Daily Current Affairs Analysis Today : 01 –March-2023 This section is designed to provide a comprehensive and in-depth insight into the world of current affairs. It covers major national and international news and events, important international summits, important national events, political developments, economic developments, sports news and entertainment events. It also provides information regarding upcoming exams like UPSC, IAS/PCS, Banking, IBPS, SSC, Railway, UPPSC, RPSC, BPSC, MPPSC and TNPSC. This section also provides updates on current affairs related to Science & Technology and Business & Economy. In addition to this it also offers regular tests to improve your knowledge on Current Affairs.
Lionel Messi beats Mbappé, Benzema to win The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2022 award
Argentina and PSG forward Lionel Messi beat Kylian Mbappé and Karim Benzema to win The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2022 award.
The 35-year-old bagged the award following Argentina’s victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Messi had won Golden Ball award at the World Cup. In the FIFA Awards vote, Messi had 52 points, Mbappé 44, and Benzema 34.
The winners of The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022:
The Best FIFA Women’s Player: Alexia Putellas (Spain/FC Barcelona Femení)
The Best FIFA Men’s Player: Lionel Messi (Argentina/Paris Saint-Germain FC)
The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper: Mary Earps (England/Manchester United WFC)
The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper: Emiliano Martínez (Argentina/Aston Villa FC)
The Best FIFA Women’s Coach: Sarina Wiegman (England Women’s National Team)
The Best FIFA Men’s Coach: Lionel Scaloni (Argentina Men’s National Team)
The FIFA Puskás Award: Marcin Oleksy (Poland/Warta Poznań)
The FIFA Fair Play Award: Luka Lochoshvili (Georgia/Wolfsberger AC/U.S. Cremonese)
The FIFA Fan Award: Argentinian Fans
Who won Best FIFA Men’s Player 2022 award? Lionel Messi
Shailesh Pathak becomes new secretary-general of FICCI
Former bureaucrat Shailesh Pathak has been appointed as the new Secretary General of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).
He will take over the charge on March 1. In a career spanning 37 years, Pathak has worked with the government as an IAS officer as well as helmed large companies in the private sector.
He has an MBA degree from IIM Calcutta in 1986 after graduation. He has completed an LLB and a Diploma in Ornithology.
He has scaled a 6831 metre peak in the Himalayas and has trekked extensively.
FICCI:
Founded: 1927;
Headquarters: New Delhi
Founder: Ghanshyam Das Birla
President: Sanjiv Mehta
Who has been appointed as the new Secretary General of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI)? Shailesh Pathak
IOC plans to set up green hydrogen plants at all refineries
India’s top oil firm IOC will set up green hydrogen plants at all its refineries as it pivots a Rs 2-lakh crore green transition plan to achieve net-zero emissions from its operations by 2046.
Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is re-modelling business with an increased focus on petrochemicals to hedge volatility in the fuel business, while at the same time turning petrol pumps into energy outlets that offer EV charging points and battery swapping options besides conventional fuels as it looks to make itself future-ready.
The company intends to expand its refining capacity to 106.7 million tonnes per annum from 81.2 million tonnes as it sees India’s oil demand climbing from 5.1 million barrels per day to 7-7.2 million bpd by 2030 and 9 million bpd by 2040.
Significance:
Hydrogen — the cleanest known fuel that discharges only oxygen and water when burnt — is being touted as the fuel of the future, but its relatively higher cost then alternate fuel currently limit its usage in industries. Refineries, which turn crude oil into fuel such as petrol and diesel, use hydrogen to lower the sulfur content of diesel fuel.
This hydrogen is currently produced using fossil fuels such as natural gas. IOC plans to use electricity generated from renewable sources such as solar to split water to produce green hydrogen. The company will set up a 7,000 tonnes per annum green hydrogen producing facility at its Panipat oil refinery at a cost of Rs 2,000 crore by 2025.
