14th January, 2022 Current Affairs

14th January, 2022 Current Affairs

National
Budget session of Parliament to commence on January 31

• The budget session of Parliament will commence on January 31. The first half of the budget session will run from January 31 to February 11.
• It will reassemble on March 14 to sit until April 8, subject to government exigencies.
• The government will present the Budget for fiscal 2022-23 on February 1.
• The Winter Session of Parliament concluded on December 22, a day ahead of the schedule.

Notification issued for 1st phase of assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh

• The process of Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh has begun with the issuance of notification for the First Phase. The state will go to polls in seven phases from 10th of February to 7th of March.
• During the First Phase, the nominations can be filed till 21st and the scrutiny will be undertaken on 24th of January.
• The last date for withdrawal of candidature will be 27th of January and the picture of the electoral contests will become clear at that stage.
• In this phase, 58 Assembly Constituencies including nine reserved for the Scheduled Castes will go to polls on 10th of February. These constituencies are from eleven districts of Shamali (Prabuddh Nagar), Meerut, Hapur (Panchsheel Nagar), Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahar, Aligarh, Agra, Gautam Buddha Nagar and Mathura. The Second Phase of polling will be conducted on 14th of February in 55 Assembly Constituencies while the Third Phase polling will be held in 59 constituencies on 20th of February and Fourth Phase on 23rd of February in 59 constituencies.
• Fifth Phase of polling will be held on 27th of February in 61, Sixth Phase on 3rd March in 57 while Seventh and last Phase polling will be conducted on 7th of March in 54 Assembly Constituencies.
• The counting of votes will be taken up together along with four other states on 10th of March. Uttar Pradesh has total 15,05,82,750 electors including 15,02,84,005 general and 2,98,745 service voters. The number of PwD voters is 10,64,266. The total number also includes 8,04,52,746 male, 6,98,22,416 female and 8,853 third gender voters.
• The total strength of the house is 403 out of which 84 seats are reserved for the Scheduled Castes and two seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes.
• Presently, there are nine vacancies in the house. In view of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic and rising cases of Omicron variant across the country, the Election Commission has laid focus on COVID-safe elections with maximum participation. It is going to ensure the safety of vote and voters as both are equally and critically important in the democracy.
• All election officials and employees will be considered as Front Line Workers and all eligible officers will be vaccinated with precautionary dose.
• The Election Commission will review the situation and issue further instructions accordingly. Political parties have been advised to conduct their campaign through digital mode as much as possible. Maximum of five persons will be allowed for door-to-door election campaign by candidates. If a candidate or political party violates any of the above guidelines, no further permission will be given to the concerned candidate/party for rallies or meetings.

Makar Sankranti, Bihu and Pongal being celebrated

• In Tamil Nadu, the beginning of the month Thai, marking the onset of Spring Harvest season is celebrated as Pongal. The season is celebrated for three days. Today the people offer their harvest to the Sun in the morning.
• Pongal festival is mainly a festivity that is connected with the harvest and agriculture. Pongal is a menu cooked with milk, rice, moong dhall, jaggery and ghee in painted rice pots in traditional clay stoves outside the houses under the sugarcane pandal.
• Pongal means overflowing that is why, Thai Piranthaalvazhipirakkum is an old saying which means the birth of this month will make a way for things to be accomplished.
• Colorful rangolis can be seen in front of houses. Festoons are made with new mango leaves and turmeric leaves signifying prosperity and happiness.
• Mattu Pongal is for the cattle which helped the farmers in plowing the fields. The last day of the Pongal season is Kaanum Pongal where people visit their relatives and spend time together.
• In Assam, the Magh or Bhogalibihu is being celebrated across the state with traditional fervor and gaiety.
•  People from all sections of life have participated in the joyous celebration of the postharvest festival.
• Traditional Meji and Bhelaghar made of thatch and woods have been set on fire amidst chanting of prayers.  Community feasts were organized last night on the occasion of Uruka.

NEET-Under Graduate Medical Counselling to begin on 19th January

• Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya has announced that counselling for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - Under Graduate, NEET -UG by Medical Counselling Committee will start from 19th January, 2022.
• In a tweet, he said that all these students are the future of the country. He also hoped that all of them will give a new direction to their career with the mantra of service is duty. Dr. Mandaviya also extended his best wishes to all the students.

International
20th Dhaka International Film Festival to begin on Jan 15

• The 20th Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) will take place from January 15-23 at multiple venues in Dhaka. The festival will showcase 225 films from 70 countries under 10 categories.
• Announcing the details in Dhaka, the Festival Director Ahmed MuztabaZamal said that despite COVID pandemic, more than 50 foreign delegates will participate in the festival.
• The film festival is being organized in a hybrid mode with many films being streamed online during the festival.
• The Indian entries to the 20th DIFF include films like Koozhangal directed by P S Vinothraj, Avijatrik directed by SubhrajitMitra, MayarJonjal directed by IndranilRoychowdhury, and Aandaal directed by ShareefEasa among the 35 entries.
• The festival will have ten sections including the Asian Competition Section, Retrospective, Tribute, Bangladesh panorama, Wide Angle, Cinema of the World, Children’s Film, Spiritual film, Women Filmmakers section and short and independent films.
• The retrospective section will screen five films by the renowned Japanese Film maker great Japanese filmmaker and screenwriter YasujirōOzu. These include Tokyo Story (1951), Tokyo Twilight (1957), Equinox Flower (1958), Late Autumn (1960) and An Autumn Afternoon (1962) directed by him.
• 21 films are competing under the Asian Competition Section. The best film will be decided by a reputed jury for the award of Taka 1 lakh along with a crest and certificate.
• A two day conference on the ‘Role of Women in Films’ will also be organized on 16-17 January in which eminent film makers, scholars and film personalities will participate.
• The DIFF will also organize the 8th edition of the ‘Women in Cinema’ international conference as well as the 4th edition of the ‘West meets East’ screenplay lab during the festival.
• The festival will be inaugurated on Saturday, 15 January by the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dr. A K Abdul Momen. Bangladesh State Minister for Culture K M Khalid and High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh VikramDoraiswami will be special guests on the occasion.
• The Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) is organized by the Rainbow film Society established in 1977. The DIFF was started in 1992.

Sports
PV Sindhu, Prannoy advance, SainaNehwal knocked out of India Open Badminton

• Two-time Olympic medallistshuttler PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy advanced to the Singles quarterfinals but SainaNehwal's campaign ended at the India Open Badminton in Delhi.
• Former champion and 2012 Olympic bronze medallistSaina suffered a 17-21, 9-21 straight game loss to compatriot MalvikaBansod.
• Earlier, top seed Sindhu comfortably defeated compatriot Ira Sharma 21-10, 21-10. She will meet compatriot AshmitaChaliha in the quarterfinals.
• Malvika will next take on fellow Indian AakarshiKashyap in the quarterfinals.
• Prannoy received a walkover as his opponent MithunManjunath withdrew from the tournament after testing positive for COVID-19.
• The top seed Kidambi Srikanth, doubles player Ashwini Ponnappa, Ritika Rahul Thaker, Treesa Jolly, SimranAman Singh and Khushi Gupta are the other players who had to withdraw from the tournament due to the positive COVID-19 results, which led to several walkovers.

Published date : 14 Jan 2022 05:47PM