We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 25 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
Union Minister Amit Shah releases India’s First ‘District Good Governance Index’; J&K 1st Indian UT with GGI
i.On January 21, 2022, Union Minister Amit Shah, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) virtually released the India’s First ‘District Good Governance Index (DGGI)’ in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) , prepared by Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG) in collaboration with Government of J&K.
ii.It is prepared for the 20 Districts of UT of J&K.
iii.The event was organized by DARPG, GOI and J&K Institute of Management, Public Administration & Rural Development in association with the Centre for Good Governance, Hyderabad.
iv.With this, J&K became the first Indian UT with a Good Governance Index.
About Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA):
Union Minister– Amit Shah (Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat)
Ministers of State (MoS)– Nityanand Rai (Ujiarpur, Bihar); Ajay Kumar Mishra (Kheri, Uttar Pradesh) ; Nisith Pramanik (Coochbehar, West Bengal)
>> Read Full News
Giriraj Singh Releases Revised Rural Area Development Plan Formulation and Implementation Guidelines
Giriraj Singh, Union Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj has released the revised Rural Area Development Plan Formulation and Implementation(RADPFI) Guidelines prepared by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
- He called upon the Panchayati Raj Institutions to take RADPFI Guidelines as “Sankalp Patra” by leveraging an active ownership approach.
- All Panchayat Raj Institutions have a vision for their respective panchayats for the next 25 years up to the Independence Century of India in 2047.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
WEF’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2022: Advances in Digitalization led to Increasing Cyber Incidents
The annual report titled ‘Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2022’ which was released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) during the virtual Davos Agenda summit 2022 revealed that advances in digitalization and their growth due to the COVID-19 have led to increasingly frequent, costly, and damaging cyber incidents.
- Background: The WEF’s 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’. Click here to know more
Key Facts of the Report:
i.The report addressed the gaps in cyber resilience between security-focused executives (e.g. a chief information security officer) and business executives (e.g. a chief executive officer).
ii.In the case of personal cybersecurity, Cyber leaders around the globe have listed ransomware, identity theft, and critical infrastructure failure among their top personal cyber risk concerns.
iii.Ransomware: There was a significant increase in ransomware attacks in the first six months of 2021, and the global attack volume increased by 151 percent. There were on average 270 attacks per organization in 2021, a 31 percent increase over 2020.
- There were over 100 different strains of ransomware are in circulation globally.
iv.Critical findings on how to shift from cybersecurity to cyber resilience (from 120 global cyber leaders) were also presented in the report.
v.59 percent of all respondents were finding it challenging to respond to a cybersecurity incident due to the shortage of skills within their team. 81 percent of respondents believe that digital transformation is the main driver in improving cyber resilience.
Note – Ransomware is a type of malware that infects a computer and restricts users’ access to it until a ransom is paid to unlock it.
About World Economic Forum (WEF):
Establishment – 1971
Headquarters – Cologny, Geneva, Switzerland
Founder and Executive Chairman – Klaus Schwab
Brookings’ Study: India is among the Top 10 Global AI Adopters
India is among the top 10 nations in the world in terms of technological advancements and funding in artificial intelligence (AI), according to findings from a study published by the Brookings Institution.
- India ranks 6th in terms of spending and investments on AI made by the public, governmental initiatives, as well as private institutions and organisations.
- In the list of top 10 AI adopters, United States, China, the United Kingdom, France, Japan and Germany are leading AI achievements ahead of India and Canada, South Korea and Italy are behind India.
Key Points of the Report:
i.India is outside the top 10 in terms of commercial and research initiatives.
ii.Among democratic countries, those with an immature technical environment are more likely than those with a mature one to address ethics and governance.
iii.The study measures the peak computing power that each country has, along with the number of papers published and patents filed in the field of AI.
McKinsey Analytics: The December 2021 report by McKinsey Analytics about India’s state of AI in 2021 found India as the leading adopter of AI among emerging economies, from a commercial, business standpoint.
Deloitte Report: As per the December 2021 report by Deloitte, the Indian retail industry was the highest adopter of AI technologies and services, followed by telecom and fintech.
Note – There are close to 1,09,000 AI personnel working in India across enterprises and sectors.
About Brookings Institution:
Headquarters – Washington, D.C., United States
President – John R. Allen
BANKING & FINANCE
Fullerton India and One97 Communications tie up to Provide Lending Products
Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) Fullerton India and One97 Communications, parent company of Paytm, have joined hands to provide lending products to merchant partners and consumers.
- Under this partnership, Paytm Postpaid/buy-now-pay-later or innovative merchant loan products will be offered to consumers on the Paytm platform while utilising Fullerton’s risk assessment capabilities, and understanding of the segment.
