Daily Current Affair
19 JANAURY 2023
Sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes Syllabus: GS2/Polity and Governance; Government Policy…
18 JANUARY
National Framework of Climate Services (NFCS) Syllabus: GS1/Geography In Context…
17 JANUARY 2023
National Framework of Climate Services (NFCS) Syllabus: GS1/Geography In Context…
16 JANUARY 2023
Harvest Festivals Across India Syllabus: GS1/Art and Culture Context: The…
15 JANUARY
Uttarakhand likely to be first state to implement UCC Syllabus:…
13 JANUARY
Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of…
12 JANUARY
Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of…
11 JANUARY
Krishna-Godavari Basin Syllabus: GS1/ Natural resources in India Context: Oil…
10 JANUARY
Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita for Hit-and-Run Cases Syllabus :GS 2/Governance/3/Infrastructure In…
09 JANUARY 2024
Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita for Hit-and-Run Cases Syllabus :GS 2/Governance/3/Infrastructure In…
8 JANUARY 2024
Child Marriage Syllabus: GS1/Society In Context The Lancet study highlighted…
06 JANUARY 2023
Press and Registration of Periodicals Act, 2023 Syllabus: GS 2/Polity…
05 JANUARY 2024
Kadamba Inscription Syllabus: GS1/Art and Culture Context 10th century Kadamba…
04 JANUARY 2024
Income Support Programmes Syllabus: GS2/Government Policies and Interventions News Recently,…
3 JANUARY 2024
No Tsunami Threat to India Syllabus:GS1/Geography Context Indian Tsunami Early…
2 JANUARY 2024
Northeastern India: Historical Linkages Syllabus :GS1/Geography /GS2/Governance In News Recently,…
1 JANUARY
11th Century Jain Sculptures Discovered in Mysuru District Syllabus: GS1/…
30 DECEMBER 2023
Pegasus Spyware Found: Amnesty Syllabus :GS 2/Governance/GS 3/IT Computers In…
29 DECEMBER 2023
Revising Growth Standards to Measure Malnutrition Syllabus: GS2/Health, Government policies…
28 DECEMBER 2023
Revising Growth Standards to Measure Malnutrition Syllabus: GS2/Health, Government policies…
27 DECEMBER 2023
Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) Syllabus:GS1/Society,…
26 DECEMBER 2023
Human Trafficking Syllabus: GS1/ Social Issues News: A plane carrying…
25 DECEMBER 2024
Human Trafficking Syllabus: GS1/ Social Issues News: A plane carrying…
23 DECEMBER 2023
Topic 1 : Elephant Trunk Rock Why in news: A famous natural…
22 DECEMBER 2022
Topic 1: Basilica of Bom Jesus Key details: The Basilica of…
20 DECEMBER 2023
Topic 1 : Goa Liberation Day Why in news: On December 19,…
19 DECEMBER 2023
Topic 1 : International School of Peace and Happiness Why in…
18 DECEMBER 2023
Topic 1 : Valparai plateau Why in news: With the annual migration…
16 DECEMBER 2023
Key details: The Basilica of Bom Jesus is one of the…
14 DECEMBER 2023
Topic 1 : Algae-assisted fuel cells Why in news: IIT Jodhpur’s innovative technology…
19 JANAURY 2023
Sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes Syllabus: GS2/Polity and Governance; Government Policy…
18 JANUARY
National Framework of Climate Services (NFCS) Syllabus: GS1/Geography In Context…
17 JANUARY 2023
National Framework of Climate Services (NFCS) Syllabus: GS1/Geography In Context…
16 JANUARY 2023
Harvest Festivals Across India Syllabus: GS1/Art and Culture Context: The…
15 JANUARY
Uttarakhand likely to be first state to implement UCC Syllabus:…
13 JANUARY
Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of…
12 JANUARY
Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of…
11 JANUARY
Krishna-Godavari Basin Syllabus: GS1/ Natural resources in India Context: Oil…
10 JANUARY
Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita for Hit-and-Run Cases Syllabus :GS 2/Governance/3/Infrastructure In…
09 JANUARY 2024
Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita for Hit-and-Run Cases Syllabus :GS 2/Governance/3/Infrastructure In…
8 JANUARY 2024
Child Marriage Syllabus: GS1/Society In Context The Lancet study highlighted…
06 JANUARY 2023
Press and Registration of Periodicals Act, 2023 Syllabus: GS 2/Polity…
05 JANUARY 2024
Kadamba Inscription Syllabus: GS1/Art and Culture Context 10th century Kadamba…
04 JANUARY 2024
Income Support Programmes Syllabus: GS2/Government Policies and Interventions News Recently,…
3 JANUARY 2024
No Tsunami Threat to India Syllabus:GS1/Geography Context Indian Tsunami Early…
2 JANUARY 2024
Northeastern India: Historical Linkages Syllabus :GS1/Geography /GS2/Governance In News Recently,…
1 JANUARY
11th Century Jain Sculptures Discovered in Mysuru District Syllabus: GS1/…
30 DECEMBER 2023
Pegasus Spyware Found: Amnesty Syllabus :GS 2/Governance/GS 3/IT Computers In…
29 DECEMBER 2023
Revising Growth Standards to Measure Malnutrition Syllabus: GS2/Health, Government policies…
28 DECEMBER 2023
Revising Growth Standards to Measure Malnutrition Syllabus: GS2/Health, Government policies…
27 DECEMBER 2023
Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) Syllabus:GS1/Society,…
26 DECEMBER 2023
Human Trafficking Syllabus: GS1/ Social Issues News: A plane carrying…
25 DECEMBER 2024
Human Trafficking Syllabus: GS1/ Social Issues News: A plane carrying…
23 DECEMBER 2023
Topic 1 : Elephant Trunk Rock Why in news: A famous natural…
22 DECEMBER 2022
Topic 1: Basilica of Bom Jesus Key details: The Basilica of…
20 DECEMBER 2023
Topic 1 : Goa Liberation Day Why in news: On December 19,…
19 DECEMBER 2023
Topic 1 : International School of Peace and Happiness Why in…
18 DECEMBER 2023
Topic 1 : Valparai plateau Why in news: With the annual migration…
16 DECEMBER 2023
Key details: The Basilica of Bom Jesus is one of the…
14 DECEMBER 2023
Topic 1 : Algae-assisted fuel cells Why in news: IIT Jodhpur’s innovative technology…
Vande Bharat Express
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently flagged off Vande Bharat Express from Una in Himachal Pradesh to New Delhi.
About:
- This is the fourth Vande Bharat train to be introduced in the country.
- The introduction of the train will help boost tourism in the region and provide a comfortable and faster mode of travel.
- The coaches of this train are indigenously manufactured at the Chennai Rail coach factory.
- Vande Bharat Express has been tested at 180 kmph and can run upto maximum speed of 160 kmph on passenger service.
- All Coaches are equipped with automatic doors; GPS based audio-visual passenger information system, onboard hotspot, wi-fi for entertainment purposes, and very comfortable seating.
World Sloth Bear Day
The first World Sloth Bear Day was observed on October 12.
About:
- It aims to spread awareness about protection and conservation of sloth bears.
- A proposal for observing the World Sloth Bear Day was mooted by Wildlife SOS India, an organisation involved in sloth bear conservation and protection for over two decades and the IUCN-Species Survival Commission sloth bear expert team accepted the proposal and declared the day to be celebrated worldwide.
Sloth bears ( Melursus ursinus):
- Sloth bears are endemic to the Indian sub-continent with small populations in Nepal and Srilanka and 90% of the species population is found in India.
- They are classified as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List.
- They are identified by their very distinct long, shaggy dark brown or black fur, distinct white V-shaped chest patch and four-inch long ivory-coloured curved claws used for digging out termites and ants from rock-hard mounds. Listed under Schedule I of the (Wildlife Protection) Act of India, 1972 the species has the same level of protection as tigers, rhinos and elephants.
- They are found in all parts of the country except Jammu and Kashmir and north-eastern States.
Inflation
According to the data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), retail inflation accelerated to a five-month high of 7.41% in September, 2022 from 7% in August, 2022 as food inflation surged sharply to 8.41% last month — the steepest level in 22 months.
About:
- September’s retail inflation was the highest since April, when price rise quickened to an almost eight-year high of 7.79%.
- This is the ninth month in a row that inflation has exceeded the 6% upper tolerance threshold mandated for the RBI and would require it to send an explanation to the government on its inability to achieve the price stability target.
- Rural inflation picked up further steam, from 7.15% in August, to touch 7.56% in September, while urban consumers also experienced a resurgence in price rise at 7.27%, from 6.72% a month earlier.
- Inflation in cereals quickened to 11.5%, with rural India facing almost 12% price gains, up sharply from 9.6% in August and almost doubling from July’s 6.9% pace.
- Vegetables’ inflation almost virtually doubled over two months, from 10.9% in July to 18.1% in September, with urban consumers facing a sharper 20.1% rise.
Committee of Parliament on Official Language
The 11th volume of the Report of the Official Language Committee headed by Union Home Minister was submitted to the President of India.
About:
- The Committee of Parliament on Official Language was set up in 1976 under Section 4 of The Official Languages Act, 1963.
- Section 4 of the Act says “there shall be constituted a Committee on Official language, on a resolution to that effect being moved in either House of Parliament with the previous sanction of the President and passed by both Houses”.
- Under the provisions of the 1963 Act, the panel submits its report to the President, who “shall [then] cause the report to be laid before each House of Parliament, and sent to all the State Governments”.
- The Committee is chaired by the Union Home Minister, and has, in accordance with the provisions of the 1963 Act, 30 members — 20 MPs from Lok Sabha and 10 MPs from Rajya Sabha.
- The mandate of the Committee is to review the progress made in the use of Hindi for official purposes, and to make recommendations to increase the use of Hindi in official communications.
- The first Report of the Committee was submitted in 1987.
The International Police Organisation (Interpol)
The Interpol has recently rejected India’s request to issue a Red Corner Notice against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
About:
- Mandate: It is an international organization facilitating international police cooperation against cross-border terrorism, trafficking, and other crime.
- Governance: All decisions regarding the activities of INTERPOL are made by the General Assembly which is it’s supreme governing body which meets annually.
- Status: It is ‘NOT’ a unit or part of united nation system. It is an independent international organization.
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National Central Bureau (NCB):
- It has a National Central Bureau (NCB) in each member country, which is the central point of contact for both the general secretariat and the other NCBs around the world.
- Each NCB is run by police officials of that country, and usually sits in the government ministry responsible for policing. (Union Home Ministry in India.)
- Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) represents Interpol in India as the country’s national central bureau.
- HQ: Lyon in France.
- Founded in: 1923.
Types of Notices:
- It issues 8 type of notices (7 of which are colour-coded) which are in the form of alert/requests allowing police in member countries to share critical crime-related information.
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Red Notice
- To seek the location and arrest of a person wanted by a judicial jurisdiction or an international tribunal with a view to his/her extradition.
- It is the “closest instrument to an international arrest warrant”.
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Blue Notice
- To locate, identify or obtain information on a person of interest in a criminal investigation.
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Green Notice
- To warn about a person’s criminal activities if that person is considered to be a possible threat to public safety.
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Yellow Notice
- To locate a missing person or to identify a person unable to identify himself/herself.
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Black Notice
- To seek information on unidentified bodies.
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Orange Notice
- To warn of an event, a person, an object or a process representing an imminent threat and danger to persons or property.
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Purple Notice
- To provide information on modus operandi, procedures, objects, devices or hiding places used by criminals.
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Interpol-UNSC Special Notice
- To inform Interpol’s members that an individual or an entity is subject to UN sanctions.
Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund (AFBCWF)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to launch website enabling citizens to contribute for Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund.
About:
- It is a Tri service fund, utilised for grant of immediate financial assistance of ex-gratia, to the Next of Kin and dependents of Battle Casualties.
- It has been set up under Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (ESW), Ministry of Defence.
- The fund has been created under the Charitable Endowments Act, 1890.
- Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan to be the ‘Goodwill Ambassador’.
Suposhit Bharat initiative
According to the Ministry of Women and Child Development, more than 15 crore activities were conducted on various themes across the country during the 5th Rashtriya Poshan Maah from 1st to 30th of September contributing to the Prime Minister’s vision for a Suposhit Bharat.
About:
- Through the Suposhit Bharat initiative, the government intend to conceptualize, develop, pilot and scale up food-based nutrition interventions through food services at institutional food services’ level, and street foods, school & college canteens.
- This will therapeutically address malnutrition and non-communicable diseases in the general population.
- POSHAN Abhiyaan is a multi-ministerial convergence mission with the vision to ensure attainment of malnutrition free India.
- POSHAN Abhiyaan provides a platform to converge the activities of various stakeholders towards attaining the goal of ‘Suposhit Bharat’.
Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022
The Union Cabinet has approved the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
About:
- It seeks to amend the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002.
- The Bill will incorporate the provisions of the 97th Constitutional Amendment.
- The amendments have been introduced to improve governance, reform the electoral process, strengthen monitoring mechanisms and enhance transparency and accountability.
- The Bill also seeks to improve the composition of board and ensure financial discipline, besides enabling the raising of funds in the multi-state cooperative societies.
- It has included provisions relating to representation of women and Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe members on the board of multi-state cooperative societies.
- It has provisions for setting up of Cooperative Election Authority, Cooperative Information Officer and Cooperative Ombudsman.
- There will also be a provision for issuing non-voting shares in multi-state co-operative societies to help them raise funds.
Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002
- The Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002 was enacted with a view to facilitating democratic functioning and autonomous working of multi-state co-operative societies in line with the established co-operative principles.
- India has more than 1,500 multi-State co-operative societies serving as an important tool to promote economic and social betterment of their members based on the principles of self-help and mutual aid.
Jayaprakash Narayan
Union Home Minister Amit Shah unveiled a 15-foot statue of Jayaprakash Narayan or JP on his 120th birth anniversary on October 11, at his birthplace, Sitab Diara village in Bihar’s Saran district.
About:
- He was born on October 11, 1902, in Bihar’s Sitab Diara.
- He quit college to join the non-cooperation movement, before going to study at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was influenced by the ideas of Karl Marx.
- He returned to India in 1929 and joined the freedom struggle and the Indian National Congress, upon the invitation of Jawaharlal Nehru and drawn by a speech by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
- He is one of the founding members of the Congress Socialist Party (CSP).
- He is credited for galvanising popular opinion against Indira Gandhi government, through his call for Sampoorna Kranti (Total Revolution). It led to the formation of the first non-Congress government (Janata Party government, 1977) in the country.
- In 1999, he was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, in recognition of his social service.
- Other awards include the Magsaysay award for Public Service in 1965.
Israel and Lebanon agreement
Israel has reached a US-brokered agreement with Lebanon to settle their long-disputed maritime border, hailing a ‘historic achievement’ that potentially unlocks significant offshore gas production for both countries.
About:
- It resolves a territorial dispute in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, in an area that Lebanon wants to explore for natural gas.
- All of the Karish field would fall under Israeli control, while another potential gas field, Qana, would be divided but its exploitation would be under Lebanon’s control.
- It also sets a border between the maritime waters of Lebanon and Israel for the first time.
- The agreement does not touch on the shared land border between Israel and Lebanon, which is still disputed, but where both countries are committed to a ceasefire.
- This border is also called the Blue Line, a boundary that was drawn up by the UN after Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000.
Collegium System
During Justice Chandrachud’s two-year tenure, the collegium he will head will potentially make as many as 18 recommendations for appointment of judges to the Supreme Court. It will be an unusual collegium: instead of five members, it will have six.
About:
- The collegium system of appointing judges evolved through three significant verdicts of the Supreme Court, known as the First, Second, and Third Judges Cases.
- The Constitution of India does not mention the collegium system; however, these three cases established that the collegium headed by the Chief Justice of India will have primacy in the appointment of judges to the higher judiciary.
- The Supreme Court collegium is headed by the CJI and comprises four other senior-most judges of the court.
- This collegium makes recommendations to the government for appointment of judges to the SC and of Chief Justices of High Courts, and the transfers of HC judges.
- A separate three-member collegium, headed by the CJI and comprising the two senior-most judges of the SC makes recommendations for appointment of judges to HCs.
What are the Judges Cases?
First Judges Case (1982)
- SC held that “consultation” of judges does not mean concurrence
- Hence, it gave the primacy in appointment of judges to the Executive.
Second Judges Case (1993)
- Court reversed its earlier ruling by changing the meaning of “consultation” to concurrence.
- With this, the advice tendered by CJI became binding. However, the CJI would have to take into account the views of two of his senior most colleagues.
Third Judges Case (1998)
- Court gave primacy to the opinion of CJI in the matter of appointment of Judges.
- However, Chief Justice must consult four seniormost judges of SC.
- Opinion of all members of the collegium should be in writing.
- Even if two judges in the collegium give an adverse opinion of a person for appointment as the SC judge, the CJI should not send the recommendation to the government.
What is a 5+1 collegium?
- Given the order of seniority, a potential CJI will enter the Chandrachud collegium only in May 2023. However, Justice Khanna will be the sixth member of the collegium from November 9, 2022 itself.
- This happened earlier in 2007 — when then CJI K G Balakrishnan took the top office, the collegium he headed did not have a potential CJI candidate. Justice S H Kapadia, who was next in line to be CJI, was invited to the collegium as the sixth member.
Justice D.Y. Chandrachud
Chief Justice of India UU Lalit recommends Justice D Y Chandrachud as next Chief Justice of India.
About:
- Chief Justice Lalit’s recommendation to the government would start the process for appointment of Justice Chandrachud as the 50th Chief Justice of India.
- If the government approval comes through, Justice Chandrachud would be the first second-generation CJI. His father, Justice Y.V. Chandrachud, was the 16th CJI and one of the longest serving.
- Chief Justice Lalit is scheduled to retire on November 8 at the end of a 74-day tenure as top judge.
- Justice Chandrachud is expected to be sworn in and assume charge as Chief Justice of India from November 9.
- He has a tenure of two years as Chief Justice until his retirement on November 11, 2024.
Judicial career
- Justice Chandrachud was appointed judge of the Supreme Court on May 13, 2016.
- He was before that the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court from October 31, 2013.
- Justice Chandrachud began his career as a judge in the Bombay High Court on March 29, 2000 until his appointment as the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court.
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
Union Minister Smriti Irani recently released an operations manual of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao.
About:
- The Central government recently announced the inclusion of skilling of girls in non-traditional livelihood (NTL) options in Beti Bachao Beti Padhao programme.
- The scheme will now also focus on increasing the enrolment of girls in secondary education, particularly in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) subjects.
- A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministries of Women and Child Development, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Minority Affairs.
- It emphasises convergence between Ministries and Departments to ensure adolescents complete their education, build skills, and enter the workforce in a diverse range of professions, including in STEM fields.
- A national committee headed by the Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development will be the apex committee to review the implementation of the scheme at regular intervals with State governments and Union Territory administrations.
Right to Information (RTI) Act
According to a report by Satark Nagrik Sangathan, backlog of RTI appeals or complaints is increasing in commissions every year.
About:
- Nearly 3.15 lakh complaints and appeals are pending with 26 information commissions across India.
- The number of appeals and complaints pending in 2019, from data obtained from 26 information commissions was 2,18,347.
- In 2020, the number climbed up to 2,33,384 with data obtained from 23 information commissions, in 2021 the number was 2,86,325 with data from 26 commissions and in 2022, it was 3,14,323.
- The highest number of pending cases was in Maharashtra at 99,722, followed by Uttar Pradesh at 44,482, Karnataka at 30,358, the Central Information Commission at 26,724 and Bihar at 21,346.
- The report says two information commissions—Jharkhand and Tripura—out of 29 across the country have been completely defunct for 29 months and 15 months respectively.
- Manipur, Telangana, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh are without chiefs at the moment.
- Only 5% of the all positions in commissions are being occupied by women.
- Also, several information commissions, including the Central Information Commission, are working at reduced capacity with less than the stipulated number of members being in office.
- Under RTI law, information commissions are the final appellate authority and are mandated to safeguard and facilitate people’s right to information.
India’s growth forecast
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently trimmed its FY23 growth forecast for India by 60 basis points from its July projection of 7.4 per cent to 6.8 per cent, its steepest cut for any major economy barring the US.
About:
- IMF’s move follows the World Bank slashing its FY23 growth projection for India to 6.5 per cent recently from 7.5 per cent predicted earlier.
- India is projected to grow at 6.8% in the current fiscal year, following 8.7% growth in fiscal year that ended March 31 as per figures released in the IMF’s October 2022 World Economic Outlook.
- Growth rate for this year for India has been revised downward by 0.6 percentage points relative to the IMF’s June 2022 forecast, following a weaker output in the second quarter, and subdued external demand.
- The forecast for the next fiscal year remains unaltered at 6.1%.
- The IMF has projected 6.9% consumer price inflation this year and 5.1% next year.
- For the world as a whole, growth will slow down from 6.0% in 2021 to 3.2% in 2022 and 2.7% in 2023.
Reports Published by IMF:
- Global Financial Stability Report
- Fiscal Monitor
- World Economic Outlook
- Regional Economic Outlook
- Managing Director’s Global Policy Agenda
National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG)
53rd Capacity Building programme in Field Administration for Civil Servants of Bangladesh inaugurated at National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) at Mussoorie.
About:
- The National Centre for Good Governance was set up in 2014 by the Government of India as an apex institution in the country.
- Its head office is at New Delhi and registered office at Mussoorie.
- It focuses on good governance, policy reforms, training and capacity building, and to also work as a think tank.
- It has taken up capacity building of civil servants of several foreign countries in partnership with Ministry of External Affairs.
- It has imparted training to civil servants of 15 countries such as Bangladesh, Kenya, Tanzania, Tunisia, Seychelles, Gambia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Laos, Vietnam, Bhutan, Myanmar and Cambodia.
History:
- The NCGG traces its origin to the National Institute of Administrative Research (NIAR).
- NIAR was set up in 1995 by the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA).
- NIAR was subsequently rechristened with an expanded mandate, as NCGG, which was inaugurated in 2014.
6th meeting of India-Norway Joint Working Group on Higher Education
India recently hosted the 6th meeting of the India-Norway Joint Working Group on Higher Education in New Delhi.
About:
- The Joint Working Group was established to monitor and oversee the implementation of the MoU on Cooperation in the field of Higher Education signed between India and Norway on 25th April, 2022.
- The two sides reviewed the progress made under the Indo-Norwegian Cooperation Programme developed under the ambit of the previous India-Norway MoU signed in 2014.
- They deliberated upon overall higher education policy and priorities, student/faculty mobility and cooperation in the field of skill development.
India’s relations with Central Europe (CE):
- India’s relations with countries in Central Europe (CE) remained on a steady upward track characterised by warmth and progress in 2021-22, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
- Rooted in cultural ties, relations with Central European countries have been free from any major irritants.
- India has received support from these countries at various multilateral fora.
- Regional groups within CE like the Visegrad Group (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) and the Nordic group (Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland) also provide platforms for plurilateral exchanges with India.
Kurds
Nationwide protests in Iran over the death of a young Iranian Kurdish woman in the custody of Iran’s morality police.
About:
- The Kurds are members of a large, predominantly Muslim ethnic group.
- They speak a language related to Farsi and live mostly in a mountainous region straddling the borders of Armenia, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey.
- Treaty of Sèvres: After World War I, Western powers promised Kurds their own homeland in the agreement known as the Treaty of Sèvres.
- Treaty of Lausanne: But later the Treaty of Lausanne, ratified in 1924, divided the Kurds among the new nations of the Middle East.
- Today, there are more than 30 million Kurds living across the region, with about half of them in Turkey.
- Iraq is the only country in the region to have established an autonomous Kurdish region, known as Iraqi Kurdistan. Its parliament was founded in 1992.
Automatic Exchange Of Information (AEOI)
India has received the fourth set of Swiss bank account details of its nationals and organisations as part of an annual information exchange, under which Switzerland has shared particulars of nearly 34 lakh financial accounts with 101 countries.
About:
- This is the fourth tranche of information that India has received from Switzerland since the two countries entered into an Automatic Exchange Of Information (AEOI) agreement in January 2018.
- The first such exchange with India took place in 2019.
Automatic Exchange Of Information (AEOI):
- AEOI 2022 exchange exercise aims to bring in transparency and restrict money laundering.
- Some countries which have been added to the Swiss AEOI list for the first time are Turkey, Peru and Nigeria.
- The guidelines and parameters for the AEOI are set by the Paris-based international body, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
- The annual exercise of AEOI exchange, such as the current Swiss bonanza of banking details, is strictly meant for “tax only” purposes and in India, kept in the custody of and for action by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
- Under the OECD’s guidelines, no details of the quantum of funds or the names of account holders are to be publicised.
- In 2014, the OECD developed the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) which allows every country to obtain data from Financial Institutions (FIs) and “automatically” exchange it with countries with which AEOI agreements are in order every year.
- Under the OECD umbrella of AEOI, India presently shares bulk financial and banking information with 78 countries and receives the same from 107 countries.
Space Economy
The Indian space economy is set to reach $13 billion by 2025, according to a joint report prepared by EY and the Indian Space Association (ISpA).
About:
- According to the report, the space-launch segment would grow at a CAGR of 13%, spurred by growing private participation, latest technology adoption and low cost of launch services.
- The satellite services and application segment would form the largest share of the space economy accounting for 36% of the ecosystem by 2025.
- On the country’s satellite-manufacturing opportunity, EY and ISpA said that in 2020, it was $2.1 billion. This would reach $3.2 billion by the year 2025.
Indian Space Association (ISpA)
- Indian Space Association (ISpA), established in December 2020, is the premier industry association of space and satellite companies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ISpA on October 11, 2021.
