22nd January
International Affairs
1. Oxford Children's Word of the Year 2021 is Anxiety
- Oxford University Press has declared ‘Anxiety’ as Children’s Word of the Year 2021, based on their recent research
- Anxiety has been selected based on a survey conducted on around 8,000 children of 7-14 age group from 85 schools in United Kingdom, who were asked to choose the words they most often used while talking about health and wellbeing.
- Apart from anxiety (21%), Challenging (19%), isolate (14%), Wellbeing (13%) and resilience (12%) were the children’s top five words
National & International Appointments
2. Vinod Rai appointed as chairman of Unity Small Finance Bank
- Former comptroller and auditor general (CAG) of India, Vinod Rai has been appointed as the independent Chairman of Unity Small Finance Bank (Unity SFB).
- He is a former IAS officer, with experience in Ministry of Finance, Commerce, Defence as well as with Federal and State Governments and Private Institutions.
- Unity Small Finance Bank has commenced operations as a small finance bank with effect from November 1, 2021 under Section 22 (1) of Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
Honours & Awards
3. Sushmita Sen wins International Association of Working Women Award
- Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen has been honoured with International Association of Working Women Award at Washington DC South Asian Film Festival (DCSAFF) 2021.
- She has been felicitated for outstanding performance by a female actor in TV series for her show ‘Aarya 2’.
- Aarya 2 series is created by Ram Madhvani and had released on Disney+Hotstar.
- DCSAFF 2021 is organized virtually from 16 to 30 January, to showcase the best in alternative cinema.
Agreement
4. Haryana and Himachal inks MoU to revive Saraswati River
- Haryana and Himachal Pradesh govt have signed MoU to revive the Saraswati river in Panchkula.
- Under this, Haryana Government will construct a dam and a reservoir in Adi Badri area near Yamunanagar district, which is situated on the border of Himachal Pradesh.
- Cost of the project is estimated at Rs 215.33 crore and will be borne entirely by Haryana govt.
- Adi-Badri is considered as the origin of Saraswati river.
- Dam will be delivered 224 hectare mtr water from Som river
National & International Organizations
5. NITI Aayog, RMI release ‘Banking on Electric Vehicles in India’ report
- NITI Aayog, Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), and RMI India has released ‘Banking on Electric Vehicles in India’ report, which outlines the importance of priority-sector recognition for retail lending in electric mobility ecosystem.
- Report provides considerations and recommendations to inform inclusion of EVs in RBI’s PSL guidelines.
- Banks and NBFCs in India have the potential to achieve an electric vehicle financing market size of Rs 40,000 crore (USD 5 billion) by 2025
National Affairs
6. PM Modi to unveil 216-foot statue of saint Ramanujacharya in Hyderabad
- PM Modi will inaugurate 216-foot statue of Ramanujacharya in a sitting position in Hyderabad on Feb 5, 2022 to celebrate 1,000th birth anniversary of the saint.
- Ramanujacharya: 11th century saint and a revolutionary social reformer.
- It will be called as ‘Statue of Equality’.
- It is located in a 45-acre complex at Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad, Telangana
- It is built at a cost of Rs. 1,000-crore, which was funded entirely by donations from devotees globally
State Affairs
7. First District Good Governance Index for 20 Districts released
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah has released District Good Governance Index for 20 Districts of UT of Jammu and Kashmir
- Organized by: Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG) and Jammu & Kashmir Institute of Management, Public Administration & Rural Development in association with Centre for Good Governance, Hyderabad.
- J&K will become first Union Territory in the country to have Good Governance Index.
National Affairs
8. PM Modi emerges as 'Most Popular Leader' worldwide
- PM Narendra Modi has emerged as the most popular leader worldwide, according to US-based global leader approval tracker, Morning Consult Political Intelligence.
- Modi has topped with 71% approval ratings among 13 world leaders while US President, Joe Biden is ranked at number six with 43% rating.
- Joe Biden is followed by Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau with 43% and Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison at 41% approval ratings.
National Affairs
9. Coal Secretary launches Koyla Darpan Portal
- Coal Secretary Anil Kumar Jain has launched Koyla Darpan Portal to share Key Performance Indicators related to the Coal Sector.
- Koyla Darpan portal will have Key Performance Indicators related to Coal Production, Status of Coal Stock in Thermal Power Plants, Allocation of Blocks, Monitoring of Major Coal Mines and Coal Price.
- It is accessible through the website of the Ministry of Coal for maximum public outreach.
National Affairs
10. BRO conducts final blast concluding all excavation on Sela Tunnel Project
- The final blast for 980-metre long Sela Tunnel (Tunnel 1) has been conducted by Director General Border Roads Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry through e-ceremony from New Delhi
- This marks the culmination of excavation works on the complete Sela Tunnel Project.
- This feat has been achieved by Border Roads Organization (BRO)
- It is located in West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh
- Once completed, it will be a lifeline as it will provide all weather connectivity to Tawang.
National Affairs
11. ‘Indigenous Knowledge & Health Care: The Way Forward’
- Tribal Research Institute, Telangana in collaboration with Ministry of Tribal Affairs has organized two Days workshop on ‘Indigenous Knowledge & Health Care: The Way Forward’ from 19th January to 20th January 2022
- It has been launched with technical support from United Nations Development Programme.
- Tribal Research Institute, Uttarakhand has been designated as the nodal TRI for coordination with other TRIs.
23rd January
Honours & Awards
1. Assam government to confer 'Asom Baibhav Award' to Ratan Tata
- Industrialist Ratan Tata will be bestowed with the highest civilian award of Assam 'Asom Baibhav'.
- Assam governor Jagdish Mukhi will confer the award to the former chairman of Tata sons on 24 January, 2022.
