Daily Current Affairs and GK | 1 June 2023

Topic: International News

1. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) will open its first-ever overseas campus in Tanzania.

• IIT will open its first overseas campus with a batch of 50 undergraduate students and 20 master's students in Tanzania in October 2023.
• The new IIT campus will be established at Zanzibar under the IIT Madras.
• Zanzibar will be one of three campuses of IIT which will be located outside of India. The other campuses will be set up in Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur.
• These campuses are designed to serve their respective region. The campus at Zanzibar will serve the greater East African region.
• In the first year, the institution will offer data science and artificial intelligence courses.
• The Zanzibar campus of IIT will have the same international recognition that IIT Madras enjoys.
• Students from Zanzibar will eventually have access to the same benefits which are enjoyed by students in Madras.
• The admission will have a three-way process that includes an entrance exam, a one-month preparation program, and an individual interview.
• The establishment of IIT in Zanzibar is a significant step towards strengthening the ties between India and Africa.
• IITs are known for their research and innovation. The IIT campus in Tanzania will promote research and innovation in the African continent.

Topic: Important Days

2. Global Day of Parents: 01 June

• It is observed annually in honour of the parents all over the world.
• In 2012, UN General Assembly proclaimed 01 June as the Global Day of Parents. 
• Global Day of Parents was for the first time observed in 2013.
• Global Day of Parents provides us an opportunity to appreciate all parents for their commitment to their children.
• Global Day of Parents recognizes that the nurturing and protection of children is the primary responsibility of the family.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

3. 22nd Summit of the SCO Council of Heads of State will be chaired by PM Modi on 04 July.

• The summit will be held in a virtual format. India assumed the chairmanship of SCO at the Samarkand Summit on 16 September 2022.
• All the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States have been invited to attend the Summit.
• Iran, Belarus and Mongolia have been invited as Observer States. Turkmenistan has been invited as the guest of the Chair.
• Heads of the SCO Secretariat and the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) will also attend the summit.
• Heads of six international and regional organizations have also been invited. The organizations are given below.
  • United Nations
  • Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
  • Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
  • Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)
  • Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)
  • Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA)
• The theme of the Summit is ‘Towards a SECURE SCO’.
• PM Modi coined the SECURE acronym at the 2018 SCO Summit.
• It stands for Security, Economy and Trade, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity and Environment.
• Varanasi will host various socio-cultural events under the framework of the first-ever SCO Cultural and Tourist Capital for 2022-23.

Topic: Art and Culture

4. Kashmiri Pandits celebrated the annual Kheer Bhawani mela.

• A convoy of pilgrims from the Kashmir Pandit community reached the Kashmir Valley on May 26 to participate in the annual Kheer Bhawani fair in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
• The annual Kheer Bhawani Mela, celebrated on Zeisht Ashtami, was held on May 28.
• The Kheer Bhawani fair is organized annually in five temples in the Kashmir Valley.
• These are Ragya Bhagvati Temple at Tulmulla in Ganderbal, Ragya Bhagvati Temple at Manjgam in Kulgam, Tripurasundari Temple at Devsar in Kulgam, Ragani Bhagvati Temple at Logripora in Anantnag and Ragni Bhagvati Temple at Tikkar in Kupwara.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

5. Government approved one lakh crore rupees for the world's largest grain storage scheme in the cooperative sector.

• 31 May, the cabinet meeting has been given the approval to set up an inter-ministerial committee for the “world's largest grain storage scheme in the cooperative sector.”
• It will be implemented in convergence with the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Food grains and Public Distribution and Ministry of Food Processing Industries.
• To ensure that the scheme will be implemented in a professional and time-bound manner, the Ministry of Cooperation will implement the project on a pilot basis in at least ten districts of different States and Union Territories.
• This will give an idea about the various regional requirements of the project, so that it can be implemented in a proper manner across the country.
• The cabinet also approved the second phase of City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain for Integrated Urban Management.
• The program of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development is being implemented in partnership with the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau, a French development agency, the European Union and the National Institute of Urban Affairs.
• This program will be for four years from 2023 to 2027.
• The program envisages assistance to competitively selected projects to promote circular economy.
• It focuses on integrated waste management at the urban level, climate-oriented remediation actions at the state level and institutional strengthening and knowledge dissemination at the national level.

