Category: Current Affairs

NATIONAL NEWS 

Abey Kuruvilla appointed as BCCI’s new General Manager

Abey Kuruvilla has been appointed as the new General Manager of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).  The former India pacer had retired from all forms of cricket in 2000 and took up coaching. Abey Kuruvilla’s tenure as the national selection committee member got over earlier in 2022. 

PM Narendra Modi to participate in QUAD leaders virtual meet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in a Quad Leaders’ virtual meeting today along with other QUAD leaders including US President Joe Biden, Australian PM Scott Morrison, and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida. The leaders are expected to exchange views and assessments about important developments in the Indo-Pacific and review ongoing efforts to implement the Leaders’ initiatives announced as part of the Quad’s contemporary and positive agenda.

UP Elections 2022 Phase 6: 57 seats go to polls

The sixth phase of UP Assembly Polls 2022 was held on March 3, 2022 for 57 seats across 10 districts of the state including Gorakhpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Kushinagar, Deoria, Ballia, Basti, Balrampur, Maharajganj, Sant Kabir Nagar and Siddharthnagar.  UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is among the candidates in the fray this time. He is contesting his first assembly elections from Gorakhpur Urban constituency.  

Election Commission of India orders re-polling in 12 polling booths in Manipur

The Election Commission of India has ordered a re-poll in 12 polling stations of 5 constituencies in Manipur where the polling for assembly elections took place on February 28, 2022. The 12 polling stations in Manipur, where the repoll will be held belong to the 5 assembly constituencies- Thanlon, Saitu, Khundrakpam, Singhat, and Henglep. The re-poll in Manipur will be on March 5, 2022, from 7 AM to 4 PM. The proposal for the re-poll was recommended on the facts and information received and reported from respective Returning Officers. One of the main reasons for the consideration of re-polling was connected to the damage of EVMs after the poll.

Prime Minister Modi interacts with students who returned from Ukraine

Prime Minister Modi interacted with the students in Varanasi who returned to India from Ukraine. The Indian students shared their experience with him and were from Varanasi as well as the other parts of Uttar Pradesh. A total of 17,000 Indians have left Ukraine and flights under Operation Ganga have also been increased to facilitate the evacuation of remaining students in the war-torn country.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

US mulling over sanctions on India over defence system purchase from Russia 

The United States has been mulling over whether to apply or waive sanctions on India for its purchase of S-400 Triumf missile defence system from Russia, under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). This comes amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and criticism over India’s abstention along with 34 other nationa at the United Nations vote on March 2nd.

Putin planning to reinstate Viktor Yanukovych as president of Ukraine? Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to reinstate Viktor Yanukovych as president of Ukraine, as per The Kyiv Independent. Viktor Yanukovych was ousted as Ukrainian President in the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution. He had fled to Russia then and has been in exile ever since. As per the Ukrainian media outlet, Viktor Yanukovych is allegedly in Minsk and the Kremlin is preparing an operation to replace Zelensky with the ex-president.

European Union bans 7 Russian banks from SWIFT

EU has banned 7 Russian banks from the Society for World Wide Interbank Financial Communication (SWIFT) global system which underpins cross-border payments. However, SWIFT spared two financial institutions in Russia as they are the key to transactions for EU energy imports. The exemption of the two banks by the EU has underscored the bloc’s reliance on Russian Energy and Russia’s two financial institutions’ role in managing the payments for that business. The 7 banks targeted by the latest EU sanctions against Russia are- Novikombank, Bank Otkritie, Rossiya Bank, Promsvyazbank, Sovcombank, VTB, and VEB.

 

NATIONAL NEWS

Government celebrates International Women’s Day Week

The Women and Child Development Ministry is celebrating International Women’s Day Week as an iconic week as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The Ministry, as part of the week-long celebration, will organize various events and social media campaigns covering a variety of themes related to women’s safety and empowerment. The week-long celebration will mark an occasion to celebrate the progress made towards achieving gender equity and women’s empowerment but also to critically reflect on the accomplishments and strive for greater momentum. The Union Ministry will also launch the Stree Manoraksha Project in collaboration with NIMHANS Bengaluru.

