VISION

1)  Russia is now world’s most sanctioned country 2022

•Russia has become the most sanctioned country in the world, due to its invasion on Ukraine, according to a New York-based sanctions watchlist site Castellum.AI. Russia faced 2,778 new sanctions since February 22, 2022, led by the US and European nations, bringing the total sanctions to 5,530. The country already had 2,754 sanctions in place before February 22.

•Countries across the world are putting sanctions on Russia to stop its invasion of Ukraine. Russia has now surpassed countries like Iran and North Korea in terms of a number of sanctions. Before this, Iran was the most sanctioned country, facing 3,616 sanctions against it over the last decade, while Syria and North Korea have 2,608 and 2,077 sanctions, respectively.

2)  Freedom of the World 2022 report: India ranked ‘partly free’

•For the second consecutive year, India has been termed as ‘partly free’ country in terms of democracy and free society, according to the annual report. The report titled “Freedom in the World 2022 – The Global Expansion of Authoritarian Rule” by Freedom House, a US-based NGO that ‘assesses political rights and civil liberties. India scored 66 out of 100 in 2022. The country had scored 67 in 2021. India was a free country till 2020 when its score was 71.

3)  President Kovind Presents ‘Nari Shakti Puraskar’ for 2020 and 2021

•The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind has conferred the ‘Nari Shakti Puraskar’ for the years 2020 and 2021, on the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 08, 2022, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. Overall 29 women have been conferred the award for the years 2020 and 2021 in recognition of their outstanding and exceptional work towards the empowerment of women, especially the vulnerable and marginalised. There were a total of 28 awards which included 14 awards each for the years 2020 and 2021. The award ceremony for the year 2020 could not be held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

4)  Iran successfully test fire second military satellite Noor-2

•Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) successfully launched a military satellite, Noor-2, into orbit at an altitude of 500 kilometres (311 miles) from the earth. This is the second military satellite launched by the Islamic Republic. The first military satellite, Noor, was launched in April 2020 at an orbit of 425km (265 miles) above the earth’s surface. Noor means light in the Persian language.

•Putting the second satellite in space would be a major advance for Iran’s military, raising concerns about the country’s nuclear and missile programs. The three-stage Qased, or “Messenger”, the carrier launched the Noor 2, from the Shahroud spaceport.

5)  Ministry of Culture organise PAN-India programme “Jharokha”

•Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Textiles are organising a programme called “Jharokha-Compendium of Indian handicraft/ handloom, art and culture” to celebrate the traditional Indian handicrafts, handlooms, and art & culture. To begin with, the first event under this celebration has been organized in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh at Rani Kamlapati Railway Station, on March 08, 2022, which also marks International Women’s Day.

6)  Germany to host G7 agriculture ministers virtual meeting

•The German government has stated that it will hold a virtual meeting of G7 agriculture ministers to explore the implications of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine on global food security. The meeting, according to Cem zdemir, Germany’s Minister of Agriculture and Food, will also focus on ways to stabilise food markets.

7)  40 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India 2022

•There are 40 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India. Dholavira and Ramappa Temple are the latest addition to the list under the ‘Cultural’ category. ‘Ramappa Temple’, Telangana and ‘Dholavira’, Gujarat which is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2021. This decision was made in the UNESCO World Heritage Committee’s 44th session held in China. In 2021 the total number of World Heritage Sites has increased from 38 to 40.

8)  Aarushi Verma named to represent India at Climate Force Antarctica Expedition

•A national-level shooter and an environmentalist hailing from Delhi, Aarushi Verma has been selected to represent India at the 2041 Climate Force Antarctica Expedition which is set to be held in March 2022. She is a national-level shooter in Pistol and trap shooting and a State & Northern India Champion & National medalist, and an active environmentalist. She will be fully supported and sponsored by The Hans Foundation.