Key Points:
i.Both entities will expand their product offerings to include instant end-to-end digitally originated personal loans.
ii.They will also establish a wide network to cater MSMEs (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises ) across small cities to help them grow their business.
iii.Customers will also be able to repay the loans on this platform.
About Fullerton India:
CEO & MD– Shantanu Mitra
Headquarter– Mumbai, Maharashtra
World Bank Approves Rs 1000 crore Loan to WB for Social Protection Services
The World Bank has approved a loan of USD 125 million (around Rs 1,000 crore) to the government of West Bengal (WB) to support its effort towards social protection service access to the poor and vulnerable groups
- The loan will be sanctioned under the ‘WB Building State Capability for Inclusive Social Protection’ operation which will strengthen the access to social assistance and targeted service for poor and vulnerable groups.
Under the Loan Agreement:
i.The loan will help in improving services such as medical help through telemedicine, support for the elderly and differently-abled, financial inclusion of citizens with digital payments and disbursement of benefits for public schemes.
- There are around 400 programmes in WB that provide social assistance, services and jobs.
ii.The WB government has been running a ‘government at your doorstep’ initiative named ‘Duare Sarkar’, the programme which offers several government schemes’ benefits at the ‘doorstep’.
- The funding will also help in improving the monitoring of doorstep benefit delivery.
About West Bengal:
Governor – Jagdeep Dhankhar
National Parks – Gorumara National Park, Sundarban National Park, Jaldapara National Park
Wildlife Sanctuaries – Jorpokhri Wildlife Sanctuary, Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary, Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary
Indipaisa Partners with Hitachi Payment to Develop Fintech Platform for MSMEs
On 24th January 2022, Hitachi Payment Services partnered with Indipaisa to develop a new Fintech platform for India’s 63 million Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
- Objective – To offer a high-quality digital platform for fintech services at affordable prices for the Indian MSME market.
About the Partnership:
i.The partnership helps in financial inclusion for the marginalised MSMEs with technological know-how, centralised infrastructure and expansive network
ii.Hitachi Payment Services will provide a superior technology framework with its future-ready, digital payment capabilities, for the new Fintech platform for India’s MSMEs.
iii.Indipaisa will offer a range of payment solutions to help India’s MSMEs in growing their businesses and also comply with government tax laws.
About Hitachi Payment Services:
It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd.
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
CEO, Digital Business – Anuj Khosla
Managing Director (MD) – Rustom Irani
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Former Japan PM Shinzo Abe honoured with Netaji Award 2022
On 23rd January 2022, on the occasion of the 125th Birth Anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Netaji Research Bureau, has honoured Shinzo Abe, former Prime Minister(PM) of Japan, with the Netaji Award 2022.
Nakamura Yutaka, the Consul General of Japan received the award on behalf of Shinzo Abe at the event held in Elgin Road residence of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
About Shinzo Abe:
i.Shinzo Abe has served as the Prime Minister(PM) of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2006 to 2007.
ii.The government of India honoured Shinzo Abe with the Padma Vibhushan in 2021 for Public Affairs.
Indian Movie Koozhangal Won the Best Film (Asian) Award at 20th Dhaka International Film Festival
Indian movie titled Koozhangal(Tamil) directed by P S Vinothraj has won the best film award in the Asian Film Competition category at the 20th Dhaka International Film Festival(DIFF) 2022 in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 15th to 23rd January 2022.
- The 20th DIFF 2022 was organised by the Rainbow Film Society established in 1977.
- The best film award carries Taka 1 lakh along with a crest and certificate.
Hasan Mahmud Bangladesh’s Information and Broadcasting Minister, Chief Guest of the concluding session of the 20th DIFF, presented the award to the winners.
Other awards to the Indian film fraternity:
i.Malayalam Actor Jayasurya won the Best Actor award in the Asian Film Competition Section for the film titled “Sunny” directed by Ranjith Sankar.
ii.Indian Film, Semkhor (Dimasa language), directed by Assamese actor Aimee Baruah, has won the Special Audience Award.
- Semkhor was the first-ever film in the Dimasa language to be screened in the Indian Panorama Section of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2021
iii.Indranil Roychowdhury and Sugata Sinha have won the Best Script Writer for the India-Bangladesh film Mayar Jonjal, directed by Indranil Roychowdhury.
Click here for the list of 2022 Award winners
About DIFF:
i.The 20th DIFF 2022 featured more than 225 films drawn from 70 countries across the globe.
ii.The 20th DIFF also hosted the 8th edition of the ‘Women in Cinema’ international conference, and the 4th edition of the ‘West meets East’ screenplay lab.
Note:
The Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) was started in 1992.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS
Armenian President Armen Sarkissian resigns
The President of Armenia, Armen Sarkissian has resigned from his presidential position because his office was unable to influence policy during times of national crisis. He became President in 2018.
