Six Indian Airports named the ACI World’s ASQ Awards 2021
From India, six airports have found a place among the ‘Best Airport by Size and Region’, by the Airports Council International (ACI), in its Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey for the year 2021. The airports have been adjudged among the Asia Pacific region in different categories based on annual passenger traffic. The ACI Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards takes into account 33 parameters related to passenger amenities to recognize airport excellence in customer experience.
The six Indian airports include:
Category – Over 40 million passengers per year
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), Mumbai (5th consecutive year)
- Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi (4th consecutive year)
Category – 15 to 25 million passengers per year
- Rajiv Gandhi International airport, Hyderabad
Category – 5 to 15 million passengers per year
- Cochin International Airport, Cochin
- Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad
Category – 2 to 5 million passengers per year
- Chandigarh Airport, Chandigarh
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Airports Council International Headquarters: Montreal, Canada;
- Airports Council International Founded: 1991.
Jyotiraditya Scindia inaugurates first drone school at Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh
The Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan jointly inaugurated the first drone school in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. This drone school is one of the five Drone Schools planned to be opened in different cities of Madhya Pradesh. The other four cities are Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Satna.
About the school:
This drone school of Gwalior will not only pave the way for the youth of Madhya Pradesh to move forward by connecting them with technology, but it will also increase employment opportunities. This school will prove to be a milestone in the progress and progress of Madhya Pradesh along with Gwalior.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Madhya Pradesh Capital: Bhopal;
- Madhya Pradesh Governor: Mangubhai C. Patel;
- Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister: Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Debasish Panda named as Chairman of IRDAI
Debasish Panda has been appointed as the chairman of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). He is a former financial services secretary. The post of Chairman of IRDAI was lying vacant since May 2021 when Subhash Chandra Khuntia completed his term. Panda, a 1987-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, retired as financial services secretary in January this year after a two-year stint.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved Panda’s appointment as chairperson of the insurance regulator initially for a period of three years from the assumption of charge. The appointment of IRDAI chairman comes nearly 9 months after the vacancy was created following Subhash Chandra Khuntia completing his term in May last year.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
RBI directs Paytm Payments Bank Ltd to stop onboarding of new customers
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has directed Paytm Payments Bank Ltd to stop the onboarding of new customers with immediate effect. The bank has also been directed to appoint an IT audit firm to conduct a comprehensive System Audit of its IT system. The RBI took the decision in exercise of its powers under section 35A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
Key points:
- RBI has advised Paytm Payments Bank to appoint an IT audit firm to conduct a comprehensive System Audit of its IT system. Once the audit is over, RBI will review the reports of IT auditors and based on the reports grant or review its permission for onboarding of new customers.
- Onboarding of new customers by Paytm Payments Bank Ltd will be subject to specific permission to be granted by RBI after reviewing the report of the IT auditors. This action is based on certain material supervisory concerns observed in the bank.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Chairman of Paytm Payments Bank Ltd: Vijay Shekhar Sharma;
- MD and CEO of Paytm Payments Bank Ltd: Satish Kumar Gupta;
- Paytm Payments Bank Ltd Headquarters: Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
A book titled “Soli Sorabjee: Life and Times” authored by Abhinav Chandrachud
A new biography, titled “Soli Sorabjee: Life and Times” was announced, during the occasion of the 92nd birth anniversary of Soli Sorabjee. It is authored by advocate and legal scholar Abhinav Chandrachud and will be released in April 2022. The book highlights the personal details of the life of Soli Sorabjee, his family background. He was the former Attorney General (AG) of India and served two times for the years 1989-90 and then from 1998- 2004.
BIS tie-up with IIT Roorkee for activities on standardisation
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and IIT Roorkee signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of a ‘BIS Standardization Chair Professor’ at IIT Roorkee. This would be the first time BIS created a Standardization Chair in an Institute for activities related to standardisation and conformity assessment. It will aid in the establishment of standards on crucial areas such as IIT’s BlockChain applications for e-governance.
KEY POINTS:
- The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is proud to announce its collaboration with the illustrious IIT Kanpur in the development of standards.
- It will aid in the establishment of standards on crucial areas such as IIT’s BlockChain applications for e-governance.
- The MoU will help the country’s research, development, teaching, and training in the field of standardisation and conformity assessment, with a focus on civil, electrical, mechanical, chemical, and earthquake engineering, as well as the development and management of water resources and renewable energy projects, infrastructure development, medical biotechnology and nanotechnology, biotechnology, biomaterials, and other fields.
- This will also assist in sensitising students to the ways in which standards can stimulate and facilitate innovation, as well as training students to be more equipped for future professional difficulties.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Bureau of Indian Standards Director-General: Pramod Kumar Tiwari.
- Bureau of Indian Standards Founded: 23 December 1986.
- Bureau of Indian Standards Headquarters: Manak Bhawan, Old Delhi.
V-Dem’s Democracy Report 2022: India ranked 93rd
The latest edition of Democracy Report was released recently by the V-Dem Institute at Sweden’s University of Gothenburg. The study was titled ‘Democracy Report 2022: Autocratisation Changing Nature?’. The report classifies countries into four regime types based on their score in the Liberal Democratic Index (LDI): Liberal Democracy, Electoral Democracy, Electoral Autocracy, and Closed Autocracy.
Top 5 LDI Countries:
- Sweden
- Denmark
- Norway
- Costa Rica
- New Zealand
India’s performance:
- It classifies India as an electoral autocracy ranking it 93rd on the LDI, out of 179 countries.
- India is one of the top ten ‘autocratisers’ in the world says the report.
- India is part of a broader global trend of an anti-plural political party driving a country’s Autocratisation.
- Ranked 93rd in the LDI, India figures in the “bottom 50%” of countries.