- The industry association will act as an independent and “single-window” agency for enabling the opening up of the space sector to start-ups and the private sector, according to the government agenda.
Mental Health
On World Mental Health Day, The Lancet released a new report calling for radical action to end stigma and discrimination in mental health.
About:
- The report was the result of the labours of the new Lancet Commission on Ending Stigma and Discrimination in Mental Health.
- According to the report, 90% of people living with mental health conditions feel negatively impacted by stigma and discrimination.
- Further, 80% said stigma and discrimination can be worse than the condition itself.
- Additionally, 90% of those surveyed felt that media could play a major role in reducing stigma.
- As per the commission, stigma can “cause social exclusion and disempowerment of people with mental health conditions leading to discrimination and human rights violations, including problems in accessing healthcare, challenges in securing employment, and increased likelihood of health complications leading to early death”.
Nobel Prize in Economics 2022
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Economics to Ben S. Bernanke, Douglas W. Diamond and Philip H. Dybvig.
About:
- Ben S. Bernanke, Douglas W. Diamond and Philip H. Dybvig won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Economics for research on banks and financial crises.
- According to Nobel committee, the three laureates have significantly improved our understanding of the role of banks in the economy, particularly during financial crises, and an important finding in their research is why avoiding bank collapses is vital.
Douglas W Diamond and Philip H Dybvi
- Both Diamond and Dybvig worked together to develop theoretical models explaining why banks exist, how their role in society makes them vulnerable to rumours about their impending collapse, and how society can lessen this vulnerability.
- These insights form the foundation of modern bank regulation.
Ben S. Bernanke
- Former Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke analysed the Great Depression of the 1930s, the worst economic crisis in modern history. Among other things, he showed how bank runs were a decisive factor in the crisis becoming so deep and prolonged.
- Using historical sources and statistical methods, Bernanke’s analysis showed which factors were important in the drop in gross domestic product.
Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences
- The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences is awarded in memory of Alfred Nobel.
- While Alfred Nobel did not mention the economics prize in his will, the Sveriges Riksbank established the award in 1968 and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences was given the task of selecting the Laureates in Economic Sciences, starting in 1969.
Conference on B20 Indonesia Global Dialogue
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) recently hosted Conference on B20 Indonesia Global Dialogue in partnership with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi.
About:
- The aim is to align the perspectives of Indian industry with the policy recommendations of B20 Indonesia.
- This conference would set tone for the deliberations to ensure that the Indian perspectives are well represented in the policy recommendation of B20 Indonesia.
Business 20 (B20):
- Business 20 (B20), formed in 2010, is the official G20 dialogue forum with the global business community.
- B20 aims to deliver concrete actionable policy recommendations on the priorities by each rotating presidency to spur economic growth and development.
Football for Schools project
FIFA in partnership with All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the support of the Union government launched the Football for Schools project in the country, which is aimed at broad-basing the game across India.
About:
- Football for Schools is an ambitious programme run by FIFA, in collaboration with UNESCO, which aims to contribute to the education, development and empowerment of around 700 million children.
- According to Union Government, “Football for Schools” movement espouses the spirit of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and promotes sports-integrated learning.
- Football for Schools is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a developing India as a sporting superpower as well as ensuring a Fit India.
- The government will take the Football for Schools programme to all 700+ districts in India.
- Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti will be the nodal agency on behalf of the ministry of education to take this initiative forward.
North Eastern Council (NEC)
The Plenary meeting of North Eastern Council concluded recently.
About:
- NEC is not a constitutional body, but a statutory organization established in 1971 under the North Eastern Council Act, 1971.
Functions:
- To function as Apex Regional Planning Body for the North Eastern Region.
- Implementing various projects through the State and Central agencies.
Composition:
- It comprises Governors and Chief Ministers of all the 8 North-Eastern States and three members nominated by the President.
Administration:
- In June 2018, Union cabinet approved the nomination of the Home Minister as the ex-officio chairman and Minister for DoNER (Development of North-East Region) as the council’s vice chairman.
National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC)
4th NICDC Investors’ Roundtable Conference to be held in Mumbai on October 10.
About:
- The 4th NICDC Investors’ Roundtable Conference organized by Maharashtra Industrial Township Limited (MITL).
- The Investors Roundtable Conference has previously been hosted in Delhi, Kochi, and Ahmedabad.
- The 4th edition of the conference will showcase the development of upcoming greenfield industrial cities across India, which have been planned by National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Limited.
- Currently, four such greenfield smart industrial cities are being developed in Maharashtra in the districts of Aurangabad, Raigad, Satara and Nagpur.
National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC):
- National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) is a Special Purpose Vehicle aiming to develop new industrial cities as “Smart Cities” and converging next generation technologies across infrastructure sectors.
- The programme is aimed at providing impetus to planned urbanization in India with manufacturing as the key driver.
Manesar Anti-terror 2022
India is currently hosting the multilateral anti-terror exercise ‘Manesar Anti-terror 2022’ scheduled from October 8 to 13.
About:
- It is under the framework of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS).
- It is stage 2 of the exercise and the Stage-1 of the Exercise was conducted from July 27 to August 1 by the National Counter Terrorist Forces of SCO Member Countries in their respective territories.
- The exercise is aimed at exchanging expertise, best practices and build synergy between the Counter Terrorism Forces of the SCO RATS Member Countries to enhance capabilities for conducting Anti-Terrorist operations and countering other security threats collectively.
Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS):
- Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) one of the permanent organ of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and has its headquarters in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
- The objective of SCO RATS is to facilitate cooperation and coordination against Terrorism, Extremism and Separatism.
- India assumed the chairmanship of the Council of SCO RATS in Oct 2021.
- Joint Anti-Terror Exercise (JATE) is an annual Counter Terrorist Exercise held within the framework of the SCO RATS.
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO):
- The SCO is an eight-member economic and security bloc that India and Pakistan joined as full-time members back in 2017.
- The founding members of this group include China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)
A revised action plan to fight the serious challenge of air pollution in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) has come into force after a sudden dip in air quality in the capital and its neighbouring areas.
About:
- The GRAP is a step-by-step plan to counter Delhi-NCR’s deteriorating air quality.
- It was formulated by the Environmental Pollution Prevention and Control Authority (EPCA) jointly with the Delhi government in 2017.
- However, it is an emergency response mechanism and is only enforced when air pollution reaches a certain threshold.
- Moreover, the plan is incremental and adaptable, which means the preventive measures will be updated and escalated according to changes in the AQI.
Categories:
- It has been prepared for implementation under different Air Quality Index (AQI) categories namely, Moderate & Poor, Very Poor, Severe, Severe+ and Emergency as per National Air Quality Index.
- ‘Moderate’ to ‘poor’ categoryincludes measures like stringent enforcement of PUC checks, prevention of waste burning and regulating polluting industries.
- The ‘very poor’ categoryincludes measures like shutting down of diesel generator sets and enhancing parking fees.
- The ‘severe’ and ‘severe plus’ categories include stringent measures like shutting down hot mix plants and stone crushers, intensifying public transport, stopping entry of trucks into Delhi, stopping construction activity and even implementing the odd-even scheme.
Direct tax
According to Union Finance Ministry, India’s net direct tax collections till October 8 in the financial year 2022-23 have risen to ₹7.45 lakh crore, more than half of the Budget targets.
About:
- It is an increase of 16.3% over the tax inflows during the corresponding period a year ago.
- Based on provisional data, net personal income tax collections grew 17.35%, rising faster than corporate income tax collections that were up 16.29% net of refunds.
- Securities Transaction Tax (STT) collections combined with personal income tax receipts, grew at a more moderate 16.25%.
- Underlining that direct tax collections continue to register a steady growth, the Ministry said tax refunds had jumped 81% over the preceding year to touch ₹1.53 lakh crore.
- Net direct tax collections had crossed ₹7 lakh crore by September 17, 2022 and were 23.3% higher at the time, so there appears to have been a moderation in tax inflows in the intervening three weeks.
- Gross revenues from direct taxes were at ₹8,36,225 crore on September 17, reflecting a 30.2% growth.
Aatmanirbhar in defence production
India ranks fourth among 12 Indo-Pacific nations in self-reliant arms production capabilities, according to a study released this month by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
About:
- The 12 countries in the study were selected because they have the highest military spending in the region — Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
- The study, which measures self-reliance until 2020, is based on three indicators of self-reliance in each country:
- Arms procurement
- Arms industry
- Uncrewed maritime vehicles
China
- China was the world’s fifth largest arms importer in 2016-20.
- Its self-reliance policies, and its high economic growth in that period meant that the Chinese arms industry now increasingly fulfills the requirements of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
- Its high volume of imports in absolute terms accounts for only 8 per cent of total procurement for the period, the lowest share for any of the 12 governments.
India
- India is ranked as the second largest importer of arms for its armed forces in 2016-20. India is highly dependent on imports of complete foreign major arms, including many produced under licence or as components for its domestic production.
- Of India’s total volume of procurement in 2016–20, 84 per cent was of foreign origin. Domestic arms companies provide only 16 per cent of its total procurement.
- Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, Indian Ordnance Factories, Bharat Electronics, Mazagaon Docks and Cochin Shipyard are among the major Indian arms servicing companies. Ashok Leyland, one of the largest suppliers of trucks to the Indian Army, is the only company ranked in the top 50 in the Indo-Pacific.
- India has seven Uncrewed Maritime Vessel projects ongoing. In the private sector, Larsen & Toubro has been
Sharad Purnima
Sharad Purnima being celebrated in country on October 9.
About:
- This religious festival is celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu lunar month of Ashvin.
- It is also known as the Arogya Parv or Health Festival. It is also known as Kaumudi, or Kojagari Purnima.
- The full-moon night is celebrated differently in different cultural regions of the country.
- On this auspicious day, many divine pairs like Radha Krishna, Shiva Parvati, and Lakshmi Narayan are worshipped along with the moon and are offered flowers and kheer (a sweet dish made of rice and milk).
- Deities in temples are usually dressed in white, signifying the brightness of the moon.
- It is also observed as a harvest festival in many states across the country.
Rosetta Stone
Many Egypt historians are demanding the U.K to return the 2,000-year-old Rosetta Stone.
About:
- The Rosetta Stone is a large stone slab with inscriptions on it and is believed to be a piece of a bigger rock.
- It has inscriptions in three scripts, all of which convey a decree or public message.
- The decree is inscribed three times, in hieroglyphs (suitable for a priestly decree), Demotic (the cursive Egyptian script used for daily purposes, meaning ‘language of the people’), and Ancient Greek (the language of the administration – the rulers of Egypt at this point were Greco-Macedonian after Alexander the Great’s conquest).
- This is similar to how in Ancient India, King Ashoka ordered stambhas or edicts that had messages of Buddha’s teachings and news about victory in a war inscribed. These were then placed throughout the kingdom for the public to see.
- Its discovery that helped develop the specific field of ancient Egypt studies, Egyptology.
- According to the British Museum, the engraving was done during the reign of King Ptolemy V who ruled from 204–181 BC.
- This stone was ‘rediscovered’ in the time of French king Napoleon Bonaparte, who launched a campaign in Egypt from 1798 to 1801.
- On Napoleon’s defeat later at the hands of the British, the Treaty of Alexandria (1801) led to its transfer and it has been at the British Museum since then.
National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS)
The usage of the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) is 50% or less in many states even after the Union government’s order making it mandatory to record attendance of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).
About:
- National Mobile Monitoring Software (NMMS) App was launched by the Minister of Rural Development on May, 21 2021.
- This app is aimed at bringing more transparency and ensure proper monitoring of the schemes.
- The NMMS App permits taking real time attendance of workers at Mahatma Gandhi NREGA worksites along with geo-tagged photograph.
- The app helps in increasing citizen oversight of the programme.
- The National Mobile Monitoring App is applicable for the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA workers for all the States/ Union Territories.
Kerch bridge
The road-and-rail bridge linking Russia and the Crimean peninsula was damaged in a powerful blast recently, hitting a crucial supply route for Russian forces in Ukraine.
About:
- The 19-km (12-mile) Crimea Bridge over the Kerch Strait is the only direct link between the transport network of Russia and the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
- The bridge is crucial for the supply of fuel, food and other products to Crimea, where the port of Sevastopol is the historic home base of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
Kerch Strait
- The Kerch Strait is a crucial part of the regional grain trade connecting the Azov sea with the Black Sea.
Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti
This year Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti is being celebrated on October 9.
About:
- Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti celebrated every year on the full moon day of the month of Ashwin. This day is also popularly known as Pargat Diwas.
- It is observed as the birth anniversary of sage poet Maharishi Valmiki.
- He is considered as the first poet in the Sanskrit language.
- He is credited with writing the Ramayana.
- One of the famous temples dedicated to sage Maharishi Valmiki, is in Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai.
Election Symbol
The Election Commission has barred both the groups led by former Maharastra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and State Chief Minster Eknath Shinde from using the party name Shiv Sena in the upcoming Andheri East Bye-elections and till the final determination of the dispute in the matter.
About:
- As per the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, the Election Commission allots symbols for anyone contesting in polls.
- A person contesting on behalf of a recognised political party will inherit the party’s symbol.
- An independent candidate or someone contesting on behalf of an unrecognised political party has to approach the Commission and get a symbol allotted from the list of ‘free’ symbols available.
- A candidate will have to provide three symbols from the free list at the time of submission of nomination papers, one of which will be allocated to him/her.
- Any choice other than from the EC’s list will be summarily rejected.
- In the case of a recognised political party, the Commission allows it to ‘reserve’ a symbol.
- For example, if a political party recognised in a particular State wishes to contest in elections in another State, it can ‘reserve’ the symbol being used by it.
- The Commission will oblige, provided the symbol is not being used by anyone else.
- Two or more recognised political parties can have the same symbol provided they are not contenders in the same State or Union Territory.
- Both Federal Party of Manipur and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) use ‘Rising Sun’ as their symbol.
- But if one of the parties wish to open their account in the other State, it will have to contest on a different symbol.
Losing the symbol?
- The ECI may also derecognise a political party if it has not polled at least 6 % of votes or won two seats in the State elections. In case of a national party, it should have polled minimum 6 % votes and 2 MLAs in at least four States.
- Until 1997, unrecognised parties would lose their symbols. Later, the EC modified its order to allow them to retain its symbol.
Party split:
- In case a recognised political party splits, the Commission decides which faction can use the symbol.
- The Commission may also choose to freeze the symbol and ask both factions to contest in fresh symbols.
Eid Milad-un-Nabi
Eid Milad-un-Nabi, the birthday of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad, is being celebrated with religious fervour in various parts of the country.
About:
- This day marks the birth anniversary of the Prophet.
- According to legends, the Prophet was born on the twelfth day of Rabee-ul-Awwal in Mecca in 570 CE. Rabee-ul-Awwal is the third month of the Islamic lunar calendar.
Celebrations:
- “Milaad Mehfils”and “Seerat Conferences” will be held highlighting the life and teachings of Prophet Muhammad.
- On this day, hymns are sung in praise of the Prophet and it is also commonly believed that listening to those will make one receive worldly and heavenly rewards.
- Several countries celebrate the day by taking out large processions in the street and by decorating their homes.
Modhera
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be declaring Modhera in Gujarat as a 24 x 7 solar-powered village on October 9.
About:
- Modhera will be India’s first village to become a net renewable energy generator.
- It will be the first modern village to have a solar-based ultra-modern electric vehicle charging station.
- It is India’s first grid-connected megawatt-hours (MWh) scale battery energy storage system.
- People in Modhera would be saving 60% to 100 % on electricity bills.
- The heritage lighting and 3-D projection at the Sun Temple would operate on solar energy.
- The 3-D projection will inform visitors about the history of Modhera.
Modhera Sun Temple
- The Modhera Sun Temple was made by King Bhima I of the Chalukya dynasty in the early 11th century.
- It is a temple made to honour the Sun God in Modhera village of Mehsana district on the bank of River Pushpavati.
- The temple is designed in such a way that during every equinox, the first ray of the rising sun would fall on a diamond placed on the head of the Sun God. This would also light up the shrine with a golden glow.
- The Sabha Mandap stands on 52 pillars, signifying the 52 weeks in a year. There are carvings of the sun on the walls to show its unity with air, water, earth and space.
- In 2014, Modhera Sun Temple entered the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
- It enjoys the same significance as other two well-known sun-temples in Kashmir (Martand) and Orissa (Konark).
- The Gujarat Tourism hosts a three-day dance festival every year, known as the Uttarardha Mahotsav, at the temple every January after Makar Sankranti festival.
Mahakaleshwar Temple
PM Modi to inaugurate first phase of Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple Extension project.
About
- Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, shrines which are said to be the most sacred abodes of Shiva.
- It is located in the ancient city of Ujjain in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. The temple is situated on the side of the holy river Shipra.
- The temple’s Mahakal Lingam is believed to be Swayambhu (self-manifested) and unlike any other jyotirlingas in the country, the idol of Mahakaleshwar faces south.
- Mahakal temple complex expansion project was planned in the year 2017. This expansion project are being conducted in two phases. The second Phase will be completed in 2023-24.
12 Jyotirlingas in India
- The jyotirlinga shrines are places where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light. A Jyotirlinga is a shrine where Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlingam.
- 12 Jyotirlingas In India are Somnath( Gujarat), Nageshwar (Gujarat), Bhimashankar (Maharashtra), Trimbakeshwar (Maharashtra), Grishneshwar (Maharashtra), Vaidyanath (Jharkhand), Mahakaleshwar (Madhya Pradesh), Omkareshwar (Madhya Pradesh), Kashi Vishwanath(Uttar Pradesh), Kedarnath (Uttarakhand), Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu), Mallikarjuna (Andhra Pradesh).
National Lok Adalat
National Lok Adalat will be held on 12 November across the country to dispose off pending cases through settlement.
About:
- What is it? Lok Adalat is one of the alternative dispute redressal mechanisms, it is a forum where disputes/cases pending in the court of law or at pre-litigation stage are settled/ compromised amicably.
- Who conducts? National Legal Services Authority of India (NALSA) along with other Legal Services Institutions conducts Lok Adalats.
- Status: Lok Adalats have been given statutory status under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987.
-
Appeal:
- The award (decision) made by the Lok Adalats is deemed to be a decree of a civil court and is final and binding on all parties and no appeal against such an award lies before any court of law.
- If the parties are not satisfied with the award of the Lok Adalat though there is no provision for an appeal against such an award, but they are free to initiate litigation by approaching the court of appropriate jurisdiction by filing a case by following the required procedure, in exercise of their right to litigate.
- Fees: There is no court fee payable when a matter is filed in a Lok Adalat.
-
Nature of Cases to be Referred to Lok Adalat
- Any case pending before any court.
- Any dispute which has not been brought before any court and is likely to be filed before the court.
Provided that any matter relating to an offence not compoundable under the law shall not be settled in Lok Adalat.
Nobel Prize in Literature 2022
The 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to the French author Annie Ernaux.
About:
- Ernaux, was honoured “for the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective restraints of personal memory”.
- Her more than 20 books, many of which have been school texts in France for decades, offer one of the most subtle, insightful windows into the social life of modern France.
- Personal experiences are the source for all of Ms. Ernaux’s work and she is the pioneer of France’s “autofiction” genre, which gives narrative form to real-life experience.
UNHRC adopts resolution against Sri Lanka’s rights record
India abstained on a draft resolution in the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka which was adopted.
About:
- The draft resolution on ‘Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka’ was adopted at the 51st Session of Human Rights Council in Geneva.
- The significant feature in the resolution is its call to investigate the on-going economic crisis and prosecute those responsible.
- The resolutions on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka were previously moved in Geneva in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, and in 2021. Sri Lanka had expressed opposition to the resolution as a violation of its sovereignty other than in 2015 when they co-sponsored the resolution.
UN Human Rights Council
- What is it? It is an inter-governmental body within the UN system.
- Location: It meets at the UN Office at Geneva.
- Establishment: It was founded in 2006. It replaced the former United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR).
-
Functions:
- It investigates allegations of breaches of human rights in UN member states.
- It addresses important human rights issues such as freedom of expression, women’s rights, LGBT rights, and the rights of racial and ethnic minorities.
- The UNHRC works closely with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
- Membership:
- The Council is made of 47 Member States, which are elected by UN General Assembly through direct and secret ballot. The Council’s Membership is based on equitable geographical distribution.
- Members of the Council serve for a period of three years and are not eligible for immediate re-election after serving two consecutive terms.
- In June 2018, the United States announced its withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) terming it “hypocritical and self-serving”.
No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels (NOPEC) bill
NOPEC bill, the U.S. legislation that could open members of oil producing group OPEC+ to antitrust lawsuits has emerged as a possible tool to tackle high fuel prices.
About:
- NOPEC bill, which passed a Senate committee 17-4 on May 5, is intended to protect U.S. consumers and businesses from engineered oil spikes.
- The bipartisan NOPEC bill would tweak U.S. antitrust law to revoke the sovereign immunity that has protected OPEC+ members and their national oil companies from lawsuits.
- If signed into law, the S. attorney general would gain the option to sue the oil cartel or its members, such as Saudi Arabia, in federal court.
- It is unclear exactly how a federal court could enforce judicial antitrust decisions against a foreign nation.
Competition Commission of India
Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurates Competition Commission of India’s Regional Office (West) in Mumbai.
About:
- Status: A statutory body established under the provisions of The Competition Act, 2002.
- Established in: 2003.
- Composition: A Chairperson and 6 Members appointed by the Central Government.
- Headquarters: New Delhi.
- Preceding agency: Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission.
- Mandate: To implement provisions of The Competition Act, 2002 which –
- prohibits anti-competitive agreements and abuse of dominant position by enterprises
- regulates mergers and acquisition (M&A) which can have an adverse effect on competition within India. Thus, deals beyond a certain threshold are required to get clearance from CCI.
International Solar Alliance’s Fifth Assembly
International Solar Alliance’s Fifth Assembly to be held in New Delhi from 17th to 20th October, 2022
About:
- The Assembly is the apex decision-making body of ISA, in which each Member Country is represented. This body makes decisions concerning the implementation of the ISA’s Framework Agreement and coordinated actions to be taken to achieve its objective.
- India holds the office of the President of the ISA Assembly. Ministers, missions and delegates from 109 Member and Signatory Countries are set to participate in this meeting.
International Solar Alliance (ISA)
- It is an international organisation with 109 member and signatory countries.
- It works with governments to improve energy access and security worldwide and promote solar power as a sustainable way to transition to a carbon-neutral future.
- ISA’s mission is to unlock US$ 1 trillion of investments in solar by 2030 while reducing the cost of the technology and its financing.
- With the signing and ratification of the ISA Framework Agreement by 15 countries in 2017, ISA became the first international intergovernmental organization to be headquartered in India.
Vyommitra
ISRO’s humanoid Vyommitra’s skills get a lift-off with digital grey matter.
About:
- ‘Vyommitra’, is a humanoid designed and developed by the ISRO to fly aboard unmanned test missions ahead of the Gaganyaan human space-flight mission, is undergoing pre-flight ground tests.
- ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) has successfully integrated it with a computer ‘brain’ which enables it to ‘read’ control panels aboard the unmanned test flights and communicate with the ISRO ground stations.
- The AI-enabled robot, which can withstand vibrations and shock during the flight, has been designed to resemble a human with facial expressions and speech and sight capabilities. It is a half-humanoid lacking lower limbs.
One District One Product scheme (ODOP)
PM Modi calls for giving boost to One District One Product scheme & further develop Aspirational Districts.
About:
- ODOP was launched by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, to help districts reach their full potential, foster economic and socio-cultural growth, and create employment opportunities, especially, in rural areas.
- This initiative is carried out with the ‘Districts as Exports Hub’ initiative by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Department of Commerce.
- There may be more than one cluster of ODOP products in one district. The States would identify the food product for a district, keeping in perspective the focus of the scheme on perishables.
- The ODOP product could be a perishable Agri produce, cereal-based product, or a food product widely produced in a district and their allied sectors.
- The ODOP launch date is January 24, 2018, by the Uttar Pradesh Government, and due to its success, was later adopted by the Central Government.
Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP)
- Launched by the Hon’ble PM in January 2018, it aims to quickly and effectively transform 112 most under-developed districts across the country.
- The ranking is based on the incremental progress made across 49 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) under 5 broad socio-economic themes – Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development and Infrastructure.
herSTART’ Platform
President Draupadi Murmu launches ‘herSTART’ – a start-up platform of Gujarat University for women entrepreneurs
About:
- herSTART’ is the initiative of Gujarat University Startup and Entrepreneurship Council aims at supporting women-led startups.
- The platform has been launched with the aim that it will not only boost innovation and start-up efforts of women entrepreneurs but also help them connect with government as well as private enterprises.
- Through this platform, free resources and training modules free will be provided to aspiring women entrepreneurs. It will build a digital community and also a digital publication to spread their success stories.
The Tamil Movie Ponniyin Selvan-1 puts focus on the Cholas
About:
- The Chola kingdom stretched across present-day Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. During the period of the Cholas’ rise and fall (around 9th to 12th century AD), other powerful dynasties of the region would also come and go, such as the Rashtrakutas of the Deccan who defeated the Cholas, and the Chalukyas of the Andhra Pradesh region whom the Cholas frequently battled.
- The dynasty was founded by the king Vijaylaya, described as a “feudatory” of the Pallavas by historian Satish Chandra in the book ‘The History of Medieval Era’.
Society under the Cholas
- One of the biggest achievements of the Chola dynasty was its naval power, allowing them to go as far as Malaysia and the Sumatra islands of Indonesia in their conquests.
