Daily Current Affairs 25th January, 2022

Daily Current Affairs 25 January 2022 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

India, Israel launch commemorative logo to mark 30th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties
India and Israel have launched a commemorative logo to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. The logo was unveiled virtually at an online event in the presence of Ambassador of Israel to India Naor Gilon and Indian envoy to Israel, Sanjeev Singla.

• The logo features the Star of David and the Ashoka Chakra- the two symbols that adorn the national flags of both countries- and forms the numeral 30 depicting the 30th anniversary of bilateral relations.
• This special logo symbolises the strong friendship, love and admiration that exists between the people of the two nations. It also depicts the growing strategic partnership between the two sides.

Culture Ministry organizes Rangoli Utsav ‘Umang’ to celebrate National Girl Child Day
Ministry of Culture organized Rangoli Utsav ‘Umang’ to celebrate National Girl Child Day on January 24,2022 under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

• Rangoli decorations at more than 70 locations were done to celebrate the contributions of women to the journey of a progressive India@75.
• Participants drew rangoli decorations on the roads and squares named after the female freedom fighters or the female role models of the country.

Govt announces subsidy to popularise drone in agriculture
In a move aimed at making drones more accessible to the farmers, the Union Agriculture Ministry has decided to provide 40-100 per cent subsidy until March 2023 in purchasing drone by revising guidelines in the existing scheme on farm mechanization.

• The guidelines of Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) have been amended which envisages a grant up to 100 per cent of the cost of agriculture drone or ₹10 lakhs, whichever is less, as a grant for the purchase of drones.
• The grant will be provided for the purchase of drones by the Farm Machinery Training and, Testing Institutes, ICAR institutes, Krishi Vigyan Kendras and State Agriculture Universities for taking up large-scale demonstrations of this technology on the farmers’ fields.

LG Manoj Sinha announces 15% reservation for women in non-gazetted posts in J&K Police
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha announced 15 percent reservation for Women in non-gazetted posts of J&K Police on the occasion of National Girl Child Day on January 24,2022.

• This landmark decision will further strengthen women empowerment in the Union Territory.
• He said, the Jammu and Kashmir government is committed to ensure social and economic empowerment of women while addressing long-standing inequalities to build a more just and resilient society.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India among top 10 global AI adopters, poised to grow sharply
India is among the top 10 nations in the world in terms of technological advancements and funding in artificial intelligence, according to findings from a study published by The Brookings Institution.

• While India is outside the top 10 in terms of commercial and research initiatives, it ranks sixth in terms of spending and investments on AI made by public, governmental initiatives, as well as private institutes and organisations.
• The nations leading AI achievements ahead of India are the US, China, the UK, France, Japan and Germany. Canada, South Korea and Italy are behind India in the top 10 AI adopters list, as per the study.

BANKING & FINANCE

World Bank approves Rs 1000 cr loan to help people get Bengal govt services
The World Bank has approved a $125-million loan (around Rs 1,000 crore) to Bengal to expand coverage of around 400 state-run social schemes, especially direct cash transfers targeted at the vulnerable sections, over the next four years.

• The Bank said a recent survey had found that while food and in-kind transfers reached most poor and vulnerable households in Bengal, the coverage of cash transfers was weak.
• Access to social pensions by the elderly, widows and the disabled, in particular, was weak due to cumbersome application processes and lack of automated systems for application and eligibility verification.

Fullerton India and Paytm tie up to provide lending products
To offer lending products to MSMEs and consumers Fullerton India and One97 Communications (Paytm) have announced a partnership to provide lending products to merchant partners and consumers. With the partnership, the two established institutions will leverage data-driven insights and wide reach to bring credit to new-to-credit users.

• The program will offer Paytm Postpaid (buy-now-pay-later) to millions of consumers on the Paytm platform while utilizing Fullerton’s deep risk assessment capabilities and scale.
• Fullerton India and Paytm will further expand their product offerings to include instant personal loans, which are end-to-end digitally originated and disbursed using Paytm’s technology and Fullerton’s pan India presence.

Indipaisa, Hitachi Payments tie-up to develop new fintech platform for MSMEs
Hitachi Payment Services and Indipaisa have tied up to develop a new Fintech platform for India’s MSMEs.

• In partnership with Hitachi Payment Services, Indipaisa will offer a range of payment solutions to match the specific needs of Indian MSME owners and operators, to help them grow their businesses, comply with government tax laws, and build a better future for themselves and their families.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Swiggy becomes decacorn, valuation crosses $10.7 bn in new funding round
Food-delivery giant Swiggy has raised $700 million in Invesco-led new funding, which, according to sources, has made the outfit a decacorn, almost doubling its valuation to $10.7 billion.

