Latest Current Affairs part-2

by Saurabh Kumar Pandey

Statue of Equality

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated the ‘Statue of

Equality commemorating the 11th-century of Vaishnavaite Saint Sri
Ramanujacharya in Hyderabad.The statue is 216-feet tall and erected in
the 40-acre land in the outskirts of Hyderabad.
Born in 1017, Ramanujacharya also known as Ilaiya Perumal.
He is known for his influential thinking towards devotional Hinduism.
The great poet-saint Ramanuja was an eminent teacher and the founder of
Vishishtadwaita. He was an expert in Vedic scriptures. A community of
Vaishnavites has been following his path called Vedanta. Sri
Ramanujacharya was also known for his social reforms.

 Katalin Novák – Hungary’s First Female President

 Yoon Suk-yeol: New President of South Korea
 The largest reclining statue of Lord Buddha in India is being built in
Bodh Gaya, Bihar.The statue will be 30 feet high and 100 feet long.
 On February 28, 2022, the government appointed Madhabi Puri Buch
as the new chairperson of SEBI. Madhabi Puri Buch is the first
 woman chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Board of India
(SEBI).She was the former head of ICICI Securities. In between 2017
to 2021, she also served in SEBI, as a Whole Time Member. Now,
she succeeded Ajay Tyagi as the chairperson of SEBI.
 Bill Gates, noted philanthropist and creator of Microsoft have been
awarded the Hilal-e-Pakistan, Pakistan’s second-highest civilian
honor, for his efforts to help eradicate polio in the country.
 The Government of India recently added two new Ramsar sites. The
sites were added on the World Wetlands Day. Bakhira Wild life
sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh and Khijadia Bird Sanctuary in Gujarat.
These are the 48th and 49th Ramsar sites of India.
 The Government of India has appointed Anantha Nageswaran as the
new Chief Economic Advisor.
 PMEAC chairman:- Bibek Debroy
 The Olympic Gold medal winner Neeraj Chopra was honoured with
the Prama Vishisht Seva Medal.
 Smriti Manadhana of India has won the ICC Women Cricketer of the
year 2021. She is the second woman player to win the award in the
world. Ellyse Perry of Australia was the first woman player to win the
award.
 Content creator and actress Prajakta Koli become India’s first UN
Development Programme (UNDP) Youth Climate Champion. She
won the title under her partnership with the UNDP. Title has been
conferred to her because of her contribution towards mental health,
girl child education and women’s rights through various global social
campaigns.
 The Indonesians are moving to a new capital East Kalimantan and It
is now called ‘Nusantara’. Earlier, Jakarta was the capital of
Indonesia. The plan to shift the capital here was announced in 2019
and It was announced by President Joko Widodo. Jakarta is in Java
island and Nusantara is in Borneo island.
 Dr S Somnath became the new chairman of ISRO. He succeeded K
Sivan.
 The Assam Mission on Malnutrition was launched in 2020 to
eradicate malnutrition among children in the age group of six months
to five years. It was launched under the name Project Parvarish. It
was launched during Poshan Maah 2020. POSHAN Maah is
celebrated in the month of September.
 Poshan Month (September 2019): Uttar Pradesh Launches Month-
Long Drive Against Malnutrition with an aim to make the Rashtriya
Poshan Maah (National Nutrition Month) a success.
 Urjit Patel was recently appointed as the Vice President of Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral
development bank that aims to improve economic and social outcomes
in Asia. The bank currently has 105 members, including 16 prospective
members from around the world. China is the first largest and India, the
second largest share holders in the bank.
H. Q.:- Beijing
Note:-He also served as the 24th Governor of RBI (Reserve Bank of
India).
 The Global Environment and Climate Action Citizen Award was
presented in Dubai, on December 23, 2021. It was presented to
Surat’s noted industrialist Viral Desai ( popularly known as
Greenman).
 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, died at the age
of 90 on December 27, 2021. He won the Nobel Peace Prize for his
opposition to racial discrimination in South Africa.
 Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointment Catherine
Russell as the head of UN children’s agency UNICEF.
 Petr Fiala has been named as new Prime Minister of Czech Republic.
 On the occasion of World Fisheries Day on November 21, 2021,
Balasore district in Odisha received India’s “Best Marine District”
award.
 India-based Dr Rukmini Banerji was awarded with the 2021 Yidan
prize on September 28, 2021.US-based Professor Eric Hanushek was
also conferred with the prestigious Yidan Prize 2021. Both have been
awarded the Yidan Prize for recognition of their ground-breaking
work that addresses a crucial piece of education puzzle called
“improving quality of education as well as outcomes for learners at
scale”.Yidan prize was established by Yidan prize Foundation in 2016.
Yidan Prize Foundation is a global philanthropic education
foundation, inspiring progress and change in education.
 India’s highest science award called “Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar
Award 2021” was presented to the 11 scientists on the occasion of
80th foundation day of Council for Scientific & Industrial Research
(CSIR).
 Key Facts
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) award has been named after the founder &
Director of CSIR, late Dr Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar.This award has
christened as ‘Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) Prize for Science and
Technology’.It is given to scientist for their outstanding contributions to
science and technology, every year.The prizes comprise of Rs 5,00,000.

