Current Affairs Quiz 28th January 2022 : Daily GK Update Quiz

Exp. Karnataka launched 1st of its kind ‘Brain Health Initiative’ to train doctors in mental healthcare

K Sudhakar, Minister of Medical Education and Health of Karnataka, virtually launched Brain Health Initiative a first-of-its-kind initiative in India, undertaken by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in association with the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog).

The initiative aims to help people to cope with mental health issues. Under this initiative, doctors will be trained in screening and treating mental health patients.

On a pilot basis, the initiative was launched in Bengaluru, Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts.

Exp. South Maubuang became Mizoram’s first ODF plus village

South Maubuang in Aibawk block of Aizawl district in Mizoram has been declared as the model ODF Plus village.

The village has fulfilled all the criteria as per SBM-G Phase II guidelines and all households and institutions have functional toilets and measures in place for effective management of solid and liquid waste

It has a population of 649 individuals from 116 households has emerged as the first ODF Plus village in the State of Mizoram.

Exp. Andhra Pradesh govt approved creation of 13 more Districts

The State Government of Andhra Pradesh has given its approval to increase the number of districts in the state to 26 from the existing 13.

The process for the creation of 13 new districts will be completed by Telugu New Year in April 2022.

The 13 new Districts with its Headquarters are-Manyam Dist – Parvathipuram, Alluri Sitharama Raju District – Paderu, Anakapalli – Anakapalli, Kakinada – Kakinada, Kona Seema – Amalapuram, Eluru – Eluru, NTR District – Vijayawada, Bapatla – Bapatla, Palnadu – Narsaraopeta, Nandyal – Nandyal, Sri Satyasai District – Puttaparthy, Annamayya District – Rayachoty, Sri Balaji Dist. – Tirupati.

Exp. India & UAE set up $150-million worth Venture Capital to boost start-up ecosystem

Chairman of Startup Committee of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) & HCL founder, Dr Ajai Chowdhry launched the India-United Arab Emirates (UAE) Venture Capital (VC) Fund of worth $150 million from the India Pavilion at EXPO 2020 Dubai, UAE.

The VC aims to promote growth and investment on startups in India & UAE. It will be funded by investors across UAE, India and members of GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries.

It targets to invest in a minimum of 50 demonstrated and validated start-ups based in India and the UAE over a period of 5 years, and turn 10 of them to Unicorn status by 2025.

The Indian Angel Network Fund (IAN) will provide knowledge and experience in fields such as technology, EVs, FinTech, Agriculture, Communication etc to UAE investors.

Exp. Apple retained the title as world’s valuable brand in Brand Finance 2022

Apple has retained its position as the most valuable brand in 2022 as well, according to the Brand Finance 2022 Global 500 report.

The brand valuation of Apple was recorded at $355.1 billion in 2022, which is an increase of 35% from last year. This is the highest brand value ever recorded in the Brand Finance Global 500 ranking history.

TikTok (18th) has been named the world’s fastest-growing brand in the list. Its brand value increased from US$18.7 billion in 2021 to US$59.0 billion in 2022.

Tech remained the most valuable industry in the list in terms of sector. This was followed by Retail, Banking, Media and Telecoms in top 5 respectively.

The Indian conglomerate Tata Group has emerged as the most valuable brand from India and also in South Asia. It is the only brand from the country in the top 100. The Global Rank of Tata Group 78. The brand value of Tata Group is US$23.9 billion.

Exp. Max Life partnered Policybazaar to offer insurance cover for homemakers

Max Life Insurance Company Limited has partnered with Policybazaar.com to offer its ‘Max Life Smart Secure Plus Plan’ on Policybazaar platform as an independent Insurance cover to homemakers.

At present homemakers in India are allowed for term insurance cover only as an add-on to their earning spouse’s cover.

Under the current insurance cover, the homemakers of the household with an annual income of over Rs. 5 lakhs between 18 and 50 years are eligible to buy the independent insurance cover from Rs. 25 lakhs to Rs. 49 lakhs (irrespective of the fact whether the husband had a policy or not).

