Daily Current Affairs January 25

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January 25 | Daily Current Affairs 2022

Important Days – Daily Current Affairs January 25

1. International Day of Education 2022:

• International Education Day 2022: International Day of Education is observed every year on January 24 to celebrate the role of education for peace and development.
• The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the day as International Day of Education on January 24, 2018.
• Today, the world is celebrating the fourth International day of Education under the theme “Changing Course, Transforming Education”.

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2. Government has declared 23rd January as Parakram Diwas to commemorate 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose:

• Government of India is celebrating 125th Birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
• Inaugural function of 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was organized at Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata on 23rd January 2021 which was presided over by Hon’ble Prime Minister.
• Commemorative coin and stamps on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose were released on the occasion.
• International Seminars were also organized on the 23rd January 2021 at Kolkata and 5th March 2021 at Jabalpur under the above commemoration.
• High Level Committee under the chairmanship of Hon’ble Prime Minister has been constituted for the commemoration.
• The Committee includes distinguished persons, historians, authors, experts, family members of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose as well as eminent persons associated with Azad Hind Fauz (INA).
• Gazette notification issued on 19th Jan, 2021 on declaration of 23rd January as Parakram Diwas every year.
• Government of India has approved various proposals relating to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose such as establishing a memorial in Red Fort to INA martyrs and at Neelganj near Kolkata, short Videos on Netaji and INA, documentary on INA trials, publishing of biography of Col. Dhillon and Gen.
• Shahnawaz Khan, publishing of photos of INA in the form of a pictorial book, children- friendly comics on Netaji.
• Govt. of India is also celebrating important dates associated with Netaji & INA at significant places such as Moirang Day-British army defeated on Indian soil -14 April, INA Raising Day-21st October, Netaji went to Andaman & unfurled flag-30th December, INA battle of Imphal.
• Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Museum has been set up at Red Fort New Delhi.
• An extensive exhibition on Subhas is currently on at Victoria Memorial Hall at Kolkata.

Following Institutions have been after Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose:

• • Netaji Subhas University, Pokhari, Jamshedpur.
  • Netaji Subhas Open University, Kolkata.
  • Netaji Subhas University of Technology, New Delhi.
  • Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports, Patiala.
• This information was given by Minister of Culture, Shri G. Kishan Reddy in written reply in Lok Sabha Today.

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3. National Voters’ Day:

• The National Voters’ Day is celebrated every year on January 25 to encourage the country’s voters to participate in the electoral process.
• This year, it is the 12th edition which is being celebrated.

History:

• The first-ever National Voters’ Day was celebrated on January 25, 2011, to encourage more young voters to take part in the electoral process.
• The Union government, then led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, approved a proposal of the law ministry to this effect.
• Former information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni at that time pointed out that new voters who attained the age of 18 were showing less interest in getting enrolled in the electoral rolls.
• To address this issue, the Election Commission decided to launch a nationwide effort to identify all eligible voters who reach the age of 18 on January 1 of each year in all polling stations across India, Soni said.
• Such voters would be enrolled and be given the Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) on January 25 every year.

Theme:

• The theme for this year’s National Voters’ Day is ‘Making Elections Inclusive, Accessible and Participative’.
• Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu was supposed to be the chief guest for this event.
• However, he won’t be physically attending the event after getting infected with Covid-19 and will deliver a virtual message.
• Union law minister Kiren Rijiju will be the Guest of Honour.
• During the event, National Awards for the Best Electoral Practises for the year 2021-22 will be given to state and district level officers for their outstanding performance in the conduct of elections in different areas.
• On the other hand, the newly enrolled voters will be handed over the EPIC during the event.

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4. National Tourism Day 2022:

• India is a country filled with a rich culture and mythological heritage. It is a diverse country.
• India is a country where ethnicity, practice, culture etc change with every kilometre as one moves from north to south. People from different parts of the world visit the country.
• National Tourism Day is celebrated in India every year.
• The day is observed to spread awareness among people about the importance of tourism for the country’s economy.
• National Tourism Day also appreciates India’s beauty around the globe.

National Tourism Day 2022: Date

• National Tourism Day is celebrated on January 25 every year across the country.
• This day is observed by the government to encourage tourism and explain the essential role of tourism in the growth of the country.

National Tourism Day 2022: Theme

• This year’s theme for National Tourism Day is ‘Rural and Community Centric Tourism’.

National Tourism Day 2022: History

• In 1958, the government realised the importance of tourism coming to India and that led to the creation of a separate department of tourism.
• The aim of creating the department was to preserve our national heritage and to look after the tourist destinations to keep their beauty intact while making them tourist-friendly.

