Astronomers Discovered Potato-shaped Exoplanet Named WASP-103b

Astronomers have announced that the Potato shaped planet, initially discovered in 2014, named WASP-103b is located in the constellation “Hercules”, at a distance of about 1,800 light-years from the solar system.

• WASP-103b is a close distance away from its star WASP-103, which is about 50 times closer to its sun than Earth is to its sun.
• The planet cycle takes 22 hours whereas the Earth’s cycle takes 365 days.
• According to the study published in the Astronomy and Astrophysics journal, WASP-103b is the exoplanet with the highest expected deformation signature in its transit light curve and one of the shortest expected spiral-in times.

SPORTS

Ladakh women’s team Won the 9th National Women’s Ice Hockey Championship 2022

The Ladakh women’s ice hockey team has won the 9th National women’s ice hockey championship in 2022. The championship organised by the Ice Hockey Association of India was held in the Kaza in tribal districts Lahaul and Spiti in Himachal Pradesh from 15th to 21st January 2022.

• Chandigarh has been adjudged as the runner of the 2022 championship.
• Participants: Delhi, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Telangana and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.

OBITUARY

Subhas Bhowmick – Veteran Indian Footballer & Coach passed awayOn 22 January 2022, Renowned Indian footballer and coach Subhas Bhowmick, who represented India at the Bronze medal winning 1970 Asian Games, passed away at the age of 71 due to prolonged illness.
i.Subhas Bhowmick was born on 2 October 1950 in Malda, West Bengal.
ii.He represented the two famous football clubs of Kolkata named  football East Bengal FC (Football Club) and Mohun Bagan AC (Athletic Club).
iii.He was a member of the Indian football team that won the Bronze medal in the Asian Games in 1970 and also a member of 1974 Indian team in Asian Games.

• He also represented India in the Merdeka Cup (1971) and Pesta Sukan Tournament.

iv.He also coached the East Bengal football team that won the 2003 ASEAN Cup.

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