Daily Current Affairs and GK | 12 October 2023

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

1. Dr. Jitendra Singh launched the Intelligent Grievance Monitoring System (IGMS) 2.0 Public Grievance portal.

• Union Minister Jitendra Singh launched the Intelligent Grievance Monitoring System (IGMS) 2.0 Public Grievance portal of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG).
• It is a major upgrade of the Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) portal in terms of capabilities.
• IGMS 2.0 Dashboard has been developed by a team of IIT Kanpur.
• Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that for the first time, the average disposal time of public grievances by Central Ministries and departments has been reduced by about 50% due to reforms undertaken by DARPG in the CPGRAMS.
• The average disposal time for Central Ministries/Departments has decreased from 32 days in 2021 to 18 days in 2023.
• The Dashboard has been developed to provide instant tabular analysis of Grievances. The Dashboard will also help the officials identify the grievance's root cause.
• The upgraded IGMS portal will help the DARPG to expedite the grievance redressal process by the concerned ministry/department.
• The CPGRAMS portal receives around 20 lakh grievances annually.

Topic: Sports

2. Rohit Sharma breaks Chris Gayle’s record for most sixes in international cricket.

• Rohit Sharma has hit 555 sixes in 453 matches. He broke the Chris Gayle's record of 553 sixes.
• He achieved this feat during a league match of India against Afghanistan in the World Cup 2023.
• Shahid Afridi with 476 sixes in 524 matches is in third place while Brendon McCullum with 389 sixes in 432 matches is in fourth place.
• Rohit Sharma already holds the record for most sixes in T20Is.
• Rohit Sharma also achieved the milestone of completing 1000 runs for India in World Cups.
• Rohit completed his hundred off 63 balls. He broke the record of the fastest century by an Indian in the World Cup.
• He surpassed the legendary Sachin Tendulkar's record of most hundreds in the World Cup. Rohit Sharma has smashed seven centuries.

Topic: State News/ Uttarakhand

3. PM Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various development projects worth about Rs 4200 cr in Uttarakhand.

• On October 12, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on his one-day visit to Uttarakhand.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Pithoragarh and Almora districts in the Kumaon region.
• The projects worth about Rs 4,200 crore are related to roads, power, irrigation, drinking water, horticulture, education, health and disaster management.
• The projects inaugurated by the Prime Minister include – 76 rural roads and 25 bridges constructed in rural areas under PMGSY, 15 buildings of BDO offices in 9 districts, and three roads constructed under Central Road Fund.
• The project includes 39 bridges across Uttarakhand and Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) building in Dehradun built under the World Bank-funded Uttrakhand Disaster Recovery Project.
• The project includes three projects related to Drinking water via 38 Pumping drinking water schemes, and the upgradation of two roads on National Highways via Almora Petshal - Panuwanaula - Danya (NH 309B) and Tanakpur - Chalthi (NH 125).
• This includes a plan for the construction of 21,398 poly-houses, which will help in increasing the production of flowers and vegetables and improving their quality.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

4. The establishment of an autonomous body "Mera Yuva Bharat" (MY Bharat) approved by the Cabinet.

• The primary objective of Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat) is to make it a whole government platform for the development of youth.
• It will serve as a comprehensive technology-driven enabling mechanism for youth development.
• This will provide equal access to the youth to realize their aspirations and build a developed India across the entire spectrum of government.
• The autonomous body, My Youth India (MY Bharat), will benefit youth in the age group of 15-29 years, in line with the definition of 'youth' in the National Youth Policy.
• The components of this program are specifically designed for adolescents, the beneficiaries of which will be adolescents in the age group of 10-19 years.
• This program will help in shifting the government's attention on youth-led development and make youth "active drivers" of development instead of being mere "passive recipients".
• My Young India (MY Bharat) will be launched on National Unity Day on October 31, 2023.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: MoUs and Agreements