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Ranking – Daily Current Affairs January 25

5. The world in terms of technological advancements and funding in artificial intelligence:

• India is among the top 10 nations in the world in terms of technological advancements and funding in artificial intelligence, according to findings from a study published by The Brookings Institution.
• While India is outside the top 10 in terms of commercial and research initiatives, it ranks sixth in terms of spending and investments on AI made by public, governmental initiatives, as well as private institutes and organisations.
• The study notes that alongside having increasing adoption of new generation technologies, India is “well positioned from the funding standpoint” – a factor that gives it leverage to quickly achieve faster innovations in AI technologies, and overtake other nations that are leading AI achievements right now.
• The nations leading AI achievements ahead of India are the US, China, the UK, France, Japan and Germany.
• Canada, South Korea and Italy are behind India in the top 10 AI adopters list, as per the study.
• The study corroborates the fact that AI adoption across various sectors in India has been growing rapidly.
• A December 2021 report by McKinsey Analytics on the state of AI in 2021 found that India was the leading adopter of AI among emerging economies, from a commercial, business standpoint.
• Software services, product development and contact centre automation were among the key global industries adopting artificial intelligence.
• Deloitte’s December 2021 report on the state of AI adoption in India, meanwhile, further broke down the adoption of AI in terms of industries in the country.
• The report noted that the Indian retail industry was the highest adopter of AI technologies and services, followed by telecom and fintech.

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Banking and Finance – Daily Current Affairs January 25

6. AgroStar launches personal accident insurance cover for farmers:

• Agri startup firm AgroStar said it has launched a personal accident insurance programme for farmers in collaboration with two companies.
• The insurance programme ‘Kisan Raksha Kavach’ has been introduced on the AgroStar App to provide financial protection to the farmers against uncertainties of accidental death and disability resulting from an accident, it said in a statement.
• As per the terms of the programme, a farmer who purchases agri inputs from the AgroStar App will get a benefit of personal accident insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh free of cost, it said.
• This group insurance programme is launched in a collaboration with Care Health Insurance and GramCover. Care Health Insurance is the insurer of the group insurance policy and GramCover is digitally facilitating the process, it added.
• Founded in 2013, AgroStar leverages data and technology to help farmers with access to good quality agri-inputs, and bridge the knowledge gap that exists in traditional farming practices.
• It has over 1,000 offline touchpoints across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.

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7. SEBI introduces framework for Special Situation Funds:

• Capital markets regulator Sebi has introduced the framework for Special Situation Funds (SSFs) that will invest only in stressed assets.
• The move assumes significance against the backdrop of continuing efforts to address the issue of stressed assets in the banking system.
• SSFs have been introduced as a sub-category under Category I Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), Sebi said in a notification.
• SSFs will invest only in stressed assets such as stressed loans available for acquisition in terms of RBI norms or as part of a resolution plan approved under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.
• These funds will also invest in security receipts issued by Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs), securities of companies in distress and any other asset/security as may be prescribed by the board from time to time.
• Further, SSFs will accept from an investor, an investment of such value as specified by the regulator. It will not accept investments from any other AIF other than a special situation fund.
• In this regard, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has amended AIF rules.
• Last month, at its board meeting, Sebi decided that SSFs will be exempted from investment concentration norm in a single investee company and there will also be no restriction on investing their investible funds in unlisted or listed securities of the investee company.
• The minimum investment by an investor can be Rs 10 crore, whereas it can be Rs 5 crore in the case of an accredited investor, and that the minimum corpus will be Rs 100 crore, Sebi had said.

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8. Lendingkart partners with Bank of Maharashtra to disburse low-cost MSME loans:

• Lendingkart Technologies’ subsidiary Lendingkart Finance has partnered with the Bank of Maharashtra to co-lend business loans to MSME borrowers across India at low interest rates.
• Through this partnership, the fintech start-up aims to make credit available to MSME borrowers at their doorstep powered by the ‘zero touch’ technology platform Lendingkart ‘2gthr’.
• The MSMEs will be eligible for loans up to ₹10 lakhs.
• Last week, Lendingkart had announced a similar partnership with Canara Bank too.
• The ‘2gthr’ platform enables co-lenders to underwrite business loan applications using cash-flow-based assessment model ‘cred8’ with high-end dashboards depicting end-to-end funnel visibility on loans in various stages.
• Under this arrangement, the Bank of Maharashtra will also leverage Lendingkart’s origination platform ‘xlr8’ to distribute MSME loans sourced through multi-channel strategies supporting its vision of financial inclusion.

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9. Max Life extends term cover for homemakers independent of spouse’s insurance:

• Max Life Insurance said it has extended its Max Life Smart Secure Plus Plan, a non-linked non-participating individual pure risk premium life insurance plan, as an independent term insurance cover for Indian homemakers.
• Currently, plans offering term cover to homemakers do so typically as an add-on to their earning spouse’s cover.
• The ‘Max Life Smart Secure Plus Plan’ offered on Policybazaar will help secure female homemakers’ lives independent of their spouse’s life insurance cover, the insurer said in its statement
• ‘Max Life Smart Secure Plus Plan’ will be available to consumers where household income is a minimum of ₹5 lakh per annum.
• Different variants of the plan, with mortality and all rider benefits, will be available to homemakers in the age group of 18 to 50 years.