- While the extent of this domination is disputed, the Cholas had strong ties with merchant groups and this allowed them to undertake impressive naval expeditions.
- Succession wars were natural which is set in the time after the Rashtrakutas defeated the Cholas.
- Another feature is how the practice of building grand temples. The grand Brihadeeswara temple of Thanjavur, built by the Cholas, was the largest building in India in that period.
eChhawani Portal
Government has approved the extension of Online Building Plan Approval System (OBPAS) under eChhawani portal to five more Cantonment Boards, namely Agra, Ranikhet, Babina, Jammu and Cannanore.
About:
- eChhawani is a citizen-centric project of the Directorate General of Defence Estates, Ministry of Defence.
- Under this initiative, Cantonment Boards provide online citizen services to more than 20 lakh residents across 62 Cantonments in the country.
- The unified portal provides access to civic services along with all relevant information in a simple, easy to understand and effective manner.
- As a step towards facilitating ease of living, over 2.18 lakh property taxpayers living in cantonment areas would be able to apply online for mutation in the property tax register under the eChhawani portal (echhawani.gov.in).
Garba Dance
PM expresses happiness on Garba attaining popularity among National Games participants
About:
- Garba is a dance form native to the Indian state of Gujarat, performed in October to honour the Hindu Deity of Divinity, Goddess Durga
- It is a joyful style of dance, based on a circular pattern and characterized by a sweeping action from side to side.
- Garba performances often include singing and a musical accompaniment traditionally provided by dhol (double-headed drum) and the similar but smaller dholak; hand clapping; and assorted metallic idiophones, such as cymbals.
- Garba dances celebrate fertility, honour womanhood, and pay respect to any of an array of mother goddesses.
- In Gujarat the dances customarily mark a girl’s first menstrual cycle and, later, her imminent marriage. Garba dancing also takes place during the nine-day Navratri festival.
Scheduled Tribe status
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has announced Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Pahari community in Jammu and Kashmir.
About:
- He said that Justice GD Sharma Commission has recommended reservation for Paharis, Gujjars and Bakerwals and after completion of the administrative process, these communities will get reservation benefits.
Who are Paharis?
- The Pahari community is a linguistic group mainly residing in the Pir Panjal valley. They constitute of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs and make up around 10-11 per cent of the population in Jammu and Kashmir.
- Their mother tongue, Pahari, is an offshoot of Pothwari language with varying dialects and their own unique culture. They usually reside in rural areas and are majorly involved in agricultural and cattle activities.
Criteria for inclusion in ST List
- The criteria presently followed for specification of a community as a Scheduled Tribe are : (i) indications of primitive traits, (ii) distinctive culture, (iii) geographical isolation, (iv) shyness of contact with the community at large, and (v) backwardness. However, these criteria are not spelt out in the Constitution.
Article 342
Article 342 prescribes the procedure to be followed in the matter of specification of Scheduled Tribes.
- Under Clause (1) of Article 342, the President may, with respect to any State or Union Territory, and where it is a State, after consultation with the Governor thereof, notify tribes or tribal communities or parts of these as Scheduled Tribes. This confers on the tribe, or part of it, a Constitutional status invoking the safeguards provided for in the Constitution, to these communities in their respective states/UTs.
- Clause (2) of the Article 342 empowers the Parliament to pass a law to include in or exclude from the List of Scheduled Tribes, any tribe or tribal community or parts of these.
- The List of Scheduled Tribes is State/UT specific and a community declared as a Scheduled Tribe in a state need not be so in another state/UT.
Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY)
The disbursal of small business loans under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) logged a record 30 per cent growth in the first half of the current fiscal ended September compared to the same period last year.
About:
- It is a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, launched on 8th April, 2015.
- It is a Financial Inclusion (FI) programme in the country based on three pillars – Banking the Unbanked, Securing the Unsecured and Funding the Unfunded.
Types of loans:
- Shishu – Covering loans up to Rs 50,000;
- Kishor – Covering loans above Rs 50,000 and up to Rs 5 lakh;
- Tarun – Covering loans above Rs 5 lakh and up to Rs 10 lakh.
Eligibility:
- Any Indian Citizen who has a business plan for a non-farm sector income generating activities such as manufacturing, processing, trading or service sector.
- They can avail from all Public Sector Banks, Regional Rural Banks and Cooperative Banks, Private Sector Banks, Foreign Banks, Micro Finance Institutions (MFI) and Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFC) up to Rs 10 lakhs Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency Ltd. (MUDRA) loans under PMMY.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin)
According to the government data, 69% houses under PMAY in rural India are owned by women.
About:
- Over 69% of houses constructed under the Prime Minister’s special housing scheme are either wholly or jointly owned by women in rural areas.
- As on September 29, 2022, a total of two crore houses had been constructed out of the 2.46 crore houses that were sanctioned.
- The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) was launched by the Prime Minister in 2016 with the aim of constructing 2.95 crore houses.
- Beneficiaries are identified using parameters from Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 data and verified by Gram Sabhas.
- Concerned Ministry: Ministry of Rural Development.
Nobel Prize in Physiology, 2022
Swedish scientist Svante Pääbo has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology for the year 2022 “for his discoveries concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution”.
About:
- He has spearheaded the development of new techniques that allowed researchers to compare the genome of modern humans and that of other hominins — the Neanderthals and Denisovans.
- He spent decades trying to extract DNA from 40,000-year-old bones, culminating in the unveiling of the Neanderthal genome in 2010.
- The research helped establish that modern humans and Neanderthals share a common ancestor that lived some 600,000 years ago. Paabo and his team also found genetic evidence that, during periods of coexistence, modern humans and Neanderthals had children together.
- His seminal research gave rise to an entirely new scientific discipline; paleogenomics.
- His research led to the understanding that archaic gene sequences from our extinct relatives influence the physiology of present-day humans.
- One such example is the Denisovan version of the gene EPAS1, which confers an advantage for survival at high altitude and is common among present-day Tibetans.
- Other examples are Neanderthal genes that affect our immune response to different types of infections.
India – Ethiopia relations
The 4th Round of Foreign Office Consultations between India and Ethiopia were held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia recently.
About:
- During the consultation, both sides reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, including political engagements, trade and economic matters, development partnership projects and cooperation in higher education.
- They also agreed to work to expand engagement in fields such as defence, Science and Technology, education, agriculture and allied sectors and civil aviation.
- India and Ethiopia have also agreed to continue high-level political exchanges and regular meetings of the joint institutional mechanisms to keep the relationship vibrant and mutually beneficial.
- The next round of Consultations will be held in New Delhi.
India’s merchandise export
India’s merchandise export grew by over 15 % from April to September, 2022.
About:
- India’s merchandise export has grown by over 15 per cent to 229 billion US dollar from April to September this year in comparison to the same period last year.
- The country has achieved merchandise export of over 32 billion dollars in September this year with a decrease of 3.52 per cent in comparison to the same month last year.
- The export of non-petroleum and non-gems and jewellery from April to September this year was over 158 billion dollars, an increase of 5.53 per cent over the same period last year.
Chennai port to Maduravoyal elevated corridor project
The proposed elevated stretch will be developed in four sections and will start inside the Chennai Port and end after the Maduravoyal interchange.
About:
- According to the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, the project developed at an estimated cost of ₹5,800 crore will be completed by December 2024.
- It will serve as a dedicated freight corridor for Chennai bound port traffic and increase the handling capacity of Chennai Port by 48% and subsequently reduce the waiting time at the port by six hours.
- The project nearly doubles Chennai port’s container handling capacity to 2.64 million TEUs.
- In July, 2022, tenders were called for the construction of a double tier four-lane elevated corridor on Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) mode under the Bharatmala Pariyojana.
Bharatmala Pariyojana
- It is a new umbrella programme started in 2017 under the ultimate administrative control of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), Government of India, and will be implemented by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
- This will be done by development of Economic Corridors, Inter Corridors and Feeder Routes, National Corridor Efficiency Improvement, Border and International connectivity roads, Coastal and Port connectivity roads and Green-field expressways.
Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC):
- It is a type of Public funding Model.
- In such types of models, full freedom to plan, design and construction is given to the private contractor and core requirements are specified in schedules.
- Payments by the Government are linked to specified stages of construction.
- The Contract Price is subject to adjustment on account of variation in the cost and change in scope ordered by employer.
Shyamji Krishna Varma
Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays tribute to Shyamji Krishna Varma on his birth anniversary, October 4.
About:
- Shyamji Krishna Varma (1857 – 1930) was an Indian freedom fighter, lawyer and journalist.
- Indian Home Rule Society (IHRS):It was an Indian organisation founded in London in 1905 that sought to promote the cause of self-rule in British India. The organisation was founded by Shyamji Krishna Varma, with support from Bhikaji Cama, Dadabhai Naoroji and S.R. Rana.
- India House:He founded India House in London. It was a student residence that existed between 1905 and 1910 which was opened to promote nationalist views among Indian students in Britain.
- Indian Sociologist:He founded Indian Sociologist in London. The monthly Indian Sociologist became an outlet for nationalist ideas.
Windfall tax
The government recently cut the windfall tax on domestically-produced crude oil to Rs 8,000 per tonne from Rs 10,500, and halved the levy on export of diesel to Rs 5 per litre.
About:
- The taxes were introduced on July 1, as the Centre felt that elevated crude prices were allowing oil companies to make windfall profits, and that the exchequer must get a share of such gains.
- The reduction in tax rates follows the easing of crude oil prices in international markets.
Windfall tax
- A windfall tax is a tax levied by governments against certain industries when economic conditions allow those industries to experience above-average profits.
- The idea is to target firms that were lucky enough to benefit from something they were not responsible for – in other words, a windfall.
- In other words, windfall tax is imposed on companies that have seen their profits extraordinarily not because of any clever investment decision or an increase in efficiency or innovation, but simply because of favourable market conditions.
Tri-services Missile Command
The central government is considering setting up of a tri-services missile/rocket command on the lines of the space and the cyber command as the first steps towards military theatre commands.
About:
- The proposed missile command will be responsible for deployment of missile and rocket regiments against any hostile adversary and will be manned by commanders of the three services in rotation.
- This means that conventional missiles like BrahMos and Akash as well as Pinaka rockets will be placed under one command for rapid deployment against any adversary.
- The proposal to set up a missile command has been moved in the aftermath of the May 2020 East Ladakh stand-off with the PLA and the use of rockets and missiles in the Ukraine theatre by the Red Army.
- The missile command will be on similar lines as the tri-services cyber command and the space command as the future wars will hardly have any contact between troops unless used for capturing enemy territory.
urchasing Managers’ Index
The Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index, compiled by S&P Global, fell to 55.1 in September from 56.2 in August 2022.
About:
- It was the 15th straight month the figure was above the 50-mark separating growth from contraction.
- The survey pointed out that Indian businesses become more confident in the outlook as inflation worries were tamed.
- The overall level of positive sentiment seen in September was the best in over seven-and-a-half years, according to the survey.
Purchasing Managers’ Index
- Purchasing Managers’ Index or PMI is an economic indicator, which is derived after monthly surveys of different companies.
- The index shows trends in both the manufacturing and services sector.
- The index helps in determining whether the market conditions, as seen by purchasing managers, is expanding, contracting or staying the same.
- It is used to provide information regarding the current and future business conditions.
- PMI is one of the closely watched indicators of business activity and helps in predicting the economic health of a country.
- There are two types of PMI — Manufacturing PMI and Services PMI. A combined index is also made using both manufacturing PMI and services PMI.
- A PMI number greater than 50 indicates expansion in business activity. A number less than 50 shows contraction. The rate of expansion is also judged by the difference from the mid-point (50) and also by previous month’s data.
Tap water connections
Around 62% of rural households in India have fully functional tap water connections within their premises, according to a survey commissioned by the Union Ministry of Water Resources to assess the functioning of the government’s marquee Jal Jeevan Mission.
About:
- Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, and Puducherry reported more than 80% of households with fully functional connections, while fewer than half the households in Rajasthan, Kerala, Manipur, Tripura, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Sikkim had such connections.
- A fully functional tap water connection is defined as a household getting at least 55 litres per capita per day of potable water all through the year.
- Close to three-fourths of households received water all seven days a week and 8% just once a week.
- On an average, households got water for three hours every day, and 80% reported that their daily requirements of water were being met by the tap connections.
- The report mentions a concerning problem of chlorine contamination. Though 93% of the samples were reportedly free of bacteriological contamination, “most of the anganwadi centres and schools, had higher than the permissible range of residual chlorine and indicated inappropriate local dosing.
Matadata Junction program
Election Commission to launch Matadata Junction on All India Radio.
About:
- It is a year-long voter awareness program.
- The Matadata Junction program will be broadcast in 23 languages across the country.
- The weekly program covers all aspects of the Voter ecosystem and shall be broadcast every Friday on the All India Radio network.
- Each Program will be based on a particular Theme on the Electoral process.
- All the 52 Themes are aimed at encouraging all eligible citizens and especially the young and first time voters to vote and make an informed decision during the elections.
- The program includes a Citizen’s Corner where any citizen can ask a query or suggest any aspects of the voting.
YUVA (Young, Upcoming and Versatile Authors) 2.0 scheme
Prime Minister’s Scheme for Mentoring Young Authors – YUVA 2.0 was launched recently.
About:
- It is a Prime Minister’s scheme for mentoring young authors, and a programme to train young and budding authors below the age of 30 to promote reading, writing, and book culture in the country, and project India and Indian writings globally.
- The ministry of education (MoE) launched the YUVA 2.0 scheme in view of the significant impact of the first edition of the YUVA.
- The first edition witnessed a large-scale participation from young authors in 22 different Indian languages including English.
- It is in tune with the Prime Minister’s vision to encourage the youth to understand and appreciate India’s democracy.
- It will help to develop a stream of writers who can write on a spectrum of subjects to promote the Indian heritage, culture, and knowledge system.
- The National Book Trust, India, as the implementing agency under MoE will ensure the phase-wise execution of the scheme under well-defined stages of mentorship.
- The young authors will be trained by eminent authors and mentors from 1st March to 31st August 2023.
UAE’s visa rules
The United Arab Emirates (UAE’s) advanced visa system is set to come into effect on October 3, 2022.
About:
- Under UAE’s new immigration laws, the five-year green visa will allow foreigners to sponsor themselves without any help from UAE nationals or their employers. Freelancers, skilled workers, and investors are eligible for this visa.
- Now, green visa holders can sponsor their family members themselves.
- If the permit for a green visa holder expires, they will be given a period of up to six months to renew it.
- A 10-year expanded residency is also offered under the golden visa. Investors, entrepreneurs, and individuals with exceptional talents are eligible for a golden visa.
- According to the new immigration laws, golden visa holders will also enjoy the benefit of 100% ownership of their business.
- Tourist visas will allow the visitors to stay in UAE for 60 days, as per new rules.
- A five-year multi-entry tourist visa will allow visitors to stay in the UAE for up to 90 days in a row.
- And the job exploration visa will also allow professionals to seek employment opportunities in the UAE without a sponsor or host.
Arctic Ice
According to a study published in the ‘Science’, the journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science there is a changing chemistry of the western region of the Arctic Ocean after discovering acidity levels increasing three to four times faster than ocean waters elsewhere.
About:
- The team of researchers identified a strong correlation between the accelerated rate of melting ice and the rate of ocean acidification.
- Scientists have predicted that by 2050, Arctic sea ice in this region will no longer survive the increasingly warm summers.
- As a result, the ocean’s chemistry will grow more acidic, creating life-threatening problems for the diverse population of sea creatures, plants and other living things that depend on a healthy ocean. Crabs, for example, live in a crusty shell built from the calcium carbonate prevalent in ocean water.
- Seawater is normally alkaline, with a pH value of around 8.1.
- The researchers point to sea-ice melt as the key mechanism to explain this rapid pH decrease, because it changes surface water in three primary ways.
- First, the water under the sea ice, which had a deficit of carbon dioxide, now is exposed to the atmospheric carbon dioxide and can take it up freely.
- The seawater mixed with meltwater is light and can’t mix easily into deeper waters, which means the carbon dioxide is concentrated at the surface.
- The meltwater dilutes the carbonate ion concentration in the seawater, weakening its ability to neutralise the carbon dioxide into bicarbonate and rapidly decreasing ocean pH.
Professors of practice
The higher education regulator University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued new guidelines under which higher education institutes can create a new teaching position called Professor of Practice to hire experts from various sectors, in line with provisions that already exist in the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
About:
- No formal educational qualification such as a PhD is needed to apply for a position.
- To be eligible for appointment, an individual will have to be a “distinguished expert” who has “made remarkable contributions in their professions”, and has at least 15 years of service or experience.
- The idea is to bring practical experience into classroom teaching.
- It is open to the institutions themselves to decide the sector from which they want to rope in professionals.
- A professor of practice can be anyone with a background in a diverse range of areas from technology, science, social sciences, media, literature, armed forces, law, fine arts, etc.
- However, the position is not open for those in the teaching profession — either serving or retired.
- Currently, under the UGC’s minimum qualifications for appointment of teachers and other academic staff, an individual needs a PhD to be recruited as a professor or associate professor, and also needs to have cleared the National Eligibility Test (NET).
- It can be either a full-time or a part-time engagement for at least four years. Initially, the hiring will be for one year. Based on performance, extensions may be given.
- The remuneration will be decided at the level of the institutes and the experts being hired.
Tokenised card transaction
Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s New Credit & Debit Card Tokenisation Rules will be applicable from 1 October.
About:
- Tokenisation here refers to replacement of actual credit and debit card details with an alternate code called the “token”.
- A token is a 16-digit number unique for a combination of card, token requestor and merchant.
- By tokenising the card with a merchant, the actual card details of the customer are replaced with token credentials, which can be used only for the merchant for which the token has been created.
- Tokenisation can be performed only by the authorised card network and recovery of original Primary Account Number (PAN) should be feasible for the authorised card network only.
- Adequate safeguards have to be put in place to ensure that PAN cannot be found out from the token and vice versa, by anyone except the card network.
- A tokenised card transaction is considered safer as the actual card details are not shared with the merchant during transaction processing.
5 G
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently launched 5G services in India at the India Mobile Congress in Delhi.
About:
- 5G is the next generation of mobile communication networks, which is supposed to offer much faster speeds and wider use cases than 4G.
- It is believed that the rollout of 5G will accelerate the adoption of cloud gaming, AR/VR technology, Internet of Things, etc. 5G also has several enterprise use cases.
- It enables a new kind of network that is designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together including machines, objects, and devices.
- 5G wireless technology is meant to deliver higher multi-Gbps peak data speeds, ultra-low latency, more reliability, massive network capacity, increased availability, and a more uniform user experience to more users.
- In 5G the latency will be ten times less than in 4G, being able to perform remote actions in real time.
G20 Sherpa
India recently participates at 3rd G20 Sherpa meeting in Indonesia.
About:
- A Sherpa is a personal representative of the leader of a member country at an international Summit meeting such as the G8, G20, the Nuclear Security Summit etc.
- The Sherpa engages in planning, negotiation and implementation tasks through the Summit.
- They coordinate the agenda, seek consensus at the highest political levels, and participate in a series of pre-Summit consultations to help negotiate their leaders’ positions.
- Sherpas are career diplomats or senior government officials appointed by the leaders of their countries.
- The term is derived from the Nepalese Sherpa people, who serve as guides for mountaineers in the Himalayas.
- There is only one Sherpa per Summit for each member country; he/she is assisted by several sous Sherpas.
National Pension System Diwas
Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority, PFRDA will observe 1st of October as the National Pension System Diwas (NPS Diwas).
About:
- It aims to promote pension and retirement planning among the citizens. PFRDA is organising this campaign under ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
- The pension regulator aims to encourage every citizen, whether working professionals or self-employed professionals, to plan towards creating a pension corpus to ensure a financially sound future after retirement.
- NPS subscribers will enjoy the benefits of tax deduction on contribution, power of compounding and reap the benefits of regular income after retirement.
Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act
The central government has extended for another six months the application of the disturbed area under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, AFSPA in 12 districts of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
About:
- The AFSPA will be extended for six months in nine districts — Dimapur, Niuland, Chumoukedima, Mon, Kiphire, Noklak, Phek, Peren, and Zunheboto — and 16 police stations areas in four other districts — Kohima, Mokokchung, Longleng, and Wokha of Nagaland.
- It has been extended in certain parts of five other districts of the two northeastern states to facilitate the armed forces to continue the anti-insurgency operations.
AFSPA:
- It is a law which gives armed forces (Army, the Air Force and Central paramilitary forces) the special powers and immunity to maintain public order in “disturbed areas”.
- When is it applied?It can be applied only after an area has been declared “disturbed” under section 2 of the act.
- What is a Disturbed area? An area can be considered to be disturbed due to differences or disputes among different religious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities.
- Who declares an area as disturbed? Section (3) of AFSPA empowers the governor of the state/Union territory to issue an official notification declaring the state or a region within as a “disturbed area”, after which the centre can decide whether to send in armed forces.
- The ‘special powers’ of armed forces under Section 4 are:
- ‘Power to use force, including open fire’ at an individual if he violates laws which prohibit (a) the assembly of five or more persons; or (b) carrying of weapons.
- ‘power to arrest’ without a warrant; (Under section 5 the Armed Forces have to hand over the arrested person to the nearest Police Station “with the least possible delay”.
- ‘power to seize and search’ without any warrant any premise.
- These armed forces are immune from prosecution unless Union Government provides sanction to the prosecuting agencies.
Black Cocaine
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) recently arrested a Bolivian woman from Mumbai airport for allegedly carrying black cocaine.
About:
- “Black cocaine” is a rare drug, is a mixture of regular cocaine and other chemicals of administrated quantity.
- In a bid to ensure that sniffer dogs used at airports do not detect cocaine, it is being used by drug peddlers coming to India from South American countries.
- It neutralises the smell of cocaine so that it can pass through checkpoints easily.
- Black cocaine is a mixture of regular cocaine base with various substances to camouflage typical appearance (e.g. charcoal), to interfere with colour-based drug tests (cobalt salts form deep red complexes in solution), to make the mixture undetectable by drug-sniffing dogs as activated carbon may sufficiently absorb trace odours.
- The pure cocaine base is then recovered from the mixture by extraction using common organic solvents such as methylene chloride or acetone.
- A second process is required to convert the cocaine base into powdered cocaine hydrochloride.
Annexation of Four Ukrainian Regions by Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently announced that Russia is annexing four regions of Ukraine.
About:
- The four regions being annexed are Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine.
- The separatist Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine have been backed by Moscow since declaring independence in 2014, weeks after the annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.
- The southern Kherson region and part of the neighboring Zaporizhzhia were captured by Russia soon after Putin sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
- Together with Crimea that Russia annexed in 2014, Russia now claims 20% of Ukrainian territory.
- The four territories create a crucial land corridor between Russia and the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014.
ABORTION RIGHTS OF SINGLE WOMEN
In a historic judgment, the Supreme Court declared that single women with pregnancies between 20 and 24 weeks are entitled to access the same safe and legal abortion care as married women.
About:
- The judgment came in an appeal by a person who wanted to terminate her pregnancy before her term completed 24 weeks.
- The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, 1971 prohibits unmarried women who are between 20 and 24 weeks’ pregnant to abort with the help of registered doctors.
- The Supreme Court held that the rights of reproductive autonomy, dignity and privacy give an unmarried woman the right of choice as to whether or not to bear a child on a similar footing as that of a married woman.
50 ICONIC INDIAN TEXTILES
UNESCO released a list of 50 exclusive and iconic heritage textile crafts of the country.
About:
- Toda embroidery and Sungadi from Tamil Nadu, Himroo from Hyderabad, and Bandha tie and dye from Sambalpur in Odisha were some of the textiles that made the cut.
- Some of the iconic handcrafted textiles documented from north India are Khes from Panipat, Chamba rumals from Himachal Pradesh, Thigma or wool tie and dye from Ladakh, and Awadh Jamdani from Varanasi.
- From the south, Ilkal and Lambadi or Banjara embroidery from Karnataka, Sikalnayakanpet Kalamkari from Thanjavur have been included.
- Kunbi weaves from Goa, Mashru weaves and Patola from Gujarat, Himroo from Maharashtra and Garad-Koirial from West Bengal also find a place among the 50 iconic textiles.
DENTITY OF MINORS SEEKING ABORTION
Registered medical doctors are exempt from disclosing to the police the identity of minors who have come in for abortion, the Supreme Court directed in a judgment.
About:
- A registered medical practitioner (RMP) is obliged under Section 19(1) of the POCSO Act to report to the police when a minor approaches him or her for an abortion.
- In many cases minors and their guardians opt to go to an unqualified doctor for abortion rather than risk being involved in criminal proceedings following a report under Section 19(1) of the POCSO Act.
- If there is an insistence on the disclosure of the name of the minor in the report under Section 19(1) of POCSO, minors may be less likely to seek out RMPs for safe termination of their pregnancies under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act.
- The court said it was necessary to harmonise the provisions of the MTP and POCSO laws to enable minors to approach an RMP for abortion without the fear of getting exposed.
- It would also protect the statutory obligation of the RMP to report the offence under the POCSO Act and the rights of privacy and reproductive autonomy of the minor under Article 21 of the Constitution.
PACIFIC ISLAND NATIONS
The United States announced $810 million in new funding for Pacific islands at a summit with President Joe Biden amid inroads by China in the strategic but sparsely populated region.
About:
- The White House said $600 million will be in the form of a 10-year package to clean up and develop dirty waters to support the tuna industry, while the United States will also expand climate and development aid and its diplomatic presence.
