Daily GK Update: 4th March 2022

 National & International Appointments

1. TS Ramakrishnan named as MD and CEO of LIC Mutual Fund

• TS Ramakrishnan has been appointed as the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the LIC Mutual Fund.
• He succeeded Dinesh Pangtey, who has spent more than 34 years at LIC, its subsidiaries and associate companies.
• Before LIC Mutual Fund, he was the Regional Manager-Western Region at LIC Housing Finance Ltd (LICHFL) and subsequently transferred to General Manager LICHFL.
• LIC Mutual Fund: established on 20th April 1989 by LIC of India.

 Sports

2. ICC Women’s World cup begins in New Zealand

• The 2022 edition of ICC Women’s World has been kicked off with New Zealand Women taking on West Indies Women in the tournament opener at Bay Oval Stadium in Mount Maunganui.
• ICC Women’s world cup will have a total of 8 teams: India, Pakistan, Australia, Bangladesh, New Zealand, South Africa, England, West Indies
• Tournament is being held in New Zealand
• It is being played in a round-robin format
• England defeated India in previous edition of ICC Women’s World Cup in 2017

 International Affairs

3. Swiss Airlines to become the first airline to use solar aviation fuel

• Swiss and its parent company, Lufthansa Group have partnered with synthetic fuel group ‘Synhelion’ to use its solar fuel.
• Swiss International Airlines will become the first airline to use solar aviation fuel to help power its flights
• For this, Synhelion has developed a technology for manufacturing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from renewable energy sources
• When combusted solar fuel will only produce as much CO2 as went into its manufacture, cutting aviation emissions.

 National & International Appointments

4. Sunil Agrawal appointed as the new CFO of LIC

• Sunil Agrawal has been appointed as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) on contractual basis.
• Prior to this, he was serving as the CFO of Reliance Nippon Life Insurance for over 12 years.
• Central government is counting on LIC’s IPO to help bridge the gaping budget deficit by the end of this month and hopes to raise about Rs 65,000 crore ($8.6 billion) by diluting 5% stake in the insurer.

 National Affairs

5. Tata Motors launches ‘Anubhav’ showroom on wheels to tap rural markets

• Tata Motors has launched mobile showroom named ‘Anubhav,’ to target rural customers by increasing their reach in rural areas and providing them with a doorstep car buying experience.
• Tata Motors will deploy 103 mobile showrooms across the country, to enhance Tata Motors brand awareness in rural India.
• It will be operated by dealerships under Tata Motors’ supervision and guidance.
• All the dealerships will define monthly routes for these vans.

 National & International Organizations

6. India ranks 120th in Sustainable Development Report 2021

• India has been ranked 120th in the Sustainable Development Report 2021 or Sustainable Development Index 2021 with a score of 60.07.
• Top performers: Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and Belgium.
• Index measures the total progress of India towards achieving 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• These 17 SDGs were adopted by UN General Assembly in September 2015 as a part of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• India was ranked 117th in SDG report 2020

 Important Dates

7. National Security Day 2022: 4th March

• National Security Day (Rashtriya Suraksha Diwas) is observed every year on 4th March in India in the honor of the Indian Security Forces
• First National Security Day (NSD) was held in 1972
• It was on this day in 1966 that National Security Council (NSC) of India was established by Ministry of Labour
• National Security Week 2022 is also being celebrated from 4th to 10th March 2022
• NSC: apex agency that looks into political, economic, energy and strategic security concerns

 Important Dates

8. National Safety Day 2022: 4th March

• National Safety Day (NSD) is observed every year on 4th March to commemorate the foundation of National Safety Council (NSC) of India.
• First National Safety Day was observed in 1972. 
• Theme of National Safety Day 2022: Nurture young minds – Develop safety culture
• National Safety Council: non-profit organization created to assist in the generation, implementation, and maintenance of any national level of volunteer health, safety, and development gesture.

 Defense

9. Defence Ministry to host 12th edition of DefExpo 2022

• Ministry of Defence is hosting 12th edition of the biennial defence exhibition, DefExpo 2022, at Gandhinagar in Gujarat
• It will be held from 10th to 14th March.
• It will be focused on land, air, naval, internal homeland security and electronic systems.
• It will be held in a hybrid format.
• DefExpo will be conducted by leading industry fora, international fora, think-tanks, media houses, Indian industry, DRDO, Ministry of Civil Aviation, and state governments.

 State Affairs

10. Arunachal Pradesh to get a Greenfield Airport in Hollongi

• Airport Authority of India (AAI) has undertaken the work of constructing a Greenfield Airport in Hollongi, 15 Kms from Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh
• It has an estimated cost of Rs.645 crore.
• This project includes development work i.e. construction of airport pavements, air side work, terminal Building and city side works.
• It is designed for operations of A-320 category of air craft and future extension of Runway by 500m length to cater A-321 type of aircraft.

 Honours & Awards

11. NMCG receives ‘Special Jury Award’ for Ganga rejuvenation

• National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has been awarded ‘Special Jury Award’ at the 7th India Industry Water Conclave and 9th edition of FICCI Water Awards
• Distinguished Jury of FICCI Water Awards consists of eminent people such as Dr. Mihir Shah, A.K. Gosain, Himanshu Kulkarni, and VK Madhavan
• The Citation underlines complexity of the task of rejuvenation of the entire Ganga basin and the importance of engaging with diverse stakeholders.

 National Affairs

12. MoWCD, UNICEF holds NariShakti Varta on STEM and Financial Literacy

• Ministry of Women and Child Development facilitated #NaariShakti conversation, on ‘STEM and Financial Literacy for Young Women’.
• The event started with the panel on ‘Young Women in STEM: Opportunities, Challenges and Solutions’ focused on uniting diverse voices and sparking a commitment to gender equality in STEM.
• Panel discussed how we can nurture young women to form an interest in science, to pursue higher studies and careers in STEM related fields, etc. 

 Agreement

13. India signs Host Country Agreement with ITU

• Union Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw has signed the Host Country Agreement (HCA) with Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for the establishment of an Area Office & Innovation Centre of ITU in New Delhi.
• ITU: UN specialized agency for information and communication technologies.
• ITU currently has a membership of 193 countries
• Area Office and Innovation Centre: It is expected to serve South Asian countries.