Weekly Current Affairs (1st to 7th April 2022) Part - 1 - UPSC PDF Download

Banking & Financial Awareness

Q.1. Which mobile payment app offers the Tap to Pay for Unified Payment Interface (UPI) users in partnership with Pine Labs?

Correct Answer is Google Pay.

• Tap to Pay was available for cards, but now this payment function is available on the phone also.
• Near Field Communication (NFC) enabled Android smartphones can do transactions using any Pine Labs Android POS terminal across the country.

Q.2. Which organization has launched the Startups Founders Hub platform in India to provide support of USD 300,000, including technology and tools from the tech giant and partners?

Correct Answer is Microsoft.

• After the USA and China, India is the third-largest ecosystem for startups globally.
• The hub was set up with an aim to empower entrepreneurs to innovate and grow by connecting them with mentors.

Q.3. In April 2022, how much financial aid has been provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to Bangladesh to support government efforts to speed up the growth by improving the efficiency, predictability, and security of crossborder trade?

Correct Answer is USD 143 million.

• The ADB loan package includes a $90 million International policy-based loan, a $53 million project loan that will construct integrated land customs, and $1.5 million in technical assistance
• ADB established in 1966, President - Masatsugu Asakawa

Q.4. The US-based Citibank group is selling its India business to Axis Bank for?

Correct Answer is . Rs 12,325 crore.

• The deal will be closed in the mid of the 2023 calendar year. As per the deal, Citibank must exit from consumer franchises in 13 markets, including India.
• Currently, Axis Bank is the fourth-largest issuer of credit cards.

Q.5. India has signed an Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement with which country?

Correct Answer is Australia.

• Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister of Australia Dan Tehan signed this agreement.
• The agreement was signed in a virtual ceremony in the presence of PM Modi and the PM of Australia Scott Morrison.

Q.6. IREDA has sanctioned a loan of over Rs 267 cr to which start-up company for the purchase of three thousand electric cars?

Correct Answer is BluSmart Mobility.

• IREDA is a Mini Ratna Company under the administrative control of the New and Renewable Energy Ministry.
• BluSmart company is working on India’s path to zero-emission mobility, improving the quality of life of the driver-partners.

Q.7. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) crossed how much mark in terms of volume in March 2022?

Correct Answer is 500-crore.

• It is close to touching the ₹10-lakh crore milestone in value terms in March 2022.
• UPI processed as many as 540.56 crore payments last month amounting to ₹9,60,581.66 crore
• It had processed 452.74 crore transactions worth Rs. 8,26,843 crore in February this year.

Q.8. The RBI has decided to extend the timeline for implementation of cassette swap in all ATMs till?

Correct Answer is March 31, 2023.

• Cassette Swap is lockable cassettes that are swapped at the time of cash replenishment in the ATMs.
• The framework for cassette swap was recommended by the Committee on Currency Movement Chaired by D.K. Mohanty

Q.9. What is the gross collection of GST has collected in March 2022?

Correct Answer is 1,42,095 cr .

• The government has collected CGST is 25,830 crore rupees, SGST is 32,378 crores, IGST is 74,470
• In March 2022, revenues from the import of goods were 25% higher, and the revenues from the domestic transaction were 11% higher than in the same month last year.

Q.10. What is the current interest rate of the Public Provident Fund for first quarter of the 2022-23 fiscal year?

Correct Answer is 7.1%.

• Due to high inflation, the Ministry of Finance has not revised the interest rates of small saving schemes for the first quarter of the 2022-23 fiscal year.
• National Savings Certificate: 6.8%; Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana: 7.6%; Five-year senior citizens' savings scheme: 7.4%; Savings deposits: 4%; Term deposits (1 to 5 years): 5.5-6.7% ; Kisan Vikas Patra: 6.9%; EPF: 8.1%

Q.11. What is the dearness allowance (DA) of the central government employees after a hike of 3%?