5. An MoU approved by the Cabinet between India and France regarding cooperation in the field of digital technology.

• The objective of the MoU is to promote closer cooperation and exchange of information related to digital technologies.
• Each partner aims to mutually support the goal of promoting access to digital technology in its country in line with the provisions of this MOU.
• G2G and B2B bilateral cooperation in the field of digital technologies will be promoted.
• This MoU envisages better cooperation in promoting employment opportunities in the field of IT.
• The cooperation under this MOU will commence from the date of signing by both participants and will last for five (5) years.
• MeitY is entrusted with the responsibility of promoting international cooperation in emerging and frontier areas of information technology under bilateral and regional frameworks of cooperation.
• India and France are long-standing strategic partners in the Indo-European region.
• Based on the India-France Road Map on Cybersecurity and Digital Technology announced in 2019, India and France are pursuing an ambitious bilateral cooperation on advanced digital technologies.

Topic: Important Days

6. World Sight Day 2023: 12 October

• World Sight Day is observed on the second Thursday of October.
• This year, it was celebrated on 12 October.
• It is celebrated to raise awareness about the importance of healthy eyesight.
• The theme of World Sight Day 2023 is “Love your eyes at work.”
• It was first celebrated on October 8, 1984.
• This World Sight Day the focus is on helping people to understand the importance of protecting their vision in the workplace and calling on industry leaders to prioritize workers' eye health.
• The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPWD) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India is the nodal department looking after all the development agenda of persons with disabilities in the country.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

7. India has launched Operation Ajay.

• It has been launched to evacuate Indian nationals from the Israel-Hamas conflict zone.
• It is an operation to facilitate the return from Israel of its citizens who wish to return.
• A 24-hour Control Room has been set up in the Ministry of External Affairs. This has been set up to monitor the situation and provide information and assistance.
• The Representative Office of India in Ramallah has also set up a 24-hour emergency helpline.
• Ramallah is a Palestinian city that serves as the de facto administrative capital of the State of Palestine.
• “Operation Ganga” was launched to bring back Indian citizens and students from Ukraine.

Topic: National News

8. Union cabinet has approved royalty rates for mining of three critical and strategic minerals.

• These critical and strategic minerals are Lithium, Niobium, and Rare Earth Elements (REEs).
• The approval of royalty rates will allow the central government to auction blocks for these minerals for the first time.
• The royalty rate would be 3% of the London Metal Exchange price for Lithium.
• The royalty rate would be 3% of the Average Sale Price for Niobium.
• The royalty rate of Rare Earth Elements would be 1% of Average Sale Price of Rare Earth Oxide.
• In July 2023, the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act 2023 was passed in the Parliament.
• It delisted six minerals, including Lithium and Niobium, from the list of atomic minerals.
• Thus it enabled the grant of concessions for these minerals to the private sector through auction.

Topic: Space and IT

9. National Security Council Secretariat organized the National Cyber Security Exercise ‘Bharat NCX 2023’.

• The 2nd Edition of the National Cyber Security Exercise ‘Bharat NCX 2023’ is scheduled to be conducted from 09 to 20 October 2023.
• Its main aim is to train senior management and technical personnel of Government/Critical Sector organizations.
• The program is being conducted by the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) in strategic partnership with Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU).
• 300 participants representing government agencies, public organizations, and the private sector are participating in the event.
• 200 Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) from government, public organizations, and the private sector are participating in Bharat NCX 2023.
• The participants will be trained in various key cyber security areas such as Intrusion Detection Techniques, Malware Information Sharing Platform (MISP), Vulnerability Handling and Penetration Testing, Network Protocols and Data Flows, Digital Forensics, etc.
• It will help in increasing understanding of cyber threats, assess readiness, and develop skills for cyber crisis management and cooperation.
• It will also help in developing and testing cybersecurity skills, teamwork, planning, communication, critical thinking, and decision-making.
• An exclusive exhibition showing the innovation and resilience of Indian cybersecurity startups and Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) is also organized.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

