21st May, 2022 Current Affairs
NATIONAL
National Mission for Clean Ganga approves 11 projects worth Rs 660 crore
- India Executive Committee of National Mission for Clean Ganga has approved 11 projects with an estimated cost of around 660 crore rupees. The decision was taken in the 42nd Meeting of the Executive Committee which was held yesterday under the chairmanship of Director General G. Ashok Kumar.
- Several projects for different parts of the country were approved during the meeting. In addition to this, two projects of River Front Development in Badrinath were also given a go ahead. One of these projects include construction of river embankment, promenade, public amenities like drinking water facility, public toilets, seating space, pavilions and ghats along River Ganga. Two big projects for Septage Management in Uttarakhand and West Bengal were also approved in the meeting.
Kerala To Bring India’s First State-Owned OTT Platform ‘CSpace’
- The Kerala government will launch a state-owned over-the-top (OTT) platform on November 1, offering film lovers an array of movies, short films and documentaries of their choice. Kerala will become the first state in India to have a state-owned OTT platform. Kerala Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cheriyan revealed the name of the OTT platform as CSPACE.
- CPSACE is an initiative of Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) on behalf of the state government.
- The OTT platform will also showcase films with artistic value irrespective of their performance at the box office, along with internationally recognised and award-winning films, best films screened at the annual International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), and short films and documentaries. The registration of films to be streamed on CSpace will begin on June 1..
INTERNATIONAL
Union Minister Piyush Goyal to lead Indian delegation at World Economic Forum in Davos.
- Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will lead the Indian delegation at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos from 22nd to 26th of this month. The delegation will include Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, and Chief Ministers and Senior Ministers of six states - Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana. Several industry leaders will also participate in the deliberations of World Economic Forum.
- This event would further help reinforce country's position as an important and relevant stakeholder in shaping the global narrative, particularly as India assumes Presidency of the G-20 next year. The WEF will also be a platform to project India as an attractive investment destination in view of its robust economic growth and stable macroeconomic indicators.
- Mr. Goyal will also visit United Kingdom from 26th to 27th of this month to hold discussions with UK Government and businesses on the progress made in Free Trade Agreement's negotiations. During the summit meeting between the Prime Ministers of India and the UK, the two leaders had set the timeline of Diwali 2022 for the finalization of the FTA between the two countries.
India reacts sharply on second bridge being constructed across Pangong Lake by China
- India Reacting sharply on the second bridge being constructed across Pangong Lake by China, the Ministry of External Affairs has said that both these bridges are in areas that have continued to be under the illegal occupation of China since 1960s.
- India has never accepted such illegal occupation of its territory and the country has never accepted the unjustified Chinese claim or such construction activities. He said, India has made it clear on several occasions that the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral part of India and India expects other countries to respect country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Madam Tussaud Museum to start in Noida next month
- The wax museum Madame Tussauds is returning to India. The museum will be located in a Noida mall. 50 Indian and international luminaries from sports, entertainment, history, and music will be featured at the new venue. Madame Tussauds India will let visitors to get up up and personal with celebrities as well as some of their most iconic moments.
- The museum first opened in Connaught Place, Delhi, in 2017, but was forced to close owing to the pandemic. DLF Mall of India, one of the country’s major shopping malls, would be its new destination. The museum is open to the public under rigorous anti-Covid guidelines. Madame Tussauds has a 200-year history and legacy, having first opened its doors in London in 1835. Sculptors at Madame Tussauds employ the same techniques as the legendary Marie Tussaud to produce each figure. It takes a minimum of 12 weeks for an artist to construct a single life-like figure.
ECONOMY
RBI: Public sector banks’ frauds down 51% to Rs 40,295 crore in FY22
- The Reserve Bank of India has said that public sector banks reported over a 51 per cent fall in the amount involved in frauds to Rs 40,295.25 crore during the financial year 2021-22 (FY22). As many as 12 PSBs (Public Sector Banks) had reported frauds worth Rs 81,921.54 crore in the preceding fiscal 2020-21, the central bank said in response to an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
- However, the number of fraud cases didn’t fall at the same pace as a total of 7,940 frauds reported by the PSBs in 2021-22, against 9,933 incidents reported in FY21, said the RBI’s reply to Madhya Pradesh-based RTI activist Chandrashekhar Gaur.