(Source: News on Air)

Topic: National News

6. New rules for providing anti-tobacco warnings on OTT platforms notified by the Union Health Ministry.

• The notification states that it is mandatory to provide anti-tobacco warning message on OTT platforms.
• Highlights of the new rules issued by the Union Health Ministry for anti-tobacco warnings on OTT platforms: -
  • Health spots, messages and disclaimers: Publishers of online curated content depicting tobacco products, or their consumption will be required to follow specific guidelines. These include the display of an anti-tobacco health spot, lasting at least thirty seconds at the beginning and middle of the programme.
  • Access to content: Health spots, messages and disclaimers will be made available to the publisher of the curated content online on the website "mohfw.gov.in" or "ntcp.mohfw.gov.in".
  • Legibility and language: The anti-tobacco health warning message displayed as a static message must be legible and readable with black font on a white background, and must include the warning "tobacco causes cancer" or "tobacco kills".
  • Limitations on Display: The display or consumption of tobacco products in online curated content is prohibited from including brands of cigarettes or other tobacco products or tobacco product placement of any kind.
• If the publisher of online content does not follow the new rules, strict action will be taken against him.
• An inter-ministerial committee consisting of representatives of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology will take suo motu or action on complaints received.
• The Committee will identify the publisher of the online curated content, and issue a notice providing a reasonable opportunity to explain the failure.
• Union Health Minister also presented the WHO World No Tobacco Day 2023 Award to State Tobacco Control Cell Meghalaya and Center for Multi-disciplinary Development Research (CMDR), Dharwad.

Topic: International News

7. The 3rd India-Vietnam Maritime Security Dialogue was organized in New Delhi on 31st May 2023.

• Senior officials from both sides took part in the Dialogue.
• During the dialogue, India and Vietnam talked about ways to sustain a secure maritime environment conducive to inclusive growth.
• They also reviewed maritime cooperation initiatives during the dialogue.
• They also reviewed avenues of reinforcing international and regional mechanisms for maritime security.
• Second India-Vietnam Maritime Security Dialogue was organized in April 2021 in the virtual format.
• First India-Vietnam Maritime Security Dialogue was organized in Hanoi in March 2019.
• India-Vietnam relations:
  • India established full diplomatic relations with Vietnam in January 1972.
  • In 2016, bilateral relations between India and Vietnam were elevated to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”.
  • The first-ever India-Vietnam Virtual Summit was held in December 2020.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

8. Electronics Repair Services Outsourcing (ERSO) Pilot initiative has been launched by the government on 31 May 2023.

• The ERSO Pilot initiative has been launched to validate certain policy and process changes to make India the Repair Capital of the World.
• Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, Directorate General of Foreign Trade, and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change collaborated with industry to implement transformational policy and process changes.
• These changes would make India the most attractive repair destination for ICT products globally.
• The pilot initiative is being held in Bengaluru. It will be run for a period of three months starting from 31st May 2023.
• Five companies have volunteered for the pilot initiative. Their names are Flex, Lenovo, CTDI, R-Logic & Aforeserve.
• After the pilot, a detailed assessment will be conducted and changes will be made in the process and policy as necessary

Topic: Indian Economy

9. India’s GDP growth in the quarter ending March 2023 reached 6.1%.

• According to data released, India’s GDP expected growth for 2022-23 will be 7.2 per cent. It is higher than NSO’s advance estimates of 7 per cent for 2022-23.
• The unexpected increase in GDP growth is due to better-than-expected performance in the last quarter of the fiscal. Services, exports, and agriculture sectors led the growth.
• Growth in the services sector was led by the construction, and trade, hotels, transport sectors.
• India’s GDP growth in FY 23 will be lower than the growth rate of 9.1 per cent in 2021-22.
• The Indian economy grew by 13.1 per cent in the April-June quarter, 6.2 per cent in the July-September quarter and 4.5 per cent in the October-December quarter.
• Export and import numbers suggest that the economy has gained significantly due to the slowing of imports and increasing of export.
• Goods and services exports grew at 11.1% and 11.9% in the quarters ending December 2022 and March 2023 respectively.
• Inflation has shown a downward trend and CPI inflation will return to the Reserve Bank of India’s target of around 4% in 2023-24.
• Private consumption showed 2.8 per cent growth during the fourth quarter.

