Daily Current Affairs and GK | 11 and 12 October 2020

1. PM Modi launched physical distribution of Property cards under SVAMITVA Scheme.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the physical distribution of Property Cards under the SVAMITVA Scheme.
• This will help the villagers use their property as a financial asset to take loans from the financial institutions.
• SVAMITVA Scheme:
  • It is a central sector scheme under the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
  • It was launched on 24 April 2020, i.e., on the National Panchayati Raj Day, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
  • Objective: To provide record of rights to villagers in rural areas and issue Property cards.
  • The scheme will be implemented in a phased manner from 2020-2024.
  • Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Karnataka have signed an MoU with Survey of India for drone survey and implementation of the scheme in the villages of these states in the pilot phase (2020-21).
  • Nomenclature for Property cards in different states is as follows:
    • Title Deed- Haryana
    • Rural Property Ownership Records- Karnataka
    • Adhikar Abhileskh- Madhya Pradesh
    • Sannad- Maharashtra
    • Svamitva Abhilekh- Uttarakhand
    • Gharauni- Uttar Pradesh

(Source: PIB)

2. International Day of the Girl Child: 11 October

• Every year on 11 October, International Day of the Girl Child is observed to recognize girls’ rights.
• The day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges faced by girls worldwide and focus on promoting girls’ empowerment.
• In 2011, the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution to declare 11 October as the International Day of the Girl Child.
• Theme 2019: “Girl Force: Unscripted and Unstoppable”
• Theme 2020: “My voice, our equal future”
• Globally, nearly 1 in 4 girls aged 15–19 years is neither employed nor in education or training compared to 1 in 10 boys of the same age.
• More than 60% of countries discriminate against daughters’ rights to inherit the property in either law or practice.
• SDG-5: Gender Equality

3. Birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan and Nanaji Deshmukh: 11 October

• Jayaprakash Narayan was also known as the hero of the Quit India Movement. He was popularly called JP or Lok Nayak.
• He played a major role in movements like Quit India Movement, Sarvodaya movement and JP movement against indira gandhi government.
• In 1965, he received Ramon Magsaysay Award.
• He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1999 (posthumously).
• Rambriksh Benipuri wrote the biography of Jayaprakash Narayan titled Jayaprakash.

(Source: Indian Express)

• Nanaji Deshmukh was a social reformer and politician.
• His original name was Chandikadas Amritrao Deshmukh.
• He served as the President of Bhartiya Jana Sangh.
• He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1999 and Bharat Ratna in 2019 (posthumously).

(Source: Indiatoday)

4. PM released commemorative coin of Rs. 100 in honour of Vijaya Raje Scindia.

• A commemorative coin of 100 rupees was released by Prime Minister in honour of Vijaya Raje Scindia.
• The coin was released in celebration of her 100^th birth anniversary.
• The Finance Ministry has minted the special commemorative coin.
• Vijaya Raje Scindia:
  • She was born on 12 October 1919.
  • She was popularly known as the Rajmata of Gwalior
  • She was one of the founder members of BJP.
  • She was elected to Lok Sabha 7 times and twice to the Rajya Sabha. 

(Source: Wikipedia)

5. Rafael Nadal won his 13^th French Open men’s singles title by beating Novak Djokovic.

• Rafael Nadal beats Novak Djokovic to win his 13^th French Open title by 6-0, 6-2, 7-5.
• He equals Roger Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slam titles.
• He is the first player to reach a century of singles wins in French Open.
• Rafael Nadal is known as the ‘King of Clay’
• French Open:
  • It is a Grand Slam tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts.
  • The venue of this tournament is at Stade Roland-Garros stadium in Paris.

(Source: BBC)

6. First Polish player Iga Swiatek won French Open by beating Sofia Kenin.

• Iga Swiatek has become the first Polish player to win a Grand Slam title by beating Sofia Kenin 6-4, 6-1 in the Women Singles final of French Open.
• The 19 –years-old Iga Swiatek will move to 17^th position in the world ranking after this win.
• She will earn $1,900,000 for this incredible achievement.
• FRENCH OPEN WINNERS 2020:

(Source: The Guardian)

7. India’s all eight beaches get International Blue flag Certification in a single attempt.

• All eight beaches recommended by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change have been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag certification in a single attempt.
• The beaches which got International Blue flag Certification are:
  • Shivrajpur beach - Gujarat
  • Ghoghla beach - Diu
  • Kasarkod and Padubidri  - Karnataka
  • Kappad - Kerala
  • Rushikonda  - Andhra Pradesh
  • Golden Beach  - Odisha
  • Radhanagar beach  - Andaman and Nicobar Islands

• To qualify for the Blue Flag Certification, a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety and accessibility criteria have to be met and maintained.

