Current Affairs in English – October 12 2022

October 12 , 2022

National Events:

President Droupadi Murmu:

• President Droupadi Murmu will be on a three – day visit to Tripura and Assam beginning 12th Oct 2022. The President will inaugurate the Tripura State Judicial Academy and lay the foundation stone for the Tripura National Law University in Agartala on 12th Oct.
• She will also lay the foundation stones for 100 model secondary schools in the tea garden areas of Assam on 14th Oct.

IMF:

• The International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) on 11th Oct 2022 slashed India’s economic growth forecast to 6.8 % for 2022. This is a steep cut in comparison to its previous forecast of 7.4 % , that it had given out in July 2022.
• For the next year 2023 , India has projected to grow at 6.1 % been Last week , the World Bank also downgraded India’s growth forecast to 6.5 % for fiscal year 2022-23.

India – Norway:

• India hosted the 6th meeting of the India – Norway Joint Working Group on Higher Education on 11 Oct 22 in New Delhi.
• 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 25 April 22.
• The two sides reviewed the progress made under the Indo – Norwegian Cooperation Programme.

IBSAMAR:

• INS Tarkash participated in the 7th IBSAMAR , a joint multinational maritime exercise among Indian , Brazilian and South African Navies from 10-12 Oct 22. The previous edition of IBSAMAR was conducted in South Africa from 1-13 Oct 2018.
• The Indian Navy was represented by INS Tarkash , a Chetak helicopter and the personnel from the Marine Commando Force ( MARCOS ).

World Anti – doping Agency ( WADA ) Athlete Biological Passport Symposium:

• Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports , Anurag Singh Thakur launched the World Anti – doping Agency ( WADA ) Athlete Biological Passport Symposium – 2022 in New Delhi on 12 October 2022.
• The event is being jointly organized by National Anti – Doping Agency and National Dope Testing Laboratory for the first time in the country. The event will conclude on 14 October 2022.

Colposcope:

• All India Institute of Medical Sciences , AIIMS New Delhi is developing an Artificial Intelligence enabled device named Colposcope. It will be used for the screening of cervical cancer in women.
• Cervical cancer occurs due to Human Papiloma Virus , HPV infection. Every year , an estimated 1,20,000 women develop cervical cancer and over 77,000 women die due to this disease in India.

Google Cloud:

• Google Cloud has announced its empanelment by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology ( MeitY ) , allowing it to apply cloud technology to solve complex problems for government organizations.
• With the empanelment , referred to as the Meity accreditation , Google is now positioned to fully partner with India’s public sector organisations.

Automation and energy – efficiency solutions in the commercial building space:

• Tata Power Trading Company ( TPTCL ) has signed an agreement with 75F Smart Innovations India to jointly promote automation and energy – efficiency solutions in the commercial building space.
• Both will jointly offer solutions in the space of HVAC ( Heating , Ventilation , and Air Conditioning ) optimization and smart building automation powered by cutting edge technologies like loT , cloud and Al / ML.

Flexi – Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles in India:

• Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on 11th Oct 2022 launched Toyota’s first – of – its – kind pilot project on Flexi – Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles in India.
• These vehicles will run on 100 per cent petrol as well as 20 to 100 per cent blended ethanol and electric power. Ethanol is a major alternate fuel used globally and Brazil has the highest average blending of 48 per cent.

Fast Track Mechanism:

• India has decided to set up a Fast Track Mechanism to resolve issues faced by Indian businesses & investors in UAE.
• Union Minister Piyush Goyal announced this while Co – chairing the 10th Meeting of the India – UAE High – Level Joint Task Force on Investments in Mumbai on 11th Oct 2022.
• This Joint Task Force was established in 2013 to promote trade , investment & economic ties between UAE & India.

NMDC & RailTel Corporation of India:

• Mining major NMDC & RailTel Corporation of India have signed an agreement covering ICT & digital transformation services of NMDC.
• This partnership would focus on the optimal utilization of resources and build mineral accountability , thus paving the way for a robust digital transformation in the mining sector.
• NMDC ( National Mineral Development Corporation ) Founded : 1958. HQ : Hyderabad.

Fourth Vande Bharat Express train:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the fourth Vande Bharat Express train in Himachal Pradesh’s Una district on 13 October 2022. The train will be operating between Delhi and Himachal Pradesh.
• It will run on all days except Wednesdays. It will be covering four states and a union territory making it preferable for travelers.

Phase I of the Mahakal Lok Project:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated Phase I of the Mahakal Lok Project to the nation at Shri Mahakal Lok in Ujjain , Madhya Pradesh , in October 2022.
• The project aims to decongest the entire area and also put special emphasis on conservation and restoration of heritage structures.
• The total cost of the entire project is around 850 crore.

‘ State Mental Health and Social Care Policy ‘:

• Meghalaya government on 10th Oct 2022 ( World Mental Health Day ) announced the state’s first – ever draft ‘ State Mental Health and Social Care Policy ‘.
• The policy aims to promote overall mental health & well – being & facilitate appropriate access and care pathways for common and severe mental health concerns. Meghalaya is the first state in the Northeast to come out with its own Mental Health Policy.

Genesys International Ltd & Andra Pradesh government:

• Genesys International Ltd has signed a contract worth 46 crores with the Andhra Pradesh government to digitize 30,000 square kilometers of the state’s land records.
• Under the project , Genesys will offer its imagery data to the state government , which will use this information to digitize its land ownership records.
• Genesys International is a Mumbai – based geospatial data and mapping services company.

International Events:

DART:

• NASA announced the results of its Double Asteroid Redirection Test ( DART ) mission on 11 October 2022. Terming the test successful , the agency said , the DART spacecraft succeeded in changing the asteroid’s motion in Space.
• DART is a spacecraft designed to impact an asteroid as a test of the technology. This is the first time humanity has altered the motion of a celestial body.

World Arthritis Day : 12th October:

• World Arthritis Day ( WAD ) is celebrated every year on 12th October to spread awareness about the existence and impact of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. Arthritis is not a single disease but a broad term for more than a hundred diseases related to joints.
• This day was first observed in 1996 by Arthritis & Rheumatism International ( ARI ). 2022 Theme : ” It’s in your hands , take action “.

Israel & Lebanon:

• Israel announced a ” historic ” deal with Lebanon on 11th Oct 2022 , aimed at resolving a long – running maritime border dispute over Mediterranean waters. It is the first agreement on border demarcation between the 2 countries.
• The agreement is meant to resolve a territorial dispute in the eastern Mediterranean sea in an area where Lebanon aims to explore for natural gas. Israel PM : Yair Lapid.

Sports Events:

FIFA U – 17 Women’s World Cup:

• The FIFA U – 17 Women’s World Cup started at Kalinga Stadium in Odisha’s capital Bhubaneswar on 11th Oct 2022. India is hosting this tournament for the first time. A total of 16 teams are taking part in this tournament which will continue till 30th Oct.
• The matches will be played at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar , PJN Stadium in Goa and DY Patil Sports Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

Japan Open Tennis Championships:

• American tennis player Taylor Fritz on 9th Oct 2022 won the Japan Open Tennis Championships men’s singles title.
• Fritz is the 10th American to win the Japan Open title. It was the 47th edition of the Japan Open Championships , held in Tokyo , from 3-9 Oct 2022.