Current Affairs in English – December 30 2022

December 30, 2022

National Events:

Union Home Minister Amit Shah:

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired the conference on development works in Union Territories in New Delhi on 29 December 2022.
• LGs and Administrators of UTs including from Delhi, Chandigarh, Andaman and Nicobar, Puducherry, Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir attended the conference.
• The conference reviewed the economic development, tourism & major schemes and future roadmap of the Union Territories.

Free import:

• The government of India has extended the free import of Urad and Tur pulses by one more year to 31 March 2024. Earlier in March 2022, the government had allowed free import of tur and urad till 31 March 2023.
• Now importers can import any quantity of urad and tur dal without any quantitative restrictions. In 2020-21 the total pulse production in India was 26.96 million tonnes.

Eco-Parks:

• Eight eco-parks have been constructed recently in different parts of the country by the Coal Ministry. Two more will be completed in the ongoing financial year.
• NLC India Ltd (NLCIL) has entered into a pact with Pondicherry Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) recently to promote eco-tourism at mine-l and mine-ll and display sustainable mining activities.

Vikram Sarabhai:

• 30 December 2022 marks the 51st death anniversary of Vikram Sarabhai. He Founded Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad in the year 1947.
• He set up Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) in 1962 and renamed it as Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 1969.

‘Bijli Utsav’:

• ‘Bijli Utsav’ organized by REC in Assam. It was organised on Dec 27 2022 as a part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to celebrate 75 years of Independence.
• REC Limited, a Maharatna Company under the Ministry of Power, Govt of India organized ‘Bijli Utsav’ in Baksa district and adjoining villages in Assam.

Tata Steel & TuTr Hyperloop:

• Tata Steel & TuTr Hyperloop sign MoA to develop Hyperloop technology at IIT Madras on December 23, 2022. Focus is to jointly work on the development and deployment of Hyperloop technology at scale.
• The main research areas will focus on design and materials selection challenges. TuTr is a deep tech startup incubated out of IIT Madras, India.

S20:

• Indian Institute of Science (IISc) will function as secretariat for Science 20 (S20), a working group set up as part of G20 which will be presided over by India in 2023.
• S20 has been set up as part of effort by G20 to address global challenges including climate change mitigation and sustainable development. Theme of S20 for 2023-‘Disruptive Science for Innovative and Sustainable Development’.

Pilot remote voting:

• Election Commission is ready to pilot remote voting for domestic migrants, so they don’t have to travel back to their home states to vote. For this, the commission has developed a prototype for a Multi-Constituency Remote Electronic Voting Machine (RVM).
• The ECI will demonstrate the functioning of the remote EVM on January 16 to the eight national and 57 state political parties.
• It was developed with the assistance of BEL and ECIL. RVM (Remote Electronic Voting Machine) relies on the creation of a robust electoral roll and identification mechanisms (to stop duplicate voting), and allow voters to vote remotely, in a safe and controlled environment. It is based on the currently used EVM system.

Dieback:

• Neem trees has been identified with dieback disease in Telangana. The dieback disease affects leaves, twigs and the inflorescence of neem trees of all ages. It causes almost 100 % loss of fruit production in severely infected trees.
• The dieback disease is mainly caused by the fungi Phomopsis azadirachtae. The appearance of symptoms starts with the onset of the rainy season & becomes progressively severe in the later part of the rainy season and early winter.

MNREGA & NMMS:

• GOI(Government of India) made capturing of attendance through NMMS universal for MNREGA Attendance will be done digitally using NMMS App. It has been made universal from January 1, 2023 through National Mobile Monitoring Software (NMMS) app.
• In May 2022, it was made compulsory for all worksites with 20 or more workers. NMMS App was launched by the Ministry of Rural Development. It aimed at bringing more transparency and ensuring proper monitoring of the schemes.

INC:

• INC(Indian National Congress) marks its 138th Foundation Day on December 28, 2022. Every year on December 28, the Indian National Congress (INC) celebrates its foundation day. First session of the INC was held on December 28, 1885.
• It was held at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay. Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee was the first president of congress. It was atteneded by 72 delegates form across the country.

Brahmos-Air Missile:

• IAF successfully test fires Extended Version of Brahmos-Air Missile. It was an BrahMos Air launched Missile. Missile was tested against a Ship Target from a SU-30MKI aircraft.
• IAF has achieved a significant capability boost to carry out precision strikes from SU-30MKI aircraft against land and sea targets over very long ranges. This technology gives the IAF a strategic reach and allows it to dominate future battlefields.

Triple Test:

• Triple Test to be conducted in Uttar Pradesh local body elections. The triple test requires the government to complete 3 tasks.
• e. Set up a dedicated commission to conduct a rigorous empirical inquiry into the nature and implications of backwardness local bodies; Specify the proportion of reservation required in local bodies in light of recommendations of commission; Ensure reservation for SC/ST/OBC taken together does not exceed 50 % of the total seats.
• High Court ordered UP to carry out Triple Test for OBC quota in ULBs(Urban Local Bodies) After Allahabad. HC ordered the UP to hold ULB elections without reservation for OBCs because the triple test requirement for the quota had not been fulfilled, UP set up a commission for this purpose.
• The 5-member commission will conduct a survey to ensure that OBCs are provided reservation on the basis of triple test, as mandated by SC(Supreme Court). For 1st time, this exercise will be carried out in UP.

Process of delimitation of Assembly constituencies:

• Process of delimitation of Assembly constituencies starts in Assam. Election Commission of India has begun the process of delimitation. The delimitation process in Assam will be based on Census data from 2001.
• The last delimitation of constituencies in Assam was done in 1976 based on the 1971 Census. A ban has been put in place effective January 1, 2023, on the creation of new administrative units in the state till the exercise is complete.

Praveen Kumar Srivastava:

• The government of India appointed the vigilance commissioner Praveen Kumar Srivastava as the acting Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) on 28 December.
• The incumbent CVC chief Suresh N Patel completed his term on 24 December 2022. Srivastava is a 1988 batch (retired) Indian Administrative Service officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre. He retired on 31 January 2022.

FDI:

• According to a research report published on 28 December 2022 by the India Ratings & Research (Ind-Ra) the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India was maximum in the service sectors.
• The share of the services sector and computer software & hardware in the FDI between April 2014 and March 2022 was as high as 41.3 % and 19.6 %, respectively, while manufacturing accounted for just 25.4 %.

Prahari:

• The Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah launched the Mobile App ‘Prahari’ of the Border Security Force (BSF) in New Delhi on 29 December 2022.
• With the BSF ‘Prahari’ app, jawans can get personal information and information related to accommodation, Ayushmann-CAPF and leaves on their mobiles. This app will also connect them with the portal of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Parkash Parv:

• PM Narendra Modi has paid tributes to Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji on the sacred occasion of Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. The Parkash Parv marks the birth anniversary of the 10th Sikh guru.
• When his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was executed by Aurangzeb, Guru Gobind Singh was formally installed as the leader of the Sikhs at the age of nine, becoming the 10th Sikh Guru.

Worldline ePayments India:

• Digital payments services platform Worldline ePayments India has received in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India to act as a payment aggregator (PA).
• Worldline ePayments India, part of Worldline group, offers solutions for all sorts of payment needs offering in-store, online, and omnichannel payments to its customers. Worldline ePayments HQ: Mumbai.

First 3-D Printed House Dwelling Unit:

• The Indian Army inaugurated its first 3-D Printed House Dwelling Unit (with Ground plus One configuration) for soldiers at Ahmedabad Cantonment on 28 December 2022.
• The dwelling unit has been constructed by Military Engineering Services (MES) by incorporating the latest 3D Rapid Construction Technology. It complies with Zone-III earthquake specifications and green building norms.

