Current Affairs 18 March 2022

1. Bhagwant Mann sworn in as Punjab CM; Inderbir Nijjer appointed protem speaker
2. Retired Jharkhand HC judge Harish Chandra Mishra is Delhi Lokayukta
3. Kinetic Green partners IGL to set up battery swapping stations
4. Mahila Money, Visa and Transcorp launch Mahila Money Prepaid Card for women entrepreneurs
5. Torrent Power to buy 51% stake in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu Power discom
6. Shri Nitin Gadkari launches world’s most advanced technology – developed Green Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle
7. Frank Torres Appointed As President Of Nissan India
8. MoRTH constructs 8,045 kms of highways during Apr-Feb ’22
9. Paisabazaar, Orange Retail Finance and Phocket join fintech association Face
10. JSW Cement signs MoU with Punjab Renewable Energy Systems to use agricultural waste as biomass
11. Asian Youth and Junior Boxing Champiomships: Vishwanath Suresh, Vanshaj strike gold; Indians clinch 39 medals in total
12. Narayan Pradhan selected for GD Birla Award for Scientific Research
13. AJ-NIFM & JNU enter into MoU for award of MBA degree
14. PM condoles the passing away of former AP Governor, Ms Kumudben Joshi
15. Credit Guarantee Scheme for Subordinate Debt (CGSSD) extended upto 31.03.2023
16. Tata Power Delhi Distribution partners with Battery Smart
17. ICICI Bank launches co-branded credit cards with Emirates Skywards
18. Flipkart Health+ appoints Prashant Jhaveri as CEO

1. Bhagwant Mann sworn in as Punjab CM; Inderbir Nijjer appointed protem speaker

• Defying the tradition of conducting the swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhavan, Mr. Mann took oath at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of freedom fighter ‘Shaheed-e-Azam’ Bhagat Singh.
• Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mann in the swearing-in ceremony.
• He took oath as 17th Chief Minister of Punjab.

2. Retired Jharkhand HC judge Harish Chandra Mishra is Delhi Lokayukta

• Retired Jharkhand High Court judge Harish Chandra Mishra has been appointed as the Lokayukta of Delhi.
• Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal appointed Justice (retired) Mishra as Lokayukta and he will hold office for a term of five years from the date of joining.
• The post had been lying vacant since the retirement of Justice Ms. Rewa Khetrapal in December 2020.

3. Kinetic Green partners IGL to set up battery swapping stations

• Indraprastha Gas (IGL), one of India’s largest CNG distribution companies, has partnered with Pune-based electric vehicle maker Kinetic Green to launch their first battery-swapping station christened ‘Energy Cafe’.
• The partners aim to roll out a network of battery swapping stations for two- and three-wheelers, starting with the Delhi region.

4. Mahila Money, Visa and Transcorp launch Mahila Money Prepaid Card for women entrepreneurs

• To help women entrepreneurs easily collect payments, loans and get incentives for transactions, Mahila Money, Visa and Transcorp have teamed up to launch Mahila Money Prepaid Card.
• Mahila Money said the prepaid card will help women entrepreneurs use digital payments more effectively.
• A physical copy of the card is also available upon request, in addition to the digital ca

5. Torrent Power to buy 51% stake in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu Power discom

• Torrent Power Limited has entered into a Share Purchase Agreement and Shareholders Agreement with Administrator of the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (Holding Entity) and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Power Distribution Corporation Limited for purchase of 51 percent Equity Share Capital of the SPV from the Holding Entity.
• SPV = special purpose vehicle.

6. Shri Nitin Gadkari launches world’s most advanced technology – developed Green Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle

• Nitin Gadkari launched the world’s most advanced technology – developed Green Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Toyota Mirai.
• Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt Ltd & International Center for Automotive Technology are conducting a Pilot Project to study and evaluate the world’s most advanced Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Toyota Mirai which runs on hydrogen, on Indian roads and clima

7. Frank Torres Appointed As President Of Nissan India

• Senior Nissan executive Frank Torres has been appointed Region Divisional Vice President for Business Transformation in the AMIEO region (Africa, Middle East, India, Europe, and Oceania) and the new President of Nissan India.
• Torres joined Nissan in Spain in 2007 as a Production Engineering Analyst, before becoming Managing Director for Nissan Motor Iberica (NMISA) in 2011.

