Top Current Affairs of the Week (09 - 15 January 2022)

First-ever Startup India Innovation Week to be held from today

• DPIIT is organizing the first-ever Startup India Innovation Week from 10^th to 16^th January 2022.
• This virtual week-long innovation celebration aims to commemorate the 75th year of India’s independence ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
• This is designed to showcase the spread and depth of entrepreneurship across India.
• India is emerging as a global innovation hub, boasting the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem.
• DPIIT has recognised more than 61 thousand startups as on date.

Rafael Nadal wins Melbourne Summer Set 1 ATP 250 tennis title

• 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal won the Men’s Singles title in the Melbourne Summer Set ATP 250 event.
• He defeated Maxime Cressy of US in final. 
• It was Nadal’s 89th tour-level crown. 
• Nadal playing his first competitive tournament since Aug, was largely untroubled as he wrapped up the win in an hour 48 minutes.
• In women category, former world number one Simona Halep defeated Veronika Kudermetova at the Melbourne Summer Set 1 final to claim her 23rd career title.

Defence Online Coaching 2022

India's first indigenous aircraft carrier begins another phase of sea trial

• India's 1st indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) Vikrant began another set of sea trials.
• It is planned to be inducted in Aug 22.
• The 40,000-tonne aircraft carrier is the largest and most complex warship to be built in India
• It successfully completed a five-day maiden sea voyage in Aug and underwent 10-day sea trials in Oct 2021.
• IAC-1 will operate the MiG-29K, Kamov-31 helicopters; Advanced Light Helicopters and the soon-to-be-inducted MH-60R multirole helicopters.

December 26 to be observed as Veer Baal Diwas

• Center has announced that Dec 26 will be observed as 'Veer Baal Diwas' as a tribute to guru Gobind Singh's four sons who were executed by the Mughals.
• This was announced by PM Modi on the occasion of the 365th birth anniversary of the 10th Sikh guru.
• Veer Baal Diwas will be on the same day Sahibzada Zorawar Singh Ji and Sahibzada Fateh Singh Ji attained martyrdom after being sealed alive in a wall.
• Children’s Day in India is observed on November 14. 

World Hindi Day 2022: 10th January

• World Hindi Day is celebrated every year on January 10 to mark the first World Hindi Conference that was held in 1975.
• It is celebrated across the world to promote the use of the Hindi language.
• The first World Hindi Conference was held in Nagpur on January 10 in 1975.
• 1st World Hindi Day was celebrated in the year 2006.
• The theme of this day is to make Hindi a part of public opinion, although it doesn’t necessarily mean that one has to leave their mother tongue.

Rajnath Singh flags-in India’s 1st Multidimensional Adventure Expedition

• Rajnath Singh flagged-in India’s 1st multi-dimensional Adventure Sports Expedition
• It was conducted by National Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports in France.
• The expedition was conducted in Nov 21.
• The team comprising 12 people - eight Army personnel and four youths of Arunachal Pradesh.
• The expedition team carried out over 250 Km of winter trekking in the Alps Mountain Ranges. 
• The expedition was organised as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

Golden Globe Awards 2022 announced

• Golden Globe Awards 2022 ceremony has been announced to recognize excellence in film, both American and international, and American television.
• Power of the Dog, West Side Story won the most number of awards with 3 each.
• List of winners:
• Best Film (Drama): The Power of the Dog
• Best Film (Musical or Comedy): West Side Story
• Best Actor (Drama): Will Smith for King Richard as Richard Williams
• Best Actress (Drama): Nicole Kidman for Being the Ricardos as Lucille Ball

Prashant Ranjan appointed as Director in the Ministry of Tourism

• Prashant Ranjan (IRS officer of 2007 batch) has been selected for the appointment as Director in the Ministry of Tourism.
• His tenure will be of 5 years from the date of taking over charge of the post or until further orders, whichever event takes place earlier.
• He had served as Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax, Noida, Nagpur, Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Ghaziabad.
• Ministry of Tourism is the apex body for the development and promotion of tourism in India.

Labour Minister releases report on 2nd round of Quarterly Employment Survey

• Labour and Employment Minister Bhupender Yadav has released the report of second quarter of Quarterly Employment Survey
• It is the part of All-India Quarterly Establishment based Employment Survey
• The report highlights that manufacturing sector engages 39%, education 22% and Health 10% of the estimated workers.
• Overall percentage of female workers stood at 32.1%.
• Regular workers constitute 87% of the estimated workforce in the nine selected sectors.

82nd Indian Public Schools' Conference Principals’ Conclave

• Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has virtually addressed 82nd Indian Public Schools' Conference Principals’ Conclave and urged all schools attending the conclave to reflect how inclusive our leading schools are.
• It is being organized by Doon School.
• IPSC started in 1939 with a few residential schools now has a strength of 81 schools including Sainik Schools and Military Schools.
• Chairperson of IPSC: Nishi Misra.

Finance Ministry: Deposits in Jan Dhan accounts cross Rs 1.5 lakh crore

• As per the latest data of finance ministry, deposits in bank accounts opened under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) scheme have crossed Rs 1.5 lakh crore mark.
• Total balance in accounts under Jan Dhan scheme was recorded at Rs 1,50,939.36 crore as on December-end 2021.
• Data revealed that over 44.23 crore accounts have been opened under the scheme.
• 9 crore accounts were opened with the public sector banks, 8.05 crore with regional rural banks.

Actress Harshaali Malhotra receives Bharat Ratna Dr Ambedkar Award 2022

• Actress Harshaali Malhotra has been awarded the 12th Bharat Ratna Dr Ambedkar Award 2022 for her performance in the 2015 film Bajrangi Bhaijaan
• She received the award from Bhagat Singh Koshyari (Governor of Maharashtra)
• She played the role of Munni, who was mute young girl from Pakistan in Salman Khan starrer Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
• Govt of Maharashtra organized Bharat Ranta Dr Ambedkar national Awards 2022 ceremony in the memory of Dr Ambedkar 
• It was first awarded in 1993

National Youth Day: 12 January

• National Youth Day is celebrated every year in India on 12th January to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
• The day was declared as Youth Day by the Government of India in 1984.
• The day was first celebrated in 1985.
• This year, we are observing 159th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand (12 January 1863).

 India successfully test-fires naval variant of advanced supersonic BrahMos

• Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has successfully test-fired an extended range sea-to-sea variant of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile for Indian Navy
• This advanced sea to sea variant of BrahMos Supersonic Cruise missile was launched from INS Visakhapatnam, stealth guided-missile destroyer of the Indian Navy.
• Produced by: BrahMos Aerospace, an India-Russian joint venture.
• It flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach or almost three times the speed of sound

DRDO test-fired Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile

• Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has successfully flight tested Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile.
• It is indigenously developed anti-tank missile and is low weight and fire & forget missile.
• The missile successfully destroyed the target during the test flight.
• The missile has miniaturized infrared imaging seeker and advanced avionics for onboard control and guidance.
• DRDO Chairman: G Satheesh Reddy.

Hardeep Puri releases brochure themed ‘Smart Cities, Smart Urbanization’

• Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is organizing a series of 30 events under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav by Prime Minister to commemorate 75th anniversary of Independence
• It will culminate in a grand finale of ‘Smart Cities, Smart Urbanization’ conference, wherein 6 main events will be organized in Surat tentatively on the 4th and 5th of February, 2022
• An illustrated brochure themed ‘Smart Cities, Smart Urbanization’ was also formally launched by Hardeep Puri virtually.

Deputy CM of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar announces mini-Olympics

• Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has announced that mini Olympics will be organized to promote and encourage Olympic sports among the youth
• Competition will be arranged around 1st May, to mark Maharashtra Day
• This event will be called ‘Maharashtra State Olympic Competition’
• ‘Olympics Vision Document’ will be prepared considering requirements of 2024, 2028, 2032 Olympics
• He also approved proposal to celebrate birth anniversary of Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav

Odisha decided to raise upper age limit for state services from 32 to 38

• Odisha Govt has decided to raise upper age limit for entry to state government services from 32 to 38
• However, it will be effective only for the recruitment advertisements made in calendar years 2021 and 2022 or to be made in 2023.
• This decision was taken in a cabinet meeting held under chairmanship of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the state capital Bhubaneswar.
• The decision was taken to enable the youth to avail opportunities to enter govt jobs.

