Daily Current Affairs and GK | 11 and 12 September 2022

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

1. PM Narendra Modi will visit Uzbekistan on Sept 15-16 to attend SCO Summit.

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit will be attended by leaders of SCO member states and observer member countries.
• To attend the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Prime Minister Modi will visit Samarkand.
• During the meeting, participants will review the activities of the last two year decade and also discuss the prospects of multilateral cooperation in the future.
• The SCO member will also discuss the issues related to regional and global importance.
• Prime Minister Modi is likely to participate in a few bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Summit.
• Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO):
  • It was formed in 2001 in Shanghai, China. Currently, it has 8 members.
  • India and Pakistan joined SCO in 2017. The other members are China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
  • It is the world's largest regional organization.
  • It is headquartered in Beijing, China.
  • Zhang Ming is the Secretary-General of SCO.
  • In 2021, it was decided to start the accession process of Iran to the SCO as a full member.
  • Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to become dialogue partners of SCO.

Topic: Personality in News

2. India’s eastern-most military garrison has been named after Gen Bipin Rawat.

• Kibithu military garrison along the Line of Actual Control has been named after India’s first Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat.
• From 1999-2000, Gen Bipin Rawat commanded the Battalion 5/11 Gorkha Rifles at Kibithu.
• Kibithu is the easternmost military garrison of India. Meyor and Jarkin tribes mainly live in this small hamlet.
• The 22 km-long road stretch from Walong to Kibithu and garrison have been named after Gen Bipin Rawat.
• Chief Minister Khandu allocated Rs 10 crore to make the garrison one of the best military stations.
• Gen Bipin Rawat was posthumously conferred Padma Vibhushan in 2022.

Topic: International Appointments

3. King Charles III has been proclaimed the next monarch of Britain.

• He has been formally proclaimed as King at St James's Palace.
• The 73-year-old former Prince of Wales has been given the throne after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
• He is now the head of state and the transfer from one reign to the next is completed with oaths and signatures.
• Privy Council Clerk Richard Tilbrook proclaimed Charles "King, Head of the Commonwealth, Keeper of the Faith".
• The Privy Council is a group of senior politicians who advise the monarch.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Defence

4. Two-day National Defense MSME Conclave and Exhibition started in Kota, Rajasthan on 12 September.

• The exhibition features defence equipment such as T-90 and BMP-2 tanks, artillery guns, various types of sniper and machine guns, and military bridges.
• Youth innovating in the defence sector, as well as startups and MSMEs, are displaying their products.
• In this event, over 50 companies, start-ups, and MSMEs working in the defense sector took part.
• Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Minister of State for Defense Ajay Bhatt formally inaugurated the conclave.
• In Rajasthan, the Defense Conclave and Exhibition is being held for the first time.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Personality in News

5. U. Krishnam Raju, a former Central Minister and film actor, died in Hyderabad at the age of 82.

• He was born at Mogalthur of the then-West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.
• He joined the BJP in the 1990s and was elected to the 12^th and 13^th Lok Sabha from Kakinada and Narasapuram constituencies.
• During the Vajpayee Government, he served as the Minister of State for External Affairs.
• He won the first Nandi Award instituted by the state government for Best Actor and won the Filmfare Awards five times.
• Other obituaries in the news:
  • B. B. Lal, the former director general of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), passed away at the age of 101. He received the Padma Bhushan award in 2000, and Padma Vibhushan in 2021.
  • Kamal Narain Singh, a former Chief Justice of India, passed away at the age of 95. He was the 22^nd Chief Justice of India, with the shortest tenure of only 17 days.
  • At the age of 99, Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati of the Sharda Peeth monastery in Dwarka passed away. Swami Shankracharya also participated in the 1942 Mahatma Gandhi-led Quit India movement.
  • Swami Swaroopanand was selected as Shankaracharya in 1981 after the passing of his guru, Shankaracharya Brahmananda Saraswati.

Topic: Sports

6. Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by 23 runs to win their sixth Asia Cup title.

• The 15th edition of the Asia Cup 2022 was held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.
• The Player of the Match award was won by Bhanuka Rajapaksa, and the Player of the Series award was won by Wanindu Hasaranga.
• Asia Cup:
  • Asian Cricket Council was established in 1983 to promote goodwill among Asian countries.
  • The first Asia Cup was held in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, in 1984.
  • India is the most successful team in the tournament with seven titles, followed by Sri Lanka with six titles.
  • It is held originally every two years to alternate between ODI and T20I formats.
• Important terms related to Cricket: Beamer, Appeal, Bails, Edge (snick or nick), Maiden, Yorker, Golden duck, Seam, Bouncer, Doosra, Googly, Third man, Twelfth man, Wide Ball.

Topic: Defence

7. Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) launched the third Stealth Frigate ‘Taragiri’ of Project 17A on 11 September 2022.

