Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of Jan 23rd to Jan 31st 2022. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming SBI Clerk 2022 and other competitive exams can make use of it.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS
- The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 January as International Day of Education, in celebration of the role of education for peace and development & the theme of 4th International Day of Education in 2022 is Changing Course, Transforming Education.
- India is celebrating 125th Birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on January 23 & It is also marked as “Parakram Diwas” (Courage Day), Modi government had announced in 2021.
- India is celebrating National Girl Child Day on January 24 & it is celebrated to raise awareness among people regarding inequalities, discrimination, exploitation faced by the girls in society.
- The National Voters’ Day is celebrated on 25 January every year in India to encourage the country’s voters to participate in the electoral process & 2022 marks the 12th National Voters’ Day (NVD) & The theme of 2022 NVD is, ‘Making Elections Inclusive, Accessible and Participative’.
- Every year, 25th January is observed in India as the National Tourism Day, an incredible practice to spread awareness of the importance for traveling and protecting nature & the theme for National Tourism Day 2022 is “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.”
- India marks January 26 as its Republic Day every year & in 2022, the country is celebrating its 73rd Republic Day.
- January 26 is celebrated as the International Customs Day (ICD) & the theme chosen by WCO for ICD is ‘Scaling up Customs Digital Transformation by Embracing a Data Culture and Building a Data Ecosystem’.
- On 28 January 2022, the 16th edition of Data Protection Day will be celebrated globally.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS
- The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has announced that a grand statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose will be installed at India Gate.
- NITI Aayog, Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), and RMI India today released a report, titled ‘Banking on Electric Vehicles in India’, which outlines the importance of priority-sector recognition for retail lending in the electric mobility ecosystem.
- The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has issued guidelines to make drone technology affordable to the stakeholders of this sector.
- Content creator and actress Prajakta Koli has become India’s first UN Development Programme (UNDP) Youth Climate Champion under her partnership with the organization & the title has been conferred to her following her contribution towards mental health, women’s rights and girl child education through various global social campaigns.
- The Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) held a webinar and during the webinar, a series of 12 episodes was launched that will take the participants on a virtual journey of Incredible India & the 6th episode of the series titled “Role of Bengal in the Freedom Movement of India” was held.
- The Ministry of New and Renewable Ministry (MNRE) will infuse ₹1,000 crore in state-run Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) as it eyes financing renewable energy (RE) capacity of 3,300 megawatt (MW).
- The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, in association with India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA) released a 5-year roadmap and Vision Document for the electronics sector, titled “$300 bn Sustainable Electronics Manufacturing & Exports by 2026.
- On the Occasion of National Girl Child Day, the Ministry of Culture organized the ‘Umang Rangoli Utsav’ on 24th January 2022.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi conferred the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBR) award to 29 children from across the country ahead of Republic Day.
- The President of India has approved the conferment of Jeevan Raksha Padak Series of Awards – 2021 on 51 persons which includes Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak to 06, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak to 16 and Jeevan Raksha Padak to 29 persons.
- The Competition Commission of India (CCI) passed a final order against four maritime transport companies namely Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (‘NYK Line’), Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. (‘K-Line’), Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. (‘MOL’) and Nissan Motor Car Carrier Company (‘NMCC’) for indulging in cartelization in the provision of maritime motor vehicle transport services to automobile Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) for various trade routes.
- Padma Awards – one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri & this year the President has approved conferment of 128 Padma Awards including 2 cases (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one) as per list below, it comprises 4 Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 107 Padma Shri Awards.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be hosting the first meeting of the India-Central Asia Summit in a virtual format & Presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan will participate.
- Union Agriculture Minister Shri Narendra Kumar Tomar addresses 4th National Conference on Agriculture for Summer Campaign 2021-22
- Abdul Khader Nadakattin, a serial grassroots innovator from Dharwad, Karnataka, is amongst the 107 Padma Shri awardees announced for the year 2022 in the Others (Grassroots Innovation) category.
- The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has notified a drone certification scheme to ensure minimum safety and quality requirements so as to boost indigenous manufacturing.
- Union Budget 2022-23 will be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 1st of next month in paperless form.
- Air India has been officially handed over to the Tata Sons Limited & the transaction covers three entities, Air India, Air India Express and AI SATS.
- Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) signs a $73 million contract with Hyperion Global Group, LLC, a United States based infrastructure telecommunication distribution company, to develop, manufacture and supply Internet of Things (IoT) devices for the US market.
- Google to invest up to $1 billion in a partnership with Airtel as part of its Google for India Digitization Fund
- The Bangladesh government will make the Unique Business ID (UBID) mandatory for all e-commerce entities in the country.
- Indonesia names new capital Nusantara, replacing sinking Jakarta.
- India has announced two lakh US dollar immediate relief assistance to Tonga in the wake of the tsunami.
- The Indian Embassy in Berlin celebrated Parakram Diwas by opening a special exhibition titled “Bose 125” marking 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
- India and Israel have launched a commemorative logo to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
- India and France have signed an MoU with a scope for cooperation in health research.
- A $150-million India-UAE venture capital fund to fuel growth of start-ups in India and the UAE was launched from the India Pavilion at EXPO2020 Dubai.
- India and Philippines have signed a 375 million dollar deal for the sale of BrahMos supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles to the Philippines Navy.
- India-ASEAN Digital Work Plan 2022 approved at 2nd ASEAN Digital Ministers (ADGMIN) meeting.
- Israeli Ambassador to India Shri Naor Gilon called on the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar at Krishi Bhawan on 27th January 2022.
- The world’s largest canal lock was inaugurated by Dutch King Willen-Alexander on January 26, 2022 at Ijmuiden, The Netherlands & it is 500-meter (1,640-feet) long and 70-meter wide.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS
- Centre providing full assistance to Himachal Pradesh to achieve goal of providing clean tap water supply to every rural home by 2024.
- One District One Product (ODOP) Initiative – a State Conference was held on 21st January, 2022 by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
- Border Security Force (BSF) will start boat ambulance service from Swabhiman Anchal zone in Malkangiri district of Odisha on the occasion of Republic Day.
- K. Singh, CMD, NHPC handed over payment intimation advice of Rupees One Crore to Jai Ram Thakur, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh as NHPC’s contribution towards Chief Minister Relief Fund (CMRF) at Shimla (HP).
- The DARPG and Government of Jammu & Kashmir will collaborate on
(a) creation of an online portal for monitoring progress in 58 District Good Governance Index Indicators
(b) adoption of e-HRMS in the Jammu Secretariat and Srinagar Secretariat and
(c) monitor online the citizen satisfaction in 150 e-Services through Jammu & Kashmir e-Services Delivery Assessment framework.
- As part of the ongoing ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav-celebrating 75 years of India’s Independence’ (AKAM), a specially decorated Metro train was inauguratedat Yamuna Bank Metro Station on the Blue Line.
- The village of South Maubuang in Aibawk block of Aizawl district in Mizoram has been declared a model ODF Plus village, having fulfilled all the criteria as per SBM-G Phase II guidelines.
- NHEV (National Highway for Electric Vehicle) has inaugurated India’s largest electric vehicle (EV) charging station in Gurgaon, Haryana.
- India’s first innovation centre for graphene will be set up in Kerala by the Digital University Kerala (DUK), along with Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET) in Thrissur, for Rs 86.41 crore.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS
- Microsoft has announced a landmark $69 billion deal to buy US gaming giant Activision Blizzard, betting big on the prospects of the video game market by scooping up the scandal-hit “Call of Duty” maker.
- Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash launched Spice Xchange India’, spicexchangeindia.com the country’s first virtual platform for spice exports at a hybrid event held in Kochi, Kerala.
- Food delivery platform Swiggy has signed a $700 million (nearly Rs 5,225 crore) funding round led by asset manager Invesco & with this, the total valuation of Swiggy has reached $10.7 billion.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND ECONOMY
- The RBI’s Digital Payment Index, which shows the deepening of payments through digital modes in India, rose by 39.64 per cent to 304.06 in September 2021 against 217.74 in the year-ago month.