Delhi Police upgrades automation, digitization to provide on complaints

• Delhi police has upgraded its online citizen services and has started providing automatically generated to complainants on the investigation of their cases 
• Apart from the registration of FIR, complainants will now also be informed about arrest of accused and filing of chargesheet and final report, on their mobile numbers and through email.
• When there are multiple accused, the will be sent in case of arrest of each of the accused person, as and when they are arrested.

Mary Kom, Amit Panghal added to National Coaching Camps

• Mary Kom have become part of National Coaching Camp in Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports, Patiala, and Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, New Delhi
• The camp will continue till 14th March
• Three Services boxers Amit Panghal, Manish Kaushik, Satish Kumar, Vikas Krishan, and Ashish Kumar have also been included in men’s camp in Patiala
• As many as 63 men boxers across different weight categories and 27 coachings and support staff have been in National Camp in Patiala.

Eminent scientist S Somanath appointed new chairman of ISRO

• Eminent rocket scientist S Somanath has been appointed the 10th chairman of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) as well as the Space Secretary
• He will succeed K Sivan who completed his extended tenure as ISRO chief.
• His tenure will be of three years.
• The post of the ISRO chairman, Space Secretary and Space Commission chief is usually held by one person only.
• He is currently holding the post of Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
• ISRO HQs: Bangalore

Subhas Sarkar launches Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar 2021-22

• Minister of State for Education Subhas Sarkar has virtually launched Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar (SVP) 2021-2022
• These awards recognize and inspire those schools, which have undertaken exemplary work in the field of water, sanitation, and hygiene
• At National level, 40 schools will be selected for awards.
• Award money has been enhanced from 50,000 to 60,000 per school under Samagra Shiksha scheme
• It was first instituted by Dept of School Education and Literacy in 2016-17

India Ranks 83rd in Q1 Henley Passport Index 2022

• India has been ranked 83rd among 111 countries in the latest Henley Passport Index, released for Q1 of 2022
• India improved its position by seven places from 90th in Q4 of 2021 in October.
• Indian passport has visa-free access to 60 countries worldwide in Q1 2022
• Top performers: Japan and Singapore, followed by Germany and South Korea
• Least Performer: Afghanistan with score of 26
• Index is based on exclusive data from International Air Transport Association (IATA)

PM Modi inaugurates 11 new government Medical Colleges across Tamil Nadu

• PM Narendra Modi has virtually inaugurated 11 New Government Medical Colleges across Tamil Nadu and new campus of Central Institute of Classical Tamil in Chennai (Fully Govt funded).
• New medical colleges have been established at a cost of Rs 4,000 crores
• Districts in which new Medical Colleges were inaugurated: Virudhunagar, Namakkal, The Nilgiris, Tiruppur, Thiruvallur, Nagapattinam, Dindigul, Kallakurichi, Ariyalur, Ramanathapuram and Krishnagiri.

 Science & Technology

ISRO successfully conducts tests of Cryogenic Engine for Gaganyaan

• ISRO has successfully conducted qualification tests of Cryogenic Engine for Gaganyaan human space programme
• It is conducted by ISRO Propulsion Complex in Tamil Nadu for 720 seconds duration and met the test objectives.
• Successful test has ensured reliability and robustness of the cryogenic engine for induction into Gaganyaan
• Gaganyaan programme will use 2 cryogenic engines and will be launched by Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III launched vehicle

Atal Innovation Mission declares results of ‘ATL Space Challenge 2021’

• NITI Aayog's Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) has declared the results of ‘ATL Space Challenge 2021’, after successful completion and overwhelming participation from young innovators
• It was launched in collaboration with ISRO and CBSE
• The challenge was designed for all the school students, mentors and teachers across the country
• It witnessed over 2500 submissions from both ATL and Non-ATL students across the country from which 75 top innovators were selected and announced.

