SPOTLIGHT

Monthly Current Affairs

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RBI - NABARD - SEBI

SPOTLIGHT – MARCH 2022
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Table of Contents

NATIONAL NEWS ................................................................................................................................ 2

STATE NEWS ..................................................................................................................................... 53

AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT .............................................................................. 71

DEFENCE NEWS ................................................................................................................................ 75

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ......................................................................................... 84

INTERNATIONAL NEWS ................................................................................................................... 89

REPORTS AND INDICES .................................................................................................................100

BANKING AND ECONOMY ..............................................................................................................117

GDP FORECASTS .............................................................................................................................156

APPOINTMENTS ...............................................................................................................................158

IMPORTANT DAYS ...........................................................................................................................163

AWARDS ............................................................................................................................................172

SPORTS .............................................................................................................................................184

MISCELLANEOUS ............................................................................................................................191

QUESTIONS .......................................................................................................................................197

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NATIONAL NEWS
1. B.B. Swain, Secretary of Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, has chaired the
MSME Conclave for National SC/ST Hub at Sindhudurg in Maharashtra.
• The MSME- NSSH Conclave was organized as part of the 2-Day MSME Conclave by the
Ministry of MSME.
• At the conclave, the Minister launched Union Bank MSME RuPay Credit Card and
inaugurated Coir Board Regional Office at Kankavali in Sindhudurg.
• Chairman of Khadi and Village Industries Commission - Vinay Kumar Saxena

2. Ministry of Education launched a ‘Bhasha Certificate Selfie’ campaign to encourage

cultural diversity and promote multilingualism and to foster the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha
Bharat.
• Bhasha Certificate Selfie initiative aims to promote the Bhasha Sangam mobile app,
developed by Ministry of Education and MyGov India.
• Using the app, people can learn 100+ sentences of daily use in as many as 22 scheduled
Indian languages.
• A target of 75 lakh people acquiring basic conversational skills has been set.
• To get the certificate, a user needs to download the app, available in both Android and iOS
versions, select any language from 22 scheduled Indian languages, finish all the levels,
give a test and earn the certificate.
• Bhasha Sangam mobile app was launched on Rashtriya Ekta Diwas on October 31, 2021
which is celebrated every year to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

3. 28th edition of DST-CII India-Singapore Technology Summit was held virtually.

• Theme - “Building Economies for the Future”
• Singapore was the partner country in this DST-CII Technology Summit.
• Mr Vipin Sondhi is the Chairman of DST-CII Technology Summit & Chairman, and CII
National Mission on Technology, Innovation & Research.
• Singapore will set up more Global Innovation Alliance centres in Indian cities like the
one it had set up in Bengaluru two years ago.

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• An MoU between Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry and India's Department
of Science and Technology was signed to allow more opportunities to collaborate in
science, technology and innovation.

4. The Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship is a prestigious scheme of the Department of

Biotechnology, which was launched in 2006-07 with the aim to bring back the Indian
scientists working abroad.
• Update - Over 550 Indian biotechnologists have returned to their homeland to pursue
careers in research here under the prestigious Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship.
• This information was given at the 36th foundation day function of the Department of
Biotechnology.
• "New Guidelines for Ease of Doing Science; Towards Less Government More Governance"
and a directory for the Ramalingaswami Re-entry fellows were also released.

5. Update on MGNREGA –
• No funds will be provided to states which do not appoint ombudspersons in 80% of their
districts where the scheme is implemented.
• This will be implemented from the next fiscal.

6. For the first time in India, IIT-Madras Research Park and the National Institute of Ocean
Technology are jointly hosting the OCEANS 2022 conference, a bi-annual event of global
marine researchers.
• The Department of Ocean Engineering is coordinating the event on behalf of the
Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Ocean Engineering Society and Marine
Technology Society.
• 2021-2030 - United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development

7. IIT-Kanpur has developed a biodegradable nanoparticle that can be used as an alternative

to chemical-based pesticides and help farmers protect their crops from bacterial and fungal
infections.
• The product was named as Biodegradable Carbonoid Metabolite (BioDCM).

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8. India and Japan have renewed their bilateral swap arrangements (BSA) to the extent of $75
billion.
• The Bank of Japan, acting as an agent for the Minister of Finance Japan, and the RBI
signed the amendment and restatement agreement of the bilateral swap agreement.
• BSA is a two-way arrangement where both authorities can swap their local currencies in
exchange for dollars.
• This means, India can acquire dollars from Japan in exchange for rupees. And, conversely,
Japan can also seek dollars from India in exchange for yen.

9. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is starting a star rating system
for packaged foods.
• As per the 'Health Star' rating system, packaged foods will display the number of stars on
the front of the pack, indicating how healthy or unhealthy it is depending upon the amount
of salt, sugar and fat it has.
• The authority is bringing in the regulation based on a report from Indian Institute of
Management-Ahmedabad.

10. India will soon launch the third phase of Monsoon Mission by the Ministry of Earth
Sciences.
• The announcement was made by the International Monsoons Project Office (IMPO) —
jointly hosted by Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) and the
World Meteorologic Organisation (WMO).
• The IMPO, along with the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), will work
towards coordinating with global monsoon experts and undertake collaborative research on
monsoon affecting the Asian, African, American and Oceania countries.
• The Monsoon Mission was first launched in 2012 as a flagship project undertaken by the
MoES to improve overall understanding of Indian monsoons.

11. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) will organise a post-
Budget webinar for creating synergies for accelerated economic growth.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address all participants on the vision of GatiShakti and its
convergence with the Budget 2022.

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• This session will focus on the Gati Shakti National Master Plan portal that has been
developed by the Bhaskaracharya Institute of Space Application Geo-informatics.
• The portal will provide real-time inputs to stakeholders through a dynamic Geographic
Information System interface.

12. Union Cabinet has approved the nationwide roll-out of the Ayushman Bharat Digital
Mission (ABDM) with a budget of Rs 1,600 crore for 5 years.
• The National Health Authority (NHA) will be the implementing agency of the central
sector scheme.

13. Defence Expo 2022 will organize an event called Invest4iDEX to provide a platform to
startups to pitch their ideas in front of a live audience, which will have reputed investors and
venture capitalists.
• Invest4iDEX will be one of the top highlights of Defence Expo 2022.

14. Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has commemorated its 20th Foundation Day Ceremony
in Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
• National Innovation Conclave on Low-Carbon Technology was also organized on this
occasion.
• The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) came into force on March 1st, 2002 under the
provisions of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.

15. Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, under the aegis of the Ministry of Housing and Urban
Affairs, is organizing a National conclave on ‘Social Enterprises for Garbage Free Cities:
Encouraging Women Entrepreneurs in Waste management’ in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

Highlights of the event-

• Theme song ‘Swachhata Jaari Hai’ was also launched.
• In Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, women-led self-help groups termed as “SHE teams” are
maintaining community toilets in slums, and spreading awareness regarding healthy
sanitation and hygiene practices in slum communities.

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• In Gurugram, Haryana, Saahas NGO, in collaboration with the Municipal Corporation, is

spearheading the ‘Alag Karo Campaign- Har Din Teen Bin’ to create awareness about
the segregation of municipal solid waste.
• Chhattisgarh has been adjudged the Cleanest State in India (in the category of ‘more
than 100 ULBs’) for 3 years in succession under Swachh Survekshan, as well as the Best
State in the SafaiMitra Suraksha Challenge.

16. Union government has allowed manufacture and import of machine-made polyester
national flags by amending the 2002 Flag Code of India.
• The rules earlier permitted only flags made by "hand-spun and woven wool or cotton or silk
khadi bunting" while the import of machine-made flags was banned in 2019.
• The new amendment states that "The National Flag shall be made of hand spun and hand
woven or machine made, cotton, polyester, wool, silk khadi bunting."
• The tricolour can be hoisted by Indian nationals as long as the honour and dignity of the
flag are being respected.
• In 2009, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs granted permission for the national
flag to fly day and night on public and private institutions and buildings.

17. Ministry of Women and Child Development has launched the “Stree Manoraksha Project”
to celebrate the International Women’s Day and Week from 1st to 8th March, 2022.
• The project has been launched under the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
• The “Stree Manoraksha project” has been launched in collaboration with National Institute
of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS; based in Bangalore).
• Purpose – to extend mental health training to 6000 One-Stop Centre (OSC)
functionaries across India.
• Ministry of WCD is looking forward for a pilot on ‘Naari Adalat’ with the help of NALSA so
that women victims can get speedy justice.

18. 3rd edition of NIC (National Informatics Centre) Tech Conclave was held in New Delhi.
• Theme for Tech Conclave – “Next-Gen Technologies for Digital Government”.
• NIC has been organizing Tech Conclave focused on Emerging Technologies applicable
especially in e-Governance.

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19. Central govt has approved the proposal for continuation of the seven existing sub
schemes under the Umbrella Scheme of Relief and Rehabilitation of Migrants and
Repatriates.
• Extension in tenure - 2021-22 to 2025-26
• Budget – Rs 1,452 crore
• Objective – to enable migrants and repatriates, who are displaced, to earn a reasonable
income and facilitate their inclusion in mainstream economic activities.
• Assistance – The government is also providing grants-in-aid to West Bengal for
infrastructure development in 51 erstwhile Bangladeshi enclaves in India, situated in Cooch
Behar District and for resettlement of 922 returnees from erstwhile Indian enclaves in
Bangladesh.

20. The field assessment for the 7th edition of Swachh Survekshan (world’s largest urban
cleanliness survey) was launched by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• Focus / Philosophy of SS 2022 – ‘People First’
• New indicator in the SS 2022 survey - ‘Swachh Technology Challenge’
• New categories – To include more small cities, two new population categories under 15K
and between 15-25K are introduced in SS 2022.
• For the first time, district rankings have been introduced.
• As part of this challenge, individuals/organizations and start-ups submitted innovative
solution under four thematic categories, viz., (i) social inclusion, (ii) zero dump (solid
waste management), (iii) plastic waste management and (iv) transparency through digital
enablement, across all Urban Local Bodies.

About SS –
• SS was introduced by MoHUA in 2016 to encourage cities to improve the status of urban
sanitation.
• Initially, 73 cities with million plus population were covered in the survey. Now, 4,320 cities,
including 62 Cantonment Boards, were included in SS 2021.

21. IIT-Roorkee and National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee have jointly organized Roorkee
Water Conclave.
• The Conclave is a regular international conference occurring every 2 years.
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• The first water conclave was organized broadly focusing on "Hydrological Aspects of
Climate Change" during February 26 - 28, 2020.
• The present water conclave is being organized on the theme of "Water Security for
Sustainable Development" during March 02 - 04, 2022.

22. MyGov has launched the “Sabka Vikas MahaQuiz” series, consisting of 14 quizzes, all
hosted at Quiz.MyGov.in to create awareness amongst citizens about good governance.
• “Sabka Vikas MahaQuiz series” aims to aware the participants about the various
government schemes and initiatives.
• Every week, the top 1000 winners will be announced and every winner will receive Rs
2000/- each.
• Each quiz will cater to a specific scheme. The first quiz is on Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan
Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY).

23. Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Parshottam Rupala, will
inaugurate the ‘Sagar Parikrama’ program.
• The program has been organised by the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries,
Animal Husbandry and Dairying, National Fisheries Development Board, Department
of Fisheries, Government of Gujarat, Indian Coast Guard, Fishery Survey of India,
Gujarat Maritime Board.
• Purpose – to know the problems of Coastal Fisher folk. It will be organised in other districts
of Gujarat and other State/UTs in subsequent phases.
• Phase I - from Mandvi at Shyamiji Krishna Varma Memorial, Gujarat to Porbandar situated
at the estuary (where river Rukmavati meets the Gulf of Kutch)

24. Ministry of Home Affairs has given a nod to the formation of Village Defence Groups
(VDGs) in Jammu and Kashmir.
• The members of the Village Defence Groups will be designated as Village Defence
Guards.
• In more vulnerable areas, people leading/ coordinating the VDG would be paid ₹4,500 per
month and other persons who are members of these VDGs on a voluntary basis will be paid
a uniform rate of ₹4,000 per month.
• Director-General of Police (DGP), Jammu and Kashmir - Dilbag Singh
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25. India’s first Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) named as Hoegh Giant has
arrived at H-Energy’s Jaigarh terminal in Maharashtra.
• The Hoegh Giant will deliver re-gasified LNG to the 56-km long Jaigarh-Dabhol natural gas
pipeline, connecting the LNG terminal to the national gas grid.

26. On 3rd Day of Jan Aushadhi Diwas week long celebrations, Jan Aushadhi Bal Mitra
programme was held at 75 locations across the country.
• Purpose - to engage children as Bal Mitras with Jan Aushadhi scheme to educate them
about the benefits of the scheme, price difference between Jan Aushadhi medicines and
branded medicines, savings, Jan Aushadhi Seva Bhi Rozgar Bhi, etc.
• An online quiz on Jan Aushadhi will be conducted through MyGov platform with a prize
of Rs. 200/- coupon each for 100 Bal Mitras.

27. The Jindal School of International Affairs (JSIA) of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) has
been awarded two significant grants from the governments of the United States of America
and Australia to further training and research that enhance India's strategic partnerships.
• The US grants will be used for delivering a high-quality Massive Online Open Course
(MOOC) on 'Understanding US Foreign Policy and US-India Relations'.
• The Australian grants will be used for analysing different aspects of Integrated Maritime
Management and Security across the Indo-Pacific region.

28. India has signed the Host Country Agreement with International Telecommunication
Union (ITU) for the establishment of an Area Office & Innovation Centre of ITU in New
Delhi.
• Signatories - Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Communications and H.E. Houlin
Zhao, Secretary General of ITU
• The Area Office & Innovation Centre of ITU at New Delhi is expected to serve South
Asian countries namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka
and India.
• The office is expected to give impetus to research and development in telecommunication
technologies in South Asia.

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• The agreement was signed in a virtual ceremony during the World Telecommunications
Standardisation Assembly-20 (WTSA-20) being held in Geneva, Switzerland.
• WTSA is a four-yearly global conference of ITU dedicated to standardisation of the
Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs). India has proposed to host the next
WTSA to be held in 2024.

29. Ministry of Women and Child Development, in collaboration with UNICEF’s YuWaah,
organized the #NaariShakti conversation, on ‘STEM and Financial Literacy for Young
Women’.
• It was organized as part of the ‘Iconic Week’ celebrating the International Women’s Day
under the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.

30. Central Government has approved the scheme - Modernisation Plan-IV for Central Armed
Police Forces (CAPFs) in continuation of the scheme “Modernisation Plan-III for CAPFs”.
• The Modernisation Plan-IV will run from 01.02.2022 to 31.03.2026.
• Ministry – Ministry of Home Affairs
• Outlay – Rs.1,523 crore
• Objective - to equip the CAPFs with modern state-of-the-art weapons and equipment and
providing upgraded IT solutions to CAPFs.
• It will improve the overall operational efficiency/preparedness of CAPFs which will positively
impact the internal security.

31. Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), India’s largest hospitality company, has announced to
collaborate with UNESCO to help safeguard and promote the intangible cultural heritage of
India.
• Together, IHCL and UNESCO will offer experiential tours for travellers at various IHCL
hotels.
• The first phase will include visits to local communities practicing art forms like
o Patachitra - a traditional scroll painting technique in West Bengal,
o Ganga Aarti – the prayer ceremony at Dasashwamedh Ghat at Varanasi in Uttar
Pradesh, as well as
o Kalbelia performances, Blue Pottery making, Bagru Hand Block printing, and the
Terracota art of Molela – all from Rajasthan.
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32. “Jan Aushadhi Jan Jagran Abhiyan – Health Heritage Walk” was held at Purana Qila in
New Delhi on the 4th day of weeklong celebrations of Jan Aushadhi Diwas.
• The Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI) organised Jan
Aushadhi Sankalp Yatra, Matri Shakti Samman and Jan Aushadhi Bal Mitra on 1st
March, 2nd March and 3rd March, 2022, respectively, across the country.

33. Ministry of MSME has launched two special initiatives - 'Sambhav' and 'Svavlamban' to
promote entrepreneurship amongst youth, especially in aspirational Districts all across the
country.
• International Summit on Plastics Recycling & Waste Management was organized by
Ministry of MSME in association with The All-India Plastics Manufacturers’ Association
(AIPMA) at New Delhi.

34. India’s first fully equipped mobile ambulance for on-site treatment of street animals has
been launched by Four Paws (an animal welfare organisation) and Blue Cross of India,
Chennai.

35. DRDO has equipped the EOS-04 satellite with Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits
(MMICs).
• Many of the Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMIC) were designed/ developed
and produced at Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL) DRDO and Gallium Arsenide
Enabling Technology Centre (GAETEC) of DRDO.
• These devices typically perform functions such as microwave mixing, power amplification,
low-noise amplification, and high-frequency switching.
• In February, ISRO launched EOS-04 satellite on PSLV-C52 rocket.

36. Department of Science and Technology (DST), Ministry of S&T, has launched the ‘Building
AI Readiness among Young Innovators’ program, in partnership with Intel India, on the
occasion of National Science Day on 28th February.
• Purpose – to create awareness about AI among the students from classes 6 to 10.
• Students will be introduced to the basics of AI and its multiple domains - computer vision,
natural language processing, statistical data, etc.
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• The program will be launched in three different phases across the country.
• Eligibility criteria – Students must have enrolled under the DST’s INSPIRE-Awards
MANAK scheme.
o INSPIRE Awards - MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspirations
and Knowledge) is being executed by DST with National Innovation Foundation,
India (NIF), an autonomous body of DST, to motivate students of classes 6 to 10.
o The awards are given to students giving innovative scientific ideas (which have a
societal application).
o Target - 1 million original ideas/innovations will be recognized.
o INSPIRE stands for 'Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research'

37. National Highway for Electric Vehicle (NHEV), an organization for promoting electrification
of India’ transportation systems, is constructing a green charging hub along the Jaipur-Delhi-
Agra E-highway.
• It will be India’s first green charging station, which will be built by using the green
construction techniques.
• In the last two months, two of India’s largest electric vehicle charging stations have
been established in Gurgaon, Haryana.

38. "Kavach" is an indigenously developed automatic train protection system that aims to
avoid train accidents.
• The system successfully passed its anti-collision test in Hyderabad.
• It is termed as the world's cheapest automatic train collision protection system.
• Developed by Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) of Indian
Railways, in collaboration with private industry, the technology has also passed the SIL-4
(Safety Integrity Level- 4) test, which is the highest level of safety and integrity.
• It will be rolled out across the entire rail network from 2022-23.

39. Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region is celebrating the ‘Nari Shakti of North
East’ campaign as part of the International Women's Day week.
• Minister of M/o DoNER - Shri G. Kishan Reddy

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• Shri G. Kishan Reddy will be interacting with the Women Work Force of the Ministry, North
Eastern Council and various associate Departments in Government of India in a virtual
‘Town Hall’ Meeting.

40. India Global Forum (IGF) event will be held at Bengaluru on March 7-8. It will be attended by
Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
• The Minister is slated to interact with the founders and CEOs of 30 unicorns during the
event.
• IGF is the agenda-setting forum for international business and global leaders. It provides a
platform for leaders and global corporates to interact with each other.

41. Minister of Labour and Employment, Bhupender Yadav, has launched the ‘Donate-a-
Pension’ programme under Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan (PM-SYM) Yojana.
• Purpose – to encourage people to contribute to the pension fund of their support staff such
as domestic workers, drivers, helpers etc.
• Under PM-SYM, workers working in the unorganised sector in the age group of 18-40
years can register themselves and deposit a minimum of Rs 660 to Rs 2400 every year
depending on their age.
• After attaining the age of 60 years, they will receive the minimum assured pension of Rs
3,000 per month.
• The Labour Ministry is also celebrating the ‘Iconic Week’ from March 7 to 13.

Iconic Week –
• Ministry of Women and Child Development will celebrate the International Women’s Day
week from 1st to 8th March 2022 as an ‘Iconic Week’ as a part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit
Mahotsav’.
• Department of Rural Development, Ministry of Rural Development, is celebrating the
Iconic Week (from March 7- 13) on the theme of ‘Naye Bharat ki Naari’ and with the
official hashtag #NayeBharatkiNaari.
o Rural Self Employment Training Institute (RSETI) will start a batch with women
trainees, and each State/UT will felicitate 75 Self Help Group (SHG) women earning
more than Rs 1 Lakh.

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o Each state / UT will organize Grih Pravesh of 75 women beneficiaries under

“Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin.”
o Rural Self Help Group women members under the DAY-National Rural Livelihood
Mission (NRLM) will run cleanliness drives in 75 districts across States.
o Each district will provide financial assistance to 750 rural women beneficiaries
under PMAY-G to build toilets under Swatch Bharat Mission-Gramin.
• Ministry of Labour and Employment is celebrating Iconic Week from 7-13th March.
National Career Service (NCS) e-Book was launched.

42. Ministry of Women and Child Development, in partnership with the Ministry of Education
and UNICEF, has launched “Kanya Shikhsa Pravesh Utsav” campaign.
• The campaign was launched on the eve of International Women’s Day.
• Purpose - to bring back out of school adolescent girls in India to the formal education
and/or skilling system.
• UN’s Theme on International Women’s Day’s– Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable
Tomorrow
• India’s Campaign – #BreaktheBias

43. Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, in
collaboration with Sulabh International, have organized “Swacchagraha” event in New
Delhi.
• Purpose - to create awareness on “Swachhta, Swadhinta and Sulabh”.
• The event was launched as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• The event will also feature performance by Dhruva –The Sanskrit Band. This is the
world’s only music band that is based on India’s oldest own tradition of Vedic–gaan and
Stotra–gaan in Sanskrit language.

44. Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of the Swatantrata Sainik Samman Yojana
(SSSY) and its components from 2021-22 to 2025-26.
• Total outlay – Rs.3,274.87 crore
• Ministry – Ministry of Home Affairs
• Objective – to give financial benefits (such as dearness allowance) and pensions to
freedom fighters and their dependents.
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o The amount of pension has been revised from time to time and Dearness Relief is
also given since August 2016.
• Current coverage – 23,566 beneficiaries

45. Ministry of MSME has launched a special entrepreneurship drive for women – SAMARTH
– on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
• Purpose - To provide women an opportunity to be self-reliant and independent by
undertaking self-employment opportunities.
• Components of the Samarth initiative –
o 20% Seats in free Skill Development Programs organized under skill development
schemes of the Ministry.
o 20% of MSME Business Delegations sent to domestic & international exhibitions
under the schemes for Marketing Assistance implemented by Ministry will be
dedicated to women owned MSMEs.
o 20% Discount on annual processing fee on NSIC’s Commercial Schemes
o Special Drive for registration of women-owned MSMEs under Udyam Registration.

46. Election Commission of India (ECI) has hosted the International Election Visitors
Programme (IEVP) 2022 virtually for Election Management Bodies (EMBs).
• Participants - nearly 32 Countries and four international organizations
• India has been hosting the International Election Visitors Programme (IEVP) since 2012.
• Sushil Chandra is the Chief Election Commissioner of India and Chairperson of
Association of World Election Bodies (A-Web).

47. Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and
Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal, was addressing “ONLY ONE EARTH – a discussion on
Environment”, a Special Interactive Session on Environment at the Dubai Expo 2020.
• The session was organized by the India Pavilion and Bhamla Foundation.
• Highlights from his Speech –
o He has called for climate warriors to adopt Climateprenurship (entrepreneurship for
climate or related fields) on a mission mode.

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o India’s installed non-fossil energy capacity, which is the 4th largest in the
world, had increased by almost 300% in the last 7.5 years and stood at more than
150 GW at present.
o India has one of the world’s lowest solar tariffs at Rs 2.14 kW/h.
o India aspires to be a leading Hydrogen economy of the world. Under the National
Hydrogen Mission, India aims to reduce the cost of Hydrogen to half, from Rs
350/kg to Rs 160/kg by 2030. Hydrogen is the ‘Fuel of the future’.
o India’s largest Bio-CNG plant was inaugurated in Madhya Pradesh.
o Under the Swachh Bharat 2.0 (Urban), India now processes 70% of its waste.
India aspired to be free of single-use plastic by 2022.
o Since 2014, India has seen an investment of USD 2.1 Billion flowing into the
Climate technology startups in India.

48. Ministry of Environment and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the
National Capital Region (NCR) have inaugurated a two-day interactive session titled
“Dialogue Towards Clean Air” in Gurugram.
• Chairperson of the Commission for Air Quality Management - MM Kutty

49. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had created a Task Force to study the reasons for Suicide
in the central armed police forces (CAPFs) a few months ago.
• Presently, the Ministry has asked the task force to look into the incidents of fratricide that
took place recently in the BSF’s camps in Punjab and West Bengal.
• Five soldiers were killed in Punjab’s Amritsar camp and two soldiers were killed in West
Bengal’s Murshidabad district in a fight amongst themselves.
• The Task Force is headed by IPS officer V S K Kaumudi (the special secretary (internal
security) in the home ministry).
• Fratricide - the killing of one's brother or sister; the accidental killing of one's own forces in
war.

50. Department of Science and Technology has launched various initiatives to celebrate the
International Women’s Day 2022.
• Three programs under the WISE-KIRAN program launched.

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• Purpose – to provide opportunity to young

women researchers to work in the industry for
short and long duration.
• Two components of the program:
o Industrial Internship: It is a 6 months
internship program for girls who have
Industrial Research
1st program submitted their Ph. D thesis
Fellowship for Women
o Industrial Fellowship: It is a 3 years
fellowship for women scientists who
have Ph.D./ M. Tech/ M. Pharm or
equivalent degree
• This new programme will be one time grant for
women scientists.
• Age limit – 45-60 years
• Eligibility – completion of at least 2
independent research projects and have
excellent track record
• Purpose – 5 years' project will be given to
women scientists along with fellowship and
2nd Senior Women research grant.
program Scientists Fellowship • Project will be in any of the six below-
mentioned areas –
o Physical and Mathematical Science,
Chemical Science, Life Science, Earth &
Atmospheric Science, Engineering &
Technology, Science & Technology for
Society
• Purpose – to provide exposure to research
Overseas Fellowship scholars and young women scientists to
3rd program
for Women upgrade their skills in various countries
• Components –

pg. 17
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o Women Overseas Student Internship –

for Ph. D scholars of age group 21-35
years
o Women Overseas Fellowship – for
young faculty of age group 27-45 years
• Duration and other benefits - This 3-6 months
overseas visit will include monthly stipend,
return air fare, health insurance, contingency
etc.

• Other launches –
o A short film on Women Empowerment Atlas of India: Science & Technology
Perspective;
o Film on various programmes under WISE-KIRAN Scheme;
o A Booklet on 'WISE-KIRAN: At a Glance';
o Success stories of 75 women scientists in Intellectual Property Rights (WOS-C
programme)
o A Brief Report on study of Women Technology Parks (WTPs) for integrated
development of rural women.

51. National Dam Safety Authority has been constituted by the Central Govt to maintain
standards related to dam safety, prevent dam-related disasters and resolve inter-state issues
in this regard.
• It is a statutory body constituted under the Dam Safety Act, 2021.
• The Authority will be headed by a chairman and assisted by five members to lead its five
wings — policy and research, technical, regulation, disaster and resilience and
administration and finance.
• HQ – National Capital Region and it will be supported by four regional offices.
• The Centre also constituted a 22-member National Committee on Dam Safety which will
be headed by the Chairman of the Central Water Commission (incumbent – RK Sinha).

52. India’s first 100% women-owned industrial park has begun operations in Sultanpur near
Patancheru, Hyderabad.
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• Promoted by the FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), in partnership with the Telangana
government, the park has 25 units, representing 16 diverse green category industries, all
owned and operated by women.

53. NITI Aayog's Atal Innovation Mission has joined hands with camera firm Snap Inc, which
owns social media platform Snapchat, to drive Augmented Reality (AR) skilling among the
Indian youth.

54. Smart Event Tracking System (SETS) is an in-house software of the Indian Railways.
• SETS is a Google Maps-based planning and analysis tool to tackle the problem of cattle
getting run over by the trains.

55. Union Minister for Power has launched the Virtual Smart Grid Knowledge Centre (Virtual
SGKC) and Innovation Park as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav Programme.
• It will act as a Centre of Excellence to foster innovation, entrepreneurship and research in
smart grid technologies.
• The new Virtual Smart Grid Knowledge Centre located within the POWERGRID centre
in Manesar, Haryana is the first of its kind initiative by the Union government.
• The Virtual SGKC is conceptualized and developed by POWERGRID with support from the
Union ministry of power and technical assistance from USAID.

56. Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of the National Land Monetization Corporation
(NLMC) to monetise surplus land and building assets of Central Public Sector Enterprises
(CPSEs) and other agencies linked to the Government.
• Government had put out a 4-year National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) worth an estimated
Rs 6 lakh crore.

57. Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the
establishment of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (WHO GCTM) in
Jamnagar, Gujarat.
• For this, India and WHO have signed a Host Country agreement between the
Government of India and the World Health Organization (WHO).

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• The WHO GCTM, to be established under the Ministry of AYUSH, would be the first and
only global outposted Centre (office) for traditional medicine across the globe.

Other MOUs –
• An MOU signed between the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and DFG,
Germany
• An MoU signed by the ICMR with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
(NIAID)
• National Institute of Health of Department of Health and Human Services, U.S.
• ICMR’s MoU with Oxford University, U.K. for capacity-building for Indian scientists and
researchers, collection of data compliant with international standards and regulatory
requirements, development of India towards becoming a regional hub for capacity
development.

58. Ministry of Tourism had constituted an inter-ministerial task force for National Digital
Tourism Mission in July, 2021.
• The task force has presented the draft report on National Digital Tourism Mission, which
has been released for public comments.
• Purpose - The National Digital Tourism Mission envisages to achieve the objective of
harnessing the full potential of digitization in tourism sector by facilitating exchange of
information and services in tourism sector spreading across national and state tourism
organizations, tourism service providers, tourism destinations, products, experiences and
tourists.

59. Sahityotsav, the Festival of Letters of Sahitya Akademi, India’s most inclusive literature
festival will be held from 10th to 15th March 2022 in New Delhi.

60. Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela has been organized by ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research
Institute, New Delhi.
• Theme - “Self-sufficient Farmers with technological Knowledge”

61. 5th NSA-level meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave was organized in Maldives.

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• The Colombo Security Conclave is a regional security grouping of India, Sri Lanka, and
Maldives, which was constituted in 2011.
• At the meeting, Mauritius has been included into the group.
• Bangladesh and Seychelles attended the meeting as observers, and have been invited to
join the group.

62. 3rd edition of the National Youth Parliament Festival (NYPF) has been organised virtually.
• The theme of this year's National Youth Parliament Festival is 'be the voice of New India
and find solutions and contribute to Policy'.
• Age limit for participants – 15 to 29 years

63. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has organised a national level ‘India Water Pitch-
Pilot-Scale Start-up Conclave’ at Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, in
order to start the communication with start-ups in water sector.
• The Ministry will select 100 start-ups through this challenge, which will be provided Rs 20
lakhs as funding support.
• ‘India Water Pitch-Pilot-Scale Start-up Challenge’ was also launched during the
conclave.
• The Ministry will select 100 start-ups through this challenge, which will be provided Rs 20
lakhs as funding support.

64. National Medical Commission (NMC) has removed the upper age limit for appearing in the
undergraduate medical entrance exam (NEET-UG) for all the candidates.
• Earlier, the age limit was 25 years for general category candidates and 30 years in the
case of reserved category candidates.
• Chairman of National Medical Commission - Suresh Chandra Sharma
• NMC is a statutory body, formed under the National Medical Commission Act, 2019.

65. Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2022 – an annual initiative of IIT-Kharagpur – has been
organized by IIT-Kharagpur in collaboration with Reliance Industries.
• Theme – Innovation for Inclusion

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66. The Asansol Division of Indian Railways has commissioned the ‘Gati Shakti Multi-Modal
Cargo Terminal’ (GCT) under the PM Gati Shakti scheme.
• It is Indian Railways’ first ‘Gati Shakti’ cargo terminal.

67. Ministry of MSME has launched the MSME Innovative Scheme for facilitating and guiding
the development of ideas into viable business ventures.
• Purpose – to provide guidance, financial support, technical support, and more to
MSMEs across three sub-schemes, namely, incubation, design, and intellectual
property rights (IPR).
• Host institutes – institutions which are selected by govt to act as the business incubator
for the MSMEs.
• Financial assistance – Rs 15 lakh per idea to host institutes (which will be accredited by
govt) and Rs 1 crore support for procuring plant and machinery for MSMEs
• SIDBI’s Special Fund – Support amounting to Rs 1 crore will be provided to MSMEs for
commercialisation of ideas, designs and patents across all three sub-schemes and also to
help MSMEs further scale up to raise subsequent funding.
• Sub-schemes -
• MSME Idea Hackathon will be launched to invite ideas from
Incubation Component MSMEs, innovators and students through host institutes
from March 10 to March 24, 2022.
• The scheme would provide mentoring and financial
assistance towards solving design-related problems for new
product development as well as improvement in existing
products.
• The partner institutions under the scheme are IISc
Design Component Bangalore, IITs, National Institute of Technology, National
Institute of Design, and others.
• Micro enterprises would have access to 75% of the total
project cost while small and medium businesses would be
provided with 60% financing or up to a maximum of Rs 40
lakh per project.

pg. 22
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• Students participating in the scheme would get the

assistance of 75% of the total project cost or up to a
maximum of Rs 2.5 lakh.
• MSMEs would be eligible to get their cost incurred on
registration of patent, trademark, geographical indications
(GI), and design reimbursed.
Intellectual Property
• The maximum assistance would be Rs 5 lakh in case of a
Rights (IPR)
foreign patent, Rs 1 lakh for a domestic patent, Rs 2 lakh for
GI registration, Rs 15,000 for design registration, and Rs
10,000 for trademark.

68. Chennai-based petrochemicals manufacturer Tamilnadu Petroproducts Ltd (TPL) has

become the first company in the world to have its product linear alkylbenzene (LAB)
conferred with BIS (IS12795:2020) certification.
• The certification is conferred by the Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Ministry of
Chemicals & Fertilizers.
• TPL is a part of the petrochemicals division of AM International, the Singapore-
headquartered MNC.
• The company is India’s leading manufacturer of LAB and the only producer in South
India.

69. ISRO has launched YUVIKA 2022 – a learning programme – to impart basic knowledge on
space technology, space science, and space applications among the school-going children.
• The programme will focus on young students, especially for those from rural areas.
• It will run for two weeks from May 16 to May 28.
• The programme aims to select 150 students from across the country.
• Interested and eligible candidates can apply at isro.gov.in.
• Students who want to apply will have to show their class 8 examinations.
• The programme is planned to be held at five ISRO centres — Vikram Sarabhai Space
Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram; U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), Bengaluru; Space
Application Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad; National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC),
Hyderabad and North-East Space Application Centre (NE-SAC), Shillong.

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70. Atal Innovation Mission has partnered with KidEx Venture Private Limited to leverage
KidEx’s existing technology platform “IKIGAI” to host AIM’s flagship programs
“Tinkerpreneur”, “ATL Marathon” and other similar ATL related challenges.
• These programs would be accessible to every student affiliated with ATL’s network of
schools in a digital, convenient manner at zero cost.
• Tenure of the program – 2 years
• Targeted population – at least 10 Lakhs+
• KidEx shall be adopting 100 schools under Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) initiative.
• KidEx is a Startup India recognized company, launched by alumni of IIT Kharagpur & IIM
Calcutta.

71. Ministry of Power has formed Power Foundation (a society formed under the Societies Act,
1860).
• The organization is patronizing the power sector CPSEs such as NTPC, POWERGRID,
REC, PFC, NHPC, THDC, NEEPCO, and SJVN.
• Chairperson of the Steering Committee of the Power Foundation – Minister of Power,
New and Renewable Energy.
• Director General of the Power Foundation – Sanjiv Nandan Sahai (former secretary of
Ministry of Power)

72. 5th India-Canada Ministerial Dialogue on Trade & Investment (MDTI) was held to further
strengthen the bilateral ties and economic partnership including India-Canada
Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
• Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business
and Economic Development, Government of Canada visited New Delhi to attend the
dialogue.
• India-Canada bilateral trade –
o Total goods and services crossed $11 billion
o In current financial year during April 2021-January 2022, Indian exports to Canada
have increased to US$ 3 billion approx. registering a growth of almost 25% over the
previous year.

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73. Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, has released

guidelines for 'Strengthening of Pharmaceutical Industry’ (SPI) scheme.
• Purpose - to improve the productivity, quality and sustainability of Pharma clusters and
MSMEs across India.
• The Centre has assigned an outlay of ₹500 crore for the period from fiscal 2021-22 to
2025-26.
• In the Scheme, financial assistance to pharma clusters will be provided for the creation
of Common Facilities.
• Interest subvention or capital subsidy on their capital loans will be provided under the
scheme, which will further facilitate the growth in volumes as well as in quality.
• The scheme has 3 components/sub-schemes –
o Assistance to Pharmaceutical Industry for Common Facilities (APICF) – for
creation of common infrastructure. Rs 178 crores is proposed for this component.
o Pharmaceutical Technology Upgradation Assistance Scheme (PTUAS) – to
facilitate Micro, Small and Medium Pharma Enterprises (MSMEs) of a proven track
record to meet national and international regulatory standards
§ A maximum of 5% per annum (6% in case of units owned and managed by
SC/STs) of interest subvention or through Credit linked Capital subsidy of
10%
§ An outlay of ₹300 crore has been earmarked for the sub-scheme for the
scheme period of five years.
o Pharmaceutical & Medical Devices Promotion and Development Scheme
(PMPDS) – to facilitate growth and development of Pharmaceutical and Medical
Devices Sectors through study/survey reports, awareness programs, creation of
database, and promotion of industry.
§ Proposed Outlay - ₹21.5 crore

74. Justice AK Sikri (Former Supreme Court judge) will chair the High-Powered Committee
constituted by the Supreme Court for scrutinising the Char Dham Mahamarg Vikas
Pariyojana (Char Dham Highway Development Project).
• The committee was formed to analyse the impact of the project on the entire Himalayan
valley.

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• Justice Sikri is already chairing the “Oversight Committee” constituted by the SC to

oversee the implementation of the Char Dham project and to ensure there were no
breaches.
• The project envisages construction of 900-km roads to provide all-weather connectivity
to four holy towns — Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath — in Uttarakhand.
• In December 2021, the SC allowed widening of the three highways — Rishikesh to Mana,
Rishikesh to Gangotri, and Tanakpur to Pithoragarh — forming part of the project.
o These highways will have a width of 10 metres.
o This widening is imperative in the region to move arms and heavy ammunition
quickly to the border in view of the India-China tensions

75. Central Govt’s Plans –

• Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia, revealed that the govt is planning to use
small aircrafts and helicopters under RCS-UDAN scheme to connect far-flung areas.
o This was announced at the inauguration ceremony of the first-ever Indore-Gondia-
Hyderabad flight under the UDAN scheme.
o Regional airline FlyBig is operating the flight. It was the first commercial flight to
Gondia from Indore.
o Now, Indore has been connected by air with 21 cities. The number of weekly flights
flying in and out from Indore to 445 from 308. Indore to UAE flight has already
started functioning.
• Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, revealed that the govt is planning to
launch an Agritech Startup Fund to encourage startups in agri-tech sector.

76. According to Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the funding
released under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) has been made performance
based.
• The ministry is also developing a digital platform to provide information to all stakeholders
on the waste management ecosystem.
• NCAP was launched in 2019.

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77. Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), being implemented by the
Department of Pharmaceutical, offers a basket of 1,451 drugs and 240 surgical instruments at
subsidised rates.
• Now, nutraceuticals products, including protein powder and bar, malt­
based food supplements and immunity bars, will be offered to the customers as part of the
basket.
• Currently, 8,675 PMBJP Kendras function in districts across the country with three IT­
enabled warehouses in Gurugram, Chennai and Guwahati and another
one ready to start operations in Surat.
• Target - 10,500 PMBJP Kendras and 6 warehouses by the end of March 2025.
• Pricing - a medicine is priced on the principle of maximum of 50% of the average price of
the top three brands of the said medicine.
o In India, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority under the Department of
Pharmaceuticals regulates the prices of all drugs, whether branded or generic.
o The NPPA regulates the prices of only those medicines which are mentioned in the
first schedule of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013.

78. Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Parshottam Rupala, has
addressed the Saurashtra Maldhari Sammelan, organised by Sahjeevan (Centre for
Pastoralism), at Upleta in Rajkot district of Gujarat.
• Theme of the sammelan – "Fostering Pastoralism in Saurashtra- Conservation and its
Sustenance"
• During the Sammelan, Rupala launched the ‘Pastoral Breeds of India’, compiled by
Sahjeevan andan “APEKSHA (Expectations) PATRA”.

Additional Info -
• Halari Donkey is one of the important livestock in the semi-arid landscape of Saurashtra’s
Jamnagar and Dwarka district of the state of Gujarat.
• Bharwad and Rabari pastoralist communities use this donkey for carrying luggage during
migration.

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79. India and Sri Lanka have signed a Joint Venture and Shareholders' Agreement (JVSHA)
for the Trincomalee Power Company Limited (TPCL) for developing a 100 megawatt solar
power plant at Sampur, Trincomalee district, Sri Lanka.
• Trincomalee Power Company Limited is a joint venture between NTPC India and the
Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), Sri Lanka.
• India has offered a Line of Credit of USD 100 million to Sri Lanka, through Exim Bank,
for the development of solar power projects.

80. Minister of Tourism, Culture and DONER, Shri G. Kishan Reddy, has launched the E-
Marketplace platform during an event organised at Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel
Management (IITTM), Gwalior.
• Akin to the platforms like OLA and UBER, the E-Marketplace will act as a bridge/platform
between tourists and tourist facilitators/tourist guides/tourism service providers.
• A newly built International Executive Guest House at IITTM Gwalior Campus was
Inaugurated.
• A coffee table book named “Temple Heritage of India”, which portrays 75 Indian
Temples, was released.
• A Letter of Intent was signed between the Bird Academy and Ministry of Tourism for
providing soft skills training to IITFC program participants.

81. Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti (AVB) organisation will establish first World Peace Centre in
Gurugram, Haryana.
• AVB was established by Jainacharya Dr Lokeshji, who is also known as the Ambassador of
Peace.

82. Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan, has informed
Lok Sabha about the enrolment in the 'Customised Crash Course Programme for COVID
Warriors' (CCCP for CW) under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 3.0 (PMKVY 3.0).
• 0.18 million candidates have signed up for classroom training. Out of this, 0.15 million
candidates have completed classroom training.

About the CCCP for CW –

• Launch – 2021
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• Ministry – Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

• Purpose – to create a pool of trained/skilled COVID warriors
• Training – It is provided in six customized healthcare job roles, which are basic care
support, home care support, advanced care support, sample collection support, emergency
care support and medical equipment support.
• Components – fresh skilling (short term training) followed by three months on-the-job
training (OJT) and seven days upskilling programme for trained candidates.

83. Special Bulletin of Registrar General of India on Maternal Mortality Ratio, which assesses
the MMR performance during 2017-19, has been released.
• National MMR during 2017-19 – 103

• States with highest MMR –

o Assam – 205
o Uttar Pradesh – 167
o Madhya Pradesh – 163
o Chhattisgarh – 160
o Rajasthan – 141
• States with lowest MMR –
o Kerala – 30
o Maharashtra – 38
o Telangana – 56
o Tamil Nadu & Andhra Pradesh – 58
o Jharkhand – 61
o Gujarat – 70
• States with most improvement (decline in MMR) –
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o Uttar Pradesh – 30 points reduction

o Rajasthan – 23 points reduction
o Bihar – 19 points reduction
o Punjab – 15 points reduction
o Odisha – 14 points reduction
• Targets of MMR –
o National Health Policy, 2017 – 100 per lakh live births by 2020
o Sustainable Development Goal Target – 70 per lakh live births by 2030
• Total 7 states – Kerala, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh,
Jharkhand, and Gujarat – have achieved the SDG target.
• Total 9 states, including the above-mentioned states, along with Karnataka (with MMR of
83) and Haryana (with MMR of 96) have achieved the national target.

Additional Facts –
• Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) is calculated as the proportion of maternal deaths per
1,00,000 live births.
• Maternal Mortality Rate: This is calculated as maternal deaths to women in the ages 15-
49 per lakh of women in that age group.

84. Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan, has informed
Lok Sabha about the entrepreneurial activity in 2021.
• Citing the data of Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), Pradhan mentioned that the
total entrepreneurial activity rate (percentage of adults aged 18–64 who are starting or
running a new business) has increased to 14.4% in 2021 from 5.3% in 2020.
• On the other hand, the established business ownership rate (percentage of adults (aged
18–64) who are currently the owner-manager of an established business) increased to
8.5% in 2021 from 5.9% in 2020.
• As per the GEM, India has become the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world after
the US and China with over 60,000 start-ups. India created 42 unicorns in 2021.

About Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) –

• Administered by – Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Ahmedabad

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• Purpose – It conducts survey-based research on entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship

ecosystems around the world.

85. Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Ministry of Jal Shakti have
launched a Rs 19,000 crore afforestation plan for 13 river basins.
• Trees, shrubs, herbs etc. will planted across the basin of 13 major rivers in India to
rejuvenate the rivers and surrounding ecosystem.
• Benefits of the plan –
o Increase in the forest cover by 7,000 sq. km. approx. in the vicinity of these 13 rivers
o ₹449.01 crore to be generated from non-timber and other forest produce
o To provide employment of 344 million man–days
o Prevention of soil erosion and conservation of moisture of soil; Groundwater
replenishment etc.
o Help in meeting India’s targets –
§ Creation of an additional carbon sink of 2.5 -3 billion tonnes of CO2
equivalent under the Paris Agreement
§ Restoration of 26 million hectares of degraded lands by 2030 and halt
biodiversity loss by 2030 under CBD and Sustainable Development Goals.

• Rivers –

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o The 13 rivers collectively cover a basin area of 18,90,110 sq. km. or about 57.45%
of the geographical area.
o Their length including 202 tributaries within the delineated surroundings is 42,830
km.
o Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, Luni, Narmada,
Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna and Cauvery will be covered.
• Technical Support – Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education (ICFRE), Dehradun

86. Ultra-violet C-band radiation that is emitted from the device of CSIR- Central Scientific
Instruments Organisation (Chandigarh) was used by the Parliament’s Secretariat for
preventing Covid-19.

87. ISRO has successfully completed the ground test of the solid-fuel based booster stage
(SS1) of its new Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV).
• It has completed the ground testing of all three stages of the launch vehicle.
• The SSLV is ready for flight in May 2022.

88. Ministry of Rural Development (Giriraj Singh) has launched a first of its kind ‘Captive
Employer’ initiative under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-
GKY).
• Purpose – to select the employers who will provide training to the rural youth and
subsequent job opportunity. The employers will provide training in line with their
requirements.
• The initiative assures the trainees of post-training placement for a minimum of six months
with a minimum CTC of Rs 10,000/-.

89. Ministry of MSME has announced the extension of the Rs 20,000-crore Credit Guarantee
Scheme for Subordinate Debt (CGSSD) till 31 March, 2023.

About the Scheme –

• Launch – 2020
• Outlay – Rs 20,000 crores
• Ministry – Ministry of MSME
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• Objective – To extend support to the promoters of the operational MSMEs which are
stressed and have become NPA as on 30th April 2020.
• Functioning – Promoters of the stressed MSMEs will be given credit to further invest in
their stressed MSMEs as equity to maintain the debt-equity ratio.
• Credit Amount – Credit equal to 15% of their stake or Rs. 75 lakh whichever is lower
• Guarantee coverage – 90% guarantee for this debt will be given under the Scheme and
10% would come from the concerned promoters
• Repayment – Moratorium of 7 years; Maximum tenor for repayment is 10 years.

90. India’s largest sewage treatment plant (STP) with A20 technology has been developed by
Larsen and Toubro, in collaboration with Central and UT govt, at Coronation Pillar in Delhi.
• The project has been financed by the National Mission for Clean Ganga.
• L&T formed a joint venture with Passavant Energy & Environment GmBH (based in
Germany) for developing this plant.

91. As many as 75 companies have qualified for govt incentives under the production-linked
inventive (PLI) scheme for automobiles.
• This cohort of 75 companies include Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, Tata Motors Ltd, and Hero
MotoCorp Ltd.

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• Ministry of Heavy Industries is implementing the PLI Scheme for Automobiles and
Auto Components.
• The PLI scheme for automobiles attracted investment proposals worth ₹45,016 crore, while
auto parts saw proposals worth ₹29,834 crore.

92. Department of Pharmaceutical, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, has released the
National Policy for Medical Devices 2022.
• It is released for public comments till March 25.

Key Highlights of the Policy –

• Incentivising the core technology projects and exports through tax refunds and rebates,
• Creating a single-window clearance system for licensing medical devices,
• Strengthening the domestic supply chain in an environment-friendly manner,
• Collaboration with international agencies
• Increasing share of medical technology companies in research and development to
around 50%
• Establishing a dedicated fund for research in medical devices field. Private players,
reputed academic institutions and startups will encouraged for conducting research.
• A Price Regulation framework for medical devices
• Uniform Code for Medical Device Marketing Practices to be framed under the policy.

Need for the Policy –

• 80% of India’s medical devices are imported.
• The policy aims to reduce this dependence to 30% by 2030.
• It aims to make India, one of the top five global manufacturing hubs for medical devices
by 2047.
• The policy aims to increase India’s per capita expenditure on medical devices, which is
$3 at present, far behind than the global average of $47.

Potential of the Medical Devices Sector –

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• By 2047, India is expected to be home to 25 billion-dollar medical technology companies

and will achieve a 10-12% global market share in the medical devices sector to arrive at a
$100-300 billion industry.
• Globally, the market is expected to reach $433 billion by 2025 and is currently dominated
by the US which has a 40% market share, followed by Europe (25%) and Japan (15%).
• For several years, China has been growing at 20% rate in this sector.

Current Legislation for Medical Devices in India -

• Medical Devices Rules, 2017
• Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940
• The transition to complete regulation and licensing of all medical devices would be in force
by October 2023.

93. Ministry of Rural Development has organized the 3rd ‘Gender Samwaad’ under the
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) virtually.
• Theme - ‘Promotion of food and nutrition security through women’s collectives’
• Over 3,000 State Mission staff and Self-Help Group (SHG) members participated from 34
states.
• The Ministry celebrated the International Women’s Day Week from March 7th to 13th on the
theme of ‘Naye Bharat ki Naari’.
• To emphasise on the theme, this event has been organized.

94. Minister of Ayush and Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Shri Sarbanand
Sonowal, launched the Yoga Mahotsav 2022 for the 8th International Day of Yoga (IDY)
2022.
• The Yoga Mahotsav will be celebrated for 100 days, which are completed on June 21,
2022.
• International Day of Yoga 2022 campaign will focus on the theme of “100 days, 100
cities and 100 organizations” across the globe.
• For the first time, Yoga will be demonstrated at 75 Heritage Heritage/Iconic cultural sites
on 21st June, 2022 under the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• Yoga apps – mYoga App of WHO, Namastey App, and Y-break App.

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• Haryana is first state in India to establish the ‘Yoga Commission’. AYUSH University is
being developed at Kurukshetra, Haryana.
• Sikkim has proposed to establish National Yoga and Meditation Institute near Kritunga
Lake in Sikkim to spread knowledge about yoga.

95. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has achieved a landmark when the motor
vessel (MV) Ram Prasad Bismil became the longest vessel ever to sail on the Brahmaputra
river.
• The vessel has successfully transported heavy cargo movement from Haldia Dock in
Kolkata to Pandu port in Guwahati via the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBRP).
• The vessel, along with two barges DB Kalpana Chawla and DB APJ Abdul Kalam, was
flagged off from the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Haldia by Union Minister of Ports,
Shipping & Waterways.
• With this, NW (National Waterway) 1 & NW 2 are also integrated via Bangladesh.
o NW1 – Lies on Ganga - Bhagirathi - Hooghly river system between Haldia (West
Bengal) and Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh).
o NW2 – Lies on Brahmaputra river in North East India.

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96. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, in collaboration with FSSAI, has announced 11
cities as the winners of the EatSmart Cities Challenge.
• 11 cities – Chandigarh, Indore, Jammu, Jabalpur, Panaji, Rajkot, Rourkela, Sagar, Surat,
Tumakuru and Ujjain
• These winning cities will be given opportunity to scale up.
• The challenge was launched under the Eat Right Initiative of FSSAI.

About the Eat Right Movement –

• Eat Right Movement – 2018
• Administrator – FSSAI
• Objective – to ensure safe, healthy and sustainable food for all Indians and spreading
awareness among citizens about eating right food.
• Tagline – ‘Sahi Bhojan, Behtar Jeevan’
• Initiatives to promote Eat Right Movement –
o State Food Safety Index - to measure the performance of States on five parameters
of food safety – i) Human Resources and Institutional Data, ii) Compliance, iii) Food
Testing - Infrastructure and Surveillance, iv) Training & Capacity Building and v)
Consumer Empowerment.
o Eat Right Awards - to recognize the contribution of food companies and individuals
o Eat Right Mela - to spread knowledge among citizens about eating right and healthy
food.
o Eat Right Station - Given by FSSAI, this certification sets benchmarks (under the
Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006) in providing safe and wholesome food to
passengers.
§ Eat Right Stations At present – Bhuvneshwar Railway Station, Chandigarh
Railway Station, Anand Vihar Terminal Railway Station (Delhi), Chhatrapati
Shivaji Terminus (Mumbai), Mumbai Central Railway Station (Mumbai) and
Vadodara Railway Station.

97. Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has launched a green hydrogen-
based advanced fuel cell electric vehicle, Toyota Mirai.

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• Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd and International Centre for Automotive Technology
(ICAT) are conducting a pilot to study the advanced fuel cell electric vehicle that runs on
hydrogen for Indian roads and climatic conditions.
• This is the first of its kind project, which aims to create a green hydrogen-based
ecosystem in India.

98. 36th edition of the International Geological Congress will be hosted by India in New Delhi
from March 20-22.
• Theme - “Geosciences: The Basic Science for a Sustainable Future”
• Organizers - Ministry of Mines, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Indian National Science
Academy and the Science Academies of Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka
• Described as the Olympics of Geosciences, the IGCs are held quadrennial, under the
aegis of the International Union of Geological Congress (IUGS), the Scientific Sponsor
of the IGCs.

99. IIT-Madras is setting up a brain research centre within its campus to create the highest
resolution map of the human brain and contribute to future brain-related research projects by
using engineering and technology-based approach.

100. India has extended a line of credit $1 billion to Sri Lanka to ease a foreign exchange
shortage for the nation.
• The agreement was signed between State Bank of India and the Sri Lankan
government.
• The agreement includes aid for essentials like food and medicines.

101. Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) has signed an agreement with the Dredging Corporation of
India (DCI) to build India’s largest dredger in collaboration with IHC Holland under the
Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
• Dredging is a process to clear the bed of (a harbour, river, or other area of water) by
scooping out mud, weeds, and rubbish with a dredge.

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102. Ministry of Home Affairs has formed an advisory board comprising three judges of the
Delhi High Court to review the cases registered under the Section 9 of the National Security
Act (NSA), 1980.
• Chairman - Justice Yogesh Khanna
• Members - Justices Chandra Dhari Singh and Rajnish Bhatnagar
• The NSA allows the detention of a person up to a year without any charge. The detained
person can be held for 10 days without being told the charges against him or her.
• Purpose of the Advisory board – conduct the trial of the detainee, prepare a report based
on evidences and submit the report to the government within seven weeks from the date of
detention of the person concerned. The govt extends the detention or acquits the suspect
on the basis of this report.
• Madhya Pradesh detained the highest number of people under the NSA among all the
states followed by Uttar Pradesh.

103. India’s first rapid rail for the Delhi to Meerut corridor was unveiled by the National
Capital Regional Transport Corporation (NCRTC).
• The Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) train will run on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut
corridor and cover a distance of 82 km in just 55 minutes.
• The train is expected to start operations by March 2023.
• NCRTC’s MD – Vinay Kumar

104. Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of National AIDS and STD Control
Programme from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2026.
• Budget for FY21 to FY26 - ₹15,471.94 crore
• The programme is fully funded by the government of India and is at present in its fifth
phase.
• The Phase 4 (Extension) of National AIDS and STDs Control Programme concluded on
March 31, 2021. Due to the efforts under the scheme, the HIV prevalence in India has
declined to 0.22%.

105. India’s first green hydrogen-based energy storage project (with 50 kW of microgrid
capacity) will be developed at NTPC-Simhadri plant in Vizag region.

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• NTPC has awarded the Standalone Fuel-Cell based 50kW micro-grid pilot project with
hydrogen production using eletrolyser to Bloom Energy India Private Limited-Bengaluru.

106. Union Health Minister, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, will inaugurate the Step - Up to End TB-
World TB Day Summit on the occasion of World TB Day (March 24) at Vigyan Bhawan,
New Delhi.
• Chief Guest at the Summit – Smt. Anandiben Patel (Governor of Uttar Pradesh)
• India’s target – eliminate TB by 2025

107. Union Cabinet has approved the extension of applicability of the New Investment Policy-
2012 for three upcoming units of Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan (HURL) at Gorakhpur,
Sindri and Barauni.
• GAIL is supplying natural gas to these three units.
• The New Investment Policy (NIP) - 2012 facilitates fresh investment in the urea sector
and lays down guidelines to fix gas prices.
• HURL, incorporated in June 2016, is a joint venture between Coal India, NTPC and
Indian Oil Corporation.

108. India's new Ambassador to China Pradeep K Rawat met the Secretary-General of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Zhang Ming at Beijing (the HQ of SCO).
• India will hold the presidency of SCO in 2022-23.

109. Parliament’s Standing Committee on Energy, chaired by Rajiv Ranjan Singh (from
JD(U), Member of Parliament, has presented the report on installed renewable energy.
• According to the panel’s report, a total renewable energy capacity of 105.85 GW had
been installed in the country as of 31 January—about 60% of the overall target of 175 GW.
• As per the panel, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has continuously failed to
meet its yearly physical targets.
• The govt had set the target of 175 GW of installed renewable energy by 2022.
• The ministry fared particularly badly in the solar rooftop projects: against a target of 40
GW to be achieved by the end of this year, only 5.87 GW of rooftop solar projects had been
installed, less than 15% of the target.

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110. Ministry of Heavy Industries has sanctioned 1,576 electric vehicle (EV) charging
stations across 16 highways and nine expressways under phase II of the Faster Adoption
and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) India scheme with a budget of
₹1,000 crore.
• The ministry has already sanctioned 2,877 charging stations in 68 cities across 25
States/UTs under the second phase of the scheme.

111. Ministry of Power has announced to reduce its share of coal-based thermal power
generation capacity to 32% till 2030 from 52% at present.
• This information was provided to the Rajya Sabha by Power Minister RK Singh.

112. IIT-Madras has partnered with Tata Consultancy Services to launch a web-enabled, user-
oriented programme on “Industrial AI” that is targeted at upskilling employees in corporates in
the applications of AI to industrial problems.

113. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is implementing the Rooftop Solar Programme
Phase-II for which the guidelines were issued in August 2019.
• Under this programme, 4000 MW rooftop solar (RTS) capacity will be established in
residential areas through Central Financial Assistance (CFA).
• Central Financial Assistance (CFA) –
o Up to 40% of the benchmark cost for projects up to 3 kW capacity
o Up to 20% for capacity beyond 3 kW and up to 10 kW for individual households.
• For Group Housing Societies/Residential Welfare Associations (GHS/RWA), CFA is
limited to 20% for common rooftop solar facilities up to maximum 500 kW capacity.
• Additionally, incentives up to 10% of cost of rooftop solar is provided to Distribution
Companies depending upon achievements in capacity addition above the existing RTS
infrastructure.
• The Ministry has so far allocated 3162 MW of capacity for the residential sector, of which, a
total 1252 MW capacity has been reported installed as on 28.02.2022.

114. Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, has launched the
Sujalam 2.0 campaign for greywater (wastewater) management on the occasion of the
World Water Day.
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• The campaign aims to mobilize communities, institutions like panchayats, schools,

anganwadi to undertake greywater management at the source level by constructing
household and community soak pits.
• Funds for the Sujalam 2.0 campaign may be sourced from Swachh Bharat Mission-
Grameen Phase II or through 15th Finance Commission tied-grants or MGNREGA or
through convergence of all.

115. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has met Greece Foreign Minister Nikos
Dendias and conducted delegation-level talks at Hyderabad House, New Delhi.
• This is the first visit of Dendias to India.
• Apart from this, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi will visit India.

116. Central govt is planning to set up 5,000 skill hubs across India to provide comprehensive
skilling and vocational training to students, dropouts and also those seeking employment.
• This information was given by Minister of State for Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship, Rajeev Chandrasekhar to the Rajya Sabha.
• The skill hubs are being set up using existing infrastructures of both the education system
and the Skill India initiative.

117. A bench of Supreme Court, comprising Justices M.R. Shah and B.V. Nagarathna, has
maintained that the state legislature has the right to impose tax on lotteries conducted by
other States within its jurisdiction.
• The Bench has observed that ‘lotteries’ is a “species of gambling activity”.
• The court maintained that ‘betting and gambling’ is part of the State List in the Seventh
Schedule of the Constitution.

118. Ministry of Ayush is conducting the world's first multi-centre phase III clinical trial for
examining the efficacy of Ayurveda in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
• The clinical trial will be conducted in accordance with the International Council for
Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use –
Good Clinical Practice (ICH- GCP) guidelines.
• It is being closely monitored by Dr Daniel Erick Furst, a renowned rheumatologist at
University of California.
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119. “Dare to Erade TB” program was launched by the Central govt that aims at creating a
Genome Sequencing Consortium for WSG (whole-genome sequencing) TB surveillance.
• India TB Report 2022 was also released. Highlights of the report –

TB Prevalence –
o 19% increase in TB cases in 2021
o 11% increase in TB deaths all forms of TB between 2019 to 2020
o Total number of incident TB patients (new and relapse) notified during 2021 were
19 lakh approx. (rose from nearly 16 lakh in 2020)
o Death toll stands at 4.93 lakh in 2020 for all forms of TB excluding HIV; 13%
increment over 2019
o As per WHO’s Global TB Report 2021, the estimated incidence of all forms of TB in
India for 2020 was 188 per 1 lakh population.

Childhood TB –
o 31% of the childhood TB cases globally, are in India. It is the highest in the world.
o Children constitute 6-7% of all the patients treated under National Tuberculosis
Elimination Programme (NTEP) annually.

120. Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has enabled the procurement of ₹1 trillion within
2021-22, representing a growth of 160% as compared to previous year.
• Of this, 57% of order value is coming from small businesses.
• Launched in 2016, GeM is an online platform for procurement of goods by govt
departments and ministries in India.

121. India’s first-ever SAI National Centre of Excellence will be established in Shimla by the
Sports Ministry in collaboration with the Youth Services and Sports department of the
government of Himachal Pradesh.
• The centre will train athletes in mountain terrain biking and bicycle motocross to get medals
in the disciplines of MTB and BMX for 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

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122. Union Cabinet has approved the Indian Antarctica Bill that aims to help India in fulfilling
its obligations under the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the Convention on the Conservation of
Antarctic Marine Living Resources of 1982 and the Protocol on Environmental
Protection to the Antarctic Treaty of 1998.
• The bill has been prepared by the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• Under its Polar Science and Cryosphere Research (PACER) scheme, India has
conducted 40 scientific expeditions to Antarctica under the banner of Indian Antarctic
programme.
o The Indian Antarctic programme, which began in 1981, has built three permanent
research base stations in Antarctica — Dakshin Gangotri (1983), Maitri (1988) and
Bharati (2012).

123. Defence minister Rajnath Singh has launched the BRO Tourism portal to facilitate
online booking of guided tours to the road infrastructure projects of the Border Roads
Organisation (BRO).
• E-booking for a guided tour to Atal Tunnel, Rohtang; world's highest motorable road at
Umling La Pass, state-of-the-art bi-lane Sela Tunnel and Nechiphu Tunnel are among the
projects which will be included.

124. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) introduced Hindustan 228, a 19-seater aircraft, to
be flown under the RCS-UDAN scheme.
• Hindustan 228 aims to fulfil India’s aspiration to develop small civil transport aircraft, which
can also fly in semi-prepared and unpaved airstrips.
• The design has been transferred to HAL from Dornier GmbH (German company).

125. Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, has collaborated with the Indo-German
Development Cooperation Project titled as 'Economic Empowerment of Women
Entrepreneurs and Start-ups by Women (Her & Now)'.
• Her & Now project was commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic
Cooperation and Development, along with GIZ, GmbH and India’s Ministry for Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship.

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• Under the partnership, AIM and Her & Now will conduct the 'WINcubate Training
Programme' for the AIM Incubators and Innovation Centres and equip them in adopting
a gender-focused approach and implement women-centric incubation programmes.
o The WINcubate Training Programme has been developed by Her & Now together
with the Indian NGO Dhriiti – the Courage Within.

126. India has crossed a milestone of 50,000 open defecation-free (ODF) Plus villages.
Telangana is the top-performing state with 13,960 ODF Plus villages, followed by Tamil
Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.
• Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen Phase-II was launched in February 2020 with the aim
to ensure that all villages in the country can declare themselves as ODF Plus by the end of
2024.
• The ODF Plus villages are divided into three categories – Aspiring, Rising, and Model – to
showcase their progress.

127. India and the UAE will set up a Technical Council on Investment, Trade Promotion and
Facilitation as part of the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement
(CEPA) to boost economic ties.

128. Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Singh Thakur, has launched TEJAS
(Training for Emirates Jobs And Skills) Project at Dubai Expo.
• Purpose - skilling, certification and overseas employment of Indians.
• Tejas aims at creating a strong Indian workforce of 10,000 people in the United Arab
Emirate during the initial phase.

129. Union Cabinet has extended the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-
GKAY) scheme for another six months i.e., till September 2022 (Phase VI).
• The Government has spent approximately Rs. 2.60 lakh crore so far and another Rs.
80,000 Crore will be spent over the next 6 months till September 2022 taking the total
expenditure under PM-GKAY to nearly Rs. 3.40 lakh crore.

130. Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has recognised Centre of
Excellence for Marine Engineering, which was established in 2014 in INS Shivaji.
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• This is the one-of-its-kind recognition for a military institution.

131. Fabiosys Innovations has developed an affordable medical textile called Fabium, which
can destroy 99.9% of the bacteria and viruses within 30 minute.
• Fabiosys Innovations is a deep-tech healthcare start-up incubated at IIT-Delhi.
• Founder of Fabiosys – Yatee Gupta

132. Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, has
released a book titled Indian Agriculture towards 2030: Pathways for Enhancing Farmers’
Income, Nutritional Security and Sustainable Food and Farm Systems.
• The book is published by Springer.
• It captures the progress of the efforts of NITI Aayog, Ministries of Agriculture and Farmers’
Welfare; and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, and FAO towards improvement in
the agriculture sector.

133. Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia, has announced in the Lok Sabha
that the government has set a target of increasing the number of airports from 140 to 220
by 2025.
• The Ministry announced to triple the number of passengers who travel by air to 40 crores by
2023-24 from 14.50 crore in 2018-19.
• The government has also planned to create 33 new domestic cargo terminals, and set
up 15 new flight training schools, with a focus on drone sector.
• 15% of pilots in India would be women against the global average of 5%.
• India will have 96 carbon neutral airports, which will run on renewable energy by 2024.
• Two new airlines, Jet and Akasa, will soon launch their services.

134. India is planning to start the construction activities for 10 'fleet mode' nuclear reactors
over the next three years.
• The construction of 700 MW atomic power plant in Karnataka's Kaiga will begin from
2023.
• Currently, India operates 22 reactors with a total capacity of 6780 MW in operation.
• A 700 MW reactor at Kakrapar in Gujarat was connected to the grid in Jan 2021, but it is yet
to start commercial operations.
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• India's first pair of pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWR) of 220 MW each were set
up at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan in the 1960s with Canadian support.

135. National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has organized Yamunotsav, in association
with a group of NGOs, at ASITA East River Front, ITO Bridge, Delhi to celebrate the glory of
Yamuna with a “pledge to keep it clean”.
• NMCG is funding the construction of sewerage infrastructure for River Yamuna to the tune
of around Rs. 2300 crore.

136. Ministry of MSME and the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII),
Ahmedabad, have organized a ‘Mega International Summit on MSMEs’ at the India
International Centre, New Delhi.
• As per Central Statistics Office, Ministry of Statistics & Program Implementation, the share
of MSME in GDP at current prices (2011-12) for the year 2018-19 and 2019-20 were
30.5% and 30.0% respectively.
• MSMEs’ share in total manufacturing during the year 2018-19 and 2019-20 was 36.9%
and 36.9% respectively.
• Share of MSMEs’ in India’s total exports – 49.8% and 49.5% in 2019-20 and 2020-21
respectively

137. The National Commission for Women (NCW) has launched a legal aid clinic at its
headquarters in New Delhi to assist women in distress.
• It has been set up in collaboration with the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DLSA),
which will provide legal counselling for free.

138. Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary has informed 313 central sector
and centrally sponsored schemes from 53 ministries have been onboarded on the DBT
Bharat Portal to provide benefits to the authentic beneficiaries and eliminate middlemen.
• The portal was launched in 2013.

139. National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) is celebrating its 4th
Foundation Day on 2nd April, 2022 at Tribal Culture Centre, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.
• NESTS is an autonomous organization established under Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
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• NESTS was established in 2019 for providing high quality education to the tribal students in
their own environment.

140. Union Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, has launched over 1 lakh internship
opportunities for the youth through the All India Council For Technical Education
internship portal.
• The target is to provide 100 million (10 crore) internship opportunities in the next three
years “for boosting the employability of youth”.
• This is being done under the India @ 2047 (Armit Kaal).

141. Henk Ovink, Netherlands’ special envoy for international water affairs, has announced that
India and Netherlands will work together to prepare a framework for a global water pact.
• UN Water Conference will be hosted by Tajikistan and Netherlands on 22 March 2023 to
set the agenda for taking action on sustainable water management.
• President Ram Nath Kovind is set to visit the Netherlands on 4-7 April at the invitation of
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima.

142. Ministry of Rural Development has increased the wage rate under sub-section (1) of
Section 6 of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 w.e.f.,
April 1.
• 21 states out of the 34 states have got less than 5% increment in wages.
• Only 10 states – Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Jammu &
Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Kerala, Karnataka and Goa – have received more than 5%
increment in wages.
• The MGNREGA wage rates are fixed according to changes in the Consumer Price Index-
Agriculture Labour (CPI-AL).
• In the new wage regime –
o 5 states and UTs with the highest wages are Haryana (Rs 331 per day); Goa
(315); Kerala (311); Karnataka (309); and Andaman & Nicobar Islands (308).
o 5 states with lowest wages are Tripura (212); Bihar (210); Jharkhand (210);
Chhattisgarh (204); and Madhya Pradesh (204).

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143. Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has announced that the
ministry is planning to create a star ratings system for car manufacturers under the Bharat
New Car Assessment Programme (BNCAP).
• The proposed assessment will allocate ratings from 1 to 5 stars.

144. Living Root Bridges, found in over 70 villages in Meghalaya highlighting the socio-
cultural, social and botanical links among people and nature, have been included in the
tentative list of World Heritage Sites of the UNESCO.
• ‘Jingkieng Jri: Living Root Bridge Cultural Landscapes of Meghalaya’ is the name that is
included in the list.
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• At present, there are about 100 known living root bridges spread across 72 villages in the
state.
• Khasi and Jaintia communities of Meghalaya are the caretakers of these bridges for over
600 years.
• Other sites in the list – Geoglyphs from Konkan, Maharashtra; Sri Veerabhadra temple
and Monolithic Bull (Nandi) at Lepakshi, Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh

145. Lok Sabha has passed the Chartered Accountants, Cost and Works Accountants and
Company Secretaries (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
• Highlights of the Bill –
o Bill aims to improve the quality of chartered accountants, cost accountants, company
secretaries.
o It aims to appoint non-Chartered Accountant (CA), non-cost accountant and non-
company secretary as the presiding officer of the disciplinary committees of the
respective institutes
o A coordination committee will be set up under the Secretary of the Ministry of
Corporate Affairs. It will have representations from the three institutes.
o Quantum of fines for misconduct to be enhanced.
• The bill amends the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949, the Cost and Works Accountants
Act, 1959, and the Company Secretaries Act, 1980.

146. Union Cabinet has approved the “Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance”
(RAMP) program (announced in the Budget 2022-23).
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• The scheme will come into effect from the next financial year.
• Budget – ₹6,062.45 crore ($808 million)
o ₹3,750 crore ($500 million) from World Bank
o ₹2,312.45 crore ($308 million) from Central Govt
• Objective – to improve MSMEs’ access to market and credit, strengthening institutions and
governance at the centre and states, improving Centre-State linkages and partnerships,
addressing issues of delayed payments and greening of MSMEs.

147. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has merged the Films Division, Directorate
of Film Festivals, National Film Archives of India and Children’s Film Society, India into
National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), which functions under the Ministry.
• The government has made a budgetary allocation of ₹1,304.52 crore up to 2026 for all the
activities, to be implemented through the NFDC.
• Some of the major upcoming film festivals to be organised by the NFDC are the Mumbai
International Film Festival, the International Film Festival of India at Goa, and the Children’s
Film Festival.

148. Highlights of 14th India-Japan Summit 2022 -

• Japan has announced to invest up to five trillion yen (Rs 3,20,000 crore) in India in the
next five years.
• The two sides signed six agreements providing for the expansion of bilateral cooperation
in a range of areas, besides firming a separate clean energy partnership.
• Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has approved seven loans, amounting
to Rs 20,400 crore to India.
• India and Japan are celebrating the 70th years of diplomatic relations in 2022.

149. Highlights of the 2nd India-Australia Virtual Summit 2022 –

• MOU between Prasar Bharati and Special Broadcasting Service of Australia for
cooperation, co-production, and joint broadcasting of programs.
• Letter of Arrangement for Educational Qualification Recognition for facilitating access
to quality higher education and job opportunities for the residents of both countries in each
other’s nations. A Taskforce on Education Qualifications Recognition will be created.

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• Letter of Intent on Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement for smoothening

mobility for students and professionals.
• Australia is supporting India’s Gaganyaan program.
• Increasing cooperation between India’s National Investment and Infrastructure Fund
and Australia’s Future Fund.
• India and Australia have committed an initial investment of $6 million for the joint
exploration of critical minerals in the 50:50 ratio.
• India’s Khanij Bidesh India Ltd and Australia’s critical minerals facilitation office have
signed an MOU to establish a framework for joint investments in Australian projects to
mine critical minerals.
• Australia announced to invest AUS $280 million (more than ₹1,500 crore) in India to drive
collaboration in areas such as clean technologies, space, and innovation.
• Centre for Australia-India Relations to be established in Australia.
o The Centre will administer the Maitri Scholarship (worth $20.8 million), fellowship
programs, and cultural friendship.
• 29 artefacts, including Chola bronzes, Jain sculptures, paintings etc., have been returned
by Australia.
• India will participate in Sydney Energy Forum 2022 on clean energy supply chains in
the Indo-Pacific in July.
• Both nations will attend the 12th Ministerial Conference of WTO to be held in Geneva in
June.

150. Ministry of Civil Aviation and FICCI will jointly organise Wings India 2022 from March 24
to 27 at Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad.
• Theme of Wings India 2022 - ‘India@75: New Horizon for Aviation Industry’
• Indian Air Force’s Sarang helicopter team performed a fly past during the Wings India
2022 exhibition in Hyderabad.
• Hansa-NG (designed and developed by CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratory, Bengaluru)
was showcased. Wing Commander Dilip Reddy was flying the aircraft.
• SARAS MK-II (a 19 seater light transport aircraft) was also showcased by CSIR-NAL.
• Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) partnered for
developing air traffic management systems indigenously.
• Wings India Awards 2022 –
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Category Winner
Covid Champion Award Cochin International Airport Ltd for its “Mission Safeguarding”
Best Airport Kempegowda International Airport (aka Bengaluru Airport)
Aviation Innovation Kempegowda International Airport (aka Bengaluru Airport)
Aviation Sustainability and Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai
Environment Award (1st airport in the APAC region to publish sustainability report as
per Global Report Initiative (GRI) standards)
Best Domestic Airline, Vistara airline
Aviation Sustainability and
Environment Award, and
Covid Champion
Most Dynamic States in Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and
Aviation Karnataka

STATE NEWS
1. In terms of total installed renewable energy capacity, Tamil Nadu ranks at the top in India,
with 15,914 MW of renewable energy capacity as on January 31, 2022.
• Karnataka stands at the 2nd position with total clean energy capacity of 15,795 MW.
• Gujarat’s total renewable capacity was 15,518 MW. It is the Number One state in total
rooftop solar installations.
o Of the total 6,405 MW of rooftop capacity in the country, Gujarat accounted for 1,679
MW.
o In Kutch, world’s largest renewable energy park (hybrid park – solar + wind) that
may generate an energy of 30,000 MW will be developed.
• Rajasthan’s overall renewable capacity was 14,983 MW. As of January 31, 2022,
Rajasthan’s total solar capacity was 10,507 MW (largest in India), followed by Karnataka
(7,535 MW) and Gujarat (6,310 MW) and Tamil Nadu (4,894 MW).

2. Tamil Nadu has started the work on India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve in the Palk
Bay region.

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• Dugongs are endangered species protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection
Act, 1972.
• Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu, Gulf of Kutch (Gujarat), Andaman and
Nicobar islands are one of the last surviving natural habitats for dugongs.

3. Delhi government will hold a ‘Business Blasters Investment Summit and Expo’.
• During the mega event, more than 100 selected business ideas by student entrepreneurs
will be showcased.
• The event will serve as an opportunity for investors to directly invest in the projects of their
choice.
• Business Blasters programme is one of the world’s largest startup initiatives wherein
over 3 lakh students have received seed money of Rs 60 crore.

4. Delhi govt has announced to develop a “Science Innovation Hub” at Kautilya Sarvodaya
Co-education School at Chirag Enclave to inculcate a scientific temperament among students
and encourage them to undertake research in science and technology.
• The facility would cost over Rs 5 crore and be ready in less than three years.
• Separately, Delhi police (commission – Rakesh Asthana) has launched three new digital
initiatives – Anubhuti (a QR code-based feedback system), a refurbished Delhi Police
website and e-Chittha portal.
o Anubhuti - Feedback Management System: it will establish two-way
communication between the public and the police, and the analysis of the
feedback received will help improve the functioning of the department.
o Refurbished Delhi Police website – to provide more information about Delhi Police
and is user-friendly
o ‘e-Chittha’ – to ensure 8-hour work shifts in the department, optimal use of
manpower resources and increase the efficiency and transparency of the personnel.
It is operational in 178 territorial police stations.

5. ‘Herath’ (aka Mahashivratri) festival is celebrated in Kashmir.

6. Telangana has become the top performing state in terms of Per Capita Net State Domestic
Product at Current Prices.
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• This data is given by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation.

• Telangana’s population is over 1 crore.
• Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) in Telangana increased from Rs 3,59,434 crores
in 2011-12 to Rs 1,154,860 crores in 2021-22, representing a growth rate of 31.12%.
• Telangana has surpassed Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

7. Madhya Pradesh Government has created a Guinness Record in Ujjain city by lighting 21
lakh lamps as a part of Maha Shivratri celebrations on March 01.
• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister - Shivraj Singh Chouhan

8. Kaliyattam festival is an annual Theyyam festival held in the temples in Kerala's Malabar
region.
• Theyyam is a popular ritual form of dance worship in Kerala and Karnataka.

9. Goldi Solar (a global solar panel manufacturer), in partnership with Shree Ramkrishna
Knowledge Foundation (SRKKF), have laid the foundation stone for the solarization of the
Dudhala village in Gujarat.
• Dudhala will become the first village to be completely solarised by a foundation.
• A 450 KW solar rooftop project will be used to power around 350 houses and public areas
such as anganwadis and gram panchayat.
• Shree Ramkrishna Knowledge Foundation (SRKKF) is the CSR arm of Shree Ramkrishna
Exports, a leading Indian diamond company.

10. National Stock Exchange has collaborated with the Telangana government to encourage
and support the MSMEs of the state for listing.
• As part of the pact, NSE will guide corporates across the state in fund raising on NSE
Emerge platform, and also handhold the companies in the listing process.
• The state will also explore the possibility of setting up a government-sponsored equity
participation fund to invest in the fast-growing SMEs on the NSE’s Emerge platform.

11. Sikkim government has launched 'Aama Yojana' for non-working mothers and Bahini
scheme for girl students.

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• Under the Aama Yojana, the state govt will give Rs 20,000 each to all non-working
mothers.
• Under the Bahini scheme, the govt will provide free sanitary napkins to all girl students of
class 9 and above in the state.

12. Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has collaborated with the MSME Trade and Investment
Promotion Bureau (M-TIPB) of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
• Purpose - for promoting awareness among micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)
of the state about the benefits of listing.
• M-TIPB will provide support in mobilising the SME representatives through district
industries centres and will also help in mobilising state or regional associations to
encourage their SME members to attend capacity building programmes.

13. Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin has inaugurated India’s biggest floating solar park at
Tuticorin with a capacity to produce 42 million units of electricity per annum.
• The park has been established by Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation Ltd
(SPIC).

14. Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel has launched the ‘Kaushalya Matritva Yojana’ on the
occasion of International Women’s Day.
• Under this scheme, financial assistance of Rs 5000 will be given to women on the birth of
second girl child.
• The CM also released ‘Kanya Vivah Yojana’ Coffee Table Book, Sakhi One Stop Center
Telephone Directory, and brochures of schemes related to women empowerment.
• The state government is already implementing initiatives like ‘Mahila Madai’ for helping
women prepare various items like electricity and paint from cow dung.

15. Assam’s Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve has witnessed a sharp rise in the
population of tigers and rhinos in recent times.
• 2021 census – tiger population increased from 48 to more than 60; rhino’s population is
also increasing

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16. Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), in association with Karnataka Skill
Development Corporation, has launched the Women@Work (WOW) Program.
• Purpose - to create an equitable, inclusive and equal world for women in workplaces
• The W@W Program will act as an enabler for women to actively participate and join the
workforce through industry upskilling and reskilling programs, mentorship, institutional and
organisational networking among others.

17. Smart Power India (SPI) has partnered with Adani Solar to encourage solar energy usage
in rural areas of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha.
• SPI is a subsidiary of the US-based The Rockefeller Foundation, Adani Solar is the solar
photovoltaic manufacturing arm of Adani Group.

18. Gujarat government has marked 100 years of the Pal-Dadhvav massacre, calling it a
massacre “bigger than the Jallianwala Bagh”.
• The Pal-Dadhvav massacre took place on March 7, 1922, in the Pal-Chitariya and
Dadhvaav villages of Sabarkantha district, against the Britishers.
• The Pal-Dadhvav massacre was brought into focus at the Republic Day parade of 2022.
• Motilal Tejawat led the ‘Eki movement’ against the exploitation of tribals.

19. Odisha has topped the list of full immunisation under Intensified Mission Indradhanush
4.0 with 90.5% coverage.
• Full immunisation includes preventive doses against 12 different kinds of diseases including
polio, tuberculosis, jaundice, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, HIV, brain fever,
pneumonia, measles, rubella, diarrhoea, Japanese fever and others.

20. Puducherry Lt. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan has launched the first ever digital
school health platform.
• The platform will feed the personal details of all government school students of classes I to
XII into a portal to maintain their health records.

21. Tripura CM Biplab Kumar Deb has launched the Tripura State Policy 2022 and
Mukhyamantri Cha Shramik Kalyan Prakalp scheme.

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• Tripura State Policy 2022 adopted to empower women by providing them with 33%
reservation in any government or outsourcing job.
• Under this policy, women may take study loans from banks or any other financial
organization at 3% interest rate for pursuing higher studies.
• In addition to this, 13 Women Health & Wellness Centres will be set up for wellness of the
women through this scheme at the cost of Rs 1 crore under the policy.
• In the Mukhyamantri Cha Shramik Kalyan Prakalp scheme, steps will be taken to
provide healthy working environment to the tea workers, along with other social security
benefits.

22. 45th edition of International Kolkata Book Fair was organized in Kolkata, West Bengal with
Bangladesh as the theme country.

23. According to a Climate Action Plan released by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation

(BMC), Mumbai aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
• BMC is planning to promote India’s financial capital as a climate-resilient city.
• BMC conducted an assessment on greenhouse gas emissions and natural green cover
over the last six months, with technical support from World Resources Institute, India,
and C40 Cities network.
• Title of the climate action plan – Mumbai Climate Action Plan 2022—Towards a climate-
resilient Mumbai
• Targets - 30% cut in emissions by 2030 and 44% by 2040 compared with a base year of
2019, to achieve net-zero by 2050
• Major factors of emission - energy sector accounts for 72% of total emissions, transport
and waste are responsible for 20% and 8%, respectively

24. Delhi government has launched an online portal ‘My EV’ for the purchase and registration of
electric autos in the city.
• The portal has been developed by the Delhi govt and Convergence Energy Services
Ltd.
• The Delhi government has also announced to establish 100 EV-charging stations by June
27, 2022.

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• These smart charging stations will have the lowest service charges in the country at Rs
2.00 per unit.
• After the completion of this project, Delhi will have a total of 900 EV charging points.

25. Karnataka has launched India's first digital water databank 'AQVERIUM', which has been
created by AquaKraft Group Ventures.
• AQVERIUM aims to intend to function as a centre for innovation, sustainability and social
entrepreneurship to train over 10 lakh youth in water, sanitation, hydro-geological sciences
and data sciences.
• The company aims to create 'water entrepreneurs' with an objective to make India 'Water
Positive' by 2030.
• Dr Subramanya Kusnur is the Founder-Chairman and CEO of AquaKraft Group Ventures.

26. Telangana has become the first state in India to start the recording of crop diversification
patterns in the form of an index.
• According to the crop diversification index, the state grows 77 varieties, with about 10
crops, mostly grains, preferred for diversification.
• The index has a base value of one. It denotes the percentage of total cropped area
devoted to a single crop. Higher the value, greater the crop diversification.

27. Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) has been launched in Assam.
• Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) is conceptualized under the Digital
India Land Records Modernization Programme of Department of Land Resources,
Ministry of Rural Development.
• ULPIN is touted as the Bhu - AADHAR (a 14-digit Aadhar card for land).
• Assam govt is already running the 'Mission Basundhara' to streamline land records and
fast-pace the grievance redressal process.
• The Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme is under implementation
since 2008.

28. CJI NV Ramana has laid the foundation stone for the construction of the new building of the
International Arbitration and Mediation Centre at Raidurg in Hyderabad.

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• The Centre was inaugurated in December 2021. Since then, it was being operated from a
temporary campus at Nanakramguda.
• Life trustee of the centre are Justice R.V. Raveendran, Supreme Court judges L.
Nageswara Rao, Hima Kohli and judges from the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh high
courts.

29. Union Minister Jitendra Singh inaugurated the Satish Dhawan Centre for Space Science at
the Central University of Jammu.
• The first course with an intake capacity of 60 students will start from this year itself.
• In 2018, ISRO has signed the MOU with the Central University of Jammu to set up this
centre for ensuing geospatial data analysis.
• Research facilities at the Centre – observation lab for atmospheric studies, research lab
for astrophysics, atmospheric sensing, and a glacier studies lab for studying seasonal
snow, ice, and glaciers in the rivers of northern India.

30. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday flagged off 'Dandi Cycle Yatra' on the occasion
of the 92nd anniversary of the Dandi March in Ahmedabad.
• Organizer of the Yatra (March) - Gujarat Vidyapeeth
• Location - from Kocharab Ashram in Ahmedabad.
• Dandi March or Salt Satyagrah – from the Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat's Ahmedabad to
the village of Dandi in the state's coastal area. Date - March 12, 1930 to April 5, 1930
• Rashtriya Raksha University (a central university) was also inaugurated at Gandhinagar
on the occasion of Dandi March anniversary.

31. Welspun One Logistics Parks (WOLP) has signed an MoU with Haryana government for
establishing its Grade A warehousing facilities in the state.
• The company is planning to invest Rs 1,500 crore for these warehouses.
• Welspun One Logistics Parks (WOLP) is an integrated fund, development, and asset
management organization, designed to deliver large format, institutional Grade-A logistics
parks across India.
• It is a part of ‘Welspun Group’- one of India’s fastest-growing multinationals.

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32. National Institute of Technology, Andhra Pradesh will become one of the first engineering
institutes in the country to offer a minor degree on drone studies in the coming months.
• Gradually, more institutions will also offer drone-related courses to bridge the skill gap.

33. JSW Cement has signed an MOU with Punjab Renewable Energy Systems Pvt. Ltd.
(PRESPL) to use agricultural waste as biomass energy in its cement-manufacturing
operations.

34. Karnataka has launched the Dishaank app for providing easy access to land records.
• Karnataka State Remote Sensing Applications Centre (KSRSAC) has developed this
GIS-enable app.

35. 26th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) will be hosted at Kerala.

36. West Bengal govt has celebrated Dol Festival to welcome the spring season.

37. Visakhapatnam railway station has announced to implement the "One Station One
Product" scheme.
• With this, Visakhapatnam railway station would become the first station in the East Coast
Railway to implement this scheme.

38. Nagaland has become the first State Assembly in the entire country to implement the
National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) programme to become completely paperless.
• After presenting its state budget for 2022-23, Nagaland becomes India's 1st Legislative
Assembly to successfully implement National e-Vidhan project.