Topic: State News/ Maharashtra

10. Maharashtra Cabinet approved Gender Inclusive Tourism Policy.

• The Maharashtra Cabinet has approved the implementation of the 'Gender Inclusive Tourism Policy called 'Aai' under the 'Ajadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'.
• The policy will be implemented through the Directorate of Tourism and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation in association with the various schemes of all concerned departments.
• Under this policy, a five-point program will be implemented.
• The promotion of women’s entrepreneurship, the creation of infrastructure for women, prioritising the safety of women tourists, customising products for women tourists, and providing discounts to women travellers will be part of this five-point program.
• For the effective implementation of the policy, a task force will also be formed under the chairmanship of the tourism minister.
• In this policy, 10 women-owned tourism businesses like homestays, hotels, restaurants, and tour and travel agencies will be registered with the Directorate of Tourism (DoT) in each taluka.
• Women entrepreneurs will be supported financially for setting up businesses and they can repay the amount in easy instalments.
• For the first five years, the Maharashtra government will also pay the annual insurance premiums of women travel operators registered with the DoT.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

11. In Meghalaya, India-EU Connectivity Conference will be organized from June 1.

• India-EU Connectivity Conference is being organized by the Ministry of External Affairs, EU Delegation to India and the Asian Confluence on June 1 and 2.
• The two-day conclave is aimed at promoting investments in the North-eastern states of India and expanding connectivity to neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. 
• The conference will focus on connectivity through three pillars: Digital, Energy and Transport.
• The India-EU Connectivity Partnership was launched during the meeting of the leaders of India and the European Union in May 2021.
• Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and Union Minister of State for External Affairs Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh will inaugurate the Conference.
• Senior officials from the Government, European Union Commission, North Eastern States, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh and the private sector are expected to participate in the conference.

(Source: News on Air)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

12. Over 40 lakh beneficiaries empowered with pre-litigation advice through the Tele-Law program.

• The Tele-Law program under the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice has achieved a new milestone as it has empowered 40 lakh beneficiaries across the country with pre-litigation advice.
• This program is a kind of e-interface mechanism through which pre-litigation legal advice and consultation can be obtained.
• Under this, needy and poor people can get legal help from lawyers through video conferencing and telephone facilities available in Common Service Centers located at Panchayat level.
• This service was launched by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice in 2017.
• Now it can be availed directly through Tele Law Mobile App.

(Source: News on Air)

Topic: Space and IT

13. Indian scientists discovered an alien planet, 13 times bigger than Jupiter.

•  A team of scientists led by Professor Abhijit Chakraborty of the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) has discovered an alien planet, which is 13 times bigger in size than Jupiter.
• It has been identified as a planet and designated as TOI 4603b or HD 245134b.
• It is the third exoplanet identified by PRL scientists. The findings of the study were published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics Letters.
• The newly-discovered planet has a mass of 14 g/cm3. It orbits around a star named TOI 4603 or HD 245134.
• Scientists from India, Germany, Switzerland, and the United States have used PRL Advanced Radial-velocity Abu-sky Search spectrograph (PARAS) at Mt Abu's Gurushikhar Observatory for determining the planet’s mass.
• This planet is 731 light years away from Earth and orbits its star once every 7.24 days. Its temperature is around 1396 degree Celsius.
• The recently discovered exoplanet is one of the most massive and dense giant planets.
• Scientists have discovered more than 5000 exoplanets with different nature, features and atmosphere.
• ISRO said that the discovery of this plant will provide valuable information about the formation, migration and evolution of massive exoplanets.

Topic: Art and Culture

14. Excavation at the Purana Qila revealed remains of pre-Mauryan era.

• A fresh round of excavations has discovered shards of Painted Gray Ware pottery from 1200 BC to 600 BC.
• The newly discovered items show the continuous history of Delhi since the pre-Mauryan era.
• The new excavation found remains of a 900-year-old Vaikuntha Vishnu from the Rajput period, a terracotta plaque of Goddess Gaja Lakshmi from the Gupta period, the structural remains of a 2,500-year-old terracotta ring well from the Mauryan period.
• A four-room complex from the Sunga-Kushan period and 136 coins and 35 seals and sealings have been discovered.
• It is the third round of excavation at the site. Earlier excavations had been carried out in 2013-14 and 2017-18.
• The ASI team is involved in the work to establish a chronology of the site.
• ASI has discovered structures of the early Kushana period at a depth of 5.5 m.
• The excavations at the site show nine cultural levels, representing different historical periods.
• The excavated remains will also be showcased to the delegates of this year’s G-20 summit.
• The Purana Qila was built by Sher Shah Suri and the Mughal emperor Humayun. It is believed to be the site of Indraprastha mentioned in Mahabharata.
• Purana Qila is one of the oldest forts in India. The fort was the inner citadel of the city of Din Panah during Humayun’s rule.