- Biden will also address the first-ever Washington summit of Pacific Island nations, including 12 heads of state or government, in hopes of using a personal touch to reconnect with a region that has been tied closely to the United States since the Second World War.
- With the U.S. until now often seen as taking the region for granted, China has asserted itself strongly in recent years through investment, police training and, most controversially, a security pact with the Solomon Islands.
- The Biden administration also announced that the United States would recognise Cook Islands and Niue, a self-governing territory whose foreign and defence policies and currency are linked to New Zealand. The step will allow the United States to increase its diplomatic footprint in the Cook Island and Niue, which have fewer than 20,000 inhabitants.
GLOBAL INNOVATION INDEX 2022
India has climbed to the 40th rank in the Global Innovation Index of World Intellectual Property Organization. This is a huge leap of 41 places in 7 years.
About:
- The World Intellectual Property Organization yesterday released the Global Innovation Index 2022 in which Switzerland has emerged as the world’s most innovative economy for the 12th consecutive year.
- Switzerland leads globally in innovation outputs, and specifically in patents by origin, software spending, high-tech manufacturing, production, and export complexity. The second position was secured by the US followed by Sweden, the UK, and the Netherlands.
SIX AIRBAG RULES FOR PASSENGER CARS
The government has deferred a proposal to make six airbags mandatory in cars by one year to 1st of October 2023.
About:
- The decision has been taken considering the global supply chain constraints being faced by the auto industry and its impact on the macroeconomic scenario.
- The government had earlier planned to make six airbags mandatory in eight-seater vehicles for enhanced safety of occupants from October 1, 2022.
POTASH FERTILIZER
In a significant step towards ensuring long-term fertiliser availability for the farming community, India’s fertiliser companies- Coromandel International, Chambal Fertilizers and Indian Potash Limited signed an MoU with Canpotex, Canada on 27th September 2022.
About:
- Potash, which is source of Potassium, is used both for direct application as MOP as well as in combination with ‘N’ & ‘P’ nutrients in NPK fertilizers.
- India meets 100% of its Potash requirement through imports. The country imports approximately 40 LMT MOP annually.
- Canpotex is a joint venture between leading fertiliser players, Mosaic and Nutrien, and markets Potash being produced at Saskatchewan region in Canada.
- It is amongst the largest suppliers of Potash globally, exporting around 130 LMT of product annually to more than 40 countries and has been one of the suppliers to India.
MAHAKALESHWAR CORRIDOR
Prime Minister Modi is to inaugurate the Mahakaleshwar Corridor, constructed in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain at a cost of Rs 350 crore, on October 11.
About:
- Mahakal Maharaj Mandir Parisar Vistar Yojna is a plan for the expansion, beautification, and decongestion of the Mahakaleshwar temple and its adjoining area in Ujjain district.
- Under the plan, the Mahakaleshwar temple premises of around 2.82 hectares is being increased to 47 hectares, which will be developed in two phases by the Ujjain district administration. This will include the 17 hectares of Rudrasagar lake.
- The project is expected to increase annual footfall in the city from the current 1.50 crore to nearly three crore.
Mahakaleshwar Temple
- Mahakaleshwar, which means the ‘Lord of time’, refers to Lord Shiva. As per Hindu mythology, the temple was constructed by Lord Brahma and is presently located alongside the holy river Kshipra.
- Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga in Ujjain is one of the 12 jyotirlingas considered the most sacred abodes of Shiva.
- The temple’s Mahakal Lingam is believed to be Swayambhu (self-manifested) and unlike any other jyotirlingas in the country, the idol of Mahakaleshwar faces south.
CLEAN INDIA 2.0 PROGRAM
The Department of Youth Affairs of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (Government of India) will launch a month-long nationwide Clean India 2.0 from 1st -31st October, 2022 after the successful campaign of last year.
About:
- The programme is being organised in all the villages across the country through the network of Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), affiliated Youth Clubs & National Service Scheme Affiliated Institutions.
- This month-long nationwide programme will be launched to collect waste material mainly single-use plastic and create awareness among people.
- One crore kilogram of waste material including plastic and e-waste will be collected and disposed off with the support and voluntary participation of citizens.
- Hotspots for waste collection will be Tourist Places, Educational Institutes, Bus Stand/Railway Stations and the vicinity, National Highways, Historical and heritage buildings, religious places & surroundings, Hospitals and Water Resource etc.
INDIA – NETHERLANDS RELATIONS
India and the Netherlands have signed a joint statement to formalize the bilateral Fast-Track Mechanism between the two countries.
About:
- The Joint statement aims to facilitate a platform for the Dutch companies operating in India, for faster resolution of investment cases.
- It is expected that the mechanism will strengthen and assist bilateral efforts to increase mutual investment activities, and also support and develop business cooperation between companies in both countries.
- Commerce and Industry Ministry said, the Netherlands is the fourth largest foreign direct investor in India. The cumulative flow of FDI from the Netherlands to India reached around 42.3 billion US dollars between April 2000 and June 2022.
R VENKATARAMANI
Senior advocate R Venkataramani has been appointed as the new Attorney General of India.
About:
- The Ministry of Law and Justice in a notification said, the President has appointed Mr Venkataramani as the new Attorney General for a period of three years.
- His appointment comes just days after senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi declined the government’s offer to become the next AG.
- Mr Rohtagi had earlier served the post for three years and stepped down in June 2017. Mr Venugopal succeeded him and was appointed for a three-year term.
- Since 2020, Mr. Venugopal had been given two one-year extensions at his requests. However, in June, Mr. Venugopal requested the Law Ministry not to extend his tenure beyond three months because of his advanced age.
INDIA COOLING ACTION PLAN
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has said that India is the first country with a cooling action plan based on energy efficiency and thermal comfort. He stated this while addressing the Ministerial Roundtable for Green Economy at the World Green Economy Summit at the World Trade Center in Dubai.
The India Cooling Action seeks to:
- reduce cooling demand across sectors by 20% to 25% by 2037-38,
- reduce refrigerant demand by 25% to 30% by 2037-38,
- Reduce cooling energy requirements by 25% to 40% by 2037-38,
- recognize “cooling and related areas” as a thrust area of research under national S&T Programme,
- training and certification of 100,000 servicing sector technicians by 2022-23, synergizing with Skill India Mission.
The following benefits would accrue to the society over and above the environmental benefits:
- Thermal comfort for all – provision for cooling for EWS and LIG housing,
- Sustainable cooling – low GHG emissions related to cooling,
- Doubling Farmers Income – better cold chain infrastructure – better value of produce to farmers, less wastage of produce,
- Robust R&D on alternative cooling technologies – to provide push to innovation in cooling sector.
REDEVELOPMENT OF RAILWAY STATIONS
The Union Cabinet approved the Indian Railways’ ₹10,000 crore proposal for the redevelopment of three major stations — New Delhi, Ahmedabad and Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT).
About:
- With the redevelopment, expected to be completed in 2.5 to 3.5 years, passengers will be able to enjoy facilities such as food court, waiting lounge, playing area for children, place to shop local products, proper illumination and lifts/escalators/travelators, among other facilities.
- The stations, which will make use of green building techniques with solar energy, water conservation/recycling and improved tree cover, will be integrated with other modes of transportation such as metro and bus.
- The government would be funding the redevelopment project so as to not put any extra monetary burden on passengers. Overall, the government is currently working on redevelopment of 199 stations, of which tenders have been issued for redevelopment of 47 stations.
KUSHIYARA RIVER
The Union Cabinet chaired has given its ex-post facto approval for a MoU between the Government of India and Bangladesh on withdrawal of upto 153 cusecs of water each by India and Bangladesh from common border river Kushiyara.
About:
- The Kushiyara River is a distributary river in Bangladesh and Assam, India.
- It forms on the India-Bangladesh border as a branch of the Barak River, when the Barak separates into the Kushiyara and Surma.
- The waters that eventually form the Kushiyara originate in the uplands of the state of Assam and pick up tributaries from Nagaland and Manipur.
CONVERGENCE PORTAL BETWEEN AIF, PMFME SCHEME & PMKSY
Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) jointly launched a Convergence Portal between Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme and Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY).
About:
- This launch will prove to be very important for the Food Processing Enterprises of the country.
- The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare is implementing the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) – a medium to long-term debt financing facility started on 08 July 2020 for the creation of post-harvest management infrastructure and building of community farming assets. Benefits under the scheme include 3% interest subvention and credit guarantee support.
- Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) launched a centrally sponsored PPMFME scheme on June 29th, 2020 as a part of “Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan” to enhance the competitiveness of individual micro-enterprises in the unorganized segment & promote the formalization of this sector.
- Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojna is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries envisaged as a comprehensive package that will result in the creation of modern infrastructure with efficient supply chain management from farm gate to retail outlet.
HURRICANE IAN
Hurricane Ian has made landfall in western Cuba as a category three storm, bringing wind speeds of up to 205 kilometres per hour.
About:
- A hurricane is a type of storm called a tropical cyclone, which forms over tropical or subtropical waters.
- A tropical cyclone is a rotating low-pressure weather system that has organized thunderstorms but no fronts (a boundary separating two air masses of different densities).
- Tropical cyclones with maximum sustained surface winds of less than 39 miles per hour (mph) are called tropical depressions. Those with maximum sustained winds of 39 mph or higher are called tropical storms.
- When a storm’s maximum sustained winds reach 74 mph, it is called a hurricane.
- Hurricanes originate in the Atlantic basin, which includes the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico, the eastern North Pacific Ocean, and, less frequently, the central North Pacific Ocean.
- “Hurricane Season” begins on June 1 and ends on November 30, although hurricanes can, and have, occurred outside of this time frame.
POPULAR FRONT OF INDIA (PFI)
The Central Government has declared Popular Front of India (PFI) and its associates and affiliates as an unlawful association with immediate effect for a period of five years.
About:
- Union Home Ministry said the PFI and its associates and affiliates including Rehab India Foundation, Campus Front of India, All India Imams Council, National Confederation of Human Rights Organization, National Women’s Front, and Rehab Foundation, Kerala have been involved in the violent terrorist activities with an intent to create a reign of terror in the country.
- If there is no immediate curb of unlawful activities of the PFI and related fronts, they will use this opportunity to continue its subversive activities thereby disturbing public order and undermining the constitutional setup of the country.
- Recently, the National Investigation Agency, Enforcement Directorate, and State Police carried out a joint operation at premises linked to PFI in several states. Several PFI leaders and functionaries were arrested in the raids.
BHAGAT SINGH AIRPORT
PM Narendra Modi on Sunday announced the decision to rename Chandigarh airport after Shaheed Bhagat Singh. The decision has been taken just days before the iconic freedom fighter’s birth anniversary, which falls on September 28.
About:
- The decision has been taken just days before the iconic freedom fighter’s birth anniversary, which falls on September 28. Born on September 28, 1907, in pre-partition Punjab’s Banga, Bhagat Singh was a charismatic revolutionary freedom fighter.
- The massacre of Jallianwala Bagh deeply impacted Bhagat Singh. At a young age, he decided to dedicate his life to the country.
- He joined the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. Bhagat Singh was also part of the Young Revolutionary Movement and supported the violent overthrow of the British Government in India.
- Bhagat Singh and his associates threw low-grade explosives in the Central Legislative Assembly. The intention behind the bombings was not to injure anyone but to get arrested so that they take their cause for India’s freedom to the public.
- Bhagat Singh was executed by British Empire on March 23, 1931, along with his friends Rajguru and Sukhdev.
VERY SHORT RANGE AIR DEFENCE SYSTEM MISSILES
Defence Research and Development Organization has conducted two successful test flights of Very Short Range Air Defence System missiles.
About:
- The test flight was conducted at the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, Odisha.
- The Very Short Range Air Defence System is a Man Portable Air Defence System, designed and developed by DRDO in collaboration with Indian industry partners.
- The missile is designed to neutralize low-altitude aerial threats at short ranges. The design of the missile including the launcher has been highly optimized to ensure easy portability.
RAM SETU
The teaser of Akshay Kumar’s new movie, Ram Setu, was released on September 26, once again generating buzz around the chain of shoals off the southeast coast of India that many believe is the bridge to Lanka mentioned in the Ramayana.
About:
- The Ram Setu, also knows as Adam’s Bridge, is a 48-km chain of limestone shoals between Rameswaram on India’s southeast coast and Mannar Island near Sri Lanka’s northwest coast.
- The structure has significance in both Hindu and Muslim mythology – while Hindus believe this is the bridge (setu) built by Lord Ram and his army to cross to Lanka and fight Ravan, as per Islamic legend, Adam used this bridge to reach Adam’s Peak in Sri Lanka, where he stood on one foot for 1,000 years in repentance.
- Scientists believe Ram Setu is a natural structure formed due to tectonic movements and sand getting trapped in corals.
- The Sethusamudram Shipping Canal project aims to create a shipping route between India and Sri Lanka by building an 83-km-long deep water channel, which would also reduce travel time between the eastern and western coasts of India, as ships would no longer have to circle Sri Lanka to travel between the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea.
- The Sethusamudram project has been opposed on environmental grounds , with some claiming that it will harm marine life, and that dredging of the line of shoals will make India’s coast more vulnerable to tsunamis.
CARL-GUSTAF M4 WEAPON SYSTEM
Swedish defence major SAAB announced plans to manufacture its Carl-Gustaf M4 weapon system in India.
About:
- The manufacturing would be done by a new fully SAAB-owned subsidiary, Saab FFV India Pvt. Ltd. This is the first time, SAAB will be setting up a manufacturing facility for this outside Sweden.
- The technology will be transferred to India. The first product will roll out in 2024.
- The Army has been using the iconic Carl-Gustaf since 1976 and currently operates the Mk2 and Mk3 versions.
LIVE STREAMING OF SUPREME COURT
In a first, three separate Constitution Bench proceedings in the Supreme Court were simultaneously beamed live through YouTube.
About:
- Statistics show that more than eight lakh viewers watched the proceedings before the three Constitution Benches.
- Live-streaming has become a reality nearly four years after the court’s Swapnil Tripathi judgment of 2018. The judgment had upheld the plea for live-streaming of its proceedings.
- The court had said live-streaming would “virtually” expand the court beyond the four walls of the courtroom. “Live-streaming of court proceedings has the potential of throwing up an option to the public to witness live court proceedings,” the court
BORDER SECURITY
Since the standoff with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh in May 2020, the Army has deployed its entire range of medium-range artillery guns and long-range rockets in the region to augment its long range fire power as part of the reorientation towards the northern borders.
About:
- The Army is now in the process of procuring another 100 K9-Vajra howitzers, which has already been approved by the Defence Ministry.
- The Regiment of Artillery is also in the process of inducting loitering mutations, while it is also looking at procuring tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Pinaka Multi-Rocket Launch System (MRLS) has been operationalised.
- The Army plans to convert all its artillery regiments to medium range by converting it to 155 mm standard. The process of completing the mediumisation process is likely to be achieved sometime around 2040.
“ONE WEEK ONE LAB” CAMPAIGN
Union Minister of Science & Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh, who is also the Vice President of CSIR, announces “One Week One Lab” campaign.
About:
- Objective of this campaign is to showcase the technological breakthroughs and innovations in each of the 37 CSIR laboratories/institutes spread across the country.
- The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), was established by the Government of India in 1942 as an autonomous body that has emerged as the largest research and development organisation in India.
FUND OF FUNDS FOR STARTUPS (FFS)
Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS), launched under Startup India initiative in 2016 by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has committed Rs. 7,385 crore to 88 Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) as of 24th September 2022.
About:
- These AIFs in turn have invested Rs. 11,206 crore in 720 startups. FFS has been playing a monumental role in mobilizing domestic capital in Indian startup ecosystem.
- FFS was announced with a corpus of Rs. 10,000 crore. The corpus is to be built up over 14th and 15th Finance Commission Cycles (FY 2016-2020 and FY 2021-2025) through budgetary support by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India.
- Under FFS, support is extended to SEBI registered Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), which in turn invest in startups.
- Furthermore, Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) which is responsible for operationalising the Scheme has undertaken a series of reforms recently to expedite the drawdowns to enable AIFs assisted under FFS to avail accelerated drawdowns.
FOREIGN TRADE POLICY
The Union Commerce Ministry announced the extension of the existing foreign trade policy by six months.
About:
- The reason behind the development is currency volatility and global uncertainty. The ministry said, the geo-political situation is not suitable for long-term foreign trade policy.
- Earlier, the government had extended the due date for the Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20 to September 30, 2022. Currently, fears of a recession in major economies like the US and Europe have escalated a panic among investors.
- Foreign Trade Policy provides a framework for increasing exports of goods and services as well as generation of employment and increasing value addition in the country. It focuses to support both the manufacturing and services sectors, with a special emphasis on improving the ease of doing business.
- Earlier this month, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal held a meeting that focused on export target setting, the new Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) (2022-27), and the strategies and measures to take forward domestic manufacturing and exports.
AVGAS 100 LL
Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas launched AVGAS 100 LL.
About:
- The launch event hosted by Indian Oil at Hindan Airforce Station witnessed participation by senior officials from Indian Airforce, senior officials from MoPNG and MoCA and officials from Flying Training Organizations (FTOs).
- At present AVGAS 100 LL is completely imported product. The domestic production of AVGAS 100 LL produced by Indian Oil at its Gujarat Refinery will make flying training more affordable in India.
- This product which fuels the aircraft operated by FTOs and Defense forces, is being imported for decades by India. Indian Oil’s R&D, Refineries and Marketing teams have achieved this feat of indigenous production and have offered price advantage to the industry.
- AV GAS 100 LL produced by IndianOil’s flagship refinery at Vadodara has been tested and certified by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the statutory body of the Government of India to regulate civil aviation in India.
- It is a higher-octane Aviation fuel meeting the product specifications with superior performance quality standards, as compared to imported grades.
JALDOOT APP
Union Minister of Rural Development, Shri Giriraj Singh will launch the JALDOOT App.
About:
- Ministry of Rural Development has developed “JALDOOT App” that will be used across the country to capture the water level of selected wells in a village.
- The Jaldoot app will enable Gram Rojgar Sahayak (GRS) to measure the water level of selected wells twice a year (pre-monsoon and post-monsoon).
- In every village, adequate number of measurement locations (2-3) shall need to be selected. These will be representative of the ground water level in that village.
- The app will facilitate panchayats with robust data, which can be further used for better planning of works.
- The ground water data could be utilised as part of the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) and Mahatma Gandhi NREGA planning exercises. Further, the data can also be used for different kinds of research and other purposes.
ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR INDIA
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi has declined the government’s offer to be Attorney General (A-G) for India. The term of the incumbent A-G, K K Venugopal, ends on September 30. He is 91 years old, and on his third extension.
About:
- The Constitution of India places the post of the A-G on a special footing. The A-G is the Government of India’s first law officer, and has the right of audience in all courts of the country.
- Article 76(2) of the Constitution says “it shall be the duty of the Attorney-General to give advice to the Government of India upon such legal matters, and to perform such other duties of a legal character, as may from time to time be referred or assigned to him by the President”.
- The A-G is also supposed to “discharge the functions conferred on him by or under this Constitution or any other law for the time being in force”.
- Under Article 88, the “Attorney-General of India shall have the right to speak in, and otherwise to take part in the proceedings of, either House, any joint sitting of the Houses, and any committee of Parliament of which he may be named a member”.
- However, he “shall not by virtue of this article be entitled to vote” in the House.
- Under Article 76(1), the A-G is appointed by the President from among persons who are “qualified to be appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court”. Article 76(4) says “the Attorney-General shall hold office during the pleasure of the President, and shall receive such remuneration as the President may determine.”
NATIONAL SERVICE SCHEME (NSS) AWARDS
President Droupadi Murmu conferred the National Service Scheme (NSS) Awards for the year 2020-21 at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports said in a statement.
About:
- A total of forty-two awards were given today. Two universities, ten NSS units, their programme officers, and 30 NSS volunteers received the awards.
- The Department of Youth Affairs of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports confers every year the National Service Scheme Award. Awards are conferred to recognise and reward outstanding contributions towards voluntary community service with a view to further promoting NSS in the country.
- At present, NSS has about 40 lakh volunteers on its rolls spread over the country.
SymphoNE
Union Minister Shri G. Kishan Reddy launches Virtual Conference ‘SymphoNE’ to boost Tourism Sector in North East India.
About:
- SymphoNE is the start of a series of dialogues on North Eastern Region’s Development Conference comprised of a broad range of Policy Thinkers, Stakeholders & Influencers with the aim to boost Tourism Sector in North Eastern Region.
- The Virtual Conference ‘SymphoNE’ being organized on 24th & 27th September 2022 by Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region on the occasion of World Tourism Day.
- This two day conference will aim to create a roadmap to showcase the unexplored beauty of North East India & boost the tourism Sector in North Eastern Region.
- SymphoNE aims to develop one-stop solution to eliminate all obstacles that are being faced by the tourists, and the tour operators while carrying out the operations for the visitors.
BA.2.75
BA.2.75 emerges as major sublineage in Maharashtra.More mutations seen in BA.2.75 has raised concerns about possible reduction in sensitivity to antibodies — monoclonal antibodies and from vaccination or natural infection.
About:
- Since the first case of SARS-CoV-2 in March 2020, India has witnessed three pandemic waves. Delta (B.1.617.2) and its sublineages caused the second wave, and Omicron (B.1.1.529) and its sublineages (BA.1 and BA.2) are driving the third wave.
- After the waning of the third wave, India saw a surge in COVID-19 cases from May 2022. On sequencing, these variants were characterised as BA.2 by Pangolin.
- However, the predominance of BA.2 after the waning of the third COVID wave was unexplainable. Subsequently, the Indian isolates of BA.2 were further classified into sub-lineages BA.2.74, BA.2.75 and BA.2.76.
- Since their designation, these new sub-lineages have already spread to over 40 countries.
- They have acquired additional mutations in their spike protein compared to BA.2. These added mutations, over and above those of the parental BA.2 variant, have raised concerns about their impact on viral pathogenicity, transmissibility, and immune evasion properties of the new variants.
COFFEE-RING EFFECT
Researchers have given new insights on the ‘coffee-ring effect’.
About:
- For about two decades now, the ‘coffee ring effect’ has been known as when a drop of spilt coffee dries up, the outermost edge of the dried drop is a little darker than the centre, forming a darker ‘ring’.
- This is caused by the outward drift of suspended coffee particles from the centre, causing a denser, darkened rim.
- Now, researchers from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, have shown that after reaching the rim, as the drop dries, some of the particles undergo an inward drift too.
- This research has applications in agriculture, forensic science and even disease diagnosis. The present work has been published in the journal, Soft Matter.
MAJOR NON-NATO (MNNA) ALLY
U.S. President Joe Biden has terminated the designation of Afghanistan as a major non-NATO ally, more than a year after the Taliban captured power in Kabul.
About:
- In 2012, the United States named Afghanistan a major non-NATO (MNNA) ally, which cleared the way for the two countries to maintain a defence and economic relationship.
- The designation gave several facilities and concessions to Afghanistan in terms of defence and security-related assistance and equipment.
- The change in Afghanistan’s status follows Biden’s withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country last year, ending nearly 20 years of war.
OPERATION MEGH CHAKRA
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches at 59 locations across 20 States and one Union Territory, as part of a pan-India drive against the circulation and sharing of child sexual abuse material.
About:
- The operation code-named “Megh Chakra” was carried out following the inputs received from the Interpol’s Singapore special unit based on the information received from the authorities in New Zealand.
- Last November, the agency had launched a similar exercise code-named “Operation Carbon”, searching the premises of suspects in 13 States and one Union Territory.
- The previous operation was conducted at 76 locations. The persons named in the FIRs were booked under the relevant provisions of the IPC and the Information Technology Act, for allegedly being part of the syndicates that uploaded, circulated, sold and viewed such material.
- The CBI had later decided to send requests to several countries for sharing and gathering information under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) on those involved in the racket.
DefExpo 2022
The forthcoming DefExpo 2022, scheduled to be held in Gandhinagar from October 18 to 22, will host the second edition of the India-Africa Defence Dialogue with invites extended to 53 African countries.
About:
- A separate Indian Ocean Region plus (IOR+) conclave with participation of approximately 40 countries is also on the anvil, the Defence Ministry said.
- The Expo, earlier scheduled to be held in March, was postponed due to “logistical challenges” the Ministry had said.
- For DefExpo 2022, Indian companies, Indian subsidiaries of foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers, Division of company registered in India, exhibitor having joint venture with an Indian company will be considered as Indian participants.
- The theme of DefExpo 2022 is ‘Path to Pride’ and the aim is to showcase the might of the domestic defence industry, which is now powering ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ resolve of the Government and the nation at large.
DAWOODI BOHRA
The Supreme Court (SC) said it will examine whether the excommunication of the Dawoodi Bohra community’s members can be continued.
About:
- The Dawoodi Bohras are members of the Muslim community’s Shia sect.
- Their leader is known as the Al-Dai-Al-Mutlaq. For over 400 years, the leader has been based out of India, including the current and the 53rd leader, His Holiness Dr Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin.
- Around 1 million members of the community are spread across the world.
- The leader of the community is recognised by the members as having the right to excommunicate its members. In practice, being excommunicated includes not being allowed to access a mosque belonging to the community or a burial dedicated to the community.
Bombay Prevention of Excommunication Act, 1949
- It was enacted to stop the practice of excommunication prevalent in certain communities, as it led to the deprivation of legitimate rights and privileges of its members and in “keeping with the spirit of changing times and in public interest”.
- The 51st leader of the community challenged the constitutional validity of the act in 1962, stating it violated fundamental rights guaranteed in Constitution under Article 25 and Article 26.