About NeVA –
• “National eVidhan Application” (NeVA), a Mission Mode Project for Digital Legislatures to
make the functioning of all Legislative Houses in the country paperless has been developed
on the theme of ‘One Nation – One Application’.
• Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs is administering this platform.
• So far, 18 states have signed MOU for implementing the NeVA project.

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39. Haryana governor Bandaru Dattatraya and CM Manohar Lal Khattar have inaugurated the
35th Surajkund International Crafts Mela.
• The Mela was first organized in 1987.
• Organizers - Surajkund Mela Authority and Haryana Tourism in collaboration with the
Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture, External Affairs and Government of Haryana
• Theme state for 2022 – J&K

40. Narasingapettai Nagaswaram (from Trichy, Tamil Nadu) has received the Geographical
Indication (GI) tag under 'musical instruments of class 15'.
• The unique feature of the nagaswaram is its production process - it is handmade in
Narasingapettai village in Thanjavur.

41. Kerala will become the first State in India to introduce carbon-neutral farming methods in
selected locations, for which the government has set aside ₹6 crore in the 2022-23 Budget.
• Carbon-neutral farming methods intend to reduce carbon emissions and storing carbon
in the soil.

42. Gulf Investment Summit 2022 was organized in Jammu and Kashmir.
• 33 companies from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia
have arrived in Srinagar to turn ₹3,000 crores memorandums of understanding (MoU),
signed earlier this year, into a reality.
• The government has already established a round–the–year airlink between J&K and the
UAE and is planning an airlink expansion to Saudi Arabia, to increase the exports of the
UT.

43. The Geographical Indication Registry under the Department of Industry Promotion and
Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, had granted the GI tag to Kashmiri
carpets in June 2016.
• Currently, these carpets are being registered with QR codes by the Geographical
Indication Registry.
• QR-code based GI tag for Kashmiri hand-knotted carpets will discourage their counterfeit
production and enable buyers to identify authenticity of carpets produced in the union
territory.
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44. Kerala Tourism has launched its 24x7 WhatsApp chatbot ‘Maya’ for tourists to provide them
all information and updates about the tourism ecosystem in the State.

45. Himachal Pradesh has secured the first rank in the implementation of National
Tuberculosis Elimination Programme in the category of states having more than 50 lakh.
• In the sub-national TB free certification for 2021-22, 8 districts have been won the silver
medal, while 3 have received bronze medal.
• Union Health Ministry will confer the awards in New Delhi.
• The target of the program is to reduce the TB incidence by 80%, considering 2015 as the
base year.
• On the World TB Day (March 24), WHO highlighted the need for $3 billion worth of annual
investments in the South-East Asia region to avert nearly 4.5 million new TB cases and
prevent more than 1.5 million deaths by 2025.

46. Bihar has become the first state in the country to introduce the concept of a dynamic map
for villages to reduce legal disputes regarding landholding.
• The map will get updated every time land ownership changes hands.
• Bihar Land Mutation Amendment Bill, 2021 provides for mandatory mutation (change) in
the land records and survey map after every transaction of land.
• The bill has been approved by the Governor of Bihar (Phagu Chauhan).

47. Delhi government has announced to transform 17 city forests in the UT to world-class
standards.
• Under the Mukhyamantri Park Saundaryakaran Yojana, 1,500 parks are being
transformed in collaboration with 450 Resident Welfare Association (RWAs).
• Under its vision for Delhi@2047 to make Delhi a modern, equitable and sustainable city,
the UT Government has launched the Community Parks Initiative to transform the
neighbourhood parks of Delhi into modern, world-class parks.

48. Uttarakhand has announced to form a committee for implementing Uniform Civil Code in the
state.

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• Article 44 of the Indian Constitution – It provides the provision of implementing a Uniform

Civil Code across the nation.

49. Himachal Pradesh has signed an MOU with National Institute of Pharmaceutical
Education and Research (NIPER), Mohali, for the upcoming Medical Devices Park in
Nalagarh area of Solan district as the knowledge partner.

50. Asia's largest Tulip Garden in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar was thrown open to the
public, as part of the Tulip Festival.

51. SIDBI has signed an MOU with the Meghalaya Infrastructure Development and Finance
Corporation Ltd (MiDFC) to develop the MSME ecosystem in the state.
• SIDBI will work for development of MSME clusters; capacity building of NGOs/development
organisations/ MSMEs; support and showcase replicable livelihood projects aligned to the
priority identified by the state among others.
• It will also help in building capacity of MSMEs using online platforms PSB 59, Mitra portals,
GeM, TReDS, initiating business information and counselling centres for micro enterprises
among others.

52. NTPC has made commercially operational an additional 42.5 MW of power generation
capacity at Ramagundam floating solar project in Telangana.
• Earlier, the company had commissioned 37.5 MW capacity of the project.
• The total capacity of the project is 100 MW. Of this, nearly 68 MW capacity has been
operationalized (including 42.5 MW).

53. Rajasthan govt has been implementing the Udaan scheme in the state, in partnership with
IPE Global, to provide scholarship to the school-going girls to prevent their drop-outs.
• The scheme aims at the overall development of the girls in the state.
• This scheme also seeks to reduce pregnancies during adolescence in Rajasthan.

54. Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has inaugurated SpiceJet's Gorakhpur-Varanasi flight.
• There are nine functional airports in the state of UP, which connect 75 destinations across
the country.
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55. Diamond City of India, Surat, has become the first city in India to get a road that is made
out of steel waste. It is built in the Hazira Industrial Area.
• Developer - Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel India, CSIR, Central Road Research Institute, and
NITI Aayog

56. Union Minister of Culture, Tourism & Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), G
Kishan Reddy, unveiled the 3-days long North-East festival named as ‘Ishan Manthan’ at the
Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) in New Delhi.
• Musical performances at the festival by –
o ‘Sofiyam Band’ (renowned band of Sikkim)
o ‘Karpak Kardang’ of Arunachal Pradesh
o ‘Tetseo Sisters Band’ of Nagaland

57. Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has sanctioned Rs 837 crores under
its cluster development fund scheme to Odisha to help develop 18 MSME infrastructure
projects.
• The funding will be received by the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development
Corporation, which is the implementing agency.

58. UAE-based retail major Lulu Group has signed an MOU with Tamil Nadu govt to set up
shopping malls, hypermarkets and a food-logistic park in the state at a cost of ₹3,500 crore.
• As per the MOU, the first shopping mall will come up in Chennai by 2024, while the first
hypermarket is expected to open by this yearend itself at the Laxmi Mills compound in
Coimbatore.
• Chairman of Lulu Group – Yusuffali MA

59. 12th edition of Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav 2022 was inaugurated in Arts college Ground,
Rajamahendravaram, Andhra Pradesh by the Governor of Andhra Pradesh Shri
Biswabhusan Harichandan.
• It is the flagship festival of the Ministry of Culture which aims to preserve, promote, and
popularise the rich cultural heritage of India.

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• Under Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav, events will be organised at Warangal and in

Hyderabad.

60. A decentralised waste management technology park will be inaugurated in East Jaffrabad,
New Delhi under the Waste to Wealth Mission which is an initiative under the Principal
Scientific Adviser to the central government’s office.
• The park has been established in collaboration with the East Delhi Municipal Corporation.
• The park also includes a plasma pyrolysis unit built by IIT Delhi.
• The park is equipped with Enviro-RISE R-A110, a technology from Denmark, to remove
the floating solid waste from 52-cusec drain flowing adjacent to the park’s location.

61. West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has inaugurated “PARAM Shakti” - a Petascale
Supercomputer - at IIT-Kharagpur.
• The supercomputer, developed under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM), will
boost the R&D ecosystem in the insitute.
• National Supercomputing Mission is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and
Information Technology and Department of Science and Technology (DST).
• For developing Param Shakti, IIT-Kharagpur had signed an MOU with Centre for
Development in Advanced Computing (CDAC) in March 2019.

62. Delhi government has created a task force, in collaboration with Salaam Baalak Trust and
Youth Reach NGOs for the rehabilitation of street children.
• Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) and Dialogue and Development
Commission of Delhi (DDCD) have created the task force.
• The task force will focus on a five-pillar model of rehabilitation: education and vocational
training, counselling and medical support, sponsorship, guardianship and shelter for the
child
• ₹10 crore was set aside to create a residential school that will not only provide education
but also emotional and psychological support to vulnerable children.

63. Maharashtra government has launched a scheme to provide personal loans to prisoners
with the aim to improve the living standard of the families of the inmates.

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• The Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank will give loans under the scheme up to Rs
50,000 at an interest rate of 7%.
• The scheme will be implemented on a pilot basis at Yerawada Central Jail, Pune.
• This first of its kind loan will be based on the income earned by inmates in the prison.

64. Karnataka govt has announced to launch Vinaya Samarasya Yojana, an awareness
programme, to remove untouchability in Gram Panchayats in the state.
• The scheme will be launched on Ambedkar Jayanti (April 14).
• The scheme has been named after a 3 year old boy, Vinaya, whose family had to face
exploitation at the hands of the village panchayat just because he went into a temple.

65. Jharkhand has presented its state budget for 2022-23.

• Schemes highlighted in the budget –
o Guruji Credit Card Scheme (proposed) - to remove hurdles faced by Jharkhand
students in higher education.
o Godhan Nyay Yojana - cow dung will be procured at reasonable prices for the
purpose of increasing the income of cattle owners and farmers. This will be used to
produce biogas as well as organic manure.

66. Himachal Pradesh presented its state budget.

• Schemes highlighted in the budget –
o Member of Legislative Assembly Local Area Development Scheme (MLALAD)
fund increased from the existing Rs 1.80 crore to Rs 2 crore.
o The discretionary grant for MLAs will be increased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12 lakh per
annum for the next year.

67. Telangana govt has presented a tax free budget for 2022-23.
• Schemes highlighted in the budget –
o The budget proposed an outlay of Rs 17,700 crore for the state government's
flagship Dalit welfare scheme ‘Dalit Bandhu' (for the welfare of Dalit community).
o KCR Nutrition Kits, Shaadi Mubarak Scheme and Kalyana Lakshmi schemes.

68. Rajasthan has presented its budget for 2022-23.

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• 'Camel Protection and Development Policy' (announced) – Allocated Rs 10 crore for

rearing, protection, and overall development of camel.
o Camel is the state animal of Rajasthan and their number is continuously
decreasing.
o Currently, 2 lakh camels are left in the state; the number of camels in the entire
country has reduced by 1.5 lakh since 2012.
o In the 2019 Livestock census, the number of camels had reduced to 2.52 lakh from 4
lakh in 2012.
o About 85% of the country's camels are found in Rajasthan, followed by Gujarat,
Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.

69. Haryana has released its tax free budget for 2022-23.
• Schemes highlighted in the budget –
o Haryana Matrushakti Udyamita Yojana (announced) - To attract women towards
entrepreneurship
o Sahbhagita scheme – to provide housing for working women on government land
o Sushma Swaraj Award (constituted) – for women for their significant contribution or
achievements in different walks of life in national and international spheres.

70. Madhya Pradesh presented its Budget for 2022-23.

• Schemes highlighted in the budget –
o Child Budget – Announced for the first time; to ensure the welfare of children in the
state
o Ladli Laxmi Scheme – Launched in 2006 for girls, to improve their educational and
economic status. The scope is now expanded to cover higher education.
o Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana – To pay for the expenses of pilgrimage of
poor old people
o CM Rise Scheme (announced) – 360 schools will be opened at a cost of Rs 7,000
crore
o Chief Minister Fisheries Scheme; Cow welfare scheme etc.

71. West Bengal presented its state budget 2022-23.

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• The Budget exempted rural employment cess, education cess, and agricultural income tax
for the financial year 2022-23.
• Schemes highlighted in budget -
o Under the ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’ cash transfer scheme, the number of women
beneficiaries who are assured monthly income benefit has increased to 1.53 crore,
with an annual financial outlay of ₹10,000 crore.
o Jal Swapno scheme – to provide tap water connections to every rural household by
2024.
o Samannay Portal – to monitor the progress of all schemes/ projects
o Krishak Bandhu Scheme – it is revamped and launched as Krishak Bandhu
(Natun) for doubling the financial assistance to farmers.
§ Under the scheme, the enrolled farmers get a financial assistance of Rs
10,000 p.a. for 1 acre of cultivable land.
o Krishak Bandhu Death Benefit – Lump sum grant of Rs 2 lakh will be given to the
families of deceased farmers.

72. Maharashtra has presented its state budget for 2022-23.

• Maharashtra is set to become the first state in India to have a trillion-dollar economy.

73. J&K budget for 2022-23 has been approved by Ministry of Finance.
• Total budget – Rs 1.42 lakh crores
• Schemes highlighted in the budget –
o Integrated Sheep Development Scheme (ISDS) – for strengthening sheep
economy in the UT
o Parvaz scheme - Subsidized air freight to be provided under “PARVAZ” scheme to
push trout exports to various cities and Middle East countries
o Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) – capacity building of rural officials in
J&K; internet connectivity in Gram Panchayats
o Establishment of Centres for Invention, Innovation, Incubation and Training
(CIIIT) at Jammu and Srinagar in collaboration with Tata Technologies for skill
development of students.
o Establishment of 14 Milk villages to boost milk production

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74. Assam has presented its state budget 2022-23.

• Schemes highlighted in the budget –
o Four new schemes for road construction announced - Pakipath Nirman Achani,
Unnoti Pakipath Nirman Achani, Mothauri Pokikaran Achani and Path Nobikaran
Achani for construction, upgradation and maintenance of all-weather roads, including
those on embankments.
o Pragyan Bharati scheme for education, Mission Zero Drop-Out for reducing the
school drop-out rate

75. Nagaland has presented its state budget for 2022-23.

• Schemes highlighted in the budget –
o Chief Minister’s Microfinance Initiative – A micro-finance scheme of Rs 65 crores
to help MSME entrepreneurs and farmers
o Target Champion Scheme (TACS) – to provide training to promising athletes from
the state
o Chief Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme – to provide health insurance of Rs 5
lakh per annum for every family, irrespective of the family income.

76. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Manish Sisodia has presented its
budget (also claimed as the Rozgar Budget) for 2022-23.
• Total budget – Rs 75,800 crores
• Promised employment in the next 5 years – 20 lakh new jobs
• Delhi govt aims to increase the percentage of the working population of Delhi from the
current 33% to 45% in the next five years.
• An AI-based website and a mobile application — “Rozgar Bazaar 2.0" — will be launched
to provide at least one lakh jobs every year to the youngsters of Delhi, especially women.

77. Chhattisgarh govt has signed two MOUs -

• 1st MOU - Chhattisgarh Biofuel Development Authority (CBDA) and Bhabha Atomic
Research Centre (BARC) for setting up of dung-based power plants in 'gauthans'.
o In 2020, the state govt also launched Godhan Nyay Yojana for providing shelter,
food, and care to the cattle. Under the scheme, cow dung is bought by the govt.
• 2nd MOU - State's Seed Corporation and Central Department of Atomic Energy's Board of
Radiation and Isotope Technology for setting up a food irradiator plant in the state.
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o Irradiation - To expose to or treat with radiation so as to bring about a chemical or

biological change

AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

1. Central government has announced to procure a record 44.4 million tonnes (MT) wheat in
the Rabi marketing season (2022-23), commencing on April 1.
• State-wise procurement of wheat - Punjab (13.2 MT), Madhya Pradesh (12.9 MT),
Haryana (8.5 MT), Uttar Pradesh (6 MT) and Bihar (1 MT).
• Last year, the govt had purchased 43.34 MT of wheat from the farmers by paying the
minimum support price (MSP).

• The government has also decided to procure 4.29 MT of rice (Rabi) from seven producing
states

2. India’s export of guavas has seen a growth of 260% since 2013. Exports grow from $0.58
Million in April-January 2013-14 to $2.09 Million in April 2021-22.
Fresh Fruits Export –
• During 2020-21, the export value of Fresh Grapes was $314 million.
• Export of other Fresh Fruits stood at $302 million, Fresh Mangoes at $36 million and
Others (Betel Leaves & Nuts) at $19 million.
• During 2020-21, Fresh Grapes and Other Fresh Fruits accounted for 92% in India's total
export of Fresh Fruits.
• India's major exporting destination of fresh fruits during 2020-21 are Bangladesh,
Netherlands, UAE, UK, Nepal, and Iran etc.
o Top ten countries accounted for 82% in India's export of fresh fruits in 2020-21.

Dairy Products Exports –

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• Dairy export is growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 10.5% in the last 5
years.
• In 2021-22 (April-November), India exported $181.75 million worth of dairy products and
in the current financial year.
• India's major exporting destination of dairy products in 2020-21 were UAE,
Bangladesh, USA, Bhutan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Qatar, Oman, and
Indonesia.
• Top 10 countries accounted for more than 61% share in India's dairy export in 2020-21.
• The export of curd (yogurt) and paneer (Indian cottage cheese) has also seen a
tremendous growth of 200% from $10 Million in April-January 2013-14 to $30 Million in
April-January 2021-22.

3. Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) has identified about 15,000 selected
germplasms of rice and wheat for developing varieties which are tolerant to flood, drought,
heat waves and diseases.
• India is a signatory to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food
and Agriculture, a global agreement in harmony with the Convention on Biological
Diversity.
• The treaty aims at guaranteeing food security through the conservation, exchange and
sustainable use of the world’s plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

4. India is set to export a record 7 million tonnes of wheat in 2021-22 due to the hike in wheat
prices in the international market.
• Russia + Ukraine account for 1/3rd of global wheat exports. Ukraine’s Steppe grassland is
called the ‘Bread Basket of Europe’.
• By the end of February, India had already exported 6.6 million tonnes of wheat. Still one
month is left.
• India will also send 50,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan as humanitarian aid.

5. Women in the tribal village of Akhapolan, close to the Similipal National Park in Odisha, are
using the trellis systems for cultivating vegetables.

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• Trellis systems – A trellis structure is prepared using four pillars, bamboo poles and ropes.
The plants climb vertically with the support of bamboo and ropes.
• Creepers like bitter gourd, pointed gourd, tomato, cowpea, beans and cucumber are
cultivated in this system.
• Trellis system is an effective tool for climate-resilient agriculture. Due to climate change,
unseasonal rainfall and flash floods lead to water stagnation and destroys the creepers.
• In the trellis system, creepers have better chances of survival compared to those grown in a
flat-bed system.

6. The minor forest produce collected by the tribespeople of Nilambur, including wild honey,
will now be known under the brand Adavi.
• Nilambur is located in Kerala.
• The tribal festival and an exhibition titled Disha was also organized, in partnership with
Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) and NABARD.

7. India is looking to export nearly 10 million tonnes of wheat in FY23 to bridge the supply
gaps arising from the Russia-Ukraine conflict
• India has so far exported 6.6 million tonnes of wheat in 2021-22, which is triple the 2.15
million tonnes exported in 2020-21.
• Deficiencies in supply infrastructure of India may restrict India’s wheat export to 8 MT only
in FY23, short of 10 million tonnes estimated in the best-case scenario.
• India is in final talks to start wheat exports to Egypt—one of the largest importers of wheat
from Ukraine and Russia. Besides, Israel, Oman, Nigeria and South Africa have placed
requests for wheat.

India’s Wheat Exports’ Data –

• India is the second-largest wheat producer with a share of around 14.14% of the world’s
production in 2020, it accounted for less than 1% of global wheat exports.
• India’s wheat export share increased from 0.14% in 2016 to 0.54% in 2020.
• India produces around 107.59 million tonnes of wheat annually, of which a major chunk
goes for domestic consumption.
• India’s wheat exports are mainly to neighbouring countries. Bangladesh is having the
largest share of more than 54% in both volume and value terms in 2020-21.
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• In 2020-21, India entered new wheat markets such as Yemen, Afghanistan, Qatar and
Indonesia.
• Top 10 importing countries for Indian wheat in 2020-21 were Bangladesh, Nepal, the
United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, Yemen, Afghanistan, Qatar, Indonesia, Oman and
Malaysia.

8. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has increased the minimum support price
(MSP) of raw jute by Rs 250 to Rs 4,750 per quintal for the 2022-23 season.
• The approval is based on recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs
and Prices.
• Jute Corporation of India (JCI) will continue as central government nodal agency to
undertake price support operations and the losses incurred, if any, in such operations, will
be fully reimbursed by the Centre.

9. Committee on Cotton Production and Consumption has estimated that the current cotton
season (October 2021 to September 2022) will end with a stock of 45.46 lakh bales.
• Cotton exports are estimated at 40 lakh bales.

10. Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has released the Final Estimates of 2020-
21 and First Advance Estimates of 2021-22 of Area and Production of various
Horticultural Crops.

Final Estimate of 2020-21:

• Total Horticulture production – 334.60 Million Tonne (up by 14.13 Million Tonne (4.4%)
from FY20)

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• Fruits production – 102.48 Million Tonne

• Vegetable production – 200.45 Million Tonne
o Onion - 26.64 Million Tonne
o Potato - 56.17 Million Tonne
o Tomato - 21.18 Million Tonne
• Aromatic & Medicinal crops – 0.83 Million Tonne (up by 12.4% from FY20)
• Plantation Crops – 16.63 Million Tonne
• Spices – 11.12 Million Tonne (up by 9.7% from FY20)

First Advance Estimate of 2021-22:

• Total Horticulture production - 333.3 Million Tonne (down by 1.35 Million Tonne
(decrease of 0.4%) from FY20)
• Fruits production – 102.9 Million Tonne
• Vegetable production – 199.9 Million Tonne
o Onion - 31.1 Million Tonne
o Potato - 53.6 Million Tonne
o Tomato - 20.3 Million Tonne
• Aromatic & Medicinal crops – 0.77 Million Tonne
• Plantation Crops – 15.8 Million Tonne
• Spices – 10.8 Million Tonne

Majority of the crops’ production will witness a decline in FY22, in comparison to FY20.

DEFENCE NEWS
1. “Exercise Dharma Guardian-2022” will be held between India and Japan at foreign training
node, Belagavi (Belgaum, Karnataka) from 27th February to 10th March 2022.
• Participants -
o 15th Battalion the Maratha Light Infantry Regiment of the Indian Army
o 30th Infantry Regiment of Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces (JGSDF)

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2. INS Visakhapatnam - lead ship of P15B class of guided missile stealth destroyers - has paid
its maiden visit to Visakhapatnam port to participate in the Milan 2022 exercise.
• The ship – named after the City of Destiny – Visakhapatnam – has its motto ‘Yasho
Labhasva' - a sanskrit phrase that translates to 'Attain Glory'.
• Four stealth guided missile destroyers will be developed under the P15B project. First
ship is ‘Y 12704 (Visakhapatnam)’.
• Under the P-15B (Visakhapatnam Class), a total of four warships are planned
(Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal, Surat).
• Developer - M/s Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai.

3. Indian Air Force’s C-17 transport aircraft has now been deployed into “Operation Ganga”
for evacuation of Indian nationals from Ukraine.

4. 19th edition of India-US Military Cooperation Group (MCG) meeting has ended in Agra,
Uttar Pradesh.
• The India-US MCG is a forum established to progress defence cooperation between the
countries through regular talks at the strategic and operational levels.

5. HANSA-NG – a first of its kind, indigenously developed aircraft trainer – has completed sea
level trials at Puducherry.
• HANSA-NG (an advanced version of the HANSA aircraft) has been developed by the CSIR-
National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL).
• The HANSA-NG, or HANSA-New Generation, is one of the most advanced flying trainers,
powered by a Rotax Digital Control Engine.

6. Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has launched an auxiliary barge named “Urja Prabha” at the
Shoft Shipyard in Gujarat’s Bharuch district.

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• Auxiliary barge is a ship that extends logistics support to Indian Coast Guard ships
deployed in the sea at far-flung areas.

7. Indian Navy has successfully demonstrated the accuracy of an extended-range land-attack

Brahmos supersonic cruise missile from the stealth destroyer INS Chennai.
• The missile had hit its target with a pinpoint accuracy.

8. 9th edition of the SLINEX (Sri Lanka-India Naval Exercise) will take place at Visakhapatnam.
• The exercise will have two phases – harbour phase and sea phase.
• Participating ships - SLNS Sayurala (from Sri Lanka) and INS Kirch (a guided missile
corvette), INS Jyoti, Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), Chetak Helicopters and Dornier
Maritime Patrol Aircraft.
• The 8th edition of SLINEX was conducted off Trincomalee in October 2020.

9. 4-day Indo-Pacific Military Health Exchange (IPMHE) conference was co-hosted by Indian
Armed Forces Medical Services and US Indo-Pacific Command virtually.
• Theme of the conference - ‘Military Healthcare in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and
Ambiguous (VUCA) World’
• Participants - 600 Indian and foreign delegates from over 38 countries; delegation of 20
members of US Indo-Pacific Command visited New Delhi to co-host the conference

10. Indian Air Force (IAF) has postponed its Exercise Vayu Shakti 2022 which was scheduled to
take place in the Pokhran range of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
• The reason for postponement and new date are not known.
• Exercise Vayu Shakti takes place at Pokharan range every three years to demonstrate
IAF’s readiness to conduct full spectrum operations.

11. DefExpo 2022 has been postponed due to logistics problem.

• Edition – 12th
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• Location – Gandhinagar, Gujarat

• Theme – India- The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub

12. Ministry of Defence has identified 18 major platforms for development by the private
sector.
• 18 platforms divided based on the mode of development –
iDEX programme • Low Orbit Pseudo Satellites will be
developed under the iDEX programme
which will promote start-ups and
MSMEs in space and defence sector.
Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) model • The govt will develop Long Range
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
and Indian Multi-Role Helicopter
(IMRH) under the Special Purpose
Vehicle (SPV) model.
o Under the SPV model, private
industries are being encouraged
to take up the design and
development of military platforms
and equipment in collaboration
with the DRDO and other
organisations.
'Make-I' category of DAP 2020 • 14 platforms will be developed by the
private sector under the 'Make-I'
category of the Defence Acquisition
Procedure (DAP) 2020.
o The projects under ‘Make-I’
category receive 70% funding (or
Rs 250 crores per development
agency) from govt.

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'Make-II' category of DAP 2020 • Anti-jamming systems for multiple

platforms are being developed under
'Make-II' category of DAP 2020.
o The projects under 'Make-II'
category are funded by the
industry with assured
procurement by the
government.
Other platforms to be developed by the • Naval ship-borne unmanned aerial
private sector systems and lightweight tanks,
hypersonic glide vehicle, unmanned
autonomous AI-based land robot, 127
mm naval gun, electric propulsion
(engines) for ships and standoff
airborne jammer

13. In 2019, India has signed a $3 billion deal with Russia for leasing an Akula-class nuclear-
powered attack submarine.
• The submarine, to be known as Chakra III, is likely to be delivered to India sometime
around 2026 after extensive refurbishment.
• Russia has also helped India in developing INS Vikrant (India’s second aircraft carrier).
India’s INS Vikramaditya is also procured from Russia.
• Approximately, 60-70% of India’s defence equipment is of Russian origin.
• India has relocated its embassy in Ukraine to Poland in the wake of increased Russian
attacks on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and several other prominent cities.

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14. India’s defence infrastructure development agency MES (military engineering services) has
built two houses for Indian Air Force personnel in Gandhinagar and Jaisalmer, part of
South-Western Air Command, by using 3D printing technology.
• The houses have been designed and developed by Tvasta Construction, the Chennai-
based firm, which was incubated by IIT-Madras.
• India is also planning to use the 3D printing technology in building various structures like
bunkers, houses, artillery storage houses etc.
• Co-founder and COO of Tvasta Construction - Vidyashankar C

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15. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Safran (France based multinational aircraft engine,
rocket engine, aerospace-component and defense corporation) have formed a joint venture
named Helicopter Engines MRO Pvt Ltd at Sattari, in Goa.
• The facility will be operational by the end of 2023.
• The facility will have a capacity to repair 50 engines per year. Target is to increase it to 150
engines in the coming years.
• Both companies have also signed an MOU to explore opportunities for new helicopter
engines in civil and military markets.
• This facility will provide Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services for Safran
TM333 and HAL Shakti engines (Indian variant of the Safran Ardiden 1H1) installed on
helicopters of Indian Armed Forces.
• HAL CMD - R Madhavan

16. Indian Coast Guard has commissioned the ICGS Saksham - an offshore patrol vessel - in
Goa.
• The vessel will be deployed at Kochi in the Kerala & Mahe region.
• Goa Shipyard Limited has designed and built the ship.

17. Indian Army is conducting the 9th edition of the Lamitiye exercise with Seychelles Defence
Forces (SDF) at the Seychelles Defence Academy (SDA) from March 22 to 31
• Lamitiye, which in Creole language means friendship, is a biennial training event being
conducted in Seychelles since 2001.

18. Agnibaaz Division of Indian Army has organized a joint exercise between Indian Army and
Maharashtra Police, namely Exercise Suraksha Kavach 2, at Lullanagar, Pune.
• Purpose - to harmonize the drills and procedures undertaken by Army and Police to
counter any likely terrorist actions in Pune.

19. 3rd edition of Exercise DUSTLIK – joint army exercise between India and Uzbekistan, was
held at Yangiarik, Uzbekistan.
• Grenadiers Regiment of the Indian Army is participating in the exercise.

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20. The President of India presented the President’s Colour to the unit of Indian Naval Ship
(INS) Valsura for 80 years of its service at Jamnagar in Gujarat.
• Established on 5 December 1942, in Jamnagar of Gujarat, INS Valsura is a premier training
establishment of the Indian Navy, that aims to augment training facilities in the domain of
Torpedo handling (Underwater missile) and operations.

21. Goa Shipyard Ltd has signed an MOU with Sri Lanka for developing a floating dock worth
$20 million for the latter.
• The floating dock will be established at the Trincomalee Naval Dockyard within the next
30 months.
• Sri Lanka navy procured two advanced offshore patrol vessels from GSL in 2017 and 2018

22. Western Naval Command has conducted ‘Prasthan’ - an offshore security exercise - was
conducted in the Offshore Development Area (ODA), off the coast of Mumbai.
• Led by the Indian Navy, the exercise saw participation from the Indian Air Force, Coast
Guard, ONGC, Mumbai Port Trust, Jawahar Lal Nehru Port Trust, Customs, State Fisheries
Department, Mercantile Marine Department and the Marine Police.
• The exercise was conducted on the B-193 platform of ONGC located about 38 nm west of
Mumbai.

23. India has successfully test-fired two Indian Army-version Medium Range Surface to Air
Missiles (MRSAMs) from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Odisha.
• This MRSAM version is a Surface-to-Air Missile developed jointly by DRDO and Israel
Aerospace Industries (IAI) for use by the Indian Army.

24. Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for acquisition of
two multi-purpose vessels (MPVs) for Indian Navy at an overall cost of Rs 887 crore under
"Buy-Indian" category.
• Multiple uses of these vessels – maritime surveillance & patrol, launching/ recovery of
torpedoes and operation of various types of aerial, surface and underwater targets for
Gunnery/ ASW firing exercises.

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25. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has attended the 83rd Raising Day parade of the Central
Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu.
• CRPF Raising Day is celebrated to mark the day when Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, then
home minister, presented colours to the CRPF on March 19, 1950 after the CRPF Act,
1949 was enacted and the force renamed to its present name.

26. Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) for
construction of eight Fast Patrol Vessels for Indian Coast Guard at a total project cost of Rs
473 crore.
• These surface platforms will be indigenously designed, developed and manufactured by
GSL under Buy (Indian-IDDM) Category.

27. Indian Air Force (IAF) has tied up with the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) for ‘Fleet
Card — Fuel on Move’, for its fleet of vehicles that carry personnel, equipment and even
bombs and missiles by road.
• Through this card, IAF vehicles can refuel themselves at any Indian Oil’s outlet. This will
enhance the speed of operations of IAF.

28. Indian Navy has formally commissioned its second squadron of P-8I long-range maritime
patrol aircraft, ‘Condors’, at INS Hansa in Goa.
• The Indian Naval Air Squadron 316, will operate 4 P-8I aircraft procured as part of the
optional clause in 2016 in a deal worth over $1 billion.
• A proposal for procurement of six more P-8Is was approved but that is now under review as
part of an overall review of all imports.

29. Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) conducted the first edition of its maritime exercise,
named IMEX-22, at Goa and in the Arabian Sea from March 26 to 30.
• The exercise witnessed participation of 16 of the 25 member nations.

30. Indian Army has instituted a Chair of Excellence in the memory of late Chief of Defence
Staff (CDS), General Bipin Rawat, at the United Service Institution of India (USI) on the
occasion of his 65th birthday.

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• The Chair of Excellence will conduct research on strategic issues of significance

pertaining to the armed forces.
• Director of USI – Maj. Gen. B.K. Sharma (retd.)

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
1. India and Nepal have signed an MOU for a long-term supply of Urea and DAP fertilizers from
India to Nepal under a Government to Government arrangement.
• The MOU will further boost bilateral cooperation in the agriculture sector by supporting
Nepal's economy and food security.
• The MOU will address the recurring fertilizer shortages in Nepal and enable improve
agricultural productivity for the direct benefit of Nepali farmers.

2. Technology Development Board, a statutory body of Department of Science & Technology,

has signed an MOU with Skyshade Daylights Private Limited, Hyderabad (only Start-up
company in India for Daylight Harvesting Technologies).
• Purpose - to promote the Start-up in order to reduce carbon footprint and improve the
building energy efficiency.
• The startup has already developed two innovative solutions named Human centric-climate
adaptive building facades and Central integrated daylighting system.
• Daylighting is basically bringing natural sunlight inside the rooms. This technology reduces
the consumption of electricity and thus, contribute towards sustainable development.

3. A tripartite MOU has been signed between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research
(ICAR), Ministry of Ayush and, the CSIR for facilitation of R&D and deployment of
technologies related to medicinal plants and ayurvedic food for the benefit of humans and
animals.
• Purpose – to study the traditional agricultural practices of India and undertake joint
research and development (R&D) activities for facilitating socio-economic growth.
• A joint working group will be formed for ensuring effective implementation of the MOU.

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4. Bureau of Indian Standards, has signed an MOU with IIT Roorkee for establishment of ‘BIS
Standardization Chair Professor’ at IIT Roorkee.
• This would be the first Standardization Chair established by BIS in an Institute for
activities on Standardization and Conformity Assessment.
• BIS Director General – Pramod Kumar Tiwari

5. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed an MOU with SASMOS (Bengaluru-based
company) to work together on advanced electronics, electrical and fibre optic
interconnections in the aerospace domain.

6. Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has signed an MOU with Garden Reach Shipbuilders
and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd for the construction of 27 double-lane bridges of carriageway 7.5
meters of ‘load class 70’.
• A bridge on important “Flag Hill-Dokala” Road in Sikkim was constructed at an altitude of
11,000 feet by Karamyogis of Project Swastik in February 2021.

7. NMDC Ltd (India’s largest iron ore producer) has signed an MoU with IIT Kharagpur for
drone-based mineral exploration.
• It is the first CPSE in India to conduct Drone-based Geophysical Surveys and
Hyperspectral Studies for Mineral Exploration in the country.
• NMDC is conducting exploration for various minerals in Madhya Pradesh and in the Beloda-
Belmundi block in Chhattisgarh for diamonds.

8. Hindustan Shipyard Limited has entered into an MOU with Eker Group of Norway and
Vaanmoto (Kerala-based vehicle parts manufacturing company) to explore opportunities in the
field of manufacturing speed boats.
• Eker designs, constructs and sells ferries, leisure boats and professional boats, especially
suitable for defence and law enforcement.

9. Indian Potash Ltd, under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, and Israel Chemicals Ltd
(ICL) have signed an MOU for the supply of muriate of potash (MOP) for five years (2022-27).
• The yearly quantity is 6 to 6.5 LMT.

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• The MoU would prove beneficial in view of the affected supply chain of potash due to the
Ukraine-Russia war and escalating cost of potash and other fertilisers supplied from that
region.

10. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the Surketham
Dairy Cooperative Limited (SDCL) and the Nepal Dairy Private Limited (NDPL) have
signed MOU to promote yak dairy enterprise in the eastern Nepal.
• The MOU will also work to save yaks and yak farming culture from extinction and showcase
their economic viability.

11. Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC) has signed an MOU with Tata Steel
to collaborate on climate change, greening of the industrial sector, emerging technologies in
new materials, joint research & innovation for emerging technologies, and technology
development for scaling-up.
• IGSTC has been established by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt
of India, and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
• IGSTC has also signed a Letter of Intent with BASF Chemicals India Pvt Ltd for scientific
cooperation partnerships to foster science and technology led innovations and research
partnerships in PPP mode.

12. Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship-Guwahati, Assam, under the Ministry of Skill

Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has signed an MoU with the Ministry of Rural
Development to promote entrepreneurship amongst the rural youth through the 'start-up
village entrepreneurship programme' (SVEP).
• SVEP is a sub-component of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural
Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) -- which aims to support entrepreneurs in rural areas to
set-up enterprises at the village-level in non-agricultural sectors.
• The IIE will act as a National Resource Organisation (NRO) to provide support for the
successful implementation of the SVEP scheme.
• IIE was established in 1993 as an autonomous organisation under the M/o Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship.

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13. Airport operators Groupe ADP and GMR Airports together with Airbus, Axens and Safran
(all France-based companies) have signed an MOU to conduct a joint study on Sustainable
Aviation Fuels (SAF) and their potential in India.
• Purpose – to understand and evaluate the demand, the challenges and opportunities of
supply, infrastructure and fuelling, as well as to prepare a business case for SAF production
and use in India for all kind of aviation purposes.
• SAF can reduce CO2 emissions up to 85% across the entire SAF lifecycle. The aviation
sector globally contributes to 2-3% of CO2 emissions as compared to other sectors.

14. India has signed an MOU with Sri Lanka to build hybrid power projects in three islands off
Jaffna.
• This is the third power project that India is developing in Sri Lanka, after NTPC’s solar
project in eastern Sampur town and Adani Group’s project in Mannar and Pooneryn in the
north.
• India and Sri Lanka have also agreed to set up a Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre
in the latter. Bharat Electronics will develop the centre. The project involves a $6 million
worth of grant.
• India (Goa Shipyard Ltd) is developing a floating dock for Sri Lanka and also providing a
Dornier Reconnaissance Aircraft.
• India has extended $2.4 billion support to Sri Lanka since the beginning of this year.

15. National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) has
signed an MoU with the Ministry of Rural Development for its ‘startup village
entrepreneurship programme’.
• The Startup Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) is a sub-component of
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) of
the Ministry of Rural Development.
• It aims to support entrepreneurs in rural areas to set up enterprises at the village-level in
non-agricultural sectors.
• Financial support under MUDRA Scheme, ICT support, financial inclusion, capacity building
support, along with enterprise advisory services will be provided to entrepreneurs.
• NIESBUD is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
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16. Odisha government has signed an MOU with NABARD for the creation of fisheries
infrastructure to augment fish production in the state.
• Rs 119.8 crore has been approved for the development of six fishing harbour and fish
landing centres.
• The loan assistance will be made under the dedicated Fisheries and Aquaculture
Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF).

About the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) -

• Launched – 2018 Union Budget
• Administrator – Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry &
Dairying
• Corpus – Rs 7522.48 crore
• Purpose – Creation of fisheries infrastructure facilities both in marine and inland
fisheries sectors and augmenting the fish production to 15 million tonnes by 2020
under the Blue Revolution.
• Target – FIDF aims to achieve a sustainable growth of 8-9%, to increase the fish
production in the country to 20 million tonnes by 2022-23.
• FIDF provides finances to states/UTs through Nodal Loaning Entities (NLEs) which are
NABARD, National Cooperatives Development Corporation (NCDC), and scheduled
banks.
• Terms & Conditions of Finances –
o Interest subvention - 3% per annum
o Interest rate to be charged not lower than 5% per annum
o Loan lending period under FIDF is 5 years from 2018-19 to 2022-23 and maximum
repayment period of 12 years inclusive of moratorium of 2 years on repayment of
principal.
o Loan will cover only 80% of the project cost. Rest of the 20% will be contributed by
beneficiary as the margin money.
• National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Hyderabad is the Nodal Implementing
Agency for FIDF Scheme.

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17. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBB) and Indian Banks Association (IBA) have
signed an MOU to collaborate on capacity building for financial creditors on topics related to
insolvency, bankruptcy and related subjects.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS
1. The Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2022 was held at Barcelona, Spain.
• At the event, the Global Mobile Economy Report was released.
• As per the report, the total number of 5G connections globally is expected to reach 1
billion in 2022.
• In 2021, mobile technologies and services generated $4.5 trillion of economic value,
equating to 5% of global GDP. This will grow to $5 trillion in 2025.
• Globally, 4G adoption will account for 55% of total connections by 2025, down from a
peak of 58% in 2021. However, 4G adoption will grow in Sub-Saharan Africa.

2. Nepal has ratified $500 million grant assistance for Millennium Challenge Corporation
(MCC) pact along with "interpretative declaration".
• The MCC worth USD 500 million was signed by US Government with the Government of
Nepal in September 2017.
• Purpose – It aimed at maintaining road quality, increasing the availability and reliability of
electricity, and facilitating cross-border electricity trade between Nepal and India - helping to
spur investments, accelerate economic growth, and reduce poverty.

3. US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has launched the
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-T (GOES-T) satellite via United Launch
Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket.
• Purpose of the satellite - to help meteorologists observe and predict local weather events,
including thunderstorms, tornadoes, fog, hurricanes, flash floods and other severe weather.
• This is the 3rd GOES series satellite. The first two are GOES-16 and GOES-17 (from
GOES-R series).

4. Swiss International Air Lines (a subsidiary of Lufthansa Group) has become the first airline
in the world to use solar fuel ('sun-to-liquid' fuel).
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• The process has been developed by Synhelion, a spinoff from the Swiss Institute of
Technology.
• The 'sun-to-liquid' fuel uses concentrated sunlight to produce carbon-neutral kerosene.
• Synhelion will build the world's first facility for the industrial production of solar fuel in
Germany in 2022. Synhelion also plans to set up a facility in Spain as well.
• SWISS is set to become the first customer for the solar kerosene in 2023.

5. Montreux Convention Regarding the Straits Regime (aka Montreux Convention) is an

international treaty that governs Turkey’s Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits.
• The convention was signed in 1936 in the Montreux Palace in Switzerland.
• Recent news - In the wake of Russian invasion in Ukraine, the Ukrainian government has
requested the Turkey govt to use its powers under the Montreux Convention to restrict
Russian vessels’ movement from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea.
• The Montreux Convention regulates maritime traffic through the Black Sea.
• It guarantees "complete freedom" of passage for all civilian vessels during peacetime and
permits Turkey to restrict the passage of navies not belonging to Black Sea states.
• The Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, also known as the Turkish Straits or the Black Sea
Straits, connect the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea via the Sea of Marmara.

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6. UN member states have agreed to start international negotiations for developing a Global
Plastics Treaty that could set rules for production, use and disposal of plastics.
• The decision was made at a meeting of the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi,
Kenya.
• This decision is seen as one of the world's most ambitious environmental actions since the
1989 Montreal Protocol, which phased out ozone-depleting substances.
• By 2024, the Global Plastics Treaty needs to be finalised.

Facts on plastic:
• More than 5 trillion pieces of plastic are in the world's oceans
• Each year, 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced and 40% of that is single-use
• More than 8 million tonnes of plastic enters the world's oceans each year and most of that
escapes from land
• Not all plastic can be recycled, either because of the way it's made or because it's too
expensive or difficult to do so
• Animals on land or at sea can be harmed by plastic. They can get trapped in carrier bags or
food packaging or mistake plastic for food.

7. UN Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) prohibits the use, development, production,

acquisition, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions, as well as the assistance or
encouragement of anyone to engage in prohibited activities.
• Members – 110 states
• Signed in – 2008 in Oslo, Norway
• Implemented in – 2010
• A cluster munition is a weapon consisting of a container or dispenser from which many
submunitions or bomblets are scattered over wide areas. Many submunitions are unreliable
and fail to explode, thus creating a potential humanitarian impact on civilians both during as
well as long after the conflict ends.

8. World Health Organization conducted a special session in December 2021 where it

announced to establish an Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) to prepare the
contents of the “Pandemic Treaty”.
• The INB was established under “The World Together” decision.
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• The Pandemic Treaty will be in compliance with the Article 19 of the WHO’s Constitution,
which allows WHO to adopt conventions or agreements on any matter within its
competence.
• INB will hold its first meeting by 1 March 2022 (to agree on ways of working and timelines)
and its second by 1 August 2022 (to discuss progress on a working draft).
• The Pandemic Treaty will aim to stop any future pandemics.

