Daily Current Affairs 9th February, 2022

Daily Current Affairs 9 February 2022 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

PMKSY scheme extended till FY’26 with Rs 4600 crore outlay
The food processing ministry said its flagship scheme ‘Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY)’ has been extended till March 2026 with an allocation of Rs 4,600 crore. 

• PMKSY is a comprehensive package which will lead to creation of modern infrastructure with efficient supply chain management from farm gate to retail outlet.
• The scheme will boost growth of food processing sector but also help in providing better prices to farmers and creating huge employment opportunities.

Target of providing tap water to 3.8 cr households has been set, Rs 60,000 cr allocated to provide every household with tap water says Govt
The Union Minister of State for food processing industries and Jal Shakti, Prahalad Singh Patel said that during the current year, a target of providing tap water to 3.8 crore households has been set and an allocation of 60 thousand crore rupees has been made this year budget for Jal Jeevan Mission to provide every household with tap water.

• He said the Ken- Betwa project will cost a total of 44.605 crore rupees which will irrigate 9.08 lakh hectares of irrigation land.
• Minister Patel further added that the budget of Pradhan Mantri Sampada Yojana has also been increased by 28.6 times. Under this scheme, a budget with increase of Rupees 200 crore will be given in the financial year of 2022-2023.

NITI Aayog announces 5 most improved aspirational districts in Agriculture,Water Resources sector
NITI Aayog has announced the five most improved aspirational districts in the Agriculture and Water Resources sector for December 2021. Malkangiri in Odisha tops the list.

• It is followed by Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh and Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir. Ramgarh in Jharkhand and Begusarai in Bihar also feature in the list. This is as per NITI Aayog’s Delta Rankings.

Govt has released Rs 87.65 crore for development of National Sports University in Manipur: Sports Minister Anurag Thakur
Youth Affairs and Sports minister Anurag Thakur has said that his ministry has released a total of 87 crore 65 lakh rupees to date including 5 crore 49 lakh rupees during the current Financial Year for the development of National Sports University in Manipur. He gave this information in reply to a question in Lok Sabha.

• National Sports University, established in Manipur, is aimed at promoting education in the areas of sports sciences, sports technology, sports coaching, besides functioning as the national training centre for selected sports disciplines.

AIM, NITI Aayog, and USAID collaborates under SAMRIDH initiative
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a new partnership under the Sustainable Access to Markets and Resources for Innovative Delivery of Healthcare (SAMRIDH) initiative. It will improve access to affordable and quality healthcare for vulnerable populations in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, and rural and tribal regions.

• This partnership will enhance SAMRIDH’s efforts to reach vulnerable populations, leveraging Atal Innovation Mission expertise in innovation and entrepreneurship.
• The collaboration will focus on innovations across the healthcare landscape with the common goal to mount an effective response to the ongoing third wave of COVID-19 and build health system preparedness for the future.

Nagaland Government declares entire State as drought of Moderate nature due to rainfall deficiency
Nagaland Government has declared the entire State as drought of a Moderate nature.

• Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority said, that the decision was taken due to arising of rainfall deficiency, and the poor crop conditions as well as the distress situation that had developed in almost the entire farming area affected by these conditions.
• It said, based on the scanty deficit and less than normal rainfall that has been observed from March to November 2021, the declaration of drought would come into effect from 15th September 2021, and would continue to be in effect for 6 months, till further order.

Rajasthan Inks Pact With Anil Agarwal Foundation To Develop 25K Anganwadi Centres As ‘Nand Ghar’
The Rajasthan government signed an agreement with the Anil Agarwal Foundation of the Vedanta Group to develop 25,000 Anganwadi centres as Nand Ghar in the state.

• The foundation will develop Nand Ghars by spending about Rs 750 crore (Rs 3 lakh per Anganwadi).
• The chief minister said the development of Anganwadi centres as Nand Ghar will improve their infrastructure as well as provide quality education and nutrition to children. This will also help in further reducing maternal and child mortality.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Sonata Software partners with Microsoft for its launch of ‘Microsoft Cloud for Retail’
Sonata Software, a global IT Services and Technology Solutions Company announced its partnership with Microsoft for its launch of ‘Microsoft Cloud for Retail’, further strengthening its offerings to the retail industry.

• The company has been a partner with Microsoft for over three decades.
• The ‘Microsoft Cloud for Retail’ collaboration is expected to further strengthen the relationship, the company said.

Instagram announces ‘Take a Break’ feature to encourage breaks from social media
Instagram has announced a new campaign called ‘Take a Break’ in various countries including India.

• Take a Break will alert users scrolling on Instagram to periodically take breaks from the platform and focus on other things. The platform will also alert users of the new inclusion with a notification.
• The platform also added that users “will also be shown expert-backed tips to help them reflect and reset.” Users, will however, have control on whether they want to keep these timely notifications on.

AYUSH Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launches dedicated storefront for Ayurveda products on Amazon
AYUSH Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched a dedicated storefront for Ayurveda products on Amazon in the marketplace.

