Current Affairs Quiz 12th and 13th March 2022 : Daily GK Update Quiz

Exp. India’s first Virtual Smart Grid Knowledge Centre inaugurated in Manesar, Haryana

Union Minister of Power Raj Kumar Singh virtually launched the India’s Virtual Smart Grid Knowledge Center (Virtual SGKC) and Innovation Park.

The Virtual SGKC is located within the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL)/POWERGRID centre in Manesar, Haryana.

It has been conceptualized and developed by the POWERGRID with support from the MOP, and National Smart Grid Mission (NSGM) for demonstration and advancement of frontier smart grid technologies.

The technical assistance is provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The Virtual SGKC, which will be one of the leading Centers of Excellence globally, has been developed to foster innovation, entrepreneurship and research in smart grid technologies of power distribution sector.

Exp. Cabinet approved setting up of WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine at Jamnagar, Gujarat

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the establishment of a World Health Organization Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (WHO GCTM) at Jamnagar, Gujarat.

An agreement was signed by the Government of India with the world body in this regard. The move would help develop norms, standards, and guidelines in relevant technical areas, tools and methodologies for collecting data undertaking analytics and assessing impact.

The WHO GCTM, to be established under the Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy), will be the first and only global outposted centre (office) for traditional medicines.

Exp. Puducherry launched first-of-its kind Digital School Health Platform

Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan has launched a Digital School Health Platform for the students of the Union Territory of Puducherry.

This platform is a joint collaboration of the Department of Health, Puducherry and Axis Bank. The UT has started its digitization of the health records of students starting from Classes I to XII, counting to 2.4 lakh children.

Under this project, the Health Department will feed the personal details of all government school students into a portal to maintain their health records. The health care workers will upload the health details of the students into the password-driven portal after visiting schools for medical screening.

Exp. Indian Railways’ first Gati Shakti Cargo Terminal commissioned in Asansol Division of Eastern Railway

The first ‘Gati Shakti’ cargo terminal of Indian Railways was inaugurated in the Eastern Railway’s Asansol division. The cargo facility is expected to boost railway earnings by roughly Rs 11 crore per month.

The Asansol division of Indian Railways has successfully commissioned a private siding of Maithan Power in Thaparnagar, Jharkhand, in accordance with the Prime Minister’s vision of Gati Shakti and the Ministry of Railways’ policy on the ‘Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal’ (GCT).

Since the establishment of the GCT policy in December 2021, this is the first such terminal to be commissioned by Indian Railways. In 2009 the Maithan Power Project was initiated and in 2011 power generation was started.

Exp. Tamilnadu Petroproducts became world’s first LAB manufacturing company to receive BIS Certification

Tamilnadu Petroproducts Ltd. (TPL) became World’s first linear alkylbenzene (LAB) manufacturing company to receive the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification from the Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

The certificate is in line with the requirements of the Linear Alkyl Benzene (Quality Control) Order, 2021.  With the BIS certification (BIS 12795:2020), TPL became the only authorized seller of LAB in the Indian market.

The TPL is India’s largest manufacturer of LAB and the only producer in South India. LAB has application in the production of biodegradable detergent, making it a sustainable alternative to current detergent compositions.

Exp. Katalin Novak elected first-ever female president of Hungary

The Hungarian parliament has elected Katalin Novak, a close ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, as the EU member’s first-ever female president.

Novak, who most recently served as a minister for family policy, portrayed her election as a victory for women. Novak will succeed Janos Ader, a co-founder of Orban’s governing right-wing Fidesz party who has held the job since 2012. She will take office after Ader’s term expires May 10.

Exp. India ranked 2nd for Global Investment in Digital Shopping in 2021, Bengaluru topped among cities

According to the London & Partners (the Mayor of London’s international trade and investment agency) analysis of Dealroom.co investment data, India secured the 2nd largest global venture capital investment hub for digital shopping companies, growing up to 175 percent from USD 8 billion in 2020 to USD 22 billion in 2021.

The analysis relating to investment into digital shopping companies is based on Dealroom.Co’s definition of online marketplaces, which supplied the Venture Capital investment data as of 15th February 2022.

Within India, Bengaluru, Karnataka topped with USD 14 billion worth of Venture Capital (VC) investments in digital shopping in 2021.