📰 Amendments proposed to make land pooling mandatory

Only IAS Prelims 2022 Test 06 With Solution PDF

Kurukshetra Magazine March 2022 ( English ) PDF

 Yojana Magazine March 2022 ( English ) PDF

VISION IAS Monthly Current Affairs January 2022 in Hindi PDF

1)  International Women’s Day 2022 Celebrates on 8th March

•International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated globally on March 8 every year. The day recognises the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The event celebrates women’s achievements and raises awareness about women’s equality and lobbies for accelerated gender parity.

•The theme of 2022 International Women’s Day is “gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”.

2)  2000 km network to be brought by Indian Railways under ‘KAVACH’ in 2022-23

•The trial of the ‘Kavach’ functioning system between Gullaguda and Chitgidda Railway stations was examined by Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Railways, Communication, Electronics and Information Technology. 2,000 km of railway network will be brought under Kavach for safety and capacity augmentation in 2022-23, as a part of Prime minister’s Atmanirbhar Bharat.

3)  Ministry of Labour launches ‘Donate-a-Pension’ initiative

•Union Labour and Employment Minister, Bhupender Yadav has launched the ‘Donate-a-Pension’ campaign under Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan (PM-SYM) scheme, on March 07, 2022, from his residence and donated the same to his gardener. Under the new initiative, citizens can contribute to the pension fund of their immediate support staff such as domestic workers, drivers, helpers etc, by donating the premium amount.

•The ‘Donate-a-Pension’ program is part of various initiatives to be launched in the ‘Iconic Week’ celebrations by the Labour Ministry from March 7 to 13, 2022. It is an initiative under (PM-SYM) pension scheme where citizens can donate the premium contribution of their immediate support staff such as domestic workers, drivers, helpers etc.

4)  Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveils the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unveiled a tall statue of great Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Pune, Maharashtra. The Statue is made up of 1,850 kg of gunmetal and is about 9.5-feet tall. He also launched a 12-km stretch of 32.2-km-long metro rail project at a total cost of more than ₹ 11,400 crores in Pune. Pune Metro is the first project in India to have aluminium body coaches, indigenously manufactured under the ‘Make in India’.

•PM Modi also laid the foundation stone for the rejuvenation and pollution abatement of the Mula-Mutha River projects in Pune. The rejuvenation will be done in a 9 km stretch of the river under the project which will cost more than Rs 1080 crore.

5)  T Raja Kumar named President of the Financial Action Task Force

•T Raja Kumar, a Singaporean, has been named president of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the world’s anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism financing agency. His appointment is for a set two-year term, which begins on July 1. During the FATF plenary, he was chosen to succeed Dr Marcus Pleyer of Germany.

6)  9th India-Sri Lanka Bilateral Maritime Exercise SLINEX begins

•The 9th edition of India – Sri Lanka Bilateral Maritime Exercise named SLINEX (Sri Lanka–India Naval Exercise) is held at Visakhapatnam from 07 Mar to 10 Mar 2022. The aim of the exercise is to enhance interoperability and improve mutual understanding between the navies of the two neighbouring countries in the strategically significant Indian Ocean Region.

7)  MSME Ministry launches “SAMARTH” Special Entrepreneurship Promotion Drive for Women

•Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises has launched a Special Entrepreneurship Promotion Drive for Women named –“SAMARTH”. The drive was launched by Union Minister for MSME, Shri Narayan Rane along with Minister of State for MSME, Shri Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma in New Delhi.

8)  Pakistan again placed on FATF’s grey list

•The global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, Financial Action Task Force (FATF), retained Pakistan in the grey list and asked the country to work on money laundering investigations and prosecutions. FATF also added the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to its grey watchlist.

•The decision has been taken after the conclusion of the four-day FATF Plenary from March 1-4, 2022. The event took place in hybrid mode from Paris, France. Pakistan has been on the grey list of FATF since June 2018 for failing to check money laundering and terror financing. It was given a plan of action to complete it by October 2019 but it fails to comply with the FATF mandates.