9. The 2-day long Study in India (SII) 2022 meet was inaugurated in Dhaka.
• The event organised by the High Commission of India was inaugurated by the Education
Minister of Bangladesh Dr Dipu Moni and High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh
Vikram Doraiswami.
• Bangladeshi students were the 3rd largest foreign student community in India.
• The Study in India program was launched in 2019 by India’s Ministry of Education to
bring back foreign students to study in Indian universities.

10. UAE has been included in the “grey list” of Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
• Pakistan, and Turkey are also going stay in the grey list (or the list of “Jurisdictions with
Strategic Deficiencies”), as of March 2022.
• Zimbabwe is removed from the grey list.

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Additional Facts –
• The FATF is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 in Paris by the Ministers of its
Member jurisdictions.
• Countries, which are suspected to have linkages with Anti-Money Laundering
(AML)/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) activities, are put on the grey list.
• Grey-list countries are actively working with the FATF to address strategic deficiencies in
their regimes to counter money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing.

11. James Webb Telescope, launched in December 2021 by NASA, will study the ‘TRAPPIST-1
system’ - a unique planetary system.
• The system - discovered by Nasa in 2017 - will be a hot zone for research.
• The red dwarf star called TRAPPIST-1 is home to a close-knit family of seven Earth-
sized planets.
• The TRAPPIST-1 system is similar to the Solar System. It lies just 40 light-years away
from Earth with seven rocky exoplanets orbiting the dwarf star.
• All of the seven planets have the potential for water on their surface.

12. Next-Gen 3D Printed Catalysts are developed by Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
(RMIT) University in Melbourne, Australia.
• 3D printed catalysts can be used to power hypersonic flight while simultaneously
cooling the system.
• The research is published in the Chemical Communications, journal of Royal Society of
Chemistry.
• Lead researcher - Dr Selvakannan Periasamy

13. Australia and Indonesia have partnered for Plastics Innovation Hub Indonesia project to
tackle plastic pollution in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Implementing Agencies - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
(CSIRO), Australia’s national science agency, and the Australian government’s Department
of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
• Objective - to develop solutions to tackle plastic waste in Indonesia’s oceans and
waterways.

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• The project is part of CSIRO’s Ending Plastic Waste Mission, through which it aims to
reduce plastic waste entering the environment by 80% by 2030.
• The hub will use artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced technologies to identify
and track pollution in waterways, as well as use enzymes to degrade polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) plastic and microplastics.

14. European Space Agency (ESA) introduced its new one-of-a-kind mission named 'Vigil' to
protect the Earth from its nearest star.
• ESA will launch the Vigil spacecraft to the fifth Lagrange point which is 150 million
kilometres from both Earth and the sun.
• The mission will be launched in the mid-2020s with an aim to defend the planet from the
violent outbursts from the Sun.
• Lagrange points are gravitationally stable as compared to other locations.

15. Australia's La Trobe University in Melbourne tested an early screening tool for autism.
• Current tests, such as M-CHAT (the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers), tend to
diagnose autism between the ages of 4 and 6 years.
• The new tool, known as SACS (Social Attention and Communication Surveillance), has
two elements: SACS-Revised and SACS-Preschool.

16. Semiconductor shortage in the world market – Reasons:

• Ukraine produces roughly 25% of the world’s neon, which is used in manufacturing of
semiconductors.
• The two Ukrainian companies, Ingas and Cryoin, produce 45% to 54% of the neon used in
chip manufacturing around the world.
• Neon is a by-product of steel manufacturing.
• Chipmakers account for 75% of global demand for neon, with the remainder going to
industrial lasers and Lasik eye surgery.

17. International Labour Organization and International Civil Aviation Organization have
signed an MOU to scale up the global aviation industry sustainably to fulfil SDG 2030 goals.
• The MOU will also focus on data collection and the promotion of the sustainable
development benefits provided by aviation professions, particularly for women.
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18. Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, 1949 regulates the conduct of armed
conflict and seeks to limit its effects.
• In total, 196 countries have signed and ratified the 1949 conventions over the years.
• Any nation that has ratified the Geneva Conventions but not the protocols are still bound by
all provisions of the conventions.
• Four conventions form the Geneva Conventions pact.

• Background – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is claimed to be in violation of Geneva

Conventions.

19. NASA will launch its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, with the Orion spacecraft aboard,
from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
• This is a precursor to the Artemis mission (which aims to send first woman and first
person of colour on the Moon).

20. A “Green Triangle” named after Mahatma Gandhi was inaugurated in Antananarivo, the
capital of Madagascar.

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21. A powerful storm system brought clouds of Sahara dust to parts of southern Europe, which
has turned the sky orange in Europe.
• The storm led to very poor air quality and a layer of accumulating mud in Spain, Portugal
and France.
• The Spanish state meteorology agency AEMET named the storm system Celia.

22. Exercise Cold Response 2022 is being conducted by the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) in Norway.
• The exercise will be conducted on land, air, and water.

23. UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has joined the “One Health Alliance” to advance
human, ecosystems, and animal health simultaneously in line with the sustainability agenda.
• Other members of the expanded One Health Alliance include the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organization
for Animal Health (OIE).
• Purpose of the One Health Alliance – It will promote access to clean drinking water, safe
and nutritious food, renewable energy and clean air besides spurring action on the climate
crisis, among other things, to achieve sustainable development.
o It will also work towards strengthening the ability of individual countries to tackle
emerging infectious diseases, food safety risks, and anti-microbial resistance.

24. 48th summit of the Council of the Foreign Ministers of Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) was held in Islamabad.
• Theme of the summit - "Building Partnerships for Unity, Justice, and Development.
• The OIC is a 57-member grouping of Muslim majority nations, including Pakistan.

25. 5th BIMSTEC Summit will take place in Columbo, Sri Lanka.
• During the summit, six documents are expected to be signed by the leaders.
• Documents –
o BIMSTEC charter: to help the forum play an effective role in the Bay of Bengal
region
o BIMSTEC Master plan for transport connectivity
o BIMSTEC convention on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters
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o Memorandum of Association for the establishment of BIMSTEC Technology Transfer

Facility (TTF) in Colombo
o MOU on mutual cooperation between diplomatic academies/training institutions of
BIMSTEC Member States
o Rationalization and reorganization of sectors and sub-sectors of BIMSTEC
Note: According to some unauthenticated websites, the theme of the BIMSTEC Summit is “BIMSTEC-
Towards a Resilient Region, Prosperous Economies and Healthy Peoples”.

26. United Nations and World Meteorological Organization have partnered to launch project to
put every person on Earth in range of early weather-warning systems within 5 years.
• According to the World Meteorological Organization report on disaster statistics, a climate
or water-related disaster has occurred daily on average, resulting in an average of 115
deaths and $202 million in losses a day over the last half-century or so.

27. North Korea has tested its intercontinental ballistic missile named Hwasong-17 (also
termed as the ‘monster missile’).
• Hwasong-17 is the biggest ICBM, North Korea has ever developed and is potentially able to
deliver a nuclear warhead to anywhere in the United States

28. World Bank has issued the world’s first wildlife bond worth $150 million, with a validity of 5
years.
• The bond will be partly used for the conservation of black rhinos in South Africa.
• The bond will pay returns determined by the rate of growth in populations of the
animals in two South African reserves – Addo Elephant National Park and the Great
Fish River Nature Reserve.
• There are a total of five rhino species in the world.

29. Nepal has adopted the unified payment interface developed by India for digital
transactions.
• Earlier this year, Bhutan also launched a BHIM-UPI based payment service for digital
transactions.
• UPI was launched in India in 2016.

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30. Bulgaria has abolished its controversial “golden passports” scheme that used to offer
residency to foreigners, if they had invested 500,000 euros, and citizenship, if the investment is
1 million euros.
• The beneficiaries of this scheme were primarily from Russia, China and the Middle East.

31. Solomon Islands and China are expected to sign a security deal.
• This security treaty is a cause of concern for the Indo-Pacific region.
• Solomon Islands’ Capital – Honiara; Currency – Dollar

32. 4th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Minamata Convention on
Mercury will be held at Bali, Indonesia from March 21-25, 2022.
• This is the 2nd part of the meeting. The first part of the COP 4 was organized in November
2021.
• The Minamata Convention on Mercury was adopted in 2013 and entered into force August
16, 2017.

Outcomes of COP 4 and COP 4.2 -

• In the first part, participants committed to phase out mercury products to protect the
environment and human health from the release of mercury.
• Bali Declaration on Combatting Global Illegal Trade of Mercury - a non-binding political
declaration - was adopted in COP 4.2.

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• For the first time, artisanal and small-scale mining (ASGM), the largest source of mercury
emissions, was part of the COP agenda.
• At the COP 4.2, the parties agreed to phase out eight mercury-added products, which
include compact fluorescent lamps, cold cathode fluorescent lamps, photograph film and
paper, and propellant for satellites.
• COP-5 is tentatively scheduled to meet in Geneva, Switzerland, from 30 October to 3
November 2023, under the presidency of Romania.

33. Schengen Agreement was signed in 1985 in Schengen, Luxembourg.

• The agreement involves 26 European Countries. By virtue of this agreement, these
countries have abolished passports and border control at their respective mutual borders.
• These countries together form the Schengen Area, where a unified visa policy governs the
international travel.
• Of the European Union’s 27-member states, 22 countries are part of the Schengen Area.
• Why in news? – Latvian authorities have announced that the country has decided to
abolish the current entry rules that apply to travellers from European Union/Schengen Area
and the United Kingdom.
• Neither Ukraine nor Russia are part of this agreement. Thus, it has nothing to do with
current Russia-Ukraine crisis.

34. 5th 'Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation’
(BIMSTEC) Summit is being hosted by Sri Lanka in a virtual mode.
• Theme of the Summit – "Towards a Resilient Region, Prosperous Economies, Healthy
People”
• India has announced a grant of USD 1 million to the BIMSTEC secretariat to increase its
operational budget.
• 2022 marks the 25th anniversary of BIMSTEC.
• Three BIMSTEC agreements were signed by the leaders –
(i) BIMSTEC Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters
(ii) BIMSTEC Memorandum of Understanding on Mutual Cooperation in the field
of Diplomatic Training
(iii) Memorandum of Association on Establishment of BIMSTEC Technology
Transfer Facility in Colombo
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• 18th edition of BIMSTEC ministerial meeting was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

35. UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has celebrated its 50th foundation day in Nairobi,
Kenya.
• Theme of the UNEP@50 event - "Strengthening UNEP for the implementation of the
environmental dimension of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development"
• 5th edition of UN Environment Assembly (UNEA 5) was held in Nairobi, Kenya.
• Theme of the Assembly – “Strengthening Actions For Nature To Achieve The Sustainable
Development Goals”

REPORTS AND INDICES

1. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released its Sixth Assessment:
Working Group II report titled as Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and
Vulnerability.
• The first assessment report was released in 1990.
• As per the report, a rise will be seen in the Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra river basins by
2050 to 2100.
• The runoff can increase by 3-27% by 2050 in the following rivers –
o 7-12% in Indus
o 10-27% in Ganga
o 3-8% in Brahmaputra
• Around 45% of the global population lives in the highly vulnerable areas.
• Mumbai will be among the 20 largest coastal cities in the world with highest flood losses by
2050.
• Ahmedabad, Chennai, Bhubaneshwar, Patna, and Lucknow will face a serious risk of
heatwave and humidity.

2. UK-based Knight Frank has released the 16th edition of the ‘Global Wealth Report’ 2022.
• Globally, the percentage of ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWI) increased by 9.3% in
2021, following on from growth of 2.4% in 2020.

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• Top 5 countries (US, UK, France, Japan, and China) saw the number of ultra-high-net-
worth individuals rising in 2021.
• Till 2026, the global UHNWI population would be doubled.

About India -
• India has the third-highest billionaire population globally (at 145 billionaires), after US
and China.
• The number of ultra-high net worth individuals with net assets of $30 million ( Rs 226 crore)
or more, increased 11% in 2021.
• This is the highest percentage growth in Asia Pacific.

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• Mumbai leads with the highest number of UHNWIs at 1,596, followed by Hyderabad at
467, Pune at 360, Bengaluru at 352, Kolkata at 257, Delhi at 210, Chennai at 160 and
Ahmedabad at 121.
• Bengaluru witnessed the highest growth in the number of UHNWIs with 17.1% to 352,
followed by Delhi and Mumbai in 2021.
• Bengaluru is projected to witness the highest increase (of 89%) in the UHNWI population
and become home to 665 ultra-wealthy individuals by 2026.

3. ‘State of India’s Environment’ report has been released by the Down to Earth Magazine.
• As per the report, India now ranks at 120th position in terms SDG achievement. In 2021,
India’s rank was 117.
• India’s overall SDG score is 66/100.
• State-wise – Kerala tops in its preparedness to adopt 2030 SDGs, followed by Tamil Nadu,
and Himachal Pradesh at the 2nd position.
o At 3rd position, Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Uttarakhand are placed.
• UT-wise – Chandigarh tops, followed by Delhi, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry at 2nd
positions and A&N islands at 3rd position.
• At 120th position, India ranks behind all South Asian nations in terms of SDG achievements,
except for Pakistan (at 129th position).

4. NITI Aayog is developing a National Gender Index to measure the progress and identify the
persisting gaps in gender equality to make informed policy decisions.
• The index will be aligned to the framework of Sustainable Development Goals.
• Niti Aayog has also developed a draft State Energy and Climate Index to assess the
performance of states on indicators such as -
o Discoms' viability and competition;
o Access, affordability and reliability of energy;
o Clean energy initiatives;
o Energy efficiency;
o Generation capacity; and
o Environmental sustainability and new initiatives

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5. Confederation of Indian Industry and Bain & Company have released the ‘Innovation in
India’s Rural Economy’ report.
• The rural economy contributed nearly half the nation’s overall GDP in 2019–2020 and
employs 350 million people (68% of the total workforce).
• Agriculture is the largest sub-sector in the rural economy, contributing approximately 37%
of total rural GDP in 2019–20.
• During 2015-20, the agriculture sector grew at a Compound Annual Growth Rate at
11%.
• Investments in the agri-tech space have skyrocketed in the last four years, growing at more
than 50% p.a. to aggregate nearly Rs 6.6K Cr till 2020.
• Over the last five years, the rural ecosystem has grown at 10% per annum.

6. According to a data released by London & Partners (London's international trade and
investment agency), India is the 2nd largest global venture capital investment hub for
digital shopping companies, growing by 175% from $8 billion in 2020 to $22 billion in 2021.
• US is 1st in terms of investment in digital shopping companies with $51 billion investment.
• China is 3rd with USD 14 billion and the UK is 4th with USD 7 billion.
• City-wise ranking –
o Bengaluru – 1st ($14 billion investment in 2021)
o New York City – 2nd
o San Francisco – 3rd
o Gurugram – 7th ($4 billion investment in 2021)
o Mumbai – 10th ($3 billion investment in 2021)
• Three of the 15 global cities with the highest count of current unicorns are in India —
Bengaluru at No. 6 with 19 unicorns in 2021 (up from three in 2020), Gurugram at No. 7
with 13 unicorns (up from 3 in 2020) and Mumbai at No. 14 with 7 unicorns.
• The total global VC investment for 2021 stood at a record $140 billion, up from $68 billion
in 2020.

7. V-Dem Institute (at Sweden’s University of Gothenburg) has released the ‘Democracy
Report 2022: Autocratization Changing Nature?’

Facts from the Report -

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• Total - 202 countries assessed

• Regimes - Liberal Democracy, Electoral Democracy, Electoral Autocracy, and Closed
Autocracy.
• Sub-indices of the report -
o Liberal Democracy Index (LDI) and Electoral Democracy Index (EDI) are based
on 71 indicators, which assess liberal (individual and minority rights) and electoral
aspects (free and fair elections) of a democracy.
o Liberal Component Index – to measure the importance of protecting individual and
minority rights
o Egalitarian Component Index – to measures the extent to which different social
groups are treated equal
o Participatory Component Index – to measure health of citizen groups, civil society
organisations
o Deliberative Component Index – to measure whether political decisions are taken
through public reasoning focused on common good or through emotional appeals,
solidarity attachments, coercion
• Countries’ Performance –

• India’s performance –
o In the Liberal Democracy Index, India ranks 93rd, behind three South Asian
countries like Sri Lanka (88), Nepal (71), and Bhutan (65) and above Pakistan (117).
o India figures in the “bottom 50%” of countries, if LDI is taken into consideration.

Observations of the Report –

• Declining Liberal Democracies –
o Liberal democracies were on its rise in 2012 with 42 countries. Now, the number of
liberal democracies has declined to 34 nations, harbouring 13% of the world
population.
o This is the lowest level in over 25 years.
• Rise of Autocracy –
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o 30 countries, having 26% of the world’s population (2 billion people), are closed
autocracies in 2021.
o 60 countries, having 44% of the world’s population (3.4 billion people), are electoral
autocracies in 2021.
o Now, 70% of the world’s population – 5.4 billion people – is living in the
autocracies (combined with closed and electoral autocracies).
• Violation of Civil Rights –
o A record of 35 countries suffered significant deteriorations in freedom of
expression at the hands of governments – an increase from only 5 countries 10
years ago.
o Toxic polarisation increased in 32 countries from 5 countries in 2011.
o Anti-pluralist political parties are the main source of increasing autocratization in
at least 6 of the top 10 countries – Brazil, Hungary, India, Poland, Serbia, and
Turkey.
• By the Regimes of the World classification, there were 89 democracies and 90
autocracies in the world in 2021.

8. International Labour Organization has released the “Care At Work: Investing in Care
Leave and Services for a Gender-Equal World of Work” report.
• As per the report, 650 million women of reproductive age are not getting any maternity
protection in line with the ILO’s Maternity Protection Convention, 2000.
o The convention provides for a 14 weeks of paid maternity leave on at least 2/3rd of
the employee’s last drawn salary.
• 85 countries out of the total 185 countries are violating the Convention. With the current
pace of reforms, it would take 46 years to provide minimum maternity benefits to the
women.
• Care services ecosystem could create almost 300 million jobs by 2035.
• Gender leave gap - More than 1.2 billion men of prime reproductive age live in countries
with no entitlement to paternity leave.
• In only 40 countries, pregnant or nursing women have a right to be protected against
dangerous or unhealthy work.

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• Only 53 countries offered a right to paid time off for prenatal medical examinations. Time
off, income security and appropriate facilities for breastfeeding were also lacking in many
countries.

9. Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) is a key platform for
providing credible data on schools.
• UDISE+ is in practice since the year 2012-13.
• UDISE+ data on School Education in India for 2020-21 –
o Total students enrolled in school education from primary to higher secondary stood
at 25.38 crore.
o There is an increase of 28.32 lakh enrolments as compared to the 25.10 crore
enrolment in 2019-20.
o The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) which measures the general level of
participation, has improved in 2020-21 at all levels of school education compared to
2019-20.
o Level wise GER in 2020-21 as compared to 2019-20 are:
§ 92.2% in upper primary
§ 99.1% in elementary
§ 79.8% in secondary
§ 53.8% in higher secondary
o Teachers in 2020-21 - 96.96 lakh
o Pupil Teacher Ratio - 26 for primary, 19 for upper primary, 18 for secondary and 26
for higher secondary, improvement from 2018-19
o Girls’ enrolment - over 12.2 crore in primary to higher secondary in 2020-21
o Total non-teaching staff – 15.8 lakh
o Across all levels, 39.7 lakh students of government aided, private schools shifted to
government schools.

10. SKOCH Governance Report Card 2021 has been released by SKOCH Group (Chairman -
Sameer Kochar).
• It is an annual ranking of the states according to their performance in various projects at
state, district and municipal level.
• Rankings –
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o 1st – Andhra Pradesh

o 2nd – West Bengal
o 3rd – Odisha
o 4th – Gujarat
o 5th – Maharashtra
• UTs – Andaman and Nicobar is 1st; Chandigarh at 2nd; Daman And Diu at 3rd; Delhi at 4th
and Jammu& Kashmir at 5th position

• Parameters and national-level score –

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About SKOCH Group & SKOCH Award –

• SKOCH Group is India's leading think tank, which focuses on socio-economic issues with
a focus on inclusive growth since 1997.
• SKOCH Award, independently instituted in 2003, is India's honest civilian honour
conferred by an independent organisation as a third party assessment.
• It uses field assessment survey to give awards.

11. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has released its Trends in
International Arms Transfers, 2021.
• Major importers of arms during 2017-21 – India, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Australia, and
China accounted for nearly 38% of global arms imports between 2017 and 2021.
o India accounted for 11% of global arms imports in 2017-21
o China accounted for 4.8%.
o Russia was India’s largest supplier of arms in both 2012-16 and 2017-21. However,
the volume of India’s imports from Russia fell by 47% between these two periods.
o France is the second-largest supplier of arms to India during 2017-21.
• Major exporters of arms during 2017-21 – US, Russia, France, China, and Germany
accounted for nearly 77% of global arms exports during the 2017-21 period.

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o US accounted for 39% of global arms exports during this period

o Russia’s arms exports fell by 26% during 2017-21 to 19%.
o Along with India, China, Egypt, and Algeria were the top four markets for Russian
arms.

12. According to the National Non-Communicable Disease Monitoring Survey, prevalence of

diabetes was over two times higher in urban India in comparison to the rural areas.
• Diabetes is more prevalent among women than men.
• Urban Areas diabetes prevalence – 14.3%
• Rural Areas diabetes prevalence – 6.9%
• Diabetes prevalence in Men – 8.5%
• Diabetes prevalence in Women – 10.2% (Out of this a majority of women (6%) were
diagnosed recently.)
• The survey was conducted National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research in
2017-18 on a sample size of 12,000 adults in the age group of 18-69 years.
• The findings of the survey was published in an international medical journal, Frontier in
Public Health.
• According to the Journal of Diabetes, India will have 69.9 million diabetics by 2025.
• By 2025, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare seeks to contain the rise in diabetes
and premature deaths from non-communicable diseases by 25%.

13. 10th edition of the World Happiness Report 2022 has been released by the United Nations
Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
• Total – 150 countries
• Happiest country – Finland at 1st rank, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, and the
Netherlands
• India’s rank – 136th
• Most unhappy country – Afghanistan at 146th rank
• Parameters – GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life
choices, generosity, perceptions of corruption, personal freedom

14. 2021 World Air Quality Report has been released by IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology
company.
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• World’s most polluted capital city – Delhi (in terms of average PM2.5 levels) / out of 107
capital cities
• World’s most polluted country – Bangladesh
• India was home to 11 of the 15 most polluted cities in Central and South Asia in 2021.
• In the Central and South Asia region — including India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Tajikistan — Bhiwadi, in Alwar district, Rajasthan, was the
most polluted regional city.

15. NITI Aayog, in partnership with the Institute of Competitiveness, has released the 2nd
edition of the Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2021.
• Parameters of assessment – 4 pillars of assessment and 11 sub-pillars.

• State categorisation –
o Group A – Coastal states
o Group B – Landlocked
o Group C – Himalayan State
o Group D – City-States
• National level score in each pillar –
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• Rankings –

• Category-wise ranking -
Category Total Number of Best performing state Worst performing
States state
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Group A – Coastal 8 Gujarat (78.86) West Bengal (39.78)

states
Group B – Landlocked 10 Haryana (53.20) Bihar (32.06)
Group C – Himalayan 9 Uttarakhand (40.79) Arunachal Pradesh
State (11.18)
Group D – UT/City- 9 Delhi (43.66) Lakshadweep (2.12)
States
(Goa is also
included in this
category)

16. National TB Prevalence Survey has been conducted from 2019 to 2021 to know the actual
disease burden of TB at a national level.

About the Survey –

• The survey estimated the point prevalence of microbiologically confirmed pulmonary TB
(PTB) among persons aged 15 years or above in India at the national level and for 20
individual states / state groups.
• Funding of the survey – Central TB Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
• Technical support – WHO-India, Department of Health Research and Indian Council of
Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi
• Nodal agency for conducting the survey – ICMR- National Institute for Research in
Tuberculosis (NIRT), in collaboration with the other regional ICMR institutes and all the
State TB Cells of the country

Key Findings –
• The prevalence of pulmonary TB in ≥ 15 years age was 316 per lakh population in the
country. Lowest – 151 per lakh (Kerala); Highest – 534 per lakh (Delhi).
• The prevalence of all forms of TB for all ages in India was 312 per lakh population for
the year 2021.
• The highest prevalence for all forms of TB was 747 per lakh in Delhi and the lowest was
137 in Gujarat.

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• The prevalence of TB infection among population ≥ 15 years age is 31.4%.

• The majority (64%) of symptomatic population did not seek health care services
• A majority of those who were symptomatic (64%), did not seek healthcare services due to
lack of awareness about the disease.
• India remains the highest contributor to global TB cases, accounting for 26% of total
cases and 34% of all deaths worldwide.

17. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has released the Annual Frontier
Report, 2022 report titled as “Noise, Blaze, and Mismatches”.
• The report assesses the level of noise pollution in cities.
• Total – 61 cities
• Ranking of World’s loudest cities –
o 1st – Dhaka (Bangladesh) with 119 dB (Decibels)
o 2nd – Moradabad (UP) with 114 dB
o 3rd – Islamabad (Pakistan) with 105 dB
o 14th – Kolkata (West Bengal) with 89 dB
o 15th – Asansol (West Bengal) with 89 dB
• Other Indian cities on the list – Jaipur (84 dB), and Delhi (83 dB)
• WHO’s recommended noise level – 55 dB for outdoor residential areas and 70 dB for
commercial areas, and areas where there’s traffic
• Being exposed to noise above 70 dB over a prolonged period of time can increase the risk
of hearing loss.
• Ranking of world’s quietest cities –
o Jordan’s Irbid at 60 dB
o France’s Lyon at 69 dB
o Spain’s Madrid at 69 dB
o Sweden’s Stockholm at 70 dB
o Serbian’s Belgrade at 70 dB

18. Mercom India Research has released the “2021 Q4 & Annual India Solar Market Update”
report.
• India has installed a record 10 GW of solar capacity during calendar year 2021, which
shows an increment of 212% on a year-on-year basis (highest ever in a year).
pg. 113
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• In 2020, India had made 3.2 GW of solar capacity installations.

• Cumulative solar installed capacity in India was approximately 49 GW at the end of
December 2021.
• In 2021, 62% of the new power capacity additions were of solar power, the largest share
of power capacity ever.
• Rajasthan, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh were the top three states for cumulative
large-scale solar capacity accounting for 50% of the installations in the country as of
December 2021.
• In terms of new solar capacity installations, Rajasthan has topped with 4.5 GW.
• Renewable energy sources accounted for about 77% of new power capacity added in
2021.

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19. Mercom India has released the “Rooftop Solar Market Report Q4 and Annual 2021” report.
• India has added 1.7 GW of rooftop solar in 2021, highest ever recorded in a calendar
year.
• Installations have increased by 138% as compared to 2020.
• India has added 402 MW of rooftop solar in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2021.
• At the end of Q4 of 2021, the cumulative rooftop solar installations reached over 7 GW.
• Gujarat is the leading state for cumulative rooftop solar installation with 27%, followed
by Maharashtra (14%) and Rajasthan (10%).
• The top 10 states accounted for nearly 85% of the total rooftop solar installation in 2021.

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20. Mercom India’s Solar Open Access Market Report Q4 and Annual 2021 has been released
to provide comprehensive information on the Indian solar open access market.
• India witnessed 222% growth in open access solar installations.
• Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra are the top 3 states in installation of open
access solar capacities during the calendar year 2021.
• India added 298 GW of capacity in Q4. As of December 2021, the total open access solar
capacities crossed 5 GW.

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BANKING AND ECONOMY

1. Bharti Airtel has entered into an agreement with Vodafone to buy 4.7% equity in Indus
Towers.
• The deal will boost Airtel’s stake in Indus to 46.4%.

2. Shanghai-based New Development Bank (NDB) has become the first multilateral agency to
open an office in the Gujarat International Finance Tech City (Gift).

3. BSES Yamuna Power Limited has commissioned India’s first ‘Smart Managed EV
Charging Station’ at Mayur Vihar in east Delhi.
• The EV charging station, which can charge five e-vehicles simultaneously, is located at
BYPL’s 11 kV sub-station building in Mayur Vihar Extension Phase-I.

4. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has approved development of 400 MW solar park
by State-owned Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd. (SJVN) at Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh.
• An in-principle approval has been accorded by the Ministry for development of this project
under Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Power Parks of its solar park scheme.
• SJVN is the Solar Power Park Developer for all renewable energy projects in Himachal
Pradesh.
• SJVN is already preparing DPR for 880 MW Kaza Solar Park in Himachal Pradesh.
• SJVN’s Chairman and MD – Nand Lal Sharma

5. Union Cabinet has allowed 20% FDI in LIC and other such state-owned corporate entities
through the automatic route.
• HQ of LIC - Mumbai

6. Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has launched the
Minimum Assured Return Scheme (MARS).
• The scheme will provide savers and people from the salaried class an option for their
investments.

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• EY Actuarial Services LLP is working as a consultant to help design the proposed MARS
under the NPS. This will be the first scheme from PFRDA to offer a guaranteed return to
investors.
• The actual returns will depend on the market conditions. Any shortfall will be made good
by the sponsor, and the surplus will be credited to the subscribers’ account.
• There are expected to be two options on offer.
• Under the fixed guarantee option, the guaranteed return is fixed along the accumulation
phase. Under the floating guarantee option, the guaranteed rate of return is not fixed
along the savings phase.
• Withdrawals are likely to be directly linked to the lock-in period.
• The subscriber may have the option to withdraw or to stay invested after the lock-in
period.

7. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) and Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd
have signed an agreement for cooperation and collaboration in the field of renewable energy,
electric mobility, and alternative fuels including the development of ESG Projects.

8. National Statistical Office (under the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation) has
released the ‘Second Advance Estimates Of National Income 2021-22 And Quarterly
Estimates Of Gross Domestic Product For The Third Quarter (Q3) Of 2021-22’.
• As per the estimates, Indian economy grew by 5.4% in the Q3 of FY22.
• The growth in GDP during 2021-22 is estimated at 8.9% as compared to a contraction of
6.6% in 2020-21.
• Nominal GDP or GDP at Current Prices in the year 2021-22 is estimated to attain a level of
₹ 236.44 lakh crore, as against ₹ 198.01 lakh crore in 2020-21, showing a growth rate of
19.4%.

9. Bank of Maharashtra has partnered with Mahagram (fintech) to roll out the ‘Bank Sakhi’
project in Odisha.
• Mahagram would provide financial technology and infrastructure support to augment rural
financial inclusion.

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• As part of the tie-up, the company has onboarded more than 11,000 bank sakhis (women)
on the Bharat ATM platform to help the rural citizens avail basic banking services at their
doorstep or the next door Kirana stores.

10. Union Bank of India has signed a co-lending agreement with Ambit Finvest Private
Limited, a Non-Deposit taking NBFC, for lending to MSME customers.

11. Punjab National Bank (HQ - Delhi) has announced that high-value cheques of Rs 10 lakh
and above will be cleared after reconfirmation with the issuer under the Positive Pay
System (PPS) from April 4.
• The bank introduced PPS for cheques of Rs 50,000 and above presented in Cheque
Truncation System clearing from January 1, 2021, in accordance with the RBI guidelines.

About the Positive Pay System (PPS) -

• Developed by - National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)
• Functioning - A customer issuing the high-value cheque has to reconfirm some essential
details. The details are then cross-checked while presenting the cheque in clearing before
payment.

12. National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has partnered with Yatra.com and SBI
Card to launch a co-branded ‘Yatra SBI Card’ on the RuPay network.
• The card offers exclusive travel benefits on booking flights and hotels which would be
applicable six times a year.

13. Paytm has partnered with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC)
to provide digital ticketing services to consumers through Automatic Ticket Vending
Machines (ATVM) installed at railway stations across the country.
• This is the first time Indian Railways is providing an option to pay digitally for ticketing
services through UPI on ATVMs to promote cashless commuting among railway
passengers.

14. Edelweiss Housing Finance has entered into a co-lending partnership with Standard
Chartered Bank to offer housing loans to customers in a 20:80 ratio respectively.
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• The co-lending arrangement is specially targeted towards micro, small and medium
enterprises (MSMEs).

15. UCO Bank has partnered with Fisdom to offer demat account, stockbroking services,
pension funds and tax filing to its customers.
• Through this partnership, the customers of UCO Bank will get a 3-in-1 personal banking
experience.
• The services will be offered through UCO Bank’s mobile banking application UCO
mBanking Plus and will gradually be accessible through its internet banking platform.
• Bengaluru-based Fisdom is a fintech company; founded by Subramanya SV (also present
CEO) and Anand Dalmia.

16. IDBI Bank has launched the Corporate Liquidity Management Solution (C-LMS) and
Government Liquidity Management Solution (G-LMS) to meet the liquidity management
needs of institutional customers.
• IDBI Bank’s MD & CEO - Rakesh Sharma

17. Religare Broking has launched the ‘Religare Pre-Apply LIC IPO App,’ which will serve as a
one-stop solution for investors to open a demat account and share their intent for pre-applying
to the LIC IPO.
• This app will exclusively work for processing IPO applications.
• Religare Broking’s CEO - Nitin Aggarwal

18. Google has identified 100 early to mid-stage Indian startups under the Appscale Academy
initiative to train them in developing world-class apps.
• 35% of the cohort come from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities; 58% have a woman in a leadership
role.
• Startups have been chosen from Education, Health, Finance, Social, Ecommerce, and
Gaming sectors.
• It will be a six-month programme.

About Appscale Academy Initiative –

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• Google has launched the Appscale Academy program in October 2021 to train early to
mid-stage startups across India on building high-quality apps for the world.
• For this, Google has partnered with the Ministry of Electronics and IT’s Startup Hub.
• The Appscale Academy will help local startups across gaming, healthcare, financial
technology, education technology and social impact domains.
• Applications will be open till 15 December 2021, from which 100 startups will be selected.
• The program will have a special focus to the emerging startup ecosystem in Tier II and
Tier III cities of India.

19. LIC Housing Finance Ltd and CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd (CSC) have entered
in a strategic partnership to provide loans to citizens Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs).
• The loans will be provided through a network of over four lakh VLEs operating under CSC.
• Types of loans under the partnership - home loans; loans for serving or retired
employees who are entitled to pension; residential plot loan; Griha Suvidha for private
sector workers or self-employed; and loan against property and top-up loan.

20. International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has invited public comments on
the draft framework on sustainable and sustainability-linked lending by financial
institutions in IFSCs.
• Purpose - to encourage the IFSC banking units and finance companies/ finance units
(undertaking lending activities from IFSCs) to internally develop a comprehensive board
approved policy on green/ social/ sustainable/ sustainability linked lending.
• The guidance intends to provide a broad framework for the adoption of principles aligned
with the existing international standards
o viz. green/ social loan principles developed by loan market association (LMA),
o bond principles developed by the International Capital Markets Association (ICMA),
o Climate Bond Standards by Climate Bonds Initiative and any other similar
recognised standards.
• As per the policy, entities will have at least 10% of their loan assets in the form of lending to
green/ social/ sustainable/ sustainability-linked sectors/ facilities from the financial year
beginning April 2023/ calendar year beginning January 2023.

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21. International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) and Indian Institute of
Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) have signed an MOU for strengthening active participation
in conducting evidence-based policy research for policy formulation and also encourage
research in emerging financial areas.

22. Reliance Industries would invest Rs 1670 crores to create a joint venture (JV) with U.S.-
listed Sanmina Corp for making electronic products in Chennai.
• The JV aims to make hardware for 5G communications, cloud infrastructure, healthcare
systems, and defence and aerospace.
• Reliance will hold a 50.1% stake in the JV after the investment in Sanmina's existing Indian
entity through a Reliance unit.

23. Adani Renewable Energy Holding has received the contract from the Punjab State Power
Corporation for the procurement of 250 MW Solar Power.
• The company has received the Letter of Award (LOA) to set-up 150 MW Solar Power
Project.

24. Axis Bank has committed a USD 150 million loan for strengthening the healthcare
infrastructure in the country in association with IPE Global.
• Axis Bank has committed to strengthening India's healthcare infrastructure by signing an
MoU with IPE Global for the SAMRIDH Healthcare Blended Finance Facility.
• SAMRIDH is an initiative supported by the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID).
• SAMRIDH aims to support health enterprises and innovators who would otherwise not have
access to affordable debt financing.

25. RBI has exempted investments made by urban co-operative banks (UCBs) for subscribing
to the capital of the Umbrella Organisation (UO) from the limits imposed on holding of non-
Statutory Liquidity Ratio (non-SLR) securities.
• Purpose - to encourage UCBs to subscribe to the capital of UO and acquire its
membership. The UO will be a non-banking finance company (NBFC).
• Previous rules –

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o According to the RBI’s 2009 circular on ‘Investments in Non-SLR securities by

Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks’, non-SLR investments will be limited to 10%
of a bank’s total deposits as of March 31 of the previous year.
o Further, investments in unlisted securities shall not exceed 10% of the total non-SLR
investments at any time.
• Meaning of Non-SLR securities - Non-SLR securities include debentures/bonds,
preference shares, equity shares, mutual fund units, commercial paper, and investment in
securities issued by a securitisation/reconstruction company.

About the Umbrella Organization -

• In 2019, RBI had allowed the National Federation of Urban Co-operative Banks and
Credit Societies Ltd. (NAFCUB) to create an Umbrella Organization for the UCB sector.
• The UO could perform include liquidity management for UCBs (those with surplus
liquidity can park it with the UO, and those facing deficit could draw funds from it),
establishing a common IT infrastructure (including payment gateways and common data
centres), and facilitating mergers in the sector.
• UCBs are allowed to subscribe to the capital of the UO on a voluntary basis.
• As at March-end 2021, there were 1,534 UCBs in the country, according to the RBI.

26. To realise the dream of Nita Ambani (Director of Reliance Industries and Founder-Chairperson
of Reliance Foundation), Reliance Industries Ltd will establish the Jio World Centre in
Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex.
• It will be India’s largest and most prestigious multi-faceted destination.
• The Jio World Centre will have Dhirubhai Ambani Square and the musical Fountain of
Joy, Jio World Convention Centre, and other complexes for enhancing the consumers’
pleasure.

27. India and Canada are negotiating to finalise the Free Trade Agreement between them.
• Commerce minister Piyush Goyal and his Canadian counterpart Mary Ng will meet in New
Delhi to begin talks for the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
• India and Canada had begun talks for a CEPA in 2010, but it did not see much progress,
although the negotiations went on till 2017.

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India-Canada Trade -
• Canada is India’s 31st largest market.
• Trade during April-January 2021-22 -
o India’s total exports to Canada in April-January 2021-22 were $3 billion or 0.88%
of India’s total exports.
o Imports from Canada stood at $2.5 billion or 0.52% of India’s total imports during
April-January 2021-22.
• In 2020, India had a trade surplus of nearly $200 million with Canada.
• India’s top exports to Canada – Organic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, apparel, textiles,
iron, and steel
• India’s top imports from Canada – vegetables and petro products

28. Bharti Airtel and Axis Bank have launched “Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card” to accelerate
adoption of digital payments in the country.
• The Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card will offer a host of benefits such as cashbacks, special
discounts, digital vouchers and complimentary services to Airtel customers.

29. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has chosen Intellect to implement the upgraded version of the
Cloud Native Intellect Quantum Core Banking solution to improve its digital infrastructure.

30. Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has sanctioned a loan of ₹1,000 crore to Jammu and Kashmir
Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation Ltd (JKIDFC).
• JKIDFC uses its funds, borrowing, and grants for the infrastructure development in the UT.
• IOB is aiming to widen credit growth and funding infrastructure development across the
nation.

31. Microsoft has unveiled its fourth data centre in India at Hyderabad, Telangana.
• This is one of the largest data centre in India and will be operational by 2025.
• Microsoft has committed an investment of over Rs 15,000 crore to the state over a period of
15 years.
• Microsoft has data centres in Mumbai, Pune and Chennai.

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32. Google Cloud and Flipkart have entered into a multi-year strategic alliance to help fast-track
the e-commerce company's innovation and cloud strategy.
• The partnership will enable Flipkart to use Google Cloud's infrastructure to reach more
customers.

33. HDFC Mutual Fund has launched ‘LaxmiForLaxmi’ a women-led financial empowerment
initiative to connect women investors to a woman financial expert near them through a
unique missed call service.
• The female financial expert will guide and address queries of the woman investor.
• MD & CEO of HDFC AMC - Navneet Munot

34. RBI has released the ‘BE(A)WARE’ booklet highlighting the modus operandi of fraudsters
and precautions that need to be taken while conducting a financial transaction.

35. Axis Bank has launched the 'HouseWorkIsWork' initiative for offering opportunities to
homemakers to re-join the professional space.
• Under the initiative, the bank will boost the confidence and skills of the women.
• GIG-A-Opportunities is Axis Bank's new platform for alternative work models to attract the
finest talent, with a promise of growth with flexibility, diversity and inclusivity.

36. RBI and the NPCI have launched UPI 123Pay facility for feature phones that allows these
phones to make payments without the internet.
• The facility will function on four basis –
o App-based Functionality – UPI to be operated via app
o Missed Call – By dialling a missed call on the number displayed at the merchant
outlet, feature phone users will be able to access their bank account and perform
routine transactions.
o Inter-active Voice Response (IVR) – UPI payment via pre-defined IVR numbers
o Proximity Sound-based Payments – Using sound waves to enable contactless,
offline, transaction
• NPCI has already launched DigiSaathi – a 24X7 digital payment helpline.
o Toll-Free Number (IVR): 14431 or 1800 891 3333
o Website: digisaathi.info + Chatbot
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37. Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance and Bharat Co-operative Bank (Mumbai) Ltd. have signed
their bancassurance partnership to sell life insurance to bank’s customers.

38. ToneTag has partnered with National Skill Development Corporation to introduce voice-
based digital payments for feature phone in India.
• Backed by Amazon and MasterCard, ToneTag enables contactless payment on feature
phones, providing a simple and low-cost solution for users to make payments using their
device and without any additional setup for merchants.

39. SEBI has increased the investment limit for retail investors applying in public issues of debt
securities through unified payments interface (UPI) mechanism to ₹5 lakh from the current
limit of ₹2 lakh.
• The new investment limit would be applicable to public issues of debt securities from May 1,
2022.

40. RBI has extended the Interest Equalization Scheme for export credit till March 2024.
• The norms of the scheme have also been modified.
• Revised interest equalisation rates under the scheme will now be 3% for MSME
manufacturer exporters exporting under any HS lines and 2% for manufacturer exporters
and merchant exporters exporting under 410 HS lines (after excluding 6 HS lines of the
telecom sector).
• ‘HS’ stands for Harmonized System, which is a standardized numerical method of
classifying traded products.
• The extended scheme will not be available to those beneficiaries, who are availing the
benefit under any production linked incentive (PLI) scheme of the government.

41. BOB Financial Solutions Limited (BFSL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of Baroda,
and CreditAI Fintech Pvt Ltd have launched Unnati – a co-branded credit card for farmers.
• It is a contactless card, powered by Visa, to empower farmers to avail agricultural inputs in
time and at any-time during the cultivation cycle.
• CreditAI Fintech Pvt Ltd is a Singapore and Bengaluru based farmer digitisation and
credit scoring company.
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42. Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has collaborated with Bhartiya Swarnkar Sangh (BSS) and
Jamshedpur Jewellers Association (JJA) for strengthening the proposed electronic gold
receipt (EGR) markets in India.
• The pacts will enable them to face competition and manage price risk better.
• BSE, in association with BSS and JJA, will conduct programs to educate the community
about the commodity and derivatives markets and their benefits.
• Trading of gold via EGR and international bullion exchange (at GIFT city) will provide
assurance in the quality of gold supplied, efficient price discovery, and transparency in gold
for all stakeholders.

43. RBI has announced to regulate National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and
Development (NaBFID) under the RBI Act, 1934.
• NaBFID will be regulated and supervised as an All India Financial Institution (AIFI) by it
under the RBI Act, 1934.
• NaBFID has been set up as a Development Financial Institution (DFI) to support the
development of long-term infrastructure financing in India.
• It shall be the fifth AIFI after EXIM Bank, NABARD, NHB and SIDBI.
• Chairman of NaBFID - K V Kamath

44. According to the data from Kpler (Belgium-based consultancy), India has imported at least
1.06 million tonnes of coking coal from Russia, the highest since January 2020.
• If the trend goes on, India's coal imports from Russia in March could be the highest in more
than two years.
• Russia is at present India's sixth largest supplier of coking and thermal coal.
• Russia’s major coal buyers are India and China at present after the sanctions.

45. UCO Bank has entered into an agreement to acquire 3% stake in India Debt Resolution
Company Ltd (IDRCL) for Rs 1.50 crore.
• IDRCL is a public sector asset rehabilitation agency where the stressed assets of the public
sector undertaking can be transferred.
• PSUs can transfer the stressed assets to the agency, hence cleaning up their books.

