Current Affairs (15-31 January 2022)
National
The first geological park in India will be built at Lamheta in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.
According to the Death Penalty in India report, the number of prisoners sentenced to death at the end of 2021 was 488. This number was the highest in 17 years.
The Supreme Court of India refused to lay down any criteria for granting reservation in promotion in government jobs to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
The Drug Controller General of India has approved the COVAXIN Booster Trial. These boosters were manufactured by Bharat Biotech, the same company that produces COVAXIN.
The Lok Sabha Secretariat launched a new app called “Digital Parliament” on January 27, 2022. Digital Sansad App was launched to make it easier for people to follow the proceedings in Parliament and their MPs.
Former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and former general secretary late EMS Namboodirpad are among the two celebrities who were denied Padma awards from the state.
On January 25, 2022, President Ram Nath Kovind approved 384 gallantry awards and other military decorations for the personnel of the security forces.
The World Bank has recently approved a loan of thousand crore rupees for the Government of West Bengal. The loan amount is to be used to implement 400 programs being run by the state government.
In a recent development, India has emerged as the ‘Pickle King of the world’.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a hologram statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose near India Gate in Delhi. The statue is to be unveiled on Netaji’s 125th birth anniversary.
Defence / Security
Exercise Paschim Lehar is conducted to enhance cooperation between various naval commands in the Indian Navy. It also includes the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force.
Pilot Shivangi Singh is India’s first woman Rafale pilot. She was a part of the Indian Air Force tableau at the Republic Day celebrations. She joined the Indian Air Force in 2017.
Border Security Force, BSF launched Operation Sarad Hawa. As part of the operation, BSF has increased vigil on the Pakistan border. It is usually launched in the border of Rajasthan, especially in Jaisalmer region.
Indian Army is about to provide new uniforms to more than 12 lakh army personnel. Unlike the old uniform, the underside of the new uniform is a combat t-shirt.
Banking/ Finance/ Commerce
The Government of India recently organized a transformation campaign. It is also called switch operation. As part of the operation, the government bought back securities from the Reserve Bank of India. These government securities were maturing in 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25. These securities were bought for Rs 1, 19,701 crores.
India’s electronic goods exports reached US$ 1.67 billion in December 2021. It registered a growth of 33.99% as compared to exports of US$ 1.25 billion in December 2020.
On January 27, 2022, the central government transferred its shares in Air India to Tata Sons’ subsidiary, Tales.
Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy RK Singh announced the government’s plan to de-license “stand-alone energy storage systems”.
India’s bilateral trade with China has grown to 43.3 percent in 2021, according to Chinese government data, despite India’s measures to reduce dependence on imports from China and emphasize self-reliance.
On January 25, 2022, The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that the government has notified a draft scheme for the amalgamation of Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank with Unity Small Finance Bank (SFB).
On January 21, 2022, the government launched a portal named “Koyala Darpan” to share Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) related to the coal sector.
The Reserve Bank of India recently released the Digital Payments Index. According to the index, there has been a 40 percent increase in digital payments in the country in September 2021 as compared to March 2021.
Science And Technology
An Artificial Intelligence (AI) based chest X-ray technique was recently developed by researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur (IIT-J). This chest X-ray technique will be used for COVID-19a screening.
ISRO is likely to launch the “Aditya-L1 mission” to study the Sun in the year 2022. This mission will be ISRO’s second space-based astronomy mission after AstroSat. AstroSat was launched in 2015.
The country’s first Graphene Innovation Center has been set up in Kerala. This is the first R&D center being set up for graphene.
Scientists of ‘CSIR – Central Drug Research Institute’ have developed an indigenous RT-PCR kit named ‘OM’. This kit will be used for testing the Omron variant.
MoU/ Summits/ Conferences
India and UAE have jointly created a USD 150 million fund to support startups. The fund will help create ten unicorns within 2025. Unicorns are startups that are valued at over USD 1 billion. The fund was launched at the Expo 2020 held in Dubai.
India and France have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Inherited Disorders and Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases. MoU was signed between France Institute Pasteur and CSIR of India.
The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) is to collaborate with the Government of Jammu and Kashmir for administrative reforms.
India and Israel recently launched a commemorative logo to mark 30 years of diplomatic ties. The logo features the Ashoka Chakra and the Star of David. It also has issue 30, which marks the 30th anniversary of the country.
On January 21, 2022, the governments of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh signed an agreement to build a dam at Adi Badri in the Yamunanagar district.
India and Israel recently widened the I4F during their eighth governing body meeting. I4F is the Indo-Israeli Industrial Research and Development Technological Innovation Fund. The fund has now been increased to USD 5.5 million.
India and Denmark recently in a virtual meeting agreed to start joint research and development on green fuels including green hydrogen.
The trade between India and China was around USD 125 billion in 2021. India’s imports from China were USD 100 billion. Most of the import demands were in machinery. India – China trade in 2021 India faced a trade deficit of USD 69.4 billion with China in 2021.
Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Culture have joined hands to organize Kala Kumbh Kala during the Republic Day celebrations of 2022.
Government Initiatives
The Delhi government has recently approved Rs 20,000 per acre to the farmers. These farmers have suffered due to unseasonal rains. Rainwater entered their fields and damaged their crops. The state government allocated a total of Rs 53 crore for about 29,000 acres.
The Tamil Nadu government has prepared a draft policy for senior citizens. The government plans to work with educational institutions, field experts, and civil society organizations under the policy. The policy has been framed on the basis of Article 41 of the Constitution.
The Ministry of Electronics and IT has launched “Federal Digital Identity”. Its objective is to integrate the multiple identities of Indian citizens.