Correct Answer is 34% .

• The DA has been hiked by 34% from 31% earlier.
• The hike came into effect on January 1, 2022.

Q.12. Mortgage lender HDFC will merge with bank to create India's third-biggest financial entity in terms of market capitalisation?

Correct Answer is HDFC Bank.

• With the proposed merger, HDFC Bank can build its own housing loan portfolio and also enhance its existing customer base.
• HDFC Bank will be 100% owned by public shareholders.

Q.13. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to cut the Ways and Means Advances (WMA) for states and Union Territories to?

Correct Answer is Rs 47,010 crore.

• WMA are temporary advances that the RBI gives to the government over any mismatch in receipts and payments.
• WMA limit for the Government of India for the first half of the financial year 2022-23 has been set at Rs 1,50,000 crore.

Q.14. Which bank has signed an MoU with the Border Security Force to offer special benefits through the Central Armed Police Salary Package (CAPSP) Scheme?

Correct Answer is State Bank of India (SBI).

• MoU includes Child education and the marriage of girl children of deceased BSF personnel.
• Benefit for retired personnel: Personal Accidental (Death) Insurance

Q.15. In which report Asian Development Bank (ADB) has forecasted 7% combined growth for South Asian countries in 2022?

Correct Answer is Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2022.

• India’s economy will grow 7.5% in 2022 and 8% in 2023
• Factors affecting the economy: Covid new variant, Russia-Ukraine crises (higher global oil and commodity prices)

Q.16. Which bank has launched a super-app named 'UnionNXT' with the digital transformation project SMBHAV?

Correct Answer is Union Bank of India.

• Investment outlay of around Rs 1,000 crore for the current financial year 2022-23. The bank also announced to launch of "Digital Bank within Bank"
• Other projects to launch: pre-approved personal loan, union cash (pensioner loan), Shishu Mudra loan, branch token and mobile app-based deposit module.

Obituaries

Q.1. Name the American poet who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1970 for ‘’Untitled Subjects’’, has passed away?

Correct Answer is Richard Howard.

• Richard Joseph Howard was a National Book Award Finalist in 2008 for ‘’Without Saying’’.
• His translation of Charles Baudelaire’s “Les Fleurs du Mal” won the National Book Award in 1983.

Important Days

Q.1. Utkal day is observed as the formation day of Odisha on which date?

Correct Answer is April 1.

• After the 113th amendment act, Orissa was renamed Odisha.
• The official language of Odisha, Odiya also listed in the 8th schedule of the Constitution of India.

Q.2. International Children's Book Day is organized every year on which date?

Correct Answer is April 2.

• Canada is hosting International Children's Book Day 2022.
• It has chosen the theme 'Stories are wings that help you soar every Day'.

Q.3. The UNGA unanimously has declared 2 April as?

Correct Answer is World Autism Awareness Day.

• This year marks the 15th annual World Autism Awareness Day.
• Theme for 2022 is ‘Inclusion in Quality Education for all'’.

Q.4. International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action is observed on which date?

Correct Answer is April 4.

• Theme 2022: Safe Ground, Safe Steps, Safe Home
• On December 8, 2005, United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution to make April 4 of each year as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

Q.5. 59th National Maritime Day is observed on which date?

Correct Answer is April 5.

• The theme is Sustainable Shipping beyond Covid-19. National Maritime Day was first celebrated on April 5, 1964.
• On April 5, 1919, a ship called SS Loyalty, sailed from Mumbai to London.

Q.6. The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) is observed on which date annually?

Correct Answer is April 6.

• Theme 2022: Securing a Sustainable and Peaceful Future for All: The Contribution of Sport
• Aim: Recognize the positive role of sport and physical activity in communities across the globe.

Q.7. World Health Day is celebrated on which date?

Correct Answer is April 7.

• The anniversary of the World Health Organization (WHO), which was founded on April 7, 1948.
• Theme 2022: Our Planet, Our Health

Q.8. Which date is observed as the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda?

