Daily Current Affairs March 05 2022

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS : NATIONAL NEWS

Herath Festival Celebrated In Jammu And Kashmir 2022

• Herath or the ‘Night of Hara (Shiva)’, generally referred to as Maha Shivratri, is the main festival celebrated by the Kashmiri Pandits across Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
• The festival marks the wedding anniversary of Lord Shiva and Goddess Uma (Parvathi).
• The 2022 Herath Festival was celebrated on 28th February 2022.
• Herath Festival is celebrated on “Trayodashi” or the 13th day of the dark half of the
• month of Phalguna (Hindu calendar), between February and March.
• The festival is a symbol of communal harmony for ages

J&K Festivals:

• Dosmoche ,Hemis Festival,Kanchoth festival,Tulip Festival,Spituk Gustor,Har Navami,Chhari,Bahu Mela

About J&K:

• Lieutenant Governor: Manoj Sinha
• Chief Secretary : Arun Kumar Mehta
• Capital : Srinagar, Jammu

India, Pakistan: Most Vulnerable To Climate Change

• The latest IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report mentioned severe climatic conditions threaten food security in South Asia.
• The report by the United Nations (UN) body has revealed that escalated dangers of droughts and floods will make both India and Pakistan among the most vulnerable to climate change.

11 Indian States At Risk Amid Climate Change

• With emissions rising, 11 Indian states- namely Punjab, Assam, Odisha, Tripura, West Bengal, Meghalaya, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Chhattisgarh might face the brunt of it.

About IPCC :

• Established : 1988
• Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland
• Chair : Hoesung Lee
• Member States : 195

Sagar Parikrama’ from March 5 to showcase marine fisheries sector wealth

• Sagar Parikrama’ is envisaged across the coastal belt demonstrating solidarity with all fisherfolk, fish farmers, and stakeholders concerned as a spirit of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, a release from the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying..
• Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala will inaugurate the programme on March 5.
• The first leg shall start from Gujarat’s Mandvi and end at the state’s Porbandar on March 6.
• The Parikrama, which is part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav,’ is an attempt to learn about the challenges that coastal fishermen face.

About Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying :

• Minister of State : Sanjeev Balyan, L. Murugan

GoI Launches Mission Named Operation Ganga To Evacuate Nationals From Ukraine

• The Government of India has launched an evacuation mission named Operation Ganga to evacuate Indian nationals from Ukraine due to the Russia-Ukraine tension.
• Due to the ongoing tension between Ukraine and Russia, Ukraine has been declared as a no-fly zone by the authorities for the safety and security of the nations.

About Ukraine :

• President: Volodymyr Zelenskyy
• Prime minister: Denys Shmyhal
• Capital: Kyiv
• Currency: Ukrainian hryvnia

MoWCD Launches ‘Stree Manoraksha’ Project

• The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) launched the ‘Stree Manoraksha Project’ in collaboration with NIMHANS Bengaluru with an aim to improve the mental health of women in India.
• Smriti Irani announced Rs 5 lakh Insurance for OSC Workers & Launched ‘Stree Manoraksha Project’.
• The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) is celebrating the International Women’s Day week from 1st to 8th March, 2022 which was inaugurated by Union Minister Smriti Zubin Irani, MoWCD at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, Delhi on March 1, 2022.
• The project would focus on capacity building of OSC (One-Stop Center) functionaries.At present, more than 700 One-Stop Centers are being run in the country.

About MoWCD :

• Minister of State : Mahendra Munjapara

Centre approves proposal for continuation of seven existing sub schemes under Umbrella Scheme Relief and Rehabilitation of Migrants and Repatriates

• The Modi Government has approved the proposal for the continuation of the seven existing sub-schemes under the Umbrella Scheme “Relief and Rehabilitation of Migrants and Repatriates” for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26 with a total outlay of Rs.1,452 crore.
• The approval will ensure that assistance under the Umbrella Scheme continues to reach beneficiaries through the Ministry of Home Affairs led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The seven schemes provide assistance for –

1) Relief and Rehabilitation of displaced families of Pakistan Occupied Areas of Jammu and Kashmir and Chhamb,

2) Relief assistance to Sri Lankan Tamil refugees,

3)Relief assistance to Brus lodged in relief camps in Tripura,

4) Enhanced relief to 1984 Anti-Sikh Riot Victims,

5)Financial Assistance and other facilities to the families of affected civilian victims

6)Grants-in-aid to Central Tibetan Relief Committee (CTRC),

7) Grants-in-Aid to the Government of West Bengal for infrastructure development in 51 erstwhile Bangladeshi enclaves in India.