• Swiggy’s latest valuation is almost double that of Zomato before the latter went for its initial public offering. Zomato was valued at $5.4 billion before its IPO.
• The -delivery giant Swiggy has raised $700 million in Invesco-led new funding, which, according to sources, has made the outfit a decacorn, almost doubling its valuation to $10.7 billion.

APPOINTMENTS

Govt. appoints Vinodanand Jha as New Chairperson to PMLA Adjudicating Authority
Vinodanand Jha, a 1983-batch retired IRS officer has been appointed as the chairperson of the PMLA Adjudicating Authority located in the national capital.

• Mr. Jha has been serving as the Member (Finance and Accounts) in the Authority since September 2018.
• He was appointed to this post after he retired from service as the Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax in Pune.

Armenian President Armen Sarkissian quits over lack of influence
Armenian President Armen Sarkissian has announced his resignation, citing the inability of his office to influence policy during times of national crisis.

• Sarkissian, president since 2018, was at the centre of a domestic political crisis last year that erupted in the wake of a war between Armenia and its longstanding rival Azerbaijan for control of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

GoodDot ropes in Neeraj Chopra as brand ambassador
GoodDot, which is a plant-based meat company, has roped in the Olympic gold medalist, Neeraj Chopra as its brand ambassador. 

• The Olympic champion will be playing a key part in GoodDot’s mission of creating awareness about plant-based meats, which will further enable the people to have a healthier lifestyle and have more compassionate food choices in their life.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Centre launches revamped Central Government Health Scheme website, mobile app
Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya launched the revamped Central Government Health Scheme CGHS website and mobile app. The website is www.cghs.gov.in and the mobile app is called “MyCGHS”.

• The site has been made Bilingual with Hindi and English with provision to make it multi-lingual in future. The Website interface is intuitive and extensive search facility has been provided to access the website contents.
• The website also has link to beneficiary login for accessing various online facilities such as tracking of Medical Claims, grievances, status of CGHS card, downloading of CGHS card, accessing history of medicines and online appointment system.

CSC Launches Yogyata App to Impart Skill-based Vocational Education to Rural Youth
Common Services Centers (CSC) has launched the “Yogyata” mobile phone application to provide vocational education and skill enhancement opportunities to youth and citizens in rural areas across the country.

• The Yogyata app will leverage CSCs massive reach and penetration in the target group while providing an opportunity to access courses that add skills and educational qualifications to increase employability by offering courses like Cyber Security, CAD and 3D printing.
• The enrolments under the app will be carried out by the Village Level Entrepreneurs, managing the CSCs across India.The Yogyata App will help in providing industry-based skills to youth in rural areas and thereby make them job-ready.

India’s first virtual platform for spice exporters launched
Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash launched the country’s first virtual platform for spice exports Spice Xchange India at a hybrid event held in Kochi.

• Launched by the Spices Board, spicexchangeindia.com is a 3D virtual platform aimed at connecting India’s spice exporters with buyers from around the world. The portal uses artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology to connect spice buyers with exporters in India.
• The buyers and sellers can access the database to find the potential customers. The portal works as an extended office enabling the subscribers to conduct virtual meetings.

OBITUARIES

Former Pakistan Test cricketer Aftab Baloch Passes Away
Former Pakistan Test cricketer Aftab Baloch, who is remembered for his innings of 428 in a first-class match in 1970s, died. He was 68.

• He is remembered for an innings of 428 runs (584 minutes, 25×4) he scored against Balochistan as captain of the Sindh team in 1973-74 in a first class match in Karachi.
• Baloch featured in two Tests for Pakistan. He made his Test debut at the age of 16 against New Zealand in 1969.He scored 25 in his debut Test and had to wait for six years before playing for Pakistan again against the West Indies, scoring 12 and 60 not out.

Eminent archaeologist and epigraphist R. Nagaswamy passes away 
Renowned archaeologist, art historian and Padma Bhushan awardee R Nagaswamy, who was the first director of Tamil Nadu government’s Department of Archaeology died He was 91.

• Nagaswamy was an expert witness in a London court in the famous Pathur Nataraja case and played a key role in bringing back the Chola-era bronze Nataraja to Tamil Nadu.He was awarded the prestigious Padma Bhushan in 2018 for his outstanding contribution to archaeology.
• A great scholar in Tamil and Sanskrit, he had published numerous research papers on art of ancient Tamil country. As an archaeologist, he had excavated many sites in Tamil Nadu, including Korkai, the ancient Pandyan port.

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