International Affairs
1. Bangladesh discovers huge natural gas hydrate deposits in Bay of Bengal
- Bangladesh has discovered huge potential natural gas hydrate deposits of 0.11 to 0.73 trillion cubic feet in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
- It is equivalent to 17-103 TCF of natural gas reserves.
- The study undertaken over the last three years was conducted by the Petrobangla, Bapex, local experts and the National Oceanography centre in Southampton, UK.
- The study has come up with the preliminary idea about the location and nature of the gas hydrate discovery.
National & International Appointments
2. RBI approves re-appointment of Anup Bagchi as ED of ICICI Bank
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the re-appointment of Anup Bagchi as an Executive Director of ICICI Bank for a period of 3 years.
- The shareholders of the bank at its Annual General Meeting in August last year had approved Bagchi’s re-appointment for five years effective February 1, 2022.
- ICICI Bank has two more executive directors — Sandeep Batra and Vishakha Mulye.
- MD and CEO of ICICI Bank: Sandeep Bahkshi
- Tagline: Hum hai na, Khayal Apka
Honours & Awards
3. MAHE professor gets ICMR award
- Dr Satish Adiga has been selected by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for its national award.
- He is a professor in the clinical embryology department at Kasturba Medical College (KMC), under Manipal Academy of Higher education (MAHE).
- Adiga will receive Dr Subhas Mukherjee Award from ICMR in recognition for his outstanding contribution to the field of in-vitro fertilization (IVF)
- He has contributed significantly to both clinical IVF and fertility research
National & International Appointments
4. Navrang Saini further gets additional charge as IBBI Chairperson
- The center has further assigned the additional charge of the the chairperson of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) to Navrang Saini.
- The Centre had in Oct last year assigned additional charge of chairperson of IBBI Saini for a period of three months.
- The IBBI Chairperson is appointed by the center on the recommendations of the selection committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary.
- M S Sahoo, who was the first Chairperson of IBBI since October 1, 2016.
National Affairs
5. TCS bags Passport Seva II contract
- MEA has selected TCS for the 2nd phase of the Passport Seva Programme, the country’s largest mission-critical e-governance programme.
- Launched in 2008, the PSP saw TCS transforming the delivery of passport-related services, digitizing the processes, and setting global benchmarks in timeliness, transparency, and reliability.
- In the next phase, TCS will refresh existing facilities and systems, and develop innovative new solutions to enable the issuance of e-passports.
Banking & Finance
6. KVG Bank joins hands with Mecwin Tech to finance solar pump-sets for farmer
- Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) and the Bengaluru-based Mecwin Technologies Ltd signed an MoU to introduce farmer-friendly solar-powered pump-sets using bank finance.
- The MoU will benefit farmers since Mecwin Technologies Ltd is specialised in the production and management of solar irrigation pump-sets.
- Apart from this, the bank has the largest branch network in rural areas.
- KVGB was the first bank to introduce solar loan schemes.
- Headquarter: Dharwad
Banking & Finance
7. PhonePe crosses 350 m registered users mark
- Digital payments platform PhonePe has crossed 350 million lifetime registered users.
- The platform’s registered user base has grown 28% from 273 million in January to 350 million in December 2021.
- PhonePe also reported 150 million monthly active users (MAU) and an annualised total payment value (TPV) of $651 billion in December.
- PhonePe is among the leading UPI platforms with over 45 per cent market share in terms of the volume of transactions processed in December.
National Affairs
8. Elections in five states from Feb 10-March 7
- Election Commission announced that the assembly elections in UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa will be held between February 10 and March 7 in seven phases.
- The counting of votes will be held on March 10.
- Uttar Pradesh to go to poll in 7 phases from Feb 10-March 7; Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa to vote on February 14 and Manipur to vote on Feb 27 and March 3.
- The Model Code of Conduct has come into effect in the five states with the announcement of elections.
Obituaries
9. Sidney Poitier, first black man to win Oscar for best actor, passes away
- Bahamian-American Actor, Sidney Poitier (94), the first black winner of the Best Actor Oscar for his role in Lilies Of The Field’ in 1963, passed away.
- Apart from his successful acting career, Sidney was also a tireless civil rights activist.
- He was awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 by President Obama for his work.
- A dual citizen of the US and the Bahamas, he served from 1997-2007 as Bahamian Ambassador to Japan.
Agreement
10. J&K Govt signs MoU with Century Financial for 100 million investment
- Jammu & Kashmir govt has signed a MoU with UAE’s pioneering financial services company, Century Financial that will invest 100 million dollars in the UT.
- Investment will cover 3 hotels and one commercial cum residential complex in Jammu & Kashmir.
- The owner of Century Financial Sh. Bal Krishen is originally a native of the Doda district of Jammu and has been a forerunner in supporting his home region.
==========================================
Comments
write a comment