DAILY GK: 13,14 FEB 2022

 DAILY GK: 13, 14 FEB 2022

1.       AIM, NITI AAYOG & UNDP INDIA LAUNCHES COMMUNITY INNOVATOR FELLOWSHIP

·       Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), India launched the Community Innovator Fellowship (CIF) marking the ‘International Day of Women & Girls in Science’.

·    Its aim is to provide necessary infrastructure and knowledge building for the young community innovators in their entrepreneurial journey.

·      Focus is to develop the start-up and innovation ecosystem in the underserved regions of India.Currently, there are 12 ACICs across 9 states in India and the target is to establish 50 such centres.

·        UNDP Establishment – 1966,Headquarters – New York, United States (US)

 

2.       DOSJ&E LAUNCHES CSS FOR WELFARE OF TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY : SMILE

·       The Department of Social Justice & Empowerment (DoSJ&E) has launched the Central Sector scheme (CSS) ‘Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise (SMILE)’ at BHIM Auditorium, New Delhi With an outlay of Rs. 365 Crore 2021-22 to 2025-26.

·       There are 2 subs-chemes under this scheme which includes ‘Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons’ and ‘Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of Begging’.These sub schemes will be implemented by National Coordinators along with a suitable Ministry and will also be monitored regularly.

 

3.       INDIA, AUSTRALIA SIGNED MOU ON TOURISM COOPERATION

·         India and Australia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Tourism cooperation in the field of Tourism to enhance cooperation and encourage expansion of bilateral relations in tourism.

·         Through the MoU, information and data related to tourism will be exchanged between both nations, and Cooperation between tourism stakeholders, especially hotels and tour operators, and education providers in tourism and hospitality will be improved.

·         Australia ranked 4th in terms of Foreign Tourist Arrivals to India in 2019 and contributed 3.4 percent in total tourism share of foreign tourists in India.

·         Currently, the Ministry of Tourism has MoUs with 45 countries.

·         Australia Capital –  Canberra,Prime minister – Scott Morrison

 

4.       INDIA TO REPLACE DIESEL WITH RENEWABLE ENERGY IN AGRICULTURE BY 2024

·         In a virtual meeting held to discuss the role in achieving India’s energy transition goals and meeting climate commitments, Union Power Minister R K Singh pointed out that India will achieve zero-diesel use in agriculture and replace fossil fuel with renewable energy by 2024.

·         This meeting was organised in line with the Prime Minister’s commitment at 26th Council of Parties  (COP26), towards reducing the carbon intensity of India.

·         At the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November 2021, India committed to achieve 500 GigaWatts (GW) non-fossil energy capacity by 2030 and meeting 50 percent of energy requirements through renewable energy.

 

5.       ONE OCEAN SUMMIT 2022 HELD IN FRANCE

·         One Ocean Summit 2022 was held in Brest, France, in cooperation with the United Nations (UN) and the World Bank.

·         Aim is to mobilise the international community to take tangible action towards preserving and supporting healthy and sustainable ocean ecosystems.

·         Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has virtually addressed the high-level segment of One Ocean Summit

·         On the occasion of the One Ocean Summit, UNESCO pledges to have at least 80 percent of the seabed mapped by 2030 (compared to current 20 percent) for understanding the location of ocean faults, the workings of ocean currents and tides, and the transport of sediments.

·         UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) announced it has set itself the goal of including ocean education in the school curricula of its 193 Member States by 2025. 

UNESCO Headquarters – Paris, France,Director-General – Audrey Azoulay

 

6.       ISRAEL BECOMES 1ST COUNTRY TO PERMIT  DRONES IN CIVILIAN AIRSPACE 

·         Israel becomes the World’s first country to allow drones to operate in civilian airspace.

·         Hermes Starliner Unmanned Aircraft System(UAS), is the 1st UAV to receive such a certification. 

·         The UAVs will be used for the benefit of agriculture, environment, public welfare, economic activity and against crime.

·         Israel Capital-Jerusalem,Prime minister– Naftali Bennett,Currency- Israeli Shekel

 

7.       TOMTOM TRAFFIC INDEX 2021: MUMBAI RANKS 5TH MOST-CONGESTED CITY IN THE WORLD

·         India’s Mumbai and Delhi were ranked as 5th and 11th most congested cities in the world by TomTom Traffic Index global top 25 list 2021.

·         While Bengaluru and Pune positioned at 10th and 21st place respectively, are the other top congested Indian cities as per the ranking, among 404 cities across 58 countries surveyed in the index.

 

8.       RAILTEL WINS ICAI AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN FINANCIAL REPORTING

·         RailTel Corporation of India Ltd. won the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) award for excellence in ‘financial reporting’ for the year 2020-21 in Public Sector Entities(PSE) Category.

·         ‘Right of Way’ is an Optical Fiber Network by RailTel, that runs along the Railway Tracks connecting various cities.

·         During the financial year 2020-21, RailTel recorded its rapid growth around  Rs 1,411 crore, a growth of 21 per cent and achieving a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 16.6 per cent over the last three years.

 

9.       NEW PRESIDENT OF BURKINA FASO

·         Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, lieutenant-colonel in the national armed forces of Burkina Faso, became the new President of Burkina Faso after overthrowing the elected President Roch Kabore in the country’s capital city of Ouagadougou.

·         Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba is also head of the state, President of the Patriotic Movement for Preservation and Restoration (officially Junta), and supreme commander of the armed forces.

·         Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is bordered by 6 African countries- Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana. Capital- Ouagadougou.

 

10.    S KISHORE APPOINTED AS CHAIRMAN OF STAFF SELECTION COMMISSION

·         The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet(ACC) has approved the appointment of S Kishore, a 1989-Batch IAS officer of West Bengal cadre, as the Chairman of Staff Selection Commission(SSC). He succeeds Deepti Umashankar, who has been serving as the chairman of SSC (Additional Charge) since 2021.

 

11.    RAHUL BAJAJ FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE BAJAJ GROUP PASSED AWAY

·         Padma Bhushan Rahul Bajaj, Indian Industrialist and former chairman of Bajaj Group has passed away in Pune, Maharashtra.

·         He has also served as the President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) from 1979 to 1980 and served a 2nd term as President of CII from 1999-2000.

·         From 2006 to 2010 he served as a member of the Rajya Sabha (from Maharashtra), the upper house of the Parliament. 

 

12.    DARWIN DAY 2022 – FEBRUARY 12

·         Darwin Day is annually observed across the globe on February 12th to commemorate the birth anniversary of the 19th-century British naturalist, Charles Darwin, who is well known for his work “The Theory of Natural Selection”. 

·         Theory of Natural Selection explains how the genetic traits of a species may change over time.

·         Darwin published his thoughts on evolution and natural selection in “On the Origin of Species” in 1859.