Weekly Current Affairs (15th to 21st February 2022) Part - 1 - UPSC PDF Download

Banking & Financial Awareness

Q.1. Reliance Jio has formed a joint venture with which company to provide affordable broadband services in India leveraging satellite technology?

Correct Answer is SES, Luxembourg.

• Jio Platforms will own 51% stake in the joint venture while SES, a leading global satellite-based content connectivity solutions provider will own 49% stake.
• The total value of the contract is around $100 million.

Q.2. In February 2022, which bank has been empanelled by the Small Farmers Agri–Business Consortium (SFAC) to facilitate digital collection and settlement services on National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) portal for transactions between farmers and traders across the country?

Correct Answer is IndusInd Bank.

• Under this arrangement the bank will offer an array of transaction services through digital modes including multi-net banking, debit card, NEFT, RTGS, IMPS, and UPI to the buyer and seller of the agriculture produce.
• As of January 2022, there are over 1.7 crore farmers and more than 1.8 lakh traders who are registered on eNAM and have benefitted from the digital marketplace.

Q.3. Which bank has joined hands with the Chennai-based UNANU Technologies for digital freight finance to fund transport contractors. using the end-to-end logistics technology platform?

Correct Answer is Karur Vysya Bank.

• UNANU has built the Freight Financing System within their suite of software platforms.
• Using the module “U-Turbo – a marketplace”, one can on-board logistics companies and shippers to Freight Financing programme.

Q.4. The Ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MoSPI) projected India’s gross domestic product (GDP) deflator for FY23 at?

Correct Answer is 3 to 3.5 percent.

• The Government’s own projection on real GDP growth for FY23 is at 7.6-8.1 percent and the union budget projected nominal GDP growth rate to be 11.1 percent for FY23.
• Economic Survey 2021-22 projected a real GDP growth rate of 8-8.5 percent in FY23.
• GDP Projection in the Budget is based on advance estimates of ‘National Statistical Office’ (NSO).

Q.5. Which Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company has become India’s 1st 100% Plastic Waste Neutral company?

Correct Answer is Dabur India Limited.

• It claimed to be the first Indian consumer goods company to achieve this landmark.
• Dabur has collected, processed and recycled around 27,000 MT of post-consumer plastic waste from all over India in the 2021-22 financial year.
• Dabur's plastic waste management initiative was rolled out in the year 2017-18.

Q.6. Which Indian company has signed an MoU with Taiwanese electronics manufacturing company, Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) to form a joint venture for manufacturing semiconductors in India?

Correct Answer is Vedanta.

• According to the MOU signed between the two companies, Vedanta will hold the majority of the equity in the joint venture, while Foxconn will be the minority shareholder.
• This first-of-its-kind joint venture between the two companies will support Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to create an ecosystem for semiconductor manufacturing in India.

Q.7. IndiGo airline has announced a partnership with which oil company for its 6E Rewards Ka-ching credit cardholders under which cardholders will earn accelerated reward points of up to 4 per cent on fuel?

Correct Answer is Indian Oil.

• Under the partnership, Ka-ching cardholders will earn accelerated reward points of up to 4 per cent on fuel spends at more than 35,000 IndianOil outlets across the country.
• With accelerated earnings, Ka-ching cardholders will earn free flight tickets with 6E Rewards from daily fuel purchases.

Q.8. Which automobile company has joined hands with Common Services Center e-Governance Services to support the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyaan?

Correct Answer is Renault India.

• To digitally empower citizens in rural areas by training them to operate computers, laptops, browse the internet, access government websites, banking service and undertake digital payments.
• The aim of the program is to empower rural citizens in the age group of 14 to 60 years.

Q.9. DMI Finance Private Limited has launched a digital personal loan product on which digital wallet to provide reliable credit access to pre-qualified users of wallet?
Correct Answer is Google Pay.

• Through the partnership, DMI Finance intends to disburse up to Rs 1 lakh per loan, which would be repayable over a maximum of 36 months. The product is being launched across more than 15,000 pin codes.
• The launch of the loan product will include the advantages of the digital loan disbursal process of DMI Finance and the Google Pay’s customer experience.

Q.10. With which bank the LKP Securities Ltd has signed an agreement to offer a special 3-in-1 online account?

Correct Answer is HDFC Bank.

• The 3-in1 account facilitates swift fund transfer between the bank account and trading account as clients no longer have to go through a lengthy authentication process.
• To deliver an efficient experience by offering ease of opening trading, demat and bank account in a seamless manner.

