Question Discussion & Solution

The correct answer is Usha Sharma.

• Senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Usha Sharma has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Rajasthan.
  • It is noteworthy that Sharma is a senior IAS officer of the 1985 batch.

Key Points

• Earlier, she has served in important positions like Central Secretary, Youth Program Department, Director General Archaeological Survey of India, Central Additional Secretary Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances Department, Commissioner Industries, Jaipur Development Authority Commissioner, District Collector (Bundi and Ajmer).
  • Sharma will also have the additional charge of the post of Chairman, Rajasthan State Mines and Minerals Corporation Limited, Udaipur.
  • Earlier in 2009, Kushal Singh had been the first woman chief secretary of the state.

Additional Information

Former Chief Secretaries of Rajasthan:

The correct answer is V. Anantha Nageswaran.

Key Points

• V. Anantha Nageswaran took charge on 28 January 2022.
• He is the former executive with Credit Suisse Group AG and Julius Baer Group.
• He will succeed Krishnamurthy Subramanian.
• The Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) in the Finance Ministry, advises the govt on economic matters and traditionally scripts the economic survey presented in Parliament a day before the Union budget presentation.

Additional Information

• ​Indian Entrepreneur and writer Jaithirth Rao, popularly known as Jerry Rao, has come out with a book on Mahatma Gandhi titled “Economist Gandhi: The Roots and the Relevance of the Political Economy of the Mahatma” in October 2021.
• Noted Economist and former Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India, Dr. Shankar Acharya has authored a new book titled “An Economist at Home and Abroad: A Personal Journey” in November 2021.
• French-born economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas has been named as the chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
• International Monetary Fund Chief Economist, Gita Gopinath has taken over from Geoffrey Okamoto as the institution’s No. 2 official in December 2021. 

The correct answer is Avani Lekhara.

Key Points 

• Avni Lekhara from Rajasthan has been awarded Padma Shri in the field of sports along with Chandra Prakash Dwivedi and Ramdayal Sharma in the field of arts.
• Star para-athlete Devendra Jhajharia was conferred by the prestigious Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honor in the country, while Olympic-gold-winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was among the eight sportspersons named for the Padma Shri award.
  • The 40-year old Jhajharia won two gold medals in the javelin competition of Paralympic Games, 2004 Athens, and more recently in Rio 2016.
  • He won a silver in the F46 event at the Tokyo Paralympics last year.
• The other Padma Shri awardees include para-badminton player Pramod Bhagat and para javelin thrower Sumit Antil.

Additional Information 

• Padma Bhushan Awardees 2022
  • Shri Devendra Jhajharia - Sports
  • Shri Rajiv Mehrishi - Civil Service
• Padma Shri Awardees 2022
  • ​Chandraprakash Dwivedi - Art
  • Avani Lekhara - Sports
  • Ram Dayal Sharma - Art
• Padma Shri Awardees 2021
  • Arjun Singh Shekhawat - Literature
  • Shyam Sundar Paliwal - Social Work
  • Lakha Khan Manganiar - Art

The correct answer is Jaipur.

Key Points

• The world's third-largest cricket stadium is going to be built in Jaipur.
• Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot (As of Feb 2022) and BCCI President Sourav Ganguly (As of Feb 2022) laid the foundation stone of the project virtually in February 2022.
• It will be the second-largest cricket stadium in India.
• A stadium each will be built in Jodhpur and Udaipur as well.

Additional Information

• ​ Important Current Affairs related to Cricket in 2021-22:
  • To promote women’s empowerment, Legends League Cricket (LLC) has appointed cricketer Jhulan Goswami as an ambassador.
  • India has won the U-19 Asia Cricket Cup 2021 held in Dubai, UAE in December 2021.
  • South African wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock announced retirement from Test cricket on 30 December 2021.
  • India has become the first Asian team to win a Test match at Centurion after beating South Africa by 113-run.
  • Rishabh Pant has become the fastest Indian wicket-keeper to reach 100 dismissals in Test cricket.
  • He achieved this feat against South Africa in Centurion on Dec 28, 2021.​
  • Mohammed Shami has become the fifth Indian pacer to take 200 Test wickets.
  • In December 2021, Rishabh Pant has been appointed as the brand ambassador of Uttarakhand.
  • The International Cricket Council (ICC) has appointed Geoff Allardice as the permanent CEO of the International Cricket governing body in November 2021.
    • ICC Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
    • ICC Founded: 15 June 1909
    • ICC Deputy Chairman: Imran Khwaja (As of Jan 2022).
    • ICC Chairman: Greg Barclay (As of Jan 2022).
  • In December 2021, the Board of Control for Cricket in India ( BCCI) has formed a committee for the differently-abled cricketers of the country.

The correct answer is 14.

Key Points

• The 14^th edition of JLF was held on February 19, 2021.
  • It begins in a virtual avatar.
  • Keynote was inaugurated by author Sir Ian Blatchford, Director and Chief Executive of the Science Museum Group, and Dr. Tilly Blyth, Head of Collections and Principal Curator, Science Museum, London. 
  • This year, the festival features over 300 speakers and performers representing around 25 Indian and 18 international languages and over 23 nationalities.
  • The speakers include American business magnate and co-founder of Microsoft Corporation Bill Gates, American economist, public policy analyst and Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz, Pakistani activist for female education and Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai, Man Booker Prize-winning author Douglas Stuart, journalist and Pulitzer awardee Jeffrey Gettleman, among others.

Important Points

• The virtual edition of Jaipur Literature Festival 2021 is an absorbing immersive experience where we encounter an outstanding roster of great writers from around the world.
• It is also called a living library, or indeed a library of life. 
• One of the highlights is a session with National Film Award-winning actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who’s recently written Unfinished (Penguin Random House), a book following her journey through life and cinema.