 

Field assessment of Swachh Surveskshan 2022 launched

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched the field assessment for the 7th consecutive edition of the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey. Swachh Survekshan 2022 which was designed with People First as its driving philosophy is curated towards capturing the initiatives of cities for the overall welfare and the well-being of sanitation workers. Swachh Survekshan was introduced by the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry in 2016 as a competitive framework to encourage cities to improve the status of urban sanitation. Swachh Surveskhan 2022 survey was formally kicked off by the Government on March 1, 2022.

 

Saurabh Chaudhary bags gold medal at International Sports Federation World Cup

Saurabh Chaudhary in the shooting has clinched India’s first gold medal at the International Sports Federation World Cup in Egypt. The 19-years Chaudhary from India defeated Michael Schwald of Germany 16-6 in the gold Medal match of the Men’s 10m Air Pistol Event. On February 28, 2022, Shreya Agrawal from India had missed out on a place in the semi-finals of the World Cup’s 10m air rifle event. Shreya Agrawal shot a total of 629.3, which was 0.1 less than eighth semi-finalist Eszter Meszaros of Hungary.

 

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin’s autobiography “Ungalil Oruvan” launched

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched the first volume of Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin’s autobiography Ungalil Oruvan (One Among You) in Chennai. The first part of the autobiography contains his early life experiences. In it, he traces his school and college days, adolescence, early political contributions, marital life and the MISA struggle, recalling 23 years up to 1976.

 

Anup Jalota released book “Udaan Ek Majdoor Bachhe Ki” authored by Mithilesh Tiwari

Bhajan Samrat Anup Jalota has released the book “Udaan Ek Majdoor Bachhe Ki” by Captain AD Manek in a glittering program organized by Shailesh B Tiwari of P Club Education Pvt Ltd in Mumbai. The author of this book is Mithilesh Tiwari. This book is about the life journey of Captain AD Manek, how he travelled from zero to pinnacle in his career graph. The family of Captain AD Manek is also known as the Flying Family of India. His wife is a hobby flyer while his two sons are professional pilots. One daughter-in-law is the air hostess and the other daughter-in-law is the aircraft dispatcher. All 6 members of this family are serving in the Indian Aviation Industry. They also help aspiring pilots financially. Her students include India’s first woman helicopter pilot Captain Aruna Dukhande and India’s youngest commercial pilot Ms. Maitri Patel (19 years) and India’s first youngest glider pilot Richa Waiker (15 years old).

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

US announces closure of American airspace for Russian aircrafts

US President Joe Biden has announced the closure of the American airspace for the Russian aircraft. Though the President ruled out sending the US forces to Ukraine and Europe to fight Russia, he said that US forces will defend every inch of land if its NATO allies. The US and its allies have also been providing support to the Ukrainians in their fight for their freedom and will continue to aid the Ukrainian people as they defend their country. The United States has also mobilized its ground forces, ships, air squadrons to protect the countries such as Lithuania, Poland, and Estonia.

 

Ukraine claims Russia used Vacuum Bomb

Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, accused that Russia of using vacuum bomb, a thermobaric weapon in the ongoing conflict. A vacuum bomb sucks in oxygen from the surrounding area to generate a high-temperature explosion. It has the capability of vaporising human bodies. 

 

Is Moldova Russia’s next target? 

A viral video of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko reportedly hints towards a possible attack on Moldova. The video shows Lukashenko standing in front of a detailed invasion map of Ukraine. The map shows Russia’s line of attack, some of which have already happened and some that may be planned in the coming days.

