Current Affairs

22^nd December 2022

Top 19 Daily Current Affairs: National & International News:

Here is the Daily Current Affairs of the 22nd December 2022 covering the following news headlines: National Mathematics Day, Puma India, Olympic Games Paris 2024, Blind T20 World Cup 2022, Oscars 2023, Orunodoi 2.0 Scheme.

National News

1. BF.7 New Covid Variant of Omicron driving surge in China, 4 Cases found in India

BF.7, New Covid Variant : The BF.7 sub-variant of Omicron that is prevalent in China is thought to be the cause of the present spike in Covid-19 infections there. This isn’t the first time BF.7 has been in the spotlight; back in October, it began to displace the main variations in the US and several other European nations.

The massive Covid rise in China is being caused by the BF.7 sub-variant of Omicron, which has been found in four cases in India. In Gujarat and Odisha, the instances of BF.7 Covid Variant first came to light. Currently, the Covid protocol is not required in the nation.

States News

2. Madhya Pradesh: Indore gets the Country’s First Infantry Museum

The country’s first Infantry Museum has been opened for the general public at Mhow, Indore, Madhya Pradesh. This museum is the first in the country and second in the world. Before this, such a museum has been built in America.

The Army inaugurated to celebrate the Victory Day and the eve of the 75th year of the establishment of the Infantry School. The world-class museum has been set up with the intention of showcasing the Infantry. The project was conceived in July 2003 as a national-level training hall cum research centre.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams: 

Madhya Pradesh Capital: Bhopal;

Madhya Pradesh Governor: Mangubhai C. Patel;

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister: Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Appointments News

3. Senior nuclear scientist Dinesh Kumar Shukla named as new head of AERB

According to an order issued from the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Dinesh Kumar Shukla to the post of Chairperson of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB). Shukla is the Former Executive Director of AERB.

Shukla a graduate in Mechanical Engineering from Jabalpur University of Madhya Pradesh (MP). He joined the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in the year 1981 after completing the 25th batch of BARC Training School.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams: 

Atomic Energy Regulatory Board Founded:15 November 1983;

Atomic Energy Regulatory Board Headquarters: Mumbai.

Economy News

4. Gross Direct Tax Collections for FY 2022-23 Register Growth of 25.90%

The Gross collection of Direct Taxes has registered a growth of 25.90 percent which stood at 13,63,649 crore rupees in the financial year 2022-23. The Gross collection in the corresponding period stood at 10,83,150 crore rupees.

According to the Finance Ministry data, the Net Direct tax collection for FY 2022-23 stood at 11,35,754 crore rupees, registering a growth of 19.81 percent. The Net Direct tax collection for the corresponding period was recorded at 9,47,959 crore rupees.

5. Note in Circulation Rise 8% Annually to Rs 32 Lakh Crore: FM

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said note in circulation (NiC) has witnessed an annual growth of 7.98 per cent to Rs 31.92 lakh crore as of December 2, 2022. The demand for currency depends upon several macroeconomic factors, including economic growth and level of interest rates, she said.

Six years after demonetisation, the currency in circulation has jumped to a new high of Rs 32 lakh crore reflecting that cash still remains the preferred choice of payment for Indians. Compared with the pre-demonetisation period, it has increased by a massive 72 per cent from Rs 17 lakh crore on November 4, 2016.

Business News

6. IPL surpasses $10 billion valuation and becomes decacorn

IPL surpasses $10 billion valuation: The Indian Premier League (IPL), whose total valuation has surpassed $10 billion, has evolved into a decacorn. A D and P Advisory report made public on Tuesday states that the league is currently worth $10.9 billion. Notably, it has shown a startling 75% rise since 2020.

IPL’s expansion has been aided by lucrative agreements with industry titans in media.

A company valued at more than $10.0 billion is referred to as a decacorn.

In less than 15 years since its beginning, the IPL has reached the milestone.

Months after India won the first ICC T20 World Cup, the competition’s first edition was contested in 2008.

Since then, the IPL has become steadily stronger with well-known athletes from all over the world taking part.

Ranks and Reports News

7. UNESCO heritage sites tentative list: Sun Temple & Vadnagar town Rock cut sculpture added

Three new cultural sites in India, including the iconic Sun Temple at Modhera, historic Vadnagar town in Gujarat, and rock-cut relief sculptures of Unakoti in Tripura, have been added to the tentative list of UNESCO world heritage sites.

The UNESCO website describes a tentative list as an “inventory of those properties which each State Party intends to consider for nomination”.

The 52 “Sites on the Tentative List,” as defined by UNESCO, also include Temples in Bishnupur, West Bengal (added to the list in 1998), Mattanchery Palace in Kerala (added in 1998), Wild Ass Sanctuary, and Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat (added in 2006). So far in 2022, 6 Indian sites have been included to the tentative list.

8. Guru Nanak Dev University becomes only University in India to get A grade by NAAC

The Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar has got A grade by scoring 3.85 points in National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) grading, thereby becoming the only University in India to get this score.

GNDU is the only State/Central/Private University in India to get this score. Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) is the only other educational institution with a higher grade of 3.89 in the country.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams: 

National Assessment and Accreditation Council Founded: 1994;

National Assessment and Accreditation Council President: D. P. Singh;

National Assessment and Accreditation Council Headquarters: Bangalore, Karnataka, India.

Schemes and Conferences News

9. Assam Government Launched Orunodoi 2.0 Scheme

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched the second version of ‘Orunodoi’, the flagship scheme of the state government aimed at providing financial security to financially disadvantaged families.

Around 17 lakh women have been receiving an amount of Rs 1,250 each on the 10th of every month through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) method under the first phase of this social sector scheme.

With the addition of another 10.5 lakh new beneficiaries from now onwards, it would add up to a total of 27 lakh-plus beneficiaries.