- The SC held in 1962 held that the power to excommunicate is is an essential part of the community. It’s objective is to enforce discipline and preserve the denomination, not to punish.
CARBON DATING
A district court in Varanasi allowed a petition seeking carbon dating of the structure inside the Gyanvapi mosque that the Hindu side has claimed is a ‘Shivling’.
About:
- Carbon dating is a widely-used method applied to establish the age of organic material, things that were once living. Living things have carbon in them in various forms. The dating method makes use of the fact that a particular isotope of carbon called C-14, with an atomic mass of 14, is radioactive, and decays at a rate that is well known.
- Carbon-14 is radioactive and reduces to one-half of itself in about 5,730 years. This is what is known as its ‘half-life’.
- Because plants and animals get their carbon from the atmosphere, they too acquire carbon-12 and carbon-14 isotopes in roughly the same proportion as is available in the atmosphere.
- So, after a plant or animal dies, the ratio of carbon-12 to carbon-14 in the body, or its remains, begins to change. This change can be measured and can be used to deduce the approximate time when the organism died.
BANKING SYSTEM LIQUIDITY
For the first time since May 2019, the banking system liquidity situation turned into a deficit mode of Rs 21,873.4 crore on September 20, 2022.
About:
- Liquidity in the banking system refers to readily available cash that banks need to meet short-term business and financial needs.
- On a given day, if the banking system is a net borrower from the RBI under Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF), the system liquidity can be said to be in deficit and if the banking system is a net lender to the RBI, the system liquidity can be said to be in surplus.
- The LAF refers to the RBI’s operations through which it injects or absorbs liquidity into or from the banking system.
What has triggered this deficit?
- Economists say that there are various factors over the last few months that have led to the current situation. If an improvement in demand for credit has led to the same, the recent advance tax outflow, which is a quarterly phenomenon, has further aggravated the situation.
- Besides, there is the continuous intervention of the RBI to stem the fall in the rupee against the US dollar.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CONSCIOUSNESS
Union Minister of Ayush inaugurated the international conference on Consciousness with the theme, “Exploring Consciousness- From Non- Locality to Non- Duality: The Man- Machine Debate” at NIMHANS, Bengaluru.
About:
- The conference is organized by India Foundation and NIMHANS and supported by Ministry of Ayush.
- The conference will bring together some of the most eminent researchers and inventors in the areas of physics, biology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, cybernetics, quantum computing and allied fields as well as scholars and spiritual teachers of the major Indic Spiritual and psychological disciplines and doctrines.
Ayurswasthya Yojana
- The Minister also inaugurated the Centre of Excellence project in the Department of Integrative Medicine, NIMHANS, Bengaluru as part of “AYURSWASTHYA YOJANA”, a flagship programme under Ministry of Ayush.
- The Centre of Excellence (CoE) will strengthen competencies of Ayush professionals in Education technology, Research & innovation and others.
- Main objectives of the CoE project at NIMHANS is to conduct clinical trials in four neuro-psychiatric disorders to establish efficacy, safety and proposed mechanism of Integrated Yoga and Ayurveda treatment approaches.
PUNEET SAGAR ABHIYAN
National Cadet Corps (NCC) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has signed a MOU in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi.
About:
- MoU was signed to tackle the issue of plastic pollution and achieve the universal goal of clean water bodies through Puneet Sagar Abhiyan and Tide Turners Plastic Challenge programme.
- It is aimed to synergise efforts toward engaging youth for promoting clean water bodies.
- The NCC had launched Puneet Sagar Abhiyan on 1st December last year. The aim of the campaign is to clean sea shores from plastic and other waste material and create awareness about the importance of cleanliness.
- Since the launch of Puneet Sagar Abhiyan, over 100 tonnes of plastic waste have been collected from nearly 1,900 locations by more than 12 lakh NCC cadets, alumni and volunteers.
ALIVA PROGRAMME TO COUNTER CHILD MARRIAGE
With the aim of eradicating child marriage, Nayagarh, a tiny Odisha district, has adopted a unique initiative by scrupulously recording information on all adolescent girls in the district.
About:
- From birth registration date to Aadhaar number, from family details to skill training, information of 48,642 adolescent girls can be found in registers named Aliva.
- Nayagarh, with a population of 9,62,789, has a skewed sex ratio at 855. Child marriages the district are still considered a part of their social life.
- Observing that child marriages are solemnised in the age group of 14-19 and dropouts among girls’ students continued to be high, the district administration launched the Aliva programme in January this year.
- Anganwadi workers had been asked to identify every adolescent girl in their jurisdiction and keep tabs on them. There are 1,584 registers available in 1,584 Anganwadi centres of the district.
CHILD MORTALITY
In a significant milestone, India has achieved landmark achievement in further reduction of child mortality rates.
About:
- As per the Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2020 released on 22nd September 2022 by Registrar General of India (RGI), the country has been witnessing a progressive reduction in IMR, U5MR and NMR since 2014 towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets by 2030.
- Under 5 Mortality Rate (U5MR) for the country has shown significant decline of 3 points (Annual Decline Rate: 8.6%) from 2019 (32 per 1000 live births in 2020 against 35 per 1000 live births in 2019). It varies from 36 in rural areas to 21 in urban areas.
- Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has also registered 2-point decline to 28 per 1000 live births in 2020 from 30 per 1000 live births in 2019 (Annual Decline Rate: 6.7%). The Rural-Urban difference has narrowed to 12 points (Urban 19, Rural-31).
- Neonatal Mortality Rate has also declined by 2 points from 22 per 1000 live births in 2019 to 20 per 1000 live births in 2020 (Annual Decline Rate: 9.1%). It ranges from 12 in urban areas to 23 in rural areas.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CONSCIOUSNESS
Union Minister of Ayush inaugurated the international conference on Consciousness with the theme, “Exploring Consciousness- From Non- Locality to Non- Duality: The Man- Machine Debate” at NIMHANS, Bengaluru.
About:
- The conference is organized by India Foundation and NIMHANS and supported by Ministry of Ayush.
- The conference will bring together some of the most eminent researchers and inventors in the areas of physics, biology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, cybernetics, quantum computing and allied fields as well as scholars and spiritual teachers of the major Indic Spiritual and psychological disciplines and doctrines.
Ayurswasthya Yojana
- The Minister also inaugurated the Centre of Excellence project in the Department of Integrative Medicine, NIMHANS, Bengaluru as part of “AYURSWASTHYA YOJANA”, a flagship programme under Ministry of Ayush.
- The Centre of Excellence (CoE) will strengthen competencies of Ayush professionals in Education technology, Research & innovation and others.
- Main objectives of the CoE project at NIMHANS is to conduct clinical trials in four neuro-psychiatric disorders to establish efficacy, safety and proposed mechanism of Integrated Yoga and Ayurveda treatment approaches.
PUNEET SAGAR ABHIYAN
National Cadet Corps (NCC) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has signed a MOU in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi.
About:
- MoU was signed to tackle the issue of plastic pollution and achieve the universal goal of clean water bodies through Puneet Sagar Abhiyan and Tide Turners Plastic Challenge programme.
- It is aimed to synergise efforts toward engaging youth for promoting clean water bodies.
- The NCC had launched Puneet Sagar Abhiyan on 1st December last year. The aim of the campaign is to clean sea shores from plastic and other waste material and create awareness about the importance of cleanliness.
- Since the launch of Puneet Sagar Abhiyan, over 100 tonnes of plastic waste have been collected from nearly 1,900 locations by more than 12 lakh NCC cadets, alumni and volunteers.
INDIAN OLYMPIC ASSOCIATION (IOA)
The Supreme Court appointed former apex court judge Justice L Nageswara Rao for amending constitution of Indian Olympic Association and preparing electoral college.
About:
- A bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud said the ex-top court judge would ensure a fair and development-oriented approach for the future of the Olympics in the country.
- The apex court asked Justice Rao to prepare a road map for amending the constitution and holding elections by 15th December 2022.
- The Apex Court also gave its permission to Rajeev Mehta, who is currently the secretary general of IOA, and Adille Sumariwalla, vice president of IOA, to participate in the forthcoming meeting with the International Olympic Committee scheduled to be held on27th
- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 8th September issued a final warning to IOA to resolve its governance issues and hold elections by December, failing which the world sports body will ban India.
- The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is the body responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at the Olympic Games, Asian Games and other international athletic meets.
I2U2 GROUP
India-Israel-UAE-USA, I2U2 Sherpas met on the sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York on 20th of this month. The group agreed to continue to work closely in line with the outcome of the Leaders’ Summit in July this year.
About:
- The I2U2 Group is a grouping of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
- The group held its inaugural summit on July 14, 2022, in which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan participated.
- As an outcome of the summit, the leaders announced that the UAE will invest $2 billion “to develop a series of integrated food parks across India.”
- The group also agreed to proceed with “a hybrid renewable energy project in India’s Gujarat State consisting of 300 megawatts (MW) of wind and solar capacity complemented by a battery energy storage system.”
- The group’s first joint statement, released on July 14, 2022, states that the countries aim to cooperate on “joint investments and new initiatives in water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security.”
LOK MANTHAN PROGRAMME IN GUWAHATI
Vice President, Jagdeep Dhankhar, inaugurated the third edition of the Lok Manthan programme in Guwahati.
About:
- The theme of this year’s biennale is Lokparampara (Lok traditions) – and how lok traditions have kept our cultural consciousness intact and strengthened our feeling of National Selfhood.
- Lokmanthan is an event where artists, intellectuals, and academicians are drawn from different parts of the country converge and brainstorm on the questions that haunt the society.
- Besides, the three-day event will have discussions, seminars, cultural events and exhibitions which showcase the rich diversity of the nation.
HARYANA SIKH GURDWARAS (MANAGEMENT ACT), 2014
The Supreme Court upheld the validity of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwaras (Management Act), 2014.
About:
- The verdict has cleared the way for the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) to control all gurdwaras in the state.
- The gurdwaras covered by the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 are spread over Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Union Territory of Chandigarh, and are administered by Amritsar-based Shiromani Gurdwara Management Prabandhak Committee (SGPC).
- Until the Haryana Act came into force, the gurdwaras in Haryana were governed by the provisions of the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925.
- The Haryana Sikh Gurdwaras (Management Act) was brought in based on a nearly two-decade old demand by a section of the Sikh community in Haryana to have a separate committee to manage gurdwaras in the state instead of SGPC.
- Upholding the validity of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwaras (Management Act), 2014, the Supreme Court said that since the affairs of the Sikh minority in the state are to be managed by the Sikhs alone, it cannot be said to be violative of any of the fundamental rights conferred under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution.
DRAFT INDIAN TELECOMMUNICATION BILL, 2022
In a bid to do away with British-era laws governing the telecom sector, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) issued the draft Indian Telecommunication Bill, 2022.
About:
- Through the Indian Telecommunication Bill, 2022, the Centre aims to consolidate and amend the existing laws governing the provision, development, expansion and operation of telecommunication services, telecom networks and infrastructure, in addition to assignment of spectrum.
- The draft Bill consolidates three separate acts that govern the telecommunications sector — Indian Telegraph Act 1885, Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933, and The Telegraph Wires, (Unlawful Protection) Act 1950.
- One of the key changes is inclusion of new-age over-the-top communication services like WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram in the definition of telecommunication services.
- As per the draft law, providers of telecommunication services will be covered under the licensing regime, and will be subjected to similar rules as other telecom operators.
BRAHMOS MISSILES
Ministry of Defence signed a contract with M/s BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited BAPL for acquisition of additional dual-role capable Surface to Surface BrahMos missiles at an overall approximate cost of 1700 Crore rupees under Buy-Indian Category.
About:
- Induction of these dual-role capable Missiles is going to significantly enhance the operational capability of Indian Navy fleet assets.
- BAPL is a Joint Venture between India and Russia making a crucial contribution to augment the new generation of Surface-to-Surface Missiles with enhanced range and dual role capability for land as well as anti-ship attacks.
- This contract is going to give further boost to indigenous production of critical weapon system and ammunition with active participation of indigenous industry.
AMBEDKAR CIRCUIT
Union Tourism and Culture announced a special tourist train to cover the “Ambedkar Circuit”.
About:
- The modalities — such as the date of journey, ticket price, number of passengers —are still in the works.
- The government had first proposed the Ambedkar Circuit, or Panchteerth, in 2016.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said the Panchteerth would include Janma Bhoomi, Ambedkar’s birthplace in Madhya Pradesh’s Mhow; Shiksha Bhoomi, the place in London where he stayed while studying in the UK; Deeksha Bhoomi in Nagpur where he embraced Buddhism; Mahaparinirvan Bhoomi or the place of his demise in Delhi; and Chaitya Bhoomi, the place of his cremation, in Mumbai.
- The idea is to attract tourists beyond the Dalit community, who mostly visit these places as a pilgrimage. The journey will include meals, ground transportation, and entry to the sites.
Focus on tourism circuits
- The government had identified 15 tourist circuits under the Swadesh Darshan scheme in 2014-15.
- In terms of train collaboration, the Ramayana, Buddhist, and North East Circuits are already active, while Ambedkar will be fourth.
LIVE STREAMING OF SUPREME COURT PROCEEDINGS
From September 27 onward, all proceedings of Supreme Court Constitution Benches will be live-streamed, a full court meeting of the top court has decided.
About:
- A full court meeting is attended by all judges of the court. The meeting, presided over by Chief Justice of India (CJI) U U Lalit, was held on September 20, at which the decision was taken unanimously.
- Senior Advocate Indira Jaising had written to the judges of the court earlier this month seeking live streaming of proceedings in matters of public and constitutional importance.
- Back in the ‘Swapnil Tripathi’ judgment, in September 2018, the Supreme Court had ruled that live telecast of court proceedings was part of the right to access justice under Article 21 of the Constitution.
- Several of the country’s High Courts already live-stream their proceedings through their YouTube channels. Last month, the Supreme Court live-streamed its proceedings for the first time.
DEATH PENALTY
The Supreme Court on September 19 referred to a larger Bench issues relating to procedural norms for imposing the death sentence. The intervention is seen as a major step in plugging gaps in the way in which trial courts award the death sentence.
About:
- Section 235 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) requires a judge to hear the accused after conviction on the question of sentence, and then pass sentence on him according to law.
- In 1980, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of capital punishment in ‘Bachan Singh v State of Punjab’ on the condition that the punishment will be awarded in the “rarest of the rare” cases.
- Crucially, the ruling also stressed that a separate sentencing hearing would be held, where a judge would be persuaded on why the death sentence need not be awarded.
- This position was reiterated in several subsequent rulings of the court, including in ‘Mithu v State of Punjab’, a 1982 ruling by a five-judge Bench that struck down mandatory death sentence as it falls foul of the right of an accused to be heard before sentencing.
- However, there are conflicting rulings on when that separate hearing is supposed to take place.
- At least three smaller Bench rulings have held that while a separate sentencing hearing is inviolable, they can be allowed on the same day as the conviction.
PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (PCA) ACT, 1960
Last week, a doctor in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur allegedly tied a dog to his car and dragged it across the city.
About:
- The doctor faces charges under Section 428 (mischief by killing or maiming animal) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 11 (treating animals cruelly) of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960.
- If convicted under the PCA Act and found to be a first-time offender, he can be punished with a fine of Rs 10 to Rs 50. If it is found that this is not his first such crime within the past three years, the maximum punishment would be a fine between Rs 25 and Rs 100, a jail term of three months, or both.
- The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 defines cruelty to animals –– including acts of overburdening or overworking it, not providing the animal food, water and shelter, mutilating or killing an animal, etc.
- The Act has been criticised for being ‘speciesist’ (the assumption that humans are a superior species deserving more rights), for its quantum of punishment being negligible, for not defining ‘cruelty’ adequately, and for slapping a flat punishment without any gradation of crimes.
PLI SCHEME TO BOOST MANUFACTURING OF HIGH EFFICIENCY SOLAR PV MODULES
The Union Cabinet has approved the second tranche of Production Linked Incentive(PLI) Scheme on ‘National programme on High Efficiency Solar PV Modules’ for achieving manufacturing capacity of Giga Watt scale in High Efficiency Solar PV Modules.
About:
- The national programme on High Efficiency Solar PV Modules aims to build an ecosystem for manufacturing of high efficiency solar PV modules in India reducing import dependence in the area of Renewable Energy.
- It will strengthen the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative and generate employment.
- The Tranche-2 scheme of High Efficiency Solar PV Modules has been approved with an outlay of 19,500 crore rupees for achieving manufacturing capacity of Giga Watt scale.
- The aim is to build an ecosystem for manufacturing of high efficiency solar PV modules.
- About 65 thousand Mega Watt per annum manufacturing capacity of fully and partially integrated solar PV modules will be installed.
SPARSH
The Defence Accounts Department signed a MoU with Bank of Baroda and HDFC Bank, to onboard them as Service Centres under the System for Pension Administration (Raksha) (SPARSH) initiative, across more than 14,000 branches throughout India.
About:
- SPARSH is a web-based system for processing the pension claims and crediting the pension directly into the bank accounts of defence pensioners without any external intermediary.
- It has been designed to give Defence Pensioners a transparent view of their pension account, through an online portal which captures and maintains a complete history of events and entitlements of the pensioner – right from the date of commencement of pension to the date of cessation of pension due to the last eligible beneficiary.
- This system is administered by the Defence Accounts Department through the Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (Pensions), Prayagraj and caters to all the three Services and allied organization.
- The system on roll-out is initially catering to the new retirees and subsequently is being extended to cover the existing defence pensioners.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF ENVIRONMENT MINISTERS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the National Conference of Environment Ministers in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat on 23rd September, 2022 via video conferencing.
About:
- Taking forward the spirit of cooperative federalism, Conference is being convened to create further synergy amongst the Central and State Governments in formulating better policies on environmental issues.
- The two day Conference being organised on 23rd and 24th September will have six thematic sessions with topics focusing on
- LiFE- Lifestyle for Environment;
- Combating Climate Change (Updating State Action Plans on Climate Change for Mitigation of Emissions and Adaptation to Climate Impacts) ;
- PARIVESH (Single Window System for Integrated Green Clearances) ;
- Forestry Management ;
- Prevention and Control of Pollution; Wildlife Management ;
- Plastics and Waste Management.
SOLAR ENERGY CORPORATION OF INDIA LIMITED (SECI)
The 11th Foundation Day Celebration of Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) was held.
About:
- Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd. (SECI) is a company of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, established to facilitate the implementation of the National Solar Mission (NSM).
- It is the only Central Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) dedicated to the solar energy sector.
- The company’s mandate has been broadened to cover the entire renewable energy domain and the company will be renamed to Renewable Energy Corporation of India (RECI).
- The SECI was registered as Section 25 und\er the Companies Act, 1956 (now Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013) in 2011.
DIGITAL LENDING
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor flagged concerns related to digital lending.
About:
- This included a spate of complaints regarding usurious interest rates, unethical recovery practices and data privacy issues and emphasised the need for the fintech industry to focus on governance, business conduct, regulatory compliance and risk mitigation to ensure that customers were protected even as their needs were served.
- He said robust internal product and service assurance frameworks, together with fair and transparent governance, would go a long way to safeguard the interests of customers and ensure long-term sustainability of the fintech entities themselves.
- India’s digital lending market has grown quickly and facilitated $2.2 billion in digital loans in 2021-22, with startups attracting foreign backers and giving traditional banks a run for their money in the credit business.
SOUTHWEST MONSOON
The southwest monsoon rainfall, 7% more than normal, has started to withdraw.
About:
- The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the system had begun retreating from parts of southwest Rajasthan and Kutch.
- The “normal” or average date of withdrawal from southwest Rajasthan was September 17.
- The withdrawal of the monsoon was based on meteorological conditions such as an anti-cyclonic circulation (dry air that is the opposite of a cyclone), the absence of rain in the past five days and the water vapour imagery indicating dry weather conditions over the region.
- The monsoon withdrawal is a long-drawn process and extends into mid-October, though the IMD considers September 30 to be the final day of the season over India. The rain after that is categorised as “post-monsoon” rainfall.
- The September rainfall so far has been 11% more than usual, following a trend in recent years that is seeing excess rainfall in a month that marks the waning of the monsoon. Most of the rain, however, has been in the southern peninsula and central India, which have seen 29% and 33% more rain than what is usual for these regions in September.
KURMI COMMUNITY
People belonging to the Kurmi community blocked railway tracks in various parts of Eastern India demanding their inclusion on the list of Scheduled Tribes (ST) and the inclusion of the Kurmali language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
About:
- The protests lead to the cancellation, short termination and diversion of several trains in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha.
- The agitation comes a week after the Cabinet approved the inclusion of several communities in Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh in the list of Scheduled Tribes.
- The renewed stir by the Kurmis comes at a time when six communities in Assam — Adivasi, Chutia, Koch-Rajbongshi, Matak, Moran and Tai-Ahom — too have threatened to launch an agitation over the “inordinate delay” in their inclusion in the ST list.
- Currently, in Odisha, West Bengal and Jharkhand, the Kurmi community is classified under the Other Backward Classes group with the Odisha government also recognising the community under the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes.
- State governments in Jharkhand and West Bengal have repeatedly recommended the inclusion of this community in the ST list, with the latest demand coming from the West Bengal government in January 2021.
COMMUNITY OF LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN STATES (CELAC)
External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar participated in the India-CELAC Quartet Meeting held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
About:
- The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) is a regional bloc of Latin American and Caribbean states thought out in February, 2010, at the Rio Group–Caribbean Community Unity Summit and created on December 3, 2011, in Caracas, Venezuela, with the signature of The Declaration of Caracas.
- It consists of 32 sovereign countries in the Americas.
- Due to the focus of the organization on Latin American and Caribbean countries, other countries and territories in the Americas, Canada and the United States, as well as the overseas territories in the Americas of France, the Netherlands, Denmark and the United Kingdom are not included.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE TOURISM MINISTERS
Development of tourism infrastructure and sustainable tourism will be the focus of a national conference of tourism ministers from various states and Union Territories that is being held in Himachal Pradesh’s Dharamshala.
About:
- The conference is being organised by the Ministry of Tourism from September 18-20 to discuss issues related to development of tourism in the country, officials said.
- The conference in Dharamshala will be attended by central ministers, tourism ministers from various states and UTs, governors, administrators and seniors officials of the central government, state governments and heads of tourism and hospitality associations.
INDIA-SAUDI ARABIA STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP COUNCIL
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal visited Saudi Arabia from 18th to 19th September 2022 to attend the Ministerial meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council.
About:
- The Strategic Partnership Council was instituted in October, 2019 during the visit of the Prime Minister of India to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and has two main pillars i.e. Political, Security, Social and Cultural Committee and the Committee on Economy and Investments.
The notable outcomes of the Ministerial Meeting are:
- Streamlining efforts to realize the announcement made by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, during his visit to India in February 2019, of investments worth USD 100 Billion in India.
- Endorsement of the 41 areas of cooperation identified by the technical teams under the 4 broad domains of Agriculture & Food Security; Energy; Technology & IT; and Industry & Infrastructure.
- Agreement to undertake implementation of the priority projects in a time bound manner. Priority areas of cooperation include:
- Collaboration in digital fintech sector through operationalization of UPI and Rupay Card in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- Re-affirmation of continued cooperation in joint projects including the West coast refinery, LNG infrastructure investment and development of strategic petroleum storage facilities in India
BOGIBEEL REGION
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal launched multiple projects for the development of the Bogibeel region near Dibrugarh in Assam.
About:
- The Two floating jetties at Bogibeel in Dibrugarh district and Guijan in Tinsukia district will be constructed as state-of-art terminals using the most advanced & updated technology.
- Both the jetties are being constructed by IWAI over the National Waterways – 2 (NW-2), popularly known as River Brahmaputra.
- He also inaugurated Bogibeel Riverfront Passenger Jetty which has been developed by the Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) as part of Riverfront Development near the Bogibeel bridge.
- The Bogibeel Bridge is a combined road and rail bridge over the Brahmaputra River in the northeastern Indian state of Assam between Dhemaji district and Dibrugarh district.
INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF MILLETS (IYOM) 2023
FAO side event on International Year of Millets (IYOM) 2023 was held during the Ninth Session of the Governing Body (GB-9) of the International Treaty (Food and Agricultural Organisation) being hosted by the Government of India in New Delhi.
About:
- The side event on IYOM-2023 focussed on celebrating Millets’ farmers.
- To bring back millets and create domestic, and global demand and to provide nutritional food to the people, the Government of India decided to mark the National Year of Millets in 2018.
- In 2021, India proposed to United Nations for declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYOM).
- The proposal of India got support from 72 countries and United Nation’s General Assembly (UNGA) declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
TYPHOON NANMADOL
Typhoon Nanmadol, one of the biggest storms to hit Japan in years, killed at least two people and brought ferocious winds and record rainfall to the west of the country, causing transport disruptions and forcing manufacturers to suspend operations.
About:
- Nanmadol made landfall near Kagoshima city late on Sunday before battering the western island of Kyushu and roaring onto the main island of Honshu on Monday morning.
- A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere.
- This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for almost one-third of the world’s annual tropical cyclones.
NUMALIGARH REFINERY
The Numaligarh Refinery Limited has planned to invest over 35 thousand crore rupees in the next five years. This amount will be invested in completing five ongoing projects including India- Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline.
About:
- The Numaligarh Refinery is located at Morangi, Golaghat district, Assam.
- Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) is a Category-I Mini Ratna PSU of Government of India.
- It is a group company of Oil India Limited (earlier subsidiary of BPCL) and the present shareholding pattern of NRL is OIL-80.16%, Govt. of Assam (GoA)-15.47% and Engineers India Ltd (EIL) – 4.37%.
