Excellence by Saikat Sir: Daily Current Affairs January 11 2022

Daily Current Affairs January 11 2022 | Latest News

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

World Hindi Day- Jan 10:

January 10 is celebrated as World Hindi Day every year to spread awareness about Hindi as an international language across the world.
The day is especially observed by Indian embassies abroad.
The day marks the anniversary of the first World Hindi Conference which was inaugurated on January 10, 1975, by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.
In the year 1975, the first-ever World Hindi Conference took place in Maharashtra’s Nagpur on January 10.
The conference was inaugurated by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and saw participation from a total of 30 countries.
And in 2006, former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh declared that January 10 will be observed as World Hindi Day every year.
This was also the first time that the ministry of external affairs started celebrating the day abroad.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

MoE, AICTE and DPIIT organises ‘National Innovation Week’ from 10th – 16th January, 2022:

To commemorate 75th years of progressive India ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, Ministry of Education (MoE), AICTE and Ministry of Commerce& Industry (DPIIT) are jointly organising ‘National Innovation Week’ from 10th – 16th Jan 2022.
The innovation week is also the iconic week of Ministry of Education.
This Innovation week will highlight various initiatives undertaken by these agencies to spread awareness to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in India.
A 2 days long e- Symposium on ‘Building Innovation Ecosystem in Educational Institutions’ will be held on 11th and 12th January 2022 by the Ministry of Education.
E-Symposium will be inaugurated by Shri Rajkumar Ranjan Singh Minister of State for Education on 11th Jan 2022.
Program will be held virtually and it will see huge participation from academic institutions, schools, industry, Start-up and investor community.

Mansukh Mandaviya chairs a high-level meeting to make Atmanirbhar Bharat in Urea and DAP Production by using ‘Green Hydogen’:

Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Shri Mansukh Mandaviya has chaired a high-level meeting to make Atmanirbhar Bharat in Urea and DAP Production by using ‘Green Hydogen’.
During the meeting the Minister urged the officials of Department of Fertilizers to take necessary steps for sustainable agriculture and green future of India.
Prime Minister announced the launch of National Hydrogen Mission and stated the goal to make India a global hub for Green Hydrogen production and export.
The Mission proposes a framework for inter alia creating demand for Green Hydrogen in sectors such as petroleum refining and fertilizer production; support for indigenous manufacturing of critical technologies; Research & Development activities; and an enabling policy and regulatory framework. The proposed steps will lead to the development of additional renewable energy capacity for Green Hydrogen production.

PM to inaugurate 25th National Youth Festival on 12th January:

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 25th National Youth Festival on 12th January, 2022 in Puducherry, via video conferencing.
The day, being the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, is observed as National Youth Day.
The Festival aims to shape the minds of India’s youth and transform them into a united force for nation building.
It is one of the biggest exercises in social cohesion and intellectual & cultural integration.
It aims to bring diverse cultures of India and integrate them into a united thread of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’.
Prime Minister will also inaugurate a Technology Centre of the MSME Ministry, established at Puducherry with an investment of about Rs. 122 crore.
With focus on the Electronic System Design & Manufacturing (ESDM) Sector, this Technology Centre will be equipped with the latest technology.
It will contribute towards skilling youth and will be able to train around 6400 trainees per year.

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan addresses 82nd Indian Public Schools’ Conference Principals’ Conclave:

The 82nd Indian Public Schools’ Conference Principals’ Conclave, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has urged all schools attending the conclave to reflect how inclusive our leading schools.
He asked them to reflect on what more can be done towards ensuring that every child in the country gets the best education.
National Education Policy (2020) focusses on equitable and inclusive education with special emphasis given on Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Groups.
The Indian Public Schools’ Conference, since its inception in 1939, has guided public schools in India in forming traditions that build character and personality of students engendering a well-rounded education

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND ECONOMY

NHB’s ₹150 cr refinance exposure to PMC Bank may get preferential treatment:

National Housing Bank’s ₹150 crore refinance exposure to the scam-hit Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank may get preferential treatment vis-a-vis other institutional creditors having uninsured deposits with the bank.
The ₹150 crore refinance that NHB has given to PMC Bank against its individual home loans will get transferred to Unity Small Finance Bank (the transferee bank into which PMC Bank will get amalgamated).
However, NHB may not earn any interest on the refinance amount for the entire period that PMC Bank has been under RBI Directions till the appointed date.
As per Section 16(B)(2) of the NHB Act, where any accommodation has been granted by NHB to a borrowing institution, all securities held, or which may be held, by such borrowing institution on account of any transaction in respect of which such accommodation has been granted, shall be held by such institution in trust for NHB.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Former RBI governor Urjit Patel appointed vice president of AIIB

Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Urjit Patel has been appointed vice-president of the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
He will take the place of former Gujarat Chief Secretary D.J. Pandian who had been, as Vice-President, leading the AIIB’s investment operations and all sovereign and non-sovereign lending in South and Southeast Asia.
Mr. Patel will serve a three-year term as one of the multilateral development bank’s five vice-presidents.

Note :

Pandian was also the bank’s first chief investment officer.

About Urjit Patel :

Urjit Patel was born on 28 October 1963 in Nairobi, Kenya.
On 11 January 2013, Patel was appointed as Deputy Governor of RBI for a period of three years; he was appointed for another three-year term in January 2016.
He had taken over as the 24th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) succeeding Raghuram Rajan in September 2016 and was with RBI till December 2018.
He has previously worked with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Boston Consulting Group and Reliance Industries among other organizations.
He currently serves as Chairman of National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, additional director of Britannia Industries and independent director of John Cockerill India.

About AIIB :

Formation: 16 January 2016
President : Jin Liqun
Headquarters: Beijing, China
Membership: 104 Members
China is its biggest shareholder and India is the second-largest.

About NIPFP :

Headquarters: New Delhi
Chairman : Urjit Patel
Director : Pinaki Chakravarty
The National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) is an autonomous research institute under India’s Ministry of Finance.

GoI extends Navrang Saini’s Term As IBBI Chief

The Government of India has extended the tenure of Navrang Saini as interim Chairperson of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) for three more months till March 05, 2022.
He was assigned additional charge of Chairperson in addition to his existing duties in October 2021 for three months till January 13, 2022.
The post of full-time Chairperson has been lying vacant after M.S. Sahoo retired upon completing a five-year tenure on September 30, 2021.

About Navrang Saini :

Navrang Saini took charge as Whole Time Member, IBBI on 31st March, 2017.
He has served the Ministry of Corporate Affairs in various capacities.
His last assignment was as Director General (in the rank of Additional Secretary) at the Ministry.
He also served as a Commissioned Officer in Territorial Army from July, 1985 to March, 2011 and superannuated as Lt. Colonel.
He was a member of the Appellate Authority established by the Central Government in accordance with the powers conferred under section 22A of the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949, the Cost and Works Accountants Act, 1959 and the Company Secretaries Act, 1980 from 3rd November, 2015 to 2nd November, 2018.
In addition, he is in-charge of the Legal Affairs Division and Establishment Division in the IBBI.

About IBBI :

Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi, India
Founded: 1 October 2016
Chairperson : Dr. M. S. Sahoo
The IBBI is the regulator for overseeing insolvency proceedings and entities like Insolvency Professional Agencies (IPA), Insolvency Professionals (IP) and Information Utilities (IU) in India.

RBI approves re-appointment of Anup Bagchi as ICICI Bank’s Executive Director

The Reserve Bank of India has approved the re-appointment of Anup Bagchi as an Executive Director of ICICI Bank for a period of three years, with effect from February 1, 2022.
The shareholders at the Annual General Meeting held on August 20, 2021 had already approved his re-appointment for a period of five years effective February 1, 2022.

