DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: April 11, 2022

Sitaram Yechury became general secretary of CPI(M) for the third time in a row

Tags: Person in news

Senior leader of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Sitaram Yechury has been elected for the third time in a row for the post of general secretary of the party. It was announced at its convention at the party's 23rd Congress Convention on 10 April 2022. The 69-year-old Yechury has been holding the party's top post, i.e. general secretary, since 2015.

• Prior to that, Prakash Karat had held the post of general secretary of the party from 2005 to 2015. 

• Yechury was re-elected as General Secretary by the 17-member Politburo and the 85-member Central Committee during the 23rd Party Congress.

• Yechury was first elected as the party general secretary in April 2015 during the 21st Party Congress in Visakhapatnam. 

• Thereafter, he was re-elected to the post at the 22nd Party Congress held in Hyderabad on April 18, 2018.

Other Important Responsibilities:

• LDF convener and former acting secretary of Kerala CPI(M) A. Vijayaraghavan has been made the new member of the Politburo from Kerala.

• All India Kisan Sabha president Ashok Dawle and Dalit leader Ramchandra Dom have also been made two new members in the party's highest decision-making body, the Politburo.

• Ramchandra Dom, a former Lok Sabha MP from West Bengal, has become the first Dalit leader to join the Politburo, the highest decision-making body of the CPI(M).

FIRST PLAYER TO BE RETIRED OUT IPL

Tags: Sports

The IPL 2022 match between Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday saw R Ashwin become the first batter in IPL history to be Retired Out.

During this, the umpire also tried to stop him but Ashwin stayed straight in the dugout. Taking a decision in the interest of the team, Ashwin declared himself retired so that the batsmen coming forward could score runs faster.

Retired out even before Ashwin: 

• Only four batters, including Ashwin, have been dismissed Retired Out in T20s.

• Shahid Afridi for Pakistanis (vs Northamptonshire), S Tobgay of Bhutan (against Maldives) and Sunzamul Islam of Cumilla Warriors (vs Chattogram Challengers) round up the list.

What is the rule?

• According to MCC Law 25.4.3, “if a batter retires for any reason other than as in 25.4.2 (retires because of illness, injury or any other unavoidable cause), the innings of that batter may be resumed only with the consent of the opposing captain. 

• “If for any reason his/ her innings is not resumed, that batter is to be recorded as ‘Retired out.’”

Tamil Nadu won the 71st Senior National Basketball Championship

Tags: Sports

Tamil Nadu defeated defending champions Punjab 87-69 to clinch the men's title in the final of the 71st Senior National Basketball Championship here on 10 April 2022.

• In the women's section, Railways won the title by defeating Telangana 131-82 with Poonam Chaturvedi's 26 points.

• In the men's section, Karnataka defeated Railways 96-79 to finish third.

• Tamil Nadu stood third in the women's category.

India won silver for the first time in the World Bridge Championship

Tags: Sports

India managed to secure a silver medal for the first time in the D'Orsi Trophy Senior Team Championships at the 45th World Bridge Championships held in Italy.

• In the match for the gold medal, the Indian team lost to Poland by 194-239 points.

• India's senior team - comprising Ashok Goel, Anil Padhe, Rajesh Dalal, Sukamal Das, Subroto Saha and R Krishnan - won India's first World Bridge Championship silver medal in this championship.

• India defeated USA in the quarter-finals and France in the semi-finals.

• India won the bronze medal in the 2019 World Championships held in Wuhan.

• Cups and trophies related to "Bridge":- Holkar Trophy, Challenge Gold Trophy, Ramniwas Ruia etc. are prominent.

Now people above 65 years of age will not be able to perform Haj

Tags: National

The Saudi Arabian government has banned Hajj pilgrimage to people above 65 years of age. In this context, the Haj Committee of India has issued a circular banning pilgrimage for people below 65 years of age.

• Now only men or women between the age group of 18 to 65 years can go for Haj pilgrimage. In such a situation, those who are above 65 years of age who had applied for Haj pilgrimage. His application has been cancelled with immediate effect.

• Now freshers can apply online from 22nd April. The application fee is three hundred rupees.

• The Saudi Arabian government has decided to admit one million Haj pilgrims this time. Now less than one lakh people from India will be able to go on Haj pilgrimage. There may also be a cut in the prescribed quota of the state for Haj.

• According to the Corona guidelines, complete vaccination will be necessary for Haj pilgrims.

• Along with this, people will also have to show the negative corona test report.

• The Arab government had banned the Hajj pilgrimage for two years due to the Corona epidemic.

Near the line of command guard to run the train

Tags: National

The Ministry of Railways has made it mandatory for loco pilots to take the approval of the guard before starting the train, amending the general rules.

