Tatas name Ilker Ayci as CEO & MD of Air India
The Tata Group has appointed Ilker Ayci (former Turkish Airlines Chairman) as Air India’s Managing Director and CEO effective on or before April 1. The development is in line with the Tata Group’s plans to appoint an expatriate chief to run the airline it took over from the Indian government last month
About Ilker Ayci:
Ayci was born in Istanbul in 1971. He is 1994 alumni of Bilkent University’s Department of Political Science and Public Administration, according to the Tata Group statement. After a research stay on political science at the Leeds University in the UK in 1995, he completed an International Relations Master’s program at the Marmara University in Istanbul in 1997.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Tata Group Founder: Jamsetji Tata;
- Tata Group Founded: 1868, Mumbai;
- Tata Group Headquarters: Mumbai.
CBI booked ABG Shipyard Limited for India’s biggest bank fraud of Rs 22,842 cr
CBI has booked ABG Shipyard Limited for defrauding 28 banks to the tune of Rs 22,842 crore. It is one of the biggest bank fraud cases which the CBI will be investigating.
ABG Shipyard is the flagship entity of ABG Group. It has cheated a consortium of 28 banks and financial institutions of Rs. 22,842 crore. This is the biggest bank fraud case ever registered by the CBI. The case pertained to funds gotten and misused during the 2012-17 period. Rishi Agarwal, the then CMD of ABG Shipyard has been named in the FIR.
According to the FIR filed on complaint of State Bank of India (SBI), the forensic audit report revealed that from April 2012 to July 2017, the accused colluded with each other and committed illegal activities including diversion of funds, misappropriation, and criminal breach of trust and for purposes other than for the purpose for which the funds are released by the bank.
This consortium was led by ICICI Bank. Of this, ABG Shipyard owes Rs. 7,089 crore to ICICI Bank, Rs. 3,639 crores to IDBI Bank, Rs. 2,925 crores to State Bank, Rs. 1,614 crores to Bank of Baroda, and Rs. 1,244 crore to Punjab National Bank, among others. The Funds given by these banks were used by the executives of ABG Shipyard for purposes other than for which they were given and they were engaged in diversion of funds, misappropriation and criminal breach of trust. The same has been revealed in a report submitted by M/s. Ernst & Young LP.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- ABG Shipyard Headquarters: Mumbai;
- ABG Shipyard Founded: 1985.
ISRO successfully launches new earth observation satellite in 2022’s first launch
The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) successfully launched its earth observation satellite EOS-4 and two co-passenger technology demonstrator and scientific satellites at 5:59 am Monday from the first launch pad at the country’s only spaceport in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
After separation, two solar arrays of EOS-04 deployed automatically and Isro Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru assumed control. The satellite will be manoeuvred to its final position and begin providing data in a few days.
About Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-04):
- EOS-04 is a Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT) designed to provide high-quality images under all weather conditions for applications such as agriculture, forestry, and plantations, flood mapping, soil moisture & hydrology.
- The satellite weighs about 1710 kg. It can generate 2280 W power. It has a mission life of 10 years.
About co-passenger satellites:
- The two small satellites included a student satellite (INSPIREsat-1), and a technology demonstrator satellite (INS-2TD).
- INSPIREsat-1 has been developed by the Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology (IIST) in association with the Laboratory of Atmospheric & Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
- INS-2TD is a technology demonstrator satellite from ISRO. This is a precursor to the India-Bhutan Joint Satellite (INS-2B).
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Chairman and Space Secretary of ISRO: Dr S Somanath;
- ISRO Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka;
- ISRO established: 15 August 1969.
J&K government signs pact with New Zealand for transforming sheep farming sector
The Jammu and Kashmir government has signed a pact with New Zealand for the transformation of the sheep farming sector in the Union territory. The year 2022 marks the 70th anniversary of the commencement of bilateral relations between India and New Zealand.
According to the agreement, the overarching objective is to improve farmers’ remuneration, transfer of technology in research and development as well as marketing and value addition of sheep products of Jammu and Kashmir.
About Jammu and Kashmir:
| Capital | Srinagar (May–October) Jammu (Nov-April) |
|---|
| Official | Kashmiri, Dogri, Urdu, Hindi, English |
|---|
| Lieutenant Governor(Feb 2022) | Manoj Sinha |
|---|---|
| Chief Minister(Feb 2022) | Vacant |
About New Zealand:
Demonym(s): New Zealander; Kiwi (colloquial)
Government: Unitary parliamentary constitutio…
Currency: New Zealand dollar ($) (NZD)
Capital: Wellington
Indian Railways to set up country’s biggest Wrestling Academy
Ministry of Railways has approved to set up a state-of-art wrestling academy in Indian Railways, at Kishanganj, Delhi. The wrestling academy will be the biggest in India and equipped with advanced training facilities to promote the sports of wrestling in the country. The project will be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 30.76 crores.
The wrestling academy will be the biggest in India, and equipped with advanced training facilities to promote the sports of wrestling in the country. The academy will offer the best sports facilities to sportspersons, and provide an opportunity for many budding wrestlers to become champions in the coming time.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Minister of Railways: Ashwini Vaishnaw;
Israel became first country to allow drones in civilian airspace
Israel becomes the first-ever country to allow drones in civilian airspace. Referring to this, the Israel's Ministry of Transport and Road Safety recently announced the country's first certification for unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs) to operate in civilian airspace.
The certification was issued to the Hermes Starliner unmanned system by the Israeli Civil Aviation Authority and was manufactured and developed by Elbit Systems, an Israeli defence electronics company. The UAVs will be used for the benefit of agriculture, the environment, public welfare, economic activity and against crime. For safety reasons, international aviation regulations prohibit uncertified aircraft from flying in civilian airspace, limiting the operation of UAVs to unsegregated airspace.
About the Hermes Starliner unmanned system:
- The Hermes Starliner, which has a wingspan of 17 metres and weighs 1.6 ton, can fly for up to 36 hours at an altitude of about 7,600 metres, and can carry an additional 450 kg of electro-optical, thermal, radar and other payloads.
- It will be able to participate in border security and anti-terror operations, take part in securing mass public events, perform maritime search and rescue, commercial aviation and environmental inspection missions, as well as precision agriculture work.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Israel Capital: Jerusalem
- Israel Currency: Israeli Shekel
- Israel President: Isaac Herzog
- Israel Prime minister: Naftali Bennett
India ranks 3rd in 9th US Green Building Council
The US Green Building Council (USGBC) has released the 9th annual ranking of top 10 countries outside of the United States (US) for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in 2021 in which India ranked 3rd with 146 projects. It has been topped by China with 1,077 LEED projects certified in 2021, which is followed by Canada at 2nd position with 205 projects. The ranking highlights countries and regions outside the US that are doing good in healthy, sustainable, and resilient building design, construction, and operations.
About India’s ranking:
- As India becomes home to 146 more LEED licensed buildings and spaces in 2021, it represents 2,818,436.08 Gross Square Meters (GSM) of area.
- This marks an almost 10% enhance in LEED licensed area in India from 2020 despite the ongoing pandemic India’s total tasks underneath LEED stand at 1,649 buildings with total of 46.2 million gross sq. meters.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- US Green Building Council President and CEO: Peter Templeton;
- US Green Building Council Headquarter: Washington, D.C., US.
Top 5 Rankings:
| Rank | Country | Project count | Square Meters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | India | 146 | 2,818,436.08 |
| 1 | China | 1,077 | 14,151,480.95 |
| 2 | Canada | 205 | 3,208,030.63 |
| 4 | Republic of Korea | 42 | 1,557,824.68 |
| 5 | Spain | 100 | 1,496,400.05 |
About US Green Building Council (USGBC):
President and CEO– Peter Templeton
Headquarter– Washington, D.C., US
Saubhagya Scheme: Rajasthan tops solar electrification Scheme
Under the Saubhagya scheme, Rajasthan has the maximum number of households electrified through the solar-based standalone system. In hill states of Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir had nil beneficiaries under the initiative. Under the Saubhagya Scheme, 2.817 crore households were electrified up to March 31 last year, including 4.16 lakh through solar-based standalone systems.
Under the Saubhagya scheme, as many as 1,23,682 households were electrified through the solar-based standalone system in Rajasthan, followed by Chhattisgarh (65,373), Uttar Pradesh (53,234), Assam (50,754), Bihar (39,100), Maharashtra (30,538), Odisha (13,735), Madhya Pradesh (12,651), Power Minister R K Singh told the Lok Sabha.
What is Saubhagya scheme?
The Hon’ble Prime Minister launched the Saubhagya scheme on 25th September 2017 to achieve universal household electrification covering every village and every district in the country. Universal household electrification requires the creation of electricity access through last-mile connectivity. Scheme outlay is 16,320 crore including Gross Budgetary Support of 12,320 crores.
Gita Mittal appointed as chairperson of Committee of Administrators to run TTFI
Delhi High Court has appointed former Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Gita Mittal as the Chairperson of the Committee of Administrators which will run the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). The court ordered that all communications on behalf of TTFI with any sportsperson or international sports bodies, will now take place only through the Committee of Administrators and the existing office bearers shall no longer be entitled to discharge any functions.
The office bearers will help the Committee of Administrators, as and when requested and a monthly honorarium of Rs 3 lakh and Rs 1 lakh each will be paid to Chairperson and two members, respectively.
Important notes:
- Table Tennis Federation of India President: Dushyant Chautala;
- Table Tennis Federation of India Headquarters: New Delhi;
- Table Tennis Federation of India Founded: 1926.
India to replace diesel by renewable energy in agriculture by 2024
Union Power Minister R K Singh has announced that India will achieve zero-diesel use in agriculture and replace fossil fuel with renewable energy by 2024. For this, states should develop action plans to achieve the assigned targets and specific agencies dedicated to energy efficiency and conservation. This initiative is a part of the government’s commitment to increase the share of non-fossil fuels by 2030 and become a net-zero emitter by 2070.
Union minister chaired a virtual meeting with additional chief secretaries and principal secretaries of power in states for collaboration between the Central and state governments for achieving energy transition goals.
Note:
- The govt urged that the states should develop an action plan to achieve the assigned targets
- It said that the central government is working for a new and modern India, which cannot happen without modern power systems
