Daily Current Affairs and GK | 12 August 2022

Topic: Space and IT

1. ISRO launched India’s first virtual space museum ‘SPARK’.

• As part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, Chairman of ISRO S Somnath launched the space tech park for public use.
• This tech park comprises a museum, theatre, observatory cafeteria, and play arena.
• The 3D virtual space tech park will showcase digital content related to different ISRO missions in an interactive manner.
• The museum is divided into a satellite gallery and a launch vehicle gallery.
• The tech park also has a theatre that contains a curated list of videos related to the past, present, and future missions of the ISRO.
• Users can see the various documents, images, and videos related to ISRO launch vehicles, satellites, and scientific machines on this platform.
• SPARK also contains the ‘Space on Wheels’ initiative of ISRO, which has a mobile exhibition carrying models of launches, vehicles, and satellites.

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

2. A new zoonotic virus ‘Langya’ has infected 35 people in China.

• A new type of a Henipavirus named Langya Henipavirus or LayV has been detected in China.
• It can infect animals and humans. As of now, no licensed drugs or vaccines are available against this virus for humans.
• Langya is closely related to the Mojiang Henipavirus.
• Langya has been found in the Shandong and Henan provinces of China.
• Fever, cough, fatigue, and nausea are the main symptoms of Langya. It can also impact the liver and kidneys.
• The Langya virus has likely come from animals to humans. The RNA of the LayV virus is generally found in shrews.
• However, there is no clear information about human-to-human transmission.

Topic: Sports

3. Inaugural U-16 Khelo India Women's Hockey League will begin on August 16 in New Delhi.

• Between August 16 and August 23, the first Khelo India Women's Hockey League under-16 will be held at the Major Dhyanchand Stadium in New Delhi.
• There are 16 teams participating from all throughout the country.
• In Phase 1 of the league, 56 matches will be played and over 300 players will compete.
• A total of 53.72 lakh rupees, including 15.5 lakh rupees in prize money, have been allotted by the Sports Authority of India for three phases of the competition.
• The first and second phases of the Khelo India Women's Hockey League U-16 will be round-robin competitions.
• After the completion of the first two stages, the team's final ranking will be determined.
• During Phase 3, each team will participate in a minimum of three classification matches.

Topic: International News

4. Latvia and Estonia withdraw from the China and Central and Eastern European countries cooperation group.

• This action is a response to Western criticism of China's increasing military pressure on Taiwan.
• The relationship between Lithuania and China deteriorated after Lithuania let Taiwan open a de facto embassy at the end of last year.
• So, Lithuania also left the cooperation group in 2021.
• Latvia and Estonia both stated that they will continue to pursue constructive and pragmatic relations with China while maintaining the international order based on rules and human rights.
• Latvia:
  • It is a country in Northern Europe's Baltic region.
  • It is bounded by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west.
  • Its President is Egils Levits.
  • Its currency is Euro. Its capital is Riga.
• Estonia:
  • It is a country in Northern Europe.
  • It is surrounded by Finland to the north, the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea to the west, Latvia to the south, and Lake Peipus and Russia to the east.
  • Its capital is Tallinn. Its currency is Euro.
  • Its President is Alar Karis. Its Prime Minister is Kaja Kallas.

Topic: MoUs/ Agreements

5. NHIDCL and NSDC signed an MoU to collaborate on skill development initiatives.

• National Highway and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) and the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) signed an MoU on August 8.
• The MoU offers a formal basis for cooperation between NHIDCL and NSDC and will play a crucial role in achieving the goals and objectives of the Prime Minister's Skill Development Programme.
• This MOU's purpose is to set the platform for partnership between NHIDCL and NSDC in order to undertake several activities that will contribute to make India the world's skill capital.
• National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL):
  • It is a government-owned company of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.
  • It is responsible for the management of a network of National Highways.
  • Chanchal Kumar is the Managing Director of NHIDCL.
• National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC):
  • It was founded in 2008.
  • It is a not-for-profit public limited company.
  • It was formed under Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. Government owns its 49% share capital and remaining 51% is owned by the private sector.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Important Days

6. International Youth Day 2022: 12 August

• Every year on August 12, International Youth Day is observed.
• It is celebrated to honor young people and their role in making the world a better place.
• However, this year has focused on the importance of the action of all generations to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) rather than just focusing on the youth.
• The theme of International Youth Day 2022 is “Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages.”
• The United Nations General Assembly declared International Youth Day on August 12 during the World Conference of Ministers on Youth Affairs in 1999.
• This day was first celebrated on 12 August 2000.
• Every year on the 12^th of January, National Youth Day is celebrated in India.

Topic: Important Days

7. World Elephant Day 2022: 12 August

• Every year on August 12, World Elephant Day is observed.
• It is celebrated to recognize the importance of elephants in our ecosystem.
• The day also aims to raise awareness about the importance of the protection of elephants.
• Elephants are the largest land animals in the world.
• On August 12, 2012, the first World Elephant Day was celebrated by Thailand's Elephant Reintroduction Foundation and Canadian filmmakers Patricia Sims and Michael Clark.
• India accounts for about 60% of all Asian elephants.
• The number of elephant reserves has increased significantly in the last 8 years.
• The Red List of IUCN lists African elephants as vulnerable and Asian elephants as Endangered.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

8. Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah inaugurated day long National Conference of Rural Cooperative Banks in New Delhi.

