Tamil Nadu CM launched ‘Meendum Manjappai’ scheme
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has launched the ‘Meendum Manjappai’ scheme to promote the use of cloth bags by the public and discourage the use of plastic bags. This awareness campaign on using ‘yellow’ cloth bag or ‘manjapai’ as it is called in Tamil, is aimed at encouraging the people to return to the use of this eco-friendly bag and discard the plastic bags. The state government had enforced a ban on the production, use, storage, distribution, transportation or sale of 14 types of plastics with effect from January 1, 2019.
A government committee has identified the single-use plastic (SUP) items to be banned based on an index of their utility and environmental impact. It has proposed a three-stage ban:
- The first category of SUP items proposed to be phased out are plastic sticks used in balloons, flags, candy, ice cream and earbuds, and thermocol that is used in decorations.
- The second category proposed to be banned from July 1, 2022, includes items such as plates, cups, glasses and cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straws, trays; wrapping and packing films used in sweet boxes; invitation cards; cigarette packets; stirrers and plastic banners that are less than 100 microns in thickness.
- The third category of prohibition is for non-woven bags below 240 microns in thickness. This is proposed to start from September next year.
HDFC Bank won CII Dx award for ‘Most Innovative Best Practice’ 2021
HDFC Bank has been named under ‘Most Innovative Best Practice’ at the coveted Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Digital Transformation Award 2021 or CII DX Award 2021. It will be recognized for the HDFC’s efforts in world-class financial inclusion in Village Level Executive (VLE) centres along with the Government of India’s Common Service Centres (CSC).
HDFC Bank focuses on financial inclusion by offering an entire bouquet of its world-class products through CSC’s network of VLE centres:
- 1.1 lakh VLE (Village Level Executive) centres run by CSC e-Governance
- Of these, over 1 lakh VLE centres are in Rural & Semi-Urban locations
- These locations cover close to 50,000 villages across India
- These villages are spread across 685 districts and 5,176 sub-districts
- Additionally, the bank has 5,686 branches across 2929 cities/ towns – 50 per cent of these are located at Rural & Semi-Urban locations.
Pankaj Advani won National Billiards Title 2021
Pankaj Advani has defended his National Billiards Title by winning his 11th tournament, after defeating his PSPB teammate Dhruv Sitwala in a 5-2 game final that was held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. He represented the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) team in the National Billiards Championship. The 88th National Billiards and Snooker Championships 2021, organised by Cue Sports India at Bhopal, MP.
Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021: Himachal Pradesh beats Tamil Nadu
Himachal Pradesh beat Tamil Nadu by 11 runs (VJD Method) in the final to win their maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy title, at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. Batting first, Tamil Nadu posted a challenging total of 314 in 49.4 overs. In reply, Himachal were 299 for 4 in 47.3 overs when bad light stopped play and the chasing side were declared winners via the VJD (V Jayadevan rule) method.
Shubham Arora’s unbeaten century and his 148-run stand with Amit Kumar (74) for the fourth wicket powered Himachal Pradesh to their first-ever Indian domestic title win, Vijay Hazare trophy 2021-22 final.
A new book titled “The Modi Gambit: Decoding Modi 2.0” by Sanju Verma
Sanju Verma, an economist and the BJP National Spokesperson, has authored a new book titled “The Modi Gambit: Decoding Modi 2.0”. The book features the various achievement in the last 2 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2nd term as PM of India. The foreword of the book is written by Padma Shri Mohandas Pai and the Afterword is written by ace journalist, Anand Narasimhan, Managing Editor at CNN News 18.
South African campaigner Archbishop Desmond Tutu passes away
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and veteran of South Africa`s struggle against white minority rule, has died aged 90. He was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his non-violent opposition to apartheid. A decade later, he witnessed the ends of that regime and he chaired a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, set up to unearth atrocities committed during those dark days.
Eishin Chihana named as new chairman of Yamaha Motor India Group
India Yamaha Motor (IYM) Pvt Ltd. has announced that Eishin Chihana has taken charge of the Group’s India operations as its new Chairman. He has replaced Motofumi Shitara. Chihana has been associated with Yamaha Motor Company and its group companies across the globe since 1991.
Eishin Chihana holds strong expertise across different verticals like Sales, Marketing and Business Management, with a major focus on Motorcycle Business Operations in European, North American, African, Middle Eastern and ASEAN markets. His experience also includes managing overseas sales of a wide variety of Yamaha Motor’s product ranges, not only Motorcycles but also ATVs, Marine Engines, Personal Watercrafts and Generators.
Former England Test Captain Ray Illingworth passes away
Former England captain, Ray Illingworth has passed away. He played 61 Tests for England between 1958 and 1973 and captained the country 31 times, winning 12 matches and an Ashes series in Australia in 1970. He was an all-rounder who scored 1,836 Test runs at an average of 23.24 and claimed 122 wickets with his off-spin bowling at 31.20. He was chairman of the England selectors between 1993 and 1996 and coached the team in 1995-96.
Indian-origin judge appointed to South Africa’s highest judicial bench
Indian origin, Narandran ‘Jody’ Kollapen has been appointed to South Africa’s highest judicial bench, the Constitutional Court. The appointment of 64-year-old Kollapen & Rammaka Steven Mathopo as the latest additions to the Constitutional Court after a lengthy process of public interviews. Both will take office from January 1, 2022. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the appointment of Rammaka Steven Mathopo and Kollapen to the Constitutional Court after lengthy public interviews.