 

NATIONAL NEWS 

President Kovind inaugurates ‘Arogya Vanam’ at Rashtrapati Bhavan

The President of Indian Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated a hub of medical herbs and plants ‘Arogya Vanam’ at Rashtrapati Bhavan Arogya Vanam at Rashtrapati Bhavan has been developed in a 6.6-acre area and it has 2015 types of medicinal plants like Tulsi, Neem, Arand, Bel, Ashwagandha, Arjun, and Harsingar. Lotus pond, aroma garden, yog Manch, water channels, and a viewpoint are also part of Arogya Vanam. The inauguration of Arogya Vanam at Rashtrapati Bhavan was done in the presence of PM Modi and first lady Savita Kovind.

BharatPe co-founder Ashneer Grover resigns

Co-founder of BharatPe Ashneer Grover has resigned from the company and the board. This is the latest development in a two-month-old issue that began ever since an audio clip of him allegedly abusing a Kotak Mahindra Bank employee surfaced. Grover’s resignation also came a day after his wife Madhuri Jain, BharatPe’s Controller, as sacked on the charges of ‘misappropriation of funds.

Virat Kohli to play 100th Test on March 4

Virat Kohli is scheduled to play his 100th Test match in India vs Sri Lanka match at Mohali on March 1. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah confirmed that cricket fans will be able to witness the historic moment of Virat Kohli playing his 100th Test match. The BCCI has asked the state cricket associations to open up matches to crowd on the basis of government directives.

Madhabi Puri Buch became first woman chairperson of SEBI

Madhabi Puri Buch was on February 28, 2022 appointed as the new Chairperson of the market regulator SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India). She has become the first woman Chairperson of the market regulator SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India).  She will also be the first person from the private sector and the youngest SEBI Chairperson so far.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Bangladesh has become the largest recipient of US COVID-19 vaccines

Bangladesh has been declared as the largest recipient of the Coronavirus vaccines that are donated by the United States worldwide. The US, with the largest consignment of 10 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, has donated a total of 61 million doses of the vaccines to Bangladesh. The US has also provided training to over 9,000 healthcare workers in Bangladesh on proper vaccination management. The country also contributed over USD 131 million in COVID-related development and humanitarian assistance.

UEFA and FIFA suspend Russia from all competitions

UEFA and FIFA have suspended the Russian National teams and the clubs from all the international soccer competitions until further notice. The suspension has come after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and will likely leave the Russian team out of the upcoming World Cup in Qatar. FIFA oversees soccer worldwide while UEFA governs the sport in Europe. UEFA has also ended its partnership with Gazprom, a Russian majority state-owned energy company that is one of UEFA’s main sponsors. Officials announced that the decision is effective immediately and covers all the existing agreements including UEFA.

President of Ukraine signs formal request to join the European Union 

The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced that he has signed an official request for Ukraine to join the EU. The President has asked the European Union to allow Ukraine to gain membership in the EU immediately under a special procedure The request from Ukraine has come as it defends itself from the invasion by the Russian forces. A top adviser to Ukraine’s President has said that the first round of talks between Russia and Ukraine ended and that both officials had returned home for further consultations.

 

NATIONAL NEWS

Voting for first phase of assembly elections held in 38 constituencies in Manipur

Voting for the first phase of assembly elections was held in Manipur today in 38 constituencies. In this phase, the polling timing was 7.00 AM to 4.00 PM. However, the polling at various stations was taking place in the evening as well as a large number of voters were coming out to exercise their democratic rights, the polling could not be completed by 4.00 PM. As per the election officials, the polling will be continued till every voter who came out to cast their votes will completely exercise their rights. Till 5 in the evening, the overall poll percentage in Manipur was 78.03%. Manipur will be witnessing two-phase elections.

EAM S. Jaishankar discusses Ukraine developments with Poland’s Foreign Minister

The External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on February 28, 2022, discussed the Ukraine developments with the Foreign Minister of Poland. The External Affairs Minister appreciated Poland’s facilitation of the evacuation of Indian Nationals from Ukraine. In a tweet, the Union Minister noted that the Poland Foreign Minister’s words of support in that regard are very welcome.

Madhuri Puri Buch becomes first woman Chairperson of SEBI

The Government of India has appointed Madhuri Puri Buch as the new Chairperson of the market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India. She has become the first woman chairperson of SEBI. Buch, who is also the former head of ICICI securities, has also served in SEBI between 2017 and 2021 as a whole Time Member. Madhuri Puri will replace Ajay Tyagi as the Chairperson of SEBI as his term ends on February 28. The Finance Ministry of India had invited the applications for the eligible candidates in October 2021 for the post of SEBI Chairperson.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Talks between Russia and Ukraine begin at Belarus border

The talks between Russia and Ukraine have begun at Belarus Border and Ukraine has made it clear that their goal for the talks is an immediate ceasefire. The talks between the two countries came as Russia’s economic and diplomatic isolation deepens four days after invading Ukraine. The talks between the officials of Russia and Ukraine have begun with an aim of an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian forces. The discussion is being held on the border with a strong Russian ally Belarus. However, it is not yet clear whether any progress can be achieved after President Putin had put Russia’s Nuclear deterrent on high alert.

Rafael Nadal wins Mexican Open

Rafael Nadal defeated Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-4 on February 26, 2022, to win the Mexican Open and to extend his career-best start for a season to 15-0. With this, Nadal has won his 91st ATP Title. Rafael Nadal who won his third title in 2022, including the Australian Open, is 3 victories from tying Ivan Lendl’s total of 94 for third place for the most Championships in the Open era. Cameron Norrie who was on an eighth game-winning streak was trying to become the first man of Britain to win the Mexican Open in its 29-year history. In the first set, Rafael Nadal had a break in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead and went on to win the first set in 51 minutes.

 

NATIONAL NEWS

Dish TV’s ropes Rishabh Pant as its brand ambassador

Dish TV India, has announced the appointment of Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant as brand ambassador. Pant will feature in the brand’s 360-degree communication for the next two years. This investment in the D2H brand is going to make it even stronger. The close affinity between D2H brand and Rishabh Pant as brand ambassadors will enable deeper engagement of D2H with its TG. Rishabh has quickly developed into a distinctive entertainer on the cricket field, with his boundless energy behind the stumps and innovation in shot-making. He brings a spark each time he enters the field and appeals to the huge 18-35 age group across the country, our core audience.

India’s NIUA and WEF to collaborate on sustainable cities development programme

World Economic Forum (WEF) and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on a jointly designed ‘Sustainable Cities India program’. The program aims to create an enabling environment for cities to generate decarbonization solutions across the energy, transport, and built environment sectors. This initiative is particularly noteworthy as it comes after the Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated India’s commitment to turn net-zero by 2070 as a climate mitigation response at COP26.

Moody’s revised India’s growth estimates to 9.5% in CY2022 

Moody’s has revised India’s economic growth estimates in the Current Year 2022 upwards to 9.5 per cent from 7 per cent on stronger than expected recovery after a lockdown in 2020 and Covid-19’s Delta wave in 2021. It maintained a forecast for 5.5 per cent growth in CY2023. In its update on Global Macro Outlook 2022-23 today, Moody’s said sales tax collection, retail activity and Purchasing Managers Index suggest solid momentum. However, high oil prices and supply distortions remain a drag on growth for India.

India receives three more Rafale Fighter Jets from France

Three more Rafale fighter aircraft landed in India from France, with Indian specific enhancements. With this new arrival of the three jets, the total Rafale fleet with Indian Air Force (IAF) has reached 35. The 36th and final aircraft will arrive in India from France by March- April 2022, and will be a trainer aircraft. In September 2016, India exchanged a Rs 59,000 crore deal with France for 36 Rafale fighter jets. The first batch of five Rafale jets had arrived in India on July 29 last year. India and France had signed the inter-government agreement in 2016, under which Paris agreed to provide 36 Rafale fighter jets to New Delhi.