• It has an approximate launch weight of 3510 Tons. It is designed by the Bureau of Naval Design, which is the Indian Navy’s in-house design organisation.
• It is a 149.02 M long & 17.8 M wide ship. It is propelled by a CODOG combination of two Gas Turbines and 02 Main Diesel Engines.
• It has been built using integrated construction methodology.
• The construction work of Taragiri warship started on 10 September 2020. The ship is likely to be delivered by August 2025.
• The indigenously designed ‘Taragiri’ will be fitted with a supersonic surface-to-surface missile system.
• Indigenously developed triple tube lightweight torpedo launchers and rocket launchers will provide strength to the ship’s anti-submarine capability.
• The ship was named by Mrs Charu Singh, who is the president of NWWA (Western Region).
• The total value of Project 17A is around Rs. 25,700 Crores.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Books and Authors

8. Pavan C. Lall’s new book was released on 12 September 2022.

• The book is titled Forging Mettle: Nrupender Rao and the Pennar Story.
• The book is a story of how a business built with ethics, social and environmental concern at the core of its values can be profitable and sustainable.
• Nrupender Rao is a first-generation entrepreneur. He bought the loss-making Pennar Steels and turned it profitable.
• Pavan C. Lall is a Mumbai-based author and winner of the Citi Journalistic Excellence Award in 2016.    

Topic: Environment and Ecology

9. PM Modi will inaugurate the cheetah reintroduction project on 17 September at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.

• After 70 years, eight cheetahs from Namibia will be reintroduced in India at the Kuno National Park in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh.
• PM Modi will also address women’s self-help groups at Karahal at Sheopur.
• In the next 3-4 years, the government is planning to bring 50 African cheetahs to India.
• The ‘African Cheetah Introduction Project’ was started in 2009.
• The last three recorded Asiatic cheetahs were killed by Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo in 1947. Cheetahs were declared extinct in India in 1952.
• Cheetah:
  • Cheetah is considered vulnerable under the IUCN Red list.
  • Its scientific name is Acinonyx jubatus. It is the world’s fastest land animal.
  • It is native to Africa and central Iran.

Topic: Sports

10. Carlos Alcaraz clinched US Open Men's Singles title.

• Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud at the US Open Men's Singles title final.
• After Rafael Nadal won the French Open in 2005, Alcaraz is the youngest men's Grand Slam champion.
• He has also become the youngest world number 1 men’s tennis player.
• Poland’s Iga Swiatek won the women’s singles title by defeating Ons Jabeur of Tunisia. She won her first US Open singles title.
• Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury won the Men's doubles title while Barbora Krejcikova and Kateřina Siniakova won the women’s doubles title.
• Storm Sanders and John Peers won the Mixed doubles title.
• The 2022 US Open was the 142^nd edition of the US Open.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

11. NITI Aayog in association with WRI launched India’s first national electric freight platform ‘e-FAST India’.

• e-FAST India (Electric Freight Accelerator for Sustainable Transport – India) platform has been supported by World Economic Forum, CALSTART and RMI India.
• It will bring together various freight ecosystem stakeholders. Its main aim is to raise awareness of freight electrification through on-ground demonstration pilots and evidence-based research.
• It will inform policies aimed at accelerating freight electrification in India and also support scalable pilots.
• Leaders from the major automobile industries, logistics companies, development banks, and fin-tech companies took part in the launch event.
• The World Resources Institute (WRI) has also launched its Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Evaluator. It is an intuitive Excel-based application.
• It helps in analyzing cost components and performance parameters of light/medium/heavy-duty freight.
• Additionally, it evaluates the effect of electric versions on TCO per km by comparing them with diesel, gasoline, and CNG counterparts.

Topic: State News / Rajasthan

12. Rajasthan Government launched 100-day urban employment guarantee scheme on 9 September 2022.

• Rajasthan Government’s Indira Gandhi Urban Employment Scheme will provide 100-day employment to needy families in urban areas.
• The Rajasthan Government will provide employment to needy people on the lines of the rural employment guarantee scheme MGNREGA.
• The scheme will cover tasks like maintaining gardens, removing encroachments, conserving water resources, and protecting cultural heritage.
• The scheme is open to people between the ages of 18 and 60. The government has allocated Rs 800 crore for the scheme.
• Payments will be made in the bank accounts of the beneficiary within 15 days.
• This scheme will be implemented in all urban local bodies. It has also the provision to redress complaints and conduct a social audit.
• More than 400,000 people have applied for registration, and job cards have been issued to 250,000 people.

Topic: Defence

13. Indian Army and Indian Air force participated in the joint exercise ‘Gagan Strike’.

• “Gagan Strike” exercise was conducted for four days in areas of Punjab and bordering Ambala in Haryana.
• The exercise comprised the deployment of attack helicopters as the aerial arm in support of ground forces.
• The exercise also demonstrated the precision firepower of attack helicopters working in coordination with ground forces.
• This joint exercise was spearheaded by General Officer Commanding, Khagra Corps, Lt Gen Pratik Sharma.
• This exercise validated the Apache 64E and Advanced Light Helicopter WSI as capable weapon delivery platforms.

Topic: Sports

14. Aaron Finch announced his retirement from ODI cricket.

• Australia captain Aaron Finch will retire from one-day international cricket after the match with New Zealand on 11 September.
• Aaron Finch played 145 ODIs and scored 5400 runs with 17 centuries.
• He made his debut against Sri Lanka at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in 2013.
• He will continue to lead the team in the T20 format. He was part of the squad that won the 2015 World Cup.
• The ODI World Cup 2023 is scheduled to be held in India.