Currently, IOC’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, emanating majorly from the company’s refining operations, is 21.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e) per annum. This will rise to 40.44 MMTCO2e by 2030 after considering the expansions planned and taking the emissions of its subsidiaries into account.
The company plans to use natural gas in refineries in place of liquid fuels as well as replace grey hydrogen (produced from fossil fuel) with green one that is manufactured from renewable power.
It plans for green hydrogen to account for 50 per cent of its overall hydrogen output in 5-10 years and 100 per cent by 2040.
Vaidya also said IOC plans to raise renewable energy capacity to 12 gigawatts from current 256 MW, and would have electric vehicle charging facilities at 10,000 fuel stations in two years.
Which India’s top oil company is working on a Rs 2 lakh crore green transformation plan to achieve net zero emissions from its operations by 2046? IOC
Japan to provide loans worth Rs 2,288 crore for two projects in India
Japan will provide loans worth Rs 2,288 crore to India for the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link Project in Maharashtra and for a Super-Specialty Cancer and Research Centre in Mizoram.
It has approved JPY 30.755 billion or about Rs 1,728 crore for the project in Maharashtra and JPY 9.918 billion or around Rs 560 crore for developing the centre in Mizoram.
Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link Project aims to improve connectivity in Mumbai Metropolitan Region by connecting Mumbai with Navi Mumbai, thereby contributing to mitigation of traffic congestion and promoting regional economic development.
This is tranche-III loan for the project.
The project for the centre in Mizoram aims to improve access to cancer prevention, detection, and treatment as well as human resource development and research that support cancer control system.
This will contribute to achieving universal health coverage through strengthening the healthcare system pertaining to cancer in the state.
India and Japan have had a long and fruitful history of bilateral development cooperation since 1958.
Japan
Prime minister: Fumio Kishida
Capital: Tokyo
Currency: Japanese Yen
Continent: Asia
Recently which nation will provide loans worth Rs 2,288 crore to India for the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link Project in Maharashtra and for a Super-Specialty Cancer and Research Centre in Mizoram? Japan
Govt. launches Grievance Appellate Committee for social media complaints
Govt. has launched a grievance appellate panel mechanism, that will look into appeals by users against decisions of social media platforms.
The digital platform, Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC), is a powerful tool for ensuring accountability of platforms to their users.
IT rules had been strengthened in October to pave the way for formation of the Centre-appointed panels to settle often-ignored user grievances against the way social media platforms addressed their complaints regarding content and other matters.
This platform will go live on March 1.
The National Informatics Centre (NIC) has developed the platform, and it will be inaugurated by the Ministry of electronics and information.
Further, the government is expecting a major spike in the cases and the government is fully assured that the government will be able to handle the complaints effectively.
How it Works?
The platform will automatically sort and segregate the complaints, will pop up to the government, then the appointed Grievance Appellate Committee (GACs) will escalate the complaint that requires interventions to its three subcommittee members.
The significant social media intermediaries (SSMIs) such as Google and Meta will be a mandatory part of the platform that will address the complaints and will have to file their complaints to the grievances portal.
The Govt. has launched a grievance appellate panel mechanism GAC, that will look into appeals by users against decisions of social media platforms. In context to same waht does the term GAC stands for? Grievance Appellate Committee
T.N. CM Stalin launches special nutrition programme for infants, mothers and children of up to six years
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin, inaugurates seven programmes, including expansion of free breakfast scheme to government school students and lay foundation stone for 44 hospitals at a cost of 1,136 crore, and distribute orders for jobs and welfare schemes.
He launched a special nutrition programme of the social welfare department to ensure children’s growth was healthy.
Other programmes include enhancement of monthly aid to the third gender to 1,500 from 1,000, house site patta to differently-abled on a priority and signing of MoUs to make conservancy labourers become entrepreneurs.
Under the programme, more than 1.11 lakh children will be provided with ‘ready-to-use therapeutic food’ for 56 days, spanning over eight weeks.
