• Dr S Raju has taken over as the Director-General of the Geological Survey of India (GSI) with effect from April 01, 2022. He succeeds R. S. Garkhal who superannuated on March 31, 2022. Prior to this, Dr Raju was holding the post of Additional Director General and National Head, Mission-III & IV at GSI HQ.
• Dr.S. Raju joined the Geological Survey of India in 1988. During the initial period of his career, he was instrumental in geological mapping of Bundelkhand Granitic Complex in Uttar Pradesh and also executed an investigation on gold mineralization and carried out a geo-environmental appraisal of Jhansi district of Bundelkhand Region, Uttar Pradesh. With his expertise, he has also supplemented in the geology of Tamil Nadu especially, establishing the metamorphic and techtono-magmatic history of the Satyamangalam Group of rocks.

• World Autism Awareness Day is observed annually on 2nd April by the member states of the United Nations. The day is observed to raise awareness among its citizens about people with Autism Spectrum Disorder throughout the world. World Autism Awareness Day is organized by the UN Department of Global Communications and UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, with the support of civil society partners including the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the Global Autism Project and the Specialisterne Foundation.

• The theme for ‘World Autism Awareness Day 2022’ is “Inclusive Quality Education for All”. Access to education that was made easy for years, especially for autistic persons was disrupted after 2020 with the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Uttar Pradesh has become the top producer of vegetables, getting back its first position by demoting West Bengal to the second position, with a difference of a million tonnes in production in 2021–22 Crop Year (CY) (July–June), after two years since 2020.
• Vegetable production in Uttar Pradesh is expected to be 29.58 million tonnes (mt) in the 2021–22 crop year (July–June), down from 29.16 mt in 2020–21, while West Bengal output is expected to dip to 28.23 mt in 2021-22 from 30.33 mt in 2020-21.
• Other top producers of vegetables as per the data in the current year 2021-22 include Madhya Pradesh at 20.59 mt, Bihar at 17.77 mt and Maharashtra at 16.78 mt.

• Al Rihla – the Official Match Ball for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has been revealed by Adidas. It is Adidas’ 14th World Cup ball, and it is designed to accommodate the fastest game speeds possible, since it flies quicker in flight than any other World Cup ball.
• Al Rihla provides the highest level of precision and reliability on the field of play, having been designed from the inside out utilising data from extensive testing in Adidas labs, wind tunnels, and on-pitch.
• The ball was also created with the environment in mind, with all components carefully considered, and Al Rihla being the first World Cup ball to be constructed entirely of water-based inks and glues.

• Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur and Governor of Karnataka, TC Gehlot launched the logo, jersey, mascot and anthem of the Khelo India University Games 2021 (KIUG 2021) on April 01, 2022, at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. The theme song has been composed by Kannada rapper Chandan Shetty. The KIUG 2021 will be held in Karnataka between April 24 and May 3, 2022.
• This will be the second edition of KIUG. The first edition was hosted by Odisha in 2020. KIUG 2021 was postponed for 2022 due to the Covid crisis. A Khelo India App for live updates on the Games has also been launched by Karnataka. Around 4500 athletes, representing 20 sports from across the country will participate in the KIUG 2021.

• Citigroup has announced that Axis Bank will be acquiring Citibank’s India consumer business for an amount of USD 1.6 billion (Rs 12,325 crores) in an all-cash deal. This transaction will be including Citibank India’s consumer banking businesses, which include retail banking, credit cards, consumer loans, and wealth management.
• This transaction will also be including the sale of Citibank’s non-banking financial company consumer business, Citicorp Finance (India) Limited, which comprises a financing business that is asset-backed and also includes construction equipment and commercial vehicle loans, and a portfolio of personal loans.

• The famous living root bridges found in the northeastern state of Meghalaya, have been included on the tentative list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites.
• The site has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site tentative list as ‘Jingkieng Jri: Living Root Bridge Cultural Landscapes of Meghalaya’
• The UNESCO recognition of the bridges was submitted by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on January 21, 2022, on the occasion of 50th year of creation of the hill state.

• Olympic silver medallist weightlifter Mirabai Chanu has won the BBC Indian Sportswoman Of The Year (BBC ISWOTY) award for 2022.
• Young Indian opening cricketer Shafali Verma received the The ‘BBC Emerging Player’ award.
• Former weightlifter Karnam Malleswari was presented the ‘BBC Lifetime Achievement’ award.
• The BBC ISWOTY is an initiative by the BBC India to celebrate and honour sportswomen from India who have excelled in their respective fields. The first edition of the award took place in 2020, and P. V. Sindhu was the winner.

• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has approved a hike in Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners by 3 per cent to 34%, over the existing rate of 31% of the Basic Pay/Pension. The hike announced will be effective from January 1, 2022, to compensate for the price rise.
• The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief would be Rs. 9,544.50 crore per annum. This increase is in accordance with the accepted formula, based on the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission.

• Former Chief Minister of Sikkim, BB Gurung, has passed away. He was 99
• BB Gurung was the third chief minister of Sikkim and had the shortest term in the history of the Himalayan state.
• He sworn-in as the CM in 1984 and was in office for just 13 days. He held office from May 11 until May 24, 1984.

Download Daily GK PDF of 02 April 2022