Recipients of award in 2021

In the year 2021, the recipients of Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) Prize
for Science and Technology are:
1. Amit Singh from Indian institute of science, Bengaluru, in
Biological Sciences category.
2. Arun Kumar Shukla from Indian institute of Technology Kanpur,
in Biological science category.
3. Dr Kanishka Biswas in Chemical Sciences category. She is from
Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Bengaluru
4. Dr T Govindaraju from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced
Scientific Research, Bengaluru, in the category of Chemical Sciences.
5. Dr Binoy Kumar Saikia in “Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean & Planetary
Sciences”.
6. Dr Debdeep Mukhopadhyay in Engineering Sciences.
7. Dr Anish Ghosh and Dr Saket Saurabh in Mathematical Sciences.
8. Dr Jeemon Panniyammakal in Medical Sciences
9. Dr Rohit Srivastava
10. Dr Kanak Saha in Physical Sciences.
 Najla Bouden Romdhane has become the first female prime minister
of Tunisia on September 29, 2021.
 Right Livelihood Award 2021 was conferred to Delhi-based
environmental organisation “Legal Initiative for Forest and
Environment (LIFE)”. This award is also known as “Sweden’s
alternative Nobel Prize”. The award honours and supports people in
solving global problems. It comprises of a cash prize of 1 million
Swedish crowns and a long-term support that highlights and expands
Laureates’ work.
 Bangladesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, has been conferred with
the “SDG Progress Award” and was introduced as the “jewel in the
crown of the day” at an event on September 20, 2021.Award was
conferred by the UN-sponsored Sustainable Development Solutions
Network (SDSN).She was awarded for Bangladesh’s steady course in
 responding to the universal call of action to end poverty, protect the
planet as well as ensure peace & prosperity for all.
 Avani Lekhara has become the 1st Indian women to win two
Paralympic medals at a single edition of the Paralympics on
September 3, 2021. Avani Lekhara won a bronze medal in women’s
50m Rifle category
 Bangladeshi scientist, Dr Firdausi Qadri, won the Ramon Magsaysay
Award. Dr Qadri is an emeritus scientist at the International Centre
for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh.
Ramon Magsaysay Award is the highest honour in Asia. It was
established in April 1957 and is widely regarded as the equivalent of the
Nobel Prize in Asia. The award is presented to individuals who have
made extraordinary contributions in eradication of poverty and
development of the society in Asia.
Other recipients of award in 2021
Other recipients of award in 2021 are-
1. Mohammad Amjad Saqib from Pakistan
2. Steven Muncy from South-East Asia.

