Daily Current Affairs: 22:02:2022
Important News: International
Attari-Wagah land border
Context: The first shipment of 10,000 tonnes of wheat from India for the people of Afghanistan will be dispatched via the Attari-Wagah land border crossing.
- The first shipment formally flagged off at Attari-Wagah in the presence of India and Pakistani officials and representatives of the World Food Programme (WFP), which is responsible for distributing the wheat in Afghanistan.
- The shipment is being sent after the Indian and Pakistan sides finalised modalities for transporting the wheat via Pakistan land routes after weeks of negotiations.
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Source: AIR, HT
Important News: India
National Digital University
Context: The concept was mentioned by the Prime Minister in a webinar on the positive impact of the Union Budget 2022-23. He urged all stakeholders to ensure that the digital university starts functioning at the earliest.
Key highlights
- Union Budget for 2022-23 aims to help implement the National Education Policy (NEP) effectively.
- The budget focuses on five aspects related to the education sector –
- Universalisation of quality education
- Skill development
- Urban planning and design
- Internationalisation and AVGC (Animation Visual Effects Gaming Comic)
- A move to empower students with better medical and technical education has begun in many states in local languages.
Note: Education in the mother tongue is related to the students' mental development.
- NEP 2020 unequivocally endorses and envisions a substantial increase in public investment in education by both the Central government and all State Governments.
- The Centre and the States will work together to increase the public investment in Education sector to reach 6% of GDP at the earliest.
NEP in higher education envisages to improve the quality of higher education and various schemes are in place to achieve the goal namely,
Note: Several initiatives are also undertaken by UGC and AICTE for quality improvement in higher and technical education. |
Source: AIR
Thane-Diva railway lines
- Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated (via video conferencing) the newly constructed two additional railway lines between Thane and Diva on Mumbai’s busy suburban rail network.
- Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also attended the inaugural ceremony virtually.
Key Highlights
- The additional lines have been built at the approximate cost of Rs. 620 crore and has the following components:
- 1.4 km long rail flyover
- 170-meter-long tunnel
- major bridges
- 21 minor bridges
Note: PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan for Multimodal Connectivity plays an important role in streamlining all processes from planning to execution of infrastructure projects necessary to build a modern 21st century India.
Source: AIR
“Corbevax”, COVID-19 vaccine for children between 12-18 years of age group
- Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted Emergency Use Authorisation to COVID-19 vaccine Corbevax for children between 12-18 years of age group.
- It is India’s first indigenously developed Receptor Binding Domain protein sub-unit COVID-19 vaccine.
- It is developed by Biological E Ltd, the Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company.
- Corbevax vaccine is administered through an intramuscular route.
- Two doses are scheduled 28 days apart and are stored at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius temperature.
Source: AIR
Bhasha Shahid Barkat memorial in Murshidabad
- West Bengal Government to build a memorial of Bhasha Shahid Barkat at his residence at Babla village in Salar, Murshidabad.
About Shahid Barkat
- In 1952, Abdul Barkat participated in the language movement demanding recognition of Bangla as one of the state languages of Pakistan.
- Abdul Barkat was injured during the procession that students mobilised on the premises of Dhaka Medical College hostel on 21st Feb, later he died.
- Posthumously he was awarded Ekushey Padak by the Bangladesh Government.
Source: AIR
Union Govt bars scholarships for studying Indian subjects abroad
- The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has issued fresh guidelines barring students from applying for the National Overseas Scholarship (NOS).
- The students are barred to study several humanities subjects, including Indian history, culture, and heritage, abroad.
- The final decision as to which topic can be covered under such category will rest with the election-cum-screening committee of NOS.
Source: AIR
“Eastern Bridge – VI” joint Exercise between Indian and Omani air forces
- Indian, Omani air forces joint exercises being held in Jodhpur from 21st Feb- 25th Feb 2022.
- Oman is one of India’s strongest defence partners in the Gulf region, and all three services have bilateral exchanges and exercises with Oman’s services.
- To strengthen the ties Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) began a bilateral joint exercise.
- It is the sixth edition of the exercise and is aimed to provide an opportunity to enhance operational capability and interoperability between the two Air Forces.
- Oman also provides operational support to the Indian Navy in the Arabian Sea.
- India has access to the Duqm port, which has strengthened India’s capability and maritime strategy in the Indian Ocean Region, especially against China’s aggressive advance in the region.
Source: Indian Express
Hurun India Wealth Report 2021
Why in News
- Recently, Hurun Report, the world’s largest rich list compiler, released the Hurun India Wealth Report 2021 (second edition).
Key Points
- According to the Hurun India Wealth Report 2021, the number of dollar-millionaire households in India has increased by 11% to 4,58,000 households compared to last year. These households have a net worth of at least INR 7 crore.
- The number of Indian dollar-millionaire households is estimated to increase by 30% over the next five years to reach 6,00,000 households by 2026.
- With 20,300 millionaires households, Mumbai is India’s millionaire capital, followed by Delhi and Kolkata with 17,400 and 10,500 millionaire households respectively
About the Hurun Report:
- Hurun Report is a leading research, luxury publishing and events group established in London in 1998 with a presence in India, China, France, the UK, USA, Australia, Japan, Canada and Luxembourg.
- Hurun Report is the largest compiler of the rich list globally.
Source: hurunindia.net
Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022
Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022
Why in News
- Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change announced the notification of the new Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022.
- It has been notified of the Guidelines on Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) on plastic packaging under Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
Key Points
- The guidelines on extended producer responsibility coupled with prohibition of identified single use plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential, with effect from 1stJuly 2022, are important steps for reducing pollution caused due to littered plastic waste in the country.
- The Guidelines provide a framework to strengthen the circular economy of plastic packaging waste, promote development of new alternatives to plastics and provide further next steps for moving towards sustainable plastic packaging by businesses.
Other Initiatives taken to curb Plastic Waste:
- India Plastics Pact
- Swachh Bharat Mission
- Project REPLAN
- GoLitter Partnerships Project
- Un-Plastic Collective
Note:
- India generates about 3.4 million tonnes of plastic waste annually.
- The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) aims to almost triple its plastic waste management to 100 cities in India by 2024.
Source: The Hindu
Important News: Books and Authors
A book titled “A History of Sriniketan: Rabindranath Tagore’s Pioneering Work in Rural Construction” written by historian and Tagore biographer Uma Das Gupta
Why in News
- The book, “A History of Sriniketan: Rabindranath Tagore’s Pioneering Work in Rural Construction”, is written by historian and Tagore biographer Uma Das Gupta.
Key Points
- The book is published under Niyogi Book’s ‘Paper Missile’ imprint.
- It explores Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s work for rural reconstruction by setting up ‘Sriniketan’, a wing of his Visva Bharati International University at Santiniketan in 1922.
Note: Poet Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913 for his collection Gitanjali published in London in 1912.
Source: Indian Express
Important News: Sports
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa won Airthings Masters
- In Chess, Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated world champion, Magnus Carlsen in the eighth round of the Airthings Masters competition.
- Praggnanandhaa won with black pieces in 39 moves yesterday to halt Carlsen's run of three straight wins.
- Airthings Masters, is a 16-player online rapid chess tournament.
- Praggnanandhaa has become only the third Indian after Viswanathan Anand and P Harikrishna to beat Carlsen.
Source: AIR
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