QUAD Leaders’ virtual meeting held: participants: PM Modi, US President Joe Biden, PM of Australia Scott Morrison and PM of Japan Fumio Kishida.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on the US-led four-nation grouping to remain focused on its core objective of promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
• In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) also said the leaders agreed on accelerating cooperation, with an objective to achieve concrete outcomes by the summit in Japan later this year.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India, Netherlands Release Special Logo To Mark 75 Years Of Ties

• To commemorate 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and the Netherlands, Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs and Marten van den Berg, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to India released a joint special logo.
• According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the logo features a lotus and a tulip, the national flowers of both countries.
• The chakra in the middle of the logo depicts the bond of our friendship and the flag colours enhance the connections that exist between the people of India and the people of the Netherlands.

Note :

• India and the Netherlands established diplomatic relations in 1947.
• The Netherlands presented 3,000 fresh tulips to India, as a symbol of friendship, which were planted in the Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan gardens.

About Netherlands :

• Capital: Amsterdam
• Currency: Euro
• PM : Mark Rutte

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

Delhi police launches new digital initiatives- Anubhuti, refurbished user-friendly website, e-Chittha

• Delhi police Commisioner Rakesh Asthana launched three new digital initiatives – Anubhuti, a QR code-based feedback system, a refurbished Delhi Police website and e-Chittha portal.

Aim :

• To add a new dimension in digitising and modernising the Delhi Police.

Anubhuti :

• It is a Feedback Management System.
• It will establish two-way communication between the public and the police, and the analysis of the feedback received will help improve the functioning of the department.

Refurbished user-friendly website :

• The refurbished user-friendly website of the Delhi Police is loaded with more information and will be quite useful for citizens to know about the department and its services in one click.

e-Chittha :

• e-Chittha’ is the “backbone” of duty deployment and its implementation.
• It will ensure eight-hour shifts in the department, & ensure optimal use of manpower resources but also increase the efficiency and transparency of the personnel.
• It has been operative in all 178 territorial police stations

Delhi govt plans to develop Science Innovation Hub in city school

• The Delhi government has announced plans to set up a “Science Innovation Hub” at a school run by Kautilya Enclave to promote scientific culture among students.
• The Science hub will be ready with a cost of over Rs 5 crore in the next two-and-a-half years.

Aim :

• To promote a scientific culture and inculcate a scientific temper for nurturing talent in science and technology.

About Science Innovation Hub :

• The Hub will have an auditorium, a library, a planetarium, a museum with science and technology objects, art and model experiential galleries of latest innovations and trends, instruments, collectibles, equipment, simulation systems and contents.
• It will also undertake research in scientific disciplines for conversion of science into technology and augmenting science and technology as a vehicle of change in overall development
• Also the Directorate of Education, DoE of the Delhi government assigned the task of construction and development of the Science Innovation Hub to the DTTDC on a 30,000-square meter land in Kautilya Sarvodaya Co-education School at Chirag Enclave.

About Delhi :

• Chief minister: Arvind Kejriwal
• Governor : Anil Baijal

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

Axis Bank Commits $150 Million to SAMRIDH Healthcare

• Axis Bank has signed an MoU with IPE Global for strengthening India’s healthcare infrastructure by providing affordable finance of up to USD 150 million (about Rs 1,140 crore) through SAMRIDH.

Purpose :

• To support health enterprises and innovators who would otherwise not have access to affordable debt financing.
• The partnership will enhance SAMRIDH’s efforts to scale market solutions and innovations in the healthcare value chain, supplementing the manufacturing and distribution of pharmaceuticals, facility expansion of public and private hospitals, nursing homes, small clinics, laboratories, and warehouses.

About SAMRIDH :

• SAMRIDH – Sustainable Access to Markets and Resources for Innovative Delivery of Healthcare.
• SAMRIDH is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi (IIT-D).

