23rd May, 2022 Current Affairs

NATIONAL
DharmendraPradhan launches reading campaign ‘Padhe Bharat’

• Union Education Minister DharmendraPradhan has launched a 100-day reading campaign ‘Padhe Bharat. The launch of the 100 Days Reading Campaign is in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which lays emphasis on the promotion of joyful reading culture for children by ensuring the availability of age-appropriate reading books for children in local/mother tongue/regional/tribal language.
• The Minister while launching the campaign has underlined the importance of reading that children need to develop to ensure continuous and lifelong learning. He also reinforced that the habit of reading, if inculcated at an early age, helps in brain development and enhances imagination and provide a conducive learning environment for children.

India Celebrates 250th Birth Anniversary of Raja Ram Mohan Roy

• The 250th birth anniversary of Raja Ram Mohan Roy was celebrated and commemorated by the Ministry of Culture under the AzadikaAmritMahotsav. The ministry of Culture organized an inaugural ceremony on 22nd May 2022. The inaugural ceremony was organized at the Raja Ram Mohan Roy Library Foundation, Salt Lake, Kolkata, and at Science City Auditorium, Kolkata.
• According to the press release by the ministry, it was the 250th birth anniversary of Raja Ram Mohan Roy and the 50th foundation day of the Raja Ram Mohan Roy Library Foundation. Several ministers including the Governor of West Bengal, JagdeepDhankar were also present at the inaugural ceremony. The union minister of culture, tourism, and development of the North-eastern Region (DoNER), G Kishan Reddy, also joined the ceremony virtually.

Gama Pehlwan: 144th Birth Anniversary of Gama Pehlwan 2022

• Gama Pehlwan is a legendary wrestler in the history of India. He is a true inspiration all over the world and was given the title of Rustam-e- Hind and Rustam-e-Zamana which means Champion of India and Champion of the world. Gama Pehlwan was born on 22nd May 1878 in a Kashmiri Muslim family. He was 5’8 and weighed 110 kg.
• Gama Pehlwan was first to notice when he entered a strongman completion at the age of 10 held in Jodhpur. He was among the top 15 participants in the competition and the Maharaja of Jodhpur was impressed by him. He was declared the winner due to his young age. Gama’s professional training started when the Maharaja of Datai got to know about him and took him for training. When he entered a wrestling competition in Baroda, Gama Pehlwan lifted a more than 1200 kg stone.

INTERNATIONAL
PM Modi invites Japanese Business leaders to invest in India to enhance the country's participation in different sectors.

• Prime Minister NarendraModi has invited Japanese business leaders to invest in India to enhance participation in India’s journey to becoming a hub for textiles, technologies and manufacturing sectors.
• On Day 1 of his two-day Japan visit, Mr Modi today met the Chief Executive Officers of prominent Japanese firms who have earned global recognition. The Prime Minister met the CEO of Japanese clothing brand Fast Retailing, the parent company of Uniqlo, Mr Tadashi Yanai to discuss investment opportunities for the retailer in textile manufacturing in India.
• Both of them discussed Uniqlo’s growing presence in India and investment opportunities for textile manufacturing in India under Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme.

Belgium becomes first country to make quarantine compulsory for monkeypox patients

• Belgium has become the first country to make a 21-day quarantine compulsory for monkeypox patients after four cases of the disease were reported last week. Taking to Twitter, the microbiologist Emmanuel Andre, who is in charge of the National Reference Lab for COVID-19 in Belgium, yesterday said that the fourth case has been confirmed in the country.
• Monkeypox is a disease in the same family as smallpox and symptoms include a distinct bumpy rash, a fever, sore muscles, and a headache. Monkeypox is less deadly than smallpox, with a mortality rate below four percent, but experts are worried about the unusual spread of the disease beyond Africa where it usually circulates.

ECONOMY
RBI authorises a surplus transfer to the Central Government of Rs 30,307 crore

• The Reserve Bank of India has sanctioned a surplus transfer to the Central Government of 30,307 crore rupees for the fiscal year 2021-22. The Reserve Bank of India’s Central Board of Directors met for the 596th time in Mumbai, under the chairmanship of Governor Shaktikanta Das, to adopt the Reserve Bank’s Annual Report and Accounts for the year.
• The board agreed to keep the Contingency Risk Buffer at 5.50 percent after examining the present economic condition, global and domestic issues, and the effect of recent geopolitical developments.

India gets highest ever FDI of 83.57 billion dollars in the last financial year

• India has emerged as a preferred investment destination which is evident from the fact that India has recorded highest ever annual Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow of 83.57 billion US dollars in the last fiscal year.
• In comparison to FDI inflow received in the financial year 2014-15, when country had attracted FDI inflow of 45.15 billion US dollars, FDI inflow registered growth of 85 percent in the last financial year. India has received over 301 billion US dollars in the last four fiscal years.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
International Day for Biological Diversity 2022: 22 May

• International Day for Biological Diversity or World Biodiversity Day is observed on 22nd May every year to increase awareness and understanding of the issues of biodiversity. Biodiversity is essential for sustaining the balance of the planet. It is the cornerstone of ecosystem services, which are completely tied to human well-being.
• The theme in 2022 is “Building a shared future for all life”. Fitting within the context of the ongoing United Nations Decade on Restoration, which highlights that biodiversity is the answer to several sustainable development challenges, the slogan conveys the message that biodiversity is the foundation upon which we can build back better.

AWARDS
Genius Energy wins Amazon Smbhav Entrepreneurship Challenge 2022

• An innovator from Rajasthan who has developed the technology of saving energy in boilers by recycling steam, Subhash Ola has won the 1st prize for the Amazon Smbhav Entrepreneurship Challenge 2022 and his enterprise “Geniusenergy Critical Innovation Private Limited” has won the Start-up of the Year award.
• The technology was first developed to make khoya and other milk products, and the portfolio of applications was later extended to textile, milk and food, pharma, plywood, paper mills, leather industry, chemical industry, hot water boiler generator, plastic recycle, laundry, hospitals and so on.

APPOINTMENTS
Prime Minister NarendraModi’s new PS: IFS Vivek Kumar

• Prime Minister NarendraModi has got IFS Vivek Kumar as his new Private Secretary (PS). The Cabinet Appointments Committee accepted Vivek Kumar’s nomination as PM Modi’s press secretary. Vivek Kumar is the director of the Prime Minister’s Office and is a 2004 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer (PMO).
• The Cabinet Appointments Committee has approved the application for Vivek Kumar, IFS (2004) to be appointed as PS to PM at Joint Secretary level in the Prime Minister’s Office, with salary at Pay Matrix level 14.

Anthony Albanese sworn in as Australia’s new prime minister

• Australia’s Labor Party leader, Anthony Albanese was sworn in as the country’s new prime minister. Albanese claimed the victory in the election, ending his wait for power after nine years and with this Anthony Albanese became the country’s 31st Prime Minister. Outgoing Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who was heading the Liberal-National coalition has conceded defeat.
• The 59-year-old new prime minister was sworn in at a brief ceremony lasting in Government House, Canberra. Other members of his team to take office included Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who will join Albanese at the Quad summit, Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher.