12 March 2022 Current Affairs

 

12^th March 2022

1.       Ajay Bhushan Pandey appointed as Chairman of NFRA
·         Former Finance Secretary, Ajay Bhushan Pandey (1984 batch Maharastra Cadre IAS Officer)- appointed as the Chairman of the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA)- Established in 2018
·         His tenure will be for a period of 3 years form the date of assumption of Charge or attaining the age of 65 years whichever is earlier.
 
2.       Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR)
·         US and other members of the Group of Seven (G7) will revoke Russia's "Permanent Normal Trade Relations (Pntr)" status to punish Russia for war over Ukraine.
·         The move would pave the way for the US to impose tariffs on a wide range of Russian goods, heightening pressure on an economy on the brink of deep recession.
·         A recession is a period of declining economic performance across an entire economy that lasts for several months.
·         The G7 is the group of developed western countries (UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US) established in 1975.
 
3.       One UP:  India’s first primary market investment platform
·         India’s first primary market investment platform which will be used to invest in IPOs (Initial Public Offerings), NCDs (Non-convertible Debentures), and SGBs (Sovereign Gold Bonds).
·         It was launched by IIFL Securities Limited.
 
4.       As per Morgan Stanley, India’s GDP growth forecast for 2022-23 i.e. FY23 to be at 7.9%
·         India’s GDP growth forecast for 2022-23 to be at 7.9% by Morgan Stanley
·         This is 50 bps less than its earlier projection made by the rating agency and the reason for reduction is the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on oil prices.
·         It has raised retail inflation projection to 6% and is expecting the current account deficit to widen to 3% of GDP.
 
5.       ‘Mukhyamantri Chaa Srami Kalyan Prakalpa’ Scheme for Tea workers of Tripura
·         The funds of Rs 85 crores are allotted to implement the scheme.
·         The scheme will grant social security to the 7000 tea garden workers of Tripura
 
6.       Odisha has topped in Mission Indradhanush as it has covered immunization with 90.5% coverage
·         A part from the successful vaccination against Covid-19 infection under Mission Indradhanush 4.0 Odisha has topped with coverage of 90.5%
 
7.       India’s first Medical city ‘Indrayani Medicity” to come up in pune
·         Maharashtra govt has announced to set up India’s first Medical City to provide all kinds of specialized treatment in 300-acres land area in the Khed Talula of Pune with estimated investment of ₹ 10,000 Crores
·         Indrayani Medicity will have Hospitals, Medical research centre, Pharmaceutica Manufacturing, Wellness and Physiotherapy.
 
8.       PM Modi Inaugurated Rashtriya Raksha University Building in Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat
·         Addressed the first convocation of RRU Gandhi Nagar as Chief Guest
 
9.       Russia withdrawing Support from International Space Station
·         After Russia invaded Ukraine, the US imposed sanctions on Russia including a ban on transfer of technology and on Russian banks.
·         The Russian space agency Roscosmos held that the State Corporation will not cooperate with Germany on joint experiments in the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS)
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10.   New Guidelines on Abortion Care by WHO
·         The World Health Organization (WHO) presented new guidelines on abortion care. These, it claimed, would prevent more than 25 million unsafe abortions annually.
·         The new guidelines include recommendations on many simple interventions at the primary care level that improve the quality of abortion care provided to women and girls.
·         The new guidelines will support interested countries to implement and strengthen national policies and programmes related to contraception, family planning and abortion services, helping them to provide the highest standard of care for women and girls.
 
11.   Labour Minister Bhupendra Yadav unveiled the book titled “Role of Labour in India’s Development”
·         Minister of Labour and Employment and MoEFCC, Bhupender Yadav has launched a book titled “Role of Labour in India’s Development”.
·         V V Giri National Labour Institute has published the book.
·         The publishing of the book is part of the ‘Iconic Week’ celebrations of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
 
12.   MSME IDEA HACKATHON 2022
·         Union Minister for MSME, Narayan Rane has announced the MSME Innovative Scheme (Incubation, Design, and IPR) as well as the MSME IDEA HACKATHON 2022.
·         Shri Rane, speaking on the occasion, stated that MSMEs play an essential role in Atmanirbhar Bharat.
·         These programmes will assist entrepreneurs in launching new businesses.
 