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46. India’s is ranked at the 5th position in the league table of the world’s biggest stock markets,
with a market cap of $3.21 trillion.
• US is the world's biggest market valued at $47.32 trillion followed by China ($11.52 trillion),
Japan ($6 trillion) and Hong Kong ($5.55 trillion).

47. ICICI Bank has acquired 5% stake in the National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited
(NARCL).
• NARCL or bad bank is an asset reconstruction company, which was incorporated on July 7,
2021.
• State Bank of India (SBI), Union Bank of India, and Indian Bank already own 13.27% stake
each in NARCL. Punjab National Bank owns nearly 12% stake in the bad bank.
• Chairman of NARCL – Pradip Shah

48. IIFL Securities has launched ‘OneUp’ platform for investing in initial public offerings (IPOs),
non-convertible debentures (NCDs) and sovereign gold bonds (SGBs), among others.
• OneUP is India’s first primary markets investment platform.
• Separately, IIFL Wealth and Asset Management Company, backed by Fairfax Financial
Holdings Ltd, has already raised ₹2,600 crore in its pre-IPO series fund.

49. Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has slashed interest rate on provident
fund deposits to 8.1% for 2021-22 from 8.5% credited in 2020-21 and 2019-20.
• This is the lowest interest rate in last 4 decades.
• EPFO was established in 1952 in New Delhi.
• EPFO CEO - Neelam Shami Rao (CEO of Central Provident Fund Commissioner (CPFC)

50. RBI has directed Paytm Payments Bank Ltd to stop onboarding new customers with
immediate effect and conduct a comprehensive audit of its IT system, citing “material
supervisory concerns”.
• RBI has used Section 35A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 to put restrictions on
Paytm Payments Bank.

51. LivQuik (Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) issuer) has achieved full Interoperability as
mandated by the Reserve Bank of India for their Prepaid payments Instruments.
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• Thus, LivQuik has become the first PPI company in India to fully comply with the
Interoperability guidelines of RBI.
• RBI guidelines mandate PPI Issuers to facilitate interoperability for full-KYC wallets by
March 31, 2022.

52. Shriram Housing Finance Ltd (SHFL), the 5th largest housing finance company in India, has
set a target of doubling its loan-book to ₹10,000 crore and become the third largest player
by FY24.
• Currently, Aadhar Housing leads the segment with a loan book of over ₹14,000 crore,
followed by Awas and Repco with over ₹10,000 crore each and Homefirst has a marginally
higher book size than Shriram’s now.

53. M1xchange is an online platform for discounting trade receivables of MSMEs.

• M1xchange is targeting to double its customer base and hit transaction value of ₹30,000
crore in the next fiscal year.
• In 2015, RBI had allowed MSMEs to use invoice discounting facility for the due payments
under the Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS).
• Under this facility, banks pay cash to MSMEs in exchange of the invoices, which are due on
MSMEs from their customers, to provide much-needed liquidity to MSMEs on time. Later
on, banks collect the payments from the customers against the invoices.

54. The amount of subsidies on fertilizers may exceed the estimated expenditure mentioned in
the Budget, for the year 2021-22, by Rs 10,000-15,000 crores.
• In the Union Budget of 2021-22, ₹79,000 crore was allocated. This amount was increased
to ₹1.4 trillion (76% increase) in the revised estimates of Union Budget 2022-23.
• Until January, ₹1.16 trillion had been spent, which is 83% of the revised estimate.
• Budgeted estimates for fertiliser subsidy for 2022-23 stands at ₹1.05 trillion.
• The govt has planned to show this increased expenditure in the next year’s budget in the
form of revised estimates.

Reasons for increase in the fertiliser subsidy bill –

• Ukraine supplies 10% of India’s urea requirements.

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• India imported 9.8 million tonnes (mt) of urea to meet a total requirement of over 35 million
tonnes in FY21.
• India also imported a third of the 32 mt of non-urea fertilizers used in FY21.
• India imports about 30% of its total fertilizer requirements, and about 8% of this comes from
Russia and Ukraine.

Mechanism of fertiliser subsidy in India –

• Subsidy amount = (Cost of fertilisers to companies - Retail price to the farmer) X quantum
of consumption
• If the subsidy amount is fixed, the changes in the prices of fertilizers will be borne by
farmers. This is the case with potash, phosphorous and nitrogen in India.
• If the subsidy amount is flexible and MRP for farmers is fixed, then, the burden of
fluctuation in the prices will be borne by the govt in the form of increased subsidy payments.
This is the case with urea in India.

55. Adani Group has signed a deal with Sri Lanka’s govt for developing two large power
projects in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province.
• Six months ago, Adani Group had bagged a strategic port terminal project in Columbo.

56. National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) and India Bullion and Jewellers Association Ltd
(IBJA) have partnered to launch India’s 1st domestic bullion spot exchange under the aegis
of SEBI.
• Bullion means gold or silver in bulk before coining, or valued by weight. India is the second
largest consumer of gold.
• This spot exchange will cater to the B2B (business to business) segments of the industry.
• Benefits of the bullion exchange –
o Effective price discovery
o Transparency in bullion transactions
o Boosting Investor Confidence
o Quality assurance
• MD & CEO, NSE - Mr. Vikram Limaye
• President, IBJA - Mr. Prithviraj Kothari

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57. Central government has sought Parliament's approval for an additional spending of ₹1.58
lakh crore to meet its expenditure commitments in FY22 (2021-22).
• The additional fund will be used for settling loans taken from National Small Savings
Funds (NSSF) for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and higher fertiliser subsidy
expenditure.
• In the 3rd batch of supplementary demands for current fiscal year, Govt sought the approval
for Rs 1.07 lakh crores, including Rs 15,000 crores for fertiliser subsidies.
• With the 3rd batch, the aggregate additional spending amount has reached Rs 1.58 lakh
crore.

58. Ministry of Defence has sought additional funds of nearly Rs 3,637 crores from the Ministry of
Finance for developing infrastructure across the India-China border.
• The Ministry of Defence informed Rajya Sabha that 32 road construction projects have
been sanctioned across the Sino-India border since Galwan valley clashes.
• Defence Ministry’s report on demands for grants 2022-23 is being studied by the
Parliamentary Standing Committee, headed by Anand Sharma (Congress leader).

India-China Border Roads Project -

• Phase-I – Started in 2005 under Ministry of Home Affairs to develop 27 roads of 608 km
along India-China border.
o Achievement – Developed 25 roads of 751 km approx.
• Phase II – Approved in 2020

59. Dutch impact investment firm Capital 4 Development Partners BV (C4D Partners) has
announced its plan to launch its first India-specific venture capital fund.
• The company is already having the C4D Asia Fund for Asian region.
• The fund has a target corpus of $50 million with a greenshoe option of $25 million.
• Founder and CEO of C4D Partners - Arvind Agarwal

60. Vodafone-Idea has launched Vi Games, a dedicated games store in its ‘Vi’ mobile app, in
partnership with gaming firm Nazara Technologies.

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61. Tech Mahindra has launched TechMVerse (a metaverse facility) to offer interactive and
immersive experiences to customers.
• MD & CEO, Tech Mahindra - C.P. Gurnani

62. AI and Robotics Technology Park (ARTPARK), an Indian government funded not-for-profit
organization founded by IISc in 2020, has opened an ‘Innovation Lab’ at the Indian Institute
of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.
• Purpose - to provide support to researchers and start-ups working in artificial intelligence
(AI) and robotics to build market-ready products.
• The lab will focus on three areas—digital and physical connectivity using 5G and drones,
making healthcare services available at people’s doorsteps, and using AI for inclusive
learning.
• The lab will work in collaboration with IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Jodhpur, the University of Aalto in
Finland, Indian Council of Medical Research and the All India Institute of Medical
Sciences.
• ARTPARK has also kept aside $100 million venture capital fund to invest in start-ups and
products incubated at its labs.
• At the 1st ARTPARK Innovation Summit, the first product developed by its labs – a drone
ambulance – was unveiled.

63. Bank of Baroda and BNP Paribas Asset Management Company have formed a joint
venture ‘Baroda BNP Paribas Mutual Fund’.
• BoB stake – 50.1%
• BNP Paribas Asset Management Company’s stake – 49.9%
• CEO of new entity – Suresh Soni
• Baroda BNP Paribas Mutual Fund will offer 28 schemes across equity, hybrid, debt and
overseas fund of fund categories.

64. SpiceJet has announced to launch 60 new domestic flights this summer.
• It includes seven UDAN flights, and eight industry-first flights.
• Eight industry-first flights - Gorakhpur-Kanpur, Gorakhpur-Varanasi, Jaipur–Dharamshala
and Tirupati–Shirdi sectors

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65. Adani Group has partnered with Greenko Group (an energy transitions firm in Hyderabad) to
utilize the hydro energy storage capacity to supply round-the-clock (RTC) energy to Adani
Group’s facilities in India.
• Greenko owns India’s largest operational clean energy portfolio of 7.3 GW and is
building 30 GWh of storage capacity as part of its plan to set up a cloud platform of 100
GWh.
• In February, National Investment and Infrastructure Fund-backed Ayana Renewable
Power partnered Hyderabad-based Greenko to store 6 GWh of power in hydro pump
storage plants that Greenko is building at Pinnapuram, Andhra Pradesh.
• In November, Adani Group announced investments of $70 billion in the new energy space
for 10 years.

66. Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority (PFRDA) Chairman Supratim
Bandyopadhyay has announced that it is planning to increase the 75% limit on equity under
NPS (National Pension System) Tier II to 100%.
• At present, the approval for the same is awaited.

67. RBI has allowed the NBFC-microfinance institutions to decide their interest rates.
• Purpose – to bring microfinance lenders including banks, small finance banks, NBFC and
not-for-profit companies on a uniform regulatory platform.
• The RBI also raised the annual household income to Rs 3 lakh for a collateral-free loan
to be classified as microfinance loan.
• So far, such loans given to households with an annual income of Rs 1.25 lakh in rural
India and Rs 2 lakh in urban and semi-urban areas were classified as microfinance
loans.
• Banks remain the largest microfinance lenders with an about 40% market share, followed
by NBFC-MFIs, small finance banks, other NBFCs and NGOs.
• The changes announced on Monday will come into effect on April 1, 2022.
• NBFC-MFIs are mandated to raise their net-owned fund to Rs 7 crore by March 31, 2025
and to Rs 10 crore by March 31, 2027 from Rs 5 crore at present.
• It reduced the minimum requirement of microfinance loans in the total loan assets of
NBFC-MFIs to 75% from 85%, to reduce the risk concentration.

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• RBI also removed certain exemptions applied to not-for-profit entities with Rs 100 crore
and directed them to register as NBFC-MFIs within 3 months to bring them within its ambit.

68. ICICI Bank has launched ‘Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Credit Card’ in partnership with
Emirates Skywards.
• The card caters to travel, lifestyle and everyday spends.
• Emirates Skywards is a joint initiative of Emirates and flydubai.

69. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank has launched Ujjivan SFB Assisted app – India’s first digital
onboarding service for micro banking customers.
• The app will allow microfinance borrowers to update their mobile number for their individual
banking transactions, through a new paperless, real time and secured, OTP-based
authentication followed by a biometric authentication process.

70. Samsung will develop new compressor manufacturing plant in Sriperumbudur, near
Chennai at a cost of ₹1,588 crores.
• The compressors will be used in refrigerators that Samsung manufactures in India and also
be exported.
• For this, Samsung has also signed an MOU with the Tamil Nadu govt.

71. SoftBank-backed quick commerce start-up Blinkit, earlier known as Grofers, has signed a
merger deal with food delivery unicorn Zomato.

72. Indian govt is planning to issue $3.3 billion (Rs 240 billion) worth of sovereign green bonds.
• It is expected to a 10-year sovereign bond with 6.85% yield.

73. India’s new foreign trade policy (FTP), which was about to be implemented on 1 April, 2022,
has now been delayed by six more months.
• Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), under the Ministry of Commerce and
Industry (MoCI) prepares and implements the Foreign Trade Policy of India.
• The policy will also have a unique ‘districts as exports hub’ scheme.
• The district hub scheme will help local producers in 700 districts to scale up
manufacturing and find potential buyers outside India.
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• The Union budget has proposed replacing the existing SEZ Act with new legislation to
enable states to become partners in the ‘Development of Enterprise and Service Hubs’
(DESH).
• The FTP also envisages the development of a dedicated ‘Trade Promotion Body’ to drive
overall promotion strategy, set export targets, and execution.

74. In the Union Budget of 2022-23, the govt has announced to infuse Rs 5000 crores in three
loss making general insurance companies, which are the National Insurance Co. Ltd,
Oriental Insurance Co. Ltd and United India Insurance Co. Ltd.
• The amount would be released over the next 10 days.
• One of these insurers will be privatised. As per news reports, it could be United India
Insurance.
• Department of Financial Services (DFS), in the finance ministry, is the administrative
body in charge of public sector insurers.

75. Minister of State for Finance, Bhagwat Karad, informed Rajya Sabha that bank frauds
during April to December 2021 stand at Rs 648 cores.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank has been hit by the highest number of frauds at 642, involving Rs
1 lakh and above, in first nine months of 2021-22, followed by ICICI Bank and IndusInd
Bank at 518 and 377, respectively.

76. Torrent Power Limited has entered into a share purchase agreement (SPA) and
shareholders agreement (SHA) with Administrator of the UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli
and Daman and Diu (holding entity) and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
Power Distribution Corporation Limited (the SPV) for purchase of 51% equity share of the
SPV from the holding entity.

77. Competition Commission of India (CCI) has cleared the acquisition of equity stake in Future
Generali India Insurance Co. Ltd. (FGLIC) by Generali Participations Netherlands NV.
• Generali Participations proposes to acquire about 25% of the equity share capital of Future
Generali India Insurance Co. held by Future Enterprises Ltd.

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78. Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (chaired by Bimal Julka) and Deloitte have jointly
released the “Fantasy Sports: Creating a Virtuous Cycle of Sports Development” report.
• India’s fantasy sports market will reach ₹1.65 trillion by 2024-25 from the current
₹34,000 crore, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38%.
• India is the world’s biggest fantasy sports market with more than 130 million users.
• Fantasy sports are expected to contribute ₹24,300 crore in taxes by FY25.
• Income tax on prize winning money from fantasy sports is taxable at 30%, excluding cess
and surcharge.
• Fantasy sports have directly generated revenues of around ₹5,200 crore in FY21.

79. Max Life Insurance Company has launched the ‘Max Life Smart Guaranteed Pension
Plan’, a non-linked, non-participating single premium individual/group general annuity plan.
• Corporates and public sector enterprises can directly purchase this plan as a group annuity
product to meet the employees’ retirement needs.
• Direct customers can also avail this product.
• Max Life’s MD and CEO - Prashant Tripathy

80. IIT-Madras Incubation Cell and RBI Innovation Hub (a subsidiary of RBI) have signed an
MOU for developing the ecosystem necessary to support and scale fintech startups in India.
• Through this MOU, the two organizations will jointly provide incubation support and nurture
early-stage startups with innovative and disruptive solutions and accelerate their scale-up
journey.
• CEO of RBI Innovation Hub - Rajesh Bansal

81. SBI has planned to set up an Innovation, Incubation and Acceleration Centre (IIAC) at
Hyderabad to strengthen its digital infrastructure and digital offerings.

82. Singapore Exchange has selected Tata Consultancy Services Ltd's BaNCs solution to
power the trading link NSE IFSC-SGX Connect at GIFT city, Gujarat.
• It will allow Singapore traders and other international investors to trade in Nifty derivatives
in real time.

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• SGX has set up SGX India Connect IFSC Private Limited, a special purpose vehicle at
Gift City, to enable international access to Indian capital markets and create a larger
liquidity pool of international and domestic participants.

83. “Global Powers of Retailing 2022” report has been released by Deloitte.
• For the first time, a Chinese company (JD.com) has entered in the list of Top 10 retailers.
• India’s Reliance Retail Ltd is at 56th rank.
• In terms of growth in the last 5 years (2015-20), Reliance Retail is at the 2nd position with a
five-year CAGR growth in retail revenue of 49.4%.

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84. PepsiCo India has partnered with NDrip (a manufacturer of gravity-powered micro-irrigation
system) to help farmers in India increase water efficiency.
• This is part of a global partnership between PepsiCo and N-Drip, aimed at increasing water
efficiency across 10,000 hectares around the world by 2025.
• N-Drip’s technology has already been introduced in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Rajasthan
to improve water efficiency levels across thousands of hectares in the country by 2025.

85. Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management Inc. has agreed to buy 25% stake in the packaging
film business of Jindal Poly Films Ltd for ₹2,000 crore (about $263 million).
• It would be one of the largest private equity deals in India’s packaging industry.

86. U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Mastercard have partnered to
increase the digital empowerment of women under Project Kirana.
• Project Kirana is an initiative of the multinational financial services company MasterCard
and USAID launched to help Indian businesswomen thrive and grow.

87. Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd has signed an MOU with Business France, the French national
agency in charge of the development of exports and international investments in France, to
support companies in the Indo-French corridor.

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• Purpose - to promote business and start-up ecosystem cooperation and identify business
and investment opportunities in India and France.

88. SEBI has released new rules of Category III of Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) named as
SEBI's AIF Regulations, 2022.
• Under the rules, Category III AIFs can invest not more than 10% of the investable funds in
an investee company, directly or through investment in units of other AIFs.
• The large value funds for accredited investors of Category III AIFs can invest up to 20% of
the investable funds in an investee company, directly or through investment in units of
other AIFs.

89. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) has partnered UltraCash Technologies Pvt Ltd
to offer a voice-based digital payment facility that allows its BharatGas consumers.
• LPG consumers, who do not have smartphones or internet, can make the payment through
'UPI 123PAY'.
• UltraCash is a mobile payment application developed by UltraCash Technologies and
authorised by the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI).

90. National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched the 'on-device' wallet feature
for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) users, named as “UPI Lite” for facilitating small ticket
transactions.
• Purpose - This is aimed at reducing stress on the banking system and making the
transaction process even simpler.
• Limit for offline wallet – Rs 2000 (maximum limit to be kept at any point of time) and Rs
200 (for each transaction)
• Also, transactions through UPI Lite will be done without additional factor authentication
(AFA) i.e., the users do not have to key in the UPI PIN.

91. Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd) has become the largest coal-
producing company in the country, with 157 million tonnes of coal production in the financial
year 2021-22.

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92. Ministry of Statistics & Program Implementation has released the Quarterly Bulletin
[April-June 2021] report.
• Overall unemployment rate – 12.6%
• Male unemployment rate – 12.2%
• Female unemployment rate – 14.3%

93. ICICI Bank has signed an agreement for buying 5% stake in the National Asset
Reconstruction Company Limited (NARCL), aka “Bad Bank”, for Rs 137.5 crores.
• Punjab & Sind Bank has entered into an agreement to buy 2% stake in NARCL for Rs 55
crore.

94. Industry body NASSCOM has predicted that Indian data centre market is expected to grow at
about 5% annually to reach $4.6 billion by 2025, driven by cloud adoption and data
localization.

95. Suzuki Motor Corporation (Japanese automaker) has announced to invest around 150
billion yen (about ₹10,445 crore) for local manufacturing of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV)
and BEV batteries in Gujarat by 2026.
• For this, an MOU has been signed between Suzuki Motor and the Gujarat govt during the
India-Japan Economic Forum held in New Delhi.

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96. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has extended the timeline
up to 10 years for startups to convert debt instruments into equity shares.
• Earlier, investors were allowed to convert their debt into equity after 5 years from the day
when initial convertible note was issued.
• Now, this timeline has been extended to ten years.

97. Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and consultancy EY
have released a report, according to which, India’s media and entertainment sector is
expected to grow by 17% in 2022 to reach the 2019 pre-pandemic levels of $25.2 billion.
• By 2024, it is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11% to touch
$30.9 billion.
• By 2024, the advertising market should reach ₹1 trillion.

98. CommerceIQ has become India’s latest unicorn at a valuation of $1 billion.

99. DBS Bank India has launched Green Deposit Programme for corporate clients.
• The Green Deposits will fund green industries and initiatives such as; green building
sustainable water initiatives that include wastewater management, renewable energy and
clean transportation.

100. Rupeek (a digital lending platform) has launched ‘Rupeek Academy’ in collaboration with
the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), an initiative by National Skill
Development Corporation (NSDC).
• The partnership is aimed at attracting young talent looking for career opportunities within
India’s gold loan industry.
• Rupeek Academy will also create a centre for excellence for developing and managing
talent for gold appraisers.

101. NABARD has allocated Rs 4,013 crore assistance to Odisha under its Rural
Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) during 2021-22.

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• RIDF provides loan only in three categories – agriculture and allied sector, social sector,
and rural connectivity.
• Odisha is one of the major borrower of RIDF’s loans and grants.

102. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the licence of Kanpur-based People's Co-
operative Bank Limited.
• It is the fourth co-operative bank to face RBI action this year.

103. Paytm Payments Services Limited (PPSL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of One97

Communications, has launched ‘Payment Analytics’, a data analysis feature for online and
offline merchants.
• This service is available to all Paytm merchants at no extra cost.
• It will provide insights to merchants to help them understand customers and their payment
preferences with the help of data.
• CEO of PPSL - Praveen Sharma

104. ArcelorMittal has partnered with Greenko Group to reduce its carbon footprint by
adopting renewable energy.
• Under the alliance, ArcelorMittal will invest $600 million to own and fund a 975 megawatt
(MW) renewable energy project in Andhra Pradesh.

105. State Bank of India (SBI) has acquired 7.84% equity stake in Open Network for Digital
Commerce (ONDC), an open-source e-commerce platform, for ₹10 crores.
• Established by DPIIT, ONDC aims to on-board small retailers on e-commerce platform.
• SBI is the second public sector bank to buy a stake in ONDC. Last year, Punjab National
Bank (PNB) had invested in ONDC as a promoter by picking up a 9.5% stake in the
company.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank, Axis Bank, and HDFC Bank have acquired 7.84% stake each for
Rs 10 crores each.

106. SBI Card, in partnership with premium grocery store brand Nature’s Basket, has launched
the 'Nature's Basket SBI Card' for addressing unique lifestyle spend needs, including grocery
and gourmet, of the cardholder.
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107. ICICI Bank has launched a co-branded credit card in partnership with Chennai Super
Kings (CSK), named as the ‘Chennai Super Kings ICICI Bank Credit Card’.
• The card provides 2000 reward points that can be redeemed against CSK merchandise.

108. According to the data from the Ministry of Electronics and IT, the volume of digital
payments in India has increased by 33% during financial year 2022.
• More than 74 billion digital payment transactions were recorded during this period, up
from 55 billion in FY21.
• NPCI’s unified payment interface (UPI) was the most used platform for digital
transactions during the period, accounting for 4.52 billion transactions with a value of ₹8.27
trillion, until the end of February.
• PhonePe and Google Pay are holding significant share in the UPI market.
• India is the leading market for real-time payments transactions with 25 billion
payments, followed by China (15 billion) and South Korea (6 billion). US is at the 9th
position with 1.2 billion transactions.

109. According to the BofA (Bank of America) Global Research’s report, Indian domestic
banks’ share in the overall commercial credit has decreased to a low of 34% in FY21 from
56% in FY11.
• Reason for the decline - partly due to the pandemic and more because companies are
moving away from banks for funds.
• The share of non-banks in commercial credit has more than doubled to 44% while that of
foreign banks rose to 22% in FY21.
• In this report, foreign credit includes FDI, bank credit and IPO investments. It has increased
to 22% of the total flow in FY21.

110. Indian private refiner Nayara Energy has purchased Russian oil equivalent to 1.8 million
barrels of Urals (a Russian oil brand).
• Nayara Energy is partly owned by Russia’s Rosneft company. It operates India's second-
largest oil refinery in Vadinar, Gujarat.

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111. The Central Government’s revenue receipts from the Securities Transaction Tax (STT)
has increased by 25% in FY22 to stand at ₹21,231 crore (as of 15 February).
• STT is levied on purchase and sale of listed securities on the gross consideration. It is paid
by both the buyer and the seller.
• STT is a direct tax paid on the value of securities transactions on a stock exchange. It is
levied at 0.1% of the turnover for delivery-based trading and nil for intra-day transactions.
For sale, it is levied at 0.025% of the turnover.
• The increase in STT collections indicates rising market activity, trade volumes and
buoyancy.

112. India imported 651.24 tonnes of gold in financial year 2020-21, as compared with 719.94
tonnes in the year earlier period.
• This information was given by Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel.

113. Airtel Payments Bank has partnered with ICICI Lombard to offer Smartphone Insurance
in India. The EMI of the insurance will start from Rs 1,299.

114. AU Small Finance Bank has signed an agreement with Tata Motors for offering finance
options for its new Forever range of passenger cars and UVs.

115. RBI has allowed the SBI Mutual Fund and other entities in the SBI group to together
hold up to 9.99% stake in ICICI Bank.

116. Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of the stake in
Busybees Logistics (which operates ‘Xpressbees’ brand) by TPG Growth V SF Markets Pte.
Ltd. (Singapore-based company).

117. HDFC Bank has announced certain initiatives for increasing its reach to small merchants.
• AutoFirst – This app is being planned by HDFC Bank to provide loans in the auto segment
through the app.
• SmartHub Vyapar – It is a suite of financial services like UPI, QR, tap pay, and SMS based
payments for merchants.
• Digital customer hub – this hub will be established to provide all services to customers.
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118. EbixCash has partnered with Axis Securities for providing trading services to its
customers.
• Under the agreement, customers of EbixCash will be able to get a 3-in-1 account (that
integrates their savings, demat and trading accounts).
• EbixCash is a technology-based provider of digital products and services in the B2C, B2B
and financial technology space.

119. MG Motor India has launched e-Pay, a one-stop online car finance platform, in partnership
with ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Kotak Mahindra Prime and Axis Bank.
• The platform allows the customers to get approval for their vehicle loans easily from the
comfort of their homes through e-Pay.

120. India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA) has forecasted total smartphone
exports to cross $5.5 billion in FY22, up from $3.16 billion last year.
• It is an increment of 74%.
• The growth in mobile phone exports is likely surpass India’s overall electronics exports,
estimated to rise to around $15 billion this year from $10.6 billion in FY21.
• A major factor in boosting smartphone exports is the PLI Schemes for Large Scale
Electronics Manufacturing (approved in 2020 with a total outlay of ₹40,951 crore).
• A total of 14 smartphone makers were approved to receive incentives under the PLI
scheme.

121. SEBI has levied a fine of ₹5 lakh on Axis Bank Ltd for violating the Merchant Bankers
(MB) Regulations while handling certain public debt sales.

122. RBI governor Shaktikanta Das has inaugurated the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub
(RBIH) in Bengaluru.
• The RBI has set up hub as a wholly owned subsidiary with an initial capital contribution of
₹100 crore.

123. Federal Bank, Bank of Baroda, Axis Bank, and Avanti Finance have partnered with
Reserve Bank Innovation Hub for Sawanari TechSprint program of RBIH.
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• Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) is hosting the 'Swanari TechSprint' from April 18-
22.
• The program aims to create and produce smart, creative, and sustainable solutions
supporting women's advancement in financial growth and independence and for women-
owned enterprises in India.
• TechSprint will specifically connect fintechs, financial service providers, innovators, and
subject matter experts to collaborate, ideate and solve specific problems in real time.
• Reserve Bank Innovation Hub’s Chairman – Kris Gopalkrishnan (chairman of Infosys)
• RBIH has been set up as a Section 8 company under the Companies Act with an initial
capital of Rs 100 crore to encourage financial innovation through an institutional set-up.

124. RBI has set a target of about Rs 1 trillion for government-backed National Bank for
Financial Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) for sanctioning loans to the
infrastructure sector in the FY23.
• The government has infused Rs 20,000 crore as equity in the DFI, and an additional Rs
5,000 crore has been given as grants to NaBFID.
• The DFI will get 10-year tax concession so that it can provide long-term funds at an
affordable cost to the infrastructure sector.
• Chairman of NaBFID – KV Kamath

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125. RBI has released the framework for geo-tagging of payment system touch points.
• RBI, in its Statement on Developmental and Regulatory Policies released with the bi-
monthly Monetary Policy Statement 2021-22 on October 08, 2021, had announced
releasing the Framework for geo-tagging of payment system touch points.
• Geo-tagging refers to capturing the geographical coordinates (latitude and longitude) of
payment touch points deployed by merchants to receive payments from their customers.
• Benefits of geo-tagging, such as -
o Provide insights on regional penetration of digital payments
o Monitor infrastructure density across different locations
o Identify scope for deploying additional payment touch points
o Facilitate focused digital literacy programmes
o Policy interventions for realising the above benefits will be facilitated by the
information thus collected
• Banks / Non-bank PSOs shall capture and maintain geographical coordinates for all
payment touch points.
• Geo-tagging information in respect of the following shall be submitted to the Reserve Bank:
o PoS terminals (Mobile PoS, Soft PoS, Tablet PoS, Desktop PoS, Self-service Kiosk
PoS, Android-based PoS terminals, Non-Android-based PoS terminals with GPRS
SIM Card-embedded, Non-Android-based PoS terminals with PSTN Line
Connectivity, etc.) and,
o Paper-based / Soft QR Codes (Bharat QR, UPI QR, etc.)

Reporting guidelines
Information to be submitted to Reserve Bank By All banks / Non-bank PSOs
ü Merchant-related information
• General merchant details (name, merchant ID, merchant type, merchant
category, merchant contact details, merchant / payment aggregator
information, if any, etc.)
• Merchant location details (merchant address, state, district, revenue centre,
population of revenue centre, post office, pin code, population group, tier,
etc.); and

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ü Payment acceptance infrastructure details

• General payment touch point details (terminal type, sub-type, terminal ID,
date of commencing operations, operating status, etc.)
• Payment touch point location details (terminal address, state, district,
revenue centre, population of revenue centre, post office, pin code, geo-co-
ordinates (latitude, longitude), population group, tier, etc.).

126. Finance Bill 2022-23 has been passed by the Lok Sabha.
• “A Finance Bill is a Bill that, as the name suggests, concerns the country's finances — it
could be about taxes, government expenditures, government borrowings, revenues, etc.
Since the Union Budget deals with these things, it is passed as a Finance Bill.” (definition quoted
from Business Standard)

• Key takeaways from the Finance Bill –

o Budget 2022-23 proposed a 1% TDS on payments towards virtual currencies
beyond Rs 10,000 in a year and taxation at the hands of the recipient.
o The threshold limit for TDS would be Rs 50,000 a year for specified persons,
which include individuals/HUFs who are required to get their accounts audited under
the I-T Act.
o Capex (capital expenditure) was raised by 35.4% to Rs 7.5 lakh crores to continue
the public investment-led recovery of the pandemic battered economy.

127. Bank of India has bought a 9% stake in National Asset Reconstruction Company
Limited (NARCL) for Rs 109 crores.
• NARCL, aka ‘the Bad Bank’, is largely owned by public sector banks, which together own
51% in the asset reconstruction company.
• State-owned banks -- State Bank of India, Union Bank of India and PNB – together hold
close to 30% in NARCL, while Canara Bank is the largest shareholder with 12% stake.
• 15 bad loans accounts amounting to Rs 50,000 crore are expected to be transferred to
NARCL in the current financial year. However, the transfer is yet to take place.
• The banks will receive 15% upfront cash payment against bad loans transferred and the
rest in the form of security receipts (SRs) guaranteed by the government of India. The
guarantee is for Rs 30,600 crore.

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128. HDFC Mutual Fund has announced to establish India’s first Defence Fund to be known
as the HDFC Defence Fund - an open-ended equity scheme that will be investing in defence
& allied sector companies.
• Allied sectors – aerospace, explosives, shipbuilding, industries /stocks present on the
SIDM (Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers) list or any other similar industries/stocks
that are allied to the defence sector.
• The scheme will allow the investors to invest in the defence and allied sector companies,
which are selected on the basis of market capitalisation by using the bottom-up approach.
• The scheme may also invest up to 20% of the assets in companies other than defence and
allied sector companies, to achieve diversification.
• This fund will be benchmarked to the recently introduced Nifty India Defence Index TRI
(Total Returns Index).
• The fund will be primarily managed by Abhishek Poddar. The minimum subscription
during the NFO (new fund offer) period as well as the continuous offer period will be
₹5,000.

129. Max Life Insurance Co. Ltd has announced the launch of Max Life Smart Secure Plus
Plan, a non-linked, non-participating individual pure risk premium life insurance plan on the
PhonePe app for the digitally-savvy customers.
• PhonePe customers can avail comprehensive financial coverage for their families with
premiums starting as low as ₹4,426 annually.
• Maximum amount for life insurance – Rs 10 crore

130. Leading film exhibition players PVR Ltd and INOX Leisure Ltd have announced their
merger to create the largest multiplex chain in India with a network of more than 1,500
screens.
• It will be an all-stock amalgamation of INOX with PVR, in a share swap ratio of 3 shares of
PVR for every 10 shares of INOX.
• The combined entity will be named PVR Inox Ltd.
• PVR's Ajay Bijli will be appointed as the Managing Director of the merged entity.
• INOX's Pavan Kumar Jain will be appointed the Non-Executive Chairman.

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131. Adani Total Gas Ltd (ATGL), a joint venture of Adani group and French energy giant
Total Energies SE, has entered into the electric mobility infrastructure sector by launching
its first EV charging station in Ahmedabad.
• ATGL is India's largest private CNG and piped cooking gas distributor.

132. Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal has unveiled the Comprehensive
Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and the UAE in Dubai.
• The pact, negotiated in a record 88 days, was signed in Feb.
• The CEPA facilitates mutual recognition of professional degrees in sectors such as
architecture, engineering, medical, nursing, accountancy, and company secretaries to allow
easier mobility of skilled services professionals across the two countries.
• India has extended a 1% duty concession for gold imports from the UAE for up to 200
tonnes per year under the pact.
• The agreement mandates up to 40% value addition on most goods and wholly-obtained
criteria for agri-products, to prevent misuse of the CEPA.
• The UAE has offered duty elimination on more than 97% of its tariff lines, which account for
99% of Indian exports to the UAE in value terms.

133. Byju’s has entered into a pact with sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority
(QIA) to set up a wholly-owned subsidiary in Doha that will focus on students in the Middle
East and North Africa region (MENA).
• As part of the deal, Byju’s also plans to build a research and development hub in Doha to
create learning content and products in the Arabic language.
• Byju Raveendran, founder and CEO of Byju’s and Mansoor Al-Mahmoud, CEO of QIA,
have signed the agreement.

134. ICICI Bank has signed an agreement to acquire 15% stake in the India Debt Resolution
Company Limited (IDRCL).
• HDFC Bank has also signed an agreement to acquire 15% stake in IDRCL for ₹7.5 crore.

135. Equitas Small Finance Bank has launched a limited edition “Equitas Bank CSK Debit
Card”, in partnership with Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

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• The beneficiaries of this card will be able to enjoy the match, dressing room chats, and
experience of CSK team at https://equiverse.in/ (a metaverse experience).
• This is the fourth IPL in which Equitas has partnered with teams like CSK.
• Last year, the bank has its logo at the back of the helmet and cap of the CSK players,
positioning themselves as the #BankBehindEveryChampion.

136. DBS Bank India has partnered with EaseMyTrip to launch an environment-friendly
international debit card namely EaseMyTrip Green Debit Card, which is made using 99%
recycled polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material.
• The card provides exclusive travel-related offers to customers and rewards them for
adopting eco-friendly practices while encouraging them to reduce their carbon footprint.

137. Researchers from the Centre for Development Studies (CDS) and the Indian Institute of
Space Science and Technology (IIST) have conducted a study titled as “The Space
Economy of India: Its Size and Structure” on the space economy of India.
• According to their estimates, Indian space industry was worth ₹36,794 crores
(approximately $5 billion) in the 2020-21.
• However, the estimated size of India's space economy, as a percentage of the GDP, is
only 0.19% in 2020-21 as against 0.26% in 2011-12.
• In relation to GDP, India's spending is more than that of China, Germany, Italy and Japan,
but less than the U.S. and Russia.
• Booming sectors of Indian space economy – space applications, space operations, and
manufacturing

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• Authors of the report – Sunil Mani (director of CDS); V. K. Dadhwal (former Director of
IIST); and Shaijumon C. S. (Associate Professor of Economics, IIST)
o Present director of IIST is D Sam Dayala Dev.

138. SEBI has approved the amendments to the SEBI (Collective Investment
Schemes) Regulations, 1999, which governs the collective investment schemes (CIS).
• Purpose - To strengthen the framework and bring them on a par with mutual fund rules to
“remove regulatory arbitrage” between the pooled investment vehicles.
• CIS allows a group of people to pool money and invest in an asset. The returns are divided
on the basis of the proportion of investments.
• The units of the CIS schemes must be listed on the exchange.
• SEBI board approved enhancement of the net-worth criteria and requirements of having a
track record in relevant field to be eligible for registration of a collective investment
management company (CIMC).
• CIMC and its group/ associates/ shareholders are not allowed to hold more than 10%
shares, directly or indirectly, in another CIMC, or have representation on their boards to
avoid conflict of interest.
• Separately, SEBI has also approved the amendments to the SEBI (Custodian)
Regulations, 1996, to enable SEBI-registered custodians to provide custodial services in
respect of silver or silver related instruments held by silver ETFs of mutual funds.

139. According to Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s data, India’s exports during
April 2021 to January 2022 have increased exponentially.
• According to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s data, only
15 countries in the world have exceeded the mark of $300 billion in exports in 2021-22
(10 months), out of the 42 leading countries.
• India is positioned at the 14th place among these 15 countries.
• India and Russia are the only countries that have recorded double-digit growth in exports
at 18% and 33% respectively.
• Already, India has achieved $400 billion merchandise exports target of FY22.

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140. Central government is planning to sell a 1.5% stake in Oil and Natural Gas
Corporation (ONGC) to raise over ₹3,000 crore through an offer for sale.
• Over 188 million equity shares, including an equal number of shares in a green shoe
option, are to be sold.
• Of these, a minimum of 25% of the shares will be reserved for mutual funds and
insurance companies, 10% for retail investors, and 0.075% for employees.
• Divestment target for FY22 – Rs 78,000 crore
• Divestment target for FY 23 – Rs 65,000 crore
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Note: Learn about offer for sale, and green shoe option. Also, the divestment done by govt so far is
important. So, take note of that.

141. IDBI Bank has announced to sell its 25% stake in Ageas Federal Life Insurance
Company (AFLI) to Ageas Insurance International NV.
• In December 2020, IDBI Bank had sold a 23% stake in the insurance joint venture to Ageas
Insurance International JV, afterwards, the stake of Ageas was increased to 49%.

142. Google Pay, in collaboration with Pine Labs, has launched “Tap to Pay for UPI” – facility
to bring the seamless convenience of Tap to Pay for UPI users.
• So far, Tap to Pay was only available for cards.
• With this, users will have to tap their phone on the POS terminal and authenticate the
payment from their phone, using their UPI PIN, instead of scanning QR code, or entering
the UPI-linked mobile number.

143. HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company has launched the VAULT program, an
industry-first digital customer engagement and rewards program.
• Under the program, the company will give reward points to its Optima Restore health
insurance customers.
• HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company is a joint venture between HDFC Ltd. and
ERGO International AG; the primary insurance entity of the Munich RE Group of Germany.

144. Central Bank of India has partnered with Kwik.ID to implement digital KYC, video KYC
and e-KYC for its expansive network across India.
• Kwik.ID is India’s fastest and first ever AI-based fully compliant Video KYC solution. Kwik.ID
is a flagship product by Think360.ai — a full stack AI firm.
• CEO and Co-founder of Think360.ai – Mr. Amit Das

145. SpiceJet, Boeing and CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (Uttarakhand) have partnered
to explore opportunities for the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the Indian aviation
industry.

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146. RBI’s wholly owned subsidiary, Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited
(BRBNMPL) has set up an ink manufacturing unit named “Varnika” in Mysuru, Karnataka.
• Varnika has an annual ink manufacturing capacity of 1,500 MT to enhance the security
of banknotes.
• RBI wants to achieve 100% self-sufficiency in bank note manufacturing in the country.
• RBI Governor Shaktikant Das also laid the foundation stone of Learning and
Development Centre (LDC) of BRBNMPL in Mysuru.
• The centre will enhance human resource capacity in the currency production and emerge
as a global centre of excellence.
• LDC is being established by LDC is being established by Bank Note Paper Mill India Private
Limited (BNPMIPL) and Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited
(SPMCIL).
• SPMCIL is a wholly owned Schedule ‘A’ Miniratna category-1 company of the Government
of India and BNPMIPL is a joint venture of BRBNMPL and SPMCIL.

147. Apple has announced a $50 million Supplier Employee Development Fund to offer
learning and skill development opportunities to the employees of its manufacturing
partners in India, US, China, and Vietnam.
• The company has partnered with the International Labour Organization, the
International Organization for Migration, and global education experts to design the
courses of the skilling and learning programmes.

148. Games24x7 Pvt Ltd, the parent company of gaming platforms such as My11Circle and
RummyCircle, has become India’s latest unicorn after raising $75 million in a funding.
• The company is based in Mumbai.
• Co-founder and CEOs of Games24x7 Pvt Ltd – Trivikraman Thampy and Bhavin Pandya

149. Union Cabinet has increased the Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) of
the central government, employees and pensioners by 3%.
• Total DA and DR – 34% of the basic pay (earlier, it was 31%)
• The new rates will be effective from 1 January, 2022.
• The cost of this increment to the govt will be ₹9,544.50 crore a year.

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• While DA is a component of the monthly salary paid to employees, DR is the amount

provided to pensioners.

150. Axis Bank Ltd has agreed to buy Citibank’s consumer business in India for ₹12,325
crore ($1.6 billion) in cash.
• After this acquisition, Axis Bank would become the 3rd largest private bank in India, after
HDFC and ICICI Bank.

GDP FORECASTS
1. CRISIL has estimated a GDP growth rate of 7.8% for FY23.
• FY22 GDP growth rate - 9.2%

2. Morgan Stanley has reduced India’s GDP growth rate for 2022-23 to 7.9%.
• Retail Inflation forecast – 6% (increased from previous one)
• Current Account Deficit – 3% (increased from previous one)
• Reason – India is 85% dependent on imports for meeting its domestic crude oil needs.
Presently, the price of crude oil has reached $140 per barrel in the international market.
This can destabilize Indian economy.

3. Moody's Investors Service has forecasted India’s GDP growth rate at 9.1% in the calendar
year of 2022.

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• 2023 GDP growth rate – 5.4%

• 2021 GDP growth rate – 8.2%

4. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has forecasted India’s
real GDP growth rate at 8.1% in calendar year 2022 and 5.5% in calendar year 2023.

5. Fitch Ratings has forecasted a GDP growth rate of 8.5% for India for 2022-23, in its latest
Global Economic Outlook-March 2022.
• For the world, Fitch has forecasted 3.5% growth rate for the calendar year of 2022.

6. UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has reduced the GDP forecasts for
world and India due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
Global GDP India’s GDP

2022 – 2.6% 2022 – 4.6%

7. ICRA has forecasted a 7.2% GDP growth rate for India for FY23.

8. India Ratings has lowered its GDP growth projection for India to 7-7.2% from 7.6% for
financial year 2023.

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APPOINTMENTS
1. SEBI has appointed Madhabi Puri Buch as its new chairperson.

2. Hasmukh Adhia (Former Finance Secretary) has been appointed as the chairman of Bank of
Baroda.
• The decision was in line with P J Nayak Committee recommendations.

3. Abhishek Singh has been appointed as the President and CEO of National e-Governance
Division.

4. Junaid Kamal Ahmad (a Bangladeshi economist) has been appointed as the Vice President
of Operations of Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), a part of the World
Bank Group.

5. EdTech platform upGrad has roped in Amitabh Bachchan as the official brand ambassador.

6. T S Ramakrishnan has been appointed as the MD & CEO of LIC Mutual Fund Ltd.

7. Vidya Balan has been named as the Brand Ambassador of Bharti AXA Life Insurance.

8. Sanjiv Kapoor has been appointed as the CEO of Jet Airways.

9. Central government has appointed Justice Dhirubhai Naranbhai Patel (Chief Justice of
Delhi High Court) as the Chairperson of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate
Tribunal (TDSAT).
• His tenure is of 4 years, or until the age of 70, whichever is earlier.

10. Aarushie Verma, has been selected to represent India at the 2041 Climate Force Antarctica
Expedition to be held in March 2022.
• Verma is a national level shooter in Pistol and trap shooting, a multi-time State & Northern
India Champion & National medallist, and an active environmentalist.

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• 2041 Climate Force is a global initiative that aims to raise awareness and work for the
preservation of Antarctica through the promotion of recycling, renewable energy and
sustainability solutions to combat the effects of climate change.