Q.11. In association with which digital payments platform, NITI Aayog will be hosting the first-ever open-to-all hackathonthat aims to showcase path-breaking solutions for the fintech ecosystem?

Correct Answer is PhonePe.

• The Hackathon will provide an opportunity for innovators, digital creators and developers from all over India to think, ideate and code.
• It aims to showcase path-breaking solutions for the Fintech Ecosystem.

Q.12. As per the Second Advance Estimates of production of major crops what is the estimated food grains production in the year 2021-22?

Correct Answer is 316.06 million tonnes.

• Further, the production during 2021-22 is higher by 25.35 million tonnes than the previous five years' (2016- 17 to 2020-21) average production of foodgrains.
• Total production of Rice during 2021-22is estimated at record 127.93 million tonnes.

Q.13. Which bank has been empaneled by the SFAC to facilitate digital collection and settlement services on e-NAM portal for the transactions between farmers and traders across India?

Correct Answer is  IndusInd Bank.

• IndusInd Bank has been directly integrated with e-NAM platform to provide safe and hassle free payments, clearing and settlement services to the farmers and traders.
• Under this arrangement, the bank will offer an array of transaction services through digital modes including multi-net banking, debit card, NEFT, RTGS, IMPS and UPI to the buyer and seller of the agriculture produce.

Q.14. Wealth tech company, Fisdom has partnered with which bank to offer wealth management products and services to over 29 million customers of the bank?

Correct Answer is Bank of Maharshtra.

• This partnership is to distribute the wealth products and services through the bank’s network of more than 2,000 branches and its digital platforms, including the mobile banking app and internet banking.
• The wealth management services will be made accessible to bank customers through both physical and digital mode.

Q.15. Which bank has partnered with Ezetap to provide integrated Point of Sale (PoS) solutions across 4,000 locations in India ?

Correct Answer is Kotak Mahindra Bank.

• The initiative will strengthen the bank’s presence in the digital payments market space.
• The partnership will enable it to scale up its PoS product base across merchant segments, including retail enterprises and government customers.

Q.16. Twitter Inc has partnered with which payments gateway to improve the support for its ‘Tips’ feature in India?

Correct Answer is Paytm’s payment gateway.

• Using the Tips feature, users can send payments to their favourite content creators on twitter.
• Tips is available since November to all Twitter users above 18 years of age in India. It is available in Indian languages including Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi and Tamil.

Q.17. Which Asset Management company has launched eInvest- a mutual fund mobile app for investors for a smooth investing experience?

Correct Answer is Edelweiss Asset Management.

• eInvest is an easy-to-use app for investors to give them a smooth investing experience where they can perform all financial transactions and access their investment from anywhere at any time with speed and ease.

Q.18. Which credit bureau of India has launched a MSME consumer education program that will help small businesses gain awareness on credit management, CIBIL Rank and commercial credit information?

Correct Answer is TransUnion CIBIL.

• It will teach them on how to build good credit history and CIBIL Rank to avail easier and faster loans.
• It will kick off with MSME clusters in Maharashtra, Assam and Tripura

Q.19. Name the wholly-owned subsidiary company that has been set up by NHPC Ltd for development of renewable energy, small hydro and green hydrogen-based businesses?

Correct Answer is  NHPC Renewable Energy Ltd.

• The new company -- NHPC Renewable Energy Ltd -- was registered with Registrar of Companies, NCT of Delhi & Haryana.
• The Subsidiary Company shall develop Renewable Energy Projects either in Stand-alone mode or through formation of Special Purpose Vehicles with collaboration of other agencies.

Obituaries

Q.1. Renowned personality Sandhya Mukherjee passed away recently, he was a veteran?

Correct Answer is  Singer.

• She sang under the direction of famous composers such as S D Burman, Roshan and Madan Mohan.
• She received the National Film Award for best female playback singer in 1970 for the movies Jay Jayanti (a Bengali remake of Sound of Music) and Nishi Padma.
• This year she refused the Padma award.

Q.2. Renowned personality Bhargavi Narayan passed away recently, she was a veteran?

Correct Answer is  Actor.

• Bhargavi Narayan was a renowned actor in the Kannada film industry.
• She was married to Belavadi Nanjundaiah Narayanan, fondly called Makeup Nani10.

Q.3. Renowned personality Bappi Lahiri passed away recently, he was a veteran?

Correct Answer is Composer.

• Best known for popularising disco music to the Indian mainstream, the singer was fondly known as Bappi da, and experienced huge success in the 1980s and 90s.
• He earned the title ‘Disco King’.

