News in Nutshell - 19th April, 2022

• Integrity Education, Delhi
• 19, Apr 2022

News in Nutshell by SANJEEV JOON (Chief Editor, Integrity Education)

19th April, 2022

CURRENT AFFAIRS
(National)

Lieutenant General Manoj Pande Appointed as Next Chief of Indian Army

Lieutenant General Manoj Pande has been appointed as the next Chief of Indian Army. The 29th Army Chief will be the first officer from the Corps of Engineers to become the Chief of Army Staff succeeding General Manoj Mukund Naravane who is scheduled to complete his 28-month tenure on 30th of April.

• An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Lieutenant General Pande wascommissioned into the Corps of Engineers in December 1982.
• Lt. General Manoj Pande commanded an engineer regiment during Operation Parakram in the Pallanwala sector along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.
• In his 39-year military career, Lt. General Pande has commanded an engineer brigade in the western theatre, an infantry brigade along LoC, a mountain division in the Ladakh sector and a corps in the northeast.
• He was the Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command before he took charge of the Eastern Command

PM to Address from Red Fort on Parkash Purab

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on the 400th Parkash Purab of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji at the historic Red Fort on 21st April.

• According to Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy, the PM Modi will also be releasing a commemorative coin and postage stamp on the auspicious occasion. Four hundred 'ragis' (Sikh musicians) will be performing in the Shabad Kirtan on the occasion.

IRCTC announces launch of online ticketing for Rail Museum

National Rail Museum, in association with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC), has announced the launch of online ticketing for Rail Museum.

• The online ticketing system for Rail Museum situated in New Delhi, was launched by Chairman and CEO of Railway Board V. K. Tripathi on the occasion of World Heritage Day on 18th April.
• National Rail Museum represents 169 years of rich heritage of Indian Railways. Emulating the setting of a railway yard, the extensive outdoor gallery houses a variety of steam, diesel and electric locomotives along with fascinating collection of royal saloons, wagons, carriages, armoured trains and rail cars.
• Variety of rides like Joy and Toy train ride, 3D virtual coach ride, simulators ride with steam, diesel and electric locomotive are available in the museum.
• Visitors can also experience the train and engine simulator rides with slot booking.
• Museum remains open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. and visitors can avail online ticket booking facility though website.

National Table Tennis Player Deenadayalan Vishwa Dies in Road Accident

18-year-old Deenadayalan Vishwa, National Table Tennis player, passed away in a road accident on 17th April.

• Denadayalan, who was in Shillong to take part in the 83rd Senior National Table Tennis championships was travelling along with three other players in a taxi from Guwahati Airport to Shillong when the accident occurred at Shangbangla, Ri-Bhoi.

Deenadayalan of Tamil Nadu, a promising player with several national ranking titles and international medals to his credit, was to represent India at the WTT Youth Contender at Linz, Austria, from 27th April.

World Heritage Day Observed in Manipur

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) celebrated World Heritage Day in Manipur at the Vishnu Temple in the Bishnupur district on 18th April.

• Students took part in a drawing competition which was organized as part of the observation.
• The cleanliness drive was also conducted around the only ASI-protected monument in Manipur.
• The Temple of Vishnu is one of the oldest known-brick temples in Manipur and is believed to be the oldest Hindu temple in Manipur.
• King Kyamba (1457-1508 CE) constructed it to worship Vishnu which was given to him as a gift by a Burmese King.
• ASI has renovated the area to enable people to visit the complex.

• Twenty wrestlers from the men’s team across the Freestyle and Greco-Roman categories and ten from the women’s team will compete at the event. Tokyo Olympic medalists Ravi Dahiya and Bajrang Punia will also take part in the Championship

• • The event has been organised by the Meghalaya Table Tennis Associations in collaboration with the Department of Sports Youth Affairs, Government of Meghalaya under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India.
• Around 450 players from 36 different teams from all over the country are participating in the week-long event.
• Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh inaugurated the event.
• Sports Minister Banteidor Lyngdoh shared a condolence message from the State Government following the tragic incident where a national level table tennis player from Tamil Nadu Vishwa Deenadyalan who passed away in a tragic car accident.
• Meghalaya will be hosting the Meghalaya Games in the month of May and will also be organising the 2nd edition of the Northeast Olympic Games by the end of year 2022, so as to promote sports in the state and also as part of the 50th statehood celebrations.
• It may be mentioned that the national table tennis team will be selected based on the players’ performance in the 83rd Senior National Table Tennis Championship.
• The country’s top table tennis players like Manika Batra, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Sutirtha Mukherjee and Achanta Sharath Kamal are competing in the event

• According to Ministry of Commerce and Industry, sugar export jumped 65 per cent in the financial year 2021-22 corresponding to its previous year 2020-21, despite logistical challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic.
• Highlighting the historic achievement, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said, the government’s policies are helping farmers increase their income by tapping global markets.
• India had exported sugar worth one thousand 965 million US dollars in 2019-20, which rose to two thousand 790 million US dollars in 2020-21 and four thousand 600 million US dollars in 2021-22

• Several former key cabinet ministers were not included in the new cabinet of ministers sworn in.
• Also, none of the members of the Rajapaksa family including Chamal Rajapaksa and Namal Rajapaksa were appointed in the new cabinet but Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa remains in power. Twenty-four new State Ministers were also sworn in.
• Following the mass resignation of the Cabinet ministers, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on 4th April named four ministers, until a full Cabinet is appointed.