Prime Minister inaugurates MSME Technology Centre at Puducherry

• PM Modi has inaugurated Technology Centre of MSME Ministry at Puducherry on National youth day
• It is a World Class Technology Centre set up with an investment of Rs. 122 crore
• It is spread across 10 acres and will train 20,000 youth, support 2000 MSMEs and incubate 200 Start Ups, propelling local economy to great heights
• It will boost skill development and inculcate entrepreneurial spirit among youth
• It is developed under flagship Technology Centre Systems Program

India’s oldest sloth bear ‘Gulabo’ passes away at Van Vihar National Park

• India’s oldest sloth bear, named as Gulabo (40 years) passed away at the Van Vihar National Park and Zoo, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh due to failure of internal organs.
• She was the oldest sloth bear of the country and was one of the star attractions in the park
• She was rescued from a street performer (Madaari) in May 2006.
• Van Vihar National Park was declared a national park in 1979 and covers an area of about 4.45 km2

 Agreement

Union Minister proposed single application for all Scientific Fellowship

• Union Minister Jitendra Singh has proposed Common Single Application for all Scientific Fellowships, Grants and Scholarships.
• It will not only save cost and time but will provide a level playing field to all the students 
• He has also constituted Committee for streamlining Fellowships and Research Grants under the Chairmanship of Dr Shekhar C. Mande.
• After its implementation, students need not to submit multiple applications and different portals.

Tata group replaces Vivo as IPL title sponsor for 2022 & 2023

• Tata group has replaced Chinese mobile phone manufacturer Vivo as the title sponsor of the IPL for 2022 and 2023 seasons by BCCI. 
• Multinational conglomerate will pay Rs. 300 crore per year as the title sponsor of IPL for the next two seasons.
• This is about 60% of what Vivo would have paid.
• The 15th edition of IPL will have as many as 10 teams as two new teams, one from Ahmedabad and the other from Lucknow, are all set to join the cash-rich league.

Kachai Lemon Festival began in Manipur

• The 18th edition of Kachai Lemon Festival began in Manipur. 
• Theme: 'Organic Kachai Lemon for Safe Environment and Rural Transformation'
• Kachai Lemon has been accorded GI tag and widely grown in Kachai Village of Ukhrul district. 
• Kachai Lemon is considered to be unique as it is a rich source of ascorbic acid and famous for its juice content.
• Kachai Lemon Festival is organized annually to promote this unique kind of lemon fruit and to encourage the lemon farmers.

NDTV Lucknow Bureau Chief Kamal Khan passes away

• NDTV's Lucknow Bureau Chief Kamal Khan passed away due to a heart attack.
• Kamal’s reportage over the last decades stood out for its perceptiveness, integrity & the way he delivered hard truths with poetic dexterity.
• Khan was working as Executive Editor with NDTV.
• He was a recipient of Ramnath Goenka Award, and Ganesh Shanker Vidyarthi Award from the President of India.

Armed Forces Veterans Day 2022: 14th January

• Armed Forces Veterans Day is observed on January 14 every year, since 2017.
• It is celebrated to honour the sacrifice of our veterans in serving the nation.
• Armed Forces Veterans Day was called Armistice Day when it was announced and this year, the nation is celebrating the 6th Armed Forces Veterans Day.
• Armed Forces Veterans Day recognises the services rendered by Field Marshal KM Cariappa OBE, the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces.

AYUSH Ministry hosts first-ever global Surya Namaskar event

• On the auspicious day of Makar Sankranti the Ministry of AYUSH hosted the 1st-ever global Surya Namaskar event.
• Union Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, addressed the people on the occasion and gave his message on Surya Namaskar.
• Keeping in view the recent upsurge of corona cases, he had advised people to do 'Surya Namaskar' from home and upload videos on the links used for registration.
• Leading Yoga masters and gurus from global institutions also shared their messages.

Badminton Association partners Sony for Yonex-Sunrise India Open 2022

• The Badminton Association of India (BAI) announced Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) as its broadcast partner for the Yonex-Sunrise India Open 2022.
• The 11th edition of the tournament will see reigning world champion Singapore's Loh Kean Yew and bronze medallist Lakshya Sen as well as two-time Olympics medallist PV Sindhu and the 2015 India Open champion Saina Nehwal.
• The tournament is being telecast live on Sony Ten 1 channel and is being streamed live on SonyLIV.

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

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.

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.

• 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).

Virat Kohli steps down as Test captain

• Virat Kohli has stepped down as the Test captainof 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 whenS. Dhonistepped down in the middle of the series against Australia.

 Current Affairs of the Week (09 -15 January 2022): Download PDF

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