CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS 19th April 2022

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS

19th April 2022

National News

President gives assent to Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill

President of India Ram Nath Kovind has given his assent to the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, which allows police to obtain physical and biological samples of convicts and those accused of crimes. Moreover, it also empowers a magistrate to order measurements or photographs of a person to be taken to aid the investigation of an offence.

Odisha CM Patnaik sanctions ₹120 cr for Kendu leaf pluckers

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik sanctioned ₹120 crore for bonus and other allowances for Kendu leaf pluckers and other seasonal workers. A statement from the Chief Minister's office said, "It will benefit around 8 lakh Kendu leaf pluckers, binders and other seasonal staff." The state government also decided to increase the collection price of Kendu leaf for 2022.

 

Karnataka named Robin Uthappa as brand ambassador for Brain Health Initiative

The Karnataka State Government in association with NIMHANS and Niti Ayog launched the Karnataka Brain Health Initiative (Ka-BHI) in January.  Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa has been recently appointed as the brand ambassador for Karnataka- Brain Health Initiative (Ka-BHI).  Training of doctors and preparations to start Brain Health Clinics in the three pilot hospitals has also commenced.  While training of doctors and preparations to start Brain Health Clinics in the three pilot hospitals – Jayanagar General hospital in Bengaluru Urban, SNR Hospital in Kolar and District Hospital in Chickballapur has begun.

Lt Gen Manoj Pande named as India’s next Chief of Army Staff

Lieutenant General Manoj Pande has been appointed as the next Chief of Army Staff. Lt Gen Pande is the incumbent Vice-Chief of the Army. He will take over from General MM Naravane, who is set to retire on April 30, 2022.  Lt Gen Manoj Pande is the first-ever officer from the Corps of Engineers to be appointed as Army Chief. He has served as chief engineer in the UN mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea. He was the Commander-in-Chief Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN) from June 2020 to May 2021.  Outgoing army chief Gen MM Naravane is seen as the frontrunner for the Chief of Defence Staff's (CDS) post, that has been vacant since the death of India's first CDS Gen Bipin Rawat in an air crash last December.

India Pulses and Grains Association named Bimal Kothari as Chairman

India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), the apex body for India’s pulses trade and industry, has appointed Bimal Kothari as the new Chairman with immediate effect. Kothari takes over from Jitu Bheda, who was the IPGA chairman since 2018.  Kothari, one of the key founding members of the association, has been the Vice-Chairman of IPGA since 2011 when it was formed. Bimal Kothari takes over as the third chairman of the association after Pravin Dongre and Jitu Bheda.  India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), the apex body for pulses and grains trade and industry in India has over 400 direct and indirect members which include individuals, corporates as well as Regional Pulses Traders and Processors Associations taking its pan-India reach to over 10,000 stakeholders involved in the farming, processing, warehousing and import business of pulses across the entire value chain.

World’s Highest Tunnel connecting Himachal Pradesh to Ladakh to be construed by BRO

BRO Director General Lieutenant General Rajeev Chaudhary announced that the Border Roads Organisation will build the world's highest tunnel at Shinku La Pass, at 16,580 feet, to connect Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh. He said this while opening the strategically crucial Himachal to Zanskar Road at Shinku La Pass, where more than a half-dozen vehicles crossed from the Zanskar side towards Manali.  The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), according to Lieutenant General Rajeev Chaudhary of PTI, would begin construction of the tunnel connecting Himachal Pradesh and the Zanskar Valley in Ladakh by July this year. He stated that the Centre has already established BRO's 'Mission Yojak' to carry out this ambitious project.  The tunnel, which is expected to be completed by 2025, will transform the economy of Zanskar Valley, according to the official.  Currently, one must travel 101 kilometres on the Leh route from Manali to Darcha, then turn left towards Shinku La Pass and enter Zanskar valley.  The tunnel's south portal will be at Shinku La, and the tunnel's north portal will be at Lhakhang.  The D-G praised BRO personnel's efforts in reopening the Shinku La-Padum and Manali-Leh roads in record time.

International News

Which are the world's most affordable and least affordable cities to buy home?

The US city of Pittsburgh is the most affordable city for buying a house, according to the Demographia International Housing Affordability's study on housing prices for 92 major markets (metropolitan areas). It's followed by Oklahoma City and Rochester in the US, Edmonton in Canada and St. Louis in the US. Hong Kong emerged as the least affordable city for housing.

 

European Commission Prez to arrive on 2-day visit to India from Apr 24

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will arrive on a two-day visit to India from April 24, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. She is scheduled to meet President Ram Nath Kovind and PM Narendra Modi during her first official visit. She has been invited as the Chief Guest for this year's Raisina Dialogue, the MEA added

 

Russian vessel Moskva has sunk as a result of a 'Neptune missile strike' by Ukraine 

According to a ministry message, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, Moskva, was being hauled to port when it sank due to stormy waves. The 510-crew missile cruiser, which led Russia's naval attack on Ukraine, was a symbol of the country's military might.  Kyiv claims that its rockets struck the cruiser. According to the United States, it was also targeted by Ukrainian missiles.  Moscow has denied any attack and claims the ship sank due to a fire.  According to Russia, the conflagration caused the warship's ammunition to explode, and the whole crew was eventually evacuated to adjacent Russian boats in the Black Sea.  After first stating that the battleship was floating, the Russian defence ministry revealed late Thursday that the Moskva had been lost.  The 12,490-tonne warship is the largest Russian warship sunk in combat since WWII.

Tropical Storm Megi: Landslides and floods caused Mass Destruction in Philippines 

Tropical Storm Megi wreaked havoc on the Philippines, killing at least 167 people in landslides and floods. According to the national disaster organisation, another 110 persons are missing, and 1.9 million people have been impacted.  Hillside avalanches and overflowing rivers wreaked havoc on the villages surrounding Baybay city in central Leyte province.  Tropical Storm Megi, also known as Tropical Storm Agaton in the Philippines, was a minor but devastating tropical storm that hit the Philippines in April 2022.  It's the third tropical depression and second tropical storm of the typhoon season in the Pacific for 2022.  Megi arose from a convection zone in the Philippine Sea, travelling northwestward into the Leyte Gulf, where it stayed nearly stationary, slowly tracking eastward.  Megi made two landfalls, one at Guiuan's Calicoan Island and the other in Samar's Basey.  Before fading, it continued southwestward and reentered the Philippine Sea.  Tropical storms have become more intense and powerful as a result of human-caused climate change, according to scientists.  Since 2006, the Philippines has been hit by some of the world's deadliest hurricanes.  Because of its location, it has been named one of the countries most vulnerable to climatic calamities.

 

Defence News

Trishakti Corps conducts EX KRIPAN SHAKTI in West Bengal

Exercise KRIPAN SHAKTI, an Integrated Fire Power exercise was recently conducted by The Indian Army’s Trishakti Corps at the Teesta Field Firing Ranges (TFFR), near Siliguri, West Bengal. The exercise was led by Lieutenant General Tarun Kumar and General Officer Commanding Trishakti Corps.  The aim of the exercise is to showcase the joint manship and synchronisation capabilities of the Indian Army and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to fight in an integrated battle.  The Firing involves the deployment of a range of weapons such as guns, mortars, infantry combat vehicles, helicopters and the deployment of Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance platforms to execute the ‘Sensor to Shooter’ concept.  Almost Precision and Professionalism were shown while executing drills such as Integrated responses by The Indian Army troops and Simulated enemy airborne drills by the CAPFs.  The most significant drill is the swift action by the Special Heliborne troops and rapid deployment of arty guns and equipment by helicopters was done with high precision.

BANKING, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Ethosh Digital has opened its first IT Training & Services centre in Leh.

Leh has taken the first step in building an IT sector. SS Khandare, the Additional Director General of Police for Ladakh, has opened Ethosh Digital's first IT Training and Services centre in Leh.  Ethosh Digital is a multinational company established in California that specialises in digital communications and AR-VR products. Ethosh Digital was assisted in establishing the first IT office in Ladakh by Aseem Foundation, a Pune-based NGO that works in India's border regions in the sectors of education, business, health, sports, and sustainable development.  ETHOSH is a technology-driven firm that creates high-impact Digital Experiences for global industry leaders and big brands in the Lifesciences, Healthcare, and Engineering sectors. They specialise in marketing, customer service, training, and R&D enablement, therefore they  generate unique digital content and solutions.

 

Centre procures 69 lakh metric tonnes of wheat in current season

The Centre has procured 69.24 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of wheat, with an MSP value of ₹13,951 crore, till April 17 during the rabi marketing season (RMS) 2022-23, Union Ministry's officials said. According to them, the wheat procurement has benefitted nearly 5.86 lakh farmers this season. The MSP of wheat for the RMS 2022-23 is ₹2,015 per quintal.

 

PM inaugurates new dairy complex, potato processing plant in Gujarat

PM Narendra Modi today inaugurated a new dairy complex and a potato processing plant, which is built at a cost of over ₹600 crore, at Banas Dairy in Gujarat's Banaskantha district. "Initiatives at Banas Dairy will empower farmers and boost...rural economy," PM tweeted. The dairy complex will enable the processing of about 30 lakh litres of milk daily, PMO stated

 

WPI based inflation in March rose to 14.55% 

The wholesale price index (WPI) based inflation in India in the month of March rose to 14.55% due to an increase in power prices and rising edible oil prices.  In March 2022, the high rate of inflation was recorded due to a rise in prices of mineral oils, crude petroleum and natural gas, and basic metals owing as there was a disruption in the global supply chain caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In March 2021, the WPI-based inflation had stood at 7.89%.  The food index, which includes food products from the Manufactured Products group and food articles from the government’s Primary Articles group, has risen to 167.3 in March 2022 from 166.4 in February 2022.  The WPI Food Index-based rate of inflation also increased to 8.71 % in March 2022 from 8.47 % in February 2022. In March 2022, the index for the major fuel and power group increased by 5.68 % to 146.9 from 139.0 in February 2022.

 

LV Vaidyanathan, who joined P&G as an intern, appointed India CEO

Consumer goods company Procter & Gamble (P&G) on Tuesday announced that it has appointed LV Vaidyanathan as the CEO for its operations in India. Vaidyanathan is an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad and had joined P&G as an intern in 1995. The 49-year-old is currently leading the P&G business in Indonesia. Vaidyanathan succeeds Madhusudan Gopalan, who'll move to a global role.

 

IMF cuts India's GDP growth forecast sharply from 9% to 8.2% for FY23

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has sharply cut India's GDP growth forecast for FY23 to 8.2% from 9%, citing Russia-Ukraine war. "Economic damage from the conflict will contribute to a significant slowdown in global growth in 2022 and add to inflation," the IMF said in its World Economic Outlook report. IMF cut its global growth outlook for 2022 to 3.6%.

Which are India's 10 most valuable companies as HDFC drops out of the list?

Reliance Industries is India's most valuable company with a market value of ₹17.84 lakh crore, followed by TCS (₹12.71 lakh crore) and HDFC Bank (₹7.44 lakh crore). The list includes Infosys, ICICI Bank, Hindustan Unilever, SBI, Adani Green Energy and Bajaj Finance. Bharti Airtel is India's 10th most valuable company after HDFC Ltd dropped out of the list on Tuesday.