- In 2019, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved plans to increase the refinery’s capacity to 9 million metric tonnes per year.
Government e-Marketplace (GeM)
Government e-Marketplace (GeM) surpassed milestone of One Lakh Crore rupees of procurement value in last fiscal.
About:
- The GeM Seller Samvad has been held in Mumbai wherein numerous beneficiaries spoke about how their business has grown overwhelmingly with the help of the online portal.
- The Government e Marketplace is an online platform for public procurement in India. The initiative was launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
- GeM has facilitated over one crore transactions valued at over 3.02 Lakh Crore Rupees. Notably, the portal had surpassed the milestone of One Lakh Crore rupees of procurement value in the last fiscal.
- The portal has 62 thousand registered government buyers and 50.90 lakh sellers, from large conglomerates to MSMEs and women Self Help groups. Currently, GeM has about 300 service categories and over ten thousand product categories.
NATIONAL ASSESSMENT AND ACCREDITATION COUNCIL (NAAC)
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), which carries out quality checks or assessments of Indian Higher-level Educational Institutions (HEIs), courted controversy recently over the rating of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and allegations of bribery in the process.
About:
- The NAAC, an autonomous body under the University Grants Commission (UGC), assesses and certifies HEIs with gradings as part of accreditation.
- Through a multi-layered process, a higher education institution learns whether it meets the standards of quality set by the evaluator in terms of curriculum, faculty, infrastructure, research, and other parameters. The ratings of institutions range from A++ to C. If an institution is graded D, it means it is not accredited.
How many institutions in India are accredited?
- There are 1,043 universities and 42,343 colleges listed on the portal of the All India Survey on Higher Education.
- As per the latest data from June 21, there were 406 universities and 8,686 colleges that were NAAC-accredited.
- Among the states, Maharashtra accounts for the highest number of accredited colleges at 1,869 – more than twice as many as Karnataka’s 914, the second highest. Tamil Nadu has the most accredited universities at 43.
DIRECT TAX COLLECTIONS
India’s net direct tax collections have crossed ₹7 lakh crore so far this year, 23.33% more than the corresponding period last year, signalling a post-pandemic rebound in the economy, the Finance Ministry said.
About:
- Net direct tax collections as on Saturday stood at ₹7,00,669 crore, compared with ₹5,68,147 crore as of September 17, 2021, with corporate taxes constituting little over a half of the kitty at ₹3,68,484 crore.
- The personal income tax and the securities transaction tax (STT) have yielded ₹3.3 lakh crore.
- Advance tax collections stood at ₹2,95,308 crore, 17% higher than the corresponding period of 2021-22, with corporate tax contributing a little over ₹2.29 lakh crore and personal income tax bringing in the rest of the ₹66,176 crore.
- The Ministry said there had been a “remarkable increase in the speed of processing of income tax returns filed during the current financial year” with almost 93% of the duly verified ITRs having been processed till September 17.
LUMPY SKIN DISEASE (LSD) VIRUS
The lumpy skin disease (LSD) virus that has killed at least 50,000 cattle in India this year may be structurally different from the version of the virus prevalent in India in 2019, raising questions on whether the new vaccine being developed for safeguarding cattle may be adequately protective.
About:
- Scientists at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) and the State Disease Diagnostic Centre, Jaipur, analysed five animals with symptoms of the disease and compared genomes of the virus extracted from them.
- Six genomes (there were multiple genomes from a single animal) showed that it had “little similarity to global genomes” when compared with genetic sequences from earlier outbreaks of the disease.
- The analysis of the genomes revealed 177 unique variants, none of which were found in four genome sequences from India belonging to the 2019 outbreak of the disease deposited in GenBank, a popular database.
- This is significant as Lumpi-ProVacInd, a vaccine developed by the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s (ICAR) National Research Centre on Equines is based on LSD virus samples from cattle in Ranchi afflicted in the 2019 outbreak.
NAGA PEACE TALKS
The extremist National Socialist Council of Nagalim or the Isak-Muivah faction of the NSCN has agreed to resume peace talks with the Centre based on the Framework Agreement signed on August 3, 2015.
About:
- The Nagaland Peace Accord is a peace treaty, signed, on 3 August 2015, between the Government of India, and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), to end the insurgency in the state of Nagaland in Northeast India.
- The decision follows a meeting between the 11 representatives of the NSCN(I-M) and the 22-member Core Committee on Naga Political Issue comprising MPs and MLAs of Nagaland at Chumoukedima near the State’s commercial hub, Dimapur.
- There are reports that a Central team has been working on a new set of “formulation papers” for packaging a set of offers, along with the old, to facilitate the final peace deal soon.
FAZILKA
The harvest of kinnows, the citrus fruit, a hybrid between king (Citrus nobilis) and willowleaf (Citrus deliciosa) mandarins, is likely to witness a drop of about 50% due to many issues, including the early summer that hit Punjab in March.
About:
- Fazilka in Punjab is known for the best-quality kinnow.
- The fruit is grown on about 2.5 lakh acres in the district. Trees and orchards on about 50,000 acres have been estimated as destroyed in the district alone. The trees and orchards have dried up in this area. The reason is polluted canal water. Groundwater cannot be used for kinnow.
- Canal water is polluted with chemicals from factories.
DISTRICT DISABILITY REHABILITATION CENTRES (DDRCs)
District Disability Rehabilitation centres (DDRCs) were inaugurated by Dr. Virendra Kumar Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment.
About:
- District Disability Rehabilitation centres (DDRC) spread across the country are providing effective rehabilitation services to the persons with disabilities for last two decades.
- These centres are run jointly by District Management Team headed by DM/Collector and a reputed NGO (Usually Indian Red Cross Society).
- To upscale their services, a MODEL DDRC has been conceptualised by the Department of Empowerment of Persons With Disability in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Government of India.
- Nine such model DDRCs, namely- Badaun, Pilibhit, Barielly, Balaghat, Golaghat, Ahmedabad, Amravati , Kullu and Rampur have been upgraded to MODEL DDRC level in the first phase and these 09 model DDRCs were virtually inaugurated by Dr. Virendra Kumar, Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India.
STATE LEVEL INSTITUTION ON LINES OF NITI AAYOG
A state level institution on the lines of NITI Aayog will be established in Maharashtra.
About:
- It will help to bring drastic changes in sectors like agriculture, health, education, employment, environment etc. in the state.
- Chief executive officer of NITI Aayog and other experts made a presentation on how Maharashtra will be assisted by the Aayog for bringing about changes in various sectors.
- Maharashtra government is planning to achieve target one trillion dollar economy by 2030, but with more hard work it can be achieved by 2027.
- ‘Asset monetization’ is important factor tabled by the NITI Aayog and the new constructed Samruddhi Mahamarg in the state is the best example of asset monetization.
77th SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in New York to participate in the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
About:
- The theme of the 77th UNGA is ‘A Watershed Moment: Transformative Solutions to Interlocking Challenges’.
- In keeping with India’s strong commitment to reformed multilateralism, the Minister will host a Ministerial meeting of the G4 – India, Brazil, Japan, and Germany – as well as participate at the High Level Meeting of the L-69 Group on ‘Reinvigorating Multilateralism and Achieving Comprehensive Reform of the UN Security Council’.
- The L-69 Group consists of developing countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Caribbean and Small Island Developing States, focused on reforms of the UN Security Council.
INDIA-SRI LANKA TRADE
India has emerged as the largest bilateral lender for Sri Lanka, overtaking China. India has provided a total of 968 million US dollars in loans to the island nation in four months of 2022.
About:
- In the past five years from 2017-2021, China has been the largest bilateral lender to Sri Lanka.
- Asian Development Bank (ADB) has been the largest multilateral lender in the past five years and disbursed funds amounting to 610 million dollars in 2021.
- India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj had said that India had provided nearly 4 billion dollars in food and financial assistance to Sri Lanka. On August 22, India handed over 21,000 tonnes of fertilizer to crisis-ridden Sri Lanka.
- India has been at forefront of extending economic assistance to Sri Lanka as per their requirements and is one of the countries that have provided the maximum amount of assistance in time of need. Since the beginning of 2022, Sri Lanka has experienced an escalating economic crisis and the government has defaulted on its foreign loans.
- Sri Lanka is battling a severe economic crisis with food and fuel scarcity affecting a large number of the people in the island nation.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR)
Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur has said that Indian companies have spent more than one trillion rupees in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) till March 2022.
About:
- He said, the areas of investment is poverty alleviation, healthcare, education and the environment among other. Mr Thakur said this while giving away the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award India 2022 in New Delhi.
- On April 1, 2014, India became the first country to legally mandate corporate social responsibility.
- The rules in Section 135 of India’s Companies Act make it mandatory for companies of a certain turnover and profitability to spend 2% of their average net profit for the past three years on CSR.
HOW DID CHEETAHS GO EXTINCT IN INDIA?
Over 70 years after it went extinct in India, the cheetah returned to the country on September 17, coinciding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday.
About:
- The cheetah has an ancient history in the country, with a Neolithic cave painting of a ‘slender spotted feline being hunted’ having been found at Chaturbunj Nala in Mandasur, Madhya Pradesh.
- The name ‘cheetah’ is believed to have originated from Sanskrit word chitrak, which means ‘the spotted one’.
- In India, the cheetah population used to be fairly widespread. The animal was found from Jaipur and Lucknow in the north to Mysore in the south, and from Kathiawar in the west to Deogarh in the east.
- The cheetah is believed to have disappeared from the Indian landscape in 1947 when Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo of Koriya princely state hunted down and shot the last three recorded Asiatic cheetahs in India. The cheetah was officially declared extinct by the Indian government in 1952.
- While over-hunting was a major contributing factor for the cheetah’s extinction, the decimation of its relatively narrow prey base species and the loss of its grassland-forest habitat also played a role.
INDIA-SRI LANKA FTA
Sri Lanka will revive its Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India and upgrade it to a “a comprehensive economic and technological partnership”, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said, signalling Colombo’s willingness to revisit a stalled pact.
About:
- The current Indo-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISFTA) came into effect in 2000 and several rounds of bilateral discussions later, Colombo and New Delhi are yet to reach an agreement on its upgraded version.
- Wickremesinghe, as Prime Minister between 2015 and 2019, attempted to sign an upgraded trade pact with India, but was unsuccessful.
BIOFUEL
As part of efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is looking to fly an AN-32 transport aircraft modified to operate on 10% blended biodiesel for 200 flight hours in the next six months.
About:
- The aircraft took flight on biodiesel blended with aviation turbine fuel (ATF) for the first time in December 2018.
- A second aircraft, a Dornier, was now undergoing ground tests after it had been cleared by the original manufacturer of the engine, Honeywell, for use of 50% biofuel.
- The global aviation industry is one of the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases that cause global warming. The fuel consumption of the IAF for 2021-22 was 6.2 lakh kilo litres, which contributed 15 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide.
- On the civil aviation front, an official from aircraft manufacturer Airbus said it had plans to offer 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) compatibility on its commercial aircraft latest by 2030.
KEDARNATH TEMPLE
A Mumbai-based businessman will fund the facelift of Kedarnath temple’s sanctum sanctorum, which will now be gold-plated. Currently the sanctum sanctorum of one of the famous Char Dham temples is covered with 230 kilograms of silver.
About:
- Kedarnath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. The temple is located on the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river, in the state of Uttarakhand.
- The temple is one of the four major sites in India’s Chota Char Dham pilgrimage of Northern Himalayas and is the first of the Panch Kedar pilgrimage sites.
SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION
Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with leaders of SCO nations participated in the 22nd SCO Summit at Samarkand in Uzbekistan.
About:
- Besides leaders of SCO member states, observer states, Secretary General of the SCO, Executive Director of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), President of Turkmenistan and other invited guests attended the meet.
- India has been working closely with Uzbekistan towards the success of their Chairship.
- On the side-lines of the SCO Summit, Prime Minister Modi held informal meetings with a number of leaders on matters of mutual interest. He also took part in bilateral meetings held after the summit with Russia, Uzbekistan and Iran.
- The SCO Summit 2022 was first held in Shanghai in June 2002. There are eight members, out of which six are founding members. The last two countries – India and Pakistan – joined as full members in 2017.
- Member countries are: China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.
SAMARKAND
Samarkand hosted the 22nd Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization for its member states and Council of Heads.
About:
- Samarkand is located in the Zarefshan River valley in the Southeastern region of Uzbekistan.
- Samarkand is the country’s cultural capital and has always been an intrinsic part of the world culture for more than two and a half millennia.
- In central Asia, it is one of the oldest cities to be inhabited. Inhabitation in Samarkand started almost in 1500 BC.
- Samarkand is a central point for trade due to its easy route access to China and the Mediterranean areas.
- The name Samarkand is derived from the Sogdian civilisation, where Samar means stone or rock and Khand means fort. Thus, Samarkand means a town or fort of rock or stone. The city of Samarkand is a storehouse of natural resources spanning Central Asia.
- Since ancient times, Samarkand has been famous for its craft production with a castle and robust defence. Like the entire region of Uzbekistan, the official language of Samarkand is Uzbek. However, the second official language is Russian.
INTERNATIONAL TREATY ON PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
India is going to host 9th session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture from 19th to 24th of this month.
About:
- The Treaty is a legally binding comprehensive agreement adopted in November 2001 at Rome during the 31st session of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, which entered into force in June 2004.
- During the event an extensive deliberation on how to preserve, conserve and maintain the germplasm, biodiversity, and food and agriculture will be held. Deliberation will also be held on how to exchange and share the tolerant germplasm through a multilateral system.
- The event will also witness a discussion on farmers’ and breeders’ rights.
- Representatives of nearly 262 countries are expected to participate in this seven-day-long event.
INSPIRE AWARDS
Union Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh presented INSPIRE awards to 60 Start-Ups and financial support to over 53 thousand students.
About:
- The award is instituted by the Department of Science and Technology and these innovators will be extended complete incubation support for their entrepreneurship journey.
- During the year 2020-21, while the country was battling with the severe impact of COVID-19, the annual INSPIRE Awards – MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspiration and Knowledge) competition attracted an unprecedented 6.53 Lakh ideas and innovations from all States.
- The scheme aims to help build a critical human resource pool for strengthening, expanding the science and technology system and increase the research & development base.
ROGER FEDERER
Roger Federer, one of the greatest tennis player of all time, has decided to bid farewell to professional tennis after the conclusion of the Laver Cup 2022 next week.
About:
- Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player.
- He was ranked world No. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 310 weeks, including a record 237 consecutive weeks.
- He has won 103 ATP singles titles, the second most of all time, including 20 Grand Slam singles titles, a record eight men’s singles Wimbledon titles, an Open Era record-tying five men’s singles US Open titles, and a record six year-end championships.
- Federer has played in an era where he dominated men’s tennis along with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic as the Big Three, collectively considered by some to be the three most successful male tennis players of all time.
VINESH PHOGAT
Vinesh Phogat has become the first Indian woman wrestler to win two medals at the World Championships after clinching a bronze in 53 kilogram category in Belgrade, Serbia.
About:
- The Commonwealth Games 2022 gold medalist defeated reigning European champion Emma Malmgren of Sweden.
- This is her second bronze medal at the Championships. She had previously earned a podium position in the 2019 edition of the tournament at Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.
- Vinesh Phogat is an Indian wrestler. She became the first Indian woman wrestler to win gold in both Commonwealth and Asian Games.
- Phogat became the first Indian athlete to be nominated for Laureus World Sports Awards in 2019. Vinesh is the cousin of wrestlers Geetha and Babita. Both her cousins have won gold in 55 kg category in Commonwealth Games.
ASSAM TRIBALS PEACE AGREEMENT
A tripartite peace agreement was signed between Centre, Assam Government and eight tribal groups of Assam in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.
About:
- The agreement was signed to end decade old crisis of tribal groups and tea garden workers in Assam.
- The tribal groups which have signed the agreement include, Birsa Commando Force, Adivasi People’s Army, All Adivasi National Liberation Army, Adivasi Cobra Military of Assam and Santhal Tiger Force.
- The agreement will prove to be another milestone in the direction of making North East region extremism free by 2025.
- Shah said, several agreements have been signed to ensure peace and development in the North Eastern region in the last three years. He said, NLFT agreement in 2019, BRU-REANG and Bodo accord in 2020, Karbi Anglong agreement in 2021 and Assam-Meghalaya inter-state boundary agreement this year has resolved around 65 per cent of border disputes.
DAMODARAN COMMITTEE
The government has constituted an expert committee to examine and suggest appropriate measures to address regulatory and other issues to enable scaling up investments by venture capital and private equity investment.
About:
- Finance Ministry said the six-member panel will be headed by former SEBI chairman M Damodaran. The committee will suggest measures to further accelerates investment into start-ups and sunrise sectors.
- In her Budget speech 2022-23, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed to set up an expert committee to examine and suggest appropriate measures to scale venture capital and private equity investments in India.
BORDER SECURITY FORCE (BSF)
BSF’s first female camel riding squad is ready to be deployed along the India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
About:
- The squad will participate for the first time in the BSF Raising Day Parade on 1ST December. This Squad will be the first of its kind in the world.
- The Border Security Force (BSF) is India’s border guarding organisation on its border with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
- It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) of India, and was raised in the wake of the 1965 war on 1 December 1965.
- It comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
PRADHAN MANTRI AWAS YOJANA (GRAMIN)
Pulling up the States for the delay in completion of the NDA government’s flagship rural household scheme — Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) — the Union Ministry of Rural Development has come up with a set of penalties that the State governments will have to bear for any further delay.
About:
- Opposition-ruled West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, along with BJP-ruled Assam, are the leading four States who are far behind their targets.
- This is the first time, since the scheme started in April 2016 with a target of constructing 2.95 crore houses, that the Union Government has introduced a penalty clause.
- The initial deadline for the scheme was March 2022, which owing to the COVID-19 pandemic was extended by another two years till March 2024.
- Under the scheme, the government has set itself a target of 2.95 crore houses. This number was deduced from the Socio-Economic Caste Survey, 2011. As per the statistics available with the Union Ministry of Rural Development, till August 2022, 2.02 crore houses have been constructed.
INDIA-BHUTAN RELATIONS
Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck held a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi.
About:
- India and Bhutan share a unique and time-tested bilateral relationship, characterized by utmost trust, goodwill, and mutual understanding.
- The special relationship has been sustained by a tradition of regular high-level visits and dialogues between the two countries.
- India is Bhutan’s largest trading partner. In 2018, total bilateral trade between the two countries stood at over 9000 crore rupees.
URBAN WASTEWATER SCENARIO IN INDIA
India launches joint whitepaper on ‘Urban Wastewater Scenario in India’ with Denmark at World Water Congress and Exhibition 2022 in Copenhagen.
About:
- India has launched a joint whitepaper on ‘Urban Wastewater Scenario in India’ with Denmark at World Water Congress and Exhibition 2022 in Copenhagen.
- Shekhawat said that India has committed investments of more than 140 Billion dollars by 2024 in the water sector. The minister informed, with the help of community-centric approach, at least 10 percent of the funds are contributed by community in every program ensuring community ownership and participation.
- The whitepaper aims at holistically capturing the current status of wastewater treatment in India and potential pathways for future treatment structures, co-creation, and collaborations.
- This whitepaper is a result of the Indo-Danish Bilateral Green Strategic Partnership, which is focused on green hydrogen, renewable energy, and wastewater management.
INDO-PACIFIC TRILATERAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar said India and France have agreed to work towards the establishment of Indo-Pacific trilateral development cooperation.
About:
- Indo-Pacific trilateral development cooperation would facilitate development projects, especially in the framework of the International Solar Alliance.
- The Indo-Pacific trilateral would also provide a platform for Indian innovations and startups to demonstrate their relevance to the requirements of other societies.
- International Solar Alliance now has formed projects in three countries which shows the impact that India and France make together in Bhutan, Papua New Guinea and Senegal.
- The Minister added that India and France are launching a scheme for the exchange of young professionals in the age group of 18 to 35 years as a follow-up to the migration and mobility partnerships.
FIFA UNDER 17 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2022
The Union Cabinet has approved the Signing of Guarantees for hosting Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Under 17 Women’s World Cup 2022 in India.
About:
- FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022 is scheduled to be held in India between 11th and 30th October 2022.
- The seventh edition of the biennial youth tournament will be the first-ever FIFA women’s competition to be hosted by India.
- The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup is the world championship for female players under or upto the age of 17, organized by FIFA. The event started in 2008 and is traditionally held in even-numbered years.
- The 6th edition of the event was held in Uruguay from 13th November to 1st December, 2018. Spain is the current champion of FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup.
- FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022 will be the 7th edition of the tournament in which 16 teams, including India, will participate.
M VISVESVARAYA
Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted all engineers on the occasion of Engineers Day.
About:
- Every year India celebrates National Engineer’s day on September 15 to recognise and honour the achievements of the great engineer Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya.
- Along with India, Visvesvaraya’s great works are also celebrated in Sri Lanka and Tanzania on September 15 as Engineer’s day.
- Popularly known as Sir MV, he undertook several complex projects and delivered remarkable infrastructural results during his engineering career.
- He patented and installed an irrigation system with water floodgates at the Khadakvasla reservoir near Pune to raise the food supply level and storage to the highest levels known as ‘block system’ in 1903.
- The irrigation system was later installed at Gwalior’s Tigra Dam and Mysuru’s Krishnaraja Sagara (KRS) dam, the latter of which created one of the largest reservoirs in Asia at the time.
SCHEDULED TRIBES
The Union Cabinet approved the inclusion of tribes of five states in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category.
About:
- Among the states whose tribes have been included in the list are Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh.
- The Hattee community of Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur district was granted the status of ST in the latest decision by the Cabinet.
- The Cabinet approved the proposal of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for the inclusion of ‘Gonds’ along with its five sub-castes in the Bhadohi (earlier Sant Ravidas Nagar) District of the State of Uttar Pradesh in the Scheduled Tribes list of Uttar Pradesh.
- It also approved the proposal of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for the inclusion of ‘Narikoravan along with the Kurivikkaran’ community in respect of the State of Tamil Nadu through the introduction of a Bill in Parliament to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.
- The Cabinet also approved the proposal for the inclusion of the ‘Betta-Kuruba’ community as a synonym of ‘Kadu Kuruba’ in respect of the State of Karnataka through the introduction of a Bill in Parliament to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.
- As many as 12 caste communities of Chhattisgarh were included in the Scheduled Tribes.
BLO E-PATRIKA
The Election Commission of India released a new digital publication ‘BLO e-Patrika’ at an interactive session held with BLOs spread across the States in India. This event was a first-of-its-kind direct interaction by the Commission with the BLOs across the country.
About:
- BLOs are the direct link of the Commission with the people. BLOs are the primary source of information for every voter across the length and breadth of the country.
- The intent behind introducing BLO E-Patrika is to ensure a cascading information model for a better informed and motivated Booth Level Officer.
- The themes of the bimonthly e-Patrika will include subjects like EVM-VVPAT training, IT applications, Special Summary Revision, Minimum SVEEP Activities at polling booths, Postal Ballot facility, accessible elections, Electoral Literacy Clubs, unique voter awareness initiatives and National Voters’ Day.
JIMEX 2022
The sixth edition of Japan India Maritime Exercise 2022 (JIMEX 22) hosted by Indian Navy commenced in the Bay of Bengal on 11 September 2022.
About:
- The Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) ships are being led by R Adm Hirata Toshiyuki, Commander Escort Flotilla Four, and Indian Naval ships by R Adm Sanjay Bhalla, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet.
- JIMEX 22 involves two Phases; exercises at sea and a harbour phase at Visakhapatnam.
- This edition marks the 10th anniversary of JIMEX, which began in Japan in 2012.
- It also coincides with the 70th anniversary of establishing of diplomatic relations between India and Japan.
- JIMEX 22 seeks to consolidate the high degree of interoperability that exists between maritime forces of the two countries, through complex exercises in the surface, sub-surface and air domains.
EXERCISES KAKADU
INS Satpura and a P8 I Maritime Patrol Aircraft of the Indian Navy reached Darwin in Australia on 12 September 2022, for participation in the multinational Exercise Kakadu – 2022, hosted by the Royal Australian Navy.
About:
- The two week-long Exercise, both in harbour and sea, involves ships and maritime aircraft from 14 navies. During the harbour phase of the exercise, the ship’s crew will engage in operational planning interactions and sports activities with participating Navies.
DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROVIDERS ASSOCIATION (DIPA)
The Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and Railways, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw will be the Chief Guest at Digital Infrastructure Providers Association (DIPA) Annual Flagship Event 2022.
About:
- The Minister of State for Communications, Shri Devusinh Chauhan will be the Guest of Honour.
- DIPA, an apex industry body of digital infrastructure providers is all set to host its Annual Flagship Event with new theme for this year, “Gati Shakti vision for 5G & Beyond”.
- The event is said to be the biggest event of Telecom industry of year 2022.
- The event’s theme is “Gati Shakti vision for 5G & Beyond”, is fully in line with PM Modi’s Gati Shakti National Master Plan which has helped country’s telecom infrastructure to be more stable.
- DIPA acknowledges Department of Telecommunications (DoT) as the supporting partner of DIPA’s Annual Flagship Event 2022.
NATIONAL LISTS OF ESSENTIAL MEDICINES (NLEM) 2022
Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, launched National Lists of Essential Medicines (NLEM) 2022.
About:
- 384 drugs have been included in this list with addition of 34 drugs, while 26 from the previous list have been dropped. The medicines have been categorized into 27 therapeutic categories.
