15th January
International Affairs
1. 20th Dhaka International Film Festival begins today in Dhaka
- The 20th Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) has been started (from 15th to 23rd January) at multiple venues in Dhaka.
- It will showcase 225 films from 70 countries under 10 categories with more than 50 foreign delegates.
- It is being organized in a hybrid mode with many films being streamed online during the festival.
- Indian entries: Koozhangal, Avijatrik, Mayar Jonjal, Aandaal, etc
- Dhaka International Film Festival is organized by the Rainbow Film Society in 1992
Important Dates
2. Indian Army Day: 15th January
- Indian Army Day is celebrated every year on 15th January in recognition of Field Marshal K.M Cariappa as the first commander-in-chief of the Indian army.
- This year marks the 74th Indian Army Day.
- Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the day has been celebrated with stringent protocols at all Army command headquarters.
- The Indian Army originated from the East India Company, which was known as the British Indian Army and later named the National Army after India's independence.
Banking & Finance
3. LazyPay collaborated with SBM Bank India to Launch LazyCard
- LazyPay, a BNPL solution by PayU Finance, announced its partnership with SBM Bank India to launch LazyCard, backed by a credit line that works on the Visa payment network.
- To empower financially underserved Indians with easy access to credit as their card has limited credit options.
- LazyCard reaches over 62 million pre-approved users of LazyPay, with a credit limit of up to 5 lakhs.
- Consumers could avail the Lazycard at zero joining fees and zero annual fees.
Banking & Finance
4. Axis Bank partners MinkasuPay for seamless net banking experience
- Axis Bank announced its partnership with MinkasuPay to offer the smoothest net banking payment experience for its customers through a biometric authentication solution.
- Transaction time will reduce from the current 50-60 seconds to just 2-3 seconds with Fingerprint or Face ID authentication while increasing success rates significantly.
- MinkasuPay's biometric authentication solution is a 2-Factor-Authentication solution.
- Axis Bank CEO: Amitabh Chaudhry
Obituaries
5. Olympic Bronze Medallist Sprinter Deon Lendore passes away
- Olympic and world medallist sprinter Deon Lendore (29-years) who specialized in the 400 metres, has passed away in an unfortunate car crash in Texas, USA.
- The Trinidad and Tobago sprinter won a bronze medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay event at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
- He claimed a silver medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay event at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing
National Affairs
6. UN projects India GDP at 6.5% in FY22
- As per the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2022 report, The GDP growth forecast of India in fiscal 2022 is estimated to grow at 6.5%
- Earlier it was estimated at 8.4%.
- The WESP is a flagship report produced by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA).
- UN has projected the growth rate for fiscal 2023 (FY 2022-2023) at 5.9%.
National & International Appointments
7. Britannia Industries appoints Amit Doshi as chief marketing officer
- Leading bakery foods company Britannia Industries announced the appointment of Amit Doshi as its Chief Marketing Officer.
- He would take over from Vinay Subramanyam, who had left the company in December last year.
- Britannia Industries owns popular household brands, which include - Good Day, Tiger, NutriChoice, Milk Bikis, Marie Gold and Little Hearts.
Banking & Finance
8. Indifi, GPay join hands to offer instant digital credit to SMEs
- Indifi Technologies has collaborated with Google Pay to provide instant loans to eligible small merchants on the Google Pay platform.
- The biggest challenge that most small business owners face is working capital management and the speed of securing capital to manage it.
- The collaboration aims to address this problem and help small merchants to meet their working capital needs.
- GPay’s has a reach of more than 10 million merchants.
Important Dates
9. Republic Day celebrations to begin from January 23
- The Republic Day celebrations will now begin every year from January 23 instead of January 24 to include the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Subash Chandra Bose.
Other such days:
- August 14: Partition Horrors Remembrance Day
- October 31: National Unity Day (birth anniversary of Sardar Patel),
- November 15: Janjatiya Gaurav Divas (Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary),
- Nov 26: Constitution Day
- Dec 26: Veer Baal Divas (a tribute to the four sons of Guru Gobind Singh).
Sports
10. Virat Kohli steps down as Test captain
- Virat Kohli has stepped down as the Test captain of the Indian cricket team after the series defeat against South Africa.
- Under him, India won 40 out of 68 Test matches.
- Kohli was appointed Test captain back in 2014 when M.S. Dhoni stepped down in the middle of the series against Australia.
16th January
Sports
1. HP CM inaugurates 9th women National Ice Hockey Championship-2022
- Himachal Pradesh CM Jai Ram Thakur has inaugurated 9th women National Ice Hockey Championship-2022 at Ice Skating Rink, Kaza in Lahaul Spiti district.
- Ice Hockey competition and development camp is being organized at the national level for the first time in Himachal Pradesh
- Participants: Himachal Pradesh, Telengana, Ladakh, ITBP Ladakh, Chandigarh and Delhi.
- First Basic Ice Hockey ten days Coaching Camp was organized at Kaza in the year 2019.