8. MoRTH constructs 8,045 kms of highways during Apr-Feb ’22

• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways through its various implementing agencies has constructed 8,045 kms of highways up to February 2022 during the current financial year.
• The National Highways Authority of India and National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation are primarily responsible for the construction of National Highways and expressways.

9. Paisabazaar, Orange Retail Finance and Phocket join fintech association Face

• Fintech Association for Consumer Empowerment (FACE) has onboarded three new member companies.
• Digital credit marketplace Paisabazaar along with online consumer credit providers Orange Retail Finance and Phocket, have now become members of the association.
• Face members collectively cater to more than half of the digital lending market, including B2B and B2C customers.
• FACE is the largest consumer-oriented fintech association in India

10. JSW Cement signs MoU with Punjab Renewable Energy Systems to use agricultural waste as biomass

• JSW Cement, part of US$ 13 billion JSW Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Punjab Renewable Energy Systems Pvt. Ltd (PRESPL) to use agricultural waste as biomass energy in its cement-manufacturing operations.
• According to the MOU, Punjab Renewable Energy Systems will build a sustainable supply chain of agricultural waste to be utilized as biomass energy

11. Asian Youth and Junior Boxing Champiomships: Vishwanath Suresh, Vanshaj strike gold; Indians clinch 39 medals in total

• Vishwanath Suresh (48kg) and Vanshaj (63.5kg) clinched gold medals in the men’s youth competition as the Indian contingent concluded its campaignJordan.
• Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan claimed the first and second position respectively with 23 and 22 gold medals.
• The haul also included 10 silver and 1 with a whopping 39 medals, including 15 gold, at the Asian Youth and Junior Boxing Championships in Amman, 4 bronze.

12. Narayan Pradhan selected for GD Birla Award for Scientific Research

• Professor Narayan Pradhan has been selected for the 31st GD Birla Award for Scientific Research for his outstanding contribution in the field of material sciences.
• He has provided his expertise in crystal modulations to help design new shapes of these tiny lighting materials.

13. AJ-NIFM & JNU enter into MoU for award of MBA degree

• Arun Jaitley National Institute Of Financial Management and Jawaharlal Nehru University signed an MoU for promoting exchange and cooperation in the area of academics and strengthening the professional competence of Civil and Defence Officers and other participants pursuing their post graduate program at AJNIFM.
• MoU will facilitate the award of MBA Degree in Finance & in Financial Management by JNU.

14. PM condoles the passing away of former AP Governor, Ms Kumudben Joshi

• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed deep grief over the passing away of former Andhra Pradesh Governor and Union Minister, Ms Kumudben Joshi.
• She was the Governor of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh from 26 November 1985 to 7 February 1990.
• She was the second female Governor of the state after Sharda Mukherjee.

15. Credit Guarantee Scheme for Subordinate Debt (CGSSD) extended upto 31.03.2023

• Credit Guarantee Scheme for Subordinate Debt’ scheme was launched on 24th June, 2020 to provide credit facility through lending institutions to the promoters of stressed MSMEs viz. SMA-2 and NPA accounts who are eligible for restructuring as per RBI guidelines on the books of the Lending institutions.
• The Government has decided to further extend this scheme till 31.03.2023
• The Government had earlier extended this scheme up to 31.03.2022.

16. Tata Power Delhi Distribution partners with Battery Smart

• Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd introduced a partnership with Battery Smart, India’s largest and fastest-growing battery-swapping community for electrical automobiles (EVs) to arrange swap stations for two-and three-wheelers at numerous places throughout North Delhi in 2022.
• The first swap station is dwell and operational at Azadpur.

17. ICICI Bank launches co-branded credit cards with Emirates Skywards

• ICICI Bank launched ‘Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Credit Card’ in partnership with Emirates Skywards, the loyalty program of Emirates and flydubai.
• The bouquet of cards allows the customers to earn reward points – called Skywards Miles – on travel, lifestyle and everyday spending.
• ICICI Bank is the first Indian lender to partner with Emirates Skywards.

18. Flipkart Health+ appoints Prashant Jhaveri as CEO

• Flipkart Health+ announced the appointment of Prashant Jhaveri as its chief executive officer (CEO).
• He is expected to lead Flipkart’s foray into the fast-growing healthcare sector in India.
• Before joining Flipkart Health+, Jhaveri worked as CEO of Apollo Health and Lifestyle Limited, and MediBuddy.
• Flipkart Health+ was launched in 2021 to create an end-to-end digital healthcare platform

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