Current Affairs

Three C-17 Globemaster of IAF carrying more than 600 Indians stranded in Ukraine land at Hindon airbase near Delhi

Three Indian Air Force C-17 aircrafts carrying Indians stranded in Ukraine being operated under Operation Ganga have arrived at Hindon Air Base near Delhi. The first Indian Air Force evacuation flight carrying 200 Indians from Romanian capital Bucharest arrived at the Hindon Air Base near New Delhi in the early hours today. Another Indian Air Force's C-17 aircraft carrying 210 Indian passengers on board from Budapest in Hungary landed at Hindon Air Base. The third IAF flight carrying  208 Indian nationals reached from Poland.

Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt received the Indian citizens on their arrival and interacted with them. In a tweet, Mr Bhatt said that he is highly obliged to IAF's crew and pilots for their round-the-clock service and support to Government’s efforts in bringing Indian citizens safely back home.



IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to inaugurate 3rd edition of NIC Tech Conclave in New Delhi

Communications and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will inaugurate the 3rd edition of NIC Tech Conclave in New Delhi today. The two-day event being organized by the National Informatics Centre NIC. Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar, will grace the event as guest of honour. The event will be attended by the Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and other dignitaries from Centre and State Governments. NIC has been organizing Tech Conclave focused on Emerging Technologies applicable especially in e-Governance. The Theme for Tech Conclave this year is “Next-Gen Technologies for Digital Government”.

The speakers in this 2022 Conclave are experts from the IT industry who will share their expertise in various areas like Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, Next Gen Database Solutions, Cyber Security, Future of Cloud, and various e-Governance Solutions, etc.



Mahagram to power Bank of Maharashtra’s project Bank Sakhi in Odisha

Bank of Maharashtra has tied up with Mahagram to roll out the ‘Bank Sakhi’ project in Odisha. The fintech would provide financial technology and infrastructure support to augment rural financial inclusion.

“As part of the tie-up, the company has onboarded more than 11,000 bank sakhis (women) on the BharatATM platform to help the rural citizens avail basic banking services at their doorstep or the next door Kirana stores,” it said in a statement on Monday.



Dr Bhushan Patwardhan appointed chairperson of NAAC executive committee

Pune-based leading academician and former vice-chairman of the University Grants Commission Dr Bhushan Patwardhan has been nominated as the new chairperson of the executive committee of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).

Currently the chairman of the interdisciplinary AYUSH R&D task force on Covid-19, Dr Patwardhan has been a distinguished academician for nearly 40 years and has been a member of several academic research and policy committees including the NITI Aayog, Planning Commission, Lancet Citizen’s Commission, National Board of Examination and with the United Nations and World Health Organization Geneva.



Trouble for Roman Abramovich, Alisher Usmanov as UK introduces sanctions for Russian oligarchs

Roman Abramovich's attempt to shift the "stewardship and care" of Chelsea to the Premier League club's foundation has sparked the trustees to report the move to the British body overseeing charities.

The unexpected announcement from the Chelsea owner, which lacked full clarity, was issued on Saturday following calls for him to be targeted by British sanctions regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine and to sell the club.



Japan and India renews Bilateral Swap Arrangement of up to $75 billion

Bilateral Swap Arrangement is a two-way arrangement where both authorities can swap their local currencies in exchange for the US Dollar
Japan and India have renewed the Bilateral Swap Arrangement (BSA) of up to $75 billion with effect from February 28, 2022.

The Bank of Japan, acting as agent for the Minister of Finance of Japan, and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) signed the Amendment and Restatement Agreement of the BSA, per a RBI statement.



Indian student killed in shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine

An Indian student has lost his life in shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine on Tuesday morning. In a series of tweets, the External Affairs Ministry conveyed its deepest condolences to the family.

The Ministry said, it is in touch with his family. It informed that the Foreign Secretary is calling in Ambassadors of Russia and Ukraine to reiterate India's demand for urgent safe passage for its nationals who are still in Kharkiv and cities in other conflict zones. Similar action is also being undertaken by the Indian Ambassadors in Russia and Ukraine.

Official sources said India had already taken up with the Russian and Ukrainian Embassies the pressing requirement of safe passage for Indian nationals, including students, from Kharkiv and other cities in conflict zones. This demand has been repeatedly made of Russia and Ukraine since the beginning of this conflict on 24th of February.



Govt invites applications for National Startup Awards 2022

Government has invited applications for National Startup Awards 2022 across 17 sectors and 7 special categories. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade has launched the third edition of the National Startup Awards.

In line with Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Awards will acknowledge startups and enablers who have been instrumental in revolutionising the development story of India. The 17 sectors include Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Construction, Drinking Water, Education and Skill Development, Energy, Enterprise Technology, Environment, and FinTech.



JEE Main 2022 to be held in two sessions; in April and May

The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main dates for the 2022 exams have been announced. The National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct JEE Main 2022 in two sessions. The first session will be held in April while the second session will be conducted in May this year. The tentative date for examination for session-1 is 16th to 21st April and for second session, the date of examination will be from 24th to 29th May. The Online application for JEE Main has begun form today and candidates can apply till 31st of March.

Candidates can check the official website for details on JEE Main 2022 at
jeemain.nta.nic.in
. The helpline numbers for the candidates are 011-69227700 and 011-40759000.



Exam dates for JEE Main 2022 announced; Registration process begins

The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main dates for the 2022 exams have been announced. The National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct JEE Main 2022 in two sessions. The first session will be held in April while the second session will be conducted in May this year. The tentative date for examination for session 1 is 16th to 21st April and for the second session, the date of examination will be from 24th to 29th May. The Online application for JEE Main has already begun and candidates can apply till 31st of March. Candidates can check the official website for details on JEE Main 2022 at
jeemain.nta.nic.in
. The helpline numbers for the candidates are 011-69227700 and 011-40759000