13.   Australia’s AARC tie up with India’s CLAWS
·         March 8 to March 10, 2022, Lt Gen Richard Burr, the Chief of the Australian Army, was in India for three days. The Australian Army Chief paid a visit to the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), an Indian Army think tank in New Delhi.
·         Lt. Gen Richard Burr met with Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Manoj Pande, Chairman, Board of Governors, CLAWS, and Director CLAWS, Lt Gen Dr Ranbir Singh (Retd). CLAWS research efforts and outreach strategies were briefed to the visiting General.
·          On the sidelines of the tour, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Australian Army Research Centre (AARC) and the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) to create academic cooperation and engagement.
 
14.   Ex-student protest leader, Gabriel Boric font becomes youngest President of Chile
·         Gabriel Boric Font has been appointed as the new and 36th President of Chile.
·         he 36-year-old leftist is the youngest leader to hold the office in Chile’s history.
·         He succeeds Sebastián Piñera.
·         Boric will hold the office for the period between 2022-2026.
 
15.   EPFO lowers the interest rate on PF deposits to 8.1% for 2021-22
·         The retirement fund body, Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has slashed the interest rate on provident fund deposits to 8.10% for 2021-22.
·         This rate is 0.4% lower than the previous year. The interest rate on PF deposits was 8.5% in 2020-21 and 2019-20.
 
16.   The Sikkim government is set to announce a scheme (Bahini) to install vending machines to provide free sanitary pads.
·         This is the first time that a state government has taken a decision to cover all girls studying in Classes 9-12.
·         It aims at providing “100% access to free and safe sanitary pads to secondary and senior secondary school going girls”, it aimed to curb dropout of girls from schools and raise awareness about menstrual hygiene.
 
17.   Blockchain Gaming in India
·         Blockchain is a decentralised database that stores information. It relies on technology that allows for the storage of identical copies of this information on multiple computers in a network.
·         The vast scope and potential of blockchain technology has attracted the gaming industry over the past few years. In India too, gaming industries are exploring this option.
 
18.   Draft National Medical Devices Policy 2022
·         The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has released an Approach Paper for the Draft National Policy for the Medical Devices, 2022.
 
19.   37th Foundation of National Crime Records Bureau
·         The 37th Foundation Day of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) was celebrated (11th March 1986).
·         NCRB, headquartered in New Delhi, was set-up in 1986 under the Ministry of Home Affairs to function as a repository of information on crime and criminals so as to assist the investigators in linking crime to the perpetrators.
·         It was set up based on the recommendations of the National Police Commission (1977-1981) and the MHA’s Task Force (1985).
 
20.   Dandi March 1930
·         The Prime Minister paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and all the eminent persons who Marched to Dandi (1930) in order to protest injustice and protect our nation’s self-esteem.
·         Earlier in 2021, a commemorative ‘Dandi March’ was launched, which was undertaken by 81 marchers from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to Dandi in Navsari, a journey of 386 km.
 
21.   A fossil unearthed in central Montana (US) of a species named Syllipsimopodi bideni represents the oldest-known relative of today's octopuses and boasts 10 arms, with two twice as long as the other eight.
·         It has been named after the US president, Joe Biden.
·         Syllipsimopodi, about 12 cm long, had a torpedo-shaped body and squid-like appearance though it was not closely related to squids.
·         It also is the oldest-known creature with suckers, which enable the arms to better grasp prey and other objects
 
22.   First Gati Shakti Cargo Terminal of Indian Railways commissioned
·         The Asansol Division of Indian Railways has successfully commissioned private siding of Maithan Power Limited at Thaparnagar, Jharkhand, in accordance with the Prime Minister’s vision Gati Shakti and the Ministry of Railways’ policy regarding the Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal or also known as GCT, informed the Ministry of Railways.
 
23.   India’s 1st ever GI-tagged Kashmir carpets flagged off to Germany
·         The Government of Jammu and Kashmir has launched quick response (QR) code for its GI-tagged Kashmiri carpet, to preserve the authenticity and genuineness of the hand-knotted carpets.
·         The main objective of this QR Code attached to the GI tag is to help in reviving the sheen and glory of the Kashmiri carpet industry.
·         The first-ever consignment of GI-tagged hand-knotted carpets were exported to Germany from New Delhi on March 11, 2022.
 
24.   India water Pitch- Pilot- Scale Start-up Challenge under AMRUT 2.0 Launched
·         Ministry of Housing and aUrban Affairs (MoHUA) organised at India Habitat center in New Delhi under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 Scheme
·         It has been launched in MyGov Platform
 
25.   Ashiwini Vaishnaw to inaugurate seminar on 25 Years of TRAI Act: The Way Forward for Stakeholders (Telecom, Broadcasting, IT, AREA and Aadhaar)
·         Organized by Telecom Disputes Settelment & Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT)
 

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