- The following criteria are followed for inclusion in NLEM:
- be useful in diseases which is a public health problem in India
- be licensed/ approved Drugs Controller General (India) (DCGI)
- have proven efficacy and safety profile based on scientific evidence
- be comparatively cost effective
- be aligned with the current treatment guidelines
- recommended under National Health Programs of India. (e.g. Ivermectin part of Accelerated Plan for Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis 2018).
- when more than one medicine are available from the same therapeutic class, one prototype/ medically best suited medicine of that class to be included.
- price of total treatment is considered and not the unit price of a medicine
- fixed dose combinations are usually not included
- vaccines as and when are included in Universal Immunization Program (e.g. Rotavirus vaccine).
HINDI DIWAS
Hindi Diwas is being celebrated across the country on September 14.
About:
- It was on this day in 1949 that the Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi written in Devanagari script as the official language of the country.
- Today, Hindi is one of the widely spoken languages in the world and the first language of more than 520 million people.
CRISPR
Over the last 3 years, the gene-editing technology with near unlimited potential has produced flawless results in clinical trials. India has approved a 5-year project to develop CRISPR to cure sickle cell anaemia.
About:
- CRISPR is short for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, which is a reference to the clustered and repetitive sequences of DNA found in bacteria, whose natural mechanism to fight some viral diseases is replicated in this gene-editing tool.
- Its mechanism is often compared to the ‘cut-copy-paste’, or ‘find-replace’ functionalities in common computer programmes.
- A bad stretch in the DNA sequence, which is the cause of disease or disorder, is located, cut, and removed — and then replaced with a ‘correct’ sequence. And the tools used to achieve this are not mechanical, but biochemical — specific protein and RNA molecules.
- The technology replicates a natural defence mechanism in some bacteria that uses a similar method to protect itself from virus attacks.
ARATTUPUZHA VELAYUDHA PANICKER
The recently-released Malayalam film Pathonpatham Noottandu (‘Nineteenth Century’), directed by Vinayan, has earned both critical acclaim and audience approval.
About:
- It is based on the life of Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker, a social reformer from the Ezhava community in Kerala who lived in the 19th century.
- Born into a well-off family of merchants in Kerala’s Alappuzha district, Panicker was one of the most influential figures in the reformation movement in the state.
- He challenged the domination of upper castes or ‘Savarnas’ and brought about changes in the lives of both men and women.
- The social reform movement in Kerala in the 19th century led to the large-scale subversion of the existing caste hierarchy and social order in the state.
- Panicker is credited with building two temples dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, in which members of all castes and religions were allowed entry.
- In 1858, he led the Achippudava Samaram strike at Kayamkulam in Alappuzha. This strike aimed to earn women belonging to oppressed groups the right to wear a lower garment that extended beyond the knees.
- In 1859, this was extended into the Ethappu Samaram, the struggle for the right to wear an upper body cloth by women belonging to backward castes.
INSTANT LOAN APPS
The arrest of a Chinese national by the Chandigarh Police for allegedly blackmailing and extorting money from people through instant loan mobile applications has raised several concerns.
About:
- The racket of luring people to take instant loans via mobile apps and then extorting money from them gained momentum during the Covid-19 pandemic.
- These mobile applications provide small amounts in instant loans at a higher interest rate, ranging from 15 per cent to 20 per cent. These applications do not follow the strict procedures followed by banks before giving out loans, such as customer verification.
- A person who installs the application and wants a loan has to fill out an online form.
- To get the loan, the mobile user has to allow the application to access the contacts, photos, videos and all other digital content of the mobile phone.
- Many mobile applications provide the loan amount after deducting the interest from the principal amount. Some of the applications even recover the interest on a daily or weekly basis.
ADOPTION RULES
The Ministry of Women and Child Development has written to State governments, asking them to immediately implement the revised adoption rules requiring adoption orders to be passed by District Magistrates (DMs) instead of courts with effect from September 1.
About:
- The instructions come despite concerns raised over jurisdiction of DMs in civil matters such as inheritance and succession, as well as delays likely to be caused in cases where the court has already passed orders since September 1 or is likely to pass them shortly after having spent several months on the proceedings.
- There are concerns that the Centre has also not yet notified Adoption Regulations, 2022 detailing the process to be followed by the DMs.
- Parliament passed the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2021 last year in order to amend the Juvenile Justice Act (JJ Act), 2015.
- These authorise District Magistrates and Additional District Magistrates to issue adoption orders under Section 61 of the JJ Act by striking out the word “court”.
- This was done in order to ensure speedy disposal of cases and enhance accountability.
- The amendments to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Model Rules, 2016, were notified on September 1 and require all adoption cases to be transferred to the DM with immediate effect.
RAKTDAAN AMRIT MAHOTSAV
The Union Health Ministry is planning to launch a nationwide, mega voluntary blood donation drive, called the Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav, on September 17, with an aim to collect one lakh units of blood.
About:
- The drive hopes to create a database of donors who can be called upon at times of emergency.
- The Ministry has sent a letter to all the States and the Union Territories, stating that the drive would continue till October 1, the National Voluntary Blood Donation Day (NVBDD).
- Registrations for blood donation can be done on the Aarogya Setu portal under Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav which calls people to donate blood and be a part of Prime Minister’s mission for humanity.
- A live dashboard will be operationalised on the e-RaktKosh web portal for tracking the number of blood units donated/collected in each State and Union Territory.
BACHELOR OF DENTAL SURGERY (BDS)
For the first time in 74 years, the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) curriculum is all set for an overhaul.
About:
- The decision by the Dental Council of India, which falls under the Union Health Ministry, is aimed at bringing the undergraduate course on a par with global standards, while making it more job-oriented and up to date.
- At present the BDS is a five-year course, which comprises four-year academics and one year of internship.
- The proposed credit-based curriculum will be a five-and-a-half-year course, which consists of four-and-a-half years of academics and one year of rotational internship.
- The exam pattern will shift from yearly to semester system where the student has the option to pick from the 50 to 60 elective subjects offered alongside.
PORNOGRAPHY
The Supreme Court did not entertain a plea advocating a link between watching Internet porn and sex crimes, including child abuse.
About:
- It said child sex abuse was a crime by itself. Investigation into individual cases by the police would reveal whether or not viewing of pornography had triggered the crime. That aspect would be part of evidence of each individual case.
- “Seeking a judicial declaration from the Supreme Court that porn on the Internet has led to child sex crimes would be equal to giving a go-ahead to online surveillance,” it said.
- The selling and distribution of pornographic material is illegal in India under section 292 of IPC.
- Child pornography is illegal and strictly prohibited across the country under section 67B of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
- however, viewing sexually explicit material in private spaces is not illegal. The Supreme Court had also orally remarked back in July 2015 that it cannot stop an adult from exercising his fundamental right to personal liberty to watch porn within the privacy of his room.
JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS
The Supreme Court Collegium led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) U.U. Lalit has recommended eight names for appointment to the Bombay High Court. Six of them are judicial officers and two are advocates.
About:
- If the government agrees with the Collegium, the judicial strength in the Bombay High Court will rise to 68 out of a total sanctioned strength of 94 judges.
- The Indian Judicial collegium system, where existing judges appoint judges to the nation’s constitutional courts, has its genesis in, and continued basis resting on, three of its own judgments made by Supreme Court judges which are collectively known as the Three Judges Cases.
- Following are the three cases:
- P. Gupta v. Union of India – 1981 (also known as the Judges’ Transfer case)
- Supreme Court Advocates-on Record Association vs Union of India – 1993
- In re Special Reference 1 of 1998
RETAIL INFLATION
India’s retail inflation resurged to 7% in August from 6.71% in July, fuelled by a 7.62% uptick in food prices paid by consumers, even as industrial output growth in July dropped to the lowest level since April at just 2.4%, with output levels dropping 2.75% month on month.
About:
- This is the eighth successive month that retail inflation has stayed above the central bank’s upper tolerance threshold of 6% inflation for the economy, and constitutes a setback to households’ spending power among the poorer sections.
- Rural inflation that was at 6.8% in July, saw a sharper rise than urban inflation in August, rising to 7.15%. Urban consumers’ inflation rate moved up from 6.49% in July to 6.72%.
- The uptick in inflation was largely driven by “a broad-based rise across the food segment”, with a higher inflation in cereals, pulses, milk, fruits, vegetables and prepared meals and snacks.
G7’s PRICE CAP ON RUSSIAN OIL
The Group of Seven countries is working to cap the price of Russian oil in an attempt to limit Moscow’s ability to fund its invasion of Ukraine, a plan analysts say could work in the long term but might boost oil prices in coming months.
About:
- The G7 wealthy nations – the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada – and the EU are hammering out details of the plan. The G7 wants to enlist other countries, including India and China, which have been snapping up heavily-discounted oil from Russia since its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine
- Russia has managed to maintain its revenues through those increased crude sales to India and China. But even if India and China don’t join, a cap could help force down prices for Asia and other consumers.
INDIA ISSUES GUIDELINES TO STUDENTS WISH TO STUDY MEDICINE IN CHINA
Embassy of India in China said that prospective Indian students who wish to seek admission for undergraduate clinical medicine programme in China are required to obtain a license to practice medicine in China before they appear for the Foreign Medical Graduates Exam (FMGE) in India.
About:
- The Indian Embassy said that such prospective Indian students are also required to clear the NEET-UG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Under Graduate) exam, which is the entry examination for undergraduate medical education in India, as a prerequisite to pursue medical education abroad.
- Only such students – after completing their degree program – can appear in FMGE which is required to pursue clinical medical practice in India.
- The advisory was issued in response to several queries from prospective Indian students and their parents with respect to seeking admission to undergraduate clinical medicine programme in China.
- More than twenty thousand Indian students mostly enrolled in medical courses in different Chinese universities are waiting to return to China for more than two and half years due to COVID-related restrictions and a ban on direct flights to and from India.
- China has now started giving visas but due to non-availability of direct flights, it is very costly affair to travel to China through transit route.
VINOBA BHAVE
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to Vinoba Bhave on his birth anniversary.
About:
- Vinayak Narahari also known as Vinoba Bhave (1895 – 1982) was an Indian advocate of nonviolence and human rights. Often called Acharya, he is best known for the Bhoodan Movement.
- He is considered a National Teacher of India and the spiritual successor of Mahatma Gandhi.
- He was an eminent philosopher. The Gita has also been translated into Marathi language by him with the title Geetai (meaning ‘Mother Gīta’ in Marathi).
WORLD’S PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS, 1893
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled Swami Vivekananda’s iconic speech at Chicago in 1893. Mr Modi said, his address gave the world a glimpse of India’s culture and ethos.
About:
- There have been several meetings referred to as a Parliament of the World’s Religions, the first being the World’s Parliament of Religions of 1893, which was an attempt to create a global dialogue of faiths.
- Swami Vivekananda represented India and Hinduism at the Parliament of the World’s Religions (1893).
- This was the first World’s Parliament of Religions, and it was held from 11 to 27 September 1893. Delegates from all over the world joined this Parliament.
NATIONAL DEFENSE MSME CONCLAVE
Defense Conclave and Exhibition is being organized for the first time in Rajasthan.
About:
- The two-day National Defense MSME Conclave and Exhibition began in Kota, Rajasthan.
- Defense equipment including T-90 and BMP-2 tanks, artillery guns, various types of sniper and machine guns and military bridges are being displayed in the exhibition.
- Youth innovating in the defense sector, start-ups and MSMEs are also displaying their products.
- More than 50 companies, start-ups and MSMEs working in the defense sector are participating in the event.
- The conclave was formally inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
CENTRE-STATES DASHBOARD TO SHARE THE BEST TECHNOLOGY PRACTICES
Union Minister of Science & Technology announced setting up of a Dashboard to share the best technology practices among the Centre and the States.
About:
- This high level mechanism will be developed by the Department of Science and Technology to monitor and coordinate the follow up action of the conclave.
- This was informed by him while presiding over the concluding session of the two-day “Centre-State Science Conclave” at Science City in Ahmedabad.
F-16 FIGHTER JET
During official meetings with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu in Delhi last week, India raised “strong objections” to the U.S. plan for Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Pakistan at an estimated $450 million for hardware, software and spares for the F-16 fighter jet programme.
About:
- The Indian side cited concerns about the technology and support being made available for the F-16s which Pakistan claims are needed for “counter-terrorism operations”.
- The government conveyed that it believed they would be used for operations against India.
- Lu told officials that the FMS package was a maintenance deal for F-16s, some of which are 40 years old and part of the U.S.’s global policy of maintaining its defence sales for their entire life cycle.
- The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF).
INDIRA GANDHI URBAN EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE SCHEME
The Indira Gandhi Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme has rolled out in Rajasthan with the objective of providing economic support to the poor and needy families living in the cities through work to be provided on demand for 100 days in a year.
About:
- The Congress government has touted it as the country’s biggest scheme to give guaranteed jobs to the people residing in cities, on the lines of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) for villagers started by the UPA government at the Centre in 2006.
- Those in the age group of 18 to 60 years residing within the limits of urban local bodies are eligible to demand and get employment in the identified segments.
- There is no income limit, though the poor and destitute people, especially those who lost their livelihood during the pandemic, will be given preference.
- More than 3.5 lakh people across the State have got themselves registered under the scheme so far and job cards have been issued to 2.25 lakh of them.
IZUIM
In a rapid counter-offensive, Ukraine seized the town of Izium in what is being seen as a major setback for Russia in the Kharkiv region.
About:
- Izuim had fallen to the Russians on April 1, and has been recaptured over six months later.
- Izium is considered the gateway to Donbas region, a Russian-speaking area whose complete capture has been Russia’s key war aim since the beginning of the conflict. It is considered a passage to the Black Sea, and thus referred to as the Izium passage by the Russians.
- With this, Ukraine is back in control of two key logistics centres. Kupiansk was the major railway station supplying Izium formations.
CITIZENSHIP (AMENDMENT) ACT
A three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) U U Lalit will hear the challenge to the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
About:
- The Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 seeks to grant citizenship to a class of migrants belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan.
- The Act was passed on December 12, 2019 and was notified on January 10, 2020.
- While the government claimed the amendment was sympathetic and inclusionary, critics said it was unconstitutional and anti-Muslim. The law provoked widespread protests in the country.
- The law, an amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955, was challenged before the Supreme Court under Article 32 of the Constitution.
- The challenge rests primarily on the grounds that the law violates Article 14 of the Constitution that guarantees that no person shall be denied the right to equality before law or the equal protection of law in the territory of India.
EXERCISE PARVAT PRAHAR
Army chief General Manoj Pande visited the Ladakh sector to review Exercise Parvat Prahar. The exercise saw the deployment of all new major inductions of the Army.
About:
- The exercise, which was held in the Ladakh plateau at an altitude of 14,000 feet, used newly inducted all-terrain vehicles transported by Chinook heavy lift helicopters and K9-Vajra howitzers, among others.
- The exercise comes as India and China are undertaking disengagement from Patrolling Point-15 in eastern Ladakh, as announced on September 8. Gen. Pande is scheduled to visit Siachen on Sunday.
- Simultaneously on the western front, Exercise Gagan Strike culminated with a fire power display of attack helicopters supporting deep operations by Strike Corps. Western Army Commander Lt. Gen. Nav K. Khanduri, who witnessed the culmination, lauded the professional readiness of combat forces for contingencies on the western front, the Western Command said on Twitter.
ADOPTION RULES
There is confusion over the implementation of new adoption rules that require transfer of adoption petitions from courts to District Magistrates, and parents, adoption agencies and activists are worried that this could lead to further delays in a long and arduous procedure.
About:
- Parliament passed the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2021, in July last year, which empowers DMs to give adoption orders.
- Ironically, the intent of the amendment was to prevent court-related delays during adoptions because of a large number of pending cases.
- The amendments came into effect from September 1.
EURASIAN H5N1
A bottlenose dolphin found dead in a Florida canal in the spring tested positive for a highly virulent strain of bird flu, scientists said.A bottlenose dolphin found dead in a Florida canal in the spring tested positive for a highly virulent strain of bird flu, scientists said.
About:
- This version of the virus, which has spread widely among North American and European birds, has affected an unusually broad array of species.
- But these findings represent the first two documented cases in cetaceans, a group of marine mammals that includes dolphins, porpoises and whales.
- This strain of bird flu is known as Eurasian H5N1.
- While experts emphasise that the risk to humans remains low, the spread of the virus to new species poses potential risks to wildlife and provides the virus with new chances to mutate and adapt to mammalian hosts.
- Besides birds, the virus has earlier turned up in foxes, bobcats, skunks, and seals.
GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL (GCC)
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Secretary General of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on the mechanism of consultations between India and the GCC.
About:
- The External Affairs Minister is on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia from 10-12 September. This is his first trip to the Kingdom as India’s External Affairs Minister.
- The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a regional, intergovernmental, political, and economic union comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
- The council’s main headquarters is located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- The Charter of the GCC was signed on 25 May 1981, formally establishing the institution.
CYBORG COCKROACHES
An international team of researchers led by Japan’s scientific institution, RIKEN’s Cluster for Pioneering Research (CPR), have devised a system that can create cyborg cockroaches, that are part insect and part machine.
About:
- They claim that these insects, whose movements are controlled by tiny integrated circuits, will be able to conduct surveillance in procedures like urban search and rescue, environmental monitoring and inspection of areas dangerous to humans.
- The researchers claim that by equipping the cockroaches with small wireless control modules, handlers will be able to control the insect’s legs remotely for long periods of time.
- The team used Madagascar cockroaches, which are not only the largest species of cockroaches, reaching an estimated 6 cm, but are also known for making hissing sounds when disturbed, which they make by expelling air from the openings on their back.
NEERAJ CHOPRA
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Neeraj Chopra for scripting history yet again by becoming the first Indian to win the prestigious Diamond League Trophy.
About:
- Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian to win the Dimond Trophy, the prestigious title in the finale of the Diamond League series in men’s javelin.
- The 24-year-old, the Olympic champion from Tokyo, threw 88.44m to finish on the top step of the podium.
- Neeraj finished ahead of Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch and Germany’s Julian Webber to script history.
- Neeraj has won the Olympic Gold in 2021, the Asian Games Gold in 2018, the Commonwealth Games Gold in 2018, the World Athletics Championships silver in 2022.
PRIVATE SECTOR IN RAILWAYS
Indian railways for the first time has floated a tender to invite private players to build high-speed wheel plant under the Make in India initiative.
About:
- Under this move, the Railway will procure 80,000 wheels per year with a total cost of 6,00 crore rupees and manufacturing will take place in the country only.
- Manufacturing is expected to start within next 18 months and once India achieves high standard of manufacturing of wheels, it will eye at exporting wheels mostly to European countries.
- Trial and testing of Vande Bharat train have been completed and manufacturing is expected to start from October this year. This train can attain its speed from 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in just 52 seconds, three seconds less than bullet train’s pickup speed.
EXPORT POLICY OF BROKEN RICE
Government of India has said export policy of broken rice has been amended to ensure adequate domestic availability.
About:
- This has been done in order to ensure adequate availability of broken rice for consumption by domestic poultry industry and for other animal feedstock and to produce ethanol for successful implementation of EBP (Ethanol Blending Programme).
- About 50-60 Lakh Metric Tonnes of broken rice is produced annually in India which is mainly used as poultry feed and feed for other animals.
- It is also used as a feedstock by the grain-based distilleries for producing ethanol which is supplied to Oil Marketing Companies for blending with petrol.
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX (HDI)
India ranks 132 out of 191 countries in the Human Development Index (HDI) 2021, after registering a decline in its score over two consecutive years for the first time in three decades.
About:
- The drop is in line with the global trend since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic during which 90% of the countries have fallen backward in human development.
- The Index is part of the Human Development Report 2021-2022 released by the United Nations Development Programme.
- The HDI measures average achievement of a country in three basic dimensions of human development — a long and healthy life, education and a decent standard of living.
- It is calculated using four indicators — life expectancy at birth, mean years of schooling, expected years of schooling, and the Gross National Income (GNI) per capita.
- India’s HDI score of 0.633 places it in the medium human development category, lower than its value of 0.645 in 2018, indicating a reversal in progress.
- Like global trends, in India’s case, the drop in HDI from 0.645 in 2018 to 0.633 in 2021 can be attributed to falling life expectancy at birth — 70.7 years to 67.2 years.
- India’s expected years of schooling stand at 11.9 years, and the mean years of schooling are at 6.7 years. The GNI per capita level is $6,590.
- The COVID-19 pandemic has also exacerbated gender inequality, which increased 6.7% globally.
SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL
The Supreme Court has said the problem of storing spent nuclear fuel from the Kudankulam nuclear power plant has to be “worked out”, possibly with the help of experts from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and officials at the highest level in the Tamil Nadu government.
About:
- The Supreme Court asked Tamil Nadu government to come clear on the time schedule for the completion of public hearings by the State regarding the construction of an Away From Reactor (AFR) facility at the Kudankulam plant.
- The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) had sought an extension till July 2026 for the construction of the AFR facility. In 2018, the court had given the Corporation time till April 30, 2022.
- The AFR repository was supposed to be built in five years’ time, but this has not been done. In 2013, the Supreme Court had granted five years’ time to the NPCIL, till July 2018. In 2018, the court gave an extension till 2022 and said this was the final extension of time to create the AFR storage. Now, they are again asking for an extension.
Do you know?
- Spent nuclear fuel, occasionally called used nuclear fuel, is nuclear fuel that has been irradiated in a nuclear reactor (usually at a nuclear power plant).
- It is no longer useful in sustaining a nuclear reaction in an ordinary thermal reactor and depending on its point along the nuclear fuel cycle, it may have considerably different isotopic constituents.
KARTAVYA PATH
Rajpath, which was a “symbol of slavery”, has been erased forever, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while inaugurating the redeveloped two-kilometre stretch from India Gate to Rashtrapati Bhavan that was renamed Kartavya Path.
About:
- Modi also unveiled a statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose under the canopy at India Gate that during British rule had a statue of King George V.
- Modi said: “Kingsway, that is, Rajpath, the symbol of slavery, has become a matter of history from today and has been erased forever. Today, a new history has been created in the form of Kartavya Path”
- The iconic stretch had been closed to the public since January 2021 for redevelopment works as part of the larger Central Vista revamp. The ₹477-crore project is the first of the Central Vista works to be completed and opened to the public.
INDIA-CHINA BORDER STANDOFF
India and China announced that their Armies have begun to disengage from Patrolling Point-15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area of eastern Ladakh, marking a step forward towards ending the stand-off ongoing since May 2020.
About:
- The move comes ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan next week, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to participate.
- On September 08, 2022, according to the consensus reached in the 16th round of India China Corps Commander Level Meeting, the Indian and Chinese troops in the area of Gogra-Hotsprings (PP-15) have begun to disengage in a coordinated and planned way.
- The consensus was reached at the Corps Commander level and the ground commanders on both sides had worked out the modalities which were now being implemented.
- The 16th round of talks was held on July 17 at the Chushul border personnel meeting point on the Indian side.
QUEEN ELIZABETH II
Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-serving monarch, has passed away after reigning for 70 years.
About:
- The Queen came to the throne in 1952 and witnessed enormous social change.
- Queen Elizabeth II’s tenure as head of state spanned post-war austerity, the transition from empire to Commonwealth, the end of the Cold War and the UK’s entry into – and withdrawal from – the European Union.
- Her reign spanned 15 Prime Ministers starting with Winston Churchill and including Ms Truss. She held weekly audiences with her Prime Minister throughout her reign.
- The Queen was born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, in Mayfair, London, on 21 April 1926.
- Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II and served as the consort of the British monarch from her accession as queen on 6 February 1952 until his death in 2021.
OPERATION LONDON BRIDGE
Queen Elizabeth II’s death kicked off Operation London Bridge, a detailed plan, put in place in the 1960s, which meticulously lists the procedures that roll out moments after her death and culminate with her funeral 10 days later.
About:
- Operation London Bridge (also known by its code phrase London Bridge is Down) is the name of a funeral plan for Queen Elizabeth II.
- The plan includes the announcement of her death, the period of official mourning, and the details of her state funeral. The plan was first created in the 1960s and revised many times in the years before her death in 2022.
- As well as Operation London Bridge, there is an additional plan called Operation Unicorn, which details what would happen if the Queen were to die in Scotland.
- Running concurrently with Operation London Bridge is Operation Spring Tide, which addresses the accession of King Charles III to the throne and his first trip to the countries of the UK.
UNIFORM CIVIL CODE (UCC)
The expert committee formed by the Uttarakhand government to examine ways for the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) has launched a website, seeking public opinion on the plan.
About:
- Headed by retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (who is also the head of the Delimitation Commission), the committee has sought suggestions and recommendations from residents.
- The Committee will also prepare a report on implementing a UCC in Uttarakhand.
- Article 44 of the Constitution, lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for the citizens throughout the territory of India. The code would be applicable to all religious communities in matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption.
JOB POLICY FOR TRANSGENDERS
The Supreme Court gave the government three months to take the lead and devise a policy framework to open up avenues of employment for transgender persons, particularly in the civil aviation industry.
About:
- The order was a fallout of a petition filed by Shanavi Ponnusamy, a transgender person from Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu, whose dream of flying high as an airline cabin crew member never took off.
- The court said the petitioner’s case raised wider issues about the formulation of government policy to ensure the guarantee of non-discrimination against transgender people.
- The Supreme Court observed that the government has to comply with the enabling provisions of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act of 2019 in “letter and spirit”.
- The court detailed specific provisions of the Act which mandated that no person or establishment, whether government or private, should discriminate against a transgender person in matters of employment, including recruitment or promotion or in any other related areas.
- The court ordered the Department of Personnel and Training and the Social Justice Ministry to collaborate with the National Council for Transgender Persons, a body constituted under the Act, to consult stakeholders and prepare a “considered” policy for the community’s welfare and rights in the next three months.