About Anup Bagchi :

Anup Bagchi has a management degree from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore and an engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He has been with the ICICI Group since 1992.
He is an Executive Director on the Board of ICICI Bank since February 1, 2017.

About ICICI Bank :

CEO: Sandeep Bakhshi
Chairperson : Girish Chandra Chaturvedi
Founded: 5 January 1955
Headquarters : Vadodara, Gujarat
ICICI Bank has two more executive directors – Sandeep Batra and Vishakha Mulye.

Ms Vini Mahajan Assumes Charge as Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department Of Drinking Water and Sanitation

Vini Mahajan, a 1987 batch Punjab cadre IAS officer, assumed the charge as secretary in the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
Prior to this, she was serving as Punjab Chief Secretary from 26th June 2020.
Earlier she served as Additional Chief Secretary of the Departments of Housing & Urban Development, Government of Punjab and Industries & Commerce, IT and Investment Promotion.
She was ACS/ Principal Secretary of the Department of Health and Family Welfare from April 2012 for 5 years.
She also served as Principal Secretary Department of Medical Education and Research, and Principal Secretary Finance, Punjab.
She served as Joint Secretary to the Prime Minister of India from 2007-2012, and earlier in 2004-05 as Director in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance.
She has served as M.D. of the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board, as the first Director Disinvestment in the State, as Secretary, Power and as Special Secretary, Expenditure.
She has over 8 years’ experience in cutting edge positions at the field level, including as Deputy Commissioner (the first woman to be posted as such in Punjab in 25 years).

Awards & Honors :

Ms Mahajan received numerous academic awards, including the National Talent Search Scholarship.
She was a Hubert Humphrey fellow based at American University in Washington DC in 2000 –2001.

About Ministry of Jal Shakti :

Cabinet Minister : Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
Minister of State : Prahlad Singh Patel, Bishweswar Tudu
In July 2019, the government had formed a new ministry, Jal Shakti, to address all water issues in the country.
It was formed by integrating it with other existing ministries, such as water resources and the ministry of drinking water and sanitation.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPS & SERVICES

Telanganas Honble Minister for Forests launches Urban Forest Parks mobile app

Telangana’s Honorable Forest Minister Sri Allola Indrakaran Reddy launched the first of its kind mobile app “Urban Forest Parks”.
Urban Forest Parks app has been developed by PamTen Software Solutions Private Limited.

Key People :

Government Whip B. Suman, Special Chief Secretary A. Shanti Kumari, PCCF R. Sobha and other senior officials from forest department participated in the programme.

About the Mobile app :

The mobile app gives all information about theme based Urban Forest Parks and facilitates the visitors to plan their visits and journey.
The app provides all the information about the parks, including entry ticket fee, special features of the park, distance from the app user, route app etc.
This will help the visitors plan their visits to the parks efficiently and have a good time.
Initially, the app discloses information pertaining to 39 parks developed under HMDA, Medchal, Ranga Reddy and Hyderabad limits.
In the second phase, information pertaining to all other parks across the State would be incorporated.

About Telangana :

Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan
Capital: Hyderabad
Chief minister: K. Chandrashekar Rao
National Parks : Mahavir Harina Vanasthali National Park, KBR National Park, Nehru Zoological Park, Mrugavani National Park
Wildlife Sanctuaries : Manjira Wildlife Sanctuary, Shivaram Wildlife Sanctuary, Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary, Pocharam Wildlife Sanctuary, Kinnerasani Wildlife Sanctuary

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel Inaugurates ICAI-2022 Two-Day Exhibition

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated a two-day international conference of academic institutions 2022 organized at Vigyan Bhavan, Science City, Ahmedabad, Gujarat in coordination with the Ministry of Education, Government of India and globally renowned universities under the aegis of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2022.
During the inaugural ceremony, Patel launched the second edition of the Student Start-up and Innovation Policy (SSIP 2.0) as per a government release, the five-year tenure of the SSIP-1 will end on January 10.
Around 120 panel speakers, including 40 from abroad, will be sharing their experiences across 21 different sessions during this two-day seminar.
The new policy aims to establish an innovation and incubation center in each of the 90-odd universities in Gujarat.
Other objectives of the policy include providing financial assistance to school and college students to build prototypes and proof-of-consents, financial assistance for filing at least 1,000 Intellectual Properties (IPs) and building a pre-incubation support system in 500 institutions and universities.
The policy also aims to upscale nearly 1,500 student start-ups and incubate 500 start-ups through iHub, a state government initiative.