NIPER is the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER). The Ministry of Chemicals has recently launched the NIPER portal to facilitate innovation and research in the pharmaceutical sector.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy recently launched AP Seva Portal 2.0. The portal will provide better services to the citizens. The portal is also called Citizen Services Portal.
The Jagan Mohan Reddy government of Andhra Pradesh has recently created 13 new districts. Districts were created on the basis of parliamentary constituencies. With this, the total number of districts in Andhra Pradesh has gone up to 26.
The Kerala government has decided to bring an ordinance to amend the “Kerala Lokayukta Act” so that it will have the authority to dismiss the report of the anti-corruption body.
Chhattisgarh government is going to start an employment mission called Rozgar Mission. The mission aims to create 15 lakh employment opportunities in the state in the next five years.
Important Days
On January 28, 2022, Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation was launched to mark the 92nd birth anniversary of the late Indian classical singer, Pandit Jasraj.
Data Privacy Day is observed every year on 28 January with an aim to spread awareness of privacy.
International Customs Day is celebrated every year on 26 January.
The tableau of Gujarat at the 73rd Republic Day parade depicted the massacre in the villages of Pal and Dadhav. The massacre took place in 1922. Around 1,200 tribals were brutally killed by the British during the massacre.
Every year, National Voters’ Day is celebrated on 25 January. This day is celebrated to increase the enrollment of new voters in the country.
National Tourism Day is celebrated every year on 25 January. The day is celebrated to create awareness about the developmental aspects of the tourism sector.
International Education Day is celebrated every year on 24 January.
On 23 January 2022, India celebrated the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. His birth anniversary is also marked as “Parakram Divas or Courage Day”.
Manipur, Meghalaya, and Tripura celebrate their state formation day on the 21st of January every year.
Open Data Week was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The week is observed between January 17, 2022, and January 21, 2022
National Startup Day is celebrated every year on 16 January. PM Modi has declared that Startups are the backbone of India.
Thiruvalluvar Day is celebrated on 15 January or 16 January.
Awards & Recognition
Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra was awarded the Prama Vishisht Seva Medal. Neeraj Chopra illuminated the name of India by winning the country’s first athletic gold medal.
The Padma Awards 2022 are to be conferred on the semiconductor market rulers to the vaccine makers. This time around, the Padma Awards are being presented to a diverse list of recipients. Around 128 people are to receive this award in 2022.
India’s Smriti Mandhana has won the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2021 award. She is the second female player in the world to win this award.
Recently, 61 winners of the Prime Minister’s National Children’s Awards (PMRBP) 2021 and 2022 have received digital certificates, which use blockchain-powered technology.
The Assam government presented its highest civilian award ‘Assam Baibhav’ to Ratan Tata on January 24, 2022.
PV Sindhu won the 2022 Syed Modi India International Badminton.
National Girl Child Day is celebrated every year on 24 January. This day is celebrated to promote the rights of the girl child in the country.
Ahead of the Republic Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with the awardees of the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP) amid the COVID-19 pandemic on January 24, 2022.
Vinod Sharma, vice-chairman of the Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management (GIDM) as well as the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority, received the “Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2022”.
The content creator and actress Prajakta Koli became India’s first United Nations Development Program (UNDP) youth climate champion.
The National Award for e-Governance 2020-21 (Silver) was recently presented to the Som district administration of Nagaland.
Appointments
- The Government of India has appointed Anantha Nageswaran as the new Chief Economic Adviser. He is a former member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council.
International Affairs
Xiomara Castro was sworn in as the first female President of Honduras. Honduras is a Central American country. Its capital is Tegucigalpa. It is located on the coast of the Caribbean Sea.
North Korea launched its Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile on January 30, 2022.
Rafael Nadal won his 21st Grand Slam title. He defeated Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Australian Open to win his Grand Slam. With this, Nadal has become the first player to win 21 Grand Slam titles.
The Chinese government recently imposed import restrictions on Lithuania. This means that Chinese companies should not import goods or raw materials from Lithuania. Earlier in 2021, Lithuania recognized Taiwan as an independent state and opened a Taiwan office on its soil.
China is the first country to host both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. China is making artificial snowflakes for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
On January 28, 2022, the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) announced that they are working together on guaranteeing energy security in Europe and Ukraine.
According to Chinese researchers, a type of coronavirus called NeoCov, which spreads among bats in South Africa, could pose a threat to humans if it changes further in the future.
According to Nepal’s Central Bureau of Statistics, its population has grown by 10.18 percent to 29,192,480 in the last 10 years.
The James Webb Space Telescope replaced the Hubble Space Telescope. It is jointly built by NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. It uses infrared light to make observations.
The United Nations marked “International Holocaust Remembrance Day” on January 27, 2022, to honor the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust.
Pakistan raised a loan of USD 1 billion through Sukuk bonds at a record 7.95% interest rate.
The International Monetary Fund recently asked El Salvador to remove the legal status of bitcoin.
Russia recently conducted military exercises in the territory connected with Crimea. More than six thousand soldiers participated in the exercise. Russia had already deployed 100,000 troops to the Ukrainian border.
CHIRU is a naval exercise recently conducted by China, Russia, and Iran in the Gulf of Oman. China sent the missile destroyer Urumqi to participate in the exercise. Countries are now looking for opportunities to deepen their military cooperation.
Sudan security forces recently killed three demonstrators. This has rekindled the unrest in Sudan. In early January 2022, Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok resigned.
According to Facebook’s parent company Meta, its new “artificial intelligence supercomputer” will be the fastest worldwide by the middle of 2022.
The Australian government has purchased the copyright to the Aboriginal flag, to make the identification mark free of who can use it.