• This Ayurveda product storefront will enhance the visibility of unique Ayurveda products such as various kinds of juices, skin-care supplements, immunity boosters, oils and more from small businesses and startup brands.
• It will make shopping easier as product selection has been organized according to focus areas and health benefits such as pain management, immunity boosters, blood purifiers, women’s health, weight management, and mental wellness.

Over 4 crore 59 lakh FASTags issued till Jan 2022
Over four crore 59 lakh FASTags have been issued in the country till the end of last month. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said, 148 percent growth has been registered in the user fee collection through FASTag on national highways during the last two years.

• He said, over ten thousand 728 crore rupees as a user fee has been collected in the year 2019-20.

L&T and Microsoft ink partnership to develop regulated sector cloud offering
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Microsoft India have announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop a regulated sector focused cloud offering to empower customers with the cloud computing and infrastructure services.

• Under the MoU, the two companies will setup a joint governance group to define future platform designs, investments, and commercial/business models to service the regulated sectors’ emerging technology requirements. Senior leadership teams of both the organizations will be engaged collectively on this as the association evolves.

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Razorpay buys majority stake in Malaysia-based fintech Curlec
Fintech unicorn Razorpay has expanded into South-East Asia with the acquisition of a majority stake in a Malaysian fintech firm Curlec, valuing the company between $19-20 million.

• Razorpay expects to complete the full acquisition in the next one-and-a-half years. The Kuala Lumpur-based, Curlec builds solutions for recurring payments for businesses.
• This marks Razorpay’s fourth acquisition overall and its first in the international markets.

APPOINTMENTS

Pradip Shah, ex-consultant to World Bank, appointed Pfizer India chairman
Pfizer India appointed Pradip Shah as the chairman of its board following the resignation of R A Shah on February 3.

• Announcing the appointment, S Sridhar, the managing director of the company, said with Pradip Shah’s elevation as the chairman, the firm will work closely with him on matters of strategic importance.
• He had earlier been contributing the board for many years as a financial expert.

Sanjay Malhotra named DFS Secretary in Finance Ministry
Within days of giving Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) Secretary Rajesh Verma additional charge of the Financial Services Secretary, the government appointed Chairman and Managing Director, REC Ltd.

• Sanjay Malhotra as full-time secretary of the department with immediate effect of n yet another bureaucratic reshuffle that saw new faces in key secretarial positions in the government.

MediBuddy ropes in Amitabh Bachchan as brand ambassador
Leading digital healthcare platform MediBuddy said it has roped in Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan as its brand ambassador. 

•  MediBuddy gives users 24×7 access to specialist doctors online via video call, at-home lab tests, home delivery of medicines, mental health support and other health care services.

AWARDS

Gautam Adani overtakes Mukesh Ambani as Asia’s richest person
Gautam Adani, the Indian billionaire who turned a small commodities trading business into a conglomerate spanning ports, mines and green energy, is now Asia’s richest person.

• The 59-year-old mogul’s net worth reached $88.5 billion , according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, eclipsing fellow countryman Mukesh Ambani’s $87.9 billion. With an almost $12 billion jump in his personal fortune, Adani is the world’s biggest wealth-gainer this year.
• Meanwhile, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index has been topped by Elon Musk with a net worth of $238 billion. Musk is followed by Jeff Bezos ($186 billion), Bernard Arnault ($166 Billion), Bill Gates ($129 billion), and Larry Page ($124 billion).

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

India’s first biomass-based hydrogen plant coming up in MP
The country’s first commercial-scale biomass-based hydrogen plant is coming up in the Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh.

• The plant will produce a tonne of hydrogen per day, from 30 tonnes of biomass feedstock. It will also produce biochar and methane.
• The plant is being put up by a joint venture of Watomo Energies Ltd and Biezel Green Energy with an investment of ₹24 crore. Watomo Energies, headquartered in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh; Biezel Green is a company promoted by Prof Preetam Singh, who teaches at the IIT BHU.

IIT Madras Establish ‘AquaMAP’ Centre to Solve India’s Water Crisis
The Indian Institute of Technology Madras has set up an inter-disciplinary water management and policy centre called ‘AquaMAP’ aiming to provide smart solutions to challenging water problems.

• It proposes to design scalable models that would be implemented in some locations across the country.
• AquaMAP aims to develop capability to address complex real-life water problems through consortia approach and set up a hydro-informatics laboratory. It proposes to address at least three chronic water issues and conduct pilot studies in six water innovation villages and towns that can be showcased as replicable models for water management and policy implementation within the country.

OBITUARIES

Actor Praveen Kumar Sobti, popular as Mahabharat’s Bheem, passes away 
Actor Praveen Kumar Sobti, popular for essaying the role of Bheem in BR Chopra’s Mahabharat, has died at the age of 75.

• Besides playing the role of Bheem, which made him a household name, Kumar also starred in many films including Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Shehenshah and Dharmendra’s Loha. Other films to his credit include Aaj Ka Arjun, Ajooba, and Ghayal, among others.
• Before he became an actor, Praveen was a hammer and discus throw athlete. A four-time Asian Games medallist, he also represented India in 1968 Mexico and 1972 Munich Olympics. He was also honoured with Arjuna award. He worked as the Deputy Commandant in the Border Security Force (BSF) as well.

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