• Blue Flag is an international eco-label given to beaches, marinas and sustainable boating tourism operators. The certification is given by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).
• The Blue Flag beaches are considered the cleanest beaches of the world.

(Source: BlueFlag.global)

8. International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction: 13 October

• It was started in 1989 by the United Nations General Assembly to promote a global culture of risk-awareness and disaster reduction.
• The day is celebrated for raising awareness and how people around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters.
• This year’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is all about governance.
• A good disaster risk governance can save lives, reduce numbers of disaster-affected people and economic losses.
• Disaster Risk Reduction needs a clear vision, plans and competent, empowered institutions acting on scientific evidence for the public good.
• The strategy for disaster risk reduction must be multi-sectoral, linking policies in areas such as land use, building codes, public health, education, agriculture, environmental protection, energy, water resources, poverty reduction and climate change adaptation.
• Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030):
  • It was adopted at the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2015.
  • It was the first major agreement of the post-2015 development agenda and provides the member states with concrete actions to protect development gains from the risk of disaster.

9. Forest Department of Tamil Nadu rescued an Olive Ridley turtle in Ramanathapuram.

• The Forest Department of Tamil Nadu in Ramanathapuram district rescued an adult Olive Ridley turtle that was caught in a fishing net.
• The nesting season for Olive Ridley turtles usually starts by December.
•  Olive Ridley turtle:

10. Butterflies and moth shift higher up in the Himalayas due to Climate change.

• According to a study, several species of butterfly and moth have shifted their habitat higher in the Himalayan Mountains due to the rise in average temperature.
• The study has used the baseline indicator to track the impact of climate change on animal species over the coming decade.
• The Himalayas are home to more than 35% of butterflies and moths species found in India.
• The survey of study is carried out by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and funded by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• According to the data, seven species have started to inhabit altitudes more than 2,000 meters higher than the previous mean.
• Butterflies are very sensitive species to climate change.
• The study has tracked 1,274 species of moth and 484 species of butterfly in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, North Bengal, and Arunachal Pradesh.
• It also identified 80 new species of butterflies and moths.
• The study has identified two species richness hotspots –
  • West Bengal’s Darjeeling hills
  • Kumaon, Uttarakhand
• The study has found 211 species of butterfly in Western Himalayas and 354 in Eastern Himalayas.
• Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) is the second-largest order in the class Insecta.
• Reason for the Altitudinal Shift of the Lepidoptera are:
  • Scarcity of water due to receding ice caps and glaciers
  • Increasing human habitation
  • Altitudinal shift in vegetation

11. An 18 – year- old girl Chaitanya Venkateswaran becomes British High Commissioner for a day.

• Chaitanya Venkateswaran, an 18 – year- old girl from the national capital, has become British High Commissioner for a day.
• The British High Commission has been organizing the ‘High Commissioner for a Day’ competition annually, inviting young Indian women aged 18 to 23 years to take over as their most senior diplomat for a day.
• ‘High Commissioner for a Day’ competition is run by the UK mission to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child (October 11).
• She got this unique opportunity under the mission’s initiative aimed at empowering and highlighting the challenges faced by women across the world.
• Sir Philip Robert Barton is the current British High Commissioner to India.

(Source: Indiatoday)

12. Indian Navy Ships Sahyadri and Kora declared the Best Ships in FAF 2020.

• In the Fleet Award Function (FAF) 2020, the most coveted trophies of best Ship were awarded to INS Sahyadri amongst Capital ships and INS Kora amongst Corvettes.
• FAF 2020 was organized to mark the successful culmination of the Operational Cycle of the Eastern Fleet of the Indian Navy at Visakhapatnam.
• In this event, sixteen trophies were awarded in recognition of excellence in various operational verticals.
• Indian Naval Ships Airavat and Kiltan jointly bagged the ‘Best Spirited Ship’ award.
• Indian Navy:
  • The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the Indian Armed Forces.
  • Admiral Karambir Singh is 24^th Indian Navy Chief.
  • The Chief of the Naval Staff is the commander, the highest-ranking officer in the Indian Navy.