Correct Answer is April 7.

• 2022 marks the 28th anniversary of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, one of the darkest chapters in human history.
• On April 7th, the date where the genocide against members of the Tutsi began.

Q.9. The United Nations General Assembly has designated which date as an International Day of Conscience every year?

Correct Answer is 5 April.

• The year 2022 marks the third edition of the celebrations.
• This day serves to remind people to self-reflect, follow their conscience, and do the right things.

New Appointments

Q.1. Executive director of Infibeam Avenues Vishwas Patel has been re-elected as chairman of which council?

Correct Answer is Payments Council of India (PCI).

• Payment Council of India is the apex industry for digital operators in India’s payments and settlement system that operates under the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).
• The PCI was set in 2013 with the aim to promote digital India. The Payment Council of India is located in Mumbai.

Q.2. Who has been appointed as the new chairperson of the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH)?

Correct Answer is Mahesh Verma.

• This is responsible for setting benchmarks for quality and certifying hospitals and other health facilities.
• NABH is also a member of the board of the Asian Society for Quality in Healthcare (ASQua).

Q.3. Who has been appointed as a vice-chairperson of the Standing Committee on Administration and Management of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)?

Correct Answer is  AprajitaSharma.

• She holds the position of vice-chairperson for the years 2023 and 2024.
• She is also selected as chairperson for the years 2025 and 2026.

Q.4. Who has taken charge as Director-General of the Geological Survey of India in Kolkata w.e.f. April 1, 2022?

Correct Answer is Dr S Raju.

• Earlier, he was an Additional Director General and National Head, Mission-III & IV at GSI HQ.
• He succeeded R. S. Garkhal, superannuated on March 31, 2022.

Q.5. Who has taken charge as MD and CEO of Mahindra Manulife Mutual Fund?

Correct Answer is  Anthony Heredia.

• It is a joint venture of Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services and Manulife Investment Management (Singapore) Pte. Ltd, which is also known as Mahindra Asset Management Company.
• He succeeded Ashutosh Bishnoi, who retired on 31st March 2022.In 2020, Manulife acquired 49% stake in Mahindra Asset

Q.6. Who has been named the new Managing Director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation for five years from April 1, 2022?

Correct Answer is Vikas Kumar.

• He succeeded Mangu Singh, whose tenure ended on March 31, 2022.
• He was holding the position of Director (Operations) in DMRC and has over three decades of experience in rail based urban transportation projects.

Q.7. Who has been won the Hungary prime minister elections?

Correct Answer is Viktor Orban.

• He is a member of the Fidesz party.
• He is serving as PM since 2010, and this will be his fourth consecutive term as prime minister.

Q.8. Whose appointment has been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) as the new Foreign Secretary?

Correct Answer is Vinay Mohan Kwatra.

• He will replace Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who retires on April 30, 2022.
• Kwatra has served as India's ambassador to France, PMO Joint secretary, and currently serving as India's envoy to Nepal.

Q.9. Who has been named in the Expert Group of net-zero emissions pledges by non-State entities by the UN SecretaryGeneral António Guterres?

Correct Answer is ArunabhaGhosh.

• The group of 16-member chaired by Catherine McKenna, former Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change
• Aim: stronger and clearer standards for net-zero emissions pledges by non-state entities

Q.10. Who has been appointed as the world's first expert on climate change and human rights for three years?

Correct Answer is Dr Ian Fry.

• He holds both Australian and Tuvaluan citizenship.
• UNHRC has created the new Special Rapporteur for climate change and human rights position in October 2021.

Q.11. Who has been re-elected as President of Serbia for the second term?

Correct Answer is Aleksandar Vucic

• He served as Deputy PM (2012-14), Prime Minister (2014-16, 2016-17) and then as President (2017 - till now).
• He is the president of the Serbian Progressive Party.