State Affairs
1. Surat to get India’s first bullet train station
- Surat is set to have its own bullet train station by December 2024, which will be India’s first bullet train station
- The station will be built along Mumbai-Ahmedabad route, which is again country's first bullet train route.
- Station will have external facade and interiors of the station resemble a sparkling diamond - the pride of Surat city.
- It is being constructed by National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL)
- Cost of bullet train project: ₹1 lakh crore.
Arts & Culture
2. India Pavilion inaugurated at 72nd Berlinale European Film Market 2022
- India Pavilion has been inaugurated at 72nd Berlinale European Film Market 2022.
- It is organized on the sidelines of Berlin International Film Festival.
- Its inaugural session was hosted by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, National Film Development Corporation and Confederation of Indian Industry.
- India Pavilion offers sneak peek into cinemas of India and the beautiful locales which beacon film makers to come to India.
- It will remain live till 17th February.
Banking & Finance
3. RBI reopens Voluntary Retention Route with investment limit of ₹2,50,000 cr
- Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has increased investment limit in Voluntary Retention Route (VRR) from Rs. 1,50,000 crores to Rs. 2,50,000 crores.
- This increased limit shall be open for allotment from April 1, 2022.
- Minimum retention period: 3 years
- Investment limit available for fresh allotment shall accordingly be ₹1,04,800 crore
- It will be available ‘on tap’ and allotted on ‘1st come, 1st served’ basis
- VRR was introduced for FPIs in debts in 2019 with ₹1,50,000 crore limit
National & International Appointments
4. Pradip Shah appointed as Chairman of Pfizer India
- Pradip Shah has been appointed as the Chairman of Pfizer India, which is the leading biopharmaceutical companies across the globe
- He succeeded R A Shah as the chairman, who resigned on 3rd February.
- He also served as the ex-managing director and founding member of CRISIL, India’s first and the largest credit rating agency
- He has also served as a consultant to USAID, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank.
National & International Organizations
5. Mumbai 5th most-congested city in TomTom Traffic Index Ranking 2021
- TomTom Traffic Index Ranking 2021 has been released covering 404 cities across 58 countries.
- India: Mumbai has been ranked 5th, Bengaluru is ranked 10th and New Delhi has been ranked at 11th place in terms of most congested cities in the world in 2021.
- Top most congested city of the world: Istanbul (Turkey), followed by Moscow.
- Congestion level in Delhi has been reduced to 48 points in 2021 from 53 points in 2019 and peak traffic congestion also reduced by 17% in 2021
Sports
6. Ahmedabad IPL team to be called as Gujarat Titans
- Ahmedabad IPL franchise has been renamed as Gujarat Titans by its owner CVC Capital.
- The team has declared Hardik Pandya as the Captain of this team.
- Prior to this in January 2022, Lucknow’s IPL team was renamed as Lucknow Super Giants by its owner RPSG Group.
- Gujarat Titans is debuting in the 15th season of the IPL.
- It has also signed Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan and Shubman Gill
- Ashish Nehra will be head coach of the team and Vikram Solanki will be the director
Important Dates
7. International Day of Women and Girls in Science: 11th February
- International Day of Women and Girls in Science is observed on 11 February every year to achieve full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls.
- Theme 2022: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Water Unites Us.
- UN General Assembly has declared 11 February as International Day of Women and Girls in Science in 2015.
- Science and gender equality are both vital for achievement of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Summits & Conferences
8. National Monuments Authority to hold first ever global webinar on Monuments
- National Monuments Authority will hold 1st ever global webinar on Monuments protection.
- It will be organized in collaboration with Indian Council for Cultural Relations on Protection of the Monuments and their significance for the Preservation of National Heritage.
- It will be participated by 20 countries including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Japan, Iran, South Africa, Venezuela, Israel and USA.
- This is the first ever global Webinar on monuments protection.
Defense
9. Indian Army conducts 1st Hackathon at Military College of Telecommunication
- Indian Army has conducted first Hackathon at Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), Mhow under overall guidance of Shimla based Army Training Command (ARTRAC)
- Aim: to promote proficiency and expertise in the use of emerging technologies, and showcase the technological side
- The event is named as Sainya Ranakshetram from 1st Oct 2021 to 31st Dec 2021 in collaboration with Rashtriya Raksha University, in which over 15000 participants took part.
Honours & Awards
10. Subhas Sarkar presented 5th National Award for Educational Administration
- Union Minister, Subhas Sarkar has virtually presented 5th National Award for Innovations and Good Practices in Educational Administration
- National Award or Certificate of Appreciation were presented to selected District and Block level education officers from 29 states and Union Territories of the country.
- It was received by more than hundred officers
- National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration has instituted this National Award.
Defense
11. Indian Army begins implementing RFID tagging of its ammunition inventory
- Indian Army has commenced implementing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tagging of its ammunition inventory.
- First consignment of RFID tagged ammunition, comprising three lots of 5.56mm ammunition, was dispatched from Ammunition Factory Khadki to Central Ammunition Depot Pulgaon
- Implementation of RFID solution for ammunition asset visibility will transform management of ammunition and bring in a quantum jump in ammunition lot management and tracking capability
Science & Technology
12. New artificial Intelligence-based tools can help finding habitable planets
- Indian Astronomers have devised new approach for identifying potentially habitable planets with a high probability by utilizing an Artificial Intelligence-based algorithm
- It is an anomaly detection method by which they can identify potentially habitable ones with a high probability.
- The method is based on the postulate that Earth is an anomaly, with possibility of existence of few other anomalies
- It is published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Summits & Conferences
13. Fourth India-UK Home Affairs Dialogue held
- The 4th India-UK Home Affairs Dialogue has been held in virtual mode.
- Indian delegation was led by Union Home Secretary, Ajay Kumar Bhalla, and UK delegation was led by Permanent Secretary, Home Office, Mathew Rycroft.
- Dialogue covered wide range of issues including Homeland Security, Cyber Security, Extradition cases, Migration & Mobility, etc.
- The dialogue concluded with both sides agreeing to deepen security-related bilateral engagement.
Science & Technology
14. India to have National Centres of Excellence in Carbon Capture, Utilization
- India will have two National Centres of Excellence in Carbon Capture and Utilization. They will be named as:
- National Centre of Excellence in Carbon Capture and Utilization (NCoE-CCU) at IIT Bombay
- National Centre in Carbon Capture and Utilization (NCCCU) at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru
- Funded by: Dept of Science & Technology
- It will facilitate capturing, mapping of current R&D and innovation activities in the domain
Banking & Finance
15. RBI keeps Repo Rate unchanged at 4.0 per cent in its latest Monetary policy
- Reserve Bank of India has kept policy repo rate under liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 4.0% in its latest monetary policy.
- Other rates:
- Policy Repo Rate: 4.00%
- Reverse Repo Rate: 3.35%
- Marginal Standing Facility Rate: 4.25%
- Bank Rate: 4.25%
- CRR: 4.00%
- SLR: 18.00%
- Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has decided to continue with the accommodative stance.
- RBI has projected the real GDP growth for 2022-23 at 7.8 per cent.
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