About ICAI-2022 :

Australia, Canada, Norway, the UK and France have joined as partner countries for this conference, while the British Council, Australia India Business Exchange and Institute of International Education are among the key institutions which have joined as international participants.
Over 2,000 MoUs will be signed between various government entities, universities and institutions during the event.
During the event, speakers from across the world will hold discussions on subjects, such as multidisciplinary and holistic education, internationalization of education, skill development and employability, digital empowerment, global ranking of universities and inclusive education for children with special needs among others.
As part of the conference, a vice chancellors’ conclave for building “world-class universities” has been planned.

About Gujarat :

Chief minister: Bhupendrabhai Patel
Governor: Acharya Devvrat
Capital: Gandhinagar
National Parks: Gir National Park, Velavadar National Park, Marine National Park, Vansda National Park
Wildlife Sanctuaries : Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary, Barda Wildlife Sanctuary, Purna Wildlife Sanctuary, Gaga Wildlife Sanctuary, Mitiyala Wildlife Sanctuary, Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Iran announces new space launch amid nuclear talks

Iran announced it had carried out a new space launch, in a move likely to irk Western powers amid tough talks on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal.
The Simorgh satellite launcher whose name translates as “Phoenix”, had launched the devices at an altitude of 470 kilometers (290 miles) & it carried three research cargo into space.
In February 2021, Iran announced a successful test of its most powerful solid fuel satellite launcher to date, the Zoljanah, boasting that it can put a 220-kilogram payload into orbit.

About Iran :

Capital: Tehran
President: Ebrahim Raisi
Currency: Iranian rial

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

Sri Lanka batsman Danushka Gunathilaka retires from Test cricket

Sri Lanka’s opening batsman Danushka Gunathilaka has announced retirement from Test cricket.
The 30-year-old aims to fully focus on the white-ball format of the game.

About Danushka Gunathilaka :

Mashtayage Danushka Gunathilaka born on 17 March 1991 Panadura, Sri Lanka.
He is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer, who plays all formats of the game internationally.
Gunathilaka played his last Test game in 2018 with his eight appearances bringing him 299 runs.
In 44 ODIs, he has scored 1520 runs at an average of 36.19, while in T20Is, he has 568 runs in 30 matches at a strike rate of 121.62.
The trio of Gunathilaka, Mendis and Dickwella was handed a one-year ban from international cricket for a bio-security breach during Sri Lanka’s tour of England last year
The ban also included a six-month suspension from domestic cricket and a fine of approximately USD 50,000.
Since his international debut towards the end of 2015, Gunathilaka has served three separate suspensions.

About Sri Lanka :

Capitals: Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
Currency: Sri Lankan rupee
President: Gotabaya Rajapaksa

AISCD Gets Approval To Hold First World Deaf T20 Cricket Championship in 2023

The All India Sports Council of the Deaf has got the approval from the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) to host the first World Deaf T20 Cricket Championship in Kerala from January 10 to 20, 2023.
The first World Deaf T20 cricket championship will be held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
This championship was planned to be conducted in 2020-2021 but due to the sudden outbreak of coronavirus it was postponed first to 2022 and now fixed for January 2023.
A minimum of eight countries are expected to take part in the championship and this kind of international event is being held in India with the approval of the ICSD for the first time.”

About AISCD :

Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi, India
Chairman : Mohinder Singh
AISCD is the only Center-recognised national sports federation for the deaf.
The National Apex Body for Deaf Sports is one of the 55 Sports Associations, recognized by the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.