Q.4. Renowned personality Dr Chennaveera Kanavi passed away recently, he was a prominent writer and poet of which language?

Correct Answer is Kannada.

• He was also known as ‘Samanvaya Kavi’ (Poet of Reconciliation).
• Dr Kanavi received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1981 for his work Jeeva Dhwani (Poetry).

Q.5. Surajit Sengupta was associated with which sports who passed away recently?

Correct Answer is Football.

• Sengupta had been associated with Kolkata’s three big clubs, Mohun Bagan (1972-1973, 1981-1983), East Bengal (1974- 1979) and Mohammedan Sporting (1980).
• He represented the national team from 1973 to 1979 and was in the national team for the 1978 Asian Games.

Q.6. 102-year-old Gandhian leader Shakuntala Chowdhary held from which country who passed away recently?

Correct Answer is Assam.

• She worked towards the welfare and empowerment of women.
• Shakuntala Chaudhary spent a large portion of her life at the Kasturba Ashram, since 1947.
• She was a recipient of Vayoshestha Samman - National Awards For Senior Citizens 2021, from the government of India.

Q.7. Renowned personality Sadhan Pande passed away recently, he was veteran?

Correct Answer is Politician.

• Pandey represented Kolkata’s Burtolla assembly constituency 5 times since 1987, when he was in the Congress, and the Manicktala constituency 3 times since 2011.
• He joined the TMC after its formation in 1998.

Important Days

Q.1. International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD) is observed every year on which date?

Correct Answer is 15th February.

• The day is a global collaborative campaign to raise awareness about childhood cancer and to express support for children and adolescents with cancer, the survivors and their families.

Q.2. Every year India observes the Soil Health Card Day on which date to commemorate the launch of the Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme?

Correct Answer is 19th February.

• 2022 marks the seventh year of the launch of the SHC Scheme. The scheme aims at issuing soil health cards to all farmers every two years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme on 19th February 2015 at Suratgarh in Rajasthan.

Q.3. What is the theme of the International Mother Language Day?

Correct Answer is Using technology for multilingual learning: Challenges and opportunities.

• The International Mother Language Day (IMLD) is observed annually on the 21st of February to raise awareness regarding linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism.
• The IMLD day was announced by UNESCO on 17 November 1999 and formally recognized by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2002.

Q.4. What is the theme of the World Day of Social Justice 2022?

Correct Answer is Achieving Social Justice through Formal Employment.

• World Day of Social Justice is observed every year on February 20, since 2009 to raise voice against social injustice and to bring various communities internationally together to eliminate poverty, gender, physical discrimination, illiteracy, religious discrimination to make socially integrated society.

Q.5. World Pangolin Day is celebrated every on which date to raise awareness about this shy, elusive mammal covered in hard scales from tip to tail?

Correct Answer is Third Saturday of February (19th Feb 2022).

• This year marks the 11th edition of the Day.
• Pangolins are known as the world’s most trafficked animals.
• Two out of eight species of pangolins are listed as ‘critically endangered’ in the IUCN Red List.

New Appointments

Q.1. Who has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Air India?

Correct Answer is Mehmet Ilker Ayci.

• Expected to take charge on or before April 1, Ayci (51) until recently was the Chairman of Turkish Airlines and was also on its Board of Directors prior to that.
• Born in Istanbul in 1971, Ayci was once the Advisor to the country's current President, R.T. Erdogan, when the latter was the Mayor of Istanbul.

Q.2. Who has been appointed as the new Chairman of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)?

Correct Answer is Vineet Joshi.

• He replaces IAS Manoj Ahuja, who has been appointed as the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
• Vineet Joshi is also the Director-General of the National Testing Agency (NTA). In 2010 as well he got the responsibility of CBSE chairman.

Q.3. Who has been appointed as the India’s first national maritime security coordinator (NMSC)?

Correct Answer is G Ashok Kumar.

• G Ashok Kumar is an alumnus of Sainik School, Amravathi Nagar and National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla, Pune. He was commissioned into the executive branch of the Indian Navy on July 1, 1982.
• Ashok Kumar has held various challenging staff and command assignments during his distinguished career in the Navy for over three decades.

Q.4. Who has been appointed as the Director of the Institute of Economic Growth?

Correct Answer is Chetan Ghate.

• He succeeds Professor Ajit Mishra.
• Mr Ghate is a former member of the Reserve Bank of India’s first monetary policy committee between 2016- 2020.