Ranking:

Rank Country Investment

1 United States (US) USD 51 billion

2 India USD 22 billion

3 China USD 14 billion

4 United Kingdom USD 7 billion

Exp. UCO Bank became stakeholder in IDRCL by acquiring 3% stake

UCO Bank became one of the stakeholders of India Debt Resolution Company Limited (IDRCL) by acquiring 3% of stake.

According to the bank, its holding of 3% in IDRCL amounts to Rs. 1.50 crores, requires no approval and the agreement is in accordance with Regulation 30 of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015.

The acquisition will be completed within 10 working days from the date of agreement. Post investment, UCO Bank will hold up to 3% of equity shares in IDRCL.

Exp. RBI directed Paytm Payments Bank to stop onboarding of new customers

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has directed Paytm Payments Bank to stop the onboarding of new customers.

The bank has also been directed to appoint an IT audit firm to conduct a comprehensive System Audit of its IT system. This action is based on certain material supervisory concerns observed in the bank. The RBI took the decision in exercise of its powers under section 35A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

Paytm Payments Bank commenced its operations on May 23, 2017. Paytm Payments Bank Chairman Vijay Shekhar Sharma held a 51 percent stake in the company.

About Paytm Payments Bank:

Founded: 2015

Headquarters: Noida, UP

Founder & Chairman:  Vijay Shekhar Sharma

MD & CEO: Satish Kumar Gupta

Exp. RBI lifted restrictions on HDFC Bank’s business generating activities planned under Digital 2.0 programme

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has lifted the restrictions that were placed on the new digital launches of HDFC Bank.

The curbs were imposed by the central bank in December 2020 after repeated outages at the lender’s data centre. The restrictions barred HDFC Bank from launching any of the activities planned under the Digital 2.0 programme, as well as the sourcing of new credit cards.

In August last year, the curbs were partially eased to allow the lender to issue new credit cards.

About HDFC Bank:

Headquarters: Mumbai

Founded: August 1994

CEO: Sashidhar Jagdishan

Chairman: Atanu Chakraborty

Tagline: We understand your world

Exp. Justice Vipin Sanghi named Acting Chief Justice of Delhi HC

The President of India has appointed Justice Vipin Sanghi, the senior-most Judge of the Delhi High Court as its Acting Chief Justice according to Article 223 of the Constitution of India.

The Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice (MoL&J) issued a notification about his appointment on March 11, 2022. The incumbent Chief Justice of Delhi HC, Justice Dhirubhai Naranbhai Patel retires on his 62nd birthday i.e March 12, 2022.

Justice Vipin Sanghi will perform the duties of the office of the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court with effect from March 13, 2022.

Exp. AK Sikri appointed as Chairperson of Chardham project panel

The Supreme Court of India has named Justice (retd) AK Sikri as Chairperson of the High-Powered Committee (HPC), of the Chardham project.

The previous Chairperson Professor Ravi Chopra had resigned from his post in February 2022, after being appointed as the chairperson of the HPC on August 8, 2019.

A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant accepted the resignation of Professor Ravi Chopra as chairperson of the committee after he wrote a letter in January wishing to relinquish his post.

The HPC would look after the environmental concerns and other issues related to the Chardham project as well as the cumulative and independent impact of the Chardham project on the entire Himalayan valley. The top court had said while setting up an oversight committee headed by Justice (retd) Sikri to report to it directly on the ambitious 900-km project, which goes up to the border with China.

Exp. Ajay Bhushan Pandey appointed as Chairperson of National Financial Reporting Authority

The Government of India (GoI) has appointed Ajay Bhushan Pandey, former Finance & Revenue secretary of India, Ministry of Finance, as new Chairperson of the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA).

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved his appointment for a period of three years from the date of assumption of charge or till he attains the age of 65 years.

The ACC has also appointed 2 full-time members for NFRA-Praveen Kumar Tiwari, and Smita Jhingran.

Ajay Bhushan Pandey was the Finance Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Government of India from March 2020 – February 2021. He was the Revenue Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Government of India from November 2018 – February 2021.

Exp. Debasish Panda appointed as Chairperson of IRDAI

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of former DFS Secretary Debasish Panda, a retired IAS officer, as the Chairperson of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), which is the insurance regulator, initially for a period of three years from the assumption of charge.

The post of Chairman of IRDAI was lying vacant since May 2021 when Subhash Chandra Khuntia completed his term.  Panda, a 1987-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, retired as financial services secretary in January this year after a two-year stint.

