Daily Current Affairs and GK | 10 and 11 October 2021

Topic: Important Days

1. World Mental Health Day: 10 October.

• World Mental Health Day is celebrated every year on 10 October to raise awareness regarding mental health issues.
• World Federation for Mental Health organizes it every year. It was for the first time celebrated on 10 October 1992.
• The theme for World Mental Health Day 2021 is ‘Mental Health in an Unequal World’.
• According to World Health Organization, the campaign slogan for World Mental Health Day 2021 is ‘Mental health care for all: let’s make it a reality’.

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

2. Guideline for the Cyber Security in Power Sector released.

• Guideline for the Cyber Security in Power Sector has been released by the government on 07 October.
• The Guideline for the Cyber Security in Power Sector has been prepared by Central Electricity Authority (CEA), Ministry of Power under the direction of Union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister Shri R K Singh.
• CEA has framed Guideline on Cyber Security in Power Sector under the provision of Section 3(10) on Cyber Security in the “Central Electricity Authority (Technical Standards for Connectivity to the Grid) (Amendment) Regulations, 2019”.
• The guideline should be adhered by all Power Sector utilities to create cyber secure ecosystem.
• Comprehensive guideline has been for the first time formulated on cyber security in power sector.
• Guideline are applicable to all Responsible Entities as well as System Integrators, Equipment Manufacturers, Suppliers/Vendors, Service Providers and others engaged in the Indian Power Supply System.
• The Guideline are mandatory requirements to be met by all stakeholders. The Guideline mandates ICT based procurement of 'Trusted products' from identified 'Trusted sources'.
• The Guideline will promote research and development in cyber security. It will open up market for setting up Cyber Testing Infra in Public as well as Private Sector in the country.
• Central Electricity Authority (CEA) is a statutory organization. It was founded in 1951. It is headquartered in New Delhi. Dinesh Chandra is its current chairperson.

Topic: State news/ Tamil Nadu

3. Kanniyakumari clove has got the Geographical Indication Tag.

• The geographical indication (GI) tag has been awarded to Kanniyakumari clove for its unique qualities such as high concentration of volatile oil content and aroma.
• Clove is one of the major spice crops of the district, which is grown on 760 hectares in the densely wooded areas of Maaraamalai, Blackrock, and Velimalai in the Western Ghats of the Veerapuli Reserve Forests and Mahendragiri.
• Kanniyakumari district represents about 73% of the area under clove of Tamil Nadu.
• Out of 1,100 tonnes of total production of cloves in India, 1000 tonnes of cloves are grown in Tamil Nadu and out of which 65% is grown in the Kanniyakumari district.
• Flower buds, stalks, and fallen leaves are used in the preparation of the Clove oil. The clove bud and its oils are also utilized in the medical, pharmaceutical, and perfumery industries.

Topic: Appointments

4. Government has appointed and transferred many Chief Justices of state.

• The Government notified the appointments of eight and transfer of five chief justices of high courts.
• Eight High Courts will get new Chief Justices, and five Chief Justices have been transferred.
• Chief Justice N.V. Ramana led the Supreme Court Collegium for the major reshuffle orchestrated.
• Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court, A.A. Kureshi has been transferred to the Rajasthan High Court.
• Acting Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court, Justice Rajesh Bindal has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

5. First ever National Infrastructure Masterplan, Pradhan Mantri Gati Shakti to be launched by PM Modi.

• First ever National Infrastructure Masterplan, Pradhan Mantri Gati Shakti will be launched by PM Modi on 13 October.
• PM Modi had announced Gati Shakti scheme on Independence Day this year. This will bring together 16 Ministries on one platform to synergise project planning across stakeholder ministries.
• Gati Shakti platform will provide information instantaneously. Gati Shakti Master Plan is aimed at three basic goals mentioned below.
  • Seamless multimodal connectivity to facilitate easy movement of goods and people
  • Improved prioritisation, optimal usage of resources, timely creation of capacities
  • Resolution of issues such as disjointed planning, standardisation and clearances
• Gati Shakti Master Plan will provide the framework for the National Infrastructure Pipeline program. It will help country's local manufacturers turn globally competitive.
• It is aimed at making Indian products more competitive by cutting down the logistics costs and improving the supply chains.  
• The new initiative worth over one hundred lakh crore rupees will also bring employment opportunities.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

6. Indian Railways operated Trishul and Garuda freight trains for the first time.

• Indian Railways has operated two long haul freight trains, Trishul and Garuda, for the first time over South-Central Railway.
• Long haul trains provide a very effective solution to the problem of capacity constraints in critical sections.
• Long haul trains are twice or multiple times longer than the normal composition of freight trains.
• Trishul is the first long haul freight train of South-Central Railway. It comprise of three freight trains of 177 wagons.
• On 07 October, Trishul was started from Kondapalli station of Vijayawada division to Khurda division of East Coast Railway.
• On 08 October, Garuda was started from Raichur of Guntakal division to Manuguru of Secunderabad division.