About Axis Bank :

• Founded : 3 December 1993
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• MD & CEO : Amitabh Chaudhry
• Chairperson : Shri Rakesh Makhija

About IPE Global Private Limited :

• Founded : 1998
• HQ : New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Chairman & MD : Ashwajit Singh

About USAID :

• HQ : Washington, D.C., United States
• Administrator : Samantha Power

RBI cancels licence of Maharashtra-based Sarjeraodada Naik Shirala Sahakari Bank, Maharashtra

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has canceled the license of Sarjeraodada Naik Shirala Sahakari Bank Ltd, Shirala, Dist. Sangli, Maharashtra.

The Reserve Bank canceled the license of the bank as:

1. The bank does not have adequate capital and earning prospects, As such, it does not comply with the provisions of Section 11(1) and Section 22 (3) (d) read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
2. The bank ceases to carry on banking business, with effect from the close of business on March 02, 2022.
3. The bank is prohibited from conducting the business of ‘banking’ which includes acceptance of deposits and repayment of deposits as defined in Section 5(b) read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949
4. On liquidation, every depositor would be entitled to receive deposit insurance claim amount of his/her deposits up to a monetary ceiling of ₹5,00,000/- (Rupees Five lakh only) from Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) subject to the provisions of the DICGC Act, 1961.

• More than 99% of the depositors are entitled to receive the full amount of their deposits from DICGC.
• As on January 27, 2022, DICGC has sanctioned ₹70 crore of the total insured deposits under the provisions of Section 18A of the DICGC Act,1961.

Recent News :

• On Feb 03, 2022, The Reserve Bank of India has canceled the license of Independence Co-operative Bank Ltd., Nashik, Maharashtra.

Reason for license cancelation:

• The bank does not have adequate capital and earning prospects. This means that it does not comply with the provisions of Section 11(1) and Section 22 (3) (d) read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

About RBI :

• Established : 1 April 1935
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Governor : Shaktikanta Das
• Deputy Governors : Mahesh Kumar Jain, M. Rajeshwar Rao, Michael Patra and T. Ravi Shankar.

LICHFL tie up with CSC to provide loans via over 4 lakh village level entrepreneurs

• LIC Housing Finance Ltd (LICHFL) and CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd (CSC) have entered into a strategic partnership to provide loans to citizens through CSC’s network of over four lakh Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs).
• Through the partnership, VLEs will be used as a medium to offer LIC HFL’s loan products like home loans, loans against property, and top-up loans.
• The partnership will be LIC HFL to overcome last-mile connectivity issues and build more structured financial information for various loan products in rural areas.
• LIC HFL offers home loans starting at 70 percent per annum.
• Presently, there are more than 4 lakh CSCs across India.

Required documents :

• PAN card, Aadhaar or driving license, passport, and proof of residence; income documents like salary slip, IT returns and bank statements; and property documents like proof of ownership, tax receipts.

About LICHFL :

• Founded : 19 June 1989
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• MD & CEO : Viswanatha Gowd

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Bharti AXA Life Insurance appoints Vidya Balan as brand ambassador

• Bharti AXA Life Insurance has roped in National Award-winning actress Vidya Balan as its brand ambassador.
• She will help deepen the narrative of #DoTheSmartThing championed by the brand.

Awards & Honors of  Vidya Balan :

• She was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2014.
• She won National Film Award for Best Actress for The Dirty Picture (2011), and six Filmfare Awards: Best Female Debut for Parineeta (2005); Best Actress for Paa (2009), and Critics Award for Best Actress for Ishqiya (2010)

About Bharti Axa Life Insurance :

• MD & CEO : Parag Raja
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
• It is a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises, one of India’s leading business groups, and AXA, one of the world’s largest insurance companies.

Aman Lekhi resigns as Additional Solicitor General of India

• Senior Advocate Aman Lekhi has resigned from the post of Additional Solicitor General of India (ASG) at the Supreme Court with immediate effect.
• He has not given any specific reason for his resignation.
• He was appointed as the ASG in March 2018 and was re-appointed on July 1, 2020, for a period of three years till June 30, 2023.
• He has appeared in various important criminal matters in the Supreme Court as well as in various high courts including coal block allocation scam and 2G spectrum allocation scam.

Additional Info :

• Aman Lekhi is the son of renowned Supreme Court lawyer Pran Nath Lekhi&husband of Minister of State for External Affairs, Meenakshi Lekhi.

Jet Airways Appoints Sanjiv Kapoor As CEO

• Jet Airways has appointed Sanjiv Kapoor as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), with the appointment effective from April 4.
• Jet Airways, promoted by the Jalan Kalrock consortium.