Exp. J&K Bank won National Award for SHG Bank Linkage

Giriraj Singh, Union Minister of Rural Development, honoured the Jammu and Kashmir Bank (J&K Bank) with the “National Award for Outstanding Performance for FY 2020-21” in recognition of its best performance in Self-Help Group Bank Linkage.

Kirti Sharma, Zonal Head, Delhi, J & K Bank, accepted the award on the bank’s behalf from Union Minister Giriraj Singh. The award was presented during the event organised as a part of International Women’s Day (8th March 2022) at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, Delhi.

In line with the Bank’s commitment to extend banking facilities and financial services into the under-banked areas of Jammu and Kashmir, J&K Bank has commissioned 4 Business Units (BUs) in the region.

Exp. Six Indian Airports won ACI World’s ASQ Awards 2021 – Best Airports by Size & Region in Asia Pacific region

Airports Council International (ACI) World has honoured Six Indian Airports with the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards 2021 under the Asia Pacific Category.

The 6 airports were adjudged as the Best Airports by Size in different categories based on data from ASQ’s Departures and Arrivals Surveys.

Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has been named the ‘Best Airport by Size and Region’. The Chandigarh Airport (Chandigarh) has been adjudged as the Best Hygiene Measures by Region under the Asia Pacific Category.

The ASQ Awards were presented by ACI World in partnership with global travel technology company Amadeus.

ASQ Awards takes into account 33 parameters related to passenger amenities to recognize airport excellence in customer experience.

Exp. Australian Army Research Centre signed MoU with Centre for Land Warfare Studies, India

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Australian Army Research Centre (AARC) and the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) to create academic cooperation and engagement.

From March 8 to March 10, 2022, Lt Gen Richard Burr, the Chief of the Australian Army, was in India for three days. The Australian Army Chief paid a visit to the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), an Indian Army think tank in New Delhi.

Lt. Gen Richard Burr met with Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Manoj Pande, Chairman, Board of Governors, CLAWS, and Director CLAWS, Lt Gen Dr Ranbir Singh (Retd). CLAWS research efforts and outreach strategies were briefed to the visiting General.

Exp. ISRO has organized Young Scientist Programme “YUVIKA” to select 150 students

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is organising a special programme for school children called “YUva VIgyani KAryakram” (YUVIKA) or “Young Scientist Programme”.

It will impart basic knowledge on space technology, space science and space applications to young students, especially those from rural areas. The programme aims to select 150 students across the country, who are studying in Class IX as of March 1, 2022.

Aim: To create awareness about the emerging trends in science and technology amongst the young minds.

About ISRO:

Founded: 15 August 1969

Headquarters: Bengaluru

Chairman: S Somanath

Exp. NITI Aayog’s AIM partnered with Snap Inc. to promote AR skill development among youth

NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission announced a partnership with Snap Inc. to promote Augmented Reality (AR) skill development among Indian youth.

Snap Inc. is a global camera firm whose camera plays a transformative role in how people view the world around them by merging what they see in the physical world with all that is available in the digital world.

Snap Inc is anticipated to train around 12,000 instructors linked with the Atal Tinkering Labs on Augmented Reality over the course of two years, allowing the programme to reach millions of children.

Snap Inc. also announced a collaboration with the Atal Incubation Centers (AICs) to support the Indian start-up ecosystem with AR advertising bootcamps, Ad credits, and other opportunities.

Exp. Tiger Woods inducted into World Golf Hall of Fame

Famous Golfer, Tiger Woods was formally inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

The 46-year-old Woods entered the storied hall as part of the Class of 2022 along with retired PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, U.S. Women’s Open champion Susie Maxwell Berning and Marion Hollins, a U.S. Women’s Amateur champion and golf course architect who was recognised posthumously.

During his career, Woods has broken many golfing records, establishing himself as arguably the greatest golfer of all time. He has won 15 majors, surpassed only by Jack Nicklaus’ 18, as well as a joint-record 82 wins on the PGA Tour.

Exp. Hindi novel ‘Tomb of Sand’ nominated for International Booker Prize

Author Geetanjali Shree’s translated Hindi novel “Tomb of Sand” is among 13 books long listed for the International Booker Prize. It is the first Hindi language work of fiction to make it to the long list of the prestigious literary prize.

The book was originally published as ‘Ret Samadhi’ and translated into English by Daisy Rockwell. It will compete for the GBP 50,000 prize, which is split evenly between the author and translator.