CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS 22ND FEBRUARY 2022

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS

 

22nd February 2022

National News

Sanjeev Sanyal joins PM's Economic Advisory Council as full-time member

short by Hiral Goyal / 10:58 pm on 22 Feb 2022,Tuesday

Noted economist Sanjeev Sanyal has been inducted as a full-time member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), the council's Chairman Bibek Debroy announced on Tuesday. Prior to this, Sanyal was serving as the Principal Economic Advisor in the Finance Ministry. The EAC-PM is an independent body that advises the Prime Minister on economic and related issues.

 

 

India’s first Biosafety Level-3 mobile laboratory inaugurated in Maharashtra

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Bharati Pravin Pawar has inaugurated India’s first Biosafety level-3 containment mobile laboratory in Nashik, Maharashtra.  The mobile laboratory will help to investigate newly emerging and re-emerging viral infections, by specially trained scientists from ICMR. The newly launched lab will be able to access remote and forested areas of the country, to investigate outbreaks using samples from humans and animal sources.  Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Bharati Pravin Pawar inaugurated the laboratory and said that the Biosafety Level-3 mobile laboratory is a significant value addition to the government's efforts to strengthen healthcare infrastructure through the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission.

Himachal Pradesh gets 1st Biodiversity Park at Mandi 

Himachal Pradesh gets the first biodiversity park to make its contribution towards the conservation of endangered Himalayan herbs. This park is set to come up at Mandi’s Bhulah valley.  With the cost of Rs 1 crore, the biodiversity park is set up under the National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS) by HP’s forest department.  The aim of the park is to link tourism activities along with extending new opportunities for researchers to conduct in-depth exploration of various medicinal herbs found in the Himalayas that are on the verge of extinction.

Madhya Pradesh: 48th Khajuraho Dance Festival begins 

Madhya Pradesh Governor, Mangu Bhai Patel has inaugurated the 48th 'Khajuraho Dance Festival-2022' at world-famous tourist destination Khajuraho on the occasion of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'.  The event will be organized till 26 February. This year a 5-km 'Dil Khel Ke Ghoomo' marathon was also organized under the banner of 'Safe Tourism Project for Women' at the event. It aims to create a sense of security among women in tourist destinations with the slogan 'Hindustan Ke Dil Mein Aap Safe Hain'.  The Khajuraho dance festival was started in 1975 from the temple premises itself. It was not allowed to be performed in the temple premises only after two-three years, as a result, this ceremony was performed outside the temple premises.

Along with this, State Rupankar Kala Puraskars were also given for the year 2022:

 

Award	Winner
Devkrishna Jata Shankar Joshi Award	Priya Sisodia (Badnawar)
Mukund Sakharam Bhand Award	Swapan Tarafdar (Indore)
Syed Haider Raza Award	Durgesh Birthare (Jabalpur)
Dattatreya Damodar Devlalikar Award	Narendra Jatav (Ashoknagar)
Jagdish Swaminathan Award	Sanjay Dhawale (Ashoknagar)
Vishnu Chinchalkar Award	Muni Sharma (Gwalior)
Narayan Shridhar Bendre Award	Agnesh Kerketta (Bhopal)
Raghunath Krishna Rao Phadke Award	Rituraj Srivastava (Jabalpur)
Ram Manohar Sinha Award	Jyoti Singh (Sagar)
Laxmi Shankar Rajput Award	Dr. Sonali Pithawe Chouhan (Dewas)

Appointments News

IOC Athletes’ Commission re-elected Emma Terho as Chair

International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission re-elected ice hockey player Emma Terho of Finland as its Chair and table tennis player Seung Min Ryu of the Republic of Korea as its First Vice-Chair.  The commission also elected cyclist Sarah Walker of New Zealand as the second VC of the Commission.  Emma Terho is a five-time Olympian and former captain of the Finland women’s ice hockey team. She will be the head of the Commission until the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

Takuya Tsumura appointed as new President & CEO of Honda Cars India 

Japanese auto major Honda Motor Co. Ltd. has announced the appointment of Takuya Tsumura as the new President & CEO of Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) with effect from 1 April 2022.  The appointment comes as part of the management changes announced annually by the company. Tsumura will take over from Gaku Nakanishi, who moves from India to regional headquarters in Asia and Oceania region - Asian Honda as General Manager, Automobile Business for the region.  Tsumura has been associated with Honda Motor for more than 30 years. He has worked in several international markets including Thailand, Australia, China, Japan, Turkey, Europe and Asia & Oceania regions. Tsumura was in-charge of South Asian countries, including India from 1997 to 2000.