About Sanjiv Kapoor :

• Prior to this, Kapoor was the president of Oberoi Hotels.
• He was appointed the chief operating officer of SpiceJet in 2013.
• He was chief strategy and commercial officer at Vistara during 2016-2019.

About Jet Airways :

• Founded : 1 April 1992
• Ceased Operations : 17 April 2019 (to restart operations From March 2022)
• Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Founder : Naresh Goyal
• Non-executive Chairman : Murari Lal Jalan

LIC appoints Sunil Agrawal as CFO

• Life Insurance Corp. of India has appointed Sunil Agrawal as the chief financial officer (CFO).
• Prior to this, LIC Executive Director Shubhangi Sanjay Soman was holding charge as CFO of the insurance behemoth.
• This is the first time that LIC has appointed an outsider as CFO.

About Sunil Agrawal :

• Earlier, Agrawal was the CFO of Reliance Nippon Life Insurance for over 12 years.
• He was also associated with ICICI Prudential Life Insurance for 5 years.

About LIC :

• Founded : 1 September 1956
• Chairman : M R Kumar
• Managing Director : Mukesh Gupta, Smt. Ipe Mini, Siddharth Mohanty, Rajkumar
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra

About Reliance Nippon Life Insurance :

• Founded : 14 May 2001
• HQ : Santacruz, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Chairman : Anil Ambani
• CEO : Ashish Vohra

CURRENT AFFAIRS : AWARDS & HONORS

NMCG receives ‘Special Jury Award’ – 2022 FICCI Water Awards

• The National Mission for Clean Ganga was awarded the ‘Special Jury Award’ for the significant work done for Ganga rejuvenation at the 7th India Industry Water Conclave and 9th edition of FICCI Water Awards, held virtually, from 2nd to 3rd March, 2022.
• The distinguished Jury of the FICCI Water Awards consisting of eminent people :
• Mihir Shah, Distinguished Professor, Shiv Nadar University and Chair of the Jury,
• A.K. Gosain, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT, Delhi,
• Himanshu Kulkarni, Founder Trustee and Executive Director Advanced Center for Water Resources Development and Management (ACWADAM),
• VK Madhavan, Chief Executive, WaterAid India

About NMCG :

• Establishment : Aug 12, 2011
• Director General : Shri G Asok Kumar

About FICCI :

• Established : 1927
• HQ : New Delhi, Delhi, India
• President : Sanjiv Mehta
• Director General : Arun Chawla
• Secretary General : Dilip Chenoy

About Ministry of Jal Shakti :

• Cabinet Minister : Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
• Minister of State : Prahlad Singh Patel, Bishweswar Tudu

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BUSINESS NEWS

Facebook-backed Meesho aims to float IPO in early 2023: Report.

• News MARKETS IPO Corner Facebook-backedMeesho aims to float IPO in early 2023.
• Meesho had 17.8 million monthly transacting users on its platform as of September, surging from 5.5 million in March.
• Meesho was founded in 2015 by IIT graduates Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Barnwal.

RIL, Sanmina Corp form Joint venture to boost electronics manufacturing

• Integrated manufacturing solutions provider Sanmina Corporation and Reliance Strategic Business Ventures Limited (RSBVL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), have entered into a joint venture to create an electronic manufacturing hub in
• RSBVL will hold 1% equity stake in the joint venture entity with Sanmina owning the remaining 49.9%.
• RSBVL will achieve this ownership primarily through an investment of upto ₹1,670 crore

About Sanmina Corporation :

• Founded : 1980
• Headquarters : San Jose, California, USA
• Chairman & CEO : Jure Sola

About RSBVL :

• Founded : 2019
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra

Defence Ministry organising defence exhibition, DefExpo 2022, at Gandhinagar in Gujarat from March 10 to 14

• The theme of the Defence Expo 2022 was ‘India – The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub’.
• This year’s DefExpo would be the 12th edition of the prestigious biennial defence exhibition.
• The defence ministry announced that DefExpo was  proposed to be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, from March 10 to March 14.
• The defence ministry had said DefExpo2022 seminars would be held in the hybrid format, enabling speakers as well as the audience to participate in various seminars virtually at the 12th edition of the expo.
• Around 70 countries were expected to participate in the mega defence event.
• This event this year is aimed at achieving self-reliance in the defence sector and $5 billion defence exports target by 2024.
• According to reports, 930 exhibitors had registered for the event until February 22.

About Ministry of Defence :

• Defence Minister : Rajnath Singh
• Minister of State : Ajay Bhatt
• Defence Secretary : Dr. Ajay Kumar

Agriculture sector grew by 11% CAGR during 2015-20

• The agriculture sector has grown by a CAGR of 11 per cent between 2015 and 2020 with the sector witnessing the highest disruption in terms of smartphone and internet penetration,” a report on “Innovation in India’s Rural Economy” prepared jointly by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Bain and Company.

Key Highlights :

• Private equity investments in the Indian agri-tech space grew more than 50% annually to aggregate approximately ₹6,600 crore till 2020.
• As per the report, India’s rural economy contributed close to half of the nation’s overall GDP in 2019–2020.
• 2 to 3 India’s population participated in its rural economy in the past two years, and agriculture, the largest sub-sector within the rural economy, had the highest share of output, contributing approximately 37% of the total rural GDP.

About CII :

• Founded: 1895
• President: T. V. Narendran
• Director General: Chandrajit Banerjee
• Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Motto: Charting Change Enabling Development

About Bain & Company :

• Founded : 1973
• Headquarters : Boston, Massachusetts, U.S
• Chairman : Orit Gadiesh

LoanTap partners with Arka Fincap and MAS Financial Services for new digital lending models

• Fintech digital lending platform, LoanTap has announced business collaborations with Arka Fincap Ltd& also partnered with RBI registered NBFC, MAS Financial Services Ltd. (MAS) in a co-lending model for the salaried and MSME segment.
• The collaboration will allow LoanTap to utilize its technology and quick processes to tap into a larger customer base and enable loan disbursals through these partnerships.
• With these announcements, LoanTap will have six co-lending partnerships along with its own NBFC platform.
• LoanTap’s technology platform ‘LT-Flow’ enables lenders to source, share risk (co-lend), underwrite, plug-in capital, and manage loans.
• With the help of LT FLoW, entities can easily start digital KYC, NACH, and agreement, along with AI-powered credit decisioning.

About LoanTap :

• Founded : 2016
• Headquarters : Pune, Maharashtra
• CEO & Co-Founder : Satyam Kumar

About Arka Fincap :

• Founded : 2018
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chief Credit Officer : Sachin Agarwal
• Arka Fincap Limited (Formerly known as Kirloskar Capital) is licensed by Reserve Bank of India as a systemically important Lending NBFC (Non Banking Finance Company).
• It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kirloskar Oil Engines Limited (KOEL).

About MAS Financial Services :

• Founded : 1995
• Headquarters : Ahmedabad, Gujarat

IIFL Finance partners with fintech NIRA to provide personal loans

• IIFL Finance Limited, non-banking financial company, Partnered with fintech NIRA as part of its strategy to strengthen its digital footprint.
• Through this partnership, salaried customers can avail a personal loan of up to 1 lakh from IIFL Finance by downloading the NIRA app from Google’s Play store.

Aim :

• To provide credit to largely unbanked and underbanked borrowers and small entrepreneurs.
• This partnership will enable NIRA to continue scaling up its business and help IIFL build its unsecured lending book.

About IIFL Finance :

• Founded : 1995
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairman : Nirmal Jain
• Group Managing Director : R Venkataraman

About NIRA :

• Founded : 2017
• Headquarters : Bangalore, Karnataka

CURRENT AFFAIRS : MOU & AGREEMENTS

India signs Host Country Agreement with the International Telecommunication Union for establishment of Area Office & Innovation Centre at New Delhi

• On March 03, 2022, The Government of India signed the Host Country Agreement (HCA) with International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for the establishment of an Area Office & Innovation Centre of ITU in New Delhi.
• The agreement was signed between Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Communications and E. Houlin Zhao, Secretary General of ITU, in a virtual ceremony during the World Telecommunications Standardization Assembly-20 (WTSA-20) being held in Geneva, Switzerland.
• This is the first time that ITU is opening in the South Asia region with India as the host country.
• The Area Office and Innovation Center of ITU at New Delhi is expected to serve South Asian countries namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and
• HCA provides the legal and financial framework for the establishment and operations of the Area Office.