Summits & Conferences
2. PM to deliver 'State of the World' address at WEF’s Davos Agenda
- PM Narendra Modi will virtually deliver State of the World special address at World Economic Forum’s Davos Agenda
- Davos Agenda summit is a 5-day summit and will kick off on 17th January 2022
- During the event, several Heads of State and Govt will address the forum.
- The event will also witness the participation of top industry leaders, international organizations, and civil society.
- They will deliberate on critical challenges being faced by world.
National Affairs
3. World's largest national flag, Indian Tricolor displayed on Army Day
- World's largest national flag, Indian Tricolor made from Khadi, was displayed along India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan's Longewala, on 74th Army Day.
- Longewala is the western part of the desert state's Jaisalmer district and was the site of Battle of Longewala in 1971
- It is 225 feet long, 150 feet wide and weighs around 1,400 kg, while Ashoka Chakra in the center has a diameter of 30 feet.
- Monumental National Flag is created by Khadi and Village Industries Commission
Important Dates
4. First National Start-up Day being observed on 16th January
- First National Start-up Day is being observed on 16th January 2022 as announced by Prime Miniter Modi.
- The announcement was made on 15th January 2022, via video conferencing during week-long event Celebrating Innovation Ecosystem as a part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
- During the event, over 150 startups interacted and have been divided into six working groups based on several themes.
- Note: Purple Revolution is Jammu and Kashmir’s contribution to Start-Up India.
Honours & Awards
5. Lavni artist won gold medal at the International Folk Art Festival in Dubai
- A young Lavni artist from Maharashtra, Sumit Bhale of Fulbari taluka has won a gold medal at the International Folk Art Festival in Dubai.
- Lavani is a genre of music popular in Maharashtra and is a combination of traditional song and dance, which is particularly performed to the beats of Dholki, a percussion instrument.
- It is noted for its powerful rhythm and has contributed substantially to the development of Marathi folk theatre.
Arts & Culture
6. National Gallery of Modern Art organizes unique art workshop Kala Kumbh
- National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi has organized unique art workshop Kala Kumbh for painting gigantic scrolls of 750 meters in size.
- These paintings on gigantic scrolls, represents the tales of valor of unsung heroes of Indias freedom movement.
- It will form an integral part of the Republic day celebrations this year.
- Kala Kumbh organized under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav reflects the essence of unity in diversity.
State Affairs
7. J&K set to have two whole genome sequencing labs very soon
- Jammu and Kashmir is set to have two whole genome sequencing labs after which samples of Covid positive persons will be tested in the region.
- During the second wave of Covid, UT administration decided to set up two genome sequencing labs one in GMC Jammu and other in GMC Srinagar/SKIMS Soura
- All details were shared with Jammu and Kashmir Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (JKMSCL) for procurement of machines required for installing in two labs.
Sports
8. Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray virtually inaugurates two football pitches
- Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray has virtually inaugurated two football pitches, developed by City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) at the Centre of Excellence in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai.
- It will be used by the teams, which will be competing in the upcoming AFC Women's Asian Cup
- Kharghar will soon evolve as a sports city, while Maharashtra will be the 1st state to provide facilities for all sports
- The stadiums will have a seating capacity of 40,000 visitors
Summits & Conferences
9. IAMAI organized 16th India Digital Summit
- Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal has virtually addressed 16th India Digital Summit, 2022.
- It was a two-day virtual event, that was organized by Internet And Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).
- Theme of the summit: “Supercharging Startups”.
- It is the oldest event of the digital industry in India.
- During the summit, Minister unveiled ‘LEAP’ as the way forward to further strengthen our Startups ecosystem.
Banking & Finance
10. Yes Mutual Fund renamed as White Oak Capital Mutual Fund
- The name of YES Mutual Fund has been changed to White Oak Capital Mutual Fund, along with YES Asset Management which has been rechristened as White Oak Capital Asset Management with effect from 12 Jan 2022
- White Oak Capital group, through its subsidiary, GPL Finance and Investments, acquired mutual fund business, Yes Asset Management, of Yes Bank in November 2021
- White Oak Capital group provides investment management and advisory services for Indian equity investors.
Sports
11. Tasnim Mir becomes first Indian to achieve World No. 1 Ranking
- India’s under-19 shuttler Tasnim Mir (16 years) has become world number-1 badminton Under-19 player in the women’s singles category, in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) junior rankings.
- With this feat, she has become the first Indian to top the under-19 girls’ singles world rankings.
- She is at the top of the pile with 10,810 points.
- She belongs to Mehsana, Gujarat.
National Affairs
12. Centre issues postal stamp to mark 1 year of Covid vaccination drive
- Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has released commemorative Postal Stamp on COVID-19 Vaccine to mark the 1st anniversary of India's National Covid-19 Vaccination program.
- The commemorative stamp features a healthcare worker inoculating senior citizen with COVID-19 vaccine, along with an image of ‘COVAXIN’ vial.
- This stamp signifies the remarkable work done by our frontline healthcare workers and scientific community in protecting the people against COVID.
==========================================
Comments
write a comment