Exp. TerraPay partnered with NPCI International to boost cashless transactions

TerraPay has signed MoU with NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) to allow Indian customers with an active UPI ID to receive real-time, international payments into their bank accounts via TerraPay’s secure payments technology.

It will enable seamless and convenient cross-border remittances experience. NIPL is an international arm of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

Exp. J&K Police bagged 115 Police Medals for Gallantry (PMG)

Jammu and Kashmir Police has bagged 115 Police Medals for Gallantry (PMG), out of a total of 189 awarded this year.

They more than doubled their last year’s tally of 52 PMGs. J&K Police won awards for conducting several counter-insurgency operations in 2019-20.

Police personnel from Jammu and Kashmir have been awarded 115 Police Medals for Gallantry, the highest number from any police force this year, followed by CRPF with 30, Chhattisgarh Police with 10, Odisha Police with nine, and Maharashtra Police with seven.

Exp. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve got TX2 award

Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Erode district, Tamil Nadu, has been given the prestigious TX2 award after its tiger numbers doubled to 80 since 2010.

Apart from the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, the Bardia National Park in Nepal has won this year’s TX2 award for doubling the population of wild tigers.

Sathyamangalam wildlife sanctuary was declared a tiger reserve in 2013 and the reserve that spread across 1,411.60 sq km is an important link between the Nilgiris and Eastern Ghats landscape.

The awards are presented by the Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CA|TS), Fauna and Flora International (FFI), Global Tiger Forum (GTF), IUCN’s Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme (ITHCP), Panthera, UNDP, The Lion’s Share, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and WWF.

Exp. Iran, Russia, and China conducted joint naval drill CHIRU-2Q22

The Russian, Chinese and Iranian navies undertook naval exercises CHIRU-2Q22 in the Gulf of Oman.

The maritime drills conducted in the northern parts of the Indian Ocean aimed at deepening practical cooperation among the navies of the three countries.

At least 140 warships and over 60 aircraft with nearly 10,000 military personnel would be taking part in the military exercises.

Exp. A new book titled ‘A Little Book of India: Celebrating 75 years of Independence’ authored by Ruskin Bond

A new book titled “A Little Book of India: Celebrating 75 years of Independence” authored by Ruskin Bond was released on 26th January 2022, marking 75 years of India’s Independence.

The book is the blend of “physical and spiritual” attributes of India and also highlights the last 75 years of India’s progress as a nation.

Exp. Meenakashi Lekhi released pictorial comic book “India’s Women Unsung Heroes”

Union Minister of State for Culture Meenakshi Lekhi has released a pictorial comic book titled “India’s Women Unsung Heroes”, as a tribute to the forgotten women freedom fighters of the country in New Delhi.

The Book has been released in partnership with Amar Chitra Katha. The book celebrates the lives of 75 unsung women freedom fighters of India, including Chakali Ilamma, Padmaja Naidu, Durgabhai Deshmukh, among others.

It contains the stories of queens who battled colonial powers in the struggle against imperial rule.

Exp. 28 January: Data Privacy Day

Data Privacy Day is celebrated on January 28, every year, with the objective of spreading awareness on Privacy.

Observance of the day is “an international effort of creating awareness on importance of respecting privacy, enabling trust and safeguarding data”.

Data privacy has been one of the hot topics of discussion in a digitally connected world. The issue has become pertinent at the time of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, when more and more people are forced to spend time in the online world.

Exp. Legendary Hockey Player Padma Shri Charanjit Singh passed away

Padma Shri Charanjit Singh, who was the Captain of India’s Hockey team that won the gold medal in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics has passed away at his residence in the Una District of Himachal Pradesh.

He was also a part of the Indian hockey team that won the silver medal in the 1960 Olympics held in Rome and part of the team that won the silver medal in the 1962 Asian Games held in Jakarta.

The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 1964 in Sports and Arjuna Award in 1963 for hockey.