Current Affairs in Short: 05 January 2023

 1.The Punjab Chief Minister asked the Central government to be cautious on the contentious Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue, saying it has the potential to disturb the nation’s security. The Satluj Yamuna Link Canal is a proposed 214-kilometer long canal to connect the Sutlej and Yamuna rivers. However, the proposal met obstacles and was referred to the Supreme Court.2.The Atal Rankings of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) 2020 has been released. Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) is an initiative of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) (Now, it is the Ministry of Education), Govt. of India to systematically rank all major higher educational institutions and universities in India. IIT Madras under the category of Institutes of National Importance, Central Universities, and Centrally Funded Technical Institutes becomes first.3.Digital quality of Life index 2020 Index  is prepared by Surfshark, a virtual private network (VPN) provider based in the British Virgin Islands. The report was released recently. Of 85 countries, India ranked 9th on the internet affordability indicator, and 15th on e-government. Overall, India is ranked 57th.4.The environment ministry‘s ban on mining in areas of thick forest cover has locked away millions of tonnes of coal reserves. In 2009, the environment and coal ministries had jointly placed the country’s forested areas under two categories – Go and No-Go – and imposed a ban on mining in the ‘No-Go’ zones on environmental grounds.  ‘No Go’ areas are those having either more than 10 per cent weighted forest cover (WFC) or more than 30 per cent gross forest cover (GFC).5.Indian Railways has started deploying “Ninja UAVs” (unmanned aerial vehicles) for establishing a drone-based surveillance system in a bid to intensify its security mechanism across its network.6.The Odisha government has announced to give a facelift to the 11th century Lingaraj Temple, akin to its pre-350-year structural status. Lingaraja Temple is a temple dedicated to Shiva and is one of the oldest and largest temples in Odisha. It is built in red stone and is a classic example of Kalinga style of architecture.7.Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram airports of Airports Authority of India (AAI) will be leased out through Public Private Partnership (PPP) to Adani Enterprises Ltd. The lease is for a period of fifty years.8.Swachh Survekshan 2020 report was recently released by the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry. Indore was ranked the cleanest city in the overall category this year followed by Surat and Navi Mumbai. Chhattisgarh is the cleanest state in the category of states with more than 100 urban local bodies (ULBs). Ahmedabad is India’s the cleanest Mega city.9.Namath Basai is Kerala government’s unique programme of teaching tribal children in their mother tongue. Implemented by the Samagra Siksha Kerala (SSK).10.The President has appointed Rajiv Kumar, IAS(Retd.) as the Election Commissioner. The constitution under article 324 provides for an Election Commission. The election commission shall consist of the Chief Election Commissioner and a such number of other election commissioners, if any, as the president may from time to time fix. The appointment  shall be made by the president.11.Thumbimahotsavam  is the first-ever State Dragonfly Festival in Kerala. Pantalu is the official mascot of the festival.12. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister has decided to set up a National Recruitment Agency (NRA) to conduct a common preliminary examination for various recruitments in the central government.13. A study published in ‘Nature Communications’ has estimated the amount of microplastic pollution in the Atlantic Ocean and put it at 11.6-21.1 million tonnes. There has been an uncertainty about the magnitude of plastic pollution in marine environments.14. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released the National Strategy for Financial Education (NSFE): 2020-2025 document for creating a financially aware and empowered India. It emphasizes a multi-stakeholder-led approach for empowering various sections of the population to develop adequate knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviour which are needed to manage their money better and to plan for the future i.e. ensuring their financial well-being.15. Bangladesh is likely to receive an almost USD 1 billion loan from China for a comprehensive management and restoration project on the Teesta river. Teesta is a tributary of the Brahmaputra (known as Jamuna in Bangladesh), flowing through India and Bangladesh.16. India ranks 1st in number of organic farmers and 9th in terms of area under organic farming. Sikkim became the first State in the world to become fully organic in 2016. Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCD-NER) is a Central Sector Scheme.17. The approval of projects under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Program (PMEGP) increased 44% during the first five months (April – August) of the financial year 2020-21. The Government of India approved the introduction of a credit linked subsidy programme called Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) in 2008 for generation of employment opportunities through establishment of micro enterprises in rural as well as urban areas. It is a central sector scheme being administered by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MoMSME).18. Sri Lanka will draft a new Constitution and abolish the 19th Amendment that curtailed the powers of the President and strengthened the role of Parliament. Mahinda Rajapaksha is the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. 19th amendment sought not only to clip the President’s executive powers, but also to strengthen independence of key pillars such as the judiciary, public service and elections.19. For the first time five sports persons will be receiving the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna on the occasion of the National Sports Day on 29th August. Rohit Sharma-Cricket, Mariyappan T- Para Athletics, Manika batra- Table Tennis, Vinesh- Wrestling, Rani- Hockey. The National Sports Day is observed every year across India on 29th August to mark the birth anniversary of the legendary hockey player Dhyan Chand who was born on 29th August 1905.20. Recently, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has developed a mobile App, ‘Harit Path’ to facilitate creation of Green Highways across the country.