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Business and Economy – Daily Current Affairs January 25

10. Flipkart signs pact with FITT for joint research in social commerce:

• Walmart-owned Flipkart said it has inked an agreement with Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer to collaborate in the areas of social commerce, product recommendation to resellers and consumer product exploration journey.
• Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) is a part of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D).
• As part of the memorandum of understanding, Flipkart will offer research grants and market insights to FITT to develop hands-on prototypes and publish research papers in collaboration with the teams at the e-commerce firm in the areas of social commerce, product recommendation to resellers and the consumer product exploration journey, a statement said.
• This will provide IIT academia involved in the partnership an opportunity to work closely with Flipkart on research projects aimed at solving relevant technical challenges in the e-commerce domain, it added.
• Flipkart and FITT will also jointly undertake a number of other initiatives, including organising seminars, offering conference travel grants and internship and mentorship opportunities, the statement said.
• These collaborations aim to create industry-focused applied research on some of the most compelling problem statements of online commerce that can make e-commerce accessible to more consumers and sellers alike, it added.

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11. Airtel commissions 21-MW solar power unit in Maharashtra:

• Telecom operator Bharti Airtel said it has commissioned a new 21-megawatt solar power plant in Buldhana district of Maharashtra as part of its commitment to reduce carbon footprint and contribute to the global efforts to curb the effects of climate change.
• The company expects the solar-powered unit to reduce 25,517 tonnes in carbon emissions annually.
• The captive power unit, spread over 80 acres, has been set up by Airtel in partnership with Avaada to supply clean energy to Airtel’s Nxtra data centres and switching centres in Maharashtra, the company said in a statement.
• ”Sustainability is a priority area for Nxtra by Airtel.
• This is yet another step towards fulfilling our commitment to source more than 50 per cent power requirements of our data centres through renewable energy sources in the next 12 months and contribute to Airtel’s overall GHG emission reduction targets,” Nxtra by Airtel CEO Rajesh Tapadia said.
• Nxtra by Airtel has already commissioned two captive solar power units of 14 MW each in Uttar Pradesh.
• The company claims to have the largest network of data centres in India with 11 large and 120 edge data centres across the country and will invest over Rs 5,000 crore over the next four years to expand its capacity by three times.
• Airtel has committed to reducing absolute Scope 1 and 2 Green House Gas (GHG) emissions across its operations by 50.2 per cent by the financial year 2031, considering FY 2021 as the base year.
• Airtel has also committed to reducing absolute scope 3 GHG emissions by 42 per cent over the same timeframe.

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Appointments – Daily Current Affairs January 25

12. Govt. appoints new chairperson to PMLA Adjudicating Authority:

• Vinodanand Jha, a 1983-batch retired IRS officer has been appointed as the chairperson of the PMLA Adjudicating Authority located in the national capital, an official order said.
• Mr. Jha has been serving as the Member (Finance and Accounts) in the Authority since September 2018.
• He was appointed to this post after he retired from service as the Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax in Pune.
• An order issued by the Union Finance Ministry on January 20 said Mr. Jha’s appointment to the post of chairperson will be till the completion of his tenure on June 22 next year.
• The three-member Authority is mandated to adjudicate the cases of attachment of assets orders issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and order for its continuity and further confiscation or release, considering the merits of the investigation.
• The Authority is a mechanism provided under the PMLA to safeguard the interests of the accused against coercive action.
• The post of a full-time chairperson in the Authority has been vacant since September 2020.
• The posts of two other members in the panel, apart from the chairperson, too are vacant at present.

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13. NSE IFSC appoints Rajiv Mehrishi as chairman of governing board:

• NSE IFSC, NSE’s International Exchange in GIFT City, said it has appointed Rajiv Mehrishi as the chairman of its governing board.
• The appointment is effective from Tuesday, the exchange said in a statement.
• The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) had earlier approved his appointment as Public Interest Director (PID) on the Governing Board of NSE IFSC with effect from December 9, 2021.
• Mehrishi, a retired IAS officer, was the 13th Comptroller and Auditor General of India and vice-chairman of the United Nations Panel of External Auditors.
• Few of his prior roles include being finance secretary, home secretary and the chief secretary at government of Rajasthan.