- Fullerton India and One97 Communications, which owns Paytm, have partnered to provide lending products to merchant partners and consumers.
- HDFC Capital has achieved the initial closure of its third fund focussed on affordable housing, the HDFC Capital Affordable Real Estate Fund – 3 (H-CARE-3).
- The World Bank’s Executive Board of Director has approved a $125 million loan to the Government of West Bengal to support the state’s efforts to help poor and vulnerable groups access social protection services.
- Hitachi Payment Services and Indipaisa have tied up to develop a new Fintech platform for India’s MSMEs.
- All the branches of the scam-hit Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank will function as branches of Unity Small Finance Bank (USFB) with effect from January 25, 2022, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) lowered India’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth rate by 50 basis points to 9 per cent in Fiscal Year 2021-22 (FY22).
- Karnataka Bank Ltd has launched a mobile banking facility for its NRI customers through the existing mobile banking application – ‘KBL MobilePlus’.
- India Mortgage Guarantee Corporation (IMGC) has announced its partnership with Muthoot Homefin (India) Limited (MHIL) to offer mortgage guarantee-backed home loan products to MHIL’s home loan customers in the affordable housing segment.
- A company admitted by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for resolution should be exempt from Minimum Alternate Tax untill it sees a turnaround.
- ToneTag and EV charging solution firm Elocity have partnered to bring sound-based technology to solve payment processing challenges for the electric vehicle sector.
- The cryptocurrency industry in India, which has been working on revising self-regulation rules, will include non-fungible token (NFT) start-ups under the purview.
- TerraPay, a leading global payments infrastructure company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), the International arm of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
- The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has asked all public sector banks and insurance companies to ensure that they seek recommendations from its advisory board regarding all cases of fraud involving Rs 3 crore and more.
- The All-India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) has demanded the withdrawal of the “anti-women” SBI guidelines.
- India has paid USD 29.9 million in UN regular budget assessments for the year 2022.
- State Bank of India, the country’s largest commercial bank, withdrew the controversial circular that barred women candidates who are over three months pregnant from taking up jobs in the bank.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONORS
- The Oxford University Press has declared ‘Anxiety’ as Children’s Word of the Year 2021 & previous Oxford University Press’ Children’s Word of the Year include coronavirus (2020), Brexit (2019), plastic (2018), Trump (2017), and refugee (2016).
- The global pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc.’s Chairman and Chief Executive, Albert Bourla, has been awarded with the prestigious Genesis Prize 2022.
- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed the list of 276 films that is eligible for consideration at the 94th Oscars & among these films, Suriya’s hard-hitting Tamil socio-drama Jai Bhim is India’s entry into The Academy.
- The Prime Minister conferred Subhas Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskars for the year 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 in the investiture ceremony.
- Former Japan prime minister Shinzo Abe was conferred with the Netaji Award 2022 by Netaji Research Bureau.
- P S Vinothraj directed film Koozhangal from India won the best film award in the Asian Film Competition section at the 20th Dhaka International Film Festival which concluded in Dhaka.
- Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra has been bestowed the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in this year’s list of defence decorations, which include gallantry medals for soldiers and police forces involved in counterterror operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS
- Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley was sworn in for a second term.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved the appointment of former comptroller and auditor general (CAG) of India Vinod Rai as independent chairman of Unity Small Finance Bank (Unity SFB).
- Meghalaya Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma has been re-elected as the National People’s Party (NPP) Chief in the party’s main office in Shillong.
- Vinodanand Jha, a 1983-batch retired IRS officer has been appointed as the chairperson of the PMLA Adjudicating Authority , New Delhi.
- Chief Electoral Officer Shashank Goel 1990 batch IAS officer has been transferred to Central Government services as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Labor and Employment.
- Cadila Healthcare has re-appointed Sharvil P Patel as Managing Director of the company for a period of five years with effect from April 1, 2022.
- Armen Sarkissian announced that he was stepping down as president of Armenia, citing his inability to influence policy during times of crisis.
- Wipro Limited, a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, announced the appointment of Badrinath Srinivasan (Badri) as the Managing Director for Southeast Asia.
