Daily Current Affairs 24 February 2022 | WBCS, WBPSC, WBP

Daily Current Affairs: 24:02:2022

Important News: International

Russia has declared war against Ukraine

Context: Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow will conduct a military operation in eastern Ukraine. In a televised address, Putin asked Ukrainian forces to surrender and mentioned the action comes in response to threats coming from Ukraine. 

Key takeaways

• Russian forces entered Ukrainian territory from Crimea and Ballistic missile attacks were also launched on a number of Ukrainian cities this morning.
• Big explosions were heard in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and other areas of Ukraine.
• Russian President Putin added that Russia doesn’t have a goal to occupy Ukraine and the responsibility for the bloodshed lies with the Ukrainian regime. 
• Russia warned other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to consequences they have never seen.
• Also accused the US and its allies of ignoring Russia’s demands to stop Ukraine from joining NATO.

NATO constitutes a system of collective security, whereby its independent member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party.

Source: AIR

Kenya citizens stage online protests against Food inflation

• Angry Kenyans have been taking to social media to protest about the high cost of living in the country driven by a spike in the cost of basic commodities including food, electricity, and fuel.
• Using the hashtag #lowerfoodprices, Kenyans have criticized the government for failing to stem the rise in the prices of everyday items which they say has made life unbearable.

Source: AIR

Important News: India

SWAMITVA Yojana

Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized in the recent webinar Union Budget 202, “Digital connectivity of villages is no longer an aspiration but the need of the day”.

Why the need of broadband connectivity in rural areas?

• Broadband connectivity will not only provide facilities in the villages, but it will also help in creating a large pool of skilled youth in the villages.
• When the service sector expands with broadband connectivity in the village, the country's potential will increase further.
• optical fibre connectivity issues need to be resolved on a pilot basis across the nation's rural areas.

What is SWAMITVA Yojana?

• SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) was launched by Prime Minister on April 24, 2020, as a Central Sector Scheme to promote a socio-economically empowered and self-reliant rural India.

The objective of the scheme:

• Creation of accurate land records for rural planning and reduce property related disputes.
• To bring financial stability to the citizens in rural India by enabling them to use their property as a financial asset for taking loans and other financial benefits.
• Determination of property tax, which would accrue to the GPs directly in States where it is devolved or else, add to the State exchequer.
• Creation of survey infrastructure and GIS maps that can be leveraged by any department for their use.
• To support in preparation of a better-quality Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) by making use of GIS maps

What all aspects are covered in the scheme?

The scheme covers multifarious aspects:

• facilitating monetization of properties and enabling bank loan
• reducing property related disputes
• comprehensive village level planning

Implementing authority:

• The Scheme is implemented with the collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, State Revenue Department, State Panchayati Raj Department and Survey of India.

How will help revolutionise rural India?

• The scheme is a reformative step towards the establishment of clear ownership of property in rural inhabited (Abadi) areas, by mapping of land parcels using drone technology and providing ‘Record of Rights’ to village household owners with the issuance of legal ownership cards (Property cards/Title deeds) to the property owners.
• The scheme is the stepping-stone towards achieving Gram Swaraj in the true sense and making rural India Atmanirbhar.

Source: AIR

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme

Context: The third anniversary of the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme is observed across India.

Key Takeaways

• The scheme was launched on the 24th of February in 2019.
• It is aimed to provide income support to all landholding farmer's families across the country and enable them to meet expenses related to agriculture as well as domestic needs. 
• Under the Scheme, an amount of six thousand rupees per year is transferred in three equal instalments of two thousand rupees directly into the bank accounts of the farmers subject to certain exclusion criteria relating to higher-income status.
• The Scheme initially provided income support to all Small and Marginal Farmers’ families having cultivable land up to two hectares, but later it was expanded to cover all farmer families irrespective of the size of their landholdings.

Source: AIR

Union Minister Giriraj Singh launches Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) Dashboard

Why in News

• Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Giriraj Singh launched the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) Dashboard.

Key Points

• The Dashboard provides End-to-End insights to cater to the analytical and strategic business intelligence needs to cater for the physical and financial progress of the PMAY-G scheme at a glance.

Background:

• To achieve the objective of providing “Housing to All” by the year 2024, the Government of India rolled out the rural housing scheme, Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) with effect from 1st April 2016.
• The program envisages the completion of 2.95 crore PMAY-G houses with all basic amenities by the year 2024.
• As of 21st February 2022, a total of 1.73 crores PMAY-G houses have been completed against the allocated cumulative target of 2.62 crore houses.

Source: PIB

Ayush Start-up Challenge

Why in News

• The All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) in association with Startup India has launched the ‘Ayush Start-up Challenge’.

Key Points

About ‘Ayush Start-up Challenge’:

• It will encourage start-ups and individuals working on innovations in the field of Ayurveda and alternative healing.
• The winners of ‘Ayush Start-up Challenge’ will receive both a cash prize and incubation support from the AIIA.
• There are three entry categories for participating start-ups – Ayush Food Innovations, Ayush Bio-instrumentation (Hardware solutions) and Ayush IT Solutions (Software solutions).