 

INTERNATIONAL

 

Saudi Arabia marks nearly 300-yr-old 'Founding Day' for first time

short by Disha Jana / 10:42 pm on 22 Feb 2022,Tuesday

Saudi Arabia held celebrations on Tuesday to commemorate its foundation nearly 300 years ago for the first time. The celebratory events included musical performances on Saudi modern history and fireworks, local media has reported. February 22 marks the anniversary of the day in 1727 when Mohammed bin Saud, who was founder of first Saudi state, took over emirate of Diriyah.

Very tough to quickly replace Russian gas supplies to Europe: Qatar

short by Shailesh / 11:24 pm on 22 Feb 2022,Tuesday

Qatar's Energy Minister said that neither Qatar nor any other single country has the capacity to replace Russian gas supplies to Europe with LNG in the event of disruption due to Ukrainian conflict. "Russia (provides) I think 30-40% of the supply to Europe," he added. "So, to replace that sum of volume that quickly is almost impossible," he further said.

Germany suspends gas project with Russia over Ukrainian crisis

short by Shailesh / 08:39 pm on 22 Feb 2022,Tuesday

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday said that he has taken steps to halt the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia. The decision is in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's recognition of the independence of two breakaway regions in Ukraine. The pipeline is set to double natural gas supplies from Russia to Germany.

Turkey condemns Russian recognition of Ukraine separatist regions

short by Atharva Pande / 07:39 pm on 22 Feb 2022,Tuesday

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday said Russian recognition of Ukraine's separatist regions, Donetsk and Luhansk is unacceptable. "We repeat our call for common sense and respect for international law by all sides," Erdogan said. This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a "peacekeeping operation" in both the regions after recognising their independence on Monday.

 

Banking, Business and Economy

 

Dubsmash shuts down seven years after its launch

short by Pragya Swastik / 10:47 pm on 22 Feb 2022,Tuesday

American short-form video social platform Dubsmash officially shut down on February 22, 2022, a little more than seven years after its launch. Reddit, which acquired Dubsmash in December 2020, is shutting the platform after absorbing much of its functionality. Dubsmash will no longer be available for download in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

PMJJBY subscribers not eligible for shares at discounted rates: LIC

short by Ashley Paul / 11:21 pm on 22 Feb 2022,Tuesday

Subscribers of Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) are ineligible for shares at a discounted price in the upcoming LIC IPO, the insurer clarified on Tuesday. "It is a group insurance product and [PMJJBY policyholders] aren't eligible," LIC said in a statement. This comes after LIC Chairman MR Kumar on Monday said PMJJBY subscribers are eligible for discounted shares.

 

Tata Power collaborated with RWE to develop offshore wind projects 

Tata Power has collaborated with Germany-based RWE Renewable GmbH to explore the potential for joint development of offshore wind projects in India.  A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard was signed between Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Power, and RWE, one of the world’s leaders in offshore wind.  This is in line with Government of India’s announcement of achieving 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind installations by 2030.  India is an unexplored and highly attractive market to develop opportunities for offshore wind as it has a large coastline of about 7,600 kilometres. RWE and Tata Power Renewable Energy possess complementary strengths and will enable the establishment of a competitive offshore wind market in India.

Bharti Airtel joins SEA-ME-WE-6 undersea cable consortium

Telecom operator, Bharti Airtel Ltd has announced that it has joined South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 6 (SEA-ME-WE-6) undersea cable consortium, in a bid to scale up its high-speed global network capacity and serve India’s fast-growing digital economy.  It shall be anchoring 20 per cent of the overall investment in the cable system. Through SEA-ME-WE-6, Airtel will be able to add 100 TBps capacity to its global network. The telco will land the SEA-ME-WE-6 cable system in India at new landing stations in Mumbai and Chennai. Apart from Airtel, there are 12 other global members in the consortium.  SEA-ME-WE 6 is a proposed optical fibre submarine communications cable system to carry telecommunications between Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Western Europe.

Schemes News

Government approved continuation of RUSA scheme till 2026 

The Ministry of Education has approved the continuation of the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) scheme till 31st March 2026 with an expenditure of 12,929.16 crores. The new phase of the scheme would support around 1,600 projects. Out of Rs 12,929.16 crores of expenditure, the centre will share Rs 8,120.97 crores, and the state will share Rs 4,808.19 crores.  The new phase of the scheme has been designed to implement some of the recommendations of the New Education Policy (NEP). Under the new phase of the scheme, State Governments will support Gender inclusion, Equity Initiatives, Enhance employability through vocationalisation and skill degradation.  Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan was launched in 2013. It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme to provide funding to state government universities and colleges. Its main objective is to improve the quality of state institutions and ensure reform in affiliation, academic, and examination systems.

