Current Affairs Quiz 15th March 2022 : Daily GK Update Quiz

Exp. Delhi govt launched ‘My EV’ portal for purchasing, registering e-autos

The Delhi government launched an online ‘My EV‘ (My Electric Vehicle) portal for the purchase and registration of electric autos in Delhi. It is accessible to all users on the website of the transport department of Delhi.

Under the Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy, 5% interest rate subvention will be provided on the purchase of e-autos on loans and became the first state to provide such a facility. The web portal was developed with collaboration of the Delhi government and Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL).

CESL has empanelled six Financial Institutions (FIs) – Mahindra Finance, Akasa Finance, Mannapuram Finance, RevFin and Prest Loans to provide loans to EVs at attractive terms.

The Interest subvention on the purchase of EVs is in addition to the applicable purchase incentive of INR 30,000 and scrapping incentives of up to INR 7,500 under the Delhi EV Policy. The consumer will be able to avail up to INR 25,000 additional benefit.

Exp. Mahanadi Coalfields Limited became largest coal producing company in India

The Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) become the leading coal-producing company in the country. It is a unit of Coal India Limited.

It has crossed 157 million tonne (MT) in coal production in the financial year of 2021-22.

The company produced 7.62 lakh tonne of dry fuel which is the highest in a day during the current financial year reaching 157.7 MT with a growth of around 16 percent over the last financial year.

Exp. India-Canada re-launched Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement

India and Canada has formally re-launched the negotiations for India-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) during fifth Ministerial Dialogue on Trade & Investment (MDTI).

Interim Agreement or Early Progress Trade Agree.ment (EPTA) for commercial gains to both the countries was also launched. Interim Agreement include high-level commitments in goods, services, rules of origin, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, dispute settlement, etc.

Exp. India emerged as the largest importer of arms in 2017-21 as per SIPRI Report

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has released its latest report titled Trends in International Arms Transfer, 2021.

As per the report, India and Saudi Arabia emerged as the largest importers of arms between 2017-21. Both two countries accounted for 11% of all global arms sales.

85% of India’s overall imports were from three countries. Russia (46%), France (27%), and the USA (12%) were the top three largest exporters of arms to India during the period.

Largest Arms Importers in 2017-21: India, followed by Saudi Arabia, Egypt (5.7%), Australia (5.4%) and China (4.8%)

Largest Arms Exporters in 2017-21: USA, with 39% share, retained its position as the world’s largest arms exporters, followed by Russia (19%), France (11%), China (4.6%) and Germany (4.5%). India was 23rd largest exporter during 2017-21, with a share of just 0.2% of the global exports.

Exp. India’s 1st Digital Water Bank ‘AQVERIUM’ launched in Bengaluru

First Digital Water Bank of India ‘AQVERIUM’ has been launched in Bengaluru, which is an innovative initiative aimed at better water management. It is formed by AquaKraft Group Ventures.

It is a very unique innovation combining sustainable & green technologies along with information technology, skill development & entrepreneurship.

It is a curated list of water data from all institutions and sources, that will help tackle some common development challenges.

Exp. IDBI Bank acquired 5% & 9% stakes in NARCL & IDRCL

IDBI Bank became one of the stakeholders in NARCL by executing an investment agreement to participate in the equity share capital and NCDs (non-convertible debentures) proposed to be issued by NARCL.

It will invest over Rs 272 crore to acquire equity stake and subscribe to its bonds. The bank will invest cash of Rs 137.50 crore to acquire 5% equity stake and Rs 135 crore to invest in the NCDs of NARCL.

It will also invest Rs 4.50 crore in tranches to acquire 9% equity capital of IDRCL. The bank’s final holding in NARCL and IDRCL will be 5% & 9% respectively.

Exp. N Chandrasekaran named chairman of Air India

Tata Sons executive chairman N Chandrasekaran has been officially named as the chairman of Air India, the airline which was acquired by Tata Group from the central government last year.

Salt-to-software conglomerate Tata Group had won the bid to take over debt-laden state-run Air India by offering ₹18,000 crore for it.

Chandrasekaran was reappointed as Tata Sons’ executive chairman for another five years in February. He had joined the board of Tata Sons in 2016 and took over as Chairman in 2017.