EWS QUOTA
A Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of India U.U. Lalit finalised three cardinal issues for examining whether the 103rd Constitutional Amendment, which provides 10% quota to economically weaker sections (EWS) of society in government jobs and educational institutions, violates the Basic Structure of the Constitution.
About:
- The court will examine
- whether the amendment breaches the Basic Structure by permitting the state to make special provisions, including reservation, based on economic criteria;
- whether it violates the Basic Structure by allowing the state to make special provisions in relation to admissions to private unaided institutions, and
- lastly, whether the Basic Structure is trampled upon by the constitutional amendment by excluding SEBC/OBC/SC/ST communities from the scope of the EWS quota.
- Chief Justice Lalit said the three questions of law would form the foundation of the court’s examination and lawyers could expand on them while arguing.
DEADLINE FOR FIXING POLLUTION CONTROL DEVICES
The Union Environment Ministry has for the third time extended the deadline by which coal plants must install pollution-control technologies to reduce emissions, drawing criticism from environment and clean-energy activists.
About:
- The Ministry first specified emission norms for the control of sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and mercury (Hg) from coal-fired power plants.
- However, non-compliance and limited progress by the plants led to a new extension following the recent notification pushing it to 2025.
- According to the latest notification, power plants within a 10-km radius of the NCR and in the vicinity of cities with a population of more than one million have until December 31, 2024, to meet the deadline.
- For power plants within a 10-km radius of “critically polluted” areas (as designated by the Environment Ministry), the deadline has been extended to December 31, 2025. Finally, for all other power plants across the country, the deadline stands at December 31, 2026.
INDIA-BANGLADESH CONNECTIVITY PROJECTS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister (of Bangladesh) Sheikh Hasina reviewed connectivity projects involving railway tracks and rolling stock.
About:
- These include the conversion to dual gauge the Tongi-Akhaura line, supply of rolling stock, Kaunia-Lalmonirhat-Mogalhat-New Gitaldaha link and Hili-Birampur upgradation of track.
- Similar works are also on on the Benapole-Jashore and Burimari-Changrabandha lines.
- These multiple rail track projects will create a smooth flow of goods and people within Bangladesh overcoming infrastructure bottlenecks.
- India and Bangladesh have been in talks for the construction of an Inland Container Depot (ICD) at Sirajganj in the north-west of capital Dhaka and help in movement of bulk items.
- The leaders “agreed to expeditiously implement” projects to connect the power grids of both sides through the proposed high capacity 765 kV transmission line from Katihar in Bihar to Bornagar in Assam through Parbatipur in Bangladesh.
- In a separate event, Ms. Hasina awarded the Mujib scholarships to 200 descendants of the Indian soldiers who were martyred or injured in the 1971 war.
GANGA TECHNICAL COMMITTEE
India and Bangladesh welcomed the establishment of a joint technical committee to study the use of Ganga waters in Bangladesh, a joint statement issued on the third day of the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said.
About:
- The Ganga technical committee is one of the several initiatives, including several major connectivity and energy initiatives, that the two sides have announced.
- The leaders welcomed the formation of a joint technical committee to conduct a study for optimum utilisation of water received by Bangladesh under the provisions of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, 1996.
- The Ganga Water Sharing Treaty is a 30-year agreement which is expected to be reviewed or renewed in 2026.
- The Indian side also raised the “urgent” irrigation-related requirements in Tripura which can be addressed with the waters of the Feni, and urged Bangladesh for “early signing of the interim water sharing agreement” on the river.
INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN RUPEE
The Finance Ministry was scheduled to meet with stakeholders including banks and the Ministries of External Affairs and Commerce to discuss ways to promote international trade in rupee instead of the United States dollar.
The background:
- On July 11 this year, the RBI issued a circular saying it had decided “to put in place an additional arrangement for invoicing, payment, and settlement of exports/ imports in INR”.
- The idea, the RBI said, was to “promote growth of global trade with emphasis on exports from India and to support the increasing interest of global trading community in INR”.
- While the move to allow trade settlements between India and other countries in rupees was seen to primarily benefit trading with Russia, it was also expected to help check dollar outflow and slow the depreciation of the rupee to a “very limited extent”.
Way it would work
- To settle trade transactions with any country, banks in India would open Vostro accounts of correspondent bank/s of the partner country for trading. Indian importers can pay for their imports in INR into these accounts.
- These earnings from imports can then be used to pay Indian exporters in INR.
- A Vostro account is an account that a correspondent bank holds on behalf of another bank — for example, HSBC Vostro account is held by SBI in India.
SOLAR-POWERED DRONES
China’s first fully solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle has successfully completed its maiden test flight with all onboard systems functioning optimally.
About:
- With a wingspan of 164-ft, the drone is a large machine powered entirely by solar panels.
- The high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) UAV can stay airborne for long durations.
- Named the Qimingxing-50, or Morning Star-50, this drone flies above 20-km altitude where there is stable airflow with no clouds.
- This helps these drones to make the maximum use of solar equipment to stay functional for extended durations.
- The fact that the drone can operate in near-space – 20 km to 100 km above the Earth’s surface – makes it capable of carrying out satellite-like functions.
KARTAVYA PATH
Delhi’s iconic Rajpath – stretching from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate – is all set to be renamed Kartavya Path (Path of Duty), with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the revamped Central Vista Avenue on Thursday September 8.
About:
- The avenue is part of the larger Central Vista project, where a new triangular Parliament Building, along with the Central Secretariat and several other Government offices are being rebuilt.
- Called Kingsway during British rule, it was built as a ceremonial boulevard by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, the architects of New Delhi, in around 1920.
- Running from Rashtrapati Bhavan on Raisina Hill through Vijay Chowk and India Gate, the avenue is lined on both sides by huge lawns, canals and rows of trees.
- Following the independence of India, the road was given its Hindi name of ‘Rajpath’ in place of its English designation. This represented a mere translation than a renaming since ‘Rajpath’ in Hindi broadly means king’s way.
- The construction work for the Central Vista Redevelopment Project started in February 2021, with the new Parliament building and redevelopment of central vista avenue as its first phase.
NATIONAL CENTRE FOR DISEASE CONTROL (NCDC)
Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya virtually laid the foundation stone for National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) branches in 6 States namely Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh.
About:
- The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is an institute under the Indian Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- Currently, NCDC has eight branches in States with focus on one or few diseases, these will be repurposed and new branches are being added with the mandate for integrated disease surveillance activities, dealing with Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR), multi-sectoral and entomological investigations etc.
CLIMATE REPARATION
Facing the worst flooding disaster in its history, Pakistan has begun demanding reparations, or compensation, from the rich countries that are mainly responsible for causing climate change.
About:
- The demand for compensation for loss and damage from climate disasters is an extension of the universally acknowledged “Polluter Pays” principle that makes the polluter liable for paying not just for the cost of remedial action, but also for compensating the victims of environmental damage caused by their actions.
- In the climate change framework, the burden of responsibility falls on those rich countries that have contributed most of the greenhouse gas emissions since 1850, generally considered to be the beginning of the industrial age.
- Historical responsibility is important because carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, and it is the cumulative accumulation of this carbon dioxide that causes global warming. A country like India, currently the third largest emitter, accounts for only 3% of historical emissions. China, which is the world’s biggest emitter for over 15 years now, has contributed about 11% to total emissions since 1850.
- The Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) for Loss and Damages, set up in 2013, was the first formal acknowledgment of the need to compensate developing countries struck by climate disasters.
INDIA-BANGLADESH TRADE
Following a meeting with the visiting Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India and Bangladesh will soon commence negotiations on a Bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
About:
- In 2021-22, Bangladesh has emerged as the largest trade partner for India in South Asia and the fourth largest destination for Indian exports worldwide. Exports to Bangladesh grew more than 66 per cent from $9.69 billion in FY 2020-21 to $16.15 billion in FY 2021-22.
- India is Bangladesh’s second biggest trade partner, and its largest export market in Asia. Despite Covid-19 related disruptions, bilateral trade grew at an unprecedented rate of almost 44 per cent from $10.78 billion in 2020-21 to $18.13 billion in 2021-22.
- India’s main exports to Bangladesh are raw cotton, non-retail pure cotton yarn, and electricity, and its main imports from the country are pure vegetable oils, non-knit men’s suits, and textile scraps.
NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR SCHEDULED CASTES (NCSC)
National Commission for Scheduled Castes, Vice-Chairman Arun Haldar directed bankers to meet the targets set by the Central Government in implementing programmes for the welfare of SCs.
About:
- The National Commission for Scheduled Castes is an Indian constitutional body under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India.
- It has been established with a view to provide safeguards against the exploitation of Scheduled Castes to promote and protect their social, educational, economic and cultural interests, special provisions were made in the Constitution.
- Article 338 of the Indian constitution deals with National Commission for Scheduled Castes.
- The first Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was set up in August 1978.
- Consequent upon the Constitution (Eighty-Ninth Amendment) Act, 2003 the erstwhile National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has been replaced by
- National Commission for Scheduled Castes and
- National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.
SEAT BELTS
Union minister Nitin Gadkari said that from now on wearing seat belts would be mandatory for all passengers in a car, including those on rear seats, and flouting the rule will attract penalty.
About:
- The announcement was made only two days after former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry died in a car accident near Mumbai, and police probe later revealed that he was not wearing a seat belt.
- The Union minister said that a fine already is in place for those not wearing the seat belt while on the front seats. However, the new rule will impose a penalty on for not fastening the belt even if passengers are sitting on the rear (backside) seats in a vehicle.
- In February 2022, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways proposed that all the front-facing seats, including the rear-middle seat, must have a Y-shaped seat belt.
PREVENTIVE DETENTIONS
Preventive detentions in 2021 saw a rise by over 23.7% compared with the year before, with over 1.1 lakh people being placed under preventive detention, according to statistics released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
About:
- Of these, 483 were detentions under the National Security Act, of which almost half (241) were either in custody or still detained as of 2021-end.
- Over 24,500 people placed under preventive detention were either in custody or still detained as of 2021-end — the highest since 2017 when the NCRB started recording this data.
- The number of persons placed under detention has been increasing since 2017 — to over 98,700 in 2018 and over 1.06 lakh in 2019 — before dipping to 89,405 in 2020.
- According to Section 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the police are empowered to make preventive arrests if they believe they must do so to prevent the commission of “any cognisable offence”. This detention can be extended beyond 24 hours if required “under any other provisions of this Code or of any other law”.
SEAT BELTS
While details of the tragic circumstances in which former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry lost his life are yet to be officially stated, it appears passengers in the back seat of the Mercedes were not wearing seatbelts.
About:
- Seat belts came into existence in the late 1800s. Invented by George Cayley, an English aviation innovator, the original purpose behind their creation was to ensure that pilots were kept inside their gliders.
- It was not until February 10, 1885 that the first patented seat belt came into existence.
- Created by Edward J Claghorn, it was meant to keep tourists safe in New York City taxis. Ever since, seat belts have gradually made their way into our daily lives and have rightfully become our first line of defence while on the move on roads across the world.
The 3-point seat belt
- The seat belt as we know it now came into existence in 1959 after Swedish engineer Nils Bohlin invented the V-type three-point seat belt at the behest of Volvo.
- Up until then, seat belts were two-point lap belts — as we now see in aeroplanes.
Required by the law
- Rule 138(3) of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, makes it mandatory for the rear passengers too to wear seat-belts.
- Further, non-wearing of seat-belts by the driver or passengers has been made punishable with a fine of one thousand rupees according to Section 194B(1) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (as amended by the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019.
MOHENJODARO
The recent spell of heavy rains and floods that ravaged large parts of Pakistan’s Sindh province has also taken a heavy toll on the archaeological site of Mohenjodaro.
About:
- In fact, the calamity has pushed the archeological site – situated on the bank of the Indus river – to the “brink of extinction”.
- Mohenjo-daro, a group of mounds and ruins, is a 5000-year-old archaeological site located about 80-km off the city of Sukkur. It comprises the remnants of one of two main centres of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation, the other one being Harappa.
- Mohenjo-daro, which means ‘mound of the dead’, was one of the oldest cities of the world.
- Known to be a model planned city of the ancient civilisation, the houses here had bathrooms, toilets and drainage system. Though in ruins, the walls and brick pavements in the streets are still in a preserved condition.
- The ruins of the city remained undocumented for around 3,700 years, until 1920, when archaeologist RD Banerji visited the site. Its excavation started in 1921 and continued in phases till 1964-65. The site went to Pakistan during Partition.
Other Indus Valley sites
- The Indus Valley Civilisation spanned much of what is now Pakistan and the northern states of India (Gujarat, Haryana and Rajasthan), even extending towards the Iranian border.
- Its major urban centres included Harappa and Mohenjo-daro in Pakistan, and Lothal, Kalibangan, Dholavira and Rakhigarhi in India.
PUPIL-TEACHER RATIO
The country has witnessed substantial reduction in pupil-teacher ratio over the last one decade.
About:
- According to Ministry of Education, in Primary Schools, the pupil teacher ratio which was at 43 in 2010-11 has come down to 26.3 in 2020- 21.
- While in Upper Primary schools, the pupil-teacher ratio has reduced from 33 in 2010-11 to 18.9 in 2020-21.
- The Pupil Teacher Ratio at different levels of education show availability of adequate number of teachers for teaching children enrolled at different grade.
- The increase in number of teachers in schools is contributing to focused delivery of education.
CREATIVE MINDS OF TOMORROW
The information and Broadcasting Ministry has invited entries for 75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow.
About:
- The segment is an annual platform at the International Film Festival of India to identify, encourage and nurture young creative talents from across various aspects of filmmaking. The entries will be open till 23rd of this month.
- The initiative was launched last year, as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
- It was conceptualised by Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur to provide a platform and connect young talent with the masters of industry from the media and entertainment sector.
- The initiative is also an another step in the direction of making India a content and post-production hub for the world, by identifying, nurturing and up-skilling young talent.
- The 75 creative minds will be shortlisted and selected on the basis of their submissions by an eminent jury, under the aegis of the National Film Development Corporation.
- This program identifies young budding film makers and provides them a platform to interact and learn from national as well as international film makers during the period of IFFI, Goa.
CONVERSION THERAPIES
The National Medical Commission (NMC), the apex regulatory body of medical professionals in India, has written to all State Medical Councils, banning conversion therapy and calling it a “professional misconduct”.
About:
- The NMC was following a Madras High Court directive to issue an official notification listing conversion therapy as a wrong, under the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquettes and Ethics) Regulations, 2002.
- Conversion or reparative therapy is an intervention aimed at changing the sexual orientation or gender identity of an individual with the use of either psychiatric treatment, drugs, exorcism and even violence, with the aim being to make the individual a heterosexual.
- The conversion therapy umbrella also includes efforts to change the core identity of youth whose gender identity is incongruent with their sex anatomy.
- Often, the therapy is offered by quacks with little expertise in dealing with the issue.
UGC RESEARCH SCHEMES
The University Grant Commission (UGC) launched new research fellowship and research grants schemes on the occasion of Teachers Day.
About:
- They are Savitribai Jyotirao Phule Fellowship for Single Girl Child, Dr Radhakrishnan UGC Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Superannuated Faculty Members Fellowship, Research Grant for In-Service Faculty Members and Dr D S Kothari Research Grant for Newly Recruited Faculty Members.
- UGC has been giving research grants from time to time in different kinds of fellowship to enable the research ecosystem in the Universities across the country.
University Grants Commission (UGC)
- UGC is a statutory body set up by the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education in accordance to the UGC Act 1956 and is charged with maintenance of standards of higher education in India.
- It provides recognition to universities in India, and disbursements of funds to such recognized universities and colleges.
- The headquarters are in New Delhi.
ROAD ACCIDENTS
Former Tata Group chairman Cyrus Mistry was killed in a road accident on the National Highway in Maharashtra’s Palghar district. The tragedy has once again spotlighted the high numbers of fatalities that Indian roads witness every year.
About:
- According to data collected by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), there are around 1.5 lakh deaths on India’s roads every year, of which one third are accounted for by National Highways.
- According to the data, in the past five years, while road accidents dipped from 4,45,730 in 2017 to 4,03,116 in 2021, deaths in these accidents increased from 1,50,093 to 1,55,622 in the same period.
- A similar trend is seen on the National Highways. While the number of accidents on National Highways in 2017 stood at 1,30,942, as many as 50,859 people died in them.
- In 2021, while the number of National Highway accidents dipped to 1,22,204, the number of deaths increased to 53,615.
- According to the data, barring the pandemic year of 2020, which saw long periods of lockdowns, the data on accidents and deaths have been consistently hovering around 4.4 lakh and 1.5 lakh respectively through the period between 2017 and 2021.
RAMON MAGSAYSAY AWARD
Former Kerala Health Minister and Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] central committee member K.K. Shailaja, MLA, has declined the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation’s offer to consider her for the international honour in 2022.
About:
- The foundation wanted to honour her for the public service and community leadership during the Nipah outbreak and COVID-19 pandemic in Kerala. However, Ms. Shailaja felt she could not accept the offer extended to her as an individual since the effort was collective.
- The Ramon Magsaysay Award, widely considered to be Asia’s equivalent to the Nobel Prize, recognises outstanding leadership and communitarian contributions in Asia.
- The prize was established in April 1957 by the trustees of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund based in New York City with the concurrence of the Philippine government.
- The Ramon Magsaysay Award is presented in formal ceremonies in Manila, Philippines on August 31st, the birth anniversary of the much-esteemed Philippine President whose ideals inspired the Award’s creation in 1957.
- From 1958 to 2008, the Award was given in six categories annually: (1) Government Service, (2) Public Service, (3) Community Leadership, (4) Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts, (5) Peace and International Understanding and (6) Emergent Leadership.
- Starting in 2009, the Ramon Magsaysay Award is no longer being given in fixed Award categories, except for Emergent Leadership.
Indian winners on the list
- Prominent Indians who have won the award include Vinoba Bhave in 1958, Mother Teresa in 1962, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay in 1966, Satyajit Ray in 1967, Mahasweta Devi in 1997.
- In recent years, Arvind Kejriwal (2006), Anshu Gupta of Goonj (2015), human rights activist Bezwada Wilson (2016), and journalist Ravish Kumar (2019) have won the award.
SAVAJ
Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the mascot and the anthem for the 36th National Games at Trans Stadia in Ahmedabad.
About:
- The mascot is named as Savaj which means cub in Gujarati. The anthem is based on the theme of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.
- The National Games will be organised between 29th of this month to 12th of next month at six cities in the state namely Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Bhavnagar.
- The event also witnessed the closing of 11th Khel Mahakumbh. Winners of Khel Mahakumbh were given away prizes at the hands of Mr. Shah.
GASTECH MILAN-2022
Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri will lead an official and business delegation to Milan, Italy from to attend the Gastech Milan-2022.
About:
- Gastech, the World’s largest gathering focussed on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as an abated bridge fuel will bring together leading Ministers and CEOs to discuss the evolving energy landscape, assess post-pandemic economic recovery and navigate a route to a just energy transition.
INS SATPURA
INS Satpura visited Suva, Fiji from 01 – 03 September 2022 as part of its Operational Deployment in the Pacific Ocean.
About:
- The ship’s visit is aimed at further strengthening the friendship and cooperation between the two nations.
- Built at Mazagaon Docks Ltd, Mumbai, and commissioned on 20 August 2011, INS Satpura derives her name from the majestic Satpura mountain range in central India.
- A frontline warship of the Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam, INS Satpura is currently on one of the longest deployments by the Indian Navy in the 75th year of India’s Independence.
- Fiji is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean.
CYRUS MISTRY
Cyrus P. Mistry, industrialist and former chairman of Tata Sons, was killed in a road accident about 150 km from Mumbai when the car he was travelling in hit a road divider.
About:
- Cyrus Pallonji Mistry (1968 – 2022) was an Indian-born Irish businessman. He was the former chairperson of the Tata Group, an Indian business conglomerate, from 2012 to 2016.
- He was the sixth chairman of the group, and only the second (after Nowroji Saklatwala) not to bear the surname Tata.
- In October 2016, the board of Tata Group’s holding company, Tata Sons, voted to remove Mistry from the post of chairman. Former chairman Ratan Tata then returned as interim chairman, and Natarajan Chandrasekaran was named as the new chairman a few months later.
- He owned an 18.4% stake in Tata Sons, through his company, Cyrus Investments Pvt. Ltd.
BAIL PROVISIONS
Chief Justice of India, U.U. Lalit, in its order on activist Teesta Setalvad on September 2, made an oral observation that under Section 437 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), a woman is entitled to favourable treatment.
About:
- He was referring to a provision that says being a woman is a possible ground for granting bail, even when otherwise it cannot be considered.
- Section 437 of the CrPC deals with bail in case of non-bailable offences.
- It says a person shall not be released on bail if there is reasonable ground to believe that he has committed an offence punishable with death or life imprisonment; or, if he has been previously been convicted for an offence punishable with death, life imprisonment, or for a term of seven years or more; or been convicted on two or more occasions on other offences with a term between three and seven years.
- However, it also contains exceptions in a proviso that says the court may grant bail even in these cases, “if such person is under the age of 16 or is a woman or is sick or infirm”.
- There are several provisions in criminal law that give special consideration to women.
- For instance, when a police officer requires the attendance of any person who he believes is acquainted with a case under investigation, the person has to appear before the officer (Section 160).
- However, no woman shall be required to do so at any place other than the place in which she resides.
NANO UREA
Nano urea, a product developed by the Indian Farmers and Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) and heavily advertised by the Central government as a panacea to reduce farmer dependence on packaged urea, is yet to be fully tested despite having been fast-tracked for commercial application.
About:
- Normally, three seasons of independent assessment by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is required for approving a new fertilizer, but in the case of nano urea this was reduced to two.
- Nano urea is a patented and indigenously made liquid that contains nanoparticles of urea, the most crucial chemical fertilizer for farmers in India. A single half-litre bottle of the liquid can compensate for a 45 kg sack of urea that farmers traditionally rely on, it is claimed.
INFLATABLE AERODYNAMIC DECELERATOR (IAD)
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully demonstrated a new technology with Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (IAD).
About:
- Designed and developed by ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), IAD is a game-changer with multiple applications for future missions including to Mars and Venus.
- The IAD was successfully test flown in a ‘Rohini’ sounding rocket from Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station.
- Rohini sounding rockets are routinely used for flight demonstration of new technologies being developed by ISRO as well as by scientists from India and abroad.
- The IAD was initially folded and kept inside the payload bay of the rocket. At around 84 km altitude, the IAD was inflated and it descended through the atmosphere with the payload part of a sounding rocket.
- The IAD has systematically reduced the velocity of the payload through aerodynamic drag and followed the predicted trajectory.
NATIONAL LEGAL SERVICES AUTHORITY OF INDIA (NALSA)
Senior Judge of Supreme Court of India Justice DY Chandrachud has been nominated as the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority of India (NALSA).
About:
- Justice DY Chandrachud was appointed Judge of the Supreme Court of India on 13th May 2016. Earlier, he served as Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court.
- National Legal Services Authority of India (NALSA) was formed in 1995 under the authority of the Legal Services Authorities Act 1987.
- Its purpose is to provide free legal services to eligible candidates (defined in Sec. 12 of the Act), and to organize Lok Adalats for speedy resolution of cases.
- The Chief Justice of India is patron-in-chief of NALSA while the second senior-most Judge of the Supreme Court of India is the Executive-Chairman.
- There is a provision for similar mechanism at state and district level also headed by Chief Justice of High Courts and Chief Judges of District courts respectively.
- It was formed in 1995.
- It is headquartered in New Delhi.
DARK SPACE RESERVE
In a unique and first-of-its-kind initiative, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has undertaken to set up India’s first-ever Night Sky Sanctuary in Ladakh. It will be completed within the next three months.
About:
- The proposed Dark Sky Reserve will be located at Hanle in Ladakh as a part of Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary. It will boost Astro tourism in India and will be one of the world’s highest-located sites for optical, infrared, and gamma-ray telescopes.
- A tripartite MoU was signed recently among the UT administration, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council LAHDC Leh and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, IIA, for launching the Dark Space Reserve.
INDIAN ECONOMY
India is set to become the third largest economy in the world by 2029.
About:
- A State Bank of India report said India will surpass Germany in 2027 and most likely Japan by 2029 at the current rate of growth.
- The report said that the country has undergone a large structural shift since 2014 and is now the 5th largest economy overtaking the United Kingdom.
- The path taken by India since 2014 reveals the country is likely to get the tag of 3rd largest economy in 2029, a movement of 7 places upwards since 2014 when India was ranked 10th, it said. The report is authored by Soumya Kanti Ghosh, group chief economic adviser, SBI.
- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, the International Monetary Fund’s own forecasts show India overtaking the UK in dollar terms on an annual basis this year. This has put India, the Asian powerhouse, just behind the US, China, Japan and Germany.
SUPER TYPHOON ‘HINNAMNOR’
The strongest tropical storm of 2022, dubbed Super Typhoon ‘Hinnamnor’, has been barrelling across the western Pacific Ocean and is presently hurtling back towards the islands of Japan and South Korea, packing wind speeds of upto 241 kilometres per hour.
About:
- As of September 1, 2022, the category 5 typhoon — the highest classification on the scale — was about 230 km away from Japan’s Okinawa prefecture.
- one of the factors contributing to the Super Typhoon rapidly intensifying and expanding is the fact that it has started absorbing other local meteorological systems. Warm tropical waters and other pre-existing meteorological disturbances have also led to the system’s escalation.
UIGHURS / UYGHURS
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