About ICSD :

The ICSD is the only international federation recognized as the governing body of deaf sports movement and Deaflympics sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee.
Founded : 1924
Headquarters : Lausanne, Switzerland

ICC Women’s World Cup 2022: Mithali Raj to lead India

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 15-member squad for ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 which will be played between March 4 and April 3 in New Zealand.
Veteran cricketer Mithali Raj will lead India in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022, while all-rounder Harmanpreet Kaur will be the deputy skipper.
Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma will open for India with Yastika Bhatiya as the third opener option.
Among the notable absentees from the squad are fast bowler Shikha Pandey and in-form batter Jemimah Rodrigues.

Note :

Previously, Mithali Raj led India to the final of the previous Women’s World Cup held in 2017 & India lost to England in the final after having beaten powerhouses Australia in the semi-final.
The 15-member squad for the 2022 Women’s World Cup
Team India for 5 ODIs against NZ & ICC Women’s World Cup, 2022: Mithali Raj (Captain), Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wicket-keeper), Sneh Rana, Jhulan Goswami, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh Thakur, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav.
Standby Players: Sabbhineni Meghana, Ekta Bisht, Simran Dil Bahadur.

About BCCI :

President: Sourav Ganguly
Vice President : Rajeev Shukla
Secretary : Jay Shah
Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Founded: December 1928
The BCCI is the governing body for cricket in India and is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.

Union Minister Shri Anurag Thakur and Lt. Governor of Puducherry Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan unveil the Logo and Mascot of National Youth Festival 2022 in Puducherry

Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Shri Anurag Thakur and Lt. Governor of Puducherry Tamilisai Soundararajan unveiled the Logo and Mascot of the 25th National Youth Festival to be held in Puducherry.
The festival is being organized as a part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, to mark the 75th year of India’s Independence.
Shri Anurag Thakur also unveiled the tag-line of the National Youth Festival, Shaksham Yuva Shashakth Yuva meaning Capable Youth- Forceful Youth, Able Youth- Strong Youth.
Around 7000 youths from across the country and 500 youths from Puducherry aged between 18 and 22 are expected to participate in the 5 day youth festival.

About National Youth Festival :

National Youth Festival is organized by the Government of India every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda i.e. 12th January.
The 25th National Youth Festival is going to be held in Puducherry from 12th to 16th January 2022.
It was started in 1995 as a major activity under the programme held by National Integration Camp (NIC).

Objective :

To bring the youth of the country together in an attempt to showcase their talents in various activities to cover almost all socio-cultural aspects of life, providing an opportunity to amateur young artists to express themselves and interact with fellow artists and to further learn the new art forms from experts of various disciplines.

About Puducherry :

Chief minister: N. Rangaswamy
Lieutenant Governor : Tamilisai Soundararajan

About Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports :

Union Minister : Anurag Thakur
Minister of State : Nisith Pramanik

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

First Black Man To Win An Oscar For Best Actor, Sidney Poitier Passes away

Legendary Hollywood actor Sidney Poitier, the first Black man to win an Oscar for Best Actor in 1964 for his role in Lilies of the Field Passed away at the age of 94.

About Sidney Poitier :

Sidney Poitier was born on February 20, 1927, in Miami, Florida, USA.
He is a Bahamian-American actor, film director, and ambassador.
From 1995 to 2003, Poitier served as a member of the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company.
From 1997 to 2007, he was the Bahamian Ambassador to Japan & from 2002 to 2007, he was concurrently the ambassador of the Bahamas to UNESCO.
He was also the first Black man to kiss a White woman in a movie, 1965’s “A Patch of Blue.”
A Raisin in the Sun (1961), The Defiant Ones (1958), and Edge of the City (1960) are among his other notable works from 1957.

Autobiography :

This Life (1980)
The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (2000)
Life Beyond Measure: Letters to My Great-Granddaughter (2008, an Oprah’s Book Club selection)