current affairs 01 january 2022

IIT Madras secured the 1st position in the ARIIA Rankings 2021.

IIT Madras has secured the 1st position in the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) 2021 for the third consecutive year, under the category of CFTIs/ Central Universities/ Institute of National Importance (Technical).
IITs dominated the centrally funded institute category in the third edition of the ARIIA rankings.
There are seven IITs in the top-10 list.
IIT-Madras is followed by IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IT Kanpur and IIT Roorkee.
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru secured the 6th position in the category.

The All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Poultry Breeding, Mannuthi under Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU) received the National Breed Conservation Award for 2021.
The centre received the prestigious award from ICAR – The National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) for the conservation and research activities on the Tellicherry breed, the only registered native chicken breed from the State.
The center started conservation of the Tellicherry breed in 2014.
Through scientific selection and management, the breed started to lay eggs within five months and the annual egg production increased to 160–170 eggs.

Russia has launched its first Project 22220 versatile nuclear-powered icebreaker in the series known as Sibir.
This icebreaker will support a growing fleet of icebreakers to keep the Northern Sea Route open for year-round shipping through the Arctic and enable India's wider presence in the Arctic region.
The construction of Sibir was started in 2015 and the icebreaker was ordered on 22 December 2017.
Sibir was handed over to Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation for exploitation; The Delivery-Acceptance Act was signed on 24 December at the Baltic Shipyard, St. Petersburg, Russia.
The icebreaker is 173.3 m (568.6 ft) long and 34 m wide with a displacement of 33,500 tonnes.

Under the National Blockchain Project, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a blockchain-based digital degree at the 54th convocation of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur.
Later the Prime Minister also inaugurated the completed section of Kanpur Metro Rail Project and Bina-Panki Multiproduct Pipeline Project.
These digital degrees are globally verifiable and are inexhaustible.
The blockchain technology being used by IIT Kanpur for awarding digital degrees has been developed internally.
It is being described as a revolutionary technology for the education sector.
The technology is already being used in the financial sector.
The technology has been developed by the institute under the National Blockchain Project.

Egypt has joined as the fourth new member of the BRICS New Development Bank.
Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates and Uruguay joined the BRICS New Development Bank in September 2021.
Membership expansion enables the New Development Bank to establish itself as a premier development institution for emerging economies.
The BRICS New Development Bank is a multilateral bank that was established by Brazil, Russia, China, India and South Africa to finance sustainable development and infrastructure projects.