Australian Government announces billion-dollar package to protect Great Barrier Reef
A billion-dollar plan has been unveiled by the Australian Government to protect the Climate ravaged Great Barrier Reef. The plan aims to prevent the vast networks of corals from being removed from UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The plan has been announced months after narrowly avoiding the reef being placed on UNESCO’s in danger list. As per the recent study, bleaching had affected 98% of reefs since 1998, leaving just a fraction of untouched. People in Australia are also in favour of action to limit climate change after experiencing strings of global warming-worsened disasters.
India’s GDP projected to grow by 8-8.5 percent in FY 2023
India’s GDP is projected to grow by 8-8.5 percent in Fiscal Year 2022-23, as per Economic Survey 2021-22. The Economic Survey 2022 was tabled by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha. The survey report has been prepared by Principal Economic Adviser Sanjeev Sanyal and his team of advisors.
BharatPe Firm begins Independent Audit
BharatPe has started an independent audit of the "company's internal processes and systems". This comes a week after BharatPe’s co-founder Ashneer Grover took a voluntary leave till March-end after a controversy over an audio clip, in which he was heard verbally abusing a Kotak Mahindra Bank employee. His wife Madhuri Jain Grover, who is the Head of Controls, has also gone on leave.
What Got Costlier and Cheaper?
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced slew of changes in the customs duty for several products in her Union Budget Speech 2022, which will invariably affect the price of the commodities. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced 5% deduction in customs duty on gems, cut and polished diamonds. The customs duty on imitation jewelry and chemicals has also been reduced. The customs duty on umbrellas has been increased to 20%.
Income Tax 2022 Budget: No change in Income Tax slabs
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that individuals will now be able to file an updated Income Tax Return within two years of the relevant assessment year. The Finance Minister did not announce any change in the income tax slabs. The income tax slabs and rates will remain same as before.
Check Tax on Crypto in India!
FM Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the Reserve Bank of India will be introducing a digital rupee in her Union Budget 2022-23 speech on February 1, 2022. The introduction of the central bank digital currency will give a huge boost to the economy. The digital rupee introduced by the RBI will be held in a digital wallet, under the supervision of the central bank.
Lieutenant General PGK Menon appointed as new Military Secretary in Army Headquarters
Lieutenant General PGK Menon has been appointed as the new Military Secretary in the Army Headquarters. He was previously serving as the commander of the Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps.
The Military Secretary is one of the Principal Staff Officers of the Chief of Army Staff. The role of the Military Secretary is being responsible for promotions and postings of the entire officer cadre of the Indian Army.
PR Sreejesh becomes second Indian to win World Games Athlete of the Year 2021 award
Indian men's hockey team goalkeeper, PR Sreejesh was named World Games Athlete of the Year 2021 on January 31, 2022. He became the first Indian male athlete and second Indian sportsperson overall to win the honour.
Indian women's hockey team captain Rani Rampal was the first Indian to win the World Games Athlete of the Year honour in 2020 .
PR Sreejesh was an integral part of the Indian men's hockey team that won the bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics 2020. The 33-year-old beat Spain's sport climbing Olympic champion Alberto Ginés López and Italian wushu player Michele Giordano to win the World Games Athlete of the Year 2021 award.
World Wetlands Day 2022
World Wetlands Day is observed every year on February 2 to raise awareness about the importance of wetlands and the need to preserve them. The day commemorates the date when the Convention on Wetlands was adopted in 1971. The World Wetlands Day 2022 is significant as this is the first time that the day will be observed as a United Nationals International Day.
World Wetlands Day 2022 theme is "Wetlands Action for People and Nature". The theme aims to highlight the importance of actions that ensure that wetlands are conserved and sustainably used.
Hoysala temples in Karnataka nominated for World Heritage Sites list 2022-23
India has finalised the Hoysala Temples in Karnataka as its nominations for consideration in the World Heritage Sites List for 2022-23. The Hoysala temples in Belur and Halebeedu in Hassan district and Somanathapura in Mysuru district have been nominated. They were finalized by the Union Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Union Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region G Kishan Reddy confirmed the news through a tweet on January 31, 2022. The Minister tweeted, "The most exquisite Hoysala Temples of Belur, Halebeedu & Somanathapura in Karnataka have been finalised as India’s nomination for consideration as World Heritage for the year 2022-2023. The 'Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala' are on the UNESCO’s Tentative list since 15th April 2014”."
The Minister further said let us sincerely pray that these temples get inscribed as World Heritage in 2023. He tweeted, "These temples represent one of the highest points of human creative genius and stand testimony to the rich historical and cultural heritage of our country."
Neeraj Chopra nominated for Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year 2022 Award
India's Olympic Champion Neeraj Chopra has been nominated for the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award 2022. He is one of the six nominees for the award. The other nominees include Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev, British tennis player Emma Raducanu, Spanish footballer Pedri, Australian Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus and Venezuelan athlete Yulimar Rojas.
Neeraj Chopra is the third Indian athlete to be nominated for Laureus World Sports Awards after wrestler Vinesh Phogat in 2019 and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, who had won the Laureus Sporting Moment 2000-2020 Award.
Zydus Cadila commences COVID-19 vaccine supply to centre
Zydus Cadila announced on February 2, 2022 that it has begun shipping supplies of its COVID-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D to the central government. The order has been shipped from the company's newly commissioned state-of-the-art, Zydus Vaccine Technology Excellence Centre at the Zydus Biotech Park in Changodar, Ahmedabad. The company is also planning to make its vaccine available in the private market soon. ZyCoV-D is a three-dose COVID-19 vaccine, administered intradermally using painless needles.
New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell awarded with ICC Spirit of Cricket
New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell has been named the winner of the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award. Mitchell won the award for his gesture in New Zealand's semi-final match against England in the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Abu Dhabi. Daryl Mitchell has become the fourth New Zealand player to win the ICC award after Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson. He won the award for refusing to take a single in the high-pressure T20 World Cup semi-final on November 10, 2021.
Centre approves renaming of three places in MP
The central government has approved the proposal for the renaming of three places in Madhya Pradesh. The proposals include renaming of Hoshangabad Nagar as "Narmadapuram", Shivpuri as "Kundeshwar Dham" and Babai as "Makhan Nagar". Hoshangabad, which is located on the south bank of River Narmada, was named after Hoshang Shah, the first Malwa ruler, over 600 years ago. The centre has, however, reportedly frozen the proposed name change of West Bengal to Bangla, saying that the proposed name sounds similar to the neighbouring country of Bangladesh.
Home Ministry restructures IB cadre
The Union Home Ministry has approved the restructuring of the Intelligence Bureau cadre. The executive cadre's strength however remains same at 20, 054 after the restructuring. The restructuring of the IB cadre has been approved to increase promotions in the organisation. The expenditure on this account will be met from its sanctioned budget grants.