Note: The Ayush market is currently estimated to be around $10 bn and it is projected to see a 50 per cent increase over the course of the next five years.

Other Schemes Related to AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Sidha and Homeopathy):

• National Ayush Mission
• AYUSH Entrepreneurship Programme
• ACCR Portal and Ayush Sanjivani App
• Ayush Wellness Centers

Source: Indian Express

500-year-old stolen Hanuman idol to be repatriated to India

Context: Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy informed that “Five hundred-year-old Lord Hanuman bronze idol stolen from Tamil Nadu temple, to be repatriated back to India. The stolen idol retrieved by US Homeland Security was handed over to @HCICanberra by US CDA.”

Key takeaways

• An idol of Lord Hanuman, which was stolen a decade ago from Tamil Nadu’s Ariyalur district and smuggled abroad scheduled to brought soon.
• Built between the 14th and 15th centuries, during the period of the Vijayanagara empire, the statue was recently found in possession of a private buyer in Australia.
• As per the Archaeological Survey of India, this Anjaneyar (Hanuman) idol was burgled along with Sri Devi idol and Boodevi idol from the Varadharaja Perumal temple in Vellur village, Ariyalur, on April 9, 2012.
• It will be restored to the temple from where it was stolen.

Source: Indian Express

Important News: Defence

Indian Navy’s multilateral exercise MILAN 2022

Why in News

• The latest edition of the Indian Navy’s multilateral exercise MILAN 2022 is scheduled to commence on 25 Feb 2022 in Visakhapatnam.

Key Points

• MILAN 22 is being conducted over a duration of 9 days in two phases with the harbour phase scheduled from 25 to 28 February and Sea Phase from 01 to 04 March.
• The theme of the MILAN 2022 is ‘Camaraderie – Cohesion – Collaboration’.
• MILAN 22 will witness its largest-ever participation, with more than 40 countries sending their warships/high-level delegations. 
• The aim of the exercise is to hone operational skills, imbibe best practices and procedures, and enable doctrinal learning in the maritime domain, through professional interaction between friendly navies.

About MILAN:

• MILAN is a biennial multilateral naval exercise incepted by the Indian Navy in 1995 at Andaman and Nicobar Command.
• Started with the participation of only four countries, viz Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand, in the 1995 edition.

Source: PIB

IAF to participate in exercise 'Ex Cobra Warrior 22'

Why in News

• Indian Air Force (IAF) will participate in a multi-nation air exercise named 'Ex Cobra Warrior 22' at Waddington, the United Kingdom from 06 to 27 March 2022.  

Key Points

• IAF Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas will participate in the exercise along with fighter aircraft of the UK and other leading Air Forces.
• The exercise is aimed at providing operational exposure and sharing best practices amongst the participating Air Forces, thereby enhancing combat capability and forging bonds of friendship.

About Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas:

• The LCA Tejas, indigenously designed by the Aircraft Development Agency (ADA) of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), is expected to be the backbone of the Indian Air Force in the future.

Source: India Today

Important News: Important Days

February 24, Central Excise Day

Why in News

• Central Excise Day is celebrated every year on February 24 across India to encourage the employees of the excise department to carry out the central excise duty in a better way.

Key Points

• The Central Excise Day is also celebrated to commemorate the Central Excise and Salt Act, which was enacted on February 24, 1944.
• The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) is responsible for administering Customs, Goods, and Service Tax (GST), Central Excise, Service Tax and Narcotics in India.

Source: India Today

Important News: Sports

Second LG Cup Ice Hockey Championship 2022

• Ladakh Scouts Regimental Centre, LSRC has lifted the Second LG Cup Ice Hockey Championship-2022.
• In finals played in NDS Ice Hockey rink in Leh, LSRC defeated arch-rivals ITBP by Three Nil to win a consecutively second title in the season.
• Ladakh Lieutenant Governor RK Mathur presented the trophies to the finalists in both men’s and women’s categories of this edition of LG Cup Ice Hockey Championship.

Source: AIR

Women's cricket: New Zealand won in 4^th ODI

• In women's cricket, New Zealand defeated India by 63 runs in a rain-curtailed fourth One Day International at the John Davies Oval, Queenstown.
• New Zealand innings was powered by Amelia Kerr's 68-run knock, which was followed by a dominant bowling performance.
• The hosts have taken a 4-0 lead in the five-match series.
• Chasing 192, Indian openers went down in quick succession and India were reduced to 12 for 4 in the fifth over. 

Source: AIR

Important News: Festivals

Second Bangladesh Film Festival in Agartala

Context: The Second Bangladesh Film Festival was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb in Agartala.

Key takeaways

• The three-day-long film festival at Agartala is part of the golden jubilee celebration of the liberation of Bangladesh.
• The festival is showcasing the best movies related to the liberation war of Bangladesh to commemorate the glorious history of 1971 and the role of India in the liberation of Bangladesh. 
• Tripura and Bangladesh share many similarities in cultures and such programmes are a big step towards increasing harmony in the region through cultural exchange between the two countries. 

Note: With the opening of new channels of communication including waterways and railways, Tripura is becoming the commercial corridor of Northeast and also providing huge potential for film-making.

Source: AIR