Current Affairs in English – July 22 2022

National Events:

NTPC & NITI Aayog:

NTPC Ltd has signed a Statement of Intent ( Sol ) with the NITI Aayog to develop net zero greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions roadmap for the corporation .
The Sol seeks to formalise a framework of cooperation between the parties to facilitate NTPC to strategies on diversification of its generation mix to eventually reduce its carbon footprint and support .

‘ Swanirbhar Naari ‘:

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on 19 July 2022 launched the ‘ Swanirbhar Naari ‘ scheme in Guwahati . The scheme aims to empower indigenous weavers of the state and provide financial support to their families .
Under this scheme , the govt will procure handloom items directly from the weavers without involving any middlemen through a specially developed Swanirbhar Naari web portal .

NSCSTI:

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on 18 July 2022 launched the ” National Standards for Civil Service Training Institutions ” ( NSCSTI ) in New Delhi .
With this , India has become the first country in the world to come out with a unique model to create standards for civil service training institutions at the national level . These standards are developed by the Capacity Building Commission ( CBC ) .

FICCI:

FICCI has projected India’s economy to grow 7 % in the current fiscal , lower than the earlier projection of 7.4 % in April , mainly due to the ongoing geopolitical uncertainties .
The median growth forecast for agriculture and allied activities has been pegged at 3 % for 2022-23 while industry and services sectors are anticipated to grow 6.2 % and 7.8 % , respectively . FICCI President : Sanjiv Mehta.

One97 Communications:

One97 Communications , the parent entity of Paytm , has hired Nakul Jain as CEO of Paytm Payments Services Ltd ( PPSL ) . Praveen Sharma , the former CEO of Paytm Payments Services , has been moved to lead the company’s commerce vertical .

Droupadi Murmu:

Former Jharkhand Governor and National Democratic Alliance candidate Droupadi Murmu was elected the 15th President of India on 21 July 2022 .She is the first tribal woman to be elected to the position & the youngest as well .
She defeated opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha by securing 64.03 % of the electoral votes . She will take oath on 25 July 2022 & will replace Ram Nath Kovind .

RBI:

RBI has sought an explanation from Russia’s Sberbank for violation of domestic banking regulations .
Russia’s largest bank allegedly paid a bonus to its Indian CEO Ivan Nosov for performance year 2019 to 2021 without the RBI’s approval .Banking rules in India require a lender to seek the RBI’s approval on bonus payments to key executives .

PMAY:

The extension of government’s flagship urban housing scheme , Prime Minister Awas Yojana ( PMAY ) Urban up to March 2024 is under consideration by the Ministry of Housing .
Meanwhile , an interim extension of 6 months for all verticals except Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme has been granted . Since June 25 , 2015 the scheme has provided all – weather ‘ pucca ‘ houses to all eligible urban beneficiaries .

Tamil Nadu Events:

Tamil Nadu has topped the list:

Tamil Nadu has topped the list of states for utilisation of funds under the Central government’s flagship Smart City Mission . Tamil Nadu has spent over Rs 3932 crore out of the Rs 4333 crore released by the Centre for this scheme .
Uttar Pradesh is at 2nd position with the utilisation of Rs 2699 cr out of Rs 3142 crore released by the Centre .The Smart Cities Mission was launched in 2015 .

International Events:

CBMP:

India and Bangladesh have agreed to effectively implement the Comprehensive Border Management Plan ( CBMP ) .
It will control border crimes including smuggling of drugs and narcotics , arms and ammunition , fake currency and gold among other things . A Joint Record of Discussion ( JRD ) was signed between Border Security Force and Border Guards Bangladesh .

Dinesh Gunawardena:

In Sri Lanka , Dinesh Gunawardena took the oath as Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister on 22 July 2022 .
Gunawardena’s appointment comes a day after six – time Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the country’s new President .Sri Lanka’s new Cabinet of ministers was also sworn in on 22 July 2022 .

ECB:

The European Central Bank ( ECB ) has raised interest rates for the first time in more than 11 years as it tries to control soaring eurozone inflation .
The central bank of 19 nations that share the euro currency , raised its key interest rate by 0.5 percent or 50 basis points to zero as against the expectation of a smaller hike of 25 basis points .

World Brain Day : 22 July:

People around the world celebrate World Brain Day on July 22 of every year .It is observed to raise awareness about brain health issues .
The day was first observed in 2014 . The day is organised each year by The World Federation of Neurology ( WFN ) . WFN was founded in 1957 in Belgium . The World Brain Day’s theme for 2022 is ” Brain Health for All ” .

Italy PM:

Mario Draghi resigned as Italy’s prime minister on 21 July 2022 . He resigned after three parties in his government refused to back him in a confidence vote . Draghi was appointed as the PM in February 2021 .
Prior to his appointment as PM , he served as President of the European Central Bank ( ECB ) between 2011 and 2019 .

India & UK:

India and the United Kingdom on 21 July 2022 inked a pact for mutual recognition of educational degrees of students of bachelor , masters and doctoral courses .
As per the agreement , Indian senior secondary school certificates will also be accepted for entry into UK’s higher education institutions . These agreements aim to facilitate closer alignment on education between India and UK .

World’s first malaria vaccine:

The World Health Organization has introduced the world’s first malaria vaccine approved for public administration in 3 African countries – Malawi, Ghana and Kenya.
The vaccine ‘Musgrix’ produced by GlaxoSmithKline is only 30 percent effective in controlling malaria. Also, the vaccine should be administered in 4 installments.

Sports Events:

International Olympiads:

Indian students bagged three gold , sixteen silver , and five bronze medals in various international Olympiads in Mathematics , Physics , Biology , and Chemistry .
The Mathematics Olympiad was held in Norway and Biology Olympiad in Armenia , and the other two were hosted by Switzerland and China . In the International Mathematical Olympiad , ( IMO ) the Indian team got one gold and five bronze medals .

Asia Cup:

Board of Control for Cricket in India , BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has confirmed that the Asia Cup , which was scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka , would be played in the UAE .
It is slated to be held from the 27 August to 11 September 2022 and will be played in the T – 20 format . The development comes after the 3rd Lanka Premier League ( LPL ) was postponed due to the ongoing crisis .

Dream Sports & NZC:

Dream Sports has entered into an exclusive agreement with New Zealand Cricket ( NZC ) . The five – year deal will see Dream Sports create fan – focused avenues across non – fungible tokens ( NFTs ) , gaming and merchandising through its portfolio companies – Rario and FanCode .
With the deal , NZC will debut in cricket NFTS , which will be developed by Rario , creators of the first cricket NFT platform .