PM MODI DEDICATED NEW SECTION OF WDFC
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dedicated the 306-km New Rewari-New Madar section of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) to the nation.
Through video-conferencing, Modi also flagged off the world’s first double-stack long-haul 1.5-km-long container train hauled by electric traction from New Ateli-New Kishangarh.
The New Rewari-New Madar section of the WDFC is situated in Haryana, approximately 79 km in Mahendragarh and Rewari districts and Rajasthan approximately 227 km in Jaipur, Ajmer, Sikar, Nagaur, and Alwar districts.
INDIA TO CHAIR 3 SUBSIDIARY BODIES OF UNSC
The Permanent Representative of India to the UN, T S Tirumurti has announced that India has been asked to chair three important committees of the UN Security Council (UNSC), during its tenure as a non-permanent member of the powerful 15-nation UN body.
The three highly significant committees include:
- Taliban Sanctions Committee
- Counter-Terrorism Committee
- Libyan Sanctions Committee
- Among these, India will chair the Counter-Terrorism Committee of UNSC in 2022, which coincides with the 75th anniversary of India’s independence.
India began its two-year term at UNSC from January 01, 2021. It is the eighth time that the country has joined UNSC as the non-permanent member.
In 2021, along with India, Norway, Kenya, Ireland and Mexico joined as non-permanent members in the Council.
<|h5>FIRST FEMALE MATCH OFFICIAL IN MEN’S TEST MATCH
Australia’s Claire Polosak is set to become the first female match official in a men’s Test match when she takes up the fourth umpire’s role in the third Test between India and Australia.
The 32-year-old from New South Wales has already earned the distinction of being the first woman on-field umpire in a men’s ODI match in ICC’s Division 2 league between Namibia and Oman played at the Windhoek in 2019.
The duties of a fourth umpire include bringing on the new ball, carrying drinks on to the field for the umpires, checking the batteries in the light meter, observing the pitch during the lunch and tea intervals to make sure there is no interference, and bringing on new bails.
The fourth umpire can also take over the third umpire’s position if something happens to one of the on-field umpires, in which case the third umpire takes over on-field duties.
As per ICC rules for Test matches, the fourth umpire is appointed by the home cricket board from their nominees to the International Panel of ICC Umpires and from the host country.
- Chairman of ICC: Greg Barclay.
- CEO of ICC: Manu Sawhney.
- Headquarters of ICC: Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
PNB PARTNERSHIP WITH IIT KANPUR TO SET UP FIC
Punjab National Bank has partnered with IIT Kanpur and the Foundation for Innovation & Research in Science & Technology (FIRST) to set up a ‘Fintech Innovation Centre (FIC)’ at the institute’s campus.
PNB and IIT Kanpur will jointly work to set up this innovation centre as a vehicle for research and development of technological solutions, with the help of FIRST, to address challenges and explore opportunities in the Banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) space.
PNB intends to create new products or solutions with technological innovations by creating an FIC involving IITK’s experienced faculty members with the help of FIRST.
The collaboration of technical prowess from IIT Kanpur and financial expertise of PNB makes it an apt “Fin-Tech” partnership that will help build innovations and entrepreneurial excellence.
The FIC will be supported by a holistic ecosystem of financial institutions, academia, VC funds, technology companies and key government organisations.
- Punjab National Bank Headquarters: New Delhi.
- Punjab National Bank Founded: 19 May 1894, Lahore, Pakistan.
- Punjab National Bank Founders: Lala Lajpat Rai, Dyal Singh Majithia.
RESERVE BANK OF INDIA SET UP COLLEGE OF SUPERVISOR
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up an academic advisory council called ‘College of Supervisors (CoS)’ to further strengthen supervision over regulated entities.
The Cos will be headed by former deputy governor N S Viswanathan and will have five other members.
The objective of the council will be to identify areas where skill building/up-skilling are required, plan and develop curricula of all programmes, benchmark the programmes with international standards/best practices, and develop appropriate teaching methods, etc.
Other members include:
- Arijit Basu, State Bank of India Managing Director
- Paresh Sukhankar, former HDFC Bank Deputy Managing Director
- S Raghunath of Banglore IIM
- Tadhagatha Bandyophyay of Ahemadabad IIM and
- Subrata Sarkar of IGIDR, Mumbai
JUSTICE HIMA KOHLI: FIRST WOMAN CJ OF TELANGANA HC
The senior-most judge of Delhi High Court, Justice Hima Kohli has been appointed as the new Chief Justice of Telangana High Court. She is the first woman to be sworn in as CJ of Telangana HC.
Justice Kohli was administered the oath of office by Telangana Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan.
She replaces CJ Raghvendra Singh Chauhan, who has been appointed as the CJ of Uttarakhand HC.
- Chief Minister of Telangana: K Chandrasekhar Rao
- Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan.
PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS OR NRI DAY: 9TH JANUARY
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas or NRI Day is celebrated every year on January 9 to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community in the development of India.
The day is celebrated every year to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community in the development of India.
The aim of celebrating the day is to provide a platform for NRI to express their perceptions about India and thereby involve them in Indian developmental activities.
The theme of 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2021 is “Contributing to Aatmanirbhar Bharat”.
The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated on January 9, as Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa on the day in 1915.
In 2015, the day was declared biennial. In 2018, the day was widely celebrated in Singapore. In 2019, the event was celebrated in Varanasi.