Current Affairs in English – September 29 2022

September 29 , 2022

National Events:

DA:

• The Union Cabinet has increased the dearness allowance ( DA ) and dearness relief by 4 per cent effective July 1 , 2022 , benefiting 4.18 million central government employees and 6.97 million pensioners.
• The additional instalment of DA and dearness relief ( DR ) is an increase of 4 per cent over the existing rate of 34 per cent of basic pay / pension.

Constitution Bench proceedings:

• For the first time , three separate Constitution Bench proceedings in the Supreme Court were simultaneously beamed live through YouTube on 27 September 2022.
• The Constitution Benches were led by Chief Justice U.U. Lalit , Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Sanjay Kishan Kaul , respectively. Statistics show that more than eight lakh viewers watched the proceedings.

BSE:

• Leading stock exchange BSE has received the final approval from SEBI for introducing the Electronic Gold Receipt ( EGR ) on its platform.
• EGRS will cater to all market participants , which means that buyers and sellers on the exchange will include individual investors , as well as commercial participants along the value chain like importers , banks , refiners , jewellery manufacturers , etc.

Senior advocate R Venkataramani:

• The President of India on 28 September 2022 appointed senior advocate R Venkataramani as the new Attorney General for India for a period of three years.
• Mr Venkataramani will replace current Attorney General ( AG ) K K Venugopal whose term ends on September 30 , 2022.
• Earlier , Mukul Rohatgi had declined the Centre’s offer to return as the AG. The AG acts as the chief legal advisor of the Indian government.

Uttarakhand:

• Uttarakhand received the first prize in two categories , for the best adventure tourism destination and all – around development of tourism from the Ministry of Tourism.
• Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar awarded this prize to the State Tourism and Culture Minister of Uttarakhand Satpal Maharaj.
• The awards were presented on the occasion of World Tourism Day which was observed on 27 September.

PFI:

• The government has declared Popular Front of India and its associates or affiliates or fronts as unlawful associations with immediate effect for 5 years.
• This has been done in exercise of powers conferred by sub – section ( 1 ) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities ( Prevention ) Act , 1967 ( 37 of 1967 ).
• The associated or affiliates include Rehab India Foundation , Campus Front of India , etc.

Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana:

• Union Cabinet has decided to extend the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana scheme for a further period of 3 months from October to december 2022.This decision will benefit 80 crore people.
• 3 lakh 45 thousand crore rupees have been spent on this scheme so far which was launched in March 2020. Under this scheme , 5 kg food grain is being provided to eligible beneficiaries per month free of cost.

World’s first planetary defence technology demonstration:

• NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test ( DART ) – the world’s first planetary defence technology demonstration – successfully impacted its asteroid target on 26 September. It has been termed humanity’s first – ever test of planetary defence by NASA.
• The main objective behind the mission was to redirect the asteroid closer to Didymos , which it orbits. NASA HQ : Washington , D.C.

Redevelopment of 3 major railway stations:

• Union Cabinet has approved Indian Railways proposal for the redevelopment of 3 major railway stations in the country. These are New Delhi Railway Station , Ahmedabad Railway Station and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai.
• The redevelopment project involves an investment of ten thousand crore rupees . Minister of Railways : Ashwini Vaishnaw. Chairman of Railway Board : V K Tripathi.

Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu:

• Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu had the highest numbers of foreign tourist visits , with 1.26 million & 1.23 million , respectively in 2021 , as per a report by Union Tourism Ministry.
• The report titled ‘ India Tourism Statistics 2022 ‘ was released on 27 Sept 2022 by Vice – President Jagdeep Dhankhar in New Delhi.
• Taj Mahal was the most visited ticketed ASI site for domestic tourists as per the report.

DSCI:

• Premier industry body Data Security Council of India ( DSCI ) established by NASSCOM , has appointed its senior vice president Vinayak Godse as the new CEO.
• Godse will be taking over from Rama Vedashree who led DSCI for more than six years. Godse will be taking over as the CEO from 1 Oct 2022.
• DSCI Founded : 2008. Founder : NASSCOM. Current Chairman : Rajendra S Pawar. HQ : Noida , Uttar Pradesh.

Jammu and Kashmir:

• Jammu and Kashmir has received felicitation for its remarkable contribution towards achieving 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ) during last couple of years.
• Secretary , Mining Department , Amit Sharma , received the honour on behalf of J & K government. The felicitation ceremony was followed by panel discussion which was led by Union Ministers , Smriti Irani and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

ASI:

• In a first – of – its – kind exploration , the Archaeological Survey of India ( ASI ) has found 20 Buddhist caves , ranging from the 2nd Century BC to the 5th Century BC , at Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.
• The Buddhist religious artefacts are of the Mahayana sect of Buddhism , and the region has been explored for the first time in 84 years. Over 24 Brahmi inscriptions were also found.

Chhattisgarh Tourism Board & IRCTC:

• The Chhattisgarh Tourism Board on 27 Sept 2022 ( World Tourism Day ) signed an MoU with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation ( IRCTC ) to promote tourist places of the state.
• Under the MoU , the IRCTC will promote tourist places of Chhattisgarh through its social media platform , thereby helping attract travellers from other parts of the country . CM : Bhupesh Baghel. Capital : Raipur.

CDS:

• The Government appointed former Eastern Army Commander Lt. General Anil Chauhan ( Retired ) as the second CDS of India. He will also function as Secretary to the Gol , Department of Military Affairs.
• He was commissioned into the 11 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army in 1981. The post of CDS has been vacant since the sudden death of India’s First CDS Gen. Bipin Rawat in December 2021.

Tamil Nadu Events:

Tamiraparani river:

• Bengaluru – based Ashoka Trust for Research and the Environment ( ATREE ) ‘ s researchers have initiated the restoration of the Tamiraparani river. The river originates from the Pothigai hills of the Western Ghats in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu.
• ATREE has associated with Indian Institute of Human Settlements ( IIHS ) Bengaluru for the restoration project named TamiraSES.

International Events:

World Heart Day : 29 September:

• Every year on the 29th of September , people all around the world observe World Heart Day with the aim of raising awareness of heart illness and the range of cardiovascular diseases.
• The World Heart Federation and the World Health Organization first celebrated this day in the year 2000. The theme for World Heart Day 2022 is ” Use Heart for Every Heart “.

International Day for Universal Access to Information : 28 September:

• In order to raise awareness of the importance of universal access to information , the UN has proclaimed 28 Sept as International Day for Universal Access to Information. First time celebrated : 2016.
• The global conference opening ceremony that took place in Tashkent , Uzbekistan , launched the 2022 edition of this Day. 2022 Theme : ‘ Artificial Intelligence , e – Governance & Access to Information ‘.

Sports Events:

Duleep Trophy:

• Ajinkya Rahane – led West Zone won the 2022 Duleep Trophy title on 25 Sept after defeating South Zone by a margin of 294 runs on the fifth and final day of the tournament in Coimbatore. Duleep Trophy First edition : 1961-62.

AIFF:

• The All India Football Federation ( AIFF ) on 27 Sept 2022 launched its grassroots football development ( GFD ) scheme in Arunachal Pradesh with an aim to tap , select and nurture football talents in the age group of 6 to 12 years.
• The state government would begin this scheme in 100 schools . Schools with existing infrastructure along with a qualified physical training teacher would be given preference.