About the 2041 Foundation -

• The 2041 Foundation was founded by polar explorer and environmentalist Robert Swan,
the first person to walk to both the North and South Poles.
• Swan has dedicated his life to the preservation of Antarctica through the promotion of
recycling, renewable energy and sustainability to combat the effects of climate change.

11. SBI has appointed Nitin Chugh as group head of digital banking at the level of deputy MD.
• Chugh was formerly MD & CEO of Ujjivan Small Finance Bank and head of digital banking
at HDFC Bank.

12. Lupin Ltd (a pharmaceutical company) has roped in Mary Kom as the brand ambassador for
its Shakti campaign.
• The campaign is aimed at increasing awareness about heart diseases among women.

13. Dish TV India Limited’s DTH brand D2H, has brought Rishabh Pant as its new brand
ambassador.

14. Yoon Suk-yeol has been elected as new president of South Korea.

15. Ajay Bhushan Pandey (former revenue secretary) has been appointed as the Chairman of
National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) for a period of 3 years.

16. Katalin Novak has been appointed as the first-ever female president of Hungary.

17. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has appointed Debasish Panda as the new
chairman of IRDAI.
• Panda has previously served as secretary of Department of Financial Services, Ministry of
Finance.

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18. Online skill gaming company Games24x7 has roped in cricketers Shubman Gill and Ruturaj
Gaikwad as the brand ambassadors for My11Circle.
• Games24x7 Founders & CEOs - Bhavin Pandya and Trivikraman Thampy

19. Bajaj Allianz General Insurance has given an extension of 5 years to its MD and CEO Tapan
Singhel.

20. T Raja Kumar (from Singapore) has been appointed as the president of the Financial Action
Task Force (based in Paris) for a 2-year term.
• He is the first Singaporean to head FATF.

21. N Chandrasekaran has been appointed as the chairman of Air India by Tata Sons.
• He is already the chairman of Tata Sons.

22. CDPQ (Canadian pension manager) has appointed Saurabh Agarwal as its managing
director (MD) for India.
• CDPQ - Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec

23. Ashwani Bhatia has been appointed as the whole time member of the Securities and
Exchange Board of India (Sebi) for 3 years.
• Bhatia is currently the MD of stressed assets and information technology division of State
Bank of India.

24. Ranjit Rath has been appointed as the Chairman and MD of Oil India Ltd. (India's second
largest state oil and gas producer).
• Prior to this, Rath was the CMD of Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd (MECL).
• Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) appoints the heads of the PSUs. Incumbent
Chairperson of PESB - Mallika Srinivasan (1st woman to chair PESB).

25. US President Joe Biden has appointed Indian-American public health expert Dr Ashish K
Jha as the Covid-19 Response Coordinator of White House.

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26. Jayati Ghosh (Indian development economist) has been appointed as a member in the High-
Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism, by UN Secretary General Antonio
Guterres.
• Chair of the Board - Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (former Liberian president and Nobel laureate)
and Stefan Lofven (former Swedish prime minister)
• Total members – 12
• Supporting partner of the Board – Centre for Policy Research of the United Nations
University
• The board has been recently established to promote multilateralism across four pillars –
o Renewed solidarity between peoples and future generations,
o A new social contract anchored in human rights,
o Better management of critical global commons, and
o Global public goods that deliver equitably and sustainably for all.
• Prior to this appointment, Ghose was the chairperson of the Centre for Economic Studies
and Planning, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University.

27. Asian Cricket Council has extended the tenure of Jay Shah as its President till 2024.

28. Rajesh Gopinathan has been re-appointed as the MD and CEO of Tata Consultancy
Services.

29. Pushkar Singh Dhami has sworn in as the 12th CM of Uttarakhand.

• It is his second term.

30. Ravindra Jadeja has been entrusted with the captaincy of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by
the previous captain MS Dhoni.

31. Maruti Suzuki India has appointed Hisashi Takeuchi as the new managing director (MD)
and CEO.
• Maruti Suzuki chairman – RC Bhargava

32. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has extended the term of its Secretary-General
Jens Stoltenberg by a year until September 30, 2023.
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33. Yogi Adityanath has taken the oath as the 33rd CM of Uttar Pradesh for a second time.
• Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak have sworn in as deputy CMs.

34. All five Aam Aadmi Party nominees for the Rajya Sabha polls have been elected
unopposed from Punjab.
• Members – former cricketer Harbhajan Singh, party leader Raghav Chadha, Lovely
Professional University founder Ashok Mittal, IIT Delhi professor Sandeep Pathak and
industrialist Sanjeev Arora

35. Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India has elected Shashi Sinha as its new
chairman.

36. Ritu Khanduri Bhushan (from BJP) has become the first woman speaker of Uttarakhand's
assembly.

37. Gilbert F. Houngbo (former PM of Togo) has been appointed as the 11th Director-General of
the International Labour Organization.
• The new Director-General’s five-year term will begin on 1 October 2022.
• He is the first African to hold this post.

38. Kalyan Jewellers has approved the appointment of Vinod Rai — former Comptroller and
Auditor General of India — as chairman and independent non­executive director.
• T.S. Kalyanaraman will continue as managing director.

39. Northern Arc Capital Ltd, a diversified NBFC and a digital debt platform, has appointed
Ashish Mehrotra as the managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of the
company, effective 1 April.

40. FedEx Corp. (a US-based MNC) has appointed Raj Subramaniam as its new chief
executive officer.
• The company’s founder Fred Smith will become executive chairman.

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41. Vishwas Patel (executive director of Infibeam Avenues’) has been re-elected as chairman of
the Payments Council of India (PCI).
• Co-Chair of PCI – Praveena Rai (COO of National Payments Corporation of India) and MN
Srinivasu (co-founder and director at BillDesk)
• PCI is the apex industry body for digital operators in India’s payments and settlement
system that operates under the aegis of the Internet And Mobile Association of India
(IAMAI).

42. CS Rajan has been appointed as the CMD of IL&FS for a period of six months.

43. Delhi government has appointed Vikas Kumar as the managing director of the Delhi Metro
Rail Corporation (DMRC).

IMPORTANT DAYS
1. Polio National Immunization Day is observed on February 27 in India.
• Polio National Immunization Drive 2022 was conducted.
• Pulse Polio Immunization programme was launched in India in 1995. The drive is
conducted twice in early part of each year.

2. 3rd edition of National Protein Day was observed on February 27 in India.

• Theme – Food Futurism

3. World Civil Defence Day is observed on March 1 to commemorate the establishment of

International Civil Defence Organization in 1931.
• Theme - “Civil Defence and the first aider in every home.”

4. Zero Discrimination Day is observed from March 1 by United Nations Joint Programme on
HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
• Theme - “Remove laws that harm, create laws that empower”

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5. Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises is celebrating its iconic week under
‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahosav’ initiative from 28 Feb to 6 March.
• During the iconic week, Ministry of MSME will launch Phase II of its ‘National Level
Awareness Programme – Sambhav’ from 28.02.2022 to 31.03.2022.
• The program will motivate more than one lakh students from 1300 colleges all across the
country to take up entrepreneurship.
• Ministry of MSME is also organizing a Mega International Conference on 4th & 5th
March, 2022 at New Delhi on Plastic Waste Management.

6. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) celebrated its 17th
Foundation Day on March 1st at 15th August Ground at Red Fort, New Delhi.
• On the occasion, Smt Irani launched the new motto of NCPCR ‘भिव$यो र(ित रि(त’ (means to

protect the future i.e., the children).

7. 46th Civil Accounts Day is celebrated on March 2nd, 2022 at Dr Ambedkar International
Centre, Janpath, New Delhi.
• Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman (chief guest of the
occasion) launched the Electronic Bill (e-Bill) processing system, announced in Union
Budget 2022-23.
• The system will enhance transparency, efficiency and faceless-paperless payment system
for govt tenders, by allowing suppliers and contractors to submit their claim online which will
be trackable in real time basis.
• The e-Bill system has been developed by the Public Financial Management System
(PFMS) Division in the office of the Controller General of Accounts in the Department of
Expenditure, Ministry of Finance.
• The bills will be processed by First-In-First-Out (FIFO) method.
• It will be rolled out from 2022-23 onwards.

8. World Birth Defects Days is observed on March 3 by WHO.

• Theme – Many births defects, one voice

9. World Hearing Day is observed on March 3 by WHO.

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• Theme - To hear for life, listen with care

10. World Wildlife Day is observed on March 3 by UN.

• Theme - Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration

11. National Safety Day is observed on March 4 in India to increase the awareness of all the
guidelines of safety measures, including road safety, workplace safety, the safety of human
health, as well as the environment.
• The 51st edition of National Safety Week was celebrated from March 4 to 10.
• Theme – Nurture Young Minds - Develop Safety Culture

12. National Security Day (aka Rashtriya Suraksha Diwas) is marked on March 4 in India to
highlight the achievements of India’s security forces.

13. World Obesity Day is observed on March 4.

• Theme – Everybody Needs to Act

14. 53rd Raising Day of CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) was celebrated on March 10.
• During the celebrations, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has called for a "hybrid"
security model where the CISF would train and certify private security agencies.
• This hybrid security model would ensure that the private security agencies can take over
the task of efficiently guarding various kinds of industrial and manufacturing units in the
country.
• Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) was raised in 1969. CISF'S MOTTO - “Protection
and Security”

15. International Day of Women Judges was observed on March 10, 2022 by UN.
• United Nations General Assembly Resolution 75/274 designates 10 March the International
Day of Women Judges.
• The resolution moved to this effect by Qatar in the UN General Assembly was sponsored
by India, among others.

16. World Kidney Day is observed on 2nd Thursday of March (March 10, 2022).
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• Theme - Kidney Health for All

17. World Glaucoma Week (WGW) – from March 6th to 12th – is a global initiative of the World
Glaucoma Association (WGA) in order to raise awareness on glaucoma.
• World Glaucoma Day is observed on March 12.
• Glaucoma is a condition of increased pressure within the eyeball, causing gradual loss of
sight.

18. National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) celebrated its 37th Foundation Day on March 11 in
New Delhi. It was founded in 1986 under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Union Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, became the
first Home Minister to attend the celebrations as the chief guest.
• Bureau of Police Research & Development’s and the NCRB’s data is used by the police
forces to frame its action plans.
• Steps taken to equip police forces with modern technology –
o Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) – to be equipped with Artificial
Intelligence, Block Chain, analytical tools and fingerprint system, after its completion.
§ Police stations’ IT-cell, E-Prison, E-Forensic, E-Prosecution and E-Court are
the five systems that ICJS seeks to integrate.
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o Crime and Criminal Tracking & Network Systems (CCTNS) – Being developed
under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) of Govt. of India.
§ It will create IT-enabled-state-of-the-art tracking system around 'Investigation
of crime and detection of criminals'.
§ CCTNS will provide centralized crime and criminal information repository
along with the criminals’ images and fingerprints with advanced search
capabilities.
§ Police stations in States/UTs are responsible for implementing the CCTNS.
§ Ministry of Home Affairs and NCRB will do the planning work and provide
Core Application Software (CAS) to states/UT.

19. World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development is observed on March 4 by UNESCO.
• World Engineering Day Hackathon was also organized to encourage engineering
students to work in teams towards a global real-world problem.
• The theme of the hackathon is “Build Back Wiser – Engineering the Future”.

20. International Day of Mathematics is observed on March 14.

• Theme – Mathematics Unites
• UN has declared 2022 as the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable
Development.

21. International Day of Action for Rivers is observed on March 14.

• This year marks the 25th anniversary of the International Day of Action for Rivers, with a
theme 'to highlight the importance of Rivers to Biodiversity.'
• 2022 Hashtags - #DayofActionforRivers and #RiversUniteUs
• The International Day of Action For Rivers was adopted at the International Meeting of
People Affected by Dams in 1997 in Curitiba Brazil.

22. World Rotaract Day is observed on March 13.

• Theme – Rotary Making a Difference
• World Rotaract Week is held from 11 March 2022 to 18 March 2022
• The global headquarters of the Rotaract club is in Illinois, USA.
• Motto of the Rotaract Club – Service Above Self
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23. No Smoking Day is observed on the 2nd Wednesday of March (March 9, 2022).
• Theme – Quitting Smoking doesn’t have to be Stressful

24. World Consumer Rights Day is observed on March 15.

• Theme – Fair Digital Finance
• Consumer Empowerment Week is observed from March 14 to 20 by Ministry of
Consumer Affairs.

25. March 15 has been declared as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia by UN.
• Islamophobia is the dislike of or prejudice against Islam or Muslims, especially as a
political force.
• India’s Permanent Ambassador to the UN, TS Tirumurti, has raised voice against the
resolution. He claimed that the prevalence of religiophobia should be recognized, rather
than single out just one religion.

26. National Vaccination Day is observed on March 16 in India.

• Theme - vaccines work for all
• Corbevax is developed by Hyderabad-based biopharmaceutical firm Biological E., the
Baylor College of Medicine in the US, and US-based company Dynavax Technologies.
• This is the only vaccine that will be administered to children in the age group of 12-14.
• The gap between two doses is 28 days.

27. Global Recycling Day is observed March 18.

• Theme – Recycling Fraternity

28. International Adolescent Health Week will be celebrated from 20th to 26th March by the
Indian Academy of Paediatrics’ Adolescent Health Academy.
• Theme – Transitions
• The goals are to increase recognition of the unique health issues of adolescents, and to
promote engagement of adolescents in their own health decisions.

29. International Day of Happiness is observed on March 20 by UN.

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• Theme - Keep Calm, Stay Wise and Be Kind

30. World Sparrow Day is observed on March 20.

• Theme – I Love Sparrow

31. International Day of Forests is observed on March 21.

• Theme - Forests and Sustainable production and consumption

32. World Tuberculosis Day is observed on March 24.

• Theme - Invest to End TB. Save Lives
• For years, India has had the greatest tuberculosis burden globally, with an estimated 2.7
million Indians suffering from it as of 2019.
• Tuberculosis is the biggest killer among infectious diseases after covid-19.
• Over the years, funding for TB elimination efforts in India has reduced. India has also
slashed funding to its already underfunded national TB programme in the last three years.

33. World Oral Health Day is observed on March 20.

• Theme for 2021-2023 - “Be proud of your mouth”.

34. International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed on March 21.

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• Theme - Voices For Action Against Racism

35. World Down Syndrome Day is observed on March 21 by UN to raise awareness about down
syndrome.
• In Down syndrome, a person is born with an extra chromosome which can cause physical
and mental challenges in the infant.
• Theme – #InclusionMeans

36. World Water Day is observed on March 22 by UN.

• Focus of this year - 'Groundwater, making the invisible visible'

37. Shaheedi Diwas is celebrated on March 23 (the death anniversary of Bhagat Singh).
• Besides March 23, the day Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, January 30, is also marked
as Shaheed Diwas.

38. World Meteorological Day is observed on March 23 by UN.

• Theme – Early Warning and Early Action

39. International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations
and for the Dignity of Victims is observed on March 24 by UN.
• The date was chosen because on 24 March 1980, Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero of El
Salvador was assassinated, after denouncing violations of human rights.

40. International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave
Trade is observed on March 25.
• Theme - “Stories of Courage: Resistance to Slavery and Unity against Racism”
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41. National Board for Wildlife has declared October 5 as the National Dolphin Day.

42. 15th Earth Hour was observed from 8.30 to 9.30 PM on March 26.
• Theme – “Shape our Future”
• Since its inception in 2007, the Earth Hour is being observed every year on the last
Saturday of March.

43. 4th edition of Janaushadhi Diwas Week will be observed from March 1-7 in India by Ministry
of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
• Janaushadhi Diwas is celebrated on March 7.
• Theme of the Diwas - “Jan Aushadhi-Jan Upyogi”
• Plan of the 7-days –
o Mar 1 – Janaushadhi Sankalp Padyatra
o Mar 2 – Matri Shakti Samman (Swabhiman)
o Mar 3 – Janaushadhi Bal Mitra
o Mar 4 – Janaushadhi Jan Jagran Abhiyan
o Mar 5 – Aao Janaushadhi Mitra Bane
o Mar 6 – Janaushadhi Jan Aarogya Mela (Health Checkup camps)
o Mar 7 – Janaushadhi Diwas (Theme of the Diwas - “Jan Aushadhi-Jan Upyogi”)
• The Government has set a target to increase the number of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya
Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs) to 10,500 by the end of March 2025.
• As on 31st January, 2022, the number of stores has increased to 8,675. Under the
Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (2008), all 739 districts of the nation
have been covered.
• The product basket of PMBJP scheme includes 240 surgical instruments and 1451 drugs.

44. International Women’s Day Week (Iconic Week) itinerary of Ministry of Women and Child
Development -
• 1st March – Bureau of Police Research and Development will raise awareness on safety
and security of women
• 2nd March – Launch of Stree Manoraksha Project

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• 3rd March – The theme for the celebration is ‘Women of Tomorrow’. Panel discussions on
#NariShaktiVarta Fireside Chat on financial literacy
• 4th and 5th March – A 2-day National Workshop with State Commissions for Protection of
Child Rights will be organised in Bhopal.
• 7th March – Launch of ‘Kanya Shiksha Pravesh Utsav’
• 8th March – Nari Shakti Puraskaar ceremony and International Women’s Day Conference
for Women Police Delegates from all States/ UTs.

AWARDS
1. Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the premier Telecom R&D centre of the
Government of India, has won three awards at 12th Annual Aegis Graham Bell Awards.
• Reason - for its indigenously designed & developed innovative Telecom solutions in various
categories.
• CDOT is declared top winner in three categories which are –
o Indigenous Early Warning Platform for Disaster Management & Preparedness based
on ITU’s Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) in the “Tech for Social Good” category.
o C-DOT SAMVAD – A Unified Platform for Secure Messaging and Calling Solution.
o C-DOT Quarantine Alert System (CQAS) has won the first prize in the category of
“Preventive measures to combat Covid 19”.
• Aegis School of Business, Data Science and Cyber Security gives this award in the name
of Alexander Graham Bell (father of the telephony and great innovator).

2. Deepak Dhar (professor emeritus for physics at Indian Institute of Science Education and
Research, Pune) has become the first Indian to receive the coveted Boltzmann medal for
2022.
• Other winner - John J. Hopfield (USA)
• Boltzmann medal is given by C3 Commission on Statistical Physics of the
International Union for Pure and Applied Physics every three years at the Statphys
Conference.

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3. 13th Annual International Conference-cum-Awards on Civil Aviation & Cargo will be

organized by ASSOCHAM, in association with Air Works, on the theme of ‘Driving Post-
COVID Growth’.
• Best Air Hostess Training Institute 2021: Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training (the
World's No. 1 Air Hostess Training Institute)
• Best International Airport: Delhi International Airport Limited
• Best Cargo Carrier: SpiceJet
• Best Aviation Company: Airbus

4. 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were presented in California, USA.
• Female Actor in a Leading Role - Jessica Chastain triumphed (for her role in The Eyes of
Tammy Faye)
• Best Male Actor - Will Smith (for playing Richard Williams in King Richard)
• Female Actor in a Supporting Role - Ariana DeBose (for West Side Story)
• Male Actor in a Supporting Role - Troy Kotsur (for CODA)

5. Nasscom and Microsoft have launched the 2nd edition of the 'AI Gamechangers' awards.
• The programme will serve as a platform for startups, enterprises, academia, governments,
and NGOs to showcase their innovations in AI.
• The awards are meant to encourage nominations for impactful AI solutions built for social
impact.
• The award-winning entries will be featured in the annual 'AI Gamechangers' compendium at
Nasscom's flagship Xperience AI Summit.

Additional Facts -
• India was ranked 8th in the top 10 countries by AI patent filings on a global level.
• Data and AI could add $450-500 billion to India's GDP by 2025, representing 10% of the
$5 trillion economy goal of India.
• Nearly 45% of this value is likely to be delivered by three sectors: Consumer goods and
retail, agriculture and banking and insurance.

6. Ministry of Tourism has constituted the Swadesh Darshan awards in different categories
to recognise the best performing states/UTs.
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• Categories of Awards - Best Tourist Interpretation Centre, Best Log Hut Facility, Best
MICE Facility, Best Cafeteria, Best Craft Haat / Souvenir Shop facility, Best Sound and
Light Show, and Best Waterfront Development (Beach/ River/ Lake etc.)

7. National Awards for Science and Technology Communication 2021 were given by the
Department of Science and Technology on the occasion of National Science Day 2022.
• Only National Award for Outstanding Efforts in Science & Technology Communication in
general receives Rs 5 lakh cash prize.
• Rest of the categories have Rs 2 lakh as cash prize.
Category Winner
National Award for Outstanding Efforts in A) PN Panicker Foundation, Kerala
Science & Technology Communication in
general
National Award for Outstanding Efforts in A) Dr Ramesh Chandra Parida, Odisha
Science & Technology Communication B) Dr Hirday Kumar Chopra, New Delhi
through Print Media including Books and
Magazines
National Award for Outstanding Efforts in A) Dr Mrs. Naresh Yadav, Haryana
Science & Technology Popularization among B) Shri Vijaykumar Chandrakant Verenkar,
Children Goa
National Award for Outstanding Efforts in NIL
Translation of Popular Science & Technology
Literature in languages mentioned in the
eighth schedule of the Constitution of India
and in English
National Award for Outstanding Efforts in A) Dr Vikas Mishra, UP
Science & Technology Communication B) Dr Suman Mor, Chandigarh
through Innovative and Traditional methods C) Dr Santosh Kumar Singh, UP
D) NAVIC (National Association for
Voluntary Initiative & Co-operation), UP

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National Award for Outstanding Efforts in A) Shri Jalal Uddin Bana, J&K
Science & Technology Communication in the B) Prof. Rajinder Kumar Dhamija, New
Electronic Medium Delhi

8. National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd. (NMDC) has received the 1st prize in the
Ispat Rajbhasha Award for 2018-19 and 2020-21 and the Ispat Rajbhasha Prerna Award
for 2019-20, given by the Ministry of Steel.
• NMDC (a CPSE under Ministry of Steel) is India’s largest Iron Ore producer.

9. Nari Shakti Puraskar (highest civilian honour for women) for 2020 and 2021 were given on
International Women’s Day.
• Total – 28 categories (equally divided into 2020 and 2021)
• Total winners – 29 women
• Presented by - President Ram Nath Kovind

About the Nari Shakti Puraskar -

• Started in 1999
• Cash prize – Rs 2 lakh per awardee
• Institutional categories under the award –
o Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Award – for private/ public organization
o Kannagi Devi Award – for state for improving Child Sex Ratio (CSR)
o Mata Jijabai Award – for Urban local body for providing improved services and
facilities to women
o Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award – for civil society organization
o Rani Lakshmi Bai Award – for institution doing research and development in the
field of women empowerment
o Rani Rudrama Devi Award - District Panchayats and Gram Panchayats (two each)

10. Ministry of Labour & Employment has presented three awards, which are -
• Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar (VRP) - 96 awards
• National Safety Awards (NSA) for 2018 - 80 winners & 61 runners-up

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• National Safety Awards (Mines) for 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 - 144 awards were given
(72 Winner prizes and 72 Runner-up prizes) for all the four years
• It is awarded in the form of cash prize and a certificate of merit in three categories: Class
'A' - Five (5) of Rs. 75,000/- each, Class 'B' - Eight (8) of Rs. 50,000/- each and Class 'C'-
Fifteen (15) of Rs. 25,000/- each.

About the Awards –

• Inception – VRP and NSA in 1965 and NSA (Mines) in 1983
• Given by – Directorate General Factory Advice Service & Labour Institutes, Mumbai (VRP
and NSA) and Directorate General of Mines Safety, Dhanbad, Jharkhand (NSA (Mines))
• Mines Act, 1952 – Ensures safety and security of people working in mines. Directorate
General of Mines Safety oversees the compliances of the same.

11. Airports Council International (based in Montreal, Canada) has released the ‘Airport
Service Quality’ (ASQ) survey for the year 2021.
• Six Indian airports have been placed among the ‘Best Airport by Size and Region’.
• The ACI Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards takes into account 33 parameters related
to passenger amenities to recognize airport excellence in customer experience.
• The airports have been adjudged among the Asia Pacific region in different categories
based on annual passenger traffic.
Categories Winners
Over 40 million passengers per year Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International
Airport (CSMIA), Mumbai (5th consecutive
year)
Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi
(4th consecutive year)
15 to 25 million passengers per year Rajiv Gandhi International airport, Hyderabad
5 to 15 million passengers per year Cochin International Airport, Cochin
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport,
Ahmedabad
2 to 5 million passengers per year Chandigarh Airport, Chandigarh

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12. Ministry of Rural Development has conferred the National Award for Outstanding
Performance for 2020-21 to Jammu & Kashmir Bank.
• Reason – for its best performance in linking the self-help group with banks.

13. Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, has presented the Swachchta
Pakhwada Awards.
• Pakhwada means a time of 15 days (fortnight).
• The awards are given to CPSEs which perform best during the Swachchta Pakhwada
celebrations.
• Winners – Indian Oil Corporation (1st), ONGC (2nd), and HPCL (3rd)
• Annual publication of ‘Indian Petroleum & Natural Gas Statistics 2020-21’ was also
launched.
o This is a repository of data that gives an overall picture of India’s oil & Gas sector
including exploration, production, refining, transportation and marketing, imports, and
exports of crude oil and petroleum products.

14. RailTel has been placed at 124th position (an increase of 67 positions) in the 'Fortune India
Next 500 list of Year 2022' list.
• Apart from RailTel, IRCTC is the only Railway PSU featuring in the list, at the rank of 309.
• There are 10 (including RailTel) India government companies in the Fortune India 500 list
2022.
• RaiTel’s turnover in 2020-21 was Rs 1,411 crore, with compounded annual growth rate
(CAGR) of 12% during the last five years.
• The Fortune India Next 500 is a ranking of the top 500 midsize corporations in India
compiled, on the basis of the latest sales and gross revenue figures.

15. International Cricket Council (HQ- Dubai, UAE) has announced the list of best performing
players for the month of February 2022.
• ICC ‘Player of the Month’ (Male) – Shreyas Iyer (batter)
• ICC ‘Player of the Month’ (Female) – Amelia Kerr (all-rounder from New Zealand)

16. Lovlina Borghain and Nikhat Zareen have been selected in the Indian boxing team to
represent India at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
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• They were selected during the trial matches held at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in
Delhi.
• Men’s trials for both Asian Games and Commonwealth Games will be held in May.

17. 2022 Spanish Para Badminton International -I was held in Cartagena, Spain.
• Men’s category winner – Pramod Bhagat and Tarun Dhillon (both Silver)
• Women’s category winner – Manasi G Joshi and Nithya Sree (both Gold)

18. IFR (International Financing Review) is the world's leading provider of global capital
markets intelligence, headquartered in London.
• It has announced IFR Asia Awards for the year 2021.
o Bank of the year: Morgan Stanley
o Asian Bank of the Year: Axis Bank
o Issuer of the year: JSW Group
o Bond House: Citigroup

19. 2022 EE British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) have been presented in London.
Category Winner
Leading Actor Will Smith
Leading Actress Joanna Scanlan
Best Film The Power of the Dog (Director – Jane
Campion)
Film Not In The English Language Drive My Car (Director – Ryûsuke Hamaguchi)
from Japan
Director Jane Campion (for The Power of the Dog)

20. 2022 M3M Hurun Global Rich List has been released by Hurun India.
• 1st position in the list – Elon Musk (Tesla)
• 2nd – Jeff Bezos (Amazon)
• 9th – Mukesh Ambani ($103 billion net worth)
o 'Richest Indian & Asian' – Mukesh Ambani

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21. Burkina Faso-born Architect Diébédo Francis Kéré has won the prestigious Pritzker Prize
2022, architecture's most prestigious award.
• Kere is a dual citizen of Burkina Faso and Germany.

22. 8th MSMEs Excellence Awards and Summit has been conferred by ASSOCHAM.
• Theme of the Summit - ‘Enabling Indian MSMEs to Go Global’
• Awards –
o Best MSME Bank of the Year (Private Category) - Karnataka Bank Limited
o Best MSME Bank of the Year (PSU Category) - Punjab National Bank
o MSME of the Year - Prevest DenPro Limited
o Best Global Business of the Year - Saga Laboratories
o Most Innovative Company of the Year - Prathista Industries Ltd.
o Women Entrepreneur of the Year - SpiceHealth Pvt. Ltd & Fixderma India Pvt. Ltd.
o Excellent Services of the Year - Satya MicroCapital Ltd.

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23. Poland's Karolina Bielawska has won the Miss World 2021 at San Juan, Puerto Rico.

24. Professor Narayan Pradhan has been selected for the 31st GD Birla Award for Scientific
Research for his outstanding contribution in the field of material sciences.
• Instituted in 1991, the award is given by KK Birla foundation to recognise eminent Indian
scientists below the age of 50 for their original and outstanding contributions to any branch
of science.
• It carries a cash prize of ₹5 lakh.
• Pradhan is a fellow at the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bengaluru.

25. 2022 Sportstar Aces Awards was organized by The Hindu Group. The awards were
presented by BYJU's Classes, with IDFC First Bank as the Associate Partner.
Category Winner
Sportstar of the Year (Male) Neeraj Chopra
Sportstar of the Year (Female) Mirabai Chanu
Parathlete of the Year (Female) Avani Lekhara
Lifetime Achievement award Ajit Pal Singh (Former Indian hockey team captain)

26. Former India cricketer Suresh Raina was felicitated with the prestigious 'Sports Icon' award
at the Maldives Sports Awards 2022.
• President of Maldives - Ibrahim Mohamed Solih

27. NITI Aayog has organized the 5th edition of the Women Transforming India (WTI) Awards
2022.
• 75 women were given awards under the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• Women Transforming India Award – NITI Aayog’s annual initiative – is being given by the
NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) since 2018.

28. Biocon Ltd Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has been elected as a fellow of the
prestigious Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), Scotland's National Academy of the
greatest thinkers, researchers and practitioners.

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29. Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has awarded the Abel prize for the year 2022
to American Mathematician Dennis Parnell Sullivan.
• Reason - For his outstanding work in the field of topology (a field of mathematics that deals
with properties of surfaces that do not change when they are deformed).
• Sullivan is with the Graduate School and University Centre of the City University of New
York and the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

30. Professor Emeritus Wilfried Brutsaert, affectionately known as Mr Evaporation, has been
awarded the Stockholm Water Prize 2022 by Stockholm International Water Institute
(SIWI), in collaboration with the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
• Reason - For his ground-breaking work to quantify environmental evaporation, helping to
make accurate predictions of the impact that climate change has on local rainfall patterns
and water sources.
• Professor Brutsaert is of Belgian origin. He has lived in the US, working at Cornell
University, for over 50 years. At present, he is professor emeritus at the School of Civil and
Environmental Engineering.

31. 12th edition of the Sansad Ratna Awards are presented by the Chief Election
Commissioner Sushil Chandra at the Maharashtra Sadan.
Category Winner
APJ Abdul Kalam Lifetime Achievement M Veerappa Moily (Former Karnataka CM)
Awards H V Hande (former Tamil Nadu health
minister)
Sansad Vishisht Ratna for Sustained MP Sule (Nationalist Congress Party)
Outstanding Performance N K Premachandran (Revolutionary Socialist
Party)
Shrirang Appa Barne (Shiv Sena)
‘Sitting Members’ Category for Rajya Sabha Amar Patnaik (Biju Janata Dal MP from
members Odisha)
Fauzia Tahseen Ahmed Khan (NCP MP from
Maharashtra)

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32. 26th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) –

• ‘Suvarna Chakoram’ (The Golden Crow Pheasant) award – ‘Clara Sola’ (Spanish movie
directed by Nathalie Álvarez Mesén)
• ‘Rajata Chakoram’ (The Silver Crow Pheasant) award for Best Director – Inés
Barrionuevo (Argentinian director for his movie ‘Camila Comes Out Tonight’)
• Network for Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) Award for the Best Asian Film –
Pebbles (Koozhangal) by Vinothraj P S

33. Oscars 2022 - 94th Academy Awards - have been given by Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences in Los Angeles.
• There are 24 categories of awards. Of these, films from other countries receive awards
only in the “foreign-language film” category.
Category Winner
Foreign Language Film Drive My Car (from Japan), directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Best Picture CODA, directed by Sian Heder
Best Actor Will Smith (for King Richard)
Best Actress Jessica Chastain (for The Eyes of Tammy Faye)
Best Director Jane Campion (for The Power of the Dog)

34. US-based company, Duff & Phelps (rebranded as Kroll) has released the ‘Celebrity Brand
Valuation Report 2021’.
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• In January 2022, Virat Kohli handed over the captaincy of Test cricket format to Rohit
Sharma.
• ‘Digital Acceleration 2.0’ phase in businesses and brands has given a push to the brand
value of celebrities.

35. Indian weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu has been announced the winner of the 3rd edition
of the BBC Indian Sportswoman Of The Year award.
• In 2021 in Tokyo Olympics, Mirabai Chanu created history by becoming the first Indian
weightlifter to clinch a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
• ‘BBC Emerging Player’ award – Shafali Verma (youngest female cricketer who played for
India in Women’s T20 International match in 2019)
• BBC Lifetime Achievement award – weightlifter Karnam Malleswari (1st Indian woman to
win a medal at Olympics)
Note:
I. 2022 marks the centenary of BBC. The corporation launched its first radio station in 1922.
II. Karnam Malleswari was the first woman to win a medal at Olympics while PV Sindhu was the first
Indian woman to a silver medal at the Olympics (2016, Rio De Janeiro).

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36. First tranche of the Central Banking Awards 2022 were unveiled with Chile’s Mario Marcel
taking the Governor of the year award.

SPORTS
1. 73rd Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament was held in Sofia, Bulgaria.
• Gold winners - India’s Nikhat Zareen (52kg) and Nitu (48kg)

2. Dabang Delhi has won the Pro-Kabaddi League 2022 in Bengaluru by defeating Patna
Pirates.

3. Kolkata Thunderbolts has won the RuPay Prime Volleyball League 2022 at the Gachibowli
Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad by defeating Ahmedabad Defenders.

4. Para-archer Pooja Jatyan has become the first Indian to win a silver in an individual
category of the Para World Championships in Dubai, UAE.
• For the first time, India won two silver medals at the championship.

5. Rafael Nadal has won men’s singles title at ATP 500 Mexican Open at Acapulco.

6. Moscow Wushu Stars Championship was organized from Feb. 22 to 28, 2022.
• Gold - Sadia Tariq (from J&K)

7. Daniil Medvedev has become the 27th player to reach No. 1 in the ATP Rankings,
surpassing Serbian Novak Djokovic.
• Medvedev is the first player outside the 'Big Four' of Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael
Nadal and Andy Murray to hold the top spot after Andy Roddick.

8. Singapore Weightlifting Championship 2022 was held at Toa Payoh Sports Hall.
• Winners of the championship have secured a position in the 2022 Birmingham
Commonwealth Games.
• Indian winners – 8 medals
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o Gold – Mirabai Chanu; Bindyarani Devi; Popy Hazarika; Usha Kumara; Sanket
Mahadev; Vikas Thakur
o Silver - Chanambam Rishikanta Singh
o Bronze - Ragala Venkat Rahul
• Other Indians who qualified for the Commonwealth Games 2022 - Purnima Pandey; Jeremy
Lalrinnunga; Achinta Sheuli; Ajay Singh

9. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has signed RuPay, the flagship product of
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) as an official partner for the Indian Premier
League (IPL) for the next two seasons.
• Tata Group was earlier an official partner of BCCI. But, now it has picked up the title
sponsorship of the league.

10. International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has banned all athletes from Russia and
Belarus from competing at the 2022 Beijing Paralympics.
• IPC’s HQ - Bonn, Germany
• IPC’s CEO - Mike Peters

11. ISSF World Cup 2022 was held at Cairo, Egypt.

• India has topped the medal tally with 7 medals (4 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze).
• Norway is at the 2nd position in the medal tally with 6 medals.

12. Priyanka Nutakki has become the 23rd Woman Grandmaster of India.

13. Cricket fast bowler S Sreesanth has announced his retirement from all forms in India's
domestic cricket, bringing down the curtains on his unsettled career.

14. Asian Games 2022 will take place at Hangzhou, China in September.
• E-sports have been added to the games, for the first time.
• Esports Federation of India (ESFI), recognized by the Asian Electronic Sports Federation
(AESF), is responsible for shortlisting candidates for the games.

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• ESFI has also partnered with INOX (movie theatre company) to use movie theatres across
the country to conduct qualification tournaments for the Games, along with training
sessions for players.
• According to an EY report released in June 2021, the market size of the Indian e-sports
industry was ₹3 billion in FY 2021 and is expected to reach ₹11 billion by FY 2025.

15. 2022 ASBC Asian Youth and Junior Boxing Championship was held in Amman, Jordan.
• Six Indian junior boxers have won gold medals.
• Gold winners – Vini (50Kg), Yashika (52kg), Vidhi (57kg), Nikita Chand (60kg), Shrushti
Sathe (63kg), Rudrika (75kg)

16. World Indoor Athletics Championships 2022 was held in Belgrade, Serbia.
• From India, M Sreeshankar (long jumper) is participating among others. M Sreeshankar is
the national record holder in long jump.
• Jeswin Aldrin (long jumper from Tamil Nadu) has breached the 8 metre mark at the Indian
Grand Prix 1 Athletics Meet at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

17. PRC Pune Men’s team has won in the first ever Wheelchair Basketball Premier League at
YMCA International House at Bombay Central.

18. German Open 2022 Badminton tournament winners –

• Men’s singles - Kunlavut Vitidsarn (from Thailand); Lakshya Sen won silver
• Women’s singles - He Bing Jiao

19. The mascot of the 75th edition of Santosh Trophy Football Championship 2022 has been
designed by Pradeep Kumar (from Kerala).
• The championship will be held at Malappuram, Thrissur district, Kerala.

20. Olympic champion Mondo Duplantis (from Sweden) broke his own world pole vault record
with a 6.19-meter clearance at the Belgrade Indoor Meeting in Serbia.

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21. Indian Grandmaster S L Narayanan has won the Grandiscacchi Cattolica International
Open (chess tournament) in Italy.

22. Karthik Karunakaran will lead a three-member India wheelchair tennis team in the World
Team Cup qualification event to be held in Antalya, Turkey, from March 17 to 21.
• Mariappan Durai and Sathasivam Kannupayan are the other members of the team.

23. PM Modi has inaugurated 11th edition of the Khel Mahakumbh event at Sardar Patel
Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

24. Fernando Verdasco (Spain) has won the men’s singles at the $106,240 Challenger tennis
tournament in Monterrey (Mexico).
• India’s Prajnesh Gunneswaran has come second.

25. All India Chess Federation (FAIC) has will host the 44th World Chess Olympiad 2022 at
Chennai from 26 July to 8 August.

26. Tata Communications will work as the official broadcast connectivity provider for
Formula 1.
• Formula 1 President and CEO – Stefano Domenicali

27. Tiger Woods (American golfer) was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in Florida,
USA.

28. All England Open Badminton Championships 2022 was held at the Utilita Arena,
Birmingham.

pg. 187
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• Men’s Singles – Viktor Axelsen; Runner-up – Lakshay Sen

• Women’s Singles - Akane Yamaguchi

29. Hyderabad FC won their first Indian Super League (football) title by defeating Kerala
Blasters' at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa.

30. Pankaj Advani has won his eighth title at the 19th Asian 100 UP Billiards Championship
2022 by defeating compatriot Dhruv Sitwala at Doha, Qatar.
• This is Advani's 24th international title and 8th Asian crown.

31. Jhulan Goswami (Veteran India fast bowler) has become the first woman cricketer to take
250 wickets in One Day Internationals (ODI).
• Goswami has also become just the second player after captain Mithali Raj to play 200
women’s ODI matches.

32. World Indoor Athletics Championship 2022 has concluded at Belgrade, Serbia.
• Women’s triple jump - Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas
• 60m race Male – Italy’s Lamont Marcell Jacobs
• Women’s high jump – Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh
• Tajinderpal Singh Toor participated in the Men’s shot put but he could not achieve a medal.

33. National Weightlifting Championships was organized at the KIIT University

campus, Bhubaneswar.
• In Women’s 45 kg category, Komal Kohar from Haryana has won.

34. Miguel Oliveira (from Portugal) has won the Indonesian MotoGP for the KTM team.

35. Taylor Fritz (from US) has won the Indian Wells Masters (tennis tournament) by defeating
Rafael Nadal.
• Women singles – Iga Swaitek (from Poland)

36. Charles Leclerc (from Monaco) has won the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix 2022.
• He is a driver of Ferrari.
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37. Sweden’s Armand Duplantis has surpassed his own pole vault World record at the
World Indoor Athletics Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

38. Barcelona Football Club has won the El Clasico 2022 (a part of the La Liga Football
Championship).
• El Clásico or el clásico is the name given to any football match between rival clubs FC
Barcelona and Real Madrid.

39. Cristiano Ronaldo has become the highest goal scorer in the world with 807 goals.
• He achieved this feat during the ongoing Premier League in a match against Tottenham
Hotspur. He plays for Manchester United football team.
• Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or (a prestigious football award) for five-times.

40. India is ranked at 9th position in the medal tally of ISSF World Cup of Shotgun in Nicosia,
Cyprus, with only one silver medal.
• Italy has topped the tally with 6 medals (including 3 gold medals).

41. Australian tennis player Ashleigh Barty has announced her retirement.
• Her present ranking is World No.1 in women’s singles.

42. The Indian Grand Prix 2022 is taking place at the Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium at
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

43. WTT Star Contender Doha 2022 was conducted at Lusail Sports Arena, Doha.
• India’s medals - Achanta Sharath Kamal (1 bronze); G Sathiyan and Manika Batra (1
silver)

44. Avinash Sable broke his own national record in the men’s 3000m steeplechase on the
second leg of the Indian Grand Prix at the Chandrasekharan Nair stadium, Trivandrum.

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45. Australia’s cricket team has won the Benaud-Qadir Trophy (3-match test series) after
defeating Pakistan in Lahore.
• The Benaud-Qadir Trophy, named after former Australian skipper Richie Benaud and
Pakistan leg-spinner Abdul Qadir.

46. Edtech unicorn Byju’s has been named an official sponsor of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in
Qatar.

47. Swiss Open (Badminton) tournament has concluded at Basel.

• Women’s Singles – PV Sindhu
• Men’s Singles – Jonatan Christie (Indonesia)

48. Red Bull’s world champion Max Verstappen (Belgian-Dutch nationality) has won the
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after defeating Charles Leclerc.

49. Ram Karan Prajapati has won the men’s 89kg title in the National weightlifting
championship in Bhubaneswar.
• Harjinder Kaur won in 92kg women’s title.

50. Jiya Rai (a 13-year-old girl with autism), an Indian para-swimmer, has created history by
swimming 28.5 kilometres in 13 hours.
• She swam from Palk Strait, Talaimannar in Sri Lanka to Arichalmunai in Dhanushkodi,
Tamil Nadu.
• With this, Rai has become the youngest and fastest female swimmer in the world to
swim across the Palk Strait.
• Rai has received the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2022 in the category of open
water swimming. She is pursuing her studies at a Navy Children School. Her father works in
Indian Navy in Mumbai.

51. Kiran George and Anupama Upadhyaya have won the men’s and women’s singles titles
respectively at the Polish Open International Challenge badminton tournament.

pg. 190
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52. India is at the 8th position with 14 medals (including 5 gold, 6 silver, and 3 bronze) in 2022
World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai.
• Colombia is at the top with 25 medals, including 12 gold, followed by Algeria (16) and
Thailand (30).
• Gold medals of India – Someswara Rao Ramudri (long jumper), Mohit (javelin thrower),
Ramsingbhai Govin Padhiyar (high jumper), two golds by Pranav Prashant Desai (Sprinter)

53. Indian women’s football team has won the SAFF Under-18 Women's Football
Championship by defeating Bangladesh at JRD Sports Complex Stadium, Jamshedpur,
Jharkhand.
• SAFF – South Asian Football Federation
• SAFF HQ – Dhaka, Bangladesh
• Asian Football Confederation is the parent organization of SAFF.

MISCELLANEOUS
1. ‘The Millennial Yogi’ book has been authored by Deepam Chatterjee.

2. ‘Udaan Ek Majdoor Bachhe Ki’ book has been authored by Mithilesh Tiwari.
• The book is based on the life of Captain AD Manek.

3. “Yilan Crater” is located in northwest of Yilan in Heilongjiang Province of China.

4. World Taekwondo (aka Kukkiwon) has stripped Vladimir Putin of black belt over Ukraine
invasion.
• World Taekwondo HQ – Seoul, South Korea

5. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched the first volume of Tamil Nadu chief minister MK
Stalin’s autobiography Ungalil Oruvan (One Among You) in Chennai.

6. A new species of orchid named as Maxillaria anacatalina-portillae has been discovered in the
Northern Ecuador.
pg. 191
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• Capital: Quito; Currency: United States Dollar

7. “The Great Tech Game: Shaping Geopolitics and the Destiny of Nations” book has been
authored by Anirudh Suri.