About the Kollapen:
Kollapen started his legal practice in 1982 and used to take up public interest cases. The Presidency said that the new appointees have an illustrious career in the judiciary and the legal profession. After becoming the National Director of Lawyers for Human Rights in 1995, he became the Commissioner of the South African Human rights Commission in 1997 and was a part of the Commission till 2009. Since then, Kollapen has worked with numerous NGOs and organizations and has spoken about Human Rights in universities like Harvard and also at the United Nations.
RBI imposed penalty on payment operators One Mobikwik & Spice Money
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed monetary penalties on two payment system operators, One Mobikwik Systems Private Limited and Spice Money Limited, for violation of norms. Both the payment companies have been slapped with a fine of Rs 1 crore, as per the order issued by the central bank. In a statement, the RBI said it has imposed the penalty on the two payment system operators for “committing offences of the nature referred to in Section 26 (6) of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (PSSAct).”
SEBI named Aarati Krishnan as a member of MF advisory panel
Aarati Krishnan, Editorial Consultant with BusinessLine, has been inducted as a member of the Securities & Exchange Board of India’s Advisory Committee on Mutual Funds. The committee, chaired by Usha Thorat, former Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India, advises SEBI on matters related to mutual fund regulation to ensure investor protection, development of the industry and disclosure requirements. It suggests measures required to be taken to render the legal framework for mutual funds transparent and simple for investors and constituents.
The committee has 24 members comprising CEOs of leading mutual fund houses as well as representatives from academia, exchanges, consumer interest groups, fund trustees, rating agencies, distribution firms and media.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Securities and Exchange Board of India Founded: 12 April 1992.
- Securities and Exchange Board of India Headquarters: Mumbai.
- Securities and Exchange Board of India Agency executive: Ajay Tyagi.
Rajnath Singh inaugurates Brahmos missile manufacturing unit in Lucknow
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has laid the foundation stone of the BrahMos Aerospace cruise missile manufacturing unit in Lucknow. He also laid the foundation of DRDO Defence Technology and Test Centre in Lucknow. BrahMos Project will help in creating 5,500 fresh job opportunities.
About the BrahMos Missile:
- BrahMos is a joint venture between the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India and the NPOM of Russia. BrahMos missile derives its name from the Brahmaputra river of India and the Moskva river of Russia.
- All the three wings of the Indian defence forces have already inducted the BrahMos advanced weapon
system. - Recently, India successfully test-fired the air version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the integrated test range of Chandipur.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Uttar Pradesh Capital: Lucknow;
- Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath;
- Uttar Pradesh Governor: Anandiben Patel.
CEBR: India to become 3rd largest economy in 2031
The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) from the United Kingdom has predicted that the Indian economy will become the world’s third-largest by the year 2031. In the year 2022, India is set to regain its sixth position in World Economic League Table (WELT) from France, as per CEBR.
In the year 2020, India’s GDP had witnessed a contraction of 7.3% due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown leading to constraints on economic activity. India has witnessed a large scale spread of infections and has the third-highest death toll worldwide, behind US and Brazil. However, with the help of emergency aid and prompt measures taken by the Indian government, the country has recovered from the second wave of COVID-19.
In Global Scenario:
The annual league table also predicted that China will overtake the US to be the largest economy in 2030 (two years later than the forecast in 2021). The world economy is set to surpass $100 trillion for the first time in 2022.
The World Economic League Table 2022 shows the economic forecasts for 191 countries to 2036:
| Ranking out of 191 countries | 2021 | 2022 | 2026 | 2031 | 2036 |
| India | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| United States | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| China | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Japan | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Germany | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| UK | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| France | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Center for Economic and Business Report (CEBR) Chairman: Martin Piers;
- Center for Economic and Business Report Headquarters: London, United Kingdom.
Viral Desai bagged “Global Environment And Climate Action Citizen Award 2021”
Viral Sudhirbhai Desai, an industrialist from Surat, who is popularly known as the Greenman or green man of Gujarat has been honoured with the Global Environment and Climate Action Citizen Award 2021. Among the 28 personalities from 11 countries (which includes the United Kingdom(UK), the United States(US), New Zealand, France, and Malaysia,) who were honoured with this award, Viral Desai was the only Indian to win the honour for climate change.
Japan launches Inmarsat-6 F1 Communications Satellite
Japan has launched Inmarsat-6 F1, a communication satellite, through a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) H-IIA204 rocket from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center that will enter geostationary orbit, about 22,240 miles (35,790 kilometres) above the earth. It is developed by the London-based company Inmarsat as a part of its next-generation satellite broadband service. The satellite is 12,060-pound (5,470 kilograms) and is the first of two ‘I-6’ spacecraft.
Key Points:
- Designated H-IIAF45, Inmarsat-6 F1 launch is Japan’s third orbital flight of 2021 and H-IIA’s second mission of the year, marking the 45th flight of the H-IIA vehicle overall.
- It is dual-payload satellite featuring both L-band (ELERA) and Ka-band (Global Xpress).
- It is the world’s largest and most sophisticated commercial communications satellite ever launched.
- H-IIA is Japan’s longest-serving liquid-fueled rocket (since 2001) and currently largest rocket operated by MHI for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Founded: 1 October 2003;
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Headquarters: Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan.