- According to the RBI data on frauds reported by PSBs in all categories during FY22, the highest amount of Rs 9,528.95 crore was reported by the city-based Punjab National Bank (PNB), involving 431 such incidents.
- The country’s largest lender State Bank of India reported frauds worth Rs 6,932.37 crore in as many as 4,192 cases — reflecting incidents of a large number of small value frauds.
- Bank of India reported frauds worth Rs 5,923.99 crore (209 incidents), followed by Bank of Baroda at Rs 3,989.36 crore (280); Union Bank of India Rs 3,939 crore (627), while Canara Bank reported frauds worth Rs 3,230.18 crore in just 90 cases — showing that the transactions were of high-value frauds.
AWARDS
Cameroonian activist wins Wangari Maathai Forest Champions’ Award 2022
- Cameroon Activist, Cécile Ndjebet has won the 2022 Wangari Maathai Forest Champions Award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to preserving forests and improving the lives of people who depend on them. This award celebrates Cécile Ndjebet’s energy and dedication over three decades to promoting women’s rights to land and forests. She has actively shown that women’s participation in forest governance and preservation is fundamental to achieving sustainable forest management.
- Ndjebet has tirelessly promoted the concept that women should be involved in forest management and have equal rights to forest land and resources – and that when they do, forests are better preserved and entire communities benefit.
Ajay Piramal receives Order of the British Empire award
- Chairman of the Piramal Group, Ajay Piramal has received an honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Her Majesty The Queen. He received the award for services to the UK-India trade relationship as India Co-Chair of the UK-India CEO Forum. As co-chair of the India-UK CEO forum since 2016, the endeavour has been to help strengthen the strong bilateral relations between the two countries through greater economic cooperation.
- A prominent national role of a lesser degree, a conspicuous leading role in regional affairs through achievement or service to the community, or a highly distinguished, innovative contribution in his or her area of activity. The award was Instituted in 1917 by King George V.
AUTHORS
Wesley Morgan won William E. Colby award for his book ‘The Hardest Place’
- Author and journalist, Wesley Morgan has won the William E. Colby Award 2022 for his military and intelligence writing. He was cited for his book “The Hardest Place: The American Military Adrift in Afghanistan’s Pech Valley.” The Colby Award, a $5,000 prize named for the former ambassador and CIA director William E. Colby, is given for “a major contribution to the understanding of military history, intelligence operations or international affairs.”
- The Colby Award is presented by Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont. The Colby award was established in 1999.
SPORTS
Nikhat Zareen wins gold at Women’s World Boxing Championships
- Nikhat Zareen gave a dazzling performance to beat Thai Olympian Jutamas Jitpong 5-0 and become the fifth Indian woman to win a World title at the Women’s World Championships, Istanbul. Nikhat thus becomes only the fifth Indian women’s boxer after Mary Kom, Sarita Devi, Jenny RL and Lekha KC to win a gold at the World Championships. The 25-year-old Zareen is a former junior youth world champion.
- The 25-year-old Indian took full advantage of her long reach and maintained her dominance against the Thai boxer, whom she had beaten in the 2019 Thailand Open semi-final—the only meeting between the two, enroute her silver medal finish.
APPOINTMENTS
IndiGo appoints Pieter Elbers as CEO
- The Board of Directors of InterGlobe Aviation Limited (Indigo) appointed Pieter Elbers as Chief Executive Officer. He will join IndiGo on or before 1 Oct 2022. He succeeds Ronojoy Dutta who has decided to retire on 30 September 2022. Elbers has served as the President and CEO of KLM Royal Dutch since 2014 and is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Air France-KLM Group.
- Elbers, 52, has served as the President & Chief Executive Officer of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Air France – KLM Group.
- He started his career at KLM in 1992 at their Schiphol hub and over time, held several managerial positions in both The Netherlands and overseas in Japan, Greece and Italy. After he returned to The Netherlands, he was appointed as the Senior Vice President of Network & Alliances, before he was promoted in 2011 as the Chief Operating Officer.
- Elbers was born in Schiedam, The Netherlands. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Logistics Management and a Master’s Degree in Business Economics.