VISION

 SHANKAR IAS UNION BUDGET 2022-23 PDF

1)  India becomes first country to administer COVID-19 DNA vaccine

•India has become the first country in the world to administer a DNA vaccine against COVID-19. The ZyCoV-D which is the World’s first plasmid DNA vaccine has been produced by Ahmedabad-based vaccine manufacturer Zydus Cadila and it was administered for the first time in Patna. It is a Painless and Needleless vaccine given at intervals of 28 days and 56 days. It is the second India-made vaccine to get emergency authorization in India after Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.

•The Indian government approved emergency use authorisation for Zydus Cadila’s DNA vaccine earlier this year, citing initial results from Phase III clinical trials that showed approximately 66 per cent efficacy for symptomatic cases.

2)  J&K topped in India Press Freedom Report 2021

•The India Press Freedom Report 2021 was recently released by the Rights and Risks Analysis Group. According to the report, 13 media houses and newspapers were targeted in the country, 108 journalists were attacked, and 6 journalists were killed. Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Tripura topped the list of States and Union Territories where journalists and media houses were targeted in 2021.

•24 journalists were attacked physically, obstructed, threatened, and harassed for doing their work. All these attacks were made by public officials. This includes police attacks as well. 17 of these attacks were police attacks. 44 FIRs were registered against journalists in 2021. Of this 21 were registered under Section 153 of IPC.

3)  Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit named as first woman Vice Chancellor of JNU

•The Ministry of Education (MoE) has appointed Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit as the new Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). She is the first women Vice-Chancellor of JNU. The 59-year-old Pandit has been appointed for a period of five years. Pandit replaces M Jagadesh Kumar, who has been appointed as Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC). Before this appointment, Pandit was serving as the Vice-Chancellor of Savitribai Phule University in Maharashtra.

4)  Salesforce Global Index: India leads in digital skills readiness

•Salesforce, a leading player in Customer Relationship Management (CRM), published the Global Digital Skills Index 2022 which highlights the growing global digital skills crisis and the need for action. India has scored 63 out of 100, leads the digital skills readiness, and has the highest readiness index among the 19 countries. The average global readiness score was 33 out of 100.

5)  R Rajamohan, who led the 1st Asteroid Discoveries In Independent India, passes away

•Professor R Rajamohan, who was an astronomer at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, for decades, passed away. He is best known for his Kalki Project, which aimed to discover asteroids using the 48-cm Schmidt telescope in Kavalur VBO and discovered a new asteroid, number 4130, from India. This was the first asteroid discovered in India in 104 years.

6)  S R Narasimhan takes additional charge as CMD POSOCO 2022

•S. R. Narasimhan, Director (System Operation) has assumed the additional charge of the post of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO) w.e.f. 1st February 2022 at New Delhi. He has a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) in Finance. He has over three decades’ experience in Power System Operation spread across CEA, POWERGRID and POSOCO after an initial stint with BHEL.

•SR Narasimhan has contributed to several Expert Committees at the Government and regulatory levels in different areas ranging from system operation, grid integration of Renewable Energy (RE) resources and optimization to institution building.

7)  Queen Elizabeth II marks 70th anniversary of her rule 2022

•The United Kingdom has marked the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s rule, the queen looked to the future of the monarchy. She surpassed Louis XIV of France as the longest-reigning monarch of a sovereign state. She became the longest-lived British monarch on 21 December 2007. In 2017, she became the first British monarch to commemorate a Sapphire Jubilee. Elizabeth II is the Queen of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms. On 6 February 1952, Elizabeth became queen after the death of her father King George VI.

8)  Dr Unnikrishnan Nair named as New Director of VSSC

•Scientist and launch vehicle specialist, Dr S Unnikrishnan Nair took charge as the director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). VSSC is a keyspace research centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and specialises in rocket and space vehicles for satellite programs. Nair, who started his career in VSSC Trivandrum in 1985, has made significant contributions in launch vehicle mechanisms, acoustic protection systems and payload fairing areas during his tenure.

9)  RPF launches nationwide “AAHT operation” to curb human trafficking

•Indian Railway Protection Force has launched a nationwide operation to curb human trafficking. As part of “Operation AAHT”, special teams will be deployed on all long-distance trains/routes with a focus on rescuing victims, particularly women and children, from the clutches of traffickers. The Railways, which operate about 21,000 trains across the country daily, is the most reliable mode of transportation for the traffickers who often moved their victims on long-distance trains.

•The RPF that rescued more than 2,000 women and children between 2017-21 from the clutches of traffickers intensified the crackdown on human trafficking with the increasing number of cases. The National Crime Records Bureau registers about 2,200 cases of Human Trafficking cases on an average each year.

10)  Africa Cup Of Nations: Senegal Beat Egypt 2022

•Senegal has defeated Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations championship winning the continental championship for the first time on penalty kicks at Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Sadio Mane scored the winning spot-kick as Senegal claimed a first-ever Africa Cup of Nations title with a 4-2 penalty shootout victory over seven-time winners Egypt. The final had ended 0-0 after extra time.

•Senegal had lost two finals previously, including at the last African Cup in Egypt in 2019, when Mané was left inconsolable. This time he delivered the winning moment.

📰 RPF launches nationwide operation to curb human trafficking

 NEXT IAS ECONOMIC SURVEY 2021-22 PDF

1)  International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation

•International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female is observed on 6th February globally. This day is sponsored by the United Nations for their efforts to eradicate female genital mutilation. It was first introduced in 2003. This year theme of International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female: Accelerating Investment to End Female Genital Mutilation.

2)  PM Modi inaugurates 50th Anniversary Celebrations of Hyderabad-based ICRISAT

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 50th Anniversary celebrations of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in Patancheru, Hyderabad. During the occasion, PM also inaugurated two research facilities of ICRISAT, which were Climate Change Research Facility on Plant Protection and Rapid Generation Advancement Facility.

