Daily Current Affairs and GK | 12 October 2021

Topic: Awards and Prizes

1. David Card, Joshua Angrist and Guido Imbens wins the 2021 Nobel Prize for economics.

• David Card, Joshua Angrist, and Guido Imbens have won the 2021 Nobel Prize for Economics for research on the labour market impacts of minimum wage, immigration, and education.
• David Card of the University of California at Berkeley has been awarded one half of the prize, while the other half has been shared by Joshua Angrist and Guido Imbens.
• David Card has been awarded for his empirical contributions to labour economics.
• David Card used restaurants in New Jersey and Pennsylvania to measure the effects of increasing the minimum wage.
• He and his partner Alan Krueger found that increase in the hourly minimum wage did not affect employment. As per the conventional theory, an increase in the minimum wage leads to less hiring.
• Joshua D. Angrist and Guido W. Imbens have won the award “for their methodological contributions to the analysis of causal relationships”.

Topic: Important Days

2. International Day of the Girl Child: 11 October

• Every year on 11 October, International Day of the Girl Child is observed to recognize the right of girls.
• The main objective of the day is to make girls an active part of the progress of the world.
• In 2011, the UN General Assembly adopted 11 October as the International Day of the Girl Child.
• The theme of this year’s International Day of the Girl Child 2021 is "Digital generation. Our generation."
• Around the world, girls face gender-based challenges such as child marriage, discrimination, and violence.
• SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Topic: State News/Haryana

3. Haryana bans government employees from taking part in politics and elections.

• Haryana has banned government employees from taking part in politics and elections.
• The office of the chief secretary has issued a notification in this regard.
• Any violation of the order will invite immediate and strict disciplinary action.
• The notification says that no government employee should be a member of any political party or any organisation, which takes part in politics.
• Government employees should also not aid or assist any political movement or activity. 
• A government spokesperson said that display of any electoral symbol by a government employee on his vehicle or residence will amount to using his influence in connection with an election.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

4. Astronautical Society of India conferred Aryabhatta Award to Dr G Satheesh Reddy.

• Astronautical Society of India has conferred Aryabhatta Award to Dr G Satheesh Reddy.
• He has been conferred prestigious Aryabhatta Award for his outstanding life-time contribution to the promotion of astronautics in India.
• He is a pioneer in the area of R&D of advanced avionics, navigation and missile technologies.
• The award function was held on October 09, 2021 at UR Rao Satellite Centre Bangalore.
• Astronautical Society of India was set up in 1990. It was set up to foster the development of astronautics in the country.
• Dr G Satheesh Reddy is currently Secretary, Department of Defence R&D (DDR&D) and Chairman of DRDO.
• Aryabhatta Award is an annual award. It is given to individuals with notable lifetime contributions in the field of astronautics in India. It consists of a citation and Rs. one lakh in cash.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

5. Vice President presents Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence to Dr. Randeep Guleria.

• The Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu presented 22nd Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence to the Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Dr. Randeep Guleria.
• Dr. Randeep Guleria was honoured by the Padma Shri award in 2015 and also received the prestigious Dr. B C Roy National Awards for the year 2014.
• Dr. Randeep Guleria also authored a book “Till We Win: India’s fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic” with Chandrakant Lahariya, and Gagandeep Kang.
• The Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence was instituted by the Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management (LBSIM), Delhi. It is given in memory of India’s second Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.
• It is given to an individual for their contributions and outstanding achievements in the field of management, public administration, public affairs, education, Institution building, art & culture, and sports.
• The award consists of a cash award of Rs. 5,00,000 plus citation and plaque.

Topic: National News

6. NITI Aayog launched UNDP Handbook on Sustainable Urban Plastic Waste Management.

• NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Dr. Rajiv Kumar released NITI Aayog- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Handbook on Sustainable Urban Plastic Waste Management.
• It provides a comprehensive overview of managing plastic waste by representing and discussing components of the entire plastic waste value chain.
• NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Dr. Rajiv Kumar emphasized on the significance of the Re-use, Reduce and Recycle model.
• The handbook can be adopted by urban local bodies to create awareness about the use of plastics.
• Recently, NITI Aayog has also released a handbook to guide state governments and local bodies to frame policies and norms towards setting up charging networks for electric vehicles.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: International News

7. Moqtada al-Sadr’s party emerged ‘biggest winner’ in parliamentary election of Iraq.

• Shia Muslim religious leader Moqtada al-Sadr’s party emerged as the biggest winner in the parliamentary election of Iraq. It has won 73 seats in the 329-member parliament.
• Iraq’s Shi’ite groups have dominated the government of Iraq after the US-led invasion.
• The election was held several months early, in response to mass protests in 2019.
• Mohammed al-Halbousi’s Taqaddum coalition won 38 seats.
• Al-Sadr has increased his power over Iraq since the 2018 election, earlier they won 54 seats.