Topic: Defense News

7. Indian Navy to participate in II phase of Multilateral Maritime Malabar Exercise.

• The Indian Navy will participate in the second phase of Multilateral Maritime Exercise Malabar.
• The exercise will be conducted in the Bay of Bengal from 12th to 15th October. The first phase of the exercise was conducted in the Philippines Sea from 26th to 29th August.
• Japan Maritime Self Defence Force, Royal Australian Navy, and the United States Navy will participate in this maritime exercise.
• INS Ranvijay, INS Satpura, and a Submarine will represent the Indian Navy in this exercise. The US Navy will be represented by the Aircraft Carrier USS Carl Vinson along with two destroyers.
• JS Kaga and JS Murasame will represent Japan Maritime Self Defence Force while the Royal Australian Navy will be represented by HMAS Ballarat and HMAS Sirius.
• Advanced surface and anti-submarine warfare exercises, seamanship evolutions, and weapon firings will be part of this maritime exercise.
• The Malabar series of exercises was started as an annual bilateral naval exercise between India and the US in 1992.

Topic: International News

8. India and Denmark inked four agreements after bilateral talks.

• India and Denmark signed four agreements and decided to expand cooperation in different fields of health and agriculture.
• The agreements have been signed in the field of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Traditional Knowledge Digital Library, on establishing a Centre of Excellence towards natural refrigerants for tropical climates with potential applications and on mapping of ground water resources and aquifers.
• The agreements have been signed after the bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen in New Delhi.
• Both the countries have started a new partnership in the health sector. They also decided to cooperate on agro-tech to increase agricultural productivity and farmers’ income.
• Both countries share friendly relations based on the values of democracy, rule of law, and respect for human rights.

Topic: Report and Indices

9. UNESCO released 2021 State of the Education Report for India.

• The report titled '2021 State of the Education Report for India: No Teacher, No Class’ has been recently released by UNESCO.
• It has been developed by an expert team of researchers in the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai under the guidance of UNESCO.
• According to this report, India requires 11.16 lakh, additional teachers to meet the current shortfall.
• Arunachal Pradesh (18.22%), Goa (16.08%), Telangana (15.71%), and Andhra Pradesh (14.4%) are high percentage single-teacher school states.
• The gross enrolment ratio (GER) for elementary schools has increased from 81.6 to 93.03 in 2018-19.
• Only 22 percent schools in India have computing devices (desktops or laptops). Access to the internet is available in only 19 percent of schools.
• The total number of teachers has grown by 17 percent from 8.9 million teachers in 2013-14 to 9.4 million in 2018-19.
• Nearly half of India’s 9.43 million school teachers are women. Women teacher percentage is highest in Chandigarh.
• 86 percent of schools across the country are accessible by road.

Topic: Personality in News

10. Father of Pakistan’s nuclear programme Abdul Qadeer Khan passed away.

• Abdul Qadeer Khan, known as the father of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, passed away at the age of 85 years.
• He played an important role in making Pakistan a nuclear power. Pakistan conducted nuclear tests in May 1998.
• He was born in Bhopal in 1936. Abdul Qadeer Khan migrated to Pakistan in 1952.
• He founded the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) in 1976.
• He was put under house arrest in 2004 for selling nuclear secrets illegally.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

11. Clean Ganga Mission collaborates with WASH Institute for capacity building in faecal sludge and septage management.

• National Mission of Clean Ganga (NMCG) has signed an MoU with Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Institute (WASH Institute).
• The MoU has been signed to conduct a series of training to enhance the quality of service of officials in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).
• The training courses have been designed to strengthen basic understanding of FSSM sector. It will help in enhancing technical, policy and regulatory, and financial aspects.
• Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, more than 62 lakh toilets are built. The management of waste collected from these toilets is the next big challenge for India.
• The MoU will also help in addressing the faecal sludge and septage management (FSSM) issues in towns and cities of the Ganga Basin.
• The project will be funded by USAID and will be supported by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government scheme and Initiatives

12. Government launched ‘My Port App’ for digital monitoring of port operations.

• Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sonowal launched 'MyPortApp' in Kolkata for digital monitoring of port operation.
• It has been launched for promoting transparency and to provide port-related information.
• The app has been launched for those port users who want to use various port services. It includes all facts about the port digitally.
• The app incorporates information related to Vessel Berthing, Rake & Indent, Rake Receipt, Container Status, Tariff, Bills, Port Holidays and can be accessed anywhere 24×7.
• Sonowal also launched a 1 Mega Watt solar project in Haldia port. It will generate sustainable energy for port operations.
• Minister Sonowal said that Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata would play an important role in making India self-sufficient.
• The port will boost export from the northeastern states and Bangladesh.

Topic: Personality in News

13. K V Subramanian stepped down as Chief Economic Adviser.

• K V Subramanian stepped down as Chief Economic Adviser after completing his three-year tenure.
• He has decided to return back to academia. He is also a Professor at the Indian School of Business (ISB).
• He was appointed as the Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India (CEA) on 7 December 2018. He completed his tenure on 8 October 2021.
• In May 2019, he was inducted into the Fifteenth Finance Commission's advisory council.