•These two facilities are dedicated to the smallholder farmers of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Prime Minister also unveiled a specially designed logo of ICRISAT and launched a commemorative stamp issued on the occasion. Its objective is to conduct agricultural research for rural development, in Asia & sub-Saharan Africa.

3)  West Bengal launch open-air classroom programme ‘Paray Shikshalaya

•West Bengal government has launched an open-air classroom programme Paray Shikshalaya (Neighbourhood Schools) for primary and pre-primary students. Under the ‘Paray Shikshalaya’ project, primary and pre-primary students of government schools will be taught in open spaces. The state government will also provide mid-day meals to the students of ‘Paray Shikshalaya’. The para teachers and primary school teachers would be part of this project. They will provide elementary education to children of Class 1-5.

4)  Swarajability: India’s first AI-based job platform for persons with disabilities

•The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Hyderabad) has launched the beta version of ‘Swarajability’, a job portal powered by artificial intelligence that helps people with disabilities acquire relevant skills and find jobs. The platform will analyse the profiles of the job seekers and suggest the skills they would require to become eligible. A platform that addressed this challenge would help this vulnerable section of the population.

•The institute has developed the platform in association with Youth4Jobs, Visual Quest and Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. While IIT-H offers its expertise in AI, Visual Quest India has developed the platform. Youth4Jobs provides skilling services to job seekers. The project is funded by Kotak Mahindra Bank. There are 21 million persons with disabilities in the country. About 70 per cent of them are either unemployed or underemployed.

5)  GoI approved renaming of three places in Madhya Pradesh

•The government of India (GoI) has approved the renaming of 3 places in Madhya Pradesh, Hoshangabad Nagar as “Narmadapuram”, Shivpuri as “Kundeshwar Dham” and Babai as “Makhan Nagar”. In 2021, the government of MP led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan has proposed the renaming of the 3 places in Madhya Pradesh. The approval for the renaming was granted by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

•The Hoshangabad Nagar named after Hoshang Shah, the first formally appointed Sultan of the Malwa Sultanate of Central India was renamed as Narmadapuram. Babai has been renamed after the renowned journalist and poet Makhanlal Chaturvedi. Makhanlal Chaturvedi was born in Babai, MP. The government has named a national university of journalism and communication at Bhopal after Makhanlal in 1992.

6)  Govt of India has done a Switch Operation of Rs. 1,19,701 crores

•The government of India (GoI) has approved the renaming of 3 places in Madhya Pradesh, Hoshangabad Nagar as “Narmadapuram”, Shivpuri as “Kundeshwar Dham” and Babai as “Makhan Nagar”. In 2021, the government of MP led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan has proposed the renaming of the 3 places in Madhya Pradesh. The approval for the renaming was granted by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

•The Hoshangabad Nagar named after Hoshang Shah, the first formally appointed Sultan of the Malwa Sultanate of Central India was renamed as Narmadapuram. Babai has been renamed after the renowned journalist and poet Makhanlal Chaturvedi. Makhanlal Chaturvedi was born in Babai, MP. The government has named a national university of journalism and communication at Bhopal after Makhanlal in 1992.

7)  ADB lends record USD 4.6 bn loans to India in 2021

•As per the data official released by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), it provided a record USD 4.6 billion in sovereign lending to India in 2021. This included USD 1.8 billion towards coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic response. The ADB’s regular funding programme to India is made to support transport, urban development, finance, agriculture, and skills building. The ADB’s project portfolio in 2021 reflected the Indian government’s focus on transforming cities into economically vibrant and sustainable communities.

•The USD 4.6 billion was committed by ADB for 17 loans. The USD 1.8 billion COVID-19-related assistance included USD 1.5 billion for vaccine procurement and USD 300 million to strengthen primary health care in urban areas and the country’s future pandemic preparedness.

8)  Professor Dinesh Prasad Saklani named as new NCERT director

•Professor Dinesh Prasad Saklani has been appointed as the new Director of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). He has replaced Hrushikesh Senapaty, who finished his term a year ago. The new director has been appointed for a period of five years with effect from the date of assumption of charge of the post, or till he attains the age of 65 years, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

9)  Sourav Ganguly laid the foundation stone of world’s third-largest cricket stadium

•Rajasthan Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot and BCCI President Sourav Ganguly laid the foundation stone of the world’s third-largest cricket stadium in Jaipur. The International Cricket Stadium in Jaipur will be the second-largest cricket stadium in India and the third-largest in the world. The new international stadium will be built by the Rajasthan Cricket Academy (RCA) on the Jaipur-Delhi bypass, over 100 acres of land in Jaipur. The stadium will have a seating capacity of 75,000 spectators.

10)  IOC approves proposal to include new sports at 2028 Olympics

•International Olympic Committee (IOC) has approved a proposal to include Surfing, Skateboarding and Sport Climbing for the 2028 Summer Olympics Games that will be organized in Los Angeles, United States. The 2028 Summer Olympics are officially known as the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad, or Los Angeles 2028 is a forthcoming event scheduled to take place from July 21 – August 6, 2028, in Los Angeles, California, US.

•The 2024 Summer Olympics Games will be organized in Paris, France. With this Paris becomes only the second city to host 3 Summer Olympic games. Surfing, Skateboarding and Sport Climbing had made their Olympic debut in Tokyo Olympics 2021 and will also be included in the “additional” list for Paris in 2024. Boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon also have the chance to be included in upcoming Olympics games.

 GS SCORE GIST OF IMPORTANT REPORT : India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021 PDF

📰 Centre plans to tweak no-build zone around monuments

GS SCORE Bookshelf – Makers of Modern Asia PDF