Army Chief MM Naravane presents President’s Colours to four parachute battalions 

Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane has presented Presidential Colours to four parachute battalions at Parachute Regiment Training Centre in Bengaluru. The four battalions are the 11 Para (Special Forces), 21 Para (Special Forces), 23 Para, and 29 Para battalions. The award of President’s Colours or the ‘Nishan’ is one of the highest honours bestowed upon a military unit in recognition of its exceptional service to the nation, both during the war and in peace. The Parachute Regiment is an elite force of the Indian Army and holds an impeccable record in battle, both before and after Independence. It has been conferred with 51 Battle Honours, one Victoria Cross, 28 Military Medals (MM), 11 Distinguished Service Orders (DSO), 40 Indian Distinguished Service Medals (IDSM) and 40 Military Cross (MC) up to independence.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Ssecurity Council vote sets up emergency UN General Assembly session on Ukraine crisis

The measure convening the General Assembly session was adopted by a vote of 11 in favor, with Russia voting against, and China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstaining. The request for urgent by the Assembly comes after Russia vetoed on Friday a US-led draft Security Council resolution that would have ‘deplored in the strongest terms the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine’.  Since the text was procedural, none of the five permanent Council members – China France, Russia, United Kingdom and the United States – could use their vetoes. The measure needed only nine votes in favor to pass. Only 10 such emergency special sessions of the General Assembly have been convened since 1950, following the adoption of resolution 377A(V), widely known as ‘Uniting for Peace.’ That text gives the Assembly the power to take up matters of international peace and security when the Security Council is unable to act because of the lack of unanimity among its five veto-wielding permanent members. 

 

Saudi Arabia confirms its commitment to the ‘OPEC Plus’ accord with Russia.

Saudi Arabia remains committed to OPEC+ agreement, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told French President Emmanuel Macron Feb. 27, in an endorsement for the bloc’s alliance with Russia amid that nation’s invasion of Ukraine. In the call, the two leaders discussed the Ukraine crisis and its impact on energy markets, according to a report carried by the official Saudi Press Agency. In this regard, his highness the crown prince affirmed the kingdom’s keenness on the stability and balance of oil markets and the kingdom’s commitment to the OPEC+ agreement, the report said. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sent crude prices to near $100/b, and intensifying sanctions by the West on Moscow have raised questions about whether OPEC countries such as Saudi Arabia would be willing to step up production to help moderate prices, as the US and other key crude customers have urged. The sanctions, which include bans on Russian banks from accessing the SWIFT international payment system, could also jeopardize OPEC’s ties with Russia. The OPEC+ alliance next meets March 2 to decide on April output levels. OPEC ministers have so far indicated they plan to stick with their planned modest production increases each month, pointing to geopolitics – and not any supply shortage – as underpinning the recent surge in oil prices.

NATIONAL NEWS

Giriraj Singh launches Ombudsperson App for Mahatma Gandhi NREGA

Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Giriraj Singh has launched Ombudsperson App for Mahatma Gandhi NREGA. Ministry of Rural Development has developed an Ombudsperson App for smooth reporting and categorization of grievances by Ombudsperson based on complaints he received from various sources viz. physical, digital and mass media, related to the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi NREG Scheme in the States/Uts. The app will enable easy tracking and timely passing of awards by Ombudsperson on each case as per the guidelines. Ombudsperson can also easily upload the quarterly and annual reports on the website through the app. The app will help the ombudsperson to a greater extent in discharging her/his duty towards transparency and accountability. Also, smooth disposal of the grievances in a time-bound manner with minimal support of further human resources will be possible through the app.

Vande Bharatam’s signature tune released by Minister of State for Culture 

Minister of State for Culture & External Affairs, Meenakashi Lekhi has released a signature tune for ‘Vande Bharatam’. The tune is composed by Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej and Oscar contender Bickram Ghosh. It was produced for Vande Bharatam, Nritya Utsav of Ministry of Culture presented at Rajpath, New Delhi for Republic Day event 2022. It was followed by the fascinating live performance by composers of Vande Bharatam song Ricky Kej and Bikram Ghosh. The two musicians, Ricky kej and Bickram Ghosh shared that it is an honour for them to have given the score for Vande Bharatam which is a very rich piece of music and is based on Indian traditions but also has modern features and fusion. The Ministry of Defence handed over the special trophy to the Ministry of Culture in recognition of its exemplary efforts during the Republic day Event 2022.

Rakesh Sharma again appointed as MD & CEO of IDBI Bank

Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI Bank) has informed the stock exchanges that its board has approved the reappointment of Rakesh Sharma as the managing director and chief executive officer of the bank for a period of three years, effective March 19, 2022. Sharma’s reappointment as the MD&CEO of the bank has received the banking regulator, Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) nod. Sharma was previously the MD&CEO of Canara Bank and retired from this position in July 2018. Prior to that, he served as the MD&CEO of Laxmi Vilas Bank from March 2014 to September 2015. He was previously associated with the State Bank of India (SBI).

HUL named Nitin Paranjpe as non-executive Chairman.

Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) has announced the separation of the position of Chairman of the Board and the CEO & Managing Director of the company. Nitin Paranjpe has been appointed as the Non-Executive Chairman of the company with effect from March 31, 2022. He is currently serving as Chief Operating Officer of Unilever, the parent company of HUL. Sanjiv Mehta will continue to be the Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director (CEO & MD) of the company. The Board accepted the recommendation made by the NRC and has appointed Paranjpe as a Non-Executive Chairman. The appointment is subject to approval of the shareholders which the Company will seek as per applicable regulations.

SPMCIL Delhi headquarters declared a prohibited place

Home Ministry has declared Delhi headquarters of Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd. (SPMCIL) as a ‘prohibited place’ under Section 2 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923. This prevents the entry of unauthorized persons into it. It is the only currency and banknotes manufacturer of India, that printed new series of notes of denomination Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 in 2016. The nine production units of SPMCIL, where banknotes and other government papers are manufactured, are already prohibited places. Only the Delhi headquarters where crucial decisions are taken and important files are generated was not under the purview. Through the recent order, even the Delhi office has been declared a prohibited place. The nine production units are four India Government Mints, two Currency Note Presses.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

US Boeing delivers 12th P-8I maritime patrol aircraft to India

The Indian Navy has received the 12th anti-submarine warfare aircraft P-8I from the US-based aerospace company Boeing. This is the fourth of four additional aircraft, for which the contract was signed in 2016. The Ministry of Defence had signed a contract for eight P-8I aircraft in 2009. However, later in 2016, it signed a contract for four additional P-8I aircraft. P-8I is a long-range maritime reconnaissance and Anti-Submarine Warfare Aircraft, and a variant of the P-8A Poseidon used by the US Navy. India was the first international customer of Boeing for this aircraft. The Indian Navy inducted the first P-8I aircraft in 2013. The P-8I aircraft is a variant of the P-8A Poseidon aircraft that Boeing developed as a replacement for the US Navy’s ageing P-3 fleet.

Third India-Japan joint exercise ‘EX DHARMA GUARDIAN-2022’

The third edition of the joint military exercise “EX DHARMA GUARDIAN-2022” between India and Japan will be conducted from 27 February to 10 March 2022, at Belagavi (Belgaum), Karnataka. The 15th Battalion the Maratha Light Infantry Regiment of the Indian Army and 30th Infantry Regiment of Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces (JGSDF) are participating in these 12 days long joint exercise. The military exercise will focus on operations in Jungle & Semi-Urban/Urban terrains. The exercise aims at enhancing the inter-operability and foster mutual understanding between the two Armies. Exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN is an annual military training event, being conducted in India since 2018.