1st January, 2022 Current Affairs

1st January, 2022 Current Affairs

NATIONAL
Vinay Kumar Tripathi appointed as new Chairman, CEO of Railway Board

• Vinay Kumar Tripathi has been appointed as new Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Railway Board.
• The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Mr.Tripathi who is presently working as General Manager, North Eastern Railway to the post of Chairman of Railway Board. Mr.Tripathi belongs to 1983 Batch of Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers.

Over 22500 irrigation wells constructed under Pradhan MantriKrishiSinchayiYojana-HarKhetKoPani

• The government has said that more than 22 thousand 500 irrigation wells have been constructed under Pradhan MantriKrishiSinchayiYojana - HarKhetKoPani. Jal Shakti Ministry said, as on November this year, nearly 36 thousand small and marginal farmers have been benefited under the scheme.
• The scheme was formulated with the vision of extending the coverage of irrigation 'HarKhetKoPani' in a focused manner.
• The beneficiary under this scheme is small and marginal farmers only with priority to be given to SC and ST and Women farmers. The Ministry said, 15 projects in 12 states amounting to one thousand 719 crore rupees were approved so far.

National Highways construction gone up by more than 50%: Government

• The government has said that the National Highways construction has gone up by more than 50 per cent.
• Road Transport and Highways Ministry said, in the last seven years, the length of National Highways has gone up by around 91,000 kilometres in 2014 to around one lakh 41 thousand kilometres till date. The Ministry said, it has carried forward its mission to build good quality of National Highways during the year.
• The year 2021 was significant for the Ministry as it not only continued with the good work done previously, but also initiated certain measures which will have far-reaching impact on the life of the citizens.

INTERNATIONAL

Russia test-fires Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missiles from frigate, submarine

• Russia test-fired around 10 new Tsirkon (Zircon) hypersonic cruise missiles from a frigate and two more from a submarine, Interfax news agency said citing northern fleet.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin has lauded the weapon as part of a new generation of unrivalled arms systems. Mr. Putin has called the missile test, conducted last week, a big event in the country's life, adding that this was a substantial step in increasing Russia's defence capabilities.
• Some Western experts have questioned how advanced Russia's new generation of weapons is, while recognising that the combination of speed, manoeuvrability and altitude of hypersonic missiles makes them difficult to track and intercept.

• Mr. Putin announced an array of new hypersonic weapons in 2018 in one of his most aggressive speeches in years, saying they could hit almost any point in the world and evade a U.S.-built missile shield.

Indonesia’s stance on RCEP

• On August 25, 2021, Trade Minister of India, Muhammad Lutfi, presented his case for lower house of Indonesia’s legislature, for ratifying the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade pact.
• In his statement to DPR Commission VI, Minister had argued that RCEP will be beneficial to Indonesia. It also promises to strengthen its role in regional supply chains and improve the economic performance of the country, amid covid-19 pandemic.
• RCEP is a free trade agreement between Asia-Pacific nations of Australia, Brunei, China, Cambodia, Japan, Indonesia, Laos, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam. India and the United States are not the member of RCEP. The 15-member grouping accounts for 30% of the world’s population and 30% of global GDP. Thus, it is the largest trade bloc in history.

Aims of RCEP
RCEP aims to:

• Lower tariffs, open up trade in services as well as promote investment in order to help emerging economies to catch up with developed economies.
• Help in reducing costs and time for companies, as the deal allows them to export products anywhere within the bloc without the need of complying with separate norms for each country.

Why India is not a part of RCEP?
India did not join RCEP raising a concern that, this deal would open it up to Chinese goods, and thus increase its trade balance with China.

ENVIRONMENT

Largest ever Rhino Transfer

• Recently, 30 white rhinos were transferred from South Africa to Rwanda, onboard a Boeing 747 chartered plane. They were transferred in light of increasing threat of illegal poaching. It was the largest single transfer of white rhinos ever.
• White Rhinoceros are also known as square-lipped rhinoceros while their scientific name is Ceratotheriumsimum. They are the largest extant species of rhinoceros. They have a wide mouth, which they use for grazing. They are considered as the most social among all rhino species.
• As per latest IUCN assessment of 2020, the Northern White Rhinoceros are considered as “Critically Endangered” or Possibly Extinct in the Wild.

 Colorado: Hundreds of homes destroyed as wildfires spread

• Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated and hundreds of homes have been destroyed as wildfires spread through the US state of Colorado.
• The fast-moving fires are burning in Boulder County, north of Denver and officials say deaths and injuries are likely as the blazes spread further. Some 30,000 people in the towns of Louisville and Superior were told to leave their homes.
• Meanwhile, a state of emergency has been declared by Governor Jared Polis. Winds of up to 169 kilometres per hour are sweeping flames across the region following a historic drought. And while previous fires in Colorado have been in rural areas, these latest blazes are taking place in more suburban parts of the state.
• At least some were sparked when power lines were toppled by strong winds and they have quickly become the most destructive wildfires in the modern history of the state. The Marshall Fire continues to burn out of control in Broomfield, Colorado.
• Colorado has been experiencing extreme droughts in recent years. Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires.
• The world has already warmed by about 1.2 degrees Celsius since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.

SPORTS

India lift U-19 Asia Cup beating Sri Lanka by 9 wickets in Dubai

• In cricket, India lifted the Under-19 Asia Cup by defeating Sri Lanka by nine wickets in a rain-interrupted One-Day International final in Dubai through Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.
•  Earlier, Sri Lanka opted to bat first and scored 106 for nine in the stipulated 38 overs.

SmritiMandhana nominated for prestigious Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year-2021 award

• India women’s team cricketer SmritiMandhana was today nominated for the prestigious Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year-2021 award.
• With 855 runs in 22 internationals, at an average of 38.86 with one century and five half-centuries, the year gone by has seen the 25-year-old Mandhana touch new heights.
• Besides Mandhana, the other three cricketers - England’s Tammy Beaumont, Australia’s Lizelle Lee and Ireland’s Gaby Lewis also figure in the list.

Published date : 01 Jan 2022 06:32PM