- Armenia’s political crisis followed the war between Armenia and its rival Azerbaijan for control of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Key Points:
i.Armen Sarkissian served as prime minister between 1996 and 1997.
ii.He was Armenia’s ambassador to the UK when he was elected president in March 2018.
About Armenia:
Capital – Yerevan
Currency – Armenian Dram
Finance Ministry Appoints Vinodanand Jha as New Chairperson to PMLA Adjudicating Authority
The Union Finance Ministry appointed Vinodanand Jha, a 1983-batch retired IRS officer as the chairperson of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) Adjudicating Authority, New Delhi, Delhi till the completion of his tenure i.e. upto 22nd June 2023.
About Vinodanand Jha:
i.Vinodanand Jha was appointed as the chairperson after he retired from service as the Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax in Pune, Maharashtra.
ii.He has been serving as the Member (Finance and Accounts) in the Adjudicating Authority under PMLA, 2002 since September 2018.
About Adjudicating Authority:
i.The Adjudicating Authority, under the PMLA, 2002 will safeguard the interests of the accused against violence. It functions within the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance.
ii.It is a three-member Authority (one each from the fields of ‘Law’, ‘Administration’ and ‘Finance or accountancy’) that is mandated to adjudicate the cases of attachment of assets orders issued under the PMLA, 2002
- It can also order for further continuity, seizure or release of assets depending on the investigation.
About Ministry of Finance:
Union Minister – Nirmala Sitharaman (RajyaSabha Karnataka)
Minister of state – Pankaj Chaudhary (Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh); Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad(Rajya sabha Maharashtra)
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS
CCI Approves Acquisition by GSKCHOL and GSKCHUKTL by GSKAPL
The Competition Commission of India has approved the acquisition of a shareholding in GlaxoSmithKline Asia Private Limited (GSKAPL) by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Overseas Limited (GSKCHOL) and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare UK Trading Limited (GSKCHUKTL) under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002.
- The proposed transaction involves the collective acquisition of 100% shares in GSKAPL by GSKCHOL and GSKCHUKT.
- Prior to the proposed combination, the GSKAPL will acquire the trademarks pertaining to “Iodex” and “Ostocalcium” brands in India along with the legal, economic, commercial and marketing rights of such brands and other associated assets (collectively referred to as GSK Consumer Brands) from GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Limited.
Key Points:
i.GSKCHOL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Holdings (No.2) Limited (GSK CH HoldCo).
ii.GSKCHUKTL is a part of the overall GSK group and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of GSK CH HoldCo.
iiiIt is involved in the distribution and sale of consumer healthcare products, manufacturing, marketing, providing management services to the consumer healthcare group and providing research and development services to other consumer healthcare companies within the GSK group.
CCI approved the acquisition of FGLIC by Generali Participations Netherlands N.V
CCI has approved the acquisition of shares of Future Generali India Life Insurance Company Limited (FGLIC) by Generali Participations Netherlands N.V (GPN), this acquisition will increase its shareholding 49% to approximately 71%.
- The Proposed Acquisition relates to an increase in shareholding of an existing shareholder GPN in FGLIC
i.GPN is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A (Generali Group), the ultimate parent entity of the Generali group of companies. The Generali Group is a global insurance provider and is present in the Indian life insurance industry in India through FGLIC. GPN in engaged in the provision of life insurance services in India through FGLIC. ii.FGLIC is a life insurance company engaged in the provision of life insurance services/products in India. FGLIC provides simplified solutions for the financial security of customers, to deliver relevant and accessible insurance solutions.
SPORTS
Syed Modi International Badminton Championship 2022: India’s PV Sindhu, Ishaan Bhatnagar & Tanisha Crasto Wins Title
Badminton World Federation (BWF) organised Syed Modi International Badminton Championship 2022 at the Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (UP) with the prize money of USD 150,000 from 18th – 23rd January 2022.
Winners:
i.PV Sindhu won the women’s singles final whereas the men’s singles final was declared as ‘No match’.
ii.Man Wei Chong (Malaysia) & Kai Wun Tee (Malaysia) won the Men’s Doubles championship and Anna Ching Yik Cheong & Teoh Mei Xing (Malaysia) emerged as the women’s doubles champions.
iii.The Indian duo of Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto won Mixed doubles title
About Badminton World Federation (BWF):
BWF is registered under the International Organisations (Privileges and Immunities) Act 1992 in Malaysia
Establishment – 1934 (London)
Headquarters – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
President – Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen
>> Read Full News
OBITUARY
TN Archaeologist & Epigraphist R Nagaswamy Passes Away
On 23rd January 2022, an archaeologist, art historian and Padma Bhushan awardee R. Nagaswamy passed away.
- He was the 1st director of Tamil Nadu (TN) government’s Department of Archaeology (1966 – 1988)
- He was a great scholar in Tamil and Sanskrit and was known as the ‘Father of Tamil Archaeology’.
Contributions of Nagaswamy:
i.Nagaswamy was an expert witness in a London court in the famous Pathur Nataraja case and has also filed an affidavit in the famous Ayodhya case.
ii.Nagaswamy founded the ‘Institute of Epigraphy and Archaeology’ in 1973 and he played a key role in bringing back the Chola-era bronze Nataraja to TN.
iii.According to the Nagaswamy’s webpage, ‘Tamil Arts Academy’, he became a consultant for the Central government in the Documentation of Cultural property, Thanjavur Brihadeeswara Project (United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDPs) project)
About Nagaswamy:
i.Nagaswamy, who is an authority in archaeology, architecture, epigraphy, numismatics, iconography, South Indian bronzes, and temple rituals, was born at Kodumudi in Erode, TN. He had completed postgraduate (PG) in Sanskrit language and doctorate in Indian arts.
ii.He has excavated many sites in TN including Korkai, the ancient Pandyan port and has published numerous research papers on the art of ancient Tamil country.
iii.He has written over 40 books in Tamil, English and Sanskrit including ‘Masterpieces of Early South Indian Bronzes’. He had also published over 100 books through the department.
iv.Awards: He was awarded the Padma Bhushan (2018) for his outstanding contribution to archaeology. He was also awarded the TN government’s ‘Kalaimamani Award’.
IMPORTANT DAYS
International Day of Education 2022 – January 24 .
The United Nations (UN)’s International Day of Education is annually observed across the globe on 24th January to celebrate the role of education for peace and development. The day highlights the importance of inclusive and equitable education and opportunities for all.
- 24th January 2022 marks the observance of the 4th International Day of Education.
The theme of the 2022 International Day of Education is “Changing Course, Transforming Education”.
Background:
i.The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted the resolution A/RES/73/25 on 3rd December 2018 and proclaimed the 24th January as the International Day of Education to acknowledge the importance of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels.
ii.The resolution was co-authored by Nigeria and 58 other Member States.
iii.The first ever International Day of Education was observed on 24th January 2019.
>> Read Full News
National Girl Child Day 2022 – January 24 
National Girl Child Day(NGCD) is annually observed across India on 24th January to support and provide opportunities to the girls in India. The day aims towards promoting awareness about the rights of the girl child and to increase awareness on the importance of girls’ education, and their health and nutrition.
Background:
i.The Ministry of Women and Child Development(MoWCD) initiated the observance of National Girl Child Day in 2008.
ii.The first ever National Girl Child Day was observed on 24th January 2008.
>> Read Full News
Parakram Diwas 2022 – January 23
Parakram Diwas also known as Courage Day is annually observed across India on 23rd January, the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose to honour and remember the efforts and contribution of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
23rd January 2022 marks the observance of the 2nd Parakram Diwas.
Subhas Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2022:
Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management(GIDM) and Professor Vinod Sharma of Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority has been honoured with the Subhas Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2022 for their excellent work in disaster management.
- GIDM has been selected for the award under the Institutional category and Prof Vinod Sharma won the award under the individual category.
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Current Affairs Today (AffairsCloud Today)
| S.no | Current Affairs 25 January 2022 |
|---|---|
| 1 | Union Minister Amit Shah releases India’s First ‘District Good Governance Index’; J&K 1st Indian UT with GGI |
| 2 | Giriraj Singh Releases Revised Rural Area Development Plan Formulation and Implementation Guidelines |
| 3 | WEF’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2022: Advances in Digitalization led to Increasing Cyber Incidents |
| 4 | Brookings’ Study: India is among the Top 10 Global AI Adopters |
| 5 | Fullerton India and One97 Communications tie up to Provide Lending Products |
| 6 | World Bank Approves Rs 1000 crore Loan to WB for Social Protection Services |
| 7 | Indipaisa Partners with Hitachi Payment to Develop Fintech Platform for MSMEs |
| 8 | Former Japan PM Shinzo Abe honoured with Netaji Award 2022 |
| 9 | Indian Movie Koozhangal Won the Best Film (Asian) Award at 20th Dhaka International Film Festival |
| 10 | Armenian President Armen Sarkissian resigns |
| 11 | Finance Ministry Appoints Vinodanand Jha as New Chairperson to PMLA Adjudicating Authority |
| 12 | CCI Approves Acquisition by GSKCHOL and GSKCHUKTL by GSKAPL |
| 13 | Syed Modi International Badminton Title 2022: PV Sindhu, Ishaan Bhatnagar & Tanisha Castro Wins Title |
| 14 | TN Archaeologist & Epigraphist R Nagaswamy Passes Away |
| 15 | International Day of Education 2022 – January 24 |
| 16 | National Girl Child Day 2022 – January 24 |
| 17 | Parakram Diwas 2022 – January 23 |