- Pushp Kumar Joshi is set to be the next Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), a Maharatna PSU under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG).
- On Jan 28, 2022, The Government of India appointed Dr V Anantha Nageswaran as the new Chief Economic Adviser.
- Fairfax and Capital Group-backed non-banking finance company IIFL Finance appointed former State Bank of India boss Arun Purwar as chairman of its board effective from April 1.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT
- Dredging Corporation of India Ltd (DCI) and Abu Dhabi’s National Marine Dredging Company (NMDC) have formed a strategic alliance to bid jointly for projects using each other’s resources, equipment and knowhow in the Indian sub-continent, Africa, Middle East and Far East regions.
- Flipkart has announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT), the industry interface organisation of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D) as a part of its ongoing Industry-academia collaboration program to research on social commerce and product recommendations to resellers.
- Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) to provide its techno-financial expertise to set-up a rooftop solar power project.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS
- The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves acquisition by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Overseas Limited and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare UK Trading Limited (Acquirers) of shareholding in GlaxoSmithKline Asia Private Limited (Target) under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002.
- TVS Motor Company announced the acquisition of a 75% stake in Switzerland’s largest e-bike player Swiss E-Mobility Group (SEMG) for consideration of $100 million (about Rs 752 crore).
CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPS & SERVICES
- Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur launched ‘Apna Kangra’ app and hampers handcrafted by self help groups at Dharamsala, HP.
- Coal Secretary Dr. Anil Kumar Jain launched Koyla Darpan Portal to share Key Performance Indicators related to the Coal Sector.
- Common Services Centers (CSC) has launched the ”Yogyata” mobile phone application to provide vocational education and skill enhancement opportunities to youth and citizens in rural areas.
- Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare digitally launched the revamped CGHS (Central Government Health Scheme) website (www.cghs.gov.in) and mobile app, MyCGHS, in the presence of Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare.
- On Jan 28, 2022,Union Minister for Chemical and Fertilizers, Mansukh Mandaviya virtually launched the Research Portal of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER),in New Delhi.
- On Jan 27, 2022, The Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla launched the official mobile application of the Parliament named Digital Sansad App.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS
- Swedish defence empire Saab was awarded a contract to supply single- shot anti-armour armament AT4 to the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF).
- On Jan 25, 2022, Russia has delivered to India all the contracted 70,000 AK-203 Kalashnikov assault rifles as envisaged under a contract signed late last summer between India and
- Iran, Russia, and China navies began a joint naval exercise CHIRU-2Q22 in the Gulf of Oman from January 18 to 22, 2022.
- On 25 January 2022, A joint maritime exercise Paschim Lehar (XPL-2022) conducted by the Indian Navy off the West Coast was concluded.
- As the nation celebrates its 73rd Republic Day, INS Khukri will be handed over to the Diu administration in a ceremonial event at the Khukri Memorial.
- On Jan 28, 2022, The two indigenously made Advance Light Helicopters ALH-DHRUV MK III inducted in the fleet of Andaman Nicobar Command in Port Blair.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : SUMMITS & CONFERENCES
- The first BRICS Sherpas meeting of 2022 was held on January 18 and 19, 2022 through a virtual platform under the chairmanship of China.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the World Economic Forum’s Davos Agenda via video conferencing.
- Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav attended the 4th Asia Ministerial Conference on tiger conservation.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
- A citizen scientist has discovered a giant gaseous planet called TOI-2180 b was discovered in data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).
- Scientists from the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) discovered an underground ocean buried beneath the surface of the ‘Death Star’-like moon of Saturn, named
- Astronomers at the European Space Agency have discovered an oblong-shaped planet that resembles a potato named WASP-103b, is located in the constellation “Hercules”, at a distance of about 1,800 light-years from the solar system.
- China has built an ‘artificial Moon’ research facility that is capable of simulating low-gravity conditions using
- According to findings from a study published by The Brookings Institution, India is among the top 10 nations in the world in terms of technological advancements and funding in artificial intelligence.
- In coordination with the Canadian Space Agency, NASA has launched Phase 2 of the challenge called ‘Deep Space Food Challenge’.
- Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta (formerly known as Facebook) has built a research AI supercomputer that is among the fastest in the world.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : PERSON IN NEWS
- Jahnavi Dangeti, a second-year engineering student, hailing from Palakollu of West Godavari, AP has become the only Indian to undergo International Air and Space Program (IASP) at Nasa Launch Operations’ Kennedy Space Center in Alabama, US.
- The 19-year-old Belgian-British pilot Zara Rutherford set a world record as the youngest woman to fly solo around the world.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : RANKING & INDEX
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has topped the list of most popular world leaders according to the global rating survey released by the Morning Consult Political Intelligence & the survey showed PM Modi occupying the pole position with an approval rating of 71 percent.
- Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah released India’s First “District Good Governance Index” for 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir virtually & the index was prepared by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances in collaboration with the government based on the ‘Behtar e-Hukumat – Kashmir Aelamia’ resolution adopted in July 2021.
- According to the Transparency International report, India is ranked 85th with a score of 40 in the Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), 2021 & Denmark, Finland, New Zealand and Norway topped the list with the highest score of 88.
- According to the Brand Finance 2022 Global 500 report, Apple has retained the title of the world’s most valuable brand following a 35% increase to US$355.1 billion – the highest brand value ever recorded in the Brand Finance Global 500 ranking.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : BOOKS & AUTHORS
- A New Book Titled A Little Book of India: Celebrating 75 years of Independence authored by Ruskin Bond.
- A New book titled Liberty After Freedom: A History of Article 21, Due Process and the Constitution of India authored by Rohan J Alva.
- On Jan 27, 2022, Minister of State for Culture Meenakashi Lekhi released the pictorial comic book ‘India’s Women Unsung Heroes’ in New Delhi.
- A New Book Titled Last among equals: Power, Caste and Politics in Bihar’s villages authored by MR Sharan.
- Former finance secretary Subhash Chandra Garg authored a book titled The $10 Trillion Dream.
- A New Book Titled Operation Khatma authored by C. Ganjoo & Ashwini Bhatnagar.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS
- India opener Rohit Sharma, wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin have been included in the ICC Men’s Test team of the year for 2021.
- Veteran India players Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami were named in the Women’s ODI Team of the Year for 2021 by the International Cricket Council.
- On Jan 23, 2022, In Badminton, two-time Olympic medalist, P.V. Sindhu has won the Women’s singles title at the Syed Modi International tournament in
- The Ladakh women’s team has won the ninth national women’s ice hockey championship organized by the Ice Hockey Association of India in Himachal Pradesh.
- The 2021 ICC Awards were the 17th edition of ICC Awards, to recognise and honor the best international cricket players of the previous 12 months, between January 01, 2021 and December 31, 2021.
- The Lucknow franchise of the Indian Premier League will be called Lucknow SuperGiants.
- Tata Motors will continue to support the Tata Open Maharashtra tennis tournament, for the fourth consecutive year.
- The 2022 Odisha Open, a Badminton World Federation (BWF) event, will kick off at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack from January 25.
- The results of the Preliminary Round of the first-ever Fit India Quiz, India’s biggest sports and fitness quiz for students, was announced.
- Dronacharya Awardee and Head National Coach of the Indian Para-badminton team, Gaurav Khanna, formally announced his association with Ageas Federal Life Insurance to launch the country’s first Para-Badminton Academy in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES
- Spaniard Saturnino de la Fuente García, the world’s oldest man, passed away at the age of 112 years and 341 days old.
- On Jan 22, 2022, Former Indian footballer and coach Subhash Bhowmik passed away at the age of 71.
- Renowned archeologist and Tamil Nadu archeology department’s first director, Padma Bhushan R. Nagaswamy passed away at the age of 91.
- Former Olympic gymnastics champion Szilveszter Csollany Passed away at the age of 51.
- On Jan 27, 2022, Captain of India’s 1964 Tokyo Olympics gold medal-winning hockey team, Charanjit Singh Passed away at the age of 92.
- Padma Shri winner and famous Kathakali artist Milena Salvini passed away at the age of 84.
- Renowned author and social activist Anil Awachat has passed away at the age of 78.