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14. Pushp Kumar Joshi to be new chairman of HPCL:

• Pushp Kumar Joshi has been picked by government headhunter PESB to be the new chairman and managing director of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), the nation’s third-largest oil refining and fuel marketing company.
• Joshi, who is currently Director – Human Resources at HPCL – was picked after PESB interviewed 10 candidates on January 24, the headhunter said in a notice.
• The recommendation will now go to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. ACC will decide on his selection after getting reports from anti-corruption agencies such as CVC and CBI.
• Joshi, 58, has been on the board of HPCL for almost a decade now.
• He will replace Mukesh Kumar Surana, who superannuates on April 30 this year.
• Joshi had missed out on being the head of HPCL on previous two occasions – first in August 2013 when Nishi Vasudeva was picked by PESB and again in October 2015 when Surana was selected.

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Awards – Daily Current Affairs January 25

15. India’s Koozhangal wins best film award at 20th Dhaka International Film Festival:

• During the recently concluded 20th Dhaka International Film Festival in Dhaka, Indian movie Koozhangal won the best film award in the Asian Film Competition category. The film was helmed by P S Vinothraj.
• Apart from this, four more Indian entries were included among the 17 awards given away for the films during the concluding session of the film festival.
• The 9-day long international festival featured over 225 films drawn from 70 countries around the globe.

Best actor and other awards to Indian film fraternity:

• Indian actor Jayasurya won the best actor award for the Ranjith Sankar-directed film ‘Sunny’. Further, the best script writer award was given to Indranil Roychowdhury and Sugata Sinha for India-Bangladesh film Mayar Jonjal.
• The movie was directed by Indranil Roychowdhury.
• Notably, the special audience award was also given to Indian film Semkhor, which was directed by noted Assamese actor Aimee Baruah.
• The film Semkhor was also selected as the opening film of Indian Panorama 2021 of 52nd International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which was held in Goa.
• The film attempts to capture the life of Samsa community, who by virtue of customs, rituals and ancient beliefs loves to live a life secluded from the outside world.
• With this, ‘Semkhor’ becomes the first-ever Dimasa language film to get such an honour in IFFI.
• Nepal’s Aina Jhyal Ko Putali directed by Sujit Bidari won the best director award.
• In the Women film maker’s section, the best feature film award was accorded to Maryam Bahrololumi-directed film Shahrbanoo (Lady from the City) from Iran.
• Two Bangladeshi films, Nurul Alam Atique-directed Lal Moroger Jhuti and N Rashed Chowdhury-directed Chandrabati Kotha got the Audience Award.
• Bangladesh’s Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud gave away the awards as Chief Guest during the concluding session, which was organised at the National Museum auditorium in Dhaka and concluded on 23th January 2022.

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16. President approves 384 Gallantry Awards and other defence decorations to Armed Forces personnel on Republic Day:

• The President has approved awards of 384 Gallantry and other Defence decorations to Armed Forces personnel and others on the eve of 73rdRepublic Day celebrations.
• These include 12 Shaurya Chakras, 29 Param Vishisht Seva Medals, 04 UttamYudhSeva Medals, 53 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals, 13 Yudh Seva Medals, 03 Bar to Vishisht Seva Medals, 122 Vishisht Seva Medals, 03 Bar to Sena Medals (Gallantry), 81 Sena Medals (Gallantry), 02 Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry), 40Sena Medals (Devotion to Duty), 08 Nao Sena Medals (Devotion to Duty), and 14 Vayu Sena Medals (Devotion to Duty).
• The full list of the recipients of gallantry and other Defence decorations is as follows:-

• Besides these, 44 personnel from Armed Forces have been awarded ‘Mention-in-Despatches’ by the President.The full list of these personnelis as follows:-

OPERATION RAKSHAK

1. IC-60092F COLONEL DHARMENDRA YADAV, SENA MEDAL, THE SIKH LIGHT INFANTRY, 19TH BATTALION THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES
2. IC-60247L COLONEL SAMEER BALWANT GUJAR, SENA MEDAL, 19TH BATTALION THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES
3. IC-60512W COLONEL SOMEN PARIDA, 78 FIELD REGIMENT
4. IC-63403P COLONEL BHEEMAIAH PS, SENA MEDAL**, THE PARACHUTE REGIMENT, 3RD BATTALION THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES
5. IC-63801W COLONEL RAJENDRA KUMAR, 17TH BATTALION THE MADRAS REGIMENT
6. IC-69082Y LIEUTENANT COLONEL RAHUL JAIN, THE JAT REGIMENT , 34THBATTALION THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES
7. IC-78368P MAJOR ROHIT KUMAR UPRETI, THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS, 34TH BATTALION THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES
8. IC-83854W CAPTAIN HARI OM KUMAR, SENA MEDAL, 24TH BATTALION THE MARATHA LIGHT INFANTRY
9. JC-452366A SUBEDAR RAJENDRA SINGH, THE GRENADIERS, 55TH BATTALION THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES
10. 3004102W HAV DHEER SINGH GURJAR, THE RAJPUT REGIMENT, 44TH BATTALION THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES
11. 15495000H LANCE DAFADAR NAVAL BHAOSAHEB BHAOURAO, THE ARMOURED CORPS , 22ND BATTALION THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES
12. 14941845A NAIK JASWANT SINGH, THE MECHANISED INFANTRY, 50TH BATTALION THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES
13. 3011334X NAIK JITENDRA SINGH, THE RAJPUT REGIMENT, 44TH BATTALION THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES
14. 15197723X GUNNER KARAN SINGH PANWAR, THE REGIMENT OF ARTILLERY, 34TH BATTALION THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES
15.  4383051F SEPOY ZAHMINGSANGA, THE ASSAM REGIMENT, 42ND BATTALION THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES
    