Additional Info :

• India was a founding member of ITU in 1865

About ITU :

• ITU is the United Nations specialised agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs).
• ITU was renamed as International Telecommunication Union in 1932 and became a specialised agency of the United Nations in 1947.
• Established : 17 May 1865
• Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland
• Secretary-General : Houlin Zhao
• Membership : 193 countries

About Ministry of Communications :

• Cabinet Minister : Ashwini Vaishnaw
• Minister of State : Devusinh Chauhan

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

IIT Kanpur develops biodegradable nanoparticle

• Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur have developed a biodegradable nanoparticle, Biodegradable Carbonoid Metabolite (BioDCM) that can be used as an alternative to chemical-based pesticides and help farmers protect their crops from bacterial and fungal infections.

Research Team :

• Santosh K Misra and Piyush Kumar from the department of biological sciences and bioengineering
• Kannan and Divya Mishra from ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research,
• R Balamurugan and Mou Mandal from the School of Chemistry, University of Hyderabad.
• This comes as the second such innovation in the agriculture sector from IIT Kanpur since 2021.
• In 2021, out of the 107 patents filed by the institute, one path-breaking invention was the “Bhu-Parikshak” soil-testing device that has proven to significantly reduce time and hassle required for testing soil in the lab.

About IIT Kanpur :

• Established : 1959
• Located at : Uttar Pradesh
• Chairman : K Radhakrishnan
• Director : Abhay Karandikar

India’s First FSRU Reaches At H-Energy’s Jaigarh Terminal, Maharashtra

• India’s first Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU), Hoegh Giant, arrived at H-Energy’s Jaigarh terminal in

About FSRU Hoegh Giant :

• The FSRU has a storage capacity of 170,000 cubic metres and has an installed re-gasification capacity of 750 million cubic feet per day (equivalent to 6 million tons annually).
• The Hoegh Giant will deliver re-gasified LNG to the 56-km long Jaigarh-Dabhol natural gas pipeline, connecting the LNG terminal to the national gas grid.

About H-Energy :

• Founded : 2009
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra
• CEO : Darshan Hiranandani

CURRENT AFFAIRS : RANKING & INDEX

India Slips 3 Spots To Rank 120 On 17 SDG Goals

• According to the Centre for Science and Environment’s State of India’s Environment Report, 2022, released by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav India has slipped three spots from 2021, 117 to rank 120 on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
• The report, a yearly publication from Down To Earth magazine, was released at the Anil Agarwal Dialogue 2022, a national conclave of media persons organized by Delhi-based non-profit, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
• The 17 Sustainable Development Goals were adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2015 as a part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• India’s overall Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) score was 66 out of 100.

Top 5 Countries :

1. Finland
2. Sweden
3. Denmark
4. Germany
5. Belgium

State-wise preparedness :

1. Kerala
2. Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh
3. Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

• Jharkhand and Bihar are the least prepared to meet the SDGs by the target year 2030.

Union Territories :

• Chandigarhwas ranked first, followed by Delhi, Lakshadweep and Puducherry in second place and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in
• With the latest rankings, India is now behind all south Asian nations except Pakistan, which stands at 129.
• The south Asian countries ahead of India are Bhutan ranked 75, Sri Lanka 87, Nepal 96 and Bangladesh 109.

About CSE :

• Founded : 1980
• Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Founder : Anil Agarwal
• Director : Sunita Narain
• CSE is a not-for-profit public interest research and advocacy organisation.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

ISSF World Cup in Cairo: India’s Shri Nivetha, Esha Singh and Ruchita Vinerkar win gold medal in women’s 10m air pistol team event

• India’s Shri Nivetha, Esha Singh, and Ruchita Vinerkar have won the gold medal in the women’s 10m air pistol team event of the ISSF World Cup in Cairo, Egypt.
• With this win, India is leading the medal table with three medals, including two gold and
• Andrea Katharina Heckner, Sandra Reitz and Carina Wimmer of Germany settled for the silver medal.
• Germany and Italy are joint seconds on the table with one gold, two silver and one bronze medal each.
• A total of 17 countries have won medals so far.

About ISSF :

• Founded : 1907
• Headquarters: Munich, Germany
• President: Vladimir Lisin

International Tennis Federation suspends Russia and Belarus from ITF membership and international team competition.

• The ITF has suspended the tennis federations of Russia and Belarus from team competitions amid the current conflict in Ukraine.
• The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had earlier recommended that international sports bodies disallow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in major tournaments.