Kayaking-Canoeing Academy:

• Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy RK Singh announced on 28th December to set up a world class Kayaking-Canoeing Academy in Tehri, Uttarakhand during inauguration of the National Championship “Tehri Water Sports Cup” at Tehri Lake.
• The new sports policy has been implemented in the state and the government has also announced re-implementation of sports quota in jobs.

Financial Stability Report:

• RBI released its Financial Stability Report. Financial Stability Report is released by the RBI twice a year.
• As the name suggests, it details the state of financial stability in the country, and it is prepared after taking into account the contributions from all financial sector regulators.
• As per the report, asset quality of the banking system has improved with Gross Non Performing Assets (GNPA) ratio declining to the lowest in 7 yrs.

Tamil Nadu Events:

‘The Oscars of Education’:

• Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) won Wharton-QS Reimagine Education Awards in December 2022. It is also referred to as ‘the Oscars of Education’.
• The IIT Madras BS in Data Science won Silver in the ‘Best Online Program’ category, while NPTEL (National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning), a joint initiative of IITs and IISc, won Gold in the ‘Lifelong Learning category’.

International Events:

US Vice President Kamala Harris:

• US Vice President Kamala Harris has named Indian American Rajeev Badyal to a key national space users advisory group (UAG).
• The group is tasked to maintain a robust and responsible US space enterprise and preserve space for current and future generations. Kamala Harris had named US Air Force Rtd General Lester Lyles as chair of the UAG.

Netanyahu:

• Netanyahu took oath as Israel’s prime minister for the 6th time in December 2022. Netanyahu, who is already Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister, has the support of 63 lawmakers in the 120 member Knesset (Israeli parliament).He previously held office from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. Israel Capital: Jerusalem.

Emperor penguin:

• Antarctica’s emperor penguins could be extinct by 2100. The emperor penguin, which relies on ice for breeding, is the most vulnerable of Antarctica’s species. The reason behind this is global warming and thawing of Antarctic Ice sheets.

About the emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri):

• It is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica.
• Conservation status: Near Threatened.

WTO:

• As per the WTO, Rules of origin are the criteria needed to determine the national source of a product. Their importance is derived from the fact that duties and restrictions in several cases depend upon the source of imports.
• It aims to avoid misuse of trade pact by routing of products. CAROTAR (Customs (Administration of Rules of Origin under Trade Agreements) Rules) Rules were introduced by the Indian government in 2020 managing Rules of Origin.

Omega Centauri:

• Five generations of high temperature stars revealed in Omega Centauri. Omega Centauri is a globular cluster in the constellation of Centaurus that was first identified as a non-stellar object by Edmond Halley in 1677.
• It is the largest-known globular cluster in the Milky Way Galaxy. Globular clusters are spherical aggregates of several thousand to millions of stars bound by gravity.

Sepsis:

• Tufts University research clarifies how sepsis can lead to cell death. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition arising from the body’s overreactive response against an infection, leading it to injure its own tissues & organs.
• The 1st known reference to sepsis dates back to more than 2,700 years. Sepsis accounted for 11 million deaths worldwide in 2017 & is the most expensive medical condition in the US.

NEA & INDIA:

• India has allowed the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) to export an additional 40 MW of power on 29 December 2022.
• India has approved the sale of surplus power from two more hydro projects-25 MW Kabeli B-1 and 20 MW Lower Modi at competitive rates in the Indian energy market. The current electricity demand of Nepal stands at around 1,680 MW, while the domestic production is 1,000 MW.

Sports Events:

Shane Warne:

• Australia’s men’s Test Player of the Year award will be renamed in Shane Warne’s honour. Tributes were paid to the late spin-king at Boxing Day Test against South Africa.
• Warne, considered second in stature only to Donald Bradman in sports-mad Australia, died unexpectedly aged 52 in March 2022. The Shane Warne Men’s Test Player of the Year award will be presented annually.