 The founder of the Serum Institute of India (SII) in Pune,

businessman Cyrus Poonawalla has been named the winner of the
prestigious National Lokmanya Tilak Award 2021.
 On 26th July 26, 2021 Kandla SEZ (KASEZ) became the first green
SEZ to achieve the IGBC Green Cities Platinum Rating.
 Rudreswara Temple which is located at Palampet, Mulugu district, in
the state of Telangana has been inscribed on UNESCO’s World
Heritage list. On 25th July, 2021 this decision was taken at the
44th session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee. Ramappa
temple was proposed by the government of India as its sole
nomination for UNESCO World Heritage site tag, 2019.
About Rudreswara temple
In 1213 AD, during the rule of the Kakatiya Empire, the Rudreswara temple
was constructed.This temple was constructed by Kakatiya king Ganapati
Deva’s general Recharla Rudra.
Ramalingeswara Swamy is the presiding deity of this temple.
This temple is also known as Ramappa temple, named so after the sculptor
who, for 40 years, executed the work in the temple.
Note:- 40th Indian Heritage Site in UNESCO:- Dhaulavira (Gujarat)
  Noted journalist, P. Sainath, was selected as one of the three
recipients of Fukuoka Prize 2021. He received ‘Grand Prize’ of
Fukuoka Prize. Academic Prize conferred to Prof. Kishimoto Mio of
Japan. Prize for Arts & Culture given to filmmaker Prabda Yoon of
Thailand.
Fukuoka Prize
It is an award established by city of Fukuoka and Fukuoka City
International Foundation. It is given to honor work of individuals or
organizations in preserving & creating Asian culture. Fukuoka prize has
three prize categories- Grand Prize, Academic Prize and Arts & Culture
Prize. Fukuoka has organised Asia-Pacific Exposition with the concept of
interaction between Asia-Pacific region in 1989.
 Cochin International Airport wins honour in airport service quality.

Smart City Awards, 2020

Uttar Pradesh was ranked as top performing state under India Smart Cities
Award Contest 2020. Madhya Pradesh came second while Tamil Nadu at
third position.
Surat and Indore won best award for their overall performance in 2020.
Best union territory award was conferred to Chandigarh.

Global Peace Index 2020

Released by Sydney-based Institute for Economics & Peace.

Top 10 Most Peaceful Countries in the World

1. Iceland — 1.10
2. New Zealand — 1.253
3. Denmark — 1.256

Top 10 Least Peaceful Countries

1. Afghanistan — 3.631
2. Yemen — 3.407
3. Syria — 3.371

139:- India
152:- Pakistan
163:- Afghanistan
World Happiness report 2022
 Finland has been named the world's happiest country for the fifth year
running, in an annual UN-sponsored index that ranked Afghanistan as the
unhappiest, closely followed by Lebanon.
the World Happiness Report 2022 ranked India 136th — tenth from the
bottom of the list. Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, the Netherlands,
Luxembourg, Sweden, Norway, Israel and New Zealand figure among the
top ten in the list of 146 nations.Although India improved its position in the
list compared to last year, it ranks lower than its neighbours such as China,
Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan.

World Press Freedom Index 2021

The 2021 World Press Freedom Index produced by Reporters Without
Borders (RSF), a French NGO, has again placed India at 142nd rank out
of 180 countries.In 2016, India’s rank was 133 which has steadily
climbed down to 142 in 2020.

Human Freedom Index

This year’s Human Freedom Index report based on data from 2019, India
was ranked 119 out of 165 countries. India’s performance on various
indicators of economic, personal, and civil freedoms was in near-constant
decline between 2013 and 2019. It was ranked 90 out of 157 countries in
2013.

The 2021 report, co-published by two think tanks — Cato Institute in the
US and the Fraser Institute in Canada — has used 82 indicators to rate
countries from 2008 to 2019, which is the most recent year for which
there was internationally comparable data.

India’s rank is better than its neighbours China (150), Pakistan (145), and
Bangladesh (142), but it has fared worse than Nepal (84), Bhutan (98),
and Sri Lanka (112).

Global Hunger Index 2021

prepared by European NGOs of Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe.
The GHI is calculated annually.
This year, India Ranked at 101, the country is behind neighbours like
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Somalia:- 116
Note:- In 2020 report: India ranked 94 (out of 107)
 Human Development Report
India ranked 131 among 189 countries on the Human Development Index
(HDI) for 2019, slipping two places from the previous year, according to
the Human Development Report (HDR) 2020 released by the United
Nations Development Program (UNDP).