8. Shane Warne (Australian cricketer) has passed away.

• Warne has written many autobiographies, starting with his name in the title. “No Spin: My
Autobiography’ is among one of his autobiographies.

9. Stonehenge – located at Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England – is an ancient monument

which was used as a solar calendar in the ancient times.
• Stonehenge might have served as some kind of calendar that helped local people predict
eclipses, summer and winter solstices, the equinox, and other relevant celestial events.
• Now, archaeologists concluded that the site was designed as a solar calendar. The
discover was published in the journal Antiquity.
• The discovery was led by researchers from England’s Bournemouth University.

10. ‘The Queen Of Indian Pop: The Authorised Biography Of Usha Uthup’ book has been
authored by Vikas Kumar Jha.

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11. Ratnakar Shetty (a cricket administrator at BCCI) has released his autobiography titled as
“On Board: My Years in BCCI”.

12. ‘The Blue Book: A Writer's Journal’ book has been written by Amitava Kumar.

13. “Soli Sorabjee: Life and Times” is the biography of Soli Sorabjee, written by advocate and
legal scholar Abhinav Chandrachud.
• Soli Sorabjee is the former Attorney General of India.

14. Xenotransplantation – A procedure to transplant animals organs into humans.

• Why in news? – Recently, David Bennett – first human to get a pig’s heart – has passed
away in US after two months of xenotransplantation.

15. Minister for Labour and Employment & Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender
Yadav, has released ‘Role of Labour in India’s Development’ book.
• The book contains 12 articles written by eminent academicians and practitioners on the
contribution of labour in India’s development journey.
• The book is published by the V V Giri National Labour Institute.

16. CSIR-Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB), VINS Bioproducts, and the
University of Hyderabad have collaborated to create the drug ‘Vincov-19’.

17. Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Shri Giriraj Singh has released
an e-book on Land Governance Reforms announced in Budget titled "Empowering Citizens-
Powering India".
• ULPIN - Unique Land Parcel Identification Number

18. ‘Wrist Assured’ is the autobiography of former cricket captain Gundappa Viswanath.
• R Kaushik co-authored Viswanath’s autobiography.

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19. “Rahul Bajaj: An Extraordinary Life” is the first authorised biography of the late iconic
industrialist and former chairman of Bajaj group, Rahul Bajaj.
• Author - Gita Piramal (business historian)

20. ‘Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery’ book – a compilation of articles written by experts – has
been edited & compiled by BlueKraft Digital Foundation.

21. Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters, has published a book-length poem
‘Monsoon’, authored by Indian poet-diplomat Abhay Kumar, on the occasion of its 68th
anniversary.
• Sahitya Akademi was established on 12th March in 1954. Its logo was designed by Satyajit
Ray himself and Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru was its first President.
• The first book published by the Academy was Bhagwan Buddha by D.D. Koshambi in 1956.
It was a translation from Marathi into Hindi.

22. “More than Just Surgery: Life Lessons Beyond the OT” book has been authored by
Padma Awardee Dr Tehemton Erach (a gastrointestinal surgeon).

23. “The Crossing” book has been authored by Manjeet Mann.

• This book has been shortlisted for Yoto Carnegie Medal 2022.

pg. 194
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24. “Wrist Assured: An Autobiography” book has been authored by Gundappa Vishwanath.
• The book has been co-authored by R Kaushik.

25. For the first time, A Triceratops named as Horridus was displayed at the Melbourne
Museum, Australia.

26. Peter Paul Rubens' (16th century artist from Netherlands) 17th century masterpiece "Portrait
of a Lady" has sold for the equivalent of $3.4 million at a Warsaw auction

27. “Unfilled Barrels: India’s Oil Story” book has been written by Richa Mishra.

28. "The Shield: Covishield" book has been written by Prakash Kumar Singh, Director,
Government and Regulatory Affairs at Serum Institute.
• A book captures the journey of Serum Institute of India in producing Covid vaccine
'Covishield'.
• This coffee table book was launched by Union Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah.

29. “The Little Book of Joy” book has been authored by Dalai Lama (real name- Tenzin Gyatso)
and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
• In 2016, both of them have co-authored “The Little Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a
Changing World”.

30. Sportstar and The Hindu group has released a coffee-table book, ‘Road to 1000’, which is a
special collection with 1000 pictures to commemorate Indian cricket’s journey.

pg. 195
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• The book is powered by IDFC First Bank.

• On February 6, India played its 1,000th ODI against the West Indies in Ahmedabad,
becoming the first team to record the feat.

31. Nobel Peace Prize winner of last year, Dmitry Muratov (Russian journalist), donated his
medal to help Ukrainian refugees.

32. Article 355 of the Indian Constitution - Duty of the Union Govt to protect States against
external aggression and internal disturbance, and to ensure that states are governed under the
provisions of the Constitution.
• West Bengal politicians are demanding the implementation of this article in the state, in the
wake of broken social order and instability.

33. American computer scientist, Stephen Wilhite, who invented the Graphics Interchange Format
or GIF, passed away.

34. A study was published in the Global Change Biology, led by Dr Hemingson at James Cook
University, Queensland, Australia, mentions that fish community in the Great Barrier Reef of
Australia is fading away.
• This is because of climate change, that is leading to the bleaching of coral reef.

35. The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has identified a new carangid
(Vatta) species from the Kerala coast.
• It belongs to the ‘queen fish’ group and is named scomberoides pelagicus.
• The fish is locally known as pola vatta.

36. Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, has released the book – ‘Spoorthi Pradatha Sri
Somayya’ – in Hyderabad.
• Author – K Syam Prasad
• Biography of – Shri Somepalli Somaiah (social worker from Andhra Pradesh)

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QUESTIONS

pg. 197
Q.1) Which of the following operations has been [a] Singapore
launched by India to airlift Indian nationals from [b] Philippine
Ukraine? [c] Thailand
[a] Operation Safe Homecoming [d] Malaysia
[b] Operation Bharati [e] Mauritius
[c] Operation Vande Bharat
[d] Operation Madad Q.7) Where does the breed of Mudhol Hounds
[e] Operation Ganga found in abundance in India?
[a] Maharashtra
Q.2) What is the venue of 2022 MSME Conclave [b] Karnataka
for National SC/ST Hub? [c] Gujarat
[a] Aurangabad [d] Both A and B
[b] Sindhudurg [e] Both A and C
[c] Amravati
[d] Nagpur Q.8) When was Ramalingaswami Re-entry
[e] Pune Fellowship launched?
[a] FY07
Q.3) Which of the following animal is symbolically [b] FY12
portrayed in the special logo which was released [c] FY01
to commemorate 75 years of diplomatic relations [d] FY17
between India and Belgium? [e] FY19
[a] Elephant
[b] Great Indian Bustard Q.9) Recently, Central govt has announced that
[c] Rhinoceros no funds will be provided to states which do not
[d] Peacock appoint ombudspersons in ____% of their districts
[e] Dugong where the scheme is implemented?
[a] 60%
Q.4) With which country has India agreed to form [b] 50%
a Joint Hydro Development Committee to further [c] 80%
explore the development of viable hydropower [d] 90%
projects? [e] 100%
[a] Nepal
[b] France Q.10) Which state has the highest installed
[c] Maldives renewable energy capacity in India?
[d] Bhutan [a] Karnataka
[e] Sri Lanka [b] Tamil Nadu
[c] Gujarat
Q.5) When was the Bhasha Sangam mobile app [d] Rajasthan
launched? [e] Odisha
[a] December 25, 2021
[b] November 16, 2021 Q.11) Which of the following is not a habitat of
[c] January 23, 2022 Dugong?
[d] April 14, 2021 [a] Palk Bay
[e] October 31, 2021 [b] Gulf of Mannar
[c] Lakshadweep Island
Q.6) Which country was the partner country in the [d] Gulf of Kutch
DST-CII Technology Summit 2022? [e] Andaman and Nicobar Island
[Type here]

[c] G. MAHALINGAM
Q.12) What is the target of wheat procurement by [d] S. RAMAN
Govt of India in the upcoming Rabi marketing [e] V. Ramanathan
season (2022-23)?
[a] 20.3 million tonnes Q.18) When is the Polio National Immunization
[b] 15.6 million tonnes Day observed?
[c] 44.4 million tonnes [a] February 27
[d] 30.7 million tonnes [b] January 14
[e] 40.5 million tonnes [c] March 18
[d] April 16
Q.13) Where is the headquarters of International [e] May 23
Judo Federation located?
[a] Budapest Q.19) Which team has won the Pro-Kabaddi
[b] Bucharest League 2022?
[c] Warsaw [a] Telugu Titans
[d] Bratislava [b] Bengaluru Bulls
[e] Prague [c] Patna Pirates
[d] Bengal Warriors
Q.14) Which of the following has become the first [e] Dabang Delhi
multilateral agency to open an office in the
Gujarat International Finance Tech City? Q.20) Which team has won the RuPay Prime
[a] NDB Volleyball League 2022?
[b] ADB [a] Ahmedabad Defenders
[c] AIIB [b] Kochi Blue Spikers
[d] EIB [c] Kolkata Thunderbolts
[e] Kfw [d] Bengaluru Torpedoes
[e] Hyderabad Black Hawks
Q.15) Where is India’s first ‘Smart Managed EV
Charging Station’ located? Q.21) Which IIT’s research park has launched the
[a] Delhi OCEANS 2022 conference, in collaboration with
[b] Hyderabad National Institute of Ocean Technology?
[c] Warangal [a] IIT-Kharagpur
[d] Bengaluru [b] IIT-Madras
[e] Mumbai [c] IIT-Ropar
[d] IIT-Mumbai
Q.16) Which is the Solar Power Park Developer [e] IIT-Delhi
for all renewable energy projects in Himachal
Pradesh? Q.22) Which state has signed the MOU with
[a] NHPC Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) for
[b] NEECO setting up of dung-based power plants in
[c] THDC 'gauthans'?
[d] SJVN [a] Madhya Pradesh
[e] NTPC [b] Chhattisgarh
[c] Kerala
Q.17) Who is the chairperson of SEBI? [d] Tamil Nadu
[a] Ajay Tyagi [e] Odisha
[b] Madhabi Puri Buch
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Q.23) Which state has announced to set up Q.29) When was the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya
'Naamghars' (Vaishnavite Monasteries)? Janaushadhi Pariyojana launched?
[a] Assam [a] 2008
[b] Manipur [b] 2010
[c] Arunachal Pradesh [c] 2001
[d] Jharkhand [d] 2011
[e] Odisha [e] 2014

Q.24) What is the Compound Annual Growth Q.30) Who has become the first Indian to receive
Rate of dairy products in the last 5 years? the coveted Boltzmann medal for 2022?
[a] 10.5% [a] Sarojini Shekhar
[b] 8.3% [b] Rachna Chabra
[c] 4.5% [c] Santosh Kumar
[d] 12.3% [d] Deepak Dhar
[e] 9.5% [e] Rupinder Brar

Q.25) Which countries participate in the “Exercise Q.31) With which country has India renewed its
Dharma Guardian-2022”? bilateral swap arrangements (BSA) to the extent
[a] Japan and India of $75 billion?
[b] Australia and Philippines [a] Japan
[c] New Zealand and India [b] Australia
[d] India and Sri Lanka [c] USA
[e] India and Mauritius [d] Russia
[e] UK
Q.26) Who has been appointed as the chairman
of Bank of Baroda? Q.32) Where is the ‘Alag Karo Campaign- Har Din
[a] Hari Nandan Rao Teen Bin’ being run by Saahas NGO?
[b] Hasmukh Adhia [a] Tamil Nadu
[c] Pranav Mahajan [b] Andhra Pradesh
[d] Arvind Singh [c] Haryana
[e] Varun Menon [d] Telangana
[e] Odisha
Q.27) What is the theme of National Protein Day?
[a] Food Futurism Q.33) When was the Flag Code of India
[b] Adequate consumption of protein operationalised?
[c] ProteinMeinKyaHai [a] 2019
[d] Protein to Live [b] 2001
[e] Year of Protein [c] 1947
[d] 1951
Q.28) When is the World NGO Day observed? [e] 2002
[a] February 20
[b] February 19 Q.34) When was the Quami Waqf Boards
[c] February 27 Taraqqiati Scheme launched?
[d] February 12 [a] 2015
[e] February 1 [b] 2019
[c] 2017
[d] 2012
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[Type here]

[e] 2009 [a] Canara Bank

[b] Bank of Maharashtra
Q.35) Which place in India is known as the City of [c] Andhra Bank
Destiny? [d] Punjab National Bank
[a] Jaisalmer [e] State Bank of India
[b] Mumbai
[c] Delhi Q.41) Which is the nodal agency of the “Stree
[d] Chandigarh Manoraksha Project”?
[e] Visakhapatnam [a] The Mind Research Foundation
[b] SIMHANS
Q.36) Which country has approved the use of [c] Institute of Mental Health
‘Covifenz’ - world’s first plant-derived Covid-19 [d] Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Institute of
vaccine? Mental Health
[a] New Zealand [e] NIMHANS
[b] Malaysia
[c] Indonesia Q.42) Where was the NIC (National Informatics
[d] Finland Centre) Tech Conclave 2022 held?
[e] Canada [a] New Delhi
[b] Chennai
Q.37) As per the Global Mobile Economy Report [c] Surat
2022, the total number of 5G connections globally [d] Hyderabad
is expected to reach ___ in 2022? [e] Bangalore
[a] 500 million
[b] 10 billion Q.43) What is the outlay of Relief and
[c] 1 trillion Rehabilitation of Migrants and Repatriates
[d] 5 billion scheme?
[e] 1 billion [a] Rs 2,300 crore
[b] Rs 1,452 crore
Q.38) Which two straits are governed by the [c] Rs 4,510 crore
Montreux Convention? [d] Rs 1,650 crore
[a] Bab al Mandab and Malacca [e] Rs 3,980 crore
[b] Bosporus and Dardanelles
[c] Davis and Hudson Q.44) Which of the following is the new
[d] Gibraltar and Tartary population category of Swachh Survekshan 2022
[e] Magellan and Otranto survey?
[a] Under 2K
Q.39) Which two countries are parties to the [b] 10K-15K
Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) pact? [c] 15-25K
[a] Philippines and Japan [d] Both A and B
[b] Russia and China [e] Both B and C
[c] India and Sri Lanka
[d] US and Nepal Q.45) Which state has announced to establish the
[e] France and Belarus “Science Innovation Hub” to inculcate a scientific
temperament among students and encourage
Q.40) Which bank has rolled out ‘Bank Sakhi’ them to undertake research in science and
project in Odisha, in collaboration with Mahagram technology?
(fintech)? [a] Delhi
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[Type here]

[b] Uttarakhand Q.51) Which has become the first airline in the
[c] Himachal Pradesh world to use solar fuel?
[d] Maharashtra [a] Gulf Air Airlines
[e] Kerala [b] Swiss International Air Lines
[c] Air Asia Airlines
Q.46) Which state’s police has launched the [d] Saudi Arabian Airlines
Anubhuti - Feedback Management System? [e] Emirates Airlines
[a] J&K
[b] Andhra Pradesh Q.52) By which year will the Global Plastics
[c] Delhi Treaty be finalised?
[d] Telangana [a] 2022
[e] Maharashtra [b] 2024
[c] 2028
Q.47) Which state/ UT celebrates Herath festival? [d] 2029
[a] J&K [e] 2027
[b] Maharashtra
[c] Kerala Q.53) Which country does the Sberbank belong
[d] Tamil Nadu to?
[e] Sikkim [a] Germany
[b] Russia
Q.48) Which has become the top performing state [c] Poland
in terms of Per Capita Net State Domestic [d] Hungary
Product at Current Prices? [e] Switzerland
[a] Tamil Nadu
[b] Telangana Q.54) Which city has the highest number of ultra-
[c] Maharashtra high net worth individuals in India, as per the
[d] Kerala ‘Global Wealth Report’ 2022?
[e] Karnataka [a] Bangalore
[b] Mumbai
Q.49) Which edition of the India-US Military [c] Pune
Cooperation Group (MCG) meeting has taken [d] Chennai
place in Agra recently? [e] Delhi
[a] 23rd
[b] 21st Q.55) What is India’s score in the ‘State of India’s
[c] 19th Environment’ report?
[d] 10th [a] 66
[e] 27th [b] 89
[c] 70
Q.50) On which rocket was the Geostationary [d] 45
Operational Environmental Satellite-T (GOES-T) [e] 35
satellite launched?
[a] United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 Q.56) Which of the following is not a parameter of
[b] Space Launch System the State Energy and Climate Index?
[c] Saturn V rocket [a] Discoms' viability and competition
[d] Falcon 9 rocket [b] Access, affordability, and reliability of energy
[e] Delta rockets [c] Clean energy initiatives
[d] Energy efficiency
pg. 4
[Type here]

[e] None of the Above [d] 65

[e] 50
Q.57) With which company has Indian Railway
Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Q.62) Who is the brand ambassador of upGrad?
partnered to provide digital ticketing services to [a] Ranbir Kapoor
consumers through Automatic Ticket Vending [b] Alia Bhatt
Machines (ATVM) installed at railway stations [c] Ranveer Singh
across the country? [d] Amitabh Bachchan
[a] PayPal India [e] Disha Patani
[b] PayUmoney
[c] Paytm Q.63) Who has been appointed as the MD & CEO
[d] Razorpay of LIC Mutual Fund Ltd.?
[e] Instamojo [a] T S Ramakrishnan
[b] Satish Singh
Q.58) With which bank has Edelweiss Housing [c] Mayank Tewari
Finance entered in a co-lending partnership to [d] V.L Kantha Rao
offer housing loans to customers? [e] Dinesh Kumar
[a] HSBC Bank
[b] Oriental Bank of Commerce Q.64) By which year will the Electronic Bill (e-Bill)
[c] ICICI Bank processing system be rolled out?
[d] Standard Chartered Bank [a] FY23
[e] Axis Bank [b] FY24
[c] FY27
Q.59) Where is Fisdom company headquartered? [d] FY25
[a] Delhi [e] FY28
[b] Mumbai
[c] Ahmedabad Q.65) 'AI Gamechangers' initiative is a
[d] Pune collaboration between NASSCOM and ____?
[e] Bengaluru [a] Apple
[b] Microsoft
Q.60) Which bank has launched the Corporate [c] Amazon
Liquidity Management Solution (C-LMS) and [d] Meta
Government Liquidity Management Solution (G- [e] IBM
LMS) to meet the liquidity management needs of
institutional customers? Q.66) How many golds were won by India in the
[a] Axis Bank Singapore Weightlifting Championship 2022?
[b] IDBI Bank [a] Six
[c] SBI [b] Eight
[d] Union Bank of India [c] Two
[e] Karnataka Bank [d] Five
[e] Seven
Q.61) How many Indian startups have been
chosen by Google under its Appscale Academy Q.67) What is the capital of Ecuador?
Initiative? [a] Quito
[a] 100 [b] Boise
[b] 75 [c] Austin
[c] 80 [d] Orlando
pg. 5
[Type here]

[e] Detroit [a] 10%

[b] 5%
Q.68) When is the foundation day of National [c] 12%
Commission for Protection of Child Rights [d] 11%
celebrated? [e] 20%
[a] February 8
[b] April 16 Q.74) With which company has IIFL Finance
[c] June 11 Limited collaborated recently to strengthen its
[d] March 1 digital footprint?
[e] July 10 [a] Power Finance Corporation
[b] NIRA
Q.69) Where is the headquarter of Sarjeraodada [c] Bajaj Finance Limited
Naik Shirala Sahakari Bank located? [d] HDB Finance Services
[a] Maharashtra [e] Muthoot Finance
[b] Haryana
[c] Punjab Q.75) Which of the following housing finance
[d] Uttarakhand company has partnered with CSC e-Governance
[e] Himachal Pradesh Services India Ltd (CSC) to provide loans to
citizens Village Level Entrepreneurs?
Q.70) When was the Appscale Academy Initiative [a] LIC Housing Finance Limited
launched in India? [b] Indiabulls Housing Finance Limited
[a] 2021 [c] Orange City Housing Finance Limited
[b] 2013 [d] Poonawalla Housing Finance Limited
[c] 2011 [e] India Home Loan Limited
[d] 2008
[e] 2013 Q.76) Who has been named as the Brand
Ambassador of Bharti AXA Life Insurance?
Q.71) Where is Jaigarh terminal located? [a] Amitabh Bachchan
[a] Telangana [b] Dino Morea
[b] Tamil Nadu [c] Vidya Balan
[c] Maharashtra [d] Deepika Padukone
[d] Andhra Pradesh [e] Ranveer Singh
[e] Kerala
Q.77) When is the World Birth Defects Day
Q.72) With which country has India signed an observed?
MOU for a long-term supply of Urea and DAP [a] June 7
fertilizers from India under a Government-to- [b] March 3
Government arrangement? [c] April 5
[a] Mauritius [d] May 14
[b] Maldives [e] July 23
[c] Sri Lanka
[d] Bhutan Q.78) What is the theme of World Hearing Day
[e] Nepal 2022?
[a] Hearing Care for ALL
Q.73) What is the CAGR of agriculture sector [b] Hearing Aid: Screen, Rehabilitate,
during the 2015-20, as per the ‘Innovation in Communicate
India’s Rural Economy’ report? [c] Don't let hearing loss limit you
pg. 6
[Type here]

[d] Check your hearing Q.84) Which state is running the Member of
[e] To hear for life, listen with care Legislative Assembly Local Area Development
Scheme?
Q.79) What is the theme of World Wildlife Day [a] Himachal Pradesh
2022? [b] Punjab
[a] Recovering key species for ecosystem [c] Assam
restoration [d] Arunachal Pradesh
[b] Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People [e] Kerala
and Planet
[c] Sustaining all life on Earth Q.85) With which company has Technology
[d] Life below Water: for People and Planet Development Board to promote the Start-up in
[e] Listen to the Young Voices order to reduce carbon footprint and improve the
building energy efficiency?
Q.80) Which field does Alan Ladd Jr. belong to? [a] Aibono
[a] Film producer [b] EM3 Services
[b] Gymnast [c] Skyshade Daylights
[c] Music composer [d] CX Technologies
[d] Fashion Designer [e] WayCool
[e] Journalist
Q.86) Which country conducted the Study in India
Q.81) Which company has announced to (SII) 2022 meet in its capital city recently?
collaborate with UNESCO to help safeguard and [a] Nepal
promote the intangible cultural heritage of India? [b] Sri Lanka
[a] Taj Hotel [c] Bhutan
[b] Oberoi Group [d] Maldives
[c] Yatra [e] Bangladesh
[d] Makemytrip
[e] Indian Hotels Company Q.87) Which bank has committed a USD 150
million loan for strengthening the healthcare
Q.82) Where was the International Summit on infrastructure in India, in association with IPE
Plastics Recycling & Waste Management Global?
organized? [a] Bank of Baroda
[a] Vishakhapatnam [b] ICICI Bank
[b] New Delhi [c] IndusInd Bank
[c] Chandigarh [d] HSBC Bank
[d] Kolkata [e] Axis Bank
[e] Bengalore
Q.88) Who has been appointed as the CEO of Jet
Q.83) Guruji Credit Card Scheme is the proposed Airways?
scheme of which state? [a] Piyush Kumar
[a] Chhattisgarh [b] Ujjaval Srivastava
[b] Jharkhand [c] Rahul Kumar Gupta
[c] Uttar Pradesh [d] Monisha Satoeya
[d] Rajasthan [e] Sanjiv Kapoor
[e] Uttarakhand
Q.89) When is the National Safety Day observed?
[a] March 4
pg. 7
[Type here]

[b] March 5 Q.95) Which ministry has announced to conduct

[c] March 11 the ‘Town Hall’ Meeting on the occasion of
[d] March 7 International Women’s Day week celebrations?
[e] March 9 [a] Ministry of WCD
[b] Ministry of Finance
Q.90) When is the World Obesity Day observed? [c] Ministry of DoNER
[a] March 4 [d] Ministry of Panchayati Raj
[b] March 8 [e] Ministry of Home Affairs
[c] March 10
[d] March 14 Q.96) Which of the following city hosted the India
[e] March 24 Global Forum?
[a] Hyderabad
Q.91) Where was India’s first fully equipped [b] Bengaluru
mobile ambulance for street animals launched? [c] Chennai
[a] Bangalore [d] Mysore
[b] Bhuvneshwar [e] Mangalore
[c] Pune
[d] Mumbai Q.97) Who is the Vice-Chancellor of the Delhi
[e] Chennai Teachers University?
[a] Hari Nandan Rao
Q.92) Which organization is partnering DST in its [b] Dhananjay Joshi
‘Building AI Readiness among Young Innovators’ [c] Sarojini Shekhar
program? [d] Shyam Sundar Verma
[a] Microsoft [e] Uttank Joshi
[b] Amazon
[c] HCL Q.98) Where is Dudhala village (first village to be
[d] Google completely solarised by Shree Ramkrishna
[e] Intel Knowledge Foundation) located?
[a] Madhya Pradesh
Q.93) On which highway is India’s first green [b] Rajasthan
charging station being built? [c] Gujarat
[a] Punjab to Ankola [d] Odisha
[b] Porbandar to Silchar [e] Uttar Pradesh
[c] Delhi to Kolkata
[d] Jaipur to Agra Q.99) Which state is planning to set up a
[e] Panvel to Kanyakumari government-sponsored equity participation fund
to invest in the fast-growing SMEs on the NSE’s
Q.94) Which of the following organization has Emerge platform?
developed "Kavach" - automatic train protection [a] Kerala
system? [b] Karnataka
[a] DRDO Integration Centre [c] Tamil Nadu
[b] Defence Institute of High Altitude Research [d] Telangana
[c] Defence Institute of Psychological Research [e] Uttar Pradesh
[d] Research Design and Standards Organisation
[e] Advanced Systems Laboratory Q.100) Where was the sea level trial of HANSA-
NG aircraft conducted?
[a] Puducherry
pg. 8
[Type here]

[b] Vishakhapatnam
[c] Chennai Q.106) What is the location of Jio World Centre?
[d] Mumbai [a] Bandra Kurla Complex
[e] Goa [b] Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
[c] Raheja Mindspace
Q.101) Which of the following auxiliary barge was [d] The Capital BKC
launched by the Indian Coast Guard recently? [e] Ashar IT Park
[a] Agni Prabha
[b] Roshni Q.107) What is the worth of exports sent by India
[c] Chetna to Canada during April-January 2021-22?
[d] Urja Prabha [a] $5 billion
[e] Sahayak [b] $3 billion
[c] $2 billion
Q.102) Which edition of SLINEX will take place in [d] $10 billion
2022? [e] $4 billion
[a] 9th
[b] 10th Q.108) Who has been appointed as the
[c] 8th Chairperson of the Telecom Disputes Settlement
[d] 12th and Appellate Tribunal?
[e] 5th [a] DN Patel
[b] GK Pillai
Q.103) Which of the following country is not [c] Tuntuni Chowdhry
placed on the grey list of FATF? [d] Rajesh Talwar
[a] Albania [e] Vibhava Tripathi
[b] Cayman Islands
[c] Turkey Q.109) When is the Raising Day of CISF
[d] Mali celebrated?
[e] Indonesia [a] March 10
[b] April 12
Q.104) How much solar capacity was added in [c] May 17
2021, as per the “2021 Q4 & Annual India Solar [d] February 11
Market Update” report of Mercom India [e] January 16
Research?
[a] 10 GW Q.110) Who is the author of “The Great Tech
[b] 12 GW Game: Shaping Geopolitics and the Destiny of
[c] 20 GW Nations” book?
[d] 5 GW [a] Anirudh Suri
[e] 22 GW [b] Bharti Kashyap Sharma
[c] Pranav Prakash
Q.105) When was the ‘Investments in Non-SLR [d] Niraj Sharan
securities by Primary (Urban) Co-operative [e] Susheela Tigga
Banks’ circular released by RBI?
[a] 2009 Q.111) Under which scheme of the Ministry of
[b] 2003 Rural Development is ‘startup village
[c] 2010 entrepreneurship programme’ launched?
[d] 2002 [a] MGNREGA
[e] 2015 [b] DAY-NRLM
pg. 9
[Type here]

[c] PMGSY [d] 67,430

[d] DDU-GKY [e] 72,890
[e] Mission Antyodaya
Q.117) Which state has launched 'Aama Yojana'
Q.112) What is the rate of minimum assured for non-working mothers and Bahini scheme for
pension under the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi girl students?
Maan-Dhan (PM-SYM) Yojana? [a] Arunachal Pradesh
[a] Rs 1,500 per month [b] Sikkim
[b] Rs 2,300 per month [c] Assam
[c] Rs 5,500 per month [d] Bihar
[d] Rs 3,000 per month [e] Uttarakhand
[e] Rs 1,000 per month
Q.118) Recently, Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)
Q.113) Which of the following campaigns has has collaborated with the MSME Trade and
been launched by the Ministry of Education for Investment Promotion Bureau (M-TIPB) for
bringing girls back to schools? promoting awareness among micro, small and
[a] Shikshit Mahila, Sudrid Samaj medium enterprises (MSMEs) of the _____ state
[b] School Shiksha, Sabse Acha about the benefits of listing?
[c] Shiksha Se Bhagyaoday [a] Telangana
[d] Shikshit Kanya Suyogya Griha [b] Tamil Nadu
[e] Kanya Shikhsa Pravesh Utsav [c] Maharashtra
[d] Odisha
Q.114) By which year does the National [e] Andhra Pradesh
Education Policy envisage to convert all UGC
affiliated colleges into degree-awarding Q.119) Where was the RK Laxman Art Gallery
multidisciplinary autonomous institutions? Museum inaugurated by the Prime Minister?
[a] 2025 [a] Pune
[b] 2027 [b] Mumbai
[c] 2035 [c] Nagpur
[d] 2030 [d] Aurangabad
[e] 2032 [e] Amravati

Q.115) Which of the following music band Q.120) Which of the following grasslands is
performed at the “Swacchagraha” event in New known as the ‘Bread-Basket of Europe’?
Delhi? [a] Pustaz
[a] Sounds like the '90s [b] Steppes
[b] Sangeet Mahan [c] Pampas
[c] Indus Creed [d] Downs
[d] Arohan [e] Veld
[e] Dhruva
Q.121) Which of the following missions will
Q.116) How many beneficiaries are covered in conduct the research on ‘TRAPPIST-1 system’ - a
the Swatantrata Sainik Samman Yojana, as of unique planetary system?
March 2022? [a] James Webb
[a] 23,566 [b] COSPAR ID
[b] 14,200 [c] SATCAT
[c] 33,500 [d] Hubble
pg. 10
[Type here]

[e] COROT [a] NMDC

[b] Vedanta
Q.122) Which company has been chosen by RBI [c] Hindustan Zinc
for getting the Quantum Core Banking solution? [d] Hindalco Industries
[a] Intel [e] Bharat Aluminium Company
[b] Qualcomm
[c] INTC Q.128) Which of the following award is given to
[d] Intellect the Urban local body for providing improved
[e] AVGO services and facilities to women under the Nari
Shakti Puraskar framework?
Q.123) Which bank has sanctioned a loan of [a] Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Award
₹1,000 crore to Jammu and Kashmir [b] Kannagi Devi Award
Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation [c] Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award
Ltd (JKIDFC)? [d] Mata Jijabai Award
[a] State Bank of India [e] Rani Rudrama Devi Award
[b] Punjab National Bank
[c] Canara Bank Q.129) How many people have won the Nari
[d] Indian Overseas Bank Shakti Puraskar for 2020 and 2021?
[e] HDFC Bank [a] 28
[b] 32
Q.124) Who has been selected to represent India [c] 49
at the 2041 Climate Force Antarctica Expedition? [d] 15
[a] Chetan Prakash Jain [e] 14
[b] Anita Baghel
[c] Rajni Sharma Q.130) With which bank has Bharti Airtel
[d] Aarushie Verma partnered to launch a co-branded credit card for
[e] Chandan Mishra Dwivedi accelerating the adoption of digital payments in
the country?
Q.125) Who has been appointed as the group [a] ICICI Bank
head of digital banking at the level of deputy MD [b] IndusInd Bank
by SBI? [c] Bank of Baroda
[a] R Baskar Babu [d] Karnataka Bank
[b] Sunil Patel [e] Axis Bank
[c] Nitin Chugh
[d] Govind Singh Q.131) What is the percentage of reservation for
[e] Deep Chandra Joshi women in the free Skill Development Programs of
the Ministry of Skill Development under its new
Q.126) On which day of the Janaushadhi Diwas SAMARTH initiative?
was the Janaushadhi Bal Mitra launched? [a] 20%
[a] Day 3 [b] 50%
[b] Day 7 [c] 40%
[c] Day 5 [d] 30%
[d] Day 2 [e] 60%
[e] Day 4
Q.132) Which country organized the International
Q.127) Which organization has received the 1st Election Visitors Programme (IEVP) 2022?
prize in the Ispat Rajbhasha Award for 2018-19? [a] Philippines
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[Type here]

[b] Thailand [c] Uttar Pradesh

[c] Sri Lanka [d] Madhya Pradesh
[d] Malaysia [e] Maharashtra
[e] India
Q.138) Trellis system is used for the cultivation of
Q.133) Which Union Minister addressed the which crop?
“ONLY ONE EARTH – a discussion on [a] Thallophyta
Environment”, a Special Interactive Session on [b] Archaeplastida
Environment at the Dubai Expo 2020? [c] Conifers
[a] Minister of Textile [d] Creepers
[b] Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public [e] Pinidae
Distribution
[c] Minister of Commerce and Industry Q.139) What is the venue of Exercise Vayu
[d] Only I and II Shakti 2022?
[e] Only I, II, and III [a] Jaisalmer
[b] Kolkata
Q.134) Where was the “Dialogue Towards Clean [c] Hyderabad
Air” organized by the Ministry of Environment and [d] Jaipur
the Commission for Air Quality Management [e] Chandigarh
(CAQM) in the National Capital Region (NCR)?
[a] Delhi Q.140) Which of the following universities has
[b] Pune developed the Next-Gen 3D Printed Catalysts
[c] Ahmedabad technology?
[d] Surat [a] RMIT University
[e] Gurugram [b] Stanford University
[c] Imperial College London
Q.135) Who heads the Task Force to study the [d] ETH Zürich
reasons for Suicide in the central armed police [e] Peking University
forces (CAPFs)?
[a] Varun Menon Q.141) Which country has launched the Plastics
[b] Santosh Kumar Innovation Hub Indonesia project?
[c] VSK Kaumudi [a] Australia
[d] Rajesh Kumar [b] New Zealand
[e] Fakhre Alam [c] Indonesia
[d] India
Q.136) Which state has launched the ‘Kaushalya [e] Japan
Matritva Yojana’?
[a] Jharkhand Q.142) Where has Microsoft established its one of
[b] Rajasthan the largest data centres in India?
[c] Madhya Pradesh [a] Tuticorin
[d] Chhattisgarh [b] Ahmedabad
[e] Uttar Pradesh [c] Mangalore
[d] Chennai
Q.137) Which state has the highest camel [e] Hyderabad
population after Rajasthan?
[a] Haryana
[b] Gujarat
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Q.143) Which company has launched Rights organized by Ministry of Women and Child
‘LaxmiForLaxmi’ a women-led financial Development during the Iconic Week?
empowerment initiative? [a] Lucknow
[a] ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company [b] Mysuru
[b] Nippon Life India Asset Management [c] Udaipur
[c] UTI Asset Management Co Ltd [d] Jodhpur
[d] SBI Funds Management Ltd [e] Bhopal
[e] HDFC Mutual Fund
Q.149) Where is the headquarter of International
Q.144) Which of the following agency has Paralympic Committee located?
released the ‘BE(A)WARE’ booklet? [a] Bonn, Germany
[a] IRDAI [b] Helsinki, Finland
[b] NPCI [c] Belgrade, Serbia
[c] NABARD [d] Minsk, Belarus
[d] SIDBI [e] Riga, Latvia
[e] RBI
Q.150) Where is the ancient Stonehenge
Q.145) Which bank has launched the monument located?
'HouseWorkIsWork' initiative for offering [a] Lyon
opportunities to homemakers to re-join the [b] Milan
professional space? [c] Naxos
[a] Bank of Maharashtra [d] Vivey
[b] Bank of Baroda [e] Wiltshire
[c] ICICI Bank
[d] Axis Bank Q.151) What is the age limit of the Senior Women
[e] Canara Bank Scientists Fellowship under the WISE-KIRAN
scheme?
Q.146) On how many models does the UPI [a] 45-60
123Pay work? [b] 25-40
[a] Four [c] 18-27
[b] Two [d] 30-55
[c] Seven [e] 35-60
[d] Five
[e] Ten Q.152) How many departments have been
envisaged under the National Dam Safety
Q.147) Who has been appointed as the brand Authority?
ambassador of the Shakti campaign of Lupin Ltd? [a] Five
[a] Mary Kom [b] Seven
[b] MS Dhoni [c] Twelve
[c] Mirabai Chanu [d] Ten
[d] Neeraj Chopra [e] Four
[e] Sushil Kumar
Q.153) Where is the India’s first 100% women-
Q.148) Where was the National Workshop with owned industrial park located?
State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights [a] Mangalore
on Contemporary issues pertaining to Child [b] Mysore
[c] Chennai
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[d] Bangalore Q.159) Which state has topped the list of full
[e] Hyderabad immunisation under Intensified Mission
Indradhanush 4.0 with 90.5% coverage?
Q.154) With which social media platform has NITI [a] Maharashtra
Aayog's Atal Innovation Mission partnered to [b] Odisha
drive Augmented Reality (AR) skilling among the [c] Madhya Pradesh
Indian youth? [d] Telangana
[a] Snapchat [e] Jharkhand
[b] KuKu
[c] Twitter Q.160) When was the Vishwakarma Rashtriya
[d] LinkedIn Puraskar instituted?
[e] Hike [a] 1965
[b] 1970
Q.155) Where is the Virtual Smart Grid [c] 1956
Knowledge Centre built? [d] 1980
[a] Manesar [e] 1993
[b] Gurugram
[c] New Delhi Q.161) Which country has been added into the
[d] Kolkata Colombo Security Conclave?
[e] Dehradun [a] Comoros
[b] Malaysia
Q.156) Where is the WHO Global Centre for [c] Indonesia
Traditional Medicine located? [d] Madagascar
[a] Dublin [e] Mauritius
[b] Oslo
[c] Athens Q.162) Which is the theme of the 3rd edition of
[d] Bratislava the National Youth Parliament Festival?
[e] Jamnagar [a] Be the voice of New India and find solutions
and contribute to Policy
Q.157) Which state has launched the Matrushakti [b] YUVAAH – Utsah Naye Bharat Ka
Udyamita Yojana? [c] New India: Youth is the bridge to fill the digital
[a] Haryana gap
[b] Gujarat [d] Atmanirbhar Bharat – Yuva ki nayi pehchaan
[c] Punjab [e] Yuvaah – Naya Bharat, Nayi Udaan
[d] Himachal Pradesh
[e] Uttarakhand Q.163) Where was the ‘India Water Pitch-Pilot-
Scale Start-up Conclave’ organized?
Q.158) Which state has launched the [a] New Delhi
Women@Work (WOW) Program? [b] Bangalore
[a] Tamil Nadu [c] Ahmedabad
[b] Assam [d] Chandigarh
[c] Manipur [e] Lucknow
[d] Gujarat
[e] Karnataka Q.164) Which state has launched the
Mukhyamantri Cha Shramik Kalyan Prakalp
scheme?
[a] Tripura
pg. 14
[Type here]

[b] Manipur [e] 49

[c] Meghalaya
[d] West Bengal Q.170) Who is the chairman of National Bank for
[e] Nagaland Financing Infrastructure and Development?
[a] K V Kamath
Q.165) Which state has announced a first of its [b] D. Sampath Kumar
kind Child Budget? [c] Bharti Kashyap Sharma
[a] Jharkhand [d] R. K. Bhati
[b] Chhattisgarh [e] Pranav Prakash
[c] Rajasthan
[d] Madhya Pradesh Q.171) Which of the following missions will be
[e] Tripura launched by ESA for defending the planet from
the violent outbursts from the Sun?
Q.166) How much investment did India witness in [a] Vigil
digital shopping companies in 2021, as per [b] Star
London & Partners’ data? [c] Eusat
[a] $4 billion [d] Virgil
[b] $8 billion [e] Ovid
[c] $10 billion
[d] $22 billion Q.172) In how many countries is the Amazon
[e] $24 billion rainforest spread?
[a] Ten
Q.167) What is India’s rank in the Liberal [b] Eight
Democracy Index in the ‘Democracy Report 2022: [c] Nine
Autocratization Changing Nature?’ [d] Seven
[a] 47 [e] Six
[b] 101
[c] 75 Q.173) Who is the President of South Korea?
[d] 93 [a] Moon Jae-in
[e] 57 [b] Hwang Kyo-ahn
[c] Park Geun-hye
Q.168) How much rooftop solar power capacity [d] Yoon Suk-yeol
was installed in 2021, as per the “Rooftop Solar [e] Lee Myung-bak
Market Report Q4 and Annual 2021” report of
Mercom India? Q.174) When was the first ever International Day
[a] 2.3 GW of Women Judges observed?
[b] 1.7 GW [a] 1980
[c] 1.1 GW [b] 2022
[d] 7.2 GW [c] 2003
[e] 5.4 GW [d] 2008
[e] 2016
Q.169) How many countries are violating the
ILO’s Maternity Protection Convention, 2000? Q.175) What is the theme of World Kidney Day
[a] 85 2022?
[b] 90 [a] Kidney Health for All
[c] 75 [b] Living Well with Kidney Disease
[d] 63 [c] Kidney Awareness
pg. 15
[Type here]

[d] Kidney Health for Everyone Everywhere

[e] Kidneys & Women’s Health: Include, Value, Q.181) How many ISRO facilities are part of the
Empower YUVIKA 2022?
[a] Five
Q.176) Who has become the 23rd Woman [b] Ten
Grandmaster of India? [c] Six
[a] Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi [d] Seven
[b] Padmini Rout [e] Four
[c] Soumya Swaminathan
[d] Priyanka Nutakki Q.182) Which of the following company owns the
[e] Tania Sachdev IKIGAI platform?
[a] Unacademy
Q.177) Who is the author of ‘The Blue Book: A [b] Pesto
Writer's Journal’ book? [c] Whitehat
[a] Amitava Kumar [d] Vedantu
[b] Sharad Saxena [e] KidEx Venture
[c] Aqsa Ilahi
[d] Vivek Jasra Q.183) Who is the director general of Power
[e] Pravir chakravorty Foundation?
[a] Santosh Kumar
Q.178) Who is the author of “Soli Sorabjee: Life [b] Sanjiv Sahai
and Times” – the first authorise biography of [c] Rupinder Brar
former Attorney General of India? [d] Vinod Chawla
[a] Jisha Ashok [e] Rajni Sharma
[b] Pranav Sachadeva
[c] Sanjiv Vashist Q.184) How many components are part of the
[d] Abhinav Chandrachud 'Strengthening of Pharmaceutical Industry’ (SPI)
[e] Mrituanjay Mishra scheme?
[a] Five
Q.179) With which of the following organizations [b] Three
has BSE partnered for strengthening the [c] Seven
proposed electronic gold receipt (EGR) markets in [d] Six
India? [e] Four
[a] Bhartiya Swarnkar Sangh
[b] Asian Star Company Q.185) What is the total outlay of the
[c] Jamshedpur Jewellers Association 'Strengthening of Pharmaceutical Industry’ (SPI)
[d] Only I and II scheme for FY22-26?
[e] Only I and III [a] Rs 500 crores
[b] Rs 100 crore
Q.180) How many sub-indices are prepared in the [c] Rs 1000 crore
‘Democracy Report 2022: Autocratization [d] Rs 300 crore
Changing Nature?’ [e] Rs 250 crore
[a] Six
[b] Five Q.186) Which state has partnered with NABARD
[c] Two for organizing its annual marketing event
[d] Three ‘Grameena Habba’?
[e] Four [a] Karnataka
pg. 16
[Type here]