Ranks and Authors News

World bank Report States Extreme Poverty in India Decline by 12.3% 

The extreme poverty rate in India fell from 22.5% in 2011 to 10.2% in 2019 as per World Bank Policy Research Working Paper. This represents a decline of 12.3 percentage points in extreme poverty count between 2011 to 2019 in the country. The decline in rural areas was much higher than in urban areas.  While the reduction in rural poverty dropped by 14.7 percentage points, the poverty in urban areas dropped by 7.9 percentage points. The paper titled ‘Poverty has Declined over the last decade But Not As Much As Previously Thought’ was jointly authored by economists Sutirtha Sinha Roy and Roy van der Weide.

Books and Authors News

A new Children’s Book titled “The Boy Who Wrote a Constitution ” has been Released

On the occasion of Dr BR Ambedkar’s 131st birth anniversary, a new book titled “The Boy Who Wrote a Constitution: A play for Children on Human Rights” authored by Rajesh Talwar, a fact-based drama on Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar’s own recollections of his childhood has been released. It is published by Ponytale Books.  Talwar’s also authored books include “The Vanishing of Subhash Bose”, “Gandhi, Ambedkar, and the Four-Legged Scorpion”, and “Aurangzeb”.  This book conveys to the children about the challenging boyhood and grown-up years of Ambedkar who had written the Constitution of India and became India’s first law minister.

Sports News

That feels very proud too: Madhavan on being called Vedaant's father

Actor R Madhavan on Tuesday responded to writer Anand Ranganathan's tweet about his upcoming film 'Rocketry' referring to him as Vedaant Madhavan's father. The actor wrote, "Somehow that felt very proud too. Thank you chief." Vedaant won gold medal in the men's 800m freestyle event and silver medal in the 1500m freestyle swimming event at the Danish Open in Copenhagen.

 

Haryana wins 12th Senior Men’s National Hockey Championship

Haryana has emerged as the champions of the 12th Senior Men’s National Hockey Championship by defeating Tamil Nadu 3-1 in the shootout after the final ended 1-1 in the regulation time.  The tournament was held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh from April 6 to 17, 2022. Haryana has won the trophy for the first time since 2011. Karnataka prevailed over Maharashtra 4-3 in the third/fourth place classification match.

Important Days

World Liver Day 2022 Observed globally on 19 April

World Liver Day is observed on 19 April annually to spread awareness about the causes of liver disease and tips for its prevention so as to take holistic care of the liver.  The liver is the second largest and the second most complex organ in the body, after the brain. It performs crucial body functions and is associated with a person's digestion, immunity, metabolism, and nutrition storage.  The liver regulates blood sugar, removes toxic substances from the body, helps blood clot, and controls cholesterol levels.

Ethosh Digital has opened its first IT Training & Services centre in Leh.

Leh has taken the first step in building an IT sector. SS Khandare, the Additional Director General of Police for Ladakh, has opened Ethosh Digital's first IT Training and Services centre in Leh.  Ethosh Digital is a multinational company established in California that specialises in digital communications and AR-VR products. Ethosh Digital was assisted in establishing the first IT office in Ladakh by Aseem Foundation, a Pune-based NGO that works in India's border regions in the sectors of education, business, health, sports, and sustainable development.  ETHOSH is a technology-driven firm that creates high-impact Digital Experiences for global industry leaders and big brands in the Lifesciences, Healthcare, and Engineering sectors. They specialise in marketing, customer service, training, and R&D enablement, therefore they  generate unique digital content and solutions.

 

OBITUARY

Noted Odia singer and musician Prafulla Kar passes away

Popular Odia singer and music director Prafulla Kar has passed away following age-related ailments. Kar was an eminent musician, singer, lyricist, writer and columnist. He received the prestigious Padma Shri award in 2015.  He started his career as a singer in 1962 with the Odia film Shri Shri Patita Pabana. In 1975, he became a music composer in the film Mamata which turned out to be an instant hit.  Some of the movies which would forever carry the legacy of his melodious music are Batighara, Shesha Shrabana, Sindura Bindu, Bandhu Mahanti, Balidaan and Ram Balaram.

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