10. PM Modi to inaugurate 9th G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P-20) in New Delhi.

• The 9th G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P-20) will be organized from 13th to 14th October 2023 at the India International Convention and Expo Center (IICC), Yashobhoomi, Dwarka, New Delhi.
• Apart from G-20 countries, 10 other countries and international organizations will participate in the Summit.
• 50 Parliamentarians and 14 Secretaries General including 26 Presidents, 10 Vice Presidents, 01 Committee Chairman and the IPU President will attend the Summit.
• The President of the Pan-African Parliament will participate in the P-20 Summit in India for the first time.
• G-20 members and guest countries will hold discussions on “how Parliaments can effectively advance the objectives of the P-20”.
• Four high-level sessions will be organized during the P-20 Summit, which are given below:
  •  Accelerating SDGs
  • Sustainable Energy Transition
  • Women-led Development
  • Transformation in People’s Lives through Public Digital Platforms
• A Parliamentary Forum on LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) was also organized on 12th October 2023.
• An exhibition 'Mother of Democracy' was also organized to highlight India's ancient and participatory democratic traditions.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Personality in News

11. The nation paid tribute to Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan on his birth anniversary on 11 October.

• This year the 122nd birth anniversary of Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan was celebrated. 
• Shri Modi recalled the contribution of Jayaprakash Narayan in strengthening India's democracy.
• Jayaprakash Narayan:
  • He was born on 11 October 1902 and died on 8 October 1979.
  • He is popularly called JP or Lok Nayak.
  • He played a major role in movements like the Quit India Movement, the Sarvodaya Movement, and the JP Movement against the Indira Gandhi government.
  • He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1999.
  • He is known for his ‘Total Revolution’ call against Indira Gandhi.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/ Uttarakhand

12. 'Rozgar Prayag Portal' launched by CM Pushkar Singh Dhami at Uttarakhand Youth Mahotsav in Dehradun.

• On October 9, the 'Rozgar Prayag Portal' launched in the Uttarakhand Youth Mahotsav-2023 program organized at Parade Ground in Dehradun.
• The government has developed this portal for the youth with the aim of providing employment opportunities in the state on a single portal.
• On this occasion, 'Yuva Uttarakhand App' also launched and inaugurated self-employment centers in the employment offices of Dehradun and Udham Singh Nagar.
• ITDA has developed the app to make the schemes run by different departments available in one place.
• During the Youth Mahotsav program, an MoU was signed between the Skill Development and Employment Department and IIT Roorkee.
• The objective of the MoU is to utilize the technical expertise of IIT Roorkee to develop the skill capacity of the state's manpower.
• An MoU was also signed between the Department of Skill Development and Employment and Microsoft.
• Under this MoU, Microsoft will provide training related to digital skills to the students studying in higher technical institutions of the state.

Topic: State News/ Kerala

13. Kerala’s first 3D-printed building has been inaugurated in Thiruvananthapuram.

• On October 10, the first 3D-printed building in Kerala, Amaze-28, was inaugurated in the Kerala State Nirmithi Kendra (Kesnik) campus at PTP Nagar in Thiruvananthapuram.
• It is spread over 380 sq ft and is a one-room summer house. It was constructed in 28 days.
• It is designed as a demonstration project, which was completed by Kera State Nirmiti Kerndra with the support of Tvasta, a Chennai-based construction tech start-up.
• AMAZE-28 is standing on a concrete platform on a small mound on the Kesnik campus.
• Tvasta used a patented concrete mix as the construction material for constructing this building.
• Concrete mix is deposited layer by layer using a robotic arm which has a nozzle at its tip.
• With the use of this technology, a 1,500-1,600 sq ft home can be completed in two to two-and-a-half months.

Topic: National Appointments

14. Navneet Munot has been elected as the new chairman of the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi).

• Navneet Munot is the new chairman of the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi).
• He is the managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of HDFC Asset Management.
• Anthony Heredia became the new vice-chairperson of Amfi.
• Heredia is the MD and CEO of Mahindra Manulife Mutual Fund.
• A Balasubramanian term ended as the chairman of Amfi. Radhika Gupta's term ended as the Vice-Chiarman.
• The association holds elections for the two positions every year. The elected representatives generally get a two-year term.
• The election took place at the 28th annual general meeting (AGM) of Amfi in September 2023.
• Munot and Heredia will take charge from 16 October 2023.