About ITF :

• Founded: 1 March 1913
• Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
• President : David Haggerty

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ENVIRONMENT

Global Plastics Treaty:

• In a biggest multilateral environmental deal, 175 countries have agreed to a legally binding global treaty called “Global Plastics Treaty”, to end the plastic pollution crisis by tackling the entire supply chain of material.
• The resolution on the first treaty was passed at a meeting of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) in Nairobi in Kenya.
• Now, they have started working on how to implement the treaty by 2024.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHORS:

Ex-soldier Captain Deepam Chatterjee authored a new book “The Millennial Yogi”.

• Former Indian Army Captain, Deepam Chatterjee has authored a new book titled “The Millennial Yogi: A modern-day parable about reclaiming one’s life”.
• This is a book that mixes mysticism and music that takes readers on a journey of awakening. The book talks about Jayshankar Prasad, or Jay, who has a shady-yet-mercurial rise in his journey as an entrepreneur and Vini, a mystic monk.
• The book is published by Ebury Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

Australian cricket icon Shane Warne passes away at 52

• Shane Warne, Australian cricket legend who helped his nation win the World Cup in 1999 and was part of five Ashes-winning teams during his career, died aged 52.
• An iconic name in international cricket, Shane Warne, since making his debut in 1992, played 145 Tests for Australia, picking up 708 wickets with his leg-spin and made 194 ODI appearances,
• “Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived,” Warne’s management confirmed in a statement to Australian media outlet Fox Sports.

Daily CA On Mar 05 :

• To commemorate 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and the Netherlands, Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs and Marten van den Berg, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to India released a joint special logo.
• Delhi police Commisioner Rakesh Asthana launched three new digital initiatives – Anubhuti, a QR code-based feedback system, a refurbished Delhi Police website and e-Chittha portal.
• The Delhi government has announced plans to set up a “Science Innovation Hub” at a school run by Kautilya Enclave to promote scientific culture among students.
• Axis Bank has signed an MoU with IPE Global for strengthening India’s healthcare infrastructure by providing affordable finance of up to USD 150 million (about Rs 1,140 crore) through SAMRIDH (Sustainable Access to Markets and Resources for Innovative Delivery of Healthcare).
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has canceled the license of Sarjeraodada Naik Shirala Sahakari Bank Ltd, Shirala, Dist. Sangli, Maharashtra.
• LIC Housing Finance Ltd (LICHFL) and CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd (CSC) have entered into a strategic partnership to provide loans to citizens through CSC’s network of over four lakh Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs).
• Bharti AXA Life Insurance has roped in National Award-winning actress Vidya Balan as its brand ambassador.
• Senior Advocate Aman Lekhi has resigned from the post of Additional Solicitor General of India (ASG) at the Supreme Court with immediate effect.
• Jet Airways has appointed Sanjiv Kapoor as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), with the appointment effective from April 4.
• Life Insurance Corp. of India has appointed Sunil Agrawal as the chief financial officer (CFO) &this is the first time that LIC has appointed an outsider as CFO.
• The National Mission for Clean Ganga was awarded the ‘Special Jury Award’ for the significant work done for Ganga rejuvenation at the 7th India Industry Water Conclave and 9th edition of FICCI Water Awards, held virtually, from 2nd to 3rd March, 2022.
• The agriculture sector has grown by a CAGR of 11 per cent between 2015 and 2020 with the sector witnessing the highest disruption in terms of smartphone and internet penetration,” a report on “Innovation in India’s Rural Economy” prepared jointly by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Bain and Company.
• Fintech digital lending platform, LoanTap has announced business collaborations with Arka Fincap Ltd& also partnered with RBI registered NBFC, MAS Financial Services Ltd. (MAS) in a co-lending model for the salaried and MSME segment.
• IIFL Finance Limited, non-banking financial company, Partnered with fintech NIRA as part of its strategy to strengthen its digital footprint.
• On March 03, 2022, The Government of India signed the Host Country Agreement (HCA) with International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for the establishment of an Area Office & Innovation Centre of ITU in New Delhi.
• Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur have developed a biodegradable nanoparticle, Biodegradable Carbonoid Metabolite (BioDCM) that can be used as an alternative to chemical-based pesticides and help farmers protect their crops from bacterial and fungal infections.
• India’s first Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU), Hoegh Giant, arrived at H-Energy’s Jaigarh terminal in
• According to the Centre for Science and Environment’s State of India’s Environment Report, 2022, released by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav India has slipped three spots from 2021, 117 to rank 120 on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.