- The Assam government is conferring 'Asom Baibhav' to Ratan Tata for his contribution to setting up cancer treatment facilities in the state.
- Tata Trusts had signed an MoU with the Assam government in 2018, giving a formal share to this project.
Sports
2. P.V. Sindhu wins Women’s singles title at Syed Modi International tournamen
- Two-time Olympic medalist, P.V. Sindhu has won the Women’s singles title at the Syed Modi International tournament.
- Sindhu defeated compatriot Malvika Bansod 21-13, 21-16 in the summit clash in Lucknow.
- Earlier in the day, the Men’s singles final of the tournament was declared as a ‘No Match’ after one of the finalists tested positive for Covid-19.
- The all-French clash was scheduled between Arnaud Merkle and Lucas Claerbout.
Important Dates
3. Subhas Chandra Bose birth anniversary celebrated as Parakram Diwas
- Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's birth anniversary is marked as "Parakram Diwas"
- The central govt has decided to celebrate his birthday on the 23rd January every year as Parakram Diwas to inspire people of this country.
- On this occasion, Narendra Modi unveiled the hologram statue of Netaji at India Gate.
- Trinamool Congress celebrate Bose's birth anniversary as 'Desh Nayak Diwas'.
- Bose, called as Netaji, was one of the most prominent leaders of Indian freedom struggle.
Obituaries
4. Thich Nhat Hanh, influential Zen Buddhist monk, passes away
- Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk passed away.
- He was one of the world’s most influential Zen masters, spreading messages of mindfulness, compassion and nonviolence.
- A prolific author, poet, teacher and peace activist, Thich Nhat Hanh was exiled from Vietnam after opposing the war in the 1960s.
- He became a leading voice in a movement he called “engaged Buddhism,” the application of Buddhist principles to political and social reform.
Obituaries
5. Former India footballer and coach Subhas Bhowmick passes away
- Former India footballer and coach Subhash Bhowmik (72) passed away in Kolkata.
- He was Suffering from diabetes and kidney disease since a long time.
- Popularly known as ‘Bhombol da’ in Kolkata, Bhowmik was a successful footballer as well as coach.
- He was a part of the Indian team that won a bronze medal in 1970 Asian Games.
- Subhash won a total of 26 trophies in his club career – 18 in Mohun Bagan itself.
Banking & Finance
6. Mcap of top-10 most valued companies erodes by over Rs 2.53 lakh cr
- The top-10 most valued companies suffered a combined erosion of Rs 2.53 lakh cr in market valuation last week.
- This is due to the domestic equity benchmarks witnessed heavy selling in line with the global market.
- Benchmark indices witnessed nearly a 4% cut last week as FPIs booked profits across large-caps and select mid-caps.
- The top-10 firms are Reliance Industries, TCS, HDFC Bank, Infosys, ICICI Bank, Hindustan Unilever, HDFC, SBI, Bajaj Finance and Bharti Airtel.
Sports
7. India’s first para-badminton academy launched in Lucknow
- Country's first state-of-the-art, high-performance para-badminton academy with advanced equipment and facilities has been set up in Lucknow.
- The centre has been launched by Dronacharya awardee and head national coach of Indian para-badminton team, Gaurav Khanna, in association with Ageas Federal Life Insurance.
- Khanna also unveiled the Ageas Federal ‘Quest for Fearless Shuttlers’ programme to spot and nurture new talent for the 2028 and 2032 Paralympics.
Honours & Awards
8. Prajakta Koli becomes UNDP India's first youth climate champion
- Content creator and actress, Prajakta Koli has become the first UNDP India Youth Climate Champion.
- The title has been conferred to her following her contribution towards mental health, women's rights and girl child education through various global social campaigns
- UNDP aims to eliminate poverty, achieve sustainable growth and scale up human development in countries where it is required the most.
- She is a global ambassador for YouTube's 'Creators For Change' initiative
Honours & Awards
9. New Species of Rainfrog Discovered in Panama Named After Greta Thunberg
- A new species of frog discovered in Panama has been named after Swedish environmental activist Great Thunberg.
- The new species of the frog is named Pristimantis gretathunburgae.
- The team, which discovered the new species, was led by Abel Batista from Panama and Konrad Mebert from Switzerland.
- The Pristimantis gretathunburgae was found by the team on an island in eastern Panama called Cerro Chucanti.
- The island was surrounded by lowland tropical rainforest.
Science & Technology
10. ISRO Successfully Tests Vikas Engine of India's Gaganyaan Space Mission
- ISRO successfully fired the high thrust Vikas engine that would power India's first human-carry rocket.
- The Vikas engine for the Gaganyaan human space mission underwent the qualification test for a duration of 25 seconds at the ISRO Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.
- Two engines have undergone tests under nominal operating conditions for a total duration of 480 seconds.
- The trial involved stress testing the fuel-oxidiser ratio and chamber pressure.
State Affairs
11. Arunachal Pradesh to establish new body to improve infrastructure
- To expedite infrastructure development, Arunachal Pradesh government will establish Arunachal Pradesh Infrastructure Financing Authority.
- This was decided during the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Arunachal Pradesh as an independent state
- The state of Arunachal Pradesh was created in 1972.
- In 2022, the state has celebrated its 50th anniversary.
- Arunachal Pradesh CM: Pema Khandu
- Arunachal Pradesh Governor: BD Mishra
Banking & Finance
12. Kotak Mahindra Bank signs MoU with GIFT SEZ
- Kotak Mahindra Bank has signed an MoU with GIFT SEZ Limited.
- The MoU will enable both to work together towards greater enhancement of the financial services eco-system for alternative investment funds and global custody services.
- Both KMBL and GIFT SEZ will cooperate towards wide-ranging activities to improve overall financial services.
- According to the MoU, an area of focus will be to ease market access and cross-border activities for the fund management community.
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