Daily Current Affairs 1 February 2022 | WBCS, WBPSC, WBP

Daily Current Affairs: 1:02:2022

Important News: World

1. Saudi Arabia organizes first-ever yoga festival

Why in News

• Saudi Arabia has organized the first-ever yoga festival on Bay La Sun Beach near Jeddah, which drew over 1,000 yoga practitioners from throughout the kingdom.
• The event kicked off on 29th January and will continue till 1st February. 

Key Points

• The event was organized by the Saudi Yoga Committee, which saw the participation of Saudi yoga teachers from across the Kingdom.
• The Saudi Yoga Committee is a government body that acts like a small federation established by the Saudi Arabia Olympic Committee, Ministry of Sports, to promote yoga in Saudi Arabia on 16th May last year.

Note: The International Day of Yoga has been celebrated annually on 21 June since 2015.

Source: newsonair

Important News: India

1. PM Modi addresses 30th National Commission for Women Foundation Day programme

Why in News

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed 30^thNational Commission for Women Foundation Day

Key Points

• The theme of the programme ‘She The Change Maker’ is aimed at celebrating the achievements of women in different fields.

About National Commission for Women:

• It was established on 31 January 1992 under the provisions of the Indian Constitution, as defined in the 1990 National Commission for Women Act.
• The first head of the commission was Jayanti Patnaik.
• Rekha Sharma is the current chairperson.

Women Empowerment Schemes:

• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme
• One Stop Centre Scheme
• Women Helpline Scheme
• Working Women Hostel
• SWADHAR Greh (A Scheme for Women in Difficult Circumstances)
• Nari Shakti Puruskar
• Rajya Mahila Samman & Zila Mahila Samman
• Mahila police Volunteers
• Mahila Shakti Kendras (MSK)
• NIRBHAYA

Source: PIB

1. India to convert 150 villages into 'Villages of Excellence' with technical help from Israel

Why in News

• The Centre has decided to convert as many as 150 villages into 'Villages of Excellence' in 12 states with technical assistance from the Israel government.

Key Points

• The 150 villages that are located around Centre of Excellence (CoEs) will be converted into 'Villages of Excellence.'
• Out of which, 75 villages are being taken up in the first year to commemorate the 75th year of India's independence, where India and Israel will work together.
• Already, the Israel government has established 29 Centre of Excellence in 12 states, which are producing more than 25 million vegetable plants, over 3,87,000 quality fruit plants and can train more than 1.2 lakh farmers per year.

Note:

• India is the third-largest trading partner of Israel, in Asia after China and Hong Kong.
• Recently, India and Israel also completed 30 years of diplomatic relations.

Source: ET

1. Services e-Health Assistance and Teleconsultation (SeHAT)

Why in News

• Home Delivery of medicines will begin under Services e-Health Assistance and Teleconsultation (SeHAT).
• To start with, this project of Home Delivery will be started with Base Hospital Delhi Cantt w.e.f. 01 Feb 2022, and would be extended to more and more stations in coming times.

Key Points

About Services e-Health Assistance and Teleconsultation (SeHAT):

• SeHAT is the tri-services teleconsultation service of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) designed for all entitled personnel and their families.
• As part of the Government’s commitment to Digital India and e-Governance, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched SeHAT on 27 May 2021.
• SeHAT stay home OPD is a patient-to-doctor system where the patient can consult a doctor remotely through the internet using his Smartphone, laptop, Desktop or Tablet.

Source: PIB

Important News: Economy

1. Economic Survey 2021-22

Why in News

• The Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey 2021-22 in Parliament, which states that the year ahead is well poised for a pick-up in private sector investment with the financial system in a good position to provide support to the revival of economy.
• The central theme of this year’s Economic Survey is the “Agile approach”.