All the existing beneficiaries of the Deen Dayal Divyangan Pension Yojana and Indira Miri Widow Pension Scheme would be subsumed under Orunodoi 2.0. Divyangans and transgenders would also be included under the ‘Orunodoi’ scheme.

Defence News

10. Indian Navy Launches INS Arnala: Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft

The Indian Navy launched ‘Arnala’, the first of the eight indigenously-built anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft (ASW-SWC), at the shipbuilding facility of L&T in Chennai’s Kattupall. Built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), ‘Arnala’ made its first contact with the water of the Bay of Bengal.

The ship has been named ‘Arnala’ to signify the strategic maritime importance accorded to the island of Arnala, located about 13 kilometres north of Vasai, Maharashtra, by Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. 

Awards News

11. The Last Show And RRR’s Naatu Naatu Make It To Shortlist: Oscars 2023

The Gujarati-language Chhello Show (The Last Show), which is India’s official entry for the 2023 Academy Awards or Oscars awards in the International Feature film category, has been shortlisted for next year’s Academy Awards.

Meanwhile, the track Naatu Naatu from SS Rajamouli’s RRR has been shortlisted in the Best Original Song Category. The Academy announced the list of shortlisted entries in 10 categories. The nominations for the Academy Awards will be announced on January 24.

India’s history with the Oscar entries for the last few years were – Koozhangal, Jallikattu, Gully Boy, Village Rockstars, Newton, Visaranani, all of which have failed to make the Oscar shortlist. The only Indian films to have been nominated for an Oscar so far have been Mother India, Salaam Bombay and Lagaan.

Science and Tecnology News

13. India’s Manned Space Flight Gaganyaan to be Launched in the Fourth Quarter of 2024

The Government has said, the country’s maiden human space flight mission, Gaganyaan, is targeted to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Science & Technology Minister, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, in view of the paramount importance of crew safety, two uncrewed flights are scheduled, before the final human space flight- ‘H1 mission’, to demonstrate the performance of the crew escape system and parachute-based deceleration system for different flight conditions.

Sports News

14. Blind T20 World Cup 2022: India Beat Bangladesh by 120 runs

The Indian national blind cricket team won the T20 World Cup for the Blind for the third time in a row. They defeated Bangladesh at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium by a commanding score of 120 runs.

The Indian captain, Ajay Kumar Reddy elected to bat after winning the toss, and his side eventually set a challenging total of 277 runs for Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi team could only muster 157 runs for three in return.

Blind T20 World Cup 2022: Prize Money And Awards Winners List

Man of the Match in Final: Sunil Ramesh (IND)

Man of the Tournament in B3 category: Sunil Ramesh (IND)

Man of the Tournament in B2 Category: Ajay Kumar Reddy (IND)

Man of the Tournament in B1 Category: Mohammed Mahmud Rashid (BAN)

Blind T20 World Cup 2022: Prize Money:

Winners: Rs 3 Lakh

Runners-up: Rs 1.50 Lakh

15. Viacom18 gets Olympic Games Paris 2024 Broadcast Rights Across India & Subcontinent

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that Viacom18 Media Private Limited (Viacom18) has secured the exclusive media rights to broadcast the Olympic Games Paris 2024, plus non-exclusive rights to the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024, in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Through the agreement, Viacom18 will provide multi-platform coverage of the Games, and free-to-air television coverage within the region. In 2024 Olympics will be hosted by France in Paris, beginning from July 26 to August 11.

16. Puma India ropes in Anushka Sharma as brand ambassador

The manufacturer and designer of causal and athletic footwear, Puma has roped in Bollywood actor and entrepreneur Anushka Sharma as its brand ambassador. The association is intended to “accelerate Puma’s strong commitment towards women consumer segment”.

The actor will endorse the brand’s footwear, apparel and accessories, including select collections through myriad activities and brand campaigns, throughout the year.

Important Days

17. National Mathematics Day 2022 celebrates on 22 December

National Mathematics Day is celebrated on December 22 across the nation every year. The National Mathematics Day is marked to recognise and celebrate the works of Srinivasa Ramanujan. Srinivasa Ramanujan, the Indian mathematical genius, was born on this day in 1887.

This year nation celebrates his 135th birth anniversary of Ramanujan. The main objective behind the celebration of National Mathematics Day is to make people aware of the development of mathematics and its importance in the growth of humanity.

The day was announced on 26 February 2012 by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to mark the 125th anniversary of the birth of the Indian mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan (22 Dec 1887- 26 Apr 1920). 2012 was also observed as National Mathematics Year.

Obituaries News

18. Gamaka exponent and Padma Shri awardee, H.R Keshava Murthy passes away

H.R. Keshava Murthy, a senior gamaka exponent, who was honoured with Padma Shri earlier this year, passed away. He was born in a family of gamaka artists. He had his initial training from his father Ramaswamy Shastry.

Under the guidance of Venkateshaiah he continued his studies. Over the decades he has presented hundreds of programmes and trained many students. Through his performances, he publicised noted Kannada epics. Hosahalli, his native place, is known for many music talents.

Keshava Murthy has been honored with many awards inlcuding Shantala Natya Shri award, by the State government and different cultural organisations. The President honoured him with the Padma Shri this year. The residents of his village celebrated the occasion.

Miscellaneous News

19. Indian Railways opens nation’s longest ‘escape tunnel’ in Kashmir

India’s longest escape tunnel, which is 12.89 km long constructed on the 111 km under-construction Banihal-Katra railway line in Jammu and Kashmir was completed by the Indian Railways.

The longest tunnel is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Line (USBRL) project. This is the fourth tunnel on the Banihal-Katra route following the 12.75 km tunnel T-49, the longest tunnel of the Indian Railways, which was completed in January this year.