Topic: Important Days

8. World Arthritis Day: 12 Oct

• World Arthritis Day is celebrated every year on 12 October.
• It is observed to spread awareness about Rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs), Osteoarthritis, and other forms of arthritis among people.
• The theme of World Arthritis Day 2021 is “Don’t delay, connect today: Time2work.”
• World Arthritis Day was first celebrated in the year 1996. It was started by a collaboration of the Arthritis and Rheumatism International Foundation.
• Arthritis refers to any disorder affecting joints. It is the inflammation (swelling) of joints. Common symptoms of Arthritis are pain in joints, stiffness, and swelling.

Topic: Personality in News

9. Iran’s first President, Abolhassan Banisadr, passed away.

• Abolhassan Banisadr, Iran’s first President, died in Paris at the age of 88.
• He was the first President of Iran after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. He served as President from February 1980 to June 1981.
• He served as finance minister and foreign minister in the new theocratic government before being elected President in February 1980.
• He was impeached by the Parliament of Iran in 1981. He was born in 1933 in the Hamedan province of Iran.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

10. U.N. Human Rights Council declared access to a clean environment a human right.

• The U.N. Human Rights Council recognized access to a clean and healthy environment as a basic human right.
• The resolution has been proposed by Costa Rica, the Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia, and Switzerland.
• It has been passed by 43 votes in favour. Russia, India, China, and Japan remained abstained during the passage of the resolution.
• The resolution declaring a clean and healthy environment as a fundamental right was first discussed in the 1990s.
• According to the World Health Organization estimates, around 13.7 million people die every year due to environmental risks such as air pollution and chemical exposure.
• United Nations Rights Council has also approved another proposal led by the Marshall Islands to create a new special rapporteur on climate change.

Topic: Sports

11. Valtteri Bottas wins Turkish Grand Prix.

• Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas has won Turkish Grand Prix and Red Bull's Max Verstappen finished second.
• This was Bottas' first victory since the Russian GP in September last year. Red Bull's Sergio Perez finished third.
• Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished fourth. Valtteri Bottas’ team mate and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton finished fifth.
• The Turkish Grand Prix is a Formula One motor race held at the Istanbul Park Circuit. Valtteri Viktor Bottas is a Finnish racing driver.

Topic: Space and IT

12. NASA to launch Mission Lucy on October 16.

• NASA will launch Mission Lucy on October 16 to study Jupiter Trojan asteroids.
• This would mark the first spacecraft to explore the Jupiter Trojan asteroids. It would be the first-ever spacecraft to return to Earth’s vicinity from the outer solar system.
• It will take off from Florida-based Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. An Atlas V 401 rocket would carry the spacecraft to space.
• Mission Lucy will help in studying Jupiter Trojan asteroids that could help in understanding the origin and evolution of the solar system.
• The mission will be powered by solar energy. It will run for 12 years. It would visit eight asteroids spread over a distance of 6.3 billion kilometers.
• The mission has been named after ‘Lucy’, the fossilised human ancestor. The mission would encounter first asteroid in main asteroid belt found between Mars and Jupiter, and then it would encounter seven Trojan asteroids.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

13. APEDA signs MoU with ICAR-CCRI, Nagpur.

• APEDA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ICAR-Central Citrus Research Institute (ICAR-CCRI), Nagpur.
• The MoU has been signed for boosting exports of citrus and its value added products. It envisages promoting export by focusing on the creation of product specific clusters.
• It also envisages development of technologies by APEDA and ICAR-CCRI with a focus on efficient and precision farming.
• APEDA and ICAR-CCRI would also organize capacity building for farmers, entrepreneurs, exporters and other stakeholders to promote agri-businesses and exports.
• APEDA and ICAR-CCRI would collaborate on developing climate-resilient agriculture, promoting Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) certification, blockchain technologies and shaping business models around the needs of the farmers.

(Source: PIB)