• The conference is organized by the Ministry of Cooperation and the National Federation of State Cooperative Banks (NAFSCOB).
• Mr Shah also presented Performance Awards to select State Cooperative Banks, District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs), or PACS.
• He also felicitated a few short-term cooperative credit institutions for 100 years of service.
• The short-term cooperative credit structure in India includes 34 State Cooperative Banks, 351 District Central Cooperative Banks, and 96,575 Primary Agricultural Cooperative credit societies (PACS).
• NAFSCOB was set up on 19^th May 1964 to facilitate the operations of State and Central Cooperative Banks and the development of a short-term cooperative credit structure.

Topic: Banking System

9. RBI has issued guidelines for digital lending.

• As per RBI, digital loans must be credited directly to the bank accounts of borrowers and not through any third party.
• RBI also said that digital lending entities and not the borrowers should pay the fees or charges payable to Lending Service Providers (LSPs) in the credit intermediation process.
• RBI said the borrower must be provided a standardised Key Fact Statement (KFS) before executing the loan contract.
• It also said all-inclusive cost of digital loans in the form of Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is required to be disclosed to the borrowers.
• Banks and LSPs engaged by them must have a nodal grievance redressal officer to address digital lending-related complaints.
• New norms do not allow automatic increase in credit limit without the explicit consent of the borrower.
• RBI constituted a Working Group on ‘digital lending including lending through online platforms and mobile apps’ (WGDL) on January 13, 2021.
• RBI’s guidelines are applicable to RBI-regulated entities and lending service providers engaged by them to extend various permissible credit facilitation services.
• The regulator/ controlling authority of entities authorised to carry out digital lending but not regulated by RBI may consider formulating rules/regulations on digital lending based on the recommendations of WGDL.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

10. Climate study: Arctic's environment is warming about four times faster than the rest of the area.

• In the last 40 years, the Arctic region has warmed nearly four times faster than the rest of the planet.
• This rate of warming is much faster than the previous estimates by the United Nations' climate science panel in 2019.
• Earlier, it was estimated that the Artic region is warming more than double the global average due to a process known as Arctic amplification, or intense warming.
• Researchers from the Finnish Meteorological Institute found that the speed of the temperature rise around the North Pole is four times higher than the rest of the planet.
• According to researchers, the Barents Sea is warming up to seven times faster.
• The Greenland ice sheet is melting faster, which is increasing the sea level and also affecting atmospheric circulation in North America.
• This study has been published in the journal Communications Earth and Environment. It has analyzed the trends in the Arctic Circle between 1979 and 2021.
• Arctic region is a geographic region spreading around the North Pole.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Personality in News

11. Ramadhar Singh becomes the first Indian social psychologist to get a place on the US Heritage Wall of Fame.

• Ramadhar Singh, a professor at the Amrut Mody School of Management, has been marked on the ‘Heritage Wall of Fame’ of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) in the United States.
• He is the only social psychologist from India to receive this honour.
• The Ohio State University, Columbus has nominated Ramadhar Singh for induction to the ‘Heritage Wall of Fame’.
• Nine social psychologists across China, India, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the US have supported his nomination.
• Ramadhar Singh is a researcher in the field of psychology and management. He played a key role in making psychology a science in Asia.

Topic: National News

12. Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) in Bangladesh will be managed by SBI for two more years.

• SBI and the High Commission of India in Dhaka signed the agreement to extend the operation of the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) for another two years.
• The agreement has been signed between SBI Bangladesh country head of operations Amit Kumar and Deputy High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Dr. Binoy George.
• IVAC will also launch some additional services very soon including facilitation for online form filling and submission of forms, slot booking and launching of a mobile app.
• A priority lounge has been also inaugurated at the IVAC centre in Dhaka.
• At present, SBI is running 15 IVACs across Bangladesh. The IVAC centre at the Jamuna Future Park in Dhaka is the largest Indian visa application centre.
• SBI opened its first IVAC in Dhaka in 2005. The IVAC manages more than 5.5 thousand visa applications on daily basis.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

13. Government approved Corbevax as booster dose for adults.

• Government has announced that Corbevax will be available as a precaution dose for populations above 18 years vaccinated with Covaxin or Covishield.
• It will be available after the completion of six months or 26 weeks of the second dose.
• According to the protocol until now, the third dose had to be the same vaccine that was used for the first and second doses.
• Recently, DCGI granted emergency use approval to Corbevax for the 12-18 age group.
• The approval was based on the clinical trial data that shows significant enhancement in the immune system.
• Corbevax is India’s first indigenously developed Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) protein subunit vaccine for Covid-19.
• It has been developed by Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company Biological E Ltd.

Topic: International News

14. Mexican President proposed Commission for World Peace, which would be headed by 3 leaders including PM Modi.

• Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has given a proposal to the UN to create a commission of three world leaders for five years.
• The commission will include Pope Francis, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and Indian PM Narendra Modi.
• The commission aims to stop wars across the world and reach an agreement to seek a truce for at least five years.
• The Mexican President has invited China, Russia, and the US to seek peace and to end warlike actions.
• As per the Obrador, the proposed truce will help in reaching an agreement in the case of Taiwan, Israel and Palestine.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/ Andhra Pradesh

15. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy released ₹694 crore under Vidya Deevena at Bapatla.

• Under the Jagananna Vidya Deevena scheme, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has released ₹694 crores into the accounts of the mothers of 11.02 lakh students belonging to BC, SC and ST communities.
• The government will pay a total ₹11,715 crore under the Vidya Deevena and Vasathi Deevena schemes.
• Under Jagan Anna Vidya Deevena Scheme, the government reimbursed fees for students pursuing higher education in junior, vocational, and professional colleges.
• Students belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, backward classes, minorities, Kapus, and economically backward classes are eligible for the scheme.
• Under Vasathi Deevena, the government provide ₹20,000 to students every year for their board and lodging expenses.