Top Current Affairs 11 and 12 April 2022

Top Current Affairs 11 and 12 April 2022

This post contains the current affairs for 11 and 12 April 2022. These current affairs are important for banking exams, insurance exams and other competitive exams like IBPS PO and Clerk, SBI PO and Clerk, RBI Assistant and Grade B, etc. You can also attempt our Current Affairs Quiz after reading our daily current affairs.

National

Gujarat tops NITI Aayog’s State Energy and Climate Index (SECI) Round 1

• NITI Aayog has launched the State Energy & Climate Index (SECI) Round I on April 11, 2022.
• The SECI Round I ranks the states’ performance on 6 parameters, namely
  1. DISCOM’s Performance
  2. Access, Affordability and Reliability of Energy
  3. Clean Energy Initiatives
  4. Energy Efficiency
  5. Environmental Sustainability
  6. New Initiatives
• Top Three States among Larger States Category
  1. Gujarat
  2. Kerala
  3. Punjab
• Top Three States among Smaller States Category
  1. Goa
  2. Tripura
  3. Manipur
• Top Three UTs
  1. Chandigarh
  2. Delhi
  3. Daman & Diu/Dadra & Nagar Haveli

President Ramnath Kovind Inaugurates Madhavpur Ghed Fair in Gujarat

• The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated five-day long Madhavpur Ghed Fair on April 10, 2022, at Madhavpur Ghed, Porbandar in Gujarat.
• The Madhavpur Ghed Fair is being organised by the Government of Gujarat in association with the Ministry of Culture since 2018 every year to celebrate the sacred union of Lord Krishna and Rukmini.  
• The Madhavpur Fair connects Gujarat with north-east region in an integral bond.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami Launches ‘1065 Anti-Corruption Mobile App’

• The Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami launched a mobile app called ‘1064 Anti-Corruption Mobile App’ on April 08, 2022.
• This app has been developed by the state vigilance department.
• It will make it easier for people to lodge graft-related complaints directly with the authorities through the app or by phone.
• The initiative is in line with the commitment of the state government towards building a corruption-free Uttarakhand.

India conducts successful flight-test of anti-tank guided missile ‘Helina’ in Pokhran

• A team of scientists from Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) jointly conducted the successful flight-test of the indigenously developed helicopter launched Anti-Tank Guided Missile ‘HELINA’ on April 11, 2022 at high-altitude ranges.
• The flight trials were conducted from an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), and the missile was fired successfully, engaging a simulated tank target in the Pokhran desert ranges. 
• HELINA is one of the most advanced anti-tank weapons in the world.
• The missile has a maximum range of 7 kilometers. It has been developed by Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad.

Loans in News

World Bank and AIIB approves Rs 7,500 Cr Loan for Gujarat Govt’s ‘Mission School Of Excellence’ Project

• The Government of Gujarat has launched a project named ‘Mission School of Excellence’, that aims to improve the quality of education in all the government and grant-in-aid schools in the state.
• The project will cover all 35,133 government and 5,847 grant-in-aid schools in the state.
• Under the project, the state government will spend Rs 10,000 crore in the next five years.
• To support the Gujarat Government, the World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) have approved a loan of Rs 7,500 crore for the ambitious project.

Appointment

Dr Manoj Soni appointed as Chairman of UPSC

• Academician and former Vice Chancellor, Dr Manoj Soni has been appointed as the Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) with effect from April 05, 2022.
• He succeeds Pradip Kumar Joshi.
• Dr Soni will have a tenure of upto June 27, 2023
• He had earlier served as the Vice-chancellor of two universities, namely Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University and MSU of Baroda.
• UPSC currently has 6 Members, including one Chairman.

Shehbaz Sharif elected as new Prime Minister of Pakistan

• Pakistan’s opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif has been elected unopposed as the new Prime Minister of the country through voting in the National Assembly.
• The 70-year old Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) Chief will succeed Imran Khan, who has been removed by a no-trust vote recently in the National Assembly. 
• Shehbaz Sharif is the brother of former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Awards

Bengali author Amar Mitra wins 2022 O. Henry Prize for short stories

• Bengali author Amar Mitra has been conferred with the prestigious 2022 O. Henry Prize for short stories. 
• Mitra has won for his work titled “The Old Man of Kusumpur”, originally written in Bengali with the title Gaonburo, 45 years back in 1977.
• The story has been translated into English by Anish Gupta, a senior journalist, and was published in the American web magazine, The Common, in 2021.
• A total of 20 authors have been awarded the coveted prize in 2022.
• O. Henry Award:  is an annual American award given to short stories of exceptional merit, published in an American or Canadian periodical, including stories that have been translated into English.
• The award is named after the American short-story writer O. Henry.

Sports

Charles Leclerc wins 2022 F1 Australian Grand Prix

• Charles Leclerc (Ferrari- Monaco) has won the Formula One (F1) 2022 Australian Grand Prix, held on 10 April 2022 in Melbourne, Victoria..
• It was the third round of the 2022 Formula One World Championship.
• Sergio Pérez (Red Bull Racing-RBPT – Mexico) came second while George Russell (Mercedes – Britain) came third. 

Days

National Safe Motherhood Day 2022: 11 April 

• In India, the National Safe Motherhood Day is observed every year on April 11 to raise awareness about adequate access to care for women during pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal services.
• Theme of 2022 is Remain at home amid coronavirus, protect mother and infant safe from coronavirus.
• India is the first country in the world to officially declare National Safe Motherhood Day
• The day commemorates the birth anniversary of Kasturba Gandhi, the wife of the father of Nation Mohan Das Karam Chand Gandhi.
• In 2003, upon the initiative of the White Ribbon Alliance, the Government of India declared the national safe motherhood day to be held on April 11.
• 2022 marks the 19th anniversary of the day. The first observation was held in 2003.

World Parkinson’s Day 2022: 11 April

• Every year, April 11 is observed as World Parkinson’s Day to raise awareness of Parkinson’s disease, which is a progressive nervous system disorder.
• Theme 2022 is “integrated healthcare”.
• The day marks the birthday of Dr James Parkinson from London, who was the first person to systematically described the six individuals with the symptoms of Parkinson Disease.
• Additionally, the month of April is observed as the Parkinson’s Awareness Month.

International Day of Human Space Flight 2022: 12 April

• The International Day of Human Space Flight is celebrated annually on April 12 to mark the anniversary of the first human space flight by Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961.
• The day was proclaimed at the 65th session of the United Nations General Assembly on April 7, 2011, a few days before the 50th anniversary of the flight.
• In Soviet Union, the day is observed as International Day of Aviation and Cosmonautics.