1.CSIR-CMERI has developed the World’s Largest Solar Tree, which is installed at CSIR-CMERI Residential Colony, Durgapur. The installed capacity of the Solar Tree is above 11.5 kWp. It has the annual capacity to generate 12,000-14,000 units of Clean and Green Power. According to the recent National Statistical Office (NSO) data, India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth contracted by 23.9% in the first (April-June) quarter of 2020 compared to the same period (April-June) in 2019. GDP is a measure of economic activity in a country. It is the total value of a country’s annual output of goods and services. It gives the economic output from the consumers’ side. 3.The output of eight core infrastructure sectors dropped by 9.6% in July 2020. It has been a continued contraction for the past five months. The eight core sector industries include coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertiliser, steel, cement, and electricity. These comprise 40.27% of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP). 4. Air Force Sports Control Board was conferred with ‘Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2020’ for the outstanding contribution in helping sportspersons to excel in their respective disciplines and implement robust sports welfare measures. The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar scheme was introduced by the government in 2009 to encourage involvement of corporates and sports promotion boards in the development of sports in the country. The Khelo India Scheme aims to encourage sports all over the country, thus allowing the population to harness the power of sports through its cross-cutting influence, namely holistic development of children & youth, community development, social integration, gender equality, healthy lifestyle, national pride and economic opportunities related to sports development. 5. Mission Karmayogi- National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB): Approved by the Union Cabinet recently. It is a New National Architecture for Civil Services Capacity Building. It is also a Comprehensive reform of the capacity building apparatus at individual, institutional and process levels for efficient public service delivery. 6. A limit has been imposed on total rewards under the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS). Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) under Foreign Trade Policy of India (FTP 2015-20) is one of the two schemes introduced in Foreign Trade Policy of India 2015-20, as a part of Exports from India Scheme (The other scheme is Service Exports from India Scheme (SEIS). It to offset infrastructural inefficiencies and associated costs involved in export of goods/products, which are produced/manufactured in India, especially those having high export intensity, employment potential and thereby enhancing India’s export competitiveness. 7. 13th edition of Global Innovation Index released. The GII is co-published by Cornell University, INSEAD, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a specialized agency of the United Nations. India climbed four spots and is now at 48th position in the list. 8. 118 mobile apps blocked by The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. By invoking it’s power under section 69A of the Information Technology Act read with the relevant provisions of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking of Access of Information by Public) Rules 2009. Section 69A of the IT Act, empowers the Central Government to order that access to certain websites and computer resources be blocked in the interest of the defense of the country. 9. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has announced the reservation of 600 acres of Aarey land near Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) as forest, claiming it as the first instance of an extensive forest blossoming within the limits of metropolis anywhere in the world. 10. The Special Frontier Force (SFF) unit, referred to as Vikas Battalion, had been said to be instrumental in preventing Chinese occupation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. SFF was established on 14th November 1962 in the immediate aftermath of the 1962 Sino-India war. They are highly trained special forces personnel who can undertake a variety of tasks which would normally be performed by any special forces unit. Major Operations: Operation Eagle (1971 war with Pakistan), Operation Bluestar (clearing Amritsar’s Golden Temple in 1984), Operation Meghdoot (securing the Siachen glacier in 1984) and Operation Vijay (war with Pakistan at Kargil in 1999). 11. India and Russia are scheduled to hold Indra 2020 in the Andaman Sea, close to the Strait of Malacca instead of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Indra 2020 will be the first bilateral naval exercise. Andaman Sea was also the location where frontline warships of the Indian Navy conducted a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with the USA Navy’s USS Nimitz carrier strike group in July this year. 12. Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill 2020 to be introduced in the monsoon session of Parliament. The Bill will include Kashmiri, Dogri and Hindi as official languages in the newly-created Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Part XVII of the Indian Constitution deals with the official languages in Articles 343 to 351. 13. Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat has backed the ‘Quad’ as a “good mechanism” to ensure freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean-Pacific region — a statement that could rile up China. The quadrilateral security dialogue includes Japan, India, United States and Australia. Quad is an opportunity for like-minded countries to share notes and collaborate on projects of mutual interest. 14. Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga has asked the Assam Rifles to shift its base from the heart of State capital Aizawl to Zokhawsang about 15 km away at the earliest. Assam Rifles which is also referred to as the Sentinels of North East is the oldest paramilitary force of India. Today, the administrative control of Assam Rifles lies with the Home Ministry, while the operational control is with the Defence Ministry. 15. Recently, Saudi Arabia hosted the G-20 foreign ministers meeting with focus on cross-border movement amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently, Saudi Arabia holds the presidency of G-20. It is the first Arab nation to take over the G20 Presidency.  The G20 is an informal group of 19 countries and the European Union, with representatives of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. It does not have any permanent secretariat or headquarters. 16. Atlantic Hurricane Nana has made a landfall on the coast of Belize. The country Belize is located on the northeast coast of Central America. A hurricane is a type of storm called a tropical cyclone, which forms over tropical or subtropical waters. 17. Teacher’s Day is observed annually on September 5. The day commemorates the birth anniversary of Radhakrishnan. His works include Indian Philosophy, (1923-27), The Philosophy of the Upanishads (1924), An Idealist View of Life (1932), Eastern Religions and Western Thought (1939), and East and West: Some Reflections (1955). He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, in 1954. 18. The Prime Minister announced the government’s plan to launch a Project Dolphin in his recent Independence Day Speech (15th August 2020). The proposed project is aimed at saving both river and marine dolphins. Special Conservation program needs to be taken up for Gangetic Dolphin which is a national aquatic animal and also indicator species for the river Ganga. It is in the First Schedule of the Indian Wildlife (Protection), Act 1972. Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). For instance, Vikramshila Ganges Dolphin Sanctuary was established in Bihar under this Act. The National Mission for Clean Ganga celebrates 5th October as National Ganga River Dolphin Day. 19. Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released revised Priority Sector Lending (PSL) guidelines, which align with emerging national priorities and also bring sharper focus on inclusive development. Priority Sector Lending (PSL) means The RBI mandates banks to lend a certain portion of their funds to specified sectors, like agriculture, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), export credit, education, housing, social infrastructure, renewable energy among others. 20. The 5th BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting was held through a video conference under the Chairpersonship of Russian Federation. The delegates from Culture Ministries of the BRICS nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – participated in the meeting. During the Sixth BRICS Summit in Fortaleza (Brazil) in 2014, the leaders signed the Agreement establishing the New Development Bank (NDB – Shanghai, China). They also signed the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement to provide short-term liquidity support to the members.                                                  

 1. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana:Completes six years of successful implementation. Announced on 15th August 2014, PMJDY is National Mission for Financial Inclusion to ensure access to financial services, namely, Banking/ Savings & Deposit Accounts, Remittance, Credit, Insurance, Pension in an affordable manner.2. First ever RORO service of South Western Railway from Nelamangla (near Bengaluru) to Bale (near Solapur) has been started. This shall be the only privately operated RORO train services on Indian Railways. Roll On Roll Off (RORO) is a concept of carrying road vehicles loaded with various commodities, on open flat railway wagons.3. Recently, the 41st Goods and Services Tax (GST) council meeting was held to discuss the issue of compensating states on account of revenue loss due to implementation of GST and fall in cess collections. It is a constitutional body (Article 279A) for making recommendations to the Union and State Government on issues related to Goods and Services Tax. The GST Council is chaired by the Union Finance Minister and other members are the Union State Minister of Revenue or Finance and Ministers in-charge of Finance or Taxation of all the States.4. The World Urdu Conference 2020 is being organised by the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) from 27th-28th August 2020. Urdu is one of the languages mentioned in the 8th Schedule to the Constitution.5. The report of Covid-19 cases among the members of the Great Andamanese tribe is a matter of concern as the total population of the tribe is already low.. Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG): Great Andamanese are one of five PVTGs that reside in Andamans archipelago. The other four are: Jarwas, Onges, Shompens and North Sentinelese.  6. The Prime Minister of India paid tribute to social reformer Mahatma Ayyankali on his 157th birth anniversary. He formed Sadhu Jana Paripalana Sangham (SJPS) to work for low castes. Article 17 of the constitution abolishes the practice of “untouchability” and punishes the enforcement of any disability arising out of the practice. Article 21 guarantees the right to life and liberty. Article 23 prohibits traffic in human beings and other similar forms of forced labor.7. Recently, the 17th ASEAN-India Economic Ministers Consultations was held virtually, co-chaired by India and Vietnam. The meeting was attended by the Trade Ministers of all the 10 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries viz. Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.8. Recently, India has withdrawn its participation from Kavkaz 2020, a multinational tri-services exercise in Russia, citing Covid-19 as the official reason. It is a strategic command-post exercise, and also known as Caucasus-2020. Member countries of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and Central Asian countries would be participating. India’s military diplomacy with Russia started in 2003 with the first edition of Ex Indra, a bilateral Naval exercise. India also participated in Exercise TSENTR 2019.9. Under Poshan Abhiyaan, the month of September is observed as Poshan Maah i.e. Nutrition month every year, since 2018. Poshan Abhiyan: Also called as the National Nutrition Mission, it is Government of India’s flagship programme to improve nutritional outcomes for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers. Poshan implies ‘Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition’. Implemented By: Ministry of Women and Child Development.