Exp. Shubman Gill & Ruturaj Gaikwad appointed as new brand ambassadors for My11Circle by Games24x7

Games24x7 Private Limited, India’s leading digital skill games company, has appointed Indian cricketers Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad as its new brand ambassadors for its My11Circle fantasy gaming platform.

Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad will feature in the multimedia campaigns of Games24x7 across TV, digital and social media platforms.

Games24x7, founded by Bhavin Pandya and Trivikraman Thampy in 2006, offers a range of skill games (RummyCircle, My11Circle, Carrom) and casual games (U-Games).

My11Circle is also the official title sponsor of the new Indian Premier League (IPL) team Lucknow Super Giants. In January 2022, Games24x7 has appointed Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan as its brand ambassador for the online skill gaming platform, RummyCircle.

Exp. Pradeep Rawat assumed charge as India’s new ambassador to China

Pradeep Kumar Rawat (1990 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer) has assumed charge as India’s new ambassador to China. He succeeded previous Ambassador Vikram Misri, who has been appointed as Deputy National Security Advisor.

Prior to this, he was India’s ambassador to the Netherlands. His appointment as India’s Ambassador to China comes at a time when both the countries are trying to resolve the longstanding border standoff in eastern Ladakh.

Exp. Ranjit Rath appointed Chairman & MD of Oil India Limited

Ranjit Rath has been named as the next Chairman and Managing Director of Oil India Limited (OIL). He will replace current chairman and managing director Sushil Chandra Mishra, who will superannuate on June 30, 2022.

Presently Rath is the chairman and managing director of Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd (MECL). Oil India Limited is the Indian-government owned second-largest crude oil and natural gas producing company, under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Rath is a recipient of the prestigious National Geosciences Award 2016 from the President of India. He has co-authored a book titled ‘Underground Storage Technologies’ and has published several technical papers and participated in conferences in India and overseas.

Exp. Shreyas Iyer, Amelia Kerr declared ICC Players of the Month for February 2022

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced India’s star all-format batter Shreyas Iyer and White Ferns all-rounder Amelia Kerr were voted ICC Players of the Month for February 2022.

Shreyas Iyer, the fast-rising India batter, has won the ICC ‘Men’s Player of the Month’ for February 2022. Shreyas Iyer earned the ICC Player of the Month award on the back of his brilliant white-ball exploits during the home series against West Indies and Sri Lanka respectively last month.

New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr bagged the ICC ‘Women’s Player of the Month award for February 2022. Amelia Kerr, the 21-year-old New Zealand all-rounder, was named the Women’s POTM, following her supreme consistency with both bat and ball during the home white-ball series against India.

Exp. 75th BAFTA Award 2022 announced

The 75th edition of the British Academy Film Awards, often shortened to BAFTA or Bafta, was held at the Royal Albert Hall, London.

The awards, the British equivalent of the Oscars, honour the best in national and international cinema.

The awards, presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), honours the best national and foreign films of 2021. The ceremony was hosted by actress and comedian Rebel Wilson.

The film that received maximum nominations was Dune, with 11 nominations. The film that received the maximum number of awards was Dune as well with 5 awards.

Here is the complete list of winners:

Best Film: The Power of the Dog

Best Director: Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog

Best Actress in Leading Role: Joanna Scanlan, After Love

Best Actor in Leading Role: Will Smith, King Richard

Best Supporting Actress: Ariana DeBose, West Side Story

Best Supporting Actor: Troy Kotsur, CODA

EE Rising Star Award: Lashana Lynch

Outstanding British Film: Belfast

Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director, Or Producer: The Harder They Fall

Best Film Not In The English Language: Drive My Car

Best Documentary: Summer of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Best Animated Film: Encanto

Best Short Animation: Do Not Feed the Pigeons, Vladimir Krasilnikov, Jordi Morera and Antonin Niclass

Best Short Film: The Black Cop, Cherish Oleka

Original Screenplay: Licorice Pizza, Paul Thomas Anderson

Adapted Screenplay: CODA, Sian Heder

Original Score: Dune, Hans Zimmer

Casting: West Side Story, Cindy Tolan

Exp. 75th BAFTA Award 2022 announced

The 75th edition of the British Academy Film Awards, often shortened to BAFTA or Bafta, was held at the Royal Albert Hall, London.

The awards, the British equivalent of the Oscars, honour the best in national and international cinema.

The awards, presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), honours the best national and foreign films of 2021. The ceremony was hosted by actress and comedian Rebel Wilson.

The film that received maximum nominations was Dune, with 11 nominations. The film that received the maximum number of awards was Dune as well with 5 awards.

Here is the complete list of winners:

Best Film: The Power of the Dog

Best Director: Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog

Best Actress in Leading Role: Joanna Scanlan, After Love

Best Actor in Leading Role: Will Smith, King Richard

Best Supporting Actress: Ariana DeBose, West Side Story

Best Supporting Actor: Troy Kotsur, CODA

EE Rising Star Award: Lashana Lynch

Outstanding British Film: Belfast

Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director, Or Producer: The Harder They Fall

Best Film Not In The English Language: Drive My Car

Best Documentary: Summer of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Best Animated Film: Encanto

Best Short Animation: Do Not Feed the Pigeons, Vladimir Krasilnikov, Jordi Morera and Antonin Niclass

Best Short Film: The Black Cop, Cherish Oleka

Original Screenplay: Licorice Pizza, Paul Thomas Anderson

Adapted Screenplay: CODA, Sian Heder

Original Score: Dune, Hans Zimmer

Casting: West Side Story, Cindy Tolan

Exp. India’s 1st Artificial Intelligence & Robotics Technology Park launched at IISc, Bengaluru

India’s First Artificial Intelligence & Robotics Technology Park (ARTPARK) has been launched at IISc campus, Bengaluru.

It is promoted by a not-for-profit foundation set up by Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru, with a seed capital of Rs. 230 crores from State and Central government.

It intends to use futuristic technologies with a focus on creating a globally leading artificial Intelligence and Robotics Innovation ecosystem in India.

Exp. HAL signed MoU with SASMOS to work together in aerospace domain

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed an MoU with Bengaluru-based company SASMOS to work together on advanced electronics, electrical and fibre optic interconnections in the aerospace domain.

HAL’s subsidiary Naini Aerospace Limited (NAeL) was also a signatory to the MoU. The MoU is intended to explore business cooperation, especially in the northern India, through utilization of capacity and capabilities of NAeL to bring their expertise in fibre optics, electronics and electrical interconnected system in the aerospace domain through the support from HAL and SASMOS.

Exp. Pramod Bhagat won silver at Spanish Para-Badminton International 2022

World champion, Pramod Bhagat has won two silver and a bronze medal at Spanish Para-Badminton International 2022.

He won men’s singles SL3 Silver and mixed doubles SL3-SU5 Bronze at the Spanish Para-Badminton International 2022.

Apart from him, Sukant Kadam won the bronze medal in Spanish Para-Badminton International 2022, after losing to World no 1 Lucas Mazur from France.Indian team wins a total of 21 medals at Spanish Para-Badminton International 2022.

Exp. 12 March: World Glaucoma Day

World Glaucoma Day is annually observed across the globe on 12th March to create awareness about Glaucoma, the one of the most common causes of irreversible blindness.

World Glaucoma Week (WGW), a global initiative of the World Glaucoma Association (WGA) and World Glaucoma Patient Association is also annually observed to create awareness about Glaucoma. WGW 2022 is celebrated from 6th to 12th March 2022.

Aim:  To help eliminate blindness caused by Glaucoma, by raising awareness and alerting the need of having regular eye check-ups in which the optic nerve is examined.

Theme 2022: “The world is bright, save your sight”.

Exp. 15 March: World Consumer Rights Day

World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated on March 15 every year. The day marks an opportunity to urge that all consumers’ rights be recognised and safeguarded, as well as to protest market abuses and social injustices that jeopardise those rights.

World Consumer Rights Day is inspired by President John F Kennedy’s special message to the US Congress that was delivered on 15th March 1962. In this message he formally addressed the issue of consumer rights becoming the first world leader to do so.

National Consumers Rights Day is commemorated yearly in India on December 24.

Exp. 15 March: World Consumer Rights Day

World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated on March 15 every year. The day marks an opportunity to urge that all consumers’ rights be recognised and safeguarded, as well as to protest market abuses and social injustices that jeopardise those rights.

World Consumer Rights Day is inspired by President John F Kennedy’s special message to the US Congress that was delivered on 15th March 1962. In this message he formally addressed the issue of consumer rights becoming the first world leader to do so.

National Consumers Rights Day is commemorated yearly in India on December 24.

Theme 2022: “Fair Digital Finance.”