[b] Andhra Pradesh

[c] Tamil Nadu Q.192) Which of the following statements is
[d] Odisha incorrect about the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya
[e] Assam Janaushadhi Pariyojana?
[a] The scheme offers a basket of 1,451 drugs
Q.187) What is the brand name of the minor and 240 surgical instruments at subsidised rates
forest produce collected by the tribespeople of [b] Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi
Nilambur? Pariyojana is under implementation since 2008
[a] Adi [c] Nutraceuticals products like food supplements
[b] Adavi and immunity bars have been added to the
[c] Anant basket
[d] Akal [d] Seven IT-enabled PMBJP warehouses are
[e] Rudra operational in India
[e] None of the Above
Q.188) How much stake has UCO Bank acquired
in the India Debt Resolution Company Ltd Q.193) How much CAGR does the Fisheries and
(IDRCL)? Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund
[a] 3% (FIDF) envisage to increase the fish production in
[b] 10% the country to 20 million tonnes by 2022-23?
[c] 7% [a] 8-9%
[d] 4% [b] 7-8%
[e] 12.9% [c] 6-7%
[d] 10-11%
Q.189) What is GDP growth forecast for India for [e] 12-13%
FY23 by Crisil?
[a] 8.2% Q.194) Which of the following Indian city aims to
[b] 6.7% achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050?
[c] 8.9% [a] Delhi
[d] 7.8% [b] Bangalore
[e] 9.2% [c] Ahmedabad
[d] Mumbai
Q.190) Who has been appointed as the first-ever [e] Chennai
female president of Hungary?
[a] Katalin Novak Q.195) How many defence platforms will be
[b] Khertek Anchimaa-Toka developed under the 'Make-I' category of DAP
[c] Sirimavo Bandaranaike 2020?
[d] Eugenia Charles [a] 14
[e] Milka Planinc [b] 18
[c] 20
Q.191) Who has been appointed as the [d] 12
chairperson of the High-Powered Committee on [e] 8
Char Dham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojana?
[a] Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud Q.196) From which country is India procuring the
[b] U. U. Lalit Akula-class nuclear-powered attack submarine?
[c] AK Sikri [a] France
[d] Hrishikesh Roy [b] Germany
[e] V. Ramasubramanian [c] USA
pg. 17
[Type here]

[d] Russia
[e] UK Q.202) What is the interest rate on provident fund
deposits for 2021-22?
Q.197) Which state has been ranked at the 1st [a] 8.1%
position in the SKOCH Governance Report Card [b] 7.8%
2021? [c] 6.7%
[a] Andhra Pradesh [d] 9.1%
[b] West Bengal [e] 8.8%
[c] Odisha
[d] Gujarat Q.203) Under which section of Banking
[e] Maharashtra Regulation Act, 1949 has RBI barred Paytm
Payments Bank Ltd from onboarding new
Q.198) Which CPSE has won the first prize in the customers?
Swachchta Pakhwada Awards 2022? [a] Section 102
[a] ONGC [b] Section 65D
[b] HPCL [c] Section 88F
[c] IOC [d] Section 35A
[d] BHEL [e] Section 70B
[e] Bharat Petroleum
Q.204) Which has become the first PPI company
Q.199) What is RailTel’s rank in the 'Fortune India in India to fully comply with the Interoperability
Next 500 list of Year 2022' list? guidelines of RBI?
[a] 133rd [a] Paytm
[b] 124th [b] LivQuik
[c] 140th [c] Amazon Pay
[d] 185th [d] Appnit Technologies
[e] 171st [e] Card Pro

Q.200) How much stake has ICICI bank acquired Q.205) Recently, Revfin has raised ₹100 crore in
in the National Asset Reconstruction Company debt to expand its footprint into Assam, Madhya
Limited (NARCL)? Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Punjab. Which sector
[a] 5% does the company cater to?
[b] 10% [a] Defence
[c] 8% [b] Agritech
[d] 12% [c] Edutech
[e] 24% [d] EV Financing
[e] Dairy Financing
Q.201) Which of the following company has
launched ‘OneUp’ platform for investing in initial Q.206) M1xchange is a digital platform for
public offerings (IPOs), non-convertible _____?
debentures (NCDs) and sovereign gold bonds [a] Discounting trade receivables
(SGBs), among others? [b] Credit financing to farmers
[a] Edelweiss Financial Services Pvt. Ltd. [c] Modernizing agriculture
[b] Motilal Oswal Securities Ltd. [d] Massive Open Online Course
[c] Kotak Securities Ltd. [e] Skill Development
[d] IIFL Securities Ltd.
[e] Angel Broking Pvt. Ltd.
pg. 18
[Type here]

Q.207) How much is the subsidy bill for fertilizers Q.213) How many components are present in the
for 2022-23? 'Customised Crash Course Programme for
[a] Rs 1.05 trillion COVID Warriors'?
[b] Rs 2 trillion [a] Two
[c] Rs 2.03 trillion [b] Four
[d] Rs 5.1 trillion [c] Seven
[e] Rs 3.20 trillion [d] Five
[e] Three
Q.208) What is India’s GDP growth rate forecast
for 2022-23 by Morgan Stanley? Q.214) Which institute administeres the Global
[a] 8.9% Entrepreneurship Monitor?
[b] 6.7% [a] Entrepreneurship Development Institute of
[c] 7.9% India
[d] 9.1% [b] Indian Institute of Management
[e] 10.1% [c] Indian Institute of Skill Development
[d] National Skill Development Corporation
Q.209) Who is the chairman of IRDAI? [e] Entrepreneur and Skill Institute of India
[a] Subhash Chandra Khuntia
[b] Debasish Panda Q.215) What was the national maternal mortality
[c] Abhay Shreeniwas Oka ratio during 2017-19?
[d] Vikram Nath [a] 103
[e] Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari [b] 113
[c] 122
Q.210) How much is the market size of the Indian [d] 130
e-sports industry in 2021, as per the EY report? [e] 147
[a] ₹3 billion
[b] ₹1 billion Q.216) How many river basins are covered in the
[c] ₹2 billion Rs 19,000 crore afforestation plan of Ministry of
[d] ₹5 billion Environment, Forest & Climate Change and
[e] ₹10 billion Ministry of Jal Shakti?
[a] 20
Q.211) Where is the Halari Donkey breed found [b] 18
in India? [c] 13
[a] Gujarat [d] 10
[b] Telangana [e] 5
[c] Tamil Nadu
[d] Maharashtra Q.217) Which of the following state/ UT has
[e] West Bengal launched an online portal for the purchase and
registration of electric autos in the city?
Q.212) Where is the World’s first Peace Centre [a] Telangana
located? [b] Tamil Nadu
[a] Copenhagen [c] Odisha
[b] Oslo [d] Delhi
[c] Helsinki [e] Andhra Pradesh
[d] Bratislava
[e] Gurugram Q.218) Who is the President of India Bullion and
Jewellers Association Ltd?
pg. 19
[Type here]

[a] Laxman Singh

[b] Prithviraj Kothari Q.224) Which company has developed India’s
[c] Rachna Chabra largest sewage treatment plant (STP) with A20
[d] Prashant Ranjan technology?
[e] Santosh Shilpokar [a] Punj Lloyd Group
[b] L&T
Q.219) Where has AI and Robotics Technology [c] Simplex Infrastructures
Park opened its ‘Innovation Lab’ for startups? [d] Lanco Infratech
[a] IIT Delhi [e] IVRCL Infrastructures & Projects Ltd
[b] IIM Ahmedabad
[c] IISc Bangalore Q.225) Who is the director general of United
[d] IIT Guwahati Service Institution of India?
[e] IIM Kozhikode [a] B.K. Sharma
[b] Amardeep Singh Bhinder
Q.220) Which sport does Olympic champion [c] Raj Shukla
Mondo Duplantis belong to? [d] Upendra Dwivedi
[a] Soccer [e] Rana Pratap Kalita
[b] Golf
[c] Volleyball Q.226) What is the per capita expenditure of India
[d] Pole vault on medical devices?
[e] Baseball [a] $3
[b] $10
Q.221) How much stipend has been fixed for the [c] $15
employees under the ‘Captive Employer’ [d] $17
initiative? [e] $20
[a] Rs 5,000
[b] Rs 10,000 Q.227) On which river is National Waterway 2
[c] Rs 12,000 developed?
[d] Rs 15,000 [a] Ganga
[e] Rs 20,000 [b] Yamuna
[c] Indus
Q.222) What is the outlay of Credit Guarantee [d] Tapi
Scheme for Subordinate Debt? [e] Brahmaputra
[a] Rs 20,000 crores
[b] Rs 5,000 crores Q.228) Which state has launched India's first
[c] Rs 14,000 crores digital water databank 'AQVERIUM'?
[d] Rs 22,000 crores [a] Karnataka
[e] Rs 15,000 crores [b] Madhya Pradesh
[c] Uttarakhand
Q.223) What is the maximum amount of [d] Uttar Pradesh
guarantee cover under the Credit Guarantee [e] Tamil Nadu
Scheme for Subordinate Debt?
[a] Rs 60 lakh Q.229) Recently, India’s defence infrastructure
[b] Rs 85 lakh development agency MES (military engineering
[c] Rs 90 lakh services) has built two houses for Indian Air Force
[d] Rs 75 lakh personnel in Gandhinagar and Jaisalmer, part of
[e] Rs 50 lakh South-Western Air Command, by using 3D
pg. 20
[Type here]

printing technology. The houses have been [b] Tackling Plastic Pollution
designed and developed by Tvasta Construction. [c] Trusted Smart Products
Which of the following IIT has incubated the [d] Fair Digital Finance
company? [e] Making Digital Marketplaces Fairer
[a] IIT-Delhi
[b] IIT-Bombay Q.235) When was the No Smoking Day observed
[c] IIT-Ropar in 2022?
[d] IIT-Kharagpur [a] March 9
[e] IIT-Madras [b] April 16
[c] May 17
Q.230) Which defence PSU has signed an MOU [d] June 10
with SASMOS (Bengaluru-based company) to [e] July 8
work together on advanced electronics, electrical
and fibre optic interconnections? Q.236) Ashwani Bhatia has been appointed as
[a] Bharat Dynamics Limited the whole-time member of the Securities and
[b] Bharat Electronics Limited Exchange Board of India (Sebi) for 3 years. He is
[c] BEML Limited currently working as MD of stressed assets and
[d] Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited information technology division of which bank?
[e] Hindustan Aeronautics Limited [a] Punjab National Bank
[b] State Bank of India
Q.231) Where will Samsung develop its new [c] Karur Vyasa Bank
compressor manufacturing plant? [d] Ujjavan Small Finance Bank
[a] Hyderabad [e] Karnataka Bank
[b] Mysuru
[c] Kochi Q.237) Which Indian bank has been awarded as
[d] Chennai the Asian Bank of the Year 2021 by IFR?
[e] Vishakhapatnam [a] ICICI Bank
[b] Axis Bank
Q.232) When is the National Vaccination Day [c] HDFC Bank
observed? [d] Kotak Mahindra Bank
[a] March 9 [e] Bank of Maharashtra
[b] March 25
[c] March 16 Q.238) Which of the following department is
[d] March 11 responsible for implementing the foreign trade
[e] March 13 policy of India?
[a] Department of Economic Affairs
Q.233) Which day has been declared as the [b] Department of Financial Services
International Day to Combat Islamophobia? [c] Directorate General of Foreign Trade
[a] March 15 [d] Department of Investment and Public Asset
[b] April 16 Management
[c] May 18 [e] Department for Promotion of Industry and
[d] June 23 Internal Trade
[e] August 11
Q.239) How much amount has been allocated by
Q.234) What is the theme of World Consumer the Union Budget 2022-23 for infusion in three
Rights Day 2022? loss making general insurance companies?
[a] The Sustainable Consumer [a] Rs 2000 crores
pg. 21
[Type here]

[b] Rs 5000 crores [d] Andhra Pradesh

[c] Rs 1000 crores [e] Assam
[d] Rs 3000 crores
[e] Rs 4000 crores Q.245) In which state was the Bhu – AADHAR
recently launched?
Q.240) How many companies have been selected [a] Madhya Pradesh
for govt incentives under the production-linked [b] Assam
inventive (PLI) scheme for automobiles? [c] Himachal Pradesh
[a] 75 [d] Uttarakhand
[b] 100 [e] Punjab
[c] 50
[d] 25 Q.246) Where is the permanent building of the
[e] 47 International Arbitration and Mediation Centre
being developed?
Q.241) Which edition of the ‘Gender Samwaad’ [a] Nanakramguda
was organized by the Ministry of Rural [b] Raidurg
Development under the Deendayal Antyodaya [c] Golkonda
Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY- [d] Secunderabad
NRLM)? [e] Mushirabad
[a] 3rd
[b] 7th Q.247) In which university has ISRO established
[c] 4th its Satish Dhawan Centre for Space Science?
[d] 10th [a] Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
[e] 12th [b] Veer Narmad South Gujarat University
[c] Central University of Jammu
Q.242) Which state established the first ever [d] NTRUHS
‘Yoga Commission’ in India? [e] Acharya Nagarjuna University
[a] Haryana
[b] Rajasthan Q.248) With which state has Welspun One
[c] Uttar Pradesh Logistics Parks (WOLP) signed an MOU for
[d] Uttarakhand establishing its Grade A warehousing facilities?
[e] Assam [a] Haryana
[b] Punjab
Q.243) How many Eat Right Stations are present [c] Uttar Pradesh
in India? [d] Jammu and Kashmir
[a] Four [e] Delhi
[b] Seven
[c] Eight Q.249) Where is Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan
[d] Five under implementation?
[e] Twelve [a] J&K
[b] Ladakh
Q.244) Which has become the first state in India [c] Tripura
to start the recording of crop diversification [d] Maharashtra
patterns in the form of an index? [e] Gujarat
[a] Telangana
[b] Madhya Pradesh
[c] Maharashtra
pg. 22
[Type here]

Q.250) Where is the Helicopter Engines MRO Pvt Q.255) Which of the following is the birthplace of
Ltd – a JV between HAL and Safran – Bhagat Singh?
established? [a] Anayatpura
[a] Malegaon [b] Balbawa
[b] Sattari [c] Banga
[c] Gondia [d] Awan Basau
[d] Parbhani [e] Audar
[e] Wardha
Q.256) On whose birth anniversary is the Pi Day
Q.251) Geneva Conventions and their Additional celebrated?
Protocols, 1949 regulates the conduct of armed [a] Albert Einstein
conflict and seeks to limit its effects. How many [b] Nikola Tesla
conventions are collectively called the Geneva [c] Isaac Newton
Conventions? [d] Euclid
[a] Four [e] Leonhard Euler
[b] Six
[c] Five Q.257) Drive My Car has won the BAFTA award
[d] Ten in the category of ‘Film Not In The English
[e] Seven Language’. Which country does the film belong
to?
Q.252) Ingas and Cryoin – producers of 45% to [a] Republic of Korea
54% of the neon that is used in chip [b] Japan
manufacturing around the world – are located in [c] Philippine
which country? [d] Taiwan
[a] Poland [e] Hong Kong, China SAR
[b] Belarus
[c] Estonia Q.258) Where was the 11th edition of the Khel
[d] Croatia Mahakumbh event organized?
[e] Ukraine [a] Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
[b] Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium
Q.253) How much is the share of India in the [c] DY Patil Stadium
global arms imports, according to SIPRI’s Trends [d] Narendra Modi Stadium
in International Arms Transfers, 2021? [e] Sardar Patel Stadium
[a] 11%
[b] 16% Q.259) Where will the 44th World Chess
[c] 20% Olympiad 2022 be organized?
[d] 14% [a] Chennai
[e] 18% [b] Bangalore
[c] Delhi
Q.254) Who has been appointed as the Chairman [d] Pune
and MD of Oil India Ltd.? [e] Mumbai
[a] Kirti Nandkishor Gaikwad
[b] Aqsa Ilahi Q.260) Who is the author of book-length poem
[c] Sharad Saxena ‘Monsoon’?
[d] Ranjit Rath [a] Aditya Panda
[e] Surendra Prasad [b] Abhay Kumar
[c] Banaja Behra
pg. 23
[Type here]

[d] Pravir chakravorty opportunities in the field of manufacturing speed

[e] Jisha Ashok boats?
[a] GRSE
Q.261) How much investment has Japan [b] L&T
committed to India over a period of 5 years? [c] GSL
[a] ￥2 trillion [d] HSL
[b] ￥5 trillion [e] BDL
[c] ￥3 trillion
[d] ￥1 trillion Q.267) Where is the “Green Triangle”, named
after Mahatma Gandhi, located?
[e] ￥4 trillion
[a] Madagascar
[b] Mauritius
Q.262) Who chairs the advisory board of National
[c] Mozambique
Security Act (NSA), 1980?
[d] Mauritius
[a] Justice Yogesh Khanna
[e] Morocco
[b] Justice Chandra Dhari Singh
[c] Justice Sudha Parrikar
Q.268) How much stake has ICICI Bank bought in
[d] Justice Arushi Mandal
the National Asset Reconstruction Company
[e] Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar
Limited (NARCL)?
[a] 5%
Q.263) Which has become the first State
[b] 10%
Assembly in the entire country to implement the
[c] 2%
National e-Vidhan Application?
[d] 7%
[a] Manipur
[e] 8%
[b] Nagaland
[c] Tripura
Q.269) Which is the Best MSME Bank of the Year
[d] Odisha
(Private Category) as per ASSOCHAM?
[e] Rajasthan
[a] Karnataka Bank
[b] Axis Bank
Q.264) Which state organizes the Surajkund
[c] Karur Vyasa Bank
International Crafts Mela?
[d] CSB Bank
[a] Rajasthan
[e] ICICI Bank
[b] Gujarat
[c] Uttar Pradesh
Q.270) Who has been selected for the 31st GD
[d] Punjab
Birla Award for Scientific Research?
[e] Haryana
[a] Laxman Singh
[b] Narayan Pradhan
Q.265) With which IIT has NMDC signed an MOU
[c] Arvind Singh
for drone-based mineral exploration?
[d] Varun Menon
[a] IIT Delhi
[e] Rachna Chabra
[b] IIT Kharagpur
[c] IIT Kanpur
Q.271) Who is the managing director of the
[d] IIT Dhanbad
National Capital Regional Transport Corporation
[e] IIT Roorkee
(NCRTC)?
[a] Vinay Kumar
Q.266) Which PSU has signed an MOU with Eker
[b] Arjun Ram Meghwal
Group of Norway and Vaanmoto to explore
[c] Rajiv Verma
pg. 24
[Type here]

[d] H Willson [c] The program has been extended for five years
[e] Gyanesh Kumar [d] Only I and III
[e] Only II and III
Q.272) How much loan has been approved by the
Japan International Cooperation Agency for Q.277) Which exercise is conducted by the Indian
developing infrastructure in India during the 14th Army with Seychelles Army?
India-Japan Summit 2022? [a] Al Nagah
[a] Rs 5,070 crores [b] Sahyog - Hyeoblyeog
[b] Rs 10,900 crores [c] Konkan
[c] Rs 20,400 crores [d] Lamitiye
[d] Rs 12,300 crores [e] RIMPAC
[e] Rs 7,890 crores
Q.278) According to the Federation of Indian
Q.273) Who is the Foreign Minister of Austria? Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and
[a] Alexander Schallenberg consultancy EY’s report, India’s media and
[b] Herbert Kickl entertainment sector is expected to grow at a
[c] Sigrid Maurer compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of _____%
[d] Beate Meinl-Reisinger to touch $30.9 billion by 2024?
[e] Nikolaus Berlakovich [a] 11%
[b] 10%
Q.274) Which of the following companies has [c] 5%
signed an MOU with Australia’s critical minerals [d] 12%
facilitation office to establish a framework for joint [e] 24%
investments in Australian projects to mine critical
minerals? Q.279) Jayati Ghosh (Indian development
[a] KBIL economist) has been appointed as a member in
[b] BEML the High-Level Advisory Board on Effective
[c] BDL Multilateralism. Prior to this appointment, Ghose
[d] GRSE was the chairperson of the Centre for Economic
[e] MIDHANI Studies and Planning, School of Social Sciences
of which university?
Q.275) Which edition of the Smart Cities India [a] University of Delhi
Expo will be organized as part of India’s largest [b] University of Madras
tech and infra expo? [c] Aligarh Muslim University
[a] 7th [d] Manipal University
[b] 12th [e] Jawaharlal Nehru University
[c] 5th
[d] 3rd Q.280) Taylor Fritz (from US) has won the Indian
[e] 10th Wells Masters (tennis tournament) by defeating
_____?
Q.276) Which of the following statements is [a] Roger Federer
correct in relation to the tenure of the National [b] Novak Djokovic
AIDS and STD Control Programme? [c] Rafael Nadal
[a] There are five phases of this program, and the [d] Daniil Medvedev
latest one got extension [e] Alexander Zverev
[b] The program’s tenure has been extended till
March 31, 2025
pg. 25
[Type here]

Q.281) At which power plant of NTPC is India’s [b] Rs 1,200 per quintal
first green hydrogen-based energy storage [c] Rs 2,790 per quintal
project being developed? [d] Rs 3,040 per quintal
[a] Ramagundam Plant [e] Rs 1,980 per quintal
[b] Simhadri Plant
[c] Korba Plant Q.287) Which of the following divisions of the
[d] Farakka Plant Indian Army organized the Exercise Suraksha
[e] Singrauli Plant Kavach 2?
[a] Rajput
Q.282) Which of the following airports is hosting [b] Dogra
the Wings India 2022? [c] Agnibaaz
[a] Raipur Airport [d] Grenadiers
[b] Begumpet Airport [e] Kumaon
[c] Visakhapatnam Airport
[d] Tirupati Airport Q.288) Which of the following regiments of the
[e] Chennai Airport Indian Army has participated in the Exercise
Dustlik 2022?
Q.283) Who was the chief guest at the Step - Up [a] Garhwal Rifles
to End TB- World TB Day Summit, which was [b] Sikh Light Infantry
organized by Union Health Ministry on the [c] The Grenadiers
occasion of World TB Day? [d] Jat Regiment
[a] Anandiben Patel [e] Rajput Regiment
[b] Jagdish Mukhi
[c] Phagu Chauhan Q.289) Which foreign bank has recently launched
[d] Anusuiya Uikey Green Deposit Programme for corporate clients in
[e] Bandaru Dattatraya India?
[a] City Union Bank
Q.284) Which Indian state has recently [b] Standard Chartered
announced to introduce carbon-neutral farming [c] KfW
methods? [d] HSBC
[a] Kerala [e] DBS
[b] Madhya Pradesh
[c] Maharashtra Q.290) What is the GDP growth forecast for India
[d] Tamil Nadu by Fitch for 2022-23?
[e] Odisha [a] 8.5%
[b] 7.8%
Q.285) Which of the following UTs was the venue [c] 6.7%
of Gulf Investment Summit 2022? [d] 9.1%
[a] Delhi [e] 10.3%
[b] Chandigarh
[c] Andaman and Nicobar Islands Q.291) How much is the expected merchandise
[d] Jammu and Kashmir trade deficit in FY22?
[e] Lakshadweep [a] $107.90 billion
[b] $250.09 billion
Q.286) What is the new MSP of raw jute for the [c] $123.45 billion
2022-23 season? [d] $198.08 billion
[a] Rs 4,750 per quintal [e] $188.2 billion
pg. 26
[Type here]

[c] 10.2%
Q.292) With which country has India signed a [d] 5.34%
Letter of Arrangement for Educational [e] 4%
Qualification Recognition?
[a] Japan Q. 298) Which card issuing company has
[b] Australia launched a co-branded credit card, in association
[c] Denmark with Nature’s Basket?
[d] Finland [a] American Express
[e] Sweden [b] SBI Card
[c] HDFC Bank
Q.293) How much rooftop solar (RTS) capacity [d] Citibank
will be added in residential areas under the [e] IndusInd Bank
Rooftop Solar Programme Phase-II?
[a] 1500 MW Q. 299) With which bank has Chennai Super
[b] 4000 MW Kings launched a co-branded credit card?
[c] 1000 MW [a] Axis Bank
[d] 2230 MW [b] Canara Bank
[e] 4300 MW [c] ICICI Bank
[d] DBS Bank
Q.294) How many artefacts were returned by [e] CSB Bank
Australia to India during the 2nd India-Australia
Virtual Summit 2022? Q.300) Who has won the Abel prize for the year
[a] 29 2022?
[b] 30 [a] Dennis Sullivan
[c] 15 [b] John Boozman
[d] 41 [c] Niki Kerameus
[e] 50 [d] Dianne Feinstein
[e] Tom Cotton
Q. 295) Who is the Foreign Minister of Greece?
[a] Miltiadis Varvitsiotis Q. 301) As per the India TB Report 2022, TB
[b] Nikos Dendias cases have increased by ____ percent in 2021 as
[c] Kostas Frangogiannis compared to 2020?
[d] Andreas Katsaniotis [a] 20%
[e] Eleftherios Oikonomou [b] 19%
[c] 12%
Q. 296) How many skill hubs does the Centre aim [d] 10%
to establish across India? [e] 18%
[a] 10,000
[b] 3,500 Q. 302) Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has
[c] 7,500 enabled the procurement of ₹1 trillion within 2021-
[d] 5,000 22, representing a growth of 160% as compared
[e] 1,000 to the previous year. Of this, ____ percent of
order value is coming from small businesses?
Q. 297) How much stake does SBI own in the [a] 57%
Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)? [b] 63%
[a] 7.84% [c] 44%
[b] 8.56% [d] 35%
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[e] 70% [d] Maharashtra

[e] West Bengal
Q. 303) Ministry of Ayush is conducting the
world's first multi-centre phase III clinical trial for Q. 308) Where is BIMSTEC planning to set up its
examining the efficacy of Ayurveda in the Technology Transfer Facility (TTF)?
treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Which doctor [a] Colombo
from US is going to monitor the progress and [b] Dhaka
functioning of the trial? [c] Bangkok
[a] Dr Lance Kyle Burns [d] Delhi
[b] Dr Daniel Erick Furst [e] Naypyidaw
[c] Dr Fouad. M. Abbas
[d] Dr Myles. B. Abbott Q. 309) Which bank has announced to launch
[e] Dr William A. Abdu SmartHub Vyapar product?
[a] Punjab National Bank
Q. 304) Which state has launched the Target [b] Oriental Bank of Commerce
Champion Scheme (TACS)? [c] SBI
[a] Tripura [d] HDFC Bank
[b] Uttarakhand [e] Canara Bank
[c] Punjab
[d] Nagaland Q.310) As per the India Cellular & Electronics
[e] Haryana Association (ICEA) has forecasted total
smartphone exports to cross USD ____ billion in
Q. 305) Which state has launched 24x7 FY22, up from $3.16 billion last year?
WhatsApp chatbot named ‘Maya’ for tourists? [a] $5.5 billion
[a] Kerala [b] $3.9 billion
[b] Madhya Pradesh [c] $7.9 billion
[c] Gujarat [d] $6.9 billion
[d] Maharashtra [e] $8.9 billion
[e] Odisha
Q. 311) Where is India’s first-ever SAI National
Q. 306) Which state has secured the first rank in Centre of Excellence located?
the implementation of National Tuberculosis [a] Himachal Pradesh
Elimination Programme in the category of states [b] Andhra Pradesh
having more than 50 lakhs? [c] Telangana
[a] Himachal Pradesh [d] West Bengal
[b] Tripura [e] Maharashtra
[c] Delhi
[d] Madhya Pradesh Q. 312) For which animal’s protection has World
[e] Punjab Bank released the world’s first wildlife bond worth
$150 million?
Q. 307) Which state has become the first state in [a] Black rhinos
the country to introduce the concept of a dynamic [b] Greater kudu
map for villages to reduce legal disputes [c] African civet
regarding landholding? [d] Beisa oryx
[a] Uttar Pradesh [e] Somali ostrich
[b] Madhya Pradesh
[c] Bihar
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Q. 313) How many sub-pillars are taken in NITI [c] Rs 10,000

Aayog’s Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2021? [d] Rs 30,000
[a] 18 [e] Rs 50,000
[b] 11
[c] 21 Q. 318) What is the GDP growth rate forecast by
[d] 43 UNCTAD for India for 2022?
[e] 7 [a] 4.6%
[b] 6.5%
Q. 314) Which of the following banks has [c] 4.9%
partnered with Reserve Bank Innovation Hub for [d] 7.3%
Sawanari TechSprint program of RBIH? [e] 7.1%
[a] Federal Bank
[b] Axis Bank Q. 319) Who among the following is popularly
[c] Bank of Baroda known as Mr Evaporation in the world?
[d] Only A and B [a] John Muir
[e] Only A, B, and C [b] Aldo Leopold
[c] Henry David Thoreau
Q. 315) What is the target of loan financing for [d] Wilfried Brutsaert
National Bank for Financial Infrastructure and [e] Chico Mendes
Development (NaBFID) for FY23?
[a] Rs 500 billion Q.320) In which sport is the Benaud-Qadir Trophy
[b] Rs 1 trillion given?
[c] Rs 10,000 billion [a] Cricket
[d] Rs 2 trillion [b] Chess
[e] Rs 100 billion [c] Badminton
[d] Tennis
Q. 316) Which of the following information is [e] Football
incorrect in relation to RBI’s framework for geo-
tagging of payment system touch points? Q. 321) Which company has designed the
[a] This exercise will provide insights on regional Hindustan 228, a 19-seater aircraft, along with
penetration of digital payments Hindustan Aeronautics Limited?
[b] General merchant details (name, merchant ID, [a] Lockheed Martin
merchant type, merchant category, merchant [b] Dornier GmbH
contact details, merchant / payment aggregator [c] Honeywell International
information, if any, etc.) will be submitted by [d] General Dynamics Corporation
banks and non-bank PSOs to RBI [e] Northrop Grumman
[c] Mobile PoS, Soft PoS, Tablet PoS, Desktop
PoS, Self-service Kiosk PoS, have been Q. 322) Which of the following NGOs has
classified as PoS terminals under the framework collaborated with Her&Now for the 'WINcubate
[d] All of the Above Training Programme'?
[e] None of the Above [a] Guria India
[b] Sayodhya Home for Women in Need
Q. 317) Union Budget 2022-23 proposes a 1% [c] Majlis Manch
TDS on payments towards virtual currencies [d] Dhriiti – the Courage Within
beyond ______ in a year? [e] Prerana
[a] Rs 20,000
[b] Rs 25,000
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Q. 323) How many ODF-Plus villages are there in entrepreneurship amongst the rural youth through
India, as of March 28, 2022? the 'start-up village entrepreneurship
[a] 22,500 programme'?
[b] 17,830 [a] IIT-Bombay
[c] 44,000 [b] IIE-Guwahati
[d] 50,000 [c] IIIT-Vadodara
[e] 90,000 [d] IRM-Anand
[e] IISc-Bangalore
Q. 324) With which country has India set up the
Technical Council on Investment, Trade Q. 329) Which of the following companies has
Promotion and Facilitation? launched India’s first Defence Fund?
[a] UAE [a] HDFC Mutual Fund
[b] UK [b] Aditya Birla Sun Life Asset Management
[c] USA [c] UTI Asset Management
[d] Germany [d] PGIM India Midcap Opportunities Fund
[e] Saudi Arabia [e] Invesco India Infrastructure Fund

Q. 325) Which of the following projects aim at Q.330) Who is the new Director-General of the
creating a strong Indian workforce of 10,000 International Labour Organization?
people in the United Arab Emirate during its initial [a] Gilbert F. Houngbo
phase? [b] Elizabeth Warren
[a] Parakram [c] Bernie Sanders
[b] Karma Shakti [d] Cory Booker
[c] Karmayogi [e] Tammy Baldwin
[d] Anushashan
[e] Tejas Q. 331) Fabiosys Innovations has developed an
affordable medical textile called Fabium, which
Q. 326) With which of the following institutions can destroy 99.9% of the bacteria and viruses
has Meghalaya Infrastructure Development and within 30 minutes. Which IIT has incubated
Finance Corporation Ltd (MiDFC) collaborated to Fabiosys Innovations?
develop the MSME ecosystem in the state? [a] IIT-Delhi
[a] HDFC Bank [b] IIT-Ropar
[b] State Bank of India [c] IIT-Kharagpur
[c] Axis Bank [d] IIT-Hyderabad
[d] Avanti Finance [e] IIT-Madras
[e] SIDBI
Q. 332) Which state has signed an MOU with
Q. 327) Which is known as the Diamond City of UAE-based retail major Lulu Group for setting up
India? shopping malls, hypermarkets, and a food-logistic
[a] Surat park in the state?
[b] Rakhigarhi [a] Tamil Nadu
[c] Surkotada [b] Telangana
[d] Sanchi [c] Madhya Pradesh
[e] Dholavira [d] Maharashtra
[e] Andhra Pradesh
Q. 328) Which institute has signed an MoU with
the Ministry of Rural Development to promote
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Q. 333) Where was the 12th edition of Rashtriya [a] 70 dB

Sanskriti Mahotsav organized? [b] 30 dB
[a] Arts College Ground, Andhra Pradesh [c] 55 dB
[b] Loyola College, Chennai [d] 90 dB
[c] Christ University, Bengaluru [e] 88 dB
[d] St. Xavier's College, Mumbai
[e] Hansraj College, Delhi Q. 338) With which sovereign wealth fund has
Byju’s partnered to expand its base in the Middle
Q. 334) Recently, a decentralised waste East and North Africa region (MENA)?
management technology park has been [a] Qatar Investment Authority
established at East Jaffrabad, New Delhi under [b] Abu Dhabi Investment Authority
the Waste to Wealth Mission, which is an initiative [c] Kuwait Investment Authority
under the Principal Scientific Adviser to the [d] Public Investment Fund (Saudi Arabia)
central government’s office. The park is equipped [e] Investment Corporation of Dubai
with Enviro-RISE R-A110, which has been bought
from _____? Q. 339) Who is the director of Oscar-winning
[a] Denmark CODA movie?
[b] Finland [a] Steven Spielberg
[c] Sweden [b] Sian Heder
[d] Netherlands [c] Martin Scorsese
[e] Poland [d] Francis Ford Coppola
[e] Quentin Tarantino
Q. 335) How much is the total horticulture
production in 2020-21, as per the final estimate of Q.340) Who has become the youngest and
Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare? fastest female swimmer in the world to swim
[a] 143.57 million tonnes across the Palk Strait?
[b] 334.60 million tonnes [a] Rachna Chabra
[c] 245.98 million tonnes [b] Jiya Rai
[d] 178.88 million tonnes [c] Sarojini Shekhar
[e] 200.30 million tonnes [d] Anita Baghel
[e] Rajni Sharma
Q. 336) Which of the following companies have
collaborated with Groupe ADP and GMR Airports Q.341) Which IIT is setting up a brain research
for conducting a joint study on Sustainable centre within its campus to create the highest
Aviation Fuels (SAF) and their potential in India? resolution map of the human brain?
[a] Airbus [a] IIT-Madras
[b] Arconic [b] IIT-Ropar
[c] Safran [c] IIT-Kharagpur
[d] Only A and C [d] IIT-Delhi
[e] Only A, B, and C [e] IIT-Bombay

Q. 337) Moradabad (UP) is the world’s 2nd most Q.342) Which edition of the International
noise polluted city as per the United Nations Geological Congress will be hosted by India in
Environment Programme’s Annual Frontier 2022?
Report, 2022 report, with a level of 114 decibels. [a] 36th
What is the WHO’s recommended level of [b] 40th
decibels in the commercial areas? [c] 53rd
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[d] 22nd
[e] 14th Q.348) What is India’s rank in the World
Happiness Report 2022?
Q. 343) Which bank has extended a line of credit [a] 137th
of $1 billion to Sri Lanka on behalf of the Indian [b] 140th
govt? [c] 117th
[a] HDFC Bank [d] 123rd
[b] Axis Bank [e] 125th
[c] State Bank of India
[d] Exim Bank Q.349) Which bank has signed an MOU with
[e] ICICI Bank Business France to support companies in the
Indo-French corridor?
Q. 344) With which state has JSW Cement signed [a] Kotak Mahindra Bank
an MOU to use agricultural waste as biomass [b] Axis Bank
energy in its cement-manufacturing operations? [c] ICICI Bank
[a] Gujarat [d] Punjab National Bank
[b] Punjab [e] State Bank of India
[c] Maharashtra
[d] Tamil Nadu Q.350) When is the Global Recycling Day
[e] Andhra Pradesh observed?
[a] March 18
Q. 345) Which state has launched the Dishaank [b] April 15
app for providing easy access to land records? [c] May 17
[a] Karnataka [d] June 20
[b] Punjab [e] July 23
[c] Haryana
[d] Uttar Pradesh Q.351) Which of the following publishing houses
[e] Uttarakhand has published the Indian Agriculture towards
2030: Pathways for Enhancing Farmers’ Income,
Q. 346) Which of the following companies has Nutritional Security and Sustainable Food and
signed an agreement with the Dredging Farm Systems book?
Corporation of India (DCI) to build India’s largest [a] Roli Books
dredger in collaboration with IHC Holland under [b] Penguin Random House India
the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative? [c] Rupa Publications
[a] Balmer Lawrie & Company [d] Aleph Book
[b] Cochin Shipyard Ltd [e] Springer
[c] Bharat Earth Movers
[d] GAIL (India) Limited Q. 352) What is the target of Ministry of Civil
[e] Hindustan Copper Limited Aviation in terms of airport construction in India
(by 2025)?
Q. 347) Which state is implementing the Pragyan [a] 220
Bharati scheme? [b] 370
[a] Assam [c] 140
[b] Madhya Pradesh [d] 179
[c] West Bengal [e] 280
[d] Chhattisgarh
[e] Tripura
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Q. 353) Which region’s Geoglyphs have been

added to the tentative list of World Heritage Sites Q. 358) Which bank has partnered with
of UNESCO from India? EaseMyTrip for launching the EaseMyTrip Green
[a] Jaisalmer Debit Card?
[b] Konkan [a] HSBC
[c] Dhule [b] DBS Bank India
[d] Beed [c] Citi Bank
[e] Akola [d] Deutsche Bank
[e] RBS Bank
Q. 354) Which airport has won the Aviation
Sustainability and Environment Award at the Q. 359) What is the size of Indian space economy
Wings India 2022? in 2020-21 as per “The Space Economy of India:
[a] Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Its Size and Structure” paper?
[b] Cochin International Airport Ltd [a] 0.01% of the GDP
[c] Begumpet Airport [b] 0.23% of the GDP
[d] Kempegowda International Airport [c] 0.98% of the GDP
[e] Indira Gandhi International Airport [d] 0.79% of the GDP
[e] 0.19% of the GDP
Q. 355) With which organization has Ministry of
MSME collaborated to organize the Mega Q.360) Recently, the first Indian woman to win a
International Summit on MSMEs in Delhi? medal at Olympics has been conferred with the
[a] Indian Institute of Skill Development BBC Lifetime Achievement award 2022. The
[b] Central Institute of Hand Tools sportsperson is Karnam Malleswari. Which sport
[c] Institute for Design of Electrical Measuring is she related to?
Instruments [a] Weightlifting
[d] Entrepreneurship Development Institute of [b] Boxing
India [c] Badminton
[e] National Institute for Micro, Small and Medium [d] Long Jump
Enterprises [e] Javelin Throw

Q. 356) With which oil company has the Indian Air Q. 361) Which of the following states provides the
Force partnered for the ‘Fleet Card — Fuel on highest wage per day under the MGNREGA
Move’? scheme?
[a] IOC [a] Haryana
[b] BPCL [b] Kerala
[c] ONGC [c] Assam
[d] HPCL [d] Uttar Pradesh
[e] OIL [e] Meghalaya

Q. 357) How much stake does the HDFC Bank Q. 362) Which state has launched a unique
own in the India Debt Resolution Company initiative to give personal loans to prisoners?
Limited? [a] Tamil Nadu
[a] 15% [b] Andhra Pradesh
[b] 8% [c] Odisha
[c] 12% [d] Maharashtra
[d] 10% [e] Karnataka
[e] 5%
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Q. 363) Which state has launched the Vinaya digital customer engagement and rewards
Samarasya Yojana? program?
[a] Jharkhand [a] Aditya Birla Insurance Brokers Ltd.
[b] Chhattisgarh [b] HDFC ERGO General Insurance
[c] Rajasthan [c] Bharti AXA General Insurance Co. Ltd.
[d] Karnataka [d] Bajaj Allianz General Insurance
[e] Andhra Pradesh [e] Edelweiss General Insurance Company
Limited
Q. 364) How many countries form the Schengen
Area? Q. 368) Which bank has partnered with Kwik.ID to
[a] 13 implement digital KYC, video KYC and e-KYC for
[b] 26 its expansive network across India?
[c] 10 [a] Central Bank of India
[d] 30 [b] Union Bank of India
[e] 15 [c] State Bank of India
[d] Bank of Baroda
Q. 365) How much stake has IDBI Bank recently [e] Karnataka Bank
sold to Ageas Insurance International NV in
Ageas Federal Life Insurance Company (AFLI)? Q. 369) Recently, RBI’s wholly owned subsidiary,
[a] 33% Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private
[b] 25% Limited (BRBNMPL) has set up an ink
[c] 40% manufacturing unit in Mysuru, Karnataka. What is
[d] 16% the name of the unit?
[e] 10% [a] Varnika
[b] Mudra
Q. 366) Which payment service provider has [c] Mohar
launched the “Tap to Pay for UPI” – facility to [d] Rupaya
bring the seamless convenience of Tap to Pay for [e] Roshan
UPI users?
[a] Amazon Pay Q.370) Who is the chairman of the Payments
[b] BharatPe Council of India?
[c] PhonePe [a] Vishwas Patel
[d] Paytm [b] Prabhat Kumar Tripathi
[e] Google Pay [c] Amarendra Tiwari
[d] Ajay Kumar
Q. 367) Which of the following company has [e] S.B. Naithani
launched the VAULT program, an industry-first

1 E 71 C 141 A 211 A 281 B 351 E

2 B 72 E 142 E 212 E 282 B 352 A
3 D 73 D 143 E 213 A 283 A 353 B
4 A 74 B 144 E 214 A 284 A 354 A
5 E 75 A 145 D 215 A 285 D 355 D
6 A 76 C 146 A 216 C 286 A 356 A
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7 D 77 B 147 A 217 D 287 C 357 A

8 A 78 E 148 E 218 B 288 C 358 B
9 C 79 A 149 A 219 C 289 E 359 E
10 B 80 A 150 E 220 D 290 A 360 A
11 C 81 E 151 A 221 B 291 E 361 A
12 C 82 B 152 A 222 A 292 B 362 D
13 A 83 B 153 E 223 D 293 B 363 D
14 A 84 A 154 A 224 B 294 A 364 B
15 A 85 C 155 A 225 A 295 B 365 B
16 D 86 E 156 E 226 A 296 D 366 E
17 B 87 E 157 A 227 E 297 A 367 B
18 A 88 E 158 E 228 A 298 B 368 A
19 E 89 A 159 B 229 E 299 C 369 A
20 C 90 A 160 A 230 E 300 A 370 A
21 B 91 E 161 E 231 D 301 B
22 B 92 E 162 A 232 C 302 A
23 A 93 D 163 A 233 A 303 B
24 A 94 D 164 A 234 D 304 D
25 A 95 C 165 D 235 A 305 A
26 B 96 B 166 D 236 B 306 A
27 A 97 B 167 D 237 B 307 C
28 C 98 C 168 B 238 C 308 A
29 A 99 D 169 A 239 B 309 D
30 D 100 A 170 A 240 A 310 A
31 A 101 D 171 A 241 A 311 A
32 C 102 A 172 B 242 A 312 A
33 E 103 E 173 D 243 D 313 B
34 C 104 A 174 B 244 A 314 E
35 E 105 A 175 A 245 B 315 B
36 E 106 A 176 D 246 B 316 E
37 E 107 B 177 A 247 C 317 C
38 B 108 A 178 D 248 A 318 A
39 D 109 A 179 E 249 A 319 D
40 B 110 A 180 A 250 B 320 A
41 E 111 B 181 A 251 A 321 B
42 A 112 D 182 E 252 E 322 D
43 B 113 E 183 B 253 A 323 D
44 C 114 C 184 B 254 D 324 A

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45 A 115 E 185 A 255 C 325 E

46 C 116 A 186 A 256 A 326 E
47 A 117 B 187 B 257 B 327 A
48 B 118 B 188 A 258 E 328 B
49 C 119 A 189 D 259 A 329 A
50 A 120 B 190 A 260 B 330 A
51 B 121 A 191 C 261 B 331 A
52 B 122 D 192 D 262 A 332 A
53 B 123 D 193 A 263 B 333 A
54 B 124 D 194 D 264 E 334 A
55 A 125 C 195 A 265 B 335 B
56 E 126 A 196 D 266 D 336 D
57 C 127 A 197 A 267 A 337 A
58 D 128 D 198 C 268 A 338 A
59 E 129 A 199 B 269 A 339 B
60 B 130 E 200 A 270 B 340 B
61 A 131 A 201 D 271 A 341 A
62 D 132 E 202 A 272 C 342 A
63 A 133 E 203 D 273 A 343 C
64 A 134 E 204 B 274 A 344 B
65 B 135 C 205 D 275 A 345 A
66 A 136 D 206 A 276 D 346 B
67 A 137 B 207 A 277 D 347 A
68 D 138 D 208 C 278 A 348 A
69 A 139 A 209 B 279 E 349 A
70 A 140 A 210 A 280 C 350 A

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