Daily GK Update: 29th January 2022

National Affairs

India’s largest 100-point electric vehicle charging station for four-wheelers was inaugurated in Gurugram.
The station is bound to attract city residents to switch to electric vehicles in the near future
The project was launched by the National Highway for Electric Vehicle.
It is a private entity which has expertise in carrying out pilot projects and is working with government agencies and the NITI Aayog.
The station will be able to charge 576 vehicles in a single day.

National & International Appointments

The central government has appointed Dr V Anantha Nageswaran as its Chief Economic Advisor (CEA).
Prior to his appointment, Nageswaran has also been a part-time member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India from 2019 to 2021.
He has replaced Krishnamurthy Subramanian, who returned to academia in December after a three-year tenure as CEA.
CEA in the finance ministry is a key contributor to the govt's overall strategy in managing the economy

National Affairs

Prime Miniter Narendra Modi launched Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation on the 92nd birth anniversary of legendary classical vocalist late Pandit Jasraj.
During the launch PM called for the globalization of Indian Music.
He also urged people to take Indian music to the world and said that people should be setting up startups based on music.
Pandit Jasraj was an Indian classical vocalist. He belonged the Mewati gharana.

Sports

Australian tennis star Ashleigh Barty won 2022 Australian Open women's singles title.
She defeated Danielle Collins of US.
Barty ended a 44-year drought for Australian women at their home Grand Slam tournament.
Barty is the first Australian women’s singles champion since Chris O’Neil in 1978.
The title is Barty's third Grand Slam crown, and second out of the last three, following Roland Garros 2019 and Wimbledon 2021.
It is World No 1 Barty's 15th title overall.

National Affairs

India’s first innovation centre for graphene will be set up in Thrissur, Kerala.
This will be a joint venture between Pune-headquartered Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (CMET), Digital University Kerala (DUK), Tata Steel Limited and other industries.
Earlier this week, the MeitY gave IICG an ‘in-principle’ approval.
This will be implemented with the support of the Kerala govt
It is expected to accelerate the state’s growth in the knowledge industry sector.

International Affairs

World’s-largest canal lock unveiled in Netherlands.
canal lock was inaugurated by Dutch King Willen-Alexander.
The 500-meter long and 70-meter wide sluice replaces a smaller, nearly 100-year-old one at Ijmuiden.
Ijmuiden is a small port city connecting the North Sea Canal to the port of Amsterdam.
The overall cost of constructing the project is $338 million.
The Ijmuiden lock was designed to allow large, modern cargo ships to reach the port of Amsterdam.

Banking & Finance

Indian telecom operator, Bharti Airtel announced that Google will invest $1 billion in the company as part of its India Digitization Fund.
Google and Bharti Airtel will partner on a long-term, multi-year agreement to accelerate the growth of India's digital ecosystem.
Google will make an equity investment of $700 million for a 1.28% stake in Bharti Airtel at a price of Rs 734 per share.
Meanwhile, $300 million will go towards implementing commercial agreements.

National Affairs

The Lok Sabha secretariat has launched Digital Sansad app, that will make it easier for people to follow proceedings in the Parliament.
In addition, it will also help members of parliament access services such as checking personal updates like status of their notices, House bulletins, etc.
In future, the MPs can log in for attendance, give questions for the Question Hour or submit notices for debates or adjournment motions.
Lok Sabha Speaker: Om Birla

Books & Authors

Former finance secretary Subhash Chandra Garg will soon make his debut as an author with upcoming book, “The $10 Trillion Dream”.
The book claims to explore the critical policy issues that India faces today and suggests reforms for it to become a USD 10 trillion economy by the mid-2030s.
The book scheduled to publish by end of Feb 2022.
It is published by Penguin Random House India (PRHI).

Honours & Awards

The Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu awarded the prestigious international TX2 Award for doubling its tiger population since 2010.
It is presented by World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve is located in Erode district, TN and now houses 80 tigers in its 1408 sq. km campus.
Its area is contiguous with the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Bandipur Tiger Reserve (Karnataka) and BR Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary (Karnataka).

Banking & Finance

State Bank of India (SBI) has issued $300 million Formosa bonds and listed the issuance on India INX GIFT IFSC.
The lender is the first Indian entity to raise money through Formosa Bond, which is a bond issued in Taiwan.
SBI was the first issuer whose Green bonds were dually listed in November 2021 on Luxembourg Stock Exchange through a MOU that has been entered into by both Exchanges.
Chairman, SBI: Dinesh Kumar Khara
Chairman, India INX: Ashishkumar Chauhan

National Affairs

The Centre has decided to convert as many as 150 villages into 'Villages of Excellence' in 12 states with technical assistance from the Israeli government.
Already, the Israeli government has established 29 Centre of Excellence (CoEs) in 12 states.
The 150 villages that are located around 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.