1) DRDO successfully test-fires final deliverable configuration of MPATGM
•Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight tested the Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM), in its final “deliverable configuration”. MPATGM will be manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited at its facility in Bhanoor, Telangana.
2) Supreme Court appoints 5-member panel headed by former judge Indu Malhotra
•The Supreme Court of India has constituted a five-member committee to probe the security breach during the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Punjab. The committee will be headed by former apex court judge Justice Indu Malhotra. Other members of the panel include the Inspector General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the Director-General of Police of Chandigarh, the Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Additional DGP (Security) of Punjab.
3) Alikhan Smailov appointed as new Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
•The parliament of Kazakhstan has unanimously approved the appointment of Alikhan Smailov as the new Prime Minister of the country. His name was nominated by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on January 11, 2022. Prior to this, the 49-year-old Smailov served as the country’s finance minister from 2018 to 2020. He became the first deputy prime minister in the Cabinet in 2019.
4) Henley Passport Index 2022: India Ranks 83rd in Q1
•India has improved its position by seven places to rank at 83rd place among 111 countries in the latest Henley Passport Index, released for Q1 of 2022. India ranked at 90th spot among 116 countries in Q4 of 2021 in October. The Indian passport has visa-free access to 60 destinations worldwide in Q1 2022, as compared to 58 destinations in Q4 of 2021. Oman and Armenia are the latest destinations where Indian passport holders can visit without obtaining a visa.
On a global level:
•Japan and Singapore have retained the joint top position in the Henley Global Mobility Report 2022 Q1. Their passports holders are allowed to travel visa-free to 192 countries. Afghanistan has the world’s least powerful passports, with a visa-free score of 26.
5) UBS Projects India’s GDP forecast at 9.1% in FY22
•Swiss brokerage UBS Securities has lowered the growth forecast of the Indian economy for the current financial year (FY22) to 9.1 per cent due to a massive surge in Omicron infections. Earlier this was estimated at 9.5 per cent. However, UBS Securities has revised upwards the real GDP forecast of India in FY23 to 8.2 per cent. This was projected at 7.7 per cent earlier.
6) World Bank projects India’s GDP growth at 8.3% in FY22
•The World Bank has projected the Indian economy to grow at the following rate in its ‘Global Economic Prospects’ report released on January 11, 2022. The World Bank retained its FY22 growth forecast for India at 8.3 per cent but upgraded it to 8.7 per cent for FY23, from 7.5 per cent estimated earlier, citing improving growth prospects, especially a reviving private capex cycle.
•The forecast for FY2022/23 and FY2023/24 for India has been upgraded to 8.7 per cent and 6.8 per cent, respectively, reflecting higher investment from the private sector and in infrastructure, and dividends from ongoing reforms.
World Bank has lowered the Global economy growth rate as follows:
•2021 – 5.5 per cent
•2022 – 4.1 per cent
•2023 – 3.2 per cent
7) Centre will hold 35.8% stakes of Vodafone Idea in the form of equity
•The Central Government of India is set to become the largest shareholder in Vodafone Idea. The company’s board approved the conversion of Rs 16,000 crores in interest into equity. India’s third-largest network Vi or Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) has approved the interest on the spectrum and Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues into government equity.
•VIL accepted a four-year moratorium as well as accepted the equity conversion, which means the Indian government will own almost 35.8% of VIL’s stake followed by Vodafone Group which owns 28.5% and 17.8% by Aditya Birla Group.
8) A book on Arundhati Bhattacharya “Indomitable: A Working Woman’s Notes on Life, Work and Leadership” released
•HarperCollins is set to publish “Indomitable: A Working Woman’s Notes on Life, Work and Leadership” the autobiography of Arundhati Bhattacharya, retired Indian banker and former first-ever woman Chairperson of the State Bank of India. Indomitable features the story of Arundhati Bhattacharya’s life as a banker and the difficulties she faced in the male-dominated sector. She is the chairperson and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of salesforce India, a cloud-based Software as a service (SaaS) company headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States of America.
9) RajKummar Rao named as brand ambassador of RenewBuy
•RenewBuy, an online insurance platform, has appointed Rajkummar Rao as the brand ambassador for its 1st 360-degree consumer advertising campaign that highlights consumers’ insurance needs. The campaign was designed and conceptualised by Havas Worldwide India. “Smart Tech, Right Advice” is the theme of the campaign. This program aims to increase the spread of insurance policies digitally for consumers from any part of the country.
10) Tata group replaces Chinese mobile manufacturer Vivo as IPL title sponsor
•The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has informed that Tata group has replaced Chinese mobile phone manufacturer Vivo as the title sponsor of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The multinational conglomerate will pay Rs. 300 crore per year as the title sponsor of IPL for the next two seasons. This is about 60% of what Vivo would have paid.
