GDP Growth Rate

Ind-Ra Projects India’s GDP Growth Rate at 7.6% in FY23

• India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has projected the real gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of the Indian economy to grow at 7.6 percent year-on-year in 2022-23 (FY23).
• Ind-Ra is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fitch Group.

Appointment

Internet panel on languages UASG ropes in Vijay Shekhar Sharma as ambassador

• Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma has been roped in as the Ambassador of Universal Acceptance Steering Group (UASG), a community-based team of industry leaders supported by global internet body ICANN.
• UASG works on developing and recommending standards for languages script that are not currently used to access the internet.
• The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) aims to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global Internet. Its headquarter is based at  California, United States.

Dileep Sanghani elected as new Chairman of IFFCO

• The board of directors of the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) has unanimously elected Dileep Sanghani as the 17th Chairman of the Cooperative on January 19, 2022.
• Dileep Sanghani succeeds Balvinder Singh Nakai, who passed away earlier on October 11, 2021.
• Prior to this, Sanghani was serving as vice-chairman of IFFCO since 2019.

Awards/Recognitions

Oxford University Press declares ‘Anxiety’ as Children’s Word of the Year 2021

• The Oxford University Press (OUP) has picked up ‘Anxiety’ as the Children’s Word of the Year 2021, based on their recent research.
• Apart from “anxiety” (21%),  “Challenging” (19%), “isolate” (14%), “Wellbeing” (13%) and “resilience” (12%) were the children’s top five words.
• In 2020, Coronavirus was the Children’s Word of the Year by OUP.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla wins $1 million Genesis Prize for COVID-19 vaccine development

• The global pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc.’s Chairman and Chief Executive, Albert Bourla, has been awarded with the prestigious Genesis Prize 2022 on January 19, 2022.
• He has been awarded for his efforts in leading the development of a COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine).
• The award comes with cash prize of $1 million.
• The annual prize is awarded to Jewish people who have achieved significant professional success, in recognition of their accomplishments, contributions to humanity, and commitment to Jewish values and/or to the State of Israel.
• It is widely referred to as the “Jewish Nobel Prize”

Sports

Pakistan’s Babar Azam Named Captain of ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year

• Pakistani skipper Babar Azam has been named as the captain of the ICC Men’s T20I team of the year for 2021.
• The ICC Team of the Year recognises 11 best players in men’s cricket who have impressed one and all with their performances in a calendar year, either with the bat, ball or their all-round performance.
• No Indian male player has found place in the team of 11.
• However in ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year for 2021, Smriti Mandhana is the only Indian women player named in the 11 member team. Smriti has made in the list for third time in the T20I team of the year after 2018 (opener) and 2019 (number three).
• England’s Nat Sciver has been made the captain of ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year for 2021.

Click here to view the all the Team of the Year 2021 list

Obituary

Padma Shri recipient professional mountaineer Major HPS Ahluwalia passes away at 85

• Professional mountaineer and a retired army officer Major Hari Pal Singh Ahluwalia has passed away. He was 85.
• HPS Ahluwalia was a trained mountaineer, author and social worker, besides being an army officer.
• Above all, he was honoured with the Padma Bhushan (2002), Padma Shri (1965), Arjuna Award (1965) and the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award (2009).

World’s oldest living man, Saturnino de la Fuente, passes away at 112 in Spain

• Guinness World Records holder for the oldest person living (male), Saturnino de la Fuente García (Spain) has passed away at the age of 112 years and 341 days. 
• Saturnino claimed the record as the oldest person living (male) in September 2021 when he was exactly 112 years and 211 days.  
• He was born on February 11, 1909, in the Puente Castro neighborhood of León in Spain.