    OPERATION SNOW LEOPARD

16. IC-61339K COLOLONEL ROHIT MUKHERJEE, 10 GUARDS
17. IC-61423K COLONEL VINOD KUMAR ADHIKARI, 3RD BATTALION THE PUNJAB REGIMENT
18. IC-62271A COLONEL NITIN MITTAL, LADAKH SCOUTS, DOGRA SCOUTS
19. IC-62331K COLONEL RAJEEV KATOCH, 22ND BATTALION THE PUNJAB REGIMENT
20. IC-62283P COLONEL ARUPAM CHAKRABORTY, THE MADRAS REGIMENT, 5 VIKAS (SFF)
21. IC-62517N COLONEL KUNAAL RATHEE,THE PARACHUTE REGIMENT, 1 VIKAS (SFF)
22. IC-63874H COLONEL JATIN GULERI, 18 GRENADIERS
23. IC-63886X COL IQBAL SINGH, 14TH BATTALION THE JAMMU AND KASHMIR RIFLES
24. IC-64015K COLONEL RAHUL MITTAL, 10TH BATTALION THE DOGRA REGIMENT
25. IC-64058Y COLONEL AJAYPAL SINGH, KUMAON SCOUTS
26. IC-65681F COLONEL GAURAV SETH, 1ST BATTALION THE MAHAR REGIMENT
27. IC-83166X CAPTAIN AMRIT KARKI, 4TH BATTALION THE PARACHUTE REGIMENT (SPECIAL FORCES)
28. 15319785P HAVILDAR SUDHEESH KUMAR S, 3 ENGINEER REGIMENT(POSTHUMOUS)
29. 15334274H NAIK RAMARAO VANJARAPU, 3 ENGINEER REGIMENT (POSTHUMOUS)
    OPERATION HIFAZAT
30. IC-63476F COLONEL KUMAR ADARSH, THE MADRAS REGIMENT, 31 ASSAM RIFLES
    

    OPERATION CAS EVAC MSN

31. IC-72101K MAJOR VAIBHAV JINDAL, 23 (I) RECONNAISSANCE AND OBSERVATION FLIGHT
    

    OPERATION RESCUE

32. JC-341664F SUBEDARRAM SHANKER, 234 ARMOURED ENGINEER REGIMENT(POSTHUMOUS)OPERATION ORCHID
33. IC-72325K MAJOR ANKIT THAKUR, THE REGIMENT OF ARTILLERY, 6 ASSAM RIFLES
34. IC-79958A MAJOR SIDHARTH SINGH, THE ARMOURED CORPS, 5 ASSAM RIFLES
35. G/3400799L HAVILDAR SHIJU VARUGHESE, 12 ASSAM RIFLES
36. G/57849N LANCE NAIK MUSHTAQ AHMED MANGRAL, 5 ASSAM RIFLESMISC OPERATION
37. IC-58008X COLONEL AMIT BISHT, SENA MEDAL, THE MAHAR REGIMENT, THE NEHRU INSTITUTE OF MOUNTAINEERING, UTTARKASHI
38. IC-62993M COLONEL SAKET RAWAT, 13TH BATTALION THE MECHANISED INFANTRY
39. IC-63474W COLONEL NITESH KUMAR, THE GRENADIERS, 26 SPECIAL COMPOSITEGROUP, NATIONAL SECURITY GUARDUN MSN (MONUSCO)
40. IC-73019F LIEUTENANT COLONEL RANBIR CHOUDHURY, 4TH BATTALION THE 1ST GORKHA RIFLES
    

    ARMEX-21

41. IC-75904F MAJOR DIGVIJAY THAKUR, 24 GRENADIERS
    

    APPROVED IN CH&AC

42. IC-80234P CAPTAIN A ARIHARA SUDHAN, THE JAMMU & KASHMIR RIFLES, 3RD
    BATTALION THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES
    43. 4196652F HAVILDAR VEERENDRA KUMAR, THE KUMAON REGIMENT, 50TH BATTALION THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES
    44. 14946701F SEPOY AJAY KUMAR, THE MECHANISED INFANTRY, 42ND BATTALION THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES

President’s Police Medal awarded for Distinguished and Meritorious Services to the RPF/RPSF personnel:

• On the occasion of Republic Day 2022, the Hon’ble President of India has awarded President’s Police Medal (PPM) for Distinguished Services and Police Medal (PM) for Meritorious Services to the following RPF/RPSF personnel:

President’s Police Medal (PPM) for Distinguished Service:

• Shri Atul Kumar Srivastava, Principal Chief Security Commissioner, N.E. Railway

Police Medal (PM) for Meritorious Service:

1. Shri Ajay Kumar Sharma, Assistant Commandant, 6 BN RPSF
2. Shri Sanjay Suresh Joshi, Assistant Security Commissioner, South East Railway
3. Shri Javed Mokashi, Inspector/ South Western Railway
4. Shri Sarwan Kumar, Inspector, Northern Railway
5. Shri Saroj Kumar Dubey, Inspector, JJR RPF Academy, Lucknow
6. Shri Narasimha Udugu, Inspector/South Central Railway
7. Shri Prabir Kumar Das, Inspector/ Eastern Railway
8. Shri Sukhwant Singh, Sub-Inspector, JJR RPF Academy, Lucknow
9. Shri Omprakash Dagar, Sub-Inspector, Western Railway
10. Shri K.M.Sunil Kumar, Sub-Inspector/ Southern Railway
11. Shri Supriya Thakur, Sub-Inspector/Eastern Railway
12. Shri Mastan Vali Shaik, Assistant Sub-Inspector/ South Central Railway
13. Shri Aditya Prakash Singh, Assistant Sub-Inspector/North Eastern Railway
14. Shri Kunal Kar Purkayastha, Head Constable, Eastern Railway
15. Shri Kailash Chandra Joshi, Cook/ Northern Railway.

• The President of India has approved the conferment of Jeevan Raksha Padak Series of Awards – 2021 on 51 persons which includes Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak to 06, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak to 16 and Jeevan Raksha Padak to 29 persons. Five awardees are posthumous.
• The details are as under:-
• Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak
• Shri Sarath R. R. (Posthumous), Kerala
• Shri JatinKumar(Posthumous), Uttar Pradesh
• Shri RamavtarGodara (Posthumous), Rajasthan
• Shri Gyan Chand (Posthumous), Ministry of Railways
• Shri Amit Kumar Bhowal (Posthumous), West Bengal
• Shri Anil Kumar, Ministry of Railways
• Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak
• Shri JagdishbhaiDanabhaiMakavana, Gujrat
• Shri Deepak Kumar Yadav, Indian Coast Guard, Ministry of Defence
• Shri Dharmender, Indian Coast Guard,Ministry of Defence
• Shri Monu Kumar, Indian Coast Guard,Ministry of Defence
• Master Alfas Bavu, Kerala
• Shri Krishnan Kundathil, Kerala
• Kumari Mayookha V., Kerala
• Master Muhammed AdnanMohiyudheen, Kerala
• Shri KurmiDurganandIndrabhushan, Indian Air Force, Ministry of Defence
• Shri Dinker Tiwari, Ministry of Railways
• Shri Tridip Paul, Ministry of Railways
• Shri Rajbir Singh, Ministry of Railways
• Shri Sanjeet Kumar Ram, Ministry of Railways
• Shri Jahir Ahamed, ITBP
• Shri Mohd. Hussain, ITBP
• Shri Shoukat Ali, ITBP
• Jeevan Raksha Padak
• Shri G. Sanjay Kumar, Andhra Pradesh
• Shri T. Venkata Subbaiah, Andhra Pradesh
• Shri Nirjogi Ganesh Kumar, Andhra Pradesh
• Shri Banti Kumar Bharti, Indian Coast Guard, Ministry of Defence
• Shri Bongu Narasimha Rao, Ministry of Railways
• Shri Ajay Kumar, BSF
• Shri B. Lal Chhuanawma, BSF
• Shri Abhilash K., CISF
• Shri Ajeesh S, CISF
• Shri AlekhaPujhari, CISF
• Shri Jitendar Kumar, CISF
• Shri Joshy Joseph, CISF
• Shri Kumar Byalyal, CISF
• Shri Muralidharan P., CISF
• Shri Nitin Shah, CISF
• Shri PinkuOraon, CISF
• Shri Rijinraj K., CISF
• Shri Sambath A., CISF
• Shri Sandeep Yadav, CISF
• Shri Sanjay S.P., CISF
• Shri Shinoj C., CISF
• Shri Shubhendu Vikram Singh, CISF
• Shri Praveen Ashok Pawar, CISF
• Shri Ashfaq Mohd, CISF
• Shri Pradeep Singh, ITBP
• Shri Satvir Singh, ITBP
• Shri Vijay Singh, ITBP
• Shri Vimal Chand Shah, ITBP
• Shri Vinod Lal, ITBP
• The Jeevan Raksha Padak series of awards are given to a person for meritorious act of human nature in saving the life of a person.
• The award is given in three categories, namely, Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak and Jeevan Raksha Padak.
• Persons of all walks of life are eligible for these awards.
• The award can also be conferred posthumously.
• The decoration of the award (medal, certificate signed by the Union Home Minister and lump sum monetary allowance) is presented to the awardee in due course by the respective Union Ministries/Organizations/State Government to which the awardee belongs.

