National
Introduction of Digital Rupee
⇒ The Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman announced the introduction of Digital Rupee while presenting the Union Budget 2022-23 in the Parliament on 01 February 2022.
About:
- Digital Rupee to be issued by the Reserve Bank of India starting 2022-23.
- The Digital Currency will use block chain and other technologies.
- Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) will give a big boost to digital economy. Digital currency will also lead to a more efficient and cheaper currency management system.
35th State/UT to implement One Nation One Ration Card
⇒ Chhattisgarh has become the 35th State/UT to implement One Nation One Ration Card.
The Department of Food & Public Distribution has approved the integration of Chhattisgarh with the existing cluster of portability States/UTs under ONORC.
Accordingly, the ONORC plan for nation-wide portability of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) ration cards has been enabled in the Chhattisgarh State from 2nd February 2022.
With the integration of Chhattisgarh, the ONORC plan is now operational in 35 States/UTs covering almost 96.8% NFSA population (about 77 Crore NFSA beneficiaries) in the country.
About ONORC:
- ONORC is a technology driven distribution system which makes food security portable across the country and is very beneficial for migratory NFSA beneficiaries, who frequently change their place of dwelling in search of temporary employments, etc.
- This provides them with an option to lift their entitled quota of foodgrains from any FPS of their choice, anywhere in the country, by using their same/existing ration card.
Graphic novel, Atharva: The Origin
⇒ Virzu Studio in association with MIDAS Deals, has released the motion poster of its upcoming mega-budget graphic novel ‘Atharva – The Origin’.
Former Team India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni unveiled the first look of his graphic novel, Atharva: The Origin, on 02 February 2022.
Playing a superhero and a warrior leader, the cricketer is seen in a rugged-look on a battlefield fighting against demons-like creatures.
This graphic novel, authored by Ramesh Thamilmani, headed by M V M Vel Mohan and produced by Vincent Adaikalaraj and Ashok Manor, features over 150 lifelike illustrations which present the gripping, racy narrative.
Genome Valley Excellence Award for 2022
⇒ Dr Drew Weissman has been honored with the coveted ‘Genome Valley Excellence Award for 2022’ at the 19th edition of BioAsia.
- Dr. Weissman is a Professor at the Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.
Dr Weissman has been honored for his breakthrough pioneering research and development of effective mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, that has helped save billions of lives globally.
The 19th edition of BioAsia, 2022 was organized by Telangana government and Federation of Asian Biotech Associations on 24-25 February 2022.
The nucleoside-modified mRNA-lipid nanoparticle vaccine platform, Dr. Weissman’s lab created, is used in the first two approved COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.
International
UNICEF Photo of the Year Award 2021
⇒ Each year, UNICEF Germany has awarded the “UNICEF Photo of the Year Award” to photos and photo series that best depict the personality and living conditions of children worldwide in an outstanding manner.
For the 22nd consecutive year, UNICEF Germany has held the international competition UNICEF Photo of the Year.
UNICEF Photo of the Year Award 2021 Winners:
1st Prize: ‘Drowned hopes’ (India)- by Indian photographer Supratim Bhattacharjee
Indian Photographer Supratim Bhattacharjee wins the UNICEF Photo of the Year 2021 Award.
The UNICEF Photo of the Year 2021 captures the helplessness and at the same time the determination of a girl in the face of a raging force of nature: A devastating cyclone in the Bay of Bengal had swept away her family’s tea shop.
- In 2020, Bhattacharjee won the second prize at the UNICEF Photo of the Year for a photo series on children in Indian coal mines.
2nd Prize: ‘A small yet great victory over the pandemic’ (India) – by Indian photographer Sourav Das
The winner of this year’s second prize is Indian photographer Sourav Das, who portrayed a teacher who turned an entire village into an outdoor classroom during the coronavirus lockdown. Sourav Das has captured scenes from the everyday life of this unusually creative and lovable village school.
3rd Prize: ‘Open wounds’ (Iraq)- by Younes Mohammad
Iraqi photographer Younes Mohammad is awarded third prize for his series on families with fathers maimed by war.
Sports
2021–22 Indian Super League
⇒ The 2021–22 Indian Super League was started on 19 November 2021 and concluded with the final on 20 March 2022.
This was the 8th season of the Indian Super League since its formation in 2013 and the 26th season of the top division of Indian football league system.
The final match was held on 20 March 2022 at Fatorda Stadium (Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium) in Margao, Goa.
Winner:
- Hyderabad FC won the championship by defeating Kerala Blasters in the final.
- Jamshedpur FC won the League Winner Shield.