- It has slipped further down in the Electoral Democracy Index, to 100, and even lower in the Deliberative Component Index, at 102.
- In South Asia, India is ranked below Sri Lanka (88), Nepal (71), and Bhutan (65) and above Pakistan (117) in the LDI.
Australia’s AARC tie up with India’s CLAWS
From March 8 to March 10, 2022, Lt Gen Richard Burr, the Chief of the Australian Army, was in India for three days. The Australian Army Chief paid a visit to the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), an Indian Army think tank in New Delhi.
Lt. Gen Richard Burr met with Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Manoj Pande, Chairman, Board of Governors, CLAWS, and Director CLAWS, Lt Gen Dr Ranbir Singh (Retd). CLAWS research efforts and outreach strategies were briefed to the visiting General. On the sidelines of the tour, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Australian Army Research Centre (AARC) and the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) to create academic cooperation and engagement.
MSME IDEA HACKATHON 2022
Union Minister for MSME, Narayan Rane has announced the MSME Innovative Scheme (Incubation, Design, and IPR) as well as the MSME IDEA HACKATHON 2022. Shri Rane, speaking on the occasion, stated that MSMEs play an essential role in Atmanirbhar Bharat. He claims that these programmes will assist entrepreneurs in launching new businesses.
KEY POINTS:
- MSME Innovation” Scheme, according to the Minister of State for MSME Shri Bhanu Pratap Verma, will develop and foster latent innovation in the MSME sector.
- During the opening of the MSME Innovation Scheme, Shri B.B Swain, Secretary MSME, made the keynote address, stating that it will serve as a hub for innovation activities, facilitating and directing the development of ideas into viable business propositions that benefit society directly.
- MSME Innovative is a comprehensive approach that unifies, synergizes, and converges three sub-components and interventions to achieve a single goal.
- MSME Innovative is a novel idea for MSMEs that combines incubation, design intervention, and IPR protection in a single-mode approach to raise awareness about India’s innovation and drive MSMEs to become MSME Champions.
- This will serve as a focal point for innovation efforts, enabling and leading the transformation of ideas into viable business propositions that benefit society and can be successfully commercialised.
Tripura Govt announced “Mukhyamantri Chaa Srami Kalyan Prakalpa” scheme
Tripura Government has announced a special scheme ‘Mukhyamantri Chaa Srami Kalyan Prakalpa’ for tea workers. A special scheme, allotting Rs. 85 crores for its implementation, as a step towards bringing the 7000 tea garden workers of Tripura under the social security net. This special scheme would ensure housing, rations, and financial support to the tea garden workers by integrating the facilities that are entitled to them, by the state government and the central government.
Key information:
- About 75% of the 7000 tea garden workers are women and they produce nearly 90 lakh kilograms of tea through 54 tea estates & 21 tea processing factories across the state. The tea production is mainly distributed in the North, Sepahijala, Unakoti, and West Tripura districts.
- The Union Home and Cooperation Minister, Amit Shah had recently inaugurated the year 2022 Women Empowerment Campaign and Chief Minister Shramik Kalyan Prakalp scheme for the women of Tripura on the occasion of International Women’s Day & has also laid the foundation stone for National Forensic Sciences University in Agartala, capital of Tripura.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Tripura Capital: Agartala;
- Tripura Chief Minister: Biplab Kumar Deb;
- Tripura Governor: Satyadeo Narain Arya.
Prabha Narasimhan named as CEO of Colgate-Palmolive India
Prabha Narasimhan has been appointed as the CEO and MD of Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited. She succeeded Ram Raghavan, who has been promoted to the role of President, Enterprise Oral Care, at Colgate Palmolive Company. Prior to this, she was working as executive director of Hindustan Unilever (HUL). Colgate-Palmolive (India) provides oral care products under the ‘Colgate’ brand. It also provides personal care products under the ‘Palmolive’ brand name.
About the Colgate-Palmolive (India):
Colgate-Palmolive (India) provides oral care products under the ‘Colgate’ brand. It also provides personal care products under the ‘Palmolive’ brand name. The company reported 2% rise in net profit to Rs 252 crore on a 4% increase in sales to Rs 1,271 crore in Q3 FY22 over Q3 FY21. Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (India) were almost flat at Rs 1496 on the BSE.
Labour Minister Bhupendra Yadav unveiled the book titled “Role of Labour in India’s Development”
Minister of Labour and Employment and MoEFCC, Bhupender Yadav has launched a book titled “Role of Labour in India’s Development”. V V Giri National Labour Institute has published the book. The publishing of the book is part of the ‘Iconic Week’ celebrations of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
About the book
‘Role of Labour in India’s Development’ book has 12 articles outlining the contribution of labour in the development journey of India. These articles are written by experts in this field and the book is published by V V Giri National Labour Institute. V V Giri National Labour Institute is an autonomous body of the Ministry of Labour and Employment. It was established in 1974 as a premier institute of Labour research, training and education. Dr H. Srinivas is the current Director General of the institution.
About V V Giri National Labour Institute
- It is a civil service training institute, which gives training to labour administrators, public sector managers, and other government officials concerned with labour.
- It also undertakes research in the field of labour and regularly conducts seminars, workshops, and lectures on issues related to labour. It offers M.Phil. & Ph.D. courses in collaboration with Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. It is an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Labour & Employment.
- Until 1995, it was known as National Labour Institute. Later, it was rechristened in honor of V.V. Giri (former President of India), a well-known union leader.
- Composition of the General Council of the institute:
- Union Minister for Labour and Employment is the President.
- Members: Representatives of the central government, organization of employers & workers, MPs, persons who made notable contributions in the field of labour.
General Council elects the executive council and its chairperson is Employment Secretary. The administrative head of the institute is Director-General.