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17. Padma Awards 2022 announced:

• Padma Awards – one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
• The Awards are given in various disciplines/ fields of activities, viz.- art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc.
• ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service;
• ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field.
• The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.
• These awards are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions which are held at RashtrapatiBhawan usually around March/ April every year.
• This year the President has approved conferment of 128 Padma Awards including 2 duo case (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one) as per list below.
• The list comprises 4 Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 107 Padma Shri Awards.
  34 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 10 persons from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 13 Posthumous awardees.

Padma Vibhushan(4)

Padma Bhushan(17)

Padma Shri (107)

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Science and Technology – Daily Current Affairs January 25

17. Omicron Testing Kit, ‘Om’, by CDRI To Be Launched in February: Report

• The CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) has developed an indigenous RT-PCR diagnostic kit, called ‘Om’, for testing the new Omicron variant of COVID-19.
• At present, two more such kits developed by private players are available in the market.
• ‘Om’ is likely to be launched in the second week of February, after it receives a nod from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
• The kit will cost around Rs 150 and give the test result in around two hours.

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International Affairs – Daily Current Affairs January 25

18. N.Korea fires cruise missiles amid tension over lifting nuclear moratorium:

• North Korea fired two cruise missiles into the sea off its east coast, South Korea’s military said, amid rising tension over a recent series of weapons tests.
• South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff did not specify the missiles’ range or trajectory, but said it was conducting an analysis together with U.S. authorities.
• The launch was North Korea’s fifth of the year, following tests of a tactical guided missile.
• Tension has been growing, with leader Kim Jong Un vowing last week to bolster the military and warning he could lift a self-imposed moratorium on testing atomic bombs and long-range missiles.

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19. India announces $200,000 relief assistance to tsunami-hit Tonga:

• India has extended an immediate relief assistance of USD 200,000 for relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in tsunami-hit Tonga, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
• On January 15, 2022, a tsunami hit the Kingdom of Tonga impacting large sections of the country’s population and causing significant infrastructural damage.
• India extends deep sympathy to the government and the people of the Kingdom of Tonga for the damage and destruction caused by this unprecedented disaster, the MEA said in a statement.
• India has firmly stood by Tonga during times of crisis and devastation caused by natural disasters, as during Cyclone Gita in 2018.
• Disaster Risk Reduction and Management is an important pillar of India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative (IPOI) announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2019, it said.

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National Affairs – Daily Current Affairs January 25

20. Union Minister Shri Giriraj Singh releases revised Rural Area Development Plan Formulation and Implementation (RADPFI) Guidelines:

• All Panchayati Raj Institutions should have a vision for respective Panchayat for the next twenty-five years till India’s centenary of Independence in 2047; should embark on formulating a master plan for all-round development and should take all possible efforts to boost local infrastructure, other developmental requirements, employment opportunities and resource base of Panchayats, exhorted Shri Giriraj Singh, Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj while releasing the revised Rural Area Development Plan Formulation and Implementation (RADPFI) Guidelines prepared by Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
• The release of these Guidelines would certainly give direction to the process of planned development in various sectors such as physical and social infrastructure, economic activities, road and transport connectivity, land values and anticipated economic activities and will aid towards a workable solution for conversion of agricultural to non-agricultural purpose for planned development.
• It is expected that these revised guidelines would provide guidance to the State Town and Country Planning Departments, State Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Departments and a host of other offices located at the district/block level which are responsible for the planned infrastructure development, both physical and social in the villages.
• Shri (Dr.) Chandra Shekhar Kumar, Additional Secretary, MoPR, Shri Khushwant Singh Sethi, Joint Secretary, MoPR Shri Alok Prem Nagar, Joint Secretary, MoPR, Shri (Dr.) Bijaya Kumar Behera, Economic Adviser, MoPR and other Senior Officers of the Government of India graced the occasion.
• Senior officers from the State Panchayati Raj Departments, representatives from reputed academic and research institutes of Architecture and Planning also attended the event virtually.