Mothers of babies up to six months of age will be provided with a kit that includes iron syrup, dates and nutritional supplements, among other things.
Mr. Stalin also launched the expansion of the Prime Minister’s Main Breakfast program to more schools, benefiting more than 56,000 students in addition.
In total, more than 1.06 lakh students studying up to class 5 in more than 970 government-run schools across the state will benefit from the CM breakfast scheme.
Tamil Nadu
Capital: Chennai
Governor: R. N. Ravi
Chief minister: M. K. Stalin
Language: Tamil
Recently MK Stalin launches special nutrition programme for infants, mothers and children of up to six years in the state. In contect to same he is the incumbent CM of which state? Tamil Nadu
India approves its largest hydropower project of $3.9 bn near China border
India has approved its largest-ever hydropower project worth $3.9 billion in the mountainous northeastern region bordering China.
State-owned NHPC, which received approval from the government for expenditure on pre-investment activities and various clearances, will build the 2,880-megawatt Dibang project in Arunachal Pradesh.
The project is estimated to take nine years to complete.
NHPC Limited:
Founded: 1975
Headquarters: Faridabad, Haryana, India
Chairman & Managing Director: Shri Rajeev Kumar Vishnoi
Recently, India has approved its biggest ever hydroelectric project of ___ in the mountainous northeastern region bordering China. 3.9 billion dollars
ISRO successfully conducts key engine test for Chandrayaan-3
ISRO announced the successful completion of the flight acceptance hot test of the CE-20 cryogenic engine that will power the cryogenic upper stage of the launch vehicle for the Chandrayaan-3 mission.
The hot test was carried out for a planned duration of 25 seconds at the High Altitude Test Facility of the ISRO Propulsion Complex at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu
Earlier this year, Chandrayaan-3 lander successfully underwent the EMI/EMC test at UR Rao Satellite Centre.
Key Points:
EMI-EMC (Electro – Magnetic Interference/ Electro – Magnetic Compatibility) test is conducted for satellite missions to ensure the functionality of the satellite subsystems in the space environment and their compatibility with the expected electromagnetic levels.
Chandrayaan-3 interplanetary mission has three major modules: the propulsion module, lander module, and a rover. The mission’s complexity calls for establishing radio-frequency (RF) communication links between the modules.
Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface. ISRO plans to launch the mission in June.
It will be launched by Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM3) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh). The propulsion module will carry the lander and rover configuration till 100 km lunar orbit. It has Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload to study the spectral and polari metric measurements of Earth from the lunar orbit.
ISRO announced the successful completion of the flight acceptance hot test of which engine that will power the launch vehicle’s cryogenic upper stage for the Chandrayaan-3 mission? CE-20 cryogenic engine
RBL Bank enters into agreement with Exim Bank for trade finance
RBL Bank, the private lender said that it has reached an agreement with Export-Import Bank of India (India Exim Bank) under the Trade Assistance Programme (TAP) in order to facilitate cross-border commercial operations.
Export-Import Bank of India (India Exim Banktrade’s) assistance programme for cross-border transactions intends to facilitate India’s exports globally by providing credit enhancement to trade instruments.
Key Points
India Exim Bank will open new trade channels with the participating foreign banks and institutions in emerging countries through the programme.
The TAP’s credit upgrades for trade instruments will encourage the mobilisation of trade financing and strengthen aid to Indian exporters.
RBL Bank signs an agreement with Exim Bank: Attendees
On February 27, 2023, in the presence of Ms. Harsha B. Bangari, Managing Director – India Exim Bank, and Mr. R. Subramaniakumar, MD & CEO, RBL Bank, the agreement was signed at India Exim Bank’s headquarters in Cuffe Parade.
Which bank has reached an agreement with India Exim Bank under the Trade Assistance Programme in order to facilitate cross-border commercial operations? RBL Bank
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