Science and Technology News

Corbevax gets emergency approval for 12-18 age group by DGCI

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved the Corona Vaccine Biologicals E Ltd's Corbevax for children in the age group of 12 to 18 years.  Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company Biological E Ltd said its coronavirus vaccine Corbevax, is also India's third homegrown vaccine. Bharat Biotech's Covaxin is being given to children aged 15 to 18 years from January 3.  Corbevax is called a protein subunit and currently, we have an example of the hepatitis B vaccine which is also similarly a protein subunit vaccine. Corbevax and the other vaccine in India, we have Covovax from Serum Institute.

Sports News

Winter Olympics Games 2022 in Beijing concludes

The closing ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games was held on February 20, 2022, at National Stadium (known as the Bird’s Nest) in Beijing.  The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, was held from 4 to 20 February 2022. The Games featured a record 109 events across 15 disciplines in 7 sports.  The venues of the Games were distributed across three zones- Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou. The Presidency of the Games was formally handed over to Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, in Italy, to host the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The top country in Winter Olympics 2022 in Beijing:

Norway has topped the medal table for the second successive Winter Olympics, winning a total of 37 medals, including 16 golds. This is a new record for the most amount of gold medals won at a single Winter Olympics.  Germany finished second with 27 medals overall, while the host nation China finished third with 15 medals.

India at the 2022 Winter Olympics:

The Indian team at the game was represented by one male alpine skier, Arif Khan.  He was the country’s flagbearer during the opening ceremony, meanwhile, a volunteer was the flagbearer during the closing ceremony. India could not win any medal at the games.

Books and Authors News

Jimmy Soni authored a book titled ‘The Founders: The Story of Paypal"

A new book titled ‘’The Founders: The Story of Paypal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley ’’, authored by author Jimmy Soni and published by Simon & Schuster released soon.  It highlights the story of multinational digital-payments company PayPal and how it covered the journey of a start-up that turned into one of the most successful companies of all time, worth over USD 70 billion today. It also offers colourful anecdotes about famous people like Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and Reid Hoffman.

Important Days

World Thinking Day observed on 22nd February

World Thinking Day, originally known as Thinking Day, is celebrated annually on 22 February by all Girl Scouts, Girl Guides and other girl groups worldwide.  The day is observed to think about fellow brothers and sisters around the world, address their concerns and understand the true meaning of guiding. The theme for World Thinking Day 2022 is Our World, Our Equal Future.  In 1926, at the Fourth Girl Scout International Conference, held at Girl Scouts of the United States’s Camp Edith Macy (presently the Edith Macy Conference Center), the conference delegates highlighted the need for a special international day when Girl Guides and Girl Scouts would think about the worldwide spread of Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting, and of all the Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world, giving them, their "sisters," thanks and appreciation.  It was decided by the delegates that this day would be 22 February, the birthday of both Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scout movement, and Lady Olave Baden-Powell, his wife and the World Chief Guide.  In 1999, at the 30th World Conference, held in Ireland, the name was changed from "Thinking Day" to "World Thinking Day", to emphasize the global aspect of this special day.

Obituaries News

Freedom fighter and Gandhian social worker Shakuntala Choudhary passes away

Noted freedom fighter and Gandhian social worker, Shakuntala Choudhary has passed away. She was 102-year-old. She was popularly known as ‘Shakuntala Baideo’. She was felicitated with the Padma Shri award in 2022 by the Government of India.  She hailed from Kamrup in Assam and was known for her commitment and devotion to the popularization of the Gandhian way of life. She worked for the well-being of villagers, especially women and children.

Kannada RJ Rachana passes away at 39 due to cardiac arrest in Bengaluru

short by Pragya Swastik / 09:48 pm on 22 Feb 2022,Tuesday

Kannada radio jockey (RJ) Rachana passed away on Tuesday at the age of 39, reportedly due to a cardiac arrest. Local media said Rachana complained of chest pain at her flat in Bengaluru and she was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was declared brought dead. She also appeared in the Kannada film 'Simple Agi Ondh Love Story'.

'America's Got Talent' contestant Jane Marczewski dies due to cancer aged 31

Singer Jane Marczewski, who gained widespread recognition after her audition last year on 'America's Got Talent', died on February 19 at the age of 31 after a prolonged battle with cancer. Known by her stage name 'Nightbirde', Marczewski battled cancer for four years. "We, her family, are devastated by her passing and unimaginable loss," her family stated.

 

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