current affairs 20 October 2022

Bharati Das takes charge as 27th Controller General of Accounts.

• Senior officer of Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS), Bharati Das has been appointed as the 27th Controller General of Accounts (CGA).
• She has replaced Sonali Singh, who had given the additional charge of CGA, after the superannuation of Dipak Dash.
• Prior to this, she has served as Principal Chief Controller of Accounts (Pr. CCA), CBDT and Ministries of External Affairs, Home Affairs.
• CGA is the Principal Advisor on Accounting matters to the Union Government.

Real Madrid's Karim Benzema won the Ballon d’Or 2022.

• Real Madrid's Karim Benzema has won the 2022 Ballon d'Or trophy at the 66th Ballon d'Or ceremony, held at Theatre du Chatelet Paris, France.
• While, Barcelona's Alexia Putellas won the women's Ballon d'Or.
• Other awards:
• Kopa Award: Barcelona's Gavi (best-performing player under the age of 21).
• Gerd Muller: FC Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski
• Socrates Award: Bayern Munich's Sadio Mane
• Club of the Year Award: Manchester City
• Yachine Award: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)

LIC launches new "Dhan Varsha" plan.

• Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has launched a new scheme LIC Dhan Varsha.
• This is a non-linked, non-participating, individual, savings life insurance plan that offers a combination of protection and savings.
• This is a close ended plan and would be available for sale till March 31, 2023.
• Premiums can be paid in single (lumpsum) payment mode only.
• The policy can be surrendered by the policyholder at any time during the policy term.

Barbara D Metcalf awarded 2022 Sir Syed Excellence International Award.

• Noted American historian, Prof. Barbara Metcalf has been awarded the Sir Syed Excellence Award 2022 by the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).
• The award ceremony was held on the 205th birth anniversary of the founder of AMU, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.
• She has written extensively on the history of the Muslim population of India and Pakistan.
• Sir Syed Ahmad Khan established the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental (MAO) College in 1875, later known as Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).

Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurates Asia's largest Compressed Bio Gas plant.

• Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri has inaugurated Asia's largest Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) plant in Lehragaga, Sangrur, Punjab.
• The plant has been commissioned with FDI of approximately Rs. 220 crores by Verbio AG (German bioenergy company).
• The present production of plant is about six tonnes per day.
• Soon, it will process 300 tonnes of paddy straw per day to produce 33 TPD of CBG by using eight digesters of 10,000 cubic meters.