Key Points

• India to witness GDP growth of 8.0-8.5 percent in 2022-23, supported by widespread vaccine coverage, gains from supply-side reforms and easing of regulations, robust export growth, and availability of fiscal space to ramp up capital spending.
• The growth projection for 2022-23 is based on the assumption that there will be no further debilitating pandemic related economic disruption, monsoon will be normal, withdrawal of global liquidity by major central banks will be broadly orderly, oil prices will be in the range of US$70-$75/bbl, and global supply chain disruptions will steadily ease over the course of the year.
• The Survey says, the above projection is comparable with the World Bank’s and Asian Development Bank’s latest forecasts of real GDP growth of 8.7 percent and 7.5 percent respectively for 2022-23.
• As per the IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook (WEO) growth projections released on 25^thJanuary, 2022, India’s real GDP is projected to grow at 9 percent in both 2021-22 and 2022-23 and at 7.1 percent in 2023-24.
• This projects India as the fastest growing major economy in the world in all these three years.
• In conclusion, the Survey is quite optimistic that overall macro-economic stability indicators suggest that the Indian Economy is well placed to take on the challenges of 2022-23 and one of the reasons that the Indian Economy is in good position is its unique response strategy.

            Source: PIB

1. Forex Reserves decline by $678 million

Why in News

• According to data released by the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI), India’s Forex Reserves (Foreign Exchange Reserves) posted a decline of $678 million during the week ended 21st January 2022 to reach $634.287 billion.

Key Points

• Foreign Currency Assets (FCA) declined by $1.155 billion to $569.582 billion in the reporting week.
• Expressed in dollar terms, FCA includes the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound and yen held in the foreign exchange reserves.
• Meanwhile, gold reserves saw an increase of $567 million to $40.337 billion during the week ended January 21, as per the data.
• The Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) fell $68 million to $19.152 billion.
• India’s reserve position with the IMF also decreased by $22 million to $5.216 billion in the reporting week.

India’s Forex Reserve includes:

• Foreign Currency Assets
• Gold reserves
• Special Drawing Rights
• Reserve position with the International Monetary Fund

Source: Indian Express

Important News: Science

1. New genus of parasitic flowering plant discovered from Nicobar Islands

Why in News

• A new genus of a parasitic flowering plant has recently been discovered from the Nicobar group of islands.

Key Points

• The genus Septemeranthus grows on the plant species Horsfieldia glabra (Blume) Warb.
• The genus belongs to the family Loranthaceae, a hemi-parasite under the sandalwood order Santalales and is of widespread importance.
• The parasitic flowering plants have a modified root structure spread on the stem of the tree and are anchored inside the bark of the host tree.
• The plant was found on the periphery of the tropical forest in one of the biodiversity hotspots referred to as the Nicobar group of islands separated from the Andaman group of Islands by a wide gap of 160 km with heavy tidal flows.

Parasitic Plant: The plant that obtains all or part of its nutrition from another plant (the host) without contributing to the benefit of the host and, in some cases, causing extreme damage to the host.

Source: The Hindu

Important News: Sports

1. Australian Open 2022

• The 2022 Australian Open was a Grand Slam tennis tournament that took place at Melbourne Park, Australia from 17 to 30 January 2022.
• It was the 110th edition of the Australian Open, the 54th in the Open Era, and the first Grand Slam of the year.
• List of winners:

Note:

• Rafael Nadal defeated Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open Men's Singles final and clinched a record 21st Grand Slam title.
• World Number one Ashleigh Barty, won her first Australian Open title after defeating Danielle Collins of the United States in the Women's Singles final.

Source: newsonair

Important News: Books

1. A book titled “Fearless Governance” written by Kiran Bedi

 Why in News

• Kiran Bedi, former Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry and IPS, has released his self-written book 'Fearless Governance'.

Key Points

• This book is based on the ground realities of nearly five years of service of Dr. Bedi as Lt. Governor of Puducherry and her vast experience of 40 years in the Indian Police Service (IPS).
• She demonstrated the right practices of responsible governance.