1) Justice AK Sikri named as Chairperson of Chardham project Committee
•The Supreme Court of India has named Justice (retd) AK Sikri as Chairperson of the High Powered Committee (HPC), of the Chardham project. The previous Chairperson Professor Ravi Chopra had resigned from his post in February 2022, after being appointed as the chairperson of the HPC on August 8, 2019. A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant accepted the resignation of Professor Ravi Chopra as chairperson of the committee after he wrote a letter in January wishing to relinquish his post.
2) Labour Minister Bhupendra Yadav unveiled the book titled “Role of Labour in India’s Development”
•Minister of Labour and Employment and MoEFCC, Bhupender Yadav has launched a book titled “Role of Labour in India’s Development”. V V Giri National Labour Institute has published the book. The publishing of the book is part of the ‘Iconic Week’ celebrations of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
3) Jyotiraditya Scindia inaugurates first drone school at Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh
•Minister of Labour and Employment and MoEFCC, Bhupender Yadav has launched a book titled “Role of Labour in India’s Development”. V V Giri National Labour Institute has published the book. The publishing of the book is part of the ‘Iconic Week’ celebrations of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
4) Tripura Govt announced “Mukhyamantri Chaa Srami Kalyan Prakalpa” scheme
•Tripura Government has announced a special scheme ‘Mukhyamantri Chaa Srami Kalyan Prakalpa’ for tea workers. A special scheme, allotting Rs. 85 crores for its implementation, as a step towards bringing the 7000 tea garden workers of Tripura under the social security net. This special scheme would ensure housing, rations, and financial support to the tea garden workers by integrating the facilities that are entitled to them, by the state government and the central government.
5) Debasish Panda named as Chairman of IRDAI
•Debasish Panda has been appointed as the chairman of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). He is a former financial services secretary. The post of Chairman of IRDAI was lying vacant since May 2021 when Subhash Chandra Khuntia completed his term. Panda, a 1987-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, retired as financial services secretary in January this year after a two-year stint.
•The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved Panda’s appointment as chairperson of the insurance regulator initially for a period of three years from the assumption of charge. The appointment of IRDAI chairman comes nearly 9 months after the vacancy was created following Subhash Chandra Khuntia completing his term in May last year.
6) A book titled “Soli Sorabjee: Life and Times” authored by Abhinav Chandrachud
•A new biography, titled “Soli Sorabjee: Life and Times” was announced, during the occasion of the 92nd birth anniversary of Soli Sorabjee. It is authored by advocate and legal scholar Abhinav Chandrachud and will be released in April 2022. The book highlights the personal details of the life of Soli Sorabjee, his family background. He was the former Attorney General (AG) of India and served two times for the years 1989-90 and then from 1998- 2004.
7) V-Dem’s Democracy Report 2022: India ranked 93rd
•The latest edition of Democracy Report was released recently by the V-Dem Institute at Sweden’s University of Gothenburg. The study was titled ‘Democracy Report 2022: Autocratisation Changing Nature?’. The report classifies countries into four regime types based on their score in the Liberal Democratic Index (LDI): Liberal Democracy, Electoral Democracy, Electoral Autocracy, and Closed Autocracy.
8) MSME IDEA HACKATHON 2022
•Union Minister for MSME, Narayan Rane has announced the MSME Innovative Scheme (Incubation, Design, and IPR) as well as the MSME IDEA HACKATHON 2022. Shri Rane, speaking on the occasion, stated that MSMEs play an essential role in Atmanirbhar Bharat. He claims that these programmes will assist entrepreneurs in launching new businesses.
9) Six Indian Airports named the ACI World’s ASQ Awards 2021
•From India, six airports have found a place among the ‘Best Airport by Size and Region’, by the Airports Council International (ACI), in its Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey for the year 2021. The airports have been adjudged among the Asia Pacific region in different categories based on annual passenger traffic. The ACI Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards takes into account 33 parameters related to passenger amenities to recognize airport excellence in customer experience.