Although the signal is green to start the train, the loco pilot will have to wait for the approval of the guard, who will ensure to start the train after getting information from the station master.

• The provisions of section '4.35' on the Commencement of Trains of the Indian Railways (Open Line) General (First Amendment) Rules, 2022 have been recently amended by a gazette notification. Under which a loco pilot shall not start his train without the right to proceed from now on.

• Before starting the train, the loco pilot shall satisfy himself that all correct fixed signals and, where necessary, hand signals have been given and that the line ahead is free from visible obstructions and that the guard has signalled over wireless communication to proceed. /confirmation given.

• The Station Master will approve the Guard to start the train after ensuring that the activities like water filling, unloading and cleaning have been completed.

• According to the amended rule "the guard shall not signal for the giving of a start signal unless he has satisfied himself that, except on special instructions, no person is travelling on the roof of any compartment or vehicle". which is not intended for the use of passengers”. 

Canada made Indian bananas and baby corn accessible to its market

Tags: Economics/Business National News

The Negotiations between the National Plant Protection Organizations of India and Canada on the issue of market access for Indian bananas and baby corn have resulted in these items gaining access to the Canadian market. 

• In a meeting held between Shri Manoj Ahuja, Secretary (DA&FW) and H.E. Cameron MacKay Canadian High Commissioner on 07.04.22, Canada informed that export of fresh baby corn from India to Canada may begin from April 2022 after updation of directive D-95-28: Plant Protection Import and Domestic Movement Requirements for Corn and the Automated Import Reference System (AIRS).

• Further, based on the technical information provided for fresh banana by India, Canada has approved, banana for entry into Canada with immediate effect.

• This decision of the Government of Canada would immensely benefit the Indian farmers growing these crops and would also enhance India’s export earnings.

Boost to India's agricultural exports:

• Along with this, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry informed that India's agricultural exports have crossed USD 50 billion in the year 2021-22 despite the logistical challenges arising out of Corona like high freight rates and lack of containers etc.

• According to the provisional data released by the Directorate General of Commercial Information and Statistics (DGCI&S), agricultural exports grew by 19.92 percent to USD 50.21 billion during 2021-22, the ministry said.

India successfully test-fires upgraded version of Pinaka Mk-I Rocket

Tags: Defence

Pinaka Mk-I Rocket System (EPRS) and Pinaka Area Denial Munition (ADM) Rocket System have been successfully test fired by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Army at Pokhran firing range.

• The required accuracy and stability were achieved by these rockets during the trials, meeting all the test objectives satisfactorily.

Pinaka Mk-I :

• Pinaka Mk-I is an upgraded rocket system with a range of about 45 km. The Pinaka-II rocket system has a range of 60 km. The rocket system has been jointly designed by two laboratories of DRDO, Ordnance High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) and Research and Development Establishment (ARDE).

Strategic Capabilities of Pinaka Mk-I:

• During the escalation of tension with China, India had deployed this completely indigenous system on Eastern Ladakh and LAC.

• It is named after 'Pinaka', the bow of Lord Shiva. It is a multi barrel rocket launcher system.

• The Pinaka Mk-I Enhanced Rocket System is an upgraded version of the early Pinaka.

• This rocket system has given the army a lethal alternative to ground attack.

• The multi-barrel launcher is capable of firing 72 rockets in just 44 seconds.

Successfully test-fired anti-tank guided missile 'Helina'

Tags: Defence

Indigenously developed helicopter launched Anti-Tank Guided Missile ‘HELINA’ was successfully flight tested on April 11, 2022 at high-altitude ranges as part of user validation trials.

• The flight-test was jointly conducted by the teams of scientists from Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF). 

• The flight trials were conducted from an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and the missile was fired successfully engaging a simulated tank target.

• The missile is guided by an Imaging Infra-Red (IIR) Seeker operating in the Lock on Before Launch mode.

• It is one of the most advanced anti-tank weapons in the world.

• In continuation to validation trials conducted at Pokhran in Rajasthan, proof of efficacy at high altitudes paves the way for its integration on the ALH.

Shahbaz Sharif elected next Prime Minister of Pakistan

Tags: Popular International News

The Parliament of Pakistan (National Assembly) has elected Shahbaz Sharif as the new Prime Minister of the country on 11 April. The political crisis that had been going on for the last few days came to an end after the vote on the no-confidence motion moved against Imran Khan on April 10, in which he was removed from the post of Prime Minister.

Nawaz Sharif's younger brother:

Shahbaz Sharif, nominated as the new Prime Minister of Pakistan, is the younger brother of three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Nawaz Sharif was disqualified as prime minister in 2017.

There were many contenders for the post of Prime Minister:

The session of the Pakistan National Assembly has begun. Opposition candidate and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) president Shahbaz Sharif and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf vice-president and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi are in the race for the new prime minister's post.