Background:

• Although, many spatial development initiatives have been implemented in India especially in urban areas, there has been no comprehensive exercise for rural spatial planning of panchayats/villages.
• In recent times, there has been large growth in rural areas but this unplanned growth has led to inefficient utilisation of geospatial potential in rural areas.
• Thus, spatial planning specially for the villages located in the vicinity of the urban centres and those, along the major road corridors, becomes necessary, as various permissible and non-permissible land-use activities need to be decided for optimum growth.
• Keeping this in view, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has revised the Rural Area Development Plan Formulation and Implementation (RADPFI) Guidelines, 2017.

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21. India’s first para-badminton academy launched:

• With the aim to improve India’s medal prospects at the 2024 Paralympics, the country’s first state-of-the-art, high-performance para-badminton academy with advanced equipment and facilities has been set up in Lucknow.
• The centre has been launched by Dronacharya awardee and head national coach of Indian para-badminton team, Gaurav Khanna, in association with Ageas Federal Life Insurance. Khanna also unveiled the Ageas Federal ‘Quest for Fearless Shuttlers’ programme to spot and nurture new talent for the 2028 and 2032 Paralympics.
• The high-performance centre consists of four courts, two with BWF-approved synthetic mats for standing athletes and two wooden courts for wheelchair athletes.
• The centre has all modern facilities, including a fully-equipped gym, provisions for ice, steam and sauna baths and jacuzzi hydrotherapy. It also has disabled-friendly rooms for athletes.

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22. Decommissioned ‘Khukri’ to be handed over to Diu Administration – 26 Jan 22:

• INS Khukri, lead ship of the Indian Navy’s Khukri class corvettes and an indigenous surface-to-surface missile fitted vessel that had the distinction of being part of both, the Western and Eastern Fleets, is scheduled to be handed over to the Diu Administration on 26 January 2022.
• Built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, the ship was commissioned on 23 August 1989 in Mumbai by Shri Krishna Chandra Pant, the then Hon’ble Raksha Mantri and Mrs. Sudha Mulla, wife of late Capt Mahendra Nath Mulla, MVC.
• After more than 32 glorious years of service to the nation and having participated in all forms of naval operations, the ship was decommissioned in a solemn ceremony on 23 December 2021 when the national flag, naval ensign and decommissioning pennant were lowered at sunset in the presence of Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, AVSM, YSM, VSM, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command.
• A ship never dies, it is said.
• She is re-born in a new avatar.
• In fact, the decommissioned vessel is the second ship of the Navy to carry the name INS Khukri, the first having been lost during the 1971 Indo-Pak War off the coast of Diu.
• The valiant crew of that ship, led by late Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla (MVC), has been immortalized in the Khukri Memorial at Diu where a scaled-down model of their old ship is displayed in solemn splendour.
• As part of developing and revitalising the Khukri Memorial, the Diu Administration had approached the Ministry of Defence in 2019 for gifting to it, for public display, a decommissioned naval vessel.
• As it turned out, it was time for the second Khukri to be paid off.
• This is the vessel that will be handed over officially to the Diu Administration.
• The ship commenced her last journey under tow by Indian Navy ships from Visakhapatnam and arrived at Diu on 14 January 2022.
• As the nation celebrates its 73rd Republic Day, she will be handed over to Diu Administration in a ceremonial event to be held at the Khukri Memorial.
• The ship is planned to be developed as a full-scale museum. In this role too, she will inspire the people of the nation, true to her motto and war cry : ‘BAL, SAHAS, JOSH AUR DUM, KHUKRI NAHI KISSI SE KAM’.

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23. Kerala gets country’s first Graphene Innovation Centre:

• The state-run Digital University Kerala (DUK), along with CMET-Trichur, is gearing up to set up India Innovation Centre for Graphene, the country’s first Graphene R&D incubation centre in Kerala.
• The Ministry of Electronics and IT, Government of India, has given approval for the Rs 86.41 crore-project.
• The Centre, which will be implemented with the support of Government of Kerala, has the potential to accelerate the State’s growth in the knowledge industry sector and the Tata Steel Ltd will be the industrial partner of the centre, an official statement said here.

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24. Khattar launches pilot project for seeking info under RTI via portal:

• Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched a pilot project for those seeking information under the Right to Information Act in the form of an online RTI portal.
• On the occasion, State Information Commissioner Arun Sangwan apprised the Chief Minister that the information would be put on the portal by the SPIO as first appeal and second appeal would be heard by the State Information Commissioner’s office.
• He also informed that initially this portal has been linked to the Chief Secretary’s office and Haryana State Information Commissioner’s office as a pilot project.
• Any person can register by logging on to the portal http://rtiharyana.gov.in and for this OTP will come on their mobile.
• To get information from any department, they can put their information on this portal and the information sought by the State Public Information Officer (SPIO) of the concerned department will be uploaded on the portal online.
• The Chief Minister told the State Chief Information Commissioner Yash Pal Singal that the Central Government should be written to for amendments in the Right to Information Act so that the public, the department and the SPIOs do not face any difficulty.

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