 The 2020 Report has introduced planetary pressures-adjusted

Human Development Index, which adjusts the standard Human
Development Index (HDI) by a country’s per capita carbon dioxide
emissions and material footprint.
Top Performers for 2019:
 Norway topped the index, followed by Ireland and
Switzerland. Hong Kong and Iceland complete the top five.
The latest report, published in October 2019, placed India at 63rd in Doing
Business, compared with 77th in 2018 and 100 in 2017.
 On December 29, 2021, the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB)
announced to add Egypt as its new member.Egypt is the fourth new
member admitted into NDB, following Bangladesh, United Arab
Emirates (UAE) and Uruguay.
NDB is a multilateral development bank. It was jointly founded by the
BRICS countries in 2014, at the 6th BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil.
But it was formally opened on July 2015. The bank was set to support the
infrastructure and sustainable development efforts in BRICS grouping
and other underserved & emerging economies for a faster development
through cutting-edge technology and innovation. Its headquarter is at
Shanghai, China.
NDB President:- Marcos Troyjo (brazil)
 On December 29, 2021, government released the “Atal Ranking of
Institutions on Innovation Achievement (ARIIA) 2021” award list
was released.Top position was achieved by IIT Madras. It topped the
ranking as the most innovative educational institute in India in
technical category.
IIT Madras won this recognition for the third consecutive time.
Institutes which are among top 10 institutions include- IIT Bombay, IIT
Delhi, IIT Roorkee, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, Indian Institute of
Science (IISc) and IIT Hyderabad.

NITI Aayog’s Fourth Health Index 2021

NITI Aayog prepared this report in collaboration with the Ministry of
Health & Family Welfare as well as with the technical assistance from the
World Bank.
According to NITI Aayog’s health index, Kerala has emerged as the top
performer with respect to overall health performance among larger states.
On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh has been ranked the last.
However, Uttar Pradesh topped in terms of incremental performance
since it registered the highest incremental change in reference year 2019-
20 as compared to the base year 2018-19.
Tamil Nadu emerged as second while Telangana emerged as the third
Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra have been ranked among top five.

NASA Psyche Mission

 NASA’s Psyche mission is going to be launched in August 2022. It
will be the first launch to explore a giant metal asteroid known as
Psyche in the main asteroid belt.The asteroid Psyche is in between
Mars & Jupiter and is orbiting the sun.
 The Psyche mission is one among the two missions of NASA to
explore early Solar System. The Lucy mission is another mission to
explore Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids in order to study early Solar
System.

Tennis Grandslams
Aus Open 2022
Men’s Singles Rafael Nadal (Spain) defeated Daniil Medvedev (Russia)
Womens’s Singles Ashleigh Barty(Aus) defeated Danielle Collins
(USA)

French Open2022
Men’s Singles Rafael Nadal defeated Casper Ruud (Norway)
Women’s Singles Iga Świątek(Poland) defeated Coco Gauff (USA)

Wimbledon 2022
Men’s Singles Novak Djokovic(Serbia) defeated Nick Kyrgios(Aus)
Women’s Singles Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) defeated Ons
Jabeur(Tunisia)

US open 2021
Men’s Singles Daniil Medvedev defeated Novak Djokovic
Women’s Singles Emma Raducanu(Britain) defeated Leylah
Fernandez (Canada)
Note:- Maximun no. Of Grandslam Winner:- Rafael Nadal 22
Novak Djokovic 21
Roger Federer 20
Female :- Margret Court (Aus) 24
Serena Williams 23
Steffi Graff 22

Wimbledon 2021
Novak Djokovic
Ashleigh Barty

French Open 2021

Men’s Singles Winner Novak Djokovic
Women’s Singles Winner Barbora Krejčíková (Czech Republic)

Aus Open 2021

Men’s Singles Winner Novak Djokovic
Women’s Singles Winner Naomi Osaka

Some Important persons and Posts

Attorney General of India:- KK Venugopal
CAG of India:- G C Murmu
RBI Governor:- Shaktikanta Dass
RBI deputy Governors:- M.K Jain, M. D. Patra, M. Rajeshwar
Rao, T. Rabi Shankar
WTO Dir- General:- Ngoji-Okonjo- Iweala (1st woman and 1st
African)
World bank :- Charirman David Malpass, MD and CFO:-
Anshula Kant (first woman)
IMF:- MD:- Kristalina Georgieva, first deputy MD:- Gita
Gopinath
CEC:- Rajiv Kumar (succeeded Sushil Chandra)
NITI aayog:- Vice Chairman:- Suman Bery (Succeeded Rajiv
Kumar), CEO:- Parmeshwaran Iyer