9)  Microsoft will set up India’s largest Data Center region in Hyderabad

•Tech giant, Microsoft has announced to set up its fourth data centre in India in Hyderabad, Telangana. Hyderabad Data centre will be one of the largest data centres in India and will be operational by 2025. Microsoft already has a data centre in three Indian regions across Pune, Mumbai, and Chennai. The new data centre will add to the growing demand for Microsoft’s cloud services from both the private enterprises as well as the government sector.

10)  Hybrid form United Nations Environment Assembly held in in Nairobi, Kenya

•The United Nations Environment Assembly was hosted by the UN Environment Programme. It brings together representatives from the UN’s 193 member countries, corporations, civil society, and other stakeholders to agree on policies to address the world’s most serious environmental concerns.

11)  India Global Forum annual summit held in Bengaluru

•India Global Forum’s (IGF) annual summit is being organized in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The summit will bring together eminent faces of tech-driven disruption and those who have joined the unicorn club along with Union ministers, policymakers, and global business leaders. The previous editions were hosted in Dubai and the UK and addressed by esteemed speakers like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the PM of the UK Boris Johnson amongst other leaders from Governments and industry across the globe.

•This is the first-ever edition of IGF at Bengaluru. The agenda-setting forum for international business and global leaders, IGF, offers a selection of platforms that corporates and policymakers can leverage to interact with stakeholders in their sectors and geographies of strategic importance.

12)  DN Patel named as Chairperson of TDSAT 2022

•The Central Government has appointed Justice Dhirubhai Naranbhai Patel, Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, as the Chairperson of Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal(TDSAT). He was appointed as Chief Justice of Delhi High Court on June 7, 2019, and is now given the Chair of TDSAT, days before his retirement on March 12, 2022.

•Ministry of Law and Justice issued a notification regarding the approval of his appointment by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), stating that he will serve the Chair for a period of 4 years from the date of assumption of charge of the post, or till attaining the age of 70 years, or until further orders, whichever is the earliest. The conditions of his service will be governed by the provisions of the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 and the Tribunal (Conditions of Service) Rules, 2021.

13)  NMDC receives 1st prize in Ispat Rajbhasha Award for 2018-19 and 2020-21

•National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd Country’s largest Iron Ore producer, a CPSE under Ministry of Steel received 1st prize in the Ispat Rajbhasha Award for 2018-19 and 2020-21 and company also received the Ispat Rajbhasha Prerna Award for 2019-20. The award ceremony was held in the meeting of the Hindi Salahakar Committee of the Ministry of Steel held in Madurai on 3rd March 2022. The Union Minister of Steel, Shri Ram Chandra Prasad Singh, presented the accolades to Shri Sumit Deb, Chairman and Managing Director, NMDC.

14)  Priyanka Nutakki becomes the 23rd Woman Grandmaster of India

•19-year-old Priyanka Nutakki has secured her final WGM-norm at MPL’s forty-seventh National Women Chess Championship. She became India’s twenty-third Woman Grandmaster. She is from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. Priyanka Nutakki scored her first WGM-norm in January 2019 and crossed the 2300 rating criteria in the next two months. However, much like a lot of players, the Covid-19 pandemic delayed her title hopes.

•Priyanka braved the odds, resumed playing over-the-board tournaments in October 2021 at ChessMood Open. In her third over-the-board tournament of the year, she scored her second WGM and maiden IM-norm at the 7th Sunway Sitges Open 2021.

📰 Labour Ministry launches ‘donate a pension’ scheme

 India is known as the land of rivers as there are numerous rivers flowing across the country.

India is known as the land of rivers as there are numerous rivers flowing across the country. Indian rivers are divided into two categories namely Himalayan Rivers and Peninsular Rivers. Himalayan Rivers are perennial while Peninsular Rivers are rain-fed. Around 90% of rivers in India flow towards the eastern part of India and drain into the Bay of Bengal